New Sci Fi Setting Seeds

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Which makes them different than other dictators, monarchs, autocrats, theocrats, and generalissimos, how?

https://i.redd.it/9ugdetyzn6761.png

The difference is that those guys can call on patriotism, ideology, religion, ties of personal loyalty, binding oaths or a history of killing people who look at them funny to keep their enforcers in line as well as the money, that, in the collapse these billionaires fear will no longer be worth anything. No guy who relies on methods like "I'm the only one who know the combination to the vault with the food" will ever win anyone's loyalty. No guy who even seriously considers that approach will.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

https://i.redd.it/9ugdetyzn6761.png

The difference is that those guys can call on patriotism, ideology, religion, ties of personal loyalty, binding oaths or a history of killing people who look at them funny to keep their enforcers in line as well as the money, that, in the collapse these billionaires fear will no longer be worth anything. No guy who relies on methods like "I'm the only one who know the combination to the vault with the food" will ever win anyone's loyalty.

I've wondered why billionaires worried about their bomb shelter security guards don't try adopting a small town. Give everyone in town free health care and college, renovate all the public buildings and infrastructure, etc. Don't ask for anything but some discreet plaques honoring your donations.

Then when the balloon goes up you have a whole town full of people well inclined towards you, and likely to stay that way because of the cool stuff you've stockpiled in your bomb shelter.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by cptbutton

I've wondered why billionaires worried about their bomb shelter security guards don't try adopting a small town. Give everyone in town free health care and college, renovate all the public buildings and infrastructure, etc. Don't ask for anything but some discreet plaques honoring your donations.

Then when the balloon goes up you have a whole town full of people well inclined towards you, and likely to stay that way because of the cool stuff you've stockpiled in your bomb shelter.

Most of the Tech Bros are worse at social skills than I am, and this guy with Asperger's is bad indeed. The small town ploy, though viable, would require high degrees of social skills, tact, and respect, to pull off. Techno Bros are lacking in all of these areas.

If you had someone with FDR's charm, Eleanor's gifts for showing respect, George Washington's charisma, and Lincoln's common touch, the small town ploy would be fool proof. But if a Tech Bro had those gifts, he understand that preventing the crisis is infinitely better and that he could do a great deal to prevent the crisis if he just gets the right people working together. And if our Tech Bro had those gifts, he could build the team.

Dreams of escape are for people who can't prevent the crisis but can see it coming.

[Inky]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires by Douglas Rushkoff

Originally Posted by Astromancer

This could morph from creepy dystopia to horror setting real fast. But how does money power sustain itself when the legal frameworks around money and wealth vanish? It seems to me that the tech lords become slave lords real fast. Wouldn't that create massive layers of chaos? The mindsets of slave lords and the showman/salesmen who comprise most of the tech billionaires are very different. Without a strong government how would most of those guys make the transition?

Judging by some of the reviews/articles about it, that seems to be what the book's about. Possibly the adventure might be set while one of these hideouts is in the process of unravelling - with the PCs playing either raiders or some of the staff.

[Astromancer]

Another dystopian horror setting might involve corporations actually taking over a society and discovering that corporations aren't made to run/sustain societies. The transition of the lives of the corporate elites from "Masters of the Universe" to trapped in their own folly to being the new Romanovs facing execution in a cellar would be a good story arc.

However, being the downtrodden masses in revolt is probably more fun. At least if you survive and your life improves.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I think to get "megacorps" that are functional, what you do is have governments that pretend to be giant businesses. It doesn't seem like that big of a difference between a "corporate board" and an oligarchy. Monarchies are "nepotism". Colonialism is "corporate takeovers". Etc. It's not like governments never pretend to be one thing while actually being another.

[Astromancer]

Well there were "Merchant Princes" in the past. But the process of transition from corporate business man to Merchant Prince wouldn't go smoothly. Especially as how one deals with rivals gets a great deal more brutal.

[Astromancer]

Migration

As the grandson of an Augment I was never really accepted. People looked at me like a war criminal. Add in telepathy and extreme longevity and moving on beyond the Federation seemed a reasonable course of action.

You stopped here on the planet Anseo. Why?

I wanted a place to settle down. These people look like Earth humans, the local culture was tolerant and had a vibrant art scene. They had already been contacted by the Pakled, so no Prime Directive issues. It felt comfortable living here.

Then why change their culture?

I didn't, they did. Then they asked for my help. I felt loyal to them. They welcomed me in. So I did as they asked.

Others are begging you to stop.

The nation that has given me citizenship and a home has asked me to continue. And as a citizen of this world, my actions are none of the Federation's business.

Anseo is near the border of the Federation. Although it isn't a space faring world, it was contacted by the Pakled and is in contact with the Federation.

Lately, people from Anseo have been discovered on the planet Thallansin. They were brought there on a series of ships owned by a former Federation citizen named Liam Kelly. Mr. Kelly is the multi century old descendant of an Augment. He is also a highly skilled telepath.

Mr. Kelly lives in the nation of Arshiul. Arshiul is a large and prosperous place. The excellent farmlands, amazing systems of navigable rivers, rich mineral deposits, and sophisticated industrial and educational systems make Arshiul the richest nation on Anseo.

The population of Arshiul is mainly descended from settlers from the various nations of Abhaile, but mainly from the Thiar Islands. At present the nations of Abhaile are recovering from a series of wars that have bled the continent white. The people of Abhaile also fear conquest by the brutal Republic of Sioc. Sioc is a totalitarian state. They are deeply chauvinistic, theocratic, and repressive. The people of Sioc feel they have a destiny to rule the world and bring it to virtue. Arshiul is the main block to Sioc achieving their goals as Abhaile is still not recovered from the last group of wars.

The people of Arshiul are deeply disgusted with the people of Abhaile. They feel that the nations of Abhaile, mainly the Thiar Islands, keep tricking them in pointless wars in Abhaile. The people of Arshiul simply want to stop being used. They fear the people of Sioc, they don't want them becoming too powerful. Still they feel that they are being enslaved to Ahaile's messes and the plots of the Thiar Islands.

A group of people who knew that Mr. Kelly was a alien, and that there were other worlds, asked about settling off world about forty standard years ago. Since then a trickle has become a flood.

Mr. Kelly is ferrying thousands a year to Thallansin. Mainly from Arshiul, but also from Clairseach, the western most of the Thiar Islands, and an independent nation.

Right now the immigration poses no threat. However, the peoples of Thallansin have been working towards being able to take in a vast migration. The plan is for the entire population of Arshiul to move to Thallansin. The large area settled by the people from Clairseach is to serve a similar purpose. The people of Abhaile are in terror. If the migration occurs, they'll have to choose between migrating to some other world (Thallansin has made it clear they aren't wanted, but they'll help them go elsewhere) or accepting Sioc overlordship.

The people of Abhaile have contacted the Federation to stop the migration. They are calling it a violation of the Prime Directive.

More later.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Migration

As the grandson of an Augment I was never really accepted. People looked at me like a war criminal. Add in telepathy and extreme longevity and moving on beyond the Federation seemed a reasonable course of action.

You stopped here on the planet Anseo. Why?

I wanted a place to settle down. These people look like Earth humans, the local culture was tolerant and had a vibrant art scene. They had already been contacted by the Pakled, so no Prime Directive issues. It felt comfortable living here.

Then why change their culture?

I didn't, they did. Then they asked for my help. I felt loyal to them. They welcomed me in. So I did as they asked.

Others are begging you to stop.

The nation that has given me citizenship and a home has asked me to continue. And as a citizen of this world, my actions are none of the Federation's business.

Basically, this is a game of diplomacy. The Federation is the main power in this star sector. But other powers want influence. Arshiul wants to gain Federation membership after they've moved to Thallansin. The government of Sioc has sought alliance with powers outside the Federation. Powers that don't care about civil liberties. Abhaile seeks a range of alliances.

The Federation wants to keep the peace.

More later.

[Astromancer]

The Visitation

Basically we know that humans cashed on this world a few thousand years ago. The older hybrid Skip/Jump drives could sometimes short out and take a ship back in time. From the wreckage we found on the inner moon we know that it was a ship carrying a wide variety of colonists and teraforming technology to a distribution point. We know most of the passengers and crew survived. However the society they built seems to have collapsed soon after the teraforming process was over.

So we don't know what we might find down there.

This is a first contact mission. You know you are going to find human, or beings descended from humans. But beyond that it's a mystery.

Basically, this is a highly flexible frame you can use for many different campaigns.