 August 31, 2010 - 9:14pm | I've been toying with a concept for an adventure; SF player characters travel to a newly discovered, very remote planet called "D'Andee". D'Andee is (as you might have guessed) the classic D&D world chock full of orcs, elves, halflings, knights, dragons, dungeons, etc. While I'm near certain that this subject must have already been discussed somewhere else in the forum, the thought of Star Frontiers PCs going through a typical D&D dungeon setting with flashlights instead of torches, laser pistols instead of swords, and skeinsuits instead of metal armor seems like it would be a quite a hoot. What the inhabitants of D'Andee would normally refer to as "magic" in their world is in reality advanced technology left on the planet by a long dead alien race; in essence, science & technolgy being used to explain magic user's spells, enchanted swords, etc. Of course, the UPF would not wish for the inhabitants of D'Andee to know anything about the frontier, space exploration, and star travel as it would culturally damage this medieval tech world. The PCs would need to 'fit in' as much as possible as they traveled about on their adventure. Humans and Ifschnits would blend in easily, but the other races would need holoscreens to hide their true appearance. Hmm... "a mind is a terrible thing to taste."  Capt'n RagsMy SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
 August 31, 2010 - 9:40pm | I like much! I've actually wanted to be a player in something like this. Along those lines I developed a race with "magic" abilities. In the past this races tech known as psi-ware (psionic powered cybernetics) were able to code tech into the very genes of the race. Later they died out but still retained the psiware, different people having diff powers. They lost their history so it was assumed to be magical in nature. Another idea was the races psiware is powered by one of the planets natural resource. When you leave the planet the ability fades over time. The race believed their planet was the source of the magical power. #goodstuff |
August 31, 2010 - 10:03pm | I like the concept of psi-ware, and also it being powered/explained by some element particular to that planet. The game's science would otherwise be hard pressed to explain spells like magic missiles (coming from the magic users fingertips), a cleric's powers of healing (laying hands on the person), etc. Maybe I could put something together for the cob in october. I'd referee or (ahem) DM the adventure IF I'm actually able to go. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
 September 1, 2010 - 8:56am | I had done something similar years ago although it was the other way around and with a different game system. I crashed an assault scount on a fantasy planet and coverted all the stats from SF to the other game system and had it as an encounter for the fantasy characters. 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 |
September 1, 2010 - 4:07pm | Interesting idea, I have never been a fan of the Prime Directive though, as it leaves the under developed worlds to the tender mercies of the Sathar, or pirates and the like. Death is lighter than a feather Duty is heavier than a mountain |
September 1, 2010 - 8:48pm | I'd think that the UPF would protect D'Andee from the likes of the Sathar, Zuraqqor, tech hungry mega corps, and/or any number of your basic frontier criminal element, while keeping a Prime Directive type policy in effect. They certainly would consider doing that with any newly discovered low tech world that has some dangerous advanced alien tech others might use against the frontier. The UPF could gradually introduce the D'Andites...um, D'Andeeons...er, D'Andee'icans... um... THOSE people to advanced frontier tech in time. "Orcs In Spaaaaace!" Didn't some game designer already do that?  My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
September 2, 2010 - 3:35pm | Spell Jammer? Death is lighter than a feather Duty is heavier than a mountain |
September 2, 2010 - 8:17pm | Yeah, maybe THAT was it. I mean, it was quite awhile ago, but I remember seeing a space D&D type game in my local hobby shop back in the 80's. I picked up the box and thought, "aw, c'mon now." Might have been Spelljammer after all. I think I went home with "Paranoia" that day instead. Stay Alert! Trust No One! Keep Your Laser Pistol Handy! The Computer Is Your Friend!  The 'Planet D'Adnee' adventure could also have bizarre implications further on into the campaign. Considering the multitude of intelligent races found there (elves, gnomes, dwarves, halfings, orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, centaurs, minotaurs, kobolds, etc.), they could not all possibly be native to that planet. Perhaps that super tech alien race responsible for 'magic' planted these species on D'Andee long long ago? And from regions of space beyond the frontier that have yet to be discovered? Hmm... I'll tell you honestly, I liked the initial four player character races of Alpha Dawn, but felt let down by the new races in Zeb's Guide. The designing artist made the Mechanons look 'whacka doodle goofy' for some reason. The Ifschnits were okay I reckoned, but the Osakar and Humma lacked any excitement as potential player characters. SF player character Orcs and Elves? Now that gets this referee's attention! My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
September 3, 2010 - 8:04am | That all in the past! Remove Zeb's artwork from your mind and take a deep breath. Shell - Mechanons, I really want to play one. :-) CJ - Ifshnit, I didn't like them in Zeb's but CJ's art has inspired me to try one. In addition I have new love for one of Shadow's characters. Scarecrow - this issue, Zeb's races, again the Ifshnit look great. I'll prob never play a Humma or Osakar. Shadow - this issue Humma, Osakar Anyway... with past and upcoming articles I might find new love with Zeb's races. |
 September 3, 2010 - 8:23am | Ahem,.... Try and lookup a Dungeons and Dragons Module titled "The City of The Gods". Module number DA3. Part of a 4 part Module set. As usual with all D&D modules could be run alone or with the series. It is about a crashed spaceship on A Dungeons and Dragons world. It is set in Blackmoor or what whas later called Blackmoor after they decided that Blackmoor was no longer part of the Greyhawk setting, renamed the "Mystara" campain setting. Of course Blackmoor was the World before from thousands of years ago and the PCs had to time travel to get there. Mystara was originally the setting found in the Basic/Expert/Companion/Masters Boxes. When it was Converted to AD&D they renamed it the Mystara setting. Blackmoor was supposed to be a civililzation that was destroyed thousands of years previous to the main campain (like Atlantis). It did not fall into the sea, but rather They did something foolish with thier high magic/technology and caused the world to Change it's rotational Axis and destroy the world they had built. Of course the Ship in the module is not a Star Frontiers vessel; It is way to large for that. But it could give you some ideas. I remember that it was pretty fun to run the PC's through it. Its Pretty fun when the Magic wands "Laser" run out of magic "power clip is empty" haha. SO even though they may take this stuff from the ship, it is of limited use out in the world because they have no way to recharge the power clips, and grenades are a 1 use item. So it does not upset the Fantasy Game balance. The bombing starts in five minutes. |
September 3, 2010 - 9:38am | What if a mage could call parabattery juice from the elements! Unlimited Power!  |
 September 3, 2010 - 12:26pm | bonus points if the expedition lands in the Barrier Peaks |
September 3, 2010 - 4:19pm | Spell Jammer had its good points as well as some God aweful sections, I have the PDF's of the whole set, and have never been able to get into a game of it (most old schoolers scoff at it and newer gamers dont want the old school style) Death is lighter than a feather Duty is heavier than a mountain |
 September 3, 2010 - 8:40pm | Spell jammer was odd to be sure, but some of the alians can be recycled. The Neogi for instance. Reasonable men adapt to the world around them; unreasonable men make the world adapt to them. The world is changed by unreasonable men. Edwin Louis Cole |
September 3, 2010 - 10:23pm | I think I need to research Spelljammer. Might be some keepers in there for the D'Andee adventure, or at the very least something to scratch my noggin' over. Also gotta dust off 'Orcs of Thar', the AD&D campaign that focused on player character orcs, bugbears, kobolds, goblins and hobgobs as the adventuring group. The random physical traits table during character creation was great fun! "Let's see now (roll#1)...slack jaw! (roll#2) drooling tongue! (roll#3) speech impediment!" The uglier your character was, the more popular he was. Awesome fun. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
 September 7, 2010 - 5:38am | bonus points if the expedition lands in the Barrier Peaks Ironically that is exactly how I linked D&D with SF when I was a teen. I had the crashed ship as a pre-UPF era exploration vessel, a lower tech version of the KH ships (although those anti-grav tubes spanning the decks didn't quite fit the mold, alas half of 'em didn't work anyways...). The connection between the worlds was a black hole southeast of the Frontier (or optionally one of the Ebony Eyes), plotting a jump "through" said black hole would drop the craft into the D&D universe. Grav tubes aside, it actually works well if you think about it...those "power discs" could be precursors to 20SEU powerclips, all the robots are primitive versions of SF robots, and the alien flora & fauna...well that's just neat in any sci-fi setting. And of course the munchkin in me back then whipped up a castle with heavy lasers in the towers fed by a geothermal/solar generator and an assault scout landing bay in the basement...a concept I later used in my adulthood as a Keep on the Borderlands translation in SF that never got off the ground: I had envisioned it as an ancient structure converted to watch over the mechanons on Volturnus as a possible expansion but I never got it off the ground and into an adventure. |
September 7, 2010 - 7:02pm | Hmm...methinks I like your idea of slipping through a black hole to get to the DND universe rather than adding a new star system with the planet D'Andee in the SF universe. Would solve any tech conflict issues with Sathar, Zuraqqor, or mega corps; well (gulp) at least until they too found the route to get to the DND universe. I can see it all now. "There and Back Again...a tale by Bilbo Baggins, the Dralasite".  My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
September 7, 2010 - 7:22pm | * SPOILER ALERT * umungus has an article in Issue 15 that is a hypno training center. Basically you can run any adventure in the center. Total recall anyone. He has an awesome map and some good artwork. :-) |
September 7, 2010 - 8:39pm | Ahh, I see says the blind man to the deaf mute! I could run my D'Andee adventure without the worry of infecting my otherwise well balanced campaign with dangerous new alien tech or species, Nice! The only problem I can see with a total recall style adventure is if my players KNEW it wasn't real, they might take chances they would not normally take. I deduce that the concept is, you do not tell the player characters initially that they are at the hypno training center. You wait until the very end of the adventure, then BLAMO! "Wake up Mister Kincade!" I look forward to Issue 15. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
September 8, 2010 - 12:47am | At least one of the meagcorps has already discovered Planet D'andee. If you travel west of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, you'll find the Streel River that leads north to the Principalities of Glantri. Just beware of the wierd gray mist along the way that may entrap you within the strange land of Averoigne and the insane Amber Family, the latter of which is obviously influenced by Dralasitic humor... |
 December 11, 2011 - 7:12pm | and... has another point of connection there... a vast ship of strange origin was recovered by Thyatis and the main power projection artifact was determined to be a gift from the Celestial Supremos capable of releasing divine wrath upon the continent of Alphatia. Spelljammer? Wildspace rockhopper here... I have cracked a few shells, and been down a flow or two in my greener eras, even thresh'd t' the Greysea's to get dodgy with a few 'yanki and squids in their own surfs. Oh humans!!  We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
 February 26, 2012 - 11:12pm | If anyone is familiar with Timothy Zahn's book "Triplet", it deals with a planet called Triplet. The planet has a cave that you walk through and come out into a world that is so highly advanced that everything is like magic. There is another cave on that planet that leads to the third planet that is mideval in nature and has real magic sort of. The magic is powered by spirits IIRC. The caves are protected by a filed that only allows your physical body to go through, no tech, no clothes, ect. The original planet and universe used it as a vacation spot. Still real dangers and intrigue, but you could go back home after your adventure, if you survived. There is a twist in it too, but I will let you read the book for that. |
March 2, 2012 - 3:16am | Ahh, I was going to fair use the heck out of that book once... now where did it go... Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
