10-30-2018, 10:53 AM
I suggest that we move the timeline further to 2553.
This is a period that I believe will still give the possibility for players to play a covenant vs humans or covenant vs covenant, like with the Sword of Sanghelios against the Servants of the Abiding Truth and remnants of the covenant faction. Summary below (source: https://www.halopedia.org/2553 ):
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2553 was the first year that saw relative peace for humanity as the Covenant ceased to exist following its collapse during the Great Schism and its defeat at the end of the Human-Covenant War. The war formally came to an end in March 2553 with a treaty agreed upon between the Unified Earth Government and the Swords of Sanghelios. Despite the end of large-scale hostilities and the absence of humanity being threatened with extinction, new factions sprung up in the power vacuum left behind by the ancient empire and new battles followed. 2553 was a year that saw the United Nations Space Command make major advances in terms of its technological prowess and military capability, despite a lesser reach over the galaxy incurred by the loss of so many colonies and assets during the decades of war. Ex-Covenant societies were faced with the challenge of redefining their purpose in a galaxy that no longer provided them with the rigid structure the hegemony had. Some sought revenge on humans and some on others from the Covenant. Some sought to be left alone and others made grabs for power. And some, such as Thel 'Vadam's Swords of Sanghelios, made in-roads with their former enemies for the mutual benefit of all parties.
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There are many splinter factions that comes with the collapse of the covenant faction and would allow for more freedom in term of objective and roleplay. Summary of splinter factions below (source: https://www.halopedia.org/Covenant_remnants ):
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Covenant remnants are splinter factions originating from the former Covenant body and remain active after the dissolution of the Covenant, though no single group uses the specific term "Covenant remnant" to refer to themselves. These factions vary greatly in ethos and motives; while some consider themselves as upholding the legacy of the Covenant as it used to be, others have been shown to pursue more extensive reforms or their own specific agendas. Although many former Covenant members discarded the Prophets' religion and the belief in the "Great Journey" altogether in the wake of the revelation of the truth about the Halos, many Sangheili in particular have reverted to their species' ancient ways of worshiping the Forerunners and their technology, while others continue to maintain their belief in the "Great Journey" free from the influence of the Prophets. Thus, the various Covenant remnant factions range from pragmatic mercenaries to fanatical religious cultists.
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Spartans could also be a thing, same for the URF and the ONI. This timeline is great because it does not involve an open war, as in each encounter should result in one or both sides being obliterated, but instead have all factions be 'divided' into subfactions (splinter factions) so they can pick whichever they want and pursue the goals that attract them the most. For example, a player could join as sangheili as part of the Servants of the Abiding Truth, worship the forerunner and attack the Swords of Sangheilios, or fight along the Keepers of One Freedom then help the URF fight the UNSC. Otherwise, there are always 'covenant' assets that are loyal to the Great Journey.
It is a very flexible timeline for all aspects of the lore. As to compensate the potential lack of clear objective, there could still be forerunner artifacts hidden on some maps, eventually. I don't have many ideas for objectives. Maybe an objective to host the 'peace treaty talk', which can be disrupted by other factions with organized attacks and the like.
This is a period that I believe will still give the possibility for players to play a covenant vs humans or covenant vs covenant, like with the Sword of Sanghelios against the Servants of the Abiding Truth and remnants of the covenant faction. Summary below (source: https://www.halopedia.org/2553 ):
---
2553 was the first year that saw relative peace for humanity as the Covenant ceased to exist following its collapse during the Great Schism and its defeat at the end of the Human-Covenant War. The war formally came to an end in March 2553 with a treaty agreed upon between the Unified Earth Government and the Swords of Sanghelios. Despite the end of large-scale hostilities and the absence of humanity being threatened with extinction, new factions sprung up in the power vacuum left behind by the ancient empire and new battles followed. 2553 was a year that saw the United Nations Space Command make major advances in terms of its technological prowess and military capability, despite a lesser reach over the galaxy incurred by the loss of so many colonies and assets during the decades of war. Ex-Covenant societies were faced with the challenge of redefining their purpose in a galaxy that no longer provided them with the rigid structure the hegemony had. Some sought revenge on humans and some on others from the Covenant. Some sought to be left alone and others made grabs for power. And some, such as Thel 'Vadam's Swords of Sanghelios, made in-roads with their former enemies for the mutual benefit of all parties.
---
There are many splinter factions that comes with the collapse of the covenant faction and would allow for more freedom in term of objective and roleplay. Summary of splinter factions below (source: https://www.halopedia.org/Covenant_remnants ):
---
Covenant remnants are splinter factions originating from the former Covenant body and remain active after the dissolution of the Covenant, though no single group uses the specific term "Covenant remnant" to refer to themselves. These factions vary greatly in ethos and motives; while some consider themselves as upholding the legacy of the Covenant as it used to be, others have been shown to pursue more extensive reforms or their own specific agendas. Although many former Covenant members discarded the Prophets' religion and the belief in the "Great Journey" altogether in the wake of the revelation of the truth about the Halos, many Sangheili in particular have reverted to their species' ancient ways of worshiping the Forerunners and their technology, while others continue to maintain their belief in the "Great Journey" free from the influence of the Prophets. Thus, the various Covenant remnant factions range from pragmatic mercenaries to fanatical religious cultists.
---
Spartans could also be a thing, same for the URF and the ONI. This timeline is great because it does not involve an open war, as in each encounter should result in one or both sides being obliterated, but instead have all factions be 'divided' into subfactions (splinter factions) so they can pick whichever they want and pursue the goals that attract them the most. For example, a player could join as sangheili as part of the Servants of the Abiding Truth, worship the forerunner and attack the Swords of Sangheilios, or fight along the Keepers of One Freedom then help the URF fight the UNSC. Otherwise, there are always 'covenant' assets that are loyal to the Great Journey.
It is a very flexible timeline for all aspects of the lore. As to compensate the potential lack of clear objective, there could still be forerunner artifacts hidden on some maps, eventually. I don't have many ideas for objectives. Maybe an objective to host the 'peace treaty talk', which can be disrupted by other factions with organized attacks and the like.
