travellerne

Holy See As Base: Ideas for Designing?

Hi All,

I'm wondering about designing the futuristic seat of religious power as a base. I'd like to make it a ring world and have the whole world as the base (it's a large universe after all and there are billions of worlds to oversee).

Is it worth designing this as a base--at least in rough capabilities? If you would do this work, how would you go about it.

Thanks,

K.

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

Thanks Drakkenkin and Major Tom,

MT had a great point about making the halberds nonlethal for crowd control. So I thought I'd make them purely ceremonial. The Swiss Guards carry the halberds but have modern weapons "close at hand." So these pikes could be for small disturbances and show only.

Drakkenkin: nice idea about the ability to detect enemies. I decided to use Enhanced Senses as Mind Scan has planetary range

Thanks for the ideas--it's always neat to get other people's view.

Anyway, here's the current Cohors Helvetica Ceremonial Energy Halberd. Let me know what you think.

K.

PS: More coming soon. (Imagine brightly colored power armor!)

Cost.....Cohors Helvetica Ceremonial Energy Halberd

..8.......Energy Stun Blade: HA +2d6, Long (12 Points),

Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2),

NND (force field; +1) (30 Active Points);

Hand-To-Hand (-1/2), OAF (-1), 2-Handed (-1/2),

Real Weapon (-1/4), 13 STR Minimum (-1/2)

..3.......Detect Infidel: Enhanced Senses (detect Hostile Mind, 5 Points),

Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (7 Active Points);

OAF (-1), Activation Roll 14- (-1/2)

Re: Shape of the Cosmos

have you seen this? Mind-boggling

 

Big Bang glow hints at funnel-shaped Universe:

Maybe it shouldn't be the Big Bang, but the Big Toot!

K.

Re: Highlander Battlemech

good question....

I was figuring on weapons and other systems that are knocked out by 1 critical hit, whether or not they take more than one slot as being fragile

Hi Shadowcat,

I think focuses lose one power every time they take a hit (my FREd isn't handy). So that works for what you want--as each weapon only has one power. But the DEF of 1 makes them as fragile as glass--a .22 pistol could destroy each weapon. IMO, I would just drop the fragile and I think they'll work exactly as you envision.

It's cool you're doing all this work on BattleTech. Good work.

K.

Re: Highlander Battlemech

Hi Shadowcat,

Did you really mean to make so many of the mech's items OIF Fragile? If I read it right, this means that they all have a 1 DEF. I thought this represented easily destroyed items. Wouldn't Breakable/Durable be more appropriate?

K.

"Holy Guards" Pikes?

Hi All,

I'm gradually making up unique items for this campaign (power armor, "holy" symbols, etc.--and I'll post some of them soon) but I'm stuck for ideas on what might be an interesting item.

This universe has an equivalent of the Vatican's "Swiss Guards." Even though the setting is 100,000 years in the future I'd like the future equivalent of the Swiss Guards to have a ceremonial, but useful, sci-fi pike. I'm thinking of and "energy pike" like:

2d6+1 HKA,

Armor Piercing;

OAF,

No STR bonus (maybe?)

2Handed

Long

STR Min 13 (?)

but I'd like it to have some other special abilities. I figure any kind of teleportation and communication would be build into their armor. But I don't know...what do you all think would be cool for holy guards to carry?

Thanks,

K.

Re: Exceptional Starship Crews

Yea, very nice Shadowcat!

Thanks,

K.

Re: Starship battles

In regards to your original question, battles are rare and major in my campaign. It's just too expensive to mass a fleet in my campaign and so large fleets are only used to resolve really big issues. That is, you don't just set up a blockade to protest annoying protectionist policies of another planet; you'd only do it when you needed to completely topple that planet's government.

K.

Re: Asteroid impact effects

Funny, by coincidence a few of the astronomers and I were looking at this at work last night.

Unfortunately, it doesn't handle special relativity. So, it won't be useful in those "what would happen if a near C rock hit the Earth?" discussions that pop up on sci-fi forums. Also, you can enter useless greater than light velocities.

Still, it's kind of fun.

K.

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

Hi Cyst,

Thanks for your input. I have given a lot of thought to the nature of the god in this game. I didn't post any of the ideas I already had in order to invite some (very good) brainstorming. Maybe it's time I did.

In many ways for this campaign setting the nature of god (should I be capitalizing that? The characters in the campaign would.) isn't important. What I wanted to explore is taking early medieval beliefs, setting them so far in the future we probably wouldn't recognize them.

Now for your questions:

You are also going to have to give some serious consideration to the nature of "God". He exists' date=' okay. But what is he? Is a male pronoun even appropriate. [/quote']

 

There won't be any use of the male pronoun--the god for this campaign will be gender neutral. This is in contrast to traditional fantasy settings where every deity has a gender, race, etc..

 

Does God have any relation to JudeoChristiamMuslim revelation?

 

None. I want to avoid mixing the campaign up with modern controversy (much like traditional fantasy campaigns don't have any flavor of real-word religions). I figure 100,000 years in the future this won't be a problem.

 

Is Man truly created in the image of God? Is he a mere abstraction whic caused the big bang?

 

None of the first; a good portion of the second. I guess I need to answer, "How sentient is this god?"

 

Does he actively intervene in the universe?

 

Only through his servants which are people who understand the nature of the universe well enough to have "miraculous" powers (extreme high tech, divine spells...the distinction now blurs together). Otherwise, miracles could occur but be explained by anyone with enough understanding of "The Proof" of god that (to us) their belief would seem more scientific than faith based.

 

Was he proven by theoretical means or did he miraculously reveal himself? If so' date=' why? [/quote']

 

"The Proof" as it's called, is a mathematical/logic/physical proof. It exists and is real. Here's the kicker though: not everyone has the education to understand it (like several modern theories) so religion does fall back to a matter of faith again (hence preserving a bit of the medieval/fantasy feel to the game).

 

If he is actually the author of the Bible' date=' why is so much information from the Old Testament at odds with scientific fact? (e.g. dinosaurs) Perhaps it would be best to say that he exists, but all previous religions had got the lowdown wrong. As to the nature of God, you're really not going to be able to take anything for granted.[/quote']

 

That's so far in the past that no one can remember it. Since (I'm considering that) Earth as we know it is also lost in antiquity, this won't be an issue.

 

Thanks again,

K.

Re: Smart Missiles

I wouldn't use it as it essentially gives the missile two attacks for one charge. It seems a bit too powerful for just a +3/4. Still, it depends on how you percieve what your smart missiles can do.

K.

PS: How many points for the most famous of all smart bombs, "Bomb 20"? (" And in addition to the darkness there was also me. And I moved upon the face of the darkness and I saw that I was alone... Let There Be Light.")

Re: Monk's Garb?

Which brings up an interesting question, will this Church which is 100,000 years in the future be monolithic or will it be a smattering of differing sects?

 

Would over the intervening millenia the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches reconciled their differences and again would there be another age of a united Holy Catholic Church?

 

I like your ideas, keep at it. Just try to add some depth to the world view and you'll have a real campaign to sink your teeth into.

 

TB -- I killed Doc Holiday

Thanks Billy,

I think for the culture of "The New Abbey" the church will be monolithic and attempt to remain that way. But with a culture that spans a galaxy and more, sects will spring up and provide a source of background and conflict for the story.

As for the various churches of today, I figure that they will be long gone. The church in TNA will resemble the modern churches (largely so the players have something to relate to) but I want the religion to be far enough removed from modern concerns to avoid stepping on anyone's real-world beliefs. For instance, many FRPGs have religions and clerics but no one really gets bent out of shape in a religious argument because the fantasy religions are so different from real ones that they are seen as just part of the story

Thanks for the input!

K.

Re: Landsknechts - Re: "The New Abbey"

When you say "Landsknechts", are you talking about the Swiss Guards?

 

Major Tom

Yes, the very same.

K.

Re: Monk's Garb?

That depends on their belief system. You could have fundamentalists that think we should get back to the basics and leave tech behind as it distracts us and keeps us form learning from God. You could also have a group on the other side that sees the knowledge that created the tech they have as a gift from God and that it should be used (in correct ways) in day to day life to show respect.

 

Over all you could have them wear anything, but for the sake of story telling they would most likely wear something that would be different from the norm. Personally I like how the priests and religious people dressed in the movie "5th Element."

 

Drakkenkin

Thanks Drakkenkin!

I think I will create two orders that are diametrically opposed on this matter for the campaign.

One rejecting technology. But would they be limited to one world? As star travel is a matter of technology. They could even be one of the heresies--albeit a minor an mostly unnoticed one. Maybe even confined to one planet; or, springing up independently on a number of planets.

The other extreme would be a more mainstream order that embraces technology and gets around more.

K.

Monk's Garb?

Hey,

100,000 years in the future, when humankind has colonized much of space, what do you think monks and priests would wear?

K.

Re: Equipment END tally card PDF available

I love it! The genre that is.

The END tally card looks good and seems very useful.

K.

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

Unless you believed that there is no God' date=' no doctrine would be proven just by the existence of God. Religious fervor could increase, even to a suppressive state (weather God wanted it or not.) Unless God or a messenger came down and gave EVERYONE the 411 on what they should or should not do, we would still be in square one. Heck, I could see the world almost being torn apart by that fact as each belief system tries to convert the world to the 'right way'.[/quote']

 

Hmm. I hadn't thought of all that. Especially the 411 bit. It might go right back to religion in the middle ages: where most everyone was sure God existed and did great things; but, they also slaughtered each other (even within the same faith) over their differences in belief.

 

Good point. Thanks.

K.

Re: BATTLETECH HERO : Starting Cash ? How much ?

A good source for starting cash would be the "Mechwarrior" RPG game. It might take a bit to find it, or it might be republished. If I recall, it has all the information one needs for starting a character in the Battletech universe.

K.

Re: BATTLETECH HERO : Starting Cash ? How much ?

I just thought you should know I've reported your post. It seems that you only post to be obnoxious. Try to post something useful once in a while.

Hey Tkd,

I noticed that the symbol of the balance lets you approve or disapprove of someone's reputation. I don't know exactly what it's for, but it's interesting.

Also, when you view someone's profile you have the option of adding them to your ignore list.

K.

Landsknechts - Re: "The New Abbey"

What about groups like the Landsknechts 100,000 years in the future? In our history, they rescued a pope in the Middle Ages and are still the Vatican's police/military force. They are the only army in the world that trains with pike and submachinegun.

I wonder what kind of package one would use to design a member of such a group? Probably a few weapon skills, maybe some kind of power armor...

K.

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

Yes' date=' do be careful when including religious doctorine or theories in this kind of thing. It's bit me in the but more than once, albeit I've found that the safest bet in those situations is to either lay it all out on the line first, or blame such religious actions on radical or right wing extremists that may or may not operate with the fullest sanction of the church. Still a good idea, though, and if White Wolf could get away with their Inquisition lasting through the Vampire chronicles, I'm sure you can too. [/quote']

 

Thanks Zipper.

 

Hopefully I can avoid any problems in two ways:

1) Put the setting so far in the future (maybe 100,000 years) that no issues will be relevant to the modern era. For instance, maybe the concerns of the inquisitions would not anything like religious/political concerns today. For instance, the whole birth control issue might not exist if humans can control their reproductive functions in ways we can't imagine or if one buys the perfect child from a lab somewhere.

 

2) Most fantasy games have deities that no one worries about. So, as you say, lay it out so that every player knows this is a fantasy/sci-fi setting and not an allegory of the real world.

 

Thanks for the input.

K.

Originally posted by Lord Liaden

 

The Inquisition. Depending on how rigid and repressive the Church regime is, such an institution may be a tool of the state, or even wield Church control over the state. Accusations of heresy or other forbidden practices, if backed up by threats of excommunication or more corporal punishments, can be an effective way to maintain order and neutralize opponents, not to mention a useful source of revenue from confiscated properties.

 

I've started two inquistions for this campaign.

Did you know that the Catholic Church had an inquisition until 1969? The Office of the Inquisition studied church dogma (in contrast to the Spanish Inquisitions which tortured lots of people).

So, I've thought of two Inquisitions for TNA:

The Sagittarian Inquisition is more inquisitive and if a character had them as a Hunted disad, they could expect the nuisance of being called in for a hearing.

The Orion Inquisition is more severe. A character Hunted by them could expect punishment, torture and death if found guilty of heresy.

What do you all think?

K.

Originally posted by zippercomics

If you're looking at doing a Hard Science Fiction, reality of physics and aliens, etc etc type thing, then maybe - if you can - grab a copy of a book called Calculating God. I can't for the life of me remember the author's name (hero cookie to anyone who does),

...

Just a thought. I'd be interested in seeing any end product you develop, man.

Thanks! It's written by "Robert J. Sawyer" and was a Hugo Award finalist. Amazon.com sells the book for $7. I'll have to read it.

I'll be glad to share The New Abbey campaign with anyone who is interested. I'm planning to referee it at some local conventions early next year.

K.

Hi All,

After visiting a lot of the the abbeys and cathedrals in England last year I got an idea for a Star Hero campaign setting that I'd like to develop. Here's the premise:

"A Star Hero campaign set thousands of years in the future, where the existence of God has been proven as a fact and humanity has spread throughout the universe."

Obviously, "The Church" will have a large effect on the campaign setting or at least be an influence on everyday life. Religious beliefs and customs might be similar to the beliefs of medieval Europe (or other religious cultures.)

I've done a little work on the setting already, but am nowhere near being finished. Any ideas I've suggested are meant only as seeds and not limitations to any ideas people might want to share.

Any thoughts? ideas?

Hope to talk with you soon,

K.

Bolt On Armor?

Hi Shadowcat,

Why is the armor "bolt on?" It doesn't make a difference for game play, I just wondered why you chose that.

Thanks,

K.