Blue Ghost
October 23rd, 2006, 12:03 AM
I had George Lucas's "THX-1138" runing in the background this afternoon, and a thought occured to me; what would it be like to have a band of adventurers caught inside a bleak work of shaved heads, concrete, fluorescent lights, and a drug controlled population with little to no freedom?
Pardon me if that strikes home with some of your work environments graemlins/file_21.gif
But seriously, what would it be like to have a team of adventureers to have to break into one of those kinds of societies, and then break back out? A cakewalk, since the opposition has no guns (rather none were shown in the film, but they do have robot police), or a nightmare since it would just be too overwhelming?
Another interesting environment; this was talked about earlier this year, but years back, just for a lark, I took a band of Traveller types through the first module in the Dragon Lance series. It was interesting in a very odd sort of way. Very easy in some regards, but with some unexpected twists.
Thoughts? smile.gif
Pardon me if that strikes home with some of your work environments graemlins/file_21.gif
But seriously, what would it be like to have a team of adventureers to have to break into one of those kinds of societies, and then break back out? A cakewalk, since the opposition has no guns (rather none were shown in the film, but they do have robot police), or a nightmare since it would just be too overwhelming?
Another interesting environment; this was talked about earlier this year, but years back, just for a lark, I took a band of Traveller types through the first module in the Dragon Lance series. It was interesting in a very odd sort of way. Very easy in some regards, but with some unexpected twists.
Thoughts? smile.gif
Icosahedron
October 23rd, 2006, 03:29 AM
One of the most interesting and rewarding Traveller games I ever played (GMed) was back in the early eighties, set on a TL7 ultra-high Law Level Orwellian world where PCs and NPCs alike were suspected community spies, cameras and bugs were planted everywhere and no-one knew who to trust, or even where to talk safely. The characters started out with no weapons or equipment and were being hammered almost hourly by the authorities for various minor legal infringements. This served as a 'push' for them to improve their situation, and the story evolved around their bid to gain social freedom in a situation where finding a contact to provide a revolver with six bullets in it was a major undertaking. We all enjoyed it far more than games where the group had their own ship, millions of credits and were all armed with Battledress and FGMP15s.
mike wightman
October 23rd, 2006, 05:21 AM
Sounds like a typical high population, high law level world.
Offworlders may well face restrictions in travelling away from the starport, so they would have to find a way to enter the "city" and blend in.
If the PCs have a TL advantage that may help, but the fun will be when they try to get back into the starport.
Offworlders may well face restrictions in travelling away from the starport, so they would have to find a way to enter the "city" and blend in.
If the PCs have a TL advantage that may help, but the fun will be when they try to get back into the starport.
Liam Devlin
October 23rd, 2006, 07:27 AM
Sounds like an Extreme High Law level world (LL D+)to me, population at least 6+. Crowded is a relative term, depending on world or the settlement size too now, don't ya know.
A world where movement is restricted, Government paramilitary police (or robots, or cameras, or all of the aforementioned) control, patrol, and watch everything. Where paranoia is rife, arrests & incarcerations happen for the least infraction with little to no explanation...
The trick would be how to convince your players to go there. Most folk I've gamed Traveller with try to avoid such authority bound hell-holes like the plague.
Now suggestions as to how to do so, might make another thread in this same vein, or another topic. Thanks for sharing!
A world where movement is restricted, Government paramilitary police (or robots, or cameras, or all of the aforementioned) control, patrol, and watch everything. Where paranoia is rife, arrests & incarcerations happen for the least infraction with little to no explanation...
The trick would be how to convince your players to go there. Most folk I've gamed Traveller with try to avoid such authority bound hell-holes like the plague.
Now suggestions as to how to do so, might make another thread in this same vein, or another topic. Thanks for sharing!
Andrew Boulton
October 23rd, 2006, 07:35 AM
Maybe they're being paid to rescue someone from there.
Othin
October 23rd, 2006, 11:43 AM
Maybe the PCs are sent to the planet to assist the underground in starting a revolution. Their mysterious patron has provided them with weapons to arm people and seemingly endless amount of supplies. The only thing the PCs know is that the patron has said that every man and woman deserve the right to live their live how they choose.
The PCs would later find out that their patron wasn't really motivated by such selfless means and the "rebellion movement" was actually a front for one of the mega-corporations who was trying to open a new market into the mega-millions or billions of the planets inhabitants(by force no less).
The PCs would later find out that their patron wasn't really motivated by such selfless means and the "rebellion movement" was actually a front for one of the mega-corporations who was trying to open a new market into the mega-millions or billions of the planets inhabitants(by force no less).
Sifu Blackirish
October 23rd, 2006, 08:04 PM
Anyone here read Jerry Pournelle's Oath of Fealty?
After riots devastate Los Angeles, a corporation gets enough local support to build an arcology.
Interestingly, even though there is a lot of surveillance, it is benign, and everyone there WANTS to be there. They actively screen candidates for residency and business, giving subsidies to those they deem worthy. Also has a good explanation about computer implants and how they would work. A JTAS article about them was pretty good, too.
Dovetailing neatly with this is another novella, I believe And Then there were None by Eric Frank Russell (I think). On this world, people have adopted the Gandhi philosophy of passive resistance to extremes. There is no currency, just informal 'obligations' to others. the tag line from the story is 'Freedom--I won't'.
Anyone think about a scenario where things are so good that they have to force people away?
After riots devastate Los Angeles, a corporation gets enough local support to build an arcology.
Interestingly, even though there is a lot of surveillance, it is benign, and everyone there WANTS to be there. They actively screen candidates for residency and business, giving subsidies to those they deem worthy. Also has a good explanation about computer implants and how they would work. A JTAS article about them was pretty good, too.
Dovetailing neatly with this is another novella, I believe And Then there were None by Eric Frank Russell (I think). On this world, people have adopted the Gandhi philosophy of passive resistance to extremes. There is no currency, just informal 'obligations' to others. the tag line from the story is 'Freedom--I won't'.
Anyone think about a scenario where things are so good that they have to force people away?
flykiller
October 23rd, 2006, 10:22 PM
Anyone here read Jerry Pournelle's Oath of Fealty?
...
Interestingly, even though there is a lot of surveillance, it is benign, and everyone there WANTS to be there.yes, though I got the impression everyone wanted to be there because there was nowhere else to go. the arcology had absorbed for itself every benefit and service and talent available, leaving nothing but the costs and dregs for the community outside of it. sort of like when a mortgage company comes into a town and buys up every single available plot of property, then sits on all of it, forcing everyone to pay their artificial inflated price. no-one was left with any rights, or privacy, or independent means of survival - they were all effectively corporate property.
...
Interestingly, even though there is a lot of surveillance, it is benign, and everyone there WANTS to be there.yes, though I got the impression everyone wanted to be there because there was nowhere else to go. the arcology had absorbed for itself every benefit and service and talent available, leaving nothing but the costs and dregs for the community outside of it. sort of like when a mortgage company comes into a town and buys up every single available plot of property, then sits on all of it, forcing everyone to pay their artificial inflated price. no-one was left with any rights, or privacy, or independent means of survival - they were all effectively corporate property.
aramis
October 24th, 2006, 02:44 AM
Oh, it's been too long since I read Oath of Fealty.
Yes, that could be a fun but grim place to play in...
Weirdest thing I've done in recent years was an all-gypsy game: yes, the PC's were all space gypsies, whose clan works family ships on the lanes of the marches...
Another bleak campaign was "Hold until relieved"... PC's were cadre of an IM regiment... dropped behind enemy lines... on a Taverschedl reeducation center. Fun, but grueling.
Yes, that could be a fun but grim place to play in...
Weirdest thing I've done in recent years was an all-gypsy game: yes, the PC's were all space gypsies, whose clan works family ships on the lanes of the marches...
Another bleak campaign was "Hold until relieved"... PC's were cadre of an IM regiment... dropped behind enemy lines... on a Taverschedl reeducation center. Fun, but grueling.
mike wightman
October 24th, 2006, 03:39 AM
Originally posted by Dominion Loyalty Officer:
Anyone here read Jerry Pournelle's Oath of Fealty?Yep, good book, and good inspiration for how a Traveller arcology works (I also borrow from the arcology descriptions in Peter F. Hamilton's Naked God novel).
Anyone think about a scenario where things are so good that they have to force people away? I've had a scenario where the players got onto a rich, high TL planet that normally turns offworlders away (the culture was xenophobic and was red zoned).
They discovered a paradise, but couldn't stay (too boring after a while), and aren't allowed back.
Anyone here read Jerry Pournelle's Oath of Fealty?Yep, good book, and good inspiration for how a Traveller arcology works (I also borrow from the arcology descriptions in Peter F. Hamilton's Naked God novel).
Anyone think about a scenario where things are so good that they have to force people away? I've had a scenario where the players got onto a rich, high TL planet that normally turns offworlders away (the culture was xenophobic and was red zoned).
They discovered a paradise, but couldn't stay (too boring after a while), and aren't allowed back.
Plankowner
October 24th, 2006, 12:02 PM
Oath of Fealty was a great book about Arcologies and the effects on the surrounding society. In the book, N&P make the point that an Arcology cannot exist without a nearby city to tap the resources of. They needed the "dregs" to fill all of the niche jobs that were required...
"Think of it as Evolution in Action" was my signature for YEARS after I read that book!
"Think of it as Evolution in Action" was my signature for YEARS after I read that book!
robject
October 24th, 2006, 12:21 PM
Originally posted by Aramis:
Weirdest thing I've done in recent years was an all-gypsy game: yes, the PC's were all space gypsies, whose clan works family ships on the lanes of the marches...
Shades of "Citizen of the Galaxy", another golden oldie.
Another bleak campaign was "Hold until relieved"... PC's were cadre of an IM regiment... dropped behind enemy lines... on a Taverschedl reeducation center. Fun, but grueling. An excellent setting.
Weirdest thing I've done in recent years was an all-gypsy game: yes, the PC's were all space gypsies, whose clan works family ships on the lanes of the marches...
Shades of "Citizen of the Galaxy", another golden oldie.
Another bleak campaign was "Hold until relieved"... PC's were cadre of an IM regiment... dropped behind enemy lines... on a Taverschedl reeducation center. Fun, but grueling. An excellent setting.
aramis
October 25th, 2006, 05:18 AM
Yes, and it was actually "Take and Hold until Relieved" (I was tired...), and I put MT conglomerate rules to a strong workout.
A regiment with 6 companies: 1 Armor (trepidas x 20 + Astrin C and Astrin E), 1 BD/DT, 1 mixed, 2 line CA Infantry, plus a transport squadron (Astrins). The mixed company included a platoon of MP's, a platoon of recon, and a platoon of some other type. This was a drop infantry regiment of the "Not every marine is a BD Troop" flavor.
They also had a shuttle for supply center, hospital, and repairs.
It was "Just off map" from the marches. They started the drop, then the Joeys arrived to drive off the fleet... so they were without support.
PC's included the Commanding Colonel, some of the company commanders, Exec, Topkick (RSM), Supply Officer, Surgeon, and a few others. Everyone except the Colonel's player had two.
I generated using a basic program a wide variety of marines... the whole unit, to a man, had UPP, Skills, Hits, AV and morale.
I also used the data to generate (automatically) the Squad and platoon conglomerate data.
It ran about 12 weeks of play, plus a week of CG.
A regiment with 6 companies: 1 Armor (trepidas x 20 + Astrin C and Astrin E), 1 BD/DT, 1 mixed, 2 line CA Infantry, plus a transport squadron (Astrins). The mixed company included a platoon of MP's, a platoon of recon, and a platoon of some other type. This was a drop infantry regiment of the "Not every marine is a BD Troop" flavor.
They also had a shuttle for supply center, hospital, and repairs.
It was "Just off map" from the marches. They started the drop, then the Joeys arrived to drive off the fleet... so they were without support.
PC's included the Commanding Colonel, some of the company commanders, Exec, Topkick (RSM), Supply Officer, Surgeon, and a few others. Everyone except the Colonel's player had two.
I generated using a basic program a wide variety of marines... the whole unit, to a man, had UPP, Skills, Hits, AV and morale.
I also used the data to generate (automatically) the Squad and platoon conglomerate data.
It ran about 12 weeks of play, plus a week of CG.
Blue Ghost
October 26th, 2006, 02:39 AM
Another interesting setting; I always liked Ridley Scott's vision of Phillip K. Dick's "Blade Runner" book. Imagine a fully armed fireteam having to fight their way through one of those places.
Or, here's another bizzare take on the dystopic future; "ZARDOZ" Remember that one? The one with Sean Connery running around in a diaper? How would a tream of adventurers fare in a place where their motor functions could be controlled, and their minds probbed?
"Brave New World" also comes to mind.
More thoughts?
Or, here's another bizzare take on the dystopic future; "ZARDOZ" Remember that one? The one with Sean Connery running around in a diaper? How would a tream of adventurers fare in a place where their motor functions could be controlled, and their minds probbed?
"Brave New World" also comes to mind.
More thoughts?
kafka47
October 26th, 2006, 09:38 AM
I have always like the benign autocracy of Vanilla Sky or first part of Matrix whereby the normal is suddenly turned on its head. In the Traveller Universe, this is hard to accomplish but essentially get them out of the Startown and into the real world. This is best fleshed out various Cyberpunk 2020 supplements (sans the Noir) would make a very strange and surreal world that the players would have descended into.
mike wightman
October 26th, 2006, 10:37 AM
A couple of other utopian settings in sci-fi - Logan's Run and The Island. Or how about the more big brother like world of Equilibrium.
Blue Ghost
October 26th, 2006, 11:44 PM
"Logan's Run"; now THAT'S a setting.
I'm trying to imagine my fireteam taking on a bunch of Sandmen as they fight their way to "The Thinker" to plant some TDX.
How would this play out? Infiltration first, or just go in guns a blazing?
I'm trying to imagine my fireteam taking on a bunch of Sandmen as they fight their way to "The Thinker" to plant some TDX.
How would this play out? Infiltration first, or just go in guns a blazing?
su_liam
October 27th, 2006, 02:53 AM
Guns blazing!
I never was too impressed by the Sandmen. Good against the huddled masses is one thing, good against the Imperial Marines? Doubt it.
I never was too impressed by the Sandmen. Good against the huddled masses is one thing, good against the Imperial Marines? Doubt it.
Blue Ghost
November 15th, 2006, 01:51 AM
Zardoz... wow. That would be on bizzare Traveller setting.
Valarian
November 15th, 2006, 03:17 AM
Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Or how about the more big brother like world of Equilibrium. Hmmm ... Gun Kata. Would be one way of quickly removing the PCs from the universe. Zhodani influences as well to consider here - the psychics detecting emotions on the street. Maybe one of the border worlds. PCs given emotion suppression shots at the starport gates and told to report every day.
Could be interesting ....
[EDIT]
More Fahrenheit 451 I thought.
Or how about the more big brother like world of Equilibrium. Hmmm ... Gun Kata. Would be one way of quickly removing the PCs from the universe. Zhodani influences as well to consider here - the psychics detecting emotions on the street. Maybe one of the border worlds. PCs given emotion suppression shots at the starport gates and told to report every day.
Could be interesting ....
[EDIT]
More Fahrenheit 451 I thought.
mbrinkhues
November 15th, 2006, 06:03 AM
Kenneth Bulmers "Ryder Hook" depicts a galaxy run by Megacorporations. As in "you are a citizen of Corporation X", who cares about the local government
With the "Solomanie Superman" one might dig out the WarWorld books and see how Imperial Marines stand up against Saurons on a SolCon border world
Hammers Slammers and Falkenbergs Legion make a nice backdrop for Mercenaries
With the "Solomanie Superman" one might dig out the WarWorld books and see how Imperial Marines stand up against Saurons on a SolCon border world
Hammers Slammers and Falkenbergs Legion make a nice backdrop for Mercenaries
Blue Ghost
November 21st, 2006, 12:32 AM
Originally posted by Alik Morikan:
Guns blazing!
I never was too impressed by the Sandmen. Good against the huddled masses is one thing, good against the Imperial Marines? Doubt it. Ah, but what about a band of adventurers? Possibly a merc group, but I was thinking more along the lines of 4 to 8 PCs trying to finagle (or shoot) their way into and through the domed city.
Thoughts, anyone?
Guns blazing!
I never was too impressed by the Sandmen. Good against the huddled masses is one thing, good against the Imperial Marines? Doubt it. Ah, but what about a band of adventurers? Possibly a merc group, but I was thinking more along the lines of 4 to 8 PCs trying to finagle (or shoot) their way into and through the domed city.
Thoughts, anyone?
Black Globe Generator
November 21st, 2006, 01:06 AM
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
"Logan's Run"; now THAT'S a setting.I ran a "Seventies dystopia" d20 Modern game a couple of years ago -
The player characters started off in The City when a disheveled, raving Sandman appeared, claiming to have returned from outside and blathering on about, "There is no renewal!" before being gunned down along with an equally disheveled Green by teams of Sandmen.
The next morning everyone who witnessed the incident awoke to find their lifeclocks flashing.
The player characters decided to run, of course, and once outside The City they discovered a world with rifle-toting apes on horses, giant flying stone heads, light-sensitive homicidal maniacs, and a group of escapees from an underground city with names like SHR-1265, LQX-1499, and so on.
Good times. smile.gif
"Logan's Run"; now THAT'S a setting.I ran a "Seventies dystopia" d20 Modern game a couple of years ago -
The player characters started off in The City when a disheveled, raving Sandman appeared, claiming to have returned from outside and blathering on about, "There is no renewal!" before being gunned down along with an equally disheveled Green by teams of Sandmen.
The next morning everyone who witnessed the incident awoke to find their lifeclocks flashing.
The player characters decided to run, of course, and once outside The City they discovered a world with rifle-toting apes on horses, giant flying stone heads, light-sensitive homicidal maniacs, and a group of escapees from an underground city with names like SHR-1265, LQX-1499, and so on.
Good times. smile.gif
matrix cypher
November 21st, 2006, 06:40 AM
Originally posted by Black Globe Generator:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
"Logan's Run"; now THAT'S a setting.I ran a "Seventies dystopia" d20 Modern game a couple of years ago -
The player characters started off in The City when a disheveled, raving Sandman appeared, claiming to have returned from outside and blathering on about, "There is no renewal!" before being gunned down along with an equally disheveled Green by teams of Sandmen.
The next morning everyone who witnessed the incident awoke to find their lifeclocks flashing.
The player characters decided to run, of course, and once outside The City they discovered a world with rifle-toting apes on horses, giant flying stone heads, light-sensitive homicidal maniacs, and a group of escapees from an underground city with names like SHR-1265, LQX-1499, and so on.
Good times. smile.gif </font>[/QUOTE]Thats why i dont drink Herbal Tea. tongue.gif
CoffeeJuice all the way
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
"Logan's Run"; now THAT'S a setting.I ran a "Seventies dystopia" d20 Modern game a couple of years ago -
The player characters started off in The City when a disheveled, raving Sandman appeared, claiming to have returned from outside and blathering on about, "There is no renewal!" before being gunned down along with an equally disheveled Green by teams of Sandmen.
The next morning everyone who witnessed the incident awoke to find their lifeclocks flashing.
The player characters decided to run, of course, and once outside The City they discovered a world with rifle-toting apes on horses, giant flying stone heads, light-sensitive homicidal maniacs, and a group of escapees from an underground city with names like SHR-1265, LQX-1499, and so on.
Good times. smile.gif </font>[/QUOTE]Thats why i dont drink Herbal Tea. tongue.gif
CoffeeJuice all the way
matrix cypher
November 21st, 2006, 06:41 AM
Oh and Cool (wierd) but cool thing too pull on em.
Black Globe Generator
November 21st, 2006, 10:30 AM
Originally posted by Trader (CJ) Scott:
Oh and Cool (wierd) but cool thing too pull on em. I don't consider myself to be a particularly gifted referee, but I have to admit I was pretty pleased with the way that game turned out.
Oh and Cool (wierd) but cool thing too pull on em. I don't consider myself to be a particularly gifted referee, but I have to admit I was pretty pleased with the way that game turned out.
kafka47
November 21st, 2006, 01:11 PM
Re-watching Gattica the other night, made me think of a nice crossover between a world deep in the Solomani Confederation and something like Sin City & Underworld, whereby, non-pure Solomani are subjected to relentless brutality and repression, as the pures try to maintain their bloodlines by any means neccessary.
Blue Ghost
November 23rd, 2006, 10:51 AM
I think it was either last year or the year before last where we had a discussion on Ringworlds, and their possibilities. Given that a ringworld (or maybe even a full fledged Dyson sphere) would be one huge piece of real estate, and that the kind of know how to manufacture these monstrosities approaches Grandfather like proportions, I would think it an utter challenge for a band of adventurers to find one of these things, then escape its influence.
Thoughts? smile.gif
Thoughts? smile.gif
YunusWesley
November 30th, 2006, 12:27 AM
Iain M. Banks' "Against a Dark Background": an isolated solar system that has been inhabited by humans for uncounted thousands of years. Every planet and moon in its life zone has been terraformed; the system has gone through many cycles of technological build-up and then war, collapse, devastation and horror. There are artifacts sufficiently advanced to qualify as magic.
It would require some real freak accident to get to this system; it would be well outside normal j-drive range. A ship making it in would be a huge shake-up for the inhabitants: word from beyond the boundaries of their system!
Anyone who hasn't read this novel, I highly recommend it. A bit dark, and with some amazing surprises as the novel progresses.
It would require some real freak accident to get to this system; it would be well outside normal j-drive range. A ship making it in would be a huge shake-up for the inhabitants: word from beyond the boundaries of their system!
Anyone who hasn't read this novel, I highly recommend it. A bit dark, and with some amazing surprises as the novel progresses.
Arthur Denger
November 30th, 2006, 01:00 AM
The world from the award-winning animated 1973 French film, Wild Planet (Planete Sauvages). While animated, this is certainly not children's fare. Truly surreal, and otherworldly: bizarre plant and animal life abounds. The descendants of human colonists (called oms ) have reverted to a primitive state and as such are not merely subjugated by the psionically powerful sentients who dominate the planet, they are kept as pets and even exterminated as vermin! Naturally, a leader type emerges from among the oms to rebel against the overlords...
If you can get past the crude (by today's standards) cel animation, the setting and story are classic SF. One humorous note: the VHS version widely available in the United States is both subtitled in English and dubbed — and the translations do not match. It is quite funny to read the subtitles while listening to quite a different version on the soundtrack... I think it adds to the psychedelic, almost hallucinatory mood of the film.
If you can get past the crude (by today's standards) cel animation, the setting and story are classic SF. One humorous note: the VHS version widely available in the United States is both subtitled in English and dubbed — and the translations do not match. It is quite funny to read the subtitles while listening to quite a different version on the soundtrack... I think it adds to the psychedelic, almost hallucinatory mood of the film.
Blue Ghost
November 30th, 2006, 11:03 PM
"Light Years" or the "Metal Men verse Gandahar" is another utopic/dystopic type of novel that was made into a French animated sci-fi feature. The animation is respectable (if somewhat bland), but the setting is rather bizzare. Organic "technology" instead of machines serve to run the society. That is instead of driving a car you genetically engineer a plant or animal to serve as such. A very common sci-fi theme of organic verse technology with a bit of a time travel twist.
Like the previous film mentioned this one is a tad dark. It'd make for a truly strange Traveller adventure.
Like the previous film mentioned this one is a tad dark. It'd make for a truly strange Traveller adventure.
Blue Ghost
December 8th, 2006, 02:37 AM
Let me rephrase.
What is the most "out there" setting you've done for Traveller? That is given the conventionality that Traveller's rules are supposed to represent (and to a lesser degree the setting), what is the most bizzare or outlandish environment your character(s) have ever visited?
Dinosaur planets? "Heavy Metal" settings? D&D realms? Alternate realities? Ancient pocket universes, or non-ancient universes? Magic, a-la "Discworld" types of settings?
What is the most "out there" setting you've done for Traveller? That is given the conventionality that Traveller's rules are supposed to represent (and to a lesser degree the setting), what is the most bizzare or outlandish environment your character(s) have ever visited?
Dinosaur planets? "Heavy Metal" settings? D&D realms? Alternate realities? Ancient pocket universes, or non-ancient universes? Magic, a-la "Discworld" types of settings?
Ran Targas
December 8th, 2006, 06:13 AM
I've ran a campaign where the PC's were military but set 300 millenia in the past. They were the first uplifts, made to battle other factions in the War of the Ancients. Took the players a while to figure that out.
Another campaign involved long periods on a neolithic Ancient laboratory world, dealing with ice age megafauna and neanderthal cargo cultists. This turned interesting when the PC's uncovered the Ancient site and awoke the caretakers.
Another campaign consisted entirely of cybernetically enhanced SolSec operatives operating against alien influences in the Sphere; sort of $6Million Man meets X-Files/Com meets Top Secret. It was fun and allowed me to create some strong paranoia in the players.
Ran a deep below campaign where the PC's were captured by troglodites and brought to their kingdom under the surface of a bombed out planet. The trogs were very mutant with Giger-esque trolls, little people, and numerous radioactive monsters. Psionics abound, and the few masters were powerful mind lords, creating a D&D like environment.
Another campaign involved long periods on a neolithic Ancient laboratory world, dealing with ice age megafauna and neanderthal cargo cultists. This turned interesting when the PC's uncovered the Ancient site and awoke the caretakers.
Another campaign consisted entirely of cybernetically enhanced SolSec operatives operating against alien influences in the Sphere; sort of $6Million Man meets X-Files/Com meets Top Secret. It was fun and allowed me to create some strong paranoia in the players.
Ran a deep below campaign where the PC's were captured by troglodites and brought to their kingdom under the surface of a bombed out planet. The trogs were very mutant with Giger-esque trolls, little people, and numerous radioactive monsters. Psionics abound, and the few masters were powerful mind lords, creating a D&D like environment.
Blue Ghost
December 8th, 2006, 06:23 PM
Ran Targas; wow, those are some rockin' campaign settings. You were willing to take the extra step and put some unconventional spin on Traveller. I love it smile.gif
Anyone else?
Anyone else?
aramis
December 9th, 2006, 05:29 AM
I ran Star Trek using MegaTraveller.
I've also run a couple of "Tron" knock-off adventures.
I ran one game where the PC's were the BOD of a sectorwide corp.
I ran another game where the PC's ran a charter hunting service from Regina, going to Wypoc to hunt Dragons...
I ran a K'Kree merchant game once... for two sessions.
I've also run a couple of "Tron" knock-off adventures.
I ran one game where the PC's were the BOD of a sectorwide corp.
I ran another game where the PC's ran a charter hunting service from Regina, going to Wypoc to hunt Dragons...
I ran a K'Kree merchant game once... for two sessions.
Blue Ghost
December 9th, 2006, 01:25 PM
Cool :cool:
What's a BOD?
I like the Tron thing. Very inventive. And that K'Kree game must have been a hoot smile.gif
What's a BOD?
I like the Tron thing. Very inventive. And that K'Kree game must have been a hoot smile.gif
Black Globe Generator
December 9th, 2006, 02:09 PM
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
What's a BOD?I'm guessing "board of directors" from the context.
I too played a K'kree trading enterprise (seems silly to say "character"...) in a one-on-one game refereeed by a friend many years ago.
What's a BOD?I'm guessing "board of directors" from the context.
I too played a K'kree trading enterprise (seems silly to say "character"...) in a one-on-one game refereeed by a friend many years ago.
Darkhstarr
December 15th, 2006, 10:01 PM
The planet Tortuga in my campaign is a dinosaur planet. It's abandoned scout base is run by a 'Mother Virus' infected companion bot that was the last remaining scout's lover. It desires nothing more than to carry its lover's wish to develop the planet as a viable colony(preferable with the descendants of the original scouts). It also has a malfunctioning Ancient pocket universe device (the neutron star that is a distant part of the system is its power source)that the right person could interface with & start repair & activation sequence. Of course you'd have to be VERY SANE & be liked by the machine to interact with it. The problem is, that due to undergoing the Serenity machine on planet Shrine, the female corsairs of the Dark Goddesses are VERY SANE.
Whipsnade
December 15th, 2006, 11:12 PM
Blue,
Weirdest setting I ever used Traveller rules for? A 'pulp' style campaign set during the 1930s Chaco War in South America!
Technology was capped at TL5; biplanes, primitive tanks, radio, etc. I used Striker designs and the MT task system. From CT, I took, skills, LBB:4 mass combat, a heavily modified chargen, and psionics.
I described this campaign several years ago and someone snarkily asked; Are so in love with CT that you'll use it for anything?. I had to explain that in 1982, when I ran the campaign, there weren't that many RPG systems around and even fewer that used guns. I used what I had at the time, if I'd had one of the Cthulu rules sets I most likely would have used that instead.
Have fun,
Bill
Weirdest setting I ever used Traveller rules for? A 'pulp' style campaign set during the 1930s Chaco War in South America!
Technology was capped at TL5; biplanes, primitive tanks, radio, etc. I used Striker designs and the MT task system. From CT, I took, skills, LBB:4 mass combat, a heavily modified chargen, and psionics.
I described this campaign several years ago and someone snarkily asked; Are so in love with CT that you'll use it for anything?. I had to explain that in 1982, when I ran the campaign, there weren't that many RPG systems around and even fewer that used guns. I used what I had at the time, if I'd had one of the Cthulu rules sets I most likely would have used that instead.
Have fun,
Bill
Blue Ghost
December 15th, 2006, 11:53 PM
Manax; I was about to suggest a dinosaur setting. Very interesting. smile.gif
Bill; that sounds very cool :cool: Almost Indiana Jones like.
Bill; that sounds very cool :cool: Almost Indiana Jones like.
Whipsnade
December 16th, 2006, 12:00 AM
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
Bill; that sounds very cool :cool: Almost Indiana Jones like. Blue,
Here's a hint: Check what year Raiders of the Lost Ark came out and then re-read my post... ;)
Have fun,
Bill
Bill; that sounds very cool :cool: Almost Indiana Jones like. Blue,
Here's a hint: Check what year Raiders of the Lost Ark came out and then re-read my post... ;)
Have fun,
Bill
Maladominus
December 16th, 2006, 11:45 AM
what would it be like to have a band of adventurers caught inside a bleak work of shaved heads, concrete, fluorescent lights, and a drug controlled population with little freedom?
[/QB]A planet ruled by the Fascist Dictatorship of Coneheads. All heads must be shaved to show submission to his Excellency, Imperious Leader Merp. Those who refuse to shave their heads are sentenced to death. Wonderful. Now I have one more bizzarre idea to inflict upon my players.
[/QB]A planet ruled by the Fascist Dictatorship of Coneheads. All heads must be shaved to show submission to his Excellency, Imperious Leader Merp. Those who refuse to shave their heads are sentenced to death. Wonderful. Now I have one more bizzarre idea to inflict upon my players.
aramis
December 16th, 2006, 01:36 PM
Originally posted by Black Globe Generator:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
What's a BOD?I'm guessing "board of directors" from the context.
</font>[/QUOTE]Yes, exactly.
As to K'Kree, It wasn't fun. Hence only two sessions.
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
What's a BOD?I'm guessing "board of directors" from the context.
</font>[/QUOTE]Yes, exactly.
As to K'Kree, It wasn't fun. Hence only two sessions.
Blue Ghost
December 16th, 2006, 04:30 PM
Bill; ah, much is explained :cool:
Maladominous; you know, I just don't know how to respond to that graemlins/file_21.gif
Amarmis; I've heard of very few K'Kree adventures on this BBS. They strike me as being somewhat difficult to include into a party, or to generate an entertaining adventure that orbits their existence.
Everyone; anybody have any good water world settings? smile.gif
Maladominous; you know, I just don't know how to respond to that graemlins/file_21.gif
Amarmis; I've heard of very few K'Kree adventures on this BBS. They strike me as being somewhat difficult to include into a party, or to generate an entertaining adventure that orbits their existence.
Everyone; anybody have any good water world settings? smile.gif
alanb
December 16th, 2006, 08:50 PM
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
Everyone; anybody have any good water world settings? smile.gif Water worlds are easy enough. My favourite is: "what if birds filled all the ecological niches filled by aquatic mammals on Earth?"
Yes, that's Whale-Sized Penguin World.
OK, that doesn't make a huge lot of sense, but hey...
Other good toys for water worlds are submarines. Submarines are fun. Design them like starships, if you aren't otherwise inspired.
Undersea cities are easy. They are just your basic underground/domed city complex in a different setting. Incidentally, they are relatively easy to defend against invaders from space. This was a scam I used back in the TNE days to hide a world's remaining high tech stuff from Vampire Fleets. Essentially this is an elaborate version of hiding in caves. In fact, you can hide things in underwater caves for a double layer of concealment.
Dolphins are fun. Players like dolphins. Put them in Battle Dress and give them Grav Belts. Then put them in Drop Capsules and launch them from orbit. (Wheee!)
There are a couple of other maritime species around here and there too.
Other good stuff: islands are fun. There are a few kinds of different island too, so don't rip yourself off. A pseudo-coral reef is a good thing to put around an island, since it allows you to keep your fish farm safe from marauding Penguins.
Islands also allow you to build balkanised worlds, with lots of naturally separate enclaves. Boats are fun to begin with. Gunboats are even more fun. Dealing with air and sea power is a nice change from standard mercenary situations.
Hanging out on a tropical beach is always a nice way to start or end a scenario. Or, alternatively, hanging out in a bar overlooking a tropical beach.
Polar icecaps are neat too.
Water worlds can be industrialised too, BTW. This will tend to put a premium on your surface area/shallow regions though. I guess you could always build floating factories.
Floating farms are easy. Mining, while inconvenient, could be managed with a reasonable bit of technology.
You can pretty much do anything you like on water worlds. You would really only have trouble rationalising very large populations with indifferent tech levels, and even then you can often resort to "they're dolphins/aliens/genetically engineered!"
Hmm. There's three suitable excuses. How many of these worlds will there be?
Everyone; anybody have any good water world settings? smile.gif Water worlds are easy enough. My favourite is: "what if birds filled all the ecological niches filled by aquatic mammals on Earth?"
Yes, that's Whale-Sized Penguin World.
OK, that doesn't make a huge lot of sense, but hey...
Other good toys for water worlds are submarines. Submarines are fun. Design them like starships, if you aren't otherwise inspired.
Undersea cities are easy. They are just your basic underground/domed city complex in a different setting. Incidentally, they are relatively easy to defend against invaders from space. This was a scam I used back in the TNE days to hide a world's remaining high tech stuff from Vampire Fleets. Essentially this is an elaborate version of hiding in caves. In fact, you can hide things in underwater caves for a double layer of concealment.
Dolphins are fun. Players like dolphins. Put them in Battle Dress and give them Grav Belts. Then put them in Drop Capsules and launch them from orbit. (Wheee!)
There are a couple of other maritime species around here and there too.
Other good stuff: islands are fun. There are a few kinds of different island too, so don't rip yourself off. A pseudo-coral reef is a good thing to put around an island, since it allows you to keep your fish farm safe from marauding Penguins.
Islands also allow you to build balkanised worlds, with lots of naturally separate enclaves. Boats are fun to begin with. Gunboats are even more fun. Dealing with air and sea power is a nice change from standard mercenary situations.
Hanging out on a tropical beach is always a nice way to start or end a scenario. Or, alternatively, hanging out in a bar overlooking a tropical beach.
Polar icecaps are neat too.
Water worlds can be industrialised too, BTW. This will tend to put a premium on your surface area/shallow regions though. I guess you could always build floating factories.
Floating farms are easy. Mining, while inconvenient, could be managed with a reasonable bit of technology.
You can pretty much do anything you like on water worlds. You would really only have trouble rationalising very large populations with indifferent tech levels, and even then you can often resort to "they're dolphins/aliens/genetically engineered!"
Hmm. There's three suitable excuses. How many of these worlds will there be?
aramis
December 16th, 2006, 09:50 PM
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
I've heard of very few K'Kree adventures on this BBS. They strike me as being somewhat difficult to include into a party, or to generate an entertaining adventure that orbits their existence.You essentially can't include a K'Kree in another party. You can include others in a K'Kree Party....
But remember, a single K'Kree PC has from 3 to 36 NPC's in service,. each of those with 1-6 wives... and any K'Kree without at least a few other K'Kree is either psychotic or a nervous wreck.
Mercantile adventures are easy... it's just that, at the time, i had not obtained Bk7, and Bk2 could not support K'Kree merchants... too much hold.
It was shortly after that that I realized it could be one roll per person seeking cargos, rather than per ship.
I've heard of very few K'Kree adventures on this BBS. They strike me as being somewhat difficult to include into a party, or to generate an entertaining adventure that orbits their existence.You essentially can't include a K'Kree in another party. You can include others in a K'Kree Party....
But remember, a single K'Kree PC has from 3 to 36 NPC's in service,. each of those with 1-6 wives... and any K'Kree without at least a few other K'Kree is either psychotic or a nervous wreck.
Mercantile adventures are easy... it's just that, at the time, i had not obtained Bk7, and Bk2 could not support K'Kree merchants... too much hold.
It was shortly after that that I realized it could be one roll per person seeking cargos, rather than per ship.
Black Globe Generator
December 16th, 2006, 10:48 PM
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
I've heard of very few K'Kree adventures on this BBS.It was ideal for one-on-one play, in that I had something like sixteen or seventeen "characters" to play.
Ours was a K'kree trader in Vargr space - turns out hooves are good for stomping corsairs... Originally posted by alanb:
Water worlds are easy enough. My favourite is: "what if birds filled all the ecological niches filled by aquatic mammals on Earth?"
Yes, that's Whale-Sized Penguin World.:D Originally posted by alanb:
Other good toys for water worlds are submarines. Submarines are fun. Design them like starships, if you aren't otherwise inspired.
Undersea cities are easy. They are just your basic underground/domed city complex in a different setting.I tend to combine the two: mobile submersible cities, like Deep Core on steroids. Originally posted by alanb:
A pseudo-coral reef is a good thing to put around an island, since it allows you to keep your fish farm safe from marauding Penguins.:D Originally posted by alanb:
Islands also allow you to build balkanised worlds, with lots of naturally separate enclaves.A balkanized water world can also be divided between the islanders and the submariners. Originally posted by alanb:
Hanging out on a tropical beach is always a nice way to start or end a scenario. Or, alternatively, hanging out in a bar overlooking a tropical beach.A staple of all of my Traveller games has been a fancy restaurant and bar built into a reef that is pounded by surf - it is invariably called "Breakers," after a place my roommate and I used to patronize for the $1.00 happy hour drink special and the all-you-can-eat appetizers. ("What's for dinner?" "Looks like sea breezes and tacquitos!") Originally posted by alanb:
Water worlds can be industrialised too, BTW. This will tend to put a premium on your surface area/shallow regions though. I guess you could always build floating factories.Big factory ships, like the submarine mining camps. Originally posted by alanb:
Floating farms are easy.Aquaculture supervised by dolphins or githiaskio. Originally posted by alanb:
Mining, while inconvenient, could be managed with a reasonable bit of technology.Once again, Deep Core. Originally posted by alanb:
You would really only have trouble rationalising very large populations with indifferent tech levels, and even then you can often resort to "they're dolphins/aliens/genetically engineered!"One of the waterworlds IMTU is populated by githiaskio who belong to an Amish- or Mennonite-like religious sect that rejects advanced technology.
I've heard of very few K'Kree adventures on this BBS.It was ideal for one-on-one play, in that I had something like sixteen or seventeen "characters" to play.
Ours was a K'kree trader in Vargr space - turns out hooves are good for stomping corsairs... Originally posted by alanb:
Water worlds are easy enough. My favourite is: "what if birds filled all the ecological niches filled by aquatic mammals on Earth?"
Yes, that's Whale-Sized Penguin World.:D Originally posted by alanb:
Other good toys for water worlds are submarines. Submarines are fun. Design them like starships, if you aren't otherwise inspired.
Undersea cities are easy. They are just your basic underground/domed city complex in a different setting.I tend to combine the two: mobile submersible cities, like Deep Core on steroids. Originally posted by alanb:
A pseudo-coral reef is a good thing to put around an island, since it allows you to keep your fish farm safe from marauding Penguins.:D Originally posted by alanb:
Islands also allow you to build balkanised worlds, with lots of naturally separate enclaves.A balkanized water world can also be divided between the islanders and the submariners. Originally posted by alanb:
Hanging out on a tropical beach is always a nice way to start or end a scenario. Or, alternatively, hanging out in a bar overlooking a tropical beach.A staple of all of my Traveller games has been a fancy restaurant and bar built into a reef that is pounded by surf - it is invariably called "Breakers," after a place my roommate and I used to patronize for the $1.00 happy hour drink special and the all-you-can-eat appetizers. ("What's for dinner?" "Looks like sea breezes and tacquitos!") Originally posted by alanb:
Water worlds can be industrialised too, BTW. This will tend to put a premium on your surface area/shallow regions though. I guess you could always build floating factories.Big factory ships, like the submarine mining camps. Originally posted by alanb:
Floating farms are easy.Aquaculture supervised by dolphins or githiaskio. Originally posted by alanb:
Mining, while inconvenient, could be managed with a reasonable bit of technology.Once again, Deep Core. Originally posted by alanb:
You would really only have trouble rationalising very large populations with indifferent tech levels, and even then you can often resort to "they're dolphins/aliens/genetically engineered!"One of the waterworlds IMTU is populated by githiaskio who belong to an Amish- or Mennonite-like religious sect that rejects advanced technology.
Whipsnade
December 16th, 2006, 11:40 PM
Great thread you started Blue!
Some comments:
- Always wanted to use the K'Kree in an adventure or campaign but never found a way to fit them in. I 'worked' on the other side of Imperial space from the 2,000 Worlds, coming up with a reason for the Centaurs to be Behind the Claw was too much for my pointy head. I did steal the wax crescent scent sculpture idea from the K'Kree Alien Module. The players helped recover them but never met a K'Kree in the process.
- Had a long running campaign set in the Islands and detailed Sansterre quite nicely. Fritz and BGG are correct; waterworlds are fun, fun, FUN. Google The Roaring Forties and then imagine how big waves can get with no landmasses to break them up... ;) On Santerre I had floating cities, grav cities, seabed cities, cities below the seabed, cities in reefs, cities carved into the sides of submarine canyons, you name it.
- In one campaign, I had the players stumbled across an abandoned/lost/disabled/unfinished Sky Raider generation ship still in the Great Rift. The Loeskalth had tried to launch a second one before the Vilani hammered them. The idea was to finish the ship later in some backwater system and pick up refugees on the fly. The launch had been premature, the initial jump hurried, and the ship only made it 1 ly or so away from the launch system. The crew then abandoned the ship. The Vilani caught up with them and mistook this second ship for the first one! They'd heard/learned of the project naturally. This confusion allowed the first ship to make it's escape. Of course, after all my work, the players located the ship, immediately sold the location to a government, and never stepped foot on it again. LOL!
Have fun,
Bill
Some comments:
- Always wanted to use the K'Kree in an adventure or campaign but never found a way to fit them in. I 'worked' on the other side of Imperial space from the 2,000 Worlds, coming up with a reason for the Centaurs to be Behind the Claw was too much for my pointy head. I did steal the wax crescent scent sculpture idea from the K'Kree Alien Module. The players helped recover them but never met a K'Kree in the process.
- Had a long running campaign set in the Islands and detailed Sansterre quite nicely. Fritz and BGG are correct; waterworlds are fun, fun, FUN. Google The Roaring Forties and then imagine how big waves can get with no landmasses to break them up... ;) On Santerre I had floating cities, grav cities, seabed cities, cities below the seabed, cities in reefs, cities carved into the sides of submarine canyons, you name it.
- In one campaign, I had the players stumbled across an abandoned/lost/disabled/unfinished Sky Raider generation ship still in the Great Rift. The Loeskalth had tried to launch a second one before the Vilani hammered them. The idea was to finish the ship later in some backwater system and pick up refugees on the fly. The launch had been premature, the initial jump hurried, and the ship only made it 1 ly or so away from the launch system. The crew then abandoned the ship. The Vilani caught up with them and mistook this second ship for the first one! They'd heard/learned of the project naturally. This confusion allowed the first ship to make it's escape. Of course, after all my work, the players located the ship, immediately sold the location to a government, and never stepped foot on it again. LOL!
Have fun,
Bill
FreeTrav
December 17th, 2006, 12:20 AM
One setting that I thought might have been an interesting one to play in was McCaffery's PERN, before the rediscovery of the AI of the original colony on the Southern Continent. Low-tech, but psionics, and some good potential adventures for a first-contact team.
Some interesting potential quandaries for said team, too: Suppose the planet is contacted AFTER the period of the Psionics Suppressions. The planet is no threat, and the way the local psionics have fallen out, it doesn't seem that humans can use telepathy or telempathy on other humans, but only on the various dragon-related species. What does the FCT report, and how does the Imperium react to the report? Suppose further that the FCT is invited to a Hatching, and one of the members Impresses a fighting dragon. The FCT member now has an inside perspective on the psionics issue; how does this affect his/her relationship with the rest of the FCT, and the report? How does the FCT deal with the fact that the member that Impressed the dragon now pretty much has to become an immigrant? How do the locals react to the Impression, given that the FCT member "wasn't supposed to" Impress (recall Mirrim's Impression of Path in the series)? What happens if the FCT member in question is female, and Impresses a queen (gold) dragon?
Some other settings with potential, though more-or-less conventional in their Traveller compatibility:
The universe of Dan Simmons's Hyperion cycle. There are some interesting psionic and theological implications if you permit some of the events of the story cycle to actually happen, but even if you don't, it makes an interesting not-quite-dark-but-not-really-light setting.
The "Lords of the Diamond" series by Jack Chalker. Some tweaking would be necessary, but the basic setting - four worlds that once you're exposed to them, you can't leave, and there's some sort of virus that has drastic effects on you (which is why you can't leave), different on each world. Of the four worlds, I find that Cerberus is actually the most plausible for a Traveller setting without stretching suspension of disbelief TOO far (make the mystery virus a psionically-active virus), but if you want to invoke an Ancient diablus ex machina, all four would be ultimately explainable.
Trantor, from Asimov's Foundation series, or a built-up planet like the Earth of his The Caves of Steel. Not a lot needs to be said about either of these.
It's difficult not to do severe damage to ANY Traveller setting by incorporating ansibles in some way, but the Hainish Ecumen of Ursula K. Le Guin, the universe of Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War series, and the post-Bugger-War universe of Orson Scott Card's Ender Wiggen books all offer interesting ideas that could easily be incorporated into a Traveller setting without wholesale importation of the entire universe, with the damage to 'fundamental Traveller' that such importation would represent.
Some interesting potential quandaries for said team, too: Suppose the planet is contacted AFTER the period of the Psionics Suppressions. The planet is no threat, and the way the local psionics have fallen out, it doesn't seem that humans can use telepathy or telempathy on other humans, but only on the various dragon-related species. What does the FCT report, and how does the Imperium react to the report? Suppose further that the FCT is invited to a Hatching, and one of the members Impresses a fighting dragon. The FCT member now has an inside perspective on the psionics issue; how does this affect his/her relationship with the rest of the FCT, and the report? How does the FCT deal with the fact that the member that Impressed the dragon now pretty much has to become an immigrant? How do the locals react to the Impression, given that the FCT member "wasn't supposed to" Impress (recall Mirrim's Impression of Path in the series)? What happens if the FCT member in question is female, and Impresses a queen (gold) dragon?
Some other settings with potential, though more-or-less conventional in their Traveller compatibility:
The universe of Dan Simmons's Hyperion cycle. There are some interesting psionic and theological implications if you permit some of the events of the story cycle to actually happen, but even if you don't, it makes an interesting not-quite-dark-but-not-really-light setting.
The "Lords of the Diamond" series by Jack Chalker. Some tweaking would be necessary, but the basic setting - four worlds that once you're exposed to them, you can't leave, and there's some sort of virus that has drastic effects on you (which is why you can't leave), different on each world. Of the four worlds, I find that Cerberus is actually the most plausible for a Traveller setting without stretching suspension of disbelief TOO far (make the mystery virus a psionically-active virus), but if you want to invoke an Ancient diablus ex machina, all four would be ultimately explainable.
Trantor, from Asimov's Foundation series, or a built-up planet like the Earth of his The Caves of Steel. Not a lot needs to be said about either of these.
It's difficult not to do severe damage to ANY Traveller setting by incorporating ansibles in some way, but the Hainish Ecumen of Ursula K. Le Guin, the universe of Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War series, and the post-Bugger-War universe of Orson Scott Card's Ender Wiggen books all offer interesting ideas that could easily be incorporated into a Traveller setting without wholesale importation of the entire universe, with the damage to 'fundamental Traveller' that such importation would represent.
rogermccarthy
December 17th, 2006, 08:47 AM
The Ekumen having FTL comms but no FTL travel would have pretty dramatic effects even if relativity means that characters don't age much on the trip - you would probably have to adopt some kind of Pendragon-like generational play to fill the long gaps between starships arriving.
Ken MacLeod's Engines of Light setting has similar issues with travelling but some cool ideas (planets seeded by colonies taken from various stages of earth history, intelligent dinosaurs, vast STL starships crewed by gigantic Kraken-like beings).
Hyperion had IIRC FTL but with significant relativistic effects meaning it could take months or years in real time to get from one planet to another - however it has an evil catholic church controlled by weird alien entities selling immortality in exchange for domination - so what's not to like?
Barring the ansibles (which are disabled by a nefarious plot anyway) Vatta Wars is almost pure small ship Traveller - free trader crews made up ex-naval personnel, marines and other flotsam and jetsam, pirates, mercenaries...what more could you want?
While utimately a huge let-down as fiction Moon's Heris Serrano series also has a very Traveller feel.
Sonething I would dearly love to run one day but which would require a huge amount of work to set up is a Traveller game set in the distant past of MAR Barker's Tekumel, when it was still part of a vast interstellar civilization with some of the weirdest aliens ever, killer androids and interdimensional cthulhuesque entities coldly planning the annihilation of all life in the universe.
Ken MacLeod's Engines of Light setting has similar issues with travelling but some cool ideas (planets seeded by colonies taken from various stages of earth history, intelligent dinosaurs, vast STL starships crewed by gigantic Kraken-like beings).
Hyperion had IIRC FTL but with significant relativistic effects meaning it could take months or years in real time to get from one planet to another - however it has an evil catholic church controlled by weird alien entities selling immortality in exchange for domination - so what's not to like?
Barring the ansibles (which are disabled by a nefarious plot anyway) Vatta Wars is almost pure small ship Traveller - free trader crews made up ex-naval personnel, marines and other flotsam and jetsam, pirates, mercenaries...what more could you want?
While utimately a huge let-down as fiction Moon's Heris Serrano series also has a very Traveller feel.
Sonething I would dearly love to run one day but which would require a huge amount of work to set up is a Traveller game set in the distant past of MAR Barker's Tekumel, when it was still part of a vast interstellar civilization with some of the weirdest aliens ever, killer androids and interdimensional cthulhuesque entities coldly planning the annihilation of all life in the universe.
Blue Ghost
December 17th, 2006, 02:18 PM
Originally posted by FreeTrav:
The "Lords of the Diamond" series by Jack Chalker. Some tweaking would be necessary, but the basic setting - four worlds that once you're exposed to them, you can't leave, and there's some sort of virus that has drastic effects on you (which is why you can't leave), different on each world. Of the four worlds, I find that Cerberus is actually the most plausible for a Traveller setting without stretching suspension of disbelief TOO far (make the mystery virus a psionically-active virus), but if you want to invoke an Ancient diablus ex machina, all four would be ultimately explainable.
I read those years ago. Cerberus was the ice-world, wasn't it? Otherwise I can't remember too much about them. The first book in the series was interesting, and the second book was kind of neat. I don't remember too much from the third. I do remember that the second book took place on a water world. Some good cover art, if I recall it correctly, which would lead to some very inspired Traveller settings.
The "Lords of the Diamond" series by Jack Chalker. Some tweaking would be necessary, but the basic setting - four worlds that once you're exposed to them, you can't leave, and there's some sort of virus that has drastic effects on you (which is why you can't leave), different on each world. Of the four worlds, I find that Cerberus is actually the most plausible for a Traveller setting without stretching suspension of disbelief TOO far (make the mystery virus a psionically-active virus), but if you want to invoke an Ancient diablus ex machina, all four would be ultimately explainable.
I read those years ago. Cerberus was the ice-world, wasn't it? Otherwise I can't remember too much about them. The first book in the series was interesting, and the second book was kind of neat. I don't remember too much from the third. I do remember that the second book took place on a water world. Some good cover art, if I recall it correctly, which would lead to some very inspired Traveller settings.
FreeTrav
December 17th, 2006, 04:04 PM
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by FreeTrav:
The "Lords of the Diamond" series by Jack Chalker. Some tweaking would be necessary, but the basic setting - four worlds that once you're exposed to them, you can't leave, and there's some sort of virus that has drastic effects on you (which is why you can't leave), different on each world. Of the four worlds, I find that Cerberus is actually the most plausible for a Traveller setting without stretching suspension of disbelief TOO far (make the mystery virus a psionically-active virus), but if you want to invoke an Ancient diablus ex machina, all four would be ultimately explainable.
I read those years ago. Cerberus was the ice-world, wasn't it? Otherwise I can't remember too much about them. The first book in the series was interesting, and the second book was kind of neat. I don't remember too much from the third. I do remember that the second book took place on a water world. Some good cover art, if I recall it correctly, which would lead to some very inspired Traveller settings. </font>[/QUOTE]No, Cerberus was the second book, the waterworld, where the local variant of the Warden virus enabled mind/body swapping. The ice world was Medusa (fourth book), where the local variant of the Warden virus enabled rapid and radical adaptation to ambient conditions, and when driven to near-overload levels, conscious control over such adaptation.
(For completeness: Lilith's (Book 1) variant of the Warden virus didn't allow offworld material, and allowed what essentially looked like telekinetic control over anything that was 'contaminated' by that variant. The Charon (Book 3) variant seemed to allow outright magic, including transforming inanimate objects and polymorphing living objects.) graemlins/omega.gif
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by FreeTrav:
The "Lords of the Diamond" series by Jack Chalker. Some tweaking would be necessary, but the basic setting - four worlds that once you're exposed to them, you can't leave, and there's some sort of virus that has drastic effects on you (which is why you can't leave), different on each world. Of the four worlds, I find that Cerberus is actually the most plausible for a Traveller setting without stretching suspension of disbelief TOO far (make the mystery virus a psionically-active virus), but if you want to invoke an Ancient diablus ex machina, all four would be ultimately explainable.
I read those years ago. Cerberus was the ice-world, wasn't it? Otherwise I can't remember too much about them. The first book in the series was interesting, and the second book was kind of neat. I don't remember too much from the third. I do remember that the second book took place on a water world. Some good cover art, if I recall it correctly, which would lead to some very inspired Traveller settings. </font>[/QUOTE]No, Cerberus was the second book, the waterworld, where the local variant of the Warden virus enabled mind/body swapping. The ice world was Medusa (fourth book), where the local variant of the Warden virus enabled rapid and radical adaptation to ambient conditions, and when driven to near-overload levels, conscious control over such adaptation.
(For completeness: Lilith's (Book 1) variant of the Warden virus didn't allow offworld material, and allowed what essentially looked like telekinetic control over anything that was 'contaminated' by that variant. The Charon (Book 3) variant seemed to allow outright magic, including transforming inanimate objects and polymorphing living objects.) graemlins/omega.gif
FreeTrav
December 17th, 2006, 04:25 PM
... and of course, we can't neglect to mention H. Beam Piper's Terran Federation/Terran Empire universe of Space Viking, Uller Uprising, and the Fuzzy books - which universe is said to be one of the inspiration for Traveller in the first place.
Also, while the basic universe/setting of Star Trek simply doesn't 'feel right' for Traveller, there are, nevertheless, certain novels in the Pocket Books series of Star Trek novels which could be adapted into Traveller adventures with little violence needing to be done to either the story or the Traveller setting - one of my favorites that is thus portable is Uhura's Song. graemlins/omega.gif
Also, while the basic universe/setting of Star Trek simply doesn't 'feel right' for Traveller, there are, nevertheless, certain novels in the Pocket Books series of Star Trek novels which could be adapted into Traveller adventures with little violence needing to be done to either the story or the Traveller setting - one of my favorites that is thus portable is Uhura's Song. graemlins/omega.gif
GypsyComet
December 17th, 2006, 05:52 PM
Originally posted by alanb:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
Everyone; anybody have any good water world settings? smile.gif Water worlds are easy enough. My favourite is: "what if birds filled all the ecological niches filled by aquatic mammals on Earth?"
Yes, that's Whale-Sized Penguin World.
...
Hmm. There's three suitable excuses. How many of these worlds will there be? </font>[/QUOTE]The Whale-sized Penguin is called a "Vortex", as that is exactly what Dougal Dixon did in "After Man" many years ago. The book should be high on any Traveller world-building wonk's "to find" list, as it posits that Man is gone to some undisclosed form of extinction that included all the species he domesticated or hunted, and the other species he exterminated in support of those activities. So most of the equines, bovines, porcines, and large carnivores are gone, as well as the whales and a number of other aquatics.
Already mostly there, the penguins and a couple other aquatic birds evolve to fill the two niches once occupied by the whales (micro carnivore and macro carnivore). The rodents provide the basis for many of the new large land carnivores, and a number of less economically exploited herbivores expand to fill in the environmental niches emptied by man's domesticated species.
Great stuff. Dixon has done three other notable projects that might be of interest. The one to follow "After Man" was "Man After Man", a look at the continued development of Man as he approaches, hits, and passes his technological zenith.
Next was "The New Dinosaurs" (if memory serves, this is the one I don't own) whch looked at an almost Jurrasic Park type of scenario, assuming that some species survived or were revived by man, and have assumed roles in modern ecological niches including some domesticated roles.
Most recent was a BBC series call "The Future is Wild" which looked at Earth in three later periods, millions of years from now, to see how life survives and evolves to meet the new challenges. The series has been shown in the US and been released on DVD.
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
Everyone; anybody have any good water world settings? smile.gif Water worlds are easy enough. My favourite is: "what if birds filled all the ecological niches filled by aquatic mammals on Earth?"
Yes, that's Whale-Sized Penguin World.
...
Hmm. There's three suitable excuses. How many of these worlds will there be? </font>[/QUOTE]The Whale-sized Penguin is called a "Vortex", as that is exactly what Dougal Dixon did in "After Man" many years ago. The book should be high on any Traveller world-building wonk's "to find" list, as it posits that Man is gone to some undisclosed form of extinction that included all the species he domesticated or hunted, and the other species he exterminated in support of those activities. So most of the equines, bovines, porcines, and large carnivores are gone, as well as the whales and a number of other aquatics.
Already mostly there, the penguins and a couple other aquatic birds evolve to fill the two niches once occupied by the whales (micro carnivore and macro carnivore). The rodents provide the basis for many of the new large land carnivores, and a number of less economically exploited herbivores expand to fill in the environmental niches emptied by man's domesticated species.
Great stuff. Dixon has done three other notable projects that might be of interest. The one to follow "After Man" was "Man After Man", a look at the continued development of Man as he approaches, hits, and passes his technological zenith.
Next was "The New Dinosaurs" (if memory serves, this is the one I don't own) whch looked at an almost Jurrasic Park type of scenario, assuming that some species survived or were revived by man, and have assumed roles in modern ecological niches including some domesticated roles.
Most recent was a BBC series call "The Future is Wild" which looked at Earth in three later periods, millions of years from now, to see how life survives and evolves to meet the new challenges. The series has been shown in the US and been released on DVD.
Enoff
December 18th, 2006, 11:56 AM
Originally posted by FreeTrav:
... and of course, we can't neglect to mention H. Beam Piper's Terran Federation/Terran Empire universe of Space Viking, Uller Uprising, and the Fuzzy books - which universe is said to be one of the inspiration for Traveller in the first place. A lot of H.Beam Piper's stories are available for download from manybooks.net
... and of course, we can't neglect to mention H. Beam Piper's Terran Federation/Terran Empire universe of Space Viking, Uller Uprising, and the Fuzzy books - which universe is said to be one of the inspiration for Traveller in the first place. A lot of H.Beam Piper's stories are available for download from manybooks.net
Blue Ghost
December 19th, 2006, 01:17 AM
Originally posted by Bill Cameron:
Great thread you started Blue!
Some comments:
- Always wanted to use the K'Kree in an adventure or campaign but never found a way to fit them in. I 'worked' on the other side of Imperial space from the 2,000 Worlds, coming up with a reason for the Centaurs to be Behind the Claw was too much for my pointy head. I did steal the wax crescent scent sculpture idea from the K'Kree Alien Module. The players helped recover them but never met a K'Kree in the process.
- Had a long running campaign set in the Islands and detailed Sansterre quite nicely. Fritz and BGG are correct; waterworlds are fun, fun, FUN. Google The Roaring Forties and then imagine how big waves can get with no landmasses to break them up... ;) On Santerre I had floating cities, grav cities, seabed cities, cities below the seabed, cities in reefs, cities carved into the sides of submarine canyons, you name it.
- In one campaign, I had the players stumbled across an abandoned/lost/disabled/unfinished Sky Raider generation ship still in the Great Rift. The Loeskalth had tried to launch a second one before the Vilani hammered them. The idea was to finish the ship later in some backwater system and pick up refugees on the fly. The launch had been premature, the initial jump hurried, and the ship only made it 1 ly or so away from the launch system. The crew then abandoned the ship. The Vilani caught up with them and mistook this second ship for the first one! They'd heard/learned of the project naturally. This confusion allowed the first ship to make it's escape. Of course, after all my work, the players located the ship, immediately sold the location to a government, and never stepped foot on it again. LOL!
Have fun,
Bill Thanks Bill smile.gif
I always wanted to create a floating city adventure. I probably will at some point.
Okay, Bill and everyone else; I'm guessing the year before last or before that I started a Ring World topic. Have any of you done a Ringworld or Dyson sphere adventure? What was it like?
Great thread you started Blue!
Some comments:
- Always wanted to use the K'Kree in an adventure or campaign but never found a way to fit them in. I 'worked' on the other side of Imperial space from the 2,000 Worlds, coming up with a reason for the Centaurs to be Behind the Claw was too much for my pointy head. I did steal the wax crescent scent sculpture idea from the K'Kree Alien Module. The players helped recover them but never met a K'Kree in the process.
- Had a long running campaign set in the Islands and detailed Sansterre quite nicely. Fritz and BGG are correct; waterworlds are fun, fun, FUN. Google The Roaring Forties and then imagine how big waves can get with no landmasses to break them up... ;) On Santerre I had floating cities, grav cities, seabed cities, cities below the seabed, cities in reefs, cities carved into the sides of submarine canyons, you name it.
- In one campaign, I had the players stumbled across an abandoned/lost/disabled/unfinished Sky Raider generation ship still in the Great Rift. The Loeskalth had tried to launch a second one before the Vilani hammered them. The idea was to finish the ship later in some backwater system and pick up refugees on the fly. The launch had been premature, the initial jump hurried, and the ship only made it 1 ly or so away from the launch system. The crew then abandoned the ship. The Vilani caught up with them and mistook this second ship for the first one! They'd heard/learned of the project naturally. This confusion allowed the first ship to make it's escape. Of course, after all my work, the players located the ship, immediately sold the location to a government, and never stepped foot on it again. LOL!
Have fun,
Bill Thanks Bill smile.gif
I always wanted to create a floating city adventure. I probably will at some point.
Okay, Bill and everyone else; I'm guessing the year before last or before that I started a Ring World topic. Have any of you done a Ringworld or Dyson sphere adventure? What was it like?
Whipsnade
December 19th, 2006, 01:36 AM
Blue,
I never tackled a ringworld or Dyson sphere. Both artifacts are just too damn big for the OTU setting. They'd swallow up empires and make empires that only controlled a fraction of them far too powerful.
DGP - who else? - put an 'unfinished' ringworld in the Hinterworlds sector. Just what 'unfinished' could be stretched to mean is unknown.
Supposedly some relatively tiny minor race empire, the Outcasts of the Whispering Sky, manages to keep any and all investigators away from the system in question. Sure. It's only one sector away from the Imperium, Solomani, and Hivers and a bunch of schmoos with a handful of worlds keeps everyone at bay. Right. Pull my other leg, it plays Jingle Bells.
IMTU 'unfinished' meant 'various sections in long period solar orbits around the central star with nothing connected together'. And that's still not dialed back enough to dampen what should be objects of immense interest.
Of course, as Niven himself pointed out, a ringworld is perfect for a "tech as magic" type setting.
Have fun,
Bill
P.S. Almost forgot that GT upped DGP's ante in the Moron Game and placed an unfinished Dyson sphere coreward and trailing of the K'Kree/Vargr. Naturally, neither of those major races show anywhere near the interest in the Sphere that they should. Right. Sure. Uh-huh. Hey, if you're going to f*** up you might as well f*** up BIG.
[ December 19, 2006, 02:11 AM: Message edited by: Sigg Oddra ]
I never tackled a ringworld or Dyson sphere. Both artifacts are just too damn big for the OTU setting. They'd swallow up empires and make empires that only controlled a fraction of them far too powerful.
DGP - who else? - put an 'unfinished' ringworld in the Hinterworlds sector. Just what 'unfinished' could be stretched to mean is unknown.
Supposedly some relatively tiny minor race empire, the Outcasts of the Whispering Sky, manages to keep any and all investigators away from the system in question. Sure. It's only one sector away from the Imperium, Solomani, and Hivers and a bunch of schmoos with a handful of worlds keeps everyone at bay. Right. Pull my other leg, it plays Jingle Bells.
IMTU 'unfinished' meant 'various sections in long period solar orbits around the central star with nothing connected together'. And that's still not dialed back enough to dampen what should be objects of immense interest.
Of course, as Niven himself pointed out, a ringworld is perfect for a "tech as magic" type setting.
Have fun,
Bill
P.S. Almost forgot that GT upped DGP's ante in the Moron Game and placed an unfinished Dyson sphere coreward and trailing of the K'Kree/Vargr. Naturally, neither of those major races show anywhere near the interest in the Sphere that they should. Right. Sure. Uh-huh. Hey, if you're going to f*** up you might as well f*** up BIG.
[ December 19, 2006, 02:11 AM: Message edited by: Sigg Oddra ]
mike wightman
December 19th, 2006, 02:11 AM
It wasn't DGP ;)
MWM mentions the unfinished ringworld in Secret of the Ancients.
MWM mentions the unfinished ringworld in Secret of the Ancients.
FreeTrav
December 19th, 2006, 12:52 PM
Originally posted by Enoff:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by FreeTrav:
... and of course, we can't neglect to mention H. Beam Piper's Terran Federation/Terran Empire universe of Space Viking, Uller Uprising, and the Fuzzy books - which universe is said to be one of the inspiration for Traveller in the first place. A lot of H.Beam Piper's stories are available for download from manybooks.net </font>[/QUOTE]And from Project Gutenberg. graemlins/omega.gif
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by FreeTrav:
... and of course, we can't neglect to mention H. Beam Piper's Terran Federation/Terran Empire universe of Space Viking, Uller Uprising, and the Fuzzy books - which universe is said to be one of the inspiration for Traveller in the first place. A lot of H.Beam Piper's stories are available for download from manybooks.net </font>[/QUOTE]And from Project Gutenberg. graemlins/omega.gif
clementk
December 19th, 2006, 08:06 PM
I'm still not sure how those are ok since the works date from the 50s+. With reissues in the 90s (one in 2001 both by Ace books) & at least one new novel based on his works being done or out. Sounds more like somebody making an "abandonware claim" and crossing their fingers (per manybooks.net entries*).
But hey, good works, well worth a read. Very suitable for Traveller and good reads as well.
*disclaimers like "Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the copyright on this publication was renewed."
But hey, good works, well worth a read. Very suitable for Traveller and good reads as well.
*disclaimers like "Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the copyright on this publication was renewed."
Enoff
December 19th, 2006, 09:12 PM
I have many of H. Beam Piper's books, Ace editions.
Love Michael Whelan's cover art on cosmic computer and Space Vikings!
Love Michael Whelan's cover art on cosmic computer and Space Vikings!
Blue Ghost
December 20th, 2006, 12:11 AM
Dyson Spheres and Ringworlds; yeah, I figured it might be kind of neat to have a band happen across one via a misjump or somesuch. I may write something up along these lines.
I never figured that any commonly known race, Darriens included, would have one in the official Traveller Milieu, but it would be interesting if a band of adventurers had to encounter one and make their way out of a dicey situation.
A dyson sphere or ringworld would fill volumes of sourcebooks for settings. Some mercenary poster actually ran with this idea when I brought it up a couple years back. It was pretty vanilla flavored stuff.
Another setting; has anybody considered venturing into a stellar nursery, or a primordial world? I recall "Shadows" (the mini adventure that came with Starter Traveller) had a set of ruins in an insidious or corrosive atmosphere. I think the old big black Traveller book had a concept or seed for a world covered with fungus life forms.
Has anybody done a Gas Giant or Iceworld adventure?
I never figured that any commonly known race, Darriens included, would have one in the official Traveller Milieu, but it would be interesting if a band of adventurers had to encounter one and make their way out of a dicey situation.
A dyson sphere or ringworld would fill volumes of sourcebooks for settings. Some mercenary poster actually ran with this idea when I brought it up a couple years back. It was pretty vanilla flavored stuff.
Another setting; has anybody considered venturing into a stellar nursery, or a primordial world? I recall "Shadows" (the mini adventure that came with Starter Traveller) had a set of ruins in an insidious or corrosive atmosphere. I think the old big black Traveller book had a concept or seed for a world covered with fungus life forms.
Has anybody done a Gas Giant or Iceworld adventure?
aramis
December 20th, 2006, 04:09 AM
Several of them slipped out just before an extension was passed. (mostly early ones which hadn't been extended).
Others may have been released by the estate.
It used to be 20 years then renew for 50 more or life+20, and unless specifically copyrighted, not protected.
My how things have changed since the early 1990's...
Others may have been released by the estate.
It used to be 20 years then renew for 50 more or life+20, and unless specifically copyrighted, not protected.
My how things have changed since the early 1990's...
Arthur Denger
December 20th, 2006, 12:42 PM
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
Everyone; anybody have any good water world settings?
graemlins/paragraph.gif GURPS Blue Planet is a reasonably good resource. And I generally don't care that much for GURPS... (sorry, guys!). IMHO it is far better than Nomads of the World Ocean (aka 'Greenpeace in Space'), for example. graemlins/omega.gif
Everyone; anybody have any good water world settings?
graemlins/paragraph.gif GURPS Blue Planet is a reasonably good resource. And I generally don't care that much for GURPS... (sorry, guys!). IMHO it is far better than Nomads of the World Ocean (aka 'Greenpeace in Space'), for example. graemlins/omega.gif
kafka47
December 20th, 2006, 01:36 PM
Forget about the GURPS version go back to the original Biohazzard Games release of the rules for the main rulebook and its companion - Archipelago: A Guide to the Islands of Blue Planet.
Milieu background:
http://www.biohazardgames.com/bp.html
The Flying Flight Games stuff is not bad, but I think they dealt too much into the "punk" (as in cyberpunk) aspect of the game. The original was much more balanced.
The Gamelords Environment series including the adventure could all be adapted to Waterworlds.
You mentioned Farpoint as an exotic locale, it is also a waterworld as there is less than 1000 sq kms of land that peaks above ocean. It is modelled after Europa. True, what is under the water is more interesting...
Milieu background:
http://www.biohazardgames.com/bp.html
The Flying Flight Games stuff is not bad, but I think they dealt too much into the "punk" (as in cyberpunk) aspect of the game. The original was much more balanced.
The Gamelords Environment series including the adventure could all be adapted to Waterworlds.
You mentioned Farpoint as an exotic locale, it is also a waterworld as there is less than 1000 sq kms of land that peaks above ocean. It is modelled after Europa. True, what is under the water is more interesting...
kafka47
December 20th, 2006, 01:40 PM
BTW, here is my list:
Unusual social environment
Typical examples are prison planets, primitive cultures, political or religious extremes and pseudo-medieval societies. :See: Utopia, Dystopia.
- Aka — Ursula K. Le Guin's The Telling (hyper scientific advancement)
- Anarres — Ursula K. Le Guin's Dispossessed (anarchist)
- Armaghast — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (prison planet)
- Athos — Lois McMaster Bujold's Ethan of Athos (male-only society)
- Barrayar — Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series (feudal military culture)
- Beowulf — David Weber's Honorverse. Very liberal sexual mores.
- Brontitall — The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; planet of bird people who live in the ear of a statue after shoe shop disaster.
- Cetaganda — Bujold's Vorkosigan series (genetically engineered culture)
- Chthon — Piers Anthony's Chthon (prison planet)
- Coruscant — The Star Wars films (planet-wide city, seat of Galactic Republic and Empire)
- Crete — Freelancer
- Dorsai — Gordon R. Dickson's Dorsai series (soldier culture)
- Gauda Prime — Appears in the last episode of Blake's Seven, being where one of the characters originates, and where the series' eponymous character is residing. A planet overrun with bounty hunters and the scum of the galaxy - but some of whose inhabitants wish to return it to normality (and the Federation).
- Gethen/Winter — Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness (hermaphrodites)
- Gork
- Gor — John Norman's Gor series (men are warriors; women are often sex-slaves; all are generally happy in their appointed roles)
- Hades — David Weber's Honorverse. Prison planet where none of the native wildlife can be metabolized by humans.
- Hain — Central planet in Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish series.
- Hebron — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (Jewish ethnic)
- Houston — Freelancer
- Irk (Invader Zim)
- Leeds — Freelancer, a heavily polluted planet.
- Magrathea — The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (planet of wealthy customised planet builders)
- Mejerr — Vandread (female-only society)
- Miranda — Serenity (site where Alliance accidentally spawned the Reavers)
- Nark A charlie planet
- Omega — Robert Sheckley's The Status Civilization (a prison planet)
- Orthe — Mary Gentle's Golden Witchbreed (post-holocaust/medieval aliens)
- Pacem — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (base of Catholic church)
- Parvati — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (reformed Hindus)
- Pern — Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series (people ride genetically-engineered dragons)
- Qom-Riyadh — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (Moslem)
- Rimmerworld Arnold Rimmer of Red Dwarf spends 600 years alone on this planet, creating clones of himself in a failed attempt to create a girlfriend. The planet is eventually populated by millions of clones who imprison the original Rimmer.
- Riverworld — Philip José Farmer's Riverworld series (all humans in history reincarnated along a spiral river)
- Rubanis — Valérian: Spatio-Temporal Agent series (ultra-capitalist)
- Sangre — Norman Spinrad's Men in the Jungle (cannibalism)
- Salusa Secundus — from the Dune Chronicles. Nuked-out "hell world" used as a training environment for super-soldiers.
- Shikasta — Doris Lessing's Shikasta (cosmic consciousness)
- Shora — Joan Slonczewski's A Door into Ocean (waterbound culture)
- Solaria — Isaac Asimov's Robot series. People grow up isolated, and eventually lead totally solitary lives, interacting only via telepresence.
- Talark — Vandread (male-only society)
- Terminus - Foundation; Isaac Asimov
- Tiamat — Joan D. Vinge's The Snow Queen (matriarchy/monarchy)
- Yugopotamia (The Fairly Oddparents)
- Xindus — Star Trek: Enterprise (six distinct sentient species)
- Zycos A charlie planet. Some Fantasy Worlds are also depicted as alien planets.
Unusual physical environment
Typical examples are one-climate planets — deserts, waterworlds, arctic conditions and especially jungles.
- Abyormen — Hal Clement's Cycle of Fire (temperature extremes)
- Acid planet — Total Annihilation (Corresive oceans with forests of explosive gasbag plants)
- Aether — Metroid Prime 2, planet with two parallel dimensions
- Aquarius — Giant waterworld that caused the Biblical Great Flood. From Final Yamato of the Space Battleship Yamato series.
- Aquas — Small waterworld in the Lylat System, setting of the video games in Nintendo's StarFox series
- Arrakis — Frank Herbert's Dune (desert world, sole source of Melange)
- Atlantis — Peter F. Hamilton's The Night's Dawn Trilogy (waterworld)
- Ballybran — Anne McCaffrey's Crystal Singer. (toxic world. Inhabitants must form a symbionic relationship with a spore in order to survive.)
- Baloris Prime — A planet from the PC game 'Descent II' which was mostly desert (according to the writers of the game this was because its axis of rotation was exactly perpendicular to its plane of orbit, causing a total lack of seasons on the surface of the planet.
- Bespin — Star Wars (gas giant with habitable atmospheric layer)
- Big Planet — Jack Vance
- Chaos — Exosquad (the tenth planet of the Solar System, composed entirely of dark matter)
- Core Prime — Total Annihilation (metallic with a gigantic computer at its core and a landfill-covered satellite)
- Crematoria — The Chronicles of Riddick movie (periods of intense heat)
- Cybertron — Transformers series (Metallic/Mechanical)
- Dagobah — Star Wars (swamp, Yoda's hideout)
- Dhrawn — Hal Clement's Star Light (high gravity)
- Dragon's Egg — Robert Forward (life on neutron star)
- Echronedal — Iain M. Banks' The Player of Games (a fire storm forever sweeping round an unbroken equatorial continent)
- Ego the Living Planet — Marvel comics (living planet)
- Endor — the forest-moon in Return of the Jedi
- Erna — C. S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy (psychically malleable quasi-sentient natural forces)
- Far Away — Peter F. Hamilton's Pandora's Star (triangle of stratospheric mountains, sterilized by solar flare, Starflyer alien)
- Fortuna — Small planet in StarFox 64, it is a world similar to Hoth
- Gamilon/Gamilus — Polluted homeworld of Leader Desslock the Gamilon/Gamilus Empire — Space Battleship Yamato
- Garth — David Brin's Uplift War (weird biology)
- Giedi Prime — Frank Herbert's Dune series (surface covered in upwelling oil, homeworld of House Harkonnen)
- God's Grove — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (forest world,Worldtree)
- Grayson — David Weber's Honorverse. Toxic, heavy metal environment.
- Hekla — Hal Clement's Cold Front (ice age aliens)
- Helliconia — Brian Aldiss (seasons last millennia)
- Hoth — The Empire Strikes Back (arctic)
- Homeworld of The Micronauts, actually a chain of worldlets connected which resembles the ball and stick molecular model.
- Htrae — Red Dwarf (a backwards version of Earth).
- Hydros — Robert Silverberg's Face of the Waters (waterworld)
- Hyperion — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (one of 9 labyrinth planets, Time Tombs)
- Ireta — Anne McCaffrey's Planet Pirate series. Inhabited by both people and dinosaurs.
- Ishtar — Poul Anderson's Fire Time (periods of intense heat)
- Jinx — Larry Niven's Known Space universe (high gravity and extreme vertical scale)
- Kamino — Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (ocean)
- Kashyyyk — Star Wars, particularly Knights of the Old Republic (forest world caused by a terraforming accident, where gigantic trees and furry, sentient Wookiees to maintain them evolved at an accelerated pace)
- Kharak — Homeworld (desert planet) destroyed by an enemy race after space travel is developed
- Kithrup — David Brin's Startide Rising (waterworld rich in heavy metals, which form part of the biochemical structure of its life. Mildly toxic to non-native life. also the "retirement" home of a neurotic race with enormous psi power)
- Lagash — Isaac Asimov's Nightfall (planet where each day lasts two thousand years)
- Lamarckia — Greg Bear's Legacy (Lamarckian evolution)
- LV-426 — Aliens
- Manaan — Star Wars (ocean)
- Majipoor — Robert Silverberg (large planet)
- Mare Infinitus — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (waterworld)
- Maui-Covenant — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (motile isles)
- Medea — Harlan Ellison's worldbuilding project
- Mesklin — Hal Clement's Mission of Gravity (superjovian)
- Monea — Star Trek: Voyager (waterworld)
- Mor-Tax — the aliens' homeworld in the first season of War of the Worlds (described as a garden planet)
- Nacre — Piers Anthony's Omnivore
- Namek and New Namek — Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball (temperate land where trees are scarce, but water and grass abondant)
- Pittsburgh — Freelancer (desert, populated with mining operations).
- Placet — Fredric Brown's Placet is a Crazy Place
- Plateau/Mt. Lookitthat — Larry Niven's Known Space universe (Venus-like with only a small high plateau habitable; colonized by mistake)
- Poseidon — Blue Planet Roleplaying game (ocean world)
- Pyrrus — Harry Harrison's Deathworld (high gravity and psychic animals)
- Regis III — Stanisław Lem's Invincible (inorganic evolution)
- Resurgam — Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe (desert with buried alien artefacts)
- Rocheworld — Robert Forward (double planet that almost touches)
- The Smoke Ring — Larry Niven's Integral Trees & Smoke Ring (gas ring around a neutron star)
- Sol Draconi Septem — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (glacier covered)
- Solaris — Stanisław Lem's Solaris (Mostly covered by living ocean)
- Star One - a star with a single planet holding the Federation's main computers in Blake's 7, situated between our galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy. Planet destroyed in an intergalactic war.
- Pern — Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern. Deadly spore capable of eating anything (except rock and metal) rains down on planet for fifty years every 200-400 years.
- Tatooine — Star Wars movies (desert world)
- Tallon IV — Metroid Prime. All life on planet was horribly mutated following the crash of a toxic asteroid.
- Tenebra — Hal Clement's Close to Critical (high gravity and corrosive atmosphere)
- Terminal — an artificial planet displaying extreme polar flattening in Blake's 7.
- Thalassa — Arthur C. Clarke's Songs of Distant Earth (waterworld)
- T'ien Shan — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (mountain world, toxic surface clouds)
- Tycho Brahe — From Descent II, a spaceship the size and shape of a planet, mistaken for one until its two hemispheres actually separated to reveal a mechanical interior (metallic/mechanical)
- Ursa Minor Beta nearly always Saturday afternoon The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Venom — Largest and closest orbiting planet of the Lylat System, setting of the games in Nintendo's StarFox series, bearing an extremely toxic atmosphere and therefore a highly desolate surface. In some versions of the backstory, Venom was previously called Edena because it was supposedly covered almost entirely with forest, possibly evergreen, before Andross was exiled there, suggesting it may have also been a prison planet.
- Vladislava — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe (extremely turbulent atmosphere)
- Well World — Jack L. Chalker's Well of Souls series (surface divided in thousands of different ecosystems, each one with a different sentient race)
- World of Tiers — Philip José Farmer's book series of the same name (world-sized stepped pyramid with a different environment on each step)
- Yavin 4 — Fourth moon of the gas giant, Yavin; Rebel Alliance stronghold located in the ruins of an ancient Massassi temple (abandoned long ago) from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
- Yellowstone — Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe, the site of Chasm City and Glitter Band habitats
- Zahir — Valérian: Spatio-Temporal Agent series (hollow planet)
- Zeelich, a planet in Little Big Adventure 2. It is covered by a thick layer of gas clouds and beneath lies a sea of lava. Vegetation and civilisation is recurrent only on mountains above the cloud layer. Zyrgon, a icebound planet in "Halfway across the galaxy and turn left"
- Zoness — A planet that once was nearly all tropical in its climate, and home to many island resorts in StarFox's Lylat System, the whole planet was turned into a toxic waste dump by the forces of Andross according to the storyline of StarFox 64, turning its once beautiful oceans into seas of corrosive poison and its atmosphere into a caustic cloud of deadly vapors.
Living/sentient planets
- Petaybee, from the Petaybee Series (Powers series) by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Scarborough
- Gaea, a sentient artificial space habitat, from the Gaea Trilogy (Titan, Wizard & Daemon) by John Varley.
- Zonama Sekot living world from the Star Wars expanded universe.
- Pandarve, from the Storm comic books, is not only alive, but also has the status of a goddess
- Mogo, from the Green Lantern Corps comic books, is not only alive, but also an appointed member of the corps.
Other
- Acheron — aka LV-426 the planet on which the derelict ship and its deadly cargo are found in the movies Alien and Aliens
- Aiur — jungle planet in Starcraft the computer game
- Altair IV — Forbidden Planet formerly inhabited by mysteriously extinct race
- Ahnooie-4 where Spaceman Spiff (Calvin) decides to put a repulsive blob out of its misery
- Arisia — E. E. Smith's Lensmen series
- Ark — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe
- Arlia — Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z
- Astra — A Marvel Universe planet where humanoid aliens possess magnetic and molecule-controlling powers that enable them to have every power on metal
- Athse — Ursula K. Le Guin's The Word for World is Forest
- Bajor — Star Trek
- Barsoom — Edgar Rice Burroughs, heroic fantasy version of Mars
- Belzagor — Robert Silverberg's Downward to the Earth and into Conrad's Heart of Darkness
- The Blue Sands Planet — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky
- Bog— where Spaceman Spiff (Calvin) avoids pools of toxic chemicals under a choking atmosphere of poisonous gases
- Botany — an Earth-like world portrayed in Anne McCaffrey's Freedom series.
- Boskone — Smith's Lensmen series
- Bothawui — Star Wars cosmopolitan planet of Bothans
- Caladan — House Atreides home planet before being ordered to take up occupancy of Arrakis. Frank Herbert's Dune.
- Calafia — Water world in David Brin's Uplift universe, inhabited by humans and neo-dolphins. Currently occupied by the Soro.
- Caprica — destroyed home planet of the Battlestar Galactica, one of the 12 home worlds
- Corneria — home planet for the Fox Team in the Star Fox video game series
- Covenant — Scottish-ethnic world in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium Future History. Known for its mercenaries specializing in infantry.
- Centauri Prime — homeworld of the Centauri in the Babylon 5 universe
- Churchill — English-ethnic world in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium Future History.
- Cyteen — C. J. Cherryh's Cyteen series
- Darkover — Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series (medieval culture and psi powers)
- The Discworld — not quite a planet, as it's flat and supported by giant elephants
- Deemi — World in David Brin's Uplift Universe leased to humans on the condition that they run the Galactic prison. Bathed in UV radiation. Most of biosphere is aquatic.
- Dragon World — the Earth from the anime Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dr. Slump, and Neko Majin Z.
- Dayan or Dyan — Israeli-ethnic world in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium Future History.
- Epsilon 3 — orbited by Babylon 5
- Expel — where much of the action of Star Ocean: The Second Story occurs
- Exxilon — Doctor Who serial Death to the Daleks
- Fortuna — Planet of the Star Fox video game series; the "dinosaur planet".
- Freeza Planet 79 — Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z
- Frystaat — Afrikaaner-ethnic world in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium Future History.
- Gallifrey — Doctor Who (main character's home planet)
- Garrota — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe
- Garissa — Planet in Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy that is anti-matter bombed and rendered uninhabitable.
- Gauda Prime — a planet on which the series Blake's 7 comes to an end.
- Giedi Prime — home planet of the Harkonnen Dynasty from Dune
- Giganda — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe
- Gloob — above which Spaceman Spiff, Calvin from the comic (Calvin and Hobbes), has a malfunction in his hyper freem drive and is blasted with a deadly frap ray by the aliens
- Gorgona — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky
- The Great Kai Planet — Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z
- Harvest — a farm planet in the video game series Halo
- Hegira — Greg Bear
- Helicon — Home of Psychohistory founder, Hari Seldon in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series
- Hiigara — Homeworld (lost Kushan home planet)
- Homeworld — Scott Westerfeld's Succession Series (Risen Imperial capital)
- Hope — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe
- Jean — colony planet in the Freefall comic
- Jijo — Planet in Galaxy #4 where Humans and other sophont refugees have illegally hidden, in the case of the G'kek and the Humans to avoid extermination, potential for humanity, certain for G'kek.
- Jobis — A Kiint world with three artificial moons from Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy.
- Jophekka — In David Brin's Uplift Universe, the homeworld of the Jophur, sapient and ambitious sap ring stacks.
- Jurai — The seat of the powerful Juraian Empire in the anime Tenchi Muyo.
- Kaitan — Frank Herbert's Dune (home of the Padishah Emperors)
- Kanassa — Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z
- Koosebane — weird planet in The Muppet Show
- Kosmos — A planet in the Marvel Universe from which a criminal sludge-like alien escapes to hide on Earth where he kills The Wasp's father and fights Ant-Man
- Klendathu — bugs homeplanet in Robert A. Heinlein Starship Troopers
- Krypton — Superman
- Lar Metaal — Planet which shifts location in space every 1,000 years. Homeworld of Queen Promethium, Maetel and possibly Emeraldas — Galaxy Express 999, Queen Millenia, Maetel Legend
- Legis XV — location of Scott Westerfeld's Succession Series
- Manhattan, London, Tokyo and Berlin — Freelancer. Most places in this game are named after Earth places, such as the planet Stuttgart, the New York system, or the Detroit asteroid field.
- Leonida — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe
- Lithia — James Blish's Case of Conscience
- Londinum — Co-capital world (Anglo-American) of the Alliance in Joss Whedon's Firefly universe.
- Lusitania — Orson Scott Card's Speaker for the Dead
- MacBeth — planet from the Star Fox video game series
- Meiji — Japanese-ethnic world in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium Future History.
- Metaluna — This Island Earth
- Minbar — homeworld of the Minbari in the Babylon 5 universe
- Mok, where Spaceman Spiff (Calvin) undergoes water torture (his mother washes his hair)
- Mondas — home planet of the [[Cyberman
Unusual social environment
Typical examples are prison planets, primitive cultures, political or religious extremes and pseudo-medieval societies. :See: Utopia, Dystopia.
- Aka — Ursula K. Le Guin's The Telling (hyper scientific advancement)
- Anarres — Ursula K. Le Guin's Dispossessed (anarchist)
- Armaghast — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (prison planet)
- Athos — Lois McMaster Bujold's Ethan of Athos (male-only society)
- Barrayar — Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series (feudal military culture)
- Beowulf — David Weber's Honorverse. Very liberal sexual mores.
- Brontitall — The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; planet of bird people who live in the ear of a statue after shoe shop disaster.
- Cetaganda — Bujold's Vorkosigan series (genetically engineered culture)
- Chthon — Piers Anthony's Chthon (prison planet)
- Coruscant — The Star Wars films (planet-wide city, seat of Galactic Republic and Empire)
- Crete — Freelancer
- Dorsai — Gordon R. Dickson's Dorsai series (soldier culture)
- Gauda Prime — Appears in the last episode of Blake's Seven, being where one of the characters originates, and where the series' eponymous character is residing. A planet overrun with bounty hunters and the scum of the galaxy - but some of whose inhabitants wish to return it to normality (and the Federation).
- Gethen/Winter — Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness (hermaphrodites)
- Gork
- Gor — John Norman's Gor series (men are warriors; women are often sex-slaves; all are generally happy in their appointed roles)
- Hades — David Weber's Honorverse. Prison planet where none of the native wildlife can be metabolized by humans.
- Hain — Central planet in Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish series.
- Hebron — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (Jewish ethnic)
- Houston — Freelancer
- Irk (Invader Zim)
- Leeds — Freelancer, a heavily polluted planet.
- Magrathea — The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (planet of wealthy customised planet builders)
- Mejerr — Vandread (female-only society)
- Miranda — Serenity (site where Alliance accidentally spawned the Reavers)
- Nark A charlie planet
- Omega — Robert Sheckley's The Status Civilization (a prison planet)
- Orthe — Mary Gentle's Golden Witchbreed (post-holocaust/medieval aliens)
- Pacem — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (base of Catholic church)
- Parvati — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (reformed Hindus)
- Pern — Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series (people ride genetically-engineered dragons)
- Qom-Riyadh — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (Moslem)
- Rimmerworld Arnold Rimmer of Red Dwarf spends 600 years alone on this planet, creating clones of himself in a failed attempt to create a girlfriend. The planet is eventually populated by millions of clones who imprison the original Rimmer.
- Riverworld — Philip José Farmer's Riverworld series (all humans in history reincarnated along a spiral river)
- Rubanis — Valérian: Spatio-Temporal Agent series (ultra-capitalist)
- Sangre — Norman Spinrad's Men in the Jungle (cannibalism)
- Salusa Secundus — from the Dune Chronicles. Nuked-out "hell world" used as a training environment for super-soldiers.
- Shikasta — Doris Lessing's Shikasta (cosmic consciousness)
- Shora — Joan Slonczewski's A Door into Ocean (waterbound culture)
- Solaria — Isaac Asimov's Robot series. People grow up isolated, and eventually lead totally solitary lives, interacting only via telepresence.
- Talark — Vandread (male-only society)
- Terminus - Foundation; Isaac Asimov
- Tiamat — Joan D. Vinge's The Snow Queen (matriarchy/monarchy)
- Yugopotamia (The Fairly Oddparents)
- Xindus — Star Trek: Enterprise (six distinct sentient species)
- Zycos A charlie planet. Some Fantasy Worlds are also depicted as alien planets.
Unusual physical environment
Typical examples are one-climate planets — deserts, waterworlds, arctic conditions and especially jungles.
- Abyormen — Hal Clement's Cycle of Fire (temperature extremes)
- Acid planet — Total Annihilation (Corresive oceans with forests of explosive gasbag plants)
- Aether — Metroid Prime 2, planet with two parallel dimensions
- Aquarius — Giant waterworld that caused the Biblical Great Flood. From Final Yamato of the Space Battleship Yamato series.
- Aquas — Small waterworld in the Lylat System, setting of the video games in Nintendo's StarFox series
- Arrakis — Frank Herbert's Dune (desert world, sole source of Melange)
- Atlantis — Peter F. Hamilton's The Night's Dawn Trilogy (waterworld)
- Ballybran — Anne McCaffrey's Crystal Singer. (toxic world. Inhabitants must form a symbionic relationship with a spore in order to survive.)
- Baloris Prime — A planet from the PC game 'Descent II' which was mostly desert (according to the writers of the game this was because its axis of rotation was exactly perpendicular to its plane of orbit, causing a total lack of seasons on the surface of the planet.
- Bespin — Star Wars (gas giant with habitable atmospheric layer)
- Big Planet — Jack Vance
- Chaos — Exosquad (the tenth planet of the Solar System, composed entirely of dark matter)
- Core Prime — Total Annihilation (metallic with a gigantic computer at its core and a landfill-covered satellite)
- Crematoria — The Chronicles of Riddick movie (periods of intense heat)
- Cybertron — Transformers series (Metallic/Mechanical)
- Dagobah — Star Wars (swamp, Yoda's hideout)
- Dhrawn — Hal Clement's Star Light (high gravity)
- Dragon's Egg — Robert Forward (life on neutron star)
- Echronedal — Iain M. Banks' The Player of Games (a fire storm forever sweeping round an unbroken equatorial continent)
- Ego the Living Planet — Marvel comics (living planet)
- Endor — the forest-moon in Return of the Jedi
- Erna — C. S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy (psychically malleable quasi-sentient natural forces)
- Far Away — Peter F. Hamilton's Pandora's Star (triangle of stratospheric mountains, sterilized by solar flare, Starflyer alien)
- Fortuna — Small planet in StarFox 64, it is a world similar to Hoth
- Gamilon/Gamilus — Polluted homeworld of Leader Desslock the Gamilon/Gamilus Empire — Space Battleship Yamato
- Garth — David Brin's Uplift War (weird biology)
- Giedi Prime — Frank Herbert's Dune series (surface covered in upwelling oil, homeworld of House Harkonnen)
- God's Grove — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (forest world,Worldtree)
- Grayson — David Weber's Honorverse. Toxic, heavy metal environment.
- Hekla — Hal Clement's Cold Front (ice age aliens)
- Helliconia — Brian Aldiss (seasons last millennia)
- Hoth — The Empire Strikes Back (arctic)
- Homeworld of The Micronauts, actually a chain of worldlets connected which resembles the ball and stick molecular model.
- Htrae — Red Dwarf (a backwards version of Earth).
- Hydros — Robert Silverberg's Face of the Waters (waterworld)
- Hyperion — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (one of 9 labyrinth planets, Time Tombs)
- Ireta — Anne McCaffrey's Planet Pirate series. Inhabited by both people and dinosaurs.
- Ishtar — Poul Anderson's Fire Time (periods of intense heat)
- Jinx — Larry Niven's Known Space universe (high gravity and extreme vertical scale)
- Kamino — Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (ocean)
- Kashyyyk — Star Wars, particularly Knights of the Old Republic (forest world caused by a terraforming accident, where gigantic trees and furry, sentient Wookiees to maintain them evolved at an accelerated pace)
- Kharak — Homeworld (desert planet) destroyed by an enemy race after space travel is developed
- Kithrup — David Brin's Startide Rising (waterworld rich in heavy metals, which form part of the biochemical structure of its life. Mildly toxic to non-native life. also the "retirement" home of a neurotic race with enormous psi power)
- Lagash — Isaac Asimov's Nightfall (planet where each day lasts two thousand years)
- Lamarckia — Greg Bear's Legacy (Lamarckian evolution)
- LV-426 — Aliens
- Manaan — Star Wars (ocean)
- Majipoor — Robert Silverberg (large planet)
- Mare Infinitus — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (waterworld)
- Maui-Covenant — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (motile isles)
- Medea — Harlan Ellison's worldbuilding project
- Mesklin — Hal Clement's Mission of Gravity (superjovian)
- Monea — Star Trek: Voyager (waterworld)
- Mor-Tax — the aliens' homeworld in the first season of War of the Worlds (described as a garden planet)
- Nacre — Piers Anthony's Omnivore
- Namek and New Namek — Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball (temperate land where trees are scarce, but water and grass abondant)
- Pittsburgh — Freelancer (desert, populated with mining operations).
- Placet — Fredric Brown's Placet is a Crazy Place
- Plateau/Mt. Lookitthat — Larry Niven's Known Space universe (Venus-like with only a small high plateau habitable; colonized by mistake)
- Poseidon — Blue Planet Roleplaying game (ocean world)
- Pyrrus — Harry Harrison's Deathworld (high gravity and psychic animals)
- Regis III — Stanisław Lem's Invincible (inorganic evolution)
- Resurgam — Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe (desert with buried alien artefacts)
- Rocheworld — Robert Forward (double planet that almost touches)
- The Smoke Ring — Larry Niven's Integral Trees & Smoke Ring (gas ring around a neutron star)
- Sol Draconi Septem — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (glacier covered)
- Solaris — Stanisław Lem's Solaris (Mostly covered by living ocean)
- Star One - a star with a single planet holding the Federation's main computers in Blake's 7, situated between our galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy. Planet destroyed in an intergalactic war.
- Pern — Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern. Deadly spore capable of eating anything (except rock and metal) rains down on planet for fifty years every 200-400 years.
- Tatooine — Star Wars movies (desert world)
- Tallon IV — Metroid Prime. All life on planet was horribly mutated following the crash of a toxic asteroid.
- Tenebra — Hal Clement's Close to Critical (high gravity and corrosive atmosphere)
- Terminal — an artificial planet displaying extreme polar flattening in Blake's 7.
- Thalassa — Arthur C. Clarke's Songs of Distant Earth (waterworld)
- T'ien Shan — Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos (mountain world, toxic surface clouds)
- Tycho Brahe — From Descent II, a spaceship the size and shape of a planet, mistaken for one until its two hemispheres actually separated to reveal a mechanical interior (metallic/mechanical)
- Ursa Minor Beta nearly always Saturday afternoon The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Venom — Largest and closest orbiting planet of the Lylat System, setting of the games in Nintendo's StarFox series, bearing an extremely toxic atmosphere and therefore a highly desolate surface. In some versions of the backstory, Venom was previously called Edena because it was supposedly covered almost entirely with forest, possibly evergreen, before Andross was exiled there, suggesting it may have also been a prison planet.
- Vladislava — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe (extremely turbulent atmosphere)
- Well World — Jack L. Chalker's Well of Souls series (surface divided in thousands of different ecosystems, each one with a different sentient race)
- World of Tiers — Philip José Farmer's book series of the same name (world-sized stepped pyramid with a different environment on each step)
- Yavin 4 — Fourth moon of the gas giant, Yavin; Rebel Alliance stronghold located in the ruins of an ancient Massassi temple (abandoned long ago) from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
- Yellowstone — Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe, the site of Chasm City and Glitter Band habitats
- Zahir — Valérian: Spatio-Temporal Agent series (hollow planet)
- Zeelich, a planet in Little Big Adventure 2. It is covered by a thick layer of gas clouds and beneath lies a sea of lava. Vegetation and civilisation is recurrent only on mountains above the cloud layer. Zyrgon, a icebound planet in "Halfway across the galaxy and turn left"
- Zoness — A planet that once was nearly all tropical in its climate, and home to many island resorts in StarFox's Lylat System, the whole planet was turned into a toxic waste dump by the forces of Andross according to the storyline of StarFox 64, turning its once beautiful oceans into seas of corrosive poison and its atmosphere into a caustic cloud of deadly vapors.
Living/sentient planets
- Petaybee, from the Petaybee Series (Powers series) by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Scarborough
- Gaea, a sentient artificial space habitat, from the Gaea Trilogy (Titan, Wizard & Daemon) by John Varley.
- Zonama Sekot living world from the Star Wars expanded universe.
- Pandarve, from the Storm comic books, is not only alive, but also has the status of a goddess
- Mogo, from the Green Lantern Corps comic books, is not only alive, but also an appointed member of the corps.
Other
- Acheron — aka LV-426 the planet on which the derelict ship and its deadly cargo are found in the movies Alien and Aliens
- Aiur — jungle planet in Starcraft the computer game
- Altair IV — Forbidden Planet formerly inhabited by mysteriously extinct race
- Ahnooie-4 where Spaceman Spiff (Calvin) decides to put a repulsive blob out of its misery
- Arisia — E. E. Smith's Lensmen series
- Ark — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe
- Arlia — Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z
- Astra — A Marvel Universe planet where humanoid aliens possess magnetic and molecule-controlling powers that enable them to have every power on metal
- Athse — Ursula K. Le Guin's The Word for World is Forest
- Bajor — Star Trek
- Barsoom — Edgar Rice Burroughs, heroic fantasy version of Mars
- Belzagor — Robert Silverberg's Downward to the Earth and into Conrad's Heart of Darkness
- The Blue Sands Planet — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky
- Bog— where Spaceman Spiff (Calvin) avoids pools of toxic chemicals under a choking atmosphere of poisonous gases
- Botany — an Earth-like world portrayed in Anne McCaffrey's Freedom series.
- Boskone — Smith's Lensmen series
- Bothawui — Star Wars cosmopolitan planet of Bothans
- Caladan — House Atreides home planet before being ordered to take up occupancy of Arrakis. Frank Herbert's Dune.
- Calafia — Water world in David Brin's Uplift universe, inhabited by humans and neo-dolphins. Currently occupied by the Soro.
- Caprica — destroyed home planet of the Battlestar Galactica, one of the 12 home worlds
- Corneria — home planet for the Fox Team in the Star Fox video game series
- Covenant — Scottish-ethnic world in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium Future History. Known for its mercenaries specializing in infantry.
- Centauri Prime — homeworld of the Centauri in the Babylon 5 universe
- Churchill — English-ethnic world in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium Future History.
- Cyteen — C. J. Cherryh's Cyteen series
- Darkover — Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series (medieval culture and psi powers)
- The Discworld — not quite a planet, as it's flat and supported by giant elephants
- Deemi — World in David Brin's Uplift Universe leased to humans on the condition that they run the Galactic prison. Bathed in UV radiation. Most of biosphere is aquatic.
- Dragon World — the Earth from the anime Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dr. Slump, and Neko Majin Z.
- Dayan or Dyan — Israeli-ethnic world in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium Future History.
- Epsilon 3 — orbited by Babylon 5
- Expel — where much of the action of Star Ocean: The Second Story occurs
- Exxilon — Doctor Who serial Death to the Daleks
- Fortuna — Planet of the Star Fox video game series; the "dinosaur planet".
- Freeza Planet 79 — Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z
- Frystaat — Afrikaaner-ethnic world in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium Future History.
- Gallifrey — Doctor Who (main character's home planet)
- Garrota — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe
- Garissa — Planet in Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy that is anti-matter bombed and rendered uninhabitable.
- Gauda Prime — a planet on which the series Blake's 7 comes to an end.
- Giedi Prime — home planet of the Harkonnen Dynasty from Dune
- Giganda — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe
- Gloob — above which Spaceman Spiff, Calvin from the comic (Calvin and Hobbes), has a malfunction in his hyper freem drive and is blasted with a deadly frap ray by the aliens
- Gorgona — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky
- The Great Kai Planet — Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z
- Harvest — a farm planet in the video game series Halo
- Hegira — Greg Bear
- Helicon — Home of Psychohistory founder, Hari Seldon in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series
- Hiigara — Homeworld (lost Kushan home planet)
- Homeworld — Scott Westerfeld's Succession Series (Risen Imperial capital)
- Hope — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe
- Jean — colony planet in the Freefall comic
- Jijo — Planet in Galaxy #4 where Humans and other sophont refugees have illegally hidden, in the case of the G'kek and the Humans to avoid extermination, potential for humanity, certain for G'kek.
- Jobis — A Kiint world with three artificial moons from Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy.
- Jophekka — In David Brin's Uplift Universe, the homeworld of the Jophur, sapient and ambitious sap ring stacks.
- Jurai — The seat of the powerful Juraian Empire in the anime Tenchi Muyo.
- Kaitan — Frank Herbert's Dune (home of the Padishah Emperors)
- Kanassa — Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z
- Koosebane — weird planet in The Muppet Show
- Kosmos — A planet in the Marvel Universe from which a criminal sludge-like alien escapes to hide on Earth where he kills The Wasp's father and fights Ant-Man
- Klendathu — bugs homeplanet in Robert A. Heinlein Starship Troopers
- Krypton — Superman
- Lar Metaal — Planet which shifts location in space every 1,000 years. Homeworld of Queen Promethium, Maetel and possibly Emeraldas — Galaxy Express 999, Queen Millenia, Maetel Legend
- Legis XV — location of Scott Westerfeld's Succession Series
- Manhattan, London, Tokyo and Berlin — Freelancer. Most places in this game are named after Earth places, such as the planet Stuttgart, the New York system, or the Detroit asteroid field.
- Leonida — Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Noon Universe
- Lithia — James Blish's Case of Conscience
- Londinum — Co-capital world (Anglo-American) of the Alliance in Joss Whedon's Firefly universe.
- Lusitania — Orson Scott Card's Speaker for the Dead
- MacBeth — planet from the Star Fox video game series
- Meiji — Japanese-ethnic world in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium Future History.
- Metaluna — This Island Earth
- Minbar — homeworld of the Minbari in the Babylon 5 universe
- Mok, where Spaceman Spiff (Calvin) undergoes water torture (his mother washes his hair)
- Mondas — home planet of the [[Cyberman
Arthur Denger
December 20th, 2006, 01:45 PM
graemlins/alpha.gif KELI GA/BAKKULA (0301-B245789-A)
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
Dyson Spheres and Ringworlds; yeah, I figured it might be kind of neat to have a band happen across one via a misjump or somesuch. I may write something up along these lines.
...
A dyson sphere or ringworld would fill volumes of sourcebooks for settings. Some mercenary poster actually ran with this idea when I brought it up a couple years back. It was pretty vanilla flavored stuff.
graemlins/paragraph.gif One of the most memorable exotic worlds I ever visited was Unitorc, a torus-world in the Firehorse Subsector (if memory serves), well beyond the Imperial Frontier. I believe it was constructed around a neutron star or brown dwarf. It was an extremely high tech world, rumored to be at TL-G or above. Everything there (even toothbrushes) was quite expensive. Human occupants, but possibly built upon or at least utilizing technology belonging to a far older civilized race. Unfortunately, Unitorc's government was highly draconian in its regulations, so I made my visit as brief as possible.
graemlins/paragraph.gif A world I always thought would make a great Traveller setting is the gas torus world of Niven's The Integral Trees and The Smoke Ring. Essentially a halo of breathable atmosphere orbitting a low power star, its colonial settlers have regressed to about TL-2. Absence of metallic elements in any appreciable amount kept the technology capped at about that level, though some arcane knowledge of relic technology was retained by a small caste of educated individuals. Even so, much has been lost over time, and the inhabitants have basically adopted a tribal culture. The way the author described this freefall environment made it seem incredibly interesting.
graemlins/paragraph.gif Has anyone done an adventure set entirely in a zero-g/micro-g/zero-atmo space? That could be intriguing, as well. Not talking about just floating outside the ship to do repairs, either.
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
Another setting; has anybody considered venturing into a stellar nursery, or a primordial world? I recall "Shadows" (the mini adventure that came with Starter Traveller) had a set of ruins in an insidious or corrosive atmosphere. I think the old big black Traveller book had a concept or seed for a world covered with fungus life forms.
graemlins/paragraph.gif Shadows was an incredible short adventure. It had the creepy, exotic flavor of Alien , and yet turned out to be something quite different. Having visited Yorbund myself, I call tell you the level of paranoia in our party grew to barely tolerable levels while we were there.
graemlins/paragraph.gif Nursery worlds are fairly commonplace in the Frontier Worlds, where terraforming may or may not already be underway. Those worlds of course have their own dangers, and sometimes surprising rewards, too. I've always enjoyed exploring them; I suppose that is why I joined the Scout Service. graemlins/omega.gif
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
Dyson Spheres and Ringworlds; yeah, I figured it might be kind of neat to have a band happen across one via a misjump or somesuch. I may write something up along these lines.
...
A dyson sphere or ringworld would fill volumes of sourcebooks for settings. Some mercenary poster actually ran with this idea when I brought it up a couple years back. It was pretty vanilla flavored stuff.
graemlins/paragraph.gif One of the most memorable exotic worlds I ever visited was Unitorc, a torus-world in the Firehorse Subsector (if memory serves), well beyond the Imperial Frontier. I believe it was constructed around a neutron star or brown dwarf. It was an extremely high tech world, rumored to be at TL-G or above. Everything there (even toothbrushes) was quite expensive. Human occupants, but possibly built upon or at least utilizing technology belonging to a far older civilized race. Unfortunately, Unitorc's government was highly draconian in its regulations, so I made my visit as brief as possible.
graemlins/paragraph.gif A world I always thought would make a great Traveller setting is the gas torus world of Niven's The Integral Trees and The Smoke Ring. Essentially a halo of breathable atmosphere orbitting a low power star, its colonial settlers have regressed to about TL-2. Absence of metallic elements in any appreciable amount kept the technology capped at about that level, though some arcane knowledge of relic technology was retained by a small caste of educated individuals. Even so, much has been lost over time, and the inhabitants have basically adopted a tribal culture. The way the author described this freefall environment made it seem incredibly interesting.
graemlins/paragraph.gif Has anyone done an adventure set entirely in a zero-g/micro-g/zero-atmo space? That could be intriguing, as well. Not talking about just floating outside the ship to do repairs, either.
Originally posted by Blue Ghost:
Another setting; has anybody considered venturing into a stellar nursery, or a primordial world? I recall "Shadows" (the mini adventure that came with Starter Traveller) had a set of ruins in an insidious or corrosive atmosphere. I think the old big black Traveller book had a concept or seed for a world covered with fungus life forms.
graemlins/paragraph.gif Shadows was an incredible short adventure. It had the creepy, exotic flavor of Alien , and yet turned out to be something quite different. Having visited Yorbund myself, I call tell you the level of paranoia in our party grew to barely tolerable levels while we were there.
graemlins/paragraph.gif Nursery worlds are fairly commonplace in the Frontier Worlds, where terraforming may or may not already be underway. Those worlds of course have their own dangers, and sometimes surprising rewards, too. I've always enjoyed exploring them; I suppose that is why I joined the Scout Service. graemlins/omega.gif
Arthur Denger
December 20th, 2006, 01:59 PM
Originally posted by kafka47:
Forget about the GURPS version go back to the original Biohazzard Games release of the rules for the main rulebook and its companion - Archipelago: A Guide to the Islands of Blue Planet.
Milieu background:
http://www.biohazardgames.com/bp.html
The Flying Flight Games stuff is not bad, but I think they dealt too much into the "punk" (as in cyberpunk) aspect of the game. The original was much more balanced.
graemlins/paragraph.gif Thanks for the link, kafka47. You're right about the cyberpunk element, it is slightly overdone in the GURPS version (and in many of their other publications, too, IMHO). Great Gamelords The ... Environment series suggestion! These supplements are still available (new, old stock) from time to time on eBay. graemlins/omega.gif
Forget about the GURPS version go back to the original Biohazzard Games release of the rules for the main rulebook and its companion - Archipelago: A Guide to the Islands of Blue Planet.
Milieu background:
http://www.biohazardgames.com/bp.html
The Flying Flight Games stuff is not bad, but I think they dealt too much into the "punk" (as in cyberpunk) aspect of the game. The original was much more balanced.
graemlins/paragraph.gif Thanks for the link, kafka47. You're right about the cyberpunk element, it is slightly overdone in the GURPS version (and in many of their other publications, too, IMHO). Great Gamelords The ... Environment series suggestion! These supplements are still available (new, old stock) from time to time on eBay. graemlins/omega.gif
Arthur Denger
December 20th, 2006, 02:21 PM
Originally posted by kafka47:
BTW, here is my list:
Unusual social environment
Typical examples are prison planets, primitive cultures, political or religious extremes and pseudo-medieval societies. :See: Utopia, Dystopia.
- Aka — Ursula K. Le Guin's The Telling (hyper scientific advancement)
- Anarres — Ursula K. Le Guin's Dispossessed (anarchist)
- Armaghast...graemlins/paragraph.gif Wholly groatsmilk! :eek: Give me an hour (or six) to digest all that! graemlins/omega.gif
BTW, here is my list:
Unusual social environment
Typical examples are prison planets, primitive cultures, political or religious extremes and pseudo-medieval societies. :See: Utopia, Dystopia.
- Aka — Ursula K. Le Guin's The Telling (hyper scientific advancement)
- Anarres — Ursula K. Le Guin's Dispossessed (anarchist)
- Armaghast...graemlins/paragraph.gif Wholly groatsmilk! :eek: Give me an hour (or six) to digest all that! graemlins/omega.gif
kafka47
December 20th, 2006, 02:38 PM
Originally posted by Arthur hault-Denger:
graemlins/paragraph.gif Thanks for the link, kafka47. You're right about the cyberpunk element, it is slightly overdone in the GURPS version (and in many of their other publications, too, IMHO). Great Gamelords The ... Environment series suggestion! These supplements are still available (new, old stock) from time to time on eBay. graemlins/omega.gif Actually, I found the GURPS version only good for the Guns & FFG's too punkish.
Gamelords stuff may yet appear in CD ROM from Marc, as one time we talking about merging it with the FASA stuff. As I believe that you could even get them off this site at one time.
Come to think of it... there was also a FASA adventure that dealt with Underwater/waterworld setting.
graemlins/paragraph.gif Thanks for the link, kafka47. You're right about the cyberpunk element, it is slightly overdone in the GURPS version (and in many of their other publications, too, IMHO). Great Gamelords The ... Environment series suggestion! These supplements are still available (new, old stock) from time to time on eBay. graemlins/omega.gif Actually, I found the GURPS version only good for the Guns & FFG's too punkish.
Gamelords stuff may yet appear in CD ROM from Marc, as one time we talking about merging it with the FASA stuff. As I believe that you could even get them off this site at one time.
Come to think of it... there was also a FASA adventure that dealt with Underwater/waterworld setting.
clementk
December 24th, 2006, 01:43 AM
Originally posted by Aramis:
Several of them slipped out just before an extension was passed. (mostly early ones which hadn't been extended).
Others may have been released by the estate.
It used to be 20 years then renew for 50 more or life+20, and unless specifically copyrighted, not protected.As you say, used to be, though my understanding from similar threads on CotI etc. is that's changed so anything post-the first Mickey Mouse cartoon automatically is considering copywritten and will remain so for some years.
AFAIK Ace books bought Piper's work, and my copy of Federation has Federation copyright 1981 Charter Communications Inc., not sure if that's an estate or what. Works like Little Fuzzy (reprinted several times and IIRC a later work) are showing up, which was reprinted in the late 1990s or 2001. And the site specifically says as applies to the US in regards to copyright issues, unlike some other sites which get around legal matters by not being in the US/adhereing to US copyright laws.
Is this a case of the original pulp magazine in which a work first was published now being public domain? That still sounds a bit dodgy, esp. if a publisher still shows interest in an author's work (I've noticed at least one Conan tale on that site, which I'm sure has not lapsed). This sounds like applying the concept of abandonware to written works.
Note, I'm not meaning to be a stick in the mud about this, but I've been mistaken on such matters before and CotI is pretty strict on copywritten works. I really like Piper's work, and the more readers the better, though personally I'd prefer he be in print more than he is, but that's a seperate matter.
Several of them slipped out just before an extension was passed. (mostly early ones which hadn't been extended).
Others may have been released by the estate.
It used to be 20 years then renew for 50 more or life+20, and unless specifically copyrighted, not protected.As you say, used to be, though my understanding from similar threads on CotI etc. is that's changed so anything post-the first Mickey Mouse cartoon automatically is considering copywritten and will remain so for some years.
AFAIK Ace books bought Piper's work, and my copy of Federation has Federation copyright 1981 Charter Communications Inc., not sure if that's an estate or what. Works like Little Fuzzy (reprinted several times and IIRC a later work) are showing up, which was reprinted in the late 1990s or 2001. And the site specifically says as applies to the US in regards to copyright issues, unlike some other sites which get around legal matters by not being in the US/adhereing to US copyright laws.
Is this a case of the original pulp magazine in which a work first was published now being public domain? That still sounds a bit dodgy, esp. if a publisher still shows interest in an author's work (I've noticed at least one Conan tale on that site, which I'm sure has not lapsed). This sounds like applying the concept of abandonware to written works.
Note, I'm not meaning to be a stick in the mud about this, but I've been mistaken on such matters before and CotI is pretty strict on copywritten works. I really like Piper's work, and the more readers the better, though personally I'd prefer he be in print more than he is, but that's a seperate matter.
clementk
December 24th, 2006, 02:12 AM
Yep, the two or so French animated Scifi films have great unusual worlds. There's a more recent CGI one worth renting. IIRC it's very close to Nausicaa (http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/nausicaa/), which is worth buying though the original manga graphic novels flesh out the bio-mechanical post-disaster world much more.
mbrinkhues
December 24th, 2006, 08:34 AM
To add a few worlds to Kafka47:
Avalon: The local food-chain generated a Predator capabel of extreme bursts of speed (at the risk of massiv overheating) and build like a well armored crocodile. The beast goes through a multi-stage life cycle, one of them being a large fish-like animal. They are caniballistic, getting parts of their food supply from other predators offspring. Recently a small group of colonists have set down on the world (Legacy of Heorot/Beowulfs Children)
Haven: The moon of a Super-Jovian gas giant. The combined energy of the Sun and the Giant makes it barely inhabitable to humans if they stay in the lower regions. The night/day cycles are extrem and during the long night (when the Star is shadowed) temperatures become dangerously low. The environment contains traces of heavy metal and air pressure in higher regions is low enough to make childbirth dangerous. Add a religous set of initial settlers, a large number of deportees from various cultures, a pirat nation and an attacker from outer space (WarWold)
Plateau A world with an extremly small habitable surface area ruled by an oligarchi based on the former crew and colonists (Niven, Known Space)
Avalon: The local food-chain generated a Predator capabel of extreme bursts of speed (at the risk of massiv overheating) and build like a well armored crocodile. The beast goes through a multi-stage life cycle, one of them being a large fish-like animal. They are caniballistic, getting parts of their food supply from other predators offspring. Recently a small group of colonists have set down on the world (Legacy of Heorot/Beowulfs Children)
Haven: The moon of a Super-Jovian gas giant. The combined energy of the Sun and the Giant makes it barely inhabitable to humans if they stay in the lower regions. The night/day cycles are extrem and during the long night (when the Star is shadowed) temperatures become dangerously low. The environment contains traces of heavy metal and air pressure in higher regions is low enough to make childbirth dangerous. Add a religous set of initial settlers, a large number of deportees from various cultures, a pirat nation and an attacker from outer space (WarWold)
Plateau A world with an extremly small habitable surface area ruled by an oligarchi based on the former crew and colonists (Niven, Known Space)
Blue Ghost
December 24th, 2006, 01:20 PM
Casey; Nausicaa would make a very interesting setting.
aramis
December 25th, 2006, 03:36 AM
Originally posted by Casey:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Aramis:
Several of them slipped out just before an extension was passed. (mostly early ones which hadn't been extended).
Others may have been released by the estate.
It used to be 20 years then renew for 50 more or life+20, and unless specifically copyrighted, not protected.As you say, used to be, though my understanding from similar threads on CotI etc. is that's changed so anything post-the first Mickey Mouse cartoon automatically is considering copywritten and will remain so for some years. </font>[/QUOTE]Here's the thing: if it was ever out of copyright after first copyright, the new extensions don't apply, since it already entered the public domain. It's actually in the law, as of last summer, that way. The mouse, however, has never been out of copyright, tho' if the extensions hadn't been, Steamboat Willie would have lapsed.
Automatic copyright without notice is a relatively new thing, post 1990, which is when I did my original researches on copyright law for a music theory paper.... Almost everything post 1975 was specifically moved into copyright even if the hand-copyright (aka unregistered items) had expired (they had a 2-year at the time), as the hand-copyright distinction has basically been eliminated.
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Aramis:
Several of them slipped out just before an extension was passed. (mostly early ones which hadn't been extended).
Others may have been released by the estate.
It used to be 20 years then renew for 50 more or life+20, and unless specifically copyrighted, not protected.As you say, used to be, though my understanding from similar threads on CotI etc. is that's changed so anything post-the first Mickey Mouse cartoon automatically is considering copywritten and will remain so for some years. </font>[/QUOTE]Here's the thing: if it was ever out of copyright after first copyright, the new extensions don't apply, since it already entered the public domain. It's actually in the law, as of last summer, that way. The mouse, however, has never been out of copyright, tho' if the extensions hadn't been, Steamboat Willie would have lapsed.
Automatic copyright without notice is a relatively new thing, post 1990, which is when I did my original researches on copyright law for a music theory paper.... Almost everything post 1975 was specifically moved into copyright even if the hand-copyright (aka unregistered items) had expired (they had a 2-year at the time), as the hand-copyright distinction has basically been eliminated.
Arthur Denger
December 27th, 2006, 01:54 PM
Originally posted by Casey:
Yep, the two or so French animated Scifi films have great unusual worlds. There's a more recent CGI one worth renting. IIRC it's very close to Nausicaa (http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/nausicaa/), which is worth buying though the original manga graphic novels flesh out the bio-mechanical post-disaster world much more. graemlins/paragraph.gif What are these called? graemlins/omega.gif
Yep, the two or so French animated Scifi films have great unusual worlds. There's a more recent CGI one worth renting. IIRC it's very close to Nausicaa (http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/nausicaa/), which is worth buying though the original manga graphic novels flesh out the bio-mechanical post-disaster world much more. graemlins/paragraph.gif What are these called? graemlins/omega.gif
GypsyComet
December 28th, 2006, 12:54 AM
Originally posted by kafka47:
BTW, here is my list:
That's quite the list. I do notice a few holes. Little to no Alan Dean Foster, for one. One of my favorites:
Tslamaina (aka "Horse Eye") - a world with a huge impact crater as a central ocean and *three* sentient native species evolved to fill the major temperature/pressure zones around a huge river that started as one of the crustal cracks from the collision.
Then there's Brian Aldis:
Heliconia - A world with an equitorial band of ocean. An eccentric orbiting secondary star inflicts a thousand-year seasonal cycle ranging from sweltering summer to solidly frozen winter. The two species on Heliconia, one very human-like and the other almost yeti-like, are optimised for the opposing seasons. The "humans" suffer seasonal changes as paired "plagues" which kill most of the populace but leave the survivors more able to survive the coming winter or summer. Much of the animal life is also seasonally di-morphic, and a lot of it reproduces by necro-genesis, with the parent animal dying to start the next cycle of life.
BTW, here is my list:
That's quite the list. I do notice a few holes. Little to no Alan Dean Foster, for one. One of my favorites:
Tslamaina (aka "Horse Eye") - a world with a huge impact crater as a central ocean and *three* sentient native species evolved to fill the major temperature/pressure zones around a huge river that started as one of the crustal cracks from the collision.
Then there's Brian Aldis:
Heliconia - A world with an equitorial band of ocean. An eccentric orbiting secondary star inflicts a thousand-year seasonal cycle ranging from sweltering summer to solidly frozen winter. The two species on Heliconia, one very human-like and the other almost yeti-like, are optimised for the opposing seasons. The "humans" suffer seasonal changes as paired "plagues" which kill most of the populace but leave the survivors more able to survive the coming winter or summer. Much of the animal life is also seasonally di-morphic, and a lot of it reproduces by necro-genesis, with the parent animal dying to start the next cycle of life.
Arthur Denger
December 28th, 2006, 10:26 PM
Originally posted by GypsyComet:
Heliconia - A world with an equitorial band of ocean. An eccentric orbiting secondary star inflicts a thousand-year seasonal cycle ranging from sweltering summer to solidly frozen winter. The two species on Heliconia, one very human-like and the other almost yeti-like, are optimised for the opposing seasons. The "humans" suffer seasonal changes as paired "plagues" which kill most of the populace but leave the survivors more able to survive the coming winter or summer. Much of the animal life is also seasonally di-morphic, and a lot of it reproduces by necro-genesis, with the parent animal dying to start the next cycle of life. graemlins/paragraph.gif Yes, indeed, an excellent example of a truly alien world. Funny, I had always imagined the non-humanoid Helliconians to be more musk ox-like. No question, as one species/culture grew, the other waned with the millennial season. Terrific concept.... graemlins/omega.gif
Heliconia - A world with an equitorial band of ocean. An eccentric orbiting secondary star inflicts a thousand-year seasonal cycle ranging from sweltering summer to solidly frozen winter. The two species on Heliconia, one very human-like and the other almost yeti-like, are optimised for the opposing seasons. The "humans" suffer seasonal changes as paired "plagues" which kill most of the populace but leave the survivors more able to survive the coming winter or summer. Much of the animal life is also seasonally di-morphic, and a lot of it reproduces by necro-genesis, with the parent animal dying to start the next cycle of life. graemlins/paragraph.gif Yes, indeed, an excellent example of a truly alien world. Funny, I had always imagined the non-humanoid Helliconians to be more musk ox-like. No question, as one species/culture grew, the other waned with the millennial season. Terrific concept.... graemlins/omega.gif
GypsyComet
January 1st, 2007, 02:33 AM
Originally posted by Arthur hault-Denger:
I had always imagined the non-humanoid Helliconians to be more musk ox-like. I had pictured them as something of a "musk-ox minotaur", but "Yeti" was shorter :D
I had always imagined the non-humanoid Helliconians to be more musk ox-like. I had pictured them as something of a "musk-ox minotaur", but "Yeti" was shorter :D
Darkhstarr
January 7th, 2007, 10:29 PM
I started to adapt Andre Norton's Witch World as a planet of psionic users. However I made producing more psis a perogative of the witches instead of celebicy. Other than a little background data, I never got around to developing the idea.
I got involved in an interesting campaign based off Mongo from Flash Gordon. It ended after two sessions due to the GM getting transferred.
I got involved in an interesting campaign based off Mongo from Flash Gordon. It ended after two sessions due to the GM getting transferred.
Enoff
January 7th, 2007, 11:50 PM
Reading Andre Norton's sci-fi books about the free-trader "Solar Queen" at the moment; Sargasso of Space, Plague ship and Voodoo Planet. Great stuff from the 1950's!
kaladorn
January 8th, 2007, 12:32 AM
I have Saragasso of Space and quite enjoyed it. Never realized there were others! I'll have to hunt for Plague Ship and Voodoo Planet. Good stuff though, to be sure.
Enoff
January 8th, 2007, 01:19 AM
I think you can find some ebook versions of Plague ship and Voodoo Planet on manybooks.net
Wiki can tell you of other Norton books. Quite amazing her volume of writings.
Wiki can tell you of other Norton books. Quite amazing her volume of writings.
GypsyComet
January 8th, 2007, 10:24 PM
The other Solar Queen book from that period would be "Postmarked the Stars".
In a Traveller context, you may also want to look for The Zero Stone, Uncharted Stars, Star Guard, Night of Masks, and Dark Piper.
In a Traveller context, you may also want to look for The Zero Stone, Uncharted Stars, Star Guard, Night of Masks, and Dark Piper.
robject
January 9th, 2007, 12:15 PM
There are at least two recent "Solar Queen" books (recent = from the 1990s), written by Sherwood Smith in collaboration with Norton. If anything, they're better than the originals -- they feel a bit less 1950's, if you know what I mean.
Derelict for Trade (http://www.amazon.com/Derelict-Trade-Great-Solar-Adventure/dp/0812552725/sr=8-1/qid=1168362848/ref=sr_1_1/104-4000701-5377552?ie=UTF8&s=books)
A Mind for Trade (http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Trade-Great-Solar-Adventure/dp/0812552733/ref=pd_sim_b_1/104-4000701-5377552)
Derelict for Trade (http://www.amazon.com/Derelict-Trade-Great-Solar-Adventure/dp/0812552725/sr=8-1/qid=1168362848/ref=sr_1_1/104-4000701-5377552?ie=UTF8&s=books)
A Mind for Trade (http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Trade-Great-Solar-Adventure/dp/0812552733/ref=pd_sim_b_1/104-4000701-5377552)
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