SLD Style

Contributions are invited. The Originator asks, to maintain consistency, that contributors follow these basic style points that define the Latter Days. After that, let your imagination run wild. ''Please do not edit these guidelines! If you have an idea, tell the Originator on the Discussion page.''

Historical Structure
Here is the essential historical framework:

Expansion Age

 * Mostly peaceful: no major interworld wars.
 * Interworld travel at near light speeds. I.e., elapsed time = lightyears traveled, plus 2 years accelerating and decelerating, plus 5% to 50%. Time shipboard is reduced to 2 years plus 80% to 10% of lightyears traveled.
 * No psionics, cybertech (machines wired to nervous system) very crude, biotech restricted to minor modifications (no created creatures).
 * Dominant languages are English, Chinese, Hindu, Arabic, Russian, French and German. Small pockets of other terrestrial languages are permissible.
 * Interworld trade is minimal, and restricted to speculative free traders.
 * Earthly crops, bacteria, livestock, pets, and a few pests (rats) spread across worlds, sometimes taking over the new environment, sometimes failing to establish.

The Cataclysm

 * Superluminal speeds possible due to Alcubierre Drive.
 * All major populated worlds hit with nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and suffer major if not total devastation to structures, population, and environment.
 * Most marginal worlds (e.g., those with insufficient or toxic atmosphere or extreme weather, causing technological dependence) gradually die out.
 * Most surviving worlds tend to be at a distance from Earth, sparsely populated, and reasonably conducive to human habitation and agriculture.

The Insular Age

 * No Interworld travel.
 * Technology rapidly degrades, varying from Neolithic to simple internal combustion (usually methanol-based) and electric (no electronics or vacuum tubes). Check precedent for world of concern.
 * Languages and races diverge.
 * Some "old tech" can be found and used. Nuclear strike sites are still hot.

The Latter Days

 * Psionics discovered
 * Softech discovered.
 * Latter-day religion begun, worlds reconnected
 * Interworld travel by psi-powered machines inducing an Alcubierre wave.
 * Second wave of expansion and colonization, now spreading the language and creatures of originating world.
 * The correct identity of Earth is not known. Earth has mythological status.
 * A small amount of regular interworld travel now occurs.