Who watches the show?

[MrFilthyIke]

Heh heh, VERY true...but it'd still be one heck of a story. :shock:

 

[redlaco]

As Mayhem, I was at university when it first aired and got initiated by a friend who loaned me his tapes. Unfortunately, I never got to watch the 5th season entirely, so I can't wait to get my hands on the last set of DVDs. As I love "In the Beginning" and the "The Gathering" (for nostalgia's sake), I'm eagerly anticipating the coming of the other telefilms on DVDs. I didn't get to watch them, nor any Crusade or Legend of the Rangers yet.

I've also read a lot of novels and enjoyed all three trilogies equally, although for different reasons. I'm starting "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" and recently managed to get a used copy of "Thirdspace". I'm still searching for a copy of the comics book (collected edition called "The Price of Peace"). If you ever see one unattended nearby, drop me a line so I can buy it from you at a prohibitive price. :roll:

 

[Mongoose Si]

I'm also a huge fan. I only dipped in & out of the first 2 seasons, but started watching season 3 every week - I really started getting excited with the episode Messages From Earth, and then Shattered Dreams totally blew me away and I have been a complete B5 junkie ever since.

I lost count of how many times I have watched the episodes and how many othe people I've got hooked on it :wink: I'm also enjoying them all again on DVD

 

[Black Campbell]

Got hooked late in the second season while at the Defense Language Institute. Taped 'em all. Just bought the whole run on DVD from ebay for cheap. Best TV ever, with the possible exception of 'The Shield'.

 

[Golem2176]

I think watching B5 is great for GM's - not so great for players, at least not in advance. I'd kill to have a group to play with who didn't know what the Shadows were, or who Mr Morden is...

I agree, the series provides much insight on how to effectively run a B5 campaign. However, it does provide insight for players, too. Like how each species interects with others and how they respond to unique situations. The pilot episode movie, The Gathering, is an excellent potpourri of ideas and it is quite possible to scrap the rest of the story after it, and let the campaign pick up from there. That is what my GM did. Actually, he has come up with some brilliant ideas for the campaign, in light of watching the pilot countless times!

 

[redlaco]

The pilot episode movie, The Gathering, is an excellent potpourri of ideas and it is quite possible to scrap the rest of the story after it, and let the campaign pick up from there. That is what my GM did. Actually, he has come up with some brilliant ideas for the campaign, in light of watching the pilot countless times!

Thanks for the good suggestion; I'll have to try that to get more ideas! 8)

 

[edchuk]

I am an old school B5 fan. I got a sci-fi magazine that had a lot of info about the pilot that was being made and I was an Amiga user so the Video Toaster drew me in also. The magazine came out about a year before the pilot was broadcast so I was a fan since 1993 at least. Hardcore old school.

I watched the pilot and every season on TV and caught all the made for TV movies also. I watched all the aired episodes of Crusades but had to tape LotR, which is my least favorite of all B5dom. That floating in midair kung-fu weapons firing was BAD (not in the hip urban way but in the old fashion this uscks ass way). Please make the bad dreams go away mommy. Help, help. Sorry, a moment of regression there.

The make-up, costumes, alien races, space combat, and writing blew me away. JMS is a geek god. I have even seem him twice at cons and got his autography. Nice guy. FUNNY guy.

I own season 1, gotta save up for the other seasons but my friend has 'em so no real rush. I have all the rpg books from Mongoose minus Techno-Mages (waiting for Season 4 and Narn book so I can order all three at once and save on shipping 'cause I'm a cheap b*tch!)

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Babylon 5 was our last best hope for peace... It failed.

Oh yeah, B5 fan here all the way! I ran a campaign off and on for two years with the old Babylon Project rules, and have already converted the scenario I started it with to D20. (I set my game in the years before Babylon Station was built... The players were not pleased when they were placed as security on the doomed station.)

The Auld Grump, who would love to run a technomage one of these days...

 

[Anonymous]

I have all five seasons on DVD, it deffanitly helps as a GM to have watched the show, but NONE of my 5 players have watched more than five shows apiece..... Just another rpg to them..... they have no clue how cool the show was... just the fact that thigs that happened in the first season or first movie for that matter, that you have no clue why it happens gets explained like two seasons down the road. thats just awsome!

and I'm heading to dragon con in sept, in atlanta, and the actor that plays Marcus will be there, I can't wait to meet him... he's bad ass!

Shalazar

 

[Beckett]

I am the Gamemaster of the EAS Lepanto-Chronicle.
We watch a Episode before every gamesession,
so we can get in the mode.

Works really great, you have just to chose one
fitting for the story of the current evening.

 

[Drakor_alive]

and be kissed by Andrea Thompson!

Point 1. I now 100% hate you
Point 2. The show when it was on Tv wreaked my sleeping hours espialy when channel 4 had to put seaon 4 on late cause it been a 15 but the only good moive was In the begenning and the less thats said about Crusade

 

[lastbesthope]

and be kissed by Andrea Thompson!

Point 1. I now 100% hate you
Point 2. The show when it was on Tv wreaked my sleeping hours espialy when channel 4 had to put seaon 4 on late cause it been a 15 but the only good moive was In the begenning and the less thats said about Crusade

I second the sentiment. The best I can muster is being hugged by Amber Benson (twice), she played Willow's girlfriend Tara (the one that got shot)in Buffy. And I did meet Claudia Christian once.

But Channel 4 _really_ screwed up showing Series 5. I mean who puts it on during the Big Breakfast. That's just nuts!!!

LBH

 

[aelius]

I have seen all of B5 that appeared on TV and read all of the books designated as canon by JMS (the three trilogies plus To Dream in the City of Sorrows and The Shadow Within). I am currently in mid S4 of re-watching the series to refresh it all in my mind for the campaign that I started a few weeks ago.
I intend to show selected eps to my players as the show progresses. They know a fair bit about the series but only one of them has actually seen a majority of them.
As I intend to run a fairly canon campaign the eps and novels are quite useful. I already included the players in "The Shadow Within" (the B-story set on the Agamemnon of course, after all the idea was to begin the campaign not have the PC's end up as Shadow vessel components). It made for a good way to introduce the players to the campaign, as well as make sure that when Sheriden shows up on B5 two years later he would have a good opinion of them.

 

[petitbilbo]

I have seen all of B5 that appeared on TV and read all of the books designated as canon by JMS (the three trilogies plus To Dream in the City of Sorrows and The Shadow Within). I am currently in mid S4 of re-watching the series to refresh it all in my mind for the campaign that I started a few weeks ago.
I intend to show selected eps to my players as the show progresses. They know a fair bit about the series but only one of them has actually seen a majority of them.
As I intend to run a fairly canon campaign the eps and novels are quite useful. I already included the players in "The Shadow Within" (the B-story set on the Agamemnon of course, after all the idea was to begin the campaign not have the PC's end up as Shadow vessel components). It made for a good way to introduce the players to the campaign, as well as make sure that when Sheriden shows up on B5 two years later he would have a good opinion of them.

Same here... read all I could get my hands on, watched all eps (finishing S5 for the first time though) and "forced" my players to watch at least S1.

My intro into the campaign was a bit different though :
They all took part somehow in the story of the pilot movie.

One of them had to stop a certain elevator for about 2.5 minutes, two others needed to point a certain appliance in the direction of a certain commander (3D scanner for the changeling-net), and so on.

Last time, they found very strong evidence that LtCmd Takashima is involved...

Some of my players have watched the pilot after these sessions and wanted to strangle me afterwards... don't now why! :twisted:

In my next game, we'll finally start season 1.

petitbilbo

 

[Anarch]

well we are in the process of getting a game together and half my players have seen everything and the rest are in the process of watching season 1.

I think it is very useful for the players to have a knowledge of the surrounding, if they can keep from metagaming.

 

[redlaco]

I already included the players in "The Shadow Within" (the B-story set on the Agamemnon). It made for a good way to introduce the players to the campaign, as well as make sure that when Sheridan shows up on B5 two years later he would have a good opinion of them.

Very clever idea for a campaign set on the B5 station. 8)
Makes it easier to include the players near the command staff.

 

[Droffic]

I have watched and now have nearly every episode on video. In the beginning is my preference out of the films.
I do not really enjoy novels based on TV series so have not read them.
Thoroughly delighted with the B5 RPG.

Regards
Droffic

 

[redlaco]

I do not really enjoy novels based on TV series so have not read them.

Usually I would agree with you on this, but the truth is: most of the B5 novels are quite good. I recommend the Technomages trilogy, the Legions of Fire trilogy and the Psi-Corps trilogy, plus Shadow Within.

 

[lastbesthope]

I do not really enjoy novels based on TV series so have not read them.

Usually I would agree with you on this, but the truth is: most of the B5 novels are quite good. I recommend the Technomages trilogy, the Legions of Fire trilogy and the Psi-Corps trilogy, plus Shadow Within.

I'd add "To Dream In The City Of Sorrows to that list but that's still only 11 good ones commpared to 7 not good ones.

LBH

 

[redlaco]

I'd add "To Dream In The City Of Sorrows to that list but that's still only 11 good ones commpared to 7 not good ones.

Of course! I knew I was forgetting probably the best one of the lot, a most important one.
I also knew you would come to my help and complete my list. Thanks LBH!