Life, Coin, and Survival in Starfall
The Starfall Galaxy economy is a life-and-death balance of scarcity, time, and trade. Unlike most science fiction settings, time—as measured in Yoms—is the currency of survival, transforming every transaction into a tangible wager against the void. Players, GMs, and writers will find the economy drives stories as much as faction conflict or galactic exploration. Markets for basic survival, resource wars, counterfeit trade, and wealth transfer shape the fate of worlds and adventurers alike.
The Universal Currency: Yoms and the Dei Survival Pack
“In Starfall, the currency is existence. A Yom means another day alive, another Dei Survival Pack in your hands.”
Yoms are the standard measure of wealth—one Yom equals one cycle’s worth of survival essentials, packing everything a sapient being needs to endure in hostile space. Dei Survival Packs —the universal basic unit —guarantee a day’s food, water, atmosphere, power, medical care, and emergency repairs. This basic universal income—often provided in stable regions—anchors communities to hope and productivity; those without Yoms face desperation, piracy, or ruin.
What's in a Dei Survival Pack?
Nutrient-dense ration block
Recycled water and vital atmosphere components
Disposable CO2 filter and atmosphere resupply
Emergency repair and medical kit
Universal power cell
Its real, tangible value and role in barter make the Dei pack the benchmark for price, trade, and labor across the galaxy.
Chronologists: Guardians of Time and Commerce
Chronologists and their metronomes uphold accurate timekeeping across systems and starships. Their science stabilizes the daily cycle, anchors contracts and payments, and keeps empires, enclaves, and factions tethered to a shared reality. Factions feud and bargain for Chronologist services as the bedrock of commerce, travel, and survival.
The Factional Tapestry
Faction approaches to economics reveal Starfall’s diversity and drama:
Asenobi Dynasty: Monopolizes efficient Dei production, enforcing loyalty and order with relentless bureaucracy.
Crimson Concord: Turns marketplaces into stages, prioritizing barter and emotional persuasion over price or guarantee.
Ravening Compact and Outer Sphere: Wages desperate wars for every survival ration and factory.
Frontier Clade: Innovates and distributes collectively, surviving through communal labor and invention.
Celestial Accord: Audits, plans, and regulates, believing economic order is the path to lasting prosperity.
Anarchic and Salvager Factions: Reject material currency, trading psychic energy or salvaged parts as existential lifelines.
Wealth Transfer and Interstellar Trade
Traditional currency is nearly worthless across light-years—paper, coins, even digital credits break down due to communication lag, counterfeiting, and lack of universal trust. Instead, Starfall economies move fortunes via collateralized trade goods: high-value items, vital raw materials, and particularly the benchmark Dei components. Wealth is repackaged as tangible, desired assets and physically moved between systems, then exchanged for local Yoms and Cinders.Rift-Space-The-Galaxy-s-Twisted-Heart.md
1 Yom = 100 Cinders
1 Annum = 360 Yoms
1 Century = 100 Annums
Adventure hooks sprout from these logistics: piracy, market manipulation, trade route wars, cargo protection, and resource sabotage.
Black Market and Resource Wars
Counterfeit, diluted, or stolen Dei packs are common in desperate systems; recovery, protection, and sabotage of survival goods drive black market economies. Labor is paid in Yoms, creating constant tension between wealth, need, and peril. Resource wars, scavenging missions, and factional blockades challenge player ingenuity and create dynamic session objectives.
Conclusion: Economics as Drama
The Starfall Galaxy’s economy is more than background lore—it’s a living arena. Every trade, every survival pack delivered, every wealth transfer or barter-driven scheme is a story moment shaping campaign destiny. Embrace the pursuit of Yoms, the strategies of trade, and the tension of scarcity for player-driven adventure.
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