Tactical Tuesday: A New Frontier
Alright, troopers—listen up and strap in. Since we are beginning a new focus on Tactical Tuesdays, we are opening this first article to everybody!
We’re flipping the switch on Tactical Tuesdays. No more boots-on-the-ground modern warfare—at least for now. We’re blasting off into the wild black yonder of Science Fiction. That’s right, we’re trading tanks for starships, and rifles for ray guns. It’s time to get weird.
Now, if you know me, you know my first love in this genre was Flash Gordon. That cat had style—rocket ships, evil emperors, and fists that solved problems faster than diplomacy ever could. No surprise there. I’m a pulp guy. I like my stories loud, fast, and full of laser fire.
Sci-fi ain’t just one thing—it’s a whole damn galaxy of ideas. You’ve got military empires duking it out across the stars, bounty hunters chasing rogue androids through neon-lit slums, and time-traveling rebels trying to stop the rise of the machines. It’s the kind of genre that kicks the door down and says, “Let me show you something wild.”
So before we start building worlds and crafting tales, let’s lay out the six heavy-hitters of sci-fi. These are the big dogs—the genres that keep coming back for more.
1. Hard Science Fiction
This is the straight-laced stuff. No hand-waving here—just cold, hard science. If it can’t be explained with math and duct tape, it doesn’t fly.
Example:The Martian by Andy Weir. One man, one planet, and a whole lotta problem-solving.
2. Soft Science Fiction
Less gears, more guts. This stuff digs into the squishy parts—society, psychology, and what makes people tick when the tech gets too smart.
Example:Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. A shiny future with a rotten core.
3. Cyberpunk
Welcome to the neon jungle. High tech, low morals. Hackers, cyborgs, and megacorps that own your soul.
Example:Neuromancer by William Gibson. Jack in, burn out, and hope the AI doesn’t eat your brain.
4. Space Opera
Big ships, bigger egos. Galactic empires, ancient prophecies, and heroes who shoot first and ask questions never.
Examples:Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Lensman, Star Wars, Dune. If it’s got laser swords and space tyrants, it’s in the club.
5. Dystopian / Post-Apocalyptic
The world’s gone to hell, and you’re still breathing. These stories are about grit, survival, and flipping the bird at whatever’s left of civilization.
Example:Mad Max. Gasoline, grit, and a whole lotta fury.
6. Pulp Science Fiction
This is the good stuff. Fast-paced, over-the-top, and dripping with style. Ray guns, space dames, evil overlords, and heroes who never say die.
Examples:Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, John Carter of Mars, Captain Future, Skylark Series.
It ain’t about realism—it’s about fun. The kind that punches you in the jaw and steals your lunch money.
Now look, this ain’t the whole menu. There’s more out there—biopunk, steampunk, alien invasions, time loops, and weird stuff that doesn’t even have a name yet. But these six? They’re your starter kit. Your field manual. Your first six rounds in the chamber.
As we roll into this new terrain, we’re gonna keep it loose. Some weeks we’ll go full military sci-fi, other times we’ll dive into the deep end of the weird pool. Whatever your flavor, we’ll try to hit it.
Now let’s talk World Building—the nuts and bolts of making a universe that feels real enough to punch. What questions do you ask when you’re building a world from scratch? What makes it tick? What makes it dangerous?
You got it, Buck. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get into the nuts, bolts, and blaster burns of world building—the kind that makes your setting feel like it could punch you in the jaw and steal your lunch credits.
When you’re building a sci-fi world, you’re not just sketching a backdrop. You’re forging a living, breathing universe that smells like ozone and gunpowder. Here’s a list of key questions—the kind of stuff you ask when you’re hammering out a setting that feels real, hurts real, and fights real.
World Building Questions for Gritty Sci-Fi Settings
1. What’s the Tech Level?
- Are we talking steam-powered space cruisers or quantum teleporters?
- Is tech rare and sacred, or cheap and everywhere?
- Can the average Joe fix a plasma rifle with duct tape and a prayer?
2. Who’s in Charge—and Who’s Gunning for Them?
- Is there a galactic empire, a corporate syndicate, or a bunch of warlords carving up the stars?
- What does power look like here? Is it earned, stolen, or inherited?
- Who’s rebelling, and why?
3. What’s the Economy Like?
- Is it credits, barter, or blood?
- Are people starving in the streets while the rich float in orbital mansions?
- What’s the hustle? Smuggling? Salvaging? Mercenary work?
4. What’s the Threat Level?
- Are there alien invasions, rogue AIs, or dimensional rifts tearing reality apart?
- Is the danger external (monsters, war) or internal (corruption, decay)?
- What keeps people up at night—and what keeps them armed?
5. What’s the Culture and Vibe?
- Do people wear synth-leather and speak in slang, or robes and quote ancient codes?
- Is honor a thing, or is survival the only rule?
- What do folks believe in—if anything?
6. What’s the Terrain?
- Are we on a desert moon, a floating city, or a jungle planet crawling with biotech nightmares?
- How does the environment shape the people and their tech?
- Is travel easy, or does every trip risk death by space pirates or radiation storms?
7. What’s the History?
- What wars, collapses, or revolutions shaped this world?
- Are there legends, lost tech, or forbidden zones?
- Who remembers the past—and who’s trying to rewrite it?
8. What’s the Weird?
- Every good sci-fi world has something strange.
- Psychic monks?
- Living ships?
- Time anomalies in the sewer system?
- What’s the thing that makes your setting unforgettable?
These questions aren’t just for flavor—they’re your ammo. Answer them right, and your world will feel like it’s got scars, secrets, and stories waiting to be told.
Here are two 2d6 random tables to support your own sci-fi world building—perfect for Tactical Tuesdays. Roll dice (2d6) on each table and consult the results to spark ideas, add flavor, or break writer’s block with a punch of pulp. No rules here. just a little inspiration.
2d6 Table: Sci-Fi World Threats
Use this to determine what kind of danger looms over your setting.
Roll Threat Type
2 Alien Hive controlling infrastructure
3 Alien parasite outbreak
4 Corporate war spilling into streets
5 Dimensional rift leaking anomalies
6 Cult worshiping ancient tech
7 Warlord uprising in the outer zones
8 Smuggled bioweapon gone viral
9 Terraforming failure—planet unstable
10 Psychic storm disrupting minds
11 Machine rebellion in mining colonies
12 Cosmic entity awakening beneath city
2d6 Table: Sci-Fi World Flavor Hooks
Use this to add grit, style, and pulp flavor to your world.
Roll Flavor Hook
2 Neon signs flicker in acid rain
3 Bounty boards in every dive bar
4 Junkers worship old satellites
5 Black market runs on alien tech
6 Street slang mixes five languages
7 Power armor is patched with duct tape
8 Time is tracked by orbital decay
9 Cybernetic limbs are status symbols
10 Law enforcement uses psychic dogs
11 Prophets speak through hacked billboards
12 The moon is a prison—and it’s full
But first—what’s your favorite kind of sci-fi?
Drop it in the comments, holler it from the rooftops, or scribble it on the back of a napkin. Let’s see what kind of stories you wanna tell.
Eyes Sharp Rocketeers and Space Cadets! We have room to onboard more subscribers on our Sci-Fi flight. Get the word out. We’re building a new world of Sci-Fi gamers here. While you are at it, take a look at our Geek Oper Index, and catch up on some of the articles you may have missed.
Thant’s it, Star-walkers…dismissed.
Your eager explorer of the sky,
T. Glenn Bane
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