Campaign Setting

GM Page

Main Page

The setting is different from the standard Aberrant setting. It is closer to the present, linking it to current politics and affairs rather than the imaginary politics of the Trinity universe. There are few novas, making them relatively more powerful and unconstrained.

In a world with fewer novas, there are fewer constraints on them. In the standard Aberrant setting there is always Cestus Pax or big organisations like the Terragen to smack down novas that get uppity. In my setting novas can get away with far more without anybody able to stop them – but the price is being very visible in most cases. Novas are noticed even more than in standard Aberrant, but the view is not as positive and nova worshipping. The actions of novas are watched by a fearful humanity.

Of course, just because there is no nova police (yet) doesn’t mean the ordinary police aren’t able to hurt novas. A sufficiently scared policeman with a gun (or a SWAT team) can make a lot of difference – especially since they are likely to have tactical training and the nova is unlikely to know much about it. A coordinated team that uses local cover and covering fire against a nova who thinks himself to be invulnerable has a real chance even if the nova is very tough.

One of the most interesting aspects of the campaign I ran was the formation of an European Nova Task Force. One of the PCs (Dr. Oliver Struck) became head of the organisation, and set to make an efficient nova team. The interpersonal conflicts over means, ends, philosophy and who should be allowed to order whom to what were extremely interesting. When is it OK to use lethal force against a threat? Can you force a nova to help out without being told beforehand what the mission is about? And if the nova disagrees with the mission, what to do then?

The technology level is assumed to be less science fiction than the main setting. No railguns or brainscanning devices. One reason is that nova tinkerers have not yet fully appeared, another is that the megaintelligence breakthroughs have not yet been applied.