-Nate
The
Politics of Aetherspace
Given that aetherial travel opens whole new worlds for exploration,
adding it to an existing campaign setting can have a huge impact on
the balance of power between individuals and nations. Some of the
possible outcomes are detailed here.
Colonies of
Existing Powers
One possibility is that the governments of countries in the setting
develop their own colonies, settlements over which they maintain a
good deal of control. This adds a touch of the familiar—that is,
pre-existing power groups and conflicts—to space fantasy campaigns.
On the other hand, it doesn't add much that is new.
An exception to that last comment is the fact that, as worlds begin
to explore aetherspace, they develop new organizations for doing so.
From a military standpoint, this is likely to include some kind of
official presence, such as ships which are part of a Royal
Aetherspace navy or some such group. Another example could be private
organization that spans multiple planets, such as an Illumination
Society that includes clerics of the God of Knowledge from different
worlds.
New and
Independent Settlements
In contrast, space fantasy campaigns give the GM a chance to
introduce completely new, unanticipated organizations. In this way
these campaigns reflect the political developments that occurred
during the Golden Age of Piracy on Earth, when independent-minded
freebooters created their own utopian settlements in previously
undeveloped locations. While these could be piratical settlements,
they might also be founded by splinter religious groups, independent
traders, or others who have been marginalized by existing world
cultures.
Visitors
from Other Worlds... and Beyond
Finally, given the unlimited possibilities of life
beyond this galaxy, virtually any kind of life form (and therefore
society and culture) could be introduced. This might include a
plant-based civilization, intelligent oozes, sentient constructs, and
even weirder encounters.
Three
Sample Organizations
Detailed here are three organizations ready to be
dropped into a space fantasy campaign.
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The Interstellar Order of Illumination
Once aetherial travel
became known, a number of interested parties decided to cooperate
in exploring the void and creating a chronicle of its secrets.
This group includes clerics of the Sun God, navigators, wizards,
loremasters and other scholars. For them, knowledge is the
treasure that they seek, and they're willing to share it with all
who are interested..
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The Royal Interplanetary Company
In contrast to the
IOI, the RIC is founded on the premise of making a profit from the
many resources to be found throughout the galaxy. Its members are
up-and-coming entrepreneurs, ones who'll stand at nothing to fill
their own pockets. They can be instrumental in funding new
aetherial expeditions—as long as they receive the lion's share
of the profit, of course.
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The Children of the Widow
Not all of the
intrepid individuals who venture into the void will submit to any
kind of authority. Take, for instance, the drow pirate known as
“the Widow,” who commands a fleet of pirate vessels.
Among these scallywags, all are equals—except, of course, when
the Widow leads them into battle. Then her command is inviolable,
and quarter is neither asked nor given.
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Run Up the Colors
Amongst aetherships, flags are an important means of
identification. While some just provide the nationality or
affiliation of a vessel, others provide hints to the purpose of the
ship and its crew. For example:
The flag of the Interstellar Order of Illumination just
uses the initials of that organization, IOI. Even
so, they resemble the face of a lantern, a fitting
symbol for a group whose purpose is discovery.
The Royal Interplanetary Company's flag combines its
initials with a crown capped by stars.
This image depicts royal authority, along with the
notion that every new system explored
will simply add more jewels to that crown.
This flag uses only two visual elements—a field of
black, representing the vast emptiness of space, along with a red
shape reminiscent of both a poisonous spider and an hourglass, which
signifies
that the Widow's enemies have only a limited amount of
time left before meeting their doom.
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