This is for anyone who wants to run a PF-compatible post-apocalyptic RPG based on "the world's first sci-fi RPG". Enjoy! :)
*cough* Star Frontiers was *cough*
:P
*cough* Star Frontiers was *cough*
:P
Oh YEAH? Checking it out ....
Metamorphosis Alpha is the first, by James Ward, 1976. From Wikipedia (which could, of course, be inaccurate):
Metamorphosis Alpha is a science fiction role-playing game. It was created by James M. Ward and originally produced by TSR, the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons, and is the world's first science fiction role-playing game.
Then Gamma World:
Gamma World is a science fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by James M. Ward and Gary Jaquet, and first published by TSR in 1978. It borrowed heavily from James M. Ward's earlier product, Metamorphosis Alpha.[1]
And THEN Star Frontiers:
Star Frontiers is a science fiction role-playing game produced by TSR beginning in 1982.[1] The game offered a space-opera action-adventure setting.
So HAH! ;)
Of course, it all depends on whether you consider Metamorphosis science-FICTION or science-FANTASY (if there's really a difference) ...
[censored]
:P
[censored]
:P
Crap! Whatever you said must've been good to get censored. ;)
[censored]
:P
Crap! Whatever you said must've been good to get censored. ;)
Nah. I got nothin', man. Nothin'. :P
Nah. I got nothin', man. Nothin'. :P[censored]
:P
Crap! Whatever you said must've been good to get censored. ;)
LOL, ok, thought you got Big Brothered or something!
LOL, ok, thought you got Big Brothered or something!
Ah, no. That would be more like seeing s&+# and f$&% auto-censored. That was purely my own design as a jest. =)
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It looks 10 times better Mike, really appreciate the work you’re putting into this project. At first glance I only found a few spots that need attention as far as layout goes, mainly with tables. Page 42 has a table bleeding over into the other column. Other pages I noticed with similar issues were on page 63, 65, and 78. Also noticed several tables extend beyond the margins in order to fit them in, which you might want to try using a smaller font to tighten them up. Smaller fonts in the table are acceptable.
I’d recommend reducing your indent size now that you are using double column format. If you look at the PF handbook as a guide they indent about the same distance equal to one letter space. Overall it might gain you some page space. I noticed a few equipment titles that were also indented where the rest were not.
Going back to the tables again, I noticed you have a lot of gap spaces due to them within the equipment section that would help decrease page count. A way to fix it I think would be to group the tables to their own pages and just reference them at the start of their sections. You could either put all the tables at the back or spread them out so that you have one page of writing, page of tables, page of writing, page of tables and so on, or couple pages of writing, couple of pages of tables, etc. Might be best to try different looks to see how it works. Grouping all the tables to page also allows you to ignore the margins more since you don’t have any text to compare them too.
Will you be making the doc file available again?
Anyway, you’re doing an awesome job. I look forward to your next revision.
It looks 10 times better Mike, really appreciate the work you’re putting into this project. At first glance I only found a few spots that need attention as far as layout goes, mainly with tables. Page 42 has a table bleeding over into the other column. Other pages I noticed with similar issues were on page 63, 65, and 78. Also noticed several tables extend beyond the margins in order to fit them in, which you might want to try using a smaller font to tighten them up. Smaller fonts in the table are acceptable.
I’d recommend reducing your indent size now that you are using double column format. If you look at the PF handbook as a guide they indent about the same distance equal to one letter space. Overall it might gain you some page space. I noticed a few equipment titles that were also indented where the rest were not.
Going back to the tables again, I noticed you have a lot of gap spaces due to them within the equipment section that would help decrease page count. A way to fix it I think would be to group the tables to their own pages and just reference them at the start of their sections. You could either put all the tables at the back or spread them out so that you have one page of writing, page of tables, page of writing, page of tables and so on, or couple pages of writing, couple of pages of tables, etc. Might be best to try different looks to see how it works. Grouping all the tables to page also allows you to ignore the margins more since you don’t have any text to compare them too.
Will you be making the doc file available again?
Anyway, you’re doing an awesome job. I look forward to your next revision.
Thanks, bud! I will definitely implement your suggestions, and yes, I will make a doc file available. At work atm, but when I get a chance, I'll post a link. I did have quite a bit of trouble with the tables, particularly in the Equipment chapter, and I think you're right about grouping them together at the end of that chapter and reducing font size. I think I'll do that before I post a doc file link, to clean it up as much as I can, and then if you are able to further improve it, that would be awesome.
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Here is the doc with the tables redone, and a few more corrections. It's down to 433 pages, and ready for some more art, which I and others are working on. I think it looks ALOT better! :)
And here is the word doc.
It's looking great Mike, excellent work. Can't wait to see the new artwork you'll be adding in. The new table layout really stands out. I noticed you removed some of the indentation but still have the normal size set in the places where it's at. Do you plan to remove all indentation?
It's looking great Mike, excellent work. Can't wait to see the new artwork you'll be adding in. The new table layout really stands out. I noticed you removed some of the indentation but still have the normal size set in the places where it's at. Do you plan to remove all indentation?Here is the doc with the tables redone, and a few more corrections. It's down to 433 pages, and ready for some more art, which I and others are working on. I think it looks ALOT better! :)
And here is the word doc.
I actually kind of like the indentation, but if you want to edit them out on the word doc, do it and post it here, and I'll have a look. If I like the way it looks alot better than with the indents, I'll follow suit.
Re: indents in equipment chapter: Some of the indents of equipment items you were probably noticing are items that fall under another category, like various types of rounds that can be fired from a rocket launcher, for instance. But if you see anything else that looks amiss, please let me know. Your eyes and advise have been priceless, dm4hire! :)
Along with working on additional art for the R&W doc, I've begun work on one of several supplements I plan to offer for sale at a modest price (hopefully in the Paizo store, once I figure out how to set that up; I'd also like to put the main doc there under the free downloads section).
The Gamma World RPG was based on Jim Ward's awesome Metamorphosis Alpha RPG, set aboard a huge starship that contained 1.5 million colonists, plus robots and zoological specimens, that underwent a cataclysm when it passed through a radiation cloud, causing mutations and system malfunctions, etc. Players played the role of normal humans, mutants, or mutated animals or plants struggling for survival aboard the Starship Warden. Most were unaware of the nature of their "world", as all knowledge of the ship's mission and the technology aboard it were lost after centuries of chaos following the cataclysmic passage through the radiation cloud, and many of the same elements that made it into the Gamma World RPG (finding and figuring out how to use technological artifacts, battling malfunctioning robots and mutated beasts, etc.) were introduced in Metamorphosis Alpha. Gary Gygax enjoyed playing in Jim Ward's starship so much, he based an infamous Greyhawk tournament module, S-1: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, on his adventures aboard the Warden.
And now, I'm writing a supplement inspired by Metamorphosis Alpha. In the timeline of Terra Ruina given in the Eukay campaign section of R&W, you will find mention of the World Ark Genesis, which is my version of the Starship Warden. The supplement I'm working on will be an alternate campaign setting for R&W, the World Ark Genesis. I'll post details here as I go to get feedback and advise from you, my esteemed fellow gamers! :)
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I've taken a look and done some editing. I think some of the problems to be honest is the layout is being done in Word, and really should be done in Publisher or another application along that line. Just from the editing I've done I have to reiterate my huzzahs, as you've done a great job working within the limitations of the software. I'm looking forward to the final version and seeing your supplement. Keep up the great work!
I've taken a look and done some editing. I think some of the problems to be honest is the layout is being done in Word, and really should be done in Publisher or another application along that line. Just from the editing I've done I have to reiterate my huzzahs, as you've done a great job working within the limitations of the software. I'm looking forward to the final version and seeing your supplement. Keep up the great work!
Thanks again for your accolades and for your editing help, dm4hire. I really appreciate it, and your suggestions, along with Urizen's, TAD's, Auxmalous', et al, have really improved R&W's format and content. :)
I'm in the process of drawing and coloring a few more pics, which I look forward to posting here for critique, and have added some public domain photos to the Eukay chapter (English countrysides, ruined castles and other buildings, nuclear reactors shrouded in fog, and some other cool shots) that I think will help to evoke the setting.
I also have a couple illustrations of weapons (beam sword, plasma rifle) drawn up by Chris Hagner (Cmh), who has samples of his art at deviant art.com. (Warning: I opened up a pic of electric nunchaku on that site, and a trojan fake antivirus was installed, which my antivirus deleted, so review at your own risk!) And Celurian might be donating some stuff, too.
This is sort of off topic, but every time I am scanning the forums for new posts/topics and I see this topic, I always misread the title as "Runes & Wastelands" and not "Ruins & Wastelands". I guess I must just be subconsciously wishing for magic to re-emerge in a post-apocalyptic world. LoL
This is sort of off topic, but every time I am scanning the forums for new posts/topics and I see this topic, I always misread the title as "Runes & Wastelands" and not "Ruins & Wastelands". I guess I must just be subconsciously wishing for magic to re-emerge in a post-apocalyptic world. LoL
:) It could work, and a few people have suggested optional rules that include supernatural elements, like an arcane caster class that harnesses or powers spells with radiation, etc.
Your next revision should have the appropriate page numbers for the Table of Contents. ;)
Your next revision should have the appropriate page numbers for the Table of Contents. ;)
But that makes it too easy to find stuff! ;) It will, of course, but I'm holding off 'til I've added all the art, which is coming together pretty quickly. Cmh and Celurian have done some great weapon illustrations, including Cmh's beam sword and plasma rifle, and Celurian's laser pistols, and I'm working on some color illustrations myself, which I'll post as I get them finished.
I'm trying to come up with an idea for a cover illustration, and am leaning toward:
A band of adventurers of varied race and class (maybe the iconic characters from the class chapter) surveying the ruins of a futuristic city in the background. I'd like it to be a colored illustration. I'm working on it myself, but if anyone cares to try and comes up with something better than what I can do, or if anyone comes up with an idea or suggestion for what should be on the cover, please let me know. (I posted this request on Celurian's thread, too.)
Thanks!