ToME Wiki
Game Background
Snowglade
The game starts in the human village Metropolis, on the mech-controlled planet Snowglade, some time after the events of Great Sky River. The mechs, intelligent machines, have all but eradicated the humans in the galaxy, and Metropolis has continuing existence only because of a deal struck with the mech known as the Mantis.
Some brave youngsters still wish to fight the mechs and make raids to mech cities. There they get a chance to kill the mechs who had killed or surekilled so many of their loved ones, and also find mighty equipment made by the mechs or the ancient humans back when they were more powerful than now. Even though science is undergoing a small renaissance in the new stability of Metropolis, none of the humans yet knows that Snowglade is heading straight into the Eater of All Things, the black hole at the center of the galaxy. Also, the true intentions of the Mantis are not particularly pleasant... Ultimately the humans will need to find themselves another spaceship and escape before it is too late, but that's easier said than done.
Then, just to mess things up, Snowglade gets attacked by Myriapodia...
Meanwhile, in an Alternate Starting Place
At this point nothing very special is happening in the Wedge. The player character is someone who got lost in the numerous esty Lanes and can't find the way back home.
In gameplay sense this is very different from starting on Snowglade. Mechs are almost completely absent. There is plenty of organic life, including aliens and hostile humans. Since timestone is the material the whole place is built of, some of the more unusual "elements" are actually rather commonplace and floor types not found elsewhere can be seen. Unlike on Snowglade, there is room for numerous hostile uniques.
I think Snowglade is probably the more interesting starting position because of its stricter hard science fiction feel. The Wedge is also technically hard science fiction but gets so far into speculative physics and sufficiently advanced technology that a fantasy feel starts appear, which makes it closer to a standard roguelike. However, giving the player different options is a good thing.
Winning the Game
Standard Ending
Snowglade: Winning the game could mean destroying a powerful mech mind that controls a city and its spaceport. Then you can steal a ship without immediate pursuit and relocate farther from the Galactic Center where you will hopefully be able to establish a colony that will stand up better when the mechs inevitably attack again.
The Wedge: The end villain could be some semi-random unique, one from the book or an original one. Someone like the Tyrant/the Chairwoman/His Supremacy could fit the bill reasonably well, except for being not really that noteworthy in the greater scheme of things. But well, in this version they could have more far-reaching plans. The "Bird" could also work if the Syntony is presented as the main threat in this branch of the storyline.
Ultra Ending
Snowglade: Instead of you can also choose to go to explore the shadowy legend at the Galactic Center and find a way to the strange esty land of the Wedge. Unfortunately, the mechs have arrived before you. The portal cities are more or less destroyed and the place is swarming with more advanced mechs than you are used to, particularly deeper down in the Lanes. The mechs seem to be searching for something, but what? Also the bizarre physics of the esty will provide you with an extra challenge.
The Wedge: Someone who started playing in the Wedge will see their homeland suddenly invaded. The invasion must be stopped but how? The difficulty level in the dungeons has suddenly risen drastically. Of course you can also refuse the quest and simply run and hide in a small Lane you think will be far from the main action.
Both: If you succeed, you will find and trigger the Trigger Codes, thus saving your world. Then it will be a good while until the mechs can become a threat again.
Finding the Trigger Codes could be implemented as having to find the friendly uniques Killeen, Toby, and Abraham and talk to each of them. They are not easy to find and the dungeon is swarming with really powerful monsters.
You are not told beforehand (unless you have read the books) which three uniques you need to talk to. There are several other friendly uniques around, and also clones with limited brain. Luckily for you, the friendly uniques are experienced survivors and so you just might reach them while they are still alive.
If any of the important three happens to die you will need to visit a mech city where they have been reconstructed by the Mantis (as H monsters) and talk to them there. The city is deadlier than anything you have seen. The reconstructed versions of the uniques are neutral to the mechs and if they still get killed they will be reconstructed again. You can find the other dead friendly formerly-h uniques there too.
I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but at least it should be original.