11-20-2018, 01:33 PM | #811 | |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
|
Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds
Quote:
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.
__________________
The Path of Cunning. Indexes: DFRPG Characters, Advantage of the Week, Disadvantage of the Week, Skill of the Week, Techniques. |
|
11-20-2018, 05:02 PM | #812 |
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
|
Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds
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.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo Last edited by Astromancer; 11-20-2018 at 06:13 PM. |
11-20-2018, 09:48 PM | #813 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
|
Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds
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.
|
11-24-2018, 01:41 PM | #814 |
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
|
Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds
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.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo |
11-24-2018, 02:07 PM | #815 | |
Join Date: Dec 2012
|
Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds
Quote:
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...
__________________
Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life. "The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates." -- Tacitus Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted. Last edited by Prince Charon; 11-24-2018 at 02:21 PM. |
|
11-24-2018, 03:39 PM | #816 |
Join Date: Feb 2011
|
Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds
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.
|
11-24-2018, 04:13 PM | #817 | |
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
|
Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds
Quote:
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo |
|
11-24-2018, 04:14 PM | #818 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Shoreline, WA (north of Seattle)
|
Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds
Quote:
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.) |
|
11-24-2018, 04:14 PM | #819 |
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
|
Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds
A truly fascinating hidden superpower.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo |
11-25-2018, 02:52 PM | #820 | |
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
|
Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds
Quote:
I wonder if the trilogy is a commentary on either Campbell's attitudes or that of many Hollywood films.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo |
|
|
|