04-07-2010, 09:15 PM
Over the time I've been here I've had plenty of ideas of things that could be done in this server, new factions that I'd never have the time to start included. Most of my ideas seem to get lambasted rather quickly, perhaps because they disrupt the status quo around here. But to that I say: Screw you. I'm not going to let people make my thoughts and ideas any more worthless by scaring me out of so much as sharing them. So here goes nothing.
Yes, as a matter of fact, as the name says, this is the descendant of Switzerland. It is not a faction creation request but a primitive design document concocted during moments of random brainstorming. No doubt there are flaws in roleplay/concept I have not addressed or caught, but bear in mind this is 'not' meant to accommodate aforementioned status quo of very strict factions based on the existing story but is an effort to expand it.
New Switzerland
Official Name: Novus Confederatio Helvetica (New Swiss Confederation)
Government: Federal Republic with Parliamentary System and Direct Democracy
Location: New Switzerland System
Capital: Planet Bern
Population: 820,000
Currency: Gallic Franc
Factions/Groups: Swiss Guard, Swiss Federal Industries, Pilatus Spacecraft Manufacturing Co.
History:
The Gallia was, as far as it is known, the last Alliance sleeper ship built and the last launched. It carried an untold, but undoubtedly large, number of French colonists, and would be the bastion for French culture in the 31st century. But due to its purpose, that of carrying forsaken people away from the iron grip of the Coalition, the leaders of France opened their arms to any other survivors they could take with them. As it were, a reasonable portion of those left behind were naturalized Swiss.
Even though Switzerland tried to maintain its neutrality and safety during the Sol War, its destruction was inevitable; the nuclear warfare on Earth rendered the small Alpine country covered in radioactive fallout, trapped on a half-dead planet. Any Swiss who managed to escape this fate quickly rendezvoused with their brethren dwelling in other nations, namely those of the Western Alliance. France had the largest portion of Swiss among the Alliance, and therefore was tasked with essentially taking care of a neutral, leeching population. Of course, there were many Swiss citizens who decided to fight for the Alliance, but their exploits were not only lost in the fires of the war, but lost in the darkness of time as well. Needless to say, the surviving Swiss population of some 250,000 was present for the launching of the Gallia, and as a gesture of good faith and through the desire to rebuild the Earth of old, the French sent with it a number of Swiss colonists.
For the first century or so after the Gallia landed on New Paris, the Swiss colonists coexisted with the French easily, based on their mutual heritage and commonality of both French and International English language. But the Swiss, in spite of their European cultural ambiguity, insisted on maintaining an image of independence, a statement making it clear that they were still Swiss, even if the rest of the colonists around them had took on the Gallic moniker. On several occasions this would cause friction with the belligerent monarchy which was established practically from the very first day of rebuilding, but the Swiss were adamant, and a large number of the Gallic citizenry were in their favor.
It was finally decided after two centuries of relative idleness that the Swiss would be granted a land of their own, guaranteed the same neutrality and rights that it had back on Earth, albeit hamstringed by the lack of contact with any other nations than Gallia. On 380 A.S. Gallic King Charles III granted the Swiss population, which had now swelled to a number of some 300,000, a single system in what would become the Gallic Border Worlds.
Sadly it was something almost of a joke: the star system which would be christened New Switzerland would prove to be a rather harsh place to live, bereft of many resources. Even still, the Swiss would make use of it. They chose the single planet in the system as their capital, naming it Planet Bern. Bern was hardly a paradise; its climate was comparable to that of New Berlin in Rheinland, ranging from cold to blistering cold depending on the rotation of the world. Unlike New Berlin, however, it was not located near any significant resources. A single moon, named Dom after the highest mountain in Switzerland, had only marginal amounts of metals and was predominantly worthless, and a nearby ice field named Lucerne carried water and only water. Obviously the Swiss were forced into a position where they were to be subservient to the Gallic throne, dependant on its resources and protection. But yet again the Swiss were too stubborn to accept ignominy.
The development of Planet Bern proceeded at a brisk pace, and entire underground cities were built within only a decade. Considering the size of the planet as opposed to the size of the original Switzerland, there was no method of splitting the land into the same 26 political cantons, so entirely new ones were created. Before long the entire planet had been mapped and divided into an appropriate layout, and the old Federal Republic system, complete with the Parliament and Direct Democracy, would take form.
In terms of industry and technological development, the Swiss were quick to assemble their best minds into a conglomerate of teams that were competitive with the best Gallic corporations. The result was Swiss Federal Industries, a government-subsidized company that began the Swiss first spaceward leap with the construction of Z?rich Station in Bern orbit. A massive citadel of steel, Z?rich would become representative for New Switzerland as a whole, being the first stop for any visitors of any stripe and evolving into both a base of commerce and a native shipyard. At the same time, SFI began dabbling in other scientific endeavors, such as geothermal power plants on Bern, advanced mining techniques to squeeze anything worthwhile out of the Dom moon, and their latest invention: a Molecular Phase Separator designed to split molecules into component parts and reassemble them into more useful materials. This device would manifest itself in an attempt to make use of the vast ice fields in the system, splitting the water into the component parts of hydrogen and oxygen. But even while this government-funded company took flight, another would take flight along with it, that being the successor of Pilatus Aircraft: Pilatus Spacecraft Manufacturing Company would become the premier Swiss ship-builder, freeing the tiny nation from dependence on Gallic vessels. Their inventions, while advanced, are obviously small in number, but carry the Swiss banner in a way no Gallic ship ever can or will.
New Switzerland, like its Terran namesake, was a neutral, independent nation focused on international (or in this case interstellar) cooperation, complete with its original governing system. The nations policies were in direct conflict with those of an absolute monarchy like the Gallic Crown, and given the growing instability in Gallia as the years went on, New Switzerland would be put on the chopping block more than once. Dissidents such as the Council who advocated the toppling of the Crown would look at New Switzerlands democracy and pacifistic tendencies and see a vision of their Utopia, and the Swiss government would be hard pressed to deny Council support, and disavow any involvement with them when the Crowns fleets knocked on their door. In an effort to compensate, New Switzerland attempted to mediate some of the inter-Gallic conflicts that sprung up, but with their independence came the consequence of a notable break with the Gallic people; they were no longer fellow colonists, and what business did the Swiss have in Gallic affairs? One peace convention was a humiliating disappointment, and an effort to create a neutral humanitarian organization was met with applause and then scowls when their ships were stopped from intervening to save innocents caught in the line of fire during the Second Gallic War.
With the Councils reconnection with Sirius came a new opportunity to play out their historical role as a moderating neutral nation amongst warring parties, something the Sirius Sector has yet to experience. However the Gallic Crown is clearly averse to the situation, since their idea of moderation involves a steamrolling battle fleet. New Switzerland is thus forced into a harrowing position: Do they cooperate with groups like the Council in order to spread their message to the rest of Sirius and infuriate the Crown, or do they lie down and stay idle, just as King Charles III intended all those years ago?
Given their history, the answer is obvious, but how they will succeed in their endeavor is anyones guess.
Technology:
Given the full story, the Swiss will have a small number of faction-specific craft, namely a shuttle, a freighter, and a fighter. The shuttle would serve diplomatic purposes, the fighters the same home defense and escort roles the modern Swiss Air Force fills, and the freighter would be used in conjunction with local industry. In the event these weapons and ships are not available, it could be possible that they would use Gallic Navy light fighters with Gallic civilian weapons, locally built but using the same technology.
System:
The Swiss would only have a single star system, New Switzerland. It is essentially a guard system in of itself, but naturally it is not automatically hostile to all outsiders. It has single planet, Bern, and its moon, Dom. Zurich station would be in orbit of Dom, a local shipyard perhaps somewhere nearby, a checkpoint station, and a station using the Phase Separator close to the vast ice fields. Two trade lanes would be present, linking Bern to a single jump gate into the Gallic Core systems and the Separator station near the ice fields. The gate would be guarded by a GRN battleship. Deep within the ice field and far away from the Separator station would be a jump hole leading directly to one of the Council systems and with a small Council base guarding it.
Faction Roles:
- Acting out a relatively neutral but politically active faction with direct player leadership that can make its own diplomatic decisions and thereby have some type of effect on player-based diplomacy
- Maintaining relations with the Gallic Crown while attempting to communicate and negotiate with the other Sirius houses and factions, encouraging plenty of roleplay with far less mandatory PVP action
- Serving as an alternative RP element to the relatively stagnate Gallic scenario, which would be made all the more static in the event the GRN invades Sirius and thus expands hostile GRN influence further away from the Gallic systems, putting them truly out of reach of those other than the Gallics
Yes, as a matter of fact, as the name says, this is the descendant of Switzerland. It is not a faction creation request but a primitive design document concocted during moments of random brainstorming. No doubt there are flaws in roleplay/concept I have not addressed or caught, but bear in mind this is 'not' meant to accommodate aforementioned status quo of very strict factions based on the existing story but is an effort to expand it.
New Switzerland
Official Name: Novus Confederatio Helvetica (New Swiss Confederation)
Government: Federal Republic with Parliamentary System and Direct Democracy
Location: New Switzerland System
Capital: Planet Bern
Population: 820,000
Currency: Gallic Franc
Factions/Groups: Swiss Guard, Swiss Federal Industries, Pilatus Spacecraft Manufacturing Co.
History:
The Gallia was, as far as it is known, the last Alliance sleeper ship built and the last launched. It carried an untold, but undoubtedly large, number of French colonists, and would be the bastion for French culture in the 31st century. But due to its purpose, that of carrying forsaken people away from the iron grip of the Coalition, the leaders of France opened their arms to any other survivors they could take with them. As it were, a reasonable portion of those left behind were naturalized Swiss.
Even though Switzerland tried to maintain its neutrality and safety during the Sol War, its destruction was inevitable; the nuclear warfare on Earth rendered the small Alpine country covered in radioactive fallout, trapped on a half-dead planet. Any Swiss who managed to escape this fate quickly rendezvoused with their brethren dwelling in other nations, namely those of the Western Alliance. France had the largest portion of Swiss among the Alliance, and therefore was tasked with essentially taking care of a neutral, leeching population. Of course, there were many Swiss citizens who decided to fight for the Alliance, but their exploits were not only lost in the fires of the war, but lost in the darkness of time as well. Needless to say, the surviving Swiss population of some 250,000 was present for the launching of the Gallia, and as a gesture of good faith and through the desire to rebuild the Earth of old, the French sent with it a number of Swiss colonists.
For the first century or so after the Gallia landed on New Paris, the Swiss colonists coexisted with the French easily, based on their mutual heritage and commonality of both French and International English language. But the Swiss, in spite of their European cultural ambiguity, insisted on maintaining an image of independence, a statement making it clear that they were still Swiss, even if the rest of the colonists around them had took on the Gallic moniker. On several occasions this would cause friction with the belligerent monarchy which was established practically from the very first day of rebuilding, but the Swiss were adamant, and a large number of the Gallic citizenry were in their favor.
It was finally decided after two centuries of relative idleness that the Swiss would be granted a land of their own, guaranteed the same neutrality and rights that it had back on Earth, albeit hamstringed by the lack of contact with any other nations than Gallia. On 380 A.S. Gallic King Charles III granted the Swiss population, which had now swelled to a number of some 300,000, a single system in what would become the Gallic Border Worlds.
Sadly it was something almost of a joke: the star system which would be christened New Switzerland would prove to be a rather harsh place to live, bereft of many resources. Even still, the Swiss would make use of it. They chose the single planet in the system as their capital, naming it Planet Bern. Bern was hardly a paradise; its climate was comparable to that of New Berlin in Rheinland, ranging from cold to blistering cold depending on the rotation of the world. Unlike New Berlin, however, it was not located near any significant resources. A single moon, named Dom after the highest mountain in Switzerland, had only marginal amounts of metals and was predominantly worthless, and a nearby ice field named Lucerne carried water and only water. Obviously the Swiss were forced into a position where they were to be subservient to the Gallic throne, dependant on its resources and protection. But yet again the Swiss were too stubborn to accept ignominy.
The development of Planet Bern proceeded at a brisk pace, and entire underground cities were built within only a decade. Considering the size of the planet as opposed to the size of the original Switzerland, there was no method of splitting the land into the same 26 political cantons, so entirely new ones were created. Before long the entire planet had been mapped and divided into an appropriate layout, and the old Federal Republic system, complete with the Parliament and Direct Democracy, would take form.
In terms of industry and technological development, the Swiss were quick to assemble their best minds into a conglomerate of teams that were competitive with the best Gallic corporations. The result was Swiss Federal Industries, a government-subsidized company that began the Swiss first spaceward leap with the construction of Z?rich Station in Bern orbit. A massive citadel of steel, Z?rich would become representative for New Switzerland as a whole, being the first stop for any visitors of any stripe and evolving into both a base of commerce and a native shipyard. At the same time, SFI began dabbling in other scientific endeavors, such as geothermal power plants on Bern, advanced mining techniques to squeeze anything worthwhile out of the Dom moon, and their latest invention: a Molecular Phase Separator designed to split molecules into component parts and reassemble them into more useful materials. This device would manifest itself in an attempt to make use of the vast ice fields in the system, splitting the water into the component parts of hydrogen and oxygen. But even while this government-funded company took flight, another would take flight along with it, that being the successor of Pilatus Aircraft: Pilatus Spacecraft Manufacturing Company would become the premier Swiss ship-builder, freeing the tiny nation from dependence on Gallic vessels. Their inventions, while advanced, are obviously small in number, but carry the Swiss banner in a way no Gallic ship ever can or will.
New Switzerland, like its Terran namesake, was a neutral, independent nation focused on international (or in this case interstellar) cooperation, complete with its original governing system. The nations policies were in direct conflict with those of an absolute monarchy like the Gallic Crown, and given the growing instability in Gallia as the years went on, New Switzerland would be put on the chopping block more than once. Dissidents such as the Council who advocated the toppling of the Crown would look at New Switzerlands democracy and pacifistic tendencies and see a vision of their Utopia, and the Swiss government would be hard pressed to deny Council support, and disavow any involvement with them when the Crowns fleets knocked on their door. In an effort to compensate, New Switzerland attempted to mediate some of the inter-Gallic conflicts that sprung up, but with their independence came the consequence of a notable break with the Gallic people; they were no longer fellow colonists, and what business did the Swiss have in Gallic affairs? One peace convention was a humiliating disappointment, and an effort to create a neutral humanitarian organization was met with applause and then scowls when their ships were stopped from intervening to save innocents caught in the line of fire during the Second Gallic War.
With the Councils reconnection with Sirius came a new opportunity to play out their historical role as a moderating neutral nation amongst warring parties, something the Sirius Sector has yet to experience. However the Gallic Crown is clearly averse to the situation, since their idea of moderation involves a steamrolling battle fleet. New Switzerland is thus forced into a harrowing position: Do they cooperate with groups like the Council in order to spread their message to the rest of Sirius and infuriate the Crown, or do they lie down and stay idle, just as King Charles III intended all those years ago?
Given their history, the answer is obvious, but how they will succeed in their endeavor is anyones guess.
Technology:
Given the full story, the Swiss will have a small number of faction-specific craft, namely a shuttle, a freighter, and a fighter. The shuttle would serve diplomatic purposes, the fighters the same home defense and escort roles the modern Swiss Air Force fills, and the freighter would be used in conjunction with local industry. In the event these weapons and ships are not available, it could be possible that they would use Gallic Navy light fighters with Gallic civilian weapons, locally built but using the same technology.
System:
The Swiss would only have a single star system, New Switzerland. It is essentially a guard system in of itself, but naturally it is not automatically hostile to all outsiders. It has single planet, Bern, and its moon, Dom. Zurich station would be in orbit of Dom, a local shipyard perhaps somewhere nearby, a checkpoint station, and a station using the Phase Separator close to the vast ice fields. Two trade lanes would be present, linking Bern to a single jump gate into the Gallic Core systems and the Separator station near the ice fields. The gate would be guarded by a GRN battleship. Deep within the ice field and far away from the Separator station would be a jump hole leading directly to one of the Council systems and with a small Council base guarding it.
Faction Roles:
- Acting out a relatively neutral but politically active faction with direct player leadership that can make its own diplomatic decisions and thereby have some type of effect on player-based diplomacy
- Maintaining relations with the Gallic Crown while attempting to communicate and negotiate with the other Sirius houses and factions, encouraging plenty of roleplay with far less mandatory PVP action
- Serving as an alternative RP element to the relatively stagnate Gallic scenario, which would be made all the more static in the event the GRN invades Sirius and thus expands hostile GRN influence further away from the Gallic systems, putting them truly out of reach of those other than the Gallics