Settlement Creation

When the players come across a new settlement, first decide what kind of settlement it is:

• A terrestrial settlement on the surface of a planet.
• An orbital settlement on one of a planet’s natural satellites.
• A space station or artificial habitat constructed in orbit over a planet.
• A deep space habitat, such as an asteroid colony or a deep space station.

Next, decide how big it is:

• A tiny base or encampment, home to dozens of people. The local authority is Tier I.
• A small outpost or commune, home to a few hundred people. The local authority is Tier II.
• A town or city, home to thousands of people. The local authority is Tier III.
• A sprawling metropolis, home to millions of people. The local authority is Tier IV.

Finally, roll on or pick from the table below to determine the general tone of the settlement:

1d6	Settlement Mood
1	Bustling Settlement
2	Austere Settlement
3	Rough Settlement
4	Quiet Settlement
5	Remote Settlement
6	Odd Settlement

Bustling Settlement

A bustling settlement is a fast-paced and frenetic metropolis, an ocean of strangers. Access to goods, services and expertise is unparalleled, but expect to pay a premium for them. It’s hard to make a name for yourself, hard to stand out from the crowd, and hard to find a friendly face.

This kind of settlement can always:

• Introduce you to an artform, technology, subculture or viewpoint that is new and unfamiliar.
• Illustrate disparity, and the ways that people are divided up and set apart by society.
• Trap someone who wants to leave, or force out someone who wants to stay.

Choose a few touchstones to describe this settlement:

• The settlement’s architecture was designed carefully with open spaces and sprawling vistas in mind.
• Little parks, rooftop gardens and other pockets of verdant greenery thriving amidst their urban surroundings.
• Buildings and infrastructure which is glittering and new, reeking of investment and wealth.
• Buildings and infrastructure which is old and repurposed, the new built on top of the old in layers.
• An organic warren of twisted roads or labyrinthine public transport systems, baffling to outsiders.
• Sprawling residential districts where the houses blend into each other and seem to stretch on forever.
• Huge crowds throng the settlement’s public spaces, filling them with an overwhelming morass of people.
• Omnipresent advertising for the latest products and services, impossible to get away from.
• Huge factories or other industrial areas occupy much of the settlement.
• Areas set aside for visitors and wealthy residents, stratified from an impoverished urban sprawl.
• Parts of the settlement are ruined, abandoned, or just fully automated and devoid of people.

Choose one thing this settlement is renowned for:

• TODO

Austere Settlement

An austere settlement has strict rules that must be followed, which can stifle outsiders who are used to doing things differently. These restrictions might originate from tyrannical leaders, dangerous local conditions, or a culture that enforces a certain way of life on the settlement. Either way, visitors must tread carefully if they don’t want to end up in trouble.

This kind of settlement can always:

• Show you what happens when you break the rules.
• Hint at the frustration and discontent caused by the settlement’s austere way of life.
• Reveal a person or a group that rebels against the settlement’s leaders and its rules.

Choose a few touchstones to describe this settlement:

• A sacred place of beauty or a precious trove of wealth, knowledge or technology; it is heavily guarded to protect it from harm.
• A highly visible project or movement, representing the hope that one day the settlement will be able to live differently.
• A secret about the settlement, held in the hearts of a select few and never shared with outsiders.
• A distant and fondly-remembered history that inspires pride and makes the harsh conditions more tolerable.
• Proud monuments or memorials that commemorate fallen heroes and provide a grim reminder of why the settlement’s rules exist.
• Huge holoprojectors, video screens or billboards hang over the settlement, covered in dire warnings and public notices.
• Anonymous messages, homemade posters, or hastily-scrawled graffiti hinting at the discontent that lies beneath the surface.
• Secret pathways or hidden safehouses in the settlement, carefully kept secret by those who use them.
• Evidence of the aftermath of some incident or breach of protocol, still in the process of being repaired or cleaned up.
• Omnipresent surveillance infrastructure, with peacekeepers or security personnel standing on every corner.

Rough Settlement

A rough settlement is the kind of place where you bring a friend to watch your back, when you visit. It might be a frontier town, a lawless pirate settlement, or just a place where the halls of power are rampant with corruption. It’s a good place to lay low or find things that aren’t strictly legal, but one where pissing off the wrong person can be fatal.

This kind of settlement can always:

• Entangle someone in intrigue, crime or corruption - even if they weren’t looking for it.
• Disrupt a mundane event with a sudden outburst of chaos or violence.
• Introduce you to a representative of one of the settlement’s major players.

Choose a few touchstones to describe this settlement:

• Walls covered with handpainted murals and the lurid colours of graffiti, left by a cadre of anonymous artists.
• Luxury establishments and front businesses that give certain parts of the settlement an air of legitimacy (and mark out a wealthy visitor).
• Brazen hints or even open advertisements indicating that a product or service which is forbidden elsewhere is readily available here.
• A faction or group which wouldn’t dare show its face elsewhere has established itself here, and is out in the open.
• A busy crowd lousy with pickpockets and con artists, or a quiet street watched by lookouts and spies for an easy mark or a tempting “opportunity”.
• Homes made from tents, repurposed machinery, broken-down vehicles, and whatever else people can get their hands on.
• Signs of inadequate infrastructure: a flooded thoroughfare, a putrid smell rising from the vents, environmental systems bouncing between sweltering and freezing.
• Densely packed slums that crowd out the light and plunge the thoroughfare into perpetual gloom.
• The muffled sound of gunfire and cries of alarm, signalling a disagreement that’s boiled over and got out of hand.
• A part of the settlement that locals know not to enter; it’s not just rough, it’s downright deadly.

Quiet Settlement

A quiet settlement is mundane and unhurried, a comfortable and unremarkable place. Nothing gets done too quickly, and most people who live here have done so their entire lives. Everyone knows each other and there is a strong sense of community, though that comes with the inevitable feuds and grudges that build up over generations. Quiet settlements can be unfriendly to outsiders, and frustrating to anyone who wants to get things done.

This kind of settlement can always:

• Pull together and lay aside old grudges to support a member of the community.
• Close ranks against anyone perceived as an outsider, troublemaker or radical.
• Exert social pressure against a member of the community until they change their ways or leave.

Choose a few touchstones to describe this settlement:

• Old buildings that have stood for as long as anyone can remember, bent and weathered by the passage of time.
• A beloved local watering hole, gathering place or establishment that is the beating heart of the settlement.
• Antique infrastructure and old-fashioned technology, maintained with love and care over the years.
• The buildings and machinery of the industry this settlement relies upon to survive.
• A fond memory or terrible calamity that people are still talking about, all these years later.
• A local custom or cultural norm that isn’t observed elsewhere, which betrays an outsider immediately.
• The name of a building or a faded old inscription, bearing the name of one of the settlement’s most prominent families.
• An area of wilderness or one that has fallen into disuse and disrepair, which “everyone” knows to keep away from.
• Creaky, rusting old infrastructure that has seen better days and is long overdue a replacement.
• The trappings of the dying industry that this settlement can no longer depend upon, and the slow decline it represents.

Remote Settlement

A remote settlement is isolated and struggling. It might be a fledgling outpost on an unsettled world; a once-comfortable settlement threatened by an ongoing crisis; or simply a place where survival is an uncertain thing that must be earned each day. The denizens of a remote settlement rarely see visitors or outsiders, and the day-to-day concerns of the community are mostly absorbed by the task of survival.

This kind of settlement can always:

• Make a sacrifice for the sake of the community.
• Reveal a new crisis that threatens the very existence of the settlement.
• Raise a grievance that demands to be heard, or surface a problem that must be addressed.

Choose a few touchstones to describe this settlement:

• Half-finished projects and bare foundations; there’s still a long way to go before they achieve their optimistic aims.
• A simple monument raised up in memory of those who sacrificed themselves to save the settlement from ruin.
• Signs of former comfort and prosperity, now stripped bare for materials and pared down to accommodate a leaner way of living.
• Tech and tools that have been improvised, patched and refurbished time and time again.
• A local superstition or taboo, meant to ward against the misfortunes that befall a settlement like this.
• An old road, landing pad or entrance into the settlement, faded or damaged by lack of use over the years.
• A vital piece of machinery or infrastructure that looks like it might give its last gasp at any moment.
• The edge of the settlement, and the stark unforgiving surroundings that loom beyond it.
• Abandoned homesteads or derelict ruins left behind in the aftermath of a particularly hard year.
• Fortifications, weapon emplacements and battle scars that speak to a conflict in recent years.

Odd Settlement

An odd settlement is an eccentric and confusing place. The locals have bizarre customs, believe in strange things, and generally just don’t adhere to the cultural norms of the society that surrounds them. The settlement might be under the dominion of a cult or other some other faction with eccentric beliefs, but it could just as easily be an idiosyncratic place that has little contact with the outside world.

This kind of settlement can always:

• Make a sudden and unexpected decision for reasons which are difficult for outsiders to grasp.
• Accept and welcome someone for something that would be considered outlandish and transgressive anywhere else.
• Ostracise or reject someone for something that would be considered reasonable and commonplace anywhere else.

Choose a few touchstones to describe this settlement:

• A riotous celebration of the displaced and the dispossessed, at once overwhelming and liberating.
• A commonplace object or mundane piece of tech, reassembled or repurposed as part of some mysterious totem.
• Strange symbols or messages painted on walls, and unusual artworks adorning the public spaces.
• The residents of the settlement are strikingly distinct thanks to their strange clothes or adornments, elaborate tattoos, or unusual body modifications.
• A secret language, hidden code or opaque form of communication that is shared by those who dwell here. To outsiders, it can be confusing and unsettling.
• The settlement is devoid of stores, restaurants or any kind of commercial establishment. Resources seem to be allocated through other means.
• A local legend, prophesy or conspiracy theory, signs of which the residents are ever-vigilant for. It may cause trouble for anyone who happens to fit the description.
• The entire settlement operates under some kind of strange restriction: absolute silence is mandated in the streets, technology is forbidden, and so on.
• An inner council, shadowy cabal or secret society that orders the settlement’s affairs from behind the scenes, and does not make their existence known to outsiders.
• An ominous sign that some commonplace vestige of the outside world is not welcome here, and that those who dare bring it in will be punished.