I think that WWIII (2037-2051) would have much to do with it. Wars get governments and corporations to spend vast amounts of money on R&D. Even if the governments emerged bankrupt from this war, these technologies still exist, and end up being bought by the corporations.
Hard Space Redux
- Thread starter Golan2072
- Start date
The biotech could be the most straightforward solution, unless you're thinking of replacing people's major bones. Pharmacological options to maintain bone density and muscle conditioning could offer simple but effective narrative explanations for why PCs and NPCs can spend extended time in space and/or in low-G environments. That doesn't mean that there wouldn't be physiological divergence between HS 1.0 and the second and third gen inhabitants of the colonies. Combined however with spun-gravity space and starships and closed stations sitting in orbit above barely habitable planets rich in resources, and you have the effect of expansion without some of the weirdness you could write in. Unless of course you're looking for weirdness.
Good idea; the drugs' costs would be subsumed in the monthly living expenses on planetside or life support costs on a ship.
I "caved in" and went for fusion. With a caveat - the smallest fusion reactor is 1.2 ship tons - approx. 17 cubic meters - in volume and costs MCr3. So no fusion-powered cars; at most, other than spacecraft, fusion-powered large watercraft.
Vehicles commonly use hydrogen fuel cells or high-tech batteries instead.
M-Drives are powerful fusion torches*. These are devastating and dangerous to use in atmospheres. Thus, the cost of streamlining subsumes interface engines, such as Scramjet engines coupled with vector-thrust jets for the final landing (or initial takeoff) itself. Most starships are not streamlined and use streamlined small craft.
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* These are unrealistically efficient, allowing 100 hours of 1-G thrust from 10% ship volume in propellant, but that's a much smaller handwave than gravitics and reactionless drives, and also prevents the "near-C rock" issue with grav-thruster-plates.
Vehicles commonly use hydrogen fuel cells or high-tech batteries instead.
M-Drives are powerful fusion torches*. These are devastating and dangerous to use in atmospheres. Thus, the cost of streamlining subsumes interface engines, such as Scramjet engines coupled with vector-thrust jets for the final landing (or initial takeoff) itself. Most starships are not streamlined and use streamlined small craft.
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* These are unrealistically efficient, allowing 100 hours of 1-G thrust from 10% ship volume in propellant, but that's a much smaller handwave than gravitics and reactionless drives, and also prevents the "near-C rock" issue with grav-thruster-plates.
Here's a thought- the advances in biotech and cybernetics are not an accident.
Basic concept- the Space Gods always assumed they would be able to do as they please with the humans and other humanoid races.
However, they slumbered too long through technological ascent, and found that PA spinals and neutron weapons will tear them apart, they are far more vulnerable to human weapons then either party ever dreamed. That's why all the 'dreaming' under the sea, best radiation protection.
So there is a Cthulhu "Cold War" going on, where either side can't quite finish off the other and each side is working to change that.
Scenario #1- The Space Gods are working overtime to try and figure out an 'in' to disable humanity's technology, through secret horror labs, experimenting on hapless adventurers that go beyond the frontier and get snared, more mundane science labs, and a constant drumbeat of plots to use followers of Cthulhu to undermine/overthrow human governments, militaries, and obtain secrets. The humans are working overtime to be able to close with the Space Gods in their hidey holes hence the advanced biotech, cybernetics, etc.
Scenario #2- As above but in addition the Space Gods would have been crushed out of existence except for the human factionalism. A multipolar humanity does not trust itself and gives the SGs the breathing and operating room to survive and use the factions against each other, or tempt them with advantages over the others.
Scenario #3- Either or both of the above, in addition the SGs have penetrated enough into humanity to actually control one or more megacorps, some of whom did so willingly as agents of Cthulhu, and are actively seeking to gain control of at least one navy.
Scenario #4- As any of the above, but SGs are themselves factionalized. More like each SG is it's own faction- they are used to taking over a planet or region of systems and then ordering their territory as they wish, acting as their own nation-states AND species (variability in their appearance, abilities, etc. is a direct outcome of 'evolutionary' action each SG took to survive and rule on varying planets and conditions). In a sense, a redux of the Vilani Imperium's reactions to Terrans, with activities measured in 1000s of years the SGs are not geared to handle quick technological change, or use their full power in concert to quash the Terrans before they get going.
Basic concept- the Space Gods always assumed they would be able to do as they please with the humans and other humanoid races.
However, they slumbered too long through technological ascent, and found that PA spinals and neutron weapons will tear them apart, they are far more vulnerable to human weapons then either party ever dreamed. That's why all the 'dreaming' under the sea, best radiation protection.
So there is a Cthulhu "Cold War" going on, where either side can't quite finish off the other and each side is working to change that.
Scenario #1- The Space Gods are working overtime to try and figure out an 'in' to disable humanity's technology, through secret horror labs, experimenting on hapless adventurers that go beyond the frontier and get snared, more mundane science labs, and a constant drumbeat of plots to use followers of Cthulhu to undermine/overthrow human governments, militaries, and obtain secrets. The humans are working overtime to be able to close with the Space Gods in their hidey holes hence the advanced biotech, cybernetics, etc.
Scenario #2- As above but in addition the Space Gods would have been crushed out of existence except for the human factionalism. A multipolar humanity does not trust itself and gives the SGs the breathing and operating room to survive and use the factions against each other, or tempt them with advantages over the others.
Scenario #3- Either or both of the above, in addition the SGs have penetrated enough into humanity to actually control one or more megacorps, some of whom did so willingly as agents of Cthulhu, and are actively seeking to gain control of at least one navy.
Scenario #4- As any of the above, but SGs are themselves factionalized. More like each SG is it's own faction- they are used to taking over a planet or region of systems and then ordering their territory as they wish, acting as their own nation-states AND species (variability in their appearance, abilities, etc. is a direct outcome of 'evolutionary' action each SG took to survive and rule on varying planets and conditions). In a sense, a redux of the Vilani Imperium's reactions to Terrans, with activities measured in 1000s of years the SGs are not geared to handle quick technological change, or use their full power in concert to quash the Terrans before they get going.
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I'll have to carefully think of the tone of Cthulhu content in this setting.
The considerations are:
1. On one hand, the original Lovecraftian atmosphere is that of "cosmic horror" - alien horrors are difficult to defeat and cannot be fully defeated; humanity is "insignificant" among the stars. On the other hand, this setting has a more action-oriented flavor to it than Call of Cthulhu; your cyborg smugglers should be able to blast their way through uncybered cultists, and not all plots will contain cosmic horror. So I'll have to carefully balance "cosmic horror" with player agency and aggressive action.
2. I'd like to avoid overt space opera all-out-war of potentially united humanity vs. more powerful Space Gods. This is fun to carry out, but I've already done something along these lines in These Stars Are Ours! (#TSAO) and I want this setting to be of a different atmosphere. Also, avoid the "XCOM" aspect of consistent all-out covert war vs. the aliens (again, I already do as much XCOM as I like in #TSAO).
But I *do* like having corporations infiltrated by cultists! Secret laboratories doing horrific research beyond the frontier!
But I'll have to tackle this aspect carefully in terms of tone.
The considerations are:
1. On one hand, the original Lovecraftian atmosphere is that of "cosmic horror" - alien horrors are difficult to defeat and cannot be fully defeated; humanity is "insignificant" among the stars. On the other hand, this setting has a more action-oriented flavor to it than Call of Cthulhu; your cyborg smugglers should be able to blast their way through uncybered cultists, and not all plots will contain cosmic horror. So I'll have to carefully balance "cosmic horror" with player agency and aggressive action.
2. I'd like to avoid overt space opera all-out-war of potentially united humanity vs. more powerful Space Gods. This is fun to carry out, but I've already done something along these lines in These Stars Are Ours! (#TSAO) and I want this setting to be of a different atmosphere. Also, avoid the "XCOM" aspect of consistent all-out covert war vs. the aliens (again, I already do as much XCOM as I like in #TSAO).
But I *do* like having corporations infiltrated by cultists! Secret laboratories doing horrific research beyond the frontier!
But I'll have to tackle this aspect carefully in terms of tone.
The solution to the Fermi Paradox in this setting is that the local overt* alien civilization is dead. These are the Antediluvians - one or more (this is unclear) alien species who thrived here a few millennia ago. The commonly-held theory is that they died out in an event called the Deluge. They left behind ruins, ship hulks, and weirder things. Many of their artifacts have no clear function, but may be manipulated in various ways. Jump drives are the result of one such type of artifact, called the Spindle.
"Stalkers" are often-freelance human explorers who brave alien ruins and "zones" to bring back valuable artifacts such as Spindles. Corporations usually outsource the monstrously dangerous artifact-hunting to such freelancers.
Explorers often try to explore alien ruins looking for artifacts, which can be highly dangerous... An untouched ruin is a potential treasure-trove of artifacts, but such ruins are very, very dangerous to the unwary explorer. And not everything is truly dead down there.
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* Unlike the more covert Cthulhuid alien-ness.
Or an LV-426-style "Egg Hunt"!
You might want to have a look at CthulhuTech to ensure differentiation between some of its design principles/ideas and what you're developing.
In what sense? Cthulhutech has stuff like humanity utilizing dimensional reactors and batteries as sources of energy and means of providing antigravity literally for stuff like cars (as a source of propulsion, not for flying though the rich might have that IIRC).
Spindles are alien artifacts of unknown original function. When manipulated in a certain way (bombarded with a certain radiation at a certain wavelength and frequency and/or when a certain electric current goes through them), they cause a jump. The jump drive is a contraption intended for housing, protecting, and manipulating its Spindle.
I'm still undecided whether to use Psionics as-is (but with a possible Sanity cost) or replace then with Call of Cthulhu-style occult "magic" with greater Sanity risks. In any case, these shouldn't be safe to use, as they violate too many physical laws; they're squarely within the "Mythos" category of things.
I'm more into mining Chthonian Stars for ideas, but I'll look into CthulhuTech as well.
Do all jump drives require these Spindles? Because damn they must need a hell of a lot of tech scavengers to find them!
What TL would these Antediluvians have been at generally? Do you have an idea there? Was their technology different compared to humanity's tech, like they used more esoteric tech or something?
Yes, each jump drive has a Spindle. Think of the artifacts in Roadside Picnic or the S.T.A.L.K.E.R computer games inspired by it - lots of artifacts to be collected from anomalous zones, at great risk.
I think that part of the setting is the ambiguity and obscure nature of the Antediluvians - there were several races, possibly with a shared culture, and weird technology. You could say TL15-17, but this is not as clear-cut as TLs are in #TSAO. Again, think of the alien technology in Roadside Picnic, the Pilot ship in Alien, or the various devices of the Great Race of Yith or the Primordial Ones in Lovecraft's writing.
Reptiloids FTW!*
Though this is Cthulhu, and thus, it would be Man-Fishes or Manctopus instead :-D
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* See #TSAO Cicek
How do you travel between planets in Hard Space?
1. There are no gravitics in this setting. Not even as a side-effect of the Jump Drive. Neither are there reactionless drives. So there are no air/rafts - instead, you use a tilt-rotor, chopper, or ducted fan/vector-thrust. Or just a ground vehicle. You also must use reaction engines to travel in real space, mainly fusion torches. Which leads to the next point.
2. Interplanetary travel uses fusion torches. These require a fusion power plant, which uses regular Traveller p-plant stats. 10% of ship tonnage in propellant ("fuel") allows 100 thrust hours at 1-G*; faster travel requires a proportionally larger fuel tank. For example, 100 hours of constant 2-G acceleration would require 20% of ship tonnage in propellant.
Fusion torches are devastating and dangerous to use in atmospheres. Thus, the cost of streamlining subsumes interface engines, such as Scramjet engines coupled with vector-thrust jets for the final landing (or initial takeoff) itself. Most starships are not streamlined and use streamlined small craft.
3. Again, there are no gravitics in this setting. Stations spin. Ships have a "tower tail-sitter" structure with the engines below the "floor". This allows "gravity" by constant acceleration or deceleration. Ships in orbit either dock with a station, or stay in a powered orbit at 0.1g acceleration to maintain some shipboard "gravity". In long-term orbital "parking" without a station, this will require refueling from time to time.
4. There are no inertial dampers. This means that travellers must endure acceleration stress when accelerating beyond 1-G. Commercial ships, and even military ships in routine non-emergency travel, often stay at 1-G acceleration while travelling. For higher acceleration, crews and passengers buckle down and get a "cocktail" IV. The "cocktail" is a mixture of several medications allowing functioning and preventing stroke during high-G maneuvers, such as during combat or when travelling beyond 1-G acceleration.
5. Better starports provide their own interface craft for swift off-loading and loading of the visiting ship. Starports A's (Earth, Luna, and Mars) have "beanstalks" (space elevators) for massive transportation of material between surface and orbit. Starport B has a large "highport" space station and a fleet of heavy interface shuttles. Starport C has a small "highport" and a smaller fleet of interface shuttles. Starport D lacks orbital facilities but often has some interface shuttles available. Starport E rarely has any local infrastructure, though some colonies do keep local small-craft which may assist in offloading a coming trader.
6. Some smaller starships can land in atmospheres. However, the axis of a starship and that of a streamlined aircraft (or small craft) are different due to the above-mentioned gravity concerns and the ships being "tail-sitters". Starships capable of landing do so like rockets, with chemical (or plasma?) thrusters for both descent and ascent. A bit like the proposed (real-world) Phoenix Single-Stage-To-Orbit fully-reusable launcher/lander.
In the next "long" post, I'll detail interstellar travel.
1. There are no gravitics in this setting. Not even as a side-effect of the Jump Drive. Neither are there reactionless drives. So there are no air/rafts - instead, you use a tilt-rotor, chopper, or ducted fan/vector-thrust. Or just a ground vehicle. You also must use reaction engines to travel in real space, mainly fusion torches. Which leads to the next point.
2. Interplanetary travel uses fusion torches. These require a fusion power plant, which uses regular Traveller p-plant stats. 10% of ship tonnage in propellant ("fuel") allows 100 thrust hours at 1-G*; faster travel requires a proportionally larger fuel tank. For example, 100 hours of constant 2-G acceleration would require 20% of ship tonnage in propellant.
Fusion torches are devastating and dangerous to use in atmospheres. Thus, the cost of streamlining subsumes interface engines, such as Scramjet engines coupled with vector-thrust jets for the final landing (or initial takeoff) itself. Most starships are not streamlined and use streamlined small craft.
3. Again, there are no gravitics in this setting. Stations spin. Ships have a "tower tail-sitter" structure with the engines below the "floor". This allows "gravity" by constant acceleration or deceleration. Ships in orbit either dock with a station, or stay in a powered orbit at 0.1g acceleration to maintain some shipboard "gravity". In long-term orbital "parking" without a station, this will require refueling from time to time.
4. There are no inertial dampers. This means that travellers must endure acceleration stress when accelerating beyond 1-G. Commercial ships, and even military ships in routine non-emergency travel, often stay at 1-G acceleration while travelling. For higher acceleration, crews and passengers buckle down and get a "cocktail" IV. The "cocktail" is a mixture of several medications allowing functioning and preventing stroke during high-G maneuvers, such as during combat or when travelling beyond 1-G acceleration.
5. Better starports provide their own interface craft for swift off-loading and loading of the visiting ship. Starports A's (Earth, Luna, and Mars) have "beanstalks" (space elevators) for massive transportation of material between surface and orbit. Starport B has a large "highport" space station and a fleet of heavy interface shuttles. Starport C has a small "highport" and a smaller fleet of interface shuttles. Starport D lacks orbital facilities but often has some interface shuttles available. Starport E rarely has any local infrastructure, though some colonies do keep local small-craft which may assist in offloading a coming trader.
6. Some smaller starships can land in atmospheres. However, the axis of a starship and that of a streamlined aircraft (or small craft) are different due to the above-mentioned gravity concerns and the ships being "tail-sitters". Starships capable of landing do so like rockets, with chemical (or plasma?) thrusters for both descent and ascent. A bit like the proposed (real-world) Phoenix Single-Stage-To-Orbit fully-reusable launcher/lander.
In the next "long" post, I'll detail interstellar travel.
