12-09-2017, 06:20 PM | #41 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
|
Re: GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms
Quote:
Educated Barsoomians also knew things about an Earth that may or may not have ben Carter's or ours. Ulysses Paxton left a dying body behind on Earth and the same for the hero of ERB's Beyond the Farthest Star. Bill mentioned a Poul Anderson story that used mind exchange and that was the mechanism for all of Otis Adelbert Kline's planetary romances. Lin Carter's Green Star series used astral projection learned from Tibetan manuscripts. So I think the genre might be not quite as limited as PK indicates.
__________________
Fred Brackin |
|
12-09-2017, 07:44 PM | #42 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dobbstown Sane Asylum
|
Re: GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms
I wasn't speaking about the genre. The reason those words were in boldfaced italics was because I was speaking about (my thoughts on) the supplement.
__________________
Reverend Pee Kitty of the Order Malkavian-Dobbsian (Twitter) (LJ) MyGURPS: My house rules and GURPS resources.
#SJGamesLive: I answered questions about GURPS After the End and more! {Watch Video} - {Read Transcript} |
12-09-2017, 08:10 PM | #43 |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
|
Re: GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms
There is discussion of the mind projection/astral travel/out-of-body experience version in Portal Realms; it's just not the main emphasis. But I did provide for dreams and trances as travel mechanisms.
__________________
Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
12-09-2017, 10:42 PM | #44 | |
Join Date: May 2011
Location: London, E4
|
Re: GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms
Quote:
|
|
12-09-2017, 11:29 PM | #45 | |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
|
Re: GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms
Quote:
I'm not sure offhand what would be the best way to represent what you're talking about, though what you propose might work.
__________________
Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
|
12-10-2017, 01:02 AM | #46 |
Join Date: May 2011
Location: London, E4
|
Re: GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms
Thanks Bill. The campaign I'm thinking of running is an Earth to Harn campaign. I think is a perfect example of a portal realm, since that setting already includes portal travel examples with Terra (Earth) and other worlds. Harn canon also includes characters that are based on people from history, myth and literature. In some cases, these characters might be one and the same person, in others they're 'shadows' of the other.
For my campaign I'm toying with having the PCs visit Harn without equipment. They'd have Mistaken Identity and have the equipment and clothes of their 'shadow' selves. (Perhaps the shadow has also gone to Earth from Harn, but that won't come in to play.) The authorities may have records on shadow version, but not on the PCs. And a magic user would get a blank or confused image when looking for the Harnic shadow characters...so hence why Zeroed with Mistaken Identity. I welcome thoughts on this. |
12-10-2017, 02:45 AM | #47 |
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: near London, UK
|
Re: GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms
Blog review here.
__________________
Podcast: Improvised Radio Theatre - With Dice Gaming stuff here: Tekeli-li! Blog; Webcomic Laager and Limehouse Buy things by me on Warehouse 23 |
12-10-2017, 03:34 AM | #48 |
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: England
|
Re: GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms
I like the portal fantasy genre, and I'm really glad I bought this supplement. The first chapter was a good overview of the genre and the options available, I thought the description of Reference Societies was interesting, and I couldn't make up my mind with of the templates I'd want to play in a portal realm campaign, as more than one appealed to me. And the idea of giving travellers Charisma to explain why they're more influential in the fantasy world than at home is great.
I'm especially impressed with chapter three though, that's really useful coverage of the issues travellers are likely to find; in my opinion the three main long-term obstacles for travellers once immediate survival is ensured are language and making money, and this supplement covers both. As someone upthread noted, it doesn't discuss diesase, e.g. TL8 vaccinations, or starting an epidemic by carrying mutated diseases between worlds, but worrying about that sort of thing isn't really common to the genre (at least in fantasy). Having read this, I'd be interested in a supplement or Pyramid article on moving from modern day Earth to a space opera setting, based on the ideas in this. |
12-10-2017, 07:45 AM | #49 | |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
|
Re: GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms
Quote:
__________________
Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
|
12-10-2017, 08:08 AM | #50 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: traveller
|
Re: GURPS Fantasy: Portal Realms
Portal fantasies in a role-playing game are useful for narrowing the gap between player and character knowledge. Since the characters come from the modern world, they are easy for a player to conceptualize (even if their traits and abilities are different) and play consistently. (Imagine, for comparison, a fantasy character transported to the modern world, and how difficult it would be to filter out all the things the player already knows about the setting but the character does not.)
This makes it an excellent introductory genre for new players. They can concentrate on playing without having to consider whether they should be able to apply their own knowledge of germ theory or magnetism. The novel setting means that they can learn about the world as they go, rather than be expected to know anything about how it works a priori. The lack of language and customs familiarity can be a drag if played too strictly, however. A brief "training montage" at a friendly village near the portal should allow them to write off the worst effects, while giving them the chance to develop a few of the necessary survival skills for their new environment. |
|
|