This thread will be for the events of the two-day journey to Starbase Keppler. In-character log entries yield XP.

So far, these are the activities underway:

• Sp. Chloe Brown is researching positronic catnip, which will be ready just as you arrive at Keppler
• Ens. Di Luna has programmed electronic counter-measures into the ship's computer to prevent Katzenjammer-Drone from hacking it.
• Sub-Lt. Golmak has connected 5 neural interfaces with the Katzenjammer-Drone consciousness, which are in the repair dock, which is currently swarming with cat-drones.

Golmak is available to answer questions about Keppler.

Have at it!

Ens. White-Linen explains that it is simply a salvaged ship full of killer robots, pacified with experimental liquid cat-brain and psychically conjoined with her chief engineer.

The silence on the comm is followed by Darrem's heavy sigh. "Bring it in to docking bay three."

Use this thread to declare what your PC's actions will be at the starbase. Threads available are:

• Ship repairs/resupplies
• Katzenjammer's psychic link to the salvaged ship
• The salvaged ship itself
• The data tape of the crimes against the Caeliferans
• Dr. Zangor's bad dreams
• the derelict MX-319
• the statuette/rune carvings
• the Zangid spy
• the lost ship that was lost
• Probably others I have forgotten

The starbase is built about a huge, broken-spherical alien hull. It looks like a hollow ball that’s had a section of its exterior torn out, revealing a mostly empty interior, broken here and there by massive metallic sections jutting in from the shell, or debris within. Presumably this was something found floating here – you’ve never seen anything like it among the Confederation, Zangids or Videni. It looks very advanced – it’s difficult to imagine the techniques that went into the construction of it. Confederation engineers have modified it by connecting an incomplete docking and habitat ring. This looks like it was mostly cannibalized from damaged ships and older starbase sections.

After Katzenjammer releases the derelict freighter MX-319 to the station tractor beam, the dock chief hails the ship: “Starship Endeavor, you are cleared for docking at bay 3.”

Starbase Keppler looks pretty rough on the inside, even for a frontier base. It has a "swimming pool," (a large cargo bay filled with water, cleaned through old-fashioned chloronation), a "park" (a room full of plants), and a "gym" (a room with a few pieces of heavy junk scavenged from the ship — for lifting!). There's also a bowling alley, according to the uploaded blueprints.

The main attraction of the starbase, according to an ad at the front of the blueprints, is "MeliSol," hosted by an Entirran named Waka'biizi. It looks like a pharmacy? Or a bar? Or both?

Post any activities you want your PC officers or enlisted to engage in here. James, we can play out Xox's interrogation of the Zangid spy here or through email.

Eventbrite for the talk: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nyu-game-center-lecture-series-presents-jon-peterson-tickets-16752479116

Its mass market (and I resent being part of a "crazy nerd fight"), but I liked it!

The Humble Bundle is all about Pendragon:
http://bundleofholding.com/index/current

For $9 you get the core books, for $22 you get six supplements including the Great Pendragon Campaign!

Question for you: is this worth it?! I've never played Pendragon, so all I know about it is what I read here. Which makes it seem like a fun, slightly absurdist game about knights.

I'm really turned off by the art and general amateurishness of Boot Hill, but I don't have a copy so I haven't checked it out.

What I'm looking for is some sort of 0e D&D + some kind of interesting gun fight mechanic (i.e. not just D&D bows and arrows reskinned, and everyone AC 9). Does this exist?

Doesn't have to be d20-based. Just quick character generation and general ease of use like older edition D&D.

The link above leads to the web site of Numero Group, a record label devoted to finding and reprinting LPs, largely of under-appreciated and unknown music. They are clearly as deep into and obsessive about their vocation as we are about ours. But their most recent product sits at the confluence of both interests.

Check it out: a game (looks like a port of Dungeon) and associated 2-album soundtrack of songs inspired by or associated with D&D and the 80's.

Are there any OSR games or hacks that simulate this sort of thing? If I were running D&D Next, I might grant Advantage to the party with reach, but you know… I'm not.

Long version: Bruce Heard was the line developer for the D&D game under TSR (as distinct from AD&D) and its setting, Mystara. Starting from the standard-vanilla pseudo-medieval sketch of the Known World first introduced in the original Expert Rules, he helped add things like the magocracy Glantri, the uber-magocracy empire of Alphatia, the pulp-adventure Hollow World, the petty cosmic squabbles of Immortals, a flying gnome city with fighter planes and at least a score of other baroque fantastical elements that gave Mystara a unique feel I think many folks here remember fondly. He also personally wrote the Princess Ark series for Dragon Magazine, in which an Alphatian skyship sought out new monsters, explored strange new nations, and boldly adventured where no Dungeon Master had adventured before. If his mainline stuff was goofy, The Princess Ark was where he got too show off really wild things like French dog-people, Samurai moon-cat-people, and a full description of what the Mystaran afterlife was like.

Apparently, he enjoyed writing the Princess Ark so much back in the day that he wants to create a new version of it, with a new setting that focuses on the aspects of Mystara (Cosmic and Colorful) that he enjoyed the most. THe link above will lead you to his outline of the project, and first ruminations about launching a Kickstarter.

http://makezine.com/2013/11/05/beautiful-dd-maps-recount-days-of-adventure/

Possible spoilers.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1513061270/reaper-miniatures-bones-ii-the-return-of-mr-bones

I mean seriously. Just look at that shit. Seriously.

http://www.dndclassics.com/product/17068/T1-4-Temple-of-Elemental-Evil&affiliate_id=25275

To use these keys:

Send your friend one of the keys you can find below.
Tell them to use the key to register a new account at https://accounts.cardhunter.com/register using that key.
Remind them that the game is still in Beta and that their progress will be reset before we go live.
Let them know that they can buy pizza and spend it in Beta, confident that it will be re-credited when we launch.

THE KEYS:

RYRQ-WCRS-VXBX
TMTY-HSNG-GTHX
QLVG-RCRH-ZFTW

Yes, I know THE HERO SYSTEMTM's selling point is that it does everything, but it's hundreds of pages, where the original Champions is 56 pages and surprisingly readable.