Perilous Adventures In Time and Space

A working rough draft for BOP

One thing I’ve learned the hard way is the need for constant editing and criticism of a written work to improve its readability. I’m my own harshest critic, but despite my own brutal scrutiny, sometimes the most basic errors slip by. I’m not yet ready to submit this to OHR for a possible licensed publication, but I’d like to share what I have for now and if anyone has substantive criticism, I’ll take it in the spirit offered. Table A looks a lot better when formatted in LibreOffice than here, but it should be sufficient for now.

What troubles me most are the stats of the iconic foes, because there’s no real way to know for sure what is reasonable. In the inspiring source material, and most science fiction in general, enemies tend to be fully functional, disabled, or dead. For example, in the original Star Wars, the Rebel Fighters, while they canonically have shields, are blown to hell with a single blast from Tie Fighters (one might argue that we, the audience, only witness the the final hit). Red Leader progressively loses his engines and then crashes. Red 2 takes serious damage and has to disengage. R2D2 is disabled by Darth Vader as he blasts away at Luke on his trench run.

The only game I know of that seems to replicate the diminished capacity of injured combatants is Tunnels & Trolls, where the Monster Rating (MR) of a foe, which determines how many dice are thrown, goes down as it takes damage. Perhaps building a game system where effectiveness correlates with remaining hit points might be fun.

Or maybe I as the judge can just think cinematically and inflict such debilities on the combatants as both makes sense and enhances the fun for all involved, and not worry about the mechanics. I’ll be creative if the players are willing to be creative too. However, if one decides to face off with a Pepper Pot at high noon in front of the saloon with his trusty colt revolver, then I guess it will be what it will be.

…well if that’s how you want to do it, I’ll let you try!

All musings aside, I present the rough draft of Perilous Adventures In Time and Space…

Unless otherwise noted, all the rules from Blood of Pangea, Blood of Pangea: Retrospace, and Blood of Pangea: Opherion Scrolls still apply. All rules are interpreted by the judge in the interest of people enjoying the game.

If you don’t have Blood Of Pangea, or Blood of Pangea: Retrospace, then click over to DRIVTHRURPG.COM and get yourself a copy!

In this game you play as time traveling heroes having adventures on many places in different periods of time. Often there is some person or force tampering with the events of time (though it may not be obvious), and you, the heroes, must set things to right. At least one of the characters is a Time Traveler, and is aided by companions from many different worlds in his or her adventures.

Character Species

All the species of Retrospace are valid choices. If the judge allows, feel free to create species based on inspirations from science fiction. In addition, at least one player must choose to be the Time Traveler. If many players want to be the Time Traveler, the referee should have them roll dice, or ask for bribes, or any other method for determining the victor of this conflict.

Time Travelers

The Time Travelers are a long lived race of humanoids who have surpassed most of the known universe in time traveling technology. They travel the universe in Time Capsules, which appear to be small craft on the exterior, but are larger within.

Time Travelers tend to look down on other sentient species with arrogant benevolence. As a whole, prefer to only interfere with the affairs of other species when the laws of space and time may be at stake.

Time Travelers are naturally telepathic, but without consent or psychic duress, they cannot read beyond the most vague of surface thoughts or emotions.

When a Time Traveler dies from a cause that doesn’t significantly damage the body, he or she may regenerate, resulting in a new appearance, personality, and preferred skill set. This process takes 1d6 hours. The character is usually confused or disoriented for a period of 1d6 days to get used to the change. Some technologies can speed the transition, but ultimately the Time Traveler needs to rest to make the adjustment.

A Time Traveler begins with a Time Capsule, an outfit of the player’s choosing, and a pocketful of useful trinkets. Pick two items from Table A, then roll d66 three times on Table A.

A Sample Time Traveler Character

Fred, a skilled hypnotist, won his time capsule in a lucky card game and roams the galaxy while evading the former owner. He collects botanical specimens from across the galaxy.

Might 10, Move 50’

Inventory: magnifying lens, coin with two heads, ball of string, bag of candy, sonic vibrator

Table A - d66*

11 sonic vibrator 31 dog whistle 51 a novel

12 electronics components 32 ball of string 52 playing cards

13 pocket radio 33 fire cracker 53 matches

14 psionic detector 34 finger puzzle 54 assorted coins

15 a bag of candy 35 infrared scope 55 jacks and ball

16 flashlight 36 magnetic tool 56 ointment

21 pocket knife 41 pocket mirror 61 yo-yo

22 gas mask 42 metal spoon 62 flask of liquor

23 galactic passport 43 spool of wire 63 laser welder

24 strange artifact 44 toothbrush 64 bag of marbles

25 radiation detector 45 notebook & pen 65 magnifying lens

26 musical instrument 46 ear plugs 66 handkerchief

* The judge should feel free to supplement this list to suit the theme of the campaign being run.

Companions

While the Time Traveler may be the driver of the time machine, he or she depends on companions to help him or her. The companions can come from many time periods. Create your companion character per the standard Blood of Pangea: Retrospace rules.

Equipment

Below is a description of various equipment peculiar to Perilous Adventures in Space and Time.

The Time Capsule

This is the standard craft of the Time Travelers. With these ships, they frequently visit other planets on research missions. Desiring to blend in, its exterior can be programmed to change appearance to an object common to its surroundings about the size of a telephone booth, fireplace, or grand piano. This is important because alien cultures may wish to seize the Time Capsule for their own use, which could be catastrophic.

Time Capsules are difficult to operate, and don’t always take the pilot where he or she wishes to go. The Grand Conclave of Time Travelers sometimes remotely pilot the capsule to any point in time and space to send the characters on a mission of importance. Free spirited Time Travelers may spend their free time trying to locate and disable the circuit that allows remote control...

Time Capsules have strong defensive shields, but by default are not equipped with offensive weapons. When traveling in normal space, they can move 3 sectors per turn and have 10 hits.

The inside of the capsule is larger than the outside, and the door opens into the main control room. In addition to the main control room, there are 2d6+6 obvious rooms in any Time Capsule. There are crew quarters, kitchens, bathrooms, wardrobes filled with costumes from many civilizations, sick bays, auxiliary control rooms, and additional support rooms. There may be additional rooms known or unknown to the Time Traveler.

In any Time Capsule there are closets or store rooms rooms filled with commonplace items as well as accumulated junk from centuries of exploration. Once per adventure, Characters can search for equipment in the storage rooms.

To search storage rooms, roll 2d6. On a 6 or less, the character finds only random junk. On a 7+ the character will find a crude substitute for the desired tool. On a 9+, the character finds a tool that will serve the desired purpose. On a 12+ the character find an even better tool for the desired purpose. The judge should adjust as needed.

Rogue’s Gallery

While the characters you encounter may be as varied as your imagination, here are some suggested characters to encounter. Note that the inspiring source materials seldom shows the protagonists engaged in a progressed wearing down of enemies. Foes in the fiction are usually alive, disabled, or dead. Feel free to adjust to suit your flavor of play.

Pepper Pot Supremacists

These mutated products of a prolonged nuclear war travel in six foot tall, armored pepper pots, and seek to eradicate every competing life form in the universe. Their wheeled conveyances struggles to ascend stairs and rough terrain, though they often use their engineering genius to find technological solutions to these problems.

Pepper Pots have are very cautious about their use of time travel technology for fear of jeopardizing their own existence and attracting the attention of the Time Travelers.

Successfully damaging Pepper Pots with primitive small arms require a roll of 12+ to damage them. Modern energy weapons and explosives tend to be more effective, however.

Anyone shot by a Pepper Pot’s blaster must make a Daunting roll or be stunned for 1d6 rounds.

Pepper Pot: Might 8, Attacks 1 Blaster (+5 damage), Move 40’. Daunting Foe.

Heavy Pepper Pot: Might 8, Attacks 1 Cannon (+10 damage, 10’ explosion radius, reload, Move 20’, Daunting foe.

Cybernetic Augmenters

Once a race akin to humans, augmented their bodies with machines in an effort to survive an increasingly harsh environment, and lost their humanity in the process. Now more machine than human, and unable to reproduce, they are preoccupied with converting other humanoids into machine creatures like them. Various groups of Augmenters have an assortment of improvised parts and technologies, but all have great strength due to their hydraulic muscles.

Augmenters pursue Time Travel technology wherever they can, but their skill in employing it is rudimentary and arguably more dangerous because of that.

Successfully damaging Augmenters with primitive small arms require a roll of 12+ to damage them. Modern energy weapons and explosives tend to be more effective, however.

Augmenters: Might 5, Attack 1 strike (+1 damage) or blaster rifle (+3 damage), Move 30. Daunting foe.

Aggressive Cabbage

An intelligent alien plant that emerges from large seed pods and seizes control of the first animal life form it can find. It begins by infesting the form of the creature taken over, and then assumes its natural shape: a massive vegetable trunk with a tangle of tentacles. It can also control other plant life telepathically.

If not stopped, they grow to become as large as a house, and spit more seed pods into the atmosphere to land elsewhere and continue the life cycle. Aggressive Cabbage are particularly susceptible to fire, herbicides, and explosives.

Aggressive Cabbage (Young, Man Sized) Might 10. Attack 1 Punch or Choke (+1 damage), Move 50, Challenging Foe

Aggressive Cabbage (Adult, Shed Sized) Might 20, Attack 1 Crush (+3 damage) or 1 tentacle (+1 damage), Move 20, Daunting Foe

Aggressive Cabbage (Mature, House Sized), Might 30, AttackS 8 Tentacles (+2 damage), Daunting Foe

Constable

Whether a local town sheriff or a security patrol on a massive space freighter, they tend to be naive and totally devoted to the letter of the law. These agents of order often detain the heroes at the most inconvenient of times, despite obvious evidence that they’re not responsible for the crimes being investigated. However, once overwhelmed by the crises at hand, they’ll turn to the Time Traveler and his or her companions for assistance.

Constable. Might 2, Attack 1 night stick or side arm. Move 40’. Challenging Foe.

Vampiric Stones

Living stones that thrive on hemoglobin, often found in pools of naturally occurring proteins on their home world. Off their home world, they pursue living creatures, using great heat to cook their victim on contact, and absorbing the liquefied proteins from the dead corpse.

Vampiric Stones, Might 10, MOVE 10’. Attack 1 grapple, then 1 damage per round on the grappled target. Daunting Foe

Drelman

Large bipedal beasts covered in shaggy purple hair and an enormous mouths full of sharp teeth. They’re not intelligent nor brave, preferring to corner their prey alone, and will retreat when faced with determined opposition. Their excreted waste can be refined into a potent narcotic worth a fortune on the black market.

Drelman, Might 5, MOVE 30’. Attack 1 claw (+1 damage) or 1 bite (+2 damage). Challenging Foe,

Gorilloids

Apelike humanoids with little intellect, but can be trained to do all kinds of mechanical tasks including the piloting of space ships. They’re extremely superstitious and easy to cow into submission. Being submissive to power, they often find themselves in the employ of ambitious persons as shock troops, raiders, and body guards.

Gorilloid, Might 3, Move 50’. Attack 1 hand weapon (+1 damage) or 1 blaster, Challenging Foe

Potato Heads

A cloned species dedicated to never ending war. The Potato Heads are totally devoted to military conquest and adventure, and willingly give their lives in service of their empire. They are an authoritarian, meticulous, and methodical people. They are excellent tacticians, spending Might to gain tactical advantage.

Their battle armor protects them against much small arms fire, but are particularly vulnerable in a tiny port on the back of their heads where life sustaining nutrients are injected. Hitting this port requires the PC to get behind them (which they seldom allow) and roll a 12. This hit bypasses armor and inflicts double damage. Potato Heads possess limited time traveling technology, and as such are of particular concern to the Time Travelers.

Potato Heads, Might 4, Move 50’, Attack 1 Strike (+2) or blaster (+3) damage, Daunting Foe

Potato Head Commander, Might 6, Move 50’, Attack 1 Strike (+2 damage) or blaster (+3 damage), Daunting foe

Mob of Peasants

Sometimes frightened local, primitive humanoids will, in a fit of ignorant paranoia, rally their fellows to attack the travelers. Individually next to useless, a mob of them with wooden pitch forks, clubs and torches may overwhelm the PCs. They’re often led by a charismatic person: a successful farmer, clergy, merchant, or perhaps an alien in disguise who managed to gain influence over the local people.

Mob of Peasants, Might = Number of persons in the mob, Move 50’, Attack 1 (+1 damage for every 3 persons in the mob, divided among all party members that are in range), Challenging Foe

Galactic Minotaurs

The Minotaurs are a nomadic species that love to build their homes in complex mazes where they can rest in relative peace and security, and dole out technological favors to local peoples who tolerate them.

While placating the locals, their brethren migrate in via space-time technology from their previous home planet, until their numbers are sufficient to overwhelm the local people and then they consume all the resources of the planet. When all the resources are nearly exhausted, they send scouts through a space-time tunnel to another world to continue the process.

Minotaurs can fire sonic blasts from the horns on their heads that both harm and disorient their victims.

Minotaur, Might 6, Move 30’, Attack 1 blast, daunting foe

Fungus Flower

A jungle plant that senses approaching vibrations and squirts a gooey spray in that direction. The spray contains a deadly fungus, that first hardens over a few hours, making movement difficult, and then slowly kills the afflicted at a rate of one hit per day. Anti fungal drugs can cure it, as well as natural anti fungals brewed from plants known to the local people or wild animals that eat them for relief. It’s best to approach a Fungus Flower with a shield, biohazard suit, or other protective covering.

Fungus Flower, Might 1, Attack 1 Spray (fungal infection), challenging foe

Robotic Cat

A sentient mobile computer that followers orders and equipped with a blaster for defense. It can be programmed to identify friend or foe. The unit will develop a unique personality depending on its life experience. It can spend Might to increase the effectiveness of its blaster, but upon reaching zero, it must shut down and recharge.

Robotic Cat, Might 10, Attack 1 blaster (stun or damage), Move 30’