New Sci Fi Setting Seeds - Page 145

Astromancer · 01-17-2020, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apollonian

I like it. For extra spice, have your group watch Dark City and the Matrix first as an "unrelated movie night."

I like your evil brain!

Astromancer · 01-20-2020, 12:21 PM

Try this one...

The plague wars were brutal. If commercial fusion reactors hadn't come on line in the decade before the first plagues struck, civilization might have collapsed. Without the discoveries of several new methods of strengthening the immune system, humanity would have simply died out.

Those cultures, most of the West, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, certain African nations, that embraced democracy before the mid 21st century. started they're recoveries first. The non-democratic societies recovered far more slowly. As the space colonists, that were on the moon and in High Orbit were both isolated from the plagues and mainly associated with democratic nations, trade raw materials for goods from the democracies, the non-democratic societies have little or nothing to trade.

The dictators feel bottled up. Without some source of income they can't sustain their positions of power. Many of them see only one way to get resources, Wars of conquest!

It's Tech Level 9 almost 10, Struggling bitter reactionaries have had it with democracy being more successful. They plan to invade! This isn't the most logical or realistic of campaigns, it's a WWIII without atomic bombs. Set up your alliances of nondemocratic nations and have them attack whichever stable prosperous democracy they can grab at. Hollywood stars telling people to buy bonds optional.

TGLS · 01-20-2020, 03:06 PM

The year is 2146. The world ended about 110 years ago, just after the first space colonies were founded. Many decided to flee to Earth, but no one has heard from them again. We descended from the first colonists, a motley crew of space tourists, science staff, solar-sat contractors, soldiers, and lucky refugees. Despite heroic efforts to create a lasting society on the Moon and in Cislunar Space, we are stagnating. Soon the whole colony may die, through inbreeding, loss of nutrients, and prion diseases.

The last desperate hope is an expedition to Earth for supplies. While securing technology is not ignored (schematics are especially desired), the priority is to secure biologicals that cannot be replicated synthetically (plants, animals, people). Previous attempts to transmit from Earth have failed, so the crew sent will be on their own.

Spacer culture is, at best, warped. High protein foods were carefully rationed, and cannibalism was introduced to recycle the protein. Unprotected sex is banned, with all children conceived by IVF, born and raised in heavily shielded bunkers. Many illnesses are simply unknown, but the phobia remains.

---

Earth has fallen. That which divided us only grew stronger, while nihilism became the only thing that could still united us. When the ARkStorm destroyed California, it was finally enough for people to start shooting at each other. People began to flee the cities en masse, fearing riots and (seemingly targeted) disasters crushing them. Eventually, the Red-folk blamed us for disasters that befell them, and the might of the old world erased itself.

In the wake of devastation, communities began to form around local strongmen. Soon, they became Magnates who dominated the land, passing on their old titles of "Lieutenant", "Alderman", "Supervisor", or "Manager" on death. They allied themselves with the Reporters, who explained why things are as they are. The answers are all different, but the truth is a comfort. Moderates say they all say the same thing: "Obey or suffer." and "Shun the nulls".

Nulls are a puzzle, and many disagree about what nulls are. Moderates say they are people with fancy gizmos and and pre-fall knowledge. Those who have met nulls are more unsure, and many claim to have witnessed near-miracles! Likewise, they have claimed they acted completely peculiar too. Still, there are always those who are branded a null for entirely pragmatic reasons. No one is sure about the blue-folk; their gizmos are too well preserved, and they claim to come from the stars. The way they are content with eating the dead and their shun the sick has not done them any favors...

PTTG · 01-21-2020, 12:06 AM

I am really enjoying the core of that idea. Space-dwellers visiting Earth to gather its unique resources and capture its people... and they're the good guys.

I think it would pair well with a diamond-hard science fiction setting where space technology might have a more built-up infrestructure but it is otherwise no more advanced than today. That's not to say people haven't figured out incremental improvements or adaptations, but it's a space future that doesn't have the shiny veneer of Science! to cover the gaps.

ronwit · 01-21-2020, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PTTG

I am really enjoying the core of that idea. Space-dwellers visiting Earth to gather its unique resources and capture its people... and they're the good guys.

Luna needs women!

Astromancer · 01-21-2020, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronwit

Luna needs women!

Women, men, some good Chinese takeout. Luna needs alot of things.

Astromancer · 01-21-2020, 01:29 PM

Try this one...

After the wars (we're talking a Golden Age Sci Fi nuclear war here) large numbers of mutants were seen as a serious social problem. But, with the development of first cheap spaceflight and then Warp Drives breaking the Lightspeed barrier, the Australian solution (i.e. exile colonies) presented itself. Many claimed human rights were abused, but that was brushed aside.

Now, in the year 2439, two hundred and fifty years after first settlement your assignment is to make contact with the peoples and governments of the planet Brisbane!

Basically a Golden Age sci fi exploration story with post apocalyptic mutants. Whether the world is a Mad Max hell world, a planetary romance, or a prison waiting for revolution is your call.

dcarson · 01-21-2020, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Basically a Golden Age sci fi exploration story with post apocalyptic mutants. Whether the world is a Mad Max hell world, a planetary romance, or a prison waiting for revolution is your call.

You can avoid the "It was raining on Mongo" problem and have all of them in different places on the planet. Planets are big.

Astromancer · 01-21-2020, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcarson

You can avoid the "It was raining on Mongo" problem and have all of them in different places on the planet. Planets are big.

Agreed, the mutant dumps set up by a very "New Deal"/"Great Society" US would be vastly different from a Chinese dump the diseased camp. Some places could evolve into good societies others could be doomed by geography or cultural bias.

Astromancer · 01-24-2020, 01:08 PM

Exploration of the solar system in the mid-21st century showed a key flaw in relativity. This flaw soon led to new theories of spacetime that allowed Portal Networks to be built.

Soon, the "Stargates" (hey the reference was going to be inevitable) lead to the settlement of vast numbers of extrasolar worlds. Their are people who protest loudly. The USA handles this by making it's main Stargate Complex Lunar, and requiring a few miles of hard vacuum (which is crossed in sealed subway cars).

China, the other great portal network, ignores protests or denounces them as imperialist and/or racist. Their Stargates are on the planet Earth.

The USA prefers to settle worlds that require terraformation and have few or no lifeforms. China considers the USA to be needlessly limiting itself.

In 2087 the grey mold showed up in Shanghai. As soon as the grey mold was shown to be extraterrestial the USA closed off it's Stargates. China never said what they did.

At first the grey mold simply killed most plants. Soon it spread to any diseased or weakened animals, including humans. In six months any human life beyond Antarctica couldn't be detected. As the massive numbers of deaths plant and animal released vast amounts of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere temperatures soared.

Within a year, once the lunar bases that didn't have grey mold were cleared, the last humans in the solar system left through the American Stargate network. With out human attendants the network soon collapsed and violently shorted out.

That was two hundred years ago. A new Stargate network has been built. Your job is to go out there and find the lost tribes of Earth!

Basically, Stargate with a dollop of post apocalyptic. All these communities come out of later 21st century Earth. The USA (the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the English speaking Caribbean and African nations clubbed in with the USA) linked to 326 worlds, the EU linked to 89 worlds (like the USA they used links on the moon and got to the moon through gates to the moon, but were far more cautious about everything, several other nations clubbed with them), China had 560 links, or said they did, Japan and Korea had 28 links (Taiwan clubbed with them on the down low and the real number was 58) India had 43 links, and Iran, Brazil, and the East African Federal Union each had three. Russia claimed links, but never gave specifics.

Basically, teleportation roulette, you'll get there, but there might kill you, or worse.

01-20-2020, 12:21 PM	#1442
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds Try this one... The plague wars were brutal. If commercial fusion reactors hadn't come on line in the decade before the first plagues struck, civilization might have collapsed. Without the discoveries of several new methods of strengthening the immune system, humanity would have simply died out. Those cultures, most of the West, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, certain African nations, that embraced democracy before the mid 21st century. started they're recoveries first. The non-democratic societies recovered far more slowly. As the space colonists, that were on the moon and in High Orbit were both isolated from the plagues and mainly associated with democratic nations, trade raw materials for goods from the democracies, the non-democratic societies have little or nothing to trade. The dictators feel bottled up. Without some source of income they can't sustain their positions of power. Many of them see only one way to get resources, Wars of conquest! It's Tech Level 9 almost 10, Struggling bitter reactionaries have had it with democracy being more successful. They plan to invade! This isn't the most logical or realistic of campaigns, it's a WWIII without atomic bombs. Set up your alliances of nondemocratic nations and have them attack whichever stable prosperous democracy they can grab at. Hollywood stars telling people to buy bonds optional. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo

01-20-2020, 03:06 PM	#1443
TGLS Join Date: Jan 2014	Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds The year is 2146. The world ended about 110 years ago, just after the first space colonies were founded. Many decided to flee to Earth, but no one has heard from them again. We descended from the first colonists, a motley crew of space tourists, science staff, solar-sat contractors, soldiers, and lucky refugees. Despite heroic efforts to create a lasting society on the Moon and in Cislunar Space, we are stagnating. Soon the whole colony may die, through inbreeding, loss of nutrients, and prion diseases. The last desperate hope is an expedition to Earth for supplies. While securing technology is not ignored (schematics are especially desired), the priority is to secure biologicals that cannot be replicated synthetically (plants, animals, people). Previous attempts to transmit from Earth have failed, so the crew sent will be on their own. Spacer culture is, at best, warped. High protein foods were carefully rationed, and cannibalism was introduced to recycle the protein. Unprotected sex is banned, with all children conceived by IVF, born and raised in heavily shielded bunkers. Many illnesses are simply unknown, but the phobia remains. --- Earth has fallen. That which divided us only grew stronger, while nihilism became the only thing that could still united us. When the ARkStorm destroyed California, it was finally enough for people to start shooting at each other. People began to flee the cities en masse, fearing riots and (seemingly targeted) disasters crushing them. Eventually, the Red-folk blamed us for disasters that befell them, and the might of the old world erased itself. In the wake of devastation, communities began to form around local strongmen. Soon, they became Magnates who dominated the land, passing on their old titles of "Lieutenant", "Alderman", "Supervisor", or "Manager" on death. They allied themselves with the Reporters, who explained why things are as they are. The answers are all different, but the truth is a comfort. Moderates say they all say the same thing: "Obey or suffer." and "Shun the nulls". Nulls are a puzzle, and many disagree about what nulls are. Moderates say they are people with fancy gizmos and and pre-fall knowledge. Those who have met nulls are more unsure, and many claim to have witnessed near-miracles! Likewise, they have claimed they acted completely peculiar too. Still, there are always those who are branded a null for entirely pragmatic reasons. No one is sure about the blue-folk; their gizmos are too well preserved, and they claim to come from the stars. The way they are content with eating the dead and their shun the sick has not done them any favors...

01-21-2020, 12:06 AM	#1444
PTTG Join Date: Feb 2011	Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds I am really enjoying the core of that idea. Space-dwellers visiting Earth to gather its unique resources and capture its people... and they're the good guys. I think it would pair well with a diamond-hard science fiction setting where space technology might have a more built-up infrestructure but it is otherwise no more advanced than today. That's not to say people haven't figured out incremental improvements or adaptations, but it's a space future that doesn't have the shiny veneer of Science! to cover the gaps.

01-21-2020, 01:29 PM	#1447
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds Try this one... After the wars (we're talking a Golden Age Sci Fi nuclear war here) large numbers of mutants were seen as a serious social problem. But, with the development of first cheap spaceflight and then Warp Drives breaking the Lightspeed barrier, the Australian solution (i.e. exile colonies) presented itself. Many claimed human rights were abused, but that was brushed aside. Now, in the year 2439, two hundred and fifty years after first settlement your assignment is to make contact with the peoples and governments of the planet Brisbane! Basically a Golden Age sci fi exploration story with post apocalyptic mutants. Whether the world is a Mad Max hell world, a planetary romance, or a prison waiting for revolution is your call. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo

01-24-2020, 01:08 PM	#1450
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds Exploration of the solar system in the mid-21st century showed a key flaw in relativity. This flaw soon led to new theories of spacetime that allowed Portal Networks to be built. Soon, the "Stargates" (hey the reference was going to be inevitable) lead to the settlement of vast numbers of extrasolar worlds. Their are people who protest loudly. The USA handles this by making it's main Stargate Complex Lunar, and requiring a few miles of hard vacuum (which is crossed in sealed subway cars). China, the other great portal network, ignores protests or denounces them as imperialist and/or racist. Their Stargates are on the planet Earth. The USA prefers to settle worlds that require terraformation and have few or no lifeforms. China considers the USA to be needlessly limiting itself. In 2087 the grey mold showed up in Shanghai. As soon as the grey mold was shown to be extraterrestial the USA closed off it's Stargates. China never said what they did. At first the grey mold simply killed most plants. Soon it spread to any diseased or weakened animals, including humans. In six months any human life beyond Antarctica couldn't be detected. As the massive numbers of deaths plant and animal released vast amounts of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere temperatures soared. Within a year, once the lunar bases that didn't have grey mold were cleared, the last humans in the solar system left through the American Stargate network. With out human attendants the network soon collapsed and violently shorted out. That was two hundred years ago. A new Stargate network has been built. Your job is to go out there and find the lost tribes of Earth! Basically, Stargate with a dollop of post apocalyptic. All these communities come out of later 21st century Earth. The USA (the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the English speaking Caribbean and African nations clubbed in with the USA) linked to 326 worlds, the EU linked to 89 worlds (like the USA they used links on the moon and got to the moon through gates to the moon, but were far more cautious about everything, several other nations clubbed with them), China had 560 links, or said they did, Japan and Korea had 28 links (Taiwan clubbed with them on the down low and the real number was 58) India had 43 links, and Iran, Brazil, and the East African Federal Union each had three. Russia claimed links, but never gave specifics. Basically, teleportation roulette, you'll get there, but there might kill you, or worse. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo Last edited by Astromancer; 05-30-2022 at 06:19 PM.