Brigada Ligeira Estelar
Brigada Ligeira Estelar (Star Light Brigade), is a campaign setting, created by Alexandre Lancaster for 3D&T – a Brazilian tabletop role-playing game from Editora Jambô. It's a mecha/space opera/swashbuckling setting, with a heavy influence of classic sci-fi anime like Mobile Suit Gundam, Captain Harlock, Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Star Blazers. Giant robots and officers are baptized from old cavalry nomenclatures like Hussars, Spearmen and Dragoons. The main book contains an extensive timeline and many character templates, including military characters, space pirates (and corsairs), psionics, noblemen, mercenaries and others.
| Publisher(s) | Jambô Editora, |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 2012 (3D&T Alpha) |
| Genre(s) | Science Fiction, mecha, anime, Space Opera, |
| System(s) | 3D&T, |
| 1st. Edition | |
Basic information
Imperial Alliance of the Sabre
Main background of Brigada Ligeira Estelar's setting. The constellation of Sabre has 94 planets, but of them all, only nineteen are life-supporting. These worlds were unified during the War of Sabre, thanks to a hero named Silas Falconeri. Silas was a well-intentioned man and became emperor believing he could save the people from injustice, chaos and poverty. Unfortunately he found out the hard way that politics and heroism are different things. The Empire prospered anyway, but social class resentments against the modest origins of the Falconeri Imperial House eventually plunged the worlds of Sabre into endless political intrigues. Silas had an heir (Silas II) but he left no heirs and died under mysterious circumstances. There is a second son of Silas, Lucas Falconeri (the Prince Regent of the Planet Montalbán), but thanks to the influence of a rival clan (The house of nobility Artusen from Planet Tarso) in Congress and the Judiciary, he has no way to ascend the throne - and the Empire has been governed by interim rulers.
The Invasion of the Forsaken
The Forsaken are a nation of space barbarians who invades planets, deplete their resources and destroy everything they can't carry. Their methods are brutal and sadistic. They attacked by surprise the constellation's poorest world, Ottokar, awakening the people of Sabre to fight for their future at a time where the imperial authority is weakened.
The Star Light Brigade
The Imperial Guard of the Star Light Brigade was created decades ago by the Emperor Silas Falconeri himself, when the planet Tarso, then unable to show political dominance over the rest of the Empire, tried to start a secession war and drag other worlds under his leadership. A guard named "Volunteer of the Sabre" was created against the separatists. At the end of the conflict, this guard was renamed Star Light Brigade, and came to symbolize the beliefs of Silas falconeri that led to the formation of the Imperial Alliance, cultivating a culture of heroism and social inclusion. These circumstances led to Regency Guard of Tarso to encompass an opposite attitude, trying to symbolize everything that denies the heroic and benevolent beliefs of Silas Falconeri.
Worlds of the Imperial Alliance
There are nineteen main planets, divided into three administrative areas:
The Sabre Hilt
The most important part of the constellation. It is where the major planets of the Empire are, including its capital planet, Albuquerque.
- Albach - A convoluted world that was once the most powerful force in the constellation, and now lives in its past. It's under the sphere of political influence of Tarso.
- Albuquerque - The world where Silas Falconeri founded his empire. The Imperial City of Leocadia (a.k.a. "Imperial Capital") is there.
- Altona - The first planet discovered and colonized by humans in the constellation of Sabre, more than a millennium ago. Shows many signs of having harbored intelligent life in the past.
- Annelise - A world of great beauty and romantic atmosphere... but also a world a that thrives on appearances, full of duelist swordsmen and dark secrets.
- Bismarck - A prussian-like militaristic planet, with a strong and competitive people. They have proven loyal to the empire so far.
- Forte Martim - a politically unstable world ruled by an Princess Regent who was reappointed to the regencial throne after years of exile (her parents were killed in an uprising led by big landlords of this world). This plot is a backdrop for "A Serviço da Princesa Regente", a short adventure for new players (chapter 7 of Brigada Ligeira Estelar main book).
- Gessler – a tax haven world, mostly inhabited by fortune soldiers, very like the old Swiss mercenaries from Renaissance.
- Tarso – the richest and most populous planet of the Alliance, seeing themselves apart from the other worlds of the Sabre.
- Trianon – a world of decadent nobility, agrarian uprisings, abuse of power and many other social problems.
- Viskey – a world colonized by (supposedly Japanese descent) a people who broke with their traditional culture. This world has the largest population of Psionics (here called "Mentalists") in the Empire.
The Sabre's Edge
Except for Montalban, all planets are of average importance. After all, these worlds have evolved with the installation of the Parliamentary Space Station in this area.
- Alabarda - A planet whose people are culturally divided by their political beliefs, and everything seems headed for a planetary civil war.
- Inara - A world without continents, with only islands covering a fifth of its surface. Its fauna is particularly dangerous.
- Montalbán - A planet politically tied by strong honor codes. Contrary to what many may think, they are the main antagonists of Tarso, more than Albuquerque or any other world.
- Moretz - A world whose surface is infected by toxic mold, forcing the creation of artificial floating cities. The working conditions are terrible and many people have to fight for justice.
- Winch - A divided planet, ruled by two regency crowns, with Cold War mutual feelings.
- Uziel - A corrupt world, full of gangsters, smugglers, traffickers and other criminals. The law is not very reliable. The Forsaken Invasion is in its early stages here.
The Sabre Tip
The most distant planets of the constellation are there. They have been the main focus of Forsaken invasion so far.
- Arkadi - A cold world, with strong bureaucracy and many technologically backward regions, resembling in many aspects the Czarist Russia.
- Ottokar - The poorest planet of Imperial Alliance and a major focus of the Forsaken invasion. These people carry a particular belief called "Destiny".
- Villaverde - The farthest planet in the constellation of Sabre – and most devastating battlefield in the war against the Forsaken.
Digital Comics
In 2016, they were released manga-style digital comics on the platform Social Comics.[1]
Anime inspirations
Essentially, Brigada Ligeira Estelar is part of the Real Robot genre, but it seems to go against the desconstructive grain of series like Mobile Suit Gundam to bring out and emphasize heroic elements, borrowed from classical literature of adventure. In the book's Acknowledges, alongside names like Yoshiyuki Tomino, Leiji Matsumoto and Kunio Okawara, we can see thanks to Alexandre Dumas, Jack Williamson (for his "Legion of Space") and Johnston McCulley (creator of Zorro). The Hussar robots, with energy sabers, clearly refers to the Gundam series; but the open range of options resembles anime shows like Patlabor, with giant robots made for practical reasons. The Forsaken giant robots, called "Quimeras" (chimera), are admittedly inspired by exotic mecha of Go Nagai in his various super robot series.
References
External links
- Brigada Ligeira Estelar at Jambô Editora (in Portuguese)
- Review of Brigada Ligeira Estelar at O Rpgista (in Portuguese)
- Review of Brigada Ligeira Estelar at Alem da Imaginacao (in Portuguese)
- Interview with the author of Brigada Ligeira Estelar at O Rpgista (in Portuguese)