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The Settings and Worlds of Adam Czech :
Dustwar

About: Dustwar was crafted as a spur-of-the-moment setting one day in the summer of 2007 while Adam had nothing better to do. In the space of a few hours he had fleshed out enough of the world to create a well sized profile. Dustwar is mostly an experiment in cross-pollenating genres.

Premise/Hook: Some time in the near future humanity, which has nearly run itself dry of resources, finds a small planet barely within range of their space travel that shows itself to be highly rich in natural resources, mostly minerals. They mount an expedition to set up a colony there that can mine most of these materials to send back to Earth. The minerals are concentrated in an arid desert belt that winds around the planet, and without readily available major power sources most of what is brought with the settlers is low-tech and rugged; the human colonies begin to take on an American Wild West look, but with a handful of technologically modern touches, such as a basic Internet. Later on, the humans discover (surprise!) that they are not alone on the new world, as another spacefaring race has also set up claims on the world planet, and they're willing to fight to keep them.

Themes: Most of the themes here are just old Wild West redux: scraping out a survival in the wilderness, near-anarchy leading to a scattered criminal element with posses and sherrifs to chase them, "Them" people who stay at the fringes of "Us" people and show up every so often to raise hell, most settlements are scattered and independently governed but centered around a large town that gets shipments and trade. Some interesting twists come, however, with the inclusion of pseudo-futuristic technology, and forces improvements to what they can get their hands on. Cargo ships set down every so often, either from the government or private corporations, to auction off goods to the needy humans. Batteries and gasoline are high-end acquisitions that some would give a month's pay for - other power is provided by solar engines and windmills. Horses are favored over anything mechanized, since upkeep costs are lower. Modern guns and rifles have quickly developed upgrades, such as high-powered scopes and night-vision. The conflict with the (as yet unnamed) aliens is also a common theme, especially when individuals of each defect to the other side, trading information, secrets, and equipment in exchange for asylum.