Page 14
Proposed Games
This page is open to all members. If you have a game, whether it be published or one you have developed yourself. That you would like to either run, or have others to look at and comment on. The let us know, give me some details and we will post the information here. Shadow Warriors
Farscape RPG Updated 17.06.03
Fudge Frontiers New 11.02.04
In the Shadow of my Heart (One-Off game) New 10.03.06
Campaign Run by Tim Eccles
This campaign is currently not being run and is awaiting a slot within the club's schedule. It begins on the planet of Holt, where major events are about to reveal themselves.
Holt is a simple Commerce Planet, barely rating a name on most maps. It is on the rim of the Uncharted Territories and offers 'no questions asked' for traders and dealers from everywhere to meet, trade and deal. The planet itself is exactly similar to the one on which D'Argo, Rygel, Aeryn and Crichton find themselves in Premiere - in fact it could be the same one. Politics essentially consists of minding your own business, getting paid and guarding your own turf. There are no public amenities as such. Power generation, policing, roads and similar public utilities are generally either absent or provided by individual corporations for individual corporations.
The status quo is maintained by five powerful (self-called) noble houses, which dominate each other and assorted merchant houses and independents because none, individually, have the capabilities to seize control. The planet is relatively backward, and whilst plasma weaponry is not uncommon it is of a relatively primitive recharge frequency capable of being jammed by the use of appropriate equipment (as seen in …Different Destinations). However, from somewhere one of the lesser merchant houses appear to have obtained pulse pistols of advanced plasma frequencies incapable of being jammed and are using them to carve a bigger niche for themselves, and cause social unrest within the planet's hierarchy.
The planet is a very vibrant multi-cultural mix and contains a vast array of species. It is nominally a Venek planet, but there is little obvious sign of this. Everyone and anyone is equally welcome to trade, and the only social characteristics that matter are which house you belong to (or are trading with) and how good your credit is. The Veneks are portrayed in …Different Destinations, though the Horde tendency has evolved into a more fragmented structure based upon 'loyalty to the company' in the form of the commercial houses here on Holt.
You can access the Players' handout here
Updated
17.06.03 
Updated 17.06.03
I have also produced a fanzine for Farscape RPG called Lac Ta and issue one is currently available. Email me to request a copy.
All trademarks acknowledged.
Campaign Run by Gav Taylor
I've been working quietly on a Star Frontiers to Fudge conversion for a little while now and would like to give it an airing, so I'm proposing a few one-shot games to see how things go. I'd like to run as free-form a game as possible, so we'll start with really basic scenario, and make everything else up as we go.
Why Star Frontiers? SF was published by TSR back in 1984 and is very much of its time. Even though it was based on a d% system, it's basically D&D in space. Land on a planet (usually with a name in questionable taste), march around, kill kooky (and frankly ridiculous) aliens, find the dungeon (did I say dungeon, I meant uranium mining complex) and kill more kooky aliens. Campaign background? What campaign background? Great fun.
Why Fudge? The Star Frontiers rules system is very much of its time as well. They're geared to 80's D&D-style wilderness adventures and there's not much scope for activity outside that narrow range. Fudge is rules-lite and extremely easy to learn and play. It allows for a more cinematic game than the original rules, and the flexibility to detail the bits the group finds fun, and glaze over the bits that are boring. It also allows for easy poaching from your favourite sources-d6 Star Wars, Traveller, Fading Suns, or whatever you fancy.
The other rather nice thing is that the system and background are free. Complete Fudge rules and resources are available from www.fudgerpg.com and the original Star Frontiers rules and background can be found at: www.starfrontiers.com
Character Names:
Humans: Remember, even though these are humans, they are aliens too, so names should sound a little bizarre to our Earth ears. The standard approach within sector-wide organisations, like Star Law, a Mega-Corp or the UPF is given name first then surname, but from world to world all sorts of variations are possible; family name first, patronymics, all kinds of things. The generations-long Frontier tradition for recognising exploration and discovery through naming has led to a horrid cycle of children being named after a newly-discovered natural phenomenon which has in turn been named after an explorer named after a (then) newly-discovered natural phenomenon has led to the majority of humans being saddled with clangers such as: Maxxer Trabbie, Aerial Spiff, Spoog Welk, Lemla Pwim, as well as the traditional Fonkin Hoddypeaks and Gleep Wurp.
Dralasite names are pheremonal. Smell only. In Pan Gal, names are simply descriptions of a Dral's unique smell. As they are hermaphroditic, all Dralasites are given the title Essell (short for "smells like") rather than the gender-biased Mr. or Ms. Examples: Essell Toffee, Essell Industrial Lubricant, Essell My Aunt Marjory. Keep in mind that this isn't what they smell like all the time. You don't walk around shouting "I'm Steve!" the whole time.
Vrusk is a buzzy-clicky, insecty sort of language, and Vrusk have buzzy-clicky sort of names. Use as many z's and k's as possible, then add a few hyphens and apostrophes for colour. Job done. Z'krik-Z'zak-Zik might be a good one. Most of their friends of other species will probably call them Fred after about three seconds, which will probably cause the Vrusk great offence (but that's okay because they're probably too polite to mention it).
Yazirians tend to have animal like names. Tradition holds that males have strong growly names, and females have names based on the hooting and yipping sounds in the language of the species. Males: Grark or Rirrwarr. Females: Yoop or Weeta. They also use simple descriptors based on appearance or famous past deeds to differentiate between Yazirians with the same name: Grark the Bandy-Legged, as opposed to his father, Grark the Skink-Strangler.
The martial Humma use their rank, clan name and serial number: "Private Patronus 421-Z, sir!" Clan names should have a faux-Greek or faux-Roman sound to them to make them particularly pompous.
The cute, earthy Ifshnit have cute earthy names. Think of a hobbit. Now think of a space age hobbit. You get the idea: Booboo Velcrosocks is a reasonable example.
The Osakar search for uniqueness (as well as the Osakar thumping lack of originality) leads them to change their names as often as they change their clothes. No sooner have they struck on a hugely creative name to call themselves, they discover someone or something else has it, and they are compelled to change it.
All trademarks acknowledged.
A "One-Off" Game Run by Tim Eccles
This game is due to be run on Saturday March 18th, from 1-7pm
"Commander, last night as I patrolled the ramparts a bird came over the enemy's camp and sang to me. It told me my father is dying in my home village away in the mountains to the west. I cannot stay with you, he will die before the siege is lifted. I must forsake my duty as a swordswoman and do my duty as oldest daughter. I will leave in the morning. The money you paid me I return to you now."
Sword Mistress Mai Li Yu Liang must leave the Hobgoblin city of Meng Xiang and return to her home village Bijia in the shadow of Weidexin. With her companions she must brave the armies of the warring cities and the ancestral enemies of the hobgoblins, the ogres. But her greatest battle will be to reconcile herself to her family and find the courage to undo an old curse.
Game will use the Pagoda rules and you will be given a pre-generated PC.
Rules available here: http://www.jpatt.net/files/rpgs/pagoda.zip
If you are interested in playing this game please contact Tim at the email address below.
All trademarks acknowledged.
