Set in the 22nd century,
Trinity Continuum: Æon portrays a future Earth slowly recovering from a disastrous war (the origins of which are covered in
Aberrant) and expanding in space. Former depressed areas such as Africa, South America and Eastern Asia, which suffered moderate traumas during the Aberrant War are now the leading political forces in the international arena, while Europe is a landscape of ruins and hard struggling survivors, and North America is under a fascist regime (the Federated States of America, or FSA).
Bio-engineering is the leading technology and
psionics are known and studied if not exactly widespread. Alien contact has been made, with mixed results. Characters take the roles of psionic individuals, working for one of the many organizations in the gaming world, and tackling troubles when they arise. The game setting, which is detailed in a number of supplements, allows for a variety of styles, from
cyberpunk-like
corporate espionage to
Mad Max-style
post-holocaust frontier adventure, to
space exploration.
Orders Players have a choice of six "Orders" for their characters to join. Each Order possesses a mastery over a specific "Aptitude", a category of psionic powers. Each Order is based in a specific geographic location, often the homeland of its founder, and is heavily influenced by local culture. Actually, there are eight "Orders" in the Trinity Universe, but one only became playable after some
metaplot hooks made it so, and the other has almost been exterminated by the year where the playable timeline begins. ;
The Æsculapian Order :Based in Europe, this Order is a global
medical clinic first and foremost; its members fulfill the roles of combat medics, healers and scientists. They teach the Aptitude of vitakinesis, the usage of the mind to heal the body. ;Interplanetary School for Research and Advancement :Based on the
Moon, this Order is a quasi-
monastic school of philosophy associated with the real-world religion the
Baháʼí Faith (see
popular media references). Its members learn
clairsentience and use their sensory powers to become scouts and detectives. ;The Legions :Based in
Austronesia, these are high tech military corps (similar to that found in
Starship Troopers), using the powers of
psychokinesis to protect humanity from extrasolar threats. ;Ministry of Psionic Affairs :Also called the Ministry of
Noetic Affairs, this
cloak and dagger spy agency is based in China and a part of the Chinese government. Members are skilled in
telepathy and are the most secretive and mistrusted of the Orders for their abilities. ;Nova Força Nacional (Portuguese for "The New National Force") :Also known as the
Norça, this Order takes the form of a
vigilante militia, based somewhere in the jungles of South America. They wield the powers of biokinesis, and possess complete biological mastery over their physical forms. They are as widely, if not more, distrusted than the Ministry. ;
Orgotek :A multinational technology corporation headquartered in North America, its members are all employees in some fashion or another. They can control the
electromagnetic spectrum with the electrokinesis Aptitude. They often take the role of technical experts and engineers. ;Upeo wa Macho (Swahili for "Horizon") :The Upeo are an African trade organization with the
teleportation Aptitude. Although they had been missing for six years as of the core rules, they have since returned, although their absence has not altogether been explained to the public. With their return, regular contact with extrasolar colonies is being re-established. ;
Chitra Bhanu :The Chibs are an Indian physics laboratory with the ability to manipulate the
nuclear forces of the universe (quantakinesis). They were exterminated because the other Psi Orders claimed that they had an alliance with the monstrous Aberrants, although there have been rumors of survivors either hiding on their own, or working secretly for other orders. == System ==