Timeline Technology Rules

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Technology Level

Technology can be harsh and unforgiving. Sometimes it can be downright dangerous to use. Even doors can be dangerous. For the most part technology is fairly utilitarian, with little bells and whistles added. There are exceptions: sleek, ultra-modern Nabooan yachts are a statement of wealth and status. Mon Calamari designs are decidedly alien and an interesting mixture of utilitarian and aesthetically pleasing. Coruscant is a planet-wide city that uses ultra-modern architecture and aesthetics to show off its place as the crown jewel of the Galaxy.

But when you get away from opulent wealth, the Galaxy has a more rugged side. Moisture Farms operate in the barren deserts of Tatooine, hardened settlers used to an unforgiving home. Sand People raids are common. Poor get taken advantage of. The sinkholes of Utapau house thousands living on the edge of cliffs. Even Naboo, a gem in its own right, has an ugly disparity in the quality of life between her human inhabitants and the Gungan. Tech in the galaxy reflects those disparate ways of life.

The Galaxy is coming out of 100 years of darkness. It's tired and war ravaged. Roving bands of deserters and pirates roam the space lanes in run down hulks of old war vessels. Weapons and warfighting equipment is at its historical peak, but many communities are struggling to maintain basic necessities like power and clean water. Towns, cities, and even whole planets show battle marks and burn scars, and the wreckage of fleet engagements present a serious navigations hazard.
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Personal weaponry takes many forms. The most common is the blaster, a gun that has a myriad of designs. Though a fairly recent development in galactic warfighting, blaster technology has quickly established itself as the most reliable form of ranged weaponry available. Long range Hunting rifles are common on more "undeveloped" worlds where rugged efficiency is favored over "tacticool" design. Wealthy individuals may have the latest civilian carbine design or a plantinum-plated hold out blaster, but by far the most popular civilian weapon is the everyday blaster pistol. More ancient technology is still found fairly regularly in the galaxy as militias and smaller militaries resort to cost saving measures, and pirates and backwater worlds in the fringes take whatever they can get. Pulse Wave Cannons are not an uncommon sight outside of the Core and Inner Rim, though civilized systems have long ago outlawed their ownership due to the terrible damage they can cause at the molecular level. Slugthrowers and other projectile weapons are seen as even more crude and barbaric than pulse wave weapons in that they cause wounds that bleed. They are technologically inferior in almost every way to blasters, such as damage being worse. They are in general more expensive to produce as well. Only the meanest frontier worlds, or fledgling civilizations use them.

Vibroblades are popular, most examples are combat knives, though many militaries have stores of vibroswords. Phrik or Cortosis-weave blades are quiet commonplace for battling Force Users and their lightsabers, however, armor made of these materials still remains exceedingly rare, and so only one or two components of armor are ever made with lightsaber-resistant metal - typical pieces include the gauntlets, or pauldrons. In addition, despite advances in armor technology, even the best armor can stand up to only a few shots before failing. Light armor would be a vest, medium armor would cover the torso and some appendages, while heavy armor would cover most of the body. Despite the common perception, "heavy" armor merely reflects the suit's coverage of the body, rather than being able to tank a dozen rounds.

Militaries and security forces have the best equipment: blaster rifles that can fill the air with red plasma. Cortosis-weave or Phrik alloy vibroswords should they ever need to face a force-user. Landspeeders with actual armor rather than thickened durasteel plating. Sonic weapons for riot control. Military and Security force ships all have military-grade equipment, all more efficient and precise than their civilian counterparts. Of course, the black market sells almost all these fancy weapons, but at a considerable markup.
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Ship-based mass drivers are even more unheard of in modern times and almost never used against other warships. A few starfighters may have them every now and then as an experimental design, but limitations on size, cost, and sheer power drain means using them as main guns on a warship is impractical. The mainstay weapons on warships are lasers, turbolasers, torpedoes, missiles, and the occasional Pulse Wave cannon. While military doctrines vary among the many races, technological limitations state that the effective or ideal turbolaser range against a maneuvering and evading foe, will be no more than 80-90km. Planetary bombardment takes place from a range usually around 250km.

Shields are a ship's main defense against damage, and come in two flavors. Particle shields prevent kinetic projectiles, stray asteroids, and other craft from hitting the ship. This however works both ways. A small craft launched from a ship with particle shields running will have a very bad day. Ray shields defend against energy attacks such as turbolasers.

Hyperspace Navigation Beacons exist sparsely as a navigational aid and to warn of dangers to ships. While commonly seen in the Galactic Core and along major trade routes, the outer reaches of the galaxy only have enough of them to mark extraordinary dangers. Much of the Mid and Outer Rims remain uncharted, along with Wild and Unknown space. Travel and exploration in these regions with the lack of available maps and absence of hyperspace beacons is extremely dangerous, though discoveries of resource rich worlds and long lost artifacts can also be highly profitable for the adventurous.

Fighter craft are a vital addition to any fleet, but it takes a special kind of bravery to pilot one at current technology levels. Robust shield generators and hyperdrive systems are simply too bulky and power hungry to be fitted on most fighter sized craft, leaving them vulnerable to enemy fire and reliant on larger carrier craft. It will be many years before the standard single-man snubfighter is suitable for long interstellar hops by itself.

Communications are handled by Hyperwave Buoys, dedicated platforms devoted to handling large amounts of communication and relaying them at FTL speeds across the network. Access to the Buoys is possible only through dedicated hyperwave transceivers. If one has the power to spare, tightbeam transmissions can be sent from a ship or ground facility to nearby systems, though the range is severely limited without the Buoy system acting as relays. In addition, the prevalence of these Hyperwave Bouys outside of the Core is rare. The vast majority of Outer Rim systems cannot afford to build or maintain such expensive and complicated stations. Those that do, however, have them well-guarded. This means that outside of the Core, real time long range galaxy-spanning communication is impossible. Most ships are limited to inter-sytem communication, and long distance communication is beamed at speeds somewhat faster than typical hyperspace travel.
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Stealth on ships is focused on reducing detectable emissions, through the use of a combination of light absorbing coatings, internal heat sinks, and engine baffles. The technology to design and produce an effective stealth ship is expensive and complicated. Only major militaries (read: Main Factions) have the needed resources to attempt it. Furthermore, the energy emissions from anything larger than a corvette are simply too massive to mask. While stygian crystals exist, making a ship truly invisible to sensors and the naked eye is only theoretical and is considered neigh impossible.

Personal shielding of any kind is extremely rare. Exotic designs like Gungan handheld shields are rarely seen outside their species' control. Body-encompassing personal shields are in the theoretical stages, though many arms and armor manufacturers are rushing to perfect the technology and market it before their competitors . Even then, technical limitations prevent shields from defending against both kinetic and energy attacks. It must be one or the other.

Cybernetics exist, though they are utilitarian in design and somewhat crude in appearance. A missing limb can be replaced, if one has the cash, and the cybernetic limb can grant all the old capabilities of the missing organic limb. Large-scale bodily replacement, like turning someone into a cybernetic super-soldier, is too impractical and risky to even try.

Even more exotic technology such as cloning, nanotech, gravity weapons, to name a few, are either impossible or found only on select worlds. Nanotech is in infancy and impossible to weaponize. All-consuming swarms of nanobots are the stuff of science-fiction. Weapons of mass destruction, from atomic bombs to superlasers are universally banned by the civilized races of the galaxy, but the intrepid and sinister may find a few lying around, buried in forgotten vaults or lost on decades old battle fields and hidden research labs.
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Friendly Reminders

1) BROWSE THE APPROVED BOARD
Before plopping down a fancy blaster rifle or ship, read the stuff other people have written. Look for a piece of gear that suits your needs. Do a quick search in the board using some simple keywords - pistol, freighter, fighter, etc. Please make some use of it. I'm finding myself less and less willing to approve different shades of the same basic blaster pistol, so please take the time to read the board. If nothing else, it'll give you insight into what is approved and what is not. If it's just the appearance of something that you don't like, consider making a generic tech profile for it with your new picture of choice.

2) Use Generic Gear Appropriately
I don't need to know about a featureless holdout blaster of average power and accuracy and middling ammunition capacity. I don't need to know about an ultra-fancy gold-plated folding knife with absolutely no unique features aside from a mind-boggling amount of bling. What I need to know about are things that push the envelope - new or unusual technologies, typical weapons and ships pushed beyond their limits, exotic or well-built body armor, anything with unique or especially useful features.

3) Stick to the Templates
Deviation from the templates is not allowed - the more you tweak and fiddle with a template to make it look 'shiny', the harder it is for the tech team to read it. We can and will reject it outright for failing to follow the templates! So again, please make sure you follow the templates!

4) Listen to your fellow members
Like a few other boards, the Tech Profiles are commonly "self-moderated" by members of the community. While they don't have the same authority as the Admins or mods, a fair number of them have been on the site for a long time and have a good idea of what will get approved and what needs work. You aren't required to heed their word, but please don't be rude to them if they say something might not fly.
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Combined Rules
Advanced Tech
  • Advanced Tech Basics: Advanced Tech is anything that is either more powerful than other items in its class, contains any deviations from the Tech Rules (burst fire pistols or heavy damage slug-throwers, for example), or items that are especially uncommon or rare (like Zyggerian shock whips or Wookie bowcasters). Advanced tech allows you to create unique items and to bend the normal rules, providing a wide array of both story opportunities and tactical advantages- if you're willing to put in the work.
  • Tech Plots: Any tech marked as "advanced" will require an approved tech plot to build, buy, steal, or otherwise obtain. This category can include things like expensive ships, specialty weapons, or other rare equipment. Typical Tech plots are between one thread (for fairly common advanced weapons or unusual armors) to three threads (for advanced tech freighters or other ships), though some items may require even more, and thread difficulty and danger may be taken into account. When submitting Advanced Tech write-ups, it's recommended you include a "suggested" thread count in the submission itself. Tech plots can be submitted in the character plots subforum.
  • Bounty Turn-In: As an alternative to tech plots, each bounty turned in by your character can be used as a "coupon", which is essentially equivalent to one threads worth of tech plot. You may cash in multiple bounties for "higher tier" advanced tech.
  • Record Keeping: You must list acquired Advanced Tech in your character sheet. Any listed advanced tech should be linked to the completed tech plot that awarded it, or to the bounties that were turned in in-lieu of a tech plot.

Armor and Worn Tech
General Armor Rules
  • Armor rules apply to all item worn on your body (ie; armor plates and helmets, but also jump boots and goggles)
  • The more protective coverage and functions your armor has, the heavier it will be. A combat vest might be 2-5kg, but a full suit of heavy armor would be around 30-40kg. Act accordingly.
  • Lightsaber resistant materials like Phrik or Cortosis of armor quality are rare and expensive- many are heirlooms. You can have 1 or 2 minor pieces made of those materials (ie; a pair of bracers or a gorget (not both), but not a breastplate or a full helmet), and you need good reason to have them.
  • No armor is invincible to all damage or damage types.
  • All armor material, regardless of composition, provides the same standard protection rating: 1 Heavy shot with some bleed through effect, 2 Normal shot, 3 Light shot, 1 Explosive and shrapnel blast with some bleed through (keep in mind this only applies to the covered areas, so explosions still hurt!), 1 Vibroblade strike. Phrik/Cortosis covered areas can withstand 1 direct lightsaber strike, but otherwise armor provides no protection against lightsabers. Armor needs to be substantial- A thin armorweave cape will not protect you.
  • Armor provides its protection across the covered areas only once. For example, this means that you can block one heavy blast with your arm guard and another with your chest piece, but not once on the left side of your chest and once with the right side of your chest, or on the front and back sides of your helmet. Justify it in RP however you like, but one heavy blast is all your armor can withstand in each coverage region, regardless of precise hit location.
Armor Coverage and Tech Functions
  • Armor comes in Light, Medium, Heavy, and Special classes.
  • Special is a category for all worn suits and tech that do not quiet fit with the following armor rules. Special Armor always needs to be submitted for approval.
  • Light armor may have 5 functions, medium armor may have 4 functions, and heavy may have 3. That is a limit, meaning you do not have to have 2 or 4 functions for it to be considered light or heavy if you don't want to. You can have armor without functions if you want to lighten your load.
  • Protective coverage regions and the areas they govern are standardized as such:
    • Head: Front and back of the head and neck.
    • Torso: Chest, abdomen, and shoulders.
    • Back: Upper and lower back.
    • Right Arm: Front and back of upper right arm, and elbows.
    • Left Arm: Front and back of upper left arm, and elbows
    • Hands: Hands, wrists and forearms
    • Legs: Groin, front and back thighs, and knees
    • Feet: Feet, shins and calves.
  • When creating armor, you must describe in detail the areas covered within each region. This coverage must align with the photo and description. (ie; Torso: A duraplast chest plate that covers the chest, and pauldrons covering the shoulders. Feet: Plasteel Shin guards. etc.) 100% coverage of all body parts, and joints is practically impossible.
  • Light armor can have 1-3 areas of coverage. Medium provides 4-6, and Heavy armor provides full body coverage in all 7-8 regions (think Stormtrooper). Again, you are not required to use all allowed coverage slots. You could choose to forego the helmet with your medium armor if wearing it gives you a headache. Forgoing additional coverage slightly reduces weight and mobility penalties.
  • Light armor allows you more space for tech and is very maneuverable, allowing you to flip around and perform acrobatics with relative ease, but it will never be as agile as being unarmored. Medium armor provides you more protection and some tech, but is somewhat restrictive and tiring to wear for long periods and especially during heavy exertion- no backflips, but you could probably dodge and roll around alright. Heavy armor (ie; Stormtrooper or Clone armor) provides full body protection at the expense of more limited space for attaching tech functions- it is also very taxing to wear, meaning that most people do not walk around in it unless they expect battle, and it is practically impossible for anyone but the most skilled and experienced fighters to perform any sort of acrobatics in.
  • "Quality of life" features for certain alien species or characters with specific medical needs are not counted as functions. These features include things such as a cold blooded creatures temperature regulator, or a severely wounded characters respirator that allows them to breath normally, or a Gand's methane tank. These features cannot provide any practical function outside of allowing your character to live normally on a day to day basis.
  • For balance reasons, Force Users are not permitted to make use of armor functions. This does not apply to "quality of life" features
Approved and Advanced Tech Functions
  • The Tech team will maintain a list of "pre-approved" tech functions for armor. These will be things like environment seals, mag boots, standard HUD elements, or wrist mounted grappling hooks, etc.
  • If your armor conforms with all of the above rules and restrictions AND uses ONLY tech functions from this pre-approved list, you DO NOT NEED TO SUBMIT IT FOR REVIEW. This means you can write it up to conform to your preferences, stick it straight into the generic tech board and start using it immediately.
  • If you would like to submit a new function for consideration for the "pre-approved" tech list, we have added a new tech function template for you to do so. Succinctly describe the effect of the tech function and submit it in the unapproved tech section. If approved, the Tech team will add it to the list of pre-approved functions and made available for all at any time.
  • Advanced functions are things like flame throwers, fancy HUD systems, rocket boots, or maybe even personal shielding. This tech is available to all, but requires the proposal and completion of a plot to acquire (or, if you're more industrious, you can kill a character who has what you want). You can read more about Plots and PvP in the main RP rules. The acquisition of advanced tech and its use by your character must be approved by the tech team.
  • Armor featuring specialized or unique tech or functions that do not fit into the pre approved or advanced categories must be submitted as normal in the unapproved tech board for review by the tech team.
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Weapons
General
  • Submission Guidelines: Weapons that conform strictly to the following guidelines and have no special or unusual features, attachments, effects, etc, may be posted as generitech and do not require a tech submission and review. Any deviations from the following will require a submission.
Melee Weapons
  • Lightsaber-resistant materials such as Phrik and Cortosis weaves are considered common, and are standard for military grade melee weapons. Very rarely would you find yourself with a vibroblade that cannot withstand a lightsaber.
  • lightsaber handles cannot be made out of lightsaber resistant materials due to unusual interactions between the metals and the kyber crystals (and pvp balance).
  • Pure Cortosis (a legends material with additional effects) is not allowed
  • Non-vibro weapons are still a common sight in some parts of the galaxy. Strikes from these weapons are considered equivalent in damage to standard vibroweapons.
  • Lightsaber crystals may be used to add flavor to an RP, but not to provide ill-defined, arbitrary boosts to your 'stats'.
Ranged Weapons
  • Ammunition: Pistols may not hold more than 20 shots. Rifles and Carbines may not hold more than 30 shots. Machine Guns and Repeaters may not hold more than 50 shots in a magazine or powerpack, but may be attached to external power sources. Pulse Wave and Slugthrower weapons both have lower standard ammunition capacity than blasters.
  • Sources of 'regenerating' or 'infinite' ammunition are permissible within reason (a survival/hunting rifle may have this feature, but would be impractical in combat, for example).
  • For pistols, the maximum range is 50 meters; for rifles 300 meters; for sniping weapons, around 500 meters. Pulse Wave weapons have shorter ranges, and some slugthrowers may have longer. Weapons deal no damage beyond their maximum range.
  • Fire Rate: Pistols and rifles are semi-automatic. Only light or heavy repeaters have burst or automatic fire modes.
  • All ranged weapon projectiles/beams/bolts travel at the same effective speed. No exceptions (even for Advanced Tech).
  • All ranged weapon projectiles/beams/bolts may be either blocked/dissipated or deflected by lightsabers.
  • Ranged weapon damage is categorized as Heavy, Medium, and Light, or Special. Heavy damage is restricted to Pulse Wave weapons, large blaster emplacements, and other special weapons. Blasters typically cause medium damage, though hold outs and repeaters typically do Light damage. Slugthrowers do light damage. Special weapons are anything that does no physical damage, but may have a special effect- special weapons must always be submitted for approval.
Stun Weapons
  • When it comes to stun weapons, hit location and armor count. Armor will attenuate a hit to a degree, but it will not afford any more protection than it does against regular blasters. However, stun bolts will have a "bleed-through" effect. That is, if you are wearing armor and get hit in the chest you'll fell some effects akin to an electric shock, ie pain, numbness, tightening and/or spasms of the muscles. To fully KO someone in armor, it would take a number of hits equal to the armor's rating against blasters. But, due to the effects mentioned, it would get progressively easier to hit. The pain and spasms are enough to break a force-user's concentration. A shot to an extremity would cause a localized effect. So an arm hit would feel the effects of that hit, and would radiate up into the shoulder as well. If you are not wearing armor, you'll lose full control of that limb for 2-3 posting rounds. To be clear, the pain doesn't last 3-4 posting rounds. The pain occurs in the post you get hit, then after that your PC's nerves in the affected area shut down. If it's a shot to the unarmored face/torso, it's a KO. Lightsabers can dissipate stun bolts, but not deflect them. These rules also apply to similar functioning weapons, such as non lethal sonic weapons. Dedicated stun, sonic, and other "status effect" type weapons are always require a tech submission.
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Explosives
  • Range and Radius: Thrown explosives have a standard blast radius of 5 meters. Like all thrown weapons, the maximum range of the grenades vary based on the strength and skill of the thrower. It should be noted that grenades are not "precision" weapons, and often bounce somewhat unpredictably when striking the ground or other solid surfaces.
  • Fragmentation Grenades - "Frag" grenades are by far the most commonly used and least expensive grenade in the galaxy, outpacing all other types combined. They operate on a simple concept: a charge is set off propelling fragments of metal in all directions. The concussive force of the explosion doesn't do much damage; a victim's unprotected hearing would be temporarily impaired, but it's the shrapnel that does the real damage. Frag grenades can also come in limpet charge or remote detonated varieties.
  • Concussion Grenades - Concussion grenades are similar to flashbangs and work on almost the exact opposite principle of fragmentation grenades. The outer shell is specially formulated to disintegrate with a brilliant flash of light when the grenade is detonated. At the same time, the concussive force of the explosion disorients and damages the hearing of individuals caught in the blast radius. These grenades are (usually) non-lethal. Disorientation is total for the first posting round, and steadily improves back to normal by the 3rd round.
  • Plasma Grenades - One of the more evil constructions of warfare, plasma grenades create a brief-living cloud of superheated plasma. The heat is intense enough to cause third-degree burns to exposed flesh, lesser burns to covered flesh, and entirely destroy the protective qualities of armor plating. These very expensive grenades are illegal in almost all systems. Simply carrying them can land a person in prison, or worse. Arms dealers or smugglers that ship plasma grenades often face even stiffer penalties. Plasma grenades are always advanced tech.
  • Thermal Detonators - Easily the most potent and high-priced hand-held weapon on the market, thermal detonators pack a punch. Unlike other grenades where their effectiveness drops off the further one gets from the grenade, the thermal detonator does the same amount of damage throughout the blast radius. Even heavily armored soldiers fear these weapons - and rightfully so. A thermal detonator is capable of ripping through armor plate and causing heavy damage to the tissue beneath. Non-military possession of them carries a lengthy prison stay in many systems. Thermal detonators are always advanced tech.
  • Breaching Charges - Breaching charges are used to bust down doors or thin walls. They are typically a square plate, small box, or strip of explosives that affixes to a surface via a variety of adhesives. The explosive force is faced inwards and can knock a door off its hinges or put a reasonable-sized hole in a suitably thin wall. Unless a person is right next to the breaching point, people in the room are not going to be injured by the explosion.
  • Demolition Charges - These aren't grenades, but merit mention. Demolition charges are large bricks of explosive. The bricks are large enough that typically only one with it's shell and accompanying detonator system would fit in a regular sized backpack. A team of people equipped with demolition charges can cause a large swath of destruction. These are by no means precision explosives, and typically used against hardened fortifications. In the past they've also been used by boarding parties to cripple capital ships. Needless to say, possession of these formidable explosives is highly illegal. Demolition Charges are always advanced tech.
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Ships and Vehicles
General
  • We use the Anaxes War College System for defining ship classes.
  • The more guns/armor/functionality your ship/vehicle has, the slower it will be
  • Player Characters may not own capital ships. Capital craft are owned exclusively by approved factions (This is another way of saying player-owned ships can't have turbolasers).
  • Antimatter may be used as a power supply ONLY. Weaponized antimatter is not allowed.
  • 'True' Cloaking devices (ie, stygium crystal based/invisibility) are not allowed. "Mass Effect style" energy signature hiding stealth is permissible as advanced tech.
  • PC's are not allowed to own capital ships – if your ship is over 100M in any dimension, it might be considered a capital craft!
  • If your ship doesn't have it in the description or equipment sections, it doesn't have it. So if there is no mention of escape pods in the profile, your crew is out of luck if the ship goes down. That said, very basic things that are 100% essential to ship operation (life support, computers, short-range radio, toilets) don't need to be listed.
  • Add-Ons and Custom Equipment:A wide array of custom equipment and add-ons can be made for ships of all classes by creating a submission using the "Other" tech template and including all the relevant information. Shipp add-ons are always advanced. Upgrading a ship using add-ons like this is preferable to submitting one-off or otherwise unique ships.
Vital Ship Systems Defined
  • All ships are considered to have basic functional necessities such as life support, engines, a sealed environment, a hatch or ramp, short range sensors, fuel tanks, short range coms, etc, unless otherwise specified. All other items must be listed, up to and including things like shields and escape pods.
  • Engines: If a ship wants to move, it needs engines. These draw power directly from the main reactor, and are the single biggest consumer of power, second only to the hyperdrive. On smaller ships, the reactor and engine systems are often bundled into one piece of hardware or compartment. On the exterior of a ship, most people only see the engine cowlings, which cover most of the more fragile thruster body. On larger ships, if the engine thrusters are damaged, it probably won't destroy the entire ship. Explosives can cause minor secondary explosions which can damage nearby hull sections (obviously this is quite bad for small ships such as starfighters). Damage control typically involves shutting down power to a damaged/ruined thruster to prevent further secondary explosions, extinguishing any internal fires, and temporarily patching any damaged hull sections.
  • Sublight Speed: Average Starfighters travel at speeds up to 100MGLT, and only the fastest and most lightly armed interceptors get much beyond that, while an armored and heavily armed bomber moves about 80MGLT. A very fast light freighter could do 75-80MGLT, but typical cargo haulers and passenger ships move at 50MGLT. Military Corvettes average 60MGLT and capital ships and giant bulk freighters get progressively slower as they get larger.
  • Shields: These protect a ship from damage. They are not designed to last forever, or carry a ship through a battle while being subjected to constant fire. Typically shields will fail completely within 3-4 rounds of being subjected to constant damage from a ship of comparable class. Light/civilian shields are weaker than their normal counterparts, and will fail one round faster. Unusually intense fire can considerably shorten their life. Localized bleed-through of damage will occur when shields are around 50-60% strength. Shielding systems are complex beasts, once shields are taken down it takes a concentrated, lengthy effort to repair and test the extensive electrical systems involved in their use, preventing them from being reactivated in the same thread. In emergencies, power can be diverted from one half of the ship's shielding to another half. This practice puts considerable strain on the emitters and they will need to be serviced after. Starfighter sized ships cannot typically support shields.
  • Armor: Armor on spacecraft typically is only seen on cruisers or above, as the added weight puts considerable strain on smaller engines. The only ships smaller than a cruiser where it would be worth adding armor is on a bomber due to their need to reach their targets intact. Armor is typically found around critical areas such as the bridge, hangar bays, and around the reactor. A thinner layer of armor can coat the rest of the ship, providing it protection against smaller weaponry such as missiles, regular torpedoes, and laser cannons. If a turbolaser hits this thinner layer of armor, the plating can hold, though subsequent shots will do more and more damage. The main benefit is armor helps prevent widespread damage from a turbolaser blast. Armor will protect a ship from localized bleed through caused by failing shields, and provide 1-2 rounds of reduced damage after shields have failed.
  • Communications: Ships and Vehicles are capable of communicating via either short-range intra-system communication or long-range comm systems. Short range communications are typically line of sight based and are only useable between ships within the same system. Long-range communication takes more power and the existence of dedicated relay stations. In the further reaches of the Galaxy, especially unexplored space, long-range communication is not possible. Communications can be intercepted with listening stations, or jammed at short ranges by a ship or station with sufficient transmitter power- usually defensive space stations or ships of cruiser size and above.
Ship and Vehicle Weapons
  • Weaponry is how ships make war or defend themselves. It covers a wide variety of hardware, and could the subject of an entire lecture. Civilian ships will typically not have weapons beyond a light blaster cannon or turret for defense. Exceptions exist for freighters owned by wealthy enough companies or smugglers, though they run the risk of advertising that they are transporting something valuable if they have weapons. Many systems require special licenses for certain types of ships equipped with more destructive weaponry. Ground based vehicles rarely mount anything larger than a heavy laser cannon or a missile launcher, though pulse wave and turbolaser armed artillery is not unheard of.
  • Air to Ground- Capital ships may not be used against ground based PC's during regular PvP. They may be used in CPvP, as background for a battle setting, or to engage other enemy ships. Fighters , gunships, pinnaces, and freighters (or similar small craft)may be used to strafe ground based targets, including PCs. Turbolasers are the only capital ship-borne weapons that may be used to bombard planets, however the above rules still apply. Missiles, Proton Torpedoes, and Bombs may not be used to directly target ground based PC's regardless of ship class, however they may be used cinematically or to target objectives such as buildings.
  • Laser Cannons - The standard weapon for use on or against Starfighters and most freighters, and the most common vehicle weaponry. They are reliable and do good damage against unshielded targets. They are effective against ships up to and including freighters or some smaller corvettes, though light cannons are primarily effective against Starfighters and shuttles, while heavy cannons can engage capital ships and their blasts cause significant explosions. This category also covers other older or archaic blaster-like weapons like autoblasters, tri blasters, and others, which all deal equivalent damage to light laser cannons. Capital ship laser cannons have maximum effective range of approximately 1km, and non-capital ship laser cannons have an effective range of 500m.
  • Turbolasers - These are the main anti-ship weapons used by warships. Typically they will only be seen on ships classified as Frigates or above, though military corvettes may carry one or two. They are quite inaccurate, and not capable of effectively tracking and engage smaller craft such as starfighters or freighters, though a turbolaser bolt is entirely capable of shredding a starfighter if it makes contact. Turbolasers can be used to bombard ground based targets, but it is impossible to specifically target anything smaller than a large building, making them more useful for flattening city blocks than as close-air-support. The maximum range of Turbolasers is 50km, though accurate fire is only possible at 1km or less, and damage is significantly reduced past 10km, making long range turbolaser fire typically reserved for harassment or orbital bombardment.
  • Pulse-wave cannons -A holdover from ancient fleet angagements between massive dreadnaughts, ship-mounted pulse-wave cannons are uncommon and only typically seen on ships cruiser sized or larger. Pulse wave cannons are usually fixed emplacements, and it is highly unlikely that a pulse-wave cannon will be able to track and engage a starfighter. Pulse Wave Cannons, while devastating, are extremely short ranged, and are ineffective past 500 meters.
  • Ion cannons - Ion weapons are rare and even the smallest are very expensive. They are very efficient at taking down shields, causing double damage for their size, and cause severe electrical disruptions across a ship without causing much physical damage. Their presence in a battle indicates it is a crucial one. Ion-equipped ships and emplacements are a high-value target. Light ion cannons can be used to disable small craft, but are ineffective at damaging capital ships systems without a direct hit on a weapon emplacement or vital system. Ion cannons have the same effective range as laser cannons.
  • Tractor Beams - Tractor beams are used to manipulate other objects in space, most often to assist loading and unloading cargo, diverting navigational hazards, and for Capital ships to manage their docked compliments. They can also be used offensively to trap, hold, and manipulate other ships. Trapped pilots can attempt to "break" a tractor beam lock, but this is very difficult for smaller craft. The effectiveness of a tractor beams hold is determined by the relative mass of the two ships- larger ships can affect smaller ones much more easily than the reverse. A "hit" must be achieved with the tractor beam first, and tractor beams have the same effective range as laser cannons.
  • Missiles- Missiles come in a variety of flavors such as concussion or high explosive, and are designed for both ships and land based vehicles. In regards to ships, they are typically carried by Starfighters to target other Starfighters, and are less powerful against capital ships than torpedoes, however they can be effective against more sensitive areas such as engine thrusters. Their guidance systems are relatively simplistic, and countermeasures or well-timed evasive maneuvers are effective against them. Missiles do not have a set range, but can track a target for up to two rounds, unless the lock is broken by maneuvers.
  • Torpedoes - Torpedoes come in many flavors as well, but are primarily designed to be used capital ships. They are slower than missiles, unguided, and typically launched by strike craft or modified starfighters at close range. They do impressive damage against more vulnerable areas such as engines or communications arrays, but are generally weaker against capital ship shields. Smaller craft such as corvettes can be crippled by a few well-placed torpedoes. Torpedoes to not have a set range, but will travel in a straight line for two rounds unless they strike a target or run out of fuel and explode.
  • Assault torpedoes - These formidable weapons are carried by ships rated at cruisers and above, and are meant to be used if an enemy warship gets too close, or against immobile targets such as stations. They are slow-moving, unguided, but capable of tremendous damage. If an assault torpedo hits an engine the damage could be catastrophic.
  • Bombs - Bombs are only carried by bombers, as you might guess. There are varieties of them, but the most common by far are regular, energy-damage dealing proton bombs. Bombs are typically used against frigates and above, unless a captain isn't confident he can win a shooting match against a ship smaller than a frigate. They are designed to be used against specific targets such as weapon emplacements, engines, communications arrays, the bridge, weakening the shields etc. You typically aren't going to be using bombs to destroy a ship instead of using lasers or turbolasers.
Hyperdrives and Interstellar Travel
  • Hyperdrives: The Hyperdrive consists of the drive itself as well as the tied-in navigation computer and are required for hyperspace travel. Starfighters and many other small craft cannot be equipped with hyperdrives due to size and power constraints. The nav computer console takes up significant space, and so ships equipped with them are usually a two man effort or more to crew effectively.
  • Hyperdrives Ratings: Hyperdrives are rated from 1.0 to 10.0, this number reflects how long it takes for the navicomp to properly plot a course as well as the length of travel time. Ratings of 3.0 and below are only found in military vessels as the more complex software and hardware are quite expensive. Average civilian vessels have Hyperdrives rated at 5 or 6, while speeds slower than that are typical only for giant drone barges or older cargo haulers. Navicomps require a number of rounds equal to the hyperdrive rating to safely plot a course, and the pilot must put the ship on the correct heading indicated to make the jump (this allows savvy defenders to block likely escape routes). For calculating length of travel time (optional) please see the extended guide to Hyperspace travel.
  • Safety: Hyperdrives have a large number of built-in safety protocols designed to conform with existing laws. It is a standard galactic law to drop out of hyperspace at least 200km away from a planet's atmosphere. Additionally, there is a failsafe designed to prevent a ship in hyperspace from crashing into a planet or large object. This failsafe isn't perfect, while it would drop you out early enough to avoid smashing into a sun's surface, there is still a tremendous swath of space around a sun that is still quite deadly.
  • Forget about Safety!: Safety protocols can be overridden at great risk. You MUST contact a tech admin or mod if you wish to do the following: Engage the hyperdrive before calculations have finished, Override the gravity-well failsafe, Engage the hyperdrive from in-atmosphere or within low planetary orbit, Chart new hyperspace lanes or avoid mapped hyperspace lanes entirely, or any other uses that would be foreseeably dangerous.
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Specialty Tech
  • Specialty Tech (different from Advanced Tech) is any tech that is sufficiently more advanced than existing tech that it gives a powerful tactical advantage over other existing factions or forces. Examples would be niche warships, a starfighter that has shields or is capable of hyperspace travel without the aid of a hyperspace ring, or any sort of superweapon.
  • Specialty Tech requires a multi-thread plot to develop involving multiple participants, and may only be initiated by Indie or Main Factions.
  • All threads used in a Specialty Tech plot must be Open/PvP, as per the espionage rules, giving external powers a reasonable opportunity to intervene.
  • Specialty Tech plots must be approved by the Tech Admin in addition to the plot team. You must detail what exactly you wish to develop and an outline of the plot arc, and which threads the different phases of development will take part in. A typical Specialty Tech Plot should be 3-5 threads, though super weapons may require more.
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Misc Rules
  • The Intent Section is one of the most important parts of a tech profile! It needs to be more than a sentence or two for new ideas. It should contain all the OOC information of why this tech is needed, what role it fills, what it offers that other tech does not, etc. We're not going to be approving unique tech just for a singular PC unless it's earned through the RP or you make a really convincing case in the Intent.
  • If your submission is not in the "spirit of Star Wars", the staff reserves the right to archive it. So for example, if a submission is quite clearly a Halo or Mass Effect knockoff, it doesn't really fit in the Galaxy Far Far Away, and will probably get archived.
  • If an issue is raised with your tech, the staff reserves the right to archive it effective immediately. This applies even if you're currently using it in a thread, which means you will no longer be able to use it in that thread.
  • Personal Cloaking Devices that provide full invisibility and/or immunity to sensors are not allowed
  • Nanite-based weapons are not available nor allowed.
  • A broad range of Cybernetic implants are available, but they are expensive and carry a risk of health complications. They cannot confer significant new abilities- they are simply replacements.
  • The smaller your piece of tech has, the less functionality it will have.
  • Crushgaunts are banned.
  • "Smart" or AI functionality that is linked to armor is banned. This means no neural collars or similar.
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Q: I still don't understand how you guys approve tech.

A: First, that's a statement not a question. Second, we generally look at certain criteria.
  • How does this affect timeline technology as a whole? Is it too advanced for thousands of years before the Prequels? Does it introduce something new? If so, how well developed is this new tech?
  • Is this gun/ship/armor clearly designed to give one PC or one faction a decisive advantage over everyone else? ie. is there a function that's absurdly powerful?
  • Is this piece of tech blatantly min-maxed?
  • Are we going down the old road of an arms-race with tech submissions?
  • Is it Star-Warsy? If you couldn't plop your submission into a scene in Rogue One without it looking out of place, it's probably not a good idea.


Q: My tech was archived by a mod/admin, can I argue with them about it?


A: No, decisions are final unless there is a case of bias against a particular player, in which case, bring it up with GABA or Arclight. Bias against individuals will be handled seriously, but you also can't go around a mod's back and ask the Tech Admin to take a look at an archived piece of tech just because you disagree with a decision.



Q: My tech was approved a week/month/1,000,000,000 ages ago, and now someone says it needs "fixing", what gives?


A: So in the 6th Timeline, tech was pretty broken, and each tech admin had their own way of doing things. This lead to a lot of weird continuity errors, so to speak. There was a lot to overhaul with the old system, and we're still working out kinks on how to continually improve the tech rules/guidelines. Plus, we're all human. Sometimes a piece of tech slips by, or gets used in a way that's broken. In which case we will correct the issue. With the newest Timeline all previous tech was archived to give us a "clean slate" and anything you want to adapt and re-use will have to be resubmitted.


Q: I still don't understand Generic Tech. What makes it Generic?


A: A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself "Can everything in this submission be replaced with 'pistol with mother-of-pearl handle'?" ie. do the changes you made from a basic version of that ship/gun/armor add nothing even somewhat special to the approved submission's functionality? If no, it's probably Generic. Think "re-skin".


Q: What's the difference between mods and Tech Admin?

A: The Tech Admin retains exclusive right to make rulings on tech usage, changes to the tech rules, and the handling of disciplinary matters. Tech mods monitor the tech boards and evaluate new tech submissions.
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