Kharis2000 Posted May 18, 2006 Report Share Posted May 18, 2006 For folks looking for material to base scenarios off of (or just a good read), I direct your attention to: http://durendal.org:8080/books.html They have a growling selection of public-domain works (cleared through Project Gutenberg) by classic sci-fi writers like John W. Campbell, Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Murray Leinster, E.E. 'Doc" Smith, H. Beam Piper, Lester del Rey, and more. Some of these have been out of print for so long that even avid readers in the 70's may have missed them. (H. Beam Piper, especially, has a lot of good material built around a universe without energy weapons but with hyperdrive and contragravity. Little Fuzzy and it's sequels are a campaign into themselves.) Durendal provides page images, and where possible, links to the Project Gutenberg e-texts and/or links to purchase the books where they are currently available. Read. Enjoy. Mine for ideas. These writers are the giants that modern science fiction stands on the shoulders of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yansuf Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas Wow! I can't believe he has a copy of "The Runaway Skyscraper!" Looks like some good stuff, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRavenIs Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas Space Vikings would be a good setting for a StarHero game. I might actually have to write that up now. You have given out too much Reputation in the last 24 hours, try again later. I owe rep to Kharis2000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Mask Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas I think Cities in flight by James Blish would be a good setting for a star Hero game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas Space Vikings would be a good setting for a StarHero game. I might actually have to write that up now. Indeed it would. The archive does have a copy of Piper's THE COSMIC COMPUTER which is not quite a suitable as a setting, but still quite good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRavenIs Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas One thing I forgot to post was that almost any Andre Norton book can be converted into Star Hero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hopcroft Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas The Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harriason and the Retief series by Kieth Laumer would be perfect for those players who like a touch of the rogue in their heroes. The Rat is a criminal so skilled, cunning and charming that the only way to stop his rampage was to turn him into a cop. Retief is a Terran diplomat who loathes traditional, bureaucratic dimplomacy and prefers to take a "hand-on" approach to interstellar disputes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas One thing I forgot to post was that almost any Andre Norton book can be converted into Star Hero. Yes, but more her "Solar Queen" series and related novels. Her "Witch World" series is more suited for Fantasy Hero. Quest Crosstime, The Crossroads of Time, The Time Traders, Galactic Derelict, and The Defiant Agents for time travel campaigns. Star Guard: the Galactic Government sees us lowly Earthmen suitable only as interstellar mercenaries. Star Rangers aka The Last Planet and Dark Piper: "fall of the galactic empire" novels. The Beast Master and Lord of Thunder: after the war, a special forces soldier retires to a backwater planet with his telepathically enhanced animals. Has sort of a cowboy and indian flavor. The Zero Stone and Uncharted Stars: an interstellar aprentice jeweler goes on a quest to discover the secret of a ring with an alien gem stone. Sargasso of Space, Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet, and Postmarked the Stars for independent free trader campaigns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRavenIs Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas Nyrath? Have you seen Fuzzy's writen up in HERO? I'd love to see them just so I could....shall we say....borrow the build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas Nyrath? Have you seen Fuzzy's writen up in HERO? I'd love to see them just so I could....shall we say....borrow the build. Alas, no. Perhaps somebody else has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRavenIs Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas It would be nice to see a write up of them. I loved all the Fuzzy books. Would the Paratime books by Piper be Star Hero? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hopcroft Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas For a bizarre chAnge of pace, the Hoka series. Hyper-imaginative teddybear-like aliens who enjoy imitating earthlings and their cultural creation, to the occasional amusement and perpetual annoyance of the Earthlings. A quality which, oddly enough, more often than not turns out to be the solutiomn to whatever predicament the heroes find themselves in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRavenIs Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas Hoka as so cool little guys. The ultimate imitating and agravating allies a human ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kharis2000 Posted May 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas I think that the Paratime books would, indeed, fall in the Star Hero bracket. They're certainly science fiction, although with an interesting twist that allows you to, say, drop a Pennsylvania State Trooper into a medieval-style America run by a gunpowder theocracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRavenIs Posted May 27, 2006 Report Share Posted May 27, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas What about Issac Azimov's Star Ranger series? It might now be that well known but it would be a good setting for a Star Hero game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishspy Posted May 27, 2006 Report Share Posted May 27, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas For folks looking for material to base scenarios off of (or just a good read)' date=' I direct your attention to:[/quote'] Ooooh! What a great resource! I'm a big Piper fan. Thanks for the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale A. Ward Posted May 27, 2006 Report Share Posted May 27, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas It's a bit on the juvenile end of the spectrum, but Starman's Son by Andre Norton was one of my favorite post-apocalypse stories. I keep hoping to find it in e-book format online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Schwarzwald Posted May 27, 2006 Report Share Posted May 27, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas "The four lords of the diamond" by Jack L. Chalker could be a good start for a campaign if you want to do them on multiple worlds with different settings. The "Matthew Swain" series by Mike McQuay (RIP) would be good for cyberpunk stuff. "Voyage of the space beagle" by the late, great A.E. Van Voght was an source for great ideas on alien races, cultures and societies. Players could be nexial foundation members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Schwarzwald Posted May 27, 2006 Report Share Posted May 27, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas "The four lords of the diamond" by Jack L. Chalker could be a good start for a campaign if you want to do them on multiple worlds with different settings. The "Mathew Swain" series by Mike McQuay (RIP) would be good for cyberpunk stuff. "Voyage of the space beagle" by the late, great A.E. Van Voght was an excellent source for great ideas on alien races, cultures and societies. Players could be nexial foundation members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas If you want something a little dark and unusual, try basing a campaign off of Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius novels (The Final Programme et al). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yansuf Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas What about Issac Azimov's Star Ranger series? It might now be that well known but it would be a good setting for a Star Hero game. I am not familiar with that one. Norton did a book entittled Star Rangers; and Asimov did a juvenile series in the 50's that I think was called "Space Ranger". about a character named "Lucky Star." Is either of those what you mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yansuf Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas Yes, but more her "Solar Queen" series and related novels. Her "Witch World" series is more suited for Fantasy Hero. Quest Crosstime, The Crossroads of Time, The Time Traders, Galactic Derelict, and The Defiant Agents for time travel campaigns. Star Guard: the Galactic Government sees us lowly Earthmen suitable only as interstellar mercenaries. Star Rangers aka The Last Planet and Dark Piper: "fall of the galactic empire" novels. The Beast Master and Lord of Thunder: after the war, a special forces soldier retires to a backwater planet with his telepathically enhanced animals. Has sort of a cowboy and indian flavor. The Zero Stone and Uncharted Stars: an interstellar aprentice jeweler goes on a quest to discover the secret of a ring with an alien gem stone. Sargasso of Space, Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet, and Postmarked the Stars for independent free trader campaigns. There are many more novels such as the "Storm over Warlock" series (2 books?), "The Eye of the Monster", which is set in the same universe as the "Solar Queen" and "Star Born"; and several novels whose names I cannot recall offhand that had a city with "the depple" which was a ghetto for refugees from a great war, posibly the one that was referred to in "Beast Master." BTW, GURPS Space seems to use a lot of Ms. Norton's SF civilization for its background in the basic rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas There are many more novels such as the "Storm over Warlock" series (2 books?), "The Eye of the Monster", which is set in the same universe as the "Solar Queen" and "Star Born"; and several novels whose names I cannot recall offhand that had a city with "the depple" which was a ghetto for refugees from a great war, posibly the one that was referred to in "Beast Master." BTW, GURPS Space seems to use a lot of Ms. Norton's SF civilization for its background in the basic rules. It was called "the Dipple". During the war, refugees from other planets were housed there. Unfortunately, after the war, most could not return to their planets because the planets were either given to the enemy at the negotiation tables, or because the planets were now burnt-off radioactive cinders. There were three ways out of the Dipple: A day labor pass Save up enough cash to purchase a membership in the illegal Thieves Guild Sign up to be a cryofreeze colonist to some god forsaken planet Yes, Norton has many novels that would make great campaign backdrops, I only listed my personal favorites. Four of these novels are available for free from the Baen Free Library: http://www.baen.com/library/ (click on Authors, then on Andre Norton) STAR SOLDIERS contains "Star Guard" and "Star Rangers" aka "The Last Planet" TIME TRADERS contains "The Time Traders" and "Galactic Derelict" Baen gives these out for free, hoping that you'll be tempted to purchase more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Desmarais Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas Baen gives these out for free' date=' hoping that you'll be tempted to purchase more.[/quote'] A practice that I wholeheartedly support (and, on me at least, it works). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Carman Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Re: Classic Sci-Fi Novels for Scenario Ideas It was called "the Dipple". During the war, refugees from other planets were housed there. Unfortunately, after the war, most could not return to their planets because the planets were either given to the enemy at the negotiation tables, or because the planets were now burnt-off radioactive cinders. There were three ways out of the Dipple: A day labor pass Save up enough cash to purchase a membership in the illegal Thieves Guild Sign up to be a cryofreeze colonist to some god forsaken planet And you are apt to find out that, out on the frontiers where there isn't a strong police presence, "indentured labor" may get regarded as a synonym for "slave". And some of the people now colonizing the frontiers are there because they have notions and practices that are frowned on in more civilized regions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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