I'm reading my newest Honor Harrington novel, "Honor among enemies" and so far it's a great one. I recommend it, like all Honor Harrington books, to anyone trying to build a SF game universe.

BTW, looking closely at the cover of this particular novel will reveal a small joke hidden in the background.

If you've got a good book series for would-be world builders to use, post it here. If we get enough replies we could get a sticky, or maybe better.

I think a SF universe based on the first RAMA novel would be interesting, it would be very hard except for any alien tech discovered (you could also use the same universe for a 2001 style game). The follow up RAMA novels were so different I think they may have been written entirely by Gentry Lee with Clarke's name tacked on just to sell books.

Quote from: RockViperI think a SF universe based on the first RAMA novel would be interesting, it would be very hard except for any alien tech discovered (you could also use the same universe for a 2001 style game). The follow up RAMA novels were so different I think they may have been written entirely by Gentry Lee with Clarke's name tacked on just to sell books.

Rendesvous with Rama captures the vastness and strangeness of the universe, the sequels then ordinaryify that.  The sequels, like most of Clark's sequels, if anything detract from what made the original great.

But a game based on the original could be cool.

Quote from: Dominus NoxI'm reading my newest Honor Harrington novel, "Honor among enemies" and so far it's a great one. I recommend it, like all Honor Harrington books, to anyone trying to build a SF game universe.

Why?  I've not read any, so what makes you think I should from an sf gaming point of view (I already know they're well regarded, so why I should read them from an entertainment point of view doesn't need answering).

Quote from: BalbinusWhy?  I've not read any, so what makes you think I should from an sf gaming point of view (I already know they're well regarded, so why I should read them from an entertainment point of view doesn't need answering).

Because Weber has constructed a very meticulously-detailed universe for the books. Politics, starship tactics and strategy, scientific advancement - it's all in there. Jeez, the essay about the FTL drive in the setting is practically a novella itself. Plus, there is an extensive body of work online where Weber details even more about the "Honorverse." I think it's at "Baen's Bar," but I'll have to hunt for a link. All in all, it's one of the most detailed scifi universes I'm aware of.

Quote from: BalbinusWhy?  I've not read any, so what makes you think I should from an sf gaming point of view (I already know they're well regarded, so why I should read them from an entertainment point of view doesn't need answering).

Well, because the books have plot, characters, character development and something for every type of character to do, from the captain to the techs to the ground pounders.

It's a real example of how to make a detailed setting for all characters and all types of actions, not just a narrow range.

Hell, in "honor among enemies" the main gist of the book is battles between 5 megaton class starships, but in between we have a green naval ensign being taught how to fistfight a bullying, corrupt crewman who wouldn't be in uniform if there wasn't a war on.

Interesting... I hadn't even heard of HH until QLI announced they were going to do a HH RPG, which seems to be in limbo right now.

Re. book series for gameworlds, apart from the usual suspects Gene Wolfe's New Sun would serve spectacularly well. (As Gurps New Sun would NOT, on account of it being boring.)

Well, if you are into SF anf haven't read and HH books, I recommend you get "On basilisk station" and read it.

Hell, you can get a PDF of it free at baen books, they're giving it away to attract people to the honorverse.

You can also sometimes find special low cost editions of it at bookstores that go for about half what a regular papoerback costs.

Sure, there are things about the HH books I don't like, such as the whole "main polity as a monarchy" thing and the attitude "niw remember, he's a rapist, a coward and a deserter, but you must respect his social status nonetheless" bullshit which wouldn't play in america, but those points pale in comparision to the outstanding qualities of the books.

Quote from: Dominus Noxthe attitude "niw remember, he's a rapist, a coward and a deserter, but you must respect his social status nonetheless" bullshit which wouldn't play in america

Ahem: "now remember, he's a drunk, and a scofflaw, and a philanderer, and possibly a manslaughterer, but you must remember he's a Kennedy".

The HH books are good, and I've used it as an inspiration for the feel of my GURPS Space campaign. I'm still working on how to capture the technological arms race aspect though -- tech level charts in SF games usually aren't very granular, so I'm having to work through and come up with fractional tech level advances.

Another world that I've always thought would be good for roleplaying is Pournelle's WarWorld. Many different nations and peoples struggling for survival and supremacy on a formerly high-tech, now devastated world that never was all that terribly habitable in the first place.

Has anyone set an RPG in Asimov's Foundation Universe?

Three from Tad Williams: War of the Flowers and Shadowmarch. For John Wick's Cat, Tailchaser's Song.

Quote from: balzacqAhem: "now remember, he's a drunk, and a scofflaw, and a philanderer, and possibly a manslaughterer, but you must remember he's a Kennedy".

lemme guess, you voted for W in 2004?

OK, "On Basilisk Station" is a whopping $3.99 on amazon. 464 pages. That must be the cheapest new book I've ever seen. I'll piggyback it on my next amazon "Just $2.95 more and you get Free Shipping" spree.

I just got done with "Honor among enemies" and it had some great ideas in it that would work in a rpg, if the gm permitted.

Example: In one scene (Minor spoiler coming)

















A ship with 9 missile tubes per side and stardard energy beam suite attacked 3 ships, and came in spinning around her forward axis. (Ships in the HH universe usually mount most weapons on the sides for technical reasons)

Well, the captain fired a salvo of 9 missiles from one side out of the magnetic launchers with the drives on delayed activation. He then fired the other side's 9 as they rotated into arc with the drives on full, and the drives on the prior 9 activated in a timed program that meant all 18 hit the target at once. The target's point defense was overwhelmed and it was trashed.

Now the captain of another vessel in the fight saw that and decided the cruiser must have 18 missile tubes per side, which he assumed meant she had no decent beam cannon array, so he charges into close combat for some beam fighting. Needless to say he found out the hard way the ship did have a full beam array.

Quote from: Dominus Noxlemme guess, you voted for W in 2004?

That's between me and the People's Republic of King County employee who supposedly recorded my absentee ballot.  

Seriously, it was meant to point out that RHIP is true everywhere -- people who seem untouchable certainly exist in America, and we don't even have formally, constitutionally established, centuries-old noble and royal houses. I found the nemesis character whose name escapes me to be reasonably believable.