Changes to the regular Munchausen rules :-
A number of subgenera for Science Fiction stories do not use physical money. Some do not even use the equivalent of money. For the purposes of this game, credits will be used as normal game silver coins. For the higher denomination represented in the normal game as gold coins, we will use a gold-like subgenera substitute. See the list of subgenera below
By and large companions are used differently. Usually they are there for helpful suggestions and sticky situations. In Space Opera their main purpose is someone who can be used as an excuse for an exposition. Strange devices and nefarious plots should be questioned by companions with whom the character can then explain to the audience. There are also preferred companion types for the different subgenera.
The host should set the game in a place where grizzled space veterans might gather - cantinas, spaceports, starship hangars, spaceliners or Imperial detention centres are suggested, although there is nothing preventing a being from hosting a game aboard their own vessel.
Much like the original game’s treatment of the French – the Space Operatic version also needs some absolutes. The host may decide and briefly describe as many as they like. Either great heroes, evil villains or evil empires/races. They may not, however, describe in detail these absolutes. It is up to the first storyteller that uses them to flesh them out (e.g. the Evil Empire of Turkan Minor suddenly always have been composed entirely of highly mutated clams). From that point on, the absolute is consistent (All Evil Imperial Turkan Minors must be clams).
Dates used should be expressed in a SciFi way – either stardates, inversions of a caesium atom, etc..
The habit of classic stories having chapters headed with a brief synopsis and possibly leading statements should still be used in Space Opera by the storyteller. However it should be changed to newspaper terseness, using very few words to describe the chapter, possibly separated by hyphens.
This is just a list of suggestions for characters for players to be and the related story styles you may wish to try and emulate. Feel free do combine, rearrange or discard all of them. Although consistency for your character is recommended just on a good storytelling level.
Style Name | Titles for characters | Character types | Gold coin equivalents | Typical Companion types | Gadgets out of the ordinary | Magic Available | Example Character |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Animan | Military, None, Alien, Scholastic | Human, Humanoid Alien, Android | Mecha Credit, Rations | Aliens, Robots, Sidekicks, Love Interests | Tranforming things, Power armour | Psionics and Traditional | Captain Alex Wildstar of the Space Battleship, Argo |
Babylonian | Military, None, Noble | Human, Humanoid Alien, Energy Alien | League Credit | Sidekicks, Love Interests | Jump Gates, the Third Dimension. | Various | Emperor Vir Cotto of the Centauri Republic |
Blaker | Military, None | Human, Humanoid Alien | Gem | AI’s, Team mates | Time Dilation | Telepathy | Space Commander Travis of the Federation |
Doctoran | Alien, None, Scholastic | Human, Humanoid Alien, Android | Jelly Baby | Sidekicks, Local Authorities | Time Travel, Dimensional Transcendence | Psionics and Superscience | Doctor Liz Shaw, of UNIT |
Galactican | Military, None | Human, Android | Space Buck | Robots, Sidekicks, Love Interests, Pets | Afterburners | None | Captain Starbuck of the Battlestar Galactica |
Golden Ager | Military, Naval | Human, Alien | Space Credit | Any | Ray Guns, Rocketships, everything has fins | Psionics and Superscience | |
Gordonian | Noble, None | Human, Humanoid Alien | Gold Coin | Robots, Sidekicks, Love Interests | Lightning Screens, Ray Guns, Jet Packs | Psionics | Flash Gordon |
Imperial Starwarrior | Military, None, Alien | Human, Humanoid Alien | Imperial Credit | Droids, Subordinates | Shields, Force items, Doomsday Weapons, Hyperspace, Cloaking | The Force | Darth Vader, Sith Lord |
Lexxan | Beaurocratic, Alien, None | Human, Any Alien | Holy Credit of the Divine Order, Cluster Credit | Pets, Sidekicks | Biological, Fractal Cores, Doomsday Weapons | Various | Kai of the Brunnen G, a dead assassin of the Divine Order |
Rebel Starwarrior | Military, None, Alien | Human, Humanoid Alien | Republic Credit | Droids, Kids, Sidekicks, Love Interests | Shields, Force items, Hyperspace, Cloaking | The Force | Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight |
Scaper | Military, None | Human, Any Alien | Food Cube | Annoying Aliens, Love Interests | Defence Screen, Biological, Starburst | Various | Captain Milar Crais, Peacekeeper |
Trekker | Naval, None, Alien | Human, Humanoid Alien, Android | Gold Pressed Latinum | Everyone | Shields, Teleport, Solid holograms, Warp, Cloaking, Replicators | Psionics and Superscience | Ensign Gordi Laforge, Chief of Engineering |
Twenty Fiver | Military, None | Human | Space Buck | Robots, Sidekicks, Love Interests | Captain Anthony “Buck Rogers” |