31 Days / 31 Characters - ETO HALO BRIGHT

Starting the year off right, I had the privilege of playing a Japanese TRPG with my friend Yasa and a bunch of his pals over Discord. Due to the massive time difference between New York and Chiba, Japan, I ended up sleeping for twelve hours following the session, missing most of New Year's Day. 

Totally worth it.

Character: ETO Halo Bright 

AKA: Halo Bright, Eto Bright (See Below)

Player: Adam Dicsktein

System: Star Rain Days in Meteor City

The exact translation of the game's title might also be Star Rainy Day in Meteor City or Stars Rain Down on Meteor City as my translation software and Google Translate don't always agree. Plus, there are multiple Japanese websites listing it slightly differently (possibly due to typos). My friend Yasa seemed to translate it as 'Star Rain Days in Meteor City' so that's what I'm going with. 

 

Nature: One-Shot. Online over Discord. Roughly four hours. Five players and a GM. 

Gamemaster: Yasahiro Sato

Circa: January 1st, 2025!

Origins: What felt like a last minute idea to me was actually a well planned event by Yasa. He and a small group of friends intended to meet on New Year's Eve, go out to a favorite local restaurant, eat, drink, and then return to their homes to log on to Cocofolia (a Japanese Online Gaming tool and Virtual Tabletop similar though more expansive than say Roll20 - See Notes) to play a TRPG. 

After reading my post on unusual genres or genre takes I'd like to explore, Yasa decided Star Rain Days in Meteor City would be the game. That was way back on December 9th! He purchased it, read it, and a few weeks later had an epiphany! Get Adam (me) in on it.

He came up with a character he specifically wanted me to play and sent me an email on the subject. I said yes; how could I pass up this chance? The only problem was I couldn't figure out Cocofolia as it is generally used more in Asia than in English speaking countries. After a discussion and an attempt to get it working, Yasa said it was OK if we used Discord.  

Overview: Normally I do the character's Backstory entry before the Overview but in this case it makes more sense to introduce the game and the scenario's premise before the character. He's a doozy so I don't mind keeping you in suspense. *Giggle*

Star Rain Days in Meteor City is a tabletop RPG about living in a small-ish city whose night sky hosts a most unusual phenomenon, not unlike the Northern Lights of Canada. For reasons scientists can not yet figure out, a surprisingly large number of meteors and other space debris streak across the evening skies on a regular basis such that it often looks like its raining shooting stars.

The Player Characters are Observers, people living in Meteor City who know the truth, a least in part. Meteor City is secretly a Spaceport for Extraterrestrial Visitors arriving and leaving the Earth. Some of the citizens of Meteor City are aliens themselves, working in hidden shops, restaurants, and travel offices that facilitate and accomodate the various Star People stopping over on our little blue marble. 

It's a cozy, slice of life Men in Black. It's a Sci-Fi themed Kiki's Delivery Service. Its my new obession. 

Of course, our session began as very laid back and ended up FLCL. 

Backstory: A group of university students living in Meteor City are gearing up for a small, intimate party at the house of one of the group named Takashi. Takashi, or Taka for short, has his house to himself as his parents are traveling abroad. We first encounter everyone as they are shopping in a sort of mall/market area, each looking to bring something for everybody to enjoy at the party, as well as a gift for Taka for hosting. 

(Within moments we learn a little about everyone and the dynamics between the four friends. Very well handled by Yasa and portrayed by the players). 

While looking for special sweets, two of the friends - Yoshi (Male) and Reimi (Female) - notice a strange, blonde haired boy who appears lost and confused. Yoshi suggests helping the kid out but Reimi is weary. After all, the four friends are all Observers, people who know about the strange goings on in Meteor City and they might accidentally reveal something to this stranger. Yoshi chides her for her cold demeanor (apparently typical of Reimi) and says, "All the more reason to talk to him. Maybe he's a 'Visitor'."

Meanwhile, Sakura (Female) and Takashi (Male) are looking for drinks for the party. Sakura goes on and on about having enough beer, which Takashi humors whiles also blushing. He is attracted to Sakura and knows he can't drink even half as much as she can. Sakura then says she has a great idea; she knows of a store that carries, um, very unique beverages. Taka gets nervous but she convinces him to follow her down a back alley to a hidden shop. As they walk - really she runs and he gets pulled along behind her - Taka eyes Yoshi and Reimi walking over to a foreign boy with blonde hair. 

The pair greet the stranger in a polite and friendly manner - well, Yoshi does - and ask if they can help him. Though he looks young, the two friends estimate he is close to them in age once up close. The boy introduces himself as Halo Bright, although he begins by saying "eto..." (See Notes). Reimi from that point forward calls him 'Eto Bright', and Yoshi thinks she is being mean by teasing him. Bright explains he is looking for the Golden Evening Star. The others don't seem to know what he's referring to. 

Sakura and Takashi walk up with bags full of beer cans and bottles with odd looking shapes and labels. Yoshi and Reimi ask if their friends are familiar with the Golden Evening Star and unfortunately they aren't. Bright seems sad or at the very least a bit frustrated and Sakura suggests they invite him to their party and try to sort it out. Yoshi backs her up while the other two question inviting a total stranger to Taka's house for a get together of long time friends (in fact, Sakura's suggestion is a major faux pas in Japan. No one would do that in this way but the player said Sakura doesn't care and often ignores proper social ques and conventions.). Sakura pouts, then pleads, and because of his crush on her Taka caves in. 

The Highlights: We jump ahead to the group, including Bright, preparing food and making lively small talk in Taka's house. Not being from Japan, Bright seems clueless about many customs and the others have fun filling him in. All but Reimi, who spends much of the time staring at Bright to the point of unnerving him. There was even a hilarious moment where Bright goes to get ice out of a freezer in the basement and turns on the light only to see Reimi standing there holding a big bag of ice in her hands. I as the player made a squeaky yelp that made everyone laugh hard. A startled Bright says, "Eto...eto...thank you?", nervously takes the bag - which he almost drops its so heavy and cold - and then hurries back upstairs. 

This is followed by a number of character moments and gags out of a typical Japanese Rom-Com anime, though adjusted for the games tone of coziness mixed with a touch of melancholy. The group of Japanese friends start drinking, first beer and sake, then Sakura pulls out the weird stuff from the hidden shop. Bright seems to only drink water. There was a moment where Yoshi offers him a beer, Sakura insists, and Taka scolds them thinking Bright is way too young. "No, I just look young", I say , "I'm likely the most mature person here". Everyone laughs.

Just then, the night sky lights up with fireworks both man-made and natural, as Meteor City's New Year's celebration merges with its famous rain of falling stars. One in particular pulses as it descends and Reimi drops her drink as she stands and stares at it.

The flashing meteor lights up Bright's eyes and he points, "There! That's it! The Golden Evening Star!" Taka, Sakura, and Yoshi look at each other dumbfounded. "That's my ride home! Oh my, I must hurry. Thank you all so much for this evening. It was so special. I will never forget it. I will always remember your kindness and friendship, even if I should live a thousand, thousand years...which I likely will." At that, Halo Bright began to glow with a golden shimmer and transformed into...

Halo Bright of The Legacy of Sirius

"Not so fast", muttered Reimi. "Your people destroyed those who created mine and I am sworn to vengence!" Reimi's body goes through a complex transformation of its own, revealing her to be a battle ready android armed to the teeth with everything from eye beams to missiles!

Reimi 3 of the Mechane of Mars

This was immediately followed by the other players and I exclaiming a collective WTF?!?

It was so brilliant. I was the obvious alien, so obvious that everyone pretty much figured out the mystery of who I was almost immediately. This...this came out of no where and yet all the signs were there! Reimi was alluring but cold and distant. She didn't trust me right from the start. She seemed indifferent to my plight and was always watching me. She could easily lift and hold a big bag of ice in her hands without issue. So good! SO GOOD! 

I would later learn that yes, I was the alien everyone was supposed to focus on; there had to be an alien character in this outer space conspiracy setting and it only made sense to make it me, the actual foreigner in the group. Reimi's player was given her character and said, "When the alien is revealed, know that your species of androids from Mars doesn't like this alien". It was the Player who suggested, "Ah yes, long ago that species killed off the people who built the androids." Perfect. 

As Bright and Reimi battled, their fight spilled out of the top floor of the house and into the New Year's Eve air as they leap and floated off nearby rooftops. I could fly (though not especially fast), she could not, but her attacks were only barely held back by my magical powers (mostly Shield and Change Fate). The others went to all kinds of lengths to protect me and try to make Reimi stand down, from throwing things in the way of her attacks to playing her favorite song to calm her down (or cheer her up?). It was madness - wild and wacky Anime fun at its best. 

Finally, as the Golden Evening Star began to beam me aboard and mysterious figures approached to read everyone the riot act for 'disturbing the peace' (See Notes), I gave a speech above mistakes, consequences, and what the true Legacy of Sirius was - paying for the terrible actions of our ancestors and feeling lost in the galaxy. Reimi stopped, gritted her teeth and replied how although her programming made her attack a Sirius Legacy alien, Reimi 3 didn't hate Halo Bright. She acknowledged that he was kind, sweet, helpful, and she wished things could have gone differently.

"Honestly" said Bright with a melancholy smile, "Given the history of our peoples, it went the best it could." Bright departed in a thin streak of glimmering yellow light as Reimi, now joined by the others, watched his 'star' fade into the nighttime sky. 

Cut to the four friends on a Taka's roof with a telescope, Reimi back to 'normal', toasting to a better tomorrow.  

Game Info:

This character sheet might not make a lot of sense without more detail on the system but its basic mechanics are really simple:

To accomplish something, roll 2D6 and add the appropriate Stat/Attribute in an attempt to meet or beat a difficulty number. Want to jump over a fence? 2D6 + Physical. Trying to read a map? 2D6 + Mental. Attempting to overhear a nearby conversation? 2D6 + Sense. Can you make friends with the frightened alien child? 2D6 + Connect.

With the right Features, Conditions, and/or Items you might receive bonus D6 which is rolled along with the base 2 and the result of all three added together. 

There is a lot more to it than that though, with an interesting game mechanic economy that I find quite cool. Again, I'm sure I'll cover that in the future.

 

Notes: 

The players in this session are many of the same ones from the Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research game, 'I'm So Embarrased! My Uncle is a Bullet Train!' (the recap of which I REEEALLY need to finish). Yasa GMed both and beyond that:

Reimi was played by Kei.

Sakura was played by Sachiko

Takashi was played by Ryōsuke

Yoshi was played by Isamu.

Halo Bright is a member of the alien species known as The Legacy of Sirius (or Sirius Legacy), extremely long lived beings who once ruled a vast space empire. The empire fell long ago and now the Sirius Legacy are scattered across the galaxy. In the rulebook they are said to look identical to Humans. Neither I nor Yasa liked that so we workshopped an alternate appearance. I suggested that they were in disguise as Humans and their true form was a glowing angel. Together we came up with the final look. 

Reimi 3 is a member of a race of androids known as the Mechane of Mars. Reimi came up with the idea that those who built the Mechane were wiped out by the Sirius during the days of the empire.

'Eto' is a word used in Japanese to indicate thinking or searching for the right words. It is the equivalent of 'umm...', 'hmmm...', or 'er...' in English. Playing the part of a lost alien tourist, I opened many sentences with eto. As I know the Japanese love wordplay, it is revealed during the session that Bright thought it meant 'ExtraTerrestrial Observer'. He misunderstood its use and thought it was an honorific. 

When its mentioned near the end of the game that people are likely coming to investigate the lights and sounds of Bright and Reimi's battle, it was implied this might not be the Meteor City Police. In the game's setting there is something called 'The Navigator Act' that allows for the spaceport hidden within the city to exist but prohibits aliens from allowing themselves, their abilities, and their technology from being seen by normal Human society. Someone - who exactly was never clear - may have shown up to prevent the commonfolk from seeing a blazing golden angel fighting an attractive android combat-doll. Does Meteor City have its own Men in Black? 

Yasa and the other players made their version of Meteor City feel so real so quickly and easily I couldn't help but be impressed. Turns out that two of the players were originally from smaller cities; one growing up in a suburban town and the other coming from the coastal city of Choshi in Northwestern Chiba Prefecture. Apparently the city in this session was strongly influenced by Choshi. 

Chiba Prefecture - Choshi highlighted in yellow.

Cocofolia is a fascinating online Virtual Tabletop that is especially popular in Japan, Korea, and a number of other countries. Among the interesting features of this tool is the ability to support still or animated illustrations representing the Player Characters and/or GM run NPCs. Most of these are 2D images and not as animated as say, VTuber models but they appear or move when the player speaks and it creates a very different experience from what we see on Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds. 

The rules of the game are really interesting and I will very likely cover them in a future post. This post is long enough (Sorry).

Legacy: The biggest lasting legacy of this session was that I purchased Star Rain Days in Meteor City and hope to run it with ones my groups as soon as Yasa and I finish translating it. I would absolutely love to GM this sometime later this year.

Really sorry this one is so long folks. It could easily have been twice the length as there is so much I have to say about the experience, the players and their characters, the system, and just...just...WOW! Not sure how I'm gonna top this. 

...but I'll try. 

AD

Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - DEENO

Are you enjoying the new Star Wars Disney+ series 'Skeleton Crew'? I clearly am...

Character: Deeno

AKA: Captain Deeno, Formerly 'Quasar 3' 

Player: Adan Dickstein

System: Star Wars, The Roleplaying Game (D6 System, West End Games), 2nd Edition

 

Nature: Not yet applicable.

Gamemaster: Not yet applicable

Circa: December 25, 2024. Not yet used.

Origins: Pretty simple: As soon as I saw Roona, the little Vazooan girl that Neel has a crush on in the first episode of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, I knew I want to make a character of that species. Aside from being adorable, I wondered why that alien in particular was found on the same 'Old Republic' planet as Star Wars mainstays such as the Ithorians and Rodians. 

As far a role or job, I'm almost always going to go for a Pilot when playing Star Wars, which I'll be honest isn't the brightest idea on my part. I've found that few GMs know how to include a Pilot on a team of non-pilots. For this reason, Deeno is built more like a Smuggler than a Brash Pilot. 

Backstory: I don't have details on Deeno's childhood or his background prior to the Galactic Civil War but during the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire, Deeno became a Starfighter Pilot serving with Quasar Squadron. He was eventually given the position of Quasar 3 and fought in a number of battles in the Outer and Mid-Rim regions. 

Following the fall of the Empire, Deeno purchased a used Light Freighter, customized it a bit, and then used it to make supply runs to areas on the Mid-Rim border struggling with post-war rebuilding. After a few run-ins with members of the Imperial Remnant, Deeno teamed up with other independant spacers to help keep New Republic citizens safe. 

'Shyyyo's Nest'

YX-950 Industrial Freighter,

Design by EC Henry

Overview: In many ways, Deeno is kind of a generic Star Wars character. There really isn't much here to work with but then again, that's kind of the point. When it comes to Star Wars, I don't like developing massive backstories. I like to learn about my character as I play, adding a personality and history over the course of the game. This is pretty common for me across settings actually but especially in Star Wars. Why? Well, partly because I would just be so happy to play an Alien Star Pilot in the Star Wars universe that this alone is all I'd need to get excited about my character. 

The Highlights: None yet. 

Game Info: 

I've built many dozens of custom player character Templates for the Star Wars D6 RPG since the game's debut in 1987. The fact that you can easily do so is one of the reasons I absolutely love this game. It's also one of the reasons that I grew to look down on systems that use 'Classes' without giving you simple, straightforward mechanics for building your own. 

'Vazooan Star Pilot' is based on a mix of the Smuggler, Brash Pilot, and a few other related Templates given in various official West End Games products. The species Special Ability is, as noted, my own creation. 

Notes: As I mentioned above, Deeno was inspired by Roona, a character seen in the first episode of Skeleton Crew. According to information on the Star Wars/Lucasfilm official website, Roona is a Vazooan. They are noted for their large black eyes, large ears, and small antennae resembling giraffe horns. They come in different colors: blue, brown, light purple, and of course green, My thinking is the species evolved from a nocturnal creature often preyed upon by fast and deadly nightime predators. To counter these beasts, the Vazooan's ancestors developed heightened senses of various sorts. This is reflected in their Limited Danger Sense [noted on their character sheet]. 

Legacy: Legacy? I haven't played him yet. I do hope he lives long enough and does well enough to have a legacy though. I like him.  

AD

Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - CURIOUS MERP

Character: Merp

AKA: Ensign Merp, Curious Merp

Player: Adam Dickstein

System: Star Trek Adventures, 2nd Edition

 

Nature: Not yet applicable

Gamemaster: Not yet applicable

Circa: December 28th, 2024. Not yet used.

Origins: I fell in love with Star Trek: Lower Decks right from the very beginning. Now, with the series completing its run with Season 5 (at least at the time of this writing), I'm even more inspired to run and/or play a 'Lower Decks' style campaign of Star Trek Adventures. The Second Edition of the game is now available and while I wasn't particularly interested in giving it ago*, I did consider, 'Why not make a 2E character for the 31 Day Character Challenge?'.

A about a year ago (roughly) I came up with some alternative Character Creation rules for making a Lower Decks PC that seems closer to the characters on the show. The write-up for Ensign 'Curious' Merp does not reflect this as my objective was to see how 2nd Edition was different from First. I didn't want to confuse things with my own houserules. I might redo him if I were going to use him in a full-on campaign. 

Why a...Merp?

Well, the Merp are an alien species introduced to the Star Trek universe in the inagural season of Lower Decks, though they remained unnamed for sometime. Eventually we learn that one individual member is named Merp. Later in the series we meet another nicknamed 'Big Merp'. The third member identified is a female called 'Sleepy Merp'. We still don't have an official name for these aliens but it would seem they're simple called the Merp. Each Merp is named Merp. This humorous concept spurred me on to create this PC. 

Merp, Big Merp, and Sleepy Merp.

Backstory: Merp, like so many Merp, was born on the Merp homeworld to a family of artists and creative philosophers. Merp grew up fascinated by the idea that a people's art could give you insights into their culture and even their biology. His parents were extremely supportive, as not only was Merp their only son but their worldview was all about 'following your heart, mind, and spirit wherever they lead you'. I imagine them being low-fi nerdy space hippies.

Once he was old enough, he applied to Starfleet Academy, deciding to Major in Anthropology and Cultural Studies. Combining his studies he focused on researching his idea of learning about sentient species through their art. Merp Minored in Xenobiology to round out his theories. This and his overall nature earned him the nickname 'Curious Merp' from his classmates.

Merp graduated to the rank of Ensign and was assigned to the Starfleet Support Service vessel USS Long Beach, a California Class starship specializing in Scientific Research and Survey Operations. 

Overview: I love the idea of a character who is intelligent, kind of nerdy, and accidentally brave. That is to say, he is so eager to learn, to understand and know his universe, that he is willing to put himself in mortal danger to do so. You'll notice his Attributes reflect this, giving him a decent Daring for a Junior Science Officer. 

The Highlights: None yet. 

Game Info:

Note that there are no official stats for the Merp species. I based them on the Aquans from the Star Trek: Animated Series, which are depicted in the Animated Series Campaign Guide. I made a few changes but not much. My reasoning is that in at least one episode we very clearly see Big Merp with his shirt off and he has gills on the sides of his ribs.

Full transparency, I used the absolutely amazing Star Trek Adventures Campaign Creator by BC Holmes, a fan who has gone above and beyond in the development of an indispensible sets of tools for running a Star Trek campaign. If you plan to run Star Trek Adventures, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Notes:

The ship Curious Merp is assigned to is named for Long Beach, CA, known for Long Beach Comic Con and being the home of my paternal grandfather for decades. My grandpa and my dad were both born in Southern California. 

*I have nothing against Second Edition but I also don't feel the need to switch my current campaign from 1st. Why? After 10 years or so of running Star Trek Adventures and modifying the game to my liking - adding houserules, taking away unnecessary elements - I have the 'edition' of the game that works best for me. The 'Barking Alien' edition.

This is pretty common for me with games I've played again and again over a long stretch of time. 

Legacy: I want to play this guy sooo badly. I've got ideas man. IDEAS! He has an outlook!  He's got goals! He loves to play Human party games like Charades and Pictionary so he can better understand how others think. Get to know him! He definitely wants to get to know you!

How far can I take him? Ensign to Chief Science Officer perhaps? I'd really like to try. 

AD

Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - BLOODY SUNDAY

This character is an NPC with a rather strange origin, one I admit I may not be remembering accurately. I'll be doing the best I can to recall as much as I can. I created it and have been using it across a variety of different genres and systems since sometime in the 1980s. It's been a while since I've brought it to the table but would like to find a way to do so this coming year. 

Character: Bloody Sunday

AKA: Bloody Sabbath, The Bloody Gentleman, The Bloody Lady, Bloody Mary

Player: Non-Player Character

System(s): Villains and Vigilantes. Stalking The Night Fantastic, Chill, Ghostbusters, Champions, and more.
 
Nature: Numerous Short Campaigns and a handful of Long Campaigns. 

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein

Circa: The first version of the character appeared in the early 1980s. The last incarnation was probably used around the early-to-mid 2000s. 

Origins: I created the character of Bloody Sunday for a creepy short story I wrote for...some reason. It was most likely a school assignment of some sort. I barely recollect the details except that that character was originally called Bloody Sabbath and the story was focused on the theme of pointless or unnecessary violence. 

That theme remained a key component of the character, who first showed up in an RPG as a supervillain in our Heartland League campaign (mentioned in the previous entry). According to that campaign, the organization known as Intercrime was lead by someone named 'The Crime Lord', only that was a title and not an particular individual. At some point early in the campaign, the then current Crime Lord was murdered and replaced by a mysterious criminal called Bloody Sunday. We would eventually confront him only to discover 'he' was some kind of supernatural entity; essentially the physical incarnation of senseless violence. Weakened by the heroes saving lives and preventing others from taking them, Bloody Sunday flees the scene vowing vengence.

I used the concept of this entity again and again through the years in various, varying its demeanor, appearance, and even its abilities. Some of my favorite versions of Blood Sunday manifested in Comedic Horror games such as Stalking The Night Fantastic and Ghostbusters, always easing off the humor and upping the creepiness. I often portray these incarnations of Bloody Sunday as self-hating and sad, not wanting to be what it is but unable to not be who it is. I know, its sounds a little complicated for what is basically a being of otherwise mindless anger but that's what makes the character more than just another scary monster. 

Backstory: There's been several variants of Bloody Sunday and trying to write up them all would make this entry twice as long as it already will be. What I'll do is split the difference between the versions and give a sort of gestalt of the character. This will be less Comic Book Supervillain and more my preferred way of portraying Bloody Sunday as tortured supernatual being.

American legends and folklore surrounding Bloody Sunday date back to the Revolutionary War but tales of similar spirits abound in many cultures, especially those that would have been present during the early European colonization of North America. In addition to the stories of of American and Mexican Indigenous tribes, ghostly beings in white with blood stained clothing are related by the England, Irish, Germans, and countless others. Bloody Sunday's mythology shares many elements of these other entities but we'll focus on the points unique to itself. 

Bloody Sunday appears during or just after acts of violence considered senseless or extreme. It is especially likely to show up if, for example, soldiers continued fighting after a ceasefire was called. If innocent bystanders or civilians are killed in a conflict between two other parties it is practically a guarantee that the Bloody Sunday entity would manifest. 

If bloodshed could have been avoided but wasn't, expect a visit from this disquieting spectre.

Overview: It has been seen as a male, a female, or an androgynous being, usually around 6 feet tall, finely dressed in quality white garments slightly behind the times (whatever those times may be). Its garments always display blood stains, ranging from a light dappling to being virtually soaked. Some white is always visible however.

The being's facial features are never clear, completely covered in a blend of blood and shadow. Its head is covered in a torn sheet, blanket, or some kind of tattered hat. The phantom leaves behind proof of its passing (though doesn't if it doesn't wish too), most commonly drops of blood or bloodied footprints. It moves very quietly when it wishes to and rarely speaks. When it does, its voice is low, raspy,  and laced with sorrow and anger. 

When Bloody Sunday is present, it attempts to make bad situations worse. It will spur on or antagonize the most short-tempered, violent people present in an attempt to cause even more fighting and death. It rarely goes into battle itself, prefering to generate violent acts and chaos while fading into the background.

Such conditions do empower it however and if directly attacked by anyone capable of doing so - other supernatural entities or those with weapons that can hit ghostly beings - Bloody Sunday will engage opponents with the goal of getting away as quickly as possible. Apparently, Bloody Sunday gains nothing from causing pain and injury on its own. 

The entity possesses incredible strength and speed, made greater by the amount of bloodshed and violence that has recently occurred [or is currently happening]. It has thrown individuals across parking lots and smashed other straight through car doors but has never be seen lifting a car, so its exact level of might remains in question. As implied above, it can not be harmed by physical hits or conventional weapons but only other paranormal beings and/or attacks specifically designed to effect such beings (such as certain Magic Spells, the Ghostbusters' Particle Streams, etc.). Once it gets far enough away from its opponents - say 50 ft. or more - Bloody Sunday will disappear, rapidly fading from sight. 

The Highlights:

A rash of very brutual turf wars between various New York street gangs was getting out of hand and starting to spill out into the surrounding neighborhoods and threatening common citizens. Bureau 13, a super-secret organization dedicated to protecting people from supernatural and paranormal dangers, is called in to investigate a possible unnatural cause for what was happening. After a few days of looking into the problem, the Bureau 13 Agents encountered evidence and references to the Bloody Sunday entity, soon after coming into direct contact with it.

Using a combination of occult items and paranatural abilities, a few of the Agents delayed the entity (and got their butts kicked pretty badly) as the remaining members of their team talked the gangbangers out of continuing their foolish conflict. It was a truly heart felt speech by one of the Bureau 13 operatives who was in a gang himself as a young boy and appealed to the thugs sense of family and community in a way most outsiders wouldn't relate to. Bloody Sunday got less and less powerful and eventually departed by disappearing before the Agents' eyes.

The Ghostbusters appearance of Bloody Sunday was awesome as I remember but I can't picture the details and specifics. There was humor in the way the PCs interacted with each other and with this being, at least initially, but the overall narrative was actually serious and spooky. 

Game Info:

I don't have any of the write-ups for this character (think I lost them in a transfer of files to a new computer long ago). Instead, I did a new information sheet using my homebrewed Ghostbusters kitbash (combining Ghostbusters, InSpectres, and ALIEN's Year Zero system).

Notes:

I think of this character as falling into the same [or into a very similar] category as The Red Rider. I have a few of these. Hmm. For a guy who isn't really into the Horror genre, I definitely have some spooky NPCs, no?

What makes this character interesting and cool in my personal opinion is how the players and their PCs deal with him. With the right group, Bloody Sunday can generate some intense moments and fantastic dialogue. With a more traditional party of hack-and-slash types, this character is either wasted or - if you are a particularly evil GM - their activities would result in making the entity incredibly powerful. Imagine setting up situations where the PCs could talk their way out of them but resort to violence instead. When they finally encounter Bloody Sunday they'd be facing off against an extremely dangerous opponent indeed.  

Legacy:

It's been quite a while since I've made use of this character but I'd love to put him in effect in a game of InSane, Castle in Gray, or other Japanese Horror RPGs. 

AD
Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - AMERICAN DREAM

Happy New Year Everybody! Welcome to 2025!

Hitting the ground running I'm opening the 31 Characters in 31 Days Challenge with a Superhero, inspired by Tim Knight of Heropress and his current discussions and references to the classic 4-Color Comic Book RPG Villains and Vigilantes.

Character: American Dream

AKA: Constance Anne 'Connie Anne' Crawford 

Player: Don't recall her name. 

System: Villains and Vigilantes, 2nd Edition

 
Nature: Short-to-Mid Length Campaign. Approximately two dozen sessions, the first quarter and last quarter of which were widely spaced. Sessions ranged from 5 to 7 hours on average.

 
Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein

 
Circa: 1990-1992. 

 
Origins: I was working at the Forbidden Planet - a popular pop-culture store in NYC that carried books, toys, comic books, and other fandom products - when I got into a conversation with several customers about the fact that most Superheroes in comics seemed to live in New York. More specifically, we discussed how we don't see Superheroes in other states. "I mean, are there Costumed Crusaders in Des Moines, Iowa?"

The Supers RPG Villains and VIgilantes sort of addresses this, since you are supposed to be playing a superpowered version of yourself, living in your own hometown. This got us to thinking about how one would set a Superhero campaign in some small town in Nebraska or the like. One person in the discussion then suggested, "Wouldn't it be cool to run a Superhero featuring Superheroes from across the United States except for New York and LA?"

We all agreed that indeed, that would be very cool. The gang decided I would run it and everyone in the conversation would play, each choosing a state in the USA to represent. Actually, the way we did it was to randomly roll up a V&V character and then decide what state the player wanted their PC to represent ( American Dream is from and represents Oklahoma). Throughout the course of the campaign, entitled 'The Heartland League', a number of the players and PCs came in and out of the story. American Dream was there from the beginning and participated in most of it. 

 
Backstory: Connie Anne Crawford was the most popular girl at school, cheer captain, and well on her way to a college scholarship because she wasn't just beautiful but an A+ student as well. The perfect girl with the perfect life in . Happy family, great neighborhood, and a picture perfect existence. However...all was not as it seemed. 

As Crawford readies for the next phase of her life, she begins to see the cracks in the one she'd been living all these years. It was too perfect, too good to be true. Eventually she discovers her life was lie and that she was the key to a terrible legacy. A dozen children were genetically engineering to be super-soldiers for the US by an 'Evil SHIELD' black-ops project. They were given fake families with specific conditions to result in the type of individual they wanted to produce. 

Connie Anne ends up escaping, fighting her way through the opposition, and dealing a blow to the enemy both devasting and long lasting. The real 'SHIELD'-type organization, Villains and Vigilantes' C.H.E.S.S. (Central Headquarters of Espionage for the Secret Service) is made aware of the black-ops group's existence and the fact that is was a front for/backed by Intercrime.

The entire situation is covered up by CHESS on Crawford's request, the family supposedly tragically killed in a gas explosion that burned down their house. CHESS transferred the fake family's money and assets to Connie, thus enabling her to continue on with a normal life. She instead decided to lend CHESS her unique abilities as a superpowered agent. Enter: American Dream, Oklahoma's favorite daughter. 

Overview: American Dream was such as awesome character, played by an equally cool young woman. I wish I could remember her name. I've been trying for years but it just keeps eluding me. I distinctly recall that she brought  a sense of pure Americana and unwavering optimism to both the campaign and the character. 

The make-up of the group would regularly change in a fashion similar to the Justice League Unlimited animated series. A villain or situation would pop-up somewhere and whichever heroes were available to respond would show up. American Dream often took the lead but the Heartland League team never had an assigned leader. Her attitude and interactions with the eclectic and ever changing cast of Superheroes was always fun.

 
The Highlights: 

An investigation into a string of kidnappings by West Virginia's Mothman and a series of graverobberies being looked into by Pennsylvania's Freedom Ring crossover and reveal the mad schemes of a modern day Necromancer. Calling in fellow Heartland League members for back-up, American Dream of Oklahoma, The Apparition of Maryland, and Ohio's Buckeye respond. During the battle against the Shroud and Dr. Wraithman, American Dream leapt from one zombie minion to the next, royally kicking their butts, all the while giving a speech on the sanctity of Human life. (I've often wondered why a lot of gamers see scenes as being either RP scenes or Fighting scenes. We always did both things at the same time. lol). 

A favorite American Dream moment I recall was when she and several other members took on a team of supervillains trying to...er...do something...at the Grand Canyon. Each hero picked out a bad guy to oppose, sometimes teaming up two against one for the real tough hombres. American Dream teamed with The Visitor (New Mexico) and took down their target faster than expected. Visitor went to help another hero having difficulty with their fight as American Dream spun around to find another enemy to face off with. She is immediately caught by the throat and lifted into the air by a big robot dude. 

She was waaay out powered by this mechanical menace, like Captain America going one-on-one against Ultron. She decided to try and talk it down, using a logical arguement with philosophical elements to get the robot to question its actions and its alliance with the other villains. It put her down and the two had a brief discussion that resulted in the robotic rogue deciding to sit out the fight. When one of the other villains saw it doing nothing the baddie yelled at the robot, who - prompted by American Dream, proceeded to beat the snot out of its former teammate. 

Game Info:

I don't have American Dream's original character sheet so I remade it from memory. She's first level here because that's the write-up I remember best. I believe we got to 5th level or so by the end of the campaign. I left off Cash and Training because honestly I have no idea what her data was in those categories. 

Notes: 

This was the first Superhero campaign I ran using the Justice League Unlimited approach, though we played it some 14 years before that show would go on the air. 

American Dream clearly resembles a female Captain America, many years before Captain Carter or other similar Marvel Comics characters would become well known. Costume and secret identity wise there is some similarity between American Dream and DC's Stargirl, whom she also pre-dates by a good 5 years or so.

Definitely an asset in battles against the forces of evil, it was the personality given to her and her wholesome, positive outlooks that really made American Dream special. She won as many fights with her wits and dialogue as she did her powerful punches.   

Interestingly, the player of this character wasn't a huge comic book fan. She was a casual reader but really liked the idea of 'Superheroes that don't live in New York'. Her decision to go with what she described as 'an all-American Good Girl' was in sharp contrast to her other RPG characters who were of the sneaky, back-stabbing, cloak of darkness sort. 

 
Legacy: I've had American Dream appear in one or two of my Mutants and Masterminds games but other than that, we haven't seen her in a very long time. That's a real shame. I would love to bring her back one of these days. 

AD
Barking Alien