Quote:
Originally Posted by David Johnston2
The problem with space's "nature" is that it's kind of boring because it's so hostile. There's one scenario: "Oh no, something has gone wrong with our life support. We should really fix that."
|
Back when I was a younger and less experienced GM (this was before I heard of GURPS!), I ran an outer space campaign. At one point the question arose of whether a particular orbital maneuver could get the characters where they needed to go. The player who was playing the navigator had actually studied astrodynamics a bit. So for an hour, he and I discussed orbital ballistics, while the other players sat there bored to tears. . . .
A lot of "man versus nature" stories have the failing of having technical solutions. if the players aren't knowledgable, this reduces to "roll the dice." If they are, it turns into long discussions of technology. If you have mixed players it's bad for everyone. "Wiring diagram" SF is one of the hardest subgenres to roleplay entertainingly.