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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Azgulor" data-source="post: 6538428" data-attributes="member: 14291">Conveying the Setting/RPG Aids Future Armada & Armada Codex (0 hr: Art & Technology)Hands-down, these products are the most fantastic starship resources available for RPGs.  Largely system-neutral (early entries in the series had d20 Future stats), these products include detailed deckplans, ship descriptions & plot hooks, as well as artwork depicting the ships in action.For my opening adventure, I utilized Argos III (space station) & MisFortune (container ship).  Sparing me the need to map the areas out, providing a level of detail that I would need years to do on my own, and eliminating the need to fly fully by the seat of my pants, these provided evocative visual aids to my players and allowed me to focus on the story while maintaining internal consistency in what were essentially giant sandboxes filled with technology – and space zombies! RealWorks (Lone Wolf Development)HeroLab has been a mainstay for me for years and while I utilize it more for Pathfinder than Savage Worlds, as additional Savage Worlds companion sets are released, I expect that to balance out quite a bit.RealmWorks, however, while an excellent resource for any RPG, has proven to be invaluable to science fiction campaign management and has revolutionized my ability to not only create my “Setting Bible” but also give me the ability to convey the setting to my players in a digestible fashion.  I’m still learning the ins-and-outs of this application but this application allowed me to take a generic framework and begin fleshing it out into a cohesive campaign setting at a rate I’ve never been able to achieve with traditional binders, notes, and document programs. SyrinScape Sci-Fi Player & Sound Sets(SyrinScape)Having already seen the tremendously positive impact that Syrinscape Fantasy Player & Sound Sets had on my Pathfinder game, when SyrinScape introduced a Science Fiction line, I bought it immediately.  The results were even greater with electrical sparks, hissing vents, machinery hums.  My players knew when they were on a starship bridge or the engineering room just from the sound set that I was playing.  The fact that they came out with an Abandoned Space Station sound set shortly before this weekend’s session (set aboard an abandoned Argos III station) was serendipity of stellar proportions! Paper Miniatures (DramaScape & Arion Games)While I love using miniatures in play, they’re awfully expensive and science fiction miniatures seem to fall only in the “unpainted” camp.  I’m a much bigger fan of pre-painted plastic minis – less expensive & less work.Enter paper miniatures.  Sure, these have been around for many years but I hadn’t used them previously.  DramaScape and Arion Games offer many different sets but both have a nice range of genres.  Yes, you’ll burn through some ink but they’re easy to construct and in my game have been as effective as traditional minis.  A pretty inexpensive way to keep minis in play without resorting to “I shoot at the zombie.  Yeah, my figure is the guy in platemail with the sword & shield.” Tabletop Audio – Ambiences & Music for your RPGs (<a href="http://tabletopaudio.com/#" target="_blank">http://tabletopaudio.com/#</a>)I’ve never found using soundtracks to be particularly effective in establishing mood & tension in my RPG sessions.  Sometimes they just don’t quite fit or perhaps they’re so well known that it pulls the players out of the game and has them thinking about the source material the music is from.  Either way, it’s probably not enhancing your game.Enter Tabletop Audio.  This site allows for (& frankly, deserves) patronage but can be used for free.  Most of the audio files run about 10 minutes and are created for a variety of genres including fantasy, science fiction, modern, and horror.  Where Syrinscape is perfect for injecting specific sound effects into your game, Tabletop Audio is perfect for adding ambient soundtracks for when you want to escalate tension or enhance immersion but don’t want to focus on specific sounds.  In my game, when the players went EVA to transfer from their damaged ship to the space station, I used the “Deep Space EVA”, tense music to covey the risk involved complete with helmet-enclosed respiration sounds!  "Derelict Freighter" made for great tension-amping backdrop for my abandoned station.I find Tabletop Audio & Syrinscape to be different tools for different jobs that are largely complimentary with one another. N.E.W. – Countdown Mechanic (Morrus/E.N.Publishing)Technically, I can’t say that I utilized N.E.W. (yet).  I watched the O.L.D./N.E.W. kickstarter with great interest but unfortunately lacked the funds to pledge.  I plan on picking up at least the N.E.W. rulebook once it’s available. One of the mechanics that I thought was particularly cool was the Countdown Mechanic.  I used it twice in this weekend’s session and my players loved it.  The more memorable of the two was when a lone PC was left aboard the player’s starship.  A villain who had taken control of the ship had just been defeated and the PC was attempting to access the ship’s computer, unknowingly activating the virus program that the villain had implanted.  Suddenly, alarms are going off (thanks again, Syrinscape!) and the ship’s auto destruct has been activated!  As the player fled for the airlock, the countdown dice were rolled out in the open.  As each die was removed, the other players were cheering their comrade’s efforts.  The PC made it to the airlock but before he could escape the ship, the last two dice “counted down” – time was up and the PC was killed in the fiery explosion.</blockquote>

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