Non-D&D books for D&D gamers - Blue Planet

This article is part of a series of reviews of non-D&D game books which might nevertheless be of interest to D&D gamers.


Blue Planet is a science fiction setting/role-playing game that's generally considered to be on the "hard" end of the science fiction setting - which is to say, the vast majority of the science and technology shown within are plausible and don't violate the laws of physics as we know them. While the game system is adequate, Blue Planet has won numerous - and justified - praises for its intricate and fascinating setting. The background can be summarized like this:

Throughout the 21st century, humanity continues to progress scientifically and economically. One of its most noteworthy triumphes is the "uplifting" of dolphins and orcas to something very close to human intelligence. Space exploration also continues, and near the end of the century humanity discovers an apparently stable wormhole on the fringes of the solar system, leading to the Lambda Serpentis system, which is 35 light years away from Earth and has a habitable planet - a water world soon dubbed Poseidon. Suspicions abound about this "coincidence" and many suspect that aliens built this wormhole, but if so, no trace of them can be found.

A scientific mission is quickly sent to Poseidon - and after the planet is pronounced habitable, a second mission is sent there with several thousand scientists and engineers, who are not only supposed to survey this world, but also the first group of a full-scale colonization effort. Unfortunately, the follow-up mission never came - in the meantime, Earth suffers a devastating grain blight virus which wipes out most food staples and causes billions of people to die. Earth struggles through numerous political, economic, and social changes, and only in 2165 do they manage to send a new mission to Poseidon. To their surprise, they learn that the descendants of the original scientists are still alive, but have reverted to a primitive lifestyle after their equipment failed. Most of them seem little inclined to re-embrace technology, and they are called "Natives" by the new arrivals.

Then, in 2185, the explorers discover mysterious xenosilicates in the depths of the oceans which they call "Long John", and which is seemingly perfect for manipulating the DNA of creatures on a large scale. One of the possible manipulations is the retardation or even reversal of aging. Suddenly, a new "gold rush" breaks out, and until 2199 (the "start time" of the setting), a large number of people struggles to make the long journey to Poseidon somehow to make their fortune. Now two million humans live on this pristine world, having escaped the ecological nightmare of Earth.

But not all is well on this new world. Though many have tried, the Earthers are unable to leave the problems of their old home behind. There are questions about the legitimacy of the one-world government that sprang up during the crisis, and many plot against it - including some international corporations, who are often a law upon themselves in the settlements they control. Organized crime has found a foothold. New or reliable equipment is often hard to get, thanks to the expense of importing most things from Earth. Many natives and some ecoterrorists aren't all that happy with the new arrivals, and want to cut off all contact to Earth, with violence if necessary. And in the depths of the oceans swim the Aboriginals, strange creatures which may or may not have a connection with the xenosilicates, and which may or may not be sapient.


"That sounds awesome", you say, "but I only run fantasy games - so how is all this relevant to me?" I'm glad you asked. Done right, this could end up being used for the most memorable D&D campaign you have ever run.

Let's say that some time ago, some wizards figured out how to create permanent teleportation circles to another world. There wasn't that much interesting to find in that other world - apparently, there were no intelligent creatures to trade with/steal from/conquer, but there was no shortage of monsters, and opening up a portal through the other world used up much more expensive components than through a portal to the same world (at least 1,000 gp). So nobody really cared much, except for some bold explorers who had seen everything on their own world, religious fringe cults and other people who wanted to cut off all contact with other people, and the odd refugee who wanted to avoid his enemies. As a result, there were some small human (and demihuman) settlements in that other world, but nothing of importance.

Then one of the explorers found a curious rare substance in that world. He brought it to an alchemist, who after extended experimentation discovered that this substance, when properly treated, would stop the aging process for a time. The rich and powerful of the world immediately started paying attention - old age was the one problem their wealth and power hadn't been able to solve so far.

So everyone in this world who dreamed of making his fortune tried to get into the other world, even if that meant making lots of debt to the wrong people, and even if equipment was scarce. Settlements sprang up around the teleportation circles and became larger overnight. Nations and rulers back home tried to impose their own laws and order on the settlement, but this is hard to enforce - the new world remains a fairly lawless place, and will likely continue to be so until new nations spring up.

But just what lurks out in the wilderness? How can humans and demihumans survive and thrive amidst all those unfamiliar plants and animals? What happened to all those earlier settlements, and are the rumors true that the people in some of these settlements have... changed? Is there anything to the rumors that new cults have sprung up that worship strange, alien deities seemingly at home on this new world? All these questions need to be answered - and who'd better do this than the PCs, all new arrivals to this strange new world?


For this kind of campaign - a "Points of Light" setting on steroids - you could use the physical environment as written, which has the advantage of already having a complex environment and ecosystem written up for it (especially if you buy the Natural Selection supplement). Alternatively, you could create your own ecosystem (read my earlier review of GURPS Space on some pointers). Whatever choice you make, this kind of campaign will certainly unlike any other your players have experienced.