A Vibrant and Harsh Omen

The OMEN RPG is set roughly six hundred years into the future, at a time when the destiny and survival of humanity is unclear. We have become a part of a galactic community with six other intelligent species, all of whom inhabit different stellar systems surrounding Sol.

The ever accelerating consumption of resources, and the catastrophic effect of inter-stellar warfare, has caused Earth and humanity to suffer tremendously. The other intelligent species were not more sophisticated, or had a broader empire than that of the humans, yet all seven of the species has evolved somewhat parallel to one another. As they each reached the apex of their civilizations, their native homeworlds were not enough to sustain the dozens of billions of individuals that lived upon their taxed surfaces.

Thus, the species took to the stars, hoping to find new sectors of resources, as well as sustainable systems that may provide a wellspring of life for the crumbling civilizations. What they found was that nearly every system adjacent was occupied by another sentient species, and soon the process of the struggle over resources dominated the Systems for the next three hundred years.

During this time, the societies that had struggled and climbed to a glorious point of education, quality of life, and civilization slowly broke apart under the strain of the Void Wars. Communication and compromise between the species became more necessary, yet more difficult, as long range communication between the forward forces and their political commanders back home began to dissipate. Eventually, all that was left were the descendants of those military forces and support staff that continued the war. Abandoned, they continued their difficult survival in the Black.

The vast empires had broken apart, and all that remained were thousands of pockets of savage, archaic leadership. New alliances were formed, new civilizations founded, and the majority of the known galaxy's populace now lived amongst the intricate Cosmo Grid, a network of space stations that spanned the distance between the farthest systems.

Few have seen their homeworld, even fewer were born there. The limits of space travel technology have been reached, culminating in approaching the speed of light, but unable to surpass it. This makes space travel extremely slow and expensive, and so the Systems are distant, comprising nearly entirely of the cold, apathetic Black void of space. Were one to travel from Earth to the further reaches of the Grid, it might only comprise of several days, but several years would have transpired on Earth. Families must either stay together, or bid farewell for decades.

The cold reality of space survival has crushed the romantic dreams that had been fueled by their imagination. This has caused the remainder of society introspection and philosophical contemplation, realizing that no great civilization will come to enlighten them, but that they are entirely self-reliant to continue to evolve and improve their state of living.

Wars are fought, but between hundreds of men between station to station, not planet to planet. Civilizations exist, but the racial lines are of little concern, and the localized governments are ruled by those who are able to control the dangerous environment that they have created. Five generations are station-born, and now the dreams are of the wonders and history of the fallen empires. The future is one of pragmatic realism, cold-hearted instinct, and a hopeful yearning to survive, and to thrive.

It is said that the universe has lost track of its destiny. That the tendency for all intelligent life to expand and to control their environment has ceased. That the nurturing, maternal homeworlds have borne billions of orphans with no memory of their mother, their history, or the sacrifices that were made so that they could survive. There is only the daily struggle for survival, for acceptance, and to answer the ultimate question: why are we here?

For many, the answer will never be known. But to most, the path to happiness is simply through satisfaction. Satisfaction that their family is safe, and that they have enough water and food and heat to last them the next cycle. Satisfaction that they have enough ammunition for their weapons, enough fuel cells for their generators, enough oxygen for their lungs. The notions of love and kindness and art are still widespread, and are even more appreciated than they had been in centuries past. The brevity and severity of life have made even the simplest pleasure all the more enjoyable, and treasured.

There are those who would kill simply for a spoonful of sugar, a thimble of honey, or a bite of a fresh vegetable. And yet there are those who cooperate, remain organized, and build a utopian vision of a new civilization, one amongst the infinite vastness of space, without the historical scars that have been so entrenched by their forefathers. There are those who aim to seek peace, to maintain harmony. Yet they remain powerless against those who are willing to kill, willing to strike terror, willing to plaster the blood of their enemies onto the cold, unforgiving walls of their new metallic homes.

A people are shaped by their environment, and the environment of the denizens in the OMEN universe is harsh, unforgiving, and will break those who are too weak to survive it.