Nyrath

Re: SN 1987A + 22 years

So when IK Pegasi or Spica goes off, what sort of threat does Earth face?

 

According to the Wiki article:

 

In a 1993 paper, David Wonnacott, Barry J. Kellett and David J. Stickland identified this system as a candidate to evolve into a Type Ia supernova or a cataclysmic variable.[9] At a distance of 150 light years, this makes it the nearest known candidate supernova progenitor to the Earth. However in the time it will take for the system to evolve to a state where a supernova could occur, it will have moved a considerable distance from Earth and will pose no threat. A supernova would need to be within about 26 light years of the Earth to effectively destroy the Earth's ozone layer, which would severely impact the planet's biosphere.[35]

As it said, a supernova would have to be within 26 light years to be a danger to Earth's ozone layer.

Unless Earth was looking down the gun barrel.

WR 104 might not be aimed right at us, but for purposes of a campaign, well, astronomers have been wrong before...

Re: SN 1987A + 22 years

From Crusade by Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1968), collected in THE WIND FROM THE SUN

Spoilers (highlight to read):

The intelligent computer life form responds to the discovery that in the Milky Way galaxy, organic creatures use computers as tools.

"Second most probable conclusion: Fairly high-order, nonmechanical intelligences do indeed exist. They suffer from the delusion that they have created entities of our type. In some cases, they have even imposed their control upon them.

"Though this hypothesis is most unlikely, it must be investigated. If it is found to be true, remedial action must be taken. It should be as follows..."

This final monologue occurred a million years ago. It explains why, in the last half-century, almost one-quarter of the brighter novae have occurred in one tiny region of the sky: the constellation Aquila.

The crusade will reach the vicinity of Earth about the year 2050.

Re: SN 1987A + 22 years

This was the first supernova "nearby" supernova to be visible from Earth since the invention of the telescope. By "nearby" I mean close to being inside our Milky Way galaxy, as opposed to in some goshforsaken galaxy way out in the sticks.

Such a supernova was featured in Sir Arthur C. Clarke's classic novel EARTHLIGHT, and for years I wondered how long it would be until it happened in reality.

But there are a couple of stars that are threatening to become supernovae any day now, and some are dangerously close to us.

SN 1987A was a whopping 170,000 light years away.

Rho Cassiopeiae is about 12,000 light years away.

Eta Carinae is about 8,000 light years away.

VY Canis Majoris is about 4,900 light years away.

Betelgeuse is about 600 light years away.

Antares is also about 600 light years away.

Spica is about 260 light years away.

And IK Pegasi is a ticking time bomb only 150 light years away, metaphorically right in our laps.

Re: Hard sci-fi adventures?

Adventures in the Saturn System (obligatory Atomic Rocket link)

http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3s.html

Re: Adamantium discovered

Besides' date=' this is the Star HERO forums. [/quote']

Well, my post was in answer to Sketchpad's post, which said:

 

Cool link Nyrath ... now to put the idea in my Pulp game

Re: Gamma Ray Burst Detected

12.2 billion light years away? That's pretty much on the far side of the universe, the maximum distance possible is something around 13.7 billion light years.

It also happened 12.2 billion years ago, when the universe was just an infant at about one-tenth its current age.

Re: Hard sci-fi adventures?

Here's a question for you guys. Jupiter has a huge magnetic field. Would it be feasible to harness some of that energy to power a space station?

Kinda sorta.

In George Zebrowski's MACROLIFE, there is a station on Ganymede. It shoots generators at Jupiter.

The generator is a long copper bar, with a power transmission laser on one end. As the bar cuts Jupiter's magnetic lines of force, it generates electricity. The electricity is converted into laser energy and shot at the power gathering rectenna outside of Ganymede base.

Eventually the bar is devoured by Jupiter, but copper bars and lasers are relatively cheap.

Re: Adamantium discovered

The moon has a LOT of impact craters...

Yes, but pulp hero campaigns tend to be Earth-bound.

Re: Crunch!

Where's the Planetes crew when you need them? Perhaps it begins like this.

Indeed. The manga and anime of Planetes postulate a "Space Debris Section" whose job is to collect orbital debris and otherwise prevent the Kessler Syndrome.

In the manga chapter "A Modest Request" / anime episode "A Cigarette Under Starlight", an ecological terrorist group is attempting to trigger the Kessler Syndrome, in order to cut off access to space for decades. The terrorist are of the opinion that money used for man's expansion into space would be better spent on problems here on Earth.

Re: Adamantium discovered

now to put the idea in my Pulp game

It says the materials are formed from asteroid impacts or huge volcanic eruptions.

So the person or supervillain seeking the adamantium will be prospecting somewhere like the remains of Krakatoa or the floor of the dinosaur killer asteroid impact. Or of any of a host of related sites.

Re: Adamantium discovered

Unfortunately it's generally been proved that the hardness does not make something more difficult to shatter.

Yes, as a rule of thumb, the "harder" a material is, the more "brittle" the material is.

Japanese samurai swords tried to avoid this by lamination. The sword is composed of alternating layers of hard material and un-brittle material.

Re: Adamantium discovered

And you gotta love the descriptions:

Both are exceedingly rare in nature, and both form under crushing, searing conditions.

Lonsdaleite is forged in nature during asteroid impacts.

Wurtzite boron nitride is even more enigmatic. It comes together in especially punishing volcanic eruptions

One wonders about the insanely dangerous job of Lonsdaleite mining and Wurtzite boron nitride forging.

The rock rats of the Pinball Asteroid Belt and the Wurtzite refiners in the hypervolcano region of the planet Inferno have great difficulty obtaining long term life insurance.

Ah, the deadly peril of pyroclastic flow

Re: Hard sci-fi adventures?

Yes, those methane clathrates are touchy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane_clathrate

Especially since they can cause catastrophic global climate change.

Re: "Alien" life

Some is trying to build a self-replicating' date=' DNA-like molecule, [b']with different bases[/b]!

 

Here.

 

Now there's an idea seed!

I have visions of implacable warfare raging across the stars between beings with different DNA bases.

Re: Hard sci-fi adventures?

That problem got worse last week. An old Soviet satellite hit one of the Iridium satellites last week. Lots and lots more debris now.

It could get worse. Ever heard of the Kessler Syndrome?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome

Re: Astronomers detect mystery flash

Didn't Smith create an alien that' date=' like a palindromedary, never had to turn around, ever?[/quote']

If you are talking about E.E."Doc" Smith, there was the Zabriskan Fontema from FIRST LENSMAN.

Re: Return of...

BTW' date=' I'm pointing this out because a star-forming region would be a fascinating place to send a team of PCs. [/quote']

 

Yes, team, it is perfectly safe. Our astrophysicists assure us that the protostar will not undergo fusion ignition for at least a hundred years. There is no danger exploring the protostar rim.

 

Well, yes, there were a few dissenting views but those guys are all crack-pots...

Re: Return of...

That single eyeball above the power-dot's-eye-view of a ravenous oncoming Pac-man is just too precious for words.

Re: The Pathmaker

But that is a green comet. Have you not read Jack Williamson's THE COMETEER?

Well, true, that story came out in 1936, but it was re-published in THREE FROM THE LEGION, which is relatively recent at 1979.

Anyway, in the novel, a green comet turns out to be an artificial solar system inhabited by evil energy beings who consume human beings for food.

Re: The Icarus Planet

Very small (for an exoplanet)' date=' but in that orbit it is not going to be a pleasant place to live. Only about 4 stellar radii from the star, its sun will occupy a large part of its sky on the daylight side.[/quote']

Heh. The planet is named "COROT-Exo-7b".

 

So they've finally located the lava planet Excalbia. Instruct the COROT satellite to see if it can spot Abraham Lincoln.

Re: Intergalactic wanderer

I wonder what sex with them would be like?

A big bang, of course...

Re: The Icarus Planet

If Ploor is here' date=' that means [b']this[/b] is the Second Galaxy, and it's only a matter of time before Boskone moves in and occupies us!

What do you mean? Boskone is already here. They are obviously the ones behind the Trilateral Commission/Bavarian Illumniati/Gnomes of Zurich/Whatever.

Re: Help with plot

I guess I am not used to being such a strong driver of the plot. Normally players take a more proactive approach' date=' and I am having trouble adjusting and getting things to happen.[/quote']

Sometimes it is a matter of turning the problem on its head.

 

There is a mechanism called "spiritual attributes" from another RPG that can be adapted to Star hero:

http://www.projectrho.com/rpg/riddleofsteel.html

 

The idea is to get your players to see themselves as the hero of a movie or a novel. They will then want to become method actors, and the scenarios will suddenly be driven by the players, not the game master.

 

The players draw up a list of five items: things that will earn them experience points in the game. These are things the players are interested in.

 

Not the player-characters. The players.

 

So if player Davey likes tales of vengeance, he will make a player-character like Inigo Montoya who will earn experience points when he does things that further his goal of seeking vengeance on the six-fingered man.

 

The campaign will start with you, the game master, saying something like "We are playing Star Hero. We will be using Space Opera Universe. What kind of game do you want to play?"

 

The players will fill out their lists, which will give you the answer to your question, e.g., "We want a blood soaked tale of honor, hate, destiny and revenge."

 

This will give you clear direction on what kind of game the players want, and make it so the players, not you, will drive the campaign. Now you can cackle fiendishly and concoct evil plot twists and fabulous locations.