Unathi Entertainment

Just on Moghes, cultures are incredibly varied, and each has their own traditions and forms of entertainment. This section is dedicated to more famous forms of Unathi entertainment, known and enjoyed over the entire world, Hegemony, and by Unathi -and even people of other species- across the Spur.

Содержание

Music

Music is an almost essential part of Unathi society, and a highly appreciated form of entertainment, whether it is played or listened to.

Uhszi Ski

Uhszi Ski was born ten years before the nukes dropped near Mudki. Her clan was devastated by the war and became nomadic wandering the wastelands to find food and shelter, during those years Ski developed her talent for music mostly using her voice and string instruments singing about wandering the wastes and surviving in it. Her breakthrough in the wider world of Moghes was when she got an audience with Queen Lazak Sezk-Hakh, moved by her music she hired her as a personnel bard getting her songs out to the radios all over the wastes and the wider Moghes.

Ski has learned to play various instruments since her career began, though she almost exclusively plays traditional Moghesian instruments. Her instrument of choice is the Ksar - a centuries-old, large instrument not unlike a harp, featuring five strings and played with a bow. Her singing is equally based on tradition, employing plenty of long hissing and notes. As a person, she is said to be a calm and quiet, but very kind woman.

Her texts generally revolve around praising Unathi culture and traditions, as well as mourning what was lost and the many lives wasted in the Contact War, often mixing mournful but hopeful themes. Perhaps the source of her success, however, might be her ability to embrace and praise tradition without coming off as hostile to the Hegemony and other more progressive elements of the Unathi population; instead preaching a message of peace, forgiveness, and harmony. Her most famous track is a perfect example of it, named “Spirits of Stones”, it is about a young couple falling in love with each other in the middle of the Iron Crusade, one being of Sk'akh faith, and the other Th'akh, ending on bittersweet notes.

Wall Breachers

Wall Breachers is a Moghesian band mixing elements from modern rock and metal genres with more traditional Unathi instruments, rhythms, and singing. Their music mostly revolves around war and battles, though not in a politically engaged way - rather praising the heroics and sacrifices of soldiers over history rather than treating war itself as a positive thing. Their songs offer tribute to all, from Traditionalists to Hegemonic troops, from ancient Unathi to soldiers of modern powers across the Spur.

Their first album, “Burn Thy World” revolves exclusively around the Contact War, and sparked a bit of a controversy considering that it came out in 2451, merely two years after the Contact War ended - though it was undeniable that the band had talent even then and warriors from both sides were somewhat pleased by the tribute in the end. Released in 2453, “Lead and Light” is their most popular album to date, still mostly revolving around Unathi, it both extends far beyond the Contact War and up to the first Hegemony and tells tales about Kataphracts facing pirates among the stars. They have continued releasing more albums up to now and continue to do so; “Supernova” came out in 2456 and contains many more songs dedicated to non-Unathi with the most popular one in it being about the Interstellar War. “No Fear”, coming out in 2463, is considered their weakest entry, though it still features a few loved tracks, and it is also where Ra’Akaix’Kruki’K’lax, the band’s Vaurca member, made his first appearance. The band’s most recent album, “Honor” was released in 2465, rapidly proving extremely popular across the Spur with the band trying to evolve musically and attempt new things. One song in particular from this album has proved a surprise hit - The Abyss, an eight and a half minute long ballad about the final battle of the Great Hive War. The song proved hugely popular with both K’lax and offworld Vaurcae.

Band members

Wall Breachers have five members:

Koke Ozuk, (aged 36) is the band’s founder and lead singer. Born the third son to a minor noble in the Hegemony, his father sent his son off to the Keepers of Heirlooms where he quickly became a part of the Scourn of Skalds. Though he was as shocked by the Contact War as any other Unathi, being in Res’karum at the time ensured that he would remain safe from the nuclear exchange. In 2447 he took part in the Contact War’s last battles, up to its very end in 2449, during which it is said that he wrote his first songs, some of which ended up in the band’s first album. Koke often comes out as a fun-loving but ultimately responsible sinta.

Ulha Ossi (aged 38) is the guitarist. Born a peasant in Ura’Mastyx in the Tza Prairie, they were a fisherman before meeting Koke. For a time they learnt to play various traditional Moghesian string instruments. Ossi plays various instruments for the band, depending on the song, from the old Unathi Iszwara (a sort of mix between a harp and a guitar that a Unathi plays by plucking the cords with their claws and tail) to even electric guitars. Ossi is very close to Ozuk, the two of them publicly referring to each other as “brothers” on multiple occasions.

Rearsl Ozuk (aged 35) is the bassist, born as a noble in the Heartlands, always being fond of history even from a young age she aspired to be a historian when she grew up. She was married to Koke Ozuk one year before the band formed, hearing her husband talk about music she decided to help her husband with making a band and bringing the history point forward. A quick learner she picked up the bass guitar and in Wall Breachers' latest releases started to do some backup singing.

Ska Reoroz (aged 47) is the drummer. Born before the Contact War, he was a warrior for the Traditionalist Coalition, though beyond that little is known about his clan or origins. A quiet man, Reoroz prefers to stay out of the spotlight, refusing to give personal interviews unless there’s a band member with him. When asked, Reoroz has said that he prefers to “let the music speak for him”. He compensates for his more quiet and composed attitude with unparalleled energy when playing, his age seemingly taking nothing from him.

Ra’Akaix’Kruki’K’lax (aged 2) is the latest addition to Wall Breachers, an unbound Bulwark-form Vaurca of the K’lax hive, Kruki met Koke during “No Fear”’s production. Stories say that Koke was shocked to meet Kruki because of how surprisingly good of a musician they were. Kruki plays the synthesizer, though they are able to play various other keyboard instruments, bringing an electronic side to the band’s songs and occasionally acting as a backup singer. Kruki instantly became popular among fans appearing as a big but somewhat naive and kind figure within the band.

Mador’s Revenge

Mador's Revenge is a band made up of six Aut’akh from the underbelly commune of Skalmar, not much is known about these six sinta other than their names and some facts. A young band popular among the underclasses of the Hegemony mostly playing live in underground taverns, they scream and sing about how furious they are against the Hegemony, Hephaestus, and wider society. While not so popular on Moghes itself, their music is quite popular in various scenes around the Spur, and naturally among other Aut’akh.

The band is very guitar, drum, and synth-heavy with a little mix of the saxophone in it. The heavy focus on human instruments is believed to be due to Ouerean cultural influence. The band's most infamous action was during the opening of the Jaz’zirt regional fusion plant in the Southlands - playing several of their most anti-Hephaestus song in the streets. They were ordered to stop by the local watch following the assassination attempt on Titanius Aeson, and rumor has it that several members of the band were arrested under suspicion of involvement - a fact which neither the band nor the Jaz’zirt watch are willing to confirm or deny.

Band members

Hoeiz Madorssask is the front man of the band, and often acts as their public face. He is believed to have originally been a roboticist in one of the undercity communes. He cuts an imposing figure, a hulking Sinta covered head to toe in Mador runes and robotic augments.

Kiso Madorssask is one of the guitarists of the band. A young Sinta, he stands out for an Aut’akh, sporting barely any arguments buta robotic arm and eyes. He is believed to come from the Kuhwinla orphanage, though he has repeatedly publically denied this.

Ukok Madorssask is the bassist of the band. Small and thin for a Sinta, it is believed they were a wasteland refugee. Due to the band’s unwillingness to share personal details, Ukok has refused to comment on this, which has led to a running joke among fans of attributing increasingly implausible secret identities to them - ranging from King Don’zai Azarak’s secret twin to a Skrell-created clone of Hegemon Kresshi Kres’ha’nor.

Hsekasa Madorssask is the other guitarist and saxophone player, an older woman believed to be a former noble from the Traditionalist Coalition. Due to her age and perhaps her noble education, she learned the guitar and saxophone easily. She is fully augmented, with her extensive prosthetics etched in Mador runes. Of the band’s members, she seems to be one of the most dedicated to the religious ideals of the Aut’akh faith.

Reeri Madorssask is the drummer, a young woman born in to a Skalmar peasant clan. She joined the Aut’akh due to her political stances, and saw the band as a means to spread the fairly unpopular faith’s message. A skilled wordsmith, she is one of the band’s main songwriters - frequently praised by fans for her influence on the lyrics and song titles.

Azal Madorssask is the synth player, who also acts as a roboticist for the Skalamar commune. She has a very keen mind when it comes to technological matters, and is responsible for a great portion of the band’s unique sound - reportedly often spending days on end diving through the extranet for samples.

The Rezlik Crew

Originally the Rezlik clan was a small crew of an independent pirate ship. Like quite a few others, they chose to swear fealty to the Hegemony for forgiveness, and the right to return to Moghes. While they are crewmen first, they also very much enjoy singing, and this is how they made a name for themselves. Shanties are not uncommon among Unathi space pirates, but the Rezlik take these quite seriously and very much enjoy them. Thankfully, people seem to grow quite fond of their renditions and so they started selling albums, something that turned out to be quite successful.

Unathi space pirate shanties are quite unique, a bland of tradition and modernity, with crews hissing, thumping tails, and doing harmonics, while a handful of members actually sing. Texts generally revolve around tales of adventure, danger, and glory, as well as tales of legendary pirates past. “The Gold of the Glorywright” is one of their most popular songs, telling of the death of the pirate Vhariz Smokescale, and his lost trove of phoron hidden somewhere in the Spur.

The Rezlik Crew remains first and foremost, pirates in the service of the Hegemon, and thus their mission passes before their music. While they can record their music in their ship, on their way to their objectives, occasions to perform before a crowd are rare, though often happen when they stop by a colony. Occasionally, influential members of the Hegemony can also ask to have the Rezliks given some “free time” so that they may perform somewhere specific if it is possible.

The Crew counts 30 members, but its face remains Uklek Rezlik, the Captain himself. He is a generally brash and rude man, but not a cruel one. He is also ultimately a man of honor, hence his desire to stick to his duty to the Hegemon first and foremost.

Literature

Though some clichés and prejudices might have led some to believe the opposite, Unathi take literature quite seriously, and have been doing so since it existed. Before the creation of the printing press, and long after as well, manuscripts and books were seen as precious artifacts to preserve and maintain. The feeling died down in the last couple of centuries, though, but recently returned after the Contact War, many works of literature seen as parts of Unathi culture from before the Nuclear Exchange devastation to protect and maintain.

Empires of the Blue Planet

One of the earliest works of Unathi science fiction, ‘Empires of the Blue Planet’ was written in the late 21st century. It tells the story of an Izweski warrior who is wounded in battle, and stumbles upon a mysterious machine which transports him to Ouerea. The version of Ouerea portrayed in the novel is very different to reality, with the planet shown as an oceanic world dominated by a strange alien race known as the Vsai. The protagonist is taken as a slave to the strange cities of the Vsai, and is almost sacrificed to their dark spirit-gods. With the aid of a sympathetic Vsai woman, he manages to free himself and lead a rebellion, tearing down the decadent aliens and rising to rule the planet in a story that is often considered to be an allegory of the Izweski coup against the Sarakus. These days, the novel is surprisingly popular on Ouerea, considered an amusing reminder of pre-spaceflight Unathi beliefs.

The Moghesian Records

The Moghesian records are multi-volume encyclopedias updated and published yearly since the Second Hegemony. As part of Ayzi Sarakus’ “Great Endeavor”, members of the Bard’s Guild were tasked sometime in the 1930s with creating an large, but easily digestible work of literature that could be distributed with ease to population all over the Hegemony to spread the knowledge needed to work in a modernized Hegemony. The first of the Hegemonic Records, as they were called then, mainly revolved around scientific and technical knowledge, but priorities shifted at the dawn of the 21st century and the Hegemonic Record’s objectives moved to trying to include all of Unathi knowledge, leading to a change in names, with the books now called the Moghesian Records.

Despite trying to be as easy to read as possible, Moghesian Records are works of epic proportions. The 2466 edition, for instance, includes 4 volumes of 380 pages and a final fifth volume of 191 pages. Still, no matter the edition, Moghesian Records remain a common sight in Unathi libraries and even homes, providing an extensive and comprehensive database on paper format, both in Sinta’Unathi and Sinta’Azaziba.

Tales of the Past

Reclaimer clans and other Wasteland explorers scour the Wastes mainly for technological items and resources to recycle, but its not rare for other types of finds to come up, such as pieces of literature. Though not of immediate use, many knew not to dispose of these finds, forgotten pieces of a culture damaged by the Contact War. This led to the creation of Tales of the Past, a monthly magazine published by the Keepers of Heirlooms, but sharing stories often provided by Wasteland explorers.

Each issue of Tales of the Past provides a couple of articles explaining life or events in the Wastes, but most importantly, includes collections of written pieces gathered all over the wastes: books, letters, journals, notes and more. When possible, these pieces are identified, or investigations are made to figure out who wrote them or what they were about when incomplete; readers are often regularly invited to contact Tales of the Past to provide information if they happen to recognize some of the pieces in order to help with said research.

Tales of the Wastes is very popular among Unathi, and the magazine has not only proved to be a source of interesting reads for the common people, but also a very useful resource for historians and academics.

Cinema and TV

Due to the ravages of the Contact War, the exact date has been lost, but it is known that Unathi came up with photography, and shortly after cinema, during the later part of the 20th century.

The Quests for the Ruins

The Quests for the Ruins is a series of movie adaptations of an epic dating back to the later days of the first Hegemony. It is unknown whether the story was originally based on history, or if it was purely fictional, but it features fantastic elements in any case. The Quests for the Ruins tell the tale of the Yelkin Clan at an unknown age (though historians judge that it should still be during the first Hegemony, even if the Hegemony itself is never named nor makes an appearance), as they discover the ruins of a massive city in the mountain ranges North of modern Bahard. These strange ruins belonging to an unknown, long-dead people- who modern experts assume are, or are inspired by Sinta’Mador- prove to be full of strange treasures and promesses of untold wealth and power. Soon the more clans hear of it, and it doesn’t take long for great wars for the control of the ruined city to unfold between the many clans of the story. The story follows many members of the Yelkin clan over more than a century, until the protagonists realize that the power the city can provide is corruptive, and forces Sinta to face their own kin, culminating in a great battle between those that were corrupted and the “real kin” led by the last of the Yelkin, leading to the destruction of the city. To this day, it remains a classic story loved by Unathi of all origins and culture for its message of union against evil, no matter one’s background.

Impressive means were deployed to properly adapt this legendary epic, leading to the release of three, roughly three hours-long movies, in 2379, 2381 and 2383. Some of the greatest names of the time in Moghesian cinema played at some point in these movies, the shooting of the final battle employed some 20,000 extras (many being actual soldiers) and using revolutionary -at the time- special effects. The Quests for the Ruins movie series ended up being the greatest cinematic success in Moghes’ history and still is today, even if the actual numbers were lost to time. It was so popular in fact, that the Contact War did not make finding copies of it any harder, and even sold quite a lot on the interstellar market; with many considering these movies the pinnacle of the Moghesian Epic genre.

The Ballad of the Matriarch

The Ballad of the Matriarch is one of, if not THE most popular Unathi-made TV-show in the Spur, with a large following both in the Hegemony and abroad. The Ballad of the Matriarch is half soap opera, half documentary, aimed at representing the life of Moghesian women of influential clans. Perhaps what gave The Ballad of the Matriarch (often shortened to The Ballad) such a following is how much it stands out compared to other such shows due to the characters represented and their activities. While The Ballad may tackle the typical themes seen in the average soap operas, from love affairs to money, it also focuses a lot on the plotting and strategies of Unathi women taking care of clan affairs. Viewers often joke about “joining for the women and staying for the politics”, though it is often how many fans actually got enamored with the show. Even though it has been running for years, The Ballad managed to bring new elements to keep its episodes fresh and interesting, from bringing characters from across the Spurs with Biesel or Mictlan Unathi, to the appearance of a member of a pirate clan highly inspired by real life’s fleet Iska's Adventurers.

The first episode of The Ballad of the Matriarch first aired on the 5th of June 2450, and has been broadcasting one episode every day since then, except during the Travakh season. The Ballad of the Matriarch earned a large following all over Moghes right away, and started getting popular abroad over the years, with a notable number of fans in Mictlan.

The Art of the Hunt

The Art of the Hunt is a TV show revolving around hunting, fishing, and cooking. The Art of the Hunt is a loved show across Moghes, and slowly started earning some following across the Spur. It is also liked by many for its host, Ystan Karkizi, an ex-cook from the Hegemon’s palace in his early 50s with bright red scales and a surprisingly cheerful attitude.

Each episode follows the same 3-part structure: the first part introduces the game they are after, or the type of fish they are looking to catch, then the process to actually hunting or catching it. The second part revolves around processing said catch, from skinning to choosing what part to keep, coupled with plenty of advice and reminders about health and safety. Finally, the third part revolves around cooking the meat in question, much like a standard cooking show. This three part structure allowed the show to draw a wide range of audiences, some interested by specific parts, others by the show as a whole.

The show first aired in January of 2459 and has been broadcasted weekly on Moghesian television ever since; and since 2465, on various other channels across the spur. Since 2464, The Art of the Hunt’s team started shooting across the Spur, offering tips about hunting and cooking meat from abroad. Notable episodes include the Space Carp episodes made in partnership with the Izweski Navy; and the Dominian episodes during which Ystan hunts along members of the Kazhkz Unathi House; the latter also being a display of Ystan’s desire to keep the show as apolitical as possible, which contributed to earning more viewers.

Venom Hearts

A television series primarily made for women, Venom Hearts is a story about the hardened spy and investigator, Zo’kaa Lhesk Yiia, as she runs her investigative business in the heart of Skalamar, solving crimes too tough for the City Watch. In the show’s many seasons, she has had numerous lovers of all genders, and faced all manner of adversaries - from the Shortclaw Clan to corrupt nobles and the assassins of the Shadow Service. The show’s fifth season recently aired, ending with Yiia’s desperate flight offworld, pursuing her arch-rival, a villainous noblewoman turned criminal mastermind, to the Republic of Biesel.

The series begins when Yiia finds a dying Kataphract warrior in her office, clutching a mysterious note. This leads her to rapidly chasing an increasingly deepening mystery, leading her through criminal syndicates both Unathi and alien, and eventually bringing her up against her cunning and diabolical archenemy, the Lady Khisa Vhesk, who has been consolidating power over the criminal guilds of Moghes. Zo’kaa works to unravel this conspiracy in a gripping thriller, seeking to prove her rival’s guilt, but so far Vhesk has managed to slip out of every trap laid for her.

The series is known for its large and complex cast of characters, whose alliances tend to be fluid and opportunistic. It is also one of the few Unathi pieces of media to cast a large number of alien actors, with humans, Tajara, Dionae, Vaurcae and even the occasional Skrell all making an appearance at various points. The sixth season is set to take place on the moon of Valkyrie, and is scheduled for release in late 2466.

The Waste Hunter

An action movie, focusing on the seasoned warrior Jharak Illisk, turned Jharak Guwandi. Drugged into unconsciousness as his own father, the lord of his city that he was sworn to protect was murdered by his corrupt and villainous brother, Jharak is made Guwandi and exiled to the Wasteland. Swearing to clear his name, he fights against raiders, Traditionalist holdouts, and assassins of the Shadow Service as he works to bring down his brother and restore the rightful heir to his lord’s seat. The film has received generally positive reviews, though some feel that it is too sympathetic to Wastelanders and Guwandi in its depiction.

Jharak spends many years in exile, seeking and failing to find an honorable death - before receiving word from a merchant that his brother has been named as the new lord of the city. Vowing his revenge, the aged warrior sets out into the radioactive Wasteland, seeking to redeem himself for his failure. Along the way, his brother learns of his survival and sends assassins after him, including the deadly bounty hunter Za’Akaix’Zix K’lax, a silent and fearsome Vaurca mercenary. Though Zix seems to only care about the money, the Vaurca is shown to have its own sense of honor, and joins Jharak in his quest when the treacherous lord betrays it.

Along the way, Jharak acquires several companions, including a young doctor from the House of Medicine whom he rescues from Gawgaryn raiders, a wise diona gestalt from the Oasis Clans, and a snarky and wisecracking Reclaimer who joins him in the hope of a payday. Together, they face countless foes, including villainous mercenaries in the pay of Jharak’s brother, in fight scenes that are known for their high-octane pace and brutal death sequences.

The film ends with Jharak being formally restored to his name and title, as he is raised to the seat of his father. We see him welcome his Wasteland companions into his hall as valued counselors, and the final scene implies a blossoming romance between him and his doctor companion, as the warrior sworn to die in battle finally reclaims his life and honor. Though he offers Zix a position in his personal guard, the Vaurca refuses, claiming that he has business to tend elsewhere, and returns to the harshness of the Wasteland. In 2465, a sequel focusing on Zix was announced, titled ‘The Waste Hunter 2: Xsain Fury’.

Last Days of Kres’ha’nor

Last Days of Kres’ha’nor is a historical drama series, focusing on the dying days of the final Hegemon Kres’ha’nor, in the moments before the First Hegemony collapsed. It follows a large cast of courtiers, including the Hegemon’s many vassals and children. The show has become wildly popular among both nobles and peasants, with strong arguments being held on Extranet forums as to which of the Hegemon’s children is most worthy of seizing his power. The show is currently awaiting its third season, with Hegemon Kres’ha’nor having finally died in a shocking moment at the end of the second season, with his heirs and rivals alike now preparing for war.

Last Days of Kres’ha’nor has achieved great popularity among offworld Unathi, with many viewing the show’s portrayal of Moghresian history as a romantic depiction of proud Sinta traditions. The show’s commitment to historical accuracy has often been lauded by Unathi scholars, and its success has led to the greenlighting of a series focusing on the rise of the Sarakus Hegemony, scheduled for release in 2467.

Games

Just like most other sentient species, Unathi have developed games ever since the very beginning of society. Countless Unathi games exist all over Moghes and other Unathi territories, these are only the most well-known across the Spur as a whole.

Conquest

A typical Conquest board. The red side (up top) has the advantage currently.

Conquest is a board game supposedly dating back to the First Hegemony. It is played on a 11-by-11 squares checkered board with lines, or “paths”, possibly featuring empty spaces in it as well. Each player takes a side of the board and places their 11 pieces at the first line in front of them, facing the other player’s side.

Each player takes turns moving one piece a turn, during which they may either turn and move, or move straight away. When moved, pieces go forward until they either hit a wall or another piece. If they hit one of the other player’s pieces from the side or the back (the front being indicated by an arrow), or just the back depending if the players are following the "classic" or "modern" rules, the piece is then captured. The game ends once one player loses all of their pieces or surrenders. Perhaps the most strategically interesting side of this game are the board’s path, curved lines allowing the pieces to change directions while moving. Though they cannot stop or turn during their movement, they follow any path they encounter, leaving the board from one side of the path and coming out of the other now moving in another direction, allowing complex maneuvers to trap any unsuspecting oppenent. Perhaps another interesting aspect is that the game allows a variety of different board layouts, the possibilities being nearly infinite (though only a selection of 70 boards are officially recognized by the Hegemonic Conquest League.)

Conquest is an easy to learn and popular game, played by nobles and peasants alike, from elders to hatchlings drawing their board into the dirt and using painted rocks as pieces.

Boarding Action

Boarding Action is a game created by and, originally, for Unathi pirates. It is a game noteworthy for being extremely complicated, many saying to a ridiculous degree, being “the fruit of the bored imagination of crewmen stuck in their ships with very little to do for days” as said by Altarak Iska himself during an interview after his fleet officially joined the Hegemony.

Boarding Action is a strategy board game, very similar to wargames, played by at least two players and with no upper limit to how many can take part in it. Each player has their own board representing their ship, resting on an even larger board (or just the floor or table itself) representing the battlespace. Along with their ships, players get a crew, represented on their board by tokens, and resources like weapons, fuel and wealth represented by cards. Players take turns over various game phases from moving to taking actions to firing, and can revolve around any goals, though the basic objective is defeating the enemy ship, either through space combat or, as the name suggests, boarding action. If more than two players are taking part in the game, teams can be formed, leading to veritable space battles.

Games are known to be very long, the shortest games known to last several hours; while the bigger-scaled, longer games are played over multiple days. This made the game rather well-known abroad for such facts, and yet rarely if ever played by anyone but the most dedicated of players aside from other pirates. Unathi pirates being accepted back into the Hegemony for swearing fealty as of recently, notably with the entire Iska’s Adventurers fleet joining, have led to the game getting some more popularity in non-pirate circles however.

Seamaster

Unathi are not strangers to video games, though the lack of Moghesian video game brands, or at least the closest things Unathi society could have to a brand, means that the video game market sees few games made by Unathi, let alone popular ones. Seamaster is an exception.

Developed by a small team of Ouerean Unathi, Seamaster is a strategy, management and roleplaying game revolving around fishing of all things. The game begins with the player creating their character and playing them directly, starting out small with minimal funds. Through fishing (but not only as updates added other ways to make a living, even if a little more shallow gameplay-wise), and slowly growing their operation, buying better fishing tools, ships and hiring more people to assist in their operations. As the player’s means grow greater, the game shifts from a typical roleplaying game to something more akin to a management game, though it is still possible to play individual characters just like at the start. The endgame sees players investing in interplanetary business, engaging in politics by taking an important position either among nobles or in the Guilds, and so on.

Seamaster is often mocked for its very limited graphics, but this is more than made up for by unparalleled depth. Characters can engage in a wide variety of activities within countless procedurally generated planets. Individual characters do not just have a health bar, but rather, have body parts and organs each with their own individual status; they can engage in fishery which is by far the most detailed activity, but can also become miners, soldiers, explorers, settlers and more; and the roster of generated leaders and political entities allows for deep and extensive interaction and intrigue in that field too. Seamaster takes place in an entirely generated space with non-existent planets and systems and takes place at an unknown time, though Moghes is often referred to by other characters, and said space is located in Hegemonic territories. Developers said that the game supposedly takes place some time in the future, when Unathi colonies are more numerous and more developed, though no precise year is given in order to avoid making the game appear too dated in the future.

All in all, Seamaster is a complicated game with a steep learning curve, but able to offer incredible depths to players dedicated enough to master it. Both this nature and its genre mean that this game is obviously not for everyone, yet it has earned a niche but very enthusiastic fanbase, and many video game players know of Seamaster even if they don’t play it themselves.