Distant Broken Stars

A space sci-fi tabletop wargame in the vein of Dropfleet Commander and Battlefleet Gothic that doesn't exist... at least, at the beginning. Over several threads, things began to take shape, fluffwise and crunchwise.

Faction Popularity Poll https://www.strawpoll.me/42254694 Where to Get Models: 3D Models https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/dbsg-necroseer-ca1-f5420c43f4db4b67a55e40b2379eda43 https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/dbsg-planetborn-saturn-class-battlecruiser-286e715794c642f5acd707525099c3fb https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/dbsg-andromedan-ff1-67b44edc6fde43ba99eef47f9d3ea69f https://www.dropbox.com/sh/43b0z6dp8qbc5o3/AAD6is5BkV8Fhzvil83rybXoa?dl=0 3D Model Anons Shapeways https://www.shapeways.com/shops/durendal5150 Ship Names: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/104xl48O5OiWc_idDYP_z_Tj0x4emRxt7avD1Z_DpooI/edit#gid=0

Factions >Planetborn >The UPA (United Planetary Alliance) is a federation of independent worlds and nations joined together for common defense and the rejection of transhumanity. >The Grand Assembly is a good example of this principal,every world submits two representative to discuss laws that affect the flow of trade,along with military funding and diplomatic relations with other interstellar polities. Each world is nominally responsible for itself under the Treaty of Spheres of 3000 SDE with their own laws customs and languages but once a world has joined the Alliance they may only leave by a majority vote in the Grand Assembly. The Grand Assembly gives the illusion of democratic governance to the United Planets but the true power lies with the Federation Security Council. The main nations of the Alliance are: The Ormande Houses, Aka Discount Tyar, pushing the metal boxes in space aesthetic of PlanetBorn to the limits with their color schemes, decals and ornamental structures slapped to the ships for the pure style. Splinter factions represents houses, that expanded from Ormande home system, or were exiled (yet still present in bureaucracy and tax schemes). If you think, that PlanetBorn infighting is harsh, The Ormande Houses are something like that, but few thousand times worse. Conglomerated States Propagators of traditional and conservative values. Backed up by monumental military industrial complex. When Conglomerated States are not glassing dirty aliens, crushing perverted human societies, or spying on other UPA factions, they love to have proxy wars on distant colonies with rebellious states. Imeretir Hive cities on frozen, inhospitable world (and moons). Technocratic society, that is slowly turning into some sort of police state controlled by the bureaucratic apparatus. Central Authority, Governing Agency and bio-matter converters for non-cooperating citizens. Splinter factions are known as Exploratory Fleets, which are slowly building industrial plants all over the most inhospitable planets and moons within their star cluster. The Volcanus Union Commies in space, grinding precious materials. Somewhat naive, as they are probably the only ones without any secret agenda. Just mining, fighting and having good times with their comrades. >Thukker The planet of Werro-4 (or Hogfeast to Thukkers) is, outwardly, a pre-spacefaring planet like any other: nation-states of pig people exist, divided in broad alliances, answering to a sovranational entity at least nominally, and the people don't usually go to space. However, if one went in its orbit (or anywhere else in the galaxy, really), the picture would be rather different, one of raiders, cannibals, rapists and warlords trying to carve out their own fiefs on planets and get as much loot as possible. This is because, quite simply, the alliances of nation-states on Hogfeast sponsor them: shiftless and borderline-criminal Thukker elements are recruited by the "spare children" of Thukker nobility, and said children are allowed to keep most of their loot as long as they give 30% of what they take back to their alliance (also called "Clan") and are willing to send natural and refined resources back to Hogfeast. This has lead to the starking contrast between the seemingly-idyllic and very civil Thukker life on Hogfeast being sustained by the violent and brutish life of the Space Thukkers.

>Necroseers After "vaccinating" themselves from death itself, the Beżgħanas, alligator-bonobos, found themselves in rotting bodies that are everliving. They created machines to restore their vigor and to help them find the secret of either True Immortality, or of a Secure Afterlife.

>Avar Monarchy These bird people were actually the subservient species of their home planet. Only after they were genetically uplifted and then mistreated, they could become fully sapient and capable of reaching for the stars. They hate slavery and bondage, and their society is structured such that the distinction between "royalty", "nobility" and "commonry" is one of mere responsabilities and of comfort, not a rigid hierarchy. They lost their homeworld of Danatt to the Tyar, and now they are forced to live on ships and the few planets still udner their control.

>Emerald Nova Rising from the ashes of a hellzone that was once an anarcho-capitalist world, Emerald Nova is a human police state that seeks to enforce law and order as well as protect humanity from the elements of crime and itself. Their law enforcement and military is one and the same, and their high standards ensure that even their recent recruits are as efficient and skilled in fighter combat as they're in ground combat. Though Emerald Nova prefers peace over war, they're likely to step in if someone commits acts of atrocity, especially if said atrocity is happening to fellow humans.

>Blue Destiny An intergalactic criminal syndicate so widespread and ingrained into general space piracy that you'd be pressed to find a single pirate or even experienced outlaw who doesn't have some kind of connection with them, whether it be direct or indirectly on a "I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy" basis. Even pirate crews who're independent would likely have to make dealings with them. Blue Destiny and its allies are a frequent thorn in the sides of the other factions, especially Emerald Nova.

>Andromedans These energy beings are a species of energy eaters that made an empire out of Andromeda and harvest entire stars for energy to feed their population, and has moved into the Milky Way as an act of retaliation against human invasions. They come in orange (royalty), blue (soldiers), yellow (workers) and red (psychopaths), each color determining their position on the hierarchy. Andromedans are hostile toward most, if not every faction, though they're often willing to negotiate for truces if they deem it necessary.

>Tyar Imperium It used to be a democratic heaven with technocratic organization, but over time it morphed into a transhumanist empire with the Sarduni Royal Family at its head and a knack for integrating man and machinery in a way that still keeps the human shape mostly intact. They're pretty aggressive and expansionist, and they tend to try and emulate past historical societies, but it doesn't always work, and their home system of New Sol is at high risk of going supernova soon too, so they're trying to scramble for relocation... while recovering from a succession war that left Galileo V as the winner.Also they love poetic, fabulous and downright ostentatious names for ships: >Superior Arrogance >Godlike Presence >Righteous Fury

>The Ppuk The Ppuk originated from a race of clone custodians, spawned to maintain the left behind starships of a vanished civilization called the Heritage. Unfortunately for the Ppuk, being able to maintain a Heritage ship is not the same as being able to repair one. Heritage-tech, while powerful, is equally fragile and inscrutable. The Ppuk therefore have had to learn to improvise. Enter their defining shtick: screamware, wetware that begs for death. So what if your spaceship is made from impossibly advanced parts you could never hope to fathom? Just keep shoving in flesh and cybernetics until it works! By using harvested organs (sometimes entire people) and technology, the Ppuk have found a way to prolong the lives of their ships, albeit by turning them into grotesque abominations.This ethos also extends beyond their ships. The Ppuk will not hesitate to augment themselves, both individually and collectively as a civilization. Over the centuries the Ppuk have subsumed dozens of races into their fold, in roles from command to janitorial. It is worth stressing that the Ppuk are not a monolith, but a mosaic. While their desire to sustain their ships and protect the Hollow Suns that birthed them are universal, how they go about that varies from one factions to the next

>Voidborn Originated from a peculiar planet orbiting a black hole, the Voidborn are a unique race where their unnatural home planet granted them an increased knowledge of gravity. Though not aggressive towards other species, they are very secretive and prefer not to talk much with non-Voidborn. Discovered after the Tyar stumbled by accident on one of their gravitational tethers, they'd much prefer to be left alone and continue to expand their network instead of wasting time and resources on conflict.

>Mesekai Emerging from the Toxic world of Yorkhai-2, these stout creatures live and die for gas. Due to their unique Ammonia atmosphere, they are seldom seen without their suits. Each Mesekai world is ruled by a baron, and the entire Mesekai space is ruled by the Great Baron. Due to the unique, rare atmosphere of their home planet, the very act of breathing is a priviledge to be earned; the more gas you have, the wealthier you are. And what better way to show that off than filling your suit with it and prancing around like a living balloon?

>Zeckir Commune Decades before "The Mind" spoke, docens of far away human-habitaded planets foccused on biological transhumanism and the power of human mind. Said planets were mostly isolanist, and didnt know about each other, but then The Mind United them. The Call it's as secret amongst the galaxy, even for the Zekist (writers hadnt come up with what the mind is, there are some hints but they seems to contradict each other). It was a call to every planet, to every inteligent being. The Call was unclear, but everyone got the mesage "join the Mind to Ascend".Most empires rejected the offer, some said it was heresy. But said Transhumanist societies embraced The Mind. Soon after The Call, Pyshics were first shown in humans, in some empires planets only had a handfull, but in the ones that accepted The Mind had it's populace ascended.Years pased, mind connected societies united, human-gene-modding became mandatory, social classes were formed, new species were forged it biolabs, a tradition was set on the stones of distand worlds. The Zeckir Commune presented to the galaxy. Zeckir sistems work on limited democracies with technocratic organizations having permanent seats and vote. Humans are divided in a class system, but it is know of people being born on the lowest managing to rise to the top, as much as incompetend elites that found themselves cleaning bathrooms. Some empires say that Zekist are technophobic. But the truth is that Zeckir Commune habitands find AI robots and mechanical transhumanism a techlogy path destined to become inneficient, limited and usseless in the near future.A life as a Zekist is a live of Sacrifice for prosperity, as Pyshics torture themselves to awake new capabilities, soldiers are consumed on bio-upgrading-chemicals and linked to alive-spaceships. A Zekist will do anything to connect all sapient species to servei The Mind and Advance in the evolution race.

>Mycenoid They're not a "species" per say, as mcu has a literal single oranism that has covered an entire planet, Urllo-2, and then decided it wanted to check out the Univers,e before realizing there were a lot of people ready to ruin his interstellar vacation. It likes to try out new "weapon trinkets" whenever he gets the chance, so it doesn't have a real preference.

>Kyrax >The Kyrax are a xeno-insectoid species Billions of mostly unintelligent drones make up the majority of the race. Kyrax vessels make use of mainly analog technology and use their massive populations to have massive crews Females are the administrators and specialists of the race. Second biggest section of the population. Extremely intelligent and in some cases can be trained to be biological computers capable of tens of millions of calculations per minute Males are warrior forms,they can be genetically modified to be stronger and tougher or lithe and agile by the will of their queen. Queen controls all functions of Kyrax society. They can use their will to modify their own genetic structure and the structure of the eggs they lay to suit the needs of the colony. Can have a number of different forms depending on which race they interact with the most;will modify themselves to have a Bipedal form and mammalian looking structures to gain favor from humanoids or more bestial and animal looking to appeal to their own species. The authority of a Queen is rarely questioned in her direct presence as they can use intensely strong pheromones to bind others of her race to her will,but the distances involved in maintaining an interstellar empire means she will often have to birth additional Queens to directly manage colonies for her and enforce their rule. Kyrax government is very authoritarian where the entire daily lives of all members of a Colony are managed by their Queen but it is stable and everyone is given their role to play in it.

>Mresh The beastfolk civilization. A conglomeration of multiple species and genotypes of beastfolk, they had assorted colonies in their space before civil wars and outside invasion set them back a few centuries technologically. The ensuring years were spent rebuilding and bringing the assorted tribes together under a single banner, and only relatively recently have they returned to their old peak and are prepared to enter galactic politics. Collectively, they are a cautious and territorial civilization but are open to reasonable discourse. They are also biologically compatible with humans and certain other alien species, and each other. It is possible to breed with a Mresh and create half-breeds. Some of these assorted clans under the Mresh umbrella include >Rahem tigerfolk >Kitsu foxfolk >Tengu birdfolk >Taurahe cow/bullfolk >Leonan lionfolk >Lupan wolffolk

>Swarm >The Swarm >The Volrani (as they are known by the Ppuk in their ancient tongue) are the attack dogs of the race known as Heritage. >The oldest Ppuk sources on Heritage describe the Volrani being originally aquatic creature's on their homeworld, later modified by nano evolutionary tech to be suitable for the void after their homeworld was destroyed. This nano technology changed the creatures immensely, no longer were they simple gentle giants now they were creatures of the void able to eat the stuff of stars and turn it into Phase Point drives and weapon systems. >Each Volrani starts it's life free of implants but with a massive hunger but this is not a hunger for flesh it is a hunger for metals and volatile gas; it's nano evolutionary tech allows it to break down ships,asteroids and even planets into energy and new materials with which to arm itself. Adults can reach lengths in excess of thousands of meters with meters of silica and iron armor plating. >Volrani travel in packs lead by an Ancient Bull, these packs can be in the tens or hundreds or thousands, they use these packs to protect themselves from Ppuk hunters as the oldest specimens will often hide tech from their vanished creators. Swarm fleets will most often be concentrated around systems with a large Heritage presence as if guarding the tombs of their masters but Volrani Packs will often go hunting among the inhabited systems of the galaxy and this is where their "Swarm" epithet comes from. Often numerous Packs will go hunting in one sector of the galaxy eating ships,space stations and anything else that takes their fancy before returning to breed. They are known to track down ships that have breached the space of Heritage worlds and followed them to back to their homeworld as well, laying waste to their planet's in reverence for their lords.

>Absolute States A federation of alien species and humans that came together in face of an incresingly-unstable galaxy. They have a Council of Species, which has one member per planet (species chosen according to the majority of that planet) and that makes broad decisions that must be adopted by Sector Chairs who make the actual multiple decisions in their areas of competence. They are nominally very egalitarian, but it's clear tha humans, Duy and Goji enjoy more privileges than, say, the Wanqas or the Opeltaz.Also, they've had lots of bad luck of late.

Rules (WIP) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v2IOPYsa-V59XARx_PMgtExKI4o7REbkfKISuDFbQ6c/edit?usp=sharing

Fanart https://imgur.com/gallery/psXOzqv