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Eclipse Phase
Gatecrashing
Gatecrashing for Eclipse Phase takes you through the mysterious Pandora Gates: The 5 solar system gates and the factions that control them 30 extrasolar locations of interest to Firewall Exploration operations and hazards New morphs, new gear, and rules for gate use
200 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 21, 2016
If you like science fiction settings, I can't imagine a better book to read--this is a smorgasbord of fascinating and original ideas. Everything from alien life to environments to grander existential ideas of the extrasolar universe is covered and illustrated with fiction, dialogues, and story hook ideas. Love it!
May 15, 2014
Gatecrashing is the fantastic Eclipse Phase supplement for extrasolar adventures. In this particular setting, transhumanity gained access to the stars via five mysterious gates scattered around the solar system, mechanisms that somehow--the best guesses involve stable wormholes--create instantaneous connections to other gates scattered across the Milky Way Galaxy. It's widely believed that these gates were manufactured by the TITANs, the superintelligent AIs that wrecked the Earth and fled for points unknown, but even the suspicion that the TITANs might be monitoring the network doesn't prevent their use. The obvious survival benefits of rapidly spreading transhumanity beyond a single planetary system into the wider galaxy aside, it's only through the study of other worlds and other civilizations that transhumanity can learn the truth about what's really going on. Where is everybody, for starters?
This is an excellent hard SF book. The science is real-world and crunchy, the worldbuilding (of destinations and transhuman societies/economies both) interesting, and the hooks many. Here is an ancient Dyson sphere, a vast artifact with a surface area of millions of Earths; there, a promising colony world with an extinct native sophont species set to be revived; through this gate, a world with a mysteriously integrated ecology centered around a species of tree; through that gate, a planet of hallucinogenic plant life settled by hedonists and run by, among others, Lady Gaga. (Trust me, this works in its context.)
This is an excellent hard SF book. The science is real-world and crunchy, the worldbuilding (of destinations and transhuman societies/economies both) interesting, and the hooks many. Here is an ancient Dyson sphere, a vast artifact with a surface area of millions of Earths; there, a promising colony world with an extinct native sophont species set to be revived; through this gate, a world with a mysteriously integrated ecology centered around a species of tree; through that gate, a planet of hallucinogenic plant life settled by hedonists and run by, among others, Lady Gaga. (Trust me, this works in its context.)
September 15, 2012
First off, I know basically nothing about Eclipse Phase: The Roleplaying Game of Transhuman Conspiracy and Horror other than that it's a transhumanist game where the Perfect Robot Future went decidedly wrong and you can play a space whale that swims in the corona of the sun. Sold, right?
Anyway, a lot of the book is about the logistics of traveling through the Stargate-analogues (the Pandora Gates), but the really neat part is in the description of the worlds on the other side. Each is relatively short, but still packed with ideas that can be used any number of places. My favorite is probably the world covered in blue trees that might be a single organism that naturally evolved, might be an alien terraforming device, might be an alien machine, or might be something else altogether, but the dyson sphere, the world with the connections to alien ChatRoulette, and the world outside the galaxy were really neat too.
It's definitely worth reading for ideas, even if you don't know anything about the game.
Anyway, a lot of the book is about the logistics of traveling through the Stargate-analogues (the Pandora Gates), but the really neat part is in the description of the worlds on the other side. Each is relatively short, but still packed with ideas that can be used any number of places. My favorite is probably the world covered in blue trees that might be a single organism that naturally evolved, might be an alien terraforming device, might be an alien machine, or might be something else altogether, but the dyson sphere, the world with the connections to alien ChatRoulette, and the world outside the galaxy were really neat too.
It's definitely worth reading for ideas, even if you don't know anything about the game.
March 9, 2011
Yeah, it's an RPG source book, but a damned well written one with an incredibly captivating universe that they spared no detail on. I don't think I'll ever play this game, but the books are worth the fiction in them alone.
March 8, 2012
Astonishing book with lots of story hooks. GMs should take note of this really well done book to add spice and direction for any game.
May 7, 2012
Full of plot hooks, settings, and complications to spice up Eclipse Phase campaigns. Essential for a GM. Also well written and a pleasure to read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews