Thinking About a New Project on Game Settings

Malcadon's picture
Malcadon
February 2, 2012 - 8:15pm
I'm considering starting a project for people to post their own SF settings. That is, if you made your own version of the SF setting (not so much new rule set - which there is plenty of around here - but new worlds, maps, races and backgrounds compatible to the core SF rules), then you can post your notes and maps there.

I do not know if there is already a project covering this, or if there is any interest in creating or playing alternative SF settings. If this is not already covered, then anyone interested?
Comments:

FirstCitizen's picture
FirstCitizen
February 2, 2012 - 8:43pm
Sounds like a good idea.  Kind of a 'frontier development project'.

I've been posting stuff about the adventure I am developing out on a google site (because I can edit it on my mobile during really boring meetings) : https://sites.google.com/site/stariumx/home

Eventually when it's complete enough I'd want to post it somewhere here.

jedion357's picture
jedion357
February 2, 2012 - 8:49pm
AZ_ Gamer has a few projects that he started to work on his own setting creations

Deryn_rys has a project that is both setting and rules

Shadow has Adverntures in History which is an alternate setting, technically

I've been playing at locating all the cannon material, examine and evaluate it and then extrapolate more detail, sometimes by collaboration and sometimes by myself. That activity has gone on in the Zebs G expanded project, General forums and then finally I started the Hitchhikers Guide to the Frontier project to house that stuff in an easily accessed location.

Hitchhikers is explicitly for canon setting but then my work is not strictly canon as I use what would have to be called an alternate timeline and its worked into everything I write.

My feeling is this, each setting ought to have its own project as lumping all the possible alternate/fan created settings together in one project will lead to them getting lost in the confussion.
Not everyone joins every project and I think peeps join what their interested in so if you had an interest in one of AZ_Gamer's settings you could join that project and easily view everything to do with it in one spot. Also some people, I suspect prefer to do their own thing and they will do just that with a separate project.

Well thats my 2 cents each setting should have its own spot.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

AZ_GAMER's picture
AZ_GAMER
February 4, 2012 - 5:54pm

My primary setting project is a science fiction universe called Titan Rising which is based on a long running campaign my high school era Star Frontiers game group created in the late 1980's when it became evident that TSR was done with SF.

Setting - This SF Setting is outside the frontier, it does not exclude the existence of the frontier or the core four but does not include them. It is set in Earth's late 23rd century and is Earth / Human centric in focus. Since we were trying to get away from the Alpha Dawn setting we did not use any of the other three alien races or the Sathar.

Races:
1. Humans - Same as the Humans in the real world with slightly extended life spans due to advances in medical science

2. Xin - A race of biomechanoids created to serve as a warrior caste to serve an elder alien race called the Shi'an. The Xin discovered the Shi'an plans and collectively decided to rebell in a war of indepenance against their creators. The great war left both the Shi'an and Xin without a homeworld and transformed the Xin into a race of nomadic refugees. The Xin posses a great deal of advanced Shi'an technology which they can use and maintain but cannot reporduce or innovate upon. Xin are artificially gestated and grown to maturity so there are no real children in the race and reproduction is done in large clincal labs. Xin are slightly stronger than humans, are more resillient to extreme conditions, heal faster than humans, they have better night vision and less developed day light vision than humans.

3. Shi'an - Are a cold blooded conquest oriented elder alien race with highly advanced bio-technology. All Shi'an culture is heavily militaristic and based on the idea of survival through expansion and conquest. Outside of their extremely advanced bio-tech, Shi'an are essentially as strong as humans but are not as resillient to environmental conditions due to their cold blooded physiology. Shi'an are almost always seen using some kind of environmenta suit to regulate their physiology in different environments. With their technology the Shi'an are extremely formidable however without it they are at a physical disadvantage which explains their fondness for using others (created, conquered, or recruited agents) to fight in their place. After the War with the Xin only a handful of Shi'an were left alive. The number is estimated at 90,000 survivors but could be slightly greater or less.   

4. The Ganai - The Ganai are another elder race that were at one time conquered by the Shi'an and their worlds were annexed into the Shi'an Empire. The Ganai are essentially a humanoid race nearly identical to the Humans of Earth with some minor biological differences. However, early in the hostory of the Ganai they were struck by a horrible plaque virus that was passed from generation to generation and almost extinquished the race. The ganai initially welcomed the appearance of the Shi'an who used their advanced technology to create biomechanical cybernetic organs to replace the Ganai's diseased damaged organs. However the ganai became dependent on the Shi'an technology and eventually began to make advancements in the field of cybernetics on their own. Generations later the Ganai are almost completely unrecognizable from their original form. Where the Shi'an are masters of Bio-technology the Ganai have become masters of cybernetics and mechanical technology. Like the Shi'an the Ganai are no more stronger or better adapted than the average human. Ganai do posses a stronger resistence to electrical shock than humans do and cannot be stunned by electrical weapons. Ganai and Xin are very intolerent of each other as they both served the Shi'an at one time in their history. The Ganai is the only spacefarring race that does not use space fighters as part of their military arsenal. In the Ganai view space fighters are in-effective and prefer to use guided weapons in their place.

5. The Edon, Little is known about this race of semi-aquatlic amphibious beings. It is rumored that they are one of the few races that have been able to sucessfully repell the Shi'an and posses an equally powerful technology. Edon do not wear clothing and prefer aquatic environments but can live on land for prolonged durations if needed. Edon are slightly smaller than humans and not quite as strong. However they are more deterous than humans and especially so in water. Edon are not comfortable in hot dry climates and will avoid them whenever possible. The Edon can secrete a viscus liquid barrier over their skin which acts like an environmental suit in more hostile conditions for a limited time. Edon are fiercely isolationist and tend to stick to themselves, they will interact with the other races out of necessity or mutal benefit. Unlike the other races the Edon do not field any large or capital spacecraft. Instead when a larger more powerful presence is needed individual craft will work in cooperation as a collective swarm.

All races are playable as player characters and can be potrayed as either positive (or good) and negative (or evil / self serving) individuals in all the races.

Technology:
Atomic Fusion and artificial gravity are common technology possesed by all races in the setting.

FTL is through hyperspace jump and is considerably more efficient than SF void travel. Void travel is not included in the setting but is not excluded either. If players would wish to include it than void travel would be a slower less expensive and less accurate modality of FTL. The actual jump is near instanteous but the preparation for a hyperspace jump is time comsuming like SF void travel and requires skilled operators with dedicated navigation computers to plot. Blind jumps can be executed in an emergency but are risky and considered near suicidal. Navigators can greatly reduce FTL jump prep times by using established jump routes refered to as jump points to enter and exit hyperspace.
 
Megacorps:
Primarily a human endeavor their are several MC's influencing everything from governments to interstellar trade on Earth and it's the off-world colonies.

Pirates: 
A couple of notorious pirate organizations operate a lucrative criminal enterprise in the Khalastan trade corridor near the Centaur colonies.

Governments:
Humans - The United Colonial Alliance - Consisting Of Earth & It's Off World Colonies
Xin - The Xin Confederation which is governed by the Xin Clan Council
Shi'an - The Shi'an Empire (Considered To Be Effectively Disolved)
Edon - The Edon Collective (Not Much Is Known About This Government Though It Is Believed That All
           Members have a representative vote in government decissions)
Ganai - The Ganai Forge Union.

Slang Derrogatives
Human - Apes, Monkeys, Men
Xin - Gumdrops, Trailer Trash
Ganai - Tin Men
Shi'an - Greys, Pink Eyes
Eldon - Fish Heads, Pollywogs