In 2199 the discovery of hyperspace unlocked the galaxy for an eager and driven human race. Over the next century mankind spread its influence into nearby star systems, discovering, exploring, and colonizing. They learned that they were not alone and made peaceful first contact with their galactic neighbors. The future stretched ahead, full of new possibilities.
Regrettably, one of those possibilities manifested as a lethal and resilient strain of virus picked up on an alien world. Entire colonies were wiped out by the pandemic, and with Earth itself threatened the united world government, fueled by panic and fear, instituted harsh isolation measures. A blockade of satellites and ships were spread around the solar system; no ship would ever again enter Sol space.
As quickly as the door to the galaxy had opened, it was now shut, locked, and barred. Millions of humans, infected or not, were left outside to fend for themselves. Billions on Earth lived in fear of the skies above. The few who still yearned to reach the stars were actively encouraged to leave, provided they accept that they would never be allowed back.
The first and most notable explorer of the isolationist period was Sienna Silver, a young woman born after the blockade was installed. Idealistic and intelligent, she implored the masses not to give up on their dreams before leaving Earth with her ship and crew.
Every few years since her departure a beacon would appear at the edge of Sol space, hurriedly transmitting a video message before it was located and destroyed. In these missives Silver appeared, speaking enthusiastically about her discoveries and encouraging others to follow her lead. The images of fantastic alien vistas and marvelously impossible structures convinced many, and Earth authorities were glad to get them out of the system.
In what is believed to be her final transmission, Silver appears more subdued than usual, but there is a deep undercurrent of emotion to her voice and expression. Sadness, joy, wonder, excitement, fear, everyone who watches the video sees something different, but it is obvious to all that she has discovered something indescribable. Unfortunately, she was not given the chance to try, as the beacon was destroyed quickly. What little was transmitted is suppressed in public but discussed and dissected in secret.
Now, nearly ten years after her final beacon, someone discovers a layer of information well-hidden within the transmission. A series of numbers that appears to translate into a galactic map.
This will be a fun, lighthearted, action-packed, trope-filled adventure through the stars. Aliens, robots, impossible technology, space pirates, derelict starships, precursor artifacts, hyperdrive, and more!
This isn’t going to be pure satire or parody. There will be plenty of humorous situations and over-the-top personalities, but also action, drama, and mystery with real stakes. Think Guardians of the Galaxy, The Fifth Element, and Disney’s Treasure Planet. This Wildstar trailer is a great example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-il-yLpVi8
The narration style is going to be seat-of-the-pants with players encouraged to steer the game when they win narrative control in a challenge. Writing should be in third-person past tense.
The player characters are a group of people from Earth who pooled their resources to buy a hyperspace-capable ship. Non-human characters (alien, robot) are possible, but should be discussed beforehand. Each can have their own distinct motivation for wanting to visit the stars. Each player will start with up to two unique assets, which you can describe in your biography. One of those can be a smaller, 1-person vehicle that is stored in the larger ship. This can be any combination of land, sea, air, and space capable, but not hyperspace viable.
Invitations are opened to replace the ship’s engineer. The replacement character can be a human, alien, or even some kind of artificial life. Send me a message if you have any questions.
Hosted and narrated by:
David (QuantumFeline)
Started 12/01/14.
Scenes played: 12
License: Community License
