Space elves and dwarves was a... surprise

I'm not sure how I feel about them.  Seems like even if they wanted to include a fey nature-loving race they should have called them something else and made them look at least a little non-D&Dish.  This is a space game, right? Same with a techno-inventor race of dwarves.  Discuss?

They aren't called elves and dwarves, they are Tansdimensional Neo-Elves and Quasiimetallic Techno-Dwarves. Completely different things, the reason behind it is that they didn't want to go with the typically crazy alien look. Or something along those lines.

 

Also! The orcs, spedtres, and humans didn't have an effect?

Although I would have preferred completely new and original races (which is usually the standard for space games), I'm OK with the DnD crossover.  

It seems they are going for that traditional dungeon crawl party feel but in a completely new setting for it. I think it will be interesting to see how it transfers. 

The orcs did a little, but since they were at the top of the page, I hadn't had much time to digest them before hitting the elves and dwarves. ;)

The spectres are exactly what I'm talking about.  They're spectres but they're spacey enough that they feel right for being in space.

I may end up being completely wrong.  I had a similar immediate negative reaction to Argent Adept when we first heard about him, and he turned out to be just fine.  I guess I'm just surprised in a not-entirely positive way, is all.

Elves with 4 arms, lazers coming out of devices on their wrists, and flying spaceships and Dwarves made of metal and use their metal bodies and hair to make spaceships aren't spacey enough? But a Spectre is fine... Well I guess everyone has their own thought process. Shame really, considering humans are acceptible to go into space but all other fantasy races are bound to live on planets all their lives.

 

It feels nothing like DnD when playing GSF, infact it feels more of a ship building game that you fly through the galaxy and blow stuff up!

 

Also why is it that people think of DnD, haven't fantasy races been around long before DnD was even around?

I definitely understand, Spiff. GSF is very much science-fantasy, and I think it works pretty well. You'll get a better idea of it as the details are shared. The race being a "dwarf" or an "elf" really doesn't matter so much, as they the races are significantly different from D&D-defined races. The science-fantasy aspects create interesting races and characters, and the mechanics build around that pretty well.

Just my opinion, though - we'll see how everyone feels as they are exposed to additional details. :slightly_smiling_face:

 

This may be an age thing. I was introduced to elves, dwarves, and orcs through Lord of the Rings and D&D at about the same time. These races have roots in literature and folklore before LotR, but those are relatively obscure. There may have been a lot of appearances of elves, dwarves, and orcs in other literature and media (TV, movies, games) since I first learned of these races, but the original associations for me are preeminent.

 

Quite a mouthful. 

Yeah, DnD and LOTR introduced me to the races as well, so the association remains tied to those things and it usually leans more to DnD because while I read the LOTR books as a kid, I was much more invested into the DnD Worlds. 

The "origins" of most of those races is Norse Mythology, of which LotR is full of (Gandalf is Odin).

GSF is very much science-fantasy

That may seem obvious to the playtesters who have been marinating in GSF for a while now, but there's nothing in the Setting section on Kickstarter which mentions fantasy at all.  It's not until you scroll down to the Races when you get the whiplash.

This is additive to my other concern about the atmopherics of GSF -- it makes sense for superheroes to fight supervillains over and over because it's their job and because comics have trained us to understand that these battles happen on a regular basis.  But why would rogues and smugglers fight a galactic evil over and over?  If there are enough recurring evils menacing the galaxy, you'd think they'd bring in the actual space marines.  Smugglers taking on the Evil is cool as a one-off, but it strains credulity if these people who are typically just out for themselves are now front-lining our galactic defenses game after game, IMO.

I am really enjoying the idea of the Fantasy Races in Space.  Its a fun new view on things and doesn't lock us into the dwarves are in the mountains and the elves are in the forests.   Though Dwarves will probably reside in asteroids.  any way I think this game looks like a blast.

You are absolutely right, Spiff. This is great feedback for the >G folks on some updates they can make to the front page of the Kickstarter.

Personally, I haven't looked at it that way, but that's probably just the GM in me finding ways to explain the situation. :slightly_smiling_face:  I'm not saying you're wrong - just that I am looking at it differently.

I'm imagining each game is just that game. A group of individuals get together to take down a great threat. The games aren't related to each other - it's just another game that happens to be set in the same setting (kinda like Betrayal at House on the Hill is just a game at the house but all the games take place in the House on the Hill, each game of Elder Signs is a different game even though the setting is the same, etc.).

I definitely understand what you're saying, though, as that is how we've looked at SotM. I just don't think that's how GSF is supposed to be viewed, personally. :confused:

I know Christopher in one of his... What are they called those web interview things? Anyways! I may be adding more into it than what was said or slightly off, but the gist is correct, I think. Having these big evil menace causing trouble really makes it hard to have your business, as you'll be encountering them everywhere you go. There may also be a few of them that are still good folk and want to help different places if their as an issue going on. While others are in it just because they seem a little... Blood Thirsty.

Space elves are as space elves do. I'm fairly sure that no official material refers to the Humankind Empire Abh as Elves, but the easiest way to describe them is to say they're elves.

The first thing I thought was "oh, it's 40K Rogue Trader the co-op game"

20% funded in a couple of hours shows a lot of fan support, this will no doubt soar past funding in a matter of days. Looking forward to some more detail on gameplay, videos, etc.

I don’t doubt it, but keep in mind that for SotM there were a lot of people buying up to the current expansion (especially for the IR KS). With this KS there is nothing to buy up to.

I think the fantasy elements make it suitably absurd. It has a very over-the-top technobabble vibe going on, which I'm really digging so far. Techno-Dwarves isn't enough. They're Quasimetallic Techno-Dwarves.

Also, Rogue Trader is a perfect touchstone.

I'll admit I was rather hoping for some proper alien races too. The spectres look pretty cool (even if the fact they're undead makes them kind of Fantasy-ish...in a Sci-Fi game), but the rest are really just Sci-Fi versions of the most common Fantasy RPG races - humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs. I dunno, I suppose I'll have to see how it goes. Maybe it's supposed to be a deliberate Fantasy/Sci-Fi crossover...

I actually like how direct the lore is. No messing with the "eldar" or "vulcans," >Games calls them like they is. They're SPACE ELVES. WE HAVE ELVES AND THEY'RE IN SPACE! AND OTHER DIMENTIONS TOO! I think that's the kind of camp that helped me fall in love with the Silver-age wackiness of SotM in the first place. Probably going to back this thing. I hope it's playable solo...