A mockup of the cover of LEGACY: First Flight. A Watermark of pale transluscent text covers the whole page, dominated by a picture of a massive black space station floating, silhouetted in front of a nebula. Dozens of smaller attendant craft hover about its imposing body. The logo reads:
LEGACY: FIRST FLIGHT, Core Rulebook, Beta test Edition
A mockup of a page form the armory. On the left is a pink page with the dark silhouettes of two weapons (with space for lore and manufacturer's bonuses, each labelled by species) and on the right is a mockup of the actual weapon profiles, separated by availability. A Yellow stickynote superimposed on the page discusses the finer points of the design.
A snippet of text from the LEGACY: First Flight Beta.
Quote is as follows.
Tone: A Noblebright Future, if we can keep it
At its core, Legacy: First Flight is a game about cultivating hope, surviving adversity, and building solidarity across difference in the face of a galaxy unconcerned with our survival. The many extraterrestrials of the setting aren’t freaks to be gawked at or stereotypes to be reinforced: they’re people who, despite their obvious anatomic and cultural diversity, share our need to live with dignity and peace, as well as sharing in many of the flaws that make achieving that as a society a challenge. The Union isn’t dominated by cultural monoliths segregated by biology, but made of many composite cultures shaped by the forces of time and immigration.
(this is continued in the next picture)
A the continuation of a snippet of text from the LEGACY: First Flight Beta.
Quote continues as follows.
When I describe Legacy: First Flight as “noblebright”, I am not saying it is a utopian future without conflict (if you read the prologue at all, you know the galaxy of Legacy needs some work). Instead, I am saying it’s the narrative opposite of a “Grimdark” setting: a grimdark setting is often cynical, with fleeting hope if hope was ever really present at all, and people being unable to meaningfully change things for the better. On the flip side, a noblebright setting posits that the world may not be perfect, but that it can be improved. It doesn’t say things are destined to be better, but through struggle and continuing effort, they can be. It says that people can make a difference, and that hope is the last thing to die so long as people fight keep it alive.
As somebody who has now spent years organizing with the poor and dispossessed to fight for a better world, and seeing firsthand what people are capable of achieving when they stand in solidarity, this is a perspective I deeply believe holds some truth. Call me naive, but I’d rather live in hopeful rebellion with my friends than wallow alone my whole life in cynical despair.
As such, the lives of people in Legacy: First Flight are somewhat improved over our own in the modern age: shelter and food are common rights, as is free access to healthcare and transit. Likewise, the widespread adoption of cheap matter printers and open-source technology designed to be modified by it’s owner across the galaxy has given people unparalleled access to the means of production and the ability to create.
But that can change. There are people who see the galaxy not as a community to be protected, but a hunting ground ripe for exploitation. There are forces and impending disasters that need to be managed lest they bring ruin. It’s a hopeful vision of the future, but it needs champions willing to fight for it.
Hey Thought Punks! Thanks for the space!
After a crazy week, I'm back to writing my #LEGACYFirstFlight space opera manuscript. Im pretty proud of how smoothly it's coming together, especially the THEME section in the intro: I think I nailed what I wanted to say.
Im hyped to see it done this year!