A Major Classic You've Not Heard Of - Raumpatrouille Orion

What seems like a fairy tale today may be reality tomorrow.

Here we have a fairy tale of the day after tomorrow.There are no more national states, only mankind  and her colonies in outer space.We settle on stars far-off, the bottom of the sea is developed as living place.With what are today unimaginable speeds, the starships of tomorrow transverse the Milky Way.One of this starships is the ORION,a little piece in the giant security system which protects the Earth from outer space threats.Let's accompany the ORION and her crew at their patrols-service on the edge of infinity 




Literal translation: Space Patrol – The Fantastic Adventures of the Spaceship Orion)
 Back in 1966 if you were in Germany then you were probably watching this show! This show debuted about a year before star trek & has many of the same elements as the original Star Trek & yet was light years ahead of the American show 

Plot From Wiki: 

In the series flying saucers, such as spaceship Orion, are flown by humans, whilst the aliens fly fighter jet-like contraptions. The titular ship of the series title, "Spaceship Orion", (German "Raumschiff Orion") is portrayed as being the newest starship in mankind's fleet and the fastest spacecraft ever created by humans.

In an entertaining and ironic way the show tells the story of Commander Cliff Allister McLane (Dietmar Schönherr), an Earth starship captain and his loyal crew. He is Orion's commander in the developing war against an alien race called the Frogs. He is notoriously defiant towards his superiors.

Similarities To Star Trek Which it Beat By A Year! 

• International Crew 
• Daring Captain who looks after the welfare of his crew & defies command 
• Engineer whose constantly under strain by the Captain for the ship's engines 
• The usual science fiction tropes as well as 145 novels based on and continuing the series were published over the years, often with settings which were considerably different to those seen in the series.

Raumpatrouille Orion & The OSR 

 There are so many good things to ripe from this show that its not funny but the ones that stick in my immediately are the cool retro technology, the ship, the under sea bases, etc. Check out the crazy technology below there are at least 3 story hooks right in there! From Wiki: 

Fictional Technology in Space Patrol

• Astrodisc (German "Astroscheibe") is a viewing screen that can produce holographic images of space. It has the same function as the bridge screen of the Enterprise. The astrodisc stands in the middle of the Orion's bridge.
• Light thrower batteries (German "Lichtwerferbatterie") are the weapons most frequently used by Earth's space fleet and the ships of the Frogs. These weapons appear in many different sizes, ranging from hand lasers to planet destruction-cannons. Orion was the first German production to feature the English word "laser".
• Antimatter bombs these are bombs containing antimatter and were used in the attempt to destroy the "Supernova" in the 2nd episode ("Planet außer Kurs", Planet off course).
• Overkill is a new weapon that was introduced in the 4th of the TV episodes ("Deserteure") and that was installed at the Orion as first Earth space ship. It seems to be a disintegrator style weapon that is able to obliterate large parts of a planet and cause enormous craters hundreds of kilometres wide.
• ASG wrist communication devices (in German: "Armbandsprechgerät") are part of the technology of Earths space fleet. They are compact com devices that are worn around the wrists.
• Robots (German "Roboter") are helpers, guards and even housekeepers in the world of tomorrow. Their use is shown to be problematic, because they are depicted as suffering from frequent malfunctions, making them dangerous to human beings (especially if they are battle robots). They appear in the series as androids and floating battle robots. Some of the humanoid robots are very similar in design to the modern, Japanese robot TOPIO.
• Deep sea bases (German "Tiefseebasis") are giant cities located under water. They are modern, beautiful and have big windows to allow the people to see fish and other underwater life forms. The Orion usually starts and lands at Basis 104 which is located in the Carpentaria Gulf of Australia
• Faster-than-light-engine (German "Überlichtantrieb") is the main drive that allows the crew to traverse the universe at speeds faster than light. The Frogs use a similar but superior technology, with the result that their spacecraft can out-pace the ships of the Space Patrol.
• Magnet shield (German "Magnetschild") is a protective shield which is used by the Frogs. The Shield appears as a powerful energy-bowl that encircles the starship.
• On the badge that Tamara Jagellovsk and other actors wear , are the abstract design of the three letters GSD for "Galaktischer Sicherheitsdienst" = "Galactic Security Service".

This series is fun. Released before Star Trek it has a great storyline about the future of mankind. But as usual it was canceled by the german TV despite of its success. Rumor has it, that there are plans to relaunch the series with Roland Emmerich as producer. Lets hope and see!

The show still has a cult following in Germany & its simply a fun, cool little show, & if you get a chance do check it out if only for a laugh or two. Stay Tuned More To Come 


The best fan site for this wonderful show - Orion space In English


Wki Entry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raumpatrouille_%E2%80%93_Die_phantastischen_Abenteuer_des_Raumschiffes_Orion

Another Minor Classic You've Never Heard Of - Star Maidens

Back in the 80s I heard about a novelty from the 1970s called Star Maiden. The show was sort of a bit on the naughty side with some elements of fetishism thrown in to keep folks coming back to watch it. The show was standard British science fiction ala Dr.Who & such. Produced in 1976 the show is very campy & lots of fun.
According to Wiki : Star Maidens is a British science-fiction television series made by Portman Productions for the ITV Network in 1976. Filmed at Bray Studios and on location in Windsor,Bracknell and Black Park, the series was part financed by a German company, Werbung im Rundfunk.

The series offered a battle of the sexes/role reversal scenario in which two male domestics escape from the female-ruled planet Medusa, land on Earth and are pursued by the Medusan security forces. When the Medusans fail to recapture the two men, they take two Earth hostages - a man and a woman - back with them to their home planet. The thirteen episodes of the series deal with the two groups trying to adapt to life on the different planets whilst brokering an exchange for the hostages.

Regarded as something of a camp novelty, Star Maidens tuned in to the sexual equality revolution of the time, and features some Femdom elements.

Star Maidens & The OSR 

Every universe should have at least one sexist planet to show up the follies of mankind. The show is very fun in its 1970s fashion sense. I do realize that I'm treading on dangerous turf here but its a really fun show & there's lots here to nick. If you like Space 1999 & its ilk then by all means track it down.  The idea of a group of adventurers being captured by an Npc party of warriors from this world might be interesting & entertaining. My only warning is making sure that everyone has fun & the themes here are handled in a mature fashion or not. 

The show has been described as: 

Ludicrous, ambitious, confused, infuriating, cack-handed, staggering, limited, inventive, cheap, hilarious, camp, sexy, lurid fun. Some of the time.

I simply sit back & laugh

The best site to really get the lowdown on this series is here Star Maidens

The Vagabonds of Space

There are those smaller souls who wander across the face of  Human Space suntanned by alien stars. Souls who often find themselves on the outer most worlds rubbing elbows with the likes businessmen on worlds like Hnalla II & beyond. Many of these vagabonds of space wander from world to world star to star. Sometimes working ship duties one day on a nuclear slow boat, then trading in maps to lost civilizations in the local space   yard the next. Many times these strange souls pick up alien trinkets, beads, devices,plus other odds & ends. Many times they are down on their luck & willing to trade choose information, other times they can be  juicy sources of information. These colorful souls are always quick with a joke or story as long as a drink or meal is forth coming.
Random Space Trinket  for Trade  Roll 1d10 

1. The Waters of Youth -  Restores  1d4 years of your life temporarily for 1d4 months 
2. Tavik Root -Makes a man out of a character literally changing the sex of the person for an extended time period of 1d4 months 
3. Tramerran Luck Beads -These beads allow a character to reroll any failed roll once per game. The beads once used are rendered into vile space junk once used. 
4. BRRRreeeeeeAAHH Birds - Small Mechanical Birds whose song will put anyone hearing it into a healing trance unless a save vs is rolled. The target will heal at 2 times the normal rate. These birds have a fiendish sense of humor & can be a pain with a non stop run off of off color jokes & bawdy space tunes 
5. Spacer's Cross - A strange woven lattice of wire, paper, & bits of space junk. The cross is often woven to keep any undead at bay. A skill roll is needed to use the item & these items are often seen as folk art in many places. 
6. Sturge's Plates  - These odd mechanical contraptions are brass, steel, & polished copper. Each plate will store several hours of strange alien music. These plates are often used by the unscruplous to transfix anyone hearing this hauntingly beautiful music. Any target hearing these strange songs will be rooted to the spot unless a save vs is rolled. Targets smile vacantly into space while these notes are playing 
7. Franklin's Sweets - Each candy confection will reveal an incredibly vivid dream each time a candy is chewed 
8. Jewelry of Shennava - Each odd piece of jewelry acts as a psionic focus allowing those wearing it to hear the thoughts of every one around them. With practice & a skill rolls the user can sort through the on coming mental storm & pick the train of thought that they wish Often these pieces resemble nothing that was meant to be worn by a human being 
9. Flute of the Odd One - This strange musical instrument is only three inches long & yet allows one playing it with a successful charisma role to lead many alien animals where needed. There is a 30% chance that the flute will drive an animal into a rage instead. There are far too many finger holes to be played by a human or near human 
10. Tracker Dust - This fine dust allows one to track the movements of anyone stepping through it. The user can track someone over vast stellar distances. This device requires a  successful skill roll to track them using the simplest tracking displays. Tracker dust is often used in mining 

Freak Friday - The Eyes Of Doom

The Eyes Of Doom have always hated mankind. During the beginnings of the Human Empire the eyes were first discovered after they had over run the newly terraformed Venus. Coming from the deepest depths of  the Outer Darkness. The eyes float about upon both psionic levitation & a lighter then air gas medium. The eyes will track their targets & can see in both the infrared & ultraviolet spectrum. Each eye communicates with a form of low grade esp. They're will however is supreme & capable of over riding the average human's pretty darn well.
     They are capable of altering the density of themselves with little problem & can go from a 3 ft diameter all the way to a complete 12 ft within 1/2 a combat round.
 No. Enc.: 1-2
Alignment: Inimical 
Move: Fly 240' (80')
Armor Class: 0/2
Hit Dice: 15 
Attacks: see below
Damage: see below
Morale: 15

Super Science Powers 

1. The Will Superior - The eye is able to force its target to serve its needs unless the target makes a saving throw 
2. Absorb The Fool - The eye will absorb any man sized or smaller target which will immediately begin taking acid damage of 1d6 points each round. 
3. The Green Fog - Hypnotic Gas with the following effects  (Mind Control or Sleep)
4. True Vision - The eye is immune to any illusions & only surprised 10% of the time 

Another truly awesome creation by Basil Wolverton read the whole story Here

Sathininagweth- A Mega Dungeon Under Water For Human Space Empire

Diplomacy, Law, Sovereign these were the  motto of 
  Sathininagweth

When the world of Sathininagweth began to first come into contact with the races of  Human Space everything  seem as if posed for a golden age. The first technologies imported were planar reactors & the unlimited supplies of energy that came with them. The world gloried in the incredible planetary wealth that these reactors brought with them. Then three years into each major continent having these incredible power sources. Strange weather patterns began to appear along with pollution and dangerous storms that appeared where ever these planar reactors were deployed. 
    The world in the meantime had become a playground to the wealthy & decedent. They imported all manner of predators from other worlds for sport,set about vast robo tended sea farms, & huge tourist towns, everything seem just on the edge of success & then the storms came. 
Storms so vast that words can't do them justice. The planar demon Olhydra herself  the Princess of Evil Water Creatures came & the world drowned. She placed her son Otho-phig who was a part of herself over this world & so it waits. Those who wish to visit must deal with Otho-phig & give an offering of water from another world along with its story. The demon rules all on this world. It is speculated that soon the Emperor will send forces to take back this world himself. 
  Otho-phig has brought many other planar entities with him as well entities  such as the Gibbering Beings, Elder Swimmers & Seekers From The Storm Plane. This is a world rich in plunder & abandon for the moment. Adventurers, pirates, & all types to this watery grave. 


Otho-phig can possess & take control of those who seek to take advantage of any by becoming part of their water molecules of the victims body. It should be remembered that each part of the prince is also a bit of  Olhydra 
herself. 

No. Enc.: 1-6
Alignment: Neutral (Inimical)
Move: 120'(40’)
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d8
Morale: 8
A giant Spider/Demoniod hybrid one of the more  dangerous entities of this world. Capable of delivering a fatal bite that does 1d8 as leaving behind a bundle of stinging cells in each wound. Each victim must make a save vs death. The meat of these creatures is considered a delicacy on some worlds & brings as much as 500 to 1000 credits per hide. 

There are literally thousands of miles of ruins on & under the surface of Sathininagweth 's waters. Unbelievably there are also several "products" & artifacts that are made & found on the world itself. 

1.  Water Lenses - These elemental water crystals are created from the clearest elemental water. They not only show the destination of a planar jump but a heart's desire. 300 credits 
2. The Waters of Purity - Able to cure any poison in a being's body these potions are said to be made from the very flesh of the watery prince himself & given out as presents or favors
3. Water Crystal Wand - A technological item capable of detecting water just about anywhere. The wand works upon the planar energies found throughout all of known space. Even the faintest trace will be detectable by a musical tone that plays in the barer's head. 200 credits 
4. Jewel of the Waves -The user is able to detect the planar waves & eddes across known space & able to cut 50% off of travel time. The user must have the power of  esp to use this item. There is a 30% chance that Otho-phig will know that the crystal is being used. 400 credits 
5. Ring of  Impasse - The ring adds +2  to any charisma rolls involving the storms of  argument & violetile emotions. The user is able to make both parties see his side of things. The ring also has its own agenda & will whisper the gospel of Otho-phig to the user in his dreams.300 credits 
6. The Book of The Damp - This shadowy book bound within the hide of some mutated demonic fish creature is both the gospel of Otho-phig & a power source to those who know how to tap it. It will power any using energy mechanism without fail. There is a 30% that after a few months the mechanism will break however. Some pirates swear by these books & tell how the book will not break the item if some being is given to the book as payment. Those who do are bound to Otho-phig for eternity. 200 credits 

A group of adventurer's dealing with the rich plunder  available to them on Sathininagweth.
 Otho-phig later picked several of the party off at his leisure for payment . 

Otho-phig is still a part of his mother & any harm to her projeny will bring down her wrath. This is a terrible thing to behold & only the most foolish will approach the coral castle where he dwells. This place is located in the deepest part of  the oceans of the planet. The place is surrounded by a wall of solidified  water & storm. The wailing of the storms produce a strange music that can sometimes be heard before the coming of Otho-phig himself. The demon has many manifestations 2 of which are of note. A single perfect water spout with a glowing black ball of a demonic eye & a gill man of perfect form. 

Those who approach Sathininagweth must give heed to the demon in the form of a message of poetry & verse. The demon may send an emissary to the space craft of those approaching. The world is surrounded by a debris of those who have displeased Otho-phig & his emissary.An offering of sweet water is also recommended & many of the pirate clans who venture here to hide or plunder often carry a stash just for an emergency. It should be noted even though Sathininagweth is an easy to reach world it is still under Empire indict.

Some of the mutated demonic sea creatures of  Sathininagweth
Use mutant future to generate stats for these monsters. 

Tekumel Foundation News !!!

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011

Tekumel Foundation News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 27, 2011

Minneapolis, MN

THE WORLD OF TÉKUMEL AND OTHER MATERIALS SECURED

The Tékumel Foundation is proud to announce that on Saturday, June 11th, 2011 Professor Barker's Tékumel materials and wargaming supplies were moved from his home to secure, climate-controlled storage. This project was long and carefully planned and carried out with the blessing and encouragement of Professor Barker and his wife Ambereen and the assistance of dedicated volunteers, some of whom flew in from out of state.

The Tékumel Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Professor M.A.R. Barker and building an archive of Tékumel memorabilia and documents. Foundation members assisted by Lady Anka’a and various Tékumel fans catalogued, photographed, carefully boxed and transported these materials to a secure climate-controlled storage area in less than 10 hours. Items secured include Professor Barker’s globe of Tékumel, the scale model Temple of Vimúhla first displayed at GenCon IX in 1976, private maps, papers and other interesting and diverse items including unpublished material – exactly how much or what is still to be determined.

There is still much work to be done. Paper items need to be digitally scanned to secure storage; items may need to be repaired and/or restored. Items not directly connected to Tékumel must be organized, including wargaming materials, fanzines of the 1950’s, and games that at various times had been sent to Professor Barker for review.  Fortunately, the Tékumel Foundation has people with the necessary skills to assist with this enormous project.  It is hoped Professor Barker’s papers will yield new material for Tékumel, and we are optimistic that there is “good new stuff” to be published.

For more information, please contact the Tékumel Foundation – www.tekumelfoundation.org.

S o I wake up this morning to this press release from the folks at Tekumel Foundation. I'm reading & looking    finding myself mega curious as to what new little artifacts are going to be coming out from this collection.
 These three via Hill Canton's have got me thinking about doing my own globe someday but man are these three cool! 

This is hex crawling at its finest! The detail is incredible! 

Globe of the Eastern half of the known part of the planet.  These two pictures make me want to create a globe & create my own world. 

                                                              

Its going to take months  for the foundation to go through all of the materials that they've gathered. The fact that we're even getting just this little taste of things to come is very exciting! Stay tuned for more of this! 

  Thanks To Hill Canton's Blog for bring this to my attention! This is indeed awesome news 

The Ch'laraotus- The Beings From Thacharub

 No. Enc.: 1d3 (School of The Ch'laraotus)
Alignment: Inimical
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d10 plus poison (special see below)
Morale: 10 


Floating among the astral eddies of the Outer Darkness are special beings that exist between the higher Great Old Ones & the Forgotten Ones. These beings feed off of the viscous planar slime that collects between the psionic power of the Great Ones & the multi planar existence of their higher selves.  They may be summoned by the 6th level super science power summon planar demon.  This species floats upside down on the surface tension of the Outer Darkness & the astral simply feeding when & where it wants too. 
Some of the more radical biology of the creature includes:  A tapering body which is flattened and has six appendages which branch out into rayed cerata.
The Ch'laraotus is able to feed on many of the Great Old Ones  due to its immunity to the venomous nematocysts & strange c-cell concentrations that are active for thousands of years. The slug consumes the entire organism and appears to select and store the most venomous nematocysts for its own use. The venom is collected in specialized sacs (cnidosacs), on the tip of their cerata, the thin feather-like "fingers" on its body. Because The Ch'laraotus stores the venom, it can produce a more powerful and deadly sting than the  upon which it feeds.
Many of the mythos races fear The Ch'laraotus & will flee rather then face this strange race. They are not intelligent per say but have a sort of temporary instinct that makes them appear to act in a rational manner. They are actually acting in a forth dimensional fashion which allows them to "see" several seconds into the future. 
 Though certain scientists insist that these entities are related to the Moon Beasts from the Plateau of Leng. See here Moon-beast they may be closer to the Hounds of Tindalos. The The Ch'laraotus will happily feed on both entities if given the chance. 
 The Beings From Thacharub are over 12 foot long & weight in at around 2 tons. They are often summoned for the the alchemial element  Merrallia which comes from the 3rd lobe of their central brain located in the torso of the creature. The drug grants a user freedom within the local time space continuum & an illusion of eternal life which is actually the user becoming unstuck in time. The loss of identity & definition within time is on of the more common side effects of this drug.. Harvesting the liquid is very tricky given the fact that the tips of the creature do 1d10 points of damage. A save vs death is required should a character receive the slightest scratch from the Ch'laraotus.
The Ch'laraotus may be persuaded to give up some of their poisons while among the deadliest in the multi-verse are also some of the most powerful healing potions known. They have been known to restore the dead to a semblance of life when used with certain super science powers. As long as the corpse is not more then 1d4 hours old. 
   Finally these entities are often used as spies or guardians, they may be fixed to a certain location & allowed to drift on astral tethers for centuries. They will telepathically communicate any disturbances within their locations & can act accordingly. Those who have prolonged mental contact with them will suffer from a form of mental brain rot & this may only be cured with the application of super science. 

The Sand Men of Tarruss

Sweet Sweet Tarruss  so the poem goes is one of the most beautiful planets in Human Space. Yet many consider it closer to the darkest Hells.

Taruss itself is a rolling world of beaches, bright water & 3 suns  

You see them in every space port with their bags of nano sand & they are always there with a predators smile. Strange men with heavy beards & the strange cloths of the out lander, skinned tanned by the hours of deep space time. They offer the dreams of a life time within those bags of theirs.

Two sand men courting minor house royalty  for  certain  courtly favors  

They offer a pleasure beyond compare for 1d4 rounds as the nanite sand works its way through your mind rewiring your brain till it wants more & you'll do anything to make that happen again. Anything.

A dreamer experiencing the negative side effects of the sands of Tarruss 

The Sand itself is a marvel of nanite & planar engineering on a micro cosmic scale. Each grain is engineered to tap into the brain's hard wiring & give the user the impression that they are receiving the most incredible sensations ever. The sand grants the controller the following super science powers: Esp, Empathy, & Holographic Projection (Extended) -The controller may allow the illusion to continue for as long as the user wills it. At the flick of a control the illusion may become the user's worst night mare & the person will begin to take damage after 1d4 rounds unless the victim makes a saving throw versus death.

A few examples of the nanite sand of the of the traders of Tarruss
Notice the inner reactor mechanisms

The final level of the dependency that the Sandmen offers is the "Cave" a dream world where the thoughts & dreams of the user shape the planar energies that they are wired in to experience. They are wired into their world surgically. These dreams shape the delicate planar energies that make Tarruss a pleasure world & provide it with great weather all around & all of the measures of paradise. But it is only so as long as the supplicants are alive. This is why there are also more sand men in the space ports & moving through society

Dream a little dream ! 

Gary Gygax

Let's take a moment to remember the Father of Role-Playing Games on his birthday: E. Gary Gygax. Thank you, Gary! The best way to celebrate this man's life is to go out & play the game he created! Remembering you fondly tonight! 

The 847- The Tyrant Makers

When the Human Empire needs to reign in one of the outer colonies & military force isn't an option they often call upon the 847. The so called Tyrant makers, before the order has dried upon the dura-paper the 847 has is agents combing through the world's governmental structures with rumor, destabilization , & spin to create the illusion of  the right psycho- cultural atmosphere for their tyrants to step in!

   The 847 offer a wide array of products from simple surgically bio field back programmed schizoids,pseudo-sexual clones, to full functional vat grown specialties for all manner of circumstances. The 847 will be very sensitive to their clients needs & adapt where necessary. The power, government, & info structure are their very watch words. 
But who are they, where do they come from, & why produce tyrants where necessary? The answer can be found in the layers of  paranoia & secrecy that stands between them & their clients. 

They use a spiders web of agents spread across many worlds & each one has at its center a cloned spy master said to have been made from the flesh of history's greatest spymaster from the beginning of the Atomic Wars. Between each layer the 847 operate out of large mobile bases. Many have been the forces that have invaded one of these bases filled to the brim with all manner of fluid bio computers & cloning banks. There is often little opposition to the invading forces. Yet in the center of each of these bases is a large glass steel cube. A power source radiates from it many thousands of times more powerful then a single yellow star. Yet there is no central guiding intelligence! 

There is  little to explain the ryhme or reason to explain the processes employed by the 847 which seem to always include themes of hypnosis, hallucinogenic drug experiences, identity theft, mind control, dream manipulation, and various forms of social indoctrination. Yet the truth is far stranger. The 847 are the power source at the center of each mobile. 

Each 847 is a planar life essence of  order created by something simply known as the Network. Operating through its agents these powerful planar presences of order act to promote their own agendas for the Human Empire through a vast array of order & elegant precision. They move across the chess board of Human Space with inhuman scalpel precision cutting away the fat of change & chaos where they find it. For what is unknown but to them the end justifies the means. There have been rumors of something called the great destine & an unknown world but there is little said about it. For now they continue to work, subvert, & control events, things, & people for it is their reason for existence. 

One Of The Better Science Fiction Shows You've Never Seen - Mirror Mirror

There are lots of time traveling shows out there. When I speak to folks about time travel they usual bring up Doctor Who & then go on about it at length. I stop them dead when I mention Mirror Mirror which ran in 1995. It was an Australian & New Zealand kid's show but it  was a very smart & funny kids show.

 

The show didn't talk down to kids at all & still to this day has a huge fan base. The plot ran something like this :The main character is given an antique mirror and the image she sees is that of a girl from the early 1900s.Things don't go as planned when the  two 14 year old girls discover they can see through identical mirrors 100 years apart and that they can travel to each other’s times. At first this is a source of wonder and delight but the two girls, Jo and Louisa, quickly discover they must solve an enormous problem. 

The show makes very clever use of the its time traveling motif while at the same time never talking down to its young audience. 

The plot is very involved & you can find out more about it Here Bewared there are some major spoilers in the wiki entry!

Mirror Mirror & The OSR

 There's quite a bit already that's been done with time travel with Old School Heretic's blog Here . The idea of an artifact either technological or magical as the focus of a campaign is one that seldom gets bandied about. In Mirror Mirror the time travel motif isn't simply a plot device but the central wheel of the story. The same idea can be applied to a Human Space Empire game given the game's extensive timeline.  

The idea of going backwards & forwards in time to either the past of  Empire of  Petal Throne or towards its future could have grave repercussions for both campaign worlds or not unlike the Time Tunnel have very little influence. 

The central idea of the show was their engaging characters against a huge rolling blanket of history. The idea of these engaging Npcs & their stories is what propels Mirror Mirror and even the Time Tunnel. 

We want to know what happens to them. As players we want to find out. The device is merely the instrument to get the adventure going. 

I often find that time travel shouldn't be over used in table top role playing. Time Master & even the Doctor Who rpg can get old very quickly but slipping in the occasional Star Trek style time adventure will engage your players. 

History  can work for you or against you. Role players are often history buffs & can prove to be a pain in the rear when it comes to knowing every detail of historic events. This is why a game like Empire of the Petal Throne is perfect. It allows you to fill in the gaps as you will or create alternative histories that can confound even the most strict Empire fan. 

Knowing an object's position in time & space can give your adventures an anchor that might be used again & again in a campaign. Use the technique sparing though it can get on players nerves & make them feel really helpless.

Keep notes rather then scripting adventures when it comes to time traveling adventures.. It helps to be flexible as a Dungeon Master. These are just some random thoughts about thinking outside the Tardis when it comes to time travel. Excuse me while I step through this antique mirror!

Knights of Quixote

Knights of Quixote- Dedicated, Ancient, & deadly .

Roberts planet was an incredible paradise world created just after the first of man kind's leaps into space in 16800 AD. Created to be a pseudo- European fantasy land with knights, dragons, & all sorts of fairy tale trappings the world was a huge draw with its incredible androids & life like simulacra.  

 It all ended in 21200 when the world was thrown into a pocket universe by one of the first violent conflicts with the Regulans. The entire world plus its moon were sucked into the void by an Interfogulator. The world hasn't been seen in a very long time. 

   Until now. Recently the world came out of a rend in time & space completing its last orbit that it had been in when it entered the event horizon. Tourism is cautiously returning to the world & the knights themselves have entered into the galactic political arena in a very low key way. 

A planetary expedition was dispatched immediately in the hopes of learning the fate of this beautiful world. The expedition detected no life signs & everything seemed perfectly preserved. The party landed & proceeded apace. That is until one of the members of the party broke into a faux manor house & assumed it was abandoned. It was not.. The caretakers of the residence were still there & they had evolved! 

Ancient beyond today's standards the robots & androids had evolved in cunning ways. Time proceeded apace within the void at its own rate. The Roberts world had been abandon during the war & not a single human remained. Robert's world was named after its eccentric creator whose ground breaking work for the Ministry of  Technology is very well documented. Roberts based much of his work on robotic anatomy from  

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci & his revolutionary postronic design from a Pre Atomic War firm known as Cyberdyne Systems. However his work went light years beyond Cyberdyne's tired old work. 

The interior of one of the Knight's designs

The knights themselves are suits of armor over an end-skeleton of nano muscular material complete with a pseudo skull implanted with  neo cybernetic cortex & brain. The entire assembly is completely independent & capable of  upgrading itself. Each knight receives its education & goals from a hive mind informational data cloud that surrounds the entire planet. As each knight advances its life path their cybernetic personalities go back to the cloud for frequent "upgrades".Each knight is an individual with its own personality goals, wants, desires, etc. 

They have named themselves after the old pre Atomic novel  Don_Quixote & strive to live up to the virtues that are so frequently talked about within books of chivalry. These knights have gone on to be advisers, warlords, & many other functions throughout Human Space. It is rumored that the other inhabitants of Roberts Planet are even now living among the population of human space. 

 Even though they follow the "code of chivalry" there are all sort of  viewpoints  & twistings of  the codes  as their individual knights. Players who wish to play knights as a race should use the proper experience matrix found within the Human Space Empire rule book 

No. Enc.: 1d4(party)

Alignment: Neutral

Move: 180' (60')

Armor Class: 0

Hit Dice: 9

Attacks: 2 (see below)

Damage: 2-12

Morale: 12

Each knight stands just over 6 ft tall & is armored with a faux steel & laser resistant plate.Knights  are highly intelligent, equipped with a positronic brain deep inside the torso. Some (25%) are programmed to speak 1-4 common interstellar languages and all are capable of communicating in Machine language and include built in medium-range communicator devices. Their feet are outfitted with robotic climbing claws for difficult terrain. Knights are immune to mind affecting powers. They are armed with a wide variety of pre atomic weapons & a special magnetic blaster. They may magnetically return this weapon to themselves should it be dropped. 

Inspired by Lost-in-space-the-questing-beast