 January 15, 2011 - 8:04pm | I've brought this up in the Zeb forum, but thought I'd post it more broadly. It's always fun to occasionally to integrate other worlds/systems/paradigms into your mix. I'm always looking for "old school" RPG stuff from the 80's. (I guess because I'm 42) I was in a gaming store a few days ago and found a bunch of 1984-ish RPG books made by Pacesetter Ltd. Two of the games are "Timemaster" and "Star Ace" which both use a columned "Action Table" much like the Zebulon system. Has anybody tried to bring these together? I'd love your feedback! |
 January 16, 2011 - 7:54am | I occassionally buy Space Maste modules off ebay to look for ideas I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
January 27, 2011 - 10:01pm | Spent some more time with Timemaster and Star Ace today and I like the system and settings. (both have same system) It is very simular to the "action tables" used in ZG, Marvel, etc. I'm wondering, in order for us to have more consistency, if we should use the ZG.... |
 January 31, 2011 - 1:32pm | I'm in favor of anything similar to the Marvel system. I personally liked the action tables a lot from the Marvel game. Much better than anything they've come up with thus far. What is Timemaster's setting? Is it (as the name would obviously suggest) a time-traveling game? "Who knows where those Star Wars Online coupons are hiding?" |
January 31, 2011 - 1:43pm | TimeMaster is a sci-fi setting that spans all of history. Basically you are a Time Corp agent that zips through the continuum of time to stay ahead of an alien race that has also figured out how to travel time and is plotting to disrupt history.... like what if Paul McCartney really did die in 1966 and was replaced by an alien imposter? LBJ defeats Nixon, LBJ nukes Vietnam, WW3 ensues.... etc. etc. etc. Lots of fun, quick play, and can really be used in an educational setting for history. You can find all of the books out there in PDF and most are still to be found in original hardcopies. http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/9/9658.phtml |
February 7, 2011 - 7:50pm | Well, my latest quest to find the "one Ring" to bind all, has led me to Savage Worlds which I can see could easily (especially with the massive work already done with conversions) become our "one system" at least until Frontier Space makes its debut. I like the SW mechanics so far and think it will lend itself nicely to our Gangbusters, Boot Hill, Star Ace, Star Wars, TimeMaster, Star Frontiers campaigns. The entire Star Wars system is already converted, it seems most, if not all of SF/AD is converted... Anybody else have thoughts on this?? |
 March 2, 2011 - 9:02pm | To me, SF itself, in the AD/KH mechanics, is the one system to convert others to. The percentile mechanics make conversion pretty easy once you convert the dice mechanics of other games to percent chances of success (each result on a d20 is 5%, for example, or ~17% for each side of a d6, etc) With SF, as with SW (which I agree is pretty cool), the mechanics are simple enough that you can concepts (like the Force, for star wars, or traveller level complexity of starship design and movement) without breaking existing things. I tend to gather all the SciFi related game stuff I can find and convert it to AD/KH percentile system, and in fact, part of my intent joining here is to share those conversions. |
March 3, 2011 - 4:57am | Thanks for your input. Please, by all means, share your conversions! (we love that here!) Our Savage Worlds conversion is moving along nicely, and I'm thinking after that project is bound my attention may then move towards the openD6 system to template into. (lol, I guess even after 25+ years, the "Gaming Geek" is still in me...) |
 March 5, 2011 - 4:56am | There are countless systems to choose from, and most have some trait or
gimmickry that make them stand out of a crowd. When in doubt, you could
always Google "Simon Washbourne", as he is always brewing up something
obscure and interesting - his Blake's 7 fan game looks neat. I have seen a number of fan-made Star Wars games available online - a number being free (I download so many freebies, I loose track of them after awhile! =P). If you're an old-school D&D fan - think, the original brown booklets - then there are some OD&D-based space operas, like Terminal Space, and Stars Without Numbers. Both are free. I find Mini-Six or D6 Space to be a nice, simple system, that also happens to be free (what else? ;) ). The difference between them, is that Mini-Six is the "short version" - but at least you'll have less to keep track of - and it has lots of samples (stock characters/monsters, vehicles, and such) and example settings/genres (mostly knock-off stuff based on Star Wars, Firefly, Doctor Who, Buck Rogers, and such). If you prefer the more complete version - D6 Space - then I also recommend using Mini-Six for the samples. |
March 5, 2011 - 8:05am | Thanks, Malcadon, (et. al.) Yes, I think I enoy the system mechanics as much as the games. The problem is that my boys and other associated gamers aren't as willing to jump around as I am... :-) So, the solution for me, is to find a fairly simple, yet cohesive system and then adapt all my "tangents" to that system. Then I know I can jump around, while eveyone else can be comfortable with the same mechanics. For now, that system is Savage Worlds, and is fulfilling its purpose nicely. The next system I toy with will be D6, and I already have a lot of interest in a certain "d00" system.  FWIW, the open D6 stuff as you mentioned was released to the public. I created two D6 "Trilogies" available to be printed on Lulu for my personal use (I don't care to read PDF's on screen). Each Trilogy is very nicely bound in a trade-paperback form. There is NO markup on them. (i.e. I don't get anything) It's amazing how inexpensive and quickly Lulu does these! Please, friends, enjoy! The openD6 Adventure Trilogy 1-Vol. $9.91 plus s&h
The openD6 Space Trilogy 1-vol. $10.18 plus $s&h
I don't have them listed publicly so you need to use these direct links... Peace & fun, Sean |
 March 5, 2011 - 8:26am | I could use this time to self promote the (URS) and its various Campaign models, but I wouldn't do that... I remember picking up Osric I believe it was called which was a kind of SRD version of 1st edition Dungeons and Dragons, and they have plenty of supplemental material for it. I haven't looked extensively for other types of universal rules sysetms, or SRD's even though I know that an SRD exists for both the d20 system, and the T20 system (based on the traveller d20 adaptation), Oh and I know that Talisanta (all versions of it, and its supplements) is also now available online for free. I heard rumor that classic traveller was available for a time online as well for free, but that rumor never panned out for me. I also remember Alternity and have an extensive library of official Alternity products and know that there was a lot of fan support for that system, but i never got to play it. The only thing with most of the systems I've mentioned is that they are not very fast play friendly, and require a bit of time to read through gobs of material to understand how to play them. "Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words "Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words "Did you here that?" -Famous last words |
March 5, 2011 - 8:54am | Hey, Deryn_Rys, no fear of self-promotion! There's room at this gaming-table for all!  I definitely have intentions of picking up your URS and giving it a "spin." I'll need to get it printed first as my patience with on-screen reading is short. :-)Peace and fun! |
March 5, 2011 - 11:14am | Then I guess it must have been fate that in a few I should have "The Rise of the Sathar" Introductory adventure on site for Download. "Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words "Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words "Did you here that?" -Famous last words |
March 5, 2011 - 12:01pm | I just finished uploading them onto the downloads section of the Star Frontiers (URS) project. "Hey guys I wonder what this does"-Famous last words "Hey guys, I think it's friendly." -Famous last words "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." -Famous last words "Did you here that?" -Famous last words |
March 6, 2011 - 2:56pm | Time Drifters by Demensional Strategies Inc might be compatable (looked for the company on the web but the gaming company is not there- another company is using the name now) found this description of the game: A "science fiction time travel" RPG, where the basic game is set entirely in the Old West. It uses a universal table of attribute plus modifiers vs percentile roll. Character creation is random-roll attributes, class-based, and random-roll binary skills. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
March 6, 2011 - 3:05pm | Thanks, Jedion. I can't even find it in PDF. Must have been a bomb! (time bomb, I guess) |
March 6, 2011 - 3:37pm | http://www.trollandtoad.com/products/fullshot.php?fullshot=236379.jpg I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 March 31, 2011 - 6:50am | Setting Source Suplementals for Star Frontiers.... Alternity being mentioned... (TSR 1990's or Wayde Minami 1980's?) Indiana Jones (1980's) The Amazing Engine (1990's) Aftermath! (FGU 1980's) (Good stuff here for the Blue Plauge, and other Apocolyptic senario's, I like Gamma, but this is much more well written and fits the Star-Frontiers tone and Sci-Fi feel.) Gamma World (Sould be.... Obviously) APOCalypse 2500 (adaptible Percentile System, same as the last two for setting. has a classic style.) Cliffhanger(FGU 1980's) (because the pulp-fiction, detectives and dino-hunters feel works itself into the seedy spaceport and asteroid colony well, when not ziping around in space ships.) Wasn't there an older Buck Rodgers Rpg? FASA maybe? hmmm... trying to remeber the older-stuff I don't have anymore, never had anyway, or saw far to infrequently but would use if I could find a copy, dosn't work. Cyberpunk, I have used it in SF, works well enough, setting aplication is kinda obvious, Megacorps, cybergear not-so-much. a cleaned up Cyberpunk... Euro Style is still kinda edgy in the Frontier, Pacific Rim might be clean enough to work in. I favor the, realistic-yet-easily modified, combat system. Mekton too (Roadstrikers? sure, why not?). (oh... oh... TFOS anyone?  )Oh! and Cuthulu, because quasi-physical multi-dimentional tenticals are kewl, and get into everything... Where there is sentience, there is fear and horror of the unknowable!... besides wasn't he origionaly a spacer that got lost on earth anyway?..... wonder what a Vrusk Hiver looks like on halloween... or a Dralertown.... Yazerian's run around naked and jump over fires on any day of the year, guess it wouldn't be unusual just for a specific day. ok, ok, MERC, Twilight2000, Traveler, Judge Dread, WEG:Star Wars, and tho' not rpgs ive used Imperial Starfire and Star Fleet Battles..... there are alot of systems that can contribute something to Star Frontiers. I know I've missed some.... Rifts.... Jovian Chronicles... oh, James Bond and Top Secret!! Blue Planet and Uplift... part of an old project I started.... why dosn't the frontier have a water world?!? oh because there wern't any in those old tv shows.... well one in a Flash Gordon Episode, but they just landed on the Island, too scared to take thier spaceship underwater or something, might drown . is this list too long yet? got away from the 80's a bit too......and how did I missed Boot Hill? At a casual glance, everything out side the big urbanized cities could be discribed as Boot Hill & Road Striker meets Star Frontiers... Tri-Gun? 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? |
