Jovian chronicles/Dream Pod 9

[Father Fletch]

Have any of you bought or looked through the Dream Pod 9 stuff?
This is the closest I can come to a 2300AD/TL 9-10 Traveller universe feeling game that is currently out there other than Traveller itself. I am always on the lookout for supplimental material. The combat is vector based and designed to be on the hard end of sci fi. The system is very well developed and the back-story and artwork is all top notch.
http://www.dp9.com/Products/JCRPGstart.htm
They now also have a d20 adaptation, which is tempting so that designs that appeal can be ported over to T20.
http://www.dp9.com/Products/d20mecha.htm
There is also a fan base that could be corrupted...er...swayed to 2300 or Traveller as a possible expansion of the universe

 

[s-feige]

So, why not only vote, but also comment my vote.

Yep, i have looked through Heavy Gear and looked through and bought Jovian Chronicles.

My main interest was in Anime-style RPG. Not to be misunderstood - the mecha-thing and the artwork are what makes it Anime-related in my view (and Anime is not all about Big Eyes and Small Mouth

).

The Jovian Chronicles Background is a good example for a small-scale substellar Science Fiction-Setting, also delivering interesting inspirations on politics, science and tech.

I haven't looked at the above mentioned HG-Combat System closely, but the Shilouette (RPG) system is quite nice.

Regardless, I'm a purist by soul and would never mingle another background or rules with anything Traveller

Have a nice day,
Aldan Romar

 

[Antares Administration]

Originally posted by Father Fletch:
Have any of you bought or looked through the Dream Pod 9 stuff?

I play Heavy Gear extensively, use a lot of their setting material in RPG and miniatures play, and also belong to the local "Pod Corps" here in Ottawa.

In the coming months, DP9 will be re-releasing material with sections on OGL conversion, and new product built from the ground up for either "Revised Silhouette" or "d20-based OGL" play. In the new Core Command setting and revised Silhouette system, players will be able to integrate material from any of the existing DP9 games with their d20-based speculative fiction games.

It seems that Traveller and Core Command will be able to share material....

Paul Nemeth
AA

 

[trader jim]

i have checked out the system and the books...it all looks pretty good to me....BUT....there still is not enough background infor for my liking....i do like the ART WORK though...very good stuff!!...
i also have NEVER seen anyone play this thing......and i have been in MANY game stores to watch for it

 

[sandman]

i have checked out the system and the books...it all looks pretty good to me....BUT....there still is not enough background infor for my liking....i do like the ART WORK though...very good stuff!!...

If you can get your hands on the "Life on Terra Nova" Sourcebook, you'll see quite a bit about the background. One of the best sourcebook I've seen for an RPG. Describes the History and the normal/Average life on the planet, down to music, art, clothing style, fast food, sporting events/competition...

i also have NEVER seen anyone play this thing......and i have been in MANY game stores to watch for it

I've been to many store in my region and never seen someone play Traveller either. Must be played by someone, 'cause they make enough money ( continuing to publish HG stuff.)

 

[Antares Administration]

Originally posted by trader jim:
i have checked out the system and the books...it all looks pretty good to me....BUT....there still is not enough background infor for my liking....i do like the ART WORK though...very good stuff!!...

Let's see....

a. If you're a gearhead - The Equipment Manual, and sections in most of the "Nation" books.

b. If you're a military equipment type - The Vehicle Compendiums (One and Two) for each of the major Coalitions on TerraNova. Vol. 1 is "Gears", Vol.2 is Tanks, Artillery, APCs, and specialist vehicles.

c. If you're into the TOE's of the armed forces - try any of the four army lists - Southern Milicia, Northern Guard, Terran Commonwealth Expeditionary Force for standard regimental TOEs and formations up to Corps/Task Group and down to Squad/Section/Squadron/Cadre (depending on nationality), or Raids and Raiders for the Special Forces of the various sides.

d. Air Combat - Tactical Air Support.

e. Ground Combat - Either of the RPG or Miniatures Rulebooks, and Tactical Field Support.

f. Space Combat - Tactical Space Support and the two Spaceship books.

g. Amber Zone type plot threads - Any of the "Story Line" books.

h. If you want to know more about the people and their cultures, cities, points of interest and artifacts - start with "Life on Terra Nova" or "Into the Badlands", then try any of the seven nation books, the five colony world books, the two campaign settings - The Paxton Gambit, and The New Breed.

And this is just for "Heavy Gear". Then there's Jovian Chronicles - Terra system-based setting, Gear Krieg - WW2 alternate history/pulp fiction, and Tribe 8 - fantasy setting. The first three all have RPG and miniatures products available that can easily be used in Traveller. That's where I got my hovertanks, APCs, personal ATV and infantry miniatures!

i also have NEVER seen anyone play this thing......and i have been in MANY game stores to watch for it

Dream Pod 9 has a well-organized website.
Check out http://www.dp9.com/Support/podcorp.htm
for a list of the member player chapters in your area.

Hope this helps!

Paul Nemeth
AA
(and member Pod Corps Ottawa)

 

[Jame]

I haven't looked at Dream Pod Nine stuff, partly due to lack of local availability and partly due to lack of interest. I might look at _Jovian Chronicles_, but otherwise no; mecha generally does little for me (and I do like anime, just not most mecha).

 

[Antares Administration]

Originally posted by Jame:
I haven't looked at Dream Pod Nine stuff, partly due to lack of local availability and partly due to lack of interest. I might look at _Jovian Chronicles_, but otherwise no; mecha generally does little for me (and I do like anime, just not most mecha).

No problem. But don't make the mistake of thinking that the Heavy Gear setting is just Mecha. I've used it to run several Mercenary and Belter type RPG and miniatures games. It's the wealth of politics, intrigue, culture, and history that makes the setting so Traveller-friendly.

Paul Nemeth
AA

 

[Fulminata]

I think DP9 has some of the best sci-fi backgrounds in gaming. I've always been particularly fond of the Jovian Chronicles setting ever since it first appeared as an adventure for Mekton. (That will make D20 the third rules system it has been adapted to, Traveller better watch out or it might catch up

)

Mecha aside, it does try for a hard sci-fi approach. It is also heavily influenced by the original Gundam series, and the other "realistic" mecha anime that followed it.

 

[El Darbo]

I have to agree , both HG and Jov have extensive backgrounds and tons of possibilities. I got hooked into the Jov Chron world back when it was introduced by R. Talsorian as a Mekton supplement. Both worlds offer immense possibilities for all kinds of games. I've run a huge number of rpgs for these. Just the political backgounds and cultural differences alone can make your head spin. Soooo many possibilities.....
Right now I have a Jov Chron game going where the PC's are SolarPol agents/officers tracking down a "terrorist group" (s.t.r.i.k.e.) that are force cloning and memory loading warriors on an "assembly line" based on the minds of people they have kidnapped or killed. Very little mecha involved.
My last HG game revolved around a team of doctors who had discovered a new strain of FLu that was covertly introduced by Earth to weaken TN for invasion. They had to somehow gain the trust of the white waste nomads in order to gain an extract from a plant only found in their dessert hideaway. Not easy, but great roll play. Again, no to very little mecha.

These are deffinatly games to look at in depth, there is so much information and hooks between the lines, these guys are good. They have me like a buck smelling doe-juice!
Check them out, you'll thank yourself.

 

[trader jim]

El Darbo, hi, can you please explain to me what Doe Juice is??? Can Trader Jim Bottle and sell it?? Can you mix it with COFFEE JUICE and sell it??

could it be used as an AFTER SHAVE????

 

[Vargas]

JC has a lot of neat aspects but the PC creation/stats system left me cold.

 

[sandman]

Originally posted by trader jim:
El Darbo, hi, can you please explain to me what Doe Juice is??? Can Trader Jim Bottle and sell it?? Can you mix it with COFFEE JUICE and sell it??

could it be used as an AFTER SHAVE????

You *ARE* a relative of Cut-Me-Own-Throath Dibbler, aren`t you?

 

[Spinward Scout]

I really enjoyed looking through the Jovian Chronicles for ideas. I also thought that Traveller should do something like the Jovian Spacer's Handbook, which I'm going to buy when I get a chance.

Scout

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by Antares Administration:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by trader jim:
i have checked out the system and the books...it all looks pretty good to me....BUT....there still is not enough background infor for my liking....i do like the ART WORK though...very good stuff!!...

Let's see....

a. If you're a gearhead - The Equipment Manual, and sections in most of the "Nation" books. </font>[/QUOTE]You mean the Technical Manual? Good background tech info and lots of gearhead goodness. The Equipment Catalog (?) does have lots of gear to play with.

The main rulebook cut out the backstory put into "Life on Terra Nova" since they put in the short form of the tactical rules. If you want more story the year updates and the new world books should help.

I originally got into Ianus/DP9 through the old Mecha Press magazine (spin off of Protoculture Addicts). At the time I was getting tired of Battletech and the Robotech RPG just didn't cut it.

Good stuff and I'm looking forward to Core Command and their D20 books.

Besides, you can't go wrong with a game system that has this
(Ferret with uh "butt wheel" deployed)

I hope it makes their D20 books.

Casey

 

[mad13142000]

I'd not heard of it till I purchased a copy of Lightning Strike that was in the clearance bin at the game store...It looks really cool - I like how it is usually just ship based combat, but really experienced players like aces and admirals have influence on game mechanics...
-MADDog

 

[trader jim]

Hi folks....took a look on E-bay...man this stuff can be Expensive!!!!....but i am still interested.

 

[aramis]

I've got Heavy Gear, Jovian Chronicles, Gear Kreig, and Tribe 8... all very compelling settings using the same mechanics.

Jovian Chronicles, as a setting, is quite well developed...
Sourcebooks for Mars, Earth, Jupiter, Venus, SolaPol (Interplanetary interpol) are out; belters and mercury to be done. Ship books - several. Mecha: Yes, but not to the exclusion of other forms of combat vehicle. Even an epic adventure in print. The base book is lacking on details, but the companion has a good starting point.

None of them are truly "gearhead" oriented, with a design system that actually is more of a "These stats point total to this much" system.

And I'd say it's really TL 9. Only TL 9. No Jump, no gravitics. Give them TL 11 pp's, tho.

 

[sandman]

With their release of CORE Command, there are now a Corebook for their Sillhouette Rules AND how to convert to D20...

Which means that many of their very nice desings can be more easily adapted to T20

Now... What would a BattleDress do against a Black Mamba?

 

[Colin]

D20 Mecha is a good book, if you ignore the Fantasy stuff. And even then, the goblin-crewed Coalsuits are kinda neat.

As side from that, Heavy Gear and Jovian Chronicles are both very well-deveopled settings. The world-books are a great resource for any Traveller GM. Not to mention the vehicles and mecha, even if you don't like that sort of thing. The artwork is fantastic.

The latest Jovian Chronicles book, Cis-Lunar Space, was even dual-statted, with both Silhouette and D20 stats for all the vehicles. <insert shameless plug here> I mention it, in large part, because I wrote most of it.

Core Command has much to offer the Traveller Player and GM, in particular the Armory and upcoming Big, Nasty Aliens. (I wrote a few things for those books, too.

) But it's all dual-statted.