Brainstorming: Incorporate Dark Matter in a campaign

[Lord Azagthoth]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Not entirely true, given that there is some hyperspace travel to the satellite galaxies (such as the Rishi Maze, the small spiral satellite galaxy seen at the end of Empire and mentioned in Clones). But you're right that there's no real linking with other large nearby galaxies....

I wonder... can we use Dark Matter to explain why a black hole cluster in the Outer Rim (the Maw, which the Kessel Run runs around) doesn't collapse in on itself?

I forgot about the Rishi Maze. :( A picture I saw showed it as a Dwarf Cluster just above the Star Wars galaxy.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

I wonder... can we use Dark Matter to explain why a black hole cluster in the Outer Rim (the Maw, which the Kessel Run runs around) doesn't collapse in on itself?

If, over some cosmological period of time i.e. 10s or 100s of millions of years the cluster didn't collapse you might need a reason. Over as petty a length of time as the SW timeline (yes, even the improbable 20,000 years implied sometimes) the cluster might not have collapsed in on itself from sheer normal space distance.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by malloyd

Can you even say that much? After all on the scale we can see it's effects we model stars as more or less a diffuse cloud, and yet matter does some interesting stuff at smaller scales.

Our best physics leaves out dark matter entirely and is still fantastically accurate, so it's not having a great influence on normal matter. But yes, there are models of dark matter coming in several different variants.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by malloyd

Can you even say that much?

Whether or not dark matter collides with itself affects its distribution, and thus indirectly affects galaxy formation; my understanding is that it has to not significantly collide with itself or the large scale structure of the universe would be different.

[Lord Azagthoth]

What about the theory that Dark matters keep the galaxies compact?

Some stars should have left their galactic orbit with their current speed and trajectory but still, they stay in orbit. They think it might be the Dark Matter that is keeping the galaxies from falling apart.

[Flyndaran]

Gravity holds things together. Gravity is a facet of matter, and dark matter is still matter. I'm not sure what you're saying isn't just a tautology.

[Shostak]

Why not exploit our paucity of understanding of dark matter? Since we don't know a whole lot about the stuff, it seems perfectly fair for a GM to declare that dark elements can be formed from dark matter, and that these can have all sorts of cool and useful applications--easy cold fusion, supermaterials, super fast dark computers, stealth materials, etc. Running a game IN SPACE! ... ace ... ace and need an almost weightless fuel that takes up nearly no space? Dark matter to the rescue!

Of course, the danger is that your game could look really silly when scientists announce what dark matter really is. But will that be any sillier than FTL communication or travel?

[Lord Azagthoth]

Originally Posted by Shostak

Running a game IN SPACE! ... ace ... ace and need an almost weightless fuel that takes up nearly no space? Dark matter to the rescue!

Or dark energy (it repels galaxies from each other so why not use it as an TL^ fuel).

[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by Shostak

Why not exploit our paucity of understanding of dark matter? Since we don't know a whole lot about the stuff, it seems perfectly fair for a GM to declare that dark elements can be formed from dark matter, and that these can have all sorts of cool and useful applications--easy cold fusion, supermaterials, super fast dark computers, stealth materials, etc. Running a game IN SPACE! ... ace ... ace and need an almost weightless fuel that takes up nearly no space? Dark matter to the rescue!

Of course, the danger is that your game could look really silly when scientists announce what dark matter really is. But will that be any sillier than FTL communication or travel?

Originally Posted by Lord Azagthoth

Or dark energy (it repels galaxies from each other so why not use it as an TL^ fuel).

See? Now you're cooking with gas.

I personally like the (fictitious) idea that 'dark matter' are the 'stem cells' of matter and could be used as 'blank legos' to form more legit particles/energy and therefore be 'replicator fuel'.

Its pure concentrated evil and if you place it in a toaster over Sean Connery will touch it and explode.

They are the abacus beads of the Universe and thier position and placement absolutely define the fundamental constants of the universe. To disturb them in ANY great number tweaks the values of natural constatns (Gravitation, Permitivity/Permeability of free space, electron charge etc) in general locations.

Dark Matter is the spent husk of otherwise normal matter that has had its ability to interact with other normal matter via force carriers 'drained'. It is the 'ashes to ashes and dust to dust' to which the universe must ultimately return. The question for the campaign is whats causing it, and why wasnt gravity affected?

Nymdok

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by Lord Azagthoth

Or dark energy (it repels galaxies from each other so why not use it as an TL^ fuel).

Ayuh! Given an appropriate TL, harnessing dark energy for travel sounds fun.