Hard Nova II Revised & Expanded Edition

This is on the way in the mail. I purchsed the print + PDF version for a nice price. I will review it when it arrives or I get to the PDF  :)

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ake to the stars and smuggle exotic goods across the galaxy, solve mysteries aboard space liners, or explore the frontier. HardNova 2 includes alien races, starships, exotic abilities, ready-to-play scenarios, reference sheets, and numerous character, robot, and starship templates.

HardNova 2 is a roleplaying game designed to be both easy to learn and fast-paced. The versatile genreDiversion i 2d6 rules make it perfect for one-shot games, extended play, or as a framework for your own ideas. Plus you can combine it with our Active Exploits Diceless System for diceless space opera. genreDiversion i games can also be combined to expand gaming options--mix and match custom rules and features from one game with another. Click here for an overview of the genreDiversion i rules.

In short, HardNova 2 is fast, ready-to-use, and adaptable. You don't have to learn a complicated system, refer to scores of tables, or spend all day creating characters. You can either create custom characters for the game or dive right in with any of the included templates. The game is designed to be light; it has a small footprint and extremely low price tag - it's not overloaded with tons of rules or an excess of information you just won't need. It's meant to get you running quickly so you can have a good time.

The setting is very open. Two centuries after forming the United Sovereign Worlds with the ape-like Digronians, Humanity spearheads peace and freedom in known space. While aliens are commonplace, some are more trusted than others. The bioframe-ridden Migado, insectoid Kt'Sorii, and synthetic X-ans are mankind's newest allies. And while the genetically-flawed Tarkosians are now also allies, many citizens cannot forget or forgive their involvement in the war that prompted the initial need for such alliances. Travel to mysterious destinations, discover new alien species, uncover diabolical plots, and battle space pirates with HardNova 2. The included scenarios immerse you into the setting so even if you don't want to the run them, you've still got a lot of info to work with to flavor your setting or inspire ideas. And if you don't want to use the setting, the rules are flexible enough to handle your own ideas or that of your favorite movie, television program, comic, or novel.

Pirates of Drinax

I ordered this today. I will review it when it arrives :)

Quick Overview

Possibly the greatest RPG campaign of all time - The Pirates of Drinax is a truly epic sandbox campaign that grants the Travellers a Letter of Marque and then lets them loose across an entire sector and nearly 600 pages of adventure to find their own destiny. Included is the Trojan Reach sector, Aslan characters and many new ships!

 

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Details

A truly massive Traveller sandbox, the Pirates of Drinax is packed with enough adventures and source material to keep even the most dedicated group going for years!
In the Pirates of Drinax, the Travellers play a band of adventurers entrusted by the King of Drinax with a letter of marque, permitting them to prey on ‘illegal’ trade within the borders of the vanished kingdom. The King hopes this piracy will give him the leverage he needs to restore Drinax to its former glory, and intends for the Travellers to win back all the planets lost over the last two centuries – but the King’s plans are just the starting point for this campaign.
Once the Travellers have their letter of marque and ship, it’s up to them what to do next. Will they stay loyal to their patron and help restore Drinax? Will they turn rogue and create their own kingdom? Will they be heroes or monsters, pirates or privateers? Will they make their fortune amid the pitiless stars, or will the cold depths of the Trojan Reach be their grave?
The Pirates if Drinax comes in an attractive slipcase, with three hardbacks and a poster:

* Book 1: The Pirates of Drinax Campaign
* Book 2: The Trojan Reach
* Book 3: Ships of the Reach
* A giant 24” x 40” double-sided poster map

The three hardback books that form The Pirates of Drinax contain a full campaign, the Trojan Reach sector, rules and source material introducing the ferocious but noble Aslan, and many new ships unique to the Reach, along with a giant poster map featuring the Trojan Reach sector, the Floating Palace of Drinax, and the Harrier-class commerce raider.
The Pirates of Drinax truly has everything you need to run an action-packed Traveller campaign.

An Interesting System For A Traveller Adventure: Asmodeus

The planet Asmodeus is recovering from a nuclear war.
It has only about 20,000 inhabitants left. It seems to me to be a great place to have an adventure (as long  as one avoids the Zhodani authorities and mutants!)

The tech level of the planet has been generally reduced to sometime around 1900 or so, but there is some mass production on the planet, so pockets of tech are still to be found. The rest of the economy seems to be farming.... and barely above subsistence levels.

The Travellers could try to trade foodstuffs or tech, but I don't think that they will get much in the way of Credits. An emergency landing scenario would be cool, if you make the ship drop out of jump near the planet. Getting the characters into Zhodani space may be the most difficult proposition..... but I could see the Imperium contacting the Travellers for a mission OR perhaps the Travellers could be drawn into Zhodani space by illicit Psionics training or some such hook.

You could have an area of Asmodeus run by tech scavengers and wild bands of men ala Mad Max for some fun! They would be isolationists and generally off the radar of the Zhodani government because they are considered a "minor" concern.

Whatever the Referee chooses, One Night On Asmodeus may prove to be the Travellers' last!

Planet of the Apes Game

https://www.miniaturemarket.com/idw01279.html

Unimpressed with man, Col. George Taylor volunteers to become the Commander of the spaceship Liberty, and explore the deep recesses of space. Taylor ponders the chaos he left behind, "Is man that marvel of the universe that sent me to the stars? Do they still make war against each other?" Awakening under distress, Taylor evacuates to a desolate planet. With no way home, Taylor pushes forward to find intelligent life on this strange planet.

Planet of the Apes has 1-4 players taking the roles of Taylor's varying personalities. Guide Taylor through The Forbidden Zone, escape The Hunt, join The Escape, unveil the mysteries of The Dig, but be ready for the foreshadowing of tragedy. Roll dice and collect Abilities to progress the scene forward. Survive the disasters that lie ahead, and always be aware of the Apes or you just might end up in a museum. In this game of Human See, Human Do, make sure Taylor is ready for The Discovery and he may just find the way home...

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UPDATE!
I played this game with my fiancé' and we had a great time! We played it twice, but lost both times and still had fun.

We got to the seventh scenario and were feeling confident we might win, but we got some bad breaks. This game is great, even when you don't win! We will definitely play again, next time with more people.

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Another update: We have played this game several more times and have eventually won, but win or lose, this is an incredible game. I hope this company takes its system and applies it to more movies.... they easily could!

The feeling that you are running out of time is palpable with the Statue of Liberty and Ape pieces that move along a "clock" on the board, with a Taylor piece trying to keep up or pass them! If the ape of the statue of liberty pieces reach zero first it spells doom for the human! The day clock also shows the time of day and bad things can happen when the sun is high in the sky. This game is just so much fun.... I am glad I bought it. :)

Traveller Map Online

https://travellermap.com/
This online map of the known universe of Traveller is a real lifesaver. It allows you to print out sectors, sub-sectors and planetary systems easily.

Here is the main map interface, which uses the mouse to drill down...

Here is the info I printed to PDF on Regina in the Spinward Marches:

Traveller RPG: Element Class Cruisers Box Set

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1990654819/traveller-rpg-element-class-cruisers-box-set?ref=user_menu

Traveller RPG Element Class Cruisers Box Set on KIckstarter!

(I'm a backer)
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About

Welcome to the Element family of cruisers, one of the mainstays of the Imperial Navy and a common sight throughout the Third Imperium and beyond.
This Kickstarter project is to create a brand new box set for the Traveller roleplaying game, detailing the three main classes of cruiser within the Element cruiser family, together with 10 massive double-sided blueprints that will allow you walk through each deck of the ships as if you were there...

(go to the Kickstarter link above to read more and become a backer!)

Godless!

Here is another game/supplement that I would love to play: Godless !!!

It is an add-on for Shadow of the Demon Lord, set in a Mad Max-like near future, complete with demons and other weird stuff.

From DriveThruRPG site:

"Drown in Fire and Blood!
After the Cataclysm sundered our world, reducing cities to ruins and bringing nations to their knees, a new threat unfurled its wings to cast a shadow upon our reality. In this spreading gloom caper demons, warped creatures, and horrifying monsters, all of which tear down what’s left of the world in preparation for the coming of their dark master, the dreaded Demon Lord.

     Godless is a new setting expansion for Shadow of the Demon Lord, giving you all the tools you need to transform our own planet into the World of Fire and Blood."

Mongoose Traveller Core Rulebook

I am reading the Mongoose Traveller Core Rulebook today.
It sure takes me back to the days of Classic Traveller, but seems updated for better play.

The character generation tables are quite fantastic and Traveller really gives you a true back-story feel to them

Hopefully I will be playing this RPG soon on Discord.