Other Sci-Fi Genres (Was Re: FMA Fantasy etc.)

8 posts ยท Dec 13 1996 to Dec 17 1996

From: Mark A. Siefert <cthulhu@c...>

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 12:09:14 -0500

Subject: Other Sci-Fi Genres (Was Re: FMA Fantasy etc.)

> David Brewer wrote:

Giant Robots: Hmmmm...I would really like to see a set of "easy" Mecha rules.

Auto Duelling: YEAH...that's the ticket. We need something to give SJG a run
for their money.

        Here some other sub-genres we could play with:

        Net-Running Wargaming:  I am not taking about an RPG or CCG here
(cause that's be done already). I am thinking about a "Cyberpunk" syle wargame
where players command armies of cybernetic-hackers (their brains plugged
into their laptops) fighting it out with other cyberpunks in a
futuristic VR realm.  They could hurl anti-system programs to fry the
opponet hackers' brains while trying to keep your hackers' gray-matter
uncooked.

        Victorian Sci-Fi Wargaming:  Does "The War of the Worlds" ring a
bell? Maybe we can reverse the whole scheme and have the earthlings invade the
planets of the inner solar system to spread good-old imperialism to the
benighted, barbaric alien natives. I can see it all now: Her Majesty's Royal
Space Marines, wielding Edison Electric Rifles and mounted on coal
burning Ford "Mechana-Steads", storm the palace of the Martian Emporer's
palace on Syria Utopia while the Royal Airship Squadron provides air support.
I know, "Space 1899," tried to do this, but GDW didn't really do much with it
and now that they are in Grave Yard of Dead Game Companies...

        1950's style Sci-Fi Wargaming:  The puny forces of earth, using
post WWII technology, fight off hordes of Martians, giant insects or
arachnids, re-animated dinosaurs, and other B-movie baddies.

I am forgeting anyone?

Later,

From: Alex Williams <thantos@d...>

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 13:44:40 -0500

Subject: Re: Other Sci-Fi Genres (Was Re: FMA Fantasy etc.)

> Auto Duelling: YEAH...that's the ticket. We need something to

This becomes one of those lets-build-cool-stuff things better
addressed by a generic construction system. I've run Car Warsish
stuff in MEKTON ZETA which worked out /very/ well; the generic nature
of weapons/systems in ZETA made constructing whatever I wanted easy.
You'd have to go a long way to beat that.

> Net-Running Wargaming: I am not taking about an RPG or CCG here

Now /this/ could be great fun, but you'd have to find a way to make it
worth doing in `terrain,' it'd reek of space-warfare if done properly.
The only competition for it would be HACKER and HACKER II, the definitive
games of hacking.

> Victorian Sci-Fi Wargaming: Does "The War of the Worlds" ring a

I think we can do this already with STARGRUNT/DIRTSIDE II.  All it
takes is a couple small rules tweaks, the likes of which I expect(ed) to see
in BUGS DON'T SURF.

> 1950's style Sci-Fi Wargaming: The puny forces of earth, using

This we can already do in DIRTSIDE II; use Mike's WWII rules mods and
create evil beasties as modular vehicles for the /really/ big ones
like Godzilla or as oversized vehicles for more arachanoid encounters. You can
apply the idea of "tech levels" to model different alien
races, say the Martians start off with a +2 TL modifier, meaning all
their actions get a +2 die-shift ... until humanity begin upgrading
their weapons and vehicles.

From: db-ft@w... (David Brewer)

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 15:35:43 -0500

Subject: Re: Other Sci-Fi Genres (Was Re: FMA Fantasy etc.)

> In message <32B18DB9.6AB9@csd.uwm.edu> "Mark A. Siefert" writes:

> Victorian Sci-Fi Wargaming:

Well, at some point JMT's collaberator on the FT/DS/SG background;
one Steve Blease (also perennial SFSFW head honcho); might bring out "Redcoats
on Mars" under his Wessex Games label.

Then again he might not. It's... over a year(?) overdue?

From: Brian Bell <bkb@b...>

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 19:21:57 -0500

Subject: Re: Other Sci-Fi Genres (Was Re: FMA Fantasy etc.)

> Here some other sub-genres we could play with:

> Victorian Sci-Fi Wargaming:

> I am forgeting anyone?

Mark, With an address like cthulhu@... how could you not include "Extra
dimentional, mystic-science, demon-god, there are some things that man
was not meant to know, Cthulhulian-style" genre?

"Captian, sir! Picking up a large reading. Density equivilant to Sa'Vasku, but
not fitting standard design specifications. Power reading off the scale!!"
"Communications, Captian. There is a strange, incoherient flute music on

all frequencies."

<grin>

From: Allan Goodall <agoodall@a...>

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 23:44:57 -0500

Subject: Re: Other Sci-Fi Genres (Was Re: FMA Fantasy etc.)

> At 07:21 PM 12/13/96 EST, you wrote:

Not so fast. I'm working on a set of those myself. A couple of weeks ago I
played a game of Phoenix Command: Police versus Cultists. I even came up with
PC stats for a Dark Young and Nightgaunts. It's a bit slow playing, though. I
guess I'll have to keep working on my Cthulhu and gangster miniatures rules;
the working title is, "Cthulhufellas."

From: Mark A. Siefert <cthulhu@c...>

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 00:00:00 -0500

Subject: Re: Other Sci-Fi Genres (Was Re: FMA Fantasy etc.)

> Allan Goodall wrote:

From: M.J.Elliott@u...

Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 09:02:18 -0500

Subject: Re: Other Sci-Fi Genres (Was Re: FMA Fantasy etc.)

> Mark Siefert wrote:

> Giant Robots: Hmmmm...I would really like to see a set of "easy" Mecha

Tim & Simon Parnell of Smart Graphics (the company that did the production for
FT, DSII and SGII) also run a small games business called Gomi Designs. They
have produced a set of rules called "Mecha Carnage". I'm not into Mecha
myself, but I hear that they have received some good reviews...

> Auto Duelling: YEAH...that's the ticket. We need something to give

> Here some other sub-genres we could play with:

> Net-Running Wargaming: I am not taking about an RPG or CCG here

You what? Well, I suppose some people might play it...

> Victorian Sci-Fi Wargaming: Does "The War of the Worlds" ring a bell?

> Maybe we can reverse the whole scheme and have the earthlings invade

> the benighted, barbaric alien natives. I can see it all now: Her

> but GDW didn't really do much with it and now that they are in Grave

Steve Blease, he of the SFSFW was going to write a set of rules for this,
but I think he got side-tracked by Flintloque.... It occurs to me that
this is an obvious candidate for a DSII modification?

> 1950's style Sci-Fi Wargaming: The puny forces of earth, using post

Again, maybe a DSII conversion? OTOH, why not look at Steve Gill's Animouch
game - would definitely fit with the 50's B movie/ comedy feel...

> I am forgeting anyone?

Probably...

From: Allan Goodall <agoodall@a...>

Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 22:22:29 -0500

Subject: Re: Other Sci-Fi Genres (Was Re: FMA Fantasy etc.)

> At 04:02 PM 12/16/96 +0200, you wrote:

Do any of you remember the old Revell monster kits? I had one which was a
giant scorpion rampaging through a city street. I remember there were a
couple of others, including giant ants. Well, Revell has re-released
these figures. They're a bit small for SG2 (they may be okay at 15mm), but
they could make some pretty cool DS2 monsters, particularly in 6mm.