RPGaDay 2026 - An Actual Challenge?

Next month, August of 2026, marks 49 years that I have been in the Tabletop Roleplaying Game hobby. Next year will be 50 years, the big Five-Oh!

I'm going to start celebrating early with yet another attempt to complete the annual RPGaDay Challenge which looks...huh...actually interesting this year. Maybe even...dare I say it...truly challenging!

I skipped last year's RPGaDay because I often find blogging difficult in August for various reasons and the prompts tend to be rather uninspiring. The idea of the challenge has been, in recent years, more fascinating to me than participating in the challenge itself ever is. This year might be different, with prompts that are not so obvious or direct in their meaning, at least as they apply to RPGs.

There are some words here I can already tell I'm going to have a lot of trouble with; poise for example (Day 3) isn't a word that comes up in my vocabulary very often. I don't usually think about poise and certainly haven't said the word in recent memory. There are a few others like that but given the nature of the RPGaDay Challenge, perhaps my brain will come up with some way to interpret these term in a gaming related way once I get the started. 

All in all, I definitely feel these prompts are an improvement over those of the past years.

UPDATE: Re-reading the RPGaDay home site AUTOCRATIK, it would appear that Runeslinger, who created the prompts for this years outing, suggests the words be used to create characters, making this a Character Creation Challenge instead of the usual, less 'intentioned' approach to the RPGaDay events. 

This certainly makes some of the terms easier to picture but I'm not sure I want to create a month's worth of characters, given that I'm much more of the 'Forever GM' type. Also, January sees the 31 Days/31 Characters Challenge and I don't necessarily want to muscle in on that event's turf, so to speak. I'm not 100% against the idea either though.

Hmm. Tough call here. Going to have to think about this.

A heartfelt thank you to F. Douglas Wall of There's More to Oz Than The Yellow Brick Road, as it wasn't until I read his post on the subject that I realized what the original creators were going for. 

Join me for this next month won't you? I can't wait to see what I decide to do!

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Barking Alien

I'll Tell You What I Want, What I Really, Really Want

I am currently running three campaigns. 

One is a bi-weekly game of Star Trek Adventures that my players and I have titled Star Trek: Prosperity. This campaign has been going on for nearly twelve years of real time. It features four players, plus myself as Gamemaster, and is set in a version of The Original Series Era that has run considerably longer than the first Star Trek TV series lasted on television. 

I love this campaign. My players appear to love it. It just keeps going.

The other two are, as mentioned the other day, Superhero games;

One is My Hero Academia: Hero Helpline; basically the premise of the video game Dispatch set in the universe of My Hero Academia. I'm using a Japanese fan-made TRPG called 'Plus Ultra'.

The second is The Legion of Superheroes: Legion Outpost, a Champions 4th Edition campaign following an expansion team of DC Comics' 31st Century Superheroes, The Legion of Superheroes. 

These two are fun. Definitely fun. There are ideas in both of them that I think are interesting to explore. That said...are these the games I really want to be running? Well...

Allow me to start by saying, I don't mean for this post to imply I'd rather be running one of the following campaign concepts instead of any of the ones I'm currently GMing.

OK...wait. No, that is kinda what I'm saying. The RPGs below are what I'd really love to be running if I could run anything I wanted and had people who wanted to play them. Except Star Trek: Prosperity. I would want to run one or more of the campaigns I'm about to discuss in addition to continuing with Star Trek: Prosperity. That doesn't mean I am unhappy with the games I'm currently running, just that these are my current 'dream campaigns'. 

The problem is...I don't know that the games I want to run are ones my current groups of players want to play, especially for a prolonged period of time. They might say yes to a one-shot and truly have a great time with it but I don't think they see the ongoing potential of the ones I'm going to talk about. 

Maybe some do. Hmm. OK. With that...

Ghostbusters

Yeah, I've definitely been slimed by the news of the upcoming Netflix animated series Night Shift but a desire to run a long term Ghostbusters campaign always haunts the back of my mind. 

I love the idea of characters who aren't exceptionally adept or particularly professional facing off against foes beyond their 'pay grade'. At the same time, the PCs do have some special skills and gear to level the playing field (pun intended) and the wits and determination to take down far more powerful adversaries. 

I'm also particularly found of the system I've homebrewed to run Ghostbusters, really a kitbash of the original WEG RPG, InSpectres, and the Year Zero mechanics from Free League's ALIEN game. Add in some of the customizable elements my groups and I have added over the years  - things like unique Proton Packs, alternative Ecto Vehicles, and the PCs' Headquarters - and I really think the game, and the players, would get the most out of an extended campaign, instead of just the occasional one-shot.

The Adventures of Horai Academy!!

This is a game near and dear to my heart that I honestly haven't run in roughly 30 years. And to be clear, even back then I only ran 6 sessions. I'd never run it before that and I haven't had the opportunity to run it again since. どうしたの？

Not only do I love the premise, best described by my friend Ray as, 'Crazy Japanese High School - The Roleplaying Game', but I also feel it has simple, interesting rules that make it a breeze to run while maintaining a certain amount of mechanical depth. Not too much mechanical depth I suppose but just enough to keep me engaged and allow for the kinds of stories and actions the game intends to create. 

Man, I have to do a dedicated post on this game. It's history and current incarnation are absolutely fascinating.

Anyway, I am once again in an Anime/Manga mood and this game would absolutely satisfy my craving for Japanese pop culture and fandom influenced game. 

The Smurfs

I haven't run or played The Smurfs Roleplaying Game in a while now and I REALLY miss it. Moreover, I desperately want to produce an ongoing campaign. Not only have I been eager to do this for some time now but I have so many ideas for putting one together that they're burning a hole in my smurf! In addition to exploring the fun characters that players keep coming up with, I want to continue expanding the world/setting, bring in both new and classic adversaries, and incorporate the base-building element of developing your Smurf House. 

I seriously think a long term Smurfs campaign could be the best Medieval Fantasy RPG you're going to get from me. Hopefully I'll get the chance. Smurfs crossed.

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Barking Alien

Yes, Have Some

Ghostbusters again? So soon?

Well yes! We have an update on the new animated streaming series and I got to run a one-shot of my homebrew/kitbashed Ghostbusters AD for some very special friends last week. What better reasons do I need? 

Ghostbusters: Night Shift

New information and some concept visuals for next year's animated streaming series Ghostbusters: Night Shift were unveiled by Ghost Corps, Sony Entertainment, and Netflix at the annual Annecy International Animation Film Festival and here's what we know: 

The story takes place in New York City in 1994, five years after the events of Ghostbusters II. A new supernatural menace arises and a group of scrappy, young New Yorkers find themselves in the middle of the madness. Some aspects I find particularly interesting are the Proton Packs being cobbled together, the Terror Dog Puppy, and their vehicle, the Ecto-94.

Check out the details here and here. More info keeps trickling out and GB fans are all over the scant data we have, so expect further in-depth analysis coming in the next fews days [and beyond]. 

While I find some of the creative choices a bit peculiar, I am intrigued. I like some of the character ideas and how they get their equipment, as well as the descriptions of the few paranormal entities mentioned. They sound honestly scary and while the creative team has assured us that the series is most definitely a comedy, I'm personally happy to hear the ghosts will be appropriately spooky.

I've got a positive feeling about this so far. It's not exactly what I was hoping for but its premise is interesting enough to peek my curiousity. I am also just happy to see the franchise expanding. Ghostbusters has always been a universe ripe for expansion, as evidenced by the Real Ghostbusters animated series, the original West End Games RPG, and of course the various Ghostbusters Fan Clubs. 

Speaking of which, check out WhoYouGonnaCall.Org for a listing of over 320 Ghostbusters Franchises worldwide. It isn't complete however, as I noticed none of the Japanese franchises are listed. Very likely the site covers the greater connected Ghostbusters fan community and the Japanese, for example, don't connect with the American groups all that often.

On the subject of Japanese Ghostbusters fans...

My friend Yasa, whom Barking Alien readers may remember from our games of Goblin Slayer, Meteor City - Star Rainy Days, and his running of our co-designed adventure for Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research, has been in California for two weeks visiting relatives. His first time in the USA in many years as I understand it.

With the two of us being in more reasonably related time zones, it seemed a shame to waste the opportunity to play something together [over Discord]. We actually got in two games, the latter of which was Ghostbusters AD - my homebrew/kitbash of West End's original, InSpectres, and the ALIEN RPG by Free League. 

We had four players with myself as GM and set the game in Yasa's hometown of Chiba City in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Everyone had a blast and I'll probably do a full write-up of it in the near future. 

This definitely won't be my last Ghostbusters post this Summer.

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Barking Alien

All Things Super

We've seen a lot of Superhero material this year and its only June!

As the subject of colorful, costumed crimefighters remains near and dear to me, I thought I'd discuss some of my favorite Supers related productions of 2026 and how they are influencing my next Superhero RPG endeavor...

Dispatch

If you love Superheroes, Video Games, and especially Superhero Video Games, do not miss out on this title. Dispatch, produced by and available for download on Stream, is a 'Superhero Workplace Dramedy'.

It largely revolves around Robert Robertson, formerly the superhero Mecha Man, who starts working as a Dispatcher for SDN after his Mecha Battlesuit gets wrecked. SDN is the Superhero Dispatch Network, a private company employing Superheroes [and former Supervillains] as an ongoing on-call protection, crimefighting, and rescue agency. 

It is funny, charming, romantic, quirky, and action-packed, with a solid story and best of all, some really fun characters. I highly recommend it! It has strong Supers RPG vibes and a game where the PCs work for SDN would absolutely rock! 

More on that later...

Invincible

The Invincible comic book series was great and the animated adaptation is quite excellent as well, particularly because its not a perfect one-for-one transfer from page to streaming screen. There are a number of changes to the original material in the form of characters and events that, IMHO, work even better than they did in the comic more often than not.

Not every wild swing the show makes is a home run but they're batting average is pretty damn good. 

Free League is releasing an Invincible Tabletop Roleplaying Game and for the most part, I think it's quite good. It does some interesting things directly related to the Invincible franchise that makes the game feel original in its approach to Superhero RPGs.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

I love this series. I've alluded to this in the past but I am going to come right out and say it here, I actually like it more than the original in a lot of ways.

It feels smaller but more personal and the way it explores a character learning to use their Quirk (Superpower) gives the viewer a clearer view of how such a thing might develop.

Add in some great characters, additional world-building, and a largely straightforward plot that still has some nice twists and turns and you've got the subject most heavily influencing my newest campaign. 

Spider Noir

I'll admit I went in to this series both very intrigued and highly skeptical and ended up absolutely loving it. This is how you do a Superhero alternate universe show! 

I watched it in B&W on my first run through and I just started my rewatch in Tru-Color. I gotta say, WOW! I think the purist in me prefers the B&W version but damn if their color choices aren't absolutely beautiful. 

Nicholas Cage is at his quirkiest and the rest of the cast does an amazing job that all the characters really pop. The story is interesting and the way they transfigure the Spiderman mythos is very clever indeed. I would absolutely love to see more of this series. 

Is there another Marvel 'What If' game in my future? You never know...

The Boys

After reading the first few issues of the Boys comic book I put it down and never really looked at it again. It just wasn't for me. I don't want to see deconstructions of the Superhero genre as, unlike writer Garth Ennis, I actually like Superheroes. If you are going to do it, you're going to need to do it REALLY well, with a deep love of the genre underneath it all. 

As far as The Boys as a streaming series, I loved it. Why? Because unlike the creator who hates the very idea of Superheroes, the team that produced the show clearly loves Supers. Its the same subject, story, and characters (for the most part) approached in a very different way thanks to a much more entertaining perspective. 

While I can't see myself ever running a game in this universe, there are aspects of 'Hero as Celebrity' shown in the series that are certainly on my mind.

My Adventures with Superman

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to check out the latest season as of yet so I'll save a discussion of this show for a future post. I very much enjoyed the previous seasons and I am definitely looking forward to this one.

MHA Hero Helpline and LSH Legion Outpost

I currently have two Superhero RPG campaigns going, which is probably one too many. It might even be two too many! We'll have to wait and see what happens. 

I was kind of desperate to come up with two new ongoing games, one for each the weekly groups I'm in but honestly, Superheroes was near the bottom of the list of choices. In the end I caved though because A) I realized that Supers just works with most of my friends and B) I was kind of inspired by all of the above.

With Group A I felt like we'd just played Supers not that long ago [and in fact, we had]. I

wanted to do something different though so I went with a very particular setting and vibe. The campaign is set in the world of the Anime/Manga My Hero Academia, with the players playing American Superheroes working for the Hero Helpline. Hero Helpline is an on-call private enterprise that responds to individual and business requests to fight crime, perform rescues, and provide other services best suited to the Hero profession. They are also available to assist city law enforcement and emergencies services. 

Basically, I wanted to combine the core concept of the computer game Dispatch with the setting of My Hero Academia. 

As far as Group B, well, I've been promising them I'd run Supers again with them 'someday soon' for a little while now. After a few short campaigns, false starts, and some really good one-shots, I decided someday was now. 

This campaign sees the PCs as an expansion of the Legion of Superheroes, the premier team of DC Comics' 31st Century. As the United Planets has grown in size, so has interstellar criminal activity and attacks from hostile powers like the Khund Empire and The Dominators. Our team of five Superheroes are based far from Earth on the ocean world of Vuruna. Every adventure sees one or more of the established Legion characters helping out the PCs. 

I'm having fun with these but I'm not sure they are what I want to run most. 

More on that...very soon,

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Barking Alien

Something Strange in Your Neighborhood

Well...it's been a minute, huh?

Sorry for the long hiatus but I really needed a break as my personal, professional, and yes, creative endeavors required my full attention. Don't worry, everything is good.

This blog is, after all, something I primarily do for fun and because [without it] my constantly bubbling ideas would eventually overflow and drive me quite mad if I didn't write them out somewhere. While very important to me, it doesn't 'pay the bills' if you know what I mean, and Real LifeTM must come first.

Although...more on that below. 

Yesterday was Ghostbusters Day! In truth, tomorrow is the actual anniversary of the release of the original film, while yesterday was the Ghostbusters Day Event held annually in NYC at the Firehouse of Hook and Ladder 8. Although I was unable to attend in person this year, I did keep up on the announcements and news coming out at the event, with the most interesting thing [to me] by far being Ghostbusters: Night Shift - a Netflix Animated Series coming out in 2027. Check out the logo!

Personally, I really like it. Classic but with a twist!

While we don't have a lot of solid information about it yet, we do know that the showrunners are Ben Hibon and Elliott Kalan. They were joined by Ghost Corps executive producers Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan to announce the series at yesterday's event.

Furthermore, its been revealed that the show is being done by Flying Bark Productions, the studio that gave us Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Stranger Things: Tales from '85. 

This news makes me feel it's as good a time as any to announce a new project I'm working on; I will be producing an RPG System Agnostic collection of paranormal perps for use with your favorite games related to capturing, containing, and creatively counteracting pesky poltergeists titled, 'Hosts of Freaky Ghosts'!

Based on my various past posts about spooky scallywags from my previous paranormal policing campaigns, this is largely going to be a PDF of enemies - and possibly an ally or two - for West End's Ghostbusters RPG, Memento Mori's InSpectres, Ewen Cluney's Spooktacular, and with a little work, any such similar game using a like-minded premise and your rules of choice. I will be putting in up on DriveThruRPG hopefully in time for Halloween of this year.

A note about the art - potentially:

I've developed a technique in which I draw the ghosts by hand, upload them into one of several AI Art Generators, get a 'new' image, then spend an hour or more modifying the result to my liking using Photostudio, occasionally redrawing it quite a bit. In a way these are certainly AI slop images but they are AI slop images sourced from my own original illustrations. Which, let's be honest, are also slop. 

Is it OK to use these in my product that's going to be for sale? What does everyone think? I really like how it comes out in the end and it saves me time as I'm never happy with my own art and can spend hours and hours on the smallest piece redrawing it because it isn't 'perfect'. Often, I'm still not pleased with it in the finished art. Curse my somewhat talented but neurodiverse brain chemistry!

Using the method I have described, I get images I really like, though the ethics of it are very gray in my mind. I am prone to still seeing these pictures are AI and therefore unethical regardless of how much of it is my own work. If even 1% of a given images isn't really mine, do I have any right to call it an illustration I made? Certainly I can't receive money for it. Right?

Let me know what you think in the comments and please be civil and constructive. I don't won't to produce something people aren't going to like on the grounds that I've used AI at all. I respect that view. I am only considering it because its my own art the programs are trained on. 

I appreciate your time and thoughtful input. 

Later days,

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Barking Alien

All Alone and Blue

My regular Wednesday night group decided to skip this past week's get together, largely due to exhaustion and a couple players being away because of personal and/or work obligations.

As a result, the Smurfs RPG one-shot I had planned will have to wait for another time. It's OK. I'm cool with it. No worries on my end. 

...Oh who am I smurfing? I want to play Smurfs! I'm smurfing at the bit! Chomping at the smurf? You smurf my meaning, right?

Wait...this is the perfect opportunity to try out something I've been pondering for a while now; a Smurfs RPG Solo Adventure!

I first mentioned this idea back in November of last year, in a post titled Blue Plate Special. The basic smurf of it is that I would use/focus on a single Smurf as my Player Character but have them accompanied by a rotating cast of additional Smurf companions. 

There are some rules on pages 30 and 31 of the Smurfs RPG Core Rulebook regarding playing a Smurf with a 'Sidekick' and I kind of extrapolated my Solo rules from there...at first.

The smurf of it is that a Smurf with a Sidekick isn't exactly what I had in mind for a Solo Smurfs RPG. I wanted the NPCs to have a little more to them. Less Sidekicks and more Supporting Characters I suppose. 

For the star of this Solo smurfy outing, I went with my original character Smurfcornflower, first created for The Smurfs and The Palace of the Silver Princess. I just adore her and she makes an excellent central character thanks to her Potion Making talents; needing to make a Potion, having to find the right ingredients, having to cure the effects of a botched potion, and the like all make good catalysts for an adventure.

I rolled randomly off a table I created to determine which companion Smurfs would be joining her and then wrote them up as follows: Create the NPC as per Sidekicks. Then add/expand upon elements of the character that might be prudent to know for an adventure such as Best Stat, Worst Stat, their Advantage, a Signature Item of Equipment, and a short description of their personality and motivation. 

Basically, a Smurf Companion is more than a Sidekick, less then a full Player Character write-up.

In practice, I made all of the choices for my 'Solo Smurf', while the other NPC Smurfs were guided by a mixture of my decisions and random rolls. I also generated the adventure randomly and used die rolls to determine a lot of the elements within the adventure. 

In upcoming posts I will detail the characters, the adventure, and the far too detailed plans I created for Smurfcornflower's Mushroom Cottage. 

Smurf you later!

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Barking Alien

A very Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there with the utmost appreciation and love for all you do!

This Is The May - From Shadow Lords to Baby Yodas

Today in a galaxy far, far away...

It is May the 4th once more, or as I like to call it, 'Secular Star Wars Day'. 'Orthodox Star Wars Day' being May 25th of course, the actual day the first Star Wars film was released. 

Nonetheless, this is the day we Star Wars fans celebrate George Lucas' creation; a universe of strange aliens, clever droids, fantastic creatures, distant planets, and of course, The Force.

This year, there is a lot to celebrate too, as we currently have the animated series Maul: Shadow Lord and will be getting The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22th, the first Star Wars film in theaters in 7 years. 

As the date approached, I started to get an idea for a Star Wars RPG that leaned even more heavily into the cinematic, often over-the-top nature of things like the Star Was computer and video games, the animated series such as the current and awesome Maul: Shadow Lord, and one of my personal favorite projects, Star Wars Visions. 

A few weeks ago (roughly), I had the chance to play in a game of Outgunned, a rules-lite cinematic 'Action Film' RPG by a company called Two Little Mice. The one-shot was run, quite excellently, by my friend Nick, a member of my Wednesday evening group. I liked it, a lot, though I couldn't resist the desire to tweak and modify the game for an even greater potential. One thing I wanted to be able to do with it was adapt it to other genres and settings such as...hmmm.

The day after the game I started writing up some notes for an Outgunned powered Star Wars game. While the official supplements for Outgunned, Action Flicks and Action Flicks Vol. 2 respectively, each contain Star Wars-like setting options and additional rules for 'Star Raiders' and 'Star Knights', I decided to try building my version of Outgunned Star Wars from scratch. Sort of.

I did read through the Action Flicks homage versions and they did indeed inform some of my ideas and choices going into the project. I also used Twitter's Grok AI to see what different variations of my proposed adjustments would be like. In the end, I'm pretty happy with what I've got. It isn't a full-on new game by any means but rather a functional way of using a particular set of already established rules to run an already established setting. It's the work of a fan of two things hoping to merge them together. 

I'll be making a series of posts across the month of May - Star Wars Month! - detailing my ideas under the working title...

Happy May the Fourth and beware Revenge of the Fifth.

Remember, The Force will be with you, always.

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Barking Alien

A Blue Dilemma

This past Wednesday I received an email from Maestro Media indicating my physical, hardcover copy of The Smurfs The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook has shipped and is on its way to me as we speak.

Hopefully the package will include the custom dice I added on 'cause who could resist a bunch more themed 6-sided dice, right? (See previous post)

I also got to run a Smurfs one-shot with most of my regular Wednesday night group, my first time running or playing it this year. Next week the group make up will be a little different - the one person out this week will be back but one or two others will be out - so I'll be running it again [with a new scenario] so everybody gets to experience the magic.

This is awesome and I couldn't be happier. Well...unless...unless I could get a full campaign going I suppose. 

In addition to adoring this game for the comedic elements and really liking the mechanics, its turning out to be something I didn't expect...a Fantasy RPG that I enjoy. Crazy right? 

The reason for this can be, at least partially, attributed to my deep dive into the Smurfs' comic book origins, as well as French and Belgian folklore. A curious item I just picked up is a Smurfs 'Graphic Novel' called The Smurfs Monsters, a collection of Smurfs comics that each feature our favorite little blue people facing various fantastical creatures. I feel a potential 'Monster Manual' coming on, taking these beasts and beings and giving them write-ups in the Smurfs RPG. If the cover is any indication, I'm going to be getting some very interesting looking critters. 

If the game has a flaw it's that one of my favorite aspects, creating your very own personal Mushroom Cottage, is difficult to work into play. As I gain more and more experience with the game, I realize this element truly shines in a campaign and is rather tricky to implement during one-shots or even two-parters. 

Usually, the PC Smurfs go on some adventure that takes them out of the village and don't return home until the scenario is complete. Perhaps they are chasing Gargamel, who just captured some Smurfs. Maybe Papa Smurf has sent them out to gather a rare magical ingredient. Whatever it is, the Smurfs are going away from their Smurfhouses and only coming back to them if they finish their quest or get totally Smurfed! 

I imagine in a long term campaign, more adventures and general activities would be occuring in and around Smurf Village and Smurfy Grove. Because of this, characters would be visiting their Mushroom Cottages (and each others') far more often. This, combined with the usefulness of the mechanical bonuses supplied by Smurfhouse, would make the inclusion of these homes more appealing to the PCs and more vital to the success of particularly difficult scenarios.

I've noticed that some players take the idea of a Smurfs RPG 'seriously', while others default to assuming they're playing a silly, comedic 'break' from their regular, more meaningful campaign. This makes sense given the natural of one-shots combined with the Smurfs themselves being comical characters from comic book and animated origins. As someone who has run and played some dramatically rich 'humorous' games, I think that given an open mind and a full campaign, I could get some great Roleplaying and World-Building moments from the Smurfs RPG with little trouble. 

These are just some thoughts I find myself having on a lazy Sunday in May. More to come, not to mention an idea for a new professional project. 

Smurf strong and stay tuned!

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Barking Alien

The Smurfs depicted are all original, Player Character Smurfs; all the ones I've seen so far in the Smurfs RPG games I've run and played [that I could remember]. They are:

Row 1 (L-to-R): Fisher Smurf, Adventure Smurf, Science Smurf, Lookout Smurf, Sir Smurfsalot aka Questing Smurf, and Champion Smurf.

Row 2: Smurfamaryllis, Suave Smurf, Apathy Smurf, Smurfcornflower, Brash Smurf, Smurfhoneysuckle, and Gamer Smurf.

Row 3: Smurfpepper, Helpful Smurf, Spelly Smurf, Frontier Smurf, and Smurfanise.

UPDATE: May 4th, 2026, 3:30 pm.

I got it! It is here! 

The Dice Man Cometh

Gamers love dice. I'm a gamer so, ergo, I should also love dice. And I do...kinda.

Not gonna lie, these are beautiful.

Rant incoming...

Recently, I've been on the look out for a Fantasy RPG and a lot of new Anime/Manga/JRPG inspied ones have been promoted via Kickstarter, Backerlit, and Gamefound. Last Arc: Tactics Analogue, Legends of Akeroth, and Twilight Sword spring immediately to mind. Unfortunately, nearly all of these games share one element in common that really turns me off. I've been disappointed when I look past the pretty pictures and nifty settings and into the mechanics; a lot of them use multiple die types. 

I have grown to dislike games that use all the different polyhedrons. I prefer it when a game uses just D6s, or just D10s, or even just D20s (though that tends to be my least favorite die - too swingy). Pools of the same die are fine by me (preferred in fact) but using six or more different types just feels unnecessary and inelegant.

I know this isn't the case but I equate using all the dice with the clunky, limiting, inefficient games of yore. Given the many and varied ways I've seen the idea of 'only D6s' used to create systems from the complexity of Champions to the simplicity of Smurfs, my gut reaction to those developing a game with six different shaped dice is, 'Why? It isn't needed. There are easier [and better] ways to go about this.'

It's not just Fantasy games either but I did starting thinking about this more and more as I went on a quest to find a game that I really want to go on a quest with. The upcoming Superhero RPG from Free League, 'Invincible', based on the Image comic book and animated streaming series of the same name, uses only 6-sided dice but the recently announced Justice League Unlimited RPG uses all of the [basic] types. This instantly put a little frown on my face. I really like Invincible but I don't want to like more than I do my beloved DC Comics and from a cursory glance at both...that is exactly my feeling!

Frustrated by the dynamics of this situation I did the unthinkable, though more as an experiment than anything else, and put a host of very specific criteria into an AI language program, asking essentially, 'Can you make a Fantasy Tabletop Roleplaying Game with no Classes or Levels, Rules-Lite but suitable for Long Term Campaign play, that utilizes only 6-Sided Dice in its mechanics?' I expected to get junk but thought it might inspire me to create my own from scratch once I saw how bad the result was.

To my utter shock and dismay, the AI created a damn good, playable game. It was almost perfectly what I wanted. I did have to make a tweak here and a modification there but overall I was very impressed. I thought, 'so an AI can make a really cool D6s only Fantasy RPG but no creative person in the gaming industry can?' I know I'm being hyperbolic and I don't mean that literally but...well...its not a completely unfounded assessment either.

Most of the D6 only games lean towards Science Fiction or Superheroes: ALIEN, Champions, Star Wars, Tales from the Loop, Traveller, and the various incarnations and variations of Ghostbusters from the original to InSpectres to my kitbashed hybrid. While I am sure there are Fantasy TRPGs that use D6s, few seem to hold the kind of charm for me that any of the aforementioned games (except the Smurfs that is). 

My favorite Medieval Fantasy experiences have come from Ars Magica, traditionally using only D10s. I think Modiphius's 2D20 System might make for a good Fantasy game but I have yet to test that theory. 

Anyway, those are just some thoughts that have been on my mind recently so I thought I'd shout them into the void. If you stayed to actually read through this you are a true Barking Alien fan and/or should probably seek professional help. 

Talk again soon,

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Barking Alien

Where My Head Is At

First, my apologies for the long delay between posts and what appears to be my own RPG internet challenge left uncompleted.

It appears to be that way because, as of this writing, it is indeed, incomplete. I haven't finished the RPG Campaign Tour Challenge I created back in February of this year and while there are a variety of reasons for both this, that's not [exactly] what this post is here to address. 

It is related though. It's more to discuss why I haven't blogged at all. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time I didn't finish an internet challenge. Surely I could just post my apology and move on, right? Well...no.

I have had a lot on my mind lately, both personally, professionally, and in the area of Tabletop RPGs. Unfortunately, my combination of ADD, Anxiety, and a connected Task Paralysis state meant that I could not start writing about anything else if the challenge wasn't fully done. I couldn't post at all due to the RPG Campaign Tour Challenge being unfinished but my brain being full of other subjects and ideas such that I couldn't focus on the subject at hand to complete the challenge.

A self-inflicted Catch-22. A vicious cycle.

So what about this post here? This is a post and its not an installment of the RPG Campaign Tour Challenge. You're correct and that is how I'm planning to get around my own mentally induced hurdle. It's just Part 1 of my plan though.

Part 2 is the trickier bit; I will be posting some other RPG thoughts I've been having, and there are a lot of them, but I do intend on getting back to and completing the challenge. When I do, when all 28 entries are totally finished, all the related posts will be dated for February 2026, including the two entries I did in March. For me, this enables my to 'Start Fresh' but also feel like I did what I set out to do. It will also make it easier for both you the reader and for me myself, to locate the challenge entries for any future reference. 

Does that make sense? Probably not but it makes sense to me.

Thank you for your time, your patience, and your continued interest and viewership. 

We'll talk again soon,

AD

Barking Alien

RPG Campaign Tour Challenge 2026 - DAY 25

Day 25-Where can I do some shopping?

"While not an alien custom to me, shopping as a pleasurable activity wasn't something I was intimately familiar with prior to joining the Prosperity's crew. 

Growing up on Cheron, shopping was an essential action performed in order to get the goods you needed and that was that. It was only very rarely that my parents would take me shopping for a treat, a toy, or an article of clothing I would choose for myself. 

In the post-scarcity-of-essential-needs-society of the Federation, where everyone is guaranteed to get what they need to live comfortably, shopping seems to be a pastime or hobby to many. It is something they enjoy but it isn't a necessity for life.

*Whispering* Unless you're Lt. JG Kepna Theph, one of Prosperity's top shuttlecraft pilots. How many 'cute' pairs of boots does one being require?" 

Lt. Kepna Theph

Andorian 'Popular Girl'

Apparel and Accessories [Fashion]

Each species and culture has identifying aspects to their fashion; certain elements of their clothes that go beyond practicality and become a mark of their native identity. This then collides with the creativity, philosophy, and aesthetics of the individual. Fashion is a reflection of a people but also a reflection of one person's individuality. 

The design, fabrication, and wearing of particular styles of clothing is considered an artform by many sentients across known space. Shopping for apparel and matching accessories allows one to participate in that art. 

While it seems clothing styles would be a less popular interest out here on the frontier, where survival trumps a nice looking dress, fashion is more prevalent then I ever expected. Out here, what you wear defines who you are. A wealthy merchant and one scraping by are not going to be dressed the same. The prestigous governor of Mozinphar's Planet will surely look more daper than the chief coordinator of New Cheron's struggling new colony.

Andorian fashion is especially interesting in the Tango-9 Sector at present. Lt. Theph is well-versed on the subject and explained it to me in great detail. I will address the highlights here. Apparently, Andorians out here are trying to make one of two statements with their fashion. Some are trying to embrace modern times and welcome Starfleet and other newcomers into the area by wearing clothing reminiscent of Human styles and other widespread, popular designs. Others are doubling down on old Andorian styles, wearing traditional Andorian garb as a way of acknowledging and even reinforcing their cultural identity. 

Lt. JG Kepna Theph, Andorian Fashionista

Old and New combined!

As for Theph herself, always a trendsetter [according to her], she is combining the looks in order to set herself apart and show how mixing the new and the old can result in an overall better outcome. *Whispers* And she's right. She looks amazing. Please don't tell her I said so. I'll never live it down." 

Delicacies and Treats

There are numerous small and portable candies and other edible luxury items that make excellent gifts for friends and family back on the core member worlds. 

One of the most popular and somewhat controversial indulgences are 'The Melting Stars of Enning'. These star shaped 'chocolates', often known simply as Melting Stars, are the invention of a Human confectioner and his Andorian partner, combining centuries of candy-making skill and knowledge with ingredients native to the planet Andor (as well as Mozinphar's Planet).

As previously noted, Andorian cuisine is often perceived as either very bland or overly sweet by non-Andorians, so the couple leaned into the latter to inspire this rather ingenious creation. Each star is a chocolate shell filled with either a honey-like substance made from the wooly moths of Andoria or, less often, a type of paste made from crushed nuts, miteberries, or a combination of the two. The exterior chocolate container is subtly bittersweet and most of the sugary flavor comes from the filling. They are delicious in my opinion but that isn't what makes them so special. They are produced using a rather unusual freeze-drying process that makes them solid and long lasting [without spoiling] but allows them to practically dissolve on contact with the tongue [of most species]. 

A popular beverage is made from warmed or room temperate milk into which a few of the Melting Stars are dropped, quickly flavoring the drink with a mix of chocolate and whatever the interior contains as they breakdown. in addition, a recent variation uses a smaller amount of chocolate mixed into a paste made from nuts, similar to what Humans tell me is called 'Marzipan', to produce Melting Stars of a cream or ivory-white color. It adds a sweet, nutty flavor to the confection that is surprisingly subtle. Absolutely excellent! 

What makes it controversial is that the particular method of freeze-drying used to make these Melting Stars is a time honored Andorian tradition important to various spiritual rituals and holiday foods and many Andorians look down on its use in this way. 

Souvenirs

I once met a Denebian Trader who told me, "Wherever there is commerce, there are people willing to waste their money".

The purchasing of small trinkets and momentos isn't something that ever made sense to me. That doesn't mean I don't have my own modest collection of objects I've gathered over the years that have sentimental value. I didn't buy them though; I came across them in my travels and held on to them for one reason or another.

Considering this, I think I get the idea behind 'Souvenirs' a little better in retrospect. It helps to have some physical proof of where we've been for both our own satisfaction and to share with others. These items say, 'See? I was there.' As we get older it can even help to remind us of great moments of the past, less we forget them. 

Among the keepsakes I've seen that I might recommend looking into:

A shop display on Deep Space Station K-12

Khelayan 'Cracked Crystals': Dark, dull blue rocks with veins of burnished gold running through them that are sold all across the sector. Each merchant hawking these interesting if unimpressive looking stones claims they are authentic pieces of burned out 'Precursor' technology, rendered inert by the Prosperity's crew at the close of the Vault War. The problem with these rocks is, of course, that the vast majority of the crystals are simply fakes. Some are similar looking but not structurally equivalent elements, while others are poorly painted forgeries. Actual pieces of Janissary technology are currently illegal to possess. The entirety of these artifacts are under the jurisdication of the United Federation of Planets Science Council and Starfleet Command. 

That said, if you participated in and/or were effected by the war, you might find this all a bit ghoulish. Others I have spoken to have picked up a stone to remember friends and allies who fell during the conflict. We all grieve in our own way I suppose. 

Mazzulan Welcome Blanket: Beautifully woven blankets, each hand-made and unique, regarded as symbol of hospitality, friendship, and safety. These are given to visitors staying over at a Mazzulan home, inn, or other lodging establishment and the recipient is encouraged and expected to take the blanket with them when they leave. I've heard that some very traditional Mazzulans will actually be offended if you don't take the blanket with you. 

Mozinphar's 'Bright Winter Moon' Andorian Ale: A rare beverage only brewed once every three years and only in limited quantities. Drink it or not but keep the bottle. It notes the location, brewer, and the year it was made. 

Uthaden Luck Puck: In their native language, an 'Uthoo Toose', this is a disc about 5.75-6 cm in diameter and about 2.5 cm thick, carried on ones person, that is made of old fur, claw shavings, and other organic material from an individual combined with a clay from the owner's homeworld. This is super-heated and hardened and then carried around as it is thought to protect one from misfortune and bring good luck. Yes, the idea might be seen as kind of off putting to some but its kind of a fascinating item, no? You cannot just purchase one by the way. You can only get one by having one made for you. Get a haircut, save some of the hair, add a few nail clippings, and some cast off skin cells and you have yourself a very unusual and special memento.

"With that, I think its time we starting heading towards our last leg of the tour and...I hope I used that phrase correctly. There are a few more things to do and tales to tell, so let's all freshen up and meet back here for dinner. Is that acceptable to everyone? Great!".

See you then,

AD

Barking Alien

Hey all, sorry this has been delayed so long. I've been extremely busy with Real LifeTM and a dozen additional TRPG projects. I'm working on so many things, things I REALLY want to discuss, but I also feel driven to finish this first. Does that contribute to the delay?

The frustration in not being done yet can slow my ability to get things done; I know this. I've been down that road before. That said, I can't give up now. I don't want to and I am and have been having a lot of fun doing this Challenge so...I'll see it through. 

Thanks for listening and for sticking with me. We're almost finished.