The Deep Frontier

[glitterboy2098]

this is something I've been working on for a bit, since it's half done (i can probably bang out the rest in a few days after starting work on it again), i figured i might as well mention it now. hopefully i can get it sent in by the end of the year.


the Deep Frontier is the sea. the article would cover undersea colonization and habitation after the rifts.

in the mid 21st century, population pressure combined with a need for ever more resources was squeezing the earth's inhabitants. a general movement to declare whole regions protected natural zones had limited the expansion of the cities and farms needed to support the rapidly expanding population. mankind found it's release valve however, in the Sea.

Increased exploitation of the oceans provided food, minerals, oil, new medicine. improvements in materials made possible by the new space age made undersea colonization not only possible, but cost effective. businesses offered tax shelters and side benefits to anyone willing to work their undersea farms, mines, oil fields. communities grew up around the industries that kept the earth going. an undersea land rush occurred, speculators and independent groups purchasing 'land' rights and putting down homes in hopes of creating an undersea utopia. the ocean was getting sold away piecemeal.

Utopia was far from possible. because the oceans were neutral territory, they could not be policed. claimjumpers, pirates, raiders, all threatened the peace. nations expanded their territorial waters, in hopes of bringing more colonies under their sway, businesses hired privateers to force rivals into bankruptcy, rich resources were claimed by half the worlds nations. the concept of international waters was finally lost a few decades prior to the cataclysm, and the world was unleashed. technologies developed during the colonization were applied to weapons of war on a scale never before seen. obsolete vehicles of war were dug out of mothballs for conversion and sale to weaker allies, nations began to band together to protect their claims, and to protect themselves from the rising tensions.

the the Cataclysm hit. the colonies were mostly untouched, not seriously effected the the tidal waves and volcanic upheavals. the biggest problem was the sudden isolation. many smaller communities failed when contact was lost with the surface, unable to be self sufficient. some of the bigger colonies had been mostly self sufficient for years, and managed to hold out against shortages, monsters, and weird events. over the 3 centuries of the 'dark ages' and early PA period, some failed, but most slowly prospered, expanding their colonies, reoccupying old colonies, establishing trade with nearby powers.



the article will include the above history (with more detail and in better prose), the names and information about some of the larger surviving colonies, stats for habitats (the domes and tubes and structures that make up colonies), mini-sub construction rules, conventional torpedo's (options other than the the super-cav one's from Undersea's), and some Russian sub designs rebuilt during the golden age for sale to colonies as self defense and transports(Alfa's, and cargo versions of the Delta-IV and Typhoon)

[Exiled_one]

Also have to bear in mind that the Naut'yll (the Undersea power that no one seems to ever remember) have several cities under the Atlantic. As aggresive invaders they would have almost certainly taken any human settlements they found under that ocean as they expanded.

I believe that the Horune and Atlantian ships are also submersible, so what relationship would these arcologies have to those powers? (if different to the standard raid and enslave)

In fact the return of Atlantis itself may have destroyed a number of colonies, and what about those in the leyline triangles around the world?

Nice idea though.

[glitterboy2098]

What interaction would they have with the New Navy and would they be known by Triax? Have any of them been destroyed or taken over by the Lord of the Deep?

that'll be covered. it varies depending on on the community though.
as for the lord of the deep, that'll be covered, though not very in depthly. (tLoD would likely just destroy a colony over occupying it, though cults of the deep would make very interesting plots in a colony. )

Also have to bear in mind that the Naut'yll (the Undersea power that no one seems to ever remember) have several cities under the Atlantic. As aggresive invaders they would have almost certainly taken any human settlements they found under that ocean as they expanded.

true, and taken into account. one colony (near the falklands) i'm even writing up as being a major pain in the rear for the squidheads expansion plans, situated as it is in the middle of the frontlines between the naut'yll and the new Navy.

i hadn't planned much atlantic stuff anyway, aside from a few in the north sea, since the atlantic isn't as hospitable as the pacific in regards to colonization. most colonies would be in shallower waters with outposts in depper waters, the mid atlantic is lacking in such.

I believe that the Horune and Atlantian ships are also submersible, so what relationship would these arcologies have to those powers? (if different to the standard raid and enslave)

will also vary based on the community. generally though it would be the same as the surface communities, splugorth and Horune are raiders and slavers to defend against.

In fact the return of Atlantis itself may have destroyed a number of colonies, and what about those in the leyline triangles around the world?

i'm leaving those to the GM's. the communities i'm including are examples of what kinds of things you can make, from the isolationist Baltians to the militant Aurorans, and others.

[glitterboy2098]

the articles come along well. intersession left me with little to do and most of my books packed, so i focused on this article. right now all that is left is to come up with a few more communities, a few more example subs, and put the finishing touches on the Freelance Aquanaut O.C.C.

I've decided to drop the Russian subs and conventional torps, they just don't fit right with the rest of it.


i do want to know, how detailed a section on life under the sea do you guys want? i need to write that part and i can gloss over it covering the basics, or i can go into details on the problems of pressure (habitats are sealevel pressure, but SCUBA isn't, and some communities are too deep for normal scuba [could still use helium mix in some..]), regimented life, the view out the portholes, ect.

[glitterboy2098]

hell make some areas of the ocean like space itself. no gravity, no oxygen, high radition, sub zero temps and decompession.

not really possible.

Gravity is ever present, it's just buoyancy counter acts it in a lot of cases. oxygen is prevelant through out most of the water, it's just in really low % and not directly usable by humans. so you have to bring your own, which limits you.
water is one of the best shielding you can have against radiation
and the problem is compression, not decompression, most of the time. every 30 feet is equal to one atmosphere of pressure. it adds up fast.
subzero temps are there in the deep places of the world, but the pressure prevents ice from forming.

there are similarities. comfort is restricted to fragile bubbles amid a vast hostile realm, your have to be very careful to monitor everything you eat and breath and use, because your resources are limited. space is at a premium, your living in confined spaces for long periods of time. your interacting with lots of people in that confined area, so mental stability is important. you can't go outside without being in a suit or vehicle, which adds to the confined feeling. even when you can go out in SCUBA gear, you have to spend time before the dive compressing, and hours after decompressing. below 200 feet, which would be typical, you'd have to breath exotic air mixes of oxygen and helium, which can cause nervous disorders like HPNS. to much nitrogen and you run the risk of rapture of the deep, nitrogen narcosis. decompress to fast and you get the bends, or even an air embolism, both are fatal. your diet would be bland, mostly fish and grains, your air is reprocessed over and over and over, and you'd have to live with the knowledge that any major accident, any leak or damage to the habitat could result in a quick death....


sheesh, I've already written half the section without trying..

[glitterboy2098]

ok, the article is done and i've run it through a spellchecker.

now to track down some trustworthy freinds who know the system to run it by (looking mostly for holes and gaps in the write up, or other major goofs).


hopefully i'll be submitting it in the next month.

[Aramanthus]

I'll look forward to seeing your article GB!

[glitterboy2098]

I'll look forward to seeing your article GB!

so am i.

after my last one, i'm a little concerned that it might not see the light of day. (nearly 18 months now without a word other than "we got it")

and that one was so much more interesting to my mind.

[Aramanthus]

Just be patient! Remember they have a lot going on. Think positively!

[glitterboy2098]

i know. but after almost 2 years without at least a "we're getting to it" or any other message whatso ever, it's kinda annoying.


oh well, hopefully undersea colonies catch their imaginations a bit more than a small kingdom in oregon.


content includes history, current info, life under the sea (including dangers of pressure, temp, as well as information of undersea mining and farming.), 5 colonies, each unique and with a brief write up detailing history, location, culture, defenses, and other important info, a system for creating civilian submarines, 2 sample subs, rules for SCUBA, price of scuba gear (and a list of what is required for a full set), a diving hardsuit, 2 sample subs, harpoon gun and various harpoon types (generic civilian type, not the military stuff the CS and FQ uses), and stats and information of different types of habitats that make up the colonies (i used a 'tubeville' style of colony with many smaller domes and structures connected by tubes and passages. though i mentioned the GM should feel free to invent their own habitat types), and the freelance aquanaut OCC, which is something a operator/vagabond/sailor hybrid. not really useable outside an undersea's game, i'm afraid, but thats to be expected.

not in that order, of course.

[Aramanthus]

did you ever think maybe they might contact you and ask you if they could useit in the Lemuria book? And that your contribution would be to help make the Lemuria book complete! Just think positive!

[glitterboy2098]

maybe not lemuria, but i can hope they'll decide to include it in Artemis' west coast book he's writing.


the deep frontier i can hope will see print in either the rifter or Lemuria. (or maybe get me a job writing Undersea's II, hey, i can dream, right?)

[Aramanthus]

There is no laws against that. Just Think positive GB!

[The Galactus Kid]

do it.

[Aramanthus]

See I'm not the only one who is telling you to think positively!

[glitterboy2098]

having a freelancer give me the voice of approval is a big boost for one's ego, yes.


i was actually all set to package and submit the final draft last night, but i decided to run it by my brother. he loved the concept, but pointed out some grammer and spelling mistakes everyone else missed.

oh well, murphy's laws of combat #1, no plan survives contact with the enemy.

they're minor changes, only about a paragraphs worth. should be simple enough to fix over this weekend.

[Aramanthus]

Cool! I know there are a lot of us now waiting for your article GB!

[glitterboy2098]

practically finished. i found decompression rules in MiO and i just need to copy them into the appropriate area of the article, along with suggested penalties for the other pressure related illnesses included. (HPNS, nitrogen narcosis, specifically)

other than that it's just a quick alteration to a few sentances to clairify some wording and i'm good.

[Aramanthus]

That sounds awesome! Can't wait to see it!

[NMI]

yeah GB, I read what you sent me and it looks pretty good. Cant wait to see the finished product.

[glitterboy2098]

i've added a bit and done some minor editing since that version, but that was mostly to make it look nicer (like adding a little 'book excerpt' erin tarn style at the front) or to make the writing flow better.

i also had to adjust the few dates i gave in the history section by a few years to make it conform more with what little existing timeline info exists.

the final copy is all set, printed, and burned onto a CD now, so all i have to do after work is run to the local post office to mail it off.

[glitterboy2098]

submission mailed today!

hopefully i get a reply sometime in the next week.

[Aramanthus]

Congrats GB! Good luck! Although I'm sure they'll love it!

[glitterboy2098]

i hope so.

right after i finish a paper for one of my college course's i'll probably start work on my next couple of projects.

i have notes on at least 3 more undersea's related article's, one of which is an outgrowth of the golden age undersea history i've established in Deep Frontier.
the other two are more 'setting the stage' articles to expand on ndersea's more, specifically an article about the seafaring and islander cultures of the pacific, and the other is a 'creature feature' with some more interesting creatures and monsters to encounter.

i'll probably end up doing the golden age article first, i've already got some of the vehicles stated out (just need some rewrites to represent their golden age specs), and the rest will be easy enough to write up. the section of optional rules for naval combat would be hardest, but mostly just time consuming.

and i need to get going on one of my secret projects, i've done rather little real work on it for a bit (stupid writer's block), and i need to get back to writing the meat of the article, before it turns into a toystore like WB5...

[Aramanthus]

I know there are several of us who are dying to get ahold of those articles of yours! I am only one!

[Borast]

Try to keep it as far as possible from seaQuest - even if it was a great show!

Other than that, do it!

[glitterboy2098]

don't worry. it's as far from seaQuest as i could get it.

the only similarities are the fact of undersea communities (required ), and the fact that the communities caused political problems. the cause and solution to those problems are completely different.

other than that, there are only a few technical similarities, but i based all my stuff on real world undersea construction and concepts, so any similarities are simply convergent evolution of idea's.


seaQuest DSV served as the inspiration, as did the Abyss and Cousteau's Conshelf experiments, but the final result is a Rifts original.

[Aramanthus]

That just makes my mouth water for naval based material! I've always loved it.

[glitterboy2098]

still waiting. i bet between Hades and Gencon, the palladium staff has been a bit too busy to review rifter articles. here's hoping they make quick but thorough work of the backlog...


oh, and some news on a related front: Aquanaut builds underwater home (thread in sound off!)
for non-sound off readers

[Aramanthus]

I read about that over at Nexus Nine. It's a very cool concept. Hopefully people will try to push this tech further. I bet you are going to have a more extensive of underwater habitats.

[glitterboy2098]

You know one of the issue that they might have is that Lemuria is supposed to be in the pacific area as well so that could cause problems if you put any of these colonies near the underwater city.

I would still like to read it though.

i doubt that will be a problem.

no canon location has been referanced for lemuria, and any writer isn't going to say.

plus, of the communities i present, only two are in the pacific, and neither are anywhere the lemurian cities might be.


the big attraction of the article is not the new communities per say, but the ability to invent your own using the tools presented. the ones mentioned in the article are just samples of what can be created.

[Aramanthus]

It sounds better and better GB! I can't wait to see your article in print!

[glitterboy2098]

some good news on this front. about a week back i got an E-mail from Wayne, he apologised for not responding sooner, and was digging through entries to find mine and read it.

i would assume he's already found it by now.

here's hoping.

[Aramanthus]

I've got my fingers crosssed for you GB!!!

[Slag]

I'll look forward to seeing your article GB!

so am i.

after my last one, i'm a little concerned that it might not see the light of day. (nearly 18 months now without a word other than "we got it")

and that one was so much more interesting to my mind.

Don't fret; waiting endlessly without word is part of the game.

Mental Skills (#19): 2 years submission to acceptance
Barbarians (#38&40): 1.5 years

Ironically:

Mercs (#25): 2 weeks
Advanced Skills (#30): a few days


Double-ironic:

Deep South books: announced 1.5 years ago, perpetually sliding to the right on greesed skids

OK, fret. But fret gracefully...

[glitterboy2098]

actually getting a response back has helped put my mind at easy. i can wait as long as i need to* to get published, my big worry was that the articles either didn't arrive or were lost.
it's happened to me frequently enough in other things (i'm still annoyed at Northern Arizona University) that i was worried.


* i've got other projects almost guaranteed to see print, but it's a good ways from being done, and no, i can't talk about it.

[The Galactus Kid]

I will always either hand deliver a manuscript at a convention or I'll send it UPS or FedEx. ALWAYS. I don't trust the USPS anymore.

[glitterboy2098]

i've had good results with USPS, maybe it's just the region i'm in.

i haven't been able to go to the open house's, they conflict with my college finals. usually the week before, which makes it hard to get away

maybe next year it'll be at a time that'll let me attend.

[The Galactus Kid]

we can hope.

[abtex]

if you have not hear back on your submissions. You could remind 'the powers that publish' it would make great Rifter article to go along with the upcoming Rifts® World Book: Lemuria™ book.

Just a thought.

Now back to trying to find that Rifter article that I am looking for.

[glitterboy2098]

actually a revised version was submitted as part of the rifter 0.1 project. there wasn't any official word on such presubmitted things, but the general assumption of the project was that the number of years that have passed means that it's unlikely to be remembered.

[gaby]

Maybe it would be better to set this up in the Indian ocean.

[Lord Z]

Why, Gaby?

[gaby]

Well Underseas Cover the Atlantic and Pacific,no one is using the Indian one.

[glitterboy2098]

the nice part about our oceans is that at 71% of the planets surface, and 1.3 billion cubic kilometers in volume, there is plenty of space. even with the WB7 stuff (which really only cover 3-4 actual spots if you plot them out on the map)