Recommendations for Newer Transhuman Space Inspiration

[DAT]

The classic Transhuman Space book, and its biography, are almost 20 years old at this point. What newer fiction, films, comics, manga, anime, etc has come out that is inspiring for a Transhuman Space setting?

[Phil Masters]

The Expanse (books and TV, and for that matter the upcoming RPG) would be one obvious thing to mention.

[Shostak]

The films Europa Report, Moon, and the somewhat softer SF books/Netflix series Altered Carbon.

[hackbarth]

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Even if the original animation already is in the bibliography, the series expands much in the depiction of a Fifth Wave society and its conflicts.

The Orbital Children: a good depiction of a crisis in a space station and some problems caused by rogue AIs.

[Astromancer]

Robbing the headlines is a good source for inspiration. There have been substantial changes worldwide since the books were printed.

The rise of China looks wildly unlikely between their demographic issues and the shifts in trade advantages. Similarly, Traveller 2300AD's France as world power seems far more likely than a stable EU (sigh). Brazil is aging faster than the USA, meanwhile, both Kenya and Nigeria look like they could be impressive in 2100.

Changing the politics would open up new dramatic possibilities.

[ehrbar]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The rise of China looks wildly unlikely between their demographic issues and the shifts in trade advantages.

Peaceful unification of China and Taiwan being completed in 2022 (Fifth Wave, p.66) is looking even less likely.

If I remember correctly, David Pulver mentioned in one of the playtests that in original conception, Taiwan was a major part of the Pacific Rim Alliance, but he was advised by people with more knowledge of the region that peaceful unification was a more likely future.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ehrbar

Peaceful unification of China and Taiwan being completed in 2022 (Fifth Wave, p.66) is looking even less likely.

If I remember correctly, David Pulver mentioned in one of the playtests that in original conception, Taiwan was a major part of the Pacific Rim Alliance, but he was advised by people with more knowledge of the region that peaceful unification was a more likely future.

Hm... I remember the designer notes mentioning Taiwan as a major part of the TSA (to justify the Bio-Tech vignettes mentioning the TSA being chalk full of Chinese people), but was advised that peaceful reunification was more likely. Which I mean, well yeah.

Other things that seem very unlikely:
-> Alberta and British Columbia forming a new nation
-> Korean Reunification
-> The Islamic Caliphate as depicted in Fifth Wave
-> Iran becoming a Secular Dictatorship
-> Russia giving up Kaliningrad.

[ehrbar]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Hm... I remember the designer notes mentioning Taiwan as a major part of the TSA (to justify the Bio-Tech vignettes mentioning the TSA being chalk full of Chinese people), but was advised that peaceful reunification was more likely. Which I mean, well yeah.

Turns out you're a lot closer to remembering correctly than I was (per the Fifth Wave Designer's Notes).

Originally Posted by TGLS

-> Korean Reunification

Particularly by 15 August 2025.

Originally Posted by TGLS

-> The Islamic Caliphate as depicted in Fifth Wave

From the notes linked above: "The Islamic Caliphate was probably the least plausible notion, but it had the virtue of giving the Arab world some back story that didn't involve a brute projection of current politics."

Originally Posted by TGLS

-> Russia giving up Kaliningrad.

Eh, that is listed as taking place in 2073, after a push starting in the 2050s and a Russian civil war 2057-2063.

[hackbarth]

This is diverging very fast from "new pieces of media that could inspire Transhuman Space GMs" to "Why I think the political divisions depicted on THS are unlikely". Please fork this discussion to a distinct topic, I'm really trying to compile more series, animations and movies to show my players.

Originally Posted by ehrbar

Turns out you're a lot closer to remembering correctly than I was (per the Fifth Wave Designer's Notes).


Particularly by 15 August 2025.


From the notes linked above: "The Islamic Caliphate was probably the least plausible notion, but it had the virtue of giving the Arab world some back story that didn't involve a brute projection of current politics."


Eh, that is listed as taking place in 2073, after a push starting in the 2050s and a Russian civil war 2057-2063.

[hackbarth]

Freedom Project depicts a life in a lunar colony in the near future, it's also an isolationist enclave pretending the Earth was destroyed.

Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk Edgerunners: the third and fourth wave countries on THS are sometimes depicted as cyberpunk distopias straight out of the 80s and 90s fiction that inspired this game/anime.

Carole and Tuesday are a duo of street musicians on a partially terraformed Mars, striving to win a music talent show against AI designed singers.