I just read Paul's discussion of the frontier. It is very similar to
my own, in terms of how law operates, etc. I thought I would describe
the parameters of the "frontier" in my gameworld for anyone who wants
to use these ideas.
First, I don't use the Jump drive system; instead, solar systems are
linked by what I call hypergates--remember the star gates in 2001? It's
the same "big machine that punches a hole through hyperspace" routine.
I do this for two reasons--one, I find it more plausible, and two, it
allows the GM greater control over who gets into any particular solar
system. Hypergates can basically open a gateway to anywhere in the
universe, but there are problems with opening a gateway closer than
two or three billion km. from a star-sized mass.
Also, I don't believe in gravity control. This means that spacecraft
boost at one gravity (or sometimes more than that, but not for very long;
obviously, spacecraft can have powerful engines that will let them go at
extreme speed for a while, and there are drugs that counteract some of the
effects of high gravity (for a while), etc.) This means that besides the
standard "new solar system being colonized" frontier, you've got an even
bigger and better one waiting for players in every existing solar system.
The cometary halo.
The cometary halo extends to about one third the distance to the next star.
About one light year. Cometary nuclei are believed to be spaced about two
billion km. apart. Roughly, that means one hundred billion to one trillion
cometary nuclei in any cometary halo/oort cloud. Since it takes about
three months to travel one hundred billion km. at one gravity (coasting
about two thirds of that time because there is a limit to how much fuel
you can carry, even if you are using fusion engines), most of the cometary
halo is totally beyond the reach of any central authority.
So what, I hear you ask. Comets are useless. Big, dirty snowballs.
Oh, contrare, mon frere (or however that's spelled). Comets are (a) water,
(b) hydrogen (= fuel for fusion power plants), (c) a small percentage of
organic chemicals and silicates ( = raw materials for building materials
and synthesized foodstuffs and trade goods). If you belong to a space-
industrialized society, comets certainly don't rank as high as a good
high metal content asteroid, but they are a real source of usable raw
materials. (=habitats....and adventures).
So who the hell lives out there? Well, anyone who finds an asteroid belt
with a population of two hundred billion two damned crowded. Anyone who
feels that opportunities in the cometary halo with its quintillions of tons
of untapped and unclaimed raw materials make it worth the risks and hard-
ships of going out there. (After all, when you have London, why would
anyone risk the wilderness of, say, Ohio? Because there are opportunities.)
Anyone who is at odds with the ruling ideology. (Yes, hippies in space.)
Or anyone who is running from the law, or exiled by the law. Religious
cults. Corporate outposts. Research facilities. Mining colonies.
Pirate bases. Rebel bases. (Not to mention friendly, and unfriendly
military outposts placed in the halo so they can observe the inner system--
with big space telescopes...free floating antenae can be made of wire and
kilometers across in free fall--in safe isolation.) All this and more.
Waiting for anyone with a little capital and enough nerve to stake a claim.
Just like our player characters, huh?
Well, I've rambled long enough. Take care, all. Enjoy.
Mark
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