New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by PTTG

The subgroups sound small enough that the PCs could reasonably lead one of these groups -- collectively, or each.

Remaining ideologically "pure" enough to continue to direct or lead your faction while also being able to collaborate with the other PCs could be an interesting challenge.

I imagine that in order to enable that sort of fragmented chaos, one needs to have a somewhat unusual initial situation -- I suspect that the initial voyage was cheap and easy for all these separate groups to hop onto, but thereafter it was impossible, even for those that have powerful allies back on Earth. That sort of thing could be justified with a planetary/interstellar alignment that doesn't happen very often. When the window was open, everyone went. Now that the window is closed, it costs a thousandfold more per kg, and takes ten times longer -- maybe too long even for stasis.

War between secular factions interest me more than the religious ones; a libertarian team of security contractors attempting to assassinate an influential member of a nearby communist enclave, but doing so to frame the communist's envirosocialist militant allies.

Good twist, wish i'd thought of it.

[Astromancer]

Rhiannon

This is an older idea I'm recycling here. Basically, several groups of wouldbe interstellar settlers from the THS setting clubbed together and built a generation starship. Then using a Pion Drive they travel for somewhat longer than 250 years at 0.8 of C. With most of the passengers (99%plus) in nano-stasis.

The naming lottery for the world they choose to colonize was won by Celtic enthusiasts and the main world is named Rhiannon and it's large moon Caer Arianrhod. Rhiannon is about 95% of Earth's diameter and about as dense. Caer Arianrhod is 179% of the diameter of the moon and slightly more dense. So tides on Rhiannon are stronger than on Earth.

The terraformation of Rhiannon was started by the ship's crew. A group of Parahumans designed to both fly the ship to the new world and aid in the terraforming of the new world. As these Parahumans will tell you their designer was Unique! The Tuatha are masculine appearing intersexes that can function as either male or female reproductively. They are enhanced in many ways.They also reflect the tastes of their designer (he liked the Male Hollywood stars of the 1920-1965 period). So all the Tuatha look like Classic Hollywood leading man types. Meanwhile they know their culture is an eccentric romantic Celtiophille's kitbash. They admit to being deeply strange Plastic Paddies among other serious issues.

Meanwhile, the Tuatha weren't alone during the terraformation. Others, memetic purists, also woke up. They'd programmed their stasis pods to wake them early so that they could hijack the colony and eliminate all other groups and have a memetically pure colony.

The Tuatha managed to head off most of the threat, but not without serious problems. Most of the colonists only wake up after their landing and thus get no choice in where they land or who are their neighbors. The Tuatha are forced to land on the far side of the planet from almost all other settlers. Although the Tuatha managed to prevent to destruction of most of the supplies and tools, the guidance system was shot and all the supply pods landed with the Tuatha on the otherside of the planet from the rest of the colonists.

More later....

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Rhiannon

The major continents of Rhiannon are Muirias , the largest by far of the continents and were almost all the colonists landed, Falias a mountainous continent that touches Muirias's far northwest corner, Goirias were the Tuatha landed on the opposite side of the planet from Muirias, and Findias a strangely long and narrow continent, which the Tuatha chose to be the Prime Meridian for the planet.

Muirias extends from 36 degrees South Latitude to 42 degrees North Latitude. And from 51 degrees east Longitude to 153 West Longitude. There is a vast shallow gulf/bay in the north of Muirias about twice the area of the Mediterranean. This Gulf called the Gulf of Coire Ansic after the Daga's Cauldron. This Gulf is the source of vast monsoon systems that make Muirias fertile and green.

Falias is much smaller and colder than Muirias and its rain shadow is the largest desert on Rhiannon. This continent is nearly all mountains and has the planet's highest peak called Lia Fáil in the Tara range.

Goirias is a roughly hand shaped continent a hair larger that Europe and on the far side of Rhiannon away from Muirias and Falias. Goirias also has a range of climates similar to early 21st century Europe if somewhat warmer and wetter. The main community of the Tuatha is Darien and it is located on what would be the "hand's" little finger. To the west of Goirias is an archipelago much like Indonesia or Northern Canada. These Islands, called the Sylvans, are all named for real and fictional forests and have climates similar to early 21st century England, Ireland, and France. Brocéliande and Arden are the only ones with settlements.

Findias has no human settlements on it. It extends to the polar ice cap but not to the North pole. Although it could be said that Ilbereth, the island that Rhiannon's north pole is on, is a part of the continent of Findias in the same way the Faroes are a part of Europe. Findias extends to almost the planetary equator. It is weirdly straight and narrow, but not impossibly so.

More later...

[Astromancer]

Although I'll do more Rhiannon later, try this idea...

It a very different Supervillain game. First General Zod ( a Kryptonian who hated Superman's Dad) gets two things a stroke of luck and a clue. The second being far deadlier. Zod decides that, if he wants to remake Earth into Krypton, he'll need to go slow and seduce humanity into helping him.

The stroke of luck is basically a Deux Ex Machina that cleans up Zod's terrestrial criminal record. Basically, no one on Earth, including Supes, remembers him. So he can simplely pose as a loney refugee from the stars with technological knowledge to trade. It through introduction of chosen technologies Zod means to disrupt Earth and get folks to go along with his ideas to solve the problems of change. A fairly simple and effective sceme. Since Zod had Kyptonian longevity treatments, which baby Superman didn't have ( the longevity treatments are very bad for babies and other immature Krypttonians) Zod knows he has millenia to work his sceams.

But even if the Justice League can't focus on Zod, they've got other problems, other folks can see Zod's actions as a threat. Zod is bringing useful technologies suited to solve Earth's greatest problems. He's even used the fact that he's from Krypton as an advertisement for the quality of his tech. This immediately would catch the attention of Lex Luther, who sees Superman as a threat to Earth's development. Veronica Cale, a Wonder Woman foe who sees all supernatural and alien beings as contaminating Earth. The Parliament of Owls, Batman foes, wealthy conspirators seeking godlike authority. Ras-al-Ghul, the head of the League of Assassins, with his own vision of Humanity's future. And Vandal Savage, the immortal foe of the Flash and Hawkman, who seeks to be godking of Earth. All would quickly see Zod as a threat.

The idea would be the PCs are high-level agents of one or more of the above mentioned supervillains. Your goal would be to either spy on Zod ( a sly old paranoid with senses like Superman) or to stop his technological innovations. Between the foe and your bosses, life could get scary.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Rhiannon

On Muirias the big Monsoons comming out of Dagda's Cauldron keep the continent wet and fertile. Two vast rivers, the Grail and the Umbry, drain the eastern and western halves of the continent respectively. The two great rivers and their vast tributaries are the highways of Muirias and flow together and form a vast delta at the southern end of the continent. Among these vast delta swamps (fertile land for planting vast rice crops) there is a large shield volcano, long extinct, but with many hot springs. The largest human settlement on Rhiannon is on the slopes of this volcano.

The city of Jízhèn (Chinese for Market Town) is the trade entrepot of Muirias. The center of the whole continent's transport system. On the high slopes above Jizhèn the Tuatha maintain their major base on Muirias. Jízhèn was founded by Chinese Libertarians and has little or no formal government. They ditch most regulatory and governmental chores off on the Tuatha because it is both easy and generally gets good results.

The Tuatha are often called the "Flower Men" here because they mint high quality nearly indestructible coins. These coins are marked with a flower and a number on one side and a female face and the same number on the other side. These coins are the most widely recognized currency on Rhiannon.

More later...

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Rhiannon

The Tuatha aren't especially trusted by the rest of the colonists. This comes from several things.

First, most colonists were in nanostasis through the voyage and never heard of the Tuatha until after they woke up on Rhiannon. The first thing they heard from the Tuatha was that the ship was destroyed and all the supplies landed at the wrong place, which just happened to be with the Tuatha. Thus the first impression wasn't good for seeing the Tuatha as neither competent (why didn't you save the ship) nor honest (why do you have all the supplies).

Second, the Tuatha are a parahuman group that has spent most of it's time totally isolated from humans. They accept many human cultural norms and values but they don't quite act like normal humans. All Tuatha have Playful at quirk level at least and most have O.P.H.(Can't keep a straight face). They seem silly and irresponsible. They aren't irresponsible, they just don't act like normal humans. The Designer wanted Manic Pixie Dream Boys. The Tuatha are much more stable than that, but they don't seem to be.

Third, the Tuatha have great longevity and access to advanced medical nanotech. They don't seem to age. They're a few Tuatha that look mature, but most of the Tuatha people meet look like handsome frat boys and seem to act like that too.

Fourth, the Tuatha stayed isolated from the other colonists for several decades after landing. They were focused on A) maintaining and improving the terraformation of Rhiannon. They weren't really finished when the memetic purists attacked. B) Building and infrastructure that would allow them to continue the terraformation work. And C) preserving humanity's common heritage. The memetic purists tried to wipe out all of the information the colonists brought with them. It took the Tuatha decades to save and restore the databases.

However the Tuatha are now trying to reconnect with the rest of the colonists and help them build their societies.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Rhiannon

The terraformation of the planet Rhiannon is well advanced. the Tuatha are mainly focused on the ice caps and the oceans. Although teams of ecological engineers still fly back and forth over Muirias seeking to stabilize and strengthen the local ecology. Many of the colonists call the Tuatha the "Airmen." Most of these know the Tuatha only by their dirigibles flying high in the distance.

Most of the colonists on Muirias live in small communities practicing mainly subsistence farming and local crafts. What small surplus they have is traded by riverboat for the few vital necessities they can't produce. Most Farms are at TL4, as are most small towns. Larger towns are normally at TL6 and generally find some way to use the flow of a river to generate electric power. Jízhèn is one of the few places that is TL7. The Tuatha were TL11 across the board, but have advanced to TL12 in Teraformation.

Most adventurers on Rhiannon will seek to be Riverboat folk.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Rhiannon

The trade language of the river people is a form of English. It has many Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, and Arabic loan words though. If your native tongue is English or your fluent in English, then you're Accented in the River Tongue. However, if you're only accented in English, no further loss in incurred.

In the decades since the landing literacy among the young had plunged. Part of this comes from the lack of books. Much of it comes from the primitive economy and the fact that child labor is vital to community and family survival. Simply put, people don't have time to teach the children to read and there is little for people to read on Rhiannon anyway.

Towns are getting better at teaching children and the Tuatha have introduced plants that produce abundant fiber for paper. Still, mass literacy is something in the future.

There are primitive communication systems throughout Muirias. But there are no newspapers or postal services, although the Tuatha are planing the same.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Rhiannon

The Tuatha have a few allies. Other parahuman groups that traveled along with the group and aren't well known.

Tsubasa no aru The name means "The Winged." They are Parahumans with Bat DNA and certain structures that simulate the bodies of Pterasaurs. Basically, these people look like human/bat hybrids and they can fly as well as any bat. They also have sonar and other practical adaptations. The Tuatha's Designer also made these new bodies for a group of Japanese Anracheo- Primitives. The Tsubasa no aru do spy work and scouting for the Tuatha.

Telchines The Telchines are an aquatic parahuman group that, when fully clothed, can pass for human. The Telchines are generally far better at passing as normal human than the Tuatha ever are.

There are some other parahuman groups that the Tuatha have given homes either on Falias or (as with the Tsubasa no aru) on islands off the coast of Muirias.

[Astromancer]

Here's an idea for a campaign. The cloning lab on a generation starship had a backup plan in case of disaster wiping you the ship's crew. Basically, a group of parahumans would be created in the clone tanks.

The clones would be built on a template and receive one of six color named professional lenses. Treat their jobs as bang! Skills.

RED: Security

Orange: Engineering/Repair/Maintenance

Yellow: Psychology/Empath/Psion

Green: Science

Blue:Medical

Purple:Command/Astrogation

Basically, six talented lost people. They know they're on a ship, they know something has gone wrong, and they know they've got to find out what is wrong.

From here go where you like. It could be an exploration of a ruined ship. The founding of humanity again in the stars. A hunt for mutineers or alien attackers.

The main thing is everyone starts with a competent character with a role of their own.