Atgxtg Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 3 hours ago, Simlasa said: It's not so much the anthropomorphic nature of the aliens in that drawing that puts me off... Classic Traveller and, as pointed out, Runequest have their share of critter-people. It's the cuteness. Like... Vargr, Aslan, Dragonewts, Baboons, they're not cute... even Ducks aren't THAT cute. Still, it shouldn't be much bother to just re-skin them into the usual collection of insect-men and sentient thistle pods. Couldn't you just chalk the cuteness up to an artist's interpretation of the species? Kinda like the Disney version. Or were there things in the rules where the cuteness stuff played a factor? I wonder how much of "critter aversion" might be due to cartoons, especially the classic cartoons from the 40s and 50s? Quote Chaos stalks my world, but she's a big girl and can take of herself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 2 hours ago, Atgxtg said: Couldn't you just chalk the cuteness up to an artist's interpretation of the species? Kinda like the Disney version. Or were there things in the rules where the cuteness stuff played a factor? I wonder how much of "critter aversion" might be due to cartoons, especially the classic cartoons from the 40s and 50s? Could just be the artist... I haven't read the game. Maybe they're really interesting and 'alien'... or maybe the rabbit-people like carrots and the bear-people like long naps and honey... dunno. I'm just not so fond of them as alien species in scifi settings (or are they all uplifts?). I liked Jorune though, and that has a lot of uplifted (but not cute) critter-people. I mind them a lot less in fantasy though... there's a tradition, such as with Wind In The Willows. When I was a kid I was a big fan of those weirdo Circle of Light books:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/the-completely-bonkers-world-of-niel-hancocks-circle-of-light/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joerg Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 8 hours ago, Simlasa said: Could just be the artist... I haven't read the game. Maybe they're really interesting and 'alien'... or maybe the rabbit-people like carrots and the bear-people like long naps and honey... dunno. I'm just not so fond of them as alien species in scifi settings (or are they all uplifts?). I liked Jorune though, and that has a lot of uplifted (but not cute) critter-people. I mind them a lot less in fantasy though... there's a tradition, such as with Wind In The Willows. When I was a kid I was a big fan of those weirdo Circle of Light books:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/the-completely-bonkers-world-of-niel-hancocks-circle-of-light/ No, the Other Suns aliens are really uninspired. Declaring most of them as uplifted Terran beasts would make them slightly more interesting. They don't contribute much to the glimpses of the setting, either. Being weak on the setting apart from some technology antes could be regarded as a plus, though, if you are looking for a SF BRP system to apply to your favourite setting where the technology level somewhat fits. You don't lose much content, and you can go define your aliens using e.g. RQ3 guidelines for statting them. I think one could come up with ways to use the various gloranthan critters as aliens by leaving out the pictures and keeping physical descriptions vague, possibly giving each a core new feature. Possibly redefining magic as technology. Quote Telling how it is excessive verbis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g33k Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 19 hours ago, David Scott said: Cool fantasy yes, furry Scifi - no (compartmentalisation is the only way I can remain sane) Jokes aside, when it comes to scifi, i'm of the hard variety. Aliens in funny suits don't really do anything for me, unless its a spoof game. But your point is taken :-) Actually, I'm closer to your position that the one I was joking with. I mostly prefer my "sci-fi" on the hard-science side of things. To grab the modern-classic example: despite the spaceships-and-aliens trappings, I hold "Star Wars" as fundamentally a "fantasy" setting, not a sci-fi one. I say "mostly" because I do enjoy the "science fantasy" universes like Star Wars (and I loves me some gonzo Gamma-World-ish action ! ) ; but their "science fiction" elements are meaningless as science: once a piece of the universe has gone over to fantasy, for me all the other pieces are magic, too. Not even "ClarkeTech," no handwavium necessary to construct or explain... magic. It just that this universe's magic happens to look like spaceships & lightsabers, not dragonsteeds & Holy Avengers. As-noted upthread, sci-fi explanations for furries as "uplifted Terran animals" and "genecrafted human/animal hybrids" can be sufficiently-scientific that they'll work in a sci-fi setting (Eclipse Phase does this better than most, IMHO (but still suffers from anthropomorphism)) , but if they're just "humans in animal suits" it veers sharply away from the scientific, for me. If they're "aliens" who all look like Terran Furries, and/or all think&act like humans... then my "suspension of disbelief" perforce includes "belief in science within the game-world:" it's magic now, not science! YMMV Quote C'es ne pas un .sig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Scott Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 On 14/03/2017 at 9:57 PM, SDLeary said: I like some of its ideas, but hate the needless complexity. How did you pare it? To clarify - you mean other suns or eclipse phase? Quote ----- Search the Glorantha Resource Site: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com. Search the Glorantha mailing list archives: https://glorantha.steff.in/digests/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Scott Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 On 15/03/2017 at 3:24 AM, Simlasa said: Could just be the artist The artist was my main problem The foxoids, aka the Altani are easily the Vargr from traveller, even matching some of the back ground. But their portrayal ranged from ridiculous to traveller Vargr. The lionoids aka the Sanchienzii are the aslan. The squirreloids are just cute... Quote ----- Search the Glorantha Resource Site: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com. Search the Glorantha mailing list archives: https://glorantha.steff.in/digests/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDLeary Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 6 hours ago, David Scott said: To clarify - you mean other suns or eclipse phase? Sorry, Eclipse Phase. SDLeary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jux Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 On 3/10/2017 at 10:40 PM, Robsbot said: Not to derail the topic at hand, but any suggestions for D100 Sci Fi systems while we're at it? It seems people have missed River of Heaven. It is the sci-fi version of OpenQuest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vile Traveller Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 56 minutes ago, jux said: It seems people have missed River of Heaven. It is the sci-fi version of OpenQuest. I've finally gotten around to reading RoH. Very entertaining stuff, and eminently gameable. I wish Cthulhu Rising would get the same treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mysterioso Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 3 hours ago, Vile said: I wish Cthulhu Rising would get the same treatment. Yup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Scott Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 On 18/03/2017 at 4:38 AM, SDLeary said: Sorry, Eclipse Phase. SDLeary Basically I kept only the background and concepts. We shoehorned the careers of EP into OS, handwaving where needed. Body types were dealt with by giving stat alterations. Everything else worked well, with little change. I toyed with using Superworld for "super" stuff, but that made it too much work. Although not BRP, EP is close enough to make no difference. 1 Quote ----- Search the Glorantha Resource Site: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com. Search the Glorantha mailing list archives: https://glorantha.steff.in/digests/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDLeary Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Last weeks score... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagerfury Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 On 3/12/2017 at 9:11 AM, Vile said: I quite like the "sparseness" of Future*World. For example, I only hit my stride with Traveller once I learned to let go and love the sparseness. Reading a lot of science fiction and refereeing by the seat of one's pants can be very liberating. I have found that some of the best "source books" is a copy of the inspiring fiction in one hand and a simple rules set in the other! So yes, I agree with your sentiment 101%. 3 Quote The Vanishing Tower RPG Blog Read about my attempts at FTF RPG in the wilderness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mankcam Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 18 hours ago, jux said: It seems people have missed River of Heaven. It is the sci-fi version of OpenQuest. I already mentioned RoH earlier in this thread (11th of March) Just sayin' Quote " Sure it's fun, but it is also well known that a D20 roll and an AC is no match against a hefty swing of a D100% and a D20 Hit Location Table!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagerfury Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Does River of Heaven have rules for exposure to hard radiation? Quote The Vanishing Tower RPG Blog Read about my attempts at FTF RPG in the wilderness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagerfury Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 In answer to the opening post; I use Renaissance, Elric! and the BGB. Elric! I run straight out of the box for Sword & Sorcery gaming, Renaissance because I am running a Clockwork & Cthulhu campaign and BGB to create my own homebrew Top Secret, Traveller and Gamma World settings. Quote The Vanishing Tower RPG Blog Read about my attempts at FTF RPG in the wilderness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rust Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 1 hour ago, jagerfury said: Does River of Heaven have rules for exposure to hard radiation? Yes, but they are not very detailed. Quote "Mind like parachute, function only when open." (Charlie Chan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robsbot Posted March 24, 2017 Author Share Posted March 24, 2017 So I got my copy of Swords of Cydoria - interesting stuff. The setting is very sci fantasy with a touch of Numenara (ala somewhat rare alien tech). I enjoy it. I might not run it straight up, but it has lots of cool concepts. Chronicles of Future Earth is still in transit so I'll report back when I get it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaot Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 On 3/10/2017 at 7:01 AM, Conrad said: If you're not looking at spending too much cash, then OQ is the fantasy rpg. May I also recommend Crucible of Dragons, which is a setting for OQ that you could get lots of mileage out of. https://d101games.com/books/openquest/crucible-of-the-dragons/ Oops. It looks like I just 'accidentally' bought the book and pdf! (discounted right now at $18) Guess I'll just have to sit by my front door and wait for the mailman. 1 Quote 70/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaot Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 On 3/10/2017 at 5:10 PM, Simlasa said: Yeah, I liked both Fractured Hopes and Swords of Cydoria. Hopes is pretty wild... more fantasy than scifi. Cydoria is 'planetary romance'... kind of like the lamentedly never-to-be Interplanetary was aiming for. There is more out there for Cydoria but the author has moved to a different system. Fractured Hopes is a wild ride. When it first came out I had a whole campaign idea I wanted to run loosely based on the the idea that New York City had consciousness, magic-science factions had arisen through the 5 boroughs (looking a bit like the 70's film The Warriors), and that there was a mystical neutral ground formed around a Starbucks warrior cult. You could find a neutral meeting place where these factions could come together and talk, trade, arrange marriages and allegiances, etc. There was a secret temple though, located at 37th street, which was a real location called The Neutral Ground. It was a gaming store that had a large area where people could come together and play. Sadly, it's closed now. Anyway, my goal was to throw as much NYC stereotypes at my players turned up to 11. Never got a chance to run it though. 1 Quote 70/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, Chaot said: Oops. It looks like I just 'accidentally' bought the book and pdf! (discounted right now at $18) Guess I'll just have to sit by my front door and wait for the mailman. Writing as an unpaid shill for Newt Newport and D101 games...hang on..why am I unpaid? LOL Only joking. The setting seems both acessable and long term, if you choose to run a long campaign or series of them, you can't say much better than that. Edited March 26, 2017 by Conrad 1 Quote http://www.basicrps.com/core/BRP_quick_start.pdf A sense of humour and an imagination go a long way in roleplaying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaot Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 5 minutes ago, Conrad said: Writing as an unpaid shill How do you make a million dollars by opening a roleplaying business? Start with two million. Quote 70/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robsbot Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 So I picked up Fractured Hopes and Chronicles of Future Earth. Not the biggest fan of Chronicles. It's a great setting, but doesn't really introduce any new concepts. However, if someone was looking for a future fantasy type of setting book I would absolutely recommend it. Personally I tend to run my own settings so there wasn't much I could "steal" from the framework it put forth. Fractured hopes is very solid. It's very kitchen sink science fantasy. It has a bit of everything. Tons of cool concepts and setting things that would be easy to lift from it. Great book. Has a different feel from Swords of Cydoria which is more fantasy - sci fi. I will certainly get mileage out of the both of them someday soon. Dying to play them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Questbird Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 7 hours ago, Robsbot said: So I picked up Fractured Hopes and Chronicles of Future Earth. Not the biggest fan of Chronicles. It's a great setting, but doesn't really introduce any new concepts. However, if someone was looking for a future fantasy type of setting book I would absolutely recommend it. Personally I tend to run my own settings so there wasn't much I could "steal" from the framework it put forth. Fractured hopes is very solid. It's very kitchen sink science fantasy. It has a bit of everything. Tons of cool concepts and setting things that would be easy to lift from it. Great book. Has a different feel from Swords of Cydoria which is more fantasy - sci fi. I will certainly get mileage out of the both of them someday soon. Dying to play them. I felt the same about Chronicles of Future Earth. I found it definitely more fantasy than science-fiction. I love Swords of Cydoria and have started a campaign with it. I find it full of interesting ideas which inspire rather than constrain me. I didn't get Fractured Hopes but maybe I will now if I spot it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vile Traveller Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 On 3/14/2017 at 9:27 PM, Simlasa said: This is news to me. Are they a good read? I liked them a lot. He builds interesting settings, with characters moving from mundane, day-to-day concerns to civilisation-changing, reality-busting stuff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_F._Hamilton_bibliography Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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