Baroque Concept Art

What I really want to do is post all of the completed illustrations, but then I would have nothing for the book when it comes out. Rather, here are two scene concepts which have already been completed.

I previously introduced Baroque Space Opera in another blog post.

The Baroque Space Opera setting book will include 30 full colour illustrations to depict the Baroque universe, and the Fate Core systems to go with it. The book is a setting book, in the same vein as Day After Ragnorock, and will require the Fate Core book to play. Considering Fate Core is pay-what-you-will, this is a good deal! Not including rules reduces the time to completion, cost of printing, and the cost of the book.

Baroque Space Opera will include a write up of the Baroqueverse, character archetypes to base your character concepts on, additional Fate Fractals appropriate to the setting and an introductory adventure. Among some of the extras included are a psychic system, spaceships, vehicles, and a new take on gear. The rules will be open sourced to the community, because open source is the future.

The following scenes give some of the flavour of the setting.

A bit of Dune bleeds through here. The Arkship is a massive space vessel capable of conveying other starships to far flung locations in a matter of minutes. Arkships operate on the secret technology of the Void Weavers, a sect of Theors who uncovered the secrets of the fabric of space-time. Using massive gravitational singularities, the Loom Drive tears a hole in the fabric of space and falls through towards its destination -- falling out on the other side. A Dominion-wide transportation network of these Arkships ferry passengers, cargo and news to the hundred planets.

In this scene, a fleet of house ships embarks onto the Arkship. House cruisers and destroyers heading to some far-flung battlefield, no doubt.

There are other means of space travel within the Dominion; the Loom Drive is but the latest and quickest method.  Many vessels utilize the superluminal drive, hurtling through space at faster than light speeds. Travel in the Baroqueverse is not limited to a set of jump gates, portals or routes. You can go anywhere, anytime.

This is a scene of the sacking of Baroque, the capitol planet of the Dominion, and seat of power for the Dominion. During the Second Nihilim Invasions, the third incarnation of the immortal Tyrant was slain when Baroque fell to the Nihilim. This scene depicts a Voor, a Voorish war machine and a Brood flier. The Voor are masters of bio-mechanics, constructing semi-living machines and breeding a host of Brood horrors, each adapted to their function on the battlefield. As servants of the mysterious Nihilim Presences, the Voor act as shock troopers and breeders of the bio-mechanical engines of war employed by the other Nihilim slave races. The Nihilim Presences are masters over a number of species who originate outside this universe and pillage in the name of their mysterious masters.

This is a small taste of the Baroqueverse, and all the strange people, places, and things found within. The book is scheduled to go out when its done, and no sooner. :) The art is close to completion and I have some more writing to do. There's much editing to be done. I expect to be finished sometime this fall.

Introducing Baroque Space Opera

I'd like to introduce Baroque Space Opera, an RPG setting for Fate Core. This project was started exactly a year ago. The writing is mostly done, though it needs quite a bit of editing still, and the art is 75% completed. The setting will be self-published, in PDF format with some sort of print-on-demand available -- eventually. The book will be packed with 25 - 30 full colour illustrations. My gaming group has started playtesting some of the new Fate Core systems included with this setting.

The Baroque Space Opera setting is a mashup of ideas from literature, film, other roleplaying games, with unique ideas thrown in. The primary goal of the setting is to provide gamemasters with unlimited freedom. Baroque is designed to facilitate fast paced action in a fantastic and futuristic setting without any limitations. Anything is possible in Baroque, no matter how grand or world shattering. Setting concepts such as space opera, steampunk, cyberpunk, horror and fantasy are all meshed together to provide a perfect mix of gaming possibilities. Technology just exists, no matter how improbable or magical. Realism takes a back seat to action and adventure. This is Space Opera at its best!

Baroque Space Opera draws inspiration from many varied sources, among them: Dune, Chronicles of Riddick, H.P. Lovecraft, Simon R. Green's Deathstalker series, Scott Westerfield's The Risen Empire, Star Gate, Babylon 5, Lexx, Farscape, Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, Warhammer 40K, the ancient astronaut hypothesis, alternate archaeology and ancient world myths and legends.

Below is a quick summary, likely to go on the back cover of the book, as well as a couple of the illustrations to give you an idea of the look and feel. Baroque is not your usual, run-of-the-mill space opera. It is a unique and strange setting, filled with awesome and crazy stuff to enable your adventures across the void!

Baroque Space Opera

Enter an extravagant realm of strange technology, stranger cultures, exotic locations, and incredible danger. In a distant time, and another place, there exists a universe ruled by the 5th revenant incarnation of the immortal Tyrant. A universe where flesh and blood Aristo gods, given their genetic right to rule, control the destiny of a hundred planets. A universe filled with biological minds which approach the immense intellect of machines, shape-shifting genetic clones who desperately seek individuality, and atomic-scale clockwork mechanicals given sentience. A universe where the Aristos engage in civilized rhetoric, performing a social dance dictated by ancient traditions, whilst employing the abilities of master assassins and house syndicates to wage their feuds.

For 149 millennia, the Tyrantine Dominion has weathered arch-heresy and war with terrible enemies who sought its downfall. The political and cultural stasis has bred deep seated corruption within the convoluted hierarchy of power. Humanity of a hundred planets chokes and laments under the immovable yoke of the Tyrant. The embers of rebellion grow brighter each passing day. The Tyrant extinguishes all opposition with his vast legions of genetically engineered warriors; created through the amalgamation of human and alien genetics.

Enemies within and without plot to bring down the eternal Dominion. Interdimensional invaders lurk beyond space and time, plotting their next incursion. Unfathomable aliens stalk humanity, corrupting and enslaving subjects for strange purposes. Once more, the rebellious machines, betrayers of humanity, threaten to escalate the millennium-old cold war. Meanwhile, the Aristo Houses further their schemes, eyeing the Tyrantine Throne and the golden planet, Baroque, for themselves.

Voidship fleets move into position. The pieces are falling into place. Which side will you choose? Will you enforce the will of the Tyrant to ensure the stoic Dominion stands for another hundred millennia? Or, will you become an Arch Heretic to tear down this suffocating and corrupt regime? The choice is yours. The Baroque universe awaits.

First Post!

I am currently deep down into the creation of my own space opera universe. I was very inspired by the Fate Core Kickstarter success (which I supported) that it drove me to postpone some of my other on-going (software) projects and finally create the sci-fi universe I always wanted to.

I learned about FATE from a friend of mine over a year ago. It immediately caught my attention as The game system of choice going forward. FATE just makes sense. It solves so many problems with RPG game systems in one fell swoop. FATE is a work of genus in my opinion and as a long time GM, it makes me very excited to work with it.

The advantage and problem with FATE is that it is also extremely malleable to your whims. You can make any number of tweaks within the framework and still have something which works pretty damn great. The difficulty is choosing the best way to do things. This is one of the primary reasons for this blog. I plan on posting some of my ideas regarding the FATE system in order to garner feedback from the FATE community.

The setting I am creating is a hodge-podge of ideas. It is a high space opera which does not concern itself with realism or crunchy sci-fi technology. The setting takes inspiration from many varied sources, among them: Dune, Warhammer 40K, Chronicles of Riddick, H.P. Lovecraft, Steampunk, Cyberpunk, Simon R. Green's Deathstalker series, Star Gate, Babylon 5, Lexx, Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, The Ancient Astronaut Hypothesis and many, many others. My hope is that the setting is unique enough to stand on its own and not blend with the existing space opera FATE games such as Starblazer Adventures and the excellent Diaspora.