Hello and welcome back to Lore Builder, where we work with you, the community, to help build out the Star Citizen universe. As always, if you are new to this feature or the game in general, please consult the Caveats and Background Reading section listed in the previous issue to get an understanding of what’s already been established.
So, with that out of the way, let’s get started.
GOVERNMENT For the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at the legislative branch of the UEE, specifically how that arm of the government was structured. After getting a robust list of potential bureaucracies, agencies and departments, we started looking at the division between local and Imperial governments to try and understand where one ended and the other began.
Thanks again to everyone who submitted ideas. There were some really interesting approaches to distinguishing these boundaries. Chaucer even presented a fictional news article.
As we continue to comb through the more detailed suggestions and further refine the nuances of government, here is a high-level look at the UEE structure incorporating a bunch of your suggestions and ideas.
OVERVIEW During the Messer Era, the UEE was a pervasive presence in the lives of the populace (Carpe Caelum); they dictated everything from standardized architectural styles to how many rolls of nanowipes each family deserved. After the fall of the Messers, the government withdrew, eager for people to enjoy the freedom that had been denied to them for so long. They knew that they shouldn’t completely disappear — there needed to be guarantees that certain standards were being maintained for everyone — so they developed the Common Law: a group of baseline rights, privileges and standards that everyone in a UEE system could expect. (Amontillado)
These Common Laws include: fundamental personal freedoms, safety practices for structures and products, health services, basic education (Equivalency), a system to allow interplanetary trade and travel, jump point and exploration management, and a security force to protect from external alien threats and interstellar crime.
These Common Laws can be found/enforced on every planet (represented or not) in a UEE system. The planets within these systems can build upon these Common Laws if they want, but cannot lessen them (Ramblin, Ski).
PLANETARY CITIZENS We’ve talked extensively about the Local and Imperial government, but what about Recognized and Unrecognized planets? If you aren’t familiar with the distinction, a planet is considered Unrecognized until it petitions the UEE for recognition. This can be granted based on the planet’s contribution to the Empire or its growth or because it has a valuable resource. Once recognition is granted, the Senate lets the planet choose its name (up to this point it’s officially known as its planetary designation (Sol III) even though it would already have a name created by locals) and allowed to elect a Senator.
So would Unrecognized planets have to abide by these Common Laws? In short, yes. If the system is claimed by the UEE, then the Common Laws apply, even to unrecognized worlds. As in the distinction between Civilians and Citizens among people, think of the recognized planets as Citizens and the unrecognized as Civilians. All are subject to the law, but Citizens/Recognized have the voice to try and change the law.
Now we’ll continue to flesh out this system, adding in some of the departments that were suggested as we go.
Moving on to next week’s topic, something you might possibly be interested in:
GUNS As you are probably aware, Star Citizen is going to have a lot of pieces, from ship hulls down to smaller components like maneuvering thrusters. We have an internal corporations list that outlines all of the various manufacturers of these pieces and we’re developing style guides for each of them so they have a consistent look and feel to their parts. The goal is to infuse consistent design elements among the various parts so you could almost identify the manufacturer by the style of the part.
Therefore, we aren’t going to ask for corporations, instead we’re going to ask for Gun Names.
First off, here’s a format to work within:
Manufacturer: (chosen from the list below) Gun Series Name: Weapon Type: (energy, ballistic, plasma, neutron) Naming Scheme: These weapons should come in various sizes 1-5. Do they have individual names for each class version, or a numbering system (Behring M3A = Size 1, Behring M4A = Size 2, etc.) Tagline: How would they market this weapon? (“Behring M3A: The last word in any fight.”)
So now that you have the format, here are some Corporations that manufacture guns and a little description to help get your mind rolling on potential names:
BEHRING APPLIED TECHNOLOGIES Example Weapons: M3A, Mk III Description: Terra-based weapons consortium. Outsources to a lot of designers and subsidiaries to be a one-stop shop for all your defensive needs. Think of it as a conglomerate of Springfield Arms and General Dynamics. They make guns, missiles, tanks, dropships, sentry drones, etc. mostly for the UEE military, but they build civilian models as well. Usually favor quantity of production over quality. Popular models: P4AR – Standard issue rifle for the UEE military, about as basic and recognizable as the modern M16. Also comes in the P4SC, a more compact and collapsible carbine version. Adjectives: Very military-centric construction. Not a lot of flare. Very functional, utilitarian. A&R Examples: Omnisky III/IV/V/VI/VII, PyroBolt C1/C2. Description: Formed early in the Messer era by recent veterans Marcelo Amon and Travis Reese, A&R Co. is one of the oldest weapons manufacturers in the UEE. Due in no small part to their friendly reputation (especially to those who are currently or have previously been in the military) and their incredibly popular line of Omnisky laser cannons, it must be noted that the company always stayed in a neutral position during the time of the Messers. Never directly associating with or claiming allegiance to that family, while considered a huge risk at the time, has only bolstered the positive outlook the public has on this company, and insured its relevance in the UEE almost permanently. Their weapon quality has helped them erode Behring’s stranglehold on the civilian ship market. Very well liked by military enthusiasts. Tends to lean politically right. Adjectives: Clean industrial, heavy, military. KLAUS & WERNER Examples: CF-007 Bulldog, CF-117 Badger Description: Formed in 2893, Klaus & Werner makes guns, and they make them well. This simple philosophy was the brainchild of Hector Klaus, a successful weapons inventor who believed above all else that simplicity of design would triumph in a combat situation. They have some government contracts, but mostly trade in personal defense. Their line up is almost exclusively handguns, rifles and shotguns (both energy and hard-ammo). Popular models: Model II Arclight – handheld laser made famous as Kyle Fenris’ sidearm on the hit vid The Frontier. Adjectives: Elegant, clean, good quality. Further Reference: Galactic Guide Klaus Werner HURSTON DYNAMICS Examples: Volgin Coil A Description: Hurston Dynamics is the United Empire of Earth’s premier producer and distributor of both quantum cascade lasers and a wide variety of electron guns. This family-owned company is also the single largest outsource producer of standard munitions warheads for military contracts and the third-largest refiner of antimatter precursor in today’s economy. Though few finished products bear the Hurston name, their raw materials and manufactured components are found in nearly every piece of space technology in flight today. Adjectives: Old-fashioned, elegant, precise, family-owned. Further Reference: Galactic Guide Hurston Dynamics PREACHER ARMAMENTS Examples: Justice XI/XII/XIII/XIV/XV, Alpha1/2/3/4/5, Peacemaker Stone/Iron/Bronze/Steel/Carbon Description: Beloved by bounty hunters, local police and militia, Preacher prides themselves on making high-quality, reliable and effective weapons. Most of their media messaging and public persona tend to focus on justice, righteousness and black-and-white morality. The company was founded in 2931 by Kino Walton, who started modifying weapons out of his workshop. In 2940, Preacher was bought out by the conglomerate Eon Group, who ramped up their manufacturing and production capabilities to put Preacher products in stores across the Empire. Adjectives: High-end, powerful, sleek, dark. That’ll do it for this week. As always, please try to keep responses as concise as possible, but we’re really looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
Until Next Time …