"Life Under Four Suns" Meta Document

What is the Motivation behind Life Under Four Suns?

Life Under Four Suns is, first and foremost, a setting designed to be an unique RPG Science and Fantasy setting. Creating new worlds, creatures, and ways to get between those two in style (or the absence of it) are core to how I am making this world.

What is the Genre?

Inspired mostly by Star Wars, especially The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian, and Firefly, Life Under Four Stars pulls in the focus onto a well populated and busy solar system. Though arguably a Science Fantasy world, there is little to no evidence of an extrareality "force". The star system is in the middle of a unique age of technology, with interplanetary travel taking weeks or months. Energy or laser weapons are common, but can take a back seat to more traditional weaponry on some planets. Daring action and exciting thrills are the name of the game.

What about the Scale?

By it's nature, the setting is an entire star system, namely, the quad-star Mizar System. The system is made up of four stara, fifteen planets, about 9 of which are inhabited, and two densely crowded and seldom explored asteroid belts. Much of the system is focused around happening on three key planets: Tarun the former seat of the systems governments, Mizar Altuni and Muna, homes of strong resistance against a return to a fully allied Mizar System.

So then what Mood did you decide on?

I like to have hope in a realistic world, so the Mizar System is best described as being a Bleak-Grey setting. Individual actions don't do much, but a focused group can change the course of history. Life happens and whether or not taxes apply still is up to the individual. A character that makes a heroic sacrifice might survive, but just barely.

Then you know what your Themes are, yeah?

Of course I do! Throughout the Mizar System, specific elements persist.

• The Strength of the Many outweighs the Will of the Few
• The Strong do what they can, the Weak do what they must
• All things have a price
• Changing the price is a skill rarely taught, but always learned
• Everyone can overcome the Odds

"I have a conceptual problem with this." Kyris pointed at the box she was sitting on. "What's in this box?" "Stuff for the gift shop on Dhasa to sell...?" Lugo folded his arms. "Yup. Gifts that are sold in Dhasa to tourists from the Capital City, as mementos of their vacation on the other side of the continent." Kyris cocked her head. "So, why do they need to come to Dhasa to buy this stuff, when this is made in the manufactory down the street from my apartment in the Capital?" She stepped off the box lightly and lifted its cover, pulling out a small figurine of a flying fish. "Gets made in the Capital, shipped out here, gets bought, gets carried back to the Capital, and put on a shelf. That doesn't seem wasteful to you?" "If it drives tourism dollars? No." Lugo had an uninterested tone. "If everyone along the way makes money and is happy, who cares?"

— From Creus by Travakh

So, a lot of room for Conflict?

Oh boy is there. Between the resource scarcity behind the dissolution of the Mizar Alliance and the resulting power vacumns, conflicts abound between the various planets, guilds, and federations. Additionally, discoveries of ancient technologies and ruins amongst Asteroid Belts have created a rush of piracy, smuggling, and general exploration throughout the system.