Savage Odyssey Prime: A Coordinate System Update...

Good Afternoon, All:

It turns out that I was wrong. The core rulebook does define a Coordinate System for dimensional addresses on pg. 117. In essence, the technicians divide space and dimensional planes into imaginary trays, and then divide the trays into little boxes. Each box is designated a code for location reference. To provide a reference point, our Earth is called 0-0-0-0. The first digit represents the dimension (or quantum level, from my previous attempt to fake something). The second, third and fourth components represent the X, Y and Z components of a three-dimensional notation. The orientation of this "map" is based on a navigation beacon formed from what is believed to be a subspace communication system found in the original Sherman Ring.

With that in mind, the worlds I've mentioned previously need new coordinates, of course. Here's the basic list, re-imagined:

al-Ard (3-19-(-18)-3)
Avalon (1-(-3)-15-8)
Darwin ((-4)-(-11)-(-4)-13)
Earth (0-0-0-0)
Laurium ((-5)-(-3)-13-9)
Leninmir, lka Earth ((-3)-(-9)-17-(-13))
Morlock (9-(-7)-8-(-16))
Naacali (12-11-0-12)
Plagueworld ((-4)-16-8-15)
Rancor (8-(-11)-(-16)-(-9))
Ryuchijyo (10-3-(-5)-15)
Shaggai (5-(-11)-(-9)-17)
Thoth, lka Geb ((-3)-(-13)-(-19)-12)
Verne, lka Earth (0-18-13-12)

Part of the motivation in changing the values above is to make it easier for me to map to a two-dimensional representation of the gate map I'm creating, what the core rulebook refers to as a Guide Marker. The final map should be simple but sufficient for my gaming purposes.

More Later,
Flynn

Savage Odyssey Prime: Three Dimensions Serving As Dungeon Sites...

Good Afternoon, All:

The last of our four stops in the tour of my Savage Odyssey Prime sandbox setting involves Dungeon Encounters, the meat and potatoes of many sandbox settings, particularly of an exploratory or fantasy bent. The following dimensions correspond to the category of Ruins in a proper sandbox campaign setting:

Laurium (-14, 65, 43, 47, -71, -1): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Wet world; Population 1,351,768,184 (100% Human); Independent City-States; Medieval technology; Horror/Supernatural, Greco-Roman, Resources.
Named for the most famous silver mine of Ancient Greece, Laurium is a site riddled with precious metal mines. The resonance of the natural ore lodes appears to attract incoming signals from portal devices, and a majority of incoming transition points appears to lock to one of several underground locations. Many of these labyrinthine mines are abandoned due to the growing presence of shadowy creatures summoned by the supernatural resonance of the formations.

Morlock (-35, 41, -79, -50, -42, 2): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Dry world; Population 36,786,517 (58% Eloi, 42% Morlock); Tribal; Primitive technology; Post-Apocalyptic, Mythical/Literary, Influence/Side Effect.
Morlock is so named because of its strong similarities to the future world described in H. G. Wells' The Time Machine. Inhabited by the primitive elfin Eloi and the troglodyte Morlocks, the realm of Morlock is protected by ancient Builder technology that generates a field that slowly kills other-worlders with lethal radiation. The only means of stopping the field appears to be entering into the underground warrens of the more advanced Morlocks and destroying (or at least turning off) the Builder protective device.

Ryuchijyo (13, -27, 76, -35, -56, 2): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Dry world; Population 687,173,617 (68% Human, 11% Tengu, 8% Kitsune, 6% Hebi, 4% Mujina, 2% Tsughigumo, 1% Other); Anarchy; Medieval technology; Heroic Fantasy, Oriental, Habitat.
Ryuchijyo is an unusual dimension, in that it appears to be an infinite underground prison sharing many common characteristics with Japanese folklore and culture. The high presence of magic, as well as creatures exiled or banished from other Asian-influenced locales, contributes to the perception that this could be the embodiment of a Japanese hell.

Each of these settings are intended to provide different reasons for the existence of their dungeon-like experiences. These, and other realms like them, should allow players the chance to explore dungeons with modern weapons, and enjoy this variation on an old gaming stand-by. I have to say that I'm looking forward to seeing how the players handle some of these opportunities and challenges.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Savage Odyssey Prime: Three Dimensions Serving As Urban Encounters...

Good Afternoon, All:

The third of our four stops in the tour of my Savage Odyssey Prime sandbox setting involves Urban Encounters, which are traditionally more roleplay-intensive or negotiation-oriented. The following dimensions correspond to the category of Settlements (or Towns and Cities) in a proper sandbox campaign setting:

al-Ard (97, -92, 13, 13, -18, 1): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Wet world; Population 841,891,716 (100% Human); Feudalism; Medieval technology; Horror/Supernatural, Arabic, Wild Martial Art.
al-Ard is a realm most reminiscent of the Crusades, where foreign knights and desert horsemen battle against one another, as they also resist the incursion of Things That Go Bump In The Night. The Dervishes of al-Ard are highly skilled swordsmen and combine their great skill with acrobatic dances and a training discipline focused on overcoming obstacles.

Leninmir, lka Earth (-45, 86, -68, -40, -31, 2): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Wet world; Population 4,216,657,687 (100% Human); Police State; Pre-Stellar technology; Alternate History, North American, Technological.
The history of Leninmir greatly resembles that of our own dimension, until the NATO military exercise known as Able Archer 83. In the Leninmir timeline, the events sparked a drive in Leonid Brezhnev to strike quickly against the growing aggression of the United States of America and their NATO allies. Five years later, a renewed Brezhnev directed Soviet forces to strike America on their native soil. The events were so successful that the invasive action decisively ended the Cold War. Resistance forces still fight the oppressive tyranny of the Soviet occupation forces in America, but the Soviet position as a conqueror of the United States has been well established in this timeline.

Thoth, lka Geb (-63, -95, 61, -34, -12, -1): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Wet world; Population 3,149,525,453 (100% Human); Theocracy; Industrial technology; Contemporary, Egyptian, Psionics.
In the realm of Thoth, Egyptian influences permeate their modern society. The priesthood known as the Order of Thoth maintains a firm control over their world, as the church holds a monopoly on the use of psionics. Those acolytes that have taken the training and then turned against the Order, or any non-Thothian psions, for that matter, are hunted down as traitors to the state religion.

The first two settings were inspired somewhat by movies (Prince of Persia and Red Dawn, respectively). Given the state of unrest and potential conflict, all of these settings should offer ample opportunities for urban adventures, each with their own unique flavor and challenges.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Savage Odyssey Prime: Three Dimensions Serving As Wilderness...

Good Afternoon, All:

To continue our tour of a sandbox setting for Savage Odyssey Prime campaign, I have turned my eye toward Wilderness Encounters. This collection focuses on dimensions that predominately wilderness areas, rich with resources for possible exploitation, and thus could be classified as Resources in a proper sandbox campaign setting:

Avalon (-16, 73, 42, -48, -81, 0): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Wet world; Population 1,234,597,341 (80% Human, 8% Elves, 6% Dwarves, 6% Other); Feudalism; Medieval technology; Fantasy, European, Arcane.
Avalon resembles a living, breathing world taken almost directly out of cheap fantasy novels. A wide variety of mythical creatures inhabit the wilderness that stretches between isolated kingdoms, and local laws of physics support the practice of magical spells and talismans. While predominately human, other sentient races exist on the periphery of civilization, another obstacle for Odyssey Teams travelling from portal sites to nearby settlements.

Darwin (-54, -19, 66, -26, -21, -1): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Wet world; Population 1,654,654 (100% Proto-human); Dictatorship; Primitive technology; New Frontier, Prehistoric, Environmental.
Unlike our own Earth's timeline, the dinosaurs never became extinct on Darwin, and now exist side by side with primitive proto-humans. Aside from the megafauna that ravage the lands, Darwin is noted for the presence of a small outpost constructed by an Odyssey Team stranded in this dimension several years in the past through a miscalculation on an early attempt to connect to this dimension.

Rancor (-55, -83, -44, 87, -83, 2): High gravity; Dense atmosphere; Wet world; Population 6,157 (100% Human); Colony; Stellar technology; New Frontier, North American, Global Crisis.
Rancor is a tumultuous world, constantly shifting due to very active plate tectonics, high tidal forces from its two moons, and a large amount of radioactive materials. Everything on the planet is predatory, plant or animal, and is capable of killing an unwary human instantly. To make matters worse, the entire planet seems driven to kill humans. In the midst of this harsh environment, a single colony of off-worlders attempt to fight off the local wildlife as they mine the area for radioactive ore.

I believe that the above will offer some colorful and interesting environments for purposes of game play. After all, a world of dinosaurs, a world of fantasy creatures and a world of super-aggressive human-hating wildlife all offer some unique opportunities, I hope. Imagine trying to survive a week on one of these worlds before the portal opens up again and you can return.

More Later,
Flynn

Savage Odyssey Prime: Three Dimensions Serving As Lairs...

Good Afternoon, All:

Now that I have a few basics down regarding the big movers and shakers of my Savage Odyssey Prime campaign, I feel that I can move forward with the creation of a few dimensions that could be found on the gate map that the PCs will find during the first adventure. This collection focuses on dimensions that are dangerous to exploring Odyssey Teams, and thus could be classified as Lairs in a proper sandbox campaign setting:

Naacali (57, -2, -90, 62, -35, 3): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Waterworld; Population 65,397,259 (100% Human); Theocracy; Industrial technology; Mysticism/Religious, Central/South America, Military Conflict.
Steeped in Mayan and Incan cultures, the people of Naacali have recently ended their first World War over religious differences, destroying major cultural centers and driving pockets of resistance into hiding. A program of systematic locating and destroying other religions still continues in these post-War days, and any, including Odyssey Team members, who do not observe or recognize the bloodthirsty state religion are hunting, tried and executed for religious heresy.

Plagueworld (97, 44, 75, -82, -41, -1): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Wet world; Population 8,562 living (Human), 5,567,198,738 non-living (Zombies); Anarchy; Industrial technology; Post-Apocalyptic, North American, Global Crisis.
A few years before an Odyssey Team first contacted this world, a virulent super-plague struck the vast majority of the population into Zombies. Now, the last few living humans struggle to survive against the onslaught of the raging Zombie forces. Of course, should a team successfully locate a haven of humanity, their leaders will demand safety for their people if they ever discover the truth behind the Odyssey Team's origins.

Shaggai (-55, -83, -44, 87, -83, 2): Low gravity; Thin atmosphere; Wet world; Population 9,145,658 (82% Shan, 17% Lith, 1% Other); Isolated hive-minds; Stellar technology; Exotic/Surreal, Non-human/Alien, Dominant Species.
The world of Shaggai is obviously a dying world peopled by the Shan and the Lith, native races that control animals and other creatures psychically through a parasitic arrangement. Having discovered portal technology, the people of Shaggai have collected species from numerous other dimensions for study and evaluation. The resulting menagerie of sentient and non-sentient creatures rivals any other similar preserve that Odyssey Teams might encounter over the course of their mission. Ultimately, the parasitic Hive-Lords of Shaggai are seeking suitable hosts possessing a physiology not unlike the Builders themselves, in order to leave their own dying world.

I'm hoping that the above will provide some interesting experiences for the players, as well as their characters. I'm sure that other "Lair" dimensions will provide equally challenging encounters as the Od Teams try to survive a week under such unusual circumstances.

More Later,
Flynn

Savage Odyssey Prime: The World of Verne...

Good Afternoon, My Friends:

My players' second choice for a campaign style has become my first choice for a location to develop. A few wanted to play in a steampunk setting with Sci-Fi elements. The writings of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne immediately jumped to mind, having been written in that particular era. So, while the locals probably call their world Earth (hence the "lka" abbreviation below, meaning "locally known as"), the Odyssey Teams will likely call it by the nickname "Verne". Here's a brief overview of Verne:

Verne, lka Earth (72, 55, 48, 28, -7, 0): Standard gravity; Standard atmosphere; Wet world; Population 1,516,025,314 (99%+ human); Balkanized government; Pre-stellar technology; Futuristic, Victorian, Steampunk.
The Earth variant known as Verne shares much in common with the Victorian Era of our Earth, with two primary exceptions. First, their Earth is being invaded by the inhabitants of their Mars. Second, much of the advanced technology possessed by the locals is based on an unusual mixture of steam power and alien technology. At the point of Odyssey Prime's first contact with Verne, the Martians have already established their initial beachhead on the Earth's surface, and the people of Verne have managed to fight them to a standstill using technology reverse-engineered from captured Martian tech and powered by steam.

In order to generate the coordinates, I've written a small script that will generate a string of five numbers that represent a range from -100 to 100, followed by a final number that ranges from -5 to 5. This final number determines the basic quantum level of the dimension, and can impact the difficulty of properly aiming a portal safely to that dimension. The rest, actually, is just window dressing, but helps to give flavor to the setting. In game, they reference the first five dimensions of some esoteric parallel universe theory, probably called the Kuroyoshi Many-Worlds Variant, from which the Sherman Ring automatically extrapolates to determine the final coordinates. The quantum level determines a more substantial resonance level, which the techs call a dimension's quantum level. This number could number into the same range as the first five values in theory, but practically, no one has ever returned from anything beyond five values higher or lower than the baseline that is our universe.

For the record, the coordinates of our universe are (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0). Of course, that's an artificial designation for a specific setting within the Sherman Ring. Other portals, including Sherman Rings found elsewhere, will not be base-lined to the same point of origin as our own. Extreme caution should be taken when initiating a window between worlds from a portal device that is not of our own construction.

Verne has the distinction of being the first destination that the player-characters will visit. It offers all the usual stuff that a first adventure should: fun and excitement, strong campaign flavor, and at least three different options for adventuring in the future. In addition, at least two of the big villains from the Hall of Infamy will be referenced in a meaningful way. And yes, the characters should find the gate map over the course of that first adventure. The map gives them potential locations and destinations, which gives them opportunities to just explore the wilderness, if that's their choice.

Before I can really get too deep into campaign development, I really think I need to figure out the basic Hall of Infamy. Who are my major bad guys, and what are their goals within the context of the campaign setting? That will be the focus of my next post or two.

More Later,
Flynn

Savage Odyssey Prime: Dimension Notes Template...

Good Afternoon, All:

In order to capture the details of a world that I create for use in my Savage Odyssey Prime campaign, I needed a simple template that I could fairly easily remember. Traveller immediately came to the rescue. By looking at the elements of Traveller's Universal World Profile, I came up with the following basic template:

World Name (Coordinates): Local Gravity (none, low, standard, high, extreme); Local Atmosphere (none, trace, thin, standard, dense, corrosive); Local Hydrographics (desert, dry, wet, waterworld); Local Sentient Population (population, followed by major race(s)); Local Government (by type); Local Technology Level (primitive, classical, medieval, renaissance, industrial, pre-stellar, stellar, high stellar); World Tags.
The template is generally followed by a brief paragraph outlining the specifics of the location that should prove useful in resolving an Odyssey Team's mission.

Most of these will be fairly standard on the physical stats, because the government isn't going to want to move colonists to worlds that cannot easily support life, unless there's a considerable reason for doing so. What really makes worlds stand out from one another is going to be the social details, in many cases. The elements of the genre (or genres) that influence the world's flavor, the type of culture or society, and the special hooks and twists (noted as World Tags above) will really help PCs identify each world/location as a distinct experience.

This template may change as I try to put it to work over the next few days. Nothing really tests a template, though, like actual use. I'm going to try writing up a few sample dimensions using the template, and post them here for your thoughts.

With Regards,
Flynn

Fun Concepts: Alternate Planes Prime...

Good Evening, All:

I have to admit that I like the concept of alternate Planes Prime, and given my druthers as either a GM or a player, I'd rather explore alternate Planes Prime than the Outer Planes any day of the week. When I eventually consolidate my various prior gaming worlds into a single campaign setting for my future games, the role of alternate Planes Prime will likely be heavily emphasized. Indeed, I probably will explain some of the Outer Planes as simply alternate Planes Prime and parallel dimensions with unusual natural laws, while keeping the concept of the Spirit Realm from the World Within as the home of the deities that will make up my consolidated pantheon.

One of the things I like about the concept is that the walls between worlds can be as thick or as thin as you want it or need it to be. Natural phenomenon, such as Banestorms (borrowed from the GURPS Fantasy world of Yrth) or wormholes (from the TV series Primeval), can provide temporary holes in the fabric of reality, allowing PCs to travel to strange and unusual places, face creatures that are not native to the region or experience bizarre environments due to the mixing of worlds. Magical spells may go awry via wild magic that comes from an unstable connection with another Plane Prime, and rituals may open portals to other worlds and possibly even other timelines.

Taken to the extreme, you end up with a smorgasbord setting with no true sense of continuity, much like the new version of Gamma Terra from the 4E version of Gamma World. However, when used sparingly for flavor and spice, alternate Planes Prime can add a lot to a setting, and is generally more accessible to a player's imagination than the Outer Planes might be, particularly those not entrenched in the lore of your campaign setting. Plus, you get to use that adventure from Dragon Magazine #100 where the PCs come to modern day Earth and steal an artifact from a museum. I've never used it, but I've always wanted to.

Have you ever considered what a campaign setting might look like if commonly encountered/visited alternate Planes Prime existed for the setting? I don't think anyone would publish such a thing directly, but I can see someone using an overarching meta-setting to integrate multiple published worlds under one campaign. In fact, I'm sure someone already has, but other than Suzerain and the 4th Edition GURPS meta-setting, I can't think of any, and neither of these two are purely fantasy-based. Does anyone know if there's something like that out there? I'd be interested in reading it and gleaning what I can from the experience.

With Regards,
Flynn