Quote:
Originally Posted by FunGuyFromYuggoth
Sorry about the typo. I was on a PDA and its harder to catch errors when I'm on it.
In any case, I'd love to see a set of science-fiction rules that covered:
* Gritty science-fiction with interesting archetypes
* Trade betwen worlds in a frontier of an empire
* Spaceship combat
* Use of "old tech" like projectile weapons, etc.
If it happened to resemble "Traveller" or "Firefly" I'd be happy.  |
I think it would also be interesting to "push the envelope" a bit on SF too. It's great to have all the old Traveller space opera stuff covered - it's easy to play - but one of the great buzzes for me when *reading* SF is picking up on the author's ideas of what humankind is going to become in the future, ie not the 1970s in space! Possibly Perry Rhodan type stuff makes for a better and more easily accessed game, but I'd be interested to see game material derived from (off the top of my head) Peter Hamilton, Cordwainer Smith, Larry Niven, Stephen Baxter.
Things like:
i.) The impact of extreme longevity on humankind
ii.) Ubiquitous and cheap AI
iii.) Easy geneering
iv.) Ubiquitous PSI or pseudo-PSI*
v.) Stop being impressed by computers - the future probably won't even perceive them as discrete objects, they'll be everywhere and invisible
vi.) Heaps of artificial lifeforms, and blurring of distinctions.
vii.) Dimensional technology, including instantaneous travel in certain cases, harnessing of gravity, as yet unknown tech, a la Rudy Rucker
viii.) Relativistic effects meaning temporal integrity is not required in societies - people may be out travelling for 10 years whilst 1000 years pass locally. Different evolutionary / technological levels constantly clashing, returnee culture shock, etc.
ix.) Extreme evolutionary, social, philosophical and linguistic divergence as humanity spreads out over millennia. Not just Asimov-type divergence, but *major* freakout stuff.
x.) Money as an interstellar lingua franca, but not really used within societies themselves.
*This is pretty much round the corner right now. Some of the brainwave-reader control interfaces for PCs, contact lens sized HUDs, direct optical nerve transmission, and spatial interaction interfaces mean that transmitting messages or control directions by thought and receiving data, imaging, etc, directly into the optic nerve are probably less than a decade away. I'd expect a half-decent SF setting to be wayyyyy ahead of this.
All of the above would blow the Traveller OTU out of the water, which is as it should be as the OTU is very 70s-retro. I'd really like to see a SF RPG which sets its sights *ambitiously*. We should be able to play something which raises the same issues - and allows you to play through them - as a good SF novel. We demand as much from fantasy**, so why not SF?
Cheers,
Sarah
** chainmail bikinis, aryan elves, archers in tights and Wizards of Mass Destruction excepted
