Forbidden Planet anyone?

[ThrorII]

Good question. As I don' think the fiction of FP gives any clues, it would be a GM's choice. Are the smallish flying saucers the norm? Is it like original Traveller - a 'small ship' universe? Are there larger ships? Are they just larger saucers? Are they cigar shaped?

Would the UP need larger cruisers? If there are no aliens or alternate space governments, then the main need is piracy, planetside law enforcement, and rescue.

[starcruiser]

Well, FP was just one single film (made decades ago) based on one of Shakespeare's classic stories (The Tempest). There is absolutely nothing written in stone concerning the background other than what little is stated on screen (or the script).

My personal head canon for FP would be that most ships are saucer shaped - in one form or another - as the Hyper Drive field is probably a flattened bubble shape. Yes, I could see that larger ships might be less efficient due to the greater volume that the drive field has to cover but, they are still essentially held to a saucer shape by the nature of the field.

Whether the particle blasters were retractable or emitted along the sharp edge of the hull, is obviously up in the air since they never fired them in the film (or did they even carry any integrated weapons?). I think there have been at least three attempts to create blueprints of the ship and none of them agree on much other than the basic exterior and the core interior based on the sets and props/models used in production.

There's a LOT of room for interpretation and that's a good thing for nuts like us!

[c57d]

And isn't it so much fun debating the (myriad) gaps?
Taking Throrll's do we need a navy at all, and Starcruiser's is C57D armed. I would say that, regardless of any threat (actual or theorised) or not, humanity always seems to create a need for both weapons and something to carry them in.
And, back to larger ship form and function, I increasingly find myself drawn to a saucer shape for them too. I was previously drawn to a symmetrical paddle shape, but that was just driven by my dislike for drawing curved and/or circular deck plans!! However, regardless of my laziness, a flattered saucer of differing sizes encased by the hyper drive field certainly makes the most practical sense.

[jons]

Blimey Guys! You lot are ace!
I post a simple little thought about something I've wanted to do for a while and lo and behold, I'm blessed with all of this info and brilliant nerding out. Fab.

[ThrorII]

The Forbidden Planet campaign:

Campaign World: Space within 5 parsecs of Earth. 54 star systems, many of which are not thoroughly explored. Primary colonies are in the 2-3 parsec range. The frontier is 3-4 parsecs. 5 parsecs is the unexplored region. Humans are united under the United Planets government. There are  numerous colonies, some are on barren Earth-type worlds, some are domed  colonies on uninhabitable worlds. There are starbases scattered around  known space for the United Planet forces.

Aliens: There are no aliens (or even alien microbes).

Tech: Starships are small saucer type ships, with crews in the 10-20 person range. Hyperspace travel is utilized that can cross 1.25 light years a month. Ships have energy shields and disruptor weapons. Personal disruptor pistols are used. FTL communication is possible, but generally limited to planetary stations.

Campaign style: Players are the crew of a UP cruiser. Adventures consist of fighting piracy, exploration, support of colonies and outposts, and upholding UP law. A combination of Star Trek, Firefly, The Expanse, Lone Ranger, and Twilight Zone.

[Falconer]

Why no aliens?

[ThrorII]

Aug 18, 2021 22:20:48 GMT -5 Falconer said:

Why no aliens?

I got the impression from the movie that the Krell civilization of Altair IV was the first proof of alien life. Also lines about colonies having nothing but a can to kick  - and you have to bring the can - implied no life whatsoever other than human life.

[starcruiser]

The issue here is distance from Earth. The odds of finding a living world (meaning anything like Earth) is slim within 5-10 parsecs.

That DOESN'T that there can't be some life showing up in a campaign - could be the main discovery in one...

[aramis]

Aug 19, 2021 20:47:28 GMT -5 starcruiser said:

The issue here is distance from Earth. The odds of finding a living world (meaning anything like Earth) is slim within 5-10 parsecs.

That DOESN'T that there can't be some life showing up in a campaign - could be the main discovery in one...

Remember: 1 Pc=3.26 LY.

There is an earth sized world within 1.4 Pc. And it's in the liquid water zone of its star. Proxima Centauri B. It also has a large planet in system (Proxima Centari C)

The only issue is that PC B is likely tidelocked, and the star itself is prone to flares.

Ross 128 B is 1.3 Earth masses, (probably 1.1 diameters and 1.1 G) Ross 128 itself is a non-flare red dwarf. And... Ross 128 B is in the liquid water zone. So if it has an atmosphere, it's potentially habitable. 11 LY ... about 3.34 Pc.

[Falconer]

That’s fine, if the assumption is that alien life has not been discovered before the Krell (and none other has been discovered at the start of the campaign), but the existence of alien life is idiomatic to the Forbidden Planet universe in the way it is not idiomatic in Firefly. So if they had done a Forbidden Planet TV series, you would have seen other alien types begin to pop up, and probably more Krell artifacts, and possibly even living Krell. Kind of like how Stargate managed its transition from film to TV.

[c57d]

I love Throrll's FP campaign summary.
My version would differ in a few places.
Even if there were no heavier warships included, I still see the need for much larger cargo ships to both establish and maintain colonies, and transport raw materials and finished goods to industries in Terra and the other ten (theorised) core worlds.
Although agreeing that FP shows the Krell as the first alien species encountered, I think that an expanding campaign should include aliens. There are a few extinguished main sequence stars within 5 parsecs,which might have once supported life (maybe even sentient?)
M class stars may not have planets that can support Terran life - but maybe they can support "life , but not as we know it".
And, yes, the Krell might become a developing theme?

[ThrorII]

Aug 21, 2021 19:35:39 GMT -5 c57d said:

I love Throrll's FP campaign summary.
My version would differ in a few places.
Even if there were no heavier warships included, I still see the need for much larger cargo ships to both establish and maintain colonies, and transport raw materials and finished goods to industries in Terra and the other ten (theorised) core worlds.
Although agreeing that FP shows the Krell as the first alien species encountered, I think that an expanding campaign should include aliens. There are a few extinguished main sequence stars within 5 parsecs,which might have once supported life (maybe even sentient?)
M class stars may not have planets that can support Terran life - but maybe they can support "life , but not as we know it".
And, yes, the Krell might become a developing theme?

Yes, I was going for kind of the "bare bones" what everyone could probably agree on before expansions. I would agree that "New Life and New Civilizations" should be discovered. I also agree that larger saucers (cargo ships, colony transports) should be part of it. It would be cool if the secrets of the Krell became a campaign or such, with other colonies, other challenges, and maybe even....dun dun duuun!...real Krell being found!

[c57d]

I think that "The Secret of the Krell" should definitely be played out as slow burn theme in our FP campaign. I would start the campaign a year or two after the events of the movie. TPTB would have covered it all up and C57D, and her crew, officially posted as MIA.
So what do we (GM's) know about the Krell? Vastly superior race cabable of building planet piercing complexes, and having long ago suppressed (especially violent) emotions for pure logic and science. But the research complex on Altair opened the way for unconsidered lingering forces of Id to break out and destroy them all.
Except what if it didn't? What if these extreme pacifists were so far removed from any violent thoughts that they actually hired another, primitive, violent race to be their security force. And the Id machine worked off them, and their violent impulses and destroyed them and their Krell masters.
And what if remnants of this violent race remain in suspended animation at still undiscovered Krell outposts, waiting to defend their secrets from any snoopers. Especially ones who have already destroyed one complex?

[c57d]

So, my next question is, how do we/do we incorporate robots into our FP campaign.
I don't have a copy of FP, and it is about ten years since I last saw the film.
I think, from memory, that the crew were at least a bit surprised by Robbie, but was it a total "I've never seen a robot before now", or a more subtle "I've never seen a robot so advanced"?
My question is, do we include simple programming-reactive robots (my personal choice), or none at all?

[starcruiser]

I would think the latter "I've never seen a robot so advanced"...

Maybe most robots are just simple subservient machines running around in factories and moving loads around colonies (shipyards...etc...). Maybe Robbie is simply the most sophisticated robot seen so far.