![]() November 9, 2014 - 3:22pm | I liked Gamma World with all it's crazy wacky campy stuff. One critter I always liked was the Centisteed which appears to have survived through the various changes the game went through: I have the GW1 rules so here it is in that format:
Force Field Generation
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![]() March 20, 2015 - 10:44am | I was thinking about the D&D module Expedition to Barrier Peaks and how to recycle it. As a setting for an adventure I am unsure it would be as big as a challenge for modern SF Core 4, unless there where factors that made it so. I thought of a Commune Colony of Core 4 types living the simple life, but didn't really like that idea. My second idea that I like better is based on the idea I read some place that Yazirians got a leg up on their technology from a crashed ship. So I am thinking it might work as an adventure for pre-space traveling Yazirians that leads to some events in the present. The dead alien skeletons are humanoid, which could been several different races not just human. The tech is some areas is more advanced than what is in use in SF, but that would make sense if the Yazirians had to try and figure it out over generations. Simply 'cause you got a magic box does not mean you know why the magic box works... how many people have a clue about the cars they drive, and even though they drive one every day they could not design or build one. Anyway kicking around the idea and how to tie it to SF game's future, specifically Yazirian legends, beliefs and politics. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
![]() March 21, 2015 - 3:26pm | @ tchklinza: imagine yazirians finding human skeletons. The skeletons look like theirs and the first artists renderings of what these aliens looked like had them with pataguim skin flaps. Later on other yazirian scientist analyze the bones and come to the conclusion that they were too heavy to glide but the first "impression" has taken root in the local population's collective consciousness. Enter the yazirian stereotypical mad scientists bent on proving his theories and enlists the help of the PCs. If the whole party of PCs is to be all yazirian i would strongly recommend that you adapt shadow shacks yazirian clan article (sfman 9 or 10ish) so that you get some differentiation in PCs. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
![]() March 21, 2015 - 8:16pm | I like the scientist angle, that would be a nice fit for the early Industrial Period... I was thinking Feudal/Clan period prior to the Warhon, but both have potential. I agree I need to have distinct skills, abilities and differences for the Yazirians so the party has the diversity it will need to survive. I am going to start first with converting the alien creatures and give each a new Yazirian name, I will need to redo some art, convert tech and make sure I have descriptions in terms primitive or early industrial age people would explain what they see... retype everything up so I can find it all easily in the form I need. The idea is that the players get to experience an epic tale from Yazirian history as a way of learning about Yazirians that latter ties into different adventures in the future with their regular spacefaring PCs. The one hitch is the "human" androids... but if I allow the ship to change the look of the androids to be more Yazirian like as part of the ships passenger interaction system then I have a lots more wiggle room. This then allows for the the sleeping beauty android encounter to be an Yazirian and I have an additional fun idea with her in mind on a myth & legend side. (I did a quick review of the module and noted the sleeping beauty motif potential). Now assuming the party somehow survives the deadly adventure in the olden days the ship would have consequences... one the creatures on the ship where all alien extract, either normal for their world or mutated, many species had escaped and naturalized... so Yazirias mythic extinct creatures & rare plants are not necessarily all that mythic just naturalized alien life, if explorers in the future start discovering on various planets, plants & animals that were extinct & or mythic on Yazari before their Ark ships where built, and say ancient artifacts of importance made with hide, hair, teeth, wood and bone prove the DNA link then that is both a reason for the Yazirians to be excited & the Family of One to be annoyed (this might cause some to wonder about how supposably extinct Yazirian animals & plants are alive on other planets with no Yazirian colony ever & what that means religiously... a lot of potential there in different directions). Now if another section is found it might be noticed by a Yazirian that the ship section has a remarkable similarity to the description of an ancient mythic palace/castle/fortress/stronghold/place from an epic story. In addition when I reread the background for how the ship ended up in the World of Greyhawk, I noted the following (ignoring the black-hole to a fantasy world cliche) the ship section was landed intact and safely by the automated systems because the crew had died from a plague, further this was just one section, the ship had been separated into separate individual navigable sub-ship sections in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease through the whole exploration/colony ship and at least save a few people. Now obviously the plague is dead by the time the adventures go forth (but maybe not), but spread throughout the galaxy are several of these ship sections, one is bound to have been a highly contaminated bio-medical-science section, if that section was preserved in away that allowed the contagion to survive and someone breached that ship at a latter date they could easily release the plague on a different planet... I am thinking one of these sections being breached will end up being the backstory for the Blue Plague in my setting. I will post the conversions here as I plug away at this... I think the first critter will be a Ceiling Lurker. How does Ntzenra sound for a name? "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
![]() March 22, 2015 - 8:58am | 1st Draft of Conversion for SF of the Lurker Above: NTZENRA: THE LURKER ABOVE TYPE: Giant Carnivore NUMBER: 1-4 MOVE: Very Slow 1.5 meters/13.5 meters IM/RS: 2/20 STAMINA: 60 ATTACK: 90 # AT: 1 DAMAGE: 1d10 Constriction SPECIAL ATTACKS: Smothers SPECIAL DEFENSES: Camouflage/silent movement NATIVE WORLD: Yaziria (Naturalized) & Unknown - caves, caverns, tunnels. DESCRIPTION: This
terrible beast somewhat resembles a large manta ray. Its grayish belly is so
textured as to appear to be stone, and the Lurker typically attaches itself to
a ceiling where it is almost impossible to detect (PCs have only a 10% chance
to detect it by eyesight alone) unless actually prodded. They move about by
means of a gas, which makes them neutrally buoyant, and a flapping of their
wing like appendages, which can be over 6 meters tip to tip. Size of this
creature varies by its age from 1 to over 6 meters. Generally PCs will be
attacked by a Large to Giant Lurker, though a Lurker as small as 2 meters can
easily attack an individual human sized or smaller PC. Lurkers can attack
multiple victims at once if large enough, a 1 meter sized Lurker can still kill
if it engulfs the head of it's victim. Despite the creatures potential
full-grown size and strength it is very light weight. When disturbed the Lurker
drops from the ceiling, smothering all creatures beneath in the tough folds of
its "wings." This constriction causes 1d10 STA damage per turn, and the victims
will smother in 3-8 turns in any event unless they kill the Lurker and thus
break free. Unintelligent, the Lurker will fight until dead. Prey caught in its
grip cannot fight unless the weapons used are both short and in hand at the
time the creature falls upon them. The female Lurker lays glutinous sacks of
eggs on the ground, and newborns feed upon vermin that can be found on cave
floors. This creature though dangerous to pursue have a hide that became prized
by Yazirians for a variety of uses and ultimately led to its' extinction on
Yaziria. Note to the referee this creature was nauturalized to Yaziria when an alien ship crashed on it; Yazirians believe it was a native creature; actual planet of origin unknown. This
creature first appeared in The Strategic Review #3 August 1975, first edition
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons original Monster Manual 1977, and was an alien
creature introduced to D&D from a crashed space ship in Module S3
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks by Gary Gygax published 1980 but was originally
a 1976 Origins II tournament scenario. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
![]() May 1, 2015 - 8:37pm | I am tweeking the Centisteed a bit more... for SF I am turning it into a Sather bio-form that they had not finnished. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
![]() May 2, 2015 - 9:09am | A fun read on the history of GW... http://www.headinjurytheater.com/gammaworld.htm I admit when borrowing from GW to SF one needs to be careful and thoughtful and keep the campaign's setting in mind, I tend to make the wacky a bit more serious... but funny & zany has a place. I am inclined to think Snowball is a Gamma World Arctic setting for arctic critters and that culture to a certain degree. New Pale because of the Sathar bio-forms has potential for some critters. The Quarantined worlds offer potential as well. Don't forget secret research facilities and finally if Terra Firma existed in your setting where is it and how far is SF in the future from it... I figured by STL time SF could be easily be over 40,000 years in the future from when Earth becomes GW, a lot can happen in over 40,000 years including mutated life escaping into the universe. GW critters could have completely different back stories as well in SF... right now I am reworking my conversion of the Centisteed as an uncompleted Sathar bio-form and an abandoned experiment due to the fact it is immune to mental attack aka Sathar hypnosis. In other words they considered it a failure, a few had escaped and multiplied but to the UPF races it's an opportunity, a chance to develop UPF bio-form technology and uses. I have changed & fleshed the Centisteed a bit more... it is now the New Pale Centisteed. I need to work on cybernetic, control and nutritional enhancements for it now, & specialized tack that makes sense to others as well. Suggestions welcome. Anyhow check out the site, fun read & trip down memory lane. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
![]() May 8, 2015 - 7:00pm | I like my Gamma World to be a bit crazy and sometimes silly. I've never put magic into it, but it is the only time I play with psionics. I never mix Gamma World with SF or D&D. I like the analysis the guy did of the different editions. He noticed alot of things that changed over the years but doesn't know the political reasons behind them. -iggy |
![]() May 9, 2015 - 10:01am | Yes I noticed he missed the issues of the day. Gamma World is at it's best when a bit silly but deadly I think. As to mixing or rather borrowing bits and pieces in the past I probably would not have. I like my magic magic in fantasy & my "magic" (aka weird science/super science) in sci-fi explainable with science, mutations, and psionics but not "magic". Of course sci-fi super science can look like magic, but lets face it animated flying living claw footed enamel bath tubs that look like RL bath tubs are fantasy magic creations of whimsy, and would not work in SF, but a hovering flying robotic personal wallow for a Sathar would... it would still be a tub technically, and a PC could operate it in a pinch (while sitting in the slime wallow tub part) to say hoover/fly away from danger in an adventure. I had found myself looking back at GW to get ideas about future human society, and help me create a more retro pre-frontier setting as well for all the races. Then I started asking the question what if this idea or creature or gizmo had been created for SF instead of GW or D&D or some other game? The Centisteed posted in the thread for instance is very GW1, but my re-write draft which I have not posted is still very much a Centisteed but I tweaked it as a Sathar bio-form experiment and I added the ability for it to camouflage it's self along with adding info that is on fan sites for GW. There are a surprising number of critters, personalities, places and things in the greater TSR universe such as D&D that are actually 100% inspired by sci-fi or borrowed from early TSR space settings... The Displacer Beast is an excellent example of an alien monster in a Fantasy Setting. It along with a ton of classic beasties are all from a crashed space ship... so recycling I have gone, but with the idea of returning the thing, creature, etc to it's sci-fi form in SF. So I am just picking things I find interesting to "convert" as an exercise in self-torture mainly, but also to ponder... is there is a place for Arks (Intelligent Psionic Canine type descended bipeds) in space, only each ref can decide that, but intelligent Canines as native species did occur in original TSR Space Games such as Star Empires. So I converted the Ark & posted it, the basic Ark as it occurred in GW1 but for SF rules, if however I where to consider it further (which I probably will at a latter date) it will need more tweaking... why those psionic abilities, are they space faring or a primitive native species, why do they like eating humans or do they even eat humans in this setting, are they a human lab experiment gone wrong, are they escapes from the long dead Space Humans' Home World or colony? Lots of Qs to think about if used in SF... they might make good alien pirates actually... eat their captives... invading from an unknown location. So that is what I am doing and why. I encourage folks to use, comment or abuse the critters & things as you all wish. If you borrowed something I would love to hear about it and how it worked out in SF or did not. Right now I am reviewing tech ideas in SF, GW1 & a few other games to set a tech flavor for each of the Core 4 in the early days & working on the Sathar, but I am bound to suddenly decide to convert something just for giggles. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
![]() October 24, 2015 - 5:09pm | I am still working on this project, please check out progress on stuff here http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/8678 Feed back is welcome... This project area also includes other subjects I am poking at. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
![]() December 19, 2015 - 1:59pm | I have converted a Mutant Future encounter from a blog site for play by regular SF AD or GD play... Dying Of Thirst. (I did not write this Tim Snider is the original author but it has a couple creatures in it and seemed a good start play quick stand alone outing sort of adventure). I also uploaded the creatures a seperate documents as well. I would like some feed back on the conversions of the creatures Apemen & Glass Plasm. http://www.starfrontiers.us/downloads/8678 I am also working on the Gluey as a mutant Dralasite. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
![]() December 23, 2015 - 2:47pm | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_24glfSBnA "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |