The Basics
Thousand Suns is a science fiction roleplaying game set in a future when humanity has traveled into the far reaches of the galaxy, colonized new worlds, encountered other intelligent species, and established interstellar states by which to govern itself. As noted above, the game draws much of its inspiration from the classic literary "imperial" science fiction of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, so called because its stories typically featured mighty galactic empires and whose plots often harkened back to events from the Age of Imperialism in the 19th century. Authors like Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Gordon Dickson, Larry Niven, H. Beam Piper, Jerry Pournelle, and A.E. van Vogt are but a few of the most prominent writers of this sub-genre of science fiction and all have influenced the design of Thousand Suns in one way or another. Of course, many contemporary authors, such as Iain M. Banks, Lois McMaster Bujold, Peter F. Hamilton, David Weber, Walter John Williams, among others, have written books with similar plots and themes yet with a more modern perspective. Thousand Suns also looks to them for inspiration.
In Thousand Suns, your character can hail from one of hundreds of settled planets. Numerous species, whether alien, human, or genetically engineered clade, call these planets home. Likewise, representatives of these species come from all walks of life, from highly trained naval officers to determined explorers to wily merchants to almost any other vocation you can imagine. As you travel the galaxy, you might explore alien ruins, engage in dogfights with enemy fighters, re-contact a lost colony world, fly amidst the spires of a world-city, or engage in speculative trade. If you’ve seen it in a science fiction movie or TV show or read about it in a book, there’s a good chance you can do it in Thousand Suns. Despite the wealth of inspiration it draws from the classics of literary sci-fi, Thousand Suns is not a game about recreating them. Rather, it is about using their plots, ideas, and themes as springboards to create science fiction epics with a modern perspective.
Science fiction, it’s been said, is really about the present, not the future. Consequently, a lot of older science fiction — including the works that inspired Thousand Suns — feels somewhat dated because the concerns of the time when they were written don’t always translate well across the decades. Yet, older science fiction often joined a wide-eyed sense of wonder with an appreciation for classical archetypes that’s generally lacking in either the jaded cynicism of cyberpunk or naïve optimism of transhumanist SF of the present day. Thousand Suns is an attempt to marry the best of the past to the best of the present to create exciting space opera roleplaying adventures in the imperial SF tradition.
Imperial science fiction — whether classic or contemporary — is a vast genre, both in terms of its literal scope and its diversity. Of necessity, it takes place over a large canvas, with hundreds, even thousands, of worlds as potential sites for adventures. Having such a large canvas allows it to encompass almost any kind of science fiction story, big or small. This makes it even easier to create whatever adventures appeal to you and your players. The real trick is to give them all that classic SF "spark," that connection to the grand themes of the genre, most importantly humanity’s destiny among the stars.
The rules of Thousand Suns were written with the grand themes of space opera in mind. They are flexible, easy to understand, and modular. This gives the Game Master a toolbox with which to add, subtract or emphasize whatever elements he wishes without having to worry about its effects on other parts of the game. These rules do not model the hard science realism found in some science fiction. Instead, these rules support the "wow" moments found in the older classics of the genre.
Thousand Suns gives you the tools you need to imagine a setting where the human race has left behind the cradle of Earth and ventured into the Great Unknown to find its place in the galaxy. The game rules are intended to make this responsibility as simple — and fun — as possible, because detailing the setting and running adventures should be every bit as enjoyable an experience as playing them.
Strap on your blaster pistol, grab your spacesuit, and get ready to explore a vision of the future unlike any seen in a generation.