Campaign Framework
Setting
The campaign takes place on the ocean moon
Kanaloa , in the Alpha Centauri system. Bleeding edge technology is largely limited to
Silver City, a corporate enclave, with the rest of the moon leading their lives like 18th century Earth. The land of Kanaloa consists largely of equatorial islands and archipelagos, necessitating vast fleets of sailing ships travelling back and forth between dozens of port cities. Pirates and privateers are both a common danger and a viable career option.
History of Alpha Centauri
Influences
The game is a combination of cyberpunk and high seas swashbuckling. It draws inspiration from such movies as Master and Commander, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Blade Runner, and the Alien series, and TV shows like Firefly, Revolution, and (although it is outside the genres) Deadwood.
The Game
The Serpent Isles is a campaign setting that combines cyberpunk and sea-faring piracy. It is set on a watery moon of a distant world. The Player Characters are escaped convicts, rightfully or wrongly accused, that are offered a chance to seek adventure on the high seas. They must compete against an array of megacorps, city-states, trading companies, and rival freebooters to carve out a place for themselves.
The Drama
Kanaloa is a mysterious and dangerous place - a seeming paradise under a corporate bootheel. A strict quarantine is enforced, no one goes in or out without undergoing a month of rigorous isolated medical testing. Only the rich and connected can afford to come and go. Rumors of a precursor civilization are always quashed by the authorities, whoever they are, but the belief is difficult to erase. Lawlessness abounds outside of the few organized communities. The only rule of life seems to be to take what you can and hold it, with a sword or a laser rifle.
