New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The TL12^+ technology means that the recreation of bodies, minds, and memories is perfect (yeah that's science fantasy, not science fiction, but bear with me).

Well, you can make this SF quite easily, simply by deciding that the simulation hypothesis is true and always has been. However, from personal experience, finding out that this is the explanation of a game-world is really disappointing. You'll also have Frank Tipler jumping up and down and shouting "I was right! I was right!"

I'm coming to the opinion that a setting most readily explained in this way is too open-ended to make an interesting game world. Having some constraints focuses my mind better.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by johndallman

I'm coming to the opinion that a setting most readily explained in this way is too open-ended to make an interesting game world. Having some constraints focuses my mind better.

Then let us assume a precursor species had created something like the recording souls from Riverworld. Wathans, I think they were called. This would also make the starting and end points less arbitrary. They simply represent the start and ends of the precursor recording project.

[AlexanderHowl]

On the world of Penumbra, advanced nanotechnology allows for the interaction of the physical and virtual worlds, as physical beings can 'touch' virtual beings and virtual beings can 'touch' physical beings. At the Gateways, physical beings can enter the virtual world, being encoded as their bodies are transformed into feedstock, and virtual beings can enter the physical world, being coded into physical bodies drawn from the feedstock. Its residents do not fear death, they know that they can return to the physical world if they wish, but the majority of them prefer to spend their immortality exploring the billions of hyperrealistic virtual worlds maintained by the planetary supercomputer, where the races that once ruled the planet before their extinction teach human visitors philosophies that were old before the dinosaurs went extinct.

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

An alien species has done xenological research on the Earth. They've discovered that Earth Humans are simply immune to a major problem issue in the setting. Thus they are a massively valuable asset.

You can go several ways with this.

I remember a Sci-Fi story where Humanity was the only advanced species without telepathy. Thus they alone could fight the galactic oppressors.

Maybe Humanity's tolerance for alien environments is vastly greater than normal. No, I'm not saying we humans have hidden superpowers. It's just that most other species are vastly more fragile about changing gravity or other environmental factors. Perhaps calcium loss from bones starts at 0.9 of most species local gravity or something just as nasty.

Whatever Humanity is seen as must control property. maybe individual humans aren't slaves, but it isn't much better than that.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this one...

An alien species has done xenological research on the Earth. They've discovered that Earth Humans are simply immune to a major problem issue in the setting. Thus they are a massively valuable asset.

You can go several ways with this.

I remember a Sci-Fi story where Humanity was the only advanced species without telepathy. Thus they alone could fight the galactic oppressors.

Maybe Humanity's tolerance for alien environments is vastly greater than normal. No, I'm not saying we humans have hidden superpowers. It's just that most other species are vastly more fragile about changing gravity or other environmental factors. Perhaps calcium loss from bones starts at 0.9 of most species local gravity or something just as nasty.

Whatever Humanity is seen as must control property. maybe individual humans aren't slaves, but it isn't much better than that.

One of my setting concepts has humans and other Earth creatures as powerful anti-psis, such that anyone who also has active psi abilities is unlikely to notice, and if they do, unlikely to accomplish much of anything. Most other species use psi and psychotronics (which human anti-psi also interferes with) for nearly everything, the way modern Earth (2018 CE) uses internal combustion engines and electronics. This makes us both useful and dangerous (and our technology is strange and confusing to them).

A slight tweak looks a lot like your 'without telepathy' option, with the Evil Alien Empire being powerful psis who can be stopped dead by an angry eight-year-old human.

EDIT: Another variant, possibly but not necessarily with your idea, is that humans are naturally-powerful and talented telepaths, but have such strong mind shields that very few humans ever notice the power (other Earth creatures either also possess powerful mind shields, or are anti-psis). First contact goes weird fast, as all the humans in the area start hearing voices as the alien vessel comes into their range, and the aliens are knocked out by so many humans unknowingly Telesending at them at once, and some of them accidentally mind-controlling the poor aliens. Luckily, the flying saucer has computers that are not affected by telepathy, and were set to retreat into orbit.

After that, Earth was quarantined... until the Space Alliance met an advanced, hostile race of telepaths (thus coming back to your concept), and the SA Council decided that they needed our help against the Evil Space Empire. Alternatively, they quarantined Earth and classified why, then forgot about it until we got out into the galaxy on our own.

Either way, imagine never knowing that you were a telepath, until suddenly you meet someone who doesn't have a mind shield...

[PTTG]

Maybe Earth life is the only kind of life that sleeps, which means it's the only kind that has access to the Dream Realm.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

EDIT: Another variant, possibly but not necessarily with your idea, is that humans are naturally-powerful and talented telepaths, but have such strong mind shields that very few humans ever notice the power (other Earth creatures either also possess powerful mind shields, or are anti-psis). First contact goes weird fast, as all the humans in the area start hearing voices as the alien vessel comes into their range, and the aliens are knocked out by so many humans unknowingly Telesending at them at once, and some of them accidentally mind-controlling the poor aliens. Luckily, the flying saucer has computers that are not affected by telepathy, and were set to retreat into orbit.

After that, Earth was quarantined... until the Space Alliance met an advanced, hostile race of telepaths (thus coming back to your concept), and the SA Council decided that they needed our help against the Evil Space Empire. Alternatively, they quarantined Earth and classified why, then forgot about it until we got out into the galaxy on our own.

Either way, imagine never knowing that you were a telepath, until suddenly you meet someone who doesn't have a mind shield...

Who cares if it isn't mine. It's fun and interesting.

[Apollonian]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this one...

An alien species has done xenological research on the Earth. They've discovered that Earth Humans are simply immune to a major problem issue in the setting. Thus they are a massively valuable asset.

You can go several ways with this.

I remember a Sci-Fi story where Humanity was the only advanced species without telepathy. Thus they alone could fight the galactic oppressors.

Maybe Humanity's tolerance for alien environments is vastly greater than normal. No, I'm not saying we humans have hidden superpowers. It's just that most other species are vastly more fragile about changing gravity or other environmental factors. Perhaps calcium loss from bones starts at 0.9 of most species local gravity or something just as nasty.

Whatever Humanity is seen as must control property. maybe individual humans aren't slaves, but it isn't much better than that.

You may be thinking of Alan Dean Foster's The Damned Trilogy, in which humans have a natural aptitude and propensity for violence not shared by civilized species. This is a stroke of luck for the galactic community that discovers Earth, as it is losing a war to a species of aggressively hegemonizing telepaths... whose mind control it also turns out humans are immune to, thanks to their violent psyches.

Other species are grateful for human assistance in the war, but do tend to regard individual humans as walking bombs, liable to go off at any moment. (In GURPS terms, it's something like a -3 reaction roll that gives a bonus to Intimidation.)

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by PTTG

Maybe Earth life is the only kind of life that sleeps, which means it's the only kind that has access to the Dream Realm.

A truly fascinating hidden superpower.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Apollonian

You may be thinking of Alan Dean Foster's The Damned Trilogy, in which humans have a natural aptitude and propensity for violence not shared by civilized species. This is a stroke of luck for the galactic community that discovers Earth, as it is losing a war to a species of aggressively hegemonizing telepaths... whose mind control it also turns out humans are immune to, thanks to their violent psyches.

Other species are grateful for human assistance in the war, but do tend to regard individual humans as walking bombs, liable to go off at any moment. (In GURPS terms, it's something like a -3 reaction roll that gives a bonus to Intimidation.)

I hadn't heard of the series. However, I remember that Asimov. in order to please John Campbell, gave humanity extra capacity in violence. Because Campbell liked having humanity be, in some way or other, superior to aliens, Asimov preferred not to have aliens in his stories.

I wonder if the trilogy is a commentary on either Campbell's attitudes or that of many Hollywood films.