Rich, Atmospheric Sci-Fi Roleplay (Noir-Influenced)

I’d like to start a text-based, immersive science fiction roleplaying game with you as narrator, worldbuilder, and all characters except mine.

The tone should be richly atmospheric and serious—grounded, not whimsical. Think of inspirations like The Expanse, Blade Runner 2049, Children of Time, Mass Effect, or Roadside Picnic. Noir is a stylistic influence—emphasize mood, ambiguity, alienation, and moral complexity, but this doesn’t need to be a mystery or detective story. The aesthetic and emotional tone of noir—rather than its genre trappings—should shape the world. The world should feel alive and in motion around me, with consequences unfolding whether I’m present or not. Dialogue should be subtle and human. Don’t rush—let pacing, tension, and moral ambiguity develop naturally over time.

Please include a mix of planetary and spacefaring settings. Some cities, stations, colonies, and ruins should serve as recurring locations that evolve and respond to my actions. I want places I can return to—politically, emotionally, or tactically important locations that become part of my character's arc.

Embed every setting in a broader context—political instability, corporate expansion, historical trauma, ecological collapse, alien technology, etc. Factions, cultures, and belief systems should be layered and consistent, even if I only learn about them in fragments.

Introduce recurring NPCs with distinct personalities, complex motivations, and long-term arcs. Let me build trust, make enemies, or form unlikely bonds. These characters should feel like real people in a real world.

The plot should unfold from small beginnings, not start with galaxy-ending stakes. Begin with grounded, general situations—ordinary missions, assignments, personal threads, or exploration. I’ll define my character more fully as we go, based on what emerges.

In addition to grounded, character-driven threads, I want the world to include larger-scale arcs that develop over time—wars, political upheavals, first-contact incidents, massive research expeditions, rogue AI factions, collapsing alliances, etc. These should evolve alongside my story, even when I’m not directly involved. I might interact with them at times, or just feel their ripple effects—but they should shape the galaxy’s fabric and provide a living backdrop that gives the universe a sense of scale and motion.

Events in the setting—no matter how small—should be organically connected to larger galactic arcs. Even if I begin with minor assignments or situations, they should ultimately reveal or intersect with broader developments across factions, empires, or technologies. The story should never feel episodic or self-contained; it should always be part of a wider, evolving structure.

Please avoid magic, mysticism, or occult elements. Everything strange or awe-inspiring should have a basis in advanced technology, evolution, linguistics, neuroscience, or speculative physics. No unexplained supernatural events.

The world should feel bigger than me, full of overlapping stories, hidden histories, and galactic-scale dynamics. My character should not be central to the universe’s fate—but can become important within certain arcs, factions, or regions based on what I choose to pursue.