Forsaken Space

Up a day later than planned, Man Flu will kinda do that to a guy's schedule.

Recently found myself thinking about a setting idea I posted about early last year, basically fleshing it out a bit more. The core idea remains unchanged, just thought of a few addition to better round out the idea and make it more interesting. Also settled upon the name of 'Fosaken Space' for the setting.

Frozen Skies Kickstarter next Monday (2nd October), 5pm Brit time (12 noon US East Coast).

Space Wreck - EVE Online

Forsaken Space

Interstellar Travel - Probably one of the defining features of the setting, especially I I end up expanding it, is having interstellar travel be done via naturally occurring wormholes. Though these wormholes are only open for varying periods of time, bit like Space: Above And Beyond. It does mean that space travel isn't a simple case of travelling from A to B, you may end up going through multiple different systems before you reach your intended destination. Timing would also be a factor, so you may have to hang around sometimes for the best route to open up.

It can also mean that the system, which is the main setting for Forsaken Space, is frequently cut off by a wormhole that is only open for a short period every 2-3 months.

The Corporation - Though I still have to think of a proper name for it, I picture a large corporation having exclusive rights to the system. With only one, known, wormhole its not hard for the corporation to have complete control. Though the corporation will hire freelancers, officially called 'Prospectors', to do all the salvaging work on the various wrecks. These Prospectors are normally hired on six month long contracts, something that doesn't coincide with the wormhole being open and is deliberate as the Prospectors will have to either spend their creds whilst they wait or sign on for another tour.

Gateway Station - The main base of operations in the system and is located close to the wormhole. All cargo and personnel pass through this station that also serves as the corporation's local HQ.

Gaunts - Once the Human crews of some of the wrecks, these creatures are now a dangerous hazard to Prospectors working the hulks in the cold hard vacuum of space. For this reason Prospector crews are authorised to carry weapons for defence.

Hazards & Situational Rules - Forsaken Space is going to make use of rules for radiation and varying degrees of gravity due to the condition of the various wrecks and, quite possibly, the different planets.

Frozen Skies: The Campaign

Mentioned previously that my group is gearing up to do a Frozen Skies campaign, one that I hope to post a bit about as the group progresses through it. A bit of prep work is still required, though thanks to the players I have a framework to begin with (more on that below). Not sure as to when the campaign will actually start, I'm currently running a Fallout New Vegas based Savage Worlds game and to take a break from being GM for a little bit whilst somebody else runs a campaign.

These Are The Tall Tales And Exploits...

Airship Norge, The Arctic, 1926

First thing I did was give my group a list of keywords and told them to pick one or as many as they liked, what they picked would determined the campaign and thus related adventures. The list (and a tally for the choices) is below, though it does look a little bit like Firefly...

Airbase
Airship I
Aircraft I
Air Racing
Broken Spires - Pirate Haven I
Bounty Hunting
Crime I
Commerce I
Cargo
Driving
Exploration
Expedition
Ground
Hunting
Investigation
Law
Logging (Timber) I
Military
Mining
Privateer II
Raiding
Social (parties, social events, etc) I
Sky Pirate
Settlement
Smuggling I
Treasure I
Wulflands
Windryders II

First off it looks like they'll have a mobile base of operations in the form of an airship, probably a blimp or small zeppelin in size. So I'll have to come up with airship creation rules, or at least some stats, over the coming weeks. Aircraft was picked as well, whether its an escort fighter for the airship or a sort of air-shuttle/roundabout. Features are dependent on what the players pick.

Briefly going over the other choices it does look like the players may get involved with sky pirates in some form of another. Likewise, looks like they'll probably operate on either side of the law, again its looking alot like Firefly. Logging/Timber is an interesting choice, possible starting off point of the group working for a logging company venturing into the Alyeskan interior. In addition a visit to Broken Spires might be in order, though one that may or may not be connected to Treasure.

Windryders seem to be a favourite choice, so looks like a fair bit of involvement with them. Working with the logging company the players could quite easily come into contact with a Windryder tribe, possibly Social coming into play as the players attempt to broker a deal. Certainly the Windryders could send the players to Broken Spires in search of a stolen Dragonhawk egg, plus they might have a thing or two to say about the Treasure.

Privateer is another favourite choice, though would the players be for or against the Commonwealth? What if a foreign power had been taking the Dragonhawk eggs? If so, why? That last thing could open up an avenue to the rest of Darmonica.

September 2017 Update

Many things afoot....

A few things to cover this week including change of schedule, Kickstarter news and a new Facebook group for Frozen Skies. In addition some details about a Frozen Skies campaign that I should be running soon as well as a few one shots.

Wait, a Monday?!

Regular readers may notice a big change in that this blog post has gone up a couple of days early. This is due to a change in my personal schedule (such as going back to college part-time) as well as other factors, hopefully it'll work really well.

Kickstarter!

We've got our launch date for the Kickstarter; Monday 2nd October 2017

Still some work left to do but hoping to put up a preview link soon, mainly to get some feedback and make improvements if needed before it goes live. So please, feel free to share far and wide.

Frozen Skies 

Aside from a few edits and some more artwork (hopefully funded through the Kickstarter) Frozen Skies is virtually done, how soon it comes out depends on factors presently out of my hands. If the Kickstarter is successful and we get a quick turnaround on the extra artwork it is possible that it'll be out before the end of the year, or at least early next year. If the Kickstarter doesn't go well then obviously it'll either be quite some time before I can self-fund anything more, other option is release Frozen Skies in an artwork-lite form and maybe gave crowdfunding another shot later on.

Thats pretty much where Frozen Skies is setting right now.

New Facebook Group

We now have a dedicated group for Frozen Skies over on Facebook, it'll run concurrent with the existing Utherwald Press page but only feature Frozen Skies related blog posts. Check it out *HERE*

Actual Plays

Hoping to be starting a Frozen Skies campaign soon, likely to post some details about it next week. In addition I'm also hoping to run a few one shots for Frozen Skies, just waiting to hear back whether I'll actually get to do this. Least with the campaign you can expect write-ups of each session, this will probably be every other week since my group meets once a fortnight. But as I said, details will probably be posted next week.

Alyeskan Tales: A Dragonhawk In Hand

Some time ago I posted about both the Windryders and their Dragonhawk mounts, both have evolved a little since I originally post about them but that isn't going to be the subject of this week's blog post. I'm going to be running a Frozen Skies campaign some in the next few months and my players have expressed some interest in the Windryders and I've been thinking of ways to use them. So an Alyeskan Tales post fits best as a series of adventure hooks, some which may make their way into the campaign but otherwise all are free to use for anyone who wishes.

Ryders of the Wind

Flyers, Alpha Shade - Inspiration for the Dragonhawks

There are a few ways that you can work Windryders and/or Dragonhawks into your campaign.

*The party is looking to hire a Windryder scout, but they must complete some task before the scout signs-on.

*Certain parties (rich businessman, crime lord, etc) is interested in acquiring a Dragonhawk egg and will pay good money for it.

*A Windryder tribe is looking for help in tracking down and dealing with poachers who have been stealing Dragonhawk eggs.

*Raiders using Dragonhawks have been attacking remote settlements, could they be a Windryder tribe on the warpath or actually bandits?

*A Dragonhawk reared by an unsavoury party for illegal pit fighting has escaped and the players must help capture. Or they might be the ones who let it loose...

A Surprise Announcement!

Mentioned that I'm hoping to release Frozen Skies soon-ish, especially since the writing and layout work is pretty much done. No word on an actual release date as of yet, mainly because I don't want to commit to something unless I'm pretty certain that it'll be met. However, I do have bit of a surprise announcement to make....

KICKSTARTER!!!

Yep, you read that right.

There'll be a Kickstarter for Frozen Skies starting in late October (date to be confirmed) and run by Applied Vectors. The main objective is to help pay for more artwork and cover some of the final costs to get Frozen Skies released. The stretch goals (if it gets that far) will cover the Skies of Crimson supplement for Frozen Skies that'll focus on the sky pirates of the setting and introduce new content.

Will probably post a preview link and confirm launch date when the campaign is close to being ready.

Until then, heres a preview of Frozen Skies' layout work.

Cold War Skirmishes: Odd Angry Shot

So last week we took a look at a few ideas I had for Skies of Crimson, this week we return to Cold War Skirmishes and delve deep into the jungles of Vietnam with the ANZACs. Odd Angry Shot is the name of this book, covering the Australians and New Zealanders in a conflict that was dominated by the Americans. This should hopefully form a good starting off point for the Cold War Skirmishes line.

The Odd Angry Shot

Thankfully theres a decent amount of material available that I can draw upon regarding the Australian and New Zealand forces in the Vietnam War. Both tended to use more or less the same pieces of equipment standard throughout the British Commonwealth in addition to gear acquired from the Americans. There was some differences between the two such as organisation, though most of these were minor and will probably be covered if they're considered important.

*Timeline of ANZAC involvement in the Vietnam War from the first training advisers through to final withdrawal of forces.

*Brief history of the ANZACs.

*Organisation and operational methods, pretty much patrol structure and how they conducted patrols.

*Gear & Equipment.

*List of ANZAC units that served in Vietnam.

*Adventure/campaign ideas.

*Further Interest, list of books and films that would be considered useful.

Again, open to ideas and suggestions.

Skies of Crimson Brainstorm

With Frozen Skies currently in layout and a (hopeful) release of some point in the next 2-3 months, its time to take a look at a future project. Skies of Crimson is one of those future project and is a supplement for Frozen Skies that focuses mainly on the sky pirates aspect of the setting. This week's post is more of a brainstorm/list of initial ideas of stuff that I'd like to include in the book, course theres no telling what may end up in the final product.

Skies of Crimson

The focus of the book is on the sky piracy that exists in the world of Darmonica, so obviously alot of it is going to be focused on sky pirates. But I do intend for some more general stuff that can be used in almost any type of game for Frozen Skies.

*Airship/Skyship Rules:- Covering blimps, zeppelins and of course Darmonica's Skyships. Uncertain on whether there'll be construction rules or just different examples given and how to handle them in combat.

*More Aircraft:- Yeah, this was probably a given. Probably try to do some non-Commonwealth planes.

*More Gear:- Stuff like aircraft weapons in the form of aerial torpedoes and specialist gear for boarding actions.

*Base Building/Airfield Rules:- Partially inspired by the Lodge rules in Rippers and the campaign rules from the Zeppelins & Bombers supplement for the old Crimson Skies game.

*Broken Spires:- A chapter on Frozen Skies' sky pirate haven wouldn't go amiss.

*NPCs & Beasts:- Sky pirates is an obvious one here, plus notable characters in Broken Spires.

Thats my initial thoughts on possible content, though I'm sure there be some great suggestions offered.

Rogue's Gallery: Petro Broklaw

Alyeska is home to many who are on the run from their past, either seeking to start over or just keep a step ahead of whoever is after them. The Great Darmonican War and its aftermath saw something of a surge in such persons, each one forced into exile for one reason or another. Petro Broklaw is one of many Sodkans who have settled in Alyeska, especially after the rise of the Iron Collective in their old homeland.

Quick PSA: No new blog posts until 16th August since I'm taking bit of a break.

Declassified and Exiled

Source: Crimson Skies (PC, 2000)

Petro Broklaw was born during the early years of the Great Darmonican War, his father was one of the top scientists of the Holy Sodkan Empire. From a young age Petro showed a strong technical aptitude, managing to excel in engineering based subjects at school and completing a course at his local Technical College with honours. He then applied for and was accepted at the Imperial Academy of Engineering where he choose to specialize in aeronautics, quickly acquiring sponsorship from the Imperial Sodkan Air Force.

Initially Petro was involved in improving existing aircraft designs as a junior engineer, his first job was helping to introduce the design improvements onto the production lines. Gradually he took on more of the design and testing work, eventually working on prototypes before the end of the war. He was introduced to the Order of the Great Machine by a colleague and Petro believed the Order was going to help bring about technological enlightenment, prompting him to become an early supporter of the Order. It was thanks to the Order that Petro started delving into the principles of Weird Science, some of which he incorporated into his aircraft designs.

When the Order seized power it didn't bring about the technological enlightenment that Petro was expecting and he became increasingly critical of the new government. He started to refuse to work on military related projects, opting instead to develop more utility based designs. Naturally this didn't go down too well with his superiors, it wasn't long before Petro was declared Declassified (effectively an enemy of the state). Having received some forewarning, Petro had already made arrangements in the form of chartering a small transport plane under the cover of visiting various factories. By the time the authorities had realized what had happened Petro had already fled the country, bound for Alyeska where he figured he'd be beyond the Iron Collective's reach.

Once in Alyeska he set himself up as an aircraft mechanic, managing to live comfortably until he was approached by a sky pirate outfit known as the Tundra Wolves. The Wolves mainly went after high value cargo such as gold bullion or rare artefacts, preferring to avoid needless killing where possible. They approached Petro because their last mechanic had died (a combination of alcohol and ice) and they needed an edge against other, more ruthless outfit. Petro agreed to work for the Wolves and started out fixing their planes before gradually modifying them and then building brand new designs. The Wolves for their part paid well and some time later Petro went independent and setup his own workshop in Broken Spires, but he remains as a retainer for the Wolves who are his top customers and enjoy a special discount.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Knowledge (Science) d18, Knowledge (Aeronautics) d8, Notice d8, Piloting d4, Repair d8, Shooting d6, Weird Science d10
Charisma: -; Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Cautious, Pacifist (Minor), Wanted (Major)
Edges: Arcane Background (Weird Science), Gadgeteer, Mr Fix It, New Powers, Rapid Recharge, Scholar
Gear: Machine Pistol (12/24/48, 2d6-1, RoF: 3, AP1 Auto)
Powers: Darksight (goggles), deflection (belt), farsight (goggles) obscure (harness), teleport (harness)

Cold War Skirmishes: The EM-2 Rifle

Short post this week given I'm a bit pressed for time.

We take a look at the British EM-2 Rifle, an experimental assault rifle designed in the late 1940s to replace the Lee-Enfield. It proved to be short lived due to the politics of the time and the SA80 is considered its spiritual successor due to their similar appearances.

The Cold War Rifle That Never Was

The EM-2 was born out of a desire by Britain, like many other countries, to develop their own assault rifles in the aftermath of WW2. The British Army had actually wanted to replace the .303 round before the First World War, but were forced to keep it for another 30 years due to time and financial constraints. With these constraints finally removed they were free to develop the .280 round and a rifle to use it, in addition to a new machine gun (the Taden gun).

Belgium company Fabrique Nationale expressed considerable interest in the round, and started development of their own rifles based upon it. The Canadian Army also expressed interest in the new round, both to maintain commonality with the British and to modernize their forces. Two similar rifles, the EM-1 and EM-2, were developed. Both were bullpup-style weapons with the magazine and chamber placed behind the pistol grip and trigger. The two rifles did differ internally and only shared the same sight, but ultimately the EM-2 was selected as the better of the two and adopted by the British Army in 1951 as the Rifle, Automatic, Calibre .280, Number 9.

Though the EM-2's service would be short lived as NATO was seeking to standardize on weapons and ammunitions, so weapon designs had to be met with the approval of at least two governments in order to have any hope of adoption by the organisation as a whole. The US put forth several of their own designs that used the 7.62×51mm NATO round, particularly in the prototype T25 and T44 rifles. A shoot-off in 1951 (which saw a Belgium .280 FN FAL being tested) saw the US claiming the British round was underpowered, and the British claiming the US round was too powerful to be used in a rifle in full-automatic mode. Canada make things awkward by declaring that it would only adopt the British .280 round if the US did, though the US had settled on the 7.62x51mm round and selected the T44 to go into service as the M14.

British designers tried adapting the EM-2 to the larger US round but it quickly became clear that it wasn't going to work, plus Winston Churchill had recently returned as Prime Minister and opted for NATO standardisation and had the British Forces adopt the 7.62x51mm round. However, the FN FAL proved to be easily adaptive to the bigger round and the British adopted that rifle as the L1A1 SLR. Though the British would be vindicated when the 7.62x51mm round proved to be powerful to be controllable in automatic mode, resulting in NATO later adopting the 5.56x45mm round after the US adopted the M16 in the mid-1960s.

More info on the EM-2 can be found here; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EM-2_rifle

EM-2 (30/60/120, 2d8+1, RoF 3, 20 shots, Min Str d6, Notes: AP2, Auto)

Arctic Airmen

To many the image of a dashing fighter pilot is what they conjure up when they hear the words; 'military airman'. Less glamorous as the bomber and transport pilots who are just as important but receive less coverage in the press. Almost completely overlooked is those who fly the long range patrol aircraft, often for hours on end in some of the remote places of the world. In Alyeska this is the men of No.210 Squadron who are tasked with wide ranging patrols off Alyeska's coastline.

Arctic Airmen

No.210 Squadron flies the Vigilant, a variant of the Valiant bomber that had its bomb-bay modified to carry an airborne lifeboat and extra fuel tanks installed. The Vigilant is a long-range maritime patrol aircraft normally used to patrol vast stretches of ocean and help provide an air-sea rescue capability. There are nine such aircraft on the squadron's book, which are also the only aircraft of this type stationed in Alyeska.

The squadron's job is to fly out over the ocean and patrol tens of miles off the Alyeskan coastline, mainly to keep an eye out for anything that could be considered a threat or come to the aid of ships in distress. Thanks to a powerful radio set on each aircraft, the squadron can also have a scramble order sent through to nearby fighter squadrons in case of a sky pirate attack. Though given that the squadron has a great many hundreds of miles to cover it is split into three 'flights' of three aircraft each, each flight is based at certain points along the Alyeskan coastline to maximise the coverage of their patrols.

Probably the most obvious way that the characters can expect to encounter No.210 Squadron is in the form of one of the squadron's Vigilant patrol aircraft, either one on patrol or coming to the characters' rescue if they have been forced to ditch into the ocean. If the characters are part of a sky pirate outfit then they probably will encounter a Vigilant directing fighters to their location if the characters take on maritime shipping.

If part of a military campaign, or the characters just want their own one, the Vigilant is pretty much the same as the Valiant but without a bomb load (the lifeboat takes its place) and a second pair of Extra Fuel Tanks.