IC Questions
Theme and Setting
1. What's considered canon?
We treat as canon the majority of information from BSG's four seasons. Material from Caprica, the BSG Roleplaying Game, and Battlestar Wiki are not automatically considered canon, though that doesn't mean it can't be. When in doubt, please ask!
What do we mean when we say "the majority of information"? Three major exceptions come to mind. First, we recognize that Colonies are very large places and can be home to many different cultures. As such, we allow — and encourage — our players to come up with various interesting details about their PCs' home regions. For example, our game has forged its own path in relation to events like the Sagittaron Insurgency and the various inter-world rivalries that were finally overcome during the First Cylon War. For more details, please see our pages on the Twelve Colonies and Stations and Events.
Second, we've decided to forge our own path when it comes to Cylons. Do not assume that you know how our Cylons work just because you've seen the show! Information about our metalheads and skinjobs can be found at Cylons 101.
Finally, our game takes place in a universe parallel to the one presented in BSG, with Warday being the point of divergence. Do not assume that any of the post-Warday events that took place on the show have happened in our world!
2. Can we play a character from Galactica or have ties to a character from Galactica?
No. As we said, our game takes place in a completely different universe, and we'd prefer to cordon off those familiar faces from our setting.
3. We have faster-than-light travel but no cure for cancer. What gives?
BSG's technology level is a funny thing. Though BSGs humans have figured out faster-than-light travel and the process of creating AIs, their technological capacity in general seems comparable to what we have in the here and now. They still drive cars and use stoplights, they can't miraculously cure cancer, and they certainly can't create a Luke Skywalker-esque arm. Colonials also tend to have a healthy suspicion of technology, courtesy of the Cylon War. Remember that in the Miniseries, Gaius Baltar was considered controversial for even suggesting that humanity should start researching AI once more.
The technological situation has only gotten worse since the vast majority of the Colonies' medical and technological centers were nuked. And while the situation may not be as grim as it was for poor Gaeta, please don't expect to be cleared for combat with a prosthetic limb!
In the words of series creator Ron D. Moore:
A useful way to think about this is to take any piece of equipment and strip out its ability to talk to another piece of equipment. If your cell phone did not have access to a computer network, how efficiently could it operate? Could it operate at all? How do you design a navigational system for a spacecraft if the various components cannot be networked together? How do you design a fighter that relies more on human brainpower to identify threats and make decisions than anything built into the cockpit?
One of the most important concepts is that there is no "master computer" aboard Galactica or any other Colonial ship.
In fact, our computers are very dumb in comparison to even the PC sitting on the average writer's desk. We should always endeavor to find ways of forcing human beings to do the hard work involved with operating and maintaining a spacecraft. Human brains need to crunch numbers, organize data, and come up with solutions to complex problems.
4. Why does everybody say "frak"? Can I eat a "nugget"? What's a DRADIS?
People in BSG use a lot of funny words. People don't listen to "radio"; they turn on their "wireless." Downed pilots don't shout out "Mayday" three times; they broadcast "Krypter" instead. You can't buy anything with dollars; everybody in the Colonies has cubits. For a fairly comprehensive list of definitions, check out this site. And to get a handle on general military terminology, check out our very own Military Jargon page.
5. Do any Earth religions exist in the BSG universe?
No. Religion in the Colonies is entirely derived from the Greco-Roman tradition, whose gods are called the "Lords of Kobol." Monotheism as practiced by the Abrahamic faiths is unheard of. What few monotheist cults that exist are considered bizarre (and sometimes even heretical) by the vast majority of the Colonies' citizens, and even those followers of a One True God are inspired — consciously or not — by the Greek and Roman mythologies that form the baseline of humanity's belief system.
6. I haven't watched a single episode of the series. I also don't know a thing about military procedure. Can I still play?
Yes you can! We encourage all players to watch the show because it's really damn good, but watching the show is by no means a requirement: several of our players came on board without having seen a single episode. The same goes about military procedure: after all, the whole point of RP is to pretend to be something you're not. If read our wiki files and make a good faith effort to stay true to our setting during the course of your RP, we're eager to have you on board.
7. I'm a member of the military in real life and we do things a lot differently from here. You're not being realistic!
We have a lot of players with RL military experience and any insight they bring to the table is welcome. It really does enrich RP.
Having said that, this is not a game based around the US Navy, the Royal Marines or any other real armed service. The Colonial Navy is a made-up, fantasy organization in a pretend, science-fiction world that is different than our own in several ways, large and small — an organization whose structure has already been bent for drama on the show itself. As a result, there will be natural canon differences between the way the real military does things and the way things are done in-game. Moreover, this made-up military organization exists after the end of the world, an extreme situation that has forced Command to reassess certain things taken for granted in peacetime.
This is not to say we ignore military procedures here. We have incorporated them into our setting, as detailed on the wiki, and you're welcome and encouraged to incorporate little details you know about the armed services into play. But at the end of the day, our setting is the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television show, not the real-life military, so there will be differences.
Cylons
1. Do the Final Five exist? What about Six, Boomer, and all the others?
No. As stated earlier, do not assume that you know how our Cylons work just because you've seen the show. Information about our metalheads and skinjobs can be found at Cylons 101.
2. Do these new Cylons have a plan?
Yes.
Military Procedure
1. I'm a pilot/ECO. How do I get a callsign?
Your character can start with a callsign if he's been in the military for some time, since most pilots hold their callsign for life. If you opt for this route, keep a few guidelines in mind. First, callsigns are meant to be used over wireless transmissions, meaning they should be short and sweet. Second, remember that that callsigns are given, not picked — and if your PC isn't lucky enough to have a name easily transformed into a callsign, she's likely to be "honored" with a callsign that brings to mind something funny or embarrassing she's done. Ryan "Salt" Shaker has an example of the former. Mikel "Pony" Dhaval has an example of the latter: PONY is an acronym for "Pissed on New Year's," though more details have yet to come to light.
Alternatively, if your character is just receiving her wings, you can throw caution to the wind and come onto the grid without a callsign. In this case, our PCs can and will come up with something suitable. This process can be unpredictable, but it can also be great fun.
2. Like Starbuck, my PC often gets the urge to "punch another superior asshole"/buck orders/be insubordinate. What's going to happen to me?
Your character can be as insubordinate as she wants! However, do keep in mind that your freedom to be insubordinate goes only as far as your IC commanding officer (CO) says it does. You're welcome to punch the XO or try and hijack a Raptor to go sightseeing on Aerilon, but be prepared to pay the price!
3. Can I be in two departments at once?
No. The only exception to this rule is a navy corpsman cleared to accompany Marines on missions. Aboard ship, she'd belong to the Medical Department and take orders from the Chief Medical Officer; during away missions, she'd be slotted into the Marines' command structure.
4. I'm a pilot. Can my PC know how to fly both Vipers and Raptors?
Maybe. The vast majority of pilots are restricted to one spaceframe because they simply don't have enough time to devote to cross-training. That said, it's certainly possible for your character to have engaged in such cross-training in the past, but if it's included in your background, make sure you have a really good reason. It's also possible for you to start cross-training after arriving on the grid, though you should have a logical beyond just wanting to fly everything, and only those with a 5 or better stat in their primary spaceframe and the rank of LTJG or above would be ICly allowed to pursue this. Cross-training is not frowned upon but it is very time-consuming, and most pilots have more than enough to do without stretching themselves to train for it to the detriment of their primary role. If you're planning to apply for such a concept, please contact Cidra before you start CharGen!
5. What is this CAP? Can I wear it? What is double CAP? How about 'alert fighters'?
CAP stands for 'combat air patrol' and in this theme means a team of ships that fly around the fleet keeping an eye out for danger. A standard CAP consists of one Raptor and two Vipers, and each shift is four hours. Double CAP, which occurs only during Condition Two or when otherwise explicitly noted, is two Raptors and four Vipers, and each shift is still four hours. In BSG-132, there are currently at least two CAP groups out at all times: one set from the Cerberus Air Wing and one run by the Air Wing from Areion.
In addition to CAP, there are 'alert fighters'. These are members of the air wing who sit in their ships in the launch tubes (or flight elevators, if they are Raptors), ready to fly if an emergency occurs. Both Raptor teams and Viper pilots serve on alert fighter duty, and their shifts, like CAP, last four hours at a time. A large chunk of a pilot's or ECO's standard on-duty time will involve sitting in their plane in the tubes on alert status.
OOC Questions
Applications
1. Can I apply for a Cylon character?
Under certain circumstances. Staff is currently looking for players interested in playing skinjobs who have yet to be "activated." For more details, please check out our Recruitment board (+bbread 5) or contact a staffer through +request.
2. Can I apply for a leadership position?
Yes. Current vacancies are advertised on the game's Recruitment board and on our page on Department Heads. For more details, please contact a staffer through +request.
3. Can I apply for a nugget?
Yes. We've even got a training squadron set up for precisely this purpose. Contact Cidra, Khloe, or Trask in-game for more details!
4. Can I apply for a civilian?
Yes. BSG-132 has picked up a metric ton of civilians since Warday, and we even have our very own civilian ship (MV Elpis) on grid. Bear in mind that to get the most out of the civilian side of things, you'll have to be significantly more proactive than normal just by virtue of the small size of our PC civilian population. But if you're a go-getter who doesn't mind coming up with interesting storylines and actively seeking out RP, playing a civilian can be as rewarding — if not more rewarding! — as playing a military PC.
5. Can I apply for a PC with a criminal history or a PC with a mental illness?
If you want to have been a member of the military prior to the Cylon attack, no. Recruiting and verification standards were very high during peacetime!
If you want to be a civilian, yes. Battlestar Cerberus has been plucking survivors from various Colonies over the past few months, and it isn't beyond the realm of possibility that they picked up a criminal or an individual suffering from a mental disease. But keep in mind that our civilians are still under martial law. Your character can certainly try to do some shady things, but attract too much attention and you'll bring down the wrath of the Fleet's MPs upon your head.
6. Can I be a veteran of the Cylon War?
Yes, but you'd be pretty old! Check out our Timeline for more details.
7. I'm a new character. How can I explain what I've been up to since Warday?
Check out our handy guide on Coming Aboard!
Rules and Policies
1. I have an idea for a plot. How do I run it?
Our policy on Player-Run Plots (PRPs) is quite simple: WE LOVE THEM. A lot of our coolest scenes have been inspired by (and, in some circumstances, run by) our wonderful playerbase, and we want to encourage everybody — even those of you without PRP experience — to continue coming up with Awesome Events for your fellow PCs' enjoyment. To get the ball rolling, please pitch your idea to us using +request (+help +request). Storytelling staff will be more than happy to help make your idea a reality.
2. I won't be able to log on for a month. How do I make sure my PC doesn't get nuked?
Please send in a +request to Staff and we'll make sure your PC is protected from the wrath of the idle-dester.
3. What's your policy on consent/TS/PKing/alts/rating/whatever?
Check out our Rules page for details. If you need clarification, page an active staffer or send in a +request!
4. What time is it ICly?
One day in the real world equals one day on the MUSH. 1 January 2011 equates to 1 January 2042 AE (After Exodus).
Wiki Help
1. How do I register for the wiki and make a page?
The +mail you received upon approval contains instructions for wiki registration and page creation. If you can't quite figure out how to get it to work, just ask on channel and chances are someone will be able to assist you.
2. How do I get a log icon?
Trask has volunteered to make log icons for our game, so just send him a +mail with the picture you want to use and he'll take care of it as soon as he can.
3. I want my character to be played by a certain actor, but (s)he's already been taken by an NPC or a PC who's idled out. What do I do?
Send in a +request to Staff. If the PC or NPC in question hasn't seen a lot of screen time, we'll gladly change its face — but please have a backup in case we say no!