2320 progress report

[mike wightman]

Will there be a playtest, and if so how close are we to it?
Something not on the list, Pentapod bio-tech constructs, or are they included in equipment?
Oh, and don't forget Ylii ships. They appeared in a Challenge adventure. Their computer tech may need a few words also, IMHO.

 

[Colin]

Yes. In the chapter on each alien race, there will be sections for weapons, equipment, vehicles and ships (for the star-faring races). Along with any notes on special technology or special abilities.

Pentapod equipment designed for the human market will be covered under Equipment, while Pentapod gear that they make for themselves would go in their chapter. Along with a couple of examples of their weapons...

The Ylii will get a couple of ship designs, the Sung will get 1 ship, the Pentapods 3, and the Kafers 4.

 

[Colin]

Oh yeah, playtest. I'm not sure how that will be handled. I'm doing a running playtest here with my group, and I've got a few people reviewing vehicle and starship design, but I'm keeping that all pretty tight for now. Presumably there will be an opportunity for a wider playtest after it's all finished. Which should be in about 1 1/2 months.

Colin

 

[siefertma2]

Originally posted by Colin:
Here's where I'm at now:

Kafers – Alien Race including chargen. Need ships and vehicles

Pentapods – Alien Race including chargen. Need ships and vehicles

You mean we're actually going to get a chance to play aliens in this version of 2300 AD? KEWL BEANS!

 

[mike wightman]

Which should be in about 1 1/2 months.

Ha, just in time for my birthday

Thanks for the reply, Colin.

It all looks very interesting.

 

[mike wightman]

One last question, if I may.
Any idea yet what the final page count will be, approximately?

 

[siefertma2]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Will there be a playtest, and if so how close are we to it?

Well, it's listed as an upcoming playtest in the QLI playtest center. Sooooooo....

 

[Colin]

Originally posted by Mark A. Siefert:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Colin:
Here's where I'm at now:

Kafers – Alien Race including chargen. Need ships and vehicles

Pentapods – Alien Race including chargen. Need ships and vehicles

You mean we're actually going to get a chance to play aliens in this version of 2300 AD? KEWL BEANS! </font>[/QUOTE]Well, alien chargen is there primarily to generate NPCs, but an adventurous player, and an aggreeable GM, could certainly do a PC out of some of them. Others, not so much. The Klaxun would be decidedly ...um ... odd. to play.

Colin

 

[Colin]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
One last question, if I may.
Any idea yet what the final page count will be, approximately?

150000 words, so around 200-300 pages. That pretty much a WAG, btw.

 

[jwcarroll60]

I hope someone will explain just how the French managed to overcome all the 'bad press' and 'knocks' to their prestige and maintain the so-called "French Peace". I thought that 2300 was leaning towards a weakening or destabilization of the French Peace.

 

[Colin]

Who says they overcame it?

Colin
2320AD writer and tired old man.

 

[GJD]

Colin

I'm waiting with baited breath.

Three quick questions:

1. Who do I have to kill/sleep with/sacrifice to my dark gods to get onto the playtest list?

2. is there going to be any info on the 'mystery' alien races (the medusa's and 'the enemy' and the AGRA)

3. If the 'Little Guys' are statted up, will we be getting more info on the Bayern mission, bearing in mind that the outcome of that mission was largely determined by PC action?

Ta.

G.

 

[Colin]

Three quick answers:
1> Talk to Martin/Hunter once it's finished
2> Some, but they will remain largely a mystery for Directors to explore
3> Yes, keep in mind that the Bayern mission is history now, having returned 12 years ago. There is a new area of space, the "Bayern Corridor" to explore. Not very detailed, but lots to explore. Followup missions?

Colin
2320AD writer and no-so-tired old man

 

[kafka47]

ALthough, I never actually played 2300AD, I actively bought everything dealing with it. So a couple of questions...

1) Has humanity defeated the kafers?
2) The Bayren corridor, does anything lie beyond it?
3) What sort of supplements would you like to see to follow the release of the 2020 book?
4) In numerous 2300 supplements/Challenge articles there is a tension between the colonies and home country. Do you envision a greater or lesser rift, as a result of the kafer war?
5) Earth/Tirane, also, seems to moving to a tune of its own, as GDW moved into cyberpunk. Has this trend continued or are we likely to see a milieu of Imperial Earth (under French/American leadership)?
6) The foundations or interstellar quangos seem to be an unexplored area in 2300AD are you going back to revisit their agendas?
7) Any thoughts how we might link your efforts with the Official Traveller Universe?

I really applaud your efforts, as it seems like that the RPG market is really ripe for getting a real Hard SF game and your outline makes me confident it is one step closer.

 

[Colin]

If I answered all these questions, I would have no surprises left. Well, some.

1> Umm, I'm not going to answer this one, not yet.
2> The Corridor offically ends at the homeworld of the Little Guys, with further passage being illegal, and enforced.
3> Supplements? Oh, lots. Military vehicles, military ships, civilian vehicles, civilian vessels, deckplans, more info on aliens, world books, Weapons and tech, adventures. At least that what I'd like to see. We'll see how the book goes.
4> Depends on the controlling nation. Some less, some more, with more independent colonies. I won't say which.
5> Earth and Tirane, especially Earth, live and move to a completely different tune than the Frontier worlds.
6> Yes.
7> That's up to you, but I would change the stardrive tech to make them compatible, one way or another. There will no official conversion guidlelines, at least not at this time.

Colin
2320AD writer, and currently sitting in a class on MS Exchange

 

[kaladorn]

Originally posted by Colin:
Colin
2320AD writer, and currently sitting in a class on MS Exchange

If I recall, the correct procedure for installing MS Exchange involves using a Unix shell (vmware or cygwin) and 'rm -r *'.....

My condolences. No one should have to suffer that. Thought mind you, it may be less painful than Domino/Notes development.... <shudders at the bad memories...>

 

[kafka47]

Colin:

Forgive my indulgences to pry away a Great Old One and subject him to mental torture for him/it to reveal all the great secrets of 2020AD.

QUESTION: Is there any areas that you would like us on the list to fight it out that way help provide you with inspiration to carry forward or just simply to ransack our ideas and bring a collabourative effort into being?

Judging from the others on this part of the boards, the 2030AD seems tame compared to the Traveller parts, but, that is probably due to self-contained nature of the cannon.

 

[Colin]

Thanks for the offer. I'll think about it. It's largely plotted out now, just remains to fill in the blanks.

Colin
2320AD writer, and still in this bloody Exchange course

*And I know enough Unix to avoid the rm comand, thank you very much.

 

[kaladorn]

Um, I guess I should have added 'don't try rm -r * from root at home kiddies'. I assumed you'd recongize the joke.

I had a friend, working on a C or B level secure SGI box, do a cd /tmp (only he botched the slash), NOT then do a pwd, then did rm -r * (as root). He was *in* root when he did it.

His description:
"When it took more than 2 or 3 seconds, I broke it. By then I'd lost /dev, chunks of many other core unix directories... the box was toast. Being a secure box, I had to sneakernet all the software and manually install. That was an 8-10 hour rebuild. Note to self: don't do that again"

Makes you understand why some DOS versions say "this will delete everything, do you *really* want to do that?" on their equivalent commands

Looking forward to 2320 AD, I must say.

 

[caj]

Gentlemen,
I noticed the 2320AD cover on the in development and online store... so any idea on a release date?

Thank You
CJ