1484

Power Empires is an example setting for Cybergempunks.

1484

SANITY IS WEAKNESS

It is the year 1484. Magic has gone from pervasive fact of life to nearly forgotten myth, been archaeologically verified beyond a doubt, and now all knowledge of it has been squelched nearly universally, barely even speculated upon by the elite that are allowed to know of such things. It is a grim, dystopic future, but the people living in it can imagine no other.

There are three countries: Northron, Southeria, and Eastinent, but they are all the same. They are at war, and always will be at war, over the Muil Islands. Alliances between them are impermanent and irrelevant, only serving to improve the plausibility that the nation which is about to win may suddenly find itself losing.

Technology has barely advanced in the past hundred years since few are left who understand rational thought, but people believe it is making life better every day.

Playing a Character

The lower classes are surveilled constantly by ubiquitous cameras and microphones, occasionally overseen by bored enforcers but usually watched by AIs. The last of them that were taught of "reason" have died of old age or execution long ago, and extensive "schooling" (propaganda sessions) instill in them a constant nationalistic pride and an inability to do even basic arithmetic like 2+2 in a consistent manner. Playing a member of a lower class doesn't make sense until a real revolution has managed to capture and counter-brainwash some.

The elite have been raised with the certainty that life is about being on top. They have difficulty backstabbing each other despite being taught morals that would encourage some of them to do so, as each is provided with a Bioport that allows every elite to keep watch on every other one. Some may still have compassion and empathy, but the Bioports keep them in check as well. Playing a member of the elite doesn't make sense until there is sufficient upheaval that they could expect to get away with Bioport trickery.

Those few savages who have not been claimed by one of the three countries are generally ignorant of the common languages and poorly equipped. Playing a savage doesn't make sense until they can get their hands on some exclusively excellent weaponry and training.

No, none of the people in the world make good playable characters. That is the terrible beauty of the arrangement. None of the things a person in the world could think of doing and accomplish are things that matter.

However, people not in the world have not yet been subjected to such powerful social forces. Unlike citizens, space aliens and time skippers escaping Greb oppression do make good player characters.