The Campaign Builder's Guild

I was thinking of warrior cultures and harsh planets, and I think I have a really cool idea for a planet.

Instead of being a "harsh desert planet" that makes the people there strong, or a "harsh ice world" or anything like that, it's just a normal M-Class planet...

That does not tilt on it's axis.

The poles are frigid waste lands, the equator is a scorched desert. Only two thin bands between the equator and poles support life comfortably. This is where most of the population lives.

I was thinking of some sort of religious thing where, as a rite of passage, a youth of a certain age has to spend x amount of time a certain distance outside of the inhabited areas... like, venture a certain distance into both the frozen wastes and then the burning wastes, with a minimum of equipment. Anyone who survives is considered a citizen. Anyone who dies is given a memorial as someone who had the bravery to die trying. Anyone who gives up and returns home early is considered a lesser citizen and their status is determined by how much time they actually survived. Most people would fall as lesser citizens, but that is no small thing- no off-world has ever survived The Trial. :) Those who survive for the full amount of time are full citizens and are required to serve in the military for x amount of years. Those who spend the amount of time in the wilderness, and then later return for an even longer time, are eligible for a higher status or something. I dunno. Kinda like historical Sparta meets Dune.

Iron and carbon are pretty common in the Universe, and I think many planets would have deposits of metal ore. So, making metal swords and shields would not be much of a problem. In fact, I've even figured out a way to get the plastic for my story!

However, what about the materials for gunpowder? Are they common in the Universe? How abundant are they on Earth itself?

"I would use something pollution based. I see futuristic societies using planets up then hopping over to a new one. Who cares about the environment when there are billions of others to enjoy?"

You're right. What if the population never exceeded a few billion, and they just moved from world to world until suddenly their probes didn't find any more worlds and their last one was just about run out? Maybe they'd fight over it and destroy themselves.

Or maybe planets would be sparsely populated, but numerous.

So we have two scenarios.

Sparsely populated, but numerous planets.

Few planets, densely populated.

There needs to be a somewhat flimsy infrastructure, like a poorly constructed Jenga, where the Jihaadists pull out a few lose screws and the whole thing crashes down for a few millenia.

Book One: The Jihaad (destruction of the empire)
Book Two: Ayenee.1027 (an intact Spacejumper is found!)
Book Three: Something else. But it would outline how humans on different planets evolved independently.

Eh, eh? How's that sound?

O.O;

I was thinking maybe a Jihaad. But what could spark a Jihaad? They take hundreds/thousands of years to build up their frenetic religious energy before unleashing it and destroying everything in their path... maybe...

An... anarchist... anti-tech rebellion?

Maybe a society ruled more and more by science and less and less by religion/spiritualty (which, maybe, became outlawed?) became so unfullfilling that the people just went berserk and destroyed it all?

Maybe my setting could be in a post-dystopian farfuture. ??

And wouldn't human beings, separated by billions of lightyears, huddled on their varried planets (each with different pressures and selecting factors), over the course of hundreds (tens?) of thousnads of years... eventually evolve into differing species?

I GOT IT.

URINE.

Me and my friend one time had to pee in a bucket (long story) and forgot about it in his attic. When we rediscovered it months later, nothing was left but this black stuff that he said was "carbon". There could be... urine farms!

I was just musing. If you like the idea of a factory Walmart run by Baalors in which sentient beings go in one end and cheap consumer goods come out the other, then by all means, use it. :)

The reason is easy enough. Just think about Nazi Germany (oops! I mentioned the Nazi's. Godwin's Law is true!) where Jews were slaughtered for economic reasons. I'm sure in the future humanity would not spontaneously become "enlightened" and stop the practices of slavery and genocide. :)

"You've got to think of an excuse for a giant factory where sentient beings go in and cheap consumer goods come out... like a Wal-Mart run by Baalors. Or is it already?"

Dude that has short story written all over it man. It'd be funny to read. Someone should write it.

Aww that's okay. It'd be worth it. Drinking out of her skull just seems so macabre and barbaric. Better to harvest her molecules and make useful items out of them. I can drink out of a plastic mug made from her carbon stores. :) That is much more sophisticated, and hence, civilized. ;)

I'm feeling particularly feisty after talking to my ex-girlfriend. Perhaps troublesome humans could be harvested for their carbon? Meehehehheeh.

The people are PeTA are gonna kill me.

Awesome. Now the only question left is how to incorporate magic as masterfully as, say, Frank Herbert did.

(I think that's my problem. I read all these great authors, get inspired, and then realize that I'm standing in titanic shoes).

Wow man. This forum is awesome. All I have to do is post an idea that popped into my head, and you guys turn 1 idea into a brainstorm. Thanks for all the ideas! :)

Well I want the people in my futuristic society, which lives on a variety of planets, to be able to extract carbon for the purpose of creating steel, since not all planets will have coal and I doubt the planets that do would have enough to fund the steel production of an entire civilization spanning several solar systems.

What do riot squads use for their personal armor?