OUT NOW - DEEP SPACE SOURCEBOOK #6 - THE UNITED STELLAR NATIONS

 OUT NOW

DEEP SPACE SOURCEBOOK #6 - THE UNITED STELLAR NATIONS​

The United Stellar Nations of Earth is the governing body of the Sol System, the cradle of mankind, and the centre of control for Earth and it’s territories. Once an international organisation to help keep the peace on a war-torn world, it has evolved and become a nation of it’s own. After the Stellar War, the United Stellar Nations (USN) took control of Earth as a whole in an attempt to keep the fighting to the stars so as not to annihilate the homeworld of the human race.

The USN still promotes the guiding principles of their predecessor, the United Nations of Earth, across all of it’s 32 member star systems and has modified it’s charter to include all new settlements beyond the Sol System....

DEEP SPACE SOURCEBOOK #6 - THE UNITED STELLAR NATIONS is a 2-page book providing information and stats for the nation including structure, military forces, and starships.

Requires 'DEEP SPACE - A SIMPLE SPACE ADVENTURE ROLEPLAYING GAME'

How I created distressed old sci-fi novel covers for my DEEP SPACE TTRPG

I was asked how I create distressed old sci-fi novel covers for my DEEP SPACE TTRPG so here's a guide for my fellow indie creators!

After deciding on the fonts I want I build the cover using LibreOffice Writer which is basically a free version of basic MS Word. I choose to build that way because I want to emulate similar restrictions that typesetters had when creating covers of the time, so I have to be creative with the layout of the lettering and how the image in the background fits.

I then source the images from wherever I can find free images, and there's plenty to choose from.

After making sure the image site is reputable, the image isn't AI and doing a final search to make sure that the image hadn't been lifted from anywhere, I crop it to size and put in the background.

Once I'm happy with it I snip the final picture and save it as an image file. Then I open MSPaint and copy it in. Nothing fancy, just basic MSPaint. It's here I want to add some lines to make the book look creased so I draw white lines at the corners, add some to the edges to make it look a bit torn and even draw it down the spine to look used.

Then I save and open an online tool to help distress the book called iPiccy. This gives me the ability to add layers of grunge, lighting effects and paper styles, and as a bonus the white of the lines I drew are then browned and look even more worn. Once finished, I can then download the image at it's highest resolution and that's it.

The whole process from deciding fonts, images and layout to final cover can take 2-3 hours. There's always some tweaking going on from font colour and shading to colour correction to image manipulation, but once the initial layout is done on LibreOffice the rest of the process is straightforward.

And that's it. That's how I create my Deep Space covers. It's a bit of work but there are no costs at all and it's a simple case of being creative with what you have.

Links below to my sources:

www.libreoffice.org

jspaint.app

ipiccy.com

www.freepik.com

www.pexels.com

pixabay.com

I've done what due diligence I can and these sites are as legit as I can find but I always check the images I use to be on the safe side and credit where credit is due.

I never use AI or any kind of AI text, mainly because I'm a human being with a soul and morals, and I buy stock art where I can afford it.

I'm working on an expanded print version of Deep Space next year and it will have paid artists involved (I've already snagged an awesome cover artist), but this way costs nothing and with a bit of work and imagination yields great results.

Hope this helps, fellow indie creators!

OUT NOW - DEEP SPACE SOURCEBOOK #5 - THE COALITION

As the Cold War went on and dozens of star systems found themselves being handed around like playing pieces, a few members of different nations realised that the old ways were going to tear the human race apart – even out here amongst the stars – and that a new way of governing the people was required. Long gone were the days of controlling dozens of worlds from a central seat, they thought; what we need is a way for worlds to take care of their own affairs and yet still defer to a central body that ruled for the benefit of all the member systems, and not just those who had the most power or resources.

These few politicians began a movement that took almost a decade to come to fruition, and before the nations realised it eight stars systems situated quite close to each other had split from their parent governments and declared themselves The Coalition...

DEEP SPACE SOURCEBOOK #5 - THE COALITION is a 2-page book providing information and stats for the nation including military forces, starships, the government system, the star systems, and the trouble they cause for other nations and themselves...

Requires 'DEEP SPACE - A SIMPLE SPACE ADVENTURE ROLEPLAYING GAME' 

OUT NOW - 'WORLD OF WINTER' for the DEEP MAGIC TTRPG

 OUT NOW

'WORLD OF WINTER'

WORLD OF WINTER is a campaign setting for the DEEP MAGIC #TTRPG, a fantasy British Isles that never was – or is long forgotten - where magic exists and fabulous creatures abound.

Can the characters rekindle the flame of hope?

OUT NOW - DEEP SPACE ADVENTURE #14 - TIN CAN IDAHO

 OUT NOW

DEEP SPACE ADVENTURE #14 - TIN CAN IDAHO​

The Explorers are a few hours into a journey across the Capital States but the captain has decided to take a shortcut through uncharted international space to avoid a travel tax.

The starship – a 120-meter passenger vessel called the Chase - is a privately owned passenger transport that travels the Capital States spaceways but the captain, Larson, has fallen on hard times and to save money he’s plotted a jump outside the lanes and across uncharted space. This has saved him thousands on taxes.

He's done this plenty of times. No problem at all.

Requires 'DEEP SPACE - A SIMPLE SPACE ADVENTURE ROLEPLAYING GAME'

ALIEN RPG – Second Edition and Rapture Protocol

Okay, so this has been announced and I'm thrilled to say that I co-wrote the new cinematic adventure 'Rapture Protocol'.

It's been my pleasure and privilege to work wthin my favourite franchise in my favourite hobby, and I'm excited to see it let loose!

In Space, Everyone Will Hear You Scream For Joy For The Second Edition Of The ALIEN RPG

Free League’s Kickstarter this Fall will debut a new wave of 2e releases, including new core rules, starter set, cinematic scenario set, and miniatures line

For five glorious years, Free League Publishing and 20th Century Studios have explored the ultimate reaches of the ALIEN universe. In celebration of the critically acclaimed ALIEN RPG’s 5th anniversary in 2024, Free League proudly announced their plans to unleash a Second Edition of the multiple award-winning game rules across an expansive new line of rulebooks, starter sets, cinematics, and accessories. The stress fest begins with bug hunts aplenty through an epic Kickstarter launching this Fall.  Free League has revealed their core line-up for the upcoming Kickstarter, with more details coming soon: Based upon feedback from thousands of players over five years of adventures, the Second Edition of the core rules delivers an updated and streamlined version of the ALIEN RPG fans know and love, along with additional new artwork, new content, and a variety of new tools for players and Game Mothers alike, all fully compatible with previous releases and game material.  The new 2e starter set will be redesigned as the perfect starting point for newcomers to roleplaying in the ALIEN universe, containing everything they need for game night including abridged 2e rules, character sheets, custom dice, reference cards, various handouts, and an expanded 2e edition of the fan-favorite Hope’s Last Day scenario set on Hadley’s Hope just prior to the unforgettable events of Aliens.  The new cinematic scenario boxed set, Rapture Protocol, written by Jonathan Hicks and Free League's Tomas Härenstam, returns to the roots of the ALIEN franchise, featuring the crew of a small star freighter on a resupply run to the remote industrial colony, soon embroiled in a deadly conflict.  The miniatures set is designed to bring the events of Rapture Protocol to life, but fully complement other adventures and skirmish battles throughout the ALIEN RPG series.  Sign up today to follow the upcoming Kickstarter, look out for more news across Free League’s social channels, and then get ready for a whole new chapter of sprawling, stress-inducing, blood-curdling ALIEN RPG adventures for years to come. We can’t lie to you about your chances, but you have our sympathies. Kickstarter Campaign URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1192053011/alien-rpg-second-edition-and-rapture-protocol

DEEP SPACE - A SIMPLE SPACE ADVENTURE TTRPG

OUT NOW! DEEP SPACE ADVENTURE #13 - THE ICARUS CONTRACT

DEEP SPACE ADVENTURE #13 - THE ICARUS CONTRACT

The Explorers have been tasked with taking an old transport vessel to the world Tango-Hotel-X-ray from the decommissioned space station Icarus for scrapping.

Easy.

Right?

Farsight Games update!

Hi there! I hope you had a great week and you're looking forward to a weekend of TTRPG adventure and action!

This is just a quick update to let you know about what's available at Farsight Games, what's in the catalogue and what's on offer; if you're stuck for a last-minute game, you just want to play something quick and easy or you want to run a big campaign without the fuss of complicated rules and systems, then there's something for you here!

First off, there's the best selling 'Deep Space' - a short and cheap science fiction adventure game with plenty of supplements and adventures to last you a very long time, all tied up into a neat discounted bundle if you want it all in one hit!

There's a few other games that use the 'Deep Space' D12 system, too, so if you want some horror, fantasy or even some submarine action then this is your place to be!

The High5 System games are all on sale - from future military sci-fi action to a dark, procedural cop drama in a cyberpunk world, this quick and simple system will get you into the action straight away.

Farsight Games also produces official adventures for the popular Osprey Games TTRPG 'Those Park Places', all compatible with the sequel game 'Pressure'. These are all on sale, too!

There's a little something for everyone, and it's all easily adaptable and modded to suit the kind of game that you want to play!

Farsight Games products are cheap, easy to learn, easy to teach and simple to run.

FARSIGHT GAMES - You are the adventure! 

#33 - GM advice (and why I avoid it these days)