Design Monologue 15: Brave New Homeworlds
On the subject of making the Homeworlds setting more game-friendly, it is time to reconsider the very structure of the setting.
This idea supposes that the Earthgate War was extremely devastating to the Homeworlds, and necessitated a complete rebuilding of civilization.
In this new setting, the Foundation does not have the strength or manpower to police all the territory settled before the war. They have focused on the core worlds and the inner colonies, due to the larger (remaining) population in that area, and the logistical difficulty in aiding the far-flung outer colonies.
In the wake of the Foundation's power, the outer colonies have become a no-man's land, where rogue states have emerged from pirate gangs and local crime organizations.
Obviously, this lack of TLC from the Foundation has bred a certain resentment among those who've been forced to find their own way back to prosperity. This is compounded by the relatively harsh toll the drones took on the outer colonies--many of them were wiped clean off the map, since the Homeworlds' fleets could not defend them or evacuate them in time.
The DMZ still exists, as a de facto neutral zone not truly governed by the Foundation or any rogue states. However, all powers are vying for control of DMZ systems, in order of strategic and logistical importance.
The Foundation does not have the political will to conduct major operations in the DMZ. While their battle fleet can put down any serious incursions into their territory, and easily dominate a sector of space, they lack the support network to hold territory as fast as they can take it.
This is not to mention the tendency of the rogue states to overreact to the presence of major battle fleets, causing an irrational buildup of their own forces, which only heightens the arms race.
The important systems are also courted by all sides with nonviolent persuasion, from favorable trade deals to simple palm-greasing. Some of these systems are simply holding out to maximize their own benefit; others simply want to remain independent, and will resist any force that attempts to conquer them.
In the DMZ, the Foundation is one of many factions which employ privateers. Anyone willing to supply their own ship and crew can work for the Foundation. This practice is dressed up with propaganda within the Foundation, to smooth over the rough reputation many privateers earn by using their letters of marque to behave much like the pirates they oppose.
Private contractors are not restricted to the DMZ. The Foundation appreciates the assistance of civilians in transporting goods and persons within the safe zones of their territory. Of course, this kind of easy money is limited to those who have established good reputations with the Foundation.
That kind of reputation can do more harm than good to a privateer in the DMZ, where the Foundation isn't universally appreciated, much like having good standing with pirates isn't exactly heartwarming to the citizens of the core worlds.
Factions
The Foundation
The Foundation is a major faction, but it is much more independent of the core worlds than previous versions of the setting.
They are headquartered in a massive space station in space that has never been owned by any of the three core worlds. They were established to be a neutral party, whose aims benefit all mankind...the last, best hope for peace.
And yet, there are those who choose to make an enemy of the Foundation, as their edicts of universal human rights, and the universal laws to protect them, conflict with the personal profit of pirates and criminals.
The Rogue States
Those who choose to ignore the neutrality of the Foundation are considered rogue states. Whether because they are criminals who simply choose not to accept the principles of the Foundation, which might impede their profit, or they are independents with legitimate concerns about the Foundation's authority, any state which does not honor the neutrality of the Foundation is considered a rogue state.
Rogue states may still interact with the Foundation on a diplomatic level, but the Foundation is prepared for military action against them, if necessary.
- The Syndicate
- This state was founded by the survivors of a strip of industrial colonies. The corporation who built the colonies was bankrupted by the damage to their operations in the Core Worlds, so they never sent any aid. The Foundation did little to help them, as it was supposed to be on their corporation to do so. It was a misunderstanding that turned into a bitter resentment. The syndicate has come a long way from their humble beginnings, and have become an industrial powerhouse in their own right. Their political structure is best described as anarcho-syndacalism; it remains under the leadership of the original union bosses who became important leaders during the initial reconstruction. They claim their goal is merely to produce and sell industrial goods, though they have an awful track record of unfair business practices, protection rackets, and just plain criminal acts against those not in their good graces.
- The (Sons and Daughters of the) Revolution
- This radical anarchist group is a cult-like affiliation of the most estranged or deranged independents. They have few strongholds, but they make up for their lack of resources with an overabundance of zeal. They are religiously opposed to the Foundation, and openly plot to overthrow the entire political and economic system of the Homeworlds.
- Event Horizon, ltd
- This corporation was headquartered in a system that was utterly destroyed in the war. They were ostensibly a minor contractor to the Abelite Naval Service, though they've since lost most of their weapons factories. However, their true purpose was to conduct intensive study of "human potential" (read: psychic ability). As they were pretty good at it, it is unsurprising that this operation escaped their home system prior to the drone invasion. This corporation has gone rogue, as it is under new management: the former test subjects. They are avowed enemies of Abel, and thus the Foundation. They commit acts of terrorism against their estranged mother country, from economic disruption to outright murder. They aggressively recruit all empaths and telepaths of any ability, spreading (mostly untrue) propaganda about Abel's inhumane experiments.
The Core Worlds
The original three Homeworlds are major factions in their own right. The great differences between their cultures have not been bridged in the scant years since they banded together to win the Earthgate War. There are still old grudges, political disputes, and misunderstandings that plague their relations.
The possibility of war between the old Homeworlds remains, and it is because of that very possibility that the Foundation is treated as neutral ground. The Foundation would have loved to be a union of the old factions, superior to all governments, to better enforce the peace, but neither the political will nor the wherewithal existed to make that happen.
Alone, any of the Core World factions could probably challenge and even unseat the Foundation. Neither has a significant edge on any of the others, though any two could easily best the third.
The Foundation remains the key unifying force between these factions, and that mission supercedes all other concerns, save one: defense of all Homeworlds against an external aggressor.
The vast majority of the Inner Colonies are under the sovereignty of one of the three Core Worlds factions. Those few who are not are interesting exceptions, but not considered proper factions.
((insert description of the three Core World factions here))