Race or nation weaknesses

[The Cerberus Alliance]

Ships:
Lower-to-Mid range firepower levels in comparison to the rest of the ESUS. (1-2)

Species:
Genetically inherited psychological disorder triggered when attempting to manually control certain vehicle types. Origin is still unknown. Definately a quirk.

Other Military:
Preference for using mech-type vehicles, such as the DragonWolf Land-Air Mech seen in common use. (very inefficient machines)
Use of "slasher" drones can often be deadly to friendly forces if the person launching them is in anything less than a full battlemech. It is frighteningly easy for a slasher drone to attack friendly forces, as the machine's too small for it's "brain" to handle much more than "if it's biological, I can kill it." and "Ooh. Power armor. Killable in a can!" Said slasher drones do not, however, attack biologicals that are sufficiently high off of the ground, the only limitation in the little guys' design meant to provide some safety to Cerberan forces.

Army/ground force weaknesses may total between a (1-2)

Location:
Fortress System with defenses that make it almost impossible to directly communicate with the homeworld. FTLing into and out of the system is even more difficult, thus the reason for space station and "gate" locations just outside this defensive grid. (1-2)

Tends to not reach out much into deep space, either, with only a handful of colonies, most of which are strictly for resourcing operations. (3)

High population desity due to most of the nation's population being in one star system. (3-4)

[Zerstorendar]

-Ground forces do not make as extensive use of "HUUUGE EXPLOSHIIIIIIIIONS" weaponry as some others. (1) Not as big a weakness as one might think...
-Military dictatorship means that diplomacy is rarely adhered to as long as may be necessary. (1-2)
-Four-man military council occasionally bickers over which of their respective branches of the military should contribute to any particular situation. (1)
-Arrogance. Might be a quirk or possibly a diplomatic issue.
-Navy is rather average, and inexperienced with intergalactic warfare. (3)
-Technology such as FTLi and gravitic weaponry is limited, and shields are not top-notch. (3)
-Economy is quite a way off of post-scarcity. (2-3)
-Comparatively small empire (for now) in both population and space. (3-4)
-Inter-military competition, specifically between the Ravagers (ground troops) and Hellbringers (space marines). (1-2) Depending on severity of "compatition".
-Relative inexperience overall with galactic powers. (2) Might be as high as a rating of 3.

[Neo-Mekanta]

Mekantans don't HAVE weaknesses.

They just have annoying qualities that while limiting thier godliness, and superficially, mechanically, biologically, or socially resembling weaknesses, are entirely distinct and unrelated to weaknesses. Weaknesses are something possessed by creatures Mekantans eat, and Mekantans like to believe themselves far superior to thier food.

But yeah, a list of the not-weaknesses of Mekantans, and of Neo-Mekanta as a whole:


- Mekantan, due to a biological quirk, are extremely sensitive to high pitched sound. When exposed to high enough frequency sonic vibrations, a Mekantan feels extreme pain, and they lose control of their psionic abilities. The Zircon have a similar resonance-based weakness, which will temporarily render affected "individuals" defenseless. (2-3) A VERY interesting weakness!

- Mekantan eyesight is atrocious. Mekantans will fail human vision tests, and corrective lenses do very little to solve the problem. Mekantan power armor has to have its own optic sensors that feed information directly to the wearer's brain in order for Mekantan soldiers to effectively used ranged weaponry. Mekantans frequently augment thier vision with surgery, but this is limited by most Warlords due to the extremely aggressive nature of Mekantans and the rather counterintuitive fact that it's safer for Mekantans to be unable to shoot at one another accurately. (1-2) Again, very interesting...

- The extreme aggression of Mekantans combined with the structure of Neo-Mekantan society leads to the extremely self-destructive behavior of the Hegemony that can only be described as a perpetual state of controlled civil war. It isn't uncommon for fleet battles to erupt between rival Warlords for control over resources that are neither scarce, nor valuable. Indeed, many conflicts among Mekantan factions seem to be for nothing more than the sake of violence. Most Warlords are smart enough not to pick fights with the Hegemony military, but there are rebel factions who occasionally pop up and cause internal trouble that weakens the Hegemony's ability to deal with external trouble. 2-(3) Sounds quite severe...

- The Zircon, despite worshipping Minagoroshi as creator and diety and working alongside the Hegemony military, are a frequent thorn in the side of the aforementioned Warlords and businesspeople associated with them. The Zircon do not attack planets and facilities belonging to the Hegemony or its citizens, but will harass merchant vessels and even non-military fleets of warships. They rarely attack with sufficient force to cause any damage, given the firepower most merchant escorts carry, but it frequently causes trouble in regards to trade. (1-2) Could be lumped with the above.

- Because Mekantans consume the meat of sentient creatures as the majority of thier diet, the Hegemony and its Warlords allow Tsthathi and Feran colonies to prosper and thrive, aside from raiding them for captives to torture, kill, cook, and consume. However, for reasons unknown even to most Mekantans, the Hegemony allows their food sources to hold high technology, which inevitably results in rebellions against the Mekantans. These isolated but numerous rebellions are frequently put down as soon as they start, but tie up Mekantan forces. This is not so much a military, economic, or social weakness as a political weakness. Rebellious Tsthathi and Ferans frequently attempt to make their plight known outside of Hegemony-controlled space, and while this often fails to go beyond ESUS communications, it is a likely source of the Mekantan legacy as bloodthirsty monsters. (1-3) Definatly interesting diplomacy issues...

- Diplomacy in general is not the strong suit of Mekantans, or Zircon, and the Tsthathi and Ferans both hate those in power too much to agree to willingly serve as diplomats, but are also not trusted to the job. Mekantans have gigantic egos, to the point of calling non-Mekantans "Lessers" to thier faces. Due to their lack of tact, most Mekantans also see nothing wrong with talking about how delicious a species is when talking to one of thier representitives. Most Mekantan also diplomacy occurs with the Mekantan figuratively holding the trigger of a very large gun. Quite often, this "gun" happens to be a Darkship. Even those who are considered "the best" diplomats among the Hegemony... aren't very good. Thus, Mekantans and Zircon rely heavily on intimidation. (3) Might be lumped with the above as a diplomacy issue.

- The Galactic Hegemony, not counting the Zircon, has a pathetically low fleet count. Despite the practical invulnerability and hellish firepower of a Darkship, it can only be in one place at any given time. Since many of the mentioned internal problems require the intervention of a Darkship, this limits how many are available for use outside the Hegemony. (1-2) A strategic issue.

- Non-Mekantans have no guarenteed rights in Neo-Mekanta, and foreigners, even from the Extra-Solar Union of Systems, are kept safe from the Warlords at the security force's mercy. Unless a non-Mekantan is present for a good enough reason for the security force to not abandon them, or is in the service of a powerful Warlord, there is a very strong chance of becomming a victim of Mekantan culture. Even with protection, there is a chance of being a victim of Mekantan culture. (1-2) Another diplomacy issue.


More might be added as I remember them.

Notes: Interesting weakness all round.

[Godular]

Godulan Weaknesses:

Morality-- Godulans will not commit genocide, the only exception being if an entire race must be terminated in order to cease their aggression against the Godulans. While this tends to give them the moral high ground, it also presents an annoying tactical liability. They also have a decided hatred of people who intentionally commit genocide, which of course means they hate the Galactic Empire's guts. (1-2) Could be problematic.

What Tangled Webs We Weave-- Godulans are bogged down in conflicting alliances, such as with the Coredians and the Chronosians, that prevents them from being able to approach a situation in any simple manner. Godulans also tend towards... difficult to reconcile relations (Friendly-but-Harsh relations with the Chronosians, yet still hating Genocide...) I'm unsure how to rate this. I suppose it could be considered a weakness if Rp'ed properly.

Trade-- Godulans conduct very little of it, preferring to be self-sufficient. Mostly, what trade they do conduct is mostly geared towards selling lots and lots of weapons to people who look like they might turn them on the Galactic Empire. How is this a weakness or disadvantage? It seems to me, your people are self-sufficient.

Goofy-- In their effort to learn about the universe, some Godulans will conduct courses of action that seem to others to be annoying or insane, though typically without any harmful repercussions against those being targeted. This is typically intended to gather information about the behavior of other sentient species when under some form of stress, but it presents a heightened chance of running afoul of others' good graces. A quirk.

Hedonistic-- I haven't elaborated much on this in RPs, but in a similar manner to the goofy entry above, the Godulans will try anything with glee. This includes acts of sexual deviance (if the other participant is willing), relations with strange races, flexible orientation, and generally breaking the limits of as many cultural taboos as possible. They will eat anything, drink anything, and generally be one helluva decadent bunch, all in the name of learning. While this might not seem a weakness in itself, the Godulans do not HIDE their behavior nor do they feel as though they are doing anything wrong. There is the potential for a Godulan to seriously test the patience of other nations that think boinking a legally under-age girl while biting her like a vampire just to see how her reaction compares to an adult is 'wrong'. Another quirk.

Scientific Taboos? Psh!-- Godulans give little thought to moral 'conventions' in regards to scientific research, only raising issue if an experiment promises to cause extensive physical or psychological harm to sentients. But then, they don't mind sucking out an enemy's memories and downloading them into a database for generalized perusal... since it doesn't hurt the victim, nor is he conscious enough to raise any issue about psychological trauma. Some might raise issue with the Godulan method of 'torture'. (1) This might be a diplomatic issue.

Paranoid-- The Godulans won't give you the time of day if they think you will derive some kind of tactical benefit against them from the information. (1-3) This could vary considerably from being little more than an annoyance to crippling.

All the fuck over the place-- The various systems of Godulan Space are NOT contiguous. This makes a for a difficult time whenever somebody is trying to give them military aid, but also makes a concerted strike against 'Godulan Territory' one helluva logistical nightmare. Hell, it makes vacationing in Godulan territory a logistical nightmare. (2-3) Actually its a weakness if you're holdings, colonies etc... are too spread out as an enemy(s) could strategiclly defeat you piecemeal and/or cut off vital supplies and so forth.

[Arizona Nova]

of Ilë Sornë:

A massive population and complicated economic system unfortunately guarantee one of the most sprawling bureacracies in existence. While attempts are often made to cut through the morass with digisent assisted systems, the government in Ilë Sornë, especially local governments, are incredibly laconic. (2-3) Ah, the bureacratic chocked nightmare! Always a classic!

The great diversity of Ilë Sornë's population leads (many believe, inevitably) to major clashes that can express themselves economically, culturally, or militarily, the ongoing Civil War being a case in point. (2) Looks like milti-culturalism isn't all thats its cracked up to be...

Relating to that, the current claim of Anikar to the rulership of Ilë Sornë is still tenuous. While her claim to the throne of Arizona Nova is certain, she has no such right to Arenumberg's, who (it is believed) could have an extant royal family in existence somewhere. (1-2) Another political/social issue.

While using a common currency and observing certain over-arching policies, the economic systems of Arenumberg and Arizona Nova remain markedly different. Arizona Nova's remains mostly traditionally capitalist, although during the Republic era attempts were made to increase taxes and put the system more in line with Arenumberg's. Arenumberg's system operates on quasi-post-scarcity lines, which is attributed derogatively in Arizona Nova as mere socialism. (1) This could be lumped with weakness number 2.

Typically Ilë Sornë has a very troublesome time picking enemies and usually ends up finding ones who are immune in some fashion to their most effective weapons. This has led to a popular perception that the armed forces are weak. Hmm, but is that really your peoples fault? Chalk it up to just plain bad luck, karma etc...

While no longer a front-burner issues, paranoia over chronomancy, Central Facehuggerian aggression, and impositions on religious freedom remain prevalent in Arizona Novanian society, and any of these three can flare up depending on the situation internationally, making negotiation difficult. More of a quirk really. Not much in the way of problems here.

Those loyalist elves in Arenumberg, while publically lauded, nonetheless experience difficulties when in Arizona Novanian ports from bigots who blame the civil war squarely on elven-kind. The elven tendency to be aloof and non-apologetic tends to only fuel these fires. (1) Another political/social issue.

[Trailers]

Of Trailica.

Civil - Borderline facist attidtudes. The Trailarii consider themselves not only the children of the Gods, but the heirs of the universe. Needless to say, their self righteous, holier-than-thou, and all around superior attitudes towards any nation younger, smaller, or even the same age/size as them makes them less than well liked at parties. (1) Probably more of a diplomatic issue than anything.

The government is oppressive, at a 100% income tax rate the people never see any actual currency, unless they're of the warrior or merchant caste. The government provides everything they need and then of course they provide sufficient items of vice to keep them happy, but the economy is totally under government/corporate control. In other words facism! I wouldn't consider this a weakness if it "get's the job done" so to speak.

Also, their way of thinking is archaic, even backwards. More suited to 450 BC than to 12,000ish AD. Slavery of the helot caste is totally acceptable, as well as a state of nearly constant war with surrounding nations. Women are esteemed in the nation of Trailica solely because of their connections to the female Gods. Not really much of a weakness, but more of a quirk. A number of us here keep slaves (or have so in the past) or otherwise treat our citizenry little more than slaves. Again, not a big weakness, unless slave revolts are common. At most this might be a diplomatic issue for some

Economic - Very much an export economy, because the people themselves don't have the money to buy goods. If no one bought internationally, there would be serious trouble in Trailica. Also, if one were to find a way to blockade the entire nation, it would break their backs in a matter of months. (3) An interesting weakness as it can be exploited.

Military - Very archaic style of warfare. To die in battle is glorious, so the Trailarii have seen no reason to update tactics in over 3,000 years. Even if an update in tactics could be shown to reduce battle casualties, they would shun it, for it isn't traditional. They fight in the style of Old Greece. Phalangites (youngest recruits who havent earned their father's shields yet and must bear a standard issue Helot scutum for protection, also, Phalagite armor is drastically less powerful than Hoplite armor) form the first ranks in a formation, shields to the front, with spears and armcannons presented. Behind them stand the Hoplites in the same fashion, though they do not present their spears in a phalanx, unless there are no Phalangites to form the first line. Behind the Hoplites are the Hypaspist light mechanized armor units, who support the foreward ranks with long range nukes and substantially heavier melee weaponry, as well as light tank grade armcannons. Behind the Hypaspists you'll find the Worldshaker tanks, the Clibanari Immortal heavy mechs, Siege Tower walkin' drones, airships, and the occasional Goldshield Guardsman warrior-priest. They move as a unit until given the order to teratul (draw in to a tighter formation) or break up the phalanx and engage individually. That, ladies and gentlemen, are my tactics. Highly nukable. Catch a phalanx or two without Hypaspists, tanks, or airships to shoot down your nukes, and you can wipe out several thousand soldiers at once. (3) Watch out for area effect weapons!

[Hyperspatial Travel]

Cypria:

Low fleet count. Sixty-nine fleet vessels, all of which are extremely hard to hurt, but also rather hard to replace. Not really a weakness due to the fact that your population is highly centralized and your vessels are so difficult to hurt. Large number of vessels simply wouldn't be neccessary.

Anarchistic post-scarcity, in that nobody has to do anything they don't want to do, provided you don't hurt anyone else. Military recruitment rates are, as a result, falling-off-a-cliff low, and maintaining actual ground regiments of sentients is almost impossible. (1-2) Could be problematic in times of war.

Lack of drive. Cypria has no real desire to dominate. All of its alliances are based on mutual gain, and, while it runs its own little alliance named the Cyprian Circle, it enforces most of its edicts and decisions because others believe it's in their best interest, not out of fear. Not really a weakness at all, many of us hear also have little or no drive to dominate as it were.

Large number of subordinate states: While the Cyprian Circle is largely benign, it's also largely dominated by Cypria, the only state to possess a veto in the proceedings of the Executive Council. This essentially gives it a dominant status, and while Cypria itself possesses only one system needing defense, it has a large number of states who rely on it for trade and defense in the case of a major war. In this capacity, Cypria's small fleet becomes a liability, as the number of colonies and systems possessed by many of the Circle member-states ranges from tens to hundreds. (1-2) The severity of this weakness will largely depend on the subordinate member states ability to defend themselves.

Astrographically centralized. One ringworld houses all the population. Of course, it's better defended than almost any other system in the galaxy, but, since everyone knows where it is, and it's a major trade hub, Cypria can't absorb the losses of any population centres. (1) A minor weakness at most sinse its so heavily defended which in itself makes sense.

Major trade hub: With a worldgate system uniting it with all the Cyprian Circle members, Cypria is a major trade hub, and relies on trade to bring in many of its goods more cheaply. If the outlying members of the Cyprian Circle were damaged, the economy of Cypria could take quite a hit. (2-3) Refer to weakness #4. Again, largely depends on member states defensive capabilties.

Moral high-ground: As almost all proceedings are open to Cyprian citizens, including diplomatic meetings, battles, and almost anything immediately after the event, any atrocities committed, any large-scale extermination of enemy citizens is likely to see a warship's AI replaced, or the instigator of such an event either removed from their position of authority, or made a pariah in society. Combining this with the fact that Cypria is virtually incapable of levying a significant ground force of sentients, this makes the occupation and subjugation of worlds a tricky issue that has yet to be overcome. (1-2)Depends on the reliability of the AI. Could be nullified by hiring mercenery forces. Which reminds me...Could you use some Sskiss merceneries?....

Reliance on the Keluaun: In order to address the previous issues, the Keluaun (Telros), have been given the right to enlist into the Cyprian army units. While this allows the Cyprian ground forces to have some punch in battle, it also leaves their existence heavily reliant on Keluaun agreement with their goals in war - if the Keluaun populace disagree with a Cyprian campaign, the best source of battle-tested soldiers will dry up rather quickly. (1-2) Could be problematic...But can be rectified to a degree by hiring mercenries.

Politically decentralized. It's hard to unify the people behind any one cause, and, despite Cypria's immense wealth and relative industrial power, it can only really be put into use when the people agree entirely with what their government's doing. Seeing "free" vessels alongside the Cyprian Navy isn't too uncommon, and companies of non-government soldiers are common, and can actively work against the Authority if it acts against their wishes. (2-3) This is a more susbstantial weakness and can be exploited.

The Travellian segment of Cypria emit psi/Force/magic nullification fields, which, effectively, means the occurance rate of psionic powers is exceedingly low. (2-3)

[Sskiss]

A few more weaknesses the Sskiss possess that could potentially be exploited.

Heavily dependent on food production as part of the economy (2-3) Potentially exploitable situation.
Requires a greater amount of food in absolute terms * (1-2) Basically means less of us can inhabite any given world.
Carnivorous - can only exploit protein based food sources ** (1-2) As number 2 above.

* As I said in absolute terms, but in relative terms Sskiss eat less frequently than most humanoids and can go without food for longer periods without any ill effect.
** Although carnivorous, the Sskiss realize the potential for selling and trading vegetable based food sources to other races. This is also a limiting factor in the number of Sskiss that can actually inhabite a given planet or moon.

[The Mindset]

Here's another:

Reliant on nanofabrication technology. Nuke a Mindsetti world, and industry shuts down due to EMP (and can't be restored easily). (2-3) Interesting weakness. I would also like to add that having EM sources everywhere can be hazardous to your health.

[Kanuckistan]

Carnivorous - can only exploit protein based food sources **

** Although carnivorous, the Sskiss realize the potential for selling and trading vegetable based food sources to other races. This is also a limiting factor in the number of Sskiss that can actually inhabite a given planet or moon.

What about protine-rich microbes, harvested and processed?

Here's another:

Reliant on nanofabrication technology. Nuke a Mindsetti world, and industry shuts down due to EMP (and can't be restored easily).

You don't EMP shield? Kanuckistani have to harden everything just to protect against the occasional civvie mishap with high-energy tech - Bust a voltsink? EMP. Fry your household fusion reactor? Might cause an EMP. Then you have all the fabbers in civilian hands, making things like fusion reactors, voltsinks, and any number of other things. They've usually comparatively small, but proximity is everything.