So, right now I'm in the process of making my setting as vivid as I can possibly make it, almost to the point where you are stepping with your own two feet into this world. Along with the verisimilitudinous (yes, that's a word, you stupid spell check) and streamlined combat, I want to make this game an experience that engages a deep emotional connection; a world where your characters are truly an extension of yourself. This is a daunting undertaking. This is also, admittedly, a ton of hubris, which is why it is important for me to make the game's progress so transparent.
The Iron Element
The iron element represents the decay of that which was once shiny and beautiful. This setting element is predominant in the Vanaq Ir region, a graveyard of pre-Nevercast technology. The monolith representing this element is the Iron City, a labyrinthine complex of research facilities, both above and below ground, which hides the most advanced technologies ever conceived. Its inhabitants are extremely competitive in their endeavor to obtain these relics, and many have banded together to control portions of the city.
(The Iron City will be the perfect setting for players seeking adventure, exotic items and artifacts, post-modern dungeon crawling, or a kick-the-door-down style of gaming.)
The Earth Element
This is not a future where modern conveniences have made men soft and weak of will. The underlying theme is a return to nature, where the collapse of the previous social structures has allowed the opportunity for a more holistic and integrated approach to human progress, which gives rise to the Water Element.
The Water Element
From the failure caused by the rigidity of pre-Nevercast socio-political structures, the structures of post-Nevercast that will thrive will be fluid and decentralized. In order to get a feel for territory unknown to me, I've been looking up the philosophy of open-source government, government in general (because I'm personally apolitical and find government boring except for when I'm destroying and urinating on it in my fantasy world), the apparent need to do away with conventional military methods, and reading "The Economist" for clues to where things may be in the future.
The Heaven Element
Any good story essentially boils down to the human experience. And, after all, I wouldn't want to alienate the storytellers and character actors - the definition of role-player - from the game. It is in my opinion that the lethality and lack of "epicness" apparent in a simulationist system will cultivate a more interactive environment - an environment void of power-gamer and munchkin meta-elements - where every action has realistic and potentially deep consequences. Thus, it will be that much sweeter should your character actually reach magnitudes of epic proportion.
Getting down to the more tangible subjects, who you are and where you are from will have a large impact upon how NPCs perceive and interact with you. Playing in any of the Des Xiac nations, for example, will subject the players to extreme racial tension.
Eastern philosophies have great influence over the construction of the setting, as I'm quite fond of Ch'an Buddhism and Taoism, and also because their agnostic natures complement science so well. I've written in the far-future setting blog that the Masters had attained the ability to control nanomachines through practice and meditation - it's an example of the marriage between the two subjects I am referring to.
Other Concepts:
Discovery and Mystique
My favorite RPGs have one thing in common: secrets. I love discovering secrets, and I'm assuming a lot of other people do too. So I have the Nevercast, an event that makes secrets.
Pre-Nevercast technology is highly desirable, so why isn't it a normal part of the current world? Because the Nevercast cut off the money supply, and many innovative ideas still in the experimental stages were abandoned. Facilities shut down. These facilities hold many secrets, but they're out of reach because powerful groups have their hands in the cookie jar. There are, however, places they don't know about.
Generally, player character professions involve the procurement of technology, providing muscle to those who wish to procure technology, or providing other avenues of procurement to those parties. Therefore, there will be available many different methods to achieve your goals, based on many different PC skillsets:
1. Stealing or hunting information about new sources, either through hacking or tracking down references in old facility databases or scientific periodicals.
2. Diplomacy
3. Breaking and entering
4. Hijacking
5. Intimidation
6. Destroying the competition, such as through general slaughter or exposing illegal activities.
((Most of these methods aren't the most altruistic, but there will be other professions to choose from that aren't so morally ambiguous, such as the poor bastards from Urs Prime who are charged to stabilize those hot spot areas of activity.))