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Thousand Suns: A Traveller Heartbreaker!

Started by Pierce Inverarity, April 16, 2008, 01:29:13 PM

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Pierce Inverarity

April 16, 2008, 01:29:13 PM
http://www.rogue-games.net/othergames2.html

By James Maliszewski, no less.

Looking at the previews, this thing gets me fired up instantly where Mongoose Traveller still leaves me entirely cold. Must be because it's like a clean slate Traveller, with all the decades of accretions of rules and canon issues wiped off.

Any thoughts or experiences with the game yet?
Ich habe mir schon sehr lange keine Gedanken mehr über Bleistifte gemacht.--Settembrini

flyingmice

#1
April 16, 2008, 01:36:05 PM
Quote from: Pierce Inverarityhttp://www.rogue-games.net/othergames2.html

By James Maliszewski, no less.

Looking at the previews, this thing gets me fired up instantly where Mongoose Traveller still leaves me entirely cold. Must be because it's like a clean slate Traveller, with all the decades of accretions of rules and canon issues wiped off.

Any thoughts or experiences with the game yet?

I haven't got it yet. I was all fired up to - I really like James' work, and Hey! It's SF! - then I realized I didn't like Imperial settings. I didn't like the Third Imperium, and won't like anything like it. That made me hold off.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

walkerp

#2
April 16, 2008, 01:47:27 PM
I'm very psyched about this game.  I don't have a huge hankering for space games, but this is giving me one.  It's the toolkit approach that attracts me.  Even more interesting, he's talking about a rules supplement that will let you play at a much higher level, representing church factions or militaries.  

Flyingmice, what does "Imperial Setting" mean?
"The difference between being fascinated with RPGs and being fascinated with the RPG industry is akin to the difference between being fascinated with sex and being fascinated with masturbation. Not that there\'s anything wrong with jerking off, but don\'t fool yourself into thinking you\'re getting laid." —Aos

Pierce Inverarity

#3
April 16, 2008, 01:48:44 PM
Ah, but here's the thing. Apparently, the setting is a toolkit. You get to decide whether it's an empire or a federation (or, I guess, something totally different).
Ich habe mir schon sehr lange keine Gedanken mehr über Bleistifte gemacht.--Settembrini

flyingmice

#4
April 16, 2008, 01:54:32 PM
Quote from: walkerpFlyingmice, what does "Imperial Setting" mean?

"Imperial Setting" just means the setting is an Interstellar Imperium, like Traveller or StarWars. I had understood that the toolkit allowed you to design your own Imperium, which to me is like Henry Ford saying you could have your Model T any color you liked so long as it was black.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

Caesar Slaad

#5
April 16, 2008, 02:07:50 PM
Quote from: Pierce InverarityAny thoughts or experiences with the game yet?

Yes:
http://www.therpgsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9043
http://www.therpgsite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=197145&postcount=20

You even posted in that second thread... ;)
The Secret Volcano Base: my intermittently updated RPG blog.

Running: Pathfinder Scarred Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Masks, Starfinder, Bulldogs!
Playing: Sigh. Nothing.
Planning: Some Cyberpunk thing, system TBD.

flyingmice

#6
April 16, 2008, 02:19:02 PM
Ave, Ceasar!

From James M's Post in the links:

"Thousand Suns is a toolkit for creating your own Imperial SF setting"
"The game itself includes a very thin "meta-setting" that outlines the basic structure of Imperial SF universes."

Whether that Imperium calls itself a federation or an empire is a mere semantic quibble. In broad structure, they are identical. Either one stretches my credulity to the breaking point. If it can work for other models of structure, I'll be buying it, and I may buy it anyway. :D

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

Pierce Inverarity

#7
April 16, 2008, 02:21:10 PM
Quote from: Caesar SlaadYes:
http://www.therpgsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9043
http://www.therpgsite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=197145&postcount=20

You even posted in that second thread... ;)

I'm such a flake.

I blame work, and society.
Ich habe mir schon sehr lange keine Gedanken mehr über Bleistifte gemacht.--Settembrini

walkerp

#8
April 16, 2008, 02:40:30 PM
Quote from: flyingmiceWhether that Imperium calls itself a federation or an empire is a mere semantic quibble. In broad structure, they are identical. Either one stretches my credulity to the breaking point.

Not challenging your position, Flying Mice.  It seems very clear and fair.  I'm just curious why and how space empires stretch your credulity.
"The difference between being fascinated with RPGs and being fascinated with the RPG industry is akin to the difference between being fascinated with sex and being fascinated with masturbation. Not that there\'s anything wrong with jerking off, but don\'t fool yourself into thinking you\'re getting laid." —Aos

Caesar Slaad

#9
April 16, 2008, 02:50:00 PM
Quote from: flyingmiceWhether that Imperium calls itself a federation or an empire is a mere semantic quibble. In broad structure, they are identical. Either one stretches my credulity to the breaking point. If it can work for other models of structure, I'll be buying it, and I may buy it anyway. :D

(shrug)

Well, I'm not so risk averse that I'd hesitate to spend $10 to check it out. But maybe that's just me. :cool: I don't see it as any further a leap to take the imperial SF to other structures than happens in the various GURPS Space Atlas books when they "adapt" their setting details to different assumptions. :shrug:

Course I haven't actually decided to use the system myself, so don't take me for a mega-fan.
The Secret Volcano Base: my intermittently updated RPG blog.

Running: Pathfinder Scarred Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Masks, Starfinder, Bulldogs!
Playing: Sigh. Nothing.
Planning: Some Cyberpunk thing, system TBD.

flyingmice

#10
April 16, 2008, 02:51:08 PM
Quote from: walkerpNot challenging your position, Flying Mice.  It seems very clear and fair.  I'm just curious why and how space empires stretch your credulity.

It's a matter of command and control. Any single inter-stellar state larger than a half-dozen or so star systems will become ungovernable without FTL communications. With FTL communications, the imperium inevitably becomes boring and uniform. So a large Imperium worth playing in is a logical fallacy.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

Caesar Slaad

#11
April 16, 2008, 03:00:26 PM
Quote from: flyingmiceIt's a matter of command and control. Any single inter-stellar state larger than a half-dozen or so star systems will become ungovernable without FTL communications. With FTL communications, the imperium inevitably becomes boring and uniform. So a large Imperium worth playing in is a logical fallacy.

(shrug) Well, that is sort of the premise, so maybe it's not for you. Course, that doesn't really impact chargen and the like much, but then, don't you have your own SFRPG anyways?
The Secret Volcano Base: my intermittently updated RPG blog.

Running: Pathfinder Scarred Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Masks, Starfinder, Bulldogs!
Playing: Sigh. Nothing.
Planning: Some Cyberpunk thing, system TBD.

flyingmice

#12
April 16, 2008, 03:00:31 PM
Quote from: Caesar Slaad(shrug)

Well, I'm not so risk averse that I'd hesitate to spend $10 to check it out. But maybe that's just me. :cool: I don't see it as any further a leap to take the imperial SF to other structures than happens in the various GURPS Space Atlas books when they "adapt" their setting details to different assumptions. :shrug:

Course I haven't actually decided to use the system myself, so don't take me for a mega-fan.

Like I said, right now I'm waiting to see what folks think, and maybe I'll just get it anyway. It's not like $10 is actual real money.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

#13
April 16, 2008, 03:06:24 PM
Quote from: Caesar Slaad(shrug) Well, that is sort of the premise, so maybe it's not for you. Course, that doesn't really impact chargen and the like much, but then, don't you have your own SFRPG anyways?

Two actually - StarCluster and Cold Space/FTL Now - But there's always room for more SF at casa clash! We like to play with different systems occasionally, and explore different takes on things. I mean I'll probably buy it anyway, I'm just not in the rush I was.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

Nicephorus

#14
April 16, 2008, 03:27:26 PM
Quote from: flyingmiceIt's a matter of command and control. Any single inter-stellar state larger than a half-dozen or so star systems will become ungovernable without FTL communications. With FTL communications, the imperium inevitably becomes boring and uniform. So a large Imperium worth playing in is a logical fallacy.

Doesn't the real world speak against that (as long there is FTL travel)?  The British Empire was gigantic for a couple of centuries, with it taking months to get from London to the furthest outlying regions.  Yet, Britain managed to keep it together more or less.
 
We have isntant communication now but I see only a very small trend towards uniformity and doubt that it will ever be complete.
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