Lets talk Romulans.

[Sir_Cedric]

Ok I understand and know Romulans isn't on the deck to be a faction at launch, but why not flesh out this Faction a bit now, so we can give the DEV team a heads up on their Empire. After all what do we really know about the Romulan people?

One thing we all know that was added were the Remans, so at least we know there will be two races within that empire we can play.

And we know about a few of the Romulan ships, but how will these ships look now, and did the Reman ship designs effect what is being made now?

So lets talk Romulan guys, maybe some ideas and thoughts might make it into the 1st expansion.

Again I know Romulans isn't part of launch day, but what's the harm in talking about them now. You never know, but they might get added sooner than you think. ;)

[njdss4]

There absolutely, without a doubt, must be Tal Shiar related missions. I don't know whether you should be working for them or against them, but maybe that can be a choice you have to make!

I'd like there to be espionage and other backstabbing kind of missions, where you "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer" kind of thing. The Romulans seem like a very good candidate for a "whodunnit" mission line, too! Murder mystery stuff!

[Lizzio]

Some hard spaceship combat
and easy hand to hand combat

[RookActual]

I think the Romulans should shirk from open combat, how to reflect that in the rules? I dunno. I've been thinking more and more that this game is going to be somewhat funny, because it seems like the classic RPG trinity is going to be facing off against eachother. Klingons, the warriors/fighters; Romulans, the rogues/thieves; and the Federation, the wizards/mages.

Romulans should be far more subversive in how they defeat their opponents. Obviously their cloaking technology would be superior, at least I think, to either of the others. They'd also probably be more adept with countermeasures, such as blinding their enemy's sensors. So not only should they be a major nuisance in combat, cloaking with greater ease, but possibly they've also mastered the ability to fire while being cloaked. Naturally this should still betray your position, or disable your cloak for a while. Then the Raptors are off in the distance, uncloaking, firing their long range and destructive tricobalts with deadly accuracy at a vessel the Warbird crippled.

Their weakness probably would come in a boarding action. You get their shields down for long enough to transport some security personnel over and they're distracted. They probably don't have great shields, and the cloaking device does require a lot of energy, so coming to and from cloak make raising and lowering shields a little slower. You just have to be within transporter range, and fast enough to send your men on their way...and it's not that simple because you have to keep moving, because the Raptors are out there...waiting....

I want that kinda battle bad.

[Sir_Cedric]

I am all for adding the Tal Shiar, but would the Tal Shiar recuit Remans too?

RookActual so your saying the Romulans are a cloak and dagger type of military? Meaning hide in the shadows and strike only when the odds are in your favor.

You know I think it's a shame we can have the 3 factions at launch, but hopfully we will get the Romulans in shortly after launch, I think we need them in STO above any other faction out there.

Another note on Romulans:

What is there practice when it comes to exploration? If they have a 1st contact, how is that handled?

[RookActual]

I am all for adding the Tal Shiar, but would the Tal Shiar recuit Remans too?

RookActual so your saying the Romulans are a cloak and dagger type of military? Meaning hide in the shadows and strike only when the odds are in your favor.

What is there practice when it comes to exploration? If they have a 1st contact, how is that handled?

Combat:
I'm not a writer or a developer, so I can't say for sure, but it's how I perceive them myself. It's how I would like them to be played in combat.

Exploration:
They're probably very similar in exploration to the Federation, but likely seeking different resources. This is something I feel uncomfortable offering my opinion on because it would be uninformed. However, if I had to answer, I'd say they're like fishermen. They find a good fishing hole, they try to keep it secret within their 'group'. You don't tell your rival, even if they have the same pointy ears, where your gold mine is. So romulan 'discovery' is probably slow, and only really beneficial to the empire at large when it provides the internal factions prestige to reveal it. As for their methods to actually finding things, I dunno, set a course and bump into something?

Diplomacy:
I'm answering your First Contact question separately from the exploration one. I don't think they observe a Prime Directive. They may possibly ignore cultures on world's that have valuable resources, and i definitely believe they suppress them from gaining much more technology. At the worst, they probably find groups on those worlds that would find favor with Romulan support, give them access to better technology than the rest of their civilization and let them suppress the world for the Romulans, enjoy ruling it, and pay up to the Romulans. I can only imagine the romulans don't like non Romulans getting off their worlds, and only see them as labor to get resources for them. They may not resort to slavery, but that doesn't rule it out by any means.

[ToadMonkey]

I like to know more about the Romulans relationship with the Federation and Klingons....after Nemesis. Also, what is the status with their empire. Rebuilding last I heard.

[Sir_Cedric]

Well I am guess 20 years later, they should have new leadership in place, and what direction it's taking the empire is unknown right now. But I can see them taking a different direction from what we seen in the past, but still hold on to the cloak and dagger way of thinking, with the Tal Shiar taking the lead in all things military wise.

[Syphus]

I'm not sure the romulans would shirk from a fight. They probably don't go looking for one, unless they know they will win, however if provoked they will fight to the end. Also I'm not too sure if the romulans should be easy prey upon boarding; they are supposed to be considerabley stronger than humans.

[ToadMonkey]

I can see them taking a different direction from what we seen in the past, but still hold on to the cloak and dagger way of thinking, with the Tal Shiar taking the lead in all things military wise.

Agreed their short and long term goals most likely will deviate from what was.
AND their military tactics won't change much...unless there is an event/action we don't know about.

[Sir_Cedric]

Hey guys, here is a little back story from the Memory Alpha on Romulans. I will post a clip from it, and link the rest. It gives a little more insight into the Romulans back gorund.

Society:
In Romulan society, military/political rank influences social standing. Because Romulans are members of a militant civilization, who consider defending the Romulan Empire and their own personal honor of foremost importance, military service and its accompanying rank are decisive factors in determining social eminence. However, while the military plays an important role in Romulan society, it is the Romulan Senate that controls the government.

The current highest Romulan rank is that of the Praetor, who presides over the Romulan Senate and acts as chief of the executive branch. The Praetor heads the Continuing Committee, which is comprised of the Empire's most elite individuals, which make decisions of the utmost importance. At one point in Romulan history, their society was ruled by an Empress, as stated by Q.

Q never explained what he meant by "Romulan Empress". It is possible, given Q's demonstrated ability to travel through time, that this was a position that existed in the past and no longer does. It may also be a figurehead position with no real power, however no relativistically "modern" references indicated such an individual.

By the 24th century, the government of Romulus is dependent upon the Tal Shiar, the Romulan Secret Police, to maintain order and stability among both civilians and the military. The Tal Shiar is known for its brutal tactics, which include routine kidnapping, torture, and assassination. Many Romulans fear even expressing dissenting opinions as not to spark the interest of the Tal Shiar. There also seems to be some degree of tension between the military and the Tal Shiar.

Romulan society is based upon a highly structured caste system. Unlike most of the highly evolved species in the Alpha and Beta quadrants, Romulans still practice slavery, and frequently use conquered races for forced slave labor and shock troops.

Romulans tend to be highly xenophobic, engaging in extended periods of isolationism, and can be perceived as outright racist to other species, believing themselves to be superior. At least some Romulans believe that one day the Romulan Empire will rule the entire galaxy.

Romulan society does not appear to be gender biased. Both males and females command warships, can obtain high political positions and can be members of the Tal Shiar.

(One thing that stands out is the fact they still use slaves. Now if and when the Romulans are added to STO, will we see NPC slaves in that faction? Just something to debate I guess, but we could see it stopped for the game, and a back story can be added to example way slavery ended in the Empire. But we will see how this shapes out. )

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Romulan

[Mailman653]

Judging by the road to 2xxx storyline, it seems likely that the Romulan's will be involved in a civil war which could make things interesting and complicated for Romulan players. If there is a civil war, that means the Romulan faction is essentially two factions with both supporting whom they believe should be Praetor. It might be common to have Rom vs Rom PVP.

As for the Reman's.....they might be included in either side since I'm sure they will be part of the species that can be selected for the player at the start of the game. I think they can play an important role in the supposedly Romulan civil war since their numbers can add greatly to anyone's fleet. It would be interesting to see if some kind of Reman ship design enters the Romulan fleets, I'm not talking about Scimitar type ships either, but something unique to the Remans.

[Sir_Cedric]

Now that would be a cool way to start the Romulan faction off in STO, having them in a civil war to see who will be the new leader of the Empire. Might draw in a ton of people just for the PvP alone. But once the dust settles, they can turn their sights on the Federation and Klingons, and compete for the new zones.

But no matter how any conflect within that empire ends, the Reman need to be apart of whatever story.

[RookActual]

I'm not sure the romulans would shirk from a fight. They probably don't go looking for one, unless they know they will win, however if provoked they will fight to the end. Also I'm not too sure if the romulans should be easy prey upon boarding; they are supposed to be considerabley stronger than humans.

Romulans wouldn't shirk from an unfair fight. A good Romulan is one who makes sure the odds are in their favor well before the torpedoes are away.

[TruthSeer]

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet but I think a problem Cryptic will have (based on what their doing with the Klingons) will be to find some species to fit in with the Romulans and have it make sense. From what it looks like it doesn't seem like they want to release a faction the is a single species.

[Riceball]

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet but I think a problem Cryptic will have (based on what their doing with the Klingons) will be to find some species to fit in with the Romulans and have it make sense. From what it looks like it doesn't seem like they want to release a faction the is a single species.

I believe that the Tholians and the Breen are still unalgined and could therefore become part of the Romulan faction. Aside from them I can't think of any other race that has any regular mention that could be part of the Romulan faction.

[TruthSeer]

I believe that the Tholians and the Breen are still unalgined and could therefore become part of the Romulan faction. Aside from them I can't think of any other race that has any regular mention that could be part of the Romulan faction.

I was kind of hoping those two, or at least the Breen, would be allied with the Dominion.

[Mailman653]

Hasin't the Dominion collapsed already (decades ago)? I think it would be interesting to see what species get included with the Romulans aside from Romulans and Remans.

[TruthSeer]

Hasin't the Dominion collapsed already (decades ago)? I think it would be interesting to see what species get included with the Romulans aside from Romulans and Remans.

Nothing has been said about the Dominion. And I forgot about the Remans.

[RookActual]

Hasin't the Dominion collapsed already (decades ago)? I think it would be interesting to see what species get included with the Romulans aside from Romulans and Remans.

The Dominion would not collapse unless there was some form of insurrection, which I highly doubt. Aside from being repelled from the Alpha Quadrant, their military force's offensive capability was stripped, but I'm sure it's still well within it's capacity to maintain order within it's own boundaries.

[thefreshjedi]

Judging by the road to 2xxx storyline, it seems likely that the Romulan's will be involved in a civil war which could make things interesting and complicated for Romulan players. If there is a civil war, that means the Romulan faction is essentially two factions with both supporting whom they believe should be Praetor. It might be common to have Rom vs Rom PVP.

As for the Reman's.....they might be included in either side since I'm sure they will be part of the species that can be selected for the player at the start of the game. I think they can play an important role in the supposedly Romulan civil war since their numbers can add greatly to anyone's fleet. It would be interesting to see if some kind of Reman ship design enters the Romulan fleets, I'm not talking about Scimitar type ships either, but something unique to the Remans.

I was going to say that it would seem since Nemesis on...that the Romulan's are in pretty sad shape. One-half believes independence from the Romulan way of life, and the other-half are strictly for it.

I have a feeling that as the path to 2409 develops, it's highly possible that the Romulans may split the Empire right down the middle, one-half siding with the Federation, and the other with the Klingon's.

But remember: The Klingon's really, and I mean REALLY hate the Romulan's, so that would be an interesting factional alliance between those two. (But again: "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"). So who knows?

Maybe the Romulans would be a third-party, fighting a war on both sides maybe? /shrugs, guess we'll have to wait and see how that story develops. I wonder where Kestral plans on going with it?


-Avery

[Siggy_23]

The Dominion would not collapse unless there was some form of insurrection, which I highly doubt. Aside from being repelled from the Alpha Quadrant, their military force's offensive capability was stripped, but I'm sure it's still well within it's capacity to maintain order within it's own boundaries.

as i recall, and i cant remember which book, and im not sure if it's cannon or not, but with Odo rejoining the great link, they realized that in sending out their infants to explore the world they had subjected them to torture.

In light of this, they disbanded and began to search for their infants spread across the galaxy.

[RookActual]

as i recall, and i cant remember which book, and im not sure if it's cannon or not, but with Odo rejoining the great link, they realized that in sending out their infants to explore the world they had subjected them to torture.

In light of this, they disbanded and began to search for their infants spread across the galaxy.

Seems a little bit out there. It may be written, but I'm not sure why they would need to dissolve the Dominion in order to dispatch 'rescue' parties. They're xenophobic to the point they want to control everything that can influence them. I'm not saying they wouldn't prioritize the recovery of their infants, but disbanding the Dominion, the Jem'Hadar and the Voorta would almost be a death sentence on them. Without their line of defense, I'd imagine a lot of the quadrant would be at their throats. Revenge and justice are relative to the galaxy's citizens. Even with their ability, I wouldn't want to be a Founder without a Dominion military to protect me from the monster I created.

Regardless, I'm not debating whether your facts are straight, just that the idea seems a bit preposterous to me.

[J.L.Picard]

Ok I understand and know Romulans isn't on the deck to be a faction at launch, but why not flesh out this Faction a bit now, so we can give the DEV team a heads up on their Empire. After all what do we really know about the Romulan people?

One thing we all know that was added were the Remans, so at least we know there will be two races within that empire we can play.

And we know about a few of the Romulan ships, but how will these ships look now, and did the Reman ship designs effect what is being made now?

So lets talk Romulan guys, maybe some ideas and thoughts might make it into the 1st expansion.

Again I know Romulans isn't part of launch day, but what's the harm in talking about them now. You never know, but they might get added sooner than you think. ;)

first, the remans will not be romulan faction, if they are all i will say is omg crytic nabs, but like i said the cryptic story is headed in a great direction in relation to these two races.

remans are slaves and the Scimitar is the only ship i know of Reman design and that was a prototype

Tal'shiar is dead basiccally and if they are to play a rrole then that will be one of reconstruction of the tal'shiar, if you want to know about the story play SFC3 the prequel to Nemesis.

[Magnuson]

I for one am looking forward to the Romulan eventually being a playable faction. I personally prefer and am more intrested in the Romulans as oppossed to the Klingons. Perhaps it's the mysteriousness of their race, all the unknowns and unanswered questions, but I'm really intrigued by the Romulans. I'm not sure how Cryptic will implement them as a playable faction and what other races might be aligned with them (if any), but I will definitely be creating a Romulan captain as soon as they're available.

[RookActual]

I think a considerable amount of work and liberty will have to be taken with the Romulans. There is simply just not nearly as much source material for them as there are Klingons, and of course, the Federation.

[TruthSeer]

I think a considerable amount of work and liberty will have to be taken with the Romulans. There is simply just not nearly as much source material for them as there are Klingons, and of course, the Federation.

Which will probably be a little easier now that their society is going through an overhaul.

[RookActual]

Which will probably be a little easier now that their society is going through an overhaul.

Hell, they could rename the homeworld if they wanted with that excuse!

[Magnuson]

I think a considerable amount of work and liberty will have to be taken with the Romulans. There is simply just not nearly as much source material for them as there are Klingons, and of course, the Federation.

I agree, I think that's what's going to make it all the more interesting to see how they're brought in to the game, how they play and all the lore and background that will be available for them. Cryptic is definitely going to have their work cut out for them filling out the Romulan faction, which is probably why they're not available at launch.

[Trekkie]

I think that the Romulans have a lot of potential to be one of the most interesting factions in the game, and I really hope that Romulan characters are able to participate in both combative and diplomatic missions.

[Riceball]

I think a considerable amount of work and liberty will have to be taken with the Romulans. There is simply just not nearly as much source material for them as there are Klingons, and of course, the Federation.

I think that FASA did publish a Romulan handbook back in the days of its old RPG, I know they did for the Klingons and the Orions. Even though it's out of date and totally non-canon it could be used as a sort of springboard to help fill in the gaps of what's been established about the Romulans. Combine the best elements with what we already know and we'd probably have a pretty decent primer for the Romulans.

Still, I have to agree that for the purposes of the game some changes might have to be made to the Romulans to distinguish them from the Klingons in terms of gameplay. Right now I'd say the simplest mot basic description of the Romulans is as sneaky Klingons; they're both very militaristic and strong but Romulans seem to prefer stealth and subtlety while Klingons are more brash and upfront preferring the full frontal assault to the Romulans sneak attack.

[RookActual]

I think that FASA did publish a Romulan handbook back in the days of its old RPG, I know they did for the Klingons and the Orions. Even though it's out of date and totally non-canon it could be used as a sort of springboard to help fill in the gaps of what's been established about the Romulans. Combine the best elements with what we already know and we'd probably have a pretty decent primer for the Romulans.


The problem I have with FASA material is the same I have with Trek video games. A lot was done to cater to the game mechanics, and not the story. Fortunately, this being a RPG and capable of a greater level of complexity in any other format of game, is that it can be tailored more to the story, with tweaks made for balance.

[richard1993]

Romulans are the best

[Syphus]

To be honest I think Cryptic shouldn't worry a huge amount about stepping on toes so to speak. It's a game. The important part is that it feels right, if you ask me. They have 30 years? inbetween the game and nemesis... so they could say anything happened in that space of time.

Regardless the Romulans ended Nemesis with a huge power vacuum and (from what little I know) if a Human raised by Remans could become praetor then anyone can. And that would dictate what sort of direction the Star Empire takes.

The underlying reason behind the romulans supporting Shinzon's position as praetor was that he was planning to attack the federation. Their plans went a little awry... very surprisingly of course. However these leaders of the military weren't killed in Nemesis. So it would be interesting if one of them attempted to grab power ;).

[RookActual]

To be honest I think Cryptic shouldn't worry a huge amount about stepping on toes so to speak. It's a game. The important part is that it feels right, if you ask me. They have 30 years? inbetween the game and nemesis... so they could say anything happened in that space of time.

Regardless the Romulans ended Nemesis with a huge power vacuum and (from what little I know) if a Human raised by Remans could become praetor then anyone can. And that would dictate what sort of direction the Star Empire takes.

The underlying reason behind the romulans supporting Shinzon's position as praetor was that he was planning to attack the federation. Their plans went a little awry... very surprisingly of course. However these leaders of the military weren't killed in Nemesis. So it would be interesting if one of them attempted to grab power ;).

I don't think a romulan Star Empire lead by a non Romulan would be very popular in this game. There are definitely some key points Cryptic really needs to keep intact, and I think a lot of what they're doing with the thirty year gap is, in a way, try to bring everything back around full circle and clean up any 'messes' in the storyline.

[njmarine2001]

Sorry new to the forums, just found out about this game, cant wait to see it live.

Romulans working with other species?
Who was the silly human who ran off to be a defector from the feds, worked for the Romulans, and then came back to the Enterprise in TNG, in the episode where Dianna gets captured and made to play a Tal Shiar operative?

Then there is the TNG episodes where Spock goes to the planet, he isn't out right killed or sent off, just led astray from his real objective.

Then the episode where they helped against Gouron? (hope i got the spelling right) working directly with Lyrssa and Bator. (again Spelling)

All very distinct examples of Romulans using other species to their advantage. The Romulans do work with others, its just not common knowledge who those others are.

So while I would agree that they are indeed xenophobic, they also see the value of using other species to their advantage, so any "alliances" they would have would have to provide a benefit to the Romulan govt, however they would still have them. Minor races, insert race that grew on insert planet, there is a whole unexplored part of the galaxy behind the romulan empire we never have gotten to see. This is Star Trek, everyone is humanoid practically (several distinct exceptions exist), and with Vulcans and Romulans being an offshoot of the same race, they may still have some other minor race allies that aren't displayed in any of the series or movies because they never really cared to flesh out the sinister villain that way.

For some basic ship design thoughts check out the really old game "Star Trek: Birth of the Federation" its an old turn based game. but has some possibly relevant art work from a design view perspective anyhow.

[Sumoben]

Sorry new to the forums, just found out about this game, cant wait to see it live.

Romulans working with other species?
Who was the silly human who ran off to be a defector from the feds, worked for the Romulans, and then came back to the Enterprise in TNG, in the episode where Dianna gets captured and made to play a Tal Shiar operative?

Then there is the TNG episodes where Spock goes to the planet, he isn't out right killed or sent off, just led astray from his real objective.

Then the episode where they helped against Gouron? (hope i got the spelling right) working directly with Lyrssa and Bator. (again Spelling)

All very distinct examples of Romulans using other species to their advantage. The Romulans do work with others, its just not common knowledge who those others are.

So while I would agree that they are indeed xenophobic, they also see the value of using other species to their advantage, so any "alliances" they would have would have to provide a benefit to the Romulan govt, however they would still have them. Minor races, insert race that grew on insert planet, there is a whole unexplored part of the galaxy behind the romulan empire we never have gotten to see. This is Star Trek, everyone is humanoid practically (several distinct exceptions exist), and with Vulcans and Romulans being an offshoot of the same race, they may still have some other minor race allies that aren't displayed in any of the series or movies because they never really cared to flesh out the sinister villain that way.

For some basic ship design thoughts check out the really old game "Star Trek: Birth of the Federation" its an old turn based game. but has some possibly relevant art work from a design view perspective anyhow.

You realize that the last post in this thread was in October right?...