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Old 09-09-2018, 02:04 PM   #611
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

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Originally Posted by Daigoro View Post
Ok, that's cool. That's why I asked if it was the long-distance colonies.

There are indeed many ways revolts may or may not happen. Remember that pretty much every non-Euro country on the globe was a European colony at some point (map from here).

Considering reasons it may not happen- perhaps the colonies are still too reliant on something from their central power to consider independence. The most obvious thing is military protection from other belligerent empires. And in return, we'd need to consider why the central powers don't just cut their colonies free to fend for themselves.

Anyway, this is a ripe seed for further exploration, so over here I've put it up as a nomination for a new setting riff game, if you're agreeable.
Hey, this whole thread was about tossing out ideas for people to game with. I'm proud you like the idea.
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Old 09-10-2018, 05:49 AM   #612
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Here's an idea, two different expanding space powers, they can be twenty-second century Earth nations if you like. They pick different kinds of worlds to settle/colonize.

The first country, we call them the Settlers, picks only worlds with no multi-cellular life forms. They terraform their worlds making them into NeoEarths. They are careful not to harm alien lifeforms, well at least multi-cellular ones.


The Second country, we call them the Colonizers, prefers garden worlds with developed ecosystems (the setting is somewhat cinematic in that these worlds, like your average Star Trek or Doctor Who world is as comfortable as the Earth and rarely all that more dangerous.) They use intelligent Lifeforms, if the planet has them, as serfs/coolies.

The Settlers look upon the Colonizers as immoral particularly for having slaves. The Colonizers see the Settlers as naive in their morality and cowardly for not experiencing truly alien worlds. The Colonizers also claim a "civilizing mission." They claim that they rescue planetary populations from primitism and poverty. The Colonizers sneer that, from being the immoral ones, it is the Settlers that fail in their moral duty by not "elevating" the local sophants.


The Settlers take more time to develop their worlds, growing the populations slowly.
The Colonizers get off to a fast start but generally hit a wall. The Settlers feel uneasy because the Colonizers are richer and have larger populations. The Colonizers fear the Settlers because their worlds have more growth potential and will eventually outstrip them.
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Old 09-11-2018, 09:06 AM   #613
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Well, there is a concept that I have often thought of. A concept often explored in third person but never in first person ...

Sometime in the mid-19th century, a band of TL 10 space pirates discover Earth's solar system. Finding gas giants with Helium-3 for fusion fuel, and oxygen-rich world, and unmined asteroids and airless low-gee worlds, and well outside "civilized space", they decide to set up a pirate colony.

Soon you have a thriving settlement with starships coming and going, a few bands of space-miners ... and a small community of TL 5 locals trading native handicrafts and fresh food for TL 10 cheap trade goods.

These TL 5 primitives are all the types of Steampunk - British and American adventurers, Irish and Indian revolutionaries, mad inventors,evil masterminds, etc.
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Old 09-11-2018, 09:21 AM   #614
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

That is a fun concept.

A few thoughts:
What places run the most useful food surpluses? You want a lot of excess food, and you want it easily gathered. I'm not sure if India or China are running food surpluses at this point. Britain is slowly having to import more and more. Early in the century, I think France is a good choice. Once the US has a decent rail system and is actually farming east of the Appalachians , they become the best choice. Egypt is probably a good choice at any tech level, and if you don't do a lot of research, they are the easiest guess to make from orbit. Though if you only need to feed a few hundred people, such considerations could be overkill.

What items does your captain forbid from being sold to the locals?

Do you want to spread the wealth thinly to the TL5's, or do you want to pick a horse and make it the best? If you pick a primary partner, do you go with someone already powerful to make things easier, or do you pick someone easier to manipulate?

How much cultural exchange will go on? If you're rubber forehead aliens, what's the policy on native brides? Do you give them your philosophical tracts? Do you recruit any of their best and brightest? how willing are you to get involve in their politics?
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Old 09-11-2018, 10:31 AM   #615
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Victorian era humans were even more anthropocentric and racist than us now. Even if they're forehead bump aliens, Earthlings would treat them as completely inhuman, I think.
Shock in seeing far more advanced non-whites should have at least some effect even in very rubbery physics' settings, IMO.
Though fascination rather than horror or cold distance could be just what sets the local egalitarian adventurers apart.
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Old 09-11-2018, 10:35 AM   #616
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

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What items does your captain forbid from being sold to the locals?
I see them as being space pirates - creatures of low ethics. The only things they wouldn't sell would be weapons powerful enough to be used against them.

Quote:
Do you want to spread the wealth thinly to the TL5's, or do you want to pick a horse and make it the best? If you pick a primary partner, do you go with someone already powerful to make things easier, or do you pick someone easier to manipulate?
Again - space pirates. They'll treat the wogs as wogs: "Here's some Magic Zap Sticks, keep your tribes in line and don't bother us, and we'll give you some more. Cross us and we'll feed you to the mass converter." And from the Space Pirate POV, the Queen of England and some Tuareg shiekh are pretty much on the same level - a wog's a wog.

Of course, they might be legal pirates and trade a box of shiny gold metal to some local mugwump for "legal" ownership of the planet (see "East India Company" for reference).

Quote:
How much cultural exchange will go on? If you're rubber forehead aliens, what's the policy on native brides? Do you give them your philosophical tracts? Do you recruit any of their best and brightest? how willing are you to get involve in their politics?
Again - Space Pirates. They won't care about cultural contamination. If they're close enough bodily, local bed-warmers are almost mandatory. Being space pirates, they will have no qualms about recruiting the useful ones who have the chops to pick up the skills.

Local politics won't matter as long as local supplies come in and no one tries to overrun their base. in which case they'll burn down the rebels, put in a Quisling, and go back to business-as-usual.
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Old 09-11-2018, 11:30 AM   #617
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

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Victorian era humans were even more anthropocentric and racist than us now. Even if they're forehead bump aliens, Earthlings would treat them as completely inhuman, I think.
The alien space pirates could be very gentlemanly yet rakish, so there are all sorts of possible reactions. But having a TL10 blaster would make up for all sorts of deficit of etiquette, I'd imagine.

What happens though, when the space patrol show up?
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Old 09-11-2018, 11:37 AM   #618
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Since Space Pirates are already a highly cinematic sort of thing why not have many individual pirates look fully human and like a variety of different human types. This prevents certain issues from popping up.

In this period the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina, all have the needed food surpluses. The USA has the best links to other goods.

Fun fact. When we look at the nineteenth century precursors to UFO contact reports, basically visit from strange flying machines, the single most popular item for pilots to ask for was "bluestone." Bluestone was a basic component of telegraph technology and has odd properties. It would fit gene and add story logic if bluestone were vital to space pirate tech.

Yes. The bluestone that the telegraphs needed was the same type of bluestone found in Stonehenge. That should supply some plot hooks.
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Old 09-11-2018, 11:43 AM   #619
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

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Fun fact. When we look at the nineteenth century precursors to UFO contact reports, basically visit from strange flying machines...
They were often in dirigibles too...

The bluestone is interesting. I don't recall coming across that back in my days of ufology reading.
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Old 09-11-2018, 12:01 PM   #620
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

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I see them as being space pirates - creatures of low ethics. The only things they wouldn't sell would be weapons powerful enough to be used against them.

I'd expect the sort of pirates who start up mining operations to be a tad more fore-sighted than your run of the mill carefree scallywag.


I suppose I can get that sort of effect by making them scoundrels with a cause.
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