More Examples Of Raygun Fantasy

http://view.stern.de/de/mitglieder/Mandragor

Obviously, I didn't exhaust the raygun fantasy catalog in the last post! Here are some more:

Krull - A movie that no one knew what to do with at the time, and worse, one that practiced a strange bait-and-switch! Whatever its other strengths and flaws, no one who sees it without having the ending spoiled sees that ending coming, though it makes perfect sense given the setup of the film. Unfortunately, audiences at the time were too confused by the combination of mixing genres that had become customarily separated and the auctorial sleight of hand to react well. As time goes on, though, I think that more and more people are coming to see the virtues of this strange, idiosyncratic raygun fantasy.

http://thegryph.deviantart.com/art/Dune-35280974

Dune - Perhaps the best-selling SF novel of all time, Dune is pretty solidly in the SF New Wave. Its psychedelic, anti-agathic drug that forms the fundamental motivating force of the whole interstellar society described in the six central novels is exactly the reverse of, say, the Lensmen's stark opposition to thionite. However, Herbert clearly chose his technologies carefully in order to emphasize the personal drama of swordplay and knife fighting over the impersonal tactical chess of ballistic or energetic weapons, while still finding a place for those, and his history was designed to downplay the influence of computing devices in favor of the sort of human interests that characterize raygun fantasy. Further, Herbert's own deep understanding of religion and spirituality inform much of the plot and setting of the books. To a great degree, Dune can serve as a model for how to merge relatively "hard" SF, in the modern sense, with raygun fantasy. To my way of thinking, this is one of the reasons that Dune, if not its sequels, is perhaps the greatest possible SF novel.

Many of the works of H.P. Lovecraft approach the ideas and themes of raygun fantasy, though the lack of human space travel tends to push it away. Still, the concept that what we know as "magic" could well be alien science touches on the merging of the material and the psychological that characterizes, to some extent, much raygun fantasy. It is, perhaps, not surprising then that we find later Lovecraftian authors (such as Toren Atkinson, whose roleplaying game Spaceship Zero is one I'll be dealing with as I discuss raygun fantasy RPGs) finding their way into the fold.

It's been suggested that Space 1999 would fit into the concept, though it has been a long while since I have seen the show so I can't commit to that, nor comment further.

Similarly Jack Vance's "Five Demon Princes" tales. I haven't read them, so can't comment on the idea.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein deals with raygun fantasy ideas, though it is clearly moving toward modern SF. Some of his "juveniles", such as Time for the Stars or, especially, Between Planets, also deal with raygun fantasy ideas, and his "Future History" stories certainly fit into the continuum of raygun fantasy to scientifiction. Heinlein, though, seems to have been instrumental in ending the era of "retro SF", perhaps taking Galaxy's first-issue manifesto to heart. Heinlein was also an occasional practitioner of the closely related, but different, subgenre of science fantasy, notably in "Magic, Inc." and Glory Road.

While I'm at it, I am going to start listing roleplaying products that fit into the idea of raygun fantasy, or at least scientifiction, but without comment (or at least not much). I'll avoid more science fantasy entries such as Spelljammer or Empire of the Petal Throne, as well as edge cases like Gamma World, Metamorphosis Alpha, and Mutant Future:

Anomalous Subsurface Environment (depending to some extent on how it's run)

Burning Sands: Jihad (supplement for The Burning Wheel; a Dune knockoff)

Carcosa (tends toward planetary romance)

Dark Space (supplement for Spacemaster/Rolemaster)

Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium (Last Unicorn Games's last gasp, released by WotC in a limited edition after acquiring them)

Flash Gordon and the Warriors of Mongo (hardly an RPG by today's standards)

GURPS (3E) Lensman

GURPS (3E) Mars ("Dying Mars" chapter)

GURPS (3E) Planet Krishna

GURPS (4E) Tales of the Solar Patrol

High Adventure Cliffhangers: Buck Rogers Adventure Game

Hulks & Horrors

Lords of Creation (at least some realities)

Machinations of the Space Princess

Prime Directive (or its conversions to other systems, such as GURPS Prime Directive; while the Starfleet Universe of ADB tends to try to avoid raygun fantasy ideas, at least when they interfere with the militaristic approach of the setting, going so far as to have the Organians simply leave without explanation, there are some indications that raygun fantasy remains involved where it can provide a tactical exercise, such as the Loriyill of the Omega Sector)

Rocket Age

Savage Swords of Athanor

Spaceship Zero

Star Trek (two different companies to date, FASA and Last Unicorn Games, plus fan projects; limited to Original Series and Animated Series eras, and possibly the original cast movies)

Star Wars (three different companies to date with official games, plus fan projects like Star Wars Galactic Adventures)

Stars Without Number

Starships & Spacemen (to some extent, anyway, as a Star Trek knockoff)

Tales of the Space Princess

Terminal Space

Under the Broken Moon (Thundarr RPG)

Under the Dying Sun (unfinished project, sadly)

Under the Moons of Zoon

Warriors of the Red Planet

White Star

The World of Thundarr the Barbarian (supplement for Mutant Future)

X-plorers


I look forward to hearing other suggestions. I'll discuss the RPGs in more detail as time goes on.