|
Post by Siskoid on Jan 29, 2013 15:21:21 GMT
Being a master list of extracanonical material featuring the 1st Doctor in need of RPG conversion for the WhoRPG Extracanonical Sourcebook projectdwaitas.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=xtrauni&action=display&thread=2073Volunteers in [brackets]: Sk=Siskoid, MH=misterharry, ct345 = ct345, das = dastari MISSING ADVENTURES (NOVELS)Venusian Lullaby - Venusians [MH], Sou(ou)shi [MH], Location/Venus [MH], Mm'x Crystals [MH] The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Kildenny Odoyle [das], Location/Avalon [das], Sidebar/"Magic", Gadget/Merlin's Helm [das] The Empire of Glass - Galileo Galilei [MH], Greld [MH], Armageddon Convention [MH], Location/Laputa [MH] The Man in the Velvet Mask - The Masksmasters of the Pageant [Sk], Minski de Sade [Sk], Location/New Bastille [Sk] The Plotters - Guy Fawkes [MH] PAST DOCTOR ADVENTURES (NOVELS)The Witch Hunters - Location/Salem Mass. [MH] Salvation - Latter-Day Pantheon [MH] City at World's End - Location/The City of Arkhaven on Sarath [MH], TARDIS Emergency Evacuation Module [MH] Bunker Soldiers - Mongolian raids (location, event, characters) [Sk] Byzantium! - Location/Byzantium [Sk] Ten Little Aliens - The Schirr [MH], Morphieans [MH], Gadget/Neural Network Webset [MH] The Eleventh Tiger - Wong Fei-Hung [Sk], Location/Boxer Rebellion China [Sk] The Time Travellers - Location/Shoreditch Alternative TELOS NOVELLASTime and Relative - The Cold [MH], Temporal/TARDIS throwing timeline out of synch [MH] Frayed - Foxes [HM], Location/Iwa [MH] 50TH ANNIVERSARY PUFFIN ESCHORTSA Big Hand for the Doctor - Soul Pirates [MH] COMPANION CHRONICLES (AUDIOS)Frostfire - Phoenix [ct345] Mother Russia - Shape Thief [ct345], Location/1812 Russia [ct345] Here There Be Monsters - Location/Earth Benchmarking Vessel Nevermore [MH] Home Truths - Sara Kingdom House [Sk] The Transit to Venus - Joseph Banks [das], Location/The Endeavor [das] The Drowned World - Living Water [ct345] The Suffering - The Suffering The Guardian of the Solar System - Location/The Great Clock Quinnis - Meedla [MH], Location/Quinnis [MH] The Perpetual Bond - Oliver Harper [MH], Fulgurites [MH] The Cold Equations - Cahlians [MH] The Rocket Men - Rocket Men [MH], Location/Jobis [MH] The First Wave - Location/Grace Alone [MH] The Anachronauts - Gadget/Test Vehicle Hank Morgan 4 [MH] The Wanderer - Rasputin [Sk], The Dahensa The Revenants - Marsh Wains [MH] The Time Museum - Location/The Time Museum [Sk] Return of the Rocket Men - Location/Ulysses 519 [MH] The Flames of Cadiz - Sir Francis Drake [MH], Location/The Spanish Inquisition [MH] The Library of Alexandria - Location/The Library of Alexandria [MH] THE LOST STORIES (AUDIOS)Farewell, Great Macedon - Alexander the Great [MH] The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance - Location/Fragrance [MH] The Masters of Luxor - Robots of Luxor [MH], Location/Luxor [MH] OTHER AUDIOSHunters of Earth - Hate Machine [MH] A Star Is Born - Metraxi [MH] OPTIONAL: COMICS, SHORT STORIES, MISC.Comic strips: At a minimum, stats for companions, John & Gillian (a great site that discusses the Doctor Who comics: www.alteredvistas.co.uk/html/first_doctor.html ) -John and Gillian [MH], Kleptons [MH] Campaign - Game of Me [MH] Decalog (The Book of Shadows, The Golden Door) - Gadget/The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey [MH] Decalog 2 (The Nine-Day Queen) - The Vrij Decalog 3 (Tarnished Image) Short Trips (The Last Days, There Are Fairies At the Bottom of My Garden) More Short Trips (64 Carlysle Street, Romans Cutaway) Short Trips and Side Steps (The Longest Story in the World, Nothing at the End of the Lane, Planet of the Bunnoids) - Bunnoids and Lapinos, Sidebar/End of the Lane alternate reality Big Finish's Short Trips stories - Robin Hood (The Thief of Sherwood) [MH], Stone of Scone (Set in Stone) [MH] Material from the Doctor Who Annuals - Zarbi Supremo (1966 Annual) [MH], Fishmen of Kandalinga (66 Ann) [MH] Cushing films - Doctor Who [MH], Suzie Who [MH], Barbara Who [MH], Ian Chesterton [MH], Louise Who [MH], Tom Campbell [MH], Film Daleks & Robomen [MH] Omitted but not Forgotten [Sk] - Napoléon Bonaparte, Nero, Typical Gladiator, Larva Gun, King Richard, Saladin Did I forget anything? What concepts should be pulled from these? Anything you personally want to try your hand at?
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Jan 29, 2013 15:30:10 GMT
Personally, I own few of the books, but would be willing to try my hand at the difficult and controversial The Man in the Velvet Mask (the alternate dimension as a Location?), the Eleventh Tiger (Wong Fei-Hung of course!) and any Companion Chronicles (I'm listening to them even as we speak). I also own Byzantium! and (unread) City at World's End.
Nothing at the End of the Lane (Short Trips and Side-Steps) is another alt-reality that might fit the same text block as the same author's Velvet Mask novel.
|
|
misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
|
Post by misterharry on Jan 29, 2013 15:56:53 GMT
I've already got write-ups for the following (some of them previously posted on the Forum, but others not yet):
John and Gillian, the Doctor's grandchildren from TV Comic The Kleptons, also from TV Comic The Rocket Men, from the Companion Chronicle of the same name Oliver Harper, a new companion from the Companion Chronicles (first appeared in The Perpetual Bond)
I'll need to review them and put them into whatever format is needed, but it's a start.
I'm also happy to put myself down for the following:
Venusian Lullaby - I've been thinking of statting up the Venusians anyway Time and Relative - not sure what I'd use from this yet, but it gives me an excuse to re-read it Frayed - ditto
I'm also happy to cover the Lost Stories Audios if nobody else does - I don't want to hog too much too soon though!
|
|
|
Post by Rel Fexive on Jan 30, 2013 8:29:30 GMT
What about the Missing Adventure The Empire Of Glass? I only mention it because it's the only MA I've read!
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Jan 30, 2013 12:01:44 GMT
What about the Missing Adventure The Empire Of Glass? I only mention it because it's the only MA I've read! Good catch! I really didn't mean to slight it!
|
|
|
Post by jeffrywith1e on Jan 30, 2013 18:41:48 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Jan 30, 2013 19:20:27 GMT
Yes I saw! More material for us!
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Feb 4, 2013 15:19:03 GMT
I've started updating the Master List (first post) with ideas for entries. These are just suggestions, which you can claim for your own, but do feel free to suggest more. Initials in brackets represent a claim, but it doesn't mean someone else can't collaborate with the claim-holder, suggest their own stats, etc. Part of the editing process will be taking the best elements of several versions.
|
|
misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
|
Post by misterharry on Feb 4, 2013 19:49:08 GMT
It probably makes sense if I have a go at writing something for the other entries for stories that I'm already doing something for:
Venusian Lullaby - Sou(ou)shi, Location/Venus The Perpetual Bond - Fulgarites The Rocket Men - Location/Platform 5 on Jobis
|
|
misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
|
Post by misterharry on Feb 4, 2013 19:53:12 GMT
Here's what I've done for ther Rocket Men - let me know if this is a suitable format or if you need anything tweaked.
THE ROCKET MEN
The Rocket Men are brutal raiders and pirates who operate in the 23rd Century on the fringes of the developing Earth Empire. They are organised into criminal gangs and attack space freighters and poorly defended colonies, taking anything of value and killing or enslaving anyone who gets in their way. Their name comes from the rocket packs that each of them wears on their backs, which allow them to fly within planetary atmospheres. They also wear tough leather outfits and bronze helmets, and carry an assortment of weapons.
The Rocket Men’s tactics against spaceships are to attack them from their own ship, forcing them to crash. The Rocket Men then swarm out to attack any survivors and ransack the wreckage.
ATTRIBUTES: Awareness: 3 Coordination: 3 Ingenuity: 2 Presence: 3 Resolve: 3 Strength: 4
TRAITS: Adversary (Minor): The Galactic Heritage Protectorate, whose remit includes law enforcement among the colonies. Gadget – Helmet (Minor): A Rocket Man’s helmet has an inbuilt air supply that provides the Minor Environmental trait. It also has a radio link to the other Rocket Men. Gadget – Leather Armour (Minor): A Rocket Man’s leather armour provides 2 points of damage reduction, as per the Tough trait. Gadget – Rocket Pack (Major): The rocket pack provides the Major Flight trait. In situations requiring skill rolls, Coordination + Transport are used. Selfish (Minor): Rocket Men are ruthless pirates with thoughts only for themselves.
SKILLS: Athletics 2 Fighting 2 Marksman 3 Technology 1 Transport 3 (AoE: Rocket Pack)
WEAPON: Laser pistol 7(3/7/10)
TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: 6 (23rd Century) STORY POINTS: 1-3
ASHMAN, ROCKET MEN LEADER
Ashman was the leader of the gang of Rocket Men who attacked Platform Five on the gas giant planet Jobis. He is a big bear of a man, with his features hidden beneath his helmet. Ashman was as callous as all his kind, ordering the killing of hostages to achieve his ends.
ATTRIBUTES: Awareness: 3 Coordination: 3 Ingenuity: 3 Presence: 4 Resolve: 3 Strength: 4
TRAITS: Adversary (Minor): The Galactic Heritage Protectorate. Gadget – Helmet (Minor): Inbuilt air supply and a radio link to the other Rocket Men. Gadget – Leather Armour (Minor): 2 points of damage reduction. Gadget – Rocket Pack (Major): The rocket pack provides the Major Flight trait. Selfish (Minor): Like the rest of his men, Ashman is motivated only by personal gain. Voice of Authority (Minor): Ashman has a +2 bonus on Presence and Convince rolls.
SKILLS: Athletics 2 Fighting 3 Marksman 4 Technology 1 Transport 3 (AoE: Rocket Pack)
WEAPON: Laser pistol 7(3/7/10)
TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: 6 (23rd Century) STORY POINTS: 5
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Feb 4, 2013 20:15:06 GMT
As usual, your work speaks for itself, always been a big fan. But I'd like to hear from other people - is this enough information for you to run Rocket Men in a game? Should the flavor text include more historical elements (i.e. what happens in the audio). Do you want explanations for each trait, or just straight lists? What about Plot hooks/Adventure seeds?
Me, I MIGHT like a little more heft to the non-stats text, if only to better fit it on the page, especially if we're going to mirror the actual sourcebooks (bio black on white/stats in side-bar). Perhaps adventure seeds could be used to bolster the text in places where there just isn't that much to be said.
One idea I had researching the above suggestions is to use the novel/audio back cover blurb AS an adventure seed, changing only a few words to turn it into a story for Your Own Characters(TM). For example, The Rocket Men might have this Hook:
Your TARDIS lands on Platform Five, a floating city in the sky of the planet Jobis, and for a time, your characters get the chance to enjoy this idyllic place. Then the Rocket Men arrive, led by the sadistic Ashman. When the only other option to certain death is suicide, they will have to take the gamble of their lives...
Oh and there's a Return of the Rocket Men too (November 2012 release), so I now realize my list was incomplete!
|
|
misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
|
Post by misterharry on Feb 4, 2013 21:08:19 GMT
Yes, the flavour text of this one is pretty brief. I was thinking that the story description would more naturally fit in the Jobis section, but it could go in either. Including adventure seeds would be a good way to expand, but as you say - it would be interesting to hear what others think.
|
|
misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
|
Post by misterharry on Feb 5, 2013 15:32:17 GMT
I've expanded the background text for the Rocket Men and included a brief Adventure Seed. What do people think of this as an example of what is needed? Is this level of detail suitable for those who haven't heard the story they come from?
THE ROCKET MEN
By the 23rd Century, the Earth Empire is expanding rapidly, with overcrowding and pollution on Earth forcing many to seek another life on newly discovered planets far from home. At the fringes of this expansion are the frontier worlds, places where pioneers struggle to establish the new colonies and contact with the rest of the Empire is sporadic and unreliable. Many of these frontier planets are undefended and poorly equipped, with even the ships that brought them there badly in need of repair.
It is at this very edge of civilisation that the Rocket Men are feared. These brutal raiders and pirates are organised into criminal gangs which prey on the struggling colonists and the occasional space freighters which keep them supplied. The Rocket Men attack without mercy, descending from their ships on jets of fire to pillage, enslave and murder. Even those who don’t offer any resistance will be lucky to escape with their lives. The Rocket Men’s tactics against spaceships are to ambush them from their own ship as they enter a planetary atmosphere, forcing them to crash. The Rocket Men then swarm out to attack any survivors and ransack the wreckage.
Their name comes from the rocket packs that each of them wears on their backs, which allow them to fly within planetary atmospheres. The packs’ controls are on the central buckle of the straps that secure them in place. The Rocket Men also wear protective leather outfits and their faces are hidden behind bronze helmets topped with a streamlined crest. The whole look has an oddly retro feel. Rocket Men carry an assortment of weapons, whatever they have managed to buy, scavenge or steal, from top of the range laser pistols to antique firearms.
The Rocket Men are organised into numerous separate gangs, vying with each other to protect the areas of the galaxy that they consider to be their turf. Their leaders are the strongest and most vicious members of the gangs who, having fought their way to the top, keep their positions by sheer brutality and ruthlessness.
The only thing that the Rocket Men fear is the Galactic Heritage Protectorate, an organisation similar to the National Trust, but with added guns. The Rocket Men will flee any encounter with the forces of the Protectorate, knowing themselves to be outgunned. But the size of the frontier means that the Protectorate ships are very thinly spread and usually arrive far too late to foil an attack once it is underway.
The Doctor and his companions first encountered the Rocket Men when they attacked Platform Five floating in the atmosphere of the gas giant Jobis. With the Doctor himself stranded on a distant scientific research satellite, it was up to Ian Chesterton to prevent the Rocket Men from killing everybody on Platform Five.
Adventure Seed: Attack of the Rocket Men The Conglomerate is a remote mining colony scattered throughout an extensive asteroid belt in the Tritus star system. When the TARDIS arrives, its crew find an atmosphere of paranoia generated by a series of accidents and disappearances, and they are soon accused of being spies and saboteurs from a rival corporation. But the real saboteurs are the murderous Rocket Men, several gangs of which have been united under a new, powerful leader, Marak Strang, now out to secure the mineral wealth of the Tritus asteroids. With infiltrators causing problems from within the colony, can the time travellers convince the Conglomerate miners of their innocence in time to help foil a full-scale assault by an army of Rocket Men? And just who is behind Strang’s success, providing the arms and funding which is the key to his leadership?
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Feb 5, 2013 16:32:06 GMT
And now it might be too long. Tell you what, I'm going to make a quick and dirty mock-up of what a page might look like and post it before the end of the week. I'll try it with the short text, and with the long text, and it'll give us an idea of the perfect length in both graphic AND gaming use terms.
As for where information goes - character or Location - I'd like Locations to concentrate more on creating a sense of place and time and adventure seeds than Who-History information. So if we can keep Whoniverse events with the characters, that'd be good. I do like how your kept that information at a minimum - enough to understand the Doctor's role in the story without giving away too much to those who have yet to discover it.
Man, I wish C7 would release a table of contents preview for the Hartnell book or something. I'd give us a better idea of the sourcebooks' structure.
|
|
misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
|
Post by misterharry on Feb 5, 2013 16:43:16 GMT
And now it might be too long. Tell you what, I'm going to make a quick and dirty mock-up of what a page might look like and post it before the end of the week. I'll try it with the short text, and with the long text, and it'll give us an idea of the perfect length in both graphic AND gaming use terms. Darn it! I thought I'd nailed it right there! It'll be good to see the mock-ups pages, so that we can estimate the target word count to aim for.
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Feb 5, 2013 16:55:13 GMT
You MIGHT have nailed it. It's so hard to say, that's why we need the maquettes, I think. It's coming!
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Feb 11, 2013 17:20:23 GMT
|
|
misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
|
Post by misterharry on Feb 11, 2013 21:35:09 GMT
In terms of text length, the short version is clearly too short, too much white space - as well as not providing enough info. In the case of the Rocket Men, if the Adventure Seed were removed, the long version would be about the right size, wouldn't it? That would be about 460 words.
Alternatively, if the box for Ashman were removed, the Adventure Seed could be included - it comes out as just over 600 words. Perhaps only include Named Characters and Adventure Seeds if space permits?
As for traits descriptions, my usual preference is to include descriptions. But... the Rocket Men is one of the simpler write-ups so far as the number of traits goes. Some of the more complicated ones might prove difficult to fit everything in the available space if descriptions are included. So maybe go with list only, with separate descriptions only for the unique traits or gadgets?
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Feb 11, 2013 23:01:01 GMT
The long form also doesn't include Ashman's short text, and you'll note the smaller font size as well.
I'm with you on Traits, I prefer descriptions to simple lists, so maybe we can describe those that need context and only list those that don't. For example, Selfish is just as the rules would have it.
Another way to save space is for a named individual to appear in the description with brackets next to the name like (Ing+1, Pre+1, Fight+1, Marks+1, Voice of Authority), something like that.
|
|
misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
|
Post by misterharry on Feb 12, 2013 9:25:38 GMT
In most cases, I'd imagine that Named Characters don't need any short text. Agreed with you on how to handle traits - it makes sense not to include superfluous information.
One thing I've thought of is that some entries will actually require two complete stats boxes. For the 1st Doctor, a couple of examples are the Kleptons (for which I've got separate stats for plant creepers that they use) and John & Gillian. For the former, I can re-write the creepers in line with the format for Flora & Fauna from the 11th Doctor GM's Guide, which will save a little space. For the latter, there isn't enough information known about each of them to warrant separate flavour text. I guess to keep things simple for updates and the like, we need to avoid partial pages, i.e. keep to either 1 full page or 2 full pages per entry. So my question is, if the flavour text is brief enough, is two stats boxes on a single page going to be OK, either space-wise or aesthetically?
Here is what I currently have for John and Gillian in case you want to try a dummy run - if we need to conserve space in order to fit them on a single page, then I'd suggest removing the opening quotation. If they need to be spread over 2 pages, the text can probably be expanded a little, but it'll be a bit of a challenge to fill the space - though maybe some of this could be used for a sample panel or two from the comics?
JOHN & GILLIAN, THE DOCTOR’S GRANDCHILDREN
Gillian: “A police box! Grandfather can’t live in there!” John: “I’ve been told he’s an inventor or something. Anyway, the door’s open – I’m going inside.”
John and Gillian are the young grandchildren of Dr Who who appeared in TV Comic in the 1960s. Unlike Susan, the pair are human, so their actual relationship to the Doctor is unclear. They first meet Dr Who in an adventure against the sinister Kleptons and are swept off on a series of escapades with him, facing such menaces as Trods, Zarbi, Cybermen and not forgetting the dastardly Daleks! However, when the Doctor learned from a fortune-teller that he was about to encounter the fearsome Quarks, he quite rightly felt that this threat was too much for his young friends to face! So he quickly packed them off to study at the University of Zebadee, where supreme intellectuals and wizards study. They’re probably still there today for all we know.
John and Gillian are around 10 years old when we first see them and several years older by the time they leave the series. John has fair, curly hair and a pug nose. Gillian has dark shoulder-length hair, curled up at the ends, which she wore longer as she grew older. John can be rather headstrong and is not averse to wielding a ray gun or other weapon against the enemies they all face on a regular basis. By comparison, Gillian is more cautious in their travels. But both are adventurous in spirit and loyal to their grandfather.
How John and Gillian fit into the mainstream continuity of Doctor Who is unclear, though there have been a couple of attempts at an explanation. In the Virgin novel Conundrum, they appeared as creations of the Land of Fiction. And in the DWM comic-strip The Land of Happy Endings, they are characters in the Doctor’s dreams. But whether real or imagined, the pair were a key part of the early years of Doctor Who, being the first companions created outside of the TV series.
JOHN
ATTRIBUTES: Awareness: 3 Coordination: 3 Ingenuity: 4 Presence: 3 Resolve: 4 Strength: 2
TRAITS: Brave Code of Conduct – Moral Sense Face in the Crowd Impulsive Inexperienced x2 Lucky Run for Your Life!
SKILLS: Athletics 2 Convince 1 Fighting 2 Knowledge 2 Marksman 2 Science 1 Subterfuge 2 Technology 1
EQUIPMENT: Penknife.
TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: 5 STORY POINTS: 18
GILLIAN
ATTRIBUTES: Awareness: 4 Coordination: 3 Ingenuity: 4 Presence: 3 Resolve: 3 Strength: 2
TRAITS: Code of Conduct – Moral Sense Empathic Face in the Crowd Inexperienced x2 Keen Senses - Hearing Lucky Run for Your Life!
SKILLS: Athletics 1 Convince 2 Knowledge 2 Marksman 2 Science 1 Subterfuge 2 Technology 1
TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: 5 STORY POINTS: 18
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Feb 12, 2013 13:04:41 GMT
For Companions like these, it's easier to do a 2-pager. First, there are 2 of them. Second, companions deserve a bit more attention. Third, space can be filled up with comic strip images.
As a general rule, if we stick to a ratio of 400-500 words per stats block, there should be no problem making the entries work. Any missing space can be used by art, an extra adventure seed, or, in the case of a half-page space for example, relevant side-bars. In this case, there might be a side-bar that talks about the feel of the Doctor's comic strip adventures (much more children's fantasy than SF).
|
|
tymothi
2nd Incarnation
I Said Good Day!
Posts: 11
|
Post by tymothi on Feb 13, 2013 17:17:17 GMT
Will these be available for download?
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Feb 13, 2013 17:24:40 GMT
Yes, that's the effort. A fully-realized pdf document that will be made available for free to the gamers who want it.
|
|
misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
|
Post by misterharry on Feb 14, 2013 13:29:54 GMT
What's the thinking on Locations for these volumes in terms of layout? Are they also to be full-page entries, for example? Am I OK to include small stats blocks for flora and fauna which don't justify having their own separate write-ups?
I'm writing up a couple of Locations at the moment and would appreciate some guidance.
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Feb 14, 2013 17:51:11 GMT
No, not full pages for those, or at least not regularly. Perhaps half-page or even less, with an evocative picture where possible. They can have stats blocks or not, we'll give them as much or as little space as is appropriate for the amount of material we have. I trust your judgement.
|
|
misterharry
Dominus Tempus
Dalek Caan's Lovechild
Posts: 3,236
Favourite Doctors: Second, Third, Fourth, Eleventh, Thirteenth
Traits: Empathic, Face in the Crowd, Insatiable Curiosity, Stubborn, Phobia (Heights), Unadventurous
|
Post by misterharry on Feb 16, 2013 17:40:39 GMT
OK, here's an example of how the locations are looking. I'm including a Planetary Data summary for each planet, and the fauna stats can be included if space permits. Actually, with the inclusion of a suitable picture - the relevant book or CD cover if nothing else is available - they're all coming out looking like they'll fill a page each.
Is this the sort of info that people would want?
JOBIS
Jobis is a purple-blue gas giant planet within the boundaries of the Earth Empire of the 23rd Century. The colours and patterns within the upper atmosphere are famed for their beauty and teem with all sorts of strange animal life “swimming” through the gaseous clouds. But like many gas giants, there is also a violent side to Jobis, with semi-permanent storms sometimes hundreds of miles wide moving across the planet.
The beauty of Jobis and its natural wonders has made it into a popular tourist attraction for visitors from Earth and its colonies. Several floating cities, called platforms, hang suspended by anti-grav engines in the upper atmosphere of the planet. Most of these are vast hotels, which combine spectacular views with a five-star service. The platforms are able to offer all sorts of entertainment and attractions to their visitors, but perhaps the most popular are the sky barges which operate regular tours. These ships provide a unique perspective on the planet’s wonders, their high-tech glass bottoms allowing passengers to see deep into the atmosphere and glimpse the creatures living far below.
Among the most common fauna to be seen flying in the upper atmosphere are creatures resembling gigantic manta rays, which call out to each other in plaintive tones like whale-song and have barbed tails capable of delivering a massive electric shock. They have a rudimentary intelligence and even a low-level telepathic ability with each other. These mantas prey on a species of large glittering crystal insects that also fly among the upper clouds. Other examples include huge translucent jellyfish and things that resemble various species of bizarre deep-sea creatures found on Earth.
Not all of the platforms are hotels. A few are scientific research stations, which undertake research into Jobis and its unique wildlife, and there are also a number of small viewing platforms, where the tourist barges dock on their tours. All platforms have a surrounding forcefield, both to prevent accidental falls over the edge and to protect the structures from the buffeting winds outside.
Despite Jobis being a gas giant, its gravity is only a little greater than Earth-normal, and its upper atmosphere is breathable by humans. However, atmospheric pressure increases dramatically further towards the centre of the planet, much like descending into the ocean depths.
Jobis is within the jurisdiction of the Galactic Heritage Protectorate, the interstellar police force of the Earth Empire in its early years.
PLANETARY DATA
SIZE: Large GRAVITY: Earth-like LAND MASS: Gas Giant ATMOSPHERE: Earth Non-standard at high altitude; Thick Non-Standard at lower levels CLIMATE: Temperate SATELLITES: 12 SENTIENT SPECIES: None
JOBIS MANTA RAYS
ATTRIBUTES: Strength: 10 Coordination: 3 Awareness: 3
SKILLS: Electric Sting (Skill 3) 4/L/L
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Flight Networked Size: Huge Tough
CRYSTAL INSECTS
ATTRIBUTES: Strength: 5 Coordination: 3 Awareness: 2
SKILLS: Bite (Skill 4) 2/4/6
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Armour (5 points) Flight Trade Value
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Mar 29, 2013 16:53:07 GMT
Update : Here's a tentative Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: First Doctor's Expanded Timeline
Chapter 2: Companions and Allies John and Gillian Sidebar: The TV Comic Doctor's Adventures Oliver Harper Sara Kingdom House Alexander the Great Captain James Cook Galileo Galilei Guy Fawkes Metraxi Robin Hood Sidebar: The Merry Men Sir Francis Drake Wong Fei-Hung
Chapter 3: Monsters and Villains Cahlians The Cold Sidebars: Cold Knights, Dimensional Interference and the TARDIS Dahensa Fishmen of Kandalinga Foxes Fulgurites Greld Kleptons Latter-Day Pantheon Living Water Marsh Wains Masksmasters of the Pageant Meedla Minski de Sade Mongolians Morphieans Phoenix Rasputin Robots of Luxor Rocket Men Schirr Shape Thief Soul Pirates Sou(ou)shi The Suffering Venusians Zarbi Supremo
Chapter 4: Locations in Time and Space Armageddon Convention Sidebar: Jamarians Avalon Sidebar: Magic in the Whoniverse Boxer Rebellion China Byzantium The City of Arkhaven on Sarath Earth Benchmarking Vessel Nevermore Fragrance Grace Alone Great Clock Iwa Sidebar: Dream Chambers Jobis Laputa The Library of Alexandria Luxor New Bastille Quinnis Russia, 1812 Salem, Massachusetts Shoreditch Alternative The Spanish Inquisition The Time Museum Ulysses 519 Venus, 3 Billion Years Ago
Chapter 5: Gadgets The Ancient and Worshipful Law of Gallifrey The Game of Me The Hate Machine Mm'x Crystals Neural Network Webset Stone of Scone TARDIS Emergency Evacuation Module Test Vessel Hank Morgan 4
Chapter 6: Expanding the Universe Off-Off Canon: The Peter Cushing Films Dr Who Susan Barbara Ian Chesterton Louise Tom Campbell Daleks and Robomen Omitted but not Forgotten Napoléon Bonaparte Nero Typical Gladiator Larva Gun King Richard Saladin
Chapter 7: Adventure Seeds Appendix: New Trait Index Credits
Will add to it before the end. The Adventure Seeds section will pay tribute to the original material by translating the descriptions at the back of each book and audio into an inspiring plot hook cross-referenced to the appropriate entries. Original seeds will be found in the entries themselves.
|
|
Rassilon
Administrator
Grand Administrator
Posts: 751
|
Post by Rassilon on Mar 29, 2013 17:33:38 GMT
Update : Here's a tentative Table of Contents... We're as excited for this as we are for the official books. That's one heck of a workload !
|
|
|
Post by Siskoid on Mar 29, 2013 17:40:51 GMT
No pressure, then.
|
|
Rassilon
Administrator
Grand Administrator
Posts: 751
|
Post by Rassilon on Mar 29, 2013 17:52:23 GMT
Only encouraging you. Seriously, the contents look super-yummy.
|
|