TTRPG Roll 23-36 – Thoughts on the “Adama Maneuver” and Canon in RPGs

Over the years I have played several roleplaying games based on a popular media properties (or “IP” for intellectual property). For some unfathomable reason, in my younger days I was reluctant to actually run a game using a well-known IP because, 1) I felt I didn’t know the IP well enough—i.e. the “canon”¹—to “get the setting right” or, 2) I worried that my lack of setting canon knowledge would meet disapproval (and resistance) from more canon-knowledgeable players. It too me some time but I eventually got past my “canon phobia” thanks to a scene in a science fiction television series. Some of the best moments in science fiction come from the most unexpected of surprises; likewise those surprises should be available in your roleplaying games even if it means “breaking” canon.

“This is the Admiral…”

One of my favorite moments in sci-fi television is the famous “Adama Maneuver” from the episode “Exodus – Part II” in Season 3 of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series that first aired in October 2006.

My first reaction was the same as the comment at the bottom of the UrbanDictionary entry shown above. “There is no way that is possible! Everybody knows that you can’t jump² in atmosphere!”

Then I stopped to think.

Battlestar Galactica is science-FICTION. Who said you couldn’t jump to lightspeed in an atmosphere?

I quickly realized I was a victim of my own biases, in this case born from, uh, believing other science fiction where a jump to lightspeed never happens in atmosphere.

My bias was born from the original Little Black Books of the Traveller roleplaying game (Game Designers’ Workshop, 1977) which specifies ships best jump from beyond a certain planetary distance for safety.

Worlds orbiting different stars are reached by interstellar travel, which makes use of the jump drive. Once a starship moves to a safe distance from a world, it may activate its jump drive.
…
Each time the ship engages in a jump, throw 13+ for a misjump. Apply the following DMs: +1 if using unrefined fuel (and not equipped to do so), +5 if within 100 planetary diameters of a world, +15 if within 10 planetary diameters of a world. If the result is 16+ then the ship is destroyed.

“Travelling,” Book 2 Starships, Traveller: Science Fiction Roleplaying in the Far Future, GDW/Far Future Enterprises, 1977/2001, 4 & 6

Other formative influences for me were Star Trek: The Original Series and the first few movies where I cannot recall ever seeing Enterprise go to warp speed in an atmosphere; the closest is perhaps a scene from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock where Enterprise escapes Excelsior in Earth orbit. Rules in my beloved wargame Star Fleet Battles (Task Force Games/Amarillo Design Bureau, 1979+) allowed some ships to land on a planet but they had to be in orbit before exceeding a speed of 1 (Warp 1 or the Speed of Light).

Even real Star Wars (i.e. the first two, possibly the third movie and not the later prequel or sequel trilogies or cartoon series) taught me that entering hyperspace only came after careful calculations and, again, always from orbit.

Long ago, I acquired a poor copy of what is alleged to be the Battlestar Galactica Series Bible³ written by producer Ronald D. Moore and dated 12/17/2003. Reading below, one can see the Moore’s references to the FTL differences from Star Trek and Star Wars, but the “fact” a ship can jump within an atmosphere is never explicitly stated—nor is it excluded.

Canon thoughts

Different roleplaying games, especially those based on a popular IP, occasionally comment on the issue of canon. As I look back at my collection, here some different ways canon was addressed.

Star Trek: The Roleplaying Game (FASA, 1983)

“FASA Trek” as I call it came at an interesting time in Star Trek fandom. The game had much freedom precisely because the franchise was just taking off.

…in the long run it will be the fans who decide what is and what is not STAR TREK for their campaigns. Feel free to change even basic assumptions if it suits you. Don’t be offended if we state something as “fact” that does not fit with your personal image. Simply run your campaign to suit what STAR TREK means to you. It’s your campaign, and we are by no means the final arbiters on such matters.

Star Trek: The Roleplaying Game (FASA, 1983)

The Babylon Project: The Roleplaying Game Based on Babylon 5 (Chameleon Eclectic Entertainment, 1997)

I absolutely loved Babylon 5 on TV. What some may not know is that B5 was one of the first TV series to use “season arcs” for storytelling. Arcs are great for RPG campaigns, but at the time it was also challenging to see how arcs on TV could translate onto the tabletop.

Battlestar Galactica Role Playing Game (Margret Weis, 2007)

The BSG RPG released the year after the Adama Maneuver aired. It is interesting to see how the writers of the RPG advised GMs and players to “resist” canon. The “default” setting of the game basically used the events of season 1 but nothing beyond that was in the book which further encouraged the GM and players to strike out on their own.

Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game 1st Edition (Archaia Studio Press, 2008)

I read the Mouse Guard comic book series and loved them. I took in the Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game but, honestly, never really got into the Burning Wheel System. Since Mouse Guard was not as well known by my other players “breaking canon” was easy, all the more so since—at the time—the entire setting was built around only a handful of comic books.

A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide: A Game of Thrones Edition (Green Ronin Publishing, 2012)

Published in 2012, this guide came out after the first season of the Game of Thrones television series aired but is based mostly on the books which I hadn’t (and still haven’t) all read. Like the BSG RPG before it, the guide takes an interesting approach to the setting where the default storyline “begins” during the events of Season 1.

Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Roleplaying Game (Fantasy Flight Games, 2013)

As a father, I certainly did my job to make the RockyMountainNavy Boys into Star Wars fans. They have watched every movie and television series, read many books and graphic novels, and built obscene innumerable amounts of Lego kits. For myself, I have a more jaded view of the $tar War$ universe, especially the current Di$ney version. As a result, my Star Wars “head canon” consists of the first three movies (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi), Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, and maybe the movie Rogue One and Andor television series. This creates creative clashes with the RMN Boys when playing a Star Wars RPG campaign as they go more towards Saturday morning cartoons and less towards broader themes of a hero’s journey and redemption.

AtomicRobo: The Roleplaying Game (Evil Hat Productions, 2014)

Another comic book IP that I enjoyed, the setting is a version of alternate history which allows you to play more fast and loose with the canon.

The Expanse Roleplaying Game (Green Ronin Publishing, 2019)

I personally was late to The Expanse not getting into the IP until season 1 of the television series. The RPG is based on the books with the “default” setting in Leviathan Wakes. I went off and read the first several books and visit this game occasionally. When I do, I certainly make it my own.

ALIEN: The Roleplaying Game (Free League Publishing, 2020)

I first saw the movie ALIEN on a video rental from Blockbuster in the mid-80’s because in 1979 there was no way my parents were going to let me see a movie like this. I saw ALIENS in college but I never really followed the franchise seriously since. That lack of canon familiarity allows me to focus on the game and not the canon.

The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of The Lord of the Rings (Free League Publishing, 2022)

I recently wrote about my concerns playing The One Ring RPG given my lack of Tolkien fandom background. Seeing comments by the writers of the RPG that acknowledge that canon has no one definition or agreed upon version is reassuring and encourages me to strike out on my own to create my own adventures.

Note also that the problem of canon in an RPG is not the exclusive realm of pop culture IP games; popular RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons with its many storied settings or Mongoose Traveller with their licensed “Charted Space” claim on the Third Imperium have just as many, if not more, of the same challenges.

Owning canon

A consistent theme in every roleplaying game recommendation regarding canon is to make the game your own. Why then do I always hear about challenges from players who “metagame” a session or “snipe” at the Referee/Game Master when the story “deviates” from canon?

I guess it all comes down to the group you play with. In the past few years, my “usual” roleplaying group has been the RockyMountainNavy Boys. Although they are my sons, I don’t try to use “the power of Dad” to lord over them as a RPG Referee/Game Master. We played at least one RPG based on popular (and well known) IP and the RMN Boys were comfortable with me using a setting (literally) at the edge of the Empire far, far away from the Di$ney $tar War$ universe.

“Well, this ought to be different.”

Thanks to the innovative tactics of Admiral Adama, I try to be cognizant of, but not beholden to, canon in an RPG setting. Cribbing from the above entries, over the years my canon rules can be seen as:

• There is no such thing as established canon.
• Keep it “in the mood.”
• Feel free to change even basic “facts” if it suits your game.
• Canon can restrict Game Master & player creativity.
• “History” should be a tool, not an obligation.
• Decide as a group how to handle canon.
• Inform the players.
• Make it your own; tell your own story.
• Surprise them.

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1. Canon (one “n”) refers to a collection of rules or texts that are considered to be authoritative. (vocabulary.com) ↩︎
2. “To jump” is a somewhat common sci-fi trope that generally means activate a Faster Than Light (FTL) engine. ↩︎
3. A series bible refers to a screenwriting document used in television to provide a comprehensive overview of a TV show’s concept, characters, setting, plot, and other relevant information. Often a bible is created as a means of pitching the show to producers, executives, and other network/studio leaders. It can also serve as a reference guide for fellow writers to ensure consistency and continuity in the storytelling of the series. (Definition courtesy yourscreenplayguy.com)  ↩︎

Feature image courtesy YouTube

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