Great Interstellar War

The Great Interstellar War Role Playing Game is an ongoing role-playing universe and project on Alternatehistory.com that was founded by BlackWave in August of 2009, and has been expanded by him and other users. Thus far, there have been four RPs based upon it, one conventional, and another based around space combat, which saw a redux version. The current one is based on tactical combat, which has also seen a redux.

In addition, there also exists a mini-comic series based on it, which won a Turtledove for Best New Series in the 2011 Awards and another in 2012. Additional world-building fiction has been done by other users.

Backstory

Set in an undetermined time in the future, the RP has humanity divided into two factions after Earth has been rendered uninhabitable, the democratic Westers and the totalitarian, Russo-Sino Reds, both of whom have been fighting for over two decades for control of the galaxy. With battlefronts varying enough to have campaigns ranging from having battlesuits clashing with tactical nukes to trench warfare, this is the bloodiest war in human history.

Factions

Wester Federation

Government and Society

The Wester Federation is implied to incorporate the descendants of the old western nations of Earth, as its name suggests, and has its capital situated on the ecumenopolis of Nova Terra.¹⁾²⁾. Officially a democratic federal government, the Wester government stages regular elections and sports a senatorial parliament with a number of political parties on offer. However, parties in favor of peace are marginalized and it is uncertain how much power the democratic government holds.³⁾⁴⁾. Christianity, along with other religions, has managed to survive into the future, although with much less influence on life than it once had.⁵⁾ The Westers make heavy use of propaganda and have a fairly militaristic society, punishing offenders for crimes such as drunk driving with set periods of military service⁶⁾. Corporate sponsors of their war effort also are known to interfere in campaign planning.⁷⁾ Like the Reds, the Westers have a skewed view of old Earth history, thanks to revisionism and the abandonment of said planet.⁸⁾ However, some forms of old discrimination do not seem to exist in Wester society.⁹⁾

The Westers also maintain an investigative agency known simply as 'Internal' for the purposes of combating suspected Red infiltration or targeting those suspected of Red sympathies.¹⁰⁾¹¹⁾

Military

Technologically advanced, the Wester military prioritizes fast and precise strikes in its doctrine¹²⁾, although if pressed can resort to more heavy handed means.¹³⁾ Wester forces are highly mobile, using using fast anti-gravity vehicles and armor that, while not as armored or destructive as the enemy counterpart, is extremely manoeuvrable.¹⁴⁾¹⁵⁾ They also have access to a wide variety of advanced electronic warfare measures and cyberwarfare.¹⁶⁾¹⁷⁾ Typical Wester strikes can be characterized by rapid and concentrated deployment of forces from orbit or high altitude immediately following intensed, focused precision bombardment.¹⁸⁾

The Westers also make use of a wide variety of advanced battlesuits, superior in most respects to the Red's, which can be deployed from orbit for devastating strikes.¹⁹⁾²⁰⁾²¹⁾ Their infantry are also usually better equipped and trained than the Reds, being able to access a wide array of weaponry from smart munitions to microwave weapons²²⁾, although they do not typically have as much morale.²³⁾ Wester special forces are also well-equipped, sporting cloaking fields and being able to prioritize battlefield assets.²⁴⁾²⁵⁾ Their ground forces can also have access to advanced upgrades, from particle-based devices capable of interfering badly with enemy systems to a wide variety of drones.²⁶⁾ Laser systems are mounted on drones and grav-vehicle platforms for missile defence and anti-air respectively.²⁷⁾ Air support for the Westers is also generally wider than that of the Red's, ranging from nimble gunships to advanced fighters and bombers, including even railgun-fitted CAS aircraft.²⁸⁾²⁹⁾

In space, the Westers maintain a very large fleet, again emphasizing precision and advanced technology. While their ships do not typically sport as much raw firepower as their Red counterparts, they do sport superior defensive suites and systems. Nevertheless, they do pack enough power to the extent that a flotilla of vessels can devastate a planetary hemisphere in moments.³⁰⁾³¹⁾ Their ships can also be used for precise orbital tactical support and for deploying forces straight from orbit.³²⁾³³⁾ Like the Reds, Wester ships sport powerful railguns, large amounts of missiles, and heavy mass drivers, in addition to superpowered nuclear weapons known as 'meganukes'.³⁴⁾ They also field large supercarriers, capable of supporting planetary campaigns and launching fighters for precision strikes in space or in an atmosphere.³⁵⁾³⁶⁾ Advanced upgrades are available for the Wester navy, such as cyberwarfare suites for interfering with enemy ship systems, along with enhanced munitions.³⁷⁾

Red Alliance

Government and Society

Descended apparently from a Eurasian alliance dominated by Russia and China, the Reds are a totalitarian society based on the world of New Moscow.³⁸⁾ Their ruling body, simply referred to as 'The Party', is divided between the Politburo, which serves as their overall administrative bureaucracy, and the Directorate, their supreme ruling council, and is based within the titanic structure of the 'People's Hall'.³⁹⁾ There do exist apparent factions within the Party,⁴⁰⁾, and some members will resort to underhanded methods to secure their political power base.⁴¹⁾ Crime syndicates do exist among them, albeit restricted in scope.⁴²⁾

Although the Reds incorporate many individuals of descent from old earth nations like Russia and East Asian countries, they do not distinguish on this criteria, given the nonexistence of said nations, although they discriminate against those with descent from Westers.⁴³⁾ Like the Westers, the Reds have a heavily revised view of history bent in the Party's favor, exhibiting beliefs such as attribution of the authorship of the Art of War to Mao Zedong.⁴⁴⁾ They appear to venerate communist leaders of old, referring to them as 'Great Comrades',⁴⁵⁾ and their political schools of thought can vary on a regional basis.⁴⁶⁾ The Reds also seem fairly egalitarian in regards to gender, with women serving in many high-ranking military and political stations.⁴⁷⁾⁴⁸⁾

Military

Sporting massive numbers, the Red military opts to emphasize overwhelming force and number in it's doctrine.⁴⁹⁾ While Red army units such as infantry and battlesuits are not usually to the standard of the Westers, they are typically greater in number and more spirited.⁵⁰⁾ Red grav-armor, while not as mobile as the Westers, is typically far more durable and sports massive firepower, in addition to artillery optimized for devastating wide areas.⁵¹⁾⁵²⁾ Alongside to their standard infantry, which can sport heavy weapons such as RPGs (albeit ones packing more power than contemporary ones⁵³⁾), the Reds also maintain penal divisions incorporating criminals of various types and dissidents, usually using as a means to overwhelm the enemy or forcing him to expend munitions. They can also deploy specialized battlesuits in some ways deadlier than the Westers, including stealth-orientated ones and towering 'Grozny' suits that can withstand fire up to the nuclear level.⁵⁴⁾

Red commanders also can liberally deploy devastating weapons such as nukes or chemical and viral weapons, as well as enhanced versions of napalm and thermobaric shells.⁵⁵⁾⁵⁶⁾⁵⁷⁾ They also can distribute combat drugs to their personnel, enhancing their performance or driving them into fervor.⁵⁸⁾ Red special forces, while not sporting equipment as advanced as their counterparts, are nonetheless lethal, and in addition, Red commanders can make use of genetically enhanced assassins, albeit ones with little intelligence left other than to kill.⁵⁹⁾ The Reds also practice fairly widespread electronic and cyberwarfare, albeit not as advanced as the Wester's.⁶⁰⁾⁶¹⁾ A characteristic feature of the Alliance military is the use of State Security Commissars, known for helping to maintain order and morale among the troops, but also for keeping an eye on officers and making sure they remain loyal to the Party.⁶²⁾

The Red fleet is also very large, and promotes firepower and blunt force. While not as advanced defensively as their Wester counterparts, Red vessels usually have greater armament and armoring, with exceptions such as their fragile missile ships, although these still pack enough ordnance to shatter small space bodies.⁶³⁾ Lead by devastating Dreadnought and Superdreadnought⁶⁴⁾ vessels, the latter of which can shatter small moons with their spinal mass driver weapons at full power,⁶⁵⁾ Red fleets often lack specialized vessels such as carriers and stealthcraft that the Westers field, and are typically outclassed in fighter support.⁶⁶⁾

Nonhuman Entities

Against the backdrop of the war are a number of alien civilizations, usually too advanced to pay attention to the human conflict or too primitive to draw much notice from the human factions. Both the Reds and the Westers make effort not to draw the attention of the more advanced races, which include the N'rev, a race that sometimes ventures close to their combat zones.⁶⁷⁾ There are other races that are avoided by the humans, often with the power to collapse stars or planets.⁶⁸⁾ However, on occasion, the Westers and Reds will make use of more primitive aliens for assistance in menial work in some locations,⁶⁹⁾⁷⁰⁾ and on desperate occasions even as local auxiliary forces.⁷¹⁾ Although not exactly 'non human', some colonies of humans have adapted to local environments or evolved to the point where they could be considered an offshoot of humanity rather than part of humanity itself.⁷²⁾⁷³⁾

Character Bios

Original Game

Blue-Thirteen is the only survivor of the entire Immortal project, a project designed to revive otherwise disabled soldiers, for morale purposes. They are usually sent on suicide missions, due to the fact that the augmentation process mentally drains the subjects to near stupidity 99% of the time. Thirteen was one of the lucky few to not experience this. He is stationed aboard the Elysium, an Assault class Wester ship. He is currently attached to the 15th Mechanic Division, which is a veteran division composed of androids and mech units.

General Thornic Battlesmere, leader of the 167th Wester Marines, is an effective leader, with the ability to visualize and implement complex battle plans. He interacts well with front-line troops, and commands significant respect from lower ranks. He is a generally cool and compotent under fire, though his history of psychotic breakdowns is cause for concern. He is absolutely devoted to his wife Amy, and regrets the fact that his service prevents him from seeing her more often and from starting a family.

Weylon Ford is a rich kid who was granted a high level place in the Wester military mainly thanks to the influence of his parents, serving at first as a Marine before being moved on to a new corps.

Onasi Gordon is the former First Technological Officer of the WAS Omaha, and has been doing mercenary work ever since it's destruction. He has a minor fortune, being born on Nova Terra, and has been trained in many technological fields. Currently MIA.

Stanislaw Hydenn is a Wester rear admiral, having commanded numerous ships such as the Stalingrad and Armageddon's Edge and fought in multiple battles before his promotion. Was in charge of fire support for Raptor Force's mission to Gehrin. Was heavily wounded when trapped in the mining complex as it exploded while leading a relief mission.

Ares [civilian name: Francis C. Hamilton] is a Red drone who has undergone de-tranquilisation but was recently able to be liberated in a Wester assault on his facility. He has undergone extensive genetical and cybernetical augmentations, as well as memory imprints and professional training. By his own accounts, he was part of a years-long secret project to harvest human resources laying dormant within hundreds of drones due to tranquilisation. These drones usually had a history of skilled and successful insurgency against Red authority. No other survivor noted. Currently prisoner of war, Northrop-Three.

Space Combat

Castor La Follette is a Captain in the Wester Admiralty, currently serving on WAFS Die Leiden. Born to a middle-class family on the small farming colony of Brocéliande. Castor originally desired to be an historian, however, lacking the money for a Doctorate, he joined the Navy in order to gather funding for later in life. Originally a tactical operations director, La Follette rose to the top of the ship's crew following heavy losses on Die Leiden during the Battle of Lieven's Reach. During the skirmish, he discovered an inherent skill for command and saved the vessel from capture, destroying the Alliance cruiser PFSS Hungry Ghost in the final stages of the conflict. Promoted to Captain following the battle, La Follette continues to lead Die Leiden out of loyalty to the crew, despite numerous offers of promotion to larger ships. La Follette is ultimately a realist with regards to the war, viewing it as a foolish conflict between two competing ideologies and, while supportive of the democratic nature of the Wester Federation, fears that the rise of the increasingly powerful extremist factions in both nations will lead to a state of permanent, totalitarian warfare. He has been in contact with numerous academics and senior officials to clarify his own fears as well as attempt to find a way to stop the hostilities before the inevitable consequences happen.

Tactical Combat

Colonel Artym- A Colonel in the Red Army, commands the 1,125th “Stray Dogs” Strike division, a hybrid division of both regular infantry and a penal legion. Despite this, the Stray Dogs under his leadership have become a flexible and strong unit, both due to utilizing the unorthodox tactics of penals and the hard hitting firepower of his infantry. Artym has a long record of service, most of which in the Deep Galactic South in the Valhalla Sector. Strangely, the majority of his service there is highly covered up and classified, including the contents of the Battles for Norgorka, Nisanni, Dar Kartha's Gate, and other planets within the Valhalla Sector. More recently, he has joined a series of inner rim campaigns, most prominently Khesaria where he was able to rally the natives to resupply and reinforce his unit. Since the end of the campaign, he has returned to Khesaria.

Yevgeny 'Zenya' Nikolaev is a Red Alliance Captain in the kom-23 special forces group. He plays the role of both a commando when on the battlefront, and an intelligence agent when off. Having survived through many years of war by skill, luck, and a lifetime's dedication to his craft, Nikolaev takes pride over his role in the war. There's hints he's not entirely all 'together'. A master of Systema martial arts, he often resorts to close range combat.

List of Works

Original FBWI - Remember our Roots
Great Interstellar War RP - The Original Series
Space Combat 1 - The Next Generation
Space Combat 2
Futurewar Tactics 1 - The story of Taskforce Kitchen Sink. A tale rift with military intrigue as the armies of the Red Alliance and Wester Federation fight for control of the not so beautiful Azure Jewel system.
Futurewar Tactics 2 - The campaign for Polaris Cradle, as shown in the rivalry of Engels Shan and Feng Bao-Lin, and their respective taskforces.
The Tale of the Stray Dogs - Colonel Artym and his penals, as they attempt to survive in a universe utterly determined to kill them.
War Room - Eisenhower's Legacy
New Karachi - Before he was a commander in the Azure Jewel, Colonel Rajput was a boy.
Casa Nueva - Humble beginnings for a Real Wester Hero.
Shadow Games
Before the Drop - An average group of grunts, with no idea what the future holds for them.
The Yangtze Offensive - An educational history of the legendary Yangtze Offensive. Presented on Westerpedia, the Lefty free encyclopedia that any soldier can edit. Old version here.
The Ministry - The Career of A Red
Grinder