Darth Vader's short stories submission

Appleby0

Appleby0

Radio Bob Approved
Steam Name & ID: Darth Vader STEAM_0:0:155946230
Discord Name & ID: Darth Vader#0680


Minimum two paragraph backstory on the concept:

Blood on the Sands

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"The serpents of the N.R.A.U will be crushed by the might of our legions! Egypt rises again!"
-Extract from Administrator Salah's declaration of war on the N.R.A.U, 2018


City 40 is at war

Blood stains the dunes as Ramesses' legions clash against a hasty coalition of rebels

As the fighting rages on, an elite unit has struck deep into the Agri-zone

This small force has but one mission

Cut the head off the snake


Blood on the sands shows the climatic height of the war against the N.R.A.U, in which an elite force of City 40's soldiers launch a bold strike on the exposed headquarters of the N.R.A.U with the goal of razing it to the ground and wiping out the rebel leadership. This would be an event with a good mix of combat and passiveRP, with a slow build-up for both factions present. The aim is to provide a fun, exciting and engaging battle for players to participate in, allowing them to have an effect on the outcome of the war and influence the fate of the region.

The event would be split into two parts, build up and the assault on the compound. During the build-up phase, the Combine side will be making their way through the Agri-Zone towards the N.R.A.U HQ, setting up a field camp and planning their assault. Meanwhile, the rebels will go about business as usual, they have no clue what is about to happen. All that can change however, in one of the most integral parts of this SS.

Player agency

If the Combine side get careless and bump into an N.R.A.U patrol who get a message back to the other rebels then they can start preparing immediately and call for reinforcements, granting them an edge in the fight to come and turning it into a race against time for the Combine. Conversely, if the Combine are smart and knock out rebel communications there will be no-one coming to help their surrounded commanders.

Both sides will have "side objectives" which they can accomplish for gains. If the Combine destroy the generators powering the rebels' hijacked AA batteries then gunships can fly in to help the assault. On the other hand, the rebels could set up perimeter mines to blow up any Combine troops foolish enough to attack down a certain path. The possibilities and strategies available for the Combine and Rebel commanders are endless.

The final confrontation at the N.R.A.U compound can manifest in countless ways. A small assassination squad sneaking in whilst disguised under the cover of a diversion or a full-on assault with the overwhelming might of the Combine brought to bear. Whatever happens, the outcome is entirely in the players' hands. A simple grunt with a bright idea could pull victory from the jaws of defeat with a well-aimed shot killing the Combine's target, or a daring rebel could lead their VIPs to safety in a desperate breakout.

The roles available (In this very early first draft) are as follows:

Combine

Son of Amun-Ra
The overall commander of the Combine forces, a veteran leader personally picked by Ramesses to act as his representative

M.D.F Rank Leader
Commander of the handpicked M.D.F squad sent to act as special forces for the task force

M.D.F Officers
The very best officers within the M.D.F, handpicked for their superb combat skills and veteran status

Legionnaires of Osiris
Paramilitaries loyal to Ramesses. They make up the bulk of the strike team.

Overwatch Soldiers
A detachment of Overwatch Soldiers from legion "SCARAB" dispatched to act as heavy line infantry


N.R.A.U

Moses
Leader of the N.R.A.U and the Combine's target

N.R.A.U Directors
High ranking members of the N.R.A.U, they are secondary targets after Moses

N.R.A.U Workers
Workers within the N.R.A.U, they have been forced to pick up a gun to defend themselves against Ramesses' invasion

Vortigaunt Elder
Leader of the local tribe of free Vortigaunts, an important target for Combine

Vortigaunts
Free Vortigaunts who have allied with the N.R.A.U against their mutual enemy, the Combine


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━


If your backstory does not cover the following questions, please answer them.


Do you wish to spearhead the project if your concept is accepted? (You will run the event alongside the SS team.): Yes


Is this concept set in the Half-Life universe?: Yes


Will this concept follow Willard’s Timeline?: Yes


Will this concept affect the mainserver?: Lorewise yes but it would have no impact on daily life​
 
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N.R.A.U is on the list of things to do - but stuff is quite busy behind the scenes. We'll see what we can do.
 
Dog said:
N.R.A.U is on the list of things to do - but stuff is quite busy behind the scenes. We'll see what we can do.
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I'd be very happy to help out any way I can. Being C40 CA I can handle any lore/forums things that need doing.
 
Personally, I don’t care for the NRAU or it’s storyline. So I’ll leave this to @FungletheBungle since he was present for the original event and would have better judgment in deciding whether or not we need s part two.
 
We are looking into developing the NRAU storyline further, though we're focusing more on telling a few more unique stories before retreading ground.
 
FungletheBungle said:
We are looking into developing the NRAU storyline further, though we're focusing more on telling a few more unique stories before retreading ground.
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I fully plan to have this operation happen lorewise to progress City 40's storyline. I have a lot of interesting stuff planned for it but first the conflict with the N.R.A.U must be resolved. What I'm trying to do here is allow players to play a very active role and influence the fate of factions we've grown to enjoy such as the N.R.A.U and decide the course of the conflict.

Player actions in this proposed short story could lead to Moses and a lot of the N.R.A.U escaping to become a very powerful force against City 40, being a constant thorn in their side and turning the Nile into a very dangerous area filled with danger from their attacks. Alternatively, they could be wiped out entirely, with small pockets of remnants trying to survive and offering their own stories.

It's a lot more interesting to grant players that freedom in my opinion, and I don't think this is retreading ground either. I have not seen an event that was nearly entirely unscripted and fully free for the two opposing sides to do things how they want in open conflict. It would allow for a truly unique experience where leaders would have to direct a battle not from the sky like an RTS but actually on the ground.

I truly believe this would be a fun and unique event for players to enjoy, if there are elements you would like to change or think are too similar to previous things then I am very happy to change them. After all, this is just a first draft.
 
Darth Vader said:
I fully plan to have this operation happen lorewise to progress City 40's storyline. I have a lot of interesting stuff planned for it but first the conflict with the N.R.A.U must be resolved. What I'm trying to do here is allow players to play a very active role and influence the fate of factions we've grown to enjoy such as the N.R.A.U and decide the course of the conflict.

Player actions in this proposed short story could lead to Moses and a lot of the N.R.A.U escaping to become a very powerful force against City 40, being a constant thorn in their side and turning the Nile into a very dangerous area filled with danger from their attacks. Alternatively, they could be wiped out entirely, with small pockets of remnants trying to survive and offering their own stories.

It's a lot more interesting to grant players that freedom in my opinion, and I don't think this is retreading ground either. I have not seen an event that was nearly entirely unscripted and fully free for the two opposing sides to do things how they want in open conflict. It would allow for a truly unique experience where leaders would have to direct a battle not from the sky like an RTS but actually on the ground.

I truly believe this would be a fun and unique event for players to enjoy, if there are elements you would like to change or think are too similar to previous things then I am very happy to change them. After all, this is just a first draft.
Click to expand...
Well the obvious question is how would this be different from our first N.R.A.U event?
 
FungletheBungle said:
Well the obvious question is how would this be different from our first N.R.A.U event?
Click to expand...

From what I know of the first N.R.A.U event, it was negotiations followed by a small skirmish, focusing on politics and tense relations. This is open warfare.

For the N.R.A.U side we would get to see the chaos and panic of the N.R.A.U when they are mere hours away from potential destruction, watching as officers frantically try to co-ordinate a defence against a multi-front offensive that has brought the full might of the Combine to bear. Any story could be told by the N.R.A.U players here, they could rally together to make a stand against evil or break apart and utterly collapse.

Meanwhile for the Combine, we would have all the stress and tension that comes with being the tip of the spear. We could witness hardliner fanatics inspiring their fellows to fight like devils or disillusioned officers deserting to warn the N.R.A.U of what is to come.

The possibilities for character development and roleplay are endless, especially when you consider the strategies the commanders come up with will actually determine the characters fates.

For example, Moses elects to evacuate as many N.R.A.U as possible with a small rearguard staying behind to delay the Combine forces. For those selected it is practically a death sentence. Now let's say one of those picked is a rather successful manager, he had a great career in the CWU before this and now he could end up dying for people he cares nothing about. Deciding that the Combine will reward him for leaking the N.R.A.U's plans to them thus saving himself, he deserts and informs the Son of Amun-Ra leading the Combine of the N.R.A.U's evacuation plans.

Suddenly, what was meant to be a Dunkirk-esque evacuation turns into a deadly and tragic ambush due to the actions of one character. One player.

There can be no negotiations between the two sides, an all-out clash is inevitable. The form this battle takes however, is entirely up to the players.

I really want to emphasis the dynamic nature of this. Think of it as like an RTS but instead of flying around as an invisible observer you are on the ground, with all the limitations that brings. Actually thinking and operating strategically will have consequences. If the Combine devote resources to destroying a power station and knocking out the N.R.A.U's AA grid then they can call in Air Support. Conversely, if the N.R.A.U spend precious time turning their HQ into a fortress, the Combine will find it a much harder nut to crack than they first thought.

I would like to say that I was not present for the first N.R.A.U event, if I am wrong and this is actually very similar to the first one then I am very happy to revise it to make it distinct.
 
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