Theme

One of the inspiration sources to Foundation was Isaac Asimov's masterpiece the Foundation series or more specifically his inspiration source The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon. The series and the game revolve around the different forces that may contribute to the fall of an Empire and how its remnants become the foundation of a new one.

It is true that the word Foundation means something complete different in Isaac Asimov's work and I did indeed consider weaving in elements from the books in my game, such as a research track for psychohistory and the actual planets described by the author. However, when I learned that the Foundation series is not yet in the public domain, I decided to focus on Edward Gibbon's theme and make the science fiction setting more generic.

Edward Gibbon discerns four principal causes of the fall of the Roman Empire, which are all present in the game:

1. The injuries of time: This is represented by the opening game state. Only ruins remain of the infrastructure that once served the Empire, as if the moment of the imperial heydays has been frozen, and it is up to the players to step in and restart it.
2. The barbarian attacks: This is represented by the players themselves. They represent dynasties of the outer planets with the ambition to overthrow the last remnants of the old Empire and lay the foundation of a new one.
3. The use of the materials: This is represented by the resource economy, where the shortage of resources prevents the production of the new resources required for production. It is up to the players to break this deadlock and kickstart the economy.
4. The domestic quarrels: This is represented by the imperial forces of the game. They are still a threat to the players, at least in the beginning when the players are still weak, but they do not fight in coordinated manner and it is easy for the players to manipulate them or even use them for own purposes.

In the course of the history, as well as in Asimov's work, there are often other forces than political and military ones that direct the events. In Foundation, Salvor Hardin uses science to dominate other planets while Hober Mallow relies on trade. In Foundation and Empire, the military strength of the Empire is turned against itself and in Second Foundation, forces out of control determine the outcome (mental abilities in Asimov's work, secret goals in the game). The only that is certain is that old Empires are doomed to die and new ones be born.

Isaac Asimov

Edward Gibbon

Earth