Why Mars, why Earth?

TED lectures are usually great. Here are some reflections on the “whys” and “don’ts” of Mars colonization.

“Sci-Fi!”: Kytherisk flodflygbåt

 

Summary in English: A hydrofoil used for medium-distance passenger transport on the rivers and lakes of the Kythera campaign world for the Swedish Sci-Fi! RPG.

På Kythera ligger de viktigaste mänskliga bosättningarna vid Lake Agnes’ flodsystem på kontinenten Artemisia. Här är en av kolonialmaktens flodflygbåtar av Meteor-klass, avsedd för civil passagerartransport. Kapacitet 100 passagerare och toppfart/marschfart 80/50 knop. NOM-regimens rederi Lacolineas SA kör cirka hundra Meteorer som den kytheriska motsvarigheten till landsvägsbussar (t.ex. Swebus eller Greyhound).

Kythera är en tropikvärld där Sci-Fi! möter Partisan; läs mer här — länk >>>

The Truth About Books

The Liberators as the New Oppressors

A successful and dramatic rebellion leads to the establishment of a free nation, well, that is the way fiction tends to portray revolutions. The reality is bleaker: when the smoke clears and the old tyrants dangle in the gallows, the new rulers too easily adopt the bad old ways to maintain their grip on power.

Professor Henning Melber, currently working at the University of Pretoria, once struggled actively against the against the South African apartheid regime; as a former insider he now explains how and why domestic politics did not turn for the better after the end of the racist governments in the five major countries of southern Africa — link >>>

Similar, and perhaps even more frightful, developments took place in south-east Asia after the violent eviction of the French and Dutch colonialists in the 1940s and 1950s. This is something that one should keep in mind when designing “realistic” rebel-themed campaigns and stories.

“The Ice War”: Adèle von Rosen

Adèle von Rosen is mentioned en passant in my dieselretro spy adventure The Ice War in a conversation between protagonist Johnny and his old friend Paul. She is an adventurous archaeologist that is important to both men for various reasons explained in the story (no spoilers here). However, her whereabouts in 1940 are unknown because of the turmoil of the ongoing Republican Rebellion.

Adèle will be one of the protagonists in the planned stand-alone sequel. I was pleasantly surprised when I today found this painting by Michael MacRae at Deviantart. A perfect depiction of that daring lady somewhere in the mountains of Magalhana. Click on the picture for a larger version.

When it rains…

My blogging schedule is currently disrupted because I have several serious deadlines approaching. So my thrice-a-week posting habit will be suspended for a while.

“Sci-Fi!”: Kythera i Fenix

Summary in English: I have written a retro-SF campaign for the Swedish game magazine Fenix.

Kythera-kampanjen till Sci-Fi! (läs mer här >>> ) har nu fått sin grafiska form i kickstarter-numret av Fenix. Här är artikelns första uppslag; illustrationen visar kampanjstämningen. (Klicka på bilden för en större version.)

Beställ kickstarter-Fenix här — länk >>> )

Here it begins — “Rogue One”

The first Star Wars: Rogue One trailer is on-line. The Disney marketing machine is gearing up for Christmas.

“Sci-Fi!”: Welcome to New Era Terra

A wilderness scene from our world in the New Era setting of the Swedish space opera RPG Sci-Fi! by Saga Games.

Artist: Seung Jin Woo at Deviantart. Click on the picture for a larger version.

“Sci-Fi!”: Monstertruck

Adventurers might encounter this grim vehicle on a war-torn planet in a New Era campaign of the Swedish space opera RPG Sci-Fi!

Artist: Skybolt at DeviantArt. Click on the picture for a larger version.