Apr 24, 2025 7:59 pm
Warpstar! is a science fiction roleplaying game by Fire Ruby Designs that captures the spirit of classic British tabletop adventures in the vastness of space. The setting is the sprawling Chorus of a million worlds, a galaxy-spanning collection of planets teeming with diverse cultures, strange alien life, advanced technologies, and powerful factions.
- Looking for approximately 4 players, a post frequency of once per day; mon-fri (5 a week in total)
- New to the system, no problem, the game mechanics are basically dummy proof.
In this vibrant and often perilous setting, the player characters navigate a cosmos where survival and advancement are constant struggles. The Chorus is far from a unified empire; instead, it is a melting pot where numerous forces vie for influence under the distant rule of the Autarch, who governs from the capital world known as the Jewel of the Chorus.
Among the most influential powers in the Chorus are:
- The Hegemony: A powerful military organization that serves the Autarch, responsible for policing the worlds and enforcing order with their feared Nova Guard.
- The Merchant Combine: A vast trading entity that facilitates commerce and connects the myriad worlds of the Chorus, often driven by profit.
- The Warp Consortium: The enigmatic controllers of the vital warp technology that enables interstellar travel, as well as other advanced and often mysterious sciences. They seek to understand the strange and dangerous dimension known as the warp.
(edited)
In the Warpstar! setting, the Autarch reigns supreme over the Chorus of a million worlds from the capital world known as the Jewel. The Autarch's word is law, and their whim is reality in the Chorus. However, their control is not absolute and relies heavily on a balance between three major powers: the Hegemony, the Merchant Combine, and the Warp Consortium. The Autarch acts as a counterpoint to these powers, maintaining a delicate equilibrium.
The Autarch's primary tool for maintaining control is Cadence, a technologically produced drug that slows aging and effectively grants immortality to regular users. The Autarch is the sole originator and distributor of Cadence, making it the most valuable resource in the Chorus. This control over Cadence provides the Autarch with ultimate power, as the major factions, including the Hegemony, Merchant Combine, and Warp Consortium, all require and trade in it, making them dependent on the Autarch's supply.
The Hegemony serves as the military might of the Chorus, directly answering to the Autarch. Their feared Nova Guard, equipped with advanced power armor and weapons, act as the visible fist of the Autarch's rule, policing the worlds and enforcing the Autarch's laws. They are tasked with keeping order and upholding the Autarch's rule across the vast and diverse Chorus. Hegemony is a massive organization with ground, space, and covert operations wings, making it a formidable force. While the Autarch issues fundamental laws like maintaining peace, property, and upholding life, the Hegemony is known to be heavy-handed in their administration of these laws, relying on their fearsome reputation as much as their military power to keep order across the stretched-thin forces. Hegemony also operates prisons throughout the Chorus, serving as a deterrent to those who might defy the Autarch's rule. They are responsible for military actions, resource distribution, and maintaining peace between worlds and species.
Humanity holds a dominant place in the Chorus. Originating from the lost cradle of Earth, the human race has spread across the galaxy, colonizing countless worlds. The Chorus itself is largely a human sphere of influence. While the Chorus is a melting pot of cultures and aliens, humans and their modified forms are common throughout. Genetic and cybernetic modifications are widespread among humans, making them highly adaptable to various environments. Although many alien species and robots exist, the narrative and the framework of the Chorus are centered around human expansion, politics, and the consequences of their interactions across the galaxy. The advancements in warp travel, largely controlled by the human-dominated Warp Consortium, have facilitated this expansion and interconnectedness of human-occupied space. Even the major factions, while potentially including non-human members, are primarily driven by human ambitions and structures.
- Looking for approximately 4 players, a post frequency of once per day; mon-fri (5 a week in total)
- New to the system, no problem, the game mechanics are basically dummy proof.
[ +- ] About the setting of Warpstar! by Fire Ruby Designs
In this vibrant and often perilous setting, the player characters navigate a cosmos where survival and advancement are constant struggles. The Chorus is far from a unified empire; instead, it is a melting pot where numerous forces vie for influence under the distant rule of the Autarch, who governs from the capital world known as the Jewel of the Chorus.
Among the most influential powers in the Chorus are:
- The Hegemony: A powerful military organization that serves the Autarch, responsible for policing the worlds and enforcing order with their feared Nova Guard.
- The Merchant Combine: A vast trading entity that facilitates commerce and connects the myriad worlds of the Chorus, often driven by profit.
- The Warp Consortium: The enigmatic controllers of the vital warp technology that enables interstellar travel, as well as other advanced and often mysterious sciences. They seek to understand the strange and dangerous dimension known as the warp.
(edited)
In the Warpstar! setting, the Autarch reigns supreme over the Chorus of a million worlds from the capital world known as the Jewel. The Autarch's word is law, and their whim is reality in the Chorus. However, their control is not absolute and relies heavily on a balance between three major powers: the Hegemony, the Merchant Combine, and the Warp Consortium. The Autarch acts as a counterpoint to these powers, maintaining a delicate equilibrium.
The Autarch's primary tool for maintaining control is Cadence, a technologically produced drug that slows aging and effectively grants immortality to regular users. The Autarch is the sole originator and distributor of Cadence, making it the most valuable resource in the Chorus. This control over Cadence provides the Autarch with ultimate power, as the major factions, including the Hegemony, Merchant Combine, and Warp Consortium, all require and trade in it, making them dependent on the Autarch's supply.
The Hegemony serves as the military might of the Chorus, directly answering to the Autarch. Their feared Nova Guard, equipped with advanced power armor and weapons, act as the visible fist of the Autarch's rule, policing the worlds and enforcing the Autarch's laws. They are tasked with keeping order and upholding the Autarch's rule across the vast and diverse Chorus. Hegemony is a massive organization with ground, space, and covert operations wings, making it a formidable force. While the Autarch issues fundamental laws like maintaining peace, property, and upholding life, the Hegemony is known to be heavy-handed in their administration of these laws, relying on their fearsome reputation as much as their military power to keep order across the stretched-thin forces. Hegemony also operates prisons throughout the Chorus, serving as a deterrent to those who might defy the Autarch's rule. They are responsible for military actions, resource distribution, and maintaining peace between worlds and species.
Humanity holds a dominant place in the Chorus. Originating from the lost cradle of Earth, the human race has spread across the galaxy, colonizing countless worlds. The Chorus itself is largely a human sphere of influence. While the Chorus is a melting pot of cultures and aliens, humans and their modified forms are common throughout. Genetic and cybernetic modifications are widespread among humans, making them highly adaptable to various environments. Although many alien species and robots exist, the narrative and the framework of the Chorus are centered around human expansion, politics, and the consequences of their interactions across the galaxy. The advancements in warp travel, largely controlled by the human-dominated Warp Consortium, have facilitated this expansion and interconnectedness of human-occupied space. Even the major factions, while potentially including non-human members, are primarily driven by human ambitions and structures.
[ +- ] The Basic Mechanics of Warpstar!
Taking Actions: When a character attempts an action with a significant chance of failure, a skill test is required. Simple actions with little chance of failure succeed automatically.
Making a Skill Test: The player rolls 1d20 and adds their character's skill level for the relevant adventuring skill.
Basic Skill Test: If the character is acting upon the environment and is not directly opposed by another individual or group, it's a basic test. To succeed, the total of the d20 roll plus the skill level must be 20 or more.
Opposed Skill Test: If the character's action is directly opposed by another character or group with mutually exclusive outcomes, an opposed skill test is used. Both participants roll 1d20 and add their relevant skill level. The higher total wins. In case of a draw, the conflict is a draw, and a re-roll might be necessary if that doesn't make sense in the context. Player characters can test their luck to break a tie in their favor in an opposed test.
Luck Tests: The GM can ask a character to test their luck to avoid unfortunate events. This involves a standard test using the character's luck score as a skill. Success avoids the situation, but the character's luck score is reduced by one for the rest of the adventure. The player always has the choice whether or not to test their luck.
Making a Skill Test: The player rolls 1d20 and adds their character's skill level for the relevant adventuring skill.
Basic Skill Test: If the character is acting upon the environment and is not directly opposed by another individual or group, it's a basic test. To succeed, the total of the d20 roll plus the skill level must be 20 or more.
Opposed Skill Test: If the character's action is directly opposed by another character or group with mutually exclusive outcomes, an opposed skill test is used. Both participants roll 1d20 and add their relevant skill level. The higher total wins. In case of a draw, the conflict is a draw, and a re-roll might be necessary if that doesn't make sense in the context. Player characters can test their luck to break a tie in their favor in an opposed test.
Luck Tests: The GM can ask a character to test their luck to avoid unfortunate events. This involves a standard test using the character's luck score as a skill. Success avoids the situation, but the character's luck score is reduced by one for the rest of the adventure. The player always has the choice whether or not to test their luck.
