Hartford Beta Max Black Book Stars With Number Campaign Notes - The Talon Sector

 

There are times when a ton of thoughts cross this brain of mine & the Cepheus Engine rpg  has been brewing at the back of my brain now for a while. But there another thought going round the back part of my lizard brain. But my thoughts drift towards the Stars Without Number rpg & how much I used to have invested in my Hartford Beta Max Black Book Stars With Number campaign. This campaign ran for many years & chewed up time,player's PCs, lots of creativity & a few broken friendships along the way. Right now the Castles & Crusades Kickstarter is on & its a matter of waiting to be paid to back folks. 
Now tonight  we're faced with a possible Halloween game?! So what is one to do!? Well I busted out my Talon Sector campaign notes. The Talon sector is a very complicated mess of a SWN campaign a part of the Beta Max Black series. So why is the campaign called Beta Max Black?! Because  99.9 percent of the vintage movies, TV shows, and even to a certain extent the science fiction appeared when Beta Max tapes were all of the rage. So what does this have to do with B2 Keep on the Borderlands by Gary Gygax?! Everything actually.. This series began with B1 In Search of the Unknown the plot of which goes something like this; "Many years ago two wealthy adventurers, Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown, built a hidden complex known as the Caverns of Quasqueton. From this base, they conducted their affairs away from the prying eyes of civilization" In this campaign yes its very true that  Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown were adventurers but they were far more then they seemed. They were veteran adventurers in an interstellar war that was kicking up millions of light years  away. 

They created   Quasqueton in order to contain something very sinister & nasty that they had come across in their interstellar travels. If your looking for more really solid B1 resources see here on this blog.  But then 'the Scream' happened & they were presumed dead. But I'm looking into the possibility that they didn't simply vanish into the annals of history. So I've been looking into the possibilities of using Cheating Death 2nd Edition By Omer Golan-Joel.

This little nineteen page pdf isn't simply for the White Star Rpg but other OSR games ie the  Stars Without Number rpg . And I started to really look through my notes into the possibility of using Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown as major NPC's. These two having cheated death for thousands of years through some pretty nefarious means. Here's where I think they've both been doing some very dangerous & possibly nasty stuff. Rogahn the Fearless was said to have many strength enhancing 'magic items'. Maybe those 'magic items' were in fact cybernetic systems or even pre technologies. 

 
What about  Zelligar the Unknown?! We know that his stash of 'magic items' was often taken from other wizards & his books on magic were sought by guild masters of the wizard's guilds. He was rumored to have gotten into many wizard duels over the centuries & won. Did he bind something deadly within  the Caverns of Quasqueton or was there something already there?! 
There are rumors of him coming in contact with the forbidden techologies of the Great Race. 

So for adapting the Talon sector into the present day I'd design the sector itself using   the Cepheus Engine rpg & possibly Stars Without Number for the local Star System. So what's awaken Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown from cyro slumber?! That's where B2 The Keep on the Borderlands module comes into play. Some one or something has kicked up the heels of the mechanisms that are monitoring the locals. And Cult of Chaos has returned to the Caves of Chaos. This means that seat of one of the cult's place of power has returned back to full power. This in turn has summoned an army of humanoids. So in this back water planet military forces are in motion already with these Caves of Chaos house multiple species of vicious humanoids. If the cult was to get off planet the effects on a technologically backwards solor system could be devestating. 

The inspiration for this mix & match comes partially from  Poul Anderson's The High Crusade which was originally serialized in the July–August–September 1960 issues of Astounding. 
"First published in book form in 1960 by Doubleday, it has been published in (at least) June 1964 and September 1968 (by Macfadden Books), 1983, 1991 (by the SFBC and again by Baen Books), 2003, and most recently in 2010."

The PC's in this campaign are sent into this backwater sector to find out if   Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown are still alive & why a signal from  the Caverns of Quasqueton has reached the outer edges of the Talon sector. Why was this signal sent & what is the cause of it? 
Secondary inspirations for this campaign are the '82 film Krull which is the inspiration for the royal family family & the minor houses for the Talon sector. 

A minor detail of the Space Patrol has been assigned to the royal family but they've been in the Talon Sector so long that they've become a part of the local interstellar landscape. 

Already at the fringes of the Talon sector is the machine planet  Za- br7. three a pre Scream cybernetic hot spot run by the A.I. gods. This place is a haven for pirates & cyber criminals going back centuries. The planet is currently ruled by the current Cosair Queen Yrina. Many of the cybernetic organisms, wild robotic life forms, & rogue cyber creatures are descendents from the original Delos colony. The whole cloth material is taken from the Piracy and Privateering From 

Stellagama Publishing supplement. 

 One of the other supplements that's come in quite handy for designing the Za- br7. three has been Augmented Reality, The Holistic City Kit For Cyberpunk Games.This is pretty much been one of my go to cyberpunk city design kits for years. 

This is some of what I've got for the Talon Sector tonight but we'll be exploring more coming up. 

Dungeons & Sheens - A Stars Without Number Revised Campaign Idea Using Dragon Magazine issue #258

"Once the Glaive was a powerful weapon. In the right hands, it can be so again." "Don't worry, I'll come back with it." "If you don't come back with it, Colwyn, you'll not come back at all!" -- Ynyr to Colywn, Krull, Marvel Comic Adaptation



So the year is Nineteen Ninety Nine,  Dragon magazine is a force to be reckoned with, Alternity is the new sci fi game from TSR  & White Wolf rules the wilds of the hobby shop shelves. At the ready on the table from that is Dragon issue #248 with a great cover by Todd Lockwood but its the article by Bruce R.Cordell called Mage vs Machine that has my interest tonight.



The entire campaign is tailor made to be run with Stars Without Number Revised.  Your typical D&D style fantasy world is completely overrun with cybernetic A.I organisms called Sheens. The wizards, and certain magic wielding types adapt to the onslaught & begin to salvage & re purpose some of the Sheens technologies. This is a well thought out campaign setting by Cordell & he's got a plethora of new classes, lots & lots of magic items, robotic occult goodies, & more.
But how would I adapt 'Man vs Machine' for Stars Without Numbers revised? I'd subvert the ideas of the setting completely by going back to the Eighties. Take Stars Without Numbers rules entirely & gut what you need from the setting.

I would go back to the Eighties & take the Dragon magazine article 'Man vs Machine' then dig out my blu ray of the cult classic film Krull from 1983. Set the events depicted in the article as happening in the same timeline as Krull down the line in the future. 

Now we've got every excuse to land a space craft on your fantasy planet tracking the latest wave of 'Sheen' technology & they recruit some local hot shot talent adventurers. The adventurers find out that their a part of a much broader interstellar sector!



The royal line established by   Colwyn &  Princess Lyssa are in grave danger from the Sheen as they have comeback to claim their long forgotten home world. The horrors of  the Beast's kind are the real threat lurking beyond the claim & placid reality of the home world of Krull. Our heroes are recruited into a much more dangerous universe & sector of space then they understand. There are several reasons why this work & work very well: 

1. My friend Michael Tresca did a D2o Krull book that can be down loaded for free & its easily converted over to Stars Without Number. 
2. The sheen have a huge number of variations of troop types these are easily used with SWN's space magic rules. 
3. There were more threats indicated in the cult film of Krull & these can be fleshed out using Stars Without Number. 
4. Many  new players are not even familiar with Krull or its deadliness. 
5. Who knows what ruins & space dungeons might be lurking in the space around Krull. Its the perfect opportunity to create something quite unexpected in orbit! 
6. What happened to the Glaive after the events of the film? Is a new champion of Krull needed?! 
7. Are the descendants of  King Colwyn &  Queen Lyssa in deep trouble from the sheen or something quite worse? 
8. Time to break out the copies of B2 Keep on the Borderlands. This is the perfect opportunity to use an old classic module & give the players an unexpected jolt of D&D action on Krull. 
9. Is Krull the backward that it really appears to be or could there much more that was implied in the script lurking below the surface. 
10. Could the elemental courts of AD&D have designs on Krull & the royal family that not even the PC's can guess? 

Commentary On Dark Albion + Eighties Cult Classic Movie Krull For An Old School Campaign Jump Off Point

Alright fine, I've been challenged tonight to come up with a way of combining three of my favorite things into a viable campaign. So here goes Dark Albion The Rose War & Dark Albion's Cults of Chaos  plus 1983's Krull film combined with Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea equals out to a fully formed interstellar swords & sorcery campaign setting.

At first it doesn't seem as through a cheesy Eighties cult film has anything to do with the historical backdrop of  Dark Albion but as we shall see there's more here then simply nostalgia.  A prophecy regarding "a girl of ancient name that shall become queen", which says "that she shall choose a king, and that together they shall rule their world, and that their son shall rule the galaxy".
Down comes the Black Fortress on to Krull or should I say the world of Albion. The kingdoms have been a mess since the Hundred Years War.  The House of Lancaster (associated with a red rose), and the House of York (whose symbol was a white rose) have gone to war after the coming of the Beast's Black Fortress. Both Prince Colwyn &  Princess Lyssa are but minor players in this grand stage of interstellar battle.

The slayers are the least of the problems as the Frogmen are about to invade Albion & wreck everything. There has been on and off conflict with them but the weakness of the Hundred Years war has left them an opening. Here the Beast is a chaos infested demonic power once disposed member of Albion's royal linage. He's gone out into the stars to create a demonic army & has returned to wreck havoc on the houses of the Lancastrian kings. This is a time of change as the interstellar map is rapidly changing.


The planet of Albion was once the playground of the Elves whose cults have infiltrated every level of society & whose alliance with the Beast has caused great concern among the mystics, rulers, & the inquisition of Albion. There are rumors of Prince Colwyn seeking the Elven infernal device among the wastelands with a rag tag group of mercenaries but this may be House of York propaganda. There is also evidence of the Prince consorting the former head of a shadowy chaos cult known as the "Widow of the Web". These claims have yet to be substantiated but there are dark rumors circling about since the First Battle of St Albans.


Even as the Beast's Black Fortress moves across the face of Albion the houses are at each other's throats. There are rumors that  Henry VI's queen, Margaret of Anjou is stirring the pot & bringing events to a boil behind the scenes with her spies and net work of Frog cults. She is a dark and sinister power behind the throne & PC's must be vary careful to avoid her at all costs.



Other rumors & innuendo put forth in certain circles are that the Elves are using the civil war to make a grab for power from the humans, the old god's worship has returned to certain Albion control areas. These claims can't be substantiated because the empire's resources  have  been stretched to the breaking point. A fact well known by the forces of Chaos and their cults. The war's future is uncertain, the interstellar picture in the Albion system is very dangerous, & the events between  The House of Lancaster &  The House of York 

have erupted into full blown civil war. The presence of the Beast only complicates these events all of the more.


So how does this sort of a campaign work? Well this campaign set up still follows the real world history of the War of the Roses of Dark Albion but we add in the material from Dark Albion's Cults of Chaos for good measure & then use Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea for a rules set to add in that dynamic sword and sorcery adventure elements as needed. Because there's the odd science fictional bit in AS&SH this should make the transference of old school and retroclone elements a snap. This campaign plays out as one part Game of Thrones, two part Frank Herbert's Dune, mixed with elements of Krull all set into a blender on the high setting. This is a campaign setting where the PC's have the chance to carve themselves out a domain of their own amidst the chaos of the civil war itself.
I've only barely scratched the surface of this campaign but things could have a much darker turn if events follow  history of the War of the Roses


This is a campaign with the potential for years of adventure where the forces of the Beast & its cults of chaos have been on Albion for years sewing the seeds of death & destruction only waiting to cause havoc on all levels of society.


Note that this is not an attempt to violate the copyright nor trade mark of the film Krull nor Dark Albion or Cults of Chaos or Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperboorea. Neither of these OSR games is responsible for any of the content of this blog. This is merely the product of a deranged Krull fan's mind. All other ideas are copyrighted to Dark Corner productions.