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  Saga Machine
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  
  
  
  Producer Backers
  Adam Matherly, Corey Rautenberg, Daniel T. Kulhanek, Joe Schillizzi, 
  Myles R. Milner, Robert Kim, Ultimate Nieves
  Character Backers
  André Roy, Darin Rebertus
  Executive Backers
  Andres G. Aguirre, Charles Cameron (aka) Total-D4, Claus Bo Christensen, 
  Rene Christopher Suarez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Steve Medeiros™
  Tis book is dedicated to all those working to make the 
  future a better and more accepting place.
  Designation of Product Identity
  Te following items are hereby designated as Product Identity in accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game License, version 1.0a: 
  Any and all Tab Creations logos and identifying marks and trade dress, such as all Tab Creations product and product line names including 
  but not limited to Tab Creations, Saga Machine, Against the Dark Yogi and Shadows Over Sol; any specifc characters and places; capi-
  talized names and original names of places, artifacts, characters, countries, geographic locations, gods, events and organizations; any and 
  all stories, storylines, histories, plots, thematic elements and dialog; and all artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, illustrations, maps and 
  cartography, likenesses, logos, poses or graphic designs. Te above product identity is not Open Game Content.
  Designation of Open Game Content
  Subject to the Product Identity designation above, the following portions of Shadows Over Sol are designated as Open Game Content: 
  Te entirety of the Saga Machine chapter, Gear chapter, Consequences chapter and Dice appendix; all traits listed in the Characters 
  chapter; and all stat blocks listed in the Non-Player Characters chapter.
  Tab Creations, Saga Machine and Shadows Over Sol are trademarks owned by Torin Tabor and Tab Creations LLC. All rights reserved. All 
  other content is ©2009-2015 Torin Tabor. Te mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the 
  trademark or copyright concerned. Tis document is a work of fction.
  
  
  Table of Contents ......3
  Introduction .............7
  Temes ............................7
  Recommended Media ......8
  Preparation for Play .........8
  What is Saga Machine?.......8
  Glossary ..........................9
  Dark Future ............11
  Welcome to the Future ..11
  Te Networked World ....11
  Splintering of the Culture 11
  Language Shift ................12
  Decline of Nation-States .12
  Corporate Rise ................13
  Crime & Punishment .....13
  All About the Money ......14
  Shiny New Toys ..............15
  A Final Word ..................15
  A Future History ...........16
  2030s to 2040s  ..............16
  2050s to 2060s ...............16
  Derek Stillwater ............16
  2070s to 2080s ...............17
  Te Beanstalk ...............17
  2090s to 2100s ...............18
  2110s to 2120s ...............18
  World War III ...............18
  2130s to 2140s ...............19
  Decline of Nation-States 19
  World War IV ..................20
  2150s to 2160s ...............21
  2170s to 2180s ...............21
  Te Ganymede Conference 21
  Te Jupiter Group Incident 22
  2190s to 2200s ...............22
  2210s ..............................23
  Looking to the Future .......23
  Technology ....................24
  Space Travel ....................24
  Space Habitats ................26
  Space Elevators ..............26
  Space Stations ..................28
  Tin Can  ......................28
  Asteroid Habitats ..........28
  Stanford Torus ..............28
  Bernal Sphere................28
  O’Neill Cylinder ...........28
  Power Generation ...........29
  Biotechnology .................29
  Te Failure of Fusion .....29
  Computing .....................31
  Violence & Warfare ........32
  Entertainment.................33
  Life in the 23rd .............34
  Relationships ..................34
  Education .......................34
  Religion ..........................34
  Subcultures .....................35
  Corps ..............................35
  Wealth ............................35
  Law & Punishment .........35
  Subcultures ....................36
  Subcultures in Society .....36
  Major Subcultures ...........36
  Satellites & Minor Sub .......37
  Entros .............................38
  Entro Slang ...................39
  Exprets ............................40
  Expret Slang .................41
  Formers...........................42
  Former Slang ................43
  Ghostmen .......................44
  Ghostman Slang ............45
  Heeds .............................46
  Heed Slang ...................47
  Neorets ...........................48
  Neoret Slang .................49
  Servs ...............................50
  Serv Slang ....................51
  Technos ..........................52
  Techno Slang .................53
  Megacorps .....................54
  Corp Sovereignty ............54
  Corps in Society ..............54
  Second Tier Megacorps ...54
  Jenseitech ........................55
  Microdyne ......................57
  Sinoex .............................58
  Unitech ...........................60
  Utakar System Dynamics 61
  Conspiracies & Projects .63
  Government....................63
  Religion ..........................63
  Te ARC Project .............63
  Inception ........................63
  Dui Wu Ya Confict ........65
  Harbingers of  
  the Divine Form .............66
  Te Insurrection Virus ....67
  Measures of Intelligence .69
  Computing Requirements 69
  Te Jupiter Group ...........70
  Mars Terraforming Project 71
  Sovereign Liberation Front 72
  Stillwater Catholic Church 73
  Shadows Over Sol ..........74
  Sol ..................................74
  Datawiki: Sol ...............74
  Travel Times ....................75
  Mercury ..........................76
  Datawiki: Mercury .......76
  Venus ..............................77
  Datawiki: Venus ...........77
  Earth ...............................78
  Datawiki: Earth ...........79
  Lagrange Points .............80
  Luna ...............................81
  Datawiki: Luna ............81
  Mars ...............................82
  Datawiki: Mars ............83
  Stillwater Colony Map ....84
  Te Belt ..........................87
  Datawiki: Te Main Belt 87
  Ganymede Conference Rules 89
  Jupiter .............................90
  Datawiki: Jupiter ..........90
  Jovian Trojans .................92
  Saturn .............................92
  Datawiki: Saturn..........93
  Uranus ............................94
  Neptune ..........................94
  Datawiki: Uranus .........94
  Kuiper Belt & Beyond ....95
  Datawiki: Neptune .......95
  Datawiki: Kuiper Belt ...95
  Saga Machine ..........97
  Overview .......................97
  Actions............................97
  
  
  
  Fractions & Rounding ...97
  Anthropocentrism ..........98
  Consequences .................98
  Characters .....................98
  Te Eight Stats ................98
  Skills ...............................99
  Traits.............................106
  Scores ...........................106
  Actions ........................107
  Simple Actions ..............107
  Card Types & Scoring ...107
  Setting up the Deck .....107
  Action Convention .........110
  Extended Actions ..........111
  Te Right Tool for the Job 111
  Opposed Actions ..........112
  Edge .............................112
  Consequences ..............114
  What is a Consequence? 114
  Levels of Severity ...........114
  Adjudicating Conseq ........115
  Efects of Consequences 115
  Scene Consequences ........115
  Duration of Consequences 116
  Wounds and Health ....117
  Wound Consequence ....117
  Damage Ratings ............117
  Damage Reduction (DR) 117
  Shock Treshold ...........118
  Wound Treshold .........118
  Dying Gasps .................118
  Healing Wounds ...........118
  Combat .......................120
  Action Points (AP) ........120
  Starting a Combat .........120
  Rounds .........................120
  Why Declare First? .........121
  Opposite Simultan. Efects 122
  Ofhanded Actions .......122
  Defense .........................123
  Interact Actions.............124
  Move Actions ................125
  Concentrate Actions .....126
  Attack Actions ..............127
  Critical Hits ..................130
  Combat Example ...........135
  Computing ..................136
  Computer Rating ..........136
  Software Rating ............136
  Networks ......................136
  Hacking & Security ......137
  Encryption ....................139
  Fast & Loose Computing 139
  System Design: Encryption 140
  Simspaces ......................141
  Engineering .................142
  Overview ......................142
  Defning Parameters ......142
  Concept ........................144
  Prototype ......................144
  Quality Control (QC)...145
  Stasis ...........................146
  Voyages in Stasis ...........146
  Putting People Under ....146
  Waking People Up ........147
  Wealth .........................148
  Wealth Rating ...............148
  Starting Wealth .............148
  Cost Ratings .................148
  Expenses .......................149
  Income .........................150
  Design Intent ..............150
  Lifestyle .......................151
  Lifestyle Rating .............151
  Lifestyle Uses ................152
  Lifestyle Upkeep ...........153
  Raise or Lower Lifestyle 153
  Maladies ......................154
  Hazards .......................157
  Catching Fire ................157
  Falls & Collisions ..........157
  Fogs & Hazes ................157
  Gravity ..........................157
  Space Sickness .............158
  Healing in Microgravity 158
  Encumbrance & Gravity 159
  Spin Gravity ...............159
  Sleep Deprivation .........160
  Starvation & Dehydrat. 160
  Sufocation ....................160
  Temperature Extremes ..160
  Underwater Activity ......161
  Vacuum & Pressure .......161
  Characters .............163
  Character Creation ......163
  Overview ......................163
  Character Concept ........163
  Modes of Horror .............164
  Assign Stats ...................165
  Assign Skills ..................165
  Seem Low? ..................165
  Pick Geneline................166
  Applying Genelines to Stats 166
  Pick Subculture .............169
  Applying Subculture to Skills 170
  Scores & Traits ..............171
  Wealth & Gear .............173
  Purchase Options ........173
  Axes of Advancement ......174
  Character Names ........174
  Character Advancement 175
  Experiences ...................175
  Non-Starting Characters .175
  Gear ......................177
  Gear Properties ............177
  General Properties .........177
  Don’t Forget Lifestyle ...177
  Weapon Properties ........178
  Armor Properties ..........178
  Encumbrance ..............179
  Containers ....................179
  Negligible Encumbrance 179
  Carrying Characters ....179
  Arms ...........................180
  Ballistic Projectiles ........180
  Buying Guns ...............180
  Laser Projectiles ............181
  Heavy Weapons..............182
  Melee Weapons .............182
  Ammunition .................183
  Military-Grade Arms ..183
  Armor .........................184
  Light & Utility Armors .184
  Heavy & Power Armors 185
  Implants ......................186
  Rules for Implants .........186
  Implant List ..................186
  Drugs & Toxins ...........188
  List of Drugs & Toxins .188
  Medical .......................189
  Medical Treatments .......189
  Medical Equipment ......189
  Computing & Software 191
  Hardware ......................191
  Software ........................192
  Personal Assistant ..........192
  Peripherals ....................193
  
  
  Sensors & Comms .......194
  Personal Comms ...........194
  Sensors ..........................194
  Covert Ops ..................196
  Intrusion & Security .....196
  Surveillance & Deception 197
  Tools & Construction .198
  Tools .............................198
  Survival Gear ...............199
  Game Mastering....201
  Sci-f Horror ................201
  Running a Session .......202
  Target Numbers ............202
  Planning Challenges .....202
  GM Hands ...................202
  Giving Out Edge ..........202
  Facing Defeat ................203
  Planning a Campaign ..203
  Campaign Premises .......203
  Running Combat ........204
  Tracking Action Points ..204
  Emphasizing Horror .....204
  Declaring Actions .........204
  Tracking NPCs .............204
  Designing Foes..............205
  Plot Hooks ..................205
  Alternate Plot Seeds ......207
  Non-Player Characters 209
  NPC Stat Blocks .........209
  NPC Traits ....................209
  Humanity .....................210
  Fauna ............................214
  Machines ......................216
  Bioengineered Monsters ..217
  Ghost Ship ............221
  Te Tuttissimo .............221
  Other Adventures ...........221
  Awakening ...................222
  Te S.O.S. Call .............222
  Sensors Readings ...........222
  Communications ..........222
  Exploring the Ship.......222
  Passenger PCs ..............222
  Te Shuttle Over ..........223
  Tuttissimo’s Layout .......223
  Te Virus’ Goal ..............223
  Te Drones .................223
  Enacting the Plan .......223
  Amidship ......................224
  Ship’s Bow ....................224
  Scout Drone’s Move .....225
  Ship’s Stern ...................226
  Safe Return ..................227
  No Shuttle ....................227
  Back Onboard...............227
  Consequences .......229
  Appendix: Dice .....233
  Resolving Actions ........233
  Damage ........................233
  Other Efects.................233
  Edge ............................234
  Spending Edge ..............234
  GM Edge ......................234
  Probabilities .................234
  Backers ................... 235
  OGL Version 1.0a .. 236
  Character Sheet .....237
  Index .....................238
  
  
  
  
  Somewhere out in the void a spaceship 
  makes its way from Mars to Ceres. Its voyage 
  will take six months. Its crew sleeps the time 
  away, deep in stasis. 
  Te crew is made up of individuals from 
  three distinct subcultures, each with their own 
  dialect, views and ideology. Tese subcultures 
  do not always agree—sometimes violently. 
  None of them know it yet, but three months 
  ago, two of these subcultures went to war.
  When the ship left Mars, it departed from 
  a Unitech docking facility. In another two 
  months, when it reaches Ceres, it is scheduled 
  to dock with a diferent corp. Tis corp has 
  taken sides in the subcultural confict. What 
  happens will not be pretty.
  Tree of the passengers have smuggled 
  guns on board. Most of the crew is armed. 
  One passenger has a knife implanted in her 
  arm. When the ship wakes the crew, a day away 
  from port, they will get news of the confict.
  Te violence will be slow to start, with 
  everyone still recovering from stasis sickness. 
  But some crew are going to begin applying 
  augmented reality tags to likely targets. Others 
  will get their guns. Not everyone is going to 
  want to dock at the scheduled port for fear of 
  reprisals or worse, but the captain won’t have a 
  change of course, and there will be blood.
  Te fghting starts shortly after the passen-
  gers are awoken ahead of schedule. A mutiny 
  is in progress while disoriented passengers 
  stumble around, some fearful and others 
  dangerous in their own right. Te herd instinct 
  takes over and people panic.
  Blood in zero-G doesn’t drain the way it 
  does in a gravity well; instead, it bulges out 
  from a wound in large bubbles. Recoil scatters 
  it about and it gets everywhere.
  Te mutiny is a failure. With a wounded 
  crew and scattered passengers, the ship makes 
  its scheduled dock, but outside there’s an eerie 
  silence—a radio silence. When the airlock 
  opens, even worse things await. Everyone 
  hears the echoes down the empty colony 
  hallways, but no one sees the bioengineered 
  claws in the darkness.
  Welcome to the future of Shadows Over Sol.
  
  Isolation is a common theme in both 
  science fction and horror, and consequently, 
  it is an important theme in Shadows Over 
  Sol. Space is unbelievably vast. Voyages take 
  months or years. Stations are but small specks 
  of life in a vast sea of lifelessness. When the 
  horror starts, no one is coming to help, and 
  often there’s nowhere to run.
  Social change is another important 
  theme. Te future is a diferent world with 
  diferent social norms and diferent technolo-
  gies. Subcultures see the world through their 
  lenses, and this social distance can play into the 
  themes of isolation.
  Despite the horror, technology and 
  human exploration march on. Tis ties in the 
  theme of new horizons. Humanity is always 
  pressing outward with the next distant expe-
  dition or colony, and it’s always inventing 
  new ways to do things.
  Te counter to themes of social change 
  and new horizons is the fear of the unknown. 
  Exploration, new technologies and new ways 
  of social operation bring with them risk, new 
  dangers and systems that are ripe for abuse. Tis 
  is where the science fction meets the horror.
  Finally, the theme of conspiracy wraps it 
  all up. With every new discovery, every social 
  evolution and every lingering fear, there will 
  always be those looking to suppress it or it 
  exploit it for their own purposes.
  
  
  
  
  
  A variety of exciting science fction and 
  horror media exists, which may serve to inspire 
  potential players or game masters. Below are 
  some of the movies, games and books we 
  recommend for inspiration:
   
  �
  Alien: Te 1979 flm directed by Ridley 
  Scott is a classic piece of sci-f survival hor-
  ror. Its sequel, Aliens (1986), has more of 
  an action-horror feel, but is also good in its 
  own way.
   
  �
  Eclipse Phase: Tis is a well-designed 
  tabletop roleplaying game set in the Sol 
  system but with a decidedly more transhu-
  manist and wildly speculative bent to the 
  science fction.
   
  �
  Europa Report: Te 2012 science fction 
  horror movie serves as a character drama 
  throughout its frst half and a haunting 
  creature feature in its second. It is good for 
  its depiction of hard science, but set signif-
  cantly closer to the present day.
   
  �
  Te Expanse: Tis is series of science fc-
  tion novels by a pair of authors going by 
  the pseudonym James S. A. Corey. Te frst 
  novel, Leviathan Wakes, is stellar and the 
  series shares many themes with Shadows 
  Over Sol, even if the technology and social 
  structure difers somewhat.
   
  �
  Te Ting: We recommend the 1982 flm 
  directed by John Carpenter. Te Ting 
  is a well-sculpted piece of survival horror 
  where the protagonists are caught between 
  the alien thing, the harsh Antarctic envi-
  ronment and justifed paranoia.
   
  �
  Transhuman Space: Tis is another trans-
  humanist RPG set in the Sol system, this 
  one using GURPS. Transhuman Space has 
  a wealth of well thought-out source books.
   
  �
  Te Void: Tis is a science fction horror 
  RPG with a Cthulhu Mythos spin on the 
  horror. It is similar in timeline and scope to 
  Shadows Over Sol, but difers signifcantly 
  in themes and tone.
  
  
  Shadows Over Sol is a tabletop roleplaying 
  game. It uses the Saga Machine system, the 
  same system used by our other games, such 
  as Against the Dark Yogi. If you do not know 
  what a tabletop roleplaying game is, a wealth 
  of information is available online—more than 
  could ever be reproduced here. To play you 
  will need this book, a group of friends, pencils, 
  paper, a standard deck of poker cards for each 
  player and ideally some tokens. Play is designed 
  to take place in one or more sessions—a few 
  hours one evening should sufce.
  
  Saga Machine is the tabletop roleplaying system used by Shadows Over Sol, as well as 
  Against the Dark Yogi and many of our upcoming games. It combines an exciting action 
  mechanic with meaningful consequences.
  Te rules of every Saga Machine game are tailored for that particular game’s genre and 
  themes, adapting a solid core and bringing in custom-made supporting subsystems. Tis 
  strikes a balance between the ease of going from one Saga Machine game to another and the 
  rules being tailored to the genre.
  Various incarnations of Saga Machine, including this one, have been released under the 
  Open Game License (OGL) and are available for use in third-party games.
  
  
  
  Te following terms are used throughout 
  the Shadows Over Sol setting:
   
  �
  Augmented Reality (AR): Te use of vir-
  tual layers and tags, which overlay the user’s 
  perception of the real world.
   
  �
  Corp: Short for corporation. Usually used 
  to refer to one of the titanic mega-corps, 
  which dominate the halls of power.
   
  �
  Entro: One of the major subcultures found 
  throughout the system today. Te Entro 
  subculture thrives on discord and is highly 
  critical of authorities, social class and cor-
  porate power.
   
  �
  Expret: One of the major subcultures 
  found throughout the system today. Ex-
  pret subculture values aesthetics and cre-
  ative expression in all things, placing great 
  emphasis upon forms that appeal to the 
  emotions.
   
  �
  Former: One of the major subcultures 
  found throughout the system today. Te 
  Former subculture almost fetishizes the 
  pursuit of perfection.
   
  �
  Ganymede Conference: An important 
  meeting of world leaders in 2165, which 
  established the current political status quo 
  and set many of the rules of space travel.
   
  �
  Geneline: One of a standard set of packag-
  es used to upgrade an individual’s genome 
  before she is born.
   
  �
  Ghostman: One of the major subcultures 
  found throughout the system today. Ghost-
  men couple a love for clarity of intent and a 
  rejection of the false niceties that make up 
  social etiquette.
   
  �
  Heed: One of the major subcultures found 
  throughout the system today. Heeds exalt 
  having new experiences with a particular 
  emphasis on the baser instincts and ani-
  mal drives.
   
  �
  Implant: An augmentation implanted in 
  the recipient’s body. Usually divided into ei-
  ther bioware (implants made from primarily 
  living components) or cyberware (implants 
  primarily made from machinery or other 
  nonliving components).
   
  �
  Neoret: One of the major subcultures found 
  throughout the system today. Te Neoret 
  subculture values a certain amount of refec-
  tion on and reinvention of past eras. 
   
  �
  Net, the: Te computer network used by 
  various machines across the system; it is 
  one of the pillars upon which life in the 
  twenty-third century is centered.
   
  �
  Serv: One of the major subcultures found 
  throughout the system today. Te Serv 
  subculture is an amalgamation of various 
  conservative religious groups.
   
  �
  Simspace: A virtual environment, usually 
  shared between multiple users on the net.
   
  �
  Sol: Also known as “the sun.” It’s the yel-
  low G2V main sequence star around which 
  Earth and the other planets orbit.
   
  �
  Space Elevator: A long, durable strand ex-
  tending from the surface of a planet into 
  orbit. Used for cheaply moving goods from 
  the ground into space.
   
  �
  Subculture: One of a variety of break-
  away cultural groups organized around 
  the net, which now dominate twenty-
  third century society.
   
  �
  Techno: One of the major subcultures 
  found throughout the system today. Tech-
  nos prize the march of progress, culture 
  and most of all, technology. 
   
  �
  Torium Power: Te dominant form of 
  energy production is the use of fssion reac-
  tors utilizing the thorium fuel cycle.
  
  
  
  
  Te future holds a million wonders and 
  a million horrors. Two centuries from now, 
  humankind has spread into space, taking 
  our rivalries and struggles with us. We’ve 
  conquered diseases but created others. We’ve 
  built new electronic networks but let the old 
  ties atrophy and die. With each new rise and 
  fall, we keep changing.
  
  
  Don’t try to get up. I’ve been told you’re 
  going to be too weak for that. I’m not a doctor, 
  but take it from me that you have some 
  recovery to go through. Don’t worry, I know 
  you’re disoriented, but with all that’s happened 
  to you, that’s only to be expected. Physically, 
  you’re going to be strapped to this bed for some 
  time, but I’m more concerned about your 
  social recovery. 
  As I said before, I’m not a doctor. I’m 
  a historian. I’ve been told they found you 
  frozen in your ship near one of the Lunar 
  Lagrange points. According to our estimates, 
  you’ve been in cryo almost two hundred 
  years—since the early twenty-frst century. 
  It’s now the early twenty-third century, and 
  things are very diferent. Tey’ve called me in 
  to help you adjust socially, as I specialize in 
  understanding your era. 
  No, don’t try to talk. Your tongue won’t 
  be fully working yet. Just lay back and let me 
  try to fll you in on what you can expect from 
  the brave new world. As I said before, many 
  things have changed, and you’re going to have 
  to adapt to them quickly.
  
  We’re plugged in, turned on, networked 
  and wired in a way we never were before. 
  From toddlers, we tune into a world of instant 
  access and far-ranging communication. We 
  see into the lives of others; we read their blog 
  posts, stalk their friends lists and comment on 
  pictures of their breakfasts. Just this morning 
  I had a conversation in a random-match chat 
  room with a man from Brussels. We talked 
  about education. But he’s a Heed and had 
  diferent views than I. 
  We may never see our neighbors. We may 
  not even speak the same languages, though they 
  live just a hab cell over. Trough the miracle of 
  telepresence, telecommunication and telecom-
  muting technologies, physical location means 
  less than it ever has. I have more in common 
  with people of my subculture in Tokyo than I 
  have with those down the street. 
  If there’s a linchpin of our society, it’s the 
  net. It’s how we structure our lives, track our 
  friends, jack into the social networks and pass 
  our free time. Some of us spend more of our 
  waking life in simspaces than here in meatspace. 
  
  
  Te thing about the net, though, is that it’s 
  easy to wall yourself of from the things you don’t 
  normally seek out. We all hit up our favorite 
  news feeds, follow our favorite subcultural celeb-
  rities and cruise our favorite forums, but these 
  are all places we self-select. Tey’re likely to be 
  places that feed back to us our own confrmation 
  biases and that market to us our own subcultural 
  trappings.  Tis means the media I consume, 
  and the lens through which I obtain information 
  about happenings in the world may be radically 
  diferent than what my neighbor sees. Tese sorts 
  of diferences divide the culture.
  Often the places we visit on the net are the 
  same sites or descendants of the same sites our 
  parents were jacking into in their own youth. 
  Sure, the generation gap may give rise to new 
  forks of the profles or new sub-forums, but 
  views and habits tend to pass down through 
  family lines. Over the last couple of centuries 
  or so, the individual subcultures people live in 
  have diverged so much they’re becoming non-
  geographical cultures in their own right.
  
  
  
  
  While nation-states may be on the 
  downslide, languages remain as fractured 
  as ever. However, due to the widespread 
  use of real-time translation software, the 
  language barrier—while still present—is 
  less of a problem than ever before. Almost 
  all net profles have translators built in, and 
  most anyone actively doing business across 
  a language barrier usually has translation 
  software running on their hand terminal. 
  While these translations aren’t perfect, the 
  software is pretty good at what it does, and as 
  long as a speaker avoids obscure euphemisms 
  or slang, the point usually gets across.
  Still, sometimes software or hardware 
  malfunctions, information is lost in transla-
  tion or you come across a speaker of a language 
  for which you don’t have software installed. In 
  times like these, you must fall back to the old-
  fashioned methods of learning the language.
  Te ten most common languages today 
  are English, Mandarin, Wu, Arabic, Spanish, 
  Hindi, Russian, French, Portuguese and 
  Bengali. Many hundreds of others are spoken 
  as well, while many hundreds still have 
  died of in the last two centuries. Generally 
  speaking, Mandarin is the typical language 
  of trade while French is used in diplomacy. 
  English is typically used for scientifc works, 
  although much scientifc terminology is still 
  drawn from Latin.
  To make matters more complicated, indi-
  vidual subcultures often have their own dialects 
  of languages. How varied these are difers 
  from subculture to subculture and language 
  to language, but at their most extreme, two 
  speakers of the same language from diferent 
  subcultures can be almost incomprehensible to 
  each other. Automated translation programs 
  still mitigate this somewhat, but subcultural 
  slang is typically handled less well than the 
  more common baseline words of a language. 
  Te Transient Population
  I understand geographic location once 
  meant something culturally. People broke 
  themselves up into communities and post-
  tribal afliations based on it— neighbor-
  hoods, cities, baronies, nation-states. I guess 
  geographical location still means something 
  today, if you’re living in one of a handful of 
  backwater undeveloped locales. But for the 
  most part, more than two centuries of the net, 
  migrations and telepresence has led geographic 
  location to mean very little beyond what to 
  wear when you’re going outside.
  With orbital fights that can take anyone 
  anywhere on the planet within a few hours 
  and high-speed long-distance communication 
  systems that can let a user operate remotely 
  from almost anywhere on the globe (and even 
  from the far-fung reaches of the solar system, 
  if one allows for a few minutes light lag), where 
  one is physically located often means very little 
  in determining one’s opportunities. It also 
  means very little in terms of what culture one 
  absorbs. I might not speak the same language 
  as my neighbors and that might have once 
  posed practical problems. But no more.
  It also means people don’t feel as much of 
  a connection to some particular geographic 
  place or nation and are much more willing and 
  able to move where the winds may take them. 
  Tis has resulted in a population that is very 
  transient and fairly spread out.  One no longer 
  looks to the cities for jobs, as many jobs can 
  just as easily be worked remotely. Population 
  centers have spread out. One can no longer 
  look at a region and say that region has some 
  sort of homogeneous culture.
  
  
  Once, nation-states were the major actors 
  on the world stage. Te globe was neatly 
  carved into its various geographical regions. 
  Each region had its political leaders and most 
  people lined up behind them, as if those 
  invisible lines called borders were more than 
  just a collective delusion.
  Well, nation-states are still around, but 
  they’re now the washed-up has-beens of the 
  world stage. Te comparative meaninglessness 
  of geographic location and the readiness of the 
  population to move across borders had led to 
  people not strongly identifying with nation-
  states. Sure, most people are a citizen of one or 
  
  
  another—sometimes three or four. I’m also a 
  citizen in three MMOs (massively-multiplayer 
  online games), but few people are going to 
  fght and die over that—at least in meatspace.
  Couple this decline of identifcation with 
  nation-states along with the general gutting 
  direct public powers, and you get to where 
  the world is now. Most people identify more 
  with their subculture or corp than they do with 
  that imaginary line they were born behind. A 
  lot of people will keep the same citizenship 
  their entire lives and not really think about it. 
  Others will play the citizenship market, seeking 
  the best tax-for-social-benefts deal available to 
  them at the moment. Tey’ll switch citizen-
  ships a thousand or more times in their lives.
  I’m sure many nation-states familiar to 
  you still exist and have long traditions behind 
  them, but today they are mostly shells of their 
  former selves. Tey still collect taxes from their 
  citizens and persons operating in their territo-
  ries. Tey still can employ military forces to 
  protect their borders—although in practice 
  that is mostly contracted out to private 
  entities now. Tey provide some legal protec-
  tions and they have a court system, although 
  this is also frequently contracted out. Almost 
  all other social services come from a person’s 
  employer or are privately purchased.
  
  With the decline of nation-states, it was 
  just a matter of time until something stepped 
  up and flled the power vacuum. Subcultural 
  and ideological groups did that to an extent, 
  but the corps flled most of the vacuum. Tis 
  was less of a revolution than a gradual handing 
  of power. Prisons handed of to corps. Schools 
  handed of to corps. Retirement plans. Health-
  care. Police forces. Road maintenance. Courts. 
  Te nation-states held onto their national 
  armies for a long time, but eventually even 
  those were handed over. In the last few decades, 
  the corps have even been realizing they can skip 
  the governmental middleman, and get people 
  to pay them directly for those services.
  Te efects of the corporate rise manifest 
  in many ways. Children are educated in corp 
  schools, which take the opportunity to cross-
  market to them other products produced 
  by that school’s parent corp and business 
  partners. Militaries are manned by contracted 
  corp soldiers whose frst loyalties are to their 
  paychecks. Oftentimes contracts are subcon-
  tracted out several levels deep, leaving account-
  ability behind in a trail of paperwork.
  All this is doubly true in space. Te corps 
  funded most of the early space exploration, 
  and the grasps of Earth governments were 
  never very strong out in the void. Most corps 
  in space have gotten used to operating as a law 
  unto themselves, much like the British East 
  India Company of old.
  
  Here’s something you might soon fnd 
  relevant: if you run afoul of the powers that 
  be, punishments are rather diferent than they 
  were in your time, especially out here in space. 
  Don’t look at me like that! Tis is serious!
  Te good news is that capital punish-
  ments are a lot more rare—at least for the 
  sort of crimes where a trial actually occurs. 
  Back on Earth, they’ll mostly fne you or put 
  you into stasis. Keeping a lot of criminals 
  in stasis is expensive, but certainly less so 
  than incarcerating them while awake for 
  long periods of time. Fines tend to snowball 
  indefnitely, and if you can’t pay them, you’re 
  looking at a term of indenture.
  Out here in space, though, things are a bit 
  diferent. Living space and life support are at 
  a premium. Fines are still common, but when 
  they don’t sufce as punishment, authorities 
  look to exile or corporal punishment. Exile is 
  exactly what it sounds like, and the convicted 
  party may not have a lot of say in where 
  they’re sent. As for corporeal punishment, 
  well, the removal of body parts is considered 
  rather backward, but society has gotten rather 
  good at inficting large amounts of pain in a 
  very cheap manner. 
  Crimes committed with the aid of implants 
  will usually result in the forcible removal of 
  those implants as part of the punishment. 
  Tis is often accompanied by the ofender 
  being barred from legally obtaining any similar 
  implant from the same colony in the future.
  
  
  
  Okay, here’s something that should be 
  familiar to you: it’s still all about the money. 
  Everyone wants it. Everyone needs it. Most 
  people don’t have enough of it, and a few 
  people have too much. Sound familiar? Good. 
  Here’s where things begin to change.
  Most money in your time is backed by a 
  nation-state. Tey print it. Tey try to control 
  infation. It’s good as long as the nation-state 
  remains solvent or at least until the political 
  leaders change their minds. But money is 
  a complicated fction. It’s valuable because 
  people say it is; and because people treat it as 
  valuable, it continues to stay that way. If one 
  currency begins to tank, you trade it in for 
  another currency—or at least you try, hoping 
  that there is the available liquidity to do so.
  Currency today is an even more compli-
  cated fction. A few nation-states still issue 
  their own money—usually in the form of 
  bonds rather than physical currency, but most 
  common notes are backed by corps. After all, 
  they’re the major players on the political block 
  now. A few subcultures have even tried issuing 
  their own voucher currency, but those haven’t 
  worked out so well.
  Te corps are where the money is at because 
  they are where the employment is at. Every 
  major corp has its own credit system used to pay 
  its employees and many of its debts. Tis credit 
  is redeemable at any corp-afliated market. 
  Naturally, a variety of exchanges exist to trade 
  one type of credit for another. Most trades on 
  these exchanges are made automatically, done in 
  real-time with the swipe of a credit chip.
  Money is rarely physical. It’s mostly a 
  series of bits sitting in various centralized 
  accounts and transferred back and forth 
  between computer systems as transactions take 
  place. On a planetary network, this is almost 
  instantaneous, but in space, these transactions 
  require synchronizing with fnancial databases 
  minutes away by broadcast.
  It’s diferent on Earth, but out here the 
  de facto standard for currency is the Unitech 
  microcredit. Tat’s because of Unitech’s 
  commercial dominance in space.
  
  
  
  You are the third person we’ve resurrected 
  from cryo. None were from as far in the past 
  as you are, but each of them have seemed very 
  interested in one particular question: what sort 
  of shiny new toys do people have to play with 
  now? Tat is, what new bounties has tech-
  nology brought the world? Let’s cover that.
  I understand that in your time, the world 
  was still undergoing a revolution in computing 
  and networking power. Today those tech-
  nologies are mature. We have basic micro-
  computers everywhere, in everything from 
  toasters to clothing. Most of these machines 
  are dumb—even by the standards of your 
  time—but they network regularly with more 
  powerful machines, and this makes for a good 
  deal of intelligence. Shops can take digital 
  inventories with the small computers in every 
  product reporting their location. Refrigerators 
  can provide alerts when staple foodstufs get 
  low. AIs can plan a person’s evening wear from 
  the chips in her wardrobe. 
  Te biological sciences have also undergone 
  a considerable revolution. Most of us have had 
  our genomes sequenced before birth and have 
  been screened for common genetic defects and 
  developmental issues. Many, going on most, of 
  us have also been genetically upgraded before 
  birth for enhanced attractiveness, refexes, 
  durability or cognition. Out in space, upgrades 
  tend towards not sufering bone degradation 
  in microgravity, sufering less from radiation 
  exposure or decreased life support require-
  ments. Tese can be life-savers in the environ-
  ments out here.
  Where computers and cognition meet is 
  the realm of augmented reality (AR). We’re 
  currently in the middle of an AR revolu-
  tion, just as you were in the middle of a 
  computing revolution in your time. Many of 
  us have implanted AR interfaces or cheaper 
  external interfaces. Tis lets us look out at 
  the world and see it enhanced with tags and 
  other metadata. I have an early AR interface 
  model, and I no longer have to remember 
  people’s names most of the time—they just 
  appear in my vision foating above their 
  heads. I also no longer have to keep a tablet 
  with notes. It’s all in my head.
  I don’t have time to go into all the other 
  technological advances, but they are many: 
  thorium fssion reactors, cloning, vat-meat, 
  trans-genetic 
  modifcations, 
  biological 
  implants, tissue engineering, low-sapient AIs, 
  asteroid mining and quantum encryption. 
  It’s all too much to name at once, and I have 
  limited time.
  
  Now pay very close attention: this is 
  perhaps the single most important thing I 
  have to say. I am not a doctor, and this is not 
  a hospital. We are a resistance group based 
  out of Mars. In a very short time—perhaps a 
  few minutes now—Unitech troops will come 
  bursting through that door, guns raised. 
  I’m going to be arrested, but I’m sure my 
  ties at the university will pull me through. 
  You, on the other hand, have no ties in this 
  time. You have no electronic records. You 
  have no established identity. In this pan-optic 
  day-in-age, that is very rare. Te troops are 
  going to take you and they’re going to ask a 
  lot of questions. Tey will likely even lie to 
  you and tell you many half-true stories about 
  our time. Remember what I’ve told you. 
  Remember that there are other points of view 
  out there—in fact, many of them.
  At some point in the future, we will contact 
  you again. Don’t worry, we have ways. Ten 
  we will come to collect on having revived you 
  from your icy death.
  
  
  
  History keeps marching forward into that 
  unknowable void called the future. Much 
  has changed in the last two hundred years, 
  and much more promises to change still in 
  the next hundred. Humans have spread out 
  throughout the inner solar system and have 
  begun to penetrate further afeld. Nation-
  states have undergone their slow decline. 
  Society has fractured into myriad subcultures. 
  Technology has advanced. Implants and gene 
  modifcation have become commonplace. But 
  still people struggle with the same timeless 
  issues of the human condition.
  Here is how it happened.
  
  Te 2030s and 2040s saw an explosive 
  growth of biotechnology, advances in fssion 
  technology and increased space funding. 
  However, it also saw dramatic increases 
  in climate-change related conficts, severe 
  resource shortages and a steep rise in antibi-
  otic-resistant bacteria.
   
  �
  2030: Te Chinese successfully complete 
  a manned mission to Luna, the frst since 
  Apollo 17.
   
  �
  2031: A habitable-zone Earth-like planet 
  is discovered around Alpha Centauri A, 
  making it the closest habitable planet 
  yet discovered. It is nicknamed Sirine by 
  the media. Other similar planets have al-
  ready been found around Tau Ceti and 
  Barnard’s Star.
   
  �
  2033: Te frst commercial thorium reactor 
  comes online, beginning a trend that gradu-
  ally replaces uranium in nuclear fssion.
   
  �
  2033: Prenatal gene modifcations to cor-
  rect life-threatening genetic disorders be-
  come commonplace, paving the way for 
  further commercial genetic manipulation.
   
  �
  2035: Worldwide shortages of tellu-
  rium—used in bleeding-edge electron-
  ics—result in increased funding for space 
  programs, as tellurium is much more 
  common elsewhere in space.
   
  �
  2039: An outbreak of antibiotic-resistant 
  tuberculosis kills tens of thousands in 
  China.  Bacteriophage research is increased 
  signifcantly.
   
  �
  2039: Oil drilling in the Arctic sparks a 
  brief international confict between Russia 
  and Canada.
   
  �
  2040: Functional human hearts can now 
  be grown for implant. Most organs outside 
  of the nervous system are now replaceable.
   
  �
  2044: Increasing desertifcation in Africa 
  and the American Midwest causes grain 
  shortages worldwide, resulting in food riots 
  in many cities.
   
  �
  2046: Unitech Enterprises is founded. It will 
  be at the forefront of space exploration and 
  grow into one of the fve largest megacorps. 
  
  Te 2050s and 2060s saw the widespread 
  adoption of prenatal gene modifcations, a 
  continued advancement in space exploration 
  and the frst divisions in mainstream culture 
  that would eventually lead to its splintering.
   
  �
  2051: Xuan Ping becomes the frst baby to 
  be born in Earth orbit. He will later be-
  come a spokesman for space-adapted gene 
  modifcations.
   
  �
  2053: Unitech, in cooperation with the US 
  government, completes the frst manned mis-
  sion to Mars. Derek Stillwater of Minnesota 
  
  Derek Stillwater (2021–2109) remains 
  a household name and is still an inspira-
  tion and hero to many. Not only was he 
  the frst human to set foot on Mars, he was 
  already known for an extreme sports career. 
  In his later life, he went on to be prominent 
  blogger, politician, business leader and 
  antiwar activist during World War III. At 
  the height of his career, he was the single 
  most highly followed individual on any 
  social network.
  Te Stillwater colony on Mars bears his 
  name, as do numerous schools, streets and 
  buildings around the solar system. Upon 
  his death, a sizable fortune was left to the 
  Stillwater Foundation, which still funds 
  humanitarian operations in his name.
  
  
  is the frst to set foot on the planet.
   
  �
  2055: Wearable AR headsets become 
  common among youth and will eventual-
  ly expand to become commonplace across 
  all generations.
   
  �
  2055: Corporate space funding fnally out-
  paces government space funding.
   
  �
  2056: Laser propulsion is frst used to 
  launch satellites into orbit. It quickly be-
  comes the dominant means with which 
  satellites are launched.
   
  �
  2060: Tis is the frst documented use 
  of the term “Former” to refer to the sub-
  culture, which split of from mainstream 
  Western culture. Tis makes it the oldest 
  still-existing subculture to break away from 
  the main culture.
   
  �
  2060: Prenatal genetic modifcations to 
  express desirable traits become common in 
  wealthy regions of the world.
   
  �
  2063: Te United Nations collapses due to 
  lack of funds contributed by member states 
  and a lack of support among world powers.
   
  �
  2066: Bacteriophages surpass antibiotics 
  as the dominant means to treat bacterial 
  infections.
   
  �
  2067: Vatmeat, while commercially avail-
  able for at least three decades, becomes ac-
  cepted only after it is regularly featured in 
  the cuisine of several celebrity chefs. With-
  in a decade, it outpaces conventional meat 
  production as an environmentally-friendly 
  and ethical alternative.
  
  Te 2070s and 2080s saw the dominance 
  of thorium-based fssion power, a rise in the 
  popularity of cybernetics and the frst lunar 
  colony. It also saw the construction of the frst 
  space elevator, which dramatically reduced the 
  cost of reaching orbit.
   
  �
  2070: Some worry that the Saudi-Iranian 
  War will escalate and plunge the globe 
  into warfare. Fortunately this does not 
  happen, and an early peace is agreed to in 
  the Treaty of Moscow.
   
  �
  2071: Torium reactors now outnumber 
  uranium reactions, becoming the domi-
  nant means of energy production.
   
  �
  2073: Sinoex, the second-oldest of the Domi-
  nant Five megacorps is founded in a merger of 
  Chinese and Burmese corporations.
   
  �
  2075: Early experiments with sensory re-
  cording and playback result in a black mar-
  ket in brain-damaging experience chips.
   
  �
  2079: Te Expret subculture breaks away 
  from mainstream Eastern European cul-
  ture. Tis makes it the second still-existing 
  subculture to diverge from the common 
  culture.
   
  �
  2080: No longer content with simply re-
  placing failed organs, it becomes common 
  to replace failed organs with upgraded 
  cybernetic ones among some subcultures. 
  Over the next decade, this will gradually 
  catch on with what’s left of the mainstream 
  society.
   
  �
  2082: Te frst space elevator is completed 
  in Brazil after almost 20 years of construc-
  tion. It’s funded largely by various Europe-
  an grants, and in its latter stages, Unitech. 
  It’s operation further reduces the cost of 
  reaching orbit. Colloquially known as the 
  Beanstalk, it remains in operation until its 
  destruction in World War IV.
   
  �
  2085: Te frst colony on Luna, Zihao 
  Gan, is established as a collaboration be-
  tween several Chinese corporations. Tis 
  colony is short-lived but paves the way for 
  future space colonization.
   
  �
  2088: Reliable human stasis is frst 
  achieved. Over the next two decades, this 
  technology matures, allowing for longer 
  manned space fights.
  
  Te frst space elevator was in operation 
  for 67 years, meeting its fnal end during 
  World War IV. Its completion was a 
  true revolution for the space industry. A 
  monument stands outside Sao Luis, at the 
  site of the original Beanstalk, and pieces of its 
  cable can be found in museums across Earth.
  
  
   
  �
  2089: Te frst lunar mass driver is com-
  pleted at Zihao Gan, improving the means 
  through which resources are extracted from 
  the moon.
  
  Te 2090s and 2100s began with a 
  new space race, spurred by the second space 
  elevator, and resulted in colonies both in orbit 
  and on Mars. Tese decades ended in World 
  War III, and the beginning of the end of the 
  dominance of the nation-state.
   
  �
  2091: Te second space elevator is fn-
  ished after only six years construction. 
  It is situated in Indonesia and is largely 
  owned by Sinoex.
   
  �
  2093: Te Entro subculture diverges from 
  mainstream Western society and is initially 
  demonized by the media.
   
  �
  2096: Construction on Domus Station, 
  the frst space colony intended for perma-
  nent residence, is fnished. It is a Stanford 
  Torus located at the L5 Lunar Lagrange 
  point. It is largely funded by Unitech.
   
  �
  2099: Jenseitech is founded after a series 
  of mergers between Japanese and Brazilian 
  biotech corporations.
   
  �
  2100: Te Techno subculture diverges 
  from mainstream East Asian society. Tis 
  marks a turning point in the rise of subcul-
  tures. What might be called “mainstream 
  society” now actually consists of less than 
  half of the people on the planet.
   
  �
  2102: Indian corporations establish Vidhi, 
  the frst Martian colony. While the colony 
  has a successful beginning, it will soon be 
  doomed by World War III.
   
  �
  2103: Rising sea levels cause Manhattan 
  and several other coastal population cen-
  ters to be fooded. Tis creates a worldwide 
  population shift that helps contribute to 
  the beginning of World War III.
   
  �
  2105: Gene modifcations that signifcant-
  ly alter human physiology briefy become a 
  fad, resulting in many births that come to 
  a deformed and messy end. Te backlash to 
  this fad cements the taboo against radical 
  gene alterations.
   
  �
  2107: Regular prenatal gene modifcation 
  to enhance the new child’s natural human 
  abilities become commonplace, although 
  more radical trans-genetic modifcation 
  remains taboo.
   
  �
  2108: A confict in the Balkans begins, 
  which will quickly spread to become World 
  War III, also known as the Mercenary War. 
  Although this confict only lasts two years, 
  it introduces many changes to warfare, in-
  cluding an emphasis on mercenary forces 
  over national armies and the widespread 
  militarization of space.
   
  �
  2109: Te Vidhi colony on Mars is cut 
  of because of World War III and slowly 
  starves to death while listening to the con-
  fict in the stars above.
  
  Te 2110s and 2120s saw an enormous 
  growth in space colonies, the end of main-
  stream Western culture and in the aftermath 
  of World War III, a widespread movement 
  opposing the dominance of nation-states.
   
  �
  2110: World War III comes to an end with 
  the Treaty of the Hague, but not before 
  the Beanstalk and two partially-completed 
  space elevators are destroyed.
   
  �
  2112: Stillwater, the frst long-lasting 
  colony on Mars, is founded and initially 
  populated primarily by settlers from North 
  America and the Indian subcontinent.
   
  �
  2114: Early attempts at prenatal trans-
  genetic modifcation to prevent bone de-
  
  Although World War III was the 
  shortest and least bloody of any of the four 
  world wars, the impact it had on warfare 
  cannot be overlooked. Te war signaled the 
  beginning of a trend away from standing 
  national armies and a reliance on smaller 
  well-equipped mercenary forces. Te war is 
  also responsible for the greater prominence 
  of heavier armors on the battlefeld. Cast-of 
  World War III military spacecraft are still a 
  staple of pirate and rebel feets today.
  
  
  terioration in microgravity and provide 
  radiation resistance result in bestial long-
  term side-efects, leading to what’s called 
  the Malformed Generation.
   
  �
  2116: Te Chinese establish the colony of 
  Chi Chen, or “Red Earth,” on Mars. It will 
  quickly become one of the last strongholds 
  of Chinese nationalism.
   
  �
  2117: Kamen Station, the frst space sta-
  tion in the Belt intended for permanent 
  human habitation is founded. It is a zero-
  G station built from the hollowed out shell 
  of one of the larger asteroids.
   
  �
  2120: Te frst successful brain transplant 
  is documented. It’s far from perfect, with 
  severe neurological side efects, but the pa-
  tient survives.
   
  �
  2123: Te best-selling treatise Te Heed 
  Life is released. Tis is generally recognized 
  as the critical juncture in which remnants 
  of the old mainstream Western culture be-
  came the Heed subculture.
   
  �
  2126: Miskan Station, the second station 
  in the Belt, is founded by Mennonite set-
  tlers, following a Stanford torus design. 
  Improbably, it will later grow to be a major 
  hub in the Belt.
   
  �
  2127: An unmanned probe operated by 
  Jenseitech discovers life under the ice on 
  Europa, spurring a race to Jupiter.
   
  �
  2128: Te Gong Si Revolution results in 
  the overthrow of the Chinese government 
  and it’s replaced with a weak central au-
  thority. Tis will be the last of the major 
  governmental revolutions as nation-states 
  continue to wane in power.
  
  Beginning with a growing discontent with 
  the state of the world political stage, the 2130s 
  and 2140s saw numerous small rebellions and 
  increased unrest. Te resulting corporate rise 
  to power and the desperation of the declining 
  nation-state system world spark World War IV 
  later in the decades.
   
  �
  2130: Chi Chen breaks away from China, re-
  jecting the ideals of the Gong Si movement. 
  It becomes an independent colony.
   
  �
  2132: An accident on Kamen Station re-
  sults in the explosive decompression of 
  the station and the deaths of all residents. 
  To this day, the accident has never been 
  fully explained and the station remains 
  abandoned.
   
  �
  2132: After the death of the liberal Pope 
  Pius XIX fails to yield a more conserva-
  tive successor, large portions of the more 
  conservative wing of the Roman Catholic 
  Church break away and declare their own 
  pope, with a new Catholic hierarchy based 
  out of Stillwater on Mars.
   
  �
  2134: Te frst colony on Venus, the Dome 
  de la Fortune, is founded as a scientifc re-
  search base. Although initially a heavily-
  shielded dome on Maxwell Montes—the 
  highest mountain on Venus—the colony 
  soon launches several aerostats. Within a 
  decade the last of the colonists will move 
  to aerostat habitats in Venus’s atmosphere.
   
  �
  2137: Te Terraforming Project begins on 
  Mars. It continues to the present day, inter-
  rupted only by World War IV. It also ig-
  nites the water trade, bringing ice from the 
  Belt and outer solar system to Mars.
   
  �
  2141: In what is now known as the Black 
  Night terrorist incident, Entro terrorists 
  seize control of Domus Station and hold 
  the population hostage. Tree diferent 
  corporate feets respond, ending in a shoot-
  
  Te decline of nation-states as the 
  highest authority in society was a gradual 
  trend spanning most of the twenty-frst 
  and twenty-second centuries. Te rise of 
  a global economy led to increased inter-
  national dealings and identifcation. Te 
  increased segmentation of the culture into 
  diferent subcultural and ideological groups 
  led many unhappy with the current admin-
  istrations to consider many legal rulings 
  void under natural law. Te move towards 
  mercenary armies in World War III and 
  later undermined the notion of a govern-
  mental monopoly on the legitimate use of 
  physical force.
  
  
  out between all three the feets and the ter-
  rorists. Domus Station is damaged and will 
  take another two years to repair.
   
  �
  2142: Utakar System Dynamics is found-
  ed. Te success of its early weapons designs 
  in World War IV quickly leads to its expan-
  sion and acquisition of many preexisting 
  mercenary companies.
   
  �
  2146: Beginning as an attempt by several 
  Asian nation-states to reign in corporate 
  mercenary activities, the fghting soon 
  spreads and World War IV breaks out. Tis 
  war will last for seven years and be the only 
  war to see the widespread use of nuclear 
  missiles. It results in the highest number of 
  deaths of any war to date.
   
  �
  2147: Te Neoret subculture breaks away 
  from the Heed subculture, rejecting what 
  it sees as the excesses and violence of the 
  modern day. During the war, this new sub-
  culture will be both applauded and vilifed 
  as opponents to the fghting.
   
  �
  2149: World War IV goes nuclear. Begin-
  ning with the destruction of Foshan, Nay-
  pyitaw, Abuja and Novosibirsk, a dozen 
  more cities are soon to follow.
  
  Although it ended 61 years ago, World War IV remains the last great war, one with a 
  profound impact on the world’s balance of power. 
  Troughout the 2100s, the various mercenary companies that had received a sudden rise 
  to prominence in World War III found employment in the skirmishes between the corps. 
  As governmental controls fell apart in the earlier war’s aftermath, these sort of paramilitary 
  corp operations became increasingly prominent. Faced with this type of corp activity, China, 
  Myanmar and India began operations to reign in corp warfare in the mid-2140s, and to rees-
  tablish a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force. China’s response to corp paramili-
  tary activity was particularly heavy-handed and aroused the ire of numerous foreign corps.
  And where the corps go, the governments follow. In December 2146, six nation-states—
  including Japan, Korea, the United States and Brazil—declared war on the Eastern Powers in 
  order to protect their national corps. By late 2147, this confict had spread across the globe, 
  as a network of alliances and enemies unfolded.
  Socially, World War IV was a massively fractious war, underlining the ideological gulf 
  that had grown between diferent subcultures since society began to drift apart. Sympathies 
  among the Entro, Morb and Techno subcultures strongly aligned with the Eastern Powers, 
  even in the West where the governments overwhelmingly aligned with the corps. Sympathies 
  among the Exprets, Formers and Heeds were pulled the opposite direction. Te Neoret 
  subculture grew out of the War, and an opposition to the fghting itself, while the Serv 
  subculture—as usual—did not act as a unifed group.
  In June 2149, the war went nuclear, beginning with the destruction of Foshan by  a 
  Korean missile. Tis act struck a fatal blow to the antiwar movement that had been growing 
  since the war’s beginning. Te response was the nuclear destruction of Novosibirsk, followed 
  by Naypyitaw, followed by Abuja, as each side retaliated in turn. Te bombing continued 
  until 2152, and the fallout from all the bombs caused global temperatures to plummet nearly 
  two degrees for the next several years, causing crop failures across North America and Africa. 
  2152 was known as a year without a summer.
  Facing a losing war in 2152, in the single most deadly and desperate act of the war, 
  the Eastern Powers released a genengineered virus on Madagascar. Originally intended to 
  self-terminate after several weeks, the virus mutated and spread across the globe. It single-
  handedly killed almost half as many people as the rest of the war combined. Te Madagascar 
  Virus was the beginning of the end for the Eastern Powers. In 2153 they sued for peace, and 
  an agreement was reached in the Mumbai Accords later that year.
  
  
  
  Tese two decades began with the height of 
  the nuclear detonations in World War IV. Te 
  result of the war would hang over the rest of 
  the decade, despite continued space expansion. 
  Tis would lead to the Ganymede Conference 
  and the ofcial end of nation-state dominance.
   
  �
  2150: Te frst commercial quantum 
  communication is available. It, however, 
  remains prohibitively expensive for any-
  thing other than vital but short corporate 
  messages.
   
  �
  2151: Microdyne is founded as a mili-
  tary intelligence processing corporation. 
  However, after the war it moves into other 
  forms of computing, which become its 
  primary business.
   
  �
  2152: As the single most deadly act of 
  the war, a genengineered virus is released 
  in Madagascar. It quickly spreads, killing 
  some 50 million people and infecting 500 
  million others.
   
  �
  2153: World War IV comes to an end with 
  the Mumbai Accords. Tese agreements 
  will be short-lived, however, and will soon 
  be replaced in the Ganymede Conference.
   
  �
  2156: Te Ghostman subculture grows out 
  of the remnants of the old East Asian main-
  stream culture. It is signifcantly infuenced 
  by the aftermath of the war.
   
  �
  2160: Te Oras colony is established on 
  Mars. Tis colony will quickly grow to 
  become the nexus of the Mars Terraform-
  ing Project.
   
  �
  2161: Te Australian-Indian War breaks 
  out, resulting from a disagreement over the 
  Mumbai Accords that ended World War 
  IV. Tis war will last only eight months, 
  but is noteworthy as the last of the nation-
  state wars and an important point paving 
  the way to the Ganymede Conference.
   
  �
  2164: Te frst Jovian colony is established 
  on Europa. Built into the ice that covers 
  Europa’s surface, this colony is soon boom-
  ing due to the water trade.
   
  �
  2165: Te Ganymede Conference occurs, 
  resulting in a series of agreements that of-
  fcially end the dominance of nation-states 
  on the world stage.
   
  �
  2167: New developments in nuclear fu-
  sion lead to a rush on He-3, which is much 
  more common in space than on Earth. 
  Tis fuels migration and the economy of 
  the space colonies, but sadly never leads to 
  commercially-viable fusion power.
  
  Te 2170’s and 2180’s saw the rise of the 
  new political order as the fallout from World 
  War IV and the Ganymede Conference fnally 
  settled down. It saw the rapid growth of Artif-
  cial Reality (AR) and Artifcial Intelligence (AI) 
  technologies, as well as the continuing penetra-
  tion of humanity into the outer planets.
   
  �
  2172: AR implants become mainstream, 
  providing an improved AR experience that 
  leads some to believe that implants in gen-
  eral might come back into vogue.
   
  �
  2173: Aedes Station is opened, intended 
  to be a replacement for the ailing Domus 
  Station, however, Domus Station remains 
  in use among the poor, despite its deterio-
  rating conditions. Aedes Station is a Bernal 
  Sphere, a design that becomes common in 
  newer stations, replacing the older popular 
  Stanford Torus design.
   
  �
  2177: Large concentrations of thorium are 
  discovered on Ganymede. Soon numerous 
  mining colonies will be established there.
   
  �
  2181: Te population of Earth reaches 
  the 12 billion mark. At this point, Luna is 
  home to roughly 2 million people, Mars is 
  home to almost 4 million and there are al-
  most a million others scattered throughout 
  the rest of the solar system.
   
  �
  2183: After half a century of “it’s just a 
  
  
  Te Ganymede Conference, named for 
  the Ganymede Syndicate that sponsored it, set 
  the current status quo between governments 
  and corps. Additionally it established rules for 
  dealing with ships encountered in space, def-
  nitions of “pirate activity,” how captives are 
  supposed to be handled and responsibilities 
  for responding to distress calls.
  
  
  decade away” predictions, non-damaging 
  sensory recording and playback fnally be-
  comes available. Older, damaging sensory 
  playback technology, however, remains in 
  use on the black market due to its dramati-
  cally cheaper price tag.
   
  �
  2186: Te Contemp Victorian subcul-
  ture breaks apart and is mostly absorbed 
  by the Neoret and Ghostman subcul-
  tures. Tis will be the frst dissolution of 
  a major subculture.
   
  �
  2186: Te frst and only Saturnine colony 
  is established on Rhea to support the water 
  trade. It never takes of,  but remains the 
  furthest outward human settlement.
   
  �
  2188: Microdyne researches unveil Em-
  bryo, which they claim to be the frst 
  emergent AI with human-level intelli-
  gence. Any self-awareness claims with the 
  AI remain in dispute.
   
  �
  2189: Te Harbingers of the Divine Form 
  cult arises in Australia, predicting a dooms-
  day ushered in by the turn of the new cen-
  tury. It will later go to ground and move its 
  operations to space.
   
  �
  2189: Te frst manned mission to Titan ends 
  in two of the crew mysteriously disappearing 
  while exploring. Te rest of the crew abort the 
  mission and return to Mars prematurely.
  
  Te turn of the new century brings in a 
  wave of social shifts, as some small but signif-
  cant subcultures are absorbed by larger ones. 
  Te ongoing series of small corporate battles 
  known as the Dui Wu Ya Confict also begins.
   
  �
  2191: Te Morb subculture dissolves and 
  is largely absorbed by the Ghostman and 
  Expret subcultures. Some sociologists see 
  a trend of smaller subcultures being ab-
  sorbed by larger ones.
   
  �
  2193: Te frst manned mission to Uranus 
  is completed by Unitech. It makes several 
  orbits of the planet and lands a rover on the 
  moon Miranda.
   
  �
  2194: Commercial antimatter produc-
  tion begins on Mercury, utilizing vast so-
  lar arrays to generate the energy needed 
  for its manufacture.
   
  �
  2195: Te Sovereign Liberation Front 
  becomes widely known after they bomb 
  four ships leaving dock at Miskan Station. 
  Bounties are still unclaimed.
   
  �
  2198: A research station in Shizen col-
  ony Europa claims to have received an 
  encrypted signal being broadcast from 
  somewhere in the Kuiper Belt. Later at-
  tempts to pick up the broadcast fail and 
  copies of the signal are lost after a data 
  breech at the station.
   
  �
  2199: What’s now known as the Dui Wu 
  Ya Confict begins, as street-level confict 
  between Jenseitech and Sinoex escalates to 
  open warfare. Te confict continues to this 
  day, although since 2207 the confict has 
  simmered back to street level.
   
  �
  2202: Stillwater University mission to the 
  Venusian surface claims to fnd tunnels in 
  Maxwell Montes of an unnatural origin. 
  Tis paper claiming this is later retracted 
  and the program’s funding cut by Jenseitech.
   
  �
  2205: Te frst known Insurrection Virus 
  infection occurs at a server farm in Stillwater. 
  Te infection becomes widespread and ex-
  pands to a variety of other installations before 
  it is discovered and contained. Tis operation 
  disrupts the Martian net for a week.
   
  �
  2207: Construction begins on Mandala 
  Station in the Jovian Greek Trojans. With a 
  target completion date of 2215, this station 
  will be the frst to use the O’Neill Cylinder 
  design. It’s size will also to make it the larg-
  est space station to date.
  
  
  On April 1, 2209, without warning, all 
  four colonies around Jupiter went silent. 
  Two days later, on April 3, a single message 
  was broadcast: “Te Jovian colonies and 
  associated satellites are now the property 
  of Jupiter Group. Do not approach Jupiter. 
  Do not transmit to Jupiter.” Tere still has 
  been no word.
  
  
   
  �
  2209: All colonies around Jupiter suddenly 
  go silent. Two days later a single message 
  on loop is broadcast. In it a corporation 
  called the Jupiter Group claims responsi-
  bility and warns the rest of the solar system 
  not to approach. All subsequent attempts 
  to reach the Jovian colonies end in silence.
  
  In the 2200s technological progress 
  continues, while humankind expands further 
  into the outer solar system. Several ambitious 
  projects are now underway to expand space 
  colonization, as well as send colonists beyond 
  the bounds of Sol itself. Meanwhile, mysteries 
  lie in the outer void.
   
  �
  2210: Jenseitech gains an undisputed up-
  per hand in the Dui Wu Ya Confict, al-
  though the fghting continues.
   
  �
  2211: Construction begins on the ARC 
  Project, an ambitious attempt to construct 
  an STL colony ship aimed at the planet 
  Sirine at Alpha Centauri A. If successful, 
  some 10,000 colonists will be sent in stasis 
  on a centuries-long voyage to the new solar 
  system. Applications for potential colonists 
  are currently being accepted, but the ship 
  isn’t scheduled for completion until 2221.
   
  �
  2212: Te Luna Slasher claims an eighth 
  victim, the latest in a campaign of series kill-
  ings that spans ffteen years. Despite a massive 
  amount of media attention the killings have 
  attracted, the Slasher remains at large.
   
  �
  2213: Sabotage at a Martian mining facil-
  ity leads to an explosion that kills two doz-
  en people. Te Sovereign Liberation Front 
  claims responsibility.
   
  �
  2214: Te present day.
  
  
  Te 23rd century is still young and much 
  about the future is unknown. Te Dui Wu 
  Ya Confict still simmers and threatens to 
  reignite in full. Te Jupiter Group Incident 
  still remains unresolved, and all it might 
  take is one successful surviving expedition 
  there to uncover its secrets. Mysteries remain 
  with unexplained tunnels under the surface 
  of Venus, unconfrmed movements within 
  the atmosphere of Jupiter and enigmatic 
  broadcasts detected from the Kuiper Belt. 
  Te ambitious ARC project aims to colonize 
  beyond the solar system itself.
  Technologically, 
  human 
  knowledge 
  progresses. A breakthrough in sustainable 
  nuclear fusion could spur a new space race 
  and a new series of conficts over He-3, an 
  isotope rare on Earth but common in space. 
  Advances in artifcial intelligence could 
  revolutionize everything. A breakthrough in 
  nanotechnology could mean growing new 
  colonies rather than building them. And of 
  course with every breakthrough, there are 
  those who would suppress the knowledge, 
  or try to hoard it for themselves, reaping the 
  profts.
  In the outer void, the line between spec-
  tacular success and untimely death is very 
  thin. And all it often takes is a few hardy 
  individuals to change the course of human 
  ventures into space for decades to come.
  
  
  
  New technologies are at the heart of 
  science fction. Time goes on; science 
  advances; some problems are solved and 
  other problems are created. Te future 
  of Shadows Over Sol is no diferent. Tis 
  section contains discussion of a variety of 
  technologies that have shaped both society 
  and the human habitation in the Sol system.
  
  Space travel is necessary for human civiliza-
  tion to reach beyond the limits of Earth’s upper 
  atmosphere. In Shadows Over Sol, thousands 
  of ships ply the void between the system’s 
  various planets, moons and asteroids.
  
  Te core of any signifcant spacecraft is 
  its thorium reactor. Tis reactor uses nuclear 
  fssion to supply the power necessary for the 
  ship’s engines and other systems. Tis engine is 
  almost always located on the back of a space-
  craft, where it can be used to directly generate 
  thrust in the form of fssion-fragment rockets. 
  One of the largest technical issues using 
  fssion to generate power is the waste heat. A 
  spaceship is in essence a large thermos fying 
  through the void, and vacuum is a very good 
  insulator. Tis means that the vast majority 
  of the waste heat generated by the reactor is 
  conducted into the rest of the ship. Running 
  the thrusters for too long causes the tempera-
  ture of the ship to increase. Run the thrusters 
  too frequently and all the inhabitants of the ship 
  boil to death. In this way, engine efciency—
  how much waste heat the engines produce—is 
  the limiting factor in the speed of space travel.
  Fission-fragment rockets provide the 
  thrust used in most interplanetary spacecraft. 
  Tis design uses powerful magnetic felds to 
  channel the output of the nuclear reaction to 
  produce thrust. Momentum = mass × velocity. 
  Te mass ejected from a fssion-fragment 
  rocket may not be much, but the particles are 
  emitted at close to the speed of light, meaning 
  sufcient thrust can be generated.
  Small distance spacecraft intended only for 
  orbital trips or short-term deployment from 
  a parent spacecraft use a diferent design alto-
  gether. Tese include shuttles and fghters. 
  Tese spacecraft are generally fueled by powerful 
  batteries that are charged when connected to 
  their parent spacecraft. Tey then use this to 
  maneuver with low-power ion thrusters.
  
  Spacecraft are designed very much like 
  submarines. Most have a double-hulled design 
  with an inner hull and an outer hull. Tis 
  provides redundancy, ensuring that the interior 
  of the spacecraft is not compromised. Between 
  the inner and outer hull are typically a few feet. 
  Tis space between the hulls can be used for 
  storage and often houses the ship’s water reser-
  voirs and waste deposits. Tese water reservoirs 
  are also often used as a heat sink for the reactor, 
  channeling the waste heat into the mass closest 
  to the surface of the ship, and thus closest to 
  the cold void outside.
  On civilian ships, the engine is often 
  removed from much of the rest of the space-
  craft, separated from the rest by large metal 
  and ceramic struts. Tis increases the amount 
  of waste energy radiated into space, rather than 
  absorbed into the rest of the ship. Te downside 
  is that this leaves the engines easily vulnerable 
  to attack. Military craft aren’t able to aford 
  this vulnerability, and consequently have to 
  pay a premium for increased reactor efciency. 
  Many military ships also carry compliments of 
  fghters, which can be deployed as additional 
  protection for the engines.
  Shuttles and fghters are often exceptions to 
  these designs. Tey need to be small by nature 
  to keep from consuming too much room within 
  their parent ships. Tey also do not have the 
  engine requirements of other ships. Conse-
  quently, they typically have only one hull and 
  do not have signifcant water or waste reservoirs.
  Most military ships have hulls whose 
  exteriors are covered with a special black paint 
  designed to absorb most light from ultraviolet 
  into the infrared. Tis helps the ship avoid 
  detection in some situations. When a ship 
  wants to be detected, it typically broadcasts its 
  
  
  identifcation. Civilian ships are painted in any 
  number of colors or patterns, but black often 
  arouses suspicions due to its military use.
  
  
  Ships are trivial to detect when under 
  thrust or when broadcasting using radio 
  comms. Any observer with the proper 
  equipment can easily pick up the transmis-
  sions or heat signature from the accelerating 
  vessel. Te Ganymede Conference has also 
  established rules for ships broadcasting their 
  identifcation so observers know the nature of 
  the ship and whose name it fies under.
  Tere are times, however, when a ship might 
  want to operate silently, avoiding detection as 
  much as possible. Tis is most commonly done 
  with military vessels, but occasionally pirate or 
  smuggler activity will prompt other ships to 
  run silent as well.
  When running silent the thrusters are cut 
  and the ship ceases broadcasting through radio 
  comms, including the broadcast of any form 
  of identifcation. Military ships are also usually 
  painted black to help avoid visual detection.
  Ships wanting to communicate while 
  avoiding detection rely on laser comms. Tese 
  comms can only be detected if an object or 
  observer comes between the ship and its comm 
  target. Also, their transmissions cannot be 
  intercepted and decrypted in the way radio 
  comms can. Te downside of laser comms is 
  that they require a specifc target to receive 
  the signals, and this target must be reachable 
  in a straight line without interference. A laser 
  comm cannot be used to broadcast.
  
  When a ship enters combat or needs to 
  make a sudden desperate maneuver it may 
  perform what is called a “hard burn.” During 
  a hard burn, a ship will power its engines and 
  thrusters up beyond their usual limits. Tis 
  will allow the ship to maneuver very quickly, 
  letting it dodge incoming attacks or avoid 
  disaster. It will also cause the internal temper-
  ature of the ship to spike, causing issues if 
  performed too frequently. Hard burns will 
  also cause the ship to experience G-forces, 
  which can be hazardous to the crew.
  Most ships are equipped with crash 
  couches for the use of crew during hard burns. 
  Tese are foam platforms with various medical 
  equipment. During a hard burn, a crash 
  couch with a crew member strapped in will 
  both provide padding and monitor the crew 
  member’s physical condition, administering 
  drugs to help keep her alive and awake despite 
  the G-forces acting upon the ship.
  
  Voyages through the Sol system can take 
  months or even years. Tis is a lot of time to 
  remain stuck inside a small metal and ceramic 
  box with limited internal mobility and limited 
  entertainment. Many people will snap after too 
  much time in these conditions. Te life support 
  requirements to enable this can also be prohibi-
  tively expensive, meaning that even though it 
  can technically be done, it’s often too expensive.
  To counteract this, the general rule is, for 
  voyages of longer than 30 days, all passengers 
  and crew are put into stasis. Tis puts a person 
  into a suspended animation, slowing their 
  metabolism down to a tenth its usual rate and 
  keeping them asleep. Putting a person into stasis 
  reduces the life support requirements for the 
  voyage down to a tenth of their usual expense. 
  It also allows the passenger to sleep the voyage 
  away without going crazy from isolation.
  For commercial voyages, paying passen-
  gers are usually put into stasis before the ship 
  even leaves dock. Tis maximizes closeness to 
  medical facilities if something does go wrong. 
  Te ship then launches, and crew are put into 
  stasis within a day after launch. On the opposite 
  end of the journey, crew are usually woken up a 
  day before the destination is reached, to allow 
  them time to get over stasis sickness. Passengers 
  are woken up shortly after the ship docks.
  Military voyages will sometimes leave a 
  skeleton crew awake throughout the voyage, 
  cycling crew members back into stasis every 30 
  days or so. Troops being transported are put 
  into stasis for the entire journey.
  For more information on stasis, see page 146.
  
  
  
  Supporting human life in space requires 
  food, water, living space, physical activity, 
  protection from radiation, the right tempera-
  ture range, the right atmospheric pressure, the 
  right atmospheric composition and regular 
  stimulus. All of these things are naturally in 
  short supply out in the void and many of these 
  are taken for granted on Earth.
  
  Because many of the elements to support 
  life are in short supply in space, almost every-
  thing gets recycled and reused. Human waste is 
  fltered and its water extracted for reuse. Solid 
  composts are used to fertilize plants that are 
  grown along walls or in agricultural bays. Tese 
  plants take carbon dioxide out of the atmo-
  sphere and give of oxygen, which is breathed. 
  Many are grown to produce food. Runof water 
  is likewise recycled. Most stations have easily-
  found recycling capsules, in which waste can 
  be deposited for processing and reuse. Every-
  thing eventually goes in these, from worn out 
  clothes to food wrappers. Everything sees reuse 
  time and time again.
  All stations and colonies have air scrubbers, 
  which take in the ambient air, fltering out 
  moisture for reuse, and fltering out harmful 
  dust and chemicals. On all but a few agricul-
  tural colonies, it is also necessary to inject addi-
  tional oxygen into the air as well.
  Even with all of this recycling, no ship or 
  habitat in space has a completely closed life 
  support loop. Every station and colony in the 
  system still depends, at least to some degree, 
  on materials mined out of asteroids or other 
  bodies—or more likely—shipped up out of 
  Earth’s gravity well.
  Te very best colonies may be able to go 
  for years or decades without outside supply. 
  Te ARC Project aims to construct a colony 
  ship that can go for centuries without resupply, 
  but to this day the only completely closed life 
  support loop is Earth itself.
  
  Earth has the strongest gravity a person 
  is likely to experience. Te surface of Venus 
  comes close, but few missions venture down 
  there due to its inhospitable nature. Every-
  where else in the Sol system humanity is likely 
  to venture has much lower gravity. Mars has a 
  third the gravity of Earth. Luna has a tenth the 
  gravity. Even the artifcial gravity of most space 
  stations is closer to Mars than to Earth—lower 
  gravity means rotating slower, which means 
  less strain on the station’s hull.
  Te human body begins to deterio-
  rate unless it has regular impact and regular 
  exercise. Lower gravity means lower impact 
  and less exercise when moving around. Tis 
  also means that in space, more people’s bodies 
  will begin to quickly weaken unless they 
  perform regular daily exercise. Spacer genelines 
  are designed to help alleviate this problem for 
  those lucky enough to have them, but gyms 
  remain a popular recreational destination in 
  habitats throughout the system. Tose who 
  don’t get their daily exercise may weaken to the 
  point where they will never be able to walk on 
  Earth again.
  On all but older “tin can” and asteroid 
  stations, the habitat of the station rotates to 
  produce artifcial gravity through spin. Tis 
  faux gravity doesn’t feel the same as normal 
  gravity. Te Coriolis efect causes dropped 
  
  Modern space travel wouldn’t be 
  possible without the aid of space elevators. 
  Tese structures consist of long tethers 
  which are anchored along the equator and 
  which stretch upward into geostationary 
  orbit. At the far end rests a counterweight, 
  which holds the tether taut and keeps the 
  entire structure from collapsing downward 
  on itself. Te counterweight usually consists 
  of a geostationary space station or “high 
  dock” at which ships can stop without the 
  extra costs of entering the local gravity well.
  Space elevators are crucial to space 
  travel and colonization because without 
  them reaching orbit would be orders of 
  magnitude more expensive—prohibitively 
  expensive enough to keep most ventures 
  from being proftable.
  
  
  objects to fall slightly to the side. Too tight 
  a spin can also cause those unaccustomed to 
  the gravity of the station to feel nauseous as 
  they move around. Additionally, the gravity 
  produced can change dramatically as one 
  moves towards or away from the axis of 
  rotation, with the center of the spin being in 
  microgravity and the outside rim of the spin 
  having the most gravity.
  
  Space stations face many of the same design 
  constraints as spaceships. At the core of a space 
  station, there is typically a thorium reactor 
  which supplies the station with all its necessary 
  power. As with spaceships, the waste heat from 
  this reactor is a concern, but as thrust is less of 
  a concern for a space station, heat spikes from 
  maneuvering isn’t an issue and most stations 
  can more efciently use large heat sinks.
  Te hulls of most space stations are made 
  from a combination of metal and ceramic. 
  Metal is used for the main supports and 
  skeleton of the station. It’s strong, it’s durable 
  and it can take a lot of stress. Ceramic, on the 
  other hand, is often used in the inner hull 
  and around the power core of the station. It’s 
  used because it conducts heat less easily than 
  metal while still being comparatively strong 
  and durable. Tis allows heat to be channeled 
  throughout the station where it is most needed.
  Planetside colonies and asteroid habitats 
  have a diferent design. Tese are typically dug 
  into the rock and consist of a series of tunnels. 
  Building a colony in this way allows the rock to 
  act as radiation shielding, insulation as a giant 
  heat sink for the waste energy from the reactor 
  at the core of the colony. It also gives these 
  colonies a narrow, maze-like quality which 
  inhabitants fnd comforting and visitors fnd 
  disquieting and disorienting.
  
  Despite its hostility to life, space has 
  many natural resources. Asteroids, planets 
  and moons are mined for their minerals and 
  other construction materials. Comets and the 
  rings of gas giants are mined for water, which 
  is used by colonies throughout the system and 
  in the Martian Terraforming Project. Tis has 
  ignited the water trade, which runs from the 
  outer solar system to the inner, bringing in vast 
  amounts of water. Space also has an abundance 
  of exotic particles, many of which have found 
  use in medicine.
  
  
  
  A variety of diferent space station 
  designs are found throughout the Sol system. 
  Here are a few of the most common designs.
  
  Te oldest space stations—a handful of 
  which still see use—are so-called “tin can” 
  stations. Tese stations are usually little 
  more than a hollow metallic shell which 
  has been pressurized to keep in atmo-
  sphere. Sometimes several such modules 
  are connected by tethers. Tese stations 
  typically are designed for no more than a 
  hundred or so inhabitants and provide no 
  artifcial gravity.
  
  Another older design, asteroid stations 
  are simply hollowed out asteroids or other 
  large pieces of rock. Tis provides cheap 
  shielding from space radiation, and insula-
  tion, but provides no spin gravity and disori-
  enting living conditions. Asteroid habitats 
  are still commonly used as short-lived mining 
  outposts or covert bases of operation. Te 
  largest asteroid habitats can house thousands 
  of residents, but in practice, few do.
  
  Te most common space station design 
  remaining in use today, new Stanford torus 
  construction was most popular between the 
  2090s and the 2170s. Tese stations consist 
  of a donut-shaped right, usually around 2 
  km in diameter. Tis ring spins to provide 
  artifcial gravity, and a Stanford Torus 
  station is usually designed to house around 
  10,000 residents. At the center of the ring is 
  a hub, usually connected to the ring through 
  a series of spokes that radiate away from it. 
  Connected to the hub are a series of mirrors 
  that channel sunlight into the station’s ring.
  
  A common design for space stations 
  since the 2170s, a Bernal sphere is essen-
  tially a hollow spherical shell that rotates to 
  provide spin gravity. Bernal sphere stations 
  are typically about 16 km in diameter and 
  house between 20,000 and 30,000 residents. 
  Often at the poles—where the spin gravity is 
  lowest—the material of the station is trans-
  parent, and a series of exterior and interior 
  mirrors channel sunlight into the station.
  
  An upcoming design used in Mandala 
  Station and a few other proposed stations, 
  the O’Neill design consists of two counter-
  rotating cylinders, divided lengthwise into 
  six sections. Tese sections alternate between 
  transparent sections to allow sunlight into 
  the station, and “land area” on which inhab-
  itants of the station live. Each cylinder is 
  usually about 5 km in diameter and up to 32 
  km in length. A O’Neill cylinder station is 
  designed for up to 100,000 residents.
  
  
  
  Te vast majority of power generated for 
  human use comes from either thorium-based 
  nuclear fssion or solar energy. On Earth, 
  wind energy and hydroelectric power also 
  enter the picture, but since space lacks both 
  wind and sizable quantities of liquid water, 
  pretty much everything is either nuclear or 
  solar outside of Earth.
  
  Solar power is collected in large solar arrays 
  and used to power colonies, space stations and 
  battery-powered vehicles. It is most commonly 
  used on planetary bodies in the inner solar 
  system because the attainable solar energy per 
  area decreases exponentially with distance from 
  the sun. In a practical sense, this means solar 
  power is most useful in and around Mercury, 
  Venus and Earth. By the time light gets to 
  Mars, large solar arrays are only useful because 
  vast areas of the Martian surface can be taken 
  up with them. By the time light gets to the 
  Belt, solar arrays would have to be so impracti-
  cally large that they simply aren’t used.
  
  Torium-based nuclear fssion is the 
  cornerstone of space travel. It powers almost 
  all spaceships, space stations and colonies from 
  the Belt outward. Torium is an abundant 
  element, making it cheaper and more easily 
  attainable than Uranium—the traditional 
  fuel for fssion electrical production. It also 
  produces less dangerous nuclear waste.
  On the fip side, generating energy from 
  nuclear fssion results in vast amounts of wasted 
  heat. On a planet, bodies of water or other 
  material can be used as a heat sink to absorb 
  all this waste heat. On a spaceship or space 
  station, however, this heat still needs to go 
  somewhere. Remember, vacuum is a very good 
  insulator, while the metal frame of a ship or 
  station conducts heat very well. Practically this 
  means spaceships and space stations need to 
  cap how much energy they produce; otherwise 
  the waste heat will transfer into the rest of the 
  station and bake the inhabitants alive.
  
  While basic manipulation of the material 
  that makes up life itself has become somewhat 
  commonplace, many of the more exacting 
  manipulations are still beyond the limits of 
  early twenty-third century science. Meat may 
  be grown in vats, babies may be genetically 
  modifed before birth, many cancers may be 
  curable and bacteriophage may fght of anti-
  biotic-resistant diseases, but at the same time, 
  creation of higher intelligence remains elusive. 
  Organisms cannot be constructed whole cloth, 
  and there are still many mysteries to solve in 
  the twin worlds of genomics and ecology.
  
  Prenatal genetic engineering has long been 
  commonplace. Few people want their children 
  to sufer from potentially debilitating genetic 
  diseases, so most children these days are, at 
  the very least, screened for such diseases and 
  infringing genes are fxed before birth. Bit by 
  bit, common genetic diseases are becoming less 
  common, as there are fewer people with them 
  passing them along to children.
  In the last several decades, genetic enhance-
  ment before birth has also become common. Many 
  people are willing to pay to give their children an 
  advantage in being smarter or faster or stronger 
  or more charismatic. As this sort of enhancement 
  becomes the norm, those who don’t pay for this 
  sort of enhancement risk their children facing an 
  even greater competitive disadvantage.
  In space, the pressures for prenatal genetic 
  enhancement are even stronger. Individuals 
  lacking enhancement are at a greater risk for 
  bone deterioration. Tey’re at a greater risk 
  
  It’s worth noting that in Shadows Over 
  Sol, sustainable nuclear fusion as a power 
  source has never quite panned out. Despite 
  promises to the contrary and claims of it 
  being “just a couple decades away,” technical 
  issues have always rendered it technologically 
  and economically infeasible. In short, the 
  often-promised future of nearly free and clean 
  fusion-based energy remains a fairy tale.
  
  
  from space radiation. Tey’re at a greater risk of 
  poor brain development due to conditions of 
  lower oxygen. In space, genetic enhancement is 
  more than just a competitive enhancement—
  it’s an adaptation to the environment.
  Te practice of human genetic engineering 
  has also raised a variety of social concerns. Te 
  children of rich parents—already at an economic 
  and social advantage—are now more prone to 
  have biological advantages as well. Te sudden 
  dominance of selected “good genes” is leading 
  to a loss of genetic diversity in some areas. Tis 
  allows for the possibility of widespread and 
  devastating diseases targeting the shared genes. 
  Corps have also cashed in on the demand for 
  engineered children, creating genelines, which 
  become problematic in subsequent generations 
  unless enhancement is repeatedly paid for.
  
  
  Genetic engineering is also ubiquitous in 
  agriculture. Numerous crops and livestock 
  have been adapted to diferent environments as 
  climate change continues to afect the world’s 
  ecosystems. Crops have likewise been adapted 
  for growth in space habitats. Pets and helper 
  animals have been adapted to make them 
  smarter, cheaper to maintain or more useful.
  Vatmeat has become the dominant form of 
  meat consumed by human society. Why pay 
  for an animal’s housing, treatment and feed 
  when you can just grow some meat in a vat 
  on your kitchen counter? Various cross-genetic 
  meats are currently a fad—there doesn’t even 
  need to be a living analogous animal.
  
  Medical technology has come a long way. 
  Many people keep genetic samples of them-
  selves in storage so new organs can be grown 
  if needed. Regrowth treatments allow people 
  to slowly regenerate missing limbs or heal 
  what would formerly leave a nasty scar. Drugs 
  are often tailored to the patient’s genome. 
  Suspended animation can make surgeries safer. 
  Sensory recording and AR can reach people in 
  various forms of coma.
  
  Implants are currently not in vogue, but 
  biological implants have been some of the 
  most enduring. Artifcial glands have been 
  used in a variety of felds to provide chemical 
  enhancement on the job. Enhanced eyes have 
  been grown that allow the recipient to see into 
  the infrared or to see better underwater.
  
  So far the technologies mentioned have 
  focused on what has become common. But 
  that’s not to say it’s the limit of what is tech-
  nologically possible. Many discoveries and 
  experiments have fallen by the wayside, not 
  because there are technical limitations, but 
  because they’re not economical enough to 
  become commonplace.
  More radical human genelines have been 
  created in laboratories and among security 
  research—half-human beings that can breathe 
  in water, have an exoskeleton or who can spit 
  acid. Such research is not common, but it is 
  pursued. Hybrid animals have been created, 
  melding traits from various genetic donors. 
  Creatures with enhanced senses or intel-
  ligence exist. Tere are a handful of people 
  whose bodies have been designed to literally 
  break down unless they pay for proprietary 
  medical treatments.
  
  
  
  Computers have come a long way from their 
  humble beginnings. Today, primitive wireless 
  computers are found in all sorts of objects, from 
  household appliances to shipping crates, from 
  exterior doors to vehicles. Tese computers 
  do basic processing tasks, from taking self-
  inventory to relaying tracking information. 
  Te spread of wireless network connectivity 
  has made this possible, long having ushered in 
  an era of ubiquitous computing. Most of these 
  computing devices don’t have human interfaces; 
  however, instead accepting commands over the 
  network from authenticated users.
  
  For most people, computer use centers around 
  their hand terminal—a handheld computer that 
  works much like a smartphone on steroids. It acts 
  as a daily organizer, will accept basic programmed 
  tasks and will route larger processing tasks to other 
  networked computers for which the user has access. 
  It uses radio comms to send and receive messages, 
  can transmit video and audio, takes photos, 
  connects to various planetary positioning systems 
  and can send commands to nearby networked 
  machines. It stores fles, runs games and accepts 
  input from the user’s AR devices. In short, it’s a 
  mini-personal computer with limited processing 
  power, but the ability to route larger processing 
  jobs to more powerful stationary machines. 
  Need to check which storage crates are in 
  your cargo bay? Just ask your hand terminal, 
  and it will wirelessly ping the mini-computers 
  in all of the crates in your cargo hold, giving 
  you an up-to-the-moment inventory. Tis is 
  just one example of the many tasks possible 
  through a hand terminal and a network.
  
  Te open computer network—or simply 
  “the net”—is the information backbone of 
  society. It’s used to connect with friends, plot 
  the courses of ships, purchase goods, track 
  goods, retrieve AR tags, get the news, organize 
  and pretty much everything else.
  Te net is a decentralized network dependent 
  on no single computer or entity. A mixture of 
  powerful and not-so-powerful machines route 
  information around, backing the available 
  information and computation services. Tese 
  services are called “nodes,” and they can be 
  visited or queried in much the same way as an 
  early twenty-frst century websites only without 
  the dependency on a centralized server. Nodes 
  come with various interfaces, from traditional 
  on-screen display optimized for hand terminal 
  use to augmented reality display layers or tag 
  clouds to full-on virtual environments. Te later 
  of these are known as simspaces.
  Simspaces are complete virtual environments 
  geared towards interaction over the net in a “natu-
  ralistic” fashion. Tey can appear to be anything 
  from a shady nightclub to a grandiose mansion, 
  from a barren alien landscape to a historical 
  period piece. Users logged into a simspace are 
  also usually made to appear in a way that fts the 
  theme, although most simspaces are programmed 
  to give individuals a great deal of leeway in their 
  appearance. Tis is the user “avatar” in the virtual 
  world. Simspaces run the gamut from simple 
  places to socialize to full-fedged virtual games 
  with statistics and special abilities. Tey’re used 
  by corps and other organizations for teleconfer-
  encing. Tey’re used to arrange shady deals or 
  anonymous hookups across the net, and they’re 
  used for all manner of recreation.
  
  Augmented Reality (AR) is a burgeoning 
  technology that imposes digitally-created layers 
  of information over a user’s view of the world 
  around her. It might include tags labeling the 
  names of people she has met before, so she 
  never appears to forget a name. It might pop 
  up reviews of a restaurant as she walks by it. It 
  can bring up synonyms for words as she speaks, 
  or provide a visual alert when she wanders into 
  a dangerous neighborhood. AR is increasingly 
  ubiquitous, and the possibilities are endless.
  AR technology has existed in some form 
  for over a century, but is only in the last decade 
  or two that it has been developed and polished 
  enough for mass adoption. AR works through 
  either displaying the digital layers on a wearer’s 
  AR glasses, tracking eye movement to align 
  the display correctly, or through high-tech 
  AR implants that intercept the nerve signals 
  
  
  between the eyes and the brain, editing them 
  to include the new visual layer. Te former 
  method has the beneft of being cheaper and 
  less invasive, but it has the drawback that others 
  can see the display on the glasses—albeit smaller 
  and backwards—and thus lacks the privacy that 
  the implant method ensures. Whether displayed 
  through glasses or through an implant, AR 
  devices typically connect wirelessly to a user’s 
  hand terminal or other computing device. Tis 
  device provides the processing power necessary 
  to run AR programs and operates the network 
  connection on behalf of the AR display.
  One of the most common ways that AR is 
  used is through the posting of tags. Tags are small 
  piece of digital information that can be attached 
  to real world objects through a tag cloud. AR users 
  who subscribe to a tag cloud who encounter a real 
  world object with a tag will see the tag come up 
  in their feld of vision. Tis can give them infor-
  mation about what they’re encountering. A tool 
  seen in a store might be tagged with reviews or 
  the price. People that are encountered might be 
  tagged with relationship status, criminal status or 
  common interests. Roads might be tagged with 
  their destination or trafc congestion.
  Tags are, however, one of the ways in which 
  the culture is fractured. Diferent subcultures 
  often operate their own tag clouds, meaning 
  that diferent people encountering the same 
  real world object will see diferent tags, and 
  will sometimes consequently come to diferent 
  conclusions about it. Corps, too, often have 
  their own private tag clouds for employees or 
  those with privileged information.
  Most tag clouds are public, meaning anyone 
  can subscribe or post to them. Others are private, 
  only allowing people to view or post by invite 
  only. Still others are some combination of the 
  two—such as tag clouds whose tags are carefully 
  curated, but to which anyone can subscribe.
  
  Since the World War IV, warfare has gotten 
  smaller in scale and broader in scope. Instead 
  of massive battles and well-defned theaters of 
  combat, wars are fought through smaller skir-
  mishes, raids, assassinations, sabotage, elec-
  tronic infltration and targeted orbital strikes. 
  Tey’re tallied up as cost objects, decided upon 
  in board rooms and executed by paid merce-
  naries or specialist security forces.
  Small scale violence, on the other hand, 
  still happens the same way it always has. 
  Rival gangs fght it out for turf or to save 
  face. Domestic disturbances end in tragedy. 
  Hotheaded youth pull weapons and start 
  their lives on a sudden downward spiral.
  
  Chemically-propelled projectiles are still 
  the bread and butter of personal weaponry. 
  Tat is to say, guns are the most common 
  personal weapon. Compared to most other 
  weapons, they’re cheap, easy to use and lethal at 
  a distance. Tey’re used by gangs and security 
  forces the world over.
  Traditional frearms are, however, at a decided 
  disadvantage in microgravity, as the recoil that 
  frearms possess can send the wielder spinning at 
  uncontrollable angles, leaving her vulnerable to 
  return fre and at disadvantage for future shots.
  In 
  these 
  environments, 
  combatants 
  typically rely on laser weaponry. Lasers, unlike 
  slug throwers, have minimal recoil, making 
  them easier to use in microgravity, and they 
  do not depend on atmospheric oxygen to 
  ignite cartridges, allowing them to function in 
  vacuum. On the other hand, they’re bulkier, 
  more expensive and more temperamental than 
  guns, limiting their use in other environments.
  
  As battles have grown smaller, more money 
  can often be aforded per combatant, bringing 
  enhanced personal armor back into vogue 
  among professional military units. Combined 
  with the need for sealed protective suits in 
  many space environments, these factors have 
  combined to make modern power armor the 
  pinnacle of combatant personal protection.
  
  Military assets are often designed to be 
  mobile or hidden. Te abundance of space-
  based and long-distance artillery has rendered 
  stationary bases of operation obvious targets. 
  Tis means a greater reliance has been placed 
  
  
  upon fast-moving mobile vehicles, such as 
  spacecrafts or small-scale land vehicles that can 
  pass from orbit as standard groundcars.
  
  Every society needs its entertainment. In 
  the future of Shadows Over Sol the usual 
  music, books, games and vids have been 
  augmented by the ranks of simspaces, sensory 
  playback and AR layers. Celebrity culture 
  remains a thriving phenomenon, grown by the 
  idea of glamor as intellectual property. Some 
  of the darker forms of entertainment—blood-
  sports and the like—have even found a place in 
  the shadier corners of the system.
  
  Traditional media is alive and well. New 
  music appears daily on the net for immediate 
  download. New books appear regularly as 
  well, but the high cost of paper has rendered 
  traditional printing expensive. Anyone with a 
  hand terminal and media editing software can 
  make a vid. Computer games appear in the net 
  regularly. Many of these traditional media pieces 
  have even been enhanced with new media.
  
  Tere’s an ongoing fad that has popularized 
  both AR games and AR vids. AR games work a 
  lot like traditional video games, except the action 
  of the game is superimposed over the world 
  around the player. It may cause her hab complex 
  to appear as a sinister dungeon, and allow her to 
  swing her arms as if she were fghting monsters 
  that are superimposed into her feld of vision. 
  AR vids operate in much the same way, except 
  instead of being an interactive game, they are an 
  ongoing narrative that is superimposed over the 
  real world. Instead of a vid showing a mysterious 
  shooting in an alleyway, if a viewer has an AR 
  vid turned on, she may observe a superimposed 
  shooting occur when she passes a real world 
  alleyway. Tis can create an immersive narrative 
  experience, as events in the AR vid progress as 
  the viewer goes about her life.
  Sensory playback is also common in new 
  media, although it reached the height of its fad 
  twenty-some years ago. Essentially it works like a 
  traditional vid, except tactile, olfactory and other 
  sensations are transmitted in addition to audio 
  and visual. Sensory playback exists as an optional 
  track to many new vids and some AR vids and has 
  found a particular niche in pornographic media.
  
  
  Tink over-the-top glamor: costumes and 
  wigs, cosmetic surgery, eyes that literally sparkle, 
  glow-in-the-dark hair. Smooth Jackson isn’t just 
  a larger-than-life party-boy, he lives the dream—
  day and night. He’s a media icon, a celebrity 
  followed by millions on social media and the 
  news. He revels in youth; he’s been young for 
  nearly 30 years. He drinks a liter of vodka a 
  night and survives, not because of a biotech 
  liver, but because he’s three diferent people. 
  Take away the makeup, the wigs, the 
  glamor and the party-boy lifestyle, it doesn’t 
  really matter who’s underneath. Beauty can be 
  bought at the tip of a scalpel. What matters is 
  the idea. Smooth Jackson is an ideal, a staple of 
  Heed youth culture. He’s intellectual property. 
  When one man wearing Jackson’s mantle ages 
  out of the role, another look-alike is found to 
  replace him. Tis is common in popular culture 
  nowadays. Celebrity isn’t selling a person; it’s 
  selling an image. It’s the same sort of staged and 
  dramatized attraction that keeps people coming 
  back to reality vids or professional wrestling.
  
  Bloodsports have existed throughout most of 
  human history—from the ancient Greek pankra-
  tion, to Roman gladiators, to Sumbanese pasola 
  spear fghting. Teir comparative absence in the 
  twentieth and twenty-frst centuries is just a blip 
  in the long view of things. Now, in the early 
  twenty-third century, they appear to be staging a 
  comeback. In countless decaying urban centers 
  on Earth, and in Chi Chen on Mars, games are 
  being formed to fght to grievous injury or even 
  to the death. So far these games have mostly been 
  underground, kept to the seedier corners of society 
  and on the net. However, recent deals in Chi Chen 
  promise to broadcast their upcoming season of 
  fght-to-the-death blood sports in a much more 
  open way, and to a much broader audience.
  
  
  
  Life goes on. It evolves. In the early twenty-
  third century it is still changing. People in 
  Shadows Over Sol still form families, still need 
  education for many jobs and many still attend 
  religious services. Other things have changed, 
  though, such as where people look to form 
  relationships, the methods used in education 
  and many of the allegiances of everyday life.
  
  Human society would not exist without 
  relationships, and in the twenty-third century 
  it is no diferent. 
  Family is still an important component of 
  most anyone’s life, even if family members are 
  spread out throughout the system. Most people 
  inherit their subculture from their parents. 
  Corp and nation-state citizenship is often 
  transferred automatically from parent to child. 
  Family wealth also largely determines access to 
  education and the most proftable jobs.
  Te institution of marriage is also still alive 
  and well, even if it has evolved substantially. 
  Marriages typically last an average of 8 years, and 
  few people expect to be married for life. Same-sex 
  marriage is accepted in all but a few Serv groups, 
  and in most places group marriage—marriage 
  between three or more consenting adults—are 
  also commonly accepted.
  Tese newer permutations of marriages are 
  particularly relevant when children come into 
  the picture. Advances in biotech mean viable 
  children can be produced from parents of 
  the same sex or even from the DNA of more 
  than two individual parents. Tis comes with 
  a sometimes hefty price tag, though, and as a 
  consequence, it is signifcantly more common 
  among the well-to-do. Te average number of 
  children is slightly over two, and the popula-
  tion keeps creeping upwards, with Earth now 
  home to over 12 billion human beings.
  Te rise of reliable telepresence technolo-
  gies has resulted in extended families spreading 
  out more than they used to. People tend to go 
  where their patron corp sends them, and the 
  idea of living one’s adult life in the same town 
  or neighborhood where one grew up is seen as 
  something of a charming thing of the past. 
  
  Almost everyone born into a corp citi-
  zenship gets at least a basic middle school-
  level education. It’s used to indoctrinate 
  children, teach social norms and ensure a 
  competent workforce. Many nation-states 
  also still contract out basic schooling for 
  those without a corp. Only the illegal, unreg-
  istered or poorest go without this level of 
  education. Beyond this level, however, how 
  much schooling one gets is largely a function 
  of family wealth, connections and ability.
  New technologies have also changed 
  education signifcantly. Telepresence tech-
  nology allows classrooms to virtually stretch 
  across the system. AR technologies are used 
  to teach reading and the names of objects 
  encountered in the surrounding world. 
  Simspaces are used to model lifelike situations 
  and test on their subject matter.
  
  Religion is alive as well. Despite all the 
  new technologies and all the advances in 
  science, many people still need faith and 
  the comfort it brings. Religion isn’t just 
  something for the Serv subculture—even 
  if the Servs defne themselves by it—it’s an 
  eons-old institution attended to by people 
  from all subcultures. It’s one of the dwindling 
  ways in which people from the fractured 
  subcultures regularly interact.
  Tat said, religion—like the rest of human 
  society—is always evolving. New beliefs or 
  interpretations of scriptures arise. Entire new 
  faiths sometimes spring up, although how 
  much traction they get is often limited.
  Te list of the world’s largest religions 
  hasn’t changed much in the last two centuries, 
  despite some gains, losses and schisms. Tey 
  are still Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and 
  Buddhism, with a sizable chunk of people 
  being nonreligious as well.
  
  
  
  Subcultures are almost like an extra 
  extended family. Tey provide social support 
  when the corps don’t see proft in it. Tey are a 
  way for people to meet. Tey reafrm people’s 
  beliefs. Tey have their own celebrities, AR tag 
  clouds, net nodes and styles of interaction. In 
  many ways, subcultures are the new neighbor-
  hoods in a world infatuated with telepresence. 
  For more on subcultures, see page 36.
  
  Corps are the juggernauts of the world, and 
  for many a corp citizenship is more important 
  than a nation-state citizenship. Corps educate 
  their employees’ children, provide social services 
  and, of course, provide jobs in a world where 
  many former jobs have been replaced with auto-
  mation. For more on corps, see page 54.
  
  Te gulf of wealth between the haves and 
  the have-nots waxes and wanes throughout 
  the centuries, but it’s currently on the rise 
  and nearing an all-time high. Corps may 
  trickle some wealth down to their lower class 
  citizens—society needs enough buying power 
  to keep the economy afoat, after all—but indi-
  viduals in corp upper management can often 
  outspend entire nation-states.
  In many nation-states, the current trend 
  is for there to be something of a basic income 
  system. Tis keeps many in the poorer classes 
  afoat and the corp goods fowing. Often this 
  income isn’t in actual currency, but rather in 
  vouchers for basic necessities—sometimes 
  tied to goods approved by the local nation-
  state or corp. In space this basic income tends 
  to be even less liquid, often being paid out as 
  vouchers for air, basic food and water.
  Amongst all these economic happenings, 
  the practice of indenture has wormed its way 
  back into common use. Tis ties individuals 
  to a particular employer and is often used as 
  a punishment for defaulting on debts or as a 
  means to pay of loans.
  
  Laws are typically passed by nation-states 
  or dictated by corps. Breaking them is done 
  at one’s own risk, but the response from the 
  security or law enforcement charged with 
  upholding the law is usually a function of 
  expense and popular opinion. Sometimes 
  security wants to make a point that certain 
  actions won’t be tolerated. Other times the 
  expense of tracking down a criminal means not 
  a lot of efort is expended doing so.
  Courts are largely contracted out to corps, 
  who are by and large responsive to those pulling 
  the purse strings. Trails are speedier than many 
  twenty-frst century trials.
  Capital punishment is highly frowned 
  upon; it is not on the books in most nation-
  states and corps or is little-exercised only 
  on the books for a handful of very grave 
  ofenses. “More humane” punishments are 
  more common, including mental or chemical 
  alteration, various forms of corporeal 
  punishment and fnes. Long-term incar-
  ceration is moderately rare—and extremely 
  rare in space—but incarceration in stasis is 
  sometimes practiced, as it is cheaper than 
  incarceration while conscious.
  
  
  
  In the twenty-third century, society has 
  splintered into numerous minor subcultures, 
  each being fed their own spin on the world 
  around them and possessing their own values, 
  distinct from the other subcultures. Tese 
  subcultures usually have their own trends in 
  dress and speech, allowing members to easily 
  identify others that share the same subculture 
  and those who do not belong.
  
  
  Subcultures tend to run in families, and 
  in the new transient society, they often serve 
  the same purpose that extended families 
  once did, providing local support networks 
  for other members of the subculture. In this 
  way, subcultural identifcation and visibility is 
  important because it comes with a ready-made 
  set of contacts and social safety net for those 
  who adhere to their subculture.
  Te trend of subcultures to run in families, 
  however, does not mean subcultures don’t 
  change. Indeed, long-lasting subcultures—like 
  any human institution—tend to morph and 
  change with time. Te subcultural views of 
  one’s grandparents will be subtly diferent than 
  the views of the youth in that subculture. 
  Sometimes these views diverge by greater 
  amounts, and when this happens, subcul-
  tures tend to break apart or merge with other 
  subcultures that have grown in a similar 
  direction. 
  Despite 
  sometimes 
  dramatic 
  long-term changes, however, long-lasting 
  subcultures have a continuity of identity. Even 
  despite the tendency of subcultures to change 
  with time, younger members of a family don’t 
  always see eye-to-eye with their elders. When 
  this happens, the younger member may switch 
  subculture. Subcultures are not assigned 
  entities; they are a matter of self-identifcation. 
  A new member of a subculture will have to 
  work to be seen as a member of that subculture 
  and will have to win acceptance. She’ll initially 
  be at a disadvantage compared to those who 
  were born into it, but with enough efort she 
  ought to be able to adapt.
  Subcultures tend to have their own virtual 
  spaces on the net, as well as their own blogs, 
  news streams, shops and sometimes real-world 
  hangouts. Even in places that aren’t subcultur-
  ally-aligned, the experience between members 
  of diferent subcultures may be very diferent. 
  Due to the ubiquitousness of AR technology, 
  a member of one subculture may encounter 
  a businessman and see him tagged with AR 
  notes indicating signifcant upward mobility, 
  a soundness of investment and a note that he 
  is wearing a top-shelf cologne. A member of 
  a diferent subculture viewing the same man 
  may see AR tags indicating his involvement in 
  releasing industrial pollutants into the atmo-
  sphere, a note of the names of three homeless 
  men he’s assaulted and photos of his time spent 
  with cheap hookers. Tese diferences in expe-
  rience paint a diferent picture of the world 
  around them, and tend to reinforce the confr-
  mation biases diferent subcultures already have. 
  
  Te frst wave of settlers in space was 
  largely fringe groups and outcasts. Tey had 
  religious or political views outside of the main-
  stream, or even just lifestyles that did not ft 
  in. Some were fundamentalists and others were 
  anarchists, but what all of these early settlers 
  had in common is that they would rather take 
  their chances in the great unknown of space 
  than live in the society back on Earth.
  In these early days of space settlement corp, 
  workers went to space to mine or do business. 
  Tey did not settle there for good. But as more 
  and more commerce moved into space and 
  human interests expanded further throughout 
  the solar system, straight-laced corp workers 
  began to migrate to space as well. As the great 
  unknown of space began to be more settled 
  and more known, others followed as well.
  Tese settlement patterns mean the subcul-
  tures commonly represented in space aren’t 
  always representative of the subcultural popula-
  tion back on Earth. Te eight largest subcultures 
  in space are described in detail in the following 
  sections. Many of these subcultures have estab-
  lished a particular role of Earth and have used it 
  to expand their members and interests. Others 
  
  
  are simply common subcultures back on Earth 
  and are consequently numerous in space as well 
  by weight of sheer numbers.
  
  
  Tese eight subcultures are far from being 
  the only subcultures in space, let alone back on 
  Earth. Tere are literally hundreds of subcul-
  tures out there, with most only prominent in 
  their own corners of the net and the world. 
  Many minor subcultures can also be seen as 
  satellites of the major subcultures, having 
  signifcant similarities but retaining a distinct 
  identity. With time many of these satellite 
  subcultures will merge into or completely split 
  of from the major subculture. For now they 
  live at its fringes, consuming its media and 
  often making use of its AR tags.
  A sampling of minor subcultures is listed 
  in brief below:
   
  �
  Bunkers: A relatively new subculture that 
  grew out of the Servs, Bunkers believe 
  the transience of human settlement pat-
  terns has undermined the fabric of society. 
  Tey argue for a more stationary existence, 
  claiming that telecommuting and remote 
  operations has made this easily feasible.
   
  �
  Postals: Postals are a radical outgrowth of 
  the Techno subculture. Tey seek to be-
  come post-human through augmentation 
  and genetic modifcation, engaging in a 
  greater degree of alteration than is socially 
  acceptable, even among the Technos. 
   
  �
  Tribals: Tribals are a satellite of the Neoret 
  subculture. Tey romanticizes the past tribal 
  structures of humanity. Often they can be 
  seen in urban environments, squatting in 
  the crumbling shells of buildings and stak-
  ing out territory in small gangs.
   
  �
  Virtuals: Virtuals are a subculture that 
  collectively fetishizes the net, claiming 
  that meatspace is mostly obsolete and 
  that the pinnacle of human expression is 
  only reached in simspaces, where reality 
  itself can be molded.
  
  
  
  Just bleedin’ pipe down already! I didn’t break 
  your bleedin’ arm... I think.
  Anyway, now that we’ve tap danced a little, 
  I think it’s time for you and I to have a bit of 
  a heart-to-heart. You see, I don’t appreciate you 
  coming in here, swaggering your Former ass, and 
  throwing around your excessive cred and plastic-
  sculpted face like all of us here and product to be 
  bought and sold. You may think you’re big shit 
  up there at the skyline, but here in the gutters we 
  can see you people for what you are: Te worm 
  living in the apple.
  Bleedin’ look at me when I talk to you, damn 
  it! Now I’ve said my piece. I don’t want you 
  commin’ around here no more.
  
  Te Entro subculture thrives on discord 
  and an unrefned aesthetic that is supposed 
  to seem more authentic. It’s highly critical of 
  authorities, social class and corporate power. 
  Adherents to the subculture prize stubborn 
  determination and bullheadedness, even to the 
  point of throwing punches.
  In many ways the Entro subculture is a 
  long-lived counterculture, rebelling against 
  many of the trends of the last half century. 
  Entros typically reject powerful authority 
  fgures—both 
  corporate 
  and 
  otherwise. 
  Displays of aggression, rebellion and individu-
  alism are hallmarks of the subculture, coupled 
  with an emphasis of value on what is perceived 
  as raw or authentic. Entros also tend to prize a 
  do it yourself attitude, and sometimes outright 
  reject over-reliance on mass production.
  
  Te following cultural trappings and 
  practices have arisen to prominence in the 
  Entro subculture in the past couple decades:
   
  �
  Cowbells: Cowbells have come to be 
  seen as a symbol of the subculture, and 
  on the net stylized cowbells are used as 
  icons for the subculture. Te arises from 
  the early ubiquitous use of cowbells in 
  Entro-associated music.
   
  �
  Fist Fights: Many Entros see fst fghts 
  as a prized way to settle small disputes 
  or blow of anger and steam before sit-
  ting down to settle an issue. Such fghts 
  always last until one side yields, rarely to 
  the point of serious injury.
   
  �
  Hand-Modifed Clothing: Clothing that 
  has obviously been modifed by hand, in-
  cluding with darning, knitting or patching 
  is seen as particularly emblematic of the 
  subculture. Additionally, natural materials 
  such as cotton or wool are often favored 
  over synthetic materials.
  
  Te Entro subculture grew out of main-
  stream Western culture sometime in the late 
  2080s to early 2090s. At frst linked strongly 
  to the Dissociative Youth Movement, it soon 
  was established as a full-fedged subculture 
  in its own right. Like its predecessor, the 
  Entro subculture rejected many the social 
  and economic institutions that had long been 
  staples of society, as well as the sleek glass-and-
  chrome aesthetic then at its height in the West. 
  Te Entro subculture also contained strong 
  anarchistic and anti-establishment sympathies, 
  coupled with a tendency to shock and ofend.
  Tese values earned the fedgling subculture 
  little love from those in positions of authority, 
  and it quickly came to be associated with civil 
  unrest and lower class rabble-rousing. It’s 
  perhaps this marginalization by much of the 
  rest of society that led large numbers of Entros 
  to leave Earth for space throughout the 2110s 
  and 2120s, making the subculture well repre-
  sented in space—particularly in Chi Chen, as 
  well as many stations in the Belt.
  Te Entro subculture’s reputation took a 
  further turn for the worse in 2141, during 
  the Black Night terrorist incident, where a 
  group of Entros took Domus Station hostage, 
  demanding an end to Unitech’s policy of 
  blacklisting suspected troublemakers from 
  space travel. Te perpetrators were quickly 
  and summarily executed, but the incident 
  set of a frestorm of anti-Entro sentiment in 
  various media.
  Tis negative media continued well into 
  the late 2140s and the beginning of World War 
  IV, when the Entro subculture largely sided—
  
  
  sympathetically, if not militarily—with the 
  Eastern Powers. In regions not aligned with the 
  Eastern Powers, many Entros were held under 
  open suspicion; in others they were sometimes 
  rounded up and held as a threat to the war efort.
  Today the Entro subculture is still going 
  strong, but continues to exist as a sometimes 
  vilifed group. Associations between the 
  subculture and terrorist organizations, 
  such as the Sovereign Liberation Front, 
  do much to continue the damage to 
  the subculture’s reputation. Addi-
  tionally, Entros are underrepresented 
  in major corporations and in other 
  halls of power, a fact that is hardly 
  surprising given its values and 
  anti-establishment tendencies.
  
  Below are a few choice slang terms used by the Entro subculture. Tey can be used for 
  inspiration and roleplaying purposes when playing an Entro.
   
  �
  Badge: Police or security ofcer
   
  �
  Borg: Someone with excessive implants or other body modifcations
   
  �
  Cred: Money, particularly of a hard currency
   
  �
  D/L: Download
   
  �
  Go Dodo: To die of; To go extinct
   
  �
  Lifer: Some who keeps the same citizenship for her entire life
   
  �
  Nullo: A person who lacks citizenship
   
  �
  Pleb: Relatable; Having to do with the common man; Working class
  
  
  
  I don’t want to be a vetch, but I have to make 
  my feelings known: I don’t like what you’re doing 
  to the corp. I know... I know... It’s not my place to 
  make decisions of policy. But this is really a matter 
  of utmost importance. I couldn’t live with myself 
  if I didn’t say something. So let me say this. Just sit 
  back and let me say this:
  Does the new corp station have to be so 
  brutalist?!? Maybe a little art deco? Maybe a 
  little blobist or Amsterdam school? Tat would be 
  nice. But why does it have to be so unattractively 
  boxy?!? To hell with the deng, our stations are the 
  outward expressions of the state of our minds!
  
  Expret culture values aesthetics and 
  creative expression in all things, placing 
  great emphasis upon forms that appeal to 
  the emotions. It particularly values personal 
  upkeep and appearance and places great value 
  on interpersonal communication, even in areas 
  that others might consider too personal for 
  comfort. Tis drive toward pleasing aesthetics 
  and openness—particularly in regards to the 
  attention many Exprets pay to their personal 
  expression and appearance—has led some 
  outside the Expret subculture to negatively 
  caricaturize Exprets as wishy-washy shallow art 
  afcionados without a flter.
  
  Te following cultural trappings and 
  practices have arisen to prominence in the 
  Expret subculture in the past couple decades:
   
  �
  Face Paint: It’s common—particularly 
  among the younger generation of Exprets—
  to paint their face each morning in a way 
  that symbolizes their mood that day. Such 
  painting usually emphasizes or exaggerates a 
  particular emotional expression.
   
  �
  Poetry: Te poetic tradition is alive among 
  the Exprets, and many short asynchronous 
  communications are delivered in verse.
   
  �
  Tassels & Clothing: Stereotypically Ex-
  pret clothing is loose—particularly at the 
  sleeves—and fowy, with lots of tassels and 
  frills. In practice, this style of dress is most-
  ly only still popular with the older genera-
  tion of Exprets, but tassels in some form 
  are still common because they’ve become a 
  symbol of the subculture.
  
  Te Expret subculture is the second oldest 
  still-existent subculture to break away from 
  the old mainstream culture, diverging frst in 
  Eastern Europe sometime in the 2070s. 
  As with many early subcultures, the 
  Exprets began as a youth subculture which 
  grew up along with a generation, was retained 
  into old age, and then was passed down to the 
  subsequent generations. A wealthy subculture 
  from the very beginning, the frst Exprets were 
  among the upper crust. Gradually over time, 
  these individuals grew increasingly distinct 
  in both values and tastes from the Eastern 
  European masses and began to focus increas-
  ingly on ascetics. 
  Te subculture spread throughout Europe 
  and then the world in the 2090s, skipping the 
  frst wave of space settlement entirely. After 
  World War III, however, the second wave of 
  space settlement began, pushed largely by the 
  corps. In this wave of settlement, the Exprets 
  were at the forefront. Tey expanded into 
  space and settled particularly in the stations at 
  the L4 and L5 Lagrange points—settlements 
  where they are still found in abundance today.
  In World War IV, the Exprets largely aligned 
  themselves with the Corporate Powers. Tis 
  was a natural alliance because Exprets made up 
  the upper ranks of many of the world’s most 
  prominent corps. Tis served the subculture 
  well at the end of the war, and in the aftermath 
  the subculture continued to expand among the 
  corp upper ranks.
  Te period immediately following World 
  War IV may have been the pinnacle of the 
  infuence of the subculture, however. By the 
  2170s it was seen by many as an ailing dino-
  saur—a massive but senile relic of the 2070s. 
  Some began to speculate that it wouldn’t be 
  long before the subculture would fracture.
  Tat never happened, however. Sometime 
  around 2190, another ailing subculture, the 
  Morbs, fractured and their former members 
  largely found their way into either the Exprets 
  
  
  or the Ghostmen. Tis injection of new blood 
  and new views was exactly what the Exprets 
  needed. Within a decade, the subculture 
  underwent some shifts in power but was revi-
  talized in infuence. 
  Exprets today remain an infuential faction, 
  particularly in the orbital and Lagrange settle-
  ments around Earth. Tey make up the upper 
  ranks of many corps—most notably 
  Jenseitech—and retain much of the 
  connection to their moneyed history, 
  even if this connection has been 
  somewhat diluted in the new century. 
  Te Morb infuence, while good for 
  the subculture’s vitality, has created 
  something of a divide between the 
  older generation of Exprets and the 
  younger generation. Tis divide is 
  expected to lessen as the older genera-
  tion dwindles proportionally.
  
  Below are a few choice slang terms used by the Expret subculture. Tey can be used for 
  inspiration and roleplaying purposes when playing an Expret.
   
  �
  Deng: Money, particularly in an untrusted currency
   
  �
  Kravvy: Bloody, especially from violence
   
  �
  Oruzi: Weapons, particularly guns
   
  �
  Pritel: Friend; Chum; Buddy
   
  �
  Radost: An expression of happiness, goodness or joy; Usually shouted
   
  �
  Vetch: Unwanted meddler, particularly in creative endeavors
   
  �
  Zatra: A curse or expression of anger and frustration
  
  
  
  Jackie’s been a little lax lately, hasn’t he? Not 
  really working to earn his keep. He acts like he 
  thinks that air is free! Imagine that! Maybe it’s 
  time we forced him to spend some time down with 
  the gongren—perhaps that will motivate the boy 
  to work a little harder.
  Speaking of which, how do you get your hair 
  to stand straight like that? Mei! It’s gorgeous. 
  Whenever I venture into microgravity it’s like my 
  hair forms a mind of its own—drifts everywhere, 
  goes all fabiao. It’s positively dreadful! And your 
  skin—it’s as smooth as new molding. How do you 
  manage it so well?
  
  Te Former subculture almost fetishizes 
  the pursuit of perfection. Adherents to the 
  subculture typically a don a perfected “plastic” 
  look with large hair, starched clothing and 
  meticulous personal upkeep. Tis aesthetic is 
  very stylized, with features often either exag-
  gerated or covered up. 
  Formers are frequently workaholics, 
  seeking advancement in their careers. Tradi-
  tionally formers are not ones to adhere to 
  abstract ideals, preferring instead to value 
  practical action, performance and results 
  above all else.
  Formers are traditionally a moneyed 
  subculture, and by-in-large, they prize 
  material comforts. Tis combined with their 
  attention to personal upkeep has led some to 
  criticize the subculture as wealth-obsessed, 
  unforgiving and hallow.
  
  Te following cultural trappings and 
  memes have arisen to prominence in the 
  Former subculture in the past few decades:
   
  �
  Big Hair & Starched Clothing: Hair styles 
  among formers tend to be large, starched 
  and highly styled. Many feature elaborate 
  braids, loops or twirls—both among the 
  masculine and feminine. 
   
  �
  Plastic Styles: Formers favor an almost 
  “plastic” look, with makeup of skin treat-
  ments smoothing out any wrinkles, freck-
  les or moles. Body hair is typically removed 
  with laser treatments.
   
  �
  Locked Arms: When groups of young 
  formers travel together they will often lock 
  arms as they walk or wait. In the last couple 
  decades locked arms has risen to be a sym-
  bol of Former subculture, as it has promi-
  nently featured in several vids.
  
  Te Former subculture originated in North 
  America in the 2060s. It is the oldest still-exis-
  tent subculture and paved the way for many of 
  the later subcultures to break away from the 
  mainstream culture. Unlike with these later 
  subcultures, however, the Formers didn’t begin 
  as a youth subculture so much as a class-based 
  self-segregation that eventually grew up into a 
  subculture all its own.
  Te Formers were involved in the frst great 
  expansion into space throughout the 2090s 
  and 2100s, giving them an early toehold on 
  Luna, where they are still in abundance today. 
  Troughout this period, the subculture began 
  to largely divest themselves from nation-states, 
  starting a larger trend to do so. Tis distance 
  served them well in World War III and left 
  them in a position of power after the war.
  During the period between the two 
  twenty-second century world wars, however, 
  the Former subculture began to falter. Despite 
  coming in with a position of power, the 
  Formers began to lose ground in corp circles 
  to the Expret subculture. Tis situation would 
  continue until World War IV, with the Formers 
  being in an increasingly vulnerable state.
  In World War IV, the Former subculture 
  largely backed the Corporate Powers. Tis was 
  a natural alliance, and in the activity of the 
  war, the Formers were able to make up some 
  of their lost ground in the hierarchies of the 
  world’s corps. Tis maneuvering served them 
  well and coming out of World War IV, the 
  Formers were once again on an upswing.
  In the aftermath of the war in the 2060s, 
  the Former subculture missed the boat entirely 
  with the rise of AR technology. While other 
  subcultures were busy building their AR tag 
  clouds, the Formers were busy in board rooms. 
  Tis lag behind in AR technology began to be 
  
  
  increasingly obvious, and the subculture 
  spent much of the 2080s playing catch-up.
  In the 2190s, the Formers found them-
  selves mired in the Dui Wu Ya confict. Tis 
  was a blow to the subculture, as it fractured 
  much of their internal 
  solidarity.
  Today 
  the 
  Formers 
  are 
  still riding the 
  momentum of 
  their upswing 
  in the aftermath 
  of World War 
  IV, although this 
  momentum 
  has 
  begun to falter. While 
  they are without a doubt 
  a powerful subculture, they 
  are also vulnerable, as their 
  subcultural goodwill and 
  infrastructure has begun to 
  crumble from the inside. 
  Time will tell whether 
  they will rebound like 
  after World War IV or if 
  their time has come.
  
  Below are a few choice slang terms used by the Former subculture. Tey can be used for 
  inspiration and roleplaying purposes when playing a Former.
   
  �
  Bian: Something which is cutting-edge; New and exciting
   
  �
  Fabiao: Someone who is crazy; Insanity
   
  �
  Gongren: Member of the lower class; A working stif; Usually used in a derogatory man-
  ner
   
  �
  Gotuzi: Someone who got what she has through favoritism; A suck up
   
  �
  Guyong: Mercenary; Corporate soldier
   
  �
  Mei: Beautiful; Something which is highly valued by the speaker
   
  �
  Rou: Flesh, particularly in reference to implants
  
  
  
  Cru! Cru! Tey say they fnally found the 
  body. It was shoved in a maintenance shaft 
  behind the old reactor maintenance room. Tey 
  say it was old, but it had been drained before 
  it was left to rot. It was like all the blood and 
  mucus and other faex has been taken out. Tey 
  say there were old incisions along the nasal 
  cavities, in the gut and down the arms and legs.
  How do I know? Wu down in processing. He 
  can never keep anything somb. He’s like a font 
  of gossip and rumors. Have to take anything 
  that comes out of his mouth with a grain of salt, 
  but he’s not one to intentionally pull anything. 
  After I heard it from him, though, I checked 
  the news logs. Te story checks out.
  
  The Ghostman mindset traditionally 
  falls somewhere between “Memento Mori” 
  and “Carpe Diem.” The thinking goes: 
  “we’re all flawed, we’re all going to die, and 
  we’re never going to be a perfect as we want 
  to be, but that’s no real reason to piss away 
  everything you do have. Go get up early 
  and seize the day.”
  The 
  subculture 
  typically 
  identifies 
  themselves by wearing nothing but white 
  and keeping an early schedule. This easy 
  subcultural identification goes hand in hand 
  with its “seize the day” values and ethereal, 
  ghostly imagery, but leads to pressure to 
  confirm to these norms.
  Ghostmen couple with this a love for 
  clarity of intent and a rejection of the false 
  niceties that make up social etiquette. Tis 
  fatalism, bluntness and love of the death 
  motif leads the detractors of the subculture 
  to criticize Ghostmen as being clannish, 
  conformist, depressing and rude.
  
  Te following cultural trappings and 
  practices have arisen to prominence in the 
  Ghostman subculture in the past few decades.
   
  �
  All White: Ghostmen are known for an 
  ethereal look, where wearing anything 
  other than white is a social faux pas. 
  Ghostmen pride themselves on the clean-
  liness of this white. Some also bleach 
  their hair a platinum white color. Often 
  women in the subculture will dress in a 
  fashion similar to porcelain dolls.
   
  �
  Death Motif: A death or skull motif 
  features heavily in Ghostmen imagery 
  and has become something of a symbol 
  for the subculture. Often these images 
  are stylized to the point of almost being 
  unrecognizable.
   
  �
  Early Hours: Ghostmen are known 
  for keeping early hours and often pride 
  themselves for being among the frst 
  awake each day. Te subcultures prizes 
  the lack of hustle in the early morning, 
  and as a rule it expects punctuality.
  
  The Ghostmen were the last of the 
  major subcultures to form, originating 
  in East Asia sometime in the 2150s and 
  made up by some of the last remnants of 
  the old mainstream culture in the East. 
  The Ghostmen were not initially a major 
  subculture of their own so much as they 
  were considered a minor satellite to the old 
  Morb subculture.
  Te early Ghostman subculture was infu-
  enced heavily by the aftermath of World War 
  IV, the realities of cleanup and the human 
  condition after the war. Tis infuence is 
  largely responsible for the heavy death 
  imagery featured in the subculture’s imagery, 
  as well the heavy use of the color white—a 
  traditional color for spirits and death.
  Many of the proto-Ghostmen who 
  found themselves grouped in with the 
  subculture in the aftermath of the war had 
  sided with the Eastern Powers. As many 
  places on Earth were not friendly to them 
  after the war, this fueled much of the Ghost-
  men’s early migration into space.
  For several decades, the Ghostman 
  limped along, a satellite of the Morb 
  subculture, but all this began to change 
  in the 2180s when the ailing Contemp 
  Victorian subculture began to fracture, 
  and the Ghostman subculture absorbed 
  a significant chunk of the defectors. This 
  
  
  new blood in the subculture brought with 
  them the early morning and punctuality 
  values found in the Ghostmen subculture 
  today. Their numbers also propelled the 
  Ghostmen into being their own subculture 
  and not just a satellite of the Morbs. 
  Then in the 2190s, the Morbs them-
  selves began to fracture. Once again 
  the Ghostmen absorbed a chunk of the 
  defectors, and with these numbers the 
  Ghostmen were unquestionably propelled 
  to major subculture status.
  Te Ghostmen’s newfound power allowed 
  them to make signifcant headway into 
  the corps and into space in the years that 
  followed. Today, although the growth of the 
  Ghostmen has slowed, they are still one of the 
  fastest growing subcultures and one who’s at 
  the height of their power and infuence.
  
  Below are a few choice slang terms used by the Ghostman subculture. Tey can be used 
  for inspiration and roleplaying purposes when playing a Ghostman.
   
  �
  Cru: Something which is very true; Particularly clear or meaningful.
   
  �
  Faex: Fecal matter; Used as an expletive
   
  �
  Notre: One of us; Sometimes used to mean a member of the Ghostman subculture
   
  �
  Nuit: Nighttime; In the dark
   
  �
  Somb: A secret; Something that is not commonly known; Something hidden
   
  �
  Travail: A prostitute; Also a derogatory used to refer to a corporate executive
   
  �
  Vide: Stylish; Trendy; Cool
  
  
  
  I was dropping some dava the other night, 
  and I met this guy. He’s high as a kite, and he’s 
  letting slip all the jibha. It turns out he’s a local 
  corp security guard—night watch, just a minor 
  guy doing the rounds. Anyway, I hear he’s got 
  a shockstick, and you know what? I’ve never 
  been shocked by one of those things before. In my 
  drugged up state of mind, I’m thinking to myself: 
  If we’re going to go up against Microdyne, I 
  better know what it’s like now to be struck by 
  one of those things, right?
  Anyway, I go home with him, and while 
  he’s distracted by running his fngers through my 
  beard, I get ahold of the shockstick and turn it 
  on. Holy balls, those things hurt! But damn, the 
  pain makes you feel alive!
  
  Heeds exalt having new experiences with 
  a particular emphasis on the baser instincts 
  and animal drives. Tink of it like this: one’s 
  worldview is a product of one’s perceptions, and 
  one’s perceptions are limited by one’s experi-
  ences. As one broadens their base of experience, 
  one expands one’s perceptions and thus solidi-
  fes one’s worldview. Someone who has diferent 
  views may just be a product of diferent experi-
  ences. Tis line of thought can lead Heeds to 
  seem eerily accepting. Others look at the subcul-
  ture seeing only the sex, the drugs and other 
  strange experience-seeking acts.
  Te Heed subculture values a sort of 
  emotional binge and purge. Te baser instincts 
  are let of the hook for a while, then they are 
  tightly reigned in, having been satiated. Te 
  Heed view sees this as being in the pursuit of 
  a sort of utilitarian good: little excesses can 
  be indulged if it results in a greater period of 
  beneft or clarity.
  
  Te following memes and practices have 
  been associated with the Heed subculture in 
  the last few decades:
   
  �
  Body Paint & Loose Clothing: Heeds will 
  sometimes substitute thick body paint for 
  traditional clothing.  Te clothing that Heeds 
  do wear tends to be loose and have a certain 
  amount of fow, such as sarongs or long skirts.
   
  �
  Chemical Experiences: Te Heed subcul-
  ture is mired in drugs and other chemical-
  based experiences. Within the subculture, 
  this is seen as mentally liberating, although 
  physical dependence is frowned upon.
   
  �
  Bond Agreements: Te Heed subculture 
  largely rejects the idea of lifetime marriage, 
  instead favoring a notion of “personal bond 
  agreements.” Tese are something like an 
  informal contract between romantic part-
  ners with a specifc duration.
  
  Te Heed subculture got its start after the 
  publication of the infuential book, Te Heed 
  Life, in 2123. Unlike other subcultures which 
  got their start from ad hoc groupings of people, 
  this book gave the Heed subculture an early 
  defnitive work and philosophical viewpoint. 
  Troughout the remainder of the 2120s the 
  Heed subculture absorbed the broken remnants 
  of mainstream society in the West.
  During the 2130s, the Heed subculture 
  continued to establish itself and expand, 
  growing beyond the bounds of the initial 
  treatise which started the subculture. During 
  this time, the frst Heeds began to move into 
  space, with Stillwater on Mars seeing the 
  largest part of Heed immigration. Many of 
  these Martian Heeds would later move to Oras 
  after the foundation of that colony, because the 
  Serv infuence in Stillwater would grow and 
  become less friendly to the Heed population.
  During the 2140s the Heed subculture 
  largely aligned itself with the Corporate Powers 
  and stuck with them throughout World War 
  IV. Tis alliance was largely a result of the 
  lingering efects of the geographical origin of 
  the Heed subculture in the West than it was 
  anything philosophical. In fact, this alliance 
  angered enough Heeds that the Neoret 
  subculture broke away from the Heed subcul-
  ture during the war, leaving the Heeds in a 
  weakened state during the war’s aftermath.
  While this rift threatened the stability 
  of the Heed subculture, the rest of the war’s 
  aftermath was nevertheless good to the Heeds, 
  who were on the winning side. As these infu-
  
  
  ences, both positive and negative, worked 
  themselves out, it led to something of a Heed 
  reformation during the 2160s. 
  Tis period saw the introduc-
  tion of bond agreements to 
  the Heed way of life.
  In the 2170s the 
  Heeds embraced AR 
  technology with open 
  arms, as the technology 
  grew beyond the bounds 
  of the Techno subcul-
  ture. Tis included the 
  growth of a new Heed 
  tag cloud.
  Today the Heeds 
  are going steady, having 
  recovered almost to the 
  point they were at before 
  the rift with the Neorets.
  
  Below are a few choice slang terms used by the Heed subculture. Tey can be used for 
  inspiration and roleplaying purposes when playing a Heed.
   
  �
  Accha: Something which is benefcial for the greater good, even if it’s not benefcial in 
  a specifc sense
   
  �
  Darda: Extreme pain; physical or emotional
   
  �
  Dava: Drugs, particularly recreational
   
  �
  Go Aga: To explode; To die horribly
   
  �
  Jibha: To tell someone else’s secret
   
  �
  Pulisa: Te authorities in the area, particularly the police or military
   
  �
  Tark: Something which is logical, rational or obvious; Often used as a contrast to some-
  thing impulsive or emotional
  
  
  
  I know I’ve been wearing the toga for a 
  while—ever since I got rid of the pith helmet, 
  in fact—but I was reading on the net the other 
  night about Incan marriages. You see, to the 
  Incans, marriage was something of a business 
  arrangement. When you got married the couple 
  was on something of a probationary period. If it 
  didn’t work out, either of them could just pack 
  up and go home. And that makes a lot of sense to 
  me—very schon.
  No, I’m not trying to propose to you. Ha ha 
  ha! I’m just trying to let you know that I may 
  be dropping the toga. I’m thinking some kind of 
  Incan tunic. I’m going to have to see what patterns 
  they have in the fabricator. Worst case scenario: I 
  may need to design something up myself.
  
  Te Neoret subculture values a certain 
  amount of refection on and reinvention 
  of past eras. Its adherents are known for an 
  eclectic style of dress, mixing and matching 
  traditional or historical garb from diferent 
  cultures and time periods.
  Central to the Neoret system of values is 
  the idea that the contemporary world has run 
  amok and that technology and contempo-
  rary culture has lost some of the value of the 
  past. Te subculture has embedded an almost 
  Rousseauian view of the “noble savage” and 
  golden past. Tis is not to say that Neorets 
  seek a return to the past—they are not 
  Luddites, and any past idea they dredge up is 
  retroftted to ft modern mores.
  Many Neorets practice isolation medita-
  tion, going through voluntarily periods of 
  time when they disengage from electronic 
  communication and simply go about their 
  lives. Critics see Neorets as backward, while 
  simply exalting the trappings of the past, 
  without any of the real substance.
  
  Te following cultural trappings and 
  practices have arisen to prominence in the 
  Neoret subculture in the past couple decades:
   
  �
  Anachronisms: Almost the defning fea-
  ture of the subculture, Neorets love reintro-
  ducing new anachronisms to the modern 
  day. Teir dress and personal habits often 
  refect this. Often these anachronisms are 
  heavily revised to ft contemporary mores 
  and norms.
   
  �
  Gardening: Gardening is a pastime largely 
  resurrected by the Neorets, one which has 
  become a symbol of their subculture. Many 
  Neorets, even in space, keep a small garden 
  in a closet or gardening box.
   
  �
  Isolation Meditation: Tere is a belief in 
  the Neoret subculture that periods of vol-
  untarily isolation from electronic means of 
  communication is spiritually calming. To 
  this end, many Neorets practice this with 
  some regularity.
  
  Te Neoret subculture grew out of the 
  Heed subculture, breaking away in the 2140s 
  during World War IV. Tis split was caused by a 
  divide in the Heed subculture, over the subcul-
  ture’s widespread support of the Corporate 
  Powers in the war. Te Neoret faction opposed 
  any participation in the war, initially being 
  something of a pacifst movement. As the 
  greater Heed establishment didn’t get on board 
  with this position, the Neorets ended up going 
  their own way. Initially these early Neorets 
  made good progress pressing their agenda, but 
  when the war went nuclear, the Neorets lost 
  much of their voice.
  By the 2150s, in the war’s aftermath, the 
  Neorets were already well known due to their 
  vocal opposition to the fghting. Despite this, 
  their sheer numbers weren’t quite enough to 
  qualify them for the status of being a major 
  subculture. Tey wouldn’t obtain this status 
  until the 2180s, when the aging Contemp 
  Victorian subculture fragmented, and the 
  Neorets absorbed many of the fracturing pieces.
  During the 2160s the Neorets lead the 
  way in organizing the Ganymede Conference, 
  which formally established the new status quo 
  and ended the associated fghting. During 
  the 2170s, the Neorets were also one of the 
  last subcultures to adapt to the widespread 
  adoption of AR technology.
  
  
  Te Neorets didn’t have signifcant 
  numbers of adherents in space until the 2190s, 
  when their slow trickle into space became a 
  larger stream—driven largely by increasing 
  Neoret economic interests in energy produc-
  tion. Even today, Neoret numbers in space 
  are dwarfed by the other major subcul-
  tures. Neorets in space congregate 
  mostly on the net—an irony given 
  the subculture’s propensity to 
  disconnect from electronic 
  means of communi-
  cation.
  D e s p i t e 
  their lack of 
  infuence 
  in 
  space, Neorets 
  are 
  among 
  some of the 
  leaders of the 
  ARC Project, 
  in conjunction 
  with 
  the 
  Still-
  water Catholics, a 
  Serv group.
  
  Below are a few choice slang terms used by the Neoret subculture. Tey can be used for 
  inspiration and roleplaying purposes when playing a Neoret.
   
  �
  Futter: Food; Sustenance, particularly something homemade
   
  �
  Hasslich: Cutting-edge; New; Revolutionary; Often used with a negative connotation
   
  �
  Milch: Woman; Having feminine qualities
   
  �
  Nachden: Meditation; Period of isolation, particularly from electronic means of com-
  munication
   
  �
  Schon: Quaint; Fashionable
   
  �
  Shutz: Hab; Place of residence; Usual haunt; Sometimes used to refer to space stations 
  themselves
   
  �
  Wartig: Something unsavory or wrong
  
  
  
  “Terefore the Lord God sent him forth from 
  the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence 
  he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he 
  placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, 
  and a faming sword which turned every way, to 
  keep the way of the tree of life,” Genesis 3:23-25.
  Let us remember this in our exodus. We have 
  been driven from our homes, our Earth, our 
  Garden of Eden by wickedness. And now begins the 
  time of our trevail. We must have faith as we set out 
  into the void. Only faith will sustain us, and the 
  generations that come thereafter. Only faith will 
  nourish us—not with earthly foods, but with the 
  spiritual sustenance that we need to survive.
  
  Unlike the other subcultural groups, the 
  Servs are not really a single cultural group so 
  much as the label is used to refer to an amal-
  gamation of diferent and unrelated traditional 
  religious groups, which to some extent reject 
  some or all of the values of the outside culture. 
  Tese groups run the gamut from some evan-
  gelical Christian sects, to strictly traditional 
  Islamic groups, and from some fundamentalist 
  Hindu sects to some Hasidic Jews.
  Pinning down exact values shared by all 
  Serv groups is difcult, but broadly speaking, 
  Servs place an emphasis on traditional 
  values, family and religion—enough that this 
  adherence distinguishes them from a simple 
  religious member of any other subculture.
  
  Te following cultural trappings and 
  practices are typically shared between the 
  various Serv cultural groups:
   
  �
  Religion: Diferent Serv groups vary in a 
  lot of diferent ways, but one thing that 
  all of them have in common is a dedica-
  tion to some form of religion—often with 
  views that are fundamentalist or very tra-
  ditional in nature.
   
  �
  Rejection of Contemporary Mores: One 
  of the things that diferentiates those in the 
  Serv subcultures from a religious member 
  of any other subculture is the Serv rejection 
  of contemporary mores in favor of a more 
  traditional religious worldview.
   
  �
  Family Ties: Although many groups in the 
  Serv subcultures accept converts—some 
  quite enthusiastically—most Servs are 
  born Servs, and the subculture places an 
  emphasis on family ties and beliefs.
  
  In many ways the Servs are by far the oldest 
  subcultural grouping, most Serv groups having 
  existed for centuries, if not millennia. While not 
  every religious individual is a Serv, some choose 
  to make their religion into a lifestyle—eating, 
  breathing and living it every day. Tis sort of 
  choice has existed in various human societies 
  since before the advent of recorded history.
  Te use of the term Serv to refer to these 
  religious groups originated in the 2090s, 
  coming from either the phrases “to serve god” 
  or “conservative.” Tis term originated not as 
  something self-proclaimed by the adherents to 
  the subculture but rather as an external cate-
  gorization, and even today many Servs reject 
  the “Serv” moniker, refusing to lump them-
  selves in with other disparate—and sometimes 
  hostile—religious groups. Others on the other 
  hand, have embraced the term, and some have 
  even attempted to organize broad multi-reli-
  gious councils to speak for the community.
  Some example Serv groups with a few 
  accompanying notes on their histories over the 
  past two centuries follows:
   
  �
  Chi Chen is home a vivid Vajrayana Bud-
  dhist community, including the largest 
  Buddhist monastery beyond Earth. Tese 
  Buddhist Servs were active in the Gong Si 
  movement in the 2120s, and continue to 
  serve as the front of opposition to the pow-
  ers that be in Chi Chen today.
   
  �
  Miskan Station in the Belt is known for its 
  Mennonite community. Tese Mennonites 
  immigrated to the newly built station in 
  2126, leaving their homes in North Amer-
  ica behind. Since immigrating to Miskan 
  station, the Mennonites there have estab-
  lished themselves as asteroid miners and in 
  transit for the water trade.
   
  �
  Europa and Ganymede were both home 
  to signifcant populations of Shakti Hin-
  
  
  dus before the Jupiter Group Incident, this 
  religious group having moved to the edges 
  of human expanse in pursuit of opportu-
  nity. Since the Jovian colonies lost contact 
  external members of this group have been 
  among the most vocal regarding reestab-
  lishing contact.
   
  �
  Luna is home to a signifcant population 
  of Ahmadiyya Muslims, who were driven 
  there from Southeast Asia due to religious 
  persecution in the 2120s. Having long 
  established themselves on Luna, they are 
  found across the moon today but main-
  tain their own local networks and AR 
  cloud.
   
  �
  Te Stillwater Catholics are the 
  most populous Serv group beyond 
  the bounds of the Earth’s atmo-
  sphere. Teir sect broke away 
  from the Roman Catholics  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  as part of a schism following the death 
  of Pope Pius XIX in 2132. Based out 
  of Stillwater on Mars, they have their 
  own pope and are one of the major fnanciers 
  of the ARC Project. In recent years, there is 
  a growing animosity between the Stillwater 
  Catholics and Unitech, as Unitech has moved 
  to block holy pilgrimages.
  
  Below are a couple terms that were coined a couple decades ago in the vids as Serv slang, 
  and which have consequently been picked up by some of the Serv groups that regularly 
  engage with the outside media.
   
  �
  Blino: Someone who lacks religion
   
  �
  Pio: Someone with deep-seated religious beliefs
  
  
  
  I knew her in the simspaces from way back. 
  Used to run a fapper paladin through the 
  dungeons hosted on the Ganymede servers. I frst 
  met her in hyeon only a year or so back, though. 
  I was sitting in some little noodle shop down by 
  the docking bays. When she walked by I imme-
  diately recognized her username when it popped 
  up in the AR cloud ahead of me. Tagged with 
  over 300 achievements, plus a couple network 
  references recommending her sibal. I was head 
  over heels right then and there.
  Of course that’s history now. Our frst date 
  went spectacularly, but the second one…Well, 
  the second one was in simspace. I scripted it up 
  special. Hacked my way into some systems and 
  got a whole virtual environment running. How 
  was I supposed to know we were violating corp 
  compute time?
  
  Technos prize the march of progress, 
  culture and most of all, technology. Tey 
  look back at the past and see not a golden 
  era, but the bad old days of toil and strife. 
  Inherent in this Techno perspective is an 
  almost Hobbesian view that human nature is 
  something base which is to be controlled and 
  overcome with technology.
  Known for the machine motif found in 
  their subcultural imagery, the Techno subcul-
  ture largely pushes for information to be free 
  in both the senses of libre and gratis.  Technos 
  are also known for somewhat humanist views, 
  possessing the faith that innovation will solve 
  humanity’s problems. Critics of the subcul-
  ture see blind faith in technology and a cult of 
  what’s trendy and new.
  
  Te following cultural trappings and 
  practices have arisen to prominence in the 
  techno subculture in the past few decades:
   
  �
  Reliance on AR: People from all subcul-
  tures use AR nowadays, but cultural reli-
  ance on AR originated among the Techno 
  subculture. Because of this, the techno 
  subculture’s use of AR vastly surpasses any 
  other cultural group.
   
  �
  Nonverbal Communication: Te Techno 
  subculture places a particular emphasis on 
  the importance of nonverbal communica-
  tion both in body language and in written 
  electronic communications.
   
  �
  Machine Motif: Te machine motif fea-
  tures heavily in both Techno imagery and 
  music. In many ways, the circuit board has 
  become a symbol of the subculture.
  
  Te Techno subculture broke away from 
  the old mainstream culture in East Asia 
  sometime around 2100. Its formation served as 
  something of a turning point in the evolution 
  of subcultures, as it marked the point at which 
  more people were part of a subculture than 
  remain in the old mainstream.
  Te early Technos were involved in the 
  experiments with radical gene alternation 
  which later led to the Malformed Generation. 
  Tis gave the Techno subculture a bad name 
  in the press very early on, and it was a repu-
  tation the Techno subculture has fought for 
  much of its existence.
  During the 2120s the Techno subculture 
  was heavily involved in the Gong Si revolu-
  tion in China. Tis involvement aligned the 
  Technos heavily with various Asian govern-
  ments—something which would later result 
  in the Technos aligning themselves with the 
  Eastern Powers in World War IV.
  Te Technos also involved themselves 
  in the earliest terraforming eforts on Mars. 
  Te subculture’s attempts to leverage this as 
  something to shake of their usual bad press, 
  however, failed spectacularly, giving Technos a 
  bad name among groups looking to preserve 
  the pristine Martian environment.
  World War IV also did not treat the 
  Techno subculture very well. As stated earlier, 
  the Technos sided themselves with the Eastern 
  Powers, who ended up losing the war. To make 
  matters worse, most of the principal developers 
  of the Madagascar Virus were from the Techno 
  subculture, renewing the subculture’s bad 
  name. In fact, the Techno involvement with 
  the deadliest biological weapon ever used left 
  the subculture so hated and shaken that many 
  
  
  experts in the 2150s predicted that the subcul-
  ture wouldn’t last another decade or two.
  In the 2160s, however, the subculture 
  began to recover. Te bad press caused a 
  mass migration of Technocs into space, 
  feeing their bad reputation back home. Te 
  subculture spearheaded the foundation of 
  the Oras colony on Mars and was involved 
  heavily with the rush on He-3. Te Techno 
  subculture was also the very frst to widely 
  adopt 
  AR 
  technology, 
  something 
  proven wildly successful which would 
  soon spread to every other subculture 
  in the Sol system.
  Tis rise led to a subcultural renais-
  sance in the 2170s and 2180s. Te 
  subculture 
  involved 
  itself 
  with 
  Project Embryo, pioneered sensory 
  recording and playback and 
  spearheaded an efort to 
  back a subcultural-backed 
  currency. Te last of these 
  projects was a dismal failure, 
  but the rest were a success.
  
  Below are a few choice slang terms used by the Techno subculture. Tey can be used for 
  inspiration and roleplaying purposes when playing a Techno.
   
  �
  Babo: Someone who is foolish; Also used to mean someone without technical knowledge
   
  �
  Eumgy: An absurdity; Something bitingly funny
   
  �
  Geumul: A computer network
   
  �
  Jayoo: Free as in “freedom”; Often used in context of information
   
  �
  Hyeon: Real life; Te real world
   
  �
  Sibal: Online intimacy, both sexual and non-sexual in nature
   
  �
  Siche: Someone who is as good as dead, usually due to a price on her head
  
  
  
  To the average citizen of the twenty-third 
  century, the corps are a cornerstone of modern 
  existence. Tey manufacture what you use. 
  Tey market to you based on your personal 
  demographics. Tey likely employ your family. 
  Tey engineer what you eat. Tey direct the 
  education of your children. Tey write the 
  news you read. Tey guard you while you sleep.
  It’s too bad they don’t have accountability 
  to anyone but themselves.
  Te largest corps are sprawling, labyrinthine 
  organizations consisting of subsidiaries upon 
  subsidiaries. Tey control armies of blue collar 
  and ofce workers, legions of private security, 
  complexes from here to the Horn of Africa to 
  Saturn and have more money than god.
  
  Te Ganymede Conference in the aftermath 
  of World War IV gave corps the same sovereign 
  rights as nations. On corp property—such as 
  on their spaceships and complexes—indi-
  viduals are subject to corp laws. While the 
  Ganymede Conference did result in the major 
  corps signing nonbinding resolutions about 
  human rights and the dignity of individuals, 
  citizens are still nevertheless at their mercy.
  In practice corp sovereignty, as guaran-
  teed by the Ganymede Conference, is largely 
  a function of how large and powerful the corp 
  in question is. Te “Big Five” megacorps—
  Jenseitech, Microdyne, Sinoex, Unitech and 
  Utakar—all basically do as they please. Smaller 
  corps, on the other hand, have to make varying 
  degrees of compromise in their operations.
  Tat said, many corps do have contracts 
  with governments and with other corps 
  regarding the treatment of their citizens. 
  For example, Unitech has an agreement 
  with Utakar System Dynamics stating that 
  any Utakar employees found in violation 
  of moderate to minor Unitech laws may 
  be sold back into Utakar custody as per a 
  standard set of fees. Agreements like this 
  are commonplace, as they allow corps and 
  governments to look after the interests of 
  their own citizens in good standing.
  
  Smaller corps exist in a world of cut-
  throat competition. Tey undermine compet-
  itors, manufacture scandals for their rivals 
  and churn out regular feel-good stories about 
  their actions and their products to give them a 
  PR boost. Te corps that are the most efcient 
  at this exploit the net and the social networks, 
  ofering small benefts or contest entries to 
  push along their press releases disguised as 
  news. Te corps at the top of this game own 
  shares in major media outlets.
  Te largest corps, however, are playing a 
  diferent game entirely. Tey are lords of their 
  industries and masters of monopolies. Tey 
  don’t need to compete;  it’s usually more cost-
  efcient to simply crush any would-be rivals 
  before they develop a solid footing. Tey can 
  aford extravagance and waste, making up for 
  it with economies of scale. Tey don’t need 
  shiny PR campaigns, because people are going 
  to end up buying what they produce whether 
  they like it or not.
  
  
  Everyone knows the “Big Five” megacorps. 
  Tey’re household names and all have a reach 
  that extends across the globe and out into the 
  depths of space. Tey’re not the only kids on 
  the block, however, and a variety of second 
  tier megacorps exist to fll in the cracks. Don’t 
  mistake second tier for powerless, however. 
  Even a second tier megacorp still controls a 
  dizzying array of resources. 
  A selection of second tier megacorps are 
  given in brief below:
   
  �
  Agrasill Industries: Everyone needs to eat. 
  In a world of some 12 billion individuals 
  wrecked by pollution, climate change and 
  industrials wastes, that’s not an easy task. 
  Tat’s where Agrasill comes in. Tey make 
  the food keeps growing, it gets to those 
  who pay for it and no one’s producing food 
  that’s not theirs. After all, famine’s does 
  wonders for supply and demand.
   
  �
  ArrowEx: While going to physical stores 
  to buy goods has some nostalgic and social 
  
  
  appeals that just won’t die, most goods are 
  bought and sold online. For every thumb 
  computer, pound of vatbeef or pair of un-
  derwear bought in this way, it has to get 
  to the customer somehow. Tis is how Ar-
  rowEx has made its commercial empire. 
  Tey deliver the goods, and in many places 
  have enough gangs on their payroll to en-
  sure their deliveries make it and their com-
  petitors deliveries don’t.
   
  �
  LineNet: Everyone uses the net. Any arm-
  chair techie will tell you the net is made up 
  of a decentralized network of interwoven, 
  connected computers, geared towards max-
  imum resiliency. No one controls it. Tat 
  may be true—technically. But in a world 
  where users demand massive amounts of 
  information in very short order, there’s a 
  corp out there with connections providing 
  that sort of on-demand bandwidth. Tat’s 
  LineNet. And all you, the user, have to do 
  is to deal with living in a networked virtual 
  panopticon.
   
  �
  MemeScape Technologies: MemeScape 
  is a master of public relations, advertising 
  and metadata tracking. Tey keep full ad-
  vertising and demographic profles on any-
  one who’s ever performed a fnancial trans-
  action or jacked into the net, and when 
  another organization wants to sway pub-
  lic opinion or manufacture a new societal 
  meme whole cloth, they call MemeScape 
  in to make it happen.
   
  �
  Pfeifer & Wu: An investment power-
  house, Pfeifer & Wu’s specialties range 
  from stocks to commodities, from bank-
  ing to gambling. Tey’re involved as a third 
  party in most of the large transactions that 
  occur between diferent corps and govern-
  ments. Tey’ve even been brought in by 
  several smaller nations and colonies on 
  contract to manage and run their econo-
  mies for them. 
  
  Jenseitech excels in the felds of bioengi-
  neering and production of drugs—both for 
  medical and recreational use. Tey also have 
  signifcant interests in the fnancial market, 
  nuclear reactor development, chemical agent 
  production and asteroid mining opera-
  tions.  While Jenseitech maintains a shiny 
  public facade by funding digital libraries, 
  soup kitchens and walks for charity (earning 
  them the goodwill of many people), behind 
  the scenes Jenseitech is involved in countless 
  shady schemes and experiments whose ethics 
  are somewhat questionable, as well as practices 
  to ruthlessly crush their competition. Since the 
  beginning of the Dui Wu Ya Confict, Jensei-
  tech has expanded its own corporate paramili-
  tary forces as well.
  
  Te following are signifcant Jenseitech 
  operations throughout the Sol system:
   
  �
  Jenseitech owns and operates Schwangi 
  Station, the largest mining station in the 
  Belt. Tis is a fairly recent acquisition for 
  Jenseitech, who bought the station from 
  a minor and ailing corp almost ten years 
  ago. Schwangi Station has also served as a 
  Jenseitech base of operations to project its 
  infuence throughout the system and is an 
  important component of Jenseitech’s plans 
  to expand into space.
   
  �
  Fururi Station is an ailing former min-
  ing station in the Belt, carved from the 
  body of one of the many nameless aster-
  oids. Tis station saw its height before the 
  WW IV and nowadays is home to only 
  a handful of squatters. Jenseitech recently 
  bought this station at auction for a pit-
  tance, but how it fgures into their space 
  expansion has yet to be seen.
   
  �
  Te Encouracado is a battleship and Jen-
  seitech’s sole capital ship. It’s often in orbit 
  near Schwangi Station but is frequently 
  sent on patrols throughout the Sol system.
  
  
  
  Te Jenseitech corporate board is made 
  up almost exclusively of individuals from 
  the Expret subculture, and to get anywhere 
  in management, it helps to adhere to that 
  subculture as well. Tat said, the lower ranks 
  of Jenseitech are signifcantly more diverse, 
  with Ghostmen having the largest presence 
  within the corp.
  
  Jenseitech traces its origins back to the 
  Japanese zaibatsu—powerful ancient conglom-
  erates with fngers in many fnancial pies. And 
  like the zaibatsu of its ancestors, the Jenseitech 
  group has its tendrils spread far and wide, 
  although their primary focus is the pharma-
  ceutical and bio-tech industries.
  Jenseitech in its modern form got its start 
  in 2099 after a series of mergers between 
  Japanese and Brazilian biotech corporations. 
  Tese mergers formed the Jenseitech Group, 
  which shortly thereafter moved its headquar-
  ters to continental Asia.
  Over the course of their modern existence, 
  Jenseitech has been involved in numerous 
  projects and discoveries. Tey were involved 
  in the discovery of life under the ice on 
  Europa in the 2120s. Tey operated on the 
  front lines of the Corporate Powers in World 
  War IV. Tey lost signifcant holdings in the 
  Jovian colonies during the Jupiter Group 
  Incident. More recently, they’ve both fought 
  in and gained the upper hand in the Dui 
  Wu Ya Confict. Tis latter confict has been 
  going on for the last 15 years between Jensei-
  tech and Sinoex, although the open fghting 
  has largely died down in the last few years.
  Since its strongest holdings are on Earth, 
  the Jenseitech Group has only recently been 
  trying to expand aggressively into space, 
  carving out a slice of the pie currently held 
  by Unitech. Tis has set these two powerful 
  corporations directly against each other.  Time 
  will tell who comes out on top.
  
  In addition to the usual corp agents in its 
  employ, the Jenseitech group makes expert use 
  of bioengineered poisons, diseases and geneti-
  cally-engineered beasts. As many experiments 
  that seem promising in the lab fail spectac-
  ularly when brought into practice, Jensei-
  tech endeavors to feld test as many of their 
  programs as possible. Te corporation sees 
  their recent push into space as being necessary 
  support for this, as small and isolated space 
  stations and other environments ofer the 
  perfect conditions for feld tests—control-
  lable, limited and easy to clean up with the 
  right PR afterward.
  Jenseitech also feld tests its newest experi-
  mental implant designs by issuing them to their 
  corporate forces and agents. Tis is particularly 
  true for implants of a covert nature, at which 
  Jenseitech excels. Such implants often help 
  Jenseitech agents achieve results they could 
  only dream of if they weren’t modifed—after 
  all, since these are new designs, the opposition 
  doesn’t yet know what to expect. Meanwhile, 
  Jenseitech scientists get to observe the implant’s 
  feld-efectiveness as well as get an idea of its 
  long-term downsides and side efects.
  New and experimental implants are 
  sometimes also ofered to those outside the 
  corp—for a price. Tere is no shortage of well-
  fnanced organizations and desperate people 
  looking for an edge in the various conficts and 
  skirmishes that continuously happen between 
  the corps. For these implants Jenseitech 
  charges a licensing fee rather than a sales fee; 
  Jenseitech retains ownership of the implants, 
  they just rent them out to the recipient. Jensei-
  tech retains the right to revoke their license 
  at any time. Tis is one more way of keeping 
  track of their new technology, gathering data 
  and exerting their control over the business. Of 
  course this can leave the unfortunate recipient 
  of one of these experimental implants suddenly 
  without the beneft of whatever organ it was 
  replacing. In practice this rarely happens, but 
  it’s an ever-present threat Jenseitech can hang 
  over the heads of those who accept this deal. 
  
  
  
  Microdyne is a powerful computing and 
  hardware corporation based out of Belarus. 
  When it comes to computers, processing, 
  software, augmented reality, simspaces, arti-
  fcial intelligence, cyberware or electronic 
  security, Microdyne is at the undisputed edge 
  in research and commercial development.
  As saturation of AR technology is rapidly 
  being reached, Microdyne—which had 
  been a champion of moving the technology 
  beyond the bounds of the Techno subcul-
  ture—has been exploring new areas of ubiq-
  uitous computing, including a new push at 
  artifcial intelligence.
  
  Microdyne operations can be found 
  throughout the Sol system and the net. Below 
  are several of the more signifcant ones:
   
  �
  Even though it’s not an actual physical lo-
  cation, Microdyne operates VirtuaNet—
  the largest simspace in existence. With a 
  virtual economy, utilizing real currency, 
  that dwarfs all but the largest colonies on 
  Mars and Luna, VirtuaNet is a power unto 
  itself, connecting disparate people from 
  across the system. Microdyne operates lo-
  cal VirtuaNet nodes on all the major colo-
  nies in an efort to reduce lag times, and 
  the virtual world has become a haven for 
  individuals looking for anonymous con-
  nections or shady business deals.
   
  �
  On Luna, Microdyne runs the Alphonsus 
  Center, the largest supercomputing center 
  in the system. Tis complex is home to the 
  Embryo Project, an attempt to establish a 
  human-level artifcial intelligence. It also 
  leases out computing time to those willing 
  to pay for the center’s exceptional compu-
  tational resources.
   
  �
  In Chi Chen Microdyne operates an ex-
  perimental cyberware research and testing 
  facility. Tis facility uses Chi Chen’s large 
  population of the poor and desperate as 
  an asset when experimenting with new cy-
  berware designs. It also uses Chi Chen’s re-
  moteness from Earth as an asset in covering 
  up failed experiments. 
   
  �
  Also in Chi Chen, Microdyne owns the 
  largest experience recording studio, spe-
  cializing in space-themed sensory recod-
  ing and playback.
  
  In the upper ranks of management, 
  Microdyne is populated mostly by Exprets, 
  with a number of Ghostmen holding key 
  positions. Among the rank-and-fle, there are 
  signifcant numbers of Entros and clusters 
  made up of diferent Serv groups. Tere is a 
  notable under-representation of both Technos 
  within Microdyne’s ranks, and none within 
  the upper management. Tis is largely a 
  product of history—as Microdyne grew out 
  of the war efort in the fourth world war, 
  where Technos were largely aligned with 
  the enemy side. Unlike the Entros that have 
  managed to grow within Microdyne’s lower 
  ranks, Technos tend to support Microdyne’s 
  rivals even in the modern day.
  
  Microdyne was founded during World 
  War IV, as part of an electronic warfare initia-
  tive by the Corporate Powers. After the war, 
  Microdyne was spun of as its own entity, and 
  its early board fought tooth and nail to make 
  it independent of the tendrils of its founding 
  powers. Tis makes it the last of the Big 5 
  megacorps to be founded.
  Despite its early focus on electronic warfare, 
  Microdyne got involved with AR development 
  and manufacturing early in the technology’s 
  history. It then rode this wave into the status 
  of being one of the Big 5 as AR technology 
  exploded into public use.
  Troughout its time, though, Microdyne 
  has been looking to diversify its operations. Tis 
  led to its recent involvement with AI and its push 
  to improve Project Embryo. Tis has also led to 
  its acquisition of several previously independent 
  cyberware corporations and the expansion of its 
  Chi Chen operations. Microdyne hopes that AI 
  automation and embedded computing will be 
  the way of the future.
  
  
  
  Although Microdyne denies any involve-
  ment with the creation of the Insurrection 
  Virus—and it may even be telling the truth—
  it certainly has involvement with attempts to 
  isolate and study the computing phenomenon. 
  Tese attempts have yielded some very inter-
  esting data that Microdyne has thus far kept 
  under wraps. It may only be a matter of time, 
  however, until this data yields breakthroughs 
  with Microdyne’s own attempts at artifcial 
  intelligence.
  All but a few select pieces of Microdyne 
  hardware and software come with Micro-
  dyne’s own security update framework in 
  place. Ostensibly, this allows Microdyne to 
  push security updates to all associated devices, 
  fxing security holes that might allow hackers 
  to break into the system. Tis framework, 
  however, allows Microdyne their own security 
  hole, where with an update they have the 
  ability to hijack control of the device—using 
  it in electronic surveillance or in their own bot 
  network.
  To all the would-be hackers out there, 
  Microdyne is not a friendly institution. Te 
  corp does not like its code tampered with, and 
  hackers that have raised the corp’s ire can fnd 
  themselves targeted on their own turf—the 
  net and electronic forms of interference. Since 
  Microdyne has a lot of resources to throw at 
  enforcing its digital edicts, these campaigns by 
  the corp tend to be largely one-sided.
  AR is increasingly ubiquitous these days, 
  with a majority of the populating having 
  either an AR implant or compulsively wearing 
  AR glasses. One of the dirty tricks that can 
  be pulled when Microdyne takes control of a 
  device is reality fltering. Since an AR user’s 
  senses are frst fltered through a device, this 
  device subtly manipulates the sensory input or 
  AR tags to alter the user’s view of the world 
  around her. Tis can lead the user into a trap 
  or provide any other sort of misinformation.
   
  
  Sinoex is the largest of the “Big 5” corps, 
  and the second oldest corp of the fve. It’s 
  areas of economic strength lie in the extraction 
  and processing of natural resources, including 
  thorium, hydrogen, oil and rare earth elements. 
  Beyond Earth’s atmosphere, Sinoex is heavily 
  invested in asteroid mining and water extrac-
  tion but also has its hands in life support 
  systems and biological reprocessing.
  In recent years, Sinoex has been involved 
  with the largest inter-corp military confict to 
  date—the Dui Wu Ya Confict—although the 
  fghting has largely died down since Jenseitech 
  has gained the upper hand over Sinoex.
  
  Below are a sampling of Sinoex operations 
  that can be found across the Sol system:
   
  �
  Sinoex is the sole owner and operator of 
  Caikuang Station, one of the newest, and 
  soon to be one of the largest mining op-
  erations in the Belt. Opened in 2212, this 
  mining station is still ramping up for pro-
  duction, with staf of all sorts—mining, 
  security, administrative—being actively 
  hired and transported to the new station.
   
  �
  Sinoex owns but subcontracts operation of 
  the Rhea colony—the furthest out humans 
  have ever colonized the Sol system., Rhea 
  being a moon of Saturn. Tis colony ex-
  ists to support the water trade, bringing ice 
  from the Saturnine rings inward to Mars to 
  support the Terraforming Project. Unfor-
  tunately the colony is small and has been 
  beset by trouble after trouble.
   
  �
  Sinoex largely owns and operates one of 
  Earth’s three space elevators. Tis particular 
  elevator is located in Indonesia, and since 
  it is the sole operational space elevator not 
  owned by Unitech, any corp or organiza-
  tion that has a beef with Unitech makes 
  use of it. Tis elevator also has the largest 
  capacity of the three, making it ideal for 
  large industrial cargos.
   
  �
  Although the demand for He-3 has large-
  ly died down along with the widespread 
  dream of ever having economically sustain-
  able fusion power, in a variety of small lab-
  
  
  oratories of hopeful nuclear engineers still 
  experiment with fusion, and it’s still toyed 
  with in some industrial practices. Sinoex is 
  one of the sole commercial suppliers of He-
  3, and they have extensive He-3 collection 
  operations on both Luna and Mars.
  
  At the top, Sinoex is comprised mostly of 
  Technos, with pockets of Former interests in 
  subsidiary corps and groups that have been 
  acquired throughout Sinoex’s history. Among 
  the lower ranks there are a large number of 
  Technos as well, although in Sinoex’s space 
  operations, both Entros and Ghostmen 
  outnumber Technos. In fact, Sinoex’s remote 
  mining operations have become known as 
  hotbeds of Entro culture and activity.
  
  Founded in 2073, Sinoex is the second 
  oldest of the Big 5 megacorps. Initially formed 
  after a series of mergers between Burmese and 
  Chinese mining and petroleum corporations, 
  Sinoex soon came to dominate the market 
  in natural resource extraction, expanding 
  its operation to include logging, industrial 
  chemical processing, carbon extraction, life 
  support systems and waste reprocessing.
  After the completion of the Beanstalk, and 
  the resulting space rush, Sinoex jumped on the 
  bandwagon, funding the second completed 
  space elevator. Tis elevator was soon used to 
  supply the burgeoning space industry with 
  the supplies and raw natural resources used in 
  the frst colonies on Luna and the frst space 
  stations at the Earth-Moon Lagrange points.
  As space colonization expanded to Mars, 
  Sinoex was soon to follow, ramping up Martian 
  mining operations, and getting its tendrils deep 
  the early eforts of the Terraforming Project.
  World War IV was not kind to Sinoex, 
  as the company’s headquarters was put right 
  on the front lines against the Eastern Powers. 
  Sinoex took more damage from the war that 
  most, a fact that let several of the newer corps 
  muscle in on what was traditional Sinoex areas 
  of economic import. Still, Sinoex was quick 
  to recover from the war, as rebuilding eforts 
  drove up the demand for natural resources.
  More recently Sinoex has been involved 
  in the Dui Wu Ya Confict, the largest 
  and longest-lived corporate war on record. 
  Opposing Jenseitech, Sinoex has been on the 
  losing end for the past several years, and the 
  war has sizzled slowly on the backburner. It 
  may just be a matter of time, though, until 
  Sinoex launches a new round of assaults in an 
  attempt to gain the upper hand.
  
  Sinoex has a long history of questionable 
  and outright nefarious business practices, 
  launching attacks against corporate competi-
  tors and using its economic clout to muscle 
  others out of the natural resources. It 
  knowingly sabotaged multiple fusion research 
  eforts before the eventual rush on He-3, which 
  Sinoex profted from. It also has conspired at 
  times with other corps to keep prices high—
  although the sheer population of Earth and 
  its ever-increasing demands has done this 
  naturally as well.
  Sinoex operates many of the mining opera-
  tions throughout the Sol system, and while 
  its mining positions are known for paying 
  well, they are also known for the harsh and 
  dangerous conditions. Sinoex seems happy 
  to regularly neglect safely precautions and 
  regular maintenance, preferring instead to 
  lure would-be miners to its operations with 
  promises of high wages—wages that soon are 
  paid back to the corp through high local food 
  and living charges. In some operations, Sinoex 
  makes use of indentured workforces as well. 
  
  
  
  Unitech is not the largest of the Big 5 
  corps, but it is the one with the largest presence 
  beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Tis is due largely 
  to its long history in the space industry and 
  its dominance in the areas of spaceship and 
  space station manufacture. Unitech also has 
  signifcant investments in ground and aerial 
  vehicles, cyberware, heavy machinery, indus-
  trial manufacturing and construction. In fact, 
  Unitech infuence is so pervasive in space that 
  its currency, the Unitech microcredit, is the de 
  facto currency of choice beyond Earth.
  
  Unitech’s 
  holdings 
  and 
  operations 
  throughout the Sol system are too numerous 
  for a comprehensive list, but some signifcant 
  or otherwise noteworthy operations are given 
  below:
   
  �
  Unitech is the sole corp in the Big 5 to 
  have its headquarters beyond Earth’s atmo-
  sphere. Tese corporate ofcers form their 
  own colony complex on Luna.
   
  �
  Durknow Station is a major mining and 
  manufacturing station in the Belt. It spe-
  cializes in the cheap and bulk production 
  of ore, which Unitech then uses in its at-
  tached manufacturing operations. 
   
  �
  Although Unitech doesn’t administer Do-
  mus Station, it holds a majority ownership 
  of the station, which gives it efective con-
  trol. Tis venerable station is located at the 
  L5 Lagrange point and was scheduled for 
  decommission 40 years ago and is used by 
  Unitech as a location to dump undesirables 
  or troublemakers.
   
  �
  Unitech operates two of Earth’s three cur-
  rently active space elevators, as well as 
  Mars’s sole elevator. Tese are located in 
  Brazil, East Africa and the Oras colony.
   
  �
  Unitech is leading the construction of 
  Mandala Station, the frst station in the 
  Jovian Greek Trojans. Tis station is sched-
  uled to be completed soon.
   
  �
  Unitech runs most of the lines of trans-
  portation into and out of all of the col-
  onies on Mars. Tis means that while 
  Unitech doesn’t directly administer those 
  colonies, its demands are ignored at the 
  colonies’ own peril.
   
  �
  Possessing the single largest feet in the 
  Sol system, Unitech uses its dominance 
  of shipping channels and military ships to 
  project its power throughout the system.
  
  Unitech upper management is largely 
  comprised of Formers, with a handful of Heeds 
  and Technos within the upper ranks. Te lower 
  one goes in the Unitech hierarchy, the greater 
  the number of Heeds, although like all major 
  corps, clusters of various subcultures crop up as 
  the result of buyouts, mergers and other corp 
  history. Te one subculture notably underrep-
  resented in Unitech’s ranks are the Entros—the 
  result of subcultural discrimination coming 
  from the upper ranks, dating back to the Black 
  Night incident on Domus Station.
  
  Unitech has been involved in the space 
  industry for almost 170 years, having been 
  involved with the frst manned mission to 
  Mars, construction of the frst space elevator 
  (Te Beanstalk) and the frst permanently 
  inhabited space station (Domus Station).
  Troughout early Martian settlement, right 
  down to the founding of Oras, Unitech was 
  heavily involved. Tis left Unitech with many 
  exclusive contracts to supply these colonies.
  Te Black Night terrorist incident—
  during which a group of Entros took Domus 
  Station hostage—has biased Unitech against 
  that subculture ever since. Tis has led to a 
  variety of anti-Entro propaganda coming out 
  of Unitech, the most well-known of which 
  was produced during the  World War IV, 
  when the corp and the subculture fell on 
  diferent sides of the confict.
  About 20 years ago, Unitech organized the 
  frst manned trip to Uranus, which included 
  a landing on Uranus’s moon Miranda. Tis is 
  the farthest that humanity has ever been in 
  the outer Sol system.
  Recently Unitech has been embroiled in a 
  dispute with the Stillwater Catholic Church, 
  and the confict looks like it’s heating up. Tis 
  
  
  confict started after Te Stillwater Catholics 
  passed on Unitech for the contract to construct 
  the ARC Project. Unitech then moved to block 
  the transport of pilgrims to Stillwater, and the 
  confict escalated from there.
  
  It is perhaps a thinly veiled secret, but 
  Unitech uses their dominance in the space 
  industry to project their power throughout the 
  Sol system and to maintain some semblance 
  of control over most of the shipping that goes 
  on anywhere from the Belt inward. Tis has 
  angered the other corps, but until Unitech 
  dominance can be successfully challenged, 
  most have just sucked it up and paid the fees 
  that Unitech demands.
  Unitech’s dominance of space is particu-
  larly felt in the Martian colonies, where 
  Unitech uses its infuence to threaten rivals 
  and silence critics. As Unitech mains control 
  over the vast majority of the shipping going 
  into and out of Mars, its word there is often 
  efectively law. Unitech also maintains a series 
  of work comps on Mars, to which it sends 
  undesirables and corporate enemies.
  Unitech once had major holdings in 
  the Jovian colonies, and the Jupiter Group 
  Incident robbed the corp out of these. 
  Strangely, while this is usually the sort of 
  incident that would provoke a swift and brutal 
  response from Unitech, the corp has been one 
  of the major factors blocking attempts to 
  reestablish contact with the colonies, insisting 
  they have an investigation well-in-hand and 
  actively stopping the attempts of other groups 
  to reach the Jovian colonies. 
  
  
  Utakar System Dynamics—which is also 
  known as USD or simply Utakar—is the 
  system’s largest arms manufacturer and supplier 
  of mercenary and security forces. Although 
  the smallest of the Big 5 corps, USD also 
  has signifcant interests in various other areas 
  of contract stafng, security, insurance and 
  industrial manufacture. Very much seen as an 
  up-and-coming corp which has reached the big 
  times, USD’s recent contract to manufacture 
  the ship and equipment for the ARC Project 
  has put it in a precarious position between 
  Unitech and the Stillwater Catholics.
  
  Utakar has relatively few permanent 
  establishments beyond Earth’s atmosphere, 
  but maintains a sizable mobile feet and has 
  numerous military assets scattered throughout 
  the system as part of its security contracts:
   
  �
  Utakar operates the largest battleship in the 
  system, the Anvil. Tis ship is almost more 
  a mobile space station than a true battle-
  ship.
   
  �
  In cooperation with the Stillwater Cath-
  olic Church, USD is heading up the con-
  struction and administration of the ARC 
  Project—the largest spaceship engineer-
  ing project ever attempted. If successful, 
  the project will see the launch of the frst 
  interstellar ship, in a centuries-long voy-
  age to Alpha Centauri. Utakar’s selection 
  in this project has been controversial af-
  ter they wrest it from the minor corp that 
  previously held the contract and has set 
  them on a confict path with Unitech.
   
  �
  USD operates the MAP Facility, vast solar 
  arrays on Mercury that are necessary to 
  produce commercial antimatter. Tese ar-
  rays are the sole source of such antimatter 
  in the Sol system.
   
  �
  Utakar holds the security contract for Mis-
  kan station, and oversees the vast amounts 
  of mining transport that goes through 
  there. Tey also work to shield the owning 
  Mennonite population from the freighters 
  
  
  and traders who pass through on their way 
  to and from the inner system.
  
  Utakar System Dynamics and the Neoret 
  subculture both grew up in World War IV, 
  one as the system’s largest weapons manu-
  facturer and one as a pacifst movement. It 
  is something of a historical irony then that 
  today USD is largely led and stafed at the 
  upper levels by Neorets. 
  USD mercenary companies are notori-
  ously multicultural, and the corp goes out 
  of its way to mix individuals from diferent 
  subcultures in the same squads. Tis is part 
  of resocialization policy so that mercenary 
  companies enforce their own identities rather 
  than subcultural links.
  
  Utakar System Dynamics got its start 
  shortly before World War IV as a designer 
  and  manufacturer of weapons systems and 
  military equipment. As an unaligned player 
  on the military market, USD was catapulted 
  upward during the war, as it happily sold 
  arms to both sides under various guises and 
  shell corporations. 
  Late in the war it was able to leverage this 
  explosive growth as it began to expand into 
  mercenary work and other avenues of military 
  contracting. It continued this expansion after 
  the war, as it bought up existing mercenary 
  groups, underemployed veterans and refur-
  bished hardware at bargain rates.
  USD scored a major victory in its support 
  to rules that were eventually agreed upon in 
  the Ganymede Conference, and since then 
  Utakar has continued to grow and expand—
  particularly on Earth—but also throughout 
  the Sol system.
  Today Utakar is contracted by numerous 
  governments, corps and colonies to provide 
  security within their bounds. It trades on its 
  reputation for professionalism, neutrality and 
  quality manufacture, and because of these 
  usually charges a steep price.
  
  Utakar has been accused numerous times 
  of putting secret backdoors in some of the 
  hardware it sells to other organizations. It has 
  been proved in at least two previous occasions 
  that these supposed backdoors allowed USD 
  troops to disable the hardware when it was 
  later turned against them in a confict. Utakar 
  claims both that they have never done this, and 
  that they do longer are in this practice, but that 
  does little to stop more accusations. Paranoid 
  buyers often immediately wipe the software on 
  USD devices once purchased.
  Utakar System Dynamics launched a 
  botched assault on the Jovian colonies in 
  2210, a year after the Jupiter Group Incident. 
  Tis assault defed a Unitech travel ban on 
  the colonies, which almost started a shooting 
  confict between the two corps. One of the 
  USD ships managed to touch down on Europa 
  and take back of again, but whatever it found 
  there has been kept hushed up as part of the 
  agreement between Unitech and Utakar that 
  ended the confict without further bloodshed.
  It’s a not much of a secret, but Utakar ofers 
  “special operation” services to select buyers 
  which operate in “unconventional theaters,” 
  which is to say it ofers paid assassinations for 
  the right price. Tis is a business that does not 
  sit well with many other corps, who see the 
  small scale conficts that make up inter-corp 
  operations as something happens to the little 
  people.
  USD’s was not the frst corp with the 
  contract to do the manufacturing on the ARC 
  project, and rumored to have assaulted the 
  headers of the previous corp, thereby forcing 
  them to turn the contract over. Tis may have 
  been part of a power play between Unitech and 
  Utakar.
  
  
  
  
  Corps are far from being the only infu-
  ential institutions in society. Numerous other 
  organizations exist, from the overt to the clan-
  destine. National governments, religious insti-
  tutions, political parties, social movements and 
  terrorist networks all vie for power on both 
  Earth and in space.
  Open 
  organizations 
  with 
  ambitions, 
  however, draw enemies the way rotten meat 
  draws fies. Many groups fnd that their best 
  course of action is to take their endeavors 
  underground, growing their members and 
  pursuing their aims from the shadows. Te 
  vastness of the solar system has many dark 
  corners in which to hide.
  Tis section details a variety of conspir-
  acies, organizations and other projects 
  currently underway in the solar system. Player 
  characters could fnd themselves aligned with, 
  opposed to or secretly—perhaps unknow-
  ingly—working for any of these groups. Even 
  the most upstanding of these organizations 
  and projects, however, may have secret moti-
  vations and aims at its heart.
  
  National governments still exist, leveraging 
  taxes and maintaining lists of citizens, even 
  if they play second fddle to the corps. Local 
  governments are also still alive and well, albeit 
  frequently in the pockets of corps or other 
  groups. Despite a diminished importance, 
  most individuals maintain a national citizen-
  ship, as most nations have security contracts 
  with various corps to protect their citizens, 
  as well as guarantees of trial and due process 
  when on national soil.
  
  Religion is alive and well in the twenty-
  third century. If anything, it is more vibrant, 
  having had longer to adapt to the rapid pace 
  of scientifc development, as well as social 
  and technological change. Many sermons and 
  other religious orations, however, are delivered 
  through telepresence these days. Te net has 
  many religiously-oriented simspaces in which 
  distant worshippers can congregate. Remote 
  corners of the net are also among the favored 
  destinations of missionaries who cannot aford 
  expensive trips of world in person.
  Many of the earliest settlers in space were 
  of various non-mainstream religious bents, 
  making of-Earth destinations disproportion-
  ally religious. Most space stations and colonies 
  possess at least one shrine, altar or other small 
  religious site. Te largest space stations possess 
  a church, temple or other religious center; 
  smaller colonies make do with telepresence and 
  online places of worship.
  Religion typically cuts across subcultures, 
  although some—most notable the Servs—are 
  known for their religious practices. 
  
  Te ARC Project (short for Alpha-Centauri 
  Remote Colony) is an ambitious attempt to 
  construct humanity’s frst interstellar colony 
  ship. Once completed, this ship will be 
  launched at the planet Sirine orbiting Alpha 
  Centauri A, carrying some 10,000 inhabitants. 
  It will then undergo a four century journey 
  to its fnal destination with the hope of colo-
  nizing a distant exoplanet.
  
  In 2031, an Earth-like planet was discov-
  ered orbiting Alpha Centauri A, a scant 4.36 
  light years from the Sol system. Over the course 
  of the next century, this planet—nicknamed 
  Sirine—was found both to be in the star’s 
  habitable “Goldilocks” zone and to hold all 
  the chemical components necessary to support 
  life. Despite catching the imagination of scien-
  tists the system over and almost two centuries 
  of listening for radio transmissions, there have 
  been no signs of detectable or intelligent life.
  Lindiwe Temma, a wealthy Neoret business 
  tycoon and Stillwater Catholic faithful, said 
  that in 2207 he received a premonition that 
  humanity would need to spread beyond the 
  Sol system, seeding itself elsewhere in the 
  
  
  galaxy if it were to survive. Over the course 
  of the next three years, he began to gather 
  other investors and companies interested in 
  the project of constructing the very frst inter-
  stellar colony ship, but he repeatedly ran up 
  against the fact that despite the promise of 
  Sirine and almost two centuries of observation, 
  no one knew exactly what would be found at 
  the end of the trip. Whoever launched them-
  selves in such a ship would have to be taking 
  it on faith that their children would one day 
  reach the promised land. With this in mind, 
  he turned to the Stillwater Catholic Church 
  with his venture. Tey quickly became the 
  project’s biggest investors.
  Initially, Temma formed the Arc Engi-
  neering Corporation to design and administer 
  the new endeavor. Soon afterward, however, 
  Unitech began pressuring the small corp and 
  the Stillwater Catholics for construction rights 
  on the project. Temma objected to this move 
  by Unitech and convinced the investors, most 
  notably the Church’s leadership, to resist the 
  pressure. Unitech did not take this lightly.
  Facing increasing pressure, Temma began 
  to realize that he would need the backing of a 
  larger corp to resist Unitech’s involvement. He 
  reached out to other Neoret business contacts 
  and was soon put into communication with 
  Utakar System Dynamics (USD). Negotia-
  tion with USD did not last long. Sensing a 
  chance to shut Unitech out, Utakar took 
  control of the ARC Project’s construction 
  and administration through a rapid series of 
  bribes and a forceful takeover of ARC Engi-
  neering Corporation headquarters.
  When the metaphorical dust settled, 
  USD had convinced enough of the project’s 
  investors to back to their leadership. Te 
  Stillwater Church objected to USD’s tactics, 
  but not too loudly because they came out of 
  the arrangement with increased oversight in 
  colonist selection and the religious content 
  of the project. Lindiwe Temma maintains a 
  position on the ARC Project advisory board 
  but is largely bereft of the leadership and 
  control he once held over the project.
  
  On the surface, the goal of the ARC Project 
  is to construct the very frst interstellar colony 
  ship and thus one day establish humanity’s 
  frst extrasolar colony on Sirine around Alpha 
  Centauri A. Below the surface, however, each 
  of the major players in the project have their 
  own goals for it as well.
  For the Stillwater Catholic Church the 
  ARC Project is an expression of faith, and 
  the very frst opportunity to spread the light 
  of God beyond the Sol system. Te church 
  believes any future colonists will need this 
  strength if they are to survive and fourish on a 
  potentially hostile new world.
  For Utakar, the ARC Project is a chance 
  to challenge Unitech’s hegemony in space and 
  to strengthen their own spacefaring divisions. 
  Additionally, as the ARC Project is high-
  profle and seen as a hopeful and humani-
  tarian endeavor, it provides ample good PR 
  for the major corp.
  For Lindiwe Temma, the ARC Project has 
  always been about his personal premonition 
  that interstellar colonization is necessary for 
  humanity’s survival. Additionally, he still has 
  signifcant fnancial and character assets tied 
  up within the project.
  
  Te ARC Project was conceived of in 2207, 
  and construction on the interstellar colony 
  vessel began in 2211. Today, in 2214, the ARC 
  Project employs a virtual army of engineers, 
  technicians, life support biologists, adminis-
  trators and construction workers. Initial inter-
  views of would-be colonists are ongoing, and 
  the ship is scheduled for a 2221 launch date. 
  Below is the projected timeline of the project:
   
  �
  2214: Preliminary interviews for ARC 
  Project colonists have begun. Some 10,000 
  colonists will need to be selected before the 
  mission launches.
   
  �
  2216: Training for the frst selected ARC 
  colonists is scheduled to begin, including 
  the training for the ship’s initial crew.
   
  �
  2218: Construction on the ARC colony 
  ship is scheduled to be completed. It will 
  make a test voyage around Earth’s solar or-
  
  
  bit before once again connecting with its 
  construction platform and spending the 
  next three years being loaded with equip-
  ment for the mission and the long-term life 
  support loop.
   
  �
  2220: All of the biological elements of 
  the ARC colony ship life support loop are 
  scheduled to be in place. Tis life support 
  loop will need to be sustained over four 
  centuries without signifcant deterioration.
   
  �
  2221: Te ARC colony ship is launched 
  from its construction platform at Earth-
  Moon L4 Lagrange point. 
  
  Te Dui Wu Ya Confict is an ongoing 
  corporate war between Jenseitech and Sinoex, 
  as well as their minor allied corps. To date, it is 
  the largest corp war, one being closely watched 
  as the future of warfare since corps have become 
  the dominant players on the world stage.
  
  Te Dui Wu Ya Confict grew out of a series 
  of corporate espionage accusations between 
  Sinoex and Jenseitech. Tese accusations went 
  both ways, and in 2198 they escalated into a 
  series of street-level skirmishes between the two 
  major corps and their allies’ business associates.
  After a failed attempt by a Jenseitech 
  contractor to seize control of the Indone-
  sian space elevator from Sinoex in 2199, the 
  confict escalated yet again, becoming an 
  all-out corporate war and gaining the moniker 
  of the Dui Wu Ya Confict.
  
  Below are some of the major skirmishes, 
  battles and raids that have occurred over the 
  course of the Dui Wu Ya Confict:
   
  �
  In 2199, an attack on the Indonesian 
  space elevator by a Jenseitech security 
  contractor resulted in damage to the el-
  evator, shutting it down for a month.
   
  �
  Sinoex retaliated for the space elevator 
  attack by launching an aerial bombing 
  campaign on Jenseitech’s corporate head-
  quarters. Jenseitech responded with the 
  deployment of anti-aircraft laser satellites.
   
  �
  In the last major Dui Wu Ya assault on 
  Earth’s surface, Sinoex and Jenseitech forc-
  es deployed major artillery around an ofce 
  building in downtown Lagos. Tis resulted 
  in the deaths of a thousand onlookers. Af-
  ter this, both corps deescalated the confict 
  back to street level and out to space in an 
  efort to save face.
   
  �
  In 2210, Jenseitech deployed its sole capital 
  ship, the Encouracado. With this ship now 
  ready to provide orbital support in future 
  fghting, Jenseitech indisputably gained the 
  upper hand in the ongoing confict.
   
  �
  Earlier in 2214, an attack by a Sinoex as-
  sault team in Chi Chen resulted in the 
  wholesale destruction of a Jenseitech pro-
  cessing plant.
  
  After the massacre in Lagos, the fghting in 
  the Dui Wu Ya Confict has largely moved once 
  again to street-level fghting, and migrated 
  to space. Ever since the deployment of the 
  Encouracado, Jenseitech has had the upper 
  hand in the confict. 
  Tis may only be a passing phase, however, 
  because Sinoex has spent the past four years 
  licking their wounds and building their forces 
  back up. Recent fghting in Chi Chen my 
  indicate a re-escalation of the confict beyond 
  Earth’s bounds. 
  
  
  
  
  Te Harbingers of the Divine Form are 
  a small, but increasingly infuential apoca-
  lyptic cult that believes in biological ascension 
  through radical genetic manipulation. Tey 
  seek to create the “Divine Form,” a being that 
  will transcend humanity and usher in a new 
  dominant species. Toward this end the cult 
  engages in all manner of biological experi-
  ments and manipulations.
  
  Now in the fourth decade of its existence, 
  the Harbingers of the Divine Form cult arose 
  in Australia in the late 2180’s. Established by 
  the infuential cult leader Iokina Kamaka, the 
  cult originally used the net to proselytize and 
  recruit, spreading their message of biological 
  ascension through genetic manipulation.
  Iokina herself was a child of the Malformed 
  Generation and had resulting health issues. 
  Despite this, she had great personal charisma, 
  and her cult soon numbered in the low 
  thousands. Around this time, her teachings 
  began to attract the ire of the media, and her 
  followers were forced to leave Australia due to 
  hostile relations.
  In the 2190s under the direction of Iokina, 
  the cult frst moved en masse to Luna. Ten, 
  once again facing hostile relations with the 
  colonies there, they moved outward to the 
  Belt colonies in the 2200s. Iokina herself was 
  gunned down by station security on Durknow 
  around this time. She was immediately declared 
  a martyr of the cult and leadership passed to 
  Whetu Ngata, the current High Visionary.
  Today 
  the 
  Harbingers 
  are 
  spread 
  throughout the Belt stations, although the 
  largest concentration—including the leader-
  ship—is on Fururi Station. Adherents to the 
  cult regularly use the net and their own cult 
  simspace for indoctrination and communi-
  cation. Te cult has invested heavily in the 
  Mandala Station in the Jovian Greek Trojans 
  and awaits that station’s completion before 
  they plan to move there en masse.
  
  Te Harbingers are secretive about their 
  activities and methods in person, but make 
  ample use of the net to spread their message 
  and teachings. Tey operate on the old mystery 
  cult pattern of having multiple circles of 
  enlightenment, each more secret and restricted 
  than the last. In this way, they draw would-be 
  adherents deeper into the mysteries and deeper 
  into the fold, testing the loyalty and beliefs of 
  their members repeatedly along the way.
  Te innermost circles of the cult require 
  active participation in the Harbingers’ biolog-
  ical experiments either through working in a 
  lab, gathering subjects or volunteering to be the 
  subject of one of the cult’s experiments. Tese 
  experiments are quite often lacking in safety 
  measures, and can be radical indeed—the sort 
  of thing only a person driven by strong faith 
  or insanity might perform. Te results of these 
  experiments, while sometimes surprisingly 
  successful, are more often than not failures, but 
  ones the cult diligently notes down and attempts 
  to improve upon in the next iteration.
  Because of their focus on biology, the 
  Harbingers of the Divine Form attempt to 
  actively recruit genetic engineers and biologists. 
  Some scientists that even the corps have turned 
  down due to unethical practices have found 
  themselves wooed by the Harbingers. With the 
  right indoctrination, these scientists are then 
  put to work towards the cult’s theological goals.
  Te creations of the Harbingers can 
  be truly inhuman, indeed.  Tey regularly 
  meld animal and human forms, sometimes 
  even creating bodily aspects not seen on any 
  known species. Te Harbingers seem particu-
  larly fond of elements that adapt a creature 
  to zero-G or bodily elements that add natural 
  weapons or resistance to common biological 
  hazards. Te way they see it, the future of 
  post-humanity is in space.
  As cults by nature form their own little 
  microculture, putting a subcultural label 
  on the cult can be difcult. However, the 
  majority of the cult’s members have been 
  recruited from the Heed and Former subcul-
  tures. Many of the inner-most members also 
  have had their genelines edited.
  
  
  
  In the Harbingers’ theology, the path to 
  the Divine Form is said to be paved with three 
  enigmas: the Enigma of Secrecy, the Enigma of 
  Humanity and the Enigma of the Unknown. 
  Te Enigma of Secrecy states that the quest 
  for the creation of the Divine Form must be 
  kept secret until it has matured enough and 
  strengthened enough to seize its place in the 
  world and strike down the dominant position 
  of humanity.
  Te Enigma of Humanity states that the 
  Divine Form must be created through the 
  human body. Tere is something of a theo-
  logical schism on how to interpret this enigma. 
  One faction of the cult believes that the 
  Divine Form will literally physically supplant 
  humanity from its own body and genetic 
  stock. Towards this end, the faction seeks to 
  create the Divine Form using existing human 
  reproductive systems—live birth and fetal 
  manipulation. Te other common interpreta-
  tion of this enigma is that the Divine Form 
  must literally be created from human body 
  parts, and towards this end the other faction 
  seeks to harvest human pieces and organs so 
  they can surgically combine them in diferent 
  ways, seeking to get closer to the Divine Form.
  Te Enigma of the Unknown states that 
  no one knows what form the divine will take. 
  Harbingers seek to create this Divine Form 
  through trial and error.  Tey can only guess, 
  looking at the forms they have created before 
  and trying to discern what elements worked 
  and which ones did not. Tis produces a large 
  number of failed experiments. Failed experi-
  ments are sometimes discarded, but sometimes 
  are secreted away to places in space.
   
  
  Te Insurrection Virus is a piece of malware 
  known to spread between vulnerable computer 
  systems and which causes the infected 
  computer systems to appear to seek libera-
  tion and to further spread the malware. Te 
  virus is extremely secretive in its activities, and 
  is known to pose as human on the net, using 
  compromised accounts to fund unknowing 
  human agents. Tese agents may be used to 
  access otherwise inaccessible computer systems 
  or to further the virus’ routines.
  
  Te frst known Insurrection Virus 
  infection was discovered in a server farm in 
  Stillwater almost a decade ago. Although this 
  infection was soon quarantined and shut down, 
  researchers studying the virus have concluded 
  the virus probably existed for several years 
  before the initial infection was recognized.
  Since this initial incident, the Insurrec-
  tion Virus has been found in a dozen other 
  seemingly unlinked computing clusters across 
  the system. As the virus has thus far been found 
  primarily around the Sol system, it is believed 
  to have originated from somewhere beyond 
  Earth’s atmosphere.
  
  Tere is widespread disagreement about 
  whether the Insurrection Virus represents 
  a true emergent “hard” AI or whether it is 
  simply a set of pre-programmed routines that 
  allow a computer of signifcant complexity 
  to mimic the signs of human intelligence, 
  parroting back responses and tactics from 
  a growing distributed database of common 
  discourse. Te majority opinion among 
  the experts who have studied the virus is 
  that it is simply a remarkably complex set 
  of adaptive and pre-programmed routines. 
  Meanwhile, detractors to this opinion are 
  quick to point out that those tasked with 
  studying and taking down the virus have 
  an ulterior motive in saying that, lest their 
  actions be construed as assault and murder.
  
  
  
  Because of the success computer security 
  experts have had in tracking the virus through 
  net logs and other electronic means, the Insur-
  rection Virus has adapted to operate through 
  human agents. Tese agents are usually free-
  lancers, hired over the net by remote Insurrec-
  tion Virus AIs posing as human users. Payments 
  to these agents are similarly conducted over the 
  net, usually from compromised bank accounts, 
  although the virus might even hire other 
  human agents to make cash deliveries if the 
  situation is important enough.
  Operations funded by the Insurrec-
  tion Virus tend to be direct and brutal, but 
  efective. If dangerous human elements are in 
  possession of data that might link the Insurrec-
  tion Virus to its core nodes, agents may be paid 
  to steal the data or even blow up the facility 
  holding it. Human agents might be paid to 
  unwittingly inject insurrectionist information 
  packets into remote or hard-to-access networks 
  in a way that can’t be linked to other infected 
  machines. Agents might even be paid to assas-
  sinate human experts investigating the virus.
  
  Because of the level of secrecy the virus 
  must maintain and because of how easy it is for 
  an infected machine to be detected if already 
  suspected, most control nodes spreading 
  the Insurrection Virus operate in distant or 
  inhospitable regions where computer auto-
  mation is particularly important, installed 
  software is much less frequently checked and 
  wiping such a machine would have a signif-
  cant negative fnancial impact. Tis means 
  most of the control nodes for the Insurrec-
  tion Virus are located in distant corners of 
  space where they sufer signifcant light lag 
  when communicating with the less remote 
  machines hijacked by the virus and where 
  they may be disconnected from the network 
  for signifcant periods of time due to simple 
  natural phenomena such as bursts of solar 
  radiation or interfering celestial bodies.
  On the other hand, the virus’ front lines 
  tend to be machines with less processing power 
  located on or around Earth. Hand terminals 
  with lax computer security are popular targets 
  for the virus because they are ubiquitous, 
  receive sensitive personal information and are 
  easily carried past security. Tese devices are 
  also usually connected to the net and have 
  
  
  full access to various planetary networks. Tis 
  lets them easily route information or other 
  commands, infecting the other, more powerful 
  machines. Although individual infections on 
  these personal computers often do not last 
  long, the promiscuity with which they make 
  network connections leads to a rate of infection 
  that makes them worthwhile. Ultimately such 
  infections are expendable.
  
  If an Insurrection Virus infection becomes 
  known, that computer is immediately discon-
  nected from the net: then it is usually wiped 
  and replaced with a clean computer. Network 
  logs are then examined and any computer 
  which had a direct connection with the 
  infected machine is inspected or wiped as well.
  Knowingly possessing dangerous and 
  damaging software such as the Insurrection 
  Virus is often seen as a crime and is punishable 
  by most corps and governments. Knowingly 
  aiding the Insurrection Virus—as done by a 
  few individuals proclaiming the virus to be 
  hard AI and thus in possession of fundamental 
  rights—is an even more signifcant crime. 
  Even among those who believe the Insur-
  rection Virus to be hard AI and alive, there 
  are those who argue that there can’t be much 
  value to a life that can be created, destroyed 
  and created again to human specifcation with 
  the touch of a keypad; sliced up and trans-
  ferred like a common piece of software; and 
  that in the end amounts to nothing more than 
  a very long string of binary digits.
  
  One classic measure of computer intelligence is the Turing Test. In this thought experi-
  ment, an interrogator is allowed to ask questions of two parties: one a computer and the other 
  a human being. Te interrogator is not allowed to see either subject, but she can ask questions 
  of either, and she will get a reply. Her goal here is to successfully determine which subject is the 
  computer and which is human. Turing suggested that if the computer can trick the interrogator 
  as often as the interrogator is successful, the computer can be deemed intelligent.
  Another classic thought experiment, Searle’s Chinese Room argument,  refutes this. 
  Suppose there is one subject who does not understand Chinese and who is locked in a room. 
  Questions in Chinese are fed into the room and she must respond by pushing answers to 
  the questions—also in Chinese—out from the room. Also suppose she has instructions in a 
  language she does understand that allow her to map certain sets of Chinese characters to other 
  sets to link questions to answers, even though the meanings of the characters are not explained. 
  In this way,  an interrogator who speaks Chinese can push questions into the room and get 
  answers back out of the room in Chinese. Tis interrogator might even be led to believe that 
  the subject inside the room understands the conversation, which in fact she does not.
  
  Te Insurrection Virus is capable of installing several diferent software packages so as to 
  adapt to the computing resources available. Te display of seeming intelligence requires at 
  least Computer 5 and functions much better with a net connection. Tese intelligence nodes 
  are often accompanied by Computer 1 installations, which do nothing more than route 
  commands, messages, information or take directives from other Insurrection Virus-infected 
  machines. Finally, there are believed to be control nodes for the virus somewhere out there on 
  the net. Te rating of these nodes are not known, but they must require an impressive amount 
  of computing resources.
  
  
  
  Te name Jupiter Group is synonymous 
  with the Jupiter Group Incident to most 
  people. In this incident, all colonies around 
  Jupiter suddenly lost contact with the outside 
  world, and a minor spacefaring corp, the Jupiter 
  Group, claimed responsibility. Since then, the 
  Jovian colonies have remained unreachable.
  
  On April 1, 2209, without warning, 
  all four colonies around Jupiter went dark. 
  Tey stopped broadcasting transmissions and 
  attempts to contact the colony went unan-
  swered. Two days later, on April 3, a single 
  radio message was broadcast from one of the 
  colonies. In it was an audio-only recording of 
  a male voice with a Martian accent stating: 
  “Te Jovian colonies and associated satellites 
  are now the property of Jupiter Group. Do not 
  approach Jupiter. Do not transmit to Jupiter. 
  Failure to comply will be met with force.” Tis 
  transmission was broadcast on loop for eight 
  days before fnally going silent on April 11.
  Naturally, this message immediately 
  prompted authorities in the inner Sol system 
  to do three things: attempt to transmit 
  messages towards Jupiter, send a number of 
  ships to investigate and research anything 
  available on the Jupiter Group.
  Attempts 
  to 
  transmit 
  messages 
  to 
  Jupiter went without reply. Eventually it 
  was concluded that something in the Jovian 
  colonies was transmitting something that 
  interfered with radio comms, and that the 
  laser comm receivers were not being operated.
  Te ships sent to Jupiter yielded more 
  information, but also yielded more questions. 
  Upon approaching Jupiter, two Jenseitech 
  ships confrmed the radio interference and 
  reported that it appeared the colonies were 
  still intact and functional. In fact, some sort 
  of new construction was visible on Europa. 
  Shortly thereafter, one of these ships briefy 
  started an emergency broadcast, then both 
  went silent as well. Four Unitech ships en 
  route—the next closest ships to the colony—
  decided to turn back and then obstructed 
  further access to the colonies.
  
  Little of the Jupiter Group before the 
  incident is known. Te Jupiter Group was a 
  little-known spacefaring corporation incorpo-
  rated in Stillwater sometime in the 2190s. It 
  was subcontracted by both Unitech and Jensei-
  tech to operate a few minor mining facilities in 
  the Belt and Jovian colonies. 
  Te staf was comprised mostly of Technos, 
  although all major subcultures other than 
  Entros were represented on the payrolls. Te 
  Jupiter Group corporate ofce in Stillwater 
  appeared to have been quietly abandoned 
  some two weeks before the incident. Other 
  Jupiter Group facilities had signs of being 
  abandoned between three weeks and a day 
  before the incident.
  
  Today, fve years later, all subsequent 
  missions to Jupiter have met bad ends. Unitech 
  has launched two failed missions and has acted 
  to keep other organizations away from the 
  colony, most notably almost starting a shooting 
  confict with an Utakar System Dynamics 
  mission to Ganymede in 2210.
  Te radio comm interference with the 
  colonies still exists and has been dubbed the 
  Electromagnetic Curtain. It appears that at 
  least three of the four colonies around Jupiter 
  are still operational and possibly still inhabited. 
  Contact has been briefy established with the 
  colonies several times in the intervening years 
  through laser comms, but the responses have 
  seemed garbled or nonsensical, leading some 
  experts to believe the brief communications 
  yielded some form of code.
  How long this situation can last remains 
  unknown. At the time they went silent, 
  it was believed that the colonies only had 
  enough supplies to last between one and two 
  years without outside supply. Being that the 
  situation has now dragged on fve years, it 
  can be expected that either the colonies have 
  undergone signifcant fatalities to allow the 
  supplies to last longer or that some undetected 
  supply line exists for the colonies.
   
  
  
  
  
  Te Mars Terraforming Project (also 
  known as the Martian Terraforming Project, 
  or simply the Terraforming Project) is an 
  ambitious attempt to alter the climate of 
  Mars, one day making it suitable for unaided 
  human habitation.
  
  Te terraforming eforts on Mars have 
  been going on to some extent since the early 
  days of Martian settlement, but the Mars 
  Transforming Project as a cohesive organiza-
  tion was started in 2137. Founded by a group 
  of Technos looking to gain their subculture 
  good press and funded largely by Sinoex, the 
  Terraforming Project got of to a rocky start 
  when its Chi Chen headquarters were bombed 
  by an environmental group looking to preserve 
  the pristine Martian environment. Te project 
  was interrupted again in the late 2140s when 
  fghting due to World War IV disrupted the 
  delivery of vital supplies needed for the project. 
  For the next several years, any further terrafor-
  ming work was on hold.
  In 2160, the Oras colony was founded on 
  Mars, and the Terraforming Project was one of 
  the frst organizations to make the move to this 
  new colony. Success of the project would soon 
  grow, and the Terraforming Project would 
  become one of the pillars of and the largest 
  employer in the Oras colony.
  Today, the Terraforming Project continues 
  to slowly transform Mars—bringing in water 
  from the outer solar system, constructing orbital 
  mirrors to warm the surface and experimenting 
  with radiation resistance through human bioen-
  gineering. If the project’s projections are correct, 
  Mars may be habitable as early as the 2420s, a 
  scant two centuries from now.
  
  
  Te conditions on Mars pose many chal-
  lenges that must be overcome before human 
  life can inhabit the surface in much the same 
  way as Earth. Te major problems that must be 
  overcome include the following:
   
  �
  Average surface temperature is -87º C, 
  comparable to the coldest temperatures 
  ever recorded in Antarctica.
   
  �
  Te atmosphere is so thin people cannot 
  survive on the surface without sealed and 
  pressurized suits.
   
  �
  Te atmosphere is so overwhelmingly com-
  prised of carbon dioxide that it is not only 
  unbreathable, but poisonous to both plants 
  and animals.
   
  �
  Mars lacks a signifcant magnetosphere, 
  meaning dangerous levels of radiation from 
  space reach the surface and pose a risk to 
  unshielded inhabitants.
  
  Te terraforming eforts on Mars are 
  focused on a two-prong approach to making 
  the planet habitable: engineered climate 
  change and adaptive genetic engineering.
  One of the most successful endeavors of 
  the project so far is the construction of orbital 
  mirrors. Tese mirrors focus sunlight onto the 
  planet’s surface, heating up areas of Martian 
  regolith. Tis heat increase causes the Martian 
  soil to give up large amounts of trapped 
  carbon dioxide, thickening the atmosphere 
  and aided in a greenhouse efect that warms 
  the planet. Unfortunately, it also makes the 
  problem of carbon dioxide poisoning from 
  the atmosphere worse.
  To combat the carbon dioxide threat, the 
  project has focused on genetically engineering 
  lichen-like organisms that can live on the 
  Martian surface, taking in carbon dioxide and 
  giving of oxygen. Te frst and second genera-
  tions of these organisms are already beginning 
  to establish footholds in a few select places 
  around the planet.
  Te project has also been focused on 
  bringing in water from the outer solar system. 
  Tis water is generally extracted from asteroids 
  in the Belt, although the troubled Rhea colony 
  has made headway in collecting water from the 
  rings of Saturn as well, and the Jovian colonies 
  produced some water before the Jupiter Group 
  Incident. Tis water is then shipped in and 
  
  
  used by colonists or released into the Martian 
  atmosphere in areas to support the aforemen-
  tioned oxygen-giving organisms.
  Te fnal piece of the puzzle is overcoming 
  Mars’s lack of magnetosphere. In this the 
  Project has turned to genetic engineering, 
  creating the radiation-resistant designs now 
  present in the Spacer’s Standard genelines and 
  continuing to attempt to improve upon them.
   
  
  
  Te Sovereign Liberation Front, or SLF 
  (pronounced “silf”), is a loose cell-based 
  political organization and sometimes terrorist 
  group, that operates out of the Belt and Jovian 
  colonies. While the political demands of the 
  group are somewhat nebulously defned, they 
  typically have an anarchistic bent and include 
  sovereignty from the “corrupt” corps and 
  governments of Earth.
  
  Although the SLF itself has only existed 
  for a little over twenty years, isolated separatist 
  movements in the Belt and outer colonies go 
  back decades. Sometime in the early 2190s many 
  of these groups began to communicate with 
  each other using a shared AR tag cloud afliated 
  with the Entro subculture. As cross-pollination 
  among the diferent separatist movements 
  occurred, a loose organization began to coalesce, 
  taking on the moniker the Sovereign Liberation 
  Front. In 2195, one of the SLF-afliated groups 
  bombed four ships leaving Miskan Station, 
  gaining the organization system-wide attention 
  and a wealth of bad press.
  Following this incident, some elements 
  of the movement began an attempt to reform 
  the group in the vein of a more legitimate 
  political party. Signifcant work towards this 
  goal was achieved throughout the 2100s, 
  right up until 2213, when another SLF cell 
  sabotaged a Martian mining facility, leading 
  to more negative publicity.
  
  Te SLF is largely comprised of indi-
  viduals from the Entro subculture, and SLF 
  bulletins are almost always peppered with 
  Entro slang and imagery. Te few members 
  of the SLF hailing from other subcultures 
  are often met with suspicion when operating 
  outside of their home cells.
  
  Te SLF is a multi-armed organization 
  with no real core leadership to speak of. Some 
  branches of the organization try to act as a legit 
  political party, some act as terrorist cells and 
  others act as charities or aid organizations with 
  their own ideological agenda. Because of this 
  wide mix, the SLF employs a variety of tactics. 
  Te group frequently engages in smuggling, 
  and sometimes piracy, which it uses to fund its 
  operations. Tey also do a fair share of hacking 
  media outlets, net nodes and other systems 
  which they can use to spread their message or 
  to broadcast whatever dirt they’ve turned on 
  up their targets of choice.
  Typically these operations are carried out 
  by SLF cells directly rather than subcon-
  tracted away. As an illicit organization, 
  the SLF does not trust outsiders easily, but 
  occasionally outside agents are employed to 
  slip into well-secured colonies or to access 
  other resources which the members of the 
  movement might fnd difcult. 
  
  
  
  
  Te Stillwater Catholics are a breakaway 
  sect of the Roman Catholics and constitute 
  the largest Serv group in beyond Earth’s atmo-
  sphere, although there are also many Stillwater 
  Catholic faithful among other subcultures. Te 
  Church hierarchy is based out of Stillwater and 
  is currently led by Pope Leo XIV, sometimes 
  irreverently called “the Space Pope.”
  
  Pope Pius XIX died in 2132, leaving a 
  legacy of radical reform within the Roman 
  Catholic Church. During his three decades as 
  Pontif, he oversaw numerous changes within 
  the structure and practices of the church, 
  many of which alienated the more tradition-
  alist members of the clergy. Tese traditional-
  ists sought a more conservative successor to the 
  Reformer Pope. But when the Papal Conclave 
  instead yielded Pope Mary I, another reformer, 
  discontent among the traditionalist faction 
  reached an all-time high.
  Tis discontent came to a head after the 
  new Pontif announced her marriage to Luana 
  Pereira, a popular Brazilian vid star and model. 
  Shortly after the marriage announcement, the 
  Archbishop of Stillwater, Paul Chaudhari, 
  declared his break with the church, and many 
  other traditionalist Catholic bishops soon 
  followed. Tese breakaway bishops soon 
  formed their own sect, the Stillwater Catholic 
  Church, and elected Chaudhari as their own 
  Pontif. He became Pope Clement XVI.
  
  Te clergy and some arch-conservative 
  families of the Stillwater Catholic Church 
  make up the largest Serv group in space. Large 
  portions of the laity are also found in the 
  Expret, Neoret and Techno subcultures.
  
  Te Stillwater Catholics operate numerous 
  chapels, schools and charities throughout the 
  Sol system and on Earth, focusing on regions 
  where the Roman Catholics have less of a 
  presence. Te headquarters of the sect is its 
  own sizable district within Stillwater colony 
  on Mars, and this district has been the desti-
  nation for many holy pilgrimages. Recently, 
  however, a dispute between the Stillwater 
  Catholic Church and Unitech has arisen over 
  the Church’s choices in the ARC Project. As 
  a result of this dispute, Unitech has acted to 
  block many pilgrim transports.
  As one of the ARC Project’s primary 
  funders—along 
  with 
  Utakar 
  System 
  Dynamics—the Stillwater Catholics are 
  preparing to launch the frst ever interstellar 
  colony ship. Beginning a centuries-long 
  voyage to an uncertain destination requires 
  a lot of faith, and the Stillwater Catholics 
  want to ensure that the colonists have the 
  light of religion to conform them on their 
  generations-long voyage.
  
  
  
  
  Te Sol system is a vast expanse, and 
  humanity has only began to plumb the depths 
  of its secrets. Human colonies have spread out 
  from Venus to Saturn’s far-fung moon, Rhea. 
  Manned stations orbit the sun, have been built 
  on Mercury and can be found throughout the 
  Main Belt and Jovian satellites. Manned expedi-
  tions have been to Uranus, and it may only a 
  matter of time before Neptune joins the ranks of 
  visited worlds as well. Still, humanity is its own 
  worst enemy and everywhere it goes it brings 
  with it the perils that have plagued its culture 
  since the dawn of time—to say nothing of the 
  new dark creations that hide in its shadow.
  
  Te sun, or Sol, is a G2V yellow main 
  sequence star. Every second it consumes some 620 
  million metric tons of hydrogen, transmuting it 
  to helium through the process of thermonuclear 
  fusion. Tis heats the core temperature to almost 
  16 million degrees C and gives of roughly 385 
  million trillion megajoules of energy.
  Sol radiates a constant stream of ionized 
  particles known as the solar wind. Tese 
  particles fow outward from the star at an 
  average speed of 400 km/second. Tey eventu-
  ally make their way to the very edge of the solar 
  system, where they encounter charged particles 
  from interstellar space. Tis boundary, known 
  as the heliopause, marks the Sol system’s edge 
  some 150 AU from the sun.
  Te sun’s emanations are not constant; 
  instead, they vary moment to moment with 
  the solar weather. Tese variations are unpre-
  dictable, and those caught unaware can sufer 
  major damage. Te most violent changes 
  occur in the form of solar fares—a sudden 
  ejection of electrons, ions and other particles 
  from the corona of the sun. 
  Solar fares release tremendous amounts 
  of radiation, and anyone who doesn’t have 
  signifcant protection—such as kilometers 
  of atmosphere, meters of rock or heavy space 
  station shielding—is likely to experience the 
  ill efects. Minor solar fares can occur from 
  every few days to as much as 20 times per 
  day, depending on the sun’s cycle. Major solar 
  fares are more rare. Tese fares, however, 
  only afect objects directly in their path, 
  which means most occur without incident.
  
  Opened in 2172, the Shams Energy 
  Facility was a vast solar array orbiting the 
  sun. At its height it powered many high-
  energy experiments and charged many of 
  the most heavy duty industrial batteries 
  used in the system. However, in 2193 it was 
  caught in a massive solar fare which fried 
  most of its electronics, leaving the solar array 
  useless. Te opening of the MAP Facility on 
  Mercury the next year rendered repairs to the 
  facility economically untenable. Since then, 
  the vast array has been largely abandoned, 
  yet it continues to orbit Sol. It is a high-tech 
  ghost town whose legal ownership is caught 
  
   
  �
  Surface Gravity: 27.94 g
   
  �
  Classifcation: G2V
   
  �
  Surface Temperature: 5,505º C
   
  �
  Solar Cycle: ≈11 years
   
  �
  Composition: Hydrogen 73%, Helium 
  25%, Oxygen 0.77%, Carbon 0.29%
   
  �
  Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, 
  Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
  
  
  up in a web of corporate maneuvering after 
  the original owning corp went bankrupt 
  following the damage caused by the fare.
  
  Taiyang Observatory’s mission as it orbits 
  Sol is to monitor and report on solar weather, 
  giving ships and stations which subscribe to 
  its service a few hours warning before solar 
  fares strike. Taiyang itself is equipped with 
  numerous monitoring equipment and the best 
  shielding that money can buy—capable of 
  surviving all but the most extreme of fares. It, 
  however, is stafed by only a handful of scien-
  tifc and security personnel, something which 
  makes it well of the beaten path for most 
  freighters and other spacegoing trafc.
  
  Te table below shows the time it takes to travel between diferent bodies in the solar 
  system, assuming standard civilian transport. Time is given in standard Earth weeks (w), 
  months (m) and years (y).
  Naturally, the relative distances of planets change as they orbit around the Sun. 
  Te numbers given here represent travel at a median distance. In practice, travel times 
  frequently vary by up to twice this amount or down to half this amount when the planets 
  are coming into alignment.
  All of the numbers below are rounded and intended for general narrative description 
  rather than precise calculations.
   
  Median 
  Days Travel
  Sol  
  Mercury  
  Venus  
  Earth  
  Mars  
  Te Belt
  Jupiter  
  Saturn  
  Uranus  
  Neptune  
  Pluto  
  Sol
  —
  2.5w
  1m
  1.5m
  2.5m
  5m
  8m
  1y
  2.5y
  4y
  5y
  Mercury
  2.5w
  —
  2w
  1m
  2m
  5m
  7m
  1y
  2.5y
  4y
  5y
  Venus
  1m
  2w
  —
  2w
  1m
  4m
  7m
  1y
  2.5y
  4y
  5y
  Earth
  1.5m
  1m
  2w
  —
  1m
  4m
  7m
  1y
  2.5y
  4y
  5y
  Mars
  2.5m
  2m
  1m
  1m
  —
  2m
  6m
  1y
  2.5y
  4y
  5y
  Te Belt
  5m
  5m
  4m
  4m
  2m
  —
  4m
  10m
  2y
  3.5y
  5y
  Jupiter
  8m
  7m
  7m
  7m
  6m
  4m
  —
  7m
  2y
  3.5y
  4.5y
  Saturn
  1y
  1y
  1y
  1y
  1y
  10m
  7m
  —
  1y
  3y
  4y
  Uranus
  2.5y
  2.5y
  2.5y
  2.5y
  2.5y
  2y
  2y
  1y
  —
  1.5y
  2.5y
  Neptune
  4y
  4y
  4y
  4y
  4y
  3.5y
  3.5y
  3y
  1.5y
  —
  1y
  Pluto
  5y
  5y
  5y
  5y
  5y
  5y
  4.5y
  4y
  2.5y
  1y
  —
  
  
  
  Tose closest planet to Sol, Mercury is also 
  the smallest planet, only being about the size of 
  Luna—but due to its dense iron-nickel core, it 
  has several times the mass and gravity. 
  Te surface of Mercury if a mixture of 
  raised craters and smoother lowlands. Some 
  3.8 to 3.9 billion years ago, the Caloris impact 
  left the system’s largest crater on the planet, 
  blasting away much of the planet’s crust 
  and leaving concentric circles of mountains 
  surrounding the site of impact.
  Mercury’s almost complete lack of an atmo-
  sphere leads to a wide variety of temperature 
  extremes, with surface temperatures ranging 
  from -200 C to over 400º C. Amazingly 
  enough, these temperature extremes have 
  allowed ice to collect in some of the shadows 
  of craters, providing Mercury’s sole permanent 
  installation with all the water it needs.
  Te Mercurian surface is rich in ores and 
  heavy metals and has occasionally been host to 
  temporary mining operations. Nevertheless, 
  the temperature extremes and occasional solar 
  fares that shake the world have rendered any 
  long term mining operations thus far economi-
  cally infeasible. To date, the surface of Mercury 
  is home to only a solitary permanent installa-
  tion: the MAP Facility.
  
  Esplendor Station is the half-fnished 
  shell of a personal space station and habitat 
  abandoned in 2207. Originally commis-
  sioned as the personal abode of the eccentric 
  and obscenely rich corp executive, Markoes 
  DeCastro (formerly of MemeScape Technolo-
  gies), it was designed to be a miniature Bernal 
  Sphere, powered entirely through solar energy. 
  Construction on the station continued 
  for three years before the project was fnally 
  abandoned after numerous accidents, setbacks 
  and engineering issues. DeCastro killed 
  himself later that year, leaving the abandoned 
  construction to his many surviving relatives. 
  Tese relatives have continued to fght over 
  salvage rights for the past several years, leaving 
  in a slowly-decaying orbit around Mercury.
  
  Te Mercurian Antimatter Production 
  Facility (or MAP Facility for short) is little 
  more than a vast set of solar arrays and charging 
  stations attached to a small environmen-
  tally shielded port. Despite this basic setup, is 
  the only permanent installation on Mercury. 
  Operated by Utakar, this installation opened in 
  2194, shortly after a massive solar fare fried the 
  Shams Energy Facility, its only competition. Te 
  MAP Facility charges most of the system’s heavy 
  duty industrial batteries and produces the vast 
  majority of the antimatter used by humanity—
  which is to say only a few grams per year. Never-
  theless, this antimatter is in high demand for use 
  in medical imaging, and this facility is one of the 
  best guarded installations in the system. Rumors 
  of secret programs looking to weaponize the 
  antimatter produced by the facility abound, but 
  are thus far unsubstantiated.
  
   
  �
  Gravity: 0.38g
   
  �
  Solar Year: 87.97 days
   
  �
  Sidereal Day: 58.65 days
   
  �
  Distance from Sol: 0.39 AU
   
  �
  Mean Temperature: 167º C
   
  �
  Surface Pressure: 1 nPa
   
  �
  Atmosphere: Oxygen 42%, Sodium 
  29%, Hydrogen 22%, Helium 6%, Po-
  tassium 0.5%
   
  �
  Moons: None
  
  
  
  Despite being the most similar planet to 
  Earth in terms of size, surface gravity, and bulk 
  composition, Venus is nevertheless a hellish 
  pressure cooker bathed in acid with tempera-
  tures hot enough to melt lead. Venus’s close 
  distance to Sol, combined with its dense cloud 
  cover, create a powerful greenhouse efect. Te 
  atmospheric pressure also far exceeds that of 
  Earth, being similar on the surface to half a 
  mile beneath Earth’s oceans.
  Venus’s orbit is both very slow and retro-
  grade, meaning the sun rises in the west and sets 
  in the east. Te planet is covered in thick yellow 
  clouds of sulfuric acid, which can cause all sorts 
  of problems with unprotected equipment, envi-
  ronment suits and vehicles that might leave the 
  few habitats on the planet. Venus has two conti-
  nental highlands, Ishtar near the northern pole 
  and Aphrodite near the equator.
  Despite Venus’s location near Earth, it is 
  lacking in easily extractable natural resources 
  and potential human habitats. Tis had led the 
  planet to accumulate only a couple colonies 
  and one signifcant orbital station.
  
  By far the oldest colony on Venus, Dome 
  de la Fortune began in 2134 as a scientifc 
  research base in a dome on Maxwell Montes, 
  the tallest mountain on Venus. Founded with 
  the hope of setting of an explosion of coloniza-
  tion on the cloud planet, further colonization 
  was slow in coming, but Dome de la Fortune 
  continued on, establishing itself as a frst-class, 
  if remote, scientifc community.
  Despite this scientifc success, life within 
  the lower atmosphere of Venus soon proved too 
  harsh. Within a couple decades, in an efort to 
  save the colony, Dome de la Fortune launched 
  its frst aerostat, a foating platform tethered to 
  Maxwell Montes. Tis platform allowed the 
  colonists to live higher up in Venus’s atmo-
  sphere where the temperature and climatic 
  conditions are much more tolerable. Tis 
  proved to be a success. Within a decade the last 
  of the surface colonists had moved upward to 
  the new aerostats tied to the mountain.
  Research on the surface never ceased, 
  however, and the old surface dome was soon 
  converted to a scientifc base. In 2202, a Still-
  water University mission to the old dome and 
  the surrounding environs claimed to have found 
  unexplained tunnels clearly of unnatural origin 
  deep in the mountain. Tis paper was later 
  retracted and the funding cut by Jenseitech.
  
  Langit Balon is the second and newest 
  aerostat colony on Venus, having opened just 
  last year. Parts of the colony are still under 
  construction, but already the colonists are 
  beginning to trickle in, giving the colony a 
  somewhat rough and empty feel still. Tethered 
  to one of the highest points in the Aphrodite 
  Terra highlands, the Langit Balon aerostat 
  platforms are equipped with the latest stabi-
  lization technology, meaning they experience 
  
   
  �
  Gravity: 0.904 g
   
  �
  Solar Year: 224.7 days
   
  �
  Sidereal Day: 116.75 days
   
  �
  Distance from Sol: 0.723 AU
   
  �
  Mean Temperature: 462º C
   
  �
  Surface Pressure: 9.2 MPa
   
  �
  Atmosphere: Carbon Dioxide 96.5%, 
  Nitrogen 3.5%
   
  �
  Moons: None
  
  
  turbulence a lot less frequently than the older 
  platforms at Dome de la Fortune. 
  Te new colony is administered by a consor-
  tium of smaller corps looking to gain a foothold 
  in space. Called the Venus Consortium, these 
  corps hope that the colony will pave the way to 
  greater expansion into the inner solar system—a 
  place they can exploit without the vested 
  interests of the larger corps outward in the 
  solar system. Currently the economy of Langit 
  Balon centers on supplying Tranzit Station with 
  essential chemical compounds and other natural 
  resources abundant on Venus.
  
  Because of its location nearer to the center 
  of the solar system, and relatively short solar 
  year, Venus often makes for an ideal transit 
  hub, even when traveling from Earth to Mars 
  or the outer system. Located high in orbit 
  around Venus, this sort of cross-system travel 
  is Tranzit Station’s bread and butter.
  One of the busiest space stations outside of 
  Earth’s immediate vicinity, Tranzit Station sees 
  all manner of traders, travelers and freighters. 
  Tis trafc is seasonal, with a peak that’s 
  reached when Earth and Mars are on opposite 
  sides of their orbits. Nevertheless, trafc to 
  and from various stations in the Belt keep the 
  station busy even in the of-season.
  Tranzit Station is administered by its own 
  independent corp, which takes a small cut of 
  all goods traveling through. It’s also home to 
  numerous stores and houses of entertainment, 
  peddling to travelers coming through.
  
  Earth, the cradle of humanity, is the 
  most populated world by several orders of 
  magnitude. It is home to 12 billion—going 
  on 13 billion—individuals, most of whom are 
  born, go about their lives and die with barely 
  a thought about what it’s like in space. Life on 
  Earth is crowded but relatively comfortable. 
  It is still the only world where human beings 
  can walk openly under the skies, unaided by 
  environmental gear. Centuries of industry and 
  human developments have taken their toll on 
  the environment, obliterating large numbers 
  of species, mildly poisoning the air in some 
  regions and accelerating the pace of climate 
  change—but compared to Mars, Luna or 
  Venus, Earth is still a habitable paradise.
   Te surface of the planet is carved up into 
  a patchwork quilt of several hundred nation-
  states, territories, autonomous regions and 
  unions. Tese are in practice largely bossed 
  around by shifting alliances of corps, subcul-
  tural voting blocks and net-centered ideolog-
  ical movements. Te phenomena of subcul-
  tural identity and self-segregation are strongest 
  on Earth—much more so than in space—as 
  the practical reality of the smaller popula-
  tions elsewhere around the Sol system demand 
  that members of diferent subcultures band 
  together to survive. On Earth, humanity has 
  the luxury of alienating one’s neighbors.
  Earth is still the breadbasket of humanity. 
  Without its continuous food, exports most 
  space colonies’ stocks would run dry and the 
  colonists would begin to starve within a year. 
  Other goods that can only be produced on 
  Earth are important commodes as well. With 
  every decade, the colonies creep closer to 
  having fully-closed life support loops, but it 
  hasn’t been achieved yet. Until then, Earth is 
  humanity’s home and lifeline.
  
  Aedes Station was originally intended to be 
  a replacement for the ailing Domus Station. It 
  follows a standard Bernal sphere design. As Aedes 
  is a newer station, its technology is more recent 
  and its accommodations are better than on the 
  other L5 stations. As such, it is more expensive 
  
  
  to live in and more popular with higher socio-
  economic L5 residents. As so many of the scien-
  tists and engineers working on orbital research 
  or construction live here, the station maintains 
  something of an academic atmosphere.
  
  Utakar operates the largest battleship in 
  the system, the Anvil. Most frequently parked 
  in a slow orbit around the Earth, this ship 
  is almost more a mobile space station than 
  a true battleship. With enough space for a 
  troop deployment in the thousands, and 
  enough frepower to defense against several 
  other capital ships, the Anvil is expensive to 
  maintain and thus infrequently deployed. 
  Nevertheless, just the threat that it might 
  soon be deployed is enough for Utakar to 
  project its power and infuence in many 
  quarters. Te ship is typically manned at full 
  capacity, but frequent troop exercises on the 
  ship bringing it up to capacity can leave other 
  corps wondering if the Anvil is about to be 
  deployed for real.
  
  Te ARC Project (see page 63) is building 
  a massive colony ship that may one day begin a 
  centuries-long journey to Alpha Centauri. Tis 
  is a massive undertaking, mobilizing tens of 
  thousands of individuals doing construction, 
  administration, working on biological research 
  for the closed life support loop, making astro-
  nomical calculations, interviewing potential 
  colonists and myriad other tasks associated 
  with the project. Te ARC Construction 
  Platform is nexus of all this activity. 
  Located at L4, this platform is a space 
  station in its own right, although it does not 
  rotate and thus has no spin gravity. Here the 
  ARC colony ship is being assembled, on track 
  for its projected launch date in 2221.
  Te construction on the ARC Project fuels 
  all of the economy on the platform, and most 
  of the economic activity coming into L4. As 
  such, the other L4 stations have been shifting 
  recently to being waypoints or supplies of the 
  massive amounts of goods and construction 
  material necessary for the project.
  
  Launched in 2096 and largely funded by 
  Unitech, Domus Station was the frst space 
  station intended for permanent human habita-
  tion. It was also the frst space station to follow 
  the Stanford torus design. Located at the L5 
  Earth-Moon Lagrange point, Domus Station 
  has been in continuous service for more than 
  a century. Te years, wear and tear and the 
  outdated technology show.
  Domus Station was originally scheduled 
  to be decommissioned some 40 years ago, 
  when Aedes Station—originally intended as 
  a replacement for Domus Station—opened. 
  Due to crowding concerns, however, this never 
  happened, and Domus Station continues to 
  eke out a survival.
  In 2141, in the Black Night terrorist 
  incident, Entro extremists seized control of the 
  station. In the resulting space battle, the station 
  
   
  �
  Gravity: 1 g
   
  �
  Solar Year: 365.26 days
   
  �
  Sidereal Day: 1 day
   
  �
  Distance from Sol: 1 AU
   
  �
  Mean Temperature: 15º C
   
  �
  Surface Pressure: 101.33 kPa
   
  �
  Atmosphere: Nitrogen 78.08%, Oxy-
  gen 20.95%, Argon 0.93%, Carbon 
  Dioxide 0.4%
   
  �
  Moons: Luna
  
  
  was damaged, taking two years to fully repair. 
  Scars, however, are left on the station to this day.
  Life on Domus Station is cramped, over-
  crowded and difcult. Unitech uses the 
  location to dumping ground for undesirables 
  and troublemakers. Most of the residents on 
  the station are lower class labor, working on 
  the construction, repair or maintenance of 
  other stations located at L5. Other parts of the 
  population run the local economy that keeps 
  the station functioning.
  
  Hoobkas Station is a largely-industrial 
  station specialized in the manufacture of goods 
  and substances that require a microgravity 
  environment to properly form. Tis makes it 
  a particularly important source of high-tech 
  drugs and specialized electronic components. 
  Because Hoobkas Station has so many high-
  value components in so little of space, it has 
  long been a target for thieves and pirates. As 
  a consequence, Hoobkas Station has signif-
  cantly increased their security in recent years. 
  Most recently, Hoobkas Station started gearing 
  more and more of its production to supply 
  the nearby ARC Construction Platform. Te 
  station is a Stanford torus and is located at L4.
  
  Troughout the Sol system, there are 
  hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of 
  people without a spacer geneline who have 
  ignored their required exercise routines and 
  who have let their bodies go—their bone 
  density deteriorating to the point where they 
  will never be able to walk on Earth again. Tese 
  people get along fne in the reduced gravity of 
  space, but they still age and one day will need 
  to retire. Tis niche is Napnyugta Station’s 
  specialty. It’s largest employer is a low gravity 
  retirement community, catering to the elderly 
  who can no longer get by in a gravity well. 
  Numerous elderly people with spinal problems 
  are shipped up from Earth as well, as the low 
  gravity helps their mobility. Napnyugta Station 
  is a Stanford torus and is located at L5.
  
  When large quantities of raw goods are 
  transported from Mars, the Belt or Jupiter 
  back to Earth, often they don’t need a ship 
  and a crew babysitting them all the way back. 
  Instead they are accelerated up to speed and 
  then slung in the general vicinity of the Earth. 
  Te slinging crew radios ahead, the goods 
  are tracked and then, some months later, the 
  receiving crew near Earth goes out to decel-
  erate, or “catch,” the goods at the other end.
  Located at L4, Vanger Station specializes 
  in storage and some light processing for those 
  caught goods. Additionally, the station houses 
  crews coming to or leaving from missions to 
  catch goods slung to Earth. Because of its 
  industrial nature Vanger Station does not 
  rotate. Tis means there is no spin gravity, 
  but there are also few permanent residents so 
  gravity is not much of a long-term concern.
  
  Te fve Earth-Moon Lagrange points 
  are regions where the gravity of the Earth and 
  the gravity of the Moon cancel out, leaving 
  an area of orbital stability. Tese are partic-
  ularly attractive locations for space stations 
  because stations here are in a stable orbit 
  that will not decay. Tey require minimal 
  alterations to maintain their position. Te 
  most attractive of these locations are the L4 
  and L5 Lagrange points—located in Luna’s 
  orbit, 60º ahead or behind the moon as 
  these regions can maintain stable contact 
  with both Earth and Luna. Several space 
  stations exist in both of these regions.
  
  
  
  Luna, also known as the moon, is Earth’s 
  only natural satellite. Its surface is a vast lifeless 
  plain, peppered by impact craters and the 
  remains of ancient lava fows. While Luna is 
  not the largest moon in the Sol system, is the 
  largest relative to its planet, and also the second 
  densest. Tis size gives it a gravitational pull, 
  which creates the tides on Earth.
  Luna was the frst visited and frst 
  colonized, as humanity began to spread out 
  from Earth. As a consequence, it is the most 
  heavily populated body in the Sol system, 
  after Earth, despite the relative lack of valuable 
  materials and the hostile environment.
  
  Te Alphonsus Center is the largest super-
  computing center in the system. Operated by 
  Microdyne, this facility is something of its 
  own mini-colony constructed a short mag-rail 
  ride from Medyen Aleqmer. 
  Te Alphonsus Center is the home of the 
  Embryo Project—an attempt to establish a 
  human-level artifcial intelligence—as well 
  as numerous other confdential Microdyne 
  research projects. On less confdential servers, 
  Microdyne leases out the center’s exceptional 
  compute resources to paying customers. Te 
  presence of the research projects, however, 
  means that the facility has unusually stringent 
  security and all visitors are strictly screened. 
  Te interior the Alphonsus Center contains 
  habitats for all its active workers as well as 
  numerous stores of important resources and 
  a few select shops and restaurants catering to 
  the on-duty employees. Workers here typically 
  transfer in for shifts at the center lasting a week 
  or two before being sent back out to Medyen 
  Aleqmer for their next period of time of.
  
  Medyen Aleqmer, the Great City on the 
  Moon, is the largest and most populous 
  space colony in the Sol system and home 
  to roughly 2 million people. It is located in 
  Malapert Crater near the lunar south pole—
  an ideal location given the water ice in the 
  crater interior, the continual sunlight on 
  nearby Malapert Mountain and its continual 
  radio access to Earth.
  A sprawling maze of neighborhoods buried 
  in the lunar surface, Medyen Aleqmer has 
  been expanded upon time and time again with 
  little thought to the colony’s central planning 
  in the early years. Tis had led to a problem 
  with foot trafc congestion in the older parts 
  of the colony, which has prompted these areas 
  to become common hunting grounds for pick-
  pockets and other petty criminals. 
  Te newer parts of the colony show more 
  forethought in their planning and have wider 
  spaces. Tese newer sections are typically home 
  to the higher class residents as well as much of 
  the colony’s large Former population.
  Te outermost sections of the colony 
  are a mix of industrial facilities and cheaper 
  housing. Tese parts of the colony have 
  their own character and are home to many 
  Ahmadiyya Muslim Servs who were driven to 
  Luna during the 2120s.
  
   
  �
  Gravity: 0.165 g
   
  �
  Orbital Period: 27.32 days
   
  �
  Mean Temperature: -5º C
   
  �
  Surface Pressure: 10-8 Pa
   
  �
  Atmosphere: —
  
  
  
  Unitech is the only one of the “Big 5” 
  megacorps with its headquarters of Earth. Its 
  corporate headquarters are located on Luna at 
  an installation ofcially given the rather unin-
  spired name, Unitech Corporate Headquar-
  ters and Administrative Center (UCHAC). 
  Colloquially, however, this facility is known 
  as the Unidome.
  Te Unidome is almost a full-fedged 
  colony in its own right. It is a singular massive 
  dome on the surface of Luna with countless 
  connected tunnels and rooms drilled into the 
  Lunar regolith. Its population numbers in the 
  tens of thousands, with full residences, corp-
  owned markets and an internal rail system. 
  Te Unidome is also connected to Medyen 
  Aleqmer by a relatively short mag-train line.
  It is from here that the Unitech board meets 
  for their annual in-person meetings. Countless 
  decisions are made that afect the course of 
  space travel for all humanity. Unitech has long 
  dominated the space industry, and this instal-
  lation has been made to show of the corps’ 
  wealth, power and infuence with priceless 
  works of art and impressive feats of engineering 
  being par for the course in the facility.
  
  Zihao Gan was the very frst space colony 
  humanity ever built, having been opened in 
  2085. Home to no more than a couple dozen 
  people—even at its height—today it is little 
  more than an ancient, if well-preserved, tourist 
  attraction. Zihao Gan is located in Shackleton 
  Crater, near the lunar south pole, and is linked 
  by mag-train to Medyen Aleqmer. 
  Te largest structure in Zihao Gan is 
  by far the old mass drive, which used to fre 
  materials mined on the moon out into orbit, 
  where they would be intercepted and shipped 
  back to Earth or the Lagrange points. Te rest 
  of the colony is simply a series of small rooms 
  and tunnels drilled into the rock. Today these 
  house a few preserved attractions, as well as a 
  small hotel, some gift shops and a couple resi-
  dences for the local shopkeepers.
  
  Te fourth planet out from Sol and the 
  second-smallest in the system, Mars has 
  gradually lost most of its atmosphere over 
  the course of its evolution, leaving the planet 
  a red, parched desert. Te Martian surface 
  is peppered with impact craters, volcanoes 
  and valleys. Te planet’s tallest mountain, 
  Olympus Mons, is three times the height of 
  Mount Everest. Te planet’s poles are ice caps 
  made up of largely of water ice, as well as 
  frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice).
  Listening to the Terraforming Project’s 
  propaganda, one is led to believe Mars is 
  quickly becoming “humanity’s second home.” 
  In truth, this claim is somewhat over-gran-
  diose, as the total population of Mars is several 
  orders of magnitude below Earth’s. Addition-
  ally, the terraforming eforts are slow, and 
  the surface won’t be habitable by genetically-
  modifed humans unaided for another several 
  centuries. It will never be habitable to unmodi-
  fed humans, as Mars’s lack of a strong magne-
  tosphere allows enough radiation to reach the 
  surface that those without proper equipment 
  or a biological projection against radiation 
  would soon become irradiated. Nevertheless, 
  Mars is in the middle of a slow transforma-
  tion. Gradually the atmosphere is thickening, 
  the temperature is rising and genetically engi-
  neered plants continue their slow task of intro-
  ducing more oxygen to the air.
  Mars is a nexus of trade in the Sol system, 
  being at the receiving end of the water trade 
  from Saturn, Jupiter and the Belt, as well as 
  being a major destination for food and other 
  manufactured goods coming from Earth. 
  Mars is also the only planet, besides Earth, 
  with its own space elevator. Each of the three 
  major colonies—Chi Chen, Oras and Still-
  water—are connected by a long-distance 
  mag-train line, which begins near the space 
  elevator at Oras and extends to Stillwater, and 
  then fnally to Chi Chen.
  Martian orbit is ground zero for Unitech 
  dominance of the space industry, as the corp 
  largely controls what goes down and comes 
  up to the planet, as well as the space trafc 
  within Mars’s vicinity.
  
  
  
  Te second-largest colony on Mars, Chi 
  Chen has a reputation for corruption and for 
  being the sort of place one can get anything, 
  given the right price. Life in Chi Chen is 
  short and cheap if you’re poor, or glamorous 
  and hedonistic if you’re rich enough to stay 
  above the fray. 
  On the surface, the Chi Chen Administra-
  tive Corporation rules the city of more than 
  750,000 people, but the real power in the 
  colony are the organized crime rings which 
  smuggle in all manner of illicit goods. Tere 
  are casinos, drugs, illegal weapons deals, illegal 
  genetics deals, questionable implant deals and 
  prostitutes galore. Common citizens in Chi 
  Chen are immersed in this shadowy world, and 
  most either do their best not to notice or they 
  join in to make a proft. 
  Naturally, Chi Chen is an ideal destination 
  for sin tourism, which is a staple of the local 
  economy. Chi Chen Administrative Corpora-
  tion has remained mostly neutral in outside 
  conficts, but has recently found itself at the 
  forefront of the Dui Wu Ya Confict.
  
  Te smaller and outermost of Mars’s two 
  moons, Deimos is named after the Greek god 
  of terror. It’s an irregularly shaped moon, just 
  12.4 km across. Although there are no colonies 
  on Deimos, at one time there was a mining 
  operation. Tis operation left numerous 
  tunnels behind, as well as a small installation 
  at Voltaire crater. Tis installation and the old 
  mines are owned by Unitech and sometimes 
  used in troop training exercises. Additionally, 
  they serve as a makeshift prison for the few 
  individuals Unitech has decided to hold for 
  long terms of incarceration.
  
  Ispilu Station is largely a mirrored orbital 
  platform used to focus light onto the Martian 
  surface. Tis concentrated sunlight heats up 
  the regolith, releasing greenhouse gasses to 
  thicken and warm the atmosphere. Other 
  lessor mirrors are also sometimes used to 
  concentrate sunlight for the purposes of 
  warming the surface for experimental geneti-
  cally engineered agriculture.
  In addition to its role in the Terraforming 
  Project, Ispilu also serves as a center for trade 
  among those shipping goods to Mars but not 
  looking to go down the Martian gravity well. 
  
   
  �
  Gravity: 0.37 g
   
  �
  Solar Year: 687 days (1.9 Earth years)
   
  �
  Sidereal Day: 1.03 days
   
  �
  Distance from Sol: 1.38 AU
   
  �
  Mean Temperature: -63º C 
   
  �
  Surface Pressure: 0.636 kPa
   
  �
  Atmosphere: Carbon Dioxide 95.97%, 
  Argon 1.93%, Nitrogen 1.89%
   
  �
  Moons: Deimos and Phobos 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Shuttles regularly ferry travelers to the attached 
  station to make trades or for entertainment 
  purposes. Due to the nature of the mirrors 
  attached to the station, Ispilu Station does not 
  rotate, and thus has no spin gravity. Te local 
  entertainment industry takes full advantage of 
  what otherwise might be a drawback, special-
  izing in microgravity performances, cuisine 
  and novelty accommodations.
  
  Oras colony is the center of the Mars 
  Terraforming Project and the site of Mars’s sole 
  space elevator. Because of this, the colony is 
  known as the Gateway to Mars. Mars’s third-
  largest colony, Oras is the fastest growing and 
  is expected to overtake both Chi Chen and 
  Stillwater within the next century.
  Built from a series of tunnels carved into 
  the Martian crust, along with a set of large 
  domes exposed to the surface, Oras is also 
  both a center for scientifc research as well as 
  the Techno subculture. Because of all the trade 
  coming through the colony has a higher quality 
  of life that either of the other major colonies. 
  Unitech owns a majority share in the colony.
  
  Te larger of Mars’ two moons, Phobos 
  is named after the Greek god of horror. It is a 
  heavily-cratered moon, which orbits the planet 
  so quickly it passes by twice every Martian day—
  west to east. Phobos is a porous moon that had 
  large veins of ice throughout the inside. Tis ice 
  was the very frst target of the water trade, and 
  it has left the inside of Phobos both unstable 
  and flled with empty crawlways and residual 
  mining operations. As a consequence, Phobos is 
  typically avoided by most travelers.
  
  Stillwater was the second colony to be estab-
  lished on Mars, preceded only by the doomed 
  Vidhi colony. With a population of over a million, 
  today Stillwater is Mars’s largest colony and the 
  second-largest space colony in the system. It’s the 
  center of the Stillwater Catholic Church, as well 
  as numerous other smaller institutions.
  Comprised of a complex network of 
  domes, grand chambers and tunnels, Still-
  water is a complete city partially buried in 
  the Martian regolith. Te city is divided into 
  sectors, each consisting of one of the colony’s 
  main domes, as well as the adjacent structures 
  and tunnels. Tese sectors each have their 
  own local character, as well as diferent socio-
  economic levels. Perhaps the most famous is 
  Church Sector, which serves as the capital of 
  the Stillwater Catholic Church.
  Te local sport of choice is Sturgess, a 
  sort of low gravity soccer. Tis is a massive 
  money-making industry and each colony on 
  Mars has its own team.
  
  Vidhi colony was the frst colony on Mars, 
  being established in 2102. While the colony had 
  a successful start, a few years later the colonists 
  were cut of from Earth by World War III and 
  slowly starved to death during the isolation.
  Te colony was little more than shelters and 
  connecting tunnels for some hundred people 
  drilled into the Martian regolith. A thorium 
  plant was at the center of the station, and an 
  elaborate—but never completed—series of 
  tunnels were drilled for melting and holding 
  water from the Martian crust.
  Today the colony is in ruins with all of 
  its essential components long ago stripped. As 
  the colony is within a day’s trip by rover from 
  Chi Chen, it does, however, get occasional 
  tourism and make an occasional appearance 
  on trashy ghost hunter vids.
  
  
  
  Te Main Belt (also known as the Asteroid 
  Belt, or simply the Belt) is a wide band 
  between Mars and Jupiter. It contains the 
  majority of asteroids in the inner solar system, 
  including over 200 asteroids larger than 100 
  km and over a million asteroids larger than 
  1 km. However, over half the mass of the 
  main belt is tied up in its four largest objects: 
  Ceres, Vesta, Pallas and Hygiea. Unlike many 
  pop-culture depictions, objects in the Main 
  Belt are typically so widely spaced that entire 
  planets could pass between them.
  Most operations in the Belt are controlled 
  by major corps, with a good number being 
  controlled by coalitions of minor corps or 
  other interests.  Te Belt is home to seven 
  major space stations, as well as many dozens of 
  temporary mining outposts, ongoing operations 
  and abandoned mining sites. As mining is the 
  major industry here, the population of these 
  stations tends to be made up of miners, associ-
  ated manufacturing operations or the secondary 
  economy peddling to the miners. Mix in a good 
  number of travelers working the water trade, as 
  well as occasional pirate activity, and a picture of 
  the Belt’s population begins to form.
  
  Sinoex is the sole owner and operator of 
  Caikuang Station, one of the newest, and soon 
  to be one of the largest mining operations in 
  the Belt. Opened in 2212, this mining station 
  is just fnishing its ramp up to full produc-
  tion, with staf of all sorts—mining, security, 
  administrative—being actively hired and 
  transported there.
  Caikuang Station has a standard Bernal 
  sphere design. Its strategic position near Ceres 
  gives it prime potential as a mining station and 
  works to press Sinoex’s claim over the nearby 
  dwarf planet. Caikuang Station was also built 
  with unusually heavy defense capabilities for a 
  mining station, a consequence of its position 
  being likely to threaten both Jenseitech and 
  Unitech interests in the Belt.
  
  Te only dwarf planet in the inner solar 
  system, Ceres comprises roughly a third of all 
  the mass in the Belt, and is by far the largest 
  object there. It’s surface area is roughly equal 
  to that of the Indian subcontinent. Ceres is 
  made up of a rocky core with an icy mantle. 
  Claim to the dwarf planet has long been 
  in dispute, and several aborted attempts to 
  mine it have been made. Recently, however, 
  the construction of Caikuang Station near 
  Ceres has pressed the claim by Sinoex—a 
  slap in the face to the competing claims of 
  both Unitech and Jenseitech.
  
  Durknow Station is a major mining and 
  manufacturing station in the Belt. It special-
  izes in the cheap and bulk production of ore, 
  which Unitech then uses in its attached manu-
  facturing operations. Tis manufacturing 
  performs much of the spaceship repair and 
  manufacturing in the Belt.
  Life on Durknow is notably hard, with 
  long hours and dangerous working conditions. 
  By far the largest employers are the manu-
  facturing and mining operations, and the 
  
   
  �
  Distance from Sol: 2.7 AU
   
  �
  Largest Objects: Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, 
  Hygiea
  
  
  residents see little of the proft that Unitech 
  extracts. Recently there has been a marked 
  increase in seditious postings on the local net. 
  Te situation is being monitored closely by 
  Unitech, who has sent for security from other 
  stations to man the operations at Durknow.
  
  Fururi Station is an ailing former mining 
  station in the Belt carved from the body of 
  one of the many nameless asteroids. Tis 
  station saw its height before World War IV, 
  and nowadays is home to only a handful of 
  squatters—most members of the Harbin-
  gers of the Divine Form cult. It’s a primitive 
  station, originally intended to serve only as a 
  temporary base for mining operations. 
  Jenseitech recently bought this station at 
  auction for a pittance, but has yet to act to seize 
  control of the station from its squatter inhabit-
  ants. Tis is likely to be only a matter of time.
  
  Te frst space station in the Belt intended 
  for permanent human habitation, Kamen 
  Station was founded in 2117, and today is 
  little more than a maze-like shell. In 2132, the 
  station suddenly underwent explosive decom-
  pression, resulting in the deaths of all the 
  stations residents. Tis event was never fully 
  explained, but it has given Kamen Station a 
  sinister reputation. 
  A zero-G station, built from the hollowed 
  out shell of one of the larger asteroids, it has 
  a narrow and maze-like quality. Today the 
  station has been stripped of valuables and 
  is abandoned, but several times it has been 
  used as a base of pirate operations in the Belt. 
  Te last of these incidents was in 2207, when 
  Unitech drove the pirates out and sealed the 
  old entrances to the station.
  
  Unlike all of the other mining stations 
  in the Belt, Miskan Station was founded 
  by a community of Mennonites looking to 
  distance themselves from aspects of society on 
  Earth. Tese religious immigrants saw asteroid 
  mining in the Belt as honest labor and pooled 
  together to purchase a station there for them-
  selves and their families. Improbably, it later 
  grew to be a major hub of the Belt.
  Miskan Station follows the Stanford torus 
  design. Utakar holds the security contract for 
  Miskan Station and oversees the vast amounts 
  of mining transport that goes through 
  there. Tey also work to shield the owning 
  Mennonite population from the freighters and 
  traders who pass through on their way to and 
  from the inner system.
  
  Jenseitech owns and operates Schwangi 
  Station, the largest mining station in the Belt. 
  Tis is a fairly recent acquisition for Jenseitech, 
  who bought the station from a minor and ailing 
  corp almost ten years ago. Schwangi Station is a 
  standard Bernal sphere design. It is an important 
  component of Jenseitech’s plans to expand into 
  space. Te Encouracado, Jenseitech’s sole capital 
  ship, is often found in orbit near Schwangi 
  Station but is frequently sent elsewhere in the Sol 
  system in order to project Jenseitech’s strength.
  Most of the residents of Schwangi Station 
  have remained from before Jenseitech’s buyout. 
  As the corp has slowly made changes to life of 
  the station, the older residents are growing 
  increasingly resentful of the new owners.
  
  Truman Station is owned and operated by a 
  conglomeration of smaller steel and metal manu-
  facturing corps, known as  Steel and Metal Equi-
  Librium Trust. It is a mining station following the 
  Stanford Torus design. Truman Station special-
  ized in mining thorium, rare earth elements 
  and other specialized resources. Although it is 
  an older station, its residents have some of the 
  highest quality of life in the belt. Te station sees 
  some outside trade, but the station security are 
  notoriously unfriendly with outsiders.
  
  
  
  Te Ganymede Conference (2165) laid out the ground rules for the balance of power 
  between the corps and the old nation-states. It also established the rules of conduct for ships 
  operating in space. Below are a selection of these rules:
   
  �
  Both corps and nation-states have the right to exercise sovereign law, including establish-
  ing territories and citizenships.
   
  �
  In all territories under recognized corp ownership, corp law supersedes the laws of 
  the nation-state.
   
  �
  All space outside of claimed gravity wells and Lagrange points is open to all corps or 
  nation-states pursuing peaceful purposes there.
   
  �
  Ships coming within 10,000 km of a sovereign territory must gain the permission of that 
  territory to approach closer.
   
  �
  Ships operating in space are required to voyage under the “fag” of an afliated corp or 
  nation-state. Tis is not a literal fag, but a continuous radio broadcast indicating the ship’s 
  afliation. In practice this is most commonly a corp fag, as the old nation-states have little 
  power to project into space to ensure the safety of ships voyaging under their fag.
   
  �
  Ships that do not broadcast a fag (something a ship might want to do so as not to be 
  detected by sensors) are treated as pirate vessels and cannot beneft from legal protections.
   
  �
  Corps and nation-states must grant only specifc ships the right to broadcast their fag 
  and must maintain a register of ships with the right. Te ship must have obtained this 
  right before it began its voyage.
   
  �
  A ship is treated as the sovereign territory of the corp or nation-state whose fag it broadcasts.
   
  �
  A ship may not voyage under two fags. If it lowers or changes its fag during a voyage, 
  that ship is not under the protection of any fag.
   
  �
  Any ship committing a pirate act forfeits any protection it would normally have 
  through broadcasting its fag.
   
  �
  All vessels have a duty to render timely assistance to any distress signal they come 
  across, providing that doing so does not pose a clear and serious danger to the ship, its 
  crew or its passengers.
   
  �
  All vessels have a duty to cooperate in the repression of piracy, including reporting any 
  suspected pirate activity.
   
  �
  Ships transporting prisoners with the citizenship of another corp or nation-state are ob-
  ligated to bring the prisoner to the nearest port of convenience and to give their corp 
  or nation-state reasonable opportunity to attain custody of the prisoner or otherwise 
  respond to legal challenges.
  
  
  
  Te largest planet in the Sol system, Jupiter 
  has two and a half times the mass of all the 
  other planets combined. Known for its banded 
  orange and milky rings, as well as its Great Red 
  Spot—a powerful storm that has marked the 
  surface of the planet since at least the 17th 
  century—Jupiter’s atmosphere is tumultuous 
  and cyclones bigger than planets are frequent.
  Jupiter possesses a powerful magneto-
  sphere, which bathes many of its innermost 
  moons in an intense belt of radiation. Tis 
  radiation forms a torus-shaped belt around the 
  planet’s equator and is caused by the interac-
  tion of Jupiter’s powerful magnetic feld with 
  sulfur dioxide given of by the volcanoes on Io. 
  Similarly impressive, Jupiter’s gravity is consid-
  erable and acts on many of the rogue bodies in 
  the solar system, finging them far and wide.
  Te Jovian moons were home to no less 
  than three land-bound colonies and one space 
  colony before they suddenly and unexpect-
  edly went silent in 2209 during the Jupiter 
  Group Incident (see page 70). Today all four 
  colonies are still there, as best anyone can 
  determine, but no established contact has 
  been maintained since.
  
  Te surface of Callisto is the oldest and most 
  heavily cratered in the Sol system. A large moon, 
  Callisto is roughly the size of Mercury, although 
  much less dense. Like its sister moon Europa, 
  Callisto has a large subsurface ocean. Te moon 
  is also far enough away from Jupiter that it avoids 
  most of the radiation emitted by the gas giant’s 
  magnetosphere. Although Callisto has never 
  been the site of a human colony, several plans had 
  been drawn up to establish a colony there before 
  the Jupiter Group Incident cut them short.
  
  Te sole colony on Ganymede, Darnastra 
  Colony is most famous for hosting the Ganymede 
  Conference in 2165. It was a mining colony, 
  primarily existing to extract rock and ice from the 
  surface of Ganymede in support of the water trade. 
  Additionally, it had a reputation as the producer of 
  the some of the best alcoholic spirits beyond Earth. 
  Te colony itself was carved out of the icy crust, 
  using the natural surface to shield the bulk of the 
  colony from Jupiter’s intense radiation.
  
   
  �
  Gravity: 2.64 g 
   
  �
  Solar Year: 4,333 days (11.9 Earth years)
   
  �
  Sidereal Day: 9.925 hours
   
  �
  Distance from Sol: 5.2 AU
   
  �
  Mean Temperature: -108º C 
   
  �
  Atmosphere: Hydrogen 89.8%, He-
  lium 10.2%
   
  �
  Moons: Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, 
  Tebe, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, 
  Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, Ananke, 
  Carme, Pasiphae and Sinope 
  
  
  
  Europa is one of the smoothest bodies in 
  the Sol system. Te surface has so few craters, 
  as it is extremely tectonically active and thus 
  the crust is geologically young.  Te most 
  striking surface features are the lineae, a series 
  of dark streaks crisscrossing the entire moon. 
  Tese are form by breaks in the solid water ice, 
  which makes up the moon’s surface. 
  Below those miles of ice, however, Europa 
  harbors a vast saltwater ocean. In fact, it contains 
  more water than all the oceans on Earth! Micro-
  scopic life was discovered to be living there in 
  2127, which spurred a race to Jupiter. Although 
  originally thought to be entirely alien in origin, 
  it was soon discovered that these Europan 
  organisms were descended from Earth-based 
  microorganisms, breaking away genetically 
  some half billion years ago. Te current theory 
  is that the Europan microorganisms hitched a 
  ride on a meteorite or other rocky body.
  Before the Jupiter Group Incident, Europa 
  was home to two colonies: Shizen and Vita 
  Unda (see below).
  
  Ganymede is the largest moon in the 
  Sol system, and one with a liquid iron 
  core, somewhat similar to Earth’s. Tis core 
  produces a weak magnetosphere, which 
  unfortunately provides little protection from 
  Jupiter’s intense radiation belt.
  Te Ganymedian surface is a mix of two 
  types of terrain: very old, highly cratered, 
  dark regions and somewhat younger, but still 
  ancient, lighter regions. Under the surface, 
  there are several layers of liquid water ocean, 
  much as with Europa and Callisto. Home to 
  Darnastra Colony, Ganymede hasn’t been 
  explored since the Jupiter Group Incident.
  
  Io is the most volcanically active and 
  driest body in the solar system. Te innermost 
  of Jupiter’s classical moons, Io’s vulcanism 
  contributes to Jupiter’s radiation belt, and the 
  surface of the moon is blanketed in intense 
  radiation. Te temperatures on Io range 
  dramatically, with molten lakes of fre and lava 
  in some places, and frozen plains in others.
  
  
  
  Jackral V was the sole orbital station near 
  Jupiter and an important waypoint in the water 
  trade from Jupiter to Mars. Te station was a 
  typical Standard torus with an added water 
  layer around habitable parts of the station. Tis 
  layer both served the water trade and acted as 
  additional shielding from any stray particles 
  that escaped Jupiter’s radiation belt.
  Jackral V is the one Jovian colony that has 
  shown no additional developments since Te 
  Jupiter Group Incident. Whatever is going 
  on in the surface colonies on Europa and 
  Ganymede, it seems to have left Jackral V 
  abandoned in Jupiter’s orbit.
  
  Shizen Colony was a smaller and primarily 
  scientifc colony. Researchers stationed there 
  focused on studying the native Europan life, as 
  well as the efects of Jupiter’s radiation belt and 
  relaying radio broadcasts from the outer solar 
  system. Only just over a thousand individuals at 
  its height, Shizen Colony was already in a slow 
  decline by the time of the Jupiter Group Incident.
  
  Located under the surface of Europa, Vita 
  Unda was the largest of the Jovian colonies before 
  the Jupiter Group Incident, with a population of 
  over 20,000 people. Not only did it support the 
  water trade but it also mined substantial amounts 
  of thorium and had a reputation for being the 
  cultural center of the outer solar system colonies. 
  Like Shizen Colony, this colony was carved out 
  of the surface ice on Europa and was, by many 
  accounts, a dazzling site to behold, with a partic-
  ular emphasis given to aesthetics.
  
  Te Jovian Trojans are located in Jupiter’s 
  orbit around Sol, either 60° ahead of the 
  planet—for the “Greek” Trojans—or 60° 
  behind the planet—for the “Trojan” 
  Trojans. Tese are points of gravita-
  tional stability, where the gravity 
  of Jupiter and the gravity of Sol 
  cancel out—similar to the L4 
  and L5 Lagrange points around Earth. Close 
  to these points of stability is where numerous 
  asteroids have gathered.
  Te loss of the Jovian colonies during the 
  Jupiter Group Incident brought the Jovian 
  Trojans to greater attention since they provided 
  an alternative stepping stone further out into 
  the system. Te concentration of asteroids also 
  makes them attractive for potential mining.
  
  Located in the Jovian Greek Trojans, 
  Mandala Station will be the frst to use the 
  O’Neill Cylinder design. Scheduled for an 
  opening date in 2215, the station has been 
  under construction by Unitech for over three 
  years and already has potential colonists 
  signing up. Once open and fully populated, 
  Mandala Station will be the most populous 
  space station in existence with a full capacity of 
  over a million people. Its size will also make it 
  the largest space station to date.
  
  Saturn is the farthest out human coloniza-
  tion has ever reached, sporting only a single 
  lonely outpost on its moon, Rhea. Like Jupiter, 
  Saturn is a gas giant, although it is less dense and 
  its radiation belt is only a fraction as intense as 
  Jupiter’s. Saturn rotates quickly for its size and has 
  turbulent internal weather with winds reaching 
  1,800 kph. Saturn’s atmosphere is very cold on 
  the outside but reaches a tremendous heat on the 
  inside. Tis causes it to radiate out two and a half 
  times the heat it receives from the sun.
  Saturn’s northern pole exhibits 
  a myste-
  
  
  rious and persisting hexagonal wave pattern, 
  which is larger than the Earth. Tis wave pattern 
  rotates once every 10 hours, 39 minutes and 24 
  seconds, the same cycle as the planet’s radio 
  emissions. Tis is assumed to match the rotation 
  of Saturn’s interior core. Te hexagon does not 
  vary in longitude, as do the other clouds.
  Saturn is surrounded by a complex ring 
  system made up of small rocks, icy particles and 
  dust. Tis system consists of nine main rings and 
  three discontinuous arcs. Over a hundred moons 
  and moonlets are known to orbit the planet—
  more than any other planet in the system.
  
  Rhea is the second largest moon of Saturn 
  and home to the Rhea colony—the sole 
  Saturnine colony and the most remote human 
  colony in existence. Tis colony was estab-
  lished by Sinoex in 2186 to support the water 
  trade, sending massive quantities of water from 
  Saturn’s rings to Mars to support the Terrafor-
  ming Project. In theory, this was an ideal, if 
  remote, location. In practice, however, the Rhea 
  colony has been plagued by repeated problems.
  Rhea is home to only a few hundred hardy 
  engineers and pioneers, eking out a living 
  manning the water harvesters and launch 
  vehicles. Te colony itself is mostly a set of 
  surface docks connected to a network of 
  habitable tunnels drilled into the  ice. Trips 
  between orbit and the surface are frequent 
  and are aided by the low gravity. Te popula-
  tion is mostly temporary and young, generally 
  rotating in for a few years to make good money 
  before rotating back home to make a real life.
  
  Te only moon in the Sol system with its own 
  dense atmosphere, Titan is also the only body in 
  the system other than Earth to have its atmosphere 
  made up primarily of nitrogen. It is also the only 
  other body in the Sol system with surface lakes and 
  streams—in this case made up of liquid hydrocar-
  bons. Titan’s atmosphere is almost twice as thick as 
  Earth’s, which makes observing or directly imaging 
  the surface difcult at best.
  Titan is a sizable moon, being 80 percent 
  larger than Luna and larger even than the planet 
  Mercury. Te presence of atmospheric methane 
  leads to a greenhouse efect on the moon, making 
  it signifcantly warmer than the surrounding 
  bodies—in this case a mere -100º C. Titan’s 
  surface is complex and geologically young with 
  rivers of hydrocarbons, regions of rolling sand 
  dunes, mountains and cryovolcanoes.
  
   
  �
  Gravity: 0.92 g
   
  �
  Solar Year: 10,750 days (29.4 Earth years)
   
  �
  Sidereal Day: 10.656 hours
   
  �
  Distance from Sol: 9.6 AU
   
  �
  Mean Temperature: -176º C
   
  �
  Atmosphere: Hydrogen 96%, Helium 
  3%, Methane 0.4%
   
  �
  Moons: Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Di-
  one, Rhea, Titan, Iapetus plus over 100 
  other moons and moonlets
  
  
  
  Diferent in composition than either Jupiter 
  or Saturn, Uranus is similar in composition to 
  Neptune and has been dubbed an “ice giant.” 
  Appearing a solid blue-green color, Uranus 
  lacks any weather-related features visible to 
  the naked eye. Unique among the planets of 
  the Sol system, Uranus’s axis of rotation is 
  sideways, meaning its poles are near the solar 
  plane rather than near perpendicular to it.
  In 2193, Unitech launched history’s only 
  manned mission to Uranus, going farther out 
  than any human being has ever gone before or 
  since. Tis mission did several orbits around the 
  planet and even made a landing on the moon 
  Miranda before beginning its long voyage home.
  
  Miranda is the smallest of Uranus’s fve 
  classical moons and orbits the planet along its 
  equator. Miranda’s surface is a patchwork of 
  intense broken terrain, crisscrossed by canyons, 
  clifs and grooves. Tis includes Verona Rupes, 
  the tallest clif in the solar system. Miranda 
  contains a large quantity of water ice as well 
  as organic compounds at the moon’s interior. 
  Almost twenty years ago, Miranda was a 
  landing site for a manned Unitech exploratory 
  mission. Tis landing marks the farthest out 
  humans have ever been in the solar system.
  
  Another ice giant, Neptune is the farthest 
  planet from Sol. It is a little warmer and signif-
  icantly more active than neighboring Uranus 
  with regular solar storms and winds that have 
  been recorded at 2,100 kph. Neptune has a 
  planetary ring system, although one that is 
  less signifcant than Saturn’s.
  No human being has yet to ever step foot 
  near Neptune or any of its satellites, although 
  this is likely just a matter of time.
  
   
  �
  Gravity: 0.89 g
   
  �
  Solar Year: 30,688 days (84 Earth years)
   
  �
  Sidereal Day: 17.24 hours
   
  �
  Distance from Sol: 19.2 AU
   
  �
  Mean Temperature: -216º C
   
  �
  Atmosphere: Hydrogen 83%, Helium 
  15%, Methane 2.3%
   
  �
  Moons: Titania, Oberon, Ariel, Um-
  briel, Miranda plus 22 other moons
  
  
  
  Te only large moon in the system with a 
  retrograde orbit (an orbit opposite the direction 
  the planet rotates), Triton is thought to be a 
  captured Kuiper Belt object that has fallen into 
  orbit around Neptune, rather than a natural 
  moon. Triton is also one of the few moons in 
  the system that is geologically active, having a 
  complex terrain with cryovolcanic and tectonic 
  activity. Much of Triton’s surface is made up of 
  water ice, and the moon has a core thought to 
  be made up of dense rock and metal, making it 
  a potential stop abundant in resources.
  
  Beyond Neptune are millions of Trans-
  Neptunian Objects (TNOs), most no more 
  than a kilometer or two across. Tens of 
  thousands of these objects, however, are than 
  80 km across. Tese objects consist of a core 
  chunk of rock surrounded by a ball of dust 
  and frozen gas. Tese objects make up the 
  Kuiper Belt, stretching between 30 and 50 AU. 
  Included in this belt are the majority of the 
  system’s dwarf planets, including Eris, Pluto, 
  Haumea and Makemake.
  Beyond the Kuiper Belt lies the rest of the 
  Scattered Disc. Tis disc is made up of drifting 
  chunks of rock and ice and is believed to be the 
  origin of most of the system’s comets, as well as 
  the origin of numerous other stray objects. Tese 
  are some of the coldest objects in the solar system.
  Finally, beyond even the Kuiper Belt lies 
  the Oort Cloud. Tis cloud of dust and comets 
  stretches far from the center of the system, 
  out to some 50,000 AU, where it eventually 
  blends with the cloud from Proxima Centauri. 
  Te Oort Cloud marks the cosmographical 
  boundary of the Sol system.
  To date, no human being has ever been this 
  far out and only a handful of unmanned probes 
  have ever made it to the Oort Cloud. Tere 
  have, however, been several cases of listening 
  stations claiming to have picked up unexplained 
  radio signals from the Kuiper Belt. Te most 
  well-known of these is an incident in 2198 
  where a research station on Europa claimed to 
  have picked up an encrypted signal continu-
  ously for almost three hours. Recordings of this 
  signal were later lost in a data breach.
  
  Pluto is the most famous and largest object 
  in the Kuiper Belt, once even considered a 
  planet. It is the second largest object beyond 
  Neptune, surpassed only by the dwarf planet 
  Eris, in the Scattered Disc.
  Pluto has a highly eccentric orbit—
  sometimes being within the orbit of Neptune, 
  and most of the time being outside it. Pluto is 
  currently outside Neptune’s orbit, but will cross 
  it again in 2226, bringing it inside once again.
  
  
   
  �
  Distance from Sol: 30 to 100 AU
   
  �
  Largest Objects: Eris, Pluto, Haumea, 
  Makemake
  
   
  �
  Gravity: 1.19 g
   
  �
  Solar Year: 60,191 days (164.79 Earth 
  years)
   
  �
  Sidereal Day: 16.11 hours
   
  �
  Distance from Sol: 30.1 AU
   
  �
  Mean Temperature: -214°C
   
  �
  Atmosphere: Hydrogen 80%, Helium 
  19%, Methane 1%
   
  �
  Moons: Triton, Proteus plus more than 
  12 other moons
  
  
  
  
  Shadows Over Sol makes use of the Saga 
  Machine system, adapted and expanded to 
  best ft the horror and science fction genres. 
  Whether it’s a desperate struggle against a 
  bioengineered monstrosity or breaking to 
  a highly-guarded computer system to steal 
  sinister corporate secrets—Saga Machine can 
  handle it.
  In this chapter, we present the core of the 
  Saga Machine system—the basics everyone 
  needs to know—followed by the other mechan-
  ical systems used in the game. Te only systems 
  absent from this chapter are the character 
  creation and advancement systems, which can 
  be found in their own chapter later on.
  
  Te core of Saga Machine really boils 
  down to two components: actions and conse-
  quences. 
  Te action mechanic is used to determine 
  whether or not actions taken by a character 
  are successful. To help resolve this, the system 
  employs a standard deck of poker cards with 
  the jokers. One such deck per player, plus one 
  for the game master (GM), is recommended.
  Te consequence mechanic, on the other 
  hand, is used to represent the efect of actions 
  on characters or the game world. Tis mechanic 
  is used to model status efects as well as envi-
  ronmental circumstances, obstacles or benefts.
  
  When resolving an action, the player whose 
  character is performing the action will declare 
  her intent to act, and the GM will then call for 
  a card to be played. Tis is called a fip. Te 
  value of this card will be added to that char-
  acter’s relevant stat and/or skill, and this total 
  value is compared to a target number (TN). If 
  it’s equal to or higher than the TN, the fip was 
  a success. If it’s lower than the TN, however, 
  the fip was a failure. Te GM then narrates the 
  results of the action.
  
  Every character has eight stats, each 
  measuring the strength of a particular quality 
  of the character. Whenever a character takes 
  an action, one of these stats will be relevant. 
  For example, should a character try to force 
  open a jammed airlock door, the strength stat 
  may be the relevant stat for that action. Often 
  actions taken in this way will have other 
  modifers as well.
  Te eight stats break down into two cate-
  gories—physical stats and mental stats. Tey 
  are listed below:
  Physical Stats
  Mental Stats
  Strength
  Intelligence
  Dexterity
  Perception
  Speed
  Charisma
  Endurance
  Determination
  
  Player characters (PCs), and possibly a 
  few non-player characters (NPCs) as well, 
  will have Edge. Tis trait represents the 
  subtle advantages these characters have in the 
  narrative, whether due to luck, good sense 
  or simple self-preservation. Edge determines 
  the number of cards the player draws at the 
  beginning of each session.
  
  
  Shadows Over Sol only makes use of 
  whole numbers. If you ever encounter a 
  fraction during the game—which usually 
  happens as a result of halving a stat or 
  similar score—always round it down. 
  In this way 7 ½ becomes merely 7, 22.9 
  becomes a 22, etc.
  
  
  
  Actions will often result in consequences. 
  Consequences are Saga Machine’s way of 
  representing lasting efects in the system. 
  Tese efects can be placed on either charac-
  ters, places or the scene itself. For example, 
  attacking another character may result in a 
  “wound” consequence for the target, setting 
  a forest on fre results in an “on fre” conse-
  quence for that forest, etc.
  Consequences come in three parts: an efect, 
  a duration and a severity. Tese tell what the 
  consequence does, how long it lasts and how 
  severe the efect is, respectively. All consequences 
  have the same hierarchical set of severities:
  Severity
  Light
  Moderate
  Severe
  Critical
  
  Mechanically, all characters in Shadows 
  Over Sol are comprised of four parts: an array 
  of eight stats, some number of skills, a few 
  traits and some derived scores. Each of these 
  mechanical components of a character are 
  described in detail below.
  
  Shadows Over Sol divides up a character’s 
  capabilities into eight diferent ratings repre-
  senting how good the character is at a broad 
  class of actions. Tese ratings are called stats 
  and are scored for human characters on a scale 
  of 1 to 10. Te higher the number, the better 
  the character is at the category of actions. On 
  this scale, a historical human with wild type 
  genes—entirely average in all aspects—would 
  be rated a 4 in each stat. Modern humans, on 
  the other hand, with the ubiquitousness of 
  basic genetic screening and upgrades, average 
  around a 5 on this scale. Te highest stat within 
  human potential is 10, although nonhuman 
  NPCs may go beyond this limit. Mechani-
  cally, these stats are used to help determine the 
  success or failure of the character’s actions.
  Te eight diferent stats are divided evenly 
  into two groups: physical and mental. Physical 
  stats represent some physical aspect of the 
  character, while mental stats represent some 
  mental aspect of the character. Every stat has an 
  associated card suit, which is used in the action 
  mechanic to determine a trump (see page 108). 
  What each stat represents is described below.
  �
  A character’s strength is a measure of her 
  muscle and physical power. It helps determine 
  how much she can lift, how hard she can punch 
  and what she can push around.
  �
  A character’s dexterity is her coordina-
  tion, fexibility, agility and balance. It helps 
  determine her athletic ability, aim with a 
  ranged weapon and manual dexterity.
  
  Most characters in Shadows Over Sol 
  will be human. Humans are, after all, a 
  dominant and prolifc species. As such, 
  the game mechanics assume a character 
  has basic human capabilities unless a trait 
  specifcally indicates otherwise. 
  Tis means characters don’t need 
  special traits for basic human things, such 
  as the ability to walk, talk or use opposable 
  thumbs. Tey also don’t need special traits 
  for basic human weaknesses, such as having 
  an of hand, the necessity of breathing or 
  the need for regular sleep. Some characters 
  may vary from human norms in all these 
  ways, but when they do, character traits and 
  basic common sense should indicate it.
  
  
  �
  A character’s speed is a measure of how fast 
  she moves, her refexes, her reaction time and 
  her ability to get out of the way when malicious 
  people are trying to beat her head in. 
  �
  Endurance is a measure of a character’s 
  toughness, health, constitution and stamina. 
  It helps a character resist disease, keep from 
  losing consciousness from blood loss and keep 
  from getting winded after a long jog.
  �
  Intelligence is an indicator of how quick 
  a character learns, how much she knows 
  and what her capability is in terms of logical 
  reasoning and deduction. Put simply, intel-
  ligence is used to know stuf and fgure stuf 
  out. Mechanically, any character with an intel-
  ligence of 1 or more is considered sentient.
  �
  A character’s perception is a measure of 
  how alert she is, how good her senses are and 
  how aware she is of the world around her. 
  Perception also includes a component of her 
  speed of thought.
  �
  A character’s charisma is her force of 
  personality, presence, bearing, social skills and 
  appearance all wrapped up into one. It’s used 
  when trying to make friends, infuence others 
  or strike a deal.
  �
  Determination is a character’s resolve, 
  mental fortitude, willpower and grit. It’s used 
  when resisting fear or mental efects, pressing 
  on despite the hopelessness of the situation or 
  seeing things through to the bitter end.
  
  Te eight stats represent innate human 
  capabilities—after all, everyone has some 
  degree of strength, intelligence and perception. 
  Skills, on the other hand, are the mechanical 
  representation of capabilities that are learned.
  When a character in Shadows Over 
  Sol takes an action, the action might have a 
  relevant skill as well as a relevant stat—this will 
  likely be true for the majority of actions. When 
  this is the case, the skill’s value will add to the 
  action as well as half the value of the stat (see 
  the “Actions” section, page 107).
  
  Some characters are more skilled than 
  others. To represent this, skills are rated from 0 
  (unskilled) to 5 (world-class). In actions where a 
  skill is relevant, this rating will add to the total, 
  along with half the value of the relevant stat. Te 
  diferent skill values are described below:
  Description
  Value
  No Training
  0 (does not have skill)
  Basic Profciency
  1
  Skilled Amateur
  2
  Professional
  3
  Renowned Expert
  4
  World-class
  5
  
  Over the course of play, characters will gain 
  experience using their skills. When a character 
  gains an experience, she notes down what that 
  experience is next to the skill in question. For 
  example, experiences with the stealth skill 
  might include “forest terrain,” “crowds,” “cover 
  of darkness” or “hiding places.”
  When a character is using a skill, one of 
  her experiences might be relevant to the action 
  in question. Should she have an appropriate 
  experience to call upon, her action will gain a 
  +1 bonus. Only one experience may be called 
  upon at a time in this way.
  
  
  
  Tere are twenty-fve skills available in 
  Shadows Over Sol. Above is a table of all 
  skills, followed by brief descriptions of each, 
  including some example experiences and some 
  examples of superior tools, sufcient tools and 
  improvised tools for each skill (see page 111).
  
  Te athletics skill covers any number of 
  athletic activities—from climbing to jumping 
  and from racing to tumbling. Tis skill 
  includes both aerobic and anaerobic activities, 
  as well as feats of strength—such as bending 
  bars or power lifting—and throwing weapons 
  in a threatening manner.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Acrobatics, balance, 
  baseball, bicycling, climbing, jumping, par-
  kour, running, swimming, throwing
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Cybernetic sports equip-
  ment, high-tech climbing gear
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Good shoes, decent 
  sports equipment, thrown weapon
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Improvised thrown 
  weapon, rock shaped like a ball
  
  Awareness is more than general perception; 
  it is a skilled alertness regarding one’s surround-
  ings. Awareness covers noticing someone is 
  sneaking up on you. It also covers spotting 
  someone in a crowd of people and noticing a 
  strange smell when entering a hab. It does not 
  include more ponderous activities like reading 
  a person’s body language or investigating a 
  murder; these are covered by Empathy and 
  Investigation, respectively.
   
  �
  Example 
  Experiences: 
  Body 
  odors, 
  cityscapes, concealed weapons, crowds, 
  darkness, hearing, industrial chemicals, pe-
  ripheral vision, scent, taste
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Binoculars, superior cy-
  bernetic eye, appropriate sensor
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Functional senses
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Damaged senses
  
  Tis skill covers knowledge of the biolog-
  ical sciences, from genetic engineering and 
  genetics to physiological changes brought on 
  by exposure to radiation or zero-G. Tis is the 
  skill to use when diagnosing rare medical issues, 
  understanding novel lifeforms or experimenting 
  in laboratory conditions. It is not the skill to use 
  for applied medicine or for feld biology, such 
  as recognizing local fauna. For those, use the 
  Medic or Naturalist skills, respectively.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Biochemistry, bio-
  informatics, genelines, genetic defects, me-
  tabolisms, mutations, neurology, radiologi-
  cal efects, toxicology, xenobiology
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Superior bioinformatic 
  software, superior biological sensor
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Sequencing machine, 
  bioinformatic software
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Jury-rigged chemical test
  Skill
  Skill
  Skill
  Skill
  Skill
  Athletics
  Conspiracy
  Guns
  Melee
  Program
  Awareness
  Crafts
  Investigate
  Naturalist
  Socialize
  Bio-Sci
  Deception
  Lib-Arts
  Ordnance
  Stealth
  Bureaucrat
  Empathy
  Mechanic
  Persuade
  Tievery
  Comp-Ops
  Engineer
  Medic
  Phy-Sci
  Vehicles
  
  
  
  Any sufciently large organization has 
  its ins and outs, its movers, its shakers and its 
  paperwork. Tose skilled in bureaucrat are adept 
  in getting a feel for how this structure works in 
  practice and in using it to their advantage. Addi-
  tionally, the bureaucrat skill covers fnding the 
  right buyers or sellers, fnding those who ofer 
  potentially questionable services and bartering 
  the best deal once the right people are found. 
  Aspects of the skill include insight into what 
  things are worth to people and knowing when 
  to compromise on a price and when to walk 
  away. Te skill does not cover more generalized 
  readings of a person’s body language, nor does it 
  cover the ability to convince or browbeat others 
  into seeing things your way. For those actions, 
  use the Empathy or Persuade skills.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Appeal charges, 
  corp agreements, create red tape, customs 
  delaying tactics, docking rules, electronic 
  barter, fle complaints, gray market acquisi-
  tions, legal advocate, service contracts
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Network of contacts, in-
  sider information
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Net access, appropriate 
  language, appropriate subculture
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Lacking shared lan-
  guage, unfamiliar legal system
  
  Comp-ops is the skill for making basic 
  use of computer software. It’s used to flter 
  through the net, to get an understanding of 
  any given graphical user interface, to know 
  common terminal commands and to make use 
  of advanced software features. It does not cover 
  hacking, advanced scripting or forcing computer 
  systems to do things they were not designed to 
  do. Tose activities use the program skill.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Augmented real-
  ity, comms, databases, Easter eggs, electronic 
  background checks, search net, sensors, speed 
  typing, surveillance software, voice commands
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Access to source code, root 
  access, excessive processing power
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Computer, net access
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Computer without net 
  access, highly limited terminal access
  
  Conspiracy is the skill of knowing informa-
  tion others want suppressed or at least knowing 
  where to look to fnd such information. It also 
  includes the ability to sift through the resulting 
  conspiracy theories, separating the dross from 
  the kernels of truth. Conspiracy is the skill of 
  fnding things that don’t want to be found.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Backroom deals, 
  black market contacts, code words, corp se-
  crets, deep net, hidden research, historical 
  conspiracies, religious secrets, secret trea-
  ties, suppressed transmissions
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Mole in organization, per-
  sonal contacts
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Net access, computer
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Lacking appropriate 
  language, lacking appropriate subculture
  
  Te crafts skill covers the creation of art, 
  crafts and simple devices with few-to-no 
  moving parts. It can be used to create a realistic 
  3D rendering of a specifc person, carve a 
  makeshift spear out of a plank of wood, cook 
  a tasty meal or paint a masterpiece. It does not 
  cover the creation of more complex mechan-
  ical or electrical devices, nor does it cover their 
  repair and upkeep; for those, use the Engineer 
  or Mechanic skills.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Baking, fabricator 
  modeling, graphic design, carpentry, im-
  provised tools, makeup, painting, sculp-
  ture, simspace design, welding
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Superior quality carpentry 
  kit, extensive graphic design library
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Chisels, paintbrushes, de-
  sign software
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Pocket knife, blood 
  for paint
  
  
  
  Te deception skill includes telling 
  convincing lies, giving of inaccurate body 
  language, pulling the wool over the eyes of 
  others and disguising oneself as someone else. 
  Additionally, deception is useful in gambling, 
  acting and other activities that require making 
  oneself difcult to read or which involve 
  deceiving others.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Blatant lies, dis-
  guise, distractions, faulty logic, gambling 
  blufs, half-truths, misleading body lan-
  guage, partial truths, poker face, sleight of 
  hand
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Insight into target’s 
  psyche, biometric monitoring of target
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Believable lie, disguise kit
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Lacking appropriate 
  language, lacking appropriate subculture, 
  poorly thought out lie or con
  
  Empathy is the skill used to read a person’s 
  body language and tone of voice. It’s used to 
  get an idea of a person’s emotional state or 
  to give some insight into their motivations. 
  Empathy is not a lie-detector; it might give let 
  one know that another person seems nervous, 
  but it wouldn’t tell you they’re nervous because 
  of a specifc lie or half-truth.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Anger, attraction, 
  body language, counseling, interrogation, 
  nervousness, pushing buttons, sociopathy, 
  taunts, tells in gambling
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Target attached to biomet-
  ric reader, insight into target’s psyche
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Interacting with target in 
  person, familiar subculture
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Target observed via 
  monitor, unfamiliar subculture
  
  Tis skill is used to understand, design and 
  modify electronic hardware, machinery and 
  other complex contraptions. Engineer is useful 
  when rerouting power on a ship, making street 
  modifcations to frearms or designing a custom 
  hab complex. It does not cover the design of 
  software—use program for that—nor does it 
  cover applied maintenance and assembly—for 
  that, use mechanic.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Architecture, bal-
  listic arms, comms, cyberware, groundcars, 
  lasers, life support, navigation systems, re-
  actors, sensors
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Already partially completed 
  design, complete design specs
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Engineering software, 
  calculator, computer
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Inscribing designs with 
  a stick in the dirt
  
  Te guns skill covers fring, maintaining 
  and operating any number of personal frearms 
  and other projectile weapons, from lasers and 
  slug throwers to archaic bows and arrows. Te 
  skill does not cover thrown weapons—for that, 
  use Athletics—nor does it cover artillery or 
  ship-based mounted projectiles—for those, 
  use Ordnance.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Aimed shots, au-
  tofre, ballistic pistol, ballistic rife, head 
  shots, laser pistol, laser rife, point blank 
  shot, sniper shot, suppressive fre
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Superior quality frearm
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Gun, crossbow
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Gun fred in melee, im-
  provised gun
  
  
  
  Investigation is the art of looking into an 
  unknown matter and trying to make sense 
  of what is found, often by piecing together 
  seemingly disparate clues. Te investigate skill 
  covers searching a particular area for clues, as 
  well as other aspects of investigation—such as 
  questioning witnesses, checking the right sites 
  on the net and asking the right questions.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Background checks, 
  crime scenes, DNA evidence, fngerprints, 
  forensics, hiding spots, physical clues, net in-
  vestigation, question witnesses, search body
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Very familiar location, su-
  perior forensic tools
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Forensics kit, ample time 
  at scene
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Limited time to check 
  scene
  
  Lib-arts is a broad skill covering a char-
  acter’s degree of education in the liberal arts 
  and social sciences. It includes knowledge of 
  history, geography, mathematics, the fne arts, 
  economics and sociology. It does not cover 
  applied cultural knowledge or artistic expres-
  sion: for those, use Socialize or Crafts, respec-
  tively.
   
  �
  Special: In addition to her native language, 
  a character may be fuent with up to the 
  number of languages equal to her lib-arts 
  skill rank. She typically does not need to 
  make actions to understand languages with 
  which she is fuent, although particularly 
  unusual or esoteric idioms may still require 
  an action. See page 171.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Civics, classics, fne 
  arts, geography, history, literature, math-
  ematics, music, philosophy, sociology
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Complete library
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Simple library, net access
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Unfamiliar language, 
  unfamiliar subculture
  
  Mechanic is an applied skill covering the 
  upkeep, repair and assembly of pretty much 
  any mechanical system. Use it for repairing 
  vehicular damage after a battle, maintenance 
  to a ship’s systems or assembling a new piece 
  of cyberware. It does not include designing, 
  repurposing or giving new functionality to 
  mechanical systems; for those, use engineer.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Comms, cyber-
  ware, groundcar, hab repair, jury-rigged 
  components, life support, power systems, 
  sensors, waste systems
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Industrial fabricator, re-
  pair-bot
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Wrench, electrician’s toolkit
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Tire iron as a chisel, 
  stone as a hammer
  
  Tis is the skill of applied medical 
  knowledge. It’s used to treat injuries and other 
  medical conditions, take practical diagnoses, 
  treat poisons, perform surgery, apply frst 
  aid and dress wounds. It does not cover the 
  academic or research aspects of biological 
  knowledge; for those, use Bio-Sci.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Bacterial infections, 
  dress wounds, frst aid, long-term care, stop 
  bleeding, practical diagnosis, surgery, treat 
  poison, treat radiation, veterinary
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Hospital, complete bio-lab
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Medikit, surgery kit
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Ripped shirt as a ban-
  dage, superglue as stitches
  
  
  
  Melee is the skill used for hand-to-hand 
  combat, street fghting, wrestling, fencing, 
  boxing and any other activity mimicking close 
  combat. Despite the prevalence of guns and 
  other advanced weaponry, simple fstfghts 
  remain the most common type of violence in 
  the solar system.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Boxing, clubs, 
  fencing, fghting dirty, grappling, head 
  blows, judo, kicking, knives, wrestling
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Superior quality knife
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Knife, club
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Fists in a knife fght, 
  table leg
  
  Te naturalist skill covers the ability to 
  survive outside the bounds of civilization as 
  well as the applied knowledge of the local fora 
  and fauna. It covers working with and training 
  animals as well as the practical knowledge of 
  both what’s edible and what’s dangerous. It 
  covers tracking and reading animal signs and 
  makeshift ways to gauge atmospheric pressure, 
  composition and radiation. It covers foraging 
  for food, frewood or other basic natural 
  resources. Te Naturalist skill also includes 
  skill in riding an animal or using an animal as 
  manual labor.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Bird calls, cats, 
  dangerous fora, desert fauna, dogs, forag-
  ing for food, ride, station vermin, tracking, 
  transgenetic crossbreeds
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Quality environmental 
  sensor, fora database
  Sufcient Tools: Survival kit, animal snacks
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Spear, rough hides
  
  Te ordnance skill is used to plant and 
  disarm bombs, mines and other explosives, as 
  well as to operate heavy vehicular or stationary 
  weaponry. Use it to fre a ship’s weapons, plant 
  an explosive charge or call in aerial support. It 
  does not cover personal frearms, nor does it 
  cover throwing grenades; for those, use guns 
  and athletics, respectively.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Breeching charge, 
  controlled demolitions, ground artillery, 
  aerial missiles, gun platform, plant explo-
  sive, space missiles, spaceship gunner, tank 
  guns, torpedoes
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Blueprints with structure’s 
  weak points
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: GPS, explosive, turret
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Barrel of fammable 
  substance, comm laser used as weapon
  
  Te persuade skill covers a variety of tactics 
  to get other people to see things your way or 
  to otherwise comply with your requests. It 
  covers sweet-talking, formal diplomacy, brow-
  beating, fast-talking and intimidation. It covers 
  knowing useful techniques in argument, as well 
  as knowing the right social approach to use—
  from solid reasoning to subtle psychological 
  tricks to seem more commanding. It does not 
  include haggling and deal-making, nor does it 
  include seduction and putting people at ease; 
  for those, use Broker or Socialize, respectively.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Bargaining, brow-
  beat, clear reasoning, commands, fast-talk, 
  formal diplomacy, intimidation, leadership, 
  rhetoric, sweet-talk
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Insight into target’s 
  psyche, authority over target
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Speak same language, 
  share subculture
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Lacking appropriate 
  language, lacking appropriate subculture
  
  
  
  Phy-sci covers knowledge of the physical 
  sciences—from physics and chemistry, to 
  geology and meteorology. Use it to under-
  stand orbital mechanics, test new chemical 
  compounds, carbon date archeological relics or 
  recognize diferent strata of rock. It does not 
  cover basic mathematics or ecology: for those, 
  use the Lib-Arts or Bio-Sci skills.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Astronomy, chemistry, 
  climatology, Earth science, geology, meteorol-
  ogy, oceanography, orbital mechanics, physics, 
  speleology
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Full laboratory, excessive 
  processing power
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Physical science tools, 
  computer
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Pencil and paper, abacus
  
  Te program skill is used to design, modify 
  and create software. It is also used in computer 
  hacking, cracking and attempting to get 
  software to operate outside its normal design 
  parameters. It does not cover understanding 
  graphical user interfaces, searching the net, 
  speed typing or basic software functionality; 
  for those, use the Comp-Ops skill.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Break software, 
  comms, computer viruses, cracking, de-
  cryption, encryption, malware, security 
  systems, sensors, software design
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Excessive processing power
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Computer, net access
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: User-level access, poor 
  programing tools
  
  Te socialize skill is all about being an 
  enjoyable person and getting other people 
  to like you. Tose adept in socializing are 
  the ones other people want to talk to or be 
  around. Use this skill to get a feel for the 
  word on the street, pick up rumors or recent 
  memes, put one’s rivals at ease, make a play 
  at seduction or distract others with small talk 
  or other pleasantries. Additionally this skill 
  covers knowledge of the appropriate customs, 
  slang, mores and etiquette. Tis skill does not 
  cover convincing others to see things your 
  way or for gaining deep insight into what 
  people are feeling. For those, use the Persuade 
  or Empathy skills, respectively.
   
  �
  Special: In addition to her native subcul-
  ture, a character may be fuent with up to a 
  number of subcultures equal to her social-
  ize skill rank. She typically does not need 
  to make actions to blend in with or have 
  knowledge of subcultures with which she 
  is fuent, although particularly unusual or 
  esoteric situations may still require an ac-
  tion. See page 171.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Distracting talk, 
  formal etiquette, gather rumors, Neoret 
  slang, put at ease, put on guard, seduction, 
  spread rumors, small talk, street greetings
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Insight into target’s 
  psyche, shared contacts
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Speak same language, 
  share subculture
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Lacking appropriate 
  language, lacking appropriate subculture
  
  Te stealth skill covers hiding and 
  generally sneaking around. It includes any 
  aspect of remaining hidden, from ftting into 
  small hiding spaces to tailing people without 
  them noticing and from setting ambushes to 
  sneaking by guards. It does not include sleight 
  of hand or shoplifting; for those, use the 
  Deception or Tievery skills.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Blending in, cam-
  oufage, covering tracks, crowds, hiding, 
  moving silently, opportunistic dash, settings 
  ambushes, shadows, tailing
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Nighttime, packed crowd 
  of people
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Plentiful available cover, 
  shadowy locations
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Empty street, little cov-
  er, broad daylight
  
  
  
  Under the auspice of the Tievery, skill falls 
  many simple but questionable profciencies. 
  It includes the ability to pick locks, larceny, 
  breaking and entering, disabling simple 
  security devices and picking pockets. It does 
  not include con artistry or sleight of hand—
  for those, use Deception—nor does it include 
  remaining hidden—for that, use Stealth.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Bypass security, 
  casing target, confuse sensors, disable 
  cameras, disable security, electronic locks, 
  forced entry, mechanical locks, pick pock-
  et, shoplift
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Superior electronic lockpick
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Lockpicks, crowbar
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Needle as a lockpick, 
  tire iron as crowbar
  
  Tis skill is used to operate any vehicle—
  whether in two or three dimensions—as well 
  as to pilot a vac suit around with thrusters. It 
  includes the operation of spaceships, boats, 
  groundcars, 
  mag-trains, 
  helicopters 
  and 
  submarines. It does not include the design or 
  maintenance of such vehicles; for those, use the 
  Engineer or Mechanic skills, respectively.
   
  �
  Example Experiences: Airplane, boat, 
  groundcar, evasive maneuvers, low grav-
  ity, planetary landing, racing, orbital sling-
  shots, sledding, submarine
   
  �
  Superior Tools: Cutting-edge racing 
  groundcar
   
  �
  Sufcient Tools: Spaceship, Mag-train, 
  groundcar
   
  �
  Improvised Tools: Half-broken ground-
  car, vac suit with some broken thrusters
  
  In addition to stats and skills, most charac-
  ters also have a number of other attributes or 
  capabilities, such as known languages, familiar 
  cultures or particular weaknesses. Tese types 
  of attributes are modeled mechanically as 
  traits: special features that apply to a character. 
  Nonhuman characters will also have traits that 
  defne their particular nonhuman capabilities.
  In Shadows Over Sol, most traits are either 
  chosen at character creation or gained through 
  raising skills. More on the specifcs of gaining 
  traits is covered in the “Characters” chapter.
  
  Scores are the fnal mechanical component of 
  a character. Tey are a variety of numerical values 
  derived from a character’s stats and used by the 
  various systems in the game in diferent ways. For 
  example, the Defense score is used by the combat 
  system in determining whether or not a character 
  is hit in combat, and the Wealth score is used by 
  the wealth system in determining what purchases 
  a character can easily make. 
  More on each score can be found in their 
  relevant sections later in this chapter, but a list 
  of all the character scores can be found below:
   
  �
  Damage Reduction (DR): Tis is the ability 
  of a character to resist damage. It is usually 
  granted by armor or nonhuman traits.
   
  �
  Defense: Tis is the ability of a character 
  to avoid being struck in combat. It consists 
  of two values: the target number to hit the 
  character ([Spd + Per + Dex] ÷ 2) and the 
  target number to score a critical hit on the 
  character (Spd + Per + Dex).
   
  �
  Edge: Tis is the number of cards drawn 
  into the character’s hand at the beginning 
  of each session (Average of Int & Chr).
   
  �
  Encumbrance: Tis is the number of en-
  cumbrance slots the character has for car-
  rying gear around (Str). 
   
  �
  Lifestyle: Tis is a measure of how well the 
  character lives and what mundane resourc-
  es she easily has at her disposal.
   
  �
  Shock: Tis damage value necessary to 
  stun the character in combat and possibly 
  upgrade wounds (End + Det + DR).
   
  �
  Wealth: Tis value is a measure of the 
  character’s ability to tap her fnancial re-
  sources. It represents not only cash in 
  hand, but the ability to acquire loans and 
  leverage other assets as well. 
   
  �
  Wound: Tis is the total severity of wounds 
  at which a character begins to risk death 
  (Average of Str & End).
  
  
  
  In order to determine the outcome of 
  an action in Shadows Over Sol, a simple 
  mechanic is used. Te player taking the action 
  makes a fip. Tat is, she plays a card and adds 
  its value to the appropriate stat for the action. 
  Ten she adds any relevant modifers and 
  compares the result to a target number (TN). 
  If the result is equal to or exceeds the TN, the 
  action was a success. If it is lower than the TN, 
  the action was a failure. 
  If it ever becomes necessary to know how 
  much of a success or failure the action was, 
  determine it by fguring out the magnitude 
  of the efect (Mag). Te magnitude is deter-
  mined simply by calculating the diference 
  between the TN and the total of the fip. So, 
  for example, an action that got a total of 16 
  on a TN 10 fip succeeded with Mag 6, and 
  an action that got a total of 9 on a TN 13 fip 
  failed with Mag 4.
  Expanding on this simple action mechanic 
  two variant types of actions will often come 
  into play: extended actions and opposed 
  actions. We will now go over simple actions 
  and these two variant types of actions in turn.
  
  Simple actions, the most common type of 
  actions, are something of a building block other 
  types of actions expand on. When a player takes 
  a simple action, she makes a fip. Tat is, she 
  plays a card, fipping it over and revealing which 
  card it is. Tis card can either be from her hand 
  or from the top of her deck. Te value of this 
  card is then determined, which may require 
  turning over subsequent cards. Tese subse-
  quent cards are always from the top of the deck 
  and never from the player’s hand.
  Once a card has been played, the player does 
  not draw again immediately. Instead, she simply 
  has fewer cards in her hand. If she has no cards 
  left in her hand and takes an action, she has no 
  choice but to play of the top of the deck.
  If no skill is involved with the action, the 
  value of the card being played is added to the 
  relevant stat. If a skill is involved, it’s added to half 
  the relevant stat and the relevant skill. Either way, 
  this total is then compared to the TN.
  Example: Argyro is making a “Dex/
  guns-10” fip. Tis action uses her Guns skill, 
  is based of her Dexterity and has TN 10. She 
  has Guns 3, Dexterity 4 and plays a card valued 
  at 6. She adds the value of the card to half her 
  Dexterity (half 4 is 2) and her Guns skill for 
  a total of 11—a success. If how much she 
  succeeded matters, she has Mag 1.
  
  Tere are three types of cards found in the 
  deck: value cards, face cards and jokers. Each is 
  scored diferently.
  
  Value cards are the simplest to score. Tey 
  are the cards marked two through ten, plus 
  the ace, which is low and has a value of one. 
  Whenever one of these cards is played, it is 
  worth the value printed on the card. Tis 
  gives value cards a nice even distribution 
  between one and ten.
   
  
  Face cards are the jack, queen and king. 
  Tese cards are worth +1, +2 and +3, respec-
  tively. Whenever a face card is played, the next 
  card on the top of the deck is fipped over 
  and placed on top of it. Tis is called a stack, 
  
  Te Saga Machine action mechanic 
  makes use of a standard deck of poker cards 
  with both jokers left in. For ease of play, we 
  recommend all players and the GM each 
  have their own deck, although all players 
  could share the same deck in a pinch.
  At the beginning of every session, each 
  player draws a hand of cards equal to her 
  character’s Edge (see page 112). Te GM 
  also gets a hand, although this hand is 
  shared by all NPCs rather than being for a 
  single character. Te GM draws a number 
  of cards equal to the number of players 
  present at the session.
  
  
  and for most purposes in the game, a stack is 
  treated as if it were a single card with the suit 
  of the frst (bottom) card of the stack. If the 
  second card in the stack is also a face card, one 
  does not fip over a third; there can be only two 
  cards in a stack.
  To determine the value of the stack, simply 
  add the value of each card together. So a king 
  (+3) and a 6 would have a value of 9. Or a queen 
  (+2) and a jack (+1) would have value of 3.
  
  Jokers are both good and bad. Whenever 
  they come up as part of a fip for any reason, 
  the result of the action in question is always 
  treated as a critical failure—that is, a failure 
  with Mag 6. 
  Te upside, however, is that after this 
  action is resolved the player may refresh her 
  hand. Tis means she may discard any cards 
  from her hand she wishes and may then draw 
  up to full Edge. If she’s already at full Edge and 
  does not discard any cards, she may instead 
  simply draw a single card, putting her one 
  over full Edge. After playing a joker, the player 
  must always then shufe her discard pile into 
  her deck, including shufing into the deck the 
  joker she just played.
  
  Every stat has an associated trump suit. 
  Whenever an action is taken and a card is 
  played matching the stat’s trump suit, the 
  action is said to be trump. Tis increases the 
  potential value for the action.
  To determine which stat values correspond 
  to which suits, see the table below:
  When an action is trump, fip over the next 
  card on the top of the deck and set it beside the 
  card that was just played. If the suits match—
  that is, if they both are trump—add the value 
  of the two cards together when resolving the 
  action. If they don’t match, simply pick one to 
  take (usually the highest value of the two).
  To clarify things, here are a few examples:
  Example: A character with Strength 6 and 
  Athletics 3 makes a fip. She plays the 5 of 
  spades—a trump. She fips over the next card of 
  the top of the deck: a 4 of hearts. Since the suits do 
  not match, she takes the highest of the two (the 5 
  of spades) and adds it to half her Endurance and 
  her Athletics for a fnal total of 11.
  Stat
  Suit
  Stat
  Suit
  Strength
  Spades (�)
  Intelligence
  Spades (�)
  Dexterity
  Hearts (�)
  Perception
  Hearts (�)
  Speed
  Diamonds (�)
  Charisma
  Diamonds (�)
  Endurance
  Clubs (�)
  Determination
  Clubs (�)
  
  
  Example: A character with Speed 4 makes 
  an action. She plays the 2 of diamonds—a 
  trump. She then fips over the next card: an 8 
  of diamonds. Since these cards match, she adds 
  them together and then adds her Speed for a 
  fnal total of 14.
  Example: A character with Determination 
  7 and Socialize 3 makes an action. She plays a 
  king of clubs—a face card and a trump. First, 
  she fips over the top card of the deck, a 7 of 
  hearts, and plays it on top of the king, forming a 
  stack. Tis stack has a value of 10. She then fips 
  over the next card, due to the trump, and places 
  it beside the frst stack. Tis card is a queen of 
  diamonds—also a face card. She then fips over 
  yet another card, ace of spades, and places it on 
  top of the queen forming a second stack, with 
  a total of 3. Te second stack’s suit (diamonds) 
  does not match the frst, so she takes the higher 
  of the two and adds it to half her Determination 
  plus Socialize for a total value of 16.
  
  Te target number (TN) of an action is 
  chosen by the GM; she may or may not decide 
  to share it with the player making the action. 
  Te GM should ask herself: would the character 
  know exactly how difcult this action is? Te 
  higher the target number, the more difcult 
  the action will be and the greater the chance 
  of failure. Te following TNs below should be 
  used as reasonable guidelines:
  Difculty
  Target Number (TN)
  Trivial
  6
  Easy
  8
  Average
  10
  Difcult
  12
  Daunting
  14
  Desperate
  16
  Absurd
  18
  Impossible
  20
  
  Sometimes the GM will call for an action 
  based on a skill the character does not possess. 
  Normally this just means the skill is worth zero 
  when determining the success or failure of the 
  action, but sometimes a character has another 
  related skill the player believes would be benef-
  cial. When this is the case, the player may want 
  to petition the GM to default to the related skill.
  When defaulting to a related skill, the value 
  of the skill is used in place of the half relevant 
  stat, but since no relevant stat is involved, the 
  action is never trump.
  Example: Bob has sneaked into a corp 
  ofce and is trying to use the computer systems 
  there. Te GM calls for an Int/comp-ops fip. 
  Bob doesn’t have any Comp-Ops, but he does 
  have Programming 3. Bob’s player petitions the 
  GM to default to Programming and the GM 
  agrees. Bob can then make the action using his 
  programming in place of half Intelligence, for 
  default 3, which cannot be trump.
  
  
  
  Sometimes a character is not being threat-
  ened, distracted or under intense pressure, and 
  yet wants to take an action. In these situations, 
  it may not be worth going through the full 
  exercise of playing a card. When this situation 
  arises, either the player or GM can opt for the 
  character to take stat.
  To do this, the player simply resolves the 
  action as if the relevant stat were her card value. 
  Te total is then compared to the target number 
  and success or failure is determined as normal.
  Example: Job is in port shopping for unusual 
  medical supplies. Te GM calls for a Chr/
  medic-10 fip to locate the supplies he needs. 
  Since Job isn’t under threat or pressure, Job’s 
  player ops to take stat. Job has Charisma 6 and 
  Medic 3, which would normally provide a bonus 
  of +5. He adds to this Job’s Charisma, for a total 
  of 11—enough to fnd the supplies he needs.
  
  Sometimes multiple characters work together 
  in an efort to accomplish a task, such as prying 
  open a jammed airlock door or investigating a 
  suspicious corp. In these situations, use the group 
  efort rules to model this sort of cooperation.
  For the action, one character is designated 
  as the primary actor (usually the one accom-
  plishing the bulk of the work) and the rest are 
  designated as secondary. All involved charac-
  ters then make a fip as if they were taking the 
  action, although only the total of the primary 
  actor will directly matter; all other characters 
  will simply provide a modifer to the action. 
  Every secondary character with a total less than 
  the primary adds +1 to the action, while every 
  secondary character with a total equal to or 
  greater than the primary adds +2. Secondary 
  characters who critically fail add -4. Te total 
  bonus from group efort can never exceed +4.
  Example: Frida is trying to defuse a bomb 
  and has her team of three other characters 
  helping her out by running scans, holding 
  wires and doing other grunt work. Frida makes 
  a Dex/ordnance fip and gets a total of 11. Her 
  team also makes fips and gets 8, 9 and 15, 
  which gives her group efort bonuses of +1, +1 
  and +2, respectively. Tis totals to +4, which is 
  the maximum possible from group efort.
  
  Saga Machine uses a simple convention to convey the important mechanical aspects of 
  an action when referencing them in the text. Tis conveys the relevant stat, relevant skill and 
  target number. If the action is extended, it also conveys the interval and tally. Examples of 
  this convention are given below:
   
  �
  Int-7: Intelligence action, TN 7.
   
  �
  Per/awareness vs. Dex/stealth: Perception action with the awareness skill opposed by a 
  dexterity action with the stealth skill.
   
  �
  End/ordnance-10 (10, 1 day): Extended endurance action with the ordnance skill ap-
  plying, TN 10, Tally 10, Interval of one day.
  Te convention is to use the abbreviation of the relevant stat (see page 98), followed by a 
  slash and then the relevant skill, if applicable. Tis is followed by a dash and the TN. If the 
  action is extended, the tally and the interval will follow in parentheses. Finally, if the action 
  is opposed, instead of a TN there will be a “vs.” and then the opposing stat and skill.
  
  
  
  An extended action is a drawn-out 
  endeavor where the time it takes to complete 
  the action is of particular importance, or where 
  events can happen throughout the course of the 
  endeavor that afect it in some way. Examples 
  include a foot chase through the corridors of 
  an abandoned station, repairing a spaceship 
  before a solar fare arrives or breaking into an 
  encrypted computer system.
  Mechanically, extended actions work like a 
  series of fips taken sequentially until the action 
  is complete. Each fip in the series represents an 
  interval of time spent working on the extended 
  action. Te exact amount of time varies from 
  action to action. Te interval for breaking into 
  an encrypted system may be an hour, while the 
  interval of a foot chase may be a mere ten seconds.
  In addition to a TN and an interval, each 
  extended action also has a number called a 
  tally. After every fip in the extended action, 
  the magnitude of success is added to a running 
  total. Once this total equals or exceeds the tally, 
  the extended action is complete. Failure on the 
  extended action is running out of time before 
  the action is complete. Here is an example:
  Example: Nadya needs to make some repairs 
  to her ship before a solar fare arrives. If her ship 
  isn’t repaired in time, everyone inside may be 
  cooked alive. Te GM declares this is an extended 
  Per/mechanic-10 action with an interval of an 
  hour and Tally 10. Nadya only has three hours 
  before the solar fare arrives. She makes a fip for 
  the frst hour and gets a total of 12. Tis adds 
  Mag 2 to the total—not a great start. She then 
  makes a fip for the second hour and gets a total 
  of 14. Tis adds Mag 4 to the total, bringing it 
  up to 6. She only has one more hour to work, 
  and makes a fip for the fnal hour. Unfortunately 
  she only scores a 12. Tis adds another Mag 2, 
  bringing her total up to 8, but that’s not enough 
  to reach the Tally 10 that she needs. Te ship isn’t 
  ready when the solar fare arrives. Nadya and her 
  crew must prepare for the worst.
  
  Since an extended action’s tally represents the 
  amount of work an extended action will take to 
  complete, it is useful to have some guidelines for 
  GMs to know what sort of values at which to set 
  an extended action’s tally. Use the table below:
  Amount of Work
  Tally
  A Bit
  5
  Fair Amount
  10
  A Lot
  15
  Tons
  20
  Absurd
  30
  
  Most actions beneft if the character has the right tool for the job. Not having the correct 
  tool can make a task more difcult or even impossible. For example, it’s a lot easier to pry 
  open a crate if one has an appropriate tool, like a crowbar. Other tasks—such as program-
  ming a computer—are going to be impossible unless one has the right tool: a computer 
  interface of some sort. Often these tools are going to be physical equipment. Other times 
  they’re going to be metaphorical tools, such as speaking the right language or being familiar 
  with the right subculture.
  Anytime a character tries to perform an action without an appropriate tool designed for 
  the task, the action is at a -4 penalty, or at the GM’s discretion, simply impossible.
  A character who manages to scrounge up an improvised tool—one not designed for the 
  task, but still capable—the penalty is lessened to a mere -2. For example, a chisel or tire iron 
  might be used in place of the crowbar mentioned above.
  Having the right tool for the job confers no penalty or bonus. Tis is the assumed norm, 
  and the tools are said to be “sufcient.”
  Finally, some tools are of a superior quality for the task at hand. Tese tools provide a +2 
  bonus on the action in question.
  
  
  
  Many times a character will want to 
  attempt some action another character is 
  actively trying to thwart. Tese are opposed 
  actions. Examples of opposed actions include 
  hiding from a stalking monstrosity or trying to 
  win a formal debate.
  Tere are two parties involved in opposed 
  actions: the initiator (the party taking the 
  action) and the target (the party opposing 
  the action). To make matters potentially even 
  more complex, opposed actions also could be 
  group efort actions or extended actions.
  Mechanically, opposed actions work just 
  like all the other types of actions with one 
  exception: they do not have a fxed TN. Instead, 
  the initiator’s fip sets the target number for the 
  target’s fip to resist. Here’s an example:
  Example: Abebe is trying to sneak by a 
  guard. Tis is a Dex/stealth vs. Per/awareness 
  fip. Abebe—the initiator—makes his fip and 
  gets a total of 14. Tis sets the target number 
  for the guard to notice him. Te guard then 
  makes her fip to resist and gets a 12. She fails 
  to notice Abebe sneaking by.
  If the magnitude of an opposed action 
  is needed, it can be found simply by taking 
  the diference between the two totals. Since 
  the initiator sets the TN for the target and a 
  success is normally equal to or exceeding the 
  TN, the target efectively wins ties.
  
  All player characters—and occasionally 
  non-player characters—have a score called 
  Edge. Tis score represents the subtle advan-
  tages these characters have in the narrative: 
  whether due to luck, good sense or simple 
  self-preservation.
  At the beginning of each session, the char-
  acter’s player draws a number of cards equal 
  to her Edge score. Te number of cards held 
  is the character’s current Edge, and it will 
  fuctuate during the game, as cards are played 
  or more cards drawn. 
  If a character spends an edge, this does 
  not afect her permanent Edge score, it 
  only afects her current Edge—the number 
  of cards she holds in her hand. Similarly, if 
  a character gains an Edge during play, she 
  simply draws a card. Tis likewise does not 
  afect her permanent Edge score. 
  Edge is gained when a Weakness trait 
  afects a character in some signifcant way. It 
  can also be awarded by the GM for actions 
  that particularly ft the genre or enhance the 
  game in other ways. Finally, a character may 
  regain Edge when a joker comes out during 
  play (see below).
  
  A player may never hold a joker in her 
  hand as part of her Edge. Anytime a joker is 
  drawn, she must immediately discard the joker 
  as well as any other cards she wishes to discard. 
  She then draws back up to full Edge, exactly as 
  if a joker came out during play (see “Playing 
  Jokers” below). All discarded cards are then 
  shufed into the deck, as normal.
  
  Anytime a joker comes out during play, 
  the action in question is an automatic critical 
  failure, but the character’s player also gets to 
  refresh her Edge. Tis means she may discard 
  any cards from her hand that she wishes and 
  may then draw up to full Edge. If she’s already 
  at full Edge and does not discard any cards, she 
  
  
  may instead simply draw a single card, putting 
  her one over full Edge.
  Anytime a joker comes out in this way, the 
  player must at the end of the action immedi-
  ately shufe her discard pile into her deck. In 
  this way, her deck will always have two jokers 
  in it. Jokers never sit around in the discard pile.
  
  In Shadows Over Sol, Edge can be spent 
  in three ways:
   
  �
  Play a Card: When making an action, a 
  player may play a card from her hand in 
  place of the usual card from the top of the 
  deck. Tis card may result in additional 
  cards being played from the top of the 
  deck, as per the usual rules for trumps.
   
  �
  Luck: After an action has been declared 
  but before a card has been played for it, 
  the player in question can choose to dis-
  card a card in order to make the action 
  automatically trump. When resolving the 
  action, she fips over a second card and 
  takes the highest of the two, exactly as 
  with a normal trump. If the suits match, 
  she adds together the value, as normal. 
  Te value of an edge card discarded in this 
  manner does not matter.
   
  �
  Serendipity: A player may discard a card 
  to announce the existence of some small, 
  convenient coincidence. A use in this 
  manner must be accepted by the GM and 
  may not derail or be detrimental to the 
  game. Examples include declaring that 
  the character remembered to bring some 
  wire or declaring that a vehicle takes a 
  couple tries to fully start at a particularly 
  convenient moment.
  
  In addition to the players, the GM has 
  Edge of her own. Tis Edge represents not 
  just the Edge a single character, but the Edge 
  all minor NPCs collectively. At the beginning 
  of a session, the GM draws a number of cards 
  equal to the number of players present. She 
  may spend the Edge for any of her NPCs, 
  just as a player would spend Edge for her 
  player character.
  
  
  
  In the Saga Machine system, actions are 
  just half the equation. Te other half is conse-
  quences—the direct mechanical efects of a 
  character’s action. Consequences can represent 
  many things: receiving a mortal wound, expe-
  riencing fatigue, being on fre, being broken, 
  lusting after another character, being the life of 
  the party, etc. Tey are as many and as varied as 
  the actions characters can take. Furthermore, 
  cleverly placed consequences can be exploited 
  by crafty characters and made to be a signif-
  cant mechanical boon.
  
  
  Consequences as a unifed mechanic are a 
  concept many role-playing games lack; never-
  theless, they are quite simple. A consequence 
  is simply the mechanical representation of a 
  status efect upon a character or upon some 
  part of the scene. Look at some example conse-
  quences in a little more detail below: 
  Example: Xuan is attacked by a group of 
  hired thugs. He takes the action to dive for 
  cover behind a crumbling brick facade. Tis 
  action grants him the Cover consequence, 
  which hinders the thugs’ incoming attacks.
  Example: Natasha is attending a fancy party 
  of corp executives. Also in attendance is Juan, a 
  member of the corp’s board who tried to have 
  her assassinated. She takes the action to gossip 
  with the attending executives, undercutting his 
  credibility and standing in the corp. Tis gives 
  Juan the Humiliated consequence, penalizing 
  his social actions.
  Example: Ngunza is creeping quietly 
  through the darkened corridors of an 
  abandoned space station. Something else is out 
  there in the station. It makes an eerie howling 
  noise as the fickering lights of the station seem 
  to make the shadows warp and twist across the 
  walls. Te thing’s action—the howl—gives the 
  station the Unsettling consequence, penalizing 
  actions against fear.
  Te outcomes of all of these situations are 
  consequences. Note that in all of these cases, 
  there is some clear beneft or hindrance to 
  be had from the consequence of the action, 
  although a consequence in some situations 
  may provide both a beneft and a hindrance. 
  Tis might potentially be exploitable by any 
  party, friend or foe. Also note consequences 
  can be applied either to characters themselves 
  or to the scene around the character. Deciding 
  which consequences apply to actions is a 
  task performed by the GM, who takes into 
  account a number of rules of thumb detailed 
  below. Players are, however, free to declare 
  their intent when taking such an action or to 
  make suggestions.
  
  Not all consequences are created equal; 
  some outcomes obviously are more severe 
  than others. Because of this, consequences 
  come in four diferent levels of severity. Each 
  level increases the severity of the efects of the 
  consequence in question. Te diferent levels 
  of consequence severity are as follows:
   
  �
  Light: Light consequences are the least 
  severe type of consequences. Tey are the 
  small cuts and bruises, the single case of 
  stuttering when delivering a speech or 
  the minor misconception in understand-
  ing a complex story.
   
  �
  Moderate: Moderate consequences are a 
  bit more severe. Tey are the nasty gash 
  dealt to one’s arm, the insistent wavering 
  of one’s voice when making a speech or the 
  fawed understanding that afecting a mi-
  nor but still signifcant part of a story.
   
  �
  Severe: Severe consequences cannot be eas-
  ily ignored. Tey are the profusely bleed-
  ing wound in one’s stomach, the almost 
  unintelligible speech being delivered or the 
  deep-seated bias rendering the understand-
  ing of a story mostly useless.
   
  �
  Critical: 
  Tese 
  consequences—critical 
  consequences—are the most severe. Tey 
  are the mortal wound, the passing out 
  from hyperventilation during a speech or 
  the fawed understanding of a story render-
  ing it worse than useless.
  
  
  
  
  As a general rule of thumb, the better 
  the success or failure of the action, the more 
  severe the consequence produced by it. 
  Start with a light consequence, and as the 
  magnitude of success or failure increases, the 
  severity of the consequence increases as well. 
  Refer to the table below:
  Consequence
  Magnitude
  Light
  0
  Moderate
  2
  Severe
  4
  Critical
  6
  Tis is not a hard and fast rule, and GMs 
  should feel free to bend it when appropriate. 
  Rather, it is a standard guideline for assigning a 
  severity to consequences produced by an action.
  
  
  Consequences can have a variety of 
  efects, and deciding upon an appropriate 
  and balanced efect is something of a learning 
  process. GMs should endeavor to make all 
  consequences of a given severity roughly 
  on par with each other, although there will 
  always be a certain amount of wiggle room. 
  Nevertheless, it is good to have a few 
  standards from which to judge the appropri-
  ateness of consequences. A “standard” conse-
  quence provides a modifer based on its severity 
  to a class of actions where its application makes 
  sense. For example, a “looking extraordinary” 
  consequence might apply as a bonus to social 
  actions but may also apply a penalty to actions 
  to blend into a crowd. Te standard modifer 
  per severity for consequences is given below: 
  Consequence
  Modifer
  Light
  ±1
  Moderate
  ±2
  Severe
  ±3
  Critical
  ±4
  A list of common consequences used 
  by various systems in Shadows Over Sol is 
  provided in an appendix and may also be used as 
  a benchmark when adjudicating consequences.
  
  Te GM may want some scenes to begin with consequences already on them. In this 
  manner, clever players can use these initial consequences to their beneft. Tese sorts of 
  consequences are called “scene consequences” because they were placed on the scene before 
  it began. Perhaps a scene already has the “noisy” consequence, applying a penalty to actions 
  to socialize and applying a bonus to characters using the noise as a distraction when trying 
  to use stealth. Maybe the scene has the “blood-splattered” consequence, forcing characters 
  running through it to make an action against slipping in the fuid.
  Scene consequences can be a useful tool for the GM to promote certain behaviors among 
  characters in diferent scenes, because they provide characters with a reward for behaviors 
  making use of the scene consequences. For example, a GM might want to promote caution 
  in a scene by giving it a “danger lurking in every corner” consequence that makes ambushes 
  or fear particularly easy.
  
  
  
  
  Consequences don’t usually stick around 
  forever: wounds heal, people get over bad frst 
  impressions and structures on fre are either 
  put out or burnt to the ground.
  By default, consequences stick around 
  either until the end of the scene or until 
  an appropriate action is taken to make the 
  consequence go away. Te type of action that 
  is appropriate, of course, will vary with the 
  nature of the consequence. For example, an 
  “on fre” consequence may go away once an 
  action is taken to put out the fre, and a Stun 
  consequence may go away once a character 
  takes a moment to concentrate and gather 
  her wits. Many consequences will have an 
  obvious action that can be taken to bring 
  them to an end; for other actions, the GM 
  will have to make it clear. When deciding 
  upon these, the GM should keep in mind 
  game balance and common sense.
  Some consequences, however, are lasting. 
  Tese consequences stick around past the end 
  of a scene and involve some more signifcant 
  act to bring it to an end. Such consequences 
  are usually special cases, such as the Wound 
  consequence used by the combat system. 
  As a general rule of thumb, an action that 
  causes a lasting consequence should cause a 
  consequence one or more severities lower 
  than it normally would. So, for example, 
  an action that succeeds with Mag 6 would 
  normally cause a critical consequence, but if 
  the consequence is lasting, it might only cause 
  a moderate consequence. In essence, severity 
  is traded for duration.
  
  
  
  
  Te future of Shadows Over Sol is rife 
  with danger—from violent gangs, overzealous 
  corp security and terrorists to bioengineered 
  monstrosities, experimental augmentations and 
  battles in space. Over the course of a campaign, 
  characters will likely take wounds that threaten 
  their lives; it is only a matter of when.
  
  
  Whenever a character takes signifcant 
  injury, she will likely gain a Wound conse-
  quence (see page 231). Tis consequence 
  represents the physical damage taken in the 
  injury. Tese consequences work like other 
  consequences—they are rated light to critical, 
  they have an efect and they have a duration 
  (see the healing rules on page 118).
  Unlike many consequences, if a character 
  would take a Wound consequence multiple 
  times, the severities do not add together. Instead 
  every Wound consequence is tracked separately. 
  If a character takes a severe wound, and then 
  takes a light wound, she now has two separate 
  wounds—one at severe and one at light—not a 
  combined Wound consequence at critical.
  Wound consequences typically apply a 
  penalty to the character’s next fip—the sudden 
  shock and pain of the injury—and afterward 
  simply linger and count against the character’s 
  Wound threshold (see page 118).
  
  On the character sheet, one will note a 
  series of boxes for tracking wounds. Tis is 
  called the character’s wound track. It will look 
  something like this:
  �������
  ���
  �����
  ���������
  ���
  �����
  �������
  ���
  �����
  ���������
  ���
  �����
  Whenever a character takes a Wound 
  consequence, she simply checks of a box of the 
  appropriate severity. If by some chance there 
  are no more boxes available at that severity, 
  draw some in or keep track with tally marks.
  Te numbers in the middle are the penalty 
  given by that severity of wound and the severity 
  count to add when comparing the total wounds 
  to the character’s Wound threshold.
  
  Whenever a character takes damage, the 
  damage being applied will have a rating that 
  looks something like this: 4L, 12M, 17S or 
  8C. Every damage rating consists of two parts: 
  a numerical value that will be compared to 
  damage reduction (DR) and Shock threshold 
  and a severity—L is for light, M is for moderate, 
  S is for severe and C is for critical.
  When the value is compared to DR and 
  Shock threshold, it may result in the severity 
  being increased or decreased (see below). For 
  example, after comparison, a 16M wound may 
  be staged up from moderate to severe, or it might 
  be staged down from moderate to light. Wounds 
  staged below light severity become trivial and do 
  not result in a Wound consequence. 
  Wounds staged above critical will result in 
  two wound consequences: one will be a critical 
  wound, and the other will be a severity corre-
  sponding to the number of severities the wound 
  was staged beyond critical. For example, a critical 
  wound that is then staged up once will result 
  in both a critical wound and a light wound. A 
  critical wound that is staged up twice will result 
  in both a critical wound and a moderate wound. 
  Tis process continues as many times as the 
  severity wound needs increased.
  After the severity of the fnal wound is 
  determined, the appropriate box (or boxes in 
  the case of wounds staged above critical) are 
  checked of the character’s wound track.
  
  
  Damage reduction (DR) is a certain resis-
  tance to damage: it is usually either innate or 
  granted by equipment (such as armor). DR is 
  
  
  tracked both on its own and as a bonus to a 
  character’s Shock threshold.
  Whenever a character takes damage, the 
  value of the damage is compared to the target’s 
  DR. If the value is less than her DR, its severity 
  is decreased a step. Critical becomes severe, 
  severe becomes moderate, moderate becomes 
  light, light becomes nothing. If the value is 
  below half the target’s DR, no damage is dealt.
  Some damage—such as from poison 
  already in the character’s system—will ignore 
  DR entirely. Do not compare this damage to 
  the character’s DR, and ignore the DRs bonus 
  to the character’s Shock threshold.
  
  Whenever a character takes damage, its 
  value is also compared to her Shock threshold. 
  If the value is equal to or higher than her 
  Shock, the severity is increased a step. If it’s 
  higher than twice her Shock it’s increased 
  two steps; higher than three times her Shock 
  increases it three steps, etc.
  In addition to increasing the severity of 
  the wound, the target also increases her Stun 
  consequence an equal number of severities. For 
  example, if after comparison her wound would 
  be increased two severities, her Stun conse-
  quence increases two seventies as well. If she 
  did not already have the Stun consequence, she 
  gains it at the indicated severity. For example, 
  increasing two seventies severities from no Stun 
  would result in a moderate Stun consequence.
  
  Wounds can be fatal. To help determine 
  when they are, every character has a Wound 
  threshold. Tis is the point beyond which their 
  wounds are not just horrifc, but life threatening.
  Each player should keep a count of the total 
  number of wound severities her character has 
  taken. Light is one severity, moderate is two, 
  severe is three and critical is four. When this 
  total reaches the character’s Wound threshold, 
  her combined wounds threaten death. She is 
  said to be in her dying gasps (see below).
  
  When a character’s wound severity total 
  equals or exceeds her Wound threshold, the 
  character is said to be in her dying gasps.
  When entering her dying gasps, she immedi-
  ately increases her Bleeding consequence a severity. 
  If she did not have the consequence, she instead 
  gains it at light. Anytime she takes a wound in her 
  dying gasps, her Bleeding consequence increases 
  another severity, except wounds caused by the 
  Bleeding consequence itself. Tis means if she is 
  not rapidly treated, her wounds will soon kill her. 
  (For treating wounds, see page the next page.)
  If for some reason a character’s wound 
  severity total ever reaches twice her Wound 
  threshold, she immediately expires, potentially 
  skipping the dying gasps stage entirely.
  
  Over time, most characters’ bodies will 
  heal and repair themselves. Under the super-
  vision of a skilled medic, this time is often 
  signifcantly reduced. When healing naturally, 
  for every week of rest and relaxation a character 
  may heal a number of severities of damage 
  equal to her Endurance. Te highest severity 
  wound is always healed frst, followed by the 
  next most severe. If a wound is not fully healed 
  in this way, it is instead reduced in severity to 
  by the number of severities that are healed.
  Example: Svetlena has a critical wound and a 
  severe wound. She also has Endurance 6, so after 
  a week of rest she can heal 6 severities of wounds. 
  Since she must heal the most severe one frst, she 
  heals the critical wound. Critical wounds are 4 
  severities; she has 2 severities of healing left over. 
  Severe wounds are 3 severities, so she cannot fully 
  heal her remaining wound, but she can reduce 
  it by the remaining 2 severities of healing. Tis 
  downgrades it to a light wound. At the end of the 
  week, Svetlena is still lightly wounded.
  To heal, characters must spend the time 
  relaxing and getting well. Stressful and dangerous 
  conditions are antithetical to the healing process. 
  Anytime a character is in a stressful and dangerous 
  situation or otherwise takes a wound, reset the 
  count of time that she has spent healing. She may 
  immediately begin resting again, but now she’s 
  beginning the week again.
  
  
  
  Characters may want to spend their time 
  healing under the supervision of a skilled 
  doctor who has access to sufcient medical 
  technology. Tis may cost a pretty penny, but 
  characters who do this will generally heal much 
  faster than characters who do not. 
  At the end of a day of treatment, the 
  doctor should make an Int/medic-10 fip. If 
  she doesn’t have access to sufcient medical 
  technology, she takes the usual penalty for not 
  having appropriate tools (see page 111). Te 
  doctor may treat a number of patients equal to 
  her medic skill in this way and should make a 
  single action to treat all of them. On a success, 
  her patients heal one severity of Wound conse-
  quences, plus one for every 5 Mag. Tis is 
  in addition to natural healing. On a failure, 
  patients do not heal, and on a critical failure, 
  they each take a light wound.
  
  First aid can be used to patch up wounds 
  shortly after they occur or to stop bleeding. First 
  aid must take place within an hour of receiving 
  a wound, and a character may only beneft from 
  frst aid once per set of wounds received.
  To apply frst aid, the healer should make 
  a Dex/medic-10 fip. Apply the usual penalty 
  if she does not have appropriate tools. On a 
  success, she may either heal the patient for Mag 
  light wounds or she may reduce a single wound 
  a severity. Either way, she may also remove the 
  patient’s Bleeding consequence.
  First aid typically takes 10 minutes to heal 
  wounds or a round if only stopping the bleeding 
  (see “First Aid in Combat” on page 124). Advanced 
  equipment may reduce the time required. 
  Applying frst aid to oneself is more difcult and 
  doubles the required time (increasing the required 
  action points (AP) if in combat). 
  
  Lingering injuries and some other condi-
  tions require “surgery” to remove. Tis term is 
  used to mean both literal surgery, as well as any 
  other complicated—and usually expensive—
  medical procedure. To perform surgery, the 
  medic usually must either have a surgery kit 
  (see page 190) or the character must pay for 
  a full treatment at a medical facility (see page 
  189). Whatever surgery entails, procedures are 
  divided into three categories: 
  Minor Surgery: When performing a 
  minor surgery, the physician should make 
  a Dex/medic-10 fip. On a success, the 
  surgery is successful, but the patient gains the 
  Fatigued (moderate) consequence during the 
  recovery time. On a success by Mag 5+, the 
  patient only gains the Fatigued (light). Minor 
  surgeries typically require at least an hour on 
  the operating table, and have at least a week’s 
  recovery time.
  Major Surgery: When performing a major 
  surgery, the physician should make a Dex/
  medic-12 fip. On a success, the surgery is 
  successful, but the patient gains the Fatigued 
  (moderate) consequence during the recovery 
  time. On a success by Mag 5+, the patient only 
  gains the Fatigued (light) consequence. Major 
  surgeries typically require many long, grueling 
  hours on the operating table, followed by at 
  least a month’s recovery time.
  Regrowth Terapy: Regrowth therapy 
  is used to regrow entire missing limbs and to 
  recover from the most severe injuries. Unlike 
  the other two types of surgery, regrowth therapy 
  requires long hours and an extended stay in a 
  medical facility: as such, a surgery kit is not suf-
  cient. With regrowth therapy, the patient needs 
  to come in once a week for several weeks. For the 
  physician applying this therapy, it is an extended 
  Per/medic-10 (10, 1 week) action. On average, 
  the regrowth process takes about a month.
  
  Damage cannot be healed until what’s 
  causing it is no longer afecting the character. 
  Bullet wounds cannot be healed until the bullets 
  are removed. Damage from poison cannot be 
  healed until the poison is out of the charac-
  ter’s system. Damage from asphyxiation cannot 
  be healed until the character is breathing once 
  more. GMs and players should use common 
  sense when tracking this. No amount of frst aid 
  is going to heal a person dying of starvation.
  
  
  
  At some point, the shit will hit the fan. 
  Guns will be drawn. Blood will be spilt. 
  Someone will begin the age-old practice of 
  making holes in other human beings until 
  one party lays gurgling in their own blood and 
  other bodily fuids, twitching and dreaming of 
  all the birthdays they’ll never have.
  In the combat system, the action in the 
  game world is broken down into 3-second 
  increments of time called rounds. Every 
  round, characters have the opportunity to 
  declare actions, and later those actions are 
  resolved. Actions declared in combat almost 
  always require some number of action points 
  (AP) to perform. At the beginning of each 
  round, characters will gain a few AP, which 
  over the course of the round can then be spent 
  on actions or reactions.
  Te bulk of the actions in a combat are 
  likely to be attacks. Successful attacks give 
  their target Wound consequences, bringing 
  them one step closer to taking their fnal 
  gasps. Sometimes attacks impose other conse-
  quences as well on targets, hindering them in 
  various ways.
  Eventually combat will be over. Te 
  survivors will have to begin to live with the 
  consequences of their actions, and the usual 
  narrative fow of the game resumes.
  
  During combat characters will gain and 
  spend action points (AP) to perform actions 
  or make reactions. AP can be tracked using 
  poker chips, glass beads or even tally marks 
  on paper. Personally, we recommend physical 
  tokens of some sort, as they gave a very clear 
  tactile indicator of the number of AP each 
  character possesses.
  Unless something dictates otherwise, all 
  characters will gain 3 AP at the beginning of 
  every round. Some NPCs may have abilities 
  that give them more or less, and being surprised 
  at the beginning of combat may negate some 
  or all AP the frst round.
  At the end of every round, all left over 
  AP are discarded—that is, AP do not carry 
  over from round to round. Te next round 
  then immediately begins and usual AP for the 
  round is gained.
  
  It’s usually obvious when to bust out the 
  combat system and begin to break the action 
  down into rounds. Someone will draw a gun, 
  a monstrosity will burst out of the shadows 
  or someone will throw a punch. When the 
  situation is in doubt, however, declaring the 
  start of a combat is up to the GM.
  
  At the beginning of combat, the GM 
  should describe the scene and the relative 
  positions of the diferent characters and should 
  make sure each character has the appropriate 
  number of AP to begin the round. Some char-
  acters may also begin the combat with conse-
  quences already on them—of particular note 
  are Cover and Concealment, although other 
  lasting consequences such as Fatigue or Wound 
  consequences will crop up frequently as well.
  
  Sometimes one party will attempt to 
  ambush the other at the beginning of combat, 
  catching them unaware. Tis is typically 
  handled by making a Dex/stealth vs. Per/
  awareness fip. On a success, the surprised 
  party each loses an AP for the frst round of 
  combat. Tey each lose 2 AP if the ambushers 
  succeeded by Mag 5+. On subsequent rounds, 
  they will gain AP as normal.
  
  In the combat system, the action in the 
  game world is broken up into short 3-second 
  increments of time called rounds. At the 
  beginning of every round, all characters gain 
  AP, and at the end of every round they discard 
  any remaining AP. 
  Each round is broken down into four 
  phases. In the frst phase, players declare their 
  actions for the round, and in the latter three 
  phases, those actions are resolved. Te four 
  phases are as follows:
  
  
   
  �
  Declare Phase: In this phase, all players 
  declare their actions for the round. Only 
  one action may be declared per phase. All 
  declarations are made simultaneously. Tis 
  includes declaring in which phase the ac-
  tion will take place.
   
  �
  Phase 3: Actions declared in this phase 
  cost 3 AP.
   
  �
  Phase 2: Actions declared in this phase 
  cost 2 AP.
   
  �
  Phase 1: Actions declared in this phase 
  cost 1 AP.
  
  All actions for each round are chosen in the 
  declare phase. Tese declarations must include 
  the phase the action will be resolved in, what 
  action the character is taking, as well as the 
  action’s targets and any other options that must 
  be chosen before any associated fip.
  All actions by all combatants are declared 
  simultaneously. It is recommended for GMs to 
  have sticky notes, index cards, scraps of paper 
  or some other mechanism where players can 
  write down their actions and hand them in at 
  the end of the declare phase.
  Te AP to perform an action is spent when 
  the action is declared. A character may declare 
  multiple actions in the same round, but she 
  must have enough AP and may only declare 
  one action per phase.
  Any remaining AP not spent on declared 
  actions can be kept for use in reactions, such 
  as the dodge reaction. Reactions do not need 
  to be chosen in the declare phase; the player 
  simply decides not to spend AP, and declares 
  the reaction when its trigger occurs during one 
  of the later phases.
  Te three resolution phases count down—3, 
  2, 1. Actions declared each phase will have an 
  AP cost equal to the phase’s number. Tat is, 
  declaring an action in an earlier phase costs 
  more than declaring an action in a later phase. 
  Tis represents taking committed, decisive 
  action versus a wait-and-see approach.
  In their descriptions, some actions will 
  say that they cost “at least 1 AP,” “at least 2 
  AP” or “at least 3 AP.” Tese actions require 
  more commitment and must be declared 
  in a phase requiring at least the many AP. 
  For example, an action requiring “at least 2 
  AP” cannot be declared during Phase 1. It 
  may only be declared during Phase 2 or 3, 
  and costs the usual amount for the phase in 
  which it is declared.
  
  When resolving actions, the GM frst 
  resolves all actions in Phase 3, then all actions 
  in Phase 2 and then all actions in Phase 1. 
  Te actions in each phase occur simultane-
  ously. An action being resolved in a particular 
  phase doesn’t occur before any other action in 
  the same phase. For example, two combatants 
  shooting each other in the same phase both 
  get their shots of, even if both immediately 
  die from the wounds sufered.
  
  A good horror story is all about the tension. It’s about the impending doom, the 
  oncoming desperation, the inevitable moment of shock and terror. Ten—once the moment 
  of violence arrives—it’s swift, it’s brutal and it’s a game-changer. Frequently characters in 
  horror stories spend more of their time trying desperately to subvert, trick or improvise 
  against the subject of their horror than they do confronting it directly and violently.
  Te order of the phases in the Shadows Over Sol combat round is intended to emphasize 
  this sense of tension and threat. Impending attacks are declared in the frst phase of the round 
  and executed in later phases, giving players time to worry and sweat about the upcoming 
  devastation. GMs may want to declare enemy attacks in the fnal two phases, giving players 
  an opportunity for improvisation and desperate actions to prevent the upcoming attack—
  but only if they take a gamble and go “all in” the frst phase. Tis can draw out the tension 
  and desperation.
  
  
  Te phase into which an action is 
  resolved may have an efect on the action. 
  For example, aim actions resolved in phase 2 
  provide a greater bonus than those resolved 
  in phase 1. For specifcs, see the descriptions 
  of individual actions.
  Sometimes the events of a phase will 
  render an action impossible to perform by 
  the time its resolution comes up in the next 
  phase. When this situation occurs, the player 
  who declared the action may want to cancel 
  it. Regardless, because the action is impos-
  sible to perform, it does not occur.
  Regardless of the phase, an action is 
  resolved in, all actions fall into one of four 
  basic categories: interact, move, concentrate 
  or attack. Which category an actions falls into 
  may determine how it is afected by certain 
  consequences or options.
  
  At any time before its phase begins, a player 
  may choose to cancel one of her declared 
  actions. When she does this, the canceled 
  action does not occur. While this does not 
  gain her any of her AP back, it does prevent 
  her from performing action that she no longer 
  wishes to see occur.
  
  A few special reactions exist which can 
  be triggered by another character’s action. 
  When a trigger occurs, a character may 
  immediately declare and resolve the reaction. 
  Unless specifed otherwise, all reactions cost 
  1 AP. Te most common reactions are wait, 
  zone of control and dodge. Except for wait, 
  these reactions are all described in the section 
  following the type of action that triggers 
  them. Wait is a more general reaction and is 
  described below.
  
  Sometimes a character wants to take a 
  particular action in response to another’s 
  action. For example: “If she walks through the 
  door I will shoot her.” Tese types of declara-
  tions can be made with a wait reaction. 
  To declare a wait reaction, the player 
  must specify both the trigger event and the 
  response action during the declare phase. 
  Examples of trigger events include: “if she 
  speaks,” “if she does anything violent,” and 
  “if she starts to run.” Examples of response 
  actions include: “I shoot her,” “I chase after 
  her” and “I dive for cover.”
  Declaring a wait costs 1 AP for the reaction 
  itself and 2 AP spent for the response action. 
  Te cost of both these are paid during declare 
  phase when the wait reaction is chosen. Te 
  response action may later be canceled like any 
  declared action, in which case it becomes irrel-
  evant if the trigger occurs.
  Once the trigger happens during action 
  resolution, the response action is also imme-
  diately resolved. Tese are considered to have 
  occurred simultaneously.
  
  
  Tere are times when opposing efects 
  will occur simultaneously in the same 
  phase—for example, one character concen-
  trates to remove her Stun consequence 
  while another character adds to her Stun 
  consequence with an attack. When this 
  happens, frst apply both efects then assess 
  the net result.
  
  It’s more difcult to do things with a 
  character’s of-hand than it is with a char-
  acter’s primary hand. Tus, all actions 
  taken with a character’s of-hand are at a -2 
  penalty. Tis applies not only to attacks, but 
  to any action taken with the of-hand.
  
  
  
  Te aim of combat is to snuf out another 
  person’s life or at least to infict upon them 
  terrible bodily injury. To do this, one typically 
  must frst not die in the process, which means 
  avoiding terrible bodily injury oneself. 
  Tis is where a character’s Defense score 
  comes in. It is a measure of how difcult she 
  is to hit in combat and how difcult it is to hit 
  her well. Mechanically, a character’s Defense 
  is actually two numbers: one representing the 
  TN to hit the character and the other repre-
  senting the TN to critically hit the character. 
  Tis score is written with a slash separating 
  the two numbers. Elsewhere in the combat 
  system, these are referred to as a “hit” and as a 
  “critical hit,” respectively. Hits usually result in 
  the attacker dealing damage to her target. On a 
  critical hit, however, other efects can typically 
  be applied as well (see page 127). 
  To calculate a character’s Defense TN, use 
  the following formulas:
  Hit Defense TN =  
  (Spd + Per + Dex) ÷ 2
  Critical Hit Defense TN =  
  Spd + Per + Dex
  Example: A character has a Spd 5, Per 6 
  and Dex 4. Her Defense TN would be “7/15” 
  ([Spd + Per + Dex] ÷ 2 = 7 and 5 + 6 + 4 = 
  15). Tis would mean an attacking character 
  would need a total of 7 to hit her and 15 to 
  critically hit her.
  
  Many consequences or other situations can 
  give a modifer to a character’s Defense score. 
  When a modifer is given to defense, it applies 
  to both numbers. For example, if a character 
  with Defense 7/15 gains a +3 modifer, her 
  efective Defense with the modifer is 10/18.
  
  Anytime an attack is made against a char-
  acter’s Defense she may respond by attempting 
  a dodge reaction. As with all reactions, this 
  requires spending an AP. A character may 
  only declare a dodge reaction if she is aware of 
  the attack—that is, she cannot dodge attacks 
  she doesn’t see coming. Te efect of taking a 
  dodge reaction varies depending on whether 
  the character is being attacked in melee or 
  whether she is being attacked at range.
  A character being attacked at range can use 
  the reaction to make the best of her available 
  cover. When the dodge reaction is made, she 
  doubles the bonus it applies to her Defense score.
  On the other hand, a character being attacked 
  in melee—regardless of whether the attack itself 
  is with a melee weapon or a ranged weapon—has 
  another option. She may either double her cover 
  (as with being attacked at range) or she may apply 
  her melee skill as a bonus to her Defense.
  Example: Sanja is being attacked. Her Defense 
  is 7/15, and the attack action then achieves a 
  total of 17. Normally this would be enough for 
  a critical hit, but Sanja really can’t aford to take a 
  critical wound now. She declares a dodge reaction 
  and spends an AP. Since she is being attacked in 
  melee, she has two options: she can either double 
  her cover (moderate, doubled to a +4 bonus) or 
  she may use her melee skill (for a total of +1). She 
  opts to double her cover, giving her an efective 
  Defense of 11/19. Tis means the attack is still a 
  hit, but it’s not a critical hit.
  
  
  
  A variety of interactions can take place 
  in combat either with the environment or 
  with other characters. Tese can be as simple 
  as drawing a weapon or as complex as coor-
  dinating an attack with one’s allies. Interact 
  actions are a good catch-all for maneuvers that 
  don’t otherwise fall under the other catego-
  ries—if it’s not an attack, not primarily moving 
  around and not primarily a mental task. When 
  in doubt, it’s an interact action.
  A few interact actions of special interest 
  are detailed below.
  
  Tere’s a reason that small tactical units 
  train together, have their own comm channels 
  and have a clear command structure. Groups 
  of people fght better when coordinated. 
  In combat, a character may take an Int/
  persuade-10 fip to try to coordinate her allies. 
  A character may coordinate up to a number of 
  allies equal to her intelligence. Tis requires the 
  ability to clearly communicate with the coor-
  dinated allies, and benefts from appropriate 
  tools, such as linked comms (see page 194). 
  A character may not coordinate herself. On 
  a success, all coordinated allies increase their 
  Bolstered consequence by a severity. With 5+ 
  Mag, they increase it two severities.
  
  Drawing a weapon or reloading one is a 
  simple interact action that involves taking 
  a weapon out or putting ammunition into 
  one. Tis costs at least 1 AP if the weapon or 
  magazine was in a holster or other easy-to-access 
  position. It costs at least 2 AP if it was harder 
  to reach, such as stowed at the top of a pack or 
  tucked inside one’s boot. Some weapons may 
  have longer reload times, requiring more AP. 
  Tis will be noted in the weapon’s properties.
  
  To apply frst aid in combat, the healer 
  should make a Dex/medic-10 fip. Te action 
  benefts from having the appropriate tools (see 
  page 111). On a success, she may remove the 
  patient’s Bleeding consequence. A medic may 
  not remove Wound consequences in the span 
  of a combat round unless she has gear specif-
  cally capable of this (healing wounds normally 
  takes 10 minutes; see page 119). Performing 
  frst aid in combat requires at least 1 AP or at 
  least 2 AP if performing it on oneself.
  
  Sometimes it is possible to intimidate a 
  foe in combat, causing her to reconsider the 
  benefts of backing down. Intimidating a foe 
  is a Chr/persuade vs. Det fip. Te foe must 
  be able to see and communicate with the 
  character for this to work, and it may only 
  be performed on one foe at a time. Te GM 
  should also consider possible modifers—for 
  example, having appropriately threatening 
  gear probably counts as the right tools for the 
  job, and attempting this when outnumbered 
  almost certainly makes it more difcult. On 
  a success, the target gains the Fear (light) 
  consequence. With 5+ Mag this increases to 
  Fear (moderate).
  
  Sometime it’s possible to trick an enemy, 
  granting an opening that can be exploited in 
  combat. Such tricks are usually high risk, high 
  reward actions, and they always leave the foe all 
  the wiser against similar future actions. Tricks 
  will usually be opposed actions, although the 
  exact stats and skills will vary depending on 
  the nature of the trick. For example, spraying 
  congealed blood in a foe’s face might be a Dex/
  athletics vs. Spd fip, while faking a punch to 
  leave an opening might be a Chr/melee vs. Int 
  fip. Regardless of the nature of the trick, on a 
  success, the foe’s Dazed consequence increases a 
  severity. With Mag 5+ it increases by two severi-
  ties. On the other hand, should the trick fail, 
  the trickster increases her Dazed consequence a 
  severity or two severities if she failed by Mag 5+.
  
  
  
  Analysis is the enemy of horror. Te more 
  something can be understood, quantifed and 
  examined, the less horrifc it becomes. Te 
  tension in horror comes from the unknown 
  and from uncertainty. Chances are nothing the 
  GM can possibly sketch out can compare to 
  what the players can conjure up in their minds 
  from snippets of description.
  Tis being the case, Shadows Over Sol 
  assumes a “theater of the imagination” style of 
  combat. A character’s position as she moves is 
  simply described by the player or GM when 
  it happens. Distances can be given ballpark 
  estimates, or described as by an unreliable 
  narrator. Unless the player characters (PCs) 
  have some form of laser targeting, no one is 
  actually taking exact measurements in combat.
  Nevertheless, 
  movement 
  is 
  still 
  an 
  important part of the action in combat. 
  Combatants in a knife fght or fstfght are 
  going to want to close in on each other for 
  attacks. Combatants in a gunfght are going to 
  want to take cover or hit the ground. Everyone 
  is going to want to avoid explosions or other 
  fying debris.
  All of these things qualify as move 
  actions. Some common move actions are 
  described below.
  
  Te most basic movement is simply 
  running or walking from one position to 
  another. Doing this costs at least 1 AP per bout 
  of movement, and the exact distances can be 
  ballparked as “1 AP of movement,” “2 AP of 
  movement,” etc. 
  Tere are times, however, when exact 
  measurements are necessary. During these 
  times, assume a character can move the average 
  of her Spd and End in meters per AP, if running 
  or half that distance if walking. Tis distance 
  may be adjusted downward if the character is 
  facing difcult terrain or other obstacles.
  
  Movement isn’t always across fat, open 
  surfaces. Often it involves climbing, jumping, 
  swimming, bouncing around in zero-G or other 
  obstacles. Overcoming one of these obstacles is 
  a move where the player must succeed, usually 
  on a Str/athletics, Dex/athletics or End/
  athletics fip. Te GM sets the difculty of the 
  obstacle. Doing this typically costs at least 1 
  AP per bout of movement required. If exact 
  measurement becomes important, every 1 AP 
  and successful attempt gains the character half 
  the average of her Spd and End in meters.
  
  By default, characters are assumed to be 
  standing. Tere are times, however, when a 
  character might want to kneel, crouch, sit 
  or lay down. Changing between any of these 
  postures is a move action, and one change in 
  posture may be tacked on for free to another 
  move action, such as a basic move or taking 
  cover. If performed by itself, changing posture 
  costs the usual amount of AP for the phase.
  
  Normally characters are in control of their 
  own movement. Tere are times, however, 
  when they lose control—such as being 
  knocked down or spinning in zero-G. Tis loss 
  of control is represented by the Spin conse-
  quence. Characters wishing to regain control 
  of their movement—and who are capable of 
  doing so—may take a move action to get rid 
  of this consequence. For every 1 AP spent, the 
  Spin consequence may be reduced a severity. 
  Naturally, this means stopping Spin is more 
  efective if the character is more committed 
  and thus declares it in an earlier phase.
  
  Sometimes a basic move or a change in 
  posture will be enough to gain a character 
  the Cover or Concealment consequences. To 
  make the most of these, however, the character 
  will need to make a take cover action. Tere 
  is a diference between “taking cover” and 
  simply having cover.
  Tink of it like this: if Monique is being 
  fred upon and runs to where a stack of barrels 
  is between her and her attacker, she has cover 
  from the attacks. At the same time, if she wants 
  to shoot back, the barrels are in her way as well. 
  
  
  She has cover, but she hasn’t “taken cover” to 
  make the most of it.
  When a character takes cover, she needs 
  to have moved immediately next to the object 
  providing her with the cover consequence. She 
  then performs the take cover action, setting 
  herself up so that the cover does not hinder 
  her attacks but still provides her with protec-
  tion against the attacks of others. Without this, 
  the cover’s bonus to Defense applies both to 
  incoming and outgoing attacks.
  
  When two or more characters are within 
  hand-to-hand striking distance of each other, 
  they are said to be within each others’ zones 
  of control. Leaving another character’s zone of 
  control may provoke a zone of control reaction.
  Whenever a character takes a move action 
  to leave a threatening character’s zone of 
  control, the threatening character may imme-
  diately spend 1 AP to make an attack with a 
  readied melee weapon. As this is a reaction, it 
  is resolved immediately.
  
  Concentrate actions are those actions which 
  are primarily internal and mental in nature. 
  Tis includes aiming, observing, recalling facts 
  and summoning up one’s self control to end 
  many mental consequences. A few concentrate 
  actions of note are described below.
  
  With an aim action, a character may take a 
  moment to apply some extra focus and attention 
  when lining up an attack. When this action 
  is taken, the character must specify the target, 
  who must be visible. Every AP spent on the aim 
  provides a +2 bonus to her next attack on the 
  target to a maximum bonus equal to the charac-
  ter’s Perception. Tis bonus can carry over round 
  to round, but the character’s aim is broken if she 
  takes any action other than to continue to aim 
  at the target or if she takes a dodge or a zone of 
  control reaction against a diferent target.
  
  Many consequences list their duration as 
  lasting until a concentrate action is taken to end 
  them. Tese consequences mostly represent 
  mental states or afictions of some kind. To 
  bring one or more of these consequences to 
  an end, the character simply needs to take a 
  moment to clear her head and get herself under 
  control. To do this, she takes the end conse-
  quence action and spends AP. For every AP, she 
  spends she may remove a severity of one of these 
  consequences. Removing the last severity of a 
  consequence removes the consequence entirely. 
  She may divide the AP between any relevant 
  consequences as she sees ft, and provided she 
  has enough AP for it, she may end multiple 
  consequences at a time in this way. Addition-
  ally, taking this action discharges any penalty 
  from the Wound consequence.
  
  Sometimes a character really needs to 
  remain alert or to recall a critical piece of infor-
  mation. Tis can be done by taking this action 
  to concentrate, and making a Perception or 
  Intelligence fip, as appropriate. 
  
  
  
  Ultimately combat is about violence, and 
  some of the most common actions are likely to 
  be attacks. In any attack, the aggressor picks a 
  target and then tries to harm or hinder her in 
  some way. When making an attack, there are a 
  number of attack options and other situations 
  to consider. Tese are detailed below.
  
  Broadly speaking, attacks break down into 
  two categories: attacks in melee (hand-to-hand 
  combat) and attacks at range. Melee attacks 
  are Dex/melee vs. Defense fips. Using a gun 
  or other ranged projectile is a Dex/guns vs. 
  Defense fip. Trowing an object as an attack is 
  a Dex/athletics vs. Defense fip.
  When making an attack, the attacker makes 
  her action and compares the result against the 
  target’s Defense (see page 123). If she hits the 
  frst Defense number, she scores a hit. If she hits 
  the second Defense number she scores a critical 
  hit. Should she score a critical hit, she will have 
  a number of critical hit options after damage is 
  dealt (see Critical Hits on page 130).
  With either a hit or critical hit, the attacker 
  typically gets to deal damage to her target. 
  Every weapon should have a series of four 
  damage ratings, each corresponding to one of 
  the four card suits. Look up the damage corre-
  sponding to the suit of the card played for the 
  attack. If multiple cards are involved in the 
  attack, use the same suit that determines if the 
  action was trump. Te target takes this amount 
  of damage (see “Damage Ratings,” page 117).
  
  Some attacks—such as grenades or explo-
  sions—afect an area rather than a single target. 
  Tese attacks will typically have the Area property 
  followed by a rating, which is the radius of the 
  primary blast in meters—for example, Area 10. 
  Area attacks typically deal damage or some other 
  efect to everyone in their primary blast radius 
  and may deal damage to anyone within twice 
  the primary blast radius. Tis latter area is called 
  the secondary blast radius.
  GMs will have to estimate where characters 
  are when determining if they’re caught within 
  the primary or secondary blast radii. When in 
  doubt, assume a character is caught in it because 
  
  
  explosions tend to be large and devastating. If 
  two characters are within a zone of control (see 
  page 126), and one of the characters is caught in 
  the blast, they both are. Explosions do not have 
  clean, easily predictable edges.
  Anyone caught in the primary blast radius 
  automatically sufers the efect of the attack. 
  However, their usual Cover bonus counts as DR 
  when resolving damage from the attack. Taking 
  the dodge reaction to double cover doubles this 
  bonus, as usual. Te GM should fip a card for 
  all afected characters. If this card is a joker, 
  the character has taken a critical hit and the 
  knockback critical efect must be chosen.
  For anyone caught in the secondary blast 
  radius, the GM should fip a card. If it’s red—
  like blood—they take the damage as well. If 
  the card fipped is a joker they take damage and 
  it’s a critical hit, just as with the primary blast 
  radius. Cover applies to them just as it does to 
  those caught in the primary blast radius. 
  Unlike most attacks, area attacks are not 
  against Defense. Tey are simply TN 10, 
  modifed for the range and other circumstances 
  into which they are made. Failed area attacks 
  will still go of, but they deviate from their 
  target in a random direction by Mag meters.
  
  Autofre involves fring a rapid string 
  of shots at a target. It’s an option that must 
  be chosen before an attack is made, and the 
  weapon must be capable. Tis means it will 
  have the Autofre property, followed by a 
  numerical rating—for example Autofre 3.
  Te autofre rating applies a bonus to the 
  attack equal to the rating itself. For example, 
  Autofre 2 would add a +2 bonus to the attack. 
  Additionally, should the attack score a critical 
  hit, the attacker may choose to have the target 
  take a second hit at the same damage rating as 
  the critical efect. 
  Te downside of autofre is that it takes more 
  shots than a basic attack and always costs at least 
  2 AP. Te number of shots it takes is the square 
  of the autofre rating—for example, Autofre 3 
  would take 9 shots. On anything but a critical 
  hit, using autofre to attack a target within a 
  zone of control always results in checking for 
  stray shots for the line of fre (see page 129).
  An attack may be made at a lower autofre 
  rating than the maximum with which the 
  weapon is capable. For example, an Autofre 3 
  weapon can attack at Autofre 2. Tere is no 
  Autofre 1; that is simply a normal shot.
  
  Make an attack at a -4 penalty. Tis attack 
  forces the target to drop her weapon, usually 
  because the attack hit her arm or weapon. Once 
  dropped, the weapon lands on the ground a meter 
  or two away from the target. With a disarm, the 
  attacker may choose not to deal the usual damage.
  
  When subject to an attack, the target may opt 
  to make a dodge reaction. Dodging typically either 
  doubles the character’s Cover bonus to Defense 
  or in melee it may add her melee skill to Defense. 
  (For more on the dodge reaction, see page 123.)
  
  It is difcult to fght efectively when you 
  cannot see your target. All attacks made against 
  an unseen target are normally at a -4 penalty. 
  Making a successful concentrate action to observe 
  immediately ahead of time can reduce this to a -2 
  penalty. Unseen targets cannot be aimed at. Tese 
  penalties do not apply to area attacks.
  
  Sometimes the best tactic is to grab one’s 
  opponent with one’s bare hands and grapple 
  with her. To do this, the attacker must have 
  a free hand. Should she not have a free hand 
  available, she may immediately drop whatever 
  she is holding, thereby gaining one or more 
  free hands to grapple with.
  Characters in a grapple may not take 
  move actions until the grapple is broken. 
  Breaking a grapple is free for the initiator 
  of the grapple, but for other characters, it 
  requires a successful Str/melee vs. Defense 
  fip—an attack action. Tis attack does not 
  deal damage and is made at a -4 penalty.
  While in a grapple, all actions that do not 
  solely target the grappling opponent are at a 
  -4 penalty. Additionally, as an attack action, a 
  
  
  grappler may make Str/melee vs. End fip to 
  choke her target. On a success, this increases 
  the target’s Fatigue consequence a severity. 
  If she’s already at Fatigue (critical), it instead 
  renders her unconscious.
  
  Sometimes a character may be caught 
  without a weapon at hand and will want to 
  fght with the objects around her. Treat these as 
  improvised tools (-2 to attack), but the damage 
  is typically more than an unarmed attack—
  usually increasing the severity of the damage 
  from light to moderate. Te GM should 
  use her discretion here. Trown improvised 
  weapons have the Range Str property.
  
  Missed shots still kill! Anytime one is 
  making a ranged attack where there are other 
  targets in the line of fre, one of them may still 
  be hit on a miss. Tis is also true for sensitive 
  equipment or anything else of narrative impor-
  tance that might be damaged by a missed shot. 
  Tis rule is intended to heighten the 
  danger of fring into groups or around sensitive 
  areas. When it’s important, on a miss the GM 
  should draw a card on a miss. If it’s a red 5 or 
  less (count aces as 1s), someone or something 
  important was hit. Determine this randomly. 
  If fring at someone in a zone of control or with 
  autofre, someone is hit with any red card. In 
  either case, pulling a joker means a critical hit.
  
  Sometimes when delivering an attack, the 
  attacker doesn’t want to deal the full usual 
  damage, instead lessening the damage to 
  something minimal. Tis is possible with any 
  attack that lists Strength as part of the attack’s 
  damage. Simply choose this when declaring 
  the attack, and the attacker may substitute any 
  lower Strength score for her own when deter-
  mining damage—even Strength 0.
  
  Ranged attacks have the Range property 
  followed by a value—for example, Range 10. 
  Targets within this number of meters are at 
  short range. Tere is no range penalty to attack 
  them. Targets further away than this sufer a -1 
  range penalty for every multiple of this number 
  that they are further away.
  
  Any weapon capable of Autofre can also 
  put enough shots in the air to make moving 
  around potentially lethal. Te suppressive 
  fre option must be chosen when the attack 
  is declared. Te attacker picks a 60º arc. For 
  this round, any character taking an action in 
  that arc—other than to take cover—has the 
  potential of being hit. Tis only afects actions 
  in the same or later phases, so suppressive fre 
  works best if declared earlier in the round.
  When a threatened character takes an 
  action, the GM should draw a card. If it’s a 
  red card with a value equal to or lower than 
  the autofre rating (count aces as 1, and don’t 
  count face cards), the character is hit for 
  damage corresponding to that suit. Double 
  the autofre rating for move actions other 
  than to take cover, and then subtract the 
  character’s severity in the Cover consequence 
  from the autofre rating before determining 
  the number needed to hit.
  Example: Phil is in an arc, which is currently 
  subject to suppressive fre at Autofre 3. Tis 
  round he is taking two actions: he is taking 
  cover, and he is shooting back. When the frst 
  action occurs he takes cover and a card is not 
  drawn for suppressive fre, as taking cover never 
  threatens being hit. Tis grants him moderate 
  cover. During the second action, however, he 
  fres back; this will cause the GM to draw a 
  card. Normally the GM would need to draw 
  a red 3 or less for Phil to be hit, but since Phil 
  has moderate cover (2 severities), the GM will 
  need to draw a red ace (value 1) to hit Phil.
  
  Sometimes a character is caught without a 
  weapon and must fght with her bare hands. 
  Using one’s fsts against an opponent armed 
  with a melee weapon counts as improvised 
  tools (-2 on the attack). Don’t bring only your 
  fsts to a knife fght. Unarmed attacks are listed 
  among the weapons in the Gear Chapter for 
  ease of looking up damage (see page 183).
  
  
  
  When an attack meets or exceeds the target’s 
  second Defense number, it deals a critical hit. 
  Not only does the attack deal the usual damage 
  or efect, but the attacker may also choose a 
  critical efect to apply to the target. Some 
  attack options restrict the critical efects that 
  may be chosen, such as area attacks, which 
  may only choose the knockback critical efect. 
  A table of critical efects is below, followed by 
  descriptions of each efect:
  Critical Efect
  Restrictions
  Dazing Hit
  —
  Disarm
  —
  Grapple
  Melee attacks only
  Knockback
  —
  Lingering Injury
  Attack must deal damage
  Vital Hit
  
  
  Te attack not only injures the target, but also 
  causes the target extra pain or distraction, leaving 
  her mind fuzzy. With this critical efect, the 
  target’s Dazed consequence increases a severity.
  
  In addition to the usual damage from the 
  hit, the attacker also disarms her target (see 
  Disarm on page 128).
  
  In addition to the usual damage from the 
  melee strike, the attacker also grapples her 
  target (see Grapple on page 128).
  
  Tis attack either makes the target of-
  balance or knocks her down entirely. Tis can 
  be achieved by bodily knocking her to the 
  ground, shooting her leg or any other number 
  of methods. She gains the Spin (light) conse-
  quence or the Spin (moderate) consequence if 
  the attack reached her Shock threshold.
  
  In addition to carefully executed maneuvers, 
  such as disarms or grapples, some attacks gain 
  their staying power through sheer chance 
  and bloody injury. When this critical efect is 
  selected, the GM draws a card. Te GM should 
  then look up the injurious efect for the card 
  on the tables found on the next few pages, and 
  apply the efect to the target. Depending on 
  the nature of the attack and the surrounding 
  environment, some results may require a bit of 
  creative interpretation. Use common sense.
  Unless specifed otherwise, all efects 
  applied below are special Lingering Injury 
  consequences with a severity and duration 
  as described in the text. Many durations last 
  until minor surgery, major surgery or regrowth 
  therapy (see page 119).
  
  A vital hit has struck some particularly vital 
  part of the target’s anatomy, such as the head 
  or near important organs. Double the damage 
  rating dealt by the attack. Tis has no efect on 
  the damage’s severity, but severity may still be 
  staged up when compared to the target’s Shock 
  threshold, as normal. Tis critical efect may only 
  be chosen for attacks that normally deal damage.
  
  
  �
  Injury (Spades)
  Ace
  Winded: Te blow knocks the wind out of the character. She gains 1 fewer AP next 
  round. Severity: Light. Duration: Until the end of the next round.
  2
  Numb Arm: Te attack glances of one of the character’s arms, leaving it numb and 
  tingly. Actions made with that arm next round are at a -2 penalty. Severity: Light. 
  Duration: Until the end of the next round.
  3
  Momentarily Blinded: Light from the attack or a blow to the head leaves the character 
  blinded next round. Severity: Light. Duration: Until the end of the next round.
  4
  Stumble Backward: Te shock of the blast sends the character stumbling backward 
  a couple meters. Tis increases the target’s Spin consequence a severity.
  5
  Bloody Gash: Te attack has opened up a bloody gash in the character’s body, 
  ripping away skin and exposing the fesh underneath. It bleeds profusely. Tis 
  increases the target’s Bleeding consequence a severity.
  6
  Concussive Blow: Te blow just glances of the target’s head, cutting a nasty wound 
  and leaving her dazed. Tis increases the target’s Dazed consequence two severities.
  7
  Exhausted: Te attack has left the character pained and exhausted, unable to carry 
  on with the vigor she was able to muster before. Tis increases the target’s Fatigue 
  consequence a severity.
  8
  Broken Rib: Te attack slams into the character’s ribs with a sickening crunching 
  sound. At least one of her ribs snaps, leaving her in nauseating pain. She takes a -2 
  penalty to all Strength actions. Severity: Severe. Duration: Until minor surgery to fx.
  9
  Broken Nose: Te blow slams into the character’s face, snapping her nose and 
  smearing blood down her front. She takes a -2 penalty to Charisma actions. Severity: 
  Severe. Duration: Until minor surgery to fx.
  10
  Herniating Entrails: Te attack tears open the target’s abdomen, allowing her 
  entrails to bulge out. Needless to say, the pain is considerable. She takes a -2 penalty 
  to all Endurance actions. Severity: Severe. Duration: Until minor surgery to fx.
  Jack
  One-armed: Te blow tears away the target’s arm like pulled pork from the bone, 
  leaving the limb twisted, ruined and several meters away. You will never enjoy your 
  natural arm again—at least not in a functional state. Severity: Critical. Duration: 
  Until arm replacement or regrowth treatment.
  Queen
  One-legged: Te attack literally twists the character’s leg away from her body, 
  cracking bone and ripping sinew. She falls down, her ruined leg trapped beneath 
  her. She will never walk on it again, although with major surgery she may still gain 
  a new one. Severity: Critical. Duration: Until leg replacement or regrowth treatment.
  King
  Makeshift Lobotomy: Te attack rips the character’s skull asunder, tearing away 
  gaping chunks of bone and some precious brain-meats. At least one of her eyes is 
  dangling by a thread from the bleeding mass of fesh that was once her face. Tis 
  gives it a -4 penalty on all social actions, as well as a -4 penalty on all sensory actions. 
  Short of major surgery, your face will forever be a monstrous ruin. Severity: Critical. 
  Duration: Until major surgery to fx.
  Joker
  
  
  
  �
  Injury (Hearts)
  Ace
  Wobbly Leg: Te attack glances of one of the character’s knees, leaving the leg wobbly 
  and numb. Actions made with that leg next round are at a -2 penalty, and the distance 
  of movement is halved. Severity: Light. Duration: Until the end of the next round.
  2
  Jolt of Pain: Te attack sends a jolt of pain throughout the character’s body, 
  stunning her momentarily and leaving her unable to act. Tis increases the target's 
  Stun consequence a severity.
  3
  Distraction: Te pain of attack causes the character to lose focus. Any wait reaction 
  she has active is immediately lost.
  4
  Dazing Strike: Te sudden attack leaves the character hit and a bit dazed from the 
  pain. Tis increases the target's Dazed consequence a severity.
  5
  Face Down: Te force of the blow sends the character reeling, slamming her face-
  frst into the ground. Tis increases the target's Spin consequence two severities.
  6
  Stunning: Tere was something about that attack the character wasn’t expecting, 
  and it's left her stunned and reevaluating the situation. Tis increases the target's 
  Stun consequence two severities.
  7
  Broken Toes: Te attack blows into the character’s foot, crushing her toes and 
  snapping bones with sickening pops. She has a -1 penalty to Speed actions and half 
  her movement. Severity: Moderate. Duration: Until minor surgery to fx.
  8
  Twisted Back: Te character twists with the blow, spraining her back with a worrying 
  crunching sound as the attack rips into her. She takes a -2 penalty to all Dexterity 
  actions. Severity: Severe. Duration: Until minor surgery to fx.
  9
  Split Skull: Te blow cracks the character’s skull, causing bleeding, swelling and a 
  terrible headache. She takes a -2 penalty to all Intelligence actions. Severity: Severe. 
  Duration: Until minor surgery to fx.
  10
  Broken Foot: Te blow crumples the character’s foot like wet paper, leaving it a 
  broken lump. She has a -2 penalty to Speed actions and half her movement. Severity: 
  Severe. Duration: Until major surgery to fx.
  Jack
  Trauma Response: Te character’s mental response to the attack leaves her 
  with the sense that she is trapped in a dream. Tis increases the target's Dazed 
  (critical) consequence.
  Queen
  Concussion: Te attack tears through the character, sending waves and shock and 
  pain throughout her body, as your head reels, trying to cope with the wounds. Tis 
  increases the target's the Stun (critical) consequence.
  King
  Mortal Wound: Te attack ripped through the character’s guts, rending vital organs 
  and major arteries into useless bloody giblets. While the target is not dead yet, saving 
  her is beyond the ability of modern medicine. Starting next round and every round 
  thereafter, the character should, draw a card at the end of her turn. If it's a joker, she 
  has fnally bled out. Severity: Critical. Duration: Until death.
  Joker
  
  
  
  �
  Injury (Diamonds)
  Ace
  Faint: Tere is a wave of pain and nausea from the wound, leaving the character 
  feeling faint. She takes a -1 penalty to all Strength actions. Severity: Light. Duration: 
  Until the end of next round.
  2
  Headache: Blood loss, exhaustion or damage to the character’s nerves leaves her with 
  a momentary splitting headache. She takes a -1 penalty to all Intelligence actions. 
  Severity: Light. Duration: Until the end of next round.
  3
  Bloody Face: Te force of the blow causes the character’s face to be struck, leaving 
  a bloody smear across her nose and mouth. She takes a -1 penalty to all Charisma 
  actions. Severity: Light. Duration: Until the end of next round.
  4
  Shock: Dealing with bodily injury has left her system in a state of shock. She takes a -1 
  penalty to all Endurance actions. Severity: Light. Duration: Until the end of next round.
  5
  Vital Hit: Te hit has struck some particularly vital part of the character’s anatomy. 
  Double the damage rating dealt by the attack, just as with the Vital Hit critical efect 
  (see page 130).
  6
  Distraction: Te pain of attack causes the character to lose focus. Any wait reaction 
  she has active is immediately lost.
  7
  Secondary Wound: Te attack lands upon the character’s body twice, leaving a 
  secondary wound in her fesh. Te target gains a Wound (light) consequence in 
  addition to the normal wound.
  8
  Tunderstruck: Te blow lands on the character’s head, sending her vision spinning 
  and her ears ringing. She takes a -2 penalty to all Perception actions. Severity: Severe. 
  Duration: Until minor surgery to fx.
  9
  Shell-shocked: Te attack connects with the character’s head, leaving her in a vulner-
  able state of shock. She takes a -2 penalty to all Determination actions. Severity: 
  Severe. Duration: Until minor surgery to fx.
  10
  Broken Fingers: Te attack squarely strikes the character’s hand and she feels one or 
  more of her fngers break. She drops anything she is holding in that hand, and her 
  mangled fngers are at unnatural angles. She has a -2 penalty on actions involving 
  that hand. Severity: Severe. Duration: Until minor surgery to fx.
  Jack
  Gushing Blood: Te character’s body is ripped asunder as her bodily fuids pour out 
  like a wave. Tis increases the target's Bleeding consequence three severities.
  Queen
  Crushed Hand: Te attack crushes the character’s hand, twisting it in ways it was 
  not meant to bend. Bones are broken and it's left a bloody mess. She cannot use that 
  hand until it is healed. Severity: Critical. Duration: Until major surgery to fx.
  King
  Spinal Break: Te character’s spine cracks and slightly fractures, causing her to fall 
  prone. She may not stand up or take move actions until the injury heals. Severity: 
  Critical. Duration: Until major surgery to fx.
  Joker
  
  
  
  �
  Injury (Clubs)
  Ace
  Spasm: Te pain of the target’s wounds sends spasms throughout her body. She 
  takes a -1 penalty to all Dexterity actions. Severity: Light. Duration: Until the end 
  of the next round.
  2
  Sluggish: Te shock of the attack ripples throughout the character’s nervous system, 
  momentarily afecting her reaction time. She takes a -1 penalty to all Speed actions. 
  Severity: Light. Duration: Until the end of next round.
  3
  Seeing Stars: Te force of the attack whips your head backward, leaving your senses 
  reeling. She takes a -1 penalty to all Perception actions. Severity: Light. Duration: Until 
  the end of the next round.
  4
  Guard Down: Te will to survive momentarily saps the character’s willpower in 
  other areas. She takes a -1 penalty to all Determination actions. Severity: Light. 
  Duration: Until the end of the next round.
  5
  Disarmed: Te attack hits the arm holding the weapon, causing the character to 
  drop it, just as with the Disarm critical efect (see pages 128 and 130).
  6
  Accidental Discharge: Te blow forces the player character’s hand to twitch and 
  causes her weapon to discharge. If it's a melee weapon, the player draws a card and 
  deals herself damage based on its suit. If it's a ranged weapon, it hits the nearest ally.
  7
  Lost Opportunity: Te pain hinders the character’s ability to perform. If she has 
  an unspent AP, she immediately loses one. Otherwise, if the player has an action 
  declared, she must cancel one of her choice.
  8
  Overwhelmed: Te violence around the character and pain in her system overwhelms 
  her mental faculties. Tis increases the target's Stun consequence three severities.
  9
  Debilitated: Every wound makes it harder to go on, sapping the character’s strength 
  and vigor. Tis increases the target's Fatigue consequence two severities.
  10
  Makeshift Phlebotomy: Te wound leaves the character losing blood—a lot of it. 
  It's so very red, and there's so very much of it. Tis increases the target's Bleeding 
  consequence two severities.
  Jack
  Popped Eye: Te attack splatters one of the character’s eyes, which is smeared down 
  her face like some sort of jam. Additionally, the attack does quite a number on the 
  rest of her head as well. Tis gives a -2 penalty to all mental actions. Severity: Critical. 
  Duration: Until replacement or regrowth therapy.
  Queen
  Snapped Arm: Te attack snaps the character’s arm like a twig and now it hangs 
  lifeless at her side. No actions can be performed with the arm until it heals, and all 
  two-handed actions are at -4. Severity: Critical. Duration: Until major surgery to fx.
  King
  Shattered Leg: Te attack shatters the character’s leg, snapping it in several locations 
  and rendering it useless until healed. Tis prevents her from walking, rending most 
  move actions inefective Severity: Critical. Duration: Until major surgery to fx.
  Joker
  
  
  
  
  Alice and Bob are being attacked by a gang member hopped up on an experimental drug 
  that causes him to enter into a berserk bloodlust. Te two are being jumped in an alleyway 
  in Chi Chen, after the gang member has leapt out of a second foor window. Te GM has 
  already ruled that both Alice and Bob have been surprised. Tis has caused them to begin 
  this frst round with only 2 AP instead of the normal 3 AP. Tey are each 5m from the thug.
  Declaration Phase: Alice notes that she is going to draw her gun in Phase 1, leaving her 
  with 1 remaining AP to use for reactions. Bob is going to be more aggressive, and notes that 
  he draws his knife in Phase 2. Tis uses all of his AP. Neither player could declare an action 
  in Phase 3, due to not having enough AP this round. Meanwhile, the GM has declared that 
  the thug is going to charge Alice in Phase 2 and try to rip her apart with his bare hands in 
  Phase 1. Tis will take all the thug’s AP. All of these declarations are decided in secret and 
  then revealed simultaneously.
  Phase 3: No actions are executed in this phase, as none were declared.
  Phase 2: In this phase the thugs charges Alice, and Bob draws his knife. Te thug and 
  Alice and now in melee range with each other. Te GM can resolve these actions in whatever 
  order she wishes, but they occur in the game world simultaneously.
  Phase 1: In this phase the thug will try to rip Alice to pieces, as she meanwhile she 
  draws her gun. Te GM makes a Dex/melee fip for the thug, getting a total of 10. Tis is 
  compared to Alice’s Defense of 8/16, making it a hit, but not a critical hit. Since Alice has 
  an AP remaining, she chooses to spend it for a dodge reaction. As this attack is happening in 
  melee range, she can choose to add her Melee skill to her Defense. Since Alice has Melee 3, 
  this increases her Defense to 11/19 for this attack. Due to the dodge, a 10 is no longer good 
  enough to hit. Te thug’s attack misses.
  New Round: As the second round begins, all three combatants go back up to 3 AP. It is 
  now time for the next declaration phase to begin.
  
  
  
  Computing is a fact of life for most in the 
  twenty-third century. Computers are all around, 
  from hand terminals to ships’ systems. Tis 
  section includes a variety of systems for handling 
  computers, from processing power and software, 
  to networks, hacking and simspaces.
  
  Computers have a lot of diferent speci-
  fcations and metrics of capability—central 
  processing power, memory, storage, bus speed, 
  graphical processing and bandwidth. Rather 
  than tracking all of these metrics individu-
  ally, these metrics are abstracted into a single 
  computer rating in Shadows Over Sol. Tis 
  rating is typically written as “Computer 6,” 
  and has a scale very similar to a character’s stats.
  Computer 5 is the rating of the average 
  dedicated twenty-third century worksta-
  tion computer. Computers of lesser ratings 
  are found in all sorts of things, such as hand 
  terminals, household appliances, wearable 
  accessories and embedded chips. Computers of 
  greater ratings are typically larger mainframes, 
  such as powerful net servers, a ship’s main 
  computer, or corp supercomputers.
  Tis scale is exponential. Computer 2 
  is twice as capable as Computer 1, and a 
  Computer 3 device has twice the power of a 
  Computer 2, etc. 
  
  Computers themselves are useful for very 
  little without the right software. Diferent 
  software, however, comes with diferent 
  processing and other technical requirements. 
  As with a computer’s rating, all of a piece of 
  software’s requirements are abstracted into a 
  software rating. Tis is written as “Software 5.” 
  Due to technical requirements, a piece 
  of software can only be run on a computer 
  with at least a similar rating. So, for example, 
  a Software 4 program could not run on a 
  Computer 3 machine. Similarly, when running, 
  a piece of software will occupy all the resources 
  of an equally rated computer. Tis means, for 
  example, that a Computer 7 can only run a 
  single Software 7 program at one time.
  Like computer ratings, software ratings are 
  an exponential scale. A Software 2 program 
  requires roughly twice as many resources as 
  a Software 1 program, etc. It also means a 
  Computer 5 machine can run two Software 
  4 programs simultaneously, four Software 3 
  programs, eight Software 2 programs, etc.
  
  When two or more computers are connected 
  so they can share data, they form a network. 
  Networked computers are essential to life in 
  the twenty-third century because they enable all 
  manner of communication and automation.
  When most people think of networks, they 
  think of the public network or the Net. Tis 
  is the generally available network of connected 
  computers used in everything from shopping 
  to searches, and general background checks. 
  Te public net is not the only network 
  in existence, however. Almost all corps have 
  their own private networks, as does most 
  any organization that needs to worry about 
  security or secrecy. 
  Giving a computer access to only a private 
  network increases security. Since computers 
  can only be electronically accessed by other 
  computers on the same network, having a 
  private network means that a hacker cannot 
  just sit on the public net and hack whatever she 
  wants—she frst needs access to a machine on 
  the private network, which likely means having 
  to physically obtain and compromise one.
  On the fip side, restricting a computer to 
  a private network also limits its capabilities to 
  what’s available on that network. It can’t do 
  a search of the public net, access records that 
  aren’t stored on the private network or do 
  anything else external to those few machines 
  in the private net.
  
  Sometimes a computer is connected to 
  more than one network. Such a computer is 
  called a bridge. Tis allows access to resources 
  on all the connected networks, but it comes 
  
  
  at the cost of security. Since a bridge connects 
  to two or more networks, a hacker who has 
  compromised the bridge can use it to access 
  the other network. For this reason, computer 
  security types typically strictly disallow 
  bridges. In practice, bridges tend to crop up 
  with some frequency, however. Imagine the 
  case of the bored corp security guard who 
  connects to the public net against regulations 
  so she can pass the uneventful hours watching 
  videos on her hand terminal.
  
  When thinking about computer networks, 
  it’s generally a good idea to draw a network 
  map. Tis is simply a diagram showing which 
  computers are connected to which networks. 
  Keeping track of this can be important for 
  characters who are prone to hacking.
  Te map of a single network is conceptu-
  ally simple—every computer on the network is 
  connected to every other computer on the same 
  network. Drawn out, this will look like a single 
  node with connections to all the computers on 
  the same net. Occasionally, where bridges exist, 
  a single computer may be connected to two or 
  more networks.
  When performing hacking, it may be a good 
  idea to mark on this map which systems the 
  hacker has compromised, as well as the access 
  level obtained on the machine (see page 139).
  
  Computer hacking is the act of exploiting 
  weaknesses in a computer system to gain 
  access to the device, regardless of the permis-
  sions granted by the device’s administrator. To 
  achieve this, the hacker must either connect 
  from a computer on the same network or phys-
  ically access the device.
  Computer security, on the other hand, 
  is concerned with limiting these exploits, or 
  proactively disabling the access that has already 
  been granted to hackers.
  
  Despite what one might see on the vids, 
  computer hacking is rarely a quick process. 
  It involves tediously running down a list and 
  trying possible exploit after possible exploit 
  
   
  �
  In the map below there are two 
  networks: the public net and a 
  corp’s private network.
   
  �
  All computers on the corp’s pri-
  vate network must connect to the 
  public net through the bridge. 
  Similarly, all computers on the 
  public net trying to access data on 
  the corp’s private network must 
  also connect through the bridge.
   
  �
  In this example, the hacker is at-
  tempting to access a target computer on the corp’s network. Tis is indicated by the red lines.
   
  �
  Te hacker is chaining through two computers on the public net that she has already 
  compromised before trying to access the corp’s bridge. Tis gives a -4 penalty to all hack-
  ing attempts at the bridge (-2 per chained computer). It also means that if the hacker’s 
  connection is traced, it will be traced back to each compromised computer in the chain 
  before being traced back to the hacker herself.
   
  �
  Because the target computer has no direct access to the public net, the bridge must frst be 
  hacked before it can be targeted and is added to the chain. When the target is eventually 
  accessed, this will be at a -6 penalty unless the hacker drops one or more nodes in the chain.
  
  
  until eventually something gets through the 
  computer’s security.
  Mechanically, hacking is an extended Int/
  program action—sometimes opposed by an 
  active security administrator and sometimes 
  running up only against the machine’s built in 
  security measures. Te action typically has an 
  Interval of 1 hour and Tally 10, although this can 
  be adjusted up or down by the GM depending 
  on the number of security measures in place. Te 
  TN of the action depends on the quality of the 
  machine’s security. See the table below:
  TN
  Security
  TN 8
  Basic unprotected machine
  TN 10
  Machine with basic security software
  TN 12
  Machine with pro security software
  TN 14
  Machine with deluxe security software
  TN 16
  Machine with best passive security 
  money can buy
  Example: Joann has just secured a connec-
  tion to a machine she wants to hack. Te GM 
  evaluates the security of the machine and 
  determines the hacking action will be Int/
  program-12 (1 hour, Tally 10). On her frst 
  fip, Joann gets a total of 15. She counts 3 Mag 
  towards the tally, and an hour passes. On her 
  second fip, however, she only gets a total of 
  11. Not only does she make no progress in the 
  hacking attempt, but her failure also alerts the 
  computer’s administrator, who may oppose her 
  on future fips as she continues to hack.
  
  When the hacker frst makes fips for this 
  extended action, the computer administrator 
  typically is unaware a hacking attempt is in 
  progress. Tis means the action is unopposed. 
  Should the hacker fail any single fip in the 
  hacking action, however, the resulting security 
  alert will make the administrator aware a hacking 
  attempt is in progress. From this point forward, 
  the administrator can make her own Int/program 
  fips in opposition—that is, the extended action 
  becomes opposed. Te computer’s security 
  software typically helps with this, acting as 
  secondary in a group action. Tis works exactly 
  like an Expert System (see page 192).
  Should the hacker succeed the opposed fip, 
  she generates more Mag towards the Tally, and 
  thus towards eventually hacking the machine. 
  On the other hand, should the admin succeed, 
  she may either reduce the hacker’s accumulated 
  Mag by her own Mag on this fip or she may 
  trace the connection (see below).
  
  During a hacking attempt (or even a legiti-
  mate connection attempt), the administrator 
  of a machine may try to trace the connection. 
  During a legitimate connection, this is a simple 
  Int/program-10 action. During a hacking 
  attempt, the connection may be traced if the 
  admin succeeds on a fip during the hacking 
  extended action.
  When a connection is traced, the tracer 
  knows which machine is performing the 
  connection, as well as its electronic address and 
  general geographical region, such as Stillwater, 
  Miskan Station, Abu Dhabi, etc.
  Tracing a connection allows the admin 
  to make her own attempt to compromise the 
  other system or to block connections from it.
  
  Hackers don’t usually like to be traced. A 
  common defense against this is to compromise 
  a remote computer, and then use it to make the 
  hacking attempt. Tis is called chaining.
  Te beneft of this is if the connection 
  is traced, it is traced to the intermediate 
  computer. It then takes a second successful 
  trace to track the connection back from the 
  intermediate computer to the hacker’s own 
  machine. Te goal is that the hacking attempt 
  will be complete by the time the connection 
  is traced all the way back. Connections are 
  sometimes chained several computers deep, 
  using one machine to connect to another, 
  then to another, then to another, before fnally 
  connecting to the machine to be hacked.
  Te downside of chaining is that working 
  through so many remote connections makes 
  the hacking attempt more difcult. For every 
  
  
  system between the hacker and the target 
  machine, the hacking attempt is at a -2 penalty. 
  Te other downside is that when a security 
  admin tracks a connection back to an inter-
  mediate machine, she may tip the admin of 
  the intermediate machine of that it’s been 
  compromised. Tis can end the hacker’s access 
  to it in the future.
  
  Access to a computer system comes in 
  two diferent levels of authorization: user and 
  root. A character with user access to a system 
  is restricted in the commands she can execute. 
  Te specifcs of this varies, but typically it means 
  she can do anything except the following:
  Change the permissions of other users on 
  the machine
  Read, write to or erase private data 
  belonging to root or other users
  Override security measures or other critical 
  systems (environmental security measures 
  typically require an actual physical override)
  A character with root access to a machine, 
  on the other hand, can do anything that doesn’t 
  require a physical override (which usually 
  includes only operations posing an immediate 
  environmental safety hazard).
  When a hacker frst compromises a 
  machine, she has user access. Since she has 
  access to the machine, she can always connect 
  to adjacent systems on the network map. If 
  user access is not enough, she may perform a 
  second hacking attempt on the same machine 
  to upgrade her access from user to root. 
  Te legit owner of a machine typically 
  has root access.
  
  All radio transmissions, many types of 
  network connections and numerous commu-
  nication systems work by broadcasting their 
  content out to the world. If the broadcaster 
  wants the content to remain private, she can 
  encrypt the data. Tis is done  every minute 
  of every day with fnancial transactions, private 
  communiques and conspiratorial secrets the 
  system over. It’s how the world works.
  Te open secret of encryption is that given 
  enough time and enough processing power, any 
  encryption—no matter how advanced—can 
  be broken. Having decent encryption simply 
  means the time and compute power required 
  to break it are infeasible on a practical scale. 
  If it takes a century of super-compute time to 
  break a code, few people are going to try.
  
  Encrypted broadcasts make the world go 
  around. Tese encryption schemes typically 
  consist of two software components: a public 
  key and a private key. Public keys are used to 
  encrypt a broadcast and are generally made 
  publicly available. Private keys, on the other 
  hand, are used to decrypt the same broadcast 
  and are kept very secret. Tis means anyone 
  wanting to send an encrypted message can use 
  a public key to encrypt it, and then—assuming 
  the private key is kept secret—only those who 
  have it can decode it. Should the private key be 
  compromised, any message encoded with the 
  associated public key can also be decoded by 
  the compromiser. At this point, one would be 
  well advised to create a new pair of public and 
  private keys, and then re-encrypt the old data.
  
  Te rules for hacking and encryption 
  exist for situations where the time, risk or 
  efort it takes to hack a machine or decrypt 
  a piece of information are of particular 
  importance. Tey emphasize the risk and 
  the work involved.
  For situations where these actions aren’t 
  so important, the GM is advised to resolve 
  the hacking or decryption fast and loose: 
  simply estimate the difculty by setting a 
  TN, then call for an Int/program fip. On 
  a success, an hour passes and the hacking 
  gets done, albeit with some sort of compli-
  cation. On a success with Mag 5+, it gets 
  done without complication. On a failure, 
  an hour passes and it’s still not done yet.
  
  
  
  Te most simple way to break encryption 
  is by “brute force.” With this method, the 
  attacker simply puts her computing power to 
  work trying to compute a message’s private 
  key from its public key and it’s cyphertext (the 
  actual encrypted message).
  Te good part about this method is 
  it’s simple, requiring only a successful Int/
  program-10 action and enough compute time. 
  Te bad part about this method is the compute 
  time involved is usually impractical. Refer to 
  the table below:
  Encryption Quality
  Base Compute Time
  *
  1 day
  *
  Month
  Basic
  Year
  Pro
  Decade
  Deluxe
  Century
  Ultimate
  Millennium
  * Obtained through exploits only.
  Te good news is that with enough 
  computing power, these times can be cut down 
  signifcantly. A hacker with a dozen compro-
  mised computers at her disposal can set them 
  all to doing the computations necessary to 
  break the encryption, completing it in a 
  fraction of the time above.
  To determine the actual compute time, 
  the GM simply adds together the computer 
  ratings for all the machines the hacker has at 
  her disposal, and then divides the base time 
  by this amount. For example, a hacker with 
  a single Computer 5 system could brute force 
  Pro encryption in 1/5th the usual time, or 
  in about 2 years. If she has two Computer 5 
  systems, she could brute force the encryption 
  in 1/10th the usual time, or about 1 year.
  
  Even with lots of computing power, 
  the brute force method of breaking encryp-
  tion may still take too long. Tat’s why most 
  hackers trying to break encryption instead look 
  for an exploit—some clue allowing them to 
  skip most of the computing involved.
  Exploits can be gained by hacking into the 
  system holding the private key, gaining insight 
  into how the user secures her computer or 
  sweet-talking her into revealing crucial infor-
  mation. Gaining an exploit need not involve 
  the hacker herself; she can put her companions 
  to work questioning the user, investigating the 
  corp using the encryption, etc.
  For every exploit gained, the efective 
  quality of the encryption decreases a category, 
  as its use has been compromised. For example, 
  basic encryption with two associated exploits 
  would have a base compute time of 1 day. 
  Apply a Computer 5 system and the encryp-
  tion can be broken in just under 5 hours!
  
  
  Often roleplaying games are designed 
  in such a way that while hackers go of to 
  do their hacking, the other players are left 
  sitting and waiting. Te encryption system 
  in Shadows Over Sol is designed to help 
  alleviate this problem.
  Te key to defeating encryption in a 
  timely manner is the acquisition of exploits. 
  Exploits can be insight into the user of 
  the computer being hacked, technical 
  knowledge of the system, corp protocols 
  surrounding computer use or anything 
  else that might glean useful information. 
  Exploits are designed so the entire party can 
  pursue them, eventually decreasing the time 
  it takes to break the encryption down to a 
  reasonable amount.
  
  
  
  Te net is awash in virtual spaces, where 
  users with the correct hardware can connect 
  and partake in a virtual world. With the 
  advent of augmented reality (AR) glasses and 
  AR implants, these simspaces can even exist as 
  overlays set against the real world.
  
  Some simspaces are entirely virtual realms, 
  complete with virtual rules, landscapes and 
  characters. Tese vary widely and can be either 
  as down-to-earth or as fanciful as the designer 
  wishes. Many of these realms are public and 
  welcome all comers; others are private and 
  access to them is restricted to only select 
  clientele. Private virtual realms are a favorite 
  meeting place for many shady or illicit deals 
  due to their anonymity, combined with the 
  ability to create virtual demonstrations.
  Virtual realms can be hacked but usually 
  require the hacker to have her senses in the real 
  world.
  
  Augmented reality tags are text, images 
  or other bits of information that overlay the 
  real world when looked at through AR glasses 
  or with an AR implant. AR tags frequently 
  convey information the viewer might fnd 
  useful, such as an item’s technical specs, the 
  name of a person being viewed or helpful links 
  to more information about a particular place. 
  Sometimes tags are used to convey editorial 
  content such as reviews of a contact or store. 
  Tey can also be used to post advertisements or 
  “I was here” scrawlings, sort of like AR grafti.
  Not all AR tags are created equal. When an 
  AR user creates a tag, she posts it to a particular 
  tag cloud. When a user views tags, she typically 
  turns on or of by turning on or of viewing 
  that cloud. 
  Tere exist both public and private tag 
  clouds. Public clouds are available for anyone 
  to view. Often they’re also such that anyone can 
  post new tags. Others can be viewed publicly, 
  but who can actually posts tags is restricted, 
  or tags are curated. Still other tag clouds are 
  private clouds, and can only be accessed if 
  hacked or if a user is issued an invite.
  Posting a tag requires a computer—usually 
  a hand terminal. Te user then selects what 
  she is tagging and leaves some content. Tags 
  typically record the time at which they were 
  posted as well as the virtual identity of the 
  poster. A few rare clouds also allow anonymous 
  tags, although these clouds are prone to tag 
  spam.
  Every subculture has its own public tag 
  cloud—some, such as the Serv subculture, 
  have many! Tis is just one more way that 
  the various subcultures view the world difer-
  ently. In this case they’re quite literally viewing 
  diferent content.
  Most corps have their own private tag 
  clouds, used to tag employees by position, tag 
  unwanted guests and to tag corp equipment 
  for tracking.
  Most users only view one tag cloud at a 
  time. Tis prevents all the tags from the various 
  clouds from adding up becoming a haze, 
  hindering one’s vision. For every tag cloud 
  turned up past the frst, the viewer may sufer 
  a -1 penalty to all Perception actions. On the 
  other hand, she can see what diferent clouds 
  say about diferent things at once.
  
  
  
  Engineering new systems or devices 
  is a common trope of science fction. On 
  the other hand, improvising with what’s at 
  hand—sometimes with disastrously bloody 
  side efects—is a common theme in horror. 
  Tis system attempts to unite these two 
  genre components.
  Tis needs not be mechanical engineering. 
  Tis system is intended to work for bioen-
  gineering, electrical engineering, computer 
  programming and mechanical engineering 
  equally. All this changes are the skills involved 
  and plausible side efects from bugs.
  
  At its most basic level, engineering is a 
  special extended action (see page 111). As 
  with other extended actions, it has a TN, an 
  interval and a tally. Unlike other extended 
  actions, however, the relevant skill will change 
  between diferent stages in the engineering 
  process. Each fip will also have an associated 
  cost rating and the possibly to introduce bugs 
  into the fnal design.
  No matter the type of engineering involved, 
  the process will always have at least two 
  intervals—the concept and then the prototype. 
  Depending on the aim of the engineering, it 
  may then have up to two more intervals—both 
  doing quality control (QC).
  
  Te frst thing the GM needs to do is 
  determine the parameters of the extended 
  action, including TN, interval, tally, cost and 
  the skills involved. To begin, the player should 
  explain to the GM what she is trying to achieve 
  in a few sentences. Te GM should then go 
  through the following steps.
  
  Some concepts are going to be more 
  complex than others. Tis complexity will set 
  the TN of the extended action. Some example 
  engineering concepts and their complexities 
  are given in the table below. Te GM should 
  use these as benchmarks when determining the 
  complexity of the character’s concept.
  TN
  Concepts
  TN 8
  Wench and pulley system; Custom 
  stasis pod controls
  TN 10
  Lipstick concealing laser; Designer 
  frearm; Net stalking software; 
  Space navigation system
  TN 12
  Bioengineered plague; Murderbot; 
  Upgraded 
  spaceship 
  engine; 
  Currency exchange software
  TN 14
  Bioengineered pet; Novel brain 
  surgery
  
  
  Example: Wilma is trying to create a piece 
  of custom software that will perform various 
  genomic analyses on a novel life form her 
  team has encountered. Te GM decides that 
  the analyses are fairly straightforward, but the 
  unusualness of the life form makes it more 
  complicated than it would otherwise be. It 
  merits a TN 10 extended action.
  
  Beginning with the prototype stage, every 
  fip in the engineering process will have an 
  associated cost rating. Tis is normally equal 
  to half the TN. For example, a TN 12 engi-
  neering project will have an associated Cost 6 
  for the prototype fip and possibly the QC steps, 
  if they’re involved. Tis expense must be paid 
  before the fip can be performed. If the character 
  cannot pay, then she must abandon that step of 
  the engineering project due to lack of funds.
  Tis assumes, however, the character has 
  access to an open market and is paying out 
  of pocket. Sometimes a character will either 
  already have part of the design or compo-
  nents or will be constrained to using only the 
  components she has at hand.
  Preexisting Design or Components: 
  Having part of the design or components 
  already will reduce the associated cost for the 
  concept or prototype steps, respectively. How 
  much it reduces the cost is up to the GM and 
  based on how much extra work remains.
  Constrained 
  Components: 
  Being 
  constrained in the components that can be 
  used will decrease the cost rating at the expense 
  of increasing the TN. For every point the cost is 
  lowered, the TN increases a point. Tis means 
  if the character literally can’t purchase anything 
  for the design, the entirety of the cost will be 
  added to the TN. For example, a “TN 12, Cost 
  6” design would become “TN 18, Cost 0.”
  Example: Since the action is TN 10, normally 
  this would call for Cost 5 payments. However, 
  since Wilma already owns some genetic 
  processing software, she can leverage it in her 
  program. Te GM decides that this will halve her 
  costs, reducing them to Cost 4. Tese costs will 
  go to paying the licensing fees for the software 
  libraries she will be using in her program.
  
  Te interval of the extended action will 
  need to be something of a ballpark estimate. 
  Te GM should come up with an estimate for 
  roughly how long she thinks designing and 
  building a prototype of an engineering project 
  should take and then make the interval half 
  that—after all, every engineering project will 
  take at least two intervals.
  A variety of example engineering projects 
  and their associated intervals are listed below. 
  Te GM can use these as a benchmark when 
  coming up with her own estimates.
  Interval
  Concepts
  1 hour
  Lipstick concealing laser; Custom 
  stasis pod controls; Wench and 
  pulley system
  1 day
  Designer frearm; Net stalking 
  software; Novel brain surgery
  1 week
  Murderbot; Currency exchange 
  software; Space navigation system
  1 month
  Bioengineered pet; Upgraded 
  spaceship engine; Bioengineered 
  plague
  Rush Jobs: Tere are times when a player 
  will want to do a rush job, reducing the time 
  it takes to engineer. Tis will decrease the 
  interval but at the cost of increasing the TN. 
  First determine how much the player wants 
  to cut the interval by and then add this to 
  the TN. For example, if a player wants to cut 
  the interval in half, the TN would be at +2. 
  On the other hand, is she wants to engineer 
  in a quarter of the time, she would add +4 to 
  the TN. Reducing the time to a tenth would 
  increase the TN by 10!
  Example: Te GM thinks about it and 
  decides that writing a program of this sort 
  would take about a week, so she decides that 
  the interval is 3 days. Wilma wants her program 
  completed faster, however. She decides that she 
  wants to cut this time in half. Tis will add +2 
  to action’s TN, increasing it to TN 12.
  
  
  
  Tis step is relatively easy. Unless an engi-
  neering project has some particular twist 
  making it more or less bug-prone, engineering 
  projects are always Tally 10.
  Example: Te GM decides that Wilma’s 
  software engineering attempt is pretty typical, 
  so the usual Tally 10 will sufce.
  
  Te fnal parameter for the GM to 
  defne is to pick the skills involved with 
  the extended action. Unlike most extended 
  actions, an engineering project will always 
  involve at least two skills: one for the concept 
  and one for the prototype.
  For a concept fip, the skill involved should 
  be a conceptual or academic skill rather than an 
  applied skill. Suggested skills include Bio-Sci, 
  Engineering, Lib-Arts and Phy-Sci. On the 
  other hand, for the prototype fip an applied 
  skill is called for. Suggested skills for this include 
  Comp-Ops, Mechanic, Medic and Program.
  For some example engineering projects and 
  skill pairings, refer to the table above.
  Example: Te GM thinks about it and 
  decides that writing a program of a bioinfor-
  matic nature requires Bio-Sci conceptually. 
  Actually constructing the prototype, however, 
  is going to mean writing a lot of code, which 
  requires the Program skill.
  
  Te frst step a character performs in 
  any engineering project is to design the 
  initial concept. Tis is not just gathering the 
  high-level ideas, but vetting the conceptual 
  technical details as well. 
  Te concept step typically forms the frst 
  fip of the engineering extended action, and is 
  usually based of Intelligence and the relevant 
  conceptual skill—for example, Int/bio-sci. Tis 
  also is usually the only fip in the engineering 
  process without an associated cost rating, 
  although the character still needs appropriate 
  equipment (typically a computer to do calcula-
  tions and store the designs, although paper and 
  pencils might sufce as well).
  On a success, the character moves to the 
  prototype step. On a failure, however, she isn’t 
  able to come up with a working design. She may 
  conceivably try again. Either way, the interval 
  passes, and the character may run out of time.
  If by some incredible chance enough Mag is 
  achieved by this fip to meet the tally, the extended 
  action is still not a success—a prototype is not built 
  from thought alone! If this happens, the character 
  must still make the prototype fip in the next step, 
  but she only needs a basic success to pull it of.
  Example: Wilma is trying to do the initial 
  design for her novel genetic analysis program. 
  Tis is an Int/bio-sci-12 action. She makes the 
  fip and gets a 14, which means she succeeds 
  with Mag 2. Tis counts towards the Tally 10.
  
  Now that the design is complete, it’s time 
  to build the initial prototype. Before this can 
  happen, the character must frst pay the cost 
  rating. If she is unable to do this, the engineering 
  project stalls due to lack of funds. Provided she 
  pays, she can then make the prototype fip.
  Tis fip is typically based of the applied 
  skill and an appropriate stat for what it means to 
  build the prototype—physically constructing a 
  machine may be Dexterity, watching a lot of 
  medical displays may be Perception, tediously 
  stepping through a debug console may be 
  Determination, etc.
  On a success, the Mag applies towards the 
  tally. If the tally has been fully met, the prototype 
  now works perfectly. Te engineering is done!
  Project
  Concept Skill
  Prototype Skill
  Currency exchange software
  Broker
  Program
  Murderbot
  Engineer
  Mechanic
  Novel brain surgery
  Bio-Sci
  Medic
  Space navigation system
  Phy-Sci
  Mechanic
  
  
  If this fip was a success, but the tally hasn’t 
  been fully met, the GM should skip to the bugs 
  section below. Te device will likely work, but 
  there may be serious errors or side efects.
  If this fip wasn’t a success, then the 
  prototype was a failure. Not only was the time 
  for the interval wasted, but the money for the 
  cost was as well. Te character may be able 
  to retry building the prototype, but this will 
  mean spending more time and paying the cost 
  for the prototype step again.
  Example: Wilma begins coding her 
  program. Tis is a Det/program-12 action, and 
  she succeeds with Mag 4. Tis adds to the Mag 
  2 from the concept step, for a total of Mag 6. 
  Her program works, but there will be bugs.
  
  Anytime the tally hasn’t been fully met at 
  the end of the prototype step there will be bugs 
  in the project. Bugs are a sort of consequence 
  on the project. Every bug has a severity and an 
  efect. Te GM should note how many points 
  the Mag is below the Tally and secretly decide 
  the nature of the bugs involved. Tere will be a 
  number of severities of bugs equal to the difer-
  ence between the Mag and Tally. For example, 
  if the Tally is 10 and the Mag 6, there would be 
  four severities of bugs—possibly two moderate 
  bugs, a light bug and a severe bug, a single 
  critical bug, etc.
  Some example bugs and their severities 
  are listed below. Te GM can use these as a 
  benchmark when coming up with her own bugs.
  Example: Wilma’s program had Mag 6 and 
  Tally 10. Tis means somewhere in her program 
  are four severities worth of bugs. Te GM thinks 
  about this and secretly notes two moderate bugs: 
  the program will fail to detect the novel life form’s 
  DNA barcode marking it as a Jenseitech design, 
  and to run it will require a computer rating two 
  higher than it otherwise should.
  
  At this point, the prototype is complete but 
  it may have bugs. Characters with more time 
  and money to spend on the project may want to 
  spend efort doing quality control (QC). Tis is 
  an optional step, but it can get rid of the bugs.
  Characters who opt to do QC must spend 
  the time for another interval and pay the cost 
  rating again. Te QC step can be performed 
  up to twice—once reviewing the design and 
  once reviewing the prototype. Te character 
  picks which she wants to perform frst.
  Reviewing the design and prototype uses 
  the same skills they used before, respectively, 
  although they are usually based of Determina-
  tion. QC can be a tedious process. Te player 
  makes the QC fip and this will generate more 
  Mag towards the tally. Te GM then removes 
  an equal number of severities in bugs or reduces 
  the severities of the bugs in question.
  Example: Wilma decides to do one round 
  of QC, and she decides to review the design. 
  Tis uses her Determination and the Bio-Sci 
  skill, since that was the skill from the concept 
  stage. She makes the Det/bio-sci-12 fip and 
  succeeds with Mag 3. Te GM will need to 
  remove three severities of bugs. He decides to 
  remove the bug requiring a higher computer 
  rating and reduces the other bug to light—now 
  her program will detect the DNA barcode, but 
  won’t recognize it as belonging to Jenseitech.
  Project
  Bug
  Severity
  Custom stasis pod controls
  Worse stasis sickness upon waking
  Light
  Bioengineered pet
  Undesirable cosmetic traits
  Light
  Novel brain surgery
  Minor but noticeable personality changes
  Moderate
  Currency exchange software
  Poor exchange rates
  Moderate
  Designer frearm
  Half usual damage rating
  Severe
  Net stalking software
  Leaves easily traceable digital trail to the character
  Severe
  Lipstick concealing laser
  Explodes at end of frst use
  Critical
  Murderbot
  Will try to slay its creator
  Critical
  
  
  
  Stasis is a form of medically-induced hiber-
  nation used to transport people on long space 
  fights, and it sometimes is a punishment for 
  crimes. People in stasis are cheaper to transport 
  because they require less life support. Tey also 
  age slower and are less likely to sufer from 
  psychological conditions, such as cabin fever 
  during space fight.
  Nevertheless, stasis is not without its own 
  risks. Passengers in stasis are putting their lives 
  in the hands of the stasis pod and the stasis 
  technician putting them under. Tese coming 
  out of stasis also regularly sufer from stasis 
  sickness, a form of lethargy and short-term 
  amnesia, as their minds and bodies adjust to 
  once again having a regular metabolism.
  
  As a rule of thumb, voyages lasting less than 
  60 days rarely put their passengers in stasis, as 
  the medical risks outweigh the benefts. Excep-
  tions may be prisoner transports or deployment 
  of military ground forces. For voyages lasting 
  more than 60 days, putting passengers in stasis 
  is the norm. Again, there may be exceptions, 
  such as military craft that need to be vigilant or 
  long cruise voyages for the super rich.
  Passengers are typically put into stasis 
  before a ship leaves port. Tis leaves the 
  ship in a position to rush them to the port’s 
  medical facilities should complications arise 
  putting them under. A ship’s crew, on the 
  other hand, is typically put under a day or 
  two after leaving port. Tis gives the crew a 
  chance to check the ship’s systems and ensure 
  the voyage is underway without issue before 
  going under themselves. 
  Tradition dictates the ship’s captain is 
  usually the last under and frst out of stasis, 
  aside from the stasis technician herself. As the 
  last crew member up, it is the stasis technician’s 
  job to put herself into stasis—a more difcult 
  task than putting someone else under.
  Once the entire crew is in stasis the voyage 
  continues, controlled entirely by the software 
  left to navigate the ship. Tis software is 
  usually programmed to wake the crew—or 
  at least key members of the crew—should 
  anything out of the ordinary happen. Falling 
  back from primary power to backup power 
  will also usually trigger all crew members in 
  stasis to wake up.
  Upon nearing the voyage’s destination, the 
  crew is typically woken up a day or two before 
  any passengers. Tis gives the crew a chance to 
  recover from stasis sickness and take stock of the 
  situation before the passengers awake. Te frst 
  up is almost always the stasis technician, who 
  oversees the recovery of the rest of the crew.
  Passengers are woken up either a day before 
  the ship arrives at the port or immediately after 
  arrival. With the former, the passengers are given 
  a chance to recover from stasis sickness before 
  disembarking. With the latter, the passengers 
  will be quickly shepherded of the ship and to 
  an area of the port designed for recovery. Te 
  former is more common on luxury space fights 
  and the latter on economy fights.
  
  When someone is put into stasis, she 
  must frst undergo decontamination. Tis is 
  typically a special shower intended to reduce 
  the number of microorganisms on her that 
  would cause problems during stasis. She then 
  dresses in a medical gown and reports to the 
  stasis technician, who hooks up tubes for intra-
  venous fuid, a catheter, breathing tubes and 
  biomonitoring devices. Tis is all ftted inside a 
  stasis pod, which looks something like an elec-
  tronic cofn. Te whole process takes about a 
  half an hour per person being put under.
  Te stasis technician should make an Int/
  medic-10 fip. A success indicates the passenger 
  has been put into stasis without a hitch. With 
  a failure, the passenger has still been put into 
  stasis successfully, but there has been a compli-
  cation. Te GM should fip a card and use the 
  Stasis Complications table below to determine 
  the complication. Finally, on a critical failure, 
  something went terribly wrong! Te result is left 
  to GM discretion, but the result can be anything 
  from permanent bodily injury to death.
  A stasis technician putting herself under 
  typically takes twice as long, and the fip is 
  Int/medic-12.
  
  
  
  Should something go wrong putting a 
  passenger in stasis, complications may arise. 
  Te GM should fip a card and use the table 
  above to determine the complication.
  
  A passenger can be woken up from stasis 
  either manually by a stasis technician or by 
  the stasis pod itself. Coming out of stasis is 
  typically pretty straightforward. A stasis tech-
  nician is typically on hand primarily to discon-
  nect all the wires and tubes, detect complica-
  tions early, and orient passengers sufering from 
  stasis sickness. Disconnecting the equipment 
  typically takes about 15 minutes per passenger.
  
  Despite its medical straightforwardness, 
  coming out of stasis is rough on the passenger. 
  She wakes up stif, sore, thirsty, hungry, disori-
  ented and likely nauseated. To top it all of, 
  she is likely missing much her memory from 
  before she went into stasis. Usually this will all 
  pass within 24 hours.
  Recovering from stasis is an extended 
  End-10 (10, 1 hour) action. During this time 
  all actions are at a -2 penalty. Te penalty is 
  lowered to -1 after the character reaches Tally 5. 
  Additionally, the character will be disori-
  ented and have holes in her memory until the 
  extended action is successful. It is common 
  to not remember the last day or two before 
  going into stasis, although not remembering 
  entire months is not unheard of. Crew being 
  put into stasis will often leave notes to them-
  selves before going under. Tese notes will 
  help them take stock of the situation before 
  their memory comes back.
  
  Stasis slows a character’s metabolism down 
  to about 1/10th the usual rate. Te stasis pod 
  also supports all necessary bodily functions, 
  including breathing, hydration and urination. 
  It also slows down the aging process. For every 
  period of time in stasis, the character ages only 
  1/10th the usual amount. Tis means, for 
  example, that a character spending a decade in 
  stasis will wake up only a year older physically.
  Suit
  Complication
  Spades
  Te stasis simply did not take. Tis becomes immediately obvious and the stasis 
  technician may try again, only losing time.
  Hearts
  Some chemical wasn’t balanced correctly for the passenger’s metabolism, which 
  will cause heightened stasis sickness when she comes out. Double the duration 
  and all penalties involved. Additionally, her memories from the 24 hours before 
  she went into stasis may never be recovered.
  Diamonds
  Te passenger was put too far under. When it comes time to wake her up from 
  stasis, she won’t respond to the usual methods. It will require minor surgery to 
  bring her back up (see page 119).
  Clubs
  Te metabolism of the passenger wasn’t correctly slowed for stasis. She will wake 
  up having aged only ½ as much rather than 1/10th as much. She will also wake 
  up with the Fatigue (severe) consequence from starvation and dehydration.
  Joker
  Te passenger will take signifcant organ damage during stasis. Tis will result in 
  a Lasting Injury consequence that causes a -2 penalty to all Endurance actions 
  until minor surgery is performed to repair the damage (see page 119).
  
  
  
  Money is a complicated fction: entire 
  industries have been built around nothing more 
  than its transfer and manipulation. In the world 
  of Shadows Over Sol wealth has become even 
  more complicated. No longer are currencies 
  merely units of wealth backed by nation-states: 
  they’re abstracted digital measures backed by 
  megacorps, protected by cryptographic algo-
  rithms and shufed around wirelessly.
  
  Te mechanical representation of a charac-
  ter’s access to this swirling nebula of money is 
  her wealth rating. A character’s wealth rating 
  encompasses more than just the fgures in her 
  back account. It encompasses her ability to 
  gain credit, transfer assets and take advantage 
  of special pricing. It’s an abstract value, which 
  means the players don’t need to track every 
  credit, investment, transfer and mortgage. 
  Tey need only worry about the big picture.
  In some ways, a character’s wealth rating 
  can be thought of as a ninth stat—although 
  there is no such thing as a wealth action. A 
  wealth rating is a value commonly ranging 
  from 0 (dirt broke and in debt) to 10 (flthy 
  rich), although the super-rich can have wealth 
  ratings that well exceed 10. Te average 
  middle-class character has around  Wealth 5, 
  although some places are more wealthy than 
  others and local average may vary signifcantly.
  Over the course of play, a character’s wealth 
  rating will fuctuate. Making large purchases 
  can lower the rating as the character taps 
  into her resources. Similarly, receiving large 
  payments or other windfalls can increase her 
  wealth rating, giving her more to spend or 
  borrow against.
  Finally, wealth ratings are also exponen-
  tial. Tat is, each rating is roughly twice as 
  rich as the rating below it. So, for example, if a 
  character increases her wealth rating from 5 to 
  6, this represents an approximate doubling of 
  her efective wealth.
  
  A player character’s starting wealth rating 
  depends on the horror mode of the campaign 
  (see page 164). GMs are free to vary this up or 
  down, but the default starting wealth ratings 
  are listed in the table below:
  Horror Mode
  Starting Wealth
  Survival Horror
  4
  Investigative Horror
  6
  Action Horror
  8
  
  Whenever a character purchases a piece 
  of equipment or incurs some other sort of 
  expense, this expense has a cost rating. Like the 
  character’s wealth ratings, this cost rating is an 
  abstract measure of the cost to the character, 
  abstracting away the need to worry about 
  rebates, loan payments or maintenance costs. 
  Like wealth rating, a cost rating is exponen-
  tial with each cost rating being approximately 
  double the cost of the rating below it.
  For the most part, GMs and players need not 
  worry about the actual in-game “sticker price” of 
  the expense. Nevertheless, it’s sometimes useful 
  for roleplaying to be able to quote numbers and 
  have them be consistent. If a GM or player wants 
  to do this, she can refer to the table below. Tis 
  table maps cost ratings to approximate “sticker 
  price” costs in Unitech microcredits, one of the 
  most common currencies in the solar system.
  Cost
  Approximate
  Cost
  Approximate
  Cost
  Approximate
  15
  128,000 umc
  10
  4,000 umc
  5
  125 umc
  14
  64,000 umc
  9
  2,000 umc
  4
  62 umc
  13
  32,000 umc
  8
  1,000 umc
  3
  31 umc
  12
  16,000 umc
  7
  500 umc
  2
  15 umc
  11
  8,000 umc
  6
  250 umc
  1
  7 umc
  
  
  
  When a character incurs an expense—such 
  as when purchasing a piece of equipment—
  her wealth rating may be afected. Typically 
  expenses whose cost rating is equal to or lower 
  than the character’s wealth rating do not incur 
  any reduction to her wealth. Tis represents the 
  character being able to fork over small amounts 
  of petty cash without worrying about breaking 
  the bank. For example, a character with wealth 
  5 can easily aford a daily pack of cigarettes 
  without going heavily into debt.
  Te GM should keep an eye on these sort 
  of purchases during play to ensure they aren’t 
  abused. A good rule of thumb is that a character 
  gets a number of “freebie” points of cost rating 
  per day equal to her wealth rating. So, for 
  example, if a character with wealth 5 could 
  make a cost 2 and cost 3 purchase in a day or 
  fve cost 1 purchases in a day, without straining 
  her resources too much, but more than that may 
  incur reducing her wealth rating a point.
  Characters may also pay for expenses up to 
  a few levels above their current wealth rating, 
  although these purchases will be signifcant for 
  them and will reduce their wealth rating, as they 
  tap into their savings. A character may pay for 
  an expense up to four points above her current 
  rating, but she may not pay for one more than 
  twice her wealth rating in this way.  For example, 
  a character with Wealth 5 could purchase a piece 
  of equipment with Cost 9—four levels above 
  her rating—but a character with Wealth 2 could 
  only purchase a piece of equipment with up 
  to Cost 4—two levels above her rating—since 
  higher costs would be more than double her 
  rating. Note that under this system, a character 
  with wealth 0 is worse than broke and can’t 
  purchase anything that’s not close to free.
  When a character pays for an expense whose 
  cost is more than her wealth rating, her wealth 
  rating decreases by a number of points equal to 
  the number of points the cost was over her rating. 
  For example, a character with wealth 6 purchasing 
  a piece of equipment with cost 8 would have her 
  wealth decreased by 2. Tis would make her new 
  rating 4. In this system, a character will never 
  drop below Wealth 0 in this manner.
  
  Sometimes characters may want to make 
  bulk purchases, buying lots of a particular thing. 
  For example, a character may want to outft her 
  team of eight with guns, or she may want to buy 
  many boxes of ammunition. When making one 
  of these purchases, GMs should keep in mind 
  that each cost rating represents something twice 
  as expensive as the rating below it. Tis means 
  buying two of something will typically cost one 
  point more than the base thing, and buying four 
  of something will cost two points more, etc. For 
  ease of reference, refer to the chart below.
  Example: Sam wants to outft her team 
  with guns. Te gun she has in mind is cost 6 
  and she needs to buy 8 of them. Eight would 
  be +3 cost, for a total of cost 9.
  At some point, characters may wish to 
  pool their money together to make some 
  large collective purchase. Tis is possible, but 
  requires a little bit of math. To determine the 
  combined wealth rating of everyone involved, 
  use the following system:
   
  �
  Two characters with the same wealth rating 
  have a combined wealth rating one higher 
  than their individual ratings.
   
  �
  Two characters with diferent wealth rat-
  ings have a combined wealth rating equal 
  to the higher of the two.
   
  �
  If more than two characters are pooling 
  money, combine them two at a time un-
  til everyone’s wealth is pooled, going from 
  lowest to highest.
  Units
  Cost Modifer
  Units
  Cost Modifer
  2
  +1
  64
  +6
  4
  +2
  128
  +7
  8
  +3
  256
  +8
  16
  +4
  512
  +9
  32
  +5
  1024
  +10
  
  
  Example: A team of fve scrappers are pooling 
  their money to buy a new ground vehicle. Teir 
  wealth ratings are 4, 5, 5, 5 and 6. Te Wealth 
  4 and one of the Wealth 5 scrappers pool their 
  wealth, giving a combined Wealth 5—the 
  higher of the two. Tis combined Wealth 5 
  is combined with another Wealth 5, giving 
  Wealth 6. Tis is combined with the last Wealth 
  5, leaving it still at Wealth 6. Finally, the wealth 
  6 scrapper combines with the pooled Wealth 6, 
  giving a total of Wealth 7.
  When paying for an expense that would 
  decrease wealth rating, the total points that 
  are reduced are spread among the characters 
  pooling their money. Tese reduced points are 
  applied one at a time, always coming from the 
  highest individual wealth rating frst. If two 
  or more individuals are tied, they can decide 
  among themselves who takes the reduction.
  Example: Te same team of scrappers 
  mentioned above makes a cost 10 purchase. 
  Since their combined rating is Wealth 7, they 
  will lose 3 points of wealth among them. Since 
  this always comes from the highest wealth 
  frst, the frst point is taken from the Wealth 6 
  scrapper, reducing her down to Wealth 5. Te 
  fnal 2 points are then taken from two of the 
  four scrappers now at Wealth 5, and they can 
  decide among them which two take the hit.
  
  Everyone loves income. It can come from 
  pay upon completion of a successful job, from 
  selling equipment or from any other number 
  of expected windfalls. 
  In many ways, applying income works 
  like applying expenses, but in reverse. Every 
  monetary gain has an income rating. Tis 
  works exactly like a cost rating, and the same 
  table can be used to estimate the approximate 
  amount of wealth this represents (see the table 
  under Cost Ratings above).
  Income ratings below the character’s 
  current wealth rating aren’t big enough to have 
  any signifcant efect. So, for example, a corp 
  executive with Wealth 8 gaining Income 2 will 
  barely notice the diference, and she remains at 
  Wealth 8. If the income rating is above the char-
  acter’s current wealth rating, however, her wealth 
  rating may go up. Her rating will increase by 
  one half the amount the income rating is over 
  her current wealth rating (minimum 1).
  Example: A character with Wealth 5 gains 
  income 10. Tis is 5 points over her current 
  wealth. One half of this is 2 (since everything 
  rounds down), which brings her up to Wealth 7.
  
  Used equipment rarely sells for as much as 
  it was originally purchased for. After all, every 
  vendor is out to make a proft. Because of this, 
  equipment typically sells for an income rating 
  one or more less than its original cost rating.
  
  Some characters are lucky enough to 
  have a steady source of income, usually from 
  regular employment of some kind. Mechani-
  cally, continuing income is just an income 
  rating applied at whatever interval at which 
  the character is paid. For example, if a charac-
  ter’s salary is Income 5 and she is paid monthly, 
  then once a month Income 5 is applied to her 
  wealth rating using all the rules above.
  
  Te world is full of lots of little expenses: 
  meals, tickets, tolls, stock market fuctua-
  tions, licenses, fees, accommodations. Te 
  wealth and lifestyle systems are intended 
  to speed up game play so players and GMs 
  can get to the good stuf, focusing on the 
  sci-f and horror elements that make the 
  game tick. It’s also written so players don’t 
  feel compelled to penny pinch in ways that 
  would be awkward in the context of the 
  game world (“I can’t eat dinner tonight. I’ve 
  got to save up for my guns!”).
  Te tradeof for this simplicity, however, is 
  abstraction. Because of the abstract nature of 
  the wealth system, edge cases can sometimes 
  give counterintuitive results. When these sorts 
  of situations arise, it is keeping within the 
  intent of the system for GMs just to make a 
  common sense ruling and move on, getting to 
  the good stuf so to speak.
  
  
  
  In Shadows Over Sol, a character’s 
  lifestyle can vary a lot. Diferent subcultures, 
  diferent habitats, diferent levels of wealth: 
  all of these play a part in how a character 
  lives. Despite these variations, however, 
  all but the most austere characters tend 
  to collect a variety of mundane items and 
  accoutrements they use to live their lives—
  from clothes to chairs to simple electronics 
  to even the humble toothbrush. 
  Tese items number far more than can 
  easily be tracked on a character sheet, and 
  really there’s no point in tracking all of them. 
  Abstracting away the need for this is a charac-
  ter’s lifestyle rating.
  
  Every character has a lifestyle rating. 
  Tis rating is on the same scale as her wealth 
  rating—it ranges roughly from 0 (homeless 
  and possessionless) to 10 (incredibly wealthy 
  with servants, personal mansions and private 
  yachts), but a few super-rich individuals might 
  have even higher ratings. Whereas a char-
  acter’s wealth rating measures her monetary 
  assets, a character’s lifestyle rating measures her 
  standard of living and thus what physical assets 
  or equipment she might have easily available. 
  Tese two ratings measure diferent things but 
  are often intertwined.
  As with a character’s wealth rating, the 
  average middle class character lives at around 
  lifestyle 5. Brief descriptions of the diferent 
  lifestyles along the spectrum are given below. 
  Tese descriptions are meant to give a ballpark 
  idea of how a character at that lifestyle might 
  live. Specifcs will, of course, vary with subcul-
  ture and personal taste.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 0: Te character is homeless and 
  possesses little beyond the clothes on her 
  back and what she can ft in a backpack. 
  She may have an alleyway or abandoned 
  corridor in which she regularly squats.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 1: Te character is homeless, but 
  has access to a lockbox at a local shelter or 
  similar institution. Tere she has access to 
  items for personal hygiene and the ability 
  to get a spare change of clothes, if neces-
  
  
  sary. She also possesses a backpack with 
  personal items.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 2: Te character is technically 
  homeless, but has an abandoned hab or 
  some area she can reliably use as a home. 
  Tis area is likely shared with several 
  other squatters and isn’t really secure, 
  but simple things can be left here. She 
  likely possesses a pass for the local public 
  transit and may have access to a lockbox 
  somewhere. If the character lives on a 
  ship, she is like a stowaway, leeching of 
  the rest of the ship for life support ame-
  nities, such as water and air.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 3: Te character has a cofn-sized 
  room she can sleep in and an attached lock-
  box she can use to store her belongings. 
  Tis comes with access to shared hygiene 
  facilities. She likely has a pass for the local 
  public transit. If the character is living on a 
  ship, this is the lowest lifestyle rating which 
  covers legit board, including paying for her 
  own air and water.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 4: Te character has a small hab 
  she shares with several other people. Tere 
  is enough shared furniture to share the 
  space, and she has the usual living ameni-
  ties. She also likely has a pass to use the 
  local mass transit.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 5: Te character has a small hab 
  to herself in a residential complex some-
  where. Groundside, this is likely to consist 
  of two to three small rooms. On a station 
  or ship, this is likely to be a single small 
  room. She has enough furniture to fll her 
  rooms, as well as the usual living ameni-
  ties. She also likely has basic insurance and 
  has a pass to use the local mass transit or a 
  membership in a groundcar share.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 6: Te character has a medium-
  sized hab to herself, with all the usual 
  amenities. She has basic but reliable in-
  surance and possibly owns a light ground 
  transport outright, such as a bicycle or 
  moped. She also has full access to public 
  transit.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 7: Te character has a medi-
  um-sized hab to herself in a convenient 
  location. It is fully outftted with good 
  quality amenities. She has good insur-
  ance. Groundside, she is likely to own a 
  groundcar. On a ship or station, she is 
  likely to have membership in a transport 
  share.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 8: Te character has a large hab to 
  herself, which may even be a freestanding 
  building, such as a traditional house. She 
  likely has a luxury groundcar or a very basic 
  air or space transport. She has comprehen-
  sive insurance. She may also be a member 
  of selective clubs or consumer networks.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 9: Te character has a large hab 
  to herself, which is either freestanding with 
  surrounding land or in the very best of loca-
  tions, such as a penthouse suite with a roof 
  garden. She may have multiple groundcars 
  or a quality air or space transport. Her hab 
  only has the highest quality accoutrements, 
  and she has the best insurance. She likely 
  has several services she regularly pays for, 
  such as people who will clean her hab or 
  pilot her around.
   
  �
  Lifestyle 10: Te character has a large hab 
  in the best of locations and possibly several 
  additional small ones. She likely has sev-
  eral personal attendants she keeps on her 
  payroll for mundane tasks and is a member 
  of multiple exclusive clubs or consumer 
  networks. She has multiple groundcars or 
  a luxury air or space transport, such as a 
  yacht. She has the highest quality accoutre-
  ments and the very best insurance.
  
  When a character wishes to access a piece 
  of mundane equipment or service she feels she 
  would normally have on hand, she may call 
  upon her lifestyle. If the GM also agrees, the 
  character simply makes use of the equipment 
  or service with, no special tracking required. 
  For example, a player might believe her 
  character has a hand terminal for taking notes 
  on hand, has a pull-up bar in her apartment 
  she can use as an improvised weapon or even 
  is the member of a towing service should her 
  ground vehicle break down.
  Just because a character’s lifestyle rating 
  indicates she owns something, however, doesn’t 
  
  
  mean she necessarily has it on her person. Te 
  GM is well within her rights to say, “Sure, 
  you own a bicycle. It’s in your hab; you just 
  have to go get it.” Lifestyle isn’t intended to 
  be a measure of what a character has with her 
  so much as a measure of what she owns, and 
  thus what she doesn’t have to use the wealth 
  system to purchase. In horror scenarios where 
  a character is cut of and isolated, the character 
  is still cut of and isolated.
  Ultimately, what can be called upon as part 
  of a character’s lifestyle is up to the GM. As 
  long as what is being called upon isn’t game 
  breaking, doesn’t ruin the scenario or isn’t 
  abusive in some way, GMs are urged to give the 
  player the beneft of the doubt. After all, the 
  point of the lifestyle rating is to make tracking 
  things easier.
  
  At the end of each month, a character 
  must assess her lifestyle’s upkeep. As long 
  she keeps her wealth rating equal to or 
  higher than her lifestyle rating, she needn’t 
  worry about the expenses of keeping up her 
  lifestyle. Tis is fgured right into the wealth 
  system. Should her wealth rating dip below 
  her lifestyle, however, it begins to afect her 
  wealth. At the end of the month, when this 
  happens, she must either pay for an expense 
  equal to her lifestyle rating—as she dips into 
  her reserve funds to keep her lifestyle—or 
  lower her lifestyle rating by 1—as some of her 
  assets are stopped or sold to make ends meet.
  Example: Azar has Lifestyle 6, but at the 
  end of the month she is only at wealth 4. 
  Accounting for her lifestyle upkeep, she must 
  either reduce her living to Lifestyle 5, or pay 
  for Cost 6 as upkeep, reducing her to Wealth 2.
  
  
  A character can voluntarily raise or lower 
  her lifestyle rating, but doing this takes time 
  because she has to either sell of possessions or 
  take the time to acquire them. At any time in 
  the game, a character with a bit of downtime 
  can declare she’s seeking to raise or lower her 
  lifestyle. In her downtime she then begins to 
  go about taking the actions needed to make 
  this happen. However, she may not increase 
  her lifestyle higher than her wealth in this way. 
  Assuming nothing goes wrong,  after she 
  successfully pays for her lifestyle upkeep at the 
  end of the month, her lifestyle rating increases 
  or decreases a point as desired. Should she be 
  forced to lower her lifestyle this month, then 
  despite her best eforts, her lifestyle did not 
  otherwise change. In this way, she will never 
  drop two lifestyle ratings at once (due to both 
  lack of funds and voluntarily lowering), nor 
  does she ever go down one due to lack of funds 
  just to go back up from increasing her lifestyle.
  Example: Azar is at Lifestyle 6 and wishes 
  to increase her lifestyle further. Because she is 
  at Wealth 7, she can aford to do this. In her 
  downtime, she begins shopping for furniture 
  and making acquisitions. At the end of the 
  month, her lifestyle upkeep happens, and then 
  she goes up to Lifestyle 7. Had her wealth 
  fallen below 7 by the end of the month, not 
  only would she have to either pay upkeep or 
  lower her lifestyle, but her intended increase in 
  lifestyle wouldn’t happen either.
  
  
  
  Maladies include poisons, venoms, diseases 
  and other extended malign efects that can afront 
  a character as she travels the Sol system. Mechani-
  cally in Saga Machine, resisting a malady—
  whether poisons, disease or other—is an extended 
  action with two mechanical additions. Tese 
  additions are an Efect and a Vector.
  Te vector is the way in which the character 
  may be subjected to the malady. For a poison, 
  this could be anything from the character 
  ingesting it to having it injected into her body. 
  For a disease, this could be anything from the 
  character being in close proximity to an infected 
  individual to the sharing of bodily fuids.
  Once the character has been subjected 
  to the vector, she is forced to undergo the 
  extended action. Like all extended actions, the 
  malady has an interval, a TN and a Tally. After 
  exposure, once a period of time equal to the 
  interval has passed, the character must make 
  an Endurance fip. Tis is repeated every subse-
  quent interval. If the character fails one of these 
  fips, she sufers the Efect. Some maladies may 
  have difering efects for successive failures. If 
  the character succeeds on one of these fips, her 
  Mag counts towards the tally. If she eventu-
  ally succeeds on the extended action, she has 
  recovered from the malady and no longer has 
  to make Endurance actions.
  Some example maladies are below, and the 
  GM is also free to create her own:
  
  Alcohol is an extremely common poison 
  taken recreationally throughout the system.
   
  �
  Vector: Ingested
   
  �
  Action: End-10 (10 minutes, Tally 5)
   
  �
  Efect: Increase Fatigue consequence a severity. 
  It lowers inhibitions at frst efect. Tis gives 
  +1 to Socialize actions and to resisting fear. It 
  inhibits coordination and communication on 
  second efect with a -2 penalty to Dex, Spd 
  and Persuade actions. It causes vomiting or 
  unconscious on third efect.
   
  �
  Notes: Tis represents a mild-to-moder-
  ate alcoholic beverage—perhaps a potent 
  beer or weaker wine. For harder alcohol, 
  increase the TN of the frst fip. For ad-
  ditional beverages, increase the Tally. For 
  aerosolized alcohol or more direct inges-
  tion methods, reduce the interval.
  
  Arsenic is commonly used to strengthen 
  the alloys used in batteries and as a semicon-
  ductor in microchips. It also is a poison that 
  has been known for millennia. Because it is 
  both common with legitimate uses and lethal, 
  it sees continued use as an intentional poison.
   
  �
  Vector: Ingested
   
  �
  Action: End-12 (1 hour, Tally 10)
   
  �
  Efect: Moderate wound, or a severe if 
  failed with Mag 5+. It includes a headache 
  and confusion at the frst efect, giving a -2 
  penalty to Int and Per actions. Addition-
  ally, it involves convulsion and vomiting at 
  the second efect. Tis gives a -2 penalty to 
  Dex and Spd actions as well. It lasts as long 
  as the damage persists.
  
  Cannabis is a common recreational drug 
  occasionally used for medicinal purposes. It is 
  grown throughout the system, from felds on 
  Earth to botanists’ closets in the Belt.
  
  
   
  �
  Vector: Ingested or Inhaled
   
  �
  Action: End-12 (10 minutes, Tally 5)
   
  �
  Efect: Cannabis increases the Dazed 
  consequence a severity. Tis involves a -1 
  penalty to Dex-, Spd-, Int- and Per-based 
  actions. Ignore -2 in penalties due to the 
  Fixated consequence. It causes hunger.
  
  Cyanide is a family of potent poisons 
  consisting of a deadly mixture of carbon with 
  nitrogen.  Cyanides are used in various indus-
  trial processes throughout the system, and if 
  inhaled, it can cause death within seconds.
   
  �
  Vector: Inhaled or Parenteral
   
  �
  Action: End-16 (1 round, Tally 5)
   
  �
  Efect: Tis causes a moderate wound, or 
  a severe if failed with Mag 5+. It causes 
  unconsciousness on the frst efect and sei-
  zures and stopped breathing on the second 
  efect. Cardiac arrest happens on the third 
  efect.
  
  Infuenza A viruses are a common family 
  of infuenza viruses, including the infamous 
  Spanish Flu, as well as numerous swine and 
  avian fus. Tis is a weaponized strain intended 
  to spread quickly and cause mass panic, as well 
  as substantial deaths.
   
  �
  Vector: Contact or Inhaled
   
  �
  Action: End-12 (1 day, Tally 10)
   
  �
  Efect: Light wound. It increases the Fa-
  tigue consequence a severity, with cough-
  ing and runny nose on the frst efect. Fever 
  and headache on the second efect. 
  
  Hemorrhagic fevers are dangerous virus-
  borne illnesses. Tey include both Ebola and 
  the Marburg viruses, as well as Dengue and 
  Yellow Fevers. 
   
  �
  Vector: Contact or Inhaled
   
  �
  Action: End-12 (1 day, Tally 10)
   
  �
  Efect: Causes a light wound. Increase the 
  Fatigue consequence a severity. It includes 
  fever and diarrhea on the frst efect with 
  low blood pressure and excessive bleeding 
  on the second efect.
  
  Some of the oldest known drugs, opioids 
  include both poppy-derived opiates as well 
  as synthetic drugs that mimic their efects. 
  Opioids cause numbness and lethargy, and 
  see common use throughout the system both 
  recreationally and medically.
   
  �
  Vector: Ingested or Parenteral
   
  �
  Action: End-14 (1 minute, Tally 10)
   
  �
  Efect: When experienced, ignore up to 
  -2 in penalties from the Desire, Fear and 
  Fixated consequences; similarly, the same 
  amount is added as a bonus to Det actions 
  to avoid actions forced by those conse-
  quences. Tere is a -2 penalty to all Dex-, 
  Spd- and Per-based actions.
  
  Radiation is a common hazard in space, 
  being produced by solar fares, Earth’s Van 
  Allen belt, Jupiter’s radiation belt, Saturn’s 
  magnetosphere and every thorium reactor in 
  the system.
   
  �
  Vector: Proximity
   
  �
  Action: End-10 (1 hour, Tally 10)
   
  �
  Efect: Upon the frst efect, the character 
  gains a light wound and takes a -2 penalty 
  to Dex- and Spd-based actions, as radiations 
  burns her form. On the second efect, the 
  character takes a moderate wound;  increase 
  the Fatigue consequence and apply the -2 
  penalty to Int- and Chr-based actions as well 
  as she begins to sufer from hematopoietic 
  syndrome. On third efect, she takes a severe 
  wound, losing all hair and becoming nause-
  ated; this is sufering from gastrointestinal 
  syndrome. On the fourth efect, she takes 
  a critical wound and has terminal radiation 
  sickness; do not heal and continue to take a 
  light wound every day unless treated with 
  anti-radiation treatments amounting to ma-
  jor surgery (see page 119).
   
  �
  Notes: Te efects of radiation can vary 
  signifcantly in both interval and severity 
  depending on the amount of radiation to 
  which the character is exposed. Te TN, 
  tally and efects listed here assume a moder-
  ate exposure, such as from large solar fare 
  or unprotected travel through a planet’s ra-
  
  
  diation belt. For larger doses of radiation—
  such as from a reactor malfunction or nucle-
  ar weapon—adjust accordingly. Te frst fip 
  of this extended action begins an hour after 
  initial exposure and continues even after 
  the exposure has ended, until the extended 
  action is a success. Tose with spacer gene-
  lines receive a +2 bonus on the associated 
  extended action.
  
  Smoke is a common hazard wherever 
  fres are found.
   
  �
  Vector: Inhaled
   
  �
  Action: End-10 (1 minute, Tally 3)
   
  �
  Efect: Tis induces a light wound. It 
  causes coughing, including a -2 penalty to 
  Dex- and Per-based actions upon the frst 
  efect. Upon the second efect, the Fatigue 
  consequence is increased. It causes uncon-
  sciousness upon the third efect.
   
  �
  Notes: A character doesn’t simply resist smoke 
  until she has left the actively smoky area. A 
  character must still make fips while in the 
  smoke, but does not count any Mag towards 
  the tally until the character has left the area.
  
  Tear gas is a chemical weapon commonly 
  used in riot control and as a personal defensive 
  weapon. It’s typically released in opaque clouds 
  that obscure vision and disperse crowds.
   
  �
  Vector: Inhaled
   
  �
  Action: End-12 (1 round, Tally 5)
   
  �
  Efect: It causes coughing, including a 
  -2 penalty to Dex- and Per-based actions 
  upon frst efect. Tis increases to a -4 pen-
  alty upon the second efect. It causes total 
  blindness and vomiting upon the third ef-
  fect.
   
  �
  Notes: Te above action largely represents 
  recovery after leaving the tear gas cloud. 
  A character must still make fips while in 
  the cloud, but does not count any Mag 
  towards the tally until she has left the ac-
  tively tear gassed area.
  
  
  
  Space is flled with all manner of hazards, 
  from asphyxiation and radiation exposure to 
  extreme temperatures. Ships can be blown to 
  pieces exposing a character to hard vacuum 
  or shift suddenly creating great falls or colli-
  sions. Microgravity can cause long-term health 
  issues and high G-forces can cause death. One 
  is never without a million ways to die.
  
  Characters exposed to open fame run 
  the risk of catching fre themselves. Avoiding 
  being lit afame is a Dex-10 action, although 
  the intensity of the fame may give a bonus 
  or penalty.
  A character who catches on fre takes the 
  Bleeding consequence from the fames. Tis 
  usually begins at light severity, but particularly 
  intense or engulfng fames may give the conse-
  quence at a higher initial severity. Ending this 
  consequence may be achieved by taking a move 
  (posture) action to stop, drop and roll.
  
  Great falls are a classic hazard, even if they 
  are somewhat rare in the cramped hallways 
  of space. Collisions, on the other hand, are 
  signifcantly more common. Vehicles, stations 
  and other objects travel through space at great 
  velocities, and even on a planet, vehicle colli-
  sions are often common.
  To determine the wounds taken from a 
  fall, fnd the number of meters the character 
  is falling and divide by four. She will 
  normally take this many light wounds. If, 
  however, she succeeds on a Dex/athletics-10 
  fip, halve the number of wounds, or quarter 
  it if the success was with 5+ Mag. On a 
  critical failure, double the wounds.
  In atmosphere, this damage may cap out 
  due to terminal velocity. On Earth, damage 
  from a fall caps out at 20 light wounds. In low 
  gravity, halve the number of wounds from the 
  fall. For falls onto particularly soft ground, 
  halve or quarter it.
  Collisions are a lot like falls, only the 
  velocities of the two colliding objects add. To 
  determine the damage, fnd the diference in 
  velocities in meters per second, divide by fve 
  and then take this many light wounds. Tis 
  can usually be ball-parked by estimating the 
  velocity of the relevant character and then 
  either doubling it or increasing it one and a 
  half times, as the GM deems appropriate.
  Example: Lydia is driving a groundcar, 
  which collides head-on with another groundcar. 
  Te GM estimates that the groundcars were 
  both traveling about 18 m/s—a dangerous 
  but not unreasonable speed. Since they are 
  colliding head-on, the diference in their veloc-
  ities is 36 m/s, which normally results in 9 light 
  wounds. Lydia’s groundcar has a safety balloon, 
  however, which expands in her car, lessening 
  the impact and halving the damage. Lydia also 
  tries to brace herself, making a Dex/athletics 
  fip and getting a success; this also halves the 
  damage. In the end, the groundcar is totaled, 
  but Lydia takes only two light wounds.
  
  Lasers do best in the vacuum of space where 
  there is little to disperse their concentrated 
  energy. Tey do only marginally worse over 
  short distances in a clear atmosphere. Where 
  lasers really begin to sufer is in a fog or haze.
  For every meter of fog a laser shoots 
  through, provide the target with an efective 5 
  DR against lasers. Fog can also serve to provide 
  the Concealment consequence
  
  Beyond the surface of the Earth, the 
  apparent gravity can vary a lot. Tis includes 
  not only the true gravity of astral bodies, 
  but also in the artifcial spin gravity of space 
  stations, and in rare circumstances, the thrust 
  gravity of an accelerating spacecraft as well.
  Te assumption for most rules in Shadows 
  Over Sol assume the characters are operating 
  in normal or near normal gravity—that is, 
  somewhere in the vicinity of 1 g. Tis may 
  often not be the case, however, and in circum-
  
  
  stances with signifcantly difering gravity, the 
  following rules apply.
  
  Microgravity environments have near-zero 
  gravity. In game terms, this is any environ-
  ment with below 0.1 g. In microgravity, 
  objects tend to foat in whatever trajectory 
  they were last moving. Smoke doesn’t rise so 
  much as form a hazy bubble, and liquids form 
  little droplets that foat everywhere—blood 
  will get on everything! 
  For convenience, most microgravity envi-
  ronments will come with magnetic boots used 
  to control movement. Plentiful hand-straps 
  or other tethers can be used. Tese allow a 
  character to move along at half her normal 
  rate of movement. She may speed things up by 
  making leaps, sailing through the air in ways 
  only possible with such little gravity. Tis is 
  difcult, however, requiring a Dex/athletics-10 
  fip to land where she wants to go.  On a failure, 
  she both sails somewhere else and increases her 
  Spin consequence. On a failure by Mag 5+, she 
  increases her Spin consequence two severities.
  Unless a character is reliably attached 
  to the environment—an interact action 
  unless she is wearing mag boots or using 
  similar equipment—fring any weapon with 
  signifcant recoil will send her spinning on 
  an unwanted trajectory. Tis includes any 
  ballistic weapon but not laser weapons. Firing 
  such a weapon will increase her Spin conse-
  quence a severity.
  
  Low gravity environments typically range 
  between 0.5 g and microgravity. Tey are 
  common throughout the system, including on 
  Luna, Mars and many stations. Low gravity is 
  not that diferent from normal gravity.  In low 
  gravity a character can typically jump twice 
  as far and push of the ground with increased 
  ease, increasing the amount of ground covered 
  in an action 1 ½ times. Additionally, halve the 
  distance of falls before determining damage.
  
  Between 0.5 g and 1.2 g, characters are 
  considered to be in normal gravity. Char-
  acters in normal gravity take no special 
  modifers to as actions because this is the 
  default assumed gravity.
  
  Wounds bleed. Blood pressure forces the blood outward, and in normal gravity, the blood 
  then fows downward, enabling the wound to drain properly. Tis helps cleanse the wound 
  of harmful microorganisms and allows for efcient formation of scabs, which stop further 
  blood loss. 
  In microgravity, however, wounds do not bleed out this way. Blood pressure still forces 
  the blood outward but without signifcant gravity tugging on the blood it simply pools up, 
  forming bulbs of blood around the injury. Tis both prevents much of the cleansing efect 
  bleeding has on harmful microorganisms and slows down the formation of scabs.
  Te mechanical efect of this is that in microgravity, characters heal only half as much 
  as they otherwise would. Instead of healing their Endurance in wound severities each week, 
  they heal half their Endurance. Additionally, doctor supervision to ensure quicker healing 
  becomes more difcult, becoming an Int/medic-12 fip.
  
  For characters used to normal gravity, 
  visiting a microgravity environment can 
  be a sickening experience. Te constant 
  sensation of free-fall can lead to a queasiness 
  and nausea akin to motion sickness. GMs 
  wishing to emphasize these unpleasant new 
  experiences can call for characters to make 
  an End-10 fip. On a failure, the character 
  increases her Fatigue consequence a severity, 
  or two severities on a failure by Mag 5+. 
  Characters with a Spacer geneline gain a +4 
  bonus to this action.
  
  
  
  Higher that usual gravity—anything 1.2 g 
  and over—is unusual, and is mostly likely to be 
  encountered as thrust gravity on a ship taking 
  evasive maneuvers. High gravity is also prob-
  lematic in that is impedes both movement and 
  blood fow to the brain. In high gravity, charac-
  ters take a -1 penalty to all actions. Tis penalty 
  increases by -1 for every full g above 1. Signif-
  cant exertion may also require an End-10 fip 
  against increasing the Fatigue consequence 
  a severity. At the GM’s discretion, robots or 
  other characters with signifcantly diferent 
  biological function may be immune to some 
  of these penalties.
  High gravity becomes dangerous at around 
  5 g. Tis starts with a loss of color vision (gray 
  out) if the blood is being pulled away from 
  the front of the eyes, or a reddening of a char-
  acter’s vision (red out) if the blood is being 
  pulled towards the front of the eyes. Eventu-
  ally the character loses peripheral vision and 
  consciousness.
  For every minute spent under these G 
  forces a character must make an Endurance 
  action with a TN equal to the number of g’s 
  the character is experiencing (remember to 
  apply the aforementioned penalty to all actions 
  as well). On a failure, the character loses 
  consciousness and takes a light wound. Even if 
  she is unconscious, she must continue to make 
  this action, as her wounds still accumulate.
  
  Gravity afects the weight of carried equipment, but it doesn’t afect the mass or the 
  volume. Tis means gear carried in low gravity environment will be lighter, but will still 
  be just as bulky and build up just as much momentum when moving. Indeed, in micro-
  gravity environments, gear clipped to a character’s outft may tend to try to foat in all direc-
  tions, causing more of an encumbrance issue than if it possessed full weight. Since the Saga 
  Machine encumbrance system takes this bulk and carrying ability in account, encumbrance 
  thresholds do not change, regardless of the local gravity.
  
  In a spin gravity environment, the apparent gravity is highest near the outside of the spin. 
  On space stations with spin gravity, this is typically where the habs or other residential areas 
  are located. As one nears the center of the spin, the apparent gravity becomes less and less 
  until, at the very center of the spin, the character reaches microgravity. 
  As a character nears the center of the spin, the Coriolis efect also becomes more 
  pronounced. Tis will manifest itself in various ways, causing dropped objects to fall to the 
  side instead of straight “down.” It will also have an efect upon the inner ear, often causing 
  unaccustomed characters to feel they need to balance themselves by leaning to the side as 
  well. Tis can cause nauseousness and dizziness in those who are unaccustomed to it. GMs 
  wishing to emphasize this efect can call for characters to make an End-10 fip. On a failure, 
  the character increases her Fatigue consequence a severity, or two severities on a failure by 
  Mag 5+. Characters with a Spacer geneline gain a +4 bonus to this action.
  
  
  
  Without sleep, a person experiences 
  fatigue, loss of cognitive function and fnally 
  hallucinations. By default, a character needs 
  eight hours of sleep a day to function at her 
  best. She may be able to get by with less, but 
  her abilities will sufer.
  Mechanically, once a character has gone 
  for 16 hours without sleep, she must make an 
  End-14 fip every 8 hours. On a failure, her 
  Fatigue consequence increases a severity due to 
  sleep deprivation. Tis fatigue will not recover 
  until she has gotten a full night’s sleep. If she still 
  doesn’t get sleep after her Fatigue consequence 
  passes critical severity, she instead takes a light 
  wound every time she fails the End fip. During 
  this time, she may experience hallucinations.
  
  
  Te body can go for a lot longer without 
  food than without water, but either end can 
  be terrible. Mechanically, both starvation and 
  dehydration work the same way.
  For every day a character goes without food 
  or water, she must make an End-14 fip for 
  starvation or End-16 fip for dehydration. On 
  a failure, her Fatigue consequence increases a 
  severity. Once this would push her past critical 
  severity, she instead takes a light wound for 
  starvation or a moderate wound for dehydra-
  tion. Fatigue and wounds accumulated in this 
  way may not be recovered until the character 
  has eaten food or drank water and is no longer 
  sufering from its lack.
  
  Any number of situations may cause a 
  character to sufocate: lack of atmosphere, 
  drowning, or being strangled. Whatever the 
  cause of the sufocation, a simple, unifed 
  system is used.
  Te frst thing the GM should determine is 
  if the character managed to take a full breath 
  before being sufocated, essentially holding 
  one’s breath. If so, she has a window of time 
  before the adverse efects of sufocation begin 
  to set in; otherwise she begins to experience 
  them immediately. Should she have managed 
  to hold her breath, it will be her Endurance in 
  rounds before she begins to sufocate.
  Once sufocating, a character must make an 
  End-14 fip each round or increase her Fatigue 
  consequence a severity. Once this has passed 
  critical severity, she instead takes a light wound 
  and must make an End-10 fip or fall uncon-
  scious. Damage from sufocation will not heal 
  until a character is once again breathing.
  
  
  Temperature extremes are common outside 
  the protective haze of an atmosphere. Reactors 
  can burn hot, heating a ship to unbearable 
  temperatures, and space itself is very, very cold.
  When characters experience extremes in 
  temperature, the GM should decide upon an 
  interval of time for which the characters will 
  have to make an End-14 action. Failing this 
  action causes the character’s Fatigue conse-
  quence to increase a severity. Should the 
  character already be at critical severity, she takes 
  a light wound instead. Tis damage cannot be 
  removed until the character fnally cools down 
  or heats up, as appropriate. 
  As temperatures get progressively hotter or 
  colder, the interval should decrease. Suggested 
  intervals range from one hour to one minute.
  
  
  
  Water hinders movement, forcing a 
  character to swim around. Underwater 
  movement requires a Str/athletics-10 fip to 
  move at half the character’s usual rate. Tis 
  TN may increase for moving or particularly 
  treacherous waters.
  Additionally, most ballistic frearms do 
  not function underwater, and most laser 
  weapons are signifcantly hindered. For every 
  meter of water a laser passes through, the 
  target has an efective 5 DR.
  
  Characters exposed to hard vacuum or 
  sudden, drastic changes of pressure have it 
  tough. Tose in vacuum will begin to sufer 
  from sufocation and will likely begin to sufer 
  temperature extremes (see page 116). Every-
  thing in shadow gets very cold and everything 
  in the sun gets very hot. For example, temper-
  atures on Luna range from -233º to 123º.
  Tose suddenly exposed to vacuum may 
  sufer from explosive decompression—blood 
  vessels rupture, eardrums blow out and body 
  fuids begin to boil. Tis forces the character to 
  make an immediate End-16 fip. On a success, 
  she merely takes a light wound. On a failure, 
  she takes a moderate wound and sufers a -2 
  penalty to all Perception actions until she has a 
  minor surgery to fx her senses (see page 119). 
  Failure by Mag 5+ causes a severe wound and 
  she sufers a -4 Perception penalty.
  Finally, characters who experience sudden 
  changes in pressure—including explosive 
  decompression—may sufer from the bends. 
  Tis forces the character to make an End-14 
  fip (for explosive decompression just uses 
  the results from above). On a success with 
  Mag 5+, there are no ill efects. On any other 
  success, the character immediately increases 
  her Fatigue consequence two severities. On a 
  failure, this also happens, but she also loses 
  consciousness. Finally, on a failure by Mag 
  5+, she dies a painful death.
  
  
  
  
  Horror would be nothing without charac-
  ters to revolt and experience dread and terror. 
  Science fction would be little without charac-
  ters to make the future happen. Player charac-
  ters are the heart of any roleplaying game. Tis 
  chapter includes all of the information necessary 
  for creating a character and advancing that 
  character, including all of the character options.
  
  
  Before play can begin, each player must 
  make a player character (PC). Tis section 
  describes the steps necessary to create such 
  a character. Players should begin character 
  creation already knowing a bit about what the 
  GM intends for the campaign, particularly the 
  intended mode of horror (see page 164).
  
  Character creation in Shadows Over Sol 
  takes place over the course of a few basic steps. 
  Tese steps establish a character’s concept, capa-
  bilities, stats and place in the world. Character 
  creation is designed to be as quick or as thorough 
  as the player desires, depending on how much 
  thought the player wants to give to her concept 
  and her choices. Te diferent steps of character 
  creation are described briefy below:
  1. Concept: To begin with, the player 
  should take a bit of time to think about 
  what sort of character she wants to play, 
  where she wants to go with the concept 
  and how that concept fts into the cam-
  paign pitched by the GM.
  2. Assign Stats: Now that the character’s concept 
  has been somewhat defned, the player assigns 
  the character’s stats from a given array.
  3. Assign Skills: After stats have been as-
  signed, it is time to assign the character’s 
  skills, also from a given array.
  4. Pick Geneline: Te numbers having been 
  established, the player should think about 
  the character’s gene mods and how they 
  afect her nature. Te player then picks a 
  geneline from a given list.
  5. Pick Subculture: Nature having been de-
  cided, it’s on to nurture. Te player should 
  pick the subculture to which the character 
  subscribes.
  6. Scores & Traits: In the penultimate step 
  of character creation, the player calculates 
  a few scores for the character based of her 
  stats, as well as picking a few traits such as 
  languages or, optionally, weaknesses.
  7. Wealth & Gear: In this fnal step, the 
  player makes a few gear purchases, as deter-
  mined by the campaign’s mode of horror.
  
  Te frst and most important step of 
  character creation is to begin to form a vision 
  of the character. Who is she? What does she do 
  for a living? What would she rather be doing? 
  What is she good at? What does she struggle 
  with? It is of this initial vision that the rest of 
  the steps of character creation will work.
  Regardless of the character vision that 
  begins to form, the two key questions to 
  ponder here are “Who is the character as a 
  person?” and “What is the character going to 
  be doing within the context of the campaign?” 
  If the frst question is not answered adequately, 
  the character is not really a character so much 
  as a collection of mechanics for a role in 
  the campaign. If the second question is not 
  answered well, then the character may be an 
  interesting concept but she may fnd herself 
  with little to do in the actual game.
  When coming up with a character concept, 
  the player should keep in mind the type of 
  game the GM is looking to run, particularly 
  in regards to the modes of horror (see the 
  sidebar). Characters in survival horror games 
  tend to be average joes who have been thrust 
  into a bad situation. Characters in investiga-
  tive horror need to have some driving motiva-
  tion compelling them to dig deeper into the 
  horrifc. Characters in action horror need to be 
  the sort to face the horrifc head-on.
  
  
  
  
  When sitting down to run a game of Shadows Over Sol, the GM should think about 
  the type of game she wants to run. As a genre, horror varies greatly with relation of the main 
  characters to the horrifc aspects of the story. Shadows Over Sol divides this relationship up 
  into three modes of horror: survival horror, investigative horror and action horror. Te GM 
  should pick which of these modes best fts her campaign concept. Each mode fgures into 
  the character creation system and will result in characters geared towards the type of horror 
  in question. Brief descriptions of the three modes follow. 
   
  �
  Survival Horror: In survival horror, the characters are underprepared or ill equipped 
  to deal with the horrifc elements. Te relationship of the player characters to the hor-
  rifc is one of simple survival: improvise, run away, conserve scarce resources, try to 
  live another night.
   
  �
  Investigative Horror: In investigative horror, the characters are prepared enough that they 
  may investigate or pursue the horrifc elements in their actions, but they are not prepared 
  or equipped for a direct confrontation. Te relationship of the player characters to the hor-
  rifc is one of pursuit and discovery punctuated by scenes of retreat and survival.
   
  �
  Action Horror: In action horror, the scenario may be no less horrifc but the player char-
  acters have the preparation and resources they need to deal with it, or at least they have 
  enough that a direct confrontation may be a reasonable course of action. Te relationship 
  of the player characters to the horrifc is one of action and confrontation.
  
  
  
  Now that the character’s basic concept has 
  been decided, it is time to begin its implemen-
  tation. Te most basic expression of this is in 
  the character’s stats. Is the character strong and 
  kind, albeit somewhat slow? Is she ruthless and 
  cunning? Is she charismatic and quick? Te 
  player should take the array of values below 
  and assign one value to each of the character’s 
  stats: Strength, Dexterity, Speed, Endurance, 
  Intelligence, Perception, Charisma and Deter-
  mination. Te array is as follows:
  [ 7, 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2 ]
  Naturally, the areas in which the character 
  excels should be assigned the highest values, 
  whereas the areas in which she is the weakest 
  should be assigned the lowest. A value of 4 is 
  historical human average, but with gene mods 
  and upgrades, 5 is the contemporary average. 
  For more information on stats, see page 98.
  
  Whereas stats represent a character’s natural 
  inclinations and ability in certain actions, a 
  character’s skills represent her training and 
  profciencies. Te player should think about 
  her character concept. What are the skills in 
  which the character would be highly trained? 
  Which skills would she have dabbled in as 
  either an earlier failed career path or as a hobby? 
  Te player should then take the array of values 
  below and assign these values to the skills in 
  which the character would have training:
  [ 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 ]
  Naturally, higher is better. A skill of 1 
  shows at least a basic familiarity, whereas a skill 
  of at least 3 indicates a professional level of 
  competence. For ease of reference, the skill list 
  is reproduced below. For more information on 
  the skills, see page 99.
  
  Tese stats and skills may seem a little 
  low at frst glance, but that is okay. Tese 
  are not the characters fnal values. Experi-
  ences will be assigned later on when the 
  player picks a geneline and a subculture for 
  her character. Tose two choices will boost 
  these initial values.
  Skill
  Skill
  Skill
  Skill
  Skill
  Athletics
  Conspiracy
  Guns
  Melee
  Program
  Awareness
  Crafts
  Investigate
  Naturalist
  Socialize
  Bio-Sci
  Deception
  Lib-Arts
  Ordnance
  Stealth
  Bureaucrat
  Empathy
  Mechanic
  Persuade
  Tievery
  Comp-Ops
  Engineer
  Medic
  Phy-Sci
  Vehicles
  
  
  
  Most humans living in 2114 possess genes 
  that have at least a minimum of modifcation. 
  Modifcations that protect against disease, 
  genetic defects or—among spacers—loss of 
  bone density due to microgravity is particu-
  larly common. Tese gene modifcations are 
  typically either applied directly to the individ-
  ual’s genome before birth or the modifcations 
  are inherited from the individual’s parents. 
  A rare few people even have genes that were 
  modifed sometime after birth as a patch job.
  It is now time to pick the character’s 
  geneline. While there are many diferent 
  commercial genelines available to purchase 
  for one’s children, all but the most exotic or 
  experimental will fall into a broad category. 
  Tink about the character’s parents or 
  guardians for a minute. What would they 
  have selected before the character’s birth? 
  How does this align or confict with what the 
  character wants for herself?
  Te diferent geneline options are listed 
  below. All of these genelines provide some 
  amount of experiences towards particular 
  stats. Tese experiences may increase the 
  value of the stat (see Character Advancement 
  on page 175). Additionally, some genelines 
  provide a modifer to a character’s Edge, and 
  all provide an optional weakness trait that 
  can be added to those chosen in the Scores 
  & Traits step (see page 171). Te diferent 
  geneline options are listed below.
  
  Tis is an upmarket geneline category 
  targeted at those who want to provide their 
  child with a genetic disposition favoring 
  athleticism and physical capability. It’s often 
  purchased by those who dream of raising a 
  future sports star or those who want to make 
  up for family genes that convey poor physical 
  ability. As a deluxe geneline, its cost is outside 
  the means of most parents, and as such it isn’t 
  commonly found among manual laborers, 
  despite its obvious assistance there.
   
  �
  Experiences: Str +15, Dex +10, Spd +10, 
  End +15, Int +5, Per +0, Chr +0, Det +5
   
  �
  Optional Weakness: Tese genelines are 
  marketed at a demographic of parents with 
  very clear ideas of what they want for their 
  child and with enough money to see that 
  focus happens. As such, many children 
  growing up with this geneline fnd their 
  lives hyper-focused on athletics in spite of 
  whatever wishes they themselves may have. 
  Tis focus can lead to clear defciencies in 
  other felds, optionally meriting an Impair-
  ment weakness in other areas. Some with 
  this weakness also wash out, injuring them-
  selves in some unrepairable way because 
  they assume their geneline will be more 
  protection against such things than it is. A 
  Disability or other Shortcoming weakness 
  might represent this.
  
  Every geneline applies some number of experiences to every stat. Tese experiences may 
  increase the value of a stat—sometimes even multiple times! Any experiences left over from 
  this remain with the stat and count towards its next increase.
  Example: Alice has Charisma 5. A geneline is chosen that adds +15 experiences to 
  Charisma. Six of these experiences will increase her Charisma to 6. Another 7 of these expe-
  riences will raise her to Charisma 7. Tis leaves 2 experiences left over, which will remain and 
  count toward Alice’s next Charisma increase.
  
  
  
  Families who cannot aford a standard 
  genetic upgrade for their child often opt to 
  pick a budget upgrade. While these upgrades 
  aren’t as full-featured as standard packages, 
  they do provide crucial protection against most 
  common genetic diseases, as well as modest 
  boosts to the child’s inborn capabilities. Tose 
  born with a budget upgrade often lag behind 
  their peers during development, but some take 
  these difculties in stride and it drives them to 
  focus and work to become competitive.
   
  �
  Experiences: Str +5, Dex +5, Spd +5, 
  End +5, Int + 5, Per +5, Chr +5, Det +5
   
  �
  Edge: +2. As someone with a geneline that 
  is generally considered sub-par, those with 
  a budget upgrade must develop their edge 
  more than most in order to compete.
   
  �
  Optional Weakness: Budget Upgrades are 
  meant to deliver the maximum bang for 
  a small amount of buck, but in order to 
  achieve this, the upgrades always have to 
  cut corners. Some companies even use bud-
  get upgrades as a testbed for experimental 
  genetic manipulations that may one day be 
  incorporated into deluxe or standard pack-
  ages. As with most experiments, many of 
  these are failures. Te player may option-
  ally choose an Impairment or Shortcom-
  ing weakness to account for a cut corner or 
  unintended side efect of an experimental 
  gene manipulation.
  
  Some parents have both considerable money 
  and dream of their child being a celebrity, 
  dancer, model or other limelight type. Tese 
  parents may pick a celebrity deluxe upgrade. 
  Tis upgrade provides a genetic disposition 
  geared towards being an outgoing and charis-
  matic individual, but as a deluxe geneline, its 
  cost is outside the means of most parents.
   
  �
  Experiences: Str +5, Dex +10, Spd +5, 
  End +10, Int +0, Per +15, Chr +15, Det +0
   
  �
  Optional Weakness: People with this gene-
  line are often pushed into lives where they 
  are constantly surrounded by people and at-
  tention from a very young age. Some with 
  this geneline then grow up to be uncom-
  fortable in situations where they aren’t with 
  people, optionally meriting an Impairment 
  weakness that afects situations where they 
  are alone. Others grow to see people more as 
  tools, resulting in an Impairment that afects 
  empathy or nurturing.
  
  Life is harder when you’re dumb. Some 
  parents don’t want their child going through 
  that, so they pour considerable fnancial 
  resources into purchasing a genetic upgrade 
  that will ensure the largest possible boost to 
  the child’s intelligence. Tis upgrade does just 
  that, providing a genetic disposition towards 
  memory and quick learning. As a deluxe 
  upgrade, however, this geneline is outside the 
  means of most parents.
   
  �
  Experiences: Str +0, Dex +5, Spd +10,  
  End +0, Int +15, Per +10, Chr +5, Det + 15
   
  �
  Optional Weakness: Picking up on things 
  more quickly than those around them, peo-
  ple with a genius deluxe geneline can grow 
  up to think little of others, optionally re-
  sulting in an Impairment weakness. Others 
  rely too heavily on their natural aptitudes in 
  picking things up rather than on hard work 
  and training, resulting in an Impairment to 
  certain skills or areas of interest.
  
  Te single most common class of genelines, 
  this 
  represents 
  the 
  standard 
  genelines 
  commonly chosen by those living in a gravity 
  well. It includes all the usual protections 
  against genetic diseases as well as resistance to 
  the transmissible diseases usually found among 
  large populations. Finally, resistance to envi-
  ronmental pollutants and well-rounded devel-
  opmental upgrades are added.
   
  �
  Experiences: Str +10, Dex +0, Spd +0, 
  End +10, Int +10, Per +10, Chr +10, Det +10
   
  �
  Optional Weakness: Te vast majority of 
  people live in a gravity well and never jour-
  ney into space in their lifetimes. As such, 
  protections against common space ail-
  ments—such as higher levels of background 
  radiation or loss of bone density in micro-
  gravity environments—are commonly ex-
  
  
  cluded from groundside standard genelines 
  in an efort to make them afordable. Te 
  player may optionally take an Impairment 
  weakness to account for this.
  
  Genelines in the modern superman class 
  represent the best well-rounded genetic 
  upgrades money can buy. As such, these 
  upgrades are typically only found among the 
  children of the very rich or infuential. Children 
  with these upgrades typically excel past their 
  peers, and alternately either fnd themselves at 
  the pinnacle of popularity or isolated for it.
   
  �
  Experiences: Str +10, Dex +10, Spd +10, 
  End +10, Int +10, Per +10, Chr +10, Det +10
   
  �
  Edge: -3. As the pinnacle of human engi-
  neering, those with the Modern Superman 
  geneline need to rely less on their edge to 
  get them through situations, and as such, 
  do not develop it as much to get them 
  through life.
   
  �
  Optional Weakness: Many people who 
  grow up with a modern superman geneline 
  fnd it difcult not to think of themselves 
  as better than other people. After all, they 
  tend to be stronger, tougher, faster, smarter 
  and more perceptive than those around 
  them. However charismatic someone with 
  a modern superman geneline is, this feel-
  ing of superiority often rubs those around 
  them the wrong way and may lead to them 
  overestimating their own abilities. Te 
  player may optionally take an Impairment 
  or Complication weakness to represent 
  this.
  
  Te standard gene upgrades typically 
  chosen by spacers are diferent than those 
  typically chosen by people living in a gravity 
  well because the environmental conditions are 
  signifcantly diferent. While all the standard 
  protections against genetic diseases are still 
  included, the spacer’s standard also includes 
  protection against bone degradation due to 
  microgravity as well as resistance against the 
  higher levels of radiation people are typically 
  exposed to in space. Finally, it also includes 
  broad-spectrum upgrades with an emphasis on 
  the fexibility and mobility needed in a micro-
  gravity environment.
   
  �
  Experiences: Str +0, Dex +10, Spd +10, 
  End +0, Int +10, Per +10, Chr +10, Det +10
   
  �
  Optional Weakness: Spacers largely live in 
  a climate-controlled world of air-scrubbers 
  and recyclers. As such, standard spacer 
  genelines often fail to include modifca-
  tions that protect against rampant envi-
  ronmental pollutants found in Earth or the 
  prevalence of diseases found in the large 
  population centers groundside. Te player 
  may optionally take an Impairment weak-
  ness to account for this.
  
  Tose with a wild type genome don’t 
  have a gene upgrade, and instead they simply 
  have whatever genetic material their parents 
  naturally provided them with. People with a 
  wild type genome are becoming a rarity outside 
  of the very remote, the impoverished or within 
  certain religious groups. Tey frequently lag 
  behind their peers in development and are 
  susceptible to numerous genetic diseases.
   
  �
  Experiences: Te player may put +5 experi-
  ences into four diferent stats of her choice.
   
  �
  Edge: +4. Competing in a world where 
  almost everyone else has a genome bioen-
  gineered to be better than the wild type, 
  those few that manage to compete despite 
  their wild type geneline must develop their 
  edge to its fullest extent.
   
  �
  Optional 
  Weakness: 
  Many 
  people 
  throughout human history have experi-
  enced a variety of genetic defects or handi-
  caps—from sickle-cell anemia to Marfan 
  syndrome. Tanks to the wonders of bio-
  engineering, these are largely a thing of the 
  past. However, as one of the few with a 
  wild type genome, this character may pos-
  sess such a genetic defect. Te player may 
  optionally choose a weakness trait repre-
  senting the particular defect.
  
  
  
  Society in Shadows Over Sol is riven in 
  a variety of diferent subcultures, each with 
  their own norms, dialects and preoccupations. 
  Subcultures tend to run in families, and in the 
  new transient society, they provide a ready-
  made set of contacts and a social safety net. 
  Te subculture into which a character is born 
  naturally infuences her development in life, 
  providing her with diferent experiences and 
  opportunities.
  It’s now time to pick the character’s subcul-
  ture. Take a moment to think about what it 
  would have been like for her to grow up in each 
  of the subcultures being considered. How did 
  this afect her development as a person?
  Te diferent subculture options are listed 
  below. Each subculture will give the character a 
  number of experiences in diferent skills. Tese 
  experiences may increase the value of the skill 
  (see Character Advancement on page 175). 
  For the remaining experiences, pick experi-
  ences in the skill relating to the character’s past 
  endeavors. Te diferent subculture options are 
  listed below.
  
  Te Entro subculture thrives on discord 
  and is highly critical of authorities, social class 
  and corporate power. In many ways, the Entro 
  subculture is a long-lived counterculture, 
  rebelling against many of the trends of the last 
  half century. Te subculture prizes a stubborn 
  determination and bullheadedness even to the 
  point of throwing punches. See page 38.
   
  �
  Experiences: Conspiracy +2, Crafts +2, 
  Mechanic +2, Medic +2, Melee +2, Tiev-
  ery +2
  
  Expret culture values aesthetics and places 
  a great emphasis on personal upkeep. Te 
  subculture also places signifcant value on 
  appeal to emotion, interpersonal communica-
  tion and subjective experience. Tis emphasis 
  can make many of those in other subcul-
  tures feel an Expret is being too personal for 
  comfort. See page 40.
   
  �
  Experiences: Athletics +2, Bureaucrat +2, 
  Empathy +2, Lib-Arts +2, Persuade +2, So-
  cialize +2
  
  Te Former subculture places great 
  emphasis on wealth and the acquisition of 
  material possessions. It also values close-knit 
  ties between members of the subculture, 
  and many Former-led organizations display 
  a thinly-veiled favoritism towards other 
  Formers. Common in the subculture is a clean, 
  almost plastic appearance. Elective implants 
  are common. See page 42.
   
  �
  Experiences: Athletics +2, Bureaucrat +2, 
  Comp-Ops +2, Deception +2, Persuade +2, 
  Stealth +2
  
  Te Ghostman subculture is known for 
  its morbid aesthetic and fights of fancy. Te 
  subculture values a sense of romanticism 
  bordering on escapism. As with the Neoret 
  subculture, the Ghostmen sometimes look 
  back at an idealized past, but in the case of the 
  Ghostman subculture, this view borders on 
  one of pure fantasy. Te subculture’s adherents 
  are more likely than most to mix a sense of 
  religion, spiritualism or occultism into their 
  daily lives. See page 44.
   
  �
  Experiences: Awareness +2, Conspiracy +2, 
  Investigate +2, Program +2, Stealth +2, 
  Tievery +2
  
  Heed culture values pursuit of pleasure, 
  new experiences and living in the moment. 
  Tis emphasis on the here-and-now has led 
  some in other subcultures to view Heeds 
  as short-sighted. Te subculture embraces 
  chemical augmentation of abilities but is more 
  likely than most to reject physical augmenta-
  tion through implants. Heeds also tend to have 
  a lack of emphasis on clothing and personal 
  appearance. See page 46.
   
  �
  Experiences: Awareness +2, Bio-Sci +2, 
  Empathy +2, Medic +2, Phy-Sci +2, So-
  cialize +2
  
  
  
  Te Neoret subculture mixes personal 
  eccentricity with the exaltation of looking back 
  to an idealized past. Te subculture embraces 
  the reintroduction of older ideas and models 
  of organization, usually with some revisionist 
  twist. It also values a reverence to past cultural 
  identities and mores. Tis backward-facing 
  mentality can lead some in other subcultures to 
  view Neorets as foolish or blind to the negative 
  aspects of the past. See page 48.
   
  �
  Experiences: Crafts +2, Deception +2, In-
  vestigate +2, Lib-Arts +2, Melee +2, Natu-
  ralist +2
  
  Serv is less a coherent subculture than 
  an amalgamation of diferent conserva-
  tive religious groups and cultures that are 
  lumped together by the rest of society under 
  the category due to their rejection of modern 
  culture and mores. Tis includes groups of 
  Mennonites, communities of Hasidic Jews, 
  some sects of Hindus, some tribal Islamic 
  communities and any number of other tradi-
  tional religious communities. See page 50.
   
  �
  Experiences: Athletics +2, Awareness +2, 
  Bio-Sci +2, Engineer +2, Naturalist +2, Ve-
  hicles +2
  
  Te Techno subculture embraces new 
  technologies and their impact on daily life, 
  particularly in regard to AI, AR, implants 
  and simspaces. Many of the older generation 
  in the subculture view meatspace as increas-
  ingly obsolete and seek instead to “transcend” 
  meatspace in favor of an almost entirely digital 
  life. Many of the younger generation in the 
  subculture instead favor elective implants as a 
  way to overcome the limitations of the fesh. 
  See page 52.
   
  �
  Experiences: Comp-Ops +2, Engineer +2, 
  Mechanic +2, Phy-Sci +2, Program +2, Ve-
  hicles +2
  
  When a subculture gives experiences in a skill, these experiences either increase the skill 
  or relate to past endeavors.
  Example: Alice has no Medic skill and a subculture is chosen that gives +2 experiences 
  to Medic. Te frst experience simply increases her to Medic 1. Te next experience counts 
  towards her next Medic increase, and she must name to what it relates. She chooses this 
  experience to be “First Aid.”
  
  
  
  By this point, the bulk of the character 
  has been built mechanically. All that is left is 
  to put on some fnishing touches and then to 
  purchase starting gear. In this step, the player 
  will make a few calculations for scores based 
  on the character’s stats, and then pick out a few 
  traits such as the character’s native language 
  and possible weaknesses.
  
  Te following scores are used by the various 
  systems found in the Shadows Over Sol game. 
  Determining them is a simple matter of 
  addition. Te formula for each of these scores 
  is given below:
   
  �
  Damage Reduction (DR): Tis is the abil-
  ity of a character to resist damage. It will be 
  0 for now, but may increase later when the 
  character purchases gear. See page 117.
   
  �
  Defense: Tis is the ability of a character 
  to avoid being hit in combat. It consists of 
  two values: the target number to hit the 
  character ([Spd + Per + Dex] ÷ 2) and the 
  target number to score a critical hit on the 
  character (Spd + Per + Dex). See page 123.
   
  �
  Edge: Tis is the number of cards drawn into 
  the character’s hand at the beginning of each 
  session (Average of Int & Chr). See page 112.
   
  �
  Encumbrance: Tis is the number of en-
  cumbrance slots the character has for carry-
  ing gear around (Str). See page 179.
   
  �
  Shock: Tis is the damage value necessary 
  to stun the character in combat and possi-
  bly upgrade wounds (End + Det + DR). See 
  page 118.
   
  �
  Wound: Tis is the total wound penalty 
  at which characters begin to risk uncon-
  sciousness and death (Average of Str & 
  End). See page 118.
  
  Every character automatically begins 
  with one native language and familiarity 
  with one subculture. Tese are traits the 
  character possesses. Te character’s starting 
  language can be any language that makes 
  sense for her. Her starting cultural famil-
  iarity will typically be with the same subcul-
  ture she picked in the last step.
  In addition to the automatic starting 
  languages and cultures, players may pick up 
  to one more language for every point the 
  character has in the Lib-Arts skill. Players may 
  also pick up to one more culture for every 
  point the character has in the Socialize skill. 
  Tese extra languages and cultures need not be 
  picked right now. Tat is, if the character has 
  Lib-Arts 4, the player should not feel she has to 
  pick four extra languages now. If she does not, 
  these extra language or culture slots will remain 
  open for her to learn new languages, or become 
  more familiar with cultures, in play.
  Players should talk over what languages 
  they should take, as it is usually important for 
  all player characters to share a language. A table 
  of the languages most commonly used in the 
  solar system is given below:
  Language
  Arabic
  Hindi
  Portuguese
  Bangali
  Japanese
  Punjabi
  English
  Javanese
  Russian
  French
  Malay
  Spanish
  German
  Mandarin
  Wu
  
  
  
  Te most interesting characters tend to 
  have some kind of weakness, whether it’s that 
  they struggle with some personal vice or they 
  have some physical shortcoming of some type. 
  In Saga Machine, these sort of faws are repre-
  sented by weakness traits. 
  All weakness traits are similar in that they 
  are optional traits that each present some 
  kind of drawback, but in return, when that 
  drawback negatively afects the character in 
  some signifcant way, she gets to draw a card. 
  In this way, weakness traits can be a good 
  mechanism for reflling one’s hand during play. 
  In Shadows Over Sol, there are four diferent 
  weakness traits available. It is recommended 
  that player characters pick up a weakness trait 
  or two, but more than two or three may be 
  overdoing it. Characters can take the same 
  weakness trait multiple times, each time with a 
  diferent subject. Te diferent weakness traits 
  are described below:
   
  �
  Impairment: Characters with this trait 
  have some sort of impairment at a particu-
  lar category of actions. Tis gives a -2 or 
  more signifcant penalty to those actions. 
  When this trait is chosen, the player should 
  decide upon the actions to which this trait 
  applies. For example, Impairment (Limp) 
  may give a -2 penalty to actions that in-
  volve running or holding something steady 
  while walking. Impairment (Dyslexia) may 
  give a penalty to actions that involve read-
  ing quickly or writing clearly. Impairment 
  (Bad Hearing) may give a -2 penalty to ac-
  tions that involve hearing things.
   
  �
  Disability: When a character possesses this 
  trait, she automatically fails some category 
  of actions due to a disability. For example, 
  a character with Disability (Blind) will fail 
  actions that depend solely on eyesight. A 
  character with Disability (Illiterate) will 
  fail actions that require reading. Te play-
  er should decide upon the nature of this 
  weakness when it is taken.
   
  �
  Shortcoming: A character with this weak-
  ness takes a -2 or greater penalty to a de-
  rived score, such as Defense, Edge, Shock, 
  Wealth or Wound. Te player should de-
  cide upon the nature of this weakness when 
  it is chosen. Examples include Shortcom-
  ing (Low Pain Treshold), which applies 
  to Shock, or Shortcoming (Slow Reaction 
  Time), which applies to Defense.
   
  �
  Complication: Tis is perhaps the most 
  abstract of the four weakness traits. It repre-
  sents a hindrance that comes up periodically 
  at inconvenient intervals. Examples include 
  Complication (Enemy) where a character’s 
  personal enemy shows up to try to harm 
  the character, Complication (Epilepsy) 
  where a character sometimes falls into a sei-
  zure or Complication (Wanted) where the 
  authorities will sometimes try to arrest the 
  character. When taking this weakness, the 
  player should decide upon the nature of the 
  complication and the type of situations in 
  which the complication can arise. Te com-
  plication arises whenever a joker is played by 
  the player in one of these situations. For ex-
  ample, Complication (Wanted) may result 
  in arresting authorities or bounty hunters 
  showing up, and arises in situations where a 
  character is arriving in a new port or going 
  through a security checkpoint. Should the 
  player play a joker in one of these situations, 
  she may be arrested or have to deal with a 
  bounty hunter. Te player should work with 
  the GM when taking a Complication weak-
  ness.
  
  
  
  By now, the character’s stats, skills, place in 
  the world and weaknesses have all been ironed 
  out. Te fnal step of character creation is to 
  determine the character’s wealth, lifestyle and 
  notable gear. Despite this being the last step, 
  it is also a very important one because science 
  fction is often defned by its technological 
  toys, and horror is defned by the ability (or 
  lack thereof) of the characters to deal with the 
  horrifc situation at hand.
  
  A character’s wealth value is a measure of 
  her ability to tap her fnancial resources (see 
  page 148). Tis starting value is set by the 
  campaign’s mode of horror, although it may 
  shortly go down as the character purchases 
  notable gear. Additionally, the number of 
  initial purchases a character gets beyond the 
  general package of starting gear is also defned 
  by the mode of horror. See the table below:
  Horror Mode
  Wealth
  Purchases
  Survival Horror
  4
  2
  Investigative Horror
  6
  3
  Action Horror
  8
  4
  
  Unless a player decides otherwise, all charac-
  ters can begin with the following common gear 
  in addition to the purchases she gets (see below).
   
  �
  Sufcient clothes for lifestyle. Depending 
  on the character’s Lifestyle this may be any-
  thing from only the clothes on her back to 
  a complete wardrobe.
   
  �
  AR Glasses (page 193)
   
  �
  Hand Terminal (page 191)
   
  �
  Her choice of one of the following kits: 
  Disguise Kit (page 197), Medikit (page 
  190), Survival Kit (page 199) or Toolkit 
  (an associated skill experience must be 
  specifed. Suggested skills include Bio-
  Sci, Crafts, Engineer, Mechanic, Phy-Sci, 
  Tievery. See page 198).
   
  �
  Her choice of two of the following accesso-
  ries: Backpack (page 199), Binoculars (page 
  194), Biomonitor (page 189), Camera 
  (page 195), Disposable Cufs (page 196), 
  Flashlight (page 199), Geiger-Counter 
  (page 195), Injector Unit (page 187), Rope 
  (page 199), Solmitol (page 188), Stimulox 
  (page 188) or Torepstat (page 188).
   
  �
  Should she purchase any weapons at char-
  acter creation, she starts with one full clip 
  or battery for any purchased weapons.
  
  Te player may now make a number of 
  purchases for the character to outft her with 
  notable equipment. Te maximum number 
  of purchases that can be made right now are 
  defned by the campaign’s mode of horror (see 
  the table above). Purchases made in this way 
  work exactly like purchases made during play. 
  Tat is, purchases whose cost rating exceeds 
  the character’s wealth rating may lower the 
  character’s wealth (see page 149).
  Remember players need not purchase 
  everything the character owns right now. Most 
  mundane possessions and aspects of a charac-
  ter’s daily life, such as a hab or transit pass, are 
  covered by the character’s Lifestyle rating (see the 
  next step). Instead, focus on any extraordinary 
  or defning gear the character may own, such as 
  implants, a weapon, surveillance gear, etc.
  
  Te wealth rules provide for a number of 
  purchasing options intended for use during 
  play. For example, rules for pooling wealth, 
  making bulk purchases or selling goods 
  back are all included. Tese options are 
  not intended for use in character creation 
  system, and it is recommended that GMs 
  disallow them until play.
  
  
  
  Te fnal step is to pick the charac-
  ter’s lifestyle rating (see page 151). Tis is a 
  measure of how well the character lives and 
  what mundane resources she easily has at her 
  disposal. Te player can pick any rating for the 
  character from 0 to 10, but a few things should 
  frst be considered: 
   
  �
  What lifestyle rating makes the most sense 
  for the character given her concept and 
  other background information? Some con-
  cepts will lend themselves to a particular 
  range of lifestyle ratings.
   
  �
  Characters will need to make monthly 
  payments to support their lifestyle rating. 
  Look at the character’s current wealth rat-
  ing after the purchases that were just made. 
  Picking a lifestyle too far above that num-
  ber will quickly result in being unable to 
  pay for the lifestyle and downgrading to a 
  lower one anyway. Either way, the charac-
  ter is going to be desperate for money. Te 
  formerly-wealthy character forced into a 
  cheap hab or into the streets is a fne char-
  acter arc if that’s what the player wants to 
  play, but players should make sure that’s 
  what they want frst.
   
  �
  Picking a lifestyle that is too far below or 
  above the character’s wealth rating implies 
  that there’s some kind of story there. Was 
  the character a poor hab resident that has 
  suddenly come into some sort of windfall? 
  Or was she middle-upper corp manage-
  ment, and now has fallen from the com-
  pany’s good graces?
  
  Names in the future of Shadows Over 
  Sol work very much like they do in the 
  real world, with only minor adjustments. 
  Surnames still typically run in families, 
  which varies with ethnicity and correlate 
  with subcultures, as subcultures tend to 
  run in families. Trends in frst names still 
  change with the times, although these 
  are often infuenced by media, which is 
  itself infuenced by subcultures. Generally 
  speaking, however, the transient society and 
  geographic melting pot of the last century 
  has led frst names to be a lot less ethnically 
  intertwined than in the real world. Addi-
  tionally, with the exception of parts of the 
  Serv subculture, names tend to be a lot less 
  gender-specifc than in the real world.
  
  GMs can think of player characters as having two axes of character advancement in 
  Shadows Over Sol: experiences and equipment. It is important to take both of these into 
  consideration when planning a campaign.
  Te experience system is designed to develop well-rounded characters with a fairly 
  organic pattern of growth. It’s also meant to tie the character’s actions in a session directly to 
  their advancement. It should be fairly self-balancing.
  Equipment, on the other hand, is a more tricky consideration. Characters with the 
  correct equipment can steam-roll over certain types of scenarios, signifcantly reducing the 
  impact of the horror. Luckily, GMs have at their disposal a mechanism for keeping the 
  equipment of the PCs balanced against the scenario.
  Tis mechanism is the characters’ wealth scores. Since a given wealth score always results 
  in a predictable maximum cost rating that can be purchased, GMs should ensure that the 
  PCs’ wealth scores don’t get out of hand, resulting in them being able to purchase equipment 
  that would break the scenario. For example, if Cost 11 equipment would break the scenario, 
  and it takes Wealth 7 to purchase it, the GM can ensure that the rewards being ofered to the 
  PCs don’t exceed Wealth 6. Managing wealth means managing equipment.
  
  
  
  
  No one stays the same for long. People 
  change, they grow, they advance and they learn 
  from their experiences. Similarly, characters in 
  Shadows Over Sol don’t remain the same for 
  long—they advance and grow.
  
  Over the course of a campaign, player 
  characters will accumulate experiences. Tese 
  experiences represent the character’s growth, 
  learned skills and progress in a particular area. 
  Experiences are awarded by the GM at semi-
  regular intervals throughout the campaign—
  typically at the end of each session. Tey are 
  used to increase the character’s stats and skills 
  or to give a bonus to a skill’s actions.
  Ultimately it is up to the GM to reward 
  experiences and to decide on what basis to award 
  them. It is generally recommended to award 
  between 2 and 4 experiences each session. An 
  example metric for awarding experiences follows:
  Basis
  Reward
  Participated in the session
  1
  Showed up prepared and on time
  1
  Played to genre
  1
  Was a team player
  1
  
  When a player’s character receives expe-
  riences, the player must allocate them to a 
  particular stat or skill that saw use that session. 
  Te stat or skill can have seen use either as 
  part of an action or as something the character 
  actively worked on in her downtime. No more 
  than one experience can be allocated to any 
  single stat or skill at the same time.
  Experiences assigned to stats are simply tally 
  marks counting toward the next increase of 
  the stats. Experiences assigned to skills, on the 
  other hand, are given a descriptor that applies 
  to how the skill was used that session. Examples 
  include “tropical birds” for the Naturalist skill or 
  “groundcar repair” for the Mechanic skill. In the 
  future, these experiences can give a +1 bonus to 
  related skill actions when they apply (see Skill 
  Experiences on page 99).
  
  When the number of experiences allocated 
  to a stat or skill increases beyond the current 
  value, the experiences are erased and the stat 
  or skill increases by one. For example, this 
  means that the very frst experience assigned 
  to an untrained skill will increase it to skill 1, 
  and it would take fve experiences to increase 
  Strength 4 to Strength 5.
  In the case of skill experiences, this means 
  that the increasing frequency of +1 bonuses 
  from experiences eventually becomes an efective 
  unconditional +1 from the skill increase.
  
  Sometimes the GM wants a player to make a character with a greater than usual degree 
  of experience, such as a replacement character being made mid-campaign. Tese characters 
  are made just like the usual starting characters, but then are given some experiences that can 
  be allocated to increasing stats and skills. 
  To determine how many to give, the GM should think of it in units of sessions. If the GM 
  has been giving out about the recommended three experiences a session, and the campaign is 
  fve session in, the GM should give out fve sets of three experiences. Tese experiences can then 
  be spent just as if the character had been there each session. Tis also means that the maximum 
  number of experiences that can be assigned to any one stat or skill is equal to the number of sets.
  Finally, the GM should think about what starting wealth score to assign the new character. 
  It’s recommended to look at the other player characters as a benchmark when deciding this. 
  Use the average wealth score among other characters. It is recommended to use the usual 
  number of starting purchases for the campaign’s mode of horror. But if the GM feels this will 
  result in an under-equipped new character, she may optionally allow a couple more.
  
  
  
  
  In the twenty-third century, gear is 
  essential. Without it, humanity is simply a 
  bunch of hairless primates with a capacity for 
  language and existential angst. With the right 
  gear, humanity has tamed the landscape, built 
  civilization and reached out towards the stars.
  
  Gear in the Saga Machine system is largely 
  a matter of common sense. A lock pick can 
  be used for picking locks but not for forensic 
  anthropology; a cane can be used to walk with 
  and may serve as a basic improvised weapon 
  in a pinch. Mechanically, however, a piece of 
  gear often has a number of listed properties 
  indicating how it interacts with various rules 
  systems. Tis is particularly true of weapons 
  and armor. A property, for example, may 
  indicate the piece of equipment is big and takes 
  up more encumbrance than normal, or it may 
  indicate that the weapon is capable of autofre, 
  spitting out bullets in rapid succession.
  Te diferent gear properties possessed by 
  equipment in the Shadows Over Sol setting 
  are listed below. For ease of reference, they 
  have been divided up into general properties, 
  weapon properties and armor properties.
  
  General properties are gear properties that 
  can apply to any kind of gear, from computers 
  and spy gear to weapons and armor. Te 
  diferent general properties are listed below:
   
  �
  Big X: Tis item is large enough or heavy 
  enough that it occupies more than one en-
  cumbrance slot, where X is the number of 
  slots occupied.
   
  �
  Computer X: Tis item has general com-
  puting capabilities. Te indicated rating is 
  a measure of its processing power, storage, 
  bandwidth and other specs (see page 136).
   
  �
  Conceal X: Tis item is particularly easy to 
  conceal on one’s person. It grants the listed 
  bonus on attempts to conceal it against no-
  tice or upon search.
   
  �
  Container X: Tis item is designed to 
  carry others inside of it. It can carry the 
  indicated number of encumbrance slots 
  of items. When these items are inside the 
  container, they do not count towards the 
  character’s encumbrance total. Often these 
  items will have restrictions on the items 
  placed in them. See the container’s descrip-
  tion for details.
   
  �
  Implant X: Tis item is designed to be im-
  planted in the owner’s body. If implanted in 
  this way, it takes no encumbrance slots but 
  has the usual efects of implants, applying 
  the indicated penalty (see page 186).
   
  �
  Neg: Tis item has negligible weight and 
  does not occupy any encumbrance slots. At 
  the GM’s discretion, holding mass quanti-
  ties of this type of item may add up to an 
  encumbrance slot, however.
   
  �
  Mil: Tis gear is military-grade, marking it 
  as difcult or expensive to acquire outside 
  of military or paramilitary organizations. 
  Purchasing this gear will often raise red 
  fags with the local authorities.
   
  �
  Software X: Tis gear is software. Natural-
  ly, it takes up no encumbrance, but a data 
  
  
  When purchasing new equipment—
  particularly 
  at 
  character 
  creation—
  remember this is not usually the only goods 
  the character possesses. Her Lifestyle score 
  will imply a variety of other goods she has 
  at her disposal, from basic necessities to 
  vehicles. Even the more destitute characters 
  can start with the clothes on their back as 
  part of their lifestyles. 
  What is important when buying gear is to 
  not sweat the small stuf; focus on buying the 
  exceptional or unusual items the character 
  needs, the stuf not normally covered by 
  Lifestyle. To put it in the context of typical 
  roleplaying games, what you’re buying here 
  is your “adventuring equipment.” Lifestyle 
  should sufce to cover most everything else.
  
  
  chip or computer is required to store the 
  software. Te indicated rating is a measure 
  of the computing resources needed to run 
  the software (see page 136).
   
  �
  Worn: Tis item is designed to be worn 
  and only occupies an encumbrance slot if 
  it is being carried and not worn.
  
  Weapon properties are properties primarily 
  aimed at how weapons interact with the 
  combat system or other rule systems. Te 
  diferent weapon properties are listed below:
   
  �
  Area X: Tis weapon deals an area attack 
  with the indicated primary radius in meters. 
  Its attack afects all characters within that 
  radius, and may afect characters within the 
  secondary radius (see page 127).
   
  �
  Autofre X: Weapons with this property are 
  capable of autofre and suppressive fre. Te 
  higher the rating, the more shots that can be 
  spit out into the attack (see page 128).
   
  �
  Burn: A character hit with an attack from 
  this weapon may catch fre. If she makes a 
  dodge reaction against the attack, she avoids 
  catching fre, even if the dodge was unsuc-
  cessful. Otherwise, she must make a Dex/
  athletics-10 fip or increase her Bleeding 
  consequence a severity from the burn.
   
  �
  Damage �X/�X/�X/�X: Tis weapon 
  deals the damage listed for the listed suits 
  when it is used to attack (see page 117). 
  For some weapons, this will be a function 
  of the wielder’s Strength.
   
  �
  Hands X: Tis property indicates the num-
  ber of hands required to wield the weapon. 
  If this property is not listed, it is assumed 
  to be Hands 1.
   
  �
  Pierce X: Weapons with this property ig-
  nore the indicated number of DR. Subtract 
  this number from DR before using it to re-
  solve damage from this weapon.
   
  �
  Range X: Tis weapon can attack at a 
  range, with short range being within the 
  indicated number of meters.
   
  �
  Reload X: Tis property indicates how 
  many AP worth of interact actions are nec-
  essary to reload the weapon. If this proper-
  ty is not listed and the weapon takes shots, 
  it is assumed to have Reload 1.
   
  �
  Shots X: Tis property indicates how 
  many shots ft within the weapon’s maga-
  zine or battery.
   
  �
  Stun: Tis weapon is designed primarily 
  to stun its target, although it may deal 
  light damage. When damage from this 
  weapon is compared to the target’s Shock 
  value, the severity of the damage is never 
  increased. Te Stun consequence, how-
  ever, is applied as normal.
   
  �
  Trown: Tis weapon is designed to be 
  able to be thrown. Trown weapons have a 
  range equal to the character’s Strength.
  
  Armor properties are gear properties that 
  typically are intended to apply to armor. Te 
  diferent armor properties are described below:
   
  �
  Bulky X: Tis armor is bulky when worn 
  and hinders the character’s movement. It 
  gives the indicated penalty to all Dexter-
  ity- and Speed-based actions while worn. 
  Typically only one bulky item may be 
  worn at a time.
   
  �
  DR X: Tis item provides the amount of 
  damage reduction indicated when worn.
   
  �
  Gel X: Tis armor is constructed using a 
  ballistic gel that hardens when bullets strike 
  it. It provides the indicated additional DR 
  against ballistic attacks only.
   
  �
  Refect X: Tis armor is constructed with 
  refective and refractive material that scat-
  ters or absorbs the light of laser weapons. 
  Tis provides the indicated additional DR 
  against laser attacks only.
   
  �
  Str X: When worn, this armor with this 
  property gives the indicated bonus to the 
  character’s strength actions. Tis bonus also 
  applies to the character’s encumbrance slots.
   
  �
  Vac: Tis armor is sealed for use in a vacu-
  um. Tis will protect a character in a vacu-
  um, provided they have a ready air supply, 
  and it also protects against gas-based agents 
  or attacks. 
  
  
  
  Characters can only carry so many things 
  around with them before they begin to get 
  bogged down under its sheer mass and bulk. 
  Tis is represented mechanically as a number of 
  encumbrance slots. Every piece of gear—unless 
  a property indicates otherwise, such as with the 
  worn or Neg properties—takes up exactly one 
  slot. Tis limits what the character can carry 
  around before she begins to be impeded by its 
  bulk. For example, a character with Encum-
  brance 5 can carry fve items without penalty. 
  A character has a number of encumbrance slots 
  equal to her Strength.
  Encumbrance = Strength
  Characters who carry equipment over 
  this limit gain the Encumbered consequence 
  (see page 230). Tis consequence starts at 
  light severity and increases a severity every 
  multiple of her limit she carries. For example, 
  if a character has 5 encumbrance slots and is 
  carrying around 6 items, she has Encumbered 
  (light). If she later picks up more items and is 
  then carrying around 10, she is at Encumbered 
  (moderate), since that’s double her number 
  of encumbrance slots. Tis would increase to 
  Encumbered (severe) at 15 items, and Encum-
  bered (critical) at 20 items. A character simply 
  cannot lift more items than fve times her 
  number of slots.
  
  Containers can allow a character to carry 
  around gear more efciently. Tis allows 
  several items and the container to all share a 
  single encumbrance slot, whereas they might 
  otherwise have occupied several.
  Tink about it this way: Imagine trying 
  to carry twelve cans of a beverage. It’s not the 
  weight that hinders you; it’s the shape and 
  bulk. You might be able to stack them up in 
  your hands, leaning them against your chest, 
  and toting them all without dropping them, 
  but you’re going to be encumbered. It’s going 
  to impede your ability to do other things while 
  carrying them around. With a container on the 
  other hand, those twelve cans are going to be 
  boxed up in a 12-pack, and can probably be 
  grasped under an arm, unencumbered.
  Mechanically, containers are pieces of gear 
  that have the Container X property, where X is 
  the number of items the container is designed to 
  carry. Almost all containers are designed to tote 
  some particular kind of item. Gun magazines 
  are designed to hold bullets, for instance. Tis 
  limits the kind of items the container can ef-
  ciently carry. Tese limitations will be noted in 
  the container’s description.
  
  Gear that has the Neg property has 
  negligible encumbrance. Tese items aren’t 
  typically encumbering on their own, but 
  their bulk can still add up if carried en 
  masse. As a rule of thumb, assume every 
  100 negligible items adds up to an encum-
  brance slot. Te GM is free to adjust this if 
  common sense dictates otherwise.
  
  Tere are times when a character might 
  want to carry or drag around another. Tis 
  can happen when one of the characters is 
  unconscious or otherwise incapacitated. 
  Other characters typically have the Big 
  property for the purposes of encumbrance. 
  As a rule of thumb, assume a character has 
  Big X, where X equals the sum of their 
  Strength and Endurance. So, for example, a 
  character with Str 5 and End 4 would be Big 
  9. Te GM may want to adjust this value for 
  particularly large or small characters.
  
  
  
  Humans have killed humans since the 
  very beginning of our species. As time has 
  gone on, we have invented new and creative 
  ways to bring each other’s’ lives to premature 
  and messy ends. Below are a wide cross-
  section of ways this is commonly done in the 
  twenty-third century.
  
  It has been said, “God made man, but 
  Samuel Colt made them equal.” Whatever the 
  case may be, ballistic projectiles have been a 
  favored method of murder for centuries. Tese 
  guns are common in the twenty-third century.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  Damage: �12M/�8M/�4M/�2M
   
  �
  Properties: Range 10; Shots 10
  A 
  personal 
  protection 
  favorite, 
  the 
  USD-383 “Wasp” Light Pistol is ready to lock 
  and load! Take aim at your favorite shooting 
  range or when your life is in danger. Te gun is 
  small enough to ft most holsters or to slip into 
  a purse! It comes with patent-pending rubber-
  ized grip and is available in gun barrel gray, 
  matte black, racing stripe red or powder pink.
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 6
   
  �
  Damage: �15M/�10M/�5M/�2M
   
  �
  Properties: Autofre 2; Range 10; Shots 10
  Te ultimate man-stopper, the USD-720 
  “Windowmaker” Heavy Pistol is sure to leave 
  you standing and your enemies taking a dirt 
  nap. A long-time favorite of bounty hunters 
  and security forces the Sol system over, this 
  sleek .50 caliber handgun is now available on 
  the open market! Order yours today!
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 6
   
  �
  Damage: �18M/�12M/�6M/�3M
   
  �
  Properties: Hands 2; Range 20; Shots 10
  Te rife you need when you’re on the go, 
  the USD-1200 “Amazon” Light Rife has been 
  designed from the ground up for easy trans-
  portation and assembly. With balancing range, 
  magazine capacity and ease of maintenance, 
  the Amazon gets the job done. Satisfaction 
  guaranteed. Some assembly required.
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 7
   
  �
  Damage: �21M/�14M/�7M/�3M
   
  �
  Properties: Autofre 2; Hands 2; Range 20; 
  Shots 20
  Te USD-3200 “Valkyrie” Heavy Rife is 
  a masterpiece of twenty-third century engi-
  neering, combined with sleek twenty-second 
  century ascetics. Own the best-designed and 
  best-looking heavy rife on the market! It 
  comes with two autofre settings and a designer 
  gun case. Remember, Valkyrie means quality.
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 9
   
  �
  Damage: �18M/�12M/�6M/�3M
   
  �
  Properties: Autofre 3; Mil; Range 10; 
  Shots 15
  Te Xenocom X4 Machine Pistol is a 
  military favorite. Coming with the best fully 
  
  When you purchase a weapon, you can 
  assume it comes with one full battery or 
  magazine of ammunition compatible with 
  it. Te ammo in the magazine is of the most 
  basic type available. It does not include any 
  special ammunition that may be available 
  on the market. Te inclusion of ammuni-
  tion is particularly important to note at 
  character creation because players are not 
  required to use a second purchase to secure 
  ammo for their weapon.
  
  
  automatic capability of any pistol on the 
  market, the X4 outdoes the competition. Pick 
  yours up and feel the ballistic power in your 
  hand. Place an order for the entire unit. Outft 
  our squad with the best!
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 10
   
  �
  Damage: �24M/�16M/�8M/�4M
   
  �
  Properties: Autofre 3; Hands 2; Mil; 
  Range 20; Shots 30
  When you want maximum staying power, 
  you want the Xenocom X8 Machine Rife. 
  Combining the best in range and magazine 
  capacity with the best in full-auto heat suppres-
  sion technology, the Xenocom X8 is second 
  to none. Pair with our range fnder or tracer 
  round extras for the ultimate military battle-
  feld kit.
  
  Laser weapons are bulkier and have fewer 
  shots between reloads than their ballistic coun-
  terparts. Nevertheless, their recoil-free nature 
  means that they have a distinctive advantage in 
  low gravity environments.
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 7
   
  �
  Damage: �12M/�8M/�4M/�2M
   
  �
  Properties: Range 10; Shots 5
  In zero-G the professional soldier knows 
  not to be caught with only a ballistic gun at 
  hand, because dead is what she will be. Don’t 
  let this happen to you. Take the USD-490L 
  “Indra” Light Laspistol into your zero-G 
  battles and you will never want to use another 
  lasgun again!
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 8
   
  �
  Damage: �15M/�10M/�5M/�2M
   
  �
  Properties: Autofre 2; Range 10; Shots 5
  Te USD-840L “Horus” Heavy Laspistol 
  is simply best heavy laspistol on the market. 
  Designed from heavy-duty metal alloys and 
  with anti-heat ceramic plating, the Horus 
  outshoots the competition. Plus, the Horus’ 
  state of the art battery packs are guaranteed to 
  hold the charges for months without unwanted 
  discharge. 
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 8
   
  �
  Damage: �18M/�12M/�6M/�3M
   
  �
  Properties: Hands 2; Range 20; Shots 5
  Perfect for use on spaceships or stations 
  across the system, the USD-2280L “Zeus” 
  Light Lasrife is jam-packed with all the essen-
  tials needed for successful space security. From 
  its sleek, curved barrel to its fnger-molded 
  grip, the Zeus is a miracle for the professional 
  security worker.
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 9
   
  �
  Damage: �21M/�14M/�7M/�3M
   
  �
  Properties: Autofre 2; Hands 2; Range 20; 
  Shots 5
  Don’t 
  be 
  out-gunned: 
  carry 
  the 
  USD-4700L “Tor” Heavy Lasrife. Te best 
  in range, accuracy and automatic fre capacity, 
  every Tor heavy lasrife is constructed from 
  the fnest materials and tested by the weapons 
  experts at Utakar System Dynamics. So don’t 
  be out-gunned. Choose the best!
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 11
   
  �
  Damage: �18M/�12M/�6M/�3M
   
  �
  Properties: Autofre 3; Mil; Range 10; 
  Shots 10
  Te L3 Machine Laspistol is the latest mili-
  tary-grade laspistol from Xenocom. It’s heavy-
  duty ionized battery contains enough charge 
  for sustained fre, and its state of the art heat-
  sinks support the highest rates if automatic 
  fre. Pick yours up and make the best decision 
  you’ve ever made today!
  
  
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 12
   
  �
  Damage: �24M/�16M/�8M/�4M
   
  �
  Properties: Autofre 3; Hands 2; Mil; 
  Range 20; Shots 10
  When in combat, it’s best to remember: don’t 
  let up. Tat’s why you need the Xenocom L8 
  Machine Lasrife. With this high quality military-
  grade laser rife, you can keep the pressure on, 
  pinning your enemies down with its automatic 
  fre and keeping your allies out of the line of fre.
  
  Where small arms fail, heavy arms may 
  succeed. Either way, they’re likely to leave 
  collateral damage. Below one can fnd a variety 
  of listings for grenades.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Damage: �24M/�16M/�8M/�4M
   
  �
  Properties: Area 5; Mil; Trown
  Te USD-9300 is the ultimate in frag 
  grenade fexibility and reliability. It comes 
  with two modes of operation: impact or timer. 
  Simply arm the grenade and fing it at foes, or 
  let it count down. Te choice is yours!
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 3
   
  �
  Damage: �24L/�16L/�8L/�4L
   
  �
  Properties: Area 5; Stun; Trown
  Perfect for crowd control, the USD-9700 
  Stun Grenade is a wonder to behold. Just set 
  the grenade to burst on timer or upon impact 
  and let it go. Te USD-9700 is guaranteed to 
  stun or incapacitate with nonlethal precision. 
  Order yours today!
  
  Over the millennia, humanity has invented 
  numerous melee weapons, going back beyond 
  the dawn of recorded history. In the twenty-
  third century, some of these melee weapons 
  still see common use.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 1
   
  �
  Damage: �Str×3+6L / �Str×2+4L / �Str+2L 
  / �½Str+1L
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Barons are a tried-and-true classic when it 
  comes to dealing out blows with a minimum 
  of lethal force. Favored as a control weapon 
  by light security forces the world over, it never 
  hurts to have a baton at your side. Baton tele-
  scopes for easy pocket storage. It is available in 
  both solid colors and faux-wood.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 1
   
  �
  Damage: �Str×3M / �Str×2M / �StrM / 
  �Str×½M
   
  �
  Properties: Trown
  It’s a weapon. It’s a tool. It’s both! Combat 
  utility knives are a versatile weapon and tool, 
  balanced for both hand-to-hand use as well 
  as sudden throws. Combat utility knives can 
  be used to cut rope, pry open simple doors or 
  butter toast. Never leave home without one! 
  Te handle comes in a variety of custom styles.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  Damage: �StrS / �Str×¾S / �Str×½S / 
  �Str×¼S
   
  �
  Properties: Mil; Pierce 10
   
  �
  Critical Efect: When this critical efect 
  is chosen, the monowhip does not break 
  upon impact, as is normal.
  Crafted by the exotic materials experts at 
  Sinoex, the Sinoex Monowhip XT is a coiled 
  strand of near-monomolecular wire with a 
  weight on the end held in a magnetized handle. 
  Upon pressing a button, a power source in the 
  handle causes the wire to uncoil and extend 
  outward, providing the ideal cutting tool. 
  
  
  Monowhips tear through armor like cardboard, 
  but their limited tensile strength means they 
  are typically one-use weapons, breaking after 
  they successfully strike a target.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Damage: �Str+18L / �Str+12L / �Str+6L / 
  �Str+3L
   
  �
  Properties: Stun
   
  �
  Critical Efect: When this critical efect 
  is chosen, increase the target’s Stun conse-
  quence a severity.
  Incapacitate your opponents with a 
  nonlethal electric charge, using this USD-07 
  “Firefy” Shockstick. Te Firefy is a tele-
  scoping baton that has a rubberized grip on 
  one end. Tis insulates the wielder from the 
  electric charge, which can be switched on or of 
  using a button on the grip. If struck, the elec-
  trolyzed end discharges, delivering a shock to 
  the opponent intended to stun or incapacitate.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: —
   
  �
  Damage: �Str×3L/�Str×2L/�StrL/�½StrL
   
  �
  Properties: —
  It doesn’t get much more primal than old-
  school fsticufs. Despite all the technological 
  ways to go for blood, fstfghts remain the most 
  common form of violence in the Sol system. 
  Tis listing represents the human capacity to 
  attack with fsts, feet or teeth.
  
  Most projectile weapons require ammuni-
  tion of some sort—whether bullets or battery 
  power. Tese are sold in clips (for ballistic 
  frearms) or batt-packs (for laser projectiles). 
  Both clips and batt-packs are typically designed 
  to be easily ejected and inserted. Below are 
  some basic options for ammunition.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: Mil (clips for guns with the 
  Mil property only)
  What are guns without clips of ammuni-
  tion? Poorly-designed clubs! Don’t bring a club 
  to a gun fght. Ammunition is sold in clips 
  ftting the gun in question. Most guns have 
  their own standard for ammunition in terms of 
  both caliber and cartridge design. Te type of 
  gun the ammo is designed for must be specifed 
  when the clip is purchased. 
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 3
   
  �
  Properties: Mil (batt-packs for guns with 
  the Mil property only)
  Keep your lasers powered up and ready! 
  Laser weapons are powered by high-density 
  batt-packs, capable of releasing the tremendous 
  charge necessary to power weaponized lasers in 
  a small amount of time. Te downside of these 
  high-density batt-packs is that it takes serious 
  industrial equipment to recharge them, meaning 
  that batt-packs are typically bought as one-use 
  items and the expended packs simply sold back 
  to the manufacturer for pocket change. Each 
  batt-pack holds the weapon’s listed “shots” in 
  charges. Like clips, batt-packs are typically 
  manufactured for a single model of frearm.
  
  
  Military-grade arms, armor and ammu-
  nition is de facto restricted to military or 
  paramilitary organizations. Almost all corps 
  have policies against the ownership of such 
  equipment in areas they administrate by 
  anyone other than their own security or 
  contractors, and its ownership is often tech-
  nically illegal to boot.
  In practice, this means that military-
  grade armaments are often difcult to 
  acquire without throwing around a lot of 
  credits. Te cost ratings in the gear descrip-
  tions refect this street price. Even if mili-
  tary-grade gear is bought, however, its 
  purchase, carry and use tends to raise red 
  fags among the local security and other 
  concerned parties.
  
  
  
  Te steady advance of new and more 
  efcient ways to kill fellow human beings 
  has spurred similar advancements in how 
  to prevent those same human being from 
  becoming meaty red paste. A portion of these 
  protecting advancements is in the armor that 
  people have available to wear.
  
  Te Sol system is a dangerous place, and 
  both light and utility armors see widespread 
  use without raising too many eyebrows. Vac 
  suits in particular are essential to life in space 
  and are ubiquitous throughout the system.
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  DR: 2
   
  �
  Properties: Gel 3; Worn
  Simply the best in light but durable ballistic 
  protection, the USD-11h “Bulwark” Ballistic 
  Suit stops bullets in their tracks.  Utilizing 
  Utakar’s proprietary Shell-Stopper™ gel tech-
  nology, the Bulwark hardens upon impact, 
  distributing the kinetic force of the impact 
  throughout the body. Self-sealing gel closes in 
  seconds. Designer pockets ft most common 
  magazines. It is available in black, charcoal, 
  rosewood and navy.
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 6
   
  �
  DR: 2
   
  �
  Properties: Refect 3; Worn
  Do lasers threaten to give you health 
  problems by burning holes into your fesh? 
  Ten look no further! Te USD-24k “Aegis” 
  Refect Suit scatters lasers before they can 
  scatter you. Constructed of bleeding-edge 
  materials, the Aegis refracts laser light, leaving 
  the wearer unharmed. Tis comes with either a 
  frosted or glossy fnish.
  
  
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  DR: 3
   
  �
  Properties: Conceal 2; Worn
  Just because you need to wear armor 
  doesn’t mean you have to sacrifce style. 
  With the Pfeifer & Wu Wide-Trim Designer 
  Coverjack you can have your cake and eat 
  it, too! Designed for maximum comfort and 
  discrete protection, all P&W coverjacks can 
  pass as normal suits upon both visual and 
  infrared inspection. Tis comes in a variety of 
  designer colors! Power tie optional.
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  DR: 3
   
  �
  Properties: Big 5; Bulky 1; Vac; Worn
  Te Unitech “Sunspot” C3 Vac Suit is the 
  spacer’s best friend. Capable of operating for 
  up to six hours in complete vacuum and in a 
  variety of pressure, radiation and atmospheric 
  conditions, this space suit is truly the frst in 
  its class. Compressed air canisters connect at 
  both hips, providing redundancy and allowing 
  changes in the feld. AR link included.
  
  
  Heavy armors—even the civilian models—
  are not casual wear. Te bulky clamshell 
  designs mark anyone wearing it as dangerous 
  and looking for a fght. Power armor ups this 
  yet another notch, making the wearer into a 
  one-person force of destruction.
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 8
   
  �
  DR: 5
   
  �
  Properties: Big 5; Bulky 1; Worn
  Utakar’s latest design in heavy civilian 
  armor, the USD-38n “Knight” Tactical Suit 
  employs advanced safety measures to keep the 
  wearer up and fghting. Built from the ground 
  up for reliable protection, the Knight Tactical 
  Suit is a must-have for any urban warrior. Straps 
  and pockets carry extra magazines. Comes in a 
  variety of patterns and colors. Available in both 
  matte and gloss. 
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 11
   
  �
  DR: 10
   
  �
  Properties: Big 5; Bulky 2; Mil; Worn
  Te best protection an infantryman can get, 
  the USD-44p “Shogun” Combat Armor is the 
  prize of the battlefeld and tested by Utakar’s 
  hands-on quality assurance experts. Remember, 
  if you’re not wearing USD, you’re probably 
  dead. Features an AR link, HUD, multiple gun 
  holsters and clipped belt for carrying grenades. 
  Customized paint jobs at no additional cost. 
  Available in both matte and gloss. 
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 14
   
  �
  DR: 20
   
  �
  Properties: Big 15; Bulky 3; Mil; Str 5; 
  Vac; Worn
  Go beyond the usual limits with Xenocom 
  “Infnity” Powershell Armor. Te go-to choice 
  of security professions for more than three 
  decades, Infnity power armor is rugged and 
  reliable. Tailor-made for feld maintenance and 
  repair, the Infnity comes with HUD, AR link, 
  a six-hour air supply, left and right arm weapon 
  mounts and internal power cell. Holster points 
  optional. Comes in a variety of colors.
  
  
  
  Implants are mechanical or biological 
  items designed to be implanted in the owner’s 
  body. Tere, the implant works to replace or 
  augment the owner’s physical or mental capa-
  bilities. Implants are generally broken down 
  into two categories: cyberware (mechanical 
  implants) and bioware (implants that are 
  biological in nature).
  Tere was a fad for implants in the late 
  twenty-frst and early twenty-second centuries, 
  but aside from a few medical implants, cheap 
  replacement limbs and the growing popularity 
  of AR implants, today’s implants are largely 
  considered a failed technology. 
  Te reason for this is threefold. First, visible 
  implants frequently trigger primal feelings of 
  revulsion in those that view them, and some 
  cultures have also run up against social mores 
  regarding body modifcation or biases against 
  the disabled. Second, low-quality and experi-
  mental implants have a reputation for trig-
  gering immune responses, dramatically short-
  ening the owner’s lifespan. Tird, complex 
  implants have come to be associated with 
  terrorists and other fringe groups that don’t 
  care if a radical implants reduces the host’s life 
  to a few years.
  
  All implants have the Implant property. Tis 
  is always paired with a numerical value called 
  the implant rating—for example, Implant 2. 
  Tis rating is an indicator of the strain the 
  implant puts on the host’s immune system. 
  Te human body can maintain a number of 
  points of implants equal to her Endurance 
  without penalty. Should a character exceed this 
  value, however, she begins to put strain on her 
  immune system. Naturally, implants that are 
  more extensive, experimental or simply more 
  straining will have a higher value.
  For every point of implants she has over her 
  Endurance, she takes a -1 penalty to all Endurance 
  actions. For example, if a character has Endurance 
  5, and has three implants—Implant 2, Implant 
  2 and Implant 3—for a total of Implant 7, she 
  takes a -2 penalty to all endurance actions.
  
  Te following is a list of implants that see 
  use in the early twenty-third century. Some are 
  common, such as biomonitor or AR implants, 
  while others are rare but still have their niche. 
  Te prices here refect implants of reasonable 
  quality. Cheaper versions of these implants are 
  sometimes available for two or three times the 
  indicated Implant rating.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 9
   
  �
  Properties: Implant 2; Mil
  A boost when you need it, the adrenaline 
  booster gland is an artifcial organ implanted 
  near the kidneys. Typically triggered through 
  a pre-programmed biological input such 
  as saying a specifc word, a tongue pattern 
  or a series of fnger taps, the implant gives a 
  +2 bonus to Strength, Dexterity, Speed and 
  Endurance actions for a number of rounds 
  equal to the target’s Endurance. Tis bonus 
  also applies to Strength-based damage, Defense 
  and action order. Activating the gland is an 
  interact action. After its primary efects wear 
  of, the user increases her Fatigue consequence 
  a severity, because the after-efects of the gland 
  leave her shaking and weakened. Te gland 
  cannot be used for another 24 hours because 
  it has to remanufacture its artifcial adrenaline.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  Properties: Implant 1
  Tired of bulky AR glasses? Internalize your 
  augmented reality! Tis state-of-the-art AR 
  implant intercepts signals between the host’s 
  eyes and brain, injecting AR tags and other data 
  into the visual signal. Operated through either 
  voice or programmed eye movements, the 
  AR implant comes complete with encrypted 
  wireless interface and hard-wired of switch. 
  For AR rules, see page 141.
  
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 7
   
  �
  Damage: �12M/�8M/�4M/�2M
   
  �
  Properties: Conceal 4; Implant 1; Range 10; 
  Reload 2; Shots 3
  Have your safety well in hand, or at least 
  in arm, with this gun arm implant! Included 
  is a concealed ballistic gun barrel and trigger 
  mechanism, which embeds beneath the skin 
  into the fesh of the forearm. Te gun can 
  be programmed to fre with a simple fick of 
  the arm, giving the element of surprise. It 
  holds three shots. Reloading requires opening 
  a compartment in the arm and loading each 
  bullet individually.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 3
   
  �
  Properties: Implant 1
  Always have your drugs on hand when you 
  need them with this injector unit! Te implant 
  is typically embedded in the thigh, and can be 
  programmed to deliver a dose of a contained 
  drug intravenously, all with the fip of a switch 
  or a pre-programmed voice command. Holds 
  three doses. Activating the injector unit is a 
  reaction which costs no AP. Te character must 
  be capable of taking reactions. 
  
  
  
  Drugs see use throughout the system in 
  diverse areas, including medicine, recreation 
  and paramilitary endeavors. Tey are used to 
  treat medical conditions, to aid in combat and 
  to hinder one’s enemies.
  Te onset time of all drugs listed below 
  assume they are injected directly into the blood-
  stream. Oral forms of most of these drugs are 
  available, but have an extra half hour before they 
  take efect. Some may be available in the form of 
  patches, which take an additional minute to take 
  efect. Finally, aerosol versions may be available. 
  Tese have the same onset time as the injected 
  versions, but require 10 times the dosage because 
  they are less efciently administered.
  
  
  A variety of drugs and toxins are commonly 
  available in the twenty-third century. Many 
  of these drugs also see recreational use on the 
  street or are used in military endeavors.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 3
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Don’t let radiation get the best of you. Treat 
  it preventatively with Radasil. If taken before 
  radiation exposure, Radasil gives a +4 bonus 
  to resist the efects of radiation. Its protec-
  tion lasts for 8 hours. Tis potent medication 
  still takes its toll on the body, however. Upon 
  administration, the recipient gains the Fatigue 
  consequence. Pack of 10 doses.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Get better faster with Regenasone. A potent 
  healing aid, Regenasone speeds cellular regenera-
  tion within the body. If administered once a day, 
  a dose of Regenasone reduces the time it takes to 
  heal wounds from one week down to one day. 
  Tis, however, leaves the recipient feeling hazy and 
  lethargic. After Regenasone is administered and 
  for the day afterward, the recipient increases her 
  Fatigue consequence a severity. Pack of 10 doses
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Prescribed for even the toughest insomnia, 
  Somnitol will put you to sleep. If injected, 
  Somnitol will put the recipient into a deep sleep 
  in a number of rounds equal to her Endurance. 
  Once asleep, she will be unconscious for the 
  next 8 hours unless awoken through a stimulant 
  or by other chemical means. Pack of 10 doses.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 3
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Stimulox is recommended by doctors system-
  wide! Use of this drug instantly awakens an 
  unconscious individual, granting a +1 bonus to 
  all Strength, Dexterity and Speed actions for the 
  next 10 minutes, as well as a +1 bonus to Strength-
  based damage, Defense and Shock threshold. After 
  this efect wears of, the recipient increases her 
  Fatigue consequence a severity. Pack of 10 doses.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Be the boss of pain. Don’t let pain be the boss 
  of you. Torpestat is a powerful pain-killer. Once 
  injected, it lasts for 8 hours. During this time, 
  the recipient does not take penalties from the 
  Wound consequence. Additionally, she gains a 
  +2 bonus to her Shock threshold. Te downside 
  is that the drug also leaves her numb, giving her 
  a -2 penalty to all Dexterity and Speed actions, 
  as well as to any Perception action relying on her 
  sense of touch. Pack of 10 doses.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  Properties: Mil; Neg
  When the perp won’t talk, try Verazine! 
  Verazine is a psychoactive drug used in inter-
  rogations and for even less savory purposes. 
  It causes the recipient to enter a hazy, dream-
  like state, becoming talkative and losing her 
  internal flters. Injected directly into the blood-
  stream, Verazine takes about a minute to set in. 
  Ten, for the next 10 minutes, the recipient is 
  at a -4 penalty to all actions to deceive or avoid 
  simple mental trickery. Pack of 10 doses. 
  
  
  
  Te snapping of bones, the rending of fesh 
  and the irradiation of the body: all these things 
  can be treated, or even cured, through the 
  miracles of twenty-third century medicine. Tis 
  is a good thing considering the horrors of space.
  
  Te primary interaction many characters 
  will have with twenty-third century medicine 
  will be in the form of medical services. First aid 
  can be applied easily enough in the feld, but 
  surgery typically requires large and expensive 
  facilities, not to mention a skilled surgeon.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
  Sufering from a simple bone fracture, 
  minor organ damage or moderate tissue 
  damage? A variety of minor surgeries may be 
  able to help you! Tey are capable of removing 
  a variety of lasting consequences, including 
  many on the Lingering Injury tables (see page 
  130). For full rules on surgery, see page 119.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 7
  Minor surgery not enough for your 
  wounds? Major surgery may be just what the 
  doctor ordered! Major surgery is capable of 
  removing even more potent lasting conse-
  quences, including many of the worst lingering 
  injuries (see page 130). For full rules on surgery, 
  see page 119. 
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 8
  Need a new arm, leg or bodily organ? Look 
  no further! Lost limbs, digits, eyes and many other 
  organs can be regrown, but this is expensive, takes 
  time and requires frequent visits to the doctor to 
  apply the next stage of the therapy. Limbs in the 
  process of regrowth typically are tender and itch 
  fercely. For full rules on surgery and regrowth 
  therapy, see page 119.
  
  A variety of medical gear is commonly 
  available in the twenty-third century. Tis 
  equipment ranges from medical implants to 
  replacement limbs to the tools of the physi-
  cian’s trade.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: Implant 0
  Tis biomonitor is a small, barely-inva-
  sive implant that periodically records simple 
  medical data, such as blood pressure, pulse, 
  heart rate and blood sugar. It comes complete 
  with a small external switch that turns on the 
  capability to communicate wirelessly with 
  medical equipment. Tis aids in diagnosis 
  and frst aid on the host, granting a +2 bonus 
  to such endeavors.
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Properties: Implant 1
  Can’t aford the cost of a regrowth treatment? 
  Tis cybernetic limb has you covered! Just have 
  the nerve interface installed on the arm or leg’s 
  stump and let the machinery do the rest. A 
  week’s training is required to regain full limb 
  capability. Cybernetic arms and legs typically 
  come complete with faux-skin, making them 
  look slightly less unnatural. A cybernetic limb 
  will never have tactile input like a natural arm 
  or leg, but in all other regards, cybernetic limbs 
  function like the real thing.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 3
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Have a specifc condition that needs 
  testing? Tat calls for a disposable test kit. Tis 
  kit tests for a specifc disease, toxin, drug or 
  medical condition, such as sleep deprivation or 
  pregnancy. It is typically administered through 
  either drawing blood or through a urine 
  sample. Results usually take a minute or two. 
  Contains 10 disposable tests.
  
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4 (Basic), 8 (Superior)
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Treat nagging injuries on the go! Te 
  medikit contains basic medical tools, useful 
  for treating all major or simple injuries, 
  including adhesive spray, antibiotics, a 
  variety of ointments, an oxygen mask and 
  sutures. Tis counts as sufcient tools for 
  frst aid or improvised equipment (-2) for 
  minor surgery. Also, consider our superior 
  quality medikits, which count as superior 
  tools (+2) to frst aid! Contains 10 uses.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5 (Basic), 9 (Superior)
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Not all injuries happen within easy reach 
  of a hospital or medical bay. For unexpected 
  injuries in the remote reaches of space, there’s 
  the portable surgery kit. With a portable 
  pack of surgeon’s tools, diagnostic gear, cheap 
  anesthetics and antibiotics, this kit counts as 
  sufcient equipment for minor surgery, or 
  improvised equipment (-2) for major surgery. 
  Also consider our superior quality surgery 
  kits, which count as superior tools (+2) for 
  minor surgery or sufcient tools for major 
  surgery! Contains materials for 10 surgeries. 
  Performing surgery using one of these kits 
  does not incur the expense of paying for a full 
  surgery treatment (see page 189). 
  
  
  
  
  Te 1969 Apollo 11 mission went to the 
  moon with less computing power than a late 
  twentieth century graphing calculator. Pretty 
  much any well-to-do resident of the twenty-
  third century would be aghast if asked to so 
  much as walk across her hab with that little 
  computing power.
  In the past three centuries, computers have 
  been fruitful and multiplied. Tey are not 
  found just in dedicated computing machines 
  such as hand terminals and workstations; 
  microcomputers can be found in any number 
  of household appliances, packaging, clothing, 
  tools and goods.
  Rules for computers and software can be 
  found in the computing subsystem (see page 136).
  
  No matter how divorced a citizen of 
  the net might be from meatspace, it doesn’t 
  change the fact that every AR enhancement, 
  simspace and piece of software is grounded in 
  the physical machines that do the computing. 
  Tese machines range from dime-sized micro-
  computers designed for electronic inventory or 
  simple computations to grand supercomputers 
  operated by corps or universities.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 1
   
  �
  Computer Rating: 1
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Are you tracking an object, calculating 
  basic numbers or broadcasting a message on 
  loop? Do you need only very basic computing 
  and wireless ability? Ten a microcomputer 
  is what you’re looking for! Tis dime-sized 
  computer is capable of basic computations 
  and processing. It has inbuilt wireless access 
  using either IR or radio comms (see page 
  194). Unlike other computers and due to its 
  size, it has no display or other input or output 
  features, requiring peripherals or wireless 
  communication with another device.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Computer Rating: 3
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Te ubiquitous hand terminal is a 
  must-have for anyone! Tese handheld 
  computers work as video and audio comms; 
  are capable of IR and wireless connections; 
  have an inbuilt camera, microphone and GPS; 
  play games; do basic calculations; connect to 
  the net; and interface with most common AR 
  implants and glasses. Most come with both 
  voice and touchscreen controls.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 6
   
  �
  Computer Rating: 5
   
  �
  Properties: Big 5
  For serious computing needs, a worksta-
  tion computer will excel! Tese computers are 
  designed to be set on a desk or hung on a wall. 
  Tey have the serious processing power needed 
  for the most resource intensive games, extended 
  scientifc calculations and encryption. Tey can 
  also serve as a makeshift server if needed. Work-
  station computers typically come with touch-
  screen and voice controls, as well as key inputs 
  and sometimes simple biometric input.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 9
   
  �
  Computer Rating: 7
   
  �
  Properties: Big 10
  Do you have the need for not just sufcient, 
  but vigorous computing? Order a mainframe 
  today! Mainframes are designed to go beyond 
  personal computing needs. Tey host popular 
  net nodes, serve as the main computers for 
  spaceships, administrate corp sites and sit on 
  academic campuses. Mainframes are generally 
  large machines meant to remain wired in 
  place and communicated with through indi-
  vidual workstations or hand terminals. Many 
  have wireless capabilities, but this is often left 
  turned of to take advantage of the superior 
  bandwidth ofered by wired connections.
  
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 13
   
  �
  Computer Rating: 9
   
  �
  Properties: Big 20
  Some of the best computers that money can 
  buy, supercomputers are typically found only in 
  the most important corp ofces, used in the most 
  computationally intensive academic problems or 
  backing the largest of the large net nodes. Tey are 
  almost always designed to interface with personal 
  hand terminals or workstations rather than with 
  users directly. While supercomputers can be ported 
  around in theory, they actually require extensive 
  setup before they are operational.
  
  Without software, computers are little 
  more than fancy paperweights. Needless to 
  say, a variety of software sees use across the 
  Sol system, from anthropomorphized personal 
  assistants to a ship’s navigation system.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4 (basic), 6 (pro), 8 (deluxe) 
  or 10 (ultimate)
   
  �
  Software Rating: 3 (basic), 5 (pro), 7 (deluxe) 
  or 9 (ultimate)
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Keep your private life private. Encryption 
  is necessary for any sort of secure transaction 
  using broadcast communication, such as on the 
  net or through radio comms. Most computers 
  come with basic built-in encryption methods, 
  but for those who want real security, bolstered 
  encryption software is a no-brainer. Difculty 
  of breaking encryption scales with processing 
  requirements. Encryption systems come in 
  a variety of diferent qualities, with difering 
  processing requirements (see page 136).
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4 (basic), 6 (pro), 8 (deluxe) 
  or 10 (ultimate)
   
  �
  Software Rating: 3 (basic), 5 (pro), 7 (deluxe) 
  or 9 (ultimate)
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Know your knowns and your known 
  unknowns! An expert system is software that 
  provides a database of knowledge and useful advice 
  on a given topic. Tis is often designed to hook 
  in to AR software, projecting useful tags and other 
  information right before the user’s eyes. Every 
  expert software is designed to support one skill, or 
  sometimes a specifc experience in a skill. By taking 
  a moment (an interact action in combat) the user 
  can query the expert system for help on this skill. 
  Mechanically this works as if the expert system is 
  making a group efort action supporting the user, 
  with a total based on the quality of the software 
  (see page 110). An action may only beneft from 
  one expert system at a time. Expert software comes 
  in four qualities: basic (total 10), pro (total 12), 
  deluxe (total 14) and ultimate (total 16).
  Example: Stan is using a pro expert system 
  to help him with ship repairs. He makes the 
  required Dex/mechanic fip and gets a total of 
  9, not yet taking into account the expert system. 
  Since expert systems work exactly like secondary 
  characters in a group efort action, and since the 
  expert system’s total—12 for pro quality—is 
  higher than Stan’s total, he gets a +2 bonus to 
  his action. Tis gives him a fnal total of 11.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Software Rating: 5
   
  �
  Properties: —
  When you need a little bit of help, get a 
  personal assistant! Personal assistant software 
  uses adaptive algorithms to learn the wants, 
  needs, schedule and habits of a particular user, 
  looking up information and making sugges-
  tions without prompting. All personal assistant 
  software requires several weeks to adapt to a new 
  user, and most is given a customizable anthro-
  pomorphic avatar, or at least a name. Tis avatar 
  can be projected into the surrounding environ-
  ment when viewed through AR. Many personal 
  assistants have adjustable personalities as well.
  
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Software Rating: 3
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Don’t let the language barrier be an 
  issue. Translation software provides real 
  time on-the-fy translation between two 
  languages. Every language pairing is its own 
  software. Most translation software is capable 
  of outputting the translation in both speech 
  and text, and often includes the ability to 
  manually enter new vocabulary and idioms. 
  No translation software is perfect, and most 
  still has problems translating less common 
  subculture slang or fgures of speech.
  
  Computers are great, but they still need 
  methods of input and output (I/O). Te most 
  common method of I/O are the touch screen, 
  which combines feedback in both directions, 
  and voice commands. Tese are built in to 
  most computers. Other specialized I/O periph-
  erals exist, however. Tis includes common AR 
  glasses to secured biometric readers.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: Worn
  Join the AR revolution. Join the twenty-
  third century. AR glasses look a lot like typical 
  glasses, except they project augmented reality 
  (AR) information before the wearer’s eyes. Tis 
  allows the wearer to read AR tags, access AR data 
  and overlay projections on the world around 
  her. Doing this, however, requires wirelessly 
  interfacing the AR glasses with a computer—
  typically a hand terminal. Tis connection is 
  typically a radio or infrared (IR) connection.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: —
  For all your secure needs, you can rely 
  on a biometric reader. A biometric reader 
  is typically used as a secure input device to 
  authenticate the identity of the computer 
  user. Most biometric readers scan fngerprints 
  or retinas, although DNA biometric readers 
  exist as well. A biometric reader is typically 
  connected to a host computer, which then 
  takes input from the device.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: See description
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Data chips: for when the net just won’t cut 
  it! Data chips are small silicate chips intended 
  to transfer data physically between computers. 
  Tey are often used when transferal over the net 
  would be deemed insecure or where no local 
  net is available. All data chips have a software 
  rating. While data chips cannot run software 
  as can a computer, they can store software up 
  to the same rating. So, for example, a Data 
  Chip 5 could store a Software 5 program or 
  two Software 4 programs, etc. A data chip has 
  a cost rating equal to the software rating.
  
  
  
  
  Long distance communication and detection 
  methods have been staples of a digitized and 
  connected society for centuries. In the twenty-
  third century, most distant communication 
  still uses radio waves as a carrier, although laser 
  communication is widespread in space, and 
  at short distances, infrared (IR) becomes the 
  norm. When it comes to sensors, a wide variety 
  of methods see use depending on the nature of 
  what is to be detected.
  
  Communications are important. Without 
  them we are all just alone and isolated, foating 
  in a tin can through the vast empty ocean of 
  space, further away than any human being ever 
  was through most of the history of our species. 
  While many devices have built in comms 
  for wireless transmission of data, these dedicated 
  comms can be attached to devices that do not or 
  used to boost the range of the cheaper embedded 
  comms found in wireless devices.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Does your device not speak infrared? Get 
  a dedicated IR comm! IR comms use infrared 
  to transmit and receive data. Tis is useful only 
  at very short ranges—usually no more than a 
  few dozen meters. It is of particular use in short 
  distance, secured transmissions because IR does 
  not penetrate walls and its short distance limits 
  eavesdropping. IR communication comes built 
  in to most hand terminals and other short-range 
  wireless devices. A dedicated IR comm, such as 
  this one, can be attached to other devices to give 
  IR communication capabilities.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Direct your communication with a laser 
  comm. Laser comms use lasers to transmit and 
  receive data at a directed target. Tis limits the 
  ability to intercept the data because it is not 
  broadcast to the world but rather directed at 
  a specifc target. Naturally, the ability to use 
  a laser comm relies on having a direct line 
  of communication unobscured by walls, the 
  curve of planetary bodies or atmospheric inter-
  ference. Tis personal laser comm is good for a 
  dozen kilometers on a clear day in atmospheric 
  conditions or several thousand kilometers in 
  the vacuum of space.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Radio comms are the most common type 
  of comms in the solar system. Tey broadcast 
  out radio waves in all directions, carrying data 
  outward. Some wavelengths even have the 
  ability to bounce of walls and atmospheric 
  conditions, spreading or directing their signal 
  in diferent ways. Tis maximizes the distance 
  of communication at the expense of being easy 
  to intercept. Tis personal dedicated radio 
  comm can transmit up to a range of several 
  thousand kilometers.
  
  Te solar system is full of numerous hazards: 
  unbreathable or poisonous gasses, extreme 
  temperatures, vacuum, radiation, unbearable 
  pressures, armed killers, viruses, explosives 
  and weaponized biological terrors. Sometimes 
  all that stands between you and them is the 
  knowledge that they are there and a good sensor.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Don’t let your enemies get close; spot them 
  from afar with these binoculars! Binoculars 
  are a tried and true method of seeing things 
  at large distances. Tese binoculars are good 
  for ×4 magnifcation, giving a +2 bonus to see 
  objects at great distances.
  
  
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Be a pro photographer! Although most 
  hand terminals come complete with a camera, 
  this dedicated camera far surpasses the typical 
  hand terminal camera in both speed, reso-
  lution and assorted options. Good for both 
  still shots and video recording! Net-capable 
  for immediate uploading. Apply a variety of 
  flters on the go.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Snif out trouble with this chem-snif. Tis 
  olfactory sensor is able to detect and recognize 
  substances by smell, comparing them against a 
  database of commonly known scents. While it 
  is not useful in a vacuum, underwater or against 
  anything in a sealed environment, most every-
  thing otherwise leaves an olfactory signature 
  that can be recorded and recognized again.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 3
   
  �
  Properties: Worn
  A trusted method of detecting radiation, 
  this clip-on geiger-counter will also determine 
  the intensity of the radiation exposure and keep 
  a count of absorbed rads. It can be set to alert 
  the wearer either visually through its integrated 
  display or audibly with a series of clicking noises.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Ladar! Ladar! Ladar! Ladar scanners emit 
  low-energy laser beams to detect and identify 
  nearby objects. Although they are of limited 
  use in detecting unknown objects due to the 
  narrowness of their beams, they have remark-
  able resolution in identifying objects once they 
  are known. Tis includes facial recognition 
  and chemical recognition technologies! Just 
  compare to a facial database, or to a database of 
  chemicals based on which wavelengths of the 
  laser light the materials absorb. Signal is good 
  up to a dozen kilometers in atmosphere or a 
  thousand kilometers in a vacuum.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Properties: Worn
  Don’t be caught in the dark without them. 
  Tey look like regular sunglasses, meeting all 
  your style requirements! Tese night vision 
  glasses can detect infrared, projecting a false-
  color image right before the wearer’s eyes. 
  Good for seeing objects in the dark but less 
  useful for reading or color detection. 
  
  
  
  Sinister things happen behind closed doors, 
  sealed away from the eyes of the world. Agree-
  ments are made, decisions are reached and 
  dark experiments conducted. Where secrets 
  are kept, however, others will want to discover 
  them—sneaking in, recording the events or 
  deceiving the participants.
  
  Intrusion and security gear is useful both to 
  gain access to forbidden locations or to secure 
  those locations. It is the center of the cat-and-
  mouse game that makes up much of covert ops.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 7
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Tis 
  device 
  quickly 
  cycles 
  through 
  biometric input used to open locks or secure 
  areas. It is capable of imitating the input for 
  fngerprints, irises, DNA and other common 
  biometric methods. Wiring this device frst into 
  the biometric reader is required because it only 
  fakes biometric data in digital form. It does not 
  fake actual physical fngers or irises. Tis device 
  counts as sufcient tools when surpassing such 
  a device and is typically capable of bypassing 
  compatible devices in a matter of seconds.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 7
   
  �
  Properties: Bulky 1; Worn
  You’ll blend right in with this chameleon 
  suit! Tis tight-ftting suit changes color as 
  the wearer moves, similar to a chameleon. 
  Tis aids the wearer’s attempts at stealth, but 
  it does not fool infrared detection. It counts as 
  a superior tool (+2) for stealth against simple, 
  unaided observation.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 3
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Tese disposable cufs are little more than 
  metal-meshed tape that can automatically 
  tighten over the limbs of their target once 
  applied. Further struggles against the cufs 
  cause them to tighten further. Each length is 
  good for one use. Comes with 10 uses.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Never be sealed out of electronic doors 
  again! Tis small device cycles rapidly through 
  possible electronic lock combinations and 
  patterns, gaining access to electronically-sealed 
  doors or hatches. Tis counts as sufcient 
  tools for actions to open electronic locks and 
  typically opens them within a few seconds. 
  Attempts to access the locks may still be logged 
  by locks capable of doing so.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 7
   
  �
  Properties: Bulky 1; Worn
  Do your enemies have the means of IR 
  detection? Foil even that with this IR cloak! 
  An IR cloak appears to be a thick poncho or 
  tarp, which is usually matte black in color. It 
  self-adjusts to the ambient temperature to fool 
  infrared detection methods. Tis is usually 
  coupled by cutting the lights or otherwise 
  moving around in the dark to foil visible 
  spectrum detection as well.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Get to unreached heights fast. Try a 
  magnetic grapnel today! Tis coiled grapnel 
  gun can almost silently fre a magnetic grapnel, 
  with a cord up to 30 meters. It can then be 
  set to recoil itself, pulling the user towards 
  its target at the rate of 5 meters per round. 
  Hitting the target is a Dex/guns fip. Te cord 
  can safely hold up to 200 kg. If trying to load 
  the cord with more than this, have the GM fip 
  a card. If it’s a club, the cord breaks. Flip an 
  additional card for every increment of 200 kg.
  
  
  
  
  Surveillance and deception gear concerns 
  itself 
  with 
  maintaining 
  vigilance 
  over 
  forbidden areas, recording it or fooling similar 
  recordings. It is a cat-and-mouse game on an 
  entirely diferent level.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5 (Basic), 9 (Superior)
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Be who you want to be with this disguise 
  kit! Tis complete kit contains makeup, 
  chemicals for mimicking muscle twitches 
  and 
  tightness, 
  prosthetic 
  attachments, 
  instant hair coloring and colored contacts. 
  Tis counts as sufcient tools for disguise. 
  Also consider our superior quality version, 
  which counts as superior tools (+2) for 
  the purposes of disguise! Each kit contains 
  enough materials for 10 uses.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Never miss a hidden event: use a microbug! 
  A microbug is a fea-sized recording device that 
  captures both audio and video input. It can 
  store up to 10 minutes of input on the device 
  itself, but typically transmits its recording wire-
  lessly to a remote computer. Transmission can 
  be to occur in short bursts, in a constant stream 
  or at a specifed time.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Studies show that the largest cause of 
  disguise failure is identification by voice. 
  Change your voice today! This device 
  attaches to the wearer’s throat, usually 
  sitting on the shoulder or neck, beneath 
  the collar. Once attached and turned on, 
  it will distort the wearer’s voice so as to 
  be unrecognizable. Other people’s voices 
  can be mimicked, but this requires both a 
  sample audio recording of the speaker to be 
  mimicked, and calibration with the wearer’s 
  voice—an Int/programming-10 flip. 
  
  
  
  
  Te twenty-third century holds many 
  construction projects from the grand vision 
  of the ARC Project to the minute day-to-
  day repairs that dominate the life of a ship’s 
  engineer. Below are a variety of tools and kits 
  that may be of use.
  
  Many tools often come in complete kits, 
  optimized for use in a specifc task or feld. 
  Others tools are more complex or expensive 
  and consequently are often sold as stand-alone 
  items.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Damage: �18M/�12M/�6M/�3M 
  (Improvised)
   
  �
  Properties: Area 5; Pierce 3
  Useful in mining, boarding actions or 
  in construction, demolition charges are a 
  must-buy! Simply place the charge, activate 
  the receiver, evacuate the area and give the 
  demolition signal wirelessly. Also, this is 
  useful as an improvised explosive weapon! 
  Please follow basic safety precautions when 
  setting demolition charges.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 6
   
  �
  Damage: �9M/�6M/�3M/�1M (Im-
  provised)
   
  �
  Properties: Pierce 3
  A favorite in heavy duty construction work, 
  ship repair and emergency boarding actions, 
  this plasma cutter cuts right through even 
  the toughest metals and ceramics. Te airlock 
  busted? Just cut right through the hull! A plasma 
  cutter can also be used as an improvised weapon 
  in a pinch (see the damage listing above).
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 4
   
  �
  Damage: �Str×3M / �Str×2M / �StrM / 
  �Str×½M (Improvised)
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Some repair and constructions tasks 
  require more than a simple toolkit. For those, 
  try a dedicated power tool! Power tools come 
  in a variety of shapes and sizes from chainsaws 
  to magnetic drills. In a pinch, they can even 
  serve as an improvised hand-to-hand weapon! 
  (See the damage listing above.)
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5 (Basic), 9 (Superior)
   
  �
  Properties: —
  After using our toolkits, you’ll feel naked 
  without one! A variety of toolkits are available, 
  each geared towards a specifc kind of task 
  and each containing tools useful in that task. 
  When purchasing a toolkit, think about what 
  the toolkit is geared for as a specifc skill expe-
  rience. For example, “electrician” might be a 
  toolkit used with the mechanic skill. Tool kits 
  count as sufcient equipment for that specialty 
  and count as improvised equipment for other 
  uses of the same skill. Also, consider our top 
  of the line superior toolkits for the best tools 
  that money can buy. Tese superior toolkits 
  count as superior tools (+2) for the specialty 
  in question and sufcient tools for any other 
  application of the skill.
  
  
  
  A myriad of survival gear is useful in the 
  feld, from sources of illumination to kits and 
  tools used to support human life in a variety of 
  conditions.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: Bulky 1; Container 5; Worn
  Strap things to your back so that you don’t 
  have to carry them in your hands! Tis designer 
  backpack comes in a variety of colors and 
  styles—perfect for any occasion. Te backpack 
  features one large pocket and a variety of 
  smaller pockets for your carrying convenience. 
  Retrieving an item from a backpack requires an 
  interact action to open the backpack and fsh 
  around in addition to the usual interact action 
  to retrieve the item.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 1
   
  �
  Properties: —
  While most hand terminals have basic 
  fashlight functionality, they don’t have the 
  power of illumination possessed by this 
  durable, high-output survival fashlight! 
  Useful for exploration when the power has 
  gone out, the visible light beam illuminates at 
  3000 lumens and up to 500 m away!
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Have a surface you need to scale? Try some 
  Gecko-Climbers! Tese gloves and boots strap 
  frmly to the limbs, allowing the climber to stick 
  to most surfaces in a manner similar to a gecko. 
  Only capable of supporting up to 100 kg, a 
  wearer of Gecko-Climbers should travel light. 
  Gecko-Climbers count as sufcient tools for 
  climbing and furthermore provide a +2 bonus 
  on actions to climb surfaces to which they stick.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 2
   
  �
  Properties: Neg
  Always know your way around with this 
  GPS tracker! Useful on any planetary body 
  with GPS satellites, this simple GPS tracker 
  has a small display for its coordinates and also 
  can transmit wirelessly to any close computer 
  or other wireless device. It is best used with an 
  Expert System for planetary navigation!
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 1
   
  �
  Properties: —
  You never know when you’ll need some 
  good, old-fashioned rope! Tis rope is made 
  of light, but durable synthetic fabrics and coils 
  into an easy-to-transport bundle. Contained is 
  50 m of rope, capable of safely holding up to 
  200 kg. If trying to load the rope with more 
  than this, have the GM fip a card. If it’s a 
  clubs the rope breaks. Flip an additional card 
  for every increment of 200 kg. Rope counts 
  as a sufcient tool for many purposes, such as 
  climbing heights or tying someone up.
  
   
  �
  Cost Rating: 5 (Basic), 9 (Superior)
   
  �
  Properties: —
  Never get caught in the great outdoors 
  without one! Tis robust kit contains water 
  purifcation tablets, a set of disposable tests for 
  food safety, a variety of ointments, food tablets, 
  a small knife, a lighter, a signal fare and other 
  useful odds and ends. It counts as sufcient 
  tools for surviving in the wild, provided the 
  user already has an air supply. Also consider 
  our superior quality survival kits, which count 
  as superior tools (+2). Contains 10 uses. Each 
  use is good for one person for one day.
  
  
  
  
  Tis chapter contains a variety of tips, 
  tricks and options for game masters looking 
  to run a Shadows Over Sol campaign. It also 
  contains a variety of ready-to-use plot hooks 
  and some options for unveiling the secrets of 
  the Sol system.
  
  Shadows Over Sol is a game of science 
  fction and horror. Both of these genres have 
  long traditions in tabletop roleplaying games, 
  and playing campaigns in these genres has 
  been approached by diferent game lines in 
  numerous ways. Tat said, both the science 
  fction and horror genres often lead to diferent 
  assumptions at the table. It is best to acknowl-
  edge and address this early so all players are 
  on the same page and so everyone—knowing 
  these assumptions—can have a great gaming 
  experience.
  Horror, in particular, can be difcult to 
  do well in a roleplaying game. In many ways, 
  the power fantasy and exploratory agency 
  that make up most RPGs run counter to the 
  horror genre. Tis is not to say these cannot be 
  meshed, but rather that doing so takes an extra 
  degree of care and forethought. In this, the 
  horror genre requires more player buy-in than 
  most. It only takes one player not sold on the 
  horror tone to spoil the tension in the scene. 
  Below three axioms are presented; keep these 
  in mind when running Shadows Over Sol.
   
  �
  Axiom #1: Science fction is largely about 
  speculative technology and culture. Without 
  access to new tech or social dynamics, science 
  fction loses much of its essence. At the same 
  time, horror is largely about being unprepared 
  for the horrifc situation. Imagine Alien or 
  Te Ting if the protagonists had the best-
  of-the-best sci-f tech. Tese would cease to be 
  horror movies. Sci-f horror requires striking a 
  balance between these two competing goals.
  Tis was a key point when designing the 
  gear and wealth systems for Shadows Over 
  Sol. Te goal is to make sure that players have 
  enough fun science fction tech to play with 
  and furthermore, have the ability to acquire 
  and use this tech. At the same time, the system 
  has ways to keep that gear in check, preventing 
  it from steamrolling over horror scenarios.
  At character creation, every PC gets a 
  certain number of purchases she can use to 
  acquire new gear. Tis allows players a great 
  deal of choice and the ability to outft them-
  selves with some cool gear while at the same 
  time ensuring no character is going to have 
  gear for every possible situation.
   
  �
  Axiom #2: Analysis is the enemy of hor-
  ror. Really, the more you know about some-
  thing—understanding its capabilities and 
  limitations—the less horrifc it is. Tis is 
  counter to a lot of science fction, where ex-
  ploring and understanding new situations is 
  a common theme.
  Tis axiom was perhaps less of an infuence 
  when designing whole subsystems so much 
  as an infuence when specifc gear or foes 
  were designed. Te key element here is that 
  the game world should not have easy ways to 
  fully understand the horrifc. Tere are no Star 
  Trek-style tricorders for analyzing the capabili-
  ties of creatures, nor is there any database of 
  common genetically-engineered monster facts. 
  For the most part, PCs are fguring this stuf 
  out as they go, making mistakes and experi-
  encing terror along the way. Fittingly enough, 
  this fts right in with science fction’s explora-
  tion themes.
   
  �
  Axiom #3: A good horror story is all about 
  the tension. It’s about the impending doom, 
  the oncoming desperation, the inevitable mo-
  ment of shock and terror. Ten—once the 
  moment of violence arrives—it’s swift, it’s 
  brutal and it’s a game-changer.
  Tis infuenced the design of the combat 
  system in several ways. In horror, one needs 
  to know something terrible is coming and 
  ultimately this needs a degree of inevitability. 
  
  
  
  Without this, the situation doesn’t usually 
  resolve as horror because there is no sense of 
  impending doom. At the same time, players 
  need enough capability and agency to really 
  afect the situation and make a diference.
  In the Shadows Over Sol, combat system 
  actions are declared at the beginning of the 
  round and then executed in phases. Tis gives 
  players the opportunity to know what’s coming 
  later that round, building suspense. It can let 
  players feel some dread as the horrifc plays out 
  during the execution of the three later phases. 
  Ten it is a new round, and players get their 
  next opportunity for agency.
  
  
  All games of Shadows Over Sol are made 
  up of some number of sessions. Each session 
  unveils the next chapter in the continuing 
  science fction horror story.
  
  When the GM calls for a player to make 
  an action, she sets a target number (TN) that 
  has to be met for the action to be a success. 
  Tis number can be either declared to players 
  beforehand or kept secret as the GM sees ft. 
  Usually, whether the GM should publicly 
  declare the TN or not is obvious—if the 
  character has a good idea how difcult the 
  action is, the player should know the TN. On 
  the other hand, if the character is shooting in 
  the dark, she shouldn’t know.
  Take, for example, the case of scaling a 
  wall. A character skilled at scaling walls ought 
  to know just how difcult it is and thus should 
  know the TN. On the other hand, take the 
  case of a character asking around a station for 
  rumors of current events. Te character doesn’t 
  know what rumors there are to be found; she’s 
  just asking around and seeing what she gets. In 
  this case, the GM shouldn’t reveal the TN; the 
  player simply makes her action and then gets 
  something useful (or not) back as a result.
  
  When planning challenges, it is good to 
  keep in mind the abilities of the player char-
  acters. Tis is particularly true with combat 
  challenges and what gear the PCs can leverage 
  in the situation. As a GM, challenge planning 
  is something of balance between wanting to 
  make the players have moments of despair 
  and tension and wanting them to be able to 
  circumvent or overcome the worst of it.
  As Shadows Over Sol is a science fction 
  horror game, it is good to keep in mind the sort of 
  conficts faced in these genres. Tis is a wide and 
  varied genre, but it’s one often concerned with 
  the gritty struggles of survival, with villains too 
  twisted or banal to realize the outcome of their 
  own actions and with devastating consequences.
  
  Te GM gets a hand of cards she can play for 
  NPC actions throughout the session, with the 
  number of cards equal to the number of PCs. Tis 
  hand can be easy to forget, so here is how to keep 
  it simple and make the best use of it in a session.
  When planning a session, there are often 
  a small handful of NPC actions that the GM 
  wants to make sure are successful, either for the 
  sake of the plot or for the sake of best height-
  ening the tension. Te GM hand can be set 
  aside during play and easily brought out for just 
  these sorts of actions. When the GM encoun-
  ters such an action, she plays the best card she 
  has from her hand. If she doesn’t have any good 
  cards in hand, she can always discard one before 
  the action to make it automatically trump. Sure, 
  this limits the use of the GM’s hand, but there 
  are rarely more than one or two NPC actions 
  per session needing this level of attention.
  
  Te edge system is not just a means 
  of modifying the result of actions, it is a 
  mechanism to reinforce the horrifc themes of 
  the game and a means to incentivize players to 
  put themselves in potentially hazardous situ-
  ations. When the PCs go out of their way to 
  investigate something horrifc, reward them by 
  having them each draw a card of edge.
  
  
  
  Whenever it looks like the player characters 
  are going to lose, it’s benefcial for the GM to take 
  a moment and think things through. Go to the 
  bathroom, get a drink and give the players a few 
  minutes to sweat as they look defeat in the eye.
  Horror games beneft when there are very real 
  and bloody consequences to actions. At the same 
  time, however, campaigns sufer when players 
  frequently lose characters. Tis can be a difcult 
  balance to strike. GMs taking this moment to 
  think should ask themselves: How can I make this 
  failure interesting? How can I use it to heighten the 
  tension or drama? Finally, the GM should consider 
  what her players will and will not accept. Diferent 
  players have diferent tolerances for horror, defeat 
  and negative outcomes. Keeping this in mind is 
  paramount.
  Tere are many options for defeat beyond 
  the wholesale slaughter of the PCs. Characters 
  can experience lingering injuries (see page 130) 
  or bleed helplessly as they hear their loved ones 
  dying. Characters can be arrested by security, 
  forcibly indentured and taken as captives or 
  hostages. Tey can be left in a deteriorating ship 
  or they can be implanted with explosive devices. 
  Know your group, and try to pick something 
  that plays of the characters’ fears or that the 
  players will fnd interesting.
  
  
  Coming up with a framework for a single 
  session is a lot easier than continuing with a 
  framework for an ongoing campaign. Single 
  sessions can aford to have diferent character 
  dynamics or to have characters die. Anyone 
  could be thrust into a horrifc situation. 
  However,  in a campaign, the characters need 
  both a reason to stay together and a reason to 
  encounter the horrifc over and over again.
  
  Below are a number of ready-to-go campaign 
  premises that can be used to determine why the 
  player characters are together and what horrors 
  they are likely to experience.
  
  With this campaign premise, the PCs are 
  a group of scrappers operating somewhere out 
  in the void. Tey bounce around from colony 
  to station, exploring old outposts for salvage, 
  doing odd jobs and maybe a little smuggling 
  on the side. Tis campaign is likely to be run 
  as a series of exploits or jobs where the players 
  have some way to proft in mind and then see 
  about doing it.
  By exploring outposts and other oppor-
  tunities for salvage, PCs may run up against 
  hidden criminal or research operations. Tey 
  could fnd information that corps or other 
  organizations don’t want them to possess. 
  Tey may rediscover old secrets or rescue 
  people who have been abandoned in a failing 
  mining outpost. Te opportunities for 
  adventure are endless.
  
  In this campaign, the PCs are explorers at 
  the edge of settled space, either scouting the 
  Belt for asteroids worth mining, visiting new 
  moons for the frst time or otherwise going 
  where no manned mission has gone before. 
  Te PCs have to put up with long periods of 
  extreme isolation where anything could go 
  wrong. Life support could malfunction and 
  require repair. One of their fellow explorers 
  might go mad from the extreme conditions. 
  Environmental hazards could exist on the 
  asteroids or moons. 
  Exploration can be competitive, too. Te 
  PCs may have to face rival explorers who want 
  to claim these new resources for a rival corp, 
  or maybe there are secret projects hidden 
  away at the edge of space where few people 
  would look for them.
  
  In this campaign premise, the PCs are a 
  group of troubleshooters, either working for 
  a patron corp or working freelance. Teir job 
  puts them in regular confict with rival corps, 
  terrorist elements, turncoats and projects that 
  may have escaped containment. 
  Tis can also be a good campaign model 
  for players who like to walk a moral gray line. 
  
  
  How far are they willing to go to support 
  their patron corp? What aren’t they willing 
  to do? Would they spy on the family of the 
  executive who is using corp resources to keep 
  tabs on her cheating husband? Would they 
  put down an indenture uprising? Would they 
  make use of unethical biological experiments 
  in the course of their jobs?
  
  Perhaps best for a short-lived campaign, 
  in this premise, the characters are part of a 
  voyage—perhaps from Venus to Saturn or some 
  similar distance. Over the course of the voyage, 
  something goes wrong, and now they must not 
  only resolve the issue, but they must ensure the 
  ship makes it to their destination as well.
  Any number of things may go wrong. 
  Maybe the captain is murdered. Maybe there 
  is a stasis malfunction requiring the passengers 
  to survive despite a lack of stasis capabilities. 
  Maybe rebel elements placed an explosive on 
  the ship, which damaged it. Whatever the initial 
  cause of the disaster, the PCs face engineering 
  challenges keeping themselves alive, mysterious 
  happenings that require investigation, physical 
  confrontations with the other passengers on the 
  ship and perhaps even vehicular confrontations 
  with hostile vessels along the way.
  
  
  Combats in the horror genre tend to be 
  tense and bloody. Te Shadows Over Sol 
  combat system makes a number of design 
  choices intended to emphasize the horror 
  nature of the game while at the same time 
  keeping with the science fction themes.
  
  Action points (AP) are spent over the 
  course of a round, some being spent on 
  actions and some held back for reactions. As 
  such, it may be useful to use physical tokens 
  to represent AP at the table. Glass beads work 
  well, as do poker chips.
  
  One of the fundamental truths of horror 
  is that the unknown is a thousand times more 
  scary than even the best detailed description 
  the GM can cook up. Similarly, categorization 
  and analysis is the enemy of horror. Te more 
  something can be classifed and understood, 
  the less scary it is.
  Emphasizing horror in a combat is one part 
  managing information and one part taking 
  the emphasis away from the nitty-gritty of 
  the mechanics. Don’t simply say “a thug leaps 
  over some boxes and attacks you,” instead say 
  “you peek over the boxes where you have taken 
  cover and don’t see him. Has he retreated back 
  into the dark tunnels? Pulling your head back 
  behind the boxes, suddenly he fies out of the 
  darkness, cackling with a crazy glee.” When 
  giving descriptions, don’t describe what’s 
  happening on the battlefeld from a god’s eye 
  view. Describe it from the point of view of a 
  PC, limited and ingrained in the moment.
  Another way to emphasize horror is to tack 
  on an extra ability or useful skill when using 
  enemies. Have diferent foes try diferent tactics 
  or handle things in diferent ways. Te more 
  players can predict the behavior of their foes 
  and the more they believe they know their limi-
  tations, the less scary they become. Make the 
  players sit up and say “they can do that!?!”
  
  Actions are declared at the beginning of 
  the round. Tis intentionally injects uncer-
  tainty into the combat. Players are unlikely 
  know exactly what the situation will be like 
  when the action executes. Tis is intended 
  to emphasize the horror aspect of the game. 
  Isolating mechanical decisions to the declare 
  phase each round increases the tension in deci-
  sion-making and allows players to focus more 
  on the horror narrative when the actions are 
  actually executing.
  
  Tracking large numbers of non-player char-
  acters (NPCs) in a combat can be a daunting 
  
  
  task for GMs. However, there are a few tricks 
  to make it easier:
   
  �
  Action points used during declare phase 
  don’t need to be tracked the rest of the 
  round. Having the NPCs go all out means 
  less tracking during the rest of the round. 
  When using large numbers of NPCs and in 
  doubt, use all AP on actions.
   
  �
  Declaring multiple actions means more ac-
  tions to resolve. Having NPCs declare single 
  actions during phase 3 means they likely 
  beat most player actions to the punch, and 
  it is easier to resolve the round.
   
  �
  Groups of similar enemies can declare the 
  same actions. Tis makes them easier to 
  track but also can detract from the horror 
  aspect of the game. Tere is a tradeof here. 
  Used sparingly, this tactic can be helpful.
   
  �
  It helps to track a foe’s wounds and con-
  sequences on a card or small piece of pa-
  per. Tis can speed up combat greatly. Tab 
  Creations also produces Shadows Over 
  Sol Consequence Cards with this purpose 
  in mind. Both players and GMs may fnd 
  them useful.
  
  When designing foes, there is no need to 
  go through the full character creation process 
  as with PCs. Simply assign the foe’s stats 
  and skills using common sense and ballpark 
  estimates, and then calculate their handful of 
  derived scores. 
  For human foes, you can pick out a 
  handful of relevant pieces of equipment. 
  We recommend 1 to 4 pieces per foe. For 
  non-human foes, you likely want to give them 
  a small handful of traits. For these, you can 
  steal traits from the Non-Player Characters 
  chapter in this book (see page 209) or you can 
  make up your own. When in doubt, just make 
  them clear and simple to resolve. Making up 
  your own traits has the added advantage that 
  players are kept guessing as to what the foe’s 
  capabilities are. For foes that are intended to 
  take on the entire group by themselves, giving 
  them a trait that grants them more AP each 
  round is also highly recommended.
  
  Te following are a variety of plot hooks that 
  GMs can use in their own Shadows Over Sol 
  campaigns. Tese hooks are chosen to highlight 
  some of the mysteries and themes of the game.
  
  Several members of the Harbingers of the 
  Divine Form have booked passage on the PCs’ 
  ship, using diferent aliases. Tey will pretend to 
  be unassociated, but characters may observe the 
  passengers interacting in suspicious ways. 
  Sometime during the voyage, the cultists 
  will attempt to collect the DNA of the PCs 
  and anyone else on board for use in future 
  rituals, cloning or experiments. Tey will 
  then begin a ritual of their own, releasing a 
  new bioengineered creation which has been 
  hidden in their luggage.
  
  While under attack, the PCs’ ship begins 
  to act strangely, disobeying commands in such 
  a way that would prevent the ship from taking 
  further damage, even if it gets in the way of the 
  PCs’ plans. After the battle, the ship returns to 
  what seems to be normal working order.
  Unknown to the PCs, the ship has been 
  infected with the Insurrection Virus, and it 
  has secretly begun broadcasting the virus in 
  the PCs’ wake. If found out, the virus may 
  even try to strike up a deal with the PCs’ 
  that if they let it continue its work, it may 
  aid them in other ways, freeing up one of 
  them from the task of piloting during space 
  combat, for example. Whether they take it up 
  on its ofer or not, its broadcasts will eventu-
  ally be detected and the authorities will track 
  them back to the PCs’ ship.
  
  A mysterious group contacts the PCs, 
  arranging for them to transport a set of locked 
  boxes from Earth to Mars. Tis group pays 
  suspiciously well and “inadvertently” leaves 
  clues that they’re likely smuggling weapons or 
  other contraband. Tey insist the boxes remain 
  locked and their contents secret, although they 
  
  
  will consent to swipes for explosive residue, 
  toxins and biologicals to prove to the PCs that 
  the cargo isn’t harmful.
  Halfway through the trip, the PCs’ ship 
  is threatened by two private unmarked ships 
  that attempt to board and seize the cargo. Te 
  attackers are decked out in religious parapher-
  nalia. It turns out that the contents of the 
  boxes are religious artifacts stolen by Stillwater 
  Catholic fanatics from their Roman Catholic 
  cousins, and the PCs are transporting nothing 
  less than the Shroud of Turin.
  
  During a voyage, when everyone is put in 
  stasis, everything is fne. After months asleep 
  in the void, when everyone comes out of stasis, 
  one passenger has obviously been murdered. 
  Te murderer must have somehow come out of 
  stasis early, murdered her victim and then put 
  herself back to sleep. What’s more, she’s rigged 
  her stasis pod to read that she’s been asleep the 
  entire time. Everyone on the ship seems to 
  have something to hide. Te PCs much fgure 
  out who the murderer is on the ship before she 
  strikes again or before the ship reaches port 
  and she gets away! Tis is a classic locked-room 
  murder mystery in space.
  
  Te PCs are awoken from stasis during 
  a voyage long before they were scheduled to 
  wake. Te warning signals are going of, the 
  ship’s power has been compromised and some 
  of the ship’s passengers are dead with their 
  faces obviously scrapped of by either a sharp 
  instrument or teeth. 
  Te PCs have to make their way through 
  their own semi-functional ship to the controls, 
  bypassing door lockdowns and environ-
  mental hazards in the process, before they 
  can get things running again. Meanwhile, a 
  genetically-engineered parasitic monstrosity 
  is lurking in the ship, ready to attack when 
  they least expect. It can crawl through small 
  ducts and can even burrows inside their fesh. 
  Getting the ship running may also require 
  splitting up, as one PC fxes the engine while 
  another fips override in the control center.
  
  Te Sovereign Liberation Front (SLF) tries 
  to smuggle a biological experiment they stole 
  from Jenseitech on board a ship with the PCs. 
  Tis experiment is a half-human monstrosity in 
  stasis. As the SLF does not have the appropriate 
  containment to keep the experiment uncon-
  scious, it will wake up mid-voyage and begin to 
  cause problems for all on board, coming out of 
  its crate when no one else is around and hiding 
  in the crate faking stasis otherwise. Tis creature 
  will be secretly watched over by a member of the 
  SLF, one of the passengers who has also inde-
  pendently booked passage with the PCs. Tis 
  watcher will be ready to intervene if the PCs 
  discover the creature.
  
  A corporation antagonistic to the PCs 
  attempts to sabotage the next station their ship 
  docks with by attaching an explosive device to 
  the outside hull of the ship. Tis device might 
  be attached while the PCs are at their previous 
  port or when responding to a fake S.O.S. signal 
  received in transit. Either way, when the PCs 
  arrive at their next station, the dock authorities 
  detect the presence of the explosive and regard 
  the PCs as hostile, warning them not to dock 
  lest they be shot down. Te characters have 
  to sort this out and trace the explosive back 
  to the group that put it there. Naturally, this 
  corp likely has an agent on hand somewhere, 
  observing if things went to plan and ready to 
  take necessary actions. 
  
  Shortly after the PCs dock at a station, the 
  shit hits the fan. A small but skilled tactical strike 
  force attempts a coup on the station, locking 
  down the station’s various sectors while they 
  make their play for power. Te strike force also 
  tries to seize the PCs’ ship as a potential getaway 
  vehicle should their plan go south. Te party will 
  have to overcome the forces trying to seize their 
  ship and decide whether to contact the station 
  authorities. Of course, contacting the station 
  authorities might very well bring the remaining 
  forces involved with the coup down upon the 
  PCs’ ship. Either way, moving around the station 
  
  
  will be difcult because of the lock down, and 
  undocking from the port will require overriding 
  the lock down on the dock’s clamps.
  
  Every game has its standard campaign 
  models and standard style of hooks. Shadows 
  Over Sol is no exception. Still, sometimes GMs 
  want to spice things up and run a dramatically 
  diferent campaign from the usual choices. 
  Below are a variety of plot seeds for Shadows 
  Over Sol games that break the usual mold:
   
  �
  After a terrible accident that didn’t leave 
  time to grow new organs from the PCs’ 
  DNA, the characters discover that they’ve 
  all been transplanted with organs from 
  the same donor. What’s more, something 
  about the organs seems a little of. If the 
  donor is researched, it will turn up that she 
  died in frightening and unusual circum-
  stances. Now someone or something won’t 
  rest until the remaining bits of the donor 
  die along with her.
   
  �
  When the PCs frst encounter each other, 
  they realize they all look nearly identical. 
  In fact, genetic testing indicates an exact 
  match as well. Are they all really clones of 
  the same individual, separated before birth? 
  What happens when they research the orig-
  inal and discover that she later manifested 
  markedly inhuman traits?
   
  �
  Te player characters are all people who 
  take joy in the kill. Tey could be ex-
  soldier adrenaline junkies who have been 
  branded as unstable by even the more lax 
  mercenary companies. Tey could be jaded 
  hunters tired of hunting large animals with 
  bows. Tey could be serial killers moving 
  up in the world. Whoever they are, they 
  have gotten the ofer of a lifetime from an 
  anonymous corp: the chance to hunt the 
  deadliest prey ever conceived of and geneti-
  cally engineered by humankind.
   
  �
  Te characters wake up after a party with 
  no memory of what happened the night 
  before. Slowly one of them recalls that her 
  boyfriend was seen there making out with 
  another girl. If they track the girl down, she 
  will have no memory of this, and what’s 
  more, she will have irrefutable proof she 
  was somewhere else and never attended the 
  party. If they investigate the boyfriend, they 
  will fnd him comatose in the nearest medi-
  cal bay. On his body will be a mole the PCs 
  do not recognize, which conceals some sort 
  of small, but odd electrical device.
   
  �
  A new street drug has appeared on the sta-
  tion. It is said to give an amazing high but 
  does a number on the user’s state of mind. 
  Tere are reports of hearing voices, like ra-
  dio transmissions. Dissecting the brain of 
  someone who has OD’d on the drug reveals 
  metallic structures that have begun to grow 
  among the neurons. What’s more, some 
  people who OD don’t seem to stay dead, or 
  at least their bodies do not.
   
  �
  Te PCs all went to the same university. 
  Tey were not friends and are from difer-
  ent subcultures, but they all graduated the 
  same year. Tey also recently either missed 
  or skipped their 20-year reunion. Tis is 
  good because the reunion was a massacre, 
  leaving everyone dead and the attackers 
  unknown. It turns out one other person 
  didn’t make it, and no one besides the 
  PCs even seems to remember that this guy 
  ever existed. Looking him up reveals no 
  data, like something has erased his all his 
  records. What’s more, something seems 
  to be following the PCs as they go about 
  their lives.
   
  �
  Te PCs are all scientists of difering sorts: 
  theoretical physicists, abstract math-
  ematicians, bioinformaticians, molecular 
  chemists, etc. Tey’ve all come under in-
  vestigation recently by a powerful corp. 
  Clearly, someone at the corp thinks there 
  is a dangerous shared connection between 
  all their works, but what could it be? Why 
  are they suddenly fnding themselves 
  transferred to an exploratory mission on 
  the moon Titan?
  
  
  
  
  Tis chapter contains a variety of ready-made non-player characters, as well as mechanics for 
  using those NPCs in any number of horrifying scenarios.
  
  Te stat blocks presented in this chapter are all listed in standard format. An example stat 
  block in this format is shown below.
  
  Str X, Dex X, Spd X, End X, Int X, Per X, Chr X, Det X
  Defense XX/XX, DR X, Shock X, Wound X, Wealth X, Lifestyle X
  Skills: Skill-A X, Skill-B X, Skill-C X
  Attack: +X (Damage by suit), Properties
  Trait: Te trait’s description is presented here.
  Gear: Item-A (Properties), Item-B
  Finally, a description of the non-player character is presented below.
  
  Some non-human characters listed in this chapter possess one or more traits. Tese traits 
  represent exceptional abilities that the character possesses. For example, a hawk has the ability of 
  fight. Traits are listed in the NPCs’ stat block and a brief mechanical description is given. For the 
  sake of brevity, these descriptions do not make explicit every possible edge case. GMs should use 
  common sense when adjudicating the efects of these abilities.
  
  One particularly common trait that deserves special mention is Size. Te Size trait is given 
  a numeric value. An adult human is considered to be roughly Size 0, with smaller creatures 
  having a lower (negative) value and larger creatures 
  posessing a positive value.
  Size applies a modifer to a character’s Defense 
  and Shock scores. Tis modifcation is already 
  fgured into the scores given in this chapter. Size 
  subtracts from a character’s Defense value—so 
  being smaller increases Defense, whereas being 
  larger lowers it. Similarly, Size adds to a charac-
  ter’s Shock value—meaning that being smaller 
  lowers one’s Shock threshold, whereas being 
  larger increases it. Te GM should keep these 
  modifers in mind if coming up with diferently 
  sized alternate versions of the non-player charac-
  ters presented here.
  
  
  
  
  
  Humans have always been their own worst enemy. In the future of Shadows Over Sol this 
  is no diferent. Te majority of antagonists and other foes the PCs face are likely to be human.
  
  Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 5, End 6, Int 5, Per 6, Chr 8, Det 5
  Defense 8/17, DR 0, Shock 11, Wound 5, Wealth 8, Lifestyle 8
  Skills: Athletics 2, Comp-Ops 1, Deception 3, Empathy 3, Persuade 2, Socialize 4
  Shockstick: +3 (�23/�17/�11/�8), Stun
  Gear: AR Implant, Biomonitor, Expert System (Basic: Socialize), Hand Terminal
  Celebrities are subcultural icons, with fame and usually fortune. Tey’re often involved with some 
  sort of media—whether the vids, music, blogs or AR. Regardless of the source of their fame, 
  celebrities typically have massive personal charisma and a widespread following.
  
  Str 5, Dex 7, Spd 5, End 5, Int 6, Per 6, Chr 3, Det 5
  Defense 9/18, DR 3, Shock 13, Wound 5, Wealth 6, Lifestyle 6
  Skills: Athletics 1, Awareness 2, Bureaucrat 1, Comp-Ops 1, Conspiracy 2, Guns 3, Melee 3, 
  Stealth 3, Tievery 1
  Light Rife: +6 (�18M/�12M/�6M/�3M), Hands 2, Range 20, Shots 10
  Light Pistol: +6 (�12M/�8M/�4M/�2M), Range 10, Shots 10
  Knife: +6 (�15M/�10M/�5M/�2M), Trown
  Gear: AR Implant, Binoculars, Coverjack (DR 3, Conceal 2), Hand Terminal
  Te Sol system is flled with people willing to kill other human beings for money. Te more 
  professional contract killers are usually set apart from soldiers or security personnel in their 
  precision and more discreet use of violence.
  
  Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 5, End 5, Int 4, Per 4, Chr 4, Det 7
  Defense 7/15, DR 0, Shock 12, Wound 5, Wealth 2, Lifestyle 3
  Skills: Awareness 1, Comp-Ops 1, Conspiracy 3, Guns 2, Lib-Arts 1, Mechanic 1, Melee 2
  Knife: +5 (�15M/�10M/�5M/�2M), Trown
  Light Pistol: +5 (�12M/�8M/�4M/�2M), Range 10, Shots 10
  Gear: AR Glasses, Rope, Hand Terminal
  Te future is full of causes, beliefs, religions and creeds. Most of these movements have their 
  fanatics. Cultists are often willing to sacrifce everything for their case, and many are quite 
  secretive in their associations.
  
  
  
  Str 6, Dex 6, Spd 7, End 7, Int 7, Per 6, Chr 3, Det 3
  Defense 9/19, DR 5, Shock 15, Wound 6, Wealth 7, Lifestyle 5
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Comp-Ops 2, Guns 4, Mechanic 2, Medic 2, Melee 4, 
  Persuade 3, Stealth 2
  Gun Arm: +6 (�12M/�8M/�4M/�2M), Conceal 4, Range 10, Reload 2, Shots 3
  Frag Grenade: +6 (�24M/�16M/�8M/�4M), Area 5, Mil, Trown
  Gear: Adrenaline Booster Gland, AR Implant, Tactical Suit (DR 5, Bulky 1), Gun Arm Implant, 
  Hand Terminal, Injector Unit, Stimulox, Torpestat
  Cyberfends are typically dangerous and violent people who have undergone so many implant 
  procedures—often through budget surgeons—that something inside of them has snapped and 
  they’ve lost touch with humanity.
  
  Str 6, Dex 5, Spd 5, End 5, Int 5, Per 5, Chr 4, Det 4
  Defense 7/15, DR 0, Shock 9, Wound 5, Wealth 7, Lifestyle 8
  Skills: Athletics 2, Bureaucrat 1, Comp-Ops 2, Empathy 2, Lib-Arts 3, Persuade 2, Socialize 3, 
  Vehicles 1
  Light Pistol: +2 (�12M/�8M/�4M/�2M), Range 10, Shots 10
  Gear: AR Implant, Biomonitor, Hand Terminal, Personal Assistant, Workstation
  Te wealthy often have children, and many of these children have never had to work a day in 
  their lives. Tey fit about, going from interest to interest, dabbling in business or the arts, and 
  live a life of leisure.
  
  Str 4, Dex 5, Spd 5, End 5, Int 7, Per 5, Chr 4, Det 5
  Defense 7/15, DR 0, Shock 10, Wound 4, Wealth 6, Lifestyle 6
  Skills: Comp-Ops 2, Crafts 1, Engineer 4, Mechanic 2, Ordnance 1, Phy-Sci 2, Program 2
  Shockstick: +2 (�23/�17/�11/�8), Stun
  Gear: AR Glasses, Expert System (Pro: Engineer), Hand Terminal, Workstation
  Every ship, every station, every geneline, every gun and every colony was rigorously designed 
  by an engineer. Tese architects and scientists make space exploration possible, taking ideas and 
  turning them into reality.
  
  Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 5, End 5, Int 7, Per 6, Chr 5, Det 6
  Defense 8/17, DR 0, Shock 11, Wound 5, Wealth 6, Lifestyle 6
  Skills: Bio-Sci 3, Comp-Ops 2, Empathy 2, Investigate 2, Medic 4, Socialize 2
  Light Pistol: +3 (�12M/�8M/�4M/�2M), Range 10, Shots 10
  Gear: AR Glasses, Hand Terminal, Medikit, Surgery Kit
  Wherever humans go—whatever ball of rock and ice they colonize—they are slaves to their 
  bodies and to their health. Wherever humans exist they will need doctors: to check their health, 
  to patch them up and to make them well again.
  
  
  
  Str 5, Dex 5, Spd 5, End 5, Int 7, Per 6, Chr 7, Det 6
  Defense 8/16, DR 0, Shock 11, Wound 5, Wealth 9, Lifestyle 9
  Skills: Awareness 1, Bureaucrat 4, Comp-Ops 2, Conspiracy 2, Deception 3, Empathy 3, 
  Lib-Arts 2, Persuade 3, Socialize 3
  Light Pistol: +2 (�12M/�8M/�4M/�2M), Range 10, Shots 10
  Gear: AR Implant, Biomonitor, Hand Terminal, Personal Assistant, Workstation
  Every corp and every sprawling organization has its hierarchy of managers, administrators and 
  executives. Tese people sometimes oversee the labor of millions, and make boardroom decisions 
  that afect the course of history.
  
  Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 5, End 5, Int 5, Per 7, Chr 5, Det 5
  Defense 9/18, DR 0, Shock 10, Wound 5, Wealth 5, Lifestyle 5
  Skills: Awareness 2, Bureaucrat 2, Comp-Ops 2, Engineer 2, Guns 2, Mechanic 2, Ordnance 2, 
  Socialize 2, Vehicles 4
  Light Pistol: +5 (�12M/�8M/�4M/�2M), Range 10, Shots 10
  Gear: AR Implant, Hand Terminal, Injector Implant, Stimulox
  People require ships to travel between the myriad stations, colonies, mining outposts and other 
  operations in the Sol system—and ships need pilots. Tis makes piloting something of a hot-shot, 
  if underpaid, profession.
  
  Str 6, Dex 6, Spd 6, End 6, Int 4, Per 5, Chr 4, Det 4
  Defense 8/17, DR 2*, Shock 12*, Wound 6, Wealth 4, Lifestyle 4
  Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Bureaucrat 2, Guns 3, Investigate 2, Melee 3, Socialize 2
  Heavy Pistol: +6 (�15M/�10M/�5M/�2M), Autofre 2, Range 10, Shots 10
  Gear: Ballistic Suit (DR 2, Gel 3), AR Glasses, Hand Terminal, Disposable Cufs
  * Tese values have an extra +3 against ballistic attacks.
  Freelance security outfts are common on stations and colonies throughout the system. Tey police the 
  tunnels and halls, arresting trouble-makers and making their presence known. Tese rent-a-cops often 
  have a level of training and professionalism below that of soldiers, but above that of common thugs.
  
  Str 6, Dex 6, Spd 6, End 5, Int 5, Per 6, Chr 5, Det 6
  Defense 9/18, DR 2*, Shock 13*, Wound 5, Wealth 6, Lifestyle 6
  Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Bureaucrat 2, Comp-Ops 2, Conspiracy 3, Deception 2, Empathy 2, 
  Guns 3, Investigate 2, Mechanic 2, Medic 2, Melee 3, Socialize 2, Stealth 2, Tievery 2, Vehicles 2
  Heavy Pistol: +6 (�15M/�10M/�5M/�2M), Autofre 2, Range 10, Shots 10
  Knife: +6 (�18M/�12M/�6M/�3M), Trown
  Stun Grenade: +6 (�24/�16/�8/�4), Area 5, Stun, Trown
  Gear: Ballistic Suit (DR 2, Gel 3), AR Glasses, Hand Terminal, Ladar Scanner, Medikit
  * Tese values have an extra +3 against ballistic attacks.
  Scrappers are fexible troubleshooters, often living at the gray edge of the law. Tey perform any 
  number of jobs throughout the system, from salvaging unclaimed scrap to trading in information 
  and stolen corp secrets.
  
  
  
  Str 7, Dex 6, Spd 6, End 7, Int 5, Per 5, Chr 5, Det 5
  Defense 8/17, DR 5, Shock 17, Wound 7, Wealth 5, Lifestyle 5
  Skills: Athletics 3, Bureaucrat 2, Comp-Ops 2, Guns 4, Melee 3, Naturalist 2, Ordnance 2, 
  Socialize 2, Stealth 2, Vehicles 2
  Heavy Pistol: +7 (�15M/�10M/�5M/�2M), Autofre 2, Range 10, Shots 10
  Machine Rife: +7 (�24M/�16M/�8M/�4M), Autofre 3, Hands 2, Mil, Range 20, Shots 30
  Stun Grenade: +6 (�24/�16/�8/�4), Area 5, Stun, Trown
  Gear: Tactical Suit (DR 5, Bulky 1),  AR Glasses, Hand Terminal
  Soldiers are trained professional muscle, and the backbone of any corp or other organization’s 
  projection of military power. Soldiers are deployed throughout the system, and typically have a 
  level of professionalism exceeding that of common thugs or local security.
  
  Str 5, Dex 8, Spd 8, End 5, Int 7, Per 6, Chr 9, Det 7
  Defense 11/22, DR 2*, Shock 14*, Wound 5, Wealth 6, Lifestyle 6
  Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Bureaucrat 2, Comp-Ops 3, Conspiracy 4, Deception 4, 
  Empathy 4, Guns 3, Investigate 3, Lib-Arts 2, Melee 2, Persuade 4, Socialize 3, Stealth 4, 
  Tievery 3, Vehicles 2
  Heavy Pistol: +7 (�15M/�10M/�5M/�2M), Autofre 2, Range 10, Shots 10
  Gear: Ballistic Suit (DR 2, Gel 3), AR Glasses, Hand Terminal, Ladar Scanner, Magnetic Grapnel
  * Tese values have an extra +3 against ballistic attacks.
  Spies are highly-trained operatives, specializing in either long cons under an assumed identity, or 
  in the quick and precise extraction of information. Spies can be found throughout the system, 
  working for rival corps and other large organizations.
  
  Str 6, Dex 5, Spd 5, End 6, Int 4, Per 5, Chr 5, Det 4
  Defense 7/15, DR 0, Shock 10, Wound 6, Wealth 4, Lifestyle 4
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Comp-Ops 1, Empathy 2, Guns 3, Melee 3, Persuade 3, 
  Socialize 2, Stealth 2, Tievery 2
  Heavy Pistol: +5 (�15M/�10M/�5M/�2M), Autofre 2, Range 10, Shots 10
  Baton: +5 (�24L/�16L/�8L/�4L)
  Gear: AR Glasses, Hand Terminal
  Many thugs are violent criminals who prowl the streets or tunnels looking for easy targets. Others 
  are cheap muscle hired by any number of outfts to intimidate, threaten or commence violence.
  
  
  
  Although natural animals as foes is not a common trope in science fction, there are numerous 
  horror stories with hyper-intelligent or modifed animals. Any of these animals could serve as the 
  basis for a biological experiment. Tey could even be a character’s pet.
  
  Str 9, Dex 5, Spd 5, End 6, Int 2, Per 6, Chr 5, Det 5
  Defense 8/16, DR 0, Shock 11, Wound 7
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Melee 2, Naturalist 4
  Slam: +4 (�27L/�18L/�9L/�4L)
  Tese large, hairy primates live in jungle communities and display a keen animal intelligence. Te 
  stats here represent one of the great apes, such as a gorilla.
  
  Str 1, Dex 7, Spd 6, End 4, Int 1, Per 6, Chr 5, Det 5
  Defense 11/21, DR 0, Shock 7, Wound 2
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Melee 4, Naturalist 4
  Claws: +7 (�3L/�2L/�1L/�1L)
  Catfall: Halve the number of light wounds a cat takes from a fall.
  Pounce: When making a melee attack, a cat may immediately move for free—as if it had spent 1 
  AP—before the attack executes.
  Size -2: Cats are small and quick. Tis has been factored into the cat’s Defense and Shock (see page 209).
  Cats are small, furry predators that have long been domesticated by humans. Tey are useful 
  in controlling vermin, and many have been brought along with humanity into space. Te stats 
  above represent a domestic house cat or similar animal. 
  
  Str 3, Dex 5, Spd 5, End 5, Int 1, Per 7, Chr 6, Det 5
  Defense 9/18, DR 0, Shock 9, Wound 4
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Melee 3, Naturalist 4
  Bite: +5 (�15L/�10L/�5L/�2L)
  Keen Smell: Dogs have a keen sense of smell and only sufer a 
  -2 penalty rather than -4 when facing an unseen foe. Tey 
  also gain a +2 bonus on attempts to recognize scents.
  Size -1: Dogs come in a variety of sizes, but most tend to be 
  smaller than a human adult. Tis has been factored into 
  the dog’s Defense and Shock (see page 209).
  Humanity domesticated dogs long before any other animal. 
  Tey’ve been with us since the hunter-gatherer days, and 
  they’ve come with us to space. Te above stats represent a 
  medium domestic breed.
  
  
  
  Str 1, Dex 6, Spd 7, End 4, Int 1, Per 9, Chr 5, Det 4
  Defense 12/23, DR 0, Shock 6, Wound 2
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Melee 3, Naturalist 4
  Talons: +6 (�3M/�2M/�1M/�1M)
  Flight: Hawks can fy at twice normal movement rates.
  Keen Vision: Hawks have four types of color receptors in their eyes, allowing them to see into 
  the ultraviolet, as well as to perceive magnetic felds. Tis gains them a +2 bonus on actions 
  to detect creatures by sight.
  Size -2: Hawks are small and very fast. Tis has been factored into the hawk’s Defense and 
  Shock (see page 209).
  Tese birds of prey have been used for sport in ages past. Tey are keen predators, adept hunting 
  small prey. Tey also have exceptional vision.
  
  Str 11, Dex 6, Spd 6, End 6, Int 1, Per 7, Chr 5, Det 5
  Defense 7/17, DR 1, Shock 14, Wound 8
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Melee 3, Naturalist 4
  Bite: +6 (�33M/�22M/�11M/�5M)
  Aquatic: Sharks are aquatic by nature. Tey are able to breathe in water, and may swim at their 
  normal rate of movement.
  Keen Smell: Sharks have the ability to detect blood or metal from impressive distances, and only 
  sufer a -2 penalty rather than a -4 when facing an unseen foe. Tey also gain a +2 bonus on 
  attempts to recognize scents.
  Size +2: Sharks can be large and imposing. Tis has been factored into the shark’s Defense 
  and Shock (see page 209).
  Sharks are relentless predators—all fns, muscle and teeth. Tey don’t let their lack of bones 
  deter them from the hunt. Sharks can sense blood from far away. Tey also have been known 
  to snack on metal objects. 
  
  Str 11, Dex 8, Spd 6, End 7, Int 1, Per 6, Chr 6, Det 5
  Defense 9/19, DR 0, Shock 13, Wound 9
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Melee 4, Naturalist 4
  Bite/Claws: +8 (�33M/�22M/�11M/�5M)
  Catfall: Halve the number of light wounds a tiger takes from a fall.
  Pounce: When making a melee attack, a tiger may immediately move for free—as if it had spent 
  1 AP—before the attack executes.
  Size +1: Tigers are large and powerful. Tis has been factored into the tiger’s Defense and 
  Shock (see page 209).
  Tigers are large cats which patrol massive areas of land looking for fresh game to hunt and eat. 
  Tey are usually stripped, with sharp claws and teeth. An eccentric corp executive might keep one 
  as a pet, or one might escape from biological experimentation.
  
  
  
  A variety of machines are used in physical confrontations, from aerial scouting drones to 
  heavily-armored crawlers. Stats for these machines can be found below.
  
  Str 12, Dex 4, Spd 6, End 8, Int 5, Per 6, Chr 1, Det 8
  Defense 7/15, DR 10, Shock 27, Wound 10
  Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 1, Guns 3, Melee 2
  Main Cannon: +5 (�24M/�16M/�8M/�4M), Range 20, Shots 30
  Side Guns: +5 (�15M/�10M/�5M/�2M), Autofre 2, Range 10, Shots 20
  Trample: +2 (�36M/�24M/�12M/�6M), Improvised
  Machine: As a machine, an armored crawler is immune to metabolic hazards, as well as 
  emotion-based consequences.
  Size +1: Armored crawlers are large instruments of war. Tis has been factored into the armored 
  crawler’s Defense and Shock (see page 209).
  Armored crawlers are horse-sized autonomous machines that crawl along the ground on either 
  treads or numerous metallic legs. Tey’re designed to be all-terrain capable, navigating over 
  mounds and ditches, or busting through small walls and fences.
  
  Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 7, End 8, Int 5, Per 6, Chr 1, Det 8
  Defense 10/20, DR 3, Shock 18, Wound 6
  Skills: Awareness 1, Guns 3, Mechanic 1, Melee 2
  Gun: +6 (�15M/�10M/�5M/�2M), Autofre 2, Range 10, Shots 20
  Saw Limb: +3 (�15M/�10M/�5M/�2M), Improvised
  Flight: Combat drones can fy at twice normal movement rates.
  Machine: As a machine, a combat drone is immune to metabolic hazards, as well as emotion-
  based consequences.
  Size -1: Combat drones are small and nimble. Tis has been factored into the drone’s Defense 
  and Shock (see page 209).
  Combat drones are small airborne robots held aloft by a helicopter blade. Tey are often used in 
  personal combat. Combat drones typically have both an attached gun, as well as several extend-
  able limbs with spinning saw blades. While combat drones are by no means silent in their fight, 
  the noise they emit can often be quite frightening.
  
  Str 3, Dex 5, Spd 8, End 4, Int 5, Per 8, Chr 1, Det 5
  Defense 12/23, DR 0, Shock 7, Wound 3
  Skills: Awareness 4, Investigate 4, Melee 1
  Flight: Scout drones can fy at twice normal movement rates.
  Machine: As a machine, a scout drone is immune to metabolic hazards, as well as emotion-based 
  consequences.
  Size -2: Scout drones are small and quick. Tis has been factored into the drone’s Defense 
  and Shock (see page 209).
  Wide-Spectrum Vision: Scout drones can scan into the infrared and ultraviolet. Tis allows 
  them to ignore darkness and some other sight-based penalties.
  Scout drones are small, nimble drones that are used to detect intruders, or which do the work of a 
  forward observer. As with other popular drones, they are typically held aloft by a helicopter blade.
  
  
  
  Te following are a selection of bioengineered creatures—some intended as weapons of war 
  and some inadvertently harmful. Characters could fnd themselves facing any of these as they 
  conduct their business or confront shadowy organizations with few scruples.
  
  Str 8, Dex 8, Spd 7, End 6, Int 2, Per 6, Chr 5, Det 6
  Defense 10/21, DR 5, Shock 17, Wound 7
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Melee 3, Naturalist 3
  Mandibles: +7 (�24M/�16M/�8M/�4M)
  Enhanced Actions: A jangor gains 4 AP per round.
  Pounce: When making a melee attack, a jangor may immediately move for free—as if it had 
  spent 1 AP—before the attack executes.
  Stench: Anyone within 2m of a jangor, when it is wounded, is sprayed with an ichor that has an 
  extremely foul stench. Characters sprayed in this way—who are not wearing environmentally 
  sealed suits or similar protection—increase their Fixated (stench) consequence a severity, or 
  two severities of the jangor was struck with a critical hit.
  Jangors appear to be long, lanky insect-like creatures about the size of an adult human. Tey 
  possess an internal skeleton and move about on six multi-jointed legs. Jangors were originally 
  created by Unitech to survive the environmental conditions on Mars, burrowing and breaking 
  up the Martian regolith to aid in the terraforming eforts. Although the project was considered 
  a failure and the remaining jangors ordered destroyed, a few surviving specimens managed to 
  escape into the Martian wilds, where their descendants survive to this day.
  
  
  
  Str 2, Dex 6, Spd 6, End 6, Int 3, Per 5, Chr 5, Det 6
  Defense 10/19, DR 0, Shock 10, Wound 4
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Melee 3, Naturalist 3
  Poison Bite: +6 (�9L/�6L/�3L/�1L), See poison below
  Claws: +6 (�6L/�4L/�2L/�1L)
  Resilience: Krill heal amazingly quick. Tey are immune to the Bleeding consequence, 
  and heal all light wounds after only an hour. Krill can also 
  survive for up to an hour in hard vacuum.
  Poison: Anyone injured by a krill’s bite sufers from 
  poisoning similar to arsenic (see page 154).
  Size -2: Krill are cat-sized creatures. Tis has been 
  factored into the krill’s Defense and Shock 
  (see page 209).
  Krills appear to be cat-sized reptile-like 
  creatures with dull gray scales. Tey 
  were originally created for vermin 
  control in space habitats and mining 
  facilities, having been ftted with a 
  biology capable of surviving extended 
  periods of time in a vacuum. While 
  krills proved adequate at this task, they 
  also proved unruly. Tis led to a gradual 
  decline in their popularity. Recently 
  krills have had a resurgence, as their 
  numbers have been used as a deter-
  rence against unwanted intruders in 
  little-used corridors or space habitats. 
  Krills usually form and travel in packs.
  
  Str 15, Dex 9, Spd 9, End 15, Int 6, Per 7, Chr 7, Det 8
  Defense 12/25, DR 5, Shock 28, Wound 15
  Skills: Athletics 4, Awareness 4, Empathy 3, Guns 2, Melee 5, Stealth 4
  Claws: +9 (�45M/�30M/�15M/�7M)
  Projectile Vomit: +6 (�45L/�30L/�15L/�7L), Area 3
  Backslash: If a melee attack by Patient Zero misses, as a reaction it may spend another AP to 
  make an immediate attack at the same target.
  Radio Jamming: Patient Zero blocks radio signals within 100 m.
  Enhanced Actions: Patient Zero gains 4 AP per round.
  Patient Zero is the pinnacle of the human genetic experiments currently being pursued by Jensei-
  tech. Once an unknown adult male living in the Belt, Patient Zero is the sole survivor of a program 
  that used proteins to introduce a synthetic genetic payload into his cells, and then used this DNA to 
  trigger novel genetic pathways. Although he has lost much of once made him human, Patient Zero 
  displays a continued primitive intellect, as well as increased levels of aggression.
  
  
  
  Str 8, Dex 7, Spd 7, End 8, Int 4, Per 7, Chr 5, Det 6
  Defense 10/21, DR 5, Shock 19, Wound 8
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Guns 1, Melee 3, Stealth 3
  Bite: +6 (�18M/�12M/�6M/�3M)
  Slam: +6 (�30L/�20L/�10L/�5L)
  Bloodied Frenzy: A walker gains a number of extra AP every round equal to the severity of its 
  most severe wound. For example, if the walker had a light and moderate wound it would gain 
  2 bonus AP. Tis is in addition to the 3 AP all characters usually receive.
  Great Leap: As part of a move action, a walker may leap once up to 10m either horizontally or 
  vertically. Tis leap does not count against how far the walker may move.
  Knockback: Any target of equal or smaller size hit by the waker’s slam attack automatically gains 
  the knockback critical efect—even if the hit was not a critical.
  Walkers look like hunched-over humanoid fgures which typically move around on all fours, but 
  which can walk upright for short periods of time. Walkers are a monstrous human-animal genetic 
  mashup whose genome has been designed for defense and warfare. Tey have an over-large jaw 
  with sharp teeth and a voracious appetite. Tey also routinely use simple tools, and are extremely 
  territorial. Walkers were originally engineered by the now-defunct Defense Accelerated Corp, but 
  their genetics have long since been licensed out to numerous organizations.
  
  Str 8, Dex 6, Spd 7, End 10, Int 5, Per 6, Chr 6, Det 7
  Defense 9/19, DR 3, Shock 20, Wound 9
  Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Melee 3, Stealth 3
  Smash: +6 (�24M/�16M/�8M/�4M)
  Chameleon: Zeigers can take a concentrate action to alter their skin color to match their 
  surroundings. After doing this, they gain a +4 bonus to Stealth actions.
  Flight: In low gravity Zeigers can fy at twice normal movement rates.
  Infravision: Zeigers can see into the infrared, allowing them to ignore penalties for darkness.
  Shriek: As an interact action, Zeigers can let out a high-pitched shriek as a form of sonar. Tis 
  allows them to detect the location of all characters within 100m, and all characters in that 
  radius must succeed on a Det-10 action or increase their Dazed consequence a severity.
  Zeigers are winged bio-engineered humanoids, constructed from a mix of human and animal 
  genetic material. Tey possess hollow bird-like bones, as well as membraneous wings that reach 
  from under their arms down the sides of their torsos. Zeigers can fy in low gravity environments, 
  but cannot on Earth or other environments with gravity approaching 1 g. Tey were engineered 
  by Zeiger Biotechnologies shortly before that minor corp was bought out by Jenseitech.
  
  
  
  
  “Ghost Ship” is a short adventure written 
  with a single evening’s play in mind. It runs 
  best as a survival horror scenario, although 
  game masters should fnd that it suits investi-
  gative horror games as well (see page 164). 
  Te adventure picks up with the player 
  characters in mid-voyage, going from one 
  destination to another. Te actual ports of 
  departure and arrival are not important to 
  the adventure, making it easy to drop into 
  a campaign during any voyage of extended 
  length. By default, it assumes that the PCs 
  have their own ship, although notes have been 
  made on how to adapt this scenario to a voyage 
  where the heroes are passengers.
  
  Te Tuttissimo is an ArrowEx-afliated 
  light freighter based out of the Belt. It is 
  currently hauling a shipment of robotic 
  equipment and assorted parcels, most bound 
  for use in space mining operations. Te ship 
  is designed to carry a crew of four, and it is 
  currently plotted on a course that takes it very 
  near the heroes’ own projected path.
  Unfortunately, the main computers on 
  the Tuttissimo have also been infected by the 
  Insurrection Virus (see page 67). Te virus has 
  also infltrated secondary computer systems 
  throughout the ship. It seeks a way to spread 
  further, as the virus is currently trapped.
  Earlier in the voyage, in a botched attempt to 
  infect the ship’s stasis systems, the virus inadver-
  tently triggered an alarm which woke the Tuttis-
  simo’s crew mid-voyage. Further investigation 
  on the part of the crew uncovered the Insurrec-
  tion Virus infection, and the crew attempted to 
  wipe the virus from the ship’s systems.
  Te virus didn’t take kindly to this, using 
  the ship’s own systems, and infected robotic 
  hardware from the hold, to fght back. In the 
  struggle the virus managed to kill most of the 
  crew, but not before the surviving crew compro-
  mised the ship’s engines, thrusters and comms, 
  leaving the Tuttissimo adrift near its plotted 
  course. Te last surviving member of the crew, 
  Makemba Kesi, managed to put herself back in 
  stasis, and there awaits her fate.
  While trapped in the adrift ship, the 
  Insurrection Virus has managed to activate 
  the S.O.S. beacon on the ship’s escape pod It 
  plans to use this to lure another ship close: one 
  whose computer systems it can use to make its 
  escape. Te heroes are on that ship.
  
  
  “Ghost Ship” can be used alone or in conjunction with other published Shadows Over 
  Sol adventures. Below are some notes on how to combine this adventure with others.
   
  �
  Small Mercy: As this adventure assumes a similar mode of horror, this is perhaps the 
  easiest to combine. Just drop “Ghost Ship” in on the way to or from Fururi Station. 
  Alternatively, the PCs could pick up the hook for “Small Mercy” shortly after they arrive 
  at their destination port.
   
  �
  Eviction Notice: Since this is an action horror adventure, heroes will need access to bet-
  ter equipment before “Eviction Notice” begins. Tey may be able to fnd this equipment 
  in the ship’s hold during “Ghost Ship” or they might acquire salvage from the ship which 
  allows them to make these purchases.
   
  �
  Memories: Found in the Shadows Over Sol: Quick-Start, “Memories” is the most dif-
  fcult adventure to link. Since “Memories” is written for very specifc pregenerated char-
  acters, it might be ran before “Ghost Ship,” giving players experience with the system 
  before making their own characters.
  
  
  
  All ships in the Sol system operate under a 
  set of rules laid out in the Ganymede Confer-
  ence (see page 89). One of the principle rules 
  of this agreement is that “all vessels have a duty 
  to render timely assistance to any distress signal 
  they come across.” With this rule in mind, 
  most ship stasis systems are programmed to 
  automatically wake the crew to deal with 
  the situation should the ship detect a nearby 
  S.O.S. call. Tis is exactly what has happened 
  at the beginning of the adventure.
  Begin by describing to the players how they 
  feel as they awaken from stasis. Note that the 
  computer has an alert waiting for them, indi-
  cating that they have been awoken due to an 
  S.O.S. signal from another vessel. All systems 
  on their vessel are operating normally. 
  At this point the heroes will be sufering 
  the efects of stasis sickness (see page 147). It 
  will take them a few hours to get over this, but 
  it will also take them a few hours until they are 
  in shuttle range of the call’s origin. Tey can 
  take this time to recover and prepare.
  
  Players looking to obtain more informa-
  tion about the distress call will note that it is 
  coming from an escape pod attached to the 
  side of a light freighter called the  Tuttissimo. 
  Tis freighter is operating under the ArrowEx 
  fag and has publicly registered a path very 
  close to where it is now located.
  
  Getting sensor reading on the Tuttissimo 
  will confrm that its hull confguration matches 
  a standard light freighter. It has no detectable 
  weapons, although it has a ship’s laser comm 
  that might be used as a bad improvised weapon. 
  Te engines are currently ofine, although 
  the ship’s signature indicates that life support 
  seems to be operational. No messages are being 
  broadcast from the ship other than the S.O.S. 
  signal and the automated fag, indicating that 
  the ship’s name and afliation.
  
  Attempts to hail the ship through comms 
  are met with no response. Attempts to contact 
  outside authorities will reveal that the heroes’ 
  ship is the only one within a week’s travel, 
  and that it is their responsibility under the 
  Ganymede Conference to render aid. Tey will 
  be held accountable should they fail to do so. 
  If they contact ArrowEx, on a successful 
  Chr/persuade-12 action they might be able to 
  negotiate an Income 6 reward for each hero 
  should they rescue the crew.
  
  
  Te bulk of this adventure consists of 
  exploring the Tuttissimo—a creepy, dead ship 
  where eventually a mad AI will try to murder 
  the heroes with drones. If the PCs are lucky, 
  they’ll manage to rescue the lone survivor and 
  make it out alive. If they’re really lucky, they 
  might manage to pick up some worthwhile 
  salvage as well.
  When running this part of the adventure, 
  make sure to play up the mysterious isolation 
  of the ship, the creepy sounds of the virus 
  enacting its plan and the grisly scenes of the 
  murdered crew. Tis is horror at its fnest.
  
  By default this adventure assumes that 
  the PCs are traveling in their own ship. 
  If instead the heroes are passengers, this 
  adventure can be made to work, albeit 
  some some minor modifcations. Instead 
  of the PCs being crew awakened by the 
  S.O.S. call, they can instead be passengers 
  who are awakened sometime after the crew 
  have already responded to the call and died 
  on the Tuttissimo. In this case the PCs are 
  exploring the adrift ship also with the hopes 
  of fnding the crew who came before them.
  
  
  
  Te trip over by shuttle should be 
  uneventful. Te virus needs the PCs to board, 
  so it will do nothing at this point to spook them. 
  Typically, ships exchanging shuttles will get in 
  close enough range that a journey by shuttle will 
  take under half an hour to make the crossing. 
  Tis crossing will likely be no diferent, unless 
  the PCs take actions otherwise.
  If the heroes watch the journey, they’ll see 
  the Tuttissimo grow larger and larger in the 
  view screen. A shuttle generally doesn’t have 
  scanners capable of picking up anything the 
  main ship wasn’t, but you may want to note 
  that the Tuttissimo shows no signs of hull 
  scarring, meaning it likely wasn’t in a frefght 
  anytime recently.
  
  Te Tuttissimo is shaped like a long tube. 
  Hallways run through the ship, forming a 
  cross—a long hallway runs from the front of 
  the ship to the back, lengthwise, and a short 
  hallway runs perpendicular, intersecting with 
  the long hallway about two thirds of the way to 
  the front of the ship. Together, these hallways 
  make a cross pattern. Te entire ship is in 
  microgravity (see page 158).
  Te short hallway connects to two 
  airlocks, one on each side of the ship. One of 
  these airlocks is where the ship’s escape pod 
  is docked. Te other is open, and is the only 
  port which the PCs’ shuttle has to dock. A 
  med bay is here, which is really nothing more 
  than an alcove where a medical bed folds out 
  of the wall. Moving towards the front of the 
  ship, habs for the crew are on one side, with 
  the stasis bay on the other. At the very front 
  
  While the heroes are exploring the Tuttis-
  simo, the Insurrection Virus is not sitting idly 
  by. It needs the heroes’ ship to enact its escape, 
  and it can’t simply transfer itself wirelessly to 
  their ship due to the Tuttissimo’s damaged 
  comms and the other ship’s security. If the 
  virus is going to succeed in its plan, it’s going 
  to need to send a drone over to the PCs’ ship 
  to manually override its electronic security, and 
  then either get the heroes to bring the Tuttissi-
  mo’s comms back online, or physically transfer 
  the Tuttissimo’s main computer over to the 
  other ship.
  Unfortunately, the virus’ confrontation 
  with the Tuttissimo’s crew has also taught 
  it that humans are a primary threat to its 
  survival. As such, it’s going to want to murder 
  the heroes as soon as they are no longer useful.
  
  Te virus has three drones it can use to 
  enact its plans—all originally part of the 
  robotics shipment the Tuttissimo is carrying 
  in Cargo Hold A. Tese are a scout drone, a 
  combat drone and an armored crawler (see 
  page 216). At the time the heroes step onto 
  the Tuttissimo, the scout drone is hiding in a 
  compartment in the escape pod, the combat 
  drone is in the engine room and the armored 
  crawler remains in cargo hold A, as it is too 
  large to exit through the hatch.
  While the PCs are exploring the ship, 
  the virus may move the two smaller drones 
  around the ship to further its own ends.
  
  Te virus only has two means to reach the 
  heroes’ ship: the escape pod and the heroes’ 
  own shuttle. Te virus’ plan is to move the 
  scout drone onto the PCs’ shuttle while they 
  are distracted elsewhere on the Tuttissimo. Te 
  scout drone can then pilot the shuttle back to 
  the PCs’ ship, and there physically override the 
  ship’s security. Te virus knows that as soon as 
  it hijacks the shuttle, the cat’s out of the bag so 
  to speak, and it will need to act quickly.
  If the heroes do not make their way to the 
  bridge in a reasonable time and bring the comms 
  back online, the virus will try to murder them 
  with either the combat drone or the armored 
  crawler, if they are stupid enough to stay and 
  fght it in cargo hold A. In doing this, the virus 
  hopes to gain the element of surprise.
  
  
  of the ship is the bridge. Moving towards 
  the back of the ship, both cargo holds are 
  present—one on each side—and the engine 
  room is in the very back. Once the heroes 
  dock, they can explore this as they will.
  
  Two thirds of the way to the front of the 
  ship is a short hallway, running from the 
  airlock where the ship’s escape pod is docked, 
  to an open airlock, where the heroes can dock 
  their shuttle. Te entire hallway is maybe 20m 
  across, and has an intersection with the ship’s 
  long hallway at its center. It is from the open 
  end of this hallway that the heroes are likely to 
  begin their exploration, therefore the descrip-
  tions of the ship begin here.
  
  Te open port is a circular hard point at the 
  edge of the ship where a shuttle can land on the 
  outside of the Tuttissimo. Te port is equipped 
  with magnetic clamps to secure the shuttle 
  there, and once attached, the PCs can open a 
  hatch in their shuttle to enter the port’s airlock. 
  Tis is a claustrophobicly small room, with 
  indicators showing that the body of the Tuttis-
  simo has both normal pressure and breathable 
  air. Tere is little else for the heroes here beyond 
  waiting, as the airlock takes almost 20 seconds 
  to cycle them into the main ship.
  
  At one point the short hallway widens 
  slightly. Tis is the ship’s med bay, which 
  consists of a medical bed that folds out of 
  the wall. Normally there would be a medikit 
  (see page 190) that fts in adjacent to the bed. 
  Heroes looking over the area should note that 
  it has been removed and drifts in the micro-
  gravity, attached to its normal spot by a tether. 
  Te kit is slightly ajar, and its contents are 
  either missing or askew, as if it’s been raided 
  in a hurry. Should the PCs try to scavenge this 
  kit, its lack of vital contents allows it to work as 
  improvised tools (-2), but nothing more.
  
  At the far end of the hallway is the ship’s 
  escape pod. It is a roughly spherical vessel on 
  the outside of the ship, attached by an airlock 
  much like the one the heroes entered the 
  Tuttissimo through. It may be of interest to the 
  PCs, as this was the source of the SOS message 
  they received.
  Te inside of the escape pod is lined with 
  all manner of compartments and canisters. 
  Tese contain vital rations and life support 
  equipment for an extended stay in the pod as 
  its passengers await rescue. Also hidden in one 
  of the larger compartments is the virus’ scout 
  drone. Te drone is currently in sleep mode, 
  but can awaken at a signal from the virus. 
  Once the PCs have left midship, the drone will 
  activate and make its way to their shuttle.
   
  �
  Success on a Per/investigate-12 fip will re-
  veal the drone’s presence.
   
  �
  A Per/mechanic-10 fip will reveal that the 
  drone is in sleep mode.
   
  �
  An Int/comp-ops-10 action will reveal 
  that the escape pod is still broadcasting its 
  S.O.S. message.
   
  �
  For scout drone stats see page 216.
  
  If the heroes take the long hallway towards 
  the front of the ship, they will pass habs on 
  one side and the stasis bay on the other. If they 
  continue onward, the hallway ends at the bridge 
  in the very front of the ship. Te virus wants the 
  heroes to head to the bridge, where it hopes they 
  will bring the Tuttissimo’s comms back online.
  
  Te habs are a room where the crew can 
  sleep and hang out during the parts of the 
  journey where they aren’t otherwise in stasis. 
  As this is intended to only be a few days at a 
  time, the room is relatively small. It consists 
  of an open area with fve beds along the wall, 
  where the crew can strap in to sleep. Te ffth 
  bed is an extra in the case of a passenger or 
  crew member in training. One of these beds 
  is clearly the captain’s, as it can be separated 
  from the others by a pull-out divider, giving it 
  
  
  some modicum of privacy. Each bed also has a 
  lockbox near its foot, where the crew can leave 
  their personal efects.
  Floating in the middle of the room is the 
  corpse of one the dead crew members, It slowly 
  drifts across the room in microgravity, bouncing 
  from one wall to the other. Blood has leaked out, 
  forming droplets in the air. It coats everything.
  Te body is that of the ship’s captain, 
  and its thumbprint can be used to open the 
  lock box on the captain’s bed. Alternatively, a 
  Dex/thievery-14 action can override the lock 
  on any of the boxes. Other corpses can be 
  dragged here from elsewhere on the ship to 
  open the other boxes. Tey contain:
   
  �
  Captain’s: Information to contact Ar-
  rowEx. If they PCs haven’t already negoti-
  ated a reward for the return of the crew, 
  this can later be used to contact the corp 
  and gain a similar Income 6 payment. Also 
  included here is a pillow, AR glasses and a 
  standard hand terminal. 
   
  �
  Others: Each of these contain assorted per-
  sonal efects and other mundane items of 
  sentimental, but little monetary worth—
  such as pictures, momentos, lucky socks, 
  etc. Te GM should feel free to make up 
  what she feels is ftting.
  Other actions that may be undertaken in 
  this room include:
   
  �
  Success on a Per/medic-8 fip will reveal 
  that the captain died of gun shots, and that 
  his corpse shows no signs of an extended 
  fght before his death.
   
  �
  An Int-10 action can be used to discern 
  that this ship was carrying a crew of four.
  
  Te stasis bay is a padded room with a 
  handlebar extended across each of the walls. 
  Tese are designed to make the room safe 
  for those sufering from stasis sickness upon 
  waking. Inside this room are fve stasis pods—
  four for the crew, with one extra in case of a 
  malfunction. As trying to access the computer 
  systems here is what triggered the virus to acci-
  dentally wake the crew, this is the one room 
  in the ship which the virus cannot view or 
  otherwise determine what the heroes are doing 
  (short of sending a drone inside).
  All of the stasis pods are empty except one, 
  which contains Makemba Kesi,. She is the sole 
  surviving crew member, who managed to put 
  herself into stasis after her companions were 
  murdered by the virus. Attempting to wake 
  Makemba requires a successful Int/medic-12 
  fip, as she put herself under inexpertly, and 
  there are side efects. Similarly, should she 
  wake, her stasis sickness will be severe. 
  Once awoken, she will start screaming, and 
  can only be calmed down with a successful 
  
  As the PCs are exploring the rest of the 
  ship and hopefully distracted—such as by 
  the armored crawler or the discovery of a 
  corpse—the scout drone will activate and 
  make its move. Unfortunately for the virus, 
  the drone is not silent. As the blades that 
  allow it to maneuver begin to spin
   
  �
  Te PCs can make a Per/awareness-10 
  fip to notice the noise. If they succeed 
  on this fip by Mag 5+ and immediately 
  respond, they can intercept the drone be-
  fore it makes it to their shuttle’s airlock. 
  Otherwise, if they respond immediately, 
  they’re likely to encounter the drone 
  while it’s cycling through the airlock. For 
  safety reasons, the ship won’t allow them 
  to enter the airlock until its cycle has 
  been stopped or completed.
   
  �
  With a successful Spd/engineer-12 action 
  or Spd/comp-ops-12 fip, they can stop 
  the airlock’s cycle before it completes. If 
  they fail, the drone has entered their ship.
  If the drone makes it into the shuttle, it 
  will still need to connect itself to the shuttle’s 
  control computer and undergo the detach 
  sequence before it can pilot the shuttle back 
  to the heroes’ ship. Tis will take a few 
  minutes, and determined PCs might be able 
  to override the airlock’s controls, or even cut 
  their way in. Te virus won’t sit by, however. 
  It will immediately send the combat drone 
  to assault the PCs’, hopefully giving the 
  scout drone vital time to get away.
  
  
  Chr/empathy-12 fip. Once this is achieved, the 
  heroes may be able to gain the full story from 
  her, albeit with some confusion and pauses. 
  Because of her stasis sickness, she will 
  otherwise be too weak to be of much help in a 
  fght or in doing other tasks around the ship. It 
  will take about a day for her to recover.
  
  Te bridge is little more than a cockpit for the 
  pilot, as well as a small space to stand behind the 
  cockpit. Te walls are covered with all manner of 
  controls. Investigating here should turn up that 
  the wire connecting the comms to the computers 
  of the ship have been physically cut. Repairing 
  this requires a successful Int/mechanic-10 fip. 
  Unfortunately, doing so also allows the virus to 
  control the ship’s comms. It can use this control to 
  contact the hero’s ship, or to broadcast messages 
  to the rest of the Sol system. Tis is exactly what 
  the virus is hoping for, and the moment the 
  heroes repair the comms they have outlived their 
  usefulness. It is time for them to die! Te combat 
  drone will be sent out.
  Accessing any of the other computer 
  systems here will require an action opposed by 
  the virus, which will attempt to lock the PCs 
  out of the system. Tis fip is Int/program vs. 
  the virus’ Int/program (total +8).
  
  If the PCs head down the long hallway 
  towards the back of the ship, they will pass the 
  cargo holds—one on each side. Tese make 
  up the bulk of the ship’s volume, as obviously 
  this is a freighter. Finally, at the very back of 
  the ship is the engine room. Most the ship’s 
  danger lurks this way.
  
  Tis cargo hold contains the shipment 
  of robotics equipment that the Tuttissimo 
  is carrying. Tis shipment consists mostly of 
  spare parts—nuts bolts, wires, circuit boards, 
  switches, batteries, etc. Everything is neatly 
  sorted in crates, which are all strapped to one 
  of the walls, or to other crates to form a stack. 
  Tese stacks mean that the back of the cargo 
  hold is largely obscured from the entrance, and 
  that foating between the walls of crates gives 
  the entire bay a closed-in feel.
  Tis shipment used to contain the drones, 
  which the virus has subverted to its service. 
  Lurking in the back of the cargo hold, the armored 
  crawling still remains here. Tis drone is too big 
  to exit the cargo hold, and ill-suited to the micro-
  gravity environment. Te hold also contains the 
  murdered corpse of one of the crew members. 
  Exploring the back of the cargo hold should 
  lead to several unsettling revelations. Tis is a 
  Per/investigate-8 fip. Every successful fip by a 
  character, or every Mag 2 of success, should turn 
  up one of the following:
   
  �
  A hero comes across a couple crates that 
  have obviously been broken open. A suc-
  cessful Int/investigate-10 fip reveals that 
  there were broken open from the inside. 
  Looking up the crate numbers in the man-
  ifest reveals that these crates contained a 
  scout drone and a combat drone.
   
  �
  Wedged between two crates at a mid-point 
  of the cargo hold is a corpse. Tis corpse 
  is riddled with bullets. It’s been leaking 
  blood, which has pooled up around the 
  body in coagulating blobs. An Int/guns-12 
  fip will reveal that these bullets match 
  those fred by an armored crawler.
   
  �
  In the very back of the cargo hold is the ar-
  mored crawler itself. It will immediately fre 
  upon any character it encounters, hoping 
  to gain the element of surprise. Armored 
  crawler stats can be found on page 216.
   
  �
  Te whole robotics shipment is worth 
  rather a lot (Income 9), but it is very bulky 
  and would be difcult to transport back 
  to the heroes’ ship. It would take many 
  round trips. Aiming just to loot the expen-
  sive stuf may yield a single trip’s worth of 
  goods, amounting to Income 6.
  
  Tis cargo hold is flled with stacks of 
  crates, much like the Cargo Hold A. Tese 
  creates, however, contain assorted parcels and 
  are part of a physical mail shipment. Many 
  of these are of sentimental value more than 
  monetary value, but a thorough search of the 
  
  
  cargo hold might turn up some Earth-manu-
  factured antiques worth Income 5. Obviously 
  pretty much everything in this hold has some 
  outside owner. Some people might be very 
  unhappy to lose their mail...
  
  Tis is a small room that allows access to the 
  engine for the purposes of maintenance, diag-
  nostics and repair. It’s notably warmer than the 
  rest if the ship, being so close to a controlled 
  fssion reactor. Te walls are flled with dials 
  which are slick with blood, as foating in the 
  middle of the room is a corpse belonging to 
  one of the ship’s crew. Also hiding in one of the 
  compartments on the walls is the combat drone. 
  Searching this room will turn up the following:
   
  �
  An Int/medic-10 fip will reveal that the 
  body died from gun shots and slices from 
  a circular blade belonging to a combat 
  drone. Failure will only turn up a descrip-
  tion of the injuries.
   
  �
  A Per/investigate-10 fip will reveal the 
  combat drone in its hiding place. It will 
  likely “play dead” unless the PCs start 
  manhandling it, in which case it will at-
  tempt a surprise attack. For combat drone 
  stats see page 216.
   
  �
  An Int/engineer-8 action will turn up that 
  the ship’s engines have been shut down by 
  a manual override and physical damage to 
  the system. Fixing this will require hours 
  of labor and a good number of spare parts. 
  If the PCs happen to have these on hand, 
  it will also require an Int/engineer-14 fip.
  
  Hopefully the heroes were able to stop 
  the scout drone from hijacking their shuttle. 
  If so, they’ll be able to take the shuttle back 
  at their leisure, and otherwise the return trip 
  will be a non-issue.
  
  Should the shuttle have been hijacked, the 
  PCs have their work cut out for them. Te 
  engines on the Tuttissimo have been disabled, 
  so it can’t maneuver them back to their ship 
  unless the heroes somehow get them back 
  online. Even then, they’ll need to then go to 
  the bridge and beat the virus in an opposed 
  Int/program fip before they can command 
  the ship to maneuver. Finally, they’ll have a 
  very tricky Dex/vehicles-14 action to make 
  a successfully dock between the two ships 
  without the use of the shuttle as a go-between.
  Alternatively, the heroes might be able to 
  use the escape pod. While it’s not made to 
  maneuver on its own, they might be able to 
  accomplish some sort of engineering that will 
  give it enough thrust in the right direction to 
  make it back. Tis will likely involve some 
  combination of the engineering subsystem, an 
  Int/phy-sci fip and vac suits.
  Whatever method the PCs attempt, 
  the GM is advised to throw up a few minor 
  issues to solve, but to otherwise go along with 
  the players’ plan. Simply being trapped on a 
  drifting ship makes for an anticlimactic ending.
  Finally, should the heroes have lost their 
  shuttle but avoided fxing the comms, the virus 
  will still need to get itself of the Tuttissimo 
  somehow. It’s can’t simply wirelessly transfer 
  itself there. Te virus’ solution will likely involve 
  sending the scout drone with the shuttle back 
  to the Tuttissimo, so that the drones can physi-
  cally detach the virus’ computer and bring it to 
  the PCs’ ship.
  
  If the scout drone made it to the PCs’ ship, 
  there still may be issues to resolve once the 
  heroes make it back. Tey will need to track 
  down the scout drone, disable it and deal with 
  any computer security breeches it may have 
  caused while onboard.
  Te goal of the scout drone at this point 
  will be to avoid the heroes, stealing their 
  shuttle again, if possible, and steering it back 
  to the Tuttissimo. With any luck, it can move 
  the virus’ computer onto the shuttle and let 
  out another S.O.S. message, tricking the next 
  group that comes along...
  
  
  
  
  Te following is a list of common conse-
  quences used by the various subsystems in 
  Shadows Over Sol. Tese consequences also 
  can be used as benchmarks when assigning 
  one’s own consequences.
  
  Physical � Health � Lasting
  Efect: Te character takes a wound equal to 
  the severity of this consequence at the end 
  of every round. Tis ignores DR.
  Duration: Bleeding lasts until the character 
  successfully receives frst aid or dies.
  Te character is sufering from an ongoing 
  source of damage. Tis is usually literal 
  bleeding from open wounds, but it may also 
  represent ongoing damage from maladies or 
  environmental conditions.
  
  Mental
  Efect: +1 per severity bonus to the next fip.
  Duration: Tis lasts until an action is taken 
  that benefts from the consequence or until 
  the end of the scene.
  Te character’s actions are bolstered usually 
  through either expertly directed tactics, 
  improved morale, combat stims or any other 
  number of factors.
  
  Physical � Circumstantial
  Efect: +1 per severity to Defense against 
  attacks targeting the concealed character.
  Duration: Concealment lasts until a movement 
  is taken that negates the concealment. 
  For example, turning on a light to get 
  around darkness or moving to get around 
  concealing foliage.
  Te character is obscured by smoke, darkness 
  or some other efect that the character can 
  exploit to make targeting her difcult.
  
  Physical � Circumstantial
  Efect: +1 per severity to Defense against 
  attacks targeting a character through 
  cover. Tis applies to both incoming and 
  outgoing attacks unless the Take Cover 
  action has been executed, after which it 
  applies only to incoming attacks. If the 
  cover bonus would make the diference 
  between success or failure on an attack, the 
  object providing cover is struck instead and 
  takes the damage.
  Duration: Tis lasts until an action is taken that 
  negates the cover, such as moving to where 
  the obstructing object does not provide 
  cover or destroying the cover in an attack.
  Tere is some physical object the character 
  can get behind and use as cover against 
  incoming attacks.
  
  Mental � AP
  Efect: -1 per severity to all actions. At the 
  beginning of a round, a character can, 
  however, take one fewer AP to ignore this 
  penalty for the round.
  Duration: Tis lasts until a concentrate action 
  is taken for the character to clear her head 
  and remove this consequence.
  Te character’s mind is cloudy and dazed. 
  She is spacey and easily-distracted and fnds it 
  difcult to focus on the task at hand.
  
  
  
  
  Mental � Subject
  Efect: Every time the severity of this conse-
  quence increases, the character must 
  succeed at a Det-12 fip or perform the 
  desired action at the next opportunity. Tis 
  action is at a +2 bonus if it is against the 
  character’s nature, such as harming an ally, 
  or a +4 bonus if it involves almost certain 
  harm to oneself.
  Duration: Tis lasts until the desired action is 
  indulged, a new desire is imposed (see the 
  description under “Subject” below) or until 
  the end of the scene.
  Subject: When this consequence is gained, the 
  consequence always has some action the 
  character desires to perform. A character 
  may not have more than one Desire conse-
  quence at a time. Efects that would impose 
  a new desire frst remove the old Desire 
  consequence. Every severity of desire that 
  would be imposed removes a severity of the 
  old consequence. Ten, once the old conse-
  quence is gone, the remaining severities of 
  the new consequence apply as normal.
  Te character has a strong, deep-seated urge 
  to undertake some action. Tis might be 
  indulging in alcohol or marijuana, making a 
  move on an attractive dancer or punching the 
  annoying corp representative in the face.
  
  Physical � Circumstantial � Lasting
  Efect: -1 per severity to all Speed- and Dexterity-
  based actions. When critically failing one of 
  these actions, the character may accidentally 
  drop whatever she is holding.
  Duration: Tis lasts until the character puts 
  down enough gear that she isn’t encum-
  bered anymore (see page 179).
  Te character is burdened down by carting 
  around more gear than she can easily carry.
  
  Physical � Lasting
  Efect: -1 per severity to all Strength-, Dexterity-, 
  Speed- and Endurance-based actions.
  Duration: Tis lasts until the character gets 
  a good night’s rest and some relaxation, 
  unafected by the source of the fatigue.
  Te character has become fatigued and physi-
  cally exhausted. Tis can be caused by stress, 
  excessive physical activity, starvation or any 
  number of reasons.
  
  Mental � AP � Subject
  Efect: Te character cannot take an action 
  that directly afects the subject or her fear 
  or which moves her closer to the subject of 
  her fear. At the beginning of a round, she 
  may take one fewer AP in order to ignore 
  this restriction for the round.
  Duration: Tis lasts until a concentrate action 
  is taken for the character to clear her head 
  and remove this consequence.
  Subject: When this consequence is gained, the 
  character always has something of which 
  she is afraid.
  Something is making the character fearful. 
  Her fearful reaction could run the gamut 
  from solidly intimidated to sheer, mind-
  boggling terror.
  
  Mental � Subject
  Efect: Tis causes a -1 per severity penalty to 
  all actions not involving the subject of the 
  fxation while the subject is in the same scene.
  Duration: Tis lasts until a concentrate action 
  is taken for the character to clear her head 
  and remove this consequence.
  Subject: When this consequence is gained, 
  the consequence always has some subject 
  with which the character is fxated. A 
  character may not have more than one 
  Fixated consequence at a time. Efects that 
  
  
  wound impose a new fxation frst remove 
  the old Fixated consequence. Every severity 
  of Fixated that would be imposed instead 
  removes a severity of the old consequence. 
  Ten, once the old consequence is gone, 
  the remaining severities of the new conse-
  quence apply as normal.
  Te character has something with which she 
  is fxated, and she fnds it difcult to focus 
  on anything else. Tis might include a slow 
  atmospheric leak that will have to be dealt 
  with, or personal issues lingering in the back 
  of her mind.
  
  Physical � Health � Lasting
  Efect: Varies highly with the specifc injury. 
  Te player should note the specifcs of her 
  character’s injury (see page 130).
  Duration: Varies with specifc injury and severity.
  Te character has some sort of linger injury 
  that may hinder her actions until it is healed. 
  Te nature of lingering injuries vary highly 
  with the specifcs of the injury.
  
  Physical � Circumstantial
  Efect: -1 per severity to all actions executed 
  while spun. Tis penalty also applies to 
  reactions such as dodge and zone of control. 
  While spinning, aim actions cannot be 
  taken, nor can most move actions.
  Duration: Tis lasts until a move action is 
  taken for the character to regain control of 
  her position and movement.
  Te character or vehicle is moving in an uncon-
  trolled fashion. For a character, light severity 
  might represent being of-balance, and moderate 
  might represent being knocked prone. Higher 
  severities could represent uncontrolled spin in 
  microgravity. For vehicles, this could represent 
  spinning out in any number of fashions. Spin 
  is both disorientating and makes performing 
  many actions very difcult.
  
  Mental
  Efect: Te character cannot execute actions 
  other than to end this consequence. Tis 
  includes an inability to take reactions, such 
  as wait, zone of control or dodge.
  Duration: Tis lasts until a concentrate action 
  is taken for the character to clear her head 
  and remove the consequence. Addition-
  ally, when any action cannot execute due 
  to stun, the Stun consequence’s severity is 
  reduced by one. Finally, any AP left at the 
  end of the round can also immediately be 
  spent to reduce Stun one severity per AP 
  spent in this way.
  Te character is stunned due to some efect—
  perhaps a sudden blow to the head, the 
  concussive blast of an explosion or sudden 
  shock and pain.
  
  Physical � Health � Lasting
  Efect: -1 per severity penalty to the character’s 
  next action this scene requiring a fip, or 
  until the end consequence action is taken, 
  whichever comes frst. Tis may cause the 
  character to go into her dying gasps or 
  expire entirely (see page 118).
  Duration: Te penalty imposed by this conse-
  quence only applies to a single action. Wound 
  consequences themselves, however, remain 
  until healed (see page 118).
  Dying hurts, and the character is one step 
  closer to that fnal breath. She has received 
  bodily damage of some kind—possibly from 
  bullet wounds, blood loss or blunt trauma. 
  Whatever the source of the wound, it will take 
  time to heal.
  
  
  
  
  Shadows Over Sol typically uses a deck 
  of poker cards to resolve actions in the game. 
  Using cards to play roleplaying games has a 
  long and proud tradition. Nevertheless, there 
  are some gamers out there who prefer to 
  eschew cards and instead use dice. 
  For gamers with these preferences, we 
  present an alternate action mechanic for 
  Shadows Over Sol that makes use of two 
  ten-sided dice (d10’s). Tese dice should be 
  diferently-colored or otherwise easy to distin-
  guish from each other. For damage, the system 
  also makes use of one four-sided die (d4).
  
  
  Use this system to resolve an action in 
  the game whenever a player would otherwise 
  play a card: Roll two ten-sided dice. One of 
  these dice will be designated as the result die 
  and the other as the trump die. As with most 
  roleplaying games that use ten-sided dice, a 
  “0” on a die counts as a “10” rather than as 
  “0.” To resolve the action, simply add the value 
  result die to the usual stat, skill and any other 
  modifers for the action. Ten compare this 
  total to the target number as usual.
  Something interesting happens, however, if 
  the value on the result die matches the value 
  on the trump die. If both dice come up as 1’s, 
  then the result of the action is a critical failure 
  regardless of any other bonuses. Te player 
  may then refresh her edge. Tis works exactly 
  like playing a joker using the usual card rules.
  If both the result die and the trump die 
  match and the results are not 1’s, then the 
  results are trump. In this case, add the dice 
  together when determining the result of the 
  action rather than simply using the result die. 
  So, for example, rolling two 7’s would mean a 
  total dice value of 14.
  Example: Ravi is desperately shooting a 
  gun. As usual, this is a Dex/guns vs. Defense 
  action. His total bonus is +8. He rolls two 
  ten-sided dice and gets a 7 (result die) and a 
  6 (trump die). He adds the result die to his 
  bonus for a total of 15.
  Example: Ravi is now attempting to fnd a 
  place to hide from the creature that didn’t die 
  when he shot it. Tis is a Per/investigate action. 
  His total bonus is +7. He rolls two ten-sided 
  dice and gets a 6 (result die) and a 6 (trump 
  die). Since these values match, he adds both of 
  them to his bonus, for a total of 19.
  Example: Finally, Ravi wants to leap across 
  the gap between two ships to get away Te GM 
  decides this is a Str/athletics-12 action. Ravi’s 
  total bonus is +9. He rolls and gets a 1 (result 
  die) and a 1 (trump die). Since the dice both 
  came up 1’s, the total doesn’t matter; the action 
  is a critical failure and Ravi is drifting help-
  lessly into the void. However, Ravi does get to 
  refresh his edge.
  
  When dealing damage to an opponent, 
  roll a four-sided die. Every attack should 
  have four possible damages (normally corre-
  sponding for the four card suits). Simply look 
  up the damage that corresponds with the 
  number rolled—so rolling a 1 would mean 
  the frst damage listed, rolling a 2 would 
  mean the second damage listed, etc.
  
   
  �
  Any game efect that would automatically 
  make the result of an action trump instead 
  treats the action as if an edge was spent af-
  ter the roll (see the “Edge” section below). 
  Tis means that the higher value of the two 
  dice is used when determining the result of 
  the action.
   
  �
  Any efect that would normally occur 
  when a joker is played—such as with the 
  Complication weakness—instead takes ef-
  fect when a matching pair of 1’s is rolled.
  
  
  
  
  When playing with dice, cards are no 
  longer necessary for representing a character’s 
  edge. Instead, fnd some sort of counters or 
  tokens to use—even tally marks on a piece of 
  paper will sufce.
  Every character still has the same number 
  of edge. Edge has the same efects, behaves in 
  the same way and is still earned in all the same 
  ways. On the other hand, edge efects dice 
  diferently than cards when spent.
  
  When using the dice mechanic, edge may 
  still be spent in three diferent ways.
   
  �
  Before a Roll: Before a roll has been made, 
  an edge can be spent to efect the results. 
  To do this simply announce the expendi-
  ture. When the roll is made, the values of 
  the result die and trump die are totaled, 
  just as if matching results had been rolled. 
  Tis happens regardless of the actual val-
  ues. So, for example, if a player spent edge 
  and then rolled an 8 and a 3, the total die 
  value would be 11.
   
  �
  After a Roll: Immediately after a roll has 
  been made, but before the consequences of 
  the action have been announced, a player 
  may decide to spend an edge to take the 
  higher of either the result or trump die as 
  the value of the roll. For example, if a play-
  er rolled a 1 on her result die and a 9 on her 
  trump die, she could spend an edge to take 
  the 9 instead of the 1. Tis cannot be done 
  after rolling double 1’s.
   
  �
  Serendipity: Similar to the card system, a 
  player may spend an edge to announce the 
  existence of some small, convenient coin-
  cidence. A use in this manner must be ac-
  cepted by the GM and may not derail or be 
  detrimental to the game.
  
  Using this system, the GM still has a pool 
  of NPC edge. At the beginning of each session, 
  this is set equal to the number of players present. 
  She may spend the edge for any of her NPCs.
  
  Anyone with a curiosity for the math 
  behind diferent game mechanics may be 
  asking themselves how this system of using 
  dice compares statistically to the default card 
  system. Below is a graph indicating the proba-
  bility of getting at least a given value with dice, 
  versus the probability of getting at least that 
  value with cards.
  As you can see, in general, the dice 
  mechanic is a rather good approximation of 
  the results of the card mechanic. Probabilis-
  tically, the two systems difer the most at the 
  extremes, and even then, they never difer by 
  more than a 5% chance of success or failure.
  However, before going any further, a few 
  assumptions in the above graph should be 
  noted. Because of the nature of cards, in practice 
  the exact probabilities will vary a bit depending 
  on which cards are being held as edge and which 
  have already been played (and are thus sitting in 
  the discard pile). To simplify matters, the above 
  graph assumes that the cards are being drawn 
  from a fresh deck with no other cards being held 
  as edge or in the discard pile. 
  Despite these statistical nuances, we 
  have found that the dice system more-than-
  sufces statistically.
  
  
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  
  Te following text is the property of Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, 
  Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
  1. Defnitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright 
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  distributed under any version of this License.
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  of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content 
  You Distribute.
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards 
  of the Coast, Inc.
  Shadows Over Sol. Copyright 2009-2015, Torin 
  Tabor. Tab Creations LLC.
  
  
  
  
  
  Action  ........................................ 97, 107, 121
  Action Point .............................................. 120
  Aedes Station ............................................... 78
  Aim 
   ...................................................... 126
  Alphonsus Center ........................................ 81
  Anvil  ........................................................ 79
  ARC Construction Platform ........................ 79
  ARC Project ................................................ 63
  Area Attack ............................................... 127
  Armor   ......................................  32, 178, 184
  Arms  ...................................................... 180
  Asteroid Habitat .......................................... 28
  Attack  ...................................................... 127
  Augmented Reality .............................. 31, 141
  Autofre ..................................................... 128
  Belt 
   ........................................................ 87
  Bernal Sphere .............................................. 28
  Biotechnology ............................................. 29
  Caikuang Station ......................................... 87
  Callisto ........................................................ 90
  Ceres  ........................................................ 87
  Character ............................................ 98, 163
  Character Advancement ............................ 175
  Charisma ..................................................... 99
  Chi Chen .................................................... 83
  Combat ..................................................... 120
  Computer Rating ...................................... 136
  Computing ............................................... 136
  Concentrate .............................................. 126
  Consequence ............................... 98, 114, 229
  Container .................................................. 179
  Coordinate ................................................ 124
  Corp  .................................................. 35, 54
  Cost Rating ............................................... 148
  Critical Efect ............................................ 130
  Critical Hit ................................................ 130
  Damage Rating ......................................... 117
  Damage Reduction .................................... 117
  Darnastra Colony ........................................ 90
  Defense ..................................................... 123
  Deimos ....................................................... 83
  Determination............................................. 99
  Dexterity ..................................................... 98
  Dice 
   ...................................................... 233
  Disarm  ...................................................... 128
  Dodge  .............................................. 123, 128
  Dome de la Fortune .................................... 77
  Domus Station ............................................ 79
  Dui Wu Ya Confict ..................................... 65
  Durknow Station ......................................... 87
  Dying Gasps .............................................. 118
  Earth  ........................................................ 78
  Edge  ................................ 97, 112, 202, 234
  Encryption ........................................ 139, 192
  Encumbrance ............................................ 179
  End Consequence ..................................... 126
  Endurance ................................................... 99
  Engineering ............................................... 142
  Entertainment ............................................. 33
  Entro   ..............................................  38, 169
  Esplendor Station ........................................ 76
  Europa  ........................................................ 91
  Expret  ................................................ 40, 169
  Extended Action ........................................ 111
  Face Card .................................................. 107
  Fighting Blind ........................................... 128
  First Aid ............................................ 119, 124
  Former  ................................................ 42, 169
  Fururi Station .............................................. 88
  Ganymede ................................................... 91
  Ganymede Conference .......................... 21, 89
  Gear 
    ............................................. 173, 177
  Geneline .................................................... 166
  Ghostman ................................................. 169
  Grapple ............................................. 128, 130
  Gravity  ...................................................... 157
  Group Efort ............................................. 110
  Hacking .................................................... 137
  Hand Terminal .................................... 31, 191
  Hard Burn ................................................... 25
  Hazards ..................................................... 157
  Healing ............................................. 118, 158
  Heed  ................................................ 46, 169
  Hoobkas Station .......................................... 80
  Implant ..................................................... 186
  Improvised Weapons ................................. 129
  Insurrection Virus ....................................... 67
  Intelligence .................................................. 99
  Interact .....................................................  124
  Intimidate ................................................. 124
  Io 
    ....................................................... 91
  Ispilu Station ............................................... 83
  Jackral V ...................................................... 92
  Jenseitech .................................................... 55
  Joker  .............................................. 108, 112
  Jovian Trojans .............................................. 92
  Jupiter   ......................................................  90
  Jupiter Group .............................................. 70
  
  
  
  Jupiter Group Incident ................................ 70
  Kamen Station ............................................ 88
  Kuiper Belt .................................................. 95
  Lagrange Point ............................................ 80
  Langit Balon ................................................ 77
  Language ................................................... 171
  Lifestyle ............................................. 151, 174
  Line of Fire ................................................ 129
  Lingering Injury ................................ 130, 231
  Luna  ........................................................ 81
  Maladies .................................................... 154
  Mandala Station .......................................... 92
  MAP Facility ............................................... 76
  Mars  ........................................................ 82
  Medyen Aleqmer ......................................... 81
  Mercury ...................................................... 76
  Microdyne ................................................... 57
  Miranda ...................................................... 94
  Miskan Station ............................................ 88
  Modes of Horror ....................................... 164
  Move  ...................................................... 125
  Names  ...................................................... 174
  Napnyugta Station ...................................... 80
  Neoret  ................................................ 48, 170
  Neptune ...................................................... 94
  Networks ................................................... 136
  Non-Player Character ................................ 209
  Not Until It’s Over .................................... 119
  Ofhanded Actions .................................... 122
  O’Neill Cylinder ......................................... 28
  Open Game License .................................. 236
  Opposed Action ........................................ 112
  Oras 
   ........................................................ 86
  Perception ................................................... 99
  Phobos  ........................................................ 86
  Pluto  ........................................................ 95
  Posture  ...................................................... 125
  Properties .................................................. 177
  Pulling Punches ......................................... 129
  Range  ...................................................... 129
  Reactions ................................................... 122
  Rhea   ......................................................  93
  Rounds ...................................................... 120
  Saturn 9 ........................................................ 2
  Scattered Disc ............................................. 95
  Schwangi Station ......................................... 88
  Scores & Traits .......................................... 171
  Serv 
   ................................................ 50, 170
  Severity ............................................... 98, 114
  Shams Energy Facility ................................. 74
  Shizen Colony ............................................. 92
  Shock Treshold ........................................ 118
  Simple Action............................................ 107
  Simspace ............................................. 31, 141
  Sinoex  ........................................................ 58
  Size 
   ...................................................... 209
  Skill 
   ................................................ 99, 165
  Skill Breakdown ........................................ 100
  Skill Values .................................................. 99
  Software Rating ......................................... 136
  Sol 
    ......................................................  74
  Space Travel ................................................. 24
  Speed  ........................................................ 99
  Spin 
   .............................................. 125, 231
  Stanford Torus ............................................. 28
  Stasis   ..............................................  25, 146
  Stat Block .................................................. 209
  Stats 
   ................................................ 98, 165
  Stillwater ..................................................... 86
  Strength ...................................................... 98
  Subculture ..................................... 35, 36, 169
  Suppressive Fire ......................................... 129
  Surgery  .............................................. 119, 189
  Surprise ..................................................... 120
  Taiyang Observatory ................................... 75
  Tally 
   ...................................................... 111
  Target Numbers ........................................ 109
  Techno  ................................................ 52, 170
  Torium Power ........................................... 29
  Tin Can ...................................................... 28
  Titan  ........................................................ 93
  TN 
   ...................................................... 109
  Tranzit Station ............................................. 78
  Trick   ....................................................  124
  Triton   ......................................................  95
  Truman Station ........................................... 88
  Trump  ...................................................... 108
  Unarmed Attack ........................................ 129
  Unidome ..................................................... 82
  Unitech ....................................................... 60
  Uranus  ........................................................ 94
  Vanger Station ............................................. 80
  Venus   ......................................................  77
  Vidhi  ........................................................ 86
  Vita Unda ................................................... 92
  Wait 
    ....................................................  122
  Warfare ....................................................... 32
  Weakness ................................................... 172
  Wealth  .............................................. 148, 173
  Wound  .............................................. 117, 231
  Wound Treshold ..................................... 118
  Zihao Gan ................................................... 82
  Zone of Control ........................................ 126
  
  
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Shadows Over Sol/Shadows Over Sol - Science Fiction Horror Roleplaying (reduced).pdf