There is no escape from the Goddess of Space Junk and Derelict Hope!

Enslaved robo-space hornet is minion to Detriax

Either way, I'm extremely proud to be a part of this OSR community effort to bring some fun, homebrew content to game tables.

My entry is (naturally) on the scifi side: Detriax, a space goddess that consumes (and even creates) space wreckage and heartbroken star sailors. Imagine Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean mashed up with the Unicron or Galactus. She's got a few minions as well. Here's some of the fantastic illustrations for the entry.

FUN FACT: One type of Detriax's minions--a relative of the space hornet pictured here--appeared in an early Rad Astra home campaign. This art represents the first public depiction of a Rad Astra denizen. 

Players. Yeah, we do just fine with three or even two, but four is a magic number because real group dynamics come into play. No longer is it the dynamic duo or trio, it's a fully realized team. It's much easier to diversify skills with at least four participants (besides the GM).

Even if fewer players actually show up, I try to write each game with four different classes and skill sets in mind. Let the players figure out who does what, but give them some purpose by challenging them on four fronts.

THREE

Here's a question for your veteran GMs out there: how much or how little do you rely on game (or other) art during game play?

Do you show your players art to set the mood or give them an idea of their environment or adversaries?

How much of your art at the table is non-game art?

Do you let them bring in art?

While I've used art in games, I've encountered players who admit that the art doesn't do much for them. Others love it because (they say) they're "not great with visuals". (Not sure if I should find that worrisome or not!)

I've considered describing images that the players cannot see (hidden behind a screen), and let their imaginations do the rest. In the past, I've wimped out and shown it to them because, I deemed it just too cool not to show. But I think for some people it detracted from their experience.

Again, I think it's important to make a distinction here: I'm not talking about how you use art in crafting settings, creatures, or NPCs--but how important that art is during game play.

Feel free to be as detailed as you like in the comments.

And thank you!

So I was reading up on the 24 RPG project which seems like a really cool endeavor that I totally don't have time for.* I do hope to someday write one of my own, but realistically that's a ways off. But what I can do is whip up a blog (as I'm wont to do with side projects from time to time) and basically come up with a campaign setting or my own version of how I'd play an established game with house rules, etc.

Put on your thinking cap, kids!

Throw in there the idea that the OSR loves light rules. Bloggers love to talk about how the early games gave you a pencil, a piece of paper and some funny dice and away you went. It seems there's something to be said for brevity and starting with just bare bones inspiration.

Then it got me thinking... (I know, dangerous!) What if there was a similar festival/contest/whatever for game bloggers? 24 hours seems nearly impossible for a decently rounded out campaign blog, but what about limiting the posts? Keep the paramenters centered on worldbuilding and gameplay of something you'd actually kinda' want to play.

Got me thinking about all settings I've started, but never finished......

SO HERE'S AN IDEA...

1. Pick a game--any old rules will do. Stick to one set though.
2. Dream up a campaign setting--it can't be anything you've previously posted, published, or talked about before. It doesn't have to be "new" per se, just new to the rest of us.
3. Create a new blog--yes a new URL and everything, but use your current account so we can tell it's still yours. Name if after your campaign settting.
4. Write 30 posts in 60 days. (C'mon, that's less than 1 a day!) You have just that long to outline the major key elements (setting, monsters, rule modifications, classes, races, etc.). This is straight-up worldbuilding using elements you'd normally talk about on your home blog. But here, you've got economize and decide what the most important elements are. Here's some general guidelines:

30 POSTS TOTAL

• 13 on monsters or villains, one type or one specific individual per post (so "hobgoblins" is one, a "kaiju" is another, "Vader's granny" another, etc.)
• 4 on special treasure, a lost artifact, weapons, vehicles, etc., however you choose to parse. 
• 3 on setting, this is all aesthetic so you'll want to focus on places, maps, NPCs, the way magic works, how the local ruling space authority, uh...rules the galaxy, etc.
• 3 on classes with each dedicated to a separate player class.
• 2 on house rules, specifically how your campaign either strays, modifies, or embellishes on your chosen rule set (posts can be as detailed as you like); carousing rules, etc. all apply here
• 3 on any topics you like, these help you round out the rough edges and could be additional classes, races, setting, etc.
• 1 intro post to set up your premise for your campaign (e.g., , declare your ruleset and acknowlege participation in the contest
• 1 report of actual play, which should include at least one picture, be it from the campaign or actual play; you can make this your final post with a big sign off or you can use it as a playtest, but you gotta play it at least once and record it for posterity

That's it! That's all you get!

Why be so limiting?

Well, limits help push you to problem solve, be creative and force you to make decisions. Why 30? Well seems like you need at least 20 or so to establish the world and make it feel like there's enough of it to explore. 10 more to round it out. "But we should do 40 or 50 or..." Yeah,  we could. But we're NOT. It's gotta feel like a doable, participatory event with a clear finish line.

What happens after the contest/thingy?

Well, you abandon the blog. At least, you no longer post to that blog address. It's done. Finito. You can/should link to it on your regular blog and you're totally able to take it further on there. But on the newly created blog--you only get 30 posts.

Then, hopefully, we all get a chance to maybe play our games? Talk about sharpened skills and broken pencils, etc. Enjoy some laughs and return to our civilian lives, changed but better human beings.

...or not. But at least you'd have a cool contest entry and maybe that would spark some ideas.

So is there a winner?

Dunno yet. Maybe I could come up with some prizes and/or get others to pitch in. But I'm not comfortable being the only judge. So maybe we all vote? Maybe there's a jury that recuses themselves from the contest? Maybe it's just a cool thing we attempt like those Lego builder "contests" and NaNoMiRoWhatever. But one thing is for sure YOU ONLY GET 30 POSTS!

So, is anyone interested in something like this?

I tried to parse out the blog post requirements along the lines of something I generally see on home blogs. Maybe that needs to be modified. But then again, I don't think anyone wants to read 20 posts on house rules, 10 on play testing, and only 10 for worldbuilding. Of course, I could have missed something major so be sure to let me know.

If enough people are interested. When should we start? After the one-page dungeon contest? Gives you a few weeks to read up on rules or daydream at work about your new setting. What's the contest called?


Okay, questions? Suggestions? Let's hear 'em!



*I'd also nitpick the thing to death after the fact and I just know I'd never be satisfied with the outcome.

Getting ready for the con this weekend has me scouring the archives for old and trusted resources. I remembered this post by the estimable Jeff Rients (crosses self, buddy-salutes sky). Here now is my attempt to do a scifi version. Note: some of these will remain modestly adapted if unchanged.

1. What is the deal with my psion's order?
2. Where can we go to buy standard mission gear?
3. Where can we go to get custom cyborg implants for this alien/mutant/monster I just befriended?
4. Who is the meanest warlord in the galaxy?
5. Who is the greatest warrior in the galaxy?
6. Who is the richest person in the galaxy?
7. Where can we go to get some discount medbay healing?
8. Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, space witch curse, level drain, mutagen contamination, nanomite infestation, brain swapped back into original body, death, zombification?
9. Is there a vocational guild my PC belongs to or that I can join in order to get better at that thing I do?
10. Where can I find a scientist, techno wizard, psion master or other expert NPC?
11. Where can I hire mercenaries like bounty hunters, smugglers, pirates, or laser riflemen?
12. Is there any place on the map where lightsabers/weirding modules are illegal, advanced technology is outlawed, or any other notable hassles from [insert name of ruling space authority]?
13. Which way to the nearest space station for fuel, repairs, upgrades, supplies, and entertainment?
14. What infamous interstellar criminals are terrorizing the outer rim sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
15. Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?
16. How about gladiatorial space arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
17. Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
18. What is there to eat out of this 3D food printer thing?
19. Any legendary lost artifacts of the ancients I could be looking for?
20. Where is the nearest kaiju or other monster with Type H treasure?

So, not groundbreaking by any means on my part, but at least it's a start for space opera setting. Here's a few more of my own:

1. What's the state of the galaxy at present moment? Does my planet of origin still exist?
2. Where can I get a ship to take me to this dangerous planet on my star chart?
3. Where can I buy or get parts to build a robot to do my bidding?
4. What are the planets that no one dares visit?
5. Are there any dives on this rock we shouldn't go into?
6. What aliens will blast my hand off on sight?
7. What aliens are allies that I can call for help?
8. Are there any space derelicts or abandoned asteroid outposts we can go raid?
9. Where can I sell this relic/spacejunk/secret weapon I found/stole/inherited?
10. Where can I get a decent cape to romp around in?

 Have more? Let's hear 'em in the comments!

I'm behind on my Star Control post for the weekend, but I'm hoping this helps to make it up a bit with a rundown of the types of planetary bodies used in the game. Since part of the game includes extraction of resources and establishing contact with other races, it helps to know which ones make the best candidates for those activities.


Here's a quick outline planets by type as described in Star Control II:

Gas Giants

• Huge balls of gas composed of light elements (hydrogen, helium)
• Ships can't attempt landings since there's no solid surface
• It's possible that massive "scoop ships" could harvest elements
• No intelligent life has been found on/in a gas giant...yet...

Water World

• Large, rocky planets with nickel-iron cores, fluid mantels and covered in water (Earth-like)*
• Distance from parent star determines whether water is liquid,gaseous, or locked up in ice
• Life is common on these worlds
• Surface temp ranges 0-100 degrees centigrade

Selenic World

• Small, not dense, composed of light elements and metals
• Rarely have atmosphere
• Comparable to Luna, Earth's moon

Dust World

• Surfaces composed of silicates and metal oxides
• Little or no usable mineral deposits
• Thin atmosphere may support minimal eco system

Hydrocarbon World

• Like water worlds, but covered in inorganic hydrocarbons like ethanol
• Small deposits of useful minerals 
• Known for ability to support life

Primordial World

• Large, rocky have metal core with silicate sheath
• Dense atmosphere of carbon dioxide makes for hot, volatile surface conditions

Metallic World 

• Usually found in the first or second orbital position
• Lighter materials have often burned off leaving small dense core of heavy metals and minerals exposed
• Highly valuable for the natural resources, but may have intense gravity fields

Reduction World

• Similar to water world but surface gas is not oxygen, but methane and ammonia**

Radioactive World

• Contains higher surface concentration of radioactive elements 
• Higher amounts could indicate uncommon gas composition or mantle convection process

The manual indicates that there are other "less common" types of planets spread throughout the game and encourages you to seek them out.

When planets are encountered in-game, players (starship captains) typically scan them for minerals, lifeforms, artifacts, etc. Scanning brings up a stat-block of the following attributes:

• Planet Type: (As covered above)
• Orbital Radius: Distance from primary star in astronomical units (A.U.s)
• Temperature: Surface temperature; hotter worlds make for dangerous landings
• Tectonics: Seismic activity; rated 1-8 "classes" which seems to follow the Volcanic Explosivity Index not the Richter Scale
• Weather: Measures force and density of disturbances and measured similar to tectonics (8 classes); lightning is most dangerous weather effecting landings
• Atmospheric Pressure: Measured in "standard Earth units" and adds more flavor than function in the game
• Mass: Total mass measured in Earth units, 1 = 1 Earth
• Radius: Also measured in Earth units; mass combined with radius determines a planet's gravity attribute
• Gravity: Measured in Earth units and determines how much fuel it costs to land (and leave) a planet
• Length of Day: How long it takes for planet to revolve on its axis, not a large in-game consideration
• Axial Tilt: Difference between a planet's rotational axis and axis of orbit, determines planets seasons (which likely affects weather patterns/overall climate)

In Star Control, it's important to understand most of these attributes, while a few seem to be more geared toward rounding out the game's aesthetic. I appreciate the amount of thought that went into crafting the planet classification and I could see actually making use of all of these in a paper and pencil RPG.

Whereas SC2 sorta' auto-calculates the danger to your crew when you attempt landings, attributes like Length of Day, Atmospheric Pressure and Weather could be used to greater effect in a home campaign of your own making. They might influence how PCs choose to expose them selves to the elements and for how long.

All in all, I think this is an excellent to classify planets. It gives nice snapshot of each planet encountered. Might be worth an attempt to do something similar in an X-plorers, Star Frontiers, or other scifi game.


*Star Control II came out before the notion of "Super Earths" was widely known by the public. In the game, Earth is considered a larger, rocky planet. Venus, Mars, and Mercury are typically small-to-medium sized worlds.

**Manual; says "oxygen" here, should really be referred to as "nitrogen" or an "oxygen/nitrogen mix."

The official description says it all:

KUNG FURY is an over-the-top action comedy written and directed by David Sandberg. The movie features: arcade-robots, dinosaurs, nazis, vikings, norse gods, mutants and a super kung fu-cop called Kung Fury, all wrapped up in an 80s style action packed adventure. 

Admit it, you've run games just like this! KUNG FURY looks like the long lost buddy cop partner of Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon. They're a match made in mashup heaven!

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL HUMAN BEINGS
I bet that you, like me, will find it impossible to believe that the filmmakers have run out of money, because no one in their right mind would let this not get made. But somehow it's true and they've launched a Kickstarter. This injustice cannot be allowed to continue. Let's make it happen!


via /film

This one's a heartbreaker.

First-person shooter/RPG, Star Wars 1313 was one of the casulaties of the LucasArts acquisition by Disney. Though deep into development, it was axed and the dev team was let go.

It's a terrible tragedy on a number of levels. Besides the loss of employment for hundreds of staff, the game itself looks (looked?) incredible. The graphics and motion capture appear cinematic--and I say that without an ounce of hyperbole. This would have been a truly immersive action/adventure game with the story points flowing seamlessly into gameplay.

While the game won't be released, at least we have this video to see some of the more intriguing concepts that would have been introduced into the Star Wars universe.

Here's a rundown of elements that you still could use to inspire your Star Wars or sci-fi pen-and-paper RPG campaigns:

• Game takes place in the underworld of Coruscant (captial of the galaxy)--more than a thousand levels (1,313 to be exact!) below the surface of the metropolis-laiden planet. There's a quick line about how the environment is different below the surface (maybe needing a mask filter to breath?)
• Giant conduits allow for small-to-medium sized vessels to move between levels (think Cleopatra 2525!)
• The game was invisioned arounds bounty hunters, specifically Boba FettMid-air ship-to-ship battles! Zip line raids! 18th century pirate-style combat!
• Seems to be a "streetwar of mercenaries," I'd wager that deciding who to be alligned with and when to switch sides would be a big factor in successful mission completion

Here's some recovered imagery from the game's development:

Hover shafts lead to the subterranean city levels...

Denizens of the underbelly...

A bounty hunter's paradise...

• Video via The Nerdist
• Kotaku has more info on the erstwhile plans and cancellation
• Images from IGN, MakingStarWars.net, and others.
• Update: Gustavo Mendonca did some brilliant concept art for the game

All right GMs, here's a map of the best available rendering of Antartica, sans ice sheet. You can thank the British Antarctica Survey and NASA for these wonderful videos and images. Click pics below to enlarge.



So you no longer have an excuse not to run that Marvel Savage Land or ruined-Earth-of-the-distant-future campaign you've been secretly working on.

Yeah, that one.

Via Wired.

As a college sophomore, I spent a not-so-small-part of my free time killing hostile alien invaders and scooping up iridium on distant planets in one of my favorite computer games--Star Control II.

A friend had turned me on to the expansive and richly detailed universe in what was one of the more ambitious PC video games produced at that time. It was partly a point-and-click adventure where your decisions affected your future in the galaxy, but it had plenty of arcade-style gameplay were your skills with a gamepad were just as important.

Here's a few reasons I loved (and still do) the Star Control universe. For the purposes of this review, I'm basing my opinions on the second game in the series (as it's the one I played the most).

Note: This post will kick off a new series here on Exonauts: Saturday Star Control! Who wants SC aliens for X-plorers, raise your hands?

1. HUGE Roster of Alien Races

Few computer-based games had the incredible variety or sheer quantity of aliens populating their virtual universes as Star Control. By the time the third game in the series arrived, the SC cosmos was home to nearly 40 unique species with which to converse and combat. Throw in another dozen or so minor races to fill out the expansive storyline and you've got yourself an in-game pantheon that most pen-and-paper RPGs would blush at. :

2. Fun and Fully-developed Story 

Star Control II may have had the benefit of relying on a storyline set up in the previous game, but it expanded on the background to great effect. Before your adventure even begins you learn that the universe was explored early on by a race known as the Precursors. They're the "ancient ones" in the game and while they no longer exist, they've left traces of their technology behind--even allowing you to build your starship (we'll get to that in a minute).

The precursor tech turns out to be fortuitous for a group of Earther colonists who happen to crash land and find....a starship factory!

Look! An entire underground starship factory! What are the chances?!

But the real story takes off when you begin traveling to distant stars and running into aliens. There's a dizzying amount of backstory about how some races just don't get along. Each race had a cast of characters, and while the interactions within those clans didn't vary too much, it was a sound attempt at trying to make it feel like you weren't just dealing with a single monolithic civilization that only had one spokesperson. These were races with people (or at least semi-solids) dammit!

Finally! A game where making nice with old girlfriends is a good way to build alliances.

Weave in some broken alliances, feuds between planets, and lost or forgotten homeworlds and you've got yourself the makings of a genuine space opera sandbox. And the whole misbegotten adventure started back on 20th century Earth with a used car salesman!

3. Explore Planets, Mine Resources, Get Cool Stuff

Raise your hand if you want to explore strange new worlds! Star Control II had VERY detailed star map, based on our own constellations, with planets that could be plundered for their  natural resources. You'd send a probe module down to the surface to sniff around for goodies to extract and those findings varied in value (just as in a pen-and-paper RPG) and could be used to upgrade your own ship.



It would have been really easy for the game developers to just hand-wave this portion of the game without including an actual joystick controlled rover, but to their credit they turned the boring (ha!) chore of finding resources into something more tactile and fun--you had to survive hostile environments, seismic disturbances, and a slew of hazards before your little vehicle gave out. And you only had a finite number of probes to begin with. It all made for a harrowing experience--exploring strange new worlds is dangerous!

4. Upgrade Your Starship, Grow Your Fleet!

I think my favorite part of the game was that you got to build your starship. You began with just a skeleton for a flagship built from ancient Precursor technology--just a bridge with some nacelles, strung together with a what literally appeared to be a spine.

That's as factory "stock" as it gets!

Remember those resources you plundered while exploring the galaxy? Well here you make use of them by upgrading your weapons, sensors, shields, armor, and more so you can explore, extract, and exterminate more efficiently.


Imagine if James Kirk had been given the bare minimum of superstructure for the Enterprise and then granted agency from Starfleet to upgrade as he so chose, and even acquire new ships to help their mission. That's the kind of game I want to play in--regardless of it being computer-based or one where funny dice are rolled.

5. Arcade-style Space Battles

Probably the thing that put Star Control over-the-top in terms of gameplay was it's arcade-style space combat. Let's face it, turn-based combat is interesting on a "I'm being strategic and using my mind to outsmart the enemy" type of fun. But in this game, you're careening wildly across a battlefield in space, frantically blasting away in panic-inducing ship-to-ship combat at the end of a joystick.

There are basically two sides: you lead the Earth Alliance, a fleet made up of alliances you've made during the game. The opposing side is led by The Ur Quan, who command a fearsome armada. You're the underdog (in case you haven't figured that out).

The ships themselves are as unique as the alien races that built them. Every class of ship has two weapons, a primary and a secondary, and it takes skill and patience to master them all. The modes of attack vary: laser blasts, particle beams, missiles, fighter squadrons, explosive circle bursts, giant flying death disks reminiscent of the glaive from Krull--you name it. There's even a "Super Melee" mode where you can practice with ships from both sides of the war and build your own fantasy fleets!



Sure, it'd be fun to control your entire rag-tag fleet of alien allied starships in some big single-battle, a la Homeworld. But the sheer lunacy of gladiatorial combat in space--to the death, BTW--is what makes this particular game so memorable. It's essentially fusing fanboy fantasies of Luke Skywalker's X-wing pilot skills to the Captain Kirk's style of adventuring in the rest of the game. Best of all, you can fight head-to-head against the computer or one of your buddies!

A Legacy of Space Gaming Fun

It's hard to believe even now how the makers of Star Control got so many things right--throwing in so many aspects of space exploration and battle--without it ever feeling bloated. It's a testment to the developers and their obvious love of science fiction and space opera that the game is so fondly remembered by gamers today.

"Jim, I'm a doctor, not a firefighter!"

The last official release of a Star Control product was back in 1996, and the game was later codified into an emulator of sorts. Sidenote: if you think pen-and-paper RPG simalcrimum are confusing, wait until you try sorting video games variations! The port is called the Ur-Quan Masters and it's literally the same game, but playable via Windows and touchscreen devices. Sequels and revivals of the series have been rumored for years, but it wasn't until this year that, I think, a true heir apparent of sorts arrived: Star Command.

Star Command is more of a pastiche of click-and-point amd simulation-style games games (Master of Orion and X-Com come to mind) it's infused with a great deal of DNA from Star Control. It features an impressive gallery of alien races to encounter, a much more customizable build-your-ship aspect, and incorporates the use of arcade-style mini games during combat. It's a fun game that probably emulates the Star Trek-style of adventuring better than anything to date. I'll get to reviewing it someday soon.

One thing's for sure, it owes a lot to games like the Star Control series!

Resources:

• Star Control Wikipedia entry
• List of aliens in Star Control I, II, and III
• Star-Control.com unofficial, but comprehensive resource
• Ur-Quan Masters (port of Star Control II)
• Ultranomicon - comprehensive Star Control wiki
• Support this Lego Cusoo project for Star Control spaceships and aliens!
• BBS thread for porting Star Control races to Savage Worlds RPG
• Star Control spaceships converted for Star Wars D6

Star Control images from Star-Control.com, some are of the Ur-Quan Masters version of Star Control II

The geniuses at University College London have made available--for free--a glorious map of the moon, as illustrated by astronomer Walter Goodacre in 1920. Words cannot describe how incredible this map is, so I'll just show you (click to embiggen):


That's a resized version (by me, so I could fit it here, but also messed up the clarity) of one page of his original publication. Go now to the UCL site and feast your eyes on full-size scans of the pages! You can also peek at these on Flickr in a slightly more approachable format.

And that's not all! They've digitally stiched the entire map back together into a clean, line drawn version that you can download--in either 130mb and 300mb versions.

The thought of printing this out and spreading it onto a table to use as a wilderness adventure or a lunar wargaming map is almost geographically obscene. My GM-brain is salivating at the mere notion of a Victorian-age steampunk/dieselpunk campaign, tromping through the wilds of the moon!

METAMAN from Boombros on Vimeo.

Another cyberpunk-themed goodie. Between this and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon--AND JB's World War Borg project--I'm this close to starting a cheesy cyborg project. Even have a Pintrest board of appropriate visuals set to go.

So--Gamma World? Mutant Future? Or new X-plorers setting?

GAAAAH!

MUST FOCUS ON RAD ASTRA.....CANNOT LOOK WAY FROM SHINY CHROME NOSTALGIA.

Detriax in her current form.

Name: DETRIAX: Goddess of Space Junk and Derelict Hope
Symbol: An angular, vampiric-looking skull
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 50*
Armor Class: Undetermined**
Hit Points (Hit Dice): 100 (10HD)
Attacks: Special (see below)
Damage: Special (see below)
Save: Undetermined
Morale: Undetermined
Hoard Class: Undetermined
XP: Undetermined

*Detriax only appears in the vacuum of space. Treat her movement as you would a space vessel's.
**Hadn't figured these out by the time the deadline passed (see note at bottom).

DETRIAX is a cosmic being that causes ships passing near her to fall derelict by way of cosmic mishap (1d6):

• 1-2: Engine failure - all stop
• 3-4: Siren song - all PCs roll WIS or PRE save, any failure succumbs to mind control for 1d6 rounds, whereby she compels servant to sabotage ship
• 5: Shields lowered or weapons malfunction during a hostile encounter
• 6: Sensor readings indicate allies are foes so as to initiate combat

She sends her minions to collect the remains of the lost, the lonely, and the defeated. All space debris she encounters is scanned, stored in her immense memory, and then processed as fuel. Power sources are affixed to her own energy supply and suckled until they expire.

Limb tool/weapon (1d20)
Damage in parentheses. Roll first limb, select the second (without repeating). Appear in swarms of 1d20+2 or more (keep this table handy and just number them with two different limbs as listed). They appear in a variety of shapes and functions, from spiderlings with two of the appendages being tools/weapons, to twisted goblin-esque/humanoid forms. In every group of 20, one individual will have a third limb protruding from its chest, the rest will each have two in the normal configuration.

1. Saw (buzz or chain) (1d8 cutting)
2. Hydraulic spike (1d8 puncturing, 6 inches deep)
3. Electromagnet (Damages unshielded computer systems or captures metal)
4. Gas grenade (1d6+1 rounds)
5. Laser torch (2d6, single beam lasts for 1d4 rounds)
6. Bio-syringe (sedative for 1d6+1 rounds or poison doing 2d6 damage)
7. Pincer claw (1d4+1 puncture/crushing)
8. Spiked masher (1d6+1)
9. Sonic grenade (renders hearing targets incapacitated for 1d4 rounds, range 20 meters)
10. Harpoon gun (50 meter line, 1d6 damage in addition to capture)
11. Corkscrew drill (1d8+1)
12. Ionizing fork (3d6, 1 shot only - overloads electrical systems or stuns for 1d6 rounds, touch only)
13. Humanoid hand (grasping/crushing, 1d8)
14. Bolo cable (fires unattached cable, meant to immobilize target)
15. Corrosive acid (3d6, 1 shot, range: 10 meters)
16. Liquid nitrogen capsule (1 capsules, freezes on impact, 5d6 unless thawed in med pod)
17. Carbon filament-tipped can opener (2d6+2; takes 1 round to open human-sized doorway)
18. Morning star mace (2d6, crushing)
19. Meat hook (1d6)
20. Flamethrower (2d6+2, range 5 meters)

Note: Enslaved organic minions (i.e., humanoids,) will have two limbs added to their shoulders, on top of their natural ones. Select using the above weapons chart. They will also have tactical sensors (infrared) and a battery pack installed. Humanoids are faster than normal humans (Move 6) and gain a +2 in Agility. Robotic minions are reprogrammed to be her slaves an are given just one extra limb from the above table.

Space Hornets
Detriax is also known to control hives of  garbage-truck-sized space hornets through some sort of parasitic nanobody. The hornets work for their queen, who in turn, is a puppet of Detriax's own incredible greed and avarice. Space hornets build vast hexanest arrays out of whatever space junk--or enemies--they find. Insectoid races seem to suit her ends well, for they often amass armies of workers and her terrific ruthlessness of purpose has made her an attractive deity for them. She will often enlsave a nearby nest and use it up (without replenishment) until the supply of hornets expires, leaving the empty husk of the hive itself to be consumed.

Space Fleet
Detriax also has amassed a personal armada of derelict ships with barebones systems (propulsion, weapons, and operated by remote communication, but no onboard life support). They are stripped down skeletal forms with minimal armor that function basically as large drones. The ships launch from her mouth if she determines a threat to her personal safety. Approximately 2d10 ships are ready to launch at any given time.

Ancient Origins