Battles of the Star Angels and Space Devils

[the_taken]

The Premise:
Between the centuries of expansion and colonial war, humans have pretty much been alone in the galaxy up until recently. A wholly evil alien race comes into contact with humans and begins conquering colony after colony. The aliens have great initial success due in large part to their superior technology. Specifically enormous cybernetic creatures with glowing ribbons that can slice thru metal and powerful force fields that absorb attacks directed at them.
While extremely advanced, the aliens are not invincible, and a daring group of humans manage to capture the aliens technology and reverse engineer it. The human colonies are very reluctant to implement the technology, due to the extreme measures that they require, but when faced with apparent annihilation, noting is sacred.
With renewed fervor and the metal to back it up, a large human fleet launches in a campaign to push back the invaders and take back the lost colonies of their brothers. But instead of charred worlds and shattered homes, they found a far more sinister fate has befallen their lost cousins.

Technobabble
Reverse engineering the captured alien mechs took decades. It wasn't the complexity of the systems. Far from it. It was just a big genetically engineered alien with a titanium allow skeleton and an armored pressure suit. What made the research take so long was making the mech move. It was literally a big meat sack without it's designated pilot, and the primitive computer didn't do much but translate sensor readings and keep time.
The functions of the mech weren't discovered 'till a fledgling telepath joined the research team. The alien mech was powered purely by the combined will of the pilot and the soul of the pilots sibling infused into the mech. Stranger still was the fact that the soul within the alien construct loved it's pilot totally.

The campaigning fleet did not find worlds littered with the remains of human colonists. The reclaimers found ranches were the livestock was humans. Humans brainwashed into loving their alien masters thru a combination of torture and psychological therapy. And after whatever time frame the ranchers had developed, a bunch of humans are shipped off to a factory where they are infused into cybernetic devices in the final stage of the manufacturing process, to power them.

Discussion Thread

[the_taken]

Space is vast, but with faster than light travel possible, humans are able to reach nearby planets within their life span. The technology is ever refining, and it's almost possible to reach earth in less than 50 years from the outer most colonies. But for the most part, humans travel swiftly from one star to the next, never venturing out of a cluster.

While each star sytem has it's own government, there are multi-star bureaucracies that govern some aspects of humanity.

Human Factions

Nimbus Enterprises - An enormous corporate juggernaut. Has operations in many fields including farming and asteroid mining. Since the alien invasion, the family heads have all prioritized excess resources to be donated to military orders that protect the planets they have investments in. The company originated from what is now know as The Chicken Farm Planet, and made obscene profits in the Chicken Craze Era.
Recently a feud has developed in the family as a young upstart male made a reckless bid for the position of Family Head. He lost, but harsh words were exchanged between him and the current family leader. Later, three star ships with all sorts of cargo were reported missing from Space Port.

ASSASSIN - An extremely exclusive academy for the rich whom wish to have one of their progeny trained in the arts of war and death. The school boasts a 100% graduate rate for prospective students that pass the entrance exam, and all graduates to date became very successful later in their violence oriented careers.
The school does not condone the use of the alien mech technology, but a graduate is not forbidden from attempting to pilot a mech himself.

Zipnotech - A secretive organization that provides human colonies all across the galaxy with an early warning system against alien attacks. Their system is far from reliable, but an increase in donations to Zipnotech often increases the reliability of warnings.

Rogue Salvagers United - A bureaucracy that licenses the right to enter hazardous areas and collect derelict crafts, debris and artifacts and sell them to purchasers on an open market. Salvagers often carry junk in their retrofitted cargo vessels, but the occasional gem puts up.
Some people try to use the RSU to dodge laws that prevent the trade of certain items and end up becoming floating black markets, in addition to junk collectors.

Dark Star Pirates - Considered more of a group of violence crazed madmen running a rogue fleet of military vessels hiding in deep space. It is suspected by a few experts that half of the ships that go missing are the results of the pirates, but that would require that they know when and where a victim ship's faster than light travel system would fail.

Jaybox Unlimited - A digital company that provides media devices and video games. Nobody knows who the employees are, but the newest line of characters for their video games are so cute and cuddly it sickens the portions of society that live off their own self loathing and despair. The company also creates training simulations for military organizations.
Recently, the company has been charged with excessively aggressive marketing and advertising. Rumors are abound that they've hired telepaths to plant the idea of buying their products into the minds of pedestrians.

Eden Guard - A group of conservative bureaucrats that govern the Earth system. They've set up a series of laws that prevent any human born off of Earth from setting foot on it based on an ancient law stating that the primordial home world is restricted until all the humans that didn't embrace technology either learn to do so, or go extinct.
The Eden Guard where very quick to acquire the alien mech technology, and now have nearly a hundred mechs dedicated to guarding Earth itself.

Racers of the White Deserts - Matriarchal nomads. They travel from planet to planet in a fleet of small ships, hiring out as mercenaries, doctors, and pharmacists in any place they pass thru. Traditionally there are no men in their society, and their boys are put up for adoption at the earliest opportunity. Ideally they seek to genetically engineer themselves to never have male offspring or need men to reproduce.

Lords of Flesh - A collaboration of peoples of the medical and psychiatric professions that teach the laws of human biology and mental well being in many star systems. Recognized psychics argue that more and more, their prescribed drugs inhibit and suppress psychic abilities.
The LoF manufactures and supplies the military organizations that have mechs with devices that can repair damaged mechs in battle conditions.

[the_taken]

I've been developing a game system to play this with over on another forumn. If anyone wants to comment, or try to better understand my source of inspiration for this campaign setting, click here-> Crunch of the Star Angels and Space Devils

Also, I'm now holding a contest. If you can come up with a shorter name for the game, or a creepy name for the aliens, you win.

[the_taken]

Location Spotlight: Chicken Farm Planet

[spoiler=Boring Numerical Information]Type: Large iron/silicate
Radius    8731.20 km   (1.37 x earth)
Surface Area    9.58 x 108 km2
Land Area    7.95 x 108 km2   (5.34 x earth)
Mass    1.48 x 1025 kg   (2.48 x earth)
Density    5.32 g/cm3   (0.96 x earth)
Composition    48.3% iron, 29.7% oxygen, 22.0% silicon, trace other elements

Gravimetry    
Gravity    12.93 m/s2   (1.32 x earth)
Escape Velocity    15.02 km/s

Rotation Period: 19.75 hours
Axis Tilt: 5.76°

Hydrosphere
Water    18 %
Ice    1 %

Atmosphere: Standard breathable
Pressure: 89.43 kPa (0.88 x earth)
Composition: 44.5% nitrogen, 39.3% argon, 16.2% oxygen, trace other gases

Climate: Artificially Controlled
Min Temp: 184 K   (-88 °C)
Avg Temp: 301 K   (28 °C)
Max Temp: 440 K   (167 °C)

Biosphere Chemistry: Carbon
Life forms: Harmless Microbes, Avians (Chicken)

Civilization: Colony
Population: ~1,550,000, stable (no growth, no loss)
Society: Dedicated Farm World
Tech Level: Spacefaring (spacecraft, cybernetics, high energy efficiency)
Military Presence: Token (police and militia)
Special Features: 3 small moons

Information randomly generated by a program found at The Dire Press Website [/spoiler]

A planet teraformed exclusively for the purpose of the raising and slaughtering of poultry, Chicken Farm is the designated starting world of the sample campaign that will be provided with the rule book.
In addition to providing the PCs with an endless supply of food, the planet will also feature a space port city, an optional dungeon adventure, and an alien attack which will showcase battles occurring on a planet.