Pure Energy

I thought I'd take a break from the worldbuilding posts and get back to some game design stuff. My pets had me up at 3 in the morning (the cats really, really wanted to get into that closet), and I had some time to think. I roughed out some ideas around how energies work, and I'm really happy with how this all came together. I have been thinking that one of the things that this game needs more than the supers game (or the fantasy game... or an ants game...) is some logic and at least pseudo-scientific thinking behind the whole thing. I have already discussed how this game is not science fiction, but that doesn't mean that science isn't at least pretending to be part of it. Over night, I thought about the idea of fantastic science: it looks and sounds a little like science, but it is not beholden to any of the actual rules of science. This is the backbone of technology in this universe. I was thinking about opposing pairs of energies, and I think I got it down to eight relatively simple energies (four opposing pairs). I came up with fantastic science reasons why some work better than others, and why some are used how they are, and this little write up gives the entire universe of the game much more veracity. This is well worth dedicating a page of the game to, because it gives insight into the larger universe. You kind of know how the engine of your starship works, which makes tinkering with it and roleplaying around it much richer. You have to change your void filters, because those are going to get full of dark energy and start messing up other systems. That's what void energy does. 

Here are my current notes on these energies:

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The foundational energies include concussive (blast) and electro (shock) energies. These are popular and in significant use. Blast energy is cheap, easily produced, and is the simplest energy to control, although it is the least malleable. It is produced from blast fields, which are naturally-occurring cosmic phenomena appearing as clouds in space filled with this energy.  Larger clouds often become the centers of space stations that contain the cloud, and the planet Banquo II has a dense blast cloud at its core. Blast is the go-to energy choice for weapons and engine systems. Electro (shock) energy is cheap and easy to produce, but has fewer military applications than blast energy. While it is popular for civilian purposes, it has limited use in powering vehicles and weapons. While blast energy has found most of its uses in ranged weapons and engine systems, shock energy still drives most basic systems, communications, and many melee weapons, where its energy is easier to control. Despite many attempts to master them, shock ranged weapons have proven inconsistent and difficult to use. Recent advances have been able to create shock energy from blast energy with zero energy loss, which has been instrumental to the growth of Banquo II.

The phase energies include cryo and thermo. Cryo (frost) energy is difficult to produce and expensive. Thermo energy is easier to produce than cryo energy, but can be costly to contain and transport. Because both energies use phase technology, devices using them bring added expense and power to the design.Phase weapons deal +1 die shift damage compared to blast weapons, but cost 10x as much, and require INT 9+ to tinker. Phase engines are typically 25% more powerful than blast engines, but with the 10x additional cost to purchase, and a +1 die shift to all maintenance costs.

The pulse energies include radiation and void. Radiation (light) moves along a variety of wavelengths, while void (dark) energy moves directly across those wavelengths, shattering them. Pulse weapons deal +2 die shifts damage compared to blast weapons, but cost 25x as much, and require INT 13+ to tinker. Pulse engines are typically 50% more powerful than blast engines, but at 25x the cost and a +2 die shift to the maintenance costs, few can afford the upgrade. Void energy is inherently destructive, and generally only the messari are corrupt enough to wield it.

The natural energies include gravity (pull) and kinetics (push). These have proven incredibly difficult to weaponize, and most efforts to produce weapons systems around these energies have been abandoned. However, push energy has been vital to the development of skim technology for vehicles (which relies on emitting hundreds of minor kinetic pulses every second), allowing vehicles to hover. On the other hand, pull technology has allowed for the development of ubiquitous air travel, with gravity dampening systems that allow vehicles to travel through atmospheres virtually ignoring the effects of gravity. Additionally, some intuits have learned how to manipulate and shape both pull and push energies.