Tars Tarkus
First Post
Welcome to Rapiers and Rocket Ships
A Planetary Romance play by post game using rules from the d20 Modern, Polyhedron magazine’s mini-games Iron Lords of Jupiter (#160), Pulp Heroes (#161), and Green Ronin’s Skull and Bones. You are only required to have the d20 Modern rules to be able to play. The game will be run in the tradition of the Space Opera / Planetary Romance worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jack Vance, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Think John Carter of Mars or Flash Gordon to understand the style and tone of the game.
The game will begin on the Earth during the mid 1930’s. Characters will be either Strangers (humans from the 1930’s earth transported to a fantastic world of terrible beauty and high adventure) or Natives (exotic humanoids or creatures of this fantastic world). A party completely consisting of Strangers or part Stranger, part Native will be fine. Though to keep a sense of discovery and mystery, The exact nature of any PC Native races will be kept secret until the Strangers actually arrive on the new world. So players running Native PCs will run Stranger NPC’s until the time as their Native PC can be introduced. I will email those players rules on making a Native PC at that time. I would like to have a majority of players run Strangers though. I am willing to have up to 6 players in the game at any one time.
Character creation will use Planned Generation (page 15 of d20 Modern) using 32 points. Characters will start at 6th level. Stranger PCs will be allowed to “regain” their Wealth bonus after they have earned a level in their new world (page 17 of Polyhedron #160). Reputation of Stranger PCs will start at 0 but it can be earned normally on the new world. Strangers can “reserve" their 6th level feat and all of their skill points earned at 6th level to be taken or spent later in play. These feats and skill points are lost if they are not assigned before achievement of 7th level. Remember, Stranger PC’s come from the 1930’s so build your characters accordingly, no Computer based feats or skills, etc. New Feats from Polyhedron #160 and #161 can be used with my permission. The Sensitive Feat from Call of Cthulhu d20 can also be taken but only one character can have this feat. Starting Occupations from Pulp Heroes (Poly #161) can also be used. They include: All-American, Aristocrat, Cloistered, Cosmopolitan, On the Run, and Primitive. If you don’t have the magazine just ask me for the details. I will also be using the Parrying rules from Skull and Bones; basically you can give up your next attack to attempt to parry an attack made against you.
Available Classes:
Solider, Martial Artist, Gunslinger, Infiltrator, Daredevil, Bodyguard, Field Scientist, Field Medic, Investigator, Personality, Negotiator (d20 Modern)
Engineer, Noble, Scholar, Trader, Wise One (Starting Native PCs only) (Polyhedron #160)
Explorer, Scientist (Polyhedron #161)
Play will begin with the Stranger PCs boarding the Bermuda Clipper flying boat in Baltimore for a trip to Bermuda in the winter of 1936. You can play one of the crew, a passenger, or a stow away if you wish. Players playing Native PCs will play Stranger NPCs until the time they can bring in their Native PCs.
A Planetary Romance play by post game using rules from the d20 Modern, Polyhedron magazine’s mini-games Iron Lords of Jupiter (#160), Pulp Heroes (#161), and Green Ronin’s Skull and Bones. You are only required to have the d20 Modern rules to be able to play. The game will be run in the tradition of the Space Opera / Planetary Romance worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jack Vance, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Think John Carter of Mars or Flash Gordon to understand the style and tone of the game.
The game will begin on the Earth during the mid 1930’s. Characters will be either Strangers (humans from the 1930’s earth transported to a fantastic world of terrible beauty and high adventure) or Natives (exotic humanoids or creatures of this fantastic world). A party completely consisting of Strangers or part Stranger, part Native will be fine. Though to keep a sense of discovery and mystery, The exact nature of any PC Native races will be kept secret until the Strangers actually arrive on the new world. So players running Native PCs will run Stranger NPC’s until the time as their Native PC can be introduced. I will email those players rules on making a Native PC at that time. I would like to have a majority of players run Strangers though. I am willing to have up to 6 players in the game at any one time.
Character creation will use Planned Generation (page 15 of d20 Modern) using 32 points. Characters will start at 6th level. Stranger PCs will be allowed to “regain” their Wealth bonus after they have earned a level in their new world (page 17 of Polyhedron #160). Reputation of Stranger PCs will start at 0 but it can be earned normally on the new world. Strangers can “reserve" their 6th level feat and all of their skill points earned at 6th level to be taken or spent later in play. These feats and skill points are lost if they are not assigned before achievement of 7th level. Remember, Stranger PC’s come from the 1930’s so build your characters accordingly, no Computer based feats or skills, etc. New Feats from Polyhedron #160 and #161 can be used with my permission. The Sensitive Feat from Call of Cthulhu d20 can also be taken but only one character can have this feat. Starting Occupations from Pulp Heroes (Poly #161) can also be used. They include: All-American, Aristocrat, Cloistered, Cosmopolitan, On the Run, and Primitive. If you don’t have the magazine just ask me for the details. I will also be using the Parrying rules from Skull and Bones; basically you can give up your next attack to attempt to parry an attack made against you.
Available Classes:
Solider, Martial Artist, Gunslinger, Infiltrator, Daredevil, Bodyguard, Field Scientist, Field Medic, Investigator, Personality, Negotiator (d20 Modern)
Engineer, Noble, Scholar, Trader, Wise One (Starting Native PCs only) (Polyhedron #160)
Explorer, Scientist (Polyhedron #161)
Play will begin with the Stranger PCs boarding the Bermuda Clipper flying boat in Baltimore for a trip to Bermuda in the winter of 1936. You can play one of the crew, a passenger, or a stow away if you wish. Players playing Native PCs will play Stranger NPCs until the time they can bring in their Native PCs.
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