Anvil Galaxy spheres of influence

[kirnos]

So, I was reading my Phase World books again, trying to prepare a new campaign, after years mothballed, and want to place the action on an unexplored (or lightly explored) area of space, with independent planets not affiliated to any great power. My first inclination was to put it on Anvil galaxy, but recalled that somewhere in the forums it was told that the % each galactic power occupied added more than 100% (a classic palladium inconsistency we cherish). Now, in the books there is a percentage for CCW, TGE and UWW, but none for the other Anvil powers (Altess, Golgan, Central Alliance). So were do these percentages appear? Or someone made them up? A Rifter article?

I suppose will place the area in the Anvil galaxy, because well, that's my game, but wanted to know a little more about these because if the arguments are good maybe I will put it in the Corckscrew, which is bigger and has unexplored space officially (a quarter of the galaxy if I remember correctly), but prefer to use the Anvil powers (thinking about some Golgan invasion fleet trying to expand into the zone). Don't want to use the Thundercloud because although I like the book and the setting (european colonialism in space), I want quite a few advanced civilizations on the area I was preparing. So is either the Anvil (with all the material in the books), or the Corckscrew (and room to create my own galaxy).

Thanks everyone, hope to see info and comments

[Witchcraft]

Use the Thundercloud Galaxy instead -- much less explored and far less established big-player power blocs. Love the TCGalaxy! Really gives that "frontier" feeling in a "Firefly" type of episodic campaign.

[Braden Campbell]

Don't want to use the Thundercloud because although I like the book and the setting (european colonialism in space), I want quite a few advanced civilizations on the area I was preparing.

Because I was going to suggest the same thing.

The percentages of control for the Anvil are derived from the main Phase World book: the CCW controls 50% (1/2), the TGE controls 33% (1/3), and the UWW controls 20% (1/5) for a grand total of 105% with no room left for powers such as the Altess, the Golgan, or the Central Alliance.

I would recommend reducing the CCW area to match the TGE's. That leaves you a wiggle room of 14% and leaves the superpowers in a dead heat.

[kirnos]

Great, so the Altess, Golgan and Central Alliance live in a limbo, seems right Yeah, I suppose a reduction of the % is in order. Perhaps more like the CCW 33%, TGE 25%, UWW 15%, which leaves 24% to put the other powers (Golgan 10% and Central Alliance 7%, the Altess only control a few planets) and leaves room for 7% of unexplored/unaffiliated space.

But then the percentage of the UWW seems too great in the books (20%), considering that they have a population of 400 billion on the Anvil, and the Golgan have 2 trillion. I don't think the UWW has sparsely inhabitated planets. So the Golgan control more percentage than the UWW? Or should the population numbers be increased?

And what about the Corckscrew? Has official room of unexplored, and also is the biggest galaxy. There's no plan on doing a sourcebook for that galaxy? Seems that Phase World is not really on the spotlight since a few years (the last book I remember is Dimensional Outbreak).

[Jerell]

The bugs just reproduce a lot faster than Star Elves and Hive worlds hold a lot more beings than your classic elven paradise or dwarf forge world. There are some somewhat recent Rifters that had some articles to do with the 3Gs. Particularly covering the CCW in the Thundercloud, some pocket dimensions that can be used in 3G and some of the Atlanteans and their struggles. The articles entitled, The Crusaders and the Black Crusade (Rifter # 52, 55 and 61), which have inspired me quite a bit. I now feature the Sunaj as major villains in my campaign (which is great because my players have no idea who they really are), which is based out of a well established crèche cloud UWW colony.

My UWW colony world, didn't have any of the aggressive CCW/TGE type colonization. My colony started when some Atlantean drifters and Archons were exploring and found a planet filled with a Faeriekin type race (Rifter #60). Atlanteans are sometimes about trying to help people including primitive cultures make a better society so it fit well. A century after sustained contact with Alexandria, the Star Elves have set up residence too. I also had a Lemurian city Rift in when it left the Lord of the Deep's hiding dimension. Gives my players a somewhat well established base for their adventures around the Thundercloud. I really think there are enough worlds in the Thundercloud for you to set up whatever kind of colony suits your needs. I really do like the Thundercloud Galaxy the most of the 3G. My players have really been enjoying the whole exploring uncharted worlds and encountering unknown populations and threats. It's unlike any other setting we've run, and in a good way.

I am onboard with you, in that I'd like to see some more 3G books in the future, say in 2015, maybe after the New Quebec book. Please? I would love to see a new 3G on par with the quality of books like Dimensional Outbreak or thundercloud.

[kirnos]

I'm with you that the Thundercloud galaxy is great and perfect to conduct a campaign based on space exploration (star trek anyone? xD) but my idea for the campaign is of a group of bounty hunters who became embroiled in the politics and struggles of a little unknown sector, with quite some advanced (standard PW tech level) and some other less advanced planets, with a few unexplored planets, and how they unite that sector to face an invasion from the Demon fleet. More or less, with some other things, but that's the idea. So Thundercloud is good, but not really what I need, with the background of primitive civilizations, a sector of space where more than half the planets are advanced seems out of place. I prefer the Anvil because I like the golgan and the altess, or the Corckscrew, because it has official unexplored/independent space and room to create my own civilizations.

Now, looking more at Anvil Galaxy seems to me that the Golgan should have a greater % of the Anvil, having 2 trillion population, the same as the CCW in the Anvil. Or they have a big terrible problem of overpopulation That, or the CCW claims more space that it really occupies with people. The numbers of every simple stat seems way off, palladium style.

[Jerell]

I see. There's nothing wrong with running in the Anvil, in fact I'd like to hear how it goes for you when you run it. While I've read the 3G books including Anvil, my players have never been there, and I haven't set any adventure there, I'm no expert on helping you with Anvil questions at this time. I would however also like to point out the Golgon colonies in thundercloud are probably some of their best and most promising holdings in the current time line.

[kirnos]

Yes, the Golgans expanding on the Thundercloud as they are trying to rebuild their empire. Poor Golgans, they have bought a ticket to a big big fall. Nothing good is gonna come from those messengers from the future. True, their new battleship class is powerful and cool, but then too little too late. The Republik is dead, just they don't accept it. Sad, because I like the Republik, and also that new story mr. Campbell put on Fleets. Made me think about something from a real science fiction show. In fact, if I put my campaign in the Anvil I'm gonna use that idea about the Altess depot world phasing out, and the Golgans invading them so the CCW has to offer assistance. Real good stuff.

[Braden Campbell]

That was a big part of my three-year-long Phase world campaign

The Republik also moved to repatriate the central Aliance at the same time, which prompted units of the Armoria to go and defend them.

[Greyaxe]

Great Campaign I am running a similar one for my crew.

[kirnos]

Now, the more than possible collapse of the Golgan Republik can spark a race between the CCW and TGE for the control of its worlds in the Anvil. Maybe only the Golgan homeworld will be Golgan. Or perhaps better, the "true" golgans remain only in the few colonies in the Thundercloud, where a government in exile sets. Hummm...

[gaby]

Well I would decreease the CCW to 27%,TGE to 20%,UWW to 15% so thers 38% for the Others.

[kirnos]

What's your proposed breakdown of that 38% (Golgan, Altess, Central Alliance, Splugorth, Independent)?

[SolCannibal]

Honestly i just do not work with percentages - each galaxy should be have between billions and tens of billions of stars systems, what can easily give you millions to tens of millions of inhabitable planets (that going with a 1 good planet per 1000 star systems) to play with.

Meanwhile the galactic powers of the 3 Galaxies setting have populations of hundred of billions to trillions of people. With an average of 1 billion people per planet, you'd get 500 worlds for the UWW, a thousand or more for the CCW, TGE and maybe Golgan Republik. The numbers as a whole are inconsistent on the whole.

That said, working with such numbers instead of the percentages offers loads of unaligned star systems to use as one damn prefers. Not to mention the books itself make a point that the known powers occupy far much of the 3 galaxies borders/halos, what implies there's loads of unexplored space in all of them.

[Nightmask]

Honestly i just do not work with percentages - each galaxy should be have between billions and tens of billions of stars systems, what can easily give you millions to tens of millions of inhabitable planets (that going with a 1 good planet per 1000 star systems) to play with.

Meanwhile the galactic powers of the 3 Galaxies setting have populations of hundred of billions to trillions of people. With an average of 1 billion people per planet, you'd get 500 worlds for the UWW, a thousand or more for the CCW, TGE and maybe Golgan Republik. The numbers as a whole are inconsistent on the whole.

That said, working with such numbers instead of the percentages offers loads of unaligned star systems to use as one damn prefers. Not to mention the books itself make a point that the known powers occupy far much of the 3 galaxies borders/halos, what implies there's loads of unexplored space in all of them.

Plus those systems without inhabitable planets can still end up inhabited since the technology available to the 3 Galaxies setting is sufficiently advanced that anything short of a dead star without any sort of matter around it can be turned into an inhabited system. If Rifts Earth hadn't suffered the Cataclysm it's comparatively inferior technology would have easily had Mars habitable for example by this point, along with the Moon (it still could have with what's in space if not for the writers intentionally keeping them from exploiting things fully). Some AI controlled drones with good navigational software networked together could just about build in habitable planets in uninhabited systems or at least get things started.

[glitterboy2098]

actually precentages work well given most of the thundercloud can be 'claimed' but not 'owned'.. just like how in africa, the european powers divvied up the continent into vast colonial holdings before most of them had even explored more than a hundred miles past the coasts. heck, germany got a huge area in the center of the continent, and didn't even have people on the ground on the coasts at the time.

so the various claims hold up as "this is the area we've drawn lines around, stay out" while they settle a few hundred worlds amid the millions in that region.. and the fact they add up to more than 100% is just where the various unsettled claims overlap, creating disputed zones. just like in africa (more than once a country would send expiditions out to explore and claim an area of the map, even though they knew they were infringing on someone else's area they'd drawn lines around.)

[SolCannibal]

actually precentages work well given most of the thundercloud can be 'claimed' but not 'owned'.. just like how in africa, the european powers divvied up the continent into vast colonial holdings before most of them had even explored more than a hundred miles past the coasts. heck, germany got a huge area in the center of the continent, and didn't even have people on the ground on the coasts at the time.

so the various claims hold up as "this is the area we've drawn lines around, stay out" while they settle a few hundred worlds amid the millions in that region.. and the fact they add up to more than 100% is just where the various unsettled claims overlap, creating disputed zones. just like in africa (more than once a country would send expiditions out to explore and claim an area of the map, even though they knew they were infringing on someone else's area they'd drawn lines around.)

Yes, it can work for Thundercloud for exactly this reason - for Anvil and specially Corscrew, it gets sort of complicated to work with the percentages.

[gaby]

Anvil needed a Map like the one in Thundercloud,Palladium books need to Revisit it and Fix the Problem.

[Nekira Sudacne]

That was a big part of my three-year-long Phase world campaign

The Republik also moved to repatriate the central Aliance at the same time, which prompted units of the Armoria to go and defend them.

It could go either way, depending on how much you play it up. One PW game I planned (but alas the game was cut shortly after starting), the Republik used future intellience to actually destroy every Doombringer Dreadnought while they were in dock in a wave of unnaturally planned and executed attacks, which also had the effect of gutting their shipbuilding capacity, which when compled with a nearly complete copy of all Kreegor fleet deployments from the future and some experimental stealth designs were in a real danger of actually toppling them as a superpower.

Time travel is as useful as the plot wants it to be. even inferior ships can win if they know exactly where and what the enemy is going to be. the plot was to be finding out what they DIDN'T know and why not and using that to sabatoge their otherwise-nearly-perfect naval intell.

EDIT: I wasn't trying to say my idea was better than yours, I was just finding it amusing that two people can look at the same faction and come up with opposite ideas for how to run the game based on it

[taalismn]

Republik versus Central Alliance? Best bet would be for the Republik to use their space navy to bombard from long range(if they don't mind messing up the real estate). Deploying anything less than their own cyborgs, greater numbers of 'soft' mercenary troops, or heavy armor, is asking for frog-in-a-blender against the cyberpunks in a ground war. The Central Alliance doesn't seem to have much in the way of space assets, though I imagine they could be a haven of privateers and pirates, and full conversion cyborgs can handle a LOT more in the way of life support loss aboard a ship than a fleshie crew would.

[SolCannibal]

Republik versus Central Alliance? Best bet would be for the Republik to use their space navy to bombard from long range(if they don't mind messing up the real estate). Deploying anything less than their own cyborgs, greater numbers of 'soft' mercenary troops, or heavy armor, is asking for frog-in-a-blender against the cyberpunks in a ground war. The Central Alliance doesn't seem to have much in the way of space assets, though I imagine they could be a haven of privateers and pirates, and full conversion cyborgs can handle a LOT more in the way of life support loss aboard a ship than a fleshie crew would.

I like the Centrall Alliance, but for all its size and colorful history there's no denying it is the most fragile of the Anvil powers at present.
What could make them a a veritable blessing for Naruni Enterprises as most of their tactical and infrastructure holes could certainly be covered by their products and industries, not to mention that buffing the Alliance while at the same time buying them out of its leaders could give them just the right extra oomph to stop blatant browbeating and reverse-engineering of the works of Naruni Enterprises by regional powers like CCW and the Kreegor.

Yes, it's a half-baked idea by far, but might be worth tinkering it out for a howdy game.

[gaby]

in Phase world they say the Population of Anvil Galaxy is 6 trillon,in Anvil the they say the CCW:2.1 Trillion,TGE:1.5 Trillion,UWW:400 Billion,Golgan republik re:2 trillion and Central Alliance is 1 Trillion,that more the 6 tril,I think they need to remake the entire Book and fixs the Mistakes.

Well In my Games I am make Anvil the same size as Thundercloud and lower the pops a bit.

[SolCannibal]

in Phase world they say the Population of Anvil Galaxy is 6 trillon, in Anvil the they say the CCW:2.1 Trillion, TGE:1.5 Trillion, UWW:400 Billion, Golgan republik re:2 trillion and Central Alliance is 1 Trillion,that more the 6 tril, I think they need to remake the entire Book and fixs the Mistakes.

Well In my Games I am make Anvil the same size as Thundercloud and lower the pops a bit.

Yes, people in Phase world failling at cross-checking stuff like masters. That said, one possible explanation for this would be updates on general as the CCW and TGE's expansion and competition through their expansionist race into the Anvil Galaxy leads to more precise information on world and actual populations in that sector of space. Those two in particular we much less involved with the Anvil until the Cosmic Forge obsession hit them and the Central Alliance is a literally brand new regional power, so a certain degree of imprecision in that or Thundercloud's numbers.

Also 6 or 7 trillions is no big deal - even speaking of an average of 1 billion people per planet it would give you about 7 thousand worlds, what is a speack of dust when one stops to consider that Anvil probably has billions of star systems.