goaliejerry Posted March 13, 2002 Report Share Posted March 13, 2002 Has anyone ever read this book? It's an epic scale space drama, I mean the scale is just fantastic, with tremendous fleet engagements between hundred of thousands of ships, and the author E.E. Doc Smith just conveys the entire thing perfectly. Reading that book is why I love the concept of this game, space fleet action is simply the most awsome type of warfare I could ever imagine. There's this concept presented, called an inertialess drive, which when activated removes all inertia from an object, so the theroy goes that a massive spacecraft or even planet could have all inertia removed, and thusly be stoped on the tip of your finger. Thats how long distance travel is accounted for. One other well concieved scientific notion presented is this idea; lets say your orbiting your home planet, and activate your inertialess drive, so your inertia disappears, and you fly to another star system, and you stop by a planet. Well, when you realese your inertialess drive, the inertia you had when you actiated it returns, so your now moving in the same speed and direction as your home planet is in relation to where you are now. So you smash into the planet at a tremendous speed, 'cause all star systems are all moving at diffrent rates and in diffrent directions in relation to eachother. Imagine if you took two planets from seprate star systems, made them inertialess, placed them next to each other, and released the inertialessness, cataclysmic. Things like this I can get lost in, and hours seem like seconds and at times I wish that I could view the entire universe in an omnipresent fashion, sort like a Q (trekkers know whats up.) Contemplation of the cosmos can be humbling, and while we all look up at the stars and realize that their burning, if you sit and realize the SCALE of it all, it makes me appreciate every single second that I have to experiance it. In a way I feel sad for those whose imaginations left them as they left childhood, for our dreams and fantasys are what shape our amibitions, and allow us to appreciate the grandeur of EVERYTHING. Games like BCM allow for the suspension of reality for however long we're engaged in it, and its that idea that I'm becoming someone with that much power and freedom, well it's pure joy. I'll always be a PC game fan, and I love BCM because only HARDCORE gamers will ever even think of playing, and when I'm here, I know I'm in like company. I've never met anyone whose ever read this book. If you have, let me know. If you haven't and like reading about massive spacefleet engagements between good and evil, Chronicals of the Lensmen is for you. BTW its a 6 volume series, but I think it comes in 2 seperate fat books. Definatly my favorite book OF ALL TIME. I've read it twice, and it's over 1800 pages of maybe 10pt text. Forgive my blatherings, sometimes I get carried away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Eversole Posted March 13, 2002 Report Share Posted March 13, 2002 Well Now you can start counting...I've read them.And IIRC somebody else also mentioned them or The author on this board at some time.....I read them about 20 years ago it seems....Some of the concepts were just a little TO far-fetched for me I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2002 Report Share Posted March 13, 2002 Sounds like the Anime series of Lensmen. For a great series of books with spaceflight dynamics, check out the Night's Dawn set of books (Reality Dysfunction, Neutronium Alchemist and The Naked God trilogies). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaxFox Posted March 13, 2002 Report Share Posted March 13, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Tac: Sounds like the Anime series of Lensmen. For a great series of books with spaceflight dynamics, check out the Night's Dawn set of books (Reality Dysfunction, Neutronium Alchemist and The Naked God trilogies).I read those,very interesting series Give the Honor Harrington series by David Webber a look. Good books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedricB Posted March 13, 2002 Report Share Posted March 13, 2002 If you are into RPGs.... Steve Jackson Games just released a GURPS book for the lenseman chronicles and that's all I know.... Also check out the OGRE section... hehe... when can I get one of THOSE in BCM? [ 03-13-2002, 16:10: Message edited by: CedricB ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedricB Posted March 14, 2002 Report Share Posted March 14, 2002 On another note, So you wanna be a ground pounder eh? Then read these. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlien Did I spell his last name right? Don't be a cop out and watch the movie. They are TOTALLY different. This was written in 1958, the first use of "Power Armor" in sci-fi. AND Hammer's Slammers by David Drake The quintissential armored warfare sci-fi book, there are several books in this series, check em all out. If you don't read them Colonel Hammer will be angry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Trotter Posted March 14, 2002 Report Share Posted March 14, 2002 Sounds very interesting.I read a similar book (in scope at least) called the Star Kings by Edmond Hamilton. It was about this unattractive boring jabrony , who unbeknownst to him shares a psychic link with the heir to vast gallactic empire billions of miles away. When the young prince dies thier scientists are able to reanimate him establishing that link and transferring the schmucks conscienceness into the prince.He soon finds himself in the middle of political intrigue, military engagement and even ,yes , love. I read it when I was about 15 years old and have never met anyone else who read it or been able to find another copy . Anyone who can locate it would be getting a hell of a read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiPingScoba Posted March 17, 2002 Report Share Posted March 17, 2002 There's a theory that GeorgeLucas got much of the Star Wars story from the Lensman. The books are real hard to find. I have only seen the first anime so I don't have enough information for a full comparison. Ogre is very cool. It started as one of those simulation games with the square cardboard chips for units, it came out around the same time as Star Fleet Battles, a tabletop starship game. [ 03-17-2002, 08:06: Message edited by: HiPingScoba ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Mudge Posted March 17, 2002 Report Share Posted March 17, 2002 ahh starfleet battles. I still have all the materials two bankers boxes worth. I love that game. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emphy Posted March 17, 2002 Report Share Posted March 17, 2002 Heh, I'm not sure I would risk travelling with an inirtia-less drive. A collission with a molecule would send you off at light-speed. Great idea to get relativistic missiles though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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