GURPS Vorkosigan PDF released TODAY

[trooper6]

So...I don't know anything about it.

Anyone care to give a few sentence precis to an ignorant person?

What is it? Space Opera? Space Battles? Nobility and um...yeah...is there Magic? Are there Psionics? Is it a cinematic sort of setting? Or gritty? What are standard sort of campaign frames?

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by trooper6

Anyone care to give a few sentence precis to an ignorant person?

It's about a society with a traditionalist warrior ethic that is struggling to modernize. The early novels show the conflict between the two sets of values in a young man, Miles Vorkosigan, who is the son of a father from the traditionalist society and a mother from the galaxy's most advanced society, and who's a military genius—and five feet nothing or a shade less, with brittle bones. Through a dramatic series of compromises, he ends up as the self-proclaimed admiral of a mercenary space fleet, under an assumed name and personae which embodies the values of his mother's people . . . but officially this is his cover identity on assignments from his father's planet's secret service. Eventually the two values and personae collide headon, and he moves into a new career as one of his emperor's top-level investigating magistrates, and courts a woman from his father's culture.

A running theme of the series is reproductive technology and its cultural and political impact. Another theme is the tension between the ethical view of human beings as links in a genetic chain and the view of human beings as agents of free choice . . . but each view is embodied in two different cultures, one basically decent and one basically repressive. Other than this, there are large elements of military science fiction, but also of spy thriller, biological hard sf, mystery, romance, and comedy of manners, plus some farce and slapstick. The bug butter tub fight in the basement of the Vorkosigan mansion is not to be missed.

Bujold has won as many Hugo Awards as Heinlein, and deservedly so, I think.

Bill Stoddard

[cptbutton]

There is a free sample short story from the series here:

http://www.webscription.net/p-622-th...-mourning.aspx

[tratclif]

Originally Posted by trooper6

What is it? Space Opera? Space Battles? Nobility and um...yeah...is there Magic? Are there Psionics? Is it a cinematic sort of setting? Or gritty? What are standard sort of campaign frames?

The stories start off as military sf in a space opera mode, with some good space fleet combat in the early stories. Miles Vorkosigan spends his military career as the premier covert/special ops practitioner of his era. Following that, Miles becomes an high-powered investigator. With his society and his place in it, nearly every action he takes can have political consequences -- including finding a wife.

The situations are frequently cinematic, but the characters are always real, and believably suffer from imprisonment, torture, wounds and (temporary) death.

There is precisely one telepath in the entire galaxy during the series.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by cptbutton

I just came home to an email telling me I'd been given a complimentary copy of the PDF. I was a playtester way back before the Time of Isolation. 8-)}

At this point I doubt I'll remember much of what I said back then, but just offhand it looks like they fixed Lady Alys's wealth level and the odd pattern of weapon skills for Barryaran officers vs. enlisted men became moot when everything was rolled into the "Beam Weapons" skills.

Pet peeve: They ignored my post pointing out that logically there has to be a third wormhole route into the Sergyar system, since Cordelia's ship got there from somewhere other than the Escobar route, and I find it implausible that it came from Komarr.

Ah, well. I suppose being consistent with The Vorkosigan Companion is more important.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by tratclif

There is precisely one telepath in the entire galaxy during the series.

And no intelligent extraterrestrial aliens. On the other hand, some weird human variants are around.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Paul

FYI: SJ didn't write the DI announcement; I did. And if SJ has stated it elsewhere, well, then you've got independent confirmation.

Plus, I just looked at the PDF. Looks ready to me.

There were a few boo-boos overlooked, but after six years I don't care anymore! IT IS MINE!!!!

[philreed]

Originally Posted by cptbutton

Pet peeve: They ignored my post pointing out that logically there has to be a third wormhole route into the Sergyar system, since Cordelia's ship got there from somewhere other than the Escobar route, and I find it implausible that it came from Komarr.

The author of the series approved the map.

[SCAR]

While I have been aware of Vorkosigan since it first appeared on the SJG pages many moons ago, I haven't read any the books.
I'll probably pick up the PDF sometime, but in the meantime if I was to read some of the books,
a) Should I read them in published order, or story chronological order?
b) if I was to read only 1 or 2 books, which might best give the feel of the setting?

c) Are these questions answered in the PDF? if so I might just buy that first. (I'm not concerned about it giving away spoilers for the books).

Thanks, Si

[sir-talen]

Originally Posted by philreed

The author of the series approved the map.

Any English major will tell you that the author is the last person who's opinion one should consult while making criticisms. ;p