World Building Settings
Ad Astra:
Big Ideas,
Grand Vision: 300 years ago
humans left for the stars. On the colonies humans have discovered marvels,
developed new cultures, changed in new directions - separated by gulfs
measured in light-years. But now they are brought together again. Culture
clashes with culture, philosophy with philosophy. Technologies recombine
into something new, something that can transform humanity or destroy it.
Ambitious people plan for the dynamic future. It is a time for...Big
Ideas, Grand Vision. Big Ideas,
Grand Vision is a roleplaying science fiction setting written by Anders
Sandberg 1999. It is intended as hard science fiction, dealing with
the question "What can humanity become?" It was originally run
using the Alternity system, but should work fine in most other general
systems.
Hamilton
Institute of Exopaleontology:
Orion's Arm World Building
Group: Thousands
of years in the future, civilization spans the stars, and humanity has
branched into myriad directions. Godlike ascended intelligences rule vast
interstellar empires, while lesser factions seek to carve out their own
dominions through intrigue and conquest. And beyond the safety of the
human-friendly worlds, adventure awaits those prepared to risk all.
Created Worlds
Epona: "A
planet so detailed you can actually believe you are there."
This is an aged planet in orbit of 82 Eridani, which even today continues
to inspire me.
Furaha: Life
on a planet orbiting the star Alpha Phoenicis.
World Building Programs
Chview: A
3-D star mapping program.
Mailing Lists
Cafe OA:
The Cafe OA is a forum for people interested in creating or discussing
stories, artwork, music, or other such things, for the Orion's Arm
project. It is not a worldbuilding or technical list, and you don't need
to know a lot of science and physics. The Cafe OA will represent a less
frenetic, more casual and low key, humanistic side to OA. New members are
however encouraged to look at the Orion's Arm website before joining,
because although there will be off-topic discussion, the main emphasis
will be stories set in the OA universe, or representative art work, flash
animation, and so on. Finished Stories or drafts and so on would also be
announced on the main list, so people there can offer their technical
expertise, and ensure that the story fits in with the rest of the OA
Universe. Hopefully the Cafe OA will constitute the intuitive "right
brain" hemisphere to balance the rational "left brain"
worldbuilding list. Both of course are equally necessary for the success
of the OA project.
Orion's
Arm Mailing List: Imagine
a "Space Opera" setting of the grandeur of Asimov's Foundation,
or the Traveller role-playing game, but updated to incorporate the
most cutting-edge ideas in nanotech, space exploration, germline
engineering, artificial intelligence, and transhumanism, to create a hard
science "future history" set over thousands of years, as
terragen life expands throughout the galaxy at close to the speed of light.
Imagine a vast interstellar
civilization ruled over by god-like Archailects, linked by artificial
wormholes, destabilized by ascensions and transcensions as nanotech
civilizations and superturing entities break through singularity barriers,
and hypersingularitan powers flood the market with clarketech... A
civilization peopled by a diversity of sophont beings that is mindboggling
- gengineered humans, biochip and nanotech enhanced cyborgs, human-animal
splices and rianths, lazurogened prehistoric life, nanocivilizations, pro-
and anti-human ai, sentient ships and buildings, virtual universes, robot
empires..... Imagine countless colonized and terraformed worlds,
biospheres, orbital habitats, space stations, ships, fleets, alliances,
mysterious aliens, factions, intrigues, memetic subversion, and more, much
more. Orion's Arm is currently being revised and further
upgraded, so join up and be a part of this innovative on-line project!
There is the potential here for a series of novels, interwoven plots, the
development of computer and roleplaying games, TV/movie screenplays and
more.
Other World Building Resources
3-D Star Maps:
A very comprehensive site with various forms of links and information on
star mapping, stellar information, and so forth.
Stellar Catalogues
Encyclopedia of Suns:
A site with some detailed entries on some of the closer sun-like
stars. A good site to find stellar age information.
Internet Stellar Database:
All the dirt on your favorite stars! Well, on those nearby stars
within 75 light-years, anyway. (Plus some of the more well-known
"name brand" stars farther away.) And even then, I skipped
a heck of a lot of solitary red dwarfs for which half-decent data weren't
available. Oh, and this site should probably have a few more goodies
added to it in various places. But don't let that stop you.
Sol Station's Notable Nearby
Stars: Detailed information on a lot of nearby sun-like stars,
as well as more distant suns. An excellent site!
Relevant Science Stories
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