Men & Magic & Castes

Happy Friday boon companions, here is another sneak peak at STARCRAWL for your consideration:

MEN & MAGIC & CASTES In this STARCRAWL BASIC System, there are three groupings of classes or CASTES; human caste, humanoid caste, inhuman caste.

Humans are the most widespread of all known races. Their mercurial adaptability, rough and ready toughness, sharp and biting cunning, and fanatical courage have led them to settle most of known space, therefore most characters in a given campaign will belong to one of the human classes.  The core human classes described in these rules are the Fighter, Mage, Cleric, Rogue, Cyborg, Psyker, Machinist, and Freelancer.  Human caste characters gain two bonus proficiencies.

Human Fighter, Psyker, Thief, and Cleric

Compared to humans, humanoids, also known as demi-humans, are rare and generally more specialized than the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.  Demi-human classes are defined more by their race than their training.  The basic humanoid classes described in these rules are the Khazadil Vault-Guardian, Aeldari Spellsword, Hobbesling Sneak-Scout, Mandroid Exoframe, Abhuman Mutoid, Entwifin Amazon, Beorling Panzerborn, and Sylvanir Ranger.  Humanoid caste characters gain one bonus proficiencies.

Sylvanir Ranger

Beorling Panzerborn

Finally, inhumans or xenoi are the true alien outsiders, belonging neither to the teeming masses of the human sphere, nor the ancient and cryptic alliances of the demi-humans of Valinor Space.  As scions of previous aeonic cycles of creation and destruction, outside of the known causal chain and composed of mysterious variant pseudomatter and protoenergy, such inhuman xenoi are most strange and highly divergent in mind, body, and spirit from human norms, having little in common with the Children of Adam.  The basic inhuman classes described in these rules are; the Kthanid Mastermind, Draugyr Flayer, Urukim Freebooter, Dvergar Grey-Face, Mantid Kreenoid, Khai Hunter, Yuggothim Scientist, and Gnophkhim Centacorn.  Inhuman characters start with the default number of proficiencies.

Urukim Freebooter

Yuggothim Scientist

Star Crawl Basic

Still working on things, as time and employment and life permits.  As I get words on page, a voice starts to emerge, just to give a sample:

CREATING A CHARACTER Listen up you primitive screw-heads!  My designation is Drill-Kommisar Zim, but as far you xombies are concerned, my first name is 'Drill' and my last name 'Kommisar'.  You’ve taken the first step on the big-damn adventure your lying recruiters sold you, void-dogs, but you are all still 0th level humanoids to me! Don’t despair maggots, because you WILL graduate to 1st level when you decant your first character from the spawning tank and progress, or you WILL die messily trying! To create a character, follow the twelve step program below, that is, if you degenerate space-monkeys can count that high:

I'm considering splitting the project into a rules-set, 'Star Crawl Basic' and a setting gazetteer, 'Star Crusades Chronicle'.  Obviously, if I don't go mad before then, at some point this would be followed up with 'Star Crawl Expanded' or something like that.

Anyway how about some pics.  Humanoids, also known as 'demi-humans' are the human-related peoples hailing from Valinor Space.  Just how and why the Humanoids and Humans are so closely related so as to be able to breed amongst themselves remains a mystery, some radical scholars suggest that this relation points to common origins lost to the mists of time.

A Khazadi Vault Guardian and his retainers.  Khazadi are vanishingly rare outside of their high gravity fortress vaults, buried under mountains, but occasionally, a young Vault Guardian may be seen progressing on his coming of age journey, unable to return home and take up his birthright without a 'fortune' recovered from the wilds. 

Hobbesling Footpads are prized by human-sphere mercenary groups as scouts, infiltrators, snipers, and expert light infantry.

Mandroid Exoframes are often confused for Human Cyborgs, which in general is good for most Mandroids, because if the common people understood Mandroids to be Noospheric Uploads of Human Minds living as Machine Spiritis in prosthetic bodies, angry mobs would ensue.

Aeldari Spellswords often serve as functional ambassadors for their kind in the human sphere as these outcasts often end up working as mercenaries and pirates.  No one said good ambassadors.

Work Continues

Ping.

We are still alive here at the Void Chapel, and work continues on our version of ACKSF.  Several events have delayed or otherwise interrupted my work.  We took a week's family vacation in July, several time-consuming vidya games came out or went on sale during this summer; Battletech, Inquisitor:Martyr, Stellaris 2.0, and Armageddon (panzer general + 40k is a very workable formula btw).  But despite all the distractions and daily duties, progress is being made.

I am currently creating a master document that splices together the ACKS core with SWN, where appropriate.  From SWN we are taking Psionics, Skills, Backgrounds, Equipment, Starships, cyber and mecha and the other purely SF components.

At this time everything from core ACKS is in, and the goal is compatibility with the existing ACKS material.

I am also reaching out and grabbing pieces from Hulks and Horrors and Terminal Space and many other bits and bobs.

Here's a rough outline of what I'm conceptualizing as ACKSF:

7 Ability Scores: STR, INT, DEX, CON, WIS, CHA, TEC
7 Primary Classes: Fighter, Mage, Thief, Borg*, Cleric, Esper*, Machinist*

*The Borg isn't based on anything at this time, and will require the most work, but will have augmentation slots per level, modified by CON like the magic users' spells known is modified by INT.
*The Esper is based on the SWN psychic class.
*The Machinist is based on Scientist and Technology User from Hulks and Horrors and Terminal Space and will represent the combat hacker/drone operator/engineer archetype.  All characters will have access to omnitools and can run programs equal to the tool's rating + the character's INT modifier, but Machinists will have additional hacking, drone, flash-fab, and programmatic actions based on their TEC modifier.

The Psionic Skills of SWN will become Proficiencies as in ACKS, so choosing your starting Proficiencies will determine your starting pool of abilities.

Backgrounds ala SWN provide some (3) initial skills.
Homeworlds ala Dark Heresy et all modify (+2 favored, -1 disfavored) two ability scores and grant a single skill.
Remaining skills are chosen with your class from a list of 'class skills'.

At some point I'm going to look at the nu-SWN concept of Foci and the ACKS concpet of Proficiencies with an eye to merging them conceptually even if not word for word.

And borrowing from Classic Traveler; 'Hit Points' explicitly are not wounds or tissue damage beyond surface battering and bruising, but rather the reserve of luck and skill used to avoid taking real wounds.  When 1) HP are reduced to zero or 2) an attacker rolls a natural 20, the damage is applied directly to the character's ability scores as 'wounds' which reduce the current score and can change the effective ability score modifier.  When any one Ability Score is reduced to zero, the character is mortally wounded and must save versus death, if successful, the character is alive but bleeding out at -1 CON per round until stabilized.

In addition to ACKS classification groups of Human and Demi-human classes, I am considering adding an Inhuman Classes group to cover the very alien archetypes like Hovering Squids, Draugr (definitely not mind-flayers), Malkwen (not-Drow, no sir), Dvergar (not greys, nope), Mantids, Yautja and the like.  Inhumans will have significantly lower max levels than the other two.

Anyway, that's where my head is at currently. wishing everyone a cool summer and good gaming, Cheers!

Toward a Psionic Class and Abilites

I had a fruitful conversation with a fellow Dungeon Master at holy hour Sunday-last regarding my upcoming campaign, and the conversation turned toward how to model psychic powers.  In the course of the conversation I nearly convinced myself to KISS and make psychic abilities another type of spell casting similar to Arcane and Divine casting. 

Why reinvent the wheel?

This seems to beg the question how do my fellow gonzo grognards do psionics in your own campaigns?

- Do you do a Skill Based system?

- Or a Power Points fueled ESP?

- Mentalism Spell type casting?

- Something else altogether?

pic related.

A Science-Fantasy Visual Grammar III

Mutation: the enemy within.  On worlds that have been infected with the Chaos of filth-darkness, filth-strain mutation often subtly infects and corrupts nearly the entire population.  Sometimes the mutations are hidden and undetectable to the untrained eye; but those mutants that 'pass' can be even more sinister as they spread their taint undetected via the space-lanes.  Mutant cults will bide their time, breeding ever more concentrated filth-mutants until the time comes to raise the bloody rag of revolution with the loathsome cry; 'There are no Gods but the Great Old Ones and Morgoth Xothulhu is their Priest and Prophet!'

The Human Sphere, especially in the Old Republic's Core and Inner Territories, is speckled with grim and wasted ruins, like pustules on a plagued man's face; where the

Collapse of the Old Republic, the Succession Wars, and the Interregnum have left entire arcology-worlds abandoned or even regressed in technology and population.  These ebon bones of once gleaming spires contain both treasures and terrors within their bosom.  Those foolish or perhaps brave enough to prospect and salvage there, those who rob the tombs of the ancients are often called 'Venturers.

Many of the treacherous ruined arcologies that foolhardy 'Venturers brave to forage for riches are guarded by the remnants of the Old Republic's Machine Legions, Omnicidal Abominable Intelligences faithfully following the last directive of the overthrown Technomancer Oligarchs of the Old Republic to purge their Hegemony of Treasonous Life.

No one knows from whence come the Terrible Frogmen, only that they spread the Darkness-Filth wherever they go, like carriers of plague and serve Warlocks and the Chaos Cults that grow around them like poisonous mushrooms.  Some say they serve the Qlippothim of Yuggoth, others the Lords of Carcosa, yet others insist they serve the Domination of Xothique.  Only the pestilent Frogs know for sure and they rarely speak of their origin.

A Khazad Iron Golem patrols deep within the underworld tunnels of the Lords Under the Mountains.  Of all the demi-human races of the Valinor Alliance, the Khazad are perhaps the most mysterious.  They rarely leave their underground hold-fasts or interact with other races.  Even when they do it is often by drone-proxy.  They are regarded as master makers and techno-wizards of legend however and many seek out their services for one great-making or another.  Those who fail to show the proper ritual respect seldom return.

It is known that the Frogmen commune with Terrible Things from the Deeps, purchasing their aid with Blasphemous Oaths and sacrifices of Maiden-Flesh.  Just who these Deep Ones are, or whom they serve is if anything, more mysterious than the Frogs themselves.  While several Sword Lords of legendary status have purified underwater infections of these Deep Ones, none of these pustules have proven to be their source and some say they intrude in the middle geometry from somewhere else.

An Iron-Man Skin-Walker, once the dreaded secret-police of the Technomancer Oligarchs of the fallen Old Republic, now their corrupted runtimes drive them to replace their decaying and necrotic flesh so that they might again possess the faces of men.  Ambitious techno-mancers have been known to attempt to bargain for services of such Abominable Intelligences, but the price is often more than originally bargained for.

'An Estate on the Rim' is usually considered something of an white-elephant gift for Sword World Nobility; kitting out a Landing-Keep and enticing settlers to the frontier-marches often consumes a landed noble's other rents and is often the work of generations.  Of course this is often the purpose of overlords granting such fiefs in the first place.  On the other hand, for a mercenary man-at-arms with no pedigree or patented family-name, such a grant is the goal of a life's work and the gateway to elevated status otherwise unreachable.  And for the landless man of noble breeding, with a good-name, a cyber-charger, and war-plate but no fief of his own, something is always preferred to nothing.

Some say that not all of the Vile Technomancer Oligarchs of the Old Republic, or their red-robed Maitreyan Order lackeys, died in the Rebellion of the Priests and instead retreated to secret Tower-Palaces somewhere out in the deep-black, far from civilized known-space and prying eyes.  The Clerical Order of the Universal Church of Light takes these rumors deadly seriously and often sponsors expeditions to seek out whatever truth may lie behind such.  Ominously, some expeditions never return. 

Life for the Common Man on the Periphery of the Sphere of Man is a constant struggle to win new lands for the Cosmos of Order in the Middle Geometry, to re-kindle the Light against the Creeping Dark.  The Peasant Life is also its own Inner-Crusade and the Wind of their Prayers is what holds the Chaos-Darkness of the Filth-Tide back from the Worlds of Men.

An heirloom Lost-Tech suit of War-Plate with Powered-Harness, layered with ablative coatings and enchantments to preserve the warrior encased within.  On far-flung Dark-Shadowed worlds where Star-Crusades have failed many such suits still yet stand erect as mute statues; holed and frozen tombs and tributes to the glorious fallen heroes of ages past.  

An Inquisitorial Kill Team of the Clerical Order in action against a Chaos Cult caught in the act.  As the Stars Fade and the Light becomes a memory of a dream, Unspeakable Cults give themselves to the Dark in Despair.  Remember; Defeatism leads to Despair, Despair leads to Chaos, Chaos leads to Filth, Filth leads to Darkness!  Be Vigilant!  Praise the Light of Order!  

ACKSF Core Classes II - Getting the Science into the Fantasy

So last time we discussed what our core classes would be, to recap;

1. Fighter
2. Mage
3. Cleric
4. Thief
5. Borg
6. Esper

One each for the Prime Attributes, the ACKSF six-man band if you will.  So right away there are two new classes to stat up and balance with the existing ACKS classes, thankfully the ACKS Player Companion will help greatly in this, although I will be on somewhat shaky ground with new(ish) powers/abilities, or at least powers new to ACKS.  Thankfully even here I shan't be reinventing the wheel, as there plenty of wheel shaped objects to steal, er rip off n' duplicate, errrr draw inspiration from.  What?  I work in IT, this is what we do darlin', this is what we do...

Anyway, what specifically can we do to add the mechanically crunchy peanut-butter to the phantasmal chocolate?

The first possibility is to add to the existing Proficiencies System already built into ACKS.  Immediately I would rule that the free Adventuring Proficiency granted to all starting characters includes the basics space 'venturing; donning space-suits, checking pressure seals, patching suit tears, sealing hull breaches, routine maintenance, basic null-grav proofing, basic EVA, etc.

Additionally, powered-armour training is enough of a game-changer to deserve its own proficiency pick, the larger question is whether to restrict it to fighters or to add it to the general pool.  Perhaps we should break it into basic and martial versions with the one being general and allowing wearing and basic manoeuvres, while the other allows the wearer to fully benefit from stat-boosts in combat and restricted to fighters.

Whereas Fightercraft, Armoured Vehicle, and Wanzer Fighting are all obviously the domain of the Fighter class only.  Adding to the general list we can add space related professional proficiencies like Able Bodied Spaceman, Steward, Master of Arms, and all the other Traveller ship's pay-ratings deserve to be proficiencies that tie into the starship operations/trading rules.  And that's just for starters, so SF proficiencies, there's crunchy peanut-butter right away.

The second possibility is a skills system.  I realize that this is highly controversial territory, but the grand old OG of SF tabletop gaming, Traveller had skills, so I answer the anti-skill OD&D grognard thusly; It's tradition!  Nyahh :P

More seriously, one of my personal weaknesses in campaign-design has been to attempt grand sweeping rationalizations and impose rigid frameworks onto the organic growth of the tabletop campaign, 'tis one of the flaws of those who came of age during the era of 'unified task resolution' and 'point build' systems.

Thus I have to guard against this temptation carefully, for example it would be both unnecessary and counter-productive to re-conceive the Thief's Class Skills in a 2d6 plus ranks framework.  First of all, that wheel already exists and to remake it at this point is just gilding-the-lilly at best (if I do it well) or 'fixing' what ain't broke and breaking it in progress, at worst.

Also, despite the name, 'skills', the thief's class skills are actually class abilities, and not really describing the same thing as Traveller's non-combat skills.  Admittedly this is a larger change from RAW ACKS, but I think it could be profitably done, and well, in order bolt-on SF subsystems onto ACKS where there is a need for mechanics different than those of the existing proficiencies while providing for granular improvement.  At this point I'm still on the fence, but at the moment it seems legit for subsystems that don't yet exist properly in ACKS framework.

The third possibility is the most drastic, new Primary Attributes.  Originally I had wanted to add three new characteristics; Willpower, Perception, and Perception, which was a part of a half-baked idea to re-jigger the mechanics of magic and other spell-like abilities, as well as ranged combat.  I have since reconsidered this, no, frankly I have decided to set it aside as a bad idea; hey brain, stop, fixing, what, ain't, broken.

But looking at Terminal Space, I am somewhat taken by the idea of Technology Level as another Primary Attribute.  Which would be perfect to incorporating a new Core Class, the Technical Specialist?  Hacker?  Techie?  Specialist?  Tech-Priest?

Anyway, the class would cover the gadgeteer, combat-hacker, drone operation, Mr. Fixit, MacGyver, etc.  This seems workable, but perhaps a dangerous precedent to set.  If I allow myself to tinker this far, how much more will I be tempted?  What about the Social Standing stat and the Noble class?  That doesn't sound so bad actually...

See what I mean?

ACKSF Core Classes

Ok, this is a bit of a planning post, as the lion's share of the detail-work remains to be done, but things have solidified enough for me to see a definite path forward.

So, the Core Classes in ACKS are:

Class    |  Prm Req |
Fighter  |  STR     |
Mage     |  INT     |
Cleric   |  WIS     |
Thief    |  DEX     |

Now these are all grand old archetypes, and will work just as well thematically in Science-Fantasy as they do in any other kind of Fantasy. 

Fighters are trivially easy to see in Science-Fantasy; Boba Fett, Johnny Rico, Prince Colwyn, Master Chief, Doomguy, Adeptus Astartes, etc.  The Fighting-Man's mastery of all weapons and armor is even more important in a Science-Fantasy setting given the variety of kinetic and energy guns and powered armor.

Mages might at first glance seem out of place in Outer-Space, but this quickly falls apart when examined.  The Lovecraft Mythos is full of Sorcery and Sorcerers from Outer-Space, including magic space-beer, the quaffing of which protects the imbiber from the effects of vacuum exposure.  Also the world of Comic Books has no problem with getting the Chocolate of Fantasy in the Peanut Butter of Scifi.  Example Mages include: Stardust, Nemesis, Doctor Strange, Maal Dweb, Mum-Ra, Titus Crow, and the Green Lantern Corps.

Clerics, as Militant Priests, are somewhat more difficult to place in Science-Fantasy than Mages, although after a moments thought, not much more.  While examples of Arms-Bearing Pastors are not extremely common in the common media corpus, they can be found here and there; after all, what else is an Astartes Chaplain?

Thieves are no problem at all, there's Malcolm Reynolds, Han Solo, the Stainless Steel Rat, the crew of the Raza, and pretty much every Traveller party ever has included at least one character of criminal background who can fence the party's ill gotten gains.

Once cannot help but notice that there is one Core Class for each of STR, INT, WIS, and DEX.  What about CON and CHA?  Once upon a time, these were domain of the Dwarf and the Elf respectively, and while I heartily endorse Race as Class, in my Campaign Law, the Core Classes should all have human archetypes.

So what Science-Fantasy archetypes would fit with CON and CHA as their Prime Requisite?

Let's go back to the Attribute Descriptions, in ACKS, Constitution is defined as:

 Constitution is a combination of general health and vitality.  Apply the Constitution bonus or penalty to each Hit Die rolled by the character.  Note that a penalty here cannot reduce any Hit Die roll to less than 1 point.  

Immediately what springs to my mind is Cybernetic Prosthetic Bodies, the implantation of which must be limited by the health of the recipient, lest the drastic surgeries and drugs necessary kill the recipient.  And while Characters of any Class would benefit from limited implants gained during play (limited quite like magic items), the extreme modification of the Full Conversion 'Borg deserves to be its own archetype and this is easily seen in the source material: Cyborg, Robocop, the Six Million Dollar Man, Briareos Hecatonchires, Major Kusanagi, Battle Angle Alita, Adeptus Mechanicus, the Omar, Adam Jensen, and of course, the one and only Tinman.

Now, what about Charisma?

 This is the ability to influence or even lead people; those with high Charisma are well-liked, or at least highly respected. Charisma is a prime requisite for bards. Apply the Charisma bonus or penalty to the character’s reaction rolls. Charisma also determines the maximum number of henchmen the character may employ, and modifies their morale.  The number of henchmen a character may hire is equal to 4 plus the Charisma bonus or penalty (and therefore ranges from 1 to 7); the average morale of any such henchmen will be 0, modified by the character’s Charisma bonus or penalty.

Immediately the term 'Animal Magnetism' springs to mind, which associates quite naturally with 'Mesmerism'.  Why, we have found the Prime Requisite for our Psychic class!  And make no mistake, the Psyker, the Psion, the Esper, the Mentalist, the Teep deeply deserves his own space as a Core Archetype, as seen in such classic characters as; Alfred Bester Psi-Cop, the Lensmen, The Adeptus Telepathica, River Tam, Vulcan Mind Melds, Tetsuo and Akira, Newtypes, Jean Grey, the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, the Thoat-Riders of Barsoom, Gil of ARM, and of course The Jedi Order.

Grand Old Pulps

Not only do the Grand Old Pulps have better writing, they have better *ideas*.  Ptolomeic Metaphysical Cosmos is something I just *have* to nab to StarCrusade!

In Empire, Earth or “Kren” occupies the same physical position as it does in Ptolemy’s cosmos: Reed’s Earth is the lowest point in the solar system by virtue of its dense atmosphere, which the space–faring but non-metallurgical Martian or “Jeggite” civilization cannot penetrate; in addition, Earth lags behind Mars and Venus in technical development and cultural elaboration. Nick Brewster, Reed’s rather cynical protagonist, in applying his industrial and engineering genius to rocketry, pioneers the path upwards in both the physical and metaphysical senses. In the latter way, Brewster’s progress in Empire resembles the progress of the Noble Soul in the Egyptian Book of the Dead or in one of the Second-Century Gnostic handbooks of afterlife-survival. Reed’s ever-contending dynastic families bear demonic names like Eblis and Ahriman, which emphasize the resemblance. Reed insists that despite Brewster’s apparent cynicism, he is “civilized,” and that despite its baroque beauty, Martian culture is cruelly decadent. A social superior cannot murder a social inferior, Akar, a Praetorian, tells Brewster; the term murder would be misapplied in such an instance, the Martian blandly insists.

For more of the article, run, don't walk to People of Shambhala, which I recommend you all add to your regular rounds.

A Science-Fantasy Visual Grammar II

Battlefield salvage is critically important to any war-host's logistics-train when the forge-worlds producing replacement equipment are years away by jump-drive.

Filth-Contagion spreads its Darkness-Taint and Chaotic-Mutations across the Stars suborning flora and fauna in Space-Hulk and Deep-Donjon alike, birthing terrible Monsters inimical to all Law and Life.  As the Filth advances, the Stars Dim and the Light Fades...

Powered-Warplate and Laser-Handgonnes are Lost-Tech on many Sword-Worlds of the Human-Sphere, becoming treasured family heirlooms, lovingly cared for with ritual devotion and only brought forth during times of dire need.

++WARNING: CRITICAL FAILURE DETECTED IN LOCALITY-AREA ANTHROPIC-FIELD DETECTED, LOCALALIZED N-BRANE ENTROPY-GRADIENT LEVELS SPIKING PAST SAFE BOUNDRIES, VACATE LOCALITY-AREA IMMEDIATELY AND CONTACT LOCALITY AUTHORITY-HIERARCHY FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTION.  THIS HAS BEEN A CAUTION-MESSAGE, HAVE A NICE DAY++

Draugr Mind-Flayer Officer in Sealed-Plate rallies Qlippothim ground forces at the Battle of Carcosa III, 4275, IV Crusade, Decolourized to preserve local Entropy-Gradient.

The Price of Failure:  Heartbreaking images of petrified Chrysalis-Husks from the Reconquista and Purgatorio of Nuevo-Acre from the Filth-Tide.

Draugr Hunter-Killer team in No Man's Land caught in Death Commando LRRP ambush prepares to break contact, from the Siege of Alpherantz IV. 

A Prospector of the Scouts-Guild marks an LZ for Interplanetary Expeditions (IPX) GmbH Drop-Ships.

A Science-Fantasy Visual Grammar I

The Far-Future-Fantastic in Pictures:

1IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

The Cyber-Charger is an arcanoxenocybernetc war-machine favored by the high-ranking warrior-caste of the Human Sphere, referred to as the 'Cyber-Ritter' when granted his feoff in exchange for his service.  Once Aeldar understand the concept of using lobotomized and cyborged Qlippothim as war-machines and willingly riding them into battle, their firm belief in the collective insanity of Mankind is all but confirmed.

Church Militant Death Commando in action on a filth-infested demon world, records of the Second Star Crusade, Colourized.

Their Graces the Bishop-Prinz of New Mainz and his Lady-wife look on as their contribution to the Boy-Emperor Arcturius Pendrakul's Grand Armada takes flight.

Adjusting Fire

As I begin to crack the books to build My Game(tm), it becomes obvious that my end goal is rather ambitious.  This is not a statement of defeat, but rather an assessment of the Work ahead.  So, rather than try to tackle the whole thing at once and risk setbacks and discouragement, I have decided to break the Work into manageable chucks which should have the benefit of providing me with material I can release for your own enjoyment and edification much more quickly.

My first goal then, will be to produce a Science Fantasy resource for Adventurer, Conqueror, King; ACK-SF if you will. I'm not aware of anyone else doing this, so either I'm fulfilling a missing need or providing something that no-one wants.  Time will tell...

Principles of Science-Fantasy I

My Dear Readers, by now you may have noticed that I placed the descriptive term 'Science-Fantasy' front and center of my description of this campaign setting.  There is indeed a reason for this, and a good one.  Science-Fantasy is the heart of that which I wish to portray at the table.

While this may be old-hat to many now that the retro-classical moment seems to arrived in the kultural zeitgeist, with the Sad and Rabid Puppy, Pulp Revolution, Appendix N, and OSR movements re-popularizing the stories, tales, and images that I grew up with for a new generation, still, I should explain what I mean by this term.

Le-Wick defines 'Science-Fantasy' as:

 A science fantasy is a cross-genre within the umbrella of speculative fiction which simultaneously draws upon and/or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy.[1] It also sometimes incorporates elements of horror fiction.[citation needed]

 ^ Malmgren, Carl D. (1988). "Towards a Definition of Science Fantasy (Vers une définition de la fantaisie scientifique)". Science Fiction Studies. 15 (3): 259–281. JSTOR 4239897.

Which is about as tautological as we could get.  I answer the mouth-breathing academic sophists thusly; 'Science-Fantasy' is a negation of the false dialectic between 'Scientific Fiction' and 'Fantastic Fiction'.  The Science-Fantasist refuses to consider any false distinctions between the internal logic of 'scientifically plausible' and 'fantastically plausible', he recognizes that the speculative nature of such story-telling benefits in no way from the building of iron-curtains between what are really the same thing. 

All attempts to cordon off 'hard science fiction' from 'soft science fantasy' are actually just evidence of the dead and rotting rationalist-skeptic, materialist-determinist mentality, and deserve to pass away, un-mourned and unremembered, upon the midden-heap of history.

Because Dear Readers, allow me initiate you into this secret, 'Science' and 'Magic' are actually subsets of the same category.  You see, what we now refer to as 'Science' was once known as 'Natural Philosophy'.  And 'Natural Philosophy' was once known as 'Natural Magic'.  Chemistry really does emerge from Alchemy, and Astronomy from Astrology, and the first use of the Mechanical Arts was in the Deus Ex Machinae of the Temple Cults. 

For you see, Dear Readers, that we may reduce reality to two solution sets; either there is One Truth, one singular reality, one whole cosmos, one Logic, one Logos by which we may apprehend the whole, or there is no such thing as Truth, and all is as sound and fury, a tempest in a teapot, signifying nothing.  And if we are not all madmen talking to ourselves in a sea of Crawling Chaos, then there cannot be such a thing as a Double (or more) Truth.

Let me give you an example; consider the well-known third axiom of Sir Clarke:

 3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

This seems like fine wisdom indeed, we may easily dismiss any rumors or legends of the preternatural world (never-mind the supernatural), of magic and mystery, by invoking this law and assuming that the root cause of this story is some advanced scientific act or device and gullible rubes. 

But let us simply reverse the statement and we find:

 -3. Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.

So you see Dear Readers, that these things we call 'magic' and 'technology' are one and the same, the only difference being how we approach them, our own mentality, our weltanschauung.  Your pocket computer and horseless-carriage are magical items, and the hermetic magician summoning that which must not be is a technological act of applied science. 

What is the difference between a Witch using her Glamour to illicitly bed the hero and bring about tragedy, and a painted trollop wrecking a home for her own gain?  Vocabulary.

Now what does this mean for our implied setting in StarCrusade!? 

First of all, we will none of the silly and overdone 'Magic and Technology War' themes that are the usual temptation for those mixing the peanut-butter of Scientific Fiction with the chocolate of Fantastical Romance (I'm looking at you Shadowrun and Rifts).

Second of all, both Magic and Technology are but tools, with no inherent morality to them, both may be used for good or ill, and either, if used irresponsibly or ignorantly, can lead to corruption and a fall to darkness, despair, and Chaos.  Neither can be called 'unnatural' in and of themselves, rather, it is the ends to which these means are directed that such means are called one or the other.

Technomagic and MagiTek are definitely things in the setting, and Computational Demonology too.  AI is basically outlawed by all sane peoples, because the process of creating such an Abominable Intelligence is indistinguishable from summoning a demon (Butlerian Jihad very much in the background).  These limitations are worked around by the creation of Machine Spirits by way of ritual, and the liberal use of criminal minds sentenced to Penitence Engines.

Why do warriors in the far-future use swords?  Because somethings need to be killed with swords.  Also because armor has caught up with firearms and Dune-style personal-shield fighting.  And because in a feudal society swords are also bigtime markers of status and rank.  But mainly because the Jabberwock will laugh at your BFG 9000, but the ole' trusty Vorpal Blade goes snicker-snack, and off with it's head you go galumphing back.

"Your father's lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age."

They made a Real-Life(tm) Twin-Linked Autogun...

Absolute madmen!

StarCrusaders Without Number: Venturer, Conquistadore, WarLord

Ok, with that gentle introduction and elevator pitch out of the way, its time to discuss the system for StarCrusade!

At this time the best base for any OSR/SF system seems to be Stars Without Number (SWN), a clever mashup of B/X D&D and Classic Traveller. One of the things that draws me to the OSR mentality in gaming is the inability to leave things alone, every group plays *their* game and that's not just OK, but expected.  Which fits me to a tee, I can never just run the RAW.  Roleplaying isn't the Liturgy OK?  This is time to cooperatively play jazz, not 'do the red, say the black'.

What will be different about StarCrusaders! then?  I'm glad you (didn't) ask gentle reader, but I'll tell you anyway.

0.  Cross Pollination.  Because I can't just leave well enough alone, the first thing I'm going to do is cross-pollinate with the best in the Fantasy side of the OSR.  For me this is obviously Adventurer, Conqueror, King.  This system just hits all the right notes for me:

0.1.  GP as XP.  I can't emphasise this enough, nothing else captures the Old School Feel more in my opinion.  It's just so right.  Why are the players seeking treasure at risk of life and limb?  Because training with the Guild-Maesters isn't free.  This also encourages the Players to manage risks and discourages the 'murder-hobo'ism that many complaign about.  If XP is not awarded for killing things, but rather successfully looting the lairs, *and getting back*, players are instead motivated to avoid unnecessary confrontations and look for sneaky solutions. 

0.2.  Meaningful Character Progression.  Finally the promise of B/X and BECMI fulfilled, with meaningful 'Name-Level' and 'Domain' play, frabjulous day! 

0.3.  Also Race-as-Class, this is important in maintaining a human-centric vision and flavour. 

0.4.  Finally, there's the player companion which provides a framework for creating new and balanced classes.

1. Attributes. The six classic characteristics aren't enough for my vision, and neither are the attribute boni/mali. One of the principles of the StarCrusade! universe is Threes, as in things come in them, and Three groups of Three is an unfolding of that principle.

1.1.  Character attributes in StarCrusade! will be in three groups; Body, Mind, and Spirit.

1.2.  The Body attributes are Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. 'Nuff said.

1.3.  The Mind attributes are Intelligence, Wisdom, and Perception. Perception splits off the sensory perception and alertness concepts from Wisdom, leaving the prior as a pure measure of Induction and Intuition (as apposed to Intelligence's Deduction and Abstract Reasoning).  Intelligence is the prime mover for Technology and Skill Using characters.  Wisdom is the controlling characteristic for Resisting Corruption and Domination.  Perception is the defining attribute for ranged combat.

1.4.  And the Spirit attributes are Vitality, Willpower, and Charisma.

1.4.1.  Vitality measures a character's connection to the subtle life-consciousness field and is the Prime Requisite attribute for Physical Adepts (think Star Wars Force Users and Hong Kong action cinema Chi powered Wuxia).

1.4.2.  Willpower measures a character's internal disincline and strength of mind, and is the Prime Requisite for Mental Adepts (classic SWN/WH40k Psykers).

1.4.3.  Finally Charisma measure's a character's spiritual grace and connection to the secret fire and the ultimate source, and is the Prime Requisite for Spiritual Adepts (think D&D Clerics, Druids, and Paladins).

1.5.  Finally, the Attribute Modifier chart will be changed slightly, rewarding/punishing extremely high/low Attributes a little more:

Ability Score Modifiers
3        | -3
4-5      | -2
6-8      | -1
9-12     | 0
13-15    | +1
16-17    | +2
18       | +3

2. Races. I will be stating or converting up a number of Races available to players at the start of the campaign, representing the more space-fantasy feel of the setting.   As a sample, the Elder Races of the Valinor Alliance are:

2.1.  Aeldar - The Eldest of the Council Elders and founders of the Alliance; the only race in regular communication with the Ancient Valar who built The Citadel and supposedly reside at the top of the Citadel's Ivory Tower. Immortal, highly mystical, keepers of ancient and hidden lore, masters of the secret-fire; ancient Aeldar often spend entire lifetimes (as younger races measure such things) in a dreaming state, by which they regenerate their personalities and deal with the consequences of the curse of deathlessnes laid upon them so long ago.

2.2.  Khazad - The Second Eldest of the Council Elders and the personal sub-creation of a particularly enigmatic Valar; the Khazad are clannish, secretive, highly crafty and technical, masters of mining, architecture, engineering, and automation. Khazad chafe at the Valinor Alliance limits on Artificial Intelligence, often creating Machine Spirits that anyone else would consider dangerously independent; binding them with Oaths and Pacts. Several times in the past the Khazad have endured censure and approbation on the council for various activities that delved too deeply, too greedily into a particular subject matter, with severe if unintended consequences.

2.3.  Satyrines - The Third Eldest of the Council Elders; a study in contradictions, the Satyrines are capable of both shocking flights of emotional passion and fury and as a consequence, quench their society in highly ordered and calming ritual. The Worker, Warrior, and Religious castes of Satyrine society control all public life, while the great Clans regulate the private. Between the darkness and the light stand the Satyrines, and if they should enter the deranged state of Warrior-Panic, watch out.

2.4.  Entwifs - The Youngest of the Council Elders and barely so at that, only recently qualifying for the position by raising up two younger races to join the Valinor Alliance. Often considered dangerously reckless, flighty, and irresponsible by their elders, the Entwifs are determined to prove themselves, often reinforcing the stereotype in the process. Entwifs are somewhat unique in being technically mobile plants and not animals (although some contest this as mobility is what it separates plant from animal, or so they say) and there are those who spread uncharitable rumors that reason all Entwifs in known space are female is that the males couldn't take their insanity. Others whisper that the males of the Entwifs are in fact the Treant war-machines favored by Entwif warrior-maidens, but they whisper this quietly, very quietly indeed.

I'm also toying with tearing out HP and AC and replacing them with Traveller style Attributes as Hit Points and Armor as Damage Reduction and a Class/Level based Combative Value to replace AC, but I think I want to play the RAW before touching combat too deeply. 

That's all for now, end transmission...

War Canto Begin

This blog will be a record and notebook chronicling my attempt to compile my personal vision of a far-future, science-fantasy, post-cataclysmic, old-school, imperial space-opera campaign. This Blog will, if successful, will allow my vision to hit my table, and yours dear reader.

What is this vision?

In the Remote Far-Future, Boy-King Arcturus Pendrakul takes the Cross and joins the First Star-Crusade; by this he hopes to gain Glory for God and his House, reaping Ancient Treasures and Martial Renown, to capture besieged Valinor's Ivory Tower, to win the hand of the Elf King's Daughter in marriage, and to be seated on the empty Phoenix-Throne of the Holy Solar Empire of Man.

OK let me unpack that a bit.

After the cataclysmic fall of the decadent post-human trans-humanist oligarchic dystopia (think Deus Ex Invisible War: Illuminati Ending) that colonized the stars in the distant past; mankind is forced to return to older, more traditional modes of living. It is perhaps ironic that the core of survival emerges from one of the troika tripod legs supporting Corporate Elite rule in the old Corporate Republic; namely the Order of Maitreya.

This synthetic, syncretic, one-world faith supplanted the old religions of man at gunpoint. As it came to pass, many Order Acolytes preserved their ancestral ancient faiths in secret, and as the dystopia of the Republic eventually crumbled under the hubris of its hedonistic and degenerate elites in the fullness of time, these Secret-Priests soon controlled a Shadow-State within the state, providing for their faithful where the Republic could not or would not.

When the Stars themselves began to Occult and Fade, and the Darkness-Filth began to eat away at the fabric so called Final Society, these Secret-Priests rose up against the blood-soaked chaos and madness; casting down the black and red-robed diabolists of the Maitreyan Order and the malfunctioning Murder-Machine Legions of the Hegemony and her Corporations in Atomic Holy-War against the Thinking-Machines and their Machine-Men masters.

The Old Republic died in cataclysmic fire, chaos, madness, filth-tide, mutation, and magic. The Sword-Lords of the Star League rose in its place.  The Old Republic had reduced the hives of Terra to grey-faced lumpen-prole consumer-drones without culture or spirit, but on the periphery of the Human-Sphere rose new nations, and from these hardy frontier peoples a new aristocracy. 

These Sword-Lords established the Great Houses of the Star-League, and under the Legendary Karl the Hamner, founded the Great and Bountiful Holy Solar Empire of Man.  But all is not well; the Cultist, Revolutionary, and the Mutant threaten the Tranquility and Harmony of Order from within and the blasphemous Qliphoth Convenant; The Yuggothim, Xothim, Yrchlings, and other Wyldfae-Xenos and Demonic-Aliens menace from without.

The aloof Aeldar Aeshi, Prime-Eldest of the ancient and mysterious Valinor Alliance in Gal-Center have brokered a peace between the Star League and the haughty Ingelrii, servitors of the Melyae, Fourth Eldest of the Valinor Quorum of the Twelve. This alone would be shocking enough; but the Aeldari seek to bring the Human Sphere formally into the Valinor Alliance and seek to wed the daughter of Ingwe Ingweran, High-King of Valinor, to the crown prince of the Human Empire.

The problem is that the throne sits empty, none of the great houses can agree on who should take up the purple and the legacies of Karl the Hamner and Aleksandyr Norman Romanov; Emperors of Man. But the Valinor are hard pressed by the spreading Darkness of the Qliphothim and seek human military aid anyway.

And so it came to pass in the Year of Our Lord 3,960 that the First Star Crusade was preached against the foul taint of the Qliphothim Covenant and their Dread Prophet Morgoth by the Pontifex Maximus on Terra to great shouts of Deus Vult!  The prize for the Noble House that drives the Darkness from Known Space is the Throne of Man. The great race is on.

Now the Great Houses gather their fleets and banners and set forth in armed pilgrimage and holy war, sending forth scouts and questors to secure supplies, intelligence, and ancient treasures along their routes and seeing the warlike hosts of half-barbarian men descend on the quiet shire-worlds of Valinor Space, the Quorum begin to question just what it is they have done.

It's Mech Warrior meets Fading Suns, Dungeons and Dragons meets Traveller, Mass Effect meets Deus Ex, Earthdawn meets Shadowrun, Pendragon meets Rogue Trader, Lovecraft meets Tolkien, Heinlein meets Moorcock, Halo meets Destiny, Guardians of the Galaxy meets Fifth Element, Babylon 5 meets Star Wars, 2000 AD meets Metabarons, Gimenez meets Mobius, Jodorowsky meets David Lynch, Dark Crystal meets Farscape, Dune meets Excalibur, Metahistory meets Metahumans.

The Darkness shall not prevail over the Light because;  This!  Is!  Terra!