>>7840937Needing conflict =/= making everything explicitly about war.
Classic Space had tons of opposing factions, with Blacktron being the largest "bad" one, but the conflict was never the themes focus; it was more about how the different factions survived and adapted in their different environments and what roles they served in the greater scheme. More than anything, survival was the conflict - at least it felt like to me.
Meanwhile fast-forward to modern themes like Mars Mission, Galaxy Squad, Space Police III, and even the sillier Alien Conquest, and every single set is explicitly a war machine. The people aren't settlers who happen to have conflicts, they're basically just soldiers.
There is a big difference between having an engaging conflict, and sucking out any subtlety other than the conflict.
