Post by Oliver R Shead on Jan 26, 2016 10:52:17 GMT
Hey everyone,
Well I've been quiet for a little while - nose to the grindstone on the manuscript of Infected, but at the same time I've also been testing the waters on my next setting release.
I had thought for quite some time that the Myths of Khoralla setting would be the next one to come out, because we have developed so much for it, but now I'm not quite so sure. I think dealing with all the weapons and equipment and cool tanks for Infected has really piqued my interest in an old sci-fi setting that I had created. That and Star Wars... we've been playing an Immersion Star Wars campaign for a few weeks, and it has been going very well indeed - but I really do want something that's a little bit more intense, and has a realistic, gritty feel.
So... Beyond the Veil.
The name comes from a setting I made a number of years ago, based on a d20 and d6s - it was a precursor of the Immersion RPG system that we're putting the finishing touches on today. Thing is, while it was really fun, we only played it twice and then moved on to something else. I've been meaning to pick it back up and do it proper justice. At the moment I'm thinking that this could be a setting to replace Thrakkis, a setting that I created a while ago, but which so far hasn't really developed as well as I would like. Not sure - just testing it out for now.
The concept for this world at the moment is to do a good cyberpunk and mil-sci-fi setting, with some cool pyschic powers thrown in. Gritty, nasty, brutal and real. No "pew-pew" lasers that move slower than bullets, and not Shadowrun-style raging machine-gun battles in the streets. No. Think more a mix of a number of things - Avatar, because the cities are like what they present in the extended version, and because they're busy exploiting worlds and economically enslaving other races, of course Bladerunner because of androids and that sort of thing - I imagine that androids would be very common in daily life, and it wouldn't be uncommon for some people to have an android girlfriend/boyfriend. Weird shit like that just messes with your head, but it's already becoming reality in Japan...sooo...yeah...and Titanfall is another influence, because I really do imagine that there would be a lot of highly-populated planets, and then a very wide range of lightly-populated or uncharted planets.
A new definition for marriage equality? Or just a machine?
I think this will really appeal to most of the people who backed Infected, because it's god a real-world feel, it's got a real military feel, and it has just that much more.
Here's some of the ideas - let me know what you think.
Not sure about pre-history, but I'm thinking at the moment that humanity colonised a wide range of stars aeons ago. Maybe a million years ago or some long period. Then it all came crashing down, and humans were left isolated all across the cosmos...evolving as they would. Many had already been twisted and changed by bio-technology at that time.
Now in a particular corner of the galaxy, a long time later, humanity has developed a powerful though somewhat fractured civilisation. Hemmed in by the Veil Nebula that stops most space traffic going in and out (many have died trying to navigate its tortuous pathways), there are yet many, many stars and systems in range of this society. They've been expanding over the past century or three, colonising new worlds (aka worlds with "natives" who aren't usually that happy with the prospect), setting up new societies, and making wars with themselves.
The wars have resulted in some fractures to that society, with, for instance, isolated stations or planets that have declared their own independence, and probably at least one small confederation of such rebel worlds. At the moment I'm thinking that most of them have gained their independence - but that many more are also starting to chafe under the pressure of the homeworlds, prompting what might become a massive insurrection. Still, the homeworlds have huge fleets and armies, and lots of drones and other equipment, so any rebellion is going to be a big problem.
Space Travel
We're thinking that there would be things called "Event Gates" which are areas of space where a wormhole/tunnel can be created between two different points. Effectively they pinch space closer together, making what would have been a thousand-years journey into one that takes ten hours or two weeks or something like that. You need a map to be able to navigate an Event Gate, and while a million years ago pretty well all this technology was known, now it is a tougher prospect. A bit like 16th century exploration in galleons - you need the maps of the currents, wind and land or you'll die for sure. Trying to navigate an Event Gate without a map is just a recipe for going out the side, and getting squelched into so much gas.
Event Gates can lead to many locations, however most are only mapped to one. Of course, there are some mapped nexuses which go to many different places. This poses an interesting problem tactically - if someone gains knowledge of a different exit and has the map, then they could jump to a different world than anyone expects - totally surprising their opponents, who are waiting at the "usual" exit of the Gate. So say the Gate normally goes from Alpha to Beta - so your enemy's fleet is waiting at Beta for you to emerge from the Gate. However, you have a map that takes you from Alpha to Gamma! Boom, you're in a totally different place, attacking an unprotected world - and maybe now with the chance to jump from Gamma to the enemy's home world, thereby winning the war.
Space Travel should be possible, but not necessarily easy. Sticking the known channels is okay, but navigating out far away is difficult and fraught with peril. Going out through the nebula is considered virtually impossible, though some people have done it.
Of course, the idea is that people should have the chance to do some grand exploration into the nebula and beyond, through uncharted space. Perils galore, the chance of being vomited out at some random spot, or encountering humans who have evolved a culture totally alien to what we all know.
Infantry Drones:
Aliens
I want aliens to be in there, both as primitive tribes dealing with the human threat (and also becoming part of the human culture), but also as a few alien cultures out beyond the veil. Ones that might have a profound effect on humanity, for good or ill. I'd say at the moment they're known about and there have been some exchanges, both good and bad, which mostly tell humanity that it's sub-par as far as space combat goes. This means they are wanting to really ramp up military technology as much as possible. But that means they also need to unite all the worlds...meaning those ones leaning towards independence are going to be squelched. Civil war is pretty much inevitable, and that's really where the setting is going to be based around, at least in part.
Sample Mecha:
Weaponry
I want weaponry to be advanced, but not star trek advanced. Gritty, realistic, modern and better than what we have today, for sure. But still recognisable as military hardware.
There would be a lot of advanced targeting systems - for instance, your HUD (probably a retinal display) would read out detection of fire much like a computer game does today - with a spike of red. Anyone coming into visual range would get IDed if possible, and at least shown as a hostile or friendly. This would mean you could also lock onto them with your weapon, and fire tracking rounds, or have an exo suit that would move you and fire for you. There would also be the technology to have drone soldiers, drone planes and mechs.
Of course, that brings into play stealth technology - stealth cloaks, jamming packs, EMP grenades and fields. And EMP weaponry would easily take out drones, so ultimately it might come down to men on the ground, and fingers on triggers - eye down the sight.
Lasers and energy weapons I envisage to be mostly used as anti-tank weaponry. Though lasers could also be used for laser-tracking and to jam laser-tracking, as well as to knock out missiles before impact. Fighters would operate in space, and so with that vast distance energy weapons would be the most useful - that and missiles I reckon. Bullets just wouldn't be as good. Too heavy, too short-ranged by comparison. Of course, you do have the problem of needing to lock on, and because of technology that might be very difficult, so you could be back to dogfights (yay!) and crazy pell-mell combats that are relatively close by space-fighter standards (don't think Star Wars...that's toooooo close). They would be using energy weapons to hit each other, but they would be long-range powerful beams, not pew-pew lasers. That's my vision for them anyway. In reality, lasers are totally invisible, so I'm not sure if they would use lasers or some other type of beam weapon.
Some cool concepts:
Infantry weaponry would be a massive upgrade on what we've got today, but still fairly similar. Of course, there would be armour, but it would be functional, very military in look and feel, with targeting-blocking technology, anti-tracking (stealth tech) and so on. As well as probably camo-shifting gear for some of them. There's just so much there could be.
I reckon a lot of guns might use needles rather than bullets. These have actually been tested out, and they were more accurate and longer-ranged, with better penetration than similar sized bullets - but the cost of converting all current weapons to them, and restocking them all, was insane - so the US decided against it. But yeah, needles would be brutal, and cool. There might be a mix, because bullets are cool too. Cool is important for weaponry. There would also be rail guns, which would be support weapons, loud as hell and devastating against pretty well anything in their way.
And then what about tanks? Well...they'd have big-ass energy weapons or the sort of heavy cannons they've got today, and missile launchers I'd say - but I reckon they'd mostly be replaced by big mechs. Though tanks are still super awesome, and those big guns would be impossible for mechs to use, so maybe there'd still be a role for tanks, as long range pounders, while mechs are mostly used to push the offensive. Should they have hover tech, I wonder? It seems cool, but probably unlikely given the tech level.
Gunships:
Then there's gunships...and I simply love gunships. Helicopters and flyers that can drop mean-ass payloads, or troops...or both. Very cool. Again, similar to today, though I'm wondering if many of them would be converted to operate from a carrier and drop into a planet to make a gun run? Or would that be unrealistic, for the amount of fuel and energy expended to do it. Would it be more realistic to have on-planet fliers, who get drop-shipped in, and then off-planet fliers, who stay out of the atmosphere? And then you could have some that drop into the atmosphere momentarily, and some that come out of it (much like an inter-continental-ballistic-missile does). That could be cool.
The idea is not to go too far-fetched, not to have the tech too easy. Keep it with an authentic, gritty feel. So there are amazing things out there, and incredible tech, but also big limits.
Cybernetics, etc.:
There would also be a lot of cybernetic technology, bio-engineering technology, freakish drugs, mind control and mind powers... and then the strange mystic powers being developed by some religions, cults and mystics. This is the trickiest part of the setting. So far I'm leaning towards psychic powers like telekinesis and telepathy, as well as increased control over self. What do you think?
Check out my Pinterest thread on Sci Fi for some cool concepts:
Okay, that's my preview done...phew! Please let me know your thoughts. Do you like the sound of Veil? Is it interesting? What would you like to see (or not see) in such a setting?
~Oliver
Well I've been quiet for a little while - nose to the grindstone on the manuscript of Infected, but at the same time I've also been testing the waters on my next setting release.
I had thought for quite some time that the Myths of Khoralla setting would be the next one to come out, because we have developed so much for it, but now I'm not quite so sure. I think dealing with all the weapons and equipment and cool tanks for Infected has really piqued my interest in an old sci-fi setting that I had created. That and Star Wars... we've been playing an Immersion Star Wars campaign for a few weeks, and it has been going very well indeed - but I really do want something that's a little bit more intense, and has a realistic, gritty feel.
So... Beyond the Veil.
The name comes from a setting I made a number of years ago, based on a d20 and d6s - it was a precursor of the Immersion RPG system that we're putting the finishing touches on today. Thing is, while it was really fun, we only played it twice and then moved on to something else. I've been meaning to pick it back up and do it proper justice. At the moment I'm thinking that this could be a setting to replace Thrakkis, a setting that I created a while ago, but which so far hasn't really developed as well as I would like. Not sure - just testing it out for now.
The concept for this world at the moment is to do a good cyberpunk and mil-sci-fi setting, with some cool pyschic powers thrown in. Gritty, nasty, brutal and real. No "pew-pew" lasers that move slower than bullets, and not Shadowrun-style raging machine-gun battles in the streets. No. Think more a mix of a number of things - Avatar, because the cities are like what they present in the extended version, and because they're busy exploiting worlds and economically enslaving other races, of course Bladerunner because of androids and that sort of thing - I imagine that androids would be very common in daily life, and it wouldn't be uncommon for some people to have an android girlfriend/boyfriend. Weird shit like that just messes with your head, but it's already becoming reality in Japan...sooo...yeah...and Titanfall is another influence, because I really do imagine that there would be a lot of highly-populated planets, and then a very wide range of lightly-populated or uncharted planets.
A new definition for marriage equality? Or just a machine?
I think this will really appeal to most of the people who backed Infected, because it's god a real-world feel, it's got a real military feel, and it has just that much more.
Here's some of the ideas - let me know what you think.
Not sure about pre-history, but I'm thinking at the moment that humanity colonised a wide range of stars aeons ago. Maybe a million years ago or some long period. Then it all came crashing down, and humans were left isolated all across the cosmos...evolving as they would. Many had already been twisted and changed by bio-technology at that time.
Now in a particular corner of the galaxy, a long time later, humanity has developed a powerful though somewhat fractured civilisation. Hemmed in by the Veil Nebula that stops most space traffic going in and out (many have died trying to navigate its tortuous pathways), there are yet many, many stars and systems in range of this society. They've been expanding over the past century or three, colonising new worlds (aka worlds with "natives" who aren't usually that happy with the prospect), setting up new societies, and making wars with themselves.
The wars have resulted in some fractures to that society, with, for instance, isolated stations or planets that have declared their own independence, and probably at least one small confederation of such rebel worlds. At the moment I'm thinking that most of them have gained their independence - but that many more are also starting to chafe under the pressure of the homeworlds, prompting what might become a massive insurrection. Still, the homeworlds have huge fleets and armies, and lots of drones and other equipment, so any rebellion is going to be a big problem.
Space Travel
We're thinking that there would be things called "Event Gates" which are areas of space where a wormhole/tunnel can be created between two different points. Effectively they pinch space closer together, making what would have been a thousand-years journey into one that takes ten hours or two weeks or something like that. You need a map to be able to navigate an Event Gate, and while a million years ago pretty well all this technology was known, now it is a tougher prospect. A bit like 16th century exploration in galleons - you need the maps of the currents, wind and land or you'll die for sure. Trying to navigate an Event Gate without a map is just a recipe for going out the side, and getting squelched into so much gas.
Event Gates can lead to many locations, however most are only mapped to one. Of course, there are some mapped nexuses which go to many different places. This poses an interesting problem tactically - if someone gains knowledge of a different exit and has the map, then they could jump to a different world than anyone expects - totally surprising their opponents, who are waiting at the "usual" exit of the Gate. So say the Gate normally goes from Alpha to Beta - so your enemy's fleet is waiting at Beta for you to emerge from the Gate. However, you have a map that takes you from Alpha to Gamma! Boom, you're in a totally different place, attacking an unprotected world - and maybe now with the chance to jump from Gamma to the enemy's home world, thereby winning the war.
Space Travel should be possible, but not necessarily easy. Sticking the known channels is okay, but navigating out far away is difficult and fraught with peril. Going out through the nebula is considered virtually impossible, though some people have done it.
Of course, the idea is that people should have the chance to do some grand exploration into the nebula and beyond, through uncharted space. Perils galore, the chance of being vomited out at some random spot, or encountering humans who have evolved a culture totally alien to what we all know.
Infantry Drones:
Aliens
I want aliens to be in there, both as primitive tribes dealing with the human threat (and also becoming part of the human culture), but also as a few alien cultures out beyond the veil. Ones that might have a profound effect on humanity, for good or ill. I'd say at the moment they're known about and there have been some exchanges, both good and bad, which mostly tell humanity that it's sub-par as far as space combat goes. This means they are wanting to really ramp up military technology as much as possible. But that means they also need to unite all the worlds...meaning those ones leaning towards independence are going to be squelched. Civil war is pretty much inevitable, and that's really where the setting is going to be based around, at least in part.
Sample Mecha:
Weaponry
I want weaponry to be advanced, but not star trek advanced. Gritty, realistic, modern and better than what we have today, for sure. But still recognisable as military hardware.
There would be a lot of advanced targeting systems - for instance, your HUD (probably a retinal display) would read out detection of fire much like a computer game does today - with a spike of red. Anyone coming into visual range would get IDed if possible, and at least shown as a hostile or friendly. This would mean you could also lock onto them with your weapon, and fire tracking rounds, or have an exo suit that would move you and fire for you. There would also be the technology to have drone soldiers, drone planes and mechs.
Of course, that brings into play stealth technology - stealth cloaks, jamming packs, EMP grenades and fields. And EMP weaponry would easily take out drones, so ultimately it might come down to men on the ground, and fingers on triggers - eye down the sight.
Lasers and energy weapons I envisage to be mostly used as anti-tank weaponry. Though lasers could also be used for laser-tracking and to jam laser-tracking, as well as to knock out missiles before impact. Fighters would operate in space, and so with that vast distance energy weapons would be the most useful - that and missiles I reckon. Bullets just wouldn't be as good. Too heavy, too short-ranged by comparison. Of course, you do have the problem of needing to lock on, and because of technology that might be very difficult, so you could be back to dogfights (yay!) and crazy pell-mell combats that are relatively close by space-fighter standards (don't think Star Wars...that's toooooo close). They would be using energy weapons to hit each other, but they would be long-range powerful beams, not pew-pew lasers. That's my vision for them anyway. In reality, lasers are totally invisible, so I'm not sure if they would use lasers or some other type of beam weapon.
Some cool concepts:
Infantry weaponry would be a massive upgrade on what we've got today, but still fairly similar. Of course, there would be armour, but it would be functional, very military in look and feel, with targeting-blocking technology, anti-tracking (stealth tech) and so on. As well as probably camo-shifting gear for some of them. There's just so much there could be.
I reckon a lot of guns might use needles rather than bullets. These have actually been tested out, and they were more accurate and longer-ranged, with better penetration than similar sized bullets - but the cost of converting all current weapons to them, and restocking them all, was insane - so the US decided against it. But yeah, needles would be brutal, and cool. There might be a mix, because bullets are cool too. Cool is important for weaponry. There would also be rail guns, which would be support weapons, loud as hell and devastating against pretty well anything in their way.
And then what about tanks? Well...they'd have big-ass energy weapons or the sort of heavy cannons they've got today, and missile launchers I'd say - but I reckon they'd mostly be replaced by big mechs. Though tanks are still super awesome, and those big guns would be impossible for mechs to use, so maybe there'd still be a role for tanks, as long range pounders, while mechs are mostly used to push the offensive. Should they have hover tech, I wonder? It seems cool, but probably unlikely given the tech level.
Gunships:
Then there's gunships...and I simply love gunships. Helicopters and flyers that can drop mean-ass payloads, or troops...or both. Very cool. Again, similar to today, though I'm wondering if many of them would be converted to operate from a carrier and drop into a planet to make a gun run? Or would that be unrealistic, for the amount of fuel and energy expended to do it. Would it be more realistic to have on-planet fliers, who get drop-shipped in, and then off-planet fliers, who stay out of the atmosphere? And then you could have some that drop into the atmosphere momentarily, and some that come out of it (much like an inter-continental-ballistic-missile does). That could be cool.
The idea is not to go too far-fetched, not to have the tech too easy. Keep it with an authentic, gritty feel. So there are amazing things out there, and incredible tech, but also big limits.
Cybernetics, etc.:
There would also be a lot of cybernetic technology, bio-engineering technology, freakish drugs, mind control and mind powers... and then the strange mystic powers being developed by some religions, cults and mystics. This is the trickiest part of the setting. So far I'm leaning towards psychic powers like telekinesis and telepathy, as well as increased control over self. What do you think?
Check out my Pinterest thread on Sci Fi for some cool concepts:
Okay, that's my preview done...phew! Please let me know your thoughts. Do you like the sound of Veil? Is it interesting? What would you like to see (or not see) in such a setting?
~Oliver
