Game in the Brain

I had a terrible time finding this word: Pantropy and of all the search I did I could always rely on Atomic Rockets to have exactly what I needed.

So I plan to replace the Homeworld aspect of MGTraveller with the Market Classification and Pantropic Templates. Remaking the Background into a Random thing with options to roll on tables – kinda like life – our ability to choose is minimal and there is a lot of situation momentum to fight or ride on.

Pantropic Humans is something sad and exciting. Its humans who made a deal with a corporation (the DEVIL) or gov’t (the other DEVIL) to work a particular planet for resources. Its the next level of Human Specialization in economics. Of course this ties them down to that planet, and corporations can do a slow squeeze on these peoples (easily treating them like shit as they are dehumanized by distance and red tape). They can begin as assets, as real working citizens, or in various social states of freedom and human dignity. In Emerging Markets they would have the most freedoms, in Frontiers it would be the extremes of freedom or slavery. In developed worlds they would have been given upliftment cybernetics to make them more adaptable and socially mobile (at least within their calcified classes: warrior, religious, merchant).

There is a mix and match. Some worlds will be a combination of two aspects or three. Note that conservation of energy (like I learned in the cave fish losing its eyes to conserve 20% of its energy, or the jokes in The Martian of cutting off his arm to save 20% calorie usage). The goal of each is to make life support more efficient and have a greater amount of safety buffer.

Most of them would have IR vision, they can see into the IR spectrum for many reasons. Ice or Fire worlders would need it. Storm, Void or Barren Pantropics would need a greater spectrum to see some hazards.

Storm Worlders – Humans adapted to floating cities and habitats. They have grasping feet, lighter but much stronger limbs. They have good 3d spatial sense and internal compass. Venus and our Gass Giants would have such humans. Their habitats would be buffeted constantly with 100-200mph winds and they are constantly moving.

Heavy Worlders – Humans that have high gravity adaptions, they will look more squat and broader at the base. +Nick de Vera pointed out that naturally, because of High Gs, they would have Acrophobic.

Void Nomads. Some Pantropic Humans are nomads of space and have been adapted for such for space station maintenance or mercantile activity. What ever the case they have similar adaptation from Storm Worlders, but with physiology intended for maximum energy conservation in space. High G resistance in small bursts, special tumor resistance like in elephants for radiation damage, and proportions that would allow them easy mobility in suits.

Fire Worlders – bodies of low density that can shed heat quickly and metabolisms that can aid in heat.

Barren Worlders – bodies designed for Rocks like Mars. They may have the heaviest mods, because they’ve been developed for the longest.

Ice Worlders – High density and heat conservation bodies. Typically slightly bigger than the norm, but their extreme ranges are going to be much bigger than baseline humans are capable off.

There are no Baseline humans, they have been assumed to be extinct. Some mods can be very extreme and alien. Consider that if 3d vision is more important and what that would do to the eye placement. I was thinking a hairless bald head of light sensitive skin that acts as 360 sensing, because the distance scanning of the front eyes will still take priority especially since there will be digital video devices that need to be in one place.

I have a much more simplified set of economics rules of thumb which comes from my work experience dealing with suppliers at work that can be used for the GM in place of the tables. As a rule of thumb, its just a bunch of maxims that say if there is an opportunity for money or in what form opportunities take.

So if the character is emerging they may have cyberware, developed would have cyberware, and frontier is extremes of chance. Cybernetics is Social Mobility.

Barred from PCs are Enhanced versions used by the Society Elite, the super smart and very much alien Ruling Elite who suffer the cognitive dissonance that they are part of their people while treating them like disposable assets lolz. To never suffer the problems of regular people is to be alien to them, and dehumanize them. Well enough of the social commentary.