For the benefit of anyone who is unfamiliar with the procedure, this thread is for OOC discussions of the story in "The Arach of Gossamer".<br/><br/>This is the place to discuss technology, player preferences, clothing, creepy crawlies, who's eating who, etc...<br/><br/>It is also the place to find:<br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">THE RULES</span></strong><br/><br/>1) PLEASE come to me with any problems. PM me, or ask me here. I'm pretty flexible when it comes to GMing. If you have a problem that I can't resolve, obviously you are free to take it higher, but please ask me first.<br/><br/>2) Please PM all character sheets to me, and I will post them in the character thread. This ensures we get all the humans together and all the Arach together, and that they are correctly grouped. One-off crew characters are first-come-first served.<br/><br/>3) If you find yourself on-line at the same time as one other person, you are of course welcome to converse back and forth, but please try not to run away too far, especially in a public game thread. Feel free to take your RP to a private game thread, and post a link to it so the rest of us can see where you went and follow the action.<br/><br/>4)<strong> The Language Barrier:</strong>Until someone from the human side successfully translates the Arach language and programs it into everyone's cranial implants (assuming everyone has one), there can be<span class="bbc_u"><strong>NO</strong></span>direct communication between Arach and Human. Once the language barrier is broken, a Human player must specifically state that they are talking in Arachnid for an Arach player to respond. If nothing is specifically said, we assume the human is speaking "Galactic Standard" (or English).<br/><br/>5) The breaking of the language barrier must be accomplished by the anthroxenologist working alone or with the AI; or by everyone working with the AI, but with no antroxenologist. The AX alone will crack the language quicker than everyone else with the AI, but the AX & AI together will crack it fastest. The decision on when the language is translated is mine, and I will probably use some sort of dice roll to see what happens...<br/><br/>6) Absences: Everyone gets called away occasionally, and sometimes it happens without warning. If you can, please put up an A/A thread, and let us know you are going to be away. If you can't please come back as soon as possible.<br/><br/>7) Leaving the game: If you want to quit the game, for whatever reason, please say so, either here or to me in PM. People just vanishing without warning is very frustrating. If you wish to leave the game permanently, I'm sure we can kill your character off and eat him/her.<br/><br/>8) Unexplained absences: If you vanish for more than two weeks without explanation, we will assume your character has been dragged off by the Arach (If your character<em>is</em>Arach, then it has been dragged off by another Arach). If you don't return two weeks after that, we will assume you have been eaten. This will allow the game to continue in your absence, and if you return, you can tell us all of your dramatic escape!<br/><br/>9) PLEASE DON'T NUKE THE PLANET! It rather defeats the object of the role play. The ship's weaponry is there for realism only!<br/><br/>10) It is assumed that anyone playing a human is okay with being tied up and raped by a giant female spider, regardless of character's sexuality! It is also assumed that anyone playing an Arach is okay with the rules of Arach society!<br/><br/><br/>Please keep an eye on this post, as I will add to it any amendments to the game rules.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Game Threads:<br/><br/>Arach:<br/><br/>The Arach of Gossamer [The queen's throne room] (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=84136.0)<br/>The Arach of Gossamer [Six Trees (general)] (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=84188.0)<br/>The Arach of Gossamer [The jungle between Six Trees and the Human colony] (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=84137.0)<br/>The Arach of Gossamer [The Larder]<br/><br/>Human:<br/><br/>The Arach of Gossamer [The Science Vessel Galileo] (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=84129.0).<br/>The Arach of Gossamer [The Human colony (general)] (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=84203.0)<br/>The Arach of Gossamer [The grass land between the Human colony and the Jungle] (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=84172.0)<br/><br/>(The larder will be created when there is something to go in it!)<br/><br/>If you wish your character to go off somewhere private with one or two others, please create a new thread with the same name format as above, then post a link to it in this thread. I will copy the link here.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>For humans, we have the following positions available. Note that not all of them need to be filled, as a lot of the crew will have already disappeared before we start the story.<br/><br/>Ship's Captain x 1 (fc)<br/>Ship's Pilot x1 (fc)<br/>Ship's Navigator x 1 (fc) (also cartographer)<br/>Ship's Engineer x 1 (fc)<br/>Ship's Doctor x 1 (Also head of microbiology)<br/>Xeno-botanists x 3 (scientists who study alien plant life)<br/>Xeno-zoologists x 3 (scientists who study alien animal life)<br/>Geologists x 2 (Scientists who study rocks - also double as vulcanoligists, studying volcanoes, eath quakes and plate techtonics.)<br/>Meteorologists x 2 (Study the weather - also the air composition)<br/>Microbiologists x 2 (Study micro-organisms, including bacteria and viruses. Ships doctor is the third member and leader of the microbiology team.<br/>Anthroxenologist x 1 (Fancy title for someone who's job is first contact with alien sentience - skilled in diplomacy and negotiation, is also good with languages - probably has a cranial implant that has linguistic analysis software loaded.)<br/>And last and (obviously) least, Ship's security x 2. (If this were star trek - it isn't, but if it were - they would be the red-shirts!)<br/><br/><strong>EDIT:</strong>We are now open to more human players. We can have NPC and player colonists who can have pretty much any job you think would work on a newly established frontier colony - in other words, we will need mostly practical types.<br/><br/>Technology: Computers are palm-size - in fact you can have one built into your palm. The ship has an AI built in but it will be a NPC. The AI will respond to every crew member differently, so each Human player can play the AI. I already mentioned cranial implants. (Over the next en to twenty years we will see these come into being - they are already working on them!) Basically it is a computer chip in your head, that allows you direct, wireless access to the local communications grid, and also functions as a computer that you have instant access to.<br/><br/>Any other technology you want, (sampling devices, analysis probes, whatever) I leave to you guys to make up, as long as it's reasonable! If in doubt, ask!<br/><br/>Weapons: NO RAY GUN! PLEASE! Bullets are the most effective means of killing we've found so far. Only the four flight crew (fc) and security may carry weapons. You can have gauss rifles as long as you remember to change the battery every six shots! Important point - a gauss weapon is pretty quiet when fired. You want to make a noise, fire a cordite (conventional cartridge) weapon, they go bang!<br/><br/>This is a science vessel, not a military one, so please keep the military hardware to a minimum. Two rifles, six side arms, and that's it!<br/><br/>THE SHIP:<br/><br/>You can name her what you like, but do make sure you agree on the name!<br/><br/>Everyone has their own cabin. Additionally, each department has either a lab or an office. Flight crew counts as a department their "office" is the bridge, but additionally, the Captain has a day-room off the bridge and connected to his/her cabin. Also, the Engineer has a machine shop down near the engine spaces.<br/><br/>I don't think it's necessary to go into too much detail regarding the actual workings of the ship, as it is going to be on-planet for the entire story.<br/><br/>The ship<em><span class="bbc_u">IS</span></em>armed, with a single missile turret, capable of launching a maximum of five nuclear tipped missiles, one every thirty seconds. However, the Captain's authorisation is required to arm the turret!<br/><br/><hr/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>The Planet:<br/></strong></span><br/>The world of Gossamer (approximate translation - see notes on the Natives) has a single vast land mass covering about 75% of the planet's surface. Open water occurs mostly in lakes and inland seas, except at the two poles. cloud cover is approximately 60% at any one time. It rains a lot!<br/><br/>This is (obviously) because the world is a lot closer to the primary (star) than Earth. This gives most of the world a sub-tropical to tropical climate. At the equator, the climate is super-tropical with temperatures reaching 50°c on a normal day. The only temperate regions are the polar oceans. Average humidity is 85%.<br/><br/>Atmosphere is 30% O<sub>2</sub>, 35% N<sub>2</sub>, 20% CO<sub>2</sub>5% other. This is a higher oxygen content than earth, so our humans might get a bit light headed. They should also watch lighting fires (or firing weapons!)<br/><br/>Gravity is 0.72 Earth normal. In other words, drop something and it accelerates at 7.05 m/s<sup>2</sup>towards the ground (9.8 on Earth).<br/><br/>Flora:<br/><br/>Everything from lichens to vast trees. Parallel evolution means that whatever type of plant life can be found on Earth can be found on most worlds that support life. However, there are always differences. What those differences are, I leave up to anyone wanting a xenobotanist role, however the most obvious one should be broader leaves that are bluer in colour - less sunlight and more oxygen means less photosynthesis!<br/><br/>Much of the planet is covered with forest, as already mentioned.<br/><br/>There<em>might</em>be carnivorous plants in there, big enough to eat a human! *sniggers* (Oh, you guys are allowed machetes, by the way)<br/><br/>Fauna:<br/><br/>There is a rather noticeable absence of insects! (I wonder why? hee hee!) Other than that, we have the equivalents of fish, reptiles, birds, rodents, and large mammals. Most of the larger mammals are herbivores, although there are a few predators - similar to wolves, bears or big cats. Most of the (non-sentient) predators live in the water, the equivalent of crocodiles. However, there are some pretty big non-sentient spiders.... (Apes, if you will). These arachnids feed on smaller animals and birds. Oddly, they are vertebrates (have a skeleton) and mammals! There are no invertebrates anywhere!<br/><br/>Birds (or the equivalent of) occupy the ecological niche left by the absence of insects, and specimens as small as 2cm wingspan can be found.<br/><br/><hr/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="bbc_u"><strong>The Arach:</strong></span></span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Language:</strong></span><br/><br/>The Arach language is complex and is composed of sequences of whistles and clicks of varying pitch, frequency and duration. It will be possible for the humans to decipher it but it will take time. NOTE: All posts, obviously, will be in English. Arach proper nouns (names) are translated to the nearest English equivalent. So, for example, Ariadne is a translation of something that probably sounds more like<em>Crack-pheep-clackclick-ee</em>, but is impossible to actually represent in written English.<br/><br/>The Arach have a written language. It will be the equivalent to human eyes of an English speaker looking at a page full of a mix of Arabic, Hebrew and Sanskrit!<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Geopolitical Structure</strong></span><br/><br/>The Arach live in cities built high in the trees from the silk they produce. Each city controls a certain area the size of which is dependent upon the population of the city. Each city is ruled by a Queen, who is then served by up to five generals, each of which is in charge of a specific aspect of the city’s society.<br/><br/>The Arach are a warlike people, and wars between neighbouring cities are common, usually in order to expand the city’s hunting grounds.<br/><br/>Arach society is layered and hierarchical, with both horizontal and vertical strata. Promotion is usually dead-spiders-web! In other words you either wait for your superior to die, or you bump her off! Of course, the latter course is risky, because your superior got where she is the same way and if you fail, it will be your head on the dinner plate!<br/><br/>Rape is common in Arach society, especially of lower Castes by higher.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Currency:</strong></span><br/><br/>None! The Arach are a hierarchical collective, and all things are owned in common, distributed fairly, from the top, down. If there is a food shortage, it is the lower castes that take the brunt of it – usually supplementing the food supply themselves!<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Social Structure:</strong></span><br/><br/>There are five castes of Arach, and they each have a certain status within Arach society. Each caste is headed by a general , usually from the caste, but in the case of the lower two castes the general will more often be a warrior. From the top, down:<br/><br/><strong>Warrior Caste</strong>. The warriors are the most formidable, being 2.6m tall, naked, black spider-amazons! Their thumbs on their second hands (see below) are anything up to 50cm long and razor sharp. They also have especially adapted spinnerets for creating extra strong threads for use as garrottes. Their silk will not harden, though and can be either smooth or extremely sticky.<br/><br/><strong>Hunter Caste.</strong>The hunters average around 2.4m tall. They are less formidable that the Warriors, but not much so. They have a much browner skin than the warriors, too, enabling them to blend in. Hunters are most able to produce the sticky adhesive on their webs, and can control exactly how much they use to vary the adhesive quality. Their glue is also waterproof. Hunters are thinner and more agile than Warriors.<br/><br/><strong>Engineer Caste.</strong>These Arach are the builders. They are responsible for building the cities, the road ways, water ducts, telephone system (see below), and for maintaining and operating of the same. They have bulbous backsides, where they store the silk they need. They have no ability to make sticky silk at all, but instead secrete a chemical that causes the silk to harden, They average about 2.0m in height.<br/><br/><strong>Nurse Caste.</strong>Nurses are probably the least formidable, but most creepy of the Arach. They stand about 1.8m tall, when they get to stand, which isn’t often. They look after the young Arach, both their own and other Castes’, breast feeding them until weaned and then feeding the females on food supplied to them until the females are mature. The Nurses are almost constantly pregnant due to the constant presence of male Arach.  The Nurses are responsible for increasing the population of the city. (Warriors are almost invariably responsible for decreasing it when necessary). The nurses usually have distended bellies and very large breasts. Note: Arach “milk” would be poisonous to humans!<br/><br/><strong>Servant Caste.</strong>The lowest of the castes, the servants stand on average a mere 1.4m tall. They basically do everything for the society that the other casts won’t do. Cleaning, fetching, looking after the food in the larder, etc. They are the prostitutes and most common rape victims among the Arach. They are also the most expendable and will be the first to be culled if there is a food shortage.<br/><br/><strong>Males.</strong>Strictly, male Arach are not a Caste. They are more a semi-sentient subspecies. They are an average of 0.6m high, and can only be distinguished from some of the non-sentient species of spider by the fact that they are quadruped,  not octopod, with four arms and four legs. Their one function is to mate with the female and then die. They are usually eaten by the female they mate with – usually a Nurse, sometimes the male’s own mother! Average life span is about one and a half years. Minimum, one year, maximum usually two.<br/><br/><br/>Caste and gender are determined by random genetics. Arach Nurses have to some extent discovered that breeding with a closer related male is more likely to produce a higher proportion of lower Caste offspring, but scientific research is not a high priority in this society.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Social Mobility:</strong></span><br/><br/>It is physically and biologically impossible for an Arach to change her caste. Vertical mobility, as mentioned, is usually by killing the Arach above you, but this can be extremely risky, and will often result in the promotion of at least one Arach below! Beware, therefore, if your subordinate  suggests that your superior has a weakness – she might tip the superior off!<br/><br/>Killing a subordinate is not usually considered sporting without good reason. “Good reason” can mean anything from attempted assassination, to being two seconds late for work. But it is worth pointing out that persistant removal of subordinates could be regarded as a “good reason” by one’s own superior, if it affects the department’s performance.<br/><br/>Once one reaches the lofty height of General, one must be very careful. The Queen is of course constantly on guard for treachery, but the generals themselves are in competition General of Servants is a demeaning post for a Warrior and she will always want to move up. More than that, Each general has a whole raft of others below, all itching to move into their vacant seat.<br/><br/>It is therefore not unusual for a group of Five Generals to simply be content with their lot and combine their resources to maintain their positions against those below them. The problem of the demeaning lower posts can often be solved by rotation, or, in extreme cases, by promotion from within the lower castes.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Appearance and anatomy:</strong></span><br/><br/>All Arach look pretty much the same to Human eyes, apart from the physical differences of Caste. They have already been described in general, so here are more specific details:<br/><br/>The face is largely humanoid, with no ears and no hair (in fact there is no hair anywhere on any Arach). The Arach have nine eyes, eight evenly spaced around their heads and the ninth on top.<br/><br/>The skin varies in shade from pure black to deep blue, to muddy brown to almost purple. There is not much variation within a caste, but the brown colours tend to belong to the hunters. The first arms are true hands with three long slender fingers and opposable thumbs. Second arms have the “ears” built in to them. The thumbs are elongated and pointed and are used as telephone receivers. On the Warrior Caste,  they are extra long and razor sharp and used as weapons.<br/><br/>First feet are true feet with four toes and are used for walking. Second feet are prehensile with longer toes, the big toe being opposable. They are usually used for climbing.<br/><br/>The Arach are vertebrates (as are all the “spiders” on Gossamer), having a proper internal skeleton. It is not made of bone, however, but of chitin.<br/><br/>The spine juts backwards at the first hip-joint, allowing first and second legs to be the same length, and giving the Arach a sexy, bulbous bottom! The spinnerets are located just above the anus, which is just back from the second hip joint. The sex is located between the first and second hip joints.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Technology:</strong></span><br/><br/>The Arach do not have fire, nor electricity. Their technology is based almost entirely around the threads they spin themselves. Engineer Caste Arach can be amazing artists, creating things of great beauty. The cities themselves are often a wonder to behold, with vast delicate walkways that look like they ought to collapse under their own weight, awe inspiring structures that soar to the very tops of the trees, and water channelling systems to make the bravest Human plumber weep for joy!<br/><br/>Probably the biggest mystery, however, is the Arach telephone system. A complex network of taut, hard threads, almost invisible even to Arach eyes, stretch between homes and businesses, and also between the various cities. These wires are used to carry vibrations from one point to another, which are interpreted by the Arach ear as speech.  How the signals are directed, and how they are kept separate, is something the Human race will never discover. (Cop out on my part. I have a vague idea, but it’s too vague).<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Weapons:</strong></span><br/><br/>Warrior Caste Arach use silk as their primary weapon. They can make trip-wires, webs, nets, garrottes, snares, traps, lassos, slingshots, flails, whips, etc... For close combat they have the thumbs on their second hands.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Food:</strong></span><br/><br/>Arach are primarily carnivorous, but will occasionally supplement their diet with fruits, nuts and grains. Gathering these is Servant Cast work.<br/><br/>Arach hunters work either alone or as a team. A team will usually have one or more warriors along for security. They hunt with silk, the same as any spider, using much the same range of weapons as the warriors. Preferred food is large mammals and birds. They will take reptiles and fish too, and even the smaller arachnids, though this is less common.<br/><br/>Once caught, prey is cocooned while still conscious – there is no paralyzing bite – and transported back to the city. It is kept alive in a larder by the provision of fruit and grain or raw fish, and a supply of fresh water usually channelled directly to the prey’s mouth by a silken straw. Looking after the prey is the job of the Servant Caste.<br/><br/>Arach feed by biting into their prey and injecting an acid which dissolves the flesh. They then suck this back out. Arach prefer the taste of living flesh, and so will usually take care to avoid any vital organs until the end.<br/><br/>Arach will often take sexual pleasure from captured prey too, regardless of the prey’s gender or species.<br/><br/>Canibalism is also common. Eating prisoners of war is a normal way to feed your army, males are usually eaten after they mate, and eating a defeated superior or subordinate is considered a good way to cement one’s position!<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Arach Armies:</strong></span><br/><br/>An Arach army will be composed of 60% warrior caste, 15% Hunter Caste, 15% Engineer Caste and 10% Servant Caste. The hunters are along to provide food for the army, and also to provide their skills in creating traps and scouting, the engineers are there to create any special weapons required, and the servants are there as – well, servants!<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><strong>RP Characters:</strong></span><br/><br/>Queen: (ME!)<br/>Up to five Generals, one for each Caste.<br/>Hunters,<br/>Warriors,<br/>Engineers,<br/>Possibly one servant looking after the larder...