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

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

Blurry VISIONS

Star Wars: Visions is perhaps my all time favorite production to have come out of the 'Disney Era' of the franchise, even when not every entry is an absolute banger. This is because they experiment, take chances, do things differently, and don't worry about the $@^%ing canon. 

The newest iteration, Volume 3, is no different and yet it kind of is.

Having watched each of the episodes at least twice now, here are my thoughts...

WARNING: SPOILERS INCOMING

Switch all power to front deflector shields!

Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 returns to Japan for nine short form film/episodes that are not directly linked to each other, though all are set in the Star Wars universe of course. In fact, although adherence to canon isn't a major factor, this time out the series seems to feel the most traditionally 'Star Wars-y' so far. You've got familiar aliens, droids, X-Wings, and other bits and bobs that just say 'this is Star Wars' loud and clear.

One unique feature this time out is that we have several sequels to installments first seen in Volume 1. The Duel, The Ninth Jedi, and The Village Bridge all get continuations. This is great to see but it highlights one of the weaknesses of this Volume.

Volume 3 feels less fresh and new. With perhaps two exceptions, most of the entries this time around are not experimental, they're not taking chances, and they're really not doing things all that special or unique. This doesn't mean there aren't some really great pieces here but it feels safer, more packaged, and more what you might expect from 'Star Wars by Anime Artists'. 

I also feel that overall the music wasn't particularly great. Maybe it's my computer but on more than half of the episodes the music is too quiet, too low in volume (even after adjusting it), and generally comes off as something I either didn't notice at all or found just audible enough to be distracting at times. Your light years may very. I am not much of a music guy these days.

My final criticism is that while most of the entries are very good and I liked them, with none that I would consider truly bad in any way, it's equally true that none are so grand, so ground-breakingly amazing that I can say I've found my new favorite. They're all just really good, though some still better than others.

What follows are my opinions on each and what elements stand out to me for whatever reason. I am always looking at media through a Gamemaster's eye, so there may be some gamer talk but for the most part I'll save the RPG discussions for a separate post.

Title: The Duel: Payback (8.5/10)

Studio: Kamikaze Douga/ANIMA

Director: Takanobu Mizuno

Writer: Jumpei Mizusaki[

The first short film in the first volume of Visions was The Duel and I scored the original a 10 out of 10. It was incredible. It still is. It looked unlike anything we'd seen before, especially in the context of Star Wars - black and white with pops of strategically placed color, a rough, sketchy, almost unfinished illustration style, a familiar universe reinterperted as Feudal Era Japan, and a main character who was both the hero and a villain. 

Here we revisit that same world and as such, while possibly the best of the bunch this time out as well, it isn't something completely unexpected. It's more of the same, though the 'same' is really excellent. The new characters, the set pieces, and the fleshing out of the Ronin were welcome additions. Great imagery continues in the tradition of the first.

The music in this one was probably some of the best too, though at lot of it was derived from the films (particularly the Prequels I think). 

Title: The Song of Four Wings (8/10)

Studio: Project Studio Q

Director: Hiroyasu Kobayashi

Writer: Yoji Enokido

I'm just going to put this out there right up front; I really liked this one! I say it that way because I've looked about the internet and a lot of reviewers see this one as 'nothing special'. It seems a good number of Star Wars Youtubers didn't find The Song of Four Wings to be anything to write home to Coruscant about. 

I get that. At least I can see why some might feel that way but for me it was really fun. First, it was very Star Wars. It had a heroic Princess with a cool Astromech Droid riding a classic looking Speeder Bike across an Ice Planet to save a cute little alien from Snowtroopers and AT-ATs. C'mon! If you're a Star Wars fan, what is there not to love about that?

Simultaneously, it's VERY Japanese. Very Anime and Manga. It combines Star Wars with three major tropes of Japanese media culture; Mecha, Magical Girls, and Origami. No story with transforming Walkers, a plucky girl's droid becoming an X-Wing battle suit, a Force Sensitive, big-eyed furbunny, and traditinal Japanese paper cutting art could be anything less than awesome. 

The music here should have been better. It's OK but missing something. Crane's personal tune is kinda neat but since music is actually an element of the character, I would think Project Studio Q would've made it stand out a little more. The background music is likewise a bit lackluster. None of it sucks but none of it soars either.

It's probably a 7.5 episode but its an 8 to me. Perhaps not the best of the entries but definitely a personal favorite of mine.

Title: The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope (7.5/10)

Studio: Production IG

Director/Writer: Naoyoshi Shiotani

This was a good episode of a typical Anime Action Show but a slightly weak entry in not only the Star Wars: Visions series but as an installment of The Ninth Jedi as well.

One of my favorites from the original Visions Volume 1, the first incarnation of 'The Ninth Jedi' had an interesting take on the Star Wars setting, charming characters, and a very cool story twist. This one...doesn't have those things. The droid Teto that they introduce is very cute and cool but there is no twist and very little that advances the world-building of this far future(?) version of the familiar galaxy far, far away. It was both well done and somewhat disappointing.

Also the starship designs were...strange. I think they were going for a more futuristic Star Wars aesthetic but instead it looked more like knock-off Star Trek. As an Anime fan I expected a little more from Production IG.

Title: The Bounty Hunters (7/10)

Studio: WIT Studio

Director: Junichi Yamamoto

Writer: Hiroshi Seko

This is a tough one. I liked The Bounty Hunters but it wasn't all that much to speak of. A predictable story. Pretty standard villain. Good art if a little simple and solid enough animation. Like The Song of Four Wings, this one isn't shaking anyone to their core but damn if it wasn't fun. I liked the main character but thought the split personality droid was a really cool and clever idea and his look was neat. Additionally, I thought this was one of the few episodes this volume to feature cool ship designs. 

Title: Yuko's Treasure (7.5/10)

Studio: Kinema Citrus Co. 

Director: Junichi Yamamoto

Writer: Hiroshi Seko

Another very fun entry with a strong 1970s to early 1980s Anime feel. There was an era in Japanese Manga and Anime that saw stories of this type all the time. Classics like Doraemon, Dr. Slump, Magical Princess Minky Momo, and others feature many of the tropes you see in this episode: really young protagonists, a cute looking but surprisingly tough 'Pet' Robot, over-the-top masked villains and their goofy minions, and running gags like the one where the monster and villains repeatedly fall down a hole. Like Pokemon's Team Rocket blasting off to become a twinkle in the sky at the end of each episode of that show. 

This one was not only fun but I could definitely see this being an easy entry point into the Star Wars universe for many elementry school age children. While a tad silly and having a very child friendly art style, even adults can get a chuckle from this one and feel the timeless charm fused into it.

The ship shown at the end is pretty adorable and quite Star Wars appropriate so it gets a thumbs up. 

Title: The Lost Ones (8/10)

Studio: Kinema Citrus Co.

Director: Hitoshi Haga

Writer: Hitoshi Haga and Takahito Oonish

In Star Wars: Visions Volume 1 we got The Village Bridge, a very pretty episode with an intriguing setting and a character I really wanted to see more of, the female Jedi known only as 'F'. The Lost Ones sees her return, facing off against a cataclysm that drove people off their world and the return of her former master now turned to the Dark Side of The Force.

I liked this one, quite a bit, but I felt it had some of the same flaws as its predecessor. There is a story about a planet and its people as their was in The Village Bride but just like in that previous episode, it doesn't connect directly to F or her facing off against her ex-mentor. I mean, the two stories cross over each other and there are characters that connect the two during the episode but it just feels like she could have been anywhere else and the story might have progressed the same way. 

The Jedi Master turned Sith (maybe an Inquisitor?) and their ship comes looking for F, not the planet, the people, or anything else. So why tell us all about the plight of these folks? Again, its not that the two plots are completely disconnected but they're not intrinsically related either. 

I really like F. I'm not even sure why. There is just something about her. Cool design, a real survivor, and a good person at heart. I hope we see another outing of hers that deals more directly with what she does to survive in the Rebellion Era and how true she stays to herself.

Music good. Nothing especially stand out-ish but good. 

Title: The Smuggler (8/10)

Studio: Studio Trigger

Director/Writer: Masahiko Otsuka

A big fan of Studio Trigger I was hoping I'd like this one and I very much did. This one felt like a group of Player Characters doing the initial mission that forms their party. A smooth mix of classic Star Wars and modern Anime/Manga ideas the results in just the kind of short I imagine would result from a Star Wars Visions project.

The Smuggler appeals to me for the same reason The Bounty Hunters and The Song of Four Wings does. Nothing groundbreaking but a fine example of what you can do when you cross pollenate Japanese Anime tropes with those of Star Wars. 

The ships here are very Anime but they do reveal some Star Wars DNA in them, especially the bounty hunter fighters that show shades of TIE fighter on what is otherwise a 1990s Japanese Animation design. On the flipside, the Landspeeder in the episode is spot on Star Wars. 

Title: The Bird of Paradise (7.5/10)

Studio: Polygon Pictures

Director: Tadahiro Yoshihira

Writer: Tadahiro Yoshihira and Makoto Uezu

This one. Hmm. This one is tough to review.

Absolutely beautiful looking art, excellent animation, and a story that is quite intriguing thanks to the blending of Japanese spiritual beliefs with the Force. It makes for an atypical approach to the traditional Jedi vs Sith stories we're accustomed to. 

I can't emphasize enough that the visuals are just stunning. I was particularly fond of the Sith characters' design and the look of the Dark Side version of the main character. Unfortunately...

The drawbacks to this entry that prevent me from fully enjoying it are two fold: First, the female protagonist is quite pathetic and whiny for a good portion of the episode. The change toward a stronger and more positive attitude is very subtle at first, which could be a testament to good storytelling, but because I'd already grown to dislike her it was hard to me to notice or appreciate it. Second, we don't get to spend much time on each of the days of her journey of self-reflection and discovery. As a result and as noted before, the change from her being weak and bratty to being more centered seems abrupt, though it wasn't meant to. 

The episode also has a less than satisfying ending in my opinion. We never return to the battle that starts the story rolling and have not idea what became of the main character's Master, the Sith adversary, or her really cool droid, Daruma. We never get to see our heroine face the enemy after her 'rebirth' so we are told what she learned but don't see it in action. 

The music here, it works. It fits and does what it needs to do.

Title: BLACK (6.5/10)

Studio: David Production

Director/Writer: Shinya Ohira

If any of the shorts could be legitimately called disappointing it would be BLACK. 

Hailed as a masterpiece when it was shown at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France back in June, the buzz around this one was intense. A very different take on not only Star Wars but what could be done in animation, supposedly paired with a righteous jazz score reminiscent of Cowboy Beboy made it one of the most anticipated pieces in Vision Volume 3.

Problem is...it just doesn't work. At least not for me.

The imagery is chaotic, designed to show the madness of an Imperial Stormtrooper going through some sort of psychotic PSD episode. A very intriguing idea but one that becomes tiresome to watch as it runs on too long without any sort of narrative. I watched it twice but the second time I was more often listening to it than watching it. My eyes got tired of the random visual noise. 

The music, which I expected to really like as a fan of this kind of Jazz and of Cowboy Beboy, was sorely lacking. The vast majority of the episode's run you can barely hear it. The rest of the time it doesn't quite match with what is going on in the animation. The visuals and the score seem almost at odds instead of complimenting each other. 

It was cool that they went for it with this one, that they tried to do something really different but in the end it is definitely the short I enjoyed the least.

As you can see, not a single one of these was rated a 9 out of 10, let alone a 10/10. The guy who is a huge Star Wars and Anime fan didn't gush about how awesome any one of the entries were. Cool? Sure. Well done? Mostly yes. Amazing! Well, that's going a little far. 

If you haven't watched Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 yet and for some odd reason read this first, I would go with the advice of Major Partagaz from Andor and 'Calibrate your enthusiasm' before checking it out. 

That doesn't mean it was great to have another volume of VISIONS or that it didn't inspire some Star Wars TRPG ideas. I am still extremely excited for the upcoming The Ninth Jedi ongoing series and hopeful for a potential Volume 4. 

フォースとともにあらんことを

Fōsu to tomo ni aran koto wo

May The Force Be With You

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Barking Alien

Coming To Save The World This Summer

It's June 8th, 2025 - Happy Ghostbusters Day to one and all!

For a month or more prior to the release of the film posters with the Ghostbusters 'No Ghost' logo appeared in train stations, in movie theaters, and in a variety of all places. No one [I knew] had any idea what they were for. 

Eventually they were replaced by the poster you see above, the mysterious emblem accompanied by the words, 'Coming To Saving the World This Summer'. My grandfather, a theater manager, didn't get the film in his movie house but it did show in one of his previous locations with whom he was on very good terms. 

Through this connection my younger sister and I went to go see it together, just the two of us as I recall, at the Kings Highway Theater in Brooklyn, NY. We got in free since we were 'Al's Grandkids'. I would've been 15 years old and my sister about 10. I don't recall if it was opening day but I do remember I was one of the first among my friend group to have seen it.

That was 41 years ago and I've been an avid fan of the franchise and especially that first film ever since. 

Yesterday was the celebration of Ghostbusters Day at Hook and Ladder No. 8 in Downtown Manhattan (New York City, NY), the real world working firehouse that serves as the Ghostbusters HQ in the films. I was down there myself last year and I hopefully will be there next year but unfortunately, for various reasons, I wasn't able to attend myself in 2025. 

Jason Reitman, son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman and current head producer and writer for the GB franchise, was there along with Carrie Coon and McKenna Grace of Afterlife and Frozen Empire. Serving as ambassadors of good will between the studio and the fans (and doing an awesome job!), the event featured music, walking tours of the film locations, product announcements, and lots of people in incredible cosplay. Oh and the Ecto vehicles! The Ecto Vehicles! Absolutely awesome!

Last but far from least, Sony Pictures teamed with Ghost Corps and the massive collection of fandom franchises to initiate 'Ghostbusters Give Back', a year long competitive charity drive wherein Sony will match donations up to $150,000. You can learn more about this here and at the Ghostbusters Give Back hub.

The various Ghostbusters Fan Club 'Franchises' across the USA and the world have long been involved with charity events and fundraisers. This is not only an extension of that tradition but yet another example of how well the Ghostbusters IP partners with those who love it, something other studios could learn a lot from. 

I do wish they'd given us more details on some of the upcoming film and animation projects but I feel like that will be coming soon enough as the Annecy International Film Festival begins today.

You'll definitely be seeing some Ghostbusters RPG ideas from me in October but keep an eye out; you never know when and where a paranormal imanifestation will appear. When it does...Who You Gonna Call?

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Barking Alien

The Unmitigated Gaul

Asterix, also known as Asterix The Gaul, Asterix and Obelix, or The Adventures of Asterix, is a franchise based on the French Comic Strips and Albums of the same name(s) created by René Goscinny (Writer) and Albert Uderzo (Artist) and originally published in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote, first released in 1959.

I am a big fan of the Asterix comics - 41 Volumes as of this post selling over 393 million copies in 111 language across the world - as well as the animated films - a dozen of those I believe - and the recent 3D Computer Animation series Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight (in French) on Netflix (based on the story from a comic album published in 1966). I haven't seen any of the 5 live-action outings yet - two of which were among France's high grossing films! - as I'm nervous they won't be able to duplicate the feel of their illustrated counterparts. 

Like the Smurfs, I first came across those in both French and English adaptions when I was very young and so I was familiar with Asterix and his adventures long before they'd gained any kind of widespread footing in the book and comic book stores of the USA. In addition to the artwork and humor, I loved the mix of History and Fantasy. As with Smurfs, there was an occasional anachronistic twist on the setting and its inhabitants that was expertly handled and so I pretty much fell in love with it.

 

The premise is fairly simple and nearly every Asterix story begins...

The year is 50 BC. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely... One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders.

The mighty Legions of the Roman Empire, four of which camp not too far from this small Gaul village, have been unable to defeat these 'barbarians' as they possess a secret weapon; their Druid Panoramix (Getafix in English versions) has created a potion that temporarily gives the imbuer Superhuman Strength. In addition, one member of the village, Obelisk, has permanently enhanced strength as he fell into a cauldron of the concontion when he was a child.

As with all things that interest and/or inspire me, at some point I have to ask myself, "How do I game this?" 

As it turns out, Asterix is no stranger to gaming. 15 Board Games, a few dozen Computer/Video Games, and even a series of 10 'Choose Your Own Adventure' style Gamebooks have been produced over the decades since 1970. Impressive, no? Of course, I'm talking about Tabletop Roleplaying Games and it's very likely I'm the only one crazy enough to want to...wait a sec. What's this?

Indominable Gauls by Thomas M. Grenery is an Asterix inspired game that uses an interesting mechanic based on the game Cthulhu Dark [as I understand]. It is very clearly Asterix with the numbers filed off and that's not a criticism. That was basically the objective and he achieved his goal. 

So we have our Asterix game, yes? It would certainly make my life a lot easier to just use this instead of trying to make my own version, if indeed I was looking to run an Asterix RPG. Well...I do intend to do this, I've never been one for 'the easy way' if there might be 'a better way', and I actually do I a system in mind. 

I think Asterix and his world could benefit from the game system designed to run the adventures of our gallant Gaul's Franco-Belgian Comics cousins the Smurfs. 

Please note this is a fan made creation. As of this writing Maestro Media does not have the license to and is not making an Asterix RPG to my knowledge. If that changes in the future, call me guys. 😉

Gamemechanix

The core rules of the Smurfs RPG regarding Character Creation, Difficulty Level/Dice, and how Actions are resolved will largely remain the same. Probably identical at their most basic level. Having one 'Specialty' or signature ability that can lower the Difficulty Dice as well as Expending Effort will also be handled in the same way.

Where things get interesting is that Smurfberries and Smurf Power would need to be renamed or replaced, especially Smurf Power. I am thinking I need something that simulates how the Gaul Villagers become Super Strong once they drink their magic potion and that should be more reliable than the way Smurf Power works but also perhaps more rare.

Rare or infrequent isn't really the correct terms though. Conditional or Contingent Upon is a better way to put it. Their Superpower comes from drinking this elixir and it lasts X amount of time and that's it. There is no way to spend points to that. It either happens within the context of the narrative or it doesn't. 

Asterix getting his drink of the Magic Potion in Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight

Maybe. I am suddenly thinking of an alternate approach wherein one can spend or activate a condition, like how Smurf Power functions, to gain Super Strength but you need to explain it. 

GM: Your group is surrounded by Romans who happen to have lions with them. It seems they were taking them to the Colosseum when they ran nto you.

Gaul Player 1: Lions?! Well that does it! I activate my Indominable Power! Now I have Super Strength (However I decide to have that function mechanically)! 

GM: Wow! How did you get a potion?

(You must come up with a reason why you have a potion handy if not anywhere near one).

Gaul Player 1: Uh...wait! Remember when I was discussing with Druid whether the potion would still work if reheated or frozen? Well I took a small vial to test my idea at some point and still have it on me.

GM: Ah-ha! Most fortunate! The vial is small though so it will only last one round.

Gaul Player 1: That's all I need! *Rolls up sleeves*

I'll need to think on this some more and test it in play a few times and see if anything else needs major adjustments. Overall, I think the conversion from the Smurfs to Asterix should be pretty smooth. 

Theatrix

A key component of Asterix's charm are the characters and the interactions between them. The Roleplaying opportunities abound! While its pretty obvious that Asterix and Obelix are best pals and Dogmatix is just the best friend doggo a Gaul could have. The rest of the village is a bit more complicated and surprisingly nuanced. 

While the men of the village seem to do all the things - Vitalstatistix (French: Abraracourcix) is the Village Chief, Fulliautomatix (French: Cétautomatix) is the Blacksmith, Unhygenix (French: Ordralfabétix) is the Fishmonger, etc. - it is the women of the village that have the real power, at least to a considerable extent.

A Variety of Female Characters from the Asterix Franchise

The wives of the aforementioned villagers are crucial to the smooth operation and continual existence of this group of Gauls. For example, Chief's wife Impedimenta (French: Bonemine) has numerous flaws but fights along side the men against the Romans, often wielding a Rolling Pin as a club. She is not only a good fighter and the village's best cook but is often able to rein in the chaos of the rest of the village when her husband can not. 

Many of the relationships and therefore the characters themselves are very old. The Druid Getafix (French: Panoramix) and the eldest villager Geriatrix (French: Agecanonix) are depicted as looking exactly the same in prequel and flashback stories that show the rest of the villagers as children or very young adults. Geriatrix makes references to having fought in a number of earlier wars and has knowledge of other villages long gone. Imagine playing an older character who remembers fighting Romans before the magic potion!

So many ideas in this category, I could easily write an entire post just on character concepts and stories. Hmm. Perhaps the 'Motivation' entry on the Smurfs Character Sheet could be modified to Relationship so you can identify what other character is important to your PC and why.

Geographix

Where does Asterix take place? Obviously Gaul, in the year 50 B.C.. On to the next...OK, OK, I'll expand on this. 

The Gaulish Village of Asterix and his friends is a seaside town, giving the inhabitants easy access to as much fish as they like. Unfortunately, they are somewhat limited in where they can travel by the four encampments of Roman Legionnaires near by (See above). 

That said, the villagers and their stories go all over the place in the Asterix Comics thanks to use of their magic potion, clever trickery, and dealings with those in power from other lands. Asterix and Obelix have gone to Roman, assisted Cleopatra in Egypt, and traveled to Spain, Germany, and Britain to name just a few of their exstensive travels. 

Sometimes the adventures come to them. Other Gaul tribes occasionally stop by to ask Chief Vitalstatistix and/or Getafix the Druid for assistance. The villagers are constantly confronted by Roman Soldiers of course. Additionally, Asterix's group of Gauls has been visited by the Normans (in the comics. The Vikings in the animated film adaption) and Huevos Y Bacon, the leader of a small town near Montilla in Hispania (Spain), and his son Pepe. 

I can see a nearly limitless series of scenarios of mixing Comedy, Action, Adventure, and Historical Fiction. That's not even addressing the Fantastic Elements of the franchise. 

Mythologix

Asterix takes a really interesting approach to Magic and Mythology. While there definitely is magic as evidenced by the Magic Potion that grants Super Strength, in many other cases the mystical falls more squarely into the realm of heresay and folklore.

Gods of both the Gauls and the Romans are referenced regularly but never seen in the 'flesh', nor do they appear to directly effect the stories in any physical way. In Asterix and The Griffin, the rumored half-eagle and half-lion creature is revealed to be a dinosaur skeleton frozen in a lake. 

However...in some stories and the animated films, the Magic Potion if made improperly can create other effects such as causing people to change color, glow, fly, and even give Getafix 'telekinetic' control over the imbuer. We've seen other evil Druids perform tricks of their own and Sulfurix (aka Demonix) [in Asterix and The Secret of the Magic Potion] grew into a giant after following into a puddle of bad potion. 

So are there 'real' magical creatures, spells, and/or gods in Asterix. It would seem the answer is...maybe. Yes?

Does magic exist? The answer is certainly yes. It takes a subtle hand and a bit of finesse to balance the nature and supernatural worlds of Asterix's setting in my opinion. Personally I love this sort of thing but I can see it being difficult to resist adding a host of witches and dragons and other major sorcerous elements. It can be done but takes a little mental effort to keep the feel of the comics authentic. 

Appendix

This project obviously needs a lot more thought and work but I was so jazzed about it I figured I'd share what I did have. If you have any suggestions, questions, or ideas on the subject I'd love to hear from you. 

Thanks for indulging me and onward ho!

AD

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