Hard Science setting

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Quite. I am not sure there is no hierarchy in art whatsoever. One C.S. Lewis essay suggested it had to do with the emotions it brings out and whether the it is the sort of thing you want to re-read.

But that is a separate philosophical position. I see no reason why "Hard" is better then "Soft"(or "technical sci-fi" vs "dramatic sci-fi") or vice-versa. It depends on how well done it is within it's own genre. And how much you personally like it.

I think Hard emphasizes the Science part, and Soft emphasizes the Fiction part, in my opinion. That might be why some get a bit haughty with their preferences.
I know I always disliked how book stores had their fantasy and sci fi mixed randomly as if they were the same. When what you dislike gets lumped with what you do like, animosity may get increased as an unconscious reaction.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I think Hard emphasizes the Science part,

That's what makes it tricky to do as a roleplaying game. It's hard to do a roleplaying game in which people don't do all that much.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

That's what makes it tricky to do as a roleplaying game. It's hard to do a roleplaying game in which people don't do all that much.

???? Seriously, ???? Reality is the ultimate of hard science fiction, and lots of interesting things are always happening.

[rust]

It is certainly a matter of taste whether one prefers "hard", "soft" or "purely
fantastic" science fiction. However, "hard" science fiction also has the minor
advantage that it is comparatively easy to decide what is possible or not in
the setting for a GM and players who are at least somewhat interested in sci-
ence - the laws of nature of the real world function as the background laws
of the setting and can be used as reference when the game system's rules
do not cover a specific situation.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by rust

It is certainly a matter of taste whether one prefers "hard", "soft" or "purely
fantastic" science fiction. However, "hard" science fiction also has the minor
advantage that it is comparatively easy to decide what is possible or not in
the setting for a GM and players who are at least somewhat interested in sci-
ence - the laws of nature of the real world function as the background laws
of the setting and can be used as reference when the game system's rules
do not cover a specific situation.

Or not. To decide whether something is possible in hard sci-fi you almost need to be a scientist yourself. In soft sci-fi all you need is "the author said so, he made his rules believable enough to overcome suspension and he sticks to his own rules." In RPGs all you need is, "The GM makes the rules and he bought all the dip so if you want to eat you do what he says."

[rust]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

In soft sci-fi all you need is "the author said so, he made his rules believable enough to overcome suspension and he sticks to his own rules." In RPGs all you need is, "The GM makes the rules and he bought all the dip so if you want to eat you do what he says."

Well, this comes down to "Do as he says because he says so!" or "Do as I say
because I say so!", and this is simply not my style of social interaction. :)

More seriously, I want the players to invest some effort in the setting, and for
us this works best when they have a reliable knowledge base to work from -
and in our experience the real world and its laws of nature are the best such
base, mostly because they are more easy to research and "reality check" than
any different game reality, which is by nature always rather incomplete.

But this is just how we prefer it, your mileage may vary a lot. :)

[Malenfant]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Or not. To decide whether something is possible in hard sci-fi you almost need to be a scientist yourself. In soft sci-fi all you need is "the author said so, he made his rules believable enough to overcome suspension and he sticks to his own rules." In RPGs all you need is, "The GM makes the rules and he bought all the dip so if you want to eat you do what he says."

You say that as if having some kind of scientific background is a bad thing. The whole point of Sci-fi is that it's based on science - if it wasn't then it would just be "Fiction". That doesn't mean that everything one has to do must be as realistic as possible, but the OTU at least has so many holes and inconsistencies in it that it's a fantasy setting in space that's held together by magic. I guess that's what the old-style "Space Opera" that the OTU emulates is though.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

???? Seriously, ???? Reality is the ultimate of hard science fiction, and lots of interesting things are always happening.

Are they? One shots, maybe, but reality seems to include very few people who have serial adventures.

A science puzzle or the effects of a technology are a fine central frame for *one* story, but then you've used it. I think there's a good reason the core form of hard SF is the short story or novella, and long novel series are space operas or reskinned fantasy.

[marvin]

Originally Posted by malloyd

Are they? One shots, maybe, but reality seems to include very few people who have serial adventures.

A science puzzle or the effects of a technology are a fine central frame for *one* story, but then you've used it. I think there's a good reason the core form of hard SF is the short story or novella, and long novel series are space operas or reskinned fantasy.

I'd disagree. My favorite scifi author, Allen Steele has written some very good hard-scifi novels. To me aliens and FTL do not negate something from being hard scifi. Psionics, bad aliens, FTL with the speed of plot, dodgeable lasers, and other such tropes is what makes some scifi "soft". I like hard scifi a lot better.

Ben

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

???? Seriously, ???? Reality is the ultimate of hard science fiction, and lots of interesting things are always happening.

No, they aren't. Not "always". Not even frequently.