What do you watch to get amped for a Phase World game?

[gaby]

I like the following

Star Trek,Farscape,Space:Above and Beyond,Battlestar Galactica and the New StarWars:Clone Wars.
Tv needs more Sci-fi shows like them.

I think Clone Wars can wokr if they do not focus on the same characters in every episode.
Maybe in season 2,they will do a episode on the Non-jedi,Non-clones fighting against the CIS.

[Braden Campbell]

My current Thundercoud Galaxy game is based heavily on the Island of Doctor Moreau... only with Gene Splicers.

[Damian Magecraft]

I draw inspiration from the following sources.

Movies
Battle Beyond the Stars
The Day the Earth Stood Still (the original)
Forbidden Planet
The old Flash Gordon Serials
various other old Serials

TV shows
Babylon 5
Andromeda
Space 1999
Captain Harlock

Video Games
Mass Effect
Halo Series

Novel Series
The Lensman series by E.E. "Doc" Smith
The Skylark Series by E.E. "Doc" Smith
The Brain & Brawn Series by Anne McCaffrey
The Petaybee Series by Anne McCaffrey
The Rowan Series by Anne McCaffery
The Phule's Company series by Robert Asprin
The Cluster Series by Piers Anthony
The Vorkosigan Series by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Barsoom Series by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Anything by the following authors
Isaac Asimov
Ben Bova
Ray Bradbury
Arthur C. Clarke
Phillip K. Dick
Harlan Ellison
Alan Dean Foster
Joe Haldeman
Harry Harrison
Robert A. Heinlein
Larry Niven
Fred Saberhagen
Robert Silverberg
Jack Vance
A. E. van Vogt

[Seneca]

As I have a tendancy to run a slightly more political Phase World game I watch these show for inspiration.

Babylon 5

Farscape

Star Trek Deep Space 9

Serenity/Firefly

The above shows exemplify a political setting to me. I love combining aspects of these shows into my Phase World games.

For a more military campaign I would go with these.

EXO: Squad (Old cartoon from the 90's, great character development of a massive war setting with P.A.)

Space: Above and Beyond (I totally forgot about this show!)

Starship Troopers 1-3 (I could see a campaign beginning in boot camp)

[DhAkael]

Reading;
Anything by David Webber or William H. Keith Jr.
Most of the 'Black Library' WH40k novels as published by Games-workshop

Watching;
Battlestar Galactica
Serenity
Crest of the Stars (don't have 'Banner of the stars' yet )
Sol Bianca (the original 2, not that pile of {censored for 20 minutes} trash remake)
Dune (Both David Lynch & Sci-Fi networks)
Anything with 'Riddick'

Playing;
System Shock 1 & 2
Aliens trilogy (PS1)
Dawn of war and D.o.W. Dark Crusade.
Any FF game 6 and upwards.

[Aramanthus]

Wow I've seen a lot of things I like to read, watch before a PHase World game going. I'm sorry I'm repating other people suggestions.

Movies:

Star Wars (Any of them)
Independence Day
Serenity
Aliens/ Predator movies
Chronicles of Riddick

Television

Babylon 5
Farscape
Firefly
Battlestar Galactica (old and new)
Space : Above and Beyond
Sol Bianca (Perfer the first two myself, but I'll take anything on that one.)
Robotech (Any of them)
Stargate Sg-1 / Stargate Atlantis
Cowboy Beebop
Mobile Suit Gundams
Red Dwarf
V
Doctor Who
Blake 7
Starblazers
Tripping the Rift
Ghost in the Shell (City stuff)

Novels

I agree about this - Anything by David Weber
Honor Harrington series
Mutineer's Moon series
In Fury Born (Excellent descriptions of PA and gear for ELITE commandos)
The Apcalypse Troll

Sten Series
Bolo
The Lensmen Series (Including the extra three about the non human lensman)
Armor
Fleet Series
The Last Legion Series
Star Risk Series (Again lots of fun toys the game.)

I'm sure that there are more but that is

[KLM]

As above and:

Space: Above and Beyond (with a bit of Black Sheep Suadron, Das Bot and
this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czterej_pancerni_i_pies ).

Star Trek: DS9 (that series is way different from stereotipical Trek)

From the books: Dune, Starship Troopers

Adios
KLM

[Lord_Dalgard]

Chello!

Hmmm...Star Blazers, Battlestar Galactica, and the Fifth Element.

Tony

[Esckey]

For me its most of the previously said shows, along with

Megas XLR
Star Wars Clone Wars(cartoons series)
13 Warrior
Futurama

[Uncle Servo]

Hmmm... that's a good question actually.

For me, I'd have to go with:

• Star Wars (more so the original trilogy than the prequels, and don't get me started on the Clone Wars travesties)
• Star Trek (mainly the movies, though I was a huge TNG fan and enjoyed DS9)
• Firefly/Serenity
• Aliens
• Starship Troopers
• Battlestar Galactica (the good ol' cheesy original series, not Galactica 1980 or that Boomer-come-lately Sci-Fi Channel abomination)
• Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1st season)
• Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers
• Arcadia of my Youth
• Sol Bianca
• Lensman
• Red Dwarf
• Transformers: The Movie (the old animated one)

[Aramanthus]

I've watched the new BSG and I really don't like the Soap Opera! It was better before it became Soap Opera. Now I'm only watchin it to see how it ends. Not any sort of loyalty. I hope they rot for destroying one of my favorite shows of my youth! Sorry not happy with it at all.

And as for Red Dwarf it was on for 8 seasons. You have to watch the extras on the last DVD. It has the original ending on it. English seasons, short, but very funny!!!!

And yet there is more that I forgot to include.

Andromeda
Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers.

[Uncle Servo]

Say what?!? Did you even watch the new series at all?

Yes, I watched the original mini-series. Certain elements were interesting, but overall I felt like all those good memories of watching the original series as a kid were butchered by a bunch of people who were trying to make a name for themselves by being "edgy" and may or may not have even watched a full episode for themselves.

Since then I have told myself that I might have to give that show a second chance, but never really worked up the interest in doing so... and really don't care about doing so now that it's being put out of its misery.

[Damian Magecraft]

Say what?!? Did you even watch the new series at all?

Yes, I watched the original mini-series. Certain elements were interesting, but overall I felt like all those good memories of watching the original series as a kid were butchered by a bunch of people who were trying to make a name for themselves by being "edgy" and may or may not have even watched a full episode for themselves.

Since then I have told myself that I might have to give that show a second chance, but never really worked up the interest in doing so... and really don't care about doing so now that it's being put out of its misery.

Am I to understand that the "new" Battle star is being canceled?

Good.
I too do not care for the "reboot".
I watched several episodes when it began... It did not have the right "feel" to me.

[Damian Magecraft]

The show is ending. Spin-off prequel to come. I'm pretty sure it wasn't because of bad ratings or lack of a following, though.

I watched (some) of the original show. Can't see what all the fuss is about.

The newer BSG is a lot like Space:Above and Beyond. Especially in the early seasons. Probably why I like it.

Nostalgia for those of us who watched it when it originally aired.
The era (late 70's to early 80's) in which the original was written was more optimistic and the shows of that era reflect that. Bad guys were "black hats" and good guys were "white hats" there were no ambiguities then...the shows were just short one hour romps into a world filled with action, where you could tell the good from the bad without a score card. (this applies many of the shows from that era). To alter that feels like a betrayal to some of us.

[Lord_Dalgard]

Chello!

I actually like both versions of Battlestar Galactica. I like the more military feel of the new series. In fact, back when I originally played the CAF fleet officer OCC in the 90s, I played them like Star Fleet officers. After watching the new BG, the Galactica officers became my template for play. Read the OCC description...they're expected to run the ship, fly fighters and engage in ship-to-ship combat, and leqd recon misssions on planetary surfaces.

Tony

[Aramanthus]

I guess that is a fairly accurate description. I didn't think of them like that. Thank you for the correlation.

[Vrykolas2k]

Andromeda, any Star Trek except the original series, Star Wars stuff, Soldier, Firefly/ Serenity, Aliens, Battle Beyond the Stars, Dune...

[Aramanthus]

Now there is one that missed most peoples list. Battle Beyond the Stars. It is a movie that they can update.

[MikelAmroni]

The older battlestar galactica was way better than the new ones. The pilots were long hairs, and they were nicer folks. I actually watched the old series. The new people seem mean, the starship seems cramped so they fight among there own. In the few episodes that i watched that is.
I watch star wars, star trek, V for victory TV series.

Given that, in the new series, Galactica was designed during the cylon war, there was more consideraton put into her being an effective fighter able to handle most any threat, and not into her living quarters. Simple fact is the whole new series environment would have been much different if a ship like the newer Battlestars (ie the ones that were toasted in the initial attack) had been in the Galactica's place. They were much less cramped, and much less hard on their crews, and were designed in peace time, so the design process was more aimed at a comfortable service than solely the battle readiness of the older ships (and why they were phasing out theolder ships). DarkLord's Rifts Space setting features this same dynamic, and its a highly relevant one for a national power coming out of a war.

And the other reason for the general unrest is while there is "technically" enough room in the fleet to hold everyone, the living conditions are cramped on the civilian ships (ships never meant for long term travel without rest stops) - especially when you're under constant attack, and you're thrown together with folks you may or may not like and have to work together to survive. One of the reasons I like the new series over the older one is that it feels more real. If you threw a bunch of real military and civilian folks on ships like that, we'd implode and stick together just like the show has. I grant I am a bit of a pessimist when it comes to the human animal as a whole, but still (which is odd, because I am an optimist when it comes to individuals - go fig).

The biggest thing the old show had was it was higher flying, and it was definately more optimistic, even when it had is dark moments. Before the new series it ranked as one of my favorites of all time. It still does, but I like the new one better. But the only real thing that two share is name and basic background. They are so completely different they don't fairly deserve comparison.

[Aramanthus]

Well apparently Universal is going to update the old series in a movie format sometime in the near future. http://scifiwire.com/2009/02/as-sci-fis-battlestar-ends-is-universal-adapting-another-for-the-movies.php

[Corinth]

There is another Japanese animated series that I would like to contribute as inspirational material, especially for those of you looking into running a Phase World campaign in the mode of a sweeping epic space opera: Legend of the Galatic Heroes. For those of you who take cues from E.E. Smith's Lensman series, Crest/Banner of the Stars, or the Clone Wars of the Star Wars Galaxy this is another (1980s era) example of the sort of genre that you might find useful and inspirational for your own games.

[Aramanthus]

Now that is one I'd always wanted to see. But I haven't had a chance to see it. The LEnsman could be added too or else redone closer to the books!

[taalismn]

Starship Troopers: The Roughneck Chronicles---sure, it's CGI video-game style plotting, but it's great inspiration if you're planning something like a CCW/CAF grunt campaign with lots of firepower muscle...

[Aramanthus]

I agree with you Taalismn on your choice. I've got that series too. I think it's great inspiration.

[Augur]

The new BSG just screams either PHASE WORLD or Aliens Unlimited to me.

[Aramanthus]

You could easily do it off forum. I know I've worked up quite a few variants and I have actually statted out in hard copy only my own survivors. They call their new home in the Phase World setting the "Colonies of Man. They are allied to the New Earth Defense Force and they utilize Star Blazers ships. Both of these are going to hit the TGE in my game from the side when it goes after the CCW. And remember one EDF battleship can take out a TGE Dreadnaught.

[DhAkael]

One way to really get the feel of the Mechanoids mind-set is to watch any of the Dr. Who's (new or original run) that showcase the Daleks.

[Aramanthus]

I'd say the Cybermen also fall into that catagory too! They are just about as ruthless. Not quite as ruthless as the Daleks. But that is a great analogy to run them like.