There is sometimes a habit, when it comes to sci-fi world building for tabletop RPGs, to think that you need to have an entire universe to explore. Alien planets, weird civilizations, poorly palette-swapped analogues of Earth empires from the past… And it gets to be a lot, really quickly. To the point it can burn out a world building GM. So let’s dive into how to make a great sci-fi setting without needing a brick sized setting bible!
Background
Science Fiction has a problem with universes. Well, multiple problems, but the one we’re looking at today is the perception that you have to have a full universe for your player to explore in order for your setting to be all that it can be. And it’s just not true. That design ethos is a headache for multiple reasons, but one of its greatest sins is that it typically leaves things with a “Planet of the Hats” vibe going on. Or things feel same-y or lack a enough detail to be interesting. Which in turn leads to lower levels of immersion and interest by the players because there’s not enough to bite into for them to capture, keep, and develop their interest. This can be mitigated to a point by having a well developed organization for them to be part of (like Star Fleet or the Rebel Alliance), but even that can have limitations. But if you don’t have a universe worth of options, what can you do instead?
Connected Systems
A great example of this kind of world building comes from 2300 AD. Initially a Traveller spin-off, it turned into its own game and setting. The basic idea is there’s a collection of systems connected to Earth by known jump routes. This is the biggest scaled setting in this design ethos that I’d recommend. It gives you a collection of alien worlds and potentially some alien civilizations to work with, but also keeps things relatively grounded in terms of scope of creation. Plus, by keeping things tied to Earth, you can draw on some real world inspirations for your colonies, space programs, and so on.
The con of this type of setting is that it skirts the line of a giant setting, with there being a chance of under-development or same-y feels if you expand it too far. So it’s key to make some reasonable scope plans before you kick off on this setting design.
Single System
Now, this can be done either in our own solar system, or in one of your own devising. But the thing here is that you see space travel, new worlds, and all that good stuff within a relatively contained setting. Sub-light speed travel keeps the trips manageable, and there’s a good balance of familiarity with the alien. Alien? Well, things need to be terraformed, genetic experiments have to happen, and the solar system is a big place! A solid example of this type of setting can be found in two places, the tabletop RPG, Jovian Chronicles, and the anime series, Cowboy Bebop. Both took the development in wildly different directions, and both works phenomenally well.
The only real downside to this setting build is that it’s easy to let real world physics and knowledge dominate the conceptualization. This can work sometimes, but other times? You’ll need to lean into the sci-fi and effectively communicate to the players.
One World
A single world, and sometimes its moons or other satellites, can be a great sci-fi setting. It can be part of a larger universe, or a single point. The benefit to this setting type is that you can pour all your effort into a single planet and really make it a polished operation. We tend to see these kinds of settings in science-fantasy (He-Man’s Eternia or She-Ra’s Etheria for example) more often than pure sci-fi, but it can absolutely work in pure sci-fi as well. Coral, the setting for my own game, Wave Chasers, is this kind of build.
The risk here is that a single world can feel small if you don’t put some plot and interest drivers in it. In effect, you need to pack a literal world’s worth of stuff into it and give enough things enough polish to keep your players interested.
Final Thoughts
Sci-fi world building for settings can be as challenging if not more challenging than for fantasy. Why? Because even in the softest sci-fi, there’s less hand waving to cover the gaps. And that’s why, to me, recognizing that you don’t need to try to develop a full blown Battletech, Warhammer 40k, or Traveller level setting and universe is important. As creators, we don’t have to burn ourselves out when, in many instances, well scoped and tightly designed setting will do a better job and achieve a longer lasting impact.
