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TIPS Sought for Sustainable Sci-Fi (not Star Wars) Gaming
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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 4945772" data-attributes="member: 19675"><p>Part of the trick is knowing what kind of sci-fi setting your players want to adventure in- hard science? space opera? Getting inside your players' heads and internalizing their desires to a certain extent by putting that stuff in the campaign can be key. They'll connect more quickly and thoroughly.</p><p></p><p>Also, the more Sci-Fi you read, the more campaign types you can design...and mix & match!</p><p></p><p>For instance, Kristine Katherine Rusch's <em>Retrieval Artist </em>novels are an excellent series in which the Humanity is the NKOTB in an interstellar confederation of dozens of races, and they are learning the hard way about the interactions between local and interstellar laws, esp. with interspecies conflicts.</p><p></p><p>In a sense, imagine the galaxy in which every culture has a mutual extradition treaty with every other. Thus, if you commit a crime in one race's zone of influence, their law enforcement officers may lawfully arrest, extradite or even execute you anywhere else, depending on the severity of the crime...and as in RL, ignorance of the law is no excuse.</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, some things humans do on a regular basis, or by accident, are capital crimes in the eyes of other species. Planting a certain kind of plant of the wrong color might be an offense against a particular religion, for instance, or perhaps one makes a comment or gesture towards the recently deceased? Death penalty time.</p><p></p><p>Understandably, many humans find this fundamentally unfair, if not outright insane, and opt to Disappear or aid in the Disappearances of scofflaws. And of course, that means there is a need for those who can find the Disappeared...either to bring them to justice or to clear their names or just bring them vital information. Those who do this job are called Retrieval Artists.</p><p></p><p>(Yes, this is a lot like that episode of ST:tNG in which Wesley Crusher gets the death penalty for falling into a flower bed...but on a much larger and more involved scale.)</p><p></p><p>In such a setting, PCs could be law enforcement, military, Retrieval Artists, Disappeared, Alien Bounty Hunters and so forth.</p><p></p><p>Besides the <em>Retrieval Artist</em> books, other good SF books & series to read:</p><p></p><p><strong>1) </strong>Bova's <em>Grand Tour</em></p><p></p><p><strong>2) </strong>Stirling's <em>Lords of Creation</em> and <em>The Change</em> (Nantucket and Emberverse)</p><p></p><p><strong>3) </strong>Brin's<em> Uplift</em></p><p></p><p><strong>4) </strong>Dickson's <em>Dorsai </em></p><p></p><p><strong>5) </strong>Niven's <em>Known Universe</em> and <em>Dream Park</em> with Pournelle </p><p></p><p><strong>6) </strong>Heinlein's <em>Starship Troopers</em></p><p></p><p><strong>7) </strong>Asimov's <em>Nightfall</em>, <em>Robots</em> or <em>Foundation</em></p><p></p><p><strong>8) </strong>Donaldson's <em>Gap</em></p><p></p><p><strong>9) </strong>Bear's <em>Way </em>or <em>Forge of God</em> series.</p><p></p><p>All of them have either classic elements that show up all over sci-fi or present unique twists that your players may not expect at all.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 4945772, member: 19675"] Part of the trick is knowing what kind of sci-fi setting your players want to adventure in- hard science? space opera? Getting inside your players' heads and internalizing their desires to a certain extent by putting that stuff in the campaign can be key. They'll connect more quickly and thoroughly. Also, the more Sci-Fi you read, the more campaign types you can design...and mix & match! For instance, Kristine Katherine Rusch's [I]Retrieval Artist [/I]novels are an excellent series in which the Humanity is the NKOTB in an interstellar confederation of dozens of races, and they are learning the hard way about the interactions between local and interstellar laws, esp. with interspecies conflicts. In a sense, imagine the galaxy in which every culture has a mutual extradition treaty with every other. Thus, if you commit a crime in one race's zone of influence, their law enforcement officers may lawfully arrest, extradite or even execute you anywhere else, depending on the severity of the crime...and as in RL, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Unfortunately, some things humans do on a regular basis, or by accident, are capital crimes in the eyes of other species. Planting a certain kind of plant of the wrong color might be an offense against a particular religion, for instance, or perhaps one makes a comment or gesture towards the recently deceased? Death penalty time. Understandably, many humans find this fundamentally unfair, if not outright insane, and opt to Disappear or aid in the Disappearances of scofflaws. And of course, that means there is a need for those who can find the Disappeared...either to bring them to justice or to clear their names or just bring them vital information. Those who do this job are called Retrieval Artists. (Yes, this is a lot like that episode of ST:tNG in which Wesley Crusher gets the death penalty for falling into a flower bed...but on a much larger and more involved scale.) In such a setting, PCs could be law enforcement, military, Retrieval Artists, Disappeared, Alien Bounty Hunters and so forth. Besides the [I]Retrieval Artist[/I] books, other good SF books & series to read: [B]1) [/B]Bova's [I]Grand Tour[/I] [B]2) [/B]Stirling's [I]Lords of Creation[/I] and [I]The Change[/I] (Nantucket and Emberverse) [B]3) [/B]Brin's[I] Uplift[/I] [B]4) [/B]Dickson's [I]Dorsai [/I] [B]5) [/B]Niven's [I]Known Universe[/I] and [I]Dream Park[/I] with Pournelle [B]6) [/B]Heinlein's [I]Starship Troopers[/I] [B]7) [/B]Asimov's [I]Nightfall[/I], [I]Robots[/I] or [I]Foundation[/I] [B]8) [/B]Donaldson's [I]Gap[/I] [B]9) [/B]Bear's [I]Way [/I]or [I]Forge of God[/I] series. All of them have either classic elements that show up all over sci-fi or present unique twists that your players may not expect at all. [/QUOTE]
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