Exilian
Game Design and Project Resources: The Workshops Quarter => Tabletop Design - The Senet House => Cepheida => Topic started by: Jubal on June 16, 2012, 04:03:02 PM
-
This thread will have the basic explanations of what this project is about and any other FAQs that need answering.
So what is this?
Cepheida is a project I started with a "World Building" series of articles on A Call To Arms. The aim has been to develop a setting - and, later, a skirmish game - that is in a sci-fi setting but doesn't have the grimdark, militarised feel of a game like Warhammer 40,000 and most other science fiction games. It's a bit more tongue-in-cheek and light hearted, and focusses on the exploration and planet-hopping side of sci-fi. There's plenty of fighting too of course, but the primary aim of most races isn't genocide. And there are cool aliens.
Tell me more about the setting...
It's set in a star cluster or small galaxy, somewhere out there in the far future. Humans, unlike in most settings, are not the civilising force in Cepheida; they're generally seen as thuggish but useful barbarians from some war-torn fringe worlds. The huge, armoured creatures known as Verwynn have built a major Empire across the centre of the cluster, with their four-legged Gruth servants being just the largest amongst a whole host of other subject races. The other major race is the S'ruba, classic eyes-on-stalks aliens with hoof-like feet. They account for three of the other forces. One is the Homeworlders, a benevolent but communistic state that resists the Verwynn and keeps order in the original S'ruba system but is expanding rapidly in the search for resources. There is also the Lexihad, a bizarre religious cult determined to find their lost leader by searching every planet in existence until he returns to them, and the anarchically democratic rebels who call themselves the Free S'ruba. The self-building Tangalak cyborgs and the trading Hanstellartic League are also trying to expand their reach over the cluster, giving quite a diverse array of outlooks, viewpoints, and goals for the different factions!
You mentioned a game?
I'm working on a set of skirmish game rules to go with the world. Your different alien and mercenary bands will be going out to explore different randomly generated planets, with different aims (conquest, trade posts, killing off the other players, etc etc). You'll be able to play individual fights, but the main focus is on having a big planet-hopping campaign where players roam a stellar map and seek to fulfil their goals and defeat both native aliens and other player groups who oppose them. Alien factions also mean there'll be diversity in fights for the players, as each player will get to control native forces that fight against the other player ships and crews.
-
You lost me in "sci-fi" sorry :P Maybe someone else might be more inetrested than I am (I did finish the first pharagraph and started the second, but then my mind made up it's mind up and just to the next thread :P )
-
Actually Debux, this is amazingly well thought out and you should check out the articles. They're very well written. ;)
-
I hope you guys like the rules when they appear; PG, you do tabletop gaming, any chance you could find someone to do some playtesting with at some point?
-
Hmm, my sister might well be alright with it and Duke Dev who is not active at all on here. :P I only see Dev ocassionally though so maybe. :(
Alternatively of course, I could do what I normally do and play both sides. :P Just D6's right or will you be using other dice?
-
I only write systems for d6es, yeah, more or less regardless of what they're for; other dice are just much harder to come by.
I'll get more information up soon hopefully!
-
Awesome. I'm looking forward to it. ;)
-
we have to playtest this some time over summer now exams are finished
-
I'd be up for getting involved in this post-exams as well, looks great
-
This looks awesome, it sounds like a galactic scale necromunda, with aliens. :D
-
That's a fairly good approximation.
As a 'verse, it's designed to be more alien-heavy than most sci-fi, and also to tread the line between whimsy and realism - so not everything in the galaxy is automatically trying to kill you like in 40K/Necromunda. Colonisation, exploration, etc are a very major part of it, which possibly gives it a slightly more firefly/doctor who feel in some ways, though less human-centric.
-
Soooo...Necromunda with creations from Spore? I can't wait!
-
And from looking at your posts we actually have some interesting aliens, not just the sterotypically slightly odd humanoids, love it
-
Pity I can't draw. :P
-
I think we can forgive you Jub, you seem more than capable of everything else. ;)
-
Still annoying :P
-
Are you up to playtest level yet?
-
Not far off, there are still a few crucial bits missing though (scenario rules, I need to get at least one more faction's troop roster done, and I need a technology generator).
-
Sweet, if you like I'd be glad to take a look at what you have so far and offer feedback.
-
I'll post some rules up sometime in the next week I hope. :)