New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by johndallman

On the spam message, click on the report icon. That's the upwards-pointing triangle at the bottom of the left pane of the message. If you hover over it, the tooltip is "Report Post".

Type "Spammer" or some variation thereof, in the "Message" box, and then click the "Report Message" button.

Thank you.

[Astromancer]

The Four and Twenty Sailors

You can't change the past. Some have tried. One guy spent years trying to kill Hitler. The would be savior of Europe ended up dead at Dachau three centuries before he was born.

That said, time travel can still be lucrative. Chrontiques they call them. Items salvaged from the past. Myself, I got to an old mansion that burned down in 1890. I rescued the drunken kid who was supposed to have burned the house down. And stripped out all the valuables replacing everything with cheap copies that looked the same when reduced to ashes.

The kid. He was an exploited twelve year old orphan they left to tend the house while they were in town for the holidays. I adopted the kid. My son is a fine young man.

Basically, the PCs are salvage operators looking for easy pickings. They'll want to find a target of opportunity to loot/ahem/salvage. The goal is to make no waves because anything that risks altering the past causes massive bad luck. History like a vast flood has inertia. You don't want to get smashed flat by the force of history.

The typical plan is to find a place were things got destroyed with few if any witnesses. Anything from Chippendale furniture, to lost Old Master's paintings, to medieval manuscripts, to early editions of Action Comics, can bring in the big bucks. But the juiciest treasure is generally the most complicated.

[Astromancer]

"Every form of refuge has its price"

Yes sir, these lands belong to your people now. To your People. The whole planet is under US supervision. We get you your starting supplies and needed tools. And your people build their new lives.

Why would we guarantee your authority? You didn't take good care of your people on Earth. Why would we want you to torture them here?

Of course we knew you'd object. That's why you and your whole political faction are here on this luxury space station fifty light years away from your people. Make too much trouble and the bioshells around you will simply open the airlocks and let you breathe vacuum.

Basically, Earth is dying, but the USA can pull off a rescue. Much of the world has been evacuated. It's the trouble spots that remain. The PCs have the job of getting bitter angry dictators (who are suspicious to the point of paranoia as a rule) to let their people leave. Without allowing said dictators the chance to continue their brutal rule.

This is a Golden Age Sci Fi background that assumes that habitable planets are a dime a dozen. The USA has control of the necessary Unobtanium for anti-gravity and superluminal flight. Everybody needs to leave Earth, pick your reason.

The conflict comes from trying to get a chance for real new starts for the subjects of dictators.

[Astromancer]

Meeting the Neighbors

Well they stood there in the lane wearing a sort of green uniform. They said hello to me with no introduction at all.

What did you do?

I said "You don't seem to be from these parts" They admitted they weren't. They said they spoke to me as I looked intelligent and might direct them to the authorities.

I heard that Ted Shandy! Be quiet!

What then?

I sent them to the parson's house. Sir Reginald has always said he hates Americans

The plague wars were long ago. England is changed. Some say they went back to the old ways. More say that England is like a cheap copy of a movie about England of old. Either way, most folks are poor and keep their heads down. These Americans are strange. They seem far more polite than the legends say and they don't seem to be vast and fat. Healthy, solid, but not fat. Very tall though.

Basically, this is a First Contact post-apocalyptic Sci Fi adventure with American (or whatever you like) explorers in an England that's a cross between Cold Comfort Farm and a satire of "Merry England." The local tech is a cross between Tolkien's Shire and the late 17th early 18th century setting of the Mother Goose stories. Use Phil Master's Alchemical Baroque as a guide. Although the clothing and architecture look more ren fair Elizabethan.

This is a Comedy of mutual misunderstanding.

Note: The locals are about the same average heights as in the 18th century. With adult men at about five foot six. The Americans have had the benefits of both a much better diet and advanced medical treatments in early childhood. They average about six foot four inches in height.

America is not fully recovered from the Plague Wars. Although they have access to some TL9 materials and devices, they mainly operate at an early TL6 level. The locals are a picturesque blend of TL4 and TL5. Use the rule of cool.

[David Johnston2]

EDR: A bit more than a century ago, in the wake of World War III and widespread ecological catastrophe, what was left of the United States launched humanity's first just barely faster than light vessel and attracted the attention of extra-terrestrials with a distinct resemblance to traditional depictions of elves. These visitors generously offered their assistance in developing Earth's technology and repairing the ecological devastation it was suffering. Any suspicions that they were doing this because the alternative was a flood of human space pirates going Mad Max on their asses were probably accurate. They were a pragmatic people who had created a network of junior allies dependent on them for for protection and assistance in order to minimize the number of potential foes they'd have to face.

Somewhat to their surprise however, despite rapidly improving conditions on the now united Earth, a large number of humans chose to vacate the planet rather than working to turn it into advanced and peaceful paradise and in fact the Earth government actively subsidized their departure as a means of getting rid of their malcontents. They were far less picky than most cultures, heading out to any unclaimed territory that had the slightest hint of habitability, with only the most cursory investigation of possible hazards and with no attempt whatsoever to limit their colonization efforts to an area they could actually defend or control. In an amazingly short period Earth humans had sparsely occupied many times the number of worlds that their mentors occupied.

Now, despite the refusal of their mentors to share their engine technology in a vain effort to slow human expansionism Earth has independently developed a stardrive that rivals the best their allies have created. You have been chosen to be the primary bridge crew for Earth's first long range cruiser on a mission to visit all of Earth's scattered colonies and convince as many of them as possible to reunite with Earth for cooperation and protection. You will have to visit each one of them in turn find out what problems they have and help solve those problems to prove the value of a relationship with Earth. At the same time you will also be visiting the many failed colonies and try to find out what killed the colonists so the next attempt might be more successful. Possibly one or more players will choose to play an observer from Earth's elf-like mentors along for the ride.

[Astromancer]

A nice Star Trek modified take. Liked the Vulcans equal elves bit.

[Astromancer]

New Playmates

It was in 2047, the Roswell centennial, when they first contacted us publicly. They were tall and pale. They used to call them"Nordics." They always made me think of Tolkien's elves. But I think they're more like Poul Anderson's. They soon had a base in Hawaii and we had a technology sharing agreement.

The Greys were out there too. They decided on Europe. Since the American trade system collapsed in the 2030s, Europe has been icy towards the states. Even the Germans call our allies Space Nazis and sometimes Space Nazi Hippies. The Europeans seem to have a worse deal than the states.

India seems to have a deal with the Reptilians. They call them "Nagas" though. They seem to be doing well with the deal but something feels off.

China, which has had an amazingly hard time these last few decades claims alliance with energy beings. I wonder what that's about.

Basically, it's a twist on multipolar politics. The Nordics who are much more like Anderson's elves than Tolkien's want humans both for mates and allies. They are genetically human and have the Low Empathy disadvantage. But hope to gain many human traits through their connections with the Americans. However, they have a variety of serious issues. These really aren't safe allies. But they are the least toxic.

PCs could be American agents trying to learn the secrets of the Aliens, our allies and everybody else's too.

[Astromancer]

The New Sea

When I was little there was a desert to our South, Southwest, and West. Then the sea came. It came over a few weeks. The scholars called it an Injection Event.

The hills we still live in became green and lush soon after. We began to have trees in abundance and could try our collective hand at shipbuilding. After a few sinkings, and learning what caulk is, we began to learn to sail.

We now have a good ship and a skilled crew (sort of). We're ready to explore.

Basically, a lost colony group on an alien world. The climate modification package took time to work, but the seas are in place.

This is a Golden Age Sci Fi adventure that crosses Planetary Romance with high seas action. Remember, the PCs are brave and hardy sailors. But sadly not skilled ones.

[Willy]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The New Sea

[I] When I was little there was a desert to our South, Southwest, and West. SNIP
The hills we still live in became green and lush soon after. We began to have trees in abundance and could try our collective hand at shipbuilding. After a few sinkings, and learning what caulk is, we began to learn to sail.

SNIP

I guess that guys have a pretty extended livespan, most trees good enough to build ships, take at least half a century before useful, some more than a century. Add the time to learn how to build ships, some test fails and such, not to mention the time it needs for plants to spread in a former arid area, I would estimate this guy is at leat 200 years "young".

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Willy

I guess that guys have a pretty extended livespan, most trees good enough to build ships, take at least half a century before useful, some more than a century. Add the time to learn how to build ships, some test fails and such, not to mention the time it needs for plants to spread in a former arid area, I would estimate this guy is at leat 200 years "young".

Okay, that was a foul up. But what do you think about inexperienced sailors up a Golden Age Sci Fi/Planetary Romance planet exploring their world?