Vote up a Space Opera

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

Can I check what exactly people mean by "starfish aliens"?

Aliens that are distinctly non-human (normally in physiology, but often in mentality as well).

If Earth has spawned life as diverse as humans and starfish, why should species from entirely isolated ecosystems differ only in skin color and pattern of forehead bumps? The usual answer being that there are relatively few radially symmetrical actors.

[Flyndaran]

I don't think terrestrial living is suited to radial symmetry. You kind of have to specialize with a front and a back at least. But external symmetry does not mean internal symmetry. We aren't that internally symmetrical after all.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I don't think terrestrial living is suited to radial symmetry. You kind of have to specialize with a front and a back at least. But external symmetry does not mean internal symmetry. We aren't that internally symmetrical after all.

OTOH, come to think of it, external symmetry seems the default assumption that needs not be absolute. Now that I posted a forehead alien, I think I'll try some starfish one which doesn't have much in the way of symmetry.

(And just in case: the point of the starfish descriptor is not the similarity to starfish, but rather the dissimilarity to the life forms we are used to seeing regularly.)

[Flyndaran]

But Space Opera never goes really realistic in alien life. That would lead to every species needing incompatible atmospheres, pressures, gravities, etc. When I think of S.O. I don't think of everyone wearing space suits just to hang out with non humans.

Like starfish life, earth has had quite a few types of atmospheres different from today's.

But for every rule, I love having one thing or creature that breaks them. One alien species that just shouldn't be, or had an even less likely evolutionary path than humanity would make for a nice addition, I think.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

But for every rule, I love having one thing or creature that breaks them. One alien species that just shouldn't be, or had an even less likely evolutionary path than humanity would make for a nice addition, I think.

Just for fun, I made up two aliens for a setting. One had a starfish body (radial tentacle bushes), the other had a starfish mind (the basic family unit being genetically identical clutch siblings that were abandoned before hatching).

[ericthered]

Results for Nations, Culture, and Species:

whether you live there or not :1 eric
others join them on occasion :1 Faolyn
but the number blended is low:5 Diomedes,Neon,Frost,Vicky,Daigoro,
but no one is really out of place:3 samd6,Damman,CombatMedic

I think the two majority are similar enough for the whole to vary, and we have a really strong tendency that way.

I think I am beginning to understand why there are no standing gurps group projects. you guys are terrible at bandwagonning and seem to hold every possible opinion. Not that I'm any different.

by the way, RyanW and Flyndaran are formally and specifically invited to vote as well as comment. Which votes are open, as well as links to the posts describing them, are in the first post. Every else is just formally invited to vote. You've either been doing it or I don't know who you are.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by ericthered

I am stealing this idea from a different forum and seeing if it works here:

Vote up a Space opera:
The idea behind this is to create a Space Opera that works well with gurps: in other words, It doesn't need too much conversion. However, there are lots of things to a setting besides just what rules are being used. I don't trust myself to make something truely generic (I think weird), so I will be asking the questions here, and the setting will be yours, with the charactaristics you decide.

At any given point there will be a number of questions open for voting. feel free to place votes on them, encourage people to vote your way, and suggest options that I really should have thought of (or are just that awesome).

Voting Open on:
How close are the habitable worlds, round 2?
How many kinds of aliens?
Precursors
Hyperspace Layer Submission

Long Term
Alien Submissions

Voting closed on:
Habitable world Density round 1
How does nation and species relate?:Races form cultures and nations, though others join in.
What Type of FTL travel? : Hyperdrive
HyperSpace Questions! : answers here
How dominant is humanity?: A Considerable Power, but bigger fish are out there
How long does it take to travel between close Worlds: An average of 8 days

If you want to narrow the group, I suggest you add a clarification about voting and commentary to the first post.As things read now, it appears that the thread is wide open, except for indvidual closed polls.


I'd also suggest that you, the OP, reserve the final decision for yourself in the event of unclear outcomes, heavily divided opinions, stuff that just doesn't mesh well, and so on. Somebody should be at the head of even an informal project.

[samd6]

I'll posit habitable worlds are about 800 LY apart.

I think that ericthered was inviting everybody who wanted to vote to vote.

[ericthered]

Hyperspace Layer Submission

We are opening up The Layers of Hyperspace to suggestion. Please give Layered Schemes, and we will vote on them when we have a good collection. Samd6 put up an excellent suggestion, and I will put out my challenging answer.

please note the facts already decided about hyperspace: here

(actually, its more of a lame stereotypical and vaugely sarcastic example)

layer 0: realspace, where humanity lives.
layer 1: transspace, a fairly tranquil layer of emptiness with nothing in it that appears to have 4d qualities.
layers 2a-d: spaces where space flows and carries ships around. it is difficult to move on your own here, you just float with the current. switching between the spaces to go where you want.
layer 3: a high energy space, where the speed of light is lower and energy is abundant.

[Flyndaran]

What does the speed of light matter when by going through hyperspace you are already going very FTL?

How about one that is reasonably quick but passengers come back slightly different, in a non-bad way, just different? But to them, they've always been that way. "What do you mean? I've always been left handed and had a mole there."
Theories include multiple universes and hyperspace distortion. But no conclusive evidence either way. Just enough to make people uncomfortable. But good travel if you don't care bout minor stigmas. :)