Rogue Space at the Expanse

This is an index of content written or adapted for the Rogue Space system and posted here at the Expanse. I'll add new entries as more material goes up, and the footer will now link to this post.

Creatures - gathering

As you head towards the bridge, the creatures begin to move, not obviously in response to your presence. From across the meadow they are gathering off at one edge, braying in the long grass beneath the canopy where the stream pools and staring at the water.

Disperse the creatures to investigate   Blog One   Blog Two

Approach the gathering with care   Blog One   Blog Two

Continue to the bridge   Blog One   Blog Two   Blog Three

Return to the oak   Blog One   Blog Two

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Deeper dice (1) - interactions and relative positions

The first in what will probably be a very occasional series on result generation - random or not - to get some of the weirder raw ideas out there for delving into in the spirit of the D1 post.

For the first then, what if dice were a kind of particle of fate?

What if when you roll more than one die and two or more of them end up touching, they annihilate each other, meaning the results aren't counted? Or the smaller result is subtracted from the larger? Or they fuse, so you total the two numbers?

Or maybe some pass beyond knowledge, so if one die ends up at least twice as far from the nearest as that one is from any other, it's ignored? Or maybe it can't be used until another one gets closer? If it rolls off the table the effect in-game could take place on another plane, or the result could show how many dice vanish with it, bleeding potential from the tabletop.

It could also work for interactions between the dice being used by different players, and there's real potential here. If dice stop in contact or strike each other and rebound, there could be a connection in-game. Stopping in contact could mean a result for one player affecting another immediately, but a rebound might see the effect offset in time or space, with the distance between the dice on a line drawn to the roller being direction in time. Positions relative to objects like mugs, notes or terrain pieces could be interpreted in terms of events or locations.

The connections could be allowed alter the nature of the game world, changing established facts and keeping reality in flux.

Could colour make a difference, or the energy put into the roll, or a given number being rolled in a matching hour or minute?

What happens if a die manages to get past the GM's screen?
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Where no, I don't know has gone before

As time went by it looked for me like Star Trek: The Next Generation was more a story of Worf and Data than any of the other characters. Geordi and Wesley started strong, but faded - and Geordi especially seems a massive missed opportunity in retrospect. Picard was a relative constant, and had to be as the nominal central figure, but Worf grew a lot and moved the whole revival on, and Data was a focal point for meditation.

If so, these two videos might have something big to say, for collecting up representative moments and driving the points home. They're both clearly distortions, given Worf was right to be worried in many cases, and Data had to be dumbed down to fit, but still.

Looking at it now, Picard seems to me a more military figure than Worf, and maybe even more militaristic, which is a theme I hardly picked up on back then. These scenes give a sense of how subtle a character Worf could be, and how much the character was about energies in dynamic check, as opposed to Data, who was about knowing every drop .

Spock got a line saying Picard was a bit Vulcan, and he is a kind of equilibrium for the series, a reference point for the initial trajectory and a centre of harmony. When he got knocked, it was arguably Worf's overall impact on the series through his character arc and potential that did it, and Data that looked all the more like a hope for the future.

And if that's true, there's a contrast with 2001 and maybe where we are now. For some reason I'm tieing it all in with a look at gaming the dark ages at Lard Island News, and also The Subversive Archeologist, another blog I recommend for a good deep think.

Update: There's a magical write-up for the dark age gaming at Roundwood's World.

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In Search of the City of the Serpent Queen

Digging through old ideas I found this, my entry for Chris Kutalik's last Asinine Adventure Contest at Hill Cantons, which it turns out I never posted. It's silly, clichéd and has very dodgy jokes, enough to scrape a joint second place overall. All the winners are here.

Magical madness, misfires and beer

There's a new community table up over at Gorgonmilk, for spellcaster madness. I kept forgetting, but I've remembered for long enough today to put some entries up. There are still 18 slots left if you have some ideas of your own and it could well get made a pdf.

Initially I though the table was for magical misfires, so here's one of those to use if you can. If you want to get a list going, feel free to drop any weird ideas in the comments.

• Existential laceration: The caster rends one or more layers of reality with the path or area of effect of the spell. The regions in question are now riven with sheets or tendrils of a number of alternate existences. The caster and anyone touched by a region must save vs. death with a negative modifier equal to the level of the spell or have 1D3 existences each pierce a random major body part. Roll 1D6 for each such body part. It is: 1) permanently fixed in place; 2) cut cleanly if moved; 3) infused from within the existence, with the consequences dependent on the existence's nature; 4) massively distorted, perhaps extended or looped in on itself infinitely; 5) wondrously transmuted to an otherworldly nature; 6) lost into the existence permanently, but still an essential part of its owner, who now perceives the space beyond.

The beer table could also have a few slots left if you have an idea for a fictional brew, and here's a video with the great Frank Zappa to lend a hand. More of his thinking here.

Update: Gorgonmilk has moved here and the beer table is now here, and almost done.

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Rogue Space - Dodeko ISV

Another human Empyre vehicle adapted using the Rogue Space construction rules. This time it's a fast inertia-storing, self-righting buggy.

The concept keeps the gyroscopic theme of the newer Empyric machines, getting at a key idea running through the background, and the naming moves on for a similar reason.

                                                                                                                              

Dodeko ISV Mk. II, 'The Dodo'

The Dodeko Inertial Storage Vehicle is an agile amphibious buggy. Its spherical cage holds a self-righting crew pod and mounts two transverse sets of six pairs of buoyant wheels, for complex lateral and axial motion over almost any surface. Though new, it deploys on all sides of the Discourse for its crew are exposed and it is easily stolen.

C      12.5%    [1]   Crew pod (max. 2 crew, open)

H      12.5%    [1]   1 Light Pulveriser (360 x 360° arc)

A      37.5%    [3]   C: 2  H: 1  S: 3

S      37.5%    [3]   125' (free turns through 360 x 360°; if overturned, drops 1 speed band, to min. 0')

E       100%       8

                                                                                                                              

The statline for the Light Pulveriser is here. There's more Rogue Space material via the links at the bottom, and I'll have some background up soon to put what's here in context.

For those interested, I'm wondering whether a spin-off from this setting could be used as the basis for a faction for 40K, but one not built on GW IP. Has anyone ever done that?

Rogue Space downloads - Rogue Space news

Rogue Space at Hereticwerks - Rogue Space at Swords & Stitchery - Rogue Space at the Expanse

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Chess scenarios (1) - Cat's Away

This was inspired by the discussion with Dave yesterday at the adaptive action post. It's an alternative setup for chess, more or less a scenario. The story should be fairly clear.

For a more classical feel to the title, in French I'd offer Quelle Surprise, or even a risqué La Pénétration Sublime, reflecting the knight's bold breach of defences, in Latin maybe Coitus Interruptus. It is a union, an earthshaking one; two big symbols coming together.

But is it too coarse? For a game of murderous kingdoms, probably not, however elegant the system itself may be. We mostly accept it's better to make love than war, and there are big moral decisions to take in the first couple of moves, if not right the way through.

Any and all comments are welcome, especially on the balance of the forces, but also on what other games could be adapted along the lines of that discussion, and how exactly.

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Rolling with it: adaptive action

The next part of the series on game design is up at House of Paincakes. Loquacious starts looking at rules, and as with the last part there's a lot of thought-provoking material from interviews too.

The mention of elimination got me thinking, and SinSynn makes what looks to be a central point with the recognition that "everyone's mind works differently". I'd say there's huge potential in that.

I got quoted too, from a great discussion we had on what exactly random might be. We covered Freud's parapraxis, a quote from Marvin Minsky and the Mandelbrot set, as well as precision and the potential for a 'limitless' game.

More could come later, but reading the snippet, I thought I might develop the idea and turn it into a rule. I'm surprised we don't see one like it more often. Here's the key line.

40K OSR? (14)

More 40K OSR?, and just a week from the last.

I'm aiming to post smaller updates more often, with more wild cards, for non-40K gamers too.

Some possible definitions of 'OSR' are here and Colonel Kane's logo is to the right. If you use it, consider giving him credit and adding Tales from the Maelstrom to your roll as a fine exemplar.

On to the action then, with the wild cards mixed in, just because it really is hard to draw the line.

• Sad news first: Tobias Reinold passed away; he may have been relatively unknown, but he gave us a lot and shows how much we can each achieve.

• Grazer posted a three-page preview for Codex: Squat Stronghold over at Rogue Trader, and there's discussion underneath with Sons of Taurus.

• Sons of Taurus also adapted the Lost and the Damned project to Killzone.

• I've just found Dangerous Brian's Terminus Omega; this week he posted on the pre-40K Laserburn books, a possible navigator, with Rogue Trader stats, and some converted 15mm counts as Tau, but he also has more counts as ideas, finished Orks, terrain and details of a new campaign.

• On 15mm minis, Atom Kid has more at Maximum Rock & Role Playing.

• Also on campaigns, Tallarn may have finished one run, but Kraggi at the Varcan Cluster is running another one and posted a huge mass of great rules in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 parts so far - you can see all of the material here.

• At Confessions of a 40K addict dwez posted on a modular terrain plug base, the Dawn of War plasma generator and a new man-made hill.

• There's a superb tutorial on building a tabletop at wargaming tradecraft.

• At Dark Future Games Old School Terminator is converting and sculpting a daemon primarch, Angron, and also posted an obliterator conversion. 

• Will Wright at Heresy Workshop has a converted Blood Pact priest.

• Spikey Bits looks at magnetising options, using the land speeder kit.

• Apocalypse 40K points out a counts as jetbike due soon from MaxMini.

• At Adeptus Malaysia deathkorp is in uncharted territory with 3D printing.

• Natfka at Faeit 212 reposts what may be surprising news re The Lord Inquisitor fan-made movie, suggesting GW is finding a way to accept it.

• BoLS posted a logo sheet with various adeptus mechanicus markings. 

• Chosen entries are up for the chapter design contest at For Holy Terra.

• There are 1, 2 new pieces of John Blanche artwork over at gothic punk.

• CounterFett at All Things Fett showed a piece of art in Space Crusade.

• This week's Blogroll Spotlight at FTW also has plenty of OSR-y links.

• On that big sixth edition leak-not-leak, Jake Thornton at Quirkworthy has a theory and sandwyrm at The Back 40K a good look at the evidence.

• Finally, the Citizens post here has new rules by SinSynn, and ideas from garrisonjames, and I'm thinking of hosting work on a possible new faction.

As ever, feel free to add links to anything at all you think I've missed in the comments.

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Rogue Space - Flare ATG and Storm APC

A pair of linked transports adapted for Rogue Space using the new rules; Fenway5's core rules and supplements are up here, an A4 sheet each.

The combination is a development of the Nova Armoured Transport Gyrocopter, or ATG, and I've kept the naming related - the larger delivery vehicle is the Flare ATG, and the smaller vehicle it carries is the Storm APC.

There's also a new weapon, the light pulveriser, using the rather ugly implosive rounds.

It's all a part of the Empyre conversion, aimed at giving Rogue Space players a future human context, but one that's familiar, simple and generic enough to adapt easily; the main inspirations were probably the aerial crane concept and the Aliens dropship.

                                                                                                                              

Flare ATG Mk. Id, 'The Velvet Glove'

The Flare ATG builds on the Nova frame, replacing direct passenger capacity with an external bay for a ground vehicle based on the Storm chassis. Though designed for rapid Empyric conquest, the Flare is now a key suppressor in the Uncivil Discourse.

C     25%    [1]   Cabin (max. 3 crew, top hatch)  [1]  Clamps (max. 1 Storm chassis of up to E12)

H     10%    [1]   1 Light Pulveriser            [1]  1 Light Pulveriser

A     35%    [7]   C: 4, 1/S (Clamps / Storm chassis)  H: 1, 1  S: 3 

S     30%    [9]   125-185' (185' - 5' per 1E of Storm chassis), skims (clamp / unclamp - 1 turn)

E     100%    20

                                                                                                                              

Storm APC Mk. II, 'The Mailed Fist'

The versatile Storm chassis was developed in tandem with the Flare ATG. The APC is the primary variant and in demand in these days of dynamic civil resistance. The Mk. II is a response to the spread of heavy assets as a result of audacious resistance tactics.

C     25%    [1]   Cabin (max. 2 crew, top hatch)  [2]  Hold (max. 8 pass., front ramp, rear ramp)

H     10%    [1]   1 Plasma Gun (mounted to fire clamped, unless landing, landed or taking off)

A     35%    [6]   C: 6, 6  H: 3  S: 4

S     30%    [2]   25' (clamp / unclamp - 1 turn)

E     100%    12

                                                                                                                               

A note on design: I dealt with the variable load by basing the Speed of the Flare on the total Engineering of the Flare and an E12 Storm, but spending only the Flare's points; I then decided 1E less than the maximum load would be worth 5' of distance travelled.

The Light Pulveriser is more or less a Light Machine Gun from the Armoury supplement, but using what will be the standard Empyric ammo, the brutal Implosive Round, raising the destructive effect of a bullet further; the special rule shows the nature of the wounds.

                                                                                                                               

Light Pulveriser    H    Implosive Rounds    L    Damage recovered at half normal rate

                                                                                                                              

Make any suggestions at all, and maybe download the game if you haven't yet - it's free.

Rogue Space downloads - Rogue Space news

Rogue Space at Hereticwerks - Rogue Space at Swords & Stitchery - Rogue Space at the Expanse

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Plea - strike - memory

In profound pain now, you gurgle out a desperate plea through the fall of oil. Even as the words leave there is a movement at the edge of sight, up by the tunnel. Something fine and sharp strikes you. Despite your rapidly freezing legs, a warm darkness flows in...

You open your eyes, blink, still heavy with sleep, but unrefreshed. Tired. Lying deep in grass below high branches, you move your legs half-aware; you dreamt they were lost.

You pause, sit up. The clearing is familiar. Something, something about it... But a wave of calm from within pushes at the doubts, dissolves them. Relax, it soothes, all is well.

But...

Struggle to remember   Blog One
Allow yourself to forget   Blog One   Blog Two
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... there is only civil war

This is a bit of an experiment linked with 40K...

During the Armageddon project I put up stats for Citizens using the 40K ruleset, and the concept came back to me recently when I was looking for inspiration for a civil war militia for Rogue Space.

They were designed to work under the hive interior combat system, so some special rules weren't very useful in general 40K. I thought they might benefit from an update.

They also resonate with the series Jervis has running on civil war in WFB, a discussion I read over at The Secret Sun on possible intranational relations, and this post on D&D.

I've reworked the entry below, but left the special ability table blank to see if we can do some development in the comments; the original table is here. Given the stats are for humans, what abilities would YOU put in there to suggest citizens of the Imperium?

A fourth column or six

If you use fourth edition D&D, you might like the weird creatures S. P. is adapting from Hereticwerks at How to Succeed in RPGs or Die Trying; it's bold thinking and hard work.

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40K OSR? (13)

Long time, no update, so this time it's massive.

As usual, if you're not sure what a 40K OSR? could be, there are potential definitions here.

If you identify with it, especially if you're coming up with new material, Colonel Kane's logo, to the right, is ready to use. If you do, consider giving him credit and adding Tales from the Maelstrom to your roll. The battle report the guys posted just before Christmas should be reason enough.

This time milestones, bad news and possible surprises, plus the usual wild cards at the end.

• As mentioned, Killzone v 3.0 is out after playtesting, with some thoughts up at A Gentleman's Ones and notes on the future at Galaxy in Flames.

• Big Jim also announced the TCP podcast and Bay Area Open narrative event, and posted on progress with the Soul Reapers - the codex is here.

• Rules Manufactorum has now gone in its original form, but been adopted by the renamed Casual Rules Bryssling of a Ruthless Mind Manufactorum.

• Sons of Taurus has now released Version 1.1 of the Codex: Lost and the Damned, and there are designer's notes and a sample army list up too.

• Sons of Taurus also introduced Ethereal's Projects, home to a fandex each for the Lost and the Damned, the Tau and the Sisters of Battle, and today linked to the progress report at Rogue Trader on Codex: Squat Stronghold.

• At Warpstone Flux jabberjabber posted a power, Psychokinetic Sphere.

• Tallarn at still practicing_ posted the end of the planetary empires campaign with two more rules, Tremors and Pyroclastic Barrage; I don't think I've ever mentioned the 5 minute history series, but it's a great refresher.

• Gotthammer has been posting on Rogue Trader RPG at Collegia Titanica, with the superb Koronus Gazetter and a set of non-player characters.

• At GAME OVER Von and Lexington ponder the motives of the Necrons.

• Lantz finished another unit for the AdMech FanDex, the Caminus Priests, and converted a Skitarii Jetbike based on the Antenociti Workshop kit, while Sandwyrm at The Back 40K also likes Micro Art Studios minis.

• Pirate Viking Painting has solid conversions for generic Imperial infantry.

• Rictus at Recalcitrant Daze had this emplacement mentioned at FTW, here, has a CAD development of it here, and was also busy with the Ork looted wagons at BoLS, the highlight for me being this thorough guide.

• Also linked there at FTW was The Mentor Legion, focused on the chapter.

• Chris Swaine at Roll With It converted a fine Malakim Phoros from IA9.

• Spikey Bits ran a tank conversion contest and got some great entries, with this Tau titan arguably the most unusual, spectacular and controversial, while the blog as a whole is tipped by Lantz as a possible heir to BoLS.

• Hungry Ghosts has posted huge amounts since the last update, including a look at the HQ, the third appendix for Historia Squataticus and a space Skaven, plus three parts of a series on Bob Olley not-Squats, 1, 2 and 3.

• At 3++ Aueretious Taak posted a Tyranid army using classic miniatures.

• Dylan Gould has a mass of Necromunda gangers and some classic IG.

• Back at FTW, Ron talked about leaving the gaming aspect behind.

• Tears of Envy's blog has another new piece of artwork by John Blanche...

• ... there are 1, 2, 3 more 40K-themed sketches over at Spiky Rat Pack...

• ... and at Confessions... dwez has more classic pieces by Gary Herrod, ...

• ... while back on Squats and Tyranids, Curis at Ninjabread pointed out the Beardy Bastards web comic, and looked at use of orange in sci-fi...

... and both of those links could almost be wild cards, making me think the distinction might be blurring as time goes by. Here are the three that seem just outside this time.

• Atom Kid over at Maximum Rock & Role Playing is in the early stages of sculpting a Space Ork in 15mm, i.e. at more or less half the usual size.

• At Swords & Stitchery the prolific Needles holds a weird, retro sci-fi mirror up to the Imperium with this post, offering a setting concept for Rogue Space.

• And Sandwyrm, again at The Back 40K, looks at GW's half year results.

All related posts here get the 40K OSR? label, so you can keep up with what I see. If you think I've missed anything, go right ahead and leave the link to it in the comments.

Update: As usual I find one right away - Spyglass Asylum has a John Blanche mini.

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Surviving an apocalypse

Surviving a potential man-made apocalypse is easy. It came to me reading the article on wheelbarrows that Talysman mentioned here. The solution? Start rebuilding now.

We do it by putting ourselves in the position of a survivor, in a moment long enough after the collapse that things have stabilised and the decay begun, but in which we can see clearly the outline of what it was came before, or remember it for having lived then too.

A moment suggesting the long path we had to follow just to get to where we are today, so the size of the missed opportunity sinks in. So we see better the steps, methods and tools, and the rigour and imagination needed. So we see there's nothing for it but to pull out the stops, think deep and work hard, for the love of who we are and who we can be.

Which is a great part of the value of post-apocalyptic fiction of course, more than any survival plan. Don't look at the zombies as the bad guys, look at them as allies lost.

And if we start rebuilding now, we might stop the thing happening in the first place. The wheelbarrows are a fine start, for a look at the chance in history and time lost already.

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Rogue Space - Controvertor field

Another adaptation for the Rogue Space project.

Controvertor Field

The controvertor field is a staple of defence in the human Empyre, whether fitted to orbital platforms, combat vehicles, strongpoints or the architectural follies of the increasingly paranoid Directors. It is a key feature of the Nova ATG Mk. IV, a deep insertion and command variant of the transport gyrocopter.

Relatively low tech even in these days of hardship, a controvertor field needs little more than a sensor, a responsive energy store and a damped repellor. It works by detecting and opposing any sufficiently high velocity incoming energy, ideally shunting it aside.

A Controvertor Field may be mounted on a vehicle using the construction rules, either in a Compartment or as an item of Hardware. Protection is directional, and provided in 90° arcs. If coverage is less than 360°, facings may be varied manually from turn to turn, or automatically if targetting software or hardware is fitted, or excess capacity is available.

The field adds 1 point of Protection to every Location attacked through one 90° arc, per point spent, e.g. +2 across 180° = four points. For every full 20 points of Engineering the vehicle has, base cost rises by one point. The field is assumed per point per arc to be equivalent in size to five humans or rated XL+1, and is recorded under Engineering.

OPTIONAL: If the number of Hit Points of damage rolled for a Location is 5 points or more higher than field Protection, the field shorts and may not be used until overhauled.

OPTIONAL: While field spread is set to envelop a form as tightly as possible, attacks at Range S or below may ignore a field either partially or fully at the discretion of the GM.

Rogue Space downloads - Rogue Space news

Rogue Space at Hereticwerks - Rogue Space at Swords & Stitchery - Rogue Space at the Expanse

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Money in old tropes - Vampires

I don't mind vampires - as a set of concepts - in the same way I can get along fine with space marines, cyborgs and gnomes, the other subjects of the Money in old tropes series. But with vampires too, more imaginative approaches must be possible.

What are the core concepts? Vampires serve up blood, darkness and time, with a side order of maidens, mesmerisation and strength, and maybe a given geographical region.

So how to see these things differently?

Circles Turn

This is the five parts of Circles Turn gathered up, the whole adventure in one location.

The cycle was a write-up of a journey through Zilgor's Repose, a complete adventure location set in the Kalaramar Drifts, one of the weird places created by Hereticwerks.

There's supplementary material at Hereticwerks too, for elements like Lone Survivors and Low-End Loot. Look closely and you can see marks left by the following events...

Who's in charge here? (2)

Two more cards for the deck of leader types, as well as a piece of flash fiction to tie in, for last week's Expansion Joints; Jennie's back and busy, and this week's is already up. The word to use last time was present and the narrative has to be 15 words max.

"On your feet, scum! An officer's present."

"No, sir, you're past. We voted you out."

The cards are aimed at capturing the flavour of traditional and radical without suggesting any specific method being used by the leader. The traditional is assumed to be low-key, but relatively safe, working against extremes, with the radical more explosive and riskier, but the assumption being made that both can be learnt by other parties if dramatic.

More importantly, the traditionalism and radicalism are not necessarily in conflict, don't simply cancel each other, and can be complementary, even overlap. Just like in real life.

The suggested use of the deck is in the first post. A new concept introduced with this pair is 'area of influence', which I'm assuming to mean the area over which leadership extends in mechanical terms in-game, perhaps to a single unit in the case of a squad leader, a given radius in the case of a hero, or an entire force in the case of a general.

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