Author Topic: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread  (Read 170237 times)

Weirdo

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #60 on: 18 April 2011, 21:03:20 »
To clarify, Niops is not a science outpost. It's a Science!! outpost. :D
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Arkansas Warrior

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #61 on: 18 April 2011, 21:05:12 »
Exactly.  It's not an Army post, they may well have chosen a scheme that had nothing to do with the Regular Army.
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Col.Hengist

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #62 on: 19 April 2011, 00:54:05 »
To clarify, Niops is not a science outpost. It's a Science!! outpost. :D

 OUCH! Be careful, you blinded me with that.

I apologise but if i didn't do that someone else would have...just too easy.
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #63 on: 05 May 2011, 03:17:19 »
...Gio, is that you?

Is now.  I'm back, baby, and I found my thread. :)
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #64 on: 05 May 2011, 03:31:07 »
I figure this is the best place to ask. Has there ever been any info on the Niops Association Militia's colour scheme or rank structure? And for that matter, does Niops have an intelligence agency that anyone knows of?

Uniforms, rank structure, and color schemes seem to be based on SLDF regular units, near as I can tell/recall.

To clarify, Niops is not a science outpost. It's a Science!! outpost. :D

OMG, this!  [rockon] [applause]

We've never actually been told what units they have, to my knowledge, but a reasonable guess would be older Terran Hegemony/Star League era designs (Non Royal versions, I would think). I like to think anything manufactured before about 2700 is fair game. Beyond that, you start getting into the Periphery troubles and the Amaris Civil War and it doesn't make sense to send cutting edge equipment to garrison a science outpost.

The Black Knight and Burke Heavy tank are both specifically mentioned by name in FM:P.  I believe the Highlander was, as well.
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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #65 on: 05 May 2011, 06:01:20 »
Is now.  I'm back, baby, and I found my thread. :)

Glad to see you back.

The Black Knight and Burke Heavy tank are both specifically mentioned by name in FM:P.  I believe the Highlander was, as well.

The Black Knight, sure, but the Burke needs to die a horrible, flaming death.  Fortunately, enemy fire usually takes care of that. #P

Weirdo

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #66 on: 05 May 2011, 14:02:10 »
Yay, Gio's back! Let the Science! continue!
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Niopsian

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #67 on: 06 May 2011, 14:09:56 »
Yay, Gio's back! Let the Science! continue!

Think of all the testing! Weighted Companion Cubes for everyone!


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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #68 on: 06 May 2011, 14:18:26 »
Well, to my surprise there's nothing on CamoSpecs.  To me that suggests there isn't a canon scheme.  As long as CamoSpecs has been around, there's very little they don't have an example of.
Ahem.

http://battletech.cavaliercavalry.com/mrarchive020.shtml - "eBay, A Comstar Company" will give you a wonderful depiction of the Niopian canon parade scheme. :)

Col.Hengist

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #69 on: 06 May 2011, 17:55:40 »
nice lol. They even have that NIB smell.
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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #70 on: 11 May 2011, 04:37:07 »
Its a smell you just can't beat.

Ceorl

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #71 on: 11 May 2011, 16:52:03 »
Here's a question for other fanboys: Any guesses as to the size of Niops' original scientific mission?

With 13 million people (as of 3025) I'm trying to guess the percentage that could claim decendance from the original science teams.  I would think the overwhelming percentage of people are descended from Capellan refugees.  Even with three settled planets at the start for a generational research project, I can't imagine the original communities being more than several hundred strong each.     

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #72 on: 11 May 2011, 21:18:09 »
Yay, Gio's back! Let the Science! continue!

I really think we need game-rules for Science!, as I'm thinking of running a Niops Association-based campaign series in the coming months.
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Weirdo

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #73 on: 11 May 2011, 21:59:54 »
For Science!, just grab every bit of equipment and whatnot possible from every semi-canon sourcebook like Interstellar Players, or even completely non-canon ones like Best Ever!, and assume it's all real. Who wants to form an alliance of the Genecaste and Belters(secretly backed by the Illuminati), and fight off the threat of hyperspace squids and their touched-in-the-head minions, the Manei Domini Blood Mages? :D

Combine that with prolific use of every bit of tech in TacOps that never really gets used, and from there I think you just might end up with Science!
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Col.Hengist

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #74 on: 11 May 2011, 22:12:09 »
That sounds about right. It sounds like a lot of fun too.
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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #75 on: 11 May 2011, 22:14:31 »
Just remember this: For an evil scientist's lair, look no further than a mobile structure. Think of everything you can put on any kind of structure, and cackle. }:)
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #76 on: 11 May 2011, 22:32:07 »
Oh how I wish cell phones could quote.  Moble structures as bases just gave me loads of awesome ideas for Science!, but also reminded me of the old Varxis MUSH from, oh, '95?  '96?  Factions were basically based in giant Jawa-like sand crawlers.
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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #77 on: 11 May 2011, 22:40:42 »
Hmm, I wonder....could Niops build a revamped Aquilla to go after the Giant Hyperspace Squids?  They make tasty bait, after all. ;)
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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #78 on: 11 May 2011, 22:48:52 »
I know folks are enjoying the Science!!! (TM) aspect, but I've been thinking that demographics paint Niops as Sian writ small.  After several hundred years where the population is overwhelmingly semi-literate Capellans farmers, and the inevitable cross-social relationships and children, most of the Star League influence, represented by the very very small scientific minority population, will have been subsumed, or at the very least integrated with, Chinese mythos of the vastly more numerous Capellan refugees. 

I know they were supposed to have "bargained away their freedoms" (whatever that vague phrase means) but that statement reinforces the argument for a Capellan culture given pre-existing Capellan tendency for a strict hierarchy and centralized government that could, arguably, have prompted the agreement in the first place.  By 3070, Niops would have over 20 million people whose isolated cultural facet is overwhelming Chinese.  The scientists are the conquering Mongols subsumed into Chinese culture; even though the more numerous Capellans were the ones to invade Niops in BT.

So Science!! (TM) should be 科学!! (TM)

Weirdo

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #79 on: 11 May 2011, 22:53:50 »
So Niops is a system of multiple habitable worlds(and thus heavy intersystem traffic), on the frontier of human space, with heavy chinese influences? 8)

Hmm, I wonder....could Niops build a revamped Aquilla to go after the Giant Hyperspace Squids?  They make tasty bait, after all. ;)

Call it the NSS Salt Shaker.
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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #80 on: 11 May 2011, 22:58:14 »
For Science!, just grab every bit of equipment and whatnot possible from every semi-canon sourcebook like Interstellar Players, or even completely non-canon ones like Best Ever!, and assume it's all real. Who wants to form an alliance of the Genecaste and Belters(secretly backed by the Illuminati), and fight off the threat of hyperspace squids and their touched-in-the-head minions, the Manei Domini Blood Mages? :D

Combine that with prolific use of every bit of tech in TacOps that never really gets used, and from there I think you just might end up with Science!

Which would suitably combine with my idea about basing a Weaponer of Qward [from Green Lantern] on Niops.

Just remember this: For an evil scientist's lair, look no further than a mobile structure. Think of everything you can put on any kind of structure, and cackle. }:)

Ooooh! Niops-owned hyperspace fortress-libraries.
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Col.Hengist

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #81 on: 11 May 2011, 22:59:33 »
The decendants of the scientists are ruling with an iron fist. They keep their power by keeping the cappie refugees ignorant. They don't allow them to have an education unless they can pay for it or win a game show by answering insanely obscure questions where if they don't answer correctly they get eectro shock...oh yea. So the fees are always too high. Once again its very Orwellian. Down with big brother anyone?
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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #82 on: 11 May 2011, 23:00:16 »
I know folks are enjoying the Science!!! (TM) aspect, but I've been thinking that demographics paint Niops as Sian writ small.  After several hundred years where the population is overwhelmingly semi-literate Capellans farmers, and the inevitable cross-social relationships and children, most of the Star League influence, represented by the very very small scientific minority population, will have been subsumed, or at the very least integrated with, Chinese mythos of the vastly more numerous Capellan refugees. 

I know they were supposed to have "bargained away their freedoms" (whatever that vague phrase means) but that statement reinforces the argument for a Capellan culture given pre-existing Capellan tendency for a strict hierarchy and centralized government that could, arguably, have prompted the agreement in the first place.  By 3070, Niops would have over 20 million people whose isolated cultural facet is overwhelming Chinese.  The scientists are the conquering Mongols subsumed into Chinese culture; even though the more numerous Capellans were the ones to invade Niops in BT.

So Science!! (TM) should be 科学!! (TM)
I don't know, The Conquistadores significantly altered preexisting South American culture, didn't they?  Few native Nahuatl speakers left, last I checked.
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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #83 on: 12 May 2011, 00:10:12 »
Well I created a long post with some very weak math in support.  But my MBA training wouldn't let me make a theory based upon a basic annual growth formula with the starting figure for each year.  So I went back and used the Compound Annual Growth Rate formula to measure the growth rate of the original Star League Colonists, 50,000 (which I found searching the net), from 2750 to 3025 (275 years) assuming an annual growth rate of 1.6%: bout the half the difference between the highest and lowest points of human population growth on Earth. 

V(Tn) = V(To) x ((1 + CAGR) x n) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_annual_growth_rate)

50,000 x ((1 + .016) * 275) = 13,970,000

So my original assumption, that Capellans accounted for the majority of Niops population is probably wrong; although a statistician would have a better idea.  Niops population growth rate is pretty consistent with the projected population from the SL colonists meaning Niops would have a heavy SL cultural slant.

Although Weirdo I would point out that for most of its history, Niops was isolationist leaving the two primary cultural influences as Star League and Capellan.
« Last Edit: 12 May 2011, 00:45:21 by Ceorl »

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #84 on: 12 May 2011, 09:02:45 »
Quote
We are the priests
Of the temples of syrinx
Our great computers
Fill the hollowed halls
We are the priests
Of the temples of syrinx
All the gifts of life
Are held within our walls

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #85 on: 12 May 2011, 09:07:49 »
I need to get to writing The wacky misadventures of Gorky Zubok

I'll be looking forward to seeing him make a reappearance!

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #86 on: 12 May 2011, 09:10:17 »
That works for the Wobbies & the techpriests of mars also. Nice quote !
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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #87 on: 12 May 2011, 09:56:39 »
I know they were supposed to have "bargained away their freedoms" (whatever that vague phrase means) but that statement reinforces the argument for a Capellan culture given pre-existing Capellan tendency for a strict hierarchy and centralized government that could, arguably, have prompted the agreement in the first place.  By 3070, Niops would have over 20 million people whose isolated cultural facet is overwhelming Chinese.  The scientists are the conquering Mongols subsumed into Chinese culture; even though the more numerous Capellans were the ones to invade Niops in BT.
So Science!! (TM) should be 科学!! (TM)

 Just a question. The book mention "capellan reffuges" or "chinese capellan refugges"? Capella is not the same as chinese, as you have a lot of ethnicies in the COnfederation (heck, there was argentinians IIRC, in Buenos Aires).
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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #88 on: 12 May 2011, 10:13:00 »
Well my original hypothesis was wrong, but still in BT: Capellan = Chinese, Draconis = Japanese, Lyran = German, FRR = Swedes, FS = English, FWL = closest to polygot.  If you don't have information saying otherwise, I always fall back on the basic stereotype because, although the source books try and lay out multiple ethnicities, the first major story about argentinian Capellans I read will be the first. 

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Re: Empire of the Nerds: The Niops Association Thread
« Reply #89 on: 12 May 2011, 11:26:33 »
I believe the second highest % of people in the CC speak Russian or of Russian descent
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