Nomadic migrant fleet species.
In game: a juggernaut with habitat mechanics. (Though this juggernaut can visually appear as a fleet, or various ships somehow joined together, like a makeshift station with engines)
Perks:
- can park over planets to extract resources, maybe even ruin them (strip mining). Doesn’t have to be habitable, though habitable planets could last longer before ruined. Ruining has severe diplomatic consequences.
- another type of exploitation: safe and non-ruinous, but much less resources. You might starve if your population is vast. Presents a moral and political dilemma. Various solutions, including culling/expelling/settling your own pops.
- closed borders means nothing to them
Oh yeah, I've always wanted this for a long time!
I like the idea of choosing to get rid of your pops in order to keep your civilization sustainable.
Strip Mining is cool, it could result in a lot of nasty blockers that are hard to get rid of.
I feel like nomad fleet species could lead itself for a lot of playstyles:
Trade-focused Iterant Merchants: Essentially the Caravaneers. Go around, trade with people, buy and sell, explore the galaxy, get rich.
Space Pirates: Nations focused on stealing and pillaging from other civilizations. Cannot take planets (no planet to build armies on, lol), must focus on raiding other people's trade or protection money. Can get hired to raid and harass other civilizations.
Space Mercenaries: Your people are roving warriors who go through the galaxy waging war for the highest bidder.
Refugee Fleet: Your homeworld was destroyed by a great tragedy. Your people must find a way to feed itself, or die trying. Can specify the tragedy somehow.
Vengeful Fleet: Your homeworld was taken by a great enemy. Since then, you people are on the run, going across the cosmos, surviving through the stars, dreaming of reconquering your lost homeland. Think Lost Colony, but the people back home are your enemies - or at least that's how you people think about them.
Planet Looters: Your civilization goes from planet to planet, harvesting and strip-mining entire worlds brutally, until they are nothing but hollow shells devoid of resources. Then they move on to the next planet. Massive bonuses to resource production and industry, but almost universally hated. The less planets around, the more aggressive. Also very wasteful due to a very much non-sustainable philosophy - why conserve resources, when you can just harvest the next planet?
Devouring Locust/Roving Swarm: The Devouring Swarm's equivalent of Planet Looters. Focused on eating planets and their inhabitants. Think Tyranids.
Mobile Labourers: Your species sustains itself by working for others and contributing to the greater migratory fleet. However, adding more, alien labourers to other worlds lead to increase social strife. Essentially, you can "lend" your pops to other species and do work for them, but your pops decrease stability and this leads to increasing bad relations unless you manage to obtain good relationships with your host. Eventually you have the choice of taking over their civilization, gaining your world from them as vassals, or leaving elsewhere.
I'd also like to see governments with cabinets that would vary based on civic and intend to post a suggestion regarding this at some point.
Yes, this could be very interesting.I had some ideas, not sure if this is what you had in mind:
Ruler: This is your current ruler.
Successor/Heir: This is the person meant to suceed the current ruler. In Empires this is obviously the crown prince(ss). Democracies and such could have Vice-Presidents and such, meant to carry the rest of the term of the dead guy until the next election - which could help them be elected next election. This would also mean two not one leader is elected in such governments.
Chancellor/Foreign Minister: This person is responsible for dealing with foreign powers.
Defense/War Minister: This person is responsible for dealing with military matters of the nation.
Economic Minister: This person is responsible for dealing with internal economic matters.
Head of Intelligence/Spymaster: This is the person responsible who deals with matters of espionage, intelligence and such. Your Head Spook, essentially.
Minister of Science and Technology: Your minister responsible for dealing with matters of scientific research and advancement.
I think something like representing your highest religious leader would be very interesting, but I can't think of a secular counterpart. Something involving the well-being of people, you know, something involving Stability, Unity, pop happiness, crime, internal management kind of thing.
Of course, these names would change depending on your type of government, ethic, etc. For example, Imperial govt would all have names that look like something out of Crusader Kings.
It would also be interesting for Monarchies to have a royal family, with the possibility of Pretender Princes, but those would be better when proper internal politics are a thing.
In Dictatorships, the Successor could be leader-designated from existing leaders. Perhaps limited to Admirals and Generals only?
Cabinet members would come from proper types of leaders.
For example, in democracies, rulers can come from any type of leader.
Defense/War Minister would come from Admirals and Generals.
Economic Ministers would come from Governors.
Minister of Science from Scientists.
Not sure how Chancellors and Intelligence would work, because Envoys are a limited-type of leader, not the kind of leader that can be paid for and assigned freely. One possibility is that you always have one of both, and they are in effect extra envoys, but you have to choose between them doing things internally (such as reinforcing your counter-intelligence) or assigning them out to do diplomacy/espionage.
