Organiser: East Sweden Megagames
Designers: Philip Svanfeldt and Julius Sandgren
A long time ago, humans discovered a fuel that allowed their vessels to cross the vast distances of space and interplanetary trade ensued. The new trade routes brought about the ruin of the old, cash-based economic system – in space, only hardware could be trusted to hold any lasting value and slowly but surely a new economy emerged, based on bartering. This transition was far from peaceful, however, and terrible wars raged across entire sectors in space.
There is still conflict in the universe, but in many places a realisation of just how vulnerable humans are in space have arisen. The inhabitants of the worlds and space-dwelling traders of these sectors of space have come to abandon all forms of weaponry, enforcing swift and merciless mob justice on those not adhering to this principle.
The sector of space in which Convergence is set is, despite being a relatively harsh and unwelcoming place, home to several celestial bodies that are inhabitable to varying degrees, eight of which are currently populated. Not everyone is thrilled by life in gravity, however, and instead involve in interplanetary trade, travelling among the stars. This difference in preferences naturally results in friction and tension, but one thing is for sure – planet inhabitants and ship dwellers would not survive without each other.
The stationary settlements are always in pursuit of growth and getting their hands on resources their own world cannot provide. The crews of the many vessels visiting these worlds are more the happy to correct this imbalance – and to make a handsome profit in the process. News travel slowly in space and alongside interplanetary freight, a profitable trade with information flourish.
As in all places where there is human civilization, this sector of space has a number of factions struggling for power and influence. Knowing which faction one cannot afford to antagonize and which it is safe to scam is critical in this game – not only for players’ prosperity and quality of life, but for their very survival.