A sure recipe for awesome.
Temple of the Frog
- Thread starter Melkor
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A sure recipe for awesome.
the Jester
Legend
Hell yeahz!
My campaign just had the pcs deal with finding, essentially, the magically-radioactive power source for a crashed airship (being detailed in my "Adventures in the Eastern Provinces" story hour, linked in my sig). I've used bad guys that are essentially sentient computer programs. There's a group of orcs that distills sunlight into an extremely volatile and inflammable liquid, then powders the liquid, then uses the resulting "sunpowder" in guns. The epic party in my 3.5 game went, among other places, to what was basically the equivalent of a nuclear reactor running wild.
Personally, I have always lusted after a Return to the Barrier Peaks kind of module. Oh man would that be awesome!
the Jester
Legend
Yeah, for the sunpowder pistol only. I didn't bother to put a cost on it, because only the orcs know the secret of sunpowder, so it can only be found as treasure, not purchased (generally, anyhow).
Sunpowder Pistol- exotic ranged weapon; range 20/40; proficiency +2; reload minor; damage 1d10; when fired, a sunpowder pistol gives off a burst of smoke, filling the square it is fired from and granting concealment to creatures in that square until the end of the shooter's next turn.
(I also made a "gun mage" paragon path for the eladrin wizard who captured one and wanted to make it a big part of his schtick.)
At your service! (although I don't quite understand why the poster I quoted doesn't have to elaborate on his opinion - it's what prompted my response AND the way it turned out, but I know better than arguing with the mods, so...)I really enjoy fantasy rpgs. A also enjoy sf rpgs - especially, the Eclipse Phase rpg I recently acquired makes me want to start playing in one.
What I don't like is mixing those two. Because they don't mix, they're like water and oil. There's two ways this can go:
a) hi-tech gadgets are turned into a kind of magic item (the D&D approach)
b) magic is sci-fi-tized (e.g. by calling it psi and inventing weirdo-explanations why it should actually work)
A notable exception is Shadowrun - which _almost_ works. It just has terrible game mechanics (at least pre-4E). But at least the setting is cool.
I especially hate the Barrier Peaks module. It was supposed to demonstrate that the D&D rules were flexible enough to properly model a sci-fi setting - and failed miserably. I'll never understand why it's supposed to be a classic.
The Temple of the Frog was actually more clever about mixing genres that don't mix well. But it's still something I don't care about in my games.
So, there
You're never quite "wrong" in Greyhawk, which is one of its beautiful elements.
The original Blackmoor is a different place.
But in my Greyhawk, the Temple of the Frog exists, the Comeback Inn exists (about the only bit of civlization left in ruins of Blackmoor City), and the City of the Gods is out there, somewhere, and unexplained.
You can go a "sci fi intrusion" version or a "fantasy tech with clockworks" version about equally well. I'm sure there are more ways to do it too.
Dungeon magazine, under Paizo's tenure, had several good adventures in the area.
I really enjoy fantasy rpgs. A also enjoy sf rpgs - especially, the Eclipse Phase rpg I recently acquired makes me want to start playing in one.
What I don't like is mixing those two. Because they don't mix, they're like water and oil. There's two ways this can go:
a) hi-tech gadgets are turned into a kind of magic item (the D&D approach)
b) magic is sci-fi-tized (e.g. by calling it psi and inventing weirdo-explanations why it should actually work)
A notable exception is Shadowrun - which _almost_ works. It just has terrible game mechanics (at least pre-4E). But at least the setting is cool.
I especially hate the Barrier Peaks module. It was supposed to demonstrate that the D&D rules were flexible enough to properly model a sci-fi setting - and failed miserably. I'll never understand why it's supposed to be a classic.
The Temple of the Frog was actually more clever about mixing genres that don't mix well. But it's still something I don't care about in my games.
So, there
See, Shadowrun seems lame to me. But Barrier Peaks rawks.
I don't see why "fantasy" is the prescribed series of tropes that excludes whole swaths of the fantastical. What's not a fantasy about blasting a ravaging Froghemoth with a laser pistol in one hand while hewing at pod people with your magic sword in the other?
I agree in that it is hard to mix science fiction with classic swords & sorcery while maintaining consistency [how does it it fit in with magic, deities and such]. But it was a common explanation in pulp fiction versions of the genre. However, this does work better for a one-off than an episode in a continuind campaign.
The Expedition to the Barrier Peaks works that way -- it is much better for "shock value" in a single session than a good episode in an on-going campaign.
If we're just talking Star Wars and Star Trek zappy gadgets, then where's the science in the fiction? Psi ain't sci, pal. It's all "magic" accomplished with handwavium. The ray guns, robots and rockets just tend to be more occult, more arcane than the common and reliable technology of talismans and incantations. A touch of mystery and danger adds spice once in a while, you know?
Agreed.
Once upon a time, I probably would have been pretty resistant to mixing sci-fi with fantasy, but if it's done right, I don't think it has to cause a problem or spoil the mood. I like the idea of mixing alien technology from ancient otherworldly creatures from another universe into my world - not as a common everyday item, but occasionally as a plot point. Consider the frog people (Edit: What is it with frog people and alien tech???) from Wagner's Bloodstone.. they worshipped some ancient, nearly omnipotent alien creature that had crashed/landed in the swamp a zillion years ago. There weren't any pistols or pulse rifles, but there was some alien technology that eventually went face-to-face with magic power. It played out fine in the book. It wasn't Stormtroopers vs. Barbarians (Edit: Yikes, this is Return of the Jedi, isn't it??).
For me, I guess it ultimately depends on frequency and terminology. I'm fine with the very infrequent as long as it's not spoiling the mood by introducing anachronistic/out of game world terms.. if there's one ancient weapon from the stars (that just happens to be a pulse rifle or whatever), then that's fine. Nobody's going to be calling it a Blaster 9000x though. It essentially functions like a very strangely shaped staff or wand (or magical crossbow) that no one really understands.
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