Difference between revisions of "Ascend Milieus"
(Created page with "Each milieu is the general 'feel' for the nation/planet/area in question. In the same way that Power Themes help to define what individual characters can and cannot do, milie...") |
m |
||
| Line 13: | Line 13: | ||
==Moderate== | ==Moderate== | ||
===Industrial=== | ===Industrial=== | ||
| − | World War II . . . ''in space''. The crazy excesses, tropes and themes of the 20th century's greatest war made even greater. Grades into ''' | + | World War II . . . ''in space''. The crazy excesses, tropes and themes of the 20th century's greatest war made even greater. Grades into '''TL4''' (see below), with the distinguishing line often being if the guns fire bullets or energy bolts. Heavily biasted towards technology, with magic sidelined (assuming it exists at all) to a relatively niche role - often by black-clad 'psycops'. |
| − | :LOE examples: Atesia, Kraznya Zvezda | + | :LOE examples: Atesia, Kraznya Zvezda, Fin |
:Other examples: Gear Krieg, Many ahistorical WWII shooters, Fallout, Red Alert | :Other examples: Gear Krieg, Many ahistorical WWII shooters, Fallout, Red Alert | ||
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
==Advanced== | ==Advanced== | ||
| − | === | + | ===TL4=== |
| − | Fairly conventional space opera running on WWII-to-Vietnam tropes, but complete with all the modern conveniences like antigravity, forcefields and beam cannons. Magical use tends to be atrophied, with this milieu being the typical end-state of nations that neglect or indeed refuse to use magic. | + | Fairly conventional space opera running on WWII-to-Vietnam tropes, but complete with all the modern conveniences like antigravity, forcefields and beam cannons. Magical use tends to be atrophied, with this milieu being the typical end-state of nations that neglect or indeed refuse to use magic. TL4 is the natural home of big stompy robots, big invincible tanks, dudes in power armor, and cosmo battleships. |
:LOE examples: Belmar, Sternreich, Franco, Gael Cygni | :LOE examples: Belmar, Sternreich, Franco, Gael Cygni | ||
:Other examples: Battletech, Space Battleship Yamato, Hammer's Slammers | :Other examples: Battletech, Space Battleship Yamato, Hammer's Slammers | ||
| Line 34: | Line 34: | ||
===Infospace=== | ===Infospace=== | ||
| − | Cyberpunk that has left behind the crudities | + | Cyberpunk that has left behind the crudities and resolved its contraditions between man and machine, turning society from a competition into synthesis. With an emphasis on 'sneaky' ways of fighting, Infospace relies heavily on various forms of electronic defenses and long-range offense instead of up-close brawling. |
:LOE examples: Thetis, Xannis, Zanzibar (with a biotech twist), New Phoenicia (?) | :LOE examples: Thetis, Xannis, Zanzibar (with a biotech twist), New Phoenicia (?) | ||
| − | :Other examples: Pandora's Star, Hyperion | + | :Other examples: Pandora's Star, Hyperion, Infinity |
===High Arcane=== | ===High Arcane=== | ||
Outright high wizarding with no fucks given. specifics TBD | Outright high wizarding with no fucks given. specifics TBD | ||
Revision as of 00:51, 11 April 2015
Each milieu is the general 'feel' for the nation/planet/area in question. In the same way that Power Themes help to define what individual characters can and cannot do, milieus do it for societies. They are grouped into three broad levels which (very roughly) represent how powerful and capable they are.
Simple
Wulin
A merging of low technology with ubiquitous magic, commonly in the form of etheric martial arts. While often having little but masses of troops, monstrous cavalry and unsophisticated sailing ships to pit against more vehicular-oriented milieus, in an arms-length brawl there are few peers and none better.
- LOE examples: Vale of Hesperi (turned up to 11)
- Other examples: Almost any popular MMO
Steampunk
- LOE examples: Ohmshire, Pendleton
- Other examples: Girl Genius
Moderate
Industrial
World War II . . . in space. The crazy excesses, tropes and themes of the 20th century's greatest war made even greater. Grades into TL4 (see below), with the distinguishing line often being if the guns fire bullets or energy bolts. Heavily biasted towards technology, with magic sidelined (assuming it exists at all) to a relatively niche role - often by black-clad 'psycops'.
- LOE examples: Atesia, Kraznya Zvezda, Fin
- Other examples: Gear Krieg, Many ahistorical WWII shooters, Fallout, Red Alert
Cyberpunk
A milieu that closely approximates real life, though normally with copious additions of cyberware and/or street level magic. The guns are a bit more tacticool, the shadows are a bit darker and the fantasy a lot more urban.
- LOE examples: Vittrix Xenofront, Na-Speza Metropolis
- Other examples: Deus Ex, Ghost in the Shell, Metal Gear Solid, Shadowrun, Real Life
Advanced
TL4
Fairly conventional space opera running on WWII-to-Vietnam tropes, but complete with all the modern conveniences like antigravity, forcefields and beam cannons. Magical use tends to be atrophied, with this milieu being the typical end-state of nations that neglect or indeed refuse to use magic. TL4 is the natural home of big stompy robots, big invincible tanks, dudes in power armor, and cosmo battleships.
- LOE examples: Belmar, Sternreich, Franco, Gael Cygni
- Other examples: Battletech, Space Battleship Yamato, Hammer's Slammers
Sword and Starship
An undisputably high-powered milieu, Sword and Starship can be defined by two things; brutal, straightforward power and a tendency towards close-range fighting. Computers and biotechnology tends to be relatively rudimentary, with sentient (but often chattel) androids/robots being the most common outlier. Starships are large, tough and thickly coated with guns while mecha - often armed with appropriately-scaled beam sabers and plasma muskets - dart between them. Magic tends to be common, often reinforcing the battlefield troops, and the line between what is 'built' and what is 'artificed' are often so blurred as to be irrelevant.
- LOE examples: Kozun, Lost Ground, Royal Republic of Archangel
- Other examples: Star Wars, Warhammer 40k, First Age Exalted
Infospace
Cyberpunk that has left behind the crudities and resolved its contraditions between man and machine, turning society from a competition into synthesis. With an emphasis on 'sneaky' ways of fighting, Infospace relies heavily on various forms of electronic defenses and long-range offense instead of up-close brawling.
- LOE examples: Thetis, Xannis, Zanzibar (with a biotech twist), New Phoenicia (?)
- Other examples: Pandora's Star, Hyperion, Infinity
High Arcane
Outright high wizarding with no fucks given. specifics TBD