Core Assumptions

AI Is (Almost) Everywhere

Artificial intelligence is not a curiosity or a specialized technology. It is a pervasive layer of civilization.

Transportation networks, logistics systems, communications, manufacturing, traffic control, emergency response, and government administration all rely heavily on AI systems.

The major AI blocs—HELIX, ATLAS, LUNE, and TERRA—are not governments, but they exert enormous influence through the systems they manage.

Understanding what an AI wants can be as important as understanding what a government wants.

Robots Do Most Physical Labor

Most routine physical work is performed by robots.

Factories, mines, construction sites, cargo terminals, maintenance facilities, and even many service industries are heavily automated.

Humans remain important, but their role has changed.

A typical engineer does not spend most of her day turning wrenches. She directs robots, supervises systems, solves unusual problems, and accepts responsibility when things go wrong.
A typical pilot does not manually fly a spacecraft from start to finish. Automation handles routine operations. The pilot intervenes when conditions become abnormal.
A typical medic may treat patients through telepresence systems, robotic surgical suites, and AI-assisted diagnostic tools.

Infrastructure Matters

This is not a setting of star empires and isolated worlds.

It is a setting of:

transportation corridors
orbital traffic networks
industrial facilities
resource depots
logistics chains
communication systems
the first leg of a brand new laser highway, potentially disruptive for all of the above

Many adventures revolve around infrastructure.

Who controls it?
Who maintains it?
Who benefits from it?
Who sabotages it?
What happens when it fails?

Human Skill Still Matters

A common misconception is that advanced AI and robotics make human expertise irrelevant.

In practice, the opposite is often true. Modern systems amplify human capability. A skilled engineer supported by robots and AI can accomplish vastly more than a similarly skilled engineer working alone.

That same engineer becomes even more valuable when those systems malfunction. One type of adventure starts when the machines fail or just stop cooperating. The player characters continue functioning after the automation fails.

The New Shorthands

Several descriptors are used throughout the setting to quickly describe organizations, stations, habitats, corporations, and facilities.

These are intended primarily for the referee, but players may encounter them in official documents or background information.

HALT

HALT measures the relative influence of the four major AI blocs.

HALT-xxxx

Where:

H = HELIX
A = ATLAS
L = LUNE
T = TERRA

Higher numbers indicate greater influence.

Example:

HALT-1441

This installation is strongly influenced by ATLAS and LUNE, while HELIX and TERRA have comparatively little influence.

HALT does not indicate ownership. It indicates influence.

HRR (Human-Robot Ratio)

HRR describes how much of an organization's activity is performed by humans versus robots.

HRR 1: 2; Two robots for every human.

HRR 1: 100; One hundred robots for every human.

HRR affects the feel of a location.

IC (Infrastructure Class)

IC-0: Local significance only.

IC-1: Regional importance.

IC-2: Important transportation or industrial facility.

IC-3: Major strategic installation.

IC-4: Civilization-critical infrastructure.

Examples of IC-4 locations include:

major beam corridor facilities
primary transportation hubs
critical resource depots

AD (Automation Dependence)

AD-0: Humans can perform most functions manually.

AD-1: Operations become slower.

AD-2: Operations become difficult.

AD-3: Operations become severely impaired.

AD-4: The facility effectively ceases functioning.

Assisted Operations

One of the most important assumptions in the game is that routine work is normally AI-assisted and robot-assisted.

Rolling to hit an 8 for an average check assumes standard AI and robotic benefits.

The listed difficulty for most tasks assumes access to appropriate tools, networks, robotics, and AI support.

When those systems are unavailable, tasks become slower, harder, or sometimes impossible.

The referee may adjust:

the time required
the target number
or both

depending on the severity of the disruption.

Domain Skills vs. Remote Operations

In this setting, robots are generally considered tools rather than separate skills.

A pilot remotely operating a spacecraft still rolls Pilot.
An engineer supervising repair robots still rolls Engineer.

The relevant professional skill remains primary.

Remote operations become important only when the remote link itself creates difficulty.

Examples include:

communication delays
poor sensor quality
degraded bandwidth
damaged robotic systems
unfamiliar interfaces
controlling multiple systems simultaneously

In those situations, Electronics (Sensors & Remote Operations) may be used to reduce penalties or overcome complications.

The important question is:

"What expertise is actually limiting success?"

Usually the answer is not the robot, but rather the human operating it.