 April 26, 2017 - 7:32pm |
Issue 20 of the Frontier Explorer is now available at DriveThruRPG and the Frontier Explorer website. This issue marks five years of publishing the Frontier Explorer (how time flies). Together we’ve produced over 800 pages and over 400,000 words of content and by the looks of it we are still going strong. This issue is primarily focused on creatures and races. What is a science fiction game without more races and creatures to play and discover? We have two race conversions and a large number of creatures (both new and converted from other systems) throughout the pages of this issue along with some of our staple columns. Additionally we have an article that didn’t quite fit in our last robot issue, a continuation of our “New Player Primer” series that got started way back in issue 6 & 7 but has been on hiatus, a d100 table to grab a random world from, and a few other odds and ends. The complete article list for this issue is:
Grab your copy today and start exploring! Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
 May 3, 2017 - 1:32pm | So, there's the basic idea, but I don't know if the creature's/warship's design works for its intended purpose -- dismantling Frontier ships. Oh, these warships would be Void jump capable, but the cybernetic installation has lost the ability to program navigation routes... unless someone foolishly fixes that problem (like a Sathar agent). Joe Cabadas |
May 3, 2017 - 1:33pm | I also don't quite like my artwork. It's a pieced together job rather than having one of these fancy graphics programs. Joe Cabadas |
 May 4, 2017 - 4:57am | If I was to run up a short article on 'grav plate' systems for ships, would that be of use? |
May 4, 2017 - 5:07am | I would need some help fleshing this creature out (hint, it's not really a natural creature but an organic warship of an ancient origin). The idea I had is that it would be fast enough to swoop in and rake ships with its 12 limbs. I was thinking that the plasma discharge should have a range of up to three hexes for the largest of these ships. It sounds somewhat similar to the 'Planet eater' ship from the Star Trek episode 'The Doomsday Machine', albeit on a smaller scale. Or possibly like 'Berserker' machines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserker_(Saberhagen) Interesting either way! |
May 4, 2017 - 5:43am | I would need some help fleshing this creature out (hint, it's not really a natural creature but an organic warship of an ancient origin). The idea I had is that it would be fast enough to swoop in and rake ships with its 12 limbs. I was thinking that the plasma discharge should have a range of up to three hexes for the largest of these ships. It sounds somewhat similar to the 'Planet eater' ship from the Star Trek episode 'The Doomsday Machine', albeit on a smaller scale. Or possibly like 'Berserker' machines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserker_(Saberhagen) Interesting either way! I never claimed it was an original idea, but yes, the Giant Terropa is a ship killer rather than a planet killer. I think I remember seeing the Berserker novel, but I never picked it up at the time. Darn. Joe Cabadas |
May 4, 2017 - 6:52am | If I was to run up a short article on 'grav plate' systems for ships, would that be of use? Sure Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
May 4, 2017 - 7:10am | Okay. I have some basic ideas milling around the ol' grey matter but will have a look at how it's done in Traveller, etc to remind myself. |
May 4, 2017 - 7:13am | I never claimed it was an original idea, but yes, the Giant Terropa is a ship killer rather than a planet killer. Don't worry, it wasn't a criticsm  Ancient spaceships roaming the spaceways is always a good theme! They're similar in a way to tales from the sea or, in the case of your design, something like a Kraken  |
 May 4, 2017 - 7:38am | Re "grav plate" no problem magazine material is always optional- so what if your article violates a cannon cornerstone, the magazines are for new ideas. Re: organic warships: I see it this way there should be 2-3 kh scenarios and the Jovian moon installation is a possible AD encounter. There should be option to board and explore a disabled ship which would be an AD encounter. Of course the players might want to own an organic warship so we'll need a deckplan and a method of accessing a non disabled one which I think would be found at the Jovian moonbase. Alternately you might want a climax that doesn't change The status quo in the frontier so maybe taking out the moonbase shuts them all down or turns them wild. And the only way to get one is to find one that was previously disabled before the moonbase was taken down. Because of damage it's been waiting for an imput signal that it never recurved and of course the signal that turned all others wild was not recurved. Thus the PCs can board and figure out how to imput a signal and take over. It would then be a one off with artifact status without forcing massive changes to the setting. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 4, 2017 - 7:46am | Of course Street will launch a massive R&D program to try to reverse engineer this tech and sell it to the UPF as a counter measure to the Sathar. So done time after the PCs get their hands on an organic warship the Street Corp will try to purchase it, demand it's surrender,and eventually send mercs to capture it. Thus you get a second bite at the Apple with this adventure. Then there is the question of does it have a sex drive? How often must it refuel on asteroid? Where is the original thread? We should continue this there. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 4, 2017 - 10:58am | Of course Street will launch a massive R&D program to try to reverse engineer this tech and sell it to the UPF as a counter measure to the Sathar. So done time after the PCs get their hands on an organic warship the Street Corp will try to purchase it, demand it's surrender,and eventually send mercs to capture it. Thus you get a second bite at the Apple with this adventure. Then there is the question of does it have a sex drive? How often must it refuel on asteroid? Where is the original thread? We should continue this there. The original thread is under Joe's Half-Baked Ideas. But, I'll start -- soon -- a new discussion on the Adventure Writing Forum... soon might mean this weekend. Joe Cabadas |
May 5, 2017 - 2:30am | @ JCab747: as I stated, to fully bake this you only need 2-3 KH encounters and logically I see 2 AD encounters: taking out the computer at the Jovian moonbase and possibly boarding a disabled terropa. KH encounters are easiest to write. The Two AD encounters require maps. If your intent is to introduce an organic ship into the setting then you'll need a bit of a write up on that maybe rules for the upf growing new ships? My prejudices run toward only allowing a one off in the hands of the PCs but I can see where others would take it in a different direction. That's about it. I'd write some paragraphs detailing the consequences of this adventure: 1) organic ships becoming a thing in the Frontier 2) despite Streel getting it's hands on some shot up terropa organic ships do not become a thing in the frontier. It's pretty much up to individual GMs. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 7, 2017 - 11:40am | Question: is Malcadon the alias for Bill Logan? Joe Cabadas |
May 7, 2017 - 11:53am | Ah. So, who was or is Malcodon? Joe Cabadas |
May 7, 2017 - 3:36pm | Ah. So, who was or is Malcodon? Malcodon is Malcodon. I believe he has a deviantart profile and was a champion of the Sf wiki I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 7, 2017 - 8:13pm | Ah. So, who was or is Malcodon? Malcodon is Malcodon. I believe he has a deviantart profile and was a champion of the Sf wiki OK Joe Cabadas |
 May 28, 2017 - 10:01am | SF Wiki is a great wiki by the way, so long as you don't run afoul of the resident canon-nazi. :) |
June 8, 2017 - 6:54pm | SF Wiki is a great wiki by the way, so long as you don't run afoul of the resident canon-nazi. :) Well, someone has to act as referee for it. But I'm still going to write a "I'll work for SEUs" story... One would have to check out that wiki for some comments I had about recharging batteries. Joe Cabadas |
 June 17, 2017 - 6:55am | I am partial to the big Sathar Ships being bioforms. Big Space Critters they developed sort of grown cyborg ships... alive, grown, outfitted... they got more convential craft and tech too... I just like the idea of the worms being all mad scientist with living ships. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
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