Sunday, August 1, 2021

Planetary Exploration & Dangerous Planets - Science Fantasy The OSR Way Using The OSR Game Hulks & Horrors rpg

 


























Sunday morning coffee after church today with my fellow DM's consisted of surgically taking apart one of this blog's recent posts about using Hulks & Horrors rpg as campaign setting fodder. And how  the game's background lends itself to a Stars Without Number rpg & Cepheus Engine rpg hybrid campaign setting. DM Steve too me to task over coffee & tea after mass, 'Eric you'd be an excellent DM if you could get out of your own way'. 'You need to trim down what supplements your using & take it from the adventure side out', the voice was steady & without any hint of mockery. Hmmm there might be a point here to consider.



Since I've been playing in DM Steve's hybrid game his advise cuts to the quick. Perhaps he's right! Joseph Mohr does some excellent Cepheus Engine rpg adventures & I've been eying two of his recent adventures in particular for this style of campaign. One was 'the pay what you want'  adventure 'The Sleeper Awakens' which has as its background an easily adaptable plot with its own planetary complications; "
Freedom fighters from the world of Lage approach the travelers in order to hire them for an important mission. An imminent invasion from forces of the Jorum Family threatens their world. In order to fend off this invasion they need someone to retrieve, and repair, a massive robot warrior partially buried on a nearby desert world. They need to robot brought to Lage in time to help defend the planet. Of course....this desert planet nearby has dangers of it's own...." 



The writing is nice & tight so its easily adaptable to your own campaign. But what makes  'The Sleeper Awakens'  with the Hulks & Horrors rpg background is the extended adventure & planetary circumstances. Everything here fits together nicely.. And what's more if the DM uses this adventure  material as part of its campaign background then it dovetails nicely into Zozer Games Material. This is especially true with it diving  into Hostile's background specifically from that rpg line's supplement  Explorers by Paul Elliot. Both Michael Brown's Cepheus Engine rpg  adventures & Joseph Mohr's focus on planetary exploration themes. This makes excellent use of the Explorer's planetary exploration & exploitation  rpg motif. With Earth cut off in H&H, hyperspace is only now opening back up! 


































This is also something we find further in Joseph Mohr's Furnace adventure with the added benefit of a war mission & up twist in the mix. The adventure is well done with a Hellish planetary background & complications added in. Furnace is tightly paced, excellently done, and very well done  with a great adventure storyline thrown in! 


All in all this is simply the beginning but picking up from the adventure module  into the campaign works well as the jump point into a full blown interstellar campaign. 

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