I've been away from these forums for a while. A lot of my free time has been taken up by helping to co-write an RPG.
The final product, Orbital, was released just last week and an accompanying adventure, Gift of the Makers, came out today. And yes it is an Alternate History.
With a POD going back at least a million years Orbital (and its prequel, Outpost Mars) asks the question...What if the Face on Mars really was made by Aliens?
Results from Viking and subsequent Mars probes convinces the Congress to fully fund President Bush's Space Exploration Initiative. In order to prevent future problems the US removes Saddam Hussein in early 1991 and bin Laden was killed by missile attack in 1998. A manned return to the Moon occurred in 2001 and followed it with a Mars landing in 2017.
In the setting's present the Luna Republic and Earth Union are locked in a Cold War, though a period of detente has allowed trade to flourish. Humans criss-cross the solar system in nuclear thermal rockets called Deep Space Vehicles and colonies have been established on nearly every clump of rock or ice available. SETI has discovered that not only did aliens visit Mars but also flourish at several relatively nearby stars.
Except for perhaps the abundance of life throughout the solar system and near stellar neighborhood, Orbital is a hard science fiction setting. It's on sale now at rpgnow.com and drivethrurpg.com. Give it and the adventure a look if you like science fiction, alternate history or role-playing.
Thank you all very much.
Ben Lecrone
The final product, Orbital, was released just last week and an accompanying adventure, Gift of the Makers, came out today. And yes it is an Alternate History.
With a POD going back at least a million years Orbital (and its prequel, Outpost Mars) asks the question...What if the Face on Mars really was made by Aliens?
Results from Viking and subsequent Mars probes convinces the Congress to fully fund President Bush's Space Exploration Initiative. In order to prevent future problems the US removes Saddam Hussein in early 1991 and bin Laden was killed by missile attack in 1998. A manned return to the Moon occurred in 2001 and followed it with a Mars landing in 2017.
In the setting's present the Luna Republic and Earth Union are locked in a Cold War, though a period of detente has allowed trade to flourish. Humans criss-cross the solar system in nuclear thermal rockets called Deep Space Vehicles and colonies have been established on nearly every clump of rock or ice available. SETI has discovered that not only did aliens visit Mars but also flourish at several relatively nearby stars.
Except for perhaps the abundance of life throughout the solar system and near stellar neighborhood, Orbital is a hard science fiction setting. It's on sale now at rpgnow.com and drivethrurpg.com. Give it and the adventure a look if you like science fiction, alternate history or role-playing.
Thank you all very much.
Ben Lecrone