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Mixing fantasy and sci-fi.

Started by Arkansan, January 29, 2014, 12:48:46 AM

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Arkansan

January 29, 2014, 12:48:46 AM
Reading through some old Warhammer stuff, the OD&D books and various other things here lately has me itching to start writing up another campaign world but with some Sci-fi elements thrown in. Out of curiosity what does everyone think are some good and bad examples of this kind of thing? Is there a wrong way to go about this? In my head I am seeing kind of a mix of the Hyborian age with some Barsoom, Dune, and the like thrown in, at least as sources of inspiration.

Bloody Stupid Johnson

#1
January 29, 2014, 01:06:34 AM
Media or RPG sources?

In RPGs some of the more famous mashups would be TORG (good, by hearsay), Rifts (good), World of Synnibarr (most people agree bad).

In fictional sources.
Three Hearts and Three Lions has some pseudo-science in spots.
Larry Niven's The Magic Goes Away and related works ("what good is a glass dagger", etc) or Lyndon Hardy's Master of the Five Magics have fairly 'scientific' views of magic that I think work well with trying to integrate magic + science together. Vance's Dying Earth I guess as well. Sword & Planet I'd agree would be good, and Lovecraft could be an inspiration as well.

Old One Eye

#2
January 29, 2014, 01:09:29 AM
I like Star Wars quite nicely.

Arkansan

#3
January 29, 2014, 01:11:36 AM
I would be fine with either media or RPG sources, though RPG would be preferred.

smiorgan

#4
January 29, 2014, 02:31:26 AM
Chaosium's Chronicles of Future Earth, or GURPS New Sun (latter based on Gene Wolfe's Urth novels).

TristramEvans

#5
January 29, 2014, 02:55:17 AM
World of Synnibar is freakin awesome. Its exactly the RPG I would have created when I was 11 and hopped-up on Yoo-Hoo and Nerds candy. It makes RIFTs and TORG look like you're grampa's toilet seat cushion. It is no-holds-barred everything and the kitchen sink if the kitchen sink was a Transforming Robot Ninja Bear with laser eyes that can fly. It out Fanfics fanfic. I love that game.

jeff37923

#6
January 29, 2014, 03:05:24 AM
Quote from: Arkansan;727731Reading through some old Warhammer stuff, the OD&D books and various other things here lately has me itching to start writing up another campaign world but with some Sci-fi elements thrown in. Out of curiosity what does everyone think are some good and bad examples of this kind of thing? Is there a wrong way to go about this? In my head I am seeing kind of a mix of the Hyborian age with some Barsoom, Dune, and the like thrown in, at least as sources of inspiration.

Go and watch all 4 DVDs of Samurai Jack to see how fantasy and sci-fi are best mixed.
"Meh."

The Ent

#7
January 29, 2014, 03:18:17 AM
Quote from: TristramEvans;727756World of Synnibar is freakin awesome. Its exactly the RPG I would have created when I was 11 and hopped-up on Yoo-Hoo and Nerds candy. It makes RIFTs and TORG look like you're grampa's toilet seat cushion. It is no-holds-barred everything and the kitchen sink if the kitchen sink was a Transforming Robot Ninja Bear with laser eyes that can fly. It out Fanfics fanfic. I love that game.

There's also Arduin, kinda.

Quote from: jeff37923;727761Go and watch all 4 DVDs of Samurai Jack to see how fantasy and sci-fi are best mixed.

Seconded. Awesome series. Most awesome.

...

For books, there's Gene Wolfe of course. Also Cherryh's Morgaine Saga (SF masquerading as fantasy, but hey - allthough said SF is hardly hard.).

And Sword & Planet stuff!

Arkansan

#8
January 29, 2014, 03:20:15 AM
Ha! I loved Samurai Jack, I remember watching it when it was new. Odd that it had never occurred to me as something to draw from for gaming.

Psychman

#9
January 29, 2014, 03:26:08 AM
There's also ICE's Shadow World, the Rolemaster setting that clearly has links to the Space Master Universe, and ancient spaceships and weapons can turn up as "artifacts".  Not to mention one of the Marty Stu, Deus ex Machina personalities is clearly from the Space Master "Ancients" race.  Yes Andraax, I'm looking at you.
Clearly, "what I like" is awesome, and a well-considered, educated opinion. While "what other people like" is stupid, and just a bunch of made up gobbledygoook. - zomben
Victor of the "I Bought, We Won" - Sleepy

The Ent

#10
January 29, 2014, 03:36:43 AM
Quote from: Psychman;727768There's also ICE's Shadow World, the Rolemaster setting that clearly has links to the Space Master Universe, and ancient spaceships and weapons can turn up as "artifacts".  Not to mention one of the Marty Stu, Deus ex Machina personalities is clearly from the Space Master "Ancients" race.  Yes Andraax, I'm looking at you.

Ha, I always loved that setting myself! It's quite weird really, and obviously with supertech SF in its (far removed by time and space) background. I like it lots!

...don't forget the setting's Villain Sue, who's what you get when an Ancient is impregnated by an Outer God! :eek:

TristramEvans

#11
January 29, 2014, 03:58:59 AM
Farscape is a very good mix of fantasy and sci-fi. In fact, Id go so far to say it is the penultimate sci-fi adaption of D&D specifically. Characters fit the classic D&D classes and alignments to a T, you can see them level up over the course of the series, and so many of thier plans (which never work out) are archetypal PC plans.

All that and Hensen puppetry at the top of its game mixed with some of the first decent cgi on TV that doesnt look like a 32-bit videogame 5 years later.

J Arcane

#12
January 29, 2014, 05:16:01 AM
I'm quite proud of my take on fantasy cyberpunk in Welcome to Neuro City. I dunno that it'll win any awards, but I felt I did a pretty good job extrapolating a neatly miserable future for the Arcana Rising setting. :D

To avoid shameless self-promotion in its entirety, I'd also say I was quite fond of Phase World and Wormwood. As sourcebooks for Rifts they were unbalanced as hell even by Palladium standards, but as dedicated settings they were kinda cool.
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wmarshal

#13
January 29, 2014, 07:12:45 AM
Quote from: TristramEvans;727783Farscape is a very good mix of fantasy and sci-fi. In fact, Id go so far to say it is the penultimate sci-fi adaption of D&D specifically. Characters fit the classic D&D classes and alignments to a T, you can see them level up over the course of the series, and so many of thier plans (which never work out) are archetypal PC plans.

What class would Crichton be?

TristramEvans

#14
January 29, 2014, 07:21:13 AM
Quote from: wmarshal;727825What class would Crichton be?

Fighter (paladin) - starts at level zero, check out him blasting folks left and right by season 3. The Wyrmhole knowledge takes the place of religious chivalry.

 Aeryn is a fighter, D'Argo a fighter (Barbarian), Zann a cleric, Rigel a thief and Chiana a thief (Acrobat).
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