The term “Space Opera” means many different things to different people.
With the
great diversity of examples found in popular media, both in print and on the screen,
simply saying that a particular game setting is “Space Opera” does not provide enough
information to ensure that players and gamemasters have the same set of expectations
of the universe that will be played in. Assuming the gamemaster is creating their own
setting from scratch, a discussion with the players can ensure that their desires about
the setting are taken into account and both the players and the gamemaster will have
similar expectations about technology, power structures, alien life, and other common
elements of the Space Opera genre. This list is intended to facilitate that discussion.
Scope
❏ The stories take place mainly on one planet.
❏ The stories take place mainly in a small system of planets.
❏ The stories take place across many different planets with travel between solar
systems.
❏ The stories take place mainly in central, cosmopolitan areas (densely populated,
technologically advanced worlds).
❏ The stories take place in a mix of densely and sparsely populated worlds.
❏ The stories take place primarily on the borders of settled civilization, where the
population is sparse and technology is not as advanced as “core” worlds.
Worlds
❏ Habitable worlds are very common.
❏ Habitable worlds are uncommon, but terraforming has transformed many
marginally habitable worlds.
❏ Habitable worlds are uncommon, and beings living on them often require significant
artificial habitation.
❏ Orbital habitations are generally small and primitive and contain few inhabitants.
They are very dependent on nearby planets for food, water, air, and other
consumables.
❏ Orbital habitations are large and can contain thousands to hundreds of thousands of
inhabitants. They are still somewhat dependent on nearby planets for consumables.
❏ Orbital habitations are huge and can provide all the needs of millions to hundreds of
million inhabitants.
❏ Mono-biome worlds (desert world, forest, world, snow world, etc.) are common.
❏ All worlds feature a variety of biomes.
Transportation
❏ The player characters purchase or otherwise arrange travel when they need to get
from planet to planet.
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❏ The player characters have exclusive use of a small ship (cargo, scout, yacht, etc.)
❏ The player characters are crew members of a large ship with many other characters.
❏ Starships are highly technical and complex devices that require advanced knowledge
to operate correctly. Operation of starships is limited to a special group, or a small
number of special groups, of which the players may not belong.
❏ Starships are fairly easy for sufficiently trained individuals to operate.
❏ Starships are largely automated with intelligent systems and can be operated by
laymen.
Relationship
❏ The player characters are members of a military or quasi-military group with ranks
and a chain of command.
❏ ...and they serve as junior crewmen
❏ ...and they serve as senior crewmen or the bridge officers
❏ The player characters are all related to each other through blood, marriage, or
contract.
❏ The player characters are unrelated and individual but work together as a team.
❏ The player character team (party) is fully independent and must find their own
missions or jobs.
❏ The player character team is independent but relies on “fixers” to find jobs for them
to do.
❏ The player character team is part of a larger organization that provides missions or
jobs. They are agents of that organization.
Humanity
❏ Humans throughout the region of play remain very similar to Earth’s normal form.
❏ Extensive genetic engineering has led to a great diversity of human form.
❏ Transhumanism has led to a great diversity of technological enhancement.
Homeworld
❏ Earth is known as humanity’s homeworld and still has significant sway in the region
of play. It is the center of human civilization.
❏ Earth is humanity’s homeworld but is just one world out of many. Either there is no
center to human civilization, or the center has moved to a different world.
❏ Earth was destroyed, either by natural disaster or alien intent, at some point after
humanity had ventured to the stars.
❏ Earth may or may not exist; it has largely been forgotten by humanity. This could be
intentional or the result of some galactic calamity.
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Aliens
❏ The region of play is populated only by humans, no sentient alien life has been
discovered.
❏ The region of play is dominated by humans, and very few alien species travel the
stars.
❏ The region of play is broadly diverse in terms of species.
❏ ...and aliens are well-integrated in society
❏ ...and alien species tend to keep themselves separated or are forcibly
segregated.
❏ Aliens are similar in form and mental ability as humans, and usually are
differentiated by one or a small number of non-human features (Star Trek’s “rubber
forehead” aliens). These similarities may be due to some progenitor interference.
❏ Aliens are significantly different in form than humanity but have similar mentalities.
❏ Aliens are significantly different than humans, both physically and mentally.
❏ Player characters cannot be alien.
❏ Player characters can be alien.
❏ Aliens exist, but humanity hasn’t discovered them yet.
❏ The knowledge of aliens is very recent in human space.
❏ Aliens existed long ago, creating indecipherable technological artifacts, but have
long since disappeared. Examples include Dyson Spheres, Interstellar Portals,
Ringworlds, etc. These artifacts may hold great value to interested parties, perhaps
because they seem powerful.
FTL Travel
❏ Faster than light travel does not exist.
❏ ...but alien artifacts allow travel between solar systems.
❏ ...but beings/humanity travel the stars in sleeper/cryo/stasis ships or
generation ships.
❏ Faster than light travel exists, but is dangerous or hideously expensive and therefore
uncommon.
❏ Faster than light travel is fairly common and reasonably safe.
❏ Faster than light travel uses a medium that corresponds roughly to cartographic
norms (travel fast across a map)
❏ Faster than light travel uses a medium that does not conform to cartographic norms
(distances in FTL space vary randomly between destinations)
❏ Faster than light travel is restricted to known routes or wormholes.
❏ Travel along known routes or wormholes is safer and/or faster, but travel is not
restricted to them.
❏ Faster than light travel does not feature faster/safer routes or wormholes.
❏ Ships can engage FTL drives at any time, or nearly at any time (few restrictions).
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❏ Ships cannot safely engage FTL drives within a certain range of a large gravitational
source (ships must travel for a certain time away from stars before engaging FTL).
❏ FTL travel is instantaneous.
❏ FTL travel is not instantaneous, and the duration of using FTL is either set (all jumps
take the same amount of time despite the distance traveled) or has a relation to the
distance traveled.
❏ Faster than light travel is extremely exotic. For example, the ability to mentally
teleport one’s self across vast distances (jaunting).
Interstellar Communication
❏ Interstellar communication happens at the speed of travel (i.e., ships carry messages
between systems)
❏ Interstellar communication happens much faster than the speed of travel (ansible,
hyperspace radio, etc.) (Or normal light speed radio if FTL doesn’t exist)
Robots and Artificial Intelligence
❏ Robots are primitive, mostly created for singular functionality, and artificial
intelligence is not common. This could be due to technological or societal reasons
(robotic revolution, religious intolerance, etc.).
❏ Robots are common and are very diverse in appearance and function. All are
obviously robotic. Some have rudimentary artificial intelligence, but none are truly
sentient. (Droids)
❏ Robots are very advanced, are capable of sentience, and some are designed to look
very human (or like the species that created them).
❏ ...but are considered property or treated as slaves.
❏ ...and can be considered full sentient rights.
❏ Sentient artificial intelligence is rare or impossible, but smart systems are evolved
enough to seem sentient.
❏ Sentient artificial intelligence exists but society is uncomfortable or feels threatened
by it/them.
Medicine
❏ Medicine is more advanced than today, but bodies still require a long time to heal
even with medical assistance. Diseases are still a significant issue.
❏ Medicine is significantly more advanced than today. Diseases are easily treatable
(though some rare diseases may not be treatable), bodies are easily healed, and age
is greatly extended.
❏ Cloning is illegal. Some societies may allow partial cloning for organ harvesting.
❏ Cloning is legal.
❏ ...and clones are considered less than fully human and may be property.
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❏ ...and clones are considered equal to all other beings, as far as rights are
concerned.
Technology
❏ Teleportation devices exist.
❏ ...and are planetary in range (including planetary orbit).
❏ ...and are interplanetary in range (within the same stellar system).
❏ ...and are galactic in range.
❏ Artificial gravity is produced only through thrust or spin.
❏ Artificial gravity is produced by gravity plates or similar technology.
❏ Technology allows complete gravity control, including full anti-gravity.
❏ No “Universal Translators” exist.
❏ Universal Translators exist, but they have to be pre-programmed with languages.
❏ Universal Translators exist and can learn new languages relatively quickly.
❏ Cybernetic augmentation exists, and
❏ ...is rare and disapproved by society in general.
❏ ...are common, but fairly crude and obvious (metal and plastic) and usually
quite expensive.
❏ ...are fairly commonplace and accepted by society in general. They are still
usually obvious but now are designed with more aesthetic appeal.
❏ ...and can be hard to spot.
❏ Space elevators are a common technology used to move people and material to and
from the surface of a planet.
❏ The current civilization is capable of building mega-structures. (orbital rings,
Ringworlds, Dyson spheres, artificial moon or planet, Matrioshka brain, etc.)
Supernatural Abilities
❏ No supernatural abilities exist.
❏ Some supernatural abilities exist but are generally viewed with suspicion (or even
fear) by society in general.
❏ Supernatural abilities exist and are viewed neutrally by society.
❏ Supernatural abilities exist and those who have them are considered superior to
those without.
❏ Psionics (telepathy, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, teleportation, etc.) is a supernatural
ability found in beings in the region of play.
❏ Technomancy (a form of cybernetic augmentation that allows some to seemingly
have wizardly powers) is a supernatural augmentation found in beings in the region
of play.
❏ Magic (spells, rituals, mages) is a supernatural ability that can be learned in the
region of play.
❏ Mysticism (the force, meditation, Bene Gesserit) is a supernatural ability that is
practiced by some organizations.
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❏ Supernatural realms exist beyond our own dimension either in conjunction with an
established supernatural ability (planes of magic) or religious belief (heaven and
hell).
❏ Cthulhoid creatures and abilities exist in the background. Gods beyond understand
exist beyond the veil, trying to claw their way into this universe.
Culture
❏ It is acceptable for populations of an entire planet or cultural group to share a single
defining characteristic (a planet of mobsters, a planet of fierce warriors, etc.)
❏ Populations and cultural groups are less simplistic and show great internal diversity.
Economy
❏ The player characters live in a post-scarcity economy. (People can easily have their
basic survival needs met along with some significant proportion of their desires for
goods and services.)
❏ The player characters need to be concerned with earning or otherwise accumulating
money.
❏ The player characters live in a situation where survival is much more important than
the accumulation of money.
Morality
❏ The setting supports characters that are altruistic do-gooders.
❏ The setting requires characters to be morally flexible.
❏ The setting is generally lawful and civilized but the player characters operate on the
margins of the law.
❏ The setting is oppressive and player characters come together to either simply
survive or strike blows for freedom.
Government Scale
❏ The setting features a single region-spanning government structure.
❏ The setting features a small number of government structures each composed of
several or many solar systems.
❏ The setting features no large scale government structures; each planet or system is
independent though some coalitions may exist.
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Government Forms
❏ Some governments are fascist (dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition,
and strong regimentation of society and of the economy).
❏ Some governments are Imperial (one system’s rule is extended across several or
many others through military force or by gaining political or economic control).
❏ Some governments are some other form of authoritarianism (e.g., ecological
authoritarianism)
❏ Some governments are Absolute Monarchies.
❏ Some governments are Parliamentary or Constitutional Monarchies.
❏ Some governments are Representative Republics (United Federation of Planets)
❏ Some governments are Corporatist, where a single corporation or a coalition of
corporations run the government.
❏ Some governments are Theocratic, where the government is run by officials of a
singular religion.
War and Peace
❏ The different political or governmental structures exist in a state of competition but
are otherwise peaceful
❏ The different political or governmental structures are openly hostile toward each
other and Take actions, covert or otherwise, against each other.
❏ The region of play is at war.
Rule of Law
❏ Laws are very consistent across the entire region of play
❏ Laws are very consistent in each governmental region but vary widely between
governments
❏ Laws can vary greatly from system to system regardless of the interstellar
government they are in.
❏ Laws in a region are fairly well known and publicized.
❏ Laws in a region are sometimes secret but still enforced.
❏ Piracy is a small problem but is disorganized.
❏ Piracy is a large problem because some or all of it is organized into guilds or similar
organizations.