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Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

19 Oct 2018 02:06

(and all future Crystal Spheres).
Don't forget that the realspace of the Greyhawk setting (Greyspace) is a geocentric solar-system. Not to daunt you with another computer-programming rabbit-hole, but do you know how that might translate into SE?

I'm guessing you might have to make a binary-type system wherein the planet of Oerth is one component, and the other is the main sun? If so, Oerth's moons Luna and Celene, as well as the planets Kule and Raenei would need to orbit Oerth directly, with the rest of the solar-systems planets orbiting the barycenter. Pretty unrealistic, but hey, it's canon.
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Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

19 Oct 2018 07:33

Oh yes I quite look forward to that. JackDole created a geocentric system a few weeks back. I don't see that as a difficult hurdle though. Realmspace has a (semi) gas giant with a miniature star as a moon, which I did a while back too. It seems to work out fine without overheating all the other moons. It does cause the whole system to be labeled a binary even though technically it's not. One other thing are the sargasso, orbiting fairly close to the star and I'm not sure how to represent them. I suppose I'll just put an accretion disc around a comet or asteroid. (I haven't even tried any accretion disk yet). Wormholes were not a good idea lol. I have my nebulae completed and Skull of the Void. There are a few very odd shaped objects mentioned orbiting different planets or moons and I'll probably do a very basic version. Other than that the biggest problem is it's around 24 gigabytes. I just can't bear to trash some of the textures and go procedural for many of the solar objects but I guess I'll have to because nobody's going to download that!

But first I need to find a place to live and a new job and some transportation and all that RL junk that gets in the way.

If everything goes smoothly, certainly by Christmas my version of Realmspace will be available.
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Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

19 Oct 2018 19:21

I'll quit high-jacking this thread and start up a Realmspace Release & Test thread soon.

I might eventually have a decent galaxy to work with. I can not express the depth of my aversion, disgust, distaste, repulsion, revulsion and utter hatred for GIMP. I hope they put that recent donation to good use. I easily put 6 hours into this simple layered image that shouldn't be harder than adjusting some levels and blending off the edges.
CosmicEyelash-Sample.png
CosmicEyelash-Sample.png (370.69 KiB) Viewed 10338 times
I wonder what blending modes for the RGB layers are used in SE. What I do in Photoshop doesn't seem to translate well into GIMP. I've tried all sorts of color schemes, but can't find a good blend close to what is in the Galaxies Texture Pak file.
different color schemes.png
different color schemes.png (332.19 KiB) Viewed 10338 times
Anyway, here is a snap shot of the major solar bodies in the system with their almost final versions of custom textures. I'll probably cut it in a third, maybe depending on which ones people like the most. I can't upload these 20 - 40mb gifs to Imgur so I need to find a different host. They look awesome rotating and were alot quicker to make than actually textures in the game.
Realmspace Solar Bodies.png
And a glance at what the galaxy is looking like now. I should be able to do 20 of these in an hour! Grrr

HOLYCOW JackDole! That's awesome! I didn't see your post until just now. I'm not at all familiar with the Kyrnnspace crystal sphere, but I do have all the Spelljammer products from TSR so, I might make that a third project some day. If you have any interests I might rummage around for some high res maps, but most are left as partial world maps for the obvious reason of selling new products in the future.
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Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

20 Oct 2018 00:06

If you have any interests I might rummage around for some high res maps, but most are left as partial world maps for the obvious reason of selling new products in the future.
That would be good if you could find matching textures. Which may be used freely!
JackDole's Universe 0.990: http://forum.spaceengine.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=546
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JackDole: Mega structures ... http://old.spaceengine.org/forum/17-3252-1 (Old forum)
 
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Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

20 Oct 2018 02:31

But first I need to find a place to live and
Eh? A little off topic, but what's going on?
Anyway, here is a snap shot of the major solar bodies in the system with their almost final versions of custom textures.
Hmm, they all look pretty good, but my bone to pick is with Abeir. I know there are no maps in relation to that planet in the fluff, since it was not terribly popular with the fans (they say it's just Dark Sun's Athas, but with less deserts), but we do know that it is essentially like Toril. Pretty pedestrian in flavor, with oceans and some continents named Shyr and Laerakond (before the latter was switched into Toril during the Spellplague to replace the continent of Maztica/Anchorome, then switched back during the Sundering) and probably others. It was once ruled by primordials before they were all killed or banished by their supposed draconic servants. These dragons apparently rule Abeir now.  The only map of a part of Abeir that I could find was the one presented in the 4e Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, of Laerakond:
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In light of all that, what do you use for reference in regards to Abeir's physical depiction? Do you consider the 4th edition fluff to be valid :lol:?

I should be able to do 20 of these in an hour! Grrr
Keep going man, don't stop till it's done!
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Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

24 Oct 2018 00:04

Well, I didn't really consider the fact there were continents on Abeir. I just liked the texture alot and it was the first I ever used to skin a planet so I haven't changed it yet. The following is some of the notes I gathered about the two (one) planets.

The long list of continent names I have for Abeir is: Shyr, Tymanther, Akanûl, Nyambeand, Laerakond, Karshimis, & Gorloun.

From Wikipedeia:
Toril was the name of Jeff Grubb's campaign world, and it was adopted as the name of the planet upon which the continent of Faerûn existed when he and Ed Greenwood were designing the original Forgotten Realms Boxed Set in 1987. Abeir- was added as a prefix to the planet's name so that it would be the first entry in the alphabetical encyclopedia of terms included in the set. The setting's entire planet underwent a major change during the 1989 Avatar trilogy, which detailed a series of events called the Time of Troubles, during which gods walked the earth and magic became unpredictable. These events caused permanent changes in gameplay that were outlined in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition campaign setting books.

In a significant retcon of the setting's history, Forgotten Realms material for the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons "reveals" that the world was split in two in prehistory, divided between the primordials (Abeir) and the gods (Toril). Toril is the world that has been showcased so far. A cataclysm called the Spellplague has caused several parts of the two worlds to switch places, displacing portions of Faerûn and the entire continent of Maztica with regions of Abeir: Tymanther, Akanûl, and Returned Abeir. A subsequent event called "The Sundering" reverted many of these changes and restored much of the pre-Spellplague Toril.

From Dragon magazine 211:
Toril's crystal sphere was called Realmspace. It was orbited by one moon named Selûne, and by a cluster of asteroids, known as the Tears of Selûne.

Abeir was the twin planet of Toril, located in the same material plane of its sibling world, but within a "pocket dimension" that was out of synchrony with Toril. Abeir revolved around the same sun of Realmspace, although from Abeir the sun was seen as blue colored. Abeir shared the lunar satellite Selûne and its Tears with Toril.

Abeir had steel-colored sky due to the Arambar, the residue energy left by the death of the primordial of the same name.

The only known continents of Abeir were Shyr and Laerakond (at least before it was transferred to Toril). For a time, Maztica was also part of this world. Like Toril, it also contained an Underdark.

The original kingdom of the Abolethic Sovereignty was also located in Abeir. Abeir was inhabited primarily by primordials, dragons, dragonborn, dwarves, genasi, halflings, humans, and a few other races that also inhabited Toril. Elves and other fey creatures were almost unheard of in Abeir, although drow were known to inhabit its Underdark. Abeir was also inhabited by abominations and other aberrant creatures from the Far Realm, most of them the original inhabitants of Abeir-Toril.

Magic manifested differently on Abeir than in Toril, as there was no Weave and no normal ways to contact any gods, as gods were wary about this world. Likewise, Planar magic (or at least planar magic that depended on the Nine Hells), such as that granted to warlocks by a pact, also worked differently and was more difficult to use than in Toril.

The only magic that worked normally on Abeir was that a creature could create on its own, such as the inherent elemental magic a primordial had in its body or a dragon's breath. Magic items also worked normally on Abeir, and Abeiran dragons usually scavenged primordial corpses in order to create powerful artifacts from their remains, such as the Breath of Petron. Psionics were also a type of magic that could be used in this world, however this kind of magic seemed to be as uncommon on Abeir as it was on Toril. Creating artificial portals to Abeir was nearly impossible, but a few natural portals connected Abeir and Toril.

After Ao sundered the world of Abeir-Toril, splitting it into the two twin planets, Abeir and Toril, he gave Abeir to the few primordials who survived the Dawn War to rule. Those primordials were tired of war and were unable to overcome their dragon steeds when those rebelled against them, starting the conflict known as the War of Fang and Talon. After the war the few primordials who survived retreated into hiding and fell silent, and only a handful of dragon lords survived. Not long after, a mighty dragon called Gorloun founded the first dragon empire, and soon rival draconic realms sprang up thereafter, and the long Rule of Dragons began. In the lands of the eastern continent Shyr, the despotic primordial Karshimis also created his own nation.

These nations quarreled each other for ages, but draconic rule remained nearly unchallenged until the Blue Breath of Change, when both worlds merged for a certain time. Laerakond and other regions of Abeir were transported to Toril, and the fate of the remaining nations in the world of Abeir became a mystery to Faerûnian sages.
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And no! Anything after 2nd edition is complete hogwash! LOL
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Here is the artwork I plan on using on my own page when it is released. I'll probably remove the white back ground and replace it with some shot from Space Engine.
Spell Jammer for Space Engine.jpg
However, as I mentioned above,  I am relocating back to Houston tomorrow, and I might be gone awhile.
The life of a landscaper kind of gets thrown around like a leaf in the wind at times. At some other time I might set down some roots.

    
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Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

24 Oct 2018 02:32

Here is the artwork I plan on using on my own page when it is released. I'll probably remove the white back ground and replace it with some shot from Space Engine.
I like the picture. I mean, a lot! Really looking forward to the release, it'll be the best Christmas gift ever.  I wish you luck.
However, as I mentioned above,  I am relocating back to Houston tomorrow,
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Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

11 May 2021 07:35

In between my 13-16 I've tried a lot of board games with my friends. There was just five of us. Our small private club. Board games actually connected us, especially we loved to play in Dungeons and Dragons. I still remember my character very well. She was an elven sorceress with purple hair called Yenna. I was inspired by Yennefer from The Witcher novels. However, each of us is a mature with our own problems and families, but we still meet at least once in a year to play in DnD. Nowadays, there is a lot of D&D Guide books or sites which is fascinating to read from time to time to make the game even more amazing. I've always loved to imagine myself in different alternative worlds, so fantasy is always my favorite genre in games and books.
 
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Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

12 May 2021 06:50

In between my 13-16 I've tried a lot of board games with my friends. There was just five of us. Our small private club. Board games actually connected us, especially we loved to play in Dungeons and Dragons. I still remember my character very well. She was an elven sorceress with purple hair called Yenna. I was inspired by Yennefer from The Witcher novels. However, each of us is a mature with our own problems and families, but we still meet at least once in a year to play in DnD. Nowadays, there is a lot of D&D Guide books or sites which is fascinating to read from time to time to make the game even more amazing. I've always loved to imagine myself in different alternative worlds, so fantasy is always my favorite genre in games and books.
I still get together with my friends and play D&D. For 20 years now!
 
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Re: Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

06 Apr 2023 06:28

Hey there! I'm new to this forum, and I know this thread is a few months old, but I stumbled across it while hunting for information on using Space Engine for a D&D campaign. I think it's a really cool idea, and I'm glad to see that someone else has already thought of it!
 
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Re: Using Space Engine for a D&D campaign?

10 Apr 2023 03:26

Hey there! I'm new to this forum, and I know this thread is a few months old, but I stumbled across it while hunting for information on using Space Engine for a D&D campaign. I think it's a really cool idea, and I'm glad to see that someone else has already thought of it!
BTW, I recently discovered some amazing dragon watches that are seriously cool. I think having a dragon-inspired watch would be the perfect way to stay on the theme while playing a spacefaring D&D campaign.
As for integrating SE into D&D, I think it could definitely work! The space jammer idea is really interesting, and I think it would give players much freedom to explore the universe. The bookkeeping might be a bit of a challenge, but it sounds like you're already thinking about ways to organize everything efficiently.

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