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Post by Kainguru on Dec 6, 2012 9:04:39 GMT -8
Spell Jammer was fucking awesome . . . I just ditched the shite like space hamsters. armless lizards and the finite universes (crystal spheres). My universe model was more in line with contemporary multiverse theory (by accident): each universe was infinite but alternate universes could be accessed by gates (ie Einstein-Rosen Bridges) I even had an idea that all dwarves originated as refugees from a ravaged alternate universe millennia ago (fleeing a basically Lovecraftian horror). I used this to rationalise their innate magic resistance and limited ability to effect arcane magic as they didn't really belong to that particular prime material and thus were not truly 'in tune' with it. The modules and adventure ideas written for SpellJammer were rubbish which is probably why it gets panned so much . . . typical TSR for the day: 'a good idea rushed into production and badly executed as a result'. Aaron
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2012 9:49:49 GMT -8
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Post by shadrack on Dec 6, 2012 11:13:28 GMT -8
I dug spelljammer as well. It did have some cheesy stuff. (hippo people, really?) I think your take on the Dwarves is pretty cool. I didn't even mind the Crystal spheres, gotta keep those gods separated somehow!
Now that I look at it, it's kind of a mix of how Traveller and Babylon 5 work.
correct me if I'm wrong, but in Traveller don't you have to get a certain distance away from any planetary bodies, then you can 'jump'? (this seems similar to me in that the crystal sphere was outside of all the system's planetary bodies, and then you were out in the phlogiston) And in Babylon 5, they made those gates that sent them into... hyperspace?. (this seems like going into the phlogiston directly).
I kind of like the B5 version better than the crystal sphere version. Not just any ship can open up a jump point, so only the bigger/more sophisticated ships can make system to system trips. Or you had to have established gates and that implies established trade routes. It also makes it feasible to mess significantly with travel times and waving off any pesky physics-ish questions.
I always thought it would be neat if the PCs were investigating something and stumbled upon a Mindspider. Because I'm sure that wouldn't cause any problems. Wrecked or not, they're going to be talking to the captain of an Armada real soon, if they're lucky.
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Post by Kainguru on Dec 8, 2012 17:03:14 GMT -8
I also liked the idea of vast elven fleets in space constantly battling against unfriendlies . . . Combine this with the idea that planet bound persons tend to be ignorant of Stella affairs. Catch an old episode of the X-files and another twisted campaign idea begins to form . . . Usually elven realms are isolationist and therefore fitting 'area 51' analogues (depleted elven armadas surreptitiously returning planet side to refresh and regroup) . . . PC's travelling overland near the borders of one such realm . . , a whispering shadowing or pattern of lights gliding overhead in the middle of the night blotting out the stars . . . A mystery to solve . . . A govt with a secret to protect . . . Denials everywhere but always another clue or piece of evidence. I'd run it more as an underlying plot or theme with various bits appearing in the course of a typical planet based adventures until the penny drops and the PC's realise that all these random things are actually connected all the way back to that first midnight disturbance . . . Aaron
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Post by bloodsparrow on Dec 10, 2012 12:27:05 GMT -8
In 4e game we found an airship and to the GM's dismay we kept it rather then selling it. As I recall there were rings with some kind of wind generating spell and a big balcony thing above. I wasn't playing a brainy character so I didn't pay attention much. But I recall that the characters with the most Arcane training were the ones who could pilot/ repair it. Later I bought a Hippogryph to ride and act as a wingman when we got into airborne combat. (I got into a dog fight in the clouds with a dragon... It was pretty freaking epic.)
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