The Ostrakon

The Hollow came from beyond the rim of the galaxy. They take human worlds one by one, and what they cannot take, they destroy. Humans named them for what they seem to lack.

The United Terrans hold the heart of human space, and they cannot help you this far out. On the edge you have one station, a few ships, and the families who crew them. Hold it, and one day all of humanity may fly your flag.

Fleets of tens of thousands

Interceptors chase Wasps between the capital ships while Destroyers trade fire with the enemy line. Hollow Stalkers hit hard from long range, so close the gap and send your Lancers across to board them. At any moment, take the helm of one ship and fly it yourself, one pilot among tens of thousands.

Take the galaxy system by system

The war is played in turns across a galaxy of star systems. Win the battle at a system's command station, hold the siege, and the system is yours, with its refineries, shipyards, and the people who work them. The Hollow come in through the galaxy's spiral arms. Hold the gateway of every arm and you shut them out.

Chart the dark

Past the edge of human space the galaxy is uncharted, and its black holes lead one way only. Dive into one and your fleet comes out far away, damaged, at an exit no one has charted. Chart enough of them and you have roads behind the enemy's lines. The Hollow keep their own charts, and they may know roads you don't.

Stories from your war

The Ambush: Kill your engines and drift cold in an asteroid field until a Hollow fleet passes within range.
The Answer: Ambush the same Hollow admiral again and again, and one day its sensors are ready for you. Its intercepted log reads PATTERN NOTED.
The Grudge: When a Hollow fleet burns one of your colonies, your crews give it a name. Hunt it down, and morale rises across your whole faction.
The Prisoner: Pick up an enemy admiral's escape pod. Ransom them, trade them, or offer them a fleet of their own.
The Pod: Your flagship breaks apart and you escape in a pod with air for a few turns. Hope your own ships reach you before the Hollow do.
The Deal: Accept the Hollow's terms and a front goes quiet for a while, but your crews lose heart and the other human powers trust you less.
The Exile: The Hollow take your home station, and the game goes on. What is left of your fleet becomes your home until you take a new one.

Unite humanity or rule it

Take contracts from the other human powers and keep them. Come when they call for help. Trust opens trade, then alliance, and in the end a union under one flag. Break a deal and they will remember it. To take the Terrans' place, conquer their systems, win their member worlds over one by one, or wait until they need you enough to join you.

Admirals with a past

Every admiral comes with a personnel file, and some of its lines are blacked out. You learn the rest in battle: "Admiral Varga pursued against orders. Trait revealed: GLORY-SEEKER." Admirals learn from every battle they fight, and the best of them train successors who start with much of what their teacher knew.

Design your warships

Build ships from a hull and parts. Every gun adds weight, draws power, and needs hands to crew it, so no design can do everything. Test a design against the enemy before you spend money on it. Capture a Hollow ship to study its parts and put its long guns on your own hulls.

Built for mods

Mods can add new guns, ships, factions, and rules of battle. Share your ship designs and mods on the Steam Workshop.