My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

Here are some pictures for the space military:

 

See here

 

And here

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

Pardon me for resurrecting my old thread, but I have some new thoughts on the setting.

 

Underwater colonies: Earth has several colonies located under the major oceans. Most emphasize exploration of the sea and utilizing its resources. Commerce with the surface and other colonies is conducted regularly. Piracy may still be around, but it would occur on the ocean surface, and there are would be stricter security measures against pirates by this time.

 

Living in the colonies: The colonies are mostly underground to protect the inhabitants from cosmic radiation and meteorites. Early warning systems alert the colonies of those threats. There are a few structures above ground on the Moon and on Mars, but they are covered with protective domes. While everyone living away from Earth has to rough it, there are more creature comforts in the colonies located in the inner planets than there are in the asteroids and beyond.

 

Psychological considerations: Space travel has psychological effects as well as physical effect. Travelers can suffer from claustrophobia, homesickness, boredom, loneliness, and irritability with other travelers. All potential colonists are thoroughly screened before being accepted, but these problems still occur from time to time. Psychologists and security officers are on the alert for these instances. There are also other activities and virtual reality simulations available to the crew and passengers to alleviate these problems.

[Dholcrist]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

 

Psychological considerations: Space travel has psychological effects as well as physical effect. Travelers can suffer from claustrophobia, homesickness, boredom, loneliness, and irritability with other travelers. All potential colonists are thoroughly screened before being accepted, but these problems still occur from time to time. Psychologists and security officers are on the alert for these instances. There are also other activities and virtual reality simulations available to the crew and passengers to alleviate these problems.

 

As for this, have you seen the movie Sunshine? It's a pretty great example of how people react to long, stressful trips in space (complete with virtual reality simulations!). It gets a bit out of hand toward the end, but still a pretty good example.

 

Otherwise, bravo for continuing to work on this, I'm going to have to go back through and read up on everything that's been written down. I'm trying to construct a somewhat realistic history for the Terran Empire still, so anything that goes up on here is greatly appreciated.

 

Keep it up!

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

I haven't heard of that movie, but I'll be on the lookout for it. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

I figure it will be easier to put all my ideas on a campaign in the same thread. That way I know where to look if I need to remember something.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

I like the underwater cities. How could I have forgotten how cool underwater cities are? I used to know these things.

From now on, I'm not playing in a sci-fi campaign without underwater cities.

Or with them, unless someone has a time machine I can borrow.

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

They're a late addition to the campaign. I hadn't considered the idea until I saw a program on the Discovery Channel about future ships. One of the engineers featured advocated underwater colonization rather than space colonization. He said space was an airless void, but there's everything under the oceans necessary to live there.

 

And if overpopulation continues to be a problem, it may be a viable solution.

 

If anyone has ideas about them, please post them here. I haven't really developed this part of the campaign.

[Nyrath]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

It is actually far easier to colonize the ocean than to colonize, say, Mars.

 

On an irreverent note, for comic relief you can try finding some clips of a 1960's Irwin Allen period piece move called "City Beneath The Sea"

http://tinyurl.com/6zeaad

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

Thanks, Nyrath!

 

Considering the great amount of recent incidents involving piracy and terrorism, it seems these threats would be dealt with before any expansion would occur. My campaign takes that into account. Terrorists and pirates have been largely subdued (but by no means eliminated) at the cost of exhausting some of the military might of the major powers.

[mallet]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

 

 

 

And yes, I posted a lot of this discussion in nogadi, since there are members there who don't visit this place anymore.

 

 

What's nogadi?

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

What's nogadi?

It's a forum for nongaming discussion (mostly). Most of the posters used to be members here. Just click on my signature.

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

I'm thinking of renaming many of the colonies, probably after the sites they are located in. I am thinking of better names for the space stations as well.

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

Details to work out: the ugly stuff

 

The world will undoubtedly face many problems between now and 2076. Some will be caused by nature, others by humans. I'll post some questions about what details I should fill. Feel free to add to the list or supply any answers to these questions.

 

What wars will be fought between now and 2076?

What pandemics will have taken place?

How much of the population will suffer from starvation or contaminated water?

How bad will pollution be?

How much will the ocean levels have risen?

Which species will have gone extinct?

How will the weather patterns have changed?

Will fossil fuels be entirely replaced with other types of fuel by this time?

How much of the planet will still be Third World countries?

[Nyrath]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

Will fossil fuels be entirely replaced with other types of fuel by this time?

Keeping in mind that petroleum is also used as a feedstock for the manufacture of plastics and other useful chemicals.

 

There was a documentary series back in the late 1980's called After The Warming by James Burke. If you can find any episodes it could contain some answers to your questions. I think some of them are on Youtube.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

I'm about halfway through a book called Whiff!: The Revolution of Scent Communication in the Information Age by C. Russell Brumfield, and I recommend it for anyone getting ready for a near-future setting. There's a lot of information there about how our dominant culture is changing in regards to the sense of smell, including a fair bit on olfactory technology.

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

Keeping in mind that petroleum is also used as a feedstock for the manufacture of plastics and other useful chemicals.

 

There was a documentary series back in the late 1980's called After The Warming by James Burke. If you can find any episodes it could contain some answers to your questions. I think some of them are on Youtube.

I actually remember that series. I wonder if it was ever made into a book.

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

I'm about halfway through a book called Whiff!: The Revolution of Scent Communication in the Information Age by C. Russell Brumfield' date=' and I recommend it for anyone getting ready for a near-future setting. There's a lot of information there about how our dominant culture is changing in regards to the sense of smell, including a fair bit on olfactory technology.[/quote']

Sounds interesting. I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, Bob and Nyrath.

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

As hard as I tried to avoid thread necromancy, I had several ideas that need to be explored in order to fully develop the campaign. This is by no means complete, and suggestions are welcome as always.

 

Medicine

 

All colonists would be trained in first aid. Health care specialists would be in high demand in the colonies, and space agencies would be actively recruiting them. Some types of alternative medicine may be common, since receiving medicine from earth can take a long time.

 

[Note: I need to research this topic further.]

 

Crime and Punishment

 

Colonists would be carefully screened for past criminal behavior and psychological problems before being allowed to ship off-world. But incidents can and probably will occur in the colonies. Laws would be strict in the colonies. Weapons, especially firearms, would be prohibited in many colonies, particularly in space stations. Even police in space stations may not be able to carry firearms (but tasers would be acceptable). Criminals would be sentenced to hard labor instead of confinement, although they would be separated from the rest of the colony. Criminals who cannot be rehabilitated would likely be shipped back to earth for incarceration or in extreme circumstances be executed.

 

Funeral Customs

 

Space is limited in the colonies. And given the hazards of living off-world, it is more practical to cremate corpses than to bury them. The ashes would be stored in a memorial building. The dead person's possessions would go to his family and friends. If the dead person had no family or friends living in the colony, his possessions would be redistributed among the other colonists. Interfaith chapels would be used for services and memorials; these would also be available for nonreligious ceremonies. Spacecraft would probably have to jettison dead crew members, but their possessions would go to their next of kin.

 

Garbage Disposal and Recycling

 

Recycling would be mandatory in off-world colonies, as would be the production and use of recyclable material. Unrecyclable matter would be used in energy production, if possible. The use of unrecyclable material will be minimized. Littering would be illegal and offenders would face stiff fines.

 

Like water, air would also have to be recycled. Spacecraft and colonies simulate earth's atmosphere.

 

And now for the "taboo" stuff. Feel free to skip this section if you think it's TMI. I'm putting spoiler tags on this so you won't have to read it.

 

 

Personal Hygiene

 

Water would have to be recycled. Showers would be a luxury on spacecraft, but they would be a little more common in colonies, especially in colonies that can produce artificial gravity by spinning. Otherwise, crew members make do with washing with moist towels. The ISS has systems that filter water, including sweat and urine, turning into potable water. Also check out this link for more information. Greywater can be used for irrigating crops.

 

Solid waste would have to be incinerated or jettisoned from spacecraft. Human feces is usable as fertilizer, and would be used as such in colonies that do not have animals. Those colonies that have livestock can use animal dung for energy production and fertilizer. Septic tanks would probably be used extensively. The ISS has special toilets with vacuums to help relieve spacers. They would be used both in spacecraft and in offworld colonies, which have low-gravity environments. Normal toilets would be available in space stations since their spin can produce earth-like gravity.

 

Here's more information on space hygiene.

 

 

Sex in Space

 

Sex in microgravity has its challenges. Partners would need to keep from floating away from each other. They would either need to be tethered to a wall or wear special clothing that keep them together. Space sickness is also a possibility that couples need to consider. Of course the effects of pregnancy in space and in low-gravity conditions must be considered. Right now we have no hard data on this, but there has been speculation about "light-worlders" and "spacers" in science fiction rpgs.

 

Space stations with artificial gravity can negate these problems.

 

For more details, read this article.

 

[pinecone]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

Well most meds might be dealt with by PharmAnimals....no fear of genetic runnaways in a space colony...

[Spence]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

tkguy:

 

I was juts thinking on your last and I realized I didn't know the population sizes you were thinking about in each colony. Many of the issues you point out may have radically different solution's with colonies (station bound, planetoid/asteroid based or planetary/moon based) based on total population.

 

So what are we looking at here?

 

 

edit: I searched the thread for population figs but didn't see any...

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

That's one thing I have yet to finish. I have been trying to put some numbers in, but I can't make up my mind on the population.

 

Offhand, I would say that the largest colonies would be on the moon and on Mars. Many space stations will also have large populations. The colonies in the moons of Jupiter and Saturn will be much smaller, with less resources.

 

I will work on those numbers, however. Maybe I'll be able to post them soon.

[Nyrath]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

 

Funeral Customs

 

Spacecraft would probably have to jettison dead crew members, ...

 

Garbage Disposal and Recycling

 

Recycling would be mandatory in off-world colonies, as would be the production and use of recyclable material. Unrecyclable matter would be used in energy production, if possible. The use of unrecyclable material will be minimized. Littering would be illegal and offenders would face stiff fines.

I'm afraid that jettisoning dead crew members would be illegal and offenders would face stiff fines. Everything is hideously expensive when you have to boost it out of Earth's gravity well, and that includes the chemical elements composing a human body. Such bodies can be converted into their elemental components by subjecting them to the solar-heat temperatures of a fusion torch, and passing the ionized gas through a mass spectrometer to sort it into individual elements.

 

A more low tech solution would be to render the bodies into compost and use them in the farms.

[Nyrath]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

RE: Crime and punishment.

 

In the series Erma Felna (a furry comic book but with great hard science), being a good Samaritan is mandated by the law, failure to do so can result in fines or imprisonment.

 

Consider, if you were on a colony space ship, and the trip took a very long time (years), the culture in the ship would become the culture of the colony.

 

Now, if you passed through a seldom visited section of the ship, saw a small air-leak in the hull, and didn't tell anybody, you would be endangering the lives of everybody on the entire ship. You are therefore required by law to report such things.

 

The same goes for failure to render aid to an injured person. This is often not done in the United States due to the well-founded fear of being sued by the injured person, but that does not apply in a spaceship.

[Nyrath]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

 

 

Sex in Space

 

 

 

 

For more details:

http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/sex.html

http://www.rfreitas.com/Astro/SexxxInSpace.htm

 

 

[tkdguy]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

Thanks for the input and the links, Nyrath. I'll definitely refine my ideas.

 

As for the colony populations, I wrote down a few numbers last night. I do want to tweak them a bit. As it stands, less than one billion people live away from Earth. Considering the almost all the colonies are less than fifty years old, that's accurate.

 

Still, I imagine Earth's population will have reached nine or ten billion, barring major wars or disasters. I have left the door open for those possibilities. I will be looking into climate change and its effects. I did get to see After the Warming the other night and saw the ABC special last weekend. So I have a few ideas to work on.

[Kristopher]

Re: My mostly hard sci-fi campaign

 

I'm afraid that jettisoning dead crew members would be illegal and offenders would face stiff fines. Everything is hideously expensive when you have to boost it out of Earth's gravity well, and that includes the chemical elements composing a human body. Such bodies can be converted into their elemental components by subjecting them to the solar-heat temperatures of a fusion torch, and passing the ionized gas through a mass spectrometer to sort it into individual elements.

 

A more low tech solution would be to render the bodies into compost and use them in the farms.

 

I'm not so certain. People can be very sentimental, and turning grandpa into compost or building blocks isn't going to go over well with many people, at least not without a massive cultural change.