Issues of Scale
One of the defining aspects of the first campaign (codenamed “The Core”) is going to be the Faction interactions and how omni-present they are. Six factions, each with their own agendas, dominions and schemes. Each uses catspaws and subterfuge to undermine each other without being so overt as to foster cooperation among their enemies. This campaign will cleave closest to cyberpunk/dystopian, while hopefully maintaining the Space Opera bold primary colors (Neonpunk? Is that a thing?)
However, I’m hitting a bit of structural dissonance: the scale. The themes and mood really calls for clustered cityscapes and omnipresent faction branding. Originally I was considering putting that into a galactic setting, with multiple inhabited planets and trade routes. But the more I toy with it, the more I feel that the setting would benefit from a scope reduction. It would allow more focus on the shifting landscape, and there would be less “dark”/unpopulated spaces.
Compared to an Intergalactic War setting or a Frontier Exploration setting, the Faction Web setting seems like the best opportunity to really pull in and make things crowded and claustrophobic, without all that pesky empty space to expand into. Make them struggle to get a bit of elbow room, kinda thing.
So here are my options, and I’d be interested to know what you guys think would be most interesting:
– Galactic: Most familiar, most compatible with standard Uncharted Worlds. Multi-planet empire, each planet ruled by a dominant faction with other factions trying to dethrone them, trade lanes, interplanetary passengers, space fleets.
– System: Single colonized solar system. One main planet separated into territories, plus a smattering of off-world territories (space stations, mining facilities, lunar colonies). Territories contested by multiple factions. Some space travel, but no Jumps. Needs custom/altered Explorer career, since everything is explored (and claimed).
– Planet: Single heavily populated planet, divided into territories. Focus on mega-cities. Territories contested by multiple factions. No space travel. needs custom/altered Explorer and Starfarer, since neither are useful as presented.
Note: I am purposefully not including “all of the above”. I’d like to create something specific, rather than generic. Theoretically, the Planet or System could be part of a larger Galaxy game, but it would be a Galaxy I would not write about. What I’m considering here is a change of Level of Magnification. How far I zoom in or out.
Voting for Galaxy, but what I’d rather see is Cluster. A setting where each house/faction has a bastion (a habitable world), but all the other worlds are claustrophobic domed colonies, space habitats, and harsh mining outposts (I’ve had Outland on the brain lately.) Due to a bottle-neck (maybe hostile aliens or an AI controlled choke point) in the jump network, there is no expansion and/or the cluster is isolated from the rest of humanity (perhaps for so long that it something of a legend.)
Todd Zircher Cluster sounds pretty much like what I wanted to do if I stick with Galaxy: overpopulated planets or strip-mined/abandoned colony planets. The overarching theme is definitely one of stagnation and collapse.
I think that a dense system could be cool. Something like the Quad in Killjoys. Doing that would reduce the scope for exploration though, which is a shame.
I’m so torn between system and galaxy!
I’d toss in scarcity as pressure on the population/PCs. The factions are powerful because the have all the resources under their thumb.
Fun idea, the only way to explore is to mis-jump. It’s a hell of a gamble with an expensive piece of hardware.
System, yo. Tap that Expanse brainspace that is underserved by every million-planet galaxy-spanning space-opera out there.
Mark Durrheim Remember that this is one of three campaign settings that will eventually become Carta Galaxia. I will absolutely have an exploration-focused campaign, with custom rules and systems for that style of play.
This one is definitely more of a society/faction-focus.
Just a small aside, looking forward to the exploration campaign. I have a folder of solo tools I’ve labelled NoGMsSky with the plan on running a solo RPG/exploration game at some point in the future. Would really love to run that under UW rules. 🙂
I’m picking Planet because of my love for Heavy Gear. It had two polar, barely-stable confederations each with 3~4 autonomous governments. The polar powers were separated by a massive, planet-spanning equatorial desert.
Another vote for Cluster.
Given the constraints, and since Cluster would basically be Galaxy, I gotta go Jovian Chronicles here.
Went for System. As I can see a place for a setting in a self-contained system. Fast insystem travel, no FTL. Or perhaps jump gates between worlds ala Cowboy Bepop but no FTL so nothing extrasolar. A crowded, perhaps polluted, Earth surrounded terraformed worlds and spacestation. Each dominated by one or two factions. Giving each offworld location a distinct theme and feel with Earth being a crowded melting pot location.
Ah, if this is just one of three settings, then system absolutely. Close enough to step on each others toes, while keeping cool space stuff.
The “nowhere to hide” is a big reason for me re-examining my assumption that this would be a Galactic/Cluster style setting. The more empty space there is, the higher the expectation that the characters can just hang out away from everyone for extended periods of time.
Indeed, which is why I mentioned that all the habitable planets are faction controlled. They also have their fingers in fuel, food, air, medicine, spare parts, or anything else that you might need to scratch out a living out in the black.
Just for giggles, add the opposite of cramped quarters. Every human is used to living elbow to elbow with each other. Stay out in space for too long and you end of going bonkers and start eating your crew mates and stuff.
[Any resemblance to Firefly is purely intentional.] 🙂
Went for Planet, firstly to create the sense of claustrophobia, and secondly because it would also be useful to have examples of each of the suggested campaign styles.
I have two semi-criminal factions, potentially. I’ll talk about them in more detail later, but basically there’s
– The Proletariat-style Workers faction which does a lot of smuggling, sabotage, piracy, arson, rabble rousing and such.
– The rich, deposed former nobility, who maintain a veneer of sophistication and artistic patronage while also dealing in extortion, money laundering, blackmail, assassinations. But, like, classy.
I’d add Megastructure. It is quite compact, but much larger than planet. A Dyson Tree or the like also offers an interesting structure for dog fights etc.