 April 20, 2011 - 3:15pm | Was at the library today and wondering what I could donate to wipe out about $20 worth of fines when it occured to me that I had the complete collection of the Planet of the Apes movies in VHS. While watching the most recent movie that I check out of the library an adventure idea occured to me: Planet of the Yazirians, though my idea is sort of Planet of the Apes meets Shogun Basic premise is a space craft from earth reaches the home planet of the yazirians at a point prior to them attaining space flight, maybe way before they discover space flight. The crew takes the landing vehicle down and meets the yazirians but there is a problem and they wont be able to get back to space without fixing some things. Mix in an ambitious Clan Chief that has asperations of being the Clan chief of the whole planet and recognizes that thes "Uu-mans" could be the ticket to that dream. One other idea that I considered was a Time Cop angle though not really Time Cop but similar plot line from various Star Trek influences- people from the future coming back in time to prevent the past from being changed. The point in using this plot line is that if the yazirian are at a early gun powder level of technology then the equipment of the Time travellers could be the answer to fixing the lander to get it back to space. The time travellers could be all yazirians or yaz and humans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_of_the_Apes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogun_%28miniseries%29 I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 April 20, 2011 - 5:31pm | I like it, not sure about the time travel in SF, but the rest is something I'd run. The time travel I'd do in some other settings. If it is just a matter of needing to get to a remote world of undiscovered Yazi, or even a Waloo-in-Aftermath, there are other possibilities that don't require a hand-wave of the paradox problems. Planet of the Apes(classic)-meets-any Samurai Movie, I'm all for.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai_cinema 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? |
April 20, 2011 - 8:04pm | Ok ripping off Shogun- the ships name is the Eramus and William Adams and John Blackthorn should both be members of the crew The yazirian clan chief should be called Toranaga The basic plot of Planet of the Apes is human arrive and cant leave though in the later movies the ship washes up on shore and Zira and Galen fly back in time to earth. But to make this a game with PCs, presumably among the human crew, there will need to be an option for them to escape. Basic premise to Shogun is that English navigator ship wrecked in Japan comes to the attention of a warlord and forms a tenuous alliance with him rather than side with the Portuguese and Jesuits who look on him as a Protestant. The warlord believes karma has brought him and will not allow him to leave. So to refine the idea: Lander has had a rough landing, crew is caught by yazirians and ship is raided by them- paper thrown around things broken etc. Crew is thrown into stockade and learn they are to be turned over to someone but a yaz comes to them on the sly offering to help them escape and get their ship back. He also suggests that they best take his offer and that what is currently planned for them may not be in their best interest. (oh yeah this yazirian can talk to them because he has a strange box that translates for him....) A. action proceeds to Escape and evasion (travel to Toranaga's territory) B. there they learn that other's who land in "flaming sky chariots" have been patronizing the clan that held them hostage and that their actions have destablized yazirian society (identity of these other sky chariot operators? I had thought to make it the vrusk at first but it could be the sathar too) C. Toranaga whats something from the humans: and edge to help defeat the other clan and he wants new tech upgrades of existing tech to swing the tide of battle. This is the point where things get complicated as the Players will need to come up with some new tech for him better refinement of gunpowder or precussion cap tech for muskets rather than flint lock. To do this means that the level of tech the yazirians have needs to be spelled out and the GM needs to be armed with a list of tech that came after this level of tech on earth. Obviously the PCs wont be able to give them fussion reactors. D. PCs will need to participate in the battle against the other clan which will feature retaking their ship. (Downside of that is that things have been broken and removed. The above rought outline is one module called Planet of the Yazirians Module 2: Conquest of Planet of the Yazirians The other aliens that have been interfering in yazirian society are cast in the role of the Portuguese and Jessuits. since they have lost their pawns in the attack that wiped out the other clan try to insinuate themselves at Toranaga's court. but he doesn't trust them yet the PCs get their first good look at them. The aliens turn to another clan and War is afoot. Players realize that without their radio they cant call the ship in orbit and their repairs to their ship can only go so far. and the looming war is threatening their ship. A. Toranaga is pressuring them for more tech. B. raid against the ship must be warded off, aliens involved C. Toranage suggest that if the other aliens have a ship at the other clan's home grounds and that the PCs may find what they are looking for there if they'd lead the attack on that clan. So they headline another attack taking out one of Toranaga's rivals. Now here's where it gets tricky. Toranaga doesn't want them to leave so some hand picked retainers will fire bomb the alien's ship. PC's should realize that this happened by design though Toranaga acts as if he's angry that it happened. D. some of the aliens are taken captive and imprison by Toranaga, PCs should get to talk to them and they will reveal some secret. (what that secret is IDK right now) epiloge: Toranaga is on his way to being a great Warhon and creating an empire months pass with Toranaga consolidating his position. Module 3: Escape from Planet of the Yazirians The PCs should be realizing that Toranaga wont let them go and begin to hear rumors that maybe Toranaga might be holding tech that could let them radio their ship in orbit. This part of the campaign could be that they spend all their time questing for the radio but suddenly when all hope is lost they manage to get aboard an alien lander and leave. still thinking on this one though. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 April 25, 2011 - 9:39pm | Does Toranaga still get to pee on Black Thorn's back? How much damage does urine do anyway?  My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
April 26, 2011 - 7:27am | The original Planet of the Apes movies series used science fiction as a vehicle for a morality play, with preachiness coming out on nuclear bombs and racial tensions. recreating the themes of the danger of global nuclear destruction and racial inequality in Planet of the Yazirians would not be as relavent. Perhaps the morality play for Planet of the Yazirians could be climate change and or economic exploitatin and inequality. The plots of the original series don't really work IMO for rpg modules unless you want a time travel element. Thus I suggested the Shogun mini series for the major plot points, plus you have the whole "stranger in a strange land" theme which is good for a group of space men visiting a new planet with a more primitive society. building off the the "stranger in a strange land" theme: could work in Moses leading the "people" to a promised land- this could be the begining of the Family of One that will centuries from now become a bit of an oppressive force in the future Frontier. The Promised land in this case could be just a place of new spiritual enlightenment or be a literal new land, planet or star system. other "stranger in a strange land" themes could come from Mark Twain's Con. Yankee in King Authur's Court. which is something I alluded too with the introduction of new tech to change the fortunes of war tor Toranaga. thought with the Mark Twain novel the end result is a Zero Sum that the fortunes of war wipe out all the evidence of the time traveller and the new tech he introduced. Could look at the history of the Mormon immigration to Utah as well. Need to decide what the ultimate fate of the human crew will be. Do they get to return to earth? do they help evolve yazirian society to become a space faring society? do they die? to they go on to reach the Frontier? EDIT 1: maybe the morality play could explore themes of religious tolerance with the backdrop of whats going on with islam today. EDIT 2: if the PCs have been marrooned on the the planet for months and their main ship has been left orbiting then the aliens that they have been working against in conjunction with Toranaga may have boarded their ship in orbit. If it is the sathar then that brings about all sorts of consequences for earth- as they would no doubt discover the point of origin for the exploration mission. Of course the PCs, may just succeed with wiping out the sathar presence on this planet and recover their ship but will the fight for their ship leave it in any condition to fly back to earth? What will the sathar response to earth be? typically they wipe out advanced space faring civilizations and subjugate primitive civilizations. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
April 26, 2011 - 7:07pm | More research on The Stranger in a Strange Land theme: Iron Maiden: "eddie" the cyborg http://www.ironmaidencommentary.com/?url=single16_stranger/commentary16_stranger&link=singles&lang=eng The eddie cyborg has great possibilities for SF but in this campaign idea he might work best as a race of cyborgs cast in the role of the Portuguese & Jessuit (in other words nix the sathar or make the cyborgs the Portuguese and the Sathar the Jessuits) Heinlein's novel Stranger in a Stranger Land character, Valentine Michael Smith, orphaned and raised by Martians with physchic power. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land The novel is a commentary on society and religion but there could be a possibility to borrow ideas and themes where a yazirian who is exposed to human religion or philosophy becomes the catalyst or the founder for the Family of One. I consider this a weak idea Moses from the Bible- Moses raised an Eqyptian has gone into exile in Middian being taken in by Jethro, and says the phrase to sum up his feelings over his situation. The moses theme has more legs than the Heinlein theme as its a more natural situation and less contrived. It plays into latter Yaz history of an exodus to the Frontier and thus has more legs then Heinlein's Also in other translations the word stanger is translated differently: Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become an alien in a foreign land." This of course would cast a Moses character as a non yazirian. Lost the TV series; had an episode titled with this phrase http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/22/lost-stranger-in-a-strange-land/ to be honest I lost interest in the series after the first few episodes of the 1st season but the basic idea of lost is intriguing. It certainly could have legs for this campaign, especially if it was to be a slower paced mystery ladden campaign that focuses on unravelling the mysteries of who and what the "portuguese" characters; plus throwing in other mysteries- the PC's ship was sabotaged, they are not the first humans to reach the yazirian home world, etc I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
April 26, 2011 - 7:42pm | Primitive Yazirian pic http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/storm_gallery/90716.jpg I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 1, 2011 - 6:58am | Awesome yaz pic Jedion! "Ook Ook Arrrr!" sez I. My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
May 1, 2011 - 2:26pm | Swashbuckling-Samurai-Pirate Cave-yazi of Mars!!! Kewl Tis' the very model of an ancient Yazi Admiral.The style on that pic reminds me of some of the early concepts, that combined the bat and baboon evolved reptiloids, into a single threat, from the Ray Bradberry A Sound of Thunder litterary/film family. I can still remeber some of the old shorts that were in this family, some in the Analog and Amazing periodicals and compilations, and a few films and one-off for strange stories epidodes, all of which is why I hate mess'n-w/-paradox.... even tho' I loved the stories. All this makes me want to break out something like 7th Sea and build a lost Yazi-world around it, a few remote enclaves of Sathar, S'ssesu, Mordaxi, and Zuraqqor, maybe a Tetrarch-Fraal and Eorna or two... 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? |
