I've decided to explore designing a game setting based around a classic galactic war setup. The idea is to have an action packed setting inspired by the likes of Halo, Clone Wars (which I think is the best thing to come out of the Star Wars universe) and Starcraft (the playing of which inspired my attitude to this). The basic setup is that humanity is at war with an aggressor alien and all bets are off – it's a fight to the death. Problem is I don't know where to begin! I'm not very good at designing social histories (such as how humanity went from 2007 to the future war) and realistic governments. I'm not even sure realism is the key – it should be kickass, though not totally gung ho. A bit like Rogue Trooper; a wartime comic book.

I'm calling it Weapon of the Stars for now (which I now realise sounds similar to weapons of the gods, but who cares).

Well I would just gloss over the history of how man reached the stars.  Unless it has a major affect on gameplay it isn't important.  You could go as simple as 'It's a thousand years in the future and man has reached into the stars'.  

The first alien race they encountered could use a note.  The first big war they were envolved in.  Things like that could get a sentence or two.

These are just my opinions.  I never really liked digging through the history of a setting while trying to read a gamebook unless it is essential.  Never saw the need to know who designed the first FTL drive or what planet was reached first.

For a minute I thought CBS had another Reality Series on their hands. Then I realised I might watch it.

Back on topic - yes, you don't need to go into a really deatiled history excepo maybe from a couple of years before the war started, to give folks a feel of "how things were... before the war." and such. Then let the plasma rifles and near-c asteroids do the rest.

I think I'd like to use ww2 as a basis, but I'm not sure where to start. That's a setting rarely used in games and being a real llife war it seems a good analog.

Quote from: signoftheserpentI think I'd like to use ww2 as a basis, but I'm not sure where to start. That's a setting rarely used in games and being a real life war it seems a good analog.

:raise: ... :what:

Gear Krieg. Weird War. Godlike. I can't think of a single WWI RPG. I'd say it's the most frequently used of the wars.

Quote from: Christmas Ape:raise: ... :what:

Gear Krieg. Weird War. Godlike. I can't think of a single WWI RPG. I'd say it's the most frequently used of the wars.

AHEM! In Harm's Way: Aces In Spades!

Oh! Also WW did a little somethingmumblemumblemumble...

-clash

Quote from: Christmas Ape:raise: ... :what:

Gear Krieg. Weird War. Godlike. I can't think of a single WWI RPG. I'd say it's the most frequently used of the wars.

Shades of Earth technically falls between (1930-38) just to add another.

Bill

3 games and you roll your eyes! come on!

Okay a good place to start is Aliens, (we can sort out hows later)
Who and what are the baddie aliens?
Are there good allied aliens? (I really like the Thranx in Humanx)

Earth colonies?
maybe you are fighting to protect allied home worlds or colonies


maybe the bad guys started the war by releasing a genetically engineered virus, killed billions, what was left of those who werent killed found out, and went war,