Morpheus Unbound | GURPS | Empire of Dreams
The empire is a science fantasy setting. Primarily premised on hard science, the "fantasy" elements come in with the introduction of comic-book super-powers, psionics and supernatural magic.
It is a small space opera empire, with only 25 worlds scattered among 13 star systems, in two galaxies. Each of the star systems has a stargate. There are another 40+ worlds within the Empire, but these can not be accessed by stargate, which means they are much less settled and generally poorly connected to the events of the empire. The dominat intelligent species within the Empire is the Human. Empire Humans show the same genetic variations as Earth Humans. Humans, and their Clan variations (q.v. the Clans) comprise more than 90% of the intelligent races within the Empire.
The Precursors(?): Many millenia ago, the Precursors seeded the worlds of the Empire so that they would eventually develop intelligent life, especially Human life. If the Precursors have made any observations since then, no one (except maybe the Terralopsians) knows for sure. Other than the obvious absurdity that humanoid and Human-like life forms could have developed on so many planets at nearly the same time, and the stargates, there is no evidence within the Empire of the Precursors.
Technology: The average Tech Level is 10, although the Imperial Throneworlds are TL11 and the Terralopsians are TL12 for most things, but only TL8 for weapons technology. Some of the outer rim worlds are only TL9 or lower. Due to the immense amount of commercial and private traffic throughout the Empire, it is reasonable to find any piece of equipment anywhere within the Empire. Strange combinations of Tech are not uncommon, particularly on the outer rim worlds (q.v. Star Wars), but TL 10 is by far and away the "average".
Because the "average" TL is 10, characters with TL11 or TL12 skills or backgrounds require the appropriate Unusual Background (20 points for TL11, 50 points for TL12). Characters without TL10+ skills can take the appropriate Primitive disadvantage (-5 points per TL below TL10).
Moving through space: The most common method of interstellar transportation in the Empire is hyperdrive. Navigating hyperspace is not a precise science, so many ships will return to real-space well outside the destination system. With a Navigator (psionic Advantage carrying a 10-point Unusual background for psionic characters), movement is straightline (q.v. GURPS space) - the Navigator can keep the ship on course during the journey. Without a Navigator, a ship using hyperdrive must drop back in to real space periodically to realign itself against "hyperspatial drift". Drift is a -1 to Astrogation per day travelled.
Because of the variety of "stuff" in space, the safest path between two points is not always a straight line. Thus, the various star charts and maps measure the distance between systems and planets in time rather than distance. The time is always measured against a "normal" hyperdrive engine. Costs for hyperdrive engines are given in GURPS Vehicles (or Space if you don't have Vehicles). "Slow" hyperdrive takes twice and long, but costs only 30% as much (weight, volume and power consumption are the same). "Fast" hyperdrive is available and can get a body there in 2/3 the time. "Fast" hyperdrive engines cost twice and weigh twice as much, but consume the same amount of power as normal engines.
(If you really want some "hard science" values, assume that normal speed for a hyperdrive is 0.6 pc per day. "Slow" hyperdrive has a speed of 0.3 pc per day, and costs only 30% as much (weight, volume and power consumption are the same). "Fast" hyperdrive is available and has a speed of 0.9 pc per day. "Fast" hyperdrive engines cost twice and weigh twice as much, but consume the same amount of power as normal engines.)
Space vessels massing more than 10,000 tons (or tonnes, if you prefer metric) can use Terralopsian warp drive to travel at twice the speed of a normal hyperdrive from a standing start (it can circumvent most of the "stuff" that slows a hyperdrive engine). Terralopsian warp drive is TL12 and is the only warp drive available in the Empire and its cost is 100 times that listed in GURPS Vehicles (or Space if you don't have Vehicles). Vessels under the mass limit which have tried to use the Terralopsian warp drive have never be seen again. Warp drive does not suffer from drift and its precision is limited only by the quality of the navigation maps and the skill of the navigator (a Navigator with good charts, who knows the ship well, can put it just about anywhere you want).
Each of the thirteen "homeworld" star systems has one stargate (jump gate). Each gate simultaneously links to every other gate, and the destination is determined by transmitting a destination code shortly before entering the gate. Officially, the communication codes are military secrets, but because no one has ever been able to change the codes a few bribes can make them available to just about anyone. The stargates are believed to be of Terralopsian manufacture. The gates are huge - 2 miles in diameter, and have their own power sources. However, the gates require a recharge time after any vessel passes through. This recharge period is one minute per five ton (or tonnes, if you prefer metric) of vehicle mass that passes through. Ship passage is planned years in advance, and all stargates have military space stations guarding them.
There are well-established and well-understood routes between nine of the systems. It's easy to get charts for use with hyperdrive between these systems. There are no known routes between the other four systems. Some of the wilder theories propose they are in different galaxies entirely. Each of the thirteen systems has dozens or hundreds of routes mapped to various colony and client worlds.
Other: Within the population, cybernetics are uncommon but easily available, martial arts masters are very rare (standard Trained by a Master Unusual Background), and psionics are uncommon (20 point Unusual Background). Supers are almost unheard of (100 point Unusual Background). Mages are also are extremely rare, but that is more cultural than anything else (30 point Unusual Background, plus standard Magery requirements). All of the modified human types found in GURPS Space are found in the Empire. Except where noted, there are no Unusual Background costs for playing one of the "alien" races found within the Empire.