About five years ago I started on a complete re-write of Galactic Adventures.  This was owing in no small part to the two big guns of independant sfrpg design at the time.  Tower Ravens Universe and Zaon.  Universe seemed to have a large team and financial backing and Zaon had incredible cgi art.

At the time, it seemed that the only way to compete would be to have a really awesome setting and game.  So I grumblingly set out to do a total re-write.

Five years later Zaon is still vapour ware and Universe?  Well, a couple years ago the Universe Primer turned up in my file.  I'd ordered it of course, but it came a year and a half later.  It's a thick, digest sized book with great art and a truely frightening game system.  Seriously I've never even considered trying to run the thing.  Most bizarre is the psionics system with its astral vortecies and unfathomable record sheet.

Did anyone else ever pick this one up?  Any thoughts?  I've always found the setting material in the book to be fascinating.  The rules are, workable, just very in depth and unintuitive.

Quote from: David JohansenAbout five years ago I started on a complete re-write of Galactic Adventures.  This was owing in no small part to the two big guns of independant sfrpg design at the time.  Tower Ravens Universe and Zaon.  Universe seemed to have a large team and financial backing and Zaon had incredible cgi art.

At the time, it seemed that the only way to compete would be to have a really awesome setting and game.  So I grumblingly set out to do a total re-write.

Five years later Zaon is still vapour ware and Universe?  Well, a couple years ago the Universe Primer turned up in my file.  I'd ordered it of course, but it came a year and a half later.  It's a thick, digest sized book with great art and a truely frightening game system.  Seriously I've never even considered trying to run the thing.  Most bizarre is the psionics system with its astral vortecies and unfathomable record sheet.

Did anyone else ever pick this one up?  Any thoughts?  I've always found the setting material in the book to be fascinating.  The rules are, workable, just very in depth and unintuitive.

Whu?!

What the hell are you talking about? I see you wrote words, but none of them seem to make any sense together.

RPGPundit

I'm sorry? David's post is perfectly lucid. Sadly, that can't be said for Universe, which I looked into, VERY briefly, a couple of months ago.

Quote from: RPGPunditWhu?!

What the hell are you talking about?

Zaon.  Very pretty, very chatty, lovely mock-ups of roleplaying books that seemingly don't exist.  "All fur coat and no knickers," as a friend of mine would say.

Universe. Another sci-fi RPG.  Looks like they got their core book out in 2003, but everything else is "forthcoming" since.  Unlike Zaon, this game at least pulled its pants on, but little else.

!i!

Quote from: Ian Absentia"All fur coat and no knickers," as a friend of mine would say.

You say that like it's a bad thing! :O


I've never even looked at Tower Raven's Universe, though the old SPI Universe was one of the three main RPG inspirations for StarCluster. It just... didn't look all that interesting.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceYou say that like it's a bad thing! :O

Yes, yes.  Admittedly, I like to walk around the house like that, but some people frown on it in polite society.

!i!

Mathematically Universe is very interesting but the metaphysics of psionics make my head hurt.  The book is missing lots of important stuff.  There's statements on just about every page about what's going to be in the full version.

I guess one point would be that there were these two great big sf games bearing down on the market with funding and man power and nice art and there I was with my scratchy sketches and my little game and I decided I couldn't compete.  I'm still not sure I was wrong there, but it's interesting to see just how far other people have gone without ever actually publishing their game.

And Pundit?  I wouldn't worry about it, I doubt anything I've ever posted really made much sense to anyone.  

Quote from: David Johansen...it's interesting to see just how far other people have gone without ever actually publishing their game.

You see it a lot.  People who have great ideas, but not necessarily the organisation to deliver those ideas to other people.  Take Zaon as an example -- they managed to get two of their deckplans online for sale.  That's great, but that's not a business, and that's not a whole RPG unto itself.  If they'd kept their scope limited to something they could comfortably manage -- supercool graphics and deckplans -- maybe they'd have built a real name for themselves.

!i!

Quote from: David JohansenMathematically Universe is very interesting but the metaphysics of psionics make my head hurt.  The book is missing lots of important stuff.  There's statements on just about every page about what's going to be in the full version.

I guess one point would be that there were these two great big sf games bearing down on the market with funding and man power and nice art and there I was with my scratchy sketches and my little game and I decided I couldn't compete.  I'm still not sure I was wrong there, but it's interesting to see just how far other people have gone without ever actually publishing their game.

And Pundit?  I wouldn't worry about it, I doubt anything I've ever posted really made much sense to anyone.  

David:

ZAON and Universe were both announced right about the time I released StarCluster 2. I remember thinking "oh oh!" ZAON made SC2 look graphcally antiquated, and they both seemed to have limitless pockets. I may end up doing StarCluster 3 before ZAON is ever released, and Universe never went anywhere. It looked threatening, but they've lost whatever momentum they had, and with Mongoose re-doing Traveller, they will never get it back. Traveller fans are insanely loyal.

Galactic Adventures was an excellent game, BTW. I used to recommend it all the time before you buried it. Your name is in the credits for every game I've  written.

-clash

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaYou see it a lot.  People who have great ideas, but not necessarily the organisation to deliver those ideas to other people.  Take Zaon as an example -- they managed to get two of their deckplans online for sale.  That's great, but that's not a business, and that's not a whole RPG unto itself.  If they'd kept their scope limited to something they could comfortably manage -- supercool graphics and deckplans -- maybe they'd have built a real name for themselves.

!i!

While other people with utterly pedestrian ideas have the unmitigated gall to actually produce reams of crap! I see it all the time! Look at that levitating rodent crap!

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceDavid:

ZAON and Universe were both announced right about the time I released StarCluster 2. I remember thinking "oh oh!" ZAON made SC2 look graphcally antiquated, and they both seemed to have limitless pockets. I may end up doing StarCluster 3 before ZAON is ever released, and Universe never went anywhere. It looked threatening, but they've lost whatever momentum they had, and with Mongoose re-doing Traveller, they will never get it back. Traveller fans are insanely loyal.

Galactic Adventures was an excellent game, BTW. I used to recommend it all the time before you buried it. Your name is in the credits for every game I've  written.

-clash

And then you saw Nebuleon and you thought "Oh, well, I like historical games better anyway."

Bill

Quote from: HinterWeltAnd then you saw Nebuleon and you thought "Oh, well, I like historical games better anyway."

Bill

Hahahaha! You noticed that? "StarCluster 3" is my code for "When Hell Freezes Over!"

-clash

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaYou see it a lot.  People who have great ideas, but not necessarily the organisation to deliver those ideas to other people.  Take Zaon as an example -- they managed to get two of their deckplans online for sale.  That's great, but that's not a business, and that's not a whole RPG unto itself.  If they'd kept their scope limited to something they could comfortably manage -- supercool graphics and deckplans -- maybe they'd have built a real name for themselves.

!i!

And some of us have neither...:deflated:

Bill

Quote from: HinterWeltAnd some of us have neither...:deflated:

Bill

I didn't come here to be insulted!

Wait... Yes, I did! Why else would I come here?

Never mind!

-cclash

Quote from: flyingmiceHahahaha! You noticed that? "StarCluster 3" is my code for "When Hell Freezes Over!"

-clash

BTW- I am working on Nebuleon 2. The edition wars will soon follow!

Seriously though, you will pay for your arrogance!

No, o.k. right. In your copious free time I would love for you to look over the A.I. build system and the Ship Combat. I think neither of them will be remotely like systems you would enjoy but you have an eye for detail and much more of a knack for systems than I do. Your input would be much welcomed.

Thanks (and you will feel my wrath mortal!),
Bill