New Players Guide

A streak of green light across the sky lasted no more than a moment and was gone just as suddenly as it had appeared, but its impact has left a legacy on my people. Our scientists were fascinated and tried to isolate what it could mean. Our artists were inspired, and an entire art form, Beaconism, arose, marked by momentary invocations of green light. Great Theologians explained the symbol as a sign from the Deities, some considering it an ill omen, yet others claimed it was the promised land. Politicians muddled the debate even more, controlling significant investments in identifying this phenomenon. In the end, none of the above enabled our great flight to the sector but the acceptance of our own planet's demise and the lure of the promise of a new place to establish our community. And now, after a long journey, we arrived only to discover just how many people had arrived first.

~ First-hand account of the Beacon Activation from initial arrival to Beacon Space

Welcome to Beacon Space. We're glad you've joined us. This wiki page aims to summarize the information you likely want to know about the structure of the Game and World Building community. If you have any questions feel free to ask on Discord or on the discussion page.

Layers of the Game

Beacon Space is a sector constructed of multiple meta-layers to create an engaging world-building community around a central board game. In addition to the core Faction Turn, a tabletop role-playing game is run in the sector via the world of the Penumbra, where Agents interact with the world below the Factions, exploring the morally grey operations they undertake. Adjacent two these two organization-run events, the community constantly creates new lore and engages in scenes with their own characters.

Factions

Factions populate the world of Beacon Space and contain members on Discord who actively contribute to the turn slate submitted for the Faction Turn, write lore, and develop their fictional position. As individuals, members can become Free Agents joining the world of the Penumbra or engage in Role Play, developing the world through scenes. Each Faction has provided a pitch below granting an overview of their lore and links to additional reading.

Aguamala Syndicate

Blurb	Touchstones	Truths
	Touchstone	Hunters of Space born Fauna. Massive criminal underbelly with leadership consisting of the criminal leaders. Prefers to use automation, drones and robots wherever possible.

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Amelheart Institute

Blurb	Touchstones	Truths
	Touchstone	Specialists in manufacturing and piloting mechs. Nomads who travel the sector for Relics and Adventure. Ruled by a benevolent AI overlord.

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Ascent

Blurb	Touchstones	Truths
	Touchstone	Built around the crashed remains of an old archive ship. A messenger guild, whose leader(s) is chosen by a race every year. A university dedicated to exploring the sector and re-discovering the technology of the past.

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Assembled Commonwealth

Blurb	Touchstones	Truths
	Touchstone	Imperialists who wish to see their power and wealth expand. Seasoned prospectors and miners. Merchants and Traders who sell some of the rarest things.

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Children of the Vein

Blurb	Touchstones	Truths
	Touchstone	A cult in service of a dark god. A people focused as Cloners and Genetic Engineers. Society broken up into clans and petty fiefdoms.

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Concord of Mutual Disdain

Blurb	Touchstones	Truths
	Touchstone	Aquatic adapted society who lives on in ocean cities. An unlikely union of two alien races that are normally at odds. Has Aliens and Humans alike in high Leadership positions.

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Larkspur Combine

Blurb	Touchstones	Truths
	Touchstone	Religious frontiersman and unorthodox inventors. Dangerously irresponsible use of space magic. Run by a single (large) family, mafia style.

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Starlit Court

Blurb	Touchstones	Truths
	Touchstone	Knightly order of mech pilots, their skills for hire, based out of a giant space anchorage. Nomadic Mercenaries. Mechanics who use grease and industry to make a living.

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Tahora Whai

Going out west to the Kikorangi o te Tahora Whai is fraught with dangers, not least the Whai who live there. These pirates and whalers work in harmony to survive this hostile space. To be Whai is to sing the Erinaa, a cybernetic coms network that creates semi-telepathic links between members. It manifests an empathetic and community-minded society which champions the individual. From the world of Dynae, they guard the whales who inspired their song. Cultures: Polynesia, Viking, Basque, Inuit	Touchstones	Truths
	Sea Shanties Mad Max Pirates of the Caribbean The Borg	Ritualistically tattoo themselves to show their personal achievements. Space Whalers and Pirates. Neural Network of Artificial Intelligence and Cyborgs, both human and alien.