Pyramid Review
Thousand Suns
Published by Rogue Games
Written by James Maliszewski & Richard Iorio II
Cover by Shaun Lowe
Illustrated by Dani Kaulakis
274-page b&w digest-sized softcover; $24.99
19.9 meg b&w PDF; $9.99Rogue Games follows its first RPG, Colonial Gothic: A historical supernatural role-playing game with Thousand Suns, a science-fiction game mechanically modern and light but old school as far the inspiration for its science fiction goes. That inspiration is the "imperial" science fiction of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, and of authors like Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, H. Beam Piper, and Jerry Pournelle. It posits a future in which mankind has explored the galaxy; settled colonies; established interstellar states; and encountered, befriended, and even fought other intelligent species. The dominant human state is vast, too big to be ruled directly from its capital due to the lack of FTL communication and the time taken by FTL travel. Instead appointed representatives govern whole regions, enforcing interstellar law while allowing each individual world to retain its own culture and laws.
As a sub-genre, imperial science fiction is not necessarily of a utopian bent, but it is positive in outlook, fundamentally humanist in nature, never focuses upon its technology, and possesses a sense of wonder about the universe. These are all traits at odds with the Cyberpunk and Transhumanist sub-genres that followed, and all traits that Thousand Suns embrace . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: April 18, 2008
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