31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 3

Our third question of the month comes from the jolly JB of B/X BLACKRAZOR fame/infamy. The question is simple enough that I could answer it was a Yes/No and if Yes a list of names but that doesn't make for engaging internet content. Funny enough, neither will this! 

Enjoy!

Do you ever attend (gaming) conventions out in your neck of the woods, and if so, which ones? 

I live in New York CIty and believe it or not, there aren't and haven't been a large number of Gaming Conventions in my home town. Now, not a lot of cons doesn't mean none. If you include the Greater Tri-State Area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut - as well as Philadelphia) as my 'neck of the woods', you up the number of conventions considerably.

It's been a while since I've attended any cons but in the past I've been an [irregular] regular at Dexcon (NJ), Shorecon (NJ), and of course RECESS (NY). To my knowledge, all of these conventions are no longer in existence (though I'm not sure about Dexcon - that sometimes goes away for a while and then reappears). There was also a great one in Cherry Hill, NJ that the late, great Allen Halden invited me to a few times (can't recall the name). 

I've been lucky enough to find gaming going on at various Anime Conventions (local and beyond), where I have gotten the chance to play Japanese TRPGs; cons such as Katsucon (originally Virgina, Washington DC), Otakon (originally Baltimore), and several small NJ events.

As a final note: I've worked as a Retail Dealer at a number of conventions and as an Event Coordinator for a Convention Producer. Between those occupations and numerous industry friends and contacts I've attended a great many cons for free. Nowadays, having to pay to get in, I am much choosier about which ones I go to. 

That's another down and (hopefully) a lot more to go...

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Barking Alien. 

RPGaDay Challenge 2022 - Bonus Round

The RPGaDay 2022 'Event' is over and underwhelming is an understatement. 

Six questions that amount to 'Tell me about your character'? Three on the RPGaDay Challenge itself, including the gripping philosophical conundrum 'When did you start participating in this'? Really? REALLY? C'mon, put a little effort into it or don't bother. 

With the whole RPGaDay 2022 being what it was, I am practically beside myself to post something for this bonus round...

As noted before, I don't like tagging people, so I won't be doing that. I really couldn't even if I did want to in the case of this story as none of the players were close friends of mine and I lost track of them all years ago. 

One Saturday when I was in my early 20s, must have been around 1990 or '91, I went to a 'local' RPG Convention in New Jersey. I met some great people, played some great games, and ended up having a conversation on game design, theory, and all the other big life questions with a bunch of people into the late hours. One or two were regular acquaintances, a couple were friends of friends, and a couple were people I'd met that day. One was a woman who...well...instant crush. 

Anyway, it got late, a lot later than intended and I was kind of dreading the long train ride into New York City. The nippy Autumn weather was no problem for me but it was drizzling and foggy. I considered calling up a friend who lived in Jersey to see if I could crash there when two of the people I'd been talking with said I could stay overnight in their hotel room if it was cool with the third occupant and I had no issues. It was all good and I slept there that night. 

Except I didn't sleep. None of us did. Intrigued by my ideas and approach to gaming from our earlier conversation, my three impromptu roommates wanted me to run them through a short, makeshift session of something. I said sure. Then one of them said, "Hey, we should see if we can get some of the others [from the earlier conversation group]."

Everyone nodded in agreement and so I said, "Sure. What the heck."

Sometime later, with coffee and snacks, we ended up in a room in the hotel probably used for meetings or as a lounge. I can't recall exactly. I just remember a big room, a couch, some chairs, and a coffee table. Some of use were in our clothes from the day before but I remember Crush Girl was in her PJs. 

Here's how the game went down...

Medieval Fantasy. A Dungeon Crawl That Wasn't. I had everybody take a piece of paper and told them to write down their Character's name, a nickname or title, their 'Race', and three things they were good at, one thing they weren't.

Their last task was to come up with a question they wanted to ask one of the other characters. When they were all finished with their PCs, they asked each other one question each. Some of the questions were like:

'How do we know each other?'

'How'd you get that title/nickname?'

'Do you have any hobbies?'

'What Monster scares the bejeezus out of you?'

Finally, I asked them all, 'Why are you doing this? Adventuring is a hard life. Dungeons are freakin' dangerous. Why risk it?' The answer to this formed the key elements that drove the adventure. To put it another way, I focused on their personal backstories and their interactions with each other with pit traps and goblin hoards being the framework and backdrop of the game, not the main event. 

It blew them away. Many were Anime fans and said it reminded them of their favorite Manga and animated series. It had humor but they also feared for their character's lives. I remember someone saying they cared more about their character here than in the home game they'd been playing in for months by that point. 

It felt great to get the praise of course but it was also just a really fun session. It lasted well into the morning and I ended up sleeping three hours and then going to the con for a second day. 

If there is any interest, I'll write up the characters as best I can recall them and even a little about the adventure. I'd forgotten about this game for years, decades honestly, only to have it come back to me in a recent conversation with a fellow online regarding great one-shots.

 

Art by Me by Midjourney

Thanks for checking out the post. Look around the blog and see if there's anything else that might interest you. 

Next month...we're going to SPACE...

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Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - KASHPA

It feels appropriate that on the heels of The Book of Boba Fett that the next entry in the 31 Days/31 Characters Challenge for 2022 be a Star Wars character. Not just any Star Wars RPG character but one of my all time favorites by one of my all time favorite people, my dear friend Lynn Morton.

I have known Lynn for over 30 years. Originally I knew her as the girlfriend of a friend of a friend but eventually we got to know each other and become close ourselves. We've seen break-ups, birthdays, weddings, and the loss of friends and family over the decades. Although time goes by where we don't chat nearly enough, we always find a way to stay connected. 

A member of what I often call 'The New Jersey Group', Lynn has been an integral part of some of my best TRPG campaigns. She's been mentioned [directly or indirectly] many times on this blog. She played Ziva Yesperani in Ghostbusters, NJ, Lt. Shilana Kincaid in Star Trek: Thunder Bay, and Dr. Ana Myr Clearwater in ALIEN FRONTIER (the best introduction of a PC after the beginning of a campaign I've ever had). 

So it is that I absolutely had to do a post featuring Lynn's first character from the first campaign I ran with her in it. 

Character: Kashpa

AKA: The Sphere Dancer, Lady Kashpa

Player: Lynn Morton

System: Star Wars, The Roleplaying Game, 2nd Edition - West End Games

 

Campaign: Star Wars: Ever The Brave - aka Star Wars: The Animated Series

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein

Circa: 1989-1990. The original campaign - set during the Original Trilogy of Star Wars films - lasted 12 eight hour sessions, run once a month for a year.

Kashpa returned some years later in three one-shot follow-ups; each run after the Prequel Trilogy films were released. The one-shots took place seven years after Return of the Jedi and combined the continuities of the Enter the Brave campaign with those of my New York group's Tales from the Rim campaign.

She remains an NPC in my post-Return of the Jedi/The Mandalorian Era games to this day.

Origins: I have told this story before but it's a good one so I'll briefly go over it again...

On the last day of Gen Con (1989 or 90) my friend Martin was feeling down. He did have a great experience, was new to gaming, and was thinking that perhaps the hobby was not for him. I got angry and when I get angry I get defiant and made him create a Star Wars D6 character right then and there. I convinced the rest of our friends to join in and ran a quick session, maybe no more than a half hour long. Everyone, especially Martin, loved it and they collectively asked when we were continuing this campaign.

Continuing? Campaign? Er...OK. About a week or so after returning home I ran a follow-up adventure and then another a few weeks later. Unfortunately, there was no 'campaign'. I hadn't planned on continuing and although they didn't see it, I knew I couldn't maintain this for long. I told everyone as much and said, "If you guys want to play a Star Wars campaign, I am more than happy to run one. This just isn't it though." The group understood and we went about making a new campaign from scratch. We also pulled in additional players, including Martin's girlfriend Lynn. 

To think I once knew her only in that way makes me laugh now. She is awesome and takes center stage whenever she's present. 

Backstory: Captured by slavers looking to sell attractive and able bodied young Twi'leks to rich Hutt Crime Lords and corrupt Imperial Governors, Kashpa's life changed dramatically when the transport carrying her was besieged by a group of anti-slaver pirates led by Tiree Palmight. 

When the handsome and heroic young man found Kashpa and told her she was free she asked him, "To do what? To go where?" 

His answer, "Whatever you want. Wherever you want." Palmight pointed out a viewport window at the sea of stars. "That is the galaxy. Give it hell."

And so she did.

Kashpa helped her people land on a remote, unpopulated but hospitable world and then took a small shuttlecraft into space, eventually making her way to the Outer Rim Territories. She learned a great deal apprenticing with a variety of colorful characters and combined those lessons with the training of her, um, original destined vocation. After a number of years, Kashpa became a dancer and performer in high demand among salacious criminals and Imperials, the toast of the Galactic Underworld. She was also a 'Robin Hood'-like assassin, slaying evil despots, slavers, and other villains who preyed upon the innocent and less capable and spreading their wealth among the downtrodden. 

On a few occasions she crossed paths with Tiree Palmight again and the two teamed up to free others enslaved by the tyranny of life under the Galactic Empire. The two also had an on-again-off-again romantic relationship but Palmight was always on the move and Kashpa felt her 'mission' couldn't afford too many breaks. 

In her mid-twenties, she received a communique from a mutual contact that said Tiree was on the run with the Empire closing in. He needed her help and asked her to meet him on a planet somewhat off the beaten path of respectable hyperspace trade routes. She went there immediately and ran into a group of interstellar misfits - a Smuggler and his odd Astromech, an Alien Scientist, a Wanna-be Jedi, a Mercenary - all looking for Tiree Palmight. Only, they all described a different Palmight, with his age, profession, and even demeanor varying wildly. 

As Bounty Hunters arrived to capture the Smuggler, he stole Kashpa's Speeder Bike and headed for his ship. Kashpa leaped from the second story of a Cantina onto the back of the bike and the rest is history. The group became a part of the Rebellion against the Empire, learning the truth of the many lives of Tiree Palmight, ending the threat of the 'Worldfist' doomsday weapon, and vanquishing the mysterious Dark Side wielders Denaan Karr and his acolyte Pal Rartha.

Overview: Lynn has a very strong case of what I call, 'Protective Suspicion'; many of her characters will defend their friends like a momma bear watching out for her cubs BUT she must first establish exactly who qualifies for 'friend' status. It isn't always easy getting into the club. Kashpa was a perfect example of this, initially distrusting the other PCs: Smuggler En Fochs, his droid (played by Martin) MAN-2, the mercenary known only as 'Blade Dangerous' (later Blaze Gold), and even the Jedi-in-Training Raiza Kendall. The only one she trusted was the bizarre looking alien scientist Dr. Bospero, since his agenda of seeking knowledge was worn clearly on his sleeve. 

Raiza Kendall had a long romantic relationship with her Jedi Master, one Tiree Palmight, and that irked Kashpa even after the two women discovered their Tirees were not one and the same. At first I thought Kashpa was jealous of the life that Raiza had experienced but that wasn't it, at least not completely. What elevated the character of Kashpa was that she saw Tiree had given her the chance to carve her own destiny and by her own decision she'd spent it enacting vengeance moreso than 'righting wrongs'. What Kashpa was envious of was Raiza's naivete and innocence.

At some point between the end of the original campaign and the first of the one-shot 'sequels', Kashpa decided to hold herself to a higher standard and became a respected leader in the New Republic's Intelligence Service. 

The Highlights:

Before going into highlight moments, I'd like to discuss Kashpa's unique weapons and abilities. 

Her key talent and skill was her incredible agility and a ribbon dancing technique useful in both mesmerizing onlookers and serving as a martial art she called 'Sphere Dancing'. Her lithe form and exquisite, graceful movements were perfect for capturing people's attention and forming a diversion. In battle, she moved with a twisting, spinning fighting style that crossed Capoeira with Ribbon Rhythmic Gymnastics. 

This martial art was made ten times more dangerous thanks to an unusual weapon of Kashpa's (and Lynn's) own design: Two metal spheres, each gold in color and the size of a small to medium grapefruit, that were hollow except for spools in the center. Wrapped around the spools and between the two globes is a long length of satin-y material of incredible tensile strength. 

One could throw and pull back the spheres, lengthening or reeling the cloth, spin, dance, whirl, and juggle the whole thing for a dazzling dance display. At the same time, Kashpa could throw a globe and wrap it around an opponent, use it as a grappling hook, a flail, or even choke an enemy with the material. The edges of the satin-like ribbon were paper thin and strong enough to cut someone like a knife. 

While not actively connected with The Force, Kashpa was known to have prophetic dreams, an old 'mysticism' often attributed to the women of Kashpa's family line. Often tricky to decode, her dreams were nonetheless helpful in locating and defeating the mad Sith Pal Rartha, who turned out to be a Twi'lek as well. 

As for standout moments, I loved her introduction; mingling among the scum and villainy at a party on the second floor of a cantina, she hears a ruckus down on the street below which makes her look out a window. A scruffy fellow with blonde hair with a dark streak (Smuggler and future friend En Fochs) steals her ride, a top notch speeder bike. She hands her drink to a droid waiter, steps out of a window, runs across the rooftop and then leaps on to the back of the speeder bike as it races away.

As the two are chased by Bounty Hunters and Stormtroopers, Kashpa wrestles with Fochs (who's driving) and tries to wrap him up with the Ribbon of her weapon. When the pursuers get too close she slings out one of the Spheres yo-yo style, knocking one guy off his speeder bike and causing another two drive off the road into a wall. Finally, just as a group of two or three try to overtake the heroes, Kashpa uses her weapon to lasso a post on each side of the road, clothes-lining the lot of them. She than yanked the weapon back as Fochs spun the bike 360 degrees, firing his Heavy Blaster Pistol at the remaining opponents. 

Another memorable and very different moment came when Kaspha had a prophetic dream wherein she was walking through the 'Bright Lands', part of the Twi'lek afterlife. There she saw Pal Rartha, the mentally unstable Twi'lek Sith who seemed to be slipping in and out of existence. As Kashpa attempted to help him gather his wits, he was once again consumed by madness. In doing so he let slip a number of hints and clues that gave Kashpa the location and plan of attack that the enemy would attempt in the final battle against the planet Sullust. 

It was a deep, spiritual conversation and while it failed to bring Pal Rartha back to sanity, he revealed how pain can drive one to terrible choices if one gives in to it. Kashpa took her pain and used it to make things right and later still, make things better.. 

Game Info:

Kashpa - As of the Battle of Ord Itani (the last time she was played by Lynn)*

Twi'lek - Female, 30-35 years of age.

Template: Twi'lek Intelligence Agent

Serving the New Republic's Intelligence Service from a base on Kolindoor.

DEXTERITY: 4D 

Acrobatics +3D, Dodge +3D, Sphere Dancing +4D                

KNOWLEDGE: 3D

Espionage +2D, Politics +2D,                    

MECHANICAL: 2D+1

PERCEPTION: 3D+1

Disguise +3D, Persuasion +2D, Sneak +3D            

STRENGTH: 2D+2

Climbing/Jumping +3D

TECHNICAL: 2D+2                       

Security +3D

Note: Stats reflect a character played numerous times and an in-universe time jump of 7 years.

Equipment: Comlink x2 (one on wrist, one hidden in head-dress), Diplomatic Dress, Formal Attire, Vibro-Knife, New Republic Identification, Sphere Dancing Outfit, Twi'lek Ribbon Spheres. Pet Kowakian Monkey-Lizard, 'Eeky' (formerly known as 'Damn-You-Damn-Rat' and 'Echuta').

Legacy: In any game I run in the Star Wars Universe set between the era of Star Wars: REBELS and Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Kashpa exists and is up to something. Perhaps you'll cross her path and if you're very forthright, totally honest, and extremely lucky, she just might - after a long while - come to trust you.

Next I've got an unusual one...travel with me down a River of Dreams aboard a Magical Mystery Steamboat and meet a cunning, cuthroat canine cutie known as KEI OKAMI!

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Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - EVERYN WOLFSHADOW

One of my all time favorite Japanese Tabletop RPGs is Wares Blade. 

First published in 1988, Wares Blade is a Fantasy Role Playing Game in which the components and tropes of Medieval Fantasy are merged with those of the Giant Robot/Mecha genre popular throughout the world but [arguably] originating in Japan.

Unlike many other examples of the Fantasy and Mecha combination, the mechs of Wares Blade are not purely technological or steampunk but magical artifacts. It isn't Magic and Technology but it is Magic and Machinery. The machinery in this world is powered and created by enchantments and sorcery. 

Years ago when I was regularly gaming with my old New Jersey group, I found out that some of the gang's favorite Anime and Manga included such titles as Aura Battler Dunbine, Panzer World Galient, and (one I love myself) Rune Masquer. What do all these have in common? They are all in the vein of Giant Robot Fantasy. 

Realizing this, I decided to give a Wares Blade campaign with the group (including my ex-wife Selina) the old college try. The results were...well...magical. 

Character: Everyn Wolfshadow

AKA: The Forest Witch, The Wolf Woman of the Remote North

Player: Selina Wong

System: Mekton II - Modified with Houserules and Elements of Wares Blade, 1st Edition.

 

Campaign: The World of Magic and Machinery

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein 

Circa: Roughly 2001-2002

Sadly this campaign only went about five sessions before scheduling became too difficult to continue. Not being able to continue this game with this group is one of my great RPG gaming regrets.

 

Origins: In addition to the reasons given above, one of the things I really wanted to do around this time was introduce my girlfriend of the time (later my wife) to gaming with a group. We had already been playing RPGs together just the two of us; her as the main character and me as Gamemaster and a cast of thousands. She had yet to play an ongoing game with a large group and so I developed a portion of this game to facilitate that. 

In addition to the setting - which incidentally looks and feels like Medieval Europe has been crossed with Arabian and North African cultures and civilizations - and of course the pre-requisite Japanese Mecha battles, I really wanted the game to be about the Player Characters. I wanted their personal stories, goals, and obstacles to be paramount.

Selina has always been uniquely well-suited for this type of game; equally capable of engaging in edge-of-your-seat, visceral combat and gut-wrenching, emotional trials and tribulations. There is a reason we initially bonded over our mutual love of Anime.

Backstory: When we first meet Everyn Wolfshadow she is traveling through the Southern Lands of the continent of Ahan. She seemed almost lost but later revealed that she spirits of the Water had told her this was where she needed to be. Her only companion was Rowan, a rather large wolf. 

It was later be revealed that Everyn was blind, the result of a curse placed upon her for falling in love with a young man who severed as one of her nations' Hunters and Rangers. The group of Witches she had trained to become were forbidden from having such relationships. Luckily she found Rowan or he her and her mystical powers allowed her to 'see' through his keen wolf senses. 

What she did not know was that Rowan had been cursed as well and was once the young Hunter with whom she had shared her heart. 

Overview: I had either forgotten or didn't quite absorb the detail that Everyn was blind. I think I thought her curse was more of a banishment; i.e. she was 'cursed' to never again walk the verdant forests of the Elves or something like that. 

None of the other players or PCs knew of her handicap either until at one point in the second or third session when the group planned to uncover an ancient magical mech which legends say slept beneath the city of Flare. The party would split into three groups - One would search the great Library of the Flare for a old tome that would help pinpoint the Ryude Knight's location. Another would speak with the Duke and Duchess of Flare to convince them to stay a visiting noble they believed sought out the mech as well [on behalf of an enemy nation]. Finally, the last group would infiltrate the headquarters of the Thieves Guild, as they had recently stolen a key needed to activate the mech. 

Everyn was chosen to search the Library given her high intellect, affinity for water magic (Flare was built on bridges over a river and tales said the Mecha might be in or near the river), and the presence of an Elf in the city might make other nervous [never mind the wolf]. Everyn was find with this as long as one other PC accompanied her. Jarod Steele, knightly 'half-Elf' agreed to go but remarked that she has shown she could take care of herself. Plus there was Rowan! She smiled and said politely, "Yes but I can not read the pages without assistance."

Someone started muttering something about language when all of a sudden our friend Lynn exclaimed, "Wait! Everyn is blind!" The room fell silent for a moment, followed by a symphony of hands slapping foreheads. All the clues had been there and yet no one had realized it. 

Selina, playing as Everyn, never looked directly at myself (as GM) or any other player when speaking to a PC or NPC. She instead leaned in with her ear angled slightly in the other persons direction. She mimed feeling around before pretending to grab an object, including drawing her dagger. She always established a link of sorts with Rowan as her first action in combat, especially before casting any spells. Best of all, she had been doing all that since the first session and the rest of us were just then putting it together. 

Best Actress in a Dramatic Medieval Mecha Fantasy Campaign goes to... 

The Highlights:

Aside from the big reveal mentioned above, there was a fantastic sequence when the PCs finally discovered the Ryude of Flare, a red, winged Mecha which had been buried deep beneath the riverbed far below the elegant city. Of all those with magical abilities, only Everyn had access to the domain or 'Gate' of Water. This meant she was the only one who could her people safely to the gigantic robot. 

She ends up one of the two pilots, with our Warrior Prince controlling the mech's movements and physical combat and Everyn supplying Mana to activate the machine's special abilities. Unfortunately the group's fortunes reversed - the Ryude Knight had wings but Everyn's Gates were Sun, Tree, and Water! Unable to fly or use the robot's Fire based enchantments, the two PC's nonetheless managed a bold if awkward escape, aided by the rest of the team. When in the light of the Sun, Everyn transferred as much Mana to the Mecha as she could and it did indeed take to the air to cheers from the whole group. 

So beloved was the character by the other players that, as you can see, two separate people decided to do illustrations of her. Both Lynn Morton (Left Side Drawing) and Keith Conroy (Right Side Drawing) - without discussing it with each other - surprised Selina with these drawings around session five. I love both for different reasons. 

Game Info:

I have Everyn Wolfshadow's original Character Sheet from the game but since I used a hybrid system merging Mekton II with what few translations I could find of Wares Blade 1st Edition, I can't really make heads or tales of it. Heh. *Anime Sweat Drop*

I can tell you that her Physical and Social Stats were about average, her Mental and Magical Stats quite good, and her skill at Sorcery and Spellcasting especially high. Wolfshadow is knowledgeable about Plants and Beasts, has a Keen Sense of Hearing and Smell even without connecting with Rowan, and is capable of Blind-Fighting with her Quarterstaff. She can also play the flute, though she isn't very good at it. At all. 

She has a magical item known as the Bracer of the Clear Path - worn on the wrist and forearm, the Bracer tugs you towards of the path or direction with the fewest and/or easiest to overcome obstacles. The perfect thing for a blind Elf moving through unfamiliar country. 

I hope to run a long campaign of Wares Blade someday and if I do, I'd like to think that Everyn Wolfshadow and Rowan might call upon the PCs to help her lift her curse and return her sweetheart to his rightful form. 

Someday...

Hey, you there bumping gums. Yeah, you! We're trying to make tracks before the coppers get here see, so don't be a pill. Don't worry, we're on our way to go see FRANKIE THE FERRET so relax and don't flip your wig. 

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay Challenge 2021 - MEDIUM

Wait...Medium?

As in 'the size between Large and Small'? That doesn't sound at all interesting as a prompt. Maybe they mean something else, such as 'a substance/material or empty space through which a force, signal, or wave passes'. No, that doesn't work either. 

Oh wait...a Medium! 

A Medium is someone who serves as a conduit between the worlds of the living and the dead, enabling themselves and others to communicate with spirits of the deceased. These individuals often utilize things various items such as ouija boards, seances, and other means of conveying the wishes, intentions, or messages of the deceased. 

This is all hokum and poppycock of course. Mediumship is a scam dating back to ancient times but becoming popular in the modern world in the late 19th century. After fading a bit in the early 20th century, interest and belief in the paranormal made a powerful resurgence following the first World War. Sessions with Mediums were a favored form of entertainment for the upper-classes during this time and provided a sense of comfort and reassurance for families whose loved ones never returned from the conflicts overseas.

Investigations into the practices of Mediums brought revelations of widespread fraud and lessened their popularity once again. This is kind of a silly statement if you put any thought to it. According to the Wikipedia entry on 'Mediumship' 'Investigations during this period revealed widespread fraud-with some practitioners employing techniques used by stage magicians-and the practice began to lose credibility. Fraud is still rife in the Medium or psychic industry, with cases of deception and trickery being discovered to this day.' 

So, fake thing is revealed to be fake. Stop the presses! I mean, are there also legitimate Mediums and psychics? Is there any proof at all attesting to the existence of psychic phenomena? No. That's like saying, "It is currently believed many sightings of a living Elvis Presley are thought to be hoaxes." REALLY? Not all? How is it not all?

Mediums can play an interesting role in RPG campaigns, either as PCs or NPCs, as they attempt to provide either a convincing ongoing con or - if your setting permits - an honest source of information from beyond the grave. 

One of my all time favorite examples in my own games is Ziva Yesperani, 28 year old, female member of the Hoboken, New Jersey Chapter of the Ghostbusters in our Ghostbusters NJ campaign.

Wow, I've been mentioning Ghostbusters quite a bit lately. Hmm. 

Small portrait by Lynn Morton

Color art By Kenichi Lowe

Ghostbusters logo by Michael Gross

Ziva has inherited a very special gift from her Mother's bloodline, though it manifests in a very peculiar way. Ziva can communicate with spirits of the dead...provided she knows at least one of the phone numbers they had in life.

From any working phone - land line, pay phone, cell - Ziva can dial the number a person had during their life and the ghost/spirit of that person will 'hear the phone ringing'. The paranormal being nearly always picks up, though in some cases they will ignore the call and another related being might answer the phone. Ziva can then speak to the deceased entity or its relative and perhaps get the ghost to stand down in the physical world. 

I did quite a bit of research on Mediums and Mediumship for possible inclusion in my ongoing, ever-in-development RPG Unfinished Business. Many elements of the practice, including ectoplasm, table turning and table tapping, and other aspects are fascinating and well worth taking a look at yourself. 

Wait...I feel something...there is a presence here with us. Oh spirit, speak through me! What is your message to those who will listen? The post...Yes! What about the post? The post is...is...

Over. See you next time!

Entry 9 - Medium

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Barking Alien

Player Profiles - Allen Halden

I had always intended on posting a Player Profile of my long time friend and gaming buddy Allen Halden, but never in a million years would I have imagined I'd be doing it posthumously.

The most recent photo I could find.

This man's pinky knew more than your whole head.

I first met Allen about 25 years ago, when two of my New York friends introduced me to a group of like minded individuals who all met at the home of twin brothers who lived in New Jersey.

The brothers Moriarty had a pretty big house and it had apparently become a mecca for gamers, comic books fans, Anime/Manga otaku, and pop culture geeks of every shape, size, and denomination. All races, cultures, ages, religions, genders, income levels, and every other manner of people were (and are to my knowledge) welcome. 

The house, to this day, is known by the nickname, 'Strike Force Moriarty' (bonus points if you get that reference). 

Allen and I didn't immediately become friends. Barely acquaintances. There were just too many people coming in and out of the house, talking about too many things. It would be a handful of visits before he and I spoke at length. 

There was one particular RPG campaign being run at the house that some friends I already had, or had made, were involved with and that's where I first connected with Allen. The game was based on Sentai, the Japanese live-action superhero phenomena that we Americans appropriated and turned into the 'Power Rangers' franchise. The number of players in this campaign was huge, a dozen or so, though neither I nor Allen were involved.

It was a running gag that Allen wanted in and he said that alongside Red Dragon, Blue Dolphin, Golden Hawk, etc. he could be...(looking down at his own violently chartreuse t-shirt)...The Lime Green Wombat!

Ah, yes...one of Allen's many nicknames. The Lime Green Wombat. The Finicky Barbarian. Player of Freaks.

I digress...

Anyway, I knew at that moment this fellow was my kind of guy. 

Photo of a Christmas Past

Over the next two decades and change, he and I would become close friends and game together a lot. For the majority of our RPG interactions I was the GM, but on rare occasions I would get to play in one of his games. He was an excellent GM, but I will speak more about his GMing legacy a bit later.

Allen was an amazing player. Amazing.

He was equally adept at logic puzzles, combat tactics, and in-depth characterization.

I was the best GM I could be with Allen as a player. I could create complex mysteries, tough opponents, and challenging environments, because Allen could handle them all. Best of all, he knew how to work with the strengths of the other players and how to compensate for their weaknesses, as well as his own. 

Over the years this became more than a gaming group and Allen more than my friend. We were brothers and this group was our family.

Here he is demonstrating how foolish it is for normal crooks

(represented by yours truly) to go up against Superheroes,
or as he called them, 'Gods in Long Underwear'.

He had an incredibly analytical mind, with the kind of deductive reasoning capabilities that would make Batman and Sherlock Holmes jealous.

He was an extremely knowledgeable fellow on a great many subjects, including but not limited to military history (including extensive Naval history), ancient history, the Victorian era, classic, Golden Age era Science Fiction, Fantasy novels, and so much more.

His knowledge of gaming miniatures was quite uncanny. He could identify who made a particular figure, when, and in many cases who the sculptor was. If you said, "I need a mini for this game I'm in, but...I'm playing a dinosaur riding cowboy with a laser gun. How am I ever going to find something to represent that?" Allen would most assuredly reply, "I believe Ral Partha made that in 1980-whathaveyou...", and likely go on to find one in his massive collection.

He himself was a fantastic minis painter and custom built all kinds of vehicles, terrain, and various sorts of accessories. You can see some of his work in this area on his websites, RavenFeast's Mead Hall, and Rivets & Steam. Although perhaps not as often in recent years, he was a regular attendee of numerous gaming conventions, especially Winter War and Historicon. 

He was an incredibly funny individual. Smart, sarcastic, dry of wit, and clever with puns, Allen was great at delivering comedic lines or serving as the straight man (usually for me). He was an integral part of my Galaxy Quest and Ghostbusters games. My long history of running humorous RPGs probably wouldn't have been possible without him.

Allen and Rebecca, the latter in her usual state

of being virtually paralyzed with laughter.

He and I agreed on a lot of things and shared very similar views of how games can work. I know this sounds selfish but with Allen gone I feel like there is one less person in the world who really understands what I am trying to do at the gaming table.

We didn't agree on everything, though Allen was rarely if ever the argumentative sort. He was the last of truly great 'discussers'. He would listen to your ideas and opinions, calmly site ones he agreed or disagreed with, and give you his own in a measured, reasonable fashion.

He liked war games, miniatures games, and fantasy. We both loved classic Star Trek, but he was not a fan of Star Wars or Superheroes. We still got along (heheh) and I played the best minis game ever with him as GM/Referee. I convinced him to play both a Supers one-shot and a short campaign of Star Wars. We always trusted in the ideas of the other.

One subject we both enjoyed immensely was giant robots. It was he who introduced me to some of the Mecha Anime I came to love, including Aura Battler Dunbine, Panzer World Galient, and Combat Mecha Xabungle (the latter two being Allen's absolute favorites). Mekton was a one of his most beloved RPGs. 

The game we played together the most was probably Star Trek (Last Unicorn Games' Icon System). I can easily recall his characters for three separate campaigns. His favored approach was to take an obscure alien in the background of an episode or film and flesh out their species enough that he could play them with considerable depth. Over time, he would expand on his initial ideas, adding to the milieu as a whole and not just his own PC. Other games I got to run for him include Faery's Tale Deluxe, my homebrew Galaxy Quest game, Ghostbusters / InSpectres, Mekton, Wares Blade, and many more. 

His best, and most memorable characters [in my opinion] were:

Bloodstone Deepforge, Dwarf Craftsman and Artificer (Wares Blade, Hobby Japan Games)

Dr. Ezeriha Herbert Croftman, Ghostbusters NJ franchise, Hoboken, NJ (Ghostbusters / InSpectres, West End Games, Memento Mori) See this as well.

First Prefect, Alien Super Soldier from Beyond our Galaxy (Deeds Not Words)

Lt. Commander Green Shine Wandering Wave Miragh. Xelatian First Officer and Chief Science Officer of the USS Thunder Bay (Star Trek, LUG)

Lt. He Who Glistens In The Autumn Twilight Beneath The Third and Seventh Moons. Insectoid Token Alien and Chief Science Officer of the NSEA Galient. (Galaxy Quest, Barking Alien Productions).

Owen Blackfjord, Medieval Warrior, Keeper of the 'Unseen Sword' (Not sure - Possibly Ars Magica, Atlas Games).

These are but a handful of examples of his varied and diverse cast of characters, across a plethora of genres and systems. Others I recall include his his Edoan/Edosian First Officer in a Classic Star Trek campaign (FASA), a Watchmaker/Tinker Brownie in Faery's Tale Deluxe, and of course the over-worked, looking to retire, behind on his payments Smuggler he played in Star Wars.
 
Any tribute to Allen would be incomplete without a reference to his Panzer Dreams campaign. 

Panzer Dreams was Allen's magnum opus, his masterpiece. It was a dark, romantic, action packed fantasy tale set in a world of his own creation that resembled 15th century Europe with giant robots. 

Although I only made a guest appearance in a single session, I am well aware of the impact this campaign had on the players who participated in it. They still talk about it to this day, fondly and often, and as I've noted in the past there is no greater evidence of a successful campaign then that.

People were moved. They were touched. Like the man himself, it left a lasting impression that made you think.

I usually include something written by the person themselves when I do these Player Profiles and this case is no different. 

Here is the last thing he wrote, read aloud by his sister at his funeral...

"The painting bench has been cleared for the last time;

toy soldiers, ships, and mecha packed away, never looked upon again by me. 

Tiny, little dreams that, perhaps, someone else will one day finish.

May whoever they are find a bit of the happiness that I did in that old chair,

under those lamps, brush in hand.

Mayhap, even be lucky as I have been: to have made it around the table, rolled dice amongst friends, old and new, and laughed."

This is not the first time the name Allen Halden has graced this blog and it will not be the last.

This post is a tribute, but no more than a raindrop in a bucket or a grain of sand on a beach in its capacity to convey what my friend meant to me.

It is my hope that in reading this you will feel you knew him a little as well. Please don't feel sorry for my loss or sad at his passing. At least not so much that you miss the greater message.

Be kind. Be inclusive. Remember. Learn. Teach. Use your head. Invest emotion. Try new things. Love old things beyond their apparent usefulness. Create. Make changes. Enjoy what others have made. Add to it. 

Be a little more like Allen than you were yesterday.

That's what I hope to do.

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Barking Alien

Today, April 7th, 2018 would have been Allen Halden's Birthday.

Happy Birthday old friend.

Thorough Thursdays: SUPER SENTAI

Prior to this post, I have tagged exactly one entry on my blog with the label Sentai.

Sentai, now officially 'Super Sentai' since 2000 and the fancy new logo, is the name given to the long-running (40+ years now!) Japanese superhero team genre. The word Sentai directly translates to 'fighting team'. This series of shows is identified as live-action, produced by Toei Co., Ltd., and Bandai, although the term Sentai is sometimes used to describe similar series of Anime/Manga, and shows by these, and other companies.

While I am certain I have brought up the subject of Sentai elsewhere, perhaps only in passing, I do not appear to have ever made a dedicated post on the subject.

That's just wrong.

The Super Sentai Series

2016, 40th Anniversay Logo

For those unfamiliar with the shows, they are of the tokusatsu genre, featuring live action characters in color-coded costumes, performing exaggerated martial arts, or other acrobatic combat moves. The shows uniformly feature a giant robot, super-science, or magical powers and showy, but simple special effects (bright flashes of light, colored smoke, etc.). The programs are (generally) aimed at children, or younger audiences.

The Super Sentai Series is one of the most prominent tokusatsu productions in Japan, alongside the Ultra Series and the Kamen Rider Series. Currently the shows air along with the other similar programs in the Super Hero Time programming block on Sundays. Outside Japan, the Super Sentai Series is best known as the source material for the Power Rangers franchise. Note that while not a live action program, Gatchaman, which aired in the United States and elsewhere as G-Force, or Battle of the Planets, is also considered a Sentai show, possessing many of the same qualities, and tropes.

I've been a fan of Sentai for many years, having accidentally discovered it in the early days of cable TV. My father lived on a mountain in Northern New York State, where one neighbor higher up on the mountain had a satellite dish, and one below him had a another set up (I don't recall what it was). Located in the middle, my Dad's house sometimes caught foreign TV programs. 

When visiting him on weekends, I would occasionally catch episodes of Kamen Rider (Masked Rider), Ultraman (Japan's giant sized, Kaiju fighting Superman), and more specifically Changeman (Dengeki Sentai Changeman). 

Dengeki Sentai Changeman!

Some years later I would work for the various comic book/toy/fandom product stores that carried Sentai action figures, robots, and art books, reigniting my interest in the genre. 

The typical Sentai, or Super Sentai, series revolves around five young adults who are granted special abilities and weaponry by some outside force for use in battling an evil entity, or organization. 

The members of the Sentai team may be from different walks of life, or they may have been trained by the military specifically for the purpose of being a Sentai team. They are each given a device that transforms them from normal people into Super Sentai Superheroes, complete with cool, color coordinated costumes, and magical, or high-tech gear.

Each color represents something different, and governs the characters role on the team, and even their personality to some extent. For example, the team leader is always the Red member, and whatever else they may do they are strong-willed, morally good, and great at motivating their friends to battle evil. Blue is typically a scientist, or scientifically minded, etc.

Usually each member has a unique weapon, or device such as a sword, a shield, a lasso, a spear, or some other item of power. Other times, every member will carry the same array of armament, like everyone having a laser pistol, but are given some special feature to make it theirs. 

Another common element is each member having a unique vehicle, which may transform into another shape. Following the third Sentai series, the group can summon a Giant Robot, or combine their vehicles to form one.

The villains of the Sentai genre are typically an alien empire invading Earth, a secret, underground organization such as Hydra, or G.I. JOE's Cobra, or a hidden civilization trying to conquer the world. My favorite bit is that there is usually a main leader, a set of lieutenants - each with their own special abilities, personalities, and agenda's, and a horde of faceless goons. A common weapon/tactic of the enemy is to create some kind of monster to cause trouble, then enlarge it to Kaiju size requiring the Sentai team to battle it with their mecha. 

Around 1990 two good friends of mine introduced me to friends of theirs who lived in New Jersey, and who were involved in a Sentai RPG campaign. It was there that I met the members of my oft mentioned New Jersey Group.

The campaign itself was...well...let's just say it's one of the few RPG campaigns I've ever encountered that required one of those PTSD Support Groups afterwards for the players to deal with their experience. I never played it myself, but after watching an entire session I went to go sit alone in a dark room, contemplating the thought that perhaps this whole RPG thing had been a waste of my time and I should consider taking up stamp collecting as an alternative hobby.*

*Shudder*

While I have run a few Sentai one shots here and there, and I did run a short Tokusatsu** campaign, I've never gotten the chance to run a full on Sentai game.

I recently learned of a RPG produced by Stupid Dice Studios called Super Happy Sentai Hour. My friend Leo alerted me to it when he discovered there was a Kickstarter for a new improved version. 

This got me thinking...

I will be meeting up with the old NJ crew again sometime this summer in celebration of our long friendships and the memory of our friend Allen, who passed away this past March. I have been asked to run a one-shot game for the event, and I can think of no better subject than Sentai, returning to the genre that introduced us to each other over twenty-five years ago.

Lime-Green Wombat***, this one's for you. 

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Barking Alien

*This actually happened. My friend Martin found me downstairs in the house we were in sitting alone in the dark. When he asked if I was OK I replied, "Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe RPGs...aren't a good thing. Maybe...hmmm...stamp collecting seems appealing." He proceeded to run over to me, lift me up by my shoulders and shake me saying, "Snap out of it man! It's going to be OK!"

**Tokusatsu is a general term for Japanese live action programs, or movies with lots of special effects. Sentai is it's own entity, as are Giant Monster/Kaiju features, so when I refer to Tokusatsu I am generally talking about non-Sentai Japanese superheroes such as Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Kikaider. 

***Allen was not in the original Sentai game but there was a running gag that he would join as an additional member of the team called...The Lime-Green Wombat! He owned a t-shirt so shockingly bright green that it hurt to look directly at it.