31 Days / 31 Characters - HE WHO GLISTENS IN THE AUTUMN TWILIGHT BENEATH THE THIRD AND SEVENTH MOONS

This entry is a toast to the memory of one of my dearest friends and greatest gamers I've ever known, Allen Halden.

Allen passed away in the fall of 2017 and not a week goes by where I don't think about him and miss him terribly. As I try to regularly post RPG related subjects to this blog, I can't help but think of Allen as he was such a big part of my best gaming experiences for so many years.

One of my favorites of which, was our Galaxy Quest campaign and one of the reasons it was so good was his character... 

Character: He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons.

AKA: Lt. Commander, Moonbug

Player: Allen Halden

System: Galaxy Quest, The Roleplaying Game, Homebrew based on Teenagers from Outer Space, 1st Edition by R. Talsorian Games. 

Nature: Short Campaign: Galaxy Quest: Galient

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein 

Circa: 2003

Origins: I've told this tale before but to sum it up; originally I was meant to run our regularly scheduled game with my ol' New Jersey group but for one reason or another it couldn't be done. Most everyone was therethough  and I still really wanted to run something so I had a sudden epiphany - a Galaxy Quest game. 

After quickly explaining the rules, everybody pitched me their character concepts. My buddy Allen, already well known for playing strangle looking and quirky characters, decided to take the 'Dr. Lazarus' role (played by the incomparable Alan Rickman) and create a Token Alien who was also our Science Officer (and Second-in-Command). 

Where he got the idea to create this character I couldn't say. Allen was very creative but also great at understanding how to pick and choose the appropriate tropes to include so that his characters fit the setting he was playing or running in.

I do know his choice of the name was a spoof on how so many aliens in Sci-Fi TV and films have names that are easy for the actors to say and audience to remember. This character's parents didn't name him with you in mind. His name makes perfect sense to other members of his species and hey, that's what counts.

Backstory: He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons didn't really have a backstory per se. At least he didn't have any that came up during the course of our campaign. Through dialogue and jokes we developed a little information about his species however. 

The Lieutenant Commander's home planet was warm, wet, and mostly covered by rainforests and jungles. Plants grew very large, particularly flowers, lilipads, and fruit trees.We know it has at least seven moons but it is unclear if that is the total number of natural satellites.  According to the Lt. Commander the most dangerous predators on his world were a type of amphibious reptile described as an alligator/frog hybrid. 

Like everyone else on his planet, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons has dozens of brothers and sisters. Although this makes the homeworld heavily populated, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons is the only member of his alien race in the NSEA Fleet and one of the few roaming the galaxy. The Insectoid people (no species name was ever established, though they were sometimes referred to as 'Insectiloids'.) were content to remain on their own world and had little interest in the greater interstellar community. He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons was a very rare exception. 

Overview: Played as both comedically over-the-top and with subtle nuance, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons' personality is difficult to describe. For the most part he was calm, cool, collected, a consumate professional, and always polite. He could sometimes get frustrated that not everyone shared his views on proper manners and etiquette. This is best exemplified by the use of his name. He would always say it in its entirety when asked what his name was and wasn't fond of other trying to shorten it or give him a nickname. To everyone else his name was too long but to him, it was his name and he didn't shorten yours. 

Eventually the reoccurring joke/real life issue of people tripping over his name caused our friend Lynn's character to call him 'Moonbug' and it stuck. Otherwise people got around the issue by calling him by his rank.

Knowing our Commander had the responsibility and burden of...well...command, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons tried very hard not to distract her or interfere with her operations. This created a running gag wherein He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons.starts to say, "Commander, perhaps we should...", as the Commander walks past and waves him off or ignores him for the most [while rubbing the bridge of her nose]. The Lt. Commander then falls silent. Later, when the poop really hits those huge unnecessary fans below the catwalk, the Commander would call for ideas, suggestions, or answers and Moonbug would say, "As I was going to say earlier...". 

The Highlights:

I usually prefer to highlight character driven moments and not just action based ones but in the case of Moonbug its been over 20 years, it was a humorous campaign, and his personality was, as noted above, subtle and hard to pinpoint in a single standard out event.

In the very first use of his Token Alien ability, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons invented 'Communicate with Insects' to prevent a rhino sized beetle creature from attacking the PCs in the first session/adventure. He used it again in the second adventure, talking to a large flutter of butterfly-like insects in order to locate an ancient ruin hidden by the surrounding jungle. This was his most often used ability and therefore became his only permanent Special Ability. Among my favorite uses was his last, wherein he called upon clouds of swarming gnats to distract and frustrate a Meechan Warlord! 

When a murder occurred on the NSEA Spaceport Beta-2 during a Galactic Peace Accord Conference, Commader Krista Packard had her hands full dealing with panicked diplomats, coordinating station security, and getting hassled by her superiors to find answers and fast! He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons made some initial observations and came up with a general guess about what had happened, which he kept to himself for the time.

The rest of the Galient's crew split-up into teams to investigate the situation, including Moonbug heading off with Security Chief Van Pelt. After looking into the mystery and attempting to catch a mysterious group of 'phantom assassins', the Commander called everyone back to give her a run down on what they'd found. Ambassadors from a few different galactic powers barged in demanding to know what Commander Packard and her people had discovered. Packard told them all to have a seat as she was just about to be informed on just that subject. The PCs all gave the evidence they had, testimonies they'd heard, and theories they'd come up with based on their observations. All but He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons. When the Commander asked, "Lt. Commander? Anything to add?"

He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons stood up from his chair, looked to the Commander and said, "Yes Commander, if it would please you and the esteemed assembled dignitaries, I'd like to solve the mystery. Again, if that's all right with you." The Commander, heck everyone, stared at him dumbfounded until she finally shook her head and motioned for him to speak. Allen goes on to say that he actually solved the murder in the very beginning and then waited for everyone to gather proof to back up the answer he'd had all that time. Not only was he right, he worked out additional details based on evidence the PCs had assembled that weren't intended to be part of the mystery [by me].

His idea was BETTER than the idea I had. It was essentially my plot plus. 

Game Info:

While I can't seem to locate the original piece of scrap paper Allen wrote the character on (though I found everyone else's oddly), I do have the one we used for the expanded campaign.

 

Notes: He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons' special abilities included Communicate with Insects (which he used enough to make it part of the 'show's' permanent continuity), Danger Sense (which he successfully used once), Limited Flight (also used once), and Sticking to Walks (used twice). I believe he had one or two other one-shot abilities. 

While Allen didn't affect a funny voice for this character, he definitely had a distinct way of speaking and particular mannerisms. He was polite, very fastidious, and was a being of few words except when directly asked to explain something. Then (as in the Highlights section above) he could go on and on about a subject in great detail.  

Legacy: This character hasn't been used in any capacity since the original Galaxy Quest campaign I ran back in 2003 and that's partially because I've never felt comfortable portraying him the way Allen did. I can't quite nail that certain something that made him so awesome. With Allen gone, it is possible He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons may never grace my table again. 

Still...what I wouldn't give to run Galaxy Quest once more. Maybe, just maybe, a shiny green insectoid alien science officer could appear as a background NPC. 

The true legacy of this PC isn't the character itself but Allen Halden - his creativity, talent, warmth, humor, and friendship. 

We miss you Moonbug.

AD

Barking Alien

31 Questions for Barking Alien - Question 13

Whoa, Question 13 falls on a Friday the 13th? Sooo spooky! Except I don't have any specifically spooky questions. Bummer. Oh wait, I do have something awesome though...

Activate...The Omega 13!

Question #13 comes from Carl Stark, who Never Gives Up and Never Surrenders!

What RPG system would work best for a Galaxy Quest one-shot or campaign?

The YouTube channel RedLetterMedia recently featured Jack Quaid (Huey on THE BOYS and the voice of Boimler on Star Trek: Lower Decks) as a guest for a video discussing Galaxy Quest, which is apparently one of Jack's favorite films. It's very funny and if you're a fan of the movie, of Jack's, or RedLetterMedia's material I highly recommend checking it out.

It immediately got me reminiscing about the times I've run Galaxy Quest RPG games, including looking through my old notes. This question popped up in my email the next day. Kismet!

It's a hell of a thing.

On to the subject at hand...like Jack Quaid, I LOVE this movie. It is definitely one of my all time favorites and as I mentioned, I've run both a short campaign and a few one-shots of Galaxy Quest over the years and honestly it's some of my best work and the most fun I've had as a GM. The trifecta of Science Fiction + Comedy + Star Trek Parody/Homage is simply made for me. It's also an IP and I do love me some IP gaming. 

The system I've used in the past has been my modified version of Teenagers from Outer Space by R. Talsorian Games, which I refer to as 'Advanced TFOS'. The main difference is that I switched the D6 for a D10. Additionally, I added special abilities for each of the roles on the ship - Commander, Doctor, Engineer, Operations, Pilot, Science Officer, and Security/Extra - and character types such as Feature Alien (originally Token Alien), Background Alien, and Prodigy. I go into more detail on this homebrew in these three posts:

It's a Hell of a Thing

By Grabthar's Hammer, We Live to Tell the Tale

This Fine Ship, This Fine Crew

If I were going to run Galaxy Quest today, I might not use the same system (more on that in a moment) but I would definitely incorporate the special abilities I attributed to each 'Job' or ship's position. Those unique capabilities, such as the Commander's 'Overdramatis Persona' and Security's 'Glorified Extra', have been lauded by my players and blog readers alike as the key to making a Galaxy Quest game feel like the Galaxy Quest movie. 

What set of rules would I use if not my variant of TFOS? Well, there are actually a lot of options. I've considered using Starships and Spacemen, Far Trek, or even Star Trek Adventures.

While it may seem strange to suggest Star Trek Adventures, it being 'too close to the source material' as it were, keep in mind that STA has a published 'Lower Decks' supplement. It is certainly possible to use this system to facilitate a comedic campaign. I've used it to run a Lower Decks game as well as The Orville, so theoretically it would seem appropriate for Galaxy Quest. The role abilities I mentioned could become Talents I suppose and Momentum might be renamed 'Fanmail' or 'Star Power'. Threat can be 'Interference', as in interence from the studio execs. 

A note: When I've run Galaxy Quest previously, I've done so with the assumption that the PCs are characters living in the universe of the mock TV series. I don't directly incorporate the Meta nature of the characters being played by actors on a show but treat it the way most people treat playing a Star Trek or Star Wars RPG. 

However, outside of the events happening in-game the players and I have joked about the actors, episodes, writers, and the special effects budget for the series. I would describe it by saying that during 'Time Out's we are aware its a television program and during 'Time In' we are unaware of that and it's the 'real world' for the PCs. 

Honestly, after all this recent discussion about the film I decided to watch it again and damn it holds up perfectly. I'd really love to run it again if given the opportunity. 

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Barking Alien

Slippin', Slippin', Slippin' Into The Future

Yesterday FOX Television released a trailer for a new Science Fiction Comedy-Drama created by, and starring Seth MacFarlane. It's called The Orville, named for the Planetary Union exploratory starship whose crew is the focus of the series.

Take a look.

Is it wrong that I'm already working out the game mechanics and adventure ideas for an 'Orville' campaign? 

No. No it is not. Before I get into that...

I'm pretty impressed with what I am seeing. Although I'm not a huge fan of MacFarlane's, I enjoyed the early seasons of Family Guy, and American Dad, and I found the humor in the trailer to work for him - and for me - even if it isn't lose-your-breath hilarious.

What was far more intriguing was the universe they are putting together - a definite parody/homage to Star Trek, but getting right a lot of the Space Opera tropes the recent efforts have gotten wrong.

This looks fun, features neat looking tech, cool spaceships, and interesting, genre appropriate aliens (including a gelatinous crewmember, and a weird, water dwelling, Muppet snake-worm-thing - haven't seen that in Star Trek). I like that the female alien security chief has seriously formidable super strength, and that the big alien Bortus is shown in command of the ship during a space battle at some point. Add in a robot crewmember who looks classic 60s-70s Sci-Fi robotic, and I'm totally sold.

Now back to gaming it...

My very first thoughts after seeing the trailer were, 'How best could I run this as a game?', and 'What system says, 'The Orville'?

Obviously I could simply adapt an existing game such as Starships & Spacemen (which this show basically is), the recently released Retrostar (that'd be neat), or even my old homebrew Galaxy Quest RPG.

At the same time, I'm getting a vibe off the show that a better approach might be a hybrid. It seems like it has funny characters, but a fairly serious premise. I am looking at something crunchier, and more serious than my Galaxy Quest rules, but at the same time lighter, and more - I don't know, 'wacky' maybe - than Starships & Spacemen.

I have some ideas rolling around in my head already. I'll develop them a little further, and see where it takes me. If anything pans out, I'll share them with you guys. If you have any ideas, please pass them on to me.

Looking forward to the adventures of the USS Orville, and whatever they inspire.

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Barking Alien

Regrouping

Now that I don't have to concern myself with the A-to-Z Blog Challenge I can get on to more pressing matters.

What I am running, and with whom...

This is a bit like my past 'State of Gaming' addresses, but with the purpose of helping me to organize my thoughts as opposed to entertaining you my audience (My apologizes. Honestly, I haven't forgotten about you. I'll try to be entertaining anyway).

We begin with...

Dan's Group, and The Masked Age 66':

Following a pretty successful first arc of three, consecutive, Friday night sessions, we are going to alternate the campaign to every other Friday night going forward. On the nights I don't run, my friend Alex is running a Harry Potter/Wizarding World/Hogwarts game in which I am a player.

I am really liking the Hogwarts game a lot so I have no problem switching off. Basically it amounts to playing a Harry Potter game twice a month, and running Silver Age Superheroes with a Twist twice a month. I am absolutely good with that.

Oh course, the Superhero game is not without it's bumps. It's a tough group to please in some respects. I'm hopeful however.

The Google Hangouts Group, Kapow!, and Galaxy Quest!:

Whoohoo! I am super excited about this.

For about two years now my friend Keith has been running a really cool Superhero RPG called Kapow! in his own homebrew world. I have played a number of characters in the setting, but for the longest time now I've been using a Superhero named Equinox.

Equinox is actually a very old character I helped my friend Sergio create waaay back before we even knew about RPGs. When I discovered Villains & Vigilantes in 1982 we made up Equinox for a game, and he was so cool I decided to remake him for Kapow!

I've stepped in a few times as GM to cover Keith when he had a family thing, or had to otherwise miss a session (which in two years has been maybe three times. It is exceptionally rare). When I run, the players play a different group of heroes on my alternate setting of Earth-F-Omega, a variant on the Mutants and Masterminds Freedom City* Universe by Green Ronin.

I filled in with an Earth-F-Omega session three weeks ago, and ended up continuing the story even as Keith came in to join us. Tomorrow will be my last session of the arc. Keith then goes away on vacation for two weeks ( ! ), so I offered to run something else. Something different. That's when things got really interesting...

Keith proposed that going forward one of us (he, or I) would run a game for several sessions, or perhaps a month or so, and then the other would take over and do the same. He will be continuing Kapow!, while I plan on a Science Fiction/Space Opera type series. As a test run, I will be GMing a short Galaxy Quest adventure over the two weeks Keith is gone.

More details as I have them. Very excited to get the best of both worlds out of my Wednesday night online game.

Last, but not least...

The Barking Alien Gaming Group, and What Comes Next:

It's been well over a month since I've met with the players in my Barking Alien Gaming Group.

For a short while there it looked like that particular gaming group incarnation had run its course. Luckily, that is not the case. I had a nice sit down discussion with two of the players, and I'm going to try to redouble my efforts to make a game that works for this bunch. In exchange, one of the players will try to overcome a few of his...um...less endearing habits...which often threaten to derail our games. The other player I spoke to will try to keep the first one on track, and act as an intermediary if the player, and I bump heads.

As I look at what I am running, and playing with the other groups I'm a part of, I have to say I'm pretty happy I'm getting the opportunity to run two of my favorite genres already. I'm running Superheroes with one, and I'll soon be running Space Opera/Adventure with the other. I don't need to run those with my monthly group. I am free to tackle something else.

But what?

Then it hit me, and if it didn't make so much sense I probably would've hit it back.

Aerth. My Dungeons & Dragons-But-Not setting of almost 35 years. Superheroic, Anime Influenced, Folklore Fueled [Vaguely] Medieval Fantasy.

System wise I won't be using any form of D&D however. I want to enjoy this. I'm going to be adapting Ars Magica for this campaign.

Yes. I'm going there.

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Barking Alien

Direct Hits

Yes folks, I know this one is late. OK, really late. My plans for the close of my September theme had to take a backseat to my Real LifeTM, which just got a lot more interesting. I am soon to be the owner of my own business. Details coming soon.

The next few posts are not all I have to say on the subject of comedic RPGs by a long shot, but they are all you're going to see of the theme month gimmick for September. As we are now into October already, I want to switch to my next theme, Horror, and Fantasy.

Just like September, I am going to play fast, and loose with the overarching motif, so some remaining material from September may yet find its way into the new month of posts.

***

My next guests first hit the scene in 1987, where they found a niche with fans looking for a different kind of sound. Not truly indie, they were also not emulating the bands that were topping the pop charts at the time. In many ways, they were very much a part of the new wave movement of the late 80s.

Here promoting their self-titled album, sentients and sophonts across the cosmos, please give it up for our musical guest...

Teenagers From Outer Space!

 

'Ride On Shooting Star'
From the Anime FLCL, or Furi Kuri
By The Pillows

I've said it before and I have no problem repeating it here:

Star Trek is my favorite setting to game in.

Star Wars D6 by West End Games is my favorite system.

Superheroes is probably the genre I've run the most at this point.

 

Teenagers From Outer Space however, that's the game that has my heart; green, eleven-valved, and methane producing as it might be.

Over the last twenty-eight years that the game has been in existence, I have easily run Teenagers From Outer Space, or TFOS, dozens upon dozens of times. Sometimes, I've even used it to run Teenagers From Outer Space!

Yeah, I'll explain...

I've told this story before, but about a day after reading the rules for TFOS, I modified them by changing the D6 standard to a D10 standard.

In addition to giving the game a bit more range, it made the system more compatible with R. Talsorian Games' other 'Interlock System' games, such as Cyberpunk 2013/2020 and Mekton. Other advantages to this alteration included facilitating some additional house rules, and homebrewed sub-systems, as well as making TFOS adaptable to outside systems, most notably Ars Magica (more about that below).

At a Japanese Pop Culture convention in 1995 or 96, I met with the editor of R. Talsorian's V-Max Magazine, a house periodical dedicated to Anime, Manga, and gaming with a lean toward their Anime related titles. I described to him my modified Teenagers From Outer Space game, which I had come to call 'Advanced TFOS'. He loved the idea, and had me work it up as a full article for V-Max. Unfortunately, RTG folded up the magazine before the article could see print.

While I'm not a huge fan of universal systems (believing a game's mechanics should be tailored to the game it's supporting), I do have a scant few games that I believe can be used for a wide variety of genres, subgenres, and settings. My Advanced TFOS, and even standard TFOS, are among the most versatile, and effective in my opinion.

The main reason is their simplicity. TFOS is a Stat + Ability/Skill + Roll system, with very little else going on to get in the way. Perhaps my favorite idea in the game though, is that if you roll too low, you fail, if you roll the difficulty number or higher you succeed, but if you roll too well...it can end up backfiring on you royally. Exceed the required difficulty number by more than double, and things can get out of control. It is recommended that the GM embellish the success to the point of extreme, over-the-top, you'll-wish-you-failed-the-roll, comedic annoyance.

 

As I mentioned, I've used the 'Advanced TFOS' rules to run a plethora of games, including several set in my homebrewed campaign setting of Blast City Blues. The Blast City Blues universe is similar to the default idea for TFOS but my variant allows for more character and story options. Magical Girls in stylized sailor suits, Giant Robot Pilots, adolescent Cyborgs, and Psychic School Kids can all be found somewhere in the milieu of Blast City.

 

However, the default premise of the game isn't what I want to address with this post so much as what else can be done with the system. As the focus of September's entries are comedy games, I would like to tell you all about some other humorous trips I've taken using this very versatile map as a guide.

 

Some of my most successful alternate uses of TFOS include:
  

Galaxy Quest

 

My first Galaxy Quest game, a one shot that turned into a campaign (that became a phenomena! Um...yeah), was originally based on my Advanced TFOS rules. I added the Jobs, and Character Types, and the rest is history. It was a hell of a thing.

Near Miss

A Science Fiction Comedy campaign very much in the vein of Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy meets This Is Spinal Tap.

The PCs were members of a musical group of misfit aliens travelling around the universe getting into one crazy mess after another. The name of the band, Near Miss, was also the name of a garage band I was in with some buddies from high school (who were incidentally the players in the group plus one, or two others).

Neo-Tokyo Crimebuster - Furiransu Keikan

Using a hybrid of the Advanced TFOS rules, and the rules of Mekton II (foolishly trying to make the R. Talsorian 'Interlock' systems actually interlock), Furiransu Keikan (roughly, Freelance Police) was an Action/Comedy set in a cyberpunk future where various corporations police various regions. Citizens are welcome to chose, and pay for whichever 'Law Enforcement Provider' they wish.

The PCs represented a small-ish, independent police precinct trying to make a name for themselves in the crime ridden, high tech city of Neo-Tokyo. Inspirations for the game included (but were not limited to) Dominion Tank Police, Blade Runner, Mobile Police Patlabor, Barney Miller, and Starsky and Hutch.
 

Once Upon The End of Time

A Science Fiction Time Travel/Action-Adventure/Murder Mystery campaign inspired by my friend Avram Grumer in which the entire plot is revealed in reverse order, starting from the end of the story in the first session.

 
Each session afterwards was set a few days to several months before the previous one. The last adventure had the players joining the Time Patrol, and being confronted on their first mission by their older more experienced selves who were out to stop the campaign villain's creation.

Wizard of Oz - End of the Rainbow

 

I ran a campaign set in L. Frank Baum's Oz and its surrounding magical lands using my Advanced TFOS system crossed with (get this) Ars Magica. A significantly simplified Ars Magica to be sure, the combination of the two worked incredibly well. I was very happy with the outcome and would love to try running it again.

 

***

 

I haven't played, or used the game in quite some time, and that is a shame. Not just because I love it so much, but because I feel it's the kind of game my Barking Alien Gaming Group could really get behind. So why haven't I brought it to bear with my regular gang? Well, it goes with something I am hoping to bring up in a future post, but in all honesty, I may just say to hell with it, and do it. We've been experimenting with the occasional one-shot comedy game here, and there recently, so there is no reason we couldn't give it a go.

We're going to pause one last time for a commercial break, but we'll be right back after this...

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Barking Alien

 

Belated Happy Birthdays to Groucho Marx (Oct. 2), Jim Henson, and Steve Whitmire (Both born on September 24th!). 

Obscure Thinking

On February 6th, an old school fantasy gaming blog called 'Tomb of Tedankhamen' posted an interesting blog challenge for March, and a mildly infuriating lead in to it. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm too dang sensitive. I apologize here for the mild nerd rage manifesting as barely veiled snark.

I'm doing my best here, OK?

Ahem...

The premise of this particular challenge is 'Obscure Game Blogging Challenge'. By 'Obscure Game' it would seem the author means 'Anything that isn't D&D'.

He begins by noting, "No doubt about it, D&D dominates the gaming scene old and new. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as D&D is a solid game (both in terms of system and genre) with an enormous fanbase. It serves as a ‘lingua franca’ for the gaming community, much as English serves as a global language for the world. As Nelson Mandela said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Make no wonder then that D&D has captured the hearts of so many for so long."

I don't know how to break it to him, English is:

A) Not the language with the most speakers. That is Mandarin Chinese.
B) Not the language spoken in the largest number of countries. That is Spanish.
B) Not the accepted diplomatic language. That is French.

English does have the second largest number of speakers worldwide after Chinese but it, like the countries that speak it, has something of an inflated ego.

So IMO does D&D.

Granted it was the first and yes, it does have the lion's share of participants and fans, far in excess of any other table top RPG I think it is fair to say, but it does not speak to my heart. Far from it.

Since March is going to be dedicated to my Muppets RPG, I thought I'd do what I've been doing lately with these types of things and answer it all in one post.

I'm crazy like that.

 

  

1 What was the first roleplaying game other than D&D you played? Was it before or after you had played D&D?

It was either Gangbusters or Boot Hill. I am not certain I remember which I tried first.

2 In what system was the first character you played in an RPG other than D&D? How was playing it different from playing a D&D character?

 

One of the above two. I remember the character and world made more sense to me. It was easier to imagine. I had seen dozens of cop and gangster movies and television show and untold number of Westerns.

 

3 Which game had the least or most enjoyable character generation?

 

Early on I really liked character generation in Villains & Vigilantes and Gamma World until I discovered games like Star Trek (FASA), Star Wars (West End Games D6) and others where you could pick the stats and/or skills you wanted. Random generation is OK but I know what I want to play.

 

4 What other roleplaying author besides Gygax impressed you with their writing?

 

Greg Costikyan, Mike Pondsmith, Greg Stafford.

 

5 What other old school game should have become as big as D&D but didn’t? Why do you think so?

Traveller. Traveller should have been to Science Fiction what D&D is to fantasy and in a
fashion it is. Unfortunately, it failed to embrace the changing market properly and got bogged down
in its complexity instead of playing up its flexibility.

 

 

6 What non-D&D monster do you think is as iconic as D&D ones like hook horrors or flumphs, and why do you think so?

No idea how to answer this question. What makes a flumph or hook horror iconic? They are
iconic to D&D  players but trust me, non-gamers have never heard of them. It's not like a
dragon, a unicorn or Pegasus.

What about the Rancor or a Tribble? I bet more people know what a Tribble is than a hook horror.
 

7 What fantasy RPG other than D&D have you enjoyed most? Why?

Probably Ars Magica. I don't like the fantasy genre very much but Ars Magica feels like everything D&D is missing. The setting feels right, the magic is both wondrous and versatile and the monsters are based on real world mythologies. Also, the system, while not perfect, is very interesting and easy to get accustomed to. Character creation is waaay more fun and interesting than D&D for me.
 

8 What spy RPG have you enjoyed most? Give details.

Haven't played a lot of Spy RPGs but I really loved the James Bond 007 RPG from Victory Games. I wish I could tell you exactly why. It mostly boils down to them getting the feel of the movies and setting correct. Also, some great supplements.
 

9 What superhero RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?

I love Supers gaming and I have two main favorites, Champions 4th Edition and Mutants & Masterminds 3rd. I love them because they enable the players and myself to create exactly the character they want, allow for amazing diversity of character and scenario designs and are at the same time somewhat tactical, require the Player and PC to be smart, not just super.
 

10 What science fiction RPG have you enjoyed most? Give details.

Where do I begin. Science Fiction is my favorite genre and I have a lot of favorites. I think my #1 top pick would be Traveller for that hard science/space opera feel, Star Trek (Last Unicorn Games and FASA) for the space exploration meets cinematic feel and Star Wars (WEG D6) for just being fast paced, easy and flat out fun.
 

11 What post-apocalyptic RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?

Not hugely into Post-Apocalypse games but I have had fun with Gamma World, the Japanese TRPG Crash World, The Morrow Project, Apocalypse World and even After The Bomb.
 

12 What humorous RPG have you enjoyed most? Give details.

All of them. I mean, I love Toon, Teenagers From Outer Space, Hunter Planet, InSpectres, Men In Black, Tales from The Floating Vagabond, Red Dwarf and so many others. I love the ease of play, light on mechanics, heavy on theme. I love the generally upbeat nature of comedic games, even when they are dark comedies.

Did I mention I created a Muppets RPG? Because, yeah, Muppets RPG. Oh and Galaxy Quest. Yeah.
 

13 What horror RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?

Another genre I am not really big on but I would have to say either Call of Cthulhu, our homebrewed variant of Chill or our homebrewed variant of Stalking The Night Fantastic. Horror games require a big buy in and than being OK with dying easily. Most are not scary enough. They lose the horror part of Horror in favor of gore and shock. Not the same.
 

14 What historical or cultural RPG have you enjoyed most? Give details.

Not sure my favorite but I enjoyed Bushido and Land of the Rising Sun (despite them being a bit too crunchy), Flashing Blades (same) and of course Boot Hill. Well, OK, our heavily modified, kitbashed and homebrewed Boot Hill. It rocked though for sure.

The questions keep ending with 'Give details'. I wish I could. I haven't played some of these games in a long time. Others I play so often I wouldn't know where to begin. If I had expanded this to the entire month that's probably when I'd be able to really think about more extensive answers.
 

15 What pseudo or alternate history RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?

Hmmm, what games actually qualify in this category? Castle Falkenstein? Space: 1889? Godlike? Heck, even Ars Magica sort of fits in here. Indeed, I love all the games I've just mentioned. I hope I get to run some of them again soon.

I will say that with alternate history games, I don't always use the provided setting but rather my take on the setting. Since these are games because on divergent paths of actual people and events, I  often find history books a better source of ideas than the games themselves.
 

16 Which RPG besides D&D has the best magic system? Give details.

Ars Magica. No question. Magic that can be cast on the fly, or with rote or spell, magic item design and research, Wizard Duels and a host of other rules and ideas that make playing a mage feel like you are doing and being something special.

D&D and its cousins have, IMHO, the worst and least interesting magic system in the history of gaming.
 

17 Which RPG has the best high tech rules? Why?

Depends on what you mean. Hero System/Champions has the most flexible, balanced and yet easy to screw with systems ever. Mekton is fantastic for more than just Giant Robots. It's good for Starships, space stations and vehicles as well. Traveller's Fire, Fusion and Steel was also quite awesome and perhaps the best for individual devices and personal weaponry.
 

18 What is the crunchiest RPG you have played? Was it enjoyable?

I don't like crunchy RPGs overly much and yet, I love Champions. Many people view Champions as very complex and certainly crunchy, but because most of the crunch is behind the scenes and not as in your face during play (at least the way we play it), I think I can accept the level of crunch that runs through it.
 

19 What is the fluffiest RPG you have played? Was it enjoyable?

Most 'fluffy' games are pretty enjoyable to me, though I'm always searching for that sweet spot between rules-lite and crunchy that will give me exactly what I've been looking for in a game. I find it easier to add a little to a fluffy game than take away a lot from a complicated one.
 

20 Which setting have you enjoyed most? Why?

Star Trek is probably my favorite established setting to game in, especially when focused on the era of the original television series. Next would be DC Comics of the Golden Age to right around Crisis On Infinite Earths.

I don't usually like the settings of games.

That is to say, as awesome as the Traveller canon milieu is, MY Traveller canon milieu is much cooler. I have recently read a number of posts in a number of places touting how cool Mekton's setting was. First, Mekton had a setting?! Then I thought about it and realized, oh yeah, it did have a setting of sorts in that 'Algol' thing. Yeah. Never used that in any way.

The default settings of 90-95% of all RPGs that aren't based on some known IP are, well, I'll just say it, they suck. Never use them and if I do it's with major modifications.
 

21 What is the narrowest genre RPG you have ever played? How was it?

Not sure how to answer this one. I mean, is Teenagers from Outer Space a narrow genre game? It focuses on a specific style of Japanese Anime and Manga comedy but, there are hundreds of those and they're very different in the details. Is Star Wars or Star Trek considered narrow because each only focuses on a single IP? Marvel Heroic? DC Adventures?

I really can't, or don't, think of any of these as narrow.
 

22 What is the most gonzo kitchen sink RPG you ever played? How was it?

D&D. It stinks.

But, if we are talking about non-D&D games, I'd have to say RIFTS and Torg, both of which I can't stand.

First and foremost I think both have really weird rules that, for very different reasons, make each game cumbersome, unnecessarily crunchy and no fun for me.

Second (and a very close second mind you), with exception of Superhero games, I really don't like kitchen sink games or settings that try to be everything. I find that they lack a cohesive feel, an easy and accessible theme that can help me see their worlds. When I try to imagine the world of RIFTS, all I imagine is a chaotic mess with no rhyme, reason or purpose.

But wait Adam, didn't you read the 100 pages of source material scattered across a dozen splatbooks so that you know what's going on? Why no, I didn't. I have no interest in doing that. Bugger off you wankers.
 

23 What is the most broken game that you tried and were unable to play?

So many really and still we gave them a try. Except F.A.T.A.L. After casually looking through it I laughed and never touched it again.

The most broken huh? World of Synnibarr?
 

24 What is the most broken game that you tried and loved to play, warts and all?

Fantasy Games Unlimited's Space Opera. I have no clear idea in my head how we played that game but we played the heck of it at one time.
 

25 Which game has the sleekest, most modern engine?

Hard to say. Marvel Heroic, while not really sleek, has a modern and workable system that is a lot of fun to play. I think the One Roll Engine of Godlike and Wild Talents perhaps. Great games.
 

26 What IP (=Intellectual Property, be it book, movie or comic) that doesn’t have an RPG deserves it? Why?

Probably Star Trek. There have been some great Star Trek RPGs over the years but the fact that there hasn't been an official one in a while really surprises me.

Other than that, Galaxy Quest. Seriously. If any company reads this and wants to make a Galaxy Quest game, drop me an email. I have it all worked out. It functions beautifully.
 

27 What RPG based on an IP did you enjoy most? Give details.

Really? Star Trek first and foremost.

After than, believe or not, Star Wars. I am a much bigger Star Trek fan than I am a Star Wars fan but WEG's D6 Star Wars game is a work of art. Pure genius. Hits the Simplicity vs. Detail sweet spot like few others.

And my Muppets game of course. I'm just saying.
 

28 What free RPG did you enjoy most? Give details.

Risus? I think I'd have to say Risus.

I found it so inspiring that I made it the basis of my Muppets RPG before refining and distancing the rules further and further as I went along. Still and all, I think much of my current views on game design, why we make things the way we do and what the point of it all is, has been heavily influenced by Risus.

Standing ovation to S. John Ross. *Applause*
 

29 What OSR product have you enjoyed most? Explain how.

I don't know if there is an OSR product I've enjoyed most. I have enjoyed the ones I have enjoyed all equally. And that equal amount is roughly between 'somewhat' and 'more than a bit'.
 

30 Which non-D&D supplemental product should everyone know about? Give details.

If you play Last Unicorn Games' Star Trek RPG, I can not recommend Steven Long's Spacedock supplement enough. It is, as it is billed, an Advanced Design and Construction Manual for starships, space stations and other large, space capable things in that game and in the Star Trek universe. A labor of love and a work a brilliance. It is also absolutely free. You rock Steven!

Mythic Europe and The Medieval Handbook (various editions) from Ars Magica are supplements I go back to again and again. If you are playing D&D they are probably not needed. If you are setting your medieval fantasy in an actually medieval world, read these books.

Aaron Allston's Strikeforce for Champions is a must have for anyone running a Superheroes RPG. It's a sourcebook and supplement and much, much more. What it is in short is a 'How To' book on running a Superhero campaign by someone who not only wrote for the Champions RPG, but who ran a successful Champions campaign and put down the hows and whys of his success in a guide even a veteran GM would find fascinating and useful. Highly, highly recommended.

31 What out-of-print RPG would you most like to see back in publication? Why?

So many. So, so, so many.

Hunter Planet is often my number one choice for 'Games That Didn't Get A Fair Shake'. I would love to not only see it back in print but I would love to do a new edition, with the creator's input and advice, that expanded and updated the theme a bit. Loved the idea for this game.

Let's see, what 'obscure' RPGs did I cover here? Hmmm...Star Trek, Star Wars, Traveller, Champions, Ars Magica,  Gamma World, Villains & Vigilantes, Mutants & Masterinds, DC Adventures, Mekton, Teenagers From Outer Space and Toon among others.

Yeah. Obscure games.

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The RECESS Report - Part II

There will be a bit more recap-i-ness coming up after this post and then, onward to some new ideas.

I was only able to talk to a few of my fellow GMs at RECESS and all but for the briefest of  moments. However, one mini-conversation in particular bares sharing but again, not until the recaps are over.

Now you've got something to look forward to and a reason to return to Barking Alien.  Aren't I a clever pooch.

***

Following the Muppets RPG session I went to lunch with my girlfriend Jenn, her friend and hopefully now mine Lisa and my good buddy and GM of our current Hunter X Hunter campaign, Ray. Lunch was good, the beer I had was surprisingly tasty and I was ready to return to the frontlines. The ladies left us to do their own thing and Ray and I went back in to RECESS, he to his game (He ran Marvel Heroic) and me to mine...GALAXY QUEST!

***

'A Riddle, Wrapped In A Mystery, Inside An Enigma'

***

Taking in a little of R&R over at a Thermian Space Station while their vessel underwent some important repairs and upgrades, the commander and crew of the NSEA Daring, NTR-6269, receive an emergency request from the station's Chief Administrator.

It seems the Thermians have intercepted a weak and continually fading distress call from the NSEA cruiser Vindicator. The Vindicator, commanded by our own commander's long time rival, is a tough and powerful ship. What could cause it's CO to call for help?

Highlights!

First - AWEsome Characters!

The Commander was played by my good friend Andy who I know through the group I gamed with and ran for over at my FLGS, The Compleat Strategist. His character, Commander Thaddeus Shaw, was a almost a cross between Futurama's Zap Brannigan and Ben Stiller in Zoolander. He seemed to have the miraculous ability to slip out of his NSEA uniform and into a floor length, velvet robe, complete with martini in hand, and back again in the blink of an eye.

The Science Officer was played by a great guy named Ed who I got the chance to game with at my first RECESS. He played the Security Chief in a game of Starships And Spacemen run by the incomparable E.T. Smith. Here, in the Galaxy Quest game, he did not disappoint.

In addition to being the Science Officer, he was also the Token Alien. A member of the Cerebellian species, his name "To you would be a stream of unintelligible static. Do not try to say it, you do not have the parts. Call me Primus." To say Primus was pompous and full of himself and his vast intellect would be an understatement. He was hilariously, gratingly intelligent. Any time anyone said pretty much anything, Ed would reply, "Yes. I know."

The Pilot was played by a fellow named Don and he worked out a bit of backstory on the actor playing his character, Lt. JG Clive Britten. Originally a popular actor on the British version of 'Galaxy Quest', where he played the Commander, the actor was let go when budget constraints eventually forced the BBC to cancel the show. Now, getting this second string part on the American version, with its better special effects but weaker writing (heheh, so British), the actor has turned to smoking up a bit and trying recreational pharmaceuticals. This last bit has been worked into the character of Clive Britten, an ace pilot hooked on 'Space Drugs'.

A really nice and interesting guy named Will played The Doctor. Will, it turns out, is the boyfriend of Emi, who was in the morning Muppets game. Will played Old Hock, an old country doctor with a preference for moonshine, banjo music and Kentuky Blue Grass underneath his feet. He had replaced a section of the floor in his Med Lab with soil and grew a mini lawn, "Right 'thar on the gol-durn spaceship."

I say Will was interesting because he did several things that impressed me. Most notably, his boisterous, 'Southern Redneck' accent was hysterical and nothing at all like his regular voice which was mellow and subdued. Also, he stated that this was only the 4th or 5th RPG session he had ever participated in. None of his previous games included any form of D&D, so I took a liking to the guy right away (snark!). Furthermore, he felt by creating this neat character, he also created a situation where he didn't interact with the other characters or the adventure very much. Old Hock didn't want to leave his comfort zone and sure as hell thought all this other folks on board were plum crazy. He thought that he may have designed him 'wrong' for the adventure.

I told he that if he was having fun, it wasn't wrong. We make the characters we want to play because before we sit down (especially at RECESS) we really don't know what kind of adventure it's going to be exactly. On the other hand, if you think it would be more fun to get more involved, find a way.

He honestly thanked me, we talked a bit more and I must say, it was a great experience to feel like I helped a new gamer find their gaming zen as it were. He eventually opted to join in by helping get a Shuttlepod over to this alien object we found floating in space. The object absorbed energy from starships but Old Hock had, in the ship's docking bay, an old solar sail shuttle that might be able to get around the issue. He also had some ideas, modified by the all knowing Science Officer, on how to vent oxygen to move the shuttle with resorting to powering up the systems. We imagined his shuttle was held together by duct tape and baling wire. It had a gun rack and an old confederate flag draped over one of the bunks in the back. It was referred to a few times as 'The General Lee'.

Almost forgot, Old Hock was also The Prodigy. What Geordi LaForge has for sight, Old Hock has for hearing. Large headphone like domes with TV antennae sticking out cover his ears enabling him to hear everything from a tiny pin drop to the subspace wake creating by an enemy starship hiding behind the fourth moon.

The Engineer was Shayara 'Zero-Gee' Jones, a firecraker of a young woman played by a firecracker of a dude named Floyd. No one asks why they call her 'Zero-Gee' and she ain't telling. Lots of great Technobabble from Tech Sgt. Jones, who was so in tune with her ship she could feel a power coupling loosen on 'A' Deck while walking through the cargo hold on 'U' Deck. There appeared to be a bit of a rivalry between the Engineer and the Science Officer to see who was smarter and more knowledgeable about NSEA technology and Sci-Fi physics.

Finally, where would Galaxy Quest be without the Glorified Extra, Security Chief Harkin. Yes, he got a name! Actually he did so well, the other players voted him Ensign Harkin by sessions end! With one hit point but jacked up combat skills, this brave and stalwart Crewman (played by a nice guy named Hans) saved the Vindicator with a well timed barrage of Pulse Missiles launched into a time travel slingshot effect that enabled the Daring to save her sister ship and then arrive to warn the Vindicator before it got into trouble in the first place.

Ridiculous you say? What part of 'Sci-Fi-Space-Opera-TV-Show' did you not understand?

In the end, the bizarre space artifact, named 'The Black Spot' by our Science Officer (even though it is not actually black. Nor a spot), turned out to be a manned satellite/space station of an alien species who were merely studying the region of space where the satellite had been placed. With the help of the Doctor, Ensign Harkin made first contact with the sexy, female alien captain before the Commander moved in and presumably made second, third and perhaps even fourths contact with her.
 
Great game, many, many laughs and a wonderful group of guys. I may run this again next RECESS, although I am not sure as there are a number of other things I want to try. We shall see.

***

A lot of inspiration on a good number of topics lately so, more to come.

If you're not hanging out with the cool kids on Google +, come round, take a load off and I'll put on a pot of coffee so we can talk.

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