 May 22, 2013 - 3:53am | I'm engaged in a bit of net working with another RPG fan magazine, RPG Review. Their scope is all systems new and old with retrospectives and reviews. next issue is all about monsters and aliens and they are looking for encounters or monster write ups. I've agreed to do a Star Frontiers encounter or monster write up. I know what needs to be written is something that can be tied back to a recent planetary brief the FE did which is either Lossend or Morgaine's World and a sentence like, "For more information on planet X see...." can be included. Its shameless pormotion but FE has only been around for 1 year. So while I know how the submission should go together I dont know what the submission should be. Looking for ideas to run with for a Lossend creature or an encounter idea or both. There is a June 20th deadline. I'll likely work up some art work too but suggesting a picture wont hurt if you have an idea. All I need is for one small idea to get me running, I'm just drawing a blank right now. (Well I did have one idea but I think its something I should save for my own magazine as the idea was essentially a series of encounters and would require a deck plan.) Location could be an issue. unless someone wants to collaborate and create a map or do a digital remaster of one of the maps from the back of the Port Loren map. I didn't want to bog down with doing a deck plan or a major map. However some help form a collaborator would be great or a suggestion for using an exisiting map would be great. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 22, 2013 - 4:08am | Brainstorming ideas: 1. The most complete idea so far and it meets the criteria of being a shameless promotion: I have to go back and check if I already stated out the Mawe for Laco its based on a miniature from Hasslefree miniatures. http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=mawe-multi~hfsa309&category=miniatures~sci%252dfi-aliens But one encounter idea would be a Bonus "Mooks Without Number" Encounter. In the second instalment of that adventure the PCs had to recover a shuttle form the Lucky Devil pirates and that involved sneaking up on their hideout and secret landing field in the Devil's Cauldron wastes of Laco. The bonus encounter could be that the PCs are getting close but a mawe has started stalking them- PCs have to deal with the mawe but dont want to use the wrong kind of weapon that would make noise and give away their presence. No sonic, or auto weapons, exploding grenades etc. 2. Revisit the wypongs for an encounter- actually this was done in the "Layover On Lossend" back in the day and we adressed it some in the Lossend planetary brief so while its an idea I'm not really sweet on it. to use this I would need an interesting idea for an encounter. The only thing that comes to mind is a lone adventure has a tree or rock fall on him and he's trapped. wypong happens along and he must somehow convince him to help. Problem with that is the role playing characters tend to travel in groups so someone would be there to help. And unless there is shooting there might not be much to do with an encounter like this. Still kit bashing ideas for this... EDIT: just spotted a new mini at hasslefree- the lesser mawe looks interesting too http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=lesser-mawes-x8~hfsa310x2&category=miniatures~sci%252dfi-aliens I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 22, 2013 - 6:36am | I like idea #1. I'm drawing a blank as well on other ideas. And I can do remasters of any of the maps on the back of the Port Loren map if you want to use those. 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 22, 2013 - 7:52am | I like idea #1. I'm drawing a blank as well on other ideas. And I can do remasters of any of the maps on the back of the Port Loren map if you want to use those. Back when my dunjini software was working I did a redo of the mountains map and expanded it to 6 panels to be a larger area and that was in the SFman that could be a possibility or a canyon map with steep sides that the PCs in idea 1 would be travelling down the canyon floor to remain hidden from any prying eyes. The mawe creature would likely be stalking them from above, ducking back from the canyon rim Oh yeah we do have that Albatross solo adventure going into issue 5. an aquatic creature that could pester the solo PC at the end of that adventure might also be the ticket. something more interesting then the Lossend version of a shark. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 22, 2013 - 9:07am | I have 4 of those maps. Plus the big one with the four all combined. I never saw the other 2. 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 22, 2013 - 10:06am | I have 4 of those maps. Plus the big one with the four all combined. I never saw the other 2. It might have only been the 4, in my memory its 6 but that may be me being a legend in my own mind I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 22, 2013 - 8:13pm | Jedion, I remember reading the mawe before, but it was a long time ago. Did they hunt in packs or were they loners? Pack creatures are good against groups. If they are solitary creatures have a pc get lost from the group somehow and the mawe finds them. I liked that picture you had of it. |
 May 22, 2013 - 9:12pm | You could have the party have to recover a hidden item on the cliffs of Mt. Spire. Then you could have the party have to fight Lossodragons through out the adventure. -iggy |
May 23, 2013 - 2:16am | I think the mawe might have been in the Laco brief I wrote lossodragon- that was an idea too; I sort of see these as filling the roll of a vulture on Lossend they can smell carrion from miles away and they gather as the clean up crew. with this one we're not introducing a new creature so the encounter is the focus. perhaps the smaller forest dragon is the classic scavenger The PCs have to find a McGuffin and this leads to finding dead bodies and forest dragons which are easy to shoe away, build up to a bigger encounter with the real losso dragon. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 23, 2013 - 6:58am | Not sure if this would help you, but here's a threat from RPG.net on aliens http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?681563-Sci-fi-101-Alien-Species |
 May 23, 2013 - 8:37am | Why does it have to be a pre-existing creature? View my profile for a list of articles I have written, am writing, will write. "It's yo' mama!" —Wicket W. Warrick, Star Wars Ep. VI: Return of the Jedi "That guy's wise." —Logray, Star Wars Ep.VI: Return of the Jedi Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? - Felicia Day (The Guild) |
May 23, 2013 - 11:52am | It doesn't have to be a pre-existing creature. Rattraveller just invented the streel for his background on Hilo Headrow in the mega corps project and that has a certain appeal. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 23, 2013 - 3:10pm | Then just make a big, big, uh, big monster. Something massive. When you think big, it tends to make ideas flow. I'm talking about fighter-downing, tank crushing, beam-ignoring, bomb-deflecting, monster-of-the-week big. Maybe something that could prove a challenge for hefty Star Frontiers vehicles and fighters. After all, Star Frontiers is lacking in that sort of thing. (I guess the zwerrahs come closest. It's about 13 times larger than a human. But I'm thinking something with upwards of 5000 STA and about 500 ft long or tall. You gotta stop it before it destroys a metropolitan city. Give it a good ol' Japanese welcome.) View my profile for a list of articles I have written, am writing, will write. "It's yo' mama!" —Wicket W. Warrick, Star Wars Ep. VI: Return of the Jedi "That guy's wise." —Logray, Star Wars Ep.VI: Return of the Jedi Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? - Felicia Day (The Guild) |
May 23, 2013 - 6:26pm | Ascents idea is Godzilla for SF- we did kick this around over a year ago in a thread about a Titan. There are reason this idea that doesn't grab me but It just occured to me to dig out the monsterpocalypse game and look at some of the monster minis wich would rate as godzilla size next to the 1/4" counters or 15mm miniatures or as huge+ next to a 28mm miniature. Because of my love for miniatures this has a certain appeal. Rattraveller's Streel is a Pale animal that acts like a badger defending it's den- a little bit of a parallel to Hilo. I like this and the tie in to the background for Hilo, Mawe is simple and has a tie in with the FE which satisfies the shameless promotion criteria Nothing is popping for an aquatic creature I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 23, 2013 - 7:38pm | Aquatic? Think Lamprey. There's nothing scarrier looking. It's the inspiration behind many of Hollywoods greatest science fiction creatures. View my profile for a list of articles I have written, am writing, will write. "It's yo' mama!" —Wicket W. Warrick, Star Wars Ep. VI: Return of the Jedi "That guy's wise." —Logray, Star Wars Ep.VI: Return of the Jedi Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? - Felicia Day (The Guild) |
