jedion357's blog

D eye Y Smelted Assault Scouts

jedion357 — Sun, 07 Jul 2013 23:04:58 +0000

Over at Delta's D&D Hotspot was posted a mini tutorial on home made assault scout minis.

http://deltasdnd.blogspot.com/2013/07/scifi-saturday-assault-scout-minis...

The whole process is not actually covered but cool to see 4 new assault scouts enter the world.

Web based Character sheets

jedion357 — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:23:39 +0000

I've seen a few web based character sheets around the net and of varying utility, discovering this one got me wondering if FE should get involved in this effort.

http://deltasdnd.blogspot.com/2013/05/star-frontiers-character-sheets.html

Of course the problem these days is what rules do you use? AD, Zebs, or one of the fan adaptions?

There is a SF character sheet at Mad Irishman (not surprising):

http://www.mad-irishman.net/pub_starfrontiers.html

SPARG, NOW!

jedion357 — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:51:08 +0000

Recent picture on DA got me thinking: Self Propelled Autonomous Rail Gun

http://www.deviantart.com/art/Enforcer-378801855

as a setting objective/nemesis

Potential PC interactions:

1. as light infantry taking out the "war elephant" essentially a throw back to the Punic Wars where war elephants were the tanks of the battlefield but when flanked by light infantry they were easily neutralized. PCs must neutralize the SPARG so that other ships may enter orbit. the counter for light infantry taking out a war elephant was assigning light infantry to escort the war elephant thus the PCs will encounter other opposition scaled to their size- robotic escorts or living escorts.

2. using SPARG to defend a planet almost a space invaders themed encounter.

3. espionage- steal the plans etc

4. "Scotty I need that SPARG now or we're all dead!" rail guns experience deteriation of their rail system if not fired in vacuum thus when used for planetary defense they need plenty of TLC- PCs need to repair the SPARG before the alien swarm arrives or everyone dies.

5. Ghost in the Machine- rogue SPARG pushes its own agenda.

6. "One flew over the clockworks nest" PC mission lobotomize the SPARG and take over manual control of the weapon system for mission X

SPARG are designed to be anti siege weapons- mobile making them tough to localize for orbital bombardment. they are designed to level cities and shoot stuff in orbit.

Over Thinking a Conversion

jedion357 — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:47:47 +0000

Tom got me working on a conversion for Stars Without Number to STar Frotntiers. Its a retro clone of the old B/X D&D rules crafted for a science fiction setting. Rather elegant set of rules I must say. That's a strong compliment becuase I've been extremely frustrated with D20 systems since returning to D&D 5 years ago.

At anyrate I was totally over thinking the conversion and mucking it up and making it less elegant. Time to step back, breathe deep and chop my work down to size.

I strongly recommend Stars Without Number for role players who are wedded to the D20 system and mechanic but would like to play in a sci fi setting for a change. Hopefully there will be a conversion guide coming out for its use in the Star Frontiers setting soon too.

My reacuring brushes with poetry

jedion357 — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:20:34 +0000

I've enjoyed poetry throughout my life. First in school when a smart English teacher introduced us to some morbid and martial poetry to days of partying and drinking hard at age 20 when I wrote some to periods in my life when I seek some out and enjoy it. Looking back it seems to me that its a 5-10 itch; about every 5-10 years I get a poetry itch that must be scratched. I dont know why and I cant explain it. It just happens.

Most recently I encountered this exert from Philis Wheatley's On Imagination

We on thy pinions can surpass the wind,
And leave the rolling universe behind:
From star to star the mental optics rove,
Measure the skies, and range the realms above.
There in one view we grasp the mighty whole,
Or with new worlds amaze th' unbounded soul.

And on a recommendation I was just reading AE Housman and discovered Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries

These, in the day when heaven was falling,

The hour when earth’s foundations fled,

Followed their mercenary calling

And took their wages and are dead.

Their shoulders held the sky suspended;

They stood, and earth’s foundations stay;

What God abandoned, these defended,

And saved the sum of things for pay.

I'll be reading a little more of Housman and then I suspect that the itch will be cured for another 5 years.

Robotipocalys Now

jedion357 — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:21:23 +0000

First Big Dog, now Petman robots. DoD spending in the area of robotics is making this a brave new world.

http://boingboing.net/2013/04/05/boston-dynamics-humanoid-rob.html

I wouldn't go so far as to predict a Terminator style "sky net" that wipes out the human race. I would predict something much scarier and on a smaller scale: robotic minions in the hands of free moral agents (human beings) but lacking a moral center. Ultimately robotic minions will not question the morality of their actions and they will just perform them. What is truly scary is the capacity of man's inhumanity to man and having minions do you bidding and you do not even have to be present and witness the carnage will make it easier for these tools to be abused and for humanity to abuse itself. We might end up with a military built on robotic servants (no casualties in war) and that the establishment will be under the thumb of a human. To me that is the truly scariest possibility.

Still PETMAN is a fascinating step forward for robotics and the future is clearly knocking on our door. The question is, "Will the human race exercise good moral decision making with the power it is developing or not?" History would inform us on this question but then my local public schools dont teach it anymore focusing rather on teaching for the test that students must pass to graduate. Thus irrelevent things like History and Geography are shunted aside. We are truly entering a brave new world and is scares me.

Frontier Fashion

jedion357 — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:28:33 +0000

Issue 4 will have a short article on cultural perspectives: Morgaine's World. The purpose of the article was to examine the founding and development of that world with a view to helping players use it as a distinct player character background.

The founding as a agricultural colony to renaming in Admiral Morgaine's honor to the impact of corporate development of its economy and the presence of the STar Law and Space Fleet academies here are examined.

Material culture was developed and some details on the typical clothing styles as well as "the" planetary sport.

Look for Cultural Perspectives: Morgaine's World when issue 4 hits the digital news stands soon!

Pictiured is the planetary grand champion knife thrower in typical Morgaine's World clothing style.

Saurians making a come back

jedion357 — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:04:20 +0000

Issue 4 is nearing completion and we've revisited the Saurians from Dragon Magazine 103 (the date it was published escapes me at this minute but it was the Fall of '85 or '86). We've laid some ground work for referees looking to do a first contact scenario based on the suggestions in the Subspace Radio article and developed a sector and planetary brief to give the saurians a concrete place to be from instead of being refugees left in limbo on ark ships orbiting Theseus.

One might naturally think some fresh artwork of the suarians would be a nice addition to this theme but truth be told we needed to use up some space in layout. None the less I'm sure a fresh illustration of the saurians will be welcomed.

Enjoy.

Happy Easter

jedion357 — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 09:50:26 +0000

Its an hour before sun up on Easter morning and my house is preparing to attend a sunrise service. Just wanted to wish the other staff at the Frontier Explorer a Happy Easter. I'm pretty sure that I'm aware of everyone's religious sensibilities so that this is appropriate- its sometimes tough to get to know someone through only the internet but it has been a pleasure to work with everyone.

Tom V/ jedion357

Hurray! I just went commercial with my art!

jedion357 — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:57:28 +0000

Just sold one piece and have another on reserve.