Dragonsbane
Proud Grognard
y table and I are starting a new Cypher Sci-Fi / Superhero game and
I am looking for additional ideas for historical events, power groups, villains, etc.
The history is taken from a number of websites and old sources like Stardrive setting for Alternity and some movies.
Earth 2099 History
2000's
The 21st century began with the United States as the sole superpower in the absence of the Soviet Union, with China emerging as a potential superpower. The debate over what should be done about fossil fuel pollution and alternative energy raged in the new century after most of the 20th century was marked by rapid industrial expansion. As the Cold War was over and Islamic fundamentalist-related terrorism on the rise, the United States and its allies turned their attention to the Middle East.
Digital technology – in its early stages of mainstream use in the 1980s and 1990s – became widely adopted by most of the world, though concerns about stress and anti-sociality from the overuse of mobile phones, the Internet and related technologies remained controversial. Over 1.5 billion people worldwide used the Internet by the end of the first decade and over 4 billion (more than half the world's population) used cell phones.
2010s
A global financial downturn – triggered by a sub-prime mortgage crisis in the U.S. – resulted in soaring levels of personal and national debt. Alongside this were ever-growing divides between rich and poor. At the same time, citizens were becoming more and more aware of excessive surveillance, privacy intrusion and erosion of civil liberties by governments and the corporations influencing them.
2020s
A new set of crises would emerge in the 2020s. Climate change was beginning to have a significant impact on worldwide commodities; in particular, food and water supplies. In the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere, growing instability led to a number of resource wars. Perversely, the hunt for fossil fuels continued, with even the Arctic becoming a political and economic battleground as nations sought to claim the last remaining deposits. The first lunar colony was established in the 2020s and the first quantum computer was created, forever changing the world of computers and eventually artificial intelligence.
2030s
The 2030s were marked by a rapid, worldwide shift towards clean energy, algae biofuel and other renewable sources – aided by startling breakthroughs in nanotechnology. This was followed by progress in nuclear fusion, though widespread adoption would have to wait until later decades. Despite this, conflict was now brewing around much of the world. Africa, Asia and other regions were suffering mightily due to food shortages and a growing influx of refugees affected by climate change, resource wars and political instability. It was in 2036 that the first Turingrade, an AI with a human-like intelligence, was created. The world would never be the same as new legal and ethical challenges were born regarding the sentience, rights, and souls of Turingrades. By the end of the century, Turingrades would be almost as numerous as humans.
2040s
Exponential advances in computing power – in parallel with genetics, nanotechnology and robotics – continued into the 2040s, leading to what many called the birth of “transhumanism”. Ever smaller, more complex and sophisticated devices were becoming implantable and integrated within the human body – able to combat disease, enhance the senses and provide entertainment or communication in ways that simply were not possible before. Human expectancy was now reaching 100 years. At the same time, Turingrades were gaining rights in some places in the world and were hated in others, with competition for jobs causing stress between the conservative Pure Humans, modern Transhumans, and ever-evolving Turingrades. Geopolitics was undergoing a revolution too, as America descended into a brief Second Civil War as White Supremacists tried to take over the country, eventually destroying much of California and Nevada with stolen nuclear devices and spreading a virus that killed millions. At the same time, an Israeli bombing of a Iranian nuclear weapons site sparked an exchange of nuclear weapons that destroyed many Middle-eastern cities, including Tehran, Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, and Mecca, making them all uninhabitable. Climate change was also greatly increasing stress on the planet as some coastal cities began to see extreme flooding as hurricanes began to form almost all year long, with temperatures causing longer and longer summers in many places. Amid all the destruction, advances in engineering and physics allowed for the construction of wonders like floating cities and taller and taller skyscrapers reaching over a kilometre high.
2050s
Mankind began to escape the confines of its crowded home planet with a permanent colony on Mars in the 2050s. Even greater advances in computing power saw AI beginning to play a major role in business and government decisions. Economic growth was now under severe strain, however, due to ecological impacts, resource scarcity, demographic trends, technological unemployment and other factors. Many governments collapsed as hunger and disease because of climate change became a greater and greater challenge. A new world order formed with an alliance between five superpowers, namely the American Nations, European Union, the Asiatic Federation, the Pacific Bloc, and the Indo-African League. The Gaian Union was born, and a new era of cooperation to save the Earth from itself was established, slowing the course of climate change over the next three decades and eventually beginning the healing process towards the end of the century. A newer and faster quantum version of the internet called the Grid is established, allowing instant FTL communication across the solar system using quantum entanglement. Religion began to fade to antiquity in this decade, partially because of the progress of science and dissemination of knowledge, with additional losses of the faithful from resentment over the previous decades nuclear wars driven by the world three major religions.
2060s
By 2060, the world's population had begun to level off and plateau at 12 billion. This was partly a result of declining fertility rates (aided by improvements in education and birth control), but also from significant numbers of deaths caused by deteriorating environmental conditions. Entire nations were now being devastated by the effects of climate change, with a 10 meter rise in the oceans causing an exodus of major coastal cities as the lands of Antarctica began to reppear. Despite advances in technology, the fundamental problem remained that humanity was consuming too much, too fast, beyond what the Earth could sustainably provide. Desperate attempts were made to improve carbon capture and geoengineering methods, but the sheer magnitude of this crisis would persist for decades to come. Amid the chaos, mankind and its endevors continued. The first superturing was created by turingrades and transhumans together, an intelligence far beyond any transhuman or turingrade. Superturings would become the cartakers for society, benevolent dictators that had motives and levels of conscious most could barely comprehend. The whispers of strange mind powers in the 2050s would come into recognition as Psionics, and these strange abilities would be most prevalent in the children of those affected by radiation and toxins. Classism dependent on transhumanism begins to evolve in society as those left behind in normal humanity became less productive and resentful of the more advanced transhumans and synthetic turingrades and superturings, the racism of the past decades having a resurgence against those deemed superior. To make matters worse, the first provolved animals were created, further blurring the lines between sentient and non-sentient.
2070s
The 2070s saw major growth in the use of fusion power. Accelerated space development also marked this time, with expansion of the lunar colonies and their automated mining operations. By now, a full-scale environmental catastrophe was unfolding on Earth, with sea levels forcing the large-scale evacuation of cities. It would be the superturings that would help the Earth reverse course and begin to alleviate the destruction as their super-efficient and fair governance as well as problem solving proved far superior to any transhuman. Rianths were developed, humans with animal variants genetically engineered to have traits making them superior to humans in some ways. Superturings also developed the mass reactor, a combination of fusion power and dark energy that increased the levels of clean energy to provide limitless and free power for the Earth as well as a new means to make spacecraft go nearer and nearer the speed of light. The transhuman life expectancy reaches 120 as orbital colonies in the tens of thousands begin to circle the globe.
2080s
With continuing advances in AI, the 2080s saw an explosion in scientific discoveries. This helped to slow the rise in global temperatures and pave the way for a more sustainable future in the 22nd century. Transhumanism was now a mainstream phenomenon, the average citizen becoming heavily reliant on brain-computer interfaces and other implantable devices, contributing to a decline in religious adherence. The Gaian Union adopted the Universal Declaration of Rights, giving equality to all life, be it human, transhuman, turingrade, superturing, or rianth, Religion was growing so rare many thought of it as human mythoolgy, and human probes reached Proxima Centuari to explore the system of our closest star. Nanotechnology reached incredible heights of advancement and large cities were present on the Moon as well as Mars.
2090s
By the 2090s, it became clear that Homo sapiens were no longer the dominant species on the planet. Much of the day-to-day running of world affairs was now handled exclusively by ultra-fast, ultra-intelligent machines, robots and virtual entities. The first generation-ships are built and prepared for the journey to nearby stars, and Jovian lunar colonies develop on at least 5 moons around our largest planet. Life expectancy reaches 150 years as the first successful uploads of a biological consciousness give transhumans virtual immortality.
I am looking for additional ideas for historical events, power groups, villains, etc.
The history is taken from a number of websites and old sources like Stardrive setting for Alternity and some movies.
Earth 2099 History
2000's
The 21st century began with the United States as the sole superpower in the absence of the Soviet Union, with China emerging as a potential superpower. The debate over what should be done about fossil fuel pollution and alternative energy raged in the new century after most of the 20th century was marked by rapid industrial expansion. As the Cold War was over and Islamic fundamentalist-related terrorism on the rise, the United States and its allies turned their attention to the Middle East.
Digital technology – in its early stages of mainstream use in the 1980s and 1990s – became widely adopted by most of the world, though concerns about stress and anti-sociality from the overuse of mobile phones, the Internet and related technologies remained controversial. Over 1.5 billion people worldwide used the Internet by the end of the first decade and over 4 billion (more than half the world's population) used cell phones.
2010s
A global financial downturn – triggered by a sub-prime mortgage crisis in the U.S. – resulted in soaring levels of personal and national debt. Alongside this were ever-growing divides between rich and poor. At the same time, citizens were becoming more and more aware of excessive surveillance, privacy intrusion and erosion of civil liberties by governments and the corporations influencing them.
2020s
A new set of crises would emerge in the 2020s. Climate change was beginning to have a significant impact on worldwide commodities; in particular, food and water supplies. In the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere, growing instability led to a number of resource wars. Perversely, the hunt for fossil fuels continued, with even the Arctic becoming a political and economic battleground as nations sought to claim the last remaining deposits. The first lunar colony was established in the 2020s and the first quantum computer was created, forever changing the world of computers and eventually artificial intelligence.
2030s
The 2030s were marked by a rapid, worldwide shift towards clean energy, algae biofuel and other renewable sources – aided by startling breakthroughs in nanotechnology. This was followed by progress in nuclear fusion, though widespread adoption would have to wait until later decades. Despite this, conflict was now brewing around much of the world. Africa, Asia and other regions were suffering mightily due to food shortages and a growing influx of refugees affected by climate change, resource wars and political instability. It was in 2036 that the first Turingrade, an AI with a human-like intelligence, was created. The world would never be the same as new legal and ethical challenges were born regarding the sentience, rights, and souls of Turingrades. By the end of the century, Turingrades would be almost as numerous as humans.
2040s
Exponential advances in computing power – in parallel with genetics, nanotechnology and robotics – continued into the 2040s, leading to what many called the birth of “transhumanism”. Ever smaller, more complex and sophisticated devices were becoming implantable and integrated within the human body – able to combat disease, enhance the senses and provide entertainment or communication in ways that simply were not possible before. Human expectancy was now reaching 100 years. At the same time, Turingrades were gaining rights in some places in the world and were hated in others, with competition for jobs causing stress between the conservative Pure Humans, modern Transhumans, and ever-evolving Turingrades. Geopolitics was undergoing a revolution too, as America descended into a brief Second Civil War as White Supremacists tried to take over the country, eventually destroying much of California and Nevada with stolen nuclear devices and spreading a virus that killed millions. At the same time, an Israeli bombing of a Iranian nuclear weapons site sparked an exchange of nuclear weapons that destroyed many Middle-eastern cities, including Tehran, Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, and Mecca, making them all uninhabitable. Climate change was also greatly increasing stress on the planet as some coastal cities began to see extreme flooding as hurricanes began to form almost all year long, with temperatures causing longer and longer summers in many places. Amid all the destruction, advances in engineering and physics allowed for the construction of wonders like floating cities and taller and taller skyscrapers reaching over a kilometre high.
2050s
Mankind began to escape the confines of its crowded home planet with a permanent colony on Mars in the 2050s. Even greater advances in computing power saw AI beginning to play a major role in business and government decisions. Economic growth was now under severe strain, however, due to ecological impacts, resource scarcity, demographic trends, technological unemployment and other factors. Many governments collapsed as hunger and disease because of climate change became a greater and greater challenge. A new world order formed with an alliance between five superpowers, namely the American Nations, European Union, the Asiatic Federation, the Pacific Bloc, and the Indo-African League. The Gaian Union was born, and a new era of cooperation to save the Earth from itself was established, slowing the course of climate change over the next three decades and eventually beginning the healing process towards the end of the century. A newer and faster quantum version of the internet called the Grid is established, allowing instant FTL communication across the solar system using quantum entanglement. Religion began to fade to antiquity in this decade, partially because of the progress of science and dissemination of knowledge, with additional losses of the faithful from resentment over the previous decades nuclear wars driven by the world three major religions.
2060s
By 2060, the world's population had begun to level off and plateau at 12 billion. This was partly a result of declining fertility rates (aided by improvements in education and birth control), but also from significant numbers of deaths caused by deteriorating environmental conditions. Entire nations were now being devastated by the effects of climate change, with a 10 meter rise in the oceans causing an exodus of major coastal cities as the lands of Antarctica began to reppear. Despite advances in technology, the fundamental problem remained that humanity was consuming too much, too fast, beyond what the Earth could sustainably provide. Desperate attempts were made to improve carbon capture and geoengineering methods, but the sheer magnitude of this crisis would persist for decades to come. Amid the chaos, mankind and its endevors continued. The first superturing was created by turingrades and transhumans together, an intelligence far beyond any transhuman or turingrade. Superturings would become the cartakers for society, benevolent dictators that had motives and levels of conscious most could barely comprehend. The whispers of strange mind powers in the 2050s would come into recognition as Psionics, and these strange abilities would be most prevalent in the children of those affected by radiation and toxins. Classism dependent on transhumanism begins to evolve in society as those left behind in normal humanity became less productive and resentful of the more advanced transhumans and synthetic turingrades and superturings, the racism of the past decades having a resurgence against those deemed superior. To make matters worse, the first provolved animals were created, further blurring the lines between sentient and non-sentient.
2070s
The 2070s saw major growth in the use of fusion power. Accelerated space development also marked this time, with expansion of the lunar colonies and their automated mining operations. By now, a full-scale environmental catastrophe was unfolding on Earth, with sea levels forcing the large-scale evacuation of cities. It would be the superturings that would help the Earth reverse course and begin to alleviate the destruction as their super-efficient and fair governance as well as problem solving proved far superior to any transhuman. Rianths were developed, humans with animal variants genetically engineered to have traits making them superior to humans in some ways. Superturings also developed the mass reactor, a combination of fusion power and dark energy that increased the levels of clean energy to provide limitless and free power for the Earth as well as a new means to make spacecraft go nearer and nearer the speed of light. The transhuman life expectancy reaches 120 as orbital colonies in the tens of thousands begin to circle the globe.
2080s
With continuing advances in AI, the 2080s saw an explosion in scientific discoveries. This helped to slow the rise in global temperatures and pave the way for a more sustainable future in the 22nd century. Transhumanism was now a mainstream phenomenon, the average citizen becoming heavily reliant on brain-computer interfaces and other implantable devices, contributing to a decline in religious adherence. The Gaian Union adopted the Universal Declaration of Rights, giving equality to all life, be it human, transhuman, turingrade, superturing, or rianth, Religion was growing so rare many thought of it as human mythoolgy, and human probes reached Proxima Centuari to explore the system of our closest star. Nanotechnology reached incredible heights of advancement and large cities were present on the Moon as well as Mars.
2090s
By the 2090s, it became clear that Homo sapiens were no longer the dominant species on the planet. Much of the day-to-day running of world affairs was now handled exclusively by ultra-fast, ultra-intelligent machines, robots and virtual entities. The first generation-ships are built and prepared for the journey to nearby stars, and Jovian lunar colonies develop on at least 5 moons around our largest planet. Life expectancy reaches 150 years as the first successful uploads of a biological consciousness give transhumans virtual immortality.
