Interplanetary ?

[Agentorange]

Any news on this at all ?

It was one of the earliest BRP supplements to be mentioned and yet......

Everytime Jason talks about it I want to buy it ! So any news ? I've even got myself in the mood, I'm stuck at home for a couple of weeks following surgery and have ordered some Edgar Rice Boroughs, Michael Moorcock, Otis Kline etc for that whole interplanetary fix, now I just need the game...

Edited July 21, 2012 by Agentorange
typo

[Worrapol]

Yes, I'm eager to know more as well . . .

[Jason D]

It's still being worked on, and is around 75% done.

I got sidetracked with a few shorter projects, a house move, a layoff, a change of jobs, another house move, a couple of promotions (and a massive increase of workload), a home purchase and subsequent move, and some minor health annoyances. Plus raising a five-year-old child.

Completing it is the second item on my "priorities" list on the whiteboard.

[seneschal]

Thanks for the update. We were beginning to worry that you'd had an out-of-body experience and been transported .... somewhere else. Hope you and your family are doing well despite all the chaos.

[Jason D]

Thanks for the update. We were beginning to worry that you'd had an out-of-body experience and been transported .... somewhere else. Hope you and your family are doing well despite all the chaos.

I would love to have an out-of-body experience and be transported elsewhere... but such is my fate to remain here and toil for the betterment of others.

I am happy to answer any questions, however, and would welcome them, actually.

[mwsasser]

So whats it all about?

[Agentorange]

So whats it all about?

42

Oh, you mean the supplement ?

The thread here:

http://basicroleplaying.com/basic-roleplaying/brp-interplanetary-275/

Will tell you all about it.

[Agentorange]

It's still being worked on, and is around 75% done.

I got sidetracked with a few shorter projects, a house move, a layoff, a change of jobs, another house move, a couple of promotions (and a massive increase of workload), a home purchase and subsequent move, and some minor health annoyances. Plus raising a five-year-old child.

Completing it is the second item on my "priorities" list on the whiteboard.

You mean you allowed Real Life (tm ) to get in the way of our gaming gratification ? I'm shocked. Since you asked for questions.......

I can remember you saying that you were working on a vastly expanded set of Mutation Powers which you hoped would become the default 'toolkit' for SF powers etc etc, hows that going ?

As the supplement isn't tied to any particular setting will there be a bestiary, and if so how that going to work ?

Obviously there will be ancient artifacts, will there be guidelines on how to construct your own ? or will you present some ready finished ones as examples ? EDIT: yes there will be, just went back and looked at your description in the original thread Doh ! Can you tell us more about that then ?

Edited July 25, 2012 by Agentorange
not reading

[Jason D]

I can remember you saying that you were working on a vastly expanded set of Mutation Powers which you hoped would become the default 'toolkit' for SF powers etc etc, hows that going ?

Expanded mutations are done. Not so much a "toolkit" as addressing a bunch of holes in the existing roster that should allow cover any obvious mutation appropriate to this and other settings. Here's the new list:

Additional Sensory Organs

Amphibious

Charged

Conjoined Twin

Hollow

Hybrid

Immortal

Incomplete

Independent Appendages

Infested

Leech

Magnetic

Malleable

Misplaced Sensory Organs

Missing Sense

Non-bipedal Body Structure

Pain Immunity

Radiant

Radioactive

Structural Rearrangement

Synesthesia

Toxic Blood

Unnatural Appetite

Unusual Skin

As the supplement isn't tied to any particular setting will there be a bestiary, and if so how that going to work ?

Hmm... maybe I've been unclear on that. There is a setting and a suggested campaign outline, and each of the worlds of the solar system are described with some inhabitants and creatures for use. With maps.

Obviously there will be ancient artifacts, will there be guidelines on how to construct your own ? or will you present some ready finished ones as examples ? EDIT: yes there will be, just went back and looked at your description in the original thread Doh ! Can you tell us more about that then ?

This section is still being worked on, but will basically use the BRP super powers rules to add to gadgets, with a lot of examples.

[Agentorange]

Hmm... maybe I've been unclear on that. There is a setting and a suggested campaign outline, and each of the worlds of the solar system are described with some inhabitants and creatures for use. With maps.

Sorry Jason, I suspect it was me being unclear. What I meant to say was that as the supplement isn't tied to any particular franchise or previously published setting eg Barsoom, Vashu ( Moorcock ) etc etc how will you handle a bestiary ? Example say interplanetary and people are going to think of green 4 armed martians. Now obviously you couldn't use a copyrighted name but could you get away with calling them Green, Four armed martians ( if that makes sense )

[Jason D]

Sorry Jason, I suspect it was me being unclear. What I meant to say was that as the supplement isn't tied to any particular franchise or previously published setting eg Barsoom, Vashu ( Moorcock ) etc etc how will you handle a bestiary ? Example say interplanetary and people are going to think of green 4 armed martians. Now obviously you couldn't use a copyrighted name but could you get away with calling them Green, Four armed martians ( if that makes sense )

Gotcha!

No, this will not be a serial-numbers-filed-off version of any existing intellectual property.

It will be the Interplanetary setting, with its own set of creatures, such as Selenites, Hiresh, and the Hollow Men of Jupiter (to pull three at random).

With the mutations from this book and the BRP core rulebook, one could easily devise stats for Burroughs' Martians.

For example, take a basic human. Most green Martians seem to be Craftsmen, Explorers, Hunters, Laborers, Nobles, Priests, Slaves, Tribesmen, or Warriors.

Now add:

Coloration (green)

Hands (extra arms)

Natural Weapon (tusks)

Increased Characteristics (SIZ and STR)

If I wanted to be more specific, I'd probably make SIZ something like 1D6+24 and make STR 3D6+12. (Now that I think of it, though, I should probably add a Mutation for large/small SIZ.)

If you wanted to add the telepathy that most Mars-based sentient species possess, pull Telepathy from the psychic powers section of the core rulebook or use Beast Control from Interplanetary.

[Agentorange]

Ah right, Now I'm with you. Speaking of ERB what's the deal copyright wise ? looking on Amazon all the world and his wife seem to be publishing their versions/editions of the early Carter novels so I can only assume that they've come into the public domain and are thus fair prey for anybody to use ?

Not that I'm suggesting you do so, I'm just curious as to the whole set up. Interplanetary sounds like a great product in it's own right. Once you've grasped the idea of it the fact that it's not tied to a particular franchise allows the user to do pretty much what they like, there's no right or wrong answer just what feels correct for the milieu.

[Jason D]

Ah right, Now I'm with you. Speaking of ERB what's the deal copyright wise ? looking on Amazon all the world and his wife seem to be publishing their versions/editions of the early Carter novels so I can only assume that they've come into the public domain and are thus fair prey for anybody to use ?

Many or all of the John Carter stories have passed into public domain and can be reprinted freely. I believe that it's also legal to make derivative works at this point.

However, Disney is not shy about protecting what they see as their intellectual property, and this is what makes things less than ideal.

To me, the appeal is not to make something that's a carbon copy of another setting, but to make something that's original in its own right but still allows others to do what they want.

Not that I'm suggesting you do so, I'm just curious as to the whole set up. Interplanetary sounds like a great product in it's own right. Once you've grasped the idea of it the fact that it's not tied to a particular franchise allows the user to do pretty much what they like, there's no right or wrong answer just what feels correct for the milieu.

Yep.

[pansophy]

Now add:

Coloration (green)

Hands (extra arms)

Natural Weapon (tusks)

Increased Characteristics (SIZ and STR)

Now I am a bit scared: would that mean that I have to create and build every alien I introduce to the story? I do not like the idea of having a ruleset that tells me how a natural weapon will work in BRP, if it is not the way I want to use it. It also creates a lot of loop-holes players can exploit.

For me the best part of BRP always is that you can come up with everything you like, describe it and give it some stats - and no "build" system gets in the way by telling you how to do that stuff rules-wise.

[Jason D]

Now I am a bit scared: would that mean that I have to create and build every alien I introduce to the story? I do not like the idea of having a ruleset that tells me how a natural weapon will work in BRP, if it is not the way I want to use it. It also creates a lot of loop-holes players can exploit.

For me the best part of BRP always is that you can come up with everything you like, describe it and give it some stats - and no "build" system gets in the way by telling you how to do that stuff rules-wise.

I'm not saying that there's an official or correct way to build a creature. The additional material in Interplanetary is just adding onto the core rulebook, not proposing any method of creating content.

I was pointing out how someone, using the rules, might have some quick support for it if they needed it.

This is basically helping people with the "give it some stats" part of your preferred method.

[pansophy]

Hm, I got that wrong in some way cheers for clearing it up, Jason.

[venusboys3]

I'm glad it's not set in a licensed setting... that leaves games less constricted to assumptions and fluff lawyers... reasons I would not want to run a Star Trek or Star Wars or LOTR campaign.

Even though the book will have a setting I won't feel/get any grief for running off the rails with it.

Are there any rules for space travel/space battles in it? If not is there some other method for hopping to other planets?

[Jason D]

I'm glad it's not set in a licensed setting... that leaves games less constricted to assumptions and fluff lawyers... reasons I would not want to run a Star Trek or Star Wars or LOTR campaign.

Good to hear!

Even though the book will have a setting I won't feel/get any grief for running off the rails with it.

That was why I chose to do it it the way I did. Enough setting to have flavor but not enough to be constricting or limiting.

Are there any rules for space travel/space battles in it? If not is there some other method for hopping to other planets?

Yes and yes. (several times over for the second question)

[Agentorange]

So.....Jason,

Once you've got Interplanetery published what additional supplements to the core Interplanetery book have you got lined up ?

[Jason D]

So.....Jason,

Once you've got Interplanetery published what additional supplements to the core Interplanetery book have you got lined up ?

Sleeping.

In all seriousness, I don't know. It'll depend on sales, I suppose, though this book is ridiculously complete as-is.