So, Garry, Which one is better?

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jayphailey
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So, Garry, Which one is better?

Post by jayphailey » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:24 am

Okay, so I have agreement from Kat and Tom and I am now working up a new RPG campaign

Tom expressed little interest in terms of setting and genre. Kat was luke warm in favor of Space Opera.

They both agreed that they wanted story based RPG and an absense of Min Maxing or meta gaming.

So - Interesting, I have a question. But as I think of how to ask you this question I find I already know the answer

In my Earlier version of the Space Opera setting

I was using Exo-Drive in place of Hyper-Drive

I was using the rare metals that go into making an "Exo-Drive" as the currency. Stack up enough Exo-Metal coins and you can build or repair your Exo-Drive.

But - I was reading one of Rich Tucholka's last games - "EZ Space" which is basically "1950s Space Opera the The RPG"

Tucholka made up a stack up fantastic devices that were "Recovered" from the UFO at Roswell. Among theM

" The Atomic Converter was second. A simple reactor core that could convert medium grade radioactive material like Thorium into electricity. Efficient enough for home use, it had the potential to cause wide
spread economic chaos."


I am interpreting this as a sort of techno-magic kiln or oven, where you put radioactive minerals in, draw stupid amounts of power out and the result is lead sand, utterly devoid of all radioactivity.

In my interpretation, the higher the radioactivity and purity, the more energy you can draw out. So uranium ore straight out of the desert is low grade, low efficiency fuel, but purified uranium is better. Something like a plutonium nuclear bomb core would power a warship for years.

That way slugs of uranium or other radioactive minerals would make great interstellar currency, and Starship fuel.

The rest of the tech is going to be generic Star Wars stuff. Blasters, space thrusters, shields and hyper drives.

So, Okay. Next tme I talk to Kat and Tom I will start talking to them about more specifics into the setting.

My default is as described elsewhere. The ancients paved over every available planet and made into some variation of earth - that way people can go from planet to planet and see plants and trees and animals that are relatively consistent. That way I don't have to make an Alien bio-sphere for every stop.

Also, this is a Space Fantasy, so the goal is to provide mostly shirt sleeve environments for PCs to go meet interesting people in, encounter interesting problems and adventures.

Hard SF wants a different type of story telling.

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jayphailey
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Re: So, Garry, Which one is better?

Post by jayphailey » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:27 am

Tom expressed a preference for "Savage Worlds"

Its about 1/2 D20, except you use all the dice and 1/2 point buy.

So everyone starts out with a STR of 1d4, but with creation points, you can buy it up to a D6 or even a D8.

The baseline target number is 4, and ranges up and down from there, has bonuses and penalties applied.

I'll have to read more to see how Psionics works, and so on.

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Re: So, Garry, Which one is better?

Post by Innkeeper » Thu Jun 24, 2021 8:37 am

The point to a specie is to be seeming valuable, but not something else in your economy. Refined radioactives would be terrible money. People are dying to be rich.

Frankly if you do not have replication use gold and silver. As noted ideally positioned on the periodic table to be money. This wheel does not need reinventing. If you want a cyberpunk feel you can toss in cred sticks, mainly used for vast amounts of money. After all the metal is heavy. Fuel, food, and star ship parts make poor money because they are consumable. We are getting to the "Giff want paid in smoke powder" thing of Spelljammer.

Advice from someone that did, do not overthink money. Most people do not care as long as they get shinies. I have met no one that wants Economic Anvilania the RPG.


Also I remember that the unobtainable goal killed the last game along this line. If you are going with small package trade, and you will, keep it episodic. Frequent rewards and scenarios that run no more than two sessions.

Also make them the ship owners, not merely working for someone, agency matters. It is less being dragged around, and more going there.
-- The Innkeeper

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Re: So, Garry, Which one is better?

Post by Innkeeper » Thu Jun 24, 2021 8:40 am

jayphailey wrote:
Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:27 am
Tom expressed a preference for "Savage Worlds"

Its about 1/2 D20, except you use all the dice and 1/2 point buy.

So everyone starts out with a STR of 1d4, but with creation points, you can buy it up to a D6 or even a D8.

The baseline target number is 4, and ranges up and down from there, has bonuses and penalties applied.

I'll have to read more to see how Psionics works, and so on.
I have Savage Worlds on the shelf, and that is the end of it. No recommendation/disrecommendation, sorry.
-- The Innkeeper

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