Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-24-2022, 07:06 PM   #2451
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
Aftermath

The Plague Wars were over long ago. Except for the US and a few other nations most of the world lost four out of five people and then went through a sterility plague. But that was over when I was in grammar school. I'm a grey haired grandpa now. Why are we still providing charity for the whole planet these days? Especially when everyone says we never helped at all.
The North American Federated States (NAFS) has developed Ocean Thermal Energy generation. Most of the Caribbean is powered this way. The islands of the Pacific also get more than ninety percent of their electric power this way too. Also in the Pacific are vast Mariculture projects which provide much of the world's seafood. As a bonus these Ocean Thermal Energy stations end up sequestering carbon. Which is useful because the mass die off of humanity didn't undo climate change.

Antarctica has a small permanent population. They are engaged in mining. Large deposits of vital minerals were found in the 2040s. Although the mines proper are run using telepresence to operate the machines, it's still useful for the miners to live close to the mines.

The antarctic population lives in rather lovely arcologies. Many early 21st century urbanites had less daily contact with greenery and plant life than the Antarcticans.

There is a moonbase and several space colonies. Asteroid mining is a major industry. The NAFS would like to expand space exploration and settlement but they lack resources.

Both the Antarctic cities and the towns built around some of the Ocean Thermal Energy stations and the Mariculture stations are made up of people from all over the planet with people from the Pentalpha Nations a narrow majority. Cultural interaction and misunderstanding could be the basis for adventurers in these places.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo

Last edited by Astromancer; 11-22-2022 at 05:24 PM.
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-2022, 05:34 PM   #2452
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

I'll finish Aftermath this weekend but here's a thought. Most people think of Zardoz as a horrible movie, but I suggest that it is also a horror movie. The Eternals, who are bored out of their gourds in a mere three hundred years, are basically mad scientists who destroyed civilization and enforced primitive life on the whole world. Monsters worse than Hitler, Stalin, Tamerlane, Ghengiz Khan, or Chairman Mao.

Pick your mad scientist/supervillain/Bond Villain plot, and have it succeed. Then you've created a horror world. Think of the rather dull Bond Movie Moonraker. Picture being a grandchild of one of those people that went along with the genocide plot. You've been born with what none of them had, a sense of decency. Picture the horror of your situation.

You could create all sorts of hell worlds based on this idea.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2022, 07:26 PM   #2453
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
Aftermath

The Plague Wars were over long ago. Except for the US and a few other nations most of the world lost four out of five people and then went through a sterility plague. But that was over when I was in grammar school. I'm a grey haired grandpa now. Why are we still providing charity for the whole planet these days? Especially when everyone says we never helped at all.
Day to day life in the NAFS would seem like an odd mix of small luxuries and out of place deprivations. At first this might pass unnoticed by a time traveler from before 2052, but they would soon notice. An good example would be clothing.

Robot tailoring is the universal norm. Per se clothing stores don't exist. There are limited emergency stocks of clothing, but no one would wear these day to day. Instead you buy fabric at a fabric and tailoring center. You are extensively measured by robots. You order your preferred design or designs. The robot tailor discusses how to flatter your body type. (Many people carry small cards like credit cards that have details on their preferred design tastes encoded on a microchip). A few days later you come to try your new clothes. Alterations are rarely required.

This might sound fabulous. Everyone has beautifully tailored clothing. And the tailoring service is cheap. But fabric is expensive and new clothes are highly taxed.

Similar patterns prevail for most consumer goods. Everything is of very high quality, but rare and expensive.

Housing is a partial exception. The NAFS has its citizens well housed. Most people living in the NAFS live in large towns or cities. The countryside is empty except for livestock ranches, and highly automated farms producing crops that aren't fully economical to grow in vertical farms. Examples, trees for timber, hay, or other livestock feed. The suburbs are either abandoned or have been charged into functional towns.

Massive taxes are charged to support the planetary rebuilding projects of the Pentalpha Nations . People are taught why all of this sacrifice is vital. But it still gets tiresome. And it has been going on for a lifetime.

A greater tax in many ways is the forty-eight hour six day workweek. There are three weeks per annum of mandated vacation time, and several Federal holidays. But most people work more than they did before 2052. The surplus productivity is required for the Pentalpha Nations planetary rebuilding projects.

Add to this fatigue the simple fact of the general bitterness of those living outside of the Pentalpha Nations . Life in any Pentalpha Nation looks good to those in the plague stuck lands. But life in the NAFS looks amazing. Jealousy and suspicion are common and corrosive.

Additionally, in order to both prevent a brain drain and overpopulation in the Pentalpha Nations immigration to the Pentalpha Nations is strictly regulated. This causes deep bitterness as well.

More later...
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo

Last edited by Astromancer; 07-04-2022 at 10:26 AM.
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2022, 08:27 PM   #2454
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
Aftermath

The Plague Wars were over long ago. Except for the US and a few other nations most of the world lost four out of five people and then went through a sterility plague. But that was over when I was in grammar school. I'm a grey haired grandpa now. Why are we still providing charity for the whole planet these days? Especially when everyone says we never helped at all.
Continental Europe outside of France is bleak. The populations of the Nordic and Baltic nations generally moved to Germany both for milder weather and better farmland. The Netherlands, because of the decay of their dikes from lack of maintenance, also moved into Germany. Russia has simply not communicated with outsiders since the 2060s. It's known people live there, but they refuse outside contact. Satellite imagery suggests their population is still shrinking.

Southern Europe is desperately trying to prevent a migration from Southwest Asia and North Africa. Many migrants just want to live in a peaceful nation with good farm land. Although substantial groups are cultural and religious imperialists that want to erase the European cultures. Monuments, churches, art galleries, museums, and libraries, have all been attacked and some destroyed.

Those areas of Africa that have poor farmland, or at least poor farmland if you lack fertilizer and pesticides, are largely empty. Those areas that were fertile agricultural land before the 20th century have growing populations. Fusion generators from the Pentalpha Nations create islands of prosperity. But corruption and inter communal violence massively slows growth.

Latin America is similar in it's problems. However, instead of violence between communities, it's violence within communities that's the problem.

Polynesia falls into two categories. Those parts ruled by either the USA or New Zealand, and those that weren't. The parts of Polynesia not ruled by one of the Pentalpha Nations is deserted. Between the superflus and Shrivel populations collapsed and the survivors fled for their lives. In the areas controlled by the Pentalpha Nations life looks good. Between improved energy sources, advanced biotechnology, and robotics, poverty is gone. The people follow a blend of their ancient traditions and outside ideas according to their preferences. It's not utopia, but it's a clear improvement.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo

Last edited by Astromancer; 07-04-2022 at 05:35 AM.
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2022, 10:36 AM   #2455
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
Aftermath

The Plague Wars were over long ago. Except for the US and a few other nations most of the world lost four out of five people and then went through a sterility plague. But that was over when I was in grammar school. I'm a grey haired grandpa now. Why are we still providing charity for the whole planet these days? Especially when everyone says we never helped at all.
Southeast maritime Asia is mainly a disaster area. Endemic warfare, human trafficking, and rigidly authoritarian states, prevent any recovery. There are islands (literally) of hope and stability. Bali is quietly prosperous. Fusion power generation and advanced biotechnology allow a comfortable lifestyle. Parts of Java are peaceful and relatively respectful of human rights.

Central Asia is mainly unknown. They don't communicate and they attack outsiders.

###################################

More later...
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2022, 05:11 PM   #2456
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Far From the Tree

A)Why are we celebrating?

B) It's commemorating.

A) Why commemorate a misjump?

B) Because people still feel the pain.

A)It was fifty years ago.

B)I know. And I still miss my husband and children.



The Apple was an older ship. That both probably caused the problem and allowed survival. For complex reasons there seemed to be a sweet spot in the physics that made huge ships some what more stable in hyperspace. The mismatch between the new jump drive and the older systems probably caused the misjump. The sheer size of the ship (roughly as long and wide as Manhattan island and three miles keel to top) both saved the crew and gave them the opportunity to survive.

The Apple carried a small city in itself to support and feed the crew. The agriculture areas had redundant capacity to allow the ship to carry large populations to start new colonies. The ship had manufactories to aid in the rebuilding of shipyards and deep space outposts. The three hundred thousand passengers and crew had everything they needed for survival, except a future.

Basically, a city sized spaceship is lost in deep space and possibly deep time as well. There is no rational hope of going back to Earth. The crew needs to either find a new planet or sufficient resources to survive in deep space.

The Apple is rent with political intrigue and strife. The officers that lead the ship are military. They don't see any possibility of putting the running of the ship up for a vote. There are multiple factions among the crew and passengers. None of which agree with the officer elite or each other. Large portions of the passengers are from cultures radically different from those that built the ship and run it. Although they have for decades been cared for in what early 21st century Earth would call luxury they feel oppressed because they lack power. Given that the colonists are cultural reconstructionists from cultures that the crew finds unpleasant and restrictive, even those opposed to the elite officers reject that possibly.

The PCs could have several roles. Scouts looking for vital resources or worlds to settle. Diplomats looking to gain safe passage and reasonable trade deals from alien societies. Police officers trying to preserve order on the ship. Agitators fighting for change. Political intriguers among the officer elite struggling for power, privilege, and favor.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2022, 06:19 PM   #2457
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

The Embers

The planet travels slowly about its star. The local moon take about four hundred days to complete a cycle. The moon goes through fifty-two cycles from one spring to the next. Winter is a barren and deadly time.

Most people are nomadic. They travel from the northern summer to the southern summer. There are very few tropical lands. And little of what there is of such lands are good for agriculture.

However, we have the one viable base to make it through the winters in one place. We are the only stable city on the planet. The cultural center and the university. And all it takes is a volcano.

We can use the local boiling springs to heat our homes and greenhouses. We eat fresh vegetables even in the dead of winter.

The problem is that every autumn, some barbarian tribe or other tries to take our homes. Vast hoards of fools, thugs, and beggers, demand our food, homes, and submission.


A lost colony struggling to hold onto the remnants of their culture and technology. It's a reworking of Rome versus the barbarians.

Can you preserve the light of civilization?
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2022, 08:38 PM   #2458
tshiggins
 
tshiggins's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Denver, Colorado
Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
Far From the Tree

(SNIP)
I kind of like this one.
You could do a lot with it, but you wouldn't want it to be much more than TL 10, or so.
__________________
--
MXLP:9 [JD=1, DK=1, DM-M=1, M(FAW)=1, SS=2, Nym=1 (nose coffee), sj=1 (nose cocoa), Maz=1]
"Some days, I just don't know what to think." -Daryl Dixon.
tshiggins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2022, 08:58 PM   #2459
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by tshiggins View Post
I kind of like this one.
You could do a lot with it, but you wouldn't want it to be much more than TL 10, or so.
I left the tech level vague so that people could mold it that way. Any FTL drive is super tech at this point, so you could go as low as TL9.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2022, 04:35 PM   #2460
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

The Far Farers

The histories say humans built the ships and the Aristoi were created on broad the ship and are the modified descendants of the ancient shipowners. But the way they act you'd assume they thought they were descended of the ancient gods.

Anyway, the Aristoi "own" the ship. The A.I.s that actually run the ship enforce this. So we have to live with it. Which means we have to earn the right to stay on the ship.

Luckily we have opportunities. About two thousand years ago, the ship started on a three hundred "year" trading circuit.

A year is an old measure of time. We don't really use it much anymore.

The point is that we come in contact with a fairly predictable set of new trading partners regularly. So we can get opportunities to earn our keep.

Mind you, sometimes three centuries can bring unpredictable change.


Basically, it's a Posthuman Stars setting focused on petty traders and working class types. Don't think Kirk or Picard, think Harry Mudd or Cyrano Jones.

PCs are working to meet the qualifications to be seen as productive citizens. As in 18th century England, the leisure classes are seen as productive and working people as suspect/parasitic. The PCs will be visiting worlds to trade goods and information. If you know anything about trade in the ancient or medieval worlds you can assume similar difficulties.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:01 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.