Core Themes
How can technology be integrated into society and the world?
What are the pros/cons of different social structures?
How do different technological ideologies mix with different social ideologies?
Notes
Star Wars + Cyberpunk + Cozy Cottages
Shrines to different icons (common UI like battery, cellular bars, save icon, etc) that have been simplified to each represent a different fundamental idea (energy, interconnectedness, memory/rememberance).
Households are powered by solar and wind power. Types of renewable energy have their own religious followings with different sects. Wind energy pirates?
- This is now expanded on to be the factions below.
Small nuclear batteries power weapons, spells are required to make them into batteries and create containment fields for safety. Being struck with a nuclear weapon is like being hit with a blaster/laser weapon (Star Wars) but it also causes radiation poisoning over time and the more you are hit.
Maybe the spells for making radiation powered weapons are tightly controlled? Maybe you are only allowed to learn once you reach a certain age?
- This doesn’t really work with the factions below. Presumably the technologists would have old people too? Maybe it’s controlled by a single faction, like the solar sages.
Empire of robots is trying to take over? They have laser weapons, but not radiation powered. Maybe young people run this empire? Laser weapons need an energy source hence the need for expansion and taking over resources.
- This also doesn’t work with the below faction ideas, but more interesting to have multiple distinct ideologies for both the sustainable theme and technological theme.
Factions
Sustainablists
Communities entirely divested from non-renewable sources of energy and non-replaceable materials.
How to store energy? Magical material? Different per community?
Solar Sages
An isolationist religious faction. The majority of members live alone. At most, they live in groups of 3-5. Elders are able to live alone with assistance from technology.
Wind Sailors
Wind farms can be found near farmland, in narrow mountain passes, and even in the ocean, where there are steadier and stronger winds.
Maybe flying wind turbines? Sky sailors can dock and recharge. Like a power oasis.
Where do they get food? Birds? Sky fauna?
Harvest water from clouds?
The ships need some way to float. Magical material? Or maybe it’s a mechanism that uses power. Blimp with turbines?
Hydro Cooperative
Elevation is key for hydro power. The Hydro Cooperative should be in a mountainous area with rivers.
They could also have figured out tidal/wave energy.
Maybe multiple hydro cooperatives based on different forms of hydro power?
Wave energy has a problem with salt corroding metal, barnacles growing on equipment, transmitting energy from the ocean to shore, and disrupting marine life.
Coop principles and values
Many cooperatives follow the seven Rochdale Principles:
- Voluntary and open membership
- Democratic member control, with each member having one vote.
- Economic participation by members
- Autonomy and independence
- Education, training and information
- Cooperation among cooperatives
- Concern for community
Technologists
Analog
No screens. Meritocratic society. Industrious.
Lo-Fi Monarchy
The ruler dictates the VIBES. Star Wars vector graphics?
Digital
Some typical cyberpunk elements but less dark and grim. Dense population, advertising, capitalism. Visually still a bright color palette + neon, concrete buildings.