The Terran Insterstellar Marine Force is the toughest
branch of the Unified Earth Military Command. In their storied 200 year history
as the infantry arm of the Terran Expeditionary Fleet, the Leathernecks had
battled the feral xenomorphs of Rigil Kentaurus, stormed the asteroid
fortresses of the Void Pirates and eradicated an uprising of the savage native
Vrish who threatened the Pleiades Colony. But
they had never faced a foe like the Fyr'Toll
Background: It is the year 2268 and mankind is locked in a bitter war of extermination with the Fyr`Toll, a frightening, inhuman blend of man and machine. Their first attacks came without warning and decimated the most powerful nations on Earth. The United States of Africa, the Indian Conglomerate, the Pan-American League and the Asian Coalition all lie in ruins.
Earth refused to surrender and after a desperate first year of conflict, managed to match the Fyr`Toll’s technological advantages through a series of daring boarding actions, capturing and reverse engineering enemy vessels. Once parity was achieved however, the war seemed to drag on indefinitely and has just entered its 25th year.
On a deep-space survey mission thought to be far away from the front lines, the player characters served on the UASS Johannesburg, searching out resources vital to the war effort. It is then they run across a Fyr`Toll survey ship, the Kra`Tep. After a brief, vicious firefight, both vessels crash on an uncharted planet below.
Two enemies, stranded on one planet on the edge of space. Neither able to overcome the planet’s natural magnetic field to call for help and watching as a fast-growing jungle constantly threatens to overrun their ruined vessels, as predators kill their crew one by one.
After several firefights, their numbers dwindling, the captain of the Kra`Tep meets with the senior surviving officer of the Johannesburg and suggests the two sides join forces to get free of the deadly planet. When the pact is announced, approximately 25% of the humans and Fyr`Toll strike out on their own, unable to overcome the hatred each feels for the other.
These attack each other, the opposing side and even their fellows, all in an
attempt to “convince” them that cooperation with their worst enemy is pointless
at best, dangerous at worst.
A game of exploration: This is the campaign of “stranded on a different star”. A hostile alien world must be explored and possibly tamed, at first for simple survival but eventually with the monumental task of pooling resources for a return voyage.
A game of character interaction: But the planet isn’t the only challenge players in the game will face. Can they manage to hold their unstable coalition together and overcome the hatred bred by decades of war? Can they bring their dissidents back into the fold?
A game of discovery: And even when the planet has been explored, there are mysteries left to solve. What about the planet hinders technology? What secrets wait to be discovered in alien ruins? And how closely will each side honor their agreements? If a powerful alien weapon is discovered, will its secrets be shared or will the discovering side try to hide it for return to their side in the war above.
A game of community: Stranded on a Distant Star will be financed by the “ransom” system, where gamers interested in the game will finance it and guide its direction.
If the $1,500 donation threshold is achieved, patrons will gain access to a special discussion group, where they will see advance drafts of the game and comment on its direction. The game will be designed by veteran OGL designer Charles Rice and its mechanics will be 100% OGL, though the setting will remain the property of Vigilance Press/Charles Rice.
Once the game is completed, the game will be made available for free on RPGNow in PDF form. All contributors will be credited in the final PDF copy.
Contributors of $20 or more will receive a POD-print copy of the game.
About the author: Charles Rice is an Ennie-nominated writer with over 100 credits. His books currently in print include: Modern20, Supers20, Darwin’s World (True20 Edition) and the Two Worlds RPG, included in the collectors edition of the Two Worlds X-Box 360 game.
Learn more or donate at the Vigilance Press blog, RPGDesign.
Clocking in at 170 pages, this version is updated from the original True20 version.
It includes deck plans for the ships, a new game master section, and also the first adventure: Virus!
Grab your copy today!
Now you have everything you need to play in the action-packed, frenetic worlds of 2088! IZ comes with hacking rules, new occupations, backgrounds, feats, equipment, golemmechs and especially, cyberware!
Voyages of Discovery is a complete fantasy game powered by the Modern20 game engine and set in a sword and sorcery world that technologically resembles 19th century Earth. Voyages of Discovery is a complete setting and game system in one book, nothing else is needed to play.
Print Edition
I'll be sending the printer files to Amazon at the end of the week, giving customers a few days to report any typos we missed. Feedback will be rewarded! You can purchase the print edition now (or upgrade later), but please know that is will take allow 4-6 weeks for delivery depending on when you order.
A NILE Sphinx is a high end AI defensive program that appears in VR as a classic sphinx with the hindquarters and forelimbs of a lion, the wings of a falcon and the head and torso of a beautiful woman, the neon NILE Technological Enterprises logo and trademark revolving above her head. A sphinx is typically attached as a guardian program to important files or domains. Intruders are met with a logic problem that must be overcome in order to proceed. Such problems usually involve symbolic or abstract logic and might include complex VR simulations. In direct VR combat, sphinxes use their powerful claws to flay the avatars of their enemies.
AI, Security Program: Nile Sphinx (Powerhouse 8): HD 10d10; HP 55; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; Defense 24, flatfooted 16 (+1 Dex, +7 Int, +6 Class); BAB +8; Atk +14 melee (1d10+11 cutter), or +9 ranged (by weapon); SQ Melee Master; AL Company; SV Fort +14, Ref +6, Will +6, Rec +4; Rep +4; Str (Pro) 18, Dex (Fin) 12, Con (Rob) 0, Int 20, Wis 18, Cha 18.
Background: Manmade AI
Occupation: Hacker: Perks 2 (Aggressive Stance, Precision Strike)
Hobby: Firearms
Skills: Academics (Current Virus Profiles) 11 (+16), Computers 11 (+16), Engineering 11 (+16), Firearms 4 (+5), Influence 11 (+15), Legal 11 (+15), Perception 11 (+15), Read/Write Language (native+ 5 more), Speak Language (native+ 5 more), Unarmed 11 (+15), Weapons 11 (+15)
Feats: Attack Focus 1 (Cutter), Attack Focus 2 (Cutter), Attack Specialization 1 (Cutter), Attack Specialization 2 (Cutter), Book Learning 1: +2 Intelligence, Great Fortitude x2, Lucky, Night Vision, Smart Defense: +2 Intelligence modifier for this feat, System Hog
Access/Contacts/Followers: Top Secret Access
Wealth: 5
Possessions: Cutter: deadly, +3 damage; Codewall: 4 DR
Character Disadvantages: Code: Loyal to Company (DSR 2)
Like I did for my first batch of print books, I'm taking orders this week and then ordering stock on Friday. So to ensure your copy order by Friday.
Note that you can get it quicker from Amazon directly, but we make more when you buy it from us. We appreciate the support either way.
Also on Kindle...
Modern20 is soon to be available via Amazon Kindle. This was sort of experiment for me, and it sadly had mixed results.
Unfortunately the kindle doesn't support tables, which really sucks for an RPG book. Using the power of my newly created modern20 database, I was able to make it as Kindle friendly (which uses a subset of HTML but doesn't support the TABLE tag!) as possible.
I still think it's useful if you own a Kindle, but not if your looking up something in a table (i.e. chemistry explosions table). But I'll make this commitment to Kindle users, as Amazon improves better formating options for the Kindle, I'll keep updating the book (and updates are free).
