The Stakes Have Never Been Higher - The Earth Sector By John Watts From Independence Games For Cepheus Engine or 2d6 Your Old School Science Fiction Games

" Earth Sector is an extension of Independence Games' Clement Sector setting. Earth Sector is its own setting, united by the past background before the Conduit Collapse in 2331, and then branching off in a new direction. This is the core setting book for this new setting within the overall Clement Sector universe." 

Whereas Clement Sector is a collection of independent worlds, Earth Sector is ruled by the nation-states of Earth. Many of the nations of Earth hold multiple star systems in their grasp across the sector though, in some places, that grasp is slipping."


The Earth Sector has been on my mind again & its one of those Cepheus Engine rpg interstellar settings that seems to call back to me. And if we're calling into the Space Western genre again then the colonies of the Earth sector are the far flung Old West style outposts. Outpost colonies of Germany's Neu Berlin, Russia's Menshikov, and China's Bingxue Shijie.

There's always war brewing below the surface in these places & Earth sector is one of those books that supports the idea that the corporations & banks are fielding the various countries. Through these countries space is the place where the Earth's countries have been fielding their interests. And this brings up the cold war aspect of the Earth sector. Countries, corporations, & even banks fighting wars in the interstellar shadow against one another. 

And there's a sense of exploration & exploitation among the countries of Earth that really resonates with that familiar yet different vibe of menace that always loomed in the back of old school Traveller. Space is the new era of the corporate gun fight with the starships taking care of business both above & behind the scenes of the Earth sector. 
Earth sector is a hot bed of intrigue and corporate crime bubbling just below its surface. All of this is because of the slipping grasp of the nation states of Earth. No its not going to erurpt into sheer chaos but there's enough tension in space for months of campaign play. Why?! Because everything centers around the frontier of space! The frontier of space is the whole bag of marbles! There are billions at stake with everything from gas giants for fuel to whole worlds at stake! Outlaws & rakes working for the mobs & other criminial organizations could potentially take these worlds for themselves. Earth sector is the center of it all because of the stakes being so very high! 
It costs millions to field space craft & only the corporations & banks can bring the heat to field these. But is it any wonder why the Old West feel of Earth sector exists?! The economic conditions that lead to the American Civil War are right here in the Earth sector between the greed of the corporations, the explotive nature of the banks, and the sheer greed of the Earth for the interstellar resources!? 
The whole mix is a powder keg waiting for the match of some group for intersellar war. Can one group of PC's make a difference to events in the end?! We'll see coming up! 

The Earth Sector pdf is available here!