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Imperium Story Types

June 17, 2016 /

Been talking to Mason about his upcoming Imperium campaign. One topic that has come up is Sci Fi tropes. Here’s a table I came up with at one point that is useful to think through. Might be worthwhile to ask players which tropes they like or don’t like 🙂

12 Sci-Fi Story Types

Review the list for ideas, or roll 2d6 and to see what story to create in your next adventure. Patrons can give missions for items 2-12.

  1. Patron: Get a job from a patron such as obtaining a macguffin.

  2. Exploration: Salvage of ancient ruins, abandoned ships, exploring dungeons.

  3. Merchant: Trading cargo and working the stock market using trade tables.

  4. Heists: Con jobs or other missions to get an object.

  5. Military: Defend an outpost or fight warlords.

  6. Aliens: Encounter exotic creatures, fight predators, or safari missions.

  7. Cultures: 1st contact scenarios, modern cultural issues reskinned.

  8. Court Intrigue: Interact with nobles/politicians or become one.

  9. Distress Calls: Answer an S.O.S., but no telling what you really will encounter.

  10. Space Battles: Vacc suit fights, bridge action, fleet combats.

  11. Belters: Asteroid exploration, strikes, megacorp intrigue.

  12. Survival: Survive a ship crash, prison, hostile terrain or sabotaged ships.

RPG Space Sci Fi Tropes

Other iconic genre elements I can think of that is great to work in at Con game especially (to make it feel like you placed a Space game):

  • Melee combat with futuristic weapons,
  • Ranged combat with futuristic weapons
  • Fighting alien monsters
  • EVA in a space suit
  • Piloting a ship
  • Solving a cosmic enigma
  • Spaceship combat

traveller___mining_ship_by_steampoweredmikej-d7j0zmd

 

 

Larry Niven's Ringworld
Larry Niven's Ringworld

Ringworld Novels & RPG

June 14, 2016 /
Larry Niven's Ringworld

Larry Niven’s Ringworld

I just finished Larry Niven’s Neutron Star; amazingly good stuff! I read a lot of Larry Niven’s Known Space science fiction back in the 80’s. I am beginning to re-read his novels. His characters and stories span several centuries, so it’s hard to know where best to jump in. I did some research and put together a recommended reading order. Below is the sequence in which I’ll be reading his epic saga. Oh, and this setting has an RPG as well. More on that in a sec.

Ringworld

For the uninitiated, Ringworld is an epic saga that has an original series written by Niven (Ringworld, Engineer, Throne, Children) followed by a new series of Known Space novel co-authored with Edward M. Lerner (Fleet of Worlds, Juggler of Worlds, Destroyer of Worlds, Betrayer of Worlds). Ring world was originally written in 1970. It was set in his Known Space universe and is a classic of science fiction literature. Ringworld won the Nebula Award in 1970, as well as both the Hugo Award and Locus Award in 1971 (one of the few novels ever to win both the Hugo and Nebula).

Niven later added four sequels and four prequels. (The Fleet of Worlds series, co-written with Edward M. Lerner provides the four prequels as well as Fate of Worlds, the final sequel.) These books tie into numerous other books set in Known Space.

Ringworld

Ringworld

Reading Order

The Ringworld Saga

  • #1 — Neutron Star (introduces many key ideas like Known Space, Outsider Hyperdrive, and the Puppeteers).
  • #2 — Ringworld (introduction to Ringworld).
  • #3 — Protector (the backstory of the Pak, which is crucial to many key points in Ringworld).
  • #4 — World of Ptavvs (reveals more about the ancient Slavers that ruled the Galaxy; this novel is included in the omnibus Three Books of Known Space).
  • #5 — Ringworld Engineers (we discover the fate of the Puppeteers and the Ringworld).
  • #6 — Ringworld Throne (the least gripping of all the novels; reveals Puppeteer technology).
  • #7 — Ringworld’s Children (stunning conclusion to the Ringworld arc).

Fleet of Worlds Backstory

  • #8 — Crashlander (the backstory of Beowulf Shaeffer; contains the Hugo winning Beowulf Shaeffer story “The Borderland of Sol”. Some other stories here duplicate Neutron Star. However, if you’re reading the ‘of Worlds’ series, you’ll want to read “The Borderland of Sol” first (since the Worlds series have spoilers for “The Borderland of Sol”).
  • #9 — Flatlander (the backstory of Carlos Wu; you could skip this book though).

Fleet of Worlds Saga (Prequels to Ringworld Saga)

  • # 10 — Fleet of Worlds
  • # 11 — Juggler of Worlds
  • # 12 — Destroyer of Worlds
  • # 13 — Betrayer of Worlds

The Final Novel

  • # 14 — Fate of Worlds (Larry Niven and Edward Lerner’s explosive finale to the Ringworld and the Fleet of Worlds series. Fate of Worlds opens as (from the Ringworld series) Ringworld’s Children closes, which is decades after Betrayer of Worlds, the prior book in the Fleet of Worlds series. The novel concludes both series, and involves characters from both.)

RPG

Ringworld RPG

Ringworld RPG

And of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Ringworld RPG. I just ordered a copy off eBay. It’s long out of print, and not sure I’d ever run the system as is. By itself, if nothing else, it serves as an amazing setting guide for Known Space. The system uses Chaosium Basic Roleplaying system and has a version of the rules used in Call of Cthulhu, Stormbringer, and Runequest. One caution I’ve read from people who’ve played Ringworld RPG is to do something about the random age rules. The rules as written will let some players have very old characters who are healthy through the use of anti-aging booster-spice and are overwhelming more powerful that a young character. Just house-rule it so everyone is around the same age and you’re good to go.

I might run Ringworld RPG at NTRPGCon someday. If I ever run a campaign in this setting, I’d might use some version of Classic Traveller instead if players didn’t want to use the out-of-print rules.

Up In the Air

June 14, 2016 /

IMG_0531constanta%20cazino_4ac528e41915e_hiresJustin IronOak and Neara BloodOak led our intrepid party through snowy mountain passes, through the worst of the MindSpire Mountains, before coming upon the Village of the BloodOaks.  A vital village, the party immediately saw the battle damage done to the town’s wooden palisade, where the Frost Giants and the Black dragon broke through on their raid.  Talking with the captain of the Guard, Taliera Barkskin, the party learned that the giants had been aided in the Chevauchee by Harren Fire Oak and the White Wizard.  The giants apparently broke through the palisade, and quickly made for the Blood Oak’s Arbrearum.  the party quickly suspected betrayal, and further learned that the Bloody Acorn had dropped just moments before the raid, and had been handled in the Arbrearum and delivered to the giants.  Only a member of the blood of the Blood Oak Clan could have entered the Arbrearum and handled the Bloody Acorn.

 

The party immediately visited the lord and his lady, who protested that no family member would have betrayed the family.  Soon the party left the court, and visited Neara’s sister Cantara in Cantara’s hut (emanating blue flickering eldritch light).  Immediately suspicious, Maldrin IronOak prepared a spell, and muttered that Cantara must be the traitor.  Alas, Cantara was merely a precocious 14 year old hanging out with her friends.

The party next visited Neara’s brother Fin.  Fin’s hut was deserted, with only a white robe and a suspiciously convenient note confessing to being the traitor on his end table.  The party wasn’t buying it.  The party crossed back to the lord and lady BloodOak, and while grilling them, the sound of artillery shook the Blood Oak palace.  The party rushed outside, to see a floating Ice Fort on a mound of earth high in the air.  Frost Giants were rolling huge snowballs off a landing, and destroying parts of Blood Oak village. The party quickly determined they must somehow get to the floating Ice Fort.  Conveniently, the Frost Giants, a year past, had tried to engage in trade with the Blood Oaks, and had left a small Air Boat that was fueled by human blood.  Neara quickly summoned four towns people, opened up wounds, and had them fuel the Air Boat.

The Airboat ascended to a landing, where the party confronted three Frost Giants.  The battle was touch and go, but soon the party had prevailed.  Leaving the exsanguinated townsfolk to recover in the docked boat, the party rushed into the Ice Fort.  They soon discovered a gruesome workshop, where a Storm giant was being “fitted” for an artificial heart, the size of the bloody acorn.  After another tough battle, with almost all of their healing spells used, the party left the strange laboratory to scale the fort and seek further danger.

Onwards and upwards, for there is no choice!

 

Top Games Wanted at NTRPGCon

June 13, 2016 /

IMG_6354
Yesterday I talked about Top Games Played at NTRPGCon. Now I’ll move on to some interesting survey results.

I ran a poll on the NTRPGCon Facebook group which asked “What old-school game that is seldom / never run at NTRPGCon would you most like to play in next year?” I listed a few games, but allowed folks to add their own choices. Below were the results.

Star Frontiers was the clear winner — I suspect based on that and feedback folks were giving in the comments that we’ll see at least a few Star Frontiers at the 2017 con! I’m considering running a Bunnies & Burrows game and maybe another Middle-earth game.

Top 12 Games Seldom/Never Run at NTPGCon

  1. Star Frontiers (38 votes)
  2. Top Secret SI (22 votes (tie))
  3. Star Wars WEG d6 (22 votes (tie))
  4. Bunnies & Burrows RPG (13 votes (tie))
  5. Stormbringer RPG (13 votes (tie))
  6. Chainmail (13 votes (tie))
  7. Marvel TSR (13 votes (tie))
  8. Gangbusters (12 votes (tie))
  9. Dark Sun (12 votes (tie))
  10. Star Trek (FASA, LUG, etc.) (11 votes)
  11. Runequest (10 votes)
  12. MERP (8 votes)

18 other entries got between 1 and 7 votes. See the full poll results here.

Upcoming Games

June 13, 2016 /

Here’s a weekly roundup of upcoming games listed on the Dicehaven Google Calendar. Look for further details and RSVPs from your respective GMs.

  • Star Wars Makeup Game — Thursday, June 16 6:30pm (Stan’s House)
  • 50 Fathoms — Saturday, June 18 6:30pm (Stan’s House)
  • Texicon — Thursday, June 23 to Sunday, June 26 (see Texicon.net; Jeff & Mason and maybe others will attend at least one day)
  • Gaslight Heroes — Thursday, June 23 6:30pm (Stan’s House)
  • Bonus Game (One-Shot, TBD) –Thursday, June 30 (Stan’s House)
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