The Nightmare Before Smurfmas! - Part I

A Merry Smurfmas and Smurfy Holidays My Smurfs! 

Although there isn't any snow on the ground where I am, it definitely feels like the holidays. New York City has decorations everywhere, with trees large and small covered in all manner of lights. The fancy stores along 5th Avenue have their amazing holiday display windows up and everyone is in a joyous rush to get home to their loved ones.

Now, it's Christmas Day!

Oh what a smurfy time of year! 

What better way to close out the year* than with a Smurfs TRPG one-shot that is also holiday themed? None I dare say! Especially in the case of last weekend's great game of The Smurfs Roleplaying Game, run with a mix of old friends and new, as I got the chance to be 'Storyteller Smurf' for Andy, Brandon, Heather, and Stephen, all formerly part of The Smurfs and The Palace of the Silver Princess. Stephen was the Storyteller for that, as well as for the one-shot The Smurfs and The Bluebird of Happiness. I was very excited [and honestly a bit intimidated] to be on the other side of the table for such a talented Smurfs GM.

Unfortunately, René (Suave Smurf) couldn't join us (we couldn't get a hold of him) but we did have the addition of Julia, a friend of Heather's, who gave us a much needed additional Smurf Girl of Smurfy Grove (since my own Smurfcornflower wouldn't be there). She and Stephen established a very different dynamic between this group and our last big outing even though four of the participants (and three of the Player Characters) were the same. 

Our group of Smurfs was therefore Smurfamaryllis, Apathy Smurf, Brash Smurf, Gamer Smurf, and Smurfhoneysuckle.

Smurfamaryllis (Julia)                  and              Gamer Smurf (Stephen)

Without further adeu, here is Part I of my recap of The Nightmare Before Smurfmas!

Snow is falling, the trees are decorated, and Baker Smurf is making his annual Chocolate and Smurfberry Yule Log Cake - Yes Smurf Boys and Girls, it's almost Smurfmas!** As Smurf Village and Smurfy Grove plan one smurf of a holiday party together, something strange lurks in the woods between the two hidden places. Azrael! Gargamel's nasty ol' cat seems to be searching for the Smurfs but Gargamel himself is nowhere to be seen. Hmm. It could be a trap! 

A group of Smurfs, Boys and Girls alike, volunteer to investigate. Well...sort of. Smurfamaryllis, Brash Smurf, and Smurfhoneysuckle volunteer and basically drag Apathy and Gamer along. What they discover is quite odd. Azrael seems pretty roughed up and eventually falls exhausted in the snow, whimpering softly.

While Apathy and Brash are not sure if they should go help him - I mean, he has tried to smurf many a Smurf over the years - Honeysuckle is already out there checking on the cat (Honeysuckle is a farmer and really cares about animals). Amaryllis tags along.

Gamer plays a quick Riddle/Guessing Game with the other boys. If he wins, they help Azrael. If they win, he'll follow their lead. Gamer wins! The entire group takes Azrael back to the edge of Smurfy Grove and calls on Smurfwillow's help. The wise older Female Smurf gives the cat some medicine and it begins to meow frantically! They are able to determine that Gargamel is in trouble! Something about a Magic Spell and some kind of Monster! Great Smurfs!

While Azrael rests and heals, Smurfwillow sends a message to Papa Smurf letting him know the group is headed to Gargamel's hovel/castle to investigate further. The group grabs their favored gear and receives some holiday treats before heading Northeast.

The trip is not an easy one. The region is covered in deep snow (if you're three apples tall that is) and there is a lot of slippery ice. Branches have fallen from trees and the wind wickedly whips westward. There is also the matter of the Smurfs themselves, who smurfed each other the wrong way at every turn.

Smurfamaryllis needed to be the center of attention and kept trying to get the others to watch what she's doing. Apathy, well he's Apathy and couldn't have cared less, which just made Amaryllis try harder. The long standing competition/rivalry between Brash and Honeysuckle was friendly (flirty?) and good-natured but that took their focus away from Amaryllis and she didn't like that. She might also have been a little sweet on Brash. Gamer keeps wanting to make it all a game, which proves annoying to the others and potentially dangerous near ponds of thin ice.***

Eventually, Apathy took up the role of leader and got the party to get its smurf together. They decided to make a brief camp, warm up with some Smurfberry Leaf Tea and Smurfberry Biscuits, and smurf out their differences. After some heartfelt and humorous dialogue, Honeysuckle notices a light not too far away. She points it out to the others, believing it to be another campfire. The group gets up to take a closer look but can only see the shadows of small people.

After dowsing their fire, the party walks over to see a dozen or so (Thirteen to be exact) small, wizened elf-like beings gathered around their own campfire. One member of the group invites the Smurfs over to have a bowl of their soup, which the PCs suddenly notice is cooking over the little trolls' flame. Was that there a second ago? Amaryllis bows and says she would be honored to try their soup! After all, "I am well known as a Great Taster of Soups back in Smurfy Grove!", she exclaims. The little men laugh and slap their knees and each others backs. 

"Smurfs you say? Well, *chuckle* splendid, splendid! We, my brothers and I, are the Yule Lads. Here you are lovely Smurf", said one of the 'handsome goblins'**** as he handed her a bowl and a spoon. Smurfamaryllis loved the attention and praise and gladly took the gift of food. She scooped up a spoonful of thick broth and potato chunks and downed it in one gulp. She then spewed it out, coughing and making just the most contorted of faces.

"What the smurf? What's wrong Amaryllis?", shouted Honeysuckle, her hands balling into fists.

"It's sour and spoiled. Like it went bad long ago! Yuck! Awful! But it looked and smelled so good", replied Amaryllis, trying to use her scarf to wipe the taste off her tongue.

All 13 Yule Lads roared with laughter. "Oldest trick we have and still one of the best", said one. "The look on her silly face!" barked another. "That's what you get for boasting", snapped a third, his face more serious than his kin. 

"Let's just be on our way...", Gamer began to say but it was too late. He was traveling with Brash Smurf and Brash Smurf tended to be rather...well...Brash. Leaping forward, his hands wrapped in his signature red cape, Brash grabbed the handles of the soup pot and threw the entirety of it at the Yule Lads. Not to be outdone ('cause isn't that her way), Honeysuckle followed up by smurfing the lid of the pot at them discus (frisbee) style. Amaryllis smurfed the Yule Lad who had handed her the rotten potato soup with her baton (stick) with a rattling 'thok!'

"And take that!", she exclaimed!

The Yule Lads erupted in yelps, shouts, and at least two in a loud 'BONG!' as the pot lid struck them. Suddenly the Smurfs were surrounded by the mischevious bunch, all attempting to trick, trip, pull, push, or steal something from the group. The team fought back in various very clever ways, from Amaryllis drawing their attention so Brash could send them rolling down the hill, to Gamer distracting them with a game of dice while Honeysuckle shook a bush that buried a few Yule Lads in falling snow.

Finally as the tricky, troublemaking trolls looked like they were on the outs, one of the Yule Lads stood tall with a burning stick in his hand, laughing hysterically yet furiously as he approached the Smurfs.Most were taken aback, quite intimidated or at least wary of the threat. Apathy gently pushed passed his friends and stood right in from of the fellow, classic nonplussed***** look of calm disinterest on his face. 

"Yes?", Apathy said in a bored monotone. "You have something to say?"

The Yule Lad leered at Apathy for a long moment. Then looked confused for nearly as long. Then he shut his mouth and stepped back. Apathy, face completely unchanged, took a slow and very deliberate step forward. The Yule Lad gulped, put out his torch in the snow, and grinned sheepishly. "Heh, just a bit of fun ol' nut? No real harm or foul, right? We'll be about our business and you the same."

"Not so fast!", said Honeysuckle in a deep, rough-sounding drawl, right hand clenched in a fist, "What are y'all doing here? You know what's going on up at the castle don't ya?" 

The Yule Lads began to mutter and whisper among themselves, most of the conversations ending in shrugs and head scratching. The one who'd been threatening the Smurfs a mere moment ago said, "We were doing nothing of note 'til you came along. Our Master told us to waylay any who'd come to the aid of the old malcontent up there in ruined keep. A true misanthrope if ever there was one! Who'd come to help such a churl, I mean really?"

The Smurfs all looked at each other, their feelings and thoughts twisting in knotts. Gargamel.

"Who is your Master..." Gamer Smurf began, but the Yule Lads were gone. There was no fire, no evidence they'd ever been there. Wait...that wasn't quite accurate. On a log the wee cretins had previous been sitting on when the Smurfs first met them, Gamer found a small package in a bright green box tied with a red bow. A present? He showed it to the others and they suggested he hold on to it for the time being.

With that, off they went to Gargamel's...

So ends Part I of our Yule Tide Tale! Stay tuned for more after these messages...

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*This game was not necessarily the last one of the year but it was holiday themed, it was Smurfs, and it just felt like if I had to make this one good just in case I don't get to play again this year. I know, I know. I do it to myself.

**Smurfmas isn't so much Christmas but more the Pagan Yule Tide holidays of pre-Christian France and Belgium mixed with a few more Christmas-y trappings. I always imagine the Smurfs are some sort of Forest Spirits or Fae so it kind of makes sense.

***This group of Player Character Smurfs featured a lot more interpersonal friction than any of my previous Smurf parties thus far. This was absolutely the intention. Discussed right before the start of the game, Julia wanted to play a character that leaned in the direction of Brainy being a Smart Alec, Hefty being Bull-Headed, Baker Being Greedy (at least on the Cartoon), and the like. This doesn't mean Brainy isn't smart, Hefty isn't strong, or that Baker isn't a skilled, er, baker. She just wanted to lean into Smurfamaryllis' flaws, not her Advantage. 

We talked about it to insure that the group understood issues might arise among the PCs but that had nothing to do with the players. More specifically, Julia wanted to make sure her idea didn't harsh everyone else's mellow. Everyone was cool with her character being trying sometimes and how that dynamic could generate a lot of humor and interpersonal moments. 

Stephen leaned into a similar idea but to a lesser extent. 

****Before letting the players and PCs know they were dealing the Icelandic Folklore beings known as 'The Yule Lads' I danced around the name with various descriptions of faerie beings like pre-Tolkien elves, brownies, lutins, and other such creatures. Julia offhandedly called them 'handsome goblins' at one point and, I don't know if it was the phrase or how she said it, but it struck me as really funny at the time. 

*****Nonplussed is such a great word. It is a contranym; a word with two opposite meanings. Nonplussed can mean surprised and confused, often beyond the ability to react or completely unphased, not peturbed at all.

Sorry this is so long. And that it's a Part I. I really thought I could summarize the session more concisely but like a great stocking over the fireplace on Xmas, this session was stuffed full of neat things. 

Cartoon Logic

I recently received news that an old favorite RPG will be returning with a new edition and you ain't gonna believe what it is...unless you lily livered varmints already heard about this...then...Heavens to Murgatroyd! We gotta get outta here Scoob! Good grief!

What the heck was I talkin' about? Oh yeah...

TOON!

That's right Toon! It's Toon: Second Edition! Did I mention Toon? I think I did but honestly I'm so excited I'm not really listening to what I'm saying. 

The classic Tabletop RPG of falling anvils and fast-talking rabbits is making a comeback from none other than Steve Jackson Games. It is currently crowd-funding its way to a Saturday afternoon near you by way of Backerlit. I pledged for sure and it seems I'm not alone. Right now its already passed its goal, with over 1800 backers and 25 days still to go.

Oh man oh mouse, I would love to run this game again. I ran some really great campaigns with Toon, all a little on the twisted side if I'm being honest. There was BLEEP! The SPACE GUARDIAN, The Boys of Cellgate, and of course one of the greatest games I've ever run of anything, Zoonatics (which appears as a campaign idea/suggestion in my own game The Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show RPG - definitely gotta write this campaign up next year). 

Between this and the Smurfs RPG, I'm going to be hard pressed to get serious with my gaming next year. Get it? 'Get serious', huh, huh? HA! I kill me. 

Honestly, I couldn't look forward to 2026 anymore if my favorite TV show of all time were announced to be making a possible return. You know, like if they said they were doing a TV or Streaming special in hopes it would be picked up for an ongoing series. Possibly to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary or something.

Hmm? What's that?

Holy...

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31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 13

This will be my last question for the year. Largely because I just didn't receive any more.

That's OK though. I'm cool with it. I have a number of things I want to talk about before the year ends and I'm working on a special project or two that could certainly use some time and attention. 

With that, I'm happy to have received this question in particular because it relates to something I've done very successfully several times but haven't talked about very much.

Question (Lucky) #13 comes from my pal Nick again...

Do you have any thoughts on GMing for only a single player and how it differentiates from GMing for a more typical multi-player group?

I have run what I refer to as 'One-on-One' campaigns, games involving a Gamemaster and a Single Player, quite a few times over the years. Some of them lasted a decently long time. Among the most memorable ones were a Dungeons & Dragons 3E (Modified and Houseruled) with my ex-wife Selina, two separate classic Traveller campaigns (the 2nd of which lasted almost 3 years of nearly daily play) also with Selina, and a FASA Star Trek game with my friend David Concepcion. The late, great Dave Cotton and I had a One-on-One campaign of sorts, although it was more like a series of six One-on-One adventure sessions united by the same character and setting but split across a two year period. 

To me, the essence of Tabletop Roleplaying Games is the dynamic between the player or players and the Gamemaster. In this relationship, I tend to default to thinking like and being the GM. However, I have also been a GM who focuses on the players' fun. As I said to a friend and player of mine recently, "[At the most basic level] I am going to have fun as the GM regardless, so my goal to make sure all the players have a good time."

Let's be honest, [as the GM] I am getting to do what I love doing. I'm world-building, following established and emerging narratives, getting to create and portray NPCs, etc. That's just what the GM does and that's why I enjoy doing. Any real effort on my part is in making sure everyone participating is having as much fun as I am. Unless of course I am not having fun. It certainly happens. Some flaw in the way I've set things up, the players not liking what I'm dishing out definitely occurs from time to time. My approach to the next attempt remains pretty much the same, focus on the players fun as mine is just going to come naturally if [mostly] everything lands.

With a single player and GM situation, this is easier to accomplish. If you really get that one person and they get you, the rest is a piece of cake. You know that if you two are generally on the same page, things will move a lot more smoothly. That said, One-on-One games do come with their own challenges. The most notable of which is that, depending on how you prep and execute your games, it can be a lot of work for the Gamemaster. You aren't just the NPCs, the World, and the arbitrator of the rules...you're Everything and Everybody. 

Normally there would be other Player Character's interacting with what is now the singular 'main character' and that doesn't just mean banter and conversation. The lone PC only has certain skills and abilities and if you want them to be able to go on traditional adventures, they are going to need a team to go with them. The GM is no longer just the NPCs the Party meets, the GM is the Party! And those they meet. And everything else a GM always is. 

Not going to lie, that can be alot, even for someone like me who thrives on that kind of thing. Is it worth it? I believe it is. I believe it SOOO is. Seriously, some of my best games have been One-on-One and here's the twist; I've had a number of One-on-One campaigns turn into regular ones. With David Concepcion's Star Trek: Renown campaign, people would overhear us playing, if not straight up listen in, and ask if they could join. A few of my Winghorn Guard/Aerth/D&D-But-Not games went this way as well. 

All in all, I think its a wonderful endeavor but you've got to prepare yourself. It can be tricky and it can wear you out but based on my own experiences, One-on-One games can really be great fun.

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31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 12

This question comes from a recent conversation with my friend Stephen about TRPGs with simple, binary 'Pass/Fail' systems versus those that allow for 'Yes and...', 'No but...', and/or other possible outcomes. It wasn't so much a question he asked as much as one we both asked each other.

You might remember Stephen as the Storyteller, or Storyteller Smurf, of our 'The Smurfs and The Palace of The Silver Princess' mini-campaign/adventure, as well as the one-shot 'The Smurfs and The Bluebird of Happiness'.

Question #12 amounts to...

How do you feel about the increasing use of 'Failing Forward' or 'Success at a Cost' mechanics?

I've never liked the Pass/Fail die mechanic. Sure, there was a time when that's all there was but one of the earliest houserules I can recall making was related to the idea of degrees of success and failure.

It was in 1982 or 83 when I started adding a little more to the results of the percentile Skill Rolls of FASA's Star Trek RPG. If a PC had a 54% chance of determining what that strange signal was that the ship just detected and she rolled a 57, I would her a little something.
57 is damn close to 54 considering the 1-100 range of possible outcomes. As such, I [as GM] would say she failed to figure out what the signal was all about but it's seems to be coming from the fourth planet in the Star system. 

If you needed a 54 and got a 94, I would say you not only know it's short and repeating like an SOS but the signal seems to be getting weaker! If an 01 is a Critical Success and a 100 is a Critical Failure, then an 02 or a 99 has gotta mean something! Right?
Another thing I did in some games with traditional binary results was give the rolls a little garnish depending on how the player approached the situation. If the Fighter says, "I swing my sword", and misses on the To-Hit Roll, then all that happens is he misses.
On the other hand, If he describes the twist he does to strike his enemy and misses, well, I might have the NPC unnerved (-1 to its next attack on the PC) or the PC landed in an advantageous position at least.

I still do stuff like this from time to time, happy to embellish the PC's action if the Player put in the effort to make an entertaining moment. I will also add a +1 (or the equivalent) to a PC's chance of Success if the action as described by the player was particularly well thought out or clever. Perhaps throw in a +1 to damage if they figured out an effective way to trap their opponent or gain some other tactical advantage. 

Sorry, I'm getting a bit off topic. The point of all this is I want the players' ideas to have impact on the rolls they make. I want to see creativity and variation what happens as a result of that choice. Sometimes a roll is just a roll but I think its awesome to have the possibility of 'it's a failure but something positive happened' or 'you succeeded but something went wrong'.
I really like the idea of a player saying, "I manage to grab the rope around the crate before the crate falls off the deck of the ship BUT just barely and Great Scott! is this thing heavy! A little help over here?!".

I remember a conversation years ago at GenCon with Bill Smith, then line editor for West End Games' Star Wars D6. He explained the 'Drama Die' or 'Force Die' as we always called it as follows:

You have to jump a chasm. It's Difficulty Number is 15. You need a 15 or better to clear it.

You fail and roll a 1 on the Force Die.

You fall and hit a few outcroppings on the way down.

You fail and the Force Die is nothing special.
You fall.

You fail but get a 6 on the Force Die.
You fall but land on an outcropping not far below. You're hurt but alive.

You succeed with a 1 on the Force Die.
You are barely holding on to the opposite side ledge by the tips of your fingers.

You succeed and the Force Die is nothing special.
You land safely on the other side.

You succeed with a 6 on the Force Die.
You leap high and land solid. You are able to turn quickly and help up your friend hanging by their fingertips.

Succeed with Cost.

Fail with Promise.

Make things interesting. 

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Yeah, I know I went a little ranty here but this is a big thing to me. I really prefer non-binary Action Resolution mechanics.

31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 11

It's Lights, Camera, Action time with my friend Nick's box office blockbuster of a question...or is an award winning documentary?

Question #11...

What are your thoughts on cinematic gameplay and design vs. simulationist gameplay and design?

I'm going to preface my full answer with a bit of a teaser trailer...all my games are Cinematic games. They all feature Cinematic Gameplay. 

I can't help it. It's baked into the reason I got interested in TRPGs in the first place. At the age of 8 it wasn't my vast knowledge of Sword & Sorcery literature that got me to excited to play as a hero going on adventures and fighting terrible monsters. It was Movies, Television, Animation, and Comic Books. I was raised on The Muppet Show, The Marx Brothers, Mel Brooks, Looney Tunes, Disney films, Star Trek, Star Wars, Superman, The Legion of Superheroes, and a host of other entertainment media that taught me the essentials of Gamemastering; no not rules knowledge silly, the important stuff!

Comedic and dramatic timing, building a scene, cool locations and backdrops, camera angles, sound effects, voice acting, improvisation, and everything that makes a given moment or series of moments in a game exciting and memorable. 

With that out of the way...

My thoughts on the subject kind of go the way of trying to be an 'Emulationist'.

My goal when creating a campaign is to emulate the genre, setting, atmosphere, and particulars of whatever it is I and those I'm gaming with are focused on portraying. 

For example, let's take the American West circa the mid-to-late 19th century. If I were trying to emulate the West as it truly was, if I were doing a realistic portrayal of the era, I would want a Simulationist game. I'd need to track resources, count bullets, have deadly combat, disease rules, etc.

I thin it would require that in order to lean into the brutal and desperate nature of survival in the American wilderness, the cutthroat politics and business of an expanding nation, and the

 tensions between the settlers and the indigenous peoples, etc. 

On the other hand, if I were trying to emulate Wild West movies and TV shows, I would go with a Cinematic system. Something that keeps the feel of the 'Old West' but allows for more dramatic battles and crazy stunts. 

If I were making a 'Bonanza RPG', I would go Cinematic but search for one the specifically modeled the tropes and cliché story beats we saw in that series.

Near future, realistic Science Fiction like the upcoming Pioneer RPG isn't a rollicking Space Opera like Stars Without Number. Nor is Stars Without Number the same sort of rollicking Space Opera the same as Star Trek Adventures. Each of these is its own animal and I am looking for the RPG whose gameplay matches the substance and style of that distinctive and unique animal.

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Barking Alien

I feel the need to acknowledge the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele.

I grew up watching Rob Reiner as Michael 'Meathead' Stivic on All in the Family. Later, the accomplished comedic actor and director would direct some of my all time favorite films. In addition to his Entertainment Industry accomplishments, Reiner was a good and decent man who warmed the hearts and inspired the minds of those who knew him and appreciated his work.

I didn't expect this particular passing to effect me so but it has.

Rest in Peace.

31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 10

Its 1974. Everyone is Kung-Fu Fighting. Everyone! Especially Kelvin Green, largely thanks to Question #10.

Have you encountered a system that fits Feng Shui better than Feng Shui does? How would you handle Hong Kong style action movies in a role-playing game?

Here's where my knowledge of and experience with Japanese TRPGs is both a boon and a burden simultaneously. Yes, I definitely know of some games that I feel handle Asian Action Movie Martial Arts and Gun-Fu in a cooler way than Feng Shui but they are not available outside of Japan.

The first one that comes to mind is Burning Spirits, a game that to my knowledge was printed up in one or more articles of the Japanese gaming periodical 'RPG Magazine'. I played it only once at an Anime Convention in 1994 but man-oh-man, it left a major impression on me. I loved it! A better version of White Wolf's Street Fighter game, it played like a simplier, faster Ars Magica (kind of), both easier and more evocative of the genre than Feng Shui.

Characters have a few Attributes, one of which is Speed. Your Speed determines how many Actions you can take in a Round (defined very differently from the traditional D&D meaning) and how quickly you.can get off said Actions (which effects not just initiative but whether you can defend against your opponents Attacks). Battles begin with each PC and named NPC taking a Stance that influences your approach to the fight; an Attack Stance adds to your Attack rolls and Damage throughout the engagement, while a Defense Stance makes you harder to hit and reduces the Damage you take from successful Attacks against you. This was really awesome because you could go into a fight with a Defense Stance but take an aggressive approach to your Attacks if you wanted to.

Martial Arts moves are built out of Attacks (like Punch, Kick, Hold, Throw) or Defenses (Block, Deflect, Redirect, and at least one other) and Techniques. This last category defines how the Attack or Defense is executed. Examples include Force to cause extra damage by spending two Actions at once, Position to change where you are located in the bout, or Rapid to get multiple hits in a single Attack or block a flurry of blows. Styles can be added to your moves to give additional modifiers or effects to your Action. 

My character in the game I played was a big, Native American bruiser type with wrestling moves. Among his best was an Attack Stance Hold Attack that used the Clutch Technique to ensure my opponent couldn't move. What did that look like? Basically it's a mighty Bear Hug that lifts the other combatant off the ground. By combining it with one of the three Wrestling Styles I could then slam the enemy to the ground or with a different Wrestling Style, throw the other fighter across the battle area. I mostly used the throwing version and called it 'Bear Hugs and Throws the Great Salmon'! The other version was 'Bear Hugs and Hits the Great Salmon Against a Rock'. lol

My friend's character had this 'Leaping Dragon Punch' that would knock an opponent 10 spaces away, dividing that distance between vertical and horizontal movement. He hit a bad guy up 1 space and back 9 spaces, sending the thug flying out of a window. Another time he punched a crook 7 spaces up and 3 spaces back so he would hit his head on the ceiling and then go backward into a chandelier. 

It was such a cool game. Sadly, I don't have that issue of RPG Magazine and I was never able to get an English translation of the rules. In fact, its almost like the game never existed. I can't find information on it anywhere, including my various Japanese contacts. Very sad panda. 

The other game I really like, which is available in English (unofficial fan translation) through Scribd I believe, is SATASUPE (Saturday Night Special), which I've spoken about before on the blog. It leans more towards the Gun-Fu, over-the-top Crime Thriller side of Hong Kong and Japanese Action Films. Think Chow Yun Fat in Hard Boiled instead of Bruce Lee in Enter The Dragon. That said, the game has a number of supplements that expand the game to include Street Fighter Martial Artists, Kill Bill/John Wick type Assassins, and other elements that fit right in with the Feng Shui vibe.

This RPG is a little on the crunchie side but not overly complex. The added material fits in well with both the mechanics and setting already established. Overall, if you want to include everything Feng Shui includes and not just the classic Hong Kong/Chinese Martial Arts movies, SATASUPE would make a really good choice.

There are others, also Japanese, that I can think of but they're not truly in the vein of Feng Shui. 

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31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 9

The dark ruminations that plague my endless existence have been disturbed by Miguel de Rojas once again! Suffer with me as I attempt to answer Question #9...

Judging from your timeline, you probably were right in the middle of the World of Darkness craze at the right age and place, yet it doesn't seem to have impacted your gaming in any meaningful way. Can you tell us how you lived it?

I've written and re-written this post half a dozen times already, diving deep into my history with the World of Darkness, how I first discovered it, my initial thoughts, my first campaign, blah blah yada yada. It was all to give context to how I really want to answer this question. Instead, I'll get right to the point...

Although I was impressed by the game, partly caught up in the hype and partly appreciative to encounter a game that eschewed the approach taken by many 'Old School Mainstream' games of the time (late 1980s/early 1990s), I didn't really hop on that train until Mage came around. 

The game seemed cool, the mechanics interesting, but I've never been much of a horror fan and the games' gray-to-black morals held no interest for me. Remember, this is the guy whose favorite TRPGs are related to Star Trek, Star Wars, and Silver/Bronze Age Superheroes. I couldn't care less about vampires [at the time], was only slightly more intrigued by werewolves, and it wasn't until World of Darkness started to become a full on 'World' that it really grabbed my interest and attention. 

By the time Mage: The Ascension came out there were a number of supplements that expanded the setting quite a bit. It was about this time, with more than just Vampires, Werewolves, and Wizards running around, that I fully invested in the game line and decided to run a game. I ended up running a number of short-to-medium length campaigns until I hit upon a cool idea for a longer term game.

I had a number of people interested and the campaign opened with a real bang. The details allude me right now but the very first scene had one of the PCs waking up with a hangover on top of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, unsure of how and when he got there. The initial session went over quite well, as did the campaign. Not longer after I played in a friend's campaign where I got to play a Mummy. Really fun.

After that...nothing really. I don't recall playing any World of Darkness related games again until much later; a few years in fact. It wasn't until I ran a brief jaunt of Mage and a slightly longer game of Changeling [both] with Selina (see my previous post). Why? That is, why did I just kind of drop the World of Darkness?

Well...

It just really wasn't my bag. I mean it kinda was but not as much as other things were and are. I would definitiely put World of Darkness and its various installments, particularly Changeling and Mage, on a list of 'Games I've Enjoyed' but it would be much further down the list than Star Trek Adventures, Smurfs, Ghostbusters, Star Wars D6, Traveller, Champions, Ars Magica, and perhaps another dozen RPGs. I'm just not that into the bleak, gothic-punk genre and subject matter. I prefer my heroes heroic, my universes hopeful, and colors a bit on the brighter and bold side. Usually. I do like some spooky stuff. 

Did it impact my gaming in a meaningful way? Hmm. I think at the time it did have a noticable effect on me, getting me out of my comfort zone and exploring somewhat darker subject matter than I traditionally focused on. At the same time, when I think about my somewhat renewed interest in the Creepy and Disturbing, I don't think of World of Darkness. At least I haven't. I honestly haven't thought about it in years prior to this question. My tastes lean more towards ghost stories, Stranger Things, Ghostbusters of course, and some Anime/Manga horror. 

The World of Darkness was a big, powerful blip along the timeline of my 48 years in the hobby but in the end, it was but a blip.

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31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 8

For Question #8 the deep seated Kelvin Green hits me with an inquery that can only be answered by telling a very personal story so grab a tissue, hold a loved one, and get ready for this Hallmark Holiday Special.

Unless you're a Vulcan or an Android. Then by all means carry on as usual.

Was there a time when you stopped playing rpgs or "fell out of love" with them? What brought you back?

2004

In 1995, on my third day of work at an Anime and Asian Pop Culture Entertainment store in New York, my boss took me aside to tell me that the young lady who'd just walked in was one of their best customers so far (they'd only been open about three months). Thing was, she REALLY knew her stuff and sometimes she'd ask for things and about things that...frankly they had no idea what she was talking about. He asked me to help her out as I was the biggest Anime fan on staff (yes, of an Anime store).  Her name was (and remains) Selina.

I talked to her and tried to help her find what she was looking for. We hit it off right away. She was smart, funny, indeed very knowledgable, and while I wouldn't say this to anyone else at the time, downright adorable. Over the next year she came in regularly and we spoke often, becoming as much friends as customer and retailer. We often joked about meeting outside the store to watch Anime together and compare notes. 

Then something changed. One day I was out sick, rare for me, and she asked my co-workers if she could get my home number 'cause she was worried about me. I was so greatful and talking to her actually made me feel better (or at least less depressed and anxious, which used to happen whenever I got sick). Not too long after, on a very hot day, she came into the store with a Ramune (Japanese Soda) and had one for me as well. My co-workers and boss teased her for not 'bringing enough for the whole class'. I remember she blushed, honestly embarrased, and I knew why she'd brought one for me specifically. It was clear we both really liked each other. 

About a month later we got together for that Anime watch and it turned into a first date. That turned into 'going steady' and a year after that we were living together. We stayed together for about 10 1/2-11 years, 4 of which we spent married. 

At some point pretty early on I convinced her to try RPGs. She already read a lot of Fantasy novels, liked Sci-Fi and Fantasy movies, read X-Men, watched Anime and read Manga. She even wrote Fan Fiction and original short stories. She had all the interests and talents of a great gamer but hadn't gamed. We fixed that, first with classic Traveller, Mage, and Ars Magica, and then eventually AD&D 1E. Yep. I adored her so much I was willing to run D&D. That's love brother.

Our first trip together was GenCon, the one where 3rd Edition made its debut. He attended a few after that between other trips. She had a good job, made much more than me, and things were good for a long while. Until they weren't. 

I have no interest or desire to regale you with what went wrong but by 2007 or so we were divorced and didn't talk for a while. It was a good two years or so. Maybe close to three. During those three years, I didn't play any RPGs. I couldn't. Gaming had become something we did together; it was a shared passion. Without her I just couldn't find it in myself to enjoy the hobby and I wasn't feeling especially creative. My muse was gone. Thinking of gaming made me think of her and that just made me sad so...yeah.

After the three-year gap I started feeling like not gaming was doing more to put me in a sour state of mind than gaming without Selina, so I went to my FLGS to see if anyone I knew might be running or playing anything. That was tough too. For 10 years I had shopped at that store with her. The owners have known me since I was 14 and I know their family. Selina became part of that relationship so having to go in and explain why she wasn't with me...ugh. 

Anyway, I sat on the sidelines of a game or two and then joined in on one or two and got to know some old friends all over again, plus meet some new ones. Eventually I offered to run Mutants and Masterminds and before I knew it I had a campaign with 9 players showing up on average. Never less than 7 and we maxed out at 11 for one or two sessions. It was here I met my dearly departed friend Dave Cotton and a few of the other guys who would become regulars at my tables for the next decade or so. 

Eventually I got a call from Selina, who had opened up a Tutoring Center in Brooklyn specializing in helping ESL kids (English as a Second Language). Most, practically all, were Chinese and the Center was near Brooklyn's Chinatown. She asked me to help teach the kids on weekends using...Tabletop RPGs. She had this idea and when she explained it to me I immediately started spitballing on how we could pull it off. She loved the idea and I ended up working for her for a few years. Unfortunately the Pandemic hit and it was no longer viable to operate that way we had been. Selina moved to an online model but it was difficult for me as working at the Center gave me less time to build my own business. Reluctantly we parted ways once again but stayed in touch. 

It's been a while since we've spoken, a few months or so I think, but we're still friends. She is unlike anyone I have ever met, strengths and flaws included, and I feel (hope) we'll always be friends in some capacity. She was my first true love and while I've met some truly wonderful women since, I will likely always see Selina as the one person in the world whose weirdness best matches my own . Maybe there is another. Time will tell. 

In the meantime, I am still gaming and I really hope she gets to as well. She was and probably still is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, TRPG players I have ever known and just a truly good person. 

Note: I wanted to put a picture of her while she was 'in the act' of gaming here but I couldn't find one where she actually appears to be playing. Most of the pics I have are just her laughing hysterically at the gaming table because, well, my Jersey Group. That pretty much explains everything. 

You can see her character Ceren-Dee Windrake here.

Onward...

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31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 7

Today's question, Question #7 for those playing the home game, comes from friend of the blog Jonathan Linneman of Monstrous Matters. 

It is simple enough to answer but still quite interesting nonetheless (and I hope the answer is interesting to my audience). 

I know you've mentioned that you don't use miniatures much (if at all...?) in your RPGs, but I wonder if you do use other visual or tactile enhancements, and if so, what? Any favorites you've used as a GM or experienced as a player?

In my earliest days in the hobby we used miniatures off and on to visually represent our characters, where they were standing, etc. but we never ever measured distances or used the minis in any 'tactical' fashion. We never quite cared about 'facing' or other wargame aspects of the hobby. Miniatures were fun to get and paint but were never seen as necessary.

This combined with various practical concerns steered us away from using them more and more as time marched on. My friends and I were often playing at school during the lunch period, at camp in the open grass, or on a bus or train heading to or from these locations. Not really conditions conducive to the transportation and use of minis.

Then there was the subject matter - the genres and settings we were playing in. After 1982, D&D was played less and less often by the groups I was part of in favor of Star Trek, Star Wars, Champions, Mekton, Teenagers from Outer Space, Toon, and many other TRPGs that didn't have nearly the miniatures support [at the time] that Fantasy games received. 

As a side note, we did use Japanese Model Kits to represent our Giant Robots in various Mecha games. I was really good at customizing and kitbashing the range of Mobile Suit Gundam kits (called 'Gunpla' today). I once took two customized Hi-Zacks from the Zeta Gundam series, modified and repainted to resemble Warhammer 40K Space Marines, to a NJ Gaming Convention where my buddy and I found some Games Workshop guys from England playing the aforementioned games.

I asked one of them, a bald and tattooed fellow with a heavy liverpool accent, if my friend and I could play and field 'Titans' (the Giant Robots of WH40K). We were kind of teased about the question until I pulled out the models and put them on the table next to some standard minis. The guy lost his sh**, called his mate over and he also lost his sh**. Good times.

A final factor, the nail in the coffin as it were, was that I went to the High School of Art and Design and later college at Pratt Institute and the School of Visual Arts. You know how you have that one person in your gaming group who can draw really well? Every person in my gaming group(s) was that person, including me (if you are flexible on the definition of 'draws really well').

We all drew our characters, the bad guys, this alien or that monster, etc. My friend Nelson had a tendency to draw a half dozen to a dozen Blaster Pistols or Lightsaber handles before deciding which one his character used. The others went to other PCs and NPCs. He and my ol' pal Joe would design starship bridge layouts to figure out what kind of bridge our campaign starship would have. 

So yes, a lot of visuals are used in my games, usually in the form of picutres and illustrations much as you see here on the blog. We've used hand-outs and fold out maps on a number of a occasions. We've had physical props at the table once in a while like toy/model Phasers, Tricorders, Lightsabers, and other such items to immerse everyone in the milieu in question.

I've played WH40K a couple of times, used Heroclix to represent Marvel and DC characters for my pal Dan's rules-free Supers sessions, and pointed to the spot on my Eaglemoss die-cast 'The Orville' where the Krill Destroyer's energy blasts touched the PC ship in a bad way. Generally speaking, I love to supply my players with visual but minis just isn't how I do it. 

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Happy 100th Birthday to American Television and Film legend Dick Van Dyke! Star of radio, stage, and screens both large and small, winner of numerous Emmys, one Grammy, and one Tony Award, this man is a living icon of the Entertainment Industry. 

A Very Happy Birthday to you good sir!

31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 6

Sorry this is so late everybody but I've been really busy and really tired of late. Trying to use this weekend to catch up a bit.

Today's question is a fascinating one that I confess to having difficulty answering. Because of the way I devise and execute adventures, the question is almost, though not completely, not applicable. That is what makes it so intriguing to me. 

Without further ado, Question #6 from Croaker goes like this:

What is/are the coolest thing(s) you've ever designed for a game you were running that your players ignored or just totally missed? I know that on good days, my players tend to hit most of the "cool" stuff I've planned out, but in my current group, my people are missing things left and right, and I have to resist the urge to semi-railroad them around just to please myself.

While many of my RPG settings have mysteries that remain unsolved or even undiscovered by any PC, I don't think that's what you're referring to. I'm assuming [and please correct me if I'm wrong] you mean something I've placed in a particular room in a 'dungeon' and the players/PCs simply skipped going to that room for whatever reason. 

That is highly unlikely to happen in my games. Nigh-impossible actually. 

In a traditional adventure you might be exploring a dungeon like this one for example:

Map created with Dungeon Scrawl and Photostudio

PCs would enter by going down the staircase in the Northwest/Upper Left-hand corner. You, the GM, have a note that says the staircase is trapped. If the Player Characters use that staircase and don't check for and/or find the trap, it goes off.

The various rooms and other locations you see would be numbered and as the Gamemaster you'd have corresponding notes as to what is in each room. One such area contains your Cool Original CreationTM. If the PCs enter that room they will encounter it. If they walk right past it, oh well. 

This concept has always baffled me. This and there being so many rooms with essentially nothing in them really turned me off to using pre-made adventures after a while. Sure you can provide setting color and atmosphere by filling chambers with old bones and decrepit furniture made of rotten wood but it gets old fast. 

So how does it work in a 'Barking Alien' game? Well, assuming there even is a map...

The PCs enter by going down the staircase in the Northwest/Upper Left-hand corner. Sound familiar? Here's where things change...If the PCs had been discussing this dungeon at the local tavern and expect it to be well defended, ladden with traps, etc., then I will absolutely place a trap on that staircase. If the group included a Rogue/Thief or hired one even more so.

If on the other hand the PCs spoke to a reliable contact who told them the dungeon's reputation has been exaggerated. "It has been ages since the traps of that ancient place fully functioned. It would not be the home to so many monsters were they tripping over traps every few feet", says the wise old Dwarf. Of course, this is a hint that there will be a lot of encounters with beings and beasts.

So which is it? I don't know. I'll figure it out based on the vibe at the table and decide on the fly. And that's how I run everything in an adventure. I will move encounters around, add more, take some away, place an extra trap somewhere, remove one, and do it all ad lib.

So the Cool Original ThingTM I created is located...where PCs will meet up with it. Where will that be? I don't know. It doesn't have a set location. Nothing does*. Stuff is placed where it needs to be. It's where it will be the most dramatic, the most cinematic, the most fun based on everything else that's been and is being seen and said. 

'That's just railroading!', you say. 

'The players only have the illusion of choice!' you scream. 

'This approach removes Player Agency!', you exclaim.

No. Pay attention.

What appears and where it appears is based on what the Players and their PCs say and do. Everything is adjusted based on the Players/PCs' reactions to 1) what has happened before, 2) what elements they have been interested in and what avenues they have pursued, and 3) what feels right based on the energy at the table (real or virtual). 

If the PCs are not in the mood for a knock-down-drag-out encounter and the Cool Original ThingTM is a big, bad opponent, I am totally going to pivot 360° and take out the creation completely or modify it into someone they can have a philosophical discussion with. This is why, IMHO, it isn't railroading. Railroading implies the GM has a particular, specific course of events the PCs must follow and an end goal/outcome the GM is aiming for. I do not have that. I have no idea where the adventure is headed or how it will end up and I wouldn't want it any other way. 

Think of it this way...

If The Cool Original ThingTM included in the adventure by you or the game company that wrote the adventure is located in Room 5 but no one goes into Room 5, how would anyone know that? How would they know it was supposed to be in there, let alone that it even exists? So when that thing appears in Room 7 in my version, not Room 5, because the PCs went to Room 7 and not Room 5, all they know is that the thing exists in the adventure. The adventure itself is likely not about this neat monster, puzzle, trap, or artifact anyway. It's about the characters, their ideas, their choices, and their stories.

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*I usually have a set of ideas for each adventures and a bunch for other potential adventures. I will place any, all, or none of these into a given session. Picture the Map above is a diorama on the table but the contents of said Map, all the things that could go in it, are in a box sitting on the floor next me. I take out what I want when it is warranted and place it where I think it fits best.

Also, to say nothing has a set location is inaccurate based on genre and setting. If I am using a map of a Starfleet Vessel interior [for a Star Trek Adventures game] you can be rest assured that the bridge is on top of the saucer and the engine room is where it is likely to be, etc. What is in those rooms relating to the mission is flexible though.

31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 5

The one and only Kelvin Green, Zen Master of Mince Pies, brings us this next inquiry and a very interesting one it is. This one really had me thinking and honestly I'm not finished yet.

What's the weirdest "conceptual framework" for an rpg that you've encountered, and are there any out there concepts that you'd like to try?

It probably comes as no surprise that I've seen a lot of strange RPG ideas, both theoretical and in practice, that play with the standard structure of what most people see as the usual way to run and play a Tabletop Roleplaying Game. I've done more than a few myself. Weirdest is really hard to narrow down. One person's weird is another's normal and that sort of thing.

Conceptual Frameworks that stand out to me:

I ran a Time Patrol/Time Travel game that began with all the PCs and Main Villain dead. The heroes come back to life one-by-one, drawing energy, weapon attacks, etc. back from the body of the villain which then stands up as well. It was as if you were playing a video of the final battle in reverse. From that point, we jump back a few hours to before the final confrontation. Each subsequent session (of which there were 5 or 6 I think) took place months to years before the previous one. During the entire campaign you learn that the villain is one of the PC heroes, then who it is and how an alternate timeline version of the character was created, and finally insight into altering the sequence of events so it never happens in the first place.

I've run a Wizard of Oz campaign with references/allegories to the Second World War as a musical, with players and their PCs singing. 

I've run the Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock, each following the structures of those TV shows. All featuring singing as well.

I ran a really odd 7 session mini-campaign of the game Skyrealms of Jorune that took place over the course of 7 days of real time. Each day I would run a 5 or 6 hour session. Within the game, the party is taking 7 days to travel back to their home city after having traveled 7 days to a sacred site and burying a revered Shaman/Priest in an ancient temple. Prior to the trip, the group is charged/cursed with determining the Meaning of Life by the other clergy aliens in the deceased one's sect.

Each PC dies soon after declaring what they think the Meaning of Life is. The last two guys think its the same thing, so one declares it thereby sacrificing himself. The last guy makes it back to those would sent them on the mission and cursed them with this burden. He says to the assembled clergy, "I know the Meaning of Life", with a smile. He is cut, bleeding, bruised, etc. but it impedes him not. He does not reveal what the answer is however as he approaches the alien Priests with his sword drawn...fade to black. It was creepy, surreal, and very Heavy Metal Magazine coded. 

An idea I'm especially proud of but have never quite been able to finalize to my satisfaction is that of my Ghost Story RPG idea, 'Unfinished Business'. The idea of the game being to stop playing your PC as the PC is a Ghost and being one kind of sucks. The goal is to 'move on' and therefore be removed from the game. 

Ideas I'd like to try?

Hmm. That's tough as I usually don't how what weird concept I'd like to explore until it hits me. It isn't easy to be strange on command, if you know what I mean. That said, I would be curious to explore a different kind of Time Travel game, a horror game with a more surreal nature (as opposed to just gore and jump scares), and a Superhero RPG from the perspective of non-powered government agents, treating the Supers as these weird, unpredictable god-like beings. There are a few indy games that take this approach like 'G-Men and Supermen' and 'Power Squid'. Then there's always my desire to figure out how a Twilight Zone RPG would work. 

(Potential further question: How would you make a 2D rpg work?)

Kelvin's question was inspired by something he read where a gamer was trying to run a 'side scrolling video game' inspired RPG where the setting is in 2D. Character could move left or right, as well as above or below an opponent or obstacle, but they can't pass in front of or behind it as its a 2-dimensional environment. 

How would I do that? My friend Ray and I were tossing around ideas and honestly, it's pretty simple in its basic desgin; it would work like any other game except moves would be limited to no attacks from the side and facing position would be of great importance. To elaborate, a mechanic or in-game currency could be used to perform actions like a quick about-face, leaping over an object or enemy, etc. Perhaps one could built-up and spend Action Points (or something) in order to enter the background and move 'behind' another character. Characters on two different planes couldn't interact however. 

I also like the idea (inspired by a Japanese TRPG called 'One Way Heroes' that has a similar idea) that while on an adventure you could travel from the starting town to the dungeon and through the dungeon back to the town but once the adventure is over, you move on to a new town and can never access that previous town or dungeon again. As if once you 'clear a level' you move on the the next level and the previous one no longer exists. 

What do you think?

So many idea.

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