Oolite Bulletins

ffutures wrote: ↑Wed Jun 05, 2019 3:10 am

Poul Anderson's Time Patrol series.[...]

Poul Anderson's Time Patrol -- cake's icing -- here's the teaspoon, ffutures!

ffutures wrote: ↑Wed Jun 05, 2019 3:10 am

[...] I've actually got a copy of the Ringworld RPG - it's pretty much unplayable, at least from the GM's point of view. Characters are hundreds of years old with ridiculous skill levels and finding something to challenge them is a total pain.

I can hear you ...

Quick disclaimer about big D's concern (i.e. comics) -- most of the classic era sci-fi stories came with extended, comic-like/graphic presentations; thus comic presentation of the "realms" wouldn't had been quite the captures I've been looking for ...

Just to bring in my 0.02 cr, I think E. A. Van Vogt's Isher stories are also a miss for big media.

OK - since you mention Teaspoons, the big Doctor Who fanfic site is called "A Teaspoon and an Open Mind," so let's have some Dr. Who trivia.

Give me five Doctor Who enemy races (from old or new Who, but not things that have only appeared in books, comics, Torchwood, etc.) whose names only contain one vowel - it can be used more than once.

E.g. Daleks would not be a good answer because the name contains A and E, but Vorlons (two Os) would be fine if they were an actual Doctor Who enemy race.

Cybermen I will let you decide if it counts or not(Becomes Cyberman when singular)

Zygons
Wirrn

Grindalf wrote: ↑Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:54 am

Cybermen I will let you decide if it counts or not(Becomes Cyberman when singular)

I count the racial name as Cybermen so that definitely qualifies.

Disembodied wrote: ↑Thu Jun 06, 2019 8:41 am

Zygons
Wirrn

Both good

Two to go!

Not so much an enemy race as an enemy sidekick race: Ogrons.

Does the Nestene Consciousness count?

Disembodied wrote: ↑Sat Jun 08, 2019 10:49 am

Not so much an enemy race as an enemy sidekick race: Ogrons.

Does the Nestene Consciousness count?

I'll take Ogrons but not Nestene Consciousness, since it's always referred to by both names.

One to go!

Another sidekick-baddy race: the Vardans, the Sontaran catspaw in "The Invasion of Time".

And Vardans make five! The oblate spheroid is in your court.

Some others that could have been used

The Macra, giant crablike creatures, old and new Who
The Gelth, invading mind parasites from new Who
The Kraal, from old Who
The Krotons, a crystaline race from old Who
and not forgetting the Ood from New Who, of course, though they are as much victims as monsters. Or should it be Ooood in the Ooliteverse?

Plenty more I haven't mentioned.

Okay, five SF tales (books, short stories, etc. - one per universe) where environment/ecology is a key theme. This doesn't have to involve environmental degradation or destruction, although it can (and it certainly doesn't have to be set on Earth).

Again Im going with a video game(not sure if it has to be a book/short story/comic but its all I can currently think of). Phantasy Star Online(Dreamcast-Gamecube) It was environmental disaster on their homeworld that made the colony Pioneer 2 move to the Planet Ragol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOWliMQVpE8

Grindalf wrote: ↑Tue Jun 11, 2019 9:27 am

It was environmental disaster on their homeworld that made the colony Pioneer 2 move to the Planet Ragol

Hmm … I don't think I can allow it. A game would be OK, but in this case the environmental issues seems like more of a plot point (it happened, people left their homeworld, and now here's the game) rather than a key theme. The ecology/environment should be a major part of the story.

An example (which can count towards the 5): Brian Aldiss's Helliconia trilogy. The environmental changes undergone by the planet as it swings around its elliptical orbit is crucial to the story.

Earth by David Brin?

Cody wrote: ↑Tue Jun 11, 2019 12:42 pm

Earth by David Brin?

Yes, definitely!

Pitch Black - The planet goes into a state of pitch darkness which lets hordes of nasty aliens(who don't like the light) loose over the surface of the planet