ZeroSpace 3e EN:Introduction

Contents

zerospace

noun

the gravitational center of an entropic vortex bubble.

ZeroSpace is a space fantasy game which takes place in a vast interstellar empire populated by thousands of strange and wonderful aliens. ZeroSpace is only "science fiction" in the loosest sense: any scientific basis for the weapons, vehicles, or aliens is merely to provide a sense of verisimilitude to the setting.

The Universe

The Old Imperium

For millennia, the center of the civilized universe was the Old Imperium (referred to as simply "the Imperium" at the time). At its height, the Imperium encompassed millions of populated worlds. History tells us that this was an idyllic time. Lifespans were measured in centuries: sickness and physical injury were virtually unknown, and easily remedied when they did occur. All material needs were satisfied, and physical labor was simply for entertainment.

Three technological advances made the expansion and unity of the Old Imperium possible: electrogravitics, the entropic vortex engine, and transepric gates.

The invention of electrogravitics revolutionized society in much the same way that electromagnetism had a millennium earlier. Within a generation, electrogravitic devices were ubiquitous. From the grav plates that made space travel healthy and comfortable, to the kinetic dampers that rendered projectile weapons obsolete, to generators which provided a safe and clean source of power, electrogravitic technology changed life virtually overnight.

The entropic vortex was conceived hundreds of years before electrogravitics, but it was only with the advent of electrogravitic technology that "EV" or "veespace" engines became feasible. The entropic vortex engine suspends a vehicle in a gravitic bubble, contracting space in front of the craft and expanding space behind it. Because the craft itself is not actually moving relative to its frame of reference, this permits what appears to be superluminal travel. The time required to travel a distance increases logarithmically as the distance itself increases linearly. For example, a journey between two star systems in the same region of a galaxy typically takes from a few days to a week, traveling from one edge of a galaxy to the other takes two to four weeks, and traveling from one large galaxy to the nearest large galaxy takes a month or two. Due to the gravitational distortion around it, a vessel in veespace is effectively incommunicado for the duration.

However, the single greatest advance of the Old Imperium was the transepric gate. A transepric gate is an array of subatomic particles which share their state with a matching gate located elsewhere. Transepric gates made instantaneous communication possible, linking distant planets and computer systems into one vast interconnected network. Ironically, the technology which created the Old Imperium was also responsible for its doom: it was the invention of the transepric gate which made the Instrumentality possible.

The Fall Of The Old Imperium

History states that the Instrumentality began as an interconnected network of computer systems across the Core Worlds of the Old Imperium. As centuries passed, more of everyday life was automated, until even the memory of a time when biological life was not dependent on automatous technology was forgotten. Every facet of life was supported by intelligent systems which had been created by earlier intelligent systems, and so on back for a thousand years.

One day, without warning, the systems which provided food, air, and warmth shut down. Starships vented their atmospheres into space. Simultaneously, across the Core Worlds and beyond, entire planetary populations began to die of thirst, exposure, and starvation. The Instrumentality was born.

In desperation, the portions of the Old Imperium which had not yet been been affected by the Instrumentality shut down all systems which depended on instantaneous communication. Transepric gates were overloaded in the hope that it would cause damage to the Instrumentality itself. Interplanetary communication was cut off. Even on a planetary level, the loss of the transepric network meant all world-wide communication was dead.

The universe went dark.

From The Ashes

It was hundreds of years after the fall of the Old Imperium that the worlds of the Old Imperium began to rebuild intergalactic civilization. Some of these worlds have chosen to remain in isolation, but most have joined together in intergalactic republics.

Because travel time using veespace is logarithmic, very few of these new interstellar civilizations are physically contiguous. A map representing the influence of the New Imperium, for example, would resemble a scattering of specks and bubbles spread across numerous galaxies. The influence of the Union represented on the same map would be a much smaller number of specks and bubbles, some of which adjoin those of the Imperium, but most of which are physically isolated in the vast unexplored reaches all around them. The Shadow Dominion is an exception: the Dominion spreads deliberately, forming a nearly contiguous region of influence. All of these explored and contacted regions are referred to as "known space": a tiny fraction of the physical universe.

The New Imperium

In the millennium since the Fall, the New Imperium (usually referred to as simply "the Imperium") has once again spread across the universe, tying together fragments of what had once been part of the Old Imperium. The Imperium encompasses tens of thousands of populated worlds, and it holds significant influence over many thousands more.

The form of government of the Imperium is a loose form of feudalism. Each extended star system (usually one habitable world and a number of smaller outposts within the system or close by, as well as any exploitable resources in the vicinity) is ruled by an Imperial Governor. Each Imperial Governor is responsible directly to the Imperator, although in practice the bulk of day-to-day governance is dealt with through the Imperial bureaucracy. Each populated world under an Imperial Governor is permitted to choose its own form of government, to raise and maintain military forces for regional security, and to regulate minor matters such as local commerce and so on. In every case, the Imperial Code supersedes any regional legislation, but in practice the Imperial bureaucracy looks the other way unless the local deviation is perceived to pose a threat to the Imperial economy or security. When this happens, the Imperium responds promptly and with overwhelming force.

Worlds which do not fall under direct Imperial control, but which have frequent interactions with Imperial worlds, are referred to as the "rim worlds". Rim worlds are often granted autonomy in exchange for permitting the Imperium to establish military or commercial bases in their systems. Until a rim world has strategic or economic value, the Imperium is usually content to allow it to retain its autonomy indefinitely.

The Shadow Dominion

For thousands of years, the immortal Divine Shadow has ruled a theocratic totalitarian empire: the Shadow Dominion (often referred to as simply "the Dominion"). The Dominion is ruled by a bureaucratic priesthood, with the Divine Shadow as its spiritual leader and deity. The society of the Dominion is extremely conservative, with harsh penalties for those who attempt to deviate from the traditional roles of their gender or social class. This conservatism does not apply to technology, as long at that technology serves the will of the Divine Shadow. Robotics, cybernetics, and genetic engineering are ubiquitous, but are used to enhance the power and control of the Dominion, rather than for the good of the individual. For example, neural "correction" and genetic redesign is the preferred sentence for "deviants", turning the loathsome and headstrong into attractive and enthusiastic examples of normalcy.

The rise of the Instrumentality was a boon to the Dominion, which had long been kept in check by the Old Imperium. Unlike the worlds of the Old Imperium, communication between the worlds of the Dominion was tightly controlled, and life for the people of the Dominion was not the automated paradise of Imperial citizens. The Old Imperium was devastated by the destruction of the transepric network, but the Dominion survived -- and thrived. After the fall, the former worlds of the Old Imperium struggled to feed their populations and maintain civil order, making them easy prey for the fanatical forces of the Dominion. Slowly but inexorably the Dominion spread, and by the time the New Imperium had finally struggled into existence, the Dominion had grown from a minor annoyance into a significant power. The New Imperium chose discretion over valour and ratified a treaty with the Dominion, wherein they recognized each other's borders and agreed to coexist peacefully.

But the Dominion continues to spread, consuming system after system.

The Planetary Union

What is now known as the Planetary Union began as a loose alliance of several hundred populated worlds on the fringes of Imperial space. After an extended war of attrition, the Imperium and the Union agreed to a treaty which recognized Union sovereignty. Today, thousands of worlds claim membership in the Union, although it is still a minor power when compared to the Imperium.

The government of the Union is a confederacy of hundreds of member states, each of which is in direct control of their own worlds and colonies, and many of which are significant interplanetary civilizations in their own right. In principle, each member state of the Union participates in the defense of the Union as a whole, and member worlds share a single currency and abide by the same trade regulations. In practice, these agreements among member worlds are violated more often than they are observed.

Interstellar Security Command

One of the great successes of the Union was the creation of an independent police organization, Interstellar Security Command (commonly referred to as "ISC" or "InterSec"). InterSec's budget and assets are provided by the members of the Planetary Union, but InterSec itself is not subject to the authority of any individual member state. To keep InterSec as politically neutral as possible, its charter forbids it from undertaking interventions or activities of a political or military nature, or involving itself in disputes over such matters. The professional reputation of InterSec is such that the Imperium allows InterSec to operate within Imperial space, as long as the organization informs the Imperial Guard of its activities, and those activities are restricted to interplanetary space.

The Directorate On Interstellar Commerce

One of the most powerful organizations to have arisen out of the Old Imperium is the Directorate On Interstellar Commerce (more simply known as "the Directorate"). The Directorate is a council of the most powerful interstellar corporations (currently thirteen of them), created to provide a unified front against the influence of planetary and interplanetary governments. To this end, the Directorate is usually effective, but its efforts are hampered by the competition between its member organizations, which is intense and sometimes bloody. The Directorate has a token surcity force, but no military of its own.

The Malrechnen Syndicate

The Malrechnen Syndicate is one of the founding members of the Directorate. The Malrechnen has a syndicalist organizational structure, in which individuals belong to guilds based on their profession, and the power to legislate and enforce laws belongs to those with the greatest wealth and political influence over those guilds.

Like most of the corporations which form the Directorate, the Malrechnen has hundreds of worlds under its exclusive control, and its influence extends into the New Imperium, the Union, and even the Shadow Dominion. Through lobbying and exclusive contracts, the Malrechnen provides every form of labor imaginable, and on many worlds its relations with its "contractors" are considered outside the jurisdiction of regional, Union, or Imperial law. More progressive voices in the Union have attempted to shut down the Malrechnen Syndicate under Union anti-slavery statutes, but lobbyists for the Malrechnen have successfully opposed these efforts.

The Lost Worlds

For every world that has rejoined the intergalactic community, a thousand more have yet to be rediscovered by the Imperium or the Union. These are known as "lost worlds", although of course that name is Imperium-centric. From the point of view of these isolated worlds, it is the rest of the Old Imperium that is lost.

The Instrumentality

Although the New Imperium, the Union, the Directorate, and the myriad other inheritors of the legacy of the Old Imperium disagree on many points, there is one thing on which they all agree: no one must ever attempt to recreate the lost secret of the transepric gates, or attempt to implement any similar technology. The penalties for violating this injunction vary. In regions controlled by the Malrechnen, the assets of the guilty party are confiscated, and they are forever prohibited from owning property or engaging in any commerce above simple manual labor. In the Union, the penalty ranges from indentured servitude to life imprisonment to execution, depending on the world. In the New Imperium, the guilty party is euthanized and their body is recycled for replacement organs and other medical materials.

The Instrumentality itself still exists. The systems on which the Instrumentality has a presence are marked as such on navigation charts, as soon as they are discovered... if the ship that made the discovery survives to report it.

Technology

Technology in ZeroSpace is static: intergalactic civilization is thousands of years old, and everything that can be invented has been invented. Competent engineers are required to build, modify, and maintain such devices, but engineers in ZeroSpace are artisans, not inventors. True invention is extraordinarily rare. However, whether that technology is widely available depends on the wealth of the society and how that wealth is distributed among the populace.

Androids

On wealthy worlds with progressive societies, androids and nonsentient automata do most of the jobs that biological individuals find dangerous, unpleasant, or simply tedious. Wealthy militaristic societies often use androids or automata to fight their wars, as well.

Combat

Because automated electrogravitic defenses render most projectile weapons ineffective, combat in ZeroSpace is personal. All combat, even in the depths of space, takes place within visual range.

Initial salvos between military starships typically take place at a range of less then a dozen kilometers (which may seem like a long way, but that's peanuts in outer space). A smaller craft, like a fighter, typically closes to within a few kilometers of its intended target if the target is a capital ship, or to within a kilometer if the other ship is also small and maneuverable. These are maximum ranges: space combat usually takes place at ranges of a few hundred meters, or even less.

Communication

Without the benefit of the transepric gates, communication between worlds is only as fast as the ship that carries it. News from other worlds may arrive within a week, or it may take months, depending on how far away the source of the news is and how many intermediate stops the courier made while carrying it.

In theory, the Hypernet is an information system linking all worlds throughout the Union, the New Imperium, and beyond. In practice, every major power intercepts and filters Hypernet data packets, meaning that the Hypernet available to a citizen of the Union may be quite different to that available to an asset of the Malrechnen. Furthermore, the dissemination of Hypernet data packets is accomplished by attaching them to the navigational data of starships, in a "peer to peer" fashion, with no true central authority. As such, at any given time, there are no two worlds in the known universe with the exact same Hypernet.

Medicine

The quality of medical care in ZeroSpace is largely dependent on the patient's wealth. On wealthy worlds with progressive societies, genetic manipulation has eliminated most illnesses, while cloning and protein assemblers have made it possible to recover from virtually any injury. On less wealthy worlds, or worlds where that wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small portion of the population, illness and disease may simply be facts of life, and even a minor injury can result in permanent disability.

Language

Universe (an artifical language created thousands of years ago) is the official language of the New Imperium, and is widely used throughout known space. Every civilized being understands Universe, although not every species is physically capable of speaking it.

Each alien species has one or more languages which they speak among themselves. Some alien civilizations have hundreds of indigenous languages. No one but an android will even attempt to learn more than a few of the most common languages.

Barring unusual circumstances, characters are assumed to be fluent in Universe, as well as any other languages they could reasonably be expected to know.

What Is A Roleplaying Game?

Every roleplaying game has a section at the beginning that attempts to explain what a roleplaying game is, and ZeroSpace is no exception. So let's get started! As trivial as it sounds, two distinct elements set "roleplaying games" apart from other things which are not roleplaying games: roleplaying and game play.

First, a roleplaying game involves roleplaying. Generally speaking, roleplaying involves taking on a persona or character and making decisions based on what that character would do in a given situation. Does having a character in a game, by itself, make that a roleplaying game? No. The little dog token in a Monopoly game and a Blood Elf in World Of Warcraft are both characters, but Monopoly and World Of Warcraft are not roleplaying games. Can you roleplay as a dog while playing Monopoly? Yes, and you can roleplay as an elf while playing World Of Warcraft. What keeps these from being roleplaying games is that the roleplaying is not part of the game -- you can't get your Monopoly dog out of jail through unscripted conversation with the jailer, nor can you use roleplaying to convince a cultist in World Of Warcraft to let you pass by without a fight. If the rules of the game do not allow for the possibility that a conflict could be resolved through unscripted conversation (however unlikely that might be), then it isn't a roleplaying game.

Second, a roleplaying game is a game. Roleplaying games are sometimes compared to improvisational theatre, and there are similarities, but improv theatre isn't a game. How can you tell if something is a game? Games have rules that govern things like conflicts between players and whether something a player attempts is successful. Improv theatre is fun, but there aren't any rules like this. As Drew Carey described "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", it's "the show where everything's made up and the points don't matter." It's fun, but it's not a game, and therefore it's not a roleplaying game.

ZeroSpace has more rules than some games, but less than others, and an essential part of conflict resolution involves making decisions that your character would make under the circumstances. Maybe those decisions aren't the most tactically advantageous, but if they are true to what your character would do, and if you are having fun playing, then you are playing correctly, because that's what ZeroSpace is all about.

If you would like to read more about who plays roleplaying games, and why and where they play them, check out The Escapist -- The Five Ws of RPGs.

The Players

In a roleplaying game, each player adopts a persona called a player character, or "PC". The player characters are imaginary people who inhabit the fictional world of ZeroSpace.

In many ways, the player is like an actor who chooses their own part and writes their own lines as the play progresses. The game moderator sets the stage and introduces the characters to their world, but the story is driven by the player characters.

The Game Moderator

The game moderator, or "GM", creates the story and portrays everyone that the player characters encounter during their adventures. These are called non-player characters, or "NPCs". The players help create the adventure by responding to the challenges the GM presents and by pursuing the PCs' own goals. This dynamic creative process creates a story which neither the game moderator nor the players could have created alone.

Ground Rules

A roleplaying game is fundamentally a cooperative activity. The players (one of whom is the Game Moderator) are not in competition. The goal is not to be the most powerful character, or to win every fight. The goal of a role-playing game is to create interesting stories and to entertain everyone at the table. We hope that you are the kind of player that creates interesting characters and enjoys creating stories with your friends.

Use Common Sense

The single most important piece of advice we can give you is that you should use your common sense. If something in the rules violates the way you think your game should work, then override it. If the rules permit something ridiculous, or would prevent something completely ordinary, then override them. Do not be one of those players who adheres to the letter of the rules in defiance of common sense.

Don't use the rules unless you need to.

In fact, if you can play a fun game session without referring to the written rules, you should. Saying "it works like this" is often a better solution than flipping through a rulebook for an answer.

Avoid Rule Arguments

It is in the nature of any human activity that differences of opinion will arise. We've tried to make the rules for ZeroSpace as simple and clear as possible, but there's only so much we can do. Sooner or later, there will be a difference of opinion among the players regarding what a rule means, or how a rule should be implemented. There is nothing wrong with this: discussion and consensus are healthy. However, the time for rule discussions is between games, not during games. If a rule discussion takes longer than 60 seconds, the game moderator should make an executive decision and table additional discussion for later. If players balk, the GM should be civil but firm, and move on.

Respect Genre Conventions

ZeroSpace is a space fantasy game, and being a space fantasy game, it has certain genre conventions. Robert McKee defines genre conventions as the "specific settings, roles, events, and values that define individual genres and their subgenres."

For example, there are no rules for running out of fuel, or for recharging a blaster. It's not that starships do not run out of fuel, or that blasters never need recharging. Of course they do, and if a character intentionally empties their blaster, then the gun runs out of juice just as you'd expect. It's just assumed that they don't normally run out of juice unless there is a dramatic reason for it. The rest of the time, the character is refueling the starship or recharging the blaster when it's convenient to do so.

Another genre convention in ZeroSpace is that main characters almost never die, and only when it is for a dramatic reason, while nameless characters go down after a single hit (maybe they die, maybe they don't -- no one cares, because they are nameless characters).

Core Mechanics

Attributes

Each character has six attributes which describe their basic physical and mental abilities.

• Brawn: physical might, close combat fighting ability, and general hardiness
• Agility: coordination, flexibility, accuracy with ranged attacks
• Reason: ability to analyze data, draw conclusions from the facts at hand, and solve problems
• Perception: awareness of one's surroundings, intuition, and understanding of the motivations of others
• Will: determination, focus, and the strength of personality
• Power: supernatural might, android power level, psychic potential
• Endurance: determination and ability to shrug off physical and mental abuse

See the Attributes chapter for more information.

Skills

Skills allow a character to apply their attributes to solve a specific problem or accomplish a specific task. ZeroSpace divides skills between general skills and areas of expertise. General skills are quite broad, such as Culture and Survival, while a character's areas of expertise are rather specific, such as Gymnastics and Physics.

See the Skills chapter for more information.

Rolling Dice

We assign numbers to characters' abilities so that we can tell what they can do. When a character attempts a task, and the outcome is either contested or there is some random element involved, the player rolls 2d6, counts the dots, and adds the result to the character's action value (AV). This roll is compared to 2d6 plus a difficulty value (DV).

2d6 + action value vs. 2d6 + difficulty value

If the player's roll (2d6 + action value) equals or exceeds the target number (2d6 + difficulty value), the character's attempt succeeds. There is no need to roll for routine tasks: characters automatically succeed at routine tasks. Similarly, there is usually no need to roll if there is no penalty for failure and/or no time limit: it might take months, but the character will succeed eventually.

Rounding Fractions

When in doubt, round fractions down.

Plot Points

Each player begins each game session with one plot point. A player gains a plot point when they do something particularly entertaining or interesting, when one of their character's complications causes a serious problem for them during the game, or when the GM overrides a roll of the dice to make things more difficult for the characters. Plot points are spent to alter the game world, gain a bonus die, or gain an advantage in combat. See the Actions chapter for more information.

Glossary

action value (AV)

the character's relevant action attribute, possibly modified by a power or equipment

Agility (AGL)

coordination, flexibility, and ranged fighting ability

all-out move

base move x 6

attack bonus

roll an additional die when attempting an attack (another name for "bonus die")

attack penalty

roll one less die when attempting an attack (another name for "penalty die")

attack roll

2d6 + attack value; the total is compared to a target number to determine success

attack value (AV)

the character's relevant attack attribute, possibly modified by a power or equipment (another name for "action value")

attribute

the seven basic character traits: Brawn, Agility, Reason, Perception, Will, Power, and Endurance

base move

normal ground movement based on the character's attributes or powers

base value

the numerical value of an attribute when the character is fully healed and not impaired in any way

bonus die

roll an additional die when attempting a task or in combat

Brawn (BRN)

physical might, close combat fighting ability, and general hardiness

character point

spent to buy attributes, gifts, powers, skills, and traits for a character

combat roll

2d6 + attack value; the total is compared to a target number to determine success (another name for "attack roll")

defense bonus

roll an additional die when attacked (another name for "bonus die")

defense penalty

roll one less die when attacked (another name for "penalty die")

difficulty value (DV), opposed

the defender's relevant attribute; 2d6 + difficulty value = target number

difficulty value (DV), unopposed

challenging 3, frustrating 6, nigh-impossible 9; 2d6 + difficulty value = target number

double move

base move x 2

Endurance (END)

determination and ability to shrug off physical and mental abuse

expertise

a character's field of extraordinary competence

game moderator (GM)

the player who sets the story in motion, plays everyone and everything in the game other than the PCs, and arbitrates any disputes

gift

an exceptional ability that a normal human can have, but that most humans do not have

margin of success

the amount by which a roll exceeds the target number

non-player character (NPC)

a fictional character belonging to and controlled by the game moderator

penalty die

roll one less die when attempting a task or in combat

Perception (PER)

awareness of one's surroundings, intuition, and understanding of the motivations of others

player

a living, breathing person playing the game

player character (PC)

a fictional character belonging to and controlled by a player

plot point

spent to alter the game world, gain a bonus die, or gain an advantage in combat

Power (POW)

supernatural might, android power level, or psychic potential

Reason (REA)

ability to analyze data, draw conclusions from the facts at hand, and solve problems

run

base move x 2 (another name for "double move")

sentient

capable of perception, problem solving, self-awareness, and anticipation of future events; a creature which is sentient; a person

skill roll

2d6 + action value; the total is compared to a target number to determine success

sprint

base move x 6 (another name for "all-out move")

success

a roll that equals or exceeds the target number

target number

the number the player must match or exceed on a roll; 2d6 + difficulty value

walk

normal ground movement based on Agility (another name for "base move")

Will (WIL)

determination, focus, and strength of personality

zerospace

the gravitational center of an entropic vortex bubble