First Contact [Planning]

The Story:

Three years ago, the Air Force discovered the remains of an extraterrestrial space craft, floating idly near one of Jupiter's moons. A team was sent down to the ship to further investigate after all scan attempts had failed. The crew of that ship were long dead, however, somehow, when the team reached the cargo bay, there were animals, live ones, alien ones. Back on Earth there was fierce debate about whether to risk bringing the aliens down to Earth, at least in quarintine, or whether to not take the risk at all, and just leave the animals to die. It was eventually decided to bring the aliens to Earth, under quarintine, so that scientists could study them and perhaps learn more about life on other planets. The alien bodies were also sent down to Earth in order to study them.
Now, it seems, the aliens who sent that ship want their animals back, and they've tracked them to Earth. Astronomers have detected a huge mass of objects on the outer edge of the Solar System, visuals conclude that these objects are a fleet of space ships, similar to the one found at Jupiter, but also different. This fleet moves closer and closer to Earth every passing second, and they don't seem to be offering a diplomatic means to end this. Earth's people must prepare to defend themselves against this unknown race, prepare themselves to fight against impossible odds. The only thing working for Humanity is that they have now developed rail guns capable of being fired in space. They plan to outfit their space stations with these weapons as a first line of defence. As a last line of defence, in order to be assured of the survival of the species, Humanities leaders have ordered immediate construction of an evacuation ship, equipped with everything needed to start a self-sufficient colony on another planet.

Players will fight to defend humanity. They will be given a proximity warning each time the alien fleet passes a planet, or a planet's orbit. Until the fleet arrives, they have time to prepare, once it arrives, all hell breaks loose.

Discuss.

Shall it be modern day or near futuristic? I just wanna know. Also, what will happen in preparing for it? A fixed system of points? Or just whatever you want, provided it is in reasdonable levels?

I haven't decided yet. However it is set in the close future, say in ten years from now or something.

Right

Okay, some more planning:

Human Space Stations:

-ISS [International Space Station] - Research Station
-ASS [Astronomers' Space Station] - Equipped with the most powerful telescopes yet made by man
-SMHQ [Space Mission Head Quarters] - All exploration missions including human astronaughts are based here
-UESS [United Earth Space Station(basically ISS #2)] - Research Station
-EDS [Earth Defence Station (In construction)] - Armed Defence Station

Lol I just realised the second one... anyway I am looking for better, perhaps more realistic names for these stations so if you come up with one let me know.

Preparations:

-Arming Space Stations [If in military]
-Following Orders [If military] (Such as preparing defences ect.)
-Preparing Household [If civilian] (ect. barring doors, sealing windows, sandbags ect.]
-(Need more ideas)

Crossover:

Should this become a crossover eventually? What do you think? As in the Frog Empire intervens and helps humanity ect. [I won't actually do that in particular, but that kind of idea]

What about our Solar System colonisation status? Or are we still stuck on and around Earth?

Humans have a very small, minor research base on the moon, but it isn't self sustainable or anything. Humans have also set foot on Mars. Humans have been probing around the Solar System a bit, but they haven't learnt much new from it.

I just thought of another 'preparation' you could do as military, civilian control, seeing as an alien race intent on destroying humanity could undoubtedly cause panik. How would this have leaked out? An astronomer at NASA who decided to take it upon himself to show humanity the truth.

On the moon base, only few specialised astronomers/astronaughts actually live there, even then they only just stay for various periods of time, usually not more then a month, before leaving.

OK, so we have Railguns, a few simple space-stations, everything we already have in the present and sustainable and defendable colonies on Earth only. They, on the other hand have more. Exactly how much more?

We also have an evactuation/colonisation fleet in progress.

The aliens have a fleet of around 1000 various warships, each with shields and weapons which I have yet to specify. On foot, the aliens have powerful psionic powers, 'Gravitized' weapons [see below] and various other things. The aliens also have the ability to restore gravity to a specific location eg. a space station, via special space equipment/ships.

Gravitized weapons are weapons that mess up gravity around them, similar to the Gravity Hammer of halo, usually to a lesser extent though. Although usually used in melee weapons, the few projectile weapons' projectiles are also gravitized.

I'm still tossing some of this up so yeah... also I'm thinking the aliens could be the Illithd Empire. Or you guys could help me mak up another empire...

By the sounds of is we're screwed. What advantages do we have? Why won't we be swiftly annihilated, besides narrative convenience>

Remember we have nukes. We'd destroy quite a few of the alien ships with the nukes and railguns and missiles. My best bet is that a simple force of a hudnred thousand aliens have landed on Earth, and are the only ones getting there. They'd still be tough to defeat, very tough.

Because humans have... duh duh duuuhhhhh...

Nothing. Whatsoever. of course they have nukes as shadows meantioned, but what with the shields and whatnot... anyway the real, real, reeeeaaaallll point of this was to become a spaceship survival thing with the colony fleet, like the TV series SGU [awesome]. The alien invasion is mainly just the intro/backstory/setting the scene/ect.

So the fleet of the last surviving humans fly off into the unknown, hoping like S**T that the aliens don't find them, also hoping to find a habitable planet on which to live. So they come across alien planets, alien life blkablabla total awesome stufferooney, have a few adventures, maybe lose half or so of the fleet, some of them go insane ect.

Good idea?

Also should we have the humans invent some hyperspace/wormhole/warp/FTL-like space-travelling thing or should they just use cryo-chambers/pods.

If the cryo-chambers, they will take turns on 'shifts, guarding the ship while the others remain frozen, allowing for some personal one on one time with the horrors I and the mods have in stall for them [muaghahahahaaaa].

Cryochambers with sub-light are too slow. We're being pursued by FTL aliens, remember. How about we steal a bit of alien tech and quickly botch that into our escape fleet. The botch-job would then later malfunction and do something to the plot.

Or they could commandeer an alien ship which they can barely control...

That may be a little trickier to get in the first place, as we'd have to overpower the aliens on board, and since we need a big ship there'll be a lot of aliens. How about we let the roleplayers decide? Go for the easy harvest-a-crashed-ship option or for the harder yet more reliable hijack-an-enemy-ship.

I agree. Let the RPers decide, however we have to find a preferebly subtle way to let them know they have the option to do such a thing...

Okay, so here's my new idea.

In their desperation, the humans send a few teams of the world's most skilled soldiers to try to overpower an alien ship and hopefull turn the tides using said ship. After massive casualties, they manage to commandeer the ship, but it takes off into FTL for some unknown reason. The reason for this will hopefully be explained near then end/later on in the rp. We can discuss why here, now, if you guys don't mind spoilers. Anyway, once the commandeered alien ship takes off, the Humans still on Earth launch the now-completed Evac. Ship, which trails behind the alien ship. The Evac. Ship is powered by some captured FTL drives of the aliens, however the humans have no idea how they work whatsoever so if they stop or break down or run out of fuel, they are screwed.

...

Okay time to focus on what this needs to be started as a RP...

-Revised OP
-Character Sheets
-What else?

Character sheets... They need:

Appearance; name; personality; biography; home; job; military or not (could be placed in Job); relation to events and places in OP, if any (should be placed in Bio); other; tools/weapons/armour/vehicles (optional).

Now all you have to do is format it.

Why doesn't each roleplayer control a ship? Also, could we have alien characters? And are the aliens honorable warriors, like my Drakons, or cowards like the frogs, who run in fear at the first show of miuhgt? No insult intended, a joke.

I suppose some mods might be aliens... but only when they are in contact with the Humans, otherwise it might give too much away to the human players...

Thanks Bbeast.

Each player doesn't control a ship because humans don't have capable spaceships. They are useless for anything other then transport to the moon. Of course, we could [maybe should?] add that Earthen governments are working on fight-capable spaceships. Then players might be able to choose to be a pilot and when they're complete fly those... hmmm...

The aliens just fight. It can't be told when they fight against such an inferior race as Humanity. Of course, they don't shy away from a fight, but neither would they charge, lone, into a mob of enemies knowing there's no hope.

Character Sheet

Name:
Appearence:
Personality:
Bio:
Class: [Civilian, Military, Special (Governemt agencies ect.)]
Tools/Supplies: [Weapons around home, military weapons, tools around home, supplies ect.]

Probly I'll only have vehicles during special circumstances eg. the military [meaning me] gets them to operate a tank ect.

That'll work. But what are the civilians going to do when their city is overrun by aliens in spaceships? Not much, unless infantry beam down and break their doors down.

Maybe I should make it compulory for the civilian to be of some importance eg. a retired scientist who revolutionised astronomy or something... or maybe we should just cut out being a civilian...

I liked the former of your two suggestions. Blasting aliens in the face or keeping operations secret may not be for everybody. But yes, make them of importance. Why be a retired scientist when you could still be working? The civilian has to be likely to interact with the aliens in some way or another. Perhaps the CEO of a huge company along the lines of transport or technology, for example. Or an astronomer who has been assigned the task of keeping an eye out for aliens.

To sum it up, how about ask the people, if they choose to be civilian, how direct their interaction with the aliens are? If it is not enough, they will be rejected.

Or if they choose to be a useless citizen of no importance, perhaps they could be abducted and experimented upon, before being released by another human who has managed to escape. I'm thinking along the lines of SGU here, if anyone's seen it. Geez those aliens were awesome...

SGU? An acronym... Acronyms are only good for people who know them.
So yeah, have the useless citizens forced into joining in. I like that idea better.