two sci-fi fragments

First up, a screen-cap of a chart I made comparing the temperatures of lifeforms based upon various elements.


The numbers came from Star Hero for HERO System 5th, which is an excellent book if you want your sci-fi game to be based upon present understandings of science. (Or at least the present understandings of science from about five or ten years ago.) The FUDGE column was part of my own attempt to consider a combat system for a FUDGE sci-fi game where your body temperature was used to set your Initiative modifier. It doesn't exactly work, as snails and panthers would both be rated at zero in this plan. But if you compare carbon-based panthers to fluorine-silicon panthers, then my table might actually be useful.

And here's a list drawn from an excellent little pamphlet of old called Understanding Traveller:

FOURTEEN WAYS TO ENJOY TRAVELLER

1) Generate Characters
2) Practice Combat
3) Build Some Starships
4) Practice Space Combat
5) Generate A Typical Subsector
6) Produce A Single World
7) Try Trade and Commerce
8) Generate Other Characters
9) Create A Mercenary Unit
10) Build Large Starships
11) Check Out Psionics
12) Fight More Starship Battles
13) Think Up Some Situations
DON'T THINK THIS STEP COMES LAST
14) Play Traveller