QUASAR A science fiction space opera universe

[tooley1chris]

QUASAR CORE BOOK NOW AVAILABLE ON DRIVETHRU!
 

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/459723/QUASAR?affiliate_id=810507

 

QUASAR STAR SYSTEMS IS NOW LIVE ON DTRPG!

(had a little hiccup in the formatting 🙄)

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/463491/QUASAR-STAR-SYSTEMS

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by tooley1chris
Additional file

[Jakob]

On 7/16/2023 at 10:54 AM, Atgxtg said:

 

Personally, I'd be fond of having CHA be a pool of points that could be spent to shift the results of social skills. Something like a PC fails their Persuade roll by 5% and so spends 5 CHA points to bump the result to a success. CHA points could recover like POW points do.

 

This actually sounds fantastic - it's a little off-topic, but I could actually imagine that having three pools of this kind covering all skills could be used: Charisma for social interaction, Willpower for everything that requires just pushing through, and Concentration for mental tasks. All would be limited ressources, and all would make clear that you would have failed weren't it for your natural magnetism, your wheer doggedness or your ability to concentrate.

[g33k]

1 hour ago, Jakob said:

This actually sounds fantastic - it's a little off-topic, but I could actually imagine that having three pools of this kind covering all skills could be used: Charisma for social interaction, Willpower for everything that requires just pushing through, and Concentration for mental tasks. All would be limited ressources, and all would make clear that you would have failed weren't it for your natural magnetism, your wheer doggedness or your ability to concentrate.

It's a kind of "metacurrency" solution -- and not very trad-BRP -- but I rather like this idea.

But honestly, not "instead of" traditional CHA &c stats, keep those but give small/no pools to average/low stats, increasing as the characteristic gets better and better.

So they have a "just better" stat that's "always on," but also the capacity to "exert themselves" for exceptional situations.

Edited November 10, 2023 by g33k

[Atgxtg]

5 hours ago, Jakob said:

This actually sounds fantastic - it's a little off-topic, but I could actually imagine that having three pools of this kind covering all skills could be used: Charisma for social interaction, Willpower for everything that requires just pushing through, and Concentration for mental tasks. All would be limited ressources, and all would make clear that you would have failed weren't it for your natural magnetism, your wheer doggedness or your ability to concentrate.

Yeah, basically like hero points/character points/etc. but geared towards particular skill sets. The idea could even be expanded to use the eight Characteristic x 5% scores as the pools. The pools could get refreshed periodically (per session, or adventure) or via skill rolls (get a skill check get points back on the corresponding pool). Anyway, it's a bit late now. 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Atgxtg

[svensson]

Went looking for it on DTRPG today and didn't see it. Will check again on Monday.

[DreadDomain]

On 11/10/2023 at 7:58 AM, tooley1chris said:

QUASAR CORE BOOK NOW AVAILABLE ON DRIVETHRU!
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/459723/QUASAR?src=newest&filters=44826_0_0_0_0

Chris edited his post from last week. Just making sure it is not missed!

[Rich Tom]

Just picked it up, like 15 minutes ago. On an Initial leaf through, it looks good. I'm reading it now. The wife is out over the weekend on a course and I have a little time for some in depth reading. I might even get to play, if I can empty Sunday afternoon.

Well done Chris. Excellent!

POD in the future perchance?

[tooley1chris]

3 minutes ago, Rich Tom said:

Just picked it up, like 15 minutes ago. On an Initial leaf through, it looks good. I'm reading it now. The wife is out over the weekend on a course and I have a little time for some in depth reading. I might even get to play, if I can empty Sunday afternoon.

Well done Chris. Excellent!

POD in the future perchance?

Thanks for the kind words. Working on print on demand now👍.

I want a hardback copy 😀

[tooley1chris]

On 11/11/2023 at 4:59 AM, svensson said:

Went looking for it on DTRPG today and didn't see it. Will check again on Monday.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/459723/QUASAR?affiliate_id=810507

[rsanford]

I bought my copy about an hour ago, but since I have been on the road I haven't been able to download it yet. But having seen Chris' work in the past, I know its going to be great!

 

By the way, initially when I searched DriveThruRPG for Quasar it didn't came up. I then searched for "Tooley"and there it was! Instant sell!

[tooley1chris]

Thanks to everyone supporting my new project! 

After putting out so many free fan made projects in the Magic World grouping it's really weird to ask for $.   I've spent so many hours, (as have many of you!) creating new materials to help spread BRP love and hopefully bring others into the fold...well, it's nice to see some love in return!

 I've been seeing a lot of people share things they're working on. I hope others will take advantage of the ORC and help our family grow! 

QUASAR is my first real step in that direction.

Hope you find a use for it!

[g33k]

26 minutes ago, tooley1chris said:

Thanks to everyone supporting my new project! 

...

🥰

Maybe it's time to update your .sig here on BRPC?  😉

[tooley1chris]

On 11/17/2023 at 8:04 PM, g33k said:

🥰

Maybe it's time to update your .sig here on BRPC?  😉

Done 👍

[tooley1chris]

So I've been thinking about what happens AFTER all the QUASAR book releases. (2 more to go!)

 I'm thinking a couple "adventure" modules to help Chroniclers introduce players to a new version of BRP Space Opera.

The idea that is sticking out first and foremost in my mind is a space horror.

 I'm a sucker for Event Horizon.  Xenos are fun, all out war between two races is a possibility, but something more... tentacly...seems like a better possibility for gaining some traction in this genre.

 Something...other worldy in the far future, instead of the norm men wearing fedors and beanie hats, without stepping on toes.

What do the masterminds of this group think?

Should I stay in my lane?

[g33k]

On 11/18/2023 at 8:04 PM, tooley1chris said:

So I've been thinking about what happens AFTER all the QUASAR book releases. (2 more to go!)

 I'm thinking a couple "adventure" modules to help Chroniclers introduce players to a new version of BRP Space Opera.

The idea that is sticking out first and foremost in my mind is a space horror.

 I'm a sucker for Event Horizon.  Xenos are fun, all out war between two races is a possibility, but something more... tentacly...seems like a better possibility for gaining some traction in this genre.

 Something...other worldy in the far future, instead of the norm men wearing fedors and beanie hats, without stepping on toes.

What do the masterminds of this group think?

Should I stay in my lane?

I think you don't need to "stay in your lane," but should produce intro-scenarios (maybe 2-3 in a collection?) that are in the "space opera" genre you see as core to QUASAR itself.  After all, these will (inevitably!) form part of folks' initial impressions of the game.  If you lean too hard on horror too quickly, people may see it as a CoC-variant, like "Eldritch Skies" or etc; less so as its own whole Sci-Fi thing.

IMO / YMMV (obviously) -- so I might include 1 horror adventure in an introductory 3-pack of adventures, maybe...?


 

Edited December 12, 2023 by g33k
typo

[rsanford]

I like the Alien vibe too, but if you really want to make a statement, take a page from GDW’s 2300 AD setting and narrate an encounter with truly alien, aliens. I mean aliens who not only have different goals but whose way of thinking is conceptually different than humans or aliens whose sense of “self” is entirely different than ours. I’m not going to give spoilers but if you aren’t already familiar with them look at GDW’s treatment of the Kafer and Pentapod. I’m not a Twilight 2000 fan, but the 2300’s take on aliens sold me on the game!
 

[Joerg]

2 hours ago, tooley1chris said:

So I've been thinking about what happens AFTER all the QUASAR book releases. (2 more to go!)

...

The idea that is sticking out first and foremost in my mind is a space horror.

 I'm a sucker for Event Horizon.  Xenos are fun, all out war between two races is a possibility, but something more... tentacly...seems like a better possibility for gaining some traction in this genre.

 Something...other worldy in the far future, instead of the norm men wearing fedors and beanie hats, without stepping on toes.

What do the masterminds of this group think?

Should I stay in my lane?

 I think that lane could be productive. I have been playing a couple of Sandy Petersen's space game prototypes at Kraken convention - Hyperspace is probably the closest to fulfillment after Corona disrupted his production schedule and model, and there is another game where you captain an individual vessel or a at best a small flotilla rather than playing the strategic game using the same background. Now Sandy has consistently been using some of the Mythos species as player options in his SF without making them seem out of place.

Alien life forms warping our concept of science are a rather generic trope in SF. Take for instance The Expanse, which has crystalline rather than tentacly alien things, making great use of that. The problem with introducing such opposition is that it changes or at least challenges the fundamentals of your setting and your technologies. You may have to provide a bunch of solutions for the interaction of this alien stuff with your existing technologies, and maybe allow or guide player-driven experimentation in this direction. Maybe not quite up to the madness of Girl Genius mad science, but into that direction.

There may be tentacle horror in established settings. Niven uses psi for his hyperspace navigation, and I seem to recall a statement that avoiding matter may be more a way of avoiding such tentacly encounters than something like avoiding impact.

Straczinsky's use of the Shadows and their minions in Babylon 5 is tentacle horror, too. (I just happened to take a peek into the episode which sends Babylon 4 back in time, where Sheridan interacts with a guardian-infested Londo in a cut-out future scene.)

You might have to lay out a couple of meta-rules for introducing these things into your space opera - whether you define "realms" of different laws, and how these create overlapping zones where the laws mix with ours, and possibly how to preserve our laws in the face of such reality warping. But then, any introduction of Faster Than Light technology in medium-hard SF introduces such alterations of our reality.

[tooley1chris]

** UPDATED **

QUASAR STAR SYSTEMS is NOW AVAILABLE at DTRPG!

Over 50 mapped out and somewhat detailed Star Systems, the planets/moons/and other heavenly bodies, and the terrestrial race inhabiting the system.

Also a Galactic Economic system aimed at starship captains wanting trade for profit and fun!

While Star Systems was created with QUASAR in mind, it could be used for any sci-fi system

Edited December 16, 2023 by tooley1chris
Uodated

[rsanford]

On 11/18/2023 at 10:04 PM, tooley1chris said:

So I've been thinking about what happens AFTER all the QUASAR book releases. (2 more to go!)

 I'm thinking a couple "adventure" modules to help Chroniclers introduce players to a new version of BRP Space Opera.

The idea that is sticking out first and foremost in my mind is a space horror.

 I'm a sucker for Event Horizon.  Xenos are fun, all out war between two races is a possibility, but something more... tentacly...seems like a better possibility for gaining some traction in this genre.

 Something...other worldy in the far future, instead of the norm men wearing fedors and beanie hats, without stepping on toes.

What do the masterminds of this group think?

Should I stay in my lane?

Frankly, I am not that creative, which is a terrible attribute to have if you are trying to write the occasional new world setting like me, however I have read a good bit of science fiction. You might have read Niven's book titled "The Mote in God's Eye". What if you took a page from Niven, and had the party stumble across a truly benovolent and friendly civilization with greatly superior technology that is, for some reason unknown to them, unable to leave their solar system...

The aliens are friendly and willing to share technology with humanity that would reduce suffering and elliminate many of Humanities greatest challenges. All they want in return, is to understand why they have been unsucessful as leaving their solar system. 

Of course, at some point the party would discover some troublng aspect about the aliens that, should they gain the ability to expand outside their solar system, would greatly challenge humanity in the far future...

 

 

[Atgxtg]

8 hours ago, tooley1chris said:

!

While Star Systems was created with QUASAR in mind, it could be used for any sci-fi system

 

Just wondering but are these actual star systems, that is stars that we have charted on Earth, or something factious in a distant region of space?

Either are perfectly valid, I am just curious as to which as I would use them differently. 

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by Atgxtg

[tooley1chris]

On 12/12/2023 at 12:24 PM, Atgxtg said:

Just wondering but are these actual star systems, that is stars that we have charted on Earth, or something factious in a distant region of space?

Either are perfectly valid, I am just curious as to which as I would use them differently. 

 

These are each stars you can find on real star charts. While some stars actually have discovered exoplanets planets orbiting them, the solar systems of each are mostly fictitious. An example would be the Trappist system that astronomers have found planets orbiting. I've used that and added moons, races, etc...That system is included in the book.

[Atgxtg]

30 minutes ago, tooley1chris said:

These are each stars you can find on real star charts. While some stars actually have discovered exoplanets planets orbiting them, the solar systems of each are mostly fictitious. An example would be the Trappist system that astronomers have found planets orbiting. I've used that and added moons, races, etc...That system is included in the book.

Thanks. Sounds interesting. I'm not worried about the actual planets being fictitious because it is a Sci-Fi setting, and it's not like we actually have detailed information on the planets in other star systems. I was mostly interested if in these systems would be be used in a Earth-centric campaign, or in some distant region of space. Now I know.😊

[tooley1chris]

QUASAR STAR SYSTEMS IS NOW AVAILABLE ON DTRPG!

(had a little hiccup in the formatting 🙄)

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/463491/QUASAR-STAR-SYSTEMS

Edited December 14, 2023 by tooley1chris

[tooley1chris]

QUASAR isn't Platinum level yet but thought this was cool 😀

[tooley1chris]

 I know I'm a noob "author" and some of you veterans will probably laugh at me, but its so strange to me how different my trials between my three QUASAR books have been. 
 The core book was frustrating figuring out how to make small changes to the BRP mechanics for more of a futuristic and somewhat unique feel without tainting the beloved original.

Oh, and HOURS UPON HOURS of listening to podcasts on futurism, fusion, astronomy, "physics for dummys", and pouring over alien encounter stories for the Sentience & Sapience racial section. Star Seed children who think they're originally from Andromeda. Kinda my fault because I wanted to use "authentic" aliens and real stars... (Do you know HOW MANY people think they're from another galaxy and YouTube about it???😀)

 The STAR SYSTEMS book was SO tedious and time consuming mapping all the various stars and solar systems, showing orbital paths, and adding extraterrestrial civilizations and some descriptions to the systems and technology.  Nevermind hours spent in space simulation programs and the GIMP editor. Then figuring out the distance in light years between each of the stars from EACH OF THE STARS.😀

The 3rd book STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION & IDENTIFICATION is all mind rattling number crunching, mechanic grinding, writing and rewriting trying to make all the starships and their  components compatible in the (hopefully) easiest way for others to figure out how to design.

Ships power levels, power to shields/engines/ and weapons. Movement, fuel consumption, starship combat, associated skills, upgrades...then rewriting parts all over again. 🙄😀

Wrote an excel page to make creating the dozens of starships unique to each of the races easier. That really helped...until I made them all before realizing I left something pretty important out of ALL of them. Rewriting that part again now😀.

 I don't really mind. I know it happens, but MaAaAan...

OK, so I'm pretty sure I had a point to all of this but now it escapes me. Maybe I just needed to vent.

You should be a psychiatrist. I do feel a little better 😀