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VANGUARD CAMPAIGN SETTING - PLAYER'S GUIDE
🕑 Added 2025-08-08 20:00:01 +0000 UTCThis is the current version of the player's guide for the Vanguard Campaign Setting. It is 'presuming' Lancer as a gaming system, but other than a few notes here or there it is easily compatible with other systems.
This player's guide is meant to be easily shared with all players or potential players of the campaign.
I also made a variation of this guide here that I'm still testing out, let me know what you think of this webpage version.
Note that the GM's guide, available for those who purchase the flow collection (if you're a non-subscriber), has all the tokens and a detailed session-by-session guide for the mini-campaign. (This is also available to those on the ADVANCE tier and will be made available to all subs over the next few months.)
The embedded text version is below:
VANGUARD CAMPAIGN SETTING PLAYER’S GUIDE
By FNFN ART
Overview
The distant future has seen humanity reach out beyond its cradle on Earth.
The first aliens encountered in this new frontier were the Pocam. The Pocam, intelligent and skilled, soon found ways to communicate with humans. Slender, typically five feet tall, with skin that chromatically shifts in response to their feelings, the Pocam are a fluid, technologically savvy people. In the early years, Terra and the Pocam began a gradual introduction to diplomacy, which was soon formalized as peace.
A pocam mech pilot
But an ancient enemy stirred in the depths of space. The Gen-Forgers—engineered bio‐constructs bent on consuming all sentient life—emerged as a nightmarish threat. The first recorded strike fell upon Centauri V—a dusty, agrarian terran world on the fringe of charted space. Terran forces saw scattered signals of hulking beasts, snarling monsters, and then silence. When they finally reached the planet, unable to quell the infestation, they nuked the planet from orbit.
Helmet-Cam Footage Sent back from Centauri V the Day of the Attack; the most broadcast footage in Terran history, and shared with the Pocam.
This attack led to a closer bond with the Pocam. The two cultures overcame fear and misunderstanding to form the Terran–mocap Alliance. Through this union, mocap scientists shared their advanced “interface” technology—an organic, thought-responsive system that would become the heartbeat of every Alliance mech.
Under this Terran–Pocam Alliance (TPA), “mechs” (gigantic piloted combat frames) evolved dramatically. Early Terran designs emphasized raw firepower and armor, but mocap adaptations introduced a near‐symbiotic interface that let pilots fuse mind and machine. Pilots speak of “riding the current,” a sensation where the mech feels like a living extension of their own body. When synched too deeply, it can induce unpredictable physiological and psychological effects—an occupational hazard accepted by every Aegis Squadron member.
The War with the Gen-Forgers has begun—an all‐consuming struggle that forced the Alliance’s finest pilots and mechs into deadly conflict across multiple star systems.
Everything in this guide can safely be regarded as common knowledge by all players playing the game and by all characters in the game.
Fitting Your Characters into this Mini-Campaign
You are a mech pilot of the TPA Vanguard. You are the first line of defense for the Terran-Pocam Alliance (TPA).
Welcome to the war.
Life in the Fleet is one of discipline, camaraderie, and purpose. You are part of an elite fighting force, and the bonds you forge with your squadron mates—human and Pocam alike—are often stronger than family.
You serve aboard a massive Aegis-class mech-carrier, a mobile starbase that is your home, your fortress, and your entire world for patrols far from Terra (Earth).
Typical start-of-campaign characters are:
Active members of the Terran-Pocam Alliance (TPA). They are already established into a military hierarchy. You’ll want to decide why your character joined the TPA, and why they became a Mech Pilot.
They might have distinctive traits that have allowed them to become pilots of mechs, which is a competitive responsibility, and some might see it as prestigious (think fighter jet pilots).
What is Known about the Gen-Forgers?
At the start of the campaign, not a lot is known about the Gen-Forgers, but characters would have:
Visceral memories of the helmet-cam footage sent back from Centauri V, and the knowledge of the destruction of that colony. This might have been part of their motivation in joining the TPA.
Knowledge that the Gen-Forger threat includes a larger-than-a-wolf-sized alien creature with ferocious claws designated a Scuttler.
The capital ship that nuked Centauri V to quell the infestation there was in turn destroyed by a Gen-Forger Capital ship. In those first hours, the Terran capital ship thought the infestation of Centauri V originated from that planet. Only after they were in turn attacked by a capital ship did they realize the scale of the threat. As such, your character also knows:
Gen-Forgers have capital ships. If you want your character to have survived a Gen-Forger capital ship attack, you might work this out with the GM.
Generally, I’d discourage players from having already established too much history fighting the Gen-Forgers, as this might dampen the thrill of discovery as this mini-campaign progresses. Indeed, you might either answer, or get hints of answers, of some key questions about the Gen-Forgers.
Questions about the Gen-Forgers
Here are questions that are still actively debated in the alliance about the gen-forgers.
What do they want? As far as the alliance can tell, the Gen-Forgers are a rapacious, space-faring biological and perhaps biomechanical plague. It is currently believed that they target habitable worlds, consuming all biological matter and planetary resources to replicate and expand.
What are their soldiers? Their forces are not uniform. It is speculated that the “scuttlers” seen on Centuari V might not be the same entities that command Gen-Forger capital ships. What is the full range of forms a Gen-Forger can take?
Are they coordinated? There haven’t been enough encounters with Gen-Forgers to fully understand if they have a command structure or whether each “scuttler” always acts autonomously. It’s speculated they might have some sort of hive mind, like an insect, but this is not known with certainty.
Can they communicate? There is no known diplomacy with the Gen-Forgers. There is no evidence whatsoever that they are inclined to communication with humans or pocam, or any indication that such communication would even be possible.
The Tools of the Trade: Your Mech & The Pocam Interface
As an Aegis Squadron pilot, you psychically bond to a thirty-foot war machine, a marvel of joint Terran-Pocam engineering. At the start of the game, this will be based on the Lancer Everest module.
But the true miracle—and the greatest personal risk—is the Pocam Interface.
The Bond: The interface is not just a set of controls; it is a bio-symbiotic link that merges your mind and nervous system with your mech. This allows for instantaneous, thought-based commands, granting you unparalleled speed and responsiveness in combat. When you and your mech are in sync, you move as one being. This connection is often referred to as "The Flow."
The Risk - "Riding the Current": The interface comes with significant, officially acknowledged occupational hazards, particularly for humans. The immense bio-energetic feedback required for the symbiotic link has unpredictable effects on the human body and mind. This is a known risk you accepted when you enlisted. Common slang for this is "riding the current."
Physiological Changes: Pilots frequently experience hormonal fluctuations after intense combat. More extreme or prolonged stress can lead to "anomalous somatic sensations" and even significant, unpredictable physical restructuring.
Psychological Strain: The deep link with a machine, the channeling of intense energies, and the trauma of battle can lead to psychological stress, including phantom limb sensations if a pilot's mech is destroyed.
Every time you sync with your mech, you are rolling the dice. You are channeling alien power to fight monsters, but the power itself may leave its mark on you, changing you into something new and unexpected.
How are Terran-Pocam Relations?
Generally speaking, Terran-Pocam relations are good. The Pocam saw the Terran footage of the Gen-Forger attack on Centauri V. If you’re playing a Pocam character, you’re welcome to devise any incidents of Gen-Forgers destroying Pocam capital ships more recently, in the last two or three years, driving home the importance of the Terran-Pocam alliance.
That being said, Terran and Pocam relations are only decades old. Many norms and customs may still be distinct. You’re welcome to lean into cultural misunderstandings.
With the Gen-Forger threat, both sides of the alliance have an interest in keeping things smooth. There might be holo-sim shows on earth showing romantic dramas between human and pocam characters. It is possible for Terrans and Pocam to reproduce together through Pocam energy fields on the Pocam planet of Resonance Prime, although not enough time has passed for these children to be fully grown as this campaign begins. Player characters might see propaganda supporting the war effort during downtime on their home planet, if they have access to it.
Temporally Situating Your Character’s Life
This module is written from the perspective that the encounters with both the Pocam and the Gen-Forgers have occurred within the single human lifetime leading up to this campaign. This means, you might think on your character’s life and key moments from it. This has been a transformative era for both the Terran and Pocam people.
While you and the GM are welcome to adjust the timeline to work best for your intended backstory, we might think of first contact with the Pocam as having occurred 20 years ago, formal peace with the Pocam 10 years ago (leading to an explosion of cross-cultural contact and research), and the first encounter with the Gen-Forgers (the annihilation of Centauri V) 5 years ago. At this point, much is still unknown about the Gen-Forgers.
You might think of your character as having been a child when the Terrans and Pocam first encountered each other, and the thrill of the first year when the Terrans went from first contact, to communication (lead by Pocam linguists), to a non-aggression pact, to a peace treaty. Their parents lived in a world where Terrans (and Pocam, respectively) thought they were the only intelligent species in the universe.
Your character remembers seeing the footage from helmet cams of Gen-Forger attack on Centauri V. This moment of horror might be forever etched into their mind, a collective realization that space was not only filled with friendly, social aliens like the Pocam, but also hostile forces, against Terran life.
As a new member of the Terran-Pocam alliance, your character would have been one of the first to interact with a new Terran-Pocam joint fleet vessel. Don’t be afraid to talk to your GM about having been the “first” something – perhaps the first Terran pilot of a Pocam mech? Or the first pocam pilot using terran-based weapons systems?
This is likely if not the first, one of the first deployments of the TPA Vanguard. Actual mech deployments are likely still fresh and new to you. The game begins with your first real deployment with your current mech and for most characters, their first real deployment with any mech.
The TPA Vanguard - An Overview
The Aegis Carrier TPA Vanguard is a formidable vessel within the Alliance Fleet, a symbol of the combined military and scientific might of the Terran-Pocam Alliance. This ship is where the campaign begins. At over two kilometers in length, it functions as a mobile starbase, capable of long-duration patrols deep within contested sectors of the Andromeda galaxy. Its primary mission is to serve as a launch platform for the elite Aegis Squadron, a specialized mech unit, and to act as a command-and-control center for Alliance operations against the Gen-Forger threat within the Andromeda sector. The ship as a whole houses a complement of nearly three thousand crew members, support staff, scientists, and pilots.
Command & Operations
The Bridge: The nerve center of the Vanguard. A large, open deck featuring a panoramic main viewscreen, multiple command stations for navigation, communications, and tactical operations. It is the domain of the ship's Captain and senior command staff.
Briefing Rooms: Several secure chambers adjacent to the command deck used for mission briefings. These rooms are equipped with large holographic conference tables and tactical displays for reviewing mission parameters, intelligence, and after-action reports.
Captain's Ready Room: A private office adjoining the bridge where the Captain can review personnel files, hold secure comms, and conduct private meetings.
Aegis Squadron Facilities
Mech Bay One (Hangar Bay): A cavernous, multi-level space that serves as the heart of Aegis Squadron's operations. It houses the docking cradles for the squadron’s mechs. The bay is a hub of constant activity, featuring engineering pits for maintenance, diagnostic consoles overseen by Unit 434, and the towering gantries required for pilot embarkation. It is adjacent to Cargo Bay One. This is where the first scene of the game usually takes place.
Training Bays (e.g., Training Bay Gamma): Dedicated facilities for various combat drills. These include holographic firing ranges for infantry weapons practice (such as the Mark-IV Pulse Rifle) and open spaces for physical training and simulations.
Simulator Pods: Located within the primary training bay, these sealed pods allow pilots to engage in complex, realistic combat simulations without deploying their actual mechs, providing a safe environment to hone skills and test new tactical scenarios.
Medical & Science
Sick Bay: The ship's primary medical facility. A large, sterile environment equipped with advanced diagnostic scanners, multiple bio-beds for patient care, and a central surgical suite. During crises, it can be rapidly converted into a mass-casualty triage center. It is staffed by a Chief Medical Officer, Assistant Medical Officers, and various medics.
Dr. Voed's Office: A unique counseling space designed with Pocam sensibilities. It features soft, shifting ambient light, textured walls, and a calming, low-frequency hum, creating a serene environment for psychological and energetic counseling.
Hydroponics Bay: A large, humid bay where genetically engineered food crops are cultivated under soft grow-lights. This section is vital for the ship's long-term sustainability, recycling oxygen and providing fresh nutritional supplements for the crew.
Science Labs: Various laboratories dedicated to analyzing new data, including biological samples and recovered alien technology.
Crew Habitation & Recreation
Crew Quarters (Suites & Bunks): Accommodations vary by rank and relationship status. Most crew members reside in standard, compact bunks. Declared partners are assigned small, private suites that include a sleeping alcove, a common living area, and a private fresher unit.
Mess Hall (Officer's Mess): The communal dining area for the ship's crew. It is a large, bustling space with numerous tables and booths where personnel gather for meals, offering a variety of shipboard fare from nutrient paste to synthesized preparations.
Observation Lounges: Located on the forward and upper decks, these spaces feature large transparisteel viewports offering breathtaking views of open space, warp travel, or planetary systems. They serve as quiet places for reflection and informal social gathering.
Library Node: A quiet, data-rich environment where crew members can access the ship's extensive information archives, from technical manuals and personnel regulations to cultural and historical texts.
Engineering & Support
Engineering Decks: The deep, powerful heart of the ship, housing the warp drive, primary power conduits, and life support systems. These decks are a maze of corridors and machinery, generally restricted to engineering personnel.
Cargo Bays: Massive storage areas used for holding supplies, equipment, and, on occasion, mission-critical but potentially hazardous materials, such as salvaged alien debris. Cargo Bay One is adjacent to Mech Bay One.
Armory Sections: The heavily secured section of the ship where munitions—mostly Mark-IV infantry pulse rifles—are stored and maintained under the supervision of the Chief Ordnance Technician.
Main Airlock: The primary docking port used for personnel and cargo transfer when the Vanguard is docked at a station.
Other Major Locations
Terra and Terra Station Prime
Terra remains the cultural and political heart of the Alliance. Terra Station Prime, orbiting Earth (Terra), functions as the primary fleet anchorage. Terra Station Prime is a massive, primary space station—a veritable city in orbit. It's the central hub with docking rings for starships like the SFS Vanguard, commercial and recreational sectors (like the bars and restaurants), and general crew quarters when ships are docked.
Within this massive superstructure, both the Hippocrates Institute and the PDD (Planetary Defense Directorate) Facility exist as distinct, specialized wings or complexes.
The Hippocrates Institute: This is the station's premier public-facing medical and research center. It functions like a massive, advanced university hospital campus located within the city-station.
The PDD Facility: This is a secretive, high-security sector also located within Terra Station Prime, with its quarantine wing in place near the ships docking station. It also includes a secure bio-containment facility. Access is heavily restricted and requires navigating deep into the station's official, non-public sectors.
Main Docking Rings/Bays: This is the primary area where large vessels like the Vanguard dock.
Sector Command: A high-level administrative and military area, which includes specific facilities like the Sector Command Debriefing Council room. Vice Admiral DuGalle, head of operations in the Andromeda Sector, is located here.
Main Concourse/Commercial Sectors: Publicly accessible areas with amenities like a pizza franchise and souvenir shops.
Recreational Facilities: These include a gym and a yoga studio available to station personnel.
Temporary Accommodations: A "transit hotel" near the shuttle port.
Andromeda System Subregions
Andromeda Research Station Delta Psi: A joint Terran–mocap laboratory platform situated in a stable Lagrange orbit. Staffed by Pocam xenobiologists and Terran engineers, the station’s primary mission is to study captured Gen-Forger bio‐construct specimens and develop countermeasures to Gen-Forger infiltration tactics.
Upsilon Andromedae System: A binary pair (F type primary and red dwarf secondary) with gas giants orbited by resource-harvesting platforms.
Scattered terran settlements on a variety of stars.
Playing Terran Characters: Life Before The Flow
This guide provides a contextual overview for Terran characters, particularly those who grew up on or around Terra itself in the two decades leading up to the current conflict. This is the world that shaped you.
The Pre-Contact Era: A Golden Age of Complacency
More than twenty years ago, humanity was the undisputed master of its domain. The Sol system was secure, and a network of fledgling colonies was slowly expanding into nearby star systems like Alpha Centauri and Tau Ceti. Life on Terra was, for many, a story of progress and stability. It was an era defined by:
Technological Optimism: Humanity had solved many of its old problems. Climate change was largely managed through advanced atmospheric processors, resources were plentiful thanks to asteroid mining and advanced recycling, and medical science had extended lifespans considerably. The future seemed bright and assured.
A Sense of Isolation: You grew up with the understanding that humanity was alone in the galaxy. While science fiction dreamed of alien contact, the reality was silence. All efforts in radio astronomy and deep space probes had yielded nothing. Humans were the sole intelligence in a vast, empty cosmos, a fact that fostered both a sense of specialness and a subtle, background loneliness.
Internal Focus: Without external threats, global politics were largely focused inward. Corporations grew immensely powerful, rivaling governments. The primary conflicts were economic, political, or ideological. The Alliance Fleet existed, but it was seen more as a patrol and anti-piracy force than a true military meant to fight an interstellar war. For most Terrans, life was safe, predictable, and fundamentally human-centric.
Contact Day: The Paradigm Shift
About twenty years ago, everything changed. "Contact Day" is the most significant event in modern history. The arrival of the Pocam was not an invasion or a hostile encounter, but a serene, baffling, and world-altering appearance.
A Peaceful Arrival: The Pocam arrived without aggression. Their technology—especially their understanding of faster-than-light travel and bio-energetic systems—was centuries, if not millennia, ahead of humanity's. They were not conquerors; they were explorers and philosophers.
Speedy Communication: Pocam linguists led the initial breakthrough that allowed for communication between humans and pocam, leading to “alliance standard,” the current language standard. This led to first an official non-aggression pact and, within the first two years, a formal peace treaty.
A New Unease: While the Alliance was officially a partnership of equals, a subtle unease settled over Terran society. Humanity was no longer the sole intelligence, nor the most advanced. The Pocam's fluid nature, their different understanding of self, identity, and the universe as "currents" was fascinating but also deeply alien. Humanity had suddenly become the junior partner in a galactic community of two.
Cultural & Technological Shock: The existence of a peaceful, ancient, and technologically superior alien species shattered humanity's sense of solitude. After the peace treaty, the Pocam shared their knowledge willingly, leading to a massive technological leap for humanity, and the further spread of its colonies.
The Gen-Forger War & The Modern Era
The age of peaceful cooperation was brutally short-lived. The first Gen-Forger attack on an outer colony, Centauri V, was a cataclysm that defined the Alliance's purpose.
The Existential Threat: The Gen-Forgers were the hostile contact humanity had always feared. Their arrival led to the Terran-Pocam Alliance. The Golden Age was over; an age of survival had begun. Military spending skyrocketed, and the Alliance Fleet transformed into a true war machine.
The Rise of the Pilot: With the shared technology came the development of the mech program. Enlisting in the Aegis Squadron wasn't just a career; it was seen as the highest calling, a necessary sacrifice to protect all sentient life from an enemy that could not be reasoned with.
A Shift in Society: The war has changed life, even on Terra. There's a constant, low-level anxiety. Propaganda celebrates the unity of the Alliance, but a current of fear runs beneath it all. The military, and by extension, pilots like you, are now at the center of the cultural narrative. The complacent optimism of your childhood has been replaced by the grim resolve of a species fighting for its existence.
Where did you grow up?
Not all Terrans share the same experience. Where you grew up—on Terra itself, the station above it, or out on the fringe—profoundly shapes your perspective on the Alliance and the war.
Terra: The Core World
Terra is the cradle of humanity and the political center of the Alliance. It is a world of immense cities, managed ecosystems, and deep-rooted cultural traditions. Life here is generally safe, prosperous, and heavily influenced by Alliance bureaucracy.
Terran Sectors: Old nations have consolidated into vast cultural and economic sectors, unified under the Alliance. A character from the Japan Sector might have a background steeped in tradition, tranquility, and aesthetic appreciation. Someone from the North American Sector might come from a culture that values rugged individualism and a connection to restored natural landscapes. Other sectors have their own distinct flavors, from the bustling corporate hubs of the European Sector to the vibrant island territories of the Caribbean Sector. A character from Terra is more likely to take the stability of the Alliance for granted. Players are welcome to invent other sectors that make sense to them.
Terra Station Prime: The Gateway
Terra Station Prime is humanity's crowning achievement in space engineering and its primary interface with the galaxy. It is a city-sized orbital station that serves as the main administrative headquarters for the Alliance Fleet and Planetary Defense Directorate (PDD), as well as a bustling hub for trade and research like the Hippocrates Institute. Created even before contact with the Pocam, some characters might have plausibly grown up in orbit around Terra.
A World Between Worlds: Life on the station is sterile, regulated, and multicultural. For someone from Terra, it's a necessary waypoint for off-world travel. For a colonist, it is the heart of power—a place of overwhelming scale, opportunity, and intimidating bureaucracy. Growing up on the station means being surrounded by the military and the constant flow of traffic from across Alliance space, but disconnected from any true planetary environment.
The Colonies: Life on the Fringe
Life on the outer colonies is vastly different from the security of the Core. These worlds represent humanity's ambition, resilience, and vulnerability.
Core Planets: Colonies off terra but still in the Sol system are fairly well developed, i.e., Mars, the Terran moon, the moons of Jupiter. This would also include the older Terran colonies, such as Tau Ceti. These colonies predate contact with the Pocam. Although well-established, since these predate the TPA alliance, some of them might be both “comfortable” but “antiquated,” rooted in Terran technology that is today seen as dated.
Outer Colonies: They are often mining outposts, agricultural platforms, or fledgling terraforming projects. Life is defined by self-reliance, hard work, and a tight-knit community where everyone must be multi-skilled to survive. Colonists here are pioneers, individualists, and often people trying to escape the rigid structure of Terra. They are fiercely independent but are also the most exposed to the Gen-Forger threat, living with the knowledge that they are the Alliance's distant, fragile border. A character from the fringe would likely be practical, resourceful, and perhaps harbor a touch of resentment for the perceived safety and complacency of the core worlds.
Family on Resonance Prime?
If your character is deeply invested in Pocam relations for reason, or has family in a political relation, you might have lived on the Pocam Homeworld of Resonance Prime for the last decade, although you probably didn’t grow up there entirely. In this case, see the notes on Playing Pocam characters, up next.
Playing Pocam Characters
The Lancer setting assumes all characters are terran/human. In this setting, there’s no particular reason your pilot can’t be pocam. Mechanically, I would just create the pilot identically to a human, although you’re welcome to talk to your GM about changes you think would be fitting.
Pocam characters likely grew up either on Resonance Prime, the Pocam homeworld, or on one of their outlying clusters or moons, which have been settled for decades.
In playing your pocam character, some things you could explore (in all player groups):
Having your skin tone change in response to how you are feeling.
Having three fingers.
Being more ‘psionically sensitive’ (perhaps remind the GM on scenes where it seems important) — not telepathic or telekinetic, but with an awareness that psionic powers are seen as more powerful.
Being more ‘energy sensitive’ – you might feel changes in energy in different environments in ways humans don’t.
If you and your GM are interested in exploring sexuality, identity, or relationships, you might further consider:
All pocam are by default ‘non-binary’ – you might decide you want your character to be genderfluid (literally able to change profile), or perhaps due to interaction with terran characters, have veered toward a gendered presentation.
If your group wants, you might implement a specific pronoun for the Pocam. Otherwise, npc pocam characters might go by “they.” Players can of course choose their character’s pronouns if they have locked into a gendered presentation.
The pocam are not locked into sexual diadism. Pocam reproduction can be through energy resonance fields with genetic material contributed by multiple parties. Did your character grow up in a non-diad based family system?
Growing Up On Resonance Prime
Resonance Prime is the political, cultural, and spiritual heart of the Pocam civilization. It is not a single planet but a complex system located deep within the Pocam sector, notable for its unique and breathtaking astronomical features. The entire system is enveloped by a vast, luminous nebula that constantly shifts in color, threaded with filaments of cosmic energy. Rather than orbiting a single star, the system is illuminated by the nebula itself and the rhythmic beams of two pulsars locked in a tight, gravitational dance.
Below is a summary of key locations within the system.
Resonance Prime Station
The primary hub for interstellar traffic and governance, this massive station orbits the system's largest planet. The retrofitted station, finished just two years ago, is a marvel of joint Terran-Pocam engineering.
Architecture: The station's design is a seamless blend of functional Terran utilitarianism (standard corridors, docking bays, operational centers) and flowing, organic Pocam aesthetics. Many sections feature bio-luminescent structures, integrated crystalline flora, and holographic displays showing complex energy fields rather than simple text.
Alliance Research Institute Wing: A major section of the station dedicated to the joint study of advanced technologies, with a primary focus on the Pocam neural interface.
Briefing and Command Centers: The station houses numerous secure briefing rooms and command centers, including a vast circular chamber used for joint fleet tactical planning between the SFS Vanguard and the Pocam Defense Fleet.
Multicultural Sector: A designated commercial and recreational area catering to both Terran and Pocam inhabitants. It features a variety of establishments, including atmospheric bars overlooking the nebula, dining facilities, and other amenities.
Prime III Gamma (The Resonator Moon)
A smaller moon orbiting the main planet, renowned throughout Pocam space as a place of profound spiritual and cultural significance. Its surface is composed almost entirely of massive, interlocking crystalline structures that hum with a low, resonant energy.
Lodgings: Visitor accommodations are not conventional buildings but are integrated directly into the moon's crystalline landscape, featuring organic shapes and ambient lighting that harmonizes with the nebula.
The Great Harmonic Crystal Resonator (The Symphony Cavern): An immense natural cavern where the "Symphony of Shifting Light" is performed. The interior is lined with countless glowing crystals. Instead of seats, the floor is carved with hundreds of body-contoured indentations, each studded with smaller, precisely placed crystals that transmit sound, light, and resonant vibrations directly to the occupant.
The Crystal Sphere: A breathtaking open-air amphitheater carved from a single, colossal geode. The crystalline facets of the sphere capture and refract the nebular light, creating a constantly shifting, rainbow-hued environment. It is a favored location for significant affirmation ceremonies, such as weddings.
The Weaving Chamber: A smaller, more intimate and secluded geode used for the sacred Pocam ritual of Resonance Pairing. Its floor is a mosaic of dark, obsidian-like crystal, and it contains four intricately carved plinths that glow with different hues, acting as focal points for the merging of energies during the creation ceremony. This is where many pocam characters are “born.”
The Moonpetal Garden Pavilion: An open-air structure adjacent to the Crystal Sphere, used for social gatherings and receptions. It offers panoramic views of the crystalline landscape and the nebula.
Prime IV
A large planet within the system, notable for its unique and hazardous environment.
Methane Oceans: The surface of Prime IV is covered in deep methane oceans.
The Great Filter Feeders: Giant, whale-like macrofauna that inhabit the methane oceans. In a Pocam rite of passage, individuals can enter into a temporary, symbiotic digestion within the creatures' bio-luminescent stomach chambers, which is considered a profound spiritual experience of planetary communion.
Playing Other Characters
While “humans/terrans” and “pocam” are the main thematic ideas this mini-campaign is meant to explore, there are other scifi concepts you could work out with your GM, such as increasingly cybernetic characters, or even android characters (see Unit 434). Generally speaking, if you have a cool idea, I’d just try to work it out with the GM and see if it sticks.
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With these facts in mind, your characters step into the cockpit—mech interface humming beneath their senses—as the Alliance bristles for the next strike against the Gen-Forger onslaught. The frontier of Andromeda beckons.
This should be most of the information you need to start thinking about your character for a game of VANGUARD. Good luck out there, pilot!
Comments
Silvershadowdrakes
Felt you weren't going that way but thought it could be a fun spin 😁
FakeNamey FakeNamey
That's not the direction the module currently goes in, but I like leaving lots of unanswered questions, and it's absolutely the direction a longer campaign could go
Silvershadowdrakes
Interesting world building, part of me wonders if the Gen-Forger aliens could be secretly modified creations of the Pocam sent to a Terran planet to push Terra-Pocam alliance so Pocam can infiltrate and control the Terrans. My thoughts on reading this.
