[1.0] The Universe and the Future
[2.0] The Gamemaster and the Players
[3.0] Sequence of Events
[4.0] Requirements for Play
Rakal, the Expedition Chief, surveyed the hot, virulent terrain. The
movement had set him on his guard; he worried for the eight other
members of the Survey Team. Looking at his Bio Officer he asked,
What form do you think it takes?
I think the creature is in great pain,
replied Mylina. The
readings on my bio scanner indicate a skittishness; perhaps our
scanning has caused it harm. May I send my Scoutbot over to inspect
it at closer range?
Yes,
answered Rakal hesitantly. At Mylina's verbal command the
Bot whirred through the thin atmosphere and began to traverse the 100
meters to the creature. Do we know the chemistry of its energy
transferences?
It is an alkaloid life form, Chief.
The robot's metallic twang was
clear through the respirator helmet speaker. This model had been with
the crew a long time, Rakal thought. He squinted as he looked into
the harsh blue-white sun, following the bot's flight.
Rakal was concerned. He had seen too many specimens damaged through
ignorance. Equipment couldn't think for itself—man still must
rely all too much on his instinct. If only the Psion were along on
the Survey. Why had he allowed Kk'rral, his navigator, to
remain shipboard? The Shuttlecraft needs no navigator to reach the
surface,
the psion had scorned. Leave me my astrogation chores
and our courses will be plotted by your return. Good hunting!
Kk'rral, however, might have been able to communicate with this creature…where was the Scoutbot, anyway? It should have returned or at least given readings.
Mylina, any readings from the Bot?
Mylina was busy staring into
the distance and paid Rakal no heed. Mylina, any readings?
He quickly looked around the perimeter at the remainder of the Survey Team. They, too, were staring at some point in the distance. Rakal quickly drew his paint gun. His instinct not to watch the creature had probably just saved his mind. His mind, however, now was filled with moans of great pain; pain that was not his own…he ran. Looking for cover by the ridge, he was stopped by an outcropping of cyan rock, so he turned north. The moaning increased. He dared not look back but knew the creature followed. Rakal needed to circle back to the Shuttle and return to the ship; unless he somehow managed to slow the creature down this would be impossible.
As he searched for higher ground, the moaning increased painfully. Realizing it was now or never, he turned to face his pursuer. He aimed the weapon at the beast. He touched the trigger lightly to activate the aiming beam. The creature approached rapidly. The aimer found the cortex, or what appeared to be the cortex; Rakal fired. The coherent light splashed as the creature's natural armor splayed the beam everywhere. Rakal retreated and fired again. Again the beam scattered wildly…Rakal felt a burn on himself from a reflection. Rakal thought of running, but the beast no longer seemed ugly; what a lovely melody he found running through his brain. Wasn't that the creature's song? He stood up as it drew very close. Looking up into the enormous open maw, his last thought was how warm and soft it would be once he got inside.
It is the 24th Century. Mankind, searching for its destiny, has begun to explore and colonize the Milky Way. The stars themselves are now man's playground; they are also the seat of his greed.
After having overcome the temptation to annihilate himself, man found the time to let science proceed with its work. The most important discovery of the 21st Century was the isolation of the chromosome controlling the intensity of psionic talent.
Once this was isolated and brought out of its dormant state, the psionic abilities of some individuals could be awakened. This led to a long series of experiments in telekinesis, psychokinesis and, ultimately, in forms of aportation. It was thus that faster than light travel via mass teleportation (called hyperjump) was discovered. The Psions were found to act as catalysts for both travel and communications between the stars. They became very wealthy and aloof, as their talents tended to isolate them from society. Feared by the ignorant and the untalented alike, they guarded many secrets and controlled the throttle on man's outward expansion.
At last the dream of leaving behind the earth was within mankind's grasp. The final frontier was before him. The earth, politically united at last, funded the first colonizing missions. Each major national power sent its own ships to habitable worlds to explore and colonize. To govern these new worlds, the earth founded the Federation of Planets. Not to be caught in the old mistakes once again, the Federation was a loose conglomeration of these worlds rather than a tight-fisted ruling body. Some of the larger colonies set themselves up as independent states, practically free from Federal authority. The Federal influence was exerted at the spaceports within the star systems. No direct control was insisted upon; rather light but very strictly enforced taxation was the method of the times. The armed might of the Federation was considerable, consisting of far-reaching army and naval forces (both space-faring). Local forces resented their presence, but were usually no match in any combat situation.
The Federation still controlled, to a large extent, the monetary systems. This was to insure fair trade amongst the stars. The unit of currency was the Tran, the abbreviation for one Transfer. This was the equivalent of $1,000 in the year 2000. The Tran was subdivided into one thousand Milli-transfers or Mils.
With fair (or at least reasonably fair) trade ensured by Federal measures, business and technology flourished. Robots became economically feasible, as well as technologically, and they were as commonplace as the home computer of the 1980's. Business became the major sponsor of scientific missions, mainly to discover new resource sites and discover the means of bringing these resources back. This exploration spawned a new curiosity on the part of humankind: the capturing and exhibition of alien creatures discovered on these new worlds. Trade involving live specimens was lucrative, and every week brought the news of a new find.
The initial colonies met with mixed success; some floundered while others blossomed. Many kept their own national flavor; Russian, Chinese and Hindustani could just as easily be heard on a colony world as Universal, the business language of the era. Universal had its roots in the English of the 20th century, but was as closely related to that as English was to the Middle English of the 11th Century. Amongst the languages that still existed were German, Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Swedish, Swahili, Hindustani, Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Arabic, Greek, and Inuit.
As mixed as the national flavor of the colonies was, so was their level of economic and technological development. Although exploration was speeded exponentially due to hyperjumping, commerce between stars was still slow due to the long transit time from the jump points into a system and the world itself. This jump point had to be outside the system's gravity well; thus the distance was often very great.
The pressures facing mankind's first colonists were tremendous; the mettle of mankind's best and brightest was sorely tested. Some worlds found new strengths under this pressure while others reverted to old ways for the peace that they hoped simplicity would bring. Still others just could not match the space faring technology of the era with the resources at hand in the sometimes hostile environments. Thus the level of civilization in each colony found its own level. Worlds developed into major powers within their sector next to others who found it quite enough just to simply survive. As always, business found ways to make either situation pay off. And since business was now fronting almost all the scientific missions, the Federals kept their interference to a minimum.
And what of Earth and its future history? The planet, much battered and misused, had survived pretty much intact into the era. Much of its life and livelihood revolved above the surface; the age of active space station technology had moved industry into orbit. Along with the many spaceports launching one colony ship after another, these working space factories cluttered the orbital lanes around the earth. This development had allowed much of the land to be reclaimed and enjoyed once again by the people; massive refertilization projects were undertaken and a green and beautiful Earth once again flourished.
No contact with intelligent alien life had occurred. Long having been both the dream and the nightmare of mankind's new star-faring mobility, discoveries of ruins and numerous artifacts and burnt out spaceship hulls of unknown design saw hopes (and fears) rise.
Civilization had progressed, but still man needed to strive and take risks to advance. The Universe held wonder and surprise; danger lurked around every outcropping of ore.
This vision of the future lies before you, as you own this game. These rules are your guide and your key to the Universe; the journey is yours to take.
Universe is a role-playing game, and in such a game there is no winner or loser; rather, the Gamemaster and the players interact in a non-combative way to resolve adventures. The Gamemaster acts as a referee. Within the framework of the rules, he objectively determines the effects of the players' actions. The players act out the part of their character as if that character actually existed in the universe the GM has created. The actions that the players take within the GM's universe may be grouped together to form adventures, which are similar in length and complexity to a short story.
The GM is a master storyteller, a weaver of tales that deal in the
unknown: unknown worlds, uncharted star systems, unmapped reaches of
the galaxy. These stories, strung together, form the campaign. Players
yearn to lose themselves in this alternate existence,
and the GM is
the one who creates it.
The rules of Universe are intended as a framework in which the GM creates adventures for the players. These adventures can exist individually or be strung together to form a campaign. Either method is viable; a coherent campaign takes much more of the GM's time to create and maintain but there are certain joys that come from seeing characters grow, story lines interweave, and history actually being created. The story is the GM's, and he has final say concerning anything to do with that story. This includes the rules, which he is free to alter to fit his individual needs. However, the GMshould not take free license with the rules; they were not published to be disregarded. Rather, careful inspection by a conscientious GM will yield what modifications he can make without unbalancing play. The players are great sources of feedback on this; they will let the GM know loud and clear if something about play bothers them.
To feel confident enough to alter any rules, and to GM Universe well,
the GM must know the rules intimately. Since he is the final arbiter,
this knowledge is a must. Many concepts in the game will be foreign,
and it is up to the GM to know and explain them to his players. If
this means playing unofficial
sessions to solve problems, do it!
Without this familiarity with the rules, play will not flow smoothly.
This flow of play is critical to a well run adventure. Since the GM is an entertainer, he is putting on a performance. All the players must be kept interested and involved throughout play. If this is not done, play will bog down and become dull. An interesting flow of play supersedes almost all else; let the technical details slide. The players won't mind a detail flubbed if the story was really interesting. GM's should discourage things that slow down play (i.e., players leaving the room, talking too much amongst themselves, the GM having to look up too many rules).
Every player should be treated equally and fairly by the GM; all characters should be given chances to perform tasks, as this is how characters advance in Universe. Players respect a GM who is impartial and as interested in seeing the characters advance as he is in seeing his story work out. If the players think the GM is not treating them fairly, this will sow a seed of discontent, which will end the campaign or instigate arguments. The players need to trust the GM.
In preparing the adventures for the players, give thought to the balance of danger and challenge. No player wishes to solve every problem all the time; on the other hand, no player wants to be beaten all the time. The GM should constantly challenge his players' abilities, both mentally and emotionally. Encourage role-playing by enacting the non-player characters to the hilt; the GM should use them to make the players think on their feet by engaging them in direct conversation.
The adventures must be varied, and the GM will need a lot of input to remain creatively fresh. Use many different sources: science fiction literature, television, movies, and your players. Take ideas and inspirations from these sources to make your own. The players will tire of a series of adventures all dealing with a similar theme; the ideas must be varied. If a campaign is created, very often ideas for new adventures will materialize right out of the play itself—the story takes on a life of its own. Players have many responsibilities of their own; the creation of a well-run science fiction campaign is the sum of all who play. The voices of the players must be heard loud and clear. After all, why play the game if not for enjoyment and escape? The GM must be made aware of what the players desire out of Universe.
If the players wish the GM to listen to their ideas and desires, they must be willing to take on their share of the burden for the game. The players must know the rules that they will use all the time (use of a skill, for instance). Also the players must respect the GM as the final arbiter of the rules and on events that occur within his universe. It is his creation and if he didn't know the secret reasons for things, who would? This knowledge, which the players are not entitled to, may cause things to occur the players do not understand. They must accept this convention and abide by all final rulings the GM may deliver. The player must take responsibility for keeping the record pertaining to his character. This burden should not concern the GM, who certainly has enough to worry about without keeping tabs on how much is in any character's bank account, for instance. And finally, the players must have respect for the time and enjoyment of the other players and the GM.
When players and a GM get together to play Universe, a certain sequence of events will usually occur. These are outlined below, and most games will follow this sequence, more or less. The following are not rules; rather take them as guidelines, which may or may not be adhered to.
freezestime, and the players pick up where they left off the next time they meet. Play will normally continue until either the characters succeed, they fail, or they aren't sure and return from whence they came. During play, the GM must act as narrator, describing the events as an impartial observer and giving the players all the information they would ordinarily become entitled to. The GM plays the parts of various NPC's, describes graphically locations the characters find themselves in, resolves combat (taking the side of the enemy or creature), and tells the players the results of their actions. During the adventure, the players have as much if not more control than the GM due to the decisions they must make.
The GM and players will have to supply the following:
Each star's location is shown using three coordinates (x, y, z). Each coordinate represents a distance in light years from our sun (Sol). The x and y coordinates are also shown visually, by the star's actual position on the display. The z coordinate is a positive or negative number representing the star's distance above or below the plane of the display (the plane of the earth's equator). Also included on the display is a chart listing the distances between other stars. The Interstellar Display is not used as a playing surface. It is intended as an information source for the players and the GM. The GM chooses stars from the display (and uses the information provided with each star) when he generates worlds.
These include the Character Record, Star System Log, Environ Hex Map, and eight pages of different sized World Logs. The logs in this book should be carefully removed to facilitate photocopying. Note that World Logs 8 and 9 take up two pages each. SPI grants permission to photocopy all this material for personal use.
In a given situation, the GM or one of the players will be called upon to roll dice in one of three different ways: roll one die, roll two dice, or roll percentile dice.
Note: By using two dice of different colors, a percentile number may be rolled quickly. One die is declared as the 10's die, and then both dice are rolled together.
All concerned should have a pencil with a good eraser. The GM should have a set of colored pencils or markers to draw world logs, environ hex maps, and other game displays. Plenty of scrap paper is also fervently recommended.
A large hex grid map (with 19 mm or 25 mm hexes) is recommended for use as the Action Display. The tactical space combat maps may be used if nothing else is available. Miniature figurines or cardboard counters are recommended for conducting Action Rounds on the Action Display.
Additional 20-sided dice are helpful in speeding up play. Some players (and GM's) prefer their own personal pair of dice. The GM will find a pocket calculator most helpful.