Xavier Onassiss Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Every SF campaign has one. (almost) I'm working on a basic future-history / time-line, and I'm wondering how others approach this project. Up to this point, the 'future history' has been rather vague; just enough information to say "Here's how we got to this point." But I've had enough requests for a more concrete time-line with actual dates on it to justify doing one. My list of basic elements to include looks like this, so far: First contact with aliens Technological breakthroughs Outbreak of Wars Ends of wars and their results Exploration milestones Colonization milestones Important legal precedents Natural disasters Technological disasters Socio-economic disasters Infamous crimes Founding of major organizations Actions of famous NPC's The question is: What else should be on this list? The floor is open. Many thanks in advance for your suggestions. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Enough depth of history for deep mystery. My favourite, although I hated the way that it was resolved, was Kim Stanley Robinson's Icehenge, where explorers reaching Pluto find a replica of Stonehenge, apparently build by a generation ship bound for another star. Who built the generation ship? Where did it go? Who was on it? This isn't an "Atlantis got to space" thing. There's enough time past that it could have been refugees from a Martian rebellion in the 2300s, now long since settled around Barnard's Star. A post-apocalyptic break could make this work. You can even see Star Trek's Botany Bay as fitting this mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Heh. I'm in 100% agreement on Icehenge. Great idea; okay execution, poor ending. I'll stop short of spoiling it for anyone. As far as my campaign setting goes: good point. There are going to be a number of mysteries which will be considered 'GM only' material, but the time-line will at least point the players in the right direction towards discovering the truth. Gotta love 'deep cosmic mysteries.' Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Jogger Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? One of the things that I like in histories is the dead end. The "revolution" that becomes remembered as a passing fad. Something that lasts a solid generation but fails to take off. Why it doesn't take off (and why it almost did) explains the culture shifts and prevents the history from sounding too much like, "And then, right on schedule, we developed FTL travel." Star Trek's Botany Bay is also a good example of this. Not only did it explain why Federation was into Eugenics, it explained why it did not pursue that path further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? I have a few things I like to put in http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3ab.html#history Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted December 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? I have a few things I like to put in http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3ab.html#history Warning! Totally tasteless joke: That's what she said! On a more serious note...thanks, Nyrath. I've found your site extremely useful throughout the world-building process, especially concerning spacecraft. I hadn't gotten to the future history section yet, but now I'm giving it a good once-over, and it's very interesting. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Some of the things I glossed over without putting in definite dates were Wars, mainly over oil Natural disasters Dealing with threats like terrorism and piracy Advances in medicine and other fields, although I made a few notes. Most of the details I put in focused on space travel. I did put in a dates, at least the year when something major happened in a country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? On a more serious note...thanks' date=' Nyrath. I've found your site extremely useful throughout the world-building process, especially concerning spacecraft. I hadn't gotten to the future history section yet, but now I'm giving it a good once-over, and it's very interesting.[/quote'] Yes, just keep in mind that my future history is very 1950's retro. The technical term is "Rocket Punk." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted December 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Yes' date=' just keep in mind that my future history is very 1950's retro. The technical term is "Rocket Punk." Indeed. Rocket Punk Manifesto is also on my favorites list, right alongside the Tough Guide to the Known Galaxy. Surprisingly informative for a guide with so much humor. (Or, surprisingly humorous for such an informative guide. Take your pick.) This one also takes a very 50's look at future history, but the entry on 'cosmic background history' is more thorough. I'm going to have to work on this, too, but it won't be easy. Paging Stephen Baxter.... Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraven Kor Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? I used the handy Rocket Punk Manifesto as a guideline, but my "future history" went in a bit of a different order - here is a rough framework of what I am going with (and it is and will remain a work in progress for some time.) 1. Armageddon - the prophecies in the bible and other sources regarding the "end of the world" coming to pass in the early 21st century came true, turns out there were two rival alien species who had been involved with us for millenia. 2. The revelation that aliens, not God and the Devil, were behind much of this resulted in years of turmoil on top of the physical aftermath of armageddon. 3. Nations coelesce into larger entities, we learn more about the other species we share the local part of the Galaxy with, and technology advances as things previously thought impossible are shown to be possible indeed. 4. We skip STL travel to other worlds and skip right to FTL travel - once we see that aliens are doing it and there must be a way, we figure things out pretty quickly, and with only the slightest help from our alien friends (or enemies.) 5. Colonization and the evolution towards our current relationships internal and external, and the political realities of nations in space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadborder Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? The setting I'm working on follows the following stages: Armageddon - Your basic third world war, occuring in the mind 21st Century, setting the stage for the events to come Rebuilding and Reunification - The emerging powers in the aftrermath of WWIII eventually unify the planet through military force and diplomacy under the Terran Alliance Early Space Colonisation - The discovery of FTL drive leads to colonisation of other worlds to releave the burnden on the depleted Earth Revolution and Reformation - The colonies rebel, leading to the collapse of the Terran Alliance. A military coup leads to the rise of the Terran Empire, and a war of reclamation The Golden Age - The Terran Empire grows across space, colonising worlds and ushering in a golden age for all mankind Decline and Fall of the Empire - Internal pressures build as worlds once again push for independance as the Empire's economy collapses. Eventailly the empire collapses inward to a small sphere of core worlds around Earth, and cuts off all contact with the outside. The Dark Age - Those worlds outside the empire are left alone and isolated, resulting in a dark age across space. Many worlds collapse during htis time The rise of the Micro-Empires - Isolated worlds make contact with each other, forming their own interstellar states Consolidation and Alliance - The micro-empires begin to consolidate into larger states, making contact with each other. Eventually, several mega-states emerge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? No one has Religious Issues in their Future? Usually an interesting one, once "other things" show up. ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? No one has Religious Issues in their Future? Usually an interesting one, once "other things" show up. ~Rex I briefly touched on religion. My only notes were about the Pope calling for world peace (in vain, as it turns out), and advocating sharing resources found in space among the different countries. Several Latin American countries maintain their ties to the Catholic Church despite establishing Communist governments. Islamic theocracies flourish in northern Africa. That's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted December 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Oh yeah, there will be religion, due to the nature of the setting. It's hard to mistake a genocidal relativistic assault for 'the rapture' but of course, someone will insist that's exactly what it was. Others will use it as an excuse to launch a 'jihad' against their least-favorite aliens. (Who will most likely respond by finishing the job on humanity's few survivors.) And a few will simply feel that they must complete 'god's work' and finish wiping out humanity themselves. (Don't drink the kool-aid!) If it seems I'm being unfair, no, I don't think religion always leads to irrational, counterproductive, violent behavior. But that's when it gets noticed, and also where the best 'plot hooks' for rpg's can be found. I've also got another adventure seed about Buddhist monks in search of the next incarnation of the Dalai Lama. That's right. Buddhist monks. And kung-fu. In spaaace! Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? The trouble is when religion in one's campaign leads to irrational, counterproductive, violent behavior on the part of the players! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrine Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? The trouble is when religion in one's campaign leads to irrational' date=' counterproductive, violent behavior [i']on the part of the players![/i] Or the GM... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? True, I was wondering though, if anyone had seriously looked at the religious upheaval, that not being the center of the universe, or "gods Image" and what not, could play in a campaign. Especially one saying, where the technology could effectively return the dead to life so to speak at certain levels, or cloning, or all that fun sci fi stuff, up to and including stuff like you see in the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons? ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraven Kor Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? The trouble is when religion in one's campaign leads to irrational' date=' counterproductive, violent behavior [i']on the part of the players![/i] I'm fortunate enough with my main group of players to not have this issue - we all more or less share the same religious beliefs, and thus no arguments arise. And this has largely been the case for me - I don't run into many gamers who are fervently religious. And my "future history" and campaign do touch on religion in a few ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Oh I've got more then a few players that are borderline obnoxious in their religious views. So Defining, the Winner, in the fight of Religious advancement can lead to some interesting arguments. Tying in Sci Fi advances to that fight, makes it even more interesting. ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted December 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? True, I was wondering though, if anyone had seriously looked at the religious upheaval, that not being the center of the universe, or "gods Image" and what not, could play in a campaign. Especially one saying, where the technology could effectively return the dead to life so to speak at certain levels, or cloning, or all that fun sci fi stuff, up to and including stuff like you see in the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons? ~Rex I tend to follow the rule of 'write what you know', and when it comes to religion, as a devout 8th Day Agnostic, I don't know much. I'm a current events junkie, so I get a lot of ideas for adventures involving religion from various news feeds. But those tend to be focused on political rather than theological issues. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Political can get to be just as messy though, especially since when you boil it down to basics, religious effects political drastically. ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraven Kor Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Here is a nice discussion we had here about it, not sure if it helps anyone else. http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/72664-Brainstorming-What-would-happen-if-we-made-contact Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexMundi Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Nifty thread thanks much. ~Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Catgirls. ... ... What? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted January 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Re: What's in YOUR future history? Catgirls. ... ... What? Yeah, well...when I started working on this thing, someone said to me "You can't do a SF setting w/no cat girls" so I put in some cat girls. I think it was you, Susano. Or maybe it was Brain-Child. I keep forgetting. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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