Here's Some Concept Work For ALTERNITY'S Spaceship Book

Rich Baker over at Sasquatch Game Studios has sent along an exclusive preview of some concept work for Alterity's "The Shipyard" sourcebook (which is a companion volume included in the currently running Alternity RPG Kickstarter). This page spread shows a Tebenkov-Class Survey Cruiser, including the vessel's stats and description. The Alternity RPG Kickstarter has another 10 days left to run, and has already funded, so it's starting to take aim at a number of stretch goals.

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I've covered Sasquatch's take on Alterity a couple of times before here, and they've shared a previous preview. Alternity was a science fiction roleplaying game created in the late 1990s by Bill Slavicsek and Rich Baker, who are reviving the name for this new version. The Kickstarter is for a 240-page full colour book.

 

[Giorgicus]

Really enjoy the first look at Alternity's starships, reading the stat blocks opens up so many questions and speculations.

 

[ToddBS]

I backed the KS pretty close to the start, and I've been patiently watching the funding go up at a snail's pace. It finally funded though, so I'm happy now. I've participated with some quick testing of the combat rules, and I really like it. They use an initiative wheel and each action you take has a particular cost. After you take an action, you move your token up that many spots (the cost of your action) on the wheel before you take your next action. There are 8 spots around the wheel. While technically they still have "rounds", in practice the combat felt more like a continuous flow to us. Quite cinematic. The wound system (no HP) seems to be borrowed from OpenD6, with some modifications like variable wound boxes per tier. I like that as a GM, creating a tougher or weaker enemy is as quick as adding or removing wound boxes. Task resolution seems to be a mix of d20, OpenD6, and Savage Worlds. It felt pretty good to me. I'd been considering OpenD6 for a homebrew setting I've been tinkering with, but I might adopt the Alternity system eventually.

 

[Charles Dunwoody]

The new version feels a lot like the original but updated with 18 years of game knowledge. I like the layout of the ship information.

 

[TBeholder]

So only 2 basic damage types is not a beta feature. Though this still leaves possibility of extension to subtypes appearing only when they are relevant.

No division to compartments. Not that this was the hottest feature.
One-dimensional TLs.

Proton Beam (speed 4) Long
Laser (speed 3) Long

Oh, come on. What the startrek.

 

[Egg Embry]

I'm a fan of Sasquatch Game Studio from their Primeval Thule setting for 5e/PF. Alternity looks as amazing as Thule, so I'm excited about it. To promote their new system and help push the stretch goals, I wrote an article. I want to see this system take off!

Egg Embry, Wanna-lancer

 

[FreeXenon]

OK, everyone, Alternity is funded and we are on the last week stretch.
Jump over and back it so we can get the Xenonolgy Guide and possibly some more adventures!

 

[Giorgicus]

I am looking forward to a blog on the Shipyard source-book, a place to have a conversation on that blog, and a preview of what type of ships you can design with them (depending on the types of basic assumptions made on drives, weapons, tech levels , FTL communication and other important factors).

I am really hoping between the Core Rule-book and the Shipyard Source-book, I can design ships from the following SF IPs:

Mass Effect
Babylon 5
Star Wars Legends