Welcome to Novos Codex
This is the first blog post for the Novos website, a project to create:
- a new science fiction setting for fiction and gaming
- a rule system for running TTRPG games within this setting
- tools such as interactive maps, random generators, gear customizers, action trackers and more
- the webapp that hosts all of the above
- a personal website for hosting other things like personal tools I've built and software reviews for applications I've found useful in my creative endeavours
What is Novos?
Novos is a science fiction setting, worldbuilding project (aka Constructed World) which describes a future where, although humanity has expanded throughout the stars and made incredible technological advancements, it still faces familiar problems; greed, corruption, authoritarianism, fundamentalism, and cruelty. The context is different but the problems aren't or, if you prefer: history rhymes.
To be clear, Novos isn't a hopeless, grimdark, crapsack world. It's not even a dystopia really (though some parts of it definitely qualify). Novos is meant to be a world composed of a spectrum, from hope to horror. This means a variety of factions, species, and technologies meant to provide a complex and immersive backdrop for storytelling and roleplaying. Relevant subgenre terms might include cyberpunk, solarpunk, and rubber science fiction (not hard but not soft either). Perhaps Stellarpunk? Someone else has probably already claimed that but think "Hope with rough edges, kindness ready for a fight." It's a setting that asks the reader/player to embrace a messy future with eyes open and to be ready to get their hands dirty if they want to make it better.
What You'll Find Here
The Novos Codex provides:
- Setting Information: Explore the universe, its factions, species, and history.
- Game Rules: Learn the mechanics of the Praxis roleplaying game system.
- Stories: Tales from the Novos universe.
- Tools: Access special tools and resources.
- Blog Updates: Latest additions and news.
Getting Started
If you're new to Novos, I recommend starting with the Setting Overview to get a feel for the universe. From there, you can explore the Timeline, factions, species, or dive into the Game System.
For those looking to play, check out the rulebook to learn how to create your own character for adventures in the Novos universe. An interactive character builder is currently in development along with a lifepath game/tool so keep an eye out for that. Stay tuned for regular updates and new content!
Who made all this?
Elias Black is the sole human author of this project but both open and closed source LLM models (particularly Claude Sonnet) have been used to assist in project and information management, coding, brainstorming ("rubber ducking"), and playtesting.
The technical stack used to build this site includes: Vue 3, Quasar, Markdown-It, Cytoscape, js-YAML and Pinia.