Out on the Rim
Welcome to the Elite Planet Cafe, a refuge for all weary space pilots. Here you can get yourself a drink, some atmosphere (i.e. bar smoke), and stories from some of the oldest space traders and pilots still alive. We've been set up here for almost eight years now, serving the needs of the galaxy's elite on a distant and unclaimed rock, far on the edge of civilized space.
Affiliations don't matter here, be they Federation, Imperial, or independent; all that matters is your rank with the EFoP, and the space hours under your belt. Only the best visit TEPC, by the secrecy of the place if nothing else. We don't mind most criminal records either: understanding that it's hard to get by sometimes, and a pilot needs to turn to smuggling or other less legal pursuits... However, slave traders and pirates will be shot on sight, without warning. We don't tolerate that sort of crime.
Grizzled Space Pilots
While you drink from a glass of your favorite alcoholic beverage, you'll be able to pick up a few tips from the top space pilots of all time. Just be sure not to pry into their personal lives (what they have left of them). We've compiled some of the best pointers that the older timers can give to save rookies some time and effort. You can access them below by category and by the specific sort of career you're interested in following.
If none of these items help you, check back later as the compilation is a work in progress. Also, if you have anything to add to the sage advise of our regulars, drop me a line. Keep in mind that neither I nor the Cafe can be held responsible for any damage that results from the use this advise (you us it at your own risk). So don't try to sue us or try anything funny as you leave, because I've got two beams lasers fixed right past the docking port.
Elite Role Playing
It's become common practice among the fans of certain science fiction series to regularly hold a variety of role playing sessions over the internet, the most common being bulletin boards devoted to the lives of fictitious crews in the "Star Trek" universe. Given, elite doesn't have quite the fan base as ST, but it does have an extremely dedicated one nonetheless (often a very creative one as well). Therefore, I am beginning a host of projects that will give elite fans the opportunity to role play in their favorite galaxy.
Now, there are many different sorts of role playing, and many ways to implement them over the internet. Given that many of my elite compatriots are from Europe where local phone service is not free, I have opted against any sort of real time mechanism. Instead I will use either an e-mail based list (these have worked well in the past for me) or a web page based bulletin board. It is likely that I would restrict posting privilege to registered users only (so we don't get any trouble makers), though anyone could register.
In addition to the technical issues that must be sorted out, I have a number of gameplay schemes to choose from (though I plan to implement at least two simultaneously). The first idea (that of a single bar room) has been implemented in earnest now. You can read the necessary guidelines and background info via the first link, and access the board itself via the second:
My second (unimplemented) idea is to have a true, moderated role playing adventure that follows a set number of players. In the style of pen and paper RPGs, I would take the roll of the GM, moderating the player's actions. The players would have to be a dedicated bunch of players who agree to participate every so often - obviously this is much less open ended than the Cafe role playing. My initial thought is to follow a group of Federal Navy cadets on their first cruise on a long range carrier. Think of Space: Above and Beyond in the elite universe and you'll get the idea.
The final idea could either be a moderated, closed player game or (with some difficulty) an open-ended free-for-all. It is basically like the bar, except the gameplay would extend to all areas of an entire space station (I'm thinking one of the medium-sized ones). Some players would be dock workers, others might run a business from the station, while other "non-player characters" might take the place of people passing through. While the moderated game would be limited in scope, the open-ended game would be difficult to manage form a technical standpoint: how do you deal with separate rooms? If you have any ideas on how to implement this, or any thought/suggestions on Elite Role playing at all, don't hesitate to mail me
History of the Cafe
Back in 3237 I came upon the idea of launching a restaurant specifically (and only) for the most experienced pilots and traders in the galaxy. I didn't want the place to be anywhere that some punk kid would find it, or where the superpowers would have any power, so I took off to look for a suitable system in my favorite ship. It was a stroke of luck that after just a few jumps I came across this unclaimed, unused system and the small planetoid we now call "the rock". It took me a few months more, but I finally put together a caravan of interested traders (some old time friends pitched in) to haul the necessary parts across space. A small private construction crew accompanied the caravan to actually carve out the rock and then assemble the base. It took almost another year to get the whole thing fully operational, but I sure am proud of her now. I've got a staff of eighteen, a personal hangar (not that this was my first mind you), and a really great place for pilots to come to. It's been more than eight years since I first hatched the plan, and I can tell you, I have no intention of leaving any time soon.
Who am I really?
As you may already know, my name is Jasper L. McChesney, and I am the creator of this web page (among many others). I have been a long time elite fan back from when I first played Frontier for the Atari ST. I have posted infrequently on alt.fan.elite for some years now, though unlike most of my AFE brethren, I hail from the United States rather than the UK (though I do live in New England). Other related interests of mine include computer art (2D and 3D), all types of games, mathematics, and science in general. You can follow this link to learn more about my current pilot in Frontier (no, it's not the same one I started with).
