Failing Forward

As you can see, I am not going to be able to complete the RPGaDay Challenge for 2024. It simply wasn't in the cards this year for a variety of reasons.

My real life personal and work schedules were much more unpredictable and irregular than has been usual for a typical August of the past few years. 

When I have had time to think about gaming my thoughts were focused on very specific topics and not the general subjects some of the RPGaDay prompts might suggest.

I still haven't going back to my 31 Days/31 Characters Japanese Pop Culture Edition Challenge and that's frustrating. So much so that I keep thinking about that project more than this one.

In conclusion, I'm sorry I wasn't able to best this challenge this year but also not so much as I had to create my own prompts just to kinda be into it [given everything I mentioned].

I expect to be a bit more prolific with my posts in September as I have a lot of cool ideas and new game experiences to share. Get ready for discussions galore and a return to some of the previous endeavors I've left uncompleted.

That's all for now.

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 15

'All the Universe is full of the life of perfect creatures.'

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Scientist. One of the 'fathers' of modern astronautics and rocketry. 

I love animals and I love Science Fiction, so it isn't surprising that one of my favorite aspects of the latter is alien critters. The field of exozoology would definitely be my calling if I lived a distant future akin to Star Trek or Traveller. 

Art by Nicholas Ferrand

I love considering what kind of animals might live on the planets I create for my Science Fiction RPGs, even if they don't necessarily play a major part in the adventure I'm running. As mentioned previously in the post on WORLDS (Day 13), a creature that is both strange to the players but squarely fits its environment can add a sense of 'realism' to largely fantastic local. 

Shy by Alexander Ostrowski

Dragon Magazine #123 (July 1987) had a Star Frontiers article in it titled, 'The Whole Earth Ecology' that discussed... While the article was not an indepth bio-sciences analysis of life on other planets, it did what many great Dragon articles did back in the day; it made easily forgotten things to remember stick out in your mind and it inspired ideas. 

Art by nao70shark

Like a lot of articles from the old Dragon I read and re-read this one over and over, each time getting charged up by the very idea of populating distant worlds with new life forms. I couldn't wait to flex my creative muscles and create creatures that would challenge and interest my players and create a believable ecosystem for the world around them. 

The Sardu Reef by Alex Reis aka Abiogenesis

As you can see from the images accompanying this post, visuals play an important role in my use of creatures. I really like having or making pictures of the creatures I am referring to during a game. Sometimes the visual will inspire the development of a beastie and other times the critter concept comes first. Either way, a picture really enhances the introduction of a new alien animal. 

Art by Ben Mauro

With that, I don't really have much else say. I just love me some cute and cuddly creatures like the fellow above. Heheh. I'm sure I'll have some inspired revelation tomorrow but that's the way it goes. 

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Barking Alien

BONUS FEATURE: Day 15 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

Hmm. You know which characters have great gear? Starfleet characters and Ghostbusters. 

I might have mentioned this before but playing these two games, along with Star Wars, really shook up my outlook on how to run an RPG. Starting the characters off with some seriously awesome hardware not only feels right for the settings in question but also adds to the idea that gear is cool but not the goal.

The objective isn't obtaining more and/or better weapons when you start off with a Phaser or Particle Thrower. The Tricorder and PKE Meter are the right tools for the right job in their respective settings. You've already got the best toys. You're free to dig a little deeper and sure for something more meaningful. 'Course you could still be in it for the money in Ghostbusters and Star Wars. Oh well.

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 14

This is tricky to answer as it's difficult to pick my favorite campaign setting.  

I could easily go with Star Trek and explain why even after 42 years of running campaigns set in that universe, I still love to do so and probably will for 42 more. Honestly, I feel like I've discussed the subject before or I am very likely to do so in the future. It's also...too easy. Too expected. 

Instead, let me tell you why I don't generally like Medieval Fantasy but I do enjoy running my D&D-But-Not setting of Aerth, the world of The Winghorn Guard.

First created in 1982 for a campaign called 'The Winghorn Guard', the main idea behind the game is the same reason it remains special to me. The concept was simple, 'Run a Dungeons and Dragons campaign using the Gamemaster advice from a Superhero game'. Instead of planning to do a Medieval Fantasy game using ideas from the Advanced D&D Dungeon Master's Guide , I based how to go about running the game using what I'd learned from years of reading comic books like Marvel's Avengers and DC's Legion of Superheroes. Eventually, when I purchased Villains and Vigilantes [2nd Edition], I used the Gamemaster advice in that game to supplement what I was already doing. 

Giving Dungeons and Dragons 'Four Color' Superhero Comic Book elements allowed the game to have a unique identity and feel. I was able to focus on aspects of world-building and adventure design that emphasized the heroics, ethics, and emotions of the PCs, while de-emphasizing the murderhobo approach. The money, violence, and quest for power normally attributed to traditional D&D PCs are what the bad guys are concerned with on Aerth.

My objective was to inject Medieval Fantasy and Folklore with something I understood a lot better and that, at the time, was Silver to Bronze Age comics. The results were very successful and continue to be four decades later.

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Barking Alien

BONUS FEATURE: Day 14 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

What about them, eh? What makes a character compelling?

That's definitely a subject that could take up an entire post (good job official challenge!) and may be too broad a topic for a 'BONUS FEATURE' entry. 

I'll say this; it isn't always clear at the onset what will make for a compelling character. Often times players write multi-page backstories for their PCs not thinking about the fact that what they (really the player) might find really interesting is something they hadn't considered or didn't even know about when making up the character. 

As an example, my Hogwarts/Wizarding World PC, Frank Pellgrove, was created with an eye toward making him less interested in and effective at casting spells or brewing potions but really good with Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology. These were two things I knew most other players wouldn't give much thought to.

At some point during the campaign he helped birth a Hippocampus (mythological fish tailed horse) in the Hogwarts lake and became especially interested in aquatic beasts thereafter. In follow up sessions he would take an interest in boats, other sea creatures, and it was suggested to him that he might someday get a job as the Wizarding World's equivalent of a Marine Biologist.

These were profund moments for Frankie and ones that intertwined with and challenged his sense of self. Now, after roughly 6 or 7 years playing Frank, he's a much more compelling character than I ever would have expected. 

Bottomline is don't limit yourself to what you think would be compelling. Start with a basic concept, an outlook on life, and then through play allow yourself to be compelled. Give it a try!

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 13

"Impressive. They can make planets."

-Maltz

I consider myself a 'World-Building GM'. 

What does that mean exactly? Well, according to a definition by Merriam-Webster world-building is, 'the creation of a fictional world (especially within the science fiction and fantasy genres) that is believable and consistent within the context of the story'. Solid explanation I'd say. I would add that [good] worldbuilding creates a setting that feels alive as if it exists, or could, in some other time, place, or alternate universe.

As a World-Building GM, creating the setting and breathing life into it is my favorite part of the job. The best part of the TRPG hobby experience overall for yours truly is when one of my players shows interest in some element of the setting and decides to actively investigate it. 

Since I run a lot of Space Adventure Science Fiction, it isn't uncommon for me to create a lot of worlds. A lot of a lot. Consider my Star Trek Adventures campaign Star Trek: Prosperity. This is a bi-weekly campaign with a multi-role Starfleet vessel that visits a planet, spends two or three sessions on that world (on average), and then visits another planet in the next adventure. The campaign is in its 8th year now. Even with holidays, sick days, and other cancellations and skipped sessions we must have gone to literally hundreds of planets by now. 

Now most of these aren't fully fleshed out the way my Medieval Fantasy/Dungeons & Dragons-esque world of Aerth is. Aerth is over 40 years old and has been the setting for roughly a dozen campaigns (likely a little less than a dozen). There are people in the real world who know the layout of the streets of Rae-Uhn, the food of the island-continent of Corindel, and the location of the Cornerstone of the World. The cultures and history of the Elves, Dwarves, Ancient Humans, and even the Dragons have been explored. 

People have 'lived' on Aerth. People will live there again. They will find that past events and the actions of previous Player Characters have had an influence on the people and places that they have interacted with. Likewise, their activities will effect those that come after them. If even one of them remembers this world and their experiences on it fondly later in their real life, I have successfully built a world.

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Barking Alien

BONUS FEATURE: Day 13 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

Wow. I actually like this prompt. Fits with mine in a way. Cool. 

I am big on evocative environments. When creating a game world I like to have a few interesting 'set pieces' not matter where the PCs go. These visually distinct environs serve as both background color.and interactive terrain.

Background color translates to the players being able to 'see' where their PCs are and how it informs the atmosphere of a sequence. A cloudy evening with light rain over a vast plain surrounding your small farm invests the scene with loneliness, melancholy, and perhaps a tinge of fear. Soaring high above the shimmering sea on the back o a dragon during a beautiful sunny day generates a very different mood. 

Interactive terrain is an environment the PCs can use or which could be used against them. Think about snowy hills on an icy planet or in the deep winter of medieval europe. There is ice to slip on, banks of snow to hide behind, sliding downhill on your shield as a quick escape, and throwing snowballs makes for a great distraction. 

Anyway, I highly recommend switching up the environment around the PCs to something other than a stony underground corridor or the same old Eurasian forest. Shake it up!

A Bolt From The Blue

As you can all plainly see, I am running pretty far behind on the RPGaDay 2024 Challenge. The main reason for this is I've been distracted by RPG ideas I am currently finding much more inspiring and engaging.

One of these is the upcoming Smurfs Tabletop RPG by Maestro Media. I've received the Quick-Start Guide which contains the basic rules and an adventure. 

My initial thoughts...

Smurfberry Crunch

My first impression of the rules were that they seemed a little too crunchy for a Smurfs game.

There are Difficulty Level dice pools used in an attempt to roll under Attributes, something called Effort that can be spent to improve your chances of success by lowering the Difficulty, a Smurf's Advantage, Smurf Equipment, Smurf Power, Smurfberries, Safety Rolls, and YIKES! That's a lot of components to Smurf! All this for a game about little blue people living in a Mushroom Village? Yet...it all works.

It kind of reminds me of the Cypher System if you changed all the things I despise about Cypher into things I really like. 

Obstacles and opponents have a Difficulty Level, which is how many D6s you roll. The objective is to get a total number under your Attribute. What's cool is that rolling  In Cypher, and I'm going to explain this badly as I can never remember this exactly not matter how many times I play that game, to hit a Level 3 opponent you need to roll a 9 or better. Yes, a 3 means 9, a 4 means 12, and so on because you multiply the level of things by 3 on account of needing things to be more complicated and less intuitive than they should be. In Smurfs, a Difficulty Level 3 challenge or enemy means you roll 3 six-sided dice. A level 4 Difficulty means you roll 4D6. The number means the number. Novel right?

With an average Attribute of 6 things can get really tough really quick if you're trying to roll under that after adding up a roll of even 3D6. It seems all the sample Smurfs Attributes total up to 24 each, so while you could have everything at 6 you could also have something like Quick: 6, Brawn: 4, Mind: 9, and Heart: 5. The clever Smurf with these stats is going to have an easier time succeeding at intelligence related challenges. 

In Cyphe your Attributes are really pools from which you not only subtract points to improve your chances of success but are also spend to activate certain abilities. Additionally, the Might pool is your Hit Points. So everything is dependent on these three, usually not too beefy pools of points. This makes one reluctant to spend them but you have to, especially early on, as your PC often sucks. Next thing you know you are either unable to use your cool powers and/or unconscious.

Here you spend Effort similarly but its separate from your Attribute and have nothing to do with using your Equipment or special Advantage. The Smurf stated above has Quick: 6 and therefore a Quick Effort of 6 points. Likewise they have 4 points of Brawn Effort, 9 points of Mind Effort, and 5 point of Heart Effort. These can be spent, up to 3 at a time, to lower the number of Difficulty dice in a challenge. An all but impossible task of 5 or 6D6 can be brought down to 2 or 3D6 by spending 3 Effort.

Damage, Fatigue, and the like are subtracted from the appropriate Effort related to the situation. If you go to Zero Effort in one area all your following challenges are at +1D6 Difficulty but you still have the related Attribute! Hefty is still Strong when he's injury, Brainy is still smart when he's tired, etc. Things are just harder. If you go to Zero in two Effort categories you are Smurfed! You are knocked out and can't do anything other than make a Safety Roll. More on that below. 

Smurf Advantages often add a +2 to your Attribute for the purpose of rolling under for an appropriately related challenge. Let's say Hefty has a Brawn of 12. He also gets a +2 to all tests of strength, so his roll under number to pull Handy out of a river or lift a log trapping Smurfette would be 14. Some Advantages reduce the Difficulty level instead. Clumsy has an Advantage that is really cool and does a completely different thing. The full rules will list which Advantages do what I assume.

Equipment also lends a hand, adding a +2 when applied to a related task. For example, Jokey has an Exploding Present that adds +2 if the player can figure out how that would help in a given situation. Hmm. How's this...?

According to Jokey's Character Sheet, if he can use an Exploding Present to accomplish a goal that requires an Action Roll he lowers the Difficulty by 1D6 (that's his Advantage). The Exploding Present itself is a +2 piece of Equipment. Gargamel goes to grab Jokey. Gargamel is a Difficulty Level 3 opponent, so Jokey's player will roll 3D6 and try to get under Jokey's Quick of 8. Hold on! Gargamel is using a large net to catch Jokey, not his hand, so the Storyteller adds +2D6 to the Difficulty. Oh my Smurf! 5D6!

Thinking fast, Jokey tosses a Present Box up and over his shoulder, hoping it will explode as the net comes down. This will make a hole in the net that Jokey can easily escape through. He lowers the Difficulty to 4D6, spends a Quick Effort point to make it 3D6 and gets a +2 for the Exploding Present added to his Quick of 8. Now it's a 3D6 roll and he needs to get under a 10. He makes it with a 2, 3, and 4! Total of 9. Boom! Gargamel swings up his net to find a burnt and smoking whole and Jokey running away laughing. 

I like this because I really don't like the Cypher equivalent where it feels a little counterintuitive. You're always lowering the Difficulty there. Here you can lower the Difficulty and/or add to your Attribute. Getting a Plus to something just feels better than lowering the Difficulty for some reason. 

There's more with Smurfberries and Smurf Power but that's enough for now. 

Oh wait, one last thing, Safety Rolls! I like this because it feels very Saturday Morning Cartoon or 'Funny Pages' Comics and ties into one really interesting aspect of the game I didn't expect. There's a Base Building element! Seriously!

When a Smurf is rendered unconscious and unable to continue on due to reaching Zero in two of their Effort scores, and no other Smurf can render aid, the injured Smurf's player makes a 2D6 Safety Roll. If the player gets under the target number, their Smurf awakens in their own bed safe and sound back in the Smurf Village. The Storyteller and player come up with a narrative to explain how the PC got home. Saved by friendly Squirrels? Rescued by a team of nameless background Smurfs? You decide! 

Best part is that the target number is determined by your Smurf's Mushroom House! That's right Smurfettes and Gentlesmurfs, you get to build your own personal Smurf Cottage that can give you bonuses such as extra Equipment, a Work Bench to create new Equipment, a way to regain spent Smurf Power, and ways of lowering task Difficulty - For example: If you need to bake some Smurfberry Tarts, go to the house of Smurf in the party who added a Kitchen! Love this!

OK, that's it. I have more to discuss and so many Smurfy game ideas.

Smurf you later!

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Barking Smurf

Sorry for the Cypher bashing everybody. By that I mean you shouldn't have to sit through my dislike of Cypher so I apologize to you. I do not apologize to Cypher however. It knows what it did and it should be ashamed! 

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 12

I'm looking for some information. I've been told you can help.

Bards, Information Brokers. Informants, Intelligence Operatives, Sages...Bartenders.

Every genre and setting have those in the know who are willing to share their knowledge for a price. Some put a numerical value on the knowledge, while others trade for favors or an exchange of information.

I've had lots of these kinds of characters in my various campaigns, with some becoming reoccurring NPCs that the PCs looked forward to visiting and not just for the intel. Solid examples of this type of character include Ipperius Witspear and some versions of Barkley himself. Another particularly strange and fun one is Mr. Carver the Fall Bearer, The Ghost of Rottinghume Manor. 

So, who can I point to here? Who do you guys not know about yet. Wait...how about...

Eavesdrop Eddie

Anyone familiar with the game Crimefighters by Dave Cook? Not many I'd wager. Listen here see -  it was a Pulp Era RPG written up in an issue of Dragon Magazine by none other than TSR in 1981. My friends and I got a copy of a year later and gave it a whirl. The PC heroes were of the Spirit and Doc Savage variety with 'The Spider - Master of Men' a major influence on the campaign. I ran it as a blend of Pulp, Film Noir, and early Superhero Comic Books. While looking through old files I came across the game for the first time in years and I remembered this fellow; perfect for today's prompt...

Edward 'Eavesdrop Eddie' Eckleman was a struggling, small time Private Eye with a most unusual gift and curse. 

Eddie was born with a severe ear infection that threatened to render him deaf before his first birthday. Doctors, from Specialists to Quacks, were all at loss to figure out a cure for the baby's affliction. Finally, the day before his first birthday, the Ecklemans were visited by a Filipino woman who claimed to have been saved from her burning home by Edward's father during the Philippine-American War. She had tracked him down to thank him and 'got word' of his son's malady.

She applied medicinal herbs and oinments to the boy's ears and then released a small swarm of insects into the room which proceeded to bite both of the baby's ears mercilessly. She was shooed away by the parents and then they brought Eddie directly to the hospital as the child's ears began to swell to horrible size and redness. Hours later the doctors informed the Ecklemans that the infection was completely gone and the boy totally healthy. While the swelling had finally subsided, Edward's ears remained unusually large and have ever since. 

From that point forward 'Eavesdrop Eddie', as unkind schoolmates had nicknamed him, found that he possessed an amazing sense of hearing. He could clearly hear the quietest of whispers across the expanse of a theatre, even while the entire crowd made idle chatter. He would winch in discomfort at the unheard sound of a dog whistle. He would cover his ears at the wailing scream of a police sirem but uncover them to note which direction a criminal's footfalls were heading. Over time he learned to pick out each instrument in a piece of music such that he could tell you the name of instrument's manufacturer if he knew it. 

Unfortunately, he can't turn it off. No, Eddie lives all his days and nights jarred by the slightest creak of staircases, the pitter-patter of mice in the walls, and the drip of a leaky faucet two apartments away down the hall. He gets little sleep, commonly gets headaches, and often appears to be a man at his wits end.

Still, he somehow manages a sad smile and a friendly 'How are ya' to everyone he passes. His positivity, which sometimes seems strained to its limits, is nonetheless earnst. He loves music, from Classical to Jazz, and can play the piano remarkably well (one might say he has an ear for it). He likes his Scotch neat, avoids Tea and Coffee ("I got enough trouble sleepin' as it is"), and is especially fond of the company of quiet people. The unnervingly silent presence of the crimefighter 'Phantom Midnight' is something Eddie very much looks forward to.

After overhearing various gangmembers planning a heist while in Little Italy, Eddie became the go-to guy for picking up info on the streets thanks to his incredible auditory abilities. Eventually he decided to put those talents to use as a Private Detective but he isn't necessarily the best at all aspects of the job. He is a friend and invaluable source of intelligence in New York CIty, especially South of 14th Street and his home turf of 'Alphabet City' on the Lower East City. 

The character is a gestalt of two late actors, comedians, and singers, the incomparable Eddie Cantor and the great Jimmy Durante. 

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Barking Alien

BONUS FEATURE: Day 12 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

Seriously? And you wonder why I came up with my own prompts.

No clue. As with my last post I've heard good things about the ALIEN and Star Trek Adventures pre-fab campaigns. Are they well supported? Beats me. 

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 11

Psst. *Whispering* Hey. Yeah you. C'mere. *Looks around* Can you keep a secret?

 

Players love their Secrets don't they? 

Player Character backstories are always full of checkered pasts, tragic childhoods, and embarrassing relationships to the big bad. Don't worry about remembering it all as it's explained in great detail in the ten page character write-up the player has given you. The thing of it is, for the time being this forbidden knowledge is known only to the player and you the GM. By no means should the rest of the group know or even be aware of any of it. Those secrets are to revealed later.

But when is later?

In my mind, secrets are best handled in the same way as mysteries. I've stated it before but what is the primary purpose of a mystery? To have it solved. A mystery that can't be solved lies somewhere between frustrating and meaningless. Secrets are very much the same. A secret no one is aware of beyond the Player and the GM might as well not exist. At some point that secret should be hinted at, then alluded to in a direct manner, then revealed.  Some excitement and drama stems from keeping the secret but even more can result from uncovering or confessing to the truth. 

This can get tricky if the player whose PC holds the secret is reluctant to divulge the information they've been keeping under wraps. You don't want to give it away too soon but the longer its held the harder it is to have it come out. Now I don't mean hard as in the reaction will be more intense, though it might be, but rather its more gets difficult to let go of what has become a well guarded and even coveted piece of a character's lore. If the others learn your secret, then what makes your character special now?

Well, lots of things probably (hopefully) but the expoxing of a PCs hidden information doesn't lessen the character, it simply changes their dynamic, their place in the narrative, and maybe even the narrative itself.

For me it all works best if the secret starts as an unknown, then trickles out into the campaign in the form of small clues and curious interactions or events, until eventually release of the knowledge into the wild becomes unavoidable. This could take half a dozen sessions, a dozen, two dozen, or even more but all relative to the length of the campaign itself. I don't have an exact number or percentage. I'd play it by ear personally. However, the key is I would wing it with an objective in mind - somewhere is trying to keep a secret and the universe is trying to reveal it. 

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Barking Alien

BONUS FEATURE: Day 11 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

From what I understand, according to gaming friends who use pre-made one-shot adventures, Star Trek Adventures and ALIEN are big winners in this category. Both Modiphius and Free League seem to put out fun, short adventures that work very well as one-shots. 

I don't have any first hand experience so I can't really speak on it beyond this. 

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 10

 Here's a toughy...

Is there a genre I've never played or run? Never? I honestly can't think of one. Hmm.

Comedy - Ghostbusters, Paranoia, Teenagers from Outer Space, Toon.

Crime/Detective/Thriller - Crimefighters, Gangbusters, Justice Inc. 

Cyberpunk - Cyberpunk 2020, Metal Head, 

Fantasy - D&D (Various Editions), Pathfinder, Runequest, Sword World.

Historical - Wild West (Boot Hill, Savage Worlds), World War II (Recon). 

Historical Fantasy - Ars Magica, Bushido, Pendragon.

Horror - ALIEN, Call of Cthulhu, Chill. 

Post-Apocalypse - Aftermath, Apocalypse World, Twilight: 2000. 

Science Fantasy - Gamma World*, Metamorphosis Alpha*, Shadowrun, Star Wars.

Science Fiction - Space Opera, Star Frontiers, Star Trek, Traveller.

Steampunk (with or without Fantasy) - Castle Falkenstein, Gear Antique, Space: 1889. 

Superheroes - Champions, Godlike, Golden Heroes, Mutants and Masterminds, Villains and Vigilantes.

*Gamma World and Metamorphosis Alpha are too fantastical to be considered really Post-Apocalypse for the purposes of this list IMHO. 

This is just a handful of the games I've run and played (mostly run). It doesn't even cover Espionage (James Bond, Top Secret), Mecha (Mechwarrior, Mekton, Wares Blade), or Modern Day Action (Feng Shui, Burning Spirits, Streetfighter). 

I really questioned myself into a corner here didn't I? 

Can anyone think of a genre I didn't cover?

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Barking Alien

BONUS FEATURE: Day 10 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

See on TV? Like...in a commercial? Do people still watch network TV? I don't understand this question. 

If you mean in a fashion similar to Actual Play videos on YouTube I still couldn't answer as there is a thing called YouTube. That's where these play. I'm not really into watching them unless its to learn how a game is played when I'm having trouble grokking the rules. Beyond that, I don't really care for Actual Play. 

Now if you mean a show based on a TRPG, well I'd love to see a big budget, well done Traveller series on Netflix. That'd be prett cool. 

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 9

 "Few people make a change from a position of comfort."

The phrase above, told to me by one of my uncles, is one that has always stuck with me. Why would you change what you're doing if what you're doing is comfortable and, at least to some extent, makes you happy. Of course, comfort and happiness are not synonymous. You can become so used to a less than desirable situation such that it begins to feel comfortable even if it isn't good for you in the long run.

Let's keep this light though and talk about how this applies to gaming.

Usually a Gamer will stick with a game that gives them a feeling of comfort. It may have been their first game, the game they played most often in their formative years, the only game in town, or any number of other variables. It doesn't have to be a great game, though it might be. The key is they think and feel that its a great game partly do to their familiarity with it. What counts is that its comfortable. 

Now, maybe the gamer we're talking about here has never been introduced to or even come across any other games. Maybe they've tried a few others and they just didn't click. Maybe they play other games from time to time on the [irregular] regular but always go back to their comfort game.

Is there anything wrong with that? No. Not at all. Whatever makes you happy, right? However, if it isn't making you happy and you stick with it only because it's comfortable, then I highly recommend giving some others games a try. Leave that Comfort Zone and who knows what might happen? You might find a new favorite or you might just gain a new appreciation for your old one. 

Even I have a Comfort Zone, although 'Zones' might be accurate. I really love trying out new games, even if I don't end up loving them all. At the same time, as I've mentioned in the past, I usually circle back to Star Trek, Star Wars, Superheroes (especially Champions), Traveller, Ghostbusters, Mecha, and Anime Comedy. Nowadays I'd add ALIEN to that list. Might be getting back to the Smurfs soon.

Hmm. That's a lot of zones. I'm kind of proud of that. 

What are yours?

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Barking Alien 

BONUS FEATURE: Day 9 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

I...have no idea. Honestly, as I noted on the previous post, accessories aren't a major thing or draw for me. I'd like to see one so useful that I, Adam, would want to by it. 

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 8

Over the last 47 years, I've created a lot of cool weapons as GM and wielded more than a few through my PCs. I've also seen a ton in the hands of my fellow PCs, as well as NPCs both allied and hostile, under a variety of GMs. Picking one in particular to spotlight is difficult but I'll try. 

As awesome as some of these weapons may be, I don't want to repeat the telling of ones I've described in the past, no matter how memorable they may be. Ceren-Dee's 'Blue Dragon's Tongue' and the individually customized Proton Packs of the Ghostbusters: Home Office crew are just a couple of examples. I'm looking to tell you about a combat tool I haven't yet discussed. Hmm. Let me check the Barking Alien Armory. *Rummaging noises* Huh. This ones interesting. 

The Open Key

'When the Forces of Nature and the Laws of Physics got together to create the Multiverse, they found the most difficult part of the project to be keeping it all organized. In a stroke of what could have been genius, the Laws and Forces carefully placed many of the elements they needed in the Storage Room of Eternity. Unfortunately, concerned that someone might try to break-in and steal something - even though no one yet existed to do so - the Laws of Physics put the Lock of Infinite Combinations on the Storage Room. This insured no one could get in. Not the non-existent thieves and certainly not the Forces or the Laws. Oh. Oh dear. 

Luckily, the Forces of Nature had anticipated their associate's paranoia and created The Open Key. With this miracle device, the Forces and the Laws were able to access the contents of the Storage Room of Eternity without needing to go inside it themselves or even be anywhere near it. An eon later, give or take, once the project was finished and the Multiverse complete, the Forces and the Laws misplaced the Open Key and, like all lost keys, it was never to be seen by them again.

The Open Key has turned up time and again throughout the history of the Multiverse's existence and then promptly lost again as that is just how it is with keys. Often the Key has fallen into the wrong hands many times as, quite frankly, that's all hands. If you do find it, you will surely lose it again before long so use it wisely. You can also use it unwisely if you really want to. Hey, most of us only live once, right? 

To use the Open Key the holder must pantomime sticking it into a keyhole. Before or as you turn the key, you must declare what you are opening and in some cases a few particulars as will be explained below. This must be spoken out loud. As you turn the key you'll feel some resistance and hear the echoing sounds of 'unlocking'. The key's effects will then immediately take place.

The following uses of the Open Key have been reported but there are a nigh-infinite number of others (please share any you may encounter):

Open Fire: This causes a barrage of fiery energy bolts to rain down upon the region. The bolts have both heat and kinetic force and explode on impact with any solid matter. If no target it designated, the flame bolts fall randomly upon everyone in a 100 ft. radius of the Keyholder. The bolts will never strike the being holding the key themselves however. The more proper way to use this would be to call out, 'Open Fire on Lord Evil-Lot and his Shadow Army'. This ensures the attack will only hurt Evil-Lot and his forces. Its fine. They deserve it.

Open Dialogue or Open to Discussion: Everyone within a hundred feet of the Keyholder will suddenly pay attention them, clearly hear them when they speak regardless of any other noises or similar distractions. In addition, language will not be a barrier. Everyone present will understand they who have opened the discussion. 

Open the Floodgates: This floods the area with water, so much and so quickly it can knock people and animals off their feet and send wagons and carts floating down a newly raging river. If you use this near a freshwater river the water will be freshwater. If you do it near the seashore it will be saltwater. If used in a desert and the keyholder wasn't thinking of any particular type, flip a coin to determine salt or freshwater. The being holding the Key and anyone roughly 20 ft around them will find the ground they were standing on to be suddenly raised, elevated above the water level. 

Open Road: Allows for travel anywhere within a given universe, dimension, or alternative reality. It can not be used to travel, for example, from the Corridor Dimension to Universe Alpha-1. It can be used to go from anywhere in the Corridor Dimension to anywhere else in the Corridor Dimension. The Keyholder must declare their destination along with speaking the command. One could take out the Open Key, starting the 'unlocking' process, and say, "Open Road to Gamma Reticuli II", and they would see a bright path on the ground. Stepping onto it, they will instantaneously find themselves on the second planet in the Gamma Reticuli system. The path remains open for only 30 seconds or so and can be used by others after the Keyholder but they must hurry. We haven't got all day you know. 

Open Sesame: This allows access into any edifice. The structure need not have a door, window, or any other opening. The wall in front of the Keyholder will simply slide away as if it was built that way and then they and their allies may enter. There does need to be an inside to the target to go to. You can not Open Sesame into a place you could not walk around in. 

Open to Suggestion: Before activating this effect, the user of the Open Key decides who it is they wish to make a suggestion to. It can be more than one person but it does not effect everyone in your vicinity the way Open to Discussion does. Generally the wielder of the Key would think, 'I want to make a suggestion to the store owner' or 'I want to make a suggestion to those gathered around the Coffeemaker'. Once the effect is 'unlocked', the Keyholder can make a suggestion to their target and said target (or targets) will be forced to seriously consider the suggestion, viewing the Keyholder in a positive light as purtains to giving honest, well thought out feedback and ideas. This does not guarantee agreement with the suggestion. It eliminates bias and personal feelings on the matter, causing the receipients to view the idea given in a neutral, logical, and yet compassionate manner. 

Open Your Mind: Activating this effect can be overwhelming for most mortal users, require strong mental discipline and focus. Use of this effect enables the Keyholder to perceive the thoughts of one or more people, potentially encompassing anyone within the wielder's line of sight. In addition to thoughts, it is possible to see through their eyes, hear what they're hearing, search recent memories, and generally possess a form of limited though considerable clairsentience. As noted, it is easy to get confused and overstimulated by this and zeroing in on a specific thought, perception, or feeling is tricky at best. Good luck with that. 

Currently the Open Key is in the possession of...wait...damn...where'd I leave my keys?

The Open Key and everything related to it comes from a Tales from the Floating Vagabond game campaign I ran back in 1991 or '92.

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Barking Alien

BONUS FEATURE: Day 8 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

An accessory, eh? Like Dice? I mean, I have dice I like, though its been ages since I was really a collector of them the way some gamers are. Besides, I'm gaming online these days. Online die rolling is common. 

I don't use a dice tray these days for the reason noted above. A GM's screen? Haven't used one of those in decades. Beyond the rulebooks and source material everything else is on computer. That's it, I appreciate my computer. 

Well...that was...a prompt.

 

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 7

'You should not have a favorite weapon, nor likes and dislikes. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well.'

Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

When it comes to Weaponry in TRPGs, I always lean towards the type that can do more than damage. Versatility is key. Not every situation is a loose nail, so not every weapon need be a hammer.

Perhaps my favorite example of a versatile weapon is the Green Lantern Ring, a device capable of transforming thought and willpower into solid objects and effects made of energy. Likewise the object that inspired the GL Ring, the Lens of E. E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman series, is a weapon that rarely does direct harm. It is primary a tool for communication and enhanced perception but it also gives the wielder greater capabilities toward winning the day.

What about the Phaser? You can certainly set your weapon to Stun, Kill, or Disintergrate but what about Heat (used by Sulu in 'The Enemy Within' to prevent he and his team from freezing to death), 'Cut' (my players reasoned that it can be used as a cutting tool somewhere between Heat and Disintegrate), and Blast (between Heavy Stun and Kill, inspired by effect depicted in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock). 

Then there's Medieval Weapons. Yeah. Hmm. So...how about that Sportsball? 

The problem with most medieval weaponry is that outside of cutting a rope, the sword and arrow are rarely used for anything beyond hitting and hurting an opponent. Be it axe, mace, or dart, medieval weapons - like many elements of Medieval Fantasy gaming in the Western world - see limited variation. This is something I try very hard to change when I run Fantasy, giving magic swords and other weapons more than one function. 

As you can imagine, I'm not a dagger sort of guy. More the 'swiss army knife' type.

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Barking Alien

BONUS FEATURE: Day 7 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

'Good Form'? What is good form in a TRPG context? What game features 'behaviour that conforms to the social conventions of our time'? I seriously have no idea how to answer this. 

Pass.