Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign On the Dark Corner Blog

Inspired by the VHS horror tapes of yesteryear comes a brand new blood dripping Crypts and Thing campaign! Including a new D30 encounter table!
Check your Rentals right HERE! 

Using Fish Wife Games Free D30 Industry Loot Table PDF & The D30 Urban Encounters Table With Stars Without Numbers

Fish Wife Games makes a metric ton of material for post apocalyptic gaming and of my favorite recent pieces done by author Dave Woodrum is  this free D30 industry loot table.  The table is mostly made for post apocalyptic gaming but my PC's were exploring a ruined PA planet and my back was up against the wall.
 GET IT RIGHT HERE 
 What exactly was that alien alternative Earth piece of hardware they found? What possibly could this artifact be? Pull out this chart and wham they not only knew what it was but with a quick check of the Stars Without Numbers rule book they knew what they could get for it.
 The material was easily to extrapolate into a useble form from the table. Let's not mention the whole incident with the mutant alien traders though. It seems that the ruined cities they were exploring belonged to the survivors of a long downed industry colony ship.
 The second PA encounter chart that got used tonight was the Urban Encounters D30 table which doubted quite nicely for an abandoned mutated colony ruin. This table got quite the work out this evening.
 
 Get it Free Right HERE
The fact that it went right along with the interstellar post apocalyptic vibe that I was bringing to the table made the encounters pretty solid and memorable. The whole feel of tonight's one shot reminded me of  the 80's science fiction cult classic  Space Hunter Adventures In The Forbidden Zone. 

Why use Post Apocalyptic D30 Encounter Charts For Science Fiction Gaming

D30 charts give solid encounters and they also give DM's more encounter options. Post Apocalyptic gaming setting for Science fiction games make great stand in settings. Failed colonies, alternative Earths, weird time screw ups, and quick alternatives to spice the usual encounter in sector so and so are all options on the table.
The settings of Fish Wife games are slightly different because they offer a down to Earth and hassle free plug and play options. The fact that these are low cost or down right cheap is an added bonus to the fact that these are good solid tools for a DM to use.
While your mileage may vary these are good products done with an eye for detail and easily used in a wide variety of settings and places. I certainly got some great encounters out of them tonight. 

Basil Wolverton's "Where Monsters Dwell" Comic For Your Old School Space Fantasy

Basil Wolverton was a comic book genius whose inspired generations of artists and writers  This comic first was first presented in the Dec 1951 issue of Adventures into Terror #7. This particular comic has a whole pack of incredible Wolverton creations. They can be used to populate your own old school science fantasy campaigns.  

Kondrmotul- Giant Tape Worm Snakes 

Armor Class: 8(11)

Hit Dice : 12 

Attacks: Bite (1d6)

Special: Spit Acid 2d6, Infect with Young 

Move : 6 

HDE/XP :13/2300 

Green dimensionally distorted ground dwelling horrors from beyond human reckoning. Fast moving, dangerous, and disease ridden horrors that dwell upon a dimensional half world. 

Drianazgweg -The Blue Winged Horrors From Beyond 

Armor Class: 7(12)

Hit Dice: 4 

Attacks: Talons(1d6)

Special: Flight, Immune To Most Magic And Psychic Abilities 

Move:6 (18 when Flying)

HDE/XP: 4/120 

The Caturilor- Half Men Things 

Armor Class: 5 (14)

Hit Dice : 2 

Attacks : Bite 1d6, Claw 1d4

Specials : Carriers of Disease such as Red Death  

Move:9 

HDE/XP:2/30

The Half World of Delugbarur

This half plane of existence is folded between the dimensional spaces. A world of weird geometry and weirder creatures. Those who travel here by dimensional adjustment are subject to its unholy physics and laws. This is a place where prolonged exposure results in a -3 to Charisma. It is populated by the lost and damned. 

Those who survive this hellish desert world are forever touched in some way. Some develop mutations and others aberrations of the body. There is a 40% chance of those who dwell here long develop some type of detrimental mutation. 

This mini plane prime is sometimes used by advanced alien races as a dumping ground for the criminal or insane of inter dimensional races.  

You can read more about The Genius of Basil Wolverton Right over HERE

Jack Vance 1916 - 2013 Rest In Peace

I've always considered Mr. Vance a friend. He was a very good writer who always brought a smile to my face. And now one of the corner stones of our hobby & fantasy  literature is gone. According to his official website. 

"Jack Vance passed away at home on the evening of Sunday May 26, 2013, ending a long, rich and productive life. Recognized most widely as an author, family and friends also knew a generous, large-hearted, rugged, congenial, hard-working, optimistic and unpretentious individual whose curiosity, sense of wonder and sheer love of life were an inspiration in themselves. Author, friend, father and grandfather – there will never be another like Jack Vance." 

There are no words to describe what blow this is in many ways. Thanks for letting us read, play, and experience your worlds.

Raise a glass to the dreamer of worlds whose thieves, adventurers, and rascels have trodden the hallways of our imaginations. Let those who know your words and humor once again raise the books, read the words, and cheer those who have come before us in the world's mind's eye. Your wit and imagination will be missed. Rest in Peace old friend for this world will not see your like again.

 You may leave a message of farewell on the official Jack Vance page.
Right over HERE

Brand New Pacific Rim Concept Art!

CHARLIE JANE ANDERS over at IO9 has posted some brand new Pacific Rim Concept Art according to her "These scans from the brand new Empire appear over at Comic Book Movie, where you can see more stills and a couple of behind-the-scenes pics from the film. Check out more concept art and a few stills below. [via Empire Magazine]"

You can check out the whole article right HERE SEXPAND

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1d20 Lovecraftain Space Hazards Random Encounters Table For Your Old School Space Opera

1d10 Lovecraftain Space Hazards Random Encounters

1. A spinning golden pyramid containing the melded essence of 1d4 alien races joined in a spinning vortex of madness and insanity that will do 1d6 points of energy damage to any space craft within a light year. This spinning helix of crazied insanity will try to level drain and merge any crewmen encountered. Has 40 Hit points And an Armor Class of 8. 
2. An avatar of Cthulhu called the Dreaming Nightmare. This creature is a projection of the great old's roaming astral essence. The thing acts a symbol of insanity and will devour anything it comes across. The thing must be avoided at all costs. A powerful cosmic entity may be able to banish it back to the depths of nightmare. 
3. The Vortex of Thom - This vortex of cosmic draining energy is actually the mouth parts of a dimensionally trapped god that wishes to drain any remaining energy it can to free itself from its other worldly prison. It will drain 1d10 points of energy from any source it can per round. Only a burst of proto antimatter will banish this monster back to the depths of dimensional darkness. 
4. The Spheres of Thal - These machines of dust and darkness roam the cosmos for any star ships they can find. These machines are the scattered remains of an AI god now hell bent on claiming the lives of any it comes across. There are 1d8 spheres present. They have an armor class of 6, 12 hit points and attack for 1d4 points of damage per round using particle laser weapons. These things regenerate as per troll. Only stellar matter can burn these alien machines up. 
5. The Colour Out of The Interstellar Gulf - This level draining monstrous cloud is the size of large star destroyer and will suck dry anything present. The monster will then try to possess any remaining crew. The monster is able to travel as a small star ship. A burst of any proto matter may dismiss it back between dead stars. 
6. The Deadworld of Helas -This world moves around the universe filled with astro zombie warriors cursed by the Norse god Hela to wander across the cosmos prying on any ships that it finds. The thing moves across the universe at will claiming more damned for its silent waste filled world. 
7. The Spools of Thrusr'a - These relic weapons of a mad god appear strung between worlds. These monofiliment nightmares are only a molecule thick and able to slice a ship to wreckage in seconds. The things form webs made by alien robotic machines. These weapons do 1d6 points of damage to any ship flying into a star system where they have been deployed. 
8. The Worms of Gr'ura - These giant world destroying worms move slowly constricting worlds of vital essence. The worms of thousands of miles across and each houses 1d20 lesser monsters. The worms are 20 hit points each and can do 1d10 points of damage by expelling a chunk of stellar matter at a star ship. They each have an armor class of six. A nuclear war head at the right spot might damage a worm. There are always 1d4 of these monsters. They are capable of warp flight. 
9. The Eye Balls of Thesvru - These giant interstellar flying eye balls were the eyes of a giant god millions of years old. The gods cut the beast apart and now the eyes roam the universe looking for their other parts. Each 20 hit point eye has an armor class of 6 and can emit a cosmic blast of energy for 1d10 points of damage. Each eye will attack any starship it runs across.  Only a burst of neutrino particles can damage these creatures. Many ancient alien craft had such things on board. 
10. Space Around your vessel ripples and Azathoth appears! What will you do? 
11. The War Ship Of Cirus - This ancient preprogrammed AI Death God roams space hunting down any humanoid races it finds. It will only back down if worship with the sacrifice of the enemy's star ship captain! The ship is armed with xray lasers and particle beam cannons. Within its confines is the trapped mind of a Great Old One. 30 hit points Armor Class 5 Damage 1d8 per round from a mix of particle ray cannons and x ray lasers. Only a cosmic entity of light may have a 20% chance of banishing it back to the wastes of hyperspace 
12. The Monolith of Thel - This blue green twenty foot tall monolith spins through space churning out hard radiation  to any vessels it finds. This uncaring plaything of the gods will bath any vessel in Gamma Radiation and other hard radiations for 1d10 rounds before vanishing back into hyperspace. There is a 20% chance of it reappearing 1d4 rounds later. 
13. Constructors of The Great Race - These fourteen block long grey rectangles once belonged to the Great Race of Yith. They now roam the wastes of hyperspace destroying anything that runs across their path. They will attack with 1d4 point of neutrino energy per round and 1d6 points of laser damage. They will neatly cut up any ship that they run across. These ships will then absorb any wreckage and disappear. They are Armor class 7 and have 30 hit points. 
14. The Swarm of La - This swarm of nanobot nightmares is actually a one light year long cloud. The nano bots will dissemble anything they encounter. All the while they will broadcast praises to the Great Old Ones. These creatures only do one point of damage each. There are billions and billions of them. Anyone eaten by them will live on locked in disembodied hellish existence caught between insanity and horror beyond existence. Only a burst of neutron energy aimed at the central brain cluster has any chance of destroying these things. 
15. The Churning Horrors - These insect like beings are actually the space going remains of a once great alien race now locked forever within the confines of these bio synthetic horrors from beyond space time. Each one is a 10 hit point horror armed with 1d4 energy weapons there are usually 1d20 of these things encountered. They move locust like from world to world. They devour the brains of any being they encounter to add to their insane knowledge. 
16.  The Spinning Robot Nightmares of Trall - These space probe droids have been augmented by merging with the essence of a Great Old One. These monsters now wish only the extinguish of all life as we know it. These 12 hit point beings only wish to end their own existence but they cannot. Their programming will not allow such things to happen. They have an armor class of 5 and attack with mono blades that do 1d6 points per round when they hit. There are usually 1d8 machines encountered. Only a deadly burst of neutron energy to the lead bot will cripple them. 
17. The Trimplenx - This cosmic being is wounded any bleeds chunks of reality altering blood and gore. Each time this giant is encountered bits of him will attack your ship. There are usually 1d4 gore units. Each has 7 hit points and attacks with 1d4 points of damage per round. Should any reach your hull they will eat through within three rounds. After 1d4 rounds this giant diseased god will disappear and there is a 20% chance of him appearing again within the same star system. Only the Hymns of La can banish this slowly dying immortal. 
18. The Mind of Azathoth - An entire light year will be blanketed by the telepathic insanity that will spread across the entire star system. Each being will be possessed to do the most alien and horrid things imaginable. After a night and a day the disembodied mind will move on to spread the insanity else where. 
19. The star system is filled with stellar chucks of Great Old One gore. The entire system swarms with this stuff shunted out from hyperspace. There is a 50% of the stuff being infected with the most lethal monsters imaginable acting as parasites aboard this stuff. The flesh will cause 1d20 mutations to any being that has any contact. After 1d10 days the flesh will dissolve away from the local space time. Any star ship hulls encountering this stuff has a 10% chance of dissolving into soul screaming goo. 
20. A Star Spawn of Cthulhu is encountered off the port bow! 

FREE Lovecraftian Supplement From Gorgon Milk Review Now Fully Text-Selectable OCR document

Introduction 

Gorgon Milk does quite a bit of wonderful stuff and this is one of the most useful pieces of OSR material that I can think of. This supplement collects all of the early Lovecraft material from the dawn of time of  OD&D and AD&D in the form of Early Dragon magazine articles and the Deities and Demi Gods book Cthulhu Mythos material
You can get it right
HERE

Using The Free Lovecraftian Suppliment This book collects in fourteen pages the essence of  the Lovecraftian Mythos for AD&D first edition and OD&D material in one handy place. This material will work in about 90% of the retroclones out on the market at this time. 
The format is now completely is  now a "Fully Text-Selectable OCR document" which means no more fumbling for a Shaggoth or Mi Go on your tablet. The mythos has of course been modified for Dungeons And Dragons in each of the articles. The fact that its out as a free pdf is another handy little treat. 

The book is very nice for using in any science fantasy retroclone game as well with little modification or twisting. Do yourselves a favor and get over to download this little book.

 Bottomline 
This is a handy little guide to the Mythos and makes constructing many adventures for either a D&D fantasy style adventure or a space fantasy very easy. The fact that all of this material is in one place and easily searchable is very attractive for any D&D or retroclone gamer. Best of all its free. 

Star Trek Continues Web Show - "The Pilgrim Of Eternity" - Review & Use in Star Ships & Space Men Second Edition

I decided to catch up on some new Star Trek this weekend. 

  I watched Star Trek Continues over the long holiday weekend. It like a great time to catch up with this show. These are the same folks who did the Star Ship Farragut series. Wait you've never heard of the Farragut or its great episodes? 

Star Trek Continues is a great little show. The premise is simple. It goes something like this from the official website.
"The new Star Trek Continues Web Series carries on the original 5-year mission. Star Trek Continues begins right where the original left off."

"The Pilgrim Of Eternity" brings and old "foe" of  the crew back two years later after the original mission. The plot goes something like this : 

Apollo returns to wreak havoc on Kirk and the Enterprise in the first episode of the new series.

You can take a look right down below :

STC-E01 "Pilgrim of Eternity" from Star Trek Continues on Vimeo.

Review of the "Pilgrim Of Eternity" 
The episode from beginning to end is a love letter to the original series. From the first moments when we get a view of the beginnings of the holodeck technology to the appearance of the command deck crew its a love letter. The holodeck appeared on Star Trek The Animated Series but it wasn't until Generations that it really made its true applications felt. But I digress.
 Michael Forrest plays Appllo in this episode with a sense of pathos, tragedy, and real loss. Star Trek Continues stars Vic Mignogna (who also directs) is a very likable Kirk. Todd Haberkorn is a very understated as Spock, Larry Nemecek was a quick Dr. McCoy,  Chris Doohan was great as  Mr. Scott , Grant Imahara's Mr. Sulu was both funny and interesting, Kim Stinger as Lt.Uhura brought a bit of emotion to the role,  and Wyatt Lenhart needs to be seen as Ensign Chekov more.

 It was nice to see things hinted about in the original show brought to life on the screen thanks to the power of computing and CGI. The titles, opening, fades, phasers, and the props are top notch. While we've seen these in other fan produced shows they've been done with varying degrees of success. These were rather well done in Star Trek Continues. Part of the reason as stated by the official Star Trek Continues Website, "This new series is being brought to you in partnership with Farragut Films and DracoGen Investments – creators of the award-winning web series, Starship Farragut. The series is being shot in the original 4:3 format to keep the authenticity of the framing of the original series"

"The Pilgrim of Eternity" isn't just a simple nod to the original episode. Its a solid continuation of many of the themes of the episode including love, worship, loyalty and agenda of Apollo. 

 Its very well done for a fan production and the line once again between fan as well as professional is blurring. I'll be watching the rest of the episodes. Hats off to the cast and crew to Star Trek Continues 

 Using The "Pilgrim Of Eternity" For Your Old School Space Fantasy Rpg 

 The one game that quickly comes to mind in the OSR for using " The Pilgrim of Eternity" is Star Ships And Space Men Second edition. From the alien gods, to the weird god tech, to the accelerated aging its all there.
The idea of  the "Continuing voyages" is of course the perfect foil for getting your adventures out among the stars.
An aging god way past his prime and at the end of the rope makes a very dangerous as well as desperate opponent for players. I personally wouldn't use episode ad hoc but as a possible blue print for S&S adventures,
 Just as the original episode "Who Mourns For Adonis" has been the template for numerous riffs for OD&D games & First Edition AD&D adventures so can "The Pilgrim of Eternity".
The idea of a weird god technology floating out in space being found and wrecking havoc on a crew isn't new. But the fact that the gods have a very human face is something that allows a DM to add mega dungeons of incredible complexity to games. This  allows crossovers with both :Labyrinth Lord and others of the Goblinoid Games family. 

There are implications of possible human/god hybrids in the form of demigods mentioned in the episode as well. A possible NPC encounter of this type might have far reaching applications for future god like encounters. 

 There are also several elements of this episode that struck me as particularly Fasa Trek related. The fact that that Trek went off in its own dirction might allow a DM to incorporate elements of this episode and tie them directly into a Fasa driven game. Specifically the technology of the blown station, the hybrid ideas here, and the idea of space seeding from a race of gods from within the Trek universe. 

Finally what sticks in my mind is Michael Forrest's Apollo which has always struck me as somewhat operatic. A larger then life god stuck in a technological world that has left him behind. Obsolete but not forgotten. A metaphor for both gods and men as well as being possible fodder for future adventures. 

Could there be more god bases, locations, technology, and dangers that might effect the all to human cast and crew of your star ship? 

The Deities And Demigods Option 

Pages fifty eight through sixty nine of  of the original AD&D first edition of "Deities And Demigods" contains the Greek Mythos or more readily the Hellenistic mythos.
The entire chapter always stayed with me as particularly apt for a conversion into a Traveler style game.A game where the premise for "Who Mourns For Adonis" is used to explain not simply the all to human gods of both Greek and Rome but many others.
The premise of some of the races in the chapter seem to lend themselves quite perfectly for a game of Stars Without Number. A premise that I will be using soon enough.
The other trek related premise that never got as much air play as needed was the episode of the animate series "Sharpen Then A Serpents Tooth". This episode had the crew facing down another well meaning deity in this case the Central American  lord Quetzalcoatl. Page thirty two of the Deities And Demi gods book in case your wondering.
 These episodes left more questions then answered them. Are there wars between the gods in the twenty fifth century. How many gods are left. What the interactions between such entities and things like Tralene and the such. Is there a role for clerics within the realm of the reality of Trek and if so then what? Ship's Chaplin, alien religion and folklore departments are under the sociology and archaeology umbrellas of  Star Fleet. The mind boggles.
The Pilgrim of Eternity left some very interesting questions in the back of my mind and makes me want to see the rest of Star Trek Continues. 

 Online support for Star Trek Continues 

Star Ship Farragut Website HERE 

                                          Official Star Trek Continues HERE

Full write up of "Who Mourns For Adonis" on Wiki: HERE

 

Space Borne Chelonethida For Use With The Stars Without Number Rpg

 Flavius secured his line & something lashed out knocking him on the side of his helmet. The thing moved on eight legs carrying it quickly as its bio jets arched the creature the sized of a small escape pod into his view. The thing's claws snapped once and then twice with no sound at all. The body cycled through the weird colours of the spectrum signaling its brethren.
By the time he was on his feet and ready with the laser a light telepathic presence brushed his own mind. His clutch brother had already gotten the intruder within his own pincers. His own spray of bio acid from his weapons system was quickly doing its work. Onyx flared through several dozen threat combinations even as the attacker melted and his brother intruders moved in.

 Space Borne Chelonethida
Number Appearing: 1d4  

Armor Class :7 

Hit Dice: 4
Attack Bonus : +6 

Damage: 1d8 Pincer, Bio Acid 1d6,Bite 1d6
Saving Throw : 13+

Movement : 30 ' 

Morale: 12 

 When man ascended into space after the Atomic Wars in to space he brought with him many of the genetic legacies of Old Earth. The Pseudoscorpions were one such creature and are generally beneficial to humans. Yet they are both weapon, companion, and hazard as well. The Space Borne Chelonethida can be found throughout interstellar space 

 These creatures have been extensively modified genetically. New modifications include the ability survive in space, maneuvering  jets, a mild telepathic link with their "owners", improved AI assisted intelligence, bio acid ducts, space borne weapon delivery systems and spectrum communications systems for space. These creatures also have extensive sensor systems.  

The original configuration of the species :

A pseudoscorpion has eight legs with five to seven segments; the number of fused segments is used to distinguish families and genera. They have two very long pedipalps with palpalchelae (pincers) which strongly resemble the pincers found on a scorpion.

The pedipalps generally consist of an immobile "hand" and "finger", with a separate movable finger controlled by an adductor muscle. A venom gland and duct are usually located in the mobile finger; the venom is used to capture and immobilize the pseudoscorpion's prey. During digestion, pseudoscorpions pour a mildly corrosive fluid over the prey, then ingest the liquefied remains.

 They are active in the warm stellar bodies of the cosmos, they sometimes hibernate  in silken/artificial  cocoons when the cycle of activity of spacers is done. Smaller species live in debris and space wrecks. Some others are phagophiles, eating parasites in an example of cleaning symbiosis. Some species are phoretic. They may sometimes be found feeding on mites under the wing covers of certain space craft.

 Certain peoples of the Holy Corporate Empire trained them and use these monsters in their unending war against the Mythos. Their pincers could rip a man apart in seconds. For all their bulk they could move fast. Very fast. 

There are fourteen known variations of the beasts that have been used in "Circus Mechixmus" and thousands in the folds of the Empire.
 The creatures use a line of sight telepathic link as well as a mild "Greater Link" that can extend up to one light year with their owners. They have a low to moderate intelligence rating but are considerably loyal to their owners. Some going to extremes to avenge the deaths of such.
 More information about the original genetic stock can be found HERE.

Review Of The FREE LL/ACKS MONSTER CONVERSION GUIDE

Introduction 

Alright this is a one page conversion from Labyrinth Lord Monsters into the wonderful Adventurer, Conqueror, King system.
 The conversion looks pretty straight forward and it looks very well done. There's not much in the way of complicated side bits or over the top number crunching nonsense.
You can get it right over on GorgonMilk's Blog HERE

How To use This item For Science Fantasy Games 
The pdf basically expands the range of monsters in Adventurer, Conqueror, King by adding more monsters from the extensive range of Labyrinth Lord creations.  There's another rub through in this. Because of the extensive range of Goblinoid games creations. A DM could pull from the ACK universe to expand their own science fantasy creations.
Given the richness of the ACK tapestry there is quite a bit to pull from any DM who owns this game system could easily do so.
 ACKS is perfect for a DM looking to run a "Dune" style or any complex game were extensive action oriented intrigue is the rule of thumb.
Given the extensive catalog of LL adventures, references, and what have you. Yeah this is a pretty damn solid conversion.  It's also free.

Is this worth Downloading?

If your into using the ACK system and the LL family of games and modules in a word.
YES! 

The Many Faces of The Space Rangers Television Show & Comic Book Series

 Back before Firefly was even a thought bubble in the mind of its esteemed writer there was another show that aired briefly on CBS back in 1993. Though gone it was not forgotten. Back in Boston when I was working in the video rental shop this show had a small following. It became the background for a long lived Eon Trinity by White Wolf games.

The Space Rangers Intro!

The show ran officially from January 6, 1993 – January 26, 1993. However there was a comic book series that proceed it with some of the very same concepts and ideas by none other Mark Ellis. The ideas of the show were way ahead of their time and I'd go so far as to say too far ahead. Make no mistake that this was a space western. In every sense of the word.
The plot according to wiki: In the year 2104 the Earth colony Fort Hope on the distant planet Avalon struggles to survive. A small force of police/marines called the "Space Rangers Corps" are the first, last and only line of defense for the colonists against crime and the perils of interstellar exploration. The series concentrates on Captain John Boon and his team of Rangers aboard Ranger Slingship #377.
The cast list was pretty damn good for a CBS show : 

• Captain John Boon (Jeff Kaake)
• Doc Kreuger (Jack McGee)
• Jojo Thorsen (Marjorie Monaghan)
• Zylyn (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa)
• Daniel Kincaid (Danny Quinn)
• Dr Mimmer (Clint Howard)
• Commander Chennault (Linda Hunt)
• Colonel Erich Weiss (Gottfried John)

The concepts as I said were first rate and there's something to be said for them. 

Banshees 

A space-faring predator. They teleport aboard spaceships as they travel at lightspeed. They are violent, impervious to regular weapons and teleport away as suddenly as they arrive. They also emit a high pitched sonic "scream" that can disorient a person in close quarters, which is where they get their name from. If they manage to kill everyone aboard the ship they will envelope it in an organic cocoon and teleport it with them back to their hyperspace hive.

Bellysnappers 

A single person escape pod. They are used to travel to a planet's surface. They are called "bellysnappers" because they tend to give their passengers rough rides and make them sick to their stomachs.

Central 

The higher echelons of command back on Earth, respected but often considered meddlesome, inefficient and out of touch with the facts of frontier life. The term also refers to the distant core of human civilization in general.

Hazard pay 

When a situation is above and beyond the level of danger that a sane person might elect to encounter, the Corps have been known to entice volunteers for missions with a bonus in Rangers' pay-checks. Boon's team is offered "triple" hazard pay if they could capture a Banshee for scientists to study. Doc has mentioned to the others that he is still waiting for hazard pay-checks from two other missions and does not expect to ever see them.

Lightspeed rings 

Large orbital ringed structures, they are designed to "slingshot" spaceships into hyperspace from one planet to another. Some ships, such as Slingships, are capable of reaching light speed without the usage of the lightspeed rings.

Runabouts 

Small, but swift and highly maneuverable interplanetary craft often stolen by smugglers to be used for their runs.

Slingships 

The interceptor spaceship of choice used by the Space Rangers. Unlike other ships, it does not need a lightspeed ring to achieve hyperspace as it can use a planet's orbital gravity to sling itself. It can still use lightspeed rings to conserve fuel. Captain John Boon's team are assigned Ranger Slingship #377. It has been nicknamed "Tin Lizzie" by its flight engineer Doc Kreuger and there are shark teeth nose art, much like pilots did to their fighter planes back in Earth's World War II-era. Slingship #377 has seen better days as Doc has had to jury rig many of the ships parts and systems to keep it online, as budget cuts have prevented them from always getting the proper parts and repairs.

Zulu 

A traditional drink at Fort Hope's Officers' Club which is consumed after returning from a successful mission.

 The planets and locations are places you don't really want to go 

New Venus -A former Earth colony that was overrun with Banshees. While most of the men elected to abandon the colony, the women chose to stay and fight off the invaders. As a result the colony became an Amazon-like matriarchy. Jojo Thorsen originates from this colony and harbors a deep hatred for Banshees.

Skaraab -A desolate planet where the days are so hot that the suns burn away all surface life in a matter of one day. The planet's vegetation has to grow back overnight and is so aggressive that it will even consume animal tissue in order to survive. It is also home to an ancient Graaka burial temple.

Earth -Home to the Space Rangers Corps & its Central Command. It is several weeks away at lightspeed from Fort Hope.

Avalon -Home to our heroes' colony of Fort Hope. On the outside it looks much like the Painted Desert in the American southwest.

Katraz -Penal colony. A place where the galaxy's worst are dumped off never to be heard from again. There are no guards and no ways to leave. The planet is ruled by anarchy among the inmates. One inmate named Rec heads the majority of factions on the planet. The name is no doubt derived from the former San Francisco prison of Alcatraz Island which also had the reputation for being impossible to escape.

Blood Nebula -A favorite hiding spot for smugglers and slavers. Its red clouds jam most sensors making enforcement in this area difficult at best.

Vee'Lon Prime -A wet, sandy, and tropical planet home to the reptilian Vee'Lons.

The Episodes read like a western in space with some interesting little twists. Again from the Wiki entry: 

"Fort Hope" aka "Space Rangers" aka Pilot -A lone escape pod reaches Fort Hope, its passenger tells the Rangers of a transport ship that went down. The ship was carrying Boon's former captain ex-Ranger Decker (Wings Hauser) and Graaka High-Priest Nazzer (Pat Morita) as it went down on the desolate planet Skaraab, a lifeless, sun-scorched wasteland, that's also home to a sacred Graaka burial site. Boon picks up new team member Daniel Kincaid who is fresh out of the academy. Zylyn tells Boon a legend of an ancient weapon hidden on the planet a thousand years ago, and protected from intruders by deadly vegetation. The Rangers attempt a rescue mission that could cost them all their lives.

"Banshees" -Colonel Weiss asks the Rangers to trap one of the deadly space predators known as Banshees - a request that Boon refuses until he learns a young boy (Rick Latini III) is trapped on an abandoned slaver spaceship in the Blood Nebula with some of the creatures. Once aboard the spaceship, they have difficulty finding him and learn the secret of his exceptionally long survival. They also have to worry about saving their own lives against creatures they know little about.

"The Replacements" -The Rangers are assigned a new android troubleshooter, who they dub "Ringer" (as in Dead), while they try to uncover the reasons behind a mining ship's hijacking. They're convinced that the ship is being used by a Hobbaba crime lord named Isogul for smuggling a deadly drug known as "Exjay", but if they cannot prove it, they have to return it. They also discover that Colonel Weiss's plans to eventually replace all human Space Rangers with androids.

"To Be Or Not To Be" -A has-been comedian Lenny Hacker* (Buddy Hackett) crash lands on prison planet Katraz on which there are no guards and from which no one ever leaves. Desperate to escape from yet another dress rehearsal for visiting General Kincaid (Danny's father), the Rangers undertake to rescue the comedian. General Kincaid holds Commander Chennault responsible for his son's safety. The team lands on the inhospitable penal colony and come face to face with its violent inhabitants, and the prisoners' vicious leader Rec.

"The Trial" -Zylyn is accused of the murder of another Graakan. When they fail to find legal counsel for his defense, the rest of the Rangers are forced to defend him in court themselves. Convinced there is a conspiracy to bring discredit to the Graaka race, they hunt for evidence as to the identity of the real murderer. Meanwhile, Isogul, the ruthless Hobbaba crime lord, has a new card up his sleeve to destroy the Space Rangers' defense system from inside. His master plan is to take over control of Fort Hope, but the Rangers also have a plan of their own designed to stop Isogul's crime wave permanently.

"Death Before Dishonor" -Captain Boon twice accidentally offends a race of reptilian warriors known as Vee'Lons. The Vee'Lon's dignitary Prince Gor'Dah (Sherman Howard), sentences Boon and his crew to death and declares war on Fort Hope & Central Command. After Central Command's Ambassador Hardcastle is assassinated, Chennault and Weiss are left alone to prevent an attack on Fort Hope. The crew's only way to avoid execution is for to Boon challenge the Prince Gor'Dah in a duel to the death in hand-to-hand combat.

The show wasn't the first incarnation of the Space Rangers though. Back in the days of the black and white cycle of comics in 1987 through 1988. The Star Rangers traveled the same circles as Death Hawk. Another Ellis creation as Death Hawk! The motif of the space western rung through this comic like a bell.

  

 According to wiki :

Star Rangers was a four-issue American science-fiction comic-book series created by writer Mark Ellis and artist Jim Mooney, following the adventures of a military spaceship crew in a 25th century controlled by corporations.

The plot,crew, and background of Star Rangers according to wiki : 

Set in the 25th century, the series revolved around the crew of the Sabre, the last ship in the Frontier Battalion of the once-fearsome Star Rangers Corps. In both Star Rangers and its companion series Death Hawk, the era is a dystopia of solar system-spanning corporations that held the true power behind the centralized government of the Sol 9 Commonwealth. By the time of the series, the Star Rangers Corps has been reorganized into a token peacekeeping force while the corporations maintain their own security divisions, such as the Sol 9 Shogunate's Tigers of Heaven. As such, all Star Rangers ships and weaponry are outdated, making it difficult for Sabre crew to perform its duties. The ship patrols Sectors Four through Nine of the Orion Spur.

The crew consists of:

• Commander Jon Blake
• Aristo the reptilian medic
• Ahrikeem, master of combat from the Vholon Empire
• Radac, the ship's synthetic human engineer
• Maya Lucas, an embittered pilot who has little use for men.

They report to Commodore Nyota M'membe.

The story arc of the four-issue series dealt with the Rangers uncovering a conspiracy between two corporations and the criminal empire of Lord Rogue on the Freeworld of Amicus, and finding themselves branded criminals by their own organization.
 The whole series actually connects to the recent Loki's Spur saga and DeathHawk together with the greater Ellisverse.
The DeathHawk Saga

Death Hawk is the final piece of this puzzle. Its background can be seen to exist on its own or as part of the Space Ranger cosmos. It was a back up feature.
The background according to wiki: 

The 25th century as presented in Death Hawk and its companion series Star Rangers was a dystopia of solar system-spanning corporations that held the true power behind the centralized government of the Sol 9 Commonwealth. His true name unrevealed, the protagonist was the surviving member of a group of corporate outcasts who called themselves the Death Hawks. When the group was betrayed by one of their own, Death Hawk escaped in his 50-year-old spaceship the Peregrine. With the aid of his bio-engineered sidekick, Cyke, Death Hawk traveled the spaceways eluding arrest warrants and creditors, his eye always out for ways to keep his salvage business going — often when legality was questionable.

Cyke, described as an "intelligent blob of goo" was a telepathic protosymbioteproduced by the Biotek Corporation. Although Death Hawk referred to Cyke as "he", the creature was sexless. However, it possessed the ability to morph into a variety of sizes and shapes. Not only was Cyke extremely intelligent, it was far more knowledgeable than his human partner and wasn't above reminding Death Hawk of the fact.

The story arc "The Soulworm Saga" revolved around the quest for a mythical alien object of immense power.

Other characters included:

• Brigid O'Shaunessy/Vanessa Bouvier, a beautiful con artist who claimed to be an exo-archeologist.
• R'yex, an Arcturan mercenary who first opposed Death Hawk then out of necessity joined forces with him.
• Anton Chane, a director of the mysterious Biotek Corporation, whose agenda has far-reaching implications for the evolution of humanity.
• Takaun, one of the "high daimyos" of the Sol 9 Shogunate, who was just as crafty as Chane and as greedy as R'yex, but in his own way.

The character starred in a namesake, three-issue series series published by Adventure Publications from 1987-1988, created and written by Mark Ellis. He first appeared in a five-page back-up feature in Star Rangers #2-3, by the same writer.
There is a ton of online support for both comic book series and they are going to be avaiable soon as digital download. 

Here are a bunch of links for the comic series that could provide a DM with some very cool inspiration! 

• Deathhawk official site
• Grand Comics Database: Death Hawk
• Comic Creators Index: Mark Ellis
• Jazma Online (April 14, 2007): Mark Ellis interview
• Comicspace.com: MarkAxlerEllis page
• Death Hawk: The Soulworm Saga

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The Ellisverse as OSR Blue Print

 

 The Ellisverse is a perfect blue print for a game like Star Without Number where the game is generic blue print for a space opera. For an X-plorer's game I'd take a stroll over the Exonaught blog for some very cool ideas for incorporating the space frontier into your games. 

 The area of the Spur is a given very vivid treatment and detailed with lots of rpg adventure ideas. 
For a game like Stars Ships and Space Men Second Edition this series offers a perfect portrait for a poorer sector of space. Someplace with low lifes and a lower technology axiom.

 For a game like Mutant Future the number of lowly space westerns that have post apocalyptic planets is pretty damn high. PC's are likely to encounter any number of mutant tribes.

For a game Metamorphosis Alpha the Banshees from the television show make a perfect monster for a group of mid level adventurers. The Spur is a great place to encounter space wrecks from any of the multiplicity of minor interstellar brush fire wars and battles of the past. First edition of the game is great for creating just these kinds of space salvage adventures.
I  don't think that at this late date that I would use the Space Rangers in either incarnation or the Death Hawk comic book. The books are great inspirations for any old school space opera role playing game. The latest incarnation of the Spur is available on Amazon right over HERE.