Dale A. Ward

Re: What makes a game a Star Hero to you?

Re: What makes a game a Star Hero to you? Always remember Clarke's Third Law of Prediction: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Corollaries: "Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology." "Any technology, no matter how primitive, is magic to those who don't understand it." And, remember this... It's ALL HERO!

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero The popularity of the Steampunk genre makes me wonder why the TV show The Adventures of Jules Verne didn't last longer than it did. Come to think of it, the Steampunk genre was more popular back in the 60's. After all, what was The Wild Wild West if not a Steampunk scenario? It is difficult to see it in a Fantasy Hero setting, though.

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero I recommend Robert Heinlein's The Number of the Beast, specifically the chapters relating to the British colony on Mars for an excellent portrayal of a steam powered personal roadcar. The darn thing had seating for 6 passengers... and a crew of 15! Hilarious!

Re: Favorite Sci-Fi Weapon

Re: Favorite Sci-Fi Weapon You're quite correct, sir! How could I forget that little detail?!?

Re: Some thoughts on River Tam (Firefly) A perfect example of Bruce Lee's philosophy... "The correct method is whatever works."

Re: Favorite Sci-Fi Weapon The one weapon that inspired many blank stares of awe as I considered it was the... PhulePruf Munitions "Rolling Thunder" full auto, belt-fed, 12-ga. shotgun - from Robert Asprin's novel Phule's Company. The rate of fire is so rapid that you can't hear individual shots... hell, after the first second of continuous fire, you're lucky you can hear ANYTHING! It is man-portable, having a full body sling... but only a very strong man can successfully hold it on target for more than the first few rounds. Fortunately, with this weapon, you don't need accuracy!

Re: Need a McGuffin Name The Eye of ............. The Mouth of ............. The Fist of ............. Fill in the blanks with the name of an appropriate deity or person of reknown.

Re: Medieval Farming Villages

Re: SpaceCraft Miniatures... And, for the cigar-shaped objects... why not cigars?!?

Re: Space Adventure: The Five Essentials

Re: Primal Order/Chamipons Thanks, guys! I'm in the process of checking these reviews and looking for out-of-print book websites.

Re: Primal Order/Chamipons I've never heard of it... Can someone point me to a review of it somewhere? Also, QuestionMan, would you be willing to post the ISBN number so we can check Amazon.com and such? Thanks.

WARNING: Slightly Off-Topic Post I know this is a bit off-topic, but I thought it might get a chuckle. This scene concerns the problems of trying to move the entire population of a village out of an evil empire. The advance group has entered a coastal city in order to charter transportation south along the coast to freedom. Now, they are reporting back to the rest of the villagers. - an actual quote from Eldest by Christopher Paolini, book 2 of the Inheritance trilogy. This one quote actually caused a spit-take, and I spent the next 5 minutes laughing. I'm almost certain that the author inserted this line just to ease the dramatic tension that fills the rest of the book. I have read the first two books, and I have to say that they are far from original. I detected influences from LotR, Anne McCaffrey's Pern books, and even Star Trek. However, this does not mean that they aren't good. I enjoyed both books and look forward to the release of book 3.

Re: Herophile Fantasy art To all of the artists who have graciously displayed their work here... Thank You! Having created artwork in analog media (i.e. actual paper drawings, etc.), I have a couple of questions for those who work in digital media. 1 - Do you create from scratch on the computer, or do you work in analog media then scan it in later? 2 - If the former (from question #1), what interface device(s) do you use? (My attempts at drawing with a mouse have been sadly lacking in the quality that I have seen displayed in this forum.) If anyone can point me to some kind of tutorial or discussion group for digital art, I'd be very thankful. I've wanted to contribute to this forum for quite a while.

Re: Comparing starship speeds. I have no idea which system is faster... I have no idea how Warp number relates to light speed... However, in one of the ST:TNG books, it was plainly stated by Guinan that... "Warp 10 is equivalent to occupying every point in the universe simultaneously." Just between you and me, I think that's the fastest.

Re: Hyperdrive! ~grin~ Sounds like fun. Keep us posted and let us know how we can also tune in (if it's possible).

Re: SciFi Colonists ~shakes his head in awe~ The government is missing out on a HUGE think tank by not consulting you people. When I become the invincible overlord, I will make room for thousands of gamers in my throng of minions, and listen very carefully to even their most inane ramblings! ~grin~

Re: Clever Future Weapons

Re: Urban Fantasy... Okay, it's been many many years since I read this story, so not only do I not recall the author, I also do not recall the title. Fortunately, I DO recall the plot. A biologist studies alligators and discovers that they have a genetic abnormality in their hearts. He performs a simple surgical procedure on several gators, correcting the abnormality. All of a sudden, they experience a period of renewed development, and reach their full growth as dragons. ~sigh~ Yeah, I know it's lame. It was in the 60s, after all. Don't blame me... I didn't write it.

Okay, here's a brain-stretching exercise for you folks. Given the following: We have developed a method to safely transport colonists and cargo to other star systems at normal light speed (1LY/yr). Several Earthlike planets have been discovered and are awaiting their new population. You are a member of a group given the responsibility to determine what qualities and/or skills a colonist must possess before being allowed passage. Assignment: Suggest said qualities and/or skills. I'll get the ball rolling with what I think should be number one on the list. The prospective colonist should be capable of producing offspring as quickly as possible. Couples with proven cross-fertility would receive a higher priority. Your turn!

Re: Props / Aging Paper

Re: Map of Hero System Players - Please Contribute! So, where's the original?!? I'd like to participate!

Re: Character ideas for a new player Don't forget the obvious Disad. "Legend In His Own Mind" - Cockiness (Very Common, Strong). 20 points.