Uplift Series (by David Brin)

[Batman]

Ok, has anyone here read the Uplift novels by David Brin?

One thing I like about them is the fact that entire systems of life exist in parallel, overlapping in a single system. The oxygen/carbon based life cannot use the same planets as the hydrogen, gas-giant races.

Anyone interested in a no-troops, colonize only home planet type (and possibly colonize only breathable) game? The idea would be to stimulate a complex series of alliances between races that share systems, but have in general no reason to war upon each other.

Has anyone played in a game like this ? Did it work out, or did people just take to glassing each others planets?

[Phoenix-D]

I've read them. Might be an interesting game, though of course nothing like the novels that inspired the game (the orders tended to avoid each other there, at least in flat space)

[Batman]

It might be interesting to let some players be the 'Old Ones' (ok, I can't remember what they were actually called) and let them be Ice players on Ringworlds, or Sphereworlds, but deny them the ability to colonize any other worlds at allexcept maybe other Sphereworlds (i.e. put no Ice planets in the quadrant). Then you'd have three levels of conflict in the game:

Oxygen/carbon based, on the rock planets.
Hydrogen based on the Gas giants.
Ancient life on the Ice worlds.

(Note that the atmospheres aren't important; I refer to them in the Uplift context, not the game context)

This would need to be an artificially created map.

Ooh, just had an idea: Include a bunch of neutral races, deny them the ability to build ships (somehow) and leave them around as 'client' races for the players to 'Uplift'

[Saxon]

Didn’t the two orders take to very different parts of the galaxy? They did not share systems, unless my memory is more damaged than usual. In the game you are describing, you would need to work on the victory conditions to get a nice balance. If it is pure points, I will glass everyone else so I advance. However, if my victory could somehow be made contingent on not killing other races, I will be friendly. Perhaps you could have Last race standing on each of the planet types.

One way to simulate the Uplift is with the neutral races. Once another race is advanced enough, they can make the neutral surrender. Sure, it is not quite right, but it does give some advantage to the Uplifting race and does not require any modding.

[Gryphin]

Batman,
Could your game use a "Trade Federation". I am interested in role playing it in a semi friendly game.
Semi Friendly = Where conquest is not nessasrily the goal.

[d0b]

Originally posted by Batman:
Ok, has anyone here read the Uplift novels by David Brin?

One thing I like about them is the fact that entire systems of life exist in parallel, overlapping in a single system. The oxygen/carbon based life cannot use the same planets as the hydrogen, gas-giant races.

Anyone interested in a no-troops, colonize only home planet type (and possibly colonize only breathable) game? The idea would be to stimulate a complex series of alliances between races that share systems, but have in general no reason to war upon each other.

Has anyone played in a game like this ? Did it work out, or did people just take to glassing each others planets?

What I would be interested in is some races for se IV from the uplift novels. eg Jophur, Tandu, Hoon, Tymbrimi, G'kek, maybe even Dolphin or Chimps?