TSR Alternity

[HewhoisMatt]

Just before the dreaded d20 monster was born TSR came out with a game I really liked(can you believe it)called Alternity. I was wondering if any of you converted it or parts of it to Star Hero?

[CourtFool]

I am curious what you liked about it. I was suppose to play in a game but it fell through. I read the rules and it seemed very random and arbitrary to me. Just my opinion.


I see no reason why it would not easily port over to Hero. If you just wanted to capture the campaing setting that would be easy enough to do. You may have to through some Racial package deals together, but beyond that I do not think you would need to really 'convert' anything.

[Jhamin]

I've never actually flipped through a copy, but I keep seeing all these glowing posts refrencing it. Both here and on D20 boards.

What was so magical about this game? Do I need to go get a copy?

[travellerne]

What was so magical about this game? Do I need to go get a copy?

It was a pretty rich game/game setting. I thought the dice mechanics were interesting and fun but kind of clunky.

I doubt you need a copy (but what in our hobby do we really need?). Hardly anyone plays it anymore but it has some interesting ideas.

TNE

[John Desmarais]

I am curious what you liked about it. I was suppose to play in a game but it fell through. I read the rules and it seemed very random and arbitrary to me. Just my opinion.


I see no reason why it would not easily port over to Hero. If you just wanted to capture the campaing setting that would be easy enough to do. You may have to through some Racial package deals together, but beyond that I do not think you would need to really 'convert' anything.

The rules were basically 2nd edition AD&D with a few tweaks and improvements. (I won't claim it as a favorite system, but it is quite playable).

The setting though was actaully a pretty well thought out and richly detailed setting, elaning heavily towards a space operaish feel. I've got a bunch of the books and have, on more than one occasion, considered running it has a Star Hero campaign.

[Greatwyrm]

There were two main settings produced for the Alternity system - Star*Drive and Dark*Matter (they must have gotten a good deal on *s or something). Both were very good, but Dark*Matter was my favorite. I believe it was the best book, in both physical quality and writing, that TSR ever produced. Think X-files with a tiny bit of magic thrown in. If you can find a copy in good shape on ebay, by all means pick it up. Otherwise, you should be able to find all the old Alternity stuff in .pdf at rpgnow.com.

As far as the mechanics, I can't say I agree with John. Alternity was certainly a departure from D&D, even though it did have classes (very loose classes). I think it's much easier to see how Alternity laid the groundwork for a lot of things in the d20 system than to see it's heritage in D&D.

[Savinien]

Peoria, IL!

Not very often I see someone post on these boards that lives somewhere nearby!

Cool.

BoT: I bought the 'starter kit' for a friend when if first came out. We never actually played it, but I found it interesting at least. I may have to look into the *.pdf option.

[Greatwyrm]

Where are you at, Savinien? I live in Princeville, but work in Peoria.

[Ron]

The rules were basically 2nd edition AD&D with a few tweaks and improvements. (I won't claim it as a favorite system, but it is quite playable).
[...]

Actually, the rules were anything but AD&D. The game was skill based with several levels of success and a wounds system not much different from WEG's Star Wars. Although namely a class/level game, the four classes were nothing more than a set of advantages while levels were useless (you received experience points and after you have enough to achieve a new level you used the same points to buy new skills or improve the ones you already have). As a matter of fact, the six abilities were the only thing taken from AD&D.

The game is pretty good to play and it looks gorgeous. By far is the best roleplaying game published by TSR and much superior to d20.

[Dog Soldier]

Dark Matter was a fantastic campaign setting. I was shocked and amazed that TSR just let it Alternity just collapse like it did.

[levi]

Dark Matter was a fantastic campaign setting. I was shocked and amazed that TSR just let it Alternity just collapse like it did.

They invested in the Star Wars setting instead. Wouldn't make sense to have 2 sci fi games competing against each other from the same publisher. However if the Sci Fi RPG setting ever took off (like the fantasy setting) you might see an Alternity Campaign Book come out since they already have all of the material and would just have to D20 (ie, muck up) the whole thing.

[Greatwyrm]

Actually, a great deal of the Star*Drive and Dark*Matter creatures have appeared in d20Modern supplements or Dragon or Dungeon. If you're doing d20M, all you really need the old books for is background info and such, but that was the best part of Dark*Matter.

As for mucking things up, converting Alternity to d20M is very simple. As I said earlier, the whole d20 system owes a lot to Alternity.

[HewhoisMatt]

I enjoyed the way skills and damage worked a great deal. The whole lvl thing was done a bit oddly but it worked. One thing I liked was the weapons seem to have been mostly reworks of StarFrontiers weapons and someone told me they saw a write up of some of the SF races in Dragon magazine.

I played Dark Matter a couple times and I have to say the setting was very very well done, but I am more of a space fan than X-files.

[Garet]

I liked alternity alot and we played the space battles part twice and it worked out great, but kept zipping off the battle mat.
Rolled up characters but never played. I wanted everbody to be starfighter pilots. So everyone had pilot at level 1 and pistol 6, demolitions 5, so i axed the game. i'd of killed everyone in the first game.
I liked star*drive but to an extent it was little dark for me. D20 future that just came out has a synopsis of Alternity, Star Rangers and a couple more games i'm not familar with so you can play them.
Yeah when they got star wars alternity got dropped like a hot rock. 2 bad.

game on!

[Shikarr]

I ran a hero based game off of Alternity for a while a few years ago. It is a rich setting and can be very space opera-ish which of course was why I liked it so much. I will check and see if I still have my conversion notes for it.

[HewhoisMatt]

Thank you Shikarr that would be great.

Can anyone tell me about spaceship combat in Hero? I have not had the chance to try it and was wondering how well it worked. I have mostly done Fantasy and Champions with a dash of Western so I have only really used cars and the odd horse or two.

[Savinien]

Where are you at, Savinien? I live in Princeville, but work in Peoria.

I'm a ways north in Byron, but I get dwon Peoria way once in a while.

So, which of you guys is going to bust out an Alternity Hero game and run it on HeroCentral?

:whistle:

[CdwJava]

I currently run a Space Hero PBeM game in the Alternity universe (though we've taken a break for a month). While I never did a full conversion for any of the races or backgrounds (didn't have to with a small number of players) it should not be a difficult thing to do.

I, too, am dismayed that the system - or at least the setting - never took off. But, the mechanics of the setting kinda has it's faults - like the calendar and the time being based on the Earth calendar ... it really made for some odd time and date situations. But, as long as it provides consistency.

- Carl

[grymlocke]

Actually, the rules were anything but AD&D. The game was skill based with several levels of success and a wounds system not much different from WEG's Star Wars. Although namely a class/level game, the four classes were nothing more than a set of advantages while levels were useless (you received experience points and after you have enough to achieve a new level you used the same points to buy new skills or improve the ones you already have). As a matter of fact, the six abilities were the only thing taken from AD&D.

The game is pretty good to play and it looks gorgeous. By far is the best roleplaying game published by TSR and much superior to d20.

T$R had a scifi system (not gamma world) that was the AD&D 'mechanic' but it flopped also...anyone remember Buck Rogers in the XXV century?

alternity used a kinda funky add/ subtract dice system (base dice) -/+ 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, etc... vs a target number ....once gotten used to, actually made sense....thought some of PC species where a bit funky...like the mechaus, a cybernetic species that once made a fellow species that lived on a world in their home system go extinct, now they all have this collective guilt over it that has become a personailty trait....the wren I like, the sesheyan too. The system did better with tech/ships, etc than D20 Future thats for sure....IMHO
Only had the darkmatter campaign book, not that x-files/conspiracy one that they put out....I like the clicks

[Savinien]

I got these old rules at Rock Con a couple years ago. I've never used it for anything but gathering dust, though.

[grymlocke]

my mistake...the camapign i had was the Stardrive setting that had darkmatter powerplants...the spooky saetting was the darkmatter campaign (the one I passed on getting...)

silly me.....
:stupid: