[Psionics] [Space] Psi Trek - Worldbuilding

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

2) Cause they're time travellers.

This is my vote too.

[Prince Charon]

OK, so far the lead vote is 'a single, multi-species alliance of time travelers, that does not include uplifted races,' if I'm not misunderstanding. I'm leaving the vote open for now, but will probably close it on Monday.

[Flyndaran]

The good and bad thing about time travelers is that it allows you to retcon things occasionally with an in setting plausible manner.
Of course for RPGs it's best, IMO, to keep it to a minimum and out of reach for PCs. Though one or a few instances of ancient tech being "misused" is just too cool to take completely off the table.

I vote time traveler ancients as well.

[Prince Charon]

OK, vote remains open still, but a point on the matter of time travel: If we assume that this is a setting where time travel exists, then the Guardian of Forever should exist in some form in this setting, even if he(?) isn't exactly like the one from the episode. Maybe closer to Harlan Ellison's teleplay, maybe not.

[Flyndaran]

I don't know the specific differences. But I liked how uncontrollable the TV version was. The time periods shown were nearly random and rapid along with an opening only allowing a couple people to leap through at a time.

[Prince Charon]

OK, vote is closed. I'll have another vote ready some time soonish, but for now, have a look at a template that I've been working on:

Preliminary Tellarite Template, help wanted

Attributes

ST +? [?]; HT 11 [10]

Secondary Characteristics

Per +1 [5]

Social Background

Languages: Tellarite (Native) [0].

TL: 10^

Cultural Familiarity: Modern Tellarite [0].

Subtotal:


Advantages

Aura Reading 2 [7]
Biokinesis Talent 2 [10]
Damage Control 1 [8]
Resistant to Disease +8 (Biokinesis, -10%) [5]

Perks

Pharmaceutical Probe. [1]

Subtotal:


Disadvantages

Bad Grip
Bad Sight

Quirks

Argumentative. [-1]

Subtotal: -


Features


Skills

Aura Reading [IQ/H] [1] IQ-2
Damage Control [HT/H] [4] HT

Techniques

Subtotal:

Total:

Notes

This assumes a Tellarite of approximately the era of First Contact with humanity.

Tellarites often have a Healing Bond perk with each of their children, and sometimes with other loved ones.


EDIT: To clarify, 'Biokinesis' in this setting covers not only the Biokinesis power from the book (GURPS Psionic Powers pp72-73), but also Psychometabolism (pp75-76) and Psychic Healing (pp46-49).

[Prince Charon]

How many important conflicts was the Solar Cooperative in before the Romulan War?

The war with the still-mysterious 'Romulans' (a reporting name assigned by Solar Intelligence, because they had to call them something) took place about a hundred years after the Genetics Wars, and about fourty to fifty years after the Solar Cooperative's first contact with the Vulcanians. That's plenty of time for Terran humanity to get involved in a few wars, police actions, and such, whether as a direct participant or as a bystander.

Please include the number when you vote.

1. The first half of the 22nd century was fairly peaceful in this part of the galaxy, so the Solar Cooperative's Space Patrol had little in the way of military action beyond pirates and small skirmishes before the war began (e. g. trouble with the Nausicaans and/or the Orions, but nothing big).

2. There was at least one significant war in that period (e. g. a war between the Vulcans and the Andorians), which the Solar Cooperative was peripherally involved in, and may have served as a venue for diplomacy between the belligerant parties.

3. There was at least one significant war in that period, which the Solar Cooperative participated in as one of the belligerant parties (a bad First Contact with the Kaa from GURPS Aliens could do this, but is far from the only option).

4. The Solar Cooperative was involved in several wars during the period (perhaps something like the four Human-Kzin Wars occurred in this timeline, as suggested in the cartoon).

5. Something that I haven't thought of (please specify).

EDIT: Option 4 wins via a tie breaker.

[Emerald Cat]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

How many important conflicts was the Solar Cooperative in before the Romulan War?

That is ~140 years between the Genetics Wars and the Romulan War. 140 years is a long time for pacifists to remain in power. Even if the Solar Cooperative stayed pacifistic, other powers may drag them into the war.

So my vote is for option 4.

[TGLS]

I'll use the following roughish timeline:

2030: Earth on a high of biotech and space colonization.
2060: Genetics Wars, colonies cut off.
2090: Solar Cooperative on Earth, Post-Atomic Horror ends, Solar Cooperative on a High
2110: First Contact with Vulcanians
????: Extra-Solar Colonies, more contacts
2160: War with Romulans
2170?: War over, United Space Authority on a high?

Right now, we're fitting a 80 year or so crisis, and there are less than 50 years to squeeze in a second war. Any war between Sol and aliens would probably need to be relatively small. A separate war between two aliens is plausible too.

I think I'll take 3, provided the war is relatively small or butts up against the Romulan War (perhaps the "your enemy's your new ally" scenario).

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Emerald Cat

That is ~140 years between the Genetics Wars and the Romulan War. 140 years is a long time for pacifists to remain in power. Even if the Solar Cooperative stayed pacifistic, other powers may drag them into the war.

So my vote is for option 4.

I'm confused as to where you're getting 140 years, rather than 40 to 50.

EDIT: Did you maybe skim the question, and accidentally add the mention of a hundred years to the mention of fourty years?

Later EDIT, Reply to TGLS: Most wars are fairly short, even with the relatively slow FTL speeds of this era. Sure, an interstellar war where both sides are limited to STL speeds could last decades, if it happened at all, but I'm imagining FTL in this era being fast enough that an interstellar war needing to last more than a decade would be odd (unless it's a cold war, which is another matter).