The Unseen Servant forums

Free Starspiel
Star Frontiers by way of Free Kriegsspiel

I'm looking for between 3 and 6 players for operatic, free-wheeling sci-fi adventures!
Setting
Starting off with Star Frontiers as a base, but open to collaborative world-building as we play.
What’s Star Frontiers?

System
Free Starspiel, a Star Frontiers gloss on Free Kriegsspiel.
Link to a PDF of Free Starspiel
What’s Free Kriegsspiel?

Posting Rate
I'll post plot-moving updates two or three times a week, at scheduled times. I'll be available for clarification posts more or less daily.
Proposed start date: May 9
This game is expected to have an end-point. I hope to run it for about a year.

Adventure
Crash on Volturnus, from the Star Frontiers box set, but completely ignoring the railroad-y aspects of the adventure. If you’re familiar with the adventure, that shouldn’t be an impediment, as I expect we’ll take it in wildly different directions.

The Crunchy Bits
Players make rolls. Pacing is privileged over mechanics.

The Fluffy Bits
Combat is fun, of course, but I'm especially enthusiastic about RP and collaborative world-building.

Games I’ve run on US before

• At the Forest’s Edge (Beyond the Wall)

• GARGANTUA (Into the Odd)

• Operation Unfathomable (Knave)

I am in if you will have me. I am familiar with Star Frontiers, but haven't played since the 80's.

Rex wrote: ↑Mon Apr 25, 2022 5:33 pm I am in if you will have me. I am familiar with Star Frontiers, but haven't played since the 80's.

Great! 35-year old hazy memories of Star Frontiers is exactly the level of expertise I'm bringing to this campaign, too!

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Cool, i love Star Frontiers

one Yazirian reporting in!

Thanks. Hazy is a good way to describe my memories of the 80's.

Hi all,

I'd be interested, if there's an open spot. This looks quite fun. I'm not positive on a character, maybe a Vrusk or something further afield.

Great! Roll call so far:

• Rex
• Cybersavant
• Lignacious

Three out of six onboard!

I'm shooting for a May 9 start date for this game, so please sit tight for couple weeks.

If you have a chance, please take a look at the Free Starspiel pdf. It's very short, and very light—you'll get the gist on a skim. You can make original aliens, or come up with different adaptations of the core SF aliens than I have. I'd encourage you to continue the original Star Frontiers flavor when making aliens <i>alien</i>—that is, not simply reskinned humans or earth animals imagined as aliens.

Feel free to workshop ideas for characters, aliens, home planets, and reasons why the party is together in this thread!

Hi Pulpatoon. Been watching this one, but hadn't wanted to engage in a new ruleset...then I read the Free Starspiel PDF. If I'm reading the rules correctly, along with the material on Free Kriegsspiel (e.g. FKR has less rules to let players do more.) - This feels very akin to the OSR (0e/OD&D) mechanics that I've been researching, and my preferred style of play/GM. Am I interpreting correctly here?

I've played other space RPG's, just not this particular one.

As I love all things OD&D and Space and Horror, as well as my preference for RP over strong mechanics/rules, I am finding it difficult not to request entry into this game

Very cool.

I was thinking of playing a charismatic pile of rocks (homebrew alien race). The idea is that the creature is actually a sentient & telekinetic form of lichen and moss that bind stones together for structure. Their own language uses the rocks to shape ambient air currents and sound.

Race:. Roughly translates as 'Groundlings'
Name: Chipsqueak ( or 'Chip' for short)

Home planet: Small, Rocky, wet world which the groundlings refer to as 'The Mother'

In terms of mechanics,.

Traits: I was thinking Keen Hearing ( essentially tremorsense in D&D), that is they are very attuned to vibrations. As well as the telekinesis they use to locomote.

Backstory: The Groundlings go through a period of hibernation when The Mother's elliptical orbit takes it far from its star. During one such period, a Vrusk mining crew surveyed the planet and found it rich in minerals. Not knowing ( or not caring) that the rocks were sentient, they set about their business. In the process they excavated much of Chip's henge ( collective noun for a group of Groundlings).

In the years that followed, Chip set out to find the stones of its lost siblings to return them to The Mother so they can be properly laid to rest. It found a visiting explorer who gave Chip a lift off planet after Chip sang its sad tale to her, and has been hunting for that Vrusk crew ( as well as exploring the wider universe) when the story begins.
---

Still need to do skills, equipment &c. And happy to link up with other PCs if you all have any ideas. Let me know if this works.

--Lig

Algernon wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:43 pm Hi Pulpatoon. Been watching this one, but hadn't wanted to engage in a new ruleset...then I read the Free Starspiel PDF. If I'm reading the rules correctly, along with the material on Free Kriegsspiel (e.g. FKR has less rules to let players do more.) - This feels very akin to the OSR (0e/OD&D) mechanics that I've been researching, and my preferred style of play/GM. Am I interpreting correctly here?

Boy, do i hear you. After nearly a decade of voraciously reading every ruleset I could get my hands on, I seem to have over-filled my tank. Fortunately, it's hard to glorify Free Kriegsspiel even as a "ruleset." It's more of a vague notion: a higher die result means you get more say in where the narrative goes.

It's the sort of game that only works if we all trust each other to make good, fun, interesting choices.

There are claims that this is how Dave Arneson played his pre-D&D fantasy campaign, but there are also disputations of this claim.

As I love all things OD&D and Space and Horror, as well as my preference for RP over strong mechanics/rules, I am finding it difficult not to request entry into this game

Well, if you're asking my opinion...

Lignacious wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 9:13 pm I was thinking of playing a charismatic pile of rocks (homebrew alien race). The idea is that the creature is actually a sentient & telekinetic form of lichen and moss that bind stones together for structure. Their own language uses the rocks to shape ambient air currents and sound.

I am entirely into this! A softly singing pile of mossy rocks on a mission of grief among the stars!

I'd suggest making sure that Chip has a reason to working with the rest of the crew on whatever sort of weird jobs/hijinks/terrible ideas they end up getting involved with. Perhaps he has been at this job of recovering his hengemates for decades, and, operating on rock-time, doesn't feel urgency the way organics do., so he doesn't mind taking detours and side quests. Or perhaps he's fresh off his planet, but got swindled the moment he escaped Mother's gravity well, and now owes some dangerous people a sum that can only be repaid by taking whatever job he can get. Etc., etc. mutatis mutandis ad naeuseum. This may be easier to figure out once the group dynamic is starting to shape up.

Pulpatoon wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 11:54 pm It's the sort of game that only works if we all trust each other to make good, fun, interesting choices.

Totally on board with that approach!!!
and ditto on reading rulesets.

I'm on board if you'll have me

Pulpatoon wrote: ↑Wed Apr 27, 2022 12:05 am
I'd suggest making sure that Chip has a reason to working with the rest of the crew on whatever sort of weird jobs/hijinks/terrible ideas they end up getting involved with. Perhaps he has been at this job of recovering his hengemates for decades, and, operating on rock-time, doesn't feel urgency the way organics do., so he doesn't mind taking detours and side quests. Or perhaps he's fresh off his planet, but got swindled the moment he escaped Mother's gravity well, and now owes some dangerous people a sum that can only be repaid by taking whatever job he can get. Etc., etc. mutatis mutandis ad naeuseum. This may be easier to figure out once the group dynamic is starting to shape up.

Oh yeah, very much on board. I had it in mind it was more of a background goal ( on rock time, as you say). Chip may be taken with being off-planet. I'll figure out how he got down on his luck and work it in with the rest of the party

Roll call:

• Rex
• Cybersavant
• Lignacious
• Algernon

Alright! Four out of six!

With four on board, I'll alert the admins to request a campaign thread. I'm still aiming at a May 9 start date, but I might as well get started organizing things.

I was also reticent in learning a new system, but after your posts and skimming the rules I'm in, if you'll have me.

Almost to 6!

Roll call:

• Rex
• Cybersavant
• Lignacious
• Algernon
• Shaidar

We have a forum!
https://www.unseenservant.us/forum/viewforum.php?f=1256
I believe the five of you should have access as members. Please let me know if I screwed anything up

The campaign number for the die roller is 968.

Very exciting. Looks awesome - I love the alien art.