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Old 12-05-2022, 10:02 PM   #2581
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Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Drexler worldlines are dangerous worlds, but Infinity is not terribly worried about them. As their name implies, the are inhabited by self-replicating nanomachines in some sense. Several have undergone grey-goo type scenarios, and several others are dangerous simply because they are hazardous to the Secret because of, you know, the omnipresent computing nanites that can observe basically everything.

So why does't Infinity worry about these worlds? Simply because all of them rely on different physical laws, and odd ones, at that. Specifically, all Drexlers have a mechanism that allows nanoscale violations of thermodynamics, yet don't have any macroscale differences. Essentially, nanomachines can reject waste heat far better than they should be able to, and gather energy from the ambient area. And so, said devices, should they escape, break down instantly.

So, as long as you wear a breathing mask on Drexler-1, don't go to Drexler-2 through -9, and have a powerful EM field generator on you when you visit Drexler-10, you've got nothing to worry about Drexler worlds.

Hibbs, however, is a scary one precisely because it does not rely on weird physics.

Hibbs' Earth is infested with extremely large nanomachines compared to those on most Drexler worlds (on the order of 200 nm, the size of the smallest bacterium). These machines work very slowly and require external energy and very pure raw resources. However, they retain an extraordinary ability to pass through filters and even to tunnel through many solid materials. They seem purpose-built to do one thing: make manufacturing integrated circuits practically impossible at a scale smaller than 3.5μm.

That is to say, this world is capped at mid-1970s cutting edge tech. Anything beyond that hits a hard wall of inevitable defects. In principle, a perfect clean room could make more advanced chips, but the iterative process to get there is not feasible. Somehow, the nanites get into the circuit, where the electrical current and high-purity silicon gives them everything they need to reproduce. Slow and unthreatening as they are, it only takes them a couple of days to destroy a running IC unless it's big enough to simply ignore the tiny bots as they drag themselves along. Even stuff that can survive this punishment long enough to reach consumers will "rot" after 5-10 years, though clever designs have extended that.

Homeline figured this was a Drexler world with some kind of gadgeteer who invented the nanites relatively recently. As they learned more, things got really, really spooky. There's no powers here, no sign of mana or any of the normal weirdness. Where, then did the nanites come from? They were known going at least back to the invention of electron microscopes in the '30s, though not well understood.

Around ten years ago, it became clear that the nanites still function when you leave the worldline. Homeline, not being total idiots, had only sent automated probes to Hibbs and had their first -- and only -- sample relayed to an automated test on a radiation-blasted hell world. When they saw that, yes, the Hibbs nanites function and even reproduce on other worldlines (thankfully, only in shirtsleeve environments, not extreme climes), they slapped one of the strictest quarantines available down on Hibbs. They have a whole new module on the default automated probe mission just to check for Hibbs-like nanites, now. Hibbs's coordinates were encrypted and installed on every conveyor with a module that will redirect it if it attempts to go there. It was, a major, major deal.

But now, something is up. Not just a new probe mission. Your team is being brought in for a crewed mission. Which implies that homeline is really, REALLY desperate and your team is likely astonishingly screwed. What could they possibly want here?

Last edited by PTTG; 12-05-2022 at 10:14 PM.
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Old 12-14-2022, 08:59 AM   #2582
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Upswing

The properties of that mineral were an out of left field discovery. At first it seemed weird, more fun and useless than anything else. Then Watanda Jackson won her Noble Prize by both showing the implications of those properties and how to use them.

That's why are space drives are called Jackson drives.


In 2030 Doctor Watanda Jackson freed humanity from Earth's gravity well. As the key mineral is found only in the continental USA (the Iron Range has had an economic recovery, and the discovery of ore veins in West Virginia bodes well for that state) the USA controls access to space in the year 2035.

Solar Power Satellites (Powersats hereafter) are beginning to change the world economy. Plans are being finalized to experiment with sun shields to deal with global warming. Asteroid Mining is in the near future and the moonbase is getting started.

Basically, an upbeat world. The USA is selling cheap electric power to the world and plowing the profits back into more power production at lower prices. Cheaper power means cheaper everything else. The "Third World" is having a boom in many areas. Europe, Maritime East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and Columbia, are all experiencing boom economies.

Those left out are less than thrilled. Russia, seeing oil prices plummet to mere pennies above production costs feels a knife to their throats. Saudi Arabia (which is beginning to see it oil fields play out) is bitter. Similarly, around the globe, resource providers, finding that America has located rich mineral resources in the near Earth asteroids and will soon be mining them see their doom.

The hads and the have nots aren't happy. They've got to make their displeasure known. The PCs are part of anti-terrorist squads protecting the innocent from the fury of fading dictators and their various dupes.
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Old 12-14-2022, 11:23 AM   #2583
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As the key mineral is found only in the continental USA (the Iron Range has had an economic recovery, and the discovery of ore veins in West Virginia bodes well for that state) the USA controls access to space in the year 2035.
The quantity of money that is going into searches for other deposits of that mineral, and into means of producing it synthetically, will be remarkable.

As an example, the Cryolite mine in Greenland was hugely important for much of the twentieth century but is now exhausted. All the cryolite used now is synthetic; it's vital for aluminium production, which consumes hundreds of thousands of tons a year.
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Old 12-14-2022, 11:41 AM   #2584
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The quantity of money that is going into searches for other deposits of that mineral, and into means of producing it synthetically, will be remarkable.

As an example, the Cryolite mine in Greenland was hugely important for much of the twentieth century but is now exhausted. All the cryolite used now is synthetic; it's vital for aluminium production, which consumes hundreds of thousands of tons a year.
A shrewd observation. It would likely be a European or East Asian firm, consortium, or acedemic institution that would make the discovery. Many different groups would kill for a useful formula.
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Old 12-16-2022, 10:25 AM   #2585
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Retcon!

This mad woman is taking a blue pencil to the universe!

Clam down. That's over the top even for you.

She even says she's rewriting the basic axioms of reality! And you can't deny the visible changes in New York, the Bay Area, London, Chicago, Tokyo, and Seoul.

I don't deny the "Tech Surge," or whatever they call it. As for supposed changes in the "social and magical axioms" we'll just have to see evidence.

What if that's too late.

To prevent something bad, or something good!


I'm stealing from TORG. This is a science fantasy set up. A world-jumper, who has become a Stormknight, has brought an exotic Reality Alteration technology to her home Earth. The Stormknight has two goals. First she wants to alter her homeworld to make it immune to incursions by Reality Raiders by giving Earth not just the interplanar equivalent of an unlisted number but the equivalent of an unlistable number. Second, she plans to alter the world to more strongly favor Liberal Democracy, especially of the Social Democratic type. It's the second goal that has people baying for her blood. As to the first, most people think Reality Wars sounds like a 1990s RPG.

The changes as of yet haven't gained either of the world-jumper's goals, but they are impressive. The easiest one to explain is the Tech Surge. Basically, I assume our present world is in late TL8. The Tech Surge has moved the areas it effects into a solid mid TL9. An equivalent change involving a transition from TL5 to TL6 would be like a transition from the technology of 1885 to the technology of 1920. The products of the Tech Surge work just fine world wide, but can only be made in areas with the heightened technological axiom. The other axioms are more involved.

The local Mana level on this world was Very Low a minus ten to all spell skills. Alchemy isn't functional unless done by a highly skilled mage. Magical skills including Alchemy can't actually be taught, all Mages must learn on their own. Mages occur only once in ten million births. There are rare areas of Low Mana these are tiny and show up only in places with a history of being associated with the supernatural.

The changed Magical Axiom simply makes the changed areas of the world Low Mana and Mage births are a one in One Hundred Thousand event. All normal Low Mana rules apply. The areas of higher Mana become areas of normal Mana. These become significantly larger and more common.

The changed Social Axiom is more complicated.

First, economic activity is enhanced both in productivity and functionality. These areas simply are more sophisticated and competent economically. This generally means more prosperous as well.

Second, government is more flexible and functional. Social Services just work better and get better results. Bureaucracies simply work better and tend to be less corrupt and inefficient.

Third, human level communication and understanding is enhanced. One aspect of this is that the arts are more dynamic and complex and people connect to that. Artists are more likely to get were their audience is and find ways to communicate. This isn't magical, not every artist is a Rembrandt, a Shakespeare, or a Mozart. But more good art is being made and discovered by its audience. Political action is also enhanced as getting political messages out is far easier too.

Note: Social predators can also take advantage of these changes. Nothing says these things must be used for good. This setting is inspired by 1st ed TORG, but we're playing GURPS.

The World-jumper started her Reality Shift in New York City. Most of the Eastern Seaboard Megalopolis has shifted to the new reality as has the long urban corridor from New York through the Great Lakes. Also transformed is the highly urbanized areas of California from Tijuana to the Bay Area. Both the Texas and Florida Megalopolises are largely shifted as well. The more urban an area is, the more fully it has transformed. Rural areas near large urban areas seem to get pulled in and changed as well. Just about every US, Mexican, and Canadian city with a population above 100,000 is seeing some effects. Smaller cities on the edge of the transformed areas seem to get pulled in and transformed too.

Outside of North America Seoul, Tokyo, and London, have also experienced transformation. In each of these cases the transformation is spreading through nearby Urban areas.

The World-Jumper has excepted an invitation to visit a variety of European cities. Both she and her hosts hope to spread the transformations.

Basically, this is a twenty minutes into the future setting. The World-Jumper is a highly controversial figure who is both celebrated and reviled. Many people want her dead. Others simply want to control her. Nations that built their economies on resource extraction and ignore their people are deeply terrified by the changes. Multiple carbon free energy generation technologies are available in the changed areas. These can crush their whole power structure. Many people are in superstitious terror of the World-jumper, they simply want it all erased. Both Reality Raiders and Stormknights are aware of her actions. The Reality Raiders are terrified of being shut out of new worlds. The Stormknights fear her plans could backfire.

There are also lots of interesting possibilities on the edges of the transformation. Picture a city like Morgantown West Virginia. It's on the edge of the transformation. It could be half transformed. Some neighborhoods could have Wizards and Cyborgs talking shop together. Other neighborhoods would be what passes for normal in our reality. The adventure possibilities of a borderland ought to be obvious.

More later.
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Old 12-18-2022, 07:48 AM   #2586
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Retcon!
I'll be doing several notes postings for this setting. The idea is to make it playable.

**************************************************

Stormknights have something called the Reality skill. This has two major effects.

First, it allows the Stormknight in question to operate under their native World Axioms. Thus a Wizard from a High Magic world could still cast spells in a no magic world, there would be issues, but they could do it.

Second, the Reality skill allows you to temporarily impose your native reality on others and the world around you. Someone from a low technology reality could prevent machines from functioning. Someone from a high social reality could get long time foes to see their common ground and work together selflessly for the greater good. An individual from a low spiritual reality would be able to drive off ghosts, or gods.

The Reality skill, or more properly, Reality!, Is a Bang! skill. It costs as much as Science! or Detective! Use of Reality! in any but the most passive ways requires Possibly Energy. (Which I will have to explain later).
************************************************

Individuals with high levels of Possibly Energy display odd effects. Those with Reality! and high levels of Possiblity Energy have positive luck related advantages.

Those with high levels of Possiblity Energy and lacking Reality! manifest a variety of disturbing phenomena, with Weirdness Magnet being by far the least troublesome side effect. Additional misery, Reality Raiders want extra Possibly Energy and have vicious means of extracting Possibly Energy. An ugly painful death being the least brutal outcome.

************************************************

PCs in this setting vary. The average PCs hero dealing with the ongoing crisis and weirdness will probably be a two to three hundred point normal. Of course people who have just discovered they're Mages or Psis and don't know what to do with that could have either lower or higher stats.

Stormknights, defined as people with the skill Reality! are five to six hundred point characters, unless they are very inexperienced.

As this is setting is meant to be basically our Earth with the changes starting in January of 2023, PCs from our Earth have fairly well defined limits on their skills and advantages. The exception being advantages like Magery or Psi Resistance that no one could have discovered they had on our Earth. After all, in a no Mana world, Magery-7 looks exactly like Magery-0.

Stormknights, being from many different realities can have any powers, skills, or advantages, the GM allows.

Reality Raiders are basically malevolent Stromknights. Because of the various brutal ways they destructively use or extract Possibly Energy, many Reality Raiders are bizarrely warped. However, some Reality Raiders are simply predatory without being megalomaniacs. They still do brutal selfish things, but they don't risk suicide or insanity for mere gain.
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Old 12-18-2022, 01:15 PM   #2587
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I'll be doing several notes postings for this setting. The idea is to make it playable.
You may wish to crib from RogerBW's GURPS TORG rules, although those requie the use of a deck of TORG cards.
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Old 12-18-2022, 04:22 PM   #2588
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You may wish to crib from RogerBW's GURPS TORG rules, although those requie the use of a deck of TORG cards.
It sounds like a great source Johndallman. Even if f I only steal details on Possibilities.
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Old 12-18-2022, 05:14 PM   #2589
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Retcon!
Random Notes.

********************************************

The present day in the campaign is December 2023. The Tech Surge has revived the Rust Belt economy. Politicians are screaming at each other about that. The fact that the higher Social Axiom in the changed areas causes the economy to act differently combined with the Tech Surge is both delighting millions and driving economists insane.

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are involved in a race to build an American moonbase. NASA is pleased to encourage them. (If a Moonbase gets built it will be under the enhanced Axioms.)

Industrial espionage is through the roof. Multiple nations want the enhanced technology. The limits caused by the changed Axioms aren't widely acknowledged or understood.

*********************************************

Although I am stealing from TORG, you need not limit your campaign to those Reality Raiders. The villains in the Mortal Combat Game are basically Reality Raiders. The Sheeda from Grant Morrison's Seven Soliders of Victory are Reality Raiders. You could have Reality Raiders who see themselves as the good guys. Just picture Marvel Comics Squadron Supreme as Reality Raiders. The Technocracy from GURPS: Mage the Ascension would be subtly monsterous foes. Blend Tolkien's Elves with Anderson's for some scary Reality Raiders. Or just use Pratchett's Elves.

*************************************************

The World-jumper is a Two Thousand point character. She has abilities that are basically a blending of Psionics with Realm Magic. Plus high stats, a wide range of skills, and a few hundred points in luck advantages.

She has several companions ( picture her as a cross between Iris Wyldthyme and the Fourth and Seventh Doctors) who are far less powerful.

********************************************

Several allied Stormknights are trying to get the reality changes introduced into Taipei, Sydney, Auckland, Mumbai, and Kuala Lumpur. The governments of Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, India and Malaysia, are mainly pleased and excited. The governments of China, Iran, and Pakistan are horrified. The governments of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Singapore, are jealous and somewhat insulted. Espionage, kidnappings, and diplomatic chaos likely.

Meanwhile, the steady transformation of South Korea is both exciting Pyongyang and terrifying them. The North Koreans want the technology, but they are seeing social transformations too. If the Axiom changes bleed over the border, Pyongyang might lash out insanely.
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Old 12-18-2022, 08:52 PM   #2590
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Good Fences
Sounds like the Grand Fenwick scenario. Attack the Federation, lose, sue for peace, there is no dishonor in losing to a superior foe, get brought in to the Federation, receive "foreign aid."
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