History TabletopGame / VORTheMaelstrom

''VOR The Maelstrom'' is a miniatures combat tabletop game by Mike Nielsen, published in 2000 by Creator/{{FASA}}, months before it collapsed. A subscription was launched in 2010 for a new edition, but it failed, probably due to Mike Nielsen setting his goal too high.

''VOR The Maelstrom'' is a miniatures combat tabletop game by Mike Nielsen, published in 2000 by FASA Corporation, months before it collapsed. A subscription was launched in 2010 for a new edition, but it failed, probably due to Mike Nielsen setting his goal too high.

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* ComboPlatterPowers: What the Pyron can achieve with sorcery or ultra-tech, the Shard can pull off similar abilities with their innate energy powers albeit at lower ability. While low-end Shard only have the ability to use offensive rifle/pistol-like crystals to shoot a laser, members of the highest tier of Shard are considered PhysicalGod that are only somewhat less powerful than the Pyron's Godking. These Shard can do things like stop time and generate gravity wells, etc.

* MutagenicFood: This is the Growlers hat, they get powers based on what they eat. The Red Growlers can spit out fire because they eat magma, while the razorbacks eat almost indestructible minerals near their planet's sun so they develop a near-indestructible hide that resists armor-piercing effects.

* PhysicalGod: The Pharon's Godking was the accidental byproduct of the Pharon ruler's ritual gone wrong. It created not only the Maw, but also a HumanoidAbomination that has many supernatural powers and [[ResurrectiveImmortality cannot be permanently killed]].

* EnergyBeing: The Shard were originally energy beings of great power, but with their world transported to the Maelstrom - the Maw was directly sucking them into oblivion (Shard souls and bodies are one). So the Shard created [[PowerArmour armour made of organic PowerCrystal]] to [[SoulJar contain themselves]].

* ArchEnemy: The real war in the Maelstrom is between the Pharon and the Shard, every other player is just a side-story. Besides both races being the mightiest in the Maelstrom, there's other points of contention. The Pharon had turned from the path of being BenevolentPrecursors to being a race of SorcerousOverlord with a ReligionOfEvil, they're the ones that caused the Maw. The Maw threatens to suck the souls of the Shard into oblivion, so that's why they had to create crystal bodies for themselves. On the other the Shard blew up the Pharon's God-king and while the God-king can recreate himself, he can only do short stays in this existence because of that - the Shard are also conducting commando raids on Pharon harvest worlds. So both sides have the biggest beef, while everyone else is just trying to survive and escape the Maw.

* MiniMecha: The American Ares and Neo-Sov Ursa walkers.

* PowerArmor: The Union is striving to make it standard, while the Neo-Sovs keep it for their elite squads.

* TheAssimilator: This is the Growlers hat, they get powers based on what they eat. The Red Growlers can spit out fire because they eat magma, while the razorbacks eat almost indestructible minerals near their planet's sun so they develop a near-indestructible hide that's resists armor-piercing effects.

* NegativeSpaceWedgie: The Maw is a supernatural black hole that was created by the Pharon. It randomly teleports planets into the outer regions of the system and slowly sucks them inward to oblivion.

%%* ANuclearError: The Chinese did that. Once.%%ZCE -- did what?

%%* NegativeSpaceWedgie: The Maw.

* SiliconBasedLife: The Shards appear to be this, although they're technically disincarnate spirits yay create silicon ''armor'', without which they would be sucked in by the Maw.

* AmericaSavesTheDay: WordOfGod says the North American union is the only barrier to the global rampage of [[DirtyCommunists the Neo-Soviets]]. Nothing is said about Europe, save that Poland called in the G.I.'s for protection. The UN self-dissolved, it is not quite clear why. India fought a major war in the 2080s, but nothing is said afterwards. China was the first serious bulwark against Communist hordes, but it seems it has been conquered. Oh, and it is even said that America is building an escape fleet, so they will end up saving humanity.
* AncientAstronauts: the Pharons, when they were alive and civilized ancient Egypt.
* ANuclearError: the Chinese did that. Once.

* DarkIsNotEvil: the Zykhees are actually the nicest guys in the Maelstrom, but they are nocturnals and see darkness as a soothing, curing force.

* ExpandedStatesOfAmerica: the Union (USA + Canada + Mexico).

* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke and SovietSuperscience: the Neo-Sovs get their kick out of creating new combat mutants/cyborgs.
* GloriousMotherRussia: general Vanivar said Russia had been flouted of its rights, now they will obliterate everyone else to get them back.
* HitPoints: bizarrely, Growler chieftains and most other large creatures (3 [[CallAHitPointASmeerp Life-Force Points]] or more) can take a missile (Damage 2) and almost ignore it; whereas vehicles often take nasty collateral damage, up to and including instant explosion. There is a system of [[CriticalHit critical hits and misses]], partly compensating for this flaw, but it still makes that [[RockBeatsLaser a bow is just as suspectible of killing as a missile]].
* InASingleBound: some Growlers can do this.
* InsufficientlyAdvancedAlien: the Mashers, space-travelling cavemen who can "mash" technology into their bodies.
* LostTechnology: many planets feature long-dead or long-departed civilisations, with according treasures. Also, the Mashers are heirs to an ancient culture that left lots of machines.
* MadeOfIron: some Growler Razorback Chieftains, whose bones are coated in ore.
* MagicVersusScience: completely averted. The Pharons are far and away the most advanced species in science and technology, being eons ahead of everyone else. They are also easily the best sorcerers/wizards too and can call upon their dark god and the power of the Maw itself. So developed is their magic and superscience that the Pharons are both MagicFromTechnology and MagiTek, with everyone else getting curbstomped by them in story-line and in-game. The Zhykees also use potent magic and have better than human technology developed thru science, though in both fields they don't hold a candle to what the Pharons have.
* MiniMecha: the American Ares and Neo-Sov Ursa walkers.
* MuggingTheMonster: when the Neo-Sovs brought Growlers back on Earth for study.
* NegativeSpaceWedgie: The Maw.
* PowerArmor: the Union is striving to make it standard, the Neo-Sovs keep it for their elite squads.
* RayGun: the Pharons' can fire hundreds of times, at least, without ammo; Union testers gave up after one week.
* SiliconBasedLife: the Shards, although these disincarnate spirits rather create silicon *armors* ; but without these they would be sucked in by the Maw.
* SpaceElves: averted. The Pharons were that once, but no more.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Earth in the Maelstrom is slowly cooling. Global climate has changed. Multiple hazards have sprouted everywhere. Growlers, fungi and Shards probes have landed to colonize some regions. [[FromBadToWorse And this is just the beginning.]]

* VillainousGlutton: the Bluefang Alpha Chieftain is that, and even a cannibal. The Whitetusk Alpha Chieftain had to beat him into submission before he stopped hunting other Growlers.

Not to be mistaken for the ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'', which has a book called ''The Vor Game''.

VOR provides examples of :

'''VOR The Maelstrom''' is a miniatures combat tabletop game by Mike Nielsen, published in 2000 by FASA Corporation, months before it collapsed. A subscription was launched in 2010 for a new edition, but it failed, probably due to Mike Nielsen setting his goal too high.

The setting of VOR is the Maelstrom, which looks like a miniature galaxy orbiting a gigantic black hole, called the Maw or Vorack. Planets that cross the dimensional threshold around the Maelstrom are doomed to end in the Maw, so everybody tries to leave its homeworld, found colonies and, maybe, someday escape the Maelstrom. Earth is trapped in 2102.

* MagicVersusScience: completely averted. The Pharons are far and away the most advanced species in science and technology, being eons ahead of everyone else. They are also easily the best sorcerers/wizards too and can call upon their dark god and the power of the Maw itself. So developed is their magic and superscience that the Pharons are both MagicFromTechnology and MagiTek, with everyone else getting curbstomped by them in story-line and in-game. The Zhykees also use potent magic and better than human technology developed thru science, though in both fields they don't hold a candle to what the Pharons have.

* MagicVersusScience: completely averted. The Pharons are far and away the most advanced species in science and technology. They are also the best sorcerers/wizards too, so developed is their magic and superscience that the Pharons are both MagicFromTechnology and Magitek. The Zhykees also use potent magic and better than human technology developed thru science, though neither hold a candle to what the Pharons have.

* MagicVersusScience: completely averted. The Pharons are far and away the most advanced species in science and technology. They are also the best sorcerers/wizards too. The Zhykees also use potent magic and better than human technology developed thru science, though neither hold a candle to what the Pharons have.

* MagicVsScience: completely averted. The Pharons are far and away the most advanced species in science and technology. They are also the best sorcerers/wizards too. The Zhykees also use potent magic and better than human technology developed thru science, though neither hold a candle to what the Pharons have.

* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Earth in the Maelstrom is slowly cooling. Global climate has changed. Multiple hazards have sprouted everywhere. Growlers, fungi and Shards probes have landed to colonize some regions. [[ItGotWorse And this is just the beginning.]]

Not to be mistaken for TheVorkosiganSaga, which has a book called ''The Vor Game''.