Organizations in Solar Echoes (part 2)

The Krissethi mafia is a powerful threat, but the greatest of Krissethi criminal organizations is the syndicate known as “The Seven.” This organization is run by seven different clans, and they are influential and powerful enough that some fear they may even be able to compete against the ruling clan of the Krissethi. Their goals seem simple—they wish to accrue power and wealth to rise to the top of Krissethi society. The Seven focuses on quick roads to power, and utilizes a wide range of illegal activities to gain wealth and influence. Smuggling, hacking, theft, extortion, piracy, and poaching are a few of the main activities the organization is known for, but they also enjoy profits gained from “legitimate” businesses such as casinos and off-world importing. Of course, investigations into these businesses have proven that the crime syndicate is quite skilled at keeping illegal activities beneath the radar, and their money-laundering methods have been difficult to track. It always seems that proof somehow evaporates just before the Union Guard arrives...

Organizations in Solar Echoes (part 1)

There are a variety of organizations in the Solar Echoes universe, ranging from legitimate corporations to the mafia to groups with bizarre ideologies. We have detailed a few of these organizations in our books, but the universe is a huge place, so MC's are encouraged to design their own groups to fit their particular campaign. We offer some guidelines towards developing your own organization: What is the organizations goal(s), and how far might it go to achieve that goal? Who is in that organization—is it primarily one race, or a variety of the alien races? Are the members of the organization aware of its goals, or are they participants in something bigger than they understand? There are a number of questions to ask when forming your own group, and this week, we'll examine the details of a powerful group in Solar Echoes...

Alien Gift Guide: Solar Echoes Discounts

 

Merry Christmas!

Looking for adventure over the holidays? We're excited to offer both the Player's Guide and the Mission Controller's Guide together for a $10 discount.

What should you buy your alien friend? Gift-giving among the different alien races in Solar Echoes can be very difficult, if you are unfamiliar with the various cultures. Giving the leafy Erwani a bouquet of flowers is considered extremely insulting and barbaric—Erwani instead prefer to sink their roots into soft, fertile, premium soil, so brand-new hydroponic shoes filled with top-grade soil will do the trick. The reptilian Krissethi are relatively easy to shop for, as they enjoy expensive jewelry and gaudy clothing, hunting weapons, preserved animal trophies, or even small, live animals for snacks. If you or your friends are unfamiliar with the alien races in Solar Echoes, how about introducing them to the Solar Echoes universe, with the Player's Guide or Mission Controller's Guide?

Discounted Solar Echoes Guides:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/124282/Christmas-Deal-Solar-Echoes-Guides-%5BBUNDLE%5D

We are excited to hear your thoughts about Solar Echoes. Please feel free to email us any questions or comments about our game at support@solarechoes.com, and we look forward to your reviews.

Thanks again for your support, have a Merry Christmas, and have fun playing Solar Echoes!

Andy

Corefun Studios, LLC

Holidays in Solar Echoes (part 2)

Cultural celebrations vary in the Solar Echoes universe. The Chiraktis revere their leader, the Queen, as a god, so holidays in Chiraktis culture are about honoring the Queen in some way. By comparison, the Krissethi race is very materialistic and is focused upon status and wealth, so Krissethi holidays often involve giving gifts to those of higher status, competitively purchasing expensive items to try to out-do other gift-givers. The Erwani observe a day each year in which they silently honor their elders, who deliberately seclude themselves from modern day culture.

Holidays in Solar Echoes (part 1)

What kinds of holidays are celebrated in the Solar Echoes universe? Holidays stem from cultural traditions, and when considering some of the alien cultures in Solar Echoes, it would be interesting to imagine what types of holidays they might celebrate and which holidays they wouldn't. For instance, consider the Archaeloids—their young are born of eggs in the deep oceans on their home planet, and the young must fend for themselves without parents or family to help. It is not until they reach maturity that the survivors are welcomed into Archaeloid society, so the day of their entrance into civilization (also seen as the day they escaped from the wilds) is celebrated. The day of their birth is uncertain, so birthdays are not even considered as a holiday worth celebrating in Archaeloid culture.

Markets and Economies in Solar Echoes (part 5)

The level cap in Solar Echoes is currently at level 20. When players are in their late teens, so to speak, they may potentially be very rich and might be able to afford to build not only their own customized starship, but possibly even their own space station or terra-form a planet to start their own colony. The MC should be imaginative and allow players to pursue and achieve ambitious goals for their characters. Campaigns can start to become dangerously difficult to manage when character levels are so high, so the MC may need to do a lot of extra preparation to create a reasonably challenging environment for the characters. At such high levels, it is realistic that characters may have major impact upon planetary markets and economies. The universe is a big place, but if the characters have a huge presence across the worlds, then it is up to the MC to bring them up against equally powerful organizations or individuals. The most deadly alien threats are always lurking at the edges of uncharted space, so it might be time for the characters to encounter them in a big way. Some of the largest criminal organizations that rival the power of the characters should bring some pressure against them for their obvious presence and the impact they have upon the worlds. Having a lot of money and power in Solar Echoes will bring forth challenging threats that seemed unconcerned with the characters in the past.

Markets and Economies in Solar Echoes (part 4)

Buying weapons, armor, and even starships is not the only way players will be spending their character's money. The Union Guard, which is the special op's force the characters are part of, does pay the characters for their work but does not cover all expenses they might incur. Players may decide that living at UG headquarters is not their first choice of residence after a while, and may give up the free room and board to find a place of their own. Traveling through space, even if the players have bought their own starship, costs a lot of money—starship fuel, maintenance, and repair can be costly. If players really want to get from point A to point B quickly and not spend weeks or months in space getting there, the use of a Warp Gate is extremely expensive. There are many reasons that players will want to see their money grow through investing; leaving it in the bank might not provide the team of characters what they need to achieve their goals. The Mission Controller in a Solar Echoes game should be careful not to give out too little or too much to players for mission rewards—amounts are detailed in official Solar Echoes missions, but for individually-developed campaigns, it is a good idea to slowly ramp up financial rewards and not allow things to become unreasonable. If the players can barely afford to buy their own ammunition, or if they have managed to buy a fleet of starships that rivals the Union Guard, then the MC is doing something wrong.