Spellcasting and Sword Swinging

I've decided my Solo RPG Campaign is going to be Medieval Fantasy and as for a system I'll be using my TFOS hack 'Adventurers of The Enchanted Lands', described in my previous post.

As for my main Solo character, I am sticking with my original concept, though I may adjust as I go given I still haven't decided on what world setting I will be exploring.

Raelyn Riversprite is a Female Elf of mixed heritage, around 250 years old (in her mid-twenties by Human developmental standards). She is skilled at both Magic use and Sword Fighting. I also see her as hailing from a port town on a river...originally...before her home was destroyed by some as yet undecided upon fiend. This would give her a reason for potentially having skills like Sailing or Swimming and the like. 

Yes you Raelyn! C'mon up and say hello to everyone. 

As far as she knows, she is the only survivor of an attack that destroyed her small port town and wiped out her family. She was saved by Elven Knights of the larger city near by. 

In games like this, where your PC 'lives in the world' as opposed to trying to emulate a TV Show, Comic Book series, or other form of media medium, I tend to prefer a character who is functionally competent at a variety of things. While many players prefer to specialize or (gag) optimize their characters, I would rather have a jack-of-all-trades, even if they end up a master of none. 

That said, I envision Raelyn as darn good at a few activities, even if she is only pretty good at most of what she attempts to accomplish. With that in mind, let's spend her 45 Attribute Points and determine her Stats. 

Aww. C'mon. Give it a chance. Could be fun!

I've noticed that Character Creation takes a long time for a lot of people but not me, at least not usually. The reason for this is I try to generate a complete(-ish) picture the character in my head first, then do my best to make that concept using the game I'm playing. This is very much the case here. I'm going to start with Riversprite's worst stat, which I'll say is a 3 in Charm. She's used to living, traveling, and working alone, which makes her socially awkward and not much of a people person. 

Her two highest stats will be Journey and Spirit, both a 7. She is a gifted Mage, very attuned to nature, and has been surviving on her own through rough terrain and weather for some time. 

To fill in the rest of the Attributes: Agility 6, Body 6, Craft 5 (I'll want to improve that at some point I think), Luck 5, and Mind 6. Done. Easy peasy. 

As for Knacks, I know exactly what skills I want for her, though I am only now deciding how many points to put to each. She will have Animal Magic, Elemental Spellcasting, Fishing, Foraging, Sailing, Swimming, and Swordfighting. That's eight Knacks and 10 points to allocate to them. 

So...let's put 1 point to everything except Animal Magic, Elemental Spellcasting and Swordfighting. Those are at 2.

Oh, almost forgot, her Archtype is Elf and her Party Role(s) are...hmm...well there is no 'Party' yet but her defining traits at the start of the campaign will be Battlemage, Mercenary, and Survivor.

She's got such range!

She is skilled at Magic, Fighting, and Fighting using Magic. She can weigh the Risk vs. Reward dynamic of any mission or quest she's given based on years of experience plying the Mercenary trade. It might hinder her sometimes as well, since her good heart can sometimes be at odds with her goal of earning coin. Finally, she's the last living member of her family, she's been on her own for decades, and she is just to damn stubborn to die. 

For Anime Powers/Special Abilities I rolled a D6 and got a 6. Cut in half, that's 3 unusual gifts. Let's go with Battle Awareness (an ability I gave to the High Elves of my Aerth setting), Immortal-ish (the ridiculously long-lived nature of Elves and immunity to effects that age you), and Magic Affinity (Elves take 1 less Spell Fatigue when they are afflicated with that effect). 

For her equipment, I figure she has fairly standard adventuring gear; Rope, Torches, Flint and Tinder, A Fishing Pole and Medieval 'Tackle', Tent Sheet and a Blanket, a Spellbook, etc..

Her Signature Item is The Homey Haversack; a soft, black leather bag that can be worn as a backpack, slung over one shoulder, or slung across the body. It has some...peculiar but extremely useful features...which I will describe in the next post [most likely]. 

Her Armor, well, I picture chainmal with some plated areas. She isn't tremendously tough or quick so I am going to spend 4 Gold to give her an Armor Protection of an additional -2 for a total of -3. Because I spent Gold instead of taking an Agility Penalty, the Armor is of such quality that it doesn't hinder her (A Protection of -1 is automatic. Additional -1s require lowering your Agility by -1 or spending 2 Gold). 

My choice of Free Weapon is a Long Sword (Damage 2). Going to spend another 3 Gold right here to get a Dagger (Damage 1) and Medium Bow (Damage 2). She's not skilled with either but maybe she'll improve with practice (XP). 

Beginning with 10 Gold as any Player Character would, she is now at only 3. Yikes. My girl needs a quest ASAP! 

The final starting Character Sheet for Raelyn Riversprite looks like this:

And there we are! I like her. I really like her. And making her up was actually fun! Fun Fantasy RPG Character Creation! I can hardly believe it. If I hadn't been there myself I might not to be honest. I am really looking forward to seeing where I can take this little endeavor. 

Come along with us!

AD

Barking Alien

A Fantasy I Have

Yesterday morning I awoke to a jolt of inspiration! Part epiphany, part dream, and part memory, thoughts began running through my mind and I rushed to my computer in order to weite them down.

In about three hours I created 'Adventurers of The Enchanted Lands', a Fantasy hack of R. Talsorian Games' Anime Comedy RPG classic, Teenagers from Outer Space, created by Mike Pondsmith. 

This isn't exactly my first time creating this game.

I've used TFOS to run many different genres and settings over the years, including Medieval Fantasy. It is one of my all time favorite RPGs. I once used it to run my D&D-But-Not milieu of Aerth for a short Winghorn Guard campaign as a matter of fact. 

For this outing I'm doing things a little differently rules-wise; the mechanics being even simpler this time around. In addition, I'm adding in a few features inspired by recent Japanese Indie TRPGs for a little extra flavor. 

Where to begin? OK, the Core Mechanic: 

Roll 2d6 + Relevant Attribute/Stat + Relevant Knack (if any) and try to meet or beat a Target Number (TN) set by the GM.

• • Easy task: TN 7–9 
• • Moderate: TN 10–12 
• • Hard: TN 13–15 
• • Epic: TN 16+

Critical Success: Boxcars! A Natural 12. Amazing Effect + ‘Anime Flare’ (A flashy description, an extra benefit, or a temporary power-up. This could include making your next Check Roll with Advantage. Roll 3D6 and take the highest two. 

Comedic/Flawed Success: Beat TN by 10+. You succeed with a funny or dramatic side effect (e.g., Your Fireball cooks the monster as well as the Party’s food supply or burns up the dungeon map. Perhaps your elaborate sword technique leaves you dramatically posing for another round or two).

Success: Simply beat the TN. You succeed! 

Failure: If Check Roll is below the TN it is a Miss or Failed Action. You can change it to a Partial Success, succeeding with a Complication, -1 Fatigue, or Disadvantage on next roll. A Disadvantage means rolling 3D6 and taking the two lowest numbers.

Critical Failure or ‘Botch’: Roll Snake Eyes! A natural 2. If the Check Roll total is a Failure, some additional dramatic complication occurs in addition to the Miss. If the Check Roll total Succeeds, you do indeed do what you intended but something still goes seriously wrong. 

As you can see, different factors can introduce a Bonus or Penalty Die Advantage or Disadvantage to a Check Roll but generally speaking that's all there is to it. The objective is to keep things both simple and narrative. 

Character Creation is likewise pretty simple and straightforward, largely the same as TFOS with a few tweaks for a Fantasy setting: Players pick an Archtype - Elf, Dwarf, Human, etc. , determine their Party Role(s) which are 1-3 Traits which can lower the Target Number of tasks related to them, and then work out their Attributes - Stats and Knacks - Basically Skills but also things like Spellcasting or Turning Undead. 

The Character Sheet looks like this...

Magic System 

Anime-Flavored Magic is flashy and costly. Roll Spirit + Magic Knack + 2D6.

• •Low-Cost Spells: Utility, Buffs, Attacks with no Damage (They Confuse, Distract, etc.). Only costs Spell Fatigue on a Botched Check Roll.
• •Big Spells (Dragon Slave! style): Powerful but they drain Spirit (an effect called Spell Fatigue) or cause side effects (hair turns odd color, scent attracts monsters, etc.). -1 Spirit to cast, -2 on a Critical Failure.
• •PCs can take on extra Spell Fatigue to make Spells more effective. 
• •Learning Magic: New Spells are obtained by learning and practice. Must be taught or found in Spellbooks or on Scrolls. Progression feels like Frieren - slow, meaningful mastery that occurs over time.

Combat & Exploration

• •Theater of the Mind with quick rounds. No grid needed.
• •Initiative: Roll Agility + Luck or just go in dramatic order.
• •Damage is narrative. You take Hits; after taking half your total you are stunned and hurt. Target Numbers go up to the next difficulty level. At zero Hits, the character is unconscious and their overall situation may worsen. Player Characters can only die in unavoidable situations or by player choice. Starting Hits = Body + ½ Luck.
• •Dungeons are living, breathing places: Traps, rival adventurer parties, sentient doors, patrols of haunted armors, and wandering entities that want to chat.
• •Food & Rest: Cooking monster meat gives mechanical buffs and restores morale. Skipping meals causes penalties (hungry party = comedic failures).

These are the basic or core rules I have so far and they should be enough to start my Solo campaign. In the next post I'll give you my main character's completed Character Sheet, some idea of why I made the choices I went with, and perhaps a little of the world/setting. Still haven't decided whether or not to go with Aerth. 

Thoughts, opinions, and ideas on this project are much appreciated! 

See you soon,

AD

Barking Alien

City Guide to BLAST CITY

Welcome to the Barking Alien City Guide to Original TRPG Cities created by yours truly. Over the course of the month of August I hope to get out at least five posts depicting fictional cities I've created throughout my HOLY-CRAP-IT'S-BEEN-48-FREAKIN'-YEARS of gaming. 

Enjoy.

BLAST CITY

Blast City, New York, United States of America, North America

Earth / Sol III

Origin/History: Early in the 21st century an alien starship crashed into New York State's Lower Bay. The vessel was a prototype, bringing with it over three thousand Sentient Extraterrestrial refugees. These aliens were on the run from a marauding species known as the Dreggetti.

Begging the people of Earth for help, as the Dreggetti Empire were destined to catch up with the refugees within a year, these beings offered Humanity advanced technology, incredible scientific knowledge, and - wait for it - superpowers. The aliens had invented a formula that could give Humans, and only Humans, extranormal abilities (although some of the alien species that arrived on Earth had some special traits naturally). 

Humanity agreed to ally with their galactic charges and a year later their combined forces were ready for any threat. With Super Soldiers, Space Fighters, Force Fields, and Particle Cannons, a United Earth and their alien allies waited for the Dreggeddi's arrival. 

And it never came.

Not a year later, not five years later, and not ten.  

Forward to today and the starship has been converted into a city - Blast City! Home to nearly a million people, Human and Alien alike, the city stands as arguably the most important and vibrant in the entire Sol System. A center of scientific and technological development, cultural exploration, and economic change, everyone wants to visit, if not live, in Blast City. 

Demographics: There are virtually one million permanent residents of Blast City. An additional 100,000 people live outside the city but commute to work on a daily basis. Thanks to improvements in infrastructure and transportation, someone living in Manhattan can expect less than an hour commute on average while still complaining about the traffic. 

Approximately 60% of the city's population, about 600,000 people, are Humans. Of those Humans, perhaps .05% or 300 people, are SuperHuman, possessing extranormal abilities. Generally this is limited to active Superheroes and students attending Hero Classes at Blast City High School and Blast City University but also includes Scientists, Engineers, and other civic/civilian jobs cleared for Superpower use.

The remaining 400,000 occupants of Blast City are extraterrestrial in origin. Most arrived along with the starship, though some were born on Earth after the landing/crash. Other aliens arrived later on slower spaceships. The alien population is made up of 30 different species. Some are fairly numerous, like the Uchunekojin, while others are remarkably few in number like the Googlimooglians.  

Weather: Essentially the same as the greater New York City area but a little more severe given that Blast City is basically an island in New York Harbor. That said, the citizens of Blast City don't really notice it as Weather Control technology prevents extreme climate situations from bothering anybody. Unless this technology is damaged or hindered in some way, conditions of intense heat and humidity, cold, high winds, rain, and flooding simply do not occur. 

Infrastructure: Thanks to the advanced scientific and technological knowledge of the city's denizens, upkeep and maintenance of the Blast City's utilities, streets, and the like are expertly and excellently handled. Blast City's plumbing is particularly effecient. 

Transportation throughout the city is accomplished by a few municipal conveyances: The Magnetic Levitation Monorail (colloquially referred to as the Mag-Rail), a Subway system, and City Buses. In addition, there are Taxis, Uber, and other car services, many of which have grav-cars. Ferry service is available between Blast City and several locations on the mainland. 

In addition, there are some interesting elements atypical of most metropoles. Blast City has four large and six smaller Force Field generators that can be activated to protect the city from everything from a Tsunami to directed Particle Beams! Along with the Central Power Plant in the center of Blast City, a number of Auxiliary Batteries are scattered throughout the inner workings of the island that help prevent power failures and black outs. They can also be used to super-charge the city's power grid for...well...see below. 

Highlights and Points of Interest:

You've probably noticed that the city, which was formally a starship, looks very much like a giant humanoid robot. That is because it is. The original starship was capable of transforming from interstellar craft to mecha in hopes of being able to fight the Dreggetti so others could escape. When converting the starship into a livable city, the engineers found it easier to work on the structure and systems with the vessel in robot mode. 

Rumor has it, the city can still fully transform and stand up but this has yet to be confirmed. 

A) Blast City University - The prestigious BCU is THE center for higher learning - College Bachelor's Degrees, Master's Degrees, and Doctoral Degrees available - in a wide variety of majors. The majority of the students are graduates of Blast City High School. They have a major rivalry with Titan Prep based on Saturn's moon Titan. 

B) Supernova Stadium and Entertainment Arena - A massive stadium/arena with a retractable roof,modifiable and movable terrain, great sound systems, and an unparalleled holographic light show capacity. It is used to hold all sorts of events, from home games of the Blast City Blazers Boogie Ball Team to Rock & Roll concerts. It also has the ability to convert into an Emergency Shelter and descend underground if the city is under attack or suffers some other catastrophe. 

C) Galaxy Patrol Central - Precinct One - Headquarters and Command Post of Blast City's Finest, the Galaxy Patrol. The name is a holdover from the organization the alien refugee's used to police their region of space prior to the Dreggetti invasion that forced them to escape to Earth.

At present, the Galaxy Patrol doesn't actually 'patrol the galaxy'. I mean, c'mon. They do protect the citizens of the Sol System, enforce the law on its various inhabited planets, moons, and asteroids, investigate interplanetary crimes, and most importantly of all, regulate the unauthorized use of supernormal abilities.

A much put upon sub-division functions as Truant Officers who make sure the students of Blast City High School don't do anything crazy. They are rarely successful.

D) Blast City High School - [The main focus of most of the campaigns I've run using this setting] The heart and soul of Blast City are the students and facility of Blast City High. While it is a free, public school, an entry examination is required to get it. Students take fundamental classes in English, Literature, History, Science, Art, etc., as well as elective esoteric courses such as Applied Mad Science, Combat Geometry, and Lollygagging Throught Life 101. 

Gym classes include Superpower Use Training for members of the student body with extranormal Human or alien abilities. In addition, BCH boasts the best High School Boogie Ball Team in the Sol System! Go Starbirds! The school has a particularly intense rivalry with Mars High of Utopia Planitia. 

Many BCH students go on to attend Blast CIty University and get jobs in such exciting careers as Superhero, Space Explorer, or 5th Dimensonal Accountant. 

E) Sol Institute of Super Science - Some of the greatest and most unpredictable minds in the fields of Quantum Physics, Extra-Dimensional Travel, Exobiology, and Hyperspatial Engineering work at SISS, researching and developing the innovative answers to tomorrow's questions today!

F) Offworld Amusement Park - Featuring innovative rides and plenty of food vendors, the Offworld Amusement Park is a favorite destination of kids of all ages in Blast City and beyond. While much of Blast City caters towards helping aliens assimilate to Earth culture, the Offworld Amusement Park celebrates the interests and tastes of extraterrestrials and the Humans who want to learn more about them.

The park is split into five major sections, each based on a different planet, with the food, rides, and attractions within based on the culture and/or ecosystems of those worlds. Every section contains 2-3 elements from other worlds as well and there are plans to expand to include more 'worlds' in the future.

Rides utilize advanced Environmental Controls and Artifical Gravity to create unusual experiences such as the Tubular Floom, the Climb & Dive, and Bumper Pods. Food options include variations on Earth fare like Zlogburgers and Gorpogo Ice Cream (a little pricey - Gorpogo's are very difficult to milk) to classic alien dishes like Zlent Pucks and Fried Nanite Fritters (a favorite of Cyborgs everywhere). 

Ticket prices are reasonable with discounts for young children, students, families, and there are three-day packages available! The first twenty-five visitors each day get a free picture with park mascot and popular cartoon character 'Offworld Ollie'! 

G) Stellar Nightinggale Hospital - This medical facility focuses on special surgeries, rare alien diseases, and advanced medical research. The experimental cybernetics inside of Blast City High School student Miquel 'Mecha' Herrera were made here [and the operation performed on him to install them were done here as well]. It is named for a medical supply ship that arrived sometime after the initial starship's landing, having been damaged by a Dreggetti attack. The building is constructed out of the vessel's hull. 

H) ReEntry Island - The first place and last place you see when entering or leaving Blast City is ReEntry Island, constructed from the remains of an advanced Scout Probe. In addition to serving as a 'Chamber of Commerce' information site and toll booth (no toll for permenant residents of Blast City), ReEntry Island also functions as a security check point. The central tower on the island is equipped with extremely advanced communication and sensor gear second only to Blast City Central Control (in the robot 'head'). 

Blast City Like a Local:

The most notable neighborhoods of the city are Upper Thorax (the robot's chest) which is the business and commercial district, North Brachium (upper right arm) which is mostly upper and upper-middle class families, South Brachium (upper left arm) where middle class families and lots of single people live, Lower Pelvis (the robot's stomach to groin region) is a mix of commerical and residental and also includes Blast City High School, and the tough parts of town - North and South Talus (the robot's ankle to lower shins). Watch yourself around these areas! While they have great bars and nightclubs and a thriving art and music community, a lot of dicey characters hang out there at night.  

The sport of Boogie Ball is all the rage in Blast City and throughout the Sol System. It is an amalgam of a alien game and a number of Earth sports. The home team are the Blast City Blazers and they have won the Sol System Championship for the past 5 years in a row! Blast City University boasts the BCU Shooting Stars, while Blast City High School has the Starbirds - Go Starbirds! The game is played by two teams of 7 facing off against each other to get a flying ball into a goal using what looks like a cross between a radar dish and a lacrosse stick. Each player rides a hover board across the field, which consists of a large (preferably olympic size) swimming pool. It's a rough and very fast moving sport that most closely resembles Earth lacrosse and hockey. Kinda sorta.

If you're in town, catch a game!

 

Blast City's popular fast food chain WinkyDink's, often called Winky D's by natives, has over a dozen locations throughout the 'Big Blaster'. The best one, according to a survey of students attending Blast City High, is located a few blocks Southeast of the school in the area known as Lower Pelvis. Get the Big Winky Deluxe if you're really hungry! It's sooo worth it.

North and South Talus, especially South Talus, has underground Superpowered and Supernatural Fight Clubs! Some serious and dangerous customers can be found there and that's just the attendees! You should see the combatants! Yikes!

Teenagers from Outer Space and Blast CIty Blues

I created Blast City in 1987 as the backdrop for my first TFOS campaign, which I titled 'Blast City Blues'. Inspired by Macross City from the classic Japanese Anime 'Super Dimensional Fortress Macross' (which arrived here in the USA as R-word: The Macross Saga), I noted to myself that the city in Macross is built around the transformable starship/robot. What I wanted to do was go one step further and have the city BE the transformable starship/robot and vice versa. 

Over the course of dozens of sessions and a few later campaigns, the city was fleshed out in great detail. The image up top shows many areas and features from my games that I didn't detail here because if I did this post would be alot longer than it already is and its already really long. Gomen nasai. 

To describe every NPC, location, and the ever expanding milieu of Blast City and its universe could easily take up an RPG sourcebook product. Maybe some day.

Well that's the first entry in my City Guide series. Did you like it? Hate it? Something I could do to make it better? Is there a feature of City gaming you think I should include? Please let me know in the comments. 

See you soon,

AD

Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - HE WHO GLISTENS IN THE AUTUMN TWILIGHT BENEATH THE THIRD AND SEVENTH MOONS

This entry is a toast to the memory of one of my dearest friends and greatest gamers I've ever known, Allen Halden.

Allen passed away in the fall of 2017 and not a week goes by where I don't think about him and miss him terribly. As I try to regularly post RPG related subjects to this blog, I can't help but think of Allen as he was such a big part of my best gaming experiences for so many years.

One of my favorites of which, was our Galaxy Quest campaign and one of the reasons it was so good was his character... 

Character: He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons.

AKA: Lt. Commander, Moonbug

Player: Allen Halden

System: Galaxy Quest, The Roleplaying Game, Homebrew based on Teenagers from Outer Space, 1st Edition by R. Talsorian Games. 

Nature: Short Campaign: Galaxy Quest: Galient

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein 

Circa: 2003

Origins: I've told this tale before but to sum it up; originally I was meant to run our regularly scheduled game with my ol' New Jersey group but for one reason or another it couldn't be done. Most everyone was therethough  and I still really wanted to run something so I had a sudden epiphany - a Galaxy Quest game. 

After quickly explaining the rules, everybody pitched me their character concepts. My buddy Allen, already well known for playing strangle looking and quirky characters, decided to take the 'Dr. Lazarus' role (played by the incomparable Alan Rickman) and create a Token Alien who was also our Science Officer (and Second-in-Command). 

Where he got the idea to create this character I couldn't say. Allen was very creative but also great at understanding how to pick and choose the appropriate tropes to include so that his characters fit the setting he was playing or running in.

I do know his choice of the name was a spoof on how so many aliens in Sci-Fi TV and films have names that are easy for the actors to say and audience to remember. This character's parents didn't name him with you in mind. His name makes perfect sense to other members of his species and hey, that's what counts.

Backstory: He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons didn't really have a backstory per se. At least he didn't have any that came up during the course of our campaign. Through dialogue and jokes we developed a little information about his species however. 

The Lieutenant Commander's home planet was warm, wet, and mostly covered by rainforests and jungles. Plants grew very large, particularly flowers, lilipads, and fruit trees.We know it has at least seven moons but it is unclear if that is the total number of natural satellites.  According to the Lt. Commander the most dangerous predators on his world were a type of amphibious reptile described as an alligator/frog hybrid. 

Like everyone else on his planet, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons has dozens of brothers and sisters. Although this makes the homeworld heavily populated, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons is the only member of his alien race in the NSEA Fleet and one of the few roaming the galaxy. The Insectoid people (no species name was ever established, though they were sometimes referred to as 'Insectiloids'.) were content to remain on their own world and had little interest in the greater interstellar community. He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons was a very rare exception. 

Overview: Played as both comedically over-the-top and with subtle nuance, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons' personality is difficult to describe. For the most part he was calm, cool, collected, a consumate professional, and always polite. He could sometimes get frustrated that not everyone shared his views on proper manners and etiquette. This is best exemplified by the use of his name. He would always say it in its entirety when asked what his name was and wasn't fond of other trying to shorten it or give him a nickname. To everyone else his name was too long but to him, it was his name and he didn't shorten yours. 

Eventually the reoccurring joke/real life issue of people tripping over his name caused our friend Lynn's character to call him 'Moonbug' and it stuck. Otherwise people got around the issue by calling him by his rank.

Knowing our Commander had the responsibility and burden of...well...command, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons tried very hard not to distract her or interfere with her operations. This created a running gag wherein He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons.starts to say, "Commander, perhaps we should...", as the Commander walks past and waves him off or ignores him for the most [while rubbing the bridge of her nose]. The Lt. Commander then falls silent. Later, when the poop really hits those huge unnecessary fans below the catwalk, the Commander would call for ideas, suggestions, or answers and Moonbug would say, "As I was going to say earlier...". 

The Highlights:

I usually prefer to highlight character driven moments and not just action based ones but in the case of Moonbug its been over 20 years, it was a humorous campaign, and his personality was, as noted above, subtle and hard to pinpoint in a single standard out event.

In the very first use of his Token Alien ability, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons invented 'Communicate with Insects' to prevent a rhino sized beetle creature from attacking the PCs in the first session/adventure. He used it again in the second adventure, talking to a large flutter of butterfly-like insects in order to locate an ancient ruin hidden by the surrounding jungle. This was his most often used ability and therefore became his only permanent Special Ability. Among my favorite uses was his last, wherein he called upon clouds of swarming gnats to distract and frustrate a Meechan Warlord! 

When a murder occurred on the NSEA Spaceport Beta-2 during a Galactic Peace Accord Conference, Commader Krista Packard had her hands full dealing with panicked diplomats, coordinating station security, and getting hassled by her superiors to find answers and fast! He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons made some initial observations and came up with a general guess about what had happened, which he kept to himself for the time.

The rest of the Galient's crew split-up into teams to investigate the situation, including Moonbug heading off with Security Chief Van Pelt. After looking into the mystery and attempting to catch a mysterious group of 'phantom assassins', the Commander called everyone back to give her a run down on what they'd found. Ambassadors from a few different galactic powers barged in demanding to know what Commander Packard and her people had discovered. Packard told them all to have a seat as she was just about to be informed on just that subject. The PCs all gave the evidence they had, testimonies they'd heard, and theories they'd come up with based on their observations. All but He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons. When the Commander asked, "Lt. Commander? Anything to add?"

He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons stood up from his chair, looked to the Commander and said, "Yes Commander, if it would please you and the esteemed assembled dignitaries, I'd like to solve the mystery. Again, if that's all right with you." The Commander, heck everyone, stared at him dumbfounded until she finally shook her head and motioned for him to speak. Allen goes on to say that he actually solved the murder in the very beginning and then waited for everyone to gather proof to back up the answer he'd had all that time. Not only was he right, he worked out additional details based on evidence the PCs had assembled that weren't intended to be part of the mystery [by me].

His idea was BETTER than the idea I had. It was essentially my plot plus. 

Game Info:

While I can't seem to locate the original piece of scrap paper Allen wrote the character on (though I found everyone else's oddly), I do have the one we used for the expanded campaign.

 

Notes: He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons' special abilities included Communicate with Insects (which he used enough to make it part of the 'show's' permanent continuity), Danger Sense (which he successfully used once), Limited Flight (also used once), and Sticking to Walks (used twice). I believe he had one or two other one-shot abilities. 

While Allen didn't affect a funny voice for this character, he definitely had a distinct way of speaking and particular mannerisms. He was polite, very fastidious, and was a being of few words except when directly asked to explain something. Then (as in the Highlights section above) he could go on and on about a subject in great detail.  

Legacy: This character hasn't been used in any capacity since the original Galaxy Quest campaign I ran back in 2003 and that's partially because I've never felt comfortable portraying him the way Allen did. I can't quite nail that certain something that made him so awesome. With Allen gone, it is possible He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons may never grace my table again. 

Still...what I wouldn't give to run Galaxy Quest once more. Maybe, just maybe, a shiny green insectoid alien science officer could appear as a background NPC. 

The true legacy of this PC isn't the character itself but Allen Halden - his creativity, talent, warmth, humor, and friendship. 

We miss you Moonbug.

AD

Barking Alien

31 Questions for Barking Alien - Question 13

Whoa, Question 13 falls on a Friday the 13th? Sooo spooky! Except I don't have any specifically spooky questions. Bummer. Oh wait, I do have something awesome though...

Activate...The Omega 13!

Question #13 comes from Carl Stark, who Never Gives Up and Never Surrenders!

What RPG system would work best for a Galaxy Quest one-shot or campaign?

The YouTube channel RedLetterMedia recently featured Jack Quaid (Huey on THE BOYS and the voice of Boimler on Star Trek: Lower Decks) as a guest for a video discussing Galaxy Quest, which is apparently one of Jack's favorite films. It's very funny and if you're a fan of the movie, of Jack's, or RedLetterMedia's material I highly recommend checking it out.

It immediately got me reminiscing about the times I've run Galaxy Quest RPG games, including looking through my old notes. This question popped up in my email the next day. Kismet!

It's a hell of a thing.

On to the subject at hand...like Jack Quaid, I LOVE this movie. It is definitely one of my all time favorites and as I mentioned, I've run both a short campaign and a few one-shots of Galaxy Quest over the years and honestly it's some of my best work and the most fun I've had as a GM. The trifecta of Science Fiction + Comedy + Star Trek Parody/Homage is simply made for me. It's also an IP and I do love me some IP gaming. 

The system I've used in the past has been my modified version of Teenagers from Outer Space by R. Talsorian Games, which I refer to as 'Advanced TFOS'. The main difference is that I switched the D6 for a D10. Additionally, I added special abilities for each of the roles on the ship - Commander, Doctor, Engineer, Operations, Pilot, Science Officer, and Security/Extra - and character types such as Feature Alien (originally Token Alien), Background Alien, and Prodigy. I go into more detail on this homebrew in these three posts:

It's a Hell of a Thing

By Grabthar's Hammer, We Live to Tell the Tale

This Fine Ship, This Fine Crew

If I were going to run Galaxy Quest today, I might not use the same system (more on that in a moment) but I would definitely incorporate the special abilities I attributed to each 'Job' or ship's position. Those unique capabilities, such as the Commander's 'Overdramatis Persona' and Security's 'Glorified Extra', have been lauded by my players and blog readers alike as the key to making a Galaxy Quest game feel like the Galaxy Quest movie. 

What set of rules would I use if not my variant of TFOS? Well, there are actually a lot of options. I've considered using Starships and Spacemen, Far Trek, or even Star Trek Adventures.

While it may seem strange to suggest Star Trek Adventures, it being 'too close to the source material' as it were, keep in mind that STA has a published 'Lower Decks' supplement. It is certainly possible to use this system to facilitate a comedic campaign. I've used it to run a Lower Decks game as well as The Orville, so theoretically it would seem appropriate for Galaxy Quest. The role abilities I mentioned could become Talents I suppose and Momentum might be renamed 'Fanmail' or 'Star Power'. Threat can be 'Interference', as in interence from the studio execs. 

A note: When I've run Galaxy Quest previously, I've done so with the assumption that the PCs are characters living in the universe of the mock TV series. I don't directly incorporate the Meta nature of the characters being played by actors on a show but treat it the way most people treat playing a Star Trek or Star Wars RPG. 

However, outside of the events happening in-game the players and I have joked about the actors, episodes, writers, and the special effects budget for the series. I would describe it by saying that during 'Time Out's we are aware its a television program and during 'Time In' we are unaware of that and it's the 'real world' for the PCs. 

Honestly, after all this recent discussion about the film I decided to watch it again and damn it holds up perfectly. I'd really love to run it again if given the opportunity. 

AD

Barking Alien

RPGaDay Challenge 2023 - Day 6

Hmm. A tricky question to answer for yours truly.

As I've mentioned on the blog in the past, I usually get to run the games I want to run. Between the various groups of players I game with [and have gamed with in the past], I've been extraordinarily lucky when it comes to bringing my favorite RPGs to the table (real or virtual). 

In the past year I've gotten to run Champions, my Ghostbusters homebrew, Star Trek Adventures, Star Wars D6; some of my all time favorites for sure. Some of these were only one-shots or short runs but the prompt says 'NEVER' in bold and capital letters so even a recent one-off counts, right?

To clarify, we're talking favorite games here. Even I run into obstacles when trying to get players to try some of the crazy, off-the-wall games that may have caught my fancy in any given month. That's fine, understandable even, though I often forget that when I am excited about a game concept.

OK, so let me try to answer this question. What's a favorite game of mine that I never - sorry NEVER - get to play? Oh! I know. Teenagers from Outer Space. I used to run that all the time throughout high school, college, and off and on in one form or another for decades. Now that I think about it, it's been ages since I've run it. I definitely miss that game, particularly my homebrew setting, 'Blast City Blues'. 

There you go. That's my answer. One of these days I'll get back to it. I know I will.

AD

Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - GATES

Teenagers from Outer Space is one of my all time favorite RPGs for so many reasons.

First and foremost, its super simple, straightforward, and easy to modify. Second, the game is written in a fun, humorous manner with enough personality to get you into the feel of things right away. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, it is a game about Japanese Animated Comedy by Mike Pondsmith, a man who understands Japanese Animated Comedies. 

When this game came out I was already a huge Anime fan at a time in which not everyone in the USA knew what Anime was. This game and its author 'got it' though and I used that to introduce this particular brand of awesome-ness to all my buddies. 

My first and possibly best TFOS campaign was 'Blast City Blues' and my own character in that setting is Gates.

Character: His real name is a series of high-pitched squeeks, chirps, and clicks that end in what sounds a bit like 'GEEL'. 

AKA: Gil Gates

Player: Non-Player Character, turned PC. Played by Adam Dickstein.

System: Teenagers from Outer Space - 1st and 2nd Edition. 'Advanced TFOS' Houserules.

 

Campaign: Blast City Blues and Blast City Blues: Summer Break.

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein and Others

Circa: 1987-1989

Origins: The original version of Gates came about from a practice drawing.

I was teaching myself to illustrate in an Anime/Manga style, with my major influence being Rumiko Takahashi, the renowned female Manga artist famous for some of the most popular series of the 80s and 90s (including Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, and Inu Yasha to name a few). I drew a basic male character who bore some resemblance to Ryunosuke from Urusei Yatsura (a female character often mistaken for a boy) and Ryoga from Ranma 1/2. 

A few days later, after buying the first Teenagers from Outer Space book and reading it through several times, I found myself opening up a notebook to jot down some campaign ideas and I saw my drawing right there in front of me, having been put into the book for safe keeping. I think I stared at it for a few moments before I added glasses to the fellow. Then antenna. That's when the character and the idea for Blast City Blues rushed into my head. 

Backstory: Unpronounceable-GEEL and his twin sister Unpronounceable-GEEGEE were orphaned when their parents stayed behind during the mass exodus from the United Galaxy Alliance region of space to the Earth. It was implied they had invented the Star Drive technology that got everyone else away before the voracious Dreggetti arrived. 

The two infant Googlimooglians (Gates' species) were not in the main ship but one of several vessels forming a convoy behind it. Their vessel finally reached Earth some years after the capital ship that became Blast City and were released from stasis about 15 years before the first campaign's 'present'. The twins were adopted by First Contact Specialist Gertrude Gates and her Exobiologist husband Godfrey Gates. This is how the Googlimooglians got their Earth names, Gil and Gigi Gates.

As they grew up they couldn't be more opposite. Like all Googlimooglians the twins were remarkably intelligent and good at engineering and science but Gil was an introvert, nerdy, emotionally detached (on the outside), and socially awkward. His sister, who was considered very attractive by Humans and other aliens, was outgoing, cool, in-your-face, and wore her feelings on her sleeve. 

The rebellious Gigi was a trouble-maker and too much for the aging Gates couple to handle, so she was sent to live with relatives on Mars. 

Gil on the other hand was a genius, a model student, excepted into all kinds of advanced programs, and felt very, very alone. With his sister gone he had no friends, was teased for his odd appearance (there weren't any other Googlimooglians around), thick glasses (our Sun generates more light during the day hours than their home star), and his egg-headed pursuits. 

He begins Blast City High School a sad and lonely super-scientist.

Overview: When we meet Gil for the first time in the game he is attending Blast City High and getting picked on/bullied by a bunch of Humans and aliens. He is saved by Miguel 'Mecha' Herrera and the two end up becoming best friends. The cast builds and builds with all sorts of offbeat and even downright bizarre Humans, aliens, robots, and other manner of people getting involved in their crazy adventures. All but one...Gigi Gates.

For nearly a year of play, no one knew Gates (everyone called him by his last name) even had a sister. She is never seen or referred to. Then there were a couple of more serious episodes and in one Gates mentions that there are very few Googlimooglians left in the universe. To his knowledge, "We may be the last." The other Players/PCs thought he meant 'we' as in the ones living in Blast City but what he really meant was he and his sister. 

In one of the last story arcs in the original campaign, Earth is invaded by a fleet of Galactic Pirates who are there to obtain some Time Travel device they think is hidden in the bowls of Blast City. Leading the charge is...GIGI?!? Yep, Gigi Gates, who had been attending Blast City's rival school Mars High, quit school to become a space pirate. 'Mech''s player begins a running joke were he is trying to defeat the Googlimooglian Space Biker Chick with Gates' help while also trying to get Gates to fix him up with his sister. "But...It's...THEY'RE THE SAME PERSON!"

"I know", says Mech, "You're a genius Gates. Multi-tasking like this should be easy for you."

The Highlights:

Gates was often the catalyst of the trouble in many adventures. 

Gates once invented a teleporter that ended up being a duplicator, generating an exact copy of the person who used it...only evil. 

There was the time he determined the mathematical calculation for Cool and made himself the coolest kid in school, as well as a complete mega-jerk. He attracted a legion of other mega-jerks resulting in a horde of smooth, well dressed, zombie a-holes. 

There was the time he borrowed a library book while on a school trip to Alpha Centauri and relativistic time from lightspeed travel made it over 4 years overdue. The Library Network sent a Librarian to retrieve it; a Terminator-like combat android whose exterior looked like a thin, grey haired old lady but she could smash through steel walls and fire stun blasts out of her eyes. This story was illustrated into a comic book for our RPG Clubs entry into the Art & Design High School Art Festival. 

During the Boogie Ball Championship between Blast City High and Luna Prep, Gates and Speed (my friend David Concepcion's character) realized the Luna team was cheating. While Mech played against them despite this, Gates and Speed investigated and had to deal with some tough opponents and a kid who was essentially as smart as Gates! That was fun and really challenging.

Legacy: Gates hasn't been seen in a game in many years, which makes me a little bummed just thinking about it. The image I used above is the first picture of him I've done in forever and it made me smile to depict him once again. 

Hopefully he'll get the chance to mad-science again in the near future.

Game Info: As I've mentioned before, one of the first changes I made to TFOS was to change its die type from a D6 to a D10 to get a greater range and make it more compatible with the other 'Interlock' games from R. Talsorian. Therefore Gates' stats read like this:

'Gil' Gates - Near Human, Male.

SMARTS: 10                    DRIVING: 4

BOD: 4                              LOOKS: 6

R.W.P.: 7                           COOL: 3

LUCK: 3                            BONK: 5

KNACKS: Super Science: 4, Latest Invention: 4. Investigate: 2

POWERS: Mad Genius: 10

Next up, we warp into the Final Frontier - FINALLY! Let's go where no one has gone before with Lt. HEREK of the USS Gryphon!

AD

Barking Alien

RPGaDay Challenge 2017 - Day 15

Wow! Hey look everybody!

Come see, come see! Come on! 

They included a question just for me!

Hurrah!

+

I modify a lot of games. 

I think I ran a game as-is in 1985 once...or was it '83? I really don't recall exactly. Honestly, maybe I dreamed it.

Considering the fact that A) I feel a lot games are overwritten without actually paying attention to trying to represent their respective genres, and B) I'm a tinkerer, and kit-basher by nature, I've adapted dozens upon dozens of games over the years.

In the 9 years this blog has been around, you've seen me turn Traveller into Star Wars (and consider turning it into Star Trek), Faery's Tale Deluxe into The Smurfs, heard tell of Teenagers from Outer Space being turned into everything from Wizard of Oz, and Time Travel, to Galaxy Quest and even American Superheroes. I toyed with using it to run My Hero Academia, but decided to hack apart three other games into an original system.

Marvel Heroic makes a great game for running American cartoons, or Japanese anime. InSpectres can easily be adapted to run Sci-Fi Survival. 

Honestly, if I have to choose the game I adapt the most, or have adapted the most, it would be TFOS. I've done sooo much with that game. It's just so simple, and easy to add stuff to. 

I do love me some RPG-hacking.

AD

Barking Alien