Tuesday, May 16, 2017

On Ramp: Introduction to Space Truckers

There seems to be some interest in this.  I don't have a publication date set yet, but I feel like September oughta be good.

Right now I have no art for this.  So that is going to be my biggest issue.

Here is the Introduction and a bit from Exit (Chapter) 01

Space Truckers

On Ramp - Introduction

“What a Long, Strange Trip it’s Been…”

The late 1970s was a very odd time.  In 1979 we were of the first families I knew of to get access to a new concept, a cable movie channel.  With my new obsession, Dungeons & Dragons, in mind I sought out to watch ANYTHING to do with sword and sorcery or fantasy.  I didn’t get that.  Instead I got a strange mix of movies from 1977 on.  Horror yes, but I also watched an odd mix of SciFi in the wake of Star Wars and Close Encounters and trucker movies.  The trucker/CB craze was huge in Middle America in the years 1977-79.  I saw movies like Smokey and the Bandit, Convoy and White Line. A lot. Maybe too much.

It makes for a strange alchemy to be sure.

I have spent a lot of time in cars driving from one place or another.  I have eaten at a few truck stops, downed coffee at a few more.  I did think they would be better if they had more aliens.  In others though I have thought I would not have even noticed.

Space Truckers is the offspring of two very popular trends of the late 1970s, Science Fiction, notably space battles, and a fascination with truckers and CB slang.

Exit 01 - Outbound and Down

“Hey hey Good Buddies! Whats’ yer Space-20? Come back!”

In the future humankind has gone out to the stars.  Hyperspace travel has made the planets closer. Humanity and the alien life forms they encounter are constantly looking for new planets to colonize.  Those planets need materials, food, and personnel. It is up to the brave men and women of the Space Shipping Lines to get the colonies what they need. It is a time of the SPACE TRUCKERS!

Far off colonies are serviced by long range starships and freighters.  Short range shipping needs are dealt with by local interplanetary shipping.  The needs of colonies, especially newer colonies inaccessible by larger freighters, are completely dependent on the service of the Space Trucking lines.
Space Truckers uses a mini-campaign concept that can be added to any White Star game; a sector of space with an expanse, The Hazard Lands, frequented by space truckers and pirates as well as patrolled by Colonial Hyperspace Police (CHP).

So far the classes I have are:
Space Truckers
Hyper Space Patrol (CHiPs)
Pirates
Grease Monkey (hyper intelligent chimps that are great mechanics)
And the Ursine and Porcine race options (or "Bears" and "Pigs" in trucker slang).

New Ships will include
Long Haul Trucks
Short Haul Trucks
CHiP interceptor crafts

Plus rules for “Hyper jamming” (getting more speed out of truck) and convoys

I am going to include the Hazzard lands, Dixie's Truck Stop ("the best Diablo Sandwich in the Tri-Sector area!"),  Lot Lizards and Snarks, Pirates.

Meet NPCS like Dixie, owner of Dixies. Her kid sister Jamie, along with cook Mel and waitresses Alice and FL0.  Get your truck serviced by Reginald Farnsworth Symthe IV aka “Reggie” and his robot assistant Gears.  Share a doughnut and coffee with CHP Officer Bob Friendly, just make sure you are not hauling any contraband.  Avoid the areas controlled by the corrupt Governor Boss of the Hazard Colonies and his equally corrupt Sheriff  Roscoe J. "Stonewall" Jackson.


It should be fun.  Silly, but fun.

19 comments:

Nova Scotia Dream said...

It does sound like a blast! There could even be 'ice road truckers' travelling through dangerous nebuli at a snail's pace, getting jammed up in asteroids...I loved those post Star Wars b-movies, some great pulp there, hard to find now. Shudder.com has lots of old horror, and a horror stream for free showing the old style b-movies.

Pun Isaac said...

I am not a child of this era, but it sounds fantastic! I might even have to do my Rumspringa in Space (http://punverse.blogspot.com/2016/06/rumspringa-in-space.html) adventure using this (instead of Alpha Blue, which is a cool idea, but not something my friends want to play particularly).

Also, this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zGJ9N7c6pE

Timothy S. Brannan said...

Oh. Yes. You can do far worse than Deep Purple!

Anthony said...

I will so be purchasing this. Looking forward to it.

Anthony said...

Oh, and you will need to stat up Space Herpes (Ice Pirates, if you have not seen it)

JB said...

For much of my life growing up, I figured I would some day become a trucker. Just suited my temperament (I also LOVE truck stop diners).

Needless to say, I totally dig on this idea. Not sure if it would make a good RPG (doesn't seem like there'd be a lot of room for cooperative game play), but I'd love it as a novel. Or, better yet, a Netflix original series!

I think "Every Which Way But Loose" is currently available On Demand. Might have to re-watch that one.
; )

Ruprecht said...

Might want to rethink the name to avoid confusion with the movie Space Truckers. Or not, I'm not sure how copyright and all works on that sort of thing.

Timothy S. Brannan said...

Rob, yeah. I am not basing it off of the movie and the concept is pretty generic. There is also precedent of taking a noun or verb and adding "Space" before it.
My research so far tells me I am in a safe harbor, but I might run it by a lawyer just to be safe.

JB, You do have a good point. Which is why convoys will play an important role in this game. Figure each truck needs 2-3 people and add in a couple of trucks and you have a party.

Unknown said...

As far as building parties goes, don't forget the blockers!

Jeff said...

Don't forget Moon-Spicers! The Robin Hood-like Counts of the hazard, being a notably family in the business.

Jonathan Linneman said...

Yeah, this is something that needs to happen!

Also, I was curious about whether it was a phrase that held enough cachet to have already been prospected (if not used)...kind of interesting that the spacetruckers.com domain is apparently valued at a cool $18,000 via GoDaddy. So...it definitely resonates!

Sean Robert Meaney said...

Space Truckers was a cool film. ;)

Timothy S. Brannan said...

Believe it or not, I have never actually seen the Space Trucker movie.
I am kinda avoiding it now so I don't spoil my own process here.

Again, I am looking for this to be more "Smokey and the Bandit", "Convoy" and "Dukes of Hazzard" than anything else. I guess it is a shame I hate Country Music so much.

Ruprecht said...

Disliking country music shouldn't matter, it's easy stuff to parody. Create a radio station playlist table. Take names of country stars and songs from the internet and mix-and-match things throwing in space terms randomly for comedic effect. For example:

TOP SONGS FOR 2017
"Blue Ain't Your Color"
"A Guy with a Girl"
"Sober Saturday Night"
"Dirt on My Boots"
"Road Less Traveled"
"Any Ol' Barstool"
"Hurricane"

TOP ARTISTS FOR 2017
Brett Eldredge
Blake Shelton
Dustin Lynch
Chris Young featuring Vince Gill
Luke Bryan
Lauren Alaina
Luke Combs

Become
"A Guy and his sexbot" By Flash Urban featuring Buck Eldredge
"Ultraviolent ain't your color" by Lauren Cosmos
"Sober Saturday Flight" by the Solarflares
"Dirt on my flight Boots" Buck Eldredge
"Orbit Less Traveled" Dustin Young
"Any Anti-grav barstool" Blake Astro
"Black Hole" by Luck Young

Took 5 minutes to hobble together. Do similar with 70s songs and and you could have a fun table. Then for the rebel truckers give them a non-country station and do the same.

Timothy S. Brannan said...

What I need is this list for 1977 too!

Ruprecht said...

Wikipedia had multiple years.

Ruprecht said...

70s are oddly missing though, but the hits of 77 are here

Ruprecht said...

Just thought that if for some reason Space Truckers is unusable as a name you could go with Earth Bound and Down. Or use that for the sequel.

Timothy S. Brannan said...

Rob, looks like I am in the clear.

Time to get this mother trucker going!