Dawning Star
Encyclopedia
Dawning Star is a science fiction
role-playing game
by Blue Devil Games built on d20 Modern
and powered by d20 Future
by Wizards of the Coast
. It is the first full-scale campaign setting using the d20 Future
ruleset. It is published under the Open Game License.
The setting is self-described as "firm science" and is designed to support a number of science-fiction sub-genres, including: space western
, 'bug hunt' (like the Alien
series of films or Starship Troopers
), alien ruin exploration, political intrigue, etc.
device. Because the device is damaged, the ships of the fleet are scattered randomly throughout the galaxy
. One ship -- the titular Dawning Star -- finds itself in the Helios system. The humans land on Eos, one of the planets in the system that is environmentally quite similar to Earth.
Following their arrival, the humans begin to colonize the planet and explore the numerous alien ruins that dot the planet’s surface. A government is established called the Dawning Star Republic. However, some of the rebellious colonists break away to form the Eos Freedom League. In 2248, the Tentaari make contact with the humans. They are very secretive about the history of the planet and are cautious about helping the humans. In 2249, humans first encounter the Velin, an indigenous species similar in appearance to humans.
s exist in the Dawning Star setting. This list is not exhaustive.
’ s publication, they would incorporate the rules into the setting material. If successful, they would be able to publish Dawning Star immediately upon the release of the d20 Future rules to the System Reference Document
.
The plan suffered two setbacks. Joseph Martin was the initial author contracted to write the setting. Citing lack of time to complete the job given the time constraints, he was released from the project. (Martin has a credit in the book for the “original concept”.) At that time, Lee Hammock was contracted to complete the project. Additionally, Danilo Moretti was contracted to take over art direction duties.
As a result of these obstacles, the book was delayed for several months after the publication of d20 Future. However, during that time, no other company published a campaign setting based upon the rules. Dawning Star: Operation Quick Launch was released in PDF
format on February 24, 2005 and released in print format shortly thereafter. It is the first full-scale campaign setting using the d20 Future rules and remained the only such setting for some time.
Following its release, Dawning Star: Operation Quick Launch earned a 2005 ENnie nomination for Best d20 Game.
In 2005, Blue Devil Games released Shadow Falling, an adventure module
for the setting.
Blue Devil Games released Helios Rising at Gen Con in 2006. It was originally scheduled to be published as a 208-page book and released at Gen Con in 2005. However, the book expanded to 540 pages. The book describes the rest of the Helios system in great detail, including 12 playable PC species and hundreds of feats, occupations, talent trees, classes, and equipment. The book also describes 'Red Truth', a futuristic take on psionics
. In 2007, Helios Rising earned four ENnie nominations for Best Cover Art, Best Setting, Best d20/OGL Product, and Product of the Year. Helios Rising is the largest science-fiction setting book ever published.
In 2006, Blue Devil Games also started the TERRAFORMER line of products, a regular series of short texts in PDF with additional content for the setting.
At Gen Con
2007, Blue Devil Games hosted a "Dawning Star VIP Game for Charity". The public bid on and purchased tickets to both play in and attend the event that was held in a private room at the Alcatraz Brewing Company. JD Wiker, one of the designers of d20 Future
was the VIP. Lee Hammock was the GM. During the game, players and attendees were able to donate additional money to influence the events in the game. One attendee, donated $5 to have the elevator between ship levels play bad elevator music; another donated $60 to "summon" a Vaasi war mech. All told, the event raised $2,500 to benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
by Blue Devil Games built on d20 Modern
D20 Modern
d20 Modern is a roleplaying game designed by Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, and Charles Ryan. It was published by Wizards of the Coast in November 2002, and uses the d20 System...
and powered by d20 Future
D20 Future
d20 Future is an accessory for the d20 Modern role-playing game written by Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and JD Wiker. It facilitates the playing of campaigns in the far future, using elements such as cybernetics, mecha, mutations, robotics, space travel, starships, and xenobiology...
by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
. It is the first full-scale campaign setting using the d20 Future
D20 Future
d20 Future is an accessory for the d20 Modern role-playing game written by Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and JD Wiker. It facilitates the playing of campaigns in the far future, using elements such as cybernetics, mecha, mutations, robotics, space travel, starships, and xenobiology...
ruleset. It is published under the Open Game License.
The setting is self-described as "firm science" and is designed to support a number of science-fiction sub-genres, including: space western
Space western
Space Western is a subgenre of science fiction, primarily grounded in film and television programming, that transposes themes of American Western books and film to a backdrop of futuristic space frontiers; it is the complement of the science fiction Western, which transposes science fiction themes...
, 'bug hunt' (like the Alien
Alien (film series)
The Alien film series is a science fiction horror film franchise, focusing on Lieutenant Ellen Ripley and her battle with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as "the Alien"...
series of films or Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published hardcover in December, 1959.The first-person narrative is about a young soldier from the Philippines named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his...
), alien ruin exploration, political intrigue, etc.
Synopsis
The setting history commences in the year 2184. Having detected a dark object on a collision course with Earth, a massive multilateral evacuation plan is set into motion. The evacuation takes place in 2196 shortly before the destruction of Earth. At the outer limits of the solar system, the evacuation fleet interacts with a Tentaari gatewayJumpgate
In science fiction, a jump gate is a fictional device able to create a wormhole or portal, allowing fast travel between two points in space...
device. Because the device is damaged, the ships of the fleet are scattered randomly throughout the galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
. One ship -- the titular Dawning Star -- finds itself in the Helios system. The humans land on Eos, one of the planets in the system that is environmentally quite similar to Earth.
Following their arrival, the humans begin to colonize the planet and explore the numerous alien ruins that dot the planet’s surface. A government is established called the Dawning Star Republic. However, some of the rebellious colonists break away to form the Eos Freedom League. In 2248, the Tentaari make contact with the humans. They are very secretive about the history of the planet and are cautious about helping the humans. In 2249, humans first encounter the Velin, an indigenous species similar in appearance to humans.
Alien Species
The following species of alienExtraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
s exist in the Dawning Star setting. This list is not exhaustive.
- Haimedians - Plant-based humanoids that are the minority population on C'thalk. They are experts with organic technology, including genetically engineering task-based species.
- Humans - Evacuees of Earth and their descendants. They have colonized Eos and are just starting to explore the rest of the Helios system.
- Saurians - The dominant population on C'thalk. They are genetically similar to terran dinosaurs and have four primary sub-species: brachins, flyers, shellbacks, and tyrans.
- Tentaari - Small gray humanoids. They are highly intelligent but also mysterious, reluctant to share any information with the humans.
- Vaasi - The primary “villains” of the setting, consisting of several related insectoid xenomorphs, including true vaasi, phrenics, and vaasi warhounds. Also referred to as “darklings.”
- Velin - A humanoid species indigenous to Eos. They are very similar to humans, causing some to theorize that they are genetically related.
Publishing History
The game went into development shortly after the announcement by Wizards of the Coast that they would be publishing d20 Future. Blue Devil Games stated a desire to be the first campaign setting using the d20 Future rules. To accomplish the feat they announced that they would attempt to fully develop the setting prior to the release of the book. Then, upon d20 FutureSystem Reference Document
The System Reference Document, or SRD, is a set of reference role playing game mechanics licensed under the Open Game License by Wizards of the Coast and based upon their Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. The SRD forms the basis of WotC's various d20 System role-playing games, including the...
.
The plan suffered two setbacks. Joseph Martin was the initial author contracted to write the setting. Citing lack of time to complete the job given the time constraints, he was released from the project. (Martin has a credit in the book for the “original concept”.) At that time, Lee Hammock was contracted to complete the project. Additionally, Danilo Moretti was contracted to take over art direction duties.
As a result of these obstacles, the book was delayed for several months after the publication of d20 Future. However, during that time, no other company published a campaign setting based upon the rules. Dawning Star: Operation Quick Launch was released in PDF
Portable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
format on February 24, 2005 and released in print format shortly thereafter. It is the first full-scale campaign setting using the d20 Future rules and remained the only such setting for some time.
Following its release, Dawning Star: Operation Quick Launch earned a 2005 ENnie nomination for Best d20 Game.
In 2005, Blue Devil Games released Shadow Falling, an adventure module
Adventure (role-playing games)
An adventure is either a published or otherwise written collection of plot, character, and location details used by a gamemaster to manage the plot or story in a role-playing game. Each adventure is based upon a particular gaming genre and is normally designed for use with a specific game or gaming...
for the setting.
Blue Devil Games released Helios Rising at Gen Con in 2006. It was originally scheduled to be published as a 208-page book and released at Gen Con in 2005. However, the book expanded to 540 pages. The book describes the rest of the Helios system in great detail, including 12 playable PC species and hundreds of feats, occupations, talent trees, classes, and equipment. The book also describes 'Red Truth', a futuristic take on psionics
Psionics (role-playing games)
Psionics, in role-playing games, is a broad category of fantastic abilities originating from the mind, similar to the paranormal psionic abilities that some people claim in reality.- Common features :...
. In 2007, Helios Rising earned four ENnie nominations for Best Cover Art, Best Setting, Best d20/OGL Product, and Product of the Year. Helios Rising is the largest science-fiction setting book ever published.
In 2006, Blue Devil Games also started the TERRAFORMER line of products, a regular series of short texts in PDF with additional content for the setting.
At Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
2007, Blue Devil Games hosted a "Dawning Star VIP Game for Charity". The public bid on and purchased tickets to both play in and attend the event that was held in a private room at the Alcatraz Brewing Company. JD Wiker, one of the designers of d20 Future
D20 Future
d20 Future is an accessory for the d20 Modern role-playing game written by Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and JD Wiker. It facilitates the playing of campaigns in the far future, using elements such as cybernetics, mecha, mutations, robotics, space travel, starships, and xenobiology...
was the VIP. Lee Hammock was the GM. During the game, players and attendees were able to donate additional money to influence the events in the game. One attendee, donated $5 to have the elevator between ship levels play bad elevator music; another donated $60 to "summon" a Vaasi war mech. All told, the event raised $2,500 to benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’...
.
Books
- Dawning Star: Helios Rising - Campaign SettingCampaign settingA campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
- Dawning Star: Operation Quick Launch - Campaign SettingCampaign settingA campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
- Shadow Falling - Adventure (role-playing games)Adventure (role-playing games)An adventure is either a published or otherwise written collection of plot, character, and location details used by a gamemaster to manage the plot or story in a role-playing game. Each adventure is based upon a particular gaming genre and is normally designed for use with a specific game or gaming...