New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

[jason taylor]

The characters are part of a diaspora that has gained control of large parts of the economy in several parts of space. They have their own neighborhoods in several starports and their own local rules. Sometimes they are even given vassal status by the local planetary authorities.

Possibilities: The locals persecute them with the collaboration or indifference of the authorities. It is necessary to form an underground army.

It is decided to form a state of their own.

An internal cabal of some kind is a criminal racket trying to dominate the community.

The characters go on an escort mission for pilgrims to the mythical lost home of your people.

A tyrant is persecuting your people and fugitives are crowded into a starport. Everyone goes to a nightclub to gamble away their sorrows(OK the classics work for a reason).

This at first glance sounds like Space Jews. But it could just as easily be Space Tongs, Space Italians, etc.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by PTTG

I do love mangled modern mythology.

Praise from a person of your talents is doubly welcomed.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

The characters are part of a diaspora that has gained control of large parts of the economy in several parts of space. They have their own neighborhoods in several starports and their own local rules. Sometimes they are even given vassal status by the local planetary authorities.

Possibilities: The locals persecute them with the collaboration or indifference of the authorities. It is necessary to form an underground army.

It is decided to form a state of their own.

An internal cabal of some kind is a criminal racket trying to dominate the community.

The characters go on an escort mission for pilgrims to the mythical lost home of your people.

A tyrant is persecuting your people and fugitives are crowded into a starport. Everyone goes to a nightclub to gamble away their sorrows(OK the classics work for a reason).

This at first glance sounds like Space Jews. But it could just as easily be Space Tongs, Space Italians, etc.

I love this, take the group normally seen as the threating outsiders and make a story about how they struggle to survive.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

{The Farfarers}

Try this idea.

Millennia ago powerful aliens noted the Earth's abundant lifeforms and seeded the galaxy, which was mainly sterile, with Earth life. With the rise of the classical civilizations, they decided that Earth life was ready to develop on its own on the many worlds they'd spread it to.


This can go as you like it. Traveller with the numbers filed off, STOS, Doctor Who, Lensmen, whatever. The aliens are in fact simply humans, and you know what trouble they are. I'll add further details later. This is a base I intend to use a few times.

I Promised to add a Magical addendum to the Farfarers setting, here goes. I'll give it in bits and pieces.

On a base of GURPS: Mage the Ascension I add three new Spheres, Society, Information, and Reality. Each works in the normal way.

Perception:The first level of the Society sphere lets you see/understand the social connections between people and between and within groups. At a glance, you know the difference between an undercover cop, a discrete drug dealer, and a mere derelict.

Manipulation:The second level lets you manipulate social bonds or sever them. An old friendship can go cold or become intense. The nature of the bond can't be changed, but its strength can be.

Control:The third level lets you create social bonds and rework them. Strangers can become close allies, friends can become foes. The nature of bonds can be changed. Friendship could be turned into romantic love, hate could be changed into a pragmatic business relationship, the bigger the change, the harder it is to pull off and to make last.


Command: Higher levels allow the reworking and redefinition of social bonds on a wide level. To make stable lasting changes would require Prime element.

Mastery: A Master of the Sphere of Society could create nations and faiths by ritual incantations.

Perception:The first level of Information allows one to see at a glance what is or isn't actually information. You can know what's a meaningless scribble on the wall, mere graffiti, and what is a secret code hidden in plain sight.

Manipulation: The second level of Information allows the Signal to Noise ratio to be altered. Information can be made plain or hidden in plain sight. (more later).

The sphere of Reality allows the Mage to alter the basic laws of reality and to travel to other realities. The main use in the setting is manipulating the jump gates.

Perception:Level one of the Sphere of Reality allows the mage to see distortions in the fabric of reality. Jump Gates are massive reworkings of the fabric of reality. Even the level one Sphere of Reality mage can see things about the Jump Gates others can't know. Those mages with astrogation skills can even change where their ship's passage through the gate can take them. Which is dangerous. The First level sphere workers can also see why a closed gate is closed. Seeing at a glance whether the Gate is unfinished, sealed, or simply broken. They can also "read" the seal to see if the seal says why it was sealed.

Manipulation:Second level users of the Sphere of Reality can simply choose to have the ship they are piloting to come out where they please of a variety of options. They can also take the ship they are piloting through Sealed Jump Portals. (More later.)

I'll need to rewrite this post alot.

[Astromancer]

{The Farfarers}

(This is a reposting to put certain info in an easier place to find.)

Jump Points around any star that has them (and no one knows why more than 85% of the stars have them) tend to come in set patterns that seem to be based on the simple solids. Tetrahedron patterns with jump points on each of the four points make of about fifty percent of the stellar populations jump points. Cubes, with eight jump points, make up another 30% of the stellar population. Octahedrons, with six jump points, are about 15% of the stellar population. Earth has one of the rare dodecahedron patterns, with twenty jump points. It is assumed that icosahedrons with 12 jump points are out there somewhere.

Why the jump points are arranged as they are confounds scientists and keeps mystics employed.

Tetrahedrons generally have gates that lead the furthest afield. Both of the known jump points to the Small Magellanic Cloud are from tetrahedron pattern jump gates. The normal rule of jump gates is, "The more Jump Gates the less distance traveled."

Some jump gates aren't open. Tests show they're there, but not available. Better technologies generally allow access to more jump gates. Some jump gates aren't stable in where they come out. Some are totally random, others seem to shift between different set points. Some are one way passages. Some are mysteries with no one coming back period.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

{The Farfarers}

(This is a reposting to put certain info in an easier place to find.)

Jump Points around any star that has them (and no one knows why more than 85% of the stars have them) tend to come in set patterns that seem to be based on the simple solids. Tetrahedron patterns with jump points on each of the four points make of about fifty percent of the stellar populations jump points. Cubes, with eight jump points, make up another 30% of the stellar population. Octahedrons, with six jump points, are about 15% of the stellar population. Earth has one of the rare dodecahedron patterns, with twenty jump points. It is assumed that icosahedrons with 12 jump points are out there somewhere.

Why the jump points are arranged as they are confounds scientists and keeps mystics employed.

Tetrahedrons generally have gates that lead the furthest afield. Both of the known jump points to the Small Magellanic Cloud are from tetrahedron pattern jump gates. The normal rule of jump gates is, "The more Jump Gates the less distance traveled."

Some jump gates aren't open. Tests show they're there, but not available. Better technologies generally allow access to more jump gates. Some jump gates aren't stable in where they come out. Some are totally random, others seem to shift between different set points. Some are one way passages. Some are mysteries with no one coming back period.

The plot point that occurs to me is twofold. One is the problem of calculating jump points (which can be a bother if one is trying to get out of the system with the Green Slimy People Eaters on one's tail). Another related one is whether the network lands you in a part of the system you are not headed for, or whether you have to enter system in a dangerous place or whatever.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

I love this, take the group normally seen as the threating outsiders and make a story about how they struggle to survive.

The idea was partly inspired by the book I plan to read, "Sons of the Yellow Emperor" which should arrive tomorrow, according to the update. It also comes from several wiki articles about Kongsis and Tongs and organizations named "-ong". It was also helped by my own ideas I already had which themselves were helped by several other sources.

One possible variation is that Earth was conquered by aliens a long time ago. And humans are a scattered race.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

The plot point that occurs to me is twofold. One is the problem of calculating jump points (which can be a bother if one is trying to get out of the system with the Green Slimy People Eaters on one's tale). Another related one is whether the network lands you in a part of the system you are not headed for, or whether you have to enter system in a dangerous place or whatever.

The jump points are well known in most settled areas. And most of the gates go to one place only (unless you use the magic addendum, which will incude Alchemical Time Lords.) It isn't hard to find jump points in an unexplored star system, it will take time.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The jump points are well known in most settled areas. And most of the gates go to one place only (unless you use the magic addendum, which will incude Alchemical Time Lords.) It isn't hard to find jump points in an unexplored star system, it will take time.

Time will be a bother if the Green Slimy People Eaters are chasing you.

In any case there can always be ways to arrange for the jump point to deposit you at an inconvenient spot.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

I love this, take the group normally seen as the threating outsiders and make a story about how they struggle to survive.

Vaguely similar to the first half of the movie Titan A.E.
In that, humans are the homeless outsiders after the destruction of the Earth.