Near the beginning of the 24th century, humans began the largest construction ever undertaken by their species. Larger than most cities, the project was forty-nine miles long, twenty-four miles wide, and more than six miles in height. The manufacture of this colossus required decades of labor by thousands of skilled craftsmen. It was a feat unequaled in human history at that time. Too large to be manipulated in planetary atmosphere and gravity, this behemoth was built in earth's orbit. It was developed to provide safety for more than a million souls and was to be filled with myriad forms of life.
Packed with the latest technology available at the time, the starship was capable of 90% of the speed of light. A trip to Alpha Centauri was but a mere 6 years. A host of other systems were well within reach, and this vessel was to take humanity to the stars. The planning for this mission was meticulous, the courage of her crew unquestionable, and the hopes of mankind ever present. She was named the Warden after her designer, and she set off for the stars in the late 24th century.
Less than two decades into her mission, she simply disappeared. There has now been no word from the Warden for more than 300 years....
They designed the Starship Warden to house, feed, and clothe over a million people. To do this the designers outfitted this massive ship, miles long and miles wide, to serve as a home for people, offering up quarters and cafeterias, restaurants, and malls all intermingled with a host of features to mimic earth-like conditions, from artificial lakes to fields of crops. Her maiden voyage began with hopes and dreams of a future like nothing humanity had ever seen.
But that was long ago. There has been no contact between the Warden and Earth for many long years, for on the ship something went horribly awry. Radiation leaks, singularity, mutations, madness -- what it was -- only those on board could say. Whatever it was, her inhabitants, those that lived, dwell in a world of want and despair, and when they are not preying upon one another, they fight beastly mutants, cyborgs, self-aware robotic humanoids, and all the other creatures who vie for the precious resources of the beleaguered starship.
It is your time now. Rise in the chaos of the Warden and bend its apocalypse to your will, or be ground away in the lonely quiet of deep space.
The Starship Warden is a sandbox adventure setting written by James M. Ward and Christopher Clark. It is intended for use with the StarSiege RPG, a Siege Engine game. But, if you are loyal to the old MA, don't despair, the Starship Warden is written to allow you to use your original Metamorphis Alpha Rules and begin a lifetime worth of play.
Contains:
* All 17 Fully detailed Decks with all environmental conditions
* The dome, or 18th level
* 16 Levels set between the decks
* Legacy Humans the descendants of the original crew
* Cryogenically frozen humans
* Mutated Plants and animals
* Surviving but evolved species
* Robots, Androids and new tech
* A host of maps (18 deck and dome maps, 16 crawlway maps and scores of smaller maps
* Monsters and mutants
* Weapons and equipment
* The Crawl-ways
The Starship Warden is a project long in the works. Originally the Starship appeared in James M. Ward's Metamorphis Alpha RPG, published in the bygone days of the 1970s. It has seen many iterations since then. Appearing in countless books and pubs, however, it has never been presented fully fleshed out and as its creator, James Ward, envisioned it.
Now, for the first time, decades after its creation, The Starship Warden comes to life in all its 17 levels and as its master architect designed it.
Using the Starship Warden
The Starship Warden is a world contained within the massive Warden... itself about 49 miles long. It is designed for use with StarSiege, a Siege Engine RPG fully compatible with Amazing Adventures and Castles & Crusades. For those who would rather use the original Metamorphosis Alpha rules as published in 1977, you can so do with only slight modifications.
What is on the Starship?
The Starship itself is 49 miles long and 24 wide and was originally designed to house, feed and clothe over a million people. To do this the ship was outfitted to serve as a home for people with quarters and cafeterias, restaurants and malls all intermingled with a host of features to mimic earth-like conditions, from artificial lakes to fields of crops. Her maiden voyage began with hopes and dreams of a future like nothing humanity had ever seen.
But that was long ago. All contact with the earth was lost and the ship set adrift in the deeps of space. There, things went awry and technology corrupted some and empowered others. Supplies dwindled, the environment fractured and the ship's inhabitants were thrown into a world of want and need. So it has been for long centuries. A world now of madness and despair, where mutants hunt humans, where machines grind away the last shreds of what we call the self and people strive to carve a living out of the wreckage in a world whose purpose few remember.
It is your time now. Rise in the chaos of the Warden and bend its apocalypse to your will, or be ground away to nothing.
About James M. Ward and Christopher Clark
James M. Ward wrote the first science fiction role-playing game, METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA in 1975; the first apocalypse role-playing game in GAMMA WORLD in 1978. He worked for TSR for over 20 years and did lots of D&D and AD&D projects. He designed the best selling SPELLFIRE and DRAGON BALL Z CCGs. Recently he has designed major products for Troll Lords, Goodman Games, Fireside Creations, and GiantLands including: OF GODS AND MONSTERS, STORYTELLER'S THESAURUS, THE LOST 77 WORDS Apocalyptic RPG, DRAGONSCALES a fantasy RPG, and the GiantLands Apocalyptic/Fantasy RPG.
First published in 1980, Christopher Clark founded Inner City Games Designs in 1982. Since that time, he has worked with several companies including TSR, Whit Publications, Troll Lord Games, Hekaforge Productions, Flying Pen Press, and now Fireside Creations, and has over 100 science fiction and fantasy publishing credits. Chris is currently working with James M.Ward on the Lance Roleplaying System, and recently released I Think I Stepped In Something for the Lands of Igpay series through Inner City Games Designs (now 33 years old).
The Starship Warden is a 650+ page black and white, hard cover book. An interstellar starship, set adrift, with 17 monstrous decks to explore, hordes of creatures and mutants, treasures both fantastic and scientific, it is a world within a ship. A setting like no other.
