Scrounging the Stars: An Intro to my Science-Fantasy Project for Cairn
Working on Robot Death Ship has whetted my appetite to work on more sci-fi tinged adventures for Cairn and its hacks, and I’ve got an idea brewing for something on a bigger scale than what I’ve been doing so far. What started as an idea for another pure sci-fi adventure has instead taken a turn into science fantasy, and I’m feeling the need to flesh out a bit of a setting to support the idea and how it diverges from the existing games I know of.
So, that’s what I’m going working on and posting about for the foreseeable future. Beyond the simple details of the setting and the adventure idea that started this, I’ve got ideas for some alternate backgrounds and an alternative equipment list, as well as a knowledge-based economy to spur exploration in lieu of treasure.
To start things off today, here’s just a bit of rambling on my current ideas of what the setting is going to be about.
What Happened
Nobody can agree why the first ship came. It is even less clear why more followed. What is certain is that nothing was the same afterward.
Sometimes they came lifeless, full of incomprehensible objects but no creatures to use or explain them. Other times they came full of strange beings, met with violence, hospitality, or a mix of the two at one time or another.
The outcome has been an inconsistent hodgepodge of reactions and adaptations. Some hold fast to the old ways, refusing to embrace the newcomers or any of their objects. Some take what they think they can use but are wary of the off-worlders and want only to fit these new tools into the existing system. Others have taken whatever steps are necessary to get out and see where all of these strange new things have come from.
Whether catching a ride, stowing away, or rehabilitating a derelict, scores of folk from the homeworld have made their way out into the wider galaxy, bringing a taste of old world customs and technology to new places.
Among some circles, knowledge of the galaxy and its secrets has become more valuable than any treasure like the ones people once died for in the dungeons of the homeworld. Bringing back a new piece of technology or information about a strange new locale can set an adventurer up as nobility for the rest of their life.
Those brave folk are the focus of our stories. The fools taking an heirloom sword and shield out into the stars to seek their fortune.
Let’s see what strange stories we can find out there together.