Command Crew to the Bridge

I thought it prudent to follow up my last post with the words of the players involved in our long standing Star Trek Adventures RPG campaign, Star Trek: Prosperity.

I posed to them the question, 'Why do you think Star Trek: Prosperity has lasted so long?"

Before I tell you what they said/wrote, I thought I'd give you all a brief, up-to-date rundown on our four Player Characters. 

Our Commanding Officer, Captain Ann Fletcher (played by Dan), went from young woman to watch to a well respected and regarded officer, a favorite of the Beta Quadrant's Starfleet Admiralty. Born and raised in the Sol System Asteroid Field, the Captain's teen and young adult years remain a bit of a mystery but definitely include some rough and tumbler years. She has a strong will, unflinching beliefs, and a goal of unifying every intelligent species in the galaxy in mutual friendship and respect.  

Commander Solok, our former First Officer and Chief Science Officer, published a number of papers on Precursor Science and Technology touted as ground-breaking by scientists across the UFP, particularly the Vulcan Science Academy. Mr. Solok has temporarily taken a leave of absense from Starfleet after marrying the Prosperity's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Margaret 'Maggie' Hanover. The player now plays the up-and-coming young Helmsman Charlie Wilder, a natural born pilot (Solok and Wilder played by Leo).

Commander Solok of Vulcan

Former First Officer and Chief Science Officer

The ship's Chief Engineer, Andorian officer Tha'ar Bhoth (played by Alex), was promoted to First Officer and now serves with both distinction and a constent feeling of having to live up to his predecessor. Bhoth is a man of two worlds, with his dedication to the UFP and Starfleet pulled and pushed by his relationship with the Andorian Imperial Guard, where his father serves as a well-respected General. 

Finally, last but not least, Lt. Commander Rhys Carr (played by Arthur) started out as our Chief Communications Officer, was transferred to Chief of Security, and finally promoted to Chief Science Officer. Earler in Carr's Starfleet career (prior to the start of the campaign) he served as a Crytanalyst and that played a big part in his role as Chief of Communications. He was able to decypher the iconographic language of the Precursors and developed an improved algorithm for Universal Translators that greatly enhanced First Contact operations for years to come. 

Now, on to the players' comments...

"A longstanding mutual commitment that come what may, by the end of the session, Star Trek wins." Dan - Captain Fletcher

 ​“ First, the opportunity to portray a character for years and having them evolve and change though game play. Star Trek is a unique RPG setting that encourages communication over conflict, compassion over cruelty, and exploration over exploitation. Even as the world seems to prefers the later over the former, it’s comforting to be able to listen to our better angels. ”  Leo - Commander Solok / Lt. Wilder

“A fanatical love of and desire to live in Star Trek. The satisfaction of contributing our own stories in said universe. Love of each other at the table...a damn good ship design!” Alex - Commander Bhoth

"First, I truly love Star Trek and heartily welcome the chance to live in that universe for even a few hours a month. Second, I don’t have the opportunity in any other medium to not be the 'main character' and flex a player character’s interpersonal skills muscles on an ongoing basis. (There is no “I” in team. Except in Klingon. And then it’s more of an “eye”.) Lastly, to quote Professor Higgins, I’ve grown accustomed to your faces." Arthur - Lt. Commander Carr

The crew has spoken! The Voyage Continues...

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Barking Alien

Why Star Trek: Prosperity Works

JB at B/X BLACKRAZOR wrote a post about 'Why D&D Works' in which he puts forth his own idea of what the secret ingredient is that makes the grandfather of all RPGs so popular to this day. His epiphany is...interesting. Check it out, it's well worth the read. 

It made me think about the fact that I am currently involved in two Star Trek Adventures campaigns, one as a player and one as a GM. As I mentioned not long ago, the one I am Gamemastering is my bi-weekly game Star Trek: Prosperity, is now in its 8th year.

Eight years* of the same campaign; the same players, same GM, [mostly] the same characters, same ship, same mission - explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and ancient civilizations, boldly go on one wild Sci-Fi adventure after another. 

What began as a convention one-shot of Last Unicorn Games' Star Trek RPG has become two hundred sessions covering nearly a hundred different missions using Modiphius Entertainment's excellent Star Trek Adventures. 

So I had to ask myself...Why does this campaign endure?

1st Session of Episode 5 run on 11/08/24

For starters, the players are all Star Trek fans. 

We each have our favorite incarnation of the franchise but we all like Star Trek. We decided on a particular era, largely informed by the one-shot I ran at a RECESS Game Event, and ran with it. Barring some minor details here and there, the entire group is on the same page when it comes to the setting and its tropes. This is a big part of why it works. 

The group shares a clear and unified vision of the setting

While I try very hard to create new and interesting scenarios to challenge the players and their PCs, the campaign as a whole is really about the Player Characters and not the Star Trek universe or the challenge of the week. They (the PCs) are the stars of this particular show. 

In each scenario I run them through, there is always an element that hits upon one or more of the Command Crew's interests, outlooks, or goals. The adventures are tied to the PCs and vice versa. As time goes on, this enables me (as the GM) to expand the setting while simultaneously allowing the players to further develop their characters.  

The campaign is character driven and the group loves their characters. 

In the Star Trek universe, characters are bit more 'enlightened' than your average PCs in other types of TRPGs. They aren't motivated by the acquisition of wealth or items (the Ferengi aside) and as such the motivations of the characters go beyond 'kill things and take their stuff'.

Somewhat linked to this is a reduced need to see the characters constantly improve; i.e. raise stats and skills, get new powers, etc. It just isn't a major component of the game. We do have character (and starship) improvement but it only occurs at the start of each new even numbered 'Season' (the ship improves at the beginning of odd numbered Seasons).

These two factors combine to allow the campaign to last longer. Player Characters aren't accumulating new weapons and equipment and are unlikely to suddenly or even eventually obtain anything that will 'unbalance encounters'. No one's going to randomly come across a +3 Phaser or a Tricorder of Perfect Scanning.

Likewise the PCs aren't going to grow resistant to Distruptor Fire or gain a Feat that lets them instantly win diplomatic negotiations. Power creep is extremely gradual and it could be argued it doesn't even exist in any practical sense. There certainly isn't anyone in the group looking to be more 'powerful'. 

PCs motivated by more than material gains are free to create their own 'victory conditions' and that works to keep the game going. 

A lack of Power Gaming, Item Hording, and Power Creep extends the life of the campaign. 

While the PCs face danger constently in their endeavors, no PC has died during the 8 year run* of the game. There are key reasons for this. 

First and foremost, in three seasons of the Original Series no member of the Bridge Crew of the Enterprise died. In staying true to the feel of a 1960s-70s Science Fiction TV show, the leads can't be randomly perish. Star Trek isn't about killing the main characters. It's about making their lives difficult while they try to protect the rest of their crew, the planet they're orbiting, or even the entire galaxy. 

New NPCs for Season 8

Instead I've found it quite impactful to kill a named NPC or say, 'Reporting a dozen casualties across Decks 7, 8, and 9 Captain. Another two dozen wounded". We often bring up the deaths of past NPCs we've lost in the line of duty. The PCs and their players feel responsible for every 'life' aboard the Prosperity. There are 271 NPCs counting on the Command Crew to get them home safely. The PCs can die but more often the campaign is about how they live with and handle loss. 

The players have asked that I up the stakes, feeling the campaign doesn't feel quite threatening enough sometimes. Understandable for those accustomed to more traditional RPGs. I have raised the body count in Season 8 and the guys seem to be loving it. Player input and GM/Player cooperation is another major factor in the game's longevity. 

Though the odds are in favor of PC survival, a sense of risk and loss keeps the players on their toes and coming back for more. 

Spacefaring Vessels of Season 8 (So far)

Let's summarize:

• Star Trek, specifically our version of Star Trek, is clear to all players.
• The campaign is character focused, with the PCs central to the adventures.
• PCs are driven by their motivations. which change and expand with the campaign.
• The game is challenging, the possibility of loss ever-present, but PC death is rare. 

This campaign has lasted so long* you'd think I must have discovered the RPG magic formula, some ultimate GM trick that guarantees me a successful, continuing game every time I set out to create that 'forever campaign'. Sadly, no. That's not how that works. 

This combination of approaches and elements works well with this group of players playing this setting with this particular GM (Me). This doesn't insure success in any other situation; if the players were different, if there were one more or one less, if the players were the same but the setting Post-TNG, or any number of other alterations to Star Trek: Prosperity's 'perfect storm' I don't know for certain that we'd still be playing it today. 

This works for this group. Star Trek: Prosperity is the right game for the right group that came about at the right time and (so far) continues to do so. 

What works for you?

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Barking Alien

Ventura Class based on the USS Ventura created by John Byrne and the Sentinel Class created by Bill Krause.

*Brace yourselves...

I have been operating off the belief that the Star Trek: Prosperity campaign is eight years old based on our 8 'Seasons' of play - 8 sets of 12 adventures (not sessions), referred to by the group as 'Episodes'. 

However...

According to campaign notes recently discovered by Dan, who plays the ship's Captain, the game may be even older. Specifically, Dan found some papers dating back to 2013. This would indicate that the campaign is at least 11 years old. The notes themselves are clearly early in the run but not the very beginning, so it's possible the game could be as much as 12 years old. 

Wow. I'm stunned. 

This post took nearly two weeks to finish.

The Quintessential Barking Alien Playlist

I've always been someone who enjoys trying out new RPGs.

The very act of experimenting with new systems is fun for me in and of itself, independent of whether or not I end up liking a particular game or other. It should go without saying that 'New' and 'Different' doesn't automatically equal 'Good' but you'll never know if you don't give it a try 

All this said, I definitely have a selection of tried and true games I tend to fall back on. These aren't necessarily my favorite games, although some are, but rather the RPGs that see the most play at my table for one reason or another and that's what this post is really about...

My friend Ray and I were discussing the games that have seen reoccurring  use over the years and noticed that some see more attention then others, while a few have never been played with my Mid-Week group at all. They simply haven't come up and I found that both surprising and interesting.

It made me wonder, 'What are the quintessential Adam games?'; the RPGs that I am known for running on the regular that are most likely to give players an expected enjoyable experience. 

Star Trek Adventures

This is the game that I play most often lately; running a bi-weekly campaign and playing in a [roughly] weekly one. In the past few years I've also played in and GMed a handful of one-shots and short campaigns. 

It's one of my favorite games covering one of my favorite entertainment franchise settings. It's far more likely that I will continue to play it as a main game rather than need to 'get back to it'. This isn't the game I go to in order to take a break from my usual game but instead the game I might be taking a break from if anything. 

Champions

I go back to this game and my buddy William's homebrew setting regularly, often at the behest of my players. Many of them love this game or at the very least the universe. Superheroes in general are also a favorite genre with many of my friends. Like Star Trek Adventures, Champions is a major candidate for an ongoing, long term campaign.

The only draw back is that sometimes I want to try something new when the players want to return to this. Actually, that's a common element of many of these entries but this one seems especially 'in demand'. 

Traveller (Classic/MegaTraveller)

This one is another staple. Maybe it's not an 'automatic win' every time but the choice to run and play a Traveller campaign is going to go over well with my groups and result in an enjoyable game.

After running a long and very successful campaign some years ago, most of our subsequent outings with Traveller have tended to be short but reasonably successful.

Ars Magica

Ah, Ars Magica. The one Fantasy TRPG I consistently love. Unlike Champions, which comes up because my players request it, this game gets run when I get a pang of nostalgia for it. Sometimes you're just in the mood for a series of pseudo-historical myth and folklore based adventures, ya'know? 

Star Wars (D6)

Maybe its because I've run so much Star Wars over the decades, maybe its because the source of inspiration for these games has been rather hit and miss lately, but it can be very tricky for me to get jazzed to run this nowadays. I still love Star Wars the concept and the D6 system is among my top five favorite RPGs but this one doesn't come around quite as often as it used to. 

Ghostbusters (My OG / InSpectres / ALIENS Homebrew)

As you might have noticed if you frequent this blog often (yeah, I'm talking to you three) I LOVE running Ghostbusters. I am quite proud of the homebrew/kitbash system I've created for doing so and the mix of Horror, Sci-Fi, and Comedy is just perfect as a campaign setting. 

First thing about this is...I'd rather run an ongoing campaign of Ghostbusters than take a break from whatever 'regular game' I'm running to play a short run of this. Second thing is that Ghostbusters is definitely something I'm waaay more into than most of my current players are so this gets to the table far less than I'd like.  

The Winghorn Guard/Aerth

As you probably know, I'm not a D&D fan. Even my own D&D, which isn't really D&D in the classic sense. Kinda sorta. The point is, although I do love Aerth and the Winghorn Guard setting, I don't often feel the desire to revisit it that often anymore. Once in a while I guess but not on the regular.

Been a while though...

Mecha (Various)

This is directed at the genre moreso then it is any particular game. From time to time the need to strut around in six story high humanoid robots is just undeniable. A fan of Mecha Anime going all the way back to my Junior High School/Middle School days, I do love me a great story with people, politics, adventure, and of course giant robots. 

My favorite Mecha setting/universe is Mobile Suit Gundam, specifically the classic 'Universal Century' and 'One Year War' timelines. Rules wise I tend to prefer using my homebrew Mecha System Variant mechanics. Other options (for both settings and rules) include Aura Battler Dunbine, Five Star Stories, Mekton (Original and II) Macross, and Wares Blade. 

With my current range of players, short campaigns of this one work best.

Superheroes (Various)

I periodically give other Superhero games (as in not Champions) a shot and have revisited such titles as Mutants and Masterminds and Villains and Vigilantes a handful of times in the past five years or so. I might take the Japanese TRPG Deadline Heroes out for a spin in the next few months and I'm hoping to play the Marvel Multiverse game at some point. 

This is a curiousity, not a priority. That are a number of other games I'd like to get to first/more.

Teenagers from Outer Space

Finally, here's a game that hasn't seen play at my table(s) in a very long while but which was, at one time, a go-to RPG for me for throughout the late 80s to the late 90s.  It was and remains one of my all time favorites, a game I've modified and used in the past to run a host of different campaigns. It's 'default' game conceit is that of Japanese Anime and Manga over-the-top Rom-Coms and was heavily influenced by the works of Rumiko Takahashi. 

I miss TFOS. I really do. My issue with bringing it back into active use is that only a few of my players across all my groups are big Anime fans. To be clear, MANY of my players like and watch Anime. However, only a handful of them are otaku; fans who would consider Anime and Manga as their major area of fandom interest.

I should really pull out a one-short or short campaign of this for my Mid-Week group. 

You might have noticed that the list is in the order of how often I get to run these games. From games currently being run to ones I've run short games or one-shots of and finally one it's been years since I've gotten the chance to play. 

What do these games have in common? Why do I keep going back to these again and again? Would I even do so given the opportunity to do something else? To put that last one another way, I would have to ask myself whether or not I'd prefer to return to a welocme favorite over trying out something I haven't before. 

Ah, who am I kidding? With rare exceptions I'd definitely want to go for something I've not yet played. Also, remember what I said in the beginning of this post: These are the games I regularly return to. They are not necessarily my all time favorite games. That is quite a different list.

All ideas I'd like to explore in the near future. 

See you then,

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Barking Alien

Not So Spooky After All

I am sad zombie.

All my plans for this October have gone up in a cloud of bats due to a crazy personal and business schedule this past month.

There are at least 3 posts with a Halloween theme lying three quarters complete in the shallow grave known as 'Drafts'. 

I'm torn on whether to complete them and post them now that November is nearly upon us or save them for next year's fright festival so that I don't fall into the same field of folly.

I have a lot of other stuff I want to cover as well. Quite frustrating to have things to share but not the time and energy to share them.

 
What do you all think I should do?

Regardless of what comes next, I wish you all a Happy Halloween!

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Barking Alien

Ending this post on a sad note...

Farewell to the one and only Teri Garr, a Comedic Actress who appeared in such classics as Mel Brooks' 'Young Frankenstein' and Steven Spielberg's 'Close Encounters of The Third Kind', as well as 'Mr. Mom' and 'Tootsie'. She got her first major break in show biz as one of two leads for a backdoor pilot called 'Assignment: Earth', a Season 2 episode of the original Star Trek series.

 

Ms. Garr died from complications related to Multiple Sclerosis, an illness she had been battling for many years. She passed away at the age of 79 in her home city and state of Los Angeles, California. 

Must Be The Season of The Witch

It's that time again my friendly fellow gremlins and ghouls - Halloween is upon us!

When Spooky Season rolls around each year I like to take the opportunity to focus the blog on the scary fun and goofy creepiness associated with All Hallows Eve. My record of accomplishing this feat is mixed. I tend to get very busy with my Real LifeTM job during the onset of Fall, which has made it a challenge in the past. All that said, I definitely want to try to get some scary good stuff out this time around.

In addition to some further investigation into Ghostbusters (and my Tokyo Ghost Research crossover concept), there are games such as the Japanese Tabletop RPGs  Peekaboo and Mamono Scramble (for which I have what I hope is an interesting if oddball approach). If I'm lucky I'll also be able to address some other neat JTRPG games that fit with October's witch-worthy theme.

There is a new Dark Medieval Fantasy game called 'Aionia, Without Mercy' that I'm looking into which seems quite intriguing. Will I have time to address it this month? We shall see. 

Not all the posts this month will be of the creepy and kooky variety however. I want to get back to my 31 Days/31 Characters JTRPG Challenge, share some thoughts on SMURFS, Space:1999, and - inspired by from buddy Ray - tackle 'The Quintessential Barking Alien Playlist'. 

There's also some other media to discuss, such as today's debut of Dan Da Dan, a Japanese Anime Series available to watch on both Crunchyroll and Netflix that I've mentioned briefly in past posts. It's definitely coming out at the perfect time given its premise. Looking forward to watching it and discussing it with you. 

Join me and pick up every stitch...

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Barking Alien

While we're on the subject of witches...

On September 27th of this year everyone's favorite Hogwarts Deputy Headmistress, Dame Margaret 'Maggie' Natalie Smith, passed away at the venerable age of 89.

Maggie Smith is a talent with few equals. Comedy and drama, stage and screen, from her Oscar nominated work in Othelo and A Room with a View to the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, Smith constantly grabbed audiences attentions with her rapier wit and commanding performances.

Rest in Peace Grand Dame. You will be missed. 

Too Many Ideas Syndrome

Too Many Ideas Syndrome. Apparently this is really a thing. It's sometimes called 'idea-ism'. Yeah, I've definitely got it bad right now. 

My lack of posting is not because I have nothing to talk about or show you all but rather the opposite; I have so many RPG concepts runninlg through my head I don't know where to begin. Adding to the problem is that many of them are only half finished and poorly organized. 

Let's start with a 'State of Gaming' update, shall we?

Currently as of this post...

I am playing Hogwarts: A Mystery

Now in its 6th or 7th year, the campaign follows students - currently 5th Years - in House Ravenclaw. It is full of teen angst and drama, setting based angst and drama, action, suspense, and other kinds of angst and drama. The GM is very into making children suffer. No, no...in a good way!

The game runs bi-weekly with my friend Alex as Gamemaster and four players including myself. My character, Francis 'Frank' Pellgrove, goes on the short list of all time favorite PCs I've ever had. The system is a homebrew extremely loosely based on Apocalypse World but really nothing like it at this point. 

I have been running SMURFS

Over the past month I've run a three session scenario and a one-shot scenario using the Quickstart Guide rules for the upcoming Smurfs officially licensed RPG by Maestro Media. I'm pretty much obsessed and I love the game. Getting people to play it may be the biggest challenge one faces with the game but based on my own experience most truly mature gamers will give it a try. After all, those are the people most comfortable with not taking the hobby too seriously. 

Upcoming posts will discuss the Player Characters from both games and later I'll talk about the adventures themselves. 

I am still running Star Trek: Prosperity

Our Original Series era Star Trek Adventures campaign is still going strong, with all the sessions so far this 'season' (Season 8 that is! Eight years of Star Trek: Prosperity! Woohoo!) being good and a few being great! We've had a couple of real bangers! Very much looking forward to the next three missions, the last ending in a 'Season Finale Cliffhanger'!  

This game is [usually] played bi-weekly. I am the Gamemaster and we have four players. It ranks as my longest running single campaign ever. 

Coming up...

I will be running Champions: UNITY again

My weekend group is returning to our Champions campaign after experimenting with a host of other concepts with mixed results. Our campaign is set in yet another version of my friend William Corpening's 'Age of Champions' setting, this time on Champions Earth-Alpha Delta-1A. The campaign is already three years old and the players are eager to get back to their characters and this universe. Actually, one player will be using a new character.

I have mixed feelings on this personally. I am not really feeling 'Superheroes' at the moment and I'm having trouble coming up with a new or interesting angle. Don't get me wrong, I have some ideas for villains and scenarions but I'm lacking...I don't know...that certain something, ya'know? 

I will largely be playing Star Trek: Copernicus

After the Smurfs my Midweek Group is going back to our Star Trek Adventures campaign, Star Trek: Copernicus. This game is...good...sometimes great...sometimes just OK. It's been a tad inconsistent and that's not surprising. We've been doing a 'Revolving GM' situation, with the four players each taking turns as the Narrator when they had a solid adventure idea. Going forward it seems that one of us will be the 'lead' Narrator, having quite a lot of ideas and enthusiasm for the game.

I like my character a lot and that goes a long way towards making the game fun. 

In the near future...

I would like to run Space:1999

A fan of the series and intrigued by the rules, I would love to run a short campaign of this, partially to see if it has legs. That is to say, I'd likely run a three session 'pilot' adventure and gage interest in doing more.

Halloween is coming and I have Spooky Games in mind

Obviously I would love to revisit Ghostbusters. My hope is I'll get to run at least a one-shot scenario with my A&D/'The Home Office' group sometime in October. With any luck I might also be able to set up a Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research adventure with my friends in Japan. 

On that note, I want to finish my recap of the 'I'm So Embarrassed! My Uncle is a Bullet Train!' game. I'll also post some general ideas for more Ghostbusters RPG paranormal activities (see what I did there?). 

Another one-shot [or maybe two-to-three-shot] I'd love to run is Peekaboo (aka Peekaboo Horror), The Neighborhood Ghost Story TRPG from Japan that I adore but rarely get to the table. I also have a recounting of my first time playing it coming up next month so be on the look out for that. 

Finally...

What should really be an entire post all on its own (and might be soon) is this nagging desire to run...hold on to socks...Fantasy. 

Specifically I am wanting to run Fantasy with an Anime twist. Like...imagine if what I did with Superhero gaming to create The Winghorn Guard and my world of Aerth was done with Anime/Manga tropes in mind. Although Aerth does have considerable Anime/Manga influences already. Hmm. 

I really want to do this but I keep running into two major snags: I just don't love Fantasy gaming for a variety of reasons and I can find a system I really like that does what I want. 

Arrgh! 

*Sigh* Oh well. I'm glad I got that off my chest. Let's finish up with the Smurfs RPG for now so I can move on to other discussions.

Thanks for letting me prattle on.

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Barking Alien 

I've been so busy with Real LifeTM that I've missed some very important acknowledgements.

 

On September 9th of this year the world lost an entertainment icon in the person of James Earl Jones. A multiple award winning pioneer of theatre and film, Jones was a fascinating man before and after his long career of acting and voice overs. While best known to fandom as the voice of Darth Vader and Conan's nemesis Thulsa Doom, I highly recommend looking into this fellow's life outside these roles if you haven't already. Epic. 

Rest in Peace Mister Jones. 

September 24th was the birthday of Muppets creator Jim Henson. I don't even know where to begin talking about my feelings regarding Jim, one of my all time heroes. I've discussed him many times in the past and if you're interested you can look back to previous posts on the man. Henson is another fellow I suggest reading up on for the incredible life he lead and the impact he had on generations of fans and creatives. A documentary about him entitled 'Jim Henson Idea Man' is currently available on Disney+ and while it was tough for me to watch I definitely suggest checking it out. 

September 25th, yesterday, was the birthday of the amazing Mark Hamill. Actor, voice actor, and vigilant, outspoken, opponent of stupidity, Mark is a gawd dang national treasure. Happy Birthday Mark!

Kessel Spice and Everything Nice

In the early days of the Star Wars Artists Guild (SWAG) I came across the work of a regular contributor who went by the username of 'Reverend Strone'. In real life, Reverend Strone is none other then Daniel Falconer, a New Zealander who has worked as a concept artist and designer for some of the top projects by WETA Workshop, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Narina film series. 

Daniel and I chatted online a few times, the most common subject discussed being a Star Wars D6 RPG campaign he was part of from which most of his fan art originated. I don't recall if he was a player or the GM but the idea behind the game was awesome to me. It took place solely on Tatooine and the PCs rarely left the desert world. The campaign focused on these people living on a world in the Outer Rim who ran a ranch (I forget if they were Nerf or Bantha Herders) and had to deal with rustlers, gangsters, sand people raids, family drama, and the limited resources of Tatooine. 

Imotta the Hutt getting a massage.

A small time crimelord operating a smuggling ring and a legitimate restaurant, 

Imotta is a nephew of Jabba the Hutt.

 

Art by Daniel 'Reverend Strone' Falconer.

If The Mandalorian is a Star Wars 'Space Western' version of the Rifleman, then this campaign was a Star Wars version of Bonanza.

This sounded so cool to me for a variety of reasons but the main one, the element I want to focus on for this post, is the idea of a campaign where you 'live in the Star Wars universe'. The idea of a Star Wars Sandbox without galaxy threatening stakes sparks my creativity in a way that's hard to explain. A story about people just trying to make a living on a frontier planet puts me in a cozy, warm, and very inspired state of mind. I want to sit down, grab a cup of hot blue milk, and jot down ideas for what might be out there to challenge the PCs. 

This concept, common in Anime/Manga and Japanese TRPGs, is what the Japanese call kuki-kei (Airy-Themed Systen) or nichijo-kei (Daily System or Everyday Life System). The genre centers around [relatively] normal people going about their [relatively] normal lives. In Anime and Manga the characters are usually young girls (of course) and a common phrase for the genre is 'Cute Girls doing Cute Things'. This has greatly expanded in recent years, with series that focus on male and female characters trying to exist peacefully in a setting that is often strange and dangerous. 

I've probably mentioned this before but I am absolutely fascinated by the juxtaposition of the strange with the mundane. What is it like to be professional Pet Walker on Coruscant? What does a middle management Imperial Officer do all day?

Imagine being a Jawa Droid Mechanic who has a regular customer on the outskirts of Mos Taika on Tatooine. He combs the Dune Sea and bordering areas for Astromechs of all kinds and knows that this Human will buy them. Problem is, there hasn't been anything decent in weeks. The Jawa pulls up the ol' Sandcrawler to Power Station to trade for some provisions.

The PCs work at the Power Station (picture it like a 1950s Gas Station mixed with the Tatooine aesthetic) and know this Jawa. He seems down and desparate and the gang offers to help. Maybe one of them knows about a starship wreckage kinda far to the South that might have some droids. Closing shop early to the dismay of some locals and a guy with a podracer, the team heads out to the shipwreck. Perhaps they find some vehicle parts they can use in the garage as well. 

What will they run into? Competing group of Jawas? The Pirates who downed the ship looking for salvage? A Stormtrooper who survived and has been living in the destroyed vessel for months? Who knows! The point is that the planet isn't at stake, the galaxy isn't doomed, and the Sith Warlord isn't your father. You are just a person who lives on Tatooine (or wherever) doing a local acquaintence a solid. Reward? Hopefully you'll find some good gear and your Jawa buddy will owe you one. 

The Japanese TRPG Mamono Scramble is all about this, which is one of the reasons I'm so interested in it. Like Ryuutama for Star Wars, ya know? More Star Wars: Outlaws and less Star Wars: The Acolyte. 

And anything that's less Star Wars: The Acolyte is OK by me. 

May The Force Be With You,

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Barking Alien

While I know this is a Star Wars post, I'd like to take this moment to wish everyone a Happy Star Trek Day! Here's to 58 years of exploring The Final Frontier. 

Wild Blue Yonder

Inspired by a comment on my previous post by the illustrious Lord Blacksteel, I am not only adjusting and further expanding my Smurfs RPG setting but also changing the original scenario I was planning to what amounts to a prequel to itself. The result would make an excellent catalyst to a full campaign but that's me getting ahead of myself. 

Smurf this out...

A feature of the Smurfs RPG is that each PC gets points towards building and customizing their very own Smurf House.

The in-game universe explanation for this is pretty brilliant; while normally hidden from Humanity by enchantments, Gargamel occasionally finds the Smurf Village through magic, trickery, or whathaveyou. He did this recently, sometime prior to your first session, and ended up destroying several Smurf Houses including yours. Now you get the chance to rebuild. 

But...

At the start of my adventure, Papa Smurf will inform the Village that they are out of the unique mushrooms that Smurfs use to make houses. Fret not my little Smurfs! According to an ancient tome on Smurf Herbology there are said to be mushroom house mushrooms to the East across the River to the Sea in The Hidden Valley.

All that is needed is for a group of brave Smurfs to travel to the Hidden Valley and see if it can spare the resources they require. Luckily, our Smurf PCs are perfectly suited for this expedition. 

Lookout Smurf has a ship to sail across The River to the Sea and can use his Spyglass to search for the valley.

SCIENCE! Smurf should be able to determine which species of fungi is the correct one they're looking for.

Sir Smurfsalot has sworn to protect his friends! There may also be a connection between the Hidden Valley and his personal quest (more on that soon enough).

Spacey Smurf (NPC) is an explorer by nature and just so happens to be one of the Smurfs most familiar with 'Outer Space'. Lookout Smurf is another.

Outer Space being any areas of the Cursed Lands outside the Smurf Village.

Now, the crux of my idea is that once the Smurf PCs find The Hidden Valley (assuming they can) they will discover a long lost secret of the Smurfs. What they do with this knowledge will give direction to the game's narrative going forward (if indeed it does go beyond this first scenario). 

Between leaving the Smurf Village and hopefully locating the Hidden Valley our intrepid Smurfs will face numerous challenges, not the least of which is The River to the Sea itself! There's also the Weather, Beasts, and perhaps even a certain desperate dark magician and his cat...

What do you think? 

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Barking Alien

Blue Sky Thinking

As I mentioned not long ago, Maestro Media is coming out with an official Smurfs Tabletop Roleplaying Game and I don't think I've been this excited about a game in a very long time.

I've been so inspired by the announcement and my reading of the rules in the Quickstart Guide that I've asked one of my gaming groups if I could run them through a scenario and for some insane reason they said yes. 

I immediately started putting together an adventure, some setting material, and generating some illustrations for the occasion. I will definitely be reusing and/or repurposing some concepts I came up with back in 2011 for my first Smurfs campaign [which I ran using a homebrew system]. I have expanded upon that earlier work a bit but not overly so as I only intend to run this one adventure (probably two or three sessions tops) for the time being. If I were to run a full on campaign I'd definitely go through both the old and new ideas more thoroughly. 

For now...

The Smurf Player Characters

I noticed that each of the pre-generated Smurfs in the Quickstart has a set of Attributes - Quick, Brawn, Mind, and Heart - that total 24 points. Based on this, I allowed the three players to arrange their 24 points of stats as they liked and used the the Smurfs in the Guide as templates to determine the other aspects of a PC (along with the rule mechanics provided). 

The end result is three original Smurf characters with rather odd Motivations and Specialties that fit perfectly with what I have in mind. The strange combination of Medieval Fantasy and humorous anachronism should provide for a very entertaining adventure. In addition to the three PCs, I recreated my assisting NPC 'Spacey Smurf' from my the previous game to help them get accustomed to the game world. 

The Cursed Lands and Smurf Village Setting

The official Map of The Smurf Village by Peyo and his studio

from the book 'The World of The Smurfs', 2011.

English Translation from French and minor modifications by me.

For the game's setting, I am beginning with the classic, official depiction of the Smurf Village and it's surrounding area, originally called 'The Cursed Lands' from its earliest appearances in Peyo's comic series, 'Johan and Peewit'. Added to this are some canon inconsistences between that comic and the later Smurfs comics and cartoons that I've reconciled to my personal tastes and the requirements of the adventure.

From there I expanded and detailed the region based on the notes I wrote up for my original Smurfs campaign that include and flesh out the milieu, inspired by the folklore of Belgium and France combined with the comic book, cartoon, and other related materials. The end result is this map:

Scale is not really a concern so much as direction and placement of the different important locations. It was necessary to place larger waterways and how they might feasibly connect in order to work in one of the characters having a nautical theme. That and two of my favorite old Smurf stories involve our little blue heroes traveling by river.

Curiously, another favorite tale had a river (a stream really) running through the center of the village when nearly all other comics featuring the Smurfs show the nearest body of water to be river going around the wooded area where the Mushroom Village is located. I have included both ideas in my interpretation to allow greater versatility to the Smurf House building aspect of the game. I am also toying with the idea (as has been suggested in more recent Smurf media) that this may be 'a' Smurf Village and not 'the' Smurf Village. I'd like to imply that but keep confirmation of it vague for now. 

My design for an updated, post-Gargamel's Rampage Smurf Village. 

Do other Fee or Fairie beings dwell in the Enchanted Woods? Are there really Giants in the Northern Mountains? Has any Smurf reached the Sea at the end of the River that goes there?

I really like the idea of exploring beyond the Enchanted Woods and Forbidden Forest we generally see in the Smurf stories to discover what else might be out there. 

That's it for now. I should have a write-up of our first sessions later this week. 

Any comments or questions are greatly appreciated. 

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Barking Smurf? Smurfing Alien? This is a tough one...