New Sci Fi Setting Seeds - Page 248

Astromancer · 07-23-2022, 02:29 PM

The Puzzle Box

As many of you know during the decades between the settlement of the Solar System in the late 21st century and the development of practical FTL drives in the early 22rd century many generation starships were sent out to settle deep space.

These ships had one of three general fates. They successfully got were they were going. A small category but important. They met catastrophic failure and were either lost or found dead and derilict, by far the most common fate. Or they were, very rarely found in route. These last generally welcomed contact and are normally overjoyed to get a fast ride to a star system and a wider civilization. Humans aren't meant to be bottled up like storybook genies.

But we've found an odd case. A mid 22nd century generation starship called The New Argosy which was a group of space colonies that merged their habitats and left the Solar System during the Long Wars.

Although the ship is still functioning they don't answer hails. Our sensors show there is life on the ship, but most of it doesn't seem to make sense. What little evidence we have seems to suggest that the population on the ship are living in a retrograde society. Some kind of neo tribal culture.

If this is true, first contact is likely to be complex and dangerous. Which is why we chose a team of your quality.

Basically, this is a pulp style "find the lost tribe" adventure set on a vast starship.

As the ship is an amalgam of several large space habitats, it's simply vast. The nature of the society inside is likely to be xenophobic in the extreme.

malloyd · 07-25-2022, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw

Race to see who can link the "Are we the baddies?" sketch.

EDIT: Which isn't meant as an insult: it's an interesting premise, but I can see it requiring a lot of buy-in.

It might actually work a bit better in a more fantastic setting. Or at least one using more fantastic vocabulary. Your job is to take the Heart of the Goddess into the sanctuary of some other god so she can use his tether to regain access to the Heavens and shield her Chosen People from the mind warping wickness of the Blasphemers, which is so powerful it has caused many of the undefended Chosen to defect already. Same mission, but sounds different doesn't it?

SilvercatMoonpaw · 07-25-2022, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malloyd

It might actually work a bit better in a more fantastic setting. Or at least one using more fantastic vocabulary. Your job is to take the Heart of the Goddess into the sanctuary of some other god so she can use his tether to regain access to the Heavens and shield her Chosen People from the mind warping wickness of the Blasphemers, which is so powerful it has caused many of the undefended Chosen to defect already. Same mission, but sounds different doesn't it?

Yeah. And you could still run the heel-face plot-twist if desired.

tshiggins · 07-26-2022, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw

Race to see who can link the "Are we the baddies?" sketch.

EDIT: Which isn't meant as an insult: it's an interesting premise, but I can see it requiring a lot of buy-in.

Yeah, this would be a hard pass and a, "Hell, no," for me.

Astromancer · 07-28-2022, 05:35 PM

... And so does the Rue

We haven't heard anything from Earth in years. We aren't doing badly. The territorial government has transitioned to elected governors. We've clubed together with the British Commonwealth colonists. The crops are doing fine. We've got a couple of colleges and there are traveling theater troops. They're even making films.

But I worry. We know there are other colonies on this planet. What are they up to?

This is a TL7+2^ setting. But most of that stuff is way off stage and not relevant to the lives of the PCs. This is an Atomic Horror ala Bradbury setting. These are very much small town mid century Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, etc. This is a Golden Age Sci Fi planet with exotic alien lifeforms probably within bike riding range. There are alien ruins nearby.

Between the possibilities of aliens showing up in town (or hiding in the woods) and the colonists from other societies, there should be lots of adventure possibilities.

Basically, a sort of Twilight Zone setting with generous sides of Lovecraft and Bradbury. The PCs are ordinary people out of their depth. But as this is a Twilight Zone inspired setting they might surprise the monsters.

Who is out of whose depth?

The song reference in the title is thematic. This is very much an early 1960s take on Sci Fi. The early sixties always seemed to be about uncertainty and hope. Green Grows the Lilac is a song about uncertainty, fear, hope, and longing. Colonists on a distant world, not hearing any news for years would be going through all of those emotions.

Astromancer · 07-31-2022, 11:39 AM

After the Ball is Over

This terraforming project was never meant to last. An anomalous planet orbiting a white dwarf, probably a captured body, was only a sport you see. It was going to come near enough several much brighter stars for a few decades. This made terraforming possible. Not practical.

The powers that be wanted a memorable fairground. So they poured cash into making the planet Festival a beautiful world. But the fair is over. This planet is moving beyond the point were any technology could keep it terraformed. In a couple of decades this world will be only rock and ice.

Leave now or die with the planet.

Basically, the planet Festival was a toy of the galactic elites. For about one hundred and fifty standard years Festival was a cultural center of the galaxy. A grand century and a half party. But the invited guests have left and the once tropical world is becoming chilly.

The story possibilities are many. Although in the eyes of the galactic elites many of the left over party favors are mere trash, for many scavengers they are immensely valuable. Gangs of tough scavengers hunt the pleasure gardens and fairgrounds for discarded treasures.

Many people were brought in as service providers, entertainers, and decorations. These are now desperately seeking ways to leave the planet for anyplace more stable. Thrill seekers are here as well to watch the violence and desperation. Finally there are folks like you hoping to rescue the desperate.

But many of those you came to rescue desperately want your ship. Just escaping death isn't enough, your ship might let them escape death and poverty. The scavenger packs would love to pirate your ship. It's extra profit for them. And the thrill seekers don't want you to spoil their fun. They came to see the helpless die.

So saving anyone from these dieing fairgrounds and carnivals is going to be hell.

A Mad Max/Escape from New York type adventure in pretty surroundings. Less desolation, more pretty landscaping and comfortable lawn furniture.

johndallman · 07-31-2022, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Many people were brought in as service providers, entertainers, and decorations. These are now desperately seeking ways to leave the planet for anyplace more stable.

Since many of them had contracts that involved transport home, there's also a flock of lawyers, looking for cases they can win back in civilisation. Of course, the people they've sent in to take depositions are expendable.

Astromancer · 07-31-2022, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndallman

Since many of them had contracts that involved transport home, there's also a flock of lawyers, looking for cases they can win back in civilisation. Of course, the people they've sent in to take depositions are expendable.

You brought in another aspect of the brutal decadence of the warped galactic mileau. I admire your evil brain.

Dr. Beckenstein · 07-31-2022, 01:43 PM

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this (mods?), but there is a competition for short science fictions adventures. Maybe somebody here is interested:

https://itch.io/jam/hyperspeed-jam-2022

Astromancer · 08-03-2022, 01:41 PM

In The Fires of Spring

By the 2040s most of the world had been through two decades of hell. COVID, the Russo-Ukrainian war, the famines and economic collapses caused by two of the biggest exporters of grain, fertilizer, and petroleum products going off line for years, the birth derth, the demographic collapse, the ending of the Mare Librium (Freedom of the Seas), the general isolationist trend in the USA, and the collapse of China, all were trouble enough. The Indonesian volcanic events placed vast clouds of sulfur dioxide in the upper atmosphere creating a sudden brutal freeze worldwide.

Thanks to both strong internal lines of supply and the petroleum supplied by fracking the USA was far more stable than any other developed nation. During the decades of winter the USA kept scientific progress going. By 2070 the USA had commercially viable fusion generators. By the 2090s the world was coming out of the crisis of the 21st century.

But now in 2115 there are suddenly signs of the vulcanic winter going away. No one had expected the the icy new equilibrium to end for centuries. Now it looks like the skies will clear in a mere twenty years.

The problem is that, between the collapse of theMare Librium and the introduction of the American fusors, people had to deal with the brutal cold and the lack of fuel by burning lignum, the lowest grade of coal. Because lignum is 40% water by weight, it's the smokiest and highest polluting coal there is. The fading of global winter will bring a whole different climate disaster to a world that hasn't yet recovered.

Basically, the world is almost collapsed from an apocalyptic crisis and is going to slide into another one immediately. A fragile and wounded world is lashing out. Some fighting for life, others simply flailing as they die.

PCs can take many roles. Espionage is always an option. Many of the surviving nations want to find something that gives them a handle on the handful of still strong nations. A means of gaining power, control,or at least aid. Aid workers in the middle of a humanitarian disaster trying to save lives in what is becoming a killing field. Marines trying to extract aid workers from a killing field. In a collapsing nation, ordinary people trying to keep themselves alive can be a grim adventure in itself. Remember, adventure is somebody else having a hard time.

Assume that this world has just become TL9. However, most people are lucky to live in TL8 circumstances and many people's circumstances are in free fall. Any positive level of wealth should come with Unusual Background costs.

07-23-2022, 02:29 PM	#2471
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds The Puzzle Box As many of you know during the decades between the settlement of the Solar System in the late 21st century and the development of practical FTL drives in the early 22rd century many generation starships were sent out to settle deep space. These ships had one of three general fates. They successfully got were they were going. A small category but important. They met catastrophic failure and were either lost or found dead and derilict, by far the most common fate. Or they were, very rarely found in route. These last generally welcomed contact and are normally overjoyed to get a fast ride to a star system and a wider civilization. Humans aren't meant to be bottled up like storybook genies. But we've found an odd case. A mid 22nd century generation starship called The New Argosy which was a group of space colonies that merged their habitats and left the Solar System during the Long Wars. Although the ship is still functioning they don't answer hails. Our sensors show there is life on the ship, but most of it doesn't seem to make sense. What little evidence we have seems to suggest that the population on the ship are living in a retrograde society. Some kind of neo tribal culture. If this is true, first contact is likely to be complex and dangerous. Which is why we chose a team of your quality. Basically, this is a pulp style "find the lost tribe" adventure set on a vast starship. As the ship is an amalgam of several large space habitats, it's simply vast. The nature of the society inside is likely to be xenophobic in the extreme. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo

07-28-2022, 05:35 PM	#2475
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds ... And so does the Rue We haven't heard anything from Earth in years. We aren't doing badly. The territorial government has transitioned to elected governors. We've clubed together with the British Commonwealth colonists. The crops are doing fine. We've got a couple of colleges and there are traveling theater troops. They're even making films. But I worry. We know there are other colonies on this planet. What are they up to? This is a TL7+2^ setting. But most of that stuff is way off stage and not relevant to the lives of the PCs. This is an Atomic Horror ala Bradbury setting. These are very much small town mid century Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, etc. This is a Golden Age Sci Fi planet with exotic alien lifeforms probably within bike riding range. There are alien ruins nearby. Between the possibilities of aliens showing up in town (or hiding in the woods) and the colonists from other societies, there should be lots of adventure possibilities. Basically, a sort of Twilight Zone setting with generous sides of Lovecraft and Bradbury. The PCs are ordinary people out of their depth. But as this is a Twilight Zone inspired setting they might surprise the monsters. Who is out of whose depth? The song reference in the title is thematic. This is very much an early 1960s take on Sci Fi. The early sixties always seemed to be about uncertainty and hope. Green Grows the Lilac is a song about uncertainty, fear, hope, and longing. Colonists on a distant world, not hearing any news for years would be going through all of those emotions. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo Last edited by Astromancer; 07-28-2022 at 05:47 PM.

07-31-2022, 11:39 AM	#2476
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds After the Ball is Over This terraforming project was never meant to last. An anomalous planet orbiting a white dwarf, probably a captured body, was only a sport you see. It was going to come near enough several much brighter stars for a few decades. This made terraforming possible. Not practical. The powers that be wanted a memorable fairground. So they poured cash into making the planet Festival a beautiful world. But the fair is over. This planet is moving beyond the point were any technology could keep it terraformed. In a couple of decades this world will be only rock and ice. Leave now or die with the planet. Basically, the planet Festival was a toy of the galactic elites. For about one hundred and fifty standard years Festival was a cultural center of the galaxy. A grand century and a half party. But the invited guests have left and the once tropical world is becoming chilly. The story possibilities are many. Although in the eyes of the galactic elites many of the left over party favors are mere trash, for many scavengers they are immensely valuable. Gangs of tough scavengers hunt the pleasure gardens and fairgrounds for discarded treasures. Many people were brought in as service providers, entertainers, and decorations. These are now desperately seeking ways to leave the planet for anyplace more stable. Thrill seekers are here as well to watch the violence and desperation. Finally there are folks like you hoping to rescue the desperate. But many of those you came to rescue desperately want your ship. Just escaping death isn't enough, your ship might let them escape death and poverty. The scavenger packs would love to pirate your ship. It's extra profit for them. And the thrill seekers don't want you to spoil their fun. They came to see the helpless die. So saving anyone from these dieing fairgrounds and carnivals is going to be hell. A Mad Max/Escape from New York type adventure in pretty surroundings. Less desolation, more pretty landscaping and comfortable lawn furniture. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo Last edited by Astromancer; 07-31-2022 at 11:44 AM.

07-31-2022, 01:43 PM	#2479
Dr. Beckenstein Join Date: Sep 2013	Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds I am not sure if this is the right place to post this (mods?), but there is a competition for short science fictions adventures. Maybe somebody here is interested: https://itch.io/jam/hyperspeed-jam-2022 __________________ ""The origin of everything good is due to games." - Friedrich August Wilhelm Froebel, creator of the kindergarten.

08-03-2022, 01:41 PM	#2480
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds In The Fires of Spring By the 2040s most of the world had been through two decades of hell. COVID, the Russo-Ukrainian war, the famines and economic collapses caused by two of the biggest exporters of grain, fertilizer, and petroleum products going off line for years, the birth derth, the demographic collapse, the ending of the Mare Librium (Freedom of the Seas), the general isolationist trend in the USA, and the collapse of China, all were trouble enough. The Indonesian volcanic events placed vast clouds of sulfur dioxide in the upper atmosphere creating a sudden brutal freeze worldwide. Thanks to both strong internal lines of supply and the petroleum supplied by fracking the USA was far more stable than any other developed nation. During the decades of winter the USA kept scientific progress going. By 2070 the USA had commercially viable fusion generators. By the 2090s the world was coming out of the crisis of the 21st century. But now in 2115 there are suddenly signs of the vulcanic winter going away. No one had expected the the icy new equilibrium to end for centuries. Now it looks like the skies will clear in a mere twenty years. The problem is that, between the collapse of theMare Librium and the introduction of the American fusors, people had to deal with the brutal cold and the lack of fuel by burning lignum, the lowest grade of coal. Because lignum is 40% water by weight, it's the smokiest and highest polluting coal there is. The fading of global winter will bring a whole different climate disaster to a world that hasn't yet recovered. Basically, the world is almost collapsed from an apocalyptic crisis and is going to slide into another one immediately. A fragile and wounded world is lashing out. Some fighting for life, others simply flailing as they die. PCs can take many roles. Espionage is always an option. Many of the surviving nations want to find something that gives them a handle on the handful of still strong nations. A means of gaining power, control,or at least aid. Aid workers in the middle of a humanitarian disaster trying to save lives in what is becoming a killing field. Marines trying to extract aid workers from a killing field. In a collapsing nation, ordinary people trying to keep themselves alive can be a grim adventure in itself. Remember, adventure is somebody else having a hard time. Assume that this world has just become TL9. However, most people are lucky to live in TL8 circumstances and many people's circumstances are in free fall. Any positive level of wealth should come with Unusual Background costs. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo Last edited by Astromancer; 11-22-2022 at 05:06 PM.