Thousand Suns Readalong!

[Jeffr0]

Greetings, Travellers!

Grognardia games has released a new space rpg, and I'm digging into it chapter by chapter. In the process, I am assessing it as a response to the massive amounts of Traveller materials that have obviously influenced it. Thousand Suns is influenced by some of the same literature as Traveller, but will have some aspects of its tone updated for modern audiences. It's fun to see how it will shake out by the end, but it would be even more fun with your participation!

Please join me as a fellow reader so I can better assess this game's contribution to the space gaming scene. So far we've got a couple of very different game masters trading notes on what's really awesome in space gaming, but more would be better whether you have the new Thousand Suns pdf in hand or not.

We are currently at chapter one, so you haven't missed much yet:

Intro to the Readalong
Chapter 1

 

[RainOfSteel]

It looks interesting. It appears to have been published in 2008, but I can locate no supporting products, nor reference to upcoming products. Is the one main book going to be the only one?

 

[Jeffr0]

There were other books made and the author plans to redo the layout and re-release them all in PDF format.

See here for more details:

http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2011/12/thousand-suns-available-for-sale.html

That's all I know.

 

[RainOfSteel]

Ok, so the author plans on updating first edition products and releasing them as PDF, and then POD. Good news. I'm short on money at the moment, but this goes on my list of things to buy when I can, like SciFi20 and a few other things.

When I read the topic title to begin with, I thought there had been an earlier edition of the game. I went searching for more information and found virtually none. Not even a wikipedia page. Strange, as usually even pretty obscure stuff has at least some mention.

I had been hoping to locate a list of what products had been originally released, and possibly some short discussions of their contents, but I had no luck.

 

[Jeffr0]

If I had known that there was an ealier edition, I don't think I would have started the readalong. Now that I know thit it was so obscure, that is effectively a new release... I don't feel so bad.

The author does not seem to like the layout of the previous edition too much, so maybe it's a good thing that I'm likely never to see it...!

 

[Vargas]

The original Thousand Suns was published in 2008 by Rogue Games and was followed up by three supporting products; Transmissions From Piper (three H. Beam Piper stories with associated game content), Foundation Transmissions (a collection of new content) and Thousand Suns Starships (pretty much all things starships including a design system).

The original rules were pilloried for poor layout and editing but lauded as being a solid rules light-ish SFRPG. A revised version of the game had been in the works for some time when James and his business partner went their separate ways a few months ago. Rogue Games no longer publishes nor supports TS, hence the above mentioned support products have passed more or less into limbo. Physical copies may exist out there at some place like Amazon but the PDFs are no longer for sale (as far as I know, I'm not an expert).

Reportedly James will offer a Technology book this year. A book on aliens, called Lifeforms, has also been mentioned and it looks like Starships will get the same treatment as the Revised rules and be reissued at some point soonish.

My gaming group won't touch Traveller but has welcomed two sessions of TS thus far.

 

[Jeffr0]

Thanks for the info, Vargas.

The Readalong has continued to chug along. Three more chapters for you!

Chapter 2: Character Generation
Chapter 3: Species
Chapter 4: Career Packages

 

[Jeffr0]

We've hashed out most of the standard rpg stuff-- now to start digging into the crunchy setting stuff. We'll be covering three more chapters starting tomorrow...!

Chapter 5: Skills and Hooks
Chapter 6: Action
Chapter 7: Psi
Chapter 8: Technology and Equipment

 

[jappel]

For what it's worth, I'm one of the authors of the "Transmissions from Piper" work. My contribution was the translation of the Piper story "Naudsonce" into Thousand Suns terms.