The Hegemony of Man
The HOM is a massive "Web of Worlds" — wormhole-connected planets comprised of the major societies from 21st century Old Earth, all guarded by a powerful militaristic Hegemony and governed by a coalition of megacorporations.
The Hegemony is a futuristic extension of our global culture today; politically polarized, economically complex, brainwashed by media, and most of all, ruled by money.
Core Values: Power, Self-Reliance
- Power refers to the drive for success and dominion over others. The Randian "American Dream" has been digested, regurgitated and swallowed again as the very core philosophy for most Hegemony citizens.
- Self-Reliance refers to the independence from parents/government/social programs saught by all Hegemony citizens as soon as they're old enough to join the workforce.
Lessor CVs: Hedonism, Diversity, Obedience, Capitalism
Typical Allies: Given their "primitive ways," the Old Worlders are not taken seriously by the general public of the Hegemony. But they are respected. Some Old Worlder groups are even granted representation on the HOM Senate, though they rarely attend (perhaps because the Senate is such a charade). People think of them like the Amish.
Typical HOM propaganda portrays the Daoine as tree-loving monks with gorgeous ships and a lush capital planet. They are a trusted ally that provide continuous trade and safe destinations for tourism. However, the Daoine tend to keep their advanced technological secrets to themselves and limit Hegemony visitations to strictly diplomacy, trade, or tourism.
Typical Enemies: The Hegemony of Man has a deep mistrust of outside civilizations such as the Stardwellers and any known Cargo Cults. Popular media depicts these civilizations as being comprised of "outsiders" and anarchistic barbarians who live in the outskirts of space.
The HOM military would shoot Stardweller ships out of the sky if they ever bring them into orbit around a Web World.
Common Neuroform: Some citizens wear a Neural Mesh (p.104). Fully digitized minds are unheard of.
Average Citizen Capabilities:
- Biotech 2 - Gene therapy and bio-engineered food give the average citizen prolonged life, but only the mega-rich can afford immortality. Household biosensors are the norm.
- Cognitech 3 - Many citizens can afford rêvetech service and have brain implants, giving them constant access to the Web infospheres. Lenses cost money.
- Metatech 2 - Experienced government officials can read their opponents mental and emotional states within five minutes of interaction.
- Nanotech 1 - The average citizen has no need for enhanced physical senses, but remote drones are commonplace for large industrial projects and some advanced structures are self-maintaining.
- Stringtech 3 - A normal Hegemony family may own a plasma gun for personal protection, and a wealthy family may own a basic fabricator (although large-scale commercial replication is not common). Many citizens carry some form of personal electric reserve.
Military/Civilization Capabilities:
- Biotech 2 (same as above)
- Cognitech 3 (same as above)
- Metatech 2 (same as above)
- Nanotech 2 - Soldiers are given cyberware that lets them see into the UV and infrared spectra, have perfect proprioception, etc. Elite troopers may even have dermal microbots (p. 99)
- Stringtech 4 - The Hegemony torchships can fire fission beams and capital warships are powered by tiny specks of antimatter. Planets have superconductors that emit virtually limitless electricity, and environmental strategies allow for planet-wide weather control. Wormholes are common in the Web, but very expensive to create.
Benefit: Citizens of the Hegemony must take an additional Core Value of 3 or higher.
