Can’t decide between science fiction and fantasy for your game or novel setting? You don’t have to choose! Science fantasy blends futuristic technology with ancient magic, blurring the lines between these two popular speculative genres. In science fantasy stories and games, you’ll find spaceships navigating otherworldly realms where the laws of physics coexist with uncanny mysticism.
Are you ready for a wild ride into the subgenre subspace of mad science and rational magic? Amazing! Then let’s talk about where it came from, what it looks like, and how to execute it well as a writer, gamemaster or worldbuilder.
If you ask a dozen geeks for a definition of science fantasy, you’d get… a dozen definitions. Science fantasy is a genre that can be hard to pin down. So let’s look to the hallowed halls of academia for a start?
“a science fantasy world is one in which the characters or settings or events presuppose at least one clear violation of natural law or scientific necessity, but which explicitly provides an organized or scientific explanation for that violation which grounds its discourse in a scientific episteme. Science fantasy, like science fiction, assumes an orderly Universe with regular laws, but like fantasy, contains at least one explicit reversal of current natural law.”
Put more simply, science fantasy presents the impossible wrapped in the language of logic. Magic isn’t treated as unknowable and ineffable. It’s treated as something we simply haven’t figured out how to explain … yet. Or there is an explanation, but it’s all theory, pseudoscience and technobabble.
In this genre, both advanced science and magic exist. Or paranormal abilities are so dramatic they are indistinguishable from magic. Or the science is so advanced that it seems like magic to a present-day person. It can be considered a hybrid of science fiction and fantasy, or a subgenre of either one.
If the story or game setting includes a mix of scientifically possible future events or technology and the impossible and unexplainable, then it fits.
Like sword and sorcery, science fantasy originated in the world of pulp adventures. Stories of fantastic voyages to other worlds populated with alien societies were at first called planetary romance. Early science fantasy deliberately applied the rationalistic perspective and tone of science fiction to traditional fantasy subjects.
Science fantasy can be a controversial subgenre! Disagreement about what should be considered science fiction sometimes places science fantasy completely outside the genre. These debates have sparked a lot of debate in different fan communities!
But for many writers and gamemasters, freedom from the restrictive confines of “hard science fiction” makes science fantasy an appealing subgenre to explore speculative possibilities.
Science fantasy has a long history, and that means plenty of books to add to your reading list! From established classics to award-winning modern books, there are plenty of amazing stories to help you understand the genre better.
However, the most popular books in this subgenre are probably licensed novelizations. If you’ve ever read a Star Wars or Star Trek book, you’ve read science fantasy.
Licensed properties also dominate the science fantasy genre in tabletop RPGs. Star Wars and Star Trek ttRPGs offer fans the opportunity to play in their favorite imaginary worlds. But they are far from the only games in the science fantasy galaxy.
Ship-to-ship combat rules for space battles are also an important inclusion to consider, for when you absolutely, positively need to blow up a starship in your campaign.
Obviously, science fantasy is going to comfortably contain most of the common tropes of both sci fi worldbuilding and fantasy worldbuilding. But there are a few elements that are part of this genre’s unique twist on those two categories.
Elves Are Aliens: And so are vampires. And also werewolves. Plus probably orcs, too. Basically, all the non-human sentient species are just natives of another planet. Brothers from another mothership, as it were.
We Can Travel the Stars (Just Don’t Ask How): Space fantasy solves the problem of faster-than-light (FTL) travel by just refusing to think about it too hard. Warp drives, hyperdrives, mass effect relays? None of these pass the physics sniff test – and nobody cares.
See also: SPACE DOGFIGHTS.
Biology is Magic: Instead of witches, wizards and sorcerers, science fantasy has psionics and space monks with sentient mitochondria. (Yes, this means your favorite superhero comics probably fall under this genre).
Science fantasy is a genre that offers writers and game masters limitless options – from laser-shooting space orcs to mystical futuristic explorers. As a result, worldbuilding a science fantasy setting for your story or campaign can be enormously fun – and an enormous undertaking.
With a robust set of features, World Anvil empowers you to breathe life into your original settings. It offers a collaborative space to organize ideas, map out worlds, and share your unique creations. So sign up for your free account today. Start designing the next great science fantasy universe!