| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Markustay |
Posted - 13 Mar 2013 : 14:08:40
Okay, so the past few days I've developed a new addiction - Pirate 101
My son has an account, and he's been begging me to start a character on it, so I finally did. Although its Disney, and based on their popular Wizard 101 engine, its a lot more refined, and a lot more 'grown up' (although you can see by the trailer that it is still full of animal characters... Disney {sigh}). Its so addictive that I've only taken a break from it because I've reached a new area I don't care for (based on the American 'Old West'). Had they left out some of the sillier characters & talking animals it would probably be a much more mature-seeming game (many of the plots have adult themes, like double-crossing pirates, kidnapping, and even the combat - some of the death sequences are amazing).
Anyhow (before I get Hamster-smacked), how does this relate to FR and D&D? Well... a LOT, really. The entire premise WREAKS of Spelljamming. Check out THIS VIDEO - when the (flying) ship you are on leaves your world, it travels through an area called 'The Spiral'. In that particular video the world you see ahead is Avernus... Hell itself. In that part of the game you need to use a 'back door' to sneak past some Armada blockades in the more normal worlds to reach their world, so you take a 'short cut' through hell (Avernus), which "only a madman would use". All the ships fly, and the worlds are all located in... Crystal Spheres! For fans of Spelljamming, this IS the game for you.
Now, I love pirate/sea campaigns, and the current one I am running is designed to eventually turn into that (only if the players desire it). It's why I broke up the continent and connected the Inner and outer seas. Like I said, there is quite a bit of silliness built-in, but if you can get past it there are some great ideas in this game I intend to steal. There is a free trial for anyone interested.
So this brings me to the real point of my post - The Armada. Loosely based on the Spanish Armada, but the entire group are clockworks! They are basically an entire navy of golems. They are more of a cross between the English Imperial navy and the Spanish Armada, but both of those cultures are already represented in other ways (Marleybone is a Victorian-era England and Monquista is a 'Spanish Inquisition' run by monkeys... funny as hell). Anyhow, I really love the concept of The Armada - it is very much like the ST's Borg, or even more-so like BS's Cylons. The Valencians built them, and then they turned on them, and now they are breaking apart that world to fuel their colossal clockwork factories (to produce more of their kind, I presume). The idea is that they eventually want to take over all other worlds and use their resources and completely destroy them in the process. Thats the background plot - there are hundreds of smaller intrigues, which is reminiscent of FR.
So this all reminded me of some 'Invasion' thread we had a while back, and I was going to post in that one, but realized my lead-in was too long (sorry about that - just needed to explain the route my thought processes took to get here). What if something like this happened already in the D&Dverse? What if Realmspace has a built-in protection against such a threat... the fact that tech does not function? Although clockworks in D&D are considered 'tech-light', and usually work in The Realms, it is conceivable that more advanced models wouldn't; the Armada troopers spark when they are hit or die, so they are more like robots in this regard. Wizard 101 (which takes place in the same universe, but doesn't mix with this one - just the same worlds) had clockworks, but they were the more common 'garden-variety' clockworks we are used to (and a few of those turn up in Pirate 101 as well). The Armada are indeed a far more advanced version, so it is plausible these would not work in Realmspace.
So the game is all about Spelljamming (although they do not call it that) - you sail to different worlds, and the BBG's are The Armada, which are clockwork Golems (who act like Cylons). Add-in that FR has a level of protection against this type of threat and it could make for interesting (planer) background plot for any campaign. The Armada would need to use biological agents on Toril, and worlds with similar limitations. In fact, it should even be possible to tie them to Mechanus and the Modrons (please contribute any ideas you may have in this regard). Plus The Armada are just plain cool-looking; they have this whole 'Phantom of the Opera' vibe going on with their faces.
For those of you who are fans of Spelljamming (and yes... there are even 'giant hamsters'... but they are the "Leonardo's" of the Spiral - like Tinker gnomes), this is definitely for you. And even if you are not a spelljamming fan (which I am most certainly not), the game is still a great way to kill time, is free (at first), and is chock-full of great gaming ideas.
Oh... and the Wizards (from that other Disney game) don't use the spiral... they use a 'Great tree' to get from world to world. Hope Hasbro's lawyers don't see this post - the parallels are uncanny. The planer structure is nearly identical to that of D&D. The guns use a similar model to what happens in Warmachine - the 'feats' use a blend of magic and gun-tech. The combat is rather fun and the tactical possibilities are endless, and it is much more like (4e?) D&D then Wizard 101 is (which is based more on MtG, with 'magic cards' to cast spells).
So go get yerself an airship, and travel The Spiral... its a lot of fun, and will generate quite a few great ideas for you home games.  |
| 17 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Quale |
Posted - 18 Mar 2013 : 14:43:56
Clockwork horrors are cool, especially if you make the ethergaunts their lost creators, not neogi or spiders. Tough we've only fought them once, I think the DM watched that movie, Lost in Space. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 16 Mar 2013 : 20:10:25
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
They were a tribe Wulfgar (and I believe Drizzt) met in one of RAS's novels. Not a Reghedman tribe (like Wulfgar is), but an Uthgardt tribe, somewhere in the Swordcoast north. IIIRC, he defeated their leader (doesn't he always?)
The encounter was in Streams of Silver. And it wasn't the leader that was defeated -- it was his son, who was turned into some sort of pegasus/human hybrid by the shaman. IIRC, of course. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 16 Mar 2013 : 13:54:36
They were a tribe Wulfgar (and I believe Drizzt) met in one of RAS's novels. Not a Reghedman tribe (like Wulfgar is), but an Uthgardt tribe, somewhere in the Swordcoast north. IIIRC, he defeated their leader (doesn't he always?)
On Topic: The rat people in the game are giving me some fun ideas for wererats. They have several different 'models' for the males, but the females are all pretty hot; I had never considered something like that before. The males emphasize the slimier aspects of rats (and there are plenty), but the females emphasize the 'cuteness' (like the kind people keep for pets).
I liked 'The Frogfather' in the earlier parts of the game, but the 'Banditoads' are just a bit much. The have nice sombreros, though (or so I hear). |
| The Sage |
Posted - 15 Mar 2013 : 01:10:06
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
And there is even a Buffalo-folk (based on Native Americans) tribe named 'sky ponies'.
This sounds awfully familiar, but I can't remember from where.
Could you indicate the source for me, Markus? |
| Tyrant |
Posted - 14 Mar 2013 : 19:57:11
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
quote:
Dalor Darden
Two words: Ice Pirates
Wowzers, I'd thought I was the only person left alive who would ever admit having seen (and perhaps actually liking) that movie. I'd forgotten about the android-golem constructs, but yeah.
I'm pretty sure I saw it on TV once, circa 1987... I enjoyed it, and will likely rent it someday to give it a more serious go.
It's probably been about that long since I last saw it on TV (I think it was the early 90s). I have it on my list on Amazon and keep meaning to buy it to watch it again. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 14 Mar 2013 : 19:16:20
If I saw it at all, I don't remember it. It doesn't even sound remotely familiar.
As for Clockwork horrors - just one more way in which this game has a lot in common with SJ/D&D. Someone on the design team must be a D&Der (probably several). IIRC, the clockwork horrors were spider-like. I think I like the Armada better, just because they are more humanish. Its a different kind of creepy.
And there is even a Buffalo-folk (based on Native Americans) tribe named 'sky ponies'. I have to wonder if someone is also a Drizzt/RAS fan (I'll have to note the names of other tribes as I go along - see if their are anymore 'coincidences').
Can't wait until I am out of this Old West region - its too much of a disconnect from the rest of the game, IMO. The paddle-wheeler steamships are kinda neat, though. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 14 Mar 2013 : 18:37:53
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
quote:
Dalor Darden
Two words: Ice Pirates
Wowzers, I'd thought I was the only person left alive who would ever admit having seen (and perhaps actually liking) that movie. I'd forgotten about the android-golem constructs, but yeah.
I'm pretty sure I saw it on TV once, circa 1987... I enjoyed it, and will likely rent it someday to give it a more serious go. |
| Dalor Darden |
Posted - 14 Mar 2013 : 18:33:06
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
quote:
Dalor Darden
Two words: Ice Pirates
Wowzers, I'd thought I was the only person left alive who would ever admit having seen (and perhaps actually liking) that movie. I'd forgotten about the android-golem constructs, but yeah.
I watch it still...I even once ran a Traveler game based on it |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 14 Mar 2013 : 16:28:38
quote:
Dalor Darden
Two words: Ice Pirates
Wowzers, I'd thought I was the only person left alive who would ever admit having seen (and perhaps actually liking) that movie. I'd forgotten about the android-golem constructs, but yeah. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 14 Mar 2013 : 15:06:59
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'm disappointed! I thought this was going to be a thread on using spelljamming golems in Realmspace. Now that I've discovered that's not what this thread is about, I'm going to go cry someplace.
But that IS precisely what this post is about... once you wade through all my BS.
I love the idea that there is an 'Armada' of clockwork golems somewhere in Arcane Space, taking over worlds and destroying them to use them as 'fuel' to power their mega-factories. They behave sorta like Galactus (from Marvel) in this regard - they only want to take over worlds so that they can 'eat' them (break them down into resources). An unstoppable, untiring machine/hive mind that exists merely to make itself bigger.
Suppose the 'Storm tech' that is used in Warmachine is similar to what is going on in these Clockworks. Stormtech kinda reminds me of 'Anbaric' energy from His Dark Materials (Golden Compass), which is an advanced steampunk-level tech and probably NOT functional in Realmspace. If the Armada Golems are like that (and we could convert a lot of the WM rules for this scenario), then they wouldn't be able to takeover Realmspace, but they may still want to use 'agents' to accomplish their goals (perhaps even duping other SJ races into doing their dirty work). They are a bit too monolithic (IMO) to use as the direct threat, but I suppose someone could easily go that route as well.
What if Realmspace's anti-tech field is actually generated by belief? What if people's reliance and faith in magic hampers technology in some way? Maybe when magic went on 'the fritz' for a century, more advanced tech became available on Toril, because the people became less reliant on magic and found alternate methods? That would mean an armada of Spelljamming golems could now enter Realmspace and set their evil plans in motion.
Spelljammer canon already has something like that: clockwork horrors. They are basically mechanical spiders that exist to strip a world of its resources, use those resources to build more 'horrors, and then go on. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 14 Mar 2013 : 12:15:36
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Although not impossible, I'm kind of not seeing golems on the open sea as a good idea. Stone and Iron sink too quickly, and they weigh so much that I can't see them being practical crew on any but the very longest voyages (since golems do not require any tonnage given to provision for food, water, vitamin C, rum, hammocks, footlockers, or breathable air).
Well, these Golems are pretty advanced, fairly nimble, and the at least the commanders are 'self aware'.
The game never really touches on the point of what happens if someone falls overboard - everything seems to just float in these worlds. You are never really sailing on water, so those problems aren't a problem. One of the cooler elements are some of the flying 'fish monsters', including (of course) Flying Fish, Batacuda, storm sharks (the animation for their critical is scary as hell), flying snakes, etc.
Not a big fan of the 'Buffaloon', but I'm not a big fan of the entire 'old west' region. I now understand why my players didn't like my own conversion all those years ago (Old West melds well with Steampunk, but with high fantasy, not so much). There's even a train, which I would love to actually SEE, but all you see are tracks and hear it in the distance (so far). Not sure how a train would work, either, since the worlds of Pirates 101 are all earthmote clusters. You can see the tracks just ending at the edge of the earthmotes and going nowhere - that could mean some interesting possibilities. Maybe the train has some sort of dimensional shift capabilities.
Anyhow, the thread wasn't about the game so much, as it was about all the useful ideas in it. I would definitely ditch the talking animals (although the anthropomorphic unicorns are kinda neat), but there are plenty of other elements that make up for them. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 14 Mar 2013 : 11:58:57
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'm disappointed! I thought this was going to be a thread on using spelljamming golems in Realmspace. Now that I've discovered that's not what this thread is about, I'm going to go cry someplace.
But that IS precisely what this post is about... once you wade through all my BS.
I love the idea that there is an 'Armada' of clockwork golems somewhere in Arcane Space, taking over worlds and destroying them to use them as 'fuel' to power their mega-factories. They behave sorta like Galactus (from Marvel) in this regard - they only want to take over worlds so that they can 'eat' them (break them down into resources). An unstoppable, untiring machine/hive mind that exists merely to make itself bigger.
Suppose the 'Storm tech' that is used in Warmachine is similar to what is going on in these Clockworks. Stormtech kinda reminds me of 'Anbaric' energy from His Dark Materials (Golden Compass), which is an advanced steampunk-level tech and probably NOT functional in Realmspace. If the Armada Golems are like that (and we could convert a lot of the WM rules for this scenario), then they wouldn't be able to takeover Realmspace, but they may still want to use 'agents' to accomplish their goals (perhaps even duping other SJ races into doing their dirty work). They are a bit too monolithic (IMO) to use as the direct threat, but I suppose someone could easily go that route as well.
What if Realmspace's anti-tech field is actually generated by belief? What if people's reliance and faith in magic hampers technology in some way? Maybe when magic went on 'the fritz' for a century, more advanced tech became available on Toril, because the people became less reliant on magic and found alternate methods? That would mean an armada of Spelljamming golems could now enter Realmspace and set their evil plans in motion. |
| TBeholder |
Posted - 14 Mar 2013 : 11:34:42
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
All the ships fly, and the worlds are all located in... Crystal Spheres! For fans of Spelljamming, this IS the game for you.
[...] but the entire group are clockworks! [..] The Valencians built them, and then they turned on them, and now they are breaking apart that world to fuel their colossal clockwork factories (to produce more of their kind, I presume). The idea is that they eventually want to take over all other worlds and use their resources and completely destroy them in the process. [...] What if something like this happened already in the D&Dverse?
It did. See also: "Clockwork Horror". Of course, being just sort of obnoxious wind-up toy, these things aren't spellcasters and as such can't use proper helms, so they also capture some "fuel" for lifejammers. |
| Dalor Darden |
Posted - 13 Mar 2013 : 23:09:53
Two words: Ice Pirates |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 13 Mar 2013 : 22:40:40
Although not impossible, I'm kind of not seeing golems on the open sea as a good idea. Stone and Iron sink too quickly, and they weigh so much that I can't see them being practical crew on any but the very longest voyages (since golems do not require any tonnage given to provision for food, water, vitamin C, rum, hammocks, footlockers, or breathable air). Plus I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable with a golem climbing through the rigging above me. The mindless (or, at best, semi-intelligent) perceptions and intellectual capacities of golems - while marginally better than most drunken pirates - is insufficient for the rigors of the high seas unless commanded by capable officers. Perhaps golems would serve admirably as ballast or as strong and infinitely tireless oarsmen.
I could see a few golems on board spelljammers being useful; immune to neogi umberhulks, immune to illithid psionic attacks, immune to half a beholder's eyestalks, immune to giff headbutts and smokeshot, even immune to sneaky elf treachery ... plus very useful in a pinch when you just need to bludgeon a direct path through a ship's crew and hull. They'd be very costly though, especially when each one is accompanied by a wizard-creator. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 13 Mar 2013 : 21:33:09
Regarding the Great Tree reference, Hasbro wouldn't have a leg to stand on, since the Norse Mythology had multiple worlds connected to Yggdrassil. They didn't come up with a new idea. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 13 Mar 2013 : 16:32:23
I'm disappointed! I thought this was going to be a thread on using spelljamming golems in Realmspace. Now that I've discovered that's not what this thread is about, I'm going to go cry someplace. 
Or at least, I will in 45 minutes, when it's my lunchbreak.  |
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