Retooling - "Thunder Rift" (1992) by Colin McComb for Basic Dungeons & Dragons For Astonishing Swordmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg

" Thunder Rift was created as a standalone campaign that could be slotted into any fantasy world. But the intention of the designer, Colin McComb, was always that it was part of Mystara, somewhere in the mountains bordering Karameikos (source). This beginners' campaign was then designed to lead players to the more complex world of Mystara, and the adventure Escape from Thunder Rift provided this link explicitly."



What if  "Thunder Rift" (1992) by Colin McComb came out for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. Before you tar & feather me because the third edition AS&SH Kickstarter is coming out today. Hear me out, the Thunder Rift setting has several things going for it. This book is a mini setting for the game & it packs a lot into its thirty two pages.You've got self-contained little setting in a valley about thirty miles long. All of the familiar Basic Dungeons & Dragons monsters are in here including a dragon, elves, dwarves, goblins, & lots of human settlements. This is thr e perfect isolated setting to transport PC's from your traditional Dungeons & Dragons world into Hyperborea. The set up is simple  & easy in its exacution. There is & has been a two way portal from Mystara into the Thunder Rift setting. Beyond this is Hyperborea. 

Everything from the lost & the damned from Mystara winds up across the dimensional & planar threshold. And no one is the wiser until the evidence begins to mount. There's several reasons for using Thunder Rift & it breaks down as follows: 

• history - You've got a ton of background on the world setting of Thunder Rift.
•  population - All of the towns & villages are broken down by population, location, etc.

encounter charts-The encounter charts are all here for the dungeon master  to pull from. 

So this makes it the perfect product to show case what a lower tier setting can do for a 1st through 4th level set of adventurers. The Thunder Rift area is perfect as a bread basket for Hyperborea due to the volcanoic activity of that fuels & surrounds it.  The D&D Cycolpaedia Screen which includes Escape from Thunder Rift,this adventure links up the Thunder Rift area to Mystara. But Thunder Rift can easily be dropped into any campaign setting with a bit of work. 

Because Thunder Rift was a return to the Medieval lands.style of D&D settings & adventures. The whole cloth of the region is perfect for starting adventurers of Hyperborea who want a bit of that peusdo European vibe but mixed with the Sword & Sorcery asthetic of AS&SH. Personally I'd set the isolated location of Thunder Rift right near the heart of Hyperborea. This allows the DM to bring home some of the familiar D&D elements while being able to isolate it from from the goings on of AS&SH's Sword & Sorcery bigger adventures. Because Thunder Rift is perfect for 1st & 2nd level adventurers then the PC's can easily be moved on to other AS&SH adventures such as 'Rats In The Walls & Other Perils'. 

With a bit of work Thunder Rift could actually be one of the most influencial & dangerous places on Hyperborea. And we'll explore why coming up! 

The New England Bouys & The Xarban Gateway - The Corman Incident - Session One Report

 

The Xarban Gateway 
Artwork by Andrea Bonazzi used without permission.


There's been a ton of things afoot in the New England Boi's Hostile rpg sessions over the last two weeks. The PC's managed to pass through an ancient alien gateway into the Xarba sector! And they found themselves half way across the galaxy! And at an old mining  & genetic engineering research station pre Shattering. The Boi's also found an old marine transport vessel the U.S.S. Corman floating in low orbit. 

The Boi's found an anbandoned  genetic research station located on the remote desert planet of Xarbia. In low orbit was a marine troop transport ship also with no one on board. The space craft was a tomb but a very lurcritive tomb. Near the mining outpost was a very nice little flying saucer manufactored by the Nestor alien collective. Again worth a bit of a packet unto itself. 

But somehow I get the feeling that the players aren't trusting me at all as a DM. So they send down a prodroid  to take a look planetside. Remember this is a Cepheus/Hostile hybrid campaign using the events of 'These Stars Are Ours' as a part of the background. They found an alien pyramid on the nightside of  planet of Xarbia, The players were not happy with the appearance of this alien pyramid at all. They sent in another probe robot to the pyramid & their preceeding with caution. The party has detected the presence of some human DNA around the station. But certain section of the station had been exposed to the desert elements of the  planet of Xarbia. 

A third probe robot was sent into marine transport the USS Corman. The probe was 'assaulted' by spinning lights that whisked around the pro robot. But sensor readings were inconclusive. The lights disappeared but they did detect A.I. robotic activity coming from within the Corman. 

Treat the Nestor saucer as if it was a Civilian Saucer & use the stats from Stellagamma Publishing's U.F.O.  supplement.  We've upgraded the Boi's suits from Zozer Games Hostile's Explorers as per our last game's corporate restock & reward for finding the gateway. 

All We See Is An OSR Dream Within A Dream - Laurence & Heard - Ben Laurnence's Through Ultan's Door & Bruce Heard's Calidar Campaign Setting

 There's been some weird Summer storms tonight. We've been talking Godbound/ BECMI Dungeons & Dragons rpg tonight. Specifically the impact that Ben Laurnence's Through Ultan's Door dreamlands has been having on the ongoing campaigns.

 DM/player Iris brought up the fact that we haven't been ulitzing Bruce Heard's Calidar campaign setting. There's an on going kickstarter for Calidar "Alfdaín Ascendant" right now & Calidar being closely tied as a fantasy Renissence setting could potentially crossover into our current  dreamland campaign. This is going to mean that as players & DM's there's going to be a lot of catching up to do. 

There's gonna be a ton of backgroud material & speed reading to do if I'm going to play catch up to Iris's lofty ideas. The idea here is that the mystic ships of Calidar have been sailing between planes for eons. The realm of dreams is only one of these planes. Her suggestion was to look deep into H.P.Lovecraft's The Dream Quest of Kadath & Bruce Heard's Wings of Darkness.

For Ben Laurnence's Through Ultan's Door  Calidar might actually offer my player's PC's an actual high fantasy world from which to adventure in the exotic dreamworlds. The Godbound are not going to be actually all that powerful within the world of dreams per say. And is there a chance that they may actually become trapped within disintgrating dreamworld?! There's all kinds of implications here perhaps my own take on Calidar as a setting mixed with the psuedo Renaissance seen through the Godbound lens?! 

Calidar itself has more then a few  incredible adventuring opportunities but throw the dreamlands in & the skys really are the limits. DM Iris has her work cut out for her from here on out.But its gonna be on my own & DM Steve to sort out some of the wrinkles within this campaign idea. We're shooting for the Fall or possbly sooner depending how much things get back to normal & how quickly. 

OSR Commentary - On Divinity & The Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon Season Three episode 'The Time Lost'

 
Today's blog post picks straight up from yesterday's & dive deeper into the mystery of the Realms. 

The other day we were on a sewing machine repair call driving over a hundred miles round trip. The winding road does strange things to one & the thoughts soon turned back on themselves to the season three episode of the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon. We got back & I started thumbing through my campaign notes for Godbound. Wait what?! Gobound but what does that have anything to do with things. Let's get back into "The Time Lost" Sept 21, 1985 in which 'Venger plans to use a time portal to have Germany win World War II-and prevent the kids from ever being born! Will he succeeded?'



Venger doesn't succeed of course but he's had a time portal all of this time?! Yes he has but he's loath to use it & its this time portal that explains the 'true nature' of the Realm. Why after all of this time haven't the kids ever destroyed Venger but merely defeated him?!



 Because that's Venger's job folks. Let's look very quickly at his description from the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon wiki; "The main force of Evil and the estranged son of Dungeon Master; there was good in him once however he has become a force for evil. He has been an evil wizard for at least 1,000 years {"The Night of no tomorrow"; "The Treasure of Tardos"; "The Girl who dreamed tomorrow"}. To conquer the Realm he must 1} destroy Dungeon Master and the kids; 2} acquire the kids totems 3} Use the kids weapons to conquer Tiamat and the Realm . Venger hates the kids especially -not just because they posses the totems he needs to conquer Tiamat and the Realm but also because they are "Pure of Heart". {"The dragons graveyard"}. Venger's master whom even he fears is only referred as "He whose Name cannot be spoken" {"Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn"}. The Only organic substance that Venger fears are red heartstones {"The Traitor"}. Venger has lost magical duels to Tiamat {"Hall of Bones"}; Dungeon Master {"Eye of the Beholder"; "In search of the Dungeon Master"}; Eric {"Day of the Dungeon Master"}; Presto {"The Dragons Graveyard"}; Korlock {"Odyssey of the Twelfth Talisman"}; Karena & Shelia{"Citadel of Shadow"}." 

Basically look past the whole cloth of the Realms & let's look at what Venger does. Time in & time out Venger is constantly harassing, pestering, & harrying the kids just as he done countless times to Dungeon Master's other pupils. Basically Venger is playing the Hebrew Bible's Satan role; "The original Hebrew term śāṭān (Hebrew: שָּׂטָן‎) is a generic noun meaning "accuser" or "adversary",^[7][8] which is used throughout the Hebrew Bible to refer to ordinary human adversaries,^[9][8] as well as a specific supernatural entity.^[9][8] The word is derived from a verb meaning primarily "to obstruct, oppose".^[10] When it is used without the definite article (simply satan), the word can refer to any accuser,^[9] but when it is used with the definite article (ha-satan), it usually refers specifically to the heavenly accuser: the satan" And this is exactly the role he plays because he really will kill the kids if he get's the chance. 

Venger by ryanbnjmn.deviantart.com on @DeviantArt ..
Artwork used without permission. 

The Chronos Crystal from  'The Time Lost'  reveals exactly what the Realm is. The Realm isn't Greyhawk nor the Forgotten Realms nor any other campaign world. Why?! Because 'The Realm' is stitched together from a wide variety of time periods, dimensions, & places. All of this is stitched on to a generic D&D fantasy world. But monsters, creatures, etc. are deadly serious here. 

In Godbound terms 'The Realm' is a former Paradise that has been cut off from the rest of reality. But why train & keep training adventurers through a 'grinding gear' of the engine of the Realm & it's adventuring environs?! Because the Dungeon Master is fulfilling his true purpose with the addition of his son taking on the family business from other end of things.  "He whose Name cannot be spoken" is one of the nameless Outer Gods or reality shattering god things trapped 'beyond the threshold of reality'. Venger receives his power from 'He Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken' who may be the nameless Abyssial  king  of  the Nabassu. Remember when I said that Venger is loath to use the Chronos crystal?! That attracts the attention of the god things. Because the crystal is calling on their time space continuum wrecking occult powers. 

Venger isn't simply a demon lord or wizard. He was at one time. But Venger is actually an immortal ala Mystara or BCEMI D&D rules. 'He Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken' is the entity that sponsored him for immortality. But these things can't abide even a bit of order so it had to be locked away. 'He Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken' is one of the saner of his Lovecraftian ilk. 
But its actually Eric the clavier whose life is on line. Eric is the most powerful of the party of the D&D cartoon kids. He's being groomed to take the Dungeon Master's place in the Realm. Eric is being groomed to go up to immortal level & take over as the new Dungeon Master. Why?! Because the threat of the 'Realms' isn't over. Its only beginning. 

Eric, the Cavalier by RoBs0n on DeviantArt artwork used without permission.

OSR Commentary On 'The Dungeons & Dragons' Cartoon 2nd Season Episode 'The Girl Who Dreamed Tomorrows'

 

Tonight three of my players had to bail on our game because of work related issues. And that's fine because work always has to come first. So several of us ended up talking about 2nd season of the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon. The episode that came up was the '84 season opener 'The Girl Who Dreamed Tomorrow'. More specifically the final act's adventure location 'The Maze of Darkness'. The 'Maze of Darkness' is a giant trap filled maze with dead falls, pit traps, & other weird mazelike dungeon traps. At the final location is huge planar gate surrounded by otherworldly light. The whole affair is surrounded by a desert filled with obsidan glass rocks. The portal will beckon to anyone who sees it with a feeling of home. 

'The Maze of Darkness' has some very nasty & dangerous spell like effects for those who venture into its maze like confines. Adventurers who enter into itse maze works after 1d4 days must make a save vs wands or become very nasty towards their own party members. After five turns or so they must make a Wisdom roll or begin to start having murderous thoughts against them. After 1d4 hours this will turn into a pychotic rage & then roll for initiative against your own team mates. All through out thie 'Girl Who Dreamed  Tomorrow' we get little hints about the inhuman Chess game that Venger is playing both with & against the Dungeon Master. The Dungeon master remarks that some of  warrior's ancient armor & remains  who became victims of the 'Maze of Darkness' t were former pupils of his hundreds of years ago?! 

How long has Dungeon Master been trapping adventurers, the lost, etc. within the Realms in the hopes of stopping Venger?! And yes we get the lowdown on this with the Dungeons & Dragon's cartoon's final episode 'Requim'. The Maze of Darkness' itself is unpleasant enough to almost be a minor level side level of the Abyss. Were these former pupil's souls devoured by Venger?! 
And then there's the matter of Venger himself turning into a Nabassu like demonic creature with tenticles. And I personally think that this the form of the demon lord that possessed Venger all of those ages ago. 

The Nabassu are also known as death stealers & basically Venger was posssed by a Nabassu demon lord a pupil to that Nameless Evil. Dungeon Master has been playing 'cat & mouse' with it ever since while Venger himself being originally Lawful Good tries to keep it in check as much as he can. 

There's a few things that support the Nabassu Lord Venger fan theory including the Forgotten Realms Wiki entry on these demonic fiends; "Once nabassus had matured, they normally moved into an Abyssal fortress on the 1st layer of the Abyss, where they were expected to live out the rest of their existence.^[3] From there, they could prey on hapless planar travelers who either intentionally or accidentally ventured into the Abyss.^[2]

Despite being unnerving to most other demons, the seclusion many nasbassus took part in often involved other demonic minions.^[3] Although they would devour any creature's soul, they might also work with those that promised not to interrupt their plans. They ruled the nearby territory as debased lords, letting their minions take care of any outside problems.^[3] Although this was normally the end of their advancement, some nabassus abandoned this role on the Abyss's fringes and pursued a higher demonic form, making them more hated than even the rutterkin. Unlike most demons, they did not have to serve in the Blood War." 
The Nabassu first appeared in the Monster Manual II & their inclusion as a part of Venger's backstory certain fits some of the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon backstory. 

Was 'The Maze of Darkness' destroyed at the end of the 'Girl Who Dreamed Tomorrow' episode?! The cartoon episode implies yes but I think no. I belive that the planar portal was closed & so 'The Maze of Darkness' disappeared. But if 'The Maze of Darkness' was a minor realm of the Abyss? I think its unlikely. More likely 'The Maze of Darkness' is still out there in the planes perhaps partially in the Realms & The Abyss luring adventurers to their demise even now. Why?! Because  'The Maze of Darkness' almost seemed alive within its malevolence. 

Edgar Rice Burrough's 'Horib' From The Interior world of Pellucidar Adapted For Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg

 Horibs are a 'cold blooded' racial blend of serpent men & lizardmen that always found riding their Gorobor (the Pellucidar name for Cotylosaurus). Horibs are found in a number of 'lost world' settings across & as a part of the inner Earth. One of the characteristics that distinguishes them from their ancient Serpent Men ancestors is their crest horns. They are a fierce & savage race of hybrid serpent & lizard men created by unknown artificial arcane science lost to history. 

The Horibs - Pellucidar (Frank Frazetta's Illustration)

Horib shaman's continue to breech the planar barriers & these monsterous reptilian warriors have made their way to the shores of Hyperborea near the Lizard Men Swamps. They have been in a protracted war with the local Hyperborean lizardmen & even the Serpent Men near their jungle temples. Horibs are vicious & are known to kidnap human populations to feed to their hatchlings. Horib warriors us a combination of calvary spear tipped with a sleep poison laden  obsidan head. They also use a modified obsidan shod wooden saber capable of taking a stout warrior's head clean off. The kings of the Horibs are expanding the borders of their empire even now! 
Horibs are cold, logical, & highly intelligent capable of taking on dangerous problems such as humanity. They have existed for thousands of years as a thriving society as part of the inner Earth, & in the hidden regions of Africa. But their empire is on the move! On the shores of Hyperborea they are always found near jungle laden areas near volcanic activity. 


Tarzan issue #20 Marvel Comics 1977 used for reference 


No. Encountered: 1 (2d6)
Alignment: Lawfull  Evil
Size: L
Movement: 20 (swim 30)
Dexterity: 15
Armour Class: 8
Hit Dice: 2
Attack Rate: 1/1(spear), 1/1 (sword +1) 
Damage: 1d6 (1d8), By Weapon
Saving Throw: 15
Morale: 9
Experience Points: 40
Treasure Class: P

Horibs were created by Edgar Rice Burroughs for his  interior world of Pellucidar. And are adapted for AS&SH for DM Steve's personal campaign. This post is for educational & entertainment not as a copyright & trademark violation. The creators of AS&SH rpg in no way are responsible for the content of this blog. The artwork is used without permission & belongs to the copyright & trademark holders. 

Retooling L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka (Author) For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 
"Danger lurks in the Lendore Isles. Bands of evil creatures prowl the hills overlooking the town of Restenford, seeking unwary victims. Now you have come to this sleepy little village looking for adventure and excitement. You seek to fathom the unexplored reaches of Bone Hill and unlock the mysteries of Restenford."



Dreams are funny things & last night there was this dream about L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka. Personally about 90% of the time Len doesn't get half of the credit he deserves in old school gaming. Let's get the history of L1 out of the way here;" L1: "The Secret of Bone Hill" (1981) is the first adventure in Lenard Lakofka's "Lendore Isle" trilogy. It was published in 1981" Fantastic but how does any of this relate to the Downs from our previous blog entry on  N3 'Destiny of Kings' By Stephen Bourne?! Well its got everything to do with it! The Downs might be Sword & Sorcery Arthurian England with splash of H.P. Lovecraft & Clark Ashton Smith. Then 'L1 The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka is the mythic Icelandic & pirate venture throw in together. The town of Restenford with a bit of redressing could easily become the perfect pirate venture location for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. If we're talking about Icelandic fishing villages here why are you showing a Neolithic Italian village below?! The reasons are two fold, one is the melting pot of cultures that is this country. Remember Hyperborea is a place of the 'lost' as well refugee  settlers from 'Old Earth'. 

The photo is by Giuale - Own work of the  Reconstruction of the Neolithic village of Travo

This is a photo of a monument which is part of cultural heritage of Italy. This monument participates in the contest Wiki Loves Monuments Italia 2016. 

The second reason is the fact that the town of Restenford is inherited by the settlers of the town. They literally moved in after the 'Green Death' plague took out the Hyperboreans. The town of Restenford is also a great town for making Saltmarsh the unsavory sub village where all of the sea scum hang out. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull is the perfect add on for  L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka.

The royal linage of the kingdoms of Dunador control rich volcanic fields of ' The Downs' and the rich fishing grounds of the town of Restenford. But there's a bit of a secret to these kingdoms. Ship building, raiding, and much more but its the merchant trading that the town of Restenford's coffers full. The royal linage of the kingdoms of Dunador look the other way on a bit of privateering. But its the literal hundreds of trade ships that get get sent out & come into the port that keeps the coffers of the kingdom full. Sure you've got to have Sword & Sorcery action in Hyperborea. But there has to be places of stability amid the Lovecraftian chaos. 

Now last time we talked about the Hyperborean vaults below 'The Downs' & some of their impact on the kingdom's future fortunes. But let's kick it up a notch for a moment if these first or even fourth level PC's are assigned to a trading vessel & go out into the world then the events around the 'U series' of modules can unfold right when they get back! The Alchemist is actually a lich that's been operating for years in the town of Restenford & he's been stoking the fires between the Deep Ones & the tribes of Lizardmen. 

Why?! Because of AS&SH's planar connections with Greyhawk of course! Greyhawk plays a key part in this whole affair. Half of my campaign version of Hyperborea's population came from Greyhawk from one of the many horrid disasters of that plagued that campaign setting. 

And yes there's a ton of Len's world on Dragon's foot for free. Sometimes a DM doesn't want to overwhelm his players with all of that yet. We'll get those next week. 

Cylon Raider Mark I Adapted From Battlestar Galatica 1979 For The Stars Without Numbers rpg

 Starting in 1941 on Caprica the Cylon A.I.'s emerged as the result of the human population uncovering the remains of the original reptilian Cylon serpent men's computer systems. Humanity leap frogged ahead during this time period after the Thirteen Colonies adapted  the technologies of the Cylon empire. This included some of the left over relic Cylon warriors. Things quickly turned sour during the Sixties during the first Cylon wars when the relic Cylons, the newly manufactured Cylon A.I.'s hooked up with the still thriving Cylon Empire during the early Sixties. The resulting turmoil resulted in the infamous Late Cylon Wars. This war nearly broke the back of the thirteen colonies. 

The resulting Cylon war lasted well into the late Eighties when the Shattering fractured the Cylon Empire. Local Cylon forces continued to advance the Cylon A.I. systems along the original serpent men machine languages. This allowed the Cylons to produce millions of classic Cylon raiders with slaved three brain neural connection.
 

Cylon Raiders Mark I's are still a common sight along the edges of the galaxy where their Cylon bases are still an issue.  The Cylon A.I.'s dreams of empire continue to this day with the Cylon bases emerging from hyperspace around colony worlds from time to time. 

Cylon Raider Mark I

HP: 10 Power: 5/1 free AC: 16 Mass: 2/0 free Armor: 6 Crew: 1/3 Speed: 6 Hull Class: Fighter Crew Skill: +2 NPC CP: 4 Weapons: Laser Battery (+4/3d4, Clumsy),Cylon Plasma  Torpedo (+1 3d4 ) Defenses: None Fittings: Spike Drive-3 Atmospheric Configuration Cost: 305K base price, 15,250 maintenance, 43,800 yearly crew cost for 3 pilot

The Alien Beast From 'Cabin In The Woods' Film Adapted For Cepheus Engine, Cepheus Atom, & Hostile Rpg Setting

 


Artwork & picture from the personal archives of Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. by Andrea Bonazzi
Used without Permission 

Found by the Nazi  Antarctic  expedition of Nineteen Forty One to the Mountains of Madness. The Alien Beast or Außerirdische Bestie attacked & implanted three German soldiers. Projektabschnitt vierundfünfzig took over the handling of the beast. And  quickly disposed of the entire half of the expedition that may have been exposed to the creature. Runouts of the use  of flame throwers persists to this day. The 'Alien Beast' attacks as a traditional 'face hugger' but the dragons created from the implantation of the creature's embryo's warriors are far more insect like & savage. 



The official consensus among officers of the Projektabschnitt vierundfünfzig was that the Außerirdische Bestie had been genetically modified by the Elder Things for unknown purposes. The Außerirdische Bestie is a savage & violent creature capable of holding multiple alien embryos up to six of the abominations. These monsters have also been found within Elder Thing ruins on Bernard's star & even within the other dimensional 'Near By'. The creature has been nicked named Hans Ruedi in honor of the drafted Swiss Nazi officier who was the monster's first victim. 

 

Explorers or adventurers who come too close to areas of Elder Thing influence should use extreme caution near their ruins. We are still trying to determine what these abomination's true purpose was. The monster & its eggs have also been found in strange silo like pyramids within the Inner Earth. The true reach of the Elder Thing's influence upon these abominations is unknown at this time. 



Alien Beast  Impregnator 2 Kg Str 4 (-1) Dex 7 (0) End 4 (-1) Int 0 (-2) Inst 8 (0) No. Appearing: 1 Speed: x1 (6m/rd) Armor: 4 Weapons: claw+2 (special: successful attack indicates the creature has fastened onto host’s face and the host is knocked unconscious) Attack: Automatic Flee: 4-

Gun Star One From The Last Star Fighter Film 1984 For The Stars Without Numbers rpg

 
Christopher Shy's incredible Last Starfighter artwork used without permission & from here.  Visit the man's artstation site  for some fantastic artwork.


The Gunstar series of fighters were developed by the Star League going back several centuries. The Star League itself has endured for more then a thousand years with all of the local intergalactic alien races formalizing into a democratic union ages ago.


 The star league was led by Ambassador Enduran, whose son Xur became central to Xur incident. The Star League was born shortly after the formation of the Great Barrier, a field of energy that surrounds many star systems. For many hundreds of years, the Starfighters defended the Star League against outside threats. Then the cults of Xur grew especiially during the Shattering. Earth was not formally in the Star League until Earth's champion Alex Rogan (see file on Rogan, Alex) was  victorious over Xur & the Kudan Armada . The Star League consists of hundreds of systems and planets across several hundred light years, species homeworlds and colonies. It's capital is Rylos, while Earth is now formal member.

The Gunstar series of star fighters were put into operation after Gunstar one was used as a successful protoype during the Xurian war with the Kudan empire. The gunstar has seen action in almost every major conflict within the Terran & Star League's sphere of influence. The following star fighter is based on gunstar one the historic star fighter serving as the basis for all further gunstar star fighters going forward. Gunstar One has greater range, more power, slight weapons modification, deflective plating, and is equipped with the experimental Death Blossom weapon.

Ship Data	Gunstar
Race	Rylans
Type	Military
Crew	2 (one Navigator, one Gunner)
Role	Space Fighter
Weapons	three forward-firing laser-guns (two fuselage-mounted turrets, one ventral turret), two aft rearward-firing laser-gun turrets, Photon Bolts, Particle Beams, Death Blossom

Gunstar One Series Star Fighter 



HP: 10 Power: 5/1 free AC: 17 Mass: 2/0 free Armor: 5 Crew: 1/2 Speed: 4 Hull Class: Fighter Crew Skill: +2 NPC CP: 4 Weapons: Multi focal laser  three forward-firing laser-guns (two fuselage-mounted turrets, one ventral turret) 1d4, two aft rearward-firing laser-gun turrets 1d4, Photon Bolts 2d4, Particle Beams 3d6, Death Blossom 3d10 Usable Once per mission,  Defenses: None Fittings: Spike Drive-4  Atmospheric Configuration Cost: 405K base price, 25,250 maintenance, 63,800 yearly crew cost for 1 pilot & navigator 

Other Interested Parties & Robert E. Howard - Cepheus Engine rpg & The Gerry Anderson Factor Continues

 "There came to me a Man one summer night,

When all the world lay silent in the stars,
And moonlight crossed my room with ghostly bars.
He whispered hints of weird, unhallowed sight;
I followed – then in waves of spectral light
Mounted the shimmery ladders of my soul
Where moon-pale spiders, huge as dragons, stole –
Great forms like moths, with wings of wispy white.

Around the world the sighing of the loon
Shook misty lakes beneath the false-dawn’s gleams;
Rose tinted shone the sky-line’s minaret;
I rose in fear, and then with blood and sweat
Beat out the iron fabrics of my dreams,
And shaped of them a web to snare the moon."
Forbidden Magic  (1929) 
by Robert Ervin Howard

This blog post is going to pick right back up from where we left off here. The moon of   Michael Brown's Omega 99 campaign setting isn't quite the Space 1999 first season as we know it. Instead it has its own alien races whom are within their own sphere of alien  influence. And its this sphere that pull from the intergalactic circumstances. We think we know what the alien  agenda is in the Gerry Anderson U.F.O. television show or Space 1999's first season?! Do we really though?! Think about it for a moment. 

Artwork by Andrea Bonazzi used without permission.

The aliens of U.F.O.  have been abducting humans for centuries & the characters think they may have a handle on the situation. But if this alternative 1980 follows the Lovecraftian conventions?! Then we & the inhabitants have no real idea of what's going on. Once the monolith on the moon is found ala 2001 a Space Odyssey all bets are off. Humanity is a commodity & its got an expiration date on the package. 
The alien forces that are behind the monolith on the moon are far more concerned about man's evolution then the Greys are. Even so mankind seems to be a mere commodity. In the spirit of Robert E. Howard's fiction we keep fighting the alien influence even as it devours its occupants. This is so evident in the Marvel Jack King of Comics Kirby's oversized American comic book adaptation of the 1968 film adaptation of 2001 A Space Odyssey. 

Jack Kirby artwork from 2001 A Space Odyssey Marvel Adaptation artwork used without permission. 

Unofficially within my own head canon these alien forces are the same ones that wretch the moon from its orbit in Space 1999. They are higher dimensional beings that use alien objects to interact with our plane of existence. Why are they testing & modifying humanity?!? We have no idea but the moon plays a central part within their campaign of interstellar evolution. These aliens see the Reticulan empire of 'These Stars Are Ours' rpg setting  as rivals & competition. The alien races & gods of H.P. Lovecraft are other alien client races to the so called Outer Gods. But why is the moon always so key to these interactions?! 




The answer may be the fact that there's a nasty secret right under humanity's nose on the moon. According to Mysterious Universe's article 'The Apollo Moon Missions: Aliens, UFOs, Anomalous Photos, and Cover-ups'. There's far more going on the moon then simply the monolith. Let's take it one step further for our campaign & say that there's a Lovecraftan gateway on the moon to one of the higher dimensional realms! 



Why because its easier to transport a commodity like humanity if the delivery service is up & running quickly & efficiently. Robert E. Howard was very skeptical about  alien powers to say the least. And this skeptism runs deep in his Sword & Sorcery literature. An since Sword & Sorcery is the red headed step child of Science Fiction it seems appropriate to include him in our Appendix 'S' for this campaign. Again we see this type of agenda within  & others are indictive of the type of affair that we see in Orbital 2100 from Zozer Games.