Societies - Stars Without Number

1

This culture has persisted since founding

2

The culture’s changed, but has continuity

3

Founding group splintered, this is one heir

4

Founding group collapsed and became this

5

Founding group wiped out; new colonists

6

Several founding groups before this one

1

There is no other meaningful group here

2

The society has significant sub-groups

3

The society is a unified world government

4

The only rivals have been conquered here

5

There are several minor rival nations here

6

There's at least one major planetary rival

7

Alliances exist of semi-equal rival nations

8

There are dozens of significant societies

1

Vital advanced tech was left behind

2

Ritually-important religious centers

3

Dangerous ruins of high-security areas

4

Abandoned cities, now dangerous to enter

5

Bunker-caches of stored valuables and tech

6

Massive megastructures of strange purpose

7

Terraforming tech that needs maintenance

8

Ethnic group with a grudge of some kind

9

Bloodline of former rulers, resentful now

10

Ancient resource extraction facilities

1

How Old is the Society

2

Founded during the Second Wave

3

Founded sometime around the Scream

4

Founded within the past century

5

of unknown age (Records lost, hidden, or destroyed)

1

Critical resources for making spike drives

2

Nexus of interstellar spike drill routes

3

Valuable alien tech relics or remnants

4

Abundant food resources

5

Important medical compound or extract

6

Industry salvaged from a prior colony attempt

7

Friendly alien population

8

Valuable raw resources for luxury goods

9

Local environment augments humans here

10

Only semi-safe habitable place in system

11

Raw materials to maintain TL5 industry

12

Important Mandate naval base site

1

Castaways

2

Corporate factory world

3

Ethnic or national purity

4

Excavation site

5

Exiles from Old Terra or a losing regime

6

Exotic genotype designed for here

7

Homeworld overpopulation

8

Invasion force

9

Liaison outpost

10

Mandate malcontents

11

Military outpost

12

Political liberty

13

Precious export

14

Prison planet

15

Refueling outpost

16

Religious liberty

17

Research outpost

18

Rich natural resources

19

Social liberty

20

Trade hub

1

The Rulers teeter on the brink of collapse

2

The Rulers seem likely to fall soon

3

The Rulers recently overcame a real threat

4

The Rulers have no serious threats to their rule

5

No alternative is currently imaginable to the The Rulers

6

The Rulers have ruled undisputed for ages

1

All aspects of life are touched by the rulers

2

The rulers firmly control the populace

3

The rulers control only critical elements

4

The rulers have little control of the ruled

1

A glorious bloodline or honored family

2

Control of overwhelming martial force

3

Popular support among a wide class

4

Loyalty of a major ethnic/religious group

5

Social compact among the ruled groups

6

Possession of pretech artifacts

7

Religiously-legitimated sacredness

8

Personal merit among the ruling class

1

Autocracy of a single popular ruler

2

Corporatism among guilds/classes/corps

3

Democracy, one sentient, one vote

4

Feudalism, many near-free sub-rulers

5

Despotism over a vital resource or Water-Monopoly

6

Military Dictatorship via martial force

7

Monarchy, single ruler via bloodline

8

Oligarchy of the society’s powerful elite

9

Republic of representative delegates

10

Technocracy of intellectual elites

11

Theocracy by the religious leadership

12

Tribalism without structure beyond blood

1

Peripheral elites against the central power

2

Old leadership group deposed by new one

3

Dividing the profits of taxation or tribute

4

Starting or stopping a current war

5

“Reformists” with new ideas for control

6

Sectarian religious groups struggle

7

Expanding membership in the ruling class

8

Enacting a major public building project

9

Support for favored corporations/groups

10

Dividing power and offices among them

1

Their taxation is intolerably high

2

Crimes against the ruled are ignored

3

They trample on cherished customs

4

They hold the ruled in obvious contempt

5

The law is designed to favor them greatly

6

They have immunity to onerous taxes

7

Disrespect for common religious belief

8

They failed or are failing in a recent war

9

They waste taxes and labor on vain things

10

Ways to enter the class have been removed

11

The rulers are all of a different ethnicity

12

They have different basic moral values

13

The rulers ignore rights when it’s useful

14

They deposed former popular rulers

15

State connections are vital to all succes

16

They have fine ideas that ignore public will

17

They have removed a prized ancient right

18

They’re seen as puppets of a hated group

19

Their source of legitimacy is crumbling

20

The leadership is deeply incompetent

1

They consider themselves a single group

2

Two general groups or factions

3

Many weakly-bounded sub-groups

4

Many strong factions/ethnicities/classes

1

There’s an active insurgency or revolt

2

They’re going to revolt at any time

3

Serious restiveness and regular troubles

4

Generally content, with patches of trouble

5

Widespread contentment or submission

6

Only individual resistance, if even that

1

A peasant uprising of discontented proles

2

New technology embraced by Bourgeois

3

Religious schism threatening the state

4

A dangerous popular demagogue arose

5

Foreign-backed regional insurgency

6

Civil war backing a deposed ruler or exile

7

Mass reluctance to support a vital war

8

A new political philosophy spread widely

1

Strong guilds of common workers

2

Powerful influence in the military

3

Can get support from a rival power

4

Local religion is largely on their side

5

Their magnates have poor state relations

6

Strong tradition of self-organized rule

7

Keen unity in pursuit of their own interest

8

A faction of the ruling class is their ally

9

They control the state’s income stream

10

The rulers dread the threat of revolt

1

The rich are mimicking the ruling style

2

Coordinated tax evasion or smuggling

3

Methodical bribery or suborning officials

4

Popular agitation for war with a rival

5

Radical pro-traditional social movement

6

A communistic insurgency is rising

7

Fascist groups are gaining support

8

A large, restless youth population grows

9

Demagogues promote group tensions

10

Embrace of “self-improving” tech or ways

11

An artificial group identity is now rising

12

Serious and widespread drug addiction

13

De-facto chattel debt slavery is spreading

14

The rich oppose threatening tech advances

15

A sub-group is resented as the ruler’s pet

16

A powerful colonial urge is in the populace

17

A spirit of decadent ennui is pervasive

18

Self-protection fraternities are spreading

19

Internal disputes are becoming bloody

20

Progressive loss of faith in their culture

1

Western European, specific or general

2

Chinese, either modern or historical

3

Japanese, unified or balkanized

4

West or East African

5

Indian, pre-Raj or contemporary

6

Eastern European

7

Ancient Egyptian or North African

8

Ancient or Classical Mesopotamia

9

Mesoamerican: Aztec, Maya, Inca, etc.

10

Latin American, colonial or modern

11

Southeast Asian or Polynesian

12

Middle Eastern, pre- or post-Islamic

1

Outsiders are distrusted and excluded

2

Outsiders won’t ever be “real” members

3

Outsiders who try to blend can do so

4

They welcome alien customs and people

1

Official in need of deniable assets

2

Underworld boss with a job for outsiders

3

Outcast local whom no one else will help

4

Local with wrong ideas about outsiders

5

Secret agent of a rival planetary power

6

Oppressed victim in need of outside help

7

Outsider who can’t get any local aid

8

Wealthy trader with starport ties

9

Religious leader with doubts about locals

10

Society grandee who needs quiet assistance

11

Military or police official with secret work

12

Fixer who’s an agent for one of the above

1

Outsiders are to be exploited ruthlessly

2

Dealings are avoided whenever possible

3

Constant small-scale exploitation of them

4

Fairly, but with no mercy for ignorance

5

They’re treated like forgivably stupid locals

6

Active efforts are made to accommodate

1

Honesty

they shun deceit and lies

2

Justice

the law is even-handedly enforced

3

Courage

they are undaunted by danger

4

Mercy

they are forgiving to the penitent

5

Loyalty

they never forsake their own

6

Learning

they love knowledge of all kinds

7

Peace

they shun violence if at all possible

8

Ingenuity

swift to embrace useful novelty

1

Hedonism

loving pleasure too much

2

Corruption

venal rulers and officials

3

Deceit

sweet lies over sour truths

4

Fecklessness

no will to carry out a duty

5

Nihilism

they truly believe in very little

6

Greed

they want what others have

7

Conquest

they seek glory in imperial war

8

Despair

they have no faith in the future

9

Hatred

they are consumed with a hate

10

Folly

they have a dangerously false idea

1

Local credits are worthless offworld

2

Weaponry is unusually unrestricted

3

Structures are very sturdy and defensible

4

There is no planetary computer network

5

Travel passes are needed for outsiders

6

Local tech is troublesomely unreliable

7

Outsiders have to perform favors to stay

8

Only outsiders can do certain jobs

9

Trade requires local guild permissions

10

Certain laws are suspended at certain times

11

Only certain locals can talk to outsiders

12

Sex or race segregation is strictly enforced

13

Certain people are immune to legal action

14

All visitors must obey the local faith

15

Crimes can be commuted with cash fines

16

The locals have bitter family vendettas

17

Certain areas are strictly taboo for most

18

Outsiders need a state minder with them

19

There are addictive substances in the food

20

Certain art is desired but forbidden here

1

Harsh conflict between economic strata

2

Substantial ethnic conflict and disunity

3

Drastic changes in the local economy

4

Competition to enter the ruling class

5

Secessionist traditions or urges in a group

6

Religious differences provoke trouble

7

Regional identities are in conflict

8

Formerly prosperous group is embittered

9

New economic opportunity is fought over

10

Foreign influence is causing conflict

11

A forceful social reform movement spreads

12

An appealing mass delusion is growing

1

vanishingly rare or extremely new-found

2

very uncommon, but not unknown

3

a rare profession, but a real one

4

as common as any other very skilled trade

1

official government agents

2

notorious criminal gang

3

advanced offworlders

4

zealous cult-affiliated priests

5

law Enforcement

6

dedicated artists of new media

7

spiritual teachers and guru

8

famous martial artists or warriors

9

coming from a outsider ethnic group

10

alien and of xeno-origin

11

daring scientific researchers

12

mostly harmless and incompetent

1

are totally hidden, by careful invitation only

2

exist, but there’s no easy way to find it

3

are known, but very restrictive groups teach it

4

take applicants, but are cautious

5

are open and have teachers for any semi-decent pupil

6

are open and have teachers almost everywhere

1

a tool of traitors and rebels

2

dangerous and requiring containment

3

currently a problem for their rule

4

a tool of our political opponents

5

needing to be carefully regulated

6

a useful tool for their ends

7

needing to be cultivated for their use

8

to have tremendous potential if studied

9

a right for those who can use it

10

vital to their future success

1

all make pacts with Shadow patrons

2

are mercenaries and criminals

3

turns you inhuman after a while

4

only look like they’re human

5

are all very spiritually-enlightened

6

is psychologically addicting

7

is hated by a prominent deity

8

is physically poisonous over time

9

causes brain damage and insanity

10

is associated with a particular faith

11

produces dangerous radiation

12

can do anything for the right mage/psychic

13

is a sign of a deity’s personal favor

14

is fake; it’s all really psionics

15

is for unscientific primitives

16

Meddling with magic/physic curses a user

17

are just incompetent psychics

18

are fearsome supernatural beings

19

is tied to particular bloodlines

20

are just naturally superior humans

1

blame-worthy for almost everything

2

a source of profound mistrust

3

distasteful people

4

the public has significant misconceptions about magic

5

are viewed with suspicion, but not openly hostile.

6

most people have have positive attitudes towards them, but with misconceptions

7

are respected and honored

8

are considered superior beings

1

a small circle of intense devotees

2

an inner circle with a larger less-involved cult

3

a large dedicated cult with specialist priests

4

a multi-tiered hierarchy in a very large cult

5

a secretive group where even their own members often only know a few other member, but never the whole group

1

a private social club or salon

2

a splinter political party

3

a corporation or private business

4

a heretical or obscure religious sect

5

a brothel, nightclub, or indulgence group

6

a school or academy of a mundane topic

7

an extended family or ethnic sub-group

8

a musical group and associated fandom

9

a criminal gang or street group

10

a conspiracy in a government agency

11

an aristocratic house and its servants

12

an open membership in a supposed joke cult

1

Lengthy periods of mystical incantation

2

Fasting, self-denial, and prayer

3

Creation of intricate worship symbols

4

Ritual dance or specified sacred motion

5

Sacrifice of some innocuous substance

6

Song or choral performance of hymns

7

Strictly-scheduled worship services

8

Ritual shunning of a common thing

9

Study of an esoteric holy text

10

Body decoration in obvious arcane ways

11

Immoral or excessive carnal acts

12

Blood sacrifice of animals or sentients

13

Brutal personal flagellation or torment

14

Savage correction of heretics or failures

15

Sacrifice of some vital necessity

16

Infliction of terrible pain or suffering

17

Grim trials by which the weak suffer

18

Acts of harm inflicted on unbelievers

19

Self-destructive obedience to superiors

20

Destruction of a thing loved by the cultist

1

semi-serious; it’s just a social club or LARP

2

self-interested; they only care for benefits

3

emotionally attached; it feeds a need

4

entwined; a fundamental part of them

5

the center of their life

6

utter and complete servitude to their god

1

money

control of income

2

violence

reverence for pain or death

3

sorcery

magical powers

4

enforcers

powerful cult agents who act as need

5

many secrets

blackmail material

6

strict devotion

unwavering love

7

threat of exile

offer of food and housing

8

holding hostages

being part of a larger purpose

1

promises of metadimensional paradise

2

money and wealth to followers

3

power over lesser cultists or outsiders

4

exemption from Hell or a coming horror

5

sorcerous power to initiated adepts

6

carnal satisfactions and fleshly desires

7

euphoric emotions and inner bliss

8

love and a place of belonging

9

social standing and respect from the world

10

revenge on enemies or a hostile group

11

protection from enemies or poverty

1

Short

whether broad-shouldered or lithe

2

Average height

but stocky

3

Average height

but slender

4

Unusually tall

whether thin or bulky

1

Loose-fitting robes

2

Long-sleeved tunics and trousers

3

Overalls and repurposed work clothing

4

Tunics and skirts or kilt-like garments

5

Close-fitting robes and wraps

6

All-encompassing shrouds and veils

7

As little as the environment allows

8

Snug-fitting jackets, shirts, and trousers

9

Armor-like protective gear

10

Baggy, loose-fitting jumpsuits

11

Uniforms related to social or religious ties

12

Skin-tight jumpsuits with work belts

1

They're very fond of perfumes and scents

2

Hair styles are exceptionally impractical

3

A particular common color is offensive

4

Everyone carries visible religious tokens

5

Their voices are unusual in some way

6

Body dyes and patterns are popular

7

Minor or major ritual scarring

8

Social sex segregation is common

9

They hate to say "no" directly to people

10

They like lights everywhere, even on clothes

11

Everyone has large tattoos of some sort

12

They're unusually bad with other languages

13

They love to gamble with each other

14

Some aggressive body mod is common

15

A certain skill is common and esteemed

16

Older figures are treated with great respect

17

They use a lot of recreational drugs

18

Being armed is a cultural requirement

19

They're all crazy about a particular hobby

20

Pet native animals are common to many

1

Bald or shaved in specific patterns

2

Close-cropped or aggressively short

3

Masses of tight curls

4

Relatively short, straight hair

5

Long wavy or curly locks

6

Long straight hair, whether done up or loose

1

Extremely dark

2

Mahogany dark brown coffee shades

3

Bronze, ruddy brown, dark golds

4

Olive, light browns tanned shades

5

Golden sallow or old ivory

6

Pinks and pale ivories

7

Near-albino pallor

8

A color tint unknown to modern humanity

1

Snow whites or platinum blond shades

2

Yellow gold straw yellow wheats

3

Pale or medium browns

4

Dark browns or mahoganies

5

Bright reds crimsons and scarlets

6

Dark reds and ruddy browns

7

Very dark near-blacks and browns

8

Raven-feather black blue-black

9

Roll 1d8 twice; a natural pattern of both

10

Abnormal but gengineered-natural color

1

it’s a tool of the corps and governments

2

just one more line of work for the talented

3

queasy distaste for its freakish powers

4

everyone knows mages are degenerates

5

likely fatal to users, but a source of power

6

it’s purely for rebels, freaks, and outlaws

1

fixers who hire deniable sorcery assets

2

government or corp-owned wizards

3

traditional mercenary mage-academies

4

degenerate heirs of an idealistic past order

5

a rebel group or anarchist faction

6

desperate users of a maybe-fatal power

7

scions taught with an alien tradition

8

scavengers of forbidden magical lore

1

he governing powers crack down on it

2

it’s a long-term toxin to users

3

the corps tame and control most of it

4

very few people get the chance to study it

5

ordinary tech seems more practical

6

it tends to wear out or go haywire in time

7

mage groups tend to hate each other

8

the power of magic is slowly fading

9

magic/psychics is only recently-discovered

10

magic/psychics guard their secrets jealously

1

Cyberware is cheap and common

2

Anything can be bought for the right price

3

The people you need will betray you

4

Sacrificing your soul brings great rewards

5

The middle class is extremely precarious

6

Only corp jobs give any social standing

7

Human lives are an expendable resource

8

Powerful entities hire deniable agents

9

Democracy is a facade over true power

10

The rich live lives of gross decadence

11

There are no flawlessly good causes

12

The poor do horrible things to survive

13

Former mages were much better wizards

14

PR is everything to the powers that be

15

The law is slanted to money and power

16

De facto slavery is considered normal

17

Advancement requires betraying others

18

18 All power comes at a personal cost Most people are numb to injustices

19

Fairness is for your own people only