 May 2, 2010 - 6:15pm | I'm sitting at the computer typing sf stuff with the Tube on for background noise Another "thrilling" episode of reality TV just ended for the "Amazing Race" and the thought hit me: a Frontier adventure based on the Amazing race? One problem is do you run the players head to head? The style of the TV show where one episode is one leg of the race lends itself to an rpg's typical night of gaming. 1. run it exactly as a the TV show as if its a Frontier holo show or 2. run it as the PCs are a team and are racing for some reason (maybe that reason is not for a reality show: against time, against NPCs, etc) either way you get to hit a new star system each week. with a marathon run through the Rim and the Frontier different challenges and no reall compelling reason for each challenge to be linked to the last ( like the TV show) Just a thought- anyone else have ideas? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 3, 2010 - 3:39pm | It sounds like a potentially fun sort of game, although if kept just like our own Amazing Race, then there will be little 'real' danger. Perhaps by mixing in a little 'Running Man', more dangerous scenarios can be imagined where there could be real risk to life/limb. The participants are often criminals (but not murderers or those who would not otherwise get paroles) seeking to reduce sentences, but often may be private citizens as well who seek to enrich themselves by participation. The scenarios are not necessarily always lethal, but certainly unpredictable circumstances can occur... essentially a more 'real' reality show. <insert witty comment here> |
May 3, 2010 - 9:28pm | You're right of course about the game show lacking the deadly edge unless it takes a page from Running man. I suppose it would be more fun if it was a race in that the PCs were racing to save civilization in a typical adventure style but the mission is a race to do ABC and it involves going system to system. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 3, 2010 - 10:24pm | Gentlemen, Don't forget the classic. Gumball rally. Have the race be some contest by a rich and famous guy. No one can pin it on him, but he's the biggest fan of the race. The contestants must travel the Frontier collecting swag that proves they made it to each destination. The winners get bragging rights and the pot. -iggy |
 May 9, 2010 - 4:28am | Before I can answer...I don't watch (imaginaR)ealit(y) TV so exactly what is the "Amazing Race"? |
May 9, 2010 - 7:20am | Before I can answer...I don't watch (imaginaR)ealit(y) TV so exactly what is the "Amazing Race"? teams of two have to race around the planet and perform tasks along the way and the last to check in at a pit stop is usually eliminated. when the race gets down to 3 teams the last leg is for the million dollars. they usually look for one team of sibling, one gay couple, one team of not married but living together, one married, one parent child team, one team of friends etc. The stress of the race can cause cracks in relationships to open up and reveal some dysfunction- people yelling at each other or being nasty to other teams seems to make for compelling TV. (I think that just says somehting about the human condition) I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 9, 2010 - 3:15pm | Ah, so it's the Kessel Run... |
 May 10, 2010 - 11:12am | There was one a while ago where individuals were dropped off several hundred miles away (from London, I think), with just the clothes on their back, a passport and about £20, they had to see how far they could get back towards London in a day. |
 June 3, 2010 - 7:41am | Reminds me of a Star Trek TNG episode. They had to collect biological samples from a bunch of planets to decipher a message hidden in the genes of those planets' life forms. The race part being that Romulans, Cardassians, and Klingons were also trying to unlock the same message. |
June 3, 2010 - 6:40pm | Reminds me of a Star Trek TNG episode. They had to collect biological samples from a bunch of planets to decipher a message hidden in the genes of those planets' life forms. The race part being that Romulans, Cardassians, and Klingons were also trying to unlock the same message. I remember that episode; I liked it and hated it at the same time. Thought some of the action in it was cool but the end was classic Rodenberry we all live in a yellow submarine crap. Just once I'd like to see Picard try to negotiate and a Klingon actually act like a Klingon and just shoot his #@&*! I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
June 15, 2010 - 11:50pm | "Just once I'd like to see Picard try to negotiate and a Klingon actually act like a Klingon and just shoot his #@&*!" This is why I always loved Raiders of the Lost Ark. There is a scene where a swordsman wants to chop Indiana Jones into little bits. So he pulls out a pistol and shoots him. There are times where the Hollywood types forget the simple answer. Back to the race, There are certain Jumps that would not work out for a weekly schedule. Especially if you factor in astrogation times. Finally, broadcasting this and keeping to any schedule would be a pain if you wanted to try and do it close to live. Normally most "Reality Shows" attempt to have the last show of the season be "Live" |
 June 16, 2010 - 6:39pm | "Just once I'd like to see Picard try to negotiate and a Klingon actually act like a Klingon and just shoot his #@&*!" This is why I always loved Raiders of the Lost Ark. There is a scene where a swordsman wants to chop Indiana Jones into little bits. So he pulls out a pistol and shoots him. There are times where the Hollywood types forget the simple answer. I had heard (not sure how accurate it is) that Harrison Ford had to suffer through multiple 'takes' of that scene and just got tired of it. So futzing around, he just drew his pistol and gestured to shoot the guy. The directors liked it and just ran with that. Sometimes Hollywoods' motto is If something is worth doing, its worth doing it as difficultly as possible. |
June 17, 2010 - 9:06pm | The KISS rule is pretty golden but many people in life prefer FUBAR or SUBAR But that is pretty cool bat Ford improvising that. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
June 23, 2010 - 4:24am | I'd heard the Indiana Jones thing, too! Harrison Ford was apparently tired and getting increasingly frustrated with the number of takes and it became one of the most remembered parts of the film. They even did the joke in Temple of Doom where he's in a similiar situation and goes for his pistol, only to find it's gone and he has to use a sword. Getting back to the race idea, sponsorship deals might be interesting if the race was popular (StreelCorp is the proud sponsor of this weeks star trap, "The Obliterator!", now available as a playset alongside all your favourite "Big Race" (tm) action toys). I'm also reminded of the Babylon 5 episode where they do the merchandising. |
June 23, 2010 - 10:20am | I had this idea the other day that there might be another race set around the Ebony Eyes. After the battle of the Ebony Eyes some human fighter pilots got the idea of doing fighter craft races in a figure eight around the Ebony Eyes. The biggest danger comes when the racers pass between the two singularities. It is an annual event with eight laps. While not a multi-stage reality show race, the media could follow the design an build of each teams racer during the year in the vein of the popular motorcycle building show about OCC. The final episode of the year is the race at Ebony Eyes. -iggy |
June 25, 2010 - 7:32pm | Teams build their craft from junk and spare parts and attempt to use it to travel in space from point A to point B sounds more of like a dice rolling session for the techs and the star ship engineers. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 August 11, 2010 - 10:06pm | Sounds like a good adventure, but what I'd most likely do is as the race is going from star to star for awhile, POOF! ...the player characters ship misjumps into an completely unexpected (thus totally unprepared for) side adventure. Always enjoyed pulling 180's with my player group; watching them get all nervous and drop the dice. Heee... My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
