Core Concepts

This world is not ending; it is *adapting*.

“Biopunk Redemption” names the tone and direction of the setting: a movement from ecological ruin toward renewal through connection.

• Technology and biology merge…
• Horror is inherent because change is scary. But, ultimately, this is about hope
• Evolution becomes moral choice: redemption through cooperation.
• Every transformation carries the risk of losing self, but also of healing what was broken.

The Bloom offers accelerated evolution and shared awareness. It is the narrative excuse for why our player-characters can do some really cool superhuman things. but the new abilities and perceptions threaten established identity. Each Host negotiates this tension through three key systems:

• Anchors: memories, beliefs, and relationships that define identity.
• Rupture Choice: periodic redefinition or sacrifice of Anchors to represent growth.
• Symbiosis Track: measures the state between Harmony (balance) and Dissonance (loss of self or over-integration).

Together, these mechanics express the question: How much of yourself must you lose to become something greater?

The world is divided, not destroyed. I envision the following primary ideological factions:

• Bloom Cults mystical or prophetic groups worshipping the merger as transcendence.
• Integrationists advocate guided evolution and partnership with the Bloom.
• Containment Factions seek to isolate or weaponize it.
• Isolationists reject integration, retreating into sterile zones.

Each enclave embodies a philosophy of coexistence or resistance, giving the GM tools for ideological and moral tension.

Each Host carries an internal counterpart: the mycelial colony itself.

Together, the mycelial colony embodies the concept of the Collective Coherence Principle providing narrative justification for superhuman powers and locations that have rules for reality that may vary dramatically from our baseline.

• Fiction-first: narrative drives mechanics; rolls interpret story.
• GM Moves Always Hit - The GM doesn't roll dice. NPC and environmental situations apply statuses and conditions. Players may roll to mitigate.
• Consequences over failure: every action changes the world or self.
• Evolution as progression: advancement measured by transformation, not power.
• Collaborative interiority: shared storytelling of internal and external change.