INTRODUCTION:
The year is 1890, and the great Industrial Revolution- and the Race for Empires- is in full swing. The big superpowers are the British Empire, Germany, France, Russia and there are lesser, up and coming powers in the form of the United States, Japan and Belgium/Italy. But unlike our world, New and fantastic technologies compete alongside the more mundane. Most fantastic of all these is the Aetheric Motor, a huge and complex engine that allows a vessel to travel on the currents of the Aether, the void of light which exists between worlds.

This breakthrough has allowed craft, lifted free of Earth's gravitational pull by balloons, to travel to the nearest worlds in our Solar System, Venus, Mars and the Moon, with Mercury being for now too hot and the Moons of Jupiter too far for travel.

However, unlike our own Venus and Mars, these worlds are not so empty and hostile to life. Mars is a dry world, but with a compatible atmosphere to earth, and the home of the remnants of dying civilisations, and races who long ago reached their peak and are now dying out very slowly. The arrival of humans has been responded to sluggishly, with few truly able to respond as a united force. Now existing Martian nations align themselves with the various Imperial Powers of Earth, trading favours and continuing their own, inter-martian conflicts and feuds, but with the aid of human-wrought weaponry and technology, aswell as perhaps developing new, hybrid technologies.

Venus is a younger world, more savage, covered by storm-wracked jungles, swamps, and rugged mountains. It is not a place where humans can last long, as the primordial life that is abundant there is inimically hostile. Disease, insects, dinosaurs, savage lizards and many other creatures make it difficult to colonise here. In many ways it is reminisicent of earth in its dawn years, and as such is ripe for exploitation of its vast, untapped resources.
The Moon, at first glance, seems as hostile as our own. Airless, barren, and covered in deep, thick grey dust and pock-marked with craters, few have ventured to Luna. But deep within is a secret, a vast network of aereated catacombs, home to bustling, teeming hives of insects, who feed on strange luminiscent plants and fungi. It is a weird and alien world, but one which hides many secrets.

WHO YOU ARE:
Players would likely be middle or upper-class citizens of one of the Great Powers, or perhaps wealthy members of the Lesser Powers buying passage or using their own influence to secure passage on the Great Nation's aetheric craft. Perhaps they are bored, seeking adventure off-world. Perhaps they have a specific job or role that requires them to go to the final frontier. Detectives, Soldiers, Gentleman Thieves, there are many possible reasons. Perhaps they are Great Scientists, seeking to develop some mad clockwork or industrial gadget, but, lacking funding or the necessary resources, seek to claim inspiration or a fortune from the ruins of Mars, or the abundant wildlife and plantlife of Venus. Overall, they are travellers, adventurers, willingly or otherwise driven to the Stars.

Although Earthbound Adventures are also possible, the focus of this roleplay is on the vast, fictional frontiers of space, though those wishing to venture on Earth, in the large cities or on the real world frontiers, should let me know in advance.


THE GREAT POWERS OF EARTH:
At the turn of the century, there were 5 nations which could claim Great Power status, based on their significant industrial, millitary and political might. There were also two or three other rising powers, who were on the cusp of throwing their own vastly accelerating industrial might into the growing Race for Territories.

Below is a rough description of each of the major countries, aswell as their current interests, technological specialties, and extra-terrestrial commitments. Character types are rough guidelines, and are not meant as anything more than the broadest stereotypes to aid with character creation. No racism is intended or permitted, though given the age characters are encouraged to roleplay prejudice, ignorance, or disdain towards others of different cultures and ethnicities, though done so in appropriate contexts.

BRITISH EMPIRE
The foremost superpower on Earth and in Space, the British Empire claims territories across roughly 1/4 of the Earth. In space, however, the British dominance is much less certain. Whilst the Royal Navy has worked tirelessly to build and outfit a strong Aetheric and Airship Fleet, it is difficult for the island nation, even with all of its colonies, to maintain dominance at Sea, in the Air, and in Space.

That said, private investors based in London have sponsored the creation of the Royal Venusian Society and the Sirius Major Mars Company, both of whom seek to develop and exploit resources on their respective worlds for the benefit of the Crown and Empire. British official presence on Venus and Mars is markedly limited, with embassies existing in the major Martian nations, and a small, well fortified base existing at Olympus Mons, the largest mountain on Mars and ideal as a base for landing spaceships.

The British have interests in more or less everything, and as such characters belonging to the British Empire are remarkably diverse. British citizens are mostly famed for their excessive politeness, obsession with moral values and preserving their own culture whilst abroad. Whilst sometimes this can be a virtue, it can also be a handicap, especially when trudging through the sweltering deserts of mars in a formal red jacket and pith helmet.

THE GERMAN EMPIRE

A young and up and coming continental power, Germany was unified in 1871 by Otto von Bismarck, and ever since has been a rapidly accelerating industrial juggernaught. Increasingly percieved as "the enemy" by the British, the Germans have wasted no time in building a highly advanced and increasingly large Aetheric Navy, aswell as an Armada of Zeppelins. Leading the world in Airship technology, Germany's Imperial Air Force is widely considered to be the most formidable, and it exports its technological advancements to its growing, if small, interests in Venus and Mars.
Unlike the British, the Germans do not rely on private interests to exploit and develop areas they are keenly interested in. German businesses instead prefer to work through more official channels, and German embassies have sprung up in all the same places the British have them. Rumours of German arms-smuggling to unruly martians to destabilise british influence continue to circulate. Germany is also very sympathetic to several hotspots on Earth, including Ireland and South Africa, both of whom desire independence from British rule.

German characters are likely to have direct ties to either the Imperial Government(the Reichstag) or to large and powerful Corporations that have their headquarters back in Germany. So far there have been few successful private ventures into Mars or Venus, but this could change. Germans are often characterised as being cold, efficient, rational, and highly motivated. However, as with the British, they can also be very diverse, though lacking Britain's Empire they all come from Germany, and nowhere else.

THE THIRD FRENCH REPUBLIC
Still recovering from the heavy blow that ended the Second Empire in the Franco-Prussian War in 1872, the Third French Republic is characterised by a stagnating, bickering government which nonetheless seeks to make up for its many shortcomings at home with grandiose colonial ventures abroad. Having seized and developed a large Empire in Northern and Western Africa, France has also begun expanding its Empire in Southeast Asia, Mars, and Venus aswell. Though lacking the numbers of the British or the technological quality of the Germans, the French make up for their slightly more antiquated Aetheric and Aerial fleets with a large ground presence, and by developing very strong ties with local leaders.

On Mars, French companies and republican interests are closely entwined with existing Martian power structures. French Advisors, it is said, are almost as common as German Arms Dealers and British Spies.

On Venus, several small penal colonies have been set up in the cloying jungles, and a garrison belonging to the French Foreign Legion has been set up there. The garrison is also notable for being the first to incorporate Venusians into human colonial armies, and many have marvelled or scoffed at the sight of savage Lizardmen lumbering heavy rifles in outsized uniforms.

French characters can be as diverse as the British, but by and large tend to be private citizens operating abroad, for adventure, profit, or any number of other motives. The French are often characterised as being bold, adventurous, firey and very stylish. Paris is considered the cultural capital of the world at this time, and the Paris Exhibition is still fresh in many people's minds. French Women are also notorious, rightly or wrongly, for being amongst the most liberated and likely to be seen trudging through the swamps of Venus or the sands of Mars, alone, carrying a heavy pack or a rifle of their own.

THE UNITED STATES
A young but rapidly growing nation, many in Europe are dismissive of the United States as a factor in the Great Game of Imperialism. However, whilst the US does not have any colonies on Earth or in Space at this time, they have private enterprises everywhere. Indeed, when the British Ambassador seeks to make contact with a new Venusian tribe or Martian Kingdom, often there is an American pioneer or traderalready there and waiting. Whilst there is only one US Embassy and small garrison on Venus and Mars, American citizens do not feel as confined by boundaries or political lines as other nations do, and will happily work for whoever, wherever, including native Martian powers.

American characters are often brash, adventurous, and very confident. Whilst motivations can vary, Americans tend to be aware of their need to be self-reliant. Often creative and never lacking in resolve, the Americans nonetheless can also sometimes indulge in the same vices and excesses of other colonial adventurers, looking down on natives and colonists alike. Whilst often pragmatic, they can also be ruthless, and stubborn to boot. Americans also, like the French, are somewhat less strict about the role of women, at least abroad, and serial pulp novels are full of stories of bold American pioneer women, taming the West, and now, soon, the Frontiers of Mars and Venus aswell.

THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE/AUSTRO-HUNGARY/OTTOMAN EMPIRE/ITALY/BELGIUM
There are many other powerful empires on Earth, of course, all with varying interest in expanding colonial interests and keeping up with the Great Powers. However, their technological sophistication is considerably behind the above nations, and their interests in Space and abroad are greatly limited.

Russia, whilst arguably the largest Earth power, is also greatly hindered by being rural and backwards. Struggling to industrialise, the Russian Air fleets are woefully underdeveloped, and they have few, if any, real aetheric craft capable of travelling to Mars or Venus.

Austro-Hungary is likewise often wracked by its own internal, domestic complications, and does not have the will, time or resources to invest in the new Space Race.

The Ottoman Empire is a dying empire, even more so than Austro-Hungary and the Russias. It survives largely by playing the other Great Empires against each other, and as such has no representation offworld whatsoever.

Italy, like Germany, is a recently united country, and is keen to prove itself as a European Power. Although it has its sights set on the more obscure and distant East African states, bold, some might say foolish, expeditions into Venus, the Moon and Mars have all been funded, and Italian private adventurers are almost as common as the French and Americans. Like the French, the Italians consider themselves a passionate, strong-willed people, who do things more for the fun of it than any long-term political or pragmatic benefit. Italian characters can be dramatic, and dismissive of the idea that they are any less capable abroad than other nations.

Belgium is a small nation, created in the 1830s largely to act as a buffer between Germany and France. However, its King, Leopold, has ambitions of being a grand european player, and of becoming enormouslty wealthy. Whilst his Kingdom itself does not have any official colonial ambitions, or the means to support an aerial or space fleet, King Leopold nonetheless has invested heavily in very, very unscrupulous private enterprises, taking over the Congo in Africa and also increasingly the Southern parts of Mars, aswell as chunks of Venus. Belgian characters are rare abroad, but not unheard of, and can be a mixture of French and German character traits. Belgians are self-conscious, but proud, of their nation, though their opinion and involvement in Leopold's interests can vary.

JAPAN
The last of the Powers, the Empire of Japan has gone from almost nothing to a bustling, industrial metropolis in the span of a generation. Absolutely convinced that if it does not achieve Great Power status it will be destroyed, the Japanese are extremely driven, and have undergone the most radical changes to achieve supremacy in Asia. With China increasingly being divided up by the European Powers, Japan has recognised the opportunity that Space travel provides, as a means to expand and gather crucial resources ahead of its inevitable struggle for dominance at home.
Whilst often looked down and even patronised by Europeans, the Japanese are a cool-headed people, not easily provoked. Japanese characters are almost certainly in some way connected with the Empire and the government, private capital being underdeveloped, and largely reliant on European input...at least, for now. Japan maintains small, token delegations on Mars, but has begun to look into expanding its interests there.

Other nations may have private citizens in space or abroad, but will likely rely on the Great Powers to get themselves there, or to sponsor them whilst abroad. Spain, Portugal, the South American countries and the British Commonwealth Nations(including South Africa and India) in particular are likely to have extra-terrestrial interests, but lack the national means to enforce them.

SPACE TRAVEL
Key to the setting is the existence of Aetheric Motivators. These are large and complex engines which enable a suitably sealed craft to traverse the currents of the Lumineferous Aether, once a craft has cleared the gravitational pull of its respective world. This is accomplished either by using large zeppelin craft to "raise" them to an appropriate height, or, in some cases, by firing them clear of the earth's pull with enormous cannons. Other devices, such as rocket boosters and more alien methods of propulsion, are largely theoretical and not at all commonplace.

Aetheric craft tend to resemble either large ironclads or surface naval vessels, with large reinforced domes covering the deck areas, or alternatively having no accessible decks at all. They are often made entirely of metal, usually steel or iron. Currently only the Great Powers maintain fleets of these vessels, though private civillian ones, which resemble ocean-liners only without the large funnels, are in existence and will carry people to Mars or Venus for a suitable fee.

Aetheric millitary craft currently come in three classes- Frigates, Cruisers and Battleships. Frigates are small, fast ships that pack a punch but are intended for small patrols, such as around a planet or more specifically an area of suborbital space. They can travel between worlds, but are not intended to do such often. Cruisers are larger, slower ships which are built for interplanetary combat, and often escort civillian vessels, or harass them in times of war.

Battleships are the rarest Aetheric craft, and are mighty juggernauts capable of lifting themselves from surface to space under their own power, often relying on their own inflatable canopies to lift them, and enabling them to be a formidable weapon in Aerial combat aswell. Only a handful of them even exist under the control of the Great Powers, though rumours of Martian vessels, long buried or abandoned in their ruins beneath the sands, continue to circulate.
Civillian Aetheric craft also tend to come in three distinct classes. Packet Boats, Clippers and Liners. Packet Boats are very small, smaller than frigates, capable of carrying up to 20 or 30 people. They are designed for fast, reusable interplanetary travel, and tend to carry important messages, small cargos, or very important people. They are virtually defenceless, however, and easy prey for Pirates or raiders.

Clippers are larger craft, comparable in size to supply ships used on the seas back on Earth. They are the most common type of civillian aetheric craft, and exist basically to carry large amounts of cargo, or people in very cheap, cramped conditions, from planet to planet. They have their own inflatable canopies like Battleships, but lack weaponry or armour, and are very fuel hungry.

Liners are the largest civillian vessels, often with onboard luxuries like squash courts, an observation deck, and a dining room and ballroom for dances. Travel on these huge craft is often very expensive, but in times of war they can be pressed into service easily. They are lightly armed, largely to deter raiders. They also have inflatable canopies.

Space Pirates are a rare thing, and often rely largely on "insiders" to open the airlocks on a craft to let them aboard. They do not have access to millitary-grade craft, and tend to rely on either crude, Martian Lifters of Packet-boat size to raid uncautious ships entering orbit, or on Packet Boats that drift in the Dark Side of the Moon, waiting for their prey.

Space Battles are almost unheard of, as Pirates rely entirely on stealth, suprise, and subterfuge to gain access and loot civillian craft. Whilst sometimes armed, any exchanged battle between Space Pirates and even a Clipper would be dangerous, and risk bringing the attention of a passing Frigate or Cruiser, not to mention damage the cargo they seek.

Airship Fleets are much more common, though reliant on Aetheric craft to transport them between worlds. They are by and large similar to Zeppelins and other large balloon craft, though on Mars some of the locals may use what appear to be vast, complex wooden sail craft, who rely on the thick air currents for propulsion once airborne, though their means of anti-gravitational propulsion remains something of a mystery.

Airships come in many more sizes and uses, and transport between nations is becoming increasingly common, with civillian Zeppelin lines crossing the Atlantic and connecting the European nations. Fixed-wing Aircraft have been considered, but as yet are not feasible, and transport between larger Zeppelins and the ground or other aircraft is accomplished using dirigibles or Montgolfier-scale Balloons.
Private ownership of smaller, dirigble craft and hot-air balloons is feasible, though transporting them from planet to planet is extremely costly and unwieldy.

Military Airships tend to act as spotters for surface forces, and even the largest are often lightly armed with maxim guns and small cannons. Their main function is not to engage other airships, but to transport troops, provide aerial surveillance, and act as command hubs for co-ordinating ground or aetheric operations.
However, despite this, Aerial warfare on Mars in particular is becoming increasingly common, as Martian Sky Pirates becoming increasingly bold, and native powers rush to build their own aerial fleets to defend against the Humans, or perhaps each other. New, metallic gondolas with longer-range weapons are being developed, allowing for long-distance battles between Zeppelins. However, the vulnerability of the canopy is still a significant factor, and as such most are wary of entering direct battles with other opponents.

TECHNOLOGY
Unlike our own world, technology has developed much more rapidly and along slightly different lines. Whilst much of what is possible and commonplace in our own world at this time is likewise fairly common, such as bolt-action rifles, horse-drawn carriages, steam-powered trains and great ocean-going steamers, these innovations and cutting-edge wonders have been overshadowed somewhat by other great developments. Foremost amongst these are Aerial and Aetheric craft, great vessels which can travel through the air or through the Lumineferous Aether between worlds.

Regarding personal inventor's access to and ability to develop unique and wondrous gadgets, rules of common sense apply. In inventing or modifying existing technologies of the day, four factors should always be considered. First, the intended Purpose of the device. Is it a weapon, a means of travel, communication or something else? Second, the Power or Material to be used- is it Steam-powered, coal-fired, oil-fired, or rely on exotic alien crystals from Mars? If its an unpowered device, is it made with Steel, early forms of Rubber, or Unobtainium mined from beneath the Moon? Third, what Skills or Science would be needed to make such a device? Is it Chemical, Biological, Mechanical, or some combination of these?

Finally, how much Time and Money would be needed to make it?
Provided that these questions are considered when inventing new devices or gadgets for your characters, and do not exceed the bounds of possibility or good game-sense for the setting, you are largely free to craft what you wish. However, several things are expressly forbidden- Time Travel, Nuclear Weapons or some comparable WMD, and other "god" levels of technology. Similarly, devices which are beyond your characters realistic resources to manufacture should either be purchased, contracted, or subject to a lengthy rp to explain where they come from/how they are to come about. Characters with Hydraulic-powered Metal Arms are one thing, but characters in 50-foot steam Mecha are another. Consider the practicalities of making, using, transporting and maintaining your Wonder Tech before submitting them.

Aesthetic and the themes of the setting should also be considered when devising a gadget. Whilst in theory you could make a Mobile Phone or some device that simulates the internet, how this device would be crafted should not be too modern or real-world, or at least should bare the limitations of the 19th century in mind. Clunky, chemical-battery operated windup phonesets that you carry on your back are ok, but tiny silicon chip iPhones most definitely are not.
If you are unsure about something, always please feel free to ask.

DISCLAIMER:
This setting draws heavily on material developed for the tabletop roleplaying game, Space 1889. Although We are not using that tabletop games rules, structure or exact material, for example on Mars, Venus and so on, its setting is nonetheless the basis for much of the material presented above, and all credit should go to the owners and creators of the setting, though some changes have been made here and there and this should not be considered the world of Space 1889, merely one inspired by it.