Re: SJ Reviews: The 'SJR' References

I've pasted replies to many folks below and they got jumbled, sorry!!!!!!

These are reposts, BTW. I did all these reviews a few years ago and thought
I might repost them to spark some debate. seems to have worked! :)

>Do you think it would be worthwhile people trying to write-up
>their own 'Realmspace', 'Greyspace', and 'Krynnspace'?

Sure, I actually started my Realmspace Updates many years ago, but I've been
stalled for a long time on Toril.  I'll start reporting them to the list, if
enough new folks haven't seen them.  Maybe I'll even finally finish them! :)


>And what's your take on the Astromundi Cluster, or should I ask?
>--Blackmaer  

I did write it up, actually. I did all the SJ products, but I seem to have
lost the article I wrote that covered adventures, boxed sets, ect.  It's
really frustrating because I saw it posted up on someone's website just a
few days ago (it stuck out because it mentioned that I lacked the 2nd SJ MC,
which I have since acquired).  I've spent two days hunting the internet and
the lists archives for that article to no avail.  If anyone knows where it
might be found, _please_ let me know asap?


>It seems to me that the RealmSpace Imperial Fleet is a little large for 
>the sphere if there's only one planet there that contains elves.
>
>According to "KrynnSpace", the elves there are stretched out over Krynn, 
>Chislev, and 2 or 3 moons of Zivilyn.  And that fleet is a little over 
>half the size of the RealmSpace Fleet.
>
>I understand that there is supposed to be more SJ traffic in RealmSpace, 
>but the fleet presence still would seem a little overkill unless you 
>counted in the sea elves of Karpri.
>
>But then again, just exactly how many elves are there in each sphere and 
>would that matter to the Imperial Fleet, or would they determine how many 
>ships a sphere gets assigned by other means?

Toril actually seems to have a pretty massive population of elves
historically.  And it still does, really.  You have at least four major
elven realms currently, not to mention large numbers of elven 'tribal lands'
like Anchrome, the High Forest, the Great Dale, and so on.  Plus, the drow.
And then there are lots of threats in the sphere (Neogi, Shou, Illithids,
Beholders).   

My 'Official' SJ timeline is almost finished (I'm still entering information
from Astromundi Cluster and the Cloakmaster Cycle novels) but what is clear
is that the Elves of the Realms have a lot of early SJ contact.

I think the Realmspace IEN fleet is just about right in size compared to the
other fleets we know about (Greyspace is the largest, then the Realms, the
Krynn and then the Rock of Bral fleet). 

>BTW: Even though one of the FR accessories (F&A or P&P) says that the Rock 
>of Bral is in the Tears of Selune, I very much prefer the write up on BTM 
>of SpiralSpace/BralSpace, so Kudos to whoever wrote that up!!
>--Blackmaer  

Thanks! :)  That's an easy fix, anyway, just assume the F&A entry refers to
Dragon Rock:)


> Weeeeellll, the 'big three' are core to SJ, but IMO they really 
> shouldn't be. Realmspace, Greyspace, and Krynnspace should be nothing 
> more than spelljamming subburbs. If not, it begs the question "why do 
> most of the powerful nations/wizards/priests on these worlds know 
> nothing about spelljamming?"

I think there are many reasons for this.  One is basic secrecy, people
simply don't advertise.  Another is that a flying ship is cool, but not that
unusual in the Forgotten Realms, and probably not in Greyhawk.  Saying a
ship flies is one thing, saying it flies to the stars is something else.
Another is basic planetary physics most SJ gamers forget, like the jet
stream.  It would tend to rip apart many SJ ships, which are anything but
aerodynamic.  Storms would be very dangerous as well.  Those who do use the
SJ vessels for trade advantages would keep it a deep secret, like the Black
Pegasus Trade company from Dragon magazine #199.

How much of an impact does space flight have on our lives?  How many 'long
range trade routes' has space travel eliminated?  Tried to ship your Buick
to Japan lately? You don't send it by space shuttle. :)  We have television,
but how many people in the world have seen a space ship in person? 10%? How
many have seen one in _flight_ in person? 1%?  

In general, I find that most SJ players assume SJ vessels are far more
powerful then they really are.  

Of course, helms are the big thing.  In my campaigns, I make standard helms
relatively rare.  A lot of traffic goes on via Hackjammin' sails or oars.
Those vessels can only really interact with asteroid ports and space
stations (and the occasional flat world).  I mean, how many helms do you
think exist in Realmspace, in toto? I'd say few then 1,000 helms for the
whole sphere.  Even if half of those interact with Toril that's not a lot of
ships coming in going over a planet that size, especially when divided
amongst the various SJ aware nations (Evermeet, Shou Lung, and Wa like have
the most ships).

Sure, powerful mages like Mordenkainen or the Simbul likely know of
Spelljamming, but unless a ship arrives and starts causing trouble they
would generally consider it just one more thing, like planar foes and such
(actually, SJ foes are likely less dangerous then planar foes and thus given
less thought).

So, I think the need is to bring the flavor of Toril, Oerth, and Krynn into
wildspace, not to take wildspace down to them.  I thought _Beyond the Moons_
and _Into the Void_ handled this very well.  So does the novel _Evermeet_.


-- 
"Check it out -- I'm a FUNCTIONAL ILLITERATE!  Don't know why I didn't
think of it before.  That's one sweet quirk.  HEH...  I'm immune to
books! What I can't read can't hurt me!"  Dave Boswell, _Knights of the
Dinner Table_

Paul Westermeyer, westermeyer@????????.net