 April 28, 2014 - 1:28pm | Some fifty million years ago there had existed a marine life form, something like a jelly fish. As these died they sunk into the sea bottom ooze; sand covered the ooze and pressed it tighter and tighter; until it became glassy flint, and the entomed jelly fish little beans of dense stone. Some of them by some ancient biochemical quirk, were intensely thermoflourescent; worn as gems they glowed from the wearer's body heat. On Terra a single pollished sunstone was worth a small fortune. These are mined from sandstone and I like them for treasure items. Might adapt them for the next "In the Minzii Marketplace" article.I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 April 28, 2014 - 8:17pm | Do we call them sunstones or give them another name like beamstones in Piper's honor? I don't mind bringing the gem into the frontier, I just want to keep the Fuzzies in their own universe. I really like the Fuzzies and the books. We have enough aliens. Giving the gems another name will honor the source without bringing the race into the frontier with them. -iggy |
April 29, 2014 - 3:57am | I've just started reading the Fuzzy Papers, which is more about saying "done that, got the T shirt". Yeah Calling them Beamstones and placing them on one of the planets of the Frontier is a great idea. Issue 8 has a "In the Minzii Marketplace" article for introducing new artifacts, tech, and trade goods so this is idea for that for issue 9. Will perhaps have to think about other gems, pearls and trinkets for that. (Minzii Marketplace is a setting element mentioned in Zebs for the planet Faire) What I was also thinking to mine from Piper for the Frontier is that I noticed early on that the book was going to have a theme of human involvment equals ecological impact/disaster and I thought the same thing is/must be happening in the Frontier, especially a Frontier where mega corps are exist. Thus an article on ecological disasters/ impact caused by sapient beings might be in order. Since causes for this sort of thing can be complicated and involved with a lot of other factors which dont make for fun and exciting RP gaming experience perhaps a series of tables for a GM to role up a ecological impact that is happening on a planet that the PCs are visiting. Either as background flavor or because the PCs are trouble shooters and ecological issues gives the Environmentalist/Scientist character a chance for some skill rolls. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
April 29, 2014 - 6:48am | Great. We introduce Beamstones and note where they come from. GMs can then pull from the Fuzzy Papers any thing else they want. Now to start looking for other science fiction inspired gems. -iggy |
April 29, 2014 - 6:58am | Great. We introduce Beamstones and note where they come from. GMs can then pull from the Fuzzy Papers any thing else they want. Now to start looking for other science fiction inspired gems. I was doing that except googling "gems science ficiton literature" turns up pages of "hidden gems of science fiction literature you should read" Anne McAffery's "Crystal Singer", which I have read, comes to mind but the crystals involved play an important pivotal role in her setting and dont really fit the technology of the Frontier so much. Also I just started reading The Fuzzy Papers and I had a suspicion that the sunstones play an important role latter in the book somehow based on how they were introduced in the beginnig and how one of the early demonstrations of Fuzzy's intelligence is to sort rock samples by color. I just havent gotten deep enough into the book to know if there is some other property intrinsic to the sunstones yet. technically these sunstones are a fossil and we might also come up with an interesting fossil that would be a trade item with the CFM. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
April 29, 2014 - 2:14pm | The sunstones are safe to use. I agree that McAffery's crystals are best not pulled into the frontier. -iggy |
June 16, 2014 - 7:44pm | Beam stones are an easily understood treasure item - they should have a high credit vale What about the fabled federanium? what is a federanium ingot worth? what does it weight? Just spit balling more ideas: what about pickled quickdeath eyes? hard to obtain but high value for sale on black market (Star Law will no doubt seek to interdict trade in sathar material). they are wanted for a variety of reasons aphrodisiac, drug high or simply to prove you are a bad dude able to swallow these things. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
