Space Empire Archetypes

[Umega]

As if coming up with awesome sounding names for your species and empires wasn't annoying enough, I also hit a brick wall when it comes to creating unique alien empires for roleplaying. How can I make this empire feel uniquely different to the last empire I created and played? What is the empire's unique agenda in the galaxy?
AI Personalities and ethic combinations are good guides for a roleplaying empire. I've made a list of the empire
archetypes that I could think of at the top of my head.

Hegemonic Empire - Your basic warlike empire that wants to dominate the galaxy for glory of the empire.
Trading Empire - A friendly empire that is only interested in trade and profit.
Science Empire - An empire that mostly seeks scientific progress/ascendancy, but doesn't mind co-existing with other empires.
Creature Hivemind - A swarm of creatures that want to destory/eat other lifeforms.
Robot/Cyborg Hivemind - AI that hates organic life.
Federation Empire - An empire that seeks to unite the galaxy with diplomacy and cares for the welfare of all its citizens and aliens.
Isolationist Empire - An empire that doesn't expand much and is happy with staying in it's core territory, while staying out of galactic politics.
Religious Zealous Empire - An empire that is very religious and conservative and crusades against heathens/heretics.
Brutal Slaver Empire - Authoritarian empire that enslaves other alien races for its own gain, but doesn't fight for glory.
Anarchist Marauders - They have little or no politics or a functional state, but go marauding around space for bloodlust, glory or loot.
Tribal Empire - A heavy decentralized empire with many tribes. They are not aggressive, but will fight united if provoked by a common enemy.
Peaceful Empire - A friendly co-existing empire that doesn't like confrontations.
Xenocidal Empire - An empire that seeks to purge the galaxy of all sentient life.
Freedom Fighters - An empire that uses military force to free and protect the oppressed.

Any others?

 

[PalmettoExplorer14]

Not sure. I think you covered pretty much all of them. Still you could try and combine different archetypes together.

For example, you could do a combination of the religious zealous empire, freedom fighter empire, and the federation empire. This is pretty much the type I played with when I created my first empire when I got Stellaris. You're pretty much hunting herectics who oppress others since oppressing others is strongly against your beliefs and your religion strictly prohibits slavery of any sort. You're diplomatic with other empires, even those who approach the universe with a more materialistic viewpoint (something that unnerves you), but as long as they don't oppress their people you're willing to give them the benefit of a doubt. You also look after your citizens even if they're immigrants or recently converted former slavers. You also believe it is your sacred and holy duty to unite the galaxy so that all beings may live a life free of persecution, enslavement, or purging and when that day comes you'll finally lay down your arms but until then you'll continue to fight for the freedoms of others that is the right of all so say your gods/spirits/etc.

 

[Fuu]

How about an archetype about spreading your species as far and wide as possible? The 'out-breeding' archetype. To avoid overlapping with the 'xenocidal' archetype, you can do it without purging or even with as little war as possible; mostly with open borders and getting your pops to emigrate. Sort of like spreading your dynasty in CK2.

 

[Horror In The Deep]

Interesting. So, right now only 2 types from your list are not covered by Stellaris - Anarchist Marauders and Tribal Empire. Also, Robot Hivemind is not playable, and Trading Empire is Trading in the name only.

Several other archetypes, that come in my mind:

Warrior Empire - empire, created by guys who fight not because they want something, but because they like fighting. Klingon Empire in Star Trek, Mandalorians in Star Wars.
Feudal Empire - like Tribal in your list, but dominated by aristocrats. Such states mostly concerned with their internal politics = feuds between aristocratic families. Corrino Empire (to the lesser extent Atreides Empire) In Dune, Second Empire in Fading Suns.
Idealistic Empire - generalised term for what you call Federation. Might not be ideal, but definitely tries to base it`s politics on moral grounds, and treats it`s citizen's well-being as a top priority. May be democracy or monarchy. Often combines it to have both "kind queen" and "free people". Second Republic in Star Wars, Kingdom of Manticore in Honorverse
Corrupted Democracy - technically should be democratic version of previous, but in fact freedom and democracy is just a cover for corrupts politicians, greedy corporations and powerful criminal lords. (Late) First Republic in Star Wars, Free Planet Alliance in Legend of Galactic Heroes.
Dark Lord Domain - Empire, created by some mean individual, group or a rather small race. Most of this Empire`s population are in fact oppressed people, who obey leader because of fear, rather than anything else. Pretty match every Sith Empire in Star Wars, Dominion in Star Trek
False Idealistic Empire - Empire, that just pretend, that tries to base it`s politics on moral grounds, and treats it`s citizen's well-being as a top priority. In reality it is just another merciless conquerors, or even worse. Haven in Honorverse, Tau Empire in Warhammer 40K

 

[Mitchz95]

I'm hoping they add more AI personalities to represent the diversity of the different civics combinations.

 

[klingonadmiral]

Non-Empire: A species that is less interested in building a strong galactic state and rather aims to spread itself across the galaxy, willing to fit into many different cultures.

 

[Surimi]

(Suspiciously) friendly hive-mind - This species is not *many bubbles* like *campers*, but that doesn't mean they can't come together for *parties*. They will try to be friendly and diplomatic as best they can and refrain from conquering and eating people (unless those people are *silly cows*).

 

[Drowe]

Currently not possible in Stellaris:
Enigmatic Infiltrators:
A race that excels at espionage, using it as the primary way to achieve their goals. Be it by manipulating other races, stealing their technology or sabotage. They keep their cards close to their chest, so no one knows their capabilities. To others they appear as another archetype, like peaceful, trader or often as isolationists, but they are much more involved in galactic politics than it seems.
Example Daloks from Master of Orion

Diplomatic Manipulators:
They are brilliant diplomats, capable of getting other races to do what they want. They try to hold the strings of as many empires as possible and play them against everyone else or even each other, without getting involved directly if possible. To other empires they seem as good friends, but in truth they are cunning and ruthless, betraying their "friends" whenever it suits them, usually without them even noticing.

 

[robobird3000]

Rivaling Houses
There are many different houses that are fighting about the politic direction. In one year the empire is isolatic an xenophob, in another peacefull an xenophil and then militaristic and enslaving.

(This would be hard to play, because you have to change your tactic very often. But it would be a nice experience I think, and very nice for roleplaying.)

 

[mathers]

As if coming up with awesome sounding names for your species and empires wasn't annoying enough, I also hit a brick wall when it comes to creating unique alien empires for roleplaying. How can I make this empire feel uniquely different to the last empire I created and played? What is the empire's unique agenda in the galaxy?
AI Personalities and ethic combinations are good guides for a roleplaying empire. I've made a list of the empire
archetypes that I could think of at the top of my head.

Hegemonic Empire - Your basic warlike empire that wants to dominate the galaxy for glory of the empire.
Trading Empire - A friendly empire that is only interested in trade and profit.
Science Empire - An empire that mostly seeks scientific progress/ascendancy, but doesn't mind co-existing with other empires.
Creature Hivemind - A swarm of creatures that want to destory/eat other lifeforms.
Robot/Cyborg Hivemind - AI that hates organic life.
Federation Empire - An empire that seeks to unite the galaxy with diplomacy and cares for the welfare of all its citizens and aliens.
Isolationist Empire - An empire that doesn't expand much and is happy with staying in it's core territory, while staying out of galactic politics.
Religious Zealous Empire - An empire that is very religious and conservative and crusades against heathens/heretics.
Brutal Slaver Empire - Authoritarian empire that enslaves other alien races for its own gain, but doesn't fight for glory.
Anarchist Marauders - They have little or no politics or a functional state, but go marauding around space for bloodlust, glory or loot.
Tribal Empire - A heavy decentralized empire with many tribes. They are not aggressive, but will fight united if provoked by a common enemy.
Peaceful Empire - A friendly co-existing empire that doesn't like confrontations.
Xenocidal Empire - An empire that seeks to purge the galaxy of all sentient life.
Freedom Fighters - An empire that uses military force to free and protect the oppressed.

Any others?

I miss the opportunist one. The impact of circumstances. As if every country could choose their own destiny. Space is big. There is a great probability, the first alien species we meet is technically superior. Mere survival will require adaptation and disguise.

 

[General Retreat]

Forceful Co-opters - An empire fascinated with xeno culture, or more specifically, with a continual stream of titillating novelty for the home population's consumption. The actual welfare of the xenos themselves is of lesser concern. [Authoritarian+Xenophile]

 

[Chaos_TLW]

This is not possible in the current game mechanics, but you could hybridise the Federation and Hegemonic empires to have an empire that keeps a façade of an idealistic Federation but that uses subversive tactics and maneuvers to subjugate and absorve as much of the galaxy as possible into their Federation, which they monopolize through similarly cutthroat and backstabbing tactics.

 

[mathers]

How would you classify Foundation os Asimov?

Change is inevitable. There is no labels only actions and reactions. My fav in Utopia is that it claims to enable shift of ethos within the same game. Let us see how it work out. Like turn a pacifist xenophile into a xenophobic militarist since space is not that nice as their home planet was.

 

[Helix900]

A religious order of some kind, ruled by psionics. Whether it's the Aeon Illuminate (monarchy? Probably some mix of spiritualist, militarist, and xenophile) or the Advent (authoritarian - they have a caste system; they could also be spiritualist and possibly xenophobic?). Would have holy worlds for sure, and dedicated to spreading their own philosophy across the galaxy. The Aeon in particularly would depise ANY form of AI technology, and any synthetic empire would be their enemy.