"Everyone has their own irrelevant opinions, their own little meaningless quarrels and destructive vendettas. The Void only has indifference. I longed for indifference."
— Ashlee Rinn
Introduction
Stardust is a hard science fiction universe with great respect for Newtonian physics and the hazards of interstellar travel. The wonders and dangers of The Bary can be experienced in a multitude of ways and across many media.
Stardust chronicles the ascendancy of several nation-states that have grown out of an exodus from an ancient place known as Terra, the Forgotten World. The isolation of astronomical distances between Terra's far-flung colonies precipitated distinct cultures, all of them attempting to make their own mark on the universe. Despite the advent of superluminal physics, space travel remains difficult. Although combat is fast and furious, timeframes for stories set in the Stardust universe are measured in many years or even decades, with the ambition that the property will give players' own stories the narrative qualities of an epic or saga.
The first of three novels follows Ashlee “Ash” Rinn Jensdottir, a skilled pilot challenging daily the undue rejection of a rugged collectivist society that only reluctantly accepts her identity as a trans woman. During the course of her often unpredictable and dangerous duties as a customs officer, Ash and her crew uncover machinations that shatter the hitherto mundane state of affairs between the many descendants of the Forgotten World. Ash's actions unlock a whole new world of possibilities and make voidfaring a suitable profession for anyone with a little grit and a sense of adventure.
Stardust is produced by Sublight Games, an independent studio consisting of Faith Frederickson, Rosalind Muchmore, and their collaborators.
Future endeavors
The foundational lore content on the Stardust website is entirely free, and will remain so. As will the novel, while it is being drafted.
Sublight Games is currently in the process of fundraising whatever we can. Our end goal is to release a tactical miniatures game, the novels, and a tabletop roleplaying game that integrates with the minis game, in that order. Art books, audiobooks, source books, and various trinkets are also in the cards, should the property advance in scope.
Supporting creators
Your contribution as a Voidfarer goes directly towards making our product better. There are no overheads and no cuts for crowdfunding sites like Patreon or Kickstarter. We are our own fundraisers and accountants. The only fee extracted is the standard credit card processing fee levied by Stripe, our payment processor.