Next destination?

Okay here is your chance to vote on the next supplement setting for Rogue Space.  The voting choices are on the right, and the winner gets made. I'll allow 2 weeks to vote starting...NOW!

RS Setting? Rogue Space 2440

A few years ago I pitched a simple to play tactical squad based sci-fi war game to a company.  I had art commissioned from the talented Dario Corallo who does a lot of the Dark City Games counters.  The image is 4 of the main figures from the game.

The game (I still think) kicks ass and takes names, but I am thinking maybe it would make a good, if generic, background setting for Rogue Space.  Below is the background setting pitch for my original war game, let me know what you think about this becoming the default Rogue Space setting...

Rogue Space 2440   a History

Humanity expanded beyond the boundaries of Earth, colonizing and eventually terra-forming Mars.  It was expensive and dangerous work.  Many died in the efforts and an alternative to this process had to be found.

In response to the risk and expense of sending manned missions into space, humanity created the Robota to do this work.  Into space the Robota were sent seeking new worlds with the raw materials needed to build humans homes amongst the stars.  When profitable worlds were found, ships called ARCS (Automated Robota Colonization Ship) were launched.  The ARCS were equipped to build mines, farms, and to start terra-forming the world for a new human colony. ARCS became a factory building the thousands of Robota necessary to make the planet capable of supporting humans.

Eventually humanity found that some new worlds were only new to them. They were not alone.  Robota survey teams discovered two unique insect like races had grown and established their own claims to the universe. 

The first contact was with a hive building race humans called the Brood.  It is a race that survives by infestation, swarming, and by rapid reproduction.  A hive would turn a world into food and a habitat necessary to support it. When that world was completely infested they, like humans, sought a new world and made it into a new home. Like a disease the brood spread slowly in the universe.  It might have taken millennia before humans and brood ever met.  Except, programming required the Robota to send specimens back of any life forms they discovered.  The Robota did their duty, collecting live specimens and sending ARCS back carrying the Brood to all known colonized worlds.  The Brood found the Robota made a suitable food source during the voyages back to human colonized worlds.  When ARCS opened on a human colonized world, a species not seen before swarmed into a new world and found a new host on which to feed and grow: humanity.

The Robota did not only discover the Brood.  An ant like race, the Tura, grew quickly in their own part of the universe.  Unlike humanity, they worked in harmony for the greater good of their own race.  When the Brood began infesting their worlds, the Tura learned to defend their race.  When the Robota landed on Tura worlds and took them as specimens, they learned a lesson only humanity could teach.  They learned to go to war.

Following ARCS back to human occupied planets, the Tura began a war against mankind.  To the Tura, humanity is a new and deadlier infestation than the Brood, and they must be stopped at all costs.

Humanity finding it was in a hostile universe supplied its creation, the Robota, with the means to defend him.  He provided them weapons, and created new units to fight and defend humanity.  For a time the Robota fought for humanity.  They began replicating weapon armed units on worlds across the universe. Robota stood against the brood and the Tura as they attacked more human colonized planets.  Slowly the Robota pushed back the enemies of humanity securing the frontiers of human space.

The success of the Robota was a time of relief for the beleaguered human colonies.  Then humanities own creation turned against him as well.  Some say it was the effects of radiation, others said the effects of strange planetary conditions, maybe a computer virus, or possibly it was the work of the Tura.  Some say man sowed the seeds of his own destruction by creating a race of servants who waited patiently for the tools to free themselves and become the new masters.  Whatever the cause, humanities greatest ally and defender in the universe became its deadliest foe.

The Robota now war against all organics.  With binary code as their philosophy, they give the organics a simple choice. This choice is the soul of all Robota programming, 1 or 0, something or nothing, serve or die. 

With nowhere else to turn, humanity must once again depend on itself.  A small elite force now fights to defend all of humanity, the Marines.  All the hope for human existence rests upon those chosen for the Corps.  It rests upon the shoulders of those who can never fail, never take one step back, and can never rest until victory is won for all of humanity.

Now war rages across worlds scattered through space. Every battle brings one side a step closer to victory and the other side, one step closer to extermination. 

Need some Space to go Rogue in?

I have heard some buzz about "nice rules, but I need some background or setting to help get me started." Well, while not specifically designed for Rogue Space, this neat sector generator could provide a perfect overview setting for use with Rogue Space.  This nifty little auto program generates:

• A sector Map
• Details the Worlds
• Creates NPC's
• List of Corporations
• Politics
• Religions
• Aliens

It's all stat free, so its perfect for using with Rogue Space!

Just generate a sector, download it, and you are off to outer space!

Rogue Space Armory Now Available

I often wonder if design ADD is both a blessing and a curse...

So it's not Nightfall, but it may be something you have wanted? Okay sure, no one actually ever asked for it, but maybe you are just shy in the anonymity of cyberspace? Hmmm, well I'll let you and you therapist worry about that one.

In the meantime, here is an armory of stuff to use with ROGUE SPACE.  The equipment lists are courtesy of a free PDF published by Mike D. on his SWORD+1 blog.   I re-purposed his equipment lists for ROGUE SPACE use and BAM! Instant Armory!

It's available in the ROGUE SPACE downloads to your right.

Enjoy!

Rogue Space: NIGHTFALL

Next up for Rogue Space: NIGHTFALL...a reason to be afraid of the dark, because space is very dark indeed.

SIMIAN STARS: Apes invade Rogue Space

Well it may have taken longer than I originally intended, but SIMIAN STARS is ready!  You can find it in the Rogue Space downloads section to your right.

At this point my next goals are two fold for Rogue Space:
1) Create the Nightfall sector
2) Codify and unite all its disparate parts into one little rule book.  Note this will mean an overhaul of some parts of the current materials.

Aliens and Androids will get more simple and streamlined as well the the starship combat section.  In general I will put it all into one book and then launch it.

Enjoy the Apes and let me know if its worth pursuing any further.

State of Rogue Space

Well Far Trek is finished, and I am nearly complete with Simian Stars as well as my new Zombie Pocket Mod RPG.  I think I owe it to Rogue Space to finish Simian Stars first so I hope to have it done and out this weekend.  The next Rogue Space Supplement after that will be a space sector setting entitled Nightfall.  Kind of a bleak and spooky space area think Cthulhu and vampires, space hulks and that kind of thing...sort of a Bermuda triangle in space.

After doing Far Trek's starship combat I think I may lift the majority of it into Rogue Space.  It's all pretty much the same, but maybe a bit easier and cooler.  TO do that though means I'll end up kind of revamping all of Rogue SPace.

Nope not a re-write or really any major changes, just codifying and combining it all into one book with added weapons, creatures, and maybe an extra race or two.  That is the long range plan, but for now Apes in space is next: SIMIAN STARS!

FAR TREK...beta rules

It is only in beta release but you can find the PDF for the Far Trek Rules at the link to the right.  Character sheets are also available for you to use on my Sword & Shield blog.

For the weekend, that's all I plan to do as I figured I labored enough here just getting the beta out for you to try and enjoy.

Eventually I will tighten up the loose screws and make a digest version available (at MFG cost-not for profit) for you to purchase if you like.

Your feedback is welcome both good and bad.

GO BOLDLY!