Geonosis, Barsoom and homebrews

[Gospog]

Hey, I don't know if this is old news to you, or if it will help, but the next Polyhedron mini-game is Iron Lords of Jupiter, which is reportedly based on the Mars works of Burroughs (and Jack Vance sci-fi as well).

In fact, in preparation, I even did a search for "Jupiter" on Google, and learned all sorts of RPG-useful things. For example, Jupiter has, like, 38 moons. Some are big enough to be the home of various alien creatures, while others are relatively small, and so strike me as potential alien creatures themselves.

I suspect that despite the title, you may find this mini-game suitable for gaming in ERB's Mars.

Good luck, and great topic!

 

[Desdichado]

Hey, I don't know if this is old news to you, or if it will help, but the next Polyhedron mini-game is Iron Lords of Jupiter, which is reportedly based on the Mars works of Burroughs (and Jack Vance sci-fi as well).

In fact, in preparation, I even did a search for "Jupiter" on Google, and learned all sorts of RPG-useful things. For example, Jupiter has, like, 38 moons. Some are big enough to be the home of various alien creatures, while others are relatively small, and so strike me as potential alien creatures themselves.

I suspect that despite the title, you may find this mini-game suitable for gaming in ERB's Mars.

Good luck, and great topic!

Thanks! Do you know what issue of Dungeon that will be? 101? 102?

That does sound interesting, and I do want to scour it for potential things I can steal.

I've got to be pretty clear, though -- I'm not looking for ERB's Mars, except in perhaps the most superficial of ways. My campaign setting would be definately steampunk. And I'm a bit of a traditionalist, who sees steampunk as an outgrowth of cyberpunk, so I take both the steam and the punk aspects seriously.

For steam, I want a technology that is vaguely Jules Verne-ish, or H.G. Wells-ish. Kinda advanced Victorian. I'm hoping to borrow (if necessary) tons of material from GURPS Steampunk, or the new FFG book coming out next month. But for society, I want something that is clearly on the punk end -- hellish urban dystopias with masses living as fodder in a blighted anarchic existence, while callous and cruel upper classes treat them like cattle or worse. In many ways, I want the setting to resemble that old silent film Metropolis more than ERB's Barsoom -- almost like a steam and clockwork powered Megacity One. And to add a supernatural twist to the mix, use a Cthulhu/WHFRP-esque insane occult threat, and you've got a game that is almost more horror than pulpy romance.

Y'know, what I'm thinking of doing, as the game is kinda coming together in my head a little bit, is run some play by post stuff and get input and ideas from a group of players there before I spring this on my normal group (which is still separated by thousands of miles anyway). Anyone who's interested, send me an email at jdyal@peoplepc.com. I'll post something in the next day or so in Gamers Seeking Gamers about it too.

Edit: how do I make my e-mail a link?

 

[Gospog]

Originally posted by Joshua Dyal:

Thanks! Do you know what issue of Dungeon that will be? 101? 102?

Honestly, as I subscribe, I never know the current issue number. It's "the next one". maybe check the Paizio site?

Originally posted by Joshua Dyal:

For steam, I want a technology that is vaguely Jules Verne-ish, or H.G. Wells-ish. Kinda advanced Victorian.

Here I must echo Dr. Strangemonkey and say that the first (and even second) issue of Leaugue of Extrordinary Gentlemen may prove very inspiring for you.

Originally posted by Joshua Dyal:

Y'know, what I'm thinking of doing... is run some play by post stuff and get input and ideas from a group of players there

Well, I wish you luck with this, and would love to hear how that turns out. Your setting sounds like a blast, with elements from a ton of things I'm into. I'd even volunteer for the Play By Post, but the first and only time I tried a Play By Post game, it went very, very badly.

Again, good luck with this!

 

[Desdichado]

Well, I wish you luck with this, and would love to hear how that turns out. Your setting sounds like a blast, with elements from a ton of things I'm into. I'd even volunteer for the Play By Post, but the first and only time I tried a Play By Post game, it went very, very badly.

Again, good luck with this!

Yeah, that can happen if the folks involved don't check and post regularly enough -- the whole thing just comes unravelled fairly quickly. I'm hoping to do a little better than I've done in the past as well!

 

[Rel]

Oooh! Oooh! *Jumps up and down excitedly.*

This is almost precisely the idea I'm toying with for my next campaign. I STRONGLY recommend that you check out Space: 1889 and the accompanying board game, Sky Galleons of Mars.

I think it would suit your ideas perfectly. It already has the "steam" aspects included. There is information about period weapons, vehicles, etc. There is also info about martian creatures, culture and architecture.

Magic is not part of that system but it sounds like you were going to tack on the CoC system anyway.

The Sky Galleons of Mars game is fun in its own right and I think the rules are simple enough to incorporate into the typical D&D game fairly easily. Plus, who can resist the notion of characters participating in boarding actions and ship-to-ship small arms fire as they race perilously over the foothills of Mons Olympus?

Regardless of whether you take my suggestion or not, please post any final decisions you make about how you implement the setting. I'm still fishing for ideas before I move ahead with a full blown campaign design.

Good luck.

 

[Desdichado]

Space: 1889 is one of my favorite concepts for a game, and always has been. I don't think the implementation of it was always really good (especially in terms of system), but the concept is wonderful. It's not exactly what I'm looking for, as it's more the "planetary romance" with a very strong Victorian theme, which is inconsistent with true steampunk, and the feel I'm shooting for. But it's probably got (haven't looked in a long time) some great ideas I could rip off. I'd never heard of the Sky Galleons of Mars game before, though. Sounds quite intriguing.

 

[Desdichado]

OK, I've got the Gamers Seeking Gamers thread up as well -- right here.

And the game itself right here

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Don't get turned off by the name Cowboy Bebop is best described as 'something else entirely' in comparison to most anime and the music is simply phenomenal.

Probably the best soundtrack I've heard on anything put out by anyone in the last three or four years.

 

[Desdichado]

If it's "something else entirely in relation to other anime" that may be the only reason I'd ever try this out. As much as I've tried many times, I simply haven't found an anime that I thought was better than OK.

 

[Imhotepthewise]

Check this thread out:

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53248