RPGaDay Challenge 2023 - Day 18

For a very long time my answer to this question was the same, the D6 System as seen in West End Games' Star Wars, The Roleplaying Game. 

At this moment in 2023, for the first time since I started running the 2nd Edition of Star Wars D6 (1992), I think the system might have some competition: The ALIEN RPG by Free League and Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius. 

ALIEN, which uses a variant of Free League's 'Year Zero System', is so simple, flexible, and perfect for the setting it depicts I am honestly stunned. I played the Leading Edge Games version at a convention about 30 years ago and though I had fun, the system was a mess. Like many games of its time, the ALIENS Adventure Game went for complexity, while Free League's ALIEN cuts out all the fat and just gets down to what matters. It's absolutely brilliant. I love it so much that I've used it to make two of my most successful homebrew/kitbashes: Ghostbusters and Red Dwarf.

Star Trek Adventures is now my favorite way of playing my favorite subject matter for a game. I've played FASA, LUG's Icon System, Japan's Enterprise RPG, and others, with each giving gamers its own spin on the very familiar setting of Star Trek. At the same time, all the various Star Trek games shared many things in common as well. All these games had the same objective - emulate what it would be like to live and work as a Starfleet Officer exploring the Final Frontier.

Star Trek Adventures embraces this same goal but does it through the lens of this all being based on a TV show. STA fully stands behind the meta-understanding that it is a game about a popular Science Fiction media franchise. Even though I feel like it shouldn't, this dynamic works extremely well. It lets the GM and players relax and just go with the story, have fun, and not worry that they haven't memorized the Star Trek Encyclopedia. Your campaign can pay as much attention to canon as the Lower Decks writer or the website Memory Alpha or as little as STD or Strange New Worlds (Zing!). 

Yes, there are bit and pieces of the prior Star Trek games I do miss and occasionally incorporate into my current games but overall I absolutely adore how Star Trek Adventures treats Star Trek and how it lets you play in that universe. 

It is impossible for me to decide which one I like more. If I had to pick one, maybe ALIEN as it has the benefit of being adaptable to other settings (I especially like how it helps improve my Ghostbusters rules). 

Well, that's that. Next...

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Barking Alien

STAR WARS: GRAY TERRITORIES - Episode I: Another Person's Trash - Part 1

STAR WARS: GRAY TERRITORIES 

Episode I: Another Person’s Trash

The Galactic Civil War is over but all is not well. Between the Western Reaches and the Unknown Regions, chaos reigns.

As the New Republic focuses on the inner systems, Imperial Remnants and Independent Warlords battle for control on distant worlds. In addition, the mysterious cult known as The Dwellers in The Dark search the stars for the tomb of an entity most sinister.

Meanwhile, on the remote planet of Boggonda, the paths of three beings who may decide the fate of the region are about to cross...

We open with a view of the planet Boggonda in space, a large starship moving in front of that camera; you know, as you do in a Star Wars production. As the audience takes in the scene they realize that ship is clearly Imperial but it's not a Star Destroyer. Rather it is a considerably smaller corvette, badly damaged, and apparently adrift. 

Then we go down to the surface of the swampy, humid , foliage covered world, its single biome best described as 'the Florida Everglades'. The focus terms to the character of Xim Darrol (PC), an 'Ex-Imperial Field Commander'. More on the potential inaccuracy of that description later. 

Art by Aristides Iliopoulos

Through an inner monologue we learn that Commander Darrol has been stranded on Bogganda for about 5 years. Sent to take out Pirates and Criminal Warlords thought to be working with the Rebellion, Xim's team was out numbered and outgunned. His unit, along with support in orbit, managed to defeat the enemy at a huge cost; the orbiting ship was disabled and the majority of the Imperial soldiers were dead.

Darrol called in back-up that never came and neither did an extraction team. Communications broke down and eventually the Commander and his remaining team members found themselves stuck. Rumors spread that the Galactic Civil War was over; the Emperor was dead and the Empire no more.

One by one his squad fell to local bandits, dangerous local flora and fauna, and the rough conditions of Boggonda's environment. Darrol survived, cobbling together gear dropped by those who didn't make it and learning to live in the wetland jungles. Now, for the first time in as long as he could remember, there might be a chance to get off this mudball.

While in the town of High Ridge, Xim overhead a local mechanic and salvage scavenger saying he might have found a ship at the bottom of Crevice Crater North East of them. The mechanics fellow salvagers didn't believe him, especially when he insisted it was a Corellian Transport, maybe a Light Freighter, and in really good condition. Darrol was ready to believe this guy however because, as he said himself, "I gotta get outta here! I've had it with this slime pit."

Xim heads off to speak with the mechanic, a Dug by the name of Dunbolgo Siwani (PC) who works for Beego's Salvage Shop.

Dunbolgo's player didn't know he found a ship until I mentioned it in the opening to Xim's player. Without any more elaboration, I turned to 'Dunbolgo'...

Art by Keith Conroy

"So where is Dunbolgo this morning?"

The Dug Mechanic was already at the shop, trying to perform some repairs on a Dwarf Probe Droid he'd found in the jungle a few weeks back. Xim walks in, nods to the Rodian Shopkeep Beego and then marches towards Dunbolgo. Darrol had been to the shop before for parts and repairs and while he'd seen the Dug many times, they'd never really spoken before. Funny enough, the Dug had probably done work on Xim's gear. 

Xim and Dunbolgo's players immediately launch into an in-character conversation that basically I had nothing to do with as GM. 

Xim: "Hey there...say, is that a Viper 10J? A Dwarf Probe Droid? My team used to work alongside those."

Dunbolgo: "Why yes...yes it is. I found it pretty badly banged up in the jungle. Something is clearly wrong with the waste compressor."

Xim: "You seem like you know your stuff but have you tried adjusting the power flow? The tech boys I knew said that if you give it more juice it compensates for all the gunk that gets in it from the terrain out there."

Dunbolgo: "I thought of that but was afraid it might overheat. Still...you just gave me an idea. I can divert some of the battery power to the filtration system to prevent the compressor from needing to work so hard. Yeah! That'll do it. Thanks...ah..."

Xim: "Xim. Xim Darrol. Listen...(gets closer and lowers his voice)...I hear you found a ship?"

Meanwhile in the wetlands below, we see a rarely sparse and simple camp site and a figure stirring from within a makeshift tent. This is Bodhe (PC), a former Guardian of The Whills who once protected the Kyber Temple on the Jedha. Offworld when the planet was destroyed by the first Death Star, Bodhe has wandered the galaxy for many years questioning and reaffirming his faith in The Force. Lately he believes he has achieved a deep understanding and connection to it, possibly even gaining the abilities of the long lost Jedi. 

Art by Jason Narvaez

Or...he might be delusional.

Bodhe is missing many specifics in his memories of the past and periodic visions confuse his sense of the present. Reality and dream intertwine as he searches for answers as to his identity and purpose in the universe. Here and now on Boggonda he is looking for something, both a light and a voice, calling to him from the wilderness. Having had a dream of the location of this thing that calls him, he seeks to climb a nearby mountain in an attempt to get a better vantage point. Perhaps he can find a landmark from his vision to guide him further. 

As Bodhe approaches a waterfall coming out of crack in the mountainside, he sense a cave opening behind it. The expanse of swamp beyond the mountain is too hazardous to travel by foot and he decides to see where the cave leads. Soon he find himself ascending rough hewn stairs as the cave leads to some sort of ancient dwelling and what looks to be a shrine. Ancient symbols carved into the walls seems strangely familiar...

To Be Continued,

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Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - FLEETO WOFF

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

It's pretty incredible to me that it's taken this many entries to get to my first Star Wars character. Considering my love for the franchise, the number of times I've run it, and the number of times it's been mentioned on this blog, you'd think the first few weeks would be teeming with Star Wars PCs and/or NPCs.

Well, it certainly could have been. I definitely have enough Star Wars characters to make that happen. The thing is, I'm trying to cover characters that I haven't talked about enough when compared to how great they are. Another personal criteria is to show a wide array of games and genres. Considering how long I've been at this and how many games I've run and (to a lesser extent) played, the intention was to avoid making this merely a collection of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Superhero characters.. 

That said, you can't keep a good Mandalorian down...

Character: Fleeto Woff

AKA: Fleet (nickname)

Player: Non-Player Character

System: Star Wars, The Role Playing Game (Star Wars D6). All Editions

 

Campaign: First appeared in 'The Smiling Bantha Gang' campaign and then went on to feature in many subsequent Star Wars campaigns. 

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein 

Circa: Created in 1978 but not used in a game until 1990. I think. Possibly used in 1982 but I am not certain. 

Origins: The legend goes that after watching the infamous 'Star Wars Holiday Special', my best friend Joe and I were absolutely in love with Boba Fett - as were most of our friends - but we could not remember his name. He threw out ideas and each seemed sillier than the last. One in particular came close, 'Baba Fetts', but Joe thought it sounded like a breakfast cereal. Eventually I thought I had it, Fleeto Woff! Joe said it sounded right and everyone else I mentioned it to agreed that this must be it. 

Obviously we would  later learn this was wrong thanks to the Mail-Away Kenner Action Figure promotion, not to mention The Empire Strike Back. For a while, saying Fleeto Woff made us all chuckle. How could we have been so far off? 

When it came time to run a Star Wars RPG campaign and I needed a cool bounty hunter, I pulled out none other than Fleeto Woff, Mandalorian Mercenary! He has since appeared in almost every long form Star Wars campaign I've ever run. 

Now with added and adjusted elements from The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian!

Backstory: Virtually nothing is known about Fleeto Woff's early life, although reasonable speculation can be made. He is believed to be in his early-to-mid 30s during the time of the Galactic Civil War and was likely born on Mandalore prior to the siege of that world near the end of the Clone Wars. Woff is the name of a very small Mandalorian clan largely wiped out during the aforementioned 'Siege of Mandalore'. It is believed Fleeto is the last of his line. 

Based on his extensive knowledge of the Outer Rim Territories and his numerous patrons in that region, Woff probably spent most of his adult life there and maybe some of his youth. Curiously, his family sigil - seen detailed on the 'forehead' of his helmet - depicts the eyes of the Crag-Bats of Pumot, an Outer Rim world that once served as a Mandalorian outpost. Fun Fact: Woff's short cape and parts of his outfit are made of Crag-Bat leather. 

Overview: Bodyguard, bounty hunter, hitman, and mercenary, Fleeto Woff is - at least at first glance - the typical scum and villainy hired blaster you'd expect to see working the Outer Rim in the service of gangsters like Hooker Spicelot and Chuuphga 'Two-by-Four'. What sets him apart is his demeanor and attitude, which often catches people by surprise. 

Generally polite and business-like, he differs from the usual 'Mandalorian-of-few-words' like Boba Fett and Din Djarin by being more than willing to talk to targets, allies, and employers alike. I wouldn't describe him as a chatterbox, just that he is a cordial and amiable man doing a job that he takes pride in. A blue collar Joe making his way through the galaxy. 

One interesting aspect of the character is he won't work for the Empire or take Imperial contracts or commissions. He will work with Imperial Forces if he has to but does not like it and has been known to be clear and vocal on the subject. On more than one occasion, when Imperials were after the same target he was, Woff was known to blast Stormtroopers trying to take his quarry. 

Fleeto Woff has survived well into the post-Return of the Jedi era and has been seen as late as ten years after the destruction of the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor. He never likes to lose or give up but will call it quits if the fight is definitely lost. Woff doesn't fight to the death if he doesn't have to; an aspect that has enabled him to survive a lot longer than others in his line of work. 

The Highlights:

Fleeto Woff once chased Smuggler and Rebel En Fochs and his modified droid MAN-2 into the bowls of an Imperial Interdictor Class Star Destroyer. During the battle, damage to a coolant system flooded a large, open chamber with thick gas. Using distractions, stealth, and MAN-2's sensors, the pair were able to elude Woff in the coolant's chemical fog and eventually got the drop on him. He was so impressed by their teamwork he gave up, dropped his weapon, and asked that he be allowed to leave in peace. In exchange he'd tell his boss that Fochs was killed in the destruction of the Interdictor. "But the ship isn't in danger of...", Fochs began, when Woff pointed to the rocket on his back. 

"There was an explosion. I hear their coolant system failed", said Woff shaking his head. 

One of my favorite moments with Woff was when his ship, a Skipray Blastboat (the exact name of which escapes me but it was the -Something- Payload), was in pursuit of a PC light freighter and a squadron of Imperial TIE Fighters showed up alongside him. They thanked him for detaining the fugitives and told him to move aside and leave it to them. One of the TIEs fired warning shots at the PC vessel and Woff blew it to space dust. He then fired at the rest of the TIEs in an attempt to make them back off. They were so stunned they veered into each other or off course, enabling both the PC ship and Woff to get away. 

Like other Mandalorians, Fleeto Woff's armor has a few hidden tricks and gimmicks but his major secret weaon is the rocket on his Jetpack. It isn't just explosive - It can do loaded with a host of different warheads including tear gas, quick hardening foam, an anti-droid EMP, and a concussive bomb that does less damage but throws victims several meters from the blast center. 

Legacy: I can't think of any full on, long term Star Wars campaigns I've run where Fleeto Woff didn't show up at one point or another. I don't see him retiring any time soon. Even if he did, maybe he'd settle down, raise a family, and train a youngling. There will always be a Fleeto Woff. 

Game Info: Here's a character sheet for Fleeto using the Star Wars D6 2nd Edition version of the system. Woff has had numerous writes-ups over the years and this is simply how I see him right now. Remember, this is an NPC and not a Player Character, so his skills are elevated to reflect his years of experience and status as a serious threat to the PCs.

Next up, DA GAMMA MAN! *KAKA-THOOM*

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Barking Alien

From The Journal of The Whills

We are three days away from The Mandalorian's eighth and final episode of Season 1 (which airs in the United States this coming Friday) and it has been five days (or so) since the official wide spread release of the final film in the new Star Wars trilogy, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.

For better or worse, what a time to be a Star Wars Fan!

I have seen The Rise of Skywalker and while I had fun watching it, I also found it very disappointing over all. I don't want to discuss it in detail here but what I will say is any  negative feelings I have regarding The Rise of Skywalker are greatly offset by my love for The Mandalorian. 

All this Star Wars - The Light Side, The Dark Side, and The Bendu - has re-ignited my interest in the running a Star Wars RPG campaign. As I've mentioned in the past, nothing inspires my desire to game a particular genre or setting like seeing it done really well or really poorly. Here we have both!

The good in Star Wars - The Original Trilogy, The Clone Wars CGI Animated Series, The Rebels CGI Animated Series, and The Mandalorian - is so good to me, so deeply inspiring and meaningful, that it sparks in my heart and mind the ideas and passion to put my own Star Wars story together. 

The bad in Star Wars - The Prequel Trilogy and The Sequel Trilogy primarily - call out to me with what could have been and therefore beg to be healed, improved upon, or simply replaced with something better. 

My love of the ol' D6 Star Wars RPG by West End Games is well known. My renewed and dare I say emblazoned desire to revisit Star Wars leads me to immediately reach for that game. I have even been considering a project to reorganize all my old Star Wars D6 notes from every one of my previous campaigns into a single, enormous master sourcebook. 

While I will definitely still do that...

My thoughts today are drifting towards revisiting a concept I don't feel I gave enough attention to, namely Star Wars Traveller. 

Clearly my love for Star Wars D6 has not faded in the least, but I haven't been able to get a dedicated, long term campaign of it going for a while and that may be, in part at least, because the system doesn't quite generate the level of excitement and dedication in my players that it does in me.

Traveller on the other hand, being both simple in its base mechanics and yet detailed in it's extensive secondary rules and support products, makes for a game that my particular band of gamers can really sink their teeth into. 

Much like Star Trek games run using FASA, Last Unicorn's Icon System, and Modiphius' Star Trek Adventures systems feel very different from each other, so too does changing up the D6 system to the classic Traveller system add a level of grit and texture you might now see in the West End rules alone. 

Maybe.

I am not entirely sure I am right about this. That is to say, I am not sure I should switch to different set of mechanics when Star Wars D6 has served me so well through so many great campaigns. Changing the core of what Star Wars gaming has always been might treads into dangerous waters...like the difference between The Mandalorian and the new Sequel Trilogy.

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Barking Alien

This Is The Way

I followed this Tracking Fob based on the Bounty Puck I picked up from the Guild and it lead me to...

I am in love.

As of this post we're four episodes in and it is already my favorite Star Wars production since the Star Wars: Rebels animated series. I would place it as one of my favorite Star Wars projects of all time. The Original Trilogy, The Clone Wars, Rebels, and then this. In some ways, I could see it overtaking the animated shows but for now, I will stick by this placement. 

As a fan of Star Wars since it first appeared in 1977, I have to say that this series feels more like the Original Trilogy than any other live-action feature so far. This is Star Wars more than the Prequels are Star Wars. This is Star Wars more than the Sequels are Star Wars. Same for Rogue One and Solo.

This. Is. Star Wars.

SPOILERS!

Blogging is a complicated profession...

The GOOD

I was grabbed by the first episode right away; I was impressed by the music, the scenery, the world-building, and of course the characters.

I am absolutely amazed by the acting and directing in the series that enables us to get a show that features a character with no face in the starring role. I mean...WOW. Every Superhero movie and TV series, please take note.

As a fan of the universe it was awesome to see some many of my old favorite elements like landspeeders, Rodians, R2 unit Astromechs, and Jawas. Of course they're Offworld Jawas (which incidentally is the name of my new Alternative Prog Rock Band) and that leads into the next great thing about The Mandalorian - New Stuff! New Jawas, New Weaponry, New Starships, Tracking Fobs, Bounty Pucks, some dangerous Alien Walrus Monster under the ice of a New Planet, and an unknown type of R Unit piloting a speeder dolly/platform. Sooo cool! 

Plus, like any good Star Wars installment, each episode brings in new characters and furthers the overall plot that explores the people involved and their situations. I can't wait to find out what happens next, who it happens to, and why it's happening! 

Everybeing put your appendages together and welcome...Offworld Jawas!

The BAD

There isn't any! 

Seriously, I can't find anything bad to say about this show so far. While not every episode is as spectacular as every other, nor is every scene and moment Star Wars fandom perfectnon, nothing I've seen makes me feel any part of any episode has been poorly done. In fact, as I said to a friend recently, it's reassuring that the weakest episode of The Mandalorian is still ten times better than the strongest of the Prequel or Sequel films. 

High praise? It is indeed and I stand by it all the way. 

The ADORABLE

No review of the show would be complete without addressing the seven pound, fifty year old, womp rat in the room - BABY YODA! He is super cute, super well handled, and super interesting. Is he another member of Yoda's little known about species? A clone of Yoda himself? Something else? I don't know yet but I would gladly mow down a platoon of Imperial Stormtroopers or wrestle a full grown Mudhorn to keep him safe. Just try me!

***

Needless to say the series has really bitten me with a major Star Wars RPG bug. I am extremely interested in running a Star Wars campaign at some point early new year, regardless of how good or bad The Rise of Skywalker is. 

Needless to say, I am really eager to see more of The Mandalorian. As with other, similar material, I absorb these episodes as much as enjoy them. They are definitely entertainment, but as a fan and a gamer it's also source material. Based on what I've seen so far, all I can say is keep it coming.

I have spoken. 

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Barking Alien

Feeling The Force

A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far, Far, Away...

Actually, the last two months of 2019, right here on Earth! We are about to receive not one, not two, but three new visions of the Star Wars universe, and I for one am extremely excited about that. 

In two weeks [from this posting], Disney+, the Disney Streaming Service, will air the first ever live-action Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian. Set a few years after Return of the Jedi, the story follows a lone Bounty Hunter trying to survive in the lawless frontier of a post-Galactic Empire region of the Galaxy Far, Far Away. 

I am more excited about this particular series than anything else slated, as it looks awesome, has a neat premise, and is being put together by the talented duo of Jon Favreau (the lead developer, head writer, and showrunner) and Dave Filoni (of Clone Wars, Rebels, and Resistance fame). 

The first episode comes out on Disney+'s launch day of November 12th, with a second episode on November 15th. Do you know what else comes out on the 15? 

Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order, a video and PC game I have been looking forward to for some time will release two Fridays from today. In it, you play Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis, a survivor of Order 66 who is on the run from the Galactic Empire. After accidentally revealing his Force abilities in front of an Imperial Probe Droid, the Empire sends a team of specialized Stormtroopers and an Inquisitor (or two) to hunt him down. 

Wow. Such a great premise for a Star Wars tale. I love the designs, the ships, the aliens, and the Imperials. As for gameplay, it resembles and has been described by reviewers as a mix of Uncharted and Dark Souls. Sold. I am there. 

Last, and sadly least, December 20 sees the final film in the new Sequel Trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker. I am truly interested in seeing this movie, but perhaps not as excited for it as I am the other two things I've mentioned here. The recent trailer looked great, and I love me some Star Wars, but after the horror that was The Last Jedi I find I have had to work myself up to the level of cautious optimism. So far it's working! I have my ticket and I'm going to try to enjoy the ride. 

Not included here as it won't appear until next year is another product I am super jazzed about which is The Clone Wars Season 7, coming to Disney+ in February I believe. I will discuss that in greater detail as we get closer. 

What does all of this mean besides the obvious joy I feel in being honestly happy about promising new Star Wars material? Um...what part of The Barking Alien Blog did you not understand? GAMING my friends! It all comes back to Gaming!

Yes, I am Feeling The Force something fierce these days, eager to consume and process all of this entertainment and the new info that comes with it in order to apply the items and ideas to a new campaign of Star Wars, The Role Playing Game (West End Games, D6 version of course) sometime in 2020. 

Anyone else feeling this or did The Last Jedi turn you to the Dark Side? 

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Barking Alien

*Originally written and published on November 1st, 2019, I have moved this post to December as I will be largely dedicating this month to Star Wars related entries. I apologize for any confusion but it is easier for me to organize my thoughts this way.

A First Step Into A Larger World

I apologize for the lack of posts this Summer. My business has really picked up and it's done so in the awful heat and humidity of a New York heat wave. I am a Winter Child, born during a February snow storm. This heat takes a lot out of me. Even if I wasn't so busy, the temperature would still leave me pretty exhausted. 

I am taking a short break from discussing Pixar Superheroes to address something else rather, well, incredible (Heh. See what I did there?).

Fantasy Flight Games has recently released the Star Wars: The Role Playing Game - 30th Anniversary Edition, reprinting the original Core Rulebook and Sourcebook of the 1987, West End Games RPG that changed the course of Star Wars canon forever.

Enough has been said about the impact of the original game on the Expanded Universe and even the movies, and animated series that I needn't reiterate all that here. I mean I could, I'd enjoy it, but that's not what I want to do with this post. Instead, I'd like to tell you about my first encounter with the Star Wars D6 RPG way back in 1987. 

My apologies if I've told this story on the blog already. I honestly thought I had, but couldn't find it in a cursory look through past posts. It is a tale I've told to friends and fellow gamers over the years and it may be those recollections I am remembering. 

Here we go...

Sometime between December of 1987 and February of 1988, I was asked to GM at an RPGA Event in New York City. The event was called Crusader Con or Crusade Con, I forget exactly. There were more than two dozen Gamemasters, and over a hundred and fifty attendees were expected. 

That weekend, NY was hit by the mother of all snowstorms. We're talking full on blizzard. 

If memory serves, all of the staff and GMs were able to attend but only about half the attendees showed up. The end result was that each referee ran one session and then had nothing to do for hours on end. They couldn't just leave, as part of the event was an award ceremony at the end wherein the best players (voted on by their GM and fellow players) and the best GMs (voted upon by their players) would receive a gift certificate for the Compleat Strategist (NYC's friendly local game store par excellence!).

At some point I decided to leave the hotel where the event was being held to grab some lunch. I went with some fellow GMs I had become acquainted with and passed a room with three other Gamemasters playing a game. I had spoken to one of the three at length earlier in the day and asked if he needed me to pick anything up for him. He was gracious but told me he'd already gone out to lunch and just got back.

It was then that I noticed the book in front of him had images from...Star Wars. A huge Star Wars fan, I was surprised that I didn't recognize the book. Wait...there were dice on the table. The three guys were clearly gaming but...

"What Star Wars book is that?", I asked.

"It's the Star Wars Role Playing Game. It just came out. I picked it up at the Strat (common nickname for The Compleat Strategist in NYC). We're going to try to create characters and see how it goes. I'll tell you about it when you get back."

My new found friends and I spent our lunch break discussing the Con, the styles and techniques of the various GMs we'd met, and other 'shop talk' you'd expect referees at a game convention to discuss. At the same time, I couldn't stop thinking about the new Star Wars game book. I was eager to learn more, see more, and to get it myself. 

After about 45 minutes or so, we headed back to the convention. 

When we got back upstairs I walked to the doorway of the room where I had left the three fellows and the game that had me practically vibrating with anticipation. 

As I approached I could hear them speaking excitedly and the sound of dice clattering. I didn't want to interrupt but I had to know how character creation was going. Also, why did it sound like the most action-packed character generation session I'd ever heard?

After observing from the doorway for a few moments, unable to quite make out what was going on, I cleared my throat and said a friendly, "Hey guys...". I was quickly and politely as possible waved off. 

"Can't talk right now. In the middle of a big battle!", my acquaintance exclaimed.

"Wait...", I started, "You already made two characters and got into an adventure? In 45 minutes?"

"Yeah", he said.

One of the others added, "This game is awesome!"

There is more to this tale, but I think I've reached the part that illustrates a point I want to make. Yes, there was a point to all this you salty little Porg bottoms. 

Up until the Star Wars D6 game, it seemed serious RPGs were often quite complicated and crunchy. Comedic games - Ghostbusters, Paranoia, Toon - were simpler and usually more rules light. A serious Action/Adventure game, especially one involving Space Travel and Ray Guns, that was also quick and easy play was quite revolutionary at the time. 

When I got the game myself and read it over (and over and over), I couldn't believe how well it managed to hit the mark between detail and ease. It was both lightly textured and amazingly fast. To this day, even with the added material and mechanics of of its Second Edition, Star Wars D6 remains, IMHO, the best system for the kind of stories I want to tell in that universe. 

West End Games' Star Wars: The Role Playing Game is a treasure, a brilliant masterpiece of simple gaming ingenuity. I love it, and I am overjoyed to have this 30th Anniversary Edition in my collection. 

May The Force Be With You!

See you soon,

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Barking Alien

An Inconsistent Truth

Nothing irks me as much as inconsistency. My own that is.

Although I understand intellectually that not every session is going to be perfect, or 'the best session I've ever run', it still bothers me when there is such a significant difference in quality from a given session to the next.

I mean, I've been doing this a long time. I've run literally, easily, hundreds upon hundreds of RPG sessions for dozens, and dozens of people of all ages, races, genders, and backgrounds. I've run at schools, homes, parties, and conventions. By this point in time, you'd think I would have running sessions down to a science. You'd think a successful game is pretty much a given.

It is not.

A weekend or so ago I ran the penultimate session of The Barking Alien Gaming Group's three-year, thirty-six session, classic Traveller campaign, Traveller - Operation: PALADIN. This was the last episode prior to the big finale in December.

It went...OK.

There were some issues, most of which have plagued this particular group in one form, or another for some time now. There were also some factors unique to this particular day (a few people were running late, myself included, one had been working over time for a few days prior, that sort of thing).

The main issue I had with the session was that it meandered at the onset, as well as right before the end, and felt very light on drama and emotional resonance.

Which sucks.

Time to Leave - Traveller Art by Ben Wootten

There's espionage, giant robot battle armor, futuristic guns, spaceships, aliens,
psychic powers, loved ones in danger, romance, and the threat of all out war!

You'd think it would be more exciting.

It not only sucks because, hey, who isn't hoping for excitement, emotional impact, and dramatic weight in a story, but also because we're almost at the end of the run. The next episode is the last episode. The curtain is coming down for the last time, and soon. After three years of build up and struggle, I want to end with a bang and not a whimper.

Now there were a lot of reasons it wasn't as good as it could have been. I take full responsibility for some of it [as the GM] for not reigning in the issues that were caused by the players and not by me personally. I'm the Captain of the ship, the show's director, and I should have seen the hazards and steered us clear before they became a problem.

But I didn't. Why? Because sometimes you don't. You don't see it in time. You see it but can't figure out what to do about it. You figure, they'll get it any minute now. Give' em time.

Before I continue with this, let me tell you about a very different game I ran about three weeks ago...

The PCs' unnamed, customized Nova Drive Z-3 Light Freighter.

I did this image after the game. No picture was used during play.

Through the players' ideas and in-character dialogue, the ship

obtained numerous details and an easy to imagine layout.

I had the pleasure of running a one-shot of my favorite system, and one of my favorite subjects, Star Wars D6 by West End Games. Truth be told, I didn't really use the system so much as the Star Wars setting, and lessons learned from years of reading the West End Games books, and running the game. Mechanically, I simplified things a lot.

There were three players: My friend Dan, who is a few years my senior, and two recent acquaintances of his, a guy and a gal, who were both in their mid-to-late twenties. I had never met the others two prior to that day.

I have to say, it was one of the best single sessions I've had in a long time. It reminded me of my old NJ group days. Everything just clicked. The players quickly created, and connected with, their characters. Their individual goals were simple, clear, connected to the setting, and not specific as to how they could accomplish them. They established their relationships with each other through the course of play, but in very short order.

No long backstories, but they had backstories. No convoluted plans, but they had plans. The characters didn't all get along perfectly, and yet they perfectly cooperated with each other to get things done.

No one was the 'star', no one was trying to be, and as a result, each one shined.

It was nirvana. I think I heard angels. Seriously, angels. I've heard the deep space pilots talk about them...

Probably the most notable thing about the adventure was that it moved fast. Incredibly fast.

In the past, I always prided myself on my pacing. Fast, and exciting during battles, or chase scenes; measured, and tense while attempting to infiltrate a location, or hide from overwhelming opposition, etc.

For the past year, or so though, this has been very off.

Reluctant to push the players in a particular direction, and take agency away from them, I all too often let them endlessly discuss, debate, and overthink their situations (this is true in both of my current groups).

Unfortunately, they don't know how to police themselves (or so it seems). Many of them forego what would be the most interesting, exciting, or cinematic option, instead looking to the most logical option; often making certain it is the surest, safest plan, devoid of conflict, drama, tension, and sadly, emotional impact, and resonance.

I realize my particular style of play is not for everyone. It is often best suited for a pro-active player who gets really immersed in the setting, and who works with the group (as well as with the flow of the game) to come out smiling on the other end.

The worst part is, I don't want to ask for that. I want to find it, just have it, you know, 'be'.

I guess it's asking a lot, although I've never thought of it as such.

In conclusion, they can't all be winners. Not every game will go exactly the way you want it to. And, surprise, you want it to go well. No great insight there, eh?

Now, how much of the responsibility for the game's success is the GM's, and how much of it is the players'? Equal? That would seem logical. Yet...there is but one GM, doing a lot of work, putting in a lot of love, and usually two, or more players. Surely, if you were helping a friend move a piano, you wouldn't have one friend hold fifty percent of the weight while three others support that other half.

If there is a place where a fair dialog needs to take place, it's probably here, in that special place reserved for friends who help friends move pianos.

Truth.

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Barking Alien

Lock S-Foils In Attack Position

So guess what I get to run in a week or so?

Funny story...

Every Wednesday night I'm in a Superhero game on Google Hangouts. The system is the lightly crunchy, but pretty narrative Kapow!

We've been doing it for a while now (I've mentioned it before in passing), with an average assemblage of 4-5 players, plus the GM. The current campaign was essentially a spin-off of our original one, as the GM duties were passed from one fellow to another due to the former's hectic schedule.

In addition, the current GM does a neat thing where he switches from the PCs  doing battle with some villain in say, Seattle, to trying to stop a rampaging monster in Montana. Separate characters are used to cover the two locations, and the events always relate to each other. It is the same world, but we change up our characters periodically to tackle new scenarios taking place in separate locales, while our main PCs are back handling another situation.

Anyway...

Last Wednesday, for whatever reason, only two players showed up in addition to the GM (myself included). We were all pretty wiped out, and decided to forego and regular adventure, and just shoot the breeze. It was a blast, and I got to know the guys a little better, and vice versa.

We also discussed our gaming preferences, and which games we'd played, what we liked, what we didn't, etc. To make a long story as short as I can, my buddy Lloyd (of London - no really) is a big fan of the Cortex System by Margaret Weis Productions. He is especially fond of the newest edition of their Firefly RPG, which uses that system. Lloyd as made a point of noting that one of his worst RPG experiences was when he played the West End Games D6 Star Wars game. He ended up berating the game quite a bit.

Yeah, not on my watch.

I not only defended by beloved Star Wars D6, but explained that pretty much everything his previous GM did for the game sounded wrong. I do mean bad-wrong. Seriously. Just from his description I wasn't sure if the guy who ran it was familiar with the rules. Or with Star Wars for that matter.

I then issued a bit of a challenge. You see, I really don't like Firefly. I like Cortex just fine. It's not the game mechanics I'm talking about. It's the Firefly/Serenity universe. I find it really, really boring.

So I made him a deal - He runs one session of Firefly for the group on some off day, and I'll run Star Wars D6 on a different day. He has to convince me that the setting rocks, and I have to convince him that my favorite rules system rocks.

I feel that the Force is with me on this one. I'll keep you all posted.

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay Challenge - Day 18

Day 8 - Favorite Game System
 
Now we're getting serious.
 
What is my favorite game system? Never was there a tougher question with an easier answer.
 
Before I give my answer though, I want to point out a few key elements of the Barking Alien mindset when it comes to game systems and mechanics:
 

• I don't believe in the effectiveness of universal systems. Systems that can do anything and everything, rarely do anything or everything especially well.

 

• Systems should be designed for, and reflect, the genre and/or setting that are accompanying. The crunch should work with the fluff, and vice versa, not alongside each other, or in spite of each other.

 

• That all said, I generally want the rules to facilitate and support the game play, but I want them as invisible as possible. I want the rules to stay the heck out of our way, and let us game.

 
Very few systems hit all these parameters, and fewer still hit that sweet spot between ease, flexibility and crunch that I am forever seeking. Think of one that does all these things and you've go RPG Nirvana on your hands my friend.

So, what game comes closest? Drum roll please...

Star Wars - Second Edition

West End Game D6 System

 

 

Yes, I know what you're thinking, "But Adam, I thought you were a Star Trek fan, not a Star Wars fan! What gives?"

 

The truth of the matter is, yes, I do like Star Trek over Star Wars, but that has never stopped me from liking Star Wars (only George Lucas, and those damn awful prequels could do that).

 

Additionally, I give credit where credit is due in game design, and this is brilliant design. As much as I love the Star Trek RPGs (And I do so love Last Unicorn Games' ICON System, as well as the FASA version), there is something almost sublimely perfect about Star Wars D6. In my opinion, it is exactly right for Star Wars as it is depicted in the first three films.

 

It's a simple system, without very much hard crunch, but it still provides enough detail as to not feel all loosey-goosey mechanically. The game is very fast paced, using simple addition and practically no charts to determine the outcome of skill and combat rolls. Star Wars D6 is one of the games that meets my personal criteria of a good game in that once you've made up your character, you never have to look at the rulebook during play to play the game. Everything you need is either on the character sheet, or it's easy to memorize.

 

Although I am somewhat out of practice, I could probably run the game without referencing the rulebook at all. It was not unusual in the mid 90's for me to throw a Star Wars game together without having the books present. I memorized the six attributes, Dexterity, Strength, Knowledge, Perception, Technical and Mechanical, knew how many dice were allocated to each (18 dice), and how the dice could be broken up (a single dice can be broken into a +1 and a +2, or three +1s). You choose skills, roughly 25 or 30 (five per attribute), and then received seven (7) bonus dice to increase your skills.

 

Holy Yoda. I do still remember it.

 

In conclusion, Best. Game. Ever. At least in that the premise and the mechanics are perfect for each other, and the mechanics are fast, fluid and they work.

 

Other favorite systems include the very similar Star Trek ICONs System by Last Unicorn Games, Ghostbusters by West End Games (the Proto-D6 System), InSpectres (which is a modern update of Ghostbusters), Sketch!, Risus, Teenagers from Outer Space, Mekton (especially Mekton II. I felt Mekton Zeta got too complicated), classic Traveller and Champions 4th Edition.

 

A note on Champions: Champions is a perfect example of an imperfect universal system. While awesome for Superheroes, it's point-buy nature and lack of a really good economic system make for a game system I wouldn't use in a setting where money really mattered.

 

But that's just me.

 

May The Games Be With You,

 

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Barking Alien