"Fantasy/Sci-fi hybrids" Topic

Yay or nay? You know, traditional fantasy tropes in a space setting, elements of 40k – Chaos Dwarves, Eldar, etc.

Interpret the yays & nays freely.

I love it. Especially daemons in space.

Sure, why not? In some ways fantasy types are slightly more believable as "aliens".

I actually tend towards the opposite; some sci-fi elements brought into a fantasy setting. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

-Will

Elves=Aurelians, Sylvan 'Doc Savage-types, superiority complex, very high tech.

Dwarves=Hyjeerians, 'Rockhounds-Belters, high G tolerance

Orcs=Brutalz, uplifted 'barbarians'(I use a Mongolian culture), common mercenaries, loyal to contract, females are hot space babes and vicious.

Dark Elves/Drow=Synistrians, 'space-burnt', raiders and slavers, powered asteroid bases with smash and grab fleets.

Trolls=Adaptoids, gengineered to adapt to most planetary ecosystems, colony start-up laborers/shake 'n bake terra formers.

Hobbits=Mentats, 'Dinkum-Thinkums', organic computor enhancements.

Dragon=Vyrmians, human-sized drakes, very old race, Psionic flight, servitor races.

Illithid=Ulanthu, biotech users, Beholders=Oculari, servitors and riding mounts for Ulanthu.

I would recomend Talislanta and Empire of the Petal Throne for ideas also.

I would say go for it, but for me minus the GW elements (just use the tropes they found, claimed were their own, and then delivered poorly.)

There was a little series of mostly unknown, low budget sci fi movies that used magic as a major element.

I can't quite seem to recall the series name.

Oh yes! Now I remember!

"Star Wars"

Yay – was a big fan of D&D Spelljammer Scro

I'm open to using D&D monsters as alien creatures
Like this – link

I don't really use the standard races, though I could see dwarves as being heavy-worlders

How about melee combat in scifi? That "Fantasy" enough for ya?

As opposed to chucking grenades and shooting at short range.

I use the genestealers and some of the other 'nasties' from GW against my GZG and Fed troopers from Denizen……….

"Yay – was a big fan of D&D Spelljammer Scro"

LOL, those guys were great. The Neogi with umber hulk slaves were pretty cool too.

Well … since demons/supernatural entities and such are not from this ethereal plane. They may be considered Aliens, yes ?

As wminsing said

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

AC Clarke said something similar, IIRC …

I've been thinking of doing something along those lines for my next rpg setting, with high-tech (heavy on rubber science) replacing magic. I will be stealing some weapons from Star Wars. There's no Force, however; this won't be a Star Wars campaign despite the lightsabers.

Not usually. I generally expect different things from the different genres … those play experiences don't really have a lot of overlap.

How about melee combat in scifi? That "Fantasy" enough for ya?

Nah … I've seen many (and written a few) scifi settings where ranged combat was heavily (or even completely) ineffective. Personal force fields, other technologies, etc., each milieu taking its own special handwavium.

One of the faves I did was a plant based alien world where the intelligent flora could photosynthesize energy weapon blasts. Blasting them was like a "power up". Of course, all the logistics for the military was based on energy weapons that could be recharged not moving tons of ammunition. Energy weapons were limited to affecting structures and terrain (but not the organic space vehicles … can we say "boarding party"?).

Empire of the Petal Throne..

Nay.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

"AC Clarke said something similar, IIRC"

It is known as Clarke's Third Law, in fact.
link

This could go two ways: 1 why would aliens not look like normal fantasy races? They're obviously not human. Of course they could be so ingrained into the culture of future civilisation that they could be posthuman; dwarves could be evolved by living on worlds with higher gravity, while elves could be from lower G worlds; or maybe it became a fashion when people could bioengineer themselves so much as to make themselves whatever they wanted to be, physics permitting, and many just wanted to be elves and orcses.
2 Why do we need elves and dwarves in fantasy, anyway? Just because they've been in "every fantasy since Tolkien"…

Of course, sticking in standard fantasy races doesn't make anything fantasy, although space opera usually is anyway. I do intend to, but only GW orks and eldar, and other things that don't look too much like a fantasy character in a space opera costume.

(Just bought Rifts GM's Guide…)

Thanks Gypsy ! I thought that was it !

Very yay. Mix it all up.

The Colonel.

chironex 19 Mar 2016 11:55 p.m. PST:

2 Why do we need elves and dwarves in fantasy, anyway? Just because they've been in "every fantasy since Tolkien"

This, rather. Miniature gaming science fiction doesn't need more fantasy, it's got plenty. Miniature gaming fantasy needs more fantastic (as in innovative) stuff. I'm thinking even literary fantasy may need more but I might just be living in a scifi bubble and tend to come across the same old more often than not.

That too. Have you seen the trailer for Tim Burtons' latest effort? Just looks like an Edwardian X-men to me.

Of course, sticking in standard fantasy races doesn't make anything fantasy,

I've run tons of fantasy that only has humans or humans and the occasional avatar manifestation of the divine (very rare) or supernal (not so very rare). Magic and fantastic versions of the ordinary is plenty enough to play with.

Not that I don't like standard fantasy tropes or innovative fantasy elements. They have their place and are important to some types of fantasy gaming … just not all.