RPG Campaign Tour Challenge 2026 - DAY 22

Day 22-Tell us about notable Flora and Fauna.

"I've had more than my fair share of encounters with dangerous wildlife and perilous plants while living on my own all those years ago.

Even so, I am by no means an authority on the subject. You know who is? Ensign Salar, a Xenobiologist in Prosperity's venerable Science Department. One might even say he is 'passionate' about the subject."

"You are attempting to make a humorous comment at my expense. I do not appreciate your teasing attitude regarding my emotional disposition. *Lets out...a sigh?* Nonetheless, I am deeply fascinated by animals, plants, and how they develop and fit into a planet's ecosystem. Therefore, I shall assist you in giving this informative address about the creatures and vegetation we have catalogued in the Tango Super Sector. 

You 'owe me one' as the Humans say."

Thaldrisil - Andorian Blue Barley

 

Originating on the Andorian homeworld of Epsilon Indii VIII A, more commonly known as Andoria or simply Andor, this light blue colored grain is common across the farmlands of the planet, both North and South of the equatorial regions. 

Known as Thaldrisil in the Andorian language of Graalen, the grain is a vital component in the production of Andorian Ale, a major export of the Andorians in this area of space. While the Thaldrisil was brought to Mozinphar's World from Andor, it has thrived in the remarkably similar climate and soil. 

The Creatures of Dinom II 

(Season 8, Episode 10 'Across he Bright Face')

For a very hot and dry planet, not unlike my native Vulcan, Dinom II has a very diverse selection of animal life. What makes Dinom II's biodiversity even more intriguing is that the world is tidally locked, meaning one side is constantly being bombarded by the rays of its relatively close sun.

All of the animal life on the planet seems to include features similar to sauropods and/or theropods and mammal. This is in addition to whatever other categories it's biological make-up may place it in. For example, a number of creatures seem to incorporate a degree of arthropod-like DNA even though they are clearly not traditional arthropods. Even the avian Crueldactyl or 'Bloody Axe Beaked Flyer' is more closely related to flying mammals and reptiles than it is any sort of bird. 

Serving in Starfleet has taught me that category distinctions are often...complicated. 

Some of the more notable species encountered by the Command Crew include (Left to Right):

Animal Biodiversity on Dinom II

Caesordorsalis or 'Armored Head Slasher': A massive creature with heavily armored backplates, elbow 'spur' talons, and a pair of hard ridged bones on either side of its head that it can use to both cut down prey or deflect incoming attacks to its face and head. The creature's armor is so tough it can ignore a Type II Phaser set for Stun and the slasher ridges on either side of its head can withstand the 'Heavy Stun' setting. 

Laceruda or 'Scorpion Tailed Pincer Lizard': a vicious and fast moving predator with pincher claw forelimbs and a poison stinger equipped tail. It can close distance in record breaking time for similar lifeforms but it is an ambush predator, saving up its energy for the eventual charge and sting. Consider it similar to an Earth Cheetah crossed with an Zaranite Dune Springer.

Crueldactyl or 'Bloody Axe Beak Flyer': a flying predator/scavenger with a rather cunning and effective means of hunting and eating prey. The creatures will flying down from the sky, strike a prey animal in the hind quarters or legs if possible, and then wait until the victim follows behind its pack. They then circle overhead and once the creature dies of blood loss, heatstroke, or even starvation, the horde of them descend upon the carcass to consume it. They travel in groups of three to a dozen individuals of varying ages and sizes. A group of them has been dubbed a 'horde'. 

Mantigris or 'MantisTiger Lizard': Also called the 'Scythe Mantis Cat', this is the second fastest moving creature on Dinom, right behind the Scorpion Tailed Pincher. In fact, this animal has a considerably faster response time to outside stimuli and can strike almost twice as quickly at close range. The Pincer Lizard is faster is a dedicated run/chase. 

Tonivacca or 'Desert Thundercow': This herbivorous animal feeds on 'Succulent Moss' and similar plants that grow near and in the few watering holes on Dinom. When the entire herd of 10-12 beasts has had a sufficient amount of hydration and food, no more and no less, they instinctively migrate to the next body of 'fresh' water. Most herds follow a seemingly nomadic route that has been passed on to the next generation for centuries, changing only when environmental challenges mandate it.  

These are the main prey of the Crueldactyls and Armored Head Slashers and we wondered, 'how have they survived such vicious and powerful predators?'. For one thing, they are extremely tough, like most lifeforms on Dinom II, with remarkable levels of endurance and resistance to physical damage. They are also capable of creating two different sounds that intimidate and confuse predators. One is an incredibly loud, rumbling bellow. The other is the heavy footsteps of the herd in motion. When the Thundercow runs from an attacker the very ground below them shakes and the air is filled with a thunderous pounding [, hence their name].

The Great Wetland Cephalopod of Yed Prior

(Season 8, Episode 3 'Dinner and a Show')

Forced to participate in gladitorial combat in the 'Arena of Yed' by the planet's robot custodians, the world's stranded inhabitants and eventually the Prosperity's Command Crew had to face such dangerous opponents as the Great Wetland Cephalopod. 

A species of large cephalopod dwelling in the massive, unusually deep, tropical swamps of Yed Prior I's Southern Hemisphere. A type of algae or mossy grass grows on the creature, forming a symbiotic relationship that keeps the animal's skin moist while its on land. In exchange, the cephalopod moves the algae into more sunlight or nutrient rich waters and providing other benefits thanks to its mobility. 

The creatures are carnivorous, with a vertical mouth behind an outer rim of flesh consisting of its front tentacles. The sharp, sometimes jagged 'teeth' along the creature's tentacles are actually chitinous hooks for grasping, holding, and tearing at prey. Because the base of the forward limbs surround the mouth, these hooks are indeed used as teeth, in a fashion, slicing up what it consumes into pieces small enough to be crushed by the muscles of its inner jaw. 

The Great Cephalopod is able to travel on land quickly, if clumsily, using its tentacles and the twin-taloned claws at the end of some of them (others have a single claw). Its aquatic movement combines the use of its tentacles with carefully released discharges of stored water and air. 

"Thank you so much for your help Salar and I apologize for teasing you. Please don't be mad."

"I appreciate...Mad? Are you...joking again?"

Well, here we are at the 28th of February and I am by no means finished with the Campaign Tour Challenge. I am way behind on yet another Challenge, only this one is mine. I made it myself and I'm still behind. Good grief. 

I'm going to finish it. I am honestly having too much fun doing this to stop now. My slow down was due to Real LifeTM stuff, not a lack of interest or enthusiasm. Please stick with me until the end.

Thanks. 

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Barking Alien 

It is with great sadness that I acknowledge the passing of Robert 'Rob' Grant, the British Comedy Writer and Television Producer best known as one of two Co-Creators of the English Sci-Fi TV Series 'Red Dwarf'. 

Mr. Grant passed away suddenly on Wednesday, February 25th, at the age of 70. 

A huge Red Dwarf fan, I am sorry for this loss to his family, friends, fans, and the entertainment industry. 

Brain Purge

My brain constantly generates ideas for games. Campaign concepts, plots, characters, equipment, locales, and more are forever trickling from the recesses of my mind like light but unending rain. 

Every so often that persistent drizzle turns into a deluge. When this happens, the rivers that carry my creations from my head out to my hands (so that I may write, type, or illustrate the things I'm imagining) overflow. The thoughts flood through me and I become very frustrated, anxious, and even depressed knowing that little of this monsoon of gaming goodness is ever going to see the light of day. 

It's too much, coming too fast, and usually the ideas flowing in these instances are too high concept, too odd to find an audience. The flooding rivers do not aid the drought plagued villages. They drown them. 

I've been experiencing this phenomena for the past few weeks and it's getting to me. Even more so with recent gaming frustrations and opportunities that simply aren't helping. 

This time is different from such phases in the past as I have an awesome girlfriend who gave me a bang-on suggestion. She said that when similar thoughts and feelings come to her she writes them down. All of them. Stream of consciousness style. She gets them out of her head and on to paper or screen where she can actually analyze their worth and they aren't taking up valuable mental real estate. 

I love this idea. 

So here are the [primary] campaign concepts that have come to me and won't leave me alone. I keep coming up with material for these while other thoughts for other games and other game ideas themselves (literally dozens upon dozens) come and go at break neck speed. 

Idea #1. Monster Trainers in a Medieval Fantasy World

Inspired By:

As I've mentioned before I'm not a big fan of traditional Dungeons and Dragons style RPGs or settings but I do like them a bit more when they contain a twist. My own D&D-But-Not setting seems like a Fantasy game but really it's not, being structured and styled more like a Superhero campaign. 

The recent announcements of a new Pokemon game for the Nintendo Switch, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, a plethora of Western-Style Fantasy Anime and Manga, and the release of Creatures, an artbook of incredible imaginary beasts by Rei Yamamura has me imagining a setting in which Monsters are more than threats in a dungeon. 

Imagine a Medieval Fantasy society were Monsters are EVERYTHING! They are sources of food, clothing, and magical ingredients, hazards in the wilderness and the dark places of the world, but also part of the family. They work on the farm, herd and protect livestock (which may or may not also be Monsters), and sleep at the foot of our beds at night.

It would be mixture of Dungeons & Dragons, Monster Hunter, and Pokemon. I am really loving this idea but I am pretty sure practically no one I currently game with would be into it. 

Idea #2. Wares Blade - Medieval Fantasy with Giant Robots

Inspired By:

I've been wanting to run a new Wares Blade campaign ever since I first learned about the Reboot Project. Check out the webpage! Now, with the introduction of the awesome miniatures depicted above - incidentally called, 'WARES LEGION' - the desire has only doubled. 

The thing is, I can't get those minis at this time and I have no interest in a tactical war game even if it's Wares Blade based. A tabletop (or 'tabletalk' in Japan) Role Playing Game though, yes, that is something I am definitely interested in and these minis just massively inspire me and give me added enthusiasm for a game concept I've liked for many years now. 

Again, as I pointed out in Idea #1, I am intrigued by Wizard and Warrior Fantasy if you can put a good enough spin on it. Being the major Mecha fan that I am, adding them to Fantasy absolutely has me on board. 

Idea #3. Space Battleship Yamato Universe 

Inspired By:

Here is an idea I've had for ages that has recently returned with the tumble of other campaign possibilities tormenting...I mean...occurring to me of late.

Based on the Manga and Anime classic by Reji Mastumoto and Yoshinobu Nishizaki, Space Battleship Yamato, better known in the US as 'Star Blazers', is the story of a war in the future between the United Nations of Earth and the Great Gamilas Empire. Gamilas initiated the conflict by launching radioactive meteor bombs at the Earth, the impact of which will result in the extinction of the Human race in one year's time unless the crew of the UNCF Yamato can find the radiation neutralizing Cosmo DNA on the distant planet of Iscandar.

My love of Space Battleship Yamato could easily be the subject of a future Thorough Thursdays entry (and probably will be). I loved coming home from school each day in time to catch the American translation (Star Blazers). At the end of every episode, the number of days the Earth had left before everyone was dead would appear on the bottom of the screen. Intense!

A campaign of this may at first seem like a more military focused Star Trek, but with it's World War II allegories, Metaphysical 70s Sci-Fi, and distinct visual design, it reminds me more of Space:1999 meets the original version of Battlestar Galactica.

I think this could be very cool. 

Idea #4. Metal Head - Anime Outer Space Cyberpunk 

Inspired By:

Cyberpunk is a genre I haven't visited in a long time. At least, not directly. With my formative teen years of pop culture consumption and gaming having taken place in the 1980s, Cyberpunk is like salt and pepper, it gets added to everything out of habit. 

While my Traveller games see a lot of Cyberpunk influence, they are not Cyberpunk; Traveller remains very much the Hard Science/Space Opera game of Traveller no matter how many megacorporations and cybernetic mercenaries I throw in. 

What I am talking about here is closer to the Japanese TRPG Metal Head. Instead of a Space Adventure game with cyber-technology added in as a bit of spice, this is a Cyberpunk game that answers the question, "What the heck is up with Blade Runner's 'Off-World Colonies'. Where are Humanity's space programs at in the worlds of Ghost in the Shell or Cyberpunk 2077? 

Set in 2150 (and later in future editions), Metal Head is a game where you can explore the classic themes of Cyberpunk - the effect of rampant technological advancement on Human society, the nature of what it means to be Human in the face of uploading your persona to an Artificial Intelligence, and so on - while also investigating how our curiosity and drive will forever push us to expand our understanding of the universe.

This is one case where the inspirational images I've chosen don't really do it justice. I have so many visions of what this would be that I had trouble distilling them into a single frame. It's Love, Death, and Robots, Blade Runner, Altered Carbon, Ghost in the Shell, Bubblegum Crisis, and so many other high tech dystopian genre greats crossbred with the limitless hope of space travel. 

Idea #5. Middle School Kids vs. Things That Go Bump in The Night

Inspired By:

One idea I have that comes and goes from time to time is a Comedic Horror game primarily based around the Japanese Tabletalk RPG (are you seeing a theme here? Me too) Peekaboo Horror. The basic premise is that you play pre-teen/elementary school kids fighting ghosts and supernaturals monsters in your neighborhood. The twist on this that makes the game unique is that each player plays two characters, an Innocent (the kid) and a Boo, or Spooky (a spirit or other paranormal entity). 

In my few previous times running this game I had the players play each others Boos. In other words: John plays his Kid and Cindy's Boo. Ryan plays his Kid and John's Boo. Cindy plays her Kid and Ryan's Boo. That kind of thing. 

The idea has come back to me again and that is largely due to the announcement of Stranger Things Series 3, a new Ghostbusters film in 2020, and some recent discussions with friends of mine from high school about our old Ghostbusters RPG campaign. 

Like Fantasy, Horror is not a genre I enjoy generally speaking but if mixed with Comedy and leaned more toward Quirk/Creepy and less toward Gore/Shock, I find it can be a really fun and rewarding gaming experience. 

There are other ideas but these are the ones I keep coming back to.

Truth be told, I started this post days ago and my mind has calmed down quite a bit. As a result, I am able to think a bit more clearly and there may be one additional game concept that has occurred to me and may just be the one I will use for a new Gamemastering opportunity.

The idea is...

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay Challenge 2017 - Day 6

After a wonderful day on Saturday, I spent most of Sunday exhausted, and honestly feeling like crap. I passed out on my bed for a nap at some point (a thing I am very rarely able to do), and ended up sleeping over five hours.

The end result is that I am a tad behind on my posts, but I will do my best to catch up.

I actually had the opportunity to do this once, in high school I believe, and it was a pretty epic experience. The game was Skyrealms of Jorune. The story covered a journey from one location to another over the course of 7 days. Each day of travel was one session, played on a different day for one week.

A tale for another time.

What would I do now?

Hmmm.

Inspired by my recently rekindled interest in Anime, and Manga, and the idea of binge-watching shows on Netflix, or other similar streaming services, I would probably run a Giant Robot/Mecha RPG with a finite story designed to be told in seven 'episodes'. 

Additional inspirations include Netflix's Voltron, The Legendary Defender, Japan's revival of the Japanese tabletop RPG Wares Blade (a personal favorite of mine), and the computer/video game franchise Monster Hunter.

The end result would be a Fantasy with Mecha tale of a small city-state plagued by attacks from monsters for so long that they've developed an entire way of life built around slaying these creatures, and using their parts for various purposes. 

Clothing, food, armor, weapons, and even building materials from homes, and tools are made of monster parts. These are obtained by brave, volunteer citizens who use mechs to defeat the larger, and more dangerous of these mystic beasts. 

I don't really have a story beyond that, but it's an idea I've been playing around with for sometime now that I'd really like to try. I'd probably use a modified version of first edition Mekton to run it, possibly merged with my homebrew Extended Mecha system. Maybe Mekton 1E + Ars Magica? Sword World? Not sure.

Well, that's what I'd do.

What would you do?

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Barking Alien

My Orcs Are Not Different

This is a post I thought I'd never do, but it's been a long time coming.

The catalyst for this entry is (not surprisingly I suppose) the many posts on the internet by innumerable Gamemasters touting how utterly unique their particular snowflake Orcs are.

Then I got to thinking about this one post of mine. Also question and answer number 46 on this one. There are other posts as well. (If you are interested, use the Search function in the upper left hand corner with the key word 'Orc')

What spurred me on further was this recent post, which was inspired by this one, which in turn originated with this one I believe. None of which I really care about (Nothing wrong with them. As valid a discussing as any other in the gaming blogsphere I suppose) as they get into too much book-keeping minutiae for my tastes.

They did get me to thinking about Orcs though...and how much I thoroughly despise them.

Let me get this off my chest, right from the start.

I hate Orcs. Hate'em.

Not 'creature-I-love-to-hate' kinda hate. I just vehemently dislike them.

For me, the Orc* symbolizes a lot of what I don't like about Dungeons & Dragons type fantasy.

They are not creatures of myth or folklore no matter how hard the Wikipedia entry tries to relate them to something from a pre-Middle Earth source. They originated in the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, and have since gone on to infest and permeate so many fantasy related stories and games that, for me, black mold and hay fever are more welcome.

They are uninteresting to me in the extreme. Mechanically they do nothing exciting. No special or challenging abilities, no unusual traits, nada. Why use them instead of a Goblin, a Hobgoblin, or simply a Human brigand? Ah yes, because that are the ones in the rulebook with the correct set of hit points and such. No Goblin could have that many hit points! No Troll would be that weak! The others can't be altered now can they? This makes Orcs the ONLY choice obviously. Logic I say!

Visually they are usually fairly boring in design. What is special about the Orcish face, the Orcish visage? Anything? Fifty percent of the time they are muscular, bulky, and green. The other half of the time they are muscular, bulky, pale and even uglier. So varied!

The Orcs of Warhammer and World of Warcraft. Or is it Warcraft and Warhammer?

I mean, I can totally tell them a part. For reals. 

Oh how I long for those rare occasions when they look like gray, frog-beast people or green lizard-pigs. Ah, those were the days.

All in all, I just don't care for them. This feeling is made all the more intense by all the GMs who take them and, Roddenberry help us,  'do something different with them'. Spare me. Doing something different with them would be not using them. Better yet, something different would be creating your own, original monstrous humanoid.

Tolkien made these guys up. Go make up your own mainstay monsters ya lazy bastards.

Your Orcs are not different. Neither are mine.

in the interest of equal ridicule, here are my Orcs:

On the rare occasions when I run D&D (usually my homebrewed 'D&D AD' system, aka, 'D&D-But-Not'), you will practically never run into an Orc. It is extremely unusual to even see an Orc in games set on my world of Aerth.

According to my world's myths and historical records, Orcs (a Kind** of Goblin) were quite numerous and widespread at one time. That is no longer the case. 

The legend goes that after all the pantheons of gods divvied up the world, each taking a region for their people, they chuckled, and said to the first great Goblin King, "You can have all the rest.".

Overjoyed, the Goblin King looked at the Map of the World that the gods had laid out to survey his domains. All that was left for him and the Goblin race were swamps, bogs, dark corners of drafty caves and canyons, burnt out forests, and farmland where nothing would grow.

The Goblin King's face fell but his eldest son began to laugh - a bitter, cold sound like icicles cracking in a deep cavern. "You seek to rob us of the world's riches but have handed us the keys to take them. We will flourish in the rotten and unhappy places. We will breed in the swamps and play in the marsh. We will hunt on the sallow farmland, and grow Goblin fruit in the desiccated woods. We will live in the caves. We will strike from the darkness."

During the Great Goblin War, when the then current Goblin King united all the Kinds** of the Goblin race together, it was Orcs, said to have descended from the first king's eldest son, who served as the first strikers and the front lines of nearly every battle. At the wars end, with the alliance of Man, Dwarf, Elf, and Wilder victorious, Orcs needed a way to rebuild. Knowing little beyond fighting, most adult male Orcs took jobs as mercenaries, guards, and other soldiers of fortune. Many tribes of Orcs took to living in the ruins of old castles and in dungeons, or inside the wrecks of ships that had crashed on rocks or run aground.

Time is not kind to that way of life and the victors of the war were in no hurry to aid the defeated. Many Human warriors hunted and killed Orcs as revenge for that latters wartime 'atrocities'. Others were killed purely out of fear and hate. If something as menacing as an Orc lived near by, surely that threatened the safety of a Human settlement. Better to get them first before they get us. 

Now, many years later, Orcs are nearly extinct. The vast majority have been killed off, not just by Humans, but Elves, Dwarves, Wilders, and their allies. Barely 500 Orcs remain on the world of Aerth. The most of them dwell on an island off the Southern Coast on the Old World continent. They were moved there by members of The Order of The Winghorn Guard as a means of protecting the Orcs and their way of life from total annihilation. While this was truly their intent, they were also trying to calm the locals. "Don't worry, the Orcs are not out to steal your land. No, Orcs aren't coming for your children in the night. They all live on an island far away. Don't worry, we'll be watching them."

Sometimes, when players ask why there are so few Orcs, I answer, "Because PCs killed them all and took their stuff."

The typical Aerth Orc is virtually identical to a Hobgoblin to the uneducated eye. They stand around 6 feet on the average, but can easily be as tall as 6 foot 6 inches, or as short as 5 feet. They resemble prehistoric Humans but have large, wide, pointed ears, bestial noses, pronounced teeth, and [to varying degrees] an underbite. Their coloration varies widely, though it is usually a pale green-grey, blue-grey, or blue-tan. Their eyes and brows resemble those of gorillas but are not identical. 

The Hobgoblin can be identified by a redder, often ruddier complexion, and a black, or blue-black nose. Hobgoblins have longer ears that end in a more definitive point. Orcs stoop forward slightly, especially when they run, whereas the stance of Hobgoblins is the same as Humans.

Hobgoblins are the more intelligent of the two, though Orcs can be quite clever, cunning, and have a much better sense of their environment and the world around them. The senses of an Orc are somewhat more acute than a Hobgoblin's.

Mechanically (crunch time!), Orcs possess two abilities unique to their natures.

First, they have Adaption. This ability eliminates any penalties for movement or general actions in the environment their tribe comes from. A Orc of the Northern Forests moves at his normal speed through the snow and undergrowth of his homeland. Orcs of the South Eastern swamps are not hindered when fighting or running through bogs.

Their second ability is called Feral. This gives them a bonus on any perception check involving their heightened senses of hearing and smell. They can get a visual bonus, but only at night or in the deep dark.

***

So those are my Orcs.

Are they different? Meh. Not really. Are they interesting? I hope so.

Now my Dragons...

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Barking Alien

*Orc - On Aerth there are numerous types of Goblins. The people of different regions have given the Goblin 'Kinds' (see below) different names based on their different appearances, locations, the language of the people of the area, etc.

The Orc is really another name for the Hobgoblin, although they do differ as noted above. Hobgoblins tend to be better organized and actually build huts, small houses, and will even take up residence in an abandoned Human house and maintain it to some degree. Orcs tend to live in or near woods and will only live in the ruins of a building, dungeon, or similar construction. They do not build their own homes and can not fix or maintain anything too complex.

**Kind - On Aerth, the term 'Kind' is sometimes used to describe subspecies of the same species or species of genus. For example, Orcs, Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Bugaboos, Boggles, Buggle Nahs, and Norkies are all 'Kinds' of Goblins.

It's A Kind of Magic

Things have been pretty crazy around Barkley's Den lately. August is never great for my business, plus I've been kinda sick, so posts might be light until after Labor Day as I try to survive the end of summer.

As in the past, I look forward to Autumn when things should get back to normal.

Now in gaming news, I am still thinking about Fantasy. Strange right? I know. I can't believe it either.

Speaking of Fantasy, have you seen this...

It's pretty darn cool. Hyrule Historia is basically the Encyclopedia Zelda. It has everything from the various 'Legend of Zelda' video games, including but probably not limited to: characters, locations, storylines, a timeline of events and of course, the monsters and villains of the series.

I can't afford to grab it right now but wow, it is definitely on my list. Looking it over in a book store today I was even more inspired to run something in the vein of Zelda and Final Fantasy, perhaps with a touch of Oz and a side order of Ryuutama, The Dragon Egg.

It's very difficult to put into words how much I want to run Fantasy and how little I want it to be like D&D. It's not that I don't want combat or treasure or magic items or any of those things. It's that I want...

I want the setting to seem truly medieval and yet truly fantastic. The PCs should start poor, maybe even downtrodden. Their decision to go on an adventure or quest isn't for glory or riches, it's because it's their only hope. Perhaps it's more of a Jack and the Beanstalk situation. They sold their only cow for magic beans. When the beans grow into a huge beanstalk, what have they got left to lose?

It is my goal to create a campaign where there is more to (a PC's) life than just killing monsters and taking their stuff. There is a greater calling than finding gold and getting more powerful.

I want magic to be magical damn it. I want it to be dangerous and unpredictable, difficult and perhaps costly to use. I want cheap, simple spells to be relatively easy and safe to conjure up but powerful magics to be tricky at best and far worse than death at their worst.

I would like monsters to matter. I want Players to be unsure of their survivability when facing things that make them go WTF! is that. At the same time, I want to employ creatures of legend and folklore.

Honestly, this one should be easy or at least not that hard. D&D has made monsters so run of the mill, they are no different from seeing a horse or a cow on a drive through the countryside. Taking one of the dozens upon dozens of mythical beasts and faerie creatures D&D has ignored and painting a picture of them that most gamers haven't yet seen is something I know I can do regardless of system. Though, if something in the system helped with that it wouldn't hurt.

I want longevity. I would like my next Fantasy game to last a while. This may not be as simple as it sounds. I tend to get bored with Fantasy easily these last few years. Add to that finding a system that doesn't raise the PC's personal power up too fast or too slow (such that they get frustrated) makes this the most difficult element of all in my opinion.

Well, there you have it...a good idea of what I want and no decision as to what will do all this.

It's starting to feel like I need some real magic to conjure up the game I'm looking for since no such game exists.

Take it home Freddie...

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Barking Alien

Oh, forgot - This is the 666th post on Barking Alien. Wild right? I am so metal.

Cancelling The Apocalypse

Go Big Or Go...Oh Hell. Just Go Big.

 

 

 

 

Hollywood is an amazing place capable of wonderous things that defy the imagination.

 

They made Star Trek dumb.

 

They made Superman an arse.

 

Based on this track record, there is no way in hell that this Western poop machine is going to be able to crank out a good version of an idea so utterly Eastern as Giant Robots versus Giant Monsters.

 

And yet...

 

Pacific Rim was great. I mean really, really good. I am as surprised as you are.

I have heard it said that it wasn't original. That everything in it was from somewhere else.

Newsflash. Everything from everything is from somewhere else. Especially in Hollywood.

That said, it is true that the film is exactly like that other big budget, American made, live action movie with cool effects and a lot of action in which huge, humanoid robots battle immense, alien monsters.

You know the one. It was...well...gee...unless I'm forgetting something...there wasn't one.

Right.

Look, it's not a cinematic masterpiece, and it isn't Shakespeare, but you know what, that's fine with me. After the rest of the crap this Summer, I am totally OK with this movie being this movie. It's the film I always wanted to see. Was it perfect? No. What the hell is perfect these days? It was good. Booyah-Fist-Pump good. That's more than I can say for most Summer blockbusters.

In my lifetime there was a Mecha vs. Kaiju movie in theatres.

Score.

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Barking Alien 

This is the 650th Post on the Barking Alien blog. So there.

 

 



Something Is Rotten In The State of Denmark

Only have the briefest of moments to get this down and posted before I head off to work but as inspiration struck I felt I needed to share.

I believe I have found the appropriate locale for our upcoming (and soon I might add) Ars Magica campaign...

Denmark

I like the idea of the people who were once counted among the great warriors and explorers of the Age of the Vikings now having to deal with life surrounded by the bickering and battling nobles and warlords of the rest of Scandanavia to the North and Roman-Germany to the South.

Plus, Denmark gives me access to the sea and I do so love the sea. I also love sea monsters, of which Denmark and Norway have some of the best. And speaking of monsters, Grendel anyone? Plus a host of faerie and undead creatures and my first real chance to do something with Gnomes related, but not identical, to the Gnomes book by Will Huygen and Rien Poortvliet that I've mentioned before. Plus, I can indulge my love of Trolls thanks to proximity to Norway. As the title reference of this post attests, ghosts and other mysterious things are likely to occur just as easily.

I need to refresh myself on the trade and politics of the time, mostly just to set the stage properly and examine some maps to see where I want the action to start.

So excited! I leave you with a Danish proverb...

Life is not holding a good hand; Life is playing a poor hand well.

Rejs sikkert alle!

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Barking Alien

The Trouble With Tribbles

Let us for a moment take a look at the onscreen depiction of alien creatures in both Star Trek and Star Wars.

By 'creatures' I mean, in this instance at least, living beings of animal-level intelligence. These are non-culture creating, non-starship piloting, biological entities.

By 'onscreen depiction' I mean to remove from this particular discussion all the appearances of such creatures in books, video games and the like. For the sake of completeness however, onscreen will include all animated series, though their canon is often in question.

Between the original Star Trek TV Series in 1966 and now, there have been 5 television shows, an animated series and 11 movies.

Between Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977 and now, there have been 6 movies, at least 2 traditionally animated series and the current CGI animated series.

First Observation: There is a lot more visually viewable Star Trek than there is Star Wars.

Second Observation: More creatures of a non-sentient* type are seen and seen more often, in Star Wars than Star Trek.

I've noticed over the years that when running Star Wars, I, and a number of other GMs I've met, place animal/creature encounters in their games fairly often. Wampas attack those hiding in frozen caves, Mynocks chew on power cables, giant lizards are ridden into the double sunset, etc.

In Star Trek, creature encounters are few and far between, likely a reflection of the way they are shown (or not shown) in the TV shows and films. Also, a good deal of Star Trek story and action takes place aboard starships, on space stations and in the cities of ancient or new civilizations. You are as likely to see a Mugato on your Excelsior Class vessel as you are a live Grizzly Bear on a modern naval battleship.

You do hear about them though.

That is, Star Trek is very fond of mentioning alien animals often but they are actually seen far more rarely. People maybe blind as Tiberian Bats or jump around like a Tarcassian Razorbeast but we rarely see these things.

In the end, what is the purpose of such creatures in a Star Trek RPG? Why should we, as Star Trek fans and gamers, do anything differently from the shows and films? That is, do we need to inject beasties into our games anymore than the producers of Star Trek inject them into the movies and episodes?

Need? I am not sure. But we can.

Personally, aliens are among my favorite elements of science fiction. I am also an avid animal lover who has forever been fascinated by our furry, feathered and oft four legged friends. My dog for example constantly amazes me. There is, in my home at this time, laying at my feet and chewing on a bone, a 40 lbs., hunter/scavenger carnivore descended from a pack predator. That's incredible when you think about it? Would you let a wolf or coyote sleep in your bed? No, probably not, but how far away is the family dog from just that? Not that far at all genetically.

I think it highly unlikely that we will find any living, extraterrestrial organisms during my lifetime. It would not surprise me if they were found within the lifetime of my currently 5 year old nephew or his children. When they are found, they will very likely be what we would call animals. I'm not expecting us to encounter sentient or starfaring beings but rather something akin to something not unlike a fish. Perhaps naught but a worm or insect. Whatever is it, it will be far closer to the Corvan Gilvo than to an Andorian.

Alien animals should be, in my opinion, seen a bit more in Star Trek. If the mission is to seek out new life forms and new civilizations, certainly animals are a more abundant and well adapted life form than any two-legged, tool using being. New civilizations may have greater contact and understanding of their natural surroundings and live in harmony with animals in a way we would find incredible, enviable or even unsettling.

Beaming down to a world like James Gurney's Dinotopia or taking a shuttlecraft to Wayne Barlowe's Darwin IV would be totally in keeping with the spirit of Star Trek even if it's not exactly what we've seen in the past. Remember, your special effects budget is essentially unlimited.

The occaisional alien monster-creature is also in keeping with the style of Star Trek, so maybe a alternate take on my opinions from this previous post might be worth considering. The idea is that Star Trek is, when all is said and done, a Sci-Fi adventure series and sometimes alien critters the size of whales come barreling out from beneath the snow to chase you across a frozen wasteland.

It happens.

What do you think? Have you had or run many creature encounters in Star Trek games? Can you think of ways to make them common in a Star Trek campaign? Should they be?

That's the trouble with tribbles. Finding out where they belong.

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Barking Alien

Not-So-Secret Secrets From Our D&D-But-Not

Maybe it's a cleansing of the palette after so many Supers Game dishes. It could also be the result of the unseasonably warm weather here in New York. Perhaps it's an undigested bit of beef. Whatever the reason, I feel like posting some bits and bobs of meaningless trivia from my D&D-But-Not campaign universe, centered on the world of Aerth.

What follows are 15 not-so-secret secrets about the world, its inhabitants and elements of the campaigns set there that make it special to those who have played in it as well as myself. Some of these points of interest are known by some of the players. Others elements are known by other players. There is a least one NPC who knows at least one of these things as well. No one person knows every secret on this list.

Well, until now, since you do.

***

1) When the Elves, who are well known not to be natives of Aerth or it's Realm, arrived, they were divided into six tribes. One new tribe has formed, the Half-Elven. One tribe has died out. There are now nine tribes. The math is not wrong. Perhaps history was mistaken.

2) There are believed to be no more than five hundred Orcs left on Aerth. Most were killed in The Great Goblin War or The Aerth War. Many were hunted to near extinction by Men, Dwarves and Elves in the years that followed. The largest Orc settlement is on an island to the South of the old world continent. The Order watches the island to make sure the Orcs are left alone (with all that implies).

3) If you know a Mountain Dwarf and he is slain, be sure to gather all his parts and pieces and bring them to the Mountains at the End of The World. Your friend will likely be returned to life. Though he is unlikely to be your enemy because of such a gesture, he might not remain your friend.

4) While there are Half-Elves in the world, the Half-Elven of the Island of Corin are not all half Elven. Some are three quarters Elven. Some are one eighth. Most couldn't tell you how much Elf is mixed with how much Human. They are simply the Half-Elven of Corin, as inaccurate a name as that is.

5) To find the Cornerstone of The World, set sail for the North Western Sea until you see a triangular hole in the ocean. Continue on until you are swallowed by a storm that appears to pull you toward the hole. Turn your vessel facing away but do not try to sail back the way you came. Let your ship be pulled backward to its doom. This is difficult for anyone but so hard on the captain of the vessel that many of them go mad. If they don't and if you can do what is required, the storm will clear and you will find a triangular island of grey stone, pale sand, ashen plants and a small hill with a cave. This is the Cornerstone of the World. This is the last piece of Aerth left untouched from before the world was finished. The gods left it untouched because they couldn't decide what to do with it. The Steel Grey Dragon lives in the cave. He may help you. Or not.

6) Cooshee, also called Cu Sith, the Elven Hounds, howl at the Sun, not the Moon. They awaken Elven settlements much the same way roosters do on Human farms.

7) Dwarves, like Dragons, have Lantern Vision. When things get dark, their eyes light up, casting long, beams of light like those of a hooded lantern. This makes it very easy for them to see in the dark but it also makes them easy to see. The light comes from the fire in their souls.

8) Humans have both Spirits and Souls. Dwarves have Souls but not Spirits. Elves have Spirits but no Souls. Wilders, often called Halflings, have Spirits and Souls but usually one is stronger then the other. Gnomes are rumored to have both but only one at a time.

9) Elves don't have Souls and so they do not dream. This is why their sleep is called Reverie. When Elves Reverie they relive their entire lives up to the point where they went into that Reverie for the night. This is why Elves live so long and still remember so much of it. They see the events again and again every night. This is also why many of them seem melancholy and why they try to fill their lives with so many light moments.

10) The power of the gods is based largely on how many people worship and believe in them. Gods who are no longer worshipped become weak, warped and even mad. These 'Forgetten Gods' do not cease to existance however, even though that might be for the better.

11) Watch for falling stars. It is rare to see one but they hold great power and wonder and are well worth looking for. If you catch them at the right moment you can make a wish. If they fall to Aerth they often hold something marvelous inside them. Many are made of rock or metal with magical properties.

12) You can reach other Realms from Aerth in a number of ways. You can climb Mount Olympus, walk the BiFrost Bridge, walk down to the Gates of Hell or up to the Gates of Heaven, find the hidden monument to Sigil, The City of Doors or read from The Order's Codex of Infinite Planes (more commonly called Realms). Once on your way there may be complications with your chosen path.

13) Goblins are the most common and numerous of all the thinking creatures on Aerth. They exist in many varieties, shapes and sizes. Many similar looking types are given different names by those that dwell near by. There are big, furry ones (Bugbears), short furry ones (Bugaboos), man-sized, bestial and pale (Orc), man-sized, bestial and ruddy (Hobgoblins), medium to small with thick, armored hides (Norkers or Norkies) and dozens more. Ogres are not Goblins. Trolls are not Goblins. Kobolds are related somehow.

14) There are three species of Troll on Aerth and all are related. Legends say there was originally but one and something went wrong over the ages. The Jaette are larger then Humans, brutish, mean and extremely strong. The Huldra are so Human like as to pass for Humans except for some minor oddity they often try to hide but simply can not. Huldra women, for example, are usually quite beautiful but have the tails of cows. Many Huldra men have a third eye, pointed ears or oddly large eyes or mouths. Vitterfolk are the result of interbreeding of the Jaette and the Huldra and are remarkably intelligent, kind natured and clever. Many wonder if the Vitterfolk are what the original Trolls were like.

15) Dragons are not hoarding treasure. They are taking back what's theirs.

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Barking Alien