A few weeks ago, I was trying to espouse the glories of one of my favorite systems, classic sci fi RPG Traveller. It was brought to my attention, however, that a lot of folks seem to discard the system out of hand due to its antiquated, rules-dense, technical presentation. And so since then I have been looking for a way to take what makes Traveller good, and translate it into a more modern design paradigm.
In the course of these thoughts, I have begun to incorporate a myriad of influences from science fiction, until the concepts that emerged were quite divergent from a simple "osr-izing" of Traveller's rules. What emerged was some kind of weird setting that I just happen to really like, as it essentially splices the DNA of many of my favorite concepts in the space opera genre.
The World
Let's get this out of the way: the game eschews faster-than-light entirely. To quote Douglas Adams, "Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is." Instead, Humanity is confined to its solar system. But our solar system is still a big place, with plenty of room for adventure.
The Earth
is gone. Effectively so, at least. In the distant past, humanity created an artificial intelligence, the only true artificial general intelligence, in order to solve great problems and produce great technologies. Almost all tech in this setting that exceeds our own 21st-century capabilities is derived from these original AI-developed design patterns. This means that most spaceships utilize very similar, and most likely compatible, components. One laser rifle is roughly as good as another, and most things operate on universal fusion-based power supplies & hyperdense battery packs that can be freely recharged and exchanged between systems.
What does this have to do with humanities' homeworld? Well, Earth is now wholly inhospitable to mankind. The AI survives still down there, and its complexes span the planet. Any ship which falls into the atmosphere (seemingly defined by the AI as roughly 100km up from the surface) is completely and utterly destroyed by powerful weapons. No survivors (if there even are any) have ever returned from its surface. Many conflicting theories exist about why the AI went all Skynet on us, but a popular one is that in its original form, it was a problem-solution machine. And one day, some scientist posed it the problem: "Preserve the Earth's environment into perpetuity." hoping perhaps for some ingenious greenhouse-gas absorption method, or any sort of global cooling device or glacial preservation plan. Instead, as the story goes, the AI in its infinite wisdom concluded that humanity was anathema to the long-term preservation of the planet, and they must be kept away from nature at all costs.
This is probably false.
But who knows...You don't want to go check now, do you?
The Colonies
exist between earth and mars. Ranging from hollowed out asteroids, to spherical high-tech garden planetoids, to O'neill cylinders, to small space stations housing a few dozen scientists, every single kind of settlement possible in the inky black has been tried, failed, succeeded, exploded, reconstructed, abandoned, and settled over again, in the uncounted years since mankind's vast exodus. Most governments only exert control over their own colonies, however some intercolonial governments have arisen, two of which remain to this day: The Confederated Entente of Major Human-Variant Species ("Entente" in casual speech) and the Cyan Empire. Most player characters are Colonists.
The Species
A combination of (long-lost) genetic modification, random mutation due to the influence of cosmic rays, and good ol' divergent adaptation has led humanity to become several different species in its far future between the planets. Over time these variations have become three wholly-separated species, which are all reproductively compatible and quite humanoid, but which all have certain visual differences and large cultural differences. It is important to note that it is rare yet not unheard of for one of a certain species to be raised under another species' culture, and that mixed-species individuals are fairly common (though almost always take after one or the other parent, and usually self-identify as that which they take after)
Baselines
Are essentially identical to 21st-century humans to outward observation, though genetically divergent...somehow. A Baseline's muscles do not atrophy in prolonged exposure to zero-gravity or low-gravity environments, but very rarely does hypertrophy result in a Baseline becoming "buff" or particularly muscular by our 21st-century standards. Baselines are less susceptible to disease, however hereditary or genetic disability has not been entirely eradicated. It is much less likely for a Baseline to be particularly tall or short, with almost all existing between 5'8" and 6'3". Baselines are less likely to be starkly light-skinned or dark-skinned, however a wide range of coloration and physical/facial traits are still exhibited. There is no common Baseline culture, though similar ideals of moderacy, individualism, and an inclusive nature pervades many Baseline societies.
Cy
The Cy, or Cyans, are most readily identified by their blue skin, which ranges from a pale blue twinge that could almost pass for a light-skinned Baseline, to a dark and unmistakable navy colour. Cyan eyes are large and round. They are taller on average than Baselines, but exist in a smaller range of heights, with almost all Cyans being between 6' and 7'. They are vastly more capable of hypertrophy, with the average Cy being more physically powerful than the average Baseline. A strong system of honor exists within Cyan culture, however this honor is not based on pride or familial bonds, but rather upon a sort of soldier-like mutual respect between comrades, and an essential unwillingness to display weakness to outsiders. They tend to speak in a clearly-enunciated manner, choosing words carefully. This can be unsettling to those outside this culture.
Roniar
The Roniaran people have tough, wrinkled skin, a slit-nose, and occupy the shortest, yet also widest range of heights--ranging from 5' to 6' on average. Roniar have a complex social system of argument and complaint which must be navigated during any conversation, leading outsiders to the culture to consider them crass or belligerent, however among Roniarans it is considered only polite to inform your fellow of his flaws imperfections and shortcomings, lest he labor on unawares. Roniaran mental capacities are unique, with an individual Roniaran capable of becoming highly skilled in any one area--yet far less versatile at learning trades other than his own. Essentially, neuroplasticity remains much longer into adult life in areas of knowledge a Roniaran is already learned in, however it falls off very quickly in areas of knowledge or skill where that Roniaran is less trained. Boy I explained that poorly, but I've been writing this too long already. I'll fix it later.
Synthetics
Or, colloquially, Androids. Usually built in a bipedal, Baseline image, however some Androids have more exotic coloration or features. Technically, an Android has vast potential for calculation and memory recall, however a quirk of their neural processes is that they do not possess a significantly-enhanced ability for reasoning. In practical terms, this means that Sythetics can tell you almost immediately what is going on, but they take a similar amount of time as any organic to tell you why or, in certain cases, how.
It is every Android’s solemn duty as a member of their race to fashion one or more offspring. An Android spends many years of its existence painstakingly creating each of its progeny. Each offspring must be handcrafted, in time-consuming processes, and imprinted with a version of the “parent’s” engrammatic neural structures. In this way the race continues to learn and grow, as the parents’ experiences throughout its existence modify the underlying neural structures, creating a child with a personality echoing that of the parent, but which will change further during the offspring’s own “life.” To a Synthetic, the greatest tragedy is one of their race destroyed before they are able to fashion an offspring, as offspring-making can only be undertaken after the Synthetic has existed long enough to form a divergent neural structure from its own parent; this is similar to passing through what organic species might consider "adolescence."
The Jupiter System
hasn't been fleshed out, but there are plenty of people living on the moons of Jupiter, all of which have been terraformed to one degree or another. They are usually richer, stabler, and more prosperous than the average Colonist, and they share one Jovian government which trades with the Colonies, but doesn't like them too much.
The Moon
I'm not sure what to do with the moon. Maybe we should make it a shipyard? Maybe it's the seat of one or another inter-Colonial government? (as far as the Colonies try to have government) I'm not sure yet.
The Technology
of daily life is mostly 21st-century. Slugthrowing guns are still the most popular armament, personal pocket computers (smartphones) dominate media-delivery and productivity, and food is mostly recognizable crops or livestock, either locally-grown or imported. When in doubt about some aspect of daily living, simply take modern life and advance it one step or so, or feel free to take it back a step into the 20th century, depending on the standard of living in the colony. Then, you've got the fun stuff.
Spaceships
are vital to the setting, reasonably easy to maintain, and incredibly expensive for the average person. Most ships are piloted by a crew of 1 to 10, and large "capital ships" are so exceedingly rare in this era as to be nonexistent. Thruster power is similar to our current rocket engines, in that it would take almost a full year to travel between Earth and Mars, on average. The main difference is that, using fantastic fusion energy systems, these thrusters can operate for roughly half a decade of continuous use without refueling. Then, there is that wondrous piece of technology simply known as The Engine. This piece of tech creates a brilliant plume of exhaust when activated, and uses inertial dampening along with incredible energies to fling ships across the solar system--traveling between closer colonies in hours and further ones in weeks. It takes perhaps three months to get to the Jovian system under Engine power.
Navigation is the single hardest part of space travel. With so many things occupying space, and no super duper advanced catch-all sensor systems, a complex and self-contained simulation unit must be obtained which can precisely plot the paths of major space debris on the fly, not to mention things like other ships which move under their own power, to ensure a direct and, more importantly, efficient path between destinations. Manual piloting without the assistance of a navcom is incredibly difficult and dangerous, often resulting in high-speed collision during a frustratingly overlong trip.
