Uncle Deadly's House of Badness

Thanks to a think tank of the most brilliant yet mad scientists in the world today, I was able to reintegrate with minimal difficulty or discomfort. I should make it clear that none of those scientists are affiliated with the Muppets.

Moving right along...

One of the projects Muppets writer Kirk Thatcher had in development for the Muppets was a silly Goosebumps-type TV show called "Uncle Deadly's House of Badness". The project never got off the ground, and it's unknown if a pilot was filmed or if a script was even completed.

Now with a little tweaking, this could be an awesome campaign idea for The Muppets RPG.

First, is there a cooler looking Muppet than Uncle Deadly? Hells no.





Uncle Deadly, aka 'The Phantom of the Muppet Show', looks like a cross between a blue dragon and Quasimodo. His eyes are my favorite feature and very rare among the Muppet designs, consisting of concave black sockets with little 'pegs' inside painted white at the tips. The effect is fantastically creepy and emotive in my opinion.





Second, is there a Muppet with a cooler back story? Hells no.


Uncle Deadly was once an actor who performed at the Muppet Theater. Following a performance of Othello, the actor was killed...by the critics. His acting was ridiculed so badly that he disappeared and eventually haunted the Muppet Theater.

How creepy is that?

Where was I...?  

"You were about to tell this lovely audience the premise of my most brilliant venture for use with your improvisational storytelling contest."

It's not so much a contest as a game. You...GAH! U-Uncle Deadly?!

"Yes! It is I, the one true Shakespearean spectre, the Phantom of the Muppet Show. I understand you're a fan?"

(Autographs a photo with no one in it and stuffs it into Adam's jacket pocket.)

Er...I am. And thanks. Perhaps you can describe a bit more of the concept of this series as it would relate to the game.

"Delighted.

You see, I envision a series of frightening tales introduced by yours truly and then acted out by the various Muppet players. This would be perfect for one-time performances. However, if you wanted to produce a serial using the idea you might want to make a few changes."

Agreed. Such as?

"Perhaps the principle characters are investigators of the paranormal and the bizarre. Their 'headquarters' as it were might be a mysterious and macabre mansion owned by a wealthy, dashing and handsome benefactor. Played by me of course. Each episode they would try to uncover some dreadful secret or defeat some horrific monstrosity."

Sounds great!

"Oh indeed. What is especially wonderful about this premise is it need not feature the key players of the Muppet ensemble. It most certainly could but new characters would work well too."

I would add a little idea Erin Palette came up with and I've modified...

In a Muppets Horror game, if you get startled, spooked or act wigged out by something you gain a 'Willie'. If you get the 'Willies' in a larger quantity than you have Stars, you go insane or, in the case of some characters, sane. Erin said...

"Wouldn't it be funny if Muppet Horror drove them sane? Gonzo sees Dread C'Charo and her Cootchie-Cootchie of Doom, his mind snaps and he becomes an accountant."

"Marvelous. A most splendid jest."

Uncle Deadly, could I impose upon you to come back for one of the later segments. The fans would love to see you there.

"Absolutely. Anything for my adoring public Adam."

Excellent. We'll be back with Metas, Monsters, Mutants, Magic and more, right after the break.

AD
Barking Alien



Muppet Quotes

Vincent Price: "I am traveling with my beautiful assistant and a hideously deformed monster.
Uncle Deadly: "I am the beautiful assistant."

Here's A Muppet News Flash!

Can you tell I am a big Uncle Deadly fan? Definitely my favorite obscure Muppet.

As an aside, InSpectres by Memento Mori Games would be a great resource for ideas for this series. I even considered adapting some of those rules at one point to a Muppet Horror or Muppet Reality TV campaign, especially the 'Interviews' idea. Great game regardless. I highly recommend checking it out.
Once the PDF is finished you will notice some distinct differences in the rules compared to how they first appear on the site. Mostly it's a matter of clarification and minor adjustments. The Exploding Die originally mentioned in the very beginning now only occurs during Routines for example. That's the toughest part of making a PDF for this. I'm forever tweaking this thing.