Tuesday 11 October 2011

The campaign setting - Up for debate

Timeline
2021 – Human’s return to the Moon
2026 – First permanent base on the Moon
2030 – Human’s visit Mars and Phobos
2038 – Human automated mines on asteroid
2045 – Lunar population reaches 150.  Mars population reaches 20.
2049 – A space-based telescope imaging of the Trans-Neptunian Object Haumea indicate that its two satellites, Namaka and Hi’iaka, are of “non-natural compounds” each of approximately 100km in diameter.
2050 – Several probes are directed to Haumea.
2059 – The probes start to reach Haumea.  Combined with improved telescopes Namaka and Hi’iaka are found to be tethered moonlets covered in “sentient being constructions”, and Haumea itself is a massive “planetoid ship” of “non-Solar origin”.  The probes all soon cease to operate, but the last to “switch off” witnesses activity on Namaka.  Namaka appears to be "waking up"
2060 – Human crewed stealth ship leaves earth for Haumea, estimated time of arrival 2076.
2061 – Hundreds of alien signals from several planets, moon’s and asteroids, including Earth are intercepted.  The first to be investigated is an alien vessel embedded 200m below the surface in Permo-Triassic rocks of Afghanistan.  The ship was destroyed 252.6 million years ago.  The technology, though disrupted by tectonics, leads to valuable advances in human technology.  In the surrounding rock fossils of aliens are discovered.
2062 – A high-resolution spectral survey of the Moon finds a second crashed ship on the Moon.  The ship is largely intact and technology is extracted.  The race to discover and exploit alien technology turns to war, the First Lunar War. 
2065 – High intensity interference hits Earth, disrupting all radio communications.
2066 – An alien mine on Ceres is discovered, the probe finds the mine to be active, with robots stockpiling 30m diameter rocks near a newly constructed magnetic levitation rail.
2067 – Thousands of rocks are detected leaving numerous asteroids.
2071 - Approximately 20,000 30m diameter rocks break through Earth’s meager defenses and pummel planet Earth at over 70km/s, resulting in thousands of craters (of 1 to 3km diameter) and hundreds of tsunamis.  Human civilization is largely extinguished.
2073 – Following a harrowing year the survivors start to connect.  Several new federations are formed.
2074 – Live aliens are encountered in Afghanistan.  The aliens are in a sorry state, and landed in “drop pods”, some appear to be “life rafts”.  The aliens show no desire to communicate.
2075 - The Namakan colony in Afghanistan is attacked and destroyed by the humans.  Investigations of the Namakan mines discover a 100km wide ship embedded beneath Afghanistan.

Can the surviving humans unite and exploit the technological treasures of Afghanistan before they are overwhelmed by the drop pods heading to Earth?

The campaign
The year is 2075, the lithium and rare earth “ore deposits” of Afghanistan are found to have “leaked” from alien ships embedded in 250 million year old rock.  Aliens that presumably have been in stasis at Haumea have woken from their slumber and are now in transit to Earth.  Evidence indicates that the aliens arrived in the Solar System 250 million years ago intending to colonize Earth and the other planets.  War broke out between the alien colonists, or a second group arrived, which resulted in 90% of life on Earth dying, and resulted in the aliens nearly annihilating themselves.  The only survivors were those on the Haumea-ship.  They may have arrived during the conflict and remained in stasis.  The aliens view the humans as nothing but animals.  Some theorists believe the aliens to be mere “slaves” of far superior beings who designed and built the technology they use.

The campaign begins in Afghanistan, several expeditions have met at “the ship”.  At present they have fought a few aliens, some local bandits, and there have been a few firefights between the expeditions themselves.  Communication is slow, as radios are inoperable.  The expeditionary forces are largely self-sufficient, and expect little in reinforcements.  Drop pods of alien survivors continue to land around the 100km wide buried ship.  So far, several alien species have been identified.

Players will create forces of modern and super-modern troops ( a mix of modern and SF), some players may create alien or robotic forces.  In the beginning all the humans are allies, but if they want to gain advantage for their masters at home they may have to turn on their friends.

So, BIG members, are you keen?  Non-BIG members out there across the planet Earth...interested in being part of a campaign?
If so, any comments?


2 comments:

  1. Kevin, An excellent start! You should be writing alternate history sci-fi! Is there scope for involvement from an individual who cannot make Vulture Street on a regular basis? Scott

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  2. There certainly is opportunity, either to be a council member, deciding on operations, or playing the aliens etc at the club meetings.

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