Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Dimension Books & nothing but..

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Aramanthus
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by Aramanthus »

Mutineer's Moon Series by David Weber. In Fury Born novel by David Weber.
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"

"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."

"As you will it, your Grace."

HH....FIE
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flatline
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by flatline »

David Drake's Northworld trilogy should be required reading for any Rifts GMs, but it would be difficult to write a dimension book because the setting isn't really thoroughly explained in the trilogy.

--flatline
I don't care about canon answers. I'm interested in good, well-reasoned answers and, perhaps, a short discussion of how that answer is supported or contradicted by canon.

If I don't provide a book and page number, then don't assume that I'm describing canon. I'll tell you if I'm describing canon.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by Slight001 »

The black company books.
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Karen
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by Karen »

Lawrence Watt-Evans
Ethshar Series
Lords of Dus Series
Obsidion Chronicles
Annals of the Chosen
Fall of the Sorcerers Series
Are all well developed worlds ripe with adventure possibilities
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by taalismn »

ERB's Barsoom books(I once did a fan version of Barsoom-on-Rifts-Mars, but the original would be even more intriguing)
HGWells' War of the Worlds---Pick a time period for the Martian invasion, or take the war home to the Martians(there's a graphic novel series called Red Dust, I believe, that deals with the horrid aftermath of the HGWElls Martian invasion, as well as what happens when Earth retaliates...there's an amusing scene where an investigative reporter on Mars stumbles into an ancient Martian ruin and discovers a wall painting that features images of the ancient solar system--peopled by various other species that any Brit sci-fi fan would recognize from various sources such as ERB and Doctor Who). .
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by Damian Magecraft »

Book Series for inspiration...
Dresden Files
Iron Druid
Monster Hunters International
The Lensman Saga
Chronicles of Amber
Dragonriders of Pern
Myth-Adventures
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

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Galaxy Rangers
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flatline
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by flatline »

Sluggy Freelance.

I'm actually getting ready to start over from the beginning. Again.

So many ideas.

--flatline
I don't care about canon answers. I'm interested in good, well-reasoned answers and, perhaps, a short discussion of how that answer is supported or contradicted by canon.

If I don't provide a book and page number, then don't assume that I'm describing canon. I'll tell you if I'm describing canon.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by taalismn »

flatline wrote:Sluggy Freelance.

I'm actually getting ready to start over from the beginning. Again.

So many ideas.

--flatline


John Ringo's already raided Sluggy Freelance for names(helps that he's friends with the creator). One of his supertanks in the Legacy of the Aldenata series(which I have a disliking of) is called 'Bun-Bun'.
Similarly, his Troy Rising series is non-canonically connected to his friend Howard Tayler's Schlock Mercenary webcomic universe.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
Crow Splat
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by Crow Splat »

Fred Saberhagen's Book of Swords series is pretty much what Rifts Earth would be if the average tech level was reduced to medieval levels and all knowledge of high tech anything became myths about gods.

Basically what happened with NEMA but cranked up to 11. Even a simple flashlight is described as a mysterious magical flame with no heat.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by gaby »

Well I like Starship troopers,the Honorverse and David drake,s RCN series.
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Thom001
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by Thom001 »

Full metal alchemist
trigun
the guyver
howard the duck
biker mice from mars
street sharks
dark skies
dark city
sky captain and the world of tomorrow
blade runner
tin man
stargate
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by Tor »

going to throw Wallykazam! into the mix. Even though it's a spelling education series, it's full of all kinds of Grim-dark possibilities when you really think about the capabilities of the magic stick that Wally Trollman found. Plus for some reason even though it's a medieval fantasy setting, for some reason one of the episodes has robots... and they already existed, Wally just compelled them to run around, there's no indication he created them using magic.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by dante144 »

-Lumley's Necroscope series.
-A partnership with Marvel/DC/Image.. that would be a coup
-TWD
-The Strain
-Eureka 7, the anime series
-Warhammer 40k
-The Red Star
-Lifeforce, the movie.
Always wanted to implement these three somehow,
Star Wars,
Star Trek, and
Doctor Who.
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Tor
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by Tor »

I probably should have stated something like -properties which are not already licensed as an RPG already- although mergers are pretty cool.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by SolCannibal »

Tor wrote:I probably should have stated something like -properties which are not already licensed as an RPG already- although mergers are pretty cool.


- Spiral Zone.
- Attack on Titan, because why not?
- Gantz (does anyone remember the manga or anime?).
- I thought of suggesting Ghostbusters, except it's totally into Beyond the Supernatural's alley already. :-P
- The Darkover series and its "psionics high fantasy" setting before contact with Earth. Not to mention some names offer room for lovecraftian links.
- The Midnight Sons (almost independent) subset of the Marvel Universe back in the '90s could make a nice dimension, a crazy mashup of Beyond the Supernatural, Heroes Unlimited and Nightbane.

Also, Japan as depicted the classic Akira manga, for almost cyberpunk Tokyo, the post-apocalyptic country after Tetsuo's stunt in the moon and its overpowered, out-of-control (maybe alien intelligence amplified?) psionics.
Last edited by SolCannibal on Fri May 13, 2016 1:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by Nightmask »

For an interesting setting (for those fortunate to get the book compilation) there's Mallworld, where aliens have placed nearly the entire solar system (sadly poor Pluto and everything beyond it were sheered away forever) inside a sub-space force bubble cutting humanity off from the rest of the universe supposedly because they're such benevolent sorts and just want to protect humanity until they're considered mature enough to let into the rest of the universe. All the action takes place in space, primarily in the titular Mallworld, where among other things those with the money order their children from Storkways and people dream about these mysterious things called 'stars' that no one has seen in living memory.

One short story deals with a Boogyman (actually a female), agent of Storkways who's sent to repossess a high end designer baby who's a young girl by then and top of the line design super-genius material while another with a brief issue as the barrier momentary faults creating a rift to a parallel universe where the main protagonist meets his counterpart and finds out that while his earth is not sealed away and sees the stars the version of their aliens are far darker resulting in a number of humans including his counterpart fleeing to the imprisoned earth's dimension.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by taalismn »

SolCannibal wrote:[
- Gantz (does anyone remember the manga or anime?).?) .



Onion rings ending. Either carpal tunnel syndrome was kicking in on the artists and they wanted to wrap it up while they could still move their fingers or they just got bored with the whole thing.
Some of the cosplayers though are FANTASTIC.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
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Bill
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

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Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt series would make a decent alt fantasy dimension book or game unto itself. It's an early rennaisance tech setting with races of humans that have totemic connections to different species of insect, biasing the character toward certain careers and supernatural powers. Wasps, for example, tend toward militaristic classes and gain powers of flight and an energy attack known as the sting. Ants are either militaristic or labor oriented, and have a hive-mind power that grants them unparalled coordinated attacks, unshakable morale, and telepathy between their own hive members.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by SolCannibal »

Bill wrote:Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt series would make a decent alt fantasy dimension book or game unto itself. It's an early rennaisance tech setting with races of humans that have totemic connections to different species of insect, biasing the character toward certain careers and supernatural powers. Wasps, for example, tend toward militaristic classes and gain powers of flight and an energy attack known as the sting. Ants are either militaristic or labor oriented, and have a hive-mind power that grants them unparalled coordinated attacks, unshakable morale, and telepathy between their own hive members.


And now out of the blue i get this urge to try to cook up a setting inspired by the works of another Tchaikovsky.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by taalismn »

Classic music-inspired universe? Oh, do tell us more!
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
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SolCannibal
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by SolCannibal »

taalismn wrote:Classic music-inspired universe? Oh, do tell us more!


Well, the urge just came up, one association leads to another... i'll certainly tell more when i do have more.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by gaby »

Battletech,do you think Palladiumbook,s rules,are better then the Ones use in the Battletech,s games?
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

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The Saga graphic novels would fit the bill.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

Unread post by glitterboy2098 »

gaby wrote:Battletech,do you think Palladiumbook,s rules,are better then the Ones use in the Battletech,s games?

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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

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I'm just finishing the first book in Joel Shepherd's Cassandra Kresnov series. The story itself is not great, a little too heavy handed with cold-war allegory, but he does an excellent job of describing a galaxy inhabited by two warring factions of humans, the ideologies behind their conflict, and the technology in use by both sides. It would be very easy to adapt for use as an RPG setting in general and the human augmentation themes present in it make it a decent fit as a Rifts dimension book.
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Re: Existing fiction that would make good dimension books

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Steven Universe and Star vs. the Forces of Evil are also pretty interesting universes being constructed in active television. I expect it'd be easier for Palladium to get a license off Cartoon Network (Steve) than off Disney (Star) though.
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