Frontier Explorer Issue 20 Now Available

TerlObar's picture
TerlObar
April 26, 2017 - 7:32pm

issue 20 cover imageHello Explorers!

Issue 20 of the Frontier Explorer is now available at DriveThruRPG and the Frontier Explorer website.  This issue marks five years of publishing the Frontier Explorer (how time flies). Together we’ve produced over 800 pages and over 400,000 words of content and by the looks of it we are still going strong.

This issue is primarily focused on creatures and races.  What is a science fiction game without more races and creatures to play and discover?  We have two race conversions and a large number of creatures (both new and converted from other systems) throughout the pages of this issue along with some of our staple columns.

Additionally we have an article that didn’t quite fit in our last robot issue, a continuation of our “New Player Primer” series that got started way back in issue 6 & 7 but has been on hiatus, a d100 table to grab a random world from, and a few other odds and ends.

The complete article list for this issue is:

  • New Player Primer: Vrusk
  • Creating Mid-level Characters in Star Frontiers
  • Who are the Raith?
  • The Frontier in Miniature: Shrubs, Cactus, and Flowering Bushes
  • Creature Conversions II
  • Titan Rising: 2299
  • Minotaur Rip Snake
  • Translator Microbes
  • Vembraces from the Minzii Marketplace
  • Badder Conversion
  • Malfunctioning Masseuse Bot
  • The Galactic “Hundred Acre Woods”
  • Grimz Guide Comic

Grab your copy today and start exploring!

Ad Astra Per Ardua!
My blog - Expanding Frontier
Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site
Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine
Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine
Comments:

JCab747's picture
JCab747
April 27, 2017 - 7:54am
Another good looking issue. I like seeing the Gamma World creature conversions. The Badder could definitely be a hostile, though more primative race that occupies one of the quarantine planets.
Joe Cabadas

ChrisDonovan's picture
ChrisDonovan
April 27, 2017 - 4:31pm
Well done to all involved.  Does anyone know what theme the next issue will be about?

jedion357's picture
jedion357
April 27, 2017 - 5:47pm
ChrisDonovan wrote:
Well done to all involved.  Does anyone know what theme the next issue will be about?


Excellant question kemosabe. In the past I've noted that we had 2-3 articles that went together and I thought up 1-2 more possible articles to go with them and suggested the theme to Tom S who generally went along with my idea.

Looking at the submission cue we have:
Two by Laura M: on the Rooksha and the Brutorz
One by Trevor H: on Interstellar travel
Two by me on some Dunjini deck plans I found where I whipped up a written article and submitted them- a UPFS Rescue Scout and a Troop Transport
A Frontier in Miniature by me on Sci fi tents and domes (this one is a paper model- print cut and fold though you can embellish it)
I have a "Station Eviction Incident" encounter covering three rooms on Clarion station but I may need to rework the material as I tried to do them in that one page competition style that was discussed a few months back and I'm not happy with it.

There may be more but its buried in a slue of art submissions.

We're actually beginning to scrape the bottom of the cupboard truth be told.

SO WE NEED SUBMISSIONS! one off encounters, game mastering advice, locations creatures etc. deck plans, new equipment. anything really.

Suggest a theme (although we'll likely only do a theme if we can put together the content 3 or more articles on that lines other wise no point in having a theme if you have no theme).

Suggest a quote, we like the quote to support the theme

I like to think in terms of series Iggy's Jurack Hangna series,  Grymz Guide, Minzii Marketplace, The Frontier in Literature (I've fallen behind reading 2-3 books in a theme for each quarter), Frontier in Miniature, Ships of the Frontier- not just deck plans but trying to make named ships with NPC crews and plot hooks etc. With a series you brain storm 3-4 good ideas and you have content for a year since we're quarterly.  But then I write one article on hypnotizm and suddenly 3 more ideas come to mind and then we have 3 or 4 submissions orbiting around the idea of hypnotism and that begs for us to have a theme.

So for example there has been some discussion on power armor in the forums and if it materialized into an article like right now and something else turned up involving say vehicle combat It would suggest a ground hawks theme if the Tanks Alot dragon article had not been redone in the SFman we'd have 3 things to build a theme around. I'd immediately say Ah I just read a book about a space marine company defending a planet but out numbered so that could be a book review (I'd look for something similar and thus have two books reviewed) and then I'm sure I could come up with something on the fly for the Minzii Marketplace series (military equipment shouldn't be hard)
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

JCab747's picture
JCab747
April 27, 2017 - 6:59pm
OK, OK. I'll submit a few more items. I'm actually trying to get ahold of the PR folks at Raytheon and Lockheed Martin to see if they would be willing to provide some artwork and a few factual quotes about current day exoskeletons. I was even thinking of trying to get a picture or two of Matt Damion in Elysium with that exoskeleton getup.
Joe Cabadas

KRingway's picture
KRingway
April 28, 2017 - 1:07am
I need to knock my articles on the Void Drive and Sathar Weapons into shape. I can provide illustrations for both.

iggy's picture
iggy
April 28, 2017 - 7:02am
Ok, opportunity for me to plug creature art requests.   I write Jurak best to existing art.  With existing art the ideas come and the stories flow.  When I create the art then the process is long and drawn out.  I fight with the art for a long time and then once the art is done I write and the story changes because my art is never as good as I imagined it before starting.  Sometimes I surprise myself like with the miniature losodragon.  I also don't repurpose existing RPG creatures like D&D and Gamma World.  That is Laura's gig.  I keep a list of all the creatures I have done by homeworld so that I can keep common physiology themes with each world.  So when I get a piece of art I sort it judging on its evolutionary plausibility and place it on a world that best fits based on past similar physiology.  So far onle one piece of art is stuck in the evolutionary implausible category.

So if anyone runs across creature art and gets permission from the artist please submit it.
-iggy

KRingway's picture
KRingway
April 28, 2017 - 7:12am
I can do any creature art if I'm given enough notice of it's need Smile If you browse my gallery here you'll see a fair few from Star Frontiers Wink

JCab747's picture
JCab747
April 28, 2017 - 9:44am
iggy wrote:
Ok, opportunity for me to plug creature art requests.   I write Jurak best to existing art.  With existing art the ideas come and the stories flow.  When I create the art then the process is long and drawn out.  I fight with the art for a long time and then once the art is done I write and the story changes because my art is never as good as I imagined it before starting.  Sometimes I surprise myself like with the miniature losodragon.  I also don't repurpose existing RPG creatures like D&D and Gamma World.  That is Laura's gig.  I keep a list of all the creatures I have done by homeworld so that I can keep common physiology themes with each world.  So when I get a piece of art I sort it judging on its evolutionary plausibility and place it on a world that best fits based on past similar physiology.  So far onle one piece of art is stuck in the evolutionary implausible category.

So if anyone runs across creature art and gets permission from the artist please submit it.


Igg, don't have artwork per se, but I do have some creature descriptions that I've created for Kraatar.

See this post here: http://starfrontiers.us/node/9143

You could use that information for your column if you would like. Other than the "Dentz Ripper," I think they are unique and not rehashed creatures from other games.


Joe Cabadas

JCab747's picture
JCab747
April 28, 2017 - 9:48am
For artwork, a Peter Saga posted on the Star Frontiers facebook page a willingness to create stuff.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/starfrontiersrpg/

"Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you all know that I do freelance illustration in an old school style, and would love to do some Star Frontiers based artwork for you guys. With that being said please check out my portfolio and let's talk about your project today. Single character art is my specialty no job to big or small. Thank you!"

 

https://artofpetersaga.wixsite.com/mysite

Joe Cabadas

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
April 28, 2017 - 5:47pm
I really like what people submitted this last edition... I will read it in depth this weekend, but I looked through the edition last night before falling asleep.  


I am going to try to open my files this weekend with a program I found buried in my operation system, with luck this will work and I can get back on my SF projects which are many.... I will continue my recycle gig, but I want to expand that a bit to start adding some gizmos or even how the tech levels where concieved of in the older games.... figure out some tool options if you will from some of the older games of Star Patrol and Star Empires. I will have to look where I left off but just ideas about the hyperdrive tech in SE is interesting and does fit nicely to SF. Happy Gaming folks. ????

 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."

iggy's picture
iggy
April 28, 2017 - 6:41pm
@KRingway,  I'll have to take you up on the artwork.  We can work multiple ways.  You can draw stuff and submit it with any thoughts about where it came from and how it acts.  I can attempt to draw stuff and send it to you to use as a guide.  This is just two ways I can think of off the top of my head.

I looked at your gallery and this one looks interesting: http://jerryboucher.deviantart.com/art/Lindworm-659550300
Is this spoken for?
-iggy

JCab747's picture
JCab747
April 28, 2017 - 7:01pm
iggy wrote:
@KRingway,  I'll have to take you up on the artwork.  We can work multiple ways.  You can draw stuff and submit it with any thoughts about where it came from and how it acts.  I can attempt to draw stuff and send it to you to use as a guide.  This is just two ways I can think of off the top of my head.

I looked at your gallery and this one looks interesting: http://jerryboucher.deviantart.com/art/Lindworm-659550300
Is this spoken for?


Vicious!
Joe Cabadas

KRingway's picture
KRingway
April 29, 2017 - 12:25am
iggy wrote:
@KRingway,  I'll have to take you up on the artwork.  We can work multiple ways.  You can draw stuff and submit it with any thoughts about where it came from and how it acts.  I can attempt to draw stuff and send it to you to use as a guide.  This is just two ways I can think of off the top of my head.

I looked at your gallery and this one looks interesting: http://jerryboucher.deviantart.com/art/Lindworm-659550300
Is this spoken for?


It's probably a better idea to draw up something based on a text design. My thinking was that, if people had  stuff written up for creature designs but had no artwork, I could step in and supply some drawings.

The only artwork of mine that's spoken for is for the 'Diggers', as they're going to feature in a White Star adventure I'm hoping to publish (and also perhaps provide details for porting it to SF). The Thyran and Jakar were done for posts elsewhere in these forums for those particular creatures. The creature in the image you posted was for Creatuanary on Instagram back in January - a Lindworm is a creature from mythology.

jedion357's picture
jedion357
April 29, 2017 - 4:41am
iggy wrote:
@KRingway,  I'll have to take you up on the artwork.  We can work multiple ways.  You can draw stuff and submit it with any thoughts about where it came from and how it acts.  I can attempt to draw stuff and send it to you to use as a guide.  This is just two ways I can think of off the top of my head.

I looked at your gallery and this one looks interesting: http://jerryboucher.deviantart.com/art/Lindworm-659550300
Is this spoken for?

This is interesting too (I like his ideas about the mole rat/fire frog/piranha inspiration:
http://jerryboucher.deviantart.com/art/Diggers-663891305

EDIT: I just saw that this was spoken for but it is cool.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

iggy's picture
iggy
April 29, 2017 - 6:50am
I didn't know the lindworm was mythical.  I just finished reading about it on Wikipedia.  Funny how so many cultures have large serpent and dragon legends. 
-iggy

TerlObar's picture
TerlObar
April 29, 2017 - 11:07am
Obviously you people don't read the letter from the editor at the beginning. Smile  As jedion357 said, we'd love submissions on anything.  However, if you're looking for priorities, I'd like to do spaceships and KH related stuff for issue 21 (submissions by early to mid June), and equipment and vehicles for issue 22 (submissions by early September).  In addition, I'd like to put out another issue of the Star Frontiersman with a collection of adventures and locations.  That will go out once I have enough to make an issue so the sooner I get those kinds of submissions, the sooner it will come out.
Ad Astra Per Ardua!
My blog - Expanding Frontier
Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site
Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine
Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine

ExileInParadise's picture
ExileInParadise
April 29, 2017 - 11:42am
Just a heads up getting a captcha error on the Frontier Explorer submissions page:
RECAPTCHA
Error for Site Owner:
Invalid domain for site key.

Let me know if there's another way to submit?

ExileInParadise's picture
ExileInParadise
April 29, 2017 - 11:44am
Also, @jedion357 in the comments around the guide to SCCs, you mentioned a lot of ideas about planet-based class IV SCCs - those could be reviewed and fleshed out as well for a future article.

http://www.starfrontiers.us/comment/reply/9599/44864

JCab747's picture
JCab747
April 29, 2017 - 12:45pm
TerlObar wrote:
Obviously you people don't read the letter from the editor at the beginning. Smile  As jedion357 said, we'd love submissions on anything.  However, if you're looking for priorities, I'd like to do spaceships and KH related stuff for issue 21 (submissions by early to mid June), and equipment and vehicles for issue 22 (submissions by early September).  In addition, I'd like to put out another issue of the Star Frontiersman with a collection of adventures and locations.  That will go out once I have enough to make an issue so the sooner I get those kinds of submissions, the sooner it will come out.


Sorry, I don't have spaceship related stuff, but I do want to get my equipment items submitted to be in line.

I could come up with some location/adventure ideas.
Joe Cabadas

jedion357's picture
jedion357
April 29, 2017 - 2:10pm
ExileInParadise wrote:
Also, @jedion357 in the comments around the guide to SCCs, you mentioned a lot of ideas about planet-based class IV SCCs - those could be reviewed and fleshed out as well for a future article.

http://www.starfrontiers.us/comment/reply/9599/44864


your right I'll add that to the list sitting in front of my computer and move it to the top since tom wants a KHs issue for 21
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

jedion357's picture
jedion357
April 29, 2017 - 2:11pm
JCab747 wrote:
TerlObar wrote:
Obviously you people don't read the letter from the editor at the beginning. Smile  As jedion357 said, we'd love submissions on anything.  However, if you're looking for priorities, I'd like to do spaceships and KH related stuff for issue 21 (submissions by early to mid June), and equipment and vehicles for issue 22 (submissions by early September).  In addition, I'd like to put out another issue of the Star Frontiersman with a collection of adventures and locations.  That will go out once I have enough to make an issue so the sooner I get those kinds of submissions, the sooner it will come out.


Sorry, I don't have spaceship related stuff, but I do want to get my equipment items submitted to be in line.

I could come up with some location/adventure ideas.


honestly submit whatever you have but if knowing we need something in theme X inspires you than have at it.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

ChrisDonovan's picture
ChrisDonovan
April 30, 2017 - 8:14am
Ok, I have some shortfic and a piece of art along the ship line I can submit if I can find the files again.  They've both been partially previewed in the forum, but there are changes.

KRingway's picture
KRingway
May 1, 2017 - 3:20am
How long can an article be? My Void Drive rules run at 10 pages more or less, plus tables, but not artwork.

jedion357's picture
jedion357
May 1, 2017 - 4:57am
KRingway wrote:
How long can an article be? My Void Drive rules run at 10 pages more or less, plus tables, but not artwork.

Good question, magazine is limited to 42 pages I believe. So 10 pages give it take doesn't seem like a problem. I tend to write short "filler" articles. So that is Tom needs 1-2 pages filled the material is handy. By and large if you have good material submit it and let us worry about size and layout.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

TerlObar's picture
TerlObar
May 1, 2017 - 5:41am
Yeah, 10 pages isn't a problem.  JCab747's piece on robots ended up taking like 15-16 pages in one issue (and was longer than that in the manuscript).  I have no problem with big articles.  The only issue that tends to come up is finding some artwork to break up the pages of text.

As jedion357 said, we limit each issue to 45 pages of content (+ 2 front matter pages) so that we can provide the print version saddle stitched.  If anyone ever submits something that comes close to or exceeds that we can always release it either as a Frontier Explorer Presents special issue or possibly put it in the Star Frontiersman which doesn't have that page limit.

I'll look into the submission problem.  In the mean time you can always just e-mail things to me directly if you need to.
Ad Astra Per Ardua!
My blog - Expanding Frontier
Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site
Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine
Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine

KRingway's picture
KRingway
May 1, 2017 - 8:02am
Okay, that sounds good. I'll see if I can knock the article into shape and rustle up some illustrations. I'm moving house in about a month but possibly that won't interfere with this! Smile

JCab747's picture
JCab747
May 3, 2017 - 12:10pm
I know, I'll volunteer someone else's work as an idea for inclusion in issue 21. Shadow Shack's extended deck plans for the Serena Dawn would definitely fit a space issue. Plus it would be nice to have a high resolution copy. And it would fit with the idea of a 35th anniversary year of Star Frontiers.
Joe Cabadas

JCab747's picture
JCab747
May 3, 2017 - 1:13pm
I actually do have a bit of a space adventure idea. But it is currently, shall we say, half-baked.

It takes place at Streel's New Streel star system. The mega-corp is running its own agricultural planet and has "control" of its own stellar system on the route between Theseus and Timeon, allowing it to bypass the troublesome White Light System with its pesky monarchy.

Streel has not had an easy time developing this system due to a number of hazards. One being the Giant Terropa. These vacuum-living creatures appear to be related to the small Telpa, a metal eating organism found at the Triskar System’s Shridkal asteroid belt (see “Creatures of the Frontier,” Star Frontiersman Issue 19). The size of an assault scout, the Giant Terropa has four large limbs that end in a small hydrogen “engine” that propels them at high speeds.

Stealthy, the creatures have been known to approach early Frontier ships without being detected before they latched onto the hulls with their powerful claws and mandibles. Often the Giant Terropa easily dismantled a wayward freighter within an hour. Some of the debris of these destroyed vessels can be found in the system.


http://www.starfrontiers.us/files/Giant%20Terropa0.5_0.JPG
Joe Cabadas

JCab747's picture
JCab747
May 3, 2017 - 1:15pm

Travel Advice

Ships passing through the New Streel system, on route between Theseaus and Timeon, are advised to jump in and out above or below the system’s plane of the ecliptic and maintain a high speed. That is the best way to avoid the Giant Terropa.

Vessels capable of landing should proceed to Corpco after rendezvous with one of the decoy scouts. If Giant Terropa are detected on an intercept course, the decoy scout will lead them off. Ships achieving orbit should land as soon as possible. Ships too large to land should have an escort of at least one assault scout and two decoy scouts.


Description:

A threat to shipping in the New Streel system, the vacuum-living Giant Terropa appears to be related to the small Telpa of the Triskaar system. The size of an assault scout, the Giant Terropa has four large limbs that end in a small hydrogen “engine” that propels them at high speeds; these limbs easily pivot, providing the creatures with great maneuverability.

At the front of the creature are 12 large limbs used for grappling – either a ship or an asteroid – and a maw of smaller, metal ripping teeth. It can also discharge super-heated plasma that will soften even the heaviest armor plating of current Frontier vessels. Stealthy, the creatures have been known to approach early Frontier ships without being detected before they latched onto the hulls with their powerful claws and mandibles. Often the Giant Terropa easily dismantled a wayward freighter within an hour. Some of the debris of these destroyed vessels can be found in the system.

The outer skin of these creatures can deflect many modern Frontier weapons – they take half-damage from lasers, torpedos, assault rockets and batteries, mines, seeker missiles and electron beams. Only distruptor beams appear to harm them more (actually subtract 3 from any disruptor beam damage roll).

Giant Terropa have an equivalent of 18 hull points, ADF 5 and MR 6. They cannot be detected at long range by current Frontier technology and are only sensed when they are on an encounter map. They seem to have the ability to sense the energy output of ships and detect gravitational changes in the solar wind that lead them to ships, which they must find as some kind of delectable snack.

Fortunately, the Giant Terropa cannot attack unless at point-blank range – within the same hex as the target. Its plasma discharge acts as a ranged attack weapon: RA 0/DTM -20/HDR 1d10+1. Stassis screens are fully effective against this type of attack as are masking screens...

Joe Cabadas

JCab747's picture
JCab747
May 3, 2017 - 1:30pm
That's about as far as I got on this idea so far. I have confessed that although I had owned the Knight Hawks game, I never really played it because I was more interested in Star Fleet Battles and then FASA's Star Trek the Role Playing Game.

I would need some help fleshing this creature out (hint, it's not really a natural creature but an organic warship of an ancient origin). The idea I had is that it would be fast enough to swoop in and rake ships with its 12 limbs. I was thinking that the plasma discharge should have a range of up to three hexes for the largest of these ships.

Referee background: These organic warships were seeded in the New Streel system about 10 millennia ago after the fall of the Tetrarch Societies. They were meant to keep the intelligent life form (known as the Brights) on the planet Corpco from leaving. They were controlled by a cybernetic brain-like installation that is on one of the moons of the fifth planet (a Jovian) in the system.

Years ago, the installation used to broadcast a warning to others to stay out of the system, but that failed some 2,000 years ago when it was damaged. When a Human colony ship and its escorts from Minotaur visited the system some ___ years ago, it had the misfortune of running into a pod of six Giant Terropas -- two full-sized adults and four juveniles of various sizes -- which tore the ships apart. The system was then forgotten about until Streel bought the space routes to it from an explorer.

Because of the increased stellar traffic in the system, the cybernetic installation has programmed its Giant Terropa to begin making more and more copies of itself (breeding). Streel has noticed this increased activity and is mounting an extermination effort -- with the Spacefleets help -- to clear away the navigational menace in the system.
Joe Cabadas