Weapons Locker, d20 Future, then what?

[Shadowdancer]

I'd love to see a seriously researched book (or PDF, depending on size) about world building. Stellar and planetary formation, effects of gravity, theories on life (including the viability of non-carbon lifeforms), evolution and development of species, methods of space travel (and the effect of relativity), a description of basic stellar objects, common planetary and stellar types, just to name a few things. Not that I've thought about this at all...

Much of this is covered by Traveller, including the d20 Traveller book. But very little of it is setting or game specific, so it can be used in other games. In fact, there is a lot of material in the d20 Traveller book that can be used in other game settings. You should give it a look.

 

[cybernetic]

But is it possible to invent a weapon made of light that extends to a fixed length? That to me borders on the fantastic.

I've never really been a fan of the Star Wars phenomenon..but weren't jedi powers explaned scientifically in the series...by being the result of having large quantities of a certain cell or such? IMHO, I'd think that if a "power" could be gauged with science and technology as the result of a genetic/physical abnormality, it pretty much falls into the realm of true SciFi as opposed to fantasy.... just my .02

 

[buzz]

Now, the new Ep1-3 changed that focus, so maybe it does fit space fantasy a little better. Still, you don't see any Jedi doing anything more powerful than psionics, really.

More powerful than lifting ten-ton spaceships with your brain, shooting lightning bolts from your hands, and controlling the minds of others?

Star Wars is big-time space fantasy, IMHO. It's about dashing knights, beautiful princesses, and powerful wizards fighting over an empire with magic swords and powerful spells. The backdrop just happens to be a universe with FTL and sentient robots. The key distinguishing factor is that science is irrelevant in the Star Wars universe. The stories don't care how FTL engines work, or realistic physics, or plausible alien societies; the futuristic science and rubber alien masks are simply trappings of the setting. (The mitichlorian debacle is pretty much the only time Lucas attempted to bring science into the setting... and we know how well that went over. )

Which is fine, of course; it's very pulp, and a heck of a lot of fun. But I wouldn't consder it "science fiction" per se. "Space opera" and "space fantasy" are more appropriate, IMHO.

 

[Gospog]

True, Shadow Chasers is essentially a stripped down Urban Arcana. Besides, I guess if you really want a separate Shadow Chasers book you can always buy Hunter: the Reckoning.

Or Eden's Buffy the Vampire SLayer RPG. My Shadow Chasers campaign started out as a total Buffy rip-off. (and has been tons of fun!)

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And I think the focus this year will likely be on D20 Future. But being a sci-fi nut, I can hardly complain.

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And I have to agree with LightPhoenix, a D20 Steampunk setting/supplement would be really cool. I have Sorcery & Steam, which is great, but it is completely focuse on D&D. I need Modern steam!

 

[buzz]

Why not look at third-party publishers?

One definitely should, but third-party publishers aren't really doing a whole lot with d20M. It's mainly RPGobjects and GR/TGM. Other than that we have two military supplements from Holistic, Rapture (urban fantasy), Dark Inheritance (urban fantasy), Second World Sourcebook (fantasy/urban fantasy), Gamma World (not worth buying), Digital Burn (not worth buying), Atomic City (possible vaporware), and Odyssey Prime (not out yet). Oh, and some PDF products.

WotC, otoh, has managed to put out one pretty good (UA) and one stellar (MenM) supplement, as well as, via Paizo, a bunch of very cool mini games based off of d20M.

I'm not in any way saying that it's not worth looking at other publishers. I'm just saying that, for "primary" support, I keep my eyes on WotC, because there's not much else out there... at least that really interests me.

 

[Ranger REG]

I've never really been a fan of the Star Wars phenomenon..but weren't jedi powers explaned scientifically in the series...by being the result of having large quantities of a certain cell or such? IMHO, I'd think that if a "power" could be gauged with science and technology as the result of a genetic/physical abnormality, it pretty much falls into the realm of true SciFi as opposed to fantasy.... just my .02

Unfortunately, by bringing science to explain the Force, or even come close to understanding it, de-mystify the powers and in turn the popular element of this sci-fi franchise. A lot of Star Wars fans groans at the fact that Qui-Gon Jinn has to use an electronic device to measure of midichlorian on the "Chosen One."

[Midichlorian is not the key ingredient of the Force ... analogy-wise, they're like "moths drawn to the fire."]

It is still a science fiction, but what's great about it is the dressing elements of Jedi and the Force that makes it border on the "fantasy" spetrum of science fiction. George Lucas produced these movies in the same "feel" of watching the 1940's and 1950's matinee movie serials, like "Flash Gordon" (the black-n-white version, not the 1970's "Flash Gordon! Quarterback! New York Jets!" version).

 

[buzz]

George Lucas produced these movies in the same "feel" of watching the 1940's and 1950's matinee movie serials, like "Flash Gordon" (the black-n-white version, not the 1970's "Flash Gordon! Quarterback! New York Jets!" version).

Right... Space fantasy/opera.

 

[Kesh]

More powerful than lifting ten-ton spaceships with your brain, shooting lightning bolts from your hands, and controlling the minds of others?

Hm? None of those are outside of psionics. I suppose it depends on if you consider psi to be telepathy/light telekinesis only, or the more recent Akira-level of psi.

Star Wars is big-time space fantasy, IMHO. It's about dashing knights, beautiful princesses, and powerful wizards fighting over an empire with magic swords and powerful spells. The backdrop just happens to be a universe with FTL and sentient robots.

And Star Trek is really just a combination of Greek morality plays and cowboys in space.

The key distinguishing factor is that science is irrelevant in the Star Wars universe. The stories don't care how FTL engines work, or realistic physics, or plausible alien societies; the futuristic science and rubber alien masks are simply trappings of the setting. (The mitichlorian debacle is pretty much the only time Lucas attempted to bring science into the setting... and we know how well that went over. )

True. Then again, ST only pays lip service to science. How often do they reverse the polarity on the thingamabob to solve the anomaly of the week?

Which is fine, of course; it's very pulp, and a heck of a lot of fun. But I wouldn't consder it "science fiction" per se. "Space opera" and "space fantasy" are more appropriate, IMHO.

... which is what I called it. SW is a space opera, bordering on space fantasy (but I don't think it crosses that line). I personally reserve space fantasy for actual magic/socery-in-space ideas, such as Dragonstar or Spelljammer.

I think we're agreeing, we just happen to be using different words.

 

[d4]

Then again, ST only pays lip service to science. How often do they reverse the polarity on the thingamabob to solve the anomaly of the week?

exactly true. which is why i don't consider Star Trek to be science fiction, either.

 

[buzz]

Then again, ST only pays lip service to science. How often do they reverse the polarity on the thingamabob to solve the anomaly of the week?

I disagree. It doesn't matter that most of the science portrayed in ST borders on magic. The point is that, as good SF does, ST uses science to explore the human condition and pose questons. Virtually every episode about Data, the Doctor, or 7 of 9 deals with what it means to be human or the nature of sentience. Tons of episodes examine the effect of some postulated scientific creation, or explores the effect of their futuristic technology on culture. Heck, I have a whole book about the issues that the ST universe explores (The Metaphysics of Star Trek).

SW, otoh, doesn't really care about any of this sort of stuff, so I don't consider it SF. Which is just fine, I'm just arguing semantics.

[quoteI think we're agreeing, we just happen to be using different words. [/QUOTE]
True. I don't really see SW as all that different from Dragonstar, but I undestand your point. "Space Opera" is probably the best term.