GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson GamesIncorporated. Pyramid and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporatedare registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license.

GURPS Space is copyright © 1988, 1990, 1999, 2002, 2006 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Somepublic-domain images used in this book were taken from NASA and the STScl Hubble image collection.

All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without thepermission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic

editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Stock #31-1002 Version 1.0 July 21, 2006

The Future Is Yours!Now updated for GURPS Fourth Edition, this

is the ultimate toolkit for any campaign betweenthe stars. Explore options for space travel andtechnology, from the realistic to the miraculous.Design alien races and monsters. Create cam-paigns of every style, from science fantasy tospace opera to near-future realism. Buildworlds, from asteroids to Dyson spheres.

With this book, you can create anything froma single alien beast to a whole galaxy of civiliza-tions and star systems . . . quickly and random-ly, or with a detailed step-by-step process that’strue to biology and astrophysics as we under-stand them today.

• Whether you’re creating a single alien or anentire race, a single planet or a dozen systems,GURPS Space gives you the information youneed!

• Based on modern astrophysical knowledge,you can build a setting as “hard science” as youwant – or just choose details that work for yourstory, and skip the rocket science.

• GURPS Space is written by two experiencedGURPS creators: Jon Zeigler (author of GURPSTraveller: Interstellar Wars and GURPSTraveller: First In), and James Cambias (authorof GURPS Mars and GURPS Planet ofAdventure).

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

Written by JON F. ZEIGLER and JAMES L. CAMBIASEdited by WIL UPCHURCH

Cover Art by ALAN GUTIERREZ, CHRIS QUILLIAMS, and BOB STEVLICIllustrated by JESSE DEGRAFF, ALAN GUTIERREZ, CHRIS QUILLIAMS,

and BOB STEVLIC

ISBN 1-55634-245-4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2 CONTENTS

CONTENTS

GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid and the names of all productspublished by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. GURPS Space is copyright © 1988, 1990, 1999, 2002, 2006 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Some public-domain images used in this book were

taken from NASA and the STScl Hubble image collection. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Lead Playtester: Jeff WilsonPlaytesters: Doug Berry, Frederick Brackin, Daniel Boese, Darcy Casselman, Paul Chapman, James Cloos, Douglas Cole, Peter Dell’Orto,

Paul Drye, Shawn Fisher, Chris Goodin, Martin Heidemann, Leonardo M. Holschuh, Anthony Jackson, Stefan Jones, Robert Kim, Susan Koziel,Michael Lloyd, Paraj Mandrekar, Phil Masters, David Morgan-Mar, Fabio Milito Pagliara, Robert Prior, Sean Punch, Luis M. Rebollar,

Emily Smirle, Michael Smith, William H. Stoddard, Paul Tevis, George Valaitis, Bryan Weaver, and Roger Burton West

GURPS System Design ❚ STEVE JACKSONGURPS Line Editor ❚ SEAN PUNCHManaging Editor ❚ CHRIS AYLOTT

Production Manager ❚ MONICA STEPHENS

Production Artist ❚ ALEX FERNANDEZPage Design ❚ PHILIP REED

Print Buyer ❚ MONIQUE CHAPMANMarketing Director ❚ PAUL CHAPMAN

Sales Manager ❚ ROSS JEPSONErrata Coordinator ❚ ANDY VETROMILE

GURPS FAQ Maintainer ❚ ❍❍❍❍❍STÉPHANE THÉRIAULT

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . 4PUBLICATION HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1. SPACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5SPACE AND SPACE FICTION . . . . . . . . . . 6

Why Space Travel? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6What’s Not in This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Designing the Space Campaign. . . . . . . 7Hard and Soft Science Fiction . . . . . . . . 7Scale and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Ships and Outposts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

CAMPAIGN TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Realism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Strange New Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11The High Frontier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Alien Archaeology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Military Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Stop in the Name of the Law. . . . . . . . 16Media and Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Working Stiffs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Heroic Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20The Absurdist Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . 20Who Needs Starships? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

ALIENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21SOCIETIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22INTERSTELLAR ORGANIZATIONS . . . . . 24PLANETS AND PLACES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

2. SPACE TRAVEL. . . . . . . . . 28A TAXONOMY OF MIRACLES . . . . . . . . 29SPACE FLIGHT AND STORY

REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30MANEUVER DRIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Reaction Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31The Rocket Equation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Sample Delta-V Requirements . . . . . . . 32Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Catapults and Tethers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Reactionless Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Relativity Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Generation Ships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

STAR DRIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Hyperdrive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Jump Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Warp Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Designing a Stardrive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Navigation Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

SHIPBOARD SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Control Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Life Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Gravity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Defenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Communications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Laboratories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Small Craft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

3. TECHNOLOGY. . . . . . . . . 49ADDING MIRACLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50TECHNOLOGY AREAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Biotechnology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Suspended Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Bioships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Computers and Communications . . . . 55The Transparent Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Nanotechnology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Weapons and Defenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . 61The Swashbuckler Option . . . . . . . . . . . 61

4. BASIC WORLDBUILDING . . 62USING WORLDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Dramatic Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Depth of Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

MAPPING THE GALAXY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Astronomical Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Distances and Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68The Frequency of Worlds. . . . . . . . . . . 70Choosing a Preferred Scale . . . . . . . . . . 72

WORLD DESIGN SEQUENCE . . . . . . . . 73Step 1: Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Step 2: World Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Why World Types? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Step 3: Atmosphere. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Toxicity Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Step 4: Hydrographic Coverage. . . . . . 81Step 5: Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Step 6: World Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Step 7: Resources and Habitability. . . 87Habitability for Aliens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

SOCIAL PARAMETERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Step 8: Settlement Type . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Step 9: Technology Level . . . . . . . . . . . 90Step 10: Population. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Altering the Colony Population Table . . . 93Step 11: Society Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Step 12: Control Rating . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Step 13: Economics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Step 14: Bases and Installations . . . . . 96

5. ADVANCEDWORLDBUILDING. . . . . . 99

GENERATING STAR SYSTEMS . . . . . . 100Stellar Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Step 15: Number of Stars. . . . . . . . . . 100Step 16: Star Masses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Step 17: Star System Age . . . . . . . . . . 101Step 18: Stellar Characteristics . . . . . 102Step 19: Companion Star Orbits . . . . 105Step 20: Locate Orbital Zones . . . . . . 106Step 21: Placing First Planets . . . . . . 107Step 22: Place Planetary Orbits . . . . . 108Step 23: Place Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Step 24: Place Moons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

GENERATING WORLD DETAILS . . . . . 113Step 25: World Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Step 26: Atmosphere. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Step 27: Hydrographics . . . . . . . . . . . 114Step 28: Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Step 29: World Sizes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Step 30: Dynamic Parameters . . . . . . 115Step 31: Geologic Activity . . . . . . . . . 119Step 32: Resources and

Habitability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Step 33: Settlement Type . . . . . . . . . . 121Step 34: Technology Level . . . . . . . . . 122Step 35: Population. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Step 36: Society Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Step 37: Control Rating . . . . . . . . . . . 123Step 38: Economics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Step 39: Bases and Installations . . . . 123

SPECIAL CASES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124Gas Giant Moons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Tide-Locked Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Massive Stars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Red Dwarf Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Brown Dwarf Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Rogue Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Terraformed Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

OTHER OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130Asteroids and Comets. . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Artificial Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Who Needs Planets, Anyway? . . . . . . . 132Megastructures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

6. ALIEN LIFE ANDALIEN MINDS . . . . . . . 134

ALIENS IN THE CAMPAIGN . . . . . . . . . 135Some Common Aliens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

CONTENTS 3

LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Life as We Know It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Clashing Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Other Chemistries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138Non-Chemical Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Alien Creation I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Artificial Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

ECOLOGIES AND NICHES . . . . . . . . . . 141Energy Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Alien Creation II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Autotrophs and Decomposers . . . . . . 143Herbivores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Carnivores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Parasites and Symbionts . . . . . . . . . . . 146

ALIEN ANATOMY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Alien Creation III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Body Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Alien Creation IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Alien Creation V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154Skin, Hide, and Alternatives . . . . . . . 155

Metabolism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Alien Creation VI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Reproduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Lifespan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159Alien Creation VII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161Senses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Alien Creation VIII. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164Special Abilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

ALIEN MINDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166Brains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166Nature: The Influence of Biology . . . 167Nurture: The Influence of Society. . . 167Alien Creation IX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Alien Creation X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

7. FUTURE AND ALIENCIVILIZATIONS. . . . . . . 171

STORY CONCERNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Control and Intrusiveness . . . . . . . . . 173Avenues to Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Corruptibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174SOCIETY AND BIOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . 175SOCIETY AND TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . 177ECONOMICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Unobtainium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182The Leisure Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

LAW AND JUSTICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184MILITARY FORCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Alternate Armies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189How Much Military Rank? . . . . . . . . . 189

INTERSTELLAR GOVERNMENTS . . . . 190Anarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190Alliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Federation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193Corporate State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Why People Support

Rotten Empires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Alternate Empires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199Alien Governments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199Planetary Governments . . . . . . . . . . . 201History and Government. . . . . . . . . . . 201

ORGANIZATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

8. ADVENTURES . . . . . . . . 207THE HOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

The Default Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208Metaplot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

GOALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210OBSTACLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Puzzles and Mysteries . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Alien Psychology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211Adversaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211Adventure Seeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

9. CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . 214GROUP STRUCTURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214CHARACTER CONCEPTS . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Astronauts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Space Knights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Niche Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Tramp Freighters and

Merchant Princes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216Modified Humans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216Uplifted Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Psionic Mutants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Robots and AIs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218Aliens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, AND SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

CHARACTER TEMPLATES . . . . . . . . . . . 226Astronaut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226Bounty Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Colonist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Con Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228Detective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228Doctor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230Scientist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231Secret Agent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231Security Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232Soldier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Space Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234Space Worker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234Technician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235Thief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . 236

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

About GURPSSteve Jackson Games is committed to full support of GURPS

players. Our address is SJ Games, Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Pleaseinclude a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time you writeus! We can also be reached by e-mail: info@sjgames.com. Resourcesinclude:

Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). Our online magazineincludes new GURPS rules and articles. It also covers the d20 system,Ars Magica, BESM, Call of Cthulhu, and many more top games – andother Steve Jackson Games releases like Illuminati, Car Wars,Transhuman Space, and more. Pyramid subscribers also get opportu-nities to playtest new GURPS books!

New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to grow, andwe’ll be happy to let you know what’s new. For a current catalog, sendus a legal-sized SASE, or just visit www.warehouse23.com.

e23. Our e-publishing division offers GURPS adventures, play aids,and support not available anywhere else! Just head over towww.sjgames.com/e23/.

Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we do our bestto fix our errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all GURPS releases,including this book, are available on our website – see below.

Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.sjgames.comfor errata, updates, Q&A, free webforums, and much more. To discuss GURPS with SJ Games staff and fellow gamers, come to ourforums at forums.sjgames.com. The GURPS Space web page iswww.sjgames.com/gurps/books/space/.

Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bibliographies, andwe’re putting them online – with links to let you buy the books thatinterest you! Go to the book’s web page and look for the “Bibliography”link.

GURPSnet. This e-mail list hosts much of the online discussion ofGURPS. To join, point your web browser to www.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l/.

Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the GURPSBasic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that begin with B refer tothat book, not this one.

Why do we dream of voyages tospace? Why do we make up tales ofdistant worlds and other stars? Isn’tEarth enough?

Well, no. Earth is a big planet withplenty of weird stuff on it, but it’s get-ting too well-known. Human civiliza-tion is increasingly close-knit, so evenin the most exotic lands one seesfamiliar brand names and hears famil-iar pop music.

We want wonders. We want toclimb 26 miles to the top of MonsOlympus on Mars, see the rings ofSaturn filling half the sky, watch thedouble sunset on Alpha Centauri IV,see stars being born in the OrionNebula, and watch them spiral in todie in the central black hole of thegalaxy. Space exploration brings awhole universe of wonders withinreach.

We want to play with ideas. Whatwould life be like on a planet of a flarestar? What are some other ways to runa society, or distribute wealth? Howdoes hyperspace travel affect interstel-lar military strategy? Space travel andcolonization lets us create new soci-eties and examine different ways ofdoing things.

We also want someone to talk to.An alien perspective would tell usmany things about the universe, andabout ourselves. Alien music and alienart might revitalize our jaded tastesand inbred styles. Civilizations olderthan our own might know the answersto some of our questions – and asksome questions we haven’t eventhought of.

Finally, as gamers we want adven-tures. We want to chase our foesacross the icy plains of Pluto, or hidefrom them in the clouds of Neptune.We want to make a killing doing busi-ness with intelligent fungi from Altair,or lead troops into battle against robothordes. Space is fun.

What makes space different is thatit’s real. The wonders are really outthere, along with others we haven’tseen. There are real alien civilizationsout there somewhere, probably morestrange than we’ve imagined. Space

adventures are achievable. Anyonecan join in, no royal birth or ancientprophecy required. Those odd soci-eties? They’re real, too – or can be. Ifthis book has a message, it’s: we can dothis. Humans are capable of greatthings. Sure, Earth is a great place,but if we limit ourselves to a singleplanet, it’s an admission of defeat.

PUBLICATIONHISTORY

This is the fourth edition of GURPSSpace. Steve Jackson and WilliamBarton collaborated on the first andsecond editions, and David Pulver

revised their text for the third edition.The current edition includes a greatdeal of text from these earlier versions.

This book also incorporates mate-rial from several other GURPS books.The concepts of tone, scale, and scopeused in Chapter 1 were pioneered byKen Hite in the third edition ofGURPS Horror. The world designsequences in Chapters 4 and 5 aredescended from the one designed byJon F. Zeigler for GURPS Traveller:First In; a simpler version of the cur-rent system also appears in GURPSTraveller: Interstellar Wars. Thealien design sequence in Chapter 6was inspired by the one Stefan Jonescreated for GURPS Uplift.

4 INTRODUCTION

About the AuthorsJames L. Cambias is a game designer and science fiction writer, cur-

rently resident in western Massachusetts. He is putting the finishingtouches on his plan to gain a complete monopoly on science fiction role-playing sourcebooks. Earlier stages in the project include GURPSPlanet Krishna, GURPS Mars, GURPS Planet of Adventure; StarHero and Terran Empire from Hero Games; and several science fictionshort stories. With the appearance of this book, total science fictiondomination is within his grasp!

Jon F. Zeigler has been a science fiction fan since the cradle (literally). He and his wife and two children live in Maryland, wherehe works for the federal government as a network security analyst.He has written several books for GURPS, especially for the GURPSTraveller and Transhuman Space product lines.

INTRODUCTION

SPACE 5

CHAPTER ONE

SPACE

I dodged the thing’s deadly beam-blasts and leaped over one of thetumbled stone slabs to find cover. Captain Panatic was hunkereddown behind the same slab, his proton gun ready.

“I’m wondering why I’m here, Dr. Wallace. I could havestayed back in the Patrol and fought pirates.” The slabcracked as a beam-blast struck it. Panatic popped upand fired off a couple of bursts at the giant glitteringmenace slowly approaching us.

“Or I could have taken my brother’s offer and gone intobusiness as a merchant. I think I’d make a pretty good merchant, don’t you?”

I ducked as a blast shattered the wall above me, showeringus both with fragments of blackened stone.

Captain Panatic took my rucksack and began rummagingthrough it. “I might even have bought some land on a colonyworld, maybe raise dairy cattle and make cheese. Do you likecheese, Dr. Wallace?”

I risked a look. The huge golden machine that I’d mistakenfor an alien idol was now only five meters away, shoving asideslabs bigger than the one we were hiding behind.

“But I didn’t do those things. I heard you were looking for apilot, so I took the job. Do you know why, Dr. Wallace?”Panatic took out a couple of spare power cells and began prying at the casings. He got them open, used a strip of foil toconnect them somehow, counted under his breath, and tossedthem over the slab at the machine. A second later, there was atremendous explosion.

When the dust had cleared and we could stop coughing,Panatic and I peeked over the slab. The ancient alien machinewas toppled over and still.

“I signed on with you because I figured an archaeology voyage would be nice and safe. What could possibly happen?”

I decided not to tell him about the psi-worms yet.

6 SPACE

SPACE AND SPACE FICTIONA LITTLELITERARYHISTORY

Space travel has always been themost important trope in science fic-tion. To many people, it’s “all thatouter space stuff.” And certainly SFwriters have been interested in thesubject for a very long time. JohannesKepler wrote about a voyage to theMoon in 1634, and although his herogets there by means of magic,Kepler’s description of conditions onthe Moon was pure “hard” sciencefiction.

Early accounts of space voyageswere often fantasies, either explicitlylike Kepler’s, or with a wink at thereader, as when Francis Godwin usedmigratory geese to carry his hero tothe Moon in The Man in the Moone orEdgar Allan Poe used a balloon tocarry Hans Pfaal there in “TheUnparalleled Adventure of one HansPfaal.” But by the middle of the 19thcentury, authors began speculatingabout ways by which people mightreally be able to leave the Earth.Edward Everett Hale proposed a giantcatapult powered by spinning fly-wheels to launch an artificial satellitein “The Brick Moon,” and Jules Verneenvisioned a titanic cannon in Fromthe Earth to the Moon. Later authorslike H.G. Wells and George Griffithsrealized the problems with thosemethods and concocted imaginary

“superscience” methods of negatinggravity to allow their heroes to visitother worlds.

At the start of the 20th century, pio-neering scientists like KonstantinTsiolkovsky and Robert Goddardbegan to investigate the possibilities ofrockets as a practical means of spaceexploration, and space travel movedsolidly into the realm of hard SF,where it has remained ever since.Science-fiction writers (and fans)were soon bandying about technicalconcepts like specific impulse, delta-V,ullage, and gyrostabilization. Some ofthem, like Arthur C. Clarke, mixed SFwriting with research and theoreticalwork on space exploration.

Unfortunately for science-fictionwriters, astronomers during the sameera were discovering some uncomfort-able facts about the solar system. Asearly as the 1890s, it was known thatMars was too cold and dry to supportany advanced life, and in the 1960sscientists learned that Venus wasequally inhospitable. A few writerstried handwaving about asteroids withEarthlike conditions or speculationabout the moons of the outer giantplanets, but the majority of SF writersbegan looking to the stars.

Tales of space explorationremained limited to the Solar systemuntil about World War II, when writ-ers began working on a larger scale.Because of Albert Einstein’s theory ofrelativity, the readers were also awarethat journeys to other stars were like-ly to take a very long time. To speed

things up, SF writers began a longtradition of coming up with ways tocheat Einstein. E.E. “Doc” Smith’s“Lensman” series used the “inertia-less” drive to let spaceships crack thelightspeed barrier; others postulatedshort cuts through hyperspace,instantaneous “jump” drives, space-bending warp drives, and a long listof methods ranging from barely possible to ridiculous.

In modern science fiction, spacevoyages and interstellar faster-than-light travel are part of the “furniture”of the genre. Authors no longer haveto explain how the spaceships work orwaste much time describing the thun-der of the mighty rocket engines,because those are all so familiar to thereaders from movies and televisedspace missions.

WHY SPACETRAVEL?

Given that science fiction covers allpossible futures, alternate pasts, otherrealities, and transformations of thehuman body and mind, it may seemodd that so much energy in the field isdevoted to stories about voyages inouter space. Some see this as a contin-uation of the American idea of the fron-tier, with space fiction as nothing morethan Westerns with ray guns. Othersspeculate archly about the sexualimagery of rockets. Certainly there is alot of powerful symbolism involved inthe idea of rising up away from Earthand mundane concerns to soar amongthe stars. In just about all mythologiesthe sky is where the gods live.

But there is more to space travelthan just the symbols. The simple factis that space travel (and interstellartravel) are the most plausible ways tohave stories about humans in settingsthat are not Earthly locales and inter-acting with beings who are not otherpeople like themselves. This is notvery different from descriptions offantasy settings – Narnia and Middle-Earth are not Earthly locales andhave nonhuman inhabitants – butthere is an important difference. Alienworlds in outer space are fairylands

What’s Not in This BookThough GURPS Space is intended as the chief sourcebook for sci-

ence fiction roleplaying using the GURPS system, the main focus ofthis book is adventures in space and on other worlds. There are wholesubgenres of SF that aren’t covered here, because they’re importantenough to get their own sourcebooks. Descriptions of specific gameuniverses are covered in GURPS worldbooks. GURPS InfiniteWorlds covers time travel, interdimensional travel, and alternate histories – and presents a campaign framework that links all theGURPS worldbooks. GURPS Powers describes psionics and othersuper-powers. Forthcoming “tech books” will provide shopping listsof futuristic gadgets.

that could be real, and that don’trequire special magic to visit. Eventhe other worlds of the Solar systemturn out to be strange and interestingin ways unlike anything on Earth.Just as Jules Verne’s stories of

extraordinary voyages to Africa or theocean deeps let his readers visit thoseexotic places, space fiction letsEarthbound readers “play tourist”among the wonders of the Universe.

DESIGNING THESPACE CAMPAIGN

Much of the excitement of a star-spanning campaign comes from hav-ing a detailed, believable background,and this section provides an overviewof how to create one. These rules arenot tied to any single vision of thefuture. This book is not intended toimpose a background on the game;rather, it gives creative GMs the toolsto develop any type of outer-spacecampaign.

Designing a complete space cam-paign involves several decisions.

TypeThis is the big one: what kind of

campaign will it be? What will the PCsdo? Are they military officers, explor-ers, or traders? Would they ratherengage in combat or diplomacy?Game Masters may wish to poll theirpotential players to see what type ofcampaign most of them like best.

Scope and Interstellar Travel

How much space does the cam-paign universe cover? Will it be setwithin a single star system, around afew dozen nearby stars, or in a wholespiral arm of the galaxy? This deci-sion is tied to the choice of faster-than-light drives available: the fasterthe drive, the more territory that canbe covered. Are habitable worldsrare, common, or innumerable? Andhow close are they in terms of traveltime? The more quickly the PCs cantravel between worlds, the likelierthey are to interact on a large scale –sharing governments, trading, extra-diting criminals, or fighting wars.

Interstellar Societiesand Organizations

Do the characters live in a mas-sive empire or a loose-knit alliance?Is the government restrictive? Arethe police and military effective? Arethere many societies, or just onelarge super-civilization? Note thatthe number and size of societies inthe campaign are tied to the scope.What interstellar organizations areimportant? And what is the history ofinterstellar civilization?

SPACE 7

Hard and Soft Science Fiction

In discussions of science fiction, “hard SF” refers to stories in whichthe science is as accurate as possible, and usually the focus of the storyas well. “Soft SF” has shifted slightly in meaning over the years.Originally it referred to stories focusing on the “soft sciences” – psychol-ogy, sociology, history, etc. Those are the sciences concerned withhuman behavior, and in time soft SF began to refer to stories that de-emphasized the science in favor of closer attention to the characters andtheir emotions.

What started simply as a matter of classification turned into a mine-field when some fans and authors tried to insist that only hard SF was“real” science fiction, and that any stories that subordinated the scienceto the characters were somehow inferior or pretentiously imitatingmainstream fiction. In an interesting boomerang effect, many criticsoutside the field have taken much the same line, insisting that all SF is“just about gadgets,” and any stories that portray human emotions andrelationships aren’t science fiction because they’re too good for the field.

In this book we’re going to avoid any judgments about what sort offiction is best. Hard SF refers to stories with a strong emphasis on sci-entific accuracy, while soft SF here means stories or campaigns that donot. Which is best depends on what the players and GM do.

Science FantasyOne might expect the least realistic form of SF to be what’s often

called “science fantasy,” in which scientific and magical elements areblended. Examples include Heinlein’s story “Waldo” and ChristopherStasheff’s Warlock series.

But in point of fact science fantasy can have its own varying degreesof realism. If the magic is tightly defined and the interactions betweenmagic and science are carefully thought out, then it can be just as real-istic as any moderately hard SF with one or two bits of imaginary sci-ence. The magic just fills the niche of “rubber science.” A great exampleof highly realistic science fantasy is the GURPS Technomancer setting,which blends “technothriller” technology with rigorously exploredmagic, and addresses all the social and political implications of indus-trial-scale magic in a scientific and rational society.

By contrast, most superhero settings include both magic and super-science, and treat neither one with much realism at all. Wizards, sen-tient machines, aliens, avatars of powerful gods, and mutants withstrange powers all coexist, yet the society in which they operate showsno effect at all. Nothing is realistic, but it’s all a lot of fun and allows cooladventures in capes and spandex.

Game Masters can certainly combine fantasy and SF in a GURPSSpace campaign; treat the magic as just another area of “rubber sci-ence” and set the realism level as needed for the desired style of cam-paign. Obviously, a full discussion of fantasy is beyond the scope ofthis book, but GURPS Fantasy and other sourcebooks can supply themissing ingredients.

General TechnologyWhat are the campaign’s average

and maximum tech levels? What sortof FTL communication, weaponry,medicine, and personal gear will beavailable? The technology in a cam-paign affects what type of adventuresare possible, so Game Masters mustbe sure that the available tech fits thedesired campaign type.

Drawing the MapWhere are things in the campaign

relative to each other? What areimportant places and why?Traditionally science-fiction universesfeature a “core” of advanced, heavilypopulated worlds and a frontier zoneor “rim” where colonies are young andthe government’s power is weak. Ifrival empires are cheek-by-jowl thepolitical situation will be very differentthan if they are separated by wideexpanses of unclaimed space.

Aliens and OtherNonhumans

In the campaign are the “goodguys” all human? What exactly consti-tutes “human” anyway if cyborgs,mutants, and uplifted animals are partof the setting? Are there allied species?Are there “bad guy” civilizations?What about vanished races? What isthe role of artificial intelligences?

Local SocietiesWhat are the specific worlds and

places the characters will spend timein like? How do they interact withinterstellar society? What are the locallaws and customs, what starshiprepair facilities are available, andwhat’s the best place to get a plate ofRigelian chili?

SCALEAND SCOPE

The scope of the campaign is thesize of the environment in which thecharacters operate, and the scale is thelevel at which they can affect that envi-ronment. Characters who are thecommanders of a space station in agame confined to that station havelimited scope but relatively high scale.

The crew of a small merchant starshipthat voyages among distant galaxieshas a colossal scope but a limitedscale.

The two are linked. A graduallyincreasing physical scope gives theplayers a chance to get used to each

level of complexity and size beforeintroducing the next. As the charac-ters improve in personal abilities andgain wealth and power from theiractions in the game, their scale naturally tends to increase as well. An increase in scope can provide

8 SPACE

Ships and OutpostsA common and very useful situation in science fiction is to chronicle

the adventures of a daring spaceship crew as they voyage through thegalaxy. Undoubtedly Star Trek’s U.S.S. Enterprise is the most famousexample, but there are scores of others. All of them can trace theirancestry back to sea stories, from the Horatio Hornblower novels clearback to the Odyssey or the story of Jason and the Argonauts.

A tremendous strength of the ship-based dramatic framework is itsflexibility. The characters are in a familiar setting, but that setting ismobile, letting them interact with new antagonists and encounter newsituations. This applies to roleplaying campaigns as well as fiction. Theship itself becomes a natural “home base” for the characters. Playersmay get quite attached to their in-game starship, drawing up deckplans, poring through the ship-design rules for upgrades to drool over,or designing insignia. But since the ship moves around, the GM can eas-ily introduce the characters to new adventures. The relative cost of aspacecraft is very important: if only governments can afford them, thesetting will have a very different feel than if a group of startup entrepre-neurs can get a used ship and start trading.

Probably the most important bit of preparation for any ship-basedcampaign is to create the starship itself. If one or more of the playershave a “gearhead” bent and are interested in delving into technicalminutiae, it may be a good idea to let them do the design work, withinthe limits of budgetary and technological restrictions imposed by theGame Master (and possibly the campaign setting). The ship they createcan be a great guide for the GM in creating adventures. Players whostuff their ships with weapons obviously want to be able to point thoseweapons at something. Let them chase space pirates or fight off an alieninvasion. If they pack the sensor suite with planetary-survey instru-ments and give the ship enough onboard fuel purifiers and repair shopsto keep it running for years away from civilization, they’re probablygoing to want to explore the great beyond.

The OutpostA variant campaign idea is that of the outpost or space station. Like

a ship, an outpost framework provides a cozy “home base” for the char-acters. Unlike ships, outposts are stationary; adventure has to come tothem. Important outposts in SF include the titular space stations of theBabylon 5 and Deep Space 9 television series, and the giant space hospi-tal of James White’s “Sector General” stories.

Outpost campaigns have many of the same concerns as those builtaround a starship. Typically a station is larger and more self-sufficientthan a ship, but this just means its enemies get to be more powerful.Visitors to the outpost are the obvious adventure hooks, but occasional-ly the crew does get to go off on missions within the station’s area ofresponsibility. Because of the more static nature of an outpost cam-paign, adventures are likely to be less action-oriented and involve moreroleplaying and politicking.

SPACE 9

increasingly powerful characters withappropriate challenges by bringingthem into contact with new andmightier opponents. So what if theyare masters of a whole star systemwhen there is a whole vast galaxy outthere?

Ship-based campaigns necessarilyhave a large physical scope. Colonycampaigns and post-apocalyptic set-tings may be relatively limited, butsince a theme in both subgenres is“pushing back the frontier,” the scopewill likely expand.

Physical scope is linked closely totechnology, especially transportation.A large scope means little if rapidtransport makes everyplace effectively“next door.” For a campaign to feel big,there must be some effect of distance.Some places must be “far away” andtake a long time to reach. In a hard-SFgame set in the real Solar system, for

instance, even a trip to Mars takes ayear, and voyages to the outer planetscan take decades. In that case, thescope feels large because of the long

travel times. A game spanning thewhole galaxy would feel compact if apersonal spaceship can get from therim to the core in an afternoon.

The tone is the “feel” of a campaign – the mood theGM wants to invoke in the setting. There is a vast rangeof possible tones. To some extent, every author and everystory or film has a slightly different one. In classic sci-ence fiction, however, several tones predominate.

Action-AdventureCommon in all types of SF, especially film and mili-

tary SF, action-adventure science fiction emphasizesdanger, motion, and physical conflict. Problems aresolved with fisticuffs or blaster fire, usually while hang-ing off the edge of an orbital elevator capsule or speed-ing hovercraft. There is usually a sense that the heroeswill triumph despite all the danger and opposition.Campaigns especially suitable for action-adventure aremilitary, law-enforcement, criminal, and planetaryromance. However, just about any roleplaying campaignis likely to have at least some action-adventure moments.

HorrorHorror and SF are Siamese twin genres, born at

about the same time from Gothic fiction and maturingtogether in the pulp magazines. Horror is all about fear:what the characters fear, what the players fear, and whateveryone fears. Fear works best when the oppositionseems unbeatable and implacably hostile. Science fic-tion can provide a scientific rationale for “conventional”horror about monsters or psycho killers, but it alsolends itself well to “cosmic” horror, in which the truefear comes from realizing just how tiny and unimpor-tant humans are in the face of a vast universe. Horrorcan creep into most SF campaigns, but is especially

suitable in exploration (focusing on alien or cosmicmenaces), law enforcement (concentrating on sadistickillers and social horrors), or military (exploring psychological horror).

RomanceFor a long time science fiction avoided “mushy stuff”

like relationships between characters. That began tochange in the 1960s, and recent decades have seen therise of a whole romantic subgenre of science fiction,written by authors like Catherine Asaro and LoisMcMaster Bujold. In romantic SF the focus is on inter-actions and relationships among the characters, thoughthere is still plenty of room for exploding spaceships andalien menaces.

Space OperaSometimes considered a subgenre of its own, space

opera is SF with the dials all cranked to 11. The scale istitanic; seldom are characters concerned with the fate ofanything less than a whole planet. The range is usuallyvast. Psychological realism takes a back seat to battles ofUltimate Good against blackest Evil. Scientific realism isback there, too, cowering helplessly as physical laws are broken with contemptuous ease. Spaceships arehuge and baroque, doing battle with brightly coloredbeam weapons. Aliens are many and exotic. Settingsemphasize wonder (see below) and plots emphasizeaction (see above).

Continued on next page . . .

Tone

10 SPACE

SurrealSurreal SF questions our very notions of reality. If

computer-generated “virtual reality” can simulate thereal world, how do we know the world is real? Iftelepaths or brainwashing can alter our memories,how do we know who we are? If alien shapechangersor sophisticated androids can take the place of otherpeople, how do we know who is who? Philip K. Dickwas probably SF’s greatest surrealist, and he exploredall these questions. A surreal SF game can be as lightas any silly universe, or as terrifying as any cosmic hor-ror campaign. Any campaign can get weird, but itworks best with the paranoia of espionage or thestrange new worlds of exploration.

ThrillerThrillers emphasize suspense. They sit somewhere

between horror and action-adventure. In a thriller theheroes are outclassed by the opposition, and the possi-bility of failure is very real and worrisome. Instead offear or pumping adrenaline the dominant emotion issuspense. Much of cyberpunk SF adopts a thriller tone,and it goes with espionage or criminal games likechrome on a blaster. A subset of thrillers is the quasi-SF “technothrillers,” which are typically near-futureSF emphasizing loving descriptions of cool gadgetsand detailed plans.

TravelogueOne of the oldest styles of SF story, the travelogue

subordinates characters and action to descriptions ofexotic settings. In Utopian societies it can degenerateinto particularly boring “tours of the balloon factory,”accompanied by lectures on the merits of the SocialCredits movement, but skilled writers from Jules Verneto Jack Vance have made the fantastic voyage a mainstayof the genre. In a roleplaying campaign, explorers andmerchants are good frameworks for a travelogue, and aplanetary romance is nothing but a travelogue withswordplay. Hitting this tone requires a GM who is verygood at creating new places and describing them in anentertaining fashion.

WonderThe “sense of wonder” is one of the characteristic

emotions evoked by science fiction. When a readercracks a book and is confronted with time travel, alienbeings, or future worlds, that feeling of wonder andexcitement is what hooks them on SF. In a roleplayingcampaign, evoking a sense of wonder calls for new anddifferent things. Because it is such a standard part of SF,wonder should turn up in just about every campaign. Itis especially appropriate for games of exploration anddiscovery, large-scale military games, and any settingwith room for amazing things. This is where a game’s“infinite budget” comes in handy, as the GM can makeup things as huge or impressive as needed.

Tone (Continued)

Escalating ScaleIt’s usually a good idea to start the campaign at a relatively small

scale and work up. This way the campaign scale reflects the growingunderstanding and involvement of the players. Get them used to the waythings work in one sector of the galaxy, then let them operate on a suc-cessively larger scale. The “Lensman” series by E.E. “Doc” Smith is agood example of this process in fiction: the scale is initially confined tothe Solar System, but by the end the heroes are fighting a war whoseoutcome will determine the fate of two galaxies.

Exactly what constitutes “small” and “large” scale depend on thecampaign itself and what the Game Master sees as the ultimate end ofthings. If the campaign takes the leaders of the United Earth govern-ment to their ultimate conquest over all intelligent life, then “small”scale means they start out as merely the rulers of six billion people,with a paltry few trillion dollars at their disposal. On the other hand,if the GM imagines the players as rising from starport scum to theranks of successful merchant captains, then small means owningnothing but some rags and a dead rat, and large means the dizzyingheights of middle-class small business ownership.

What will your campaign beabout? Will the characters be planet-bound or spacefaring? Good citizensor nefarious pirates? Are they aftermoney, adventure, knowledge . . . orsomething else? There are severaltypes that recur in science-fiction sto-ries and games.

STRANGENEW WORLDS

The theme of the campaign is thesearch for new worlds – with the thrillof discovery and the adventure that itbrings.

Character Roles: Characters can beprivate explorers or members of a gov-ernment Scout Service making con-tact with strange worlds. Scout crewsinclude scientists and rangers (p. 16),and diplomats or merchant represen-tatives might be present if the world isinhabited. Even pirates sometimes goexploring.

Things to Do: Scouts are not onlyexpected to discover and surveyworlds from orbit, but to land on theplanet to discover any potential dan-gers to the colonists who may follow.There are dozens of things to find onan unfamiliar planet – strange, threat-ening animals or aliens, mysteriousruins, lost colonies, unsuspectedpirate or rebel hideouts, and bizarrenatural phenomena.

Campaign Advantages: PCs whowork for a government or private sur-vey organization will have a powerfulPatron who supplies equipment and aship. But they will often be in remotespace – away from daily control bytheir superiors. The variety of newworlds provides campaign diversity.This campaign can be ideal for smallgroups – a scout crew can be as smallas one person.

Campaign Disadvantages: If thePCs work for an interstellar surveyservice, space navy’s explorationbranch, or a private (probably mer-cantile) organization, they will likelyexplore worlds by assignment. Onthe other hand, they might be explor-ing on their own – in which casetheir ability to keep a starship fueledand supplied depends on finding

SPACE 11

Realism“Realism” has two meanings in a GURPS Space game. The first is

the level of physical realism – how “hard” the science is and how plau-sible the technology. The second is the social or psychological realism –how realistically people behave.

Scientific realism, surprisingly, is not the ultimate goal of every sci-ence-fiction campaign. Certainly SF literature has plenty of “rubber sci-ence,” and in SF films it’s a noteworthy event if they get the scienceright. Internal consistency is more important than strict accuracy. GameMasters are free to set the level of scientific realism at whatever levelsupports the games they wish to run. Different realism levels have dif-ferent advantages and disadvantages.

Strict adherence to “hard science” gives the campaign the advantageof plausibility. It makes the suspension of disbelief very easy. The obvi-ous disadvantage is that there are lots of things that are impossible inthe real world but are nevertheless a big part of SF, such as faster-than-light travel. A step up from pure hard science is “mostly hard” SF, whichallows one or two bits of imaginary science (like faster-than-light drives)but rigorously works out all the implications and effects on the world.

More removed from realism is “handwaving” SF, best exemplified bytelevision and film. We’re assured that this is all science (rather thanmagic), but the exact mechanisms are never explained, and capabilitiesare devised on the basis of plot demands rather than strict science.There is usually a reasonable amount of internal consistency, but it’svery much fictional consistency. At the far end of the realism scale ispurely “cinematic” reality. Spaceships look cool and make impressivewhooshing noises in deep space. People carry hand weapons like “ener-gy swords” or plasma-firing crossbows, and never mind how they work.

By contrast with scientific realism, social realism determines howrealistically the characters in the setting behave. It can also be called the“rigor” of the game world. In a realistic setting, all actions have conse-quences, villains are not motivated simply by villainy, and people thinktheir actions through.

Somewhat less realistic is the tone adopted by most films. For thesake of narrative convenience, the heroes don’t suffer consequences aslong as they win and their actions were done for a good cause. Shootingup the mall is okay as long as no innocents got hurt and the bad guysneeded shooting. Least realistic is what might be called “mythic” sci-ence fiction, which adopts an almost fairy-tale attitude of absolute goodand evil. Consequences are not based on reason, but on karma or “cos-mic justice.”

Think of social and scientific realism as the different axes on a graph.Stories can be very realistic in one sense and completely unrealistic inthe other. Much early SF strove for solid hard science realism but thenused characters and plots of fairy-tale simplicity. Much of the “NewWave” of the 1960s and 1970s took the opposite approach, using psy-chological realism and completely imaginary science. Set both realismlevels to support the kind of adventures the players and GM want: highscience realism and moderate social realism for Indiana Jones-styleexploits on a near-future Mars mission, low science and high social real-ism for gritty political drama in the Galactic Empire. Outer-spaceswashbuckling adventure gets a low setting for both, and so on.

CAMPAIGN TYPES

profitable worlds. For the GM, a scoutcampaign means constantly generat-ing new systems (and new surprises).

References: Rendezvous with Ramaby Arthur C. Clarke; Ringworld byLarry Niven; the Tschai books by JackVance; the various Star Trek televisionseries.

Space TouristsA slightly different kind of explo-

ration is that done by individualsusing commercial transport to visitexotic places. Just as tourism hasbecome a major industry in manyplaces here on Earth, SF writers haveimagined feckless earthlings orobnoxious aliens taking packagetours of other planets. DouglasAdams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to theGalaxy is a classic of comic SF, andmany of L. Sprague De Camp’s“Viagens Interplanetarias” storiesinvolve tourists. Since few peoplespend their lives being tourists, this isbest used for a mini-campaign or anarc within a larger ongoing game.

A tourist campaign provides aplausible way to throw together peo-ple from radically different back-ground; it means the heroes don’t haveaccess to much in the way of firepow-er or super-technology; and they prob-ably don’t have their own starship touse as an instant getaway. Tourists areprobably best used for a light or semi-comic scenario, although there areinteresting possibilities in throwingunprepared ordinary people into adeadly drama of spies and doomsdayweapons.

THE HIGHFRONTIER

The idea of the frontier is a verypowerful one in science fiction. Afrontier zone is where civilizationmeets the unexplored wilderness.They are typically places of freedom,opportunity, and danger – all key ingredients for a roleplaying campaign.

Colony AlphaThe characters are colonists set-

tling a newly discovered world. Theymay be humans, a mix of races, orbeings genetically engineered to exist

in the new environment – makingthem almost aliens to the rest ofhumanity.

Character Roles: The PCs should allbe rugged survivors. Those with goodoutdoorsman and low-tech craft skillswill do best. However, colonists mayalso include political or religiousrefugees, criminals, and minorities –and not all of these will be survivaltypes. Some specialists may be neededto operate equipment, explorationvehicles, or weapons. There might bea government representative.

Things to Do: The basic idea is totame and settle a hostile environment.Many twists can be added – do thecolonists have access to FTL drive, or

are they “stranded,” arriving by gener-ation ship? Are they the first colonistsor the follow-up team? (If they are thefollow-up team, are the originalcolonists still there when they arrive?)Are there hidden surprises, such as abizarre ecosystem, unknown aliens,Precursor relics, or a smuggler base?Are the colonists unified or is therestrife between factions? Is this apeaceful colony or an outpost in dis-puted territory? Are there menacingpirates, aliens, or hostile governmentsback home?

Campaign Advantages: Colonistswon’t need a starship. The GM needsto design just one star system,although great detail will be required.

12 SPACE

Alien ArchaeologyWhole civilizations could be born, spread across the galaxy, and

finally go extinct before humans ever venture off Earth. Alien archaeol-ogy offers the scientific puzzle of figuring out an alien civilization frompotsherds and inscriptions, the Indiana Jones thrills of evading trapsand defenses in tombs and temples, and the classic RPG experience ofexploring vast underground complexes full of danger and treasure.

If the ancient aliens were more advanced than humans, then theirruins are potential treasure-troves of ultra-tech items – which is likely toattract rival archaeologists, looters, and sinister government agents.Finding out just what made the aliens go extinct can add some urgencyto the pure science, especially if it turns out to still be lurking aroundsomewhere. And there’s always the chance that some of the ancientaliens aren’t extinct . . . we just don’t see them right now. This can begood or very bad indeed, depending on how powerful the aliens are andwhat they want.

H. Beam Piper’s classic story “Omnilingual” involves space archaeol-ogy, as do more recent works like Alastair Reynolds’ Revelation Space.

Big Dumb ObjectsOne type of alien environment often seen in recent science fiction is

the gigantic artificial habitat. Inspired by the theoretical speculations ofscientists like Freeman Dyson and Gerard K. O’Neill, writers beganimagining bigger and bigger artificial worlds. From Arthur C. Clarke’sgiant starship Rama to Larry Niven’s Ringworld, they became progres-sively vaster. Book reviewers and critics coined the term “Big DumbObject” to describe stories about exploring them. Usually the huge habi-tat is abandoned, or its inhabitants have regressed to barbarism; other-wise there is no mystery and the heroes are likely to be outclassed bytheir technology. Sometimes (as with Rama), there are automatic sys-tems still working. One interesting variant is the living, sentient spacehabitat described by John Varley in his “Titan” series – it’s a Big SmartObject, and turns out to be a Big Crazy Object as well.

Big Dumb Objects are a great source of the “sense of wonder” soimportant to science fiction, and their tremendous size allows for awide variety of environments, cultures, and adventures. A whole cam-paign could be set on a single Object as the heroes wander about seek-ing clues to the origin and purpose of it, or look for a way home.

Many players enjoy the challenge oforganizing settlements and exploringthe frontier. This campaign can workat TL8 or even lower, especially if thePCs arrived on a sublight “sleeper”ship.

Campaign Disadvantages: If thecolony is isolated, there will be a limiton available equipment – and its usemay be controlled by the colony’sadministrators. The GM also has theburden of keeping the campaign moreinteresting than “build another hut,explore another valley.”

References: The Seedling Stars byJames Blish; Hestia and FortyThousand in Gehenna by C.J. Cherryh;Harry Harrison’s “Deathworld” series;Farmer in the Sky and The RollingStones by Robert A. Heinlein; TheWorld At The End Of Time by FrederikPohl; the Alpha Centauri computergame from Electronic Arts.

Space ColoniesThe colonists may not have a world

at all – they may be on a giant spacehabitat in orbit. The physicist GerardK. O’Neill realized that for anadvanced spacefaring society, planetsare an awful bother. The solution heproposed is to build large artificialhabitats in space. O’Neill even chose alikely location for space colonies, at

the “Lagrange points” where the grav-itational attraction of the Earth andthe Moon create stable positions. Amajor space advocacy organization,the L-5 Society, took its name fromone of those colony sites.

A slower-than-light starship can bea space habitat in its own right, andthe inhabitants of a lost ship mightforget their origins and regress to bar-barism. There is a whole subgenre ofSF stories about weird culturesaboard generation ships.

Character Roles: Player characterscan be asteroid miners, zero-g work-ers, colony administrators, militarypersonnel, or just citizens looking fora new start. On a generation ship theymay be warriors, priests, thieves, ortechno-wizards.

Things to Do: Help build the colonyitself, cope with disasters like meteorstrikes, create a new society, defendthe station against enemies or crimi-nals, enforce the law, or simply make money. Colonists may have tofight for independence, either fromEarth or from a home-grown tyrant.Generation ship barbarians can dis-cover the true nature of their world,and perhaps steer it to its destination.

Campaign Advantages: The GameMaster really needs to design just thespace habitat or ship, and can even get

players to help with the task if theircharacters are part of the colony con-struction team. The scale can be any-thing from a small space station to aBig Dumb Object (see p. 12).

Campaign Disadvantages: Theessentially stationary nature of a spacecolony may put off players who wantto go roving, and even a big habitatmay get to be “too small” for theheroes.

References: The Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space 9 televisionseries; the Mobile Suit Gundam animeseries; Colonies in Space by T.A.Heppenheimer.

Survivors and RefugeesSometimes instead of people going

to the frontier, the frontier comes tothem. In a space campaign this usual-ly means that the Galactic Empire orother interstellar society has fallenapart, leaving individual colonies tofend for themselves in a time of anar-chy. Sometimes the best course is toflee, and shiploads of refugees maywander through space looking for asafe haven from war or invasion.Survivor campaigns are the dark flipside of the dream of the frontier: anar-chy, chaos, and domination of theweak by the strong.

SPACE 13

Character Roles: Nearly anybody ona colony world can get caught up inthe collapse of civilization, but theburden will be heaviest on militarypersonnel (who might be part-timemilitia), lawmen, and administrators.Technicians become vitally importantin keeping civilization running.Among refugees, anyone who can fly aship or keep it running suddenlybecomes a key individual.

Things to Do: Fending off raidersand warlords seeking to take advan-tage of the chaos, trading for vital sup-plies with other worlds, salvagingimportant installations or ships, andrebuilding civilization. Space refugeesmay wind up explorers, looking for anew home – or fighting to get afoothold on an inhabited world. Somecharacters may embrace the chaos,deciding to turn raider themselves.

Campaign Advantages: Characterscan be people of importance and havea lasting impact on the game universe.Regression limits the effect of power-ful technology. Even nearby worldssuddenly are “unexplored territory.”

Campaign Disadvantages: Playersmay not like the reduced level of tech-nology or the more limited scope. Ifthe PCs can’t cope with a situation,there’s nobody to turn to for help.

References: Both BattlestarGalactica television series; IsaacAsimov’s Foundation books; The LongNight by Poul Anderson.

MILITARYCAMPAIGNS

It’s probably no surprise that themost popular SF movie franchise everwas called Star Wars. Military-orient-ed science fiction makes up a largechunk of the genre today and showsno sign of slowing.

Starship TroopersCharacters in a military cam-

paign might be infantry, battlesuittroopers, mechanized troops (tanks,

aircraft, mecha, etc.), or the crew ofa warship or space station. Theymay be employed by a government,or they may work for a mercenaryorganization.

Character Roles: Characters shouldbe part of the same organization – andusually the same unit. They shouldhave the skills within their group toperform their unit’s duties. Theymight be on the fighting end (in whichcase they will probably be enlistedmen and junior officers), or theymight be in command (senior officersand staff officers, with commands oftheir own).

Things to Do: In wartime, marineswill be “bug hunting” in their battle-suits, while spacers are repellingboarding parties on their starships.Fighter pilots will scramble when theyare given the signal, and officers willmake life-or-death decisions. If thecampaign is on the frontier, or if theinterstellar government is weak, fight-ing can continue in peacetime – espe-cially for mercenaries.

Campaign Advantages: Governmenttroops don’t have to buy their ownequipment. Since the PCs must answerto a higher command, the GM canmore easily direct the campaign.

Campaign Disadvantages: MilitaryPCs have a Duty to their organizationand its officers. Military regulationsmight be enforced. Unless the PCsinclude the captain of a crucial ship orstarbase, or the elite squad that alwaysperforms the crucial assault, their

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MercenariesA great many science-fiction military stories involve the exploits of

mercenaries – professional soldiers selling their services to various gov-ernments and corporations to fight wars on distant worlds.

Mercenaries don’t earn any money when they aren’t fighting, sothere will be plenty of action. Often their employers can’t quite affordoverwhelming force to throw against the foe, so the heroes face diffi-cult challenges. They get to operate in a wide variety of settings andenvironments.

Mercenary campaigns tend to be very episodic: the heroes gethired, do the job, and go on to the next contract. It’s hard to build upany kind of ongoing “metaplot” under those circumstances. If theenemy are “more numerous than we thought” or “surprisingly well-equipped” too often, the players will start to suspect the GM is stack-ing the deck. Mercs may get suckered into illegal or covert operationswhere betrayal is part of the mission.

Planetary RomancePlanetary romance is a very durable subtype of science fiction that

focuses on a single world, typically a large Earthlike planet (or a BigDumb Object, as on p. 12) with lots of exotic alien cultures on it.Notable examples include Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Martian” novels, L.Sprague De Camp’s “Krishna” stories, Jack Vance’s “Tschai” novels, andLeigh Brackett’s “Skaith” series. Planetary romance typically involves alow-technology setting, to allow for swordplay, pirate ships, gladiatorialbattles, and similar swashbuckling.

The emphasis is not on the biology or sociology of the alien planet,but rather on perils and adventures. The planet usually has human ornearly human inhabitants, to allow for beautiful maidens in need ofrescue.

Running a planetary romance campaign is relatively simple – justdrop the heroes onto an exotic world and then throw bandits andpirates and beautiful maidens and lost treasures at them while theysearch for a way to get home again. It does require substantial prepara-tion, as the world has to be worked out in some detail before the heroesarrive.

individual actions will seldom influ-ence entire battles and wars. If the GMisn’t careful, all the battles may start toseem the same.

References: Lois McMaster Bujold’s“Miles Vorkosigan” books; the FadedSun series by C.J. Cherryh; Hammer’sSlammers by David Drake; The ForeverWar by Joe Haldeman; StarshipTroopers by Robert A. Heinlein; SpaceViking by H. Beam Piper; the Cobraand Blackcollar books by TimothyZahn.

Ace PilotsThe fighter jock is the closest mod-

ern equivalent to the knight of fictionand legend: an elite warrior who bat-tles others like him in almost ritual-ized combats. George Lucas broughtthe space ace to the big screen in StarWars, drawing parallels between hotpilots of the future and samurai war-riors of the past.

Character Roles: Pilot campaignsusually center on a single squadron,either stationed at a base or flying offa carrier. If fighter craft can coverinterstellar distances on their own, thepilots could even be mercenaries orfreelancers offering their services athot spots all over the galaxy.

Things to Do: Adventures for spacepilots naturally center on space com-bat (though if they’re flying trans-formable mecha, the battles can justas easily be on the ground). They canalso have “shore leave” adventures inport, survive crash landings on dan-gerous planets, uncover enemy spies,break out of prison camps, do hostagerescues, infiltrate pirate crews, andother interesting things that don’trequire a fast fighter ship.

Campaign Advantages: PCs canhave super-hot fighting machineswithout being multi-billionaires.Pilots can see action in many differentenvironments. Individual pilots canactually affect the outcome of a battle.

Campaign Disadvantages: Gettingthe pilots out of their fighter craft maybe like pulling teeth. Characters maybe overshadowed by their high-techvehicles. Space battles may all startsounding alike after a while.

References: The Star Wars films;Battlestar Galactica; just about everyWorld War II air-battle movie evermade.

The Big ChairThe exploits of heroic starship

captains have a respectable historyin science fiction, dating back wellbefore Star Trek’s Captain Kirkbecame an icon for the whole genre.

Character Roles: Military vesselshave a strict chain of command, withthe captain exercising ultimateauthority and responsibility. Thereare several ways to give the otherplayers more to do, rather thanfocusing entirely on the captain.

First, just because naval vessels inEarth’s history had a single com-manding officer doesn’t mean star-ships a thousand years in the futuremust do the same. Conversely, thecaptain could be a non-player character, with each of the heroes asubordinate officer. This gives theGame Master the ability to “giveorders” from the Captain, but leaves the players with the task offinding ways to carry out thoseinstructions.

SPACE 15

The MarinesSpace navies can only control space. It still takes soldiers to conquer

a planet: the space Marines.Marines are assault troops, the ground arm of the navy. Their most

dangerous jobs come in wartime – boarding enemy vessels (if technol-ogy permits) and securing beachheads on hostile worlds. Marine con-tingents are assigned to all warships as security forces.

During peacetime Marines conduct war games, guard naval bases,train planetary militias, and perform “police actions” – commando raidsagainst pirate and criminal bases – in cooperation with the space patrol.In repressive societies, they also crush unrest and rebellion.

The toughest of the tough, Marines live up to their reputation incombat and off duty. They get the dirty jobs, and that’s the way they likeit. It isn’t smart to mess with Marines.

Adventuring Possibilities: The most likely place to encounter Marinesoutside of battle is in a starport town on leave. Former Marines makewell-prepared adventurers, and may know secrets from their militarydays.

Things to Do: A campaign center-ing on a starship captain and officersneed not be limited to just militaryoperations. In peacetime the ship cango exploring, assist colony projects,and carry diplomats on first-contactvoyages. During war they join in fleetactions, conduct raids against com-mercial or military outposts, andintercept enemy ships doing the samething.

Campaign Advantages: A militarystarship can be ordered into adven-ture scenarios by the high command(i.e. the GM). The characters have afair degree of independence within thelimits of their duty.

Campaign Disadvantages: It may behard to come up with enemies whocan threaten a powerful starship. Asalready noted, the captain charactermay wind up hogging the spotlight.

References: The Star Trek films,series, and novels; David Weber’s“Honor Harrington” novels; DavidDrake’s “Lieutenant Leary, RCN”series.

STOP INTHE NAMEOF THE LAW

A law enforcement campaign hasmany similarities to a military one,but offers more opportunities forsmall groups and players who preferinvestigation to broadsides.

Space PatrolA space patrol campaign puts the

PCs in a small starship, patrolling thespacelanes, enforcing interstellar law,and protecting civilians from humanand alien menaces alike.

Character Roles: Patrolmen (p. 25)or rangers, probably assigned to a shipor frontier space station. They shouldhave the skills to perform their duties;one may be the leader. Alternatively,the PCs could work for a peacekeepingforce or an interstellar diplomaticagency.

Things to Do: Aside from patrollinginterstellar borders and spacelanes,patrolmen are interstellar policemen,investigators, rescuers, and the all-around do-gooders of the galaxy. Ifthere are pirates to be fought, smug-glers to be tracked down, an alien

invasion to be blunted, a mystery tounlock, or a distress call to answer, thepatrol gets the call. In times of war, thepatrol and the rangers are called toduty – whether on covert missionsbehind enemy lines, escorting con-voys, or serving as light combat forces.

Campaign Advantages: The patrol isa powerful Patron, providing equip-ment and a ship. Patrolmen also havea great range of adventures. Thismakes a wonderful “space opera”background.

Campaign Disadvantages: PatrolPCs have a Duty to their organizationand its officers – and, depending onthe campaign, they might operateunder tight supervision. The patrolrepresents interstellar law; it can’t goaround shooting indiscriminately.Patrolmen often have the privilege ofdying in the line of duty.

References: Archetypal patrols canbe found in the “Lensman” series byE.E. Smith and in Andre Norton’s SFnovels. A more recent example is the

16 SPACE

The RebellionFor a different sort of military campaign, the players can run char-

acters who are fighting a war of rebellion against a (presumably) tyran-nical regime. The most famous rebels in SF are the Rebel Alliance ofStar Wars, but there are many others, often based on the patriots ofAmerican Revolution or the Resistance during World War II.

Rebellion campaigns offer considerably more flexibility and independence of action than a conventional military campaign.Rebels seldom have a very tight chain of command, and can’t besticklers for discipline and regulations.

A rebellion campaign also has a nice progression in scale. As theheroes score more victories, the rebel side grows in power and the bat-tles can be for higher stakes. Heroes can start out fighting to survive,then take down some small or isolated government outposts, graduateto major offensives, and finally carry the war to the tyrant’s strongholditself!

The biggest problem faced by rebel characters is supplies. Unlessthere is a friendly government beyond the border furnishing ships andammunition, the rebels must steal what they need, and carefully hoardwhat they have.

References: The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert A. Heinlein;later seasons of Babylon 5; David Brin’s The Uplift War.

The RangersThe Rangers (or Star Rangers) are a paramilitary force trained in

survival, rescue, and combat on hazardous or untamed planets. Theyare practiced outdoorsmen and survival experts. Rangers may also actas “marshals” on new colonies, keeping law and order until the societybecomes self-governing.

They are often called upon to guard (or rescue) scout expeditions,and sometimes to join space patrol missions. There is grudging mutualrespect between the tough, free-swinging rangers and the spit-and-pol-ish patrolmen. In some settings the ranger service may be an arm of thepatrol.

Adventuring Possibilities: On the frontier, rangers are the only lawenforcers. PCs might find themselves deputized by the local ranger inan emergency. Ranger PCs can be a lot of fun if the campaign sticks tothe ranger’s assigned territory, and an all-ranger campaign is possible.

rangers of Babylon 5. A “peacetime”space navy may find itself performingpatrol-type functions, even if notspecifically a law-enforcement body.

CriminalsInstead of enforcing the law, the

player characters may be in the business of breaking it. They may befreelancers, or part of a criminalorganization. They may even be“deniable assets” of a spy agency ormegacorporation.

Character Roles: Space operacrooks were typically smugglers orspace pirates, cyberpunk criminals aretypically data thieves or assassins-for-hire, and there have always been high-tech thieves, clever con men, and sin-ister gangsters in science fiction.

Things to Do: Plan and executeelaborate heist capers, evade theforces of the law, battle rival crooks, ormaybe even try to do somethingdecent once in a while.

Campaign Advantages: Players witha lot of initiative can come up withtheir own criminal schemes, reducingthe Game Master’s workload. Therecan be plenty of action and opportuni-ties for roleplaying in a criminal caper.

Campaign Disadvantages: Thecharacters face very formidable oppo-sition, not only from the police butfrom rival crooks as well, and theyhave nobody to rely on but them-selves. A life of crime involves a lot offrankly ugly behavior, which players

and GMs alike may find distasteful.After a really big score, the charactersmay wish to retire and enjoy theirspoils.

References: Science-fiction super-crooks include Harry Harrison’sSlippery Jim DiGriz and the narratorof Samuel R. DeLany’s “TimeConsidered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones.” Pretty much all the

characters in Neuromancer and otherworks by William Gibson are crooksof one kind or another.

MEDIA ANDPOLITICS

Humans are social animals. Wenaturally form groups. Who gets torun those groups, how those groupsinteract with each other, and how thegroups make decisions are alwaysinteresting subjects, as are the peoplewho report on them.

Political SFScience fiction has always had a

political component. Many writershave used alien or future civilizationsto comment on contemporary Earth.Others have explored different ideasabout political power and govern-ment. Some authors have focused onthose involved in the political process,while others simply show their effecton the lives of ordinary people.Politics between large states is theprocess of diplomacy, which canshade into exploration and first-contact stories.

SPACE 17

Bounty HuntersNo disintegrations!

– Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back

If the players don’t enjoy the regimentation and rigidity of runningspace patrol characters but still want to chase galactic bad guys, theycan be bounty hunters, freelance law enforcement agents tracking badguys for money. Mike Resnick chronicled the exploits of space bountyhunters in his novel Santiago, as well as the “Widowmaker” series.

For the GM, a bounty hunter campaign has much to recommend it.The heroes don’t have a vast organization to help them, but they are ulti-mately on the side of law and order. Bounty offers are perfect adventurehooks, and fugitive crooks can lead their hunters into all sorts of exoticworlds and bizarre situations. There’s a satisfying action level, but boun-ty hunters who bring in smoldering piles of ash too often will suffer con-sequences.

Space PiratesIn science fiction, space pirates are a venerable tradition dating back

to the pulp era. Unless the players like to run characters who are greedypsychopaths, a space pirate campaign should probably make use of theromantic “rogue with a heart of gold” image familiar from swashbuck-ling fiction. The pirates only rob ships belonging to bad guys – theGalactic Tyrant, the Evil Corporation, or the nasty aliens.

Space piracy is usually restricted to highly cinematic space operacampaigns. But if everyone can agree to suspend their disbelief, spacepirate adventures can use all the brightly colored trappings of pirate fic-tion: buried treasures, revenge, duels, rescues, walking the plank out theairlock, and lots of swinging around on ropes. To give it the real ErrolFlynn feel, make “energy swords” or “vibroblades” the weapon of choiceand limit the plasma cannons to point-blank range.

Where piracy, military campaigns, and trading meet is the privateercampaign, in which the adventurers are not part of a military force, buthave been given a license (traditionally known as a “letter of marque”)to attack enemy shipping. Essentially, they are allowed to act like piratesas long as they confine their piracy to a specific enemy. They can usefriendly ports quite openly, and sometimes even get some help from reg-ular military forces. However, they have to be very careful about choos-ing legal targets, and their license only lasts as long as the war.Privateers are basically self-employed mercenaries, and so privateeradventures can be worked into an ongoing mercenary campaign.

Character Roles: Charactersinvolved in politics can be profes-sional bureaucrats, aristocrats, elect-ed legislators, or regular folks whoare “mad as hell” about some issue.They can also be members of anopposition group or even a secretconspiracy.

Things to Do: Bureaucrats canengage in office empire building, orget sent out to act as troubleshooterswhen crises loom. Elected officialscan run political campaigns, outma-neuver opponents in debate, and cutdeals. Diplomats may try to preventwars or establish relations with aliencivilizations. Activists struggle toexpose corruption and fight oppres-sion. Aristocrats may wind up doingall those things in between lavishcourt balls and assassinationattempts.

Campaign Advantages: Playerswho enjoy lots of roleplaying willtake to political games, but there’sstill plenty of action opportunities inthe form of assassinations, “blackbag jobs” and election-day brawls.Characters can really affect the gameworld with their decisions. The cam-paign doesn’t move around much, sothe GM can develop one setting indepth.

Campaign Disadvantages: TheGame Master has to keep track of alot of NPCs and factions. Politicaldifferences among the players maysurface in the game and cause end-less arguments. Some players may befrustrated by the need for restraint.The very importance of the charac-ters means that their mistakes can becatastrophic.

References: Robert Heinlein wroteseveral novels involving politicalmaneuverings, including The MoonIs a Harsh Mistress, Double Star, andRevolt in 2100. Norman Spinrad,Kim Stanley Robinson, and BruceSterling are also interested in politi-cal themes. Alastair Reynolds’Revelation Space and its sequelscombine space opera and politicalmaneuvering. George Orwell’s depic-tion of a communist dictatorship inBritain in 1984 is probably the mostfamous SF dystopia. Utopias includeL. Neil Smith’s libertarian alternateuniverse of The Probability Broach,and Iain M. Banks’ “Culture” setting.

The Pen Is MightierThan the Blaster

With the computer revolution ofthe 1980s and the birth of the “infor-mation age,” the power of the mediaand the importance of how informa-tion is presented became a majortheme in science fiction. Cyberpunkfiction is all about information andvirtual reality, and even the most rivet-studded hard SF now must at leastacknowledge the importance of infor-mation networks. The Traveller role-playing game uses the “Traveller NewsService” as a way to disseminateadventure hooks, red herrings, andinformation about the setting.

Character Roles: Freelance journal-ists have the flexibility to chaseobscure leads, but reporters for amajor news service have betterresources. The people behind the cam-era – cameramen, producers, techni-cians, fixers, and bodyguards – arealmost as important as the reportersthemselves.

Things to Do: Journalism naturallylends itself to a game of investigation,so the Game Master can come up withsome sinister conspiracy or govern-ment cover-up and then let the PCsuncover it. In oppressive societies,reporters may risk their lives to

present the truth. Travel writers combine journalism and exploration.

Campaign Advantages: The charac-ters are investigating and exploring –getting into adventures, in otherwords. They don’t have official statusor heavy firepower, so getting out ofthose adventures requires clevernessand courage. Breaking an importantstory can give the PCs real influence.

Campaign Disadvantages: The GMhas to dangle lots of adventure hooksfor his PCs to follow, and they may gochasing after red herrings. Charactersmay not be well prepared for danger.

References: John Barnes’ novelMother of Storms; Norman Spinrad’sBug Jack Barron; William Gibson’sPattern Recognition.

Agents of TerraThe espionage campaign focuses

on intrigue, covert operations, anddouble-dealing among the stars.

Character Roles: The PCs must bedeadly and capable. They may be

suave and sophisticated, or they maylook and act like interstellar scum – itdoesn’t matter as long as they canwork undercover and kill efficientlywhen necessary. They might also be“specialists,” brought in when neededfor specific assignments.

18 SPACE

PCs don’t have to be traditional“secret agents” – they might work fornaval intelligence, the Patrol’s covertoffice, a corporation’s industrial intel-ligence bureau, or an obscure regula-tory or law-enforcement agency. Theymight even work for the Other Side.Or they may be private operatives.

Things to Do: Spies work to pre-serve their organization and to crippleor destroy hostile spy networks. Theyinfiltrate criminal or enemy organiza-tions while eliminating moles anddouble agents in their own outfit.Important people and vital secretsmust often be rescued, kidnapped orstolen. Most importantly, spies mustdiscover and stop the latest insidiousplot to take over the universe – and thegalactic Illuminati are everywhere.

Campaign Advantages: Spy agen-cies are often Patrons, providing spe-cialized and expensive equipment.Friendly law-enforcement organiza-tions may be cooperative (or jealous,or traitorous). Except when on assign-ment, PCs will usually be free to dowhat they wish. Many agents are paidwell. This campaign works well for asmall group.

Campaign Disadvantages: Spieshave a Duty to their Patron, and willoften be sent on dangerous missions.Both the individual PC and his Patronwill have Enemies. There is also a lotof double-dealing – PCs might be senton suicide missions, fingered byinformers, or targeted by opposingassassins.

References: The “Flandry of Terra”novels by Poul Anderson; Iain Banks’“Culture” novels; the “Stainless SteelRat” series by Harry Harrison; Keith

Laumer’s “Retief” stories; and EricFrank Russell’s Wasp. Cyberpunk SFturned spies into corporate agents instories like William Gibson’s CountZero.

WORKING STIFFSThe future won’t be devoted

entirely to covert operations, gunplay,and larceny. Just earning an honestliving can be exciting enough if thejob takes you to new worlds.Campaigns designed around ordi-nary careers can provide ampleopportunity for adventure.

Selling the Moon –Wholesale

The characters are merchants –free traders or employees of a mer-chant company. Profit is the name ofthe game.

Character Roles: PCs are merchantship crew members. Some shouldhave mercantile and shipboard skills;a few ex-military types might behandy.

Things to Do: This campaign isabout getting cargo from origin todestination – despite the hazards oftravel, competitors, and alien men-aces. An added dimension comes ifthe merchants must develop theirown markets: evaluating new worldsfor profit potential, making deals withalien civilizations, finding new cargoand ways to sell it. They can ride thecoattails of survey vessels – or evenexplore on their own. Variety cancome from special charter runs orunusual passengers.

Campaign Advantages: If a mer-chant makes money, he may feel thatthe ends justify the means – playerswho can’t do things “by the book” mayenjoy this campaign. Free traders havemany options on where to go andwhat to do, while company men maybe allowed to break regulations if theyturn a profit. Company men have aPatron in their employer.

Campaign Disadvantages: Freetraders are on their own when itcomes to equipment and a starship.They will constantly have to keep aneye on their finances and will be in bigtrouble if they run out of money.(Impoverished traders may try to skipout on their payments and go criminal. . . becoming pirates.) Companymen may be restricted by regulations,specified trade runs, and other formsof corporate control.

References: Poul Anderson’s “VanRijn/Falkayn” stories; A. BertramChandler’s “Commodore Grimes”series; C.J. Cherryh’s “Chanur” and“Merchanter” series; Robert A.Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy; AndreNorton’s “Solar Queen” novels;Cascade Point by Timothy Zahn.

ProspectingIndependent-minded asteroid min-

ers began showing up in SF in the1940s, and soon became a staple. TheBelt is another potential “new fron-tier” where people can make a freshstart. SF prospectors tend to seek exot-ic things: radioactives, magneticmonopoles, alien artifacts, quantumblack holes, helium III, or chunks ofantimatter.

Character Roles: Other thanprospectors, likely characters for anasteroid-mining campaign includeexplorers (to locate resource-richrocks), pilots, technicians, scientists(especially when the prospectors aredigging up artifacts or black holes),merchants (to sell the stuff), and pos-sibly some well-armed guards to wardoff claim-jumpers.

Things to Do: Actually finding stuffand digging it up isn’t especially inter-esting, even if the job is difficult anddangerous. Adventures come whenthe prospectors find somethingunusual, or face claim-jumpers, orstumble across a hidden rebel base.

SPACE 19

Heroic Bureaucrats?Not every hero packs a blaster or flies a starship. Campaigns can be

built around characters in some fairly unlikely jobs. Low-level corporatemanagers or government bureaucrats may get sent to a remote frontierworld to deal with a problem, only to find it’s a much bigger and dead-lier problem than they were led to expect. Officials within seeminglymundane agencies like the Interstellar Trade Commission (p. 24) or thePostal Authority (p. 25) can get involved in scams, conspiracies, or plotsby hostile powers. If the essence of drama is characters under stress,then a very dramatic campaign can result when the characters aren’theroic warriors or skilled agents, but unprepared desk jockeys forced torise to the occasion. Isn’t that what being a hero really means?

Campaign Advantages: Prospectorshave a lot of autonomy, and the cam-paign can have lots of gritty hard-SFdetails. Dangerous work and roughcompany can provide action, but it’slikely to be small-scale conflict suit-able for a group of PCs.

Campaign Disadvantages: TheGame Master needs to work up a starsystem in some detail if the charactersare going to spend time searching forwealth. Characters without their ownship will be at the mercy of whatevermining company controls the bestrocks. Game Masters have to makesure the characters can make a living,by adjusting the chance of findingsomething of value and setting themarket price accordingly.

References: Larry Niven’s “KnownSpace” stories; Poul Anderson’s Talesof the Flying Mountains.

THE ABSURDISTCAMPAIGN

If life on Earth is incomprehensibleand sometimes blackly comic, howmuch worse might a galactic empirebe? Absurdist SF is often satirical, butan absurdist space campaign is usual-ly an excuse for straightforwardhumor, from simple silliness to moresubtly bizarre.

Character Roles: Innocents abroad– possibly highly capable on their ownworld, but in galactic society they arebut motes caught up in chaos, noteven able to go to the male mam-malian biped’s room without a guide-book. The being with an angle – some-one who (thinks it) sees a profit to bemade from the situation. Charactersfrom other campaign types, twisted tosuit.

Things to Do: Get home; rebuildhome; buy a nice quiet planet; find outwho’s behind it all; make a documen-tary; become emperor; find a decentcup of coffee; try to avoid trouble.

Campaign Advantages: Can go any-where and take inspiration from any-thing (following classic clichés toabsurd conclusions). The GM canrewrite galactic history and assign TLsto suit himself. Characters rarely die,except absurdly.

Campaign Disadvantages: Can goanywhere. Needs players and GMwilling to improvise and not take any

of it too seriously. Boring if drawn out, so best used as light reliefbetween episodes of a serious campaign.

References: Douglas Adams’ TheHitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; HarryHarrison’s Bill, The Galactic Hero;Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books, TheDark Side of the Sun, and Strata;almost anything by Robert Sheckleyor Jack Vance; Lost in Space; RedDwarf; the campiest episodes of StarTrek and Dr Who.

20 SPACE

Heroic EngineeringScience fiction is defined as stories about or involving science and

technology, and so it’s natural that a very old subgenre concentrates onstories about people engaged in large technology projects. This wasonce a central part of SF, but was gradually shoved aside by moreadventure-oriented fiction. But it never died out completely. Stories ofheroic engineering include Arthur C. Clarke’s The Fountains of Paradise,about the construction of a space elevator, and parts of Kim StanleyRobinson’s “Green Mars” series about terraforming Mars. In heroicengineering stories, the actual process of doing the job and overcomingthe technical challenges are major themes rather than just backgroundfor drama.

In a GURPS Space adventure, heroic engineering can be an inter-esting alternative to blaster fights and space marketing. Tasks likedesigning a new starship or completing a space colony can be quitefascinating, even if they don’t involve as much adrenaline.Engineering adventures do require players who are interested in com-ing up with their own equipment designs, using the rules for NewInventions (p. B473) or Gadgeteering (p. B475).

The Game Master can complicate matters with hidden flaws, indus-trial spies among the labor crew, sinister forces intent on stopping theproject, and unforeseen expenses. Those problems can generate blasterfights and hovercraft chases to keep the non-engineer characters busy.However, it may be necessary for the Game Master and some players todo the actual design evaluation and skill rolls via e-mail rather than dur-ing game sessions, if other players are easily bored.

ConstructionYou don’t get much more blue-collar than construction work, even

if it’s a thousand miles up in orbit. All those orbital stations, star-ships, space colonies, and whatnot don’t build themselves (unless it’sa game setting with advanced biotech and living spaceships, ofcourse). The crews who do the work of building them can get into allkinds of interesting trouble.

As with prospecting, the work itself may be only a backdrop. The realfun comes when the workers face labor racketeers or corporate thugs,or when the colony they’re working on suddenly declares itself inde-pendent and gets into a shooting war, or when it turns out someone onthe shift is part of a smuggling ring. If the project includes asteroid min-ing for raw materials, then the work crews may spend part of their timeas prospectors, which adds all those adventure possibilities.

ALIENSNothing affects the flavor of a sci-

ence-fiction campaign as much as thepresence (or absence) of alien races.There can be one alien species in acampaign, a handful, or a great many,and their roles can range from subju-gated to overlords. Chapter 6 containsdetailed rules for creating alienbeings.

ALONE INTHE COSMOS

There is only one sentient species,and all characters must belong to it.Widely variant forms are still possible,however. A human-only cosmos canstill be diverse and exciting – especial-ly if bioengineering is common! Manystories of galactic sweep, such asHerbert’s Dune books and Asimov’sFoundation series, have included noaliens. In Iain M. Banks’ “Culture”series, humanoids from differentworlds have merged into a single“race” through bioengineering andcultural assimilation.

THE GALACTICCLUB

There are only a handful of star-traveling life forms. Almost anyonewill recognize each type of alien andknow the important facts about it.This arrangement has the advantage

that the GM can develop each alienspecies in some depth, and the playerswon’t have any trouble rememberingwhich is which. Larry Niven’s “KnownSpace” series has only about ten alienspecies.

ALIENSEVERYWHERE!

There are many intelligent speciesin the universe. Unless one is domi-nant or exotic, only those with AreaKnowledge of its region of space willrecognize it on sight. The variousaliens mingle, and there may be trueinterspecies civilizations. David Brin’s“Uplift” series has many aliens, andthe Star Wars universe suggests a greatvariety of intelligent beings. Alienspecies in a multispecies setting canbe categorized as:

DominantOne or more species may dominate

others; their power may be military(conquerors or peace keepers) or eco-nomic (manufacturers, traders, orexplorers). Dominant alien civiliza-tions are well known near theirregions of space. The opposite is sub-ordinate species that are dominated byothers. Humans are often a dominantspecies in fiction, as in the Star Warsfilms.

CommonA race that is older, fast-breeding,

or aggressive in exploration may beencountered often. Such races are alsowell-known in their localities, regard-less of dominance. The opposite israre; such races may be new to inter-stellar civilization, secretive, or slow-breeding. In James Blish’s Cities inFlight series, humans are common butdon’t dominate other species.

ExoticRaces may be well-known because

they have odd customs, bizarre repu-tations, unusual biology, or control ofa particular technology. In Dr.Who theGallifreyan Time Lords are knownthroughout the galaxy for their mas-tery of time, even though they seldomleave their citadel.

AdvancedSome races might have a higher TL

than the rest of the campaign – possi-bly even so advanced as to seem likegods compared to everyone else. Theymay use their power to help “lesser”civilizations, or to conquer andoppress them! The opposite is primi-tive, a race that is technologicallybackward. In the Babylon 5 televisionseries, the Vorlons are known to bevastly more advanced than other civilizations.

SPACE 21

Who Needs Starships?While flying from world to world aboard a sleek star-

ship is the most common image in science fiction, somesettings use other means of traveling from planet toplanet. Robert Heinlein’s Tunnel in the Sky shows explor-ers venturing to other worlds through teleport gates.Dan Simmons’ Hyperion series makes it even easier –people can have houses with rooms on different planets!The Stargate film and television series used a similaridea.

Getting rid of spaceships makes the setting muchmore convenient for heroes who aren’t rich enough toafford their own ship, or to buy passage frequently. This

doesn’t completely eliminate the need for brave pilots,since many settings require somebody to go out and findplaces to put gates. (The Heinlein novel avoids this byletting the gate projectors probe out for new locations,and Stargate assumes a pre-existing network.)

Interstellar gates are quick and easy to use. Howexpensive they are depends on how much energy theyconsume and how hard they are to build. If the cost islow, then every place in the galaxy is “next door” and civ-ilization will function as a single giant city. A high costlimits private trade and travel, but military forces canstill deploy instantly to meet threats.

PrecursorMany SF novels have been written

around the mysterious “Precursor” or“Forerunner” races: once-great civi-lizations that have disappeared, leav-ing only puzzling ruins and artifactsbehind. In the Traveller universe, themysterious “Ancients” even trans-planted Earth life across a vast regionof space, so that hundreds of planetshave native humans.

SubraceA race may include several sub-

species or offshoots. These may existwithin a single society, perhaps with a

caste system. Separate societies ofsubspecies might also exist; perhapsthey separated millennia ago. In JackVance’s “Tschai” series there are BlueChasch, Green Chasch, and OldChasch, all different branches of thesame original species and all mutuallyhostile.

DescendantA popular theme in SF literature is

the “fallen race” descended from aonce-mighty civilization. Or spacemight contain several subraces, alldescended from the originalPrecursors (or the splintered First

Human Empire). The decadentMartians of Edgar Rice Burroughs’books are an example.

UnknownThe GM may create one or more

alien species – potentially friendly orhostile – that are unknown to interstel-lar society at the start of the cam-paign. Usually unknown aliens livebeyond the edge of explored space, butin Niven and Pournelle’s The Mote inGod’s Eye the Motie home system iswithin the human empire, isolated bya quirk of interstellar geography.

22 SPACE

SOCIETIESHaving decided what kind of cam-

paign it is, the Game Master needs topick a society that supports that kindof adventure. SF literature describesdozens of different kinds of interstel-lar societies. The most importantthings about an interstellar civiliza-tion are size and political type.

Size is largely determined by thespeed of FTL travel and communica-tions, which will be discussed in detailin Chapter 2. In general, the faster theships can travel, the larger a coherentinterstellar nation can be. Central con-trol is difficult when the borders aremore than a month’s travel from thecapital.

The most common political typesare the alliance, federation, corporatestate, and empire, as outlined belowand explored in more detail in Chapter7. These can vary greatly. Look at thedifferences between the empire inIsaac Asimov’s Foundation series andthat in Star Wars, or the federations inStar Trek and Andre Norton’s “SolarQueen” books.

Designing your interstellar govern-ment(s) is a great creative exercise,and shapes your whole campaign.

ANARCHYAnarchy is a state that isn’t a state

at all. There is no government, at leastnot in the sense we know it today.Interstellar anarchies come in threemain types. “Patchwork states” aresimply a large number of independent

worlds with no interstellar organiza-tion at all. This mimics the situation inthe modern world, just on a vastlylarger scale. “Failed states” are theresult of a catastrophic collapse of theinterstellar government, leaving apower vacuum that attracts warlords,bandits, and extremists. The third typeis “anarchist utopias” – stable anar-chies deliberately set up as states with-out a government. These can be quitelarge, even galactic in scale, but recog-nize no sovereignty above the level ofindividual beings. Iain M. Banks’“Culture” is an anarchist utopia.

Effects on the CampaignAnarchies allow the maximum of

freedom for PCs – and for villains aswell. In a patchwork situation, thecharacters may be merchants or trav-elers who have to cope with very dif-ferent social conditions on each plan-et. In a failed state, they may be work-ing to restore order (or carve out theirown empires). Anarchist utopias areoften “good guy” societies that mustbe protected.

THE ALLIANCEAn alliance is a group of

autonomous worlds. Its key feature isthat its members are genuinely self-governing. The alliance controls onlyinterstellar policy – primarily defensepolicy and foreign relations – and notany member’s domestic affairs.

Citizens have no direct influence onan alliance, but they can influencetheir world government, which is rep-resented on the Alliance Council.There may be a small allied navy orspace patrol.

H. Beam Piper’s Sword-Worldsformed an alliance (the individualworlds had feudal governments). Thehuman worlds of Larry Niven’s“Known Space” series might be con-sidered a very loose alliance, at least inwartime.

Effects on the CampaignCitizens of an alliance are free to

do almost anything – even explorationis unregulated. Unless they violate oneof the few alliance laws, they have lit-tle to fear from the patrol. Anotherbenefit of adventuring in an alliance isits potential variety. Any sort of gov-ernment or society can exist on amember world, as long as the world isreasonably stable in its dealings withother planets. However, this allowsmore chances for PCs to run intounexpected laws and taboos. And ifthey get in trouble on a memberworld, they can expect little help – thepatrol has no jurisdiction (if it evenexists).

Resourceful types who are waryaround repressive societies and whoaren’t averse to world hopping whenit’s time to run may do quite well in analliance.

THE FEDERATIONFederations and alliances share

many features, but they differ inbasic philosophy. In an alliance, theindividual member worlds dominatethe central government. In a federa-tion, the opposite is true – the centralgovernment takes precedence over itscomponent worlds. Federations usu-ally take the form of republicandemocracies – that is, citizens electthe Federation President and localrepresentatives to a FederationCongress. The typical federation isfree but bureaucratic.

Federations are the ruling bodies in the Star Trek universe andAlan Dean Foster’s HumanxCommonwealth.

Effects on the CampaignCampaigns set in a federation offer

less freedom for those who play fastand loose with the law. Law-abidingtypes may find it the safest place of all– if they are federation citizens. PCswho run afoul of extremist planetarysocieties might find aid at the nearest

Patrol office, unless the laws theybroke meet Federation standards, inwhich case they may be turned over tolocal authorities.

THE CORPORATESTATE

This is a society run by big business– a huge corporation that controlsentire worlds, with a monopoly oncommerce among them. Leadership isvested in a Board of Directors and aChief Executive Officer (CEO).

Dictatorial corporate states aredepicted in F.M. Busby’s “Star Rebel”stories and (on one world) in Sten, by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch. PoulAnderson’s Polesotechnic League is an alliance of (usually) fair and well-managed corporate states.

Effects on the CampaignCorporate societies can be danger-

ous; corporate security is watching allthe time. The PCs might be securitystaff . . . or “evil” unionists! Goodemployees will keep their eyes onbusiness, their shoulders to the wheel,

and their noses to the grindstone –while watching their backs.

THE EMPIREAn autocracy is a state in which

one person is the final authority. Suchstates usually clothe themselves in thetrappings of religion, feudalism, mili-tarism . . . or all three. Fifty years ofscience fiction have popularized theterm “empire” for this sort of struc-ture, and we’ll follow suit (but seeEmpire, p. 197).

Theoretically, all power comesfrom the autocrat, or emperor – onlyby his grace does any lesser authorityexist within the domain. Empires arenot necessarily evil, or even totalitari-an. An empire may be ruled by wise,fair people.

Empires are so common in sciencefiction that they’re trite. Most (that ofStar Wars, for instance) are dictatorial.Jerry Pournelle’s CoDominium isheartless and bureaucratic. But theEmpire of Man in The Mote in God’sEye and the Imperium of Traveller arebasically benevolent.

SPACE 23

Effects on the Campaign

If the empire is perceived as cor-rupt, players will enjoy getting awaywith whatever they can. If the empireis firm but fair (it can certainly hap-pen!) there will be honor to be won inits service.

ALIENGOVERNMENTS

Alien civilizations may have gov-ernments unlike any ever tried byhumans. They could have a vasthive-mind, or be ruled by super-computers. Government and powerrelations might be based on instinct,or on ruthlessly logical principles.Chapter 7 includes several ideas for completely alien systems of government.

Effects on the CampaignAn alien government type often

presents a mystery to explorers ordiplomats attempting to establishpeaceful contact. A whole mini-cam-paign could be built on simply figuring

out who’s in charge in order to startnegotiations. Humans living under therule of aliens may find their laws nonsensical or just plain weird; aliensvisiting human space may be equallyperplexed.

24 SPACE

Adventures Beyond Society

Not all adventures require much of a social context. Characters whoare completely isolated or who are far beyond the reach of civilizationare effectively their own society. The astronauts in Alien or the crashsurvivors in Pitch Black have no contact with their home societies any-way. In settings like those, the GM can just sketch in the social back-ground very roughly (“you’re a thousand light years beyond theImperial border”). It is useful to know a little about the civilization thePCs are currently isolated from, if only to avoid players spending pointson noble titles when the culture is egalitarian.

Any society will contain a numberof important interstellar organiza-tions, which make good buildingblocks for a campaign. Some organi-zations will be restricted to a singlenation; others may extend through allof space. Organizations will includelots of NPCs – bosses, hirelings, foes,and spear-carriers. Most organizationsmake appropriate Patrons (or at leastemployers) for PCs, but membershipmay also carry responsibilities – Duty,Sense of Duty, or both.

GOVERNMENTORGANIZATIONS

Interstellar governments havemany branches. Their official namesshould suit the society; for instance,the patrol might be known as theAlliance Patrol, the Imperial Patrol,the Interstellar Police, or somethingcompletely different like “theFederation Bureau of Investigation.”

Diplomatic CorpsDiplomats negotiate with other

planets or interstellar governments.They may also act as first-contact spe-cialists, either in partnership with thescouts (see p. 26) or as rivals to them.

Diplomats in fiction are often morededicated to the “process” of diploma-cy than actual results, because goalschange with every shift in governmentbut protocol is eternal. All govern-ments use diplomats as information-gatherers, and as agents of social andpolitical influence.

Adventuring possibilities: Diplomaticmissions provide cover for spies.Diplomats may resolve an interstellarcrisis peacefully – or be duped intoignoring enemy aggression until it’salmost too late. PCs can be diplomatsstationed in an alien capital, or roving“firefighters” moving from one crisispoint to the next.

Interstellar TradeCommission

The ITC sets tariffs, duties, taxes,rules, and regulations for all merchantships, both corporate and independ-ent. All traders must be licensed by theITC in order to conduct commercewithin the nation. The commissionmay be charged with preventingmonopolies in trade, especially by larg-er corporations, sometimes allyingwith the Special Justice Group (p. 204)for this purpose. ITC agents operatethe customs stations at all starports,

and cooperate with the Patrol (p. 25)against interstellar smuggling.

Adventuring possibilities: Indepen-dent traders hate the ITC for its red-tape regulations and love it for theway it keeps big merchant outfits fromputting them out of business.Corporations simply hate it. Everyonewill suffer the indignities of goingthrough customs. A shipful of ITCinspectors can poke their noses almostanywhere, making for a free-swingingcampaign.

Mercenary Regulatory Agency

If mercenaries are a big part ofinterstellar society, an organizationlike this may exist to set policies anddirectives for mercenary companies.Those that comply will receive licens-es. Those that refuse must disband orleave – or face the Marines.

Regulatory agencies determinewhich weapons mercenary armies canuse – typically banning biological andnuclear arms, at least on inhabitedworlds. Unfair technological advan-tages are sometimes outlawed as well– merc companies may have to useweapons of the same TL as the worldon which battle occurs. Some latitude

INTERSTELLAR ORGANIZATIONS

may be allowed; outnumbered forcesmay be allowed a technological edge,for instance. See Andre Norton’s “Star Guard” and Jerry Pournelle’s“CoDominium” stories.

Adventuring possibilities: The MRAis a natural opponent for merc outfits,whether on the trail of lawbreakingcompanies or acting as a nuisance forlaw-abiding ones. In a non-merc cam-paign, adventurers may contact theMRA to demand action after beingharassed by mercs – or the MRA maycontact them if they tried to hiremercs for a questionable job.

NavyThe space navy is the primary

interstellar military force, defendingagainst (or attacking) rival nations.During wartime, the navy’s job is todefend the borders and vital inner sys-tems while depriving the enemy of hisability to wage war. Between wars, thenavy maintains readiness. The fleetmay also pay “goodwill” visits toneighboring stellar states to stave offwar by impressing potential foes.

Adventuring possibilities: In mostnon-military campaigns the navy isthe background threat – the interven-tion so awful no one risks it. Piratesand criminals avoid fighting the navy.On the other hand, in a turbulent fron-tier region, the navy is often the onlyauthority for light years around.Playing the captain and commandofficers of a major warship or starbaseassigned to an interesting sector ofspace can give great scope for playerswho want to make a difference.

Office of Colonial Affairs

The Office of Colonial Affairs over-sees colony ventures and regulates theconstruction of colony ships. It maycontrol new colonies until they areself-sustaining, appointing all admin-istrators and governors. It may alsowork with the Ministry of Prisons toget involuntary colonists for harsh,mineral-rich worlds.

Adventuring possibilities: Forcolonist PCs, a friendly OCA may betheir greatest ally . . . and a corruptone will be their worst enemy. An OCAinspection team will encounter inter-esting situations.

PatrolThe primary responsibility of the

patrol is to police space. Peacetimeduties include rescue work, escort forcolony ships, routine space patrols,anti-piracy and anti-smuggling opera-tions, starbase regulation and inspec-tion, blockading restricted worlds, andperhaps mundane police duties onsmall colonies or space stations thatlack their own local police force.

Patrol forces operate under navalcommand during wartime. In a youngor loosely knit society, or one with noknown foreign enemies, there may beno navy – in this case, the patrol per-forms both military defense and lawenforcement.

Adventuring possibilities: Everyoneencounters the patrol, whether theyrun to it or from it when they’re introuble. Patrol PCs will never lack foradventure.

Postal AuthorityThe Postal Authority is responsible

for interstellar communications,which means its role varies dependingon available technology. If faster-than-light radio is possible, the PostalAuthority operates interstellar trans-mitters. If only ships can travelbetween the stars, then the Authorityruns couriers or farms out mail con-tracts to merchants. However they doit, the Postal Authority’s people knowthat communication is civilization.

Adventuring possibilities: Characterscould be courier-ship pilots or privatetraders with a mail contract. Congames and conspiracies might centeraround interfering with interstellar

communications. A misrouted mes-sage or parcel could be the trigger forjust about any adventure scenario.

Security and Intelligence Agency

This shadowy, covert group is thenational espionage and counterespi-onage arm. Agents are trained in intel-ligence gathering, overt and covert, aswell as the “tricks of the trade,” includ-ing infiltration, misinformation, codebreaking, social manipulation, andassassination. Counterespionageagents are responsible for identifyingand neutralizing agents of foreign gov-ernments. There will usually be sever-al different agencies, often with mis-leading names, who spend a great dealof their time spying on each other!

Under a repressive society, intelli-gence agencies will spy on citizenswhile sending agents provocateurs tofoment unrest in rival nations. Looselyknit societies may have no intelligencearm, but their member states might.In some societies, this may mergewith the survey service and be respon-sible for covertly infiltrating alien orforeign societies, either to learn moreabout them or to alter their societiesto make them ripe for assimilation orconquest.

Adventuring possibilities: Charactersmight find themselves on an intelli-gence mission – as unsuspectingdupes or working with agents. If theyare part of an important organization,they may be infiltrated by agents of anenemy nation. An entire espionagecampaign is also possible (see p. 18).

SPACE 25

Special Justice GroupFormed as a watchdog agency over

multistellar corporations, the SJGoversees corporate expansion anddiversification, regulates free tradeand stock sales, collects taxes andother government fees, inspects exist-ing corporate facilities, and approvesall new facilities. Its mission is to pre-serve society from domination bypowerful business groups, whilemaintaining their financial health –realizing that the economy of the stateis tied to corporate success.

Adventuring possibilities: Charactershired as corporate employees or securi-ty forces might meet SJG agents – forgood or bad. Obnoxious SJG officialsmake perfect opponents for ambitiouscorporate executives. Another possibil-ity is a corporation-busting SpecialJustice campaign.

Survey ServiceThe survey service has two primary

duties: To explore and chart the fron-tier, and to maintain accurate recordsof all worlds.

The exploration division of the sur-vey service, frequently known as theScout Service, works to fulfill the firstgoal. There are often two branches:first-in scouts and survey scouts. Afterthe first-in scouts discover a newworld, the survey scouts are sent in. Asurvey team may be a single ship or afull expedition. Survey scouts certifyworlds as suitable for colonization,and make recommendations aboutrelations with new alien societies.

Adventuring possibilities: Anyoneon the frontier is likely to encounterscouts, especially traders or corporatetypes interested in exploiting a newlydiscovered society or Precursor site. Adedicated scout campaign is also pos-sible (see p. 11). During wartime,scouts may get put under Navy com-mand as intelligence gatherers, or aspatrol units in quiet sectors.

PRIVATEORGANIZATIONS

Alien Rights LeagueIn any human-dominated society,

nonhumans are likely to need a lobbying organization to make their

voices heard. The League may even bemostly human in membership. TheAlien Rights League can be an altruis-tic group dedicated to the rights of allbeings, or it can be the cover for violentextremists. Similar groups may exist topromote the rights of robots, upliftedanimals, or genetically modifiedhumans; in an alien-dominated setting,it may be humans who need the ARL’sprotection!

Adventuring possibilities: Nonhumancharacters may need the ARL’s helpwhen faced with prejudice.Characters of any species might behired or persuaded to help with aninvestigation aimed at exposingabuses. Colonists may find peskyARL activists trying to stop themfrom settling on an inhabited world.

CorporationsA multistellar corporation is a vast

conglomerate of companies in hun-dreds of fields on dozens of worlds.Some multistellars control entireworlds and support vast armies ofemployees – corporate security forcescan outnumber the local planetarydefense forces (and may be bettertrained).

In many businesses, profits out-weigh ethics. Some corporations usedummy companies and trusts tododge government supervision, con-sidering such high-profit, high-riskactivities part of the corporate “game.”When not cooperating against theSpecial Justice Group, the companiesare spying on their competitors.Sometimes industrial espionage is agentlemanly game; often, it’s deadly.

Adventuring possibilities: Workingfor a corporation lets PCs be nastywithout feeling responsible – they’reonly following “company orders.”Corporations also make good Patrons.They make excellent bad guys, too –exploiters of defenseless aliens, rav-agers of priceless Precursor sites, slavelords on remote company planets, andremorseless steamrollers in commerceand industry. Independent tradershate them.

Free Trade LeagueIndependent traders may band

together to form a lobbying group andmutual-assistance society. The league

may be a close-knit “brotherhood ofspacers” or a bland professionalorganization.

Adventuring possibilities: Theleague is the home organization formost trader PCs. Other nonmilitaryPCs are likely to encounter independ-ent traders, especially on the frontier –passenger rates are low, voyages areslow, and there’s always a chance ofadventure before journey’s end.

Mercenary CompaniesA mercenary company is a military

outfit – usually ground troops, oftenwith supporting ground vehicles andaircraft – that works for hire.Regulations and discipline remainunder the control of the unit com-mander, not the employer. Companiescan be contracted for specific mis-sions or hired by the month.“Honorable” merc outfits will fulfilltheir contracts so long as theiremployer deals honorably with them;other outfits may desert their employ-er for sufficient reward, sometimeseven changing sides!

Adventuring possibilities: PCs whosign on with a merc outfit may see avariety of adventures in far places.Mercs also make good antagonists.

News ServicesSpace is big enough to hold a lot of

news, and dozens of interstellar newsservices compete to get that news,explain it in an interesting fashion,and shoot it to the waiting tri-V watch-ers. Of course, they can also be send-ing out government propaganda, sin-ister mind-control, or military secretsvital to defense.

Adventuring possibilities: PCs canbe a reporting team. Characters bat-tling an evil conspiracy may need away to get the truth out. A news serv-ice can also provide a meddlesome“third force” interfering in anyadventure.

The OrganizationThe shadowy syndicate known as

“the Organization” is the largestcriminal empire ever to exist. Itsinfluence stretches through nearly allinterstellar nations. The Patrol is onlybeginning to realize that a singleorganization is behind centuries of

26 SPACE

crime. The “Big O” dominates inter-stellar drug trafficking, gunrunning,prostitution, the black market, andmurder for hire.

Adventuring possibilities: The PCsmay be surprised to discover that thecrime they just foiled was part of aBig O operation . . . and now theOrganization is on their trail. Or thePCs themselves could be interstellarcriminals.

Psionic Studies InstituteOn the surface, PSI is a research

foundation dedicated to psionics. Inreality, it is a secret psionic societythat offers aid and training to psis. It could be training them to use theirpowers for good – or to subjugate

the normals and establish a rule bysuperminds.

Adventuring possibilities: An evilInstitute might take advantage of a PCwith developing talents; a goodInstitute can help a psionic PC againstpersecution. Or PSI might be a redherring, staffed by crackpots – espe-cially if psionics don’t work in thiscampaign. And the GM doesn’t have totell the players whether psi powers arereal or not!

Universities andScientific Foundations

Scholarly organizations can behuge and influential; they can domi-nate whole planets. Such groups cancontain brilliant (and very peculiar)

people. The political interplay within auniversity (over promotion, favoritetheories, grant money, or just person-alities) can be fierce, and rivalrybetween institutions can be bitter.Outsiders, expecting peaceful cloistersand ivory towers, are often numbed bythe size of scholastic budgets and thefierceness of scholastic politics!

Adventuring possibilities: The PCscan be hired as part of a scholarlyexpedition; depending on skills, theymay be guards, crew, or researchers.Unusual planetary conditions, strangeand dangerous life forms, andPrecursor artifacts are all obvious tar-gets of scientific curiosity. And nopirate can match the disregard fordanger shown by a dedicatedresearcher!

In Chapters 4-5, this book givesdetailed rules for creating planets andmapping the galaxy. But when startingout, the Game Master should havesome general ideas about places andwhere they are in relation to oneanother. What general type of placewill the game take place in?

The CoreCampaigns that take place in the

heart of civilization usually centeraround political maneuverings, espi-onage, and intrigue. Laws areenforced efficiently, advanced med-ical care is close at hand, and charac-ters can quickly summon up vastamounts of information over the localdatanet. Game Masters can use coresettings to show off the wealth andsuper-technology of the setting. Earthis often the core of a human empire,though in Isaac Asimov’s Foundationseries, Earth is a backwater and glit-tering Trantor is the center of powerand civilization.

The FrontierOut on the frontier, things are

much rougher. Characters must relyon their own resources, but they alsohave greater freedom. Combat is morelikely, and there may still be secretsand mysteries to discover. Drawbacksinclude a lack of things like repair

facilities, long travel times betweenworlds, and shortages of key items.Game Masters can use all those fac-tors to drive adventure plots. MikeResnick’s Santiago and his“Widowmaker” series take place onthe frontier, as does the televisionseries Firefly.

The UnknownPast the frontier lies unexplored

space. By definition it is unknown ter-ritory, which means it is the perfectvenue for exploration. In theunknown, dangers are often hostilelocal life forms or mysterious phe-nomena that haven’t been charted.But the unknown can also be a refugefor rebels or fugitives, since the patrolcan’t follow them there. Star Trek:Voyager takes place entirely in theunknown.

Hostile SpaceAreas controlled by some enemy

power – aggressive aliens, a rivalhuman state, or the empire the heroesare trying to overthrow – all count ashostile space. This is likely the scenefor military or espionage missions.Characters seldom want to stay in hos-tile space; the goal is to get in, do thejob, and get home again. If empiresare close together, vital core regionsmay be right next to hostile ones,

which means a strong military pres-ence along the border. Other empiresmay maintain a “neutral zone”between their territorial claims. Thesinister planet Zha’ha’dum on Babylon5 was hostile space.

Home BaseThis is where the heroes can find

sanctuary, help, and a chance to relaxbetween adventures. It may be apatrol base, an uncharted pirate hide-out, a space station, or the capital ofthe galaxy. In relatively stationarycampaigns, the home base is one townor city on the planet. Even completelymobile characters like explorers orfootloose merchants may want to havesome place they can think of as“home.”

PLANETS AND PLACES

SPACE 27

28 SPACE TRAVEL

“Interesting ship you found for us, Doctor.”Captain Panatic was running hishands over the controlpanel, almost stroking it.

“Interesting? It wasthe cheapest one in theyard and it still cost toomuch. We should neverhave abandoned theGolden Venture.”

“The whole timeyou were aboardthe Venture, youkept complainingabout that noisein the gravitics,and why couldwe only usetwo liters aday for wash-ing, and howcome the drivewas taking solong to recharge. Ithought you’d be gladto leave her.”

Actually I had been, but thisnew ship was definitely not animprovement. “This one doesn’t even have ashower.”

“No, but she’s a lot faster than she looks. There’s a wholehidden set of thrust coils in the wings. She’ll pull four geeseasy.”

“That dealer must not have known what he had.” We’dtraded him salvage rights to the wreck of the Venture, plus allthat remained of my savings.

“Or he was trying to unload something he didn’t want tohave to explain to anyone. Did you notice the forward cargobay?”

“It was a cargo bay, in the front of the ship. Beyond that,no.”

“Big conduits for coolant and power lines. A big port open-ing forward. Direct data links to the bridge and the sensorsuite. If you wanted to, hypothetically, mount a laser there,everything’s already set up.”

“Do you mean this is a warship?”“Not exactly. Too small for that, and her lines are strictly

civilian. No, Doctor, what we’ve got here is a lovely little pirateship, just right for ambushing merchants, claim-jumping beltminers, and outrunning the Patrol. All she needs is someguns.” He looked so wolfish it was hard to believe he had everbeen a Patrol officer himself.

“This is not a privateering voyage, Captain. We’re lookingfor a particular artifact, and the ship is nothing but the meansto get us there.”

“Oh, sure. Still, at our next stop, I’d like to see aboutweapon prices.”

“Are you expecting trouble?”“No, but if this artifact business doesn’t pan out . . . who

knows? Hoist the Jolly Roger and prepare to board!”

When designing any science-fiction universe, one of themost important choices the GM must make has to do withthe technology that will be available. This chapter discussestechnologies related to space travel, and the next describesadvances in other fields.

There will not be much discussion of GURPS gamemechanics here. The in-game rules for specific technolo-gies will be discussed in other GURPS sourcebooks.Instead, this book will focus on the consequences ofadvanced technology for setting and adventure design –with particular attention to science-fiction settings thatinvolve space travel!

CHAPTER TWO

SPACE TRAVEL

SPACE TRAVEL 29

A TAXONOMY OF MIRACLESOne way to classify SF worlds is to

consider what technological miraclesare inherent to the setting or story. Inthis context, we can think of a “mira-cle” as some area of technology thathas a significant effect on the environ-ment in which adventures take place.A technological miracle defines a sig-nificant difference between the fiction-al setting and the real world familiarto the reader or player.

It’s useful to think about what mir-acles will be present in a new setting,because the GM doesn’t have to worknearly as hard on features of the set-ting that aren’t miraculous! Wherethere are no miracles, the GM andplayers can assume that things workin familiar ways. When the GMdecides to incorporate a miracle, hehas to think about what effect it willhave on the setting and on his adven-tures, and he may have to find ordevelop new game rules to cover it.

NO MIRACLESIt’s possible to have a space-ori-

ented campaign with no miracles atall. Human beings have been visitingspace for about 40 years. With pres-ent-day technology, human spaceexploration and colonization arevery difficult and expensive, but notimpossible.

First Steps to SpaceOne possible no-miracles cam-

paign can focus on the early develop-ment of space flight. The campaignmay be historical, focusing on the realastronaut programs of the 1960s and1970s. Or it may be set in the nearfuture, projecting a “second spaceage” in which frequent human explo-ration resumes.

A variant on the “first steps” cam-paign is a setting in which state-runspace programs have failed to estab-lish a viable human presence inspace. The slack is taken up by majorcorporations or individual entrepre-neurs. The plot involves heroes whomust struggle against both the dan-gers of space travel and the interfer-ence of government. This theme is

fairly common in American SF,notably in novels such as Ben Bova’sPrivateers, or Michael Flynn’s Firestarand its sequels.

The TechnothrillerAnother no-miracles approach is

the technothriller. In fiction, the tech-nothriller genre is normally set in thepresent day or in the very near future.The technology in the story may beslightly in advance of real-world capa-bilities, but by definition it’s not a mir-acle. Technology’s world-changingpotential is ignored or evaded – itexists purely to provide the heroes(and villains) with cool gear!

Technothriller stories are usuallypolitical thrillers, in which the plot isdriven by international competition orworld-threatening crisis. The scenariodoesn’t have to be carefully detailed; in fact, the more shallow and one-sided the villains are, the better.Technothriller fiction often embodiesthe social paranoias of the time. In the1970s, the Soviet Union providedmost technothriller antagonists.Today, the menu of villainous optionsis a bit wider: Chinese, militantIslamists, Western nationalists, organ-ized criminals . . .

ONE MIRACLE:SPACE FLIGHT

At its most conservative, sciencefiction invokes as few miracles as pos-sible. Stories that involve only onetechnological miracle have the advan-tage that most of the setting will befamiliar. Naturally, in a space-orientedsetting the first miracle is likely to bein the area of space travel!

In space travel, we can define a“miracle” as a technology that makesspace flight easy. There are two greatobstacles to humanity’s future inspace. The first is Earth’s powerfulgravity well; the second is the speed-of-light limit. Any miracle that makesit easy and cheap to launch intoEarth orbit will make the whole SolarSystem easily accessible. A secondmiracle that somehow sidesteps

Einstein could throw open the entiregalaxy.

Alternate HistoryIf the GM is assuming a single mir-

acle in space-flight technology, there’sno reason that he has to place his storyin the future! Writers have been imag-ining space travel since theRenaissance – Cyrano de Bergeracand Voltaire each wrote about travelbetween worlds. More recently, earlygenre-SF writers such as Jules Verneand H. G. Wells set stories in space. Torecapture the flavor of these early sto-ries, assume that space travel mighthave become possible at some point inthe past, but leave most other aspectsof the historical technology and socie-ty unchanged.

Such an alternate history campaignshares many of the features of a pure-ly historical setting. Players who arealready well-versed in the chosen his-torical period will find most aspects ofthe world familiar. Sourcebooks cov-ering the politics, social customs, andequipment of the period will be useful.The politics of the time can be extend-ed into deep space, as existing Earth-based nations explore and colonizeother worlds.

Strangely, most early SF ignoredthe possibilities of interstellar flight;much of it was written beforeastronomers discovered the nature ofthe stars or the structure of the galaxy.Instead, most authors concentratedon the worlds of our own solar system,assuming that they would be inhabit-ed by aliens – or by humanlike races,complete with savage native warriorsand beautiful princesses!

Many classic SF stories can todaybe treated as the basis for an alternatehistory setting with space flight. Theseinclude Jules Verne’s From the Earth tothe Moon, H. G. Wells’ The First Men inthe Moon, and Edgar Rice Burroughs’“John Carter” and “Carson Napier”novels. Among roleplaying games,GURPS Steampunk and GDW’sSpace: 1889 are both good examplesof the genre.

Emergent SuperscienceOther one-miracle settings are

placed in the future. A miraculousbreakthrough in physics or engineer-ing might make space flight much eas-ier, without affecting most otheraspects of society. This lets the GMconstruct a society that resembles ourown, then explore the new break-through’s implications.

A common variation on this themeinvolves a starfaring society in whichadvanced space drives exist, but othertechnology has not advanced muchbeyond the early TL8 level. Some ofthe best military SF has used thisapproach: ordinary infantrymen,armed with simple body armor and

automatic rifles, traveling to the battlefield aboard a starship.

In space SF, the best recent emer-gent-superscience novel is probably

John Varley’s Red Thunder. JerryPournelle’s “Mercenary” stories are aclassic example of military SF usingemergent-superscience assumptions.

30 SPACE TRAVEL

More Miracles?There’s no reason why a space-oriented setting must apply miracu-

lous technology only to the business of space flight. As more technolo-gies advance beyond what is currently possible, society (and the back-drop for adventure) will become increasingly unfamiliar. At its extreme,the addition of miracles gives rise to settings in which nothing is famil-iar to the GM or players! Such settings can be interesting, but very dif-ficult to sustain for a lengthy campaign.

The next chapter discusses settings in which miracles appear inareas other than space travel.

SPACE FLIGHT ANDSTORY REQUIREMENTS

The Earth is the cradle of mankind,but mankind cannot stay in the cradleforever.

– Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Like other facets of a setting, theprevalent space flight technologiesshould be chosen to support the story(or the kind of story) that the GMwants to present. Another item theGM should consider is how importantthe details of space flight will be to hiscampaign. Despite being set in aspace-faring future, many stories mayhave no need to consider the details ofspace travel.

Ships as SettingsSome settings are dominated by

spaceships – indeed, the ship becomesthe setting or a major portion of it. Inthis case, the adventurers will almostalways be starship crewmen, passen-gers, or other people who spend mostof their time between worlds ratherthan on them. Most character devel-opment is in the context of crew orpassenger interactions. Many plotscenter on the technical details of run-ning or commanding a starship.

In contrast, the worlds visited bythe ship are sketchily drawn. Mostworlds will apparently stop at the edgeof the spaceport or the capital city,

since adventurers will rarely venturefar from their ships.

Military science fiction is especial-ly likely to focus on starship life, withspace battles and tactics forming amajor part of the story. David Weber’s“Honor Harrington” novels are anexample of this kind of story.

Ships as Major Plot Elements

In many (perhaps most) space set-tings, space travel is an importantactivity and a common plot point, butmany adventures will take place offthe ship. Ship crewmen and passen-gers are still the most common char-acter types, since such people are themost likely to spend time aroundships, but some characters may be ori-ented entirely toward other activities.

In some settings, the charactershave a ship of their own, which servesas a mobile home base. The ship is afamiliar place where adventurers can(usually) relax, and where most char-acter interaction takes place. Someadventures take place on board ship,while others take place on the worldsthat the ship visits. Examples of thiskind of story include the Firefly televi-sion series, as well as Star Trek andmost of its spin-offs.

In other settings, the adventurersdon’t have their own ship, or they frequently use different ships as need-ed. Their home base is a world or animmovable space station. Most adven-tures come to the adventurers. Whenthe cast of characters needs to travel, aship may be available, but most of thetime they don’t need to concern them-selves with shipboard life or the detailsof space travel. Examples of this kindof story include the Babylon 5 and StarTrek: Deep Space Nine television series.

Ships as Trivial Plot Elements

In some science fiction, spaceshipsare little more than part of the back-drop. Adventurers simply arrive at thelocation of the adventure, with notime spent establishing how they getthere. When it’s time for them to moveon to another world, they do so with-out needing to spend significant “on-camera” time on board a spaceship.

Frank Herbert’s “Dune” novels usethis kind of structure (although theassumptions of space travel in thatuniverse are crucially important to thestory). Dan Simmons’ Hyperion and itssequels almost entirely ignore space-ships, and in fact vehicle-less instanta-neous teleportation from world toworld is an important plot element.

MANEUVER DRIVESNesterov hovered a few moments

longer, then began a slow descent.Mariesa held her breath. Every secondwas a lifetime; but the ship slid smooth-ly down a pole of invisible fire. Whenthe fire touched the ground, it became aflaring pedestal that bloomed under-neath the ship like a cushioning pillowof light . . .

Mariesa stared at the craft until theball of light beneath it winked out andthe darkness of night returned. A manhad sneaked aboard that thing, thatuntested, untried experimental craft;and bet his life against it. It might haveexploded; it might have smashed intorubble on the pavement. And Krasnarovhad lied his way aboard.

– Michael Flynn, Firestar

A maneuver drive is used to propela ship through “normal” space, chang-ing its velocity in space as needed,more or less subject to the known lawsof force and motion. Such drivesrange from realistic propulsion sys-tems like rockets, to supersciencedrives that appear to break some phys-ical laws but are still limited by thespeed of light.

REACTIONDRIVES

A reaction drive is a drive that obeys(and takes advantage of) Newton’sthird law of motion. This law impliesthat the momentum of a system isalways conserved, unless an externalforce is applied to it.

Some reaction drives work by tak-ing advantage of external forces thatact on the spaceship, changing itsmomentum (see Sails, p. 33, orCatapults and Tethers, p. 34). However,most reaction drives use the rocketprinciple.

Principles of RocketryIn its simplest form, a spaceship

using a rocket drive is composed oftwo portions.

The first portion is the payload.This consists of all the parts that are to be conveyed to the ship’s destina-tion: crew, passengers, life supportequipment, computers and other

instruments, drive machinery, cargo,the hull structure of the ship itself, andso on.

The second portion is the reactionmass, material that’s carried alongonly to be thrown away! The rocketengine works by accelerating reactionmass and ejecting it into space, usual-ly as a fast-moving gas or plasma. Thetotal momentum of the systemremains constant, but since the reac-tion mass is being accelerated, the lawof conservation of momentum meansthat the payload is also accelerated inthe opposite direction. The velocitythat the reaction mass has when it isejected is called the exhaust velocity.The force that the rocket engineapplies to the payload is called thrust.

Since every rocket works by dis-carding reaction mass, rocket drivesare limited by the amount of reactionmass that can be carried, and by theefficiency of the rocket engine.Reaction mass that hasn’t been ejectedyet has to be accelerated along withthe payload! As a result, it’s importantto minimize the amount of reactionmass that’s needed to complete a givenmission.

For a fixed amount of reactionmass, the best way to get a more effi-cient rocket is to increase its exhaustvelocity. Of course, a rocket is also lim-ited by the energy it needs to acceleratereaction mass into space. The thrustthat the engine generates is propor-tional to the exhaust velocity – but the

SPACE TRAVEL 31

The Rocket EquationThe science of astronautics was pioneered by the Russian mathe-

matician (and science fiction writer!) Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Aroundthe beginning of the 20th century, Tsiolkovsky developed a great deal ofbasic astronautical theory; he was one of the first visionaries to predictartificial satellites, space colonies, and asteroid mining.

One of Tsiolkovsky’s basic contributions was the rocket equation thathas since been named for him. The Tsiolkovsky equation is:

∆∆V = E ¥ natural logarithm of (T/P)

Here, E is the effective exhaust velocity of the rocket engine (a quan-tity also called the specific impulse), T is the total mass of the rocket-driven spaceship (including both payload and its initial reaction mass)and P is the mass of the payload alone.

The quantity ∆∆V is called the delta-V. Delta-V is the amount of veloc-ity change the ship can carry out with its available reaction mass. Everydeep-space maneuver requires that the ship “spend” some of its delta-Vbudget: escaping from orbit around a home world, changing course indeep space, entering the orbit of a destination world, changing theparameters of an existing orbit, and so on. Maneuvers that are carriedout against gravity (such as planetary launch or landing) can also bemeasured in terms of delta-V.

Low-TL rocket drives are usually very limited in the amount of delta-V that’s available to them. Mission planners spend a lot of time search-ing for trajectories that can get a ship to its destination with the use ofminimal delta-V. It’s sometimes possible for a ship to change coursewithout spending delta-V. For example, a ship can “fly by” a world,using its gravity to accelerate and change heading.

By manipulating the Tsiolkovsky equation, it’s possible to derive aformula describing how much of a ship’s initial mass needs to be takenup by reaction mass. To summarize, if the required delta-V is muchsmaller than the exhaust velocity, very little reaction mass will be need-ed. Once the required delta-V rises above the exhaust velocity, reactionmass soon dominates the ship’s size!

energy required to operate theengine is proportional to the squareof the exhaust velocity! In order togenerate the same amount of thrust,a rocket with lower exhaust velocityneeds more reaction mass. A rocketwith higher exhaust velocity needsless reaction mass, but it may need much more energy in order tooperate.

Known Rocket TypesThe following rocket types are

currently feasible, using known engi-neering principles.

Chemical rocket: A chemical rocketis the first reaction drive likely to beused by any space-faring civilization.Chemical rockets get their energy by burning flammable reaction massor “fuel,” expelling the resulting hot gases out the back of the rocketchamber.

Most chemical rockets will use liquid fuels, such as liquid hydrogenor a slurry of powdered metals likealuminum. Solid-fuel rockets are pos-sible, but are hard to shut down orcontrol once ignited. A chemical rock-et that will operate in space must alsobe provided with an oxidizer to support combustion. The most likelyoxidizer is liquid oxygen, which can becarried in onboard tanks and used aspart of the reaction mass.

Chemical rockets can deliver a lotof thrust very quickly, and are usefulfor launching from a planetary surfaceor maneuvering in orbit. On the otherhand, they have relatively low exhaustvelocity, and so they use tremendousquantities of fuel and oxidizer. Aninterplanetary journey using chemicalrockets normally involves a short“burn” at the beginning of the trip, fol-lowed by months or years of coasting,with the delivery of only a small pay-load at the end.

Ion Drive: An ion drive convertsreaction mass into ions (chargedatoms or molecules) and then useselectric power to accelerate the ionsinto a fast exhaust stream. The mostlikely substances for reaction massinclude the noble gases argon orxenon, or the poisonous metal cadmium.

An ion drive provides very lowthrust, and is useless for taking offfrom a planet. On the other hand, its

exhaust velocity is high. Ion drivesare therefore fuel-efficient, and canbe used for long periods of constantacceleration. This makes them goodcandidates for interplanetary travel,taking months rather than years to cross interplanetary distances. Anion drive will need a continuouspower supply, usually a bank of solar cells or an on-board nuclearreactor.

Fission rocket: A fission rocket usesa built-in fission or radiothermal reac-tor to heat reaction mass, and thenexpels the hot gases as a high-energyexhaust. Fission rockets are a compro-mise between chemical rockets andion drives; they can provide morethrust than an ion drive, but havelower exhaust velocity and so are lessfuel-efficient. They are also usefulbecause they provide both onboardpower and motive thrust. They may besuitable for interplanetary warships orcourier craft.

Speculative Rocket Types

Nuclear pulse drive: This driveworks by setting off nuclear explo-sions behind the ship; the energy ofeach nuclear explosion produces avery fast exhaust of hot plasma. Alarge-scale version (such as the “Oriondrive”) uses full-size nuclear bombs,requiring a huge shock-absorbing“pusher plate” behind the vessel. Moresophisticated versions create micro-explosions, triggering small fusionfuel pellets with a ring of powerfullasers or ion beams. Another approachtriggers fissionable pellets usingantiproton beams; this version uses solittle antimatter that it could be pro-duced using present-day technology.

A nuclear pulse drive can provide alot of thrust, and also has high exhaustvelocity and fuel efficiency. It may bethe best candidate for a fast interplan-etary drive. Although building such adrive is currently out of reach, the

32 SPACE TRAVEL

Sample Delta-VRequirements

Every low-TL space mission is planned around its delta-V budget. Ahigh delta-V requirement means that the spacecraft will need morereaction mass, possibly crowding out needed payload. Lower delta-Vrequirements make a mission cheaper and more feasible, or permitmore payload mass to be delivered.

Here are some typical delta-V requirements for early space missions.All of these figures assume high-thrust chemical rockets – low-thrustengines such as ion drives will need more delta-V due to the drag ofgravity (usually 2-3 times as much).

Earth Launch: To reach low Earth orbit requires about 5.9 miles persecond of delta-V. A low-thrust engine will not be able to perform thismission at all!

Earth Orbital Maneuvers: To move from a low Earth orbit to a geo-synchronous orbit requires two maneuvers, with a total delta-V require-ment of about 2.5 miles per second. To move from a low Earth orbit toan escape trajectory actually requires less delta-V, about 2.0 miles persecond in all (assuming the escape burn is performed at perigee, thepoint on the orbit closest to Earth where the spacecraft is already mov-ing fastest).

Interplanetary Travel: To move from a low Earth orbit to low orbitaround various other bodies takes varying amounts of delta-V. A jour-ney to low lunar orbit would take about 2.4 miles per second. Reachingsome near-Earth asteroids (see p. 131) would require about the sameamount of delta-V as a lunar expedition. A journey to low Martian orbitwould take about 3.5 miles per second. Reaching solar escape velocityfrom low Earth orbit requires about 5.4 miles per second; this is anupper bound on the delta-V needed for most interplanetary journeys.

main obstacle in its way is politicalrather than technological. Many people object to a drive that involvessetting off nuclear explosions!

Fusion rocket: As with a fissionrocket, the fusion rocket involves heat-ing reaction mass with a controllednuclear reaction, then expelling it ashot exhaust. A fusion rocket mightoffer performance nearly as good as anuclear pulse drive, without theexpense of specialized fuel pellets orthe danger of carrying around hun-dreds of A-bombs.

Antimatter thermal rocket: Thisdrive uses a small quantity of antimat-ter to heat up a much larger amountof conventional reaction mass, creat-ing plasma to be ejected for thrust. Itcan provide high thrust, and is moreefficient than most fusion drives. Itrequires the technology to produce,distribute, and contain useful quanti-ties of antimatter.

Antimatter pion drive: This drive isa “pure” antimatter rocket. It mixesmatter and antimatter in equal (verysmall) quantities, producing anexhaust composed of very fast sub-atomic particles. The rocket doesn’tprovide much thrust, but its high

exhaust velocity makes it extremelyfuel-efficient. It is among the mostrealistic candidates for STL interstel-lar travel.

Total conversion drive: This theoret-ical drive converts reaction massdirectly into energy, perhaps in theform of photons or gravity waves.There is no known way to producethis conversion, but the concept is(barely) “hard” SF. It doesn’t violatethe laws of conservation of energy ormomentum, and it also requires theship to refuel once in a while.

SAILSGiven the limitations imposed by

carrying reaction mass, any method ofinterplanetary or interstellar travelthat doesn’t involve rockets might havean advantage. There are several reac-tion-drive concepts that don’t requirelarge quantities of reaction mass.

Light SailsOne drive that has been proposed

is the light sail. A light sail is a hugesheet of very thin, light, reflectivematerial, possibly hundreds of squaremiles in area. The sail is attached to a

payload capsule by a network of light-weight cables. Close to a star, the sailcan provide slow but steady accelera-tion due to the pressure of starlight.

On its own, a light sail is only effec-tive close to a star, such as between theorbits of Mercury and Mars in ourown solar system. More than a few AUfrom Sol, the light pressure dropsbelow useful levels. This would seemto make the light sail useless for inter-stellar travel.

However, a powerful laser (or abattery of lasers) could be used toimpart steady thrust to a light sail.Laser light doesn’t lose its force asquickly with distance as non-direc-tional starlight, so it can providethrust for months or years, accelerat-ing the sail to a significant fraction oflightspeed. This provides limitedmaneuverability, but if the sail is givenan electric charge, interactions withthe galactic magnetic field can be usedfor deceleration or a slow turn.

A laser-driven light sail seemsalmost perfect for interstellar travel.There is no fuel to worry about, andthe “engine” can be left at home. Onthe other hand, the laser batterieswould need to be enormously power-ful. Even a tiny probe massing a fewkilograms would need gigawatt-out-put lasers. A sizable manned shipwould need lasers with lenses manymiles across, powered by solar collec-tors thousands of miles wide, usingthousands of times as much power asis currently generated all over Earth!Ignoring the question of whether itwould be feasible to build lasers thatbig, it’s likely that a society capable ofit would find other uses for the power-generating capacity.

Meanwhile, the political questionsare significant. An interstellar journeywould still take decades, and the crewwould need to be able to trust its homebase to keep the lasers on for thatwhole time. For that matter, the lasersthemselves could serve as a terriblypowerful weapon, which could itselfbe the cause of conflict.

For a superb treatment of interstel-lar light-sail travel, see the classicnovel The Mote in God’s Eye, by LarryNiven and Jerry Pournelle. RobertForward’s novel Flight of the Dragonflyalso relies on light sails as a plotdevice, and some printings include anextensive technical appendix.

SPACE TRAVEL 33

Magnetic and Plasma Sails

Another concept that might be use-ful for interplanetary travel is the mag-netic sail. Stars like Sol don’t just emitlight; they also give off a powerfulsolar “wind” of charged particles.These fast protons and electrons flythrough the inner solar system at hun-dreds of miles per second. If they entera magnetic field, they change direc-tion and speed, exerting a force onwhatever is generating the field. Aspaceship might use a large loop ofsuperconductive wire as a sail, passingcurrent through the wire to generate apowerful magnetic field, interact withthe solar wind, and produce thrust.

Magnetic sails have several advan-tages over light sails. Calculationshave shown that the magnetic sail canyield a higher thrust-to-mass ratiothan a light sail. A magnetic sail can“tack” against the solar wind, and so ismore maneuverable than a light sail. Amagnetic sail can also interact withthe magnetic fields of planets, provid-ing even more maneuverability in cer-tain situations. Finally, a magnetic sail

would be very good at decelerating aship moving at a large fraction oflightspeed; it might be the most likelymethod for stopping a hard-scienceinterstellar spacecraft.

Of course, one disadvantage of themagnetic sail is the material of the sailitself – it may be difficult to producelong loops of superconductive wirethat can stand up to the rigors of spaceflight. Magnetic sails, like light sails,lose effectiveness with distance fromthe star.

A related concept is the plasma sail,in which the magnetic field is con-ducted within a thin, superheatedcloud of plasma rather than a loop ofwire. A plasma sail would require“fuel,” since the thin cloud of plasmawould tend to disperse and wouldneed to be replenished. Even so, earlyresearch indicates that the plasma sailsystem would be very fuel-efficient,and would require relatively littlepower.

One advantage of the plasma sail isthat the sail expands automatically asthe density of the solar wind decreas-es. The plasma sail should providenearly constant acceleration all the

way out to the “heliopause,” theboundary where the solar wind fadesinto the interstellar medium. Thismakes it a good candidate for travel inthe outer solar system, where lightsails and fixed-size magnetic sails losetheir effectiveness.

CATAPULTSAND TETHERS

Space engineers have invented sev-eral other potential techniques forreaching space, or for maneuvering inspace. These are not necessarily usefulfor very long-range travel, but they canassist in maneuvering without need-ing reaction mass or expensiveonboard systems.

CatapultsLow-TL space travel often involves

a burst of acceleration at the begin-ning of a journey, followed by a longperiod of “coasting” along a ballistictrajectory, with another burst of accel-eration at the destination. A rocket-driven ship normally needs to supplyreaction mass for both periods ofsharp acceleration. If another way canbe found to provide the first burst ofacceleration, this can cut reaction-mass requirements by 50% or more.

One approach to this problem isthe launch catapult. A launch catapultis an electromagnetic system or “massdriver,” similar to some particle-accel-erator devices but built on a muchlarger scale. Many powerful electro-magnets are arranged in a long line,wrapped around a hollow channel inwhich a payload can move freely. Thepayload is either made with ferrousmetal components or wrapped in aconductive sheath. Once the payloadis placed at the start of the channel,the electromagnets are activated inseries, each magnet pulling the pay-load forward and accelerating it. Alaunch catapult may be many mileslong, accelerating a payload to veryhigh velocities.

A launch catapult built on the sur-face of a world can be used to acceler-ate a payload to orbital velocity. Inspace, a launch catapult can give apayload the initial acceleration neededfor an interplanetary journey. In eithercase, the payload needs no rocket

34 SPACE TRAVEL

Bussard RamjetsThe Bussard ramjet was first proposed in the 1960s, and for a time

was regarded as the definitive answer to the problems of STL interstel-lar travel. A Bussard ramjet starship carries almost no reaction mass.Instead, it uses a big magnetic field, a “ramscoop,” to gather interstellarhydrogen. The hydrogen is funneled in, used as fuel for the ship’s fusionreactor, and expelled as reaction mass. Once a ramjet ship reachesspeeds high enough to gather plenty of hydrogen, it can theoreticallyaccelerate indefinitely, approaching lightspeed as closely as desired.

In the 1970s, a great deal of science fiction was written in whichBussard ramjet drives, combined with relativistic time dilation,allowed humanity to explore and colonize the galaxy. Unfortunately,the concept appears to have insurmountable technical problems. Theinterstellar medium turns out not to be as dense as was originallybelieved – especially in the vicinity of our solar system, which is in themiddle of a parsecs-wide “bubble” of thinner gas. This means that thenecessary ramscoop sizes would be prohibitively large. Meanwhile,once a ramjet ship reaches very high speeds, much of the energy of thefusion reaction goes to accelerate the incoming reaction mass ratherthan the ship. Finally, the proton-proton fusion reaction that would beneeded to drive the ship turns out to be difficult to achieve.

A science fiction setting could still use the Bussard ramjet as its pri-mary stardrive, especially if it was set in a region of the galaxy whereinterstellar matter was denser. A ramscoop could also be used to supple-ment a conventional fusion drive, gathering extra reaction mass whilethe ship coasts through interstellar space.

engines – the power needed for theacceleration comes from a powerplant built into the catapult.

It’s even possible for a launch cata-pult to operate in reverse. A payload orship that enters the “launch” end ofthe catapult can be decelerated by theelectromagnets firing in series, bring-ing the payload to rest relative to thecatapult. If launch catapults are pres-ent at both ends of an interplanetaryjourney, a ship may make the trip witha very small onboard supply of reac-tion mass!

The major drawback of a launchcatapult is that it may be unsafe forhuman passengers. In space a launchcatapult can be very long, providinguseful velocities while applying onlymoderate acceleration. On a planet orlarge moon, building a launch cata-pult more than a few miles long mightbe a serious engineering challenge.Such a short launch catapult can stillprovide the needed velocities, but itmust apply very high acceleration overa short time. Human “cargo” mayneed to use other means of reachingorbit . . .

TethersAnother sophisticated maneuver

system involves tethers. A tether sys-tem can be used to assist payloads intohigh planetary orbit, reducing theamount of reaction mass needed for arocket drive.

A tether station is placed in orbitaround a planet with a strong magnet-ic field. It lowers a tether cable, andbegins to rotate so that the tether ismoving much more slowly than the

station’s orbital velocity at the bottomof its swing. At this speed, it can inter-cept payloads that have been launchedinto a suborbital trajectory, one thatrequires much less reaction mass thana true orbital path. The payload isattached to the tether with a grapple.When the tether swings upward, it canthrow the payload into a higher orbit.

Every time a payload is transferredinto high orbit with this system, thetether station is robbed of some

momentum, and will tend to fall into alower orbit. However, the tether itselfcan be used to restore the station’sorbital velocity. An onboard powerplant can drive electrical current alongthe tether cable. Since the tether ismoving through a planet’s magneticfield, the current provides thrust,exactly like the operation of an electricmotor. The station rises to its standardorbit once again, and is ready to dealwith the next payload to come along.

SPACE TRAVEL 35

Cycler StationsOne alternative to conventional spaceship transportation is the cycler

station. The station is a space habitat that follows a trajectory passingnear two or more interesting places. Over a long period the cycler fol-lows a loop, with passengers embarking and disembarking at each des-tination. At each port of call the cycler uses a planet or star’s gravity (andsome minor assistance from a propulsion system) to change course forthe next without stopping.

On an interplanetary scale, cycler stations follow low-energy transferorbits between worlds. On an interstellar scale a station could travel asubstantial fraction of the speed of light, changing course at each starto follow a wide loop through interstellar space.

Cycler stations are designed primarily to provide a livable habitat forpassengers during a long passage. An Earth-Mars cycler would needabout three years to make one round trip. An interstellar cycler wouldneed decades. Since the delta-V requirements for a cycle are the same(indeed because of the course change, slightly larger) than for the sametrip without the cycler, there is no advantage in carrying space-worthycargo this way.

The benefit of a cycler station is that equipment needed only on thevoyage between worlds (life support, heavy radiation shielding, and soon) does not need to be repeatedly accelerated. Passengers boarding orleaving the cycler will still need to bring along the same delta-V that thatthey would need to make the trip without it. On the other hand, theywon’t need to bring along their own (possibly very heavy and expensive)life support systems with capacity for the whole trip.

Tether systems are useful only fororbital transfer, but since such situa-tions are extremely common they arelikely to be find frequent application.Although they require a planetarymagnetic field to operate efficiently,this isn’t a major limitation. MostEarthlike worlds will have sufficientmagnetic fields. Gas giant worlds alsohave powerful magnetic fields, sooperations in the close vicinity of a gas giant may also find tether systemsuseful.

REACTIONLESSDRIVES

A reactionless drive is one that pro-duces acceleration without discardingreaction mass. A reactionless driverequires power, and fuel for the powerplant, but is not limited by needing tocarry around vast amounts of reactionmass. A reactionless drive starship canbe extremely efficient, carrying a largepayload. Unless the physical princi-ples behind the drive stop working athigh velocity, a reactionless drive shipcan easily approach lightspeed.

All reactionless drives are super-science, since they violate the knownlaws of physics. If reactionless drivesare available in a setting, the GMshould define their performance. Themost important factor to consider isthe thrust-to-mass ratio. If one ton ofreactionless drives can deliver onlyone-tenth of a ton of thrust, then star-ships will only be able to manageacceleration up to about 0.1 G (withalmost no payload). If one ton ofdrives can deliver two to five tons ofthrust, then accelerations of two tofive Gs can be obtained.

Dean DrivesA Dean drive is a class of reaction-

less drive that (somehow) convertsrotary movement into linear move-ment. The ship’s onboard engineincludes a big flywheel that is drivenby a power plant; the angular momen-tum of the flywheel can be tapped toaccelerate the ship forward.

The Dean drive was “invented” inthe 1950s, and was taken seriously bya few people in the SF community.Unfortunately, it was never demon-strated for or duplicated by reputable

scientists, and was almost certainly ahoax. In fact, the Dean drive violatesseveral known laws of physics. “Deandrive” can be used as a generic termfor any reactionless drive that worksby breaking the laws of motion as wecurrently understand them.

Diametric DrivesAnother form of reactionless drive

is the diametric drive. Such a drive cre-ates an asymmetrical field of forcearound itself. The side of the forcefield that exerts more force on the shipwill “push” the ship forward withoutany need for reaction mass.

Most diametric drive conceptsinvolve manipulating gravity, since thatforce operates equally on all matter andcan provide smooth acceleration.

A bias drive or gravity drive is a diamet-ric drive that alters the force of gravityahead of and behind the ship. In effect,the ship exists inside a bubble of space-time with its own arbitrary gravity. Theship is in free fall and doesn’t feel accel-eration, so it can safely pull hundreds ofGs (the speed of light is still an absolutelimit).

Diametric drives are completelyspeculative; at present, we have noidea how to create the kind of forcefields they require. They are similar infunction to warp drives (p. 40) andmay be a spinoff of that technology ifit exists in the setting. Meanwhile, biasdrives depend on fine control of gravi-ty; they may be associated with artifi-cial gravity (p. 44) or contragravity (p. 44) technologies.

36 SPACE TRAVEL

Relativity EffectsEinstein’s laws of motion have several surprising effects, especially

as an object (such as a starship) accelerates close to the speed of light.As seen by an unaccelerated outside observer, the starship becomesshorter and more massive. From the starship’s viewpoint, images of theoutside universe become compressed toward the axis of motion. Lightfrom ahead becomes “blue-shifted” toward more energetic frequencies,while light from behind becomes “red-shifted” down the spectrum.

One of the most important effects of relativistic velocity, especiallyfrom the point of view of the interstellar traveler, is time dilation.Someone on board a ship will experience the passage of time different-ly than someone in an unaccelerated frame of reference (say, on a plan-et). In effect, his clocks will run more slowly than those in the outsideuniverse, so that the trip seems to take less time. STL starships can usetime dilation to make manned interstellar travel more practical; crew-men and passengers won’t need to spend so much of their lifespan tomake a journey.

To compute the degree of time dilation, use the following formula:

R = Square root of [1 - (V/C)2]

Here, R is the time rate experienced on board ship, V is the ship’svelocity, and C is lightspeed. Some representative values:

Time Dilation TableVelocity (¥ c) Time Rate

0.25 0.9680.50 0.8660.75 0.6610.90 0.4360.95 0.3120.99 0.1410.999 0.0450.9999 0.014

GENERATIONSHIPS

One “realistic” approach to inter-stellar travel is to accept that it willtake a long time, and plan for it. A gen-eration ship is a starship that usesnothing but a maneuver drive to crossinterstellar distances, requiringdecades or centuries to make the tripand providing a livable habitat forcrew and passengers along the way.

A generation ship isn’t so much aship as it is a mobile world, with itsown internal society. Adventuresaboard such a ship will be almostentirely dominated by characterinteraction, as crew and passengerswhile away the years before reachingtheir destination. In fact, childrenare likely to be born, grow up, andhave children of their own during thejourney, yielding several generationsof passengers (hence the name forthis kind of ship).

A variant on the generation-shipidea is the “sleeper ship,” the slowstarship that carries its crew and pas-sengers in some form of suspendedanimation. Science fiction from the1960s and 1970s often assumed thatinterstellar journeys would be takenwith most of the crew and passengers

in “cold sleep,” a form of artificialhibernation.

Some current science fiction sug-gests that human crew and passengersmight travel in digital storage.Nanotechnology and advanced com-puters might make it possible to trans-port a human’s body and mind as puredata. If the data describing a ship’screw and passengers can be stored

very compactly, the ship carrying itcan be much smaller and cheaperthan one carrying the living people.The ship might even provide a rich vir-tual environment in which the passen-gers can “live” while in storage. Ofcourse, if this kind of ghost-life is pos-sible in the first place, why would theship’s passengers have bothered totravel anywhere?

SPACE TRAVEL 37

STAR DRIVESIn my time there were four ways

known to cheat Einstein, and two waysto flat-out fool him. On our journeyPelenor used all of them. Our routewas circuitous, from wormhole toquantumpoint to collapsar. By the timewe arrived, I wondered how the deep-probe had ever gotten so far, let aloneback, with its news.

– David Brin, “The Crystal Spheres”

Interplanetary travel is not onlypossible, but practical, given technolo-gy that we already know how to build.Interstellar travel is a very differentmatter.

The fundamental problem faced byanyone planning interstellar travel isEinstein’s theory of relativity.Einstein’s model of the physical uni-verse – one of the most successful sci-entific theories of all time – assumesthat the speed of light is an absolutelimit (see Relativity Effects, p. 36). All

objects with mass must travel at lowerspeeds, unable to accelerate to light-speed no matter how much energythey apply. This means that starshipswill always take years to travel evenbetween neighboring stars.

Ever since it became obvious thatthere are no other habitable worlds (oralien civilizations) within our ownsolar system, science fiction writershave turned to other stars as settingsfor adventure. This almost demandsthat the heroes of the story to havesome method for traveling faster thanlight! Thus, many writers who are oth-erwise quite rigorous with their scien-tific content have invented some formof “FTL” travel.

Scientific speculation and sciencefiction have considered a bewilderingvariety of FTL drives. All of themshould be considered superscience,although a few might have some

justification in cutting-edge physics.Most science-fiction universes onlypermit one form of FTL, although afew use multiple forms, each with itsown advantages and problems. Someof the most common forms are as follows.

HYPERDRIVEEinstein’s model applies to the

physical universe that we live in. Butwhat if there’s another universe wheredifferent laws apply, a universe thatcan be reached from ours? A starshipcould drop into that “hyperspace,”travel there according to its own laws,and then shift back into our own uni-verse at a new location – reaching itsdestination much faster than Einsteinwould normally allow.

When thinking about a hyperdrivefor a space setting, some of the thingsto consider are:

How fast is the drive? Does a star-ship take weeks or months to travelthrough hyperspace between twostars? Or does the trip take a fractionof a second? The GM will want to con-sider how quickly a ship can crossknown space.

How quickly can the drive be used?This is important for dramatic reasons– if a hyperdrive can be used quicklyand easily, a starship can alwaysescape from trouble. Perhaps the driverequires a great deal of energy to makethe shift into hyperspace, requiringlong periods of charging the ship’sengines from its power plant. Perhapsplanning a trip through hyperspacerequires a lot of computer power andtime. Or perhaps hyperspace needs to“relax” after the stress of being crossed,ensuring that a new hyperspace transi-tion can’t be made too quickly afteremerging into normal space.

How finely can the drive be con-trolled? Unless a hyperdrive ship canchoose any point of emergence itwants, it will still need a maneuverdrive to reach nearby planets orengage in space battles. Maybe hyper-drives can’t be used within a certaindistance of a large mass, requiring astarship to travel out to “flat space”before entering hyperspace.

What is hyperspace like? Perhapsships in hyperspace are cut off from

everything, including each other andthe normal universe. A trip throughhyperspace would be a good time todo shipboard maintenance, and havelocked-room adventures in whichnone of the characters can get awayfrom each other. Perhaps ships inhyperspace can communicate witheach other or with planetary facilities.Or perhaps hyperspace is a real place,with its own geography and even itsown natives – ships can explore itusing special sensors, hover or changedirections in hyperspace, or even fightbattles there!

Can a ship in hyperspace be detect-ed? If a ship can’t interact with thenormal universe, then nothing in nor-mal space can detect them until theyemerge. That means that battle “lines”won’t exist in a universe with hyper-space – invasion fleets won’t be detect-ed until they emerge, already close totheir targets. On the other hand, if spe-cial sensors can reach into hyper-space, invaders will be detected inadvance, and can possibly be met inhyperspace itself.

What happens if the hyperdrivefails? If a ship in hyperspace is dam-aged, does it return to its startingpoint? Does it drop back into normalspace at an unpredictable point? Or isit stranded in hyperspace until thedrives can be repaired? This can be

particularly critical if ships can fightbattles in hyperspace . . .

HypersailsWhat if hyperspace is like an

ocean, with energy currents (andreefs, and storms) on which a starshipcan ride? Such a starship might needhypersails – more likely to be energyfields rather than physical sails – totake advantage of the ether’s flow.David Weber’s “Honor Harrington”novels use this model for hyperspace,deliberately mimicking the flavor ofsea-adventure fiction set in theNapoleonic era.

Tachyon DrivePhysics predicts the existence of

tachyons, fundamental particles thatcan’t travel at less than the speed oflight. A tachyon drive turns the star-ship into a beam of tachyons that thenhurtles across space. A ship that isconverted into tachyons might requirea receiving station to restore it to itsoriginal condition.

JUMP DRIVEIt’s not possible for a physical

object to accelerate to speeds fasterthan that of light. But what if it’s pos-sible for a ship to move from point A

38 SPACE TRAVEL

to point B in space, without accelerat-ing and without crossing the space inbetween? A jump drive permits a star-ship to teleport from one location toanother, usually in no more than a tinyfraction of a second. The ship neverleaves the normal universe or entersany form of hyperspace.

Some of the things to considerwhen choosing a jump drive include:

Where can the drive be used? Manyjump drives can only be used at “jumppoints,” specific locations in space.Jump points may occur naturally, theymay be relics of a prior civilization, orit may be necessary to build them inorder to use FTL travel. If jump pointsare necessary, they may be located faraway from planets or other interestingplaces, requiring long trips throughnormal space to reach them. A jumpdrive that can be used anywhere canbe a plot-breaking convenience, mak-ing travel or escape too easy fordrama.

If there are jump points, how arethey arranged? Perhaps a starship canjump to any number of differentplaces, so long as it starts at a jumppoint. If a starship jumps to a regionof space with no jump points, it maybe stranded! Or possibly jump pointsare always connected in pairs, so thatwhen a ship triggers its drive at oneend, it always moves to the other end.Paired jump points can create a net-work of “jumplines” in known space,in which the real distances betweenstars are less important than the con-venience of their jump-point links.Stars without jump points are inacces-sible, while jumplines without stars ateach end are not useful. Stars withseveral jump points become impor-tant crossroads, even if they don’t havehabitable or useful planets.

How are jump points created? Ifjump points are a natural phenome-non, or were built by a prior civiliza-tion, then starships will need to searchfor them – and the first trip throughone will be a major voyage of discov-ery! If a jump point must be createdwith special equipment, then thatequipment might be located on a sta-tionary facility, a stargate that can sendstarships to their destination withoutitself moving.

How is the jump drive triggered?Does it simply take the application ofenergy? Or does it require the use of

special computer programs, psionicpowers, or other rare items? Thosewho control the ability to trigger ajump will control interstellar travel!

What happens if a jump fails? Ajump ship may be stranded if itappears in a place without jumppoints, or if some jumplines are onlyone-way. Perhaps planning a jumprequires a great deal of computation,and bad aim can send a ship anywhere.

Do jump points only cross space, ordo they permit time travel? Some jump-drive schemes permit travel throughtime as well as space. Starships canvisit the distant past or the distantfuture of the universe. A ship thatcurves back through time can end upchanging its own past, or droppinginto an alternate universe whereevents turned out differently. Jumpnavigation errors can be even moredangerous in such a setting . . .

Wormhole or Keyhole Drive

Wormhole-based drives are effec-tively jump drives, in which the “jumppoints” are artificial. Wormholes arepredicted by modern physics; they are“tunnels” through space that connectdistant points. Some quantum-mechanical models of space claimthat tiny wormholes are constantlyappearing and disappearing at thesmallest scales. With a great deal ofpower, it might be possible to catch awormhole that would connect to adesired destination, and then force itto open widely enough to accommo-date a starship.

Current theory suggests thatwormholes are likely to collapse cata-strophically when an object tries toenter them. It might take a great dealof power to hold one open. Perhaps astargate installation is needed at oneor both ends, both to create and tohold open a wormhole. In this case, astarship doesn’t need any specialdrives at all – it can use a maneuverdrive to reach and then pass throughthe wormhole.

Alternatively, a starship may havethe equipment and power needed tofind, expand, and hold open a worm-hole as needed. Such a “keyhole drive”is likely to be very expensive and

dangerous. If the wormhole collapseswhile the ship is in transit, the result islikely to be catastrophic destruction!

Some serious suggestions havebeen made for manufacturing andusing wormholes, falling into therealm of fairly rigorous SF. One pro-posal requires each end to be heldopen by a ring of superdense matter,massing about as much as the solarsystem, and spinning at nearly thespeed of light. These requirementswould seem to be beyond any but themost powerful and advanced civiliza-tions – but perhaps as-yet-unknownscience will find shortcuts that makethe idea feasible.

Probability DriveThis variant on the jump drive

relies on the inherent uncertainty ofquantum mechanics. Even an objectas massive as a starship can be treatedas a quantum-level entity, its locationand velocity uncertain. When theprobability drive is engaged, the shipis no longer likely to be at its originpoint, and instead becomes very likelyto be located at the destination . . .

The drive may be controlled bypsionic talents, using the “observereffect” of quantum physics to triggerthe drive. Probability drives in fictiontend to be very dangerous, especiallysince they can’t always be controlled.A ship suffering a drive mishap mayend up anywhere, nowhere, or every-where at once . . .

Interstellar Teleport Gates

If teleportation is available (seeTeleporters, p. 46) and has interplane-tary or interstellar range, then it canbe used to move people and cargothrough space.

The details of the teleportation sys-tem have a profound effect on the fla-vor of the setting. If teleportationrequires massive facilities, and can’tbe used near a star or world, then itbecomes a stargate system and space-ships are still necessary. Cheaper andmore flexible teleportation makesspaceships less likely. At its extreme,teleportation “portals” can be part ofeveryday life – a single house can haverooms on different planets!

SPACE TRAVEL 39

WARP DRIVEAnother way to get around

Einstein is to warp the geometry ofnormal space, so that two points thatare usually vast distances apart are (atleast temporarily) much closer togeth-er. A ship can then move from originto destination through normal space,and still reach the destination withoutever approaching the speed of light. Inpractice, this means that the starshipsurrounds itself with some kind ofenergy field that lets it move at FTLspeeds with respect to unwarpedspace. If the drive malfunctions, theship loses its FTL speed, but it keepsthe normal-space velocity it hadbefore the warp drive was activated.

When choosing a warp drive for aspace setting, some of the things toconsider are:

How fast is the drive? As with ahyperdrive, the GM should considerhow long it will take a warp drive shipto make a typical journey betweenstars.

Where can the drive be used?Perhaps a warp drive can only reachFTL speeds in deep space; close to aworld or other large mass, the warpdrive drops to STL speeds or stopsworking altogether. Perhaps the shipmust accelerate to close to lightspeedusing normal-space drives beforeengaging the warp engines. Or possi-bly the warp drive is dangerous to use

except in uncrowded space. A warpdrive ship that can’t use its drive closeto a planet or star will need a maneu-ver drive as well.

How well can a warp drive shipinteract with normal space? Some vari-ations on the warp drive permit fullinteraction: sensors can scan nearbyspace, ships can maneuver at will, andbattles can be fought in warp. Othervariations (including at least one pro-posed in real-world physics) call forthe ship in warp to be almost com-pletely cut off from the rest of the uni-verse. Such a warp drive means thatthe ship can’t see out of its warp bub-ble, can’t steer, and may not even beable to turn off the drive without aid!A warp drive like this may be muchlike a hyperdrive that permits sensorsin normal space to detect the movingship, but in which the ship is other-wise out of contact until it leaves thewarp state.

Inertialess DriveThis variation on the warp drive

was first invented by E. E. “Doc”Smith. A device negates the inertia ofthe ship’s matter, thereby abolishingNewton’s laws of motion. The ship’sspeed is now limited only by thestrength of its maneuver drive and thefriction of the medium it’s flyingthrough. Ships are highly streamlinedin order to reduce friction. In a plan-et’s atmosphere, the ship is extremelyfast. In the high vacuum of interstellarspace, speeds many times that of lightare possible (assuming, of course, thatan inertialess ship isn’t subject toEinstein’s laws either).

The ship can instantly stop orchange direction, “turning on a dime”in the manner some UFOs reportedlycan. Inertialess ships are also immuneto collision or explosion damage; acollision stops the ship dead at thepoint of impact, and an explosion sim-ply bats the ship aside like a piece ofthistledown.

In reality, there’s no reason tobelieve that an inertialess object couldbreak Einstein’s laws. An inertialessobject may be equivalent to a masslessobject, required to move at exactly thespeed of light like other objects withno rest mass.

40 SPACE TRAVEL

Blink-Warp DriveThis variation on the hyperdrive or

jump drive permits a starship to makeinstantaneous leaps, but only over rel-atively short distances. To cross inter-stellar space, the ship makes a lot ofjumps very quickly. The effect is like awarp drive, in that the ship remains innormal space, may be detectable at adistance, and may be able to interactwith other normal-space objects.

If blink-warping is possible, a ship’sability to interact with other shipsmay depend on its ability to synchro-nize its “blinking.” A ship wanting toattack another may have to struggle tocoordinate jumps – if the two shipsaren’t in phase, a normal-spaceweapon fired by one will always missthe other by microseconds in eitherdirection! This may be a situation inwhich human intuition and guess-work are as powerful as computer pre-diction, giving human pilots a chanceto be effective.

Space HighwaysSome real-world science suggests

that warp drives may actually be pos-sible, although the power require-ments would be extremely high. Oneproposal suggests that specific pathsthrough space could be treated topermit FTL travel. While staying onthis “space highway,” a ship canmove at FTL speeds in the normaluniverse; the drawback is that it can’treverse course or leave the highwayuntil it reaches its destination. Aspace-highway system is rather like ajumpline system, in which the shipstake measurable time to completeeach jump.

Ships on a highway may or maynot be able to detect one another or to interact. If a highway is verynarrow, then the probability of collision may be high enough toworry about . . .

DESIGNING ASTARDRIVE

Once the GM has chosen a generaltype for his FTL drive, he can cus-tomize it with a variety of options.These decisions are important; theyprovide much of the campaign’s flavor.

Drive ReliabilityDecide how much attention the

drives need. They may be so reliablethat a yacht owner only needs to ordera checkup every few years. Or theymay be so finicky that a specialist hasto roll against Engineer (Starships) at-4 after every use just to get themworking again! Decide what skills areneeded to maintain the FTL drive ingood condition, how often the skillrolls are needed, and how difficult thetask of maintenance normally is.

FTL AstrogationDecide how difficult it is to control

the FTL drive. It may be as simple as “point the ship and turn on the engines.” Or astrogators may need high levels of Navigation(Hyperspace) skill and lots of comput-er power. Astrogators might also needunusual advantages – psionic powers,special mental abilities, or access to arare and addictive drug. Decide whatskills are needed, what modifiersmight apply to skill in different cir-cumstances, and any special abilitiesastrogators will need.

Drive SpeedDecide how fast the drive will go.

This will depend on how large a regionthe campaign covers, and how fastyou want the ships to get wherethey’re going.

Hyperdrives and warp drives canbe given a speed in parsecs per day (orhour, or second, or some other con-venient unit). For hyperdrives, theremay also be a limit to the time or dis-tance a ship can travel in hyperspacewithout emerging into normal space.Each separate trip is called a “skip,”and the ship must wait a GM-set timebetween skips. For instance, if themaximum skip is one parsec, and theskip is almost instantaneous, but theship must wait a day before makinganother skip, then the effective speedis one parsec per day.

For jump drives, “speed” dependsentirely on how far a ship usuallyneeds to travel to reach a chosen jumppoint. The important factors are theendurance of the drive (how often aship can jump, with respect to refuel-ing or maintenance) and normal-space time from one jump exit to thedestination world or the next jumpentrance.

The scale of the campaign setting isdetermined by the assumptions theGM wishes to make about his cam-paign map. See Mapping the Galaxy (p.67) for some suggestions.

Comparative SpeedStarships may have different

speeds, especially when using hyper-drives or warp drives. Alternatively, aship always moves at the same speed,and the drive simply either is or is notpowerful enough to boost the ship’smass into an FTL state. With jumpdrives, the instantaneous jump is like-ly to be the same for every ship,although some ships may have bettermaneuver drives than others.

Maximum RangeHow far can a ship go at a time?

Ships that have to refuel often, or thatneed lengthy calculations beforeentering FTL travel, may have limitson the distance they can go beforeneeding more fuel or new computa-tions. Decide what limits may exist ona ship’s range. If ships can travel longdistances in FTL, then interstellar bor-ders become harder to defend – espe-cially if ships are undetectable whilein hyperspace or in some other FTLstate! If ships can travel only short dis-tances without a stop, or if jumppoints are required and are easy todefend, then interstellar bordersbecome possible.

Fuel ConsumptionIf an FTL drive makes use of some

consumable material, then ships willneed to stop and restock from time totime. Even a ship whose FTL drivesrun on internal power may need fuelto run the power plant. Or the drivemay need some unusual material towork: a rare crystal, expensivetransuranic elements, or antimatter.In general, if fuel is expensive or rare,then exploration and travel will focuson fuel sources. Ships that refuel oftenwill need to stop frequently, and maybe dependent on civilized ports totravel far. Ships that are fuel-efficient,or can scavenge fuel as they travel, willbe able to travel longer distances with-out stopping. The availability of fuelwill help control how cheap and com-monplace interstellar travel will be.

SPACE TRAVEL 41

Side EffectsAny FTL drive may have undesir-

able side effects. These can be aninteresting balancing factor in a set-ting with multiple FTL drives; thefaster drive may be more unpleasantor more risky. These effects may varyfrom one civilization to the next –some races may make excellentspace navigators, or use certaindrives that no one else can use.

Mechanical effects: The use of anFTL drive may affect mechanicaldevices, plaguing engineers. Perhapsthe activation of the star drive isequivalent to violent maneuvers innormal space, forcing equipmentand people to be secured to avoiddamage. More subtly, FTL travel may cause certain devices (electron-ics, computers, even astrogationalequipment) to fail or to functionunreliably.

Physical effects: FTL may do harmto living creatures on board a star-ship! Perhaps everyone must roll vs.HT when the ship enters FTL (or atintervals while it is in FTL) to avoidnausea and spacesickness. Crew andpassengers may suffer pain or disori-entation, taking a penalty to DX orIQ. Or they may suffer illness ordeath in FTL, requiring that they take drugs or go into suspended animation!

Mental effects: Crew and passen-gers may suffer psychic distress,delusions or manic impulses thatrequire medication or suspendedanimation to avoid. If psionics exist,FTL travel may interfere with theiruse (or may boost psionic talents).Or possibly FTL travel is psychicallypleasurable, inviting an Addictionamong frequent passengers or navi-gators! If drugs are required to navi-gate FTL space or to avoid physicalharm, this may represent addictionto those drugs instead.

42 SPACE TRAVEL

Navigation ErrorsWhat happens when a starship goes off-course? STL starships, and

those using a warp drive, are unlikely to get lost since they can alwayssee where they are going. Jump drive and hyperdrive ships can go wild-ly off course, especially if a power plant or stardrive malfunctions inmid-journey.

In general, an astrogator should roll against the appropriateNavigation specialty, modified as the GM sees fit to reflect the difficul-ty of interstellar astrogation. A hurriedly set course, relative to thetime usually required, gives a penalty to the roll (according to TimeSpent, p. B346). A successful roll means that there was no error. Theconsequences of a failure depend on its magnitude.

The GM should custom-build his own failure table, appropriate forthe drive he has designed. Players should not be allowed to see thistable, although they may know what the general results of a minorerror will be. If the penalties for miscalculating are low, then starshipsescaping from danger will always use quick-and-dirty computations.As consequences become more severe, “snap astrogation” becomesmore of an emergency measure.

Some possibilities include:Nothing happens: Literally. If your calculations are wrong, you use

up a lot of energy – and go nowhere. This is especially appropriate forjump drives.

Off-position: This is more appropriate for hyperdrives than for jumpdrives. Deviation from the intended destination depends on the amountby which the skill roll was missed, and may be minor (AUs) or major(parsecs). A ship might go in the correct direction but the wrong dis-tance, or it could go the correct distance in the wrong direction.

Lost: The ship is sent to a wholly unexpected location – the worse theroll, the more lost it is. The actual destination may be a reasonable num-ber of parsecs from the departure or destination point, or it might berandom on a galactic or intergalactic scale. Astronomy or Navigationrolls will be required just to figure out where the ship is.

Time-Lost: Along with one of the previous results, the ship alsomoves a random distance forward or backward in time. Small time-movements are an interesting nuisance. Big ones can be catastrophic,and may be appropriate only if the GM is ready to start a new cam-paign. If ships can become “time-lost” predictably, the GM may findhimself running a time-travel campaign.

Damage: The ship (or the drive) takes a certain amount of damage.For example, the drive may burn out, or the ship may lose a percentageof total hit points.

Total Disaster: The ship is destroyed, or thrown into another universewith no possibility of return. Not a good result for play balance,although as a final consequence for very stupid escape plans it may havesome merit.

SPACE TRAVEL 43

SHIPBOARD SYSTEMSCargill took a deep breath, then

started over. “The ship can fight,” hesaid in what amounted to baby talk,“until somebody makes a hole in her.Then she has to be fixed. Now supposeI had to repair this,” he said, laying ahand on something Rod was almostsure was an air absorber-converter.“The . . . thing looks half-melted now.How would I know what was dam-aged? Or if it were damaged at all?”

– Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, The Mote in God’s Eye

Aside from the drives, every space-ship has other systems intended tokeep its crewmen alive and supporttheir work. These secondary technolo-gies can have a profound effect on theflavor of a space setting.

CONTROLSYSTEMS

A spaceship will have a variety ofcomponent systems. Most of the time,crewmen will interact with their shipby way of its control systems.

Cockpits and BridgesAlmost every fictional spaceship

has a centralized control room. Avery small ship, like a TL7 spaceprobe or a fighter craft, may have acockpit, a cramped space just largeenough for the crew to sit and work.A larger spaceship will probably have a bridge, with extra space permitting the crew to get up andmove around.

In either case, the control centeris the place where the ship’s com-manding officers meet, work, man-age the ship’s systems, and plan forupcoming adventures. The “look andfeel” of the control center can beimportant. Is it cramped or roomy?Are the controls composed of toggleswitches and dials, brightly coloredbuttons, or sophisticated virtual-reality interfaces? Which crewmenare likely to be found in the controlcenter, and which ones visit onlyrarely? Does the bridge crew observecareful military protocol, or are theyrelaxed and informal?

One variation on the central bridgemight be a virtual control center, usedon spaceships where computers andcommunications gear are ubiquitous.If crewmen can confer with each otherat will, and control ship’s systemsfrom anywhere on board, then there’slittle need for centralized controls.Perhaps they work from their quartersmuch of the time, conferring witheach other over ship’s communica-tions (or even meeting in a VR space).

ComputersEvery spaceship is likely to have

at least one onboard computer; in settings where computing is common-place there may be hundreds net-worked together.

The GM should consider howadventurers will interact with a ship’scomputer systems. In order to solve anew problem, does the crew have toreprogram the computers in an arcanemachine language? Or can an officerdescribe the problem in vague termsand expect the computers to come upwith independent answers? Does thecomputer show initiative, volunteer-ing information and solutions on itsown? Does it have a personality? Inparticular, can the computer run theship by itself – and if it can, who needshuman crewmen?

The GM may be tempted to use aship’s computer systems as an “ora-cle,” presenting information as neededto drive the plot. However, if a com-puter is that widely useful, it may startto replace human adventurers . . .

LIFE SUPPORTSpaceships can be robotic, carry-

ing nonliving cargo or scientificinstruments. A ship that carries crewor passengers will need to providelife support, keeping everyone aliveeven in a hostile environment.

Any ship capable of space travelcan be assumed to be sealed againsttemperature extremes, vacuum,meteoroid impacts, and so on. Inparticular, every long-range space-craft will need shielding against radi-ation, which is ubiquitous in space(see Radiation Hazards, p. B435).

Supporting the biological needs ofany passengers – breathable air,potable water, and edible food –requires more elaborate technology.The GM should consider the level of life support technology that isavailable.

Limited Life SupportLimited life support provides air,

food, and water so long as onboardsupplies last. It has no recyclingcapability, so once the supplies runout, crew and passengers are in trou-ble. Limited life support is of littlevalue for space travel since it’s diffi-cult to carry enough supplies to sup-port crewmen for more than a fewdays. Space shuttles or other ground-to-orbit craft may use limited lifesupport.

Full Life SupportFull life support can recycle air and

water, vastly extending the endurance ofthe life support system. The system stillcan’t provide food, or recycle most bio-logical wastes. A ship with full life sup-port will need to carry provisions, stop-ping at port occasionally to resupply.

Total Life SupportTotal life support can provide all of

the passengers’ needs, recycling bio-logical wastes and producing ediblefood indefinitely. A ship with total lifesupport can travel for very long peri-ods without stopping at a port.

GRAVITYGravity is one of the fundamental

forces of the universe – and it has alsoturned out to be the hardest force tomanipulate. Today, the only knownway to produce gravity is to pile uplots of mass. There is no known way toscreen against it, reducing an object’sweight or making it weightless. Stillless is there any known way to reversegravity. Gravity control (“gravitics” or“gravitonics”) is still a dream, andshould be considered a supersciencetechnology.

Spin GravityA space habitat can be rotated to

provide artificial gravity through cen-trifugal force. A spaceship can do thesame, either by rotating as a unit, orby spinning a specific section.

Spin gravity is available even at verylow TLs, but it has a number of disad-vantages. The rotation gives rise to aCoriolis effect, which seems to pushobjects to the side as they fall; this canbe difficult for travelers to adjust to.Coriolis effects can cause severe disori-entation if the radius of the spin is toosmall, so the ship (or the rotating sec-tion) needs to be fairly large.

Meanwhile, there may be reasonswhy the whole ship can’t rotate – say,in order to hold the aim of a shipboardweapon. Unfortunately, conservationof angular momentum means that ifone section of the ship begins torotate, the rest of the ship will normal-ly rotate in the opposite direction.This can be avoided, but it adds to thecomplexity of the system.

Artificial GravityAn artificial gravity generator is a

device that (somehow) produces agravitational field without lots ofmass. This violates physical laws asthey are currently understood, andmust be considered superscience.

If a setting has artificial gravity,this has a number of effects on thecampaign. Spaceships and space sta-tions will no longer need to be builtwith rotating sections to generate spingravity. They can be given any shapedesired, and in particular will nolonger need to be shaped like rings orcylinders. Settlement on asteroids,comets, or other bits of space debriswill become easy. The presence of vari-ant human races, adapted to micro-gravity or to unusual gravity fields,will be much less likely.

A variation on artificial gravity isthe gravitic or inertial compensator, adevice that renders the force of highgravity (or high acceleration) harm-less. Compensators can make spacetravel much more comfortable, evenon spaceships with very powerfulmaneuver drives. Manned ships, espe-cially fighter craft, will be able tomake sharp turns at high velocity, let-ting them “dogfight” as seen in manySF films.

ContragravityContragravity is a means of

“screening out” gravity – in effect, thereverse of artificial gravity. The maineffect of contragravity is to allowthings to fly without regard for aero-dynamics, and without noisy engines.Instead of being light and fragile likehelicopters or jet planes, vehicles canbe quite heavy, like “grav tanks,” oreven flying houses or cities. If contra-gravity generators can be made smallenough, they can allow personal flyingbelts – or flying carpets!

Contragravity can be dramatic andfuturistic. On the other hand, if itbecomes too easy to fly, there’s notmuch point to driving, sailing, orwalking. The simpler and moreportable flight technology is, the moreadventurers will use it. This can short-circuit a lot of adventures – it’s hard toget excited about a “man againstnature” adventure in which the heroesmust cross a thousand miles of bar-ren, monster-infested wilderness, ifthey can just strap on their flight-belts

and fly. Of course, the contragravitymay be unreliable, and may fail at justthe wrong moment . . . but it canbecome tiresome if the GM develops ahabit of depriving the adventurers ofcrucial technology.

WEAPONSIf space travel ever becomes com-

mon, spaceships will sooner or laterbegin shooting at each other. Thechoice of what shipboard weapons aremost common will do a lot to deter-mine the flavor of a space setting.

Projectile WeaponsOne of the oldest ways to damage

any vehicle is to throw physical pro-jectiles at it. A missile that simply col-lides with an enemy ship uses thekinetic kill technique. A missile cancarry a warhead: high explosives, anuclear device, bomb-pumped lasers,nanotechnological “goo” . . . any-thing that can damage an enemy shipat a short distance.

44 SPACE TRAVEL

One of the fundamental problemswith projectile weapons is how to aimthem. This problem is particularly badfor an unguided projectile, which can’talter its course to follow the enemy.Unguided projectiles (such as thosefired by a cannon or railgun) will needto be very fast or very short-range.Guided missiles will need to be fasterthan the ships they target, and willneed to be smart to outguess theenemy pilot.

Beam WeaponsHigh-energy lasers, particle beams,

gravity beams, or bolts of energeticplasma are all good candidates forbeam weapons.

Beam weapons can help with theaiming problem in space combat.Lasers, gravity pulses, and particlebeams all move at lightspeed or justunder it. These speeds mean that theenemy ship won’t have time to evadewhile the beam crosses space, even ifit can predict when the attack is com-ing. On the other hand, if a beam hasto be held on its target to do significantdamage, this helps the defense. A shipbeing targeted can simply rotate inplace, or make small evasive maneu-vers, spreading the beam’s attackpoint across the hull.

Remember that a ship’s drives cansometimes be used as a weapon. Mostreaction drives generate hot plasma orother dangerous exhaust, which couldbe directed at an enemy vessel. Thefaster and more efficient the drive, themore energetic the exhaust – all theway up to the output from antimatterpion drives, which can be deadly atdistances of millions of miles.

Exotic WeaponsSuperscience technologies that

drive a ship can also lead to super-science methods for attacking (ordefending) it. Any bad effect thatmight occur as a side effect of a drivemight also be deliberately inflicted onan enemy vessel. Perhaps a gravitydrive can also be used to projectgravitic fields at an enemy ship, burn-ing out enemy drives or damaging theenemy ship’s hull. A different applica-tion of hyperdrive technology mightmake it impossible for enemy ships toescape into hyperspace. If a ship uses

psionics to trigger an interstellarjump, then it may be vulnerable totelepathic or telekinetic attack.

Designing WeaponsSome of the things to consider

when designing weapons systems are:Range: At what distance can the

weapon be relied on to do significantdamage? Some projectile weaponshave effectively unlimited range.Beam weapons tend to do less damagewith distance – even laser beamsspread.

Aiming: At what distance can theweapon be reliably aimed to hit thetarget? Can ships evade effectivelyeven at short distances, or do theyhave to be thousands or millions ofmiles away? Are there ways to evadedamage even if the attack can’t be seencoming?

Gunnery: Who operates theweapons? Can human gunners aimand fire with some chance of hittingthe target? Or does fire control haveto be left in the hands of computers,with humans making general tacticaldecisions?

Damage: What kind of damagedoes the weapon do? Does it simplytear up the hull and any systems ithits? Does it heat the target to thepoint of breakdown, or inflict radia-tion damage? Does it deliver someexotic form of injury, harming drivesor other ship’s systems?

DEFENSESIf spaceships go into battle, they

will be built with defensive systems toavoid or minimize damage.

ArmorOne of the simplest defenses any

ship can mount is armor – plating onthe hull, made of tough metal or moreexotic materials, designed to deflect orabsorb damage.

Almost all spaceships will carrysome armor, if only to deflect mete-oroid impacts and lend some protec-tion against radiation. This kind ofarmor can be quite simple; a layer ofrock, slag, or even ice can serve thepurpose. Many primitive interplane-tary craft and space stations will usefound materials for armor. Interstellar

ships that approach the speed of lightmay use a very thick coat of cheaparmor to cover their forward sections.

The main drawback of armor isthat it can be very heavy. Civilizationsthat routinely use armored spacecraftwill look for ways to make it as toughas possible, or as reflective as possibleif beam weapons are a likely threat, sothat its mass can be reduced.

Force FieldsMany science-fiction universes

include some kind of force field, anenergy barrier that can protect a ship(or some other target) from incomingprojectiles or beams. Force fields canbe a useful technology when establish-ing a setting’s flavor.

First, force fields can allow individ-uals or vehicles to look unprotectedbut in fact be well shielded againstenemy fire or hostile environments. Atiny shield belt is so much more ele-gant than a bulky armored suit . . .

Second, force fields allow the GMto control what weaponry is likely tobe in use. For a “swords and starships”campaign, the GM can rule that forcefields block explosions and fast-mov-ing projectiles, but are ineffectiveagainst slow hand weapons. For acampaign in which nuclear weaponsare rare, rule that force screens pro-vide thousands of times their normalresistance against nuclear explosions.To limit teleportation technology, rulethat a teleporter can’t reach through aforce field.

Stealth and CloakingCamouflage is a long-standing part

of the art of warfare. In many hard-SFsettings, the ability to deceive enemysensors and smart weapons may be amuch better defense than armor.

Of course, there is considerabledebate as to just how easy it will be toconceal a spaceship from sensors.Space is big, so spotting something assmall as a ship may be tricky. On theother hand, space is also dark andcold. The laws of thermodynamicsmean that the energy used to operatea ship has to go somewhere. Thismeans that every ship will radiateheat, standing out nicely in infraredagainst the dark background.

SPACE TRAVEL 45

Meanwhile, the flare of a rocket drivewill act as a beacon to everyone with-in line of sight – and there’s rarely any-thing to hide behind in space . . .Still, advances in electronic counter-measures (ECM) and stealth technolo-gy may mean that battles must befought at or near visual range.

Cloaking technology goes beyondobscuring a ship’s image or deceivingenemy sensors, rendering a shipentirely invisible. “Invisibility fields”are superscience, but they can givespace combat a unique flavor.Spaceships can be like submarines:maneuvering for position, hunting fora fleeting contact, almost impossibleto detect until they give their positionaway by firing their weapons.

Note that almost any supersciencetechnology may have an effect on howeasy ships are to detect. Perhaps reac-tionless drives produce a lot of wasteheat. Perhaps an installed hyperdrivewill let a ship dump its heat and otherradiations into hyperspace, reducingits “signature.” Or perhaps a ship thatuses a psionic drive can be detected bypsionic powers at very long range . . .

SENSORSEvery spaceship needs equipment

to gather and interpret data about itssurroundings.

Passive sensors receive the naturalradiations given off by objects at a dis-tance, and use those to build an imageof the ship’s surroundings. The most

basic passive sensors used in spacewill be telescopes. Telescopes don’thave to use visible light; radio,infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, and evengamma rays can all be detected by var-ious telescopes. Particle radiation(alpha particles, beta particles, neutri-nos, and so on) can also be detected byspecialized instruments; this can beuseful when trying to detect nuclearpower plants or other high-energyphenomena. More exotic passive sen-sors may sense mass, gravity, “proba-bility waves” given off by unusual real-ity-altering technology, the operationof FTL drives, or even psionic effects.

Active sensors don’t wait to receivethe emanations of other objects.Instead, they broadcast electromagnet-ic radiation and interpret the reflec-tions. The simplest active sensor is asearchlight, illuminating otherwisedark objects. In space, high-poweredlasers or bright rocket drives can beused as searchlights at very long range.Other active sensors include long-waveor microwave radar, or exotic sensorsusing other forms of radiation.

In a setting with FTL travel, theGM may want to consider permittingsuperscience sensors that themselveswork at FTL speeds. Ships that cancommunicate or even fight in FTL willneed sensors capable of guiding theseinteractions. A starship might be ableto detect other ships even at light-yeardistances, moving to intercept them orsimply preventing them from sneak-ing by unnoticed.

COMMUNICATIONSSpaceships always have communi-

cations equipment. Radios, lasers, andsimilar devices send information bymodulating electromagnetic informa-tion. Advanced societies may manipu-late gravity waves or neutrino burststo communicate.

However, all of those methods arelimited to lightspeed. Adequate forcommunication across interplanetarydistances, they become very slow andcumbersome at the interstellar level. IfFTL travel exists, then FTL communi-cation may exist – but the GM willwant to carefully consider how suchcommunications work.

No FTL RadioIf no FTL communication is possi-

ble, then the speed of communicationbecomes that of the fastest starship.Fast courier ships will maintain con-tact between worlds, carrying mail,news, and government dispatches.Slower ships, possibly independentlyowned, will contract for mail serviceto less important worlds. Without FTLcommunications, invading fleets,escaping criminals, and similar men-aces may be able to outrun the warn-ing that they’re coming.

Without FTL communication,interstellar trade is risky; a merchantwon’t be able to determine in advancewhat the target market needs. A traderwho guesses right can get rich, whileone who guesses wrong will go broke.If the interstellar state is large enoughthat it takes months or years to crossby starship, then the capital will seemremote and people will tend to bemore loyal to their world or provincethan to the state as a whole. Militaryforces will need to be large and scat-tered, so that there is always enoughforce at any point of danger. Militarycommanders will have great leewaywhen they are far from superiorauthority; bravado and strategic skillwill be very important.

Slow FTL RadioSlow FTL communication – say,

three or four times as fast as thefastest starship – helps tie an interstel-lar state together. However, FTL“radio” may be expensive; perhaps it

46 SPACE TRAVEL

TeleportersIf teleportation is possible, then a spaceship might have teleportation

equipment on board for crew and passengers. This might simply pro-vide a quick way to get around the ship itself – or it can provide an easyway to move onto a nearby world and back!

Teleportation can sometimes be a plot convenience, permitting theGM to easily put characters in the middle of an adventure. On the otherhand, if teleportation is too easy, it can help the adventurers get backout of a difficult situation at any time. This can short-circuit manyplots, forcing the GM to make the system break down too often forcredibility.

Limited teleportation systems may be a useful compromise. Perhapsthe system requires heavy equipment to be in place at both ends. In thiscase, a ship’s crew could use it to easily visit a civilized world, but wouldhave to do without when exploring the frontier. Or perhaps inanimatecargo can be moved but the system is far too unsafe for passengers,forcing adventurers to use more conventional methods to get around.

takes up too much space or requirestoo much energy to be installed on astarship. In this case, FTL communi-cation may take place only betweenthe most important worlds, while ships and minor worlds stillhave to rely on couriers. Access to FTLcommunications will be a greatadvantage for merchants, or for military commanders.

Fast FTL RadioFast, cheap FTL communication

makes it easy to hold an interstellarstate together. Trade becomes relative-ly safe, as merchants can easily checkthe market at their destinations beforethey even load cargo. Military fleetscan be smaller but still used efficient-ly, since they can quickly be calledtogether in an emergency. On theother hand, merchants and militaryofficers alike will find their freedom ofaction limited, with superior authorityalways an FTL call away. Captains willrarely take action without referring toHQ for orders!

If FTL communication is this easy,the GM may want to impose limits onit to make sure that it can’t ruin a dra-matic situation. FTL “radio” may havea limited range, forcing the state to setup “repeater” beacons and ensuringthat a ship out on the frontiers can’tcall home. Communications may beunreliable, with “static” or some otherblockage appearing at appropriatemoments. Or perhaps messages arestill delayed enough in transmissionthat a call for help can’t be answeredimmediately!

POWERMost practical maneuver drives

either require a great deal of power, orare direct modifications of powerplants. Star drives are also very likelyto require a great deal of power. Powerplant technology is therefore criticalto space travel.

Any spaceship power plant needsto be able to operate without air; thisrules out fossil fuels. Power plantdesigners will look for fuel efficiency,safety, a high power-to-mass ratio, andvery long endurance. The GM shouldconsider what power plants will beavailable to support the existing ship’ssystems.

Meanwhile, if spaceships routinelyhave massive power plants with agreat deal of output, it’s likely thatspace habitats and planet-based com-munities will also have access to plen-tiful energy. A society that flies power-ful starships is probably very wealthyat home!

LABORATORIESIt’s very common in SF for space-

ships to carry scientific equipment,and even whole laboratory facilities.This is often true even of ships thataren’t designed to serve as explorationor scientific vessels.

In fact, the need for scientificequipment and crewmen trained inthe sciences depends on how muchtime a spaceship will spend inunknown space. A ship that neverleaves well-known regions won’t needscientific gear – present-day cargoships and military vessels don’t carryextensive laboratory facilities! If awarship or merchant vessel sometimesvisits unexplored worlds, then it maytake on equipment and trained crew

temporarily when it’s needed. Only aship that is likely to take on anexploratory role at any time will bedesigned to carry scientific facilitiesall the time.

For example, the warships in DavidWeber’s “Honor Harrington” novelscarry only minimal scientific facilities,since they never take on an explorato-ry role and rarely leave well-knownspace. On the other hand, Federationstarships in Star Trek are likely toreceive exploration or survey duty atany time; even heavily armed cruiserscarry extensive laboratory facilitiesand crews trained to use them.

One exception to this general ruleis the presence of medical facilities.Every spaceship will need to carrymedical equipment and the necessarycrew. A small ship may carry basicdrugs and surgical tools, with one ortwo crewmen cross-trained in medi-cine. A larger ship, no matter what itsoverall purpose, will carry a sickbayand trained physicians to protect thehealth of the crew. Such facilities maybe useful in biological investigations.

SPACE TRAVEL 47

BandwidthAnother factor to consider when designing FTL communication

methods is bandwidth. Bandwidth is a technical term, describing howmuch information can be sent through a channel in a given time. Acommunication method can be extremely fast and almost impossible tojam – but if it takes many hours to transmit a message even a few wordslong, it won’t be as useful!

A fast but low-bandwidth communications method can have inter-esting effects on the campaign setting. It may be easy for a spaceship tomaintain contact with its home base, but not to send detailed messagesor ask for extensive information. If the transmitter is too bulky for aspaceship to carry, then it can receive orders or bulletins from homebase without being able to respond. Interstellar communications will beexpensive, and may be metered by the word (or the byte) like old-styletelegrams.

“Well, Bones, do the new medical facilities meetwith your approval?”

“They do not. It’s like working in a damn computer center.”

– Kirk and McCoy,Star Trek: The Motion Picture

An interesting game can bedesigned around an exploratory orsurvey vessel, although if the GM andplayers aren’t themselves familiar withthe sciences it may be difficult tomaintain interest in such a campaign.An alternative might be to throw aspaceship that isn’t designed for explo-ration into a situation where scientificdiscovery is crucial!

INFRASTRUCTUREA number of miscellaneous “sys-

tems” don’t depend on advanced tech-nology, but might be useful for the GMto consider as he develops the flavor ofa ship-based campaign.

Tools and WorkshopsSpaceships are complex machines,

and are likely to need a great deal ofmaintenance. Low-TL spacecraftsometimes get around this limitationby being “one-shot” machines. Theyare used for a single short mission,and designed so that none of theircomponents can be expected to failbefore the mission is over. The first“reusable” spacecraft often needextensive maintenance and evenrebuilding between launches.

Once a spacecraft is likely to spendmonths or years in flight, its crew willneed to be able to perform mainte-nance and repairs. The spaceship willneed to carry tool and replacementparts. For very large ships (or verylong missions) it might even be rea-sonable to carry whole workshops,complete with fabrication facilities sothat new parts can be made out of rawmaterials.

Consumables and Storage

Every spaceship will need storagespace to carry things that the crew andpassengers will need. Fuel must bestored for the power plant and spacedrives. Food, water, air, and other con-sumables must be carried to stock thelife-support system. The crew mayneed various pieces of equipment thatwill be used when the ship reaches itsdestination.

Even a low-TL space “capsule” willbe full of these items, stuffed into everyavailable nook and cranny. A large,high-TL spaceship may have extensive

on-board supplies: tools, replacementparts, clothing, linens . . . even enter-tainment or luxury items for the passengers!

If a campaign focuses on ship-board activities, the GM may want tomake sure that the ship’s stores arewell defined. A spaceship in flight isextremely isolated; if anything goeswrong the crew will have nothing butwhat’s in storage to use to fix theproblem. Requiring adventurers toimprovise with inadequate equip-ment is often a good way to ratchetup the tension . . .

CargoMany spaceships will have some

capacity to carry cargo. If permanentspace habitats or colonies exist, theywill be supported by spaceships carry-ing supplies and new equipment.Eventually trade will spring upbetween worlds, and some spaceshipswill specialize in cargo transport.

Ships that carry a lot of cargo willalso have crewmen who specialize inhandling it – loading it, unloading it,and taking care of it in transit. Ifspaceship crews can engage in tradeon their own behalf, some crewmenwill be expert in finding worthwhilecargoes, buying them at a bargainprice, and selling them for a profit.

The minutiae of buying and sellingcargo don’t usually make for com-pelling adventures. If a cargo-carryingship is the focus of a campaign, theGM should consider other ways to usethe cargo to drive interesting stories.Perhaps the ship carries legitimatecargo, but also engages in smuggling

to avoid government interference.Perhaps a piece of cargo turns out notto be what’s expected, posing a dangerto the ship or its crew. Or perhaps car-rying the cargo is easy enough, butdelivering it (and getting paid for it)poses challenges at the destination.

SMALL CRAFTMany spaceships in science fiction

carry small craft, smaller vehicles thatare used for specialized purposes.Depending on a setting’s technologicalassumptions, a small ship may haveadvantages over a large one in certaincircumstances. A small ship may befaster or stealthier – or it may simplybe able to go places (like planetarysurfaces) that the typical starshipcan’t.

If small ships are the only ones thatcan conveniently land on worlds, thenlarge ships will carry one or more“shuttlecraft” to ferry people andcargo. Even ships that can easily landon a world may carry a small cutter orgig for jobs that require a few crew-men to travel away from their homeship. Similar small craft may serve aslifeboats to carry people and valuableequipment away from a wrecked ship(see Man the Life Pods! below).

Small craft that are much faster orstealthier may have military uses.Space-opera universes sometimeshave large “carriers” or “motherships,”carrying squadrons of small fightercraft that take on some or all of thespace-combat tasks. Small craft canalso be stealthy speedsters that carrysmall teams of adventurers into andout of dangerous situations.

48 SPACE TRAVEL

Man the Life Pods!When a starship runs into trouble, the crew may or may not have a

chance of surviving. Antimatter explosions and similar disasters are notlikely to leave survivors! If anyone from the crew can survive, they maybe stranded for hours, days, or even years before help can arrive. Manyships will be built with systems designed to help the crew escape, reachsanctuary, and survive until help arrives.

The typical survival system is a “lifeboat” or “life pod,” a small craftcapable at least of brief maneuvering to get away from a dangerous sit-uation. It will provide some life support, although it may rely on sus-pended-animation techniques to support stranded crewmen for longperiods. A lifeboat may or may not be able to land. If it can, it will prob-ably be stocked with survival gear and other resources useful for crew-men who must live in the wilderness for long periods of time.

TECHNOLOGY 49

CHAPTER THREE

TECHNOLOGY

“You really want to try it again?” asked Captain Panatic as we circledhigh above the alien city, looking down through the scanscope.

“Of course! It can’t fail this time! We drop down out of the sky withthe holobelts on to give us a nice halo effect, and demand that theyhand over all the nice shiny crystals or the mighty SkyDemons will be angered.”

“When we tried that before, they threwspears at us.”

“That’s because I used the wrongmythological referent. I said StarDemons instead of Sky Demons.This time I know better. Andwe’re a thousand klicks fromthe last place. It’ll work justfine!”

We left the airboatparked at 1,200 meters,put on the holobelts overour flight harnesses, anddropped down towardthe city. It was the stan-dard local setup: lowcone-shaped houses lining radial streetsaround a tall spiral zig-gurat tower toppedwith the usual bigshiny copper sun disk.

A crowd of localsgathered around us inthe main plaza. Theywere typical lowtechs: nometals harder than copper,no wheeled vehicles, and nowind or water power. They’dbe pushovers for the mighty SkyDemons.

I stepped forward and touched my translator necklace. “We are the mighty . . .”“Impostors!” shouted an old native, pushing through the crowd. “They are impostors! Beings from a distant

place come to steal our crystals!”Panatic looked at me, his hand straying to the butt of his blaster.I tried to salvage the situation. “Why do you say this?” I asked the old green guy. “Why do you say we are

impostors?”He stabbed his staff angrily at the ziggurat. “The talking mirror brought word of your scheme!”I shook my head at Panatic and slapped the BOOST button on my harness. As the city dropped away beneath

us, I let out a growl of frustration. Not even Bronze Age and they’ve already got lightspeed communications!Sometimes the world just isn’t fair.

Sometimes in science fiction it’s all about the gadgets. Science fiction would hardly be the same without the products offuturistic science. The available tools and their dramatic implications will be one of the most important things for any GMto consider when designing a new science-fiction setting.

50 TECHNOLOGY

ADDING MIRACLESAfter a setting’s space-flight tech-

nology is set, the GM will want to con-sider whether any miracles (as definedon p. 29) will be present in other areasof technology. Miracles in astronauticsare useful if the GM wants to set hisstories in space; miracles in otherindustries can have a profound effecton what those stories will be about.

SEVERALMIRACLES

Science fiction authors rarelyassign technological miracles arbitrar-ily. Each story usually has a coherentset of technological assumptions, cho-sen to support the plot (or to fit a con-sistent setting for which the authorhas written other stories). Some of themore common assumption sets arelisted here.

High IndustrialA high industrial setting is one in

which advanced technology producesa world much like our own, but more:more available resources, more usefulgadgets, more powerful weapons, andso on. Technological miracles havegiven human beings better tools, butthey haven’t significantly changedhuman nature.

One form of high industrial settinguses retrotech assumptions. Retrotechis characteristic of Golden Age SF,which was written before the society-altering possibilities of certain tech-nologies became obvious. Many of thebest stories of the period featuredhighly advanced physics, but veryinferior electronics, and no hint ofadvanced biotechnology or nanotech-nology. This isn’t necessarily a bad setof assumptions; it can give rise to avery exciting space-opera campaign.Without the realistic crutch of smartcomputers and advanced cybernetics,adventurers have to rely on their ownskills rather than those of theirmachines!

Since retrotech campaigns are setin the future, they usually involvepolitical change: present-day nationswill have vanished; new cultures andempires will have appeared. However,these changes result from ordinary

historical trends, not spectacularsocial transformation. Some retrotechuniverses involve elaborate “futurehistories,” tracing out how the soci-eties of the future evolved from thoseof the present. Retrotech universesoften support adventures driven by romance and drama rather thanscientific rigor.

Classic examples of retrotech fic-tion include Poul Anderson’s“Polesotechnic League” and “TerranEmpire” stories, E. E. “Doc” Smith’s“Lensman” novels, and even the StarTrek television series.

Some more recent SF mimics theretrotech feel by using safetechassumptions. In a safetech setting, it’spossible to develop technologies thatdrastically alter human nature orreplace humans with machines.However, all such technologies areavoided or suppressed, usuallythrough social controls. This is mostoften for ethical reasons, or because ofpast wars or disasters that involvedthe technology.

Under safetech assumptions,human society will extend into spaceand will probably be more prosper-ous, but it won’t otherwise be very dif-ferent from the societies of today.Safetech universes support a space-operatic approach, and are fairlycommon in SF. For example, LarryNiven’s famous “Known Space”

universe is a safetech setting for most of its future-history timeline.Meanwhile, several authors are cur-rently trying to recapture the classicspace-opera flavor by using safetechassumptions – Walter Jon Williams’“Dread Empire’s Fall” series is arecent example.

High BiotechIn some SF universes, the most

miraculous technologies are thoseinvolving medical science and bio-engineering. Genetic modifications,tissue engineering, biochemicalweapons, living computers, and simi-lar items all become commonplace.

Miraculous biotechnology can pro-duce a variety of interesting effects ina science fiction setting. With it, asapient race can vary its own form,adapt itself to unusual conditions,acquire wonderful powers, and evengain immortality. On the other hand,biotechnology involves the manipula-tion of living things, possibly withouttheir consent or to their detriment.Techniques that benefit some peoplemay have terrible consequences forothers. A setting with extensivebiotechnology may need to addressimportant moral themes.

A variation on the high-biotech set-ting is the high psionics setting. Here,improvements in human performancecome from the development of exotic

mental powers. These can, in turn,come from the manipulation ofhuman biology – but they can bederived from other sources entirely. Inany case, many of the same ethicaland social issues apply!

The Transhuman Space settingcan be considered a high biotech uni-verse, since miraculous biotechnologyis one of its main areas of advance.Other space-oriented stories with ahigh biotech flavor include BruceSterling’s “Shaper/Mechanist” storiesand John Varley’s “Titan” novels.

High CybertechA high cybertech world is one in

which computer technology andcybernetics have transformed society.Computers are extremely intelligent,and may be self-aware and self-moti-vated as well. Robots of all shapes andsizes are common. Even humanbeings can become part machine,with cybernetic implants and neuralinterfaces.

A high cybertech world can be oneof great convenience, as smartmachines take over many ordinarytasks and leave humans free for moredifficult work (or for pure leisure). Onthe other hand, such a world is oftenone in which machines have sur-passed their creators. Perhaps themachines are benevolent, or perhapsthey have an agenda of their own . . .

The Transhuman Space setting ishigh cybertech as well as high biotechin nature, with artificial intelligence

that is both commonplace and power-ful. Meanwhile, some classic “cyber-punk” stories were set in space as wellas on Earth – notably WilliamGibson’s Neuromancer.

High NanotechNanotechnology is a broad range of

technologies and products, all ofwhich require the manipulation ofmatter at small scales. Nanotech tech-niques handle individual atoms andmolecules, producing machines onthe same scale as viruses or complexproteins. The biological comparison isapt; a living cell is a nanotechnologicalfactory! A high nanotech setting is onein which miraculous nanotechnologyexists and has transformed society.

A great deal of recent science fic-tion treats nanotechnology almost asmagic. It’s portrayed as cheap and effi-cient, able to produce any desiredproduct with no undesirable sideeffects. A society with advanced nan-otechnology may be both wealthy andecologically friendly; even waste prod-ucts can be “rebuilt” into useful itemsrather than being discarded into theenvironment. On the other hand, ifnanotech tools escape from controlthey can pose a terrible threat to soci-ety. Nanotech weapons may be espe-cially horrific, penetrating even thetightest defenses and taking soldiersapart one molecule at a time . . .

Nanotechnology is a commontheme in some of the best recent science fiction. Examples include:

Greg Bear’s novels Blood Music, Queenof Angels, and Slant; Kathleen AnnGoonan’s “Nanotech Quartet” novels;and Karl Schroeder’s Ventus.

EVERYTHINGA MIRACLE

The GM may want to incorporatemany miraculous technologies intohis setting. Indeed, a realistic assess-ment suggests that (assuming no dis-asters) the world may come to resem-ble all of the above setting types with-in the next century!

The more technological miraclesare assumed, the more effort the GMwill have to put forth to work out theirimplications, and the less familiar theworld will be to the players. The“many miracles” approach may bebest suited for an epic campaign, onethat will last a long time and involvesa lot of world-building work on thepart of the GM.

The many-miracles approach canpermit extreme realism, as in PoulAnderson’s Harvest of Stars and itssequels. On the other hand, it can alsowork well with a strongly space-oper-atic tone. If human characters are tostand out against a background oftechnological wonders, they may needto be larger-than-life individuals in themidst of an epic drama. Examples ofthis approach include Walter JonWilliams’ Aristoi, or John C. Wright’s“The Golden Age” trilogy.

TECHNOLOGY 51

TECHNOLOGY AREASThe following are some of the

most likely areas in which technolog-ical miracles will occur in modernSF. The GM should consider whichof these to emphasize in his setting;books such as GURPS Bio-Tech orGURPS Ultra-Tech will cover rulesmechanics for specific items ofequipment.

BIOTECHNOLOGYMark pulled out the little box from

his jacket pocket, and carefully lifted thelid. Enrique sat up expectantly. “This,”

said Mark, and held the box out towardhis brother, “is a butter bug.”

Miles glanced down in to the box,and recoiled. “Yuk! That is the mostdisgusting thing I’ve seen in my life!”

Inside the box, the thumb-sizedworker butter bug scrabbled about onits six stubby legs, waved its antennaefrantically, and tried to escape. Markgently pushed its tiny claws back fromthe edges. It chattered its dull brownvestigial wing carapaces, and crouchedto drag its white, soft, squishy-lookingabdomen to the safety of one corner.

Miles leaned forward again, to peerin revolted fascination. “It looks like across between a cockroach, a termite,and a . . . and a . . . and a pustule.”

“We have to admit, its physicalappearance is not its main sellingpoint.”

– Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

In recent years, science fictionhas assimilated the possibilities ofbiological technology: the creation ormanipulation of living organisms.GURPS Bio-Tech will cover this sub-ject in detail.

Genetic EngineeringEvery organism on Earth is built to

a specific genetic blueprint, encodedin the DNA molecules in its compo-nent cells. That blueprint controls theproduction of proteins at the cellularlevel, and indirectly controls theshape, structure, and innate behaviorof the organism. Alter the blueprint,and the shape and behavior of theorganism change. Change it enough,and a wholly new life form might becreated.

This kind of genetic manipulationis never straightforward; the DNA isonly the first step in determiningwhich genes are expressed, and inturn how the living organism takesshape. Genetic engineering was actu-ally one of the first technologies toappear, in the form of domesticationand selective breeding of species.True genetic miracles require verysophisticated understanding of cellular biology.

One application for these tech-niques is to edit the genes of an exist-ing species. For example, once thehuman genome is well-mapped, genecombinations can be selected thatensure the appearance of desirabletraits: good looks, high intelligence,acute vision, or even the simple lack ofinherited genetic disorders. Theresulting person is still human, hisgenetic inheritance isn’t beyond thebounds of what he could have inherit-ed naturally, but his genes are betterthan he could have expected from random chance.

Eventually, genetic engineers willlearn to impose radical changes ontheir subject organisms. This permitsthe construction of new species,related to existing organisms but nolonger able to reproduce naturallywith the original stock. Such newforms can have capabilities beyondanything the original genome couldhave produced. An engineeredhuman might have superhumanstrength or endurance, or internalphysical structures that normalhumans don’t have. He might evenhave superhuman mental capabili-ties: communication skills, memory,intelligence, or other powers beyondthe norm of human psychology.

Another application of geneticengineering is pantropy, a term coinedby the SF author James Blish.

Pantropic genetic engineering seeks toadapt humans or other organisms tolive in unusual environments – underthe sea, or on worlds that unmodifiedhumans would find uninhabitable. Aninterstellar society might use pantrop-ic techniques rather than terraformingworlds.

Miracles in genetic engineering canhelp the GM design a setting in whichsuperhuman characters are easy tojustify. On the other hand, control overthe building blocks of life raises anumber of moral and social issues.What if not everyone can afford toengineer their children; will geneticengineering give rise to an aristocracy,in which wealth and engineered talentreinforce each other? Gene engineer-ing might cause the human race todiverge into many related subspecies,some of whom may be like aliens toone another . . .

CloningSpecies that reproduce sexually

receive genes from their parents, andthe exact mix of genes is usually differ-ent each time. An alternative to thisprocess is cloning. This is a bioengi-neering technique used to create off-spring that are genetically identical tothe single “parent.”

Cloning of plants can be donethrough low-technology methods suchas the cultivation of cuttings. Cloningof animals is much more difficult, andcan require many failures for everysuccessful birth. There may also beside effects, particularly when thegenetic material for the clone is takenfrom an adult organism. At this writ-ing, a number of successful animalclones have been produced, includingsheep, cattle, and cats – but no credi-ble scientist has yet claimed to haveproduced a human clone.

A successful clone is much like anidentical twin of the donor organism.A newborn human clone would be ababy, without any of the original per-son’s memories or skills. He wouldhave to grow to adulthood in the nor-mal time, and his environment andexperience might lead him to form avery different personality. Super-science technologies such as forced-growth tanks might permit the rapidproduction of fully adult clones, whiledownloading (p. 57) might permit aclone to be programmed with itsdonor’s personality.

Human cloning might permit anegotistical genius to produce his ownyounger twin, bereaved parents toproduce the identical twin of a deadchild, or a society ravaged by geneticdisease to produce healthy offspring.A particularly ghoulish society might raise clones for a supply ofreplacement parts . . .

Miracle MedicineEven today, medical science has

produced improvements in the lengthand quality of human life. Using mira-cles in future medicine, physicianswill confidently be able to heal andeven improve the human body. Manyof these improvements will involveimplants, artificial devices placed inthe body to give it new capabilities orcompensate for damage.

Simple prosthetic implants existtoday, and are useful in repairingsome injuries or supporting the bodyas it ages. At miraculous levels of tech-nology, implant devices begin toimprove on the natural human body.Perfectly healthy people will begin toaccept implants to expand their physi-cal or mental capabilities. Cyberneticlimbs and organs boost physical per-formance. Neural interfaces permit

52 TECHNOLOGY

the mental control of computers orother devices. Implanted computersassist the human brain to store andprocess information. Natural sensesare enhanced and new senses areacquired.

Cybernetic implants have some ofthe benefits of miraculous biotechnol-ogy, without some of the drawbacks.It’s possible to improve human per-formance without needing to plan anindividual’s genetic inheritance beforebirth. Implants can always beremoved or altered as needed. Ofcourse, the use of implants can be avery alienating practice – in a sense,the character is rejecting his body infavor of a machine!

Aside from the production ofsuperhumans, cybernetic implantscan alter the way the human minddeals with the outside world. Linkeddirectly to a computer implant, a

person could perceive both “virtualreality” and the physical universe atthe same time. Real objects (or evenother people) could be associated withvirtual “tags” that provide extra infor-mation about them at a glance.Messages could be sent across a datanetwork with a thought, permitting amechanical form of telepathy.

Of course, not all implants need tobe purely mechanical in nature. Asbiologists learn how living cells natu-rally arrange themselves to form tis-sues and biological structures, theywill learn to control the process. Suchtissue engineering will permit the con-struction of living, but artificial, struc-tures that can then be implanted inthe body.

Although such living implants maybe limited in strength and capabilities,they may be able to repair themselves,just as the natural human body can.

Some artificial tissues may be able toimprove the body’s performance, bol-stering the strength or resilience of thenatural structure, or secreting usefulsubstances that the body would nor-mally not produce.

Finally, the possibility exists ofnanosymbiosis. Many of the cells in ahuman body are not themselveshuman in nature – they are bacteria,viruses, or other microorganisms thatlive in a symbiotic relationship withtheir human host. Eventually it maybecome possible to introduce artificialsymbionts into the human body: nan-otechnological devices, engineeredmicroorganisms, or a mix of both.

These “micro-implants” couldimprove human health and capabilityat the cellular level: fighting off dis-ease, preventing cancer, arresting theprogress of age, and even buildingmacro-scale implants into the bodywithout the need for complex surgery.

In general, miraculous medicaltechniques mean that very few injurieswill prove fatal. If an injured charactersurvives long enough to reach a hospi-tal, he’ll recover – possibly with the aidof mechanical, cloned, or tissue-engi-neered replacement parts. This kind oftechnology may be useful for the GMwho wants to concentrate on myster-ies or social interaction rather thanthe threat of character injury or death.

Meanwhile, implant technologiesgive characters the freedom toreshape themselves at will. Any cam-paign in which miraculous implantsare available (not to mention upload-ing or other technologies that can rad-ically change a person’s nature) willtend to be very fluid in characterdesign. In such a campaign, GMs areadvised to treat GURPS characterpoints as a guideline measuring therelative power of each character, notas a rigid schedule for character devel-opment. Characters will tend tochange drastically in power level, andwill reallocate their points with every“overhaul.”

Naturally, if miraculous medicineis not available to everyone, there willbe social consequences. Even today,wealthy people tend to live somewhatlonger than poor people due to theirability to afford medical care. If thedifference becomes drastic, the resultmight be a badly stratified society (ora revolution of the “natural” poor).

TECHNOLOGY 53

Suspended AnimationSuspended animation is a common science fiction trope. If space

travel is very slow, then passengers and crew may sleep the years away,awakening only at their destination. Suspended animation can also bea crude form of time travel, letting characters sleep through the cen-turies in order to wake in a far-future world.

In classic science fiction, suspended animation meant “cold sleep,”putting the human body in a hibernation state, or freezing it solid. Bothtechniques assume that there’s a way to revive the subject at the desti-nation (quite a challenge if the freezing method is used). In any case, forjourneys lasting years or longer, the technique doesn’t actually work allthat well. It’s impossible to prevent all random chemical change even ina frozen body, and the background radiation of deep space will stillharm a frozen passenger.

More recent science fiction assumes that advanced nanotechnologycan be used to keep a hibernating passenger in good repair. Nanotechsymbionts repair damage due to radiation, flush away cells that die dueto random chemical change, and so on. With “nanostasis,” the bodyneed not even be kept all that cold, saving on heavy cryonic equipment.

Some recent science fiction suggests a third approach. If “upload-ing” is possible (p. 57) then a passenger won’t need to take his bodyon the trip at all. He can travel as data in storage, either unaware ofthe passage of time or enjoying a virtual environment. He can bedownloaded into a new robot body at the far end, or (if nanotechnol-ogy is sufficently advanced) his own body can be reassembled fromstored information!

No matter what the method, suspended animation can solve a num-ber of plot problems for the space-oriented GM. If interstellar traveltakes a long time, don’t bother playing out the years between stars – justpop the adventurers into cold sleep and skip to the destination.Meanwhile, suspended animation may provide adventurers with anescape hatch if things go badly wrong . . .

Artificial LifeAdvanced tissue engineering tech-

niques might permit the constructionof wholly artificial organisms: crea-tures that were not conceived andborn, but built out of cultured cellsand biomechanical frameworks. Suchbioroids might have capabilities (anddisadvantages) that naturally con-ceived organisms would not.

For example, a bioroid could havetwo traits that would be mutuallyexclusive in a naturally conceivedorganism. Bioroids could be builtaround frameworks of nonlivingmaterial, boosting their strength,endurance, or other capabilities in away that would be difficult to producethrough human genetic engineering.Meanwhile, bioroids could be builtwith inherent controls that limit theircapabilities, such as a short lifespan ora limited personality.

Of course, artificial organismsdon’t have to resemble people in theirshape or capabilities. Limited biogad-gets could be produced, living entitiesthat can be used as specialized tools.The advantage of a biogadget is that itis self-maintaining and self-repairing,so long as it’s kept supplied with

nutrients. It would also provide itsown “power,” needing no power inputor batteries.

Just about any technological itemcould be defined as a biogadget, aslong as it doesn’t require high powerdensities (like a beam weapon or along-range communicator) or verydense or strong materials (likeadvanced combat armor or an inter-nal combustion engine). Biogadgetscould, of course, be combined withnonliving gadgets or materials tocover a wider variety of applications.

Biogadgets can also be big – bigenough to live in! A bio-building is anartificial living creature (or a symbiot-ic community of them) with plenty ofinternal space that humans can live orwork in. Like a smaller biogadget, abio-building can be self-maintainingand self-repairing, and might provideat least some of the power for variousappliances and conveniences. Bio-buildings might be very ecologicallyfriendly, needing relatively little ener-gy to build and converting trash orother wastes before they’re releasedinto the environment.

Artificial-life technologies might be interesting if applied by certainalien cultures. This would be

particularly appropriate for aliens who live underwater, in a gas giantatmosphere, on a metal-poor planet, oranywhere else where metals andceramics would be difficult to produce.

Artificial life presents a variety ofethical questions. A bioroid is unques-tionably alive and may be fully sapi-ent. What are the rights of a being whowas built from scratch for a specificpurpose? Of course, there may bestrong prejudice against bioroids –like the mythical undead, they standoutside the normal human pattern ofbirth, life, and death.

UpliftCreideiki could imagine how the

vice-captain felt. There were times wheneven he felt oppressed by the toweringinvasiveness of uplift, when he almostwanted to squawk in Primal, “Whogave you the right?” And the sweethypnosis of the Whale Dream wouldcall to him to return to the embrace ofthe Old Gods.

The moment always passed, and herecalled that there was nothing in theuniverse he wanted more than to com-mand a starship, to collect tapes of thesongs of space, and to explore the cur-rents between the stars.

– David Brin, Startide Rising

“Uplift” refers to the process ofapplying biotechnology to modifynon-sapient organisms, improvingtheir intelligence, communicationsskills, or tool-using abilities. The goalof uplift is usually to create a newsapient (or near-sapient) race.

The notion of granting intelligenceto animal species is very old in SF lit-erature, dating back at least to H. G.Wells. The term uplift was coined bymodern author David Brin; many ofhis novels are based on the premise ofa galactic civilization populated byspecies who all were once uplifted,and who in turn uplift new species asa matter of wealth and prestige.

A setting including uplift caninclude “aliens” who evolved along-side human beings from the begin-ning. For example, Brin’s novelsinclude uplifted chimpanzees, dogs,dolphins, and gorillas. These upliftedspecies will have minds different fromours, but will also be familiar enoughfor comfort. Aliens who are the end

54 TECHNOLOGY

BioshipsThere’s nothing preventing a “bio-building” from flying through

space . . . at which time it becomes a bioship, a living spaceship.Bioships can be built from scratch using tissue-engineering tech-

niques. Alternatively, a large alien life form or a big terrestrial creaturecan be subjected to extensive genetic and biomechanical engineering. Abioship is primarily living matter, of course, but it can have inorganicsystems grafted into it.

The original creature should be large to begin with, and toughenough to withstand large shifts in atmospheric pressure. It can beadapted to life in the vacuum and cold of space, and it can be mademuch larger in a zero-gravity environment. Several possibilities include:

Atmosphere Dwellers: Floating creatures native to the atmosphere ofa large planet or a gas giant.

Giant Trees: Trees or tree-like organisms, engineered to withstanddeep-space conditions and grow to enormous size, possibly feedingfrom the water and nutrients in comets.

Marine Dwellers: Large creatures native to the deep ocean, such aswhales (or, for a different approach, coral reefs). Such creatures canalready grow to great size and are well-adapted to pressure extremes.

Space Dwellers: It’s possible that large living creatures already existin deep space, and would require little or no adaptation to serve as bioships.

product of billions of years of separateevolution are likely to be muchstranger . . .

Other interstellar civilizations mayalso include uplifted species, as ser-vants or partners of their naturallyevolved races. In a universe whereuplift is common, the question ofhuman origins may be open. Perhapsthe UFO enthusiasts are right, andhumans themselves were helped alongthe road to intelligence eons ago . . .but by whom?

COMPUTERS ANDCOMMUNICATIONS

The role of computers in sciencefiction has changed almost as drasti-cally as their role in real life. In GoldenAge SF of the 1940s and 1950s, com-puters are almost invisible; when theyappear at all, they are big, expensive,and used exclusively by governmentsand large corporations. By the 1990s,imagined computers were everywherein science fiction and their capabilitieswere little short of magic.

The Networked WorldWith the revolution in computer

technology comes an associated revo-lution in communications technology.As computers become smaller, cheap-er, and more powerful, it becomeseasy to put them everywhere . . . andto get them to talk to each other. Alongthe way, people find themselves able toshare voice, text, images, and dataalmost at will.

Even today, the global Internetmakes it easy for many people toaccess and work with information.Messages can be passed, would-bewriters can post their work for anyoneto see, and research data can be madeaccessible for everyone. The decentral-ized nature of a data web sometimesundermines existing power structures,giving citizens new ways to shareinformation despite government orcorporate control.

Decentralized data webs have alsoproven to be very hard to police.Unscrupulous users can spread falseinformation, run scams, and stealother people’s personal data.Meanwhile, oppressive governmentswill find their own uses for network

technology, collecting data on theircitizens to use in new methods ofcontrol.

Computer networking is likely tobecome even denser and more com-plete as it approaches miraculous lev-els. Eventually, it will become possibleto put small computers in almostevery common item: in clothing, inpersonal items, in pieces of industrialequipment, in packages of raw materi-als, and even in people. All of thesesmall computers can be interconnect-ed via a dense network of short-rangeradio or infrared transmissions.

The net effect of this ubiquitouscomputing will be to make a vast arrayof information available for referenceand analysis. Any item with animplanted computer can be designedto keep track of its own status, toreport when queried, and to respondto orders. For example, in a “wired”household the kitchen appliances cantrack supplies of food, prepare mealson a schedule, and report when theyneed repair or replacement. A com-puter implanted into a person cantrack his physical condition and signalwhen he needs medical attention.

Items can even be physicallytracked with such a system, eachimplanted computer responding tonearby control units over the short-range radio link. This can help a greatdeal with commercial inventory, mak-ing it difficult to lose or misplacegoods or equipment. Industrial plan-ning becomes easier, as raw materialscan be tracked on their way through amanufacturing process.

Another application of ubiquitouscomputing is to reduce the need forskill in certain trades. If every item in

an industrial process carries a com-puter with the information aboutexactly how the item is to be used (itsown “user’s manual”) then the peopledoing the assembly work won’t needas much training to begin. For exam-ple, every piece of raw material on aconstruction site could keep track ofwhere it is now, where it needs to be inthe finished building, at what point inthe process it needs to be put in place,and how it should be handled. Thenthe construction workers (or theirrobots!) can always remind them-selves exactly what needs to be donenext . . .

In general, a society with miracu-lous levels of computing and network-ing will be one where information ischeap and easy to get, and where itwill be very rare for anyone to be outof touch. This can be very convenientfor GMs who want to just hand theirplayers a “data dump” and get theadventure started. Meanwhile, when-ever adventurers need more informa-tion or assistance, it’s usually just acell-phone call (or the equivalent)away.

Of course, there are also disadvan-tages to this kind of setting. The GMmay need to invent all the informationthe players might possibly want!Players may give in to the temptationto over-research, wading through theinformation stream when they shouldbe going into action. Adventurers maybe overloaded with information, orunable to pick out the critical factsfrom a flood of irrelevant data.Meanwhile, in a world where no one isever out of contact it’s difficult to keepcharacters from calling for help at thefirst sign of trouble!

TECHNOLOGY 55

It’s in the computer, everything: your DMVrecords, your Social Security, your credit cards,your medical records. Everyone is stored in there.It’s like this little electronic shadow on each andevery one of us, just begging for someone to screwwith, and you know what? They’ve done it to me,and you know what? They’re gonna do it to you.

– Angela, The Net

RobotsRobots are a very common feature

of science fiction. People are fascinat-ed by the notion of a machine thatlooks or behaves like a human being . . . and which may in some ways besuperior to a human being.

Although science fiction tends tofocus on the social relationshipsbetween robots and humans, the firstreal robots don’t appear in social situ-ations. Robots find their first use inindustrial manufacturing, where theycan perform the kind of repetitiveoperations that appear in assemblylines.

Of course, even at this level robotsimmediately have an impact on socie-ty. They threaten to compete withhuman workers, beginning in theunskilled or semi-skilled trades. Theyalso simply bother some people, whoare disturbed by a machine that canbehave like a human being even inlimited ways.

Robots that more or less resemblehuman beings are a common featurein SF. A “humaniform” robot has sev-eral advantages, especially in social

situations. On the other hand, human-iform robots are hard to produce.Many physical functions that humanstake for granted (visual recognition,eye-hand coordination, walking, andso on) are actually difficult to buildinto a reliable robot.

The bush robot is a recent concept,first proposed by Hans Moravec as theultimate in cybernetic flexibility. Abush robot has arms that branch intomultiple “fingers,” each of whichbranches into a set of smaller fingers,and so on – possibly down to themolecular scale. Each set of fingers iscapable of independent tactile sensesand operation, giving the robottremendous range and flexibility.

A “bushbot” could easily manipu-late objects on a variety of scales.With the proper programming, itcould perform complex repairs oreven microsurgery, all without spe-cial tools. Such tasks would requiretremendous amounts of computerprocessing, so advanced computerhardware will be necessary.

A setting with miraculous robots,whether sapient or not, will be one

in which human adventurers are constantly dealing with capablemachines. If robots can perform manyhuman tasks, what do human beingsdo? Are they freed from the need towork for a living, or are all but themost talented people living in dull,purposeless poverty? Of course, ifrobots are that talented, some of theadventurers may be robots!

Artificial MindsHe said, “Had we somehow been

created in a universe without humans,it is true that we would not have creat-ed them. We would have preferred moreperfect forms.”

She said, “But morality is time-directional. Parents who would notdeliberately create a crippled child can-not, once the child is born, reverse thatdecision.”

“And humanity is not our child, butour parent.”

“Whom we were born to serve.”“We are the ultimate expression of

human rationality.”She said: “We need humans to form

a pool of individuality and innovationfrom which we can draw.”

He said, “And you’re funny.”She said, “And we love you.”

– John C. Wright, The Phoenix Exultant

Advanced computers may becomeintelligent, able to handle informationat least as flexibly and as well as ahuman being. Eventually they mayeven become sapient, self-aware enti-ties with their own consciousness andgoals. Combine the sheer speed of acomputer with the power of a self-aware mind, and the result could be abeing far superior to the humans whobuilt it.

One of the most critical steps inproducing an intelligent computer isthe development of a natural languageinterface – that is, teaching computersto use idiomatic language as it is spo-ken and written by human beings.Once a natural language interface isavailable, anyone can describe a prob-lem to a computer and expect it toproduce information or programsthat approach a solution. The com-puter can then respond using collo-quial language of its own, presentingthe information in ways that non-spe-cialists can understand.

56 TECHNOLOGY

The Transparent SocietyOne drawback of ubiquitous computing is that it makes privacy

almost impossible to attain. We may find it very convenient to access toall kinds of information about the world around us – but the other sideof the coin is that other people will find it easy to gather informationabout us.

This failure of privacy may offer some social benefits. The SF writerDavid Brin has speculated about the transparent society. This is a socie-ty in which even powerful people, such as corporate or governmentleaders, can’t keep any secrets for very long. Every citizen can be fullyinformed about the activities of his government or the corporationswith which he does business. It’s therefore easy, at least in theory, todemand accountability for any abuse of power.

On the other hand, ubiquitous computing may lead to ubiquitouslaw enforcement. A government that controls the data network can mon-itor the activities of every item – and every person – in it. It may becomeimpossible to break even a minor law without immediately beingdetected and targeted for correction. Private entities may also be a con-cern. A company could monitor even the smallest activities of itsemployees, and malicious users could use the system to track andharass their enemies.

In short, a society that uses ubiquitous computing may be highlyoppressive, or it may have developed social mechanisms for dealingwith the loss of privacy. GMs who are interested in miraculous commu-nications and computer technology may wish to explore the implica-tions of a world where information really is free!

At present, natural language inter-faces can be considered nearly mirac-ulous; much progress has been madein this area, but most people still inter-act with their computers in a stiltedand artificial manner.

Being able to use natural languagedoesn’t mean that the computer is self-aware, or even that it’s all that person-able. Eventually, computers will addpersonal and social skills to their nat-ural-language ability, interacting withhuman beings on their own level.

Personality simulation can work ata variety of levels. A computer thatsimply uses natural inflection in itsspeech and learns to respond to itsowner’s needs can be said to have apersonality, even if its responses arevery simple and predictable. Indeed,many humans will tend to ascribemore personality to their computersthan they actually have. More complex“personality programs” will behavelike real people, altering their respons-es and possibly surprising the humanbeings who interact with them.Eventually a personality simulationwill become indistinguishable from ahuman being, modeling its responsesafter a real person, a well-documentedfictional character, or even a whollyartificial psychology.

Even an advanced computer that iscapable of natural language process-ing and is familiar with everydayhuman knowledge still isn’t necessari-ly a self-aware, independent being.Actual consciousness seems to beindependent of the ability to processinformation.

How one might design a computerto be self-aware (or how it mightbecome so on its own) is anyone’sguess. We don’t understand what con-sciousness is, or what it does, inhuman beings, much less how amachine might exhibit it. In some SF,a sufficiently advanced computer maysimply “wake up” one day. Other sto-ries assume that self-awareness issomething that can be predictablydesigned into a machine. Still othersignore the question entirely; theyassume that no can be sure of any-thing except that a machine behaves asif it is self-aware.

In any case, the presence of self-aware machines (or machines thatseem to be self-aware) raises a num-ber of social issues. Intelligent

machines can be interesting and use-ful companions, but they might devel-op their own motives and superhu-man capabilities. Should suchmachines be treated as property, asservants, as partners – or as masters?If they can exceed human abilities inmost or all areas, then what purposedo humans still serve?

UploadingIf a computer is complex enough to

imitate a living human personality,then it can imitate a dead one too.

It’s theoretically possible for a com-puter to store a complete descriptionof a human being, and then “emulate”that human being as software. Thismay involve a personality model, or itmay involve the minute analysis andemulation of the human subject’sbrain and nervous system (possiblyrequiring the destruction of the tissuein the process). From that point on,the computer believes itself to be thehuman being, his personality“uploaded” into a software matrix.

If a human mind can be uploaded,it may also be possible to “download”it into another body – a robot orbioroid body with a computer brain,or even a fully biological body (with

the stored personality somehow “writ-ten” onto the structure of the brain).

Uploading and downloading haveprofound effects on any science fictionsetting or story. Uploading permits acharacter to undergo radical transfor-mations, leaving his human body andbecoming a machine entity – whichcan then be transferred from onemachine body to another. If bothuploading and downloading are possi-ble, then one can travel as data ratherthan in his physical body; this is oftenmuch cheaper and more efficient.Uploading can also make people effec-tively immortal, letting them keep“backup” copies of themselves in caseof accident. Of course, uploading canalso permit someone to copy himself,especially if the initial upload doesn’trequire the destruction of his originalbrain.

Uploading raises many of thesame questions as the presence ofany intelligent machine. Should theuploaded personality be treated as aperson? Even further, should theupload be treated as the same personas the original citizen? This can beeven more complicated if the origi-nal citizen is still walking around inhis own body . . .

TECHNOLOGY 57

NANOTECHNOLOGY“Mites,” he said, “or so they say

down at the Flea Circus anyway.” Hepicked up one of the black things takenfrom the mask and flicked it with a fin-gertip. A cineritious cloud swirled outof it, like a drop of ink in a glass ofwater, and hung swirling in the air, nei-ther rising nor falling. Sparkles of lightflashed in the midst of it like fairy dust.

“See, there’s mites around, all thetime. They use the sparkles to talk toeach other,” Harv explained. “They’rein the air, in food and water, every-where. And there’s rules that the mitesare supposed to follow, and those rulesare called protocols. And there’s a pro-tocol from way back that says they’resupposed to be good for your lungs.They’re supposed to break down intosafe pieces if you breathe one inside ofyou.” Harv paused at this point, the-atrically, to summon forth one moreebon loogie, which Nell guessed mustbe swimming with safe mite bits. “Butthere are people who break those rulessometimes . . .”– Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age

The standard GURPS TL pro-gression assumes that nanotechnol-ogy will work, and that it willadvance along a fairly conservativetrajectory. Nanotechnology beginsas engineers discover ways tomanipulate matter on very smallscales. TL9 is the microtech age, inwhich micromachines are producedby traditional industrial methodsand nanotechnology continues todevelop. The real potential of nan-otech doesn’t appear until TL10 orlater; the most outrageous specula-tions of nanotech advocates shouldprobably be considered super-science, or placed at TL11+.

Special MaterialsNanomachines themselves are only

some of the advances that nanotech-nology will make possible. Some oftheir first products, things that are oth-erwise almost impossible to make orfind, will also transform industry.These include new materials thatstretch the limits of what’s possible innature, providing combinations ofphysical properties that would beextremely unlikely without technolog-ical intervention.

Many of these new materials willinvolve carbon. One of the most com-mon elements, and also one of themost chemically active, carbon isvery cheap and easy to work with.Carbon in its “raw” natural state isflaky or crumbly, very flammable,and a natural insulator of electricity.However, carbon atoms can formvery strong molecular bonds, andwhen they are carefully arranged theresulting materials can have a widearray of properties.

Diamonds, for example, are purecarbon with the atoms arranged in athree-dimensional lattice. One of thefirst applications of true nanotech-nology will be the production of arti-ficial diamonds in large sheets,blocks, or other shaped forms.“Diamondoid” materials would makesuperb armor or structural materialin applications where hardness andresiliency are important. Spaceshiphulls, perhaps . . .

Another form of carbon is nan-otubes. The carbon atoms arearranged in tubes, each one thinnerthan a human hair, so that the molec-ular bonds provide tensile strength forthe tube. If carbon nanotubes can bemade long enough, they can be woven

into threads or cables that are farstronger than any previous material.Nanotube threads could be woveninto clothing or personal armor, mak-ing it tough and resistant to attack.Thick nanotube cables would be rela-tively light but extremely strong, use-ful in futuristic engineering projects.

Aside from the applications of car-bon, nanotechnology could producepure-iron crystals, high-temperaturesuperconductors, and many other use-ful items. Some of these materials arealready being produced in small quan-tities today; mass production might bethe foundation for a great deal offuture industry.

Smart MaterialsSmart materials change their phys-

ical properties when subjected to astimulus. They can be used in applica-tions where a material may need tochange its state in different circum-stances. Smart materials can be madeto respond “naturally” to different sit-uations, or they can be controlled byan attached computer. Some smartmaterial will be composed of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS),tiny machines built into sheets or

58 TECHNOLOGY

blocks of manufactured material.Other smart materials are natural sub-stances that can change their proper-ties in a controlled fashion.

For example, smart fibers canadjust their length, flexibility, andcolor as needed, producing clothingthat can reconfigure to assure a per-fect fit and the wearer’s desired colorpattern. Surfaces can vary their tex-tures, or even incorporate microscop-ic brushes that ensure that dirt orpaint will only stick where it is sup-posed to. Layers of smart material cancreate structures that are self-sealing,or even partially self-healing.

Eventually, nanotechnology maybegin to blur the distinctionsbetween nonliving and living matter.Even as bioengineering produces living organisms that resemblemachines, nanotechnology will beginto give inorganic machines some ofthe capabilities of living creatures.

Living materials will begin byadding self-repair capabilities. A “liv-ing metal” tool would incorporate asupply of embedded nanomachines.Under normal circumstances thenanomachines would support thetool’s primary function, possibly inter-facing with other nanomachines insmart materials or assembler swarms.When the tool needs supplies or isdamaged, the nanomachines can pullin the necessary materials and usethem to perform repairs.

With further progress, living mate-rials will be able to change shape andfunction as needed. At the extreme, atool can be composed of nothing butnanomachines that have taken a spe-cific shape. On command, thenanomachines drop their connectionsto one another, flow amorphously tonew positions, and lock together onceagain. The new shape may have acompletely different function.

Microbots andAssemblers

The line of development that leadsto living materials begins with theproduction of vast numbers of tinymachines. Any one machine may notbe very intelligent – but a swarm,cloud, or puddle of such machinescould cooperate for an intelligentpurpose.

“Microbots” may be as large as abig insect, or as small as a dust mite.They may be limited to crawling oversurfaces, or they may be capable ofbuoyant or winged flight. Any onemicrobot will have very little comput-er power, and might run a set of sim-ple behavioral programs. A “cyber-swarm” of hundreds or thousands ofmicrobots can cooperate in intelligentbehavior, just as an ant colony or bee-hive produces intelligent responsesfrom the actions of its nearly mindlessmembers.

A cyberswarm could be an inte-gral part of a building or other struc-ture, performing routine cleaning,

maintenance, or repair tasks. Theycould also have military or securityapplications. Cyberswarms could mon-itor infrared emissions or movement inan area, alerting a more powerful com-puter to the presence of intruders.Microbots could also carry tiny dosesof toxins or disease organisms . . .

As nanotechnology advances, themicrobots are likely to become small-er and smaller, and en masse they arelikely to become more capable. Oneapplication of advanced microrobot-ics would be the production of assem-blers, swarms of nanorobots capableof building any desired product fromraw materials.

TECHNOLOGY 59

Swarms and GooOf course, assemblers that can build other things can also be

designed to build copies of themselves. This isn’t an unusual notion; a liv-ing cell is itself a self-replicating assembler.

Such assemblers can cut through many of the limitations of nan-otechnology. In particular, they make the supply of assemblers cheapand easy to replenish. They can be even more effective than non-repli-cating assemblers in bringing about a post-scarcity society. On the otherhand, self-replicating assemblers may be harder to control. If theyescape into the environment, they may begin to replicate using whatev-er materials they can find . . .

A mass of self-replicating assemblers is sometimes called goo.Futurists and SF writers sometimes refer to goo as being of different“colors” depending on its nature and purpose. Not everyone agrees onthe color terminology, but some examples are as follows.

White Goo: Well-behaved assemblers in a controlled environment,producing useful items as designed.

Golden Goo: A mass of assemblers designed to simply gather atomsor molecules of a valuable substance (such as gold). Used in mining andsimilar applications.

Red Goo: A controlled mass of assemblers used as a weapon, proba-bly by a military organization or by terrorists.

Blue Goo: Assemblers designed to hunt down and destroy hostileassemblers (such as red goo) without otherwise affecting people orproperty.

Green Goo: Assemblers used to monitor and support a community ofliving things. Green goo can be used in agriculture, in the preservationof wild ecosystems, or even for the maintenance of human health.

Gray (or Black) Goo: An uncontrolled mass of “wild” assemblers,devouring everything in its path and turning the material into moreassemblers. Gray or black goo is the ultimate terrorist weapon, or theultimate industrial disaster. A mass of gray or black goo could destroythe entire surface of a planet.

Some wits also refer to pink goo – by which they mean humanbeings! After all, humans reproduce relatively slowly, but given timethey tend to fill up all available space and devour everything they canfind . . .

In theory, anything could be builtby sufficiently sophisticated assem-blers. Simply pour the assemblers intoa vat, provide raw materials in easilydigestible form, and the tiny machineswill assemble the desired item onemolecule at a time. Since assemblerswork on a nanometer scale, they canproduce any of the unusual materialsdescribed under Smart Materialsabove, and in large quantities. Veryrobust assemblers might be able towork with found materials, turningair, water, and minerals into usefulproducts.

If assemblers are strongly limitedin their utility, they won’t change soci-ety very much. Assemblers may beexpensive or narrow of purpose, usedonly for very specialized applications.They may break down quickly, requir-ing manufacturers to constantlyacquire new supplies. Or they could betoo delicate to use anywhere except ina carefully controlled environment.Any or all of these features may lead toa society where assemblers are rarelyencountered in everyday life.Adventurers may use tools and gadg-ets produced by assemblers, but theywill rarely use assemblers themselves.

Assemblers that are cheap, robustand versatile can have a profoundeffect on society. If literally anythingcan be made cheaply and easily, espe-cially using found materials, thenlarge corporate manufacturers will nolonger be needed. Combine cheapassemblers with the cheap energy offusion power, and you may get a “post-scarcity society,” one in which povertyand economic inequity are unknown.

Of course, assemblers can also bedisassemblers. Assemblers have to gettheir raw materials from somewhere,and they may get them from an item(or a human body!) that’s already inuse. Assemblers that get out of controlcan be a serious nuisance. Assemblersdesigned to take the human bodyapart, one molecule at a time, wouldbe a devastating weapon.

TRANSPORTATIONThe GM building a space-oriented

setting will certainly need to thinkabout space flight technology, buthow adventurers get around on eachworld will also be important!Naturally, the two setting elements

will be related. If space flight is supported by cheap and powerfuldrives, the same technologies may beapplicable to local transportation.

Making the World TinyIf miraculous transportation is

available, the GM (or players!) maywant to design cool vehicles for useduring adventures. Such vehicles canbe faster, tougher, sneakier, orsmarter than anything from thefamiliar world.

If vehicles and transportationaren’t going to be used as a majorplot element, they will probablyhave no specific effects on the cam-paign background. As with advancedpower generation and materials sci-ence, advanced transportation sup-ports a generally wealthy society.Manufacturing and commercebecome more efficient when rawmaterials and finished goods can beeasily shipped to where they’re needed.

Meanwhile, when people are able to travel wherever they pleasequickly and conveniently, they feel

wealthier because they have moreoptions in life. If ease of transportbrings people into contact with for-eigners, they may tend to be morecosmopolitan. They will probably bemore free, since they can easilyescape an oppressive situation.

TeleportationTeleportation is instant travel from

place to place, without passingthrough the space in between. If tele-portation is possible, it may rendermany other forms of transportationobsolete. Teleportation that’s cheap,works over long ranges, and has fewdisadvantages will quickly become theprimary method of transport. In theextreme, teleportation may unifyinterplanetary (or even interstellar)travel with local transport. On theother hand, if teleportation is expen-sive or has many limitations, it will beused only in special circumstances.

For a superb examination of theimplications of teleportation technolo-gy, refer to Larry Niven’s essay,“Exercise in Speculation: The Theoryand Practice of Teleportation.”

60 TECHNOLOGY

Power GenerationOne of the most important factors controlling any society is its abil-

ity to generate and apply energy. A society with access to cheap orunlimited energy is by definition wealthy, while one experiencing ener-gy shortages is impoverished no matter what other resources are athand. The technical details of power generation are rarely important tothe story; the GM can assume solar, geothermal, fossil-fuel, nuclear,antimatter, or “total conversion” power as needed.

Of course, how power is generated is almost less important than howit is stored and distributed. The small gadgets beloved of adventurersneed power, as do vehicles, buildings, and spaceships. Unless a powergenerator is cheap and compact enough to carry around, energy willhave to be stored – or devices will need to be connected to a remotepower source.

Some forms of power plant technology will be dangerous if mishan-dled! Nuclear fission generates radioactive waste. Some types of fusionpower generate radiation in the form of fast neutrons. Antimatterpower storage can be extremely destructive if the containment fails. Ingeneral, the higher the energy density of the power technology, the morelikely there are to be dangerous or destructive side effects.

The details of power technology are usually “deep background,” notimportant to the story. The GM should decide how much energy is nec-essary to support the society (and the gadgets) he wants to include. Anydisadvantages attached to the technology can be developed as potentialplot complications. After all, miraculous technology is a wonderfulthing . . . until the power goes out!

WEAPONS ANDDEFENSES

One thing is certain: people in thefuture will still be fighting one anoth-er on a regular basis. Weapons tech-nology has often led other fields, asgovernments invest in the develop-ment of new defensive systems.

Melee WeaponsMelee weapons will still be useful

in the far future, at least under some circumstances. Knives, swords,and similar weapons can be madeusing ultra-tech materials, makingthem difficult to blunt or break.Nanotechnology can produce“monowire,” a strand of wire one mol-ecule thick. Tough and almost infinite-ly sharp, monowire could be used as aweapon in its own right, or it could beused to provide an edge for a moretypical blade weapon.

Of course, some space-opera uni-verses have “force swords” and similarsuperscience melee weapons. For a“swords and spaceships” feel, permitpersonal force fields that stop fast mis-siles or energy blasts, but which per-mit the slow intrusion of a meleeweapon.

Slugthrowers and Rayguns

In the future, as today, one of thebest ways to poke holes in someonewill be to throw bullets at him. Somemilitary SF assumes that slugthrowerswill remain the main arm of battleindefinitely; this isn’t a bad assump-tion, given the limitations of energyweapons (see below).

Chemical slugthrowers are likely tocontinue to advance, bringing moreefficient propellants. Targeting willalso continue to improve, possiblylinking computer controls into the

gun (or even into the bullets – “smartbullets” are a possibility, able to recog-nize a target and change trajectory inmid-flight). With high-density powersources, projectile weapons can usemagnetic acceleration instead ofchemical propellants. Such a “Gauss”weapon can use very small, very fastprojectiles.

Energy-beam weapons (“rayguns”) are a staple of SF stories. Theyinclude lasers, particle-beam weaponsor “blasters,” plasma bolts, and “dis-ruptors” that work on an unspecifiedphysical principle. Non-lethalweapons, which inflict pain or stun-ning damage but no lasting harm, areanother possibility.

Of course, personal beam weaponsshould probably be considered a “mir-acle,” and are unlikely under rigorousassumptions. An energy weapon capa-ble of doing extreme damage or oper-ating at long range will need a lot ofpower . . . and the waste energy atthe source might turn the weapon red-hot! GMs may wish to limit the morepowerful energy weapons to heavysupport or shipboard applications,with personal sidearms still using aprojectile principle.

With advances in science (andespecially in superscience), weaponsmay be based on principles not usedtoday. Nanotechnology may provide“red goo” disassemblers (p. 59) thatwill dissolve an enemy into his compo-nent molecules. Working psionics maylead to weapons that attack someone’smind directly.

In fact, almost every technologycan be turned to some destructive use.The GM running a campaign with anykind of superscience should considerinventing related weapons technologyto fit.

Armor and Force FieldsThroughout history, there has

been an “arms race” between thedesigners of weapons and the design-ers of defenses. Indeed, even present-day personal and military weaponsare capable of ending human lifewith great efficiency. There will be lit-tle point in developing miraculousfuture weapons, unless they need topunch through equally improveddefense systems.

TECHNOLOGY 61

The Swashbuckler OptionMany a “swords and spaceships” epic has assumed that skill with a

melee weapon – usually a sword or something similar – is important toan adventurer’s life. This can be a fun assumption, but the GM whowants to apply it will need to determine how melee weapons can holdtheir own in a universe full of ultra-tech firearms.

One approach to this problem is to assume that social factorsencourage the use of melee weapons. Perhaps government forbids pri-vate ownership of advanced weaponry, but doesn’t restrict knives andswords. Or perhaps one social class cultivates swordsmanship as a (usu-ally) non-lethal way to resolve disputes. An alien race that valuesancient traditions may maintain its traditional weaponry for use awayfrom the battlefield.

Another approach is to assume that advanced melee weapons cansomehow hold their own against firearms. This can be accomplished bymaking the melee weapons more powerful, or by weakening the rangedweapons.

For example, in the Star Wars universe, ordinary adventurers rou-tinely use high-tech blaster weapons. However, the Jedi Knights andtheir foes use light-sabers (and psionic powers) to deflect blaster fire.They have little to fear from firearms, and use their melee weaponswhen fighting one another.

In Frank Herbert’s Dune, personal “shield” technology is common,producing an archaic feel in weapons and tactics. The shield automati-cally deflects fast-moving projectiles. If a “lasgun” or similar beamweapon contacts the shield, the result is an explosion equivalent to thatof a nuclear warhead. As a result, projectile firearms are rarely used,and most people actively avoid using beam weapons! Meanwhile, aslow-moving blade weapon can penetrate the shield, so most soldiersare expert with knives and short blades.

62 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

The shipmind projectedimages of the new world into Tan’svision, causing them to appear as if floatingin midair in the command lounge. Tan relaxed backinto his chaise-longue, sipping his drink while hewatched. A Varenne motet played quietly in the back-ground, just loud enough to be heard, not so loud asto distract.

“It looks like a very good candidate,” observed Tan.“Yes,” agreed the shipmind. “Ocean world.

Atmosphere dominated by molecular nitrogen and oxy-gen, secondary components including argon, carbondioxide, neon. Liquid water oceans cover four-fifths ofthe surface. Large regions appear to be within the optimum climate range for humaniform life.”

“Biochemistry?” inquired Tan.“Indeterminate from this distance. The most likely

result is a type III variant of the chlorophyll-adenosine triphosphate complex.”

Tan smiled. “Excellent.”

After decades ofwork, Tan’s ethnos

had managed to winapproval for the foundation

of a new colony in the long-fallowJiadra Drift region. Finally, humanity would have aworld of its own, a fresh start to recover from the Fall.

A place where humanity might be able to survivethe coming doom.

“Ser Tan?” A new voice, Marja Kashani, callingfrom her own workspace.

“Go ahead, Ser Kashani.”“We may have a problem,” Kashani worried. “Routing

some low-orbit recon imagery, your channel 32.”Tan opened the indicated channel. The recon drone

had scanned part of the surface with visible-light sen-sors. A river delta, not far from one of the planet’ssmaller seas. Plenty of vegetation, so green it madeTan’s heart leap.

“What am I looking at here, Marja?”“Here.” Lines and arcs appeared on the image, enhanc-

ing some of the visible contours. They blinked slowly,marking out the features Kashani wanted Tan to see.

CHAPTER FOUR

BASICWORLDBUILDING

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 63

Straight lines. Right angles.Sections of regular circles.

“Shipmind, are you gettingthis?”

“Yes, Ser Tan.”“Habitation? A native low-

technology civilization?”“Possibly,” said the shipmind.

“Ser Kashani has selected a number of other images, showing

similar features. It seems unlikelythat they could be the result ofnon-sapient activity.”

“I don’t suppose they could be renegades from civilization,”Tan mused. “They might be criminals breaking the migrationlaws. We could have them evicted and take the planet forourselves . . .”

Kashani sent an indeterminacyglyph. “There’s only one way tofind out,” she said.

Once the GM knows what kind ofcampaign he wants to run, what hisinterplanetary or interstellar civiliza-tion is going to be like, and what tech-nologies are going to be available, it’stime to draw a star map and begin cre-ating worlds.

USING WORLDSEvery space campaign needs

worlds – possibly dozens or hundredsof them!

The GM might design these worldspurely through his own inspiration,with no random elements. Anotherapproach is to generate worlds at ran-dom, and then develop setting ele-ments and story plots around whatev-er the dice provide. The best approachmay be a combination of the two. TheGM can design some worlds withoutusing random elements, in order tosupport the plots he knows he willwant. Then he can use random designto fill in gaps (and to generate surpris-ing worlds that may suggest new plotarcs). The world-design sequences inthis book will support any desired mixof the two styles.

DRAMATIC ROLESThe most important decision the

GM must make for each world is itsrole within the campaign. What kindof story is going to be told with theworld as its backdrop? How will theworld’s physical and social environ-ment affect adventures that take placethere? What challenges will the worldpose to adventurers who visit?

Worlds in space-based SF havefilled a wide variety of roles. Some ofthe most common archetypes aredescribed below.

Paradise WorldA paradise world is a very pleasant

place, where environment and societycombine to make life easy and agree-able. The climate is stable and congen-ial, there is plenty of water and food,and there are no environmental poi-sons or dangerous animals to worry

about. The local society is usuallyutopian – possibly very free, or tightlycontrolled in a way that doesn’t inter-fere with most people’s enjoyment oflife.

Paradise worlds may seem anunlikely place for adventure. If life iseasy for everyone, there’s not muchroom for serious conflict. The GMmight use a paradise world to make apoint about the idea of paradise.Perhaps the world has a hidden flaw, aterrible price that the inhabitants payfor their easy life. Paradise worlds alsomake good targets for a star-spanningthreat, of the kind that requires heroicPCs for its solution.

Hostile WorldThe hostile world is much less

pleasant. It can be lived on, but onlywith difficulty, so inhabitants and vis-itors must struggle to survive. Theenvironment on a hostile world usu-ally has one parameter that makeshuman existence difficult – if it hasmany such parameters, it becomes ahell world. Technology may make a hostile world quite livable, but

inhabitants will always risk the dangers of their environment.

Hostile worlds are useful as diffi-cult, but not insurmountable, chal-lenges for PCs. Visitors will want topay constant attention to their protec-tive gear, or they will need to be strongand smart to survive. Hostile worldsalso make good breeding groundworlds for certain kinds of toughNPCs, and they make interestingunique resource worlds as well.

Hell WorldThe hell world is even harsher than

the hostile world. Humans simplycan’t survive there without elaboratetechnological measures, and eventhen there’s constant danger. A space-suit may be the least that’s requiredfor survival. Since living on a hellworld requires constant control ofthe environment, a hell-world societymay itself be tightly controlled or dic-tatorial. Alternatively, inhabitantsmay enjoy plenty of social freedom,but everyone is carefully trained inthe skills needed to maintain theenvironment.

A hell world may be inhabited byaliens who are comfortable there. Ifhumans live on a hell world, they musthave a very good reason for putting upwith local conditions. Maybe it has avaluable resource or a special loca-tion. Or perhaps more pleasant worldsare so rare that some human colonistshave to choose hell worlds if they wanta place of their own to live. Hellworlds might be home to splintergroups, dissidents, or exiles as well.

Changing WorldSome SF is set on worlds whose

environment changes drastically overtime. Perhaps a planet is at the begin-ning (or end) of an ice age, is beinginvaded by alien life, or simply hosts asociety that is being transformed bynew technology. Or perhaps the worldis subject to regular, cyclic changes inits environment.

A changing world is good for storiesemphasizing adaptability in individu-als or societies. If the changes areexceptional, local society will becaught off-guard, with no historicalprecedents to draw on. A cyclicchange won’t be so surprising, unlessthe cycle is so long that local societydoesn’t retain any memory of pastcycles. In either case, understandingthe coming changes is critical to thebusiness of prospering despite them.

Doomed WorldOne subset of the changing world

is the doomed world, the planet that issoon to be destroyed, or at least ren-dered incapable of supporting life.Any person or society on the planetfaces certain death.

The doomed world is a good set-ting for high-pressure stories, aimedat averting or escaping from the com-ing cataclysm. The disaster imposes afixed time limit. When facing almost-certain death, ordinary individualscan display extraordinary heroism orvillainy. Some stories in the tragicmode have used catastrophes thatcan’t be stopped or evaded, no matterhow hard the characters strive.

Breeding GroundWorlds

Some science-fictional worlds areconceived as breeding grounds for a

specific kind of character. The authormay want to portray a civilizationbuilt around a single facet of humannature, or he may simply be makingthe point that environment affectssociety. In either case, the physicalenvironment causes many of the peo-ple living on the world to fit a stereo-type. A breeding ground world usuallyhas a harsh or limited environment,forcing its inhabitants to specialize inorder to survive. On the other hand,pleasant worlds may be breedinggrounds for soft hedonists . . .

The GM can use a breedingground world as a backdrop for sto-ries of social adaptation: the PCsadapt to the local society while theyexperience the environment that gaverise to that society. Breeding groundscan also be used to provide homeworlds for specific character types.

Crossroads WorldA crossroads world is special

because everyone comes to visit. It maybe at a major junction of jump lines, itmay be an economically dominantworld that trades across half the quadrant, it may be an imperialcapital, or it may simply be such anattractive world that everyone plans

vacations there. No matter what thereason, every sapient species and everyknown interplanetary civilization isrepresented among the crossroadsworld’s residents.

A crossroads world can be useful asthe backdrop for a campaign involv-ing a mixture of themes, such as a gen-eralized “troubleshooters” game.Adventures beginning there can bedriven by a variety of patrons, and cantake the party to any region of the set-ting. Alternatively, adventurers visitingthe crossroads world in search ofinformation or work will never knowquite what to expect.

Exotic WorldThe exotic world is the one that is

actually unique in known space –some feature, or the whole environ-ment, is the result of strange eventsthat haven’t happened anywhereelse. Perhaps it’s a world whose physical environment breaks all thenormal “laws” of planetary develop-ment. Or maybe the local society isunusual, distinctive, and mysteriousto outsiders.

Even if the exotic world isn’t themain focus for an adventure plot, itspresence in the campaign can serve as

64 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

a reminder that the universe is astrange and mysterious place.Exploration or first-contact cam-paigns will find an exotic world a goodplace to visit.

Exploited WorldAn exploited world is well connect-

ed to interstellar society – perhaps abit too well connected. Outside forcesare using the world for their own ben-efit, strip-mining local physicalresources or abusing the inhabitants.

An exploited world is a natural set-ting for the conflict that drives adven-tures. If multiple factions are doingthe exploiting, they may hire adven-turers to take part in their competi-tion. Sympathetic outsiders may wantto help the native inhabitants improvetheir lot, possibly by encouragingrebellion. A world that has been over-exploited may be subject to disaster, asthe economy or even the ecology col-lapse. Exploited worlds are a goodbackdrop for black-and-white ethicalissues . . . although they can also bedrawn in shades of gray if everyone iscomplicit in the exploitation.

Forbidden WorldA common trope in SF is the for-

bidden world, the planet that is cut offfrom foreign visitors. The forbiddenworld is almost unknown to the galaxyat large – until a party of adventurersbreaks the barrier and discoverswhat’s behind it . . .

There are a variety of reasons whya world might be forbidden. An inter-stellar society might prohibit travel tocertain worlds to reserve them forfuture colonization, to protect back-ward cultures from outside interfer-ence, to prevent a dangerous localsociety from gaining access to spacetravel, or to protect visitors from dan-gerous local conditions. A world’sinhabitants might set their own homeoff limits out of hostility toward out-siders. In any case, a visit to a forbid-den world is likely to be dangerous,although unique opportunities may befound there. Sending the party to aforbidden world may be a good way tothrow them on their own resources –they won’t be able to call for help orlogistical support the moment they getinto trouble!

Historical WorldThe historical world is, simply put,

a world with a great deal of history.Perhaps it has been inhabited for avery long time – or the ruins of lost civ-ilizations are scattered across its sur-face. Scholars come to study theancient remains, tourists come togawk at the ruins, and pilgrims cometo see the birthplace of their tradi-tions. Local societies may be verywise, or very decadent, or both.

The historical world is a congenialplace for plots involving mysteries orelaborate social intrigues. They canalso be a playground for GMs who liketo develop elaborate “back story” fortheir settings.

Home-Base WorldThe home-base world isn’t usually a

site for adventures. Instead, it servesas a place where adventurers can gobetween exploits. It’s usually a civi-lized, high-population world, wherevisitors can obtain anything from arelaxing night on the town to a billion-credit spaceship. It can also be thehome of various patrons and contacts,ready to give adventurers jobs, favors,or useful information.

Almost any campaign setting canuse at least one home-base world,unless the PCs will spend all their timewandering the galaxy. A home-baseworld doesn’t have to have any otherrole in the setting, although a suddenthreat to it may be a good way to moti-vate adventures.

Invisible WorldThe invisible world isn’t actually

invisible – it’s just that althougheveryone knows that the world exists,no one knows where it is. Perhaps it’sthe long lost home of an alien (orhuman!) race. It’s possible that someof the information “everyone knows”about the world is incorrect, so thatexplorers searching for it always lookin the wrong place. The world itself isprobably either uninhabited orinhabited by people who take greatcare not to reveal their home to inter-stellar society.

An invisible world is a grand-scalemystery, suitable as the end point of a star-spanning quest. Just figuringout why the invisible world can’t befound can be a difficult puzzle in and of itself. Of course, once the invisible world is located, adventurersmay need to deal with angry inhabi-tants . . . and there may be a verygood reason why the world has kept toitself all this time!

Primitive WorldEven in a space-faring society,

some inhabited worlds will be primi-tive. Perhaps they have just been colo-nized, and the colonists don’t haveaccess to the full range of advancedtechnology. Perhaps the colonistsdon’t want to use advanced technolo-gy. Or perhaps the world is the homeof a race that hasn’t reached paritywith interstellar society.

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 65

Common Origins,Common Cause

When designing his campaign framework, the GM may considerrequiring that all of the PC adventurers come from the same world. Thisworks best when the world in question has been developed in consider-able detail, supporting a broad variety of character concepts.

This requirement certainly constrains character development, but ithas several advantages. It makes it easy to build characters with sharedplot hooks; characters that grew up together, or have already workedtogether in the past, will be easy to bring into the same adventure. Italso tends to give the adventurers common motivations – if their sharedhome is in danger of internal conflict or an external threat, it becomeseasy to involve all of them in the epic adventures to follow!

A primitive world is a good back-drop for stories of culture clash.Space-faring visitors might use theirresources to carve out a kingdomamong the primitive natives . . .although they would do well toremember that primitive doesn’t meanstupid! Sophisticated natives may beable to understand advanced technol-ogy, and overcome it, even if they can’tduplicate it themselves. On the otherhand, visitors may be unwilling orunable to bring their own tools, andwill need to deal with the natives ontheir own ground. Primitive worldsare usually isolated from interstellarsociety, else they don’t stay primitivefor long.

Puzzle WorldA puzzle world is one where local

conditions present a mystery to visi-tors. Naturally, almost every alienworld is a “puzzle world” in that sense,but in some cases the mystery is criti-cally important – visitors will findthemselves unable to survive or suc-ceed unless they understand how theworld works! Perhaps the physicalenvironment or the ecology has hid-den pitfalls. Or perhaps local societyhas strange features that must beunderstood if visitors are to accom-plish their goals.

A puzzle world presents a specifickind of challenge to its visitors.Adventures on a puzzle world are notusually motivated by the puzzle itself,unless the adventurers are explorers oranthropologists whose job is to solvepuzzles! Instead, the GM should see toit that adventurers have somethingthey really want to do (survive, get offthe planet, make a fortune) and thenmake their goal contingent on solvingthe puzzle. One way to surprise playersis to make the puzzle a subtle one. The

world appears ordinary and hospitableuntil the characters are committed,and then a mystery makes itself evident . . .

Synthetic WorldSome worlds are artificial. At the

smallest scales, space habitats (p. 132)are synthetic worldlets. Science fictionhas also portrayed whole planets thatwere either built from scratch or dras-tically remodeled. Some syntheticworlds are far larger than planets (seeMegastructures, p. 133).

A synthetic world doesn’t have topresent any special plot elements;after all, the designers of such a worldmay be trying to mimic a natural envi-ronment as far as possible. Of course,even a very naturalistic habitat mayneed special attention to continueworking properly. An abandoned syn-thetic world may be a doomed world(p. 64) as well, unless someone regainscontrol over its environment.Naturally, a synthetic world can pres-ent a variety of mysteries. Who built it,and why? What technologies wereused in its construction? Are any use-ful artifacts still there to be found?

Unique Resource WorldA world can be critically important

if some resource is available there butnowhere else. Even a simple luxuryitem will bring commercial and gov-ernment attention if it can be foundnowhere else in the galaxy. A uniqueresource that is critical to the func-tioning of interstellar civilization willbe fought over by everyone!

Unique resources are most likely toappear in space-operatic universes. Ina realistic setting, a resource thatoccurs in only one place in the galaxy, and that can’t be analyzed or

synthesized, is nearly impossible (butsee Unobtanium, p. 181). If a uniqueresource world exists, it will be thenatural site for high-stakes adventure,as various factions struggle to controlor profit from the resource.

DEPTHOF DETAIL

Aside from considering the role agiven world is to play, the designershould think about how much detailhe really needs. A world that is goingto dominate the campaign should like-ly be designed in greater detail thanone the PCs will visit once on theirway to a more important place.

Grand StageAny planet is a world – the product

of billions of years of history, operat-ing on landscapes hundreds or thou-sands of miles in extent. Even an unin-habited world can provide almostunlimited puzzles to solve and loca-tions to explore. An inhabited world,its population in the millions or bil-lions, will have at least as much vari-ety and depth as present-day Earth. Aworld could be considered a “grandstage” for dozens of adventures, devel-oped in great detail and used over andover again.

The most detailed levels of develop-ment are useful for a world that isgoing to dominate the campaign. Theadventurers will spend most of theirtime on such a world, and some ofthem may claim it as their home.Conflicts centering on the world willbe the most important factor drivingeach adventure, even those that takeplace elsewhere in the galaxy. Otherworlds may well exist in the setting,but the dominant world will be themost fully developed.

The GM should use the world-design rules in this book as a startingpoint for developing such a world.Following this, he might design mapsfor the world and for individualregions, work out the details of dis-tinctive regional societies, designnative animal species and build localecologies, draw up local NPCs, and soon. The history of the world might beworth developing in detail; seeGURPS Infinite Worlds for tools fordeveloping historical timelines.

66 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

If you see a whole thing – it seems that it’salways beautiful. Planets, lives . . . But upclose, a world’s all dirt and rocks.

– Ursula K. Le Guin

Repeated VisitsSometimes a campaign won’t be

dominated by any single world, butcontains worlds to which travelers willfrequently return. Such worlds mightbe military outposts that providebases for adventure, high-populationcenters of trade, or homeworlds wherePCs usually begin their adventures.

A world that’s subject to repeatedvisits should be developed to a moder-ate level of detail. Even if the world isa home base (p. 65) where actionrarely takes place, space travelers willwant to find employers, equip them-selves, seek information, or just relaxthere. The GM will want to be able todescribe the backdrop for such activi-ties. The world-design rules in thisbook can be used to generate the over-all environment for such a world.After that, the GM can produce what-ever local details or NPCs are neces-sary to support the world’s purpose inthe campaign.

Sound StageA world that is only going to be vis-

ited once (even as the focus of anadventure) can often be developed to a very low level of detail. This couldbe called the “sound stage” level of

development. Television series haveoften conveyed the “alien world” ideawith actors on a sound stage, support-ed by nothing more than a few fakeboulders and an oddly colored back-drop to suggest an unearthly sky.

A sound-stage world can easily bedeveloped using the world-designrules in this book. Indeed, many steps

in the design sequence can be skippedif those details aren’t likely to have anyeffect on the planned adventure. TheGM may need nothing more than ageneral idea of the planet’s environ-ment, along with one or two specificlocations. Naturally, a sound-stageworld can be developed further if theGM or players take an interest in it!

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 67

Depth of RealismAnother consideration in world design is how much realism the GM

wants to inject into his setting. Realism in setting design isn’t anabsolute virtue; what’s necessary is plausibility. The audience of thestory, film, or roleplaying session wants to be able to suspend disbeliefand enjoy immersion in the flow of events. Each audience will have itsown standards, and every subgenre of science fiction has its ownrequirements. A world design that fits perfectly into a space-operaticuniverse might be nonsensical in a high-realism “hard SF” setting, andvice versa.

Very few SF authors ignore realism in their world design, but somepay more attention to it than others. A good author or GM will be con-cerned with characters and story. Some authors (notably Poul Andersonand Hal Clement) have made a fine art of using rigorously plausible anddistinctive settings to drive their stories – but other approaches are justas effective.

In general, as with other discussions of real-world science and tech-nology in this book, the world-design rules are intended as tools for youto use when producing the space setting you want. Use, rewrite, orignore them to taste!

MAPPING THE GALAXYA broad and ample road, whose dust

is gold,And pavement stars, as stars to thee

appearSeen in the galaxy, that milky wayWhich nightly as a circling zone

thou seestPowder’d with stars.

– John Milton, Paradise Lost,Book VII

Worlds need a context, a map ofthe overall campaign setting to whichGM and players can refer.

How Many Worlds?The GM should consider how many

distinct worlds he will need for hiscampaign. Many space-oriented gameswill use only one star system – perhapsour own solar system, perhaps some

other that has been colonized byhumans. A campaign on the interstel-lar or galactic scale can easily includehundreds or even thousands ofworlds. Choosing a useful scale is oneof the fundamental decisions to makein any interstellar setting; seeChoosing a Preferred Scale (p. 72) forsome suggestions.

The choice will depend on theavailable space-travel technology; ifFTL is not available, no one will havetime to visit many worlds. Anotherconsideration is the campaign frame-work. If the GM plans to spend a lot oftime with each world, he won’t needvery many. On the other hand, a pica-resque campaign will need manyworlds for adventurers to visit.

Naturally, a campaign set in a sin-gle star system won’t need much atten-tion to astronomical detail. If many

star systems are to be included, theGM may wish to arrange them inaccordance with what’s known aboutthe large-scale structure of the galaxy.

Drawing the MapThe type of map to draw depends

on the scope of your campaign, and especially on the type of interstel-lar travel that is available in your universe.

If starships will move by“jumplines” or a similar system, spacecan be mapped by drawing thejumplines. The actual distancebetween two stars in space may beirrelevant, and anything that isn’t on ajumpline can be ignored. If jumplinetravel is instantaneous, only the con-nections need to be drawn and themap can be quite abstract. Otherwise,

the amount of time it takes to traverseeach connection must be indicatedsomehow. A jumpline map may alsoinclude information about how long ittakes for a ship to travel from eachjump point to a nearby world or otherplace of interest.

If FTL travel times depend on thenormal-space distance between stars,then a scale map of the campaign areawill be needed. If starships movethrough normal space, then possiblehazards like nebulae should bemapped. If starships move throughhyperspace, then normal-space phe-nomena between stars can probablybe ignored. Of course, if there are “ter-rain features” in hyperspace thatmight slow travel or make it moredangerous, those will need to bemapped!

Mapping space is sometimesinconvenient because paper maps areflat but space isn’t. The GM maychoose to ignore this, placing all of hisstar systems on the same plane. It’smore realistic to use a three-dimen-sional grid system. The map surfacethen represents a convenient plane –usually either the plane of the galacticdisk, or a plane defined by Earth’sequator. A star “above” the referenceplane would be mapped with a “+”

sign, followed by its distance abovethe plane in parsecs. A star “below”the plane would be mapped with a “-”sign and its distance from the plane.Thus, if Lestrade’s Star lies four par-secs below the reference plane, itwould be noted on the map with (-4).

To find the distance between twostars when using three-dimensionalcoordinates, apply the Pythagoreanformula:

D = Square root of (X2 + Y2 + Z2)

Here, D is the total distancebetween the two stars in parsecs,while X, Y, and Z are the distancebetween them along each of the threeaxes.

ASTRONOMICALFEATURES

Campaign maps may includeastronomical features at a variety ofdifferent scales.

GalaxiesGalaxies are the building blocks of

the (visible) universe. The vast majori-ty of the universe’s stars are locatedwithin galaxies, forming island

universes that are visible for millionsof parsecs in every direction.

Galaxies are much more closelypacked, relative to their size, than arestars within a single galaxy. Galaxiesoften interact. The largest ones seemto have formed by absorbing theirsmaller neighbors, a process that con-tinues to the present day. Meanwhile,even full-sized galaxies sometimespass close to (or directly through!)each other, distorting their shapes andaffecting one another’s evolution.

Galaxies normally come in threedifferent categories: elliptical, spiral,and irregular. Each of these has signif-icantly different properties.

Elliptical galaxies have the shape ofa more or less elongated sphere. A fewelliptical galaxies (the lenticular galax-ies) show the beginnings of a centraldisk, and may represent a transitionaltype between elliptical and spiralgalaxies.

Elliptical galaxies vary tremen-dously in size. Small dwarf ellipticalsare only a few hundred parsecs acrossand may contain only a few millionstars. The largest elliptical galaxies arehundreds of thousands of parsecsacross and contain many trillions ofstars. These huge elliptical galaxies,hundreds of times as large as our owngalaxy, are among the largest objectsin the universe.

Elliptical galaxies have an undiffer-entiated shape because they don’thave a strongly preferred direction ofrotation. Component stars may orbitthe galaxy’s center of mass in a widevariety of directions and speeds. Manyelliptical galaxies are relatively barrenplaces, with little or no new star for-mation under way.

Spiral galaxies have a strongly flat-tened shape, with much of their visiblematter restricted to a galactic disk.Spiral galaxies usually have a veryobvious structure, with most of thevisible stars arranged in a set of spiralarms. Spiral galaxies are much lessvariable in size than elliptical galaxies.Most spiral galaxies are between 5,000and 50,000 parsecs across, and havebetween a billion and a trillion stars.

A spiral galaxy’s structure formsbecause it rotates strongly in a specif-ic direction. Most of the stars of thedisk revolve in the same direction, inmore-or-less circular orbits aroundthe galaxy’s center of mass. Waves of

68 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

Distances and ScalesAstronomical distances aren’t conveniently measured in miles.

Although this book will refer to miles in some cases, it normally usesseveral different units to measure distances on different scales.

The Earth diameter will sometimes be used in this book to measurethe size of worlds and the distance from worlds to their satellites.Astronomers normally don’t use this unit, but it will make some of theworld-building calculations more convenient. Earth’s diameter at theequator is about 7,930 miles.

The astronomical unit (AU) is the standard unit used in this book tomeasure interplanetary distances. One AU is equal to the average dis-tance between Earth and the sun, about 11,730 Earth diameters or 93million miles.

The light-year (ly) is equal to the distance light travels in the vacuumof space in the course of one Earth year. It is equal to about 63,000 AUor 5.9 trillion miles. This book doesn’t use the light-year often, but it isa common measure of distance in astronomy and in science fiction.

The parsec (pc) is the standard unit used in this book to measureinterstellar distances. Astronomers measure the distance to a nearbystar by observing its parallax, its apparent angle of motion across a base-line of 1 AU. If the parallax is equal to exactly one second of arc, thenthe star is one parsec away. One parsec is equal to 3.26 light-years, or toabout 206,000 AU.

denser structure occur within the disk,forming the spiral arms. The armstend to concentrate interstellar gasand dust, providing a good environ-ment for the formation of new stars.

As the name suggests, irregulargalaxies are unbalanced in shape,although they often exhibit a few hintsof spiral structure – a vague spiralarm, or a dense “bar” that is often dis-placed from the galaxy’s center ofmass. Irregular galaxies vary in size,although they tend not to be verylarge. They are usually between 1,000and 10,000 parsecs in diameter, and have between 100 million and 10billion stars.

Bigger Than GalaxiesGalaxies are not distributed ran-

domly through the universe. Almostall galaxies are found in groups orclusters. A group of galaxies is smaller,usually with no more than 30 membergalaxies, about 0.2-1.5 million parsecsacross. A cluster is usually larger, con-taining up to several hundred galaxiesin a space about 1.5-3 million parsecsacross.

Groups and clusters of galaxies arethemselves organized into superclus-ters. On the largest scale, the universeis full of galactic associations,arranged in clumps and sheets as if onthe surface of great “bubbles” ofempty space. These voids are almostempty of matter, and are usually about100-400 million parsecs across. Thevoids appear to be distributed fairlyevenly through the universe. Currentcosmological theory has yet to explainwhy the universe is arranged this way!

Galactic StructureOur own galaxy is a very typical

spiral galaxy, in shape, size, and struc-ture. Its visible disk is about 30,000parsecs across.

The galaxy’s busiest region is thegalactic disk, a flat structure in whichmost of the nebulae and bright youngstars are found. Since it’s the brighteststars that define the visible shape ofthe galaxy, the disk is its most promi-nent feature. The disk is about 600parsecs thick, becoming thickertoward the galactic core.

The galactic disk establishes athree-dimensional system of directions

that will be used in this book for inter-stellar mapping. One direction perpen-dicular to the plane of the disk is calledgalactic north and points “above” theplane. The opposite direction is galac-tic south and points “below” the plane.A line on the plane of the disk passingthrough the galactic core defines thedirections of coreward (toward thecore) and rimward (away from thecore). Finally, within the disk plane butperpendicular to the coreward-rimward line, another line defines thedirections of spinward (in the directionof galactic rotation) and trailing (oppo-site the direction of rotation).

Much of the disk’s matter falls inthe spiral arms, long structures that (iflooking “down” on the disk fromgalactic north) curve counterclock-wise as they move from the core out tothe fringes. The spiral arms are notsmooth curves, forming a regular pat-tern. The densest parts of the arms fallinto a series of short, discontinuousarcs that piece together to form anoverall spiral shape. There are twomajor spiral arms, and a number ofshorter arcs that could be consideredpartial arms.

The galactic disk is embedded inthe galactic halo, a spherical structurethat takes up most of the galaxy’s vol-ume. The halo contains very little gasor dust, and only a few percent of thegalaxy’s stars. The stars of the halo areold and dim, many of them orbitingthe core at wide angles to the plane ofthe disk; such stars punch through thedisk twice in the course of each longorbit. Strangely, the halo appears tocontain the majority of the galaxy’smass, which must be in the form ofundetectable “dark matter.”

The halo is densest toward the cen-ter of the galaxy, where it shades intothe galactic core. This is a flattenedbulge, about 1,800 parsecs thick. Thecore is somewhat elongated, makingour galaxy a moderate example of a“barred” spiral. The best currentmodel of the galactic bar makes itabout 1,800 parsecs wide and 4,500parsecs long, with its long axis pointedin the general direction of Earth. Thegalactic core is composed of olderstars, with a few clusters of brightyoung ones. It is extremely dense in itsinner regions, with many stars percubic parsec.

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 69

Current observations indicate thatEarth is about 30 parsecs above theplane of the galactic disk, about 7,700parsecs from the center of the galaxy.Sol is located in what astronomers callthe Local Arm, one of the galaxy’s twomajor spiral arms. This arm is about1,800 parsecs across, and windshalfway around the galaxy from coreto fringes. The centerline of the LocalArm passes about 100 parsecsrimward of Sol, so Earth is fairly closeto the heart of the arm. This is nomore than coincidence; Sol and Earthare simply “passing through” theregion on their own orbit around thegalactic core.

Galactic FeaturesA closer look at the galaxy reveals a

variety of small-scale features.Globular clusters are dense spheri-

cal clusters of stars. They are usually50-100 parsecs in diameter, and cancontain up to hundreds of thousandsof stars. Globular clusters are very old,10 billion years or more. They formedeven before the galactic disk was well-established; most of them remain inthe galactic halo, where they followvery wide orbits around the galacticcore. Some of the younger ones mayhave been captured from others byour galaxy. The stars in the core of aglobular cluster may be only light-weeks apart, and close encountersamong them are common. Stars in aglobular cluster are very unlikely tohave stable, life-bearing planets.Globular clusters are rare – the near-est one to Earth is about 2,000 parsecsaway.

Open clusters are very commonstar groups, smaller than globularclusters and located solely in thegalactic disk. An open cluster is usual-ly two to 15 parsecs in diameter, andcan contain up to several thousandstars. These stars all formed togetherand have since moved through thegalaxy as one, mutually bound bygravity. Open clusters can be any age,although very old ones are quite rare.Most are less than 200 million yearsold, and almost none are older thantwo billion years. Stars in an opencluster may have planets, if they areold enough and have managed toavoid close encounters with othercluster members. There are several

open clusters in Earth’s galactic neigh-borhood, most notably the Ursa MajorMoving Cluster (centered about 23parsecs away) and the Hyades (cen-tered about 45 parsecs away).

Associations are groups of starsthat have dispersed from their originalopen clusters, but are still locatedclose together on the galactic scale,and have similar orbits around thegalactic core. Like open clusters, theyare found only in the galactic disk.Associations tend to be young – after afew orbits around the core, they dis-perse so far as to be impossible toidentify. Many associations are tied towell-defined open clusters, indicatinga common origin; both the Ursa Majorcluster and the Hyades have their ownassociations, which include many ofthe bright stars visible in Earth’s sky.Some of the very youngest associa-tions are still dominated by super-bright blue-white stars; these OB asso-ciations are among the galaxy’s mostprominent small-scale features. Theclosest OB association to Earth is cen-tered about 160 parsecs away.

Molecular clouds or dark nebulaeare clouds of interstellar hydrogeninterspersed with heavier elementsand dust grains. They are muchdenser than the normal interstellarmedium. When they are parsecs thick,they can obscure most or all of thelight from stars behind them, givingthe appearance of dark “holes” in thesky. On the other hand, when they areilluminated by bright nearby stars,they can shine in vast billows and trac-eries by the reflected light.

Molecular clouds are star nurs-eries, places where new stars areformed. They can be of almost anysize; the smallest ones are less than aparsec across, while great molecular-cloud complexes like the OrionNebula can be 50 parsecs or more indiameter. Molecular clouds can beimportant in a campaign if theyobscure stars or hinder interstellartravel.

Distribution of StarsThe number of stars in a unit vol-

ume of the galaxy’s space varies wide-ly. In the galactic core or the heart of aglobular cluster, stars will be packedso tightly that only a few thousand AUseparate them. In the deep fringes of

the galactic halo, a star might bedozens of parsecs from its nearestneighbor.

Most settings involving interstel-lar travel will focus on the region ofthe galaxy around Sol, or on a similarregion elsewhere in the galaxy. In thisregion, there is about one star systemfor every 10-15 cubic parsecs. Abouthalf of all star systems actually con-tain two (or more) stars, each ofwhich has some chance of associatedplanets.

THE FREQUENCYOF WORLDS

There are about 400 billion stars inour galaxy, and it seems likely that atleast one-third of them (about 130 bil-lion stars) have planets. How many ofthese are home to intelligent life? Howmany might be suitable for coloniza-tion? It’s anyone’s guess. All of our esti-mates are based on unproven assump-tions. That situation may change inthe coming years, as better space tele-scopes continue to give us more infor-mation about other solar systems. Fornow, even a GM interested in realismis free to make useful worlds as com-mon as he likes.

It’s possible that interstellar civi-lizations will be in the habit of colo-nizing and using every star system, nomatter how inhospitable or barren.Unless this is the case, many stars sim-ply won’t be worth bothering with.Even under a generous estimate,pleasant Earthlike worlds are out-numbered dozens to one by barrenballs of rock or ice.

Unless a campaign map covers aregion with only a few dozen stars init, the GM should probably not try tomap every star, or even every margin-ally habitable system. There are sim-ply too many. The GM can concentrateon locating the major star systemsthat will play a significant role in hiscampaign, just as the publisher of aroad atlas only selects the most impor-tant cities to place on a national map.

Alien HomeworldsMany science-fiction universes are

busy, chatty places. They’re full ofmultiple alien species, all at about thesame level of development, permitting

70 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

them to talk to (and shoot at) eachother in dramatically interesting ways.Unfortunately, the real universe does-n’t appear to be so densely populated.

Most scientists agree that intelli-gent, technologically advanced lifemust be a rare phenomenon in theuniverse. There is no clear-cut evi-dence for past visits of alien intelli-gence to Earth. Astronomers havenever detected an unambiguous signalfrom another world. We see no sign ofinterstellar-scale engineering projects,such as might be mounted byadvanced civilizations. The universeappears to be a quiet place.

The dearth of evidence for aliensplaces a limit on the frequency withwhich they are likely to exist in theuniverse. If a communicative, techno-logically advanced alien species exist-ed within 100 light-years of Earth, wewould have detected it by now. Thissuggests that such species don’tappear more often than about once in10,000 star systems.

Still, the evidence is extremelyincomplete, and there’s little to pre-vent a GM from setting the frequencyof alien intelligence at any level hewants. In some settings, intelligence isvanishingly rare and human explorersnever find aliens. In others intelli-gence is common, appearing aroundmany (or even most) stars.

When designing a densely-populat-ed universe, the GM may want todevelop reasons why the sky seems soquiet to us today. Perhaps Earth is inthe midst of a reserved space in thegalaxy, a region where colonization isforbidden. Perhaps intelligence iscommon but advanced technology israre, so that most species neverprogress beyond a primitive state.Perhaps advanced civilizations arecommon, but the vast majority ofthem simply don’t bother exploringwith telescopes or starships. Or per-haps there is a very good reason foreveryone to be keeping quiet . . . the

galaxy might be a dangerous place foryoung civilizations who foolishlybroadcast their existence!

Worlds Bearing Complex Life

If intelligence seems rare, life isprobably very common. Althoughalien life has yet to be unambiguouslydiscovered, astronomers have foundits chemical building blocks in manysurprising places – in the heart ofmeteorites, in the atmospheres ofother planets, even in the vast molecu-lar clouds found in deep interstellarspace. On Earth, primitive life seemsto have begun almost as soon as itcould. Today, life can be found in someof Earth’s most hostile environments.

Of course, for most of Earth’s histo-ry, life has been very simple: bacterialmats, viruses, and algae. Scientistssearching for life elsewhere in ourown solar system expect to find simi-lar simple forms, not complex plantsand animals. Explorers may find com-parable situations on the worlds ofother stars – many worlds with primi-tive life, few with complex species.

Astronomers have defined a set ofconditions for stars that are likely tohave Earthlike worlds, home to com-plex living organisms. A star must bestable and long-lived. It must not betoo bright, as the brightest stars rarelyhave planets. It must not be so dimthat its planets are too cold for com-plex life. It must not be too old, as theoldest stars are metal-poor and maynot have planets. It must not be tooyoung, as it appears to take billions ofyears for complex life to evolve. Itmust not be tied to a partner starwhose gravitational influence wouldmake an Earthlike world’s orbit unsta-ble. Given all these conditions, itseems unlikely that more than 10% ofall star systems will shelter complexlife. A more realistic estimate mightplace the number at 3% to 5%.

Of course, the evidence is againextremely sketchy, and the GMshould feel free to place this frequen-cy wherever he wishes. After all,complex (but stupid) living creaturesare almost impossible to detect atinterstellar distances. Meanwhile,planets with complex life – but with-out native intelligence – are likely tobe superb places for colonization.

Interesting Barren Worlds

Given the above, 90% or more ofall star systems will be barren, con-taining no complex life and probablylittle else to set them apart from oneanother. Still, even if a star system has no complex life of its own, it may be worth visiting, exploring, andcolonizing.

If interstellar travel is expensive,difficult, or slow, then a civilizationmay colonize every star system as itexpands. An interstellar society thathas to make a huge investment inorder to reach even a single new worldcan’t afford to be choosy. Of course,even a barren star system is coloniz-able with advanced technology.Energy can be derived from fusionpower or the primary star. Usefulmaterials can be mined, minerals andmetals from the barren worlds, waterand other volatiles from the icy outersystem. If a convenient planet isn’tavailable, habitats can be carved outof asteroids or other pieces of spacedebris (see Macro-life, p. 191). Thuseven the least promising star systemcan become a thriving colony, if thecolonists have no choice.

If interstellar travel is easy, themost useless star systems will proba-bly be visited once and then ignored.Even in this case, some barren starsystems may be colonized by peoplewho simply want to get away from civ-ilization. Dissident or refugee groupsmay set up camp in a barren star sys-tem in order to escape their enemiesand live as they please.

Meanwhile, some barren systemswill be colonized because they yielduseful resources: unusual organiccompounds, industrial metals,radioactives, the mysterious crystalsused in starship power plants, and soon. Even after the resource runs out,an already-established community

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 71

Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificantplanet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away insome forgotten corner of a universe in which there are farmore galaxies than people.

– Carl Sagan

may remain in place. Another possi-bility is the scientific colony, estab-lished as a base for the study of someunusual phenomenon in nearbyspace.

Finally, a star system may be colo-nized for its location. Civilizationswill establish outposts as advancebases, or to control places whereunusual amounts of starship trafficpass. This is less likely in a universe

where interstellar travel is fast andeasy – why colonize this particularstar, rather than one of the 100 otherbarren systems within easy travel dis-tance? At the other extreme, if FTLtravel takes place along fixed worm-holes or jumplines, the map will con-tain many choke points, systems thatmay have no intrinsic value butwhich are natural waypoints for travel.

The GM should decide how manybarren-but-interesting worlds will bein his universe for each world bearingcomplex life. If the ratio is high,interstellar travelers will often be vis-iting small outposts and hardscrabblecolonies on barren worlds. If the ratiois low, most adventures will takeplace on the garden worlds, withtheir higher populations and complexecosystems.

72 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

Choosing a Preferred ScaleThe choice of scale for an interstellar setting is one of

the most fundamental decisions the GM must make. Isthe setting going to be vast, covering a significant part ofthe whole galaxy? Or is it going to be a tiny chip ofexplored space, including no more than a few star sys-tems? This choice affects not only the number of worldsthat might fall onto the campaign map, but also theselection of FTL and other technology assumptions (seeChapters 2 and 3).

The GM can get an idea of his preferred scale bydeciding how many star systems play host to intelligentlife, and how many have given rise to complex but unin-telligent life. Then he can decide how many of each kindof world he wants to have in his setting. Along with anassumption about the density of stars in space, this cangive the volume of the campaign map. In the neighbor-hood of Sol, there is about one star system for every 12.5cubic parsecs; different densities can be assumed inother regions of the galaxy.

Once the scale is selected, the GM can consider thetypical speed of interstellar travel. How long can anadventurer expect to take to travel from one world to thenext or from the center of the campaign map to itsedges? Unless many adventures are likely to take placeon board ship, travel times between worlds should prob-ably not be more than a few weeks. If there is regularcontact between the core and the fringes of the cam-paign setting, the longest trip shouldn’t take more thana year or so (unless years-long voyages are typical forthe setting, as in many STL-based universes).

Playing With ShapesWhen deciding on the scale of an interstellar cam-

paign, the GM can make use of a couple of simple math-ematical formulae.

Given a sphere of volume V, then the radius of thesphere (the distance from its center to its surface) isabout 0.62 ¥ cube root of V. Given a cube of volume V,then the length of each face of the cube is exactly cuberoot of V.

Given a region of space of volume V, and some num-ber of points N distributed at random inside that region,then the average distance between two neighboring

points is about 1.12 ¥ cube root of (V/N). (This assumesthat the region of space has a simple shape, but it does-n’t have to be a sphere – a cubic volume that can conve-niently be drawn on standard graph paper will do.)

The first formula is useful when deciding how bigthe space a campaign map covers will need to be,assuming that stars are evenly distributed within themapped region. The second is useful for determiningthe average travel time between two neighboring worldson the map.

For example, suppose the GM assumes that intelli-gent alien life is found once in about 10,000 star sys-tems, and that he wants to have six starfaring species inhis campaign. This suggests about 60,000 star systemswithin the space covered by the campaign map. Atabout one star system per 12.5 cubic parsecs, the mapwill need to cover about 60,000 ¥ 12.5 = 750,000 cubicparsecs.

The GM decides that he will use a spherical shape forhis campaign setting. Applying the formula for thesphere’s radius, he finds that the campaign map willneed to cover a sphere with a radius of about 0.62 ¥ cuberoot of (750,000) = 56.3 parsecs. A map covering asphere with a radius of about 60 parsecs should beenough.

The GM then decides that this sphere will includeabout 200 interesting worlds, most of which won’t beplaced until he needs them. How far will each world befrom its neighbors?

Applying the formula for average distance, the GMcomputes a distance of 1.12 ¥ cube root of (750,000/200)= 17.4 parsecs. This distance should be typical for voy-ages from one world to the next in the course of thecampaign. If such a voyage is expected to take about aweek, then the typical FTL speed for a starship will beabout 17.4/7 = 2.5 parsecs/day. At that speed, a voyagefrom the center of the campaign map to its edge willtake about 60/2.5 = 24 days.

Meanwhile, the 60,000 stars on the map will includeseveral thousand with life-bearing worlds, and tens ofthousands of barren systems. Clearly, the GM won’tneed every one of these star systems – which is a goodthing, as he can’t even begin to draw every one on hismap!

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 73

WORLD DESIGN SEQUENCEGummidgy was blue on blue under

a broken layer of white, with a diminu-tive moon showing behind an arc ofhorizon. Very Earthlike but with noneof the signs that mark Earth: no yellowglow of sprawling cities on the darkside, no tracery of broken freewaysacross the day. A nice-looking world,from up here. Unspoiled.

– Larry Niven, “Grendel”

The following material presents asystem for designing worlds, star sys-tems, and whole regions of the galaxyfor a space-based setting. Such a sys-tem depends on both the current stateof scientific knowledge, and on thedramatic requirements of the setting.Unfortunately for the game designer,both of those factors are subject tochange!

The present day is a time of greatprogress is astronomy and astro-physics. Our understanding of howplanets form and evolve is very differ-ent today from what it was even adecade ago. A decade from now it willdoubtless be different again.

Meanwhile, the role of scientificrealism varies from setting to setting.A GM who wants a hard-SF feel maymap the stars with great attention toastronomical realism. On the otherhand, a GM who wants a Golden Agefeel for his spaceship-and-blaster epicwill want to run off a dozen worlds tosuit his dramatic needs, and won’tcare about meticulous realism.

No fixed world-design system willfit every need, or remain in accordwith the best scientific understandingfor very long. The system in this bookis designed to be flexible. As present-ed, the system assumes a fairly highdegree of realism according to cur-rent scientific research. However,each step of the process will includeexplanatory material designed to helpthe GM alter the system to fit hisneeds.

OVERVIEWThe world design system is pre-

sented in a series of concrete steps,organizing the process of designing aworld in a logical progression. Torecord the specifics of your design

(and have a place to show a color mapof your world, if you wish), downloadthe Planetary Record Sheet for free atwww.sjgames.com/gurps/books/space/.

The first 14 steps, presented in thischapter, constitute a “basic” world-building system that will help the GMdesign one world. The astronomicalcontext for each world (its primarystar, any moons it might have, thepresence of other planets) is ignored.The GM can design a complete cam-paign setting using this chapter,although it will be a setting in whichonly one world in each star system isinteresting, and the focus of anyadventure is expected to be down onthat world’s surface. This isn’t asrestrictive as it sounds. Many well-known science-fiction universes havepaid almost no attention to astronom-ical context.

The remaining steps (some ofwhich recapitulate the first 14) arepresented as an advanced world-building system in the next chapter.

Those steps will permit the GM to gen-erate the astronomical context foreach world generated using the basicdesign system. The advanced systemcan also be used to randomly generatewhole star systems from scratch. Usedin full, the advanced system will pro-vide dozens of worlds per star systemin realistic detail. The results will besuitable for hard-SF settings, especial-ly those in which many adventurestake place in space or in which inter-planetary travel is common.

The system uses die-roll tables topresent various options at each step.The GM should use these tables as hepleases He may simply choose anoption without rolling dice, in whichcase the table and any die-roll modi-fiers can be used simply to help decidewhat options are more likely than oth-ers. Or he can roll the dice as indicat-ed and accept the result.

Many of the tables help to generatevarious physical measurements for aworld and its surface environment:

mass, surface gravity, atmosphericpressure, surface temperature, and soon. Real-world physical measure-ments don’t fall onto discrete valuesthat can conveniently be put in a table!To add local color, the GM may wantto impose minor variations on thesemeasurements from one world to thenext. To do this, it is usually accept-able to choose and record a valueclose to the one given by a table (i.e.closer to that value than to the one oneither side).

Both basic and advanced systemsrequire some computations that caneasily be performed using a hand cal-culator. They involve nothing morecomplex than raising a number to asmall exponent, or taking the square,cube, or fourth root of a number.

STEP 1: CONCEPTTo begin the process of world

design, the GM should decide on aconcept for the world. The conceptshould be a sentence or short para-graph describing the most importantfeatures of the world. The GM shouldmake a note of any dramatic role (p.63) that he wants the world to fill. Heshould also jot down notes about anyadventure plots that are likely to beattached to the world. Only if the GMintends to design the world entirely atrandom should he skip this step.

Example: To demonstrate theworld-building rules, we will use themto generate a world and star systemfor a GURPS Space campaign.

After reviewing the options inChapter 1, the GM has decided tobuild a high-powered space-operauniverse. He decides that humanshave had FTL travel for thousands of years, and have spread throughouta large region of the galaxy. There are lots of alien races, some of them derived from humanity by way of genetic engineering. The most important interstellar society in the setting is an Empire (p. 197) dominated by a hereditary aristocracy.

In the example, the GM wishes todesign a frontier planet, distant fromany major worlds and largely cut offfrom the main trade routes. Afterthinking about a concept, he decidesthat the world (named Haven) will bean invisible world (p. 65), settled byvarious dissidents and renegadeswho are hiding from imperialauthority. He further decides thatHaven isn’t on imperial mapsbecause its star system is in themidst of a dense star cluster that’sdifficult for FTL navigators to nego-tiate. He has no preferences aboutHaven’s surface environment, andwill use the random tables and hisown inspiration to develop that.

STEP 2: WORLD TYPE

The planetographers were still puz-zling about Diomedes. It didn’t fall intoeither of the standard types, the smallhard ball like Earth or Mars, or the gasgiant with a collapsed core like Jupiteror 61 Cygni C. It was intermediate, witha mass of 4.75 Earths; but its overalldensity was only half as much. Thiswas due to the nearly total absence ofall elements beyond calcium.

There was one sister freak, uninhab-itable; the remaining planets were moreor less normal giants, the sun a G8dwarf not very different from other starsof that size and temperature . . .

– Poul Anderson, The Man Who Counts

In this step, the world’s type isdetermined. A world type is an overallclass of worlds, all of which have asimilar surface environment. The con-cept of world type plays a very largerole in the world design system.

In particular, a world’s typedepends on what volatiles are avail-able on the world’s surface. Volatilesare chemical compounds with lowmelting and boiling points that makeup the bulk of a planet’s atmosphereand hydrosphere (if any). Hydrogen,nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, carbondioxide, and a number of other famil-iar compounds are all volatiles.

74 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

A world’s type is normallydescribed with two terms. One givesthe general size of the world: Tiny,Small, Standard, or Large. Each ofthese expands into two to six subtypes,usually tied to local temperature,which further define conditions on theworld’s surface.

Tiny WorldsA Tiny world is so small that it can-

not retain a significant atmosphere,no matter how far from its primarystar it is located. The following Tinyworld types are available.

Tiny (Ice): The world is too small toretain significant atmosphere, but it iscold enough that it can have richdeposits of water ice and similarfrozen volatiles. Internal heat due toradioactive deposits or tidal flexingcan melt some of the subsurface ice,possibly forming a vast “ocean” of liq-uid water. Most Tiny (Ice) worlds areactually large moons orbiting gasgiant planets. Examples in our ownsolar system include Jupiter’s moonsCallisto or Europa.

Tiny (Rock): The world is too smallto retain significant atmosphere, andit is also too warm to have much ice.The surface is composed almostentirely of naked rock pocked withcraters. Tiny (Rock) worlds mayexhibit some volcanic activity early intheir histories, but they quickly cooloff and become geologically dead.Some Tiny (Rock) worlds are largemoons, while others are planets intheir own right. Examples in our own

solar system include Mercury andEarth’s Moon.

Tiny (Sulfur): This world type rep-resents certain gas-giant moons thatexperience a tremendous amount ofvolcanic activity. Tiny (Sulfur) worldsundergo a great deal of tidal “flexing”in the course of their orbit, due to thegravitational influences of the gasgiant and its other large moons. Thisflexing effect heats the interior of themoon, encouraging volcanism. Mostof the lighter volatiles that are releasedthis way escape to space, while sulfurand sulfur compounds are concentrat-ed on the surface. Such a world is like-ly to be a very dangerous place to visit.The sole example in our own solar sys-tem is Jupiter’s moon Io.

Small WorldsA Small world is large enough to

retain molecular nitrogen, one of themost common volatile compoundsand a major component of manyplanetary atmospheres. As a result, a Small world often has a substantialatmosphere. However, it isn’t largeenough to retain water vapor in itsatmosphere, so unless all the water isfrozen out on the world’s surface itwill eventually be lost to space. Thefollowing Small world types areavailable.

Small (Hadean): This world typeincludes those worlds that are largeenough to retain gaseous nitrogen, butwhich are so cold that their nitrogenatmosphere is frozen on the surface!Such worlds are likely to be gas giant

moons located on the outer fringes ofa star system. There are no examplesof this kind of world in our solar system.

Small (Ice): The world is largeenough to hold onto an atmosphere,usually composed primarily of nitro-gen with a few more complex com-pounds in the mix. It is cold enough tohave a great deal of water ice and otherfrozen volatiles. It may even have liq-uid “oceans,” although these are veryunlikely to be composed of water –they may be full of hydrocarbons orother odd substances. Most Small (Ice)worlds are very large moons orbitinggas giant planets. The sole example ofa Small (Ice) world in our own solarsystem is Saturn’s moon Titan.

Small (Rock): The world is largeenough to hold onto an atmosphere,although that atmosphere is likely tobe very thin. It is not large enough toretain water vapor, and it is too warmfor the bulk of its surface water toremain frozen. As a result, any waterthat the world originally had hasescaped to space, perhaps leavingbehind a few buried deposits of waterice. The sole example of a Small(Rock) world in our own solar systemis Mars.

Standard WorldsA Standard world is large enough

to retain water vapor in its atmos-phere, which is normally extensive.Some have liquid-water oceans, whileothers have vast deposits of water ice.Although some Standard world typesare extremely hostile, others areamong the most likely homes for com-plex life forms and intelligence. Thefollowing Standard world types areavailable.

Standard (Hadean): Like the Small(Hadean) worlds, these worlds wouldnormally have an extensive atmos-phere, but they are so cold that almostall of the likely volatile compoundshave frozen out. They are likely to bethe largest moons of gas giants on thefringes of a star system. The soleexample of a Standard (Hadean)world in our solar system is Neptune’smoon Triton.

Standard (Ammonia): This worldtype world is large enough to retain a thick atmosphere, along with plentyof water and other light volatile

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 75

World Types and SkillsThe world types given in this book map to the “planet types”

described under Planet Types (p. B180) as follows. This affects whichskill specialties scientist characters will need on each world.

• Earthlike: Standard (Garden), Standard (Ocean), Large (Garden),and Large (Ocean) worlds.

• Gas Giants: Gas Giant worlds.• Hostile Terrestrial: Standard (Ammonia), Standard (Greenhouse),

Large (Ammonia), and Large (Greenhouse) worlds.• Ice Dwarfs: Tiny (Ice) worlds.• Ice Worlds: Small (Hadean), Small (Ice), Standard (Hadean),

Standard (Ice), and Large (Ice) worlds.• Rock Worlds: Asteroid Belt, Tiny (Rock), Tiny (Sulfur), Small

(Rock), Standard (Chthonian), and Large (Chthonian) worlds.

compounds. However, it is so cold thatpure water would be eternally frozenand Earthlike life could not possiblysurvive. Instead, the atmosphere isprimarily composed of ammonia andmethane, and the oceans are com-posed of liquid ammonia mixed with asubstantial amount of water.Ammonia-based life (p. 138) is possi-ble on such a world. Ammonia worldsare very unlikely except near cool reddwarf stars; the compound breaksdown quickly when exposed to theultraviolet light given off by brighterstars like our own sun. There are noexamples of such a world in our ownsolar system, although the small gasgiants Uranus and Neptune are simi-lar in some respects.

Standard (Ice): The world is largeenough to retain a thick atmosphereand plenty of water. However, theworld is so cold that almost all of thiswater is frozen, covering the rockysurface with a thick coat of ice.Photosynthetic life is rare or com-pletely absent, so the atmosphere haslittle or no free oxygen. There is noexample of a Standard (Ice) world inour own solar system.

Standard (Ocean): The world has athick atmosphere and plenty of water,and has surface temperatures thatmake liquid-water oceans possible.However, it lacks photosyntheticorganisms (plants), either becausesuch life has not yet evolved or becauseit has become extinct. As a result, theatmosphere contains little or no freeoxygen. There are no examples of thiskind of world in our solar system,although Earth fell into this category abillion years ago, and probably willagain a billion years from now.

Standard (Garden): The world islarge enough to retain a thick atmos-phere, retains plenty of water to formoceans, and has a surface climate thathumans would find relatively pleasant.It also has extensive life, includingphotosynthetic life that can maintainfree oxygen in the atmosphere.Standard (Garden) worlds are themost hospitable for human life. Thesole example of a Standard (Garden)world in our solar system is, of course,Earth.

Standard (Greenhouse): The worldis large enough to retain a thickatmosphere and plenty of water.However, at some point it became too

warm to support a habitable environ-ment. As the oceans began to boil, theatmosphere experienced a runawaygreenhouse effect that pushed surfacetemperatures far above the level ofhuman comfort. Some Greenhouseworlds (“wet greenhouses”) still haveoceans of surface water, trapped in aliquid state by the intense atmospher-ic pressure. Others (“dry greenhous-es”) have lost all of their original waterto the breakdown of water moleculesby sunlight in the upper atmosphere.In either case, the surface environ-ment is extremely hostile, the airunbreathable and furnace-hot. Theonly example of such a world in ourown solar system is Venus, a drygreenhouse planet.

Standard (Chthonian): The worldwould normally be large enough toretain a thick atmosphere, but it is soclose to its primary star that almost allof its volatiles have been strippedaway by the stellar wind of chargedparticles. There may be a tenuousatmosphere, but it is likely to be com-posed of vaporized metal rather thananything convenient for human life.There is no example of this kind ofworld in our solar system.

Large WorldsA Large world is large enough to

retain helium gas (and possibly evensome hydrogen) in its atmosphere.Hydrogen and helium are by far themost common elements in the uni-verse, so a world that can hold ontothem is likely to be very massive. Infact, the Jupiter-like gas giant planetsare believed to have formed in thisfashion.

For whatever reason, a Largeworld has not accumulated the mas-sive atmosphere typical of a gas giant.Perhaps it was starved of material at acritical point during formation, orsome cataclysm stripped away most ofits atmosphere. Although a Largeworld may have a very thick atmos-phere, its mass is dominated by rockyor icy materials and it has a definitesurface on which visitors could land.Large worlds of this kind may be quiterare.

The following Large world typesare available. None of them exist inour own solar system, although one(the Chthonian subtype) has beendetected in orbit around other stars.

Large (Ammonia): This class is near-ly identical to the Standard (Ammonia)class, but is larger and is likely to havea substantial amount of helium orhydrogen gas in its atmosphere.

Large (Ice): This class is nearlyidentical to the Standard (Ice) class,but again it is larger and is likely tohave large amounts of helium orhydrogen gas in the atmosphere.

Large (Ocean): As with a Standard(Ocean) world, this type has a thickatmosphere, plenty of water, and is inthe temperature range permitting liq-uid-water oceans. Unlike the Standard(Ocean) type, its atmosphere is verythick and is dominated by helium.

Large (Garden): This world is simi-lar to the Standard (Garden) type. Itsatmosphere is very thick, rich in noblegases such as helium or neon. Large(Garden) worlds might be able to sup-port human life.

Large (Greenhouse): Like theStandard (Greenhouse) world, thistype has undergone a runaway green-house effect that has rendered theatmosphere extremely dense and fur-nace-hot. There may or may not beoceans of liquid water, trapped by theintense atmospheric pressure.

Large (Chthonian): The worldwould normally be large enough toretain a thick atmosphere. However,either that atmosphere has alreadybeen stripped away, or it is being lostat a tremendous rate, forming a longstreamer of gases that peels off intospace.

Special World TypesAside from the size-and-subtype

system described above, two moreworld types will be used in the worlddesign sequence. These will be placedand handled using special rules.

Asteroid Belt: The “world” is actual-ly a zone or belt of small stony bodies.These asteroids (or, more precisely,planetoids) may contain useful met-als, organic compounds, or evenfrozen volatiles. Although the plane-toids are widely separated in space,there may be many thousands of themin the belt. If the asteroid belt is set-tled, its inhabitants live in artificialhabitats, floating freely in space orbuilt inside the belt’s largest plane-toids. Inhabited asteroid belts areoften mining or industrial centers.Our own solar system has one signifi-cant asteroid belt.

76 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

Gas Giant: The world is a Jupiter-like planet, possibly far bigger thaneven a Large-class world, with a mas-sive atmosphere dominated by hydro-gen and helium. There is no solid sur-face, and life is unlikely to exist even inthe highest reaches of the atmosphere.In most settings, gas giant worlds arerarely visited and never landed upon(although their atmospheres can be auseful source of hydrogen fuel orother resources). They are mostly ofinterest because of their extensive sys-tems of moons, many of which areviable worlds in their own right. Moststar systems are likely to include gasgiant worlds. Our own solar systemincludes four: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,and Neptune.

Determining World TypeTo begin the design process for a

given world, select a world type to fitthe needs of the setting. If a randomresult is desired, roll 3d on the OverallType Table and make note of the result.Then roll on the World Type Table, referto the column appropriate for theresult from the Overall Type Table, andmake a note of the result. The worldwill be of that type.

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 77

Overall Type TableRoll (3d) Overall Type7 or less Hostile8-13 Barren14-18 Garden

World Type TableRoll (3d) Hostile Worlds Barren Worlds Garden Worlds3 Standard (Chthonian) Small (Hadean) Standard (Garden)4 Standard (Chthonian) Small (Ice) Standard (Garden)5 Standard (Greenhouse) Small (Rock) Standard (Garden)6 Standard (Greenhouse) Small (Rock) Standard (Garden)7 Tiny (Sulfur) Tiny (Rock) Standard (Garden)8 Tiny (Sulfur) Tiny (Rock) Standard (Garden)9 Tiny (Sulfur) Tiny (Ice) Standard (Garden)10 Standard (Ammonia) Tiny (Ice) Standard (Garden)11 Standard (Ammonia) Asteroid Belt Standard (Garden)12 Standard (Ammonia) Asteroid Belt Standard (Garden)13 Large (Ammonia) Standard (Ocean) Standard (Garden)14 Large (Ammonia) Standard (Ocean) Standard (Garden)15 Large (Greenhouse) Standard (Ice) Standard (Garden)16 Large (Greenhouse) Standard (Hadean) Standard (Garden)17 Large (Chthonian) Large (Ocean) Large (Garden)18 Large (Chthonian) Large (Ice) Large (Garden)

Example: Since the GM wants Haven to be a habitable world, he declines to roll on the tables and simply chooses theStandard (Garden) world type.

Why World Types?Planets are complex and diverse things. Consider the case of Earth

and Venus in our own solar system. The two planets have close to thesame mass, have very similar composition, exist as very close neighborswithin the solar system, and presumably began their histories with asimilar budget of volatiles. Yet today they have vastly different surfaceenvironments. Earth is cool, wet, and pleasant – Venus is a furnace-hot,utterly dry hell.

Designing all the factors that determine how a world will evolve is amatter for an advanced university research team, and in fact there aremany facets of planetary development that are still unclear to humanscience. If we want to design a setting for a novel or a roleplaying game,we must simplify. Fortunately we have good reason to expect that mostworlds in the galaxy will fall into a few well-defined categories, eachwith its own characteristic properties. We use world type to describethose categories and help organize the process of world design.

Another advantage of using world types is that they give the GM con-trol over his setting. We could take a different approach, randomlyselecting a world’s primary star first, then placing worlds, then generat-ing the properties of each world, only at the end getting an idea of whateach world will be like. Many science-fiction roleplaying games take thisapproach, and a GURPS GM has the same option when using theadvanced system in Chapter 5 of this book. However, if the GM has adesired result, this approach makes it difficult to guide the processtoward that result – there’s no guarantee, for example, that a randomly-generated star system will contain a pleasant Earthlike world if the GMwants one.

It’s much easier to specify the desired properties for the “mainworld” of a star system first, and then go through the rest of the processin such a way that every result is consistent with that starting point.World types are the easiest way to define this kind of design system.

STEP 3:ATMOSPHERE

One of the most important ques-tions any visitor to a world will haveis, “Can I breathe the air?” This stepdetermines the composition andthickness of the world’s atmosphere.

Atmosphere TypesAtmospheres are defined by their

pressure. Atmospheric pressure ismeasured in atmospheres (atm), with1 atm being equal to the average sea-level air pressure on Earth. GURPSalso classifies atmospheres into cate-gories based on pressure, as describedin the following table.

Atmospheric PressureCategories TablePressure PressureRange CategoryLess than 0.01 atm Trace0.01-0.5 atm Very Thin0.51-0.8 atm Thin0.81-1.2 atm Standard1.21-1.5 atm Dense1.51-10 atm Very DenseOver 10 atm Superdense

If an atmosphere is otherwisebreathable, a Standard atmospherehas no special effect on human beings;the other pressure categories haveeffects as described on p. B429.

An atmosphere is also classifiedaccording to its composition, which inGURPS is important for whether theatmosphere is breathable or not.

A world’s atmosphere may be con-sidered Marginal. A Marginal atmos-phere is generally breathable, butthere is something subtly wrong withits composition that makes it danger-ous to breathe without a filter mask, acompressor, or some other simple pro-tective device. There are many ways in

which an atmosphere can be Marginal(see Marginal Atmospheres, p. 80).

Unbreathable atmospheres pres-ent varying degrees of danger tounprotected human visitors. They canbe Suffocating, not actively poisonousbut lacking in free oxygen. They canbe Toxic, actively doing damage whenbreathed directly. They can even beCorrosive, attacking exposed tissuesand requiring full-body protectivegear. All three of these categories are as described in HazardousAtmospheres on p. B429 (but see alsothe Toxicity Rules sidebar).

Use the following rules to deter-mine what kind of atmosphere existson the world being generated.

DeterminingAtmospheric Mass

The surface pressure of a world’satmosphere depends on the amount ofgaseous volatiles present, and on theworld’s surface gravity. Surface gravitywon’t be determined until Step 6 (p.84), but the atmospheric mass for theworld can be determined now.Atmospheric mass is a rough measureof the world’s supply of gaseousvolatiles, relative to other worlds ofthe same type.

78 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

Tweaking the World Type Table

The default World Type Table given is appropriate for a moderately“realistic” space setting, one in which pleasant Garden worlds areuncommon but not vanishingly rare. In most star systems, the focus ofhuman activity will be some uninhabitable but not actively hostileworld: an asteroid belt, a Mars-like desert planet, or the moon of somelarger planet. Only in a few star systems will visitors tend to come to themore hostile environments, such as Standard (Greenhouse) or Large(Ammonia) worlds.

The GM can alter the distribution of world types to suit his ownneeds, by writing his own Overall Type Table and World Type Table. Toincrease the probability of any world type, give it a wider range of val-ues or move its range toward the center of the table. To make a worldtype rarer, give it fewer table entries, push it toward the top or bottomof the table, or even remove it from the table entirely.

Toxicity RulesMany different atmosphere types are Toxic in the sense used on p.

B429. However, some poisonous atmospheres are much more danger-ous than others!

Any character exposed to a Toxic atmosphere will need to make HTrolls on a periodic basis to avoid taking toxic damage. The differencesbetween various Toxic atmospheres affect how often these HT rollsmust be made, what penalties are applied to the HT roll, and how muchdamage is taken when a HT roll is failed. The exact details will varyfrom atmosphere to atmosphere, but this book will use the terms MildlyToxic, Highly Toxic, and Lethally Toxic as general categories.

Mildly Toxic: Exposure requires a HT roll no more often than onceper hour. There is no penalty to the HT roll, and a failed roll inflicts only1 point of toxic damage. Characters may risk brief exposure to a MildlyToxic atmosphere without much danger of serious injury or death.

Highly Toxic: Exposure requires a HT roll up to once per minute. TheHT roll will usually be at a -2 to -6 penalty, and a failed roll inflicts 1point of toxic damage. Characters may risk very brief exposures to aHighly Toxic atmosphere, but only in dire emergencies.

Lethally Toxic: Exposure inflicts 1d or more of toxic damage every 15seconds, with no possibility of resistance. Characters exposed to suchan atmosphere will die in a very short time.

Worlds of the Asteroid Belt, Tiny(Ice), Tiny (Rock), Tiny (Sulfur), Small(Hadean), Small (Rock), Standard(Hadean), Standard (Chthonian), andLarge (Chthonian) types will not haveany significant atmosphere. Don’tbother to generate atmospheric massfor any of them.

Atmospheric mass may differ verywidely from world to world, but themost likely range is from 0.5 to 1.5.Select an atmospheric mass for theworld, or roll 3d and divide the resultby 10 (keeping fractions). When usingthe dice, feel free to vary the result byup to 0.05 in either direction. Make anote of the atmospheric mass.

DeterminingAtmosphericComposition

Refer to the following notes todetermine the composition of theworld’s atmosphere, and to determinewhether it has any specific undesir-able features. Make a note of whetherthe atmosphere is Marginal, andwhether it is Suffocating, Toxic (withthe level of toxicity), or Corrosive.

Asteroid Belt, Tiny (Ice), Tiny(Rock), Tiny (Sulfur), Small (Hadean),Small (Rock), Standard (Hadean),Standard (Chthonian), and Large(Chthonian) Worlds: None of theseworlds have more than a Trace atmos-phere. Since any visitor will effectivelybe in a vacuum, the composition ofwhat little atmosphere is presentrarely matters.

Small (Ice) Worlds: The atmos-phere of a Small (Ice) world is com-posed of nitrogen and methane. Theatmosphere is poisonous, but isunlikely to contain any corrosives.Roll 3d. On a 15 or less the atmos-phere is Suffocating and Mildly Toxic.Otherwise it is Suffocating and HighlyToxic.

Standard (Ammonia) Worlds: Theatmosphere of a Standard (Ammonia)world is composed of nitrogen, withlarge quantities of ammonia andmethane. Such an atmosphere isalways Suffocating, Lethally Toxic,and Corrosive.

Standard (Ice) Worlds: The atmos-phere of a Standard (Ice) world is com-posed of a mixture of carbon dioxideand nitrogen. There may be other toxicsubstances in the atmosphere due to

volcanic activity or other naturalprocesses. Roll 3d. On a 12 or less theatmosphere is only Suffocating, other-wise it is Suffocating and Mildly Toxic.

Standard (Ocean) Worlds: Theatmosphere of a Standard (Ocean)world will be composed of a mixtureof carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Aswith the Standard (Ice) world, theremay be other toxic substances in theatmosphere due to volcanic activityor other natural processes. Roll 3d.On a 12 or less the atmosphere is onlySuffocating, otherwise it isSuffocating and Mildly Toxic.

Standard (Garden) Worlds: AStandard (Garden) world has anatmosphere dominated by nitrogen,with a significant amount of freeoxygen that can support human life. Roll 3d. On an 11 or less theatmosphere will have no specialproperties. On a 12 or higher it will be Marginal; to generate more specific detail, see MarginalAtmospheres (p. 80).

Standard (Greenhouse) Worlds:The atmosphere of a Standard(Greenhouse) world is alwaysextremely dense and furnace-hot. A“dry greenhouse” world will have anatmosphere dominated by carbondioxide, while a “wet greenhouse”world will have nitrogen, watervapor, and possibly even a smallamount of free oxygen in the mix. The atmosphere is alwaysSuffocating, Lethally Toxic, andCorrosive.

Large (Ammonia) Worlds: Theatmosphere of a Large (Ammonia)world is dominated by helium gas,with very large quantities of ammoniaand methane. It is always Suffocating,Lethally Toxic, and Corrosive.

Large (Ice) Worlds: The atmos-phere of a Large (Ice) world is domi-nated by helium and nitrogen gases,and is likely to contain toxins due tovolcanic activity or other naturalprocesses. The atmosphere is alwaysSuffocating and Highly Toxic.

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 79

Large (Ocean) Worlds: A Large(Ocean) world’s atmosphere is com-posed of a mixture of helium andnitrogen gases. As with the Large (Ice)worlds, there will usually be othertoxic substances in the atmosphere.The atmosphere is always Suffocatingand Highly Toxic.

Large (Garden) Worlds: Theseunusual worlds have thick atmos-pheres dominated by nitrogen andnoble gases, with a significant amountof free oxygen. The atmosphere willusually be breathable (although it maybe uncomfortably dense). The atmos-phere will be Marginal on a roll of 12or higher on 3d.

Large (Greenhouse) Worlds: Theseworlds have atmospheres similar tothose of Standard (Greenhouse)worlds. The atmosphere is alwaysSuffocating, Lethally Toxic, andCorrosive.

MARGINALATMOSPHERES

An otherwise breathable atmos-phere can be Marginal in a variety ofways. Some of the most likely aredescribed here.

Chlorine or FluorineIn a breathable atmosphere, chlo-

rine would normally combine withother elements to form nontoxic com-pounds. However, it’s possible for livingthings with an odd biochemistry torelease a significant amount of chlorineinto the atmosphere. This might giverise to a biosphere full of plants andanimals that use an Earthlike carbon-oxygen cycle but which are adapted to

the presence of trace amounts of chlorine in the air. Visitors who do nothave similar biochemistry would findthe unfiltered air to be corrosive andvery poisonous.

A world with significant amountsof chlorine in the air would be a verystrange place. The air would carry afaint color, and the presence of chlo-rine would slightly distort images.Since chlorine gas is heavier than air,it would tend to pool in caves anddepressions in the land, reaching con-centrations that might kill even nativeanimal life. On such a world, rainfalland standing water would actually bea weak hydrochloric acid solution.Living things would use odd polymersin their structure – natural plasticsthat would not dissolve in the chlo-rine-tainted air.

The atmosphere on such a world isHighly Toxic, with the penalty to theHT roll depending on the local con-centration of chlorine. At its highestconcentrations, the chlorine wouldactually be Lethally Toxic andCorrosive.

Fluorine gas is chemically similarto chlorine and might play a similarrole in a planetary atmosphere.However, fluorine is much less com-mon and is unlikely to appear any-where in large quantities. An atmos-phere contaminated with free fluorinegas would be extremely unusual.

High Carbon DioxideThe human metabolism is set to

deal with a certain amount of carbondioxide in the air. When there is toomuch, the human breathing reflexmalfunctions, leading to hyperventila-tion and a sense of panic. The result is

similar to that of a Very Dense atmos-phere (p. 78). It is possible to accli-mate to moderate levels of carbondioxide. Very high levels of carbondioxide are Mildly Toxic, and it’s notpossible to acclimate to them.

High OxygenIn moderate cases, an excess of

oxygen can be a mild irritant to skinand mucous membranes, and canmake it much easier for people tohyperventilate when working hard.Assess ill effects as if the atmosphereis one pressure class higher (Dense fora Standard atmosphere with high oxy-gen, Very Dense for a Dense atmos-phere, and so on).

Very high concentrations of oxygen are Mildly Toxic. At such concentrations, the oxygen increasesfire hazards as well – all materialsare considered to be one flammabili-ty class higher (p. B433).

Inert GasesNitrogen and other chemically

inert compounds can cause “inert gasnarcosis” when their partial pressureis high enough. Symptoms includelight-headedness, reduced dexterity,euphoria, and impaired judgment.This is normally a problem only inVery Dense atmospheres, although afew compounds (such as nitrousoxide, or “laughing gas”) can causethese symptoms at relatively low pres-sures.

An atmosphere with high levels ofinert gases is not likely to be Toxic.However, an unprotected human sub-ject to inert gas narcosis will behave asif intoxicated; he may be tipsy, drunk,or suffer from euphoria (p. B428)depending on the level of exposure.

Low OxygenAn otherwise breathable atmos-

phere can simply have a lower concen-tration of free oxygen than one mightexpect for its pressure. Such an atmos-phere is unlikely to be Toxic, but itmay be difficult to breathe normally.Treat such an atmosphere as beingone pressure class lower (Thin forStandard, Standard for Dense, and soon). This can actually make a VeryDense or Dense atmosphere morecomfortable for human visitors!

80 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

If the Almighty were to rebuild the world and asked me for advice, I would have English Channels round every country. And the atmosphere would be such that anythingwhich attempted to fly would be set on fire.

– Winston Churchill

Nitrogen CompoundsNitrogen oxides are very unlikely to

appear in a breathable atmosphere,unless they are produced by a strangelocal biochemistry or by massiveindustrial pollution. The unfiltered airwould be somewhat toxic and anyopen water would be tainted by acid.Such an atmosphere is Mildly Toxic,and may be Highly Toxic close to asource of the nitrogen compounds.

Sulfur CompoundsHydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide,

and sulfur trioxide might be found inthe air due to massive industrial pollu-tion or volcanic activity. Visitorswould find the air to be toxic and fullof unpleasant odors. Rainfall andstanding water would be weak solu-tions of sulfuric acid. Such an atmos-phere is Mildly Toxic, and may beHighly Toxic close to a source of thesulfur compounds.

Organic ToxinsLiving things may release danger-

ous substances into the air – pollen,spores, disease-causing microorgan-isms, toxins, and so on. Most suchatmospheres will be Mildly Toxic,although higher levels of toxicity arepossible. Unprotected exposure to theair may also count as exposure to aweak respiratory-agent poison (p.B437) or a disease (p. B442); the GM isencouraged to develop his own exoticmaladies to give his alien worlds flavor.

PollutantsNon-organic poisons may be in the

air as well – heavy-metal or radioac-tive dust, toxic smoke from volcanismor industrial pollution, and so on. Itwould be rare for such an atmosphereto be more than Mildly Toxic. Heavy-metal poisoning can have lastingeffects, as can radioactivity.

Determining a Marginal Atmosphere

Select at least one property fromthe list above, or roll 3d on theMarginal Atmospheres Table. A fewatmospheres may exhibit more thanone of the Marginal traits . . .

Marginal AtmospheresTable

Roll (3d) Major Toxic Component

3-4 Chlorine or Fluorine5-6 Sulfur Compounds7 Nitrogen Compounds8-9 Organic Toxins10-11 Low Oxygen12-13 Pollutants14 High Carbon Dioxide15-16 High Oxygen17-18 Inert Gases

Example: The GM decides tochoose Haven’s atmospheric mass atrandom. He rolls 3d for 12, anddivides by 10 to get an atmosphericmass of 1.2.

Since Haven is a Standard(Garden) world, its atmosphere isautomatically breathable, but it maybe Marginal. The GM rolls 3d for 10,and notes that the atmosphere has nospecial properties.

STEP 4:HYDROGRAPHICCOVERAGE

Worlds are often described interms of their hydrographic coverage,the portion of the world’s surface thatis covered by oceans of some liquidmaterial. This step determines the per-centage of the surface that is taken upby oceans, seas, and lakes.

On an Earthlike world the oceanswill be composed of liquid water, con-taining metal salts and other impuri-ties. On more hostile planets theoceans may be composed of exoticsubstances. Many worlds that have noliquid oceans on the surface may berich in water or other ices; they mayalso have extensive underground sup-plies. These features do not counttoward the hydrographic coverage,but may be of interest to visitors.

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 81

What Makes the Air?When a planet first forms, it is likely to have an extensive atmos-

phere dominated by the most common substances in the universe –hydrogen and helium. Large worlds can hold onto this primordialatmosphere. Smaller ones lose it when their primary star ignites, enter-ing the so-called “T Tauri” stage during which a massive stellar windblasts the inner star system clean of gas and debris.

Later, the last stages of planetary formation include a period of “lateheavy bombardment.” This is an era in which young planets frequentlycollide with comets, asteroids, and even bodies as massive as moons orsmall planets. The smaller collisions, especially with comets or otherobjects containing plenty of ice, can leave volatiles behind to form anatmosphere and seas. The larger collisions may blast this early atmos-phere away into space, possibly more than once.

Eventually, the largest collisions come to a stop and the young worldcan expect to keep any atmosphere it receives from comets and icyasteroids. At this stage, the primary source of atmosphere becomes theplanet’s own volcanism. Volatile substances locked into a world’s icy orrocky body are released along with its internal heat. The result is a thinenvelope of air, the world’s final atmosphere.

Of course, once the atmosphere is stable, chemical processes canalter its composition considerably. The most startling example of this isfound on Garden worlds, where photosynthetic life creates a substantialamount of oxygen in the air. Since oxygen normally combines withother chemicals very quickly, any world with lots of “free” oxygen in theatmosphere is far out of chemical equilibrium; the situation can only bemaintained by the activity of plant life or some other continuousprocess.

All of these processes are unpredictable. The atmosphere found on agiven world depends strongly on its initial chemical composition – butthe accidents of planetary evolution also play a strong role.

DeterminingHydrographic Coverage

Each world type has its own asso-ciated hydrographic properties. Whendice are used, the hydrographic cover-age will be expressed as a multiple of10% of the world’s surface area. Itwould be reasonable to vary the resultby up to 5% in either direction, with aminimum of 0% and a maximum of100% of the surface.

Asteroid Belt, Tiny (Rock), andSmall (Rock) Worlds: None of theseworld types will have “oceans” of liq-uid water or other common sub-stances. Their hydrographic coverageis always 0%. Those that are farenough from the primary star mayhave some water ice buried under thesurface or hidden in always-shadowedcraters.

Tiny (Ice), Small (Hadean), andStandard (Hadean) Worlds: Theseworlds often have extensive water icedeposits on the surface, but they willnot have permanent bodies of liquidsurface water. Their hydrographiccoverage is always 0%. Beneath thesurface of the ice, these worlds mayhave considerable liquid water if theyexperience internal heating. Forexample, many Tiny (Ice) worlds thatorbit gas giant planets are heated bytidal effects, keeping the subsurfaceoceans warm enough to stay in a liquid state.

Tiny (Sulfur) Worlds: These worldsusually begin with extensive depositsof water and other ices, but tidal heat-ing and volcanism mean that thesevolatiles are quickly lost to space.Their hydrographic coverage is always0%. A Tiny (Sulfur) world may haveintermittent, short-lived lakes of liquidsulfur and sulfur compounds.

Small (Ice) Worlds: These worldsmay have oceans of liquid volatiles,but they are likely to be composed ofliquid hydrocarbons rather thanwater. A typical Small (Ice) world willhave hydrographic coverage between30% and 80%. Select a percentage, orroll 1d+2 and multiply by 10%; theresult is the portion of the world’s sur-face covered by substances in a liquidstate. The rest of the surface is likely tobe rich with ices, possibly includingwater ice.

Standard (Ammonia) and Large(Ammonia) Worlds: These worlds are

too cold to have oceans of liquid water.However, they may have vast oceansof liquid ammonia mixed with waterand other substances, mingled in aeutectic solution whose freezing pointis much lower than that of pureammonia or water. A typical world ofthese types will have hydrographiccoverage between 50% and 100%,depending on the surface temperatureand the amount of ammonia andwater in the world’s volatiles budget.Select a percentage, or roll 2d andmultiply by 10% (maximum 100%);the result is the portion of the world’ssurface covered by liquid substances.

Standard (Ice) and Large (Ice)Worlds: These worlds generally haveno permanent bodies of liquid wateron their surface, but they may havelakes or small seas that are temporari-ly liquid at certain seasons. Such openwater may provide hydrographic cov-erage of up to about 20%. Select a per-centage, or roll 2d-10 and multiply by10% (minimum 0%); the result is theportion of the world’s surface that isusually covered by liquid water.

Standard (Ocean), Standard(Garden), Large (Ocean), and Large(Garden) Worlds: These worlds willalmost always have liquid-wateroceans. A typical world of these typeswill have hydrographic coveragebetween 50% and 100%, dependingon the amount of water in the world’svolatiles budget. Large worlds arelikely to have a lot of water, and maybe covered by oceans that are tens orhundreds of miles deep! Select a per-centage, or roll 1d+4 (1d+6 for aLarge world) and multiply by 10%(maximum 100%); the result is the

portion of the world’s surface coveredby liquid water.

Standard (Greenhouse) and Large(Greenhouse) Worlds: Even if one ofthese worlds has surface water, it isusually in the process of losing it.Most will have hydrographic coverageof 0%, and it will be quite rare for sucha world to have coverage greater than50%. Select a percentage, or roll 2d-7and multiply by 10% (minimum 0%);the result is the portion of the world’ssurface that is still covered by oceans.A world that still has oceans is a wetgreenhouse (p. 79), while a world with0% hydrographics is a dry green-house. If oceans exist on one of theseworlds, they are likely to be extremelyimpure, and may be rich in dissolvedcarbon or sulfur compounds, forminga more or less acidic solution. Someextreme greenhouse oceans may becomposed of sulfuric acid!

Standard (Chthonian) and Large(Chthonian) Worlds: These worldsnever have water or other volatiles inthe liquid state on the surface. Theirhydrographic coverage is always 0%.They may be so hot as to melt surfacerock, producing seas of lava!

Example: Since Haven is aStandard (Garden) world, it will haveliquid-water oceans. The GM rolls1d+4 and gets a result of 10, suggest-ing hydrographic coverage of 100%.He doesn’t want a world that’s com-pletely covered by water, but a worlddominated by vast oceans seemsappealing. He lowers the hydrograph-ic coverage to 98%, and makes a notethat Haven’s land mass consists of asingle Australia-sized continent and ascattering of island chains.

82 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

STEP 5: CLIMATENow the cryosphere was dissolving.

Glaciers became torrents, whichpresently boiled away and becamestorm-winds. Lakes and seas, melting,redistributed incredible masses.Pressures within the globe were shifted;isostatic balance was upset; the read-justments of strata, the changes ofallotropic structure, released cata-strophic, rock-melting energy. Quakesrent the land and shocked the waters.Volcanoes awoke by the thousands.Geysers spouted above the ice sheaththat remained. Blizzard, hail, and rainscourged the world, driven by tempests

whose fury mounted daily until wordslike “hurricane” could no more namethem. Hanging in space, Falkayn andChee Lan took measurements ofRagnarök.

– Poul Anderson, Satan’s World

Planetary climate can be verycomplex, but the most importantquestion for any visitor is whether ornot he will be comfortable in thesurface environment. This stepdetermines the average surface tem-perature of the world. This averagedoesn’t take into account daily orannual variations, or the details oflocal climate.

Determining Climate Type

Each world type is associated witha range of possible average surfacetemperatures. To determine a world’saverage surface temperature, refer tothe following table. Select a tempera-ture within the given range for the cor-rect world type, or roll 3d-3, multiplythe result by the Step value, and thenadd the minimum value from theRange. The result is the average sur-face temperature in kelvins, a unit ofabsolute temperature. When using thedice, it would be reasonable to varythe final temperature by up to half theStep value in either direction.

Temperature Range (K) gives arange of possible average surface tem-peratures in kelvins. Climate Type is adescriptive name for the world’s over-all surface climate. Temperature Range(F) gives the associated range indegrees Fahrenheit. To convert a

temperature from kelvins to degreesFahrenheit, use the following formula:

F = (1.8 ¥ K) - 460

Here, F is the temperature indegrees Fahrenheit and K is the tem-perature in kelvins.

Make note of both the average sur-face temperature in kelvins (andoptionally in degrees Fahrenheit) andthe corresponding climate type fromthe table.

Average Surface Temperature TableWorld Type Range StepAsteroid Belt 140-500 K 24 KTiny (Ice or Sulfur) 80-140 K 4 KTiny (Rock) 140-500 K 24 KSmall (Hadean) 50-80 K 2 KSmall (Ice) 80-140 K 4 KSmall (Rock) 140-500 K 24 KStandard (Hadean) 50-80 K 2 KStandard (Ammonia) 140-215 K 5 KStandard (Ice) 80-230 K 10 KStandard (Ocean or Garden) 250-340 K 6 KStandard (Greenhouse or Chthonian) 500-950 K 30 KLarge (Ammonia) 140-215 K 5 KLarge (Ice) 80-230 K 10 KLarge (Ocean or Garden) 250-340 K 6 KLarge (Greenhouse or Chthonian) 500-950 K 30 K

The average surface temperature determines the climate type of the world. Refer to the World Climate Table.

World Climate TableTemperature Range (K) Climate Type Temperature Range (ºF)Below 244 K Frozen Below -20º F244 K to 255 K Very Cold -20º to 0º F255 K to 266 K Cold 0º to 20º F266 K to 278 K Chilly 20º to 40º F278 K to 289 K Cool 40º to 60º F289 K to 300 K Normal 60º to 80º F300 K to 311 K Warm 80º to 100º F311 K to 322 K Tropical 100º to 120º F322 K to 333 K Hot 120º to 140º F333 K to 344 K Very Hot 140º to 160º FAbove 344 K Infernal Above 160º F

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 83

Determining BlackbodyTemperature

Another parameter related to aworld’s climate is its blackbody temper-ature. This is the average surface tem-perature the world would have if itwere an ideal blackbody, a perfectabsorber and radiator of heat. Ofcourse, real worlds are not ideal black-bodies, so the blackbody temperatureis usually different from the world’saverage surface temperature.

To determine a world’s blackbodytemperature, compute its blackbody

correction. The blackbody correctionis based on two different factors, eachdependent on the world type and afew other parameters: the absorptionfactor and the greenhouse factor.

The absorption factor is a measureof how much incoming energy isabsorbed by the world’s surface ratherthan being reflected away. The higherthe absorption factor, the more energyis absorbed, and the warmer the worldwill be with respect to its blackbodytemperature. (For those familiar withastrophysics, the absorption factor

can be determined by subtracting theworld’s albedo from one, and takingthe fourth root of the result.)

The greenhouse factor is a measureof how much heat energy is trappedby the world’s atmosphere rather thanbeing radiated back into space. Thehigher the greenhouse factor, themore energy is recycled within theatmosphere, and the warmer theworld will be with respect to its black-body temperature.

Refer to the following table.

To determine the blackbody cor-rection for a world, use the followingformula:

C = A ¥ [1 + (M ¥ G)]

Here, C is the blackbody correc-tion, A is the world’s absorption fac-tor from the table, M is the world’satmospheric mass as generated inStep 3 (p. 78), and G is the world’sgreenhouse factor from the table.Note that for a world with a green-house factor of 0 (i.e. a world withoutsignificant atmosphere) the black-body correction is equal to theabsorption factor (C = A).

To determine the blackbody tem-perature, divide the average surfacetemperature by the blackbody correc-tion. Make a note of the blackbodytemperature.

Example: So far Haven is a reason-ably pleasant world, if lacking in dryland. The GM decides that its surfaceclimate should also be pleasant, andsets its average surface temperature to295 kelvins (about 70º Fahrenheit).Haven has a Normal climate type.

Referring to the TemperatureFactors Table, the GM finds thatHaven’s blackbody correction is 0.84 ¥

[1 + (1.2 ¥ 0.16)] = 1.00. Haven’s black-body temperature is almost exactlyequal to its average surface tempera-ture: 295 kelvins.

STEP 6: WORLD SIZE

This step determines the world’sdiameter, density, mass, and surfacegravity. For a world of Asteroid Belttype, this step can be skipped. Anasteroid belt is composed of hundredsor thousands of small objects, most ofthem far too small to be considered“worlds” in their own right.

DensityA world’s density is the average

mass per unit volume in the world’sbody. Density depends almost entirelyon the world’s composition. AnEarthlike world will usually have aniron core of very high density, overlaidby a thick layer of less-dense rock and

84 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

Temperature Factors TableWorld Type Absorption Factor Greenhouse FactorAsteroid Belt 0.97 0Tiny (Ice) 0.86 0Tiny (Rock) 0.97 0Tiny (Sulfur) 0.77 0Small (Hadean) 0.67 0Small (Ice) 0.93 0.10Small (Rock) 0.96 0Standard (Hadean) 0.67 0Standard or Large (Ammonia) 0.84 0.20Standard or Large (Ice) 0.86 0.20Standard or Large (Ocean or Garden) (Hydrographics 20% or less) 0.95 0.16Standard or Large (Ocean or Garden) (Hydrographics 21% to 50%) 0.92 0.16Standard or Large (Ocean or Garden) (Hydrographics 51% to 90%) 0.88 0.16Standard or Large (Ocean or Garden) (Hydrographics 91% or more) 0.84 0.16Standard or Large (Greenhouse) 0.77 2.0Standard or Large (Chthonian) 0.97 0

An asteroid belt is composed of hundreds orthousands of small objects, most of them far toosmall to be considered “worlds” in their own right.

stone (the very thin layer of water andair is almost negligible on this scale).A planet with a smaller iron corewould be less dense; a planet withmore iron and less rock would bedenser. Some large moons have bodiesthat contain a great deal of ice, whichis even less dense than rock.

In these rules, world density isexpressed as a proportion of Earth’sdensity – a world with a density of 1.0is exactly as dense as Earth and prob-ably has a very similar composition.Density normally ranges from 0.3 (aworld with a great deal of ice in its

body) to 1.4 (a world that is almost aball of solid iron). To determine aworld’s density, refer to the followingnotes.

Tiny (Ice), Tiny (Sulfur), Small(Hadean), Small (Ice), Standard(Hadean), Standard (Ammonia), andLarge (Ammonia) Worlds: All of theseworlds will have icy cores and a densi-ty between 0.3 and 0.7. Select a densi-ty in the appropriate range, or roll 3don the World Density Table using theIcy Core column.

Tiny (Rock) and Small (Rock)Worlds: These worlds are rocky with

small metal cores, and will normallyhave density between 0.6 and 1.0.Select a density, or roll on the WorldDensity Table using the Small IronCore column.

All other Standard and LargeWorlds: These worlds are primarilyrocky and have large iron cores, withdensity normally between 0.8 and 1.2(but might have density as high as 1.4in extreme cases). Select a density, orroll on the World Density Table usingthe Large Iron Core column.

When using the dice, it would bereasonable to vary the density by up to0.05 in either direction. Most textbooksand game sourcebooks prefer to giveplanetary density in units of grams percubic centimeter (g/cc); to get worlddensity in these units, multiply the den-sity value generated here by 5.52.

Diameter and Surface Gravity

Once the world’s density has beenfixed, it is possible to determine itsdiameter and surface gravity. Thesetwo parameters are closely related – ifyou select the world’s diameter, thatdetermines its surface gravity, and viceversa. The following rules will permitthe GM to select these two parametersin either order.

Selecting World Diameter First:Refer to the Size Constraints Table forthe world’s size class. Multiply squareroot of (B/K) (where B is the world’sblackbody temperature in kelvins, andK is the world’s density in units ofEarth’s density) by the appropriateMinimum value from the table. Theresult is the minimum possible diam-eter for the world, expressed in multi-ples of Earth’s diameter. Similarly,multiply square root of (B/K) by theappropriate Maximum value from thetable to get the maximum possiblediameter for the world.

Select any value within this rangefor the diameter. To select a diameterat random, roll 2d-2, multiply by one-tenth of the difference between themaximum and minimum diametervalues, and add the result to the mini-mum value. Feel free to vary the finalresult by up to 5% of the difference, solong as the final value is within therange. To express any diameter inmiles, multiply the value in Earthdiameters by 7,930.

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 85

Turning Up the HeatThe Absorption Factor and Greenhouse Factor for each world type

are typical values rather than universal constants. It would be reason-able to vary either slightly, to reflect changes from the normal proper-ties of the world’s type.

The Absorption Factor might vary by as much as 0.05, with a maxi-mum of 1 and a minimum of 0, to indicate a surface that is more or lessreflective. A dark surface, such as dark stone, ice darkened by chemicalprocesses, or dust in the upper atmosphere, would have a higherAbsorption Factor. A bright surface, such as snow or polished ice, wouldhave a lower Absorption Factor. For example, Earth’s currentAbsorption Factor is about 0.88, and this is taken as the typical value fora Standard (Garden) world with moderate hydrographic coverage.During the last Ice Age the vast areas of land covered by ice and snowmay have reduced the Absorption Factor to 0.86 or so, enough to lowerthe average surface temperature by several kelvins.

Meanwhile, if the Greenhouse Factor for a world’s type is not 0, itmight also vary by up to 0.05 in either direction to reflect local differ-ences in atmospheric composition. A change in the concentration ofgreenhouse gases, too small even to render a breathable atmosphereMarginal, could have dramatic effects on local climate. For example,Earth’s current Greenhouse Factor is about 0.16, but during theCretaceous Era (145-65 million years ago) it may have been as high as0.20 due to high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

In any case, variations in Absorption Factor and Greenhouse Factorare not significant to the world-design system, but the GM should feelfree to use them to reflect features of the local environment.

World Density TableRoll (3d) Icy Core Small Iron Core Large Iron Core3-6 0.3 0.6 0.87-10 0.4 0.7 0.911-14 0.5 0.8 1.015-17 0.6 0.9 1.118 0.7 1.0 1.2

Size Constraints TableWorld Type Minimum MaximumLarge 0.065 0.091Standard 0.030 0.065Small 0.024 0.030Tiny 0.004 0.024

Once the diameter is known, usethe following formula to get theworld’s surface gravity:

S = K ¥ D

Here, S is the world’s surface grav-ity in Gs, K is the world’s density inunits of Earth’s density, and D is theworld’s diameter in Earth diameters.

Selecting World Surface GravityFirst: Refer to the Size ConstraintsTable for the world’s size class.Multiply square root of (B ¥ K) (whereB is the world’s blackbody tempera-ture in kelvins, and K is the world’sdensity in units of Earth’s density) bythe appropriate Minimum andMaximum values from the table. Theresult is the minimum and maximumpossible surface gravity for the world,in Gs.

Select any value within this rangefor the surface gravity. To select aSurface Gravity at random, roll 2d-2,multiply by one-tenth of the differencebetween the maximum and minimumvalues, and add the result to the mini-mum value. Feel free to vary the finalresult by up to 5% of the difference.

Once the surface gravity is known,use the following formula to get theworld’s diameter:

D = S/K

Here, D is the world’s diameter inEarth diameters, S is the world’s sur-face gravity in Gs, and K is the world’sdensity in units of Earth’s density.

MassTo determine a world’s mass, apply

the following formula:

M = K ¥ D3

Here, M is the world’s mass in mul-tiples of Earth’s mass, K is its densityin units of Earth’s density, and D is itsdiameter in multiples of Earth’s diam-eter. Regardless of the order in whichthese parameters are determined,make a note of the world’s density,diameter, surface gravity, and mass.

DeterminingAtmospheric Pressure

Now that the world’s surface grav-ity is known, its surface atmosphericpressure can finally be determined.The various world types are likely to

have widely diverging atmosphericpressure values. Refer to the follow-ing notes to determine the world’satmospheric pressure.

Asteroid Belt, Tiny (Ice), Tiny(Rock), Tiny (Sulfur), Small (Hadean),and Standard (Hadean) Worlds: None

of these worlds have a significantatmosphere. A visitor on the surfacewill be in a vacuum.

Small (Rock), Standard (Chthonian),and Large (Chthonian) Worlds: All ofthese worlds automatically have a Traceatmosphere.

86 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

Worlds Big and LittleWhen designing a world, it’s important to know what volatiles will be

available at the world’s surface, defining the environment visitors willexperience. Every world begins with a wide variety of volatiles, butsome of these will be lost very early in the world’s history. The mostcommon reason for such loss is the fact that molecules of a givenvolatile that are close to the top of the world’s atmosphere might reachescape velocity and head for deep space!

Molecules in a gas move at random speeds, and the distribution ofthose speeds is determined by the molecular weight of the gas and bythe ambient temperature. Higher temperatures mean that the mole-cules tend to move faster – but the more massive molecules of a gas withhigh molecular weight will move more slowly at the same temperature.

In effect, every world has a minimum molecular weight retained(MMWR) that indicates what volatile substances can be held ontoacross billion-year time scales. Volatiles with molecular weight higherthan the MMWR will stay in the world’s atmosphere and on its surface.Volatiles with lower molecular weight will be lost to space in a relative-ly short time after the world is formed.

Factors that increase a world’s escape velocity all tend to lower theminimum molecular weight that can be retained. A more massive worldwill have a higher escape velocity. So will a denser world, even of thesame mass.

On the other hand, the temperature at the top of the atmosphere isalso critical; higher temperatures mean that more molecules will reachescape velocity. Thus two worlds can have the same MMWR despitebeing of different sizes, so long as the smaller one is colder.

Steps 2-6 of the world design sequence are set up so that the GURPSGM doesn’t need to concern himself with the details of computing aworld’s MMWR. Advanced world-builders may choose to work in amore free-form manner, selecting a world’s physical parameters asneeded and then checking to make sure the result makes sense. In thatcase, the following formula may be of use:

W = B/(60 ¥ D2 ¥ K)

Here, W is the MMWR measured in units of molecular weight, B isthe world’s blackbody temperature in kelvins, D is its diameter in Earthdiameters, and K is its density in units of Earth’s density.

A world’s physical parameters will fit its selected World Type if itsMMWR is legal for its size class. A Large world must have MMWRgreater than 2, but less than or equal to 4. A Standard world must haveMMWR greater than 4, but less than or equal to 18. A Small world musthave MMWR greater than 18, but less than or equal to 28. A Tiny worldmust have MMWR greater than 28.

For comparison, some of the more important molecular weights are:hydrogen 2, helium 4, methane 16, ammonia 17, water vapor 18, neon20, carbon monoxide 28, nitrogen 28, nitric oxide 30, oxygen 32, hydro-gen sulfide 34, argon 40, and carbon dioxide 44.

All other worlds will have a sub-stantial atmosphere. To determine thesurface atmospheric pressure, beginby referring to the following table.

Pressure Factors TableWorld Pressure Type FactorSmall (Ice) 10Standard (Ammonia, Ice, Ocean, or Garden) 1

Standard (Greenhouse) 100Large (Ammonia, Ice, Ocean, or Garden) 5

Large (Greenhouse) 500

The atmospheric pressure is givenby the following formula:

P = M ¥ F ¥ S

Here, P is the atmospheric pres-sure (in atm), M is the atmosphericmass as generated in Step 3 (p. 78), Fis the pressure factor for the appropri-ate world type from the table, and S isthe world’s surface gravity in Gs. Makea note of the result, and of the pres-sure category associated with thatpressure from the AtmosphericPressure Categories Table (p. 78).

Example: The GM has no prefer-ence for Haven’s density, and so rolls3d on the World Density Table, refer-ring to the Large Iron Core column.He rolls a 16 and records a density of1.1, or about 6.1 g/cc.

The GM then decides to set theplanet’s surface gravity first. Thisparameter must be between 0.03 and0.065 times square root of (295 ¥ 1.1),or between 0.54 and 1.17. He decidesto set the surface gravity to 1.15 Gs,making Haven a relatively high-gravity world. The planet’s diameter is

then given by 1.15/1.1 = 1.05 Earth-diameters (8,330 miles). Finally, itsmass is given by 1.1 ¥ 1.053 = 1.27Earth-masses.

Now that Haven’s surface gravity isavailable, the GM can go back anddetermine the planet’s surface atmos-pheric pressure. This is given by 1.15 ¥1.2 = 1.38 atm, which yields a Denseatmosphere. The GM makes a note ofthis under the world’s atmosphericproperties.

The GM also realizes that with vastoceans, a warm climate, and a denseatmosphere, Haven is probably abreeding ground for hurricanes andother violent storms. Visitors to theplanet will need to watch out for theweather! He makes a note of this itemfor possible use in future adventures.

STEP 7:RESOURCES ANDHABITABILITY

“Funny about Valeria, isn’t it . . .”

There was a moment of silence, thenKinnison went on:

“But wherever diamonds are, therego Dutchmen. And Dutch women gowherever their men do. And, in spite ofthe medical advice, Dutch babies arrive.Although a lot of the adults died – threeGs is no joke – practically all of thebabies keep on living. Developing mus-cles and bones to fit – walking at a yearand a half old – living normally – theysay that the third generation will be per-fectly at home there.”

– E. E. “Doc” Smith, First Lensman

This step fixes the factors thatmake a world attractive for human oralien settlement. Colonists are likely to

come to a world that is comfortablefor them, where they can live withoutinvesting in expensive artificial lifesupport. However, even if a world isvery inhospitable, settlers may arrivein a quest for valuable resources.

Determining ResourcesEvery world will have some value

to human or other settlers: mineralresources, native plant or animalspecies that generate useful products,or even something as simple as arableland on which crops can be sown.

We will use the Resource ValueModifier (RVM), a number between -5and +5, to describe the overallresource value of a world. An RVM of0 indicates a world of averageresource wealth, likely to attract settle-ment only if it is reasonably habitable.An RVM above 0 indicates an unusualabundance of resources, which mayattract settlers even if the local envi-ronment is hostile. An RVM below 0indicates a world unlikely to offer anyresources worth exploiting.

Most worlds will have an RVMbetween -2 and +2. Worlds of theAsteroid Belt type will vary more wide-ly, between -5 and +5. One asteroid beltmay be dense, with vast deposits ofuseful metals, organic compounds,and volatile ices; another may be a thinscattering of pebbles. Select an RVM,or roll 3d on the Resource Value Table.For a world of the Asteroid Belt type,refer to the first column of die-rollresults; for all other world types, referto the second column. The result willbe a description of the world’s resourceavailability, along with a ResourceValue Modifier (RVM) that will be usedin later steps of the sequence. Make anote of the RVM for each world.

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 87

Resource Value TableRoll (3d)Asteroid Belts Other Worlds Overall Value Resource Value Modifier3 – Worthless -54 – Very Scant -45 2 or less Scant -36-7 3-4 Very Poor -28-9 5-7 Poor -110-11 8-13 Average +012-13 14-16 Abundant +114-15 17-18 Very Abundant +216 19 or more Rich +317 – Very Rich +418 – Motherlode +5

DeterminingHabitability and Affinity

The habitability score for a givenworld is a summary of all the factors

that make the world pleasant forhumans to live on. Habitability runsfrom -2 to 8, with higher scores indi-cating a more pleasant environment.To determine the habitability score for

the target world, refer to the followingtable and add up every modifier thatapplies. Make a note of the final habit-ability score for the world.

The affinity score for a given worldis a summary of all the factors thatmight make the world attractive tohuman settlement. Affinity is a num-ber between -5 and 10, and is closelyrelated to the Resource Value

Modifier. To determine the affinityscore for the target world, add theResource Value Modifier to the habit-ability score. Make a note of the result.

Example: The GM decides thatHaven doesn’t have any special

resource abundance (or poverty); itscolonists have chosen to settle therebecause of its location, not because ofits natural resources. He sets the plan-et’s RVM at 0. Haven’s habitabilityscore is 7, so its affinity score is also 7.

88 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

Habitability Modifiers TableCondition ModifierNo atmosphere or Trace atmosphere 0Non-breathable atmosphere, Very Thin or above, Suffocating, Toxic, and Corrosive -2Non-breathable atmosphere, Very Thin or above, Suffocating and Toxic only -1Non-breathable atmosphere, Very Thin or above, Suffocating only 0Breathable atmosphere (Very Thin) +1Breathable atmosphere (Thin) +2Breathable atmosphere (Standard or Dense) +3Breathable atmosphere (Very Dense or Superdense) +1Breathable atmosphere is not Marginal +1No liquid-water oceans, or Hydrographic Coverage 0% 0Liquid-water oceans, Hydrographic Coverage 1% to 59% +1Liquid-water oceans, Hydrographic Coverage 60% to 90% +2Liquid-water oceans, Hydrographic Coverage 91% to 99% +1Liquid-water oceans, Hydrographic Coverage 100% 0Breathable atmosphere, climate type is Frozen or Very Cold 0Breathable atmosphere, climate type is Cold +1Breathable atmosphere, climate type is Chilly, Cool, Normal, Warm, or Tropical +2Breathable atmosphere, climate type is Hot +1Breathable atmosphere, climate type is Very Hot or Infernal 0

SOCIAL PARAMETERSSo far, the design process has

defined the physical parameters forthe world under construction. Thenext few steps determine the socialparameters for each world – howmany humans (or other sapientbeings) live there, what kind of gov-ernment they live under, how muchtrade they engage in, and so on.

STEP 8:SETTLEMENTTYPE

This step sets the settlement type forthe target world. These rules classifyinhabited worlds into three settlementtypes: homeworlds, colonies, and out-posts. Use the following rules to decidewhich category the target world fallsinto.

You may wish to generate the phys-ical parameters for a number of

worlds before applying this step to anyof them. This is because the place-ment of outposts will tend to dependon the placement of homeworlds andcolonies, which in turn depends onthe physical parameters determined inSteps 2-7.

HomeworldsA homeworld is the place where a

race evolved, and where its oldest pop-ulation centers are still in existence. Ahomeworld will usually support asmany people as can be sustained bylocal resources, although the socialpreferences of the population will alsoplay a part. Some societies will preferto maintain roomy living space andunspoiled vistas. Others like crowds,and are likely to populate a world to thelimits of local resources (or beyond).

In general, homeworld populationsdepend strongly on the GM’s preferences.

Science fiction settings vary widely intheir assumptions regarding “ideal”population size. Many settings of the1960s and 1970s included truly crowd-ed worlds, inspired by the “populationexplosion” that many believed wasinevitable. Today, with world popula-tion leveling off and some nations fac-ing a population decline, it seems morelikely that future civilizations will beable to control their numbers.

Homeworlds should never beplaced at random; the GM shoulddeliberately place them to suit the needs of his campaign. See TheFrequency of Worlds (p. 70) for some of the pertinent considerations.Naturally, a homeworld should havehigh habitability for the race that liveson it – although not necessarily maxi-mum habitability, since natural orman-made disasters can render even arace’s homeworld less than ideal!

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 89

Habitability for AliensThe habitability rules assume that human comfort

is the primary yardstick for whether or not a planet isgoing to be attractive. An alien race that evolved underdifferent conditions may judge worlds differently!

If the GM is designing worlds within the spaceclaimed by an alien race, he should design his ownHabitability Modifiers Table for that race. The followingguidelines should be of assistance.

Overall: The range of possible habitability scoresshould be the same as for human-colonized worlds: -2 to 8.

Atmosphere: The planet’s atmosphere should usuallybe the factor with the greatest weight. For human-colo-nized worlds, half of the maximum habitability of 8depends on the quality of the atmosphere. Havingenough air to support intelligent life is important, but an atmosphere whose composition is actively hostile tothe world’s inhabitants is likely to impose a penalty tohabitability.

Hydrographic Coverage: Most forms of life will bedependent on a liquid volatile – water for human-likelife, liquid ammonia for ammonia-based life, and so on.For human-colonized worlds, 25% of the maximumhabitability depends on the hydrographic coverage.

Land-living species will want plenty of coastlinesand well-watered inland regions, which will occurwhen the hydrographic coverage is high (but not too

high, since a world with nothing but a few smallislands will not offer enough land area to support alarge population). Amphibious or shore-swimmingspecies will be happy with lots of coastlines, but won’tcare about inland space, so they can tolerate more land area. Deep-ocean species will want lots ofhydrographic coverage, the more the better. Of course,if a world’s oceans aren’t even based on the samechemistry that the colonists evolved with, they will beuseless . . .

Climate: For human-colonized worlds, 25% of themaximum habitability score depends on the averagesurface temperature. Humans find a band of averagesurface temperatures about 53 kelvins wide (or 95ºFahrenheit) to be optimal for colonization (+2 to habit-ability). A wider band, about 75 kelvins wide (135ºFahrenheit), is tolerable (+1 to habitability). Note thatthese bands are wider than the “comfort zone” definedunder the Temperature Tolerance advantage (p. B93).After all, colonists can selectively settle close to the poleson a hot world, or close to the equator on a cold one, andcompensate for a less-than-ideal average climate.

Aliens should have their own bands of optimal andtolerable climates. If an alien race has TemperatureTolerance as a racial advantage, their bands should beabout 6 kelvins (10º Fahrenheit) wider for every level ofthe advantage.

ColoniesA colony is a permanent settlement

on some world, a place where a com-munity is likely to remain for genera-tion after generation. Most of a colonyworld’s population is composed oflong-term immigrants or permanentresidents; the colony is their home.

Colony worlds must either have acertain minimum population, or havecontinuing support from offworld. Ahuman colony can be established withonly a few dozen people, but such atiny settlement may need lots of off-world support and immigration toremain viable. To maintain a stablehigh-technology society over a longterm, a colony will probably need tobegin with at least 10,000 people andthe necessary equipment. A truly mas-sive colonization effort will begin byplanting up to 500,000 people on thetarget world. From this initial popula-tion, colonies will grow due to furtherimmigration and natural growth.

Space-traveling civilizations willtend to colonize every world that cansupport a substantial population. Aworld will be a colony if it is in aregion of space claimed by somespace-traveling civilization, it has anaffinity score greater than 0, and it isnot already defined as a homeworld.

OutpostsAn outpost is a settlement on an

unattractive world, planted onlybecause of the world’s strategic loca-tion or other unusual properties. Anoutpost may be in place for decades oreven centuries, but it never loses itstemporary character. Unlike a colony,an outpost has relatively few perma-nent settlers – most of the inhabitantsexpect to go elsewhere once their workat the outpost is finished.

In general, the GM may place out-posts on worlds that are in a regionclaimed by a space-traveling civiliza-tion, that have affinity scores of 0 orless, and that are not already definedas homeworlds or colonies. Severaldifferent kinds of outpost exist.

Military Outposts: These aredesigned to serve as military bases, orto watch the frontier between hostileinterstellar states. The GM shoulddecide how far military starships cantravel without needing to stop for fuel,supplies, navigational fixes, or someother need. Place an outpost on any

eligible world that is within this dis-tance of a military frontier. If space-ships can travel indefinitely withoutstopping at a port, then military out-posts may be useless – or a civilizationmay place “listening posts” with FTLsensors all through their territory.

Way Station Outposts: These areplaced to serve transient starship traf-fic. If starships must follow “jumplines,” or they may not go too far with-out stopping in a star system, certainworlds will see a great deal of trafficeven if there’s no reason for a starshipto begin or end its journey there. Placean outpost on any eligible world thatfalls into such a situation.

Miscellaneous Outposts: Otherworlds may have scientific researchstations, corporate mining towns,small settlements of independent-minded dissidents, and so on. Howoften such outposts appear dependson social conditions. A tightly con-trolled interstellar empire will havefewer “unplanned” outposts than aloose federation. The GM should placethese extra outposts on eligible worldsas needed, or he can fix a die-rollthreshold and determine their loca-tions at random. For example, asprawling democratic society mayplace an outpost in an eligible star sys-tem on a 12 or less on 3d, while a stay-at-home empire may only place oneon a 6 or less.

Uninhabited WorldsA world that isn’t a homeworld,

colony, or outpost will be uninhabited.Most uninhabited worlds will appearin unclaimed space. Of course, everyspace-faring empire will find its shareof worlds that are entirely useless – orat least appear useless to the firstexplorers who visit . . .

Example: Haven isn’t a homeworld,but it is a world with an affinitygreater than 0 within human-exploredspace. The GM notes that it is acolony.

STEP 9:TECHNOLOGYLEVEL

Every world has an associated techlevel (see p. B511). The TL of a worlddoes not normally indicate that onlygoods at that TL are available there. Ina universe in which most worlds haveaccess to off-planet commerce, citi-zens will be able to buy goods at othertech levels. For example, in a TL10 set-ting, visitors to a backwater worldwith TL7 will still be able to buy TL10goods (probably at a premium cost,since they must be imported).

Unless a character grew up on aworld that is actually cut off from therest of the galaxy, he will probably befamiliar with equipment at the maxi-mum TL available. On the other hand,people from a world with low TL arelikely to be poor. The tech level of aworld does indicate the technologymost commonly available to localindustry, which determines the pro-ductivity of the local economy, whichin turn determines the typical wageand standard of living for the localpopulation.

Local TL depends on the standardTL for the setting as a whole. Anindustrialized world that engages inplenty of interstellar trade will almostinvariably have the standard TL.Worlds that are poorly industrializedor that are cut off from interstellartrade may have lower TL. Select a TLfor the world according to the needs ofthe setting.

To select a TL randomly, roll 3d onthe Tech Level Table and make a note ofthe implied TL.

Modifiers: -10 if the local settlementis a homeworld and the world is notwithin space claimed by any space-faring civilization; +1 if the local set-tlement is a homeworld or colony andthe world’s habitability score is 4-6, +2if the local settlement is a homeworldor colony and the world’s habitabilityscore is 3 or less; +3 if the local settle-ment is an outpost.

90 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

A Primitive world is, for whateverreason, cut off from interstellar tradeand unable to produce advancedgoods on its own. Roll 3d-12 (mini-mum 0) for the world’s TL. Citizens ofthis world are very likely to have theLow TL disadvantage (p. B22).

Worlds that are at the setting’s stan-dard TL can still be known for slightdifferences in technological accom-plishment. A world that is Delayed is atthe standard TL, but its manufacturedgoods tend to be larger, heavier, morecostly (by about 10%), less reliable, orless user-friendly. A world that isAdvanced is at the standard TL, but itsmanufactured goods will be knownfor beautiful styling, compactness,reliability, ease of use, or reduced cost(about 10%). An Advanced world mayalso have made breakthroughs in spe-cific fields, offering certain manufac-tured goods at higher than the stan-dard TL for the setting.

Regardless of the result on the TechLevel Table, if a world is not naturallyhospitable, then its population willneed advanced technology to survive.If the world’s habitability score is 3 orless, then the world must be at leastTL8.

Example: The GM has no prefer-ence regarding the TL of the Havencolony, so he rolls 3d on the Tech LevelTable and gets an 11. This yields aresult of Standard (Delayed). The GMsets the colony to TL10, since that’sthe standard TL for his campaign, andnotes that local industries aren’t quiteup to galactic standards for cost andreliability.

STEP 10:POPULATION

This step sets the population forthe target world. In this book, aworld’s population will be given as ahead-count of residents. Each worldalso has a Population Rating (PR).This is the “order of magnitude” of the

world’s population; increasing the PRby 1 multiplies the actual populationby a factor of 10. For example, a worldwith a population between 1.0 millionand 9.9 million has a PR of 6; a worldwith a population between 1.0 billionand 9.9 billion has a PR of 9.

Determining CarryingCapacity

First, determine the carrying capac-ity of the world for its inhabitants.This is the maximum population thatthe world can support in reasonablecomfort for long periods of time. Aworld’s population can exceed its car-rying capacity, but only at the cost ofwidespread poverty or the risk of a dis-astrous “die-back.”

Carrying capacity depends on sev-eral factors. The world’s diametercontrols its surface area. The world’saffinity score stands for a variety offactors, all of which affect how muchof the world’s surface area is going tobe usable. Finally, the tech level of thesettlement controls the density ofpopulation that can be supported –the number of people that can livecomfortably in the same area.

If a world has habitability of 3 orless and tech level of 7 or less, then thecarrying capacity for the world isautomatically 0 (such a case shouldnot occur under the rules in Step 9).Otherwise, refer to the followingtables.

Affinity Modifiers TableAffinity Score Multiplier

10 1,0009 5008 2507 1306 605 304 153 82 41 20 1-1 0.5-2 0.25-3 0.13-4 0.06-5 0.03

Get the base carrying capacity forthe world, based on its TL. Multiplythis value by the appropriate multiplierfrom the Affinity Multipliers Table,based on the world’s affinity score.Finally, for any world type other thanAsteroid Belt, multiply the result by thesquare of the world’s diameter (meas-ured in Earth diameters). If the worldis of Asteroid Belt type, multiply by 50(an asteroid belt offers material brokenup into many small chunks, providinga lot of potential living surface).

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 91

Tech Level TableRoll (3d) World TL

3 Primitive4 Standard-35 Standard-26-7 Standard-18-11 Standard (Delayed)12-15 Standard16 or more Standard (Advanced)

Carrying Capacity TableTech Level Base Carrying Capacity

0 10,0001 100,0002 500,0003 600,0004 700,0005 2.5 million6 5 million7 7.5 million8 10 million9 15 million10 20 million11 or higher (or Superscience) GM option

Note that base carrying capacity at TL8 and above is speculative – economistsand ecologists aren’t in agreement on how many people Earth can stably supportat high TL. The GM should feel free to set these figures to suit his own assump-tions, especially at TL11+ or in settings that include a lot of superscience.

The above procedure will yield thecarrying capacity of the world forhumans or human-like aliens. Alienraces with certain racial advantages ordisadvantages will need differentamounts of space and resources tosurvive comfortably.

Carnivores: Races that are unableto eat anything but meat will use landmuch less efficiently than their herbiv-orous or omnivorous counterparts.Such a race would have some level ofthe Restricted Diet disadvantage (p.B151) tied to their predatory require-ments. At TL8 and below, divide carry-ing capacity by 10 for such races.

Increased Consumption: Races thatneed lots of food or water will needmore resources to survive comfort-ably. For every level of the IncreasedConsumption disadvantage (p. B139)that the inhabitants have, divide carry-ing capacity by 2.

Increased Life Support: This disad-vantage (p. B139) applies to membersof a race while operating in a human-safe environment. When in their ownenvironment, they will have no unusu-al needs. This disadvantage does notaffect carrying capacity.

Reduced Consumption: Races thatneed less food or water than normalwill be able to get by with fewerresources. This is reflected by theReduced Consumption advantage (p.80) and, at extreme levels, by theDoesn’t Eat or Drink advantage (p.B50). If the inhabitants have ReducedConsumption 1, multiply carrying

capacity by 1.5. If they have ReducedConsumption 2, multiply carryingcapacity by 3. If they have more levelsof Reduced Consumption, or theDoesn’t Eat or Drink advantage, multi-ply carrying capacity by 10.

Once all the relevant factors havebeen taken into account, make a noteof the final carrying capacity of theworld. Then proceed to the appropri-ate section of the following rules anddetermine the current population ofthe world. Round carrying capacityand population to two significant fig-ures, and make a note of the world’sPR as well.

Homeworld PopulationsIn general, a homeworld will sup-

port as many people as it can – its pop-ulation will be about equal to its carry-ing capacity. This is especially true atTL4 or below, when societies have noreliable way to control their own birthand death rates.

At TL5 and above, societies aremore likely to diverge from theirworld’s carrying capacity. By restrict-ing birth rates, a high-tech societymay fall significantly below the carry-ing capacity. On the other hand, ahigh-tech society can also exceed thecarrying capacity, but only by usingworld resources in a way that can’t besustained indefinitely. Such a societywill be in trouble within a few genera-tions, unless it can improve the carry-ing capacity of its world.

At TL4 or below, a homeworld’spopulation is likely to be within 50%of its carrying capacity. Select a popu-lation as needed, or roll 2d+3, divideby 10 (retaining fractions), and multi-ply by the carrying capacity to get theworld’s population.

At TL5 and above, a homeworld’spopulation can vary widely from itscarrying capacity. Select a populationas needed, or roll 2d. Multiply the car-rying capacity by 10, and divide theresult by the die roll to get the world’spopulation.

Colony PopulationsA colony world will begin with a

relatively small population that willgrow over time until it approaches thecarrying capacity of the world. Selecta population for the world to fit theneeds of the campaign.

To generate a colony’s populationat random, roll 3d on the ColonyPopulation Table.

Modifiers: Add +3 times the world’saffinity, and add +1 for every 10 fullyears since the colony was established.

The colony’s population shouldnormally not exceed the world’s carry-ing capacity. The GM may fix the pop-ulation below the carrying capacity torepresent a society that dislikescrowding, or above the carryingcapacity for an unstable colony that isoutpacing local resources.

92 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

Colony Population TableRoll (3d) Population Roll (3d) Population Roll (3d) Population

25 or less 10,000 45 1.0 million 65 100 million26 13,000 46 1.3 million 66 130 million27 15,000 47 1.5 million 67 150 million28 20,000 48 2.0 million 68 200 million29 25,000 49 2.5 million 69 250 million30 30,000 50 3.0 million 70 300 million31 40,000 51 4.0 million 71 400 million32 50,000 52 5.0 million 72 500 million33 60,000 53 6.0 million 73 600 million34 80,000 54 8.0 million 74 800 million35 100,000 55 10 million 75 1.0 billion36 130,000 56 13 million 76 1.3 billion37 150,000 57 15 million 77 1.5 billion38 200,000 58 20 million 78 2.0 billion39 250,000 59 25 million 79 2.5 billion40 300,000 60 30 million 80 3.0 billion41 400,000 61 40 million 81 4.0 billion42 500,000 62 50 million 82 5.0 billion43 600,000 63 60 million 83 6.0 billion44 800,000 64 80 million Every +10 ¥10

Outpost PopulationsAn outpost will usually have a pop-

ulation between 100 (for a small sta-tion) and 100,000 (for the largest mili-tary or commercial outposts). Select apopulation, or roll 3d on the OutpostPopulation Table below to determinethe outpost’s approximate population.Feel free to vary the result by up to25% for any given world. An outpostwill almost certainly be smaller thanthe world’s carrying capacity. In anycase, the carrying capacity rule doesn’tapply to outposts, which are depend-ent on imported supplies.

Outpost Population Table

Roll (3d) Population3 1004 1505 2506 4007 6008 1,0009 1,50010 2,50011 4,00012 6,00013 10,00014 15,00015 25,00016 40,00017 60,00018 100,000

Example: The GM computes thecarrying capacity for Haven. The basecarrying capacity for TL10 is 20 mil-lion, the multiplier for Haven’s affinityof 7 is 130, and the square of the plan-et’s diameter (in Earth diameters) is1.1. Multiplying all of these together,the GM gets a total carrying capacityof about 2.9 billion. The colonists havealmost certainly not come anywherenear this population . . .

The GM decides that the Havencolony was established about 200years ago, by dissidents fleeing a civilwar in the Galactic Empire. Hedecides to determine the colony’s pop-ulation at random, and rolls 3d on theColony Population Table. He gets atotal roll of 53 (12 on the dice, +21 forthe planet’s affinity score, and +20 fortime since settlement). This suggests apopulation of 6.0 million. The GMdecides to vary the final result slightly,and records a total population of 6.5million (PR 6).

STEP 11:SOCIETY TYPE

“What I see happening around me isbad enough,” Sarah said. “To know thatthe trend is being encouraged by a secretelite is worse. But to know that They aredoing it for no more reason than to sim-plify their . . . arithmetic really frostsme.”

– Michael Flynn, In the Country of the Blind

This step determines the type ofsociety (or societies) that exists on thetarget world. This book uses the socie-ty types listed on pp. B509-510, theoverall political situations describedunder The Big Picture on p. B509, andthe “special conditions” listed underVariations on p. B510.

This step almost demands that theGM make a selection to fit the needsof his setting. Any world’s social situa-tion needs to fit the GM’s assumptionsabout interstellar society. An EvilGalactic Empire won’t tolerate demo-cratic world governments, but aBenevolent Federation may insist on

democracy on its member worlds. Anear-future setting may have relativelylittle variety in social types, while aspace-operatic galaxy of the distantfuture may see every one of the typesrepresented on hundreds of worlds.

The GM may want to set up hisown procedure for determining what society type can be found oneach world in his setting. The follow-ing procedures are reasonably gener-ic and can be used in a variety of settings.

World UnityThe degree to which a world is

socially unified depends strongly onthe available technology. An ultra-techworld with instant communicationand fast transport is much more likelyto be politically unified than a pre-industrial civilization that stilldepends on animal-drawn and watertransport.

Select a level of unification fromthe ones described in The Big Pictureon p. B509. To get a random result,roll 1d at TL7 or less or 2d at TL8+, onthe following table.

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 93

Altering the ColonyPopulation Table

The Colony Population Table makes several assumptions about thenormal growth of colony worlds. Each of these assumptions can bechanged to fit the needs of a given setting.

• A stable colony must have at least 10,000 inhabitants. This fixes thelowest possible entry on the table. The current table assumes that anaverage die-roll of 10, combined with a medium affinity score (5) andno time-since-foundation modifier, will match the minimum popula-tion. When rewriting the table, the GM may wish to make sure a simi-lar result occurs – otherwise some new colonies will have very high pop-ulations, or some very old colonies will have the minimum population.

• A colony world’s population will grow at a rate of about 2.3% peryear, averaged over its entire history. This assumption fixes the ratiobetween adjacent entries on the table, and the +1 die-roll modifier foreach decade since the colony’s foundation. If populations grow faster,increase the ratio between entries or apply the +1 modifier more oftenthan every 10 years. If colony populations grow more slowly, decreasethe ratio between entries or apply the +1 modifier less often.

• Each point of the affinity score will, on the average, double a colonyworld’s Population. This assumption fixes the size of the modifier foraffinity. If habitable conditions and available resources are more impor-tant, increase this modifier. If colonies grow at a rate independent of theenvironment, decrease or remove this modifier.

Modifiers: +4 if the world’s PR is 4or less, +3 if the PR is 5, +2 if the PR is6, +1 if the PR is 7.

World Unity TableRoll (2d) Conditions5 or less Diffuse6 Factionalized7 Coalition8 World Government

(Special Condition)9 or more World Government

Society TypeSelect a society type, or roll 3d on

the Society Types Table, referring to thecolumn for the type of interstellar soci-ety in which the world is a member(for a summary of interstellar societytypes, see Chapter 1). If the world isnot part of any larger society, use the“Anarchy or Alliance” column.

Modifiers: Add the world’s TL (treat-ing TL11+ as TL10). The result is thesociety type of the world (or the domi-nant type, if the world is not unified).

If a “special condition” was indi-cated by the roll on the World UnityTable, choose one or two of the spe-cial conditions listed underVariations (p. B510). To select specialconditions randomly, roll 3d on theSpecial Conditions Table, with nomodifiers. If the result has an aster-isk, record the special condition,then roll 1d. On a 1-3, roll for a second special condition and applyboth.

Special ConditionsTableRoll (3d) Special

Condition3-5 Subjugated*6 Sanctuary7-8 Military Government9 Socialist*10 Bureaucracy11-12 Colony13-14 Oligarchy*15 Meritocracy*16 Matriarchy or Patriarchy

(choose which)17 Utopia18 Cybercracy

(roll again if TL7 or less)

Example: Rather than roll the dice,the GM works directly from his con-cept for Haven. He decides that theHaven colonists oppose the feudal gov-ernment that rules most of the GalacticEmpire, and are experimenting withdemocracy instead. He gives Haven aWorld Government, sets the societytype to Representative Democracy, andplaces the Sanctuary special conditionto fit the world concept.

STEP 12:CONTROL RATING

The Control Rating (p. B506) of aworld is a measure of the most common CR to be found there. Worlds

that are not politically unified willhave different CR in different regions,and a world may have a split ControlRating as well (see p. B507).

Control Rating depends stronglyon the society type and any specialsocial conditions to be found on theworld. Refer to pp. B509-510 for thelikely relationships between societytype and CR. The GM should select aCR to fit the needs of his setting, orchoose one from the most likely rangeusing any random method he prefers.

A world with the special conditionof Colony (not to be confused with aworld with the colony settlement type)is a special case. Such a world’s CRshould depend on its local social type,but it is almost always lower than that

94 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

Society Types TableRoll (3d) Anarchy or Alliance Federation Corporate State Empire

3-6 Anarchy Anarchy Anarchy Anarchy7-8 Clan/Tribal Clan/Tribal Clan/Tribal Clan/Tribal9 Caste Caste Caste Caste10 Feudal Feudal Theo Feudal11 Feudal Theo Feudal Feudal12 Theo Dictator Feudal Feudal13 Dictator Dictator Dictator Theo14 Dictator Dictator Dictator Dictator15 Dictator RepDem Dictator Dictator16 RepDem RepDem RepDem Dictator17 RepDem RepDem RepDem Dictator18 RepDem RepDem AthDem RepDem19 AthDem RepDem Corporate RepDem20 AthDem AthDem Corporate Corporate21 Corporate AthDem Corporate Corporate22 Corporate AthDem Techno Corporate23 Techno Corporate Techno Techno24-25 Techno Techno Techno Techno26-27 Caste Caste Caste Caste28 or higher Anarchy Anarchy Anarchy Anarchy

Here, AthDem stands for Athenian Democracy, RepDem stands for Representative Democracy, Dictator stands forDictatorship, Techno stands for Technocracy, Theo stands for Theocracy, and Corporate stands for Corporate State.

of the world from which the colony isgoverned. For any such world, deter-mine the governing world’s CR first.

Example: The GM decides, basedon his original concept, that theinhabitants of Haven are likely to pre-fer freedom and an open society to alot of regulation. He sets the ControlRating for Haven to be the minimumthat would normally occur under aRepresentative Democracy: CR 2.

STEP 13:ECONOMICS

This step determines the economicparameters of the target world. It canbe skipped if the details of local eco-nomics aren’t going to be useful to thecampaign.

The economic output of a worlddepends on the productivity of theworld’s workers. Productivity is large-ly determined by the local technologi-cal base. Workers with access to high-er-TL equipment and techniques willbe able to produce more economicvalue in the same amount of time.Also, the goods and services they pro-duce will command a higher pricewhen sold.

Productivity also depends on theefficiency of the local economy. Thiscan depend on local environmentalconditions, and on the details of localsociety. A world where most peopleare scrambling simply to survive is notone whose local industry will be effi-cient and productive.

Finally, productivity depends onthe resources available to the work-force. Resource-rich worlds will natu-rally be more productive thanresource-poor ones. Low-populationworlds may be quite rich, but theydon’t support extensive industry so theworkforce can’t take advantage of theavailable resources. High-populationworlds are economically saturated,and many workers won’t have accessto all the resources they could other-wise have used.

Per-Capita IncomeTo begin, refer to the following

table to determine the base per-capitaincome for inhabitants of the world.This is dependent solely on the world’sprevalent TL. Then refer to the Income

Modifiers Table and add together allthe modifiers that apply.

Base Per-Capita Income TableTech Level Base Per-Capita

IncomeTL12+ $130,000TL11 $97,000TL10 $67,000TL9 $43,000TL8 $31,000TL7 $25,000TL6 $19,000TL5 $13,000TL4 $9,600TL3 $8,400TL2 $8,100TL1 $7,800TL0 $7,500

Income Modifiers TableCondition ModifierAffinity score 10 +40%Affinity score 9 +20%Affinity score 7-8 +0%Affinity score 4-6 -10%Affinity score 1-3 -20%Affinity score 0 or less -30%PR 6 or higher +0%PR 5 -10%PR 4 or less -20%

Apply the total modifier to the baseper-capita income. If the world’s carry-ing capacity is less than its population,multiply the result by the world’s car-rying capacity and then divide it bythe population. The final result is theactual per-capita income. Round off totwo significant figures.

The per-capita income for a worldcan indicate the most typical Wealthlevel (p. B25) for citizens of thatworld, relative to the average Wealthlevel of the campaign. Divide theworld’s final per-capita income by thebase per-capita income associatedwith the campaign’s standard TL, andrefer to the following table.

Economic VolumeTo determine the economic volume

of the world, simply multiply the per-capita income by the population of theworld and round off to two significantfigures. Make a note of the final per-capita income, the typical Wealth levelfor local citizens, and the economicvolume.

Estimating Trade Volume

The best model known for estimat-ing the flow of trade between twopoints is the gravity trade model, socalled because the fundamental equa-tion describing trade flows resemblesNewton’s equation for the force ofgravity between two masses.

In order to estimate the trade vol-ume between two specific worlds, theGM will need to determine twoparameters, which should be consis-tent throughout his setting.

The simplest formula for estimat-ing trade volume is:

T = (K ¥ V1 ¥ V2)/D

Here, T is the trade volumebetween two worlds (in trillions of $),K is a constant on which the GM must

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 95

Typical Wealth TablePer-Capita Income Wealth Level1.4 ¥ base or more Comfortable0.73 ¥ base to 1.39 ¥ base Average0.32 ¥ base to 0.72 ¥ base Struggling0.1 ¥ base to 0.31 ¥ base Poor0.09 ¥ base or less Dead Broke

decide, V1 and V2 are the economicvolumes of the two worlds (in trillionsof $), and D is the distance betweenthe two worlds (in any convenientunit, usually parsecs).

The gravity trade model can yieldsome very odd results when used oncertain pairs of worlds; if one world’seconomic volume is much higher thanthe other’s, the estimated trade vol-ume between them can be many timesthe size of the smaller world’s econo-my. At the GM’s option, a low-popula-tion world may carry on all of itsdirect trade with the nearest high-pop-ulation world; the trade volume of thelink should be no higher than thesmaller world’s economic volume.

The value of the constant K is verydependent on the setting. The GMshould determine it early in his settingdesign process, at least if he intends towork out trade routes or otherwiseestimate the amount of interstellartraffic. The best way to determine K isthrough trial and error, until the GM ishappy with the results as applied tothe most important worlds of his set-ting. The value of K will also have aneffect on what kind of trade is likely tooccur.

For example, the GM may assumethat two worlds with high populationand high TL, located close to eachother in space, will have a trade vol-ume between 5% and 10% of eachworld’s economic volume. If K is sethigh enough to permit these levels oftrade, interstellar commerce mayinvolve ordinary manufactured goodsor even certain raw materials.Passenger service between worlds willbe fairly common as well.

A smaller value for K will give riseto smaller trade volumes, suggesting asetting where interstellar trade ismore difficult or less important. Insuch settings, trade will tend to bedominated by high-value, low-volumegoods such as luxury items and preci-sion machinery. Even informationmay become a worthwhile trade good,especially if there is no equivalent ofFTL radio.

Another factor that affects tradevolumes is the presence of politicalborders. Worlds that are members ofdifferent space-faring civilizations arelikely to trade less than those thatshare the same culture and govern-ment. The GM should decide how

much to reduce the trade volumebetween two worlds that are not partof the same society. A reasonablereduction would be to divide the tradevolume by three.

If trade will be important to thecampaign, compute the trade volumebetween the target world and as manyof its neighbors as is convenient.

Designing Trade RoutesIf the trade volumes between vari-

ous worlds in the setting have beencomputed, the GM can lay out traderoutes on his map.

The structure of trade routesdepends strongly on the mechanismsof space travel. Suppose that mer-chant ships can travel freely throughdeep space, moving from any origin toany destination, never stopping at aport in between no matter how longthe journey. In this case discrete “traderoutes” become unlikely, since everymerchant ship moves along its ownindependent path. There will be notransient merchant traffic at anyworld.

On the other hand, if ships musttouch at port every few parsecs, dis-tinct trade routes will appear along thepaths used by ships carrying the high-est trade volumes. Ports between thehigh-volume worlds may serve a greatdeal of transient traffic, as starshipsstop to refuel or perform maintenancebefore carrying their passengers andcargo onward. The GM can draw atree-shaped structure of trade routes,measuring the total trade volume foreach link by summing up the tradevolumes for each pair of worlds whosecommerce traverses that link.

In a setting where worlds are con-nected by jump lines, trade routes areforced to follow the jump lines. A link-and-branch structure becomes easy todefine in this case.

Note that in either of the last twocases, trade between high-populationworlds may end up following a round-about route because no inhabitedworlds exist to provide a more directpath. If this happens, the GM maywish to place outposts, or even newworlds, in locations that would permita more direct route for the trade. Thisis particularly likely in settings whereonly a few of the existing star systemsare normally placed on the map. Any

interstellar society is likely to placeway station outposts (p. 90) in order tomake trade more efficient (or to sup-port naval protection of the merchantships).

Estimating Space TrafficTo estimate the total amount of

space traffic at any given world, totalup the world’s trade volumes with itsneighbors. Add the trade volume forany other world-pairs connected by atrade route that passes through thetarget world. The result is the totalamount of merchant traffic that willpass by the target world each year,expressed in trillions of $.

The GM can use this figure to esti-mate the number of merchant shipsthat will call at the world’s port eachyear. Of course, this depends on anumber of factors that are all up to theGM: the typical size of a merchantship, the expected value (in $) of cargoand passengers, and so on.

Example: The base per-capitaincome at TL10 is $67,000. The GMrefers to the Income Modifiers Tableand finds that the total modifier forHaven is +0%. Meanwhile, the popula-tion is much less than the carryingcapacity, so the per-capita incomewon’t be reduced due to a too-largepopulation. The actual per-capitaincome of Haven’s population is$67,000. The total economic volumeof the planet is 67,000 ¥ 6.5 million =$440 billion. The most typical Wealthlevel on the planet is Average.

The GM has developed traderoutes for other worlds in his setting,but he decides that Haven doesn’tengage in open trade. Instead, theinhabitants maintain self-sufficientindustries, and keep in contact withimperial worlds solely through sporadic smuggling.

STEP 14: BASES ANDINSTALLATIONS

Many worlds have interesting spe-cial features, bases and installationsbuilt by the inhabitants. These maybe placed by the GM, or may beplaced randomly using the followingprocedures.

96 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

SpaceportsA spaceport may exist on any world

that has space travel or that tradeswith space travelers.

Select the spaceport for the targetworld from the following classes. Tochoose a spaceport at random, roll 3dagainst the target number specifiedfor each spaceport class. Check for thehighest applicable class first. If there isno spaceport of that class, check forthe next-highest class, and so on. Aworld will usually have several portsof lower class than the main space-port, but this rarely affects play exceptto give visitors a choice of debarkationpoints.

Class V – Full Facilities: This classof spaceport includes full constructionand repair facilities for the mostadvanced spacecraft in the setting.The port has berths for hundreds oreven thousands of vessels, multiplelanding facilities, launch facilities,surface-to-orbit shuttle services, andevery amenity imaginable – from crewunion halls to high-tech training facil-ities. A Class V spaceport will alwaysbe present on a world that sees at least$20 trillion annually in total trade vol-ume or transient merchant traffic.Otherwise it is present only on worldsof PR 6 or better, on a 3d roll of (PR+2)or less.

Class IV – Standard Facilities: Thisclass includes light ship-constructionfacilities, and repair yards for ordi-nary spacecraft. A Class IV spaceportwill always be present on a world thatsees at least $1 trillion annually intotal trade volume or transient mer-chant traffic. Otherwise it is presentonly on worlds of PR 6 or better, on a3d roll of (PR+5) or less.

Class III – Local Facilities: Thisclass includes repair facilities for com-mon needs; special parts or complex

repairs, even on ordinary spaceships,will require off-planet parts, techni-cians, or facilities. A Class III space-port will always be present on a worldthat sees at least $50 billion annuallyin total trade volume or transient mer-chant traffic. Otherwise it is presenton a 3d roll of (PR+8) or less.

Class II – Frontier Facilities: Theseare intended only for interplanetary orshuttle craft rather than starships.Only emergency repairs are availablefor starships, although common fueltypes are available. A Class II space-port is present on a 3d roll of (PR+7)or less.

Class I – Emergency Facilities: Thisisn’t a real spaceport, just a landingarea. Marked by automatic buoys, itmight be a cleared-off, flattened spaceor a small orbital station. It may becompletely unmanned, or it may havelocal customs and security offices.Emergency parts and fuel are storednearby. If qualified technicians areavailable, there will be a way to sum-mon them as needed. Class I facilitiesare present on a 3d roll of 14 or less.

Class 0 – No Facilities: There isn’teven a designated landing site. Shipsplanning to land must look for suit-able terrain. If the world has a highenough TL, there will be an airport,parking lot, or wide roadway.

Depending on the campaign’sspace-flight technologies, spaceportsmay be located in orbit, on theground, or both. Ground ports serviceshuttles and landing-capable space-ships, while an orbital facility allowsnon-landing ships to dock and pro-vides shuttle service to the surface.

Other spaceports, not specificallyincluded in a world’s spaceport rating,include corporate, military, Patrol,and government ports. These can nor-mally be used by any ship in an emer-gency, if the facility isn’t secret.

InstallationsEach of the following facilities may

be present on a given world. They maybe selected by the GM as needed.

To place installations at random,roll 3d for each in any convenientorder. If a particular type of installa-tion doesn’t exist in your setting, don’troll for it. Each installation type lists atarget number; the installation is pres-ent if the 3d roll yields this number or

less. The chance of some installationsis affected by the world’s TL, PR, andControl Rating.

Some installations will have a PRof their own, indicating the number ofpersonnel assigned to them. Whenrolling for this PR, assume a mini-mum PR of 1 unless the world itselfhas PR 0. No installation can have aPR higher than that of the world itself,and there can be only one installationwith PR equal to that of the world. Ifsuch an installation exists, it and thesupporting industries probably domi-nate local society.

Alien enclave: One or more racesalien to the world’s major populationlive in segregated ghettos or reserva-tions. This may be by own choice – topreserve their own culture, or fromdislike of the other race. Or the majorpopulation may dislike them. Anentire world may be designated anenclave. Present on a roll of 6 or less.

Black market: Illegal goods are eas-ily found on this world, either in afixed physical location or simplythrough a network of contacts. If theblack market is commonly known, thePatrol is likely to raid occasionally orrestrict trade (unless people in highplaces have been paid off). Interstellarcriminal organizations have agentshere. Present on a roll of (9-CR) orless.

Colonial office: An office of thecolonial authority. On a high-popula-tion world, this may be a recruitingcenter. On a colony, it will be anenforcement office, which works toensure compliance with governmentpolicies. In the latter case, the generalattitude of the chief administrator canbe set by a general reaction roll.Present only at PR 3 or higher, on aroll of (PR+4) or less.

Corporate headquarters: The nervecenter of a major interstellar corpora-tion is located here. Industrial opera-tions may or may not be present. Inextreme cases, the planet is governedby the company. Present only at PR 6or higher, and local TL7 or higher, ona roll of (PR+3) or less. Roll 1d-3 forthe PR of the headquarters itself.

Criminal base: This is the “corpo-rate HQ” for a criminal group. ThePatrol will be interested in this world,if it knows about it. Present on a roll of(PR+3) or less. Roll 1d-3 for the PR ofthe base.

BASIC WORLDBUILDING 97

Espionage facility: This may rangefrom a secret spaceport to a minoroffice or spy cell. Civilian spy organi-zations may be involved in industrialespionage. Military espionage baseswill be specifically involved in spyingon enemy capabilities and forces, or(in rear areas) in correlating data.Espionage facilities will be present ona roll of (PR+6) or less. If a facility ispresent, roll 1d to determine its type:on a 1-4 it is civilian, on a 5 it is friend-ly military, and on a 6 it is enemy mil-itary. Roll 1d-2 for the PR of the facili-ty if military, or 1d-4 if civilian. If oneespionage facility is present, theremay be others (presumably to spy onthe first one). Roll again for anotherfacility; if it is present, roll for a third,and continue until a roll fails.

Government research station: Thestation may be studying any cutting-edge technology or scientific field. Itmay be known to the public, gar-risoned by security troops and ships.Or it may be secret, located in aremote area. It may even be disguisedas some other form of installation.Present on a roll of 12 or less; if one ispresent, a second is also present on aroll of PR or less. Roll 1d-4 for the PRof each installation. Roll 1d for eachresearch station; on a 1-2 the station issecret.

Mercenary base: This is the currenthome planet for a mercenary compa-ny, perhaps with a contract from alocal government. There are trainingfacilities, depots, and support person-nel as well as fighting forces. Presenton a roll of (PR+3) or less. Roll 1d-3for the PR of the base.

Nature preserve: Most or all of thisplanet is set aside in its unexploited,natural state. These preserves may beused for scientific research (off-limitsto tourists), or for light or heavytourism (safaris, excursions, and soon). Present on a roll of (12-PR) orless.

Naval base: A support installationfor the Navy. The size and complexitycan vary, from a main fleet base to asmall refueling station or listeningpost. Present if there is a Class Vspaceport, or on a roll of (PR+3) orless. Roll 1d-1 for the PR of the base.

Patrol base: As above, but for thePatrol. Present if there is a Class IV orClass V spaceport, or on a roll of(PR+4) or less. Roll 1d-2 for its PR.

Pirate base: This planet may housea full-fledged pirate outpost with itsown spaceport and security forces,possibly allied with the world’s popu-lation. Or, on a smaller scale, corsairships may set down secretly from timeto time for supplies and R&R. If thepirate base is public knowledge, thePatrol can be expected to take aninterest. Present on a roll of (8-CR) orless. Roll 1d-3 for the PR of the base.

Prison: Prisons are often built onbarren, unsettled worlds (to makeescape difficult), or in remote areas onhabitable planets. They are rigorouslypatrolled. If the prison dominateslocal society, this is a “prison planet,”and travel there is heavily restricted. Aprison will be present only if no otherinstallations exist on the world, asidefrom naval or Patrol bases. Present ona roll of (10-PR) or less (roll last). Roll1d-3 for the PR of the prison.

Private research center: Like thegovernment research station, thisinstallation is dedicated to scientific orengineering research. It may be fund-ed by industry, by government grants,or (secretly) by criminal organiza-tions. Private centers investigate awider range of topics than govern-ment centers, possibly including far-out theories. Present on a roll of(PR+4) or less; if one is present, rollagain for additional centers, to a max-imum of three. Roll 1d-4 for the PR ofeach installation.

Rebel or terrorist base: These rangefrom hidden fortresses with full space-port facilities to minor hideouts forships “on the run.” Rebels will havecontacts among the local population,though the world government is rarelyallied. Terrorists usually base them-selves on friendly worlds, striking intoforeign territory. The navy and Patrolwill take an interest in these installa-tions. Present on a roll of 9 or less.Roll 1d-3 for its PR.

Refugee camp: A holding center forthose who have fled their native worlddue to war or another catastrophe.These are usually run-down, filled withsqualor and crime. Refugees are usual-ly disliked by the natives; the impover-ished refugees are often desperate andmilitant, scheming to regain their lostlands. Present on a roll of (PR-3) orless; if one is present, roll for addition-al centers until a roll fails. Roll 1d-3 forthe PR of each camp.

Religious center: Sacred areas –shrines or temples, often withchurch administrative and meetingfacilities. Some sites of historical significance will be guarded by thePatrol. Pilgrims are likely. The centermay be off-limits to nonbelievers.Present on a roll of (PR-3) or less.Roll 1d-3 for the PR of the religiouscenter.

Special Justice Group office: A localheadquarters for the Special JusticeGroup (p. 204). Present on a roll of PRor less. Roll 1d-4 for the office’s PR.Roll 1d for the office; on a 1-2 it is“covert,” known only to SJG opera-tives and with an innocuous “cover”function.

Survey base: As for a naval base,but for the Survey organization.Present if there is a Class IV or Class Vspaceport, or on a roll of (PR+3) orless. Roll 1d-3 for its PR.

University: A prestigious interstel-lar center of learning, with librariesand research facilities. Present on aroll of (PR-6) or less. Roll 1d; on a 1-2,the university will have PR 3; on a 3-4,it will have PR 4; on a 5-6 it will havePR 5.

Example: The GM rolls 3d for eachstarport class in turn. The first roll is a14, which is greater than Haven’sPR+2=8, so there is no Class V space-port. The second roll is a 15, which isgreater than PR+5=11, so there is noClass IV spaceport. The third roll is an11, which is less than PR+8=14, so theGM places a Class III spaceport on theplanet.

The GM has no special preferenceregarding bases and installations forHaven, except that there should be noinstallation operated by the govern-ment (the Empire) or a major corpo-ration. He rolls dice for every otheritem. The only roll that succeeds indi-cates a rebel or terrorist base; a seconddie roll yields a PR of 2 for the base.The GM decides that some citizens ofHaven operate a support base forrebels against the Empire; the basemay be associated with the smugglerswho sometimes bring in imperialgoods.

The design of Haven is complete, atleast under the basic world-buildingsystem. In Chapter 5 the design will beexpanded with advanced options.

98 BASIC WORLDBUILDING

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 99

CHAPTER FIVE

ADVANCEDWORLDBUILDING

Mark struggled up thehillside, hoping to reachthe shelter of the rockshe had seen from thevalley’s floor. Sweatpoured down hisface, straining hissuit’s ability to defoghis faceplate. Hecould smell himself,rank with fear andold perspiration.

Any moment, heexpected to feel thesearing agony of alaser burn in his back.He couldn’t imagine howthe renegade had managedto miss him so far.

“Arcadia Base, this isMark Keenan. Emergencycall. Emergency call.” Markpanted, climbing over a saw-toothedridge of stone. Dust scattered in the trace atmosphereas his boots hit the surface on the other side. “ArcadiaBase. Any overflight unit. Eagle’s Wing control.Anybody.”

No use. His radio was dead.The light was rising as Mark reached the crest of

the ridge. He reflexively looked over his shoulder, andlooked full in the face of the planet’s red dwarf sun asit loomed huge on the horizon. Second sunrise, as theplanet receded from its periastron. Prominences andstarspots were scattered across the star’s face, anunusual number of them. Mark flinched away fromthe sight, and then remembered the infrared filters inhis faceplate. It was safe enough to look.

Down in the valley, a long shadow pointed back toanother human figure. It wore a suit like Mark’s. Itlifted a laser rifle.

Mark ducked, just as a stone a few feet awaypopped and flew into shards. Then he was hunkereddown behind the ridgeline, scattering eons-old dustand looking frantically for some kind of shelter.

There, an overhang, the space beneath still inshadow.

Mark peeked back over the ridgeline; he saw therenegade tramping across the valley floor. It wouldn’ttake more than an hour for him to reach Mark’s ridge.

The light grew brighter still.Mark glanced up, just in time to see the star flare.

A brilliant white light appeared on the star’s upperlimb, spreading madly, throwing every element of thelandscape into sharp relief.

Mark thought quickly, then turned to lumber downthe slope, toward the overhang he had picked out amoment ago. It ought to be enough to shadow him.The flare would be pouring radiation across the plan-et’s surface in a few minutes. Enough to seriouslyharm anyone caught in the open.

The renegade was in the open, long minutes awayfrom any shelter. Mark permitted himself a wolfishsmile.

100 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

GENERATING STAR SYSTEMSThe rest of the world-building sys-

tem picks up where Chapter 4 left off.At this point, the GM may have worldsplaced on his campaign map, readyfor adventure. He may now wish togenerate the rest of any star system

containing a world, including otherworlds that may exist orbiting thesame star. Or he may simply wish togenerate a whole solar system fromscratch, to see what worlds appear atrandom.

In either case, the following stepswill help the GM create a single com-plete solar system. This portion of theworld-building sequence uses moremathematical computation, and moredetail will be generated.

STEP 15:NUMBEROF STARS

This step determines how manystars exist in the target star system.Many stars travel in pairs or largergroups, bound together gravitationallyso that each orbits the center of massof the entire system. In such star sys-tems, the component stars are namedusing letters of the alphabet, with themost massive tagged A, the next mostmassive B, and so on. The A-compo-nent is also called the primary star ofthe system, and the other componentsare companions.

About half of all star systems arecomposed of single stars, with most ofthe rest being binary pairs. Trinary(three-star) systems are uncommonbut possible. Multiple star systemswith more than three members arefairly rare, and shouldn’t be placed atrandom. Select a number of stars, orroll 3d on the Multiple Stars Table andnote the result.

Modifiers: +3 if the system is locat-ed within an open cluster (p. 70).

Multiple Stars TableRoll (3d) Number of

Stars3-10 111-15 216 or more 3

Example: Returning to his pre-designed world of Haven (see Chapter4), the GM decides to generate the restof the star system. Based on his earli-er concept for the world, he decidesthat Haven is located within an openstar cluster. He rolls 3d+3 for a resultof 14, and notes that the Haven starsystem is composed of two stars.

Stellar ClassificationStars fall into a few very well defined groups according to their phys-

ical properties. Astronomers classify stars using their spectral class,essentially a way to sort stars by color and size.

The first component of the spectral class is the star’s spectral type or“color,” denoted by a single letter. The most important spectral types areO, B, A, F, G, K, and M – remembered by astronomers using the jingle“Oh, Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me!”

The sequence of spectral types also defines the relative surface tem-perature and luminosity of stars. O and B stars are hot and bright, whileK and M stars are cool and dim. Spectral types are sometimes referredto as “early” (toward the bright, hot end of the range) or “late” (towardthe dim, cool end). This nomenclature comes from the early days of stel-lar astronomy, when it was widely believed that all stars began theirlives as O or B type and slowly moved down to K or M type before dying.This theory of stellar evolution has long since been discarded, but the“early-late” jargon persists.

The spectral type can be further specified by a decimal classification,using the digits 0 through 9. A subtype of 0 indicates a “standard” starof that spectral type, while subtypes 1 through 9 indicate progressivelycooler, dimmer stars. Sol, for example, is of spectral type G2, and canbe considered two-tenths of the way between a standard G-type and astandard K-type star.

The second component of a spectral class is the star’s luminosityclass or “size,” which is denoted by a Roman numeral. Luminosity andsize are related; two stars with the same spectral type (i.e. the same sur-face temperature) will be of different brightness if one is larger and hasmore surface area to radiate energy with. The luminosity classes are I(for “supergiant” stars), II and III (for giant stars), IV (for a class of “sub-giant” stars), V (for average-sized “main sequence” stars), and VI (for arare class of “subdwarf” stars). Sol, for example, is a G2 V star.

One set of stars doesn’t fall into this classification scheme: the whitedwarf stars. In a sense, these are not stars at all. A white dwarf is theremnant of a star that has finished its stable lifespan, has passedthrough a period as a giant star, and is now unable to continue fusionburning. Stars that die in this fashion lose much of their mass, inprocesses that can be quite violent. The most common remnant of sucha star-death is a white dwarf, a small but extremely dense body thatshines dimly due to the retained heat of its final collapse. Astronomersuse an elaborate classification scheme for white dwarf stars, but thisbook simplifies by assigning them all the luminosity class D withoutspectral type.

In the region of space around Sol, most stars are of luminosity classV. These are stars in the main part of their stable lifetime, burninghydrogen fuel and evolving very slowly, most of them across billions ofyears. About 90% of nearby stars are main-sequence stars (p. 104), andmost of the rest are white dwarfs.

STEP 16: STAR MASSES

This step determines the mass ofeach star in the system. A star’s evolu-tion depends very strongly on its massand age, and somewhat less stronglyon its initial composition.

A star’s mass is measured in solarmasses, so that a star with mass 1.0 isexactly as massive as our own sun.Objects smaller than about 0.08 solarmasses can’t maintain nuclear fusionin their cores, and so can’t be consid-ered stars (but see Brown Dwarfs, p.128). Some gargantuan stars seem tohave about 100 solar masses, althoughsuch “hyperstars” are extremely rare.For every massive star that burnsbriefly and brightly, there are manysmall stars that burn dimly and hoardtheir nuclear fuel. The vast majority ofstars, including almost every star

likely to appear in a space campaign,have mass of 3.0 solar masses or less.Stars larger than about 2.0 solar mass-es don’t appear likely to have planetsat all, so this world-design systemwon’t examine such stars in greatdetail. Stars with life-bearing planetsare most likely to mass between 0.6and 1.5 solar masses.

Primary Star MassSelect a mass for the primary star

of the target star system. To generatethe primary star’s mass at random, roll3d twice on the Stellar Mass Table,making a note of the mass given forthe first and second rolls.

Exception: If a Garden world hasalready been generated for the starsystem, then replace the first roll withthe following procedure. Roll 1d: on a1, assume a first roll of 5; on a 2,

assume a first roll of 6; on a 3-4,assume a first roll of 7; on a 5-6,assume a first roll of 8.

It’s always reasonable to vary thefinal result slightly, so long as the star’smass is closer to the rolled result thanto the results on either side of it. If astar has mass between two entries onthe Stellar Mass Table, the results onseveral of the tables that follow willhave to be interpolated.

Companion StarsIf there are any companion stars in

the target star system, each must havea mass equal to or lower than that ofthe primary star. Select a mass foreach companion.

To generate each companion star’smass at random, roll 1d-1. If the resultis 0, then the companion star hasalmost exactly the same mass as theprimary (i.e. its mass is given by thesame entry in the Stellar Mass Table). Ifthe result is 1 or greater, then roll thatmany d6, and count down as manyentries as the dice indicate from theprimary star’s entry on the table. If thebottom of the table is reached, thenstop. (No star may have a mass lowerthan about 0.08 solar masses.) Theresulting entry indicates the mass forthat companion star.

Example: The GM begins by gener-ating the mass for the Haven system’sprimary star. Since Haven is a Gardenworld, he rolls 1d instead of 3d for thefirst roll; he gets a result of 3, whichtranslates into a first 3d roll of 7. Hissecond 3d roll is an 11. Haven’s pri-mary star has a mass of 0.90 solarmasses.

To generate the companion star’smass, the GM begins with a roll of 1d-1, with a result of 3. He rolls 3d for aresult of 14, and counts down on theStellar Mass Table that many entriesfrom the mass of the primary star. Thecompanion’s mass is 0.20 solar masses.

STEP 17: STARSYSTEM AGE

This step determines the age of thestar system. All of the stars in the sys-tem (and their planets, if any) will nor-mally be the same age, as measuredfrom the moment that the primarystar ignited nuclear fusion in its core.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 101

Stellar Mass TableFirst Roll (3d) Second Roll (3d) Mass (solar masses)

3 3-10 2.0011-18 1.90

4 3-8 1.809-11 1.7012-18 1.60

5 3-7 1.508-10 1.4511-12 1.4013-18 1.35

6 3-7 1.308-9 1.2510 1.20

11-12 1.1513-18 1.10

7 3-7 1.058-9 1.0010 0.95

11-12 0.9013-18 0.85

8 3-7 0.808-9 0.7510 0.70

11-12 0.6513-18 0.60

9 3-8 0.559-11 0.5012-18 0.45

10 3-8 0.409-11 0.3512-18 0.30

11 Any 0.2512 Any 0.2013 Any 0.1514-18 Any 0.10

At this writing, the universe itself isestimated to be about 14 billion yearsold, and our own galaxy is not muchyounger than that. Stars older than 12billion years of age are rare in thegalactic disk, and are usually ancientstars of the galactic halo that are sim-ply passing through the disk at themoment. A typical range of ageswould be about 4-8 billion years.

Select an age for the star system.To determine an age at random, beginby rolling 3d on the Stellar Age Table todetermine what population the stars ofthe target system belong to. If aGarden world has already been gener-ated for the star system, roll 2d+2instead. Population II stars are theoldest, leftovers from the formation ofthe galaxy. Population I stars wereformed in the galactic disk, and can bemuch younger.

Once the star system’s populationis determined, roll 1d-1, multiply theresult by the Step-A value, then rollanother 1d-1, and multiply that resultby the Step-B value. Add both resultsto the Base Age to get the age of thestar system in billions of years.

Example: The GM determines theage of the Haven system by rollingon the Stellar Age Table. Since Havenis a Garden world, he rolls 2d+2 for atotal of 8. Haven is an intermediatePopulation I star. The following two1d-1 rolls yield results of 2 and 0. Thestar system’s age is 2 + (0.6 ¥ 2) + (0.1¥ 0) = 3.2 billion years.

Referring to the discussion ofopen clusters on p. 70, the GMnotices that the Haven star system isprobably too old to be a member ofthe open cluster in which it is cur-rently located. The GM decides thatthe cluster is recently formed, stillrich with bright young stars. Haven’spresence inside the cluster is coinci-dence – the binary star is simplypassing through on its independentorbit around the galactic core.Haven’s night sky is probably veryimpressive, full of brilliant nearbystars! Meanwhile, the coincidenceprobably helps hide Haven from theimperial authorities, who don’texpect to find a habitable planet inthis region of space.

STEP 18:STELLARCHARACTERISTICS

Now that the mass of each starand the age of the star system as awhole are known, the current prop-erties of each star in the system canbe determined.

A star begins its life in the mainsequence, a class of stars with very pre-dictable properties, characteristic ofstable hydrogen fusion in their cores.A massive star will burn very brightly,spending relatively little time in themain sequence. Stars about as mas-sive as our own sun will spend a fewbillion years in the main sequence,while the least massive stars willremain there for many billions (eventrillions) of years.

As a star of moderate or high massapproaches the end of its stable lifes-pan, the hydrogen in its core becomesdepleted. Stars can continue to surviveby fusing heavier elements – helium,then carbon, and so on – but each newfusion process requires higher mass,and will be much hotter than ordinaryhydrogen fusion. The pressure of thegreater heat causes the star to swelland redden, causing a transition to the“red giant” stage of evolution.

Eventually, these later forms ofnuclear fusion run out of fuel in theirturn. The star then dies, losing part ofits mass and leaving behind a stellarremnant. In the case of a star aboutthe mass of our sun, this process is rel-atively peaceful – the outer layers ofthe star blow away to form a short-lived “planetary” nebula, leavingbehind a white dwarf remnant. Amore massive star will die in a super-nova explosion, leaving behind a moreexotic remnant such as a neutron staror black hole.

Aside from a star’s mass and age,its most important characteristics areits effective temperature, its luminosity,and its radius.

The effective temperature of a staris the temperature of its visible sur-face, measured in kelvins. It is the pri-mary factor determining the “color” ofthe star’s light (more precisely, the dis-tribution of the star’s radiant energyacross the electromagnetic spectrum).Spectral type mainly depends on

102 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Stellar Age TableRoll (3d) Population Base Age Step-A Step-B3 Extreme Population I 0 0 04-6 Young Population I 0.1 0.3 0.057-10 Intermediate Population I 2 0.6 0.111-14 Old Population I 5.6 0.6 0.115-17 Intermediate Population II 8 0.6 0.118 Extreme Population II 10 0.6 0.1

effective temperature, although thestar’s material composition is also afactor.

The luminosity of a star is a meas-ure of its total energy output.Luminosity is usually measured insolar luminosities, so that a star withluminosity 1.0 radiates exactly as

much energy as the Sun. Note that notall of a star’s radiant energy will be inthe form of visible light. In fact, at theextremes of the range of spectraltypes, most of a star’s output may beoutside the visible range.

The radius of a star is simply thedistance from its center to its visible

surface. Most stars are quite compact,but some very massive or luminousstars are so large that they are likely tohave absorbed their innermost plan-ets.

To determine the characteristics ofeach star in the target star system, usethe Stellar Evolution Table.

Here, Mass is the star’s mass insolar masses, Type is its most likelyspectral type while it is on the mainsequence, Temp is its most likelyeffective temperature (in kelvins)while it is on the main sequence, L-Min is its initial luminosity on themain sequence, L-Max is its maxi-mum luminosity on the mainsequence, M-Span is its mainsequence span in billions of years, S-Span is its subgiant span in billionsof years, and G-Span is its giant spanin billions of years.

If a star’s age is no greater than themain sequence span given for itsmass, then it is a main sequence(luminosity class V) star. If its age isgreater than the main sequence span,but no greater than the main sequencespan plus the subgiant span for itsmass, then it is a subgiant (luminosityclass IV) star. If its age is greater thanthe main sequence span plus the sub-giant span, but no greater than themain sequence span plus the subgiantspan plus the giant span for its mass,then it is a giant (luminosity class III)

star. Once a star has exhausted its sta-ble span, subgiant span, and giantspan, then it has ended its lifespan asa star. The dying star leaves behind astellar remnant – which, for the stellarmasses given on this table, is always awhite dwarf (luminosity class D).

Using the table, classify each starin the star system as a main sequencestar, subgiant star, giant star, or whitedwarf. Refer to the appropriate sec-tion of the following text to determineeach star’s spectral type, effective tem-perature, and luminosity.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 103

Stellar Evolution TableMass Type Temp L-Min L-Max M-Span S-Span G-Span0.10 M7 3,100 0.0012 – – – –0.15 M6 3,200 0.0036 – – – –0.20 M5 3,200 0.0079 – – – –0.25 M4 3,300 0.015 – – – –0.30 M4 3,300 0.024 – – – –0.35 M3 3,400 0.037 – – – –0.40 M2 3,500 0.054 – – – –0.45 M1 3,600 0.07 0.08 70 – –0.50 M0 3,800 0.09 0.11 59 – –0.55 K8 4,000 0.11 0.15 50 – –0.60 K6 4,200 0.13 0.20 42 – –0.65 K5 4,400 0.15 0.25 37 – –0.70 K4 4,600 0.19 0.35 30 – –0.75 K2 4,900 0.23 0.48 24 – –0.80 K0 5,200 0.28 0.65 20 – –0.85 G8 5,400 0.36 0.84 17 – –0.90 G6 5,500 0.45 1.0 14 – –0.95 G4 5,700 0.56 1.3 12 1.8 1.11.00 G2 5,800 0.68 1.6 10 1.6 1.01.05 G1 5,900 0.87 1.9 8.8 1.4 0.81.10 G0 6,000 1.1 2.2 7.7 1.2 0.71.15 F9 6,100 1.4 2.6 6.7 1.0 0.61.20 F8 6,300 1.7 3.0 5.9 0.9 0.61.25 F7 6,400 2.1 3.5 5.2 0.8 0.51.30 F6 6,500 2.5 3.9 4.6 0.7 0.41.35 F5 6,600 3.1 4.5 4.1 0.6 0.41.40 F4 6,700 3.7 5.1 3.7 0.6 0.41.45 F3 6,900 4.3 5.7 3.3 0.5 0.31.50 F2 7,000 5.1 6.5 3.0 0.5 0.31.60 F0 7,300 6.7 8.2 2.5 0.4 0.21.70 A9 7,500 8.6 10 2.1 0.3 0.21.80 A7 7,800 11 13 1.8 0.3 0.21.90 A6 8,000 13 16 1.5 0.2 0.12.00 A5 8,200 16 20 1.3 0.2 0.1

Main Sequence StarsWhile a star is a member of the

main sequence, its effective tempera-ture will change very little, but it willtend to grow larger and more lumi-nous as its core temperature slowlyincreases.

The Stellar Evolution Table givesthe spectral type (under Type) andeffective temperature (under Temp)for a main sequence star of a givenmass. It would be reasonable to varythe spectral type by one subtype ineither direction, or to vary the effec-tive temperature by up to 100 K ineither direction.

To determine the current luminosi-ty of a main sequence star, use the following formula:

L = MIN + [(A/S) ¥ (MAX - MIN)]

Here, L is the current luminosity insolar luminosities, MIN is the L-Minvalue from the Stellar Evolution Tablefor the star’s mass, MAX is the L-Maxvalue from the table, A is the star’s agein billions of years, and S is the mainsequence span (M-Span) from thetable. It would be reasonable to varythe final result by up to 10% in eitherdirection.

Note that for stars of 0.4 solarmasses or less, no L-Max or M-Spanvalues are given. Such low-mass starschange in luminosity very slowly; inthe lifespan of the universe, they havenot had time to grow significantlybrighter. For such stars, the L-Minvalue can be taken as the actual lumi-nosity, and may be varied by up to10% in either direction.

Meanwhile, for stars with massgreater than 0.4 solar masses, but nogreater than 0.9 solar masses, L-Maxand M-Span values (but no other spanvalues) are given. Such stars are auto-matically on the main sequence, butthey may have had time to grow sig-nificantly brighter since their forma-tion. The procedure above can be usedto estimate their current luminosity.

Subgiant StarsOnce a star leaves the main

sequence, it enters the subgiant branchof stellar evolution. During this peri-od, its luminosity changes relativelylittle, but its effective temperature fallsas it swells toward red giant status.

The luminosity of the star is equalto the L-Max value from the StellarEvolution Table. This value can be var-ied by up to 10% in either direction ifdesired.

To determine the star’s currenteffective temperature, use the follow-ing formula:

T = M – [(A/S) ¥ (M - 4800)]

Here, T is the current effective tem-perature in kelvins, M is the star’seffective temperature during its mainsequence period (the Temp value fromthe table), A is the star’s age as a sub-giant (i.e. its total age minus its mainsequence span), and S is the star’s sub-giant span (the S-Span value from thetable). It would be reasonable to varythe final result by up to 100 K in eitherdirection.

The star’s current spectral type willbe that of a main sequence star withabout the same effective temperature.Refer to the table to find the most like-ly spectral type.

Giant StarsAfter its period as a subgiant, a star

will rapidly swell to red giant status,going through several transitions as itscore settles to relatively stable heliumfusion. Its effective temperature fallsfurther, but its radius and luminositygrow tremendously. A star of 2.0 solarmasses or less won’t be able to makethe transition to carbon-burning ormore exotic forms of fusion, so thisphase of its evolution will be the last.Once the red giant phase is over, thestar will die.

If a star is in the giant phase, itseffective temperature will be between3,000 and 5,000 kelvins. Select a tem-perature, or roll 2d-2, multiply by 200K, and add the result to 3,000 K. Thestar’s spectral type will be the same asthat of a main sequence star withabout the same effective temperature.Its luminosity will be about 25 timesits luminosity as a subgiant star, andcan be varied by up to 10% in eitherdirection if desired.

White Dwarf StarsAfter it completes the giant stage of

its evolution, a star with 2.0 solarmasses or less will die and leavebehind a white dwarf remnant.

A white dwarf’s mass will normallybe between 0.9 and 1.4 solar masses,and can actually be significantlysmaller than the mass of the originalstar. If a star has become a whitedwarf, ignore the mass originallyrolled on the Stellar Mass Table. Selecta mass between 0.9 and 1.4 solarmasses. To generate a mass at ran-dom, roll 2d-2, multiply by 0.05 solarmasses, and add the result to 0.9 solarmasses.

A white dwarf will have negligibleluminosity, rarely higher than 0.001solar luminosities. Its radius will bequite small – a white dwarf star isonly a few thousand miles across,about the same size as the Earth! Theeffective temperature of a whitedwarf can be quite high, but in thiscase it is rarely of any significance inworld-building.

Determining Star Radius

For every luminosity class except D(white dwarfs), a star’s radius is exact-ly determined by its effective tempera-ture and its luminosity. Use the follow-ing formula:

R = (155,000 ¥ square root of L)/T2

Here, R is the star’s radius in AUs,L is its luminosity in solar luminosi-ties, and T is its effective temperaturein kelvins. Main sequence stars willalmost always be a tiny fraction of anAU in radius, but giant stars may wellbe much larger.

Example: Referring to the StellarEvolution Table, the GM notes thatHaven’s primary star is still well with-in its main-sequence lifespan. Henotes that the star is most likely to beof spectral type G6 V (G6 from theentry on the table, V because of thestar’s status on the main sequence). He also notes that the star’s effectivetemperature is 5,500 kelvins.

The GM then applies the luminosi-ty formula, using entries from thetable and the known age of the starsystem: 0.45 + [(3.2/14) ¥ (1.0 - 0.45)]= 0.58 solar luminosities. He recordsthis as the star’s current luminosity.Finally, the GM applies the formulafor star radius: (155,000 ¥ square rootof 0.58)/(5,500)2 = 0.0039 AU, or about360,000 miles.

104 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Going through the same proce-dures for the companion star, the GMdetermines that this star has spectraltype M5 V, effective temperature of3,200 kelvins, luminosity of 0.008(rounded up), and radius of 0.0014 AUor about 130,000 miles.

STEP 19:COMPANIONSTAR ORBITS

Stars in a multiple star systemwill follow orbital paths that circlethe center of mass of the system. Thesimplest way to approach theirorbital mechanics is to assume thatcompanions will follow circular orelliptical orbits centered on their pri-mary stars. The important elementto determine here is how distant thestars in the system are from eachother at any given time. This stepdetermines that information.

The relevant parameters of anyorbital path are its average radius(measured in AU) and its eccentricity.This last is a measure of the amountby which the orbit deviates from a per-fect circle, and takes values between 0and 1. An eccentricity of 0 indicates aperfectly circular orbit, while valuesapproaching 1 indicate elliptical orbitsthat are more and more elongated.Stars normally have orbital paths ofmoderate eccentricity, with valuesbetween 0.4 and 0.7 being most likely.

Members of a multiple star systemcan fall at a variety of distances fromeach other. At one extreme are “con-tact binaries,” stars whose outeratmospheres actually mingle as theywhirl about each other in hours ordays. At the opposite extreme are verywide pairs, which may take manythousands of years to complete a sin-gle orbit.

Select orbital distances and eccen-tricities to suit, or use the followingprocedure.

Begin by rolling 3d on the OrbitalSeparation Table for each companion.

Modifiers: +4 for each companionif a Garden world has already beengenerated for the star system; +6 for the second companion in a tri-nary system. These modifiers arecumulative.

The initial result from this tablegives a general idea of how widely sep-arated the primary is from its com-panion. Roll 2d and multiply by thegiven radius multiplier to get a valuefor the average radius of the orbit forthat companion. It would be reason-able to vary the final result by up tohalf of the radius multiplier in eitherdirection.

A distant companion may have acompanion of its own, on a roll of 11or higher on 3d. This is the only way toget more than three stars in a multiplesystem when using the random-gener-ation method. If so, the companion istreated in all respects as the primarystar for its own companion. Generatestellar characteristics for the “sub-companion” as in Step 15. Generatean average radius for the subcompan-ion’s orbit around its primary star,applying a -6 modifier to the roll onthe Orbital Separation Table.

Note that the orbital radius of thesecond companion in a trinary systemmust be larger than that of the firstcompanion, and will normally bemuch larger. Similarly, the orbitalradius of a subcompanion must besmaller than that of its primaryaround the central star of the system.Adjust the orbits if necessary to ensurethese relationships.

Once the average orbital radius foreach primary-companion pair is

known, select an eccentricity for eachcompanion’s orbit. To select eccentric-ity at random, roll 3d on the StellarOrbital Eccentricity Table.

Modifiers: -6 if the two stars areVery Close, -4 if they are Close, and -2if they have Moderate separation.

Stellar OrbitalEccentricity Table

Roll (3d) Eccentricity3 or less 04 0.15 0.26 0.37-8 0.49-11 0.512-13 0.614-15 0.716 0.817 0.918 or more 0.95

For each primary-companion pair,compute and record the minimumseparation and the maximum separa-tion between the two stars:

MIN = (1 - E) ¥ RMAX = (1 + E) ¥ R

Here, MIN is the minimum separa-tion in AU, MAX is the maximum sep-aration in AU, E is the eccentricity ofthe companion’s orbit, and R is theaverage orbital radius in AU.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 105

Orbital Separation TableRoll (3d) Separation Radius Multiplier6 or less Very Close 0.05 AU7-9 Close 0.5 AU10-11 Moderate 2 AU12-14 Wide 10 AU15 or more Distant 50 AU

Example: The GM rolls 3d+4 (the+4 since Haven is a Garden world) onthe Orbital Separation Table, and gets aresult of 15. The red dwarf companionin the Haven system is at distant sepa-ration. The GM rolls 2d for a 7, multi-plies by 50 AU, and notes that the twostars have an average separation of350 AU.

Since the companion star is at dis-tant separation, it may have its owncompanion. The GM rolls 3d for a 10,and makes a note that there is no sec-ond companion star in the system.

The GM rolls 3d on the StellarOrbital Eccentricity Table, and gets aresult of 12. The eccentricity of thecompanion star’s orbit is 0.6. The min-imum separation of the two stars is140 AU, and the maximum separationis 560 AU.

STEP 20: LOCATEORBITAL ZONES

This step prepares for the place-ment of worlds in the star system. TheGM must determine where planetscan be placed, and must also deter-mine where gas giant planets (whichdominate the planetary-formationprocess) will appear. Compute andmake a note of the inner limit radius,the outer limit radius, the snow lineradius, and any forbidden zonesaround each star in the system.

Inner Limit RadiusPlanets will not form too close to a

star. Even while a star is on the mainsequence, a planet is very unlikely to

form in a stable orbit within a certaindistance. Once a star moves into thesubgiant or giant phases of its evolu-tion, existing planets that find them-selves too close may be vaporized bythe swollen star’s intense heat.

For each star in the target star sys-tem, compute the inner limit radiususing both of the following formulae.The inner limit radius that applies willbe the larger of the two values. Foralmost all stars on the main sequence,the first of the two formulae will bethe one to apply – the second formulabecomes dominant for extremelyluminous stars.

I = 0.1 ¥ MI = 0.01 ¥ square root of L

Here, I is the inner limit radius inAUs, M is the star’s mass in solar units,and L is the star’s luminosity in solarunits.

Outer Limit RadiusPlanets will also not form too far

away from a star. At a large distance,orbital movements are leisurely.Protoplanets will have much lessopportunity to sweep up matter beforethe star ignites and the process ofplanetary formation is halted.

For each star in the target star sys-tem, compute the outer limit radiususing the following formula.

O = 40 ¥ M

Here, O is the outer limit radiusin AUs and M is the star’s mass insolar units. Planets will be able toform anywhere between the innerand outer limit radii, so long as no other stars interfere with theirgravitational influence.

Snow LineNext, compute the snow line radius

for each star. This is the distance fromthe star at which water ice could existduring planetary formation, markingthe most likely region for the forma-tion of the star’s largest gas giant plan-et. The snow line radius can be foundusing the following formula:

R = 4.85 ¥ square root of L

Here, R is the snow line radius inAUs and L is the star’s initial luminos-ity on the main sequence (the L-Minvalue from the Stellar Evolution Table).

106 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Forbidden ZonesIf a star system includes more than

one star, then each component of thesystem may have a forbidden zone inwhich planets can’t form even if theyare otherwise at a proper distancefrom the star. A forbidden zone is aregion in which no stable planetaryorbit is possible.

The inner edge of the band of for-bidden orbits is at one-third of theminimum separation between a starand its closest companion (as com-puted in Step 18). For the third com-ponent in a trinary star system, theclosest companion is the primarystar of the system. If a distant com-panion has its own subcompanion,then those two stars will automati-cally be closest companions for eachother.

The inner edge of the forbiddenzone may be closer than the innerlimit radius for that star, in whichcase there will be no planets betweenthe star and its companion.Alternatively, the inner edge of theforbidden zone may be beyond theouter limit distance for the star, inwhich case the companion will haveno significant effect on the planetarysystem.

The outer edge of a star’s forbiddenzone is at three times the maximumseparation between the star and itsclosest companion (again, as comput-ed in Step 18). If this outer edge iscloser than the outer limit distance,planets may form circling the pair as awhole. In this case, assign these plan-ets to the primary and don’t generatesuch planets for both stars. This canhappen even when the stars are sepa-rated fairly widely, although in suchcases the outer edge of the forbiddenzone is likely to be beyond the outerlimit distance.

Example: The GM determines theorbital zones for Haven’s primary star.The star’s inner limit radius is at 0.09AU, its outer limit radius is at 36 AU,and its snow line is at 3.3 AU. There isa forbidden zone due to the presenceof the companion star, but its inneredge is at 47 AU, outside the outerlimit radius. The companion has nosignificant effect on the arrangementof planets in the primary’s system.

At this point, the GM decides notto bother generating any more

information for the red dwarf companion. If the companion seemslikely to become important to somefuture adventure, information aboutits planets can be generated then.

STEP 21:PLACING FIRSTPLANETS

Once all the orbital zones havebeen located, the first planets can beplaced in orbit around each star in thesystem.

Arrangement of Gas Giants

Traditional models of planetaryformation call for the tidy arrange-ment of worlds we see in our ownsolar system: small rocky planetsinside the snow line, large gas-giantplanets outside. Unfortunately, inrecent years astronomers have detect-ed over 100 planets in other star sys-tems – almost none of which followthis model!

This finding doesn’t doom the tra-ditional model entirely, since thesestrange “hot Jupiters” are the onlyones we are likely to detect given cur-rent methods. Astronomers usingthose methods and looking at our ownsolar system from a distance wouldn’tbe able to detect the presence ofJupiter or Saturn (at least not yet).Hence many star systems may followthe traditional model without ourbeing able to verify the fact.

Still, it seems clear that large gas-giant worlds can be found almost any-where in a star system, including theinfernal regions within a few millionmiles of the primary star. The currentleading theory is that gas giants stillform in the cold outer regions of a starsystem, but that mechanical processescause some growing gas giants tomigrate inward.

To reflect this possibility, deter-mine the general arrangement of gasgiants in orbit around each star in thetarget star system. Several possiblearrangements exist.

No Gas Giant: If the protoplanetarynebula had little mass, gas giants maynot have formed at all. The star mayhave a few rocky planets instead,

including some of pleasant tempera-tures in the “life zone.”

Conventional Gas Giant: The starhas one or more gas giant planets, allbeyond the snow line, following near-ly circular orbits. Rocky planets arevery likely, including some in the lifezone. This is the situation that holds inour own solar system.

Eccentric Gas Giant: In this situa-tion, one or more gas giants formedbeyond the snow line and havemigrated some distance inward. Theirorbits have become “scrambled” dueto random close encounters amongthemselves. These orbits are noweccentric (non-circular) or fail to fallin the same plane. Any rocky planetsin the inner system have probablybeen ejected from the system after aclose encounter with one of the gasgiants.

Epistellar Gas Giant: At least onegas giant planet has migrated downto a very tight circular orbit aroundthe primary star. This gas giant mayhave absorbed some of the materialavailable for building rocky planets,but such planets may have been ableto form anyway after the gas giantfinished its migration. Other gasgiants may exist in the outer star system, as in the conventionalarrangement.

Choose an arrangement of gasgiants for each star in the star system.If a star’s snow line radius falls withina forbidden zone due to the presenceof a companion star, then it will haveNo Gas Giant. Otherwise, choose anarrangement or roll 3d on the follow-ing table.

Gas Giant Arrangement TableRoll (3d) Arrangement10 or less No Gas Giant11-12 Conventional Gas Giant13-14 Eccentric Gas Giant15-18 Epistellar Gas Giant

Place First Gas GiantOnce the arrangement of gas giant

planets around each star in the starsystem has been determined, the firstgas giant can be placed for each star.

No Gas Giant: No gas giant will beplaced around this star.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 107

Conventional Gas Giant: In thiscase, the star’s first gas giant planetwill normally form outside, but nottoo far from, the snow line radius.Select an orbital radius for it, or roll2d-2, multiply by 0.05, add 1, andmultiply the snow-line radius by theresult.

Eccentric Gas Giant: In this case,the star’s first gas giant planet will befound somewhere between the star’sinner limit radius and the snow lineradius. Select an orbital radius for it,or roll 1d, multiply by 0.125, and mul-tiply the snow-line radius by theresult.

Epistellar Gas Giant: In this case,the star’s first gas giant planet will befound very close to the star, possiblyeven inside the inner limit radius. Thisis an exception to the usual rule pro-hibiting planets from being placedinside the inner limit; the planet didnot form so close to its primary star,but migrated into that position. Selectan orbital radius for it or roll 3d, mul-tiply by 0.1, and multiply the innerlimit radius by the result.

Regardless of the arrangement ofgas giants, record the orbital radiusof the first gas giant (if any) for eachstar in the target system. Its otherproperties (mass, density, diameter,number of moons, and so on) will begenerated later.

Note that it’s possible for a gasgiant to fall within a forbidden zoneusing the above procedures. The GMshould move the gas giant out of theforbidden zone if possible, althoughhe may accept the situation as anunstable or transient feature of thestar system’s evolution.

Placing a Pre-Designed World

If a world has already beendesigned for the star system using thebasic world-building sequence inChapter 4, then that world should alsobe placed at a specific distance fromone of the stars in the system.

The exact orbital radius for the pre-designed world depends on the lumi-nosity of its primary star (as generatedin Step 18) and the world’s blackbodytemperature (as generated in Step 5).Use the following formula:

R = (77,300/B2) ¥ square root of L

Here, R is the orbital radius in AU,B is the world’s blackbody tempera-ture, and L is the star’s luminosity in solar units. Compute this orbitalradius for each of the stars, andchoose one of them to be the pre-designed world’s primary.

Note that the proper distance mayfall inside the inner limit radius, out-side the outer limit radius, or within aforbidden zone for a given star. In thiscase, the world cannot be placed inorbit around that star.

It’s also possible for the pre-designed world to end up being tooclose to the star’s first gas giant, if any.Determine the ratio between the twoworlds’ orbital radii, by dividing thelarger radius by the smaller. If theratio is less than 1.4, then the twoworlds are too close together – the gasgiant’s gravitational influence willtend to make the pre-designed world’sorbit unstable. The pre-designedworld cannot be placed in orbitaround that star.

Given these two restrictions, it’spossible for a pre-designed world tohave no place to go. If this happens,consider returning to Step 15 to gener-ate a new star or set of stars to fit, orchoosing a different arrangement ofgas giants for one or more of the stars.

One more thing to consider: thepre-designed world may be a moonrather than an independent planet. Inparticular, a Tiny or Small world ofany type, or a Standard (Hadean)world, is very likely to be the moon ofa gas giant. If the pre-designed worldis difficult to place because it appearsto fall too close to a star’s first gasgiant, then consider moving the gasgiant – altering its orbital radiusslightly so that the pre-designed worldcan be one of its moons!

Example: The GM rolls 3d for a 12on the Gas Giant Arrangement Table.Haven’s primary star has aConventional Gas Giant arrangement.Without bothering to roll the dice, theGM places the system’s first gas giantplanet just outside the snow line at 3.5AU.

At this point, the GM is ready toplace Haven itself within the star sys-tem. Applying the formula for itsorbital radius, he gets (77,300/2952) ¥square root of (0.58) = 0.68 AU. Sincethe ratio between the gas giant’s orbit

and Haven’s orbit is quite large(3.5/0.68 = 5.15), there’s no conflictand both planets can be left wherethey are.

STEP 22: PLACEPLANETARYORBITS

Once any pre-designed world andthe first gas giant for each star (if any)have been placed, all of the planetaryorbits for each star can be determined.

Early astronomers spent consider-able time trying to discover why theplanets’ orbits are arranged as theyare. One early effort was “Bode’s law,”an observed mathematical relation-ship among the orbital radii of theknown planets. Although Bode’s law issimple, and doesn’t clash too badlywith the existing orbital radii, it does-n’t actually account for the forces thatcontrol the distribution of planets.

Planetary orbits tend to be spacedlogarithmically – that is, the ratio ofone orbital radius to the next is fairlyconsistent. This is because certainratios lead to unstable situations, asneighboring planets exert gravitation-al attraction on each other.

Orbits are usually arranged so thatthe ratio of adjacent orbital radii isbetween 1.4 and 2.0. Some ratios inthis range encourage orbital instabili-ty because of a “resonance” betweenthe two planets’ orbital periods, butthese ratios appear to be less likelyrather than entirely forbidden. In thisstep, planetary orbits will be placed sothat this relationship between adja-cent radii holds.

For each star in the target star sys-tem, always begin with the first gasgiant’s orbital radius. If no gas gianthas been placed for a star, locate thegreatest orbital distance at which thatstar can have planets – usually theouter limit distance, or the inner edgeof a forbidden zone. The first plane-tary orbit to be placed will be inside,but not too far from, this outermostlegal distance. Select an orbital radiusfor it, or roll 1d, multiply by 0.05, add1, and divide the outermost legal dis-tance by the result.

From the first planetary orbit to beplaced, work your way both inward(toward the inner limit radius or the

108 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

edge of a forbidden zone) and out-ward (toward the outer limit radius orthe edge of a forbidden zone). Alwaysplace the next planetary orbit so thatthe ratio between adjacent orbits isbetween 1.4 and 2.0. Select an appro-priate ratio each time, or roll 3d on thefollowing table.

Orbital Spacing TableRoll (3d) Ratio3-4 1.45-6 1.57-8 1.69-12 1.713-14 1.815-16 1.917-18 2.0

When working outward, multiplyeach orbital radius by the ratio inorder to get the next radius. Whenworking inward, divide each radius bythe ratio in order to get the nextradius. When using the dice, it wouldbe reasonable to adjust the ratio by upto 0.05 in either direction at each step.

In the innermost region of a star’sorbital space, the orbits will be veryclose together in absolute terms.Always space orbits out so that theyare at least 0.15 AU apart, even if thismeans that the ratio between twoorbital radii is unusually large. If thiscan’t be done without placing an orbitinside the inner limit radius, thenstop.

Remember that no planetaryorbital radius can be larger than theouter limit distance. Aside from thecase of an epistellar gas giant, no plan-etary orbital radius can be smallerthan the inner limit distance. If anorbit falls inside a forbidden zone,stop placing planetary orbits in thatdirection.

If there is a pre-designed world inorbit around one star, the above proce-dure won’t necessarily place an orbitin exactly the right place for thatworld. Feel free to adjust one or moreorbits so that one of them falls exactlyas required for the pre-designedworld, and then continue with the pro-cedure as before.

Record the sequence of planetaryorbital radii for each star in the targetstar system.

Example: Beginning with the firstgas giant’s orbit, the GM begins to

work inward toward Haven’s primarystar and place planetary orbits. Hisfirst roll on the Orbital Spacing Table isa 16, yielding a ratio of 1.9; the nextorbit inward from the gas giant is at3.5/1.9 = 1.8 AU. The next roll is an 11,yielding a ratio of 1.7; the next orbitinward is at 1.8/1.7 = 1.1 AU. The GMobserves that the ratio between 1.1and 0.68 (the radius of Haven’s orbit)is about 1.6 to 1, so he simply assumesthat Haven’s orbit is the next oneinward. The next die rolls are 13 (ratioof 1.8, orbital radius of 0.68/1.8 = 0.38)and 11 (ratio of 1.7, orbital radius of0.38/1.7 = 0.22). The next orbit inwardwould have to be at 0.07 AU or less inorder to avoid placing two orbits with-in 0.15 AU of each other, but 0.07 AUis inside the inner limit radius, so theGM stops.

Now the GM works outward fromthe first gas giant’s orbit. His rolls onthe Orbital Spacing Table are 10 (ratioof 1.7, orbital radius of 3.5 ¥ 1.7 = 6.0AU), 9 (ratio of 1.7, orbital radius of6.0 ¥ 1.7 = 10 AU), 11 (ratio of 1.7,orbital radius of 10 ¥ 1.7 = 17 AU), and8 (ratio of 1.6, orbital radius of 17 ¥1.6 = 27 AU). The next orbital radiuswould be at least 27 ¥ 1.4 = 38 AU, andthis is outside the star’s outer limitradius, so the GM stops.

To summarize: the GM has gener-ated a complete set of orbits for

Haven’s primary star. From the inner-most to the outermost, the radii are0.22 AU, 0.38 AU, 0.68 AU (Haven),1.1 AU, 1.8 AU, 3.5 AU (first gasgiant), 6.0 AU, 10 AU, 17 AU, and 27AU. Haven’s primary star appears tohave a full system of worlds, with upto 10 planets in it.

STEP 23: PLACE WORLDS

In this step, objects will be allocat-ed to orbits.

An empty orbit may occur if therewasn’t enough material in that regionof the star system to form an object ofsignificant size, or if a large object (acompanion star or a migrating gasgiant planet) swept the orbit clean ofmaterial.

An asteroid belt is an orbital regionoccupied by many small, stonyobjects. Asteroid belts normally formwhen a gas giant or companion stardisturbs the early mass of asteroids,pulling them out of the stable orbitsthat would have permitted them toform a planet. The few asteroids thatsurvive this winnowing process makeup a stable system. A world of theAsteroid Belt type is, of course, anasteroid belt.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 109

A terrestrial planet is a small, stonybody with relatively little atmosphere.Terrestrial planets are most likely tobe found in the inner system, insidethe snow line radius. They are unlike-ly to have many moons, or large ones.Terrestrial planets are classified asTiny, Small, Standard, or Large in size.All of the world types described inChapter 4 (except for Asteroid Belt)can be terrestrial planets.

A gas giant is a massive planet,composed mostly of hydrogen andhelium. Because of a gas giant’s pow-erful gravity, it is likely to have manymoons and will affect the formation ofother planets in nearby orbits. Gasgiants are most likely to form outsidea star’s snow line radius, but they maymigrate inward and can be found atany distance from the star. Gas giantplanets are classified as Small,Medium, and Large.

As a result of previous steps, one ormore orbits may already be filled. Afew gas giants may already be in placesince Step 21. A pre-designed worldmay also already be in place, fillingone orbit with an asteroid belt, a ter-restrial world, or even a second gasgiant (with the pre-designed world asone of its moons). This step fills therest of each star’s orbits.

Every star system has a great dealof debris in it: scattered asteroids out-side the main belts, comets and tinyrogue planets in the dark outerfringes. These objects will not beplaced in detail (but see Asteroids andComets, p. 130).

Place Gas GiantsFor each star, begin by placing gas

giants in their orbits.Some stars may have the No Gas

Giant arrangement (p. 107), eitherbecause of the presence of a compan-ion star or because that arrangementwas selected earlier. In this case, skipto the placement of asteroid belts.Otherwise, at least one gas giant hasalready been placed – but there maybe more in orbits that are not yetfilled.

If a star has the Conventional GasGiant arrangement, orbits inside thesnow line radius will never have gasgiants. A star with the Eccentric orEpistellar Gas Giant arrangement willusually have one gas giant for every 4-6 orbits inside the snow line, and

will always have at least one. In all ofthese arrangements, orbits outside thesnow line are almost always occupiedby gas giants.

Place gas giants in orbits as need-ed. To generate a random placement,roll 3d for each orbit not already con-taining a gas giant or other object. Ineach case, compare the roll to theappropriate target number from theGas Giant Placement Table. If the rollsucceeds, a gas giant will occupy theorbit.

Once all gas giants have beenplaced, determine the size of each(Small, Medium, or Large). To deter-mine sizes randomly, roll 3d on theGas Giant Size Table.

Modifiers: +4 if the gas giant isinside the snow line radius, or if it is inthe first orbit beyond the snow lineradius.

Gas Giant Size TableRoll (3d) Size3-10 Small11-16 Medium17 and higher Large

Fill Remaining OrbitsOnce gas giants have been placed,

fill the rest of the orbits.Empty orbits and asteroid belts are

most likely to occur very close to theprimary star, in an orbit adjacent tothat of a gas giant, or in the outermostorbit before a forbidden zone causedby the presence of a companion star.All of these locations are places wherethe gravitational influence of a largeobject may interfere with the forma-tion of a terrestrial planet. If a terres-trial planet does form in such a loca-tion, it is likely to be small. Massiveterrestrial planets will usually formonly in regions that are not subject tothe gravitational interference of gasgiants or companion stars.

Place empty orbits, asteroid belts,and terrestrial planets in orbits as

needed; if a terrestrial planet is placed,choose its size class (Tiny, Small,Standard, or Large) at this point.

To generate a random placement,roll 3d for each orbit not already con-taining a gas giant or other object, andrefer to the Orbit Contents Table.

Modifiers: -6 if the orbit is adjacentto a forbidden zone caused by thepresence of a companion star; -6 if thenext orbit outward from the primarystar is occupied by a gas giant; -3 if thenext orbit inward from the primarystar is occupied by a gas giant; -3 if theorbit is adjacent to either the innerlimit radius or the outer limit radius.All of these modifiers are cumulative.

Orbit Contents TableRoll (3d) Object3 or less Empty Orbit4-6 Asteroid Belt7-8 Terrestrial Planet

(Tiny)9-11 Terrestrial Planet

(Small)12-15 Terrestrial Planet

(Standard)16 or more Terrestrial Planet

(Large)

Example: Haven’s primary star hasthe Conventional Gas Giant arrange-ment, so there will be no gas giantsinside the snow line. The GM rolls forthe four orbits outside the first gasgiant’s orbit, rolling 15 or less for allfour. The outermost five orbits in thesystem are all occupied by gas giantplanets. Referring to the Gas GiantSize Table, the GM rolls 3d+4 for thefirst gas giant and 3d for the otherfour, getting results of 15 (Medium),10 (Small), 13 (Medium), 14(Medium), and 6 (Small).

Now the GM prepares to placeobjects in the orbits inside the snowline, rolling on the Orbit ContentsTable for each. The innermost orbit isadjacent to the inner limit radius; itgets a 3d-3 roll of 2, indicating an

110 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Gas Giant Placement TableArrangement Inside Snow Line Outside Snow LineNo Gas Giant Do not roll Do not rollConventional Gas Giant Do not roll 15 or lessEccentric Gas Giant 8 or less 14 or lessEpistellar Gas Giant 6 or less 14 or less

empty orbit. The next orbit gets a 3droll of 12, indicating a terrestrial plan-et of Standard size. The next orbit isalready occupied by Haven. The nextgets a 3d roll of 11 (terrestrial planet ofSmall size). The last orbit inside thesnow line has a gas giant in the nextorbit outward; it gets a 3d-6 roll of 4,indicating an asteroid belt.

To summarize, Haven’s primarystar has the following objects in itssystem, from the innermost to the out-ermost: 0.38 AU (Standard world),0.68 AU (Haven), 1.1 AU (Smallworld), 1.8 AU (asteroid belt), 3.5 AU(Medium gas giant), 6.0 AU (Small gasgiant), 10 AU (Medium gas giant), 17AU (Medium gas giant), and 27 AU(Small gas giant). The innermost orbitallocated earlier turned out to beempty, and one orbit is occupied by anasteroid belt, so the solar system haseight planets in it, only three of themterrestrial.

At this point, the GM decides toconcentrate on Haven and the worldat 1.1 AU, leaving further developmentof the rest of the star system for later.

STEP 24: PLACE MOONS

Gas giant planets almost alwayshave moons, and some terrestrialplanets will have them as well. Thisstep determines how many moonseach planet in the target star systemwill have, and their rough sizes.

This book classifies satellites asmoonlets or major moons. Moonletsare asteroid-sized satellites, no morethan about 500 miles in diameter, andcan be described using the rules inAsteroids and Comets (p. 130). Major

moons are worlds in their own right,and will be given a size class (Tiny,Small, Standard, or Large) just like aterrestrial planet.

Terrestrial planets and gas giantscan each have satellites, but they arevery different in the kind of satellitesthey are likely to have.

Terrestrial worlds, especially thoseorbiting inside the snow line, areunlikely to have extensive satellite sys-tems. A terrestrial world may capturea few asteroid moonlets, but it isunlikely to have any major moons.

A terrestrial world that suffers aspecific kind of massive impact late inits formation era may develop a majormoon; planetary material is scatteredinto orbit and then coalesces into anindependent body. Such a majormoon will then undergo tidal interac-tions with its parent world, driving itinto an unusually wide orbit. As aresult, terrestrial worlds are veryunlikely to have more than one majormoon. With their orbits changing sorapidly, it would be very difficult formultiple major moons to fall into astable configuration. Instead, theywould tend to collide with each otheror with their parent world.

Gas giant worlds often have exten-sive systems of satellites. A gas giant’spowerful gravity allows it to competeeffectively with its primary star. Earlyin the planet’s history, it attracts plentyof material for the formation of majormoons. Later, it captures a number ofsmall asteroids to serve as moonlets.The only gas giants that are unlikely tohave large satellite systems are thosethat have migrated deep into their pri-mary star’s gravitational influence.

One feature that is probablyunique to gas giants is the ring system.

Almost all gas giants in the outerreaches of a star system will haverings, and some of those that havemigrated inside the snow line radiuswill as well. Gas giant rings are com-posed of billions of small particles,orbiting in a flat disc close to the plan-et. The rings are largely composed ofparticles thrown off the gas giant’sinner moonlets during meteoroid col-lisions. A large number of innermoons means that more particles willfeed the ring. It also increases thechance that some of the moons will bein a position to act as shepherds, main-taining the ring particles in theirorbits through a complex gravitation-al interaction. Normally a gas giant’srings are fairly thin and wispy, butthere are exceptions – such as thespectacular ring system of Saturn inour own solar system.

Science fiction has sometimes usedthe notion of an Earthlike world witha ring system. This situation may beunlikely, but it’s not impossible. Amoonlet might spiral too close to itsparent world and shatter, or a majorimpact on a moon might scatterenough debris to form a ring. Mostsuch systems will be unstable, withthe particles falling to the planet orescaping into space within a few mil-lion years at most. The rules that fol-low won’t permit the random genera-tion of a terrestrial world with rings,but the GM may wish to place such aworld as a rare case.

Gas GiantsThe satellite systems of gas giants

are always very complex. A gas giantwill normally have up to three distinctfamilies of satellites.

The first family is a cluster ofmoonlets orbiting close to the planet.These moons orbit very close together,sometimes even sharing orbits in a“resonant” pattern that prevents theircollision. To determine the number ofmoonlets in this family, roll 2d.

Modifiers: -10 if the planet is within0.1 AU of the primary star, -8 if theplanet is between 0.1 AU and 0.5 AU ofthe primary star, -6 if the planet isbetween 0.5 AU and 0.75 AU of the pri-mary star, -3 if the planet is between0.75 AU and 1.5 AU of the primarystar.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 111

That’s no moon. It’s a space station.– Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars

The size of this first family of satel-lites will determine the level of ringsystem the planet has. If a gas giantplanet has at least 6 satellites in thisfamily, its ring system will be visiblefrom anywhere in the star system, atleast in moderately powerful tele-scopes. If there are 10 or more satel-lites in this family, the ring system willbe comparable to Saturn’s, easily visi-ble even in small telescopes from a dis-tance and spectacular from close up.

The second family of satellites is agroup of major moons. Roll 1d todetermine the number of moons inthis family.

Modifiers: Do not roll if the planet iswithin 0.1 AU of the primary star, -5 ifthe planet is between 0.1 AU and 0.5AU of the primary star, -4 if the planetis between 0.5 AU and 0.75 AU of theprimary star, -1 if the planet is between0.75 AU and 1.5 AU of the primary star.

The last family is another group ofmoonlets, captured asteroids that are often in eccentric, highly inclined,or even retrograde orbits. Roll 1d to determine the number of thesemoonlets.

Modifiers: Do not roll if the plan-et is within 0.5 AU of the primarystar, -5 if the planet is between 0.5AU and 0.75 AU of the primary star,-4 if the planet is between 0.75 AUand 1.5 AU of the primary star, -1 if

the planet is between 1.5 AU and 3AU of the primary star.

Make note of the number of satel-lites in each of the three families.

Terrestrial PlanetsRoll 1d-4 (minimum 0) to deter-

mine the number of major moonsorbiting a terrestrial planet. If theplanet has no major moons, it willhave 1d-2 (minimum 0) moonlets.

Modifiers (for both rolls): Do notroll if the planet is within 0.5 AU of theprimary star, -3 if the planet isbetween 0.5 AU and 0.75 AU of the pri-mary star, -1 if the planet is between0.75 AU and 1.5 AU of the primarystar, -2 if the planet is Tiny, -1 if it isSmall, +1 if it is Large.

Make note of the number ofmoonlets and major moons for eachterrestrial planet.

Moon Size ClassesMajor moons are worlds in their

own right, and will have a size class.Most major moons are Tiny or Smallworlds, although there will be rareexceptions. Assign a size class to eachmajor moon, or roll 3d on the MoonSize Table to determine each moon’ssize class.

A major moon’s size class dependson the size class of its parent planet.

For example, if a Standard world hasa major moon whose size class is “twosize classes smaller,” then the moon’ssize class will be Tiny. The minimumsize class for a major moon is Tiny.For the purposes of this table, a gasgiant planet is considered a Largeworld.

Moon Size TableRoll (3d) Size Class11 or less Three size classes

smaller12-14 Two size classes smaller15 or more One size class smaller

Make a note of the size class ofeach major moon in the star system.

Example: The GM checks to see ifthe two worlds he intends to developin detail have moons. For Haven theroll for major moons is 1d-7 (1d-4, and-3 because Haven is close to its pri-mary star), so it can’t have any majormoons. The roll for minor moons is1d-5; the GM rolls and gets a result of0. Haven has no moons.

For the Small world at 1.1 AU, thetwo rolls are 1d-6 and 1d-4. This worldcan’t have any major moons either, butwhen the GM rolls 1d-4 he gets aresult of 1. This world apparently hasa single moonlet, probably an objectcaptured from the nearby asteroidbelt.

112 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

GENERATING WORLD DETAILS

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 113

If the sky hadn’t been such a perfectshade of Terran blue, if the warm sun-shine hadn’t been so exactly as it is on aMay morning in Virginia, maybe wewouldn’t have been so all-fired home-sick. But they were, and we were.

The sun wasn’t Sol. We were seventylight-years from the Lincoln Memorialand the Statue of Liberty. Still, I caughtmyself wondering if the Orioles wouldfinally make it in the American Leaguethis year.

– Stephen Tall, “A Star Called Cyrene”

The broad outlines of the targetstar system are now known. The fol-lowing steps can be used to generatedetail for individual worlds.Although these rules could be used togenerate details for every planet andmoon in a star system, that isn’t theirintended use. Instead, the GMshould apply them only to thoseworlds that are likely to be of interestin his campaign.

STEP 25: WORLD TYPES

At this point, every orbit aroundeach star in the target system hasbeen filled with some object, or hasbeen specifically designated as

empty. Terrestrial worlds and majormoons are all in place, and the firstportion of each one’s world type (thesize class) is known. In this step, therest of the world type for each terres-trial planet and major moon will bedesignated.

Blackbody TemperatureFirst, the blackbody temperature

(p. 84) must be computed for eachworld. Use the following formula:

B = 278 ¥ (fourth root of L)/(squareroot of R)

Here, B is the blackbody tempera-ture in kelvins, L is the primary star’sluminosity in solar units, and R isthe average orbital radius of theworld (or of the planet of which theworld is a moon). Note that theblackbody temperature will be thesame for a planet and for all of itsmoons. Record the blackbody tem-perature for each world, rounded tothe nearest kelvin.

Designate World TypesIt’s now possible to assign a world

type to each terrestrial planet andmajor moon in the star system. Referto the following table.

In several cases, more than oneworld type is possible for a given sizeclass and blackbody temperature. Usethe following guidelines to decidewhich type to assign.

Tiny (Ice) or Tiny (Sulfur) Worlds:Tiny (Sulfur) worlds appear as majormoons of gas giant planets. Anygiven gas giant world is likely to haveno more than one Tiny (Sulfur)moon, with the rest being of othertypes. To make the assignment atrandom, roll 1d for each gas giantwith at least one moon that could beof Tiny (Sulfur) type. On a 1-3 thereis one moon of that type, almostalways the innermost of the majormoons.

Standard (Ammonia) or Standard(Ice): Worlds in this temperaturerange may or may not have abun-dant ammonia in the atmosphere.Ammonia is sensitive to ultravioletlight, and will break down chemical-ly if subjected to it over long periods.A Standard (Ammonia) world willtherefore appear only in orbitaround a cool star that emits rela-tively little ultraviolet. If this choiceis available and the primary star’smass is no greater than 0.65 solar masses, then the world will beof Standard (Ammonia) type.Otherwise it will be of Standard (Ice)type.

World Type Assignment TableSize Class Blackbody Temperature Complete World TypeTiny 140 K or lower Tiny (Ice) or Tiny (Sulfur)Tiny 141 K or higher Tiny (Rock)Small 80 K or lower Small (Hadean)Small 81-140 K Small (Ice)Small 141 K or higher Small (Rock)Standard 80 K or lower Standard (Hadean)Standard 81-150 K Standard (Ice)Standard 151-230 K Standard (Ammonia) or Standard (Ice)Standard 231-240 K Standard (Ice)Standard 241-320 K Standard (Garden) or Standard (Ocean)Standard 321-500 K Standard (Greenhouse)Standard 501 K or higher Standard (Chthonian)Large 150 K or lower Large (Ice)Large 151-230 K Large (Ammonia) or Large (Ice)Large 231-240 K Large (Ice)Large 241-320 K Large (Garden) or Large (Ocean)Large 321-500 K Large (Greenhouse)Large 501 K or higher Large (Chthonian)

Standard (Garden) or Standard(Ocean): Worlds in this temperaturerange may or may not have abundantfree oxygen in the atmosphere. Freeoxygen must be maintained in theatmosphere by photosynthetic life,which takes time to evolve even on aworld that is hospitable for it. AStandard (Garden) world is veryunlikely to be less than a billion yearsold, and will normally be at least 3.5billion years old. To make the assign-ment at random, roll 3d and add 1 forevery full 500 million years of the starsystem’s age (to a maximum of +10).On an 18 or more the world is aStandard (Garden) world. Otherwiseit is a Standard (Ocean) world.

Large (Ammonia) or Large (Ice): Aswith a Standard world for which thischoice is possible, the presence ofammonia in the atmosphere dependson the amount of ultraviolet lightemitted by the primary star. If the pri-mary star’s mass is no greater than0.65 solar masses, then the world willbe of Large (Ammonia) type.Otherwise it will be of Large (Ice) type.

Large (Garden) or Large (Ocean): Aswith a Standard world for which thischoice is possible, the presence of freeoxygen in the atmosphere depends onthe evolution of photosynthetic life.Such evolution is significantly lesslikely on a Large world. To make theassignment at random, roll 3d andadd 1 for every full 500 million yearsof the star system’s age (to a maximumof +5). On an 18 or more the world isa Large (Garden) world. Otherwise itis a Large (Ocean) world.

Example: Haven itself is alreadyknown to be a Standard (Garden)world. The world in the next orbit out-ward is already known to be of theSmall size class. It has a blackbodytemperature of 278 ¥ (fourth root of0.58)/(square root of 1.1) = 231 kelvins.This means that the world must be ofthe Small (Rock) type.

The GM thinks about this secondworld. Clearly it’s a Mars-like planet:small, dry, nearly airless, and proba-bly very cold. The GM decides tomake it more interesting by assumingthat some long-lost civilization oncesettled there, leaving behind ruins,odd works of art, and mysterioustechnological artifacts. The rebels ofHaven are slowly investigating these

ruins, looking for items that mightgive them an edge in any battleagainst the Galactic Empire. The GMnames this planet Carson’s World,after the rebel scientist who firstexplored it.

STEP 26:ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere of each terrestrialplanet and major moon can be deter-mined from its world type, as in Step3. Refer to the procedures beginningon p. 78 and apply them for eachworld of interest in the target star system.

Example: Haven’s atmosphere isalready known. Carson’s World is ofthe Small (Rock) type. It will have anegligible atmosphere, so the GMdoesn’t bother to generate its atmos-pheric mass or set its composition.

STEP 27:HYDROGRAPHICS

The hydrographic coverage foreach world can be determined from itsworld type, as in Step 4. Refer to theprocedures beginning on p. 81 andapply them for each world of interestin the target star system.

Example: Haven’s hydrographiccoverage is already known. SinceCarson’s World is of the Small (Rock)type, it automatically has 0% hydro-graphic coverage. The GM assumesthat it has significant deposits of sub-surface ice, which once supported thealien colony and are now used by therebels.

STEP 28:CLIMATE

At this point, the procedure in Step5 should be reversed for every world ofinterest. Instead of computing eachworld’s blackbody temperature basedon a known average surface tempera-ture, the GM computes an averagesurface temperature based on theblackbody temperature computed inStep 25.

For each world, compute the black-body correction using the procedureunder Step 5 (p. 83). To determine theaverage surface temperature of aworld, multiply its blackbody temper-ature by the blackbody correction.Make a note of the average surfacetemperature for each world of inter-est, along with the climate type fromthe World Climate Table (p. 83).

Example: Haven’s climate data arealready known. Carson’s World has ablackbody temperature of 231 kelvins,determined in Step 25. As a Small(Rock) world, it has an absorption fac-tor of 0.96, and this is equal to itsblackbody correction. The averagesurface temperature on the planet is231 ¥ 0.96 = 222 kelvins (about -60ºFahrenheit). Its climate type isFrozen.

STEP 29: WORLD SIZES

As in Step 6, the density, diameter,mass, and surface gravity of eachworld can now be determined. Thesequantities can also be determined foreach gas giant planet.

114 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Terrestrial Planets and Major Moons

Determining the size parametersfor terrestrial planets and majormoons follows the same procedure asin Chapter 4. First determine the den-sity of each world, then its diameterand surface gravity (in either order, asconvenient), and then its mass andexact atmospheric pressure.

Gas GiantsGas giant worlds vary in composi-

tion much less than smaller worlds do,and so a gas giant’s mass and densityare closely related. Small gas giantsare composed primarily of ices.Larger gas giants are dominated byhydrogen and helium, which com-presses under gravity. In the cores ofvery large gas giants, the hydrogen iscompressed into an exotic “degener-ate” state, far more dense and com-pact than any normal matter. A verylarge gas giant can actually be denserthan a terrestrial world, its averagedensity higher than that of solid iron.

A Small gas giant is between 10and 80 Earth-masses, a Medium gasgiant between 100 and 500 Earth-masses, and a Large gas giant between600 and 4,000 Earth-masses. A largerworld actually ignites nuclear fusionin its core for at least a brief period,and becomes a brown dwarf (p. 128).

Select a mass for each gas giant inthe target star system, or roll 3d on thefollowing table. When using the dice,it would be reasonable to vary themass of the gas giant in either direc-tion, up to halfway to the next entry.To determine the density of the gasgiant, read the entry from the table – ifthe gas giant’s mass is between twoentries, interpolate the density as well.It would be reasonable to vary the

density slightly (say, by up to 10%)from that given in the table.

Make a note of the mass and densi-ty of each gas giant. To determine thediameter of the gas giant, use the fol-lowing formula:

D = cube root of (M/K)

Here, D is the diameter of theworld in Earth diameters (multiply by7,930 to get the diameter in miles). Mis the mass of the planet in Earthmasses, and K is the planet’s density inunits of Earth’s density.

A gas giant has no solid surface. Todetermine its gravity at the planet’scloud tops, use the formula for surfacegravity on p. 86.

Example: Haven’s size data arealready known. For Carson’s World,the GM rolls 3d on the World DensityTable, using the Small Iron Core col-umn, and gets an 11 (density of 0.8).The minimum and maximum diame-ters for Carson’s World are 0.41 and0.51 Earth diameters. The GM arbi-trarily chooses a diameter of 0.50Earth diameters (about 3,970 miles).Local surface gravity is 0.8 ¥ 0.5 = 0.4Gs, and the planet’s mass is 0.8 ¥(0.5)3 = 0.1 Earth masses. Carson’sWorld automatically has a Traceatmosphere, since it’s a Small (Rock)world.

STEP 30:DYNAMICPARAMETERS

In this step, several parameters ofthe target star system can be generat-ed: the orbital period of any compan-ion stars, the orbital period of eachplanet, the orbital period of eachmoon, the rotation period of each

planet, and several other features ofeach world’s movement throughspace.

Stellar Orbital PeriodIf the star system includes more

than one star, the orbital period of anygiven pair of stars can be computed asfollows:

P = square root of (R3/M)

Here, P is the orbital period inyears, R is the average orbital radiusof the companion around its primary,and M is the sum of the masses of thetwo stars (in solar masses). Multiply Pby 365.26 to get the period in days.

In trinary or larger star systems,orbital periods can sometimes becomputed by treating several stars asone. For example, suppose a trinarystar system involves an A-componentand B-component orbiting one anoth-er at moderate separation, with asmaller C-component orbiting at amuch greater distance. Then theorbital period of A and B can be com-puted using the above formula andignoring C, after which the orbitalperiod of C around the A-B system canbe computed by treating the masses ofA and B as that of a single star.

Planetary Orbital PeriodThe orbit of any planet around its

primary star can be computed usingthe same formula as for stellar orbits:

P = square root of (R3/M)

Here, P is the orbital period inyears, R is the orbital radius of theplanet, and M is the mass of the plan-et’s primary star in solar units.Multiply P by 365.26 to get the periodin days.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 115

Gas Giant Size TableSmall Gas Giant Medium Gas Giant Large Gas Giant

Roll (3d) Mass Density Mass Density Mass Density8 or less 10 0.42 100 0.18 600 0.319-10 15 0.26 150 0.19 800 0.3511 20 0.22 200 0.20 1,000 0.412 30 0.19 250 0.22 1,500 0.613 40 0.17 300 0.24 2,000 0.814 50 0.17 350 0.25 2,500 1.015 60 0.17 400 0.26 3,000 1.216 70 0.17 450 0.27 3,500 1.417 or more 80 0.17 500 0.29 4,000 1.6

Note that this formula assumesthat the mass of the planet itself isnegligible – usually a good assump-tion, unless the star is very light (anM5 V or lower) and the planet is verymassive (a Large gas giant of 2,000Earth-masses or more). If greateraccuracy is desired, add the mass ofthe planet into M; a planet’s mass insolar units is equal to 0.000003 timesits mass in Earth-masses.

Planetary OrbitalEccentricity

A planet’s orbit around its primarystar can be eccentric, just as a com-panion star’s orbit can be. For eachplanet, choose an eccentricity for itsorbit, or roll 3d on the PlanetaryOrbital Eccentricity Table.

Modifiers: +4 if the star has theEccentric Gas Giant arrangement andthe world is a gas giant inside thesnow line radius; -6 if the star has theEpistellar Gas Giant arrangement andthe planet is a gas giant in the epistel-lar position; -6 if the star has theConventional Gas Giant arrangement.When using the dice, feel free to mod-ify the result by up to half of the dis-tance to an adjacent entry on the table.

Planetary OrbitalEccentricity Table

Roll (3d) Eccentricity3 or less 04-6 0.057-9 0.110-11 0.1512 0.213 0.314 0.415 0.516 0.617 0.718 or higher 0.8

For each planet, compute andrecord the minimum separation andthe maximum separation between theplanet and its primary:

MIN = (1 - E) ¥ RMAX = (1 + E) ¥ R

Here, MIN is the minimum separa-tion in AU, MAX is the maximum sep-aration in AU, E is the eccentricity ofthe planet’s orbit, and R is the planet’sorbital radius in AU.

Satellite Orbital RadiusBefore the orbital period of a satel-

lite can be computed, the radius of itsorbit around its planet must be deter-mined. This radius depends on thesatellite’s origins and its planet’s type.

Gas Giants: Recall that a gas gianthas three families of satellites. Thefirst family is a set of moonlets orbit-ing close in, the second is a set ofmajor moons orbiting at medium sep-aration, and the third is a set of moon-lets orbiting at large distances.

The first family of moonlets orbitsat distances between 1 and 2.5 timesthe planet’s own diameter. In mostcases, specific orbital information forthese moonlets won’t be required. Ifthe orbital radius for one of thesemoonlets is needed in play, select aradius, or roll 1d+4, divide by 4(retaining any fraction), and multiplythe result by the planet’s diameter.

The second family of major moonsorbits at distances between 3 and 15times the planet’s own diameter. Selecta radius for each moon as needed. To

generate a radius at random: roll3d+3, and if the result is 15 or moreadd another roll of 2d. Divide the finaltotal by 2 (retaining any fraction) andmultiply the result by the planet’sdiameter. If any two of the majormoons orbit within one planetarydiameter of each other, re-roll orassign new orbits to both.

The third family of moonletsbegins at 20 planetary diameters andcan extend out to several hundreddiameters. If the orbital radius for oneof these moonlets is needed in play,simply select a radius as needed.

Terrestrial Planets: A terrestrialplanet will occasionally have a majormoon (and, in very rare cases, morethan one). If there are no majormoons, it may have one or moremoonlets.

Major moons will usually be foundbetween 5 and 40 planetary diameters.The larger the moon is in relation toits planet, the wider its orbit will bedue to tidal effects. Select an orbitalradius as needed. To generate an orbitat random, roll 2d.

116 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Modifiers: +2 if the moon is twosize classes smaller than its planet, +4if the moon is one size class smallerthan its planet. Multiply the result by2.5, and then multiply by the planet’sdiameter. If two major moons orbitwithin 5 planetary diameters of eachother, re-roll or assign new orbits toboth.

Moonlets will orbit close in, at dis-tances between 1 and 5 times the plan-et’s own diameter. If the orbital radiusfor one of these moonlets is needed inplay, select a radius as needed. To gen-erate a radius at random: roll 1d+4,divide by 4 (retaining any fraction),and multiply the result by the planet’sdiameter.

Satellite Orbital PeriodThe orbit of any satellite around its

planet can be computed using almostthe same formula as for stellar orbits:

P = 0.0588 ¥ square root of (R3/M)

Here, P is the orbital period indays, R is the orbital radius of thesatellite around its planet in Earthdiameters, and M is the sum of themasses of planet and satellite in Earthmasses. If the satellite is very smallcompared to its planet, its mass can beignored.

Tidal BrakingA planet orbiting its primary star

will not experience that star’s gravityuniformly. The star will exert moregravitational force on the near side ofthe planet than on the far side. Since aplanet is not a perfectly rigid body, itwill respond by deforming slightly,forming a pair of “tidal bulges” point-ing toward and away from the star.However, if the planet rotates withrespect to its primary star, the star-ward bulge will be offset slightly froma line pointing directly toward it. Thestar’s gravity tends to pull on thisbulge, exerting torque on the planet’sbody and slowing its rotation.

This tidal braking also works whena planet has a major moon; the moon’sgravity creates tidal bulges and slowsthe planet’s rotation by pulling backon the nearest bulge. Likewise, a plan-et exerts tidal forces on its moons,slowing their own rotation. As a result,

most major moons are tide-locked totheir planets – they rotate exactly onceper orbital period, so that they alwayspresent the same face to the planet.Some planets orbiting close to theirprimary stars are tide-locked to thestar, causing them to have a day facein permanent light and a night face inpermanent darkness.

To estimate the level of tidal forcebeing exerted on a planet by each of itsmoons, use the following:

T = (17.8 million ¥ M ¥ D)/R3

Here, T is a measure of the tidalforce on the planet, in terms of thetidal force exerted by Earth’s Moonupon the Earth. T = 1 indicates anocean tide averaging about 2 feet athigh tide in deep ocean, although theexact amplitude of tides will verywidely depending on the local geogra-phy. M is the mass of the satellite inEarth masses. D is the diameter of theplanet in Earth diameters, and R is theradius of the satellite’s orbit in Earthdiameters.

The same formula can be used toestimate the level of tidal force exertedon a moon by its planet. In this case,use M for the mass of the planet inEarth masses, and D for the diameterof the moon in Earth diameters.

To estimate the tidal force exertedby the primary star on a planet, use avery similar formula:

T = (0.46 ¥ M ¥ D)/R3

Here, T is the same measure of thetidal force on the planet. M is the massof the star in solar units. D is thediameter of the planet in Earth diam-eters, and R is the radius of the plan-et’s orbit in AUs.

An important factor is the totaltidal effect on a world:

E = (T ¥ A)/M

Here, E is the total tidal effect. Ifthe world is a planet, then T is the sumof all the tidal forces exerted by itsmajor moons and its primary star. Ifthe world is a satellite, then T is thetidal force exerted only by its primaryplanet. A is the age of the star systemin billions of years, and M is the massof the world in Earth masses. Roundthe total tidal effect to the nearestwhole number, and make a note of itfor later computations.

Rotation PeriodIn general, more massive worlds

rotate more quickly, but this is mod-ified by many factors and candepend on sheer accident during theformation of the star system. Tidalbraking also has a powerful effect onthe rotation of planets and moons.

If the total tidal effect (computedabove) on a world is 50 or higher,then the world is tide-locked; itsrotation period is equal to its orbitalperiod. If it is a planet, it is tide-locked to its innermost major moonif it has one, or to its primary starotherwise (in the latter case, see Tide-Locked Worlds, p. 125). If it is a satel-lite, then it is tide-locked to its pri-mary planet.

If the world is not tide-locked,then its rotation period can varywidely. Select a rotation period, orroll 3d, add the total tidal effect onthe world, and add the appropriatemodifier from the Rotation PeriodTable.

Rotation Period TableWorld Size Class ModifierLarge Gas Giant +0Medium Gas Giant +0Small Gas Giant +6Large Terrestrial World +6Standard Terrestrial World +10Small Terrestrial World +14Tiny Terrestrial World +18

The result is an initial value for theworld’s rotation period in standardhours (divide by 24 to get the period instandard days).

If the result is greater than 36hours or the initial 3d roll was a natu-ral 16 or greater, the planet or satellitewill have unusually slow rotation. Inthis case, roll 2d on the SpecialRotation Table, and use that resultinstead.

Special Rotation TableRoll (2d) Rotation Period6 or less Use initial value for

period7 1d ¥ 2 standard days8 1d ¥ 5 standard days9 1d ¥ 10 standard days10 1d ¥ 20 standard days11 1d ¥ 50 standard days12 1d ¥ 100 standard days

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 117

If the rotation period yieldedabove is longer than the period aworld would have if tide-locked, thenit will be tide-locked. Any rotationperiod derived from the tables can betreated as approximate, and varied bypart of an hour, several hours, or sev-eral days as appropriate. Rotationperiods can also be recorded withprecision down to the minute or sec-ond, although this is useful mostlyfor local color.

The rotation period generated hereis the sidereal period, the time it takesthe world to complete one rotationwith respect to a distant fixed point.The apparent length of the local daymay be different.

In most cases, a planet or satellitewill rotate in the same direction as itsorbital motion. Some worlds have theopposite tendency, rotating in thedirection opposing their orbitalmotion. Such retrograde rotation ismore common than one might expect– in our own solar system, two out ofthe eight major planets exhibit retro-grade rotation. Assign retrograde rota-tion as needed, or roll 3d for eachworld. A planet will have retrograderotation on a 13 or more, and a satel-lite will have it on a 17 or more.

Local CalendarAt this point, the GM can deter-

mine the length of various celestialcycles from the point of view of an observer on a world’s surface. Oneformula can be used for all of thesecomputations:

A = (S ¥ R)/(S - R)

A is the apparent length of thecycle in question, S is the siderealperiod of the cycle, and R is the rota-tion period of the world. All of thesemust be in the same units, usuallyhours or standard days. If the worldrotates retrograde, R is negative. If Sand R are equal, then the formulagives an undefined result – in thiscase, assume that the apparent lengthof the cycle is infinite, or that there isno apparent motion.

On a planet, the day length (thetime between sunrises) is computedby setting S equal to the planet’sorbital period and R to the planet’srotation period. If the orbital period ismuch longer than the rotation period,

then the day length will be very closeto the rotation period. If day length isnegative, as often happens if the plan-et is in retrograde rotation, the pri-mary star will appear to rise in thewest and set in the east.

On a satellite, the day length iscomputed by setting S equal to the par-ent planet’s orbital period. Otherwisethe computation is the same.

The apparent length of a moon’sorbital cycle, as seen from the surfaceof the parent world, is found by settingS to the moon’s orbital period and R tothe planet’s rotation period. If thelength of the cycle is negative, as oftenhappens for very close-in moons, themoon will rise in the west and set inthe east. A close-in moon may orbitclose to the planet’s geosynchronousdistance, in which case the moon willspend long periods in the sky as seenfrom any given location, keeping pacewith the planet’s surface.

Axial TiltThe angle between a planet’s rota-

tion axis and a vector perpendicular toa star’s ecliptic plane is called the axialtilt of the planet. The major planets ofour own solar system have a wide vari-ety of axial tilt values, and there seemsto be no correlation to their otherproperties. An arbitrary selectionwould be appropriate.

To generate a random axial tilt, roll3d on the Axial Tilt Table. If necessary,roll 1d on the extended table. In anycase, roll 2d as indicated and recordthe end result.

Axial Tilt TableRoll (3d) Axial Tilt3-6 0 + (2d-2) degrees7-9 10 + (2d-2) degrees10-12 20 + (2d-2) degrees13-14 30 + (2d-2) degrees15-16 40 + (2d-2) degrees17-18 Roll on extended table

Roll (1d) Axial Tilt1-2 50 + (2d-2) degrees3-4 60 + (2d-2) degrees5 70 + (2d-2) degrees6 80 + (2d-2) degrees

Example: At this step, the GMdetermines the dynamic parametersfor several parts of the Haven star system.

The two stars orbit one another insquare root of [3503/(0.9 + 0.2)] =6,200 years. The GM decides that thetwo stars are currently close to theirminimum separation, making it con-venient in case his players decide toexplore the red dwarf’s planets.

Haven orbits its primary star insquare root of (0.683/0.90) = 0.591years, or about 215.9 days. Carson’sWorld orbits the primary in squareroot of (1.13/0.90) = 1.22 years, orabout 444.2 days. The GM rolls 3d-6on the Planetary Orbital EccentricityTable for both Haven and Carson’sWorld, and gets negligible eccentricityfor both worlds’ orbits.

Haven has no moon. To see whereCarson’s World single moonlet orbits,the GM rolls 1d+4 for a 5. Dividing by4 and multiplying by the planet’sdiameter, he finds that the moonletorbits at a radius of 0.63 Earth diame-ters (about 4,960 miles) from the cen-ter of the planet. The moonlet’s orbitalperiod is 0.0588 ¥ square root of(0.633/0.1) = 0.093 days. The moonletorbits very quickly, completing a cir-cuit in a little over 2 hours!

The GM then begins to estimatethe tidal effects on the two worlds.Neither world has a major moon, soall of the tidal effect on each will comefrom the primary star. On Haven, thestar exerts a tidal force of (0.46 ¥ 0.90¥ 1.05)/(0.68)3 = 1.38. The total tidaleffect on Haven is (1.38 ¥ 3.2)/1.27 =3.48, rounded to 3. On Carson’s World,the star exerts a tidal force of (0.46 ¥0.90 ¥ 0.50)/(1.1)3 = 0.16. The totaltidal effect on Carson’s World is (0.16¥ 3.2)/0.1 = 5.12, rounded to 5.

Since neither world has a very hightidal effect, the GM rolls on theRotation Period Table for each. ForHaven, the roll is 3d+13 (+3 for totaltidal effect, +10 for being a Standard-size world), and the GM gets a resultof 23. Haven rotates in about 23hours. For Carson’s World, the roll is3d+19, and the result is 29 hours. TheGM may vary these periods slightlylater, but for now he simply recordsboth results for use during adventures.

Since the orbital period is muchlonger than the rotation period forboth worlds, the GM doesn’t bother tocompute the exact day length foreither. The rotation periods are closeenough. The apparent length of theorbital cycle for the moonlet of

118 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Carson’s World is about (2.2 ¥ 29)/(2.2- 29) = -2.4 hours. The moonletappears rise in the west and set in theeast, passing through the sky againstthe movement of the sun and stars,and makes a complete cycle in about2.4 hours.

The last item is the axial tilt foreach of the two worlds. The GM rollson the Axial Tilt Table for each, gettinga roll of 9 for Haven and a roll of 13 forCarson’s World. For Haven, the roll of2d-2 yields a 1, so Haven’s axial tilt isonly 11º. Haven probably has a verygentle seasonal cycle (especially sinceits vast oceans will work to smoothout regional temperature variations).For Carson’s World, the roll of 2d-2yields an 8, so the axial tilt of Carson’sWorld is 38º. Carson’s World probablyhas a strong seasonal cycle, causingvast annual sandstorms and large fluc-tuations in the size of its polar icecaps.

STEP 31:GEOLOGICACTIVITY

A world’s level of geologic activitycan affect its resource richness, as wellas its habitability. This step deter-mines how volcanically active theworld is, as well as whether it has anactive system of plate tectonics.

Volcanic ActivityVolcanism has a profound effect on

a world’s surface environment. Aworld with too much volcanism canbe a very dangerous place. On theother hand, a world with too little vol-canism can be inhospitable as well.Volcanoes concentrate certain traceelements in the upper crust: sub-stances like potassium that are criticalfor biological processes, along withuseful minerals like thorium or urani-um. Without active volcanism, thesesubstances will never arrive on theworld’s surface – or they will tend to belost to erosion over time, winding upon the ocean bottoms. A world with-out volcanoes is a world with criticalresource deficiencies!

Select a level of volcanic activityfrom the options below. To generate alevel of volcanic activity at random,roll 3d on the Volcanic Activity Table.

Modifiers: Divide the world’s sur-face gravity (in Gs) by its age (in bil-lions of years). Multiply the result by40, round to the nearest whole num-ber, and add the final result to the diceroll. +5 if the world is a terrestrialplanet with one major moon, +10 if itis a terrestrial planet with more thanone major moon; +60 if the world is ofTiny (Sulfur) type; +5 if the world is agas giant’s major moon of some othertype.

Volcanic Activity TableRoll (3d) Activity Level16 or less None17-20 Light21-26 Moderate27-70 Heavy71 or higher Extreme

None: The world is geologicallydead. The core may be a solid mass,with no semi-liquid or liquid layer.Trace elements that would normally

be brought to the surface by volcanicactivity will be virtually absent. Newvolcanoes never appear, but there maybe extinct volcanoes remaining fromthe world’s early history. Examples inour own solar system includeMercury, Mars, and the Moon.

Light: The world is quiet, but thecore is still hot and there are a fewareas of active volcanism. New volca-noes appear on a time-scale of many thousands or even millions ofyears. Trace elements that wouldnormally be brought to the surfaceby volcanic activity will be present,but uncommon.

Moderate: There are many regionsof active volcanism, but volcanoestend to be separate, and most volca-noes are only occasionally active. Newvolcanoes appear on a time-scale ofdecades or centuries. There is plentyof volcanic “recycling” of trace ele-ments in the environment. Examplesin our own solar system includeEarth.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 119

Heavy: Volcanism is very commonacross the world’s surface. There maybe regions where individual volcanoescluster and merge, permitting magmato well up through great wounds inthe crust. New volcanoes appear everyfew years. There is plenty of volcanic“recycling” of trace elements in theenvironment.

Extreme: The world’s surface isdominated by volcanism. The planet’ssurface is generally unstable, and newvolcanic eruptions can take placealmost anywhere and at any time. Theatmosphere is very unlikely to bebreathable, even if it would otherwisehave the proper composition. There isplenty of volcanic “recycling” of traceelements in the environment.Examples in our own solar systeminclude Jupiter’s moon Io.

If a Standard (Garden) or Large(Garden) world has Heavy or Extremevolcanism, this may render its atmos-phere Marginal (p. 80). In this case,the most likely contaminants for theatmosphere are sulfur compounds orpollutants. Set the atmosphere toMarginal as needed. To test this possi-bility at random, roll 3d; if the roll isan 8 or less (for Heavy volcanism) or a

14 or less (for Extreme volcanism), theatmosphere is Marginal regardless ofany results obtained earlier.

Tectonic ActivityAny world with a solid surface is

likely to experience some level of tec-tonic activity, the movement anddeformation of crustal plates over mil-lions of years. High tectonic activitycauses earthquakes, but it also makesa planet more likely to be habitable.Tectonic activity causes mountain-building, which helps ensure that ero-sion doesn’t wear all of a planet’s land-forms down to nothing. As crustalplates move, some plates slide underothers into the mantle, recyclingcrustal materials. The movement ofcrustal plates also helps prevent theformation of massive “shield” volca-noes, which can have a serious effecton planetary climate.

A Tiny or Small world never hassignificant tectonic activity. For otherworlds, select a level of tectonic activi-ty from the options below. To generatea level of tectonic activity at random,roll 3d on the Tectonic Activity Table.

Modifiers: Do not roll for a Tiny orSmall world; the world has no tecton-ic activity. -8 if the world has no vol-canic activity, -4 if it has Light volcanicactivity, +4 if it has Heavy volcanicactivity, +8 if it has Extreme volcanicactivity; -4 if the world has no liquid-water oceans, -2 if its hydrographiccoverage is less than 50%; +2 if theworld is a terrestrial planet with onemajor moon, +4 if it is a terrestrialplanet with more than one majormoon.

Tectonic Activity TableRoll (3d) Activity Level6 or less None7-10 Light11-14 Moderate15-18 Heavy19 or higher Extreme

None: The world is tectonicallydead. The world’s crust is very thickand immobile, not divided into anydistinct plates. Crustal quakes areweak and extremely rare. If there is (orhas been) any volcanic activity on theworld, it has formed massive shieldvolcanoes, like Earth’s Mauna Loa or

120 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Mars’ Olympus Mons. There is nomountain-building on the world. Anymountains are accidental geologic fea-tures, and will quickly be worn downby erosion if there is a significantatmosphere.

Light: The world’s crust may bedivided by fault lines into a few plates,which move past each other withsome limitations. Crustal quakes arepowerful but not common, and aregenerally restricted to plate bound-aries. If there is any volcanic activity,shield volcanoes are common, butthere are a few “chains” of smaller vol-canoes along plate boundaries.Mountain-building is infrequent, butthere is likely to be at least a few oldmountain chains, which are well-weathered if there is significantatmosphere.

Moderate: The world’s crust isdivided into a number of plates, whichmove freely around and past eachother. Crustal quakes can be very pow-erful, are quite common near plateboundaries, and can even occur inmid-plate regions. Shield volcanoesare uncommon, and most volcanoesare small ones of the “chain” or “arc”type. Mountain-building occurs incycles, and there are likely to be anumber of young, high mountainranges.

Heavy: The world’s crust is dividedinto many plates. Crustal quakes canbe very powerful and can be experi-enced almost anywhere on the world.Almost all volcanoes are small ones ofthe “chain” or “arc” type. Mountain-building is almost constant, and mostof the world’s mountain ranges arelikely to be young and high.

Extreme: The world’s crust is frag-mented and unstable. Crustal quakesare powerful, and can be experiencedanywhere on the world at any time.Landforms are likely to be highlychaotic, including a large number ofvery young, high mountains.

Example: At this point, the GMdetermines the levels of geologicalactivity for both Haven and Carson’sWorld.

Haven has surface gravity of 1.15and an age of 3.2 billion years. Themodifier for the roll on the VolcanicActivity Table is (1.15/3.2) ¥ 40 = 14.4,rounded to 14. The roll of 3d+14 yieldsa total of 24, indicating Moderate vol-canic activity comparable to that of

Earth. The roll on the Tectonic ActivityTable is 3d with no modifiers, for aresult of 11, indicating Moderate tec-tonic activity as well.

Carson’s World has surface gravityof 0.40 and an age of 3.2 billion years.The modifier for the roll on theVolcanic Activity Table is (0.40/3.2) ¥ 40= 5 exactly. The roll of 3d+5 yields atotal of 14, indicating no volcanicactivity. Meanwhile, since Carson’sWorld is Small, it automatically hasno tectonic activity.

STEP 32:RESOURCES ANDHABITABILITY

The Resource Value Modifier, hab-itability score, and affinity score foreach world can be determined from itsworld type, as in Step 7 (p. 87). Referto the procedures in Chapter 4 andapply them for each world of interestin the target star system.

A world’s level of geologic activityaffects both its Resource ValueModifier and its habitability score.When rolling for the RVM of a terres-trial planet, modify the 3d roll forRVM by -2 for no volcanism, -1 forLight volcanism, +1 for Heavy volcan-ism, and +2 for Extreme volcanism.Tectonic activity does not affect aworld’s RVM. A world’s habitabilityshould be modified by -1 for Heavyvolcanism or Heavy tectonic activity,and by -2 for Extreme volcanism orExtreme tectonic activity, to a mini-mum of -2. Apply both modifiers ifboth forms of activity are present.

Example: Haven’s RVM, habitabili-ty, and affinity scores are all known.For Carson’s World, the GM rolls 3d-2(-2 for its lack of volcanic activity) onthe Resource Value Table, getting a 13.Carson’s World has Average resourcesand an RVM of 0. Its habitability is 0,and its total affinity score is 0.

STEP 33:SETTLEMENTTYPE

This book assumes that one world– the main world – in each star systemwill be settled first, and that any latersettlements in the star system will be

secondary colonies established fromthe first one. The procedure for deter-mining the population of these sec-ondary settlements depends onwhether a pre-designed world is in thestar system or not.

Selecting the Main World

If there is no pre-designed world,begin by selecting the main world ofthe star system. In almost all cases, theworld with the highest affinity scorewill be the main world of the system.If there is a tie for the highest affinityscore, choose one of the tied worlds asneeded, or select one at random. If noworld in the star system has an affini-ty score greater than 0, then any worldcan be selected as the main world.

If the star system includes a pre-designed world, that world can usual-ly be assumed to be the main world ofthe system. The most common excep-tion is when the pre-designed worldturns out not to have the highest affin-ity in the star system. In this case, theGM has a choice. He can alter the starsystem’s design so that the highest-affinity world is the main world andhas the highest population; this maymean removing or reducing any popu-lation on the pre-designed world if itturns out to break the rules for sec-ondary settlements. Alternatively, theGM can come up with a reason whythe world that appears most attractivewas not the one most heavily settled.

If the main world was not pre-designed, its settlement type can be setusing the guidelines in Step 8. Refer tothe procedures beginning on p. 89 andapply them to the main world. Themain world’s other social parameterswill also need to be generated beforethe population of any secondaryworlds can be determined – proceedwith Steps 34 through 39 for the mainworld before returning to this step forthe secondary worlds.

Settlement Types forSecondary Worlds

A secondary world will only be set-tled if the main world has the spaceinfrastructure to support colonizationand the secondary world is somehowattractive to settlement.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 121

Space infrastructure is a functionof a world’s available technology, itspopulation, and its economic invest-ment in space industries. If the mainworld is settled only by an outpost (p.90), or the main world’s population isless than 1 million, then no otherworld in the star system will be settled.If the main world is a home world orcolony with at least 1 million people,other worlds may be settled if the localtechnology can support the effort.Refer to the following table.

Here, the distances refer to the dis-tance between the two worlds at thepoint of closest approach in theirorbits. For example, two planets willcome within 1 AU of each other atsome point, if their respective orbitalradii are no more different than that.At the same time, any satellites ofeither world will also come within 1AU of each other. If the star systemincludes more than one star, and theminimum separation between the twostars is 10 AU or less, then worldsorbiting one star will come within 10AU of worlds orbiting the other atsome point. If a secondary world iswithin the proper distance of the mainworld, then a settlement may havebeen established there.

If the affinity score of a secondaryworld is greater than 0, a secondarycolony will automatically be established.

If the affinity score of a secondaryworld is 0 or less, then a secondaryoutpost may be established. Refer tothe following table, and roll 3d foreach such world that is within theproper distance of the main world.

Modifiers: Add the Habitabilityscore for the world. If the 3d roll isgreater than or equal to the targetnumber for the main world’s TL, thenan outpost will be placed there.

You may wish to override the ran-dom placement of secondary outposts

in some cases. For example, it wouldbe unusual for a spacefaring civiliza-tion to place outposts on distant plan-ets, but none on the moons of itshome world.

Example: Haven’s settlement type isalready known; its affinity score of 7 isalmost certainly the highest in the starsystem, so it can safely be treated asthe main world. Rather than roll dice,the GM decides that there is an out-post on Carson’s World, populated byscientists and prospectors studyingthe planet’s prior inhabitants.

STEP 34:TECHNOLOGYLEVEL

The TL of the main world can bedetermined as in Step 9. Refer to theprocedures beginning on p. 90 andapply them to the main world of thestar system.

Secondary settlements are unlikelyto have a TL higher than that of themain world, and may be one or twoTL behind the main world if they arenot yet self-sufficient. Assign TL tosecondary settlements as needed. Togenerate these TLs randomly, roll onthe Tech Level Table (p. 91) for eachsecondary settlement, applying all theappropriate modifiers. For a second-ary settlement, define the “Standard”TL as that of the main world, not ofthe setting as a whole.

Example: Haven’s TL is alreadyknown. For Carson’s World, the GM

rolls 3d+3 on the Tech Level Table (+3since the settlement is an outpost)and gets a 9. The result is Standard(Delayed). Since Haven is at TL10,the GM places Carson’s World at TL10 also, but notes that localindustries are (like those of the mainworld) not quite up to galactic stan-dards.

STEP 35:POPULATION

The population of the main worldcan be determined as in Step 10. Referto the procedures beginning on p. 91and apply them to the main world ofthe star system.

For each inhabited secondaryworld, begin by computing the world’scarrying capacity and then use the fol-lowing procedures to set the world’spopulation. As for the main world, asecondary colony or outpost’s popula-tion will not generally exceed its carry-ing capacity.

Secondary ColoniesTo set the population of a second-

ary colony at random, refer to theColony Population Table on p. 92.Find the total dice roll that corre-sponds most closely to the popula-tion of the main world. Subtract themodifier for the main world’s affinityscore, and then add the modifier forthe secondary world’s affinity score.Then subtract another 3d roll. Thefinal result gives a new entry on theColony Population Table, which willgive the population for the secondarycolony.

Secondary OutpostsThe population of a secondary out-

post can be determined using thesame procedures as in Chapter 4,probably by a roll on the OutpostPopulation Table (p. 93).

122 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Colonial Requirements TableMain World TL Distance of Secondary ColoniesTL6 or less NoneTL7 Any world within 0.1 AUTL8 Any world within 1 AUTL9 Any world within 10 AUTL10 or higher Any world within same star system

Secondary Outpost Placement TableMain World TL Target NumberTL6 or lower Do not rollTL7 5 or lowerTL8 6 or lowerTL9 7 or lowerTL10 or higher 9 or lower

Example: Haven’s population isalready known. Carson’s World has atotal carrying capacity of 20 million¥ 1 ¥ 0.52 = 5 million. To generate thepopulation for Carson’s World, theGM rolls 3d on the OutpostPopulation Table and gets a 12, indi-cating a population of about 6,000(PR 3).

STEP 36:SOCIETY TYPE

The society type of the main worldcan be determined as in Step 11. Referto the procedures beginning on p. 93and apply them to the main world ofthe star system.

Secondary settlements are verylikely to be colonies of the main world.In most cases, a secondary colony oroutpost will have a World Governmentwith the Colony special condition, andwill have the same society type as themain world.

Assign a society type to each sec-ondary world as needed. To generatea secondary world’s society type atrandom, roll 3d and add the PR of thesecondary colony. On a 20 or higher,the secondary world is socially andpolitically independent. In this case,roll on the World Unity Table, theSociety Types Table, and the SpecialConditions Table (p. 94), all as if thesecondary world was the main worldof its own star system. If the second-ary world is not independent, tie itssociety type to that of the main worldas described above.

Example: Without bothering to rolldice, the GM decides that the Carson’sWorld outpost is still socially depend-ent on Haven. He places a WorldGovernment with the Colony specialcondition and the RepresentativeDemocracy society type, matchingHaven.

STEP 37:CONTROL RATING

The Control Rating for each worldcan be determined as in Step 12. Referto the procedures beginning on p. 94and apply them to each world in thestar system. Note that most secondarysettlements will have the Colony spe-cial condition – their Control Ratingswill be tied to that of the main world.

Example: The CR of Haven isalready known. Since Carson’s Worldhas the Colony special condition withHaven as its governing society, its CRis one less than that of Haven: CR 1.The GM notes that Carson’s World is arather rough-and-tumble frontier set-tlement, with very little in the way ofstrict law enforcement.

STEP 38:ECONOMICS

The economic parameters for eachworld can be determined as in Step13. Refer to the procedures beginningon p. 95 and apply them to each worldin the star system.

When computing the trade vol-ume between worlds in the same starsystem, be certain not to use a dis-tance of 0 in the trade volume formu-la! If interplanetary distances arealready being taken into account inthe formula, this will not be a prob-lem. If trade volumes are usuallycomputed over interstellar distances,use a distance equal to half the aver-age distance between neighboringworlds on the interstellar map (asdetermined under Playing WithShapes, p. 72).

Example: The annual per-capitaincome on Carson’s World is onlyabout $34,000 (50% of the standardincome for TL10). The most typicalWealth level on Carson’s World isStruggling. The total economic volumeof the settlement is 34,000 ¥ 6,000 =$200 million per year. The GM doesn’tbother to estimate trade volume forCarson’s World, simply assuming thatmost of the planet’s economy is drivenby imports from Haven.

STEP 39: BASES ANDINSTALLATIONS

Military and space facilities can beassigned to each world using the pro-cedures in Step 14. Refer to the proce-dures beginning on p. 96 and applythem to each world in the star system.

Example: The GM decides thatCarson’s World is too small a settle-ment to have a variety of local basesand installations. Without rolling thedice, he places a Class II spaceport onthe planet, and also places a govern-ment research station (PR 2) dedicat-ed to archaeology. The design ofCarson’s World is complete.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 123

SPECIAL CASESSeveral special cases can arise dur-

ing world design. These require spe-cial treatment – but they can also pro-vide interesting local situations forplay.

GAS GIANTMOONS

A gas giant’s major moons are like-ly to be interesting worlds in their ownright, but they are subject to forcesthat most worlds are not.

RadiationA gas giant will normally have a

very powerful magnetic field, whichtends to collect charged particles givenoff by the primary star. A gas giant’smajor moons will often be placed sothat they orbit in this charged-particlezone, subjecting their surfaces tointense radiation. For example, thesurfaces of Jupiter’s large Galileansatellites are among the most radia-

tion-hostile places in our solar system.If a gas giant’s moon has a signifi-

cant atmosphere, this will help protectvisitors from the radiation belts. Evena moon with a substantial atmospherewill still have significant backgroundradiation on the surface, but the blan-ket of air may make the differencebetween “inhospitable” and “instantlyfatal!”

Tidal EffectsA gas giant’s major moons will be

subject to powerful tidal forces fromthe gas giant itself. If there are multi-ple major moons, they will also exerttidal forces on each other, and thoseforces will actually change in directionand strength as the moons orbit theirparent planet. All of these forces willtend to flex and strain the body ofeach moon, heating them internallyand encouraging volcanic activity.

In the case of icy moons of the Tiny(Ice) or Tiny (Sulfur) types, this tidalflexing has a profound effect on the

moon’s surface composition. A Tiny(Ice) moon that suffers a great deal oftidal flexing will actually lose most ofits light volatiles through volcanism,leaving sulfur and sulfur compoundsbehind on the surface. The result is aTiny (Sulfur) world, like Jupiter’smoon Io.

A lesser degree of tidal flexing caus-es differentiation of the moon’s materi-als, causing stony and metallic materi-al to sink toward the center while icesrise to the surface. Greater differentia-tion leads to subsurface oceans, aswater ice gathers close to the surfaceand melts due to tidal heating.Differentiation also means that thesurface is “cleaner,” more likely to becomposed of fresh ice without a dust-ing of stony material (this will lowerthe absorption factor used in comput-ing world surface temperatures).

When designing a gas giant’s sys-tem of moons, assign each Tiny (Ice)moon its own degree of differentia-tion. In general, the innermost moon

124 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

The Solar SystemAs an example of star system design, here is a sum-

mary of the major objects in our own solar system asthey are described by the world-building rules in thisbook.

Primary Star (Sol): Spectral type G2 V, mass 1.0 solarmasses, age 4.7 billion years, effective temperature5,800 kelvins, luminosity 1.0 solar luminosities, radius0.0046 AU.

Orbit 1 (Mercury): Orbital radius 0.39 AU, diameter3,900 miles, density 0.98, mass 0.055, blackbody tem-perature 445 kelvins, world type Tiny (Rock). No majormoons.

Orbit 2 (Venus): Orbital radius 0.72 AU, diameter7,500 miles, density 0.95, mass 0.82, blackbody temper-ature 328 kelvins, world type Standard (Greenhouse).No major moons.

Orbit 3 (Earth): Orbital radius 1.0 AU, diameter 7,900miles, density 1.00, mass 1.00, blackbody temperature278 kelvins, world type Standard (Garden). One majormoon: Luna – Tiny (Rock).

Orbit 4 (Mars): Orbital radius 1.5 AU, diameter 4,200miles, density 0.71, mass 0.11, blackbody temperature225 kelvins, world type Small (Rock). No major moons(but two moonlets).

Orbit 5 (Asteroid Belt): Orbital radius 2.7 AU, worldtype Asteroid Belt.

Orbit 6 (Jupiter): Orbital radius 5.2 AU, diameter89,000 miles, density 0.24, mass 320, blackbody temper-ature 122 kelvins, world type Medium Gas Giant. Fourmajor moons: Io – Tiny (Sulfur), Europa – Tiny (Ice),Ganymede – Tiny (Ice), and Callisto – Tiny (Ice).

Orbit 7 (Saturn): Orbital radius 9.5 AU, diameter75,000 miles, density 0.13, mass 95, blackbody temper-ature 90 kelvins, world type Small Gas Giant. One majormoon: Titan – Small (Ice).

Orbit 8 (Uranus): Orbital radius 19 AU, diameter32,000 miles, density 0.24, mass 14, blackbody temper-ature 64 kelvins, world type Small Gas Giant. No majormoons.

Orbit 9 (Neptune): Orbital radius 30 AU, diameter31,000 miles, density 0.32, mass 17, blackbody temper-ature 51 kelvins, world type Small Gas Giant. One majormoon: Triton – Tiny (Ice).

Notice that Pluto isn’t listed as a planet here. Indeed,present-day scientists aren’t in agreement on whetherPluto has any claim (other than tradition) to planetarystatus. Instead, it can be considered an unusually large,but otherwise typical, object of Sol’s Kuiper Belt (p. 131).

may become a Tiny (Sulfur) world,while other moons will experiencedecreasing differentiation as they arefarther from the gas giant. A moonwith greater differentiation is morelikely to have extensive subsurfaceoceans.

TIDE-LOCKEDWORLDS

A world that is tide-locked to itsprimary star experiences unevenheating – its “day face” is constantlybeing heated by stellar radiation,while the “night face” is in constantshadow. Heat can be transferred tothe night face by conduction throughthe planet’s body, or by circulation ofthe atmosphere or oceans (if any). Ifthese transfers aren’t sufficient, thenthe world’s supply of volatiles willtend to freeze out on the night face,leaving the day face dry and nearlyairless.

Whenever a tide-locked world isgenerated, refer to the following tableto adjust its physical parameters. Therequired adjustments depend on theoriginal pressure category of theworld’s atmosphere.

Multiply the computed averagesurface temperature (in kelvins) bythe day face entry to get the averagesurface temperature on the day face.Likewise, multiply the computedaverage surface temperature by thenight face entry to get the averagesurface temperature on the nightface. Adjust the pressure category forthe planet’s atmosphere to be equalto the final atmosphere entry (andalter the exact surface pressure tofit). Finally, add in the hydrographicspenalty to the original hydrographiccoverage of the world (to a minimumhydrographic coverage of 0%).

Resonant WorldsIf a planet has orbital eccentricity

of at least 0.1, it’s possible for it to fallinto a stable resonant pattern ratherthan becoming completely tide-locked. In this pattern, the planetrotates exactly three times in everytwo orbits, alternately presentingopposite faces to the primary star atevery close approach.

Assign a resonant-world situationwhenever it seems appropriate, or roll3d for any planet with high enoughorbital eccentricity that would other-wise be tide-locked to its primary star.On a 12 or higher, the world will beresonant.

A resonant world will not be tide-locked for the purpose of deter-mining its atmosphere, hydrographic

coverage, or average surface tempera-ture. The planet gets heated evenlyover long periods, although the daysand nights are very long and so tem-perature variations may be very wide.

One unusual feature of a resonantworld is the apparent motion of its pri-mary star. The length of the day isactually twice that of the planet’s year.Since the planet’s orbital velocitychanges depending on its position inits orbit, the rate at which the sunappears to move through the skychanges at different times of day. Inparticular, when the planet approach-es its periastron, the point of closestapproach to the star, the sun appearsto slow down in the sky, actuallyreverse its direction for a while, andthen return to its usual pattern ofmotion!

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 125

Tide-Locked Worlds Average Temperature TableOriginal Atmosphere Day Face Night Face Final Atmosphere Hydrographics PenaltyNone or Trace 1.2 0.1 None -100%Very Thin 1.2 0.1 Trace -100%Thin 1.16 0.67 Very Thin -50%Standard 1.12 0.80 Standard -25%Dense 1.09 0.88 Dense -10%Very Dense 1.05 0.95 Very Dense -0%Superdense 1.0 1.0 Superdense -0%

MASSIVE STARSThe world-building system in this

book only covers stars of up to 2.0solar masses in significant detail.More massive stars are somewhatrare, and are unlikely to have planetsof their own. However, if used sparing-ly they may be interesting locationsfor adventure in their own right.

When placing a massive star in thecampaign, simply select its mass.Masses between 2.0 and 5.0 solarmasses are uncommon but not impos-sible in any part of the galaxy. Massesabove 5.0 solar masses are extremelyrare, and no campaign is likely to needmore than one or two.

Luminous StarsMassive stars burn very brightly,

but not for very long. They appear veryunlikely to have planets – in fact, themost massive stars don’t exist for longenough to permit planets to form. Asystem with one of these massive,bright stars in it most likely has noth-ing but a scattering of asteroidaldebris (plus the usual cloud of cometsat a considerable distance).

A massive star’s neighborhoodcan be a very dangerous place tovisit. Even the smallest stars in thisclass give off a great deal of ultravio-let radiation, and a strong charged-particle stellar wind. Some of themost massive stars are the so-calledWolf-Rayet variables, which give offan extremely strong stellar wind,occasionally ejecting their topmostlayers into space to form nestedshells of hot, ionized gas.

The following table gives approxi-mate statistics for main-sequencestars of 3.0 solar masses and above.

As a massive star evolves off themain sequence, its luminosity actuallyincreases relatively little – perhaps bya factor of 3-4. However, its effectivetemperature will fall well into the redgiant range and even below (2,500-4,000 K). Given the formula for a star’sradius (p. 104), it’s easy to see that a“red supergiant” star will be huge, pos-sibly several AU across!

Such a swollen star might be a veryexotic place to visit. A durable andheat-resistant spaceship could evendive inside the star, since its outeratmosphere would be very tenuous (a“red-hot fog”).

Neutron StarsStars of two to eight solar masses

end their lives much like less massivestars – at the end of the red giantphase, much of the star’s mass is lost,and the core collapses to form a whitedwarf. More massive stars die muchmore violently, in a supernova explo-sion that blows off many solar massesof material in a single violent cata-clysm. A single supernova will brieflyshine more brightly than an entiregalaxy!

For stars of about eight to 25 solarmasses, the supernova explosion givesrise to an exotic stellar remnant. Thestellar core’s gravity compresses itbeyond the degenerate level found in awhite dwarf’s core. Free electrons aredriven down into the atomic nuclei,forming an incredibly dense materialcalled neutronium. The stellar rem-nant becomes a neutron star, a bodyonly a few miles across, more massivethan our own sun.

A neutron star’s surface gravity isextremely high, billions of timesgreater than that of our Earth. It alsohas an extremely powerful magnetic

field. As infalling matter movesthrough this field, it gives off high-energy radiation, which is emitted asintense beams of electromagneticradiation from the star’s magneticpoles. Most neutron stars rotate veryquickly (on the order of one rotationevery second), so these beams of radi-ation are sometimes swept throughspace. Anyone happening to lie on thepath of one of the beams will see thestar “blink” or pulse – hence the termpulsars.

Pulsars can serve as very accurateclocks, since the “blinking” is very reg-ular. They can also serve as naturalnavigational beacons, since every pul-sar has a slightly different rotationrate. If a ship that has managed to getlost in the galaxy can locate at leastthree known pulsars, it will be able totriangulate its position very clearly.

A neutron star always has a massbetween 1.5 and three solar masses.Select a mass, or roll 3d+12 and mul-tiply by 0.1 solar masses. The neutronstar’s optical luminosity will usually benegligible, although a few pulsarsflash visible light as well as radiowaves.

Black HolesA star whose initial mass is greater

than 25 solar units faces the ultimateend. Not even the pressures generatedby neutronium can hold up the stellarcore as it is compressed by gravity.The whole mass of the star’s core col-lapses into a gravitational singularity,the kernel of a black hole.

A black hole, like a neutron star, isan object only a few miles across. Itsgravitational influence is so strongthat not even light can escape. Thegravitational singularity is surroundedby an event horizon, marking the

126 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Massive Stars TableMass Luminosity Temperature (K) Stable Span (years)3.0 90 9,800 330 million5.0 700 14,000 70 million7.5 3,600 18,000 20 million10 11,000 20,000 9.0 million15 58,000 26,000 2.6 million20 180,000 32,000 1.1 million25 440,000 36,000 570,00030 920,000 40,000 330,00060 15 million 42,000 40,000100 110 million 50,000 9,000

distance at which everything, includ-ing light, is trapped forever. Anythingthat falls through the event horizon iseffectively cut off from the universefor the rest of time.

The powerful gravity of a blackhole has a number of odd effects. It’spossible for light to go into orbitaround a black hole, and light that isdirected away from its vicinity willlose a great deal of its energy.Spaceships that venture too close willbe torn apart by tidal effects even ifthey don’t fall past the point of noreturn.

On the other hand, at a large dis-tance a black hole doesn’t have gravityany more powerful than that of a nor-mal star of the same mass. Contrary toa great deal of TV science fiction, itwon’t reach out and “suck in” matterthat is safely in orbit or is passing byquickly. It’s just that a black hole ismuch more compact than a normalstar, so the gravity in its immediateneighborhood is extremely intense.

A black hole always has mass of atleast three solar units; a good estimatefor its final mass is about one-eighththat of the original star. Its luminosity,of course, is zero (although matterfalling into the hole will give off X-raysand other powerful radiation).

RED DWARFSTARS

Red dwarfs (M-type main sequencestars) are one of the galaxy’s mostcommon stellar types. The range ofhabitable orbits around a red dwarfstar is quite narrow, and any planetfalling in that range is very likely to betide-locked to the star (see p. 125 forguidelines on the generation of tide-locked planets). As a result, a reddwarf is unlikely to have any habitableGarden worlds. Still, red dwarfs are socommon that they may account for asignificant portion of the galaxy’s hab-itable planets.

Many red dwarf stars are flare stars.A flare star throws off stellar flares,sometimes similar in size to the flaresthat occur frequently on the surface ofour own sun. However, since a reddwarf flare star is normally much dim-mer than Sol, a Sol-sized flare on sucha star can vastly increase its brightness– doubling it or even more while theflare takes place! Meanwhile, reddwarf flares are different from those ofa brighter star in one respect: they emitmany times as much ultraviolet and X-ray radiation. This radiation can bequite dangerous for any life on a worldorbiting close to the star.

Flare stars produce flares on anirregular schedule, usually with anhour to a few days between flares.More than one flare can be occurringat the same time. A flare takes only afew minutes to reach peak brightness,then declines slowly over the course ofup to an hour.

On a nearby planet, a flare will cre-ate a “heat pulse,” raising surface tem-peratures by up to 20% (measured inkelvins) immediately after peakbrightness. The heat pulse will beweaker, but will last longer, on a worldwith a significant atmosphere. Theflare will emit ultraviolet and X-rayradiation as well. Those exposeddirectly to the flare in vacuum willreceive about 1 rad per hour of radia-tion exposure. Those on a planet’s sur-face will be somewhat protected byany atmosphere.

Worlds near a flare star will beunusual places. A lifeless world willstill have strange chemical com-pounds on the surface, as flare radia-tion interacts with common ices andminerals over long periods of time. Ifa world has life, that life will haveexotic adaptations to a high-radiationenvironment . . . and it may use thehigh-energy pulse of a flare in order tofuel bursts of unusual activity.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 127

Assign flare stars as needed wher-ever red dwarf stars appear. To placethem randomly, roll 3d for any reddwarf star; on a 12 or higher, the staris a flare star. A flare star can be desig-nated in its spectral type by an “e”added to the luminosity class. Forexample, an M5-type flare star has thecomplete spectral type M5 Ve.

BROWN DWARFSTARS

Occasionally she called up aninscape view of the outside. Erythrionitself was visible now, a gigantic redeye in the night. The halo world was abrown dwarf, sixty Jupiters in mass,too small to be a sun and too big to bea planet. Like countless billions of oth-ers it moved through the galaxy alonein the spaces between the lit stars. Sosmall and invisible were the haloworlds that they hadn’t even beenknown to exist until the end of thetwentieth century. But to Rue,Erythrion was huge and magnificentand all the civilization she hoped toever see.

– Karl Schroeder, Permanence

Between the most massive planetsand the lightest M-type stars comes aclass of barely luminous objects, thebrown dwarf stars.

Unlike a gas giant planet, a browndwarf is massive enough to ignitenuclear fusion in its core, burning the deuterium isotope of hydrogen.Once the deuterium runs out, nuclearfusion shuts down and the browndwarf begins to cool slowly. Thefusion stage lasts only a few hundredmillion years at most, but the coolingprocess can last billions of years, asheat leaks from the star’s core and isrenewed by the process of gravita-tional contraction.

Brown dwarfs are difficult todetect from any distance, but modernastronomy is beginning to locate themin large numbers – both as compan-ions to visible stars, and as independ-ent stars in deep space. It’s possiblethat brown dwarfs actually outnum-ber the “lit stars” that are easily visibleacross distances of many parsecs.Some recent science fiction has begunto use them as a background for sto-ries. If the GM wishes to use brown

dwarf stars in his setting, the follow-ing optional rules can be applied.

Placing Brown DwarfsBrown dwarfs should be assigned

as needed. If every star in a region ofspace is to be placed on a map, thenbrown dwarfs should make up at least50% of the total.

For a more moderate placement, inwhich the occasional brown dwarf isof interest but most of them will beignored, use the following procedure.Whenever an M-type red dwarf star (p.127) is to be placed, roll 3d. On a 7 orless, the star is a brown dwarf instead.This applies both to solo red dwarfstars and to red dwarfs placed as partof multiple star systems.

Brown Dwarf PropertiesThe most important properties for

a brown dwarf are its mass, luminosi-ty, and diameter. A brown dwarf’smass is by definition between about0.015 and 0.07 solar masses. Select amass as needed, or roll 3d on theBrown Dwarf Mass Table.

Brown Dwarf MassTable

Roll (3d) Mass8 or less 0.0159-10 0.0211-12 0.0313-14 0.0415 0.0516 0.0617 or more 0.07

Brown dwarf stars evolve veryquickly for their first billion years orso of existence. After that, their furtherevolution follows a predictable pat-tern. Once the age of a brown dwarf isestablished (using the procedures inStep 17), the luminosity and diameter

of the star can be determined. Refer tothe Brown Dwarf Evolution Table(opposite); the luminosity and diame-ter given are those of a brown dwarf ofthe given mass at one billion years ofage.

Now refer to the following table.Multiply the star’s base luminosity bythe Luminosity Multiplier for its age,and multiply the star’s diameter by theDiameter Multiplier for its age. If thebrown dwarf is less than one billionyears old, treat it as if it were one bil-lion years old. The results are the cur-rent luminosity and diameter of thebrown dwarf.

Brown Dwarf SatellitesTreat the brown dwarf in all

respects as another star in the star sys-tem. In Step 20, compute the innerlimit and outer limit radii normally.When computing the snow lineradius, use the star’s base luminosity(that is, the luminosity it had at onebillion years of age). In Step 21, applya modifier of -4 to the roll on the GasGiant Arrangement Table (p. 107).

From that point on, the normalsequence of steps can be applied. TheStandard (Ammonia) and Large(Ammonia) world types may appear asbrown dwarf satellites. The Standard(Garden) and Large (Garden) willnever appear naturally, as a browndwarf emits far too little visible light tosupport photosynthetic life.

ROGUE WORLDSThe world had condensed, sunless,

from a minor knot in some primordialnebula. Dust, gravel, stones, meteoroidsrained together during multiplemegayears; and in the end, a solitaryplanet moved off among the stars. Infallhad released energy; now radioactivitydid, and the gravitational compression

128 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Brown Dwarf Base Parameters TableMass Luminosity Diameter (Earth diameters)0.015 0.00073 17.50.020 0.0016 16.80.030 0.0045 15.90.040 0.0097 15.30.050 0.017 14.80.060 0.028 14.50.070 0.042 14.2

of matter into denser allotropes.Earthquakes shook the newbornsphere; volcanoes spouted forth gas, water vapor, carbon dioxide,methane, ammonia, cyanide, hydrogensulfide . . . the same which had finallyevolved into Earth’s air and oceans.

But here was no sun to warm, irra-diate, start the chemical cookery thatmight at last yield life. Here were dark-ness and the deep, and a cold nearabsolute zero.

– Poul Anderson, Satan’s World

As a new star system is born, manyobjects of about Earth’s mass or largermay form, only to be ejected from thesystem by a close encounter with oneof the coalescing gas giant planets.These rogue planets are likely to wan-der through interstellar space forever,except in the unlikely event that theyare captured by another star.

Rogue planets are dark, coldplaces. A sufficiently massive roguewill generate some heat in its core,due to radioactive decay and therelease of gravitational potential ener-gy. Some of this heat may be trappedfor very long periods, melting iceunder (or even on) the surface. It’s notimpossible for primitive life to appearon such interstellar wanderers.

Rogue planets would be very hardfor any civilization to detect. Theymight provide valuable stepping-stones between stars, especially for acivilization that has no access to anFTL stardrive. Interstellar nomadsmight even settle a small rogue, min-ing it for useful minerals and volatiles.

Place rogue planets on the cam-paign map as needed. To generatetheir details, treat them as normalplanets with a blackbody temperatureof about 30 K. Rogue planets areunlikely to have satellites, and natu-rally they have no “day” or “year”based on their movement around aluminous star.

TERRAFORMEDWORLDS

The world design sequence in thisbook generates worlds that are natu-rally stable over very long periods oftime. Humans and aliens will findthese worlds as they are – but sapientlife tends to alter its environment to

suit itself. Many worlds are suitablefor terraforming, the process of engi-neering a planet to be more hospitableto settlement.

The GM may wish to assume thatterraforming has been common in hisuniverse. Perhaps most settled worldshave been “improved” in some man-ner to make them more hospitable. Orperhaps a previous civilization leftbehind terraformed worlds that arestill habitable. In these cases, the mostlikely point to consider terraforming isafter Step 32, when the world’s physi-cal parameters have been establishedbut before settlement patterns areestablished.

AtmosphereIf a world has a substantial atmos-

phere, but the atmosphere isn’tbreathable, then its composition canbe changed. Most Marginal atmos-pheres can be made completelybreathable by tampering with thelocal ecology, introducing large-scalechemical plants or engineered lifeforms that will change the composi-tion of the atmosphere. A Standard(Ocean) or Large (Ocean) world canbe changed to Garden type with theintroduction of photosynthetic life.Other transformations are more of achallenge.

A world that has little or no atmos-phere can be given one. If a world isicy, the “makings” of an atmosphereare already present on the ground andneed only to be heated up. Otherwise,

comets can be moved to impact on theworld’s surface, bringing neededvolatiles. A Standard or Large worldcan retain a breathable atmosphereindefinitely, once it has one. Smallerworlds will lose a breathable atmos-phere over time, but the process maytake millions of years for a Smallworld, or thousands for a Tiny one –time enough for a civilization to takeroot.

A world that has too much atmos-phere is a considerable terraformingchallenge. Atmosphere can bestripped away by forcing planetoids tograze the world. A larger body can beforced into a collision, splashing largeportions of the atmosphere away.Neither of these techniques is veryuseful if the terraformers want toleave the surface of the world more orless intact . . .

HydrographicsA world that has no liquid-water

oceans can be provided with them, orexisting oceans can be expanded. Icedeposits can be melted with the appli-cation of heat. If ice is not available onthe surface, cometary material can beintroduced to provide it.

Reducing a world’s hydrographicscan be more difficult. If the world canbe cooled, ice caps will grow and lockup some of the world’s water.Removing water entirely presentsmany of the same problems as remov-ing atmosphere.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 129

Brown Dwarf Evolution TableAge Luminosity Diameter

(billions of years) Multiplier Multiplier1 1.0 1.02 0.41 0.963 0.24 0.944 0.16 0.935 0.12 0.916 0.097 0.907 0.080 0.908 0.067 0.899 0.057 0.8810 0.050 0.8811 0.044 0.8712 0.040 0.8713 0.036 0.8714 0.032 0.86

ClimateA world’s climate is among the eas-

iest items to adjust. Terraformers havea number of options to heat or cool aworld, and many of them can beimplemented on a timescale of yearsrather than centuries.

A world that is too cold can beheated with stellar mirrors or lensesplaced in orbit to focus more light onthe surface. Small mirror or lensassemblies (called solettas) can heatregions to adjust local climate patterns. Large ones can be placed ina wider orbit to increase the total

insolation of the world. Meanwhile, aworld that is too hot can be cooled byplacing a large shade in orbit betweenthe world and the primary star. Stellarradiation can be cut down to anydesired level if the shade is large andopaque enough.

If such brute-force methods don’tappeal, a world’s reflectivity andgreenhouse effect can be adjustedslightly, changing average surfacetemperature by several degrees. Dust,pollen, or ice crystals can be seeded inclouds or on surface ice, to make themmore or less reflective. The release ofgreenhouse gases can warm the

world, while the ecological “take-up”of such gases can cool it.

To reflect these forms of terraform-ing, the GM can change the parame-ters that control average surface tem-perature. Subtle terraforming willadjust the absorption factor or green-house factor of a world. Brute-forceterraforming with orbital mirrors orlenses actually adjusts the blackbodytemperature of a world, and can evenalter its effective world type. Theblackbody temperature can be raisedby up to 20% (measured in kelvins), orreduced by as much as 50%.

130 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

OTHER OBJECTS“Start with the cometary halo,”

Carlos told me. “It’s very thin: aboutone comet per spherical volume of theEarth’s orbit. Mass is denser goinginward: a few planets, some innercomets, some chunks of ice and rock,all in skewed orbits and still spreadpretty thin. Inside Neptune there arelots of planets and asteroids and moreflattening of orbits to conform withSol’s rotation. Outside Neptune spaceis vast and empty. There could beuncharted planets. Singularities toswallow ships.”

Ausfaller was indignant. “But forthree to move into main trade lanessimultaneously?”

“It’s not impossible, Sigmund.”“The probability – ”“Infinitesimal, right. Bey, it’s . . .

near impossible. Any sane man wouldassume pirates.”

– Larry Niven,“The Borderland of Sol”

Aside from stars and planets, starsystems contain any number of otherobjects, many of which can be inter-esting elements in a campaign or plot.

ASTEROIDSAND COMETS

Asteroids (also called planetoids)are small stony bodies, usually foundin the inner regions of a star system.Comets and other icy objects arefound in the outer star system. Theworld-building system doesn’t designthese objects in detail, but they can beassumed to exist in almost every starsystem.

Asteroid BeltsThe world-building system some-

times places asteroid belts in specificorbits around a star.

Asteroid belts vary widely in con-tent. In a typical belt, the largest aster-oids will usually be about 300-600miles in diameter. Perhaps a few hun-dred asteroids will be at least 30-60miles in diameter, and there may bemillions of asteroids at least a mile indiameter. Despite their sheer num-bers, the asteroids in even a thickasteroid belt will not sum up to themass of a small planet. They’re usefulprimarily because all of that mass isimmediately accessible, not tied up ina planet’s core . . .

Asteroids are not all found at thesame orbital radius. For example, theso-called Main Belt in our solar sys-tem has a mean orbital radius of 2.7AU, but most of the asteroids haveindividual orbits with radii betweenabout 2.1 and 3.3 AU. Asteroidal orbitsare often mildly eccentric, or inclinedto the ecliptic plane. All of this meansthat an asteroid belt will take up a lotof space. A large asteroid’s nearestneighbors are usually millions of milesaway, making collisions very rare. Aspaceship’s journey through a belt islikely to be quite safe, asteroid-dodg-ing scenes in science-fiction movies tothe contrary.

Asteroids are classified accordingto their composition.

C-type (carbonaceous) asteroids arevery dark, and are composed of lightcompounds and minerals, including asignificant amount of carbon and pos-sibly some bound water. They also

contain chondrules, small beads com-posed of iron, nickel, and other usefulmetals. C-type asteroids are very oldobjects, remnants of the formation eraof a star system. They are quite com-mon, representing about 75% of allasteroids.

S-type (stony-iron) asteroids areprimarily composed of stony miner-als, with a significant amount of metalalso present. They make up 15-20% ofall asteroids.

M-type (metallic) asteroids arealmost entirely composed of nickeland iron. They make up 5-10% of allasteroids. Given their rarity and highmetal content, they are popularamong asteroid miners.

Almost any asteroid may containwater or other ices, although these aremost common among C-type aster-oids. In fact, these asteroids somewhatresemble comets, and some of themmay be comets that have wanderedinto the inner star system . . .

Stray AsteroidsAsteroids can be found outside the

main asteroid belts of a star system. Ingeneral, any gravitationally stableorbit or region of a star system is like-ly to contain asteroids or asteroidaldebris.

One common place to find aster-oids is near the Lagrange or “Trojan”points of a gas giant planet’s orbit.These are points of gravitational equi-librium, always 60 degrees ahead and60 degrees behind the planet’s positionon its orbit. An object in one of thesepoints will tend to stay there, and an

object can take up an “orbit” that wan-ders around one of the points butnever strays too far from it. A massivegas giant will tend to collect asteroidsnear its Trojan points. For example,several hundred are known to exist inJupiter’s Trojan points in our ownsolar system; there are likely to bethousands not yet known.

Other asteroids are “planet-crossers,” objects whose orbits crossthe orbit of one of a star’s major plan-ets. If the orbits cross too closely, theasteroid is likely to collide with theplanet, or to be ejected into a differentorbit after a close encounter. Anygiven planet in a star system is likelyto have dozens of associated planet-crossing asteroids, all of them subjectto orbital change over time.

Some planet-crossing asteroids are“quasi-satellites” of the major planets.A quasi-satellite is an object that orbitsthe planet’s primary star, its orbitalperiod equal to that of the planet, butwith higher eccentricity. From theplanet’s viewpoint, the quasi-satelliteappears to follow a loop around theplanet, never approaching too close orwandering too far away. Quasi-satel-lite orbits are not very stable, and usu-ally change over time until the quasi-satellite status is lost.

Planet-crossing asteroids are inter-esting because they are often easy toreach from the associated planet. Anearly spacefaring civilization maysend expeditions to such asteroidsduring its first ventures in off-planetindustrial development. A quasi-satel-lite may also be a convenient place toput an observation post watching theassociated planet, especially if theplanet has no true satellites or if acloser approach would be dangerous.

The Kuiper BeltComets and other icy bodies orbit

in the cold outer reaches of a star sys-tem, most of them never approachingthe habitable worlds of the inner sys-tem.

A comet is usually between oneand 30 miles in diameter. Comets areoften described as “dirty snowballs” –they are dominated by water andother ices, but they also contain grains of silicate dust, metals, andorganic compounds. Any given starsystem may have trillions of comets

wandering in its outer reaches, theirtotal mass adding up to that of a smallplanet. Comets are remnants of theprimordial star system, existingalmost unchanged across billions ofyears, unless they happen to fall intothe inner star system.

Many comets exist in a flatteneddisk called the Kuiper Belt. The inneredge of this belt is at about the sameorbital radius as the most distant plan-ets, but the belt normally extends out-ward for hundreds of AU. The cometsand other objects of the Kuiper Beltare essentially “failed” protoplanets,objects that never coalesced to formanother planet.

Comets are sometimes shuntedinto the inner star system, usuallythrough gravitational interaction withsome other object. When this hap-pens, the comet takes up a more orless eccentric orbit, often approachingthe primary star so closely that its icymaterials boil off to form a longgaseous “tail.” After a number of pass-es through the inner system, a cometcan meet a number of fates. After

losing too much of its icy body, it canfragment and add to the system’s poolof asteroidal debris. A close encounterwith a planet can change its orbit,causing it to take up an asteroid-likepath that stays in the inner system. Ora comet can collide with a planet . . .

The Kuiper Belt also contains larg-er objects, with compositions similarto the comets but of size comparableto large asteroids. The largest of theseobjects will usually be 300-600 milesin diameter, and there are likely to behundreds or thousands in the 30-60mile range. In our own solar system,

the most famous of these are the“planet” Pluto and its satellite Charon.Dozens more have been discovered,most notably the planetoid Sedna.

Comets and larger objects in theKuiper Belt may be useful objects forspace travelers. They are rich in ices,and can be used to supply water orother useful volatiles. They are darkand thinly scattered, and might pro-vide good places for a hideout or aquiet rendezvous. They could even besettled by a sufficiently advanced civi-lization.

The Oort CloudOn the very edge of a star system is

the Oort cloud, a “reservoir” of cometsstretching from about 1,000 AU out toa distance of one to two light-years.Unlike the Kuiper Belt, the Oort cloudforms an even sphere around theinner system, and its comets canapproach the primary star from anydirection. The Oort cloud likely con-tains large protoplanetary objects, justas the Kuiper Belt does, but so farnone such have been detected.

The Oort cloud provides some ofthe same plot hooks as the KuiperBelt, although in this case the questionof finding any Oort cloud objectbecomes very difficult. In the darkfringes of a star system, any object ishard to see by reflected light – and inthe Oort cloud, comets are likely tospend most of their time billions ofmiles apart. There may be Pluto-sizedobjects in the Oort cloud as well;Earth-bound astronomers have foundnone in our own solar system, but thismay only be because such objects arealmost impossible to detect.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 131

Comets are often described as “dirty snowballs”– they are dominated by water and other ices, butthey also contain grains of silicate dust, metals,and organic compounds. Any given star systemmay have trillions of comets wandering in its outer reaches, their total mass adding up to that of a small planet.

ARTIFICIALSTRUCTURES

Any star system can contain artifi-cial structures – objects that were builtor placed in the system by sapientbeings.

Asteroid HabitatsPeople living in deep space can

build a home for themselves, turningan asteroid or comet into a habitat.Most of the techniques for buildingasteroid habitats appear at TL9, whenextensive deep-space travel and indus-try are possible. There are several vari-eties of asteroid habitat.

Beehive habitats are three-dimen-sional mazes of tunnels and cham-bers, burrowed into the body of anasteroid or comet. Beehive habitatsusually have some surface installa-tions, such as landing pads, airlocks,vents, tool sheds, and antenna farms.They are almost indefinitely extensi-ble, as the inhabitants continue tocarve out new tunnels and chambers.Their major disadvantage is that theyare hard to provide with gravity.Asteroids are rarely symmetrical, sotunnels are driven in any convenientdirection and “spin gravity” will rarelybe perpendicular to the floor. If super-science gravity generation is available,this may not be a problem. Of course,inhabitants that are genetically adapt-ed to microgravity will be able to livecomfortably.

Cole habitats are built out of metal-lic (M-type) asteroids, melted withstellar heat and reshaped to create ahollow metal-hulled shell. A Cole habi-tat is usually cylindrical, and is rotatedon its long axis to provide spin gravity.Nuclear power or stellar mirrors canbe used to light the interior. The inte-rior surface can be terraformed withsoil, water, and plants, permitting“natural” agriculture and a pleasantlifestyle.

Artificial HabitatsWith or without a convenient aster-

oid to use for building material, artifi-cial habitats can be built in space.Aluminum, steel, and titanium can be mined and launched into spacewith mass drivers. Power is providedby solar panels or nuclear plants,

artificial gravity is provided by spin. A thick shell of slag, left over from themanufacturing process, provides radiation shielding.

O’Neill Cylinders: These are thelargest and most expensive spacehabitats. A giant cylinder, as much asseveral miles in length and a mile ormore in diameter, rotates on its axis toprovide spin gravity. Inside is a com-plete terraformed environment, com-plete with park and urban zones. Ifmore living space is desired, cylinderscan be paired, rotating in oppositedirections – this also makes dockingeasier. An O’Neill cylinder can houseup to several million people.

Stanford Torus: Smaller than theO’Neill cylinder, the Stanford torus isshaped like a bicycle wheel, with spingravity and landscaping on the outer

rim. The spokes serve as elevators,leading to a microgravity environmentat the hub where special manufactur-ing processes can be run. A Stanfordtorus can house about 50,000 people.

Bernal Sphere: A sphere, up to amile in diameter, with several smallercylinders attached. The sphere rotates,providing spin gravity in a striparound its equator, but the cylindersare left unrotating to house micro-gravity manufacturing. The sphere iseasy to build, but the lack of spin grav-ity across most of its inner surface canbe inconvenient. A Bernal sphere canhouse several thousand people.

Smaller Stations: These range fromthe classic wheel-shaped space stationthat spins for gravity and has plenty ofradiation shielding, down to the muchmore basic “work shack” that lacks

132 ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING

Who Needs Planets, Anyway?

Human beings evolved on the surface of a planet, and are dependenton several aspects of the planetary environment for their survival. Theyneed air to breathe, water to drink, and a pleasant temperature to livein. Even the planet’s gravity is important.

Still, none of these requirements have to be met by living on the sur-face of a ball of rock and metal massing sextillions of tons. Living on aplanet has its disadvantages – most of its mass is buried and inaccessi-ble, and in the meantime it’s very difficult and expensive to get off!

Many science fiction writers have speculated about civilizations thatmake almost no use of planets at all. Instead, they can use found mate-rials – the results of asteroid or cometary mining – to build artificialhabitats. They can even settle the asteroids and comets themselves, tun-neling into the stone or ice and carving out habitable spaces.

Asteroids and comets can provide all of the raw materials for breath-able air, drinkable water, and edible food. If there is no space for arableland, agriculture can use hydroponics or outright food synthesisinstead. Fusion power can be fueled by hydrogen liberated from volatileices. Metals can be used to drive industrial production, including theindustries needed to build spaceships or more habitats.

The major difficulty with deep-space settlement is gravity, or ratherthe lack of it. Humans who live in microgravity for a long time sufferprogressive loss of health. The immune system declines, muscles and bones atrophy, and the cardiovascular and renal systems sufferproblems.

To overcome this obstacle, a habitat can be spun, providing an arti-ficial substitute for gravity through centrifugal “force.” Alternatively, it’spossible for genetic engineering to produce a human body that doesn’tsuffer degradation in microgravity. Of course, superscience “artificialgravity” can provide a healthy environment for human life too. Any of these advances can give rise to a society that regards planets as inconveniences rather than homes.

much of either. Work shacks are usu-ally cylinders or spheres, 30 to 300 feetin diameter and (if cylinders) up tofive times as long. Some of these crudestations are made from old fuel tanksor cast-off cargo containers. The onlyradiation shielding may be a cramped“storm cellar” that the crew uses toride out solar storms.

MEGASTRUCTURESThe light source was small and bril-

liant white, very like a view of Sol asseen from the general neighborhood ofJupiter. The ring was huge in diameter,wide enough to stretch half-across thedarkened surface of the dome; but itwas narrow, not much thicker than thelight source at its axis. The near sidewas black and, where it cut across thelight, sharp-edged. Its further side was apale blue ribbon across space.

If Louis was growing used to miracles, he was not yet so blasé asto make idiotic-sounding guesses.Instead he said, “It looks like a star witha ring around it. What is it?”

Chiron’s reply came as no surprise.

“It is a star with a ring around it,”said the puppeteer. “A ring of solid mat-ter. An artifact.”

– Larry Niven, Ringworld

A truly advanced civilization willbe able to perform engineering on agrand scale, literally rebuilding starsystems to suit their own purposes.Some of the possibilities are as follows.

RosettesObjects in space are never motion-

less, so a civilization that can movelarge masses around has the problemof making sure they stay wherethey’re put. One solution is therosette. A rosette is composed ofequal masses (large habitats, aster-oids, moons, planets) that are placedat the points of an equilateral figureand given equal velocities around thesystem’s center of mass. The resultingsystem is dynamically stable. Thecomponents will continue to orbittheir common center of mass, main-taining their separation as long asthey’re not disturbed by any outsidegravitational influence.

A rosette is useful primarily as aconvenience – the components areguaranteed to remain close to eachother at a fixed distance. A civiliza-tion that builds many space habitatsmay use rosettes to keep them inorder. A much more advanced societymight place whole planets in a rosetteconfiguration, possibly with a star atthe center of mass.

Macropower StationsMany objects in space can be

tapped for power. Luminous stars,brown dwarfs, and even massive gasgiants all have powerful magneticfields, which can be used to generateelectric power. Electrically conduc-tive material is stretched through themagnetic field, carrying massive cur-rents whenever the star or planet’sfield fluctuates.

Macropower stations can be usedfor a variety of purposes. Lasers cantransmit power across great dis-tances, powering ships or industrialinstallations. Particle acceleratorscan produce antimatter in bulk, to beused in power plants across a starsystem.

RingworldsA ringworld takes the notion of a

“torus habitat” to the largest possiblescale. A ringworld is a large, ribbon-shaped ring, the flat surface turnedinward, rotated at high speed to pro-vide spin gravity. The inside surface issculptured and terraformed to providean Earthlike environment. The edgesof the inside surface have high rimwalls, holding in the atmosphere.Light can be provided by a nuclearpower plant at the axis of the ring, orby a nearby star. If the ring is very big,it can be placed around a star.

Ringworlds are mathematicallysimple, but actually building one safe-ly can be a terrible challenge. A ring-world the size of Earth’s orbit wouldneed to rotate at hundreds of milesper second to provide Earthlike grav-ity; the ring’s foundation structurewould need to have more tensilestrength than is theoretically possiblefor normal matter. Ringworlds arealso vulnerable to meteor impacts.Any penetration of the ringworldfloor will spill all the air into space

unless the hole is patched quickly.Finally, a ringworld is dynamicallyunstable; if it has a star at its axis,there are no forces tending to keepthe star centered, and eventually itmay collide with the ringworld.

Even with these disadvantages, aringworld may be one way for anadvanced civilization to get lots of liv-ing room. If the engineering chal-lenges of an Earth-orbit-sized ring-world can be met, it will provide mil-lions of times as much habitable spaceas a typical Earthlike world. Even amuch smaller ringworld can housebillions of people without crowding,and can be designed to avoid some ofthe concept’s drawbacks.

Ringworlds were invented by SFauthor Larry Niven, who used the con-cept in a series of novels attached tohis “Known Space” universe. Theauthor Iain Banks uses smaller ring-worlds, called “Orbitals,” in his“Culture” novels. The videogame Halois also set on a small, ringworld-likestructure.

Dyson SpheresSolar power is abundant and

effectively inexhaustible. Its maindisadvantage is that only a minisculeamount of it is available on anEarthlike planet. If all of the energyoutput of a sunlike star could beintercepted and used, it would beenough to support a civilization mil-lions of times as powerful as ourown.

Of course, to intercept all of a star’soutput, a hollow shell has to be builtaround it. This can be done with mil-lions of individual artificial habitats,orbiting the star in belts and shells ofvarying size, blanketing it in all direc-tions. Alternatively, a solid sphere canbe built at a fixed radius, with habit-able surface on the inside. Either ofthese structures is called a Dysonsphere, after the astronomer who firstproposed them.

Dyson spheres are among the mostdetectable megastructures. As one isbuilt, it cuts off the visible light from astar, replacing it with the infraredradiation of the sphere’s waste heat. ADyson sphere could probably bedetected by alert astronomers frommany parsecs away.

ADVANCED WORLDBUILDING 133

134 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

I emptied the magazine of my gauss rifle into the chargingmyrmidon. Most of the shots glanced off its thick exoskeleton,but a few found vital spots between plates and it went downtwitching. I reloaded, then scanned the area with my handanalyzer, checking for the unique electrical signature of themyrmidons’ nervous system. Nothing.

Then I heard a noise from the edge of the jungle andswung my gun up. Had they somehow learned to maskthemselves from detection? The myrmidons were incrediblyadaptable, but how could they know what we were using tofind them? My finger tensed on the trigger.

“Don’t shoot! It’s us!” I recognized Captain Panatic’s voice.A moment later, he and Toshiro stepped into the cleared spacearound the perimeter fence, waving cheerfully. They had someugly-looking cuts and one of Panatic’s arms was in a crudesling, but they were both alive and in good spirits.

“You’re alive! How? I saw those myrmidons drag the threeof you into their tunnels.”

“It’s all right,” said Captain Panatic. “Toshiro here shot thequeen with a grenade launcher. Blew her all to bits. The hive’sdestroyed.”

The feeling of relief at seeing them alive was cut by a coldpang of fear. “Captain, do you know what happens in aswarm-mink when the queen dies? It doesn’t kill the hive – itjust stops the pheromones she produces to keep the soldiersfrom being fertile. If these creatures work the same way, you’vejust replaced one queen with thousands!”

“Oh.” He looked crestfallen. “I guess we’ll have to evacuatethe colonists and go nuclear.”

“As I recommended from the start.” Military men. They justdon’t understand that sometimes overkill is the efficientoption.

CHAPTER SIX

ALIEN LIFE ANDALIEN MINDS

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 135

ALIENS IN THE CAMPAIGNAlien life in a space campaign can

fill a vast number of roles. The socialand political categories for alienspecies noted in Chapter 1 are prettymuch independent of biology – itdoesn’t usually matter if the dominantspecies are carbon-based or silicon-based, aquatic or aerial.

From a dramatic standpoint, how-ever, alien beings can fit into four cat-egories, and their biology and appear-ance do affect which one they belongto. In science-fiction stories and films,alien beings seem to naturally clumpinto types: people, beasts, things, andmonsters.

PEOPLEAliens as people are probably the

most common in modern science fic-tion. They don’t have to look likehumans – Poul Anderson createdmany fascinating alien “people” withvery unusual shapes – but a humanoidappearance does make it easier toview them as “folks like us.” People-aliens have understandable motivesand rational goals. If they are in con-flict with humans, the fight is likely tobe about something like resources orliving space.

They don’t have to act exactly likeEarth humans, though. Often people-aliens have one or more human traitscranked up to an inhuman degree.Some of these caricature traits are socommon in fiction as to be standardtypes: the warrior Race, the mystics,the ultra-rationalists. Their societiescan also parody an aspect of modernhuman life.

Some readers have criticized peo-ple-aliens as being just “humans infunny suits” but others like the ideathat a mind is a mind no matter whatbody it wears. The issue will no doubtremain in dispute until humans actu-ally meet aliens and find out.

BEASTSBeast aliens make use of arche-

types drawn from human perceptionsof Earthly animals. They can fit manyof the same roles as people-type aliens,but their behavior and culture reflect

their animal models. If people alienstap into ancient travelers’ tales aboutexotic lands, beasts come from fairytales and fables about talking animals.Larry Niven’s Kzinti are beast aliensbased on Terran cats. Geneticallymodified animals provide a rigorously“hard SF” way to use beast archetypeseven in a game universe without anyaliens at all.

Beasts are very effective becausethey come with a ready-made and fair-ly consistent set of assumptions.Eagles are fierce and solitary, so eagle-like aliens make good “proud warrior”cultures. Some of those assumptionsabout the relationship between eco-logical role and personality inform thealien-design rules in this chapter.

Game Masters can also make useof the mythical and legendary associa-tions of Earth animals when creatingbeast aliens. Snakes aren’t evil, butbecause they have long been used asicons of evil in many Terran mytholo-gies, a civilization of serpent-menaliens make natural campaign villains.Lions aren’t particularly noble, buttheir association with royalty makelion-aliens good candidates for honor-able aristocrats.

THINGS“Happy b-b-birthday, you thing from

another world, you.”– Porky Pig, Duck Dodgers

in the 24 1/2th Century

The most alien aliens are perceivedas “things” – icky and creepy, possiblynot even really alive. They draw on ournearly reflexive reactions to thingsthat sting and bite or spread decay.For a long time SF used alien thingssimply as monsters, as when H.G.Wells used octopuses as the model forhis bloodsucking Martian invaders ofEarth. But things don’t have to beautomatically hostile; they may simplybe mysterious and incomprehensibleto humans. Things are intrinsicallyalien. If humans ever learn how theythink, things can turn into funny-look-ing people.

While things often use “creepy-crawly” animals like spiders andsquids for a model, they can also take

on attributes of inanimate or non-living things. Plasma-beings that looklike living flames are things, as arecyborg races that have turned them-selves into machines.

MONSTERSAliens as monsters are probably

the oldest role of all – considerGrendel in Beowulf or the gorgons ofGreek myth. They are menaces, pureand simple. Recent films like theAliens series show the trope is aliveand well.

Monsters may or may not be intel-ligent. If they are, their cleverness onlyadds to the threat they present. Thewhole point of a monster is that it’sdangerous. If the monster can benegotiated with or placated, it ceasesto be a monster and turns into someother kind of alien. The process of“reclassifying” monsters is an old andhighly useful science-fiction plot.

Purely animal monsters may be“only” dangerous predators, or mayhave some other reason for hunting orattacking the heroes. Again, discover-ing the reason behind an animal mon-ster makes a good adventure.Sometimes, though, a monster is justa monster.

In appearance monsters may beterrifying “things,” or beasts drawingon monstrous archetypes like Terranwolves, or deceptively human-seem-ing “people” with a deadly secretnature. In cinematic settings, mon-sters may even look like demons orundead.

WORKINGBACKWARD

The bulk of this chapter is con-cerned with how to create realisticalien species from scratch. There areeven tables for randomly generatingthings like ecological niches and mat-ing styles. Given that humans won’t beable to choose or predict what kind ofcreatures we meet out there, randomcreation or just doing what soundscool is a reasonable and even realisticway to create aliens.

But GMs may have a particularrole in mind when creating an alienspecies, and sometimes the randomresults won’t match. It’s a pain whenthe planned “aggressive conqueringmenace” turns out to be a species ofpeaceful, sessile filter-feeders.

When you know what kind of alienyou want, the solution is to work back-ward. Consult the alien personalitytrait tables (see the box Alien CreationX) to select a proper mindset. Consultthe modifiers for those tables andassign ecological niches, matinghabits, and other details that encour-age those mental traits. From there, gothrough the process and either selector randomly generate other featuresof the species.

Example: Sean wants his alienAndromedans to be a civilization of“evil masterminds” for his campaign.He consults Alien Creation X anddecides he wants them to beChauvinistic, Single-Minded (to letthem devise grandiose master plans),Curious (to encourage ethically-challenged weird science research),Selfish, Callous, Imaginative, andParanoid. Consulting the modifiers,he sees that they should have a small-group social structure in whichmales keep harems, be pouncing car-nivores, have strong K-strategy, andbe fairly small in size. At this point,Sean could choose to make thembeast-aliens modeled on Terran cats,but he wants something more exotic

and distinctive. He decides to givethem lots of body segments and anexoskeleton like Terran insects, withlong legs for fast sprinting and a poison-tipped tail. Since they’re K-strategists, he chooses live birth

over egg-laying. To make them moreformidable he assigns them superiorsenses, including Night Vision andAcute Taste/Smell. There are stillsome details to be filled out, but theAndromedans are definitely takingshape.

136 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

Some Common AliensAliens in SF often fit into a standard type, and when used wisely

those types can add a lot of resonance to a space campaign. Somecommon alien stereotypes include:

Comic AliensForeigners are funny. Alien foreigners must therefore be even more

funny. Certainly SF writers have gotten a lot of comic mileage out ofaliens with bizarre and silly customs or their laughable incomprehen-sion of our entirely normal and reasonable habits. Often comic aliens arephysically cute or funny-looking, typically unthreatening beast arche-types like teddy bears, ducks, penguins, or otters. Comic Things are alsocommon.

PrimitivesAliens that are much less technologically advanced than humans (at

least at the time of contact) are often “noble savages,” living livesuntainted by the corruptions of civilization. Or they can be just plainsavages who want to eat visiting space travelers. Either way they fit into many of our stereotypes about “primitive” humans. They are oftenpeople-aliens or beast-aliens. In appearance they tend to either fragilebeauty or menacing ugliness.

SupermindsSuperhuman intellects can be mystical philosophers or ultra-

advanced technologists, and sometimes are both. They are usuallybenevolent (if a bit patronizing), but may be dangerous opponents ifthey think they’re being threatened. In appearance superminds areoften physically frail with huge brains; disembodied brains supportedby machinery may be things. Superminds may also be completelyimmaterial beings of “pure thought.”

WarriorsWarrior aliens are very aggressive, either from natural combative-

ness or a militarized society. Sympathetic warriors may be bound byhonor and duty, while enemy warriors are often faceless hordes to bemowed down. Beast-aliens based on carnivores are often warrior races.

LIFEBeing living things, we naturally

think we know what life is. We’re alive,rocks aren’t. But what about alien life?How will astronauts landing on anoth-er world be able to tell what’s alive andwhat isn’t?

LIFE AS WEKNOW IT

The simplest way to define life is tosay that it’s “like life on Earth.” Thishas been the operating theory behind

most real-world searches for life onother planets. If it’s made of the samechemicals as Terrestrial life and doesthe same things, it’s alive.

Life on Earth is based on nucleicacids – enormously long moleculeslike RNA and DNA. They in turn are

made up of smaller units callednucleotides. Three interesting featuresmake nucleic acids the fundamentalmolecules of life. The first is that theycan replicate themselves. A DNA helixcan pull apart into two strands, whichcan then each assemble new matchingstrands out of free-floating nucleotidemolecules. When the first nucleicacids started doing that in the primor-dial seas of Earth, one can say that lifebegan. In a very real sense, everythingdone by living things on Earth sincethen simply reflects more and morecomplex and sophisticated ways fornucleic acids to replicate themselves.

The second useful ability of nucleicacids is their ability to encode infor-mation, in the form of nucleotidechains. This is important because dif-ferent chains of nucleotides canencode the formulas (known in thetrade as “sequences”) for building pro-tein molecules. That ability to“remember” information and build“tools” let the nucleic acids alter theirenvironment – membranes to sur-round themselves for protection,organelles to process organic mole-cules for energy, and so on.

Which brings up the third usefulability of nucleic acids. Because DNAis a long chain of units, parts of thestrand can change without destroyingthe rest of the molecule. So DNA canmutate. Environmental factors andreplication errors can create differentdaughter chains, which encode differ-ent proteins. This lets DNA molecules

evolve. Ultimately the nucleic acidsevolved to the point where theyencased themselves inside billions ofcells organized into huge mobile com-plexes controlled by powerful brainscapable of writing and playing RPGs.

Carbon and WaterEarth life is based on complex car-

bon compounds for several reasons,and those reasons make it likely thatliving things elsewhere in the universemay do the same. First, carbon is oneof the four most common elements inthe universe, so just about any worldis likely to have a substantial supply.Second, the electron structure of thecarbon atom makes it capable offorming large and complex molecules.No other element known can do thatas well as carbon.

Liquid water is also consideredcrucial for life. On Earth, life formedin water, and just about all Earth lifeuses water as a solvent and circulatoryfluid. Water has some properties thatmake it especially suited for use by liv-ing things. It is liquid over a fairlybroad temperature range (180 degreesFahrenheit), so a planet can have largeamounts of liquid water without anunreasonably uniform climate.Second, water has a large heat capaci-ty. This is important on several levels.It means a planet with large wateroceans will have a fairly stable cli-mate, and it means that active organ-isms won’t easily boil themselves withmetabolic heat.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 137

Clashing DefinitionsDefining life has been a troublesome part of the search for living

things beyond Earth. Some scientists take a narrow definition: life mustbe based on DNA in a water matrix, using proteins and getting energyfrom photosynthesis or the breakdown of organic molecules. Earth life,in other words. This may sound restrictive, but it has its advantages. Weknow a lot about Earth life, and we can design experiments to detect it,even across interstellar distances. When you’re building a multi-billion-dollar space probe, that’s an important consideration.

Other scientists, especially those who have studied “extremophile”organisms on Earth, are willing to allow for some weirdness in alienlife. They postulate life that gets its energy from sulfur or iron com-pounds, like some bacteria found in ocean volcanic vents. But they stillassume those organisms will be based on DNA and liquid water.

Researchers fond of wild speculation have adopted much looserstandards. They postulate that life is any system that can locallyincrease the level of organization, or that life is any system capable ofundergoing evolution. These definitions allow for just about any kind oflife – including plenty of types nobody has imagined yet.

For the purposes of this book, we’re going to split the difference.We’re defining life broadly, including everything from energy-basedorganisms living in interstellar nebulae to nearly human creatures onnearly Earthlike planets. But we’re also assuming that Earthlike life isthe most common form, or at least the type most characters are goingto spend their time interacting with.

Alternate DNAThe DNA and RNA molecules used by Earth life aren’t the only ones

possible. Scientists have discovered several nucleotide molecules (thebuilding-blocks of a DNA helix) that don’t occur normally, but whichcan plug right into DNA and function just fine. So even life very similarto Earth life, based on DNA, might use a different “alphabet” at themolecular level. Extending that metaphor, it’s also possible to use thesame nucleotides but encode proteins using entirely different sequences– the same “letters” but a different “language.”

The double-helix form is also not the only way to organize a DNAmolecule. Scientists have created complicated branching nucleotidechain structures, and alien life might use something like that instead.

Proteins are extremely complex and versatile molecules themselves.It’s entirely possible that some type of carbon-based life uses giant self-replicating protein molecules instead of nucleic acids as the carrier ofgenetic information.

Finally, water has an unusual prop-erty: when it freezes it expands, so icefloats. Most liquids get denser whenthey freeze. This means a water oceandevelops an insulating cover of icewhen it gets cold, whereas a freezingsea of ammonia would chill from thebottom up. Living things can survivein a water ocean even when the airtemperature is below freezing. Thisadvantage of water also has its draw-backs – when an Earth organismfreezes, the expanding water crystalsrupture its cells, killing it. (Some fishand frogs have evolved natural“antifreeze” chemicals to avoid this.)Organisms using a different solventmight survive freezing with no illeffects.

MetabolismOriginally, Earth life did not

breathe oxygen, because billions ofyears ago there was no oxygen tobreathe. Early life on Earth was anaer-obic, getting energy by fermentationand related processes. Even todaythere are whole kingdoms of anaero-bic bacteria to which free oxygen ispure poison.

Humans breathe oxygen becauseplants and cyanobacteria produce it asa waste product of photosynthesis. Ineffect, we’re breathing pollution. Ifgreen plants and algae did not con-stantly renew the supply, Earth’satmosphere would lose its oxygen,becoming a mix of nitrogen and car-bon dioxide. (Any other world that hashighly reactive atmospheric gases is agood candidate for life, since some-thing has to be making them.) Oxygenis very reactive, and oxygen-breatherscan support a very active lifestyle.Aliens from a world with a differentatmosphere might not be able to sus-tain the level of activity found onEarth.

Chlorine is quite reactive, andwould serve as a good oxygen replace-ment, on a world where the localplants use photosynthesis to break upsalts and store energy in sodium com-pounds. The result would be a chlo-rine-laced atmosphere and oceans ofbleach. Because chlorine is a muchless abundant chemical than oxygen,such worlds are probably vanishinglyrare, but chlorine-breathers have along history in science fiction.

Organisms that breathe a gas otherthan oxygen use the same rule aswater-breathers as described underGills (p. B49): it’s a 0-point feature thatbalances their need for life supportwith the ability to breathe somethingtoxic to humans. If humans normallycan breathe the organism’s nativeatmosphere but it contains some traceelement missing from Earth-standardair, that would qualify as aDependency, typically at the -25 or -50point level.

OTHERCHEMISTRIES

While carbon molecules in waterare the most plausible basis for life,they are by no means the only possi-bility. And in a sufficiently big uni-verse, even unlikely forms of life mayfind congenial conditions. Just aboutall aliens with variant chemistriesshould take the Unusual Biochemistrydisadvantage in human-centered campaigns.

There are several ways in which lifecould have a different chemical basisfrom Earth life. It could use differentsolvents, like ammonia or hydrocar-bons in place of water. It could use dif-ferent molecules to store genetic infor-mation, like silicate chains or complexnitrogen compounds. It could use anentirely different family of com-pounds for metabolism, genetics, andtissues.

Hydrogen ChemistryHydrogen is the most abundant

element, and giant planets like Jupiterare essentially big balls of hydrogen. Ifhydrogen-based life is possible, theUniverse holds a lot of potential placesfor it to arise. In extremely densehydrogen (near the core of a gas giant,for instance) crystals of solid hydro-gen could store “genetic” informationin a lattice structure.

At more normal pressures and verylow temperatures (-250° F or below)lipid molecules (akin to fats found in Terran life) could be the basis of life in a medium of liquid hydro-gen. Hydrogen-chemistry organismswould use “reduction” reactions torelease energy by combining organicmolecules with hydrogen. (The

organics would have to be manufac-tured by photosynthesis.)

Hydrogen life from a low-energyenvironment (like a supercold Pluto-type world) would probably be slug-gish compared to humans, withDecreased Time Rate and a reducedBasic Speed. However, astronomershave identified gas giants orbitingquite close to some stars where energyis plentiful, so the possibility of veryactive hydrogen-based organismsfrom a high-pressure environmentexists.

Ammonia ChemistryAmmonia could replace water as a

medium for life. Ammonia has a nar-rower liquid temperature range thanwater, so it would require a planetwith a very stable climate between -108° Fahrenheit (-78° C) and -27° F (-33° C). In that cold environment, it’spossible for something like Terrestrialnucleic-acid chains to function, or forcomplex chains of nitrogen or carbonand nitrogen to serve the same pur-pose. Since complex nitrogen mole-cules become highly unstable at liq-uid-water temperatures, ammonia-based organisms could be made of liv-ing high explosive! (This does notrequire the Explosive disadvantage,however, because the temperaturesinvolved would kill the being long before its molecules becameunstable.)

Ammonia-based life could conductphotosynthesis if it evolved on a coldEarth-type planet, or might tap theheat differential between layers of agas giant world’s atmosphere. Suchcreatures probably would not be oxy-gen-breathers, since the chief sourceof oxygen molecules for Earth-typelife (carbon dioxide) is a solid atammonia-life temperatures. Instead,ammonia-based organisms mightbreathe free hydrogen, either in a gasgiant atmosphere or liberated frommethane molecules on a coldTerrestrial world.

Living creatures based on ammo-nia should define their TemperatureTolerance range as centered some-where between -100° F and -25° F;they are not automatically Cold-Blooded in the sense defined by thedisadvantage of that name, however.Hydrogen-breathers may take the

138 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

disadvantage Fragile (Combustible) ifthey spend lots of time in oxygen envi-ronments, as their “air” can catch fire.Since chemical reactions are slower atammonia temperatures, either a lowBasic Speed or Decreased Time Ratemight be appropriate.

Hydrocarbon LifeThe Huygens probe found signs of

ancient methane lakes on Titan, andone might imagine larger worlds withseas of heavier molecules like octane –gasoline oceans, in other words. Lifeon a “petrochemical planet” couldmake use of the fantastic versatility ofcarbon in ways Terran life has onlybegun to explore. Organisms made ofcomplex polymers (“plastic”) or lipids(“fats”) could swim in those oily seas.Instead of oxygen respiration, organ-isms on a hydrocarbon world wouldprobably make use of the “reduction”reaction, breathing hydrogen.

Hydrocarbon-based organisms arelikely to be Fragile (Combustible), ifnot Fragile (Flammable) or evenFragile (Explosive), but only whenadventuring off-planet in oxygen envi-ronments. As with ammonia-basedlife, hydrocarbon organisms from acold environment might have lowBasic Speed or Decreased Time Rate.

Silicon and SiliconesOn hot planets, silicon-based life

becomes a possibility. Silicon is chem-ically similar to carbon, though it hasno gaseous forms. Large siliconobjects on Earth are known as rocks,but interesting chemistries becomepossible when the silicon atoms alter-nate with oxygen to form silicatechains, or combine with carbon tomake the class of molecules known assilicones.

Oxygen respiration is barely pos-sible for silicate or silicone life, butin the hot environment of a worldlike Venus or Mercury, silicon-basedorganisms could also get energyfrom sulfur metabolism or reactionsinvolving fluorine. Silicon life usingiron chemistry for metabolism andliquid rock as a solvent might thrivein places like the Earth’s mantle,hundreds of miles below the crust.(For all we know the Earth’s mantleis home to a busy ecosystem that is

equally ignorant of the flimsy water-based life hugging the cold outer sur-face of the planet.)

Silicon-based life would naturallyset its comfortable temperature muchhigher than humans: somewherearound 300° F for sulfuric acid/siliconcreatures, 500° F for silicon/liquid sul-fur organisms, and 2500° F or higherfor silicon/liquid rock beings. Silicon-based fluorine-breathers adventuringin an oxygen environment should takethe Combustible disadvantage, andpossibly Increased Life Support toreflect the extraordinary difficulty ofhandling fluorine gas.

Since high temperatures speed upchemical reactions, silicon beingsmight live faster than us cold and slug-gish humans. This can mean either anincreased Basic Speed, or the advan-tages Altered Time Rate or EnhancedTime Sense.

Sulfur-Based LifeSulfur-based life could use liquid

sulfur as a solvent much as we usewater. On Jupiter’s moon Io, vol-canos pour out large amounts of sul-fur, indicating the possibility of an

underground “ocean” of liquid sul-fur. In the absence of free oxygen,sulfur-based life could use carbon-sulfur compounds, fluorocarbons, orsilicates as the basis of life. Theycould breathe hydrogen sulfide (thegas that makes the “rotten egg”smell) or free hydrogen.

Another possible solvent for sulfur-based life is sulfuric acid. On Venus,the clouds contain fairly largeamounts of sulfuric acid, and it’s notimpossible to imagine a slightly coolerVenusian world with lakes or smallseas of acid on the surface. Since astrong acid like sulfuric acid can dis-solve rocks, sulfuric acid would alsobe a good medium for silicon-basedlife using sulfur chemistry for metabo-lism. Civilization on such a worldmight never develop metal-based tech-nology, as only “noble metals” likegold would be able to resist the fantas-tic corrosion of an acid-laced atmos-phere for very long. Instead one canimagine silicon-based organismsdeveloping a combination of “biologi-cal” ceramics and silicones as theirprimary materials for tools andmachinery.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 139

Sulfur-based life probably shouldtake the Increased Life Support disad-vantage among oxygen-breathers, toreflect the difficulty of handling largeamounts of sulfuric acid or moltensulfur. It’s possible that a sulfurousorganism would have a Bad Smellamong oxygen-breathers, since pro-tective suits might not be able to elim-inate the rotten-egg odor. Sulfur-basedlife from a high-temperature environ-ment might have Altered Time Rate.

NON-CHEMICALLIFE

All of the “weird life” we’ve dis-cussed involves various chemicalsused to store energy and information.But there are other ways to do thosethings.

Plasma LifeOrganisms made of hot ionized

plasma (within the photosphere of a star, or in a dense and highly

energetic nebula) can store energyand information in the form of elec-tric charges and magnetic fields. Aself-replicating pattern of electromag-netism could function as the “DNA”for plasma-based life. The plasmaorganisms could get energy by tap-ping the hotter layers lower down inthe star’s interior.

A “cell” of plasma-based life wouldbe larger than its chemical analogue,because all the processes of life wouldbe happening at nearly the speed oflight. The fundamental units of plas-ma-based life would probably be onthe order of a centimeter in size,which means that highly complexorganisms big enough for intelligence

would be tens of kilometers long. Ofcourse, living on a star would certain-ly provide enough room.

Plasma life would be “immaterial”compared to solid creatures likehumans. This would best be modeledby the Body of Fire meta-trait. Itwould require Increased Life Supportoutside its native environment (as itwould need something like a fusionreactor containment torus to live incomfortably).

Magnetic LifeOn a neutron star, matter is incred-

ibly compressed by the gravity and theintense magnetic fields. Atoms take onnew shapes, their electron orbitalssqueezed into rod shapes by magneticfield lines. In those conditions, normalchemical laws break down, and itbecomes possible for chains of singleatoms to behave like DNA. The intensemagnetic fields also provide an energysource, leading to the possibility of anentire ecosystem.

Life made of “degenerate matter”like this would be extremely differentfrom Earth life. It would be muchsmaller – a creature containing asmany atoms as a human would becompressed down to microscopic size.The smaller size and tremendous sup-ply of energy allows a much fasterpace. The physicist Robert Forwardwrote a fascinating novel, Dragon’sEgg, about life on a neutron star; inthe course of the story a civilizationarises on the star, develops science andtechnology, and finally goes exploringthe stars, all during the course of a fewdays while bemused human scientistslook on!

Magnetic-based life on a neutronstar would be certain to haveEnhanced Time Sense and several lev-els of Altered Time Rate; they wouldalso require four levels of IncreasedLife Support to duplicate neutron-starconditions.

140 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

Alien Creation IThroughout this chapter there are boxes detailing how to create

alien life in GURPS terms. They are set up so the user can either makedecisions based on the game setting and the needs of the campaign,or roll randomly. This system can also be used to create non-sentientcreatures.

Chemical BasisSelect the alien’s biochemistry based on the climate of its home-

world, or roll randomly on 3d. GMs should feel free to disallow certaintypes of life or adjust the probabilities to suit a given game universe.

Roll (3d) Type of Life3-5: Hydrogen-Based Life

(Frozen worlds below -250° F or Gas Giants)6-7: Ammonia-Based Life

(Frozen worlds between -100° F and -30° F)8: Hydrocarbon-Based Life (Cold to Cool worlds)9-11: Water-Based Life (Cold to Hot worlds)12: Chlorine-Based Life (Cold to Tropical worlds)13: Silicon/Sulfuric Acid Life

(Warm to Infernal worlds between 50° F and 600° F)14: Silicon/Liquid Sulfur Life

(Infernal worlds between 250° F and 750° F)15: Silicon/Liquid Rock Life

(Infernal worlds above 2500° F, or mantle)16: Plasma Life (Infernal worlds or stars above 4000° F)17-18: Exotica

(Nebula-dwelling life, Machine life, Magnetic life)

“I haven’t seen anything like that except, uh,molecular acid.”

“It must be using it for blood.”– Dallas and Brett, Alien

An ecology is the sum of all livingthings in a given area. By definition,all living things are part of an ecology.A creature’s place in its native ecologydetermines a great deal about it.

ENERGY FLOWLife can’t exist without energy.

Every ecosystem is based on a flow ofenergy from some non-living source.Certain organisms (called autotrophsor primary producers) tap that energyand change it into forms that life canuse.

Energy SourcesOn Earth, the chief source of ener-

gy is sunlight, and plants are the pri-mary producers. On other worlds theremight be different energy sources.

Chemosynthesis is the process ofextracting energy from available non-living chemicals. On Earth chemosyn-thetic organisms are mostly foundnear active volcanic sources, as thoseprovide a steady flow of energeticchemicals. Iron and sulfur are themost common bases for chemosynthe-sis on Earth.

In environments with a strong heatgradient, organisms might live by ther-mal energy. Humans are very familiarwith this; it is the basis of just about allour technology. Living things mighttap heat differential in a kind of“engine” like a boiler, or could use theelectric current flow in heated metaldipoles. Whatever the method, heat-based life must have one end in theheat source and one end at a heat sink– there must be a flow to make thingswork properly. Plasma-based beingsliving on the surface of a star could dothe same.

Radioactive minerals give off ener-gy. To most Earth life radiation is haz-ardous, but some organisms mightevolve to make use of low-level radia-tion. Gamma rays may be too ener-getic, but beta particles could be a use-ful source of energy. The trick wouldbe finding enough radioactive materialto keep alive. On Earth it is thoughtthat a combination of volcanic activityand water-concentrated radioactiveminerals at sites in Africa, creating nat-ural nuclear reactors that endured forcenturies. On an alien world this mightbe more common, especially with radi-ation-eating organisms helping theprocess along.

In a science-fiction setting withsuperscience power sources like “coldfusion” or “zero point energy,” someorganisms may have evolved to makeuse of them. This could allow for crea-tures that can make use of incredibleamounts of energy, without needing toeat anything at all.

Nutrient SourcesIn addition to energy, living things

need a reliable supply of chemicalbuilding blocks. For plants and otherautotrophs, the important nutrientsare the basic chemical elements informs they can use. Plants on Earth,for instance, use nitrogen but theydon’t get it from the air; they requirenitrogen compounds in the soil or dis-solved in groundwater, and those com-pounds have to be produced by bacte-ria. Less abundant elements like phos-phorus, potassium, and others canlimit biological activity even whenenergy is abundant. In the oceans, thewater at great depth is often nutrient-rich, but the environment is low inenergy, while surface water is nutri-ent-poor. Upwellings where currentsbring up nutrients are apt to be placesof spectacular abundance.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 141

Artificial LifeAn extremely plausible kind of non-biological life is

machine life. Humans are close to being able to buildmachines capable of creating copies of themselves, andsome scientists have proposed launching self-replicat-ing space probes toward other stars. Each probe wouldcreate copies of itself and send them further off intospace. In time the whole galaxy would be infested withprobes, all for the cost of a single launch. Others haveproposed similar techniques to create asteroid miningrobots or terraform other planets. Author FredSaberhagen imagined “Berserkers” – self-replicatingrobot spaceships dedicated to annihilating all life theyencounter.

Machine life need not have any physical existence atall: there could be entire civilizations of artificial-intelli-gence organisms living entirely within the memory ofcomplex datanets. Such “virtual life” could be descend-ed from organic life if it becomes possible to “upload”an organic intelligence into data form.

Mechanical intelligence could develop from sub-intelligent machinery. One can easily imagine cosmicrays inducing “mutations” in the programming of a

self-replicating machine, erasing its original purposeand leaving it no goal other than that of creating asmany offspring as possible. Mutations (or consciousdesign changes) in the offspring machines could even-tually create an entire mechanical “ecosystem” ofpredators, parasites, and prey. If the machines aren’tintelligent to begin with, evolution might eventuallyproduce sentience.

Alternately, artificial intelligence machines mightdeliberately set out to create their own civilizationapart from organic life. In an advanced civilizationwith “uploading” technology (like that presented inTranshuman Space), the distinction between bio-lifeand machine life might seem as unimportant as the dif-ference between acoustic and electric guitar music.

Whatever its origin, machine life can thrive in amuch broader range of environments than biologicallife. Machine life may or may not have the Machinemeta-trait, as highly evolved machines based on nan-otechnology could appear to be living things even at themicroscopic level.

ECOLOGIES AND NICHES

ConsumersOne good way to get energy is to

steal it. As soon as a population oforganisms exists that extract energyfrom the environment, other organ-isms are going to start extracting ener-gy from them. And then in turn othercreatures will start to eat the eaters,and so on. Eating other living thingshas the advantage that the food is veryconcentrated, so consumers – carni-vores and herbivores – can be largeand active.

Environment TypesThe GURPS rules distinguish

among 16 different types of environ-ments: eight each for land and sea (p.B224). These environments are obvi-ously based on an Earthlike setting,but they have analogies on every kindof world.

Arctic environments are any placewhere the temperature hovers aroundthe low end possible for that type oflife. For Earth life, it’s places where it’soften below freezing. For silicon-based life it’s a chilly 200° F!

Desert environments are any placewhere the necessary solvents or nutri-ents for life are scarce. There’s oftenplenty of energy, just no stuff to use.Deserts also tend to extremes of tem-perature. Life tends to be scarce, clus-tered around oases.

Island/Beach environments are aninterface between land and sea, and assuch are especially suited for amphibi-ous beings. The “sea” can be any kindof fluid, obviously. Islands in particu-lar can support isolated micro-ecolo-gies where species evolve in unusualways.

Jungle settings are lush, dominatedby huge autotrophs (trees, on Earth).They support lots of life, but often thatlife has evolved an array of defenses.Jungles offer many specialized nichesfor life to exploit.

Mountain environments are oftenpoor in resources for life, simplybecause fluids drain away downhilland erosion scours away the soil. Atvery high altitudes, even air is scarce!Mountains often support lots of“micro-ecologies” specialized for aparticular altitude.

Plains are wide-open regions withfairly abundant life, dominated bysmall area producers (grass, on Earth)

and the grazers that feed on them.Because plains are so open, the thingsthat live there are often highly mobile.

Swampland environments areanother interface, where land andwater (or whatever the local fluid is)meet, but there is protection from themechanical force of waves on theshore. They support abundant life,especially amphibious life.

Woodlands, like jungles, are mature“climax” environments of large, slow-growing primary producers. Unlikejungles, woodlands are subject togreater climate variation, usually tiedto the seasons. Food is abundant atcertain times of the year, but scarce atother times, and everything in theenvironment must be able to copewith the cycle. On planets withextreme climate variation, there maybe no jungles, only woodlands. Bycontrast, on a planet with little climatechange, woodlands would be rare(replaced by something akin to a tem-perate or cool jungle-like, high-alti-tude tropical forests).

In the ocean, Banks are coastalwaters where nutrients are abundant.They can support a great deal of life;on Earth they are the great fisheries.One can call banks the marine equiva-lent of plains, since they have lots offood but most of the animal life isquite mobile.

Deep Ocean Vents are isolatedplaces where nutrients and chemicalenergy are abundant, but the organ-isms that live there must be highlyspecialized. Because they are isolat-ed, each vent site is an entirely sepa-rate ecosystem with unique species.On ice-covered worlds like Europa,vents may be the most thrivingecosystems.

Fresh-Water Lakes are full of energyand nutrients, but they are isolatedfrom each other and from the ocean.They are also short-lived, geologicallyspeaking, which means life doesn’thave a whole lot of time to evolve toexploit a particular lake. Instead, mostlake organisms enter via rivers andadapt to local conditions. On alienworlds, lakes are any isolated butthriving aquatic environment thatexists for only a few thousand years.There are some similarities betweenisland environments and lakes, asboth are typically colonized by lifefrom other regions.

Open Ocean is kind of like a desertfull of water: there’s plenty of energybut no nutrients, so life is sparse.Isolated reefs serve as “oases” whereliving things cluster.

Reefs are similar to jungles in theocean. They are places of abundantlife, often dominated by large plantsor colony creatures (coral). Livingthings are abundant and the local foodweb is complex.

River/Stream environments areanother interface, like beach orswamp, but have some unique fea-tures of their own. A river flowsthrough different environments, creat-ing lots of micro-ecologies along itscourse. The water level in a riverdepends on rainfall, so it usually goesthrough an annual cycle of high waterand drought. The creatures that live ina river environment must be able tocope.

Salt-Water Seas are isolated bodiesof water where the salt level is concen-trated by evaporation. Ordinaryaquatic life has trouble handling thehigh-salt conditions, so they are theaquatic equivalent of desert regions.

Tropical Lagoon environments arethe counterpart of beach or swamp-land: a coastal zone under the water.Lagoons in particular are shelteredand shallow, and can host a great vari-ety of organisms. As in the othercoastal zones, many lagoon speciesare amphibious.

Alien EnvironmentsMany possible alien environments

are not found on Earth. Most of themcan be modeled by analogy with oneof the types described above. In a gasgiant’s atmosphere, upwellings ofmaterial from deep layers might cor-respond to reefs or banks in an ocean.A seafloor away from vents or reefswould be like open ocean.Subterranean environments mightmap well to oceans, with banks orlagoons where magma currents pro-vide lots of nutrients. A system ofcaves with native life would resemblefreshwater lakes or deep ocean ventsin terms of ecology.

More exotic settings can work byanalogy, based on how abundantenergy and nutrients are, and howeasy the environment is to movearound in. Plasma-beings on the

142 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

surface of a star might be like seacreatures, with “banks” in nutrient-rich regions. The fact that the nutri-ents are upwellings of helium fromthe stellar interior or concentratedmagnetic field loops doesn’t changethe logic of the ecosystem.

AUTOTROPHS ANDDECOMPOSERS

Autotrophs are organisms that tapdirectly into primary energy sourceslike sunlight or reactive chemicals. Byfar the most common autotrophs onEarth are plants, which use sunlight to

conduct photosynthesis. One canimagine other autotrophs that usesolar power via the photoelectriceffect, or which heat up a kind of“solar boiler” for power.

Photosynthesis has an efficiencyof roughly 1%, so on Earth couldproduce about one calorie per hourper square foot of collecting area.Since humans need some 2,000 calo-ries per day, a plant-person wouldneed to have huge “solar panels”with an area of at least 200 squarefeet. On a planet with more intensesunlight, the required area naturallygoes down, so mobile autotrophs getmore likely. A more efficient form of

photosynthesis would also help,allowing either less collecting time orsmaller collecting area, although apractical maximum would be around50%. Photosynthesizers might haveto remain nearly immobile duringthe day, giving them the Nocturnaldisadvantage.

Some microorganisms live bychemosynthesis, and if suitablesources of energetic chemicals wereavailable they might evolve into largermulticellular forms. The source ofthose energetic chemicals would behard to explain, however. Volcanicvents are one good possibility.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 143

Alien Creation IIHabitat

First decide where in space the organism lives.Space-dwelling life requires no planet. Planet-bound lifecomes in two types: those native to gas giant atmos-pheres, and those living on more or less terrestrial plan-ets. Since we’re assuming the GM has already createdthe home planet of the aliens, those details should beobvious.

For terrestrial planet life, determine if it lives prima-rily on land or in water. Decide, or roll 1d: on a 1-3 it island-dwelling, 4-6 it is water-dwelling.

Modifiers: -1 if the planet’s surface is 50% ocean orless; -2 if it is 10% or less; +1 if it is 80% ocean or more;+2 if it is 90% ocean or more. On planets that are entire-ly water, the only land environment available isIsland/Beach. Worlds with 0% ocean coverage can onlyhave Salt-Water Sea, Fresh-Water Lake, or River-Streamaquatic environments. Gas giant life uses the water table.

Then determine the specific habitat type. Roll 3d:

Roll (3d) Land Habitat Water Habitat3-7 Plains Banks8 Desert Open Ocean9 Island/Beach Fresh-Water Lakes10 Woodlands River/Stream11 Swampland Tropical Lagoon 12 Mountain Deep-Ocean Vents13 Arctic Salt-Water Sea14-18 Jungle Reef

Trophic Level and StrategyNow determine or decide how the organism gets its

energy. There are two tables, one for a random animalin the environment, the other for potentially intelligentlife. Note that Deep-Ocean Vent autotrophs cannot bephotosynthetic. Some beings may use two methods.

Ordinary Animals: Roll 3d.

Roll (3d) Trophic Level3 Combined Method: roll twice.4 Autotroph (1-3: Photosynthetic, 4-5:

Chemosynthetic, 6: Other)5 Decomposer6 Scavenger7 Omnivore8-9 Gathering Herbivore10-11 Grazing/Browsing Herbivore12 Pouncing Carnivore13 Chasing Carnivore14 Trapping Carnivore15 Hijacking Carnivore16 Filter-Feeder (becomes Trapping Carnivore

in Arctic or Desert)17-18 Parasite/Symbiont

Sapient Organisms: Roll 3d, no modifiers.

Roll (3d) Trophic Level3 Combined Methods (roll twice)4 Parasite/Symbiont5 Filter-Feeder (becomes Trapping

Carnivore in Arctic or Desert)6 Pouncing Carnivore7 Scavenger8-9 Gathering Herbivore10 Omnivore11-12 Chasing Carnivore13 Grazing Herbivore14 Hijacking Carnivore15-16 Trapping Carnivore17 Decomposer18 Autotroph (1-3: Photosynthesis, 4-5:

Chemosynthesis, 6: Other)

DecomposersDecomposers get their energy from

breaking down organic materials. OnEarth, fungi and many microorgan-isms are decomposers. They aren’t pri-mary producers like autotrophs – theydon’t bring energy into the system –but they do tend to resemble them in“lifestyle.”

Both autotrophs and decomposersare usually static beings, since it’s hardfor a plant or a fungus to accumulateenough energy to be active. Someslime molds can move about, andsome plants (like Venus flytraps ororchids) have structures that can reactto stimuli, but you don’t see themstriding across the landscape. Allautotrophs and decomposers wouldprobably qualify for either the Sleepyor Slow Eater disadvantages, andmight have No Legs (Sessile) as well.

For autotrophs or decomposers tobe as active as animals, they wouldneed a very concentrated source ofenergy, and a need to be mobile. On aworld with vastly more intense sun-light than Earth, plants could move –but why? Plants would need to bemobile only if they depended on someresource that moved about (like inter-mittent water sources in a desert, per-haps). Chemosynthetic autotrophsmight have to move around to findnew sources of energetic chemicals.Decomposers obviously need to beable to seek out new sources of rottingmaterial, but the energy released bybreaking it down is limited.

One possibility is autotrophs ordecomposers that are active only dur-ing a certain life phase. Imagine aplant whose “fruit” are like small ani-mals, using stored energy to roam insearch of the ideal place to put downroots and take up life as a new plant.Another possibility is an autotroph ordecomposer that can “moonlight” as aconsumer, especially if the environ-ment has large seasonal changes inavailability of energy. Maybe when thewinter days get short, the trees can gethungry.

HERBIVORESIn this discussion, “herbivores”

refers to any creatures that eat essen-tially unresisting food. On Earth, her-bivores are plant-eaters, but one mightdefine the baleen whales as being the

equivalent of herbivores, since theprey they hunt (krill) are about a thou-sand times smaller than they are.From a whale’s point of view, krillmight as well be plants. Aliens thatconsume nonliving food (like activechemosynthetic organisms ormachine life that mine what they eat)are functionally herbivores. One canfurther subdivide herbivores by howabundant their food is and how muchwork they must do in order to get it.

Filter FeedingFilter-feeders live in a fluid envi-

ronment that is so rich in food theycan just drink it in. They don’t evenhave to move – many Terran filter-feeders live rooted to a single spot formost of their lives. They simply sit andsuck in material, sifting out the goodparts. In an abundant environment,like shallow tropical seas, filter-feederscan get quite big; some sponges andgiant clams weigh hundreds ofpounds. In environments like deepocean vents, the distinction between achemosynthetic autotroph and a filter-feeder may be too subtle to notice.Because filter-feeders typically have toprocess a lot of mass, they take theSlow Eater disadvantage.

GrazingGrazing organisms eat low-energy

food that is very abundant. The chiefproblem is just eating it fast enough.Often their food has defensive chem-icals, which the herbivore’s digestivesystem must be able to handle.Grazers can get quite large, especial-ly if there is never any food shortage.Standing around and eating all daydoesn’t require much in the way ofbrains, but many grazing animals livein large groups, and can developcomplex social and communicationabilities. (These concepts also applyto any organism or machine that livesby processing large amounts of mate-rial.) Grazers typically take the SlowEater or Increased Consumption disadvantages.

A related type of herbivore areBrowsers. Like grazers they eat lots oflow-energy food, but where Terrangrazers eat grass and similar plants,browsers eat leaves from trees andshrubs. They may be tall (to reach

what they eat), and can get quite large.Browsers and grazers can have atremendous effect on the environ-ment, preserving or even expandingthe area covered by grassland. In thischapter, browsers and grazers arelumped together.

GatheringGatherers consume high-energy

food. Often this means they must go toa lot of trouble to find it. Some gather-ers specialize in a single food, anddevelop highly specialized organs tolocate and harvest it. Others prefer togeneralize. Gatherers tend to be small-er than grazers and have excellentsenses. Their digestive systems cangenerally cope with a variety of toxicchemicals. They are often fairly intelli-gent, especially if they live in socialgroups. Some gatherers supplementtheir plant diet with smaller animals,scavenged remains, or eggs.(Gathering is analogous to machine orphysical life that must seek particularresources that are sometimes hard tofind, but which are fairly rich orrewarding.) Specialized gatherers mayhave the Restricted Diet disadvantage,while gatherers that consume lots oftoxic plants can have the advantage ofResistant to poison, ReducedConsumption (Cast Iron Stomach), orboth.

CARNIVORESCarnivores are meat eaters. That is,

they consume other animals, or atleast something that can try to runaway or fight back. Herbivores in anenvironment with mobile plantswould effectively be carnivores,because of the need to subdue dinner.Animal food is high in energy, so car-nivores don’t have to eat as often, butthis is offset by their frequent failuresto get a meal. They come in severaltypes, based on how much effort theyput into getting their food.

ScavengersScavengers prey on the creatures

that are easiest to catch – dead ones.They devour the remains of otherpredators’ kills or animals dead of dis-ease and accident. Usually they haveimpressive resistance to disease anddecay toxins because much of their

144 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

food is half-rotted. Their senses mustbe good to find carcasses. Many scav-engers also hunt small game if theycan get it, and some double as gather-ing herbivores. They generally operatealone or in small groups, althoughoften quite a crowd can gather whenone finds a carcass. Scavengers usual-ly have the advantage Resistant toIntestinal Disease and Spoiled Food,or Reduced Consumption (Cast-IronStomach). Among non-carrion-eaters,their diet can also qualify as an OdiousPersonal Habit.

OmnivoresOmnivores eat both plant and ani-

mal food. As plant-eaters they tend tofunction like gatherers, concentrat-ing on high-energy food, while asmeat-eaters they are usually pounc-ing predators, seldom investing a lotof energy in hunting. They are oftenfairly clever, as they have to be able torecognize a wide variety of potentialfood items. While some Terran omni-vores work in groups, they are morelikely to be solitary.

TrappersTrapping carnivores are almost like

filter-feeders: they sit in one place andlet their prey come to them. Manyhelp the process along by building

traps – spiders spin webs, and antlions dig pits. They must be patient,since they have no control over howoften something will stumble closeenough to catch, and the investmentinvolved in building a trap is oftenconsiderable. Though the traps can bequite sophisticated, they are usuallybuilt by instinct, and waiting for preydoesn’t require much intelligence orkeen senses. Trappers are usually soli-tary, since too many traps closetogether can’t support their makers.They often have an advantage con-nected to their trap mechanism, likeBinding or Tunneling, and frequentlyhave a fast-acting Innate Attack orAffliction to subdue victims (on Earththis is usually poison, but aliens mightuse electric shocks, acid, or psionics).They may have racial skill inCamouflage, or some form ofChameleon ability.

PouncersPouncing hunters catch prey with

swift attacks, often from ambush.They may have to make severalattempts for each success, but theinvestment in a given attack is fairlysmall. Pouncers nearly always go aftersmaller prey, so that the kill is easy.Sometimes pouncers combine theirefforts, with one or more driving prey

toward a waiting ambush; this caninvolve a high degree of social com-munication and planning. Others aresolitary.

Pouncing hunters are usually veryfast, with excellent senses and formi-dable natural weaponry. Pouncers thatspecialize in a particular kind of preycan have elaborately specialized hunt-ing mechanisms: woodpeckers huntbeetles under tree bark, and theirwhole skull and beak form a highlydeveloped chisel mechanism. Otherpouncers may use venom to subduetheir prey quickly (a Toxic Attack).Typical pouncer advantages includeincreased Move (possibly with theCosts Fatigue limitation) or SuperJump, improved Perception or specif-ic senses, weapons like Teeth or Claws,and possibly an Innate Attack. Theymay have racial skill levels inBrawling, Jumping, or Stealth.

ChasersChasing hunters go after larger

prey and invest a lot of energy in mak-ing sure they get a successful kill.Often they work in groups and coordi-nate the hunt by well-developed com-munication methods. Chasers musthave good stamina and senses, to keepup with a big prey animal until it fallsfrom exhaustion. Solitary chasers areespecially impressive in this regard: aKomodo dragon can hunt a deer fordays. Appropriate advantages includeFit or Very Fit, high racial HT,increased Move or Enhanced Move,and at least one improved sense.Racial skill at Tracking is likely.

HijackersIf you’re really big and fierce, you

may not have to do your own hunting.Just find someone else who’s made akill and chase them away. That’s whathijackers do. They are frequently pow-erful pouncing hunters picking onsmaller pouncers or chasers, althougha big omnivore could do just as well.Hijackers have to be large enough tobe scary, and may have racial skill lev-els in Intimidation and Brawling.They probably have natural attacks toback up their threats. Since mosthijackers also hunt their own food,they can have all of the abilities of apouncer or chaser.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 145

ALIEN ANATOMYIt’s highly unlikely that creatures

from an alien environment will lookmuch like Earth life. There are a fewbasic features that result from simplephysical laws: anything that moves islikely to have something like a head atthe front end, with sensory organsgrouped near the brain. Anythingabove a certain size on land must havesome kind of structural support. Allorganisms must have a way to getfood or nutrients, and all must have away to reproduce.

MOBILITYMost animals have some way to

move around. Even sessile creatureslike oysters generally have a mobilestage before settling down.

WalkingFor land animals, walking is the

method of choice for getting around.On Earth there are walking animalswith any number of legs, from two todozens. Though many SF writers haveassumed that animals on high-gravityworlds would need extra legs to hold

up their weight, it’s noteworthy thatsome large dinosaurs likeTyrannosaurus rex managed to carrymany tons of weight on only two legs.A creature’s walking speed depends onthe length of its legs and the localgravity. Specifically, speed is propor-tional to the square root of leg lengthtimes gravity. This means that one cangenerally run faster in high gravity,because the higher gravity makes youtake faster steps. To convert this toGURPS terms, Move for aliens equals5 times the square root of (L ¥ G),where L is the aliens’ height or lengthdivided by human height of 6 feet, andG is the local gravity in gees. So for acreature from a planet with a gravityof 0.5 G, standing 10 feet tall, basicMove should be about 4.5 yards perround, rounded down to 4; the samecreature on a planet with 1.2 G wouldhave a basic Move of 7! (This is only asa guideline for creatures that evolvedin a particular gravity; visiting a high-G world doesn’t automatically makeone move faster.)

Note that really big animals likeelephants or the larger dinosaursnever move faster than a walk or a

trot, because would put too muchstress on their bones. That doesn’tmatter because they can walk prettyfast anyway because of their long legs.Creatures optimized for running canadd the Enhanced Move (Ground)advantage.

Many creatures have specializedfeet with Hooves or Blunt Claws fortraction or protection against wear.Others get by with just tough soles. Onpresent-day Earth, hooves are foundamong herbivores, but this is purely ahistorical accident. Alien worldsmight well have hoofed meat-eaters.

Slithering and SlidingIf you don’t have legs, you can’t

walk. But you can still get around byslithering – undulating your body orthe surface of a special foot to moveyourself along. Slithering is slowerthan running, and for large creaturesit gets quite inefficient because it doesnot store the energy of motion aswalking does. Slithering creatures getthe No Legs (Slithering) disadvantage.When figuring movement rates, besure to take extra encumbrance into

146 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

Parasites and SymbiontsA great many organisms have found that the best

place to live is inside another living thing. They let thehost organism do all the work of getting food or energyand keeping away predators. Parasites have severalways to live off their hosts. Some drink blood, otherssimply live in the host’s digestive system and eat itsfood, and some eat the host’s own tissues.

Parasites need to be able to resist the host’s naturaldefenses, and often must go to great lengths to repro-duce, since it’s hard to mate with a partner that is insideanother large animal. Many parasites have an activeand mobile form when young, becoming nearly immo-bile once they’ve got a cushy spot in a host. Other crea-tures are parasitic only as larvae, becoming free adultsonce they emerge. (In science fiction the most spectac-ular parasitic larva is of course the monster in the filmAlien.)

Symbionts differ from parasites in that they providea benefit for the host; in effect they “pay rent” inexchange for food or protection. Potential benefitsinclude fighting off parasites or other hostile organisms,

disposing of waste products, or even helping the hostdigest certain foods. (All large organisms on Earth usesymbiotic bacteria or fungi to help digest food.)

Parasites may have the advantage of Possession(Parasitic) if they can control the host’s actions (thisisn’t entirely cinematic; on Earth there are many para-sites that at least influence the behavior of the host crea-ture). They may also have an Innate Attack or Afflictionmaking it possible for them to get into or attach to thehost. Parasites are likely to have a whole suite of physi-cal disadvantages, including Blindness, NoManipulators, No Legs, Invertebrate, and RestrictedDiet.

Symbionts may be Resistant to whatever defensesthe host creature puts up, and possibly have aRestricted Diet if they depend on a specific substanceproduced by the host. Based on relative point values,symbionts and their hosts may count as Dependents,Allies, or Patrons for one another. In extreme cases, thesymbiont and host pair may be simpler to model as asingle organism.

account, which can slow down large,heavy creatures considerably.

On low-friction surfaces like water,ice, or loose sand, creatures can slidealong. This is especially useful if onecan get help from gravity and therebyachieve high speeds without expend-ing any energy. This would be TerrainAdaptation (by terrain), or a 1-pointperk (built-in skates), which wouldthen require a racial skill level inSkating or Skiing. Sliding can be com-bined with sailing (below), and proba-bly requires walking or some otherform of locomotion as a backup.

ClimbingIn forests or other environments

that offer a lot of handholds, creaturescan specialize in climbing and leapingfrom branch to branch. This saves alot of time getting down to the groundand climbing up again, and it keepsthe animal out of reach of non-climb-ing predators. Some Earth creatures,like gibbons, are specialized for effi-cient, long-distance locomotion byswinging from branches; this is calledbrachiation and it takes advantage ofthe same pendulum effect used inwalking. The drawbacks to brachiat-ing are that eventually one runs out oftrees, and that a failure means apainful landing. Climbers should getSuper Climbing advantage, and possi-bly others like Brachiator, Catfall,Clinging, and Perfect Balance. Racialskill levels in Acrobatics and Climbingare also appropriate.

DiggingIn any environment with sand,

snow, or loose dirt, digging provides away to get at prey hiding under-ground, or to lurk in hiding and attackthings on the surface. It’s also a goodway to hide, and provides insulationagainst dangerous temperatures in thedesert or winter. Magma-dwelling sili-con creatures might dig or swim in liq-uid rock. Because diggers have tomove through a dense medium, sizebecomes a problem. On Earth nothinglarger than an aardvark lives under-ground full-time. For most digginganimals, Digging Claws would be a 1-point perk, equivalent to having abuilt-in shovel. When tackling hardermaterials they simply “attack” it,

breaching the material by doing dam-age. Diggers use the standard Diggingrules based on their Basic Lift (p.B350). Space opera aliens that canmove through the ground as easily asa fish through water can take theTunneling advantage. Burrowing crea-tures are likely to have poor vision andsmell, but can have extremely goodhearing and the Sensitive Touchadvantage. Vibration Sense is alsovery useful.

SwimmingSwimming works in any fluid

medium of about the same density asthe organism. Naturally, just about allaquatic organisms swim. Even bot-tom-dwelling walkers like lobsters canswim when they want to move fast.Because of the properties of a fluidenvironment, swimming gets moreefficient as the swimmer gets bigger.Tiny organisms struggle throughwater while whales can comfortablycruise at speeds of up to 20 knots andsprint up to 30. Since water also helpssupport large creatures, this meansthat swimmers can get massiveindeed.

A very different type of aquaticmovement is sailing, using the powerof wind for motion. This has thetremendous advantage that the energy

for locomotion doesn’t have to comefrom the organism itself, but requiresfairly specialized wind-catching struc-tures, and the winds may not alwaysbe blowing where the creature needsto go. On Earth, the Portugese man-o’war is a sailing organism. Sailingqualifies an organism for the No Legs(Aquatic) disadvantage at the -10-point level. Creatures with IQ 1 simplygo with the breeze, but more intelli-gent beings could have racial skill lev-els at Boating (Sailboat) to allow themto tack. Navigation would be anotheruseful innate skill. While oceans orlarge lakes are the best places for sail-ing, one could also imagine land-dwellers in deserts, grasslands, or ice-caps that use sailing in conjunctionwith natural skis or wheels.

Finally, some aquatic creatures justliterally go with the flow. Floating isabout the easiest way to get aroundthere is, if you don’t care where you’regoing or how long it takes to get there.Aquatic filter-feeders or trapping car-nivores can do quite well just bobbingalong, waiting for food to arrive, andof course autotrophs can just soak upsunlight. Many floaters have someswimming ability to avoid predators,but may just rely on size (large to deterattackers, small to avoid notice) orpoison for protection.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 147

FlyingFlying requires an atmosphere.

There are several methods of stayingaloft.

Buoyant flight uses hot air or a lifting gas less dense than the sur-rounding atmosphere to create a living balloon. Balloons have to bevery big to produce enough lift to getoff the ground, and all their tissuesmust be as light as possible. Buoyantflight also becomes feasible forextremely tiny organisms, which can“swim” in the air. A swarm-type beingmight use this kind of particulatebuoyancy.

Hot air requires a heat source,which in turn requires a very abun-dant source of energy. Lifting gasrequires some metabolic process tomake the gas. Many such gases arealso flammable, depending on thetype of gas and the atmosphere.Buoyant flyers get the Flight advan-tage with the Lighter Than Air limita-tion and a greatly reduced Move.

Small creatures like spiders orplant seeds can get carried by thewind. Movement rates will be at what-ever the local wind speed is, and thereis no control over direction.Windborne organisms have Flight(Gliding; -50%; Lighter Than Air, -10%) [16]. Some windborne organ-isms take flight only once during theirlives (typically as young); in that caseit’s a 0-point feature.

Jet propulsion uses Newton’s ThirdLaw: by expelling gas in one direction,the flyer propels itself in the other.Pushing the gas requires a lot of ener-gy, making it fairly inefficient unlessthe creature can tap something likecombustion for power. Some organ-isms use jet propulsion as an “emer-gency getaway” method, when effi-ciency becomes less important thanspeed. Jet flying is Flight with the lim-itations Cannot Hover and eitherCosts Fatigue or Limited Use.

Winged flight uses large flat sur-faces to push air down, driving theflyer upward. This can be used inconjunction with gliding, which usesthe flyer’s forward motion to generatelift. Especially skilled gliders can usewinds and thermals to gain altitudewithout a lot of flapping, and some(like albatrosses) can stay aloft fordays at a time. Winged flyers cancover very large distances, making it

possible to migrate with the seasons,or find food in desert or arctic envi-ronments. Winged flight is Flightwith the limitation Winged, or possi-bly Controlled Gliding.

Wingspan for flying creaturesdepends on their weight and the atmos-pheric density. For a rough rule ofthumb, divide weight (in local gravity)by 30 lbs. and take the square root,then multiply by 10 feet. This can varyby as much as 25% depending on whatkind of flyer the creature is – long-range ocean flyers have long, narrowwings, while fast and maneuverable fly-ers have shorter ones. Wingspan goesdown in denser air and up in thinner.Very long wingspans are difficult tomake with biological materials; amongbirds the record is 17 feet for the Pacificalbatross, and for fossil pterosaurs thewidest known span is 35 feet forQuetzalcoatlus. That’s probably aboutthe maximum possible for Earthlybone and flesh. Note that flyers thatnever land could have better-designedwings and a span of perhaps 50 feet.

Immobile Creatures Some organisms just don’t move. It

saves a lot of energy, and if they don’thave to roam around in search of foodit’s a fine strategy. On Earth,autotrophs like plants and aquatic fil-ter-feeders are all immobile. However,reproduction poses a problem. Forsexual creatures, getting together isdifficult when you’re rooted in place,and even asexual organisms don’twant all their offspring crowdingaround competing for resources.Sessile organisms often have elabo-rate mechanisms for dispersinggametes or larval young. Since theycan’t run away from predators, immo-bile creatures need good protection,often in the form of thick shells,spines, or poison.

Immobile organisms have anappropriate form of the No Legs dis-advantage, depending on whetherthey are truly rooted in place or candrag or roll themselves along.

Space TravelSpace-dwelling creatures must be

able to move around. The obviousmethod is some kind of rocket propul-sion, but that brings up the problem offuel. Unless the space life has a very

reliable source of new reaction mass,rockets are too costly. Solar sailing ismore likely, as space life is likely to belarge in any case, and could use itselfas a solar sail to change orbit. Plasma-based life could spin a “plasma sail” oruse magnetic fields to catch the solarwind. Game Masters who have super-science reactionless drives or psionicpowers may wish to give space life oneof those as a method of moving about.Most space dwellers get Flight withthe Newtonian Space Flight limita-tion, though superscience beings maybe able to have Space Flight alone.

SIZECompared to most living things,

humans are extremely large – the vastmajority of life on Earth is single-celled organisms. On the other hand,the existence of whales and huge fossildinosaurs show that creatures can getvery large indeed. Gravity and thestrength of materials place someabsolute limits on size, and ecologyrestricts size by limiting the food alarge organism can get.

The Square-Cube LawA very important rule in biology

governing animal size is the square-cube law. It is a simple consequence ofgeometry. If you increase somethingin one dimension, it increases in alldimensions unless you change itsshape. Mass is a function of volume,which increases as the cube of theorganism’s linear size. Since thestrength of bones and muscles (ortheir alien equivalents) depends oncross-sectional area, those elementsincrease as the square of the size.Consequently, doubling a creature’sheight means its muscular and struc-tural strength increases by a factor offour (two squared). So far, so good.But its mass increases by a factor ofeight (two cubed), so it is proportion-ally only half as strong. This is whyants can heft leaves many times theirsize, but humans have to strain to liftobjects even half their weight. InGURPS terms, this is why a creature’sBasic Lift is based on the square of ST,which in turn scales with length.

The square-cube law has otherinteresting effects. Warm-bloodedcreatures must cool themselves to regulate temperature; cooling occurs

148 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

across the body surface. As a creaturegets bigger, the ratio of heat-generat-ing mass to cooling surface goes up.This often requires big organisms todevelop radiators (like an elephant’sears). On the other hand, it means that

big warm-blooded creatures can easi-ly survive in cold climates as long asthere is enough food – whales swimcomfortably in Arctic waters where an unprotected human would die inminutes of hypothermia. Large warm-blooded creatures also don’t have to

eat as much as small ones in propor-tion to their size. Birds and smallmammals eat more than their ownweight each day, whereas whales consume only a few percent of theirmass.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 149

Alien Creation IIIPrimary Locomotion

Determine primary locomotion. Roll 2d on the listbelow and apply the appropriate modifiers based onlifestyle. Methods with an asterisk (*) indicate a second-ary mode of locomotion. “Special” includes buoyant orjet-powered flight, sliding, wheeled locomotion, orwhatever bizarre means of transport the GM prefers.Add +1 for pouncing and chasing carnivores, omni-vores, gathering herbivores, and scavengers.

Arctic: 2, immobile; 3-4, slithering; 5-6, swimming*;7, digging*; 8-9, walking; 10-11, winged flight*; 12-13,special.

Banks/Open Ocean: 2-3, immobile; 4, floating; 5,sailing; 6-8, swimming; 9-11, winged flight*; 12-13,special.

Deep-Ocean Vents/Reef: 2-5, immobile; 6, floating; 7,digging*; 8-9, walking*; 10-13, swimming.

Desert: 2, immobile; 3-4, slithering; 5, digging*; 6-8,walking; 9-11, winged flight*; 12-13, special.

Gas Giant Planet: 2-5, swimming; 6-8, winged flight;9-13, buoyant flight.

Island/Beach: 2, immobile; 3-4, slithering; 5,digging*; 6-7, walking; 8, climbing*; 9, swimming*; 10-11, winged flight*; 12-13, special.

Lagoon: 2-4, immobile; 5, floating; 6, slithering*; 7,walking*; 8, digging*; 9, swimming; 10-11, wingedflight; 12-13, special.

Lake/Salt-Water Sea: 2-3, immobile; 4, floating; 5,walking*; 6, slithering*; 7-9, swimming; 10-11, wingedflight*; 12-13, special.

Mountain: 2, immobile; 3-4, slithering; 5, digging*;6-7, walking*; 8, climbing*; 9-11, winged flight*; 12-13,special.

Plains: 2, immobile; 3-4, slithering; 5, digging*; 6-8,walking; 9-11, winged flight*; 12-13, special.

Planetary Interior: 2-6, immobile; 7-13, digging.River/Stream: 2-3, immobile; 4, floating; 5, slither-

ing*; 6, digging*; 7, walking*; 8-9, swimming; 10-11,winged flight*; 12-13, special.

Space-Dwelling: 2-6, immobile; 7-11, solar sail; 12-13, rocket.

Swampland: 2, immobile; 3-5, swimming*; 6, slith-ering; 7, digging*; 8, walking; 9, climbing*; 10-11,winged flight*; 12-13, special.

Woodlands or Jungle: 2, immobile; 3-4, slithering; 5,digging*; 6-7, walking; 8-9, climbing*; 10-11, wingedflight*; 12-13, special.

Secondary LocomotionFor any method marked with an asterisk (*) on the

Primary Locomotion table there is a chance of a sec-ondary method of locomotion. Roll 2d and check theprimary mode to determine the secondary method.Some secondary methods are also marked with anasterisk, indicating the chance of a third method oflocomotion.

Climbing: 2-6, slithering; 7-11, walking; 12, no secondary.

Digging (land): 2-6, slithering; 7-11, walking; 12, nosecondary.

Digging (water): 2-5, slithering*; 6-7, walking*; 8-11,swimming; 12, no secondary.

Slithering (in water): 2-10, swimming; 11-12, no secondary.

Swimming: 2-6, slithering; 7-9, walking; 10-12, nosecondary.

Walking (in water): 2-8, swimming; 9-12, no secondary.

Winged Flight: 3-5, climbing*; 6-7, swimming*; 8-10,walking; 11, slithering or sliding*, 12, no secondary.

Aliens on WheelsOne method missing from the list of locomotion

methods is the wheel. This may seem strange becausewheels and rollers are a major element of human tech-nology. Why aren’t they found in nature?

There are two main reasons. First, any kind of axleor roller is hard to connect to the rest of the organism,since it is turning. Possibly a species might evolve non-living wheels made of some substance like shell, turnedby muscles within the creature. Other creatures couldroll into a ball or wheel shape and roll downhill for fastgetaways.

Second, environments suitable for wheels aren’t thatcommon. On Earth there are few places with largeextents of smooth, hard, level ground, and most of thoseare the work of humans for the convenience of theirmachines. Other worlds might have some environmentthat is good for driving where a wheeled species mightevolve.

Wheeled organisms get the No Legs (Wheeled)disadvantage, worth -20 points.

Gravity and BuoyancyLocal gravity is likely to have a

tremendous effect on the size oforganisms. Lower gravity reduces thestress on bones and muscles andallows creatures to support a biggermass. The equation works out as fol-lows: L=1/G2/3, where L is the lineardimension (height or length) and G isthe local gravity.

This assumes that the creaturemust support itself against gravity.Weightless organisms can be arbitrar-ily large, limited only by food supply.This applies to aquatic creatures,buoyant floaters in a gas giant atmos-phere, or spaceborne life.

Any creature that cannot supportitself should probably get an IncreasedLife Support disadvantage to reflectthat if it’s going to be spending timeamong humans. Being aquatic is a 0-point disadvantage because it is com-pensated by the advantage of beingable to swim (see No Legs, p. B145). Aspaceborne organism should probablytake a Weakness to gravity forces.

Size and EcologyGravity isn’t the only limit on a

creature’s size – otherwise everythingon Earth would be as big asdinosaurs. Another important limit isthe ecology. Some environments sim-ply can’t support large creatures.Evolution forces a tradeoff: do youget as big as you can and hog all theresources you can get, or do you staysmall and breed quickly? When con-ditions are unstable, evolution favorsthe smaller creatures, since they canadapt more quickly and survive inmore marginal environments.

The ideal habitat for large crea-tures is a grassland or water, wherethere is plenty of food to eat (eitherplants or plant-eaters) and room forsuch a creature to move around.Woodlands, jungles, mountains, andswamps are simply too difficult for biganimals to get through, unless theyhave a long, narrow body plan opti-mized for the environment. Deserts,islands, and mountains may not haveenough food. Arctic environments area special case: food is very scarce, butthe square-cube law means that largecreatures have an advantage oversmall ones in surviving. The result is that arctic environments tend to

support very few creatures, but thosefew are often quite large.

BODY PLANOnce you know how big the crea-

ture is and how it gets around, you canstart determining how it is arranged.You can either design the aliens or usethe random-generation tables in thebox text.

SymmetryAn organism’s symmetry refers to

how its body is laid out. There are sev-eral possibilities.

The simplest body plan is asym-metric. Either the creature changes itsform as it moves, or the growth oflimbs and body systems is fairly free-form. Terrestrial plants are oftenasymmetric.

A common form of organization isbilateral symmetry. Humans are bilat-eral, as are most animals on Earth.Bilateral organisms have matchingorgans and systems on each side, atleast externally.

Unknown on Earth but popular inscience fiction is trilateral symmetry, inwhich the organism has all its parts insets of three, arranged around thebody. This is really just a special caseof radial symmetry, but gets its ownlisting because it shows up so often infiction.

Organisms with radial symmetryhave more than three matching“sides.” Starfish are an example offive-sided radial symmetry.

Spherical symmetry takes organiza-tion a step further. Instead of beingradial about an axis, the organism issymmetrical about a point, like amulti-sided die. Some tiny single-celled organisms on Earth are spheri-cally symmetrical, but it is unknownamong larger creatures.

Number of LimbsWhile humans think two arms and

two legs are plenty, we are actuallyrather deprived in the limb depart-ment. Insects get six legs plus wingsand antennae, while millipedes havedozens of body segments. Our smallnumber of limbs is a historical acci-dent, due to the number of fins ourfish ancestors had when they beganmoving onto the land.

Multicellular organisms tend todevelop in segments, based on theirbody symmetry. For bilateral, trilater-al, or radial organisms, the number ofbody segments can range from one todozens. Each segment has a numberof limbs equal to the body’s sides.(Limbless segments are certainly pos-sible, but we ignore those here.) Someof these limbs can get modified toserve as sense organs, jaws, fins,wings, reproductive organs, or what-ever. Radial-symmetry beings canhave multiple segments piled up like astack of starfish. Spherical organismsare likely to have a single limb per faceor per vertex.

Obviously, creatures with morethan two arms and legs get the ExtraArms or Extra Legs advantage. Limb-derived structures like wings, anten-nae, fins, or eating mandibles don’tcount as Extra Arms or Legs.

Asymmetrical or bilateral organ-isms with four or more legs get theHorizontal disadvantage. Trilateraland radial organisms are Horizontal ifthey have only one body segment; oth-erwise they are likely to be upright.

TailsNearly every vertebrate on Earth

has a tail, and many invertebrateshave them as well. Humans, sadly,don’t have them. Tails have a variety ofuses, although they tend to be special-ized for a single purpose. On trilateralor radial-symmetry beings, the tailwould be any limb emerging along thebeing’s central axis. Spherical beingscannot have tails.

Tails often figure in a creature’smobility. Creatures with only two legssometimes use their tails for balance.Balancing tails can be fairly massive,to offset the weight of the head andtorso, and are usually not very flexible.Swimmers or amphibious organismsfrequently use tails for propulsion inwater. Swimming tails can either bemoved from side to side (like a fishtail) or up and down (like a whale’sflukes). Either way, a swimmer’s tailtends to be large and flat for maxi-mum surface area to react against thewater. Winged flyers on Earth usetheir tails as extra control surfaces.They need a fairly large area to inter-act with the air. Climbers like mon-keys or pythons use tails as extra limbsto grip branches.

150 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 151

Alien Creation IVSize Category

Determine general size category using on the following table.

Modifiers: -4 if Magnetic life; +3 if space-dwelling; +2if 0.4 G or less, +1 if 0.5 G to 0.75 G, -1 if 1.5 to 2 G, -2if greater than 2 G; +1 if any water habitat, +1 if OpenOcean or Banks habitat, -1 if Tropical Lagoon orRiver/Stream habitat, +1 if Plains habitat, -1 ifIsland/Beach, Desert, or Mountain habitat. +1 ifGrazing herbivore, -4 if Parasite; -1 if Slithering, -3 ifWinged Flyer; Plasma life multiplies Size in yards by1,000.

Roll (1d) Size Class2 or less Small (up to 12”)3-4 Human-Scale (18” to 3 yards)5 or more Large (5-30 yards)

Size and MassOnce the basic size category is determined, roll

below to get the actual size. For a given size, weight canbe anywhere from half to twice the listed value, basedon build. For silicon-based life, double the weight for agiven size; for magnetic life, determine size and massnormally, then divide size (but not mass) by 1,000. Forhydrogen or plasma-based, divide mass (but not size) by10; for space-dwelling, divide by 5. For a more precisedetermination of weight (or for huge organisms), divideheight (in yards) by two, cube the result, and multiplyby 200 to get weight in pounds. Note that weight is in astandard 1 G environment; adjust by local gravity todetermine weight in the creature’s native habitat.

Roll (1d) Size (size modifier) WeightSmall1 0.05 yards (-10) 0.003 lbs (0.05 oz.)2 0.07 yards (-9) 0.01 lbs. (0.16 oz.)3 0.1 yards (-8) 0.025 lbs. (0.4 oz.)4 0.15 yards (-7) 0.08 lbs. (1.25 oz.)5 0.2 yards (-6) 0.2 lbs. (3 oz.)6 0.3 yards (-5) 1 lb.

Roll (1d) Size (size modifier) WeightHuman-Scale1 0.5 yards (-4) 4 lbs. 2 0.7 yards (-3) 9 lbs.3 1 yards (-2) 25 lbs.4 1.5 yards (-1) 80 lbs.5 2 yards (0) 200 lbs.6 3 yards (+1) 600 lbs.Large1 5 yards (+2) 3,000 lbs.2 7 yards (+3) 4 tons3 10 yards (+4) 12 tons4 15 yards (+5) 40 tons5 20 yards (+6) 100 tons6 Extremely Large:

2d ¥ 10 yards or bigger

Gravity EffectsModify for gravity. Multiply the size by the modifier

on the following table based on local gravity. Thisapplies to all land-dwelling life, amphibians, or wingedflyers, but not aquatic creatures or buoyant flyers. Oncethe final size is figured, recalculate weight based onfinal size (applying all the modifiers for body chemistry,etc.), then multiply that weight by local gravity to getthe creature’s weight in its native environment.

Gravity Size Multiplier5 0.33.5 0.42.5 0.52 0.61.5 0.751.25 0.91 10.9 1.10.8 1.20.7 1.30.6 1.40.5 1.60.4 1.80.3 2.20.2 2.90.1 4.6

StrengthStrength varies depending on body plan and muscu-

lature, but a rough guideline follows the square-cubelaw: ST equals 2 ¥ the cube root of mass in pounds.(This uses the cube root of mass as a way to get a com-mon “length factor” that doesn’t depend on body plan.Since in GURPS a character’s Basic Lift is proportionalto the square of ST, it all works out.)

A tail can also be a weapon. Themost fearsome were the giant spikymaces and clubs of some dinosaurs,although anyone who has been stungby a scorpion’s tail might have a differ-ent opinion. Weapon tails are Strikers(p. B88), typically with the limitationsClumsy and Limited Arc. A long heavytail may get the Long enhancement,but that isn’t mandatory. Most tails dosimply crushing damage, but withspikes or blades could certainly be cut-ting or piercing. Prehensile tails countas Extra Arms (see ManipulatingLimbs, below).

Many creatures use their tails forcommunication. This is usually abasic “semaphore” to convey a singlemessage like “run away” or “I’m readyto mate.” Other creatures (like dogsand cats) have more elaborate tail-based communication. Tailed crea-tures that use gestures for communi-cation will almost certainly employtheir tails.

Manipulating LimbsFor intelligent life forms, having

limbs to manipulate and carry objects

is of great importance. There may bedozens of worlds out there with inhab-itants just as smart as humans, buthelpless to make or use tools.

Not all species have manipulators.Four-legged walking creatures cancarry things in their mouths, but that’sall. Birds can use their claws andbeaks, but again with difficulty. The“default” for most organisms is thedisadvantage No Fine Manipulators.Animals with good paws may haveBad Grip instead. Creatures that usetheir mouths combine Bad Grip andOne Arm.

While just about anything mightdevelop a manipulating appendage,there are some guidelines to follow.Brachiators tend to have them as aside effect of being able to climb andswing from branches; they have atleast two and may supplement themwith a prehensile tail. Flyers some-times have them for perching (Earthbats and birds are handicapped byhaving only one pair of legs, whichmeans they have to be used as feetinstead of hands.) Omnivores or gath-ering herbivores often need them to

get at hard-to-reach food; these areusually paws or part of the feedingmechanism. Some large grazers (ele-phants come to mind) have manipula-tors to let them reach food; in the caseof an elephant’s trunk, there is onlyone limb. Very few land carnivoreshave good manipulators. They tend tobe specialized for chasing and killing.

In the sea, there are a lot of crea-tures with manipulating limbs. This ispartly an accident of history: many seacreatures have more than four limbs,so they can spare some for other pur-poses. Bottom-dwellers, in particular,seem to go in for quite good manipu-lating limbs; these are often shortarms, but there can be multiple pairs.

Tentacles are manipulating limbsbeloved of science fiction writers. Likeelephant trunks, they are muscularhydrostats. Buy them as Extra Armswith the Extra-Flexible enhancement.For just two tentacle arms, the Extra-Flexible advantage costs 10 points.

Prehensile tails count as ExtraArms (possibly Long or Extra-Flexible). If a tail is the creature’s onlymanipulator, then it obviously gets theOne Arm disadvantage and may alsohave Bad Grip. See Modifying BeingsWith One or Two Arms on p. B53 for anexample.

Placement of SensesAny organism that moves about

will want its senses in its front end.Determining where the front isbecomes tricky if the creature is radialor spherical, so those types mayinstead space redundant senses allaround the body, or at the ends oflimbs.

Senses usually show up where theydo the most good. Taste and smell areeither near a creature’s feeding appa-ratus or in its manipulator arms so itcan tell what is and isn’t edible. Sightshould be in front, often placed highup for a better field of view. Climbersand hunters put multiple eyes togeth-er to get the advantages of binocularvision, while prey animals space themfar apart to watch for danger. Wide-spaced eyes give the Peripheral Visionor even 360° Vision advantages, butthey often combine those with BadSight and No Depth Perception (see p.B145).

152 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

Where there is a lot of informationcoming in, something is needed toprocess it. A brain, or at least a majornerve nexus, is usually located nearthe main sense organs.

Structural SupportAll organisms have some kind of

structure. Some designs may seemfloppy or flimsy to us, but they allowthe creatures to move or affect theirenvironment.

No Skeleton means the organismhas no structural members of its own.It either flows about constrained onlyby its skin, or makes use of the envi-ronment when it needs to exert force.Very few organisms above microscop-ic size have no skeleton, and thosetend to be immobile.

An External Skeleton uses a shellmade of some rigid material that canbe jointed to allow movement. Thisis a very successful design, as thehard shell protects the soft interior ofthe organism. However, growth isdifficult because the organism mustshed its old skeleton to grow a biggerone, leaving it vulnerable during thechange. Aliens with exoskeletonsmay have evolved a way to growwithout molting. Without a buoyantmedium for support, large externalskeletons can become very heavy andcumbersome.

An Internal Skeleton uses rigid orsemi-rigid units (bones), often con-nected with joints. Internal skeletonsplace no limits on the growth of thecreature, except the upper limit ofwhat the bones can support. However,they offer little protection to theorganism’s soft parts.

A Hydrostatic Skeleton uses no rigidparts at all, relying instead on internalpressure and the strength of the outermembrane to maintain shape. Theyare used by many “boneless” creatureslike cephalopods and jellyfish, and bymany plants as well. Hydrostaticskeletons are limited in size by the ten-sion on the skin, but clever design canoffset that to some extent. Hydrostaticorganisms can take the Invertebratedisadvantage.

Combinations of skeleton types arecommon. An elephant has an internalskeleton and uses a flexible muscularhydrostat for its trunk. Plants oftencombine rigid and hydrostatic supportstructures.

Multiple BodiesThere are several ways an organ-

ism can have multiple bodies.Colony organisms are made up of

several different life forms living insymbiosis. The component organismsreproduce on their own, but don’t nor-mally live apart. In effect, they form asingle super-creature. For GURPScreatures, being a colony creature issimply a 0-point feature.

Connected creatures have multiplebodies that are physically connected.Some plants live this way – sometimesa whole grove is actually a single tree,joined underground by roots and run-ners. Obviously, this option works bestfor immobile life forms, althoughfloaters or buoyant flyers might alsohave multiple connected bodies. Ingeneral, connected bodies can surviveif the link is severed. In GURPS terms,connected bodies can be modeled intwo different ways. If the several bod-ies can work together as a singlebeing, this is simply a 0-point featureof being large and having lots of extralimbs. If the organisms can operateindependently, then this is a group ofAllies, Constantly present.

Swarm bodies have an enhance-ment of the advantage InjuryTolerance (Diffuse). A swarm is a col-lection of tiny creatures. By taking aConcentrate maneuver, the swarm can

scatter into its component parts. Theouter perimeter of a swarm travels atthe being’s best Move, up to a maxi-mum radius of 1/2 mile. (Area Effectcan change the size of a swarm.)While scattered, only area-effect, cone,and explosion attacks can injure theswarm being, and only do damage inproportion to the total area they blan-ket. (So an attack that covers 5% of theswarm’s area does 5% of normal dam-age.) A swarm being can focus itssenses on any point within its area;changing viewpoints requires theReady maneuver. Swarm bodies whendispersed have a form of theInsubstantiality advantage (p. B62):they cannot pick up normal objects,nor can they make physical attacks. Aswarm can penetrate solid objects likea fluid, creeping through holes andcracks. To resume normal form, aswarm body must contract to thebody’s original size (at normal Moverate), then Concentrate to reunite.Cost of having a swarm body is a+160% enhancement of InjuryTolerance (Diffuse) for a being thatcan switch between a compact solidbody and a swarm, or +80% points fora being permanently in swarm form. ASwarm under sufficiently intelligentcontrol might be able to purchaseShapeshifting or similar advantages.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 153

MetamorphosisMany creatures on Earth go through dramatic changes in form dur-

ing their lives – caterpillars becoming moths, tadpoles becoming frogs,and so forth. Alien creatures might well do the same. This can be par-ticularly interesting if they go from sapient to non-sapient (or vice-versa), or if they shift from a harmless or cuddly creature to somethingpowerful and deadly. “Life Changes” of this type are a 0-point feature.Game Masters can get plenty of dramatic mileage out of a metamor-phosing PC or NPC if the change is predictable and will have majoreffects on the character’s personality.

Some creatures change more often. This can be as minor as a rab-bit’s pelt turning from brown to white as winter approaches, or as majoras a rainy season browser turning into a dry season carnivore. Minorchanges are also 0-point features anyway. Major periodic changes areAlternate Forms, with the limitations Limited Use, Trigger, andUncontrollable, capping out at -80%.

Finally, there may be some creatures that can consciously changeform. That’s Shapeshifting or Morph as described in the Basic Set, andprobably should have a very long preparation time or concentrationperiod as a nod to realism. (See the notes on “Blob Monster” powers,p. 165.)

154 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

Alien Creation VSymmetry

Roll 2d to determine body symmetry.

Modifiers: +1 for immobile organisms, spacebornelife, or buoyant flyers.

Roll (2d) Symmetry2-7 Bilateral8 Trilateral9 Radial (roll 1d+3 to determine how

many sides)10 Spherical (roll 1d: 1: 4 sides, 2-3: 6 sides,

4: 8 sides, 5: 12 sides, 6: 20 sides)11-14 Asymmetric

Number of LimbsSpherical organisms have one limb per side.

Asymmetric organisms have 2d-2 limbs. For Bilateral,Trilateral, and Radial organisms, roll on the followingtable.

Modifiers: -1 for Trilateral, -2 for Radial.

Roll (1d) Number of Segments/Limbs1 or less Limbless2 One segment (one limb per side)3 Two segments (two limbs per side)4 1d segments (each segment has one

limb per side)5 2d segments (each segment has one

limb per side)6 3d segments (each segment has one

limb per side)

TailsSpherical organisms don’t have tails; for others roll

1d: on a 5-6 the creature has a tail. Swimmers add 1 tothe roll.

For tail features, roll 2d and consult the followingtable:

Roll (2d) Features2-5 No features (tail is a 0-point advantage)6 Striker tail (Striker doing crushing

damage)7 Long tail (Long enhancement)8 Constricting tail (Constriction Attack)9 Barbed striker tail (Striker doing cutting

or piercing damage)10 Gripping tail (counts as an Extra Arm

with Bad Grip)11 Branching tail (tail splits according to

body symmetry)12 Combination (roll 1d+5 twice and

combine results)

ManipulatorsRoll 2d on the table below. The number of manipu-

lators can never be greater than the number of limbs,unless the extras are trunks or tails. A “set” of manipu-lators equals the body’s overall symmetry: two for bilat-eral, three for trilateral, etc. For Asymmetrical organ-isms, replace a “pair” of limbs with a single one. If theGM is creating a sentient, tool-using species, roll 1d+6instead of 2d.

Modifiers: -1 if only two limbs, +1 if more than fourlimbs, +2 if more than six limbs; -1 if winged or gliding,-2 if open ocean swimmer or gas giant inhabitant, +2 ifbrachiator; +1 if gathering herbivore.

Roll (2d) Number of Manipulators6 or less No manipulators; limbs are locomotive

or Strikers only7 1 set of manipulators with Bad Grip8 Prehensile tail or trunk (roll 1d: on a 6

check again for other manipulators)9 1 set of manipulators with normal DX10 2 sets of manipulators (roll 1d for each

pair: 1-4 Bad Grip, 5-6 normal DX)11 1d sets of manipulators (roll 1d for

each pair: 1-4 Bad Grip, 5-6 normal DX)

12-17 1d sets of manipulators (roll 1d for each pair: 1-4 normal DX, 5-6 High Manual Dexterity 1)

SkeletonRoll 2d to determine what kind of support the organ-

ism has.

Modifiers: +1 for Human-scale creatures, +2 forLarge creatures; +1 for any land-dwelling creature; -1for immobile or slithering creatures; -1 for asymmetricorganisms; -1 for gravity less than 0.5 G, +1 for gravitygreater than 1.25 G.

Roll (2d) Structure3 or less No skeleton4-5 Hydrostatic skeleton6-7 External skeleton8-10 Internal skeleton11-16 Combination

SKIN, HIDE, ANDALTERNATIVES

Every organism needs some kindof barrier between itself and the out-side world. It can protect againstthings trying to eat it, help maintainthe proper internal temperature orchemical balance, and generally act asthe creature’s first line of defense.

Skin can have a lot of functions.Among animals with external skele-tons, it acts as armor and structuralsupport. Softer-skinned creatures useit as a sense organ. Warm-bloodedorganisms put a lot of insulation atthe skin layer to regulate internaltemperature.

Skin TypesCreatures with soft skin, like slugs

or jellyfish, have very poor protectionagainst the external environment. InGURPS terms, they are Susceptible tochemical irritants (Very Common).Soft-skinned organisms on Earthoften secrete a layer of mucus or slimefor added protection. This negates thevulnerability to irritants, and may givethe creature the Clinging or Slipperyadvantages.

Humans, toads, and other “naked”creatures have normal skin, which isneither an advantage nor a disadvan-tage (GURPS being fairly human-cen-tered). Many mammals have hide, atough skin that gives DR1, boughtwith the limitation Tough Skin.Elephants and rhinoceroses have thickhide, a very tough skin that gives themDR 4, also bought with the Tough Skinlimitation.

Aquatic mammals like dolphins orwhales have blubber, a very thick skinbacked up with an even thicker layerof insulating fat. It provides DR 2 (fordolphins) to DR 4 (for whales), withthe Flexible limitation. Blubber alsoprovides Temperature Tolerance 2-4.Dolphin blubber also functions as anelastic energy-storage system to makeswimming more efficient.

Skin cells can do other thingsbesides just acting as a barrier. Incephalopods and some reptiles, skincells can change color, giving thecreature a few levels of theChameleon advantage. Among theformer, this may also function as ameans of communication. Some

mammals (including humans) haveskin that can sweat, providing cool-ing to allow sustained effort in hotconditions or possibly some levels ofTemperature Tolerance to resist heat.And some creatures like desert toadshave skin that secretes a noxiousvenom to poison enemies on contact.This is an Affliction with the limita-tions Touch Only, Always On, andTakes Recharge.

Most land mammals cover theirskin with a layer of hair or fur. Haircells are specialized skin cells that pro-duce strands of stiff dead protein. It isa good insulator, allowing warm-blooded mammals to survive even inarctic conditions. Short fur protectsagainst sunburn but does little else;long hair provides DR 1 and up toTemperature Tolerance 4. Extremelylarge cold-climate creatures, like theextinct mammoth, might combinelong hair and blubber. See the perkFur, p. B101.

Porcupines have hair that isextremely thick and stiff, giving them the Spines advantage. Otherspiny creatures use specialized scales(see below), or extensions of theirvertebrae.

Reptiles and fish have specializedskin cells that produce plates of pro-tein instead of strands; these are calledscales. As noted in the Basic Set,scales provide DR 2 (for snake orlizard scales) up to DR 4 (for heavyalligator scales).

Turtles, along with some dinosaursand mammals, have plates of bone inthe skin forming a hard shell. This canbe very tough but also quite heavy.Giant tortoises or armored dinosaurscould have DR 5, but might also sufferthe Numb disadvantage.

Birds have an even more elaboratekind of specialized skin cell that pro-duces branching protein structurescalled feathers. Feathers help birds flyby giving them a larger wing surfacethan the living tissue of their limbscan provide. They are also first-rateinsulation, and can even keep divingbirds like penguins warm in arcticwaters. Feathers can provide DR 1 andup to Temperature Tolerance 5.

Insects and other arthropods covertheir bodies with a rigid exoskeletonmade of chitin (a complex sugar). Ithas joints and hinges to allow move-ment. On small insects this is not

much different from skin, but (as any-one who has eaten boiled lobster canattest) in large invertebrates it func-tions as armor, typically DR 1 or 2.Armored creatures also get the disad-vantage Numb.

Sea-dwelling immobile inverte-brates like oysters have shells made ofcalcium carbonate. Aliens might usesilica compounds or even metals. Thisis essentially like having an outer cov-ering of rock. It provides very goodprotection – up to DR 5 for a thick-shelled giant clam – but at the cost ofbeing almost completely inflexible.When open, the oyster has soft skin(see above). When closed, it has theNumb disadvantage.

Plants also use complex sugars,especially cellulose, to form bark.Large plants can have very tough bark,providing DR of up to 10. Any creaturewith bark suffers from the Numb dis-advantage.

Alien organisms could have ver-sions of all these skin types, mixingand matching in ways unknown onEarth. Mammals never evolved feath-ers or bark, but those are accidents ofhistory. Aliens could use celluloseinstead of protein, feathers instead ofhair, or combinations unknown onEarth.

Alternate MaterialsThere are also some potential outer

coverings that Earth life doesn’t use.Metal is the most obvious absencefrom the arsenal of biological materi-als. Alien life, especially silicon-basedlife on a dense, metal-rich world likeMercury, could incorporate metal intoits tissues, creating armored skin withvery high DR and the Hardenedenhancement.

Carbon-based life like ourselvescan create very strong materials.Spider silk is one, with a tensilestrength greater than steel. It’s nothard to imagine alien organisms withthe equivalent of Kevlar instead of col-lagen in their skin (although it’s a littleharder to imagine why they wouldneed to be naturally bulletproof).

Hydrocarbon life could take advan-tage of the great versatility of carbonpolymers, leading to living things with plastic skin. This could havemost of the same properties as proteinskin, but might take the Fragile(Combustible) disadvantage.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 155

Silicon-based organisms living inliquid rock or molten sulfur couldhave an outer skin made effectively ofrock or ceramic. This would have tobe jointed, just like an insect’sexoskeleton, but could providetremendous Damage Resistance.Similarly, on cold worlds, organismsmight make use of ice as a structuralmaterial, covering themselves withjointed shells of solid water. Rock orice skin would have a high DR (10 forice, 20 for rock) with the Semi-Ablative limitation for rock andAblative for ice.

METABOLISMThis section delves into how organ-

isms keep alive. How do they breathe?How do they eat and how do they usethe food they eat?

BreathingAny organisms that use atmos-

pheric gases to support chemical reac-tions breathe. Fish breathe, althoughthe oxygen they take in is dissolved inwater rather than free in the air. But instagnant water, a fish can drown aseasily as a human.

Breathing must cope with severalproblems. The first is surface area.Small organisms can simply exchangegases across their skin. But largeactive creatures can’t do that. Ahuman, for instance, needs a muchlarger area for gas exchange than ourtotal skin surface. How do we do it,then? Our lungs are filled withbranching passageways, so that eachlung has a huge internal surface area.Fish use stacked layers of gills to pro-duce the same effect. Smaller inverte-brates like lobsters just have lots ofexternal gills.

The second problem is protection.All that surface area is fragile andmakes a good point of entry for dis-eases and parasites, so the safest placeto put it is inside the body. But thegases are outside. This means crea-tures have to pump air or fluid in andout. Fish let water stream throughtheir gills, a very efficient process, butmammals are stuck with a singleopening so they have to constantlypuff in and out. It also makes us vul-nerable to choking, but reduces thechance of harmful matter getting into

those delicate lungs. Lungs work wellwith a light fluid like air, but not withdense substances like water. Even ifwe could properly absorb dissolvedoxygen, the effort involved in breath-ing lungfuls of water in and out wouldconsume more energy than is releasedby combining that oxygen with food!

Creatures that live in water full-time have either the Doesn’t Breathe(Gills) advantage as a 0-point featureor the advantage Doesn’t Breathe(Oxygen Absorption). OxygenAbsorption only works for Smallorganisms because of the surface-areaproblems already described. A hugebut very thin creature like a buoyantflyer might be able to use it as well.Note that this applies equally well tofluids other than water. A swimmer inseas of liquid methane on Titan wouldhave gills to extract dissolved hydro-gen, and a magma being cruisingthrough Earth’s upper mantle wouldhave something analogous to gills toextract useful chemicals from liquidrock.

Many creatures find it useful to beable to visit another element fromtime to time. Water-breathers whocan come up on land for brief peri-ods (like crabs or cephalopods) havea version of Breath-Holding, or pos-sibly racial skill levels in BreathControl. Air-breathers who visit thewater have Breath-Holding. Air-breathing creatures that live in watercan have Breath-Holding or Doesn’tBreathe (Oxygen Storage) – somemarine mammals can stay down for hours! This is often combinedwith Metabolism Control to reduceconsumption.

Alien organisms may be able tobreathe air or water equally well;either they have both lungs and gills,or their organs can switch from one tothe other. This is the Doesn’t Breathe(Gills) advantage at the 10-point level.

Finally, some organisms may notbreathe at all. Any non-chemical lifeprobably doesn’t need to, and obvious-ly any space-dwelling life must haveDoesn’t Breathe, either unmodified orwith some incredible levels of OxygenStorage.

Temperature RegulationHumans and other mammals

are “warm-blooded” animals. We

maintain a constant body temperature,often one higher than the environment.This helps birds and mammals tothrive in cold climates. The drawbackis that being warm-blooded takes aconsiderable investment of energy.Mammals and birds have to eat a lotmore than cold-blooded creatures ofcomparable size. However, in hot envi-ronments we also have to worry moreabout cooling – elaborate mechanismslike sweating, panting, radiator organs,and insulation.

Cold-blooded creatures don’t haveto worry so much about temperatureregulation, but the drawback is thatthey can get very sluggish in chillyweather. There are ways around thisproblem. Size is one: a sufficientlylarge cold-blooded organism can staywarm simply by sheer thermal mass.Another is using radiating or heat-absorbing organs to make use of exter-nal heat. There are also chemicaltricks – incorporating “antifreeze” inthe blood or bodily fluids to withstandlow temperatures.

Many cold-blooded organisms getthe Cold-Blooded disadvantage, but itisn’t mandatory. In particular, anycold-blooded creature with a massabove 100 lbs. can probably storeenough heat to avoid it. And any cold-blooded creature that routinely livesin a cold climate presumably haschemical methods to counteract thatdisadvantage.

Taking in FoodEating is essential for staying alive,

unless you’re an autotroph. Whatcreatures eat determines a lot abouthow they eat.

Grazers usually have mouth partssuitable for cutting and grinding(though some grazers do the grindingin their stomachs). In game termsthese are usually 0-point Blunt Teeth.Filter-feeders, or aquatic grazers likebaleen whales, have no teeth at all,but instead have a sieve or filterarrangement to separate food fromwater. Gathering herbivores may havequite specialized mouthparts, as theyoften eat well-protected seeds ortough-skinned fruit. They may haveSharp Teeth or a Sharp Beak.Carnivores have Sharp Teeth, SharpBeaks, or Fangs virtually withoutexception, since their food is usually

156 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 157

Alien Creation VISkin

Roll 1d to determine outer covering type.

Roll (1d) Covering1-2 Skin3 Scales4 Fur5 Feathers6 Exoskeleton (external-skeleton

organisms always have Exoskeleton)

Then roll below for the appropriate type.

Skin: Roll 2d to see what sort of skin the creaturehas.

Modifiers: +1 for arctic, +1 for aquatic, -1 for desert;+1 for herbivore; -5 for flyer.

Roll (2d) Covering4 or less Soft skin5 Normal skin6-7 Hide (DR 1)8 Thick Hide (DR 4)9 Armor shell (DR 5)10-15 Blubber (DR 4 and 1d levels of

Temperature Tolerance)

Scales: Roll 2d for the type of scales.

Modifiers: +1 for desert; +1 for herbivore; -2 for flyer,-1 for tunneling.

Roll (2d) Covering0-3 Normal skin4-8 Scales (DR 1)9-10 Heavy scales (DR 3) 11-14 Armor shell (DR 5)

Fur: Roll 2d for fur type.

Modifiers: -1 for desert, +1 for arctic; -1 for flyer; +1for herbivore.

Roll (2d) Covering0-5 Normal skin6-7 Fur8-9 Thick fur (+1 level of Temperature

Tolerance)10-11 Thick fur over Hide (DR 1 and +1 level

of Temperature Tolerance)12-14 Spines

Feathers: Roll 2d to determine feather type.

Modifiers: -1 for desert, +1 for arctic; +1 for flyer.

Roll (2d) Covering1-5 Normal skin6-8 Feathers (+1 level of Temperature

Tolerance)9-10 Thick feathers (+2 levels of Temperature

Tolerance)11 Feathers over Hide (DR 1 and +1

Temperature Tolerance)12-14 Spines

Exoskeleton: Roll 1d for exoskeleton type.

Modifiers: +1 for aquatic, +1 for immobile, -2 for flyer.

Roll (1d) Covering2 or less Light exoskeleton (DR 0)3-4 Tough exoskeleton (DR 1)5 Heavy exoskeleton (DR 3)6-8 Armor shell (DR 5)

BreathingAerial or land-dwelling organisms breathe air. Deep

Ocean Vent inhabitants always have Gills. For otherwater-dwellers, roll 2d.

Modifiers: +1 if native to Arctic, Swampland,River/Stream, Island/Beach, or Tropical Lagoon; +1 ifwalking is primary or secondary locomotion, +2 if fly-ing or climbing is secondary locomotion.

Roll (2d) Breathing2-6 Doesn’t Breathe (Gills)7-8 Lungs (air-breathing) with Doesn’t

Breathe (Oxygen Storage)9-10 Doesn’t Breathe (Gills) and Lungs (or

convertible organ)11-16 Lungs

TemperatureRoll 2d to determine body temperature regulation.

Modifiers: +1 for air-breathers, -1 for water-breathers; +1 for Human-scale or larger; +1 for land-dwelling, +1 for Woodland or Mountain environment,+2 for Arctic environment.

Roll (2d) Temperature Regulation1-4 Cold-blooded (with Cold-Blooded

disadvantage)5-6 Cold-blooded (no disadvantage)7 Partial regulation (temperature varies

within limits)8-9 Warm-blooded10-17 Warm-blooded (with Metabolism

Control 2)

Continued on next page . . .

well protected and often needs killing.Some specialized carnivores, likehunting spiders, may use a kind ofsiphon to drain the prey of fluids; thiscould be modeled as a Vampiric Bitewithout the healing effect.

On Earth, nature has demonstrat-ed many ways of biting and grinding.Arthropods, including insects and spi-ders, have extremely complicatedmouthparts made up of several pairsof limbs. These can be modeled asteeth or beaks, depending on how for-midable they are. Ordinary mouth-parts are like ordinary blunt teeth. Bigsharp mandibles could be either abeak or sharp teeth, depending onhow large they are.

Vertebrates have jaws, hinged bonearches that use leverage to exertimpressive force through the teeth. OnEarth, vertebrate jaws work “up anddown,” but on an alien world theycould be mounted sideways, or inradial arrangements of three or more.Vertebrate beaks are jaws tipped bysharp keratin instead of teeth.Cephalopods also have beaks, thoughthey are not mounted on jaws. Insteada circle of muscle surrounding thebeak pinches it shut.

GrowthHow organisms grow determines a

lot about their body design. Humansand other vertebrates grow in onepiece, remodeling our skeleton andenlarging our organs in a continuousprocess until we reach full size.Invertebrates do the same with softparts, but some of their hard parts(like shells or exoskeletons) can’t be

rebuilt on the fly. Some of them molt,shedding old shells and growing a newone around their larger body. Othershave simple shells (like mussels orsnails) that can grow by adding newlayers. The study of clam and musselshells is fascinating for mathemati-cians because they maintain the sameshape even as they add larger and larg-er layers. Plants, on the other hand,add outer layers around a central core,or grow from the tips of branches androots.

Some creatures take it a step fur-ther, redesigning the body at differentpoints in life. See the section onMetamorphosis (p. 153) for details.

There are other possibilities. Someplants add length and branches butnot bulk (this is a gray area betweengrowth and reproduction). While it’sbeyond the scope of this book to dis-cuss all the possibilities, an unusualgrowth mechanism is a good way tomake a really alien creature. What ifthey add body segments, becominggradually longer over time?

REPRODUCTIONAll living things reproduce,

although they do it in different ways.Some create new individual offspring,some create copies of themselves, andsome simply break off pieces that takeon independent existence. BeyondEarth, aliens might not reproduce,preferring to live forever and growindefinitely.

Sex and GeneticsHumans have two sexes for repro-

duction: males and females. Why we

have two is an interesting question.There are other options.

Asexual organisms don’t have“sexes.” Each individual reproduces onits own, either by budding or by parthenogenesis. Budding simplybreaks off a part of the organism that grows on its own; this is extremelycommon among plants. Partheno-genesis, or “virgin birth,” requires thewhole apparatus of eggs or live birth,but the organism doesn’t need outsidefertilization. Self-fertilization is similar,except that the organism is a hermaph-rodite and supplies both eggs andsperm.

Sexual organisms with two sexeshave several advantages. Theyexchange and combine genetic mate-rial, increasing the diversity of theiroffspring. Sexual organisms evolvefaster, which in the very long termgives them an edge. In humans genderremains constant, but in many otherspecies individuals shift from male tofemale. This may be due to environ-mental stimuli (female when food isplentiful, male when it’s scarce), orinternal (male when you’re young andsmall, female when you’ve grown), orsocial (male if you’re big enough tochase off other males).

Hermaphrodites have the equip-ment for both male and female roles,either at the same time or at differenttimes during the life cycle. This is afairly common arrangement on Earth.Most plants are hermaphrodites, anda great many animals are, too. Plantstend to have both male and femaleorgans simultaneously, while animalschange back and forth.

No organisms on Earth have morethan two parents. This may be just ahistorical accident, but given theincredible diversity of life on Earth itdoes seem to suggest that there is atleast no advantage to having genesfrom three parents rather than two –or that any advantage is not worth theadded difficulty of locating two matesrather than just one.

An alien world might have condi-tions that encourage multi-parentreproduction. Since the whole pointof sexual reproduction is to speed upevolution, a planet with particularlychaotic conditions might have multi-sex inhabitants. The investment in creating a large gamete (an egg) or bearing a live offspring is

158 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

Alien Creation VI (Cont’d)Growth

Roll 2d to determine growth pattern.

Modifiers: -1 for external skeleton +1 for Large size category; +1 ifimmobile.

Roll (2d) Growth Pattern1-4 Metamorphosis5-6 Molting7-11 Continuous Growth12-14 Unusual Growth Pattern (adding

segments, branching, etc.)

considerable, so it’s highly unlikelythat more than one parent would dothis in a multi-parent arrangement.Three or more sexes would most like-ly have a “female” and two or moretypes of “males.” Each male mightonly father males of his type, buteither could father females (or per-haps females are produced byparthenogenesis).

Another possibility for multi-sexreproduction would have several dif-ferent kinds of “males” and different“females,” only some of which arecompatible. So A-males and B-malescan mate with A-females and D-females, but not with B- or C-females.C-males can mate with B- and C-females only, but D-males can matewith all but A-females. In a more

extreme case with less differencebetween eggs and sperm, a speciescould have a whole array of differentsexes capable of combining with cer-tain others.

It’s entirely possible for organismsto combine various methods of repro-duction. Plants often do both asexualand sexual reproduction, sending outrunners to sprout new individualsnearby and releasing seeds to colo-nize new locations. It would be easyfor a hermaphrodite species to dab-ble in parthenogenesis. Among somehive insects, unfertilized eggs developinto males (parthenogenesis) whilefertilized ones are female (sexual).Others might reverse that approach,with females reproducing otherfemales by parthenogenesis and

males only when fertilized by a male.Many Earth species alternate genera-tions of sexual and asexual reproduc-tion. Reproduction by budding or fis-sion is uncommon on Earth in com-plex animals, but alien species mightmanage it.

StrategiesThere are two main strategies for

reproduction, known to biologists as“K-strategy” and “r-strategy.” K-strate-gist organisms have few offspring, butinvest a great deal of resources andenergy in rearing them and makingsure they survive to adulthood. K-strategists also tend to live a long time,so that they have the chance to havemore than one offspring.

R-strategists take the oppositeapproach: they have large litters andput minimal investment into raisingthe young. If they survive, good; if not,there are always more. They also tendto mature quickly and die young. Suchorganisms should definitely take theShort Lifespan disadvantage, possiblyliving no longer than a year or two.

Obviously, K and r strategies arethe endpoints of a whole continuumof behaviors. Some creatures split thedifference, having small litters andputting some effort into raising them;some creatures change strategydepending on the situation. Indeed,within a particular species some indi-viduals may choose different strate-gies – humans in preindustrial soci-eties tended to have a lot of childrenbecause many of them were likely todie, whereas nowadays couples inaffluent countries have just one or twochildren.

Fertilizing andGestation

In addition to numbers of young,there is the issue of how the organismbrings them into the world. There areseveral methods known on Earth.

Spawning is the method used byfish, amphibians, and many inverte-brates; and it is analogous to the wayplants reproduce. Organisms thatspawn release their gametes (eggs orsperm) into the environment, and fer-tilization and development take placeoutside the body. Often females canlay thousands of eggs, in the hope that

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 159

LifespanHow long a creature lives seems to depend chiefly on size and meta-

bolic rate. Among Earth mammals, most species wind up having abouta billion heartbeats over the course of a life – but a mouse’s heart beat-ing at 500 per minute goes through them in three years, while an ele-phant’s heart pumping slowly at 30 beats per minute can go on for 60or 70 years. Metabolic rate appears to be roughly proportional to linearsize, though the animal’s specific build and lifestyle can cause quite a bitof variation.

The big joker in the lifespan deck is humanity. For our size we liveconsiderably longer than we should. A human-sized organism shouldtypically last about 30 years, but humans routinely last two or threetimes that long. It’s obvious that our bodies aren’t really up to the job,either: humans start losing their adult teeth by age 30, and withoutmodern dentistry one could expect to be toothless by 50. Our joints startto wear out around the same time.

Plausibly, most creatures less than three yards in length/heightshould have Short Lifespan 1 (half normal human span), those smallerthan about 1.5 yards should have Short Lifespan 2, less than 20” getShort Lifespan 3, and less than one foot get Short Lifespan 4. Moreover,only really huge organisms – dinosaur-sized beasts 20 feet or more inlength – should be able to have the Extended Lifespan advantage. Ofcourse, as humans themselves demonstrate, intelligence and technolo-gy can provide free levels of longevity. Shift any tool-using intelligentspecies up one increment, so that those with Short Lifespan 2 go to 1,those with Short Lifespan 1 get normal lives, and an intelligent ele-phant-sized organism would get Extended Lifespan 1.

Metabolic rate also depends on the rate of chemical reactions. Cold-environment organisms (ammonia or hydrogen-based life) shouldprobably be one or two increments more long-lived than their sizewould suggest, since they would generally live more slowly. Hot-envi-ronment organisms might be similarly short-lived. For silicon-basedlife, move everything down one increment, and for really fast things likemagnetic-based neutron star inhabitants, give them Short Lifespan tobalance their Altered Time Rate advantage.

some will reach maturity. Obviously,spawning lends itself to r-strategyreproduction, although there arespecies in which one or both parentsremain near the egg mass and do theirbest to protect and feed the youngonce they hatch.

Plants use a similar method, polli-nation, in which they release polleninto the air or water. Some plantsenlist the aid of animals, either bystealth or bribery, and get them tocarry pollen to a likely mate. Theplants develop colorful flowers andsugary nectar to attract pollinators. Insome cases, they are specialized forone particular pollinating organism.

Egg-laying creatures have internalfertilization, but then release theyoung into the world before theydevelop. This is an extremely commonmethod on Earth. The chief drawbackis that the egg has to contain all thefood necessary to support the embryothrough development to hatching; thiscan be inconveniently large. Anotherproblem is that the egg must be toughenough to protect the embryo, with-out being so strong that the little crea-ture can’t get out when it’s ready.

Live-bearing organisms fertilizeinternally and carry the young withinthe parent’s body until it is ready to beborn. This allows longer development(since the size of an egg is no longer afactor) and better protection, at thecost of putting a greater burden on themother. Live-bearing organisms oftencare fairly well for the young afterbirth. Some, the mammals, have spe-cialized glands to nourish the young.

Marsupials add another wrinkle,bearing the young live through part oftheir development, then carrying themin a pouch until they are ready to liveon their own. This frees up the repro-ductive tract for another offspring.

Finding MatesAny sexual organisms put some

effort into finding or attracting poten-tial mates. Among spawning crea-tures, it’s usually a matter of trackingdown some eggs that need fertilizing.But internal fertilizers have to win amate by charm, bribery, bullying, ortrickery. In an interesting twist, malesusually wind up compensating for therelative “cheapness” of their reproduc-tive cells (sperm) by expending a lot of

resources on methods to attract orkeep a mate. (A few species reversethis, and in many the sexes show offand compete for mates in differentways.)

In some species this takes the formof advertising – elaborate displays ofgood health in the form of huge racksof antlers, long iridescent tail feathers,loud singing, or scent markings. Othermales show off their resources bygrabbing good nesting sites, buildingbowers, or picking up shiny trinkets(cynics may include humans in thisgroup). Still others take a more directapproach, chasing away rival males byforce. Some males become parasites,attaching themselves permanently to asingle female.

The sheer variety of mating dis-plays and techniques is impossible tolist in a simple table. Game Mastersmust decide on their own what invest-ment the species makes in mating.Some can be represented as advan-tages: loud songs or calls could be thePenetrating Voice perk, or even asound-based Affliction. Males some-times sport natural weaponry to battlepotential rivals, giving them Strikers.Mating displays can also be a disad-vantage: sexual behavior can giveorganisms a Compulsive Behavior,Lecherousness, or even Intolerance(own sex).

Mating strategies can lead tospecies with very different body formsin males and females. They can havedifferent attributes, advantages, anddisadvantages. Some writers haveeven speculated about alien species inwhich only one sex is sapient. In any

species with two or more sexes, theGM can either assign sex differencesto suit the campaign, or accompanyeach step in the alien design process(except fundamentals like chemicalbasis and habitat) with a dimorphismroll on 1d: if the result is a 6, then rollthat trait separately for males andfemales.

Taking Care of the KidsHow long the parents care for the

offspring is a function of strategy.Strong r-strategy species invest nocare at all. You spawn, you swimaway, and the young either survive ornot. (In some species, the adults don’teven distinguish between juvenilesand other prey when they’re lookingfor food.) Other spawners and egg-layers stick around to guard the nestuntil the young hatch, but then loseinterest.

K-strategists devote care to theyoung after they hatch or are born.Birds feed their offspring until theycan fly, mammals nurse them untilthey are old enough to find food, andsome fish dutifully carry their youngaround in their mouths.

Some organisms may arrange asurrogate parent before abandoningtheir young; these are known as broodparasites. Cuckoos lay their eggs in thenests of other birds to ensure a properupbringing. Other parents make theiryoung into genuine parasites – thebotfly lays its eggs under the skin of alarge animal so the grubs have plentyof food until they’re ready to break outand fly away.

Among most intermediate strate-gists, only one parent does any care(usually the mother). Strong K-strate-gists (particularly some birds andmammals) have both parents doingtheir best to raise the young. The mostfanatical K-strategists gather ingroups to pool child-care. Elephantherds and troops of primates do a fairamount of “day care” for their young.The apex of this is among the hiveinsects, where nearly all the adults aresterile females who spend all theirtime finding food and caring for theoffspring of their mother; only a hand-ful of males and fertile females areborn, and they have thousands of ded-icated caretakers making sure theycan go out and breed.

160 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

SENSESTo interact with the world, organ-

isms must be able to perceive it viasenses. The simplest senses are chem-ical receptors. Most creatures add asense of touch and vibration (hear-ing). These are nearly universal.

Other senses depend on the envi-ronment. If the atmosphere is trans-parent to light (or other radiation),vision becomes a useful sense. If thecreature exists in darkness, echoloca-tion is more important. Creatures thathunt warm-blooded prey may evolveinfrared sensors. Migratory organismsor ocean voyagers demonstrate anability to sense magnetic fields, givingthem a built-in compass. More exoticsenses are possible. Magma-dwellersmight be able to sense radiation.Space-dwelling creatures might “see”using microwave radar.

Information isn’t much use if youcan’t process it. Many species havefairly poor senses, simply becausethey don’t need a higher level of detail.Humans have good vision because weare descended from brachiators (whoneed depth perception to avoidfalling) and evolved to hunt by throw-ing things. Since we also get food bygathering plants, we can also see col-ors well. Many carnivores have limitedcolor vision, because it isn’t essentialto their way of life.

VisionVision is only useful if there’s any

light to see by. On any world with anopaque atmosphere, there isn’t muchuse to having eyes. Deep-ocean crea-tures either have very bad visionbecause they use some other sense, orextremely good vision (like the extinctichthyosaurs) because that’s the onlyway to see in the dark. Undergroundcreatures tend to have very bad vision,and many are completely blind.

Humans have better-than-averagevision. Assume the “default” for mostcreatures with vision is worse thanhuman standard, combiningColorblindness and Bad Sight.Organisms with dark-adapted eyesmay have Night Vision up to 9, butmay also have Colorblindness or suf-fer daytime vision penalties.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 161

Alien Creation VIISexes

Roll 2d to determine number of sexes.

Modifiers: -1 if immobile; -1 if asymmetric body plan; -1 ifautotrophic.

Roll (2d) Sexual Arrangement4 or less Asexual reproduction or Parthenogenesis5-6 Hermaphrodite7-9 Two Sexes10 Switching between male and female11 Three or more Sexes (1d: 1-3: three sexes, 4-5:

four sexes, 6: 2d sexes)12 Roll twice and combine; types either alternate or

are triggered by conditions

GestationRoll 2d for gestation method.

Modifiers: -1 if aquatic or amphibious; -2 if immobile; +1 if warm-blooded.

Roll (2d) Gestation6 or less Spawning/Pollinating7-8 Egg-Laying 9-10 Live-Bearing11-13 Live-Bearing with Pouch

Special GestationRoll 2d; on a 12 the species uses a special gestation strategy. If so,

consult the following table.

Roll (1d) Special Gestation Method1 Brood Parasite (young raised by another species)2-3 Parasitic Young (young implanted in a host)4-5 Cannibalistic Young (young implanted in

parent, fatal to parent)6 Cannibalistic Young (young consume each other)

StrategyRoll 2d for reproductive strategy. Multiply the number of young per

litter by 2d ¥ 10 for spawning organisms (they may actually lay many,many more, but most of those won’t even reach childhood).

Modifiers: -2 if Large, +1 if Small; +2 if Spawning.

Roll (2d) Reproductive Strategy0-4 Strong K-Strategy: one offspring, extensive

care after birth5-6 Moderate K-Strategy: one to two offspring per

litter, extensive care after birth7 Median Strategy: 1d offspring per litter,

moderate care after birth8-9 Moderate r-Strategy: 1d+1 offspring per litter,

some care after birth 10-16 Strong r-Strategy: 2d offspring per litter, no care,

+1 level of Short Lifespan

Sight is extremely constrained byphysics. The resolving power of an eyeof a given size is in inverse proportionto the wavelength it senses.Consequently low wavelengths –infrared, microwave, and radio –require bigger eyes, and quickly gettoo big to be practical. The big wavesalso run into problems because theyare bigger than some objects. Youcan’t see a mosquito with radarbecause the radar waves are biggerthan the mosquito is. A creature mustbe at least Human-sized to have anykind of radio detection sense, andmust be Large to be able to use radar.

Infrared “vision” on Earth tends tobe more a directional heat detectorrather than actual sight. To model thisin GURPS terms, use Detect (Heat) orDetect (Infrared Light) rather thanInfravision. Note that a heat detectormust be cooler than what it is detect-ing, making this chiefly useful forcreatures with low body temperaturetrying to spot warm-blooded prey.

There are problems with shortwavelengths, too. Many Terran organ-isms can see in ultraviolet light,including many insects, but nothingwe know sees with gamma or X-rays.The trouble with using high-energyphotons is that it’s very difficult to cre-ate a focusing lens for them, and therearen’t usually good sources of high-energy particles in the environment tosee by. Creatures made of densermaterial (like silicon-based organ-isms) might be better able to see byhigh-frequency light, but only if theylive near an active black hole or other“bright” source of hard radiation.

Some organisms on Earth havepolarized vision, which helps cut glareand allows them to see better throughclouds and haze. Such creatures typi-cally have two to four levels of AcuteVision (Accessibility, Only to compen-sate for glare and haze, -50%) [1/level].

HearingHearing is an outgrowth of the

sense of touch, optimized to pick upair vibrations. Humans have averageto poor hearing (partly because wesubject ourselves to a lot more noisethan most animals). Most organismscan have Acute Hearing sufficient tobring their Hearing roll up to 12. Sincesound travels better in a denser

medium, water-dwelling creaturestend to hear quite well, at least under-water, and presumably magma-swim-mers would have exceptionally acute hearing.

Echolocation combines superbhearing with specialized processing inthe brain to convert echoes fromsound pulses into an “image.” It canbe quite precise – bats can catch smallinsects using echolocation. However,since it is an active sense, requiringthe creature to emit a pulse, echoloca-tion is relatively short-ranged due tothe slow speed of sound. The Sonarform of the Scanning Sense advantage(see p. B81) gives full details.

TouchThe sense of touch actually incor-

porates several senses. First is theobvious tactile sense embedded in theskin. Some organisms are more sensi-tive than others in this respect.Extremely thick fur, scales, armor, orblubber tends to interfere with thesense of touch, so that any organismswith those abilities are likely to have apoor touch sense. Some animals usespecialized hairs as touch sensors, likethe whiskers of a cat. Touch also has asize component: a small creature canfeel textures more easily than a largecreature, simply because the bumpsare larger in proportion. GameMasters may wish to give Small-sizedorganisms a bonus for their sense oftouch, and impose a penalty on Largeones.

A related sense is proprioception,the mental “image” of the body’s posi-tion. For creatures like octopuses andsquids, keeping track of one’s armstakes up a major chunk of the brain’sprocessing power. This sense seems tobe more important for creatures withmany limbs, and is likely to be moreimportant for land-dwelling organ-isms, if only because it’s a key part ofbeing able to walk. In GURPS terms,this sense is the primary componentof Dexterity.

The sense of balance is anothercomponent of proprioception. Moregenerally, it’s the “gravity sense” thatany planet-living organism needs.Swimmers have a related ability tokeep themselves properly orientedunderwater. Brachiators and moun-tain-living creatures are likely to have

excellent balance, for obvious reasons.The Perfect Balance advantage plussome increase in DX are appropriatefor organisms with above-averagegravity sense.

Taste and SmellThe simplest one-celled life forms

have only one way to perceive theirenvironment: chemical receptors.They taste the world around them,eating anything that tastes good andmoving away from anything thattastes bad. Nearly any chemical-basedlife will have some sense of taste.While humans keep theirs inside themouth to check food before it is swal-lowed, other organisms put tastereceptors outside, on antennae orskin, to analyze things they encounter.

Smell is a more sensitive form ofchemical detection, specialized to pickup airborne molecules. Whales havelost their ability to smell, but they dotaste the water they swim in. Vacuum-dwellers can’t smell anything, but theymight well taste whatever they touchor eat.

Humans seem to have a good senseof taste, which is what one mightexpect from creatures with gatheringherbivore ancestors, but our sense ofsmell is only about average. Some ofus can identify vintages by taste, butyou don’t see humans tracking byscent. Dogs can track by scent, andidentify individuals. Moths can detectone another by smell across miles ofdistance. Anything up to Acute Tasteand Smell 10 is quite within the realmof biological possibility. Game Mastersmay want to break apart Taste andSmell, giving some creatures a Smellbonus but not Taste, or vice-versa, at 1point per level.

Because Earth creatures often usescent molecules as a form of commu-nication without conscious control,creatures with very acute sense ofsmell could easily justify havingAnimal Empathy or Sensitive.

Other SensesCreatures on Earth have a remark-

able variety of senses, and it’s possibleto imagine exotic senses unknown toEarthly life. There are, after all, a rela-tively limited number of ways anorganism can perceive its environment.

162 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

Electromagnetic waves havealready been discussed under vision.In addition to sight, one can imaginesenses like Detect (Microwaves) or Scanning Sense (Radar) on huge space-dwelling creatures, orDetect (Gamma or X-Rays) on denseorganisms.

Most Earth life uses “passive” elec-tromagnetic senses, relying on the sunto provide illumination to see by. Butthat’s not strictly necessary. There aresome deep-sea creatures that generatetheir own light, and one can imaginealien organisms capable of generatingbright pulses like a strobe light to seein darkness. If a creature could gener-ate coherent light, a form of Ladar(see p. B81) might even be possible.(The drawback to any “active” sense,of course, is that it makes one visibleto anyone else with the same sort ofsensor.)

Electromagnetic field senses existalready in many Earth animals. Manyfish have electric-field detectors, pick-ing up the emissions of other crea-tures’ muscle impulses. Note that thisrequires a medium like water thatconducts electricity. Air is an insulator,and so blocks electric impulses. Thiswould be Detect (Electric Fields) orpossibly Detect (Living Things).

Air doesn’t interfere with magneticfields, however, and there are severalspecies of birds that apparently haveinternal magnetic sensors to provide acompass for long-range navigation.This is not normally precise enough toqualify as Absolute Direction; it’s sim-plest to just call it a 0-point feature, ason p. B34. Alien beings with more pre-cise magnetic sense could have Detect(Magnetic Fields) or possibly AbsoluteDirection.

Gravity detection is part of balanceand proprioception. Space-dwellingcreatures might be able to detect grav-ity fields even in free-fall, or sensemass by the curvature of space.Obviously this would only pick uplarge masses, the size of asteroids orplanets. It would be Detect (GravityFields).

Vibration senses are essentially anextension of hearing, and work best ina dense medium that conducts waveseasily. Many fish have a “lateral line” –a set of receptors on the skin that pickup faint water movements. Thiswouldn’t work as well in air, because

air isn’t dense enough to transmitvibrations very far, but any swimmermight have a similar sense. Thiswould be Vibration Sense. Any land-dwelling creatures could have a kindof “seismic sense” to pick up groundvibrations; this would be VibrationSense with the limitation “GroundOnly” (-10%).

Chemical senses are variants ontaste and smell, possibly specializedfor different kinds of molecules. OnEarth most chemical senses areattuned to molecules made by livingthings, to either help find food or warnof danger from predators. Aliensmight be able to smell things humanscannot – minerals, trace atmosphericgases, or poisons. This could be assimple as a very precise Detect addedto normal sense of smell, like Detect(Methane) or Detect (Pheromones).Or it could replace Taste and Smellwith something like Detect (Minerals).

Exotic senses are weird or super-science abilities that are either basedon imaginary science or requirebending the rules to function in thereal world. This includes nearly allpsionic abilities, “X-ray” vision asdepicted in comic books, neutrinovision, extra-dimensional or faster-than-light senses, and so on.

COMMUNICATIONJust about all organisms have some

way to send signals. Even seeminglypassive things like plants are constant-ly pumping out chemicals to affecteach other. Animals make use of theirmore sophisticated senses to commu-nicate with sound and visual displays,but don’t give up on chemical cues. Ingeneral creatures use all their sensesfor communication to some extent –humans speak to each other, but wealso use gestures and facial expres-sions, and our bodies do respond toscents.

Organisms with no intelligence (IQ0) tend to communicate by instinctive,“automatic” methods, like scentsreleased in response to certain stimuli.More intelligent creatures (IQ 1) addchannels under voluntary control.Organisms without complicated socialstructures tend to stick to simple“broadcast” communications, likescent sprays or calls to any creaturewithin earshot. Creatures with moreelaborate societies may add moreselective “person-to-person” commu-nication. Actual language only reallybecomes possible with sapience andIQ 6 or better.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 163

164 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

Alien Creation VIIISense options marked with an asterisk are possible

communication channels. Roll 1d for each markedsense; the highest roll indicates the primary method ofcommunication and the second highest indicates thesecondary. Channels marked with two asterisks get a +1on this roll. If the two highest rolls are the same, thespecies uses the two together as a single channel.

Primary SenseMost creatures have a primary sense that is what

they rely on to get around and find food. Roll 3d on thistable to determine the primary sense. When rolling onthe sense tables below, the primary sense gets a +4bonus.

Modifiers: -2 for aquatic; +2 for autotrophs.

Roll (3d) Primary Sense1-7 Hearing8-12 Vision13-20 Touch and Taste

VisionRoll 3d; space-dwelling life treats any result of 9 or

less as 3.

Modifiers: -4 if Digging is primary locomotion, +2 ifclimbing, +3 if flying, -4 if immobile; -4 if Deep OceanVent habitat; -2 if filter-feeder, +2 if carnivore or gather-ing herbivore.

Roll (3d) Visual Ability6 or less Blindness7 Blindness (Can sense light and dark,

-10%) [-45]8-9 Bad Sight and Colorblindness10-11 Bad Sight or Colorblindness*12-14 Normal Vision*15-23 Telescopic Vision 4*

HearingRoll 3d; space-dwelling life is automatically Deaf.

Modifiers: +2 if Completely or Nearly Blind, +1 if BadSight; +1 if aquatic, -4 if immobile.

Roll (3d) Hearing Ability6 or less Deafness7-8 Hard of Hearing9-10 Normal Hearing*11 Normal Hearing with extended range

(Subsonic Hearing if Large, Ultrahearing otherwise)*

12 Acute Hearing 4**13 Acute Hearing 4 and either Subsonic

Hearing or Ultrahearing**14-21 Acute Hearing 4 with Ultrasonic

Hearing and Sonar**

TouchRoll 2d for sense of touch.

Modifiers: -2 for external skeleton; +2 for aquaticorganisms, +2 for digging organisms, -2 for flyers; +2 ifBlind or Nearly Blind; +1 if Trapping carnivore; +1 ifSmall.

Roll (2d) Touch Ability2 or less Numb3-4 -2 DX from poor sense of touch5-6 -1 DX from poor sense of touch7-8 Human-level touch9-10 Acute Touch 4*11-18 Acute Touch 4 and either Sensitive

Touch or Vibration Sense*

Taste/SmellRoll 2d for taste and smell ability.

Modifiers: +2 for chasing carnivores, +2 for gatheringherbivores, -2 for filter-feeders, autotrophs or trappingcarnivores; +2 if sexual reproduction; -4 if immobile.

Roll (2d) Taste/Smell Ability3 or less No Sense of Smell/Taste4-5 No Sense of Smell (can taste, -50%)

[-2 points]6-8 Normal taste/smell9-10 Acute Taste/Smell 4 (aquatic organisms

use Acute Taste only)*11-16 Acute Taste/Smell 4 and Discriminatory

Smell (aquatic organisms use Discriminatory Taste)*

Special SensesFor each sense roll 2d; it is present on a roll of 11 or

more unless noted. Modifiers to the roll are listed witheach special sense.

360° Vision*: +1 for plains or desert habitat; +1 forherbivore; +1 for radial or spherical symmetry.

Absolute Direction: +1 for Open Ocean habitat; +1 forflying, +1 for digging.

Discriminatory Hearing*: +2 if organism has Sonar.Peripheral Vision (10-12): +1 for plains or desert

habitat; +2 for herbivore.Night Vision 1d+3*: +2 for aquatic organisms; +2 for

carnivores.Ultravision*: no for aquatic organisms, no for

ammonia-based life.Detect (Heat)*: +1 for carnivores; +1 for arctic

habitat, no for aquatic life.Detect (Electric Fields)*: aquatic only; +1 for

carnivores.Perfect Balance: land-dwelling only; +2 for climbing;

+1 for mountain habitat; -1 if gravity 0.5 or less, +1 ifgravity 1.5 or more.

Scanning Sense (Radar)*: no if Small size or aquatic; +2 if space-dwelling.

SPECIALABILITIES

Other special abilities are impossi-ble to predict. Why did woodpeckersbecome specialized to bore holes intrees? Why did electric eels evolve intoliving capacitors? On alien worlds,things can get even more bizarre, butthe basic laws of nature still apply.

What’s PlausibleThe most plausible special abilities

for aliens are those that we know arepossible because they already exist.Anything used by existing or extinctEarth species are perfectly defensible.Many special abilities based on Earthlife are already described above, butthere are more possibilities. Withoutturning this chapter into a biologyencyclopedia, there are some abilitiesto consider.

Afflictions in the form of chemicaldefenses are fairly common. Someare ranged sprays, like a skunk’s muskor a bombardier beetle’s superheatedchemical spray. Range tends to befairly short for spray attacks – typical-ly no more than the animal’s ST inyards, up to a maximum of about 10yards. They take the Limited Use orTakes Recharge limitations, since all

creatures have a finite amount ofmaterial to work with.

Hibernation in unpleasant condi-tions is another common ability.Northern animals do it in winter,when food is hard to find and it makessense to huddle up and conserve ener-gy. Warmer-climate organisms mayhibernate (technically, they are estivat-ing, the summer version of hiberna-tion) during droughts. Some creaturescan survive in drought mode forextraordinary periods – tardigrades or brine shrimp can be revived afterdecades in stasis. In GURPS termsthis is Metabolism Control (Hiberna-tion) as described on p. B68.

While shapeshifting in the comic-book sense is not really possible (seebelow), there are creatures that under-go changes, either seasonally or aspart of maturation. Snowshoe rabbitsswitch between white and brown spot-ted pelt depending on the season,while many invertebrates completelyremodel their bodies as they gothrough different life stages. These areall simply 0-point features, since theyhappen either once or according to apredictable schedule.

On Earth there are many invisiblecreatures – undersea organisms whosebodies are exactly as transparent asthe water around them. They take

advantage of a specific environmentand have adapted to those conditions.It requires a medium about as optical-ly dense as one’s body tissues. Thiswould be modeled as Invisibility tosight only, with several limitations –only in water, a slight chance of beingseen. It also works best for smallorganisms, no more than Human-Scale in size.

What’s PossibleThere are also abilities that are

unknown (or nearly so) on Earth butthat aren’t actually forbidden by thelaws of nature.

Projectile weapons (as opposed tosprays) don’t show up on Earth butthey aren’t completely impossible.Medieval folklore and American fron-tier legends both describe spiny ani-mals capable of throwing their quills;on an alien world a species mightcombine quills with a chemical organlike the bombardier beetle to producean actual dart gun. Creatures mighthave multiple “launchers” but eachwould be single-shot, taking days orweeks to regrow a new dart. Somekind of “blowgun” arrangement thatcould use pebbles or seeds as projec-tiles might be possible, but it wouldrequire a reliable source of ammuni-tion – and something to shoot at.

Breath weapons like those of fanta-sy dragons are also within the realm ofpossibility, but unlikely. A creaturecould generate a burning spray, butthe energy represented by a largeburst of flame is tremendous. Thecreature either needs an externalsource of “fuel” or a very long“recharge” time between shots. Poisongas is also unlikely because of the dif-ficulty in generating a large volume ofgas.

“Blob monster” abilities like ElasticSkin, Stretching, or Morph would suf-fer some severe limitations. For Earthanimals to change their form general-ly requires substantial amounts oftime. Even small insects undergoingmetamorphosis take several days.Among larger animals, “shapechanges” in pregnancy take months.Anyone designing alien shape-chang-ers should make the process as slow aspossible. (This only applies to evolved“natural” species: an artificial organ-ism or machine life might be able to

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 165

Moving in CladesHumans have speculated about the possibility of genetic engineering

and cybernetic augmentation. Advanced alien civilizations could alterthemselves using the same methods, creating “daughter species” withnew or improved abilities.

One thing to remember in such cases is that new species don’t auto-matically replace old ones. When one species of bird-like dinosaur gaverise to the ancestors of birds, the dinosaurs didn’t all disappear; theyremained doing the same bird-like dinosaur things they always had,while their ancestral-bird cousins started doing different things.Similarly, a genetically modified subspecies or widespread use of cyber-netics won’t necessarily replace the original species. They may coexist –and both the new species and the original group can spin off other new“daughter species,” which in turn can create variants of their own.

The result is that once a species starts modifying itself, one canexpect a tremendous diversification. Unless some strong authorityenforces uniformity by force, there are likely to be lots of different pop-ulations with different modifications and combinations of traits.Human explorers contacting alien civilizations should expect to find alot of “multispecies” worlds with wildly varying populations, alldescended from a common ancestral type.

do real-time rearrangement of bodyparts under conscious control.) Anexception might exist if the body isactually a swarm of independent crea-tures (see p. 153).

Having an Extra Head is notunknown on Earth, usually the resultof a birth defect that conjoins twins. Itcould be an inherited trait. If theheads share a single “mind” (or don’tcontain the brain, as with LarryNiven’s Puppeteers) then this is simplya matter of a better arc of vision andan extra mouth. If they do have sepa-rate or redundant brains, then use theGURPS advantage as described.

Racial Memory is possible, espe-cially for creatures that rely a greatdeal upon instinct. The memoriescould be passed only from parent tochild, so that a given individual wouldonly have its parents’ memories – butthose memories could include theparental memories of its parents, andso on. This is especially likely for crea-tures that reproduce by budding.Alternately, the species might be ableto “write” memories into the genetic

code, giving access to ancestors thou-sands of generations back.

What’s ImpossibleOvertly “paranormal” abilities are

impossible under the laws of nature aswe understand them. That being said,GMs are free to allow some of them asthe result of superscience unknown onEarth.

Duplication violates the laws ofconservation of matter. Creatures thatreproduce by fission, creating twoidentical, smaller copies with sharedmemories aren’t using Duplicationbecause it’s rare, permanent, and thereis no further connection between thetwo offspring.

Mental Influence abilities like MindControl, Mind Probe, Mind Reading,or Mindlink are superscience – unlessthe species has a form of radio com-munication and all members of thespecies can use the channel. MindControl by physical or chemicalmeans is definitely possible.

Para-senses like Clairsentience,Penetrating Vision, or Precognition

are in the same situation as teleporta-tion. If creatures could use them, theywould confer a tremendous advantageand would quickly become wide-spread. Note that Precognition opensthe whole Pandora’s Box of time para-doxes.

Size changing abilities like Growthor Shrinking are pretty much impossi-ble. They violate the law of conserva-tion of matter, and creatures gettinghuge or tiny without changing massrun into severe mechanical con-straints – how do tiny muscles lift nor-mal-size mass? Best to leave these for“four-color” comics reality.

Telekinesis, Temperature Control,DR (Force Field), and other energeticabilities are another “superscienceonly” set. They violate more laws ofnature than we can conveniently list!

Teleportation fits into the realm ofsuperscience. If it exists, it can bedescribed in a logical, consistent man-ner. But current science says it can’thappen. This applies to the advan-tages Warp, Jumper, and Snatcher.

166 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

ALIEN MINDSJust because a creature is intelli-

gent doesn’t mean it will have a mindlike ours. The editor John W.Campbell was famous for his dictum:“Show me a creature that thinks aswell as a man, but not like a man.”

BRAINSHumans have extremely complex

brains, allowing us to do things thatno other known creature can. Thoughthe behaviors and abilities foundamong Earth’s living things are amaz-ing, there’s only one species thatbuilds space probes, drills for oil, orwrites roleplaying games.

The vast majority of Earth’s livingthings are quite literally mindless.Plants, fungi, and single-celled organ-isms have no brains at all (IQ 0). Alienplants might be brainier. Among ani-mals, most invertebrates appear to bealmost robotic, following “pre-pro-grammed” behaviors refined by longevolution, but with no trace ofthought. Maximum IQ for mostorganisms of this type is 1. They may

qualify for the Cannot Learn disad-vantage. (An important exception tothis is among the cephalopods – octo-puses and squids appear to be assmart as any nonhumans on Earth.)

Vertebrates appear capable of gen-erally more sophisticated behavior,and among the vertebrates mammalsand birds are particularly good atlearning and inventing new behaviors.Most vertebrates would have IQ of 1-4,with the Bestial disadvantage.Mammals and birds (and possiblycephalopods) can have IQ as high as 5,and are Bestial.

Sapience, or human-level intelli-gence, is very difficult to define, butmost people know it when they see it.Why it arose among humans and whyit never appeared among any otherspecies is something of a mystery. Wenaturally see all the advantages tobeing smart, but evidently it’s just onemethod among many as far as evolu-tion is concerned. Sapience eliminatesthe Bestial disadvantage and allows IQlevels of 6 or more.

The question of whether it is possi-ble for organisms to be superhumanlyintelligent is, of course, a matter ofcomplete speculation. One theoryholds that natural selection ceases toapply to any species that reacheshuman-level intelligence, and that thissuggests that no species would natu-rally evolve a higher average intellect.(Some extremely pessimistic thinkers,like SF author Cyril Kornbluth in hisstory “The Marching Morons,” positthat civilization causes a decline inintellect as stupidity ceases to befatal.)

The opposite idea, familiar to allfans of classic Star Trek, is that sen-tient beings become more and morespecialized for intelligence, eventuallyturning into frail, huge-brained crea-tures dependent on technology to sur-vive. Even if creatures don’t evolvenaturally toward higher intelligence,an advanced civilization could artifi-cially boost its average IQ by geneticengineering, excellent education, orcybernetic augmentation.

NATURE: THEINFLUENCE OFBIOLOGY

Exactly how much of humanbehavior is derived from our evolu-tionary heritage is a hotly debatedtopic. It is also fraught with ideologi-cal minefields. If humans act a certainway because we have evolved to do so,does that mean we should behave thatway? Is what is natural the same aswhat is right? And what does it sayabout free will if our personalities arethe result of our genes?

Still, it is possible to speculate onhow an organism’s evolutionary pastmay affect its psychology. Certainlyanimals in different niches on Earthbehave differently, even whenremoved from their native environ-ment. Game Masters who don’t likethat idea can downgrade any person-ality traits to the level of “racialquirks.”

EcologyThe ecological niche a species

occupies can affect its behavior quitestrongly. Grazing herbivores haveabundant food, so can gather in largegroups for mutual protection.Gathering herbivores have to competefor scarcer but more rewarding food,so they live in small groups or are soli-tary. Omnivores are often loners, asare scavengers.

Pouncing predators work eitheralone or in small groups, but chasingpredators sometimes form large packsto bring down really huge prey.Trappers are almost always solitary.

The environment has its effects,too. In harsher environments like arc-tic or desert conditions there is agreater penalty associated with beingin a group (there just isn’t enoughfood or water to support them).However, warm-blooded creaturesmay band together in those environ-ments to literally share heat! Thedense nature of a woodland or jungleenvironment makes it hard to keep agroup together, encouraging smallerbands or solitary organisms.

The Mating GameMating patterns come in several

types. For many creatures the maleand female meet only at fertilizationand never see one another again. Thisis typically linked to strong R-strategybehavior. Males have as many part-ners as they can get, limited only bycompetition from other males. If thereare any differences between the sexes,they tend to be functional – largerfemales because it takes more energyto produce eggs or bear young. Inmany species the males are short-lived, “one-shot” creatures that fertil-ize and then die.

Other species have a temporarypair-bond, in which the parentsremain together until the offspring

hatch or are capable of fending forthemselves. (On Earth this usuallymeans one year.) Since these creatureshave to attract a new partner eachyear, they often go in for elaboratemating displays, especially the males.Males may also stake out prime terri-tory or good nesting sites.

If the parents remain together forseveral seasons, they are said to “matefor life.” (A fair amount of cheatinggoes on even in these arrangements.)The couple rears multiple sets of off-spring, and often shares food witheach other. This naturally goes wellwith a moderate K-strategy setup.Life-mating species often have littlevisible difference between the sexes; ifthere is a difference it is often the casethat males are small or even parasitic.

Males sometimes try to monopo-lize all the available females by drivingaway or killing any rival males. This“harem” system is particularly com-mon in species that gather in groupsanyway, like plains grazers. Theadvantage is that the strongest malefathers many children, and thefemales often cooperate in caring forthe offspring. Harem species oftenhave a noticeable difference betweenthe sexes, with males typically largeand bristling with weaponry to fightoff challengers. In some harem speciesthe males and females live apartexcept during mating season.

NURTURE: THE INFLUENCEOF SOCIETY

Creatures form social systems,often highly complex ones. Social rela-tions refer to how a creature interactswith others of the same species.Interspecies relationships generallyfall into the categories of eating,hijacking food, or running away.

Solitary species live alone, exceptpossibly during mating season. Theyoften have a territory that they defendagainst interlopers. Large organismsare frequently solitary (simplybecause big creatures need a big terri-tory for support). Low-intelligencesolitary organisms may not even rec-ognize a distinction between theirown species and prey.

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 167

Pair-bonded species (as notedabove) live in “nuclear family” groupsof parents and offspring. They may ormay not be able to tolerate the pres-ence of other pairs nearby – somebirds live quite happily in huge com-munal rookeries with thousands ofneighbors, while eagles have widelyseparated nests.

A small group of creatures (four to10) living together is called a troop, (orband, or pride). This often is based ona mating arrangement: several matedpairs or a male and his harem. Troopsshare child-care and often work a lotof food-sharing into their socialarrangements. Any social group largerthan a mated pair requires fairlysophisticated communication – eventhe “mindless” workers in a hive areusing complex chemical signals andbody movements to communicate.

A larger group is a pack, with six to20 members. This is typical amongchasing carnivores on Earth, but

could be used by grazers or gatherersjust as well. In a pack there is a hierar-chy, with the “alpha male” and “alphafemale” as the leaders. They lead inhunting and get a larger share of thefood. Alphas mate with other alphas,and prevent low-status members ofthe pack from mating at all (or at leastmake sure the young don’t survive ifthey do). The result is that the alphas’offspring benefits from the entirepack’s efforts. This is obviously astrong K-strategy setup, and requiresconstant communication and socialjockeying.

Huge groups of animals (10-100 ormore) are known as herds, schools, orflocks. On Earth they are typicallyfound among grazers, since a hugegroup requires a huge food supply.Small herds may be a harem, but real-ly big herds are simply too much foreven the most ambitious male tomonopolize. Herds don’t seem to haveas much of the hierarchy found in

packs; the biggest or oldest membersmay be the herd leader, but thatseems to be “merit-based” rather than“political.”

Hives are a very successful socialunit based on a single family. Thequeen is the only fertile female, andspends her life as an egg-makingmachine. Most of her offspring aresterile females, who spend their timecaring for eggs. A small number of fertile females and males leave thehive in search of mates, in order tostart new colonies. In some species, allmembers of the hive are potentiallyfertile, but are kept from developingby pheromones given off by the queen;when the queen dies her young compete to take the role. Other hivesdie with their queen. Hive systemscombine the vast numbers of youngcranked out by r-strategists with theguaranteed-survival care of K-strate-gists. The only drawback is the “over-head” of all the sterile workers.

168 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

Alien Creation IXIntelligence

There are two tables here, one for animals and onefor sapient aliens capable of technological civilization.Game Masters who want the possibility of randomlygenerating a sapient species can assume that a resultof 13+ on the first table indicates sapience and IQ 6 orbetter.

Animals: Roll 2d for intelligence level.

Modifiers: -1 for autotroph, filter-feeder or grazingherbivore, +1 for gathering herbivore or omnivore; -1for small size; -1 for strong r-strategy, +1 for strong K-strategy; +1 for normal or extended lifespan.

Roll (2d) Animal Intelligence3 or less Mindless (IQ 0)4-5 Preprogrammed (IQ 1 and

Cannot Learn)6-8 Low Intelligence (IQ 1-3 and Bestial)9-10 High Intelligence (IQ 3-5 and Bestial)11-15 Presapient (IQ 5)

Sapient Beings: Roll 1d+5 for the average speciesIQ. The minimum IQ for sapience is 6, so treat anyresult of 5 or less as a 6.

Modifiers: -1 for autotroph, filter-feeder or grazingherbivore, +1 for gathering herbivore or omnivore; -1for small size; -1 for strong r-strategy, +1 for strong K-strategy.

Mating BehaviorRoll 2d for mating behavior.

Modifiers: -2 for hermaphrodites, -1 for spawning, +1for live-bearing; -1 for strong r-strategy, +1 for strong K-strategy.

Roll (2d) Mating Behavior5 or less Mating only, no pair bond6-7 Temporary pair bond8 Permanent pair bond9-10 Harem11-14 Hive

Social OrganizationRoll 2d for social organization. Hive species have a

“pregenerated” social organization already and neednot roll here.

Modifiers: -1 for carnivores, +1 for grazing herbi-vores; -1 for large size; +1 for harem mating, -1 for nopair bond.

Roll (2d) Social Organization Type6 or less Solitary7-8 Pair-bonded9-10 Small group of 2d members

(1-2 Troop, 3-4 Pack, 5-6 Herd)11 Medium group of 4d members

(1-2 Pack, 3-6 Herd)12-14 Large Herd of 1d ¥ 10 members

ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS 169

Alien Creation XThere are nine mental qualities that define a species’

collective “personality.” For species whose mentality isclosely coupled to their biology, simply apply the modi-fiers on each table and use the result. For more varia-tion, roll a die, then roll a second and subtract thatresult from the first. Add the result (positive or negative)to the sum of modifiers. Do that for each table.

ChauvinismChauvinism measures how the species views itself as

a group compared to others.

Modifiers: -1 for autotrophs or filter-feeders, -2 forparasites or scavengers; +2 for small or medium groupsand hives; -1 for asexual or spawning organisms; -1 forsolitary or pair-bonded.

Total Chauvinism Level+3 or more Chauvinistic (quirk) (becomes Racial

Intolerance if Empathy is less than +1 or Suspicion greater than -1; becomes Xenophobia if Suspicion is greater than +1)

+2 Chauvinistic (quirk) (becomes Racial Intolerance if Empathy is less than +1 or Suspicion greater than -1)

+1 Chauvinistic (quirk) (becomes Racial Intolerance if Empathy is less than 0 or Suspicion greater than 0)

0 Normal-1 Broad-Minded (quirk)-2 Broad-Minded (quirk) (becomes

Xenophilia at 15 if Suspicion is less than 0 and Empathy is greater than 0)

-3 or less Undiscriminating (quirk – considers all intelligence to be one “species”) (becomes Xenophilia at 12 if Suspicion is less than 0 or Empathy is greater than 0; Xenophilia at 9 if both are true)

ConcentrationConcentration describes how well individual mem-

bers of a species can focus on a task.

Modifiers: +1 for pouncing or chasing carnivore, -1for any herbivore; +1 for strong K-strategy.

Total Concentration Level+3 or more Single-Minded and either High Pain

Threshold or one 5-point Talent+2 Single-Minded+1 Attentive (quirk)0 Normal-1 Distractible (quirk)-2 Short Attention Span (12)-3 or less Short Attention Span (9)

CuriosityCuriosity includes how receptive the species is to

new things, and how interested they are in findingthem.

Modifiers: +1 for omnivores, -1 for grazing herbivoresor filter-feeders; -1 for Blind or Nearly Blind species; -1for strong r-strategy, +1 for strong K-strategy.

Total Curiosity Level+3 or more Curious (9) (if Concentration or

Suspicion is 0 or less, reduce self-control number to 6)

+2 Curious (12) (if Concentration is 0 or less, change self-control number to 9)

+1 Nosy (quirk) (becomes Curious at 12 if Concentration is 0 or less)

0 Normal-1 Staid (quirk)-2 Incurious (12) (self-control number

becomes 9 if Suspicion is less than 0)-3 or less Incurious (9)

EgoismEgoism is a measure of how personally self-impor-

tant members of this species are, compared with others.It is the individual counterpart to species Chauvinism.

Modifiers: +1 for solitary, +1 for harem (males only),-1 for hives; +1 for strong K-strategy, -1 for strong r-strategy.

Total Egoism Level+3 or more Selfish (9)+2 Selfish (12) (control number becomes

9 if Suspicion is more than 0 or Empathy is less than 0)

+1 Proud (quirk) (Selfish at 12 if Suspicion is more than 0; Selfish at 9 if Suspicion is +2 or more or if Empathy is -2 or less)

0 Normal-1 Humble (quirk)-2 Selfless (12) (control number becomes

9 if Chauvinism is +2 or more)-3 or less Selfless (6)

Continued on next page . . .

170 ALIEN LIFE AND ALIEN MINDS

Alien Creation X (Continued)Empathy

Empathy measures how well individuals can senseor care about the feelings of others, both within andoutside their species.

Modifiers: +1 for chasing carnivores, -1 forautotrophs, filter-feeders, grazers or scavengers; -1 forsolitary or pair-bonded, +1 for small or medium group;+1 for strong K-strategy.

Total Empathy Level+3 or more Empathy (if Gregariousness is more

than 0 add Charitable at 12)+2 Empathy (Sensitive)+1 Responsive (quirk) (becomes

Sensitive if Gregariousness is more than 0 and Suspicion is less than 0)

0 Normal-1 Oblivious-2 Callous-3 or less Low Empathy (carnivores add

Bloodlust at 12)

GregariousnessThis indicates how sociable members of the species

are, and how much they need the company of others. Itdoesn’t say how the species feels about other forms oflife.

Modifiers: -1 for pouncing carnivore, scavenger, fil-ter-feeder, autotroph, or any herbivore; -1 for solitary orpair-bonded, +1 for medium or large group, +2 for hive;-1 for asexual or hermaphrodite, -1 for spawning.

Total Gregariousness Level+3 or more Gregarious+2 Chummy+1 Congenial (quirk)0 Normal-1 Uncongenial (quirk)-2 Loner (12)-3 or less Loner (9)

ImaginationImagination indicates how well members of the

species come up with new ideas, see patterns, andinvent new behaviors.

Modifiers: +1 for pouncing carnivores, omnivores,or gathering herbivores, -1 for autotrophs, filter-feeders, or grazers; +1 for strong K-strategy, -1 forstrong r-strategy.

Total Imagination Level+3 or more Imaginative (quirk) (as with +2 below,

but if Empathy is less than +1 add the Odious Racial Habit (Nonstop Idea Factory) [-5])

Total Imagination Level+2 Imaginative (quirk) (as with +1 below,

but adds the quirk Dreamer if Egoism is greater than 0 or if Concentration is less than +1)

+1 Imaginative (quirk) (becomes Versatile if Concentration is 0 or more and Egoism is less than +2)

0 Normal-1 Dull (quirk)-2 Hidebound-3 or less Hidebound and -1 IQ

SuspicionThis is how distrustful and fearful individuals of the

species are about new things or surprises.

Modifiers: -1 for any carnivore, +1 for grazing herbi-vores; +1 for Blind or Nearly Blind; -1 for large, +1 forsmall; +1 for solitary or pair-bonded.

Total Suspicion Level+3 or more Fearfulness 2, and Cowardice

(if herbivore) or Paranoia (if carnivore)+2 Fearfulness 1 (becomes Careful quirk if

Curiosity is -3)+1 Careful (quirk) (ignore if Curiosity is

-2 or less)0 Normal-1 Fearlessness 1 -2 Fearlessness 2 (add Overconfidence if

Egoism is +2 or more)-3 or less Fearlessness 3 (add Overconfidence if

Egoism is +1 or more; Fearlessness becomes Unfazeable if Chauvinism is -3 or less)

PlayfulnessPlayfulness measures how willing a species is to play

– to do things purely for fun rather than for any materi-al benefit. Playful animals may be easier to train, andplayful sapients are likely to have a sense of humor. Thisis one table on which humans may not be “normal,”since we appear to be unusually playful as a species. Toreflect this, Game Masters may decide to give all otherintelligent species an additional -1 modifier, to makehumans seem more playful by comparison.

Modifiers: +1 if K-strategy, +2 if strong K-strategy; +1for IQ 2 or higher; -1 if Solitary; -3 if Cannot Learn.

Total Playfulness Level+3 or more Compulsive Playfulness (9)

(becomes Trickster at 12 if species is Overconfident)

+2 Compulsive Playfulness (12) [-5*]+1 Playful (quirk)0 Normal (occasionally playful)-1 Serious (quirk)-2 Odious Racial Habit (Wet Blanket) [-5]-3 or less No Sense of Humor

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 171

CHAPTER SEVEN

FUTURE AND ALIEN

CIVILIZATIONS

Shiro and Tatsumi walked through the old ImperialGardens in Tokyo, hand in hand as if they were just anotherpair of teenage lovers out for a stroll. They really were loversnow, thought Shiro, and he couldn’t keep from blushing.

The old palace buildings were completely gone, leveled dur-ing the Shahar campaign to erase human history. In theirplace was the Family of Species Culture and EducationCenter. The two Alien Fighter Army operatives were hoping thelibrary there would help them figure out the alien tech Shirohad found.

They passed through a security checkpoint under the gazeof a looming Gustrogin soldier in combat armor. Actually,Shiro was glad the huge alien was there – nobody would won-der why his heart was pounding or his mouth was dry. Onceinside they followed the signs in Shahar glyphs to the library.Tatsumi had better marks than Shiro in the alien language, soshe was going to be the one doing most of the actual research.

They were met at the library entrance by a Tarcaser in awhite jacket. It watched them with its top eye while the othertwo flicked about, scanning the room. “What are your needs?”it asked in slow Japanese.

“We’re just looking forsome books,” said Tatsumiin her best Shahar.

“This facility has mil-lions of works stored oncrystals, but no ‘books,’”said the Tarcaser, andShiro decided at thatmoment that he reallyhated this alien. Thetwo Alien Fighters hadhoped for hardcopybooks precisely becausenobody would be able totrace what they wereresearching.

“We’re doing a report onindustrial design and ergonom-ics in multi-species equipment,”said Shiro as smoothly as he could.“Please, show us how to use the systemhere.”

Suddenly the Tarcaser stiffened, and Shiro realized every-one in the room beyond was staring at them. No – behindthem. He turned and found himself looking into the singlecloudy eye of a Shahar. A very high-ranking one, if he wasreading the insignia on its neckband correctly. There was a lit-tle knot of Shuman and Tarcaser flunkies standing four pacesbehind it.

“It is good for humans to study our technology,” said theShahar. “They will be happy doing their tasks in the Family ofSpecies.” It nodded at the Tarcaser and turned to go.

“Please come this way,” said the Tarcaser in a much morehumble tone.

This chapter covers the business of choosing and design-ing science-fictional societies for the space-genre campaign.It examines the ways in which advanced technology andalien biology might change how society is structured, anddiscusses some of the pragmatics of designing a govern-ment, its legal structure, and its military forces.

STORY CONCERNS

172 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

Roleplaying campaigns are frame-works for stories – the adventures andexploits of the player characters. Thepurpose of the society is to serve as astory element. Most commonly, soci-eties are simply backdrops, thescenery against which the actors strutand declaim. Occasionally the storyfocuses on a conflict between thecharacters and their society, whichelevates the society to the status of a“character” in its own right. The rolein the story in turn determines ele-ments of the society’s structure andfunction. Is it an open, free society, ora restrictive culture? Who holdspower?

SOCIETY INTHE STORY

It’s up to the GM to determine thepurpose of a society. Is it scenery, is itan adversary for the heroes, or a mys-tery to solve? Sometimes it can be allthree, or change over time.

Society as BackdropThe simplest use for any society in

a story or roleplaying campaign is as abackdrop. Making a world or culturealien and exotic reminds the playersthat this is a science-fiction adventure.An especially well-designed backdropcan provide lots of fun just by lettingthe characters “play tourist” andexplore the setting. Life doesn’t haveto be a series of shootouts and barfights, after all.

A useful thing for Game Masters tokeep in mind is that all the people inthe backdrop society don’t knowthey’re in the background. Each ofthem is the main character of his orher own story. Giving the PCs encoun-ters with people who have their owngoals and aren’t especially interestedin the evening’s adventure will helpmake the setting seem more real andgive it depth.

Society as ObstacleOf course, a society can be more

than just the setting for the heroes, itcan be their foe. This can be overt, as

when the PCs are military personnelfighting a hostile alien civilization,spies infiltrating a tightly monitoredstate, or rebels trying to bring down atyrannical empire. But characters cancome into conflict with a society evenif they aren’t trading blaster shots witharmored stormtroopers. A merchanttrying to make a profit in the face ofheavy taxes and trade barriers is atodds with society. So is a lawmanbringing justice to a wild frontier. Orlovers in a society that forbids mar-riage between social classes.

Obstacle societies obviously needfeatures that will put them at oddswith the heroes – restrictive laws,aggressive plans for Galactic con-quest, widespread corruption, lack ofinterest in space exploration, or what-ever. They also need ways for theheroes to circumvent or overcomethose obstacles. Can they change thelaws, or halt the conquering fleets? Ifchange is impossible, can they getaway to someplace more congenial, orfind a way to accomplish their goalssecretly? A society that is intolerableand inescapable doesn’t make for par-ticularly entertaining adventures, afterall.

A different form of obstacle societyis one that presents the characterswith a puzzle. This often happens toexplorers visiting strange new worlds,but can befall anyone trying to operatein an unfamiliar environment withoutenough information. A puzzle societyis one that seems to not make sense onfirst examination. The inhabitantsbehave or think in a way that justdoesn’t seem rational. For example,why do the Venusians exile theiradults to wilderness preserves whenthey reach 30 years of age? On the faceof it, this is a puzzle, since one wouldassume people in their prime yearswould be an asset to society. The puz-zle can also create an obstacle if theheroes will suffer some negative effectif they don’t solve it in time (in thiscase the Venusians insist that all PCsover 30 must also be exiled).

But of course a puzzle must have asolution. In the case of the Venusians,it turns out that their species is infect-ed by a parasitic fungus that gradually

destroys the individual’s intelligence.They send their adults off when theybegin to revert to an animalistic state.Puzzles don’t have to be science prob-lems like that one, of course. TheVenusian situation could be the resultof a strong religious belief (one must“return to nature” in order to achieveenlightenment or salvation), a politi-cal struggle (the Youth Party took overand is attempting to eliminate themiddle-aged as a class), or economics(Venus has a constantly changing,information-driven economy, andVenusians over 30 just aren’t mentallyflexible enough to keep up). Oftensolving a puzzle presents a new obsta-cle or puzzle – can the PCs find a curefor the parasite, or will they too beginto lose intelligence? And if they docure the parasite, then all of a suddenthe Venusians are going to be facingsome major social changes.

Evolving SocietiesSocial change causes conflict, and

conflicts are the heart of roleplayingadventures. So any society undergoingchange will offer many opportunitiesfor heroes to show their stuff. Ofcourse, all societies are changing, allthe time, in different ways.Technological change is one potentdriver of social transformation; expo-sure to new ideas from other culturesis another. Economic cycles drivesocial change – a generation that grewup during a boom era won’t have thesame attitudes as one that came of agein a depression. External events likewars or even climate changes can altersocieties.

In a game, social changes can bedivided into three types: ongoingtrends, cycles, and catastrophic shifts.Trends are quiet, gradual changes thatoften get lost in the “backgroundnoise” of everyday events, even thoughthey may turn out to be very profoundtransformations. Emigration byEuropeans to America radicallychanged the European social and eco-nomic system by knocking the eco-nomic props out from under the oldnoble landowners, but it took placeover the course of a century and most-ly happened “offstage,” in places like

Kansas. In game terms, these changesare likely to be too small to notice onthe scale of the characters’ adventures.

Cycles include things like businesscycles, the “generational personality”model of popular attitudes, the politi-cal “pendulum” of liberal and conser-vative ascendancy, and the rise and fallof civilizations as posited by historianslike Spengler and Toynbee. Most ofthese cycles are beyond the ability ofPCs to influence, and many of themhappen on such a long time scale theydon’t really affect the campaign. It canbe interesting if the GM wants to posita “jackpot year” in which several longand short term cycles all peak at once,leading to major economic and politi-cal shifts. This can be especially inter-esting if the PCs (or an NPC) can pre-dict the crisis. Aliens with differinglifespans could have different cyclelengths: very long in the case of beingswith Extended Lifespan, blindinglyfast for short-lived species.

Catastrophic shifts, unlike the oth-ers, can take place almost literallyovernight. In the case of wars, stockmarket crashes, or shocking eventslike political assassinations, massivechanges can happen in a few days.Characters who get caught up in thosechanges can face all kinds of interest-ing challenges, and potentially valu-able opportunities as well.

Dropping a major shift into thegame setting should not be undertak-en lightly. It must feel right to the play-ers. If their characters have overcomesome initial obstacles and are gettingto feel at home in the setting, a majorchange will feel appropriate: the “sec-ond act” of the ongoing drama. But ifthe campaign has been running for along time and the GM throws in amassive change just to “shake thingsup” the result may feel like one of theperiodic continuity rewrites in acomic book series – a sign that thewriters are running out of ideas.

It’s also important to make surethat the post-change setting is as inter-esting a place to have adventures asthe original situation. If the playershave been having fun running charac-ters who are space merchants, aninterstellar war that brings commerceto a halt and gets them drafted intothe Navy may not be what they wantto do.

CONTROL ANDINTRUSIVENESS

Exactly how much the social back-ground affects the player charactersdepends in part on how much controlthat society has over its citizens. Ingeneral, the looser the society, themore the characters can ignore it andfocus on their own plots and goals. Associety becomes more intrusive, ittakes up more of the PCs’ attention,eventually becoming an obstacle.

Control RatingsThe GURPS Basic Set includes the

concept of Control Ratings for eachsociety (p. B506). This is an abstractnumerical rating of the intrusivenessand oppressiveness of a given state orculture. As with any single-axisdescription of something as complexas a civilization, it involves some over-simplification. Consider a frontiertown on a remote world without manylaws, but with summary execution asthe only form of punishment. Is thatan open society or a restrictive one? Ifthe police can’t carry weapons but areallowed to read all your e-mail, is thatoppressive?

Game Masters may wish to breakdown a particular society’s ControlRating into distinct sub-ratings forCivil Rights, Social Control, LegalRestrictions, Punishment Severity,and Economic Freedom. The overallControl Rating is the average of these.

Civil Rights are the rights reservedfor the citizens that the governmentmay not infringe. The nature andextent of those rights depends on theculture’s priorities and history. Forinstance, many foreigners are baffledby modern Americans’ attachment totheir Second Amendment right tokeep weapons, while Americansabroad are startled by things like gov-ernment-licensed prostitution or mar-ijuana sales. Typically a low CR in theCivil Rights department means thatthe citizens have the “upper hand” andwill react with anger and indignationwhen their rights are infringed; a highCR means they are resigned to oppres-sion and know not to complain.

Economic Freedom fundamentallyrepresents how free the people are tobuy, sell, and conduct business.Restrictive societies may make it verydifficult to do business without gov-ernment involvement, while openones may consider commerce to be anentirely separate sphere. EconomicFreedom also indicates how heavy thetax burden is (unless there is someunusual situation, like a war to fightraising the tax level or government-controlled resource sales providing a“free” income stream). Game Mastersmay wish to apply a society’s econom-ic CR as a penalty to Merchant skillwhen non-native characters are tryingto do business there, in place of thenormal -3 penalty for dealing with for-eign cultures.

Legal Restrictions are simply howmany things are against the law. Veryfree societies only ban violenceagainst other citizens (and may eventolerate a certain amount of violenceas “private wars”). As CR rises, morethings are banned. Typically propertycrimes come next, followed by lawsagainst fraud and deception, thenlaws banning reckless acts, then lawsgoverning offensive speech and behav-ior. Cultures with a high LegalRestrictions CR try to regulate allaspects of behavior, leaving nothinguntouched by the laws.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 173

Note that alien or future societiesmay have very different ideas aboutwhat is restrictive and what is free. Ina strongly religious culture, casualblasphemy could be a serious crimeeven at low CR, while in an honor-bound society murder in a “fair fight”could be far less serious than lying.

Punishment Severity is a measureof how harshly the culture treats law-breakers. A low Punishment CRmeans sentences are light, fines aremore common than jail time, and theemphasis may be on treatment orrehabilitation of offenders. HighPunishment CR means that the socie-ty imposes heavy penalties to punishthe guilty or deter future wrongdoers.This also affects how likely lawenforcement agents are to use physi-cal or lethal force. A low PunishmentCR probably means they don’t goarmed, or carry only stunningweapons. High Punishment CR meansthey can use lethal force to stop fleeingsuspects.

Social Control reflects how much ofa society’s intrusiveness representsextralegal mechanisms. There maynot be any law against carrying ablaster on Aspen Station, but if you tryit you’ll find the hotel won’t give you aroom, the cantina won’t seat you orsell you a drink, and the repair dockwon’t give you credit. Low social CRmeans that people mind their ownbusiness and don’t stick their noses

into other people’s lives. High socialCR means that everyone knows whateveryone else is doing and lets themknow what they think of it. Typically,social control CR is high in smallclose-knit societies, and low in diverseurban cultures.

AVENUESTO POWER

Characters within a society maywish to gain positions of power andauthority themselves. There are atleast three ways to do this.

Work the SystemAll systems of government have a

mechanism for choosing who rules.There’s no reason why player charac-ters can’t join in. This can mean run-ning for office in a democracy, gettinghired and rising to the top in a corpo-ration, or assassinating everyone witha better claim to the throne in ahereditary monarchy. Rising to thetop by working within the system usu-ally takes a while, and may becomethe focus of an ongoing campaign. Ofcourse, it’s easier for adventuroustypes to rise in some societies than inothers. A feudal culture might rewardboldness and cunning with ennoble-ment, but in a democracy the votersare seldom likely to keep re-electing

someone who spends all his time offhaving adventures instead of doinghis job.

Start Your OwnCharacters may get the opportuni-

ty to be “Founding Fathers” of a newsociety as a result of their actions inthe campaign. Leaders of a rebellionor independence movement have tocreate a government to replace the onethey’ve overthrown, and entrepre-neurs setting up a colony on a distantworld can establish the kind of regimethey like.

Becoming the new rulers is a goodway to retire characters after a suc-cessful adventuring career. They maybecome patrons to new, less powerfulPCs, or the whole tone and structureof the campaign can shift fromcolony-building and rebel heroics topolitical infighting and diplomaticstruggles.

The Cortez OptionFinally, sufficiently aggressive PCs

may attempt to simply take over anexisting state and make it their ownprivate empire. This requires some-thing to give a small group of charac-ters (and whatever followers or merce-naries they bring along) an edge overthe people they’re fighting. In the caseof Cortez it was steel weapons and thesophisticated military tactics andcommand structure the Europeansinherited from the Romans. Empirebuilders in a space campaign canleverage their firepower by choosinglow-tech opponents – even a single TLdifference can have a huge effect.

It’s also useful to choose a targetsociety that is ripe for toppling. TheAztec Empire had lots of discontentedsubject tribes ready to ally with theSpanish. Even gold-obsessedstrangers from over the sea wereapparently preferable to the Aztecs’industrial-scale human sacrifice. InCortez’s case, this was pure luck, butfuture conquistadors can do carefulintelligence-gathering beforehand tofind a suitably unstable target regime.

Low-tech cultures may have high-tech protectors. Primitive planets canbe guarded by the space Patrol or therangers. Trading partners or neigh-bors may get upset if some upstart

174 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

CorruptibilityA society’s Corruptibility is an index of how easy it is to evade the

laws by bribery, connections, or bluffing. Apply Corruptibility as a mod-ifier to Control Rating in appropriate situations. If the Corruptibilityindex is 0, the laws are enforced equally and fairly, and violators can’tweasel out of a penalty. But if Corruptibility is, say, -5 in a CR 6 culture,then for the “right people” almost anything is permitted.

Exactly how to take advantage of the local Corruptibility indexdepends on the structure of the society. In status-conscious or feudalsocieties, a Savoir-Faire roll might allow one to act like one of the elite.Almost anywhere Streetwise rolls tell one when and how much to bribe(or locate a speakeasy or black market that has already paid off theauthorities). In highly bureaucratized societies, an Administration rolllets one work the system to avoid arrest or punishment. Politics can beused in oligarchies or one-party states to behave like a high-rankingmember of the Party.

Additional skills can help. Area Knowledge lets the character knowwhat method to try. Fast-Talk can replace one of the other skills, but ata penalty equal to the local CR.

takes control of a nearby world. Theremay even be bands of bold adventur-ers on scene willing to help fight forthe planet’s freedom. A clever conquis-tador will try to neutralize potentialinterference beforehand: point out the

instability or awful conditions on thetarget world so that the new regimeseems like an improvement to theinterstellar community. Reassure trad-ing partners that existing contractswill be honored (even if they won’t).

Buy off adventurers with a promise ofa share in the loot. Bribe the rangersto look the other way, or choose amoment when the nebula pirates areoccupying all of the Patrol’s attention.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 175

SOCIETY AND BIOLOGYA creature’s biology affects the way

it thinks and behaves. Exactly howmuch effect biology has is still indebate: some scientists maintain that“biology is destiny” and most of ourbehavior is hard-wired, while othersinsist on free will and the importanceof environment. Without anotherintelligent species to study and com-pare ourselves to, the debate is likelyto continue.

BIOLOGICALCONSTRAINTS

Setting aside questions of free willfor the moment, it is nevertheless truethat a creature’s physical body andevolutionary history must have aneffect on the type of society it builds.

Numbers and DensityDiet and size affect how many

beings a given environment can sup-port, which in turn will affect popula-tion density and things like the designof cities. Humans can eat plants,which means that agriculture can feedfairly large, concentrated populations.Larger organisms would require morefood, reducing the numbers a givenregion can support. Smaller beingscould have much bigger populations.As a rough guideline, divide the crea-ture’s mass (unmodified by gravity) by200 lbs., then take the cube root ofthat ratio, square it, and divide thepopulation by the result. Thus if anaverage individual weighs 500 lbs., thespecies population is only 54% of thenormal level.

Carnivores need proportionallymore area for support, since theycan’t eat plants directly. Divide popu-lation by 10 if the species are purecarnivores or scavengers. Omnivorescan presumably shift to a plant-baseddiet if necessary. For parasites, figurepopulation based on the species theyparasitize.

Metabolic rate also plays a role.Cold-blooded creatures don’t need asmuch food, so can support a biggerpopulation in the same space aswarm-blooded ones. Double the popu-lation number for a cold-bloodedspecies.

Habitable EnvironmentsWhere a species evolved affects

where it can live. In general, organ-isms can’t really thrive in an environ-ment that is poorer in food and waterthan where they evolved. Humansarose in dry African grasslands, socould easily handle forests, jungles,and coasts. We don’t do so well indeserts, mountains, or the arctic.Warm-blooded organisms likehumans seem to be able to handlecooler climates than their native envi-ronment fairly well, while cold-blood-ed creatures might spread intowarmer territories.

Aquatic creatures have similar con-straints. Animals with gills can’t gobetween salt and fresh water very easi-ly, although air-breathers can (crea-tures with gills have problems with saltconcentration gradients that air-breathers don’t have to deal with).Creatures native to shallow water(lagoon or reef) can colonize othershallows, but probably can’t spreadinto deep water. Deep-ocean organisms

may thrive in the shallows, where energy and nutrients are abundant.

Ultimately a Game Master mustdecide how much of his home planet agiven species can use. Much dependson technology, as with TL6+ equip-ment beings can live just about any-where if they must.

PSYCHOLOGICALCONSTRAINTS

Even if you don’t assume allbehavior is hard-wired, it’s prettyobvious that at least some traits areinnate, and those in turn will have aneffect on society. In particular, thepsychological traits discussed inChapter 6 will influence how an alienculture develops.

ChauvinismOne can assume that chauvinism

also applies within a species as well asin dealings with aliens. Chauvinisticbeings probably are loyal to their ownsocial group and dislike outsiders.High Chauvinism translates to a lackof unity in the culture, since it will behard to bring different subculturestogether. Broad-minded or Xenophilicraces, by contrast, may have no trou-ble uniting – but may also feel littleloyalty to their own species if an alienculture seems more attractive.

Setting aside questions of free will for the moment, it is nevertheless true that acreature’s physical body and evolutionaryhistory must have an effect on the type ofsociety it builds.

ConcentrationA race’s Concentration level is like-

ly to affect its economic productivity.Single-Minded beings can work hard-er and thus produce more; their socie-ty may have a higher-than-averageWealth. Concentration may also affectthe race’s ability to undertake long-term projects. Distractible or ShortAttention Span creatures will tend to“live in the moment” and have a hardtime planning ahead or consideringconsequences. They may not have anycapital assets greater than what onegroup or individual can build andmake use of. They are likely to be poorstewards of a planetary environment,and be limited to low TL.

CuriosityScience and technology depend

ultimately on the curiosity of individ-ual researchers and inventors. A racewith high Curiosity is likely to advancequickly, while Incurious species maynever achieve much advanced scienceon their own. Curiosity is a major driv-ing force behind things like explo-ration and contact with aliens. AnIncurious race will probably neverleave its home planet unless there’s avery good reason to do so. The far-ranging starships will belong to theCurious.

EgoismIndividual ego has its biggest effect

on a society’s Control Rating and eco-nomic structure. Egoistic specieswon’t cooperate easily and will have ahealthy sense of their own impor-tance. Control Ratings for Egoisticspecies societies will tend to be eithervery low (no more than 2) or very high(5 or more).

Selfless organisms will toleratehigh Control Ratings (even if theydon’t need them), and are more like-ly to adopt non-market economicsystems. A very Selfless speciesmight be able to make socialismwork better than egoistical humanshave managed.

EmpathyRacial Empathy affects how “nice-

ly” a species behaves, both individual-ly and as a society. Species with

Empathy pay lots of attention to goodmanners and proper conduct – thoughit can also mean a very prickly willing-ness to take offense when others fail tobehave properly. High Empathy alsoimplies a fairly high level of SocialControl (see above) instead of formallegal structures. Reluctance to giveoffense may mean the species hastrouble stating unpleasant truths.

By contrast, low Empathy encour-ages a “laissez-faire” attitude, but isalso conducive to “brutal honesty” anda sense of individual freedom.Combined with high Egoism it canmake it hard to form any kind of soci-ety at all. Low-Empathy societies mayrequire elaborate and clearly definedlegal codes to avoid a total “war of allagainst all” situation.

GregariousnessA species’ Gregariousness will

affect its population levels and howurbanized society can become.Chummy or Gregarious species canhave a higher population since indi-viduals don’t mind crowding. Citiesmay be huge and packed. This in turnmay stimulate economic activity andtechnological progress, so Gregariousspecies may well be richer and moreadvanced than others. LowGregariousness requires a more dis-persed population, which meansfewer big cities and more small townsand settlements. A species with aGregariousness of -3 or below maynever form a society at all.

ImaginationThis trait is another technology

and science driver, and also reflectshow willing the species is to try newsocial structures. A highly Imaginativerace may have a great diversity ofsocial patterns and lots of new tech-nologies. Low Imagination reflects alove of stability. Note that anImaginative culture may try lots of bad

ideas, while a Hidebound race will atleast stick with what works.Imaginativeness coupled withSuspicion can create a race of para-noids, sensing dangers that don’t actu-ally exist.

PlayfulnessPlayfulness is connected to imagi-

nation and curiosity. Socially, itreflects a culture’s willingness todevote resources to nonessentials likeart, sports, entertainment, and games.Species with high Playfulness are like-ly to produce lots of art, literature, andmedia. They may have elaboratesports. Aggressive but Playful speciesmay channel their warlike impulsesinto intense competition in athletics

or wargames. Low Playfulness sug-gests a very “utilitarian” species, onlydoing things for practical reasons.They are likely to value rationalismand measurable results rather thanaesthetics or inspiring gestures. Itmeans a lot less waste on frivolity, butthat very practicality may mean theculture lacks any sort of “safety valve”for individual or group discontent.

SuspicionSuspicion has a strong effect on

government type. A strongly suspi-cious race will favor a high CR, butmay also insist on protections for civilrights. High Suspicion leads to astrong reliance on following properprocedures and documenting every-thing. Lack of trust in others doesmake it hard to organize large-scaleoperations.

Low Suspicion makes for personalbravery and a certain level of opti-mism. A low-Suspicion culture is like-ly to be adventurous and expansionis-tic; coupled with low Empathy andhigh Chauvinism it could make for arace of aggressive conquerers.

176 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

What is the use of a house if you haven’t got atolerable planet to put it on?

– Henry David Thoreau

SOCIETY AND TECHNOLOGYThe technology level has a tremen-

dous effect on any society. Changeslike the birth of cities, the industrialrevolution, and the modern “informa-tion society” all came about becauseof new technologies. A strongly “tech-nological determinist” view postulatesthat societies at the same TL will tendto look the same even if they are differ-ent species on different planets.

TECHNOLOGYAND DAILY LIFE

Modern readers know perfectlywell how much technology affectstheir lives. But how will it affect thecharacters in a space game? Here aresome social and personal attitudes toconsider for a futuristic society.

Dead Without ItHumans can live on Earth without

advanced technology. Even the mosttech-dependent city-dweller can stillbreathe the air. On any world withouta fully Earthlike environment, thatwon’t be the case, and humans inthose environments will be muchmore aware of the machinery thatkeeps them alive. Anything that mightdisrupt the life support will be viewedas a serious crime, and all citizens arelikely to know at least some basicdamage-control techniques. Thiscould foster either a strongly commu-nitarian culture (“we must all worktogether”) or a certain degree of cal-lousness (“incompetence is its ownpunishment”).

Invisible TechIn very high-tech societies, devices

can be so advanced as to be invisible.Instead of typing commands or press-ing buttons, people just speak to theair when they want something to hap-pen. Hidden computers hear and obey.Inhabitants of such a society wouldhave almost godlike control over theirsurroundings – but might be com-pletely helpless if the machines stoplistening. One can see aspects of thisalready: modern automobiles withcomputerized engines are more effi-cient, but there are fewer people whocan fix their own cars.

Pictures Do LieAlready it’s possible for a comput-

er-generated actor to steal scenes in afilm. In a future setting, any record-ed or transmitted data could be falsi-fied, and any kind of verification canbe forged. Such societies may see areturn to reliance on face-to-facetransactions and the importance ofan individual’s word as a guaranteeof truth. (Or they could lead to aparanoid society in which everythingreally is a lie and trust is a forgottenconcept.)

Safety Uber AllesAdvances in science and technolo-

gy also make people aware of dan-gers. Sometimes they are new dan-gers resulting from technology; butthere are also natural dangers thatbecome avoidable. For most of

human history, disease was a “ran-dom event,” but with modern medi-cine it is something to control andprevent. Future generations may feelthe same way about things we see asnormal. Future societies couldrequire people to eat properly, orprosecute makers of “unhealthy”products like chocolate or butter. Ifcomputer-controlled cars are safer, itmay be illegal for humans to drivethemselves. By modern standards, afuture world of hyper-safety mightseem dull, and its people oddlyrepressed and unadventurous. (Or ahyper-safe world might breed reck-less risk-takers, unaware that badthings can happen.)

CONTROLLINGTECHNOLOGY

The question of how to controltechnology and who decides when todo so is a major theme in science fic-tion. In SF gaming, it has direct effectson the game environment.

Why?Inhabitants of modern Western

civilization may find the whole issueof controlling technology mysterious.Why bother? Technology has beengood to Europe and its colonies overthe past thousand years. More mustbe better, right?

Maybe not. There are several goodreasons why people might want tocontrol technology.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 177

Oxygen-Breathers Unite!Some space settings have so many alien species

there’s no way anyone can keep track of them all. DavidBrin’s “Uplift” series and James White’s “SectorGeneral” stories involve incredibly diverse multispeciessocieties. In such a setting beings may feel kinship withrelated or similar species.

White and “Doc” Smith both used classificationsystems for alien species, based on various character-istics of biology and environment. Knowing yourproper species code could be a matter of life and death

for interstellar travelers, especially when a mistypeddigit could put you in the fluorine-breather section ofa starship!

Of course, even species that eat and breathe thesame stuff can be radically different in habits and out-look, and there is a lot of dramatic (and comic) poten-tial in having humans lumped together with a hideousor hostile species that happens to share the same classification code.

Social Disruption: New technolo-gies change the playing field. Somepeople get rich, but those whose for-tunes are tied to older ways of doingthings sometimes get poor. Usually theeconomic growth associated withtechnological change overcomes thedisruption, but for the individualsactually affected, things can be rough.They may try to protect their jobs byputting the brakes on technologychange.

Technologies also change socialstructures. The birth control pill andthe private automobile led to theSexual Revolution, which in turn hadripple effects on religious life, familystructure, demographics, and people’sviews of morality. Naturally, many ofthose who don’t like the social changesmay wish to ban the technologies thatcause them.

In a science-fiction setting, wherestellar-level supertech can meet stone-age societies, the possibilities for dis-ruption are immense. Even withentirely good intentions, advancedcultures can destroy primitive ones –and as yet there isn’t a technology thatcan eliminate bad intentions. It shouldbe noted, however, that supposedly“primitive” societies on Earth havesometimes proved very adept at usingnew technologies and assimilatingthem into their existing culture. Low-tech doesn’t equal stupid or helpless,after all. The “natives” may have verydifferent ideas about whether they are“ready” for advanced technology, andmay be very resentful of the arrogantaliens trying to keep it from them.

Danger: Some technologies are justplain dangerous. Nuclear power pro-vides vast amounts of energy, but givesits users the potential to create nuclearor radiological weapons. Space travellets people explore the Universe, or lobweapons at enemies thousands ofmiles away. Nanotechnology holds thepotential for immortality – and fordeadly “gray goo” capable of destroy-ing all life.

Any society may decide that sometechnology is simply too dangerous tolet anyone have free access to. Eventhe open, technophilic West keepsnuclear weapon designs secret.Exactly how secret depends on howdangerous the technology is (or is per-ceived to be) and how easily it can bemisused. Nuclear weapons are really

dangerous, but they’re also really hardto build, requiring resources on thescale of at least a minor nation-state.So people can still study nuclearphysics, and the textbooks don’t comewith a security clearance.

Weapon technology is oftenrestricted, but how it is restricteddepends on the situation. During theCold War, both the United States andthe Soviet Union sponsored massiveresearch programs into weapon sys-tems, and trained thousands of engi-neers, but also tightly limited exportsand contact with the other side. Bothsides wanted new tech, they just didn’twant the other guys to share it. Bycontrast, in the 1890s Great Britainhad the world’s best battleships, andthe introduction of the Dreadnoughtclass suddenly made them obsolete.Suddenly, Britain’s naval supremacyevaporated because of a ship theythemselves built. Many in the RoyalNavy would have been perfectly happyif nobody had that new technology.

Political Instability: Related to theidea of social disruption is the poten-tial for political disruption, especiallyin tyrannical societies. When the EvilOverlord controls all sources of infor-mation, a new channel of communica-tion can threaten his rule. Dissidentscan get in touch without being moni-tored; they can contact supportersabroad and plan how to get rid of theOverlord. Naturally, the Overlordwants to keep that technology out ofpeople’s hands. If the new technologyis a weapon that can even the oddsbetween the rebels and the Overlord’slegions, he’ll be even more intent onsuppressing it – at least until he canrefit his troops.

Getting Out Of Control: Sometimestechnologies can literally get out ofcontrol, especially biotechnology orartificial intelligences. Computers arepowerful and vital to all parts of dailylife – what if they stop obeying orders?Compared to most machines, humansare frail and easily damaged, and thetechnology that makes it possible tosupport a city of millions means thosemillions are vulnerable when some-thing goes wrong. Do humans want tocreate machines smarter than we are?

In the modern world, this is onereason for the alarm about geneticallymodified foods or human cloning. Inscience fiction, this fear is often the

root of things, like Asimov’s Laws ofRobotics or the social stigma sufferedby genetically modified creatures. In asense, science fiction has been grap-pling with this issue ever since MaryShelley’s Victor Frankenstein broughthis monster to life and discovered ithad a mind of its own.

How?Even if people agree that a given

technology should be controlled, actu-ally doing so is sometimes quite diffi-cult. There are a variety of methods.

Absolute Ban: Just say no. If socie-ty decides that nanotechnology is justtoo dangerous, then forbid it. Noresearch into the subject, no makingnanotech items, no nothing. Anyonewho does can be jailed, fined, or tornapart by an angry mob. This methodworks, but it has its vulnerabilities. Inparticular, it’s hard for one society toenforce its ban on others. TheEuropean Community has had mixedsuccess using economic pressure todiscourage the use of genetic engi-neering in other countries. And if adangerous technology is also power-ful, the society that bans it is puttingitself at a disadvantage.

If the ban is maintained by force orby some external power (a high-techcivilization trying to keep some worldslow-tech, for instance), then the ques-tion becomes how far the externalpower is willing to go. Will they censortextbooks? Destroy research labs?Assassinate or kidnap scientists? Atsome point the measures to controlthe technology may become as disrup-tive as the effects they are intended toprevent.

Embargo: This can go in eitherdirection. A society might try to main-tain its monopoly on a given technolo-gy by strict controls on exports, whileothers might try to keep out “harmful”tech by import restrictions. Thisworks fairly well to control the spreadof large items, but it can’t stop infor-mation very well at all, and no borderis absolutely “leakproof.” If somebodyon one side wants technology that isonly available on the other side, thensomebody else is going to makemoney smuggling it across.

In the case of a low-tech societydenied access to high tech, an embar-go can prevent the import of items,

178 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

and might even limit the spread ofthings like textbooks and schematics,but it’s almost impossible to stop ideasfrom getting across. Once the localshave seen firearms, they’ll try to buildtheir own. If they succeed, then eitherthe embargo power must try toenforce an absolute ban, or admit thatthe society has “joined the club” andrelax the restrictions.

Licensing: An open society may tryto limit the spread of dangerous tech-nology by requiring anyone who usesit to pass rigorous tests, and possiblysecurity checks or psychologicalexams. This has the advantage of let-ting society enjoy the benefits of thetechnology, but it also means the safe-ty of the society depends on how wellthe licensing exams work at weedingout crooks, fanatics, lunatics, andenemy agents. It’s vulnerable to cor-ruption, and won’t stop a really deter-mined foe from learning what theywant.

Technical Fixes: It’s possible to usetechnology to control technology. Thesimplest way is to attempt to makedevices tamper-proof, so that anyone

trying to find out how they work endsup with useless fragments. A varianton this is to include fingerprint orDNA recognition pads on equipment,and install a self-destruct if anyonewho isn’t an authorized user tries toactivate it.

A brute-force method mightemploy large electromagnetic pulsegenerators to fry any electrical tech-nology in use on a given world. Everyfew months, the Technology Patrolcomes through and zaps the planetback to the Steam Age. A more sophis-ticated version of this might employnanotech devices built to home in ongunpowder or plastic and break themdown into useless dust.

More elaborate “superscience”methods can be used to enforce a techembargo or an absolute ban. In L.Sprague deCamp’s “Planet Krishna”stories, the authorities used sophisti-cated brainwashing equipment tomake sure nobody cheated on thetechnology embargo – but even thenthe inventive Krishnans found ways tobeat the system.

LOSINGTECHNOLOGY

A common trope in science fiction,going well back before even the inven-tion of nuclear weapons, is the declineof modern civilization and the loss oftechnological capability and scientificknowledge.

There are a couple of reasons whythis is such an appealing idea in fic-tion. First (and simplest), the image ofbarbarians wandering through theweed-choked ruins of New York andParis is a dramatic and compellingone. It lets writers comment on thingslike hubris, mortality, and other BigTopics.

Second, reducing or limiting tech-nology makes for fun adventures.Destroying civilization in a story letsthe reader (and the author) experiencethe vicarious fun of getting away fromall the bothersome details of modernlife. No IRS audits, no taking the kidsto soccer practice, no pesky supervi-sors at work – just a pure struggle forlife against mutant cannibals and psy-chotic motorcycle gangs.

Limiting technology also lets sci-ence fiction dip into the deep wells ofhistorical and fantasy fiction.Cutlasses were good enough for thepirates of the Spanish Main, why can’tspace pirates use them? And it’s muchmore sporting to fight a dragon with-out an elephant gun or blaster cannonhandy.

Dark Ages can be useful even if thecharacters aren’t living in them. A“Long Night” or “Chaos Years” in thepast lets the GM “press reset” on thesetting’s history. He doesn’t have toenvision a future society that knowseverything known today plus cen-turies of future scientific and culturalaccumulation. He can focus on theperiod of rebuilding leading up to thecampaign date.

A post-Dark Age setting allows formore variety in technology and soci-eties. There can be super-advancedtechnology from before the Collapseleft lying around, and isolated humansocieties on different worlds candiverge into strange and interestingforms. Explorers can go out to re-establish contact with human worlds,leading to all kinds of cool PlanetaryRomance possibilities.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 179

How It HappensActually losing technical knowl-

edge is difficult. Even during theDark Ages following the fall of Rome,Europe retained its technology. Whatit lacked was resources – the sheerwealth needed to finance big con-struction projects or equip a profes-sional legion to Roman standards.The knowledge was there, just not themoney. That being said, there are sev-eral ways to reduce the availabletechnology of a culture, even if theyhave knowledge of more advancedtechniques.

The simplest and most brutal is apopulation crash. Most modern tech-nology works best on a large scale. Asilicon chip plant requires a marketfor millions of chips to be profitable.Reduce the population and the techlevel possible goes down. MaintainingTL8 requires a society about as big asa large modern nation-state, likeJapan or the United States, with 100million people or more. A TL7 culturecan be smaller – the size of a countrylike Great Britain or Italy, with a pop-ulation of 50 million or more people.For TL6, a society can get by withabout 20 million. Maintaining TL5needs at least 10 million, the size ofthe young United States at the start of

industrialization. (TL5 is also aboutthe highest technology a town-sizedcommunity could easily keep runningwith occasional infusions from outside.)

Lower technology levels requiremuch smaller populations. An Age ofSail ship’s crew could fabricate andmaintain just about everything theyneeded on board, except for the can-nons. A town of a few thousand couldbe technologically self-sufficient andself-sustaining at TL4. Given the poorcommunication and transport avail-able, even small communities of onlya few hundred had to be self-sufficientat TL3, and TL2 needs about the samepopulation. Bronze Age TL1 culturescan be maintained with even a smallvillage.

These population levels assumereasonable levels of trade and commu-nication. Any disaster that cuts offtransportation would effectively makeevery town a self-contained unit, limit-ing them to the technology they cansupport with local resources.Similarly, an interstellar colony that iscut off (by war, or some interference inhyperspace, or whatever) would haveto manage with whatever technologyits population can maintain.

If you don’t want to kill everyoneoff, another way to reduce technology

is to assume some kind of massivesocial movement in favor of a low-techexistence. In practice this works out toan absolute ban on high technology,but one enforced as much by popularprejudice as by government action. Avoluntarily low-tech society mightstockpile advanced weapons for self-defense, leading to unpleasant surpris-es in store for would-be conquistadorsseeking an easy victory over a “primi-tive society.”

Another method is to assume thatthe society’s technology all depends ona single key resource, then cut off thesupply. Energy sources are an obviouschoice, but there are others. One inter-esting variant is to assume the soci-ety’s technology is based on a supplyof Precursor artifacts – perhaps allstarship drive cores are Ancient tech,and if the supply runs out, there won’tbe any more starships!

Finally, information itself can runout. A culture that stores all its recordsin electronic format could lose hugechunks of knowledge to an “infowar”of virus programs or EMP weapons,or to some catastrophic software acci-dent like the much-feared “Y2K bug.”This is especially likely for a smallcolony without a lot of backuplibraries and archives.

180 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

ECONOMICSOne of the most important aspects

of any society is how it generates anddistributes wealth. The science of eco-nomics studies how societies performthis basic function.

ECONOMICOUTPUT

Any society, even a pre-industrialone with very primitive economicinstitutions, will produce goods andservices. Economic output is one wayto think of the sum total of all eco-nomic activity within a society: foodharvested, raw materials gathered,manufactured goods produced, hous-ing erected, professional servicesused, artistic works created and per-formed . . . everything that the soci-ety’s citizens might wish to produce,offer for trade, and use.

ResourcesThe resources available to a society

are one factor controlling its econom-ic output. Resources are found items,products of nature that can be turnedto productive use once a societyapplies its available technology to theproblem.

Resources become valuable whenthey are very useful and in short sup-ply. If a resource isn’t useful, it won’tbe valuable. For example, uraniumores were nothing but a geologicalcuriosity before technologistslearned how to extract power andexplosive force from them.Meanwhile, even a useful resourcewon’t be valuable if it is plentiful.Iron is extremely useful in manyindustries, but since iron ore is com-mon it remains relatively cheap.

Any science-fiction universeneeds to make note of whatresources are particularly valuable,given the available technology andthe needs of society. A resource thatis rare and critical to important tech-nologies can be a good plot hook,driving conflicts between charactersand between societies.

One trap to avoid, of course, is theinvention of a mysterious resourcethat was completely unknown to pre-spaceflight society, but which hassomehow become critical to civiliza-tion. Many science-fiction storieshave postulated such resources, andit’s not unreasonable to have one in aspace setting, but they shouldn’t bemultiplied beyond reason. SeeUnobtainium (p. 181) for examplesof such resources.

TechnologyAdvances in technology have a

variety of effects on a society’s econo-my. Every new technology increasesthe variety of goods and services, andcreates a demand for items that didn’teven exist before the technology was

developed. New technologies createbrand-new industries, each with itsown pattern of supply and demand,and this can increase a society’s eco-nomic volume.

Another profound effect of newtechnology is on productivity. A worker

who is given better tools will often pro-duce more goods, or more useful serv-ices, in the same amount of time.Technological advances can also makethe use of resources more efficient, sothat more goods can be produced withthe same amount of energy and rawmaterials.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 181

UnobtainiumHere are some examples of special resources not

found on present-day Earth, which are reasonable toinclude in a science-fiction universe.

AntimatterThe visible universe is dominated by “normal” mat-

ter. Antimatter doesn’t seem to exist naturally in largemasses, for a very good reason: if a large quantity ofantimatter was produced by some natural process, itwould annihilate itself spectacularly the moment itencountered normal matter.

Antimatter is thus likely to be produced only in a lab-oratory – but if some odd natural process producedlarge quantities of antimatter, then somehow confined itaway from contact with normal matter, it could be“mined.” The engineering processes involved would bedifficult, but any civilization that already uses artificialantimatter for power distribution will be up to the chal-lenge.

Antimatter, of course, is the basic power source inthe Star Trek universe. The television series has neverestablished whether antimatter is produced or mined,but given the wealth of other odd materials in that uni-verse, natural production seems possible . . .

ArtifactsAlien or Precursor devices of technology beyond

what human civilization can achieve are fabulouslyvaluable. If the super-advanced aliens are still around,getting their artifacts requires finding something theythink is worth trading for, and avoiding any restrictionstheir government may place on giving high tech toprimitive humans. If the aliens are extinct (or have“passed on to a higher state of being”) then finding arti-facts is a cross between prospecting and archaeology,and the chief dangers are claim jumpers and hugerolling stone balls.

Exotic BiologicalsLiving organisms produce a bewildering variety of

chemicals even on Earth, where almost everything usesthe same basic biochemistry. On alien worlds, where lifemay be based on other chemical processes, truly exoticsubstances will be produced.

Any one biochemical is unlikely to be useful, butbiologists and pharmaceutical researchers make theirliving by investigating thousands of them at a time. Any

living world might yield useful, yet previously unknown,industrial chemicals or drugs. Meanwhile, alien organ-isms will produce other substances, valuable for theirrarity or curiosity value: exotic woods, unusual amber-like secretions, and so on.

The classic example of an exotic biological – thebasis for an entire series of novels, in fact – is themelange spice in Frank Herbert’s Dune.

Exotic MatterQuantum black holes, magnetic monopoles, cosmic

string loops, or negative matter could all be valuable ina future society. Even if there’s no industrial use forthem, scientists will likely pay good money for samplesto study, and some types of weird matter may be essen-tial for antigravity or FTL travel. Most of them are like-ly to be very hard to collect and store.

Transuranic ElementsIt’s a common cliché to invent “new” chemical ele-

ments that were somehow unknown to pre-spaceflightsociety, but which are critical to interstellar society. Infact, there are no gaps in the periodic table of the ele-ments; we already know all the chemical buildingblocks of matter, from here to the furthest star.

There is one set of chemical elements – the stabletransuranic elements – that have not been found onEarth, but which could conceivably be found in otherstar systems. As atomic nuclei become heavier, theybecome more unstable and more radioactive, which iswhy elements heavier than uranium aren’t found innature and must be produced in a laboratory. However,there are theoretical “islands of stability,” ranges ofatomic weights well beyond that of uranium, in whichnuclei might be more or less stable. Tiny amounts ofsuch ultra-heavy metals might be produced in superno-va explosions; if some natural process could concen-trate them, it might be possible to find and mine them.

What properties do these stable transuranics have?It’s anyone’s guess, since no one has found or producedany of them yet. Perhaps some superscience technolo-gies depend on the unusual properties of these weirdsubstances. Several pieces of classic science fiction, par-ticularly Poul Anderson’s “Polesotechnic League” sto-ries, turn on the rarity and special properties of stabletransuranics.

One common theme in science fic-tion is the economic disruptioncaused by new technology. It’s truethat when new technologies changepatterns of supply and demand, someindustries (and some occupations)will decline in importance. Many sto-ries have described societies in whichcitizens are being made obsolete byadvances in technology.

On the other hand, the economiclaw of comparative advantage suggeststhat advances in technology will neverrender human workers completelyuseless. Even if automated ultra-techtools can do everything more efficient-ly than human labor, society will stillbe more productive if humans are per-mitted to do whatever they do best,trading the products of their work forother goods and services produced bymachines. Some recent science fictionenvisions societies in which sophisti-cated computers do most of theadministration and industrial produc-tion . . . but humans still thrive by pro-ducing art, music, philosophy, andother cultural goods!

ECONOMICDISTRIBUTION

Once an economy produces goodsand services, the economic system hasto determine how to distribute them.

Who benefits – who profits – frommanufactured goods and deliveredservices?

SurplusesEvery society defines a minimum

standard of living for its members,often reinforced by moral or politicalcodes. No matter how hard times get,a society’s members tend to sharetheir goods and labor so that no one

falls below a certain level. This levelcan be quite low, of course – eitherbecause everyone is facing true depri-vation, or because the society regardsits poorest members as expendable.Any economic production, beyondwhat is needed to meet this minimalstandard of living for everyone, is aneconomic surplus.

One question that needs to be con-sidered is the source of a society’s eco-nomic surplus. Which members ofsociety actually do the most to pro-duce the surplus – unskilled laborers,skilled laborers, managers, technolo-gists, or automated machines? Whatstatus do these productive classes holdin society? How do they produce thesurplus, and what form does it take?Economic surpluses are often generat-ed by a society’s newest industries,based on new resources or new tech-nologies that haven’t been fully assim-ilated by the society as a whole.

Economic EqualityEvery society must develop mecha-

nisms to distribute its economic sur-plus. The question of who benefitsfrom the surplus is as important as thequestion of who produces it in the firstplace . . . and there’s no guarantee thatthey’re the same people.

One feature of a distributive sys-tem is the degree of coercion that itinvolves. Many societies distributetheir economic surpluses coercively.

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MoneyThere’s a long tradition of coming up with new names for money in

futuristic settings, and one can tell a lot about a society by what its cur-rency is called. “Credits” are a very common currency in science fic-tion, suggesting a highly abstract money system, possibly with nophysical “money” circulating at all. Other societies might prefer a cur-rency with a more objective basis of value: the gigajoule (about $10),the megabyte (about $0.20), or grams of various metals. If counterfeit-ing is a problem, “money” may take the form of one-time cryptograph-ic keys.

Currency names can also reflect the society’s history and values.Monarchies may have “Royals” or “Imperials.” Any human culturemight use “Solars” in honor of the home system, or “Stars” as a moregeneric unit.

Of course, an especially balkanized setting might not have any kindof standard interstellar currency. All transactions off-planet must be inbarter, and the value of an item shifts wildly depending on who you’renegotiating with.

The surplus is gathered in the form oftaxes, fees, tribute, or other enforcedcontributions, and is then distributedby the conscious action of an admin-istrative or governing class. Othersocieties use some form of “free mar-ket” to distribute an economic sur-plus. In a free market, ownership ofgoods and services is assigned to thepeople who produce them, who arethen permitted to offer them freely toanyone who can meet a reasonableprice. Most societies use some mix ofthese methods, using some level ofcoercive taxation to support the gov-ernment’s operations, and permittingother economic activity to take placein a free market.

Another important feature of anydistributive system is its level of equi-ty. In some systems, the economic sur-plus is concentrated into very few

hands, leading to strong inequalitiesof wealth. Such inequalities oftenencourage the formation of an elitesocial class – administrators, entrepre-neurs, high priests, or military leaderswho use wealth, social position, andpolitical power to reinforce each other.Other systems tend to spread the eco-nomic surplus more widely, permit-ting more of a society’s members tobenefit.

There are many societies inwhich wealth means more thanmoney or goods. Prestige, religiousmerit, or political influence areimmaterial forms of “wealth” thatmight be as valuable as cash in somesettings.

Coercion and equity are almost“independent variables,” only looselycorrelated with each other. A despoticor feudal society will be both stronglycoercive and very unequal in its distri-bution of wealth. A communistic orhive-mind society may be very coer-cive, but also very egalitarian. A capi-talistic society may be very free, whilestill permitting wealth to concentratein the hands of a property-owning orentrepreneurial class. Finally, a com-munitarian or “natural communist”society may be very free while still dis-tributing the economic surplus almostequally across the population. Super-intelligent AI computers might be ableto make central planning work in away that humans have not been ableto achieve.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 183

The Leisure SocietyMany science-fiction stories have portrayed a leisure society, a soci-

ety in which almost no one is forced to work in order to support a com-fortable lifestyle. In a leisure society, even many luxuries (advancededucation, luxury goods, wide-ranging travel, and so on) are freelyavailable to every citizen.

A leisure society can happen when industries are so productive thatthey can easily provide every citizen’s needs without requiring them towork. This can be the result of extremely advanced technology, such asautomated factories and “magic” nanotech. In effect, so much wealthis available that the minimum standard of living for every citizen canbe placed very high.

Naturally, even in a leisure society some people will have moreleisure than others. Just because the minimum standard of living ishigh doesn’t mean there isn’t an economic surplus, which may be dis-tributed very unequally. In fact, in a world where no one is sufferingreal starvation or deprivation, it may be easier to justify vast differ-ences in wealth.

Of course, another way to generate a leisure society is to have anunderclass of non-citizens who do all the necessary work. This is anextreme example of an unequal system of distribution – the luxuriousstandard of living of a few citizens is supported by the labor of manynon-citizens. If the relationship is very coercive, the society holdsslaves or serfs. If the system is only mildly coercive, the laboring classmay be “migrant” or “guest” workers. If the laboring class has the SlaveMentality disadvantage, then no coercion may be needed at all!

In science fiction, leisure societies can be a useful way to examinea variety of social or philosophical issues. When no one needs tostruggle to survive or enjoy life, does life still have meaning? If theleisure society is supported by non-citizen labor, what moral obliga-tions exist between citizens and non-citizens? Do the answers changeif the non-citizens are themselves products of advanced technology(robots or artificial life forms)?

The coerciveness of a distributivesystem is related to the ControlRating of a society (p. B506). A soci-ety in which wealth is coercively dis-tributed will almost always have ahigh Control Rating. The equity of adistributive system doesn’t have a

simple measure in the GURPS rules– but it will have an effect on howmany people have Wealth (p. B25)far above or below the average. Astrongly unequal society will havesome people with several levels ofthe Multimillionaire advantage, and

a lot of Dead Broke people to balancethem out. An egalitarian society willhave few Multimillionaires and rela-tively few Dead Broke or Poor peo-ple. The average wealth will remainthe same.

184 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

LAW AND JUSTICEOf course, governments aren’t real-

ly governments without laws. A despotmay rule by whims and decrees, butany stable society requires a set ofknown and consistent rules.Otherwise any kind of planning for thefuture becomes impossible.

SOURCES OF LAWLaws can come from a variety of

sources, and the source of law mustultimately be something that makesthe law legitimate in the eyes of thepeople who obey them.

Common LawMany English-speaking countries

on Earth follow a system of commonlaw, based on tradition and precedent.While sometimes unwieldy, it has theweight of tradition and the powerfulconcept of “because we’ve alwaysdone it that way” to lend legitimacy.Nowadays all countries supplementthat with laws enacted by legislatures,but on another world or in an aliencivilization, tradition could be theonly true source of law. Such a systemgives a lot of power to the judges whointerpret the law and make decisionsthat get enshrined as precedent.Common law systems are sometimesslow to adapt to changing conditionsand unexpected situations. They canoften preserve odd quirks and rem-nants of the past. In organized, literatesocieties, common law can amass ahuge database of precedents and deci-sions, while in low-tech cultures itmay only include what the judges canremember.

Religious LawWhen you can’t trust other humans

to make the laws, who can you trust?God, that’s who. Many societies onEarth still use legal systems based on

religion. Islamic law combines theprinciples laid down by Muhammadwith what amounts to a common-lawsystem of precedents and interpreta-tions; ancient Jewish law was verysimilar. Religious law has the advan-tage of divine authority to lend legiti-macy, but that can break down if thepopulace changes its beliefs or aban-dons the religion. Like common law,religious law is very slow to change,especially since the divine revelationssimply cannot be wrong.

In science-fiction settings, there isthe possibility that genuine “higherpowers” might actually exist. A super-intelligent AI, or aliens with vast intel-lects, might give a culture a set of lawsto follow, then either move on toanother world or lose interest in theproject. Colony founders might givetheir descendants a legal code thatacquires mythical status after civiliza-tion collapses.

Legislated LawLaw codes are systems of rules

drawn up by a government. Anabsolute ruler can draw up a code tosuit himself and impose it by fiat (asJustinian or Napoleon did); democrat-ic states have legislatures to make andamend laws. Code law depends onrespect for the government for itslegitimacy, although an especiallywell-crafted set of laws can be accept-ed for their sheer functionality. In amonarchy the legitimacy of the laws isthe same as the ruler’s claim to theright to rule. In a democracy it is oftencodified in a constitution (which isreally nothing more than a “meta-law”to define the system for making andchanging the rules). The same author-ity that drafts the laws can changethem, so that a law code system canadapt to changing conditions; howev-er there is no guarantee the changeswill be wise ones, and the ease of

amendment makes it easy to follow adisastrous course.

In many Earth nations law codesexist uneasily with other systems. Inthe Anglophone democracies, acts ofthe legislatures can supersede com-mon law, but in Islamic lands conflictsbetween religious law and secular lawcan erode the legitimacy of the civilauthority.

Fiat LawIn some situations, the law is sim-

ply what the people in power say it is.What they say can change from day today, and it’s up to the population tostay informed. On Earth this sort ofrule by edict is usually confined to dic-tatorships, emergency governments,military occupation authorities, andany other situation where there ispower to enforce order, but no estab-lished rules. But in a future societywith AI computers, a legal system thatadapts moment-to-moment, taking allfactors into account and judging eachsituation on its merits, might be high-ly enlightened and efficient.

Other SystemsScience-fictional societies can add

all kinds of new wrinkles to the idea ofmaking laws.

Consensus systems use the input ofeveryone in the society, or at least alladults. In low-tech societies this onlyworks in small groups, and oftenrequires a lot of discussion. But aninformation-age society could link upits citizens in an “online democracy.”It can either enact codified law as akind of super-legislature, or apply fiatlaw to situations as they occur.

Instinct is seldom a basis for lawamong humans (though consider theancient tradition sanctioning a mankilling his wife’s lover). Alien creaturesmight have much more of their

behavior determined by hard-wiredinstinct, and use that as the basis forlaw and administering society.

Prestige might give an individual’sstatements or opinions the force oflaw in some societies. This assumesthat prestige comes from some sourceother than brute force or religiousauthority. On Earth this sometimesworks in democratic societies, whenprominent individuals can urge legis-lation and sway public opinion.

Participation could be the source oflaw in a utopian anarchy or a laissez-faire free enterprise system. Individuallaws or sections of legal code could bemade available to the public, and if thepublic adheres to those laws, theyremain in force. This is akin to com-mon law, but with the built-in “sunset”policy that if enough people break thelaw it ceases to apply.

RESOLVINGDISPUTES

One of the reasons to have laws isto resolve disputes between people orgroups. When there is no mechanismfor dispute-resolution, the onlyrecourse available is fighting. OnEarth, dispute-resolution is handledby the courts, through the whole sys-tem of civil law and litigation. Othercultures might do things differently.

Augury seeks the will of the Godsthrough omens, and has been used onEarth as a means of dispute-resolu-tion. If reading omens requires apriest, then in effect the priests are thecivil judges. But if anyone can read theomens, then this is essentially justiceby random die rolls. Clever operatorswill learn to “game the system” bychoosing situations so that the omensfavor their side. In some settings, theomens may be picking up the will ofsome superhuman being.

Democracy means that the wholesociety gets to resolve disputes, proba-bly through some kind of Atheniandemocracy vote. Even in modernAmerica people talk about the “courtof public opinion” and note that thejudges follow the election returns.This requires either a small, close-knitsociety or a very efficient communica-tion system.

Mediation is used in some cases inmodern society, but another culture

might use it for all dispute resolution.Mediation seeks to work out a “com-promise position” that both sides canlive with, instead of the more familiar“winner and loser” outcome.Mediation helped by psionics orsuper-intelligent computers might tryto achieve the goal that is best foreveryone, including the participantsand society.

Ordeals are an old method, similarto augury, in which the disputants gothrough an ordeal like submersion,holding a burning coal, handling poi-sonous snakes, or other unpleasant-ness. The theory is that whoever is inthe right will be protected by divinepower and so will be unharmed. If theordeals are dreadful enough, peoplewill only demand a trial when they aresure they are right!

Telepathy lets a skilled psi discoverthe true right or wrong based on thememories of those involved in a dis-pute. This makes psis into arbitrators,and means that privacy is impossiblefor anyone who wants justice. This isan obvious choice for a society ruledby psis.

Trial by Combat has an old historyon Earth, and is based on the idea thatFate or the Gods will uphold justice by

giving victory in a fight to the one whois right. A culture that values martialprowess might retain trial by combateven in a high-tech society. There maybe limits on weapons one can use,rules about hiring a champion to fightin one’s stead (in which case skilledchampions can become very well-paid), and so on. It’s quite likely that asociety with trial by combat as a legalmechanism will also have a lot ofinformal duels and fistfights.

Verification by supersophisticatedlie detectors or completely reliabletruth drugs could make the wholequestion of dispute resolution a tech-nical matter. This would reflect a soci-ety in which getting at the truth ismore important than privacy.

CRIMINALDETECTION

Criminal law can be considered aspecial case of civil law, in which thesociety as a collective entity considersitself wronged by one person’sactions. Again, the major purpose inhaving criminal laws is to make soci-ety the agent of justice rather than let-ting individuals carry on personalvendettas.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 185

How a society deals with crimereflects both its ideals and the practi-cal realities the law enforcers mustface. In the United States we insistthat the police read the accused theirrights (idealism) and allow minorcriminals to plea-bargain in exchangefor testifying against major ones(practicality). These two are oftenbuckets in a well, changing relativeimportance depending on how seriousthe crime problem is. When crime isrunning rampant, “get tough” policiesare enacted, shifting the balance topracticality. When things are undercontrol or there are outrageous abus-es, the idealists demand reforms.

In modern Western societies thepolice are a distinct agency, separatefrom the military, the courts, andfire/rescue services. Other culturesmay combine elements – a frontiermarshal might be both police andmagistrate, authorized to track crim-inals and mete out punishments onhis own authority. In a society facingserious violent crime, the army maytake over some or all law-enforce-ment tasks. Conversely, a very peace-ful culture might view policing as justan extension of fire and rescue, deal-ing with all threats to the safety of thecitizens.

New CrimesNew technologies and new soci-

eties mean new ways to break laws. Injust the past couple of decades com-puter crime has gone from a curiosityto a major concern of law enforce-ment. Some possible future crimesinclude:

Illegal Insentiation: Creating a com-puter system with free will, contraryto the rules governing AIs.

Irreversible Murder: Killing a per-son in such a way as to preclude easyrecreation or revival.

Mindrape: Mind-reading or mentalmanipulation without consent.

Personality Theft: Stealing an indi-vidual’s mind record.

Social Tampering: Influencing alow-tech or alien civilization for per-sonal gain. The most common methodwould probably be the “God Grift”(impersonating a divinity for criminalpurposes).

Unlicensed Cloning: Making agenetic duplicate of someone (proba-bly someone famous) for exploitation

in various ways. This could rangefrom making copies of famousactresses for bordellos to something asrelatively benign as cloning great ath-letes and then seeing how much teamspay to hire a legend “reborn.”

PUNISHMENTWhile the details of law enforce-

ment and dispute resolution get shortshrift in most science fiction, writersand filmmakers get really creativewhen it comes to punishments. Justregular jail never seems to be enough.Over the years, they have come upwith lots of imaginative ways to punish evildoers.

BrainwashingMind control, either through

psionics, hypnotic conditioning, orbrain surgery, lets society try to “cure”criminals. The simplest level justmakes it impossible for a convict toperform violent or criminal acts. Thefilm A Clockwork Orange shows onetechnique and its effects. Sometimesclever crooks can find ways to beat theconditioning.

More elaborate brainwashing may“kill” the criminal’s personality andreplace it with a new person whodoesn’t remember the crimes he com-mitted. The brainwashers may or maynot tell the reprogrammed personwhat he did. This kind of treatmentlends itself to complications when thetreatment goes wrong. Is the massmurderer’s personality starting toresurface in his new mind? What if amindwiped person runs into a victimof his former personality – a victimwho wants revenge?

ExileIf space travel is easy, then crimi-

nals can be exiled to another world,either for a limited term or for life. Arelatively humane society may simplyuse this as a form of “compulsory col-onization” intended to let troublemak-ers and tough guys fight a hostile plan-et instead of peaceful citizens. A tyran-nical or sadistic culture may use con-victs as slave labor, or ship them to anespecially nasty “hell planet” whereonly the toughest can survive.

Internal Exile requires some kind of preserve or “prison zone” where

criminals are sent to serve out theirsentences. Often the Zone’s bordersare sealed by some kind of ultra-techbarrier. Violent criminals tend to buildtheir own vicious anarchy, while polit-ical prisoners may use internal exile asa chance to put their ideals intoaction.

Finally, a criminal could be exiledby simply becoming “invisible.” In ahigh-tech culture this means beingZeroed, but with no chance to acquirea temporary identity. Cut off fromcomputer networks, bank terminals,and communication, the exile lives insociety but can’t participate.

Organ BanksLarry Niven was probably the first

author to suggest that capital punish-ment becomes a lot easier for peopleto stomach if they know that all thecriminal’s usable organs will go to helpsick and dying people get a new leaseon life. Niven also speculated that ifliving a long and healthy life dependson lots of executions, people mightstart imposing the death sentence formore and more offenses. So far, nogovernment has connected the samedots, but it may only be a matter oftime. In a space campaign, manyhigh-CR societies may fill organ bankswith parts of condemned criminals.

With sufficiently advanced medi-cine, the criminal doesn’t even have todie. A particularly cruel culture mightremove organs for transplant from alive felon, condemning him to an exis-tence tied to life-support machines buthelping others. Cordwainer Smith’shell-planet Shayol took this to an evenmore baroque extreme, as convictswere sentenced to life on a worldwhere local microorganisms stimulat-ed the growth of extra organs!

Virtual PrisonOne complaint about modern jails

is the expense. It costs money to housea criminal in even minimally decentstandards. It would be so much sim-pler if they could be just stacked uplike cordwood in a warehouse some-where until their sentences are up.Suspended animation offers a way todo just that. Crooks get frozen for thelength of their sentence. No muss, nofuss.

186 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

Of course, some might object thatfreezing felons means they aren’t get-ting punished for their crimes. Theyenter jail, go to sleep, and wake up freemen. Virtual reality technology cansolve that problem: the prisoner’s bodysleeps, but his mind is awake in a sim-ulated environment. The nature ofthat environment depends on howcruel the prison system planners wantto be. It could be educational, merelytedious, or actively horrific. One ideathat is just sadistic enough to be plau-sible is for the criminal to spend his

sentence experiencing all his crimesfrom the viewpoint of the victims.

Alien PunishmentA nonhuman culture could use

very different penalties, based on alienpsychology or anatomy. For instance,a species of gregarious herd creaturesmight consider exile the equivalent ofthe death penalty, while a society ofsolitary carnivores would hardly con-sider it a punishment at all. A speciesthat regrows limbs might use amputa-tion as a penalty for minor offenses.

For some beings, the question ofhow to punish them becomes impor-tant. A teleporting psionic can’t bekept in jail, and a superintelligent AIcould simply “upload” its personalityto a different computer brain. Wouldan immortal even mind spending afew years locked up? In any societywhere these things are normal, thelaws and courts must have ways todeal with them. Perhaps the psionicgets an implanted “inhibitor chip,”while the computer is isolated from allnetworks.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 187

MILITARY FORCESAlmost every society maintains

military forces – institutions designedto use force to defend the society fromattack or impose the society’s will onits enemies. The nature and organiza-tion of these forces can have a bigeffect on how a society works, so it’san important thing to consider whendesigning an alien or futuristic society.

MILITARY TYPESThroughout history, military forces

have been organized in a variety of dif-ferent ways. Many of these institution-al forms may be resurrected in thefuture, as military technology (and thepolitical environment) change.

Standing ArmiesThe concept of a standing army – a

permanent military force manned bytrained professionals – is relativelynew in human history. Although mili-tary forces can be economically pro-ductive, as when they’re used for pub-lic-works projects or humanitarianaid, they’re usually a net drain on asociety’s wealth. As a result, a societyneeds to have a significant economicsurplus before it can maintain perma-nent military forces. Societies withoutstanding armies have used a variety oftechniques to maintain a militaryforce for use in wartime.

MilitiasMany societies use a militia instead

of a standing army. A militia is drawnfrom the civilian population, and canbe called up when an emergency

threatens. Depending on how muchtime and money is spent on trainingand organization, a militia can be anuntrained rabble, or it can be a highlytrained near-professional force. Somesocieties require every citizen toundergo basic military training, providing a large pool of people whocan take up arms immediately whenneeded.

Militias are found most often infrontier societies, or in small “city-state” societies that have only limitedmanpower. They are more common indemocratic societies, where the com-mon citizen is encouraged to feel that

he has a stake in the society’s militarysuccess. Even very advanced and pros-perous societies often use militias; forexample, most modern industrialstates maintain “national guard” unitsto supplement their relatively smallstanding armies.

Both standing armies and militiascan be made up of volunteers or con-scripts. Conscript armies can be vastlylarger, but tend to have lower overallmorale and training levels. Somenations have a volunteer standingarmy in peacetime and expand itthrough conscription when warbreaks out. Being a volunteer soldiergives characters a Duty to the service,while conscripts have an InvoluntaryDuty.

MercenariesSome societies make heavy use of

mercenaries. Mercenaries are profes-sional soldiers who are not dedicatedto the service of one ruler or state;instead, they temporarily serve what-ever ruler or state pays them.Mercenaries can be very effective,because they are professional soldiers.Mercenaries also have the advantagethat they don’t need to be kept on thepayroll during peacetime. On theother hand, both of these advantagescan turn against a mercenary force’semployers. Mercenaries will rarelytake great risks in battle, because theirinterest is in surviving long enough tocollect their pay and move on to thenext assignment. Mercenaries can alsobe dangerous if they don’t get paid ontime . . .

Mercenary forces are common inaristocratic societies, where the rulersmay prefer to rely on professional sol-diers but can’t afford to maintain astanding army (or are reluctant to armthe common citizenry, for fear of rev-olution). Mercenaries are also morecommon in situations where warfareis considered to have “rules” limitingits destructive potential.

MILITARY UNITSMilitary units are usually organ-

ized in a hierarchical fashion, withsmaller units being used as buildingblocks for the larger ones. Historically,the number of small units that makeup the next larger one is often quiteconsistent. This is because of the con-cept of span of control: a single humancommander can only deal with somany subordinates before being over-whelmed by the stream of informationand needed decisions. Military officersdeal with this problem by delegatingsome of their authority to other offi-cers of lower rank, who commandsmaller units.

This section describes a fairly“generic” system of military organiza-tion, based on modern Western mod-els. This system may be useful for awide variety of science-fiction settings,especially in the “military SF” genrewhere many authors draw on theirown experience of military life to fleshout their description of futuristic mili-tary institutions.

GMs who want something moreexotic may wish to research alterna-tive military models – although thehierarchical organization of militaryunits is likely to be a constant for anyhuman military force.

Aliens, or other beings not subjectto human limitations, may organizetheir military forces quite differently.One simple variant is to change thespan of control: beings descendedfrom herd or hive animals might beable to manage larger numbers of sub-ordinates, leading to bigger units ateach level of the organization scale.Conversely, solitary aliens might pre-fer a more “hands-on” style with fewersubunits. Proud, solitary beings mightnot be able to organize into hierar-chies at all, and could retain more of a“heroic warrior” model for armedforces – devastatingly effective specialops squads, but no armored divisions.

Army Organization“Ground forces” military units (an

army, a marine corps, and so on) willusually be organized in the followinghierarchy. Teams of two to four indi-viduals are the smallest tactical unit.Squads are composed of two to threeteams (more in a high span of controlculture), or are the crew of a singlelarge fighting machine. Platoons areformed of three to five squads underan officer, and may include some sup-port personnel outside the combatsquads. A Company consists of threeto five platoons, a command or head-quarters element, and some addition-al support vehicles and personnel. It isnormally commanded by an officer ofRank 4. Artillery companies are calledbatteries, while cavalry or armoredcompanies are troops or squadrons.

A battalion consists of two to fivecompanies, with a headquarters ele-ment and a significant number ofextra support vehicles and personnel.A battalion is usually the smallest unitto have extensive “rear echelon” sup-port elements, such as a medical fieldhospital, a motor pool, or a military-police unit. Regiments consist of twoto three battalions, normally com-manded by a colonel (Military Rank 5-6). Regiments are often composed ofbattalions and companies of differenttypes, and can exchange these smallerunits to fit changing circumstances.Some armies use regiments as a pure-ly administrative unit, while othersdispense with them entirely, but they were the primary unit for theBritish Army during the colonial era,so they show up in Kiplingesque spacesettings often.

A brigade consists of two regimentsor three to five battalions. Like a regi-ment, a brigade is usually composedof a variety of smaller unit types, andmay exchange smaller units as need-ed. Divisions are the smallest self-con-tained military units, with all theiradministrative and support functions“in-house.” A division consists of avariable number of regiments orbrigades, usually averaging about 20battalions in all. It is normally com-manded by a major general or lieu-tenant general (Military Rank 7).Above the division are a variety ofunits – the corps, the army or fieldarmy, the army group, and so on.These are rarely standardized, and are

usually assembled and reassembled asneeded. Units above the division levelare usually commanded by full gener-als (Military Rank 8+).

Navy OrganizationIn science fiction, “space forces”

(the navy, the Patrol, and so on) areusually organized along the lines of apresent-day oceangoing or “wet” navy.Since space navies are organizedaround spaceships of varying size andcomplexity, they won’t use the simplehierarchy to be found in a ground-based army.

Note that a “space navy” doesn’thave to use “wet-navy” ranks andtitles. A space force derived from theair force would have ships command-ed by majors and colonels, and fleetsled by generals. Alternately, the spac-ers might come up with their own setof titles – astronaut, specialist, missioncommander, etc.

Team: A team is the smallest organ-ized unit, and consists of two to sixcrewmen who work together to sup-port some common function. A teamwill usually be led by an experiencedcrewman (Military Rank 0-1),although a team with a particularlyimportant function may be led by asenior NCO or even an officer. On avery small vessel, a “team” may consistof only one crewman, in which casethe team isn’t considered part of thecommand structure.

Department: A department (some-times called a section) is a group ofteams that work together to take careof one function aboard a vessel ornaval base. A department is usuallyreferred to by its function: the com-mand department, the communica-tions department, the engineeringdepartment, and so on. A departmenthead is often called a chief, a depart-ment officer, or a commander. He maybe a senior NCO for a small depart-ment, or an officer for a medium-sizedor large one. His Military Rankdepends on the number of people indepartment.

Crew: A single ship’s crew consistsof all the departments and individualswho work on board the ship. A shipand its crew are commanded by anofficer, who is always called the cap-tain as a job title regardless of his actu-al rank. Ship’s captains usually haveMilitary Rank 3-6, depending on the

188 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

size of the ship and its crew. Smallbases are organized much like a singleship.

Task Force: A task force is a groupof ships of varying sizes, organized fora specific purpose. They are alsoknown as squadrons or battle groups.The exact makeup is determined bywhat the mission is and what ships areavailable. Typically the most powerfulcombat unit is the flagship of the forcecommander, though some fleets mayhave specialized command ships withextra communication and data-han-dling capacity. A task force’s com-mander is usually Rank 7, or at leastone level above the highest-rankingship commander in the force. A largebase is the equivalent of a task force interms of size and command rank.

Fleet: A fleet is more of an admin-strative division than a combat unit. Ittypically has responsibility for opera-tions within a given region, andincludes not only ships but bases andsupport facilities. Fleet commandersare always Rank 7 or higher, but thenumber of people they command canvary. A military could have a “fleet”assigned to a quiet or empty sectorwith almost no ships or people, but afully active headquarters.

LogisticsThere’s an old saying, “Amateurs

talk tactics and strategy, professionalstalk logistics.” No military unit canfight without supplies, and thatdependence only increases as unitsbecome more technologicallyadvanced. The soldiers of Napoleon’sGrand Armée could get by with littlebeyond ammunition and hardtack,but a modern force needs fuel, spareparts, medical supplies, lots of ammu-nition, electronics – a whole shoppinglist. It’s likely that future armies willneed even more.

Having a logistical “tail” stretchingacross interstellar space makes war-fare very difficult. Assume 10 lbs. ofsupplies per day for each soldier in thefield, and at least 100 lbs. of fuel pervehicle. If all that has to be hauled bystarship, interstellar war will be veryexpensive. That’s not a bad thing forgaming purposes: expensive wars willrely on fast-moving, hard-hittingteams of highly trained soldiers – theperfect environment for PCs.

The more units can “live off theland” the bigger armies can be in aspace war. Automated factories couldproduce spares in the war zone, anddestroying an enemy’s autofacs wouldbe a key goal for commando raids.Fusion or cosmic power sources could

eliminate the need for fuel, drasticallyimproving an army’s supply situation.Nanotech “food fabricators” couldturn local air and dirt into rations –though the troops will probably stillgripe about the taste.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 189

Alternate ArmiesMany science-fiction writers have imagined future armies without

any soldiers at all – or at least no human soldiers. Robot soldiers would be hard to kill, easy to replace, and never com-

plain. But it’s proving to be very hard to make robots smart enough toact as soldiers, and machinery always seems to need maintenance.Modern armies are beginning to field robots as remote surveillanceunits or remote-controlled guns, but so far nobody’s willing to take thehuman finger off the trigger button. One possible solution is to usehumans safe in the rear “teleoperating” robot soldiers in combat.Jamming the control channels would be a primary goal of the enemy.

If you can’t make robots into soldiers, make the soldiers into robots.Partly, anyway. Cyborg soldiers would be strong, fast, possibly armoredand equipped with built-in weaponry, but still human. Finding volun-teers willing to become cyborg-soldiers might be difficult; a tyrannicalstate might use prisoners or conscripts – though that runs the risk ofhaving alienated, angry super-soldiers turning mutinous.

Finally, genetic engineering could produce combat bioroids or uplift-ed animal troopers. They could have animal ferocity and human intel-ligence, and with a few scavenger genes could live off almost anything– including enemy casualties. As with cyborg soldiers, there could beserious problems if the genetically engineered super-soldiers decidethey don’t like the society that made them.

How Much Military Rank?There’s a useful rule of thumb when deciding what Military Rank a

given soldier or spacer should have. Each level of Military Rank meansthat the character has about four to five times as many subordinatesunder his direct command. This number has to do with the span-of-con-trol concept – most humans can deal with about that many subordi-nates before becoming overwhelmed and needing to delegate authority.So someone with Rank 0 has no subordinates, Rank 1 has four to fivepeople, Rank 2 commands 16-25 men, Rank 3 has 64-125 troops, andso on.

This rule of thumb often breaks down across the transition betweensenior enlisted rank and officer rank; a very junior officer may haveMilitary Rank 3 while still only commanding a section or platoon. Also,a serviceman in a staff position, with no one under his direct command,will usually have lower Military Rank than his position in the hierarchywould otherwise indicate. Characters on staff might add levels ofCourtesy Rank to reflect their anomalous position of great influence butno subordinates.

The rule of thumb for Military Rank may be extended to other formsof Rank as well, since the span-of-control concept works for everyhuman institution!

MobilityRelated to the issue of logistics is

the question of how mobile militaryunits are. If it takes weeks or monthsto move a battalion from one world toanother, then units won’t relocateoften. There will be semi-permanentgarrisons on frontier worlds, bigenough to hold off an attack until rein-forcements can arrive. Offensives

against other advanced military pow-ers will be very difficult, and borderswill be stable.

Fast but expensive travel will forcemilitaries to use small forces with asmuch offensive power as possible –high-tech battlesuit troopers, super-tanks, or transforming mecha. This isa good environment for PCs. Insteadof big wars there are lots of comman-do raids, and “special warfare” troops

working with discontented citizens tostart rebellions in enemy territory.

Fast and cheap transport, equiva-lent to modern air transport, letspowerful military units move abouteasily. This lets states centralize theirmilitary forces, reacting quickly tocrises. However, since other statescan do the same, large-scale warsbecome possible.

190 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

INTERSTELLAR GOVERNMENTSIn any campaign extending beyond

a single world, there is likely to be atleast one interstellar government.There may be several contending pow-ers, or even a vast patchwork of states.The nature of those states reflects andinfluences the nature of the campaignsetting. Most of the notes on govern-ments in this section can also beapplied to states at planetary ornational scale, but for simplicity thedescriptions assume a multiplanetaryinterstellar government.

ANARCHYAnarchy is a state that isn’t a state

at all. There is no government, at leastnot in the sense we know today.Anarchies come in three main types.

Patchwork StatesIt’s possible to have an interstellar

civilization with no government abovethe planetary or even the continentallevel. This simply mimics the situationin the modern world, just on a vastlylarger scale. This arrangement is like-ly if interstellar transport is very slowand difficult, so that colonies have tobe independent if they can survive atall, and there is no way for one worldto exert military force against another.In this situation, space beyond theclaims of planetary governmentscould be a dangerous haunt of piratesor bandits, but worlds could cooperatein patrolling deep space, forming thebasis of an alliance (see p. 191).Conflict among patchwork states islikely to be localized, pitting a fewworlds against each other, and rebel-lions will be directed against specificplanetary governments (often with thehelp of unfriendly neighbors). Trade

can be as free or restricted as individ-ual worlds wish, and companies withoperations on many worlds can growrich enough to become independentpowers in their own right.

Failed StatesContemporary news readers are

probably familiar with what happenswhen the government of a country canno longer maintain any order. Lawdisappears, and society returns to astate of nature, in which the strong dowhat they want to the weak. On aninterstellar scale, there could be entirestar systems in which order is main-tained by a local regime, but in deepspace or on remote planets the law ofthe jungle prevails. This is also the sit-uation in a frontier zone with little orno control by the central government.

An interstellar failed state canremain in anarchy until either someexternal force imposes order (whichmay unite the quarrelling natives toresist the invaders), or until one worldsets up an empire or several enter intoan alliance to dominate the rest. If thenew rulers can suppress or co-opt thelocal bosses, the new state may sur-vive, but often the civil war drags onthrough several more cycles.

Anarchist UtopiasVery different from the thugs-with-

guns style are stable anarchies deliber-ately set up as states without a govern-ment. These can be quite large, evengalactic in scale, but recognize no sov-ereignty above the level of individualbeings. The Culture in Iain Banks’series of novels is a huge anarchy thatis the dominant civilization in thegalaxy. Anarchies on an interstellar

scale must either be the only societythere is, or else must be wealthy andpowerful enough to defend themselvesagainst aggressive neighbor govern-ments. Social arrangements are eitherfiercely “libertarian capitalist” setups,with contractual agreements and pay-ment for all services, or “true commu-nist” societies in which automatedlabor and superintelligent computershave really made it possible for every-one to have what they need withoutmoney.

GovernmentWhile the whole point of an anar-

chy is that there is no government, anysociety has some way of making deci-sions. In patchwork anarchies thereare the local governments, and infailed states there is whoever has thebiggest gun at the moment. Utopiananarchies may have no official govern-ment, but citizens can form ad-hoc“working groups” to undertake proj-ects or deal with crises.

The MilitaryIn patchwork anarchies, individual

worlds can have as much armed forceas they can afford (see p. 187). Thismeans that in aggregate, a patchworkanarchy can have more military forcethan an empire – it’s just that there’sno central command to point it all inthe same direction. There’s little dis-tinction between the Patrol and thenavy, and planetary armies are mostlikely configured for defense.Mercenaries are a prime method offoreign intervention, and thrive in thiskind of system.

In failed state areas, no formal mil-itary exists. Instead there are people

with whatever hardware they can gettheir hands on. Space forces consist ofa few battered old ships, and there’s nodistinction between the Patrol andpirates. Armies are simply the localgoon squad. Failed state militariescan’t go toe-to-toe with any kind oforganized opposition, but are lethallyeffective at low-level terrorism andguerrilla warfare.

An anarchist utopia won’t have aformal military either, but in a suffi-ciently wealthy and advanced society,the ad-hoc groups formed for militaryoperations can be quite powerful. ThePatrol and the navy alike consist onlyof ships built and manned by volun-teers, and fleets form for specific mis-sions. Defense against invaders is themost likely, but there’s nothing to pre-vent citizens of an anarchy frommounting an offensive to topple anunfriendly state or spread the anar-chist ideology at blaster point.

Law and OrderPatchwork anarchies have law at

the planetary or national level, andenforcement can be as efficient orlax as the citizens tolerate. Beyondplanetary orbit there is no law, andunless a pair of worlds have specifictreaties of friendship and commerce,all spacecraft will be viewed aspotential raiders by the planetarynavy. Extradition treaties may existbetween specific worlds, but other-wise all law enforcement is con-cerned only with local crimes.

A failed state has no law at all.The strong do what they want andthe weak suffer what they must.Some warlords may maintain orderamong their followers or in a giventerritory, but that just makes themtempting prey for raiders. Bountyhunters may venture into a failedstate’s territory in search of particu-larly valuable fugitives.

Utopian anarchies also have nolaws. Nevertheless they may havefairly strict non-legal methods ofsocial control. Custom and traditioncan be as powerful as law, or theremay be technical fixes like monitorrobots to zap anyone attempting vio-lence. Free-enterprise police servicescould protect subscribers.

OriginA patchwork anarchy originates

when there are several inhabitedworlds but no power capable ofimposing a government and no desireamong the planetary rulers to unite. It

is, in effect, the “state of nature” fromwhich other interstellar governmentsarise.

Failed states, on the other hand,are the endpoint of a society’s collapse.There has to be some kind of organi-zation that has broken down. Fallenempires, based on the Roman model,are the most common in fiction, butthe real world has seen republics andother systems collapse. A corporatestate might go bankrupt leading toanarchy.

Anarchist utopias are generallyfounded by groups with a specific ide-ology, and are designed to be function-ing societies. Anarchists might simplybe from a species that needs authorityto get along, or could be reformers orexiles from an oppressive state.

ALLIANCEAn alliance is a loose affiliation of

several sovereign states for mutualbenefit. In the modern world, NATOand the North American Free TradeAgreement are military and economicalliances. The European Communityis an example of an alliance movingtoward federation (see p. 193). Thestructure of an alliance can be formaland tightly organized (like NATO), anad-hoc arrangement like the Escobaralliance in Lois McMaster Bujold’s“Vorkosigan” series, or just a loose andgeneral “we’re on the same side”agreement like the human worlds inNiven’s “Known Space” stories.

If the members of an alliance con-tinue to improve their ties and worktogether, it can become a federation,but if one member predominates, itcan take on qualities of an empire.Conflict within an alliance can be for-bidden or strictly limited, as anymajor war would shatter it into two ormore smaller alliances. Since the

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 191

Macro-LifeAn especially interesting form of interstellar anarchy is “Macro-Life.”

This concept was invented shortly after the idea of space colonies inde-pendent of planets. If a space colony is self-sufficient, then it’s essential-ly a giant spaceship. It can move about the Solar System or venture toother stars. It can build “daughter” colonies and spread its culture andheritage. In short, it can act like a really huge living organism. Thehumans within the colony act as its DNA.

A civilization consisting of mobile, self-sufficient, advanced city-states is very difficult to subject to any sort of central authority, so amacro-life society would be anarchic by default. Some “clans” of city-ships might form temporary alliances, or build “empires” in certain starsystems, but their influence would be limited. The GSVs of Iain M.Banks’ “Culture” series are effectively macro-life vessels, controlled bysuperintelligent AIs.

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed,

and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned . . .

– William Butler Yeats

members are trying to remain friends,open war is much less likely than espi-onage, political meddling, and covertoperations. Rebellions will opposespecific members of the alliance, andcan cause serious conflict when alliesare called on to help fight rebelswhose ideals they may actually agreewith. In a trade alliance, commerce isfree and easy – within the borders,anyway. A free-trade pact may wellinclude very tough tariff walls againstnon-members.

GovernmentThe governing body is a council of

delegations from each member world.If a world has multiple governments,all must be represented in the delega-tion. In some cases, an alliance maygive special power to important mem-bers – extra votes or veto power.

Normally, the Council may onlypass laws affecting relations amongits members, and seldom intrudes onits members’ internal affairs. A major-ity of the Council – usually two-thirds– must favor any measure before itcan be voted into law. A world can dis-regard alliance laws by seceding or bybecoming an associate member – giving up its vote on the Council to gain full freedom in interstellar policy, yet retaining many benefits ofmembership.

The council also acts as a court ormediator among member worlds.

When it comes to politics, analliance is wide open. Member worldscan practice assassination, war amongthemselves, bribe alliance officials –and until the council comes up with atwo-thirds majority, the alliance willbe powerless to stop it. Each memberworld, protective of its own sovereign-ty, is loathe to allow the extra policepowers – including counterespionageor expanded military forces – thatwould allow the alliance to maintainorder among its members. Only anoutside threat is likely to unify thecouncil to legislate the needed action.

The MilitaryAlliances typically maintain a small

interstellar navy, while memberworlds maintain their own defenseforces. If member worlds are stingy,the alliance military may be desper-ately underfunded until actual warbreaks out; if not, they can be smallbut formidable forces.

Navy operations beyond routinepatrols must be approved by the coun-cil. Alliance military forces may notintervene in a member’s internalaffairs without permission from thatmember. In extreme cases – if conflicton a world or between member worldsis a clear threat to the alliance and its

other members – the council may sendin a peacekeeping force.

During peacetime, planetary fleetsusually restrict themselves to theirown star systems. They may also taketurns performing border patrols orother routine duties at the request ofthe alliance. In wartime, the councilcan request members to mobilize theirfleets to supplement the Alliance Navy.Even then, officers may challenge thenominal authority of the allianceadmiral, especially when their home-worlds are threatened.

Ground combat forces might con-sist of a small core group – a “MarineCorps” or “Presidential Guard” – sup-plemented in wartime by memberworlds’ armies. Mercenary organiza-tions thrive in the loosely regulatedclime of an alliance, and are alwaysavailable to aid with the defense . . .for a price.

Law and OrderThere will be an interstellar police

force, usually called the Space Patrol(see p. 203). From a 20th-century per-spective, the Patrol is a combinationof state police and coast guard. It maybe the only permanent armed spaceforce an alliance maintains. ThePatrol has full judicial and legal pow-ers within the alliance and outside themember worlds’ borders. Anyonearrested by the Patrol is tried in aPatrol court.

Since alliance laws deal only withinterstellar matters, adventurers willnot be bothered by alliance law exceptwhen operating in space. Within thepolitical boundaries of a memberworld – which usually extend through-out its solar system – they are subjectto local laws and ordinances, whichcan vary widely from member tomember! One world could be a liberaldemocracy where citizens enjoy greatpersonal freedom, while others mightbe dictatorial, tribal, theocratic, corporate . . .

Extradition of criminals frommember worlds is possible, but nevercertain. Once a criminal is on a world,he is under its jurisdiction – thealliance legal system only has jurisdic-tion in interstellar space betweenmember borders.

The Patrol seldom interferes incommerce between member worlds –

192 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

restrictions are more likely to beimposed by the members themselves.Exceptions may be made if the Patrolis after terrorists or pirates, or if a shipis acting suspiciously, but the Patrolmust be careful not to offend memberworlds – and delaying cargoes or dis-turbing tourists is often offensive.

The Patrol exerts more control overtravelers from beyond alliance bor-ders. Patrol ships and border stationscarefully screen incoming traffic, evenif the destination worlds protest suchscrutiny. Passengers are checkedagainst lists of wanted criminals.Cargoes are checked for contraband,dangerous animals, or illegal weaponshipments, and routine tests are madefor disease or pests. Leaving allianceterritory, on the other hand, is usuallysimple.

Certain goods may be taxed orbanned, either because they’re danger-ous or to protect the industry of mem-ber worlds. Enforcement is up to thePatrol. Taxation of individuals is apower strictly held by member worlds,not by the alliance. The alliance isfunded by tariffs, fines, and contribu-tions from member worlds for protec-tion and services. Payment may bemade in kind rather than in cash.Worlds that cannot pay their “dues”may be subject to coercion by otherworlds or by alliance forces.

Terrorist and fanatic groups mayexist. If they do, the limited authorityof the alliance may make them hard toroot out. Member worlds mightsecretly shelter terrorist bases, lettingthem train beyond the reach of thePatrol.

OriginAlliances may form in response to

external threats, or from the weaken-ing of a more controlled society. Thisis a natural first stage for interstellargovernment. Often, the original mem-bers have ties besides geography –common ancestry, trade ties, or simi-lar histories.

FEDERATIONA federation is a union of sovereign

states, preserving a fair amount ofpower for member states but surren-dering certain areas to federal control.The most famous federations in

science fiction are Star Trek’s UnitedFederation of Planets and theFederation in H. Beam Piper’s book ofthe same name.

At the weak end, federations arelike close-knit alliances combiningmilitary and free trade pacts. Strongerfederations give more power to thecentral government, like the modern-day United States or Germany, and avery strong federation puts all powerinto the central government, leavingthe member states as little more thanadministrative regions. If one memberof a federation dominates the othersand interferes in their domesticaffairs, the federation becomes morelike an empire.

Even a fairly weak federation cankeep order in space – that may be allthe members allow it to do – so tradeand travel thrive. Member worlds mayor may not be allowed to maintaintheir own military forces, but thePatrol and any exploration service areprobably federal operations. If themembers distrust central government,then the federal armed forces arestretched thin and need to call inmember militaries for backup.Mercenaries won’t find much workwithin a federation, but memberstates or the federal government mayuse them for “deniable” operationsbeyond the border. Rebellions mayarise when a member wants to with-draw but the central governmentwon’t let it go, or when a very power-ful group of members try to turn thefederation into an empire with them-selves as the center.

Laws can vary from place to placewithin a federation, and in a weak onecriminals from one member worldcan find sanctuary on others. Thismakes lots of business for bountyhunters. Federal law enforcementprobably focuses on crimes outsideplanetary jurisdiction, and on reallydangerous criminals who are toomobile for any single member’s policeto catch.

GovernmentThe exact structure of a federa-

tion’s government can vary. Most havebeen republics of some sort, with rep-resentatives of the member states vot-ing in a council or parliament. Somefederations, like the old GermanEmpire of the Kaisers, were federa-tions of monarchies with a suprememonarch over all. The modern UnitedStates is a federation in which the cen-tral government is chosen directly bythe citizens, rather than the govern-ments of member states. The govern-ments of the members can vary. Onecan imagine an interstellar federationthat includes planets governed byrepublics, monarchies, one-partystates, and theocracies.

A typical legislative body is aFederation Congress, elected by indi-vidual worlds (delegation size dependson world population); it is usuallyresponsive to the will of the citizens.There is usually a separate judicialbranch. The Patrol is responsible forenforcing federation law, but offend-ers are tried by a federation court atthe appropriate level.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 193

The United GalaxyAs on 21st-century Earth, nearly all worlds or civilizations in the

galaxy may be enrolled in an alliance to preserve peace among them.How well this alliance actually works depends on how it is structuredand what the member states think of it. A “United Galaxy Organization”could be the last best hope for peace, or nothing but a glorified debat-ing society where career bureaucrats from minor states can lord it overthe representatives of the galactic great powers. If some great perilthreatens, getting the United Galaxy to recognize the danger andrespond to it can be a daunting task for even the most heroic characters.A minor civilization threatened by aggressors might desperately try toget the United Galaxy to intervene, while a civilization devoted to per-sonal freedom might try equally desperately to prevent United Galaxyinterference.

When a world joins the federation,it agrees to abide by the federationcharter. For this reason, sector orplanetary government and law aremuch more homogeneous than thoseof an alliance’s member worlds –divergence is prevented by swift feder-ation action, including economicblockade and military invasion.

Secession usually isn’t an optionfor members of a federation, unlessseveral worlds secede at once or out-side military protection is available.Planetary nationalists favoring seces-sion may become rebels or terrorists.In rare cases, politics will allow a peaceful evolution to “specialautonomous status” and finally independence.

There may also be frontier dis-tricts. These are similar to membersystems, except that their populationsare new (mainly colonists or the newlyconquered) or scattered (a blightedregion of space). The district govern-ment and officials are appointed bythe federation.

The MilitaryFederation politics recognize that

military and political power arelinked. The Federation Navy is theonly group authorized to have inter-stellar warcraft. Member worlds mustsurrender their navies upon joining.Hearkening back to the days of inde-pendence, however, naval vessels maybe named after and manned by a par-ticular world – the cruiser Lotvik, forinstance, is crewed largely by nativeLotvikians. Size of the fleet dependson the political will and wealth of itscitizens. If the people will tolerate the

cost of a major fleet, a federation canbe as militant as any society.

With federation permission, indi-vidual worlds may establish planetaryguard units. These include groundtroops and possibly atmospheric andsublight warcraft, but no significantarmed starships.

The Interstellar Marine Corps isthe federation’s military ground force.Planetary guard troops and drafteessupplement the marines in wartime,but it is the experienced, well-trainedmarines who handle the dirty work –planetary invasions and defenses,commando raids, etc. If there is a con-tinuing threat to the nation, federa-tions may institute a draft, requiringyoung citizens to serve terms in thearmed forces.

Mercenary companies are rareexcept in frontier sectors, as the gov-ernment distrusts independent mili-tary forces in central areas. In times ofupheaval, mercs may be called in, butliaison officers will be assigned toensure that they remain under strictcontrol. A federation may form itsown legion of mercenaries. Thesetroops are useful for prosecuting polit-ically unpopular wars, especially ifthey are recruited solely from frontieror foreign worlds – which have no rep-resentation in Congress and cannoteasily complain about combat losses.

Law and OrderUnlike an alliance, which is con-

cerned with the rights of its memberworlds, a federation guards the rightsof its citizens. Federation laws aredesigned to protect the individual citi-zen and to provide security and unity

for the society. On the whole, federa-tion citizens get more benefits, servic-es, and protection than citizens of analliance.

Police functions may be handledby planetary or sector law-enforce-ment organizations or by the SpacePatrol. The Patrol has full authorityanywhere in federation territory, butmust cooperate with planetary police– it cannot investigate and arrest inde-pendently of local authorities, unlessthey are obstructing justice.

Extradition of accused criminalsbetween worlds is mandatory underfederation law, provided the request-ing world can guarantee a fair trial.Otherwise, the accused will be tried ina federation court. Federation author-ities (such as the Patrol) carry out theextradition process.

Terrorists may be present, butbases must be well-hidden to survive.Any world known to be harboring terrorists can expect swift reprisals.

Federations keep tabs on interstel-lar trade within their borders, routine-ly inspecting cargoes and travelers.Traffic entering and leaving the nationwill be more restricted than that of analliance. Passports will be required –especially if the federation has hostileneighbors – but the emphasis will beon the right of the average citizen totravel, limited by the security needs ofthe society.

The Space Patrol is on hand tocombat pirates or terrorists and to conduct rescue operations whenneeded. It will also ensure thatunscrupulous transport companies donot take advantage of citizens.

194 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

Interstellar trade involving federa-tion worlds is regulated by theInterstellar Trade Commission (p.202). Congress may ban some goods –usually harmful drugs, proscribedweapons, dangerous animals, etc.Tariffs and duties may exist to controlimports that might harm worldeconomies. This means there may be alucrative business for smugglers insome areas, but that’s what the Patrolis for. Customs offices are maintainedat all starports in federation space.Starports are considered federationterritory, and local police do not havejurisdiction there. The Patrol operatesthese ports, plus any additional postsneeded at jump points or along traderoutes.

Free news services thrive, restrict-ed only in the name of federationsecurity.

Taxes may be collected by federa-tion, sector, and local governments.There may be a personal income tax,taxes on commerce, or both.Merchants and entrepreneurs will dotheir best to beat any such tax!

OriginA federation often evolves when an

alliance is forced by some threat tostrengthen its central government.Federations last longer than alliancesbecause their society can quickly meetand deal with external threats, andoften has the power and authority todeal with internal ones as well.

CORPORATESTATE

Ever since the rise of large com-mercial corporations, people haveworried about them becoming power-ful enough to rival governments. Inhistory, it has even happened fromtime to time: the British East IndiaCompany was the government ofIndia for nearly a century. In sciencefiction, corporate governments comein several different flavors, dependingon how the corporations are struc-tured and how they exercise power.

In history, corporations often exer-cise power indirectly. In CentralAmerica before World War II, forinstance, the United Fruit Companywas effectively the ruling power, even

though each of the countries in whichit operated had a sovereign govern-ment. The company paid heavy bribesto the government leaders to keepthem agreeable, and could sometimescall upon the United States militarywhen bribery wasn’t enough. Powerfulcorporations ruling indirectly are astandard feature of cyberpunk sciencefiction.

If a setting has multiple corpora-tions, the dynamic changes.Competition among companies cangive the people a great deal of leverage(see The Free Enterprise Society, p.196). Of course corporations can bandtogether to avoid competition, form-ing a cartel. If there is no higher powerto prevent it, the result is an inter-locked group of companies that func-tion as a single operation.

Corporate-ruled societies are likelyto be awful places for independenttraders to operate in, because natural-ly the ruling company or companieswill monopolize all the lucrative traderoutes. Mercenary soldiers, on theother hand, can often do quite wellsince a corporate state might prefer tohire military forces only when there’s awar to fight, then downsize duringpeacetime. Spies can be agents of rivalcompanies seeking trade secrets, andexplorers can be “trade scouts” look-ing for new markets and businessopportunities.

GovernmentA corporate state is “managed”

rather than governed. Leadership fol-lows standard business practice – theCEO directs day-to-day affairs,appointed and supervised by theBoard of Directors. As long as theCEO has the support of the board, hehas dictatorial powers, and may hireand fire all other executive officers.

The Board of Directors is electedby the company stockholders.Directors have no responsibility forthe day-to-day operation of the com-pany, but act as a policy council toadvise and direct the CEO. The direc-tors elect one of their number asChairman. The Chairman is the singlemost powerful person in the corporatestate, though he operates behind thescenes.

Minor rules and regulations are setby corporate bureaucrats at all levels.

Major policy decisions are made bythe board. The board also decides theamount of stock available on the mar-ket, and possibly its current cost.

The relative benevolence of the corporate state depends on how the stockholders are organized.Citizenship is defined as owning stockin the company. Sometimes a stockcertificate is issued along with a birthcertificate; sometimes citizenshipmust be earned. More stock meansmore voting power; in a malevolentcorporate state, the board is dominat-ed by a wealthy minority. But some-times the “poor” stockholders canband together into “blocs” of commoninterest, similar to political parties in ademocracy. If they have the numbers,they can vote their own representativeto the board.

Stock ownership is power. If a fewwealthy magnates control the board,society will be managed for their ben-efit and individual rights will suffer. Ifother voting blocs gain power on theboard, interests will be protected; asmore blocs gain power, rights aregradually extended to all citizens.

Stockholders also receive divi-dends, as long as the corporationmakes money. Militant stockholdersmay demand profits, steering CEOsaway from long-term investmentsand toward short-term gains. After anunusually profitable period, theboard may declare a jubilee year –paying extra dividends and sponsor-ing celebrations.

Individual worlds are run by cor-porate middle managers, many ofwhom are working hard to show aprofit and earn a promotion. Localmanagement styles may vary fromenlightened to dictatorial, and don’thave to match overall corporate policyif the board is far away.

The MilitaryThe company has a monopoly on

armed might, from local police tointerstellar fleets. Local forces will becontrolled by planetary directors.Major operations may be ordered bythe CEO and must be approved by theboard. There may also be an elitesecurity force – possibly a secret policein all but name – under the directcommand of the Chairman of theBoard.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 195

Law and OrderCompany regulations have the

force of law. Many rules exist to insurethat individuals put company con-cerns over any of their own.

Personal freedoms are oftenallowed only to the point where theyinterfere with job performance.Failure to follow regulations, meetquotas, or get along with one’s super-visor can result in demotions andsalary cuts (and loss of social status),criminal sentences, or firing. Firing isthe ultimate punishment, since thereis no other employer – shopping at thecompany store, banking and creditrights, and health benefits are lostalong with employment.

Rebels aren’t acknowledged assuch. They are instead saboteurs,pirates, socialists, communists, or –worst of all – unionists, and are to berooted out at all costs. The losers of a takeover bid could decide onarmed resistance instead of goldenparachutes.

There is no judicial branch. Localexecutives conduct hearings and trialsin their localities. There may be a “cor-porate ombudsman” to see that work-ers get fair treatment and fair trials.The power of the ombudsmandepends on the stockholders. If thecompany is repressive, the ombuds-man is helpless, or a pawn of manage-ment; in a benevolent society, theombudsman has enough influence

that middle management mustrespect his views.

Travel between worlds is controlledby the company. Travel for corporatereasons is easily arranged. Individualcitizens are also free to travel, usingtheir own time and money, thoughthey may be “bumped” from sched-uled flights by business travelers.Productive employees are oftenrewarded with paid vacations to pleas-ure worlds. Most employees, however,rarely get to leave the worlds on whichthey are employed – unless their skillsare temporarily needed on anotherplanet.

News is handled by the corpora-tion’s public relations or communica-tions department, and reflects thecompany line. There are many storiesabout corporate success and happyemployees. Failures are seldomreported.

Trade is company-regulated.Company employees must obtain alltheir goods at the local company store,paying whatever prices the companysets. With the company in control ofall commerce, there’s no competitionand no chance of getting bargainssomewhere else. Of course there’s ablack market, but it’s grossly illegal.

Specific taxes in a corporate stateare not necessary, since the companymakes a “profit” on everything that isbought or sold. Occasionally, in a prof-itable year, the corporation will evenpay bonuses to its workers.

OriginA corporate state may evolve from

the conflict between a super-corpora-tion and a weak government, or whengovernment gives too much authorityto business.

If world colonization and exploita-tion is run by private enterprise, thensingle-company settlements mayresult. If corporate rule is uncheckedby government, the corporation canexpand its power base until it is thegovernment on the colonies, whilecontrolling trade with the motherworld.

In a far-flung society, corporationsmay be allowed to form private fleetsfor defense in remote areas – similarto the East India merchant ships inEarth history. Such military powercan allow total despotism in colonialregions, and may give the force need-ed (perhaps in alliance with other cor-porations) to secede from or take con-trol of the society.

A corporation may also control atechnology so valuable – FTL travel,for instance – that it can do whateverit likes!

196 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

The Free Enterprise Society

A variant of the corporate state is the free enterprise society. This issimply a government run entirely on business principles, with the over-riding ideal of open competition for everything. Military forces areentirely staffed by mercenaries, all services are contracted out to privatefirms, and instead of political parties there are competing governmentmanagement companies. In extreme versions, individual citizens cancontract with different governments, the way they now do business withrival insurance carriers or long-distance phone companies. The goodthing about a free enterprise society is that there is tremendous freedomand opportunity – as long as you can pay for it.

Free enterprise states are usually not expansionist or aggressive, andare open to all kinds of trade – but competition is fierce and sometimesviolent. Multiple planets with free enterprise government may mergeinto a kind of libertarian federation.

EMPIREWhen historians or political scien-

tists speak of an empire, they mean asystem in which one state controls theinternal and external affairs of one ormore other states. If this is a legallyrecognized situation, it’s a formalempire; if it’s done by ad hoc arrange-ment or under the cloak of some otherstructure, it’s an “informal” empire.

Many empires in history have beencombinations of both. The rulers ofRome had a formal empire ofprovinces under Roman governors,

but they also had an informal empireof client states and allies. Sometimesit was necessary to take over theadministration of a client state andshift it from informal to formalempire. Sometimes a province can getmore autonomy, as when the Britishgovernment granted dominion statusto its colonies in Canada andAustralia, recognizing that they werecapable of self-rule – and capable offighting for it if Britain refused.

All empires tend to expand evenwhen the central government has no

desire to annex more territory. To safe-guard the border, the empire’s rulersnaturally want friendly states asneighbors. To ensure that they stayfriendly, the empire starts to take aninterest in their internal affairs.Eventually, some crisis provokes inter-vention by the empire and what wasformerly a neighbor becomes a con-quered province. Naturally, to protectthis province, the empire has to makesure there are no hostile states on theborder, and the cycle begins all overagain. Commercial interests and reli-gious or ideological missionaries canaccelerate the process.

The process of expansion can con-tinue until the empire bumps upagainst a power strong enough toresist. If they border directly on eachother, the situation may be quite tense,with constant patrols along the line,“incidents” provoked by hotheadedcommanders, and a clampdown ontrade. Alternately, the empires mayagree to back off and sponsor a neu-tral zone or buffer state in between.The action shifts from military todiplomatic and political as eachempire strives to exert influence in thebuffer region and prevent its rivalfrom doing the same. This sort ofthing can happen even when theempires are nominally friendly.

GovernmentAny kind of government can have

an empire. Rome gained its first impe-rial possessions as a republic, andexpanded them as a monarchy; theBritish Empire was acquired asBritain itself moved from absolutemonarchy to parliamentary democra-cy. Republican France had a large for-mal empire in Africa, and the UnitedStates had a substantial informalempire in Latin America.

In science fiction, empires are usu-ally based on the Roman model, withan actual emperor as the absoluteruler. If there is a senate or other legis-lature, it is distinctly secondary to themonarch’s power. Monarchicalempires in fiction are usually evil andoppressive, as in the Star Wars movies,but some stories like Niven andPournelle’s The Mote in God’s Eye orPoul Anderson’s tales of DominicFlandry depict empires that are rea-sonably well run and humane.

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Why People SupportRotten Empires

It’s nice to think that a government that Goes Too Far will eventual-ly cause the citizens to rise in righteous wrath and throw the rascals out.It’s also convenient when all the defenders of the Evil Empire wear uni-forms (except for the occasional Secret Police spy). Unfortunately, weknow from centuries of experience that it doesn’t really work this way.The worst tyrannies imaginable have been enthusiastically supportedby people no worse than you or me.

Without going deeply into psychology, here are some of the reasonswhy citizens support tyrannies. You can use these to make your fiction-al Evil Empire and its people something more than laser fodder.

Citizens fear that the unknown will be worse than the known: a for-eign philosophy, a strange religion, or perhaps society breaking down toanarchy. They may fear and hate an enemy population, especially if theyare a different religion or race, let alone species: Do you hate the Bugsoldiers because they are cruel and ruthless, or because bugs are icky?Many people fear that a new government would cost them their jobs orpersonal power; in a corrupt regime, they may have good reason to beafraid of justice. A clever regime’s propaganda will play on all thesefears, constantly portraying the foe as inhuman, the rebels as terroristkillers.

People who are used to obeying the law often have a hard timechanging their habits when the law becomes oppressive. They stillbelieve that “the police only arrest criminals; honest people have noth-ing to fear.” When the rebels break into an armory to get guns, thesepeople see only that a robbery was committed. Enough of this and patri-otic citizens may volunteer for the army to fight the wicked rebels.Obviously, rebellions find more support on worlds that were free untilthe empire conquered them. But even there, some citizens may hate theoccupier but doubt the rebels would be any better. You can fight for“freedom” – but once you win, you have to set up a government.

And people may be loyal to the idea, or to the ideals, of a nation orempire, even when the reality is tarnished. “My country, right orwrong . . .”

It is not evil, or even cowardly, to be afraid of starvation, torture, anddeath. Any successful rebellion must overcome these fears . . . to convince the people that anything is better than slavery. Meanwhile, thegovernment is telling them that anything is better than anarchy. Whichis why rebellions have a hard time of it.

– John M. Ford

States with a single ruler have allthe advantages and disadvantages ofextremely centralized power. If theemperor wants something done, itgets done – but if the emperor can’t bebothered, a problem can fester. And ifthe emperor is foolish, or crazy, or justplain mean, a lot of bad things can getdone.

The feel of a monarchical empiredepends a lot on how the ruler gainedpower. Dictators or emperors whoseized power by their own efforts tendto build strong but paranoid regimes,with lots of secret police, censorship,and murder of potential rivals. On theother hand, they do tend to be person-ally very competent rulers. But eventhe competent ones often make themistake of assuming that being goodat gaining and holding political powermakes them experts at economics,military strategy, and city planning.This is seldom true. In human historyonly a handful of dictators have beencompetent, sane, and humane all atthe same time. Few self-made dicta-tors die natural deaths. Some empireshave no set rule of succession, so allthe rulers are essentially self-madedictators.

By contrast, a ruler who has inher-ited power has a lot more legitimacyin the eyes of the people and canafford to be more tolerant. However,with hereditary rulers there is a greatdeal of random chance involved: willthis one be a lunatic? Or just an idiot?It’s rare for a dynasty to win the lotteryof genetics and upbringing even twicein a row, so a strong ruler is usuallyfollowed by one or more weak ones.Sometimes the weak rulers are at leastwise enough to recognize their limits

and rely on competent ministers andgenerals, but sometimes they’re soincompetent they don’t even realize it.Since the chaos of civil war is suffi-ciently unpleasant, most people arewilling to put up with hereditary ruleif the only alternative is warlordsfighting to become the next dictator.

Some of the Roman emperorschose their own successors, whichcombines the legitimacy of inheri-tance with a merit-based choice.Unfortunately, some rulers can beswayed or tricked when picking anheir. High-tech societies might leavethe choice of a new emperor to super-intelligent computers, or design thenext monarch from scratch usinggenetic engineering and sophisticatedpsychological manipulation.

Of course, sometimes it doesn’tmatter who the emperor is, if he’s justa figurehead. This can be a constitu-tional monarchy like modernEuropean kingdoms, or a puppetruler dominated by powerful minis-ters or generals. In some cases a weakfigurehead emperor can regainauthority if the ministers or warlordsfail spectacularly.

The MilitaryMost monarchical empires, heredi-

tary or new, rely on military power.(Theocracies or especially belovedmonarchies may be able to get bywithout overwhelming power.) Somerulers are content to do nothing morethan stamp out dissent, letting thearmy and the fleet rot and exposingthe empire to threats of invasion.Others (particularly self-made dicta-tors) want to expand their dominions

and crush all possible foreign enemiesas well as domestic ones. Historically,this encourages other states to bandtogether in alliances to crush the dictatorship.

In most space empires, the navy isthe dominant service, with fleets ofhuge starships. Being an admiral is astepping-stone to the throne, whichmeans senior officers are watchedvery carefully. Shrewd emperorsdivide the navy into entirely separatefleets, so that the admirals can keepeach other under control. If there is aseparate Patrol at all, it is subordinateto the navy. The marines are the navy’sintegral ground-combat arm, spear-heading planetary invasions. Thearmy does a lot of pacifying con-quered worlds and suppressing dis-sent. Mercenaries can take servicewith local imperial governors to sup-plement the thin-stretched imperialforces, and in an informal empire sit-uation they may be the primaryinstrument of policy.

Law and OrderThe word of the emperor is law.

Some emperors rule by personaldecree, but others are happy to let ahuge bureaucracy make all the “bor-ing” decisions. Imperial laws takeprecedence over all other laws.

Empires are restrictive by nature.In some cases there is a drastic differ-ence in personal freedom betweeninhabitants of the ruling state andthose of the provinces. Frustrationwith that difference is often the motivefor rebellion.

The Space Patrol has police pow-ers. Routine trials are held by local

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governors, or by the Patrol foroffenses in space, but important mat-ters must come before an ImperialMagistrate. Punishments includeprison, forced-labor camps, slavery,torture, and impressed military service.

An autocrat may tolerate protestagainst his policies, but never againsthis rule. At the first hint of any actualthreat, dissension is crushed.

In tyrannical empires travel istightly regulated and requires the right

documents. Common citizens find itnext to impossible to obtain permis-sion to travel beyond the borders. Oneof the Space Patrol’s duties is to policethe borders for refugees attempting toescape.

Interstellar trade may still flour-ish, but heavy regulations and dutiesmake it difficult to prosper withoutbuying influence in the imperialcourt. Nearly all empires have a sys-tem of tariffs and monopolies toreward certain merchants and

exclude others. Small traders mayturn to smuggling to survive.

The empire will ban commerce itdeems a threat, including militarysupplies; gunrunning to rebels carriesan automatic death sentence. Trafficin drugs and vices may be prohibitedby a puritanical emperor or encour-aged by a decadent one. But theImperial Trade Commission is notori-ously easy to bribe.

Taxes are numerous and burden-some, although some empires tax thesubject provinces heavily to keep rateslow in the home country.

OriginEmpires can come about in vari-

ous ways. An expanding frontier ofsettlement and colonization can cre-ate a very tight-knit empire. BothRussia and the United States eventual-ly absorbed their areas of settlementinto the mother country. Britain’s set-tlement colonies have become inde-pendent nations. Alliances can devel-op into empires when the most power-ful member of the alliance starts med-dling in the internal affairs of its part-ners, as happened when the Greekcity-states banded together against thePersians and then the Atheniansturned the league into an empire. Astate that is home to many vigorouscommercial enterprises can developan informal empire based on trade.And of course, an aggressive militarypower can deliberately go out andconquer weak states.

ALIENGOVERNMENTS

The list of governments above isnaturally based on arrangementsdevised by humans, for humans. Butin a science-fiction universe there areother possibilities suitable for aliencivilizations.

Hive MindsHumans have long been fascinated

by the unity and activity of insectcolonies, and it’s interesting to imag-ine how a hive would function on ahuman scale. The term “hive mind”has two meanings, one from classicscience fiction, the other from biologyand information science.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 199

Alternate EmpiresThere are a number of variant types of empires, depending on the

exact details of their government and organization.

FeudalismIn a feudal system, political, military, and economic power are com-

bined in a pyramidal arrangement. At each level the rulers are also themilitary commanders, and are also the largest landowners (or otherresource owners in a science fiction setting). They hold their lands asfiefs, granted by the lord at the next higher level, and in exchange owethat lord support and allegiance. Feudal arrangements can get verycomplicated when a low to medium level lord nevertheless acquires vastwealth and power, or when two lords owe each other allegiance. Feudallords tend to be rebellious and quarrelsome, hard for the central govern-ment to control; on the other hand, invaders have their hands full fight-ing against an endless series of local rulers who know the territory. Inpractice, a feudal society functions like a loose federation, or a cartel-based corporate state. Mercenaries can do very well in a feudal system,and can look forward to being awarded fiefs of their own.

ImperiumA really huge or widespread empire may be so big that the ruler can’t

directly control the whole thing, and consequently delegates power togovernors or proconsuls in the provinces. The governors have absolutepower themselves, but can be removed or reshuffled at the emperor’swhim. The result functions like a federation or alliance of monarchies,as the various governors may or may not cooperate with one another ina crisis. Naturally, governorship is a good stepping-stone to the imperi-al throne, which means the emperor’s chief worry is keeping his under-lings under control.

TheocracyIn a theocracy, rule is through a religious hierarchy rather than a

civil government. The ruler is the head of the church, and may havedivine status. If the head of the church can rule absolutely, the result islike a hereditary monarchy with much more ritual (and probably aninquisition instead of secret police). A church that has more input fromthe lower members of the hierarchy may resemble a republic or a cor-porate state. As recent Earth history shows, a democratic theocracy ispossible if the people are sufficiently devout and elect rulers with a reli-gious agenda, but once in power the theocrats tend to dig in and resistchanges in the will of the people.

In science fiction, hive minds aresocieties in which all the individualsare linked together into a single super-organism. This is usually done viatelepathy, although it can be naturaltelepathy or some kind of artificial“brainlink” device. The Borg of StarTrek are one well-known SF hive mind.Such hives usually exist to contrasttheir destruction of individuality andregimentation with human free willand personal liberty. A hive might evenduplicate the specialized types foundin ant colonies, with castes of workers,warriors, breeders, and so on (SF usu-ally adds a huge-brained “thinker”caste). Hives may be limited in therange across which members can linkup, so a multiplanet hive civilizationmight function as a federation of plan-etary hives.

An equally interesting type of hivecan be based on the “emergent prop-erties” of behavior in actual insecthives. If one thinks of an ant colonyas a single organism composed ofants, it’s interesting to note how thecolony seems capable of more sophis-ticated behavior than any individualant could ever manage. Since antsdon’t have any kind of “thinking ants”in the nest, the clever behavior arisesout of the interactions among indi-vidual ants. One can imagine a hivebig enough to have human-level intel-ligence arising from its billions ofnearly mindless members. VernorVinge’s Tines in A Fire Upon the Deepare close to this concept. Such “hive

individuals” could either interactwith one another as rational beingsthe way humans do, or they couldcombine into a super-hive, a vast sin-gle intelligence. As above, this kind ofhive would have trouble operatingacross large distances.

Hive civilizations can be militarypowers, with inexhaustible armies ofpurpose-bred warriors. In fiction theytend to be better at ground combatthan space battles. Trade, if hive cul-tures can even grasp the concept, ishandled entirely by government repre-sentatives.

Machine CivilizationsAnother SF standby is the idea of a

society either ruled by machines orentirely made up of mechanicalbeings. Often this is presented as anightmarish, dystopian society, inwhich “human” qualities like imagina-tion, freedom, or love are subordinat-ed to mechanical efficiency. The alter-nate universe codenamed “Steel” (p.B528) is one particularly nastymachine society. Often, machine civi-lizations take on aspects of a hivemind, with specialized units for eachtask coordinated by a giant “mastercomputer.” (This has the advantage ofgiving the nightmarish dystopia a sin-gle neck to sever.)

Other writers have envisioned civi-lizations of numerous independentmachines, usually united by some pre-programmed obsession. Usually that

obsession is highly unpleasant, likethe life-destroying goal of theBerserkers in Fred Saberhagen’s sto-ries, or the imperial ambitions of theDaleks or Cybermen on Dr. Who. Evenif they aren’t actively hostile, amachine civilization could simplytreat humans and other organic life asa nuisance to be tidied up, as inGregory Benford’s Great Sky River andsequels.

But other SF writers have specu-lated that a government by superin-telligent, incorruptible machinesmight be exactly what people need.Isaac Asimov’s supercomputer“Multivac” and positronic robotssecretly ruled humanity and createda utopian society. More recently, IainM. Banks’ “Culture” stories depict a civilization ruled by extremelypowerful computers in partnershipwith humans. Of course, JackWilliamson’s “Humanoids” storiesexplore the dark side of humanityunder the thumb of machines thatonly want to protect and serve us.

And the ideas of transhumanistsinclude, among other things, blurringor completely removing the dividingline between humans and machines.When it’s a matter of personal taste torun your mind on computer hardwareor living “meatware,” government bysuperintelligent AI will seem not onlydesirable but inevitable, about as con-troversial or utopian as automatingtelephone switchboards. Such soci-eties might take the form of prosper-ous libertarian anarchies, or (oddlyenough) something resembling a secu-lar theocracy, with supercomputers inplace of the church leaders and robotsfor priests.

Dystopian machine civilizationsare best used as the setting for rebelsfighting for human survival or toreclaim humanity’s dominion overmachines. More pleasant settings withhumans and machines workingtogether allows for just about anyadventure type, although since utopi-an societies run by superhuman intel-ligences tend to be peaceful and a lit-tle bit boring, the really fun adven-tures can be found across the border.

Machine cultures can have veryimpressive armies of steel soldiers,fleets of superintelligent robot battle-ships, and highly efficient factories toreplace losses quickly. Berserker-typemachines may wage constant war

200 FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

Alternate NamesEach type of interstellar government can go by a variety of names,

depending on specific details of history, ideology, and political thought.Sometimes names can be misleading. Many “people’s democracies”aren’t democratic at all, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain isfunctionally a parliamentary republic that just happens to have a RoyalFamily. Alternate names for the various governments described hereinclude:

Anarchy: Anarchate, Free State, Frontier Zone, Libertarian Republic,Post-Polity, Unorganized Territory, Wild Space.

Alliance: Axis, Bloc, Coalition, Community, Commonwealth, League,Pact, Sphere.

Federation: Concordium, Confederation, Regime, Union, Unity.Corporate State: Cartel, Combine, Conglomerate, Consortium,

Hansa, Keiretsu, Partnership.Empire: Dominion, Hegemony, Imperium, Kingdom, Monarchy,

Principiate, Realm, Reich.

against living things, so that theentire civilization is on a constantwar footing.

Trade with machine cultures isoften difficult. The aggressive, danger-ous ones take what they want, and thesuper-efficient utopian ones are oftenpost-economic cultures of abundance.

PLANETARYGOVERNMENTS

Of course, planets have to havetheir own governments. There is a lotmore variability in the style of plane-tary government than in interstellarsocieties.

Individual planets in a space cam-paign can use the interstellar govern-ment types, though obviously withsmaller constituent units. Exactly howlarge the units are can dramaticallyaffect how a planet is run.

Anarchy on a planetary level, as inan interstellar society, can reflecteither a utopian absence of govern-ment or a dystopian absence of order.If there are organized states but no planetary government, the termbalkanized is sometimes used.Contemporary Earth is either a balka-nized world or a very weak alliance.

Alliances are common on balka-nized planets, and it’s entirely possiblefor one alliance to effectively domi-nate the whole planet. During the eraof the colonial empires, when most ofEarth was controlled by a handful ofEuropean great powers who oftenacted in concert to keep order, onecould describe Earth’s planetary gov-ernment as a loose alliance.

Federations are a very likely form ofplanetary government. Many support-ers of the United Nations have hopedthat it can evolve into a kind of“Federation of Earth.” The exactdetails of the federation’s governmentcan dramatically affect its politics. AnAmerican-style republic with directelection of federal officials by the citi-zens is very different from aEuropean-style union in which thecentral authority is selected by mem-ber state governments.

Corporate government of a singleplanet is likely to be an offworldmegacorporation that owns thewhole planet (or at least has a

monopoly on trade). A corporate-ruled planet that is not part of aninterstellar economy is more likely tohave a cartel-style government, ifonly because a single corporationwouldn’t have anyone to do business

with. Free Enterprise planets mightbe fairly common, especially in thecase of colony worlds settled by lib-ertarian idealists. How long thosesocieties endure depends on theGM’s opinion of libertarian ideas.

FUTURE AND ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS 201

History and GovernmentThe structure of a planet’s government will depend in part on the

world’s history. A world with a native intelligent species will have lots ofunique cultures in different parts of the planet, multiple languages, andprobably many different religions. Uniting a large, diverse populationlike that may be best accomplished by one of the looser governmenttypes like a federation or alliance. A colonial-style empire might imposeunity by force! Either the various parts of the planet come together, orone region imposes its rule on the rest.

By contrast, most colony planets will often begin with a governmentalready in place. The founding settlers draft a constitution, or theColonization Authority imposes its rules. Colony worlds may tend tomore idealistic systems, sometimes highly impractical ones. They mayalso allow for growth by setting up a federation structure or keeping thewhole planet as a single unitary government.

A colony world with multiple colonies planted by different groupsmay wind up in the same situation as a world with native inhabitants:multiple diverse populations with no great desire to unify. They mayfunction as an alliance, unite in a federation, or one colony may be ableto simply annex the others. The growing pains of colonial societies canmake for interesting adventures, as PCs get involved in political strug-gles or decide to carve out their own realms.

Setting HistoryEveryone and every place has a history, and history affects the way

people react to new situations. America and Russia both fought in theworld wars, but came away with radically different attitudes. Russiasought to hold all possible enemies at arm’s length by controllingEastern Europe; America wanted to prevent future aggressors fromdominating the continent. Those attitudes, stemming from very differ-ent histories, locked the two nations in conflict for half a century afterWorld War II.

The simplest way to design the history of the setting is to work for-ward from the present, extrapolating trends, while throwing in “randomevents” like scientific breakthroughs or unexpected wars. Sometimespast history makes a good model: base the growth of the InterstellarFederation on the expansion of the United States, while the TradeAlliance mirrors the history of the Venetian Republic. Most of it can beglossed over in generalities (like summarizing the whole 20th century as“a time of technological progress and social change marred by warsamong competing ideologies”). The period to describe in detail is thecentury or so before the campaign’s timeline, especially events thatwould have happened during the lifetimes of the PCs.

Game Masters are allowed to “stack the deck” and create a historythat leads to interesting conflicts in the campaign’s present. If the gameis to take place in a time of “cold war” tension between two evenlymatched empires, sow the seeds of that enmity a couple of generationsback.

Empires on a planetary scale arecertainly possible, even at low technol-ogy levels. The Mongols, Romans,Spanish, and British all ruled substan-tial fractions of the world at one timeor another, and one could imagine amore aggressive or durable empirefinishing the job. On a planetary scale,empires can have any kind of internalstructure. At low tech levels monarchyis likely, and the examples above allshow a monarchical empire can bevery successful at world conquest.

Alternate PlanetaryGovernments

Some government types are morecommon at the planetary level than onthe interstellar scale. This includesmany of the types listed on pp. B509-510, especially Athenian democracy(which pretty much can’t exist acrossinterstellar distances unless there’ssome form of very fast interstellarcommunication), and clan/tribal. Thevariant forms colony, cybercracy (asopposed to machine civilizations),sanctuary, and subjugated are also single-planet types.

New kinds of planetary administra-tions include:

Codominion: Rule by two differentgovernments at once. This typicallyoccurs in a colony or “neutral zone”region, either in dispute or a jointproject of two states. The functions ofgovernment are divided between twoadministrations, sometimes even withdifferent laws applying to citizens ofthe two governments. Things can getinteresting when the two governmentsare very different and have differentControl Ratings! CR variable.

Conscription: Typically a republicor meritocracy, but one in which therulers are chosen to serve whether theywant to or not. Essentially governmentservice is like jury duty in modernAmerica – something you do becauseit’s your responsibility. Conscript gov-ernments are usually CR2-4.

One-Party State: A subtype of oli-garchy, using the forms of a democra-cy but with only one legal politicalparty. Power goes to those who canrise within the party hierarchy. Oftenthe party grows to have millions ofmembers, but the rank and file havelittle control over decision-making. On

Earth they are typically socialist, asthat allows the party substantial con-trol over the economy to reward fol-lowers. CR3+.

Plutocracy: Rule by the rich, oftenthrough direct purchase of govern-ment offices. Usually the officeholdersexpect a good return on their invest-ment, leading to massive corruption.This differs from a corporate state inthat power is held by wealthy individ-uals instead of companies, making itsimilar in some ways to a feudal sys-tem. CR2-4, with bribery common andaccepted.

Psiocracy: A form of caste systemor meritocracy, but the key qualifica-tion is psionic talent. This gives thegovernment remarkable power, sincethe rulers can do things ordinary cit-izens can’t. A psiocracy might comeabout if psis are oppressed anddecide they aren’t going to take itanymore, but it could also representan enlightened culture that usespsionics as a tool for the benefit ofall. CR3+, sometimes with real“thought police!”

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ORGANIZATIONSBelow is a representative collection

of organizations likely to exist in aspace campaign. The details given areonly suggestions – the GM will want tomodify them or use different organi-zation names as he adapts them to hisuniverse. None of these organizationshas to exist – some may not be appro-priate for some civilizations, and othernations may combine multiple func-tions into a single organization. All ofthese organizations can also exist incampaigns without interstellar travel –in that case, just replace references to“interstellar” with “interplanetary.”

The scale of organizations variesdepending on the campaign. Forexample, Game Masters who want tomake life challenging for rebel andsmuggler PCs can put a Patrol base onevery inhabited world, while GMs whowant to make sure Patrol characterscan’t depend on easy backup canmake them scarce and far apart.

GOVERNMENTORGANIZATIONS

Government bureaus that affectthe lives of PCs may not be the mostimportant parts of the government. Inthe grand scheme of things, the off-stage Imperial Revenue Service is farmore vital than the MercenaryRegulatory Agency.

Diplomatic CorpsThe importance and style of the

diplomatic corps depend on whatkind of other states or civilizationsexist and how the society interactswith them. A powerful empire withno real rivals would have diplomatswho act more like viceroys, bossinglocal rulers around on behalf of theall-powerful emperor. An all-humanfederation dealing exclusively withalien cultures would have a diplomat-ic corps specializing in xenology and

alien languages, as much scientists asdiplomats. Envoys to a species thatstill practices dueling and ritual com-bat might be ex-commandos skilledin mayhem. All diplomats have someintelligence-gathering and propagan-da functions.

On Earth, foreign embassies areconsidered “sovereign territory,” invio-late by local authorities. Other civiliza-tions might not follow this standard.Differences in how civilizations view and treat diplomats can lead tocomic misunderstandings – or endlessinterstellar war.

Interstellar TradeCommission

The ITC regulates trade, operatesthe customs stations at all starports,and cooperates with the Patrol (p.203) against interstellar smuggling.The size and power of the ITC mirrorshow much the government controls

the economy. It will be a huge bureau-cracy in states with a high economicCR, and an underfunded licensingagency in low-CR cultures that valuefree trade. In a corporate state, theITC is the Auditing Department, mak-ing sure that shipments and paymentsgo to the right places.

Mercenary Regulatory Agency

In cultures that don’t use merce-naries, this agency is simply part ofthe police, tasked with cracking downon illegal private armies. Where mer-cenaries are permitted, they set theground rules.

Regulatory agencies almost alwaysprohibit biological, chemical, or“dirty” nuclear warfare within thenation’s borders. Clean tactical nukesare sometimes allowed. Mercs mustnot go to a troubled world unless hiredby someone on the scene, and mustleave when the fighting is over.

The MRA may also try to level thetechnological playing field to preventhigh-tech offworlders from com-pletely dominating local forces.Agency inspectors get very good atspotting concealed high-tech gear.Some latitude may be allowed; incertain civilizations the MRA canjuggle restrictions on both sides of afight to make it an “even match.”(This is especially true if the MRAworks closely with media organiza-tions to make wars a good show forthe folks back home.)

The MRA maintains a centraloffice on the capital world. Otheroffices may be opened if local businessmakes it worthwhile. Regulators areassigned to each merc outfit. Someare self-righteous and obnoxious;some can be bought; some do theirjobs.

The MRA is also a clearinghousefor licensed mercenary outfits seekingwork. When contracts are negotiated,the employers place half the agreedpayment on bond with the MRA. Ifthere is a dispute later between themercs and their boss, the MRA arbi-trates – paying the mercenaries fromthe bond fund if necessary. Societieslike informal empires that use merce-naries may subsidize them duringlong periods of peace.

NavyThe space navy is generally the

dominant military force in any inter-stellar society, if only because sol-diers can’t fly from planet to planetwithout a spaceship. The Navy’s jobis to control space and deny it toenemy forces. Spaceships can alsomake devastating strikes againstplanets and bases, but aren’t muchgood at taking and holding territory.Between wars, the navy maintainsreadiness by carrying out mock bat-tles – often in barren, remote systemswhere it can use live ammunition.

Large naval bases are maintainedat strategic locations, often on airlessmoons or navy-controlled worlds.Small bases – mostly for refueling andrepairs – are attached to many largerstarports. The navy also has an intelli-gence branch, responsible for gather-ing current information on enemymilitary forces.

In an alliance or other loose socie-ty, the navy may be the professionalcore of the fleet, supplemented inwartime by regional forces of varyingability. Where the navy is the sole mil-itary arm, tight control must bemaintained or the admirals may seizecommand and declare an empire.

During peacetime, governmentsoften find other things for the Navy todo. Navy ships may conduct sciencemissions, provide aid at disaster sites,or support colony projects. Ships maybe detached for tours with the Patrol,or may simply be the Patrol.

Office of Colonial Affairs

The Office of Colonial Affairsoversees colony ventures. In anexpanding society with lots ofcolonies, the OCA may rule dozensor hundreds of star systems, makingit very powerful. One or two obscureclerks in an office in the capital citymay decide the fate of whole sectors.New colonies may be planted onresource-rich worlds, or to secure acontested sector, or on deliberatelyharsh worlds as dumping-groundsfor prisoners and dissidents. If colo-nization is typically a private enter-prise, the OCA may serve as “refer-ees” to decide which group of settlersgets control of a given planet.

Settings with very few habitableworlds may replace the OCA with theTerraforming Authority, in charge ofmodifying planets and seeding themwith life. The staggering cost of ter-raforming means that colonies willonly be allowed with governmentapproval, and illegals may be hunteddown and deported.

PatrolThe primary responsibility of the

Space Patrol is law enforcement: anti-piracy and anti-smuggling patrols,and police duty on small or remotecolonies. They also regulate andinspect starships and space stations,assist vessels in distress, and generallykeep space peaceful and orderly.

Typically, the heaviest Patrol shipwill be a light cruiser, but crews arelikely to be elite. Patrol vessels get putunder navy command duringwartime, but at all times there’s a rival-ry between the two services.Patrolmen consider the navy a bunchof overequipped glory hogs who spendall their time in training, while navyspacers look down on the Patrol as“orbital crossing guards” who can’thandle real threats.

Patrol bases are attached to manystarports; even minor starports arelikely to have a Patrol office. TheSpace Patrol also has separate opera-tion bases, away from the commercialstarports, from which major anti-pira-cy and other missions are launched.The Patrol usually maintains a covert-operations office; its agents infiltrate

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criminal organizations. (In a repres-sive society, they are secret police.)The Patrol is known for rigorousadherence to the letter of the law andrigid interpretation of those laws.

Postal AuthorityThe Postal Authority is responsi-

ble for the mail. Mail between vitalworlds is carried by official courierships. Mail service for minor worldsis contracted out to private tradeships. This is profitable – many inde-pendent traders depend on mail runsfor steady cash – but PA standardsare high! Other interstellar commu-nications may also be controlled bythe Postal Authority, depending ontechnology.

Control of interstellar communica-tions makes the Postal Authorityextremely powerful. In any high-CRsociety, the PA reads the mail and forbids distribution of “treasonous”publications.

In some settings, the PA may be ahuge private company or nonprofitentity. It may be galaxy-wide, usingthe threat of cutting off communica-tions to keep governments from inter-fering. And whoever does control thepost office can rule the galaxy!

Security and Intelligence Agency

Just about all governments want tokeep some things secret, and justabout all of them want to find outwhat everyone else is trying to hide.This task can be divided into threemain categories: foreign intelligence(spying on other governments),domestic intelligence (spying on thegovernment’s own citizens), and coun-terintelligence (catching or foolingenemy spies).

Foreign intelligence agenciesspend most of their time reading newsreports, census data, and other publicinformation in order to get a compre-hensive picture of what other govern-ments are doing. Their chief concernis identifying military or terroristthreats, though some governmentsuse their intelligence agencies to spyon foreign corporations to helpdomestic firms compete. They alsomake use of electronic signal intercep-tion, and of course hire spies.

Domestic intelligence is part of lawenforcement, but focuses on peoplewho might commit crimes instead ofthose who have actually done some-thing. In particular, domestic spiesseek terrorists and organized crime. Intyrannical states, domestic intelli-gence also rounds up dissidents, crit-ics of the regime, and anyone wholooks like they might be one.

Counterintelligence works onuncovering foreign spies, and onspreading disinformation to make itharder for the other guys to get accu-rate information.

The three types of espionage areoften combined with covert opera-tions forces – secret military or para-military units trained to be stealthy,fast-moving, and well-hidden. Covertops do the things the governmentneeds to do secretly.

A state may have different agenciesfor each job. Or it may have multipleagencies, each of which does a few ofthose tasks. Given the nature of thesecret world, that means they oftenwind up spying on each other.

Special Justice GroupThe Special Justice Group controls

large corporations. Its precise rolevaries depending on the society.Where there are few restrictions, it issimply a “referee” focused on keepinga level playing field. In societies moresuspicious of big business, the SJGmonitors corporations closely, scruti-nizing ads for subliminal messagesand analyzing tax data in search of“financial anomalies.”

Of course, in some societies thegovernment runs the corporations,either directly (in a Corporate State orsocialist system) or indirectly(through “crony capitalism” or state-granted monopolies). In those situa-tions the SJG acts as a liason office, or

directs its attentions at corporationsthat don’t have the favor of the government.

The Special Justice Group is likelyto keep its base of operations wher-ever businesses are most concen-trated, with branch offices in all themajor financial hubs. Field investiga-tors must rely on civilian transport orcall in the Patrol to assist on raids.

Survey ServiceThe Survey Service is in charge of

discovering new worlds and maintain-ing accurate information aboutknown ones. Discovering new worldsis the task of the Scout Service orExploration Division. Maintainingdata on known worlds falls to theSurvey Division, sometimes known asthe Grand Survey or the AstrographicDivision.

First-in scouts are a quirky lot, soli-tary and temperamental. Often usingone- or two-man craft, they visit unex-plored systems. If they find a poten-tially habitable world, they make thebest report they can, landing for closeinspection if there are no apparenthazards. First-in scouts especiallywatch for signs of intelligent life. If anintelligent species is detected, theymay avoid contact – that’s a job forspecialists. In some settings, first-inscouts may be freelance explorers,ranging into unknown space in sec-ond-hand ships looking for valuableworlds, and then selling their data tothe Survey Service.

When the scouts make a favorablereport on a new world, the surveyteam goes in. A survey team may be asingle ship or a full expedition; itincludes xenobiologists, planetolo-gists, xenoarchaeologists, and first-contact specialists. They begin bymaking an exhaustive orbital study,landing only when the planet is judgedsafe. Survey scouts certify worlds assuitable for colonization, and makerecommendations about relationswith new alien societies. Surveyscouts are more intellectual than theirfirst-in brethren, but they are stilladventurous survivors.

Survey stations, manned by explo-ration division personnel, may be setup for the long-term scientific study ofplanets or interesting space phenome-na (e.g., black holes) and major

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archaeological finds (like Precursorsites). Covert survey stations may beestablished if a planet has a low-TLnative race deemed worthy of studybut “unready” for contact. In an inter-planetary campaign with no FTL trav-el, most worlds will have beenexplored already, so manning suchprojects may be the scouts’ main role.

During wartime, scouts areattached to the navy. First-in scoutsperform long-range reconnaissance,while survey scouts are attached tonaval intelligence, often acting as fleetintelligence forces.

PRIVATEORGANIZATIONS

Alien Rights LeagueThe Alien Rights League is an

altruistic group dedicated to promot-ing equality for all sapient beings. Insocieties that respect individual rights,the ARL focuses on fighting prejudiceamong the citizens, and works closelywith government legal agencies.

But in societies that legally oppressaliens, the ARL must work against thegovernment. Sometimes it existsunderground, operating safe housesand secret transport routes for aliensfleeing oppression.

In any setting the ARL is likely tobe a perennial thorn in the side of theOffice of Colonial Affairs, standing upfor the rights of low-tech or presapi-ent natives the OCA wants to displace.Often the xenologists of the scoutservice are the ARL’s best allies in government.

As a private organization, the ARLlikely maintains a modest office nearthe seat of power in the society, and anetwork of supporters (both open andsecret) throughout the galaxy.

CorporationsBig business can’t be bigger than

the society that supports it. In a free-market society that prevents monopo-lies and encourages competition, evena huge corporation won’t be biggerthan 1d% of the society’s total eco-nomic volume (see p. 95). Monopoliesthat control an entire industry can bebigger, up to 2d%. A corporate statewould consist of several monopolies

joined into a single conglomerate,controlling the lion’s share of an entireeconomy.

Multistellar corporations operateacross many worlds or star systems.The quickest way to figure the size ofa multistellar is to add up the eco-nomic volume of all the worlds whereit operates and roll one or two dice todetermine its share of the economy. Amore detailed approach would con-sider how much of a share it has oneach world separately: on some plan-ets GalactiCo is merely a big compa-ny among many, but on others it hasa monopoly in its industry, and on afew worlds it dominates the localeconomy.

A typical corporation has oneemployee per $100,000 to $500,000 insales (at lower TLs this may be high-er). This doesn’t count things like pri-vate armies, spies, goons, bribes, orsecret black-technology projects, ofcourse. Following the usual rule formilitary budgets, a corporation proba-bly won’t spend more than 1% of itssales on such “nonessentials.” Ofcourse, a multiplanet corporation canconcentrate its forces and overwhelmthe military of a small planet, and useadvanced technology as an advantageagainst primitive societies.

Free Trade LeagueAt first, it was little more than an

association of independent tradersthat met at market worlds to swapinformation. As interstellar competi-tion – and regulation – grew, the FreeTrade League became a lobbyinggroup for the rights of independenttraders. It now has offices everywherethat traders gather.

The league is a clearinghouse formarket information. An independenttrader who has valuable informationhe can’t use will pass it to the league –which brokers the data to other inde-pendents before the big corporationsget the word. The original trader getsa 5-10% royalty; the League itselftakes a percentage as well.

The league also arbitrates griev-ances among members and operatesas a bank, facilitating transactionsbetween races and cultures. Tradersdown on their luck can apply for a loan – but if they can’t pay it back,they’ll be pariahs in the trade community.

Governments that want to controltrade (or are chummy with big corpo-rations) may view the Free TradeLeague as a nuisance, but others maysupport it as a valuable aid to main-taining free markets and competition.

Mercenary CompaniesMercenary units are simply small

to mid-size corporations who deal inmayhem. They may use euphemismslike “private security firms.” Merc out-fits are typically small in size – gener-ally not more than 1,000 troops, andoften fewer. Companies can be con-tracted for specific missions or hiredby the month. Sensible mercenariesknow that a company’s reputation isits biggest asset, so they fulfill con-tracts and keep up high standards oftraining and off-duty behavior. Othermercs may be more interested in get-ting a quick profit by looting, betrayal,or seizing power. Mercs can be theequalizer when a remote colonycomes into conflict with a majorpower or megacorporation, or theycan be the “deniable assets” used bythe big guys.

Mercenary space fleets are rarer,due to the immense cost of warshipsand the understandable reluctance ofgovernments to have them in privatehands. Where they do exist, they aregenerally called “privateers” ratherthan mercenaries.

News ServicesNews services can be either private

corporations or government-con-trolled media. Which type depends onthe Control Rating of the home socie-ty. Each one requires reporters orstringers to gather news, who may ormay not be the same as the peoplewho present it to the public. Newsservices are extremely important inany society: in tyrannies they are oneof the chief methods the governmentuses to maintain control, and in opensocieties they are the battlegroundwhere ideas are presented.

The available technology deter-mines what the news services will look like. If messages have to be car-ried by starships, then interstellarnews will be more like a newspaper ormagazine in presentation, with no“breaking news” coverage because ofthe lag times in transit. Interstellar

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“broadcasting” in real time allowssomething like network televisionnews. Interstellar computer networksmake it possible to have decentralized,ad-hoc volunteer news services. Ingeneral, the more difficult it is to sendmessages, the easier it would be forsomeone to control the spread ofinformation and manipulate whatpeople know.

Governments and corporationshate news services when they run sto-ries revealing embarrassing secrets.Activist groups love them becausethey can “leverage” a small organiza-tion’s influence.

The OrganizationThe Organization (if it really exists)

can only thrive in a middle ground oflegal strictness. In high-CR societies,police monitoring makes it too hard tooperate. In very low-CR cultures,there’s too much legitimate competi-tion for what the Organization has tosell! What the Organization prizes areplanets with moderate to strict lawsand lots of corruption.

The Organization is effectively amultiplanet corporation, with a near-monopoly in its chosen field. As suchit’s comparable in size to a big multi-stellar company and has similarassets. On the rare occasions when it’sbeen necessary, the Organization caneven hire mercenary armies and pirateships for full-scale military operations.

On many worlds, all criminal activ-ities require the approval of theOrganization – with a piece of theaction going to the syndicate. And onany world with a population of morethan a few hundred, there’s anOrganization contact. OrganizationVIPs live like royalty, often on syndi-cate-controlled worlds where crimebosses are feudal lords. TheOrganization also sponsors sanctuaryworlds beyond the reach of police.

Should the PCs want to find anOrganization contact on a new world,the best place is a startown or similarport area. Roll against Streetwise,minus the Control Rating of the localgovernment (see p. 94). Each attempttakes two days of barhopping and hintdropping. As a rule, about the time thesearcher gives up, he’ll be tapped onthe shoulder and escorted to Mr. Big’soffice. A critical failure will lead to

unwelcome interest by either theOrganization or the local authorities.

Psionic Studies InstituteThe PSI is a research foundation

dedicated to the study of psionics, butthere’s more to it than that. It is asecret psionic society that offers aidand training to psis. The institute hasbranches on major worlds, particular-ly those with large universities. PSImembers constantly search for prom-ising candidates for training. Someare willing recruits, rescued fromdeath at the hands of anti-psionicmobs. Others get a mysterious “schol-arship award” and learn what’s goingon only after they’re already enrolled.And there are rumors that some PSImembers were abducted and brain-washed . . .

In worlds where psionics arewidely known and at least marginallyaccepted, PSI is the semi-officialtraining and licensing organizationfor psionics. There will still be somecrackpots who think it’s a conspiracy– and sometimes the crackpots areright! Where psis are oppressed, PSIhelps them avoid vivisection or conscription into the government’s

psi-force. Where psionics don’t exist,PSI is a group of crackpots andfrauds. (Or is that just what theywant you to think?)

Universities andScientific Foundations

Scholarly organizations can behuge and influential, and very long-lived. In a wealthy interstellar society,a university might be “endowed” witha whole planet! Healthy, growing soci-eties have academies that developyoung minds and expand the frontiersof knowledge. Decadent cultures haveuniversities devoted to nothing butrehashing the work of past scholarsand savage infighting over academicprivileges.

Scientific foundations can range insize from giant government researchagencies to tiny groups funded by oneor two wealthy enthusiasts. Either endof the spectrum can produce cutting-edge research or monumental quack-ery. In tyrannical societies, scholarstend to “discover” results that con-form to official ideology (or theemperor’s whims).

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StartownA long-standing trope in space fiction is the rough-and-tumble “star-

town” district near the spaceport. On all but the most xenophobicworlds, the authorities realize that offworlders will have strange cus-toms, may not understand local rules, and need to “cool their jets” aftera long voyage. So most planets have a small area (often no more than afew city blocks) near the spaceport where officials turn a blind eye tostrange behavior. Assume the CR in Startown is one or two levels lowerthan the norm for that world.

In addition to visitors, startowns attract locals with unconventionaltastes or ideas. Some just drop in to gawk at the offworlders, but a fewmove in and settle down. Add to them a few spacers permanently“between berths” and an assortment of crooks and opportunists, andyou’ve got startown.

On some worlds, startown is legally defined, perhaps even lyingwithin the port’s perimeter fence under control of the spaceport author-ity. It may even be an entire city, a “treaty port” like old Shanghai, theonly place on the planet where offworlders and locals can mix.

While the cops may tolerate some violations of local mores in star-town, that doesn’t mean the place is a free-fire zone. Violence, especial-ly violence involving weapons, will bring an appropriate response.Crimes committed against locals are investigated as usual. (Crimesagainst offworlders may not be such a big deal.) The regulars in star-towns understand this, and try to do their part to keep the peace.

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CHAPTER EIGHT

ADVENTURES

The cabin of the old fishing boat was crowded andsmelly, but Shiro tried to look cool and unconcerned. Insidehe was practically bubbling. Here he was, surrounded bygenuine resistance fighters, planning to strike at the alienoverlords!

The old Russian captain coughed quietly and everyone fellsilent. He unrolled a sheet of coarse paper on the chart table.“This is our target: the cosmodrome at Narita. Each of youand your organizations will have an important job to do.”

Shiro listened, memorizing everything, as the captain out-lined each resistance group’s role in the plan. As the briefingwent on, he began to feel a little crestfallen. What was the AlienFighter Army going to do? After all the trouble they’d gone tojust getting in touch with the resistance, it would be terrible ifthe Alien Fighter Army wasn’t allowed to help.

“Shiro – still with us? Good. Your people are in charge ofcreating a diversion. You need to cause chaos all through

central Tokyo, beginning around sunset. That should draw thepolice away from Narita.”

“What kind of chaos?”“It should look serious. Could you start a riot?”Shiro thought desperately, then beamed as an idea came to

him. “Comics!”“Eh?” The old Russian looked skeptical.“The Shahar banned comics and had all the old ones

destroyed because there were too many alien bad guys. If Ipass the word that a big cache of old comics has been found,I can get thousands of fans to show up! When they find outthere’s nothing, you’ll get your riot.”

The captain looked off into the distance for a moment, thensmiled a little. “Very well, comics it is. We use every weapon wecan get.”

Having set up the campaign, theGame Master needs to create someadventures for the players to run theircharacters through. This, ultimately, iswhere “the rubber hits the road.” Nomatter how much planning and workwent into the campaign, if the adven-tures aren’t interesting and fun,nobody’s going to know or care aboutthe setting.

Any roleplaying adventure has cer-tain key features: there is a hookwhich gets the PCs involved, a goal forthem to pursue, and obstacles to over-come. The precise nature of all thesethings depends on the characters andthe setting.

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The Default AdventureA useful concept in designing a campaign is to think of the “default

adventure.” This is simply what the characters are expected to do. Inclassic Dungeons & Dragons, for instance, the default adventure isexploring an underground complex full of monsters and treasure. InCall of Cthulhu, the default adventure is investigating an ancient cos-mic horror. The default adventure and the campaign concept tend to beclosely linked – one is simply an application of the other. So for a bandof tough space mercenaries, the default is a military operation – attack-ing an enemy force. For explorers, it’s finding a new planet and solvingits mysteries.

Not all the adventures have to fit the same template – in fact it wouldbe deadly dull to make them all the same. The default adventure servesas the point of departure, the “zero setting” on all the knobs before youstart to twiddle them. Characters can enter new and different adven-tures once they have “mastered” the default scenario. So after the spacemercenaries have run a few basic military operations, the GM can startthrowing curve balls: betrayal by allies, a natural disaster which inter-rupts the battle, maybe even the discovery of an underground complexfull of monsters and treasure. The explorers could be called upon toconduct a military operation because the rest of the fleet is mysterious-ly absent, or find clues on a new planet that lead to an ancient cosmichorror.

The GM can use default adventures to play up different aspects ofthe game and the setting. One mercenary operation might wind upbeing mostly negotiation, as a besieged garrison bargains for honorableterms of surrender. Another could turn into an investigation as the sol-diers realize there is a traitor among them. The GM can drop defaultadventures into different crossover genres, so that the explorers face ahorror story scenario on one planet, a swashbuckling adventure on thenext, and a tense thriller on a third.

THE HOOKThe hook for an adventure is what

gets the characters involved in the sit-uation. Some campaigns have hooksbuilt into their structure, while othersallow the heroes to blunder into situa-tions on their own.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It . . .

Heroes who have a duty to someagency can simply be assigned mis-sions that will lead to adventures –although often the mission doesn’tseem particularly exciting when it’sassigned. This applies to military per-sonnel, explorers working for the sur-vey service, police, spies, and possiblydiplomats. Some freelance character

types are also good for mission-styleadventure hooks. Bounty hunters,independent scouts, or mercenariesare essentially “adventurers for hire”and the latest client can send them ona mission of danger and excitement.

The useful thing about this kind of“assigned adventure” is that there’s lit-tle chance the characters will turn itdown and go bowling instead. Ifyou’re a space marine and the colonelsays go attack that pirate base, well,that’s what you’re going to do. Theemphasis is on how the charactersaccomplish the mission rather thanwhat they’re going to do. Thisapproach works very well with “set-piece” adventures, and appeals toplayers who want to get straight to thecrunchy bits of tactical plans, blowing

stuff up, and infiltrating through theair ducts. The chief drawback is that itmay be hard to surprise the players orget the characters into unusual situa-tions. It may also be hard to createmuch continuity from adventure toadventure.

Going FishingOther characters aren’t looking for

adventure, and their ostensible jobsdon’t normally lead to mysteries andshootouts. Merchants, asteroid min-ers, colonists, and some scientistsrequire hooks that are at least vaguelyrelated to the job they’re supposed tobe doing. For merchants the canonicaladventure hook is the weird cargo ormysterious passenger, prospectorsand colonists can run across strange

things in the wilderness, and scientistsdiscover something that becomes thefocus of an adventure.

For this kind of campaign, it’soften best for the GM to toss out lotsof potential adventure hooks and letthe characters follow up whicheverones interest them. (To save oneffort, the GM can have severalhooks lead to the same scenario.) Sothe merchants hear a rumor in thespaceport bar about a lost treasure,bump into an old spacer who’s tryingto get revenge on the pirates whokilled his family, see a news itemoffering a reward for a hijacked ship,and are offered a good price on acargo of alien artifacts. Any one ofthese can lead to an adventure, andthey give the feeling of a vibrant universe full of mysteries and excitement.

Drawbacks to this approach is thatplayers may get kind of scatterbrained– pursuing one adventure hook andthen dropping it to take up a differentone. Game Masters who like to createdetailed scenarios in advance maywind up with a lot of unused material.

And if every option leads to a mysteryor a battle, the PCs may start to feel alittle put-upon – “Can’t we ever haul anormal passenger?”

A Date With DestinyAny characters can simply have

the bad luck to get caught up in astrange or dangerous happening.The marines are on leave, the mer-chants are buying new reactor parts,or the colonists are building a newwind turbine – when suddenly thekidnapped princess begs for help! Orthe aliens attack! Or whatever.

This is a very good approach to usefor an introductory adventure, whenthe characters may not know oneanother and the players are still learn-ing about the setting. It also workswell for “change of pace” adventures –getting the marines into a romanticcomedy situation or the merchantsinto a technothriller. The chief draw-back is that adventures by chancedon’t happen very often. If “one in amillion chance” things happen to theheroes every few weeks it starts toerode the sense of realism in the cam-paign (unless, of course, there’s some-thing causing all these weird things).

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Metaplot“Metaplot” is a term used to describe the ongoing

storyline within a game world. Many published role-playing games, especially those tied to a specific set-ting, have a metaplot that is gradually revealed in newsupplements and sourcebooks. Here, we use the termto describe the unfolding history of the game world,which may or may not have any connection to theactions of the heroes. So in a campaign involvingarchaeologist-astronauts digging up alien ruins onMars, the metaplot might have growing internationaltension between the United States and China explodeinto war. America and China are a long way fromMars, and it’s unlikely anything the PCs did had any-thing to do with the start of the war, but it will affecthow the Chinese and American characters interact.

Why have a metaplot? Three reasons. First, a gameworld which changes and evolves helps make it allseem more real. Players may find themselves gettinginterested in the unfolding history of the setting. In asmall-scale campaign, the sense that this is a bigworld full of things going on helps make things moreexciting. A newspaper or “Galactic Action News”report at the start of each session makes a nice tran-sition from mundane reality to the world of the game.

Second, a metaplot is a great source of adventurehooks, especially if large-scale conflicts are underway.

Characters in a military campaign will be greatlyaffected by wars and changing alliances. Merchantsmay profit – or lose their shirts – as a result of large-scale events. The introduction of new technologiescan change everything, giving some the chance tobenefit and forcing others to struggle to adapt.

Finally, metaplots make a good scale indicator or“scorecard” for the player characters. When theiractions do start to affect the course of events, theyknow they’ve made it to the big time.

Before the Game Master hurries off to start plan-ning half a dozen world-shaking events for the cam-paign, there are some things to keep in mind. First,players have limited time and attention to devote tothe game, and expecting them to keep up with a bar-rage of in-game current events may be asking toomuch. Keep the amount of information down tomaybe half a dozen “news bulletins” per game ses-sion. Second, be sure that the changes don’t destroythe appealing features of the campaign. If the playersare happily building up a thriving little commercialempire as star merchants, wrecking everything with amassive alien invasion can provoke resentment –aimed at the Game Master, not the aliens.

Let me make this abundantly clear. I dothe job, and then I get paid.

–Mal, Firefly

GOALS

210 ADVENTURES

The goal in an adventure is simplywhat the characters are trying toaccomplish. Very often the goal andthe hook are the same thing: you’rehired to find the killer androids, sotracking them down is the goal. But itcan be interesting when the hook isn’tthe real goal. This comes about eitherbecause the heroes have been misin-formed about the true nature of themission, or because somethingunforeseen happens along the way.

As an example, suppose the heroesare mercenaries hired to do a simplestrike mission against a remote corpo-rate research lab. The mission goes offflawlessly, but it turns out the lab wasdoing biowarfare research and someof the troops are now infected with avirus causing compulsive cannibal-ism. So now instead of a straight upshootout, the heroes are caught in anightmare of paranoia and horror.

Goals that diverge from the origi-nal hook are a good way to throwsome variety into mission-drivenadventures, and are practicallyrequired in hard-boiled, grim-and-gritty scenarios in which nobody tellsthe whole truth and there are wheelswithin wheels at work. They are also agood way to challenge players whotend to over-plan things in advance. Aswith “date with destiny” adventures,they can be done too often – if every

adventure involves some unexpectedchallenge, the players may get restive.

TYPES OF GOALSThere is a limitless range of possi-

ble goals, but most of them can begeneralized into three types.

Go SomeplaceThe characters have to get to a

place. But of course they can’t justwalk in. Perhaps the place is hidden,so they have to find it. Maybe theyhave to evade traps and alarms to getin. The place can be defended by forcefields and an army. Or maybe it’s veryexclusive and they have to get an invi-tation. It could simply be very faraway. If getting there isn’t the prob-lem, maybe the heroes have to arrivebefore something happens, or beforesomeone else does. Sometimes goingsomeplace really means getting out ofsomeplace.

Get SomethingThe heroes have to get their hands

on a particular thing (or person, orinformation). The Something may beinside a Someplace, but there areother ways to make it hard to get.Something that is hidden must be

located. Mobile or intelligent beingsmay not want to be found, and mayeven fight the PCs when discovered.The heroes may be trading for thething in question, and must be able tomeet the price. Having gotten it, theheroes must keep the thing, eventhough others may have the samegoal. Often getting the reward (money,prestige, the handsome prince) is theultimate goal which lies behind all theothers in an adventure.

Do Something The PCs wish to make a change in

the world. This can be as peaceful asbuilding a new colony, or as violent asdestroying the emperor’s flagship. Itmay mean preventing someone elsefrom achieving a particular goal.Survival is probably the most basicthing to accomplish. Often one mustgo Someplace in order to do some-thing, and there may be things toacquire to ensure success.

Goals can be nested or linked, sothat the heroes must repair the star-ship in order to travel to an unex-plored system in order to penetratethe pirate fortress in order to steal thecrystal nanocomputer in order tocounteract the gray-goo plague that isdestroying New Earth.

OBSTACLESThe obstacles faced by the heroes

are the true meat of the adventure.Without obstacles, there’s really notmuch of a story. Obstacles are eitherinternal or external. Internal obstaclesare situations where a character’s per-sonality or desires (mental disadvan-tages, in GURPS terms) conflict withwhat they must do. External obstaclesare the various threats, barriers, puz-zles, and enemies the heroes have toovercome.

PUZZLES ANDMYSTERIES

Science is all about solving myster-ies. Some of them are big mysteries

like “What is the origin of the uni-verse?” while others are smaller mys-teries like “What is the effect ofhydrolyzation on this particular pro-tein?” Part of the fun of science-fictionroleplaying is that the players get toexperience some of the same thrill ofdiscovery that scientists get from theirwork. Giving the heroes a puzzle tosolve is always an interesting obstacle.

Conventional PuzzlesA conventional puzzle is a mystery

or question with an answer based onhuman motivations or the mundanedetails of the setting, rather than sci-ence or fantastic elements. This does-n’t make them any less interesting or

potentially important. Conventionalpuzzles can be things like “Why is theport commander refusing to let usunload our cargo?” or “How can oursquad get past that guard tower with-out being seen?” or “Who murderedDr. Fortunato?” Solving them mayrequire roleplaying and informationgathering, physical action and com-bat, or a combination. Sometimeswhat seems to be a conventional mys-tery turns into a science puzzle.Conventional puzzles have the advan-tage that they don’t require a lot ofbackground knowledge, either of realor imaginary science, which makesthem especially suitable when theplayers don’t know a lot of science

even though their characters do.Solving non-scientific puzzles can givethem the same feeling of discovery.

Scientific PuzzlesA science puzzle is one where the

answer specifically lies in the realm ofundiscovered scientific facts. Thisdoes not mean they must be dry orunimportant: finding the vaccine to adeadly plague is a science puzzle, as iscoming up with a way to prevent anasteroid impact, or working out thepurpose of an ancient alien device.

Fiction and roleplaying gamesadd the possibility of “rubber sciencepuzzles” in which the scienceinvolved is imaginary or at leasthighly speculative.

A problem with science puzzles isthat they require a very good level ofscience knowledge on the part of bothplayers and Game Master. The GMhas to know enough to set up a fairand interesting problem, and the play-ers must be able to at least partly fig-ure it out themselves. Science prob-lems which are solved entirely by dierolls against the characters’ scienceskills are pretty boring, so it helps ifthe players can at least figure out thebroad outlines of the answer, then dothe die rolling to fill in the details.

Even when the Game Master isusing an imaginary science as thebasis for an adventure, he must beabsolutely clear about how that imag-inary science works, so that clever or

merely inquisitive players can’t pokeholes in his creation by asking thewrong questions.

ADVERSARIESAdversaries are people or other

beings who function as obstacles inan adventure. They must be defeated,subverted, evaded, or otherwise dealtwith. One of the chief ways sciencefiction differs from other genres is itsemphasis on rationality. The underly-ing assumption is that we can under-stand the universe. This is reflected inthe nature of enemies in many SFstories.

Good and evil certainly have theirplace, and there are no shortage of sto-ries, especially older ones, in whichthe heroes are good guys and the vil-lains are bad guys and that’s that.Adventures that try to duplicate theclassic pulp feel may do likewise. Buta more common approach (reflectingsome of the basic optimism of thefield) is to redefine Evil as Ignorance.Enemies are enemies because eitherthey don’t understand the heroes, orbecause the heroes haven’t discoveredthe key piece of data that lets themunderstand the enemies. This appliesto “monsters” as well as people – thealien creature is only a danger untilthe scientists can figure out how tocommunicate with it or control itsbehavior (though sometimes the onlyway to do that is to kill it).

MonstersMonsters in space adventures can

be any sort of dangerous alien crea-ture, deadly robot, or genetically engi-neered horror. The important thingabout monsters is that they have to bea credible threat. Because futuristicweaponry packs a big punch, science-fiction monsters need some specialabilities to keep from getting fried.

Some creatures may be immune tothe effects of laser pistols or plasmaguns. Plasma-based life might shrugoff (or even enjoy) shots from energyweapons. Well-armored silicon-basedorganisms or beings with toughexoskeletons might be able to with-stand a few hits. Swarms are not veryvulnerable to a narrow beam.

You can’t hit what you can’t see.Monsters can use stealth and camou-flage to remain hidden until it’s time to

ADVENTURES 211

Alien PsychologyA fertile source for mysteries in science fiction is in the behavior and

motivations of aliens. Especially when communication is difficult orimpossible, working out what an alien creature is doing and why can bean excellent mystery for players to solve. The tone and style of the cam-paign determine exactly what the mystery is and why they need to solveit: if the alien is devouring the brains of Terrans, the heroes probablywant to find out what it’s hungry for in order to stop or destroy it.Conversely, if the aliens are just building huge crystal towers on a dis-tant asteroid, the mystery is what the towers are for.

Sometimes an alien-behavior puzzle is the result of biology. (“It’s try-ing to learn about us by eating brains!”) Other mysteries result fromquirks of alien culture. (“We eat the brains of strangers to demonstrateour oneness with all life.”) Finally, the alien motives may be all toounderstandable, and the problem is simply coming up with a way toresolve conflicts. (“I convinced him that ice cream is better than brains,at least on a hot day like this.”)

To make an alien puzzle, the GM obviously has to have a very goodunderstanding of the made-up aliens. Since the GM is the one makingthem up, that shouldn’t be too hard. The other important element is tomake sure there’s a good reason the PCs don’t already know the answerto the mystery. (“It says in the guidebook that these guys like to eatbrains, so never take your hat off in a restaurant.”) Are the aliens recent-ly discovered? Are they keeping this a secret on purpose? Has some-thing changed in the environment causing new behavior? (“The brainmines are running out!”)

strike. Burrowers can lurk under-ground. Psionic monsters could evenuse “psychic invisibility” to stroll rightup to their victims in plain sight.Speed and size modifiers can also helpmonsters survive and remain a viablethreat. Fast-moving flyers or smallfast-running creatures could be verydifficult to hit.

Monsters also need believablemotivations. Few creatures on Earthattack humans without provocation.Suitable motives include hunger (evenif they can’t eat humans, the alien ani-mals won’t know that until it’s toolate), protecting young (especially ifthe humans don’t recognize what the

young are), or guarding territoryagainst rivals. Trained animals, ofcourse, might be taught to attackfunny-looking two-legged creatures,and could even be fitted out withcybernetic enhancements to makethem into very dangerous livingweapons.

VillainsVillains are those who oppose the

heroes. They can be enemies, work-ing directly to prevent the heroesfrom succeeding; or they can berivals, who simply want to succeed attheir own goals even if that thwartsthe heroes. A vengeance-crazed

ex-lover who wants to kill one of thePCs is an enemy, while a greedy mer-chant who steals the last availableshipment of dronfberries is a rival.

Motivation is important for a con-vincing villain. In space opera settings,villains can be motivated by a love ofevil for its own sake, but other sciencefiction subgenres tend to emphasizerational villainy. Characters can haveextremely logical motives and still notbe nice (greed is logical). Alien villainsmay have motives that initially appearto be nothing but senseless evil, butwhich on closer examination turn outto have an entirely reasonable cause.

To be a credible opponent, a villainmust also be powerful enough to chal-lenge the PCs. That doesn’t necessarilymean all villains must be unstoppablecombat monsters; merely that in thespecific context of the adventure, theyhave enough power to be a threat. Ifthe PCs need to get into a formal partyto speak with the ambassador, theambassador’s protocol-obsessed socialsecretary is a powerful foe, even if he’sfrail and unarmed, because in that sit-uation he has tremendous clout thatthe heroes lack.

212 ADVENTURES

Adventure SeedsBounty Hunters

Lee Kang wiped out a whole space station full ofpeople to collect on an insurance scam. He’s been onthe run for years, but now someone’s spotted him: he’sin neutral space, living very well on a world ruled by acorrupt oligarchy. The price on his head is big, but is itworth sneaking him off a well-defended world to earn?

ColonistsA band of space pirates have crash-landed near the

only settlement on a remote world where the Patrol sel-dom ventures. The raiders claim they just need time tomake repairs and then they’ll leave, but they seem to bemaking a big effort to make friends among thecolonists. Someone needs to stand up to them beforethe colony becomes a pirate hideout.

CriminalsSomeone has skipped out on a loan, and the Boss

wants to make an example of him to keep anyone elsefrom getting ideas. The deadbeat is a scientist, whoneeded the money to fund an expedition to some far-offplanet to study the local primitives; she claims they

once had some kind of big-deal civilization. The Bosswants you to go there and ice the scientist. If you messup, don’t bother coming back.

DiplomatsYour government has sent you to arrange a treaty of

friendship with a newly discovered space-capable civi-lization. Not much is known about them, but severalscout ships did disappear in this part of space beforecontact. Adding urgency to the mission is the presenceof envoys from a rival power, trying to win the aliensover to their side.

ExplorersThe heroes have made a very interesting find: a star

system that has been completely converted into a“Dyson swarm” of giant space habitats, absorbing allthe energy of the central sun. Mysteriously, the swarmappears to be completely abandoned. What coulddestroy a civilization powerful enough to dismantleplanets?

Continued on next page . . .

ADVENTURES 213

GoonsOne thing that makes villains

impressive is that they usually comewith a big horde of obedient goons.They’re usually humans, but can alsobe big tough aliens, robots, or cyborgs.

Goons, like their masters, need tobe a credible threat to the heroes. If asmall band of PCs can wipe the floorwith the cream of the galactic tyrant’slegions, the question arises, “How didthose wimps conquer the galaxy, any-way?” Of course, a large force of com-petent goons will defeat the heroes inshort order. Balancing the two factorsis tricky.

The Aim maneuver is one usefultechnique, giving the heroes thechance to duck for cover or fast-drawtheir own weapon, while still leavingthe goons a chance to do some seri-ous damage. Another method is tomake sure that encounters with largeforces of goons only happen in con-stricted areas where they can’t maketheir numbers effective. Finally, GMscan encourage (and reward)attempts by heroes to sneak, bluff, oruse disguise to avoid combat withthe goons. If the heroes have had onetough battle with just a few goons

early in the adventure, they’ll have ahealthy respect for them later on.

Credible goons shouldn’t be toodumb. Bluffing through a checkpointshould require a hero who is highlyskilled at Fast-talk or Acting, andthere should still be some tensemoments when it seems the goonsmay not be falling for the charade. Italso helps maintain believability ifthe goons follow sensible tactics. Ifone guard fails to check in (becausehe’s been taken out by surprise), awhole team of other troops shouldarrive to see what’s the matter.

Adventure Seeds (Continued) Mercenaries

Here’s the job: two multistellar corporations are try-ing to get control of a world rich in rare minerals. Thenative sapients are low-tech and balkanized, but knowabout interstellar civilization. A revolution just brokeout in the biggest kingdom, and the two corps are back-ing different factions. Your job is to make sure youremployers’ faction wins. (Of course, if you want to getall idealistic, you could side with whoever’s going togive the natives the best deal.)

MerchantsIt sounded like a simple contract: some aliens hired

you to haul a consignment of eggs to a new colonyworld. What they forgot to mention is that the eggs aregenetically engineered predators to help control pestson the new colony. They also forgot to mention thatthey’re going to start hatching midway through the voy-age. They certainly won’t pay for any predators dam-aged in shipment.

NavyA band of rebels have stolen the plans for a key

defense installation. The ships of the star fleet havespread out to recover the plans before the rebels can usethem to mount a surprise attack. But the heroes discov-er that someone within the government is passing infor-mation to the rebels – is the rebel scare merely part ofsomething bigger?

PatrolThere’s a new wrinkle in piracy on the frontier, and

it’s pretty ugly. Raiders have been hitting poorly defend-ed settlements and carrying off the inhabitants to sell asslaves. The Patrol has to locate and infiltrate the slavemarket in order to find out who’s buying the slaves andwhere they’re being sent. Then they can shut the wholeoperation down with extreme prejudice.

ProspectorsThe Golconda Trojans are a rich asteroid cluster

where many prospectors operate. But now a big miningcompany is moving in, buying out or scaring off theindependents. They recently took over the only stationin the Golcondas where prospectors could get theirships repaired. Some of the guys are cashing in andretiring, others are heading out to find a new belt towork. But others are organizing; they’re going to stayand fight back. What about you?

ScientistsThe Ikana were a civilization that spanned this part

of the galaxy when humans were still hunting mam-moths. They were wiped out in a huge war with someunknown enemy. Now excavations on a remote Ikanaoutpost world have turned up traces of active machin-ery deep underground. Are there still Ikana surviving inhibernation? Or is it their destroyers, ready to emerge?

SoldiersA Patrol investigation has found the home base of a

slaver operation: a well-defended space station. Now it’stime for the marines to go in and take the place, with-out getting all the captives killed. The Patrol is provid-ing a couple of disguised merchant ships to get themarines into the docking bay. The enemy will be piratesand slavers – well-armed, not very well-trained, andwilling to fight to the death to avoid capture.

SpiesSomeone in Stellardyne is passing information on

cutting-edge weapon technology to rival powers. It’syour job to infiltrate the company’s research station andfind the spy. Of course, Stellardyne may have its ownsecrets to hide – and just who is the spy working for,really?

One important way in which role-playing adventures differ from film orwritten fiction is that they are teamefforts. A typical gaming group hasfrom three to six players, each ofwhom has at least one character. Eachone of those characters is (to that play-er, at least) the star of the story. Whencreating characters, it’s useful to thinkof ways to connect them, and set upplausible situations for a team ofadventurers to keep hanging aroundtogether.

MILITARY TEAMThe exploits and adventures of a

team of soldiers have a long history infiction, both in SF and outside thegenre. A squad or fire team is the rightsize for a gaming group, and explainswhy these particular soldiers arealways together. Fighter pilots can bein the same squadron, and tank ormecha crews may be aboard one ortwo vehicles, depending on crew size.In a military team, the characters have

a lot of overlap in skills and training,especially if they’re all in the samebranch of service. They’re all “combatmonsters” by definition. Making themindividuals is a matter of choosingvivid disadvantages and quirks, andsome distinctive non-military skills.Nicknames and regional or ethnictraits verging on caricature are com-mon in fiction.

A variant military team is theSpecial Forces or commando squad.The troops have to be quick to adapt

214 CHARACTERS

CHAPTER NINE

CHARACTERS“Recovering that disk’s not going to be easy.”“Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Captain,” I

snapped. “Kervan Kang didn’t get to be the galaxy’s leadingcrime lord by making it easy for people to steal from him.”

“We’re going to need help. I can fly a ship, and you knowas much as anyone about how to find the tablet once we getinto Kang’s private museum. I figure we’ll need some special-ists: a tech who can shut down or spoof Kang’s security web,and a couple of guys who can hold off Kang’s guards duringthe raid. Can you think of anyone else?”

“A medic, I suppose – somebody’s liable to catch a fewblaster shots during this whole operation. Maybe someone toprovide a distraction. Can we afford to hire three or fourexperts?”

“Not really. We could offer shares,” he suggested, but myglare ended that speculation. I wasn’t going to all the troubleof acquiring the Fomalhaut Disk only to sell it! The sole recordof an entire civilization would be enough to restore my scien-tific reputation a dozen times over.

“So we just have to find one super-agent who’ll workcheap,” I said bitterly, and then stopped. “That’s it!”

“You know someone like that?”“As a matter of fact, I do. Zelia Meff. She’s a xenobiologist,

but before she got her degree, she spent a few years working forthe Federation Intelligence Agency, in the Anomaly CorrectionOffice.”

“What did she do?”“Corrected anomalies, of course. She said

only four people in the galaxy are cleared toknow about her history, and that two of

them have to be kept sedated becauseof what they know. I do know she

catches Vreeba lizards for herresearch by shooting them withtranq darts from a kilometer away.”I didn’t tell Panatic about the timeshe’d inadvertently broken a would-be mugger’s spine after a late nightat the lab. No sense in intimidat-ing the good Captain, after all.

“Can we hire her?”“Hire? I’m not going to hire

her! I’ve got something muchmore valuable to offer: I’m

going to make her my co-author!”

GROUP STRUCTURES

to unexpected situations, whichmeans the characters get a lot moreinitiative than the average grunt in theranks. Special Forces teams can alsoinclude some highly trained special-ists in unusual fields, giving room formore diversity among the characters.

SPACESHIP CREWOn a small vessel the PCs can make

up the entire ship’s complement, whileon larger ships they can be the seniorofficers. For an interesting variant, thePCs might be low-ranking crew, per-haps part of a special “contact group”or the ship’s security troops. Anotherpossibility is to let each player havetwo or more PCs: one senior officerwho seldom leaves the ship, and a low-ranking crewman or space marine forplanetside adventures.

EXPLORATIONTEAM

A group of scientists or explorersmakes for a somewhat different typeof campaign. Whether they are planet-based or aboard a spaceship, explor-ers are likely to be much less rigidlydisciplined than a military unit. Thecharacters can be more quirky anddiverse, especially if it’s a privatelyfunded expedition. An explorationteam can contain scientists, experts onoutdoor survival, journalists or video-camera operators, linguists, traders,missionaries, and bodyguards. The

potential for personality clashes with-in such a group does mean that theGM and players should enjoy thatkind of roleplaying before undertak-ing the campaign.

THEPROFESSIONALS

A team of expert crooks assembledfor the Big Score is an old favorite incrime fiction, and the same situationcan be dropped into a science fiction

setting. Characters can be from a widevariety of backgrounds, with odd andflawed personalities. The only require-ment is the necessary skills for the job,at suitably high levels. Niche protec-tion (see the box) is especially impor-tant in this arrangement, and the GMneeds to be ruthless about makingsure the characters have the right abil-ities. To inject a note of paranoia andmistrust, characters can have hiddenagendas – secrets, hidden patrons, orpersonal enemies.

CHARACTERS 215

Niche ProtectionIt’s always a good idea to make sure that each character has a “niche”

– some particular area of expertise in which no other character hashigher effective skill levels. In general, the character’s niche shouldmatch the concept – if someone wants to play a “two-fisted spacemarine,” then that character should have the best brawling skill in theparty. (Sometimes it’s fun to play with those assumptions, and have theparty’s best fighter be the shy astrogator who just happens to be a mar-tial-arts champion.)

Niche protection ensures that all the characters get something to do.If one of the heroes is a good all-around character but someone else isbetter at any specific task, then the good all-around guy will always bestanding around while someone else takes on the tricky jobs. This does-n’t mean that every character should be absurdly specialized and onlyable to do one thing; having a backup on hand if one person is taken outof action is only prudent.

Character niches also make sure none of the players are sitting idletoo much. The GM can give each person’s character a chance to shineduring each play session by creating adventures that play to each niche.(Sometimes the situation simply doesn’t allow for this, but it’s a worthygoal to aspire to.)

CHARACTER CONCEPTSOnce the Game Master has

designed the campaign setting, the players need to come up withcharacters.

ASTRONAUTSSpace voyagers are almost the

“default” character type for a spacecampaign. Science fiction has shown agreat variety of possible models. Theearliest fictional space travelers reflect-ed the Victorian milieu of stories likeWells’ The First Men in the Moon orVerne’s From Earth to the Moon. Theywere a mix of brilliant-but-eccentricscientists, gentlemen explorers, andthe occasional virtuous sweetheart.

Many of the interwar pulp maga-zines kept the same blend, with a fewlower-class mechanics for comedyrelief or gangsters as villains. But talesset in the future introduced a new con-cept: space explorer as a profession.The Legion of Space in JackWilliamson’s stories, the Galactic Patrolof E.E. Smith’s “Lensman” series, andEdmond Hamilton’s Captain Futurebecame the new models.

Beginning with Yuri Gagarin,space exploration became a real-world career path, and writers beganto adjust their stories to reflect newrealities. Heroes became less two-fisted and trigger-happy, and shed their jodhpurs and jackbootsfor jumpsuits. In the 1980s gritty

realism took another giant step withthe appearance of blue-collar spaceheroes like those of the film Alien.

Whatever the character’s specificbackground, an astronaut needs cer-tain basic skills: Spacer (p. B185),Piloting (spacecraft type) (p. B214),Free Fall (p. B197), and Vacc Suit (p.192) are mandatory. G-Experience(p. B57) or Improved G-Tolerance (p.B60) allow them to be at home in avariety of gravity levels.

SPACE KNIGHTSThe idea of a superhuman warrior

for justice is surprisingly common inscience fiction. From the Lensmen ofE.E. Smith to the Jedi of George Lucas,

orders of elite, highly trained SpaceKnights have been defending thegalaxy and fighting for justice. Incomics they merged with superheroesto become the Green Lantern Corps.Space knights are more than just supe-rior fighters – they have powersunavailable to lesser mortals, and oftenthey serve a higher purpose rather thansimply drawing a paycheck from thegovernment. That’s what distinguishesa space knight from, say, a galacticGreen Beret or even the stalwart offi-cers of Star Trek’s starfleet.

Of course, space knights, like realfeudal aristocrats, can have a darkside. In past centuries, millions of peo-ple fought to be free of rule by heredi-tary elites; aristocrats with superhu-man powers could create an unshake-able tyranny. And again, history showsthat the worst tyrants of all are thosewho think they are doing good.

Space knights must naturally behighly competent (even the bumblingnovices are merely less supercompe-tent than the veterans). If they aretruly noble heroes, their disadvan-tages should only be heroic ones –Code of Honor, Sense of Duty, and thelike – although it can be fun to play atarnished hero with one serious flaw.In a darker campaign, the spaceknights may be less noble, addingBully, Intolerance, and Fanaticism.

The nature of the knights’ skillsdepends on the technology and set-ting. If elite warriors duke it out withenergy swords, then Force Sword skilland martial arts are most important.Settings where mecha jockeys orfighter aces are the “knights” requirePiloting or Driving skills and Gunner.Often knights have access to hiddenor secret lore unknown to the rest ofsociety.

TRAMPFREIGHTERSAND MERCHANTPRINCES

Merchant characters can be just aswide-ranging as knights, and can getinto a much wider range of trouble.They need a good array of skills: Law,Merchant, and Administration to runthe business side, social skills to makecontacts and close deals, space-pilot-ing skills to get from market to market,

and combat skills to deal with bandits,pirates, and hypercompetitive rivals.

In a ship crew, the characters canspecialize. The captain can focus onthe trading side, the pilot on space-craft operation, and the engineer onkeeping the old girl running. Combatcan be the responsibility of the marineveteran security officer (or maybe justthe cook), or all the crew can have atleast minimal competence withblaster or fists.

More high-powered campaignsmay involve individuals who runwhole trading companies. This doesn’tmean they can’t get into trouble (PoulAnderson’s Nicholas Van Rijn did hisshare of field work when he wasn’tmanaging his empire), but it doeschange the necessary skill mix. Socialskills and Administration becomevastly more important, along withArea Knowledge and Current Eventsto stay abreast of developments.

MODIFIEDHUMANS

Humans have always wished to bebetter than they are. The ancientGreeks told stories of super-strongHerakles and invulnerable Achilles.Science fiction allows realistic charac-ters with superhuman abilities. Whileearly stories such as Philip Wylie’s“Gladiator” postulated giving chemi-cal treatments to a developing fetus tocreate a superman, modern writersrely on either genetic modification oradvanced cybernetic implants to givecharacters special abilities. GURPSBio-Tech covers biological modifica-tions and technology.

Tailored GenesGenetic engineering has tremen-

dous potential. Think of all theamazing things that real livingorganisms already do. Early stagegenetic engineering would likelyfocus on removing genes for undesir-able traits (and the definition of“undesirable” is still a huge seethingcan of giant mutant worms for socie-ty to resolve). The next stage wouldbe to pick and choose among the bestof the human genome to create peo-ple with at least the potential to begreat at everything. Beyond that,engineers could start importing

genes from other primates, thenother mammals, and finally anyTerran life. By then they could evenstart inventing new genes, andhuman capabilities would be limitedonly by the physical laws of nature.

In GURPS terms, first-stage genet-ic engineering (late TL8 to TL9) wouldsimply remove most of the inbornphysical Disadvantages from play.With widespread gene selection,nobody would be born color-blind orhemophiliac. Depending on the socie-ty, even below-average looks wouldbecome rare.

Second-stage engineering (TL9-10)drastically widens the range of possi-bilities. Borrowing abilities from theanimal kingdom makes it quite feasi-ble to create amphibious people, peo-ple with Night Vision or echolocation,people with fur or armor skin, peoplewith wings, or people with incredibleattribute levels. Chapter 6 includesuseful guidelines for biological superpowers that don’t violate anynatural laws. Game Masters can (andshould) set limits on how many pointscharacters can spend on genetic modifications.

Metal and FleshAnother way to make people

superhuman is simply to boltadvanced machines onto them, orimplant devices inside their bodies.One might call this the “TinWoodman” solution, after L. FrankBaum’s character who graduallyreplaced lost body parts with tinuntil he was all metal. MartinCaidin’s novel Cyborg (whichinspired the TV series The Six MillionDollar Man) envisioned a man withsuper-strong “bionic” limbs. Adecade later the cyberpunk authorstook the idea to baroque excess,imagining just about every possiblecombination of human and machine.More recently, as the possibilities ofnanotechnology have become morecelebrated, the old ideas of coldmetal attached to living flesh havegiven way to new images of a merg-ing at the cellular level – bodies lacedwith tiny machines that are them-selves almost alive.

Detailed rules about body modifi-cations are covered on p. B294. In aGURPS campaign there are three

216 CHARACTERS

ways to handle cybernetics. Implantsand bionic limbs can be treated aspart of the character – in which casethey cost character points based oneffect, can’t easily be removed, anddon’t count against the character’sstarting wealth. This kind of cybernet-ics is effectively a “special effect,” andthe character shouldn’t get disadvan-tage points for missing the parts thebionics replace. This is probably thebest method for invisible internal sys-tems and full-body nanotechupgrades.

The second way is to treat bionicsas possessions, which just happen tobe attached to the person’s body.They cost money rather than points(although for really expensive sys-tems the character may wind uptrading points for wealth to affordthem), and can be stolen or removedabout as easily as any other posses-sion. The character does get the dis-advantage points for any missinglimbs or organs that the bionicsreplace, though the Mitigator limita-tion still applies. This methodencourages players to “trade up,”constantly upgrading their charac-ters’ systems just as they buy newguns and gadgets. Obviously thisworks best for external hardware likemechanical hands or legs.

Finally, the GM may elect to doboth, charging points and money forcyberware. This is a bit rough at char-acter creation, since the PCs are get-ting hit both for the Wealth they needto afford stuff and the point value ofthe bionics, but it does keep thingsunder control in play. Players can off-set the point cost with disadvantagesbased on missing body parts, and canlimit the cost of cybersystems withlimitations like Takes Recharge.Individuals with cybernetic systemscan take the Maintenance disadvan-tage to reflect the need for periodicoverhauls.

The price in dollars of cyberwarevaries with the campaign world andthe tech level. If implants or mechani-cal arms are common fashion acces-sories, mass-produced by the million,then they’ll be cheap – though thecheap ones may have built-in glitchesdue to hasty manufacturing and poorquality control. In settings wherecybertech is rare or secret, the cost canrun to millions.

UPLIFTEDANIMALS

If genetic engineering can improvehumans, it can do the same for otherspecies as well. People could makeanimals stronger, healthier, faster –and smarter. Possibly as smart ashumans themselves. David Brin’s“Uplift” series depicts a whole galacticcivilization based on species boostingothers to intelligence, and gives us thename for the process, but the idea hasbeen around much longer. OlafStapledon’s novel Sirius focuses on an intelligent dog, and CordwainerSmith wrote of animal-derived“Underpeople.”

The best candidates for suchimprovement are naturally the ani-mals that already show great naturalintelligence, language ability, or tooluse. Chimpanzees are an obviouschoice, with dolphins and dogs as run-ners-up. Other possible uplift subjectsinclude cats, raccoons, elephants,octopuses, bears, gorillas, parrots,ravens, killer whales, and coyotes.

The most important change for anuplifted animal is to raise IQ to 6 ormore and buy off the Bestial disadvan-tage. This creates an intelligent crea-ture, but with severely limited abilityto communicate or manipulate items.For species without natural hands thedesigners may either try to modify theanimal’s paws to give them manipulat-ing ability, or simply create tools thatovercome the lack of hands. The dol-phins in Brin’s “Uplift” stories usesophisticated robot arms controlledby cybernetic implants.

As to communication, the engi-neers have three options. They canmodify the animals to approximatehuman speech (though probably withthe Disturbing Voice disadvantage);they can go for a technical fix by pro-viding them with voice-synthesizerboxes or translation computers (theCannot Speak disadvantage with aMitigator); or they can create a lan-guage which the animals can speakbut humans can understand.

Exactly how much modification ispossible depends on the animal andthe campaign background. Raising adog’s intelligence would probably beeasier than modifying its entire anato-my and posture to give it hands andbipedal locomotion. Making a dolphin

into a humanoid would be about ashard as creating a new species fromscratch (and would negate most of thedolphin’s natural advantages anyway).

In many fictional worlds and cam-paign settings, engineered animals aresecond-class citizens, considered infe-rior to their human creators.Cordwainer Smith’s “Underpeople”were animal-derived humanoids whoserved as slaves to humans. Thiswould be a combination of low Statusand Social Stigma.

PSIONICMUTANTS

Humans with psionic powers havebeen around in science fiction since atleast the days of Edgar Allen Poe, whowrote about mind-controlling hypno-tists and psychic phenomena. Theexact nature of psi powers depends onthe campaign, of course. Traditionalabilities include telepathy, clairvoy-ance, and telekinesis. More exotic psipowers allow teleportation, time-jumping, world-jumping, probabilityalteration, and reality manipulation.Old-time “steampunk” psychic powersare closer to magic, with abilities likespirit medium, psychometry, and ani-mal communication. For details onparticular powers and abilities, see pp.B254-257.

Psionic mutants became a fixturein SF during the 1940s and 1950s,when public fears of nuclear war metthe legendary editor John W.Campbell’s interest in psionic experi-ments. Writers began using post-apoc-alyptic mutations as a way to explainthe growth of powerful psionics.

Unlike comic-book mutants, SFpsionics tend to have a single ability,like mind reading or telekinesis, oftenwith interesting limitations. LarryNiven wrote about Gil the ARM, afuture police officer whose telekinesisand ESP manifest themselves as an“imaginary arm” which is no strongerthan an ordinary limb but can reachthrough walls or even video screens!Player characters may require psi-booster drugs or cybernetic implants toactivate their powers – or to shut themoff! Game Masters should feel free tolimit the points characters can spendon psionics, and encourage them tocome up with limitations to make theirpowers unique and interesting.

CHARACTERS 217

The rarity of psionic powers deter-mines how much of an UnusualBackground the character shouldhave. In some settings, everyone canhave psionics, so it isn’t unusual at all!Alfred Bester’s novels The DemolishedMan and The Stars My Destinationboth feature worlds of universal psy-chic ability. If psionics is a secret fromeveryone without powers, then havingpsi powers is worth 20 points or more.If powers are known to secret govern-ment agencies and undergroundpsionic conspiracies but are consid-ered a myth by the general public,which would be worth about 10points. In worlds where psionics areknown but are limited to those bornwith the talent, it’s a 5-point UnusualBackground.

Psionics may also suffer a SocialStigma, especially if their powersresult from mutation. Normalhumans may view them as inhuman,unnatural, or dangerous. MarvelComics’ X-Men titles show this atti-tude among the general public. Thelevel of stigma depends on the cam-paign: in some worlds it may be aminor one, equivalent to SocialStigma (Second-Class Citizen); othersocieties may oppress or even seek toexterminate psionics! Some govern-ments may draft psionics to use theirpowers “for the greater good,” impos-ing an Involuntary Duty on psis.

By contrast, a society that acceptsand respects psionics may give levelsof Social Regard based on the charac-ter’s power level. Details will varydepending on the campaign, but agood guideline is 1 level of SocialRegard just for being psionic, 2 if thecharacter has an ability powerful oruseful enough to use professionally,and 3 or more if the character’s powersare notably strong or impressive. ThisRegard may be either respect or fear!

ROBOTS AND AISOne of the earliest SF stories, Mary

Shelley’s Frankenstein, is all about thecreation of an artificial intelligenceand the consequences of it. Shelley’sscientist used biological and alchemi-cal methods instead of electronics, butthe “Frankenstein theme” hasremained a key part of science fictionfor two centuries and shows no sign ofdisappearing.

There have been several reinterpre-tations of the idea. Most early storiestreated the idea of creating life orintelligence as a blasphemy. KarelCapek’s play R.U.R. used androids as away to comment on the exploitation ofworkers by industrial society, anddepicted their destruction of humansas a natural and perhaps desirableresult. Isaac Asimov rejected thewhole concept of conflict by positingrobots programmed with the “ThreeLaws of Robotics.” The three lawsmade robots ethical, possibly evenmorally better than humans, andAsimov suggested rule by beings whoare made to be ethical could be supe-rior to rule by flawed and falliblehumans. Jack Williamson’s stories ofthe “Humanoids” showed a possibleflaw in that reasoning, as his robotsdeprived humans of all freedom in thedrive to protect them.

Parallel to the idea of the robot isthe concept of the computer. Whererobots were in some way “people” – away to comment on how humans actand how they treat each other – thegiant super-intelligent computer rap-idly took on the qualities of a god. D.F.Jones’ Colossus and Asimov’s Multivacwere both titanic thinking machinesin fiction, so vastly intelligent thathumans often had trouble under-standing their motives.

As computer technology hasbecome more powerful and wide-spread in recent decades, depictionsof artificial intelligence have becomemore realistic and sophisticated.Modern stories tend to focus on intel-ligent programs that can run on anysufficiently powerful machine. Ahumanoid metal body or a giant boxwith blinking lights are just the “plat-form” now for the AI.

Giant computers and realistic-styleAIs should take the Digital Mindadvantage, but old-style robots andandroids may not; their intelligence isbound to a particular robot brain. Onthe other hand, robots do take theMachine meta-trait, while an AI pro-gram living entirely in cyberspacewould not.

As with psionics and upliftedorganisms, robots and AIs get a SocialStigma in many settings. Often theyare considered property, or lack cer-tain legal rights enjoyed by humans(the right to reproduce, for instance).

Of course, in some settings (like theGURPS Reign of Steel world) com-puters are the masters and it’s humanswho are the victims of oppression!

ALIENSThe first speculations about alien

beings are nearly two thousand yearsold. The Roman satirist Lucian ofSamosata wrote of a ship being car-ried by a whirlwind to the Moon,where the crew encounters strangevegetable-people. Johannes Keplerimagined more scientific Moon crea-tures in his Somnium, and H.G. Wells’The War of the Worlds introduced thatdependable SF cliche, the tentacledspace monster.

Chapter 6 includes plenty of mate-rial on creating alien species, but it’salso important to keep in mind therole the alien will play in the cam-paign. There are several possibilities.If humans are the “default species,”then alien characters are outsiders.They are not human, and so their atti-tudes and behavior can comment onthe things humans take for granted.Tales of outsiders interacting withhumanity can replay or comment onhuman contacts with “alien” humancultures – the conquest of theAmericas, the slave trade, and theBoxer rebellion. In early episodes ofStar Trek, Mr. Spock filled the role ofalien outsider. Outsiders may have aSocial Stigma, depending on how tol-erant the majority culture is of aliens.They also can have disadvantages likeClueless, Low TL, or UnusualBiochemistry, reflecting how littlethey know of the majority society andhow little it knows of them.

A campaign in which humans areroughly equal to several alien civiliza-tions can have aliens as rivals. Theyaren’t outsiders – indeed they may beembarrassingly well informed abouthuman culture and psychology – butthey don’t have the same goals ashumans. Their ambitions may beopposed to those of humans (in whichcase they are likely to be enemies), orthey may simply be unrelated. In thatsort of universe, the focus is often oncoming to terms with the aliens andavoiding violent conflict. The varioussquabbling civilizations of Babylon 5are good examples of alien rivals.Rival aliens may get a Social Stigma

218 CHARACTERS

or a racial Reputation among othercivilizations. Multispecies settings typ-ically ignore the problems of incom-patible biochemistries or food, assum-ing that spacecraft and starports areset up to handle at least the membersof known or important alien species.

If humans are the outsiders in analien-dominated civilization, then thealiens are the insiders. Insider aliensnaturally lend themselves to adven-tures in which learning about the aliencivilization or forming social ties withaliens are the goal. The aliens ofFarscape are insiders. Insider aliens

may or may not know much abouthumans, but the difficulty is in mak-ing them care. Since theirs is themajority culture, they don’t suffer anydisadvantages simply because they arealiens.

Finally, aliens can be simply mon-sters. This is an old role that springsfrom, and can be used to comment on,human xenophobia and racism. Alienmonsters are destructive and danger-ous. Communication with them iseither impossible, or is the key to stop-ping their rampage. This is perhapssomewhat “unenlightened” but it’s a

dependable SF standby. The predatoryalien of Alien or Wells’ Martians areexamples of alien monsters. Monstersget a severe Social Stigma, and mayalso have Horrific appearance, CannotSpeak, and various Odious RacialHabits reflecting their monstrousbehavior.

It is possible for one alien speciesor civilization to occupy several ofthese roles at different times. A speciesencountered first as a monster mayreappear later in the outsider role,before joining the community ofspacefaring cultures as another rival.

CHARACTERS 219

ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES,AND SKILLS

The GURPS rules are extremelyflexible, but creating characters for far-future or alien settings mayrequire a few adjustments or specialinterpretations.

ADVANTAGESA science-fiction campaign makes

some advantages very useful, whileothers become less important.

3D Spatial Sensesee p. B34

This advantage becomes quiteimportant in any campaign in whichthe heroes spend a lot of time in zerogravity. It’s also good for space pilotsand navigators. Game Masters shoulddecide if 3D Spatial Sense works inhyperspace or “jumpspace,” andwhether or not a person with theadvantage can retain his directionsense even through an interstellarjump.

Alternate Identitysee p. B39

One useful limitation characterscan take on an Alternate Identity is tolimit it to a specific world. So ifCaptain Templeton of the Space Patrolhas an alternate identity on the piratestation Port Royal as the smugglerCaptain Notelpmet, that reduces thecost. Exactly how much reductiondepends on how much time the

characters are in the area where thealternate identity is valid. An identityvalid during half the campaign wouldbe a -20% reduction, a fourth of thetime is -30%, and a particularlyobscure or secret place would be -80%. Note that this only applies toseemingly valid, “legal” identities withall the associated paperwork. CaptainTempleton can always call himselfsomething else when he visits a newworld.

Charismasee p. B41

The Game Master must decide inadvance if advantages like Charismaor Empathy work on different species.The default assumption is that they dowork on aliens, but appearance andVoice do not. If the GM decides thatCharisma and Empathy don’t affectaliens, reduce the point value byapplying the limitation “HumansOnly,” worth -20%.

Cultural Adaptabilitysee p. B46

At the 10-point level this makes acharacter familiar with all cultures ofhis race. If he is native to a “multira-cial” civilization (like Star Trek’sFederation), this includes all “memberspecies” cultures but not those beyondthe border.

At the 20-point level, the characteris familiar with all cultures – but of

course this only applies to known cul-tures. It doesn’t mean the characterknows anything about undiscoveredcivilizations!

Cultural Familiaritysee p. B23

Those who lack familiarity with analien civilization will be fish out ofwater. PCs should not be allowed tostart with familiarity with newly dis-covered (or undiscovered) civiliza-tions. Robots and AIs are likely to havetheir own cultures, different fromthose of humans or aliens, and will besimilarly unfamiliar with humanways.

Digital Mindsee p. B48

This is the standard advantage forany robot or AI character. Humansmay take this advantage (indicatingsome kind of computer brain implant)but should probably pay an UnusualBackground cost of 5-10 points.

220 CHARACTERS

G-Experiencesee p. B57

This advantage is likely to be quitecommon in any game that involvesinterplanetary travel. Characters areassumed to have experience in theirnative gravity level for free. GameMasters may allow characters to buyfamiliarity with several different grav-ities at 1 point each, then “trade up” tofamiliarity with all gravity levels oncethey’ve spent 10 points.

High TLsee p. B23

The issue of what constitutes “highTL” can be tricky in a game universethat includes civilizations at differenttechnology levels. A character has theHigh TL advantage if he can legallyacquire equipment which otherwisewould not be available to other PCs inthe game setting. Getting a super-techweapon from the body of an alienassassin doesn’t make one High TL;knowing where the assassin got hisweapon and being able to shop theredoes.

Improved G-Tolerancesee p. B60

This advantage is an alternate wayto model characters who can functionon a variety of different worlds with-out penalty. Unlike G-Experience (seeabove), it is an innate ability (possiblygenetically engineered) rather thansomething one might pick up as aresult of travel.

Languagessee p. B23

In a setting that includes aliens,members of some races might beunable to learn the languages of otherraces at better than Broken orAccented level – or at all! This is a 0-point racial feature, and cannot bebypassed with Language Talent.

Magerysee p. B66

Magical ability is obviously a fanta-sy concept rather than science fiction,but writers and gamers love to blur thedistinction between the two. If magic

is a known effect in the campaign, thenuse the listed value for Magery. Ifmagic is secret or unknown, there aretwo approaches possible: either chargean Unusual Background to let a PC usemagic, or declare that since magic ishidden, learning about magic is verydifficult. Characters can only learnspells in play from NPCs, who are like-ly to charge a stiff price or demandservices.

Racial Memorysee p. B78

This ability may actually existamong certain alien species, especiallythose that reproduce by budding. Itcan also be used to represent the pre-loaded files and memories of an artifi-cial intelligence character.

Resistantsee p. B80

An important type of the Resistantadvantage in a space campaign is theability to withstand acceleration; thisis especially common among astro-nauts and pilots who have to with-stand high-gee maneuvers in planesand spacecraft. Resistant toAcceleration (+3 to HT to resist sud-den acceleration) is worth 1 point, andResistant to Acceleration (+8) is worth2 points. See p. B434 for more onacceleration effects.

Social Chameleonsee p. B86

As with advantages like Empathyand Charisma, the GM should decideif this advantage works in alien soci-eties. If not, apply the -20% limitation“human cultures only.”

Statussee p. B28

Status only gives a benefit or disad-vantage if the people you’re dealingwith recognize it. Characters fromalien or exotic civilizations adventur-ing in galactic society may wish to buy“courtesy Status” at 1 point per level; if you want to call yourself Baron ofCallisto, the natives of Rigel VII won’t argue, but it won’t affect theirreactions, either.

Talentssee p. B89

Some new Talents appropriate forSF campaigns include:

Alien Friend: Anthropology (anyalien culture), Diplomacy, Expert Skill(Xenology), History (any alien special-ty), and Psychology (any alien race).Reaction bonus: aliens. 5 points/level.

Cyberneticist: Computer Hacking,Computer Operation, ComputerProgramming, Computer Program-ming (AI), and Electronics Repair(computers). Reaction bonus: othercomputer professionals, AI systems,and robots. 5 points/level.

Hot Pilot: Gunner (any),Navigation (Air or Space), Piloting (alltypes). Reaction bonus: other pilots. 5points/level.

Zeroedsee p. B100

In a far-flung campaign with slowcommunications, planetary datanetsmay not be able to share informationvery well. Individuals may be Zeroedon one world but not another. GameMasters may wish to let PCs be Zeroedon a given world (or star system) withan Accessibility limitation based onhow often the characters go there.

DISADVANTAGES

Addictionsee p. B122

A science-fiction setting offers newpossibilities for addiction, includingvirtual reality, psionic contact, or elec-tric stimulation of the pleasure center.

Virtual Reality is Cheap, Incapaci-tating (in that one can’t do anything

else while using it), and is likely to beLegal, giving it a value of -10 points.Psionic Contact is Cheap (assumingone is psionic), likely to be incapaci-tating, and probably is illegal, for avalue of -15. Direct PleasureStimulation is Cheap, Incapacitating,Totally Addictive, and probably Illegal,for a cost of -25 points.

Amnesiasee p. B123

A setting with advanced brain-hacking or mind manipulation couldadd another type of Amnesia: SelectiveAmnesia. The victim knows who he isand knows most of his skills and back-ground, but there are certain periodsthat are “missing” because thosememories have been blocked orerased. It’s quite likely that those miss-ing periods included some importantevents, since otherwise nobody wouldgo to the trouble of erasing them.Selective Amnesia is worth -5 points.

Appearancesee p. B21

In any culture that has contactwith alien races (or at least knows theyexist), simply looking like an alien isnot necessarily enough to give anAppearance penalty. Unless specieshave notably similar standards ofbeauty, Appearance modifiers don’tcross over from one race to another.

Bad Sightsee p. B123

Given the present-day availabilityof laser eye surgery and the prospectof genetic engineering to preventvision problems, Bad Sight maybecome a forgotten disadvantage infuture societies.

Cannot Speaksee p. B125

Aliens with different mouth struc-tures may be unable to pronouncehuman languages, effectively givingthem the Cannot Speak disadvantage.Others may actually be mute, unable toproduce sounds. In any society aboveTL7, this can be mitigated by a com-puter speech synthesizer, at a -60% costreduction. See Mitigator, p. B112.

Code of Honorsee p. B127

Science fiction opens up a wholeuniverse of possible Codes of Honorfor aliens and other forms of intelli-gence. Some possible new codesinclude:

Asteroid Miner’s Code: Don’t jumpsomeone else’s claim. A handshake isas good as a contract. Help otherprospectors in distress. -5 points.

Ethical Psionic’s Code: Never useyour powers on someone withouttheir consent. Always help out anotherpsi. Show restraint and self-control infront of the mundanes. Always standup for your rights and the rights ofother psis. -10 points.

Hacker’s Code: Never steal money.Share information. Don’t use yourskills to harm people. Clever work isbetter than brute force. -5 points.

Mercenary’s Code: A merc shouldlook out for his buddies, take care ofhis gear, and fight for the honor of theunit. Obey the rules of engagement.Don’t poach on another unit’s con-tract. Do the job you’re hired for. -10 points.

Dependencysee p. B130

Breathing a different atmosphereis a common Dependency in sciencefiction. Assume the right air mix for aknown species is Very Common, whilea more obscure race’s air would beCommon. Only really unusual atmos-pheres (vaporized metal, for instance)would be Occasional or Rare, if onlybecause no space traveler would everleave home if there was no reliablesource of stuff to breathe! All airDependencies are Constant, so this isa -25 point disadvantage for mostspecies, and -50 points for races thatbreathe obscure gases.

This disadvantage only applies ifthe alien is spending all his time inan environment that is hostile to himbut in which other characters canoperate normally. A team of explor-ers on the Moon all need air, so itdoesn’t matter if one of them hastanks of methane on his back whilethe others carry oxygen.

Most other requirements of lifedon’t qualify as a Dependency. Alienfood is better modeled as a Restricted

Diet, and medical needs fit UnusualBiochemistry. The need for a differenttemperature range is a form ofIncreased Life Support, since the actu-al vulnerability to different tempera-tures is balanced by the tolerance forextreme conditions.

Disturbing Voicesee p. B132

In general, an alien’s way of speak-ing should not qualify as a DisturbingVoice. An individual alien may have aDisturbing Voice, but the way aspecies communicates should proba-bly be subsumed into any SocialStigma they suffer as aliens.

Electricalsee p. B134

This is a very common disadvan-tage for robots, computers, and“weird life” aliens based on electricfields or ionized plasma. It doesn’tapply to androids formed by “syn-thetic life,” or to steampunk-styleBabbage engines.

Enemiessee p. B135

In a society with widespreadhuman cloning or cheap and easyplastic surgery, having an Evil TwinEnemy may not be so unlikely oreven unusual. If “my clone did it” is avalid excuse in a setting, then the dis-advantage of having an Evil Twin isreduced by 5 points. Characters with“off-the-shelf looks” (see Appear-ance, p. B21) can’t take this form ofthe Enemy disadvantage at all,because everyone knows they looklike a lot of other people.

Fragilesee p. B136

A science-fiction setting adds a newvariation on Fragile for beings whosebodies are made of gas or a swarm oftiny objects: Tenuous. Any critical fail-ure on the HT roll for a major woundfrom an explosive attack means yourbody is dispersed, instantly reducingyou to -10¥HP and killing you. -15 points.

CHARACTERS 221

G-Intolerancesee p. B137

Beings who cannot function with-out penalty in any gravity level otherthan their native one can take a high-er value of disadvantage, Total G-Intolerance (-25 points). Those withTotal G-Intolerance suffer the illeffects of different gravity as if their G-Increment were 0.05G, but always addone extra increment in any gravity buttheir home gravity. In addition, theycannot take G-Experience for othergravity levels.

Increased Life Supportsee p. B139

Aquatic creatures require floodedliving quarters and water-filled envi-ronment suits. This makes their lifesupport Massive, worth -10 points.Organisms from different atmos-pheres (chlorine-breathers, methane-breathers, or hydrogen-breathers)require Pressurized quarters; -10points.

Some aliens may require newforms of Increased Life Support.Extremely large beings (4 or moremeters in height/length) take the Largelife support requirement, which dou-bles the minimum space for bunks,quarters, and airlocks. For each addi-tional doubling of height, add anotherlevel. -5 points/level, to a maximum of-30.

Space-dwelling organisms needvacuum and zero gravity, which com-bines the Massive and Pressurizedrequirements (assuming artificial zerogravity is possible at all) for -20 points.

Lecherousnesssee p. B142

In a realistic (or even semi-realisticcampaign), characters withLecherousness will not be attracted toaliens, even attractive ones. Lecherouscharacters who also have Xenophiliawill be attracted to aliens normally.(And for -20% they can be Lecherousonly toward aliens.) In less realisticcampaigns, in which cross-speciesliaisons are common, apply thePhysiology Modifiers (p. B181) as anegative modifier to the lecher’s self-control roll.

Lifebanesee p. B142

While this is normally a supernatu-ral disadvantage, it can be used tomodel the lethal effect of aliens whoare intensely radioactive, or whose tis-sues exude toxic gas. If a protectivesuit can reduce or prevent the effect,take the standard -60% limitation. SeeMitigator, p. B112.

Pacifismsee p. B148

All forms of pacifism normallytreat other intelligent beings as “peo-ple.” Someone might be a Pacifisttoward members of his own species,but be willing to use violence againstaliens. This assumes that aliens arerelatively common. “Single species”pacifists get a -20% reduction in thevalue of the disadvantage.

Phobiassee p. B148

Some new phobias that are partic-ularly appropriate in a space cam-paign include:

Radiation (Radiophobia): You areterrified of invisible, deadly radiationor radioactive contamination. Youmust make a self-control roll toapproach or touch something labeled“radioactive” or bearing the radiationtrefoil, and must roll once per turn toremain near a source of radiation,even if the level isn’t harmful. You willconstantly monitor the rad level inyour surroundings. -5 points*

Robots (Cyberphobia): You areafraid of intelligent machines, ormachines which act intelligent. Youmust make a self-control roll whenencountering any seemingly sentientmachine. There is a -3 penalty on theroll whenever you must entrust yourlife or safety to a “friendly” machine(like an autodoc or a robot pilot), anda -6 penalty when you face a hostilerobot or computer intending harm.You will also react at -1 to people withcybernetic implants. -15 points* if sen-tient machines are common in the set-ting, -5 points* if they are rare.

Space: You cannot stand beingaway from a real solid planet. Aboarda space station or spaceship, make aself-control roll to avoid complete

panic during any stressful situation(with a penalty of -2 if you can see outa window at the time). Any time youmust go outside into space wearingonly a suit, a roll is required each turnto avoid panic. -10 points* if spacetravel is common, -5 if it is rare*.

Restricted Dietsee p. B151

In a strictly realistic campaign, allaliens should take this disadvantagewhen adventuring away from theirhome planets. The value depends onwhat they eat. DNA-based creatureswho breathe oxygen would have the -10 point level, exotic-chemistry organ-isms would have it at -20, and non-chemical life would have it at -30.Multispecies civilizations or high-techsocieties that have contact with manyalien races are assumed to have facili-ties and food for known species, sothis disadvantage doesn’t apply inthose circumstances unless the char-acters are from an undiscovered orobscure race. This advantage couldalso be used to model robots orandroids with “nonstandard compo-nents,” so that all repairs require cus-tom-built parts at 10 times normalcost, for -10 points.

Social Stigmasee p. B155

Several forms of Social Stigmaoccur frequently in science-fictioncampaigns.

Aliens are outsiders, consideredfunny-looking, possibly dangerous,and certainly inferior to humans.Aliens get -2 on reaction rolls made byhumans (or whatever race is themajority in the culture), but a +2 frommembers of their own species (at leastin human-dominated areas). -10points.

Psionics are often considered notquite human, with abilities that makethem potentially dangerous. They geta -2 on reaction rolls from normals,but +2 from other psionics in situa-tions where they are a minority. Insome cultures, psionics may require alicense to use their powers at all! -10points, -15 if a license is needed to usepsi powers.

Robots are typically considered“valuable property” just like slaves or

222 CHARACTERS

animals. Some robots or AIs are “freemachines” with legal rights but a -1reaction penalty from humans. -10points for property machines, -5 pointsfor free ones.

Uplifted Animals are often second-class citizens, with restricted rightsand privileges. They get a -1 on reac-tion rolls from humans, but not fromother uplifts. -5 points.

Stress Atavismsee p. B156

This disadvantage may be commonamong uplifted animals or syntheticorganisms with animal genes. Somealien species may have a form ofStress Atavism if they shift into an ani-malistic state under certain condi-tions. One likely condition is matingseason: Accessibility (Mating seasononly) is a -80% limitation.

Supernatural Featuressee p. B157

No alien features are consideredSupernatural Features, unless by astrange coincidence they match upwith another species’ legends aboutmagical creatures. Since that wouldbe for a single culture, it would beworth a -40% limitation on theSupernatural Feature disadvantage.

Susceptiblesee p. B158

Aliens may be immune to poisonsor allergens that affect humans, butare likely to have their own suite ofthings to be susceptible to. Upliftedanimals, robots, or bioroids may havebuilt-in susceptibilities as a method ofsocial control. For animals andbioroids it could take the form of aspecific poison or a tailored disease –which law-enforcement agenciesprobably stockpile. For robots theremight be a particular gas mix or liquid(treat as a poison) with devastatingeffects.

Unusual Biochemistrysee p. B160

In a realistic campaign, all aliensshould have Unusual Biochemistry,since even oxygen-breathers based onDNA would likely use very different

hormones, blood chemicals, and pro-teins. In a less realistic campaign,assume all “humanoids” have similarbiochemistry, but anything based ondifferent chemicals (chlorine-breathers, hydrogen life, etc.) wouldstill get this disadvantage. In a multi-species civilization, no member race’sbiochemistry would qualify as“unusual,” since presumably doctorsand pharmacists would be trained inhow to treat them.

Vulnerabilitysee p. B161

Some aliens, especially those withvery different chemistries, may be vul-nerable to certain types of attack. Inparticular, a nitrogen-based organismwould probably take ¥3 or ¥4 injuryfrom any kind of incendiary attack, asit would cause a chain-reaction in themolecules of the organism’s body!

Robots may be designed with vul-nerabilities to allay human fears ofthem. Microwave or electrical attacksmight get a multiplier of ¥2 or more,and in a setting with robots as part ofsociety microwave or electricalweapons are likely to be common.

Weaknesssee p. B161

This might be quite common in ascience-fiction campaign, both forhumans on other planets and aliensvisiting Earth. Any alien biosphere islikely to have chemicals or particu-lates that irritate or harm organismsthat aren’t used to them. There are sev-eral levels of sensitivity.

Allergens are irritants in the atmos-phere or local food that cause animmediate reaction. This is typicallyOccasional in frequency, although aparticularly nasty atmospheric gas(like oxygen for non-breathers) would

be Very Common. The frequency istypically 1d per 5 minutes or 1d per 30minutes, and most allergies doFatigue damage only.

Heat or even room temperaturemight be harmful to aliens whosebody tissues can melt (this is in addi-tion to the effects of temperatureabove the comfort zone). The exacttemperatures depend on the chem-istry; see Chapter 6 for some numberson freezing and boiling points. Abovethe melting temperature you suffer 1ddamage per turn, and damage frommelting cannot be healed or regener-ated. This is Weakness (any significantheat; Very Common, 1d per minute) [-60].

Slow Poisons are trace elements inthe environment that accumulate in abody, gradually killing the organism.This is Common, and does 1d per 30minutes. The body can probably flushout the toxins in a few hours as long asthere isn’t new exposure.

In all cases, a Weakness onlyapplies to something that affects onecharacter or race, but which is other-wise harmless. On a world with alethal atmosphere that kills just abouteveryone, there’s no point in taking aWeakness, any more than one wouldtake a Weakness to bullets! Similarly,the GM should rigorously enforce thefrequency of occurrence modifiers –an effect that occurs on a single plan-et is an adventure hook or a settingdetail, not a disadvantage. Only if thecampaign spends a lot of time in thatenvironment should characters getpoints for a Weakness there.

Weirdness Magnetsee p. B161

In a science-fiction setting, many“weird” elements become fairly mun-dane. Getting visited by aliens isn’t“weirdness” if you can see aliens downat the mall every weekend buying usedCDs. (If nobody else can see them,that’s another matter entirely. . .) TheGame Master should adjust the effectof this disadvantage to reflect what isreally weird in the campaign. Thismay mean paranormal events andpsionics in a hard-SF campaign, ormagic and Forteana in a space operasetting. In a really weird campaign, theGM may disallow this disadvantagealtogether because everyone has it!

CHARACTERS 223

Xenophiliasee p. B162

If an alien species is a well-knownpart of the setting, then it probablydoesn’t count as “strange and exotic,”so Xenophilia would not apply. (Ifthere is a Rigelian neighborhood inevery city on Earth, then a humanattracted to Rigelians only has a 1-point Quirk.) Xenophilia only appliesto unusual, unfamiliar, or exoticaliens.

SKILLS

Acrobaticssee p. B174

Game Masters may wish to add anew specialty: Zero-Gravity Acrobatics,sometimes known as “Astrobatics.” Itrequires Free-Fall as a prerequisite,and defaults to Aerobatics at -2, otherforms of Acrobatics at -6. PerfectBalance gives no benefit, but 3DSpatial Sense does give a +2 bonus.

Animal SkillsDifferent planets will require new

and exotic specialties of AnimalHandling, Riding, and Teamster, withno defaults to Earthly specialties. Also,remember to apply PhysiologyModifiers (p. B181) to Veterinary skill.

Bioengineeringsee p. B180

Characters with Bioengineeringskill can invent biological modifica-tions or even entire new species at TL9+. Use the rules governing

inventions to determine cost andtime required. Note that for thingslike new animals, the creature stillhas to actually grow up at the normalrate. GMs may require would-be bio-engineers to take the Gadgeteeradvantage as well.

Boating/TL†see p. B180

Add the new speciality Hydrofoils,which governs the use of poweredvessels that ride on underwaterhydrofoils rather than floating.Hydrofoils are experimental at TL6,begin to come into use at TL7, andare a mature technology at TL8+. Itdefaults to Large Powerboat-2 andMotorboat-3.

Environment Suit/TLsee p. B192

Add a new specialization:Hydrosuit. This is the skill of wearinga water-filled suit when moving aboutin air or vacuum. It is learned byaquatic beings who want to exploreother environments. Just about allhydrosuits include some kind of pow-ered exoskeleton. The skill defaults toDX-5 or Battlesuit-2.

Erotic Artsee p. B192

This skill (and Sex Appeal) is entire-ly limited to a particular species.Extremely broad-minded orXenophilic characters may study alienErotic Art techniques, but there is nodefault and they only work on thespecies that invented them.

Explosivessee p. B194

Add the new subspecialty NuclearDemolition, the use of nuclear chargesto demolish structures or excavaterock and soil. As with NuclearOrdnance Disposal, setting thecharges requires a double critical fail-ure to cause a spontaneous detona-tion. However, a critical failure inplacing the charge can have cata-strophic effects after detonation, inthe form of landslides, shockwavedamage, flying debris, and radioactivecontamination. Nuclear Demolitiondefaults to conventional Demolition at-2, to Engineer (Mining) at -3, and toNuclear Ordnance Disposal at -4.

Hypnotismsee p. B201

Alien brains may not be affected byHypnotism the way human brains are.There are several possibilities. Theleast realistic is to assume the sameskill works on all species. Alternately,human Hypnotism is at a skill penaltyon aliens (see Physiology Modifiers, p.B181). Human hypnotists could learnhypnosis for a specific alien race tooffset the penalty.

More realistically, there may be nodefault between human-styleHypnotism and alien hypnosis, buthumans could still learn alien hypnot-ic methods to use on individuals ofanother species. Hypnotism (species)is thus a separate skill with no cross-defaults.

Finally, it may be that humans areunique in the galaxy in being vulnera-ble to hypnotic effects. Hypnotismonly works on humans, never affectsaliens, and is probably a secrethumans don’t talk about much off-world.

Linguisticssee p. B205

Linguistics is another skill thatrequires specialization in a multi-species campaign setting. Each specieshas its own form of Linguistics, andthe study of all languages acrossspecies lines is Linguistics(Comparative). The Game Mastershould decide the default levels. In ahard-SF campaign there may be no

224 CHARACTERS

Planet Types RevisitedBiology (p. B180), Geology (p. B198), and Meteorology (p. B209)

require you to specialize by “planet type,” as does the “Physical” special-ty of Geography (p. B198). The six types listed represent a middleground in the quest for realism. For real hard-SF accuracy, all those sci-ences should specialize by individual planet – so a researcher can be anexpert at Mars geology, Earth geology, or Pluto geology.

Players may also wish to broaden the list of options by using the listof planet types in Chapter 4, so that one could be a specialist in LargeHadean meteorology or Standard Garden World biology.

default between Linguistics skills fordifferent species, and a -5 defaultbetween any species’ Linguistics andLinguistics (Comparative). A less real-istic campaign may improve thedefault, putting it at -5 for differentspecies in a moderate-realism game, or-2 in a space opera setting.

When studying the language of aspecies that communicate in a wayvery different from human speech(radio pulses, or consuming memoryRNA), Linguistics skill gets an addi-tional penalty of -3 to -5 depending onjust how alien the method is.

Lip Readingsee p. B205

Since Lip Reading depends on anunderstanding of how a being shapessounds, use the Physiology Modifiers(p. B181) when trying to read the lipsof an alien being. Of course, somealiens may communicate by methodsthat don’t involve any physical motionat all, in which case Lip Reading issimply impossible for them.

Medical SkillsMedical skills naturally concen-

trate on a particular species, and thereare penalties when using medicalskills on alien creatures. Use thePhysiology Modifiers (p. B181) todetermine how hard it is to treat analien.

Mimicrysee p. B210

Add a new specialization in cam-paigns with alien civilizations: Alien

Speech. This skill lets a character imi-tate the sound of a particular alienrace’s speech. It may involve the use ofhandclaps, musical instruments, orother sound effects. As with mimicryof human speech, it doesn’t give onethe ability to speak an alien language,but it would fool another non-speaker.Obviously this only works with alienlanguages that use sound!

Paleontologysee p. B212

As with other natural sciences, thisshould include a subspecialization byplanet, or the “comparative” speciality,which concentrates on similaritiesacross alien biologies. The techniquesof paleontology are quite similar, so acharacter doing field work is at no

penalty on an alien world, but back-ground knowledge and interpretationdefault across world specializations at-2 for similar planet and biology types,-4 for similar worlds with differentbiologies, and -6 for entirely alienenvironments.

Piloting/TL†see p. B214

Depending on the setting, theremay be new specializations of Pilotingskill for a space game. If Hyperspace isan unusual environment, thenPiloting (Hyperspace) is important forany star pilot. Hyperspace pilotingdefaults to other space piloting at -4(or more).

Warp drives or other methods ofgoing faster than light in normal spacerequire the Piloting (FTL) specializa-tion. It defaults to High- or Low-Performance Spacecraft at -3.

Savoir-Fairesee p. B218

Instead of the normal -3 penalty foran unfamiliar culture (see p. B23),Game Masters may wish to apply themodifiers described under AlienPsychology (see below) to reflect thegreater difficulty in trying to masterthe social rules of an alien mentality.Halve (or ignore) the normal statusmodifiers when dealing with aliens,since they may not understand differ-ences among humans very well.

CHARACTERS 225

Alien PsychologyModifiers

Each alien species requires its own specialty of Anthropology (p.B175) and Psychology (p. B216). Defaults between such specialties areat -2 for species with similar mentalities (“rubber suit” humanoids,members of a multi-species civilization, etc.) or -5 for species with dif-ferent but comprehensible mentalities (most other naturally evolvedsapient species). Specialties dealing with utterly alien species (hyper-dimensional intelligences, machine entities, etc.) would default to “nor-mal” specialties at -6 or worse!

If the default between two cultures is -5 or worse, members of thosespecies should use this penalty instead of the usual -3 for unfamiliaritywhen they interact using the skills listed under Culture on p. B23. Thisis why Cultural Familiarity with an alien culture costs 2 points.

Social SciencesSkills that deal with the study of

cultures and their products –Anthropology, Archaeology, History,Literature, Occultism, and Sociology –must specialize by civilization.Defaults are nonexistent acrossspecies lines, since knowing aboutTerran societies tells you nothing use-ful about Rigellian cultures, and viceversa. This specialty does not reducethe point cost; the basic skill alreadyassumes it. To make a character whoreally does know about all the galaxy’sliteratures, take the specializationGalactic, or possibly Comparative.Local culture skills default to Galacticor Comparative ones at -4 for mostplaces, -3 for important worlds thathave had a lot of influence on thegrand scheme of things, and -8 forobscure or remote planets.Undiscovered planets get no default

on local cultural skills from Galacticones. Obviously a student of Galactichistory won’t know nearly as muchabout events on a particular planet asstudents of that world’s history would.

Spacersee p. B185

This is an essential backgroundskill for characters who grew up in anorbital habitat or other space station.Just about any character who spends afair amount of time aboard spacecraftor space stations should have at leastsome familiarity with Spacer skill.

Submarinesee p. B223

Aquatic civilizations make exten-sive use of the specialty Free-FloodingSub, as that is the most common vehi-cle type among undersea dwellers.Ignore the Diving Suit or Scuba pre-requisites for any species that canbreathe underwater.

Tacticssee p. B224

Available weapon technologies canaffect the tactical environment. Game

Masters may wish to define Tactics asa “TL” skill, especially in settings withdifferent technology levels. The usualtech level penalties apply.

Urban Survivalsee p. B228

Cities on other worlds are likely tohave important differences in servicesand physical layout. Until charactersare familiar with a particular environ-ment (spending at least a week in acity on a given world type or in analien civilization), impose a -2 penaltyto Urban Survival for an alien culture,-2 for an unfamiliar world type, or -4for both.

Weird Sciencesee p. B228

In a rigorously hard-SF game, thisskill is effectively the skill of bogusscience, and represents familiaritywith pseudosciences and crank theo-ries. In settings with incomprehensi-ble alien or Ancient tech, WeirdScience is a fairly serious discipline,the study of sciences that lie beyondhuman understanding.

226 CHARACTERS

CHARACTER TEMPLATESPlayers can use these templates as

a guide when creating characters;Game Masters can use them whenmaking up NPCs. Both should feelfree to alter details to fit the campaignor the character concept.

Astronaut100 points

Astronauts are officers or crewaboard space vessels. They com-mand and run the ship, operate sen-sors and weapons, and make sure thepassengers and cargo get where theyare going without mishap. There arenumerous variations on the type inscience fiction: low-tech Astronauts,bold Starship Captains, swaggeringFighter Jocks, miracle-workingEngineering Officers, and grungyblue-collar merchant crews.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [40]; IQ12 [40]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0];Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 6 [10]; Basic Move6 [0].

Advantages: 20 points chosen from among 3D Spatial Sense[10], Acute Vision 1-5 [2-10],Ambidexterity [5], Fearlessness1-5 [2-10], G-Experience [1-10],High Manual Dexterity +1 [5],Immunity to Space Sickness [5],Improved G-Tolerance (1 or 2increments) [5-10], PerfectBalance [15], Rank 1-4 [5-20],Security Clearance [5], Single-Minded [5], +1 HT [10], and +1to +4 Per [5-20].

Disadvantages: -35 points chosenfrom among Duty [-2 to -15],Honesty [-10*], Jealousy [-10],

Loner [-5*], No Sense of Humor[-10], Oblivious [-5], Overcon-fidence [-5*], Post-CombatShakes [-5*], Sense of Duty(Comrades) [-5], Squeamish [-10*], Stubbornness [-5], andWorkaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: Mathematics(Applied) (H) IQ-1 [2]-11, and 8points chosen from: Artillery(any) (A) IQ [2]-12, ElectronicsOperation (any) (A) IQ [2]-12,Electronics Repair (any) (A) IQ[2]-12, Freight Handling (A) IQ[2]-12, Gunner (any) (A) DX [2]-12, Leadership (A) IQ [2]-12,Mechanic (spacecraft type) (A)IQ [2]-12, Navigation (Space orHyperspace) (A) IQ [2]-12,Piloting (spacecraft type) (A)DX+1 [4]-13, Shiphandling(Spaceship or Starship) (H) IQ[4]-12.

Secondary Skills: Astronomy (H)IQ-1 [2]-11, Free Fall (A) DX [2]-12, Physics (VH) IQ-2 [2]-10,Spacer (E) IQ+2 [4]-14, VaccSuit (A) DX [2]-12.

Background Skills: ComputerOperation (E) IQ [1]-12, FirstAid (E) IQ [1]-12, and one of:Beam Weapons (Pistol) (E) DX[1]-12, Carousing (E) HT [1]-10,or Smuggling (A) IQ-1 [1]-11.

Engineering Officer (120 points): AddComputer Programming (H) IQ[4]-12 and Engineer (spacecrafttype) (H) IQ [4]-12; add 1 levelof Artificer [10]; add +1 level toPhysics skill [2].

Fighter Jock (120 points): Must takePiloting as a Primary Skill andeither Beam Weapons orCarousing as Background. Addone of: Danger Sense [15],Daredevil [15], Luck [15], orSerendipity [15]; add +1 level toPiloting skill [4]; add +1 toeither Carousing or BeamWeapons [1].

Present-Day Astronaut (120 points):Add Fit [5], Research (A) IQ [2]-12, Survival (any) (A) Per-1 [1]-11, and one of the following:Biology (any) (H) IQ+2 [12]-14,Geology/TL8 (any) (H) IQ+2[12]-14, Physician (H) IQ+2[12]-14, or Physics +3 [10] and+1 Math (Applied) [2].

Starship Captain (120 points): Musttake Navigation and Shiphand-ling as Primary Skills. Add +2Rank [10]; choose 10 pointsfrom among: Diplomacy (H) IQ[4]-12, Law (Space) (H) IQ [4]-12, Leadership (A) IQ [2]-12, Merchant (A) IQ [2]-12,Market Analysis (H) IQ [4]-12,+1 level to Navigation [2],Savoir-Faire (Military) (E) IQ+1[2]-13, +1 level to Shiphandling[4], Tactics (H) IQ [4]-12.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Bounty Hunter120 points

In many science-fiction stories andfilms, easy interplanetary travel andlimited jurisdiction for police meanscriminals can escape offworld. Bountyhunters catch fugitives and bring themback in exchange for a hefty reward. In

some stories (like Mike Resnick’s“Widowmaker” series), bounty huntersare tough but usually honorable, whilein the Star Wars films the sinisterbounty hunter Boba Fett is enigmaticand ruthless. PCs may be bountyhunters themselves, or may find them-selves pursued by them if they commitcrimes or do something the authoritiesdon’t like. A variant on the standardbounty hunter is the Repo Man, whospecializes in recovering starshipswhen the owners have defaulted ontheir bank payments.

A bounty hunter’s Legal Enforce-ment Powers are a license, not police authority, and are very limited;essentially they are civilians perform-ing “citizens’ arrests” on fugitives orrepossessing private property. Theytend to operate in places where formal law-enforcement is spotty ornonexistent.

Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40];IQ 11 [20]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 12 [2];Will 11 [0]; Per 12 [5]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 6 [10]; Basic Move6 [0].

Advantages: Legal EnforcementPowers [5] and 25 points fromamong the following: CombatReflexes [15], Cultural Adapt-ability [10], Danger Sense [15],Enhanced Dodge [15], Fear-lessness 1-5 [2-10], Gizmos [5-15], Gunslinger [25], Hard toKill 1-5 [2-10], High PainThreshold [10], Indomitable[15], Intuition [15], Photo-graphic Memory [10], RapidHealing [5], Single-Minded [5], Social Chameleon [5],Unfazeable [15].

Disadvantages: Choose total of -35points from among: Bad Temper[-10*], Bully [-10*], Callous [-5],Code of Honor (Pirate’s orProfessional) [-5], Greed [-15*],Jealousy [-10], Obsession (cap-turing specific person) [-5*],Post-Combat Shakes [-5*],Selfish [-5*], Status -1 [-5],Stubbornness [-5], Trademark [-5], Vow (bring in specific per-son) [-15].

Primary Skills: Criminology (A)IQ+1 [4]-12, Law (region) (H)IQ+1 [8]-12, and Streetwise (A)IQ+1 [4]-12.

Secondary Skills: Intimidation (A)WILL [2]-11, Research (A) IQ[2]-11, Shadowing (A) IQ+1 [4]-12, and any two of the follow-ing: Beam Weapons (Pistol) (E)DX+2 [4]-14, Brawling (E)DX+2 [4]-14, Fast-Draw(weapon) (E) DX+2 [4]-14, Guns(Pistol or Shotgun) (E) DX+2[4]-14

Background Skills: ComputerOperation (E) IQ+1 [2]-12, FirstAid (E) IQ+1 [2]-12, and eitherActing (A) IQ [2]-11 or Fast-Talk(A) IQ [2]-11.

Repo Man (130 points): Add Free Fall(A) DX [2]-12, Lockpicking (A)IQ [2]-11, Navigation (Space orHyperspace) (A) IQ-1 [1]-10,Piloting (spacecraft type) (A) DX[2]-12, Spacer (E) IQ [1]-11,Vacc Suit (A) DX [2]-12.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Colonist 50 points

The people who settle on untamednew planets or build space habitatsneed to be tough, resourceful, and per-sistent. Some encounter unexpecteddangers on their new home world,while others find settled life too boringand constantly move on ahead of thefrontier looking for adventure.

This template is priced fairly low sothat it can be combined with others toreflect a character’s background on acolony world.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ11 [20]; HT 11 [10].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 12 [4];Will 12 [5]; Per 11 [0]; FP 11 [0];Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; BasicMove 5 [0].

Advantages: G-Experience (colonyworld gravity) [1] and any twoof: Absolute Direction [5],Animal Empathy [5], Fit [5],Plant Empathy [5], RapidHealing [5], Resistant (one haz-ard of colony world) [5], orSingle-Minded [5].

Disadvantages: A total of -10 pointsfrom among: Debt 5 [-5],Hidebound [-5], Honesty [-10*], Loner [-5*], Low TL 1 [-5], Miserliness [-10*],Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5],

CHARACTERS 227

Post-Combat Shakes [-5*],Selfless [-5*], Sense of Duty (Fellow colonists) [-10],Shyness (Mild) [-5], SocialStigma (Uncultured rube) [-5],Stubbornness [-5], Struggling [-10], Truthfulness [-5*],Workaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: One of: AnimalHandling (any) (A) IQ+1 [4]-12,Farming (A) IQ+1 [4]-12,Mechanic (vehicle or systemtype) (A) IQ+1 [4]-12, Merchant(A) IQ+1 [4]-12, or Prospecting(A) IQ+1 [4]-12.

Secondary Skills: Either the pairDriving (any) (A) DX-1 [1]-9 andSurvival (colony environment)(A) Per [2]-11, or the pair FreeFall (A) DX-1 [1]-9 and Vacc Suit(A) DX [2]-10.

Background Skills: First Aid (E) IQ[1]-11, Scrounging (E) Per [1]-11, and either Beam Weapons(any) DX [1]-10 or Guns (any)(E) DX [1]-10.

Separatist or Utopian (40 points):Add one of Fanaticism [-15],Pacifism (Self-Defense Only) [-15] or Xenophobia [-15*]; addPublic Speaking (A) IQ-1 [1]-10,and either Philosophy (colonyideology) (H) IQ [4]-11 orTheology (colony religion) (H)IQ [4]-11.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Con Man75 points

Likeable rogues have a solid histo-ry in science fiction, dating back toJack Williamson’s Giles Habibula, ifnot earlier. Sometimes they are mer-chants, more shrewd than honest, andsometimes they are outright crooksbilking the unwary. Fictional con menoften conceal a heart of gold, puttingtheir talents to work in order todeceive humorless aliens or tyrannicalregimes. Real ones tend to be callousor self-deluding, and can often be sur-prisingly gullible themselves. A variantcon man is the Gambler, who oftensupplements his skill with a markeddeck or loaded dice.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ13 [60]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0];Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5[0].

Advantages: 30 points’ worth fromamong: Attractive [4], AlternateIdentity (Illegal) [15], Charisma1-3 [5-15], Courtesy Rank 1-6 [1-6], Cultural Adaptability [10],Daredevil [15], Eidetic Memory[5], Intuition [15], Luck [15],Pitiable [5], Rapier Wit [5],Social Chameleon [5], SmoothOperator 1 [15], Status 1 [5],Unfazeable [15], Versatile [5], orZeroed [10].

Disadvantages: A total of -35 pointsfrom among: Addiction (cheap,legal stimulant or Tobacco) [-5],Bully [-10*], Callous [-5],Chummy [-5], Cowardice [-10*],Greed [-15*], Jealousy [-10],Laziness [-10], Loner [-5*], Onthe Edge [-15*], Overconfidence[-5*], Pacifism (Reluctant Killer)[-5], Paranoia [-10], Post-CombatShakes [-5*], Reputation (Crook)[-5], Secret [-5 or -10], Selfish [-5*], Slow Riser [-5], SocialStigma (Criminal record) [-5],Struggling [-10], Trickster [-15*].

Primary Skills: Streetwise (A) IQ+1[4]-14; one of Acting (A) IQ+1[4]-14, Fast-Talk (A) IQ+1 [4]-14,or Sex Appeal (A) HT+1 [4]-11.

Secondary Skills: 8 points from among the following:Accounting (H) IQ [4]-13, BeamWeapons (Pistol) DX [1]-10,Computer Hacking (VH) IQ-1[4]-12, Computer Programming(H) IQ [4]-13, Disguise (A) IQ [2]-13, Forgery (H) IQ

[4]-13, Guns (Pistol) (E) DX[1]-10, Merchant (A) IQ [2]-13,

Propaganda (A) IQ [2]-13,Public Speaking (A) IQ [2]-13,Savoir-Faire (E) IQ [1]-13, orSleight of Hand (H) DX-1 [2]-9.

Background Skills: Carousing (E)HT [1]-10, Computer Operation(E) IQ [1]-13, Law (region) (H)IQ-1 [2]-12.

Gambler (100 points): Add HighManual Dexterity +2 [10],Lightning Calculator [2], AreaKnowledge (any) (E) IQ [1]-13,Gambling (A) IQ+1 [4]-14, andSleight of Hand (H) DX+1 [8]-13**.

Scientific Fraud (80 points): AddWeird Science (VH) IQ-3 [1]-10,and any two of: Archaeology(H) IQ-1 [2]-12, Astronomy (H)IQ-1 [2]-12, Biology (any) (H)IQ-1 [2]-12, Chemistry (H) IQ-1[2]-12, Geology (H) IQ-1 [2]-12,Mathematics (any) (H) IQ-1 [2]-12, Paleontology (any) (H)IQ-1 [2]-12, Physician (H) IQ-1[2]-12, Physics (any) (H) IQ-1[2]-12, or Psychology (H) IQ-1[2]-12.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

**Includes bonus for High ManualDexterity.

Detective 110 points

Detectives perform criminal inves-tigations, usually as agents of a law-enforcement agency. In large agenciesthey often specialize in a particularkind of crime. Exactly what consti-tutes a crime varies from culture toculture, and detectives serving arepressive regime may focus on root-ing out political dissidents rather thanthieves or murderers. At high tech lev-els, detective work involves a lot of sci-ence, though many prefer to rely onintuition and personal interviews withwitnesses and suspects.

Private detectives have no officialsanction, but by the same token havegreater independence of action. Theirjob may overlap with that of bountyhunters, especially if they must pursuea culprit beyond the reach of policeforces.

If psionic powers exist in the gameworld, they will have a dramaticimpact on law enforcement. Psionicdetectives may fight mundane crime,or concentrate on bringing in roguepsis who abuse their powers.

Brian Stableford’s “Emortality”series includes several stories ofpolice investigating crimes in a futuresociety where death is optional andgenetic engineering is an art form.Alfred Bester’s The Demolished Man isa classic murder story in a world ofpsionics.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ12 [40]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 12 [4];

228 CHARACTERS

Will 12 [0]; Per 13 [5]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; BasicMove 5 [0].

Advantages: Legal EnforcementPowers [5], Police Rank 1 [5]and 25 points from among thefollowing: Combat Reflexes [15],Danger Sense [15], Eidetic orPhotographic Memory [5 or 10],Fearlessness 1-5 [2-10], Hard toKill 1-5 [2-10], High PainThreshold [10], Indomitable[15], Intuition [15], LegalEnforcement Powers [+5],Police Rank +1-3 [5-15], RapidHealing [5], Single-Minded [5],Social Chameleon [5], orUnfazeable [15].

Disadvantages: Duty (police depart-ment, 12-) [-10], and choose atotal of -25 points from among:Addiction (legal stimulants orTobacco) [-5], Alcoholism [-15],Bad Temper [-10*], Bully [-10*],Callous [-5], Cannot HarmInnocents [-10], Code of Honor(Professional) [-5], Curious [-5*],Greed [-15*], Honesty [-10*],Intolerance (choose group) [-5],Jealousy [-10], Obsession (captur-ing specific person) [-5*], On TheEdge [-15*], Paranoia [-10], Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Sense ofDuty (Fellow officers) [-5], Senseof Duty (Civilians) [-10],Stubbornness [-5], or Workaholic[-5].

Primary Skills: Criminology (A)IQ+2 [8]-14, Forensics (H) IQ[4]-12, Interrogation (A) IQ [2]-12, Law (region) (H) IQ [4]-12,Observation (A) Per+1 [4]-14,Research (A) IQ [2]-12,

Secondary Skills: Area Knowledge(jurisdiction) (E) IQ [1]-12,Driving (Auto or Hovercraft) (A)DX [2]-11, Electronics Operation

(Security or Surveillance) (A) IQ[2]-12, Forced Entry (E) DX [1]-11, Search (A) Per [2]-13, one ofBeam Weapons (Pistol) (E) DX+1[2]-12 or Guns (Gyroc, Pistol orShotgun) (E) DX+1 [2]-12.

Background Skills: ComputerOperation (E) IQ [1]-12, FirstAid (E) IQ [1]-12, Savoir-Faire(Police) (E) IQ [1]-12, Streetwise(A) IQ [2]-12, and one ofBrawling (E) DX+1 [2]-12 orFast-Draw (weapon) (E) DX+1[2]-12.

Private Detective (110 points): DeleteLegal Enforcement Powers,Police Rank, and Duty.

Psionic Detective (125 points):Increase Will by 1 [5]; addElectronics Operation (Psycho-tronics) (A) IQ [2]-12, ExpertSkill (Psionics) (H) IQ [4]-12,and Mind Block (A) Will+1 [4]-14. Add psi powers as appropri-ate for campaign.

Secret Police Inspector (122 points):Improve Legal EnforcementPowers [+5], add SecurityClearance [5] and Intimidation(A) Will [2]-12.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Doctor 90 points

Future medical technology holdsamazing promise, but no gadgets are effective without someone whoknows how and when to use them.This template represents a physicianwith a medical degree, who presum-ably has access to state-of-the-artmedical equipment.

Field medics, on the other hand,must emphasize fast response andtreating patients on the spot with

minimal equipment. They usuallyhave other training, as rescue workers,police, military personnel, or vehiclecrew.

Xenomedical specialists, like thedoctors in James White’s “SectorGeneral” stories, treat aliens, and con-sequently must be able to operate in avariety of environments, often dealingwith patients who can’t communicatewith them.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ13 [60]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0];Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5[0].

Advantages: 20 points from among:Comfortable Wealth [10], HighManual Dexterity 2 [10], Healer[10], Intuition [15], Status 1-2[5-10], Unfazeable [15],Versatile [5].

Disadvantages: Choose -35 pointsfrom among: Code of Honor(Hippocratic Oath) [-5], Chari-table [-15*], Combat Paralysis [-15], Duty (12-, nonhazardous)[-5], Honesty [-10*], Overcon-fidence [-5*], Pacifism (CannotKill or Self Defense) [-15],Workaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: Diagnosis (H) IQ+1[8]-14, Physician (H) IQ+1 [8]-14, and either Bioengineering(any) (H) IQ+1 [8]-14 or Surgery(any) (H) IQ+1 [8]-14.

Secondary Skills: ElectronicOperation (Medical) (A) IQ [2]-13, Hazardous Materials (any)(A) IQ [2]-13, Law (Medical) (H)IQ-1 [2]-12, Pharmacy (H) IQ-1[2]-12, Physiology (H) IQ-1 [2]-12, Psychology (H) IQ-1 [2]-12.

Background Skills: Biology (any)(H) IQ [4]-13, Chemistry (H) IQ-1 [2]-12, Computer Operation(E) IQ [1]-13, Research (A) IQ-1[1]-12, Savoir-Faire (HighSociety) (E) IQ [1]-13.

Field Medic (14 points): Choose anyother template and add the fol-lowing skills: Diagnosis (H) IQ[4], Electronics Operation(Medical) (A) IQ [2], First Aid(E) IQ+2 [4], HazardousMaterials (any) (A) IQ [2], andSurgery (VH) IQ-2 [2].

CHARACTERS 229

Xenomedical Specialist (120 points):Add the following: Biology (alienworld specialization) (H) IQ-1[2]-12, Expert Skill (Xenology)(H) IQ+1 [8]-14, Physiology (alienspecies) (H) IQ [4]-13, Vacc Suit(A) DX+2 [8]-12, and Veterinary(H) IQ+1 [8]-14.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Explorer150 points

Explorers venture into unknownterritory to find out what’s there. Theymust be adaptable and tough if theywant to get home and tell anybodywhat they’ve discovered. This templateis for a planetary explorer whose skillsare optimized for travel and survivalin hostile environments. Explorerswho spend most of their time aboardspacecraft should use the Astronauttemplate instead. Scientist-explorerswho wish to perform detailed studiesof their new finds should use theScientist template.

Some explorers venture intoregions with intelligent inhabitants,and so must be experts in establishingpeaceful contact and learning to com-municate with aliens. They use the“Contact Specialist” lens below.

Attributes: ST 12 [20]; DX 12 [40];IQ 12 [40]; HT 12 [20].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lbs.; HP 15 [6];Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 15 [9];Basic Speed 6 [0]; Basic Move 6[0].

Advantages: 20 points chosen fromamong Absolute Direction [5],Combat Reflexes [15], CulturalAdaptablility [10], Danger Sense[15], Fearlessness 1-5 [2-10], Fit[5], G-Experience [1-10], HighPain Threshold [10], ImprovedG-Tolerance [5-10], LanguageTalent [10], Luck [15],Outdoorsman [10], Rank 1-4 [5-20], Rapid Healing [5],Serendipity [15], Single-Minded[5], and Unfazeable [15].

Disadvantages: -35 points chosenfrom among Curious [-5*],Honesty [-10*], Jealousy [-10],Loner [-5*], Miserliness [-10*],Obsession (reaching a particularplace) [-5*], Overconfidence

[-5*], Pacifism (Cannot Kill orSelf-Defense Only) [-15], Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Sense ofDuty (Comrades) [-5], Stubborn-ness [-5], Workaholic [-5], orXenophilia [-10*].

Primary Skills: Cartography (A) IQ[2]-12, Geography (Physical,choose planet type) (H) IQ [4]-12, Navigation (Sea, Air orLand) (A) IQ+2 [8]-14, and anytwo of the following: Boating(any) (A) DX [2]-12, Driving(any) (A) DX [2]-12, Hiking (A)HT [2]-12, Piloting (any) (A) DX[2]-12, Scuba (A) IQ [2]-12,Submarine (any) (A) DX [2]-12,or Vacc Suit (A) DX [2]-12.

Secondary Skills: Biology (chooseplanet type) (VH) IQ-2 [2]-10,Survival (any) (A) Per [2]-12,and either Electronic Operation(Communication, Scientific,Sensor, or Sonar) [A] IQ [2]-12or Photography (A) IQ [2]-12.

Background Skills: ComputerOperation (E) IQ [1]-12, FirstAid (E) IQ [1]-12, Swimming (E)HT [1]-12, Writing (A) IQ [2]-12,

and one of the following: BeamWeapons (any) (E) DX [1]-12,Brawling (E) DX [1]-12,Crossbow (E) DX [1]-12, orGuns (any) (E) DX [1]-12.

Contact Specialist (170 points):Delete Cartography, Geographyand Survival skills [-8]; addDiplomacy (H) IQ+2 [12]-14,Expert Skill (Xenology) (H)IQ+2 [12]-14, and Linguistics(H) IQ [4]-12.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Merchant 75 points

Merchants must often go far afieldto find goods or markets. Far, ofcourse, is a relative term – on a low-tech colony world the local merchantmay have to travel a hundred milesover bad roads to the spaceport, whilethe space merchant he does businesswith travels hundreds of light-years.This template assumes a “hands-on”merchant who does a lot of travelingand negotiating in person. For a moredesk-bound sort, use the Executivelens.

A more specialized merchant is theAntiquities Dealer, who sells rare andpossibly alien-made items that may ormay not be legal. Antiquities dealersmust be fairly knowledgeable aboutwhat they sell, even if what they’re sell-ing is bogus.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ12 [40]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-1/1d+2; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0];Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5[0].

Advantages: 30 points chosen fromamong Business Acumen [10],Comfortable or Wealthy [10 or20], Courtesy Rank 1-5 [1-5],Cultural Adaptability [10],Cultural Familiarity [1 or 2/culture], Eidetic Memory [5],G-Experience [1-10], ImprovedG-Tolerance [5-10], IndependentIncome 1-5 [1-5], LanguageTalent [10], Lightning Calcu-lator [2], Luck [15], Rank 1-4 [5-20], Serendipity [15], Status 1-2[5-10], Unfazeable [15], orVersatile [5].

230 CHARACTERS

Disadvantages: -35 points chosenfrom among Bad Temper [-10*],Callous [-5], Chummy [-5], Codeof Honor (Professional) [-5], Debt1-10 [-1-10], Duty (to employer,12-, nonhazardous) [-5], Greed [-15*], Honesty [-10*], Jealousy [-10], Miserliness [-10*], Over-confidence [-5*], Pacifism(Reluctant Killer) [-5], Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Stubborn-ness [-5], or Workaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: Administration (A)IQ [1]-12**, Accounting (H) IQ [4]-12, Current Affairs(Business) (E) IQ+2 [4]-14,Finance (H) IQ [4]-12, Law(Trade) (H) IQ [4]-12, MarketAnalysis (H) IQ [3]-12**,Merchant (A) IQ+2 [8]-14.

Secondary Skills: Either Leadership(A) IQ [2]-12 or Propaganda (A)IQ [2]-12; and any three of thefollowing: Driving (any) (A) DX[2]-10, Freight Handling (A) IQ[2]-12, Navigation (any) (A) IQ[2]-12, Packing (A) IQ [2]-12,Piloting (any) (A) DX [2]-10,Shiphandling (any) (H) IQ-1 [2]-11, Spacer (E) IQ+1 [2]-13, orTeamster (A) IQ [2]-12.

Background Skills: ComputerOperation (E) IQ [1]-12, FirstAid (E) IQ [1]-12, one of the fol-lowing: Beam Weapons (type)(E) DX [1]-10, Brawling (E) DX[1]-10, or Guns (any) (E) DX [1]-10; and one of either Carousing(E) HT [1]-10 or Savoir-Faire (E)IQ [1]-12.

Antiquities Dealer (85 points): Addconnoisseur (art) (A) IQ [2]-12,Forgery (H) IQ [4]-12, and eitherArchaeology (H) IQ [4]-12,Expert Skill (Xenology) (H) IQ[4]-12, or Hidden Lore (Lost civ-ilizations) (A) IQ+1 [4]-13.

Executive (80 points): Delete all thesecondary skills except Propa-ganda [-6], increase ComputerOperation to IQ+2 [+3], deletecombat background skills andFirst Aid [-2], increaseAdministration to IQ+2 [+6],add Leadership (A) IQ [2]-12and Public Speaking (A) IQ [2]-12.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

**Bought from Merchant default.

Scientist 75 points

Scientists gather knowledgeabout the universe. In the modernworld they tend to be specialists in aparticular field or topic, but fictionalscientists are often generalists to aridiculous degree. Contrary tostereotype, modern scientists areusually quite adept at practical taskslike building apparatuses, catchingspecimens, and surviving in the wildwhile on field season.

Fictional uber-scientists should usethe Cinematic Scientist lens, possiblycombined with the Inventor templatebelow. Science officers aboard space-ships use the Science Officer lens.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ13 [60]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0];Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5[0].

Advantages: 20 points chosen fromamong Eidetic Memory [5], Fit[5], G-Experience [1-10], HighManual Dexterity 1-2 [5-10],Language Talent [10], LightningCalculator or Intuitive Mathe-matician [2 or 5], MathematicalAbility 1 [10], Reputation +1(among scientists in field) [1 perlevel], Security Clearance [5],Serendipity [15], Single-Minded[5], Status 1-2 [5-10], Tenure [5],Unfazeable [15], Versatile [5] or+1 to +2 Per [5-10].

Disadvantages: -35 points chosenfrom among Absent-Mindedness[-15], Clueless [-10], Code ofHonor (Professional) [-5],Combat Paralysis [-15], Curious[-5*], Gullibility [-10*], Honesty[-10*], Indecisive [-10*], Jealousy[-10], Loner [-5*], Miserliness [-10*], Obsession (solving a particular problem) [-5*],Overconfidence [-5*], Pacifism(Cannot Kill or Self-DefenseOnly) [-15], Post-Combat Shakes[-5*], Reputation -1 (among sci-entists in field, as a sloppyresearcher or crackpot) [varies],Shyness [-5 or -10], Stubbornness[-5], Truthfulness [-5*], Worka-holic [-5], or Xenophilia [-10*].

Primary Skills: Research (A) IQ+1 [4]-14, and any two of: Anthropology,Archaeology, Astronomy, Bioeng-ineering (any), Biology (any),Chemistry, Computer Program-ming, Economics, Expert Skill(any), Engineer (any), Geography,Geology, Mathematics (any),Metallurgy, Paleontology (any),Physics (any), Psychology, orSociology – all are (H) IQ+1 [8]-14.

Secondary Skills: Teaching (A) IQ-1[1]-12, Writing (A) IQ-1 [1]-12;one of: Cartography (A) IQ-1 [1]-12, Electronic Operation(Scientific, Sensor, or Sonar) (A)IQ-1 [1]-12 or Photography (A)IQ-1 [1]-12; and one of:Hazardous Materials (any) (A) IQ[2]-13, Scuba (A) IQ [2]-13,Survival (any) (A) Per [2]-13, orVacc Suit (A) DX [2]-10.

Background Skills: ComputerOperation (E) IQ [1]-13, First Aid(E) IQ [1]-13, Public Speaking (A)IQ-1 [1]-12, Scrounging (E) Per[1]-13, Swimming (E) HT [1]-10.

Cinematic Scientist (100 points):Delete primary science skills [-16], add Science! (W) IQ [24]-13and Weird Science (VH) IQ-1 [4]-12; add Independent Income 3[3], High TL 1 [5] and Gizmo [5].

Science Officer (120 points): Add Duty[-5 to -15] to disadvantageoptions, increase DX to 11 [20],add Rank 3 [15], Beam Weapon(Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2]-12,Electronics Operation (Scientificor Sensor) (A) IQ [2]-13, Free Fall(A) DX+1 [4]-12, Spacer (E) IQ+1[2]-14.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Secret Agent 100 points

Spies and secret agents have a longhistory in science fiction, from theone-man guerrilla movement of EricFrank Russell’s Wasp to the starklyincredible Lensmen of E.E. Smith. Atthe fringes of the genre, where SFmeets technothrillers and politicalnovels, spies are everywhere. Certainlymany of James Bond’s cinematicexploits have SF elements.

CHARACTERS 231

Science-fiction secret agents comein two main types: the grittily realisticoperatives and the dashing Bondianheroes. Superspies have a naturalniche in space opera fiction, whilebleak, paranoid spies hang out incyberpunk stories – often working formegacorporations instead of govern-ment agencies. The template depicts arealistic spy, while lenses present acinematic Superspy and a “MilitaryAdvisor” suitable for covert warfare.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ12 [40]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 12 [4];Will 12 [0]; Per 13 [5]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; BasicMove 5 [0].

Advantages: Security Clearance [5]and 25 points from among thefollowing: Combat Reflexes [15],Cultural Adaptability or Xeno-Adaptability [10 or 20], CulturalFamiliarity [1 or 2/culture],Danger Sense [15], Eidetic orPhotographic Memory [5 or 10],Fearlessness 1-5 [2-10], HighPain Threshold [10], Indomi-table [15], Intuition [15],Language Talent [10], LegalEnforcement Powers [5-15],Legal Immunity [5-20], Rank(Military or Administrative) 1-4[5-20], Security Clearance +1[5], Single-Minded [5], SocialChameleon [5], Unfazeable [15],Versatile [5].

Disadvantages: Duty (agency, 12-) [-10], and choose a total of -25points from among: Addiction(legal stimulants or Tobacco) [-5], Alcoholism [-15], Bloodlust[-10*], Callous [-5], Code ofHonor (Professional) [-5],Curious [-5*], Loner [-5*], OnThe Edge [-15*], Paranoia [-10],Post-Combat Shakes [-5*],Secret (Undercover agent) [-20],Sense of Duty (Fellow agents) [-5], Stubbornness [-5], orWorkaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: Area Knowledge(any) (E) IQ+2 [4]-14, CurrentAffairs (any) (E) IQ+2 [4]-14,Law (international) (H) IQ [4]-12, and one of: Acting (A) IQ+2[8]-14, Observation (A) Per+2[8]-15, or Research (A) IQ+2 [8]-14.

Secondary Skills: Choose 12 pointsfrom among the following:Beam Weapons (Pistol) (E)DX+1 [2]-12, Computer Prog-ramming (H) IQ [4]-12,Computer Hacking (VH) IQ-1[4]-11, Cryptography (H) IQ [4]-12, Detect Lies (H) Per-1 [2]-12,Diplomacy (H) IQ [4]-12,Driving (any) (A) DX [2]-11,Electronics Operation (Comm-unications, Security orSurveillance) (A) IQ [2]-12,Expert Skill (Political Science orXenology) (H) IQ [4]-12, FastTalk (A) IQ [2]-12, Forgery (H)IQ [4]-12, Guns (Gyroc, Pistol orShotgun) (E) DX+1 [2]-12,Holdout (A) IQ [2]-12, Intel-ligence Analysis (H) IQ [4]-12, Interrogation (A) IQ [2]-12,Lockpicking (A) IQ [2]-12,Propaganda (A) IQ [2]-12, orShadowing (A) IQ [2]-12.

Background Skills: ComputerOperation (E) IQ [1]-12, FirstAid (E) IQ [1]-12, Savoir-Faire(E) IQ [1]-12 or Streetwise (A)IQ-1 [1]-11, and either Brawling(E) DX [1]-11 or Fast-Draw(weapon) (E) DX [1]-11.

Superspy (150 points): DX 12 [20];add 20 points from among:Gizmos 1-3 [5-15], Hard to Kill1-5 [2-10], High TL [5], Luck[15], Rapid Healing [5], SecurityClearance +1 [+5], SmoothOperator 1 [15]; add Overcon-fidence [-5*] and Trademark [-5]to disadvantage options; addDisguise (A) IQ [2]-12, Judo (H) DX [4]-12, Stealth(A) DX [2]-12, and eitherConnoisseur (any) (A) IQ-1 [1]-11 or Fast-Draw (any) (E) DX[1]-12.

Covert Military Advisor (165 points):DX 12 [20], ST or HT 11 [10],and 20 points from among Fit[5], High Pain Threshold [10],and Military Rank 1-4 [5-20];add Code of Honor (Soldier’s) [-10], Duty (ExtremelyHazardous) [-15] to disadvan-tage options; add Soldier (A)IQ+2 [8]-14, either BeamWeapons (Rifle) (E) DX [1]-12or Guns (Rifle) (E) DX [1]-12;and 6 points from among:Camouflage (E) IQ [1]-12,Explosives (Demolition) (A) IQ

[2]-12, Forward Observer (A) IQ[2]-12, Gunner (any) (E) DX [1]-12, Knife (E) DX [1]-12, Stealth(A) DX [2]-12, Tactics (H) IQ [4]-12.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Security Officer 115 points

They’re known as guards, policeofficers, goons, and rent-a-cops. Theyspend most of their time watching fortrouble and being bored. When some-thing happens, they’re the guys on thespot.

This template assumes a fairlyordinary “beat cop.” For professionalinvestigators, use the Detective tem-plate. On the frontier, the localMarshal may be the only lawenforcement available, requiringmore investigative skills. Space station or shipboard security addappropriate skills.

Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40];IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [20].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 12 [2];Will 11 [5]; Per 11 [5]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 6 [0]; Basic Move 6[0].

Advantages: Legal EnforcementPowers [5], Police Rank 0 [0],and 25 points from among thefollowing: Combat Reflexes [15],Danger Sense [15], Fearlessness1-5 [2-10], Fit [5], Hard to Kill 1-5 [2-10], High Pain Threshold[10], Indomitable [15], Intuition[15], Legal Enforcement Powers[+5], Police Rank 1-2 [5-10],Rapid Healing [5], SecurityClearance [5], Single-Minded[5], or Unfazeable [15].

Disadvantages: Duty (PoliceDepartment, 12-) [-10], andchoose a total of -25 points fromamong: Addiction (legal stimu-lants or Tobacco) [-5], Alcoholism[-15], Bad Temper [-10*], Bully [-10*], Callous [-5], Code of Honor (Professional) [-5],Flashbacks [-5], Gluttony [-5*], Greed [-15*], Honesty [-10*], Intolerance (choosegroup) [-5], Loner [-5*], On The Edge [-15*],Overconfidence

232 CHARACTERS

[-5*], Paranoia [-10], Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Secret(Corrupt) [-10], Sense of Duty(Fellow officers) [-5], Sense ofDuty (Civilians) [-10], Stubborn-ness [-5], or Workaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: Criminology (A) IQ[2]-10, Law (Local Police) (H)IQ [4]-10, and Savoir-Faire(Police) (E) IQ+2 [4]-12.

Secondary Skills: Brawling (E)DX+2 [4]-14, Detect Lies (H)Per-1 [2]-10, Driving (any) (A)DX [2]-12, Fast-Draw (weapon)(E) DX [1]-12, Forced Entry (E)DX [1]-12, Forensics (H) IQ-1[2]-9, Search (A) Per [2]-10,Stealth (A) DX [2]-12, Tonfa (A)DX [2]-12, and either BeamWeapons (Pistol) (E) DX+2 [4]-14 or Guns (Pistol or Shotgun)(E) DX+2 [4]-14.

Background Skills: Carousing (E)HT [1]-12, Computer Operation(E) IQ [1]-10, First Aid (E) IQ+1[2]-11, and Streetwise (A) IQ [2]-10.

Frontier Marshal (135 points):Improve IQ to 11 [20]; deleteSavoir-Faire [-4], add Survival(local environment) (A) Per [2]-12, and either Beam Weapons(Rifle) (E) DX+1 [2]-13 or Guns(Rifle) (E) DX+1 [2]-13.

Rescue Squad (145 points): ImproveIQ to 11 [20]; add Climbing (A)DX [2]-12, Explosives (EOD) (A)IQ [2]-11, Hazardous Materials(any) (A) IQ [2]-11, LiquidProjector (Sprayer) (E) DX [1]-12, NBC Suit (A) DX [2]-12;improve Forced Entry to DX+1[+1].

Starship Security (125 points): AddG-Experience (5 other gravitylevels) [5], Free Fall (A) DX [2]-12, Spacer (E) IQ [1]-10, VaccSuit (A) DX [2]-12.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Soldier 70 points

The Poor Bloody Infantry. TheLeathernecks. Tommy Atkins and G.I.Joe. Stories about soldiers have beenaround as long as there have been sto-ries. Over time, soldiers have changedfrom big guys with swords to tech-savvy men and women with an arsenal

of gadgets at their fingertips. Thistemplate represents a basic soldierwith no special training. As is, it canrepresent a trainee or a green trooperfrom an underfunded army, or can becombined with other templates to cre-ate a combat medic or a military tech-nician. Add one of the specializationpackages to create a skilled front-linecombatant. Officers add the Officerpackage to the specialization.Veterans add the Veteran package, andelite soldiers the Elite package. It ispossible to be a Veteran Elite Officer.

Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40];IQ 10 [0]; HT 11 [10].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0];Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP 11 [0];Basic Speed 6 [5]; Basic Move 6[0].

Advantages: Military Rank 0 [0], and20 points chosen from amongAmbidexterity [5], CombatReflexes [15], Fit or Very Fit [5or 15], High Pain Threshold[10], Rank 1-2 [5-10], RapidHealing [5], +1 to ST or HT [10],+1 to +5 to HP [2-10], and +1 to+4 to Per [5-20].

Disadvantages: Duty (15 or less) [-15] and -20 points chosen fromamong Alcoholism [-15], BadTemper [-10*], Bloodlust [-10*],Code of Honor (soldier’s) [-10],Compulsive Carousing or

Spending [-5*], add ExtremelyHazardous to Duty [-5],Fanaticism [-15], Flashbacks(Mild) [-5], Gullibility [-10*],Honesty [-10*], Impulsiveness[-10*], Lecherousness [-15*],Overconfidence [-5*], Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Sense ofDuty (Comrades) [-5].

Primary Skills: Soldier (A) IQ+2 [8]-12, and either Beam Weapons(any) or Guns (any) (E) DX+2[4]-14.

Secondary Skills: Driving (any) (A)DX [2]-12, Explosives (any) (A)IQ [2]-10, Scrounging (E) Per[1]-10, and either Brawling (E)DX [1]-12 or Knife (E) DX [1]-12.

Background Skills: ComputerOperation (E) IQ [1]-10, FirstAid (E) IQ [1]-10.

Armored (90 points): ImproveDriving to DX+2 [+6]. AddElectronics Operation (any) (A)IQ [2]-10, Forward Observer (A)IQ [2]-10, Mechanic (vehicletype) (A) IQ+1 [4]-11,Navigation (Land) (A) IQ [2]-10,and either Artillery (any) (A)IQ+1 [4]-11 or Gunner (any) (E)DX+2 [4]-14.

Battlesuit Trooper (100 points):Battlesuit (A) DX+2 [8]-14,Camouflage (E) IQ+2 [4]-12,Electronics Operation (any) (A) IQ [2]-10, Forward Observer(A) IQ [2]-10, Gunner (any) (E) DX+2 [4]-14, Mechanic(Battlesuit) (A) IQ+1 [4]-11,Navigation (land) (A) IQ+1 [4]-11, Throwing (A) DX [2]-12.

Engineer (110 points): Increase IQ to11 [20]; add Camouflage (E)IQ+1 [2]-12, ElectronicsOperation (any) (A) IQ-1 [1]-10,Engineer (Combat) (H) IQ+2[12]-13, Gunner (any) (E) DX+1[2]-13, Mathematics (Applied)(H) IQ-1 [2]-10, Navigation(Land) (A) IQ-1 [1]-10.

Infantry (90 points): Add Camouflage(E) IQ+2 [4]-12, ElectronicsOperation (any) (A) IQ [2]-10,Forward Observer (A) IQ [2]-10,Gunner (any) (E) DX+2 [4]-14,Hiking (A) HT+1 [4]-12,Navigation (Land) (A) IQ [2]-10,and either Survival (any) (A) Per[2]-10 or Urban Survival (A) Per[2]-10.

CHARACTERS 233

Ranger (130 points): Increase IQ to11 [20]; add Camouflage (E)IQ+2 [4]-13, Climbing (A) DX+1[4]-13, Electronics Operation(any) (A) IQ [2]-11, ForwardObserver (A) IQ [2]-11, Gunner(any) (E) DX+2 [4]-14, Hiking(A) HT+1 [4]-12, Navigation(Land) (A) IQ+1 [4]-12, Stealth(A) DX+1 [4]-13, and Survival(any) (A) Per+3 [12]-14.

Space Marine (95 points): Add FreeFall (A) DX+2 [8]-14, Spacer (E)IQ+2 [4]-12, Vacc Suit (A) DX+2[8]-14, add one of the following:G-Experience 5 [5], Immunity toSpace Sickness [5] or ImprovedG-Tolerance 1 [5].

Elite Trooper (+60 points): IncreaseST by 1 [10], DX by 1 [20], andIQ by 1 [20], increase Will by 1[5], improve Soldier skill toIQ+3 [4], add Savoir-Faire(Military) (E) IQ [1]-11.

Officer (+55 points): Increase IQ by 1[20]; raise Rank by 3 [15]; addAdministration (A) IQ+1 [4]-12,Law (Military) IQ-1 [2]-10,Leadership (A) IQ+1 [4]-12,Savoir-Faire (Military) (E) IQ+1[2]-12, Tactics (H) IQ+1 [8]-12.

Veteran (+40 points): Increase IQ by 1[20], add either Danger Sense orLuck [15], increase Soldier skillto IQ+3 [4], increase Scroungingto Per+1 [1].

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Space Knight 150 points

You’re an elite warrior, trained withsecret martial arts and equipped withsuper-technology to be a defender ofgalactic society. More than a mere sol-dier, you fight for honor and out of asense of duty to all sentient life. Theexact nature of your training dependson the weapons available, but whatev-er they are, you’re a master.

Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 13 [60];IQ 12 [40]; HT 11 [10].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0];Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 11 [0];Basic Speed 6 [0]; Basic Move 6[0].

Advantages: Social Regard (Fearedor Respected) 2 [10] or Status 2[10], and 30 points chosen from

among Ambidexterity [5],Combat Reflexes [15], DangerSense [15], Fit or Very Fit [5 or15], High Pain Threshold [10],Luck [15], Rank 1-2 [5-10],Rapid Healing [5], Trained by aMaster [30], Weapon Master(Knightly Weapons) [30], +1 toST or HT [10], +1 to +5 to HP [2-10], and +1 to +4 to Per [5-20].

Disadvantages: Either Code ofHonor (chivalrous) [-15] or Duty(to Order, 15 or less) [-15], and-20 points chosen from amongadding Extremely Hazardous toDuty [-5], Fanaticism [-15],Flashbacks (Mild) [-5],Gullibility [-10*], Honesty[-10*], Impulsiveness [-10*],Overconfidence [-5*], Pacifism(Cannot harm innocents) [-10],Selfless [-5*], Sense of Duty(Nation or All Life) [-10 or -15],Truthfulness [-5*], Vow [-5 to -15].

Primary Skills: Any two of the follow-ing: Battlesuit (A) DX+1 [4]-14,Broadsword (A) DX+1 [4]-14,Driving (any) (A) DX+1 [4]-14,Force Sword (A) DX+1 [4]-14,Gunner (any) (E) DX+2 [4]-15,Judo (H) DX [4]-13, Karate (H)DX [4]-13, Piloting (spacecrafttype) (A) DX+1 [4]-14, Rapier (A)DX+1 [4]-14.

Secondary Skills: Beam Weapon(Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2]-14,

Electronics Operation (any) (A)IQ [2]-12, Law (Galactic) (H) IQ[4]-12, Leadership (A) IQ [2]-12,Navigation (any) (A) IQ [2]-12,Savoir-Faire (Dojo, HighSociety, or Military) (E) IQ [1]-12, Stealth (A) DX [2]-13

Background Skills: ComputerOperation (E) IQ [1]-12, FirstAid (E) IQ [1]-12.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Space Worker 75 points

Some people explore space, andsome people just work there. Theybuild space colonies, mine asteroids,salvage wrecked spaceships, and do allthe other tough jobs the star pilots andeggheads are too busy for. Spaceworkers can be independent prospec-tors or salvagers; or they can get a reg-ular paycheck.

Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 11 [20];IQ 11 [20]; HT 11 [10].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0];Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 11 [0];Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move5 [0].

Advantages: G-Experience (choosegravity) [1], Immunity to Space Sickness) [5], and two of:+1 Per [5], Fit [5], Improved

234 CHARACTERS

G-Tolerance [5], Rapid Healing[5], Single-Minded [5].

Disadvantages: A total of -35 pointsfrom among: Addiction (cheap,legal stimulant or tobacco) [-5],Debt 5 [-5], Honesty [-10*], Loner[-5*], Miserliness [-10*], Pacifism(Reluctant Killer) [-5], Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Sense ofDuty (work crew) [-5], Shyness(Mild) [-5], Stubbornness [-5],Struggling [-10], Truthfulness [-5*], Workaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: Free Fall (A) DX+2[8]-13, Vacc Suit (A) DX+2 [8]-13.

Secondary Skills: Any three of:Electrician (A) IQ+1 [4]-12,Explosives (Demolition) (A)IQ+1 [4]-12, Freight Handling(A) IQ+1 [4]-12, HazardousMaterials (any) (A) IQ+1 [4]-12,Machinist (A) IQ+1 [4]-12,Mechanic (system type) (A)IQ+1 [4]-12, Prospecting (A)IQ+1 [4]-12.

Background Skills: Brawling (E) DX[1]-11, Carousing (E) HT [1]-11,First Aid (E) IQ [1]-11, Piloting(spacecraft type) (A) DX-1 [1]-10, Scrounging (E) Per [1]-11,Spacer (E) IQ [1]-11.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Technician 55 points

Just about everyone in a SF settingcan use the advanced devices avail-able, but technicians are the ones whounderstand how they work, and canrepair, improve, or build them.Contemporary stereotypes assume alltechnicians are geeky and shy, but insome settings being a tech wizardcould be glamorous. This template isfairly low-priced in order to allowplayers to combine it with others.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ11 [20]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0];Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5[0].

Advantages: Choose 20 points fromamong: Artificer 1-2 [10-20],Eidetic Memory [5], Gizmos [5-15], High Manual Dexterity 1

-2 [5-10], Intuitive Mathem-atician [5], Lightning Calculator[2], Mathematical Ability [10],Security Clearance [5], Seren-dipity [15], Single-Minded [5],Versatile [5] or +1 to +2 Per [5-10].

Disadvantages: A total of -10 pointsfrom among: Addiction (cheap,legal stimulant or tobacco) [-5],Absent-Mindedness [-15],Clueless [-10], Code of Honor(professional) [-5], CombatParalysis [-15], Curious [-5*],Gullibility [-10*], Honesty[-10*], Indecisive [-10*], Loner [-5*], Miserliness [-10*],Overconfidence [-5*], Pacifism(Reluctant Killer) [-5], Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Shyness(Mild or Severe) [-5 or -10],Stubbornness [-5], Truthfulness[-5*], or Workaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: Any two of: Armoury(any), Electrician, ElectronicsRepair (any), Explosives (any),Lockpicking, Machinist, orMechanic (any) – all are (A)IQ+2 [8]-13, or ComputerProgramming (H) IQ+1 [8]-12.

Secondary Skills: ElectronicsOperation (any) (A) IQ [2]-11,Hazardous Materials (any) (A)IQ [2]-11, and either NBC Suit(A) DX [2]-10 or Vacc Suit (A)DX [2]-10.

Background Skills:. ComputerOperation (E) IQ [1]-11, FirstAid (E) IQ [1]-11, Scrounging(E) Per [1]-11.

Inventor (100 points): Increase IQ to12 [20]; add Gadgeteer [25].

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

Thief 75 points

Crime won’t go away just becausehumans travel to the stars, but thecrooks will have to get more clever todefeat high-tech locks and securitysystems. Famous thieves in SFinclude Slippery Jim diGriz, or thecrack team of operatives in Iain M.Banks’ Against a Dark Background.Cyberpunk SF introduced a newkind of thief, the cyberspace decker,a freelance hacker who steals infor-mation or money.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ12 [40]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0];Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; BasicMove 5 [0].

Advantages: 20 points’ worth fromamong: Alternate Identity (ille-gal) [15], Artificer 1-2 [10-20],Daredevil [15], Gizmos [5-15],High Manual Dexterity 1-2 [5-10], Luck [15], Serendipity[15], Single-Minded [5],Versatile [5], +1 to +2 Per [5-10],or Zeroed [10].

Disadvantages: A total of -30 pointsfrom among: Addiction (cheap,legal stimulant or tobacco) [-5], Callous [-5], Cowardice [-10*], Greed [-15*], Jealousy [-10], Laziness [-10], Loner [-5*], On the Edge [-15*],Overconfidence [-5*], Pacifism(Reluctant Killer) [-5], Paranoia[-10], Post-Combat Shakes [-5*],Reputation (crook) [varies],Secret [-5 or -10], Selfish [-5*], Slow Riser [-5], Social Stigma (Criminal Record) [-5],Struggling [-10], or Trademark[-5 to -10].

Primary Skills: Any two of:Electronics Operation (Security)(A) IQ+2 [8]-14, ElectronicsRepair (Security) (A) IQ+2 [8]-14, Explosives (Demolition) (A)IQ+2 [8]-14, Forced Entry (E)DX+3 [8]-14, or Lockpicking (A)IQ+2 [8]-14.

Secondary Skills: Any three of:Acting (A) IQ [2]-12, BeamWeapons (Pistol) DX+1 [2]-12,Disguise (A) IQ [2]-12, Driving(any) DX [2]-11, Fast-Talk (A) IQ[2]-12, Forgery (H) IQ-1 [2]-11,Guns (Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2]-12,Law (region, criminal) (H) IQ-1[2]-11, Merchant (A) IQ [2]-12,Stealth (A) DX [2]-11.

Background Skills: ComputerOperation (E) IQ [1]-12,Streetwise (A) IQ [2]-12.

Cyberspace Thief (75 points): Changeprimary skills to ComputerHacking (VH) IQ+1 [12]-13 andComputer Programming (H) IQ[4]-12.

* Multiplied for self-control number;see p. B120.

CHARACTERS 235

236 BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHYNONFICTION

Asimov, Isaac. The Universe (Avon,1966). Clear, readable survey of scienceby an SF writer. Dated, but still veryinformative.

Asimov, Isaac. “Not As We Know It”in View From a Height (Avon, 1963). One of the few studies of possible alienbiochemistries.

Bova, Ben, and Lewis, Anthony R.Space Travel (Writer’s Digest Books,1997). A handy guide to space drives,orbits, and delta-V for aspiring SF writers.

Bretnor, Reginald (editor). The Craftof Science Fiction (Barnes & NobleBooks, 1976). A collection of usefulessays on creating SF settings and stories.

Carroll, Bradley W., and Ostlie, DaleA. An Introduction to ModernAstrophysics (Addison-Wesley, 1996). Asolid introduction to how planets andstars work.

Clark, Stuart. Life on Other Worldsand How to Find It (Springer, 2000).Solid, readable introduction to astrobi-ology.

Clute, John, and Nicholls, Peter (edi-tors). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(St. Martin’s Griffin, 1995). Massive andmassively useful overview of the entirefield.

Cohen, Jack, and Stewart, Ian. WhatDoes a Martian Look Like? (Wiley, 2002).Wide-ranging and interesting explo-ration of possible types of alien life, by ascientist who designs aliens for writers.

Cox, Arthur N. (editor). Allen’sAstrophysical Quantities, Fourth Edition(Springer-Verlag, 2000). Highly usefulencyclopedia of data and equationsabout the universe.

Darling, David. The ExtraterrestrialEncyclopedia (Three Rivers Press, 2000).Another useful compendium of informa-tion about other worlds and star systems.

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, andSteel (Norton, 1997). Examines the growth of civilizations and technology; very useful for anyone cre-ating alien civilizations or alternatehistories.

Dozois, Gardner, et al. (editors).Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy (St.Martin’s, 1991). Another collection of

“how-to” essays, including an extremelyuseful piece by John Barnes on extrapo-lating future trends.

Feinberg, Gerald, and Shapiro,Robert. Life Beyond Earth: The IntelligentEarthling’s Guide to Life in the Universe(Morrow, 1980). Fascinating if occasion-ally over-cute study of alien biology,which inspired a decade of SF stories byauthors cribbing ideas.

Gillett, Stephen L. World-Building(Writer’s Digest Books, 1996). Very use-ful guide to planet design.

Goldsmith, Donald, and Owen,Tobias. The Search for Life in theUniverse (Cummings, 1980). Actually abasic science textbook, using the ques-tion of alien life as a unifying theme.Slightly dated, but a useful reference.

Henbest, Nigel, and Couper, Heather.The Guide to the Galaxy (CambridgeUniversity Press, 1994). As the title says,a guide to the galaxy, with fairly up-to-date information and lots of maps.

Heppenheimer, T.A. Colonies inSpace (Warner, 1977). A cheerleadingbook about O’Neill habitat colonies,somewhat dated now but a good sourceof ideas and background for space habi-tat settings.

Kaku, Michio. Visions (Anchor,1998). An exciting look at futureprospects in science and technology, bya theoretical physicist.

Langford, David. War in 2080(Morrow, 1979). Study of possible futureevolution of weapons and defenses,from a strictly hard-SF perspective.Some of its predictions have been over-taken by events.

McGowan, Christopher. Dinosaurs,Spitfires, and Sea Dragons (HarvardUniversity Press, 1991). Interestingstudy of animal size and engineering,very useful for its information on flightand locomotion.

Regis, Ed. Great Mambo Chicken andthe Transhuman Condition (PerseusBooks, 1990). Fun, irreverent guide to transhumanism, space colonization,nanotech, cryonics, and general wackiness.

Sagan, Carl, and Shklovskii, I.S.Intelligent Life in the Universe (Dell,1966). Very dated now, but this was thefirst scientific study of the topic in half acentury.

Schmidt, Stanley. Aliens and AlienSocieties (Writer’s Digest Books, 1995). Anuts-and-bolts “how-to” guide for aspir-ing SF writers.

Vogel, Steven. Life’s Devices(Princeton, 1988). An introduction to themechanical engineering of living things,essential for designing alien life.

Zuckerman, Ben, and Hart, MichaelH. (editors). Extraterrestrials: Where AreThey? (Cambridge University Press,1995). Wide-ranging collection of pieceson SETI, alien intelligence, methods ofstar travel, interstellar colonization, andterraforming.

FICTIONMany of these works are classics

which have gone through dozens of edi-tions. Publishers and dates listed are forthe most recent versions.

ComedyAdams, Douglas. The Hitchikers

Guide to the Galaxy (Ballantine, 1995).The first book in a series of very popularSF comedies.

Ford, John M. How Much for Just thePlanet? (Pocket Books, 1999). A slapstickStar Trek novel which generates verystrong reactions from readers.

Crime and MysteriesBester, Alfred. The Demolished Man

(Vintage, 1996). Murder mystery set in asociety of telepaths.

Delany, Samuel R. “Time Consideredas a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones.”This novella won the Hugo and Nebulaawards in 1969, but still seems fresh andcutting-edge more than 30 years later.

Gibson, William. Neuromancer (Ace,1995). Hugo and Nebula winning novelwhich was the template for much cyber-punk to come. It has two sequels, CountZero and Mona Lisa Overdrive.

Niven, Larry. The Long ARM of GilHamilton (Del Rey, 1977). A collectionof stories about a future policeman bat-tling organleggers and technologicalcriminals.

Hard Science FictionBenford, Greg. In the Ocean of Night

(Warner Aspect, 2004). First volume of

an epic series following humans tryingto survive in a galaxy dominated by hos-tile machine intelligences.

Bova, Ben. Privateers (Eos, 2000).Red-blooded entrepreneurial adventure,an example of the technothriller genre inspace.

Clarke, Sir Arthur C. The Fountainsof Paradise (Warner Aspect, 2001).Heroic Engineering at its finest, as theprotagonist struggles to build a spaceelevator.

Clarke, Sir Arthur C. RendezvousWith Rama (Bantam, 1990). One of thegreat First Contact stories and a seminalBig Dumb Object novel as well. Humanastronauts explore a vast alien shipwhich has entered the Solar System.Avoid all sequels.

Forward, Robert Dragon’s Egg (DelRey, 2000). Following a suggestion byShapiro and Feinberg (see above), thisnovel examines life on a neutron star.

Heinlein, Robert. The Moon Is aHarsh Mistress (Orb, 1997). Lunarcolonists rebel against a tyrannicalEarth, aided by an AI computer.

Landis, Geoffrey. Mars Crossing (Tor,2001). Astronauts struggle for survivalon Mars after their ship is crippled.Landis is also a NASA scientist.

Robinson, Kim Stanley. Red Mars(Bantam Spectra, 1993). First volume ofa trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, BlueMars) chronicling the terraforming ofMars and the new society which develops there.

Steele, Allen. Orbital Decay (WarnerBooks, 1990). Gritty stories of lifeamong blue-collar workers buildingspace habitats.

Sterling, Bruce. Schismatrix Plus(Ace, 1996). A novel and short stories setin a hard-SF world of genetic engineer-ing, cybernetic enhancement, and spacecolonization.

Varley, John. Red Thunder (Ace,2003). Amazingly talented teenagersbuild a miraculous rocket in a Floridawarehouse.

Military SFHaldeman, Joe. The Forever War

(Eos, 2003). Perhaps it would be betterto call this anti-military SF, as its depic-tion of a slower-than-light interstellarwar is vicious in its condemnation ofmilitary stupidity.

Heinlein, Robert. Starship Troopers(Ace, 1987). The seminal work of mili-tary SF, chronicling one soldier’s life in

the armored Mobile Infantry as theyfight an interstellar war. Avoid the film.

Pournelle, Jerry. Mercenary (Baen,1986). A mercenary commander fightsfor the collapsing CoDominium.

Saberhagen, Fred. The “Berserker”series. A long-running series of booksand stories about humans battlingimplacable robots programmed todestroy all life.

Weber, David. On Basilisk Station(Baen Books, 2002). The first of thelong-running “Honor Harrington” seriesof space opera war stories with a strongflavor of Nelson’s navy.

Wells, H.G. The War of the Worlds(Tor, 1993). The original alien invasionstory, and still the greatest. First pub-lished in 1898.

Planetary Romance and Big Dumb Objects

Brackett, Leigh. The Book of Skaith(Doubleday, 1976). Tough guy Eric JohnStark penetrates the mysteries of thedying planet Skaith.

Niven, Larry. Ringworld (Del Rey,1985). One of the original Big DumbObjects, Ringworld inspired severalsequels and a Chaosium roleplayinggame.

Vance, Jack. Planet of Adventure (Orb,1993). The four Tschai novels are classicPlanetary Romance, and the storiesinspired GURPS Planet of Adventure.

Varley, John. Titan (Berkeley, 1984).First of a trilogy of novels exploring thegiant sentient space habitat Gaea, orbit-ing Saturn.

Space OperaBanks, Iain M. The Player of Games

(HarperCollins, 1997). One of severalnovels set in “The Culture,” a space-borne transhuman civilization. The bestof the new wave of “postmodern spaceopera” from the UK.

Brin, David. Sundiver (Spectra,1985). The first of the “Uplift” series,chronicling humanity’s struggle to sur-vive in a galaxy of ancient civilizationswhich uplift other species to sentience.Inspired GURPS Uplift.

Bujold, Lois McMaster. Shards ofHonor (Baen, 1991). The first of herongoing Barrayar series, chronicling theadventures of Cordelia Naismith and herson, Miles Vorkosigan. Unapologeticold-school space opera.

Herbert, Frank. Dune (Ace, 1996).Transformed the classic space opera

genre with a generous helping of mysti-cism and ecological awareness.Spawned several sequels by Herbert anda recent series by his son; quality varies.

Niven, Larry, and Jerry Pournelle.The Mote in God’s Eye (Pocket Books,1991). Excellent fusion of space operaand first-contact story; the sequel ismuch less successful.

Resnick, Mike. Santiago (Tor, 1992).Bounty hunters and space pirates on thelawless Galactic frontier. Resnick haswritten many other books and storiesusing the same general setting.

Reynolds, Alastair. Revelation Space(Ace, 2002). The first of a loosely-connected series of novels exploring nanotech plagues, ancient alien civiliza-tions, and crazed starship captains.Postmodern hard-SF space opera.

Smith, E.E. Triplanetary (Old EarthBooks, 1997). The first book in the“Lensman” series. The ultimate GoldenAge space opera series, with all its faultsand virtues turned to 11. Inspired thebook GURPS Lensman.

Wright, John C. The Golden Age (Tor,2003). Space opera set 10,000 years inthe future, when humans have godlikepowers.

FILMAliens (James Cameron, 1986).

Straddling the border between actionand horror, this film features Marinesbattling alien predators on a distantworld.

Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982).The cyberpunk film, based on the PhilipK. Dick novel Do Androids Dream ofElectric Sheep? Tells of a future cophunting rogue androids.

Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977). Theoriginal film is now Episode 4 in theseries, which has proved markedlyuneven in quality. One of the most suc-cessful films in history.

TELEVISIONBabylon 5 (Warner, 1993-98).

Excellent old-school space opera, cen-tered on a vast space habitat.

Firefly (Fox, 2002). A short-lived butsuperb spaceship drama, with clear OldWestern inspiration.

Star Trek (Paramount, 1966-69). Theoriginal series has spawned nine films and four more television series.For most non-fans, this is what sciencefiction is.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 237

3D Spatial Sense advantage, 219.

Absorption factor, 84, 85.Acrobatics skill, 224.Adams, Douglas, 12, 20.Addiction disadvantage, 220.Advantages, 219-220.Adventures, 208-213.Alien, 24, 135, 146, 215, 219.Aliens, 21-22, 134-170; Alien

Rights League, 26, 205;archaeology, 12; behavior,167-169; body plans, 150-154; and campaigndesign, 8, 135-136; carrying capacity of worlds, 92; ascharacters, 218-219; classification systems, 175;communication, 163-164;enclaves, 98; frequency ofworlds, 70-71; governments,24, 199-201; habitats, 89,143, 175; hives and hiveminds, 168, 199-200;intelligence, 166; lifespan of, 159; machinecivilizations, 200;metabolism of, 156, 157-158; metamorphosisand shapeshifting, 153, 165;mobility, 146-149; population density of, 175;Precursors, 22, 181; psychological traits of, 169-170, 175-176, 211, 225;reproduction of, 158-161,167-168; senses of, 161-162,164; size of, 148-149, 151;skins and hides, 155, 157;special abilities of, 165-166;trophic level, 143; withunusual biochemistry, 138-140, 154-155.

Alliance government type, 22,191-193; alternate namesof, 200; as planetary governments, 201.

Alpha Centauri, 13.Alternate Identity

advantage, 219.Amnesia disadvantage, 221.Anarchy government type, 22,

190-191; alternate namesof, 200; as planetary governments, 201.

Anderson, Poul, 14, 19, 20, 23,50, 51, 74, 129, 135, 181,197, 215.

Animal skills, 224.

Antimatter, pion drives, 33; asa resource, 181; rockets, 33.

Appearance, 221.Armies, 187-190;

organization of, 188.Artificial intelligences (AIs),

56; as characters, 218; andmachine civilizations, 200.

Asaro, Catherine, 9.Asimov, Isaac, 14, 21, 22, 27,

200, 218.Asteroids, 76, 130-131; habi-

tats, 132; placing asteroidbelts, 109, 110.

Astronauts, 215; template, 226.Astronomical unit (AU), 68.Atmospheres, 78-81;

determining pressure, 86;toxic, 78.

Autotrophs, 141, 143-144.Axial tilt, 118.Babylon 5, 8, 13, 16, 17, 21,

27, 29, 218.Bad Sight disadvantage, 221.Banks, Iain M., 18, 19, 21, 22,

133, 191, 200, 235.

Barnes, John, 18.Basic Speed, 138, 139.Battlestar Galactica, 14, 15.Baum, L. Frank, 216.Bear, Greg, 51.Benford, Gregory, 200.Beowulf, 135.Bester, Alfred, 218, 228.

Bioengineering skill, 224.Bioroids, 54; as soldiers, 189;

and uploading, 57.Biotechnology, 51-54.Black holes, 126; as a

resource, 181.Blackbody temperature, 84,

113, 130.Blish, James, 13, 21, 52.Boating skill, 224.Bode’s Law, 108.Bounty hunters, 17;

adventure seed, 212; template, 227.

Bova, Ben, 29.Brackett, Leigh, 14.Brin, David, 16, 21, 37, 54, 56,

175, 217.Browsers, 144.Bujold, Lois McMaster, 9, 15,

51, 191.Bunch, Chris, 23.Bureaucrats, 17.Burroughs, Edgar Rice, 14,

22, 29.Busby, F. M., 23.

Caidin, Martin, 216.Calendar, local, 118.Campaign design, 7; tone, 9;

types of campaigns, 11-20.Campbell, John W., 166, 217.Cannot Speak

disadvantage, 221.Capek, Karel, 218.

Cargo, 48.Carnivores, 144-145.Catapults, 34.Chandler, A. Bertram, 19.Characters, 214-235;

common origins, 65; templates, 226-235.

Charisma advantage, 219.Chasers, 145.Chemosynthesis, 141.Cherryh, C. J., 13, 15, 19.Civil rights, 173.Civilizations, see Societies.Clades, 165.Clarke, Arthur C., 6, 12, 20.Clockwork Orange, A, 186.Cloning, 52.Code of Honor

disadvantages, 221.Cole, Allan, 23.Colonies, 90; Office of Colonial

Affairs, 25, 203; populationof, 92; secondary, 121-123.

Colonists, adventure seed, 212;template, 227.

Comets, 131.Communications, 55-57;

shipboard, 46.Computers, 55-57;

shipboard, 43.Con Man template, 228.Consumers, 142.Control Rating (CR),

173-174; of planets, 94.Corporate State government

type, 23, 195-196; alternatenames of, 200; as planetarygovernments, 201.

Corporations, 26, 98, 205.Corruptibility, 174.Cultural Adaptability

advantage, 219.Cultural Familiarity

advantage, 219.Cybernetics, 216.Cycler stations, 35.De Bergerac, Cyrano, 29.De Camp, L. Sprague, 12, 14.Decomposers, 144.Defenses, 61; shipboard, 45.Delany, Samuel R., 17.Delta-V, 32.Dependency disadvantage,

221.Detective template, 228.Dick, Philip K., 20.Digital Mind advantage, 219.Diplomatic Corps, 24, 202.Disadvantages, 220-224.Distances, 68.

238 INDEX

INDEX

Disturbing Voice disadvantage, 221.

Doctor template, 229.Dr. Who, 20, 21, 200.Drake, David, 15, 16.Drives, 31-42; antimatter pion,

33; catapults and tethers,34-35 Dean, 36; designingstar drives, 41; diametric,36; hyperdrives, 37-38;inertialess, 40; ion, 32;jump, 38-39; maneuver, 31-37, nuclear pulse, 32;probability, 39; reaction,31-33; reactionless, 36-37; rockets, 31-33; sails,33-34; star, 37-42; totalconversion, 33; warp, 40-41.

Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century, 135.

Dyson, Freeman, 12, andDyson Spheres, 133.

Earth diameter, 68.Ecology, 141; and alien

behavior, 167; and effect onsociety, 175; and size ofcreatures, 150.

Economics, 180-184; economic freedom, 173;economic output, 180; ofplanets, 95.

Electrical disadvantage, 221.Empire government type, 23,

197-199, alternate namesof, 200; as planetary governments, 201.

Enemy disadvantage, 221.Engineers, 20.Environment Suit skill, 224.Environments, 142.Erotic Art skill, 224.Explorers, adventure seed,

212; as player characters,11, 215; template, 230.

Explosives skill, 224.Farscape, 219.Federation government type,

23, 193-195; alternate names of, 200; as planetary governments, 201.

Feudalism, 199.Filter feeding, 144.Firefly, 27.Flynn, Michael, 29, 31, 93.Forbidden zones, 107.Ford, John M., 197.Forward, Robert, 33, 140.Foster, Alan Dean, 23.Fragile disadvantage, 221.Free Trade League, 26, 205.FTL Radio, 45-57.Gagarin, Yuri, 215.Galaxies, 68-70; galactic

alliances, 193.Gas giants, 77; arrangements

of, 107; determining size,110, 115; and moons, 111,124-125; placing, 110.

Gathering, 144.

Generation ships, 37.Genetic engineering, 52, 216,

217.G-Experience advantage, 220.Gibson, William, 17, 18, 19, 51.G-Intolerance

disadvantage, 222.Goddard, Robert, 6.Godwin, Francis, 6.Goonan, Katherine Ann, 51.Governments, 190-202;

alternate names of, 200;avenues to power, 174-175.

Gravity, and buoyancy, 150;shipboard, 43; surface, 85-86.

Gravity trade model, 95.Grazing, 144.Green Lantern Corps, 215.Greenhouse factor, 84, 85.Griffiths, George, 6.GURPS Reign of Steel, 218.GURPS Steampunk, 29.Habitats, alien, 143;

artificial, 132.Haldeman, Joe, 15.Hale, Edward Everett, 6.Halo, 133.Hamilton, Edmond, 215.Harrison, Harry, 13, 17, 18,

20, 235.Heinlein, Robert, 7, 13, 15, 16,

18, 19, 21.Heppenheimer, T. A., 13.Herbert, Frank, 21, 29, 61,

181.Herbivores, 144.High TL advantage, 220.Hijackers, 145.Homeworlds, 89; population

of, 92.Hypnotism skill, 224.Imperiums, 199.Improved G-Tolerance

advantage, 220.Increased Life Support

disadvantage, 222.Inner limit radius, 106.Interstellar Trade

Commission, 24, 202-203.

Jones, D. F., 218.Jump drives, 38-39.Kepler, Johannes, 6, 218.Kornbluth, Cyril, 166.K-strategy, 159, 160, 161.Kuiper Belt, 131.Lagrange points, 13.Languages advantage, 220.Laumer, Keith, 19.Law, 184-187; in alliances,

192; in anarchies, 191; incorporate states, 195; corruptibility, 174; inempires, 198; in federations,194; legal restrictions, 173; punishment severity, 174;and Special Justice Group,26, 204; ubiquitous lawenforcement, 56.

Lecherousness disadvantage, 222.

Life, 136-141; artificial, 54,141.

Life pods, 48.Life support, 43.Lifebane disadvantage, 222.Light-year (ly), 68.Linguistics skill, 224.Lip Reading skill, 225.Lost in Space, 20.Lucian of Samosata, 218.Luminosity, 103; luminosity

class, 100; and massive stars, 126.

Macro-Life, 191.Magery advantage, 220.Maneuver drives, see Drives.Maps, galactic, 67-72;

preferred scale, 72.Marines, 15, in federations,

194.Medical skills, 225.Medicine, 52.Merchants, 216; template, 230.Metaplot, 209.Military forces, 187-190;

in alliances, 192; in anar-chies, 190-191; in corporatestates, 195; in empires, 198,in federations, 193; merce-naries, 14, 26, 98, 187, 205,213; Mercenary RegulatoryAgency, 24, 203; playercharacter teams, 214.

Military Rank advantage, 189.Milton, John, 67.Mimicry skill, 225.Mobile Suit Gundam, 13.Money, 182.Monsters, 135, 211-212.Moons, see Satellites.Nanotechnology, 58-60; and

military logistics, 189;nanosymbiosis, 53; swarmsand goo, 59.

Navies, 25, 98, 203, 213; in empires, 198;organization of, 188.

Navigation errors, 42.News services, 26, 205.Niven, Larry, 12, 20, 21, 22,

23, 33, 43, 50, 60, 73, 130,133, 135, 186, 191, 197,217.

Norton, Andre, 16, 19, 22, 25.Omnivores, 145.O’Neill, Gerald K., 12, 13, 132.Oort Cloud, 131.Orbital eccentricity, 116.Orbital period, 115-116.Orbital spacing, 108-109.“Organization, The,” 26, 206.Organizations, 24, 202-206;

and campaign design, 7;government, 24-26, 202-205; private, 26-27,205-206.

Orwell, George, 18.Outer limit radius, 106.

Outposts, 90; and campaign design, 8; population of, 93; secondary, 121-122, 123.

Pacifism disadvantage, 222.Paleontology skill, 225.Pantropy, 52.Parasites, 145.Parsec (pc), 68.Patrol, the, 25, 98, 203-204,

213; in alliances, 192; infederations, 193.

Phobia disadvantage, 222.Piloting skill, 225.Piper, H. Beam, 12, 15, 22, 193.Pirates, 17, 98.Pitch Black, 24.Planets, 27; affinity score, 88;

atmospheric characteristics,78-81, 86; axial tilt, 118;bases and installations on,96-98; carrying capacity,91; climate, 83-84; control rating, 94; depth of detail,66-67; design 73-98; deter-mining populations, 91-93,122-123; dramatic roles, 63-66; economics of, 95;gas giants, 107; geologicactivity, 119; governmentsof, 201-202; gravity, 85-86;habitability score, 88, 121;hydrographic characteristics,81-82; local calendar, 118;orbital eccentricity, 115;orbital period, 115; placingmoons, 111-112; resonant,125; retention of volatiles,86; rogue, 128-129; rotationperiod, 117; settlement type,89; size, 84-86; society type,93-94, 123; terraformed,129; tidal braking, 117; tide-locked, 125; trade between,95-96; types of, 75-77, 113-114, 224; world unity, 93.

Poe, Edgar Allen, 6, 217.Pohl, Frederik, 13.Politics, avenues to power,

174-175.Population Rating (PR), 91.Postal Authority, 25, 204.Pouncers, 145.Pournelle, Jerry, 22, 23, 25,

29, 33, 43, 197.Power, 60; shipboard, 47.Pratchett, Terry, 20.Primary producers, see

Autotrophs.Psionics, 217-218; powers in

aliens, 166; Psionic StudiesInstitute, 27, 206.

Pulsars, 126.Pythagorean formula, 68.Racial Memory advantage,

220.Ramjets, Bussard, 34.Rangers, 16.Rebellions, 16, 98.Red Dwarf, 20.

INDEX 239

Relativity effects, 36.Resistant advantage, 220.Resnick, Mike, 17, 27, 227.Resource Value Modifier

(RVM), 87, 121.Restricted Diet

disadvantage, 222.Reynolds, Alistair, 12, 18.Ringworlds, 133.Robinson, Kim Stanley, 18,

20.Robots, 56; bush robots, 56;

as characters, 218; machinecivilizations, 200; as soldiers, 189.

Rockets, 31-33; principles of,31; types of, 32-33.

Rosettes, 133.Rotation period, 117.R-strategy, 159, 160, 161.Russell, Eric Frank, 19, 231.Saberhagen, Fred, 141, 200.Sails, 33-34; in hyperspace, 38;

light, 33; magnetic, 34; plasma, 34.

Satellites, of brown dwarfs,128; and gas giants, 111,124-125; orbital period,117; orbital radius, 115;placing, 111; size of, 112;tidal braking, 117.

Savoir-Faire skill, 225.Scale and Scope, 8-9;

campaign design, 8;distances, 68; escalatingscale, 10.

Scavengers, 144-145.Schroeder, Karl, 51, 128.Science Fiction, hard and soft,

7; planetary romance, 14;and realism, 11, 67.

Scientists, adventure seed, 213;template, 231.

Secret agents, adventure seed,213; template, 231.

Security and IntelligenceAgency, 25, 204.

Security officer template, 232.Sensors, 46.Sheckley, Robert, 20.Shelley, Mary, 218.Sickbay, 47.Simmons, Dan, 21, 29.Skills, 224-226.Smith, Cordwainer, 186, 217.Smith, E. E. “Doc”, 6, 10, 16,

40, 50, 87, 175, 215, 231.Smith, L. Neil, 18.Snow line radius, 106.Social Chameleon

advantage, 220.Social Science skill, 226.Social Stigma

disadvantage, 222.Societies, 22, 172-189; and

alien behavior, 167-168,199-201; and biology, 175-176; and campaigndesign, 7, 8, 22-23, 172-173; corruptibility, 174; and economics, 180-184; and

law, 184-187; and military forces, 187-190;and psionics, 218; androbots, 218; and social control, 174; and technology, 177-180.

Solar mass, 101.Soldiers, adventure seed, 213;

template, 233.Space: 1889, 29.Spaceships, 30-48; bioships,

54; crews of player characters, 215; drives, 31-42; as plot elements, 30;shipboard systems, 43-48.

Space flight 29-30; by creatures, 148; earlyaccounts, 6, 29; estimatingspace traffic, 96; and storyrequirements, 30.

Space knights, 215; template, 234.

Space stations, 8, 132.Space workers, 20;

template, 234.Spaceports, 97.Spacer skill, 226.Special Justice Group, 26, 98.Spectral class, 100.Spinrad, Norman, 18.Square-cube law, 148-149.Stableford, Brian, 228.Stapledon, Olaf, 217.Star drives, see Drives.Star Trek, 8, 12, 13, 15, 16, 20,

23, 27, 29, 47, 50, 166, 181,193, 200, 215, 218.

Star Wars, 15, 21, 23, 61, 197,215, 227.

Stargate, 21.Stars, 100-107; brown dwarf,

128, 129; classification of,100; determining age of,

101-102; determiningradius, 104; distributionwithin galaxies, 70; effectivetemperature, 102; flare, 127;main sequence, 102, 104;massive, 126; multiplestars, 100, 105, 115; neutron, 126; orbital zonesof, 106; placing planets, 107-111; red dwarf, 127;stellar evolution, 103; stellarmass, 101; white dwarf,100, 104.

Startowns, 206.Stasheff, Christopher, 7.

Status advantage, 220.Stephenson, Neal, 580.Sterling, Bruce, 18, 51.Stress Atavism

disadvantage, 223.Submarine skill, 227.Supernatural Features

disadvantage, 223.Susceptible disadvantage, 223.Suspended animation, 53.Superscience, emergent, 30.Survey Service, 26, 204.Swarms, 153.“Swords and spaceships,” 61.Symbionts, 146.Tachyons, 38.Tactics skill, 226.Talent advantages, 220.Tall, Stephen, 113.Technician template, 235.Technology, 49-61; assump-

tions, 50; and campaigndesign, 8; controlling, 177-179; and crime, 186; anddaily life, 177; economiceffect of, 181-182; and gravity, 44; losing, 179-180;and military forces, 189;

miracles, 29, 50-51; andworld design, 90-91, 122.

Tectonic activity, 120-121.Teleportation, 46, 60; and

interstellar gates, 39.Terraforming, 129.Tethers, 35.Theocracies, 199.Thief template, 235.Thrust-to-mass ratio, 36.Tidal braking, 117.Time dilation, see Relativity

effects.Time Travel, and jump drives,

39.Trade, in alliances, 193; in cor-

porate states, 196; designingtrade routes, 96; in empires,199; estimating trade volume, 95; in federations,194; and Free Trade League,26, 205; gravity model, 95;and Interstellar TradeCommission, 24, 202-203.

Transhuman Space, 51, 141.Transparent society, 56.Transportation, 60;

interstellar, 7; and military forces, 190.

Trappers, 145.Traveller, 18, 21, 23.Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin, 6, 29;

and Tsiolkovsky Equation,31.

Universities, 27, 98, 206.Unusual Biochemistry

disadvantage, 223.Uplift, 54, 217.Urban Survival skill, 226.Utopias, 63; anarchist, 190.Vance, Jack, 10, 12, 14, 20, 21.Varley, John, 12, 29, 51.Verne, Jules, 6, 7, 10, 29, 215.Vinge, Vernor, 200.Volcanism, 119-120.Voltaire, 29.Vulnerability disadvantage,

223.Warp drives, 40-41.Weakness disadvantage, 223.Weapons, 61; shipboard,

44-45.Weber, David, 16, 29, 38, 47.Weird Science skill, 226.Weirdness Magnet

disadvantage, 223.Wells, H. G., 6, 29, 54, 215,

218, 219.White, James, 8, 177, 229.Williams, Walter Jon, 50, 51.Williamson, Jack, 200, 215,

218.Wolf-Rayet variables, 126.Worlds, see Planets.Wormholes, and star drives,

39.Wright, John C., 51, 56.Wylie, Philip, 216.Xenophilia disadvantage, 224.Zahn, Timothy, 15, 19.Zeroed advantage, 220.

240 INDEX

ISBN 1-55634-245-4

$34.95 SJG 01-1002Printed in the USA

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It’s the ultimate toolkit for building strangenew worlds and alien civilizations. GURPSSpace puts campaign-planning advice andspace science at your fingertips, so you cancreate a setting that is plausible and fun!

� Does your game feature gritty asteroid miners, or blaster-wavingfighter jocks? Choose the space travel and technology that givethe right feel for your campaign.

� Looking for character ideas? Here are templates and advice tohelp an adventuring group get together and stay together.

� Do you want a bug-eyed monster, or a realistic ecosystem? Usethe alien-design chapter to build them all!

� Need a planet? How about an asteroid, or a Dyson sphere? Theworldbuilding chapters provide step-by-step instructions.

� In a hurry to play? Each step of the world- and alien-design instructions lets youroll randomly and get results that make sense. Roll up your next planet and letthe adventure begin!

GURPS Space will help you create campaigns of every style, from science fantasy tospace opera to realistic. Recreate your favorite science-fiction background, or develop anoriginal world of your own. With GURPS Space in your hands, the future is yours!

GURPS Space requires the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. The information andadvice on technology, worldbuilding, and alien design can be used as a resource for anyspace-based game.

By Jon F. Zeigler and James L. Cambias Edited by Wil Upchurch Cover Art by Alan Gutierrez, Chris Quilliams, and Bob Stevlic

Illustrated by Jesse DeGraff, Alan Gutierrez, Chris Quilliams, and Bob Stevlic