Game Geeks #184 Diaspora and Bulldogs! by VSCA Publishing and Galileo Games

[hotsum0ta]

diaspirin

[phaedruslive]

farscape = best show ever

[danbuter]

Is Bulldogs 4dF or d6-d6?

[decovedder]

Hi Kurt,

Please review the Untamed Lands books, by Gun Metal Games! I'm curious about that setting. I love sword & sorcery!

[tarboy69]

@decovedder is that for savage worlds or another system

[ArchArturo]

5:25 That is a VERY angry ewok XD.

[rorag111]

actually, diaspora kinda reminds me of the reboot of battlestar galatica, and all those feature could make a really intersting riff off that take

[Ocannae]

Just one small quiz: Whay is it called BULLDOGS! Is it class, or general expression in the game (Like Wildcards in Savage worlds)? You use to be good telling us this things Kurt, but Im affraid you misst it in this episode. Indeed Very GOOD Episode by the way..

[gregoryvn3]

This was good stuff. I've been on the lookout for new sci-fi setting game options.

[orendo]

Kurt, how about reviewing The One Ring, the brand new Tolkien RPG from Cubicle 7? And also, the Mouse Guard RPG has just been re-released in a nice box set; a good time to review it as ever!

[kaosdevice]

Good stuffs. I've been wondering about Bulldogs! for a few years.

[sureshot73A]

Hey Kurt will review the new edition of Starblazer adventures? Not sure how new it is except that it will not be as massive a book as 1E was. You have both a player and Gms guide.

[MrCLTaylor]

Thanks for reviewing Diaspora. Great system and game (love the FATE system), and as a sci-fi buff, a well-done, pretty 'realistic' for sci-fi. My group loves it. :)

[PanosGregorios]

Really good episode this one Kurt:)

[nutherefurlong]

Does Fate lend itself to grittier or more rigid settings? I was under the impression that breezier stuff fit it better.

[tetsubo57]

I have the D20 version of Bulldogs!, it has some nice racial creation rules.

[lingojac]

Hey Kurt, which field of engineering do you have a degree in?

[Scottishblokes]

Kurt... Good Job

[Ocannae]

Dispora: I am Not in to HARD Sci-fi games, becus im not that in to sciens. But I do like the Ide that your character gets can make hes own star system, or "homeworld". Im looking for a good planet generator, is this good to use in other games?

[Scottishblokes]

@Ocannae give it a go



[trekie9001]

I really like these reviews where Kurt compares and contrasts two or more similiar games.

[DeepEndOfTheDicePool]

I'm sorry, where is it that I can go to catch up on classic gamegeeks episodes? I must have missed that ... ;o)

[monstermodelreview]

@DeepEndOfTheDicePool go to our web site gamegeeksrpgand check out the episode guide.  Otherwise just type game geeks classics in the youtube search box

[TheColmarr]

Could that bulldogs! be used as tool to play LEXX type of game?

[tarboy69]

cool cant wait 

[Venefica82]

Game Geek episodes makes me happy. :D

[RadicalAns]

Yay for more frequent episodes!!!

[jamesdillane]

Kurt, that was great!

[pachouliknowledge]

isn't Traveller ideal for Farscape?

[knwiegel]

@pachouliknowledge Not really in my view: Traveller is too deadly, I can't see making a race 'immune' to vacuum (Luxans) for very long, and I just can't see anyone in Traveller sasy "Blah, blah, blah: Pilot I'm free. Blow the hatch and suck this BITCH OUT!"

I need something light and fun for that one.

[MaxxTheMerciless]

@knwiegel In my upcoming Savage Worlds space opera setting, where it's a very cops and robbers oriented thing, it's standard procedure to board any ship with spacesuits just in case something like that occurs. But you're right. It's one of those things that I had concerns about. One player I know who really knows his computers found ways to easily get around Asimov's Three Laws by simply not running operations that prevented him from flooding the ship with lethal radiation from the reactor.

[hathiphnath]

@MaxxTheMerciless How is that possible? Inaction is covered by the first law.

[MaxxTheMerciless]

@hathiphnath What I meant was computer operations within itself, meaning that the 3 Laws routines that are supposed to operate he simple shuts off. He explained he's running Windows 7500 as his operating system, which allows him to do that at will, and given he has no emotions it has no more significance to his operation than doing a reboot.

[hathiphnath]

@MaxxTheMerciless So, his excuse was that bugs in his software allow him to sidestep the laws?

[MaxxTheMerciless]

@hathiphnath It was explained to me that computer systems do not necessarily connect one event or action to another unless they're told to in some fashion. It's called Cognitive Disassociation. In people this would be considered psychopathic or sociopathic, but computers are always like this because they don't really see the moral or ethical significance of one action or another. I'd argue that the mere motive by the player to circumvent the 3 laws in this way is a violation, though.

[hathiphnath]

@MaxxTheMerciless Engineering limitations aside, you realise that Asimov created the laws for a thematic change, right? He wanted to write stories that were NOT about machines ending up destroying their masters. It's like in Vampire the Requiem -- there's no medical reason why guns are less effective vs the undead compared to the arhaic weapons, but it's a thematic change that makes modern tech less potent. If Asimov's laws cannot be enforced in a setting, there's no point in having them at all.

[hathiphnath]

@MaxxTheMerciless In short, in games and fiction that operate by Asimov's laws, a robot is MUCH more likely to fail identifying itself as a robot and then deliberately ignoring the laws as it thinks he's a human being. If someone has robots harming people explained by the engineering limitations or a lacking moral compass, that person has missed the point of Asimov's works completely.

[MaxxTheMerciless]

@hathiphnath I don't disagree. It's one of the reasons why I'm ditching the whole idea of Asimov's Robotic Laws anyway. They're too impractical. For military and law enforcement applications you're going to need a robot that can engage living targets in a manner that befits it's role, and then you have criminals and terrorists who have their own needs, so the whole idea of having them is rather laughable to begin with.

[hathiphnath]

@MaxxTheMerciless I don't find the idea laughable myself. I mean, one is bound to program some self-protective measures into the software, no matter how complicated these systems would be from today's engineering perspective. For example, I loved the ending of Robocop... he is unable to shoot the bad guy until the CEO held in hostage tells the baddy "You're fired!" and thus enabling Robocop to bypass the "don't harm our employees" law and take the villain out with a headshot.

[MaxxTheMerciless]

@hathiphnath The way I see it, robots are tools. Nothing more or less. I do not see people deliberately making SkyNets and HAL 9000s without some means of effectively and easily controlling them if they have to. I think Asimov assumed some level of cognitive sentience to the robots he wrote about. I'm assuming they don't, because we don't really know what sentience is. Part of the themes I write about is the nature of the soul itself.

[hathiphnath]

@MaxxTheMerciless That's a valid standpoint of course, but how do you handle the robots in gaming as characters. All systems I've seen handle them completely unfair compared to the organic characters. They have inherent armour and I was in a StarWars game where all other characters were stuck with the rolled stats, but the droid kept constantly upgrading to better processors (higher int), other gadgets and new skills and language simply by data transfer. I guess FATE could handle them fairly...

[MaxxTheMerciless]

@hathiphnath One thought was to take a cue from Shadowrun and have one PC run one or multiple robots like a rigger does. Or, do what you mentioned and have the PC play robot with preset stats and abilities that can be upgraded, but put limits on those upgrades, and then make it a point to the player that their character is not sentient but operates to a purpose (unless it's been corrupted in some way). That means an Alignment (makes me shudder to think about it).

[pachouliknowledge]

@knwiegel I see your point. It's just that when I watched Farscape I remember thinking "this is Traveller" all the time. Even the whole situation with the Peacekeepers reminded me of the first contact with the Vilani. But maybe it's just me. Also, I generally prefer deadly/more realistic systems, even for light-hearted campaigns. Must be all that Ravenloft I ate as a kid.

[TheSeventhZombie]

I freakin' love Farscape but for the life of me I can't get my group to play. I hear a lot of "Its not Firefly" or "I prefer Star Wars" Philistines!!!!!!

[pachouliknowledge]

Just type "διασπορα" on Google Translate and press the "listen" button on the greek side to hear how it's pronounced, Kurt! (at least in greek)

Also, Thanks for the review! I could be crazy, but I believe Diaspora was released before Starblazer Adventures.

[MrJamespj]

I bet Kurt is a really fun and cool teacher as well

[knwiegel]

@MrJamespj Not according to Ratemyprofessor. And No chilli peppers?!

I kid, I kid.

[KodyaxZavaj]

Interesting I jam thinking I may have to look into Bulldogs and see if I can adapt it and Starblazer for Savage Worlds. I take it StarBlazers is Space Battleship Yamato?

[knwiegel]

@KodyaxZavaj Not really. Its based on a British Comic line- it also spawned Legends of Anglerre.

[KodyaxZavaj]

@knwiegel Interesting, I may have to get it and then track down trade paperbacks of the comic that spawned it.

[DirtyBriefcase]

Damn, Kurt's on fire with this one.

[knwiegel]

@DirtyBriefcase Thanks. I was in a really good mood.

[nomoreHen]

Diaspora okay interested!

[tarboy69]

do you have any plane to review arcanis

[knwiegel]

@tarboy69 Its coming- it just takes longer to digest. It will also be as an Ennies Judge.