Bravo Fleet
On June 14, the next Fleet Action, Labyrinth, begins. One week out, the Intelligence Office is pleased to release the lore and mission briefing for the first of the three phases for the writing campaign that will accompany the event. Through this mission, captains of the Fourth Fleet will be the first to encounter and respond to the phenomenon spreading across the galaxy: the opening of apertures that lead to a mysterious network of subspace tunnels spanning known space – and beyond. The labyrinthine corridors of Underspace can transport ships tens of thousands of light-years in a fraction of the time of any conceivable technology. This surely opens up a whole new frontier for the Federation – but first comes weathering the storm of chaos this expanding network brings.
Labyrinth will not include a mission briefing system of the kind used in the Fleet Actions of 2023. The new storytelling mechanism for this FA is the Campaign Table, a means by which members can generate their own unique plots. The possibilities of an adventure through Underspace – or dealing with whatever Underspace brings through – are endless, and rather than write a set of predetermined scenarios, the Intelligence Office has instead created a system to reflect that chaotic unpredictability. Using a series of tables, members can randomly generate their overall mission premise, as well as key details such as the locations their stories occur and the challenges and allies encountered on the way. These random tables provide each member with a unique story that both cleaves to the themes of the campaign while giving space for creative decisions. The Campaign Table can also be used as a selection of story options, where writers use them for inspiration or choose their preferred result. That last part is essential – by all means, brush off your dice set or random number generator, but there is no wrong way to use the Campaign Table!
And, of course, any member is welcome to develop and write their own storyline based off the main mission prompt.
The resources you need are:
- Campaign Table Guide
- Labyrinth Campaign Table
- Labyrinth Additional Tables
- And don’t forget to check out the additions to our Underspace wiki page.
Please also note that writing for Labyrinth is part of the Fleet Action competition. Service ribbons you earn contribute to your Task Force’s overall victory, and your own success! It’s also intended to be a 6-week event where people get stuck in together, writing to tell a story together over the period. That means that members may plan, scheme, plot, and brainstorm as much of the writing as they want – but you must not begin to write stories that you will post on BFMS for Labyrinth before the FA goes live next Friday. It’s against the spirit of the event, and it’s against the rules of the event. After all, the point is to enjoy the wildness of the upcoming six weeks together!
In seven days, the labyrinth opens. Be ready for anything.