Alternate Lensemen

[LoneWolf23k]

Okay, yes, I have never read the original Lensmen novels. If I can find them at a nearby bookstore, I'll give them a try.

That being said, as much as I know it's going to annoy the Book Purists, I still want to know if it's possible to take the Themes and Distinct elements of the Lensman series (Arisia, Eddore, the Lens Wars, the Lensmen, etc) and transcribe them into a technologically modern or post-modern setting.

...And yes, I do realize I'm now subconsciously making references to the much-maligned Lensman Anime series, but my point remains that I don't see what doing a Tech Update to the Lensman universe would take away from it, aside from removing the "Pre-Transistor Pulp Sci-Fi" feel.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k

Okay, yes, I have never read the original Lensmen novels. If I can find them at a nearby bookstore, I'll give them a try.

That being said, as much as I know it's going to annoy the Book Purists, I still want to know if it's possible to take the Themes and Distinct elements of the Lensman series (Arisia, Eddore, the Lens Wars, the Lensmen, etc) and transcribe them into a technologically modern or post-modern setting.

...And yes, I do realize I'm now subconsciously making references to the much-maligned Lensman Anime series, but my point remains that I don't see what doing a Tech Update to the Lensman universe would take away from it, aside from removing the "Pre-Transistor Pulp Sci-Fi" feel.

Actually that is the reason I asked the question :)
If you had read the books or your group had you would likely want a more pure experience. However having not read them but you just find the setting neat and like the races you have lots more flexibility since your not trying to imitate what you read.

Space Opera still emphases the bold action hero more then the gear though so go light on gear and relegate it to more of a background role. if you want that feel.

Its been over 30 years since I read those books so memory missed a few thigns but others mentioned Mind Screens. Use them to good effect but if I recall they were rare so only Boskonians elite and Civilization Elite likely to have them. You want a psi boosting device, especailly for the villains that could be cool tool give it some bad side effects so the heros wont use it.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Limited function. Simple repetitive tasks. Useless in combat.

There's no reason why the technology couldn't be improved upon.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k

Okay, yes, I have never read the original Lensmen novels. If I can find them at a nearby bookstore, I'll give them a try.

That being said, as much as I know it's going to annoy the Book Purists, I still want to know if it's possible to take the Themes and Distinct elements of the Lensman series (Arisia, Eddore, the Lens Wars, the Lensmen, etc) and transcribe them into a technologically modern or post-modern setting.

There's no reason why not, although it IS important that Civilisation and Boskone have relatively little autonomous hardware (since the Lens would be limited in effectiveness if digital minds were handling a lot of stuff without the input of a mind that could be read or controlled.

[Refplace]

reading the GURPS Lensmen book and there is a mention of the Patrol giving Valentians portable thought screens to protect from the delgonians. So more common then I recalled.

[Puppetminion]

Originally Posted by Refplace

reading the GURPS Lensmen book and there is a mention of the Patrol giving Valentians portable thought screens to protect from the delgonians. So more common then I recalled.

Like much tech in the setting (and real life) it started out non-existent and got more common.

Before Kinnison only the Eddorians had them, while the Velantians had a precursor tech that allowed a metal wall to block telepathy. Then Kim modified the Velantian device to a wearable screen and a tiny bit later the Eddorians gave screens to their minions.

And for an actual on topic point, if the OP wants increased tech they can always set the game after the books. For that matter the GURPS book has a psi tech helmet as an example of the next big drug that has to be dealt with.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k

Okay, yes, I have never read the original Lensmen novels. If I can find them at a nearby bookstore, I'll give them a try.

...And yes, I do realize I'm now subconsciously making references to the much-maligned Lensman Anime series, but my point remains that I don't see what doing a Tech Update to the Lensman universe would take away from it, aside from removing the "Pre-Transistor Pulp Sci-Fi" feel.

<shrug> I'd have called the Anime series "barely noticed" rather than "much maligned". It had nothing in common with the novel series beyond a few name and wasn't very good even when disregarding that. It wasn't worth commenting negatively upon much less "maligning".

If you actually do want to do something based on the anime, put up Gurps Lensman and re-watch that anime (and probably Star wars IV to which it owes much more).

Trying to limit myself to the techicalities of what you've asked, if you "updated" from the 30s when computers didn't exist to say the early 70s when they were all isolated mainframes running off reel to reel tape drives it probably wouldn't matter.

Doc actually did some of this himself. In the 1941 magazine version of The Vortex Blaster which made up the first part of the 1960 novel Masters of the Vortex the equation to predict the activity of loose atomic vortices was uselss becaue it gave you a 10 second prediction and took 2 hours on aa electromechanical calculator. In the 1960 novel the calculator had been updated to a Super GOMEAC which took 20 seconds.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

There's no reason why the technology couldn't be improved upon.

Not obviously true. In the thousand years between First Lensman and Galactic Patrol no one seems to have done so. Therefore there may very well have been a reason why they had not done so.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Not obviously true. In the thousand years between First Lensman and Galactic Patrol no one seems to have done so. Therefore there may very well have been a reason why they had not done so.

I think this was more a matter of a lack of imagination and foresight in how powerful computers could become. The last book was published in 1950 according to Wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lensman_series

Decades before Vacuum tubes were replaced which made computers hot, big and power hogs for far less computing ability then the average cell phone of today. So note that I am not knocking his vision!
Heck I don't even blame him for his chauvinistic writing, product of his times and women were not even allowed to vote.

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Heck I don't even blame him for his chauvinistic writing, product of his times and women were not even allowed to vote.

Considering how many strong, capable, independent women are in the series, I suspect "chauvinistic" doesn't mean what you think it means.

(Oh, and women gained the right to vote in the USA seventeen years before Galactic Patrol was first published.)