The Black Campbell

Ever since the trailer for the live-action Space Battleship Yamato hit the interwebs, I’ve been on a Star Blazers/SBY kick.  I finally found a reasonably priced set of the cartoons and movies (in Japanese with bad English dubbing…but worth it) and have been watching the episodes for the last few weeks when i have time.

It’s an interesting setting, and as I’m watching it, I’m beginning to realize how much American sci-fi in the last two decades was influenced by this 1975 anime.  Yamato (or Argo, for the American audiences) would get her ass handed to her every couple of episodes, and would be damaged at the end of a fight.  This sensibility worked it’s way into shows like Babylon 5, Deep Space Nine, and especially Battlestar Galactica, where the CGI-fueled effects could show the vessels taking a pounding, and the damaged models could be saved for use later.  (Enterprise‘s third season took this to a completely new level!)

Hell, the entire premise of the show was cribbed for Crusude, B5’s sequel series.  The similarities — searching for a cure to stop a plague on Earth that would destroy all life mirrors the race to Iscandar to get the “decontaminator” that would reverse the effects of radioactive bombing of the earth.  The American Star Blazers‘ captain was named Gideon; as was the captian of Excalibur.  Both vessels had a super-cannon, built from alien technology, that would kick the crap out of anything up to asteroid size, and both were left to repower for a time after firing it.

Yes, the uniforms are cheesy.  Yes, the idea of a flying battleship build out of the wreckage of Yamato is cheesy…it’s still bloody cool!

So…some suggestions for a Star Blazers setting.  There’s the usual alternate universe idea — you get to play the characters, or analogues, saving the Earth.  You could play after the initial series, where the Earth Defense Force is up and running, on another ship.  Personally, while I like using “canon” when it aids in world-building and establishing background material, I don’t let it constrain the game.

Here’s a setting close to the show premise: It’s 2199 and Earth is reasonably peaceful.  There is a global government with a federal system in which the former countries are states.  (This allows for the national pride of Yamato in the series.)  We’ve settled Mars, maybe a few of the outer planets.  We have a small space fleet primarily for search and rescue, and some defensive capability.

Along come the Gamerasu/Gamilons, looking for habitable real estate as their own world is dying.  Apparently, the pickings are sparse, as they’ve come all the way from the nearby Magellanic Cloud (148,000 light years away.)  They start bombing out world with asteroids — this will destroy habitation, but without radioactive damage to the world; they also carry a pathogen that is changing the Earth’s atmosphere to something more suitable for the Gamilons.

Earth builds a bunch of warships.  Gamilons keep destroying them. We realize the damage to Earth’s ecosphere means we won’t survive.  The Gamilons will, if once the change goes far enough.  The changes will be unstoppable in one year.

We get aid from a mysterious alien leader, Starsha of Iscandar.  She’s got a way to reverse the effects, and plans for how to get there — a new drive system.   To avoid getting a rock dropped on the assembly area, Earth is building a battleship underground — right under the wreck of an old battleship.  To disguise her radar signature, she is build to look similar to the wreck…

Most of the missions would involve troubles with the alien tech we don’t fully understand, avoiding or engaging in battles with the Gamilons, and trying to get to Iscandar and back in time.  i would drop a lot of the bad sci-fi elements of the cartoon (it was 1975, ferchristsake!) but hang onto the elements that made the show good.

What system to use?  There was a board game/wargame in the universe a few years back that looks absolutely atrocious.  I’ve seen suggestions for using Traveler, Star Hero, or Big Eyes, Small Mouth.  The anime style of the latter is appealing, but depending on if you wanted tactical crunch or role-playing as the primary element of play should be the main factor.

For me, Star Blazers was effective more for the realistic characters and their interactions.  The stress of genocide, the youth of the crew, made for heavy angst and interesting strains.  Even friend Shima and Kodai (don’t remember the American character names…one was Wildstar), were competitive and at odds with each other.  (Shades of Galactica…)  I would probably use the Cortex system for the ease of character creation, and for the hazy ship rules allowing for a more free-form combat, but Traveler would be my suggestion for the more tactically oriented guys.

I’m hoping to maybe put together some basic ship concepts in a few days, as well as twist this setting to my own particular brand of sci-fi madness.  We’ll see how it goes…

Caprica is giving us, with it’s first two episodes, some excellent worldbuilding.  And I don’t just mean the excellent CGI of the cityscape — which I love.  In the first two minutes of the first episode (not including the pilot), they established a bunch of background elements that flesh out the world.  Blimps over sports stadiums (and beautiful designs for airships, at that), there’s a hint that cubits have “cents” — I deleted the episode off my DVR, so I didn’t get a chance to catch the word.

Later, we see that group marriage is legal but rare in the colonies (or at least, Caprica.)

UPDATE:  Cubits have “pieces.”

The Smith & Wesson Model 500 is a five-shot, double-action revolver produced using the .500 S&W Magnum cartridge.  It is the most powerful production firearm on the market and has little practical use outside of big game hunting.  The 500 comes with a recoil compensator on all of the variants of the weapon (4″, 8 3/4″, and 10.5″ barrels), and a recoil absorption spring that allows the frame to flex in relation to the grip (made of thick and heavy rubber.

The Model 500 fires a 350 gr bullet at 1975 feet per second for a muzzle energy of around 3,000 ft/lbs.  The muzzle energy is about the same, or slightly higher than a 7.62mm NATO rifle!

PM: +1   S/R: 1/2   AMMO: 5   DC: K   CLOS: 0-10   LONG: 20-40   CON: +1   JAM: 99   DR: -1   COST: $1500+

GM Information:  The .500 is a stout round with incredible recoil.  S/R rises to 1 in the 10.5″ barrel.  The CON jumps to +2 with the 8″, +3 with the 10.5″ barrel.  DR drops to -2 on the 10.5″ barrel.

Q Evaluation:  There is almost no reason for an agent to carry this weapon, unless they are worried about being attack by a water buffalo or a small tank.  The accuracy is solid to 100 yards and farther with a scope; the effective range for big game is about 200 yards. CPT Michael Roberts

(Here’s a little something for the gun bunnies in your game that have to have the biggest, baddest handgun available.)

Because I just watched the Top Gear spot on it, and it is the only Ferrari since the 365GT Daytona to stir my blood — the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.

Introduced in 2005, the Scaglietti is Ferrari’s latest GT offering.  Powered by a 534 horsepower / 434 ft-lbs torque producing 5.7 liter V12 engine, the car is fast and responsive.  It will sprint from 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds, and reach a top speed of190 mph.  The gearbox is in the rear to aid in balancing the car, and is computer controlled — allowing the driver to select automatic or manual (via paddle shifters.)

It is also comfortable, with dual climate control, power adjust headrests, reverse-sensing warning system, automatic headlights, with most of the controls mounted on the steering wheel.  Steering is lighter than on the 575M and the 559, allowing the driver to throw the 4100 pound auto around with ease.

PM:  +2   RED: 2   CRUS: 120   MAX: 199   RNG: 200   FCE: 2   STR: 8   COST: $325,000

GM Information:  The Scaglietti gains another +1PM to pursue/flee maneuvers.

Q Evaluation:  The Scaglietti is an amazing car.  It is quiet, comfortable; a proper Grand Touring car with four proper seats and a decent-sized boot.  It is also blazingly fast, highly maneuverable, and elegant as anything the prancing horse has put out.  007

1971 Dodge Charger

While other muscle cars were being emasculated, the Charger was being equipped with a V8 ranging from the 312ci and 383ci motors up to the 426 Hemi and 440ci.  This is the 426 Hemi version…

PM: +1   RED: 4   CRUS: 70   MAX: 140   RNG: 230   FCE: 3   STR: 9   COST:  up to $100k at auction

GM Information:  The Charger is a beast in a straight line and gains another +1PM in pursue/flee tests.

Q Evaluation:  There is a former American agent in Miami that drives one of these things.  Beautiful car…  007

Third Born

Type:     Heavy Bulk Freighter   Class:    Hercules HB-921/C   Registry:    TR-61330/H

DIMENSIONS:
Length: 672′   Beam: 88′   Draught: 168′   Scale: Spacecraft   Decks: 11  Crew: 50   Cargo/Passengers: 1.17 million tons (cargo) and 200 passengers; could accommodate up to 1000 with minimal cargo (250,000 tns.)

ATTRIBUTES:
Agility: d4   Strength: d8 (d12)   Vitality: d6   Alertness: d4   Intelligence: d4   Willpower: d6

Initiative: 2d4   Life Points: 14 (18)   Speed: 4 (SL/JC)   ARMOR: 0W, 1S

WEAPONS:
6 30mm Point Defense Autocannons (Planetcraft scale/Skirmish Range): d10W

TRAITS:
Mass-Produced: d4, Variable Cargo Size d4

SKILLS:
Athletics d2, Mech Engineering d4, Perception d4, Pilot d6

NOTES:
Third Born is a heavy bulk freighter designed to carry space-travel standardized cargo containers.  Each container is 60’x 15’x15′ with a grand total of 13,500 cu’ of space.  The class is designed to haul up to 87 containers, for a grand total of 1.17 million cubic feet of cargo space.  (With a full load of containers, the ship uses the Attributes in parentheses.)

The maximum payload for planetfall is 12,000 tons – equivalent to 17 pounds/cubic foot.  Ordinarily, this means the vessel can land with a full cargo load, although it is very sluggish and unresponsive.

Slow and not glamourous, Third Born has been a successful smuggling vessel due to her carrying bulk loads of legitimate cargo, with illicit cargo hidden deep inside the containers.  After the Cylon attack, her master, Gus Costas, used the weapons and ammunition he was carrying to arm the vessel against attack.

Class: GAL-365 Mk II     Type: Short Range FTL Shuttle

DIMENSIONS:
Length: 74’11”   Beam: 24’8″   Draught: 21’6″
Scale: Vehicular [Barely]   Crew: 2    Passengers: 24 [100 emergency]
Cargo: 70 tons

ATTRIBUTES:
Agility: d4   Strength: d12   Vitality: d8   Alertness: d8   Intelligence: d8   Willpower: d6

Initiative: d4+d8   Life Points: 20   Armor: 1W, 2S    Speed: 5 [SL/JC]

TRAITS:
Mass-Produced [d2], Short-Range [d4], Workhorse [d4]

SKILLS:
Mechanical Engineering [d4], Perception [d4], Pilot [d4]

ARMAMENT:
None

HISTORY:
The GAL-365 Mk II short-range shuttle is a mainstay of ship-to-shore activity, both in the military and the civilian world.  GAL-365C versions are called MLC [marine Landing Craft] and are modified with stronger deck ribbing to carry up to 70 tons – a main battle tank, or up to 4 landrams, depending on configuration.  They can carry the crews of these Vehicles, or can bee used to do emergency evacuations of up to 100 people.  They are equipped with a short-range FTL system good for two jumps (as opposed to 10 with a raptor.)

The Colonial Marine Corps also uses an uparmored version of the GAL-365, commonly referred to as an MLS (Marine Landing Shuttle.)  An MLS is usually piloted by dedicated CMC pilots, but often pilots are crosstrained for MLS and Raptors.

The MLS Armor rating is 2W, 2S, and they carry 24-100 marines, depending on the drop load.  The lower cargo deck is designed to hold a single main battle tank, or up to 4 landrams, depending on their mass and size.  With a tank, only 24 marines can be carried.  For a quick drop, 100 marines and their gear can be loaded.

Since the Colonies were named after the constellations (or vice-versa, I suppose…), here’s the patron god(dess) of each colony:

Aquaria:  Hera,   Arelon: Athena,    Canceron: Hermes,    Caprica: Hestia, Gemenon: Apollo,    Leonis: Zeus,   Libris: Hephaestus,   Picon: Poseidon, Sagittaron: Artemis,   Scorpia: Ares,   Tauron: Aphrodite,   Virgon: Demeter…

This should aid in lending a bit of character to the Colonies and their people in your game.  It also gives you “holidays” should you need them for a plot.

So my question…who is the patron god of Earth and the 13th Colony.  Could “god” — the angry and jealous god mentioned in the Kobol episodes (well, the cut scenes), be Hades?

…under “Role playing Related.”