![]() ![]() A reviewer once gave a glib but accurate elevator pitch for Blue Planet as "Space marshal Cowboy and his cybernetic dolphin sidekick fight eco-crimes in alien Hawaii." Though the original Blue Planet predates many of these titles, the setting is evoked by the movies Avatar, Blade Runner, and Outland, the television series The Expanse, Firefly, and Earth II and the books Legacy of Heorot, Songs of Distant Earth, and the Mars Trilogy. The planet has a strangely rich, elaborate and deadly ecology that shares its base DNA with terrestrial life, and there is a little known, apparently indigenous sapient species that also has a stake in the future. My background as a field biologist and a marine science teacher was poured into this book. The game is “hard-sci-fi” and carefully researched. ![]() The default stories take place in the midst of a major “gold rush” as incorporate city states, national factions, the natives and other power blocks vie for the future of the planet. They also discovered xenosilicate or Longjohn, a valuable ore that allows for perfect genetic engineering and therefore the prevention of aging. Earth reestablished contact 30+ years ago and found the 5k colonists had become 80k natives. It’s Earth’s first extra-solar colony and the first, genetically engineered colonists were abandoned 100+ years ago when an agricultural blight on Earth caused global famine and a crisis of resources. JEFF: Blue Planet is set on the waterworld of Poseidon (97% ocean-covered) discovered on the other side of a traversable wormhole. I was a longtime Blue Planet fan and so it was a natural conversation! To me, Blue Planet is one of the defining science fiction roleplaying games, up there with Traveller in the RPG history books! I was thrilled to be able to talk to Jeff about it and discuss the chance to continue it’s storied legacy.ĮGG: For those that don’t know Blue Planet, what’s the world like? Same deep world-building and realistic sociopolitical situations.ĪLAN BAHR: (ALAN): Like Jeff said, we met working to finish Upwind, a Biohazard plus Nocturnal Media project. Two volumes, 3rd edition, new mechanics, full-color, all new art, new campaign hooks, setting and tech updates, new setting content, sensitivity readers. Blue Planet is sort of a well-known classic that has been out of print for 20 years and with its environmental themes and ocean focus it seemed like a meaningful time to reintroduce the game. JEFF BARBER (JEFF): Alan and I came together while working with Nocturnal Media on Biohazard’s last RPG, Upwind. You’ve got a new one with a partner company that you’re kickstarting, what can you share about it? ![]() EGG EMBRY (EGG): Jeff, you are a busy sort with a number of projects going. ![]()
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