The Smurfs and The Whispering Stones

Oh The Smurfs RPG, I do smurf you so!

With two of our Wednesday night regulars out for various reasons, I had the opportunity to run The Smurfs once again this past week and obviously I smurfed at the chance!

In addition to returning characters like Sir Smurfsalot - The Questing Smurf and Spelly Smurf, we had Will trying out a new character in the form of Smurfevergreen of Smurfy Grove. 

The adventure, which I titled The Smurfs and The Whispering Stones, was inspired by some interesting folklore I came across recently pertaining to the beliefs and practices of the Gauls in Northwestern France.

The Smurfs of both Smurf Village and Smurfy Grove are all kept up one evening by whispered voices heard on the wind. No one can make out what they are saying but neither can anyone ignore them and get back to sleep. Well...all except Spelly, who cast a QUIET Spell as he does every evening to help him rest comfortably. 

In Smurf Village, Papa Smurf went door to door checking on his little Smurfs. Brainy was seeing formulas spin around his head. Smurfette could barely keep her eyes open. Even Lazy was awake! When Papa reached Sir Smurfsalot, the latter offered to go on a quest to silence these foul whispers! Papa Smurf was happy to hear that, as he had an idea of what the issue might be. He suggested Sir Smurfsalot not go alone, taking at least one other Smurf with him. He decided to call upon his friend Spelly Smurf, certain that Spelly's magic would probably prove helpful. 

Unfortunately, with the QUIET Spell cast within Spelly's house, he was unable to hear Papa and Smurfsalot knocking on his front door. Not to worry! Concerned for Spelly's well-being, Sir Smurfsalot removed his armor and climbed down Spelly's chimney. He was then able to go to Spelly's bedroom to wake him (funny scene). Going downstairs with Smurfsalot to meet Papa, Spelly got the lowdown on what was going on. Papa further explained what he thought the cause of the problem might be. 

"At the edge of the West Woods, past the Sarsaparilla Fields, and the path to Smurfy Grove, there are five menhirs (Gallic Standing Stones) known as 'The Whispering Stones' and 'The Hiding Menhir'. These stones aid in the enchantments that hide the Smurfs' lands and protect them from people like Gargamel. While the magic prevents that foul sorceror from finding our Village and the Grove, it is possible he's located the menhir themselves! If he's moved one, he may yet be able to locate our hidden homes!"

With that, Sir Smurfsalot and Spelly Smurf headed off into the night to investigate what had become of the stones. Papa Smurf advised them to return as soon as they knew what the situation war.

[Before he left the village, Spelly wrote the word QUIET with special chalk, one letter on each of five fist sized rocks. The three Smurfs then placed the rocks in a pentagram like pattern around the village, providing the rest of the Smurfs with a chance to get some much needed shut-eye.]

Meanwhile, wide awake though it was the middle of the night, a female Smurf of Smurfy Grove stood near her work bench in a hollowed out section of a tree. This was Smurfevergreen and she lived on her own a little ways away from Smurfy Grove in a tree at the end of the West Woods. Evergreen is an unusual Smurf in many ways; she prefers to be alone, she likes her tree home as opposed to a Mushroom House, and makes various tools and items out of things she finds out in nature. For example, she didn't carefully carve her bow and arrows so much as find twigs and saplings and just adapt them for her purposes. The only item she owns that may not have been made by her is a Survival Knife which she uses to cut and chop ingredients and materials for her...well...survival. 

Smurfevergreen hears the strange whispers and goes to investigate. The Whispering Stones are not that far from her home so she arrives well before the boys of Smurf Village. The voices were very creepy but hard to make out until she got close. Now she heard 'stone', 'moved', 'danger', and 'broken'. This did not bode well. 

Spelly Smurf and Sir Smurfsalot heard the words but much more faintly as they came striding down the path. Noting a small, dark hole behind the stones - possibly a fox's den or rabbit warren - Spelly wondered if there was something or someone hiding in there. As if on cue, dust and mist billowed out of the hole and five small, angry-looking people came running out towards the Smurfs. The dwarf-like creatures began shouting in a strange dialect the Smurfs couldn't make out at first. Spelly and Smurfsalot tried to communicate with them but the mad mini-men weren't listening.

Smurfevergreen leapt out from the bushes and ended up behind the creatures as they ran towards the boy Smurfs. Using her Survival Knife, she cut the belt of one of two twin beings, causing his pants to fall down and tripping him into a face-plant.

The boys briefly engaged the creatures as well but before long one of them said something Spelly caught on to. He tried again to talk to these ruffians and their 'leader' called Spelly out for 'moving one of the stones'. Pointing out that the Smurfs had only just arrived and were way to small to move a menhir, the creatures began to question their overzealous actions. Noting that SOMEONE moved one of the stones, breaking the enchantment that protects Smurf Village and Smurfy Grove, but these fellows couldn't see who it was. Apparently the culprit was 'Cloaked in Darkness'. 

The creatures introduce themselves as The Goric, spirits of the Whispering Stones. 

Assembling together with Smurfevergreen, Spelly and Smursalot explained that they were Smurfs and that it was their homes that the stones helped protect. "Why would WE move them?" This made sense to the Gorics. Their leader mentioned that it was 'the Old Man' and 'The Lady' - Papa Smurf and Smurfwillow - who set up the magic in the first place. The Goric apologized, not recognizing the Smurfs as being the same type of people as the Old Man and Lady. It turns out the Goric act first and think...eventually. 

Studying the stones, it was indeed clear one of the stones had been moved, though not more than two Human strides. That's three or four steps for a Goric and quite a few more for a Smurf. Suddenly a trap went off, catching Smurfevergreen and two of the Gorics in a crude rope net and lifting them high off the ground. Using her Survival Knife and the surprising strength of the Goric, Evergreen was able to free them all, taking part of the rope net down with them.

Judging by footprints near by, it was likely the menhir was moved by a Man and that man was accompanied by a small animal. Probably a cat.

Wait a smurf...

Now the Smurfs panicked! "If it were indeed that fiend Gargamel and Azrael, his wretched familiar, thy friends are in grave danger! The protection of the enchantment hast doth been weakened and they may be nary moments from bestowing woe upon our lands!", exclaimed Sir Smurfsalot. 

It was true and what to do about the situation had to be decided at once! Spelly had an idea! Move the stone back into place first. With any luck, Gargamel and Azrael haven't reached the Village yet and there was still a chance to confuse them and have them lose their way. 

Sir Smurfsalot immediately went to push the stone back into place but even his great strength [for a Smurf] was quite enough. Smurfevergreen fashioned a lasso out of the remains of the rope net so she could pull while Smurfsalot pushed. Spelly asked the Goric if they could help to. It never occurred to them that they might be able to move the stones themlves. Never once in all their centuries. All together, the entire group moved the menhir back into place and just as they did, Gargamel bumped into a tree! He looked about and could not longer see the way to Smurf Village.

"Where did that come from? Wait...where is the path? Azrael! Which way, Azrael? What happened?", Gargamel called out. A confused Azrael just shrugged and looked this way and that. "Egad Azrael! The Smurfs! It must be them. They must have moved the stone back into place! Curses! We must go back to the Whispering Stones and this time, break them into pieces!" This was following by a manical laugh and the sounds of a snickering cat.

Pulling up the hood on a particularly peculiar dark cloak, Gargamel and Azrael faded into the shadows as they headed to the standing stones once again. 

The Smurfs meanwhile assumed their enemy would be making their way back to them and formulated a plan. Spelly readied himself to cast a major spell but needed the others to buy him time. Sir Smurfsalot and Smurfevergreen got ready as the Goric, cheering on the Smurfs, faded back into the spirit world and the stones. 

Not long after, when bushes rustled and hands swiped down to grab the Smurfs, Smurfsalot raised his Sword and angled it to catch the moonlight. He called upon the light to shine down and reveal their opponent! It worked! The moon shimmered across Gargamel's magic Cloak as Evergreen tussled with Azrael. All this time, Spelly Smurf had been spelling out...

C-o-n-c-e-a-l t-h-e H-i-d-i-n-g M-e-n-h-i-r f-r-o-m G-a-r-g-a-m-e-l a-n-d A-z-r-a-e-l

Yes, 'Conceal the Hiding Menhir from Gargamel and Azrael', an incantation it took three long moments to spell out. The spirts of the stones, the Goric, helped a bit by distracting Gargamel and Azrael with their trademark creepy whispers but it was the skill in battle of Sir Smurfsalot and Smurfevergreen that really made the casting possible. 

In the end, Gargamel and Azrael were standing in the West Woods completely lost. Totally baffled by where the Whispering Stones had gone and which way to go to look for either them or the Smurf Village, the two gave up. Defeated, they slinked back to Gargamel's hovel of a keep with their nerves on edge and the Cloak of Darkness shredded by the blades of the fighting Smurfs.

Sir Smurfsalot and Spelly Smurf returned to Smurf Village and Smurfevergreen walked them home, a big deal for her as her preference is to be alone. Generally, Evergreen doesn't make friends easily, if at all, and few Smurfs consider themselves friends of hers. However...Sir Smurfsalot declared how impressed he was by her skills and commended her for her bravery. Spelly insisted the 'quest' could not have been concluded successfully without her. Smurfevergreen felt a strange and unfamiliar emotion...camaraderie? She wasn't sure she felt comfortable with it but you know, she didn't dislike it either. The trio agreed to call upon each other again in the future if they were ever in need of help. 

Papa Smurf, along with Smurfette and Brainy, met with the guys and welcomed them home. As the heroes described their adventure and the others oohed and aahed, Evergreen faded into the Sarsaparilla Fields with a smile.

The End.

Thanks for coming by! Sorry this was a bit of a long one but it was a really great session and I just wanted to share. 

Talk to you again soon...

AD

Barking Alien

The Nightmare Before Smurfmas! - Part I

A Merry Smurfmas and Smurfy Holidays My Smurfs! 

Although there isn't any snow on the ground where I am, it definitely feels like the holidays. New York City has decorations everywhere, with trees large and small covered in all manner of lights. The fancy stores along 5th Avenue have their amazing holiday display windows up and everyone is in a joyous rush to get home to their loved ones.

Now, it's Christmas Day!

Oh what a smurfy time of year! 

What better way to close out the year* than with a Smurfs TRPG one-shot that is also holiday themed? None I dare say! Especially in the case of last weekend's great game of The Smurfs Roleplaying Game, run with a mix of old friends and new, as I got the chance to be 'Storyteller Smurf' for Andy, Brandon, Heather, and Stephen, all formerly part of The Smurfs and The Palace of the Silver Princess. Stephen was the Storyteller for that, as well as for the one-shot The Smurfs and The Bluebird of Happiness. I was very excited [and honestly a bit intimidated] to be on the other side of the table for such a talented Smurfs GM.

Unfortunately, René (Suave Smurf) couldn't join us (we couldn't get a hold of him) but we did have the addition of Julia, a friend of Heather's, who gave us a much needed additional Smurf Girl of Smurfy Grove (since my own Smurfcornflower wouldn't be there). She and Stephen established a very different dynamic between this group and our last big outing even though four of the participants (and three of the Player Characters) were the same. 

Our group of Smurfs was therefore Smurfamaryllis, Apathy Smurf, Brash Smurf, Gamer Smurf, and Smurfhoneysuckle.

Smurfamaryllis (Julia)                  and              Gamer Smurf (Stephen)

Without further adeu, here is Part I of my recap of The Nightmare Before Smurfmas!

Snow is falling, the trees are decorated, and Baker Smurf is making his annual Chocolate and Smurfberry Yule Log Cake - Yes Smurf Boys and Girls, it's almost Smurfmas!** As Smurf Village and Smurfy Grove plan one smurf of a holiday party together, something strange lurks in the woods between the two hidden places. Azrael! Gargamel's nasty ol' cat seems to be searching for the Smurfs but Gargamel himself is nowhere to be seen. Hmm. It could be a trap! 

A group of Smurfs, Boys and Girls alike, volunteer to investigate. Well...sort of. Smurfamaryllis, Brash Smurf, and Smurfhoneysuckle volunteer and basically drag Apathy and Gamer along. What they discover is quite odd. Azrael seems pretty roughed up and eventually falls exhausted in the snow, whimpering softly.

While Apathy and Brash are not sure if they should go help him - I mean, he has tried to smurf many a Smurf over the years - Honeysuckle is already out there checking on the cat (Honeysuckle is a farmer and really cares about animals). Amaryllis tags along.

Gamer plays a quick Riddle/Guessing Game with the other boys. If he wins, they help Azrael. If they win, he'll follow their lead. Gamer wins! The entire group takes Azrael back to the edge of Smurfy Grove and calls on Smurfwillow's help. The wise older Female Smurf gives the cat some medicine and it begins to meow frantically! They are able to determine that Gargamel is in trouble! Something about a Magic Spell and some kind of Monster! Great Smurfs!

While Azrael rests and heals, Smurfwillow sends a message to Papa Smurf letting him know the group is headed to Gargamel's hovel/castle to investigate further. The group grabs their favored gear and receives some holiday treats before heading Northeast.

The trip is not an easy one. The region is covered in deep snow (if you're three apples tall that is) and there is a lot of slippery ice. Branches have fallen from trees and the wind wickedly whipped westward. There is also the matter of the Smurfs themselves, who smurfed each other the wrong way at every turn.

Smurfamaryllis needed to be the center of attention and kept trying to get the others to watch what she's doing. Apathy, well he's Apathy and couldn't have cared less, which just made Amaryllis try harder. The long standing competition/rivalry between Brash and Honeysuckle was friendly (flirty?) and good-natured but that took their focus away from Amaryllis and she didn't like that. She might also have been a little sweet on Brash. Gamer keeps wanting to make it all a game, which proves annoying to the others and potentially dangerous near ponds of thin ice.***

Eventually, Apathy took up the role of leader and got the party to get its smurf together. They decided to make a brief camp, warm up with some Smurfberry Leaf Tea and Smurfberry Biscuits, and smurf out their differences. After some heartfelt and humorous dialogue, Honeysuckle notices a light not too far away. She points it out to the others, believing it to be another campfire. The group gets up to take a closer look but can only see the shadows of small people.

After dowsing their fire, the party walks over to see a dozen or so (Thirteen to be exact) small, wizened elf-like beings gathered around their own campfire. One member of the group invites the Smurfs over to have a bowl of their soup, which the PCs suddenly notice is cooking over the little trolls' flame. Was that there a second ago? Amaryllis bows and says she would be honored to try their soup! After all, "I am well known as a Great Taster of Soups back in Smurfy Grove!", she exclaims. The little men laugh and slap their knees and each others backs. 

"Smurfs you say? Well, *chuckle* splendid, splendid! We, my brothers and I, are the Yule Lads. Here you are lovely Smurf", said one of the 'handsome goblins'**** as he handed her a bowl and a spoon. Smurfamaryllis loved the attention and praise and gladly took the gift of food. She scooped up a spoonful of thick broth and potato chunks and downed it in one gulp. She then spewed it out, coughing and making just the most contorted of faces.

"What the smurf? What's wrong Amaryllis?", shouted Honeysuckle, her hands balling into fists.

"It's sour and spoiled. Like it went bad long ago! Yuck! Awful! But it looked and smelled so good", replied Amaryllis, trying to use her scarf to wipe the taste off her tongue.

All 13 Yule Lads roared with laughter. "Oldest trick we have and still one of the best", said one. 

"The look on her silly face!" barked another.

"That's what you get for boasting", snapped a third, his face more serious than his kin. 

"Let's just be on our way...", Gamer began to say but it was too late. He was traveling with Brash Smurf and Brash Smurf tended to be rather...well...Brash. Leaping forward, his hands wrapped in his signature red cape, Brash grabbed the handles of the soup pot and threw the entirety of it at the Yule Lads. Not to be outdone ('cause isn't that her way), Honeysuckle followed up by smurfing the lid of the pot at them discus (frisbee) style. Amaryllis smurfed the Yule Lad who had handed her the rotten potato soup with her baton (stick) with a rattling 'thok!'

"And take that!", she exclaimed!

The Yule Lads erupted in yelps, shouts, and at least two in a loud 'BONG!' as the pot lid struck them. Suddenly the Smurfs were surrounded by the mischevious bunch, all attempting to trick, trip, pull, push, or steal something from the group. The team fought back in various very clever ways, from Amaryllis drawing their attention so Brash could send them rolling down the hill, to Gamer distracting them with a game of dice while Honeysuckle shook a bush that buried a few Yule Lads in falling snow.

Finally as the tricky, troublemaking trolls looked like they were on the outs, one of the Yule Lads stood tall with a burning stick in his hand, laughing hysterically yet furiously as he approached the Smurfs. Most were taken aback, quite intimidated or at least wary of the threat. Apathy gently pushed passed his friends and stood right in from of the fellow, classic nonplussed***** look of calm disinterest on his face. 

"Yes?", Apathy said in a bored monotone. "You have something to say?"

The Yule Lad leered at Apathy for a long moment. Then looked confused for nearly as long. Then he shut his mouth and stepped back. Apathy, face completely unchanged, took a slow and very deliberate step forward. The Yule Lad gulped, put out his torch in the snow, and grinned sheepishly. "Heh, just a bit of fun ol' nut? No real harm or foul, right? We'll be about our business and you the same."

"Not so fast!", said Honeysuckle in a deep, rough-sounding drawl, right hand clenched in a fist, "What are y'all doing here? You know what's going on up at the castle don't ya?" 

The Yule Lads began to mutter and whisper among themselves, most of the conversations ending in shrugs and head scratching. The one who'd been threatening the Smurfs a mere moment ago said, "We were doing nothing of note 'til you came along. Our Master told us to waylay any who'd come to the aid of the old malcontent up there in the ruined keep. A true misanthrope if ever there was one! Who'd come to help such a churl, I mean really?"

The Smurfs all looked at each other, their feelings and thoughts twisting in knotts. Gargamel.

"Who is your Master..." Gamer Smurf began, but the Yule Lads were gone. There was no fire, no evidence they'd ever been there. Wait...that wasn't quite accurate. On a log the wee cretins had previous been sitting on when the Smurfs first met them, Gamer found a small package in a bright green box tied with a red bow. A present? He showed it to the others and they suggested he hold on to it for the time being.

With that, off they went to Gargamel's...

So ends Part I of our Yule Tide Tale! Stay tuned for more after these messages...

AD

Barking Alien

*This game was not necessarily the last one of the year but it was holiday themed, it was Smurfs, and it just felt like if I had to make this one good just in case I don't get to play again this year. I know, I know. I do it to myself.

**Smurfmas isn't so much Christmas but more the Pagan Yule Tide holidays of pre-Christian France and Belgium mixed with a few more Christmas-y trappings. I always imagine the Smurfs are some sort of Forest Spirits or Fae so it kind of makes sense.

***This group of Player Character Smurfs featured a lot more interpersonal friction than any of my previous Smurf parties thus far. This was absolutely the intention. Discussed right before the start of the game, Julia wanted to play a character that leaned in the direction of Brainy being a Smart Alec, Hefty being Bull-Headed, Baker Being Greedy (at least on the Cartoon), and the like. This doesn't mean Brainy isn't smart, Hefty isn't strong, or that Baker isn't a skilled, er, baker. She just wanted to lean into Smurfamaryllis' flaws, not her Advantage. 

We talked about it to insure that the group understood issues might arise among the PCs but that had nothing to do with the players. More specifically, Julia wanted to make sure her idea didn't harsh everyone else's mellow. Everyone was cool with her character being trying sometimes and how that dynamic could generate a lot of humor and interpersonal moments. 

Stephen leaned into a similar idea but to a lesser extent. 

****Before letting the players and PCs know they were dealing the Icelandic Folklore beings known as 'The Yule Lads' I danced around the name with various descriptions of faerie beings like pre-Tolkien elves, brownies, lutins, and other such creatures. Julia offhandedly called them 'handsome goblins' at one point and, I don't know if it was the phrase or how she said it, but it struck me as really funny at the time. 

*****Nonplussed is such a great word. It is a contranym; a word with two opposite meanings. Nonplussed can mean surprised and confused, often beyond the ability to react or completely unphased, not peturbed at all.

Sorry this is so long. And that it's a Part I. I really thought I could summarize the session more concisely but like a great stocking over the fireplace on Xmas, this session was stuffed full of neat things. 

My Bluebird of Happiness

Saturday I got the chance to smurf the Smurfs Roleplaying Game again and I couldn't be smurfier. 

The Bluebird of Happiness

I have missed running and playing this game something fierce. I'm not kidding! I absolutely love this game.

Once again my friend Stephen (The Smurfs and The Palace of the Silver Princess) ran the adventure, an original one-shot of his own design, and I got to play my Smurf girl alchemist, Smurfcornflower once again. 

Left to Right: Frontier Smurf, Smurfcornflower, Helpful Smurf.

The other two Player Characters for this outing were Frontier Smurf (played by a clever fellow named Emilio) and Helpful Smurf (played by a really funny guy named Bob).

Frontier Smurf reduces the Difficulty of his Action Roll by 1D6 when foraging for supplies or making something out of foraged supplies. He does not get a Difficulty reduction when using the things he finds or makes. Luckily, Helpful Smurf gets a +2 Bonus to the appropriate Attribute when helping another Smurf with a task. This bonus only applies when helping another with what they want to do and does not benefit Helpful with anything he decides to do on his own.

Frontier Smurf's Item is what he called his Foraging Axe (more a tool then a weapon) and Helpful's is a Bindle full of small, useful items (like a length of string or an empty jar).

For this adventure, Cornflower got to make three Potions: A Potion of Healing (Restores Brawn Effort), a Potion of Invisibility, and a Potion of Reflecto Reverso (.Based on the Spell Smurfo Reverso in the Core Rules but a slightly tweaked - Magic Spells and Item effects are reflected back at the sender. Doesn't reflect Potions or their effects). 

The scenario was called 'The Smurfs and The Bluebird of Happiness' and revolved around the Smurfs encountering an injured bird while picking the last Smurfberries before Winter set in. The little avian in question identified itself as the Bluebird of Happiness, on its way to visit a man desperately in need of joy. Unfortunately it was unable to continue on its mission as a Cat scratched its wing badly while it was sipping water from a stream. 

To summarize, we all aidied in healing the little bird and proceeded to accompany it in the direction it was going until its wing fully healed. Gargamel and Azrael showed up to catch us but then turned his attention to the Bluebird, assuming it was magical and important since we were escorting it (not incorrect).

As it turned out, it was Azrael that had injured the bird. A few scenes of dodging the pair, followed by a brief battle of wits and wizardry, and we managed to escape and leave the two of them rethinking their life choices for that day. The Bluebird noted what a sad individual Gargamel was and how she should probably add him to her list of people to help. 

Eventually, the healed Bluebird bids us farewell and flies on to her destination as we wave it goodbye and head back to Smurf Village. The Bluebird travels to Gargamel's Hovel/Tower, as he was the sad man it had come to cheer up, but seeing no one home it flew on to bring joy to the next person on its list.

THE END

Incredibly fun, lots of funny dialogue, and some narrowly avoided danger made for a great time. Thanks to Stephen, Emilio, and Bob for a wonderful game and I can not wait to run Smurfs again myself sometime soon.

Hoping you are all visited by the Bluebird of Happiness yourselves,

AD

Barking Alien

 

The Quintessential Barking Alien Playlist

I've always been someone who enjoys trying out new RPGs.

The very act of experimenting with new systems is fun for me in and of itself, independent of whether or not I end up liking a particular game or other. It should go without saying that 'New' and 'Different' doesn't automatically equal 'Good' but you'll never know if you don't give it a try 

All this said, I definitely have a selection of tried and true games I tend to fall back on. These aren't necessarily my favorite games, although some are, but rather the RPGs that see the most play at my table for one reason or another and that's what this post is really about...

My friend Ray and I were discussing the games that have seen reoccurring  use over the years and noticed that some see more attention then others, while a few have never been played with my Mid-Week group at all. They simply haven't come up and I found that both surprising and interesting.

It made me wonder, 'What are the quintessential Adam games?'; the RPGs that I am known for running on the regular that are most likely to give players an expected enjoyable experience. 

Star Trek Adventures

This is the game that I play most often lately; running a bi-weekly campaign and playing in a [roughly] weekly one. In the past few years I've also played in and GMed a handful of one-shots and short campaigns. 

It's one of my favorite games covering one of my favorite entertainment franchise settings. It's far more likely that I will continue to play it as a main game rather than need to 'get back to it'. This isn't the game I go to in order to take a break from my usual game but instead the game I might be taking a break from if anything. 

Champions

I go back to this game and my buddy William's homebrew setting regularly, often at the behest of my players. Many of them love this game or at the very least the universe. Superheroes in general are also a favorite genre with many of my friends. Like Star Trek Adventures, Champions is a major candidate for an ongoing, long term campaign.

The only draw back is that sometimes I want to try something new when the players want to return to this. Actually, that's a common element of many of these entries but this one seems especially 'in demand'. 

Traveller (Classic/MegaTraveller)

This one is another staple. Maybe it's not an 'automatic win' every time but the choice to run and play a Traveller campaign is going to go over well with my groups and result in an enjoyable game.

After running a long and very successful campaign some years ago, most of our subsequent outings with Traveller have tended to be short but reasonably successful.

Ars Magica

Ah, Ars Magica. The one Fantasy TRPG I consistently love. Unlike Champions, which comes up because my players request it, this game gets run when I get a pang of nostalgia for it. Sometimes you're just in the mood for a series of pseudo-historical myth and folklore based adventures, ya'know? 

Star Wars (D6)

Maybe its because I've run so much Star Wars over the decades, maybe its because the source of inspiration for these games has been rather hit and miss lately, but it can be very tricky for me to get jazzed to run this nowadays. I still love Star Wars the concept and the D6 system is among my top five favorite RPGs but this one doesn't come around quite as often as it used to. 

Ghostbusters (My OG / InSpectres / ALIENS Homebrew)

As you might have noticed if you frequent this blog often (yeah, I'm talking to you three) I LOVE running Ghostbusters. I am quite proud of the homebrew/kitbash system I've created for doing so and the mix of Horror, Sci-Fi, and Comedy is just perfect as a campaign setting. 

First thing about this is...I'd rather run an ongoing campaign of Ghostbusters than take a break from whatever 'regular game' I'm running to play a short run of this. Second thing is that Ghostbusters is definitely something I'm waaay more into than most of my current players are so this gets to the table far less than I'd like.  

The Winghorn Guard/Aerth

As you probably know, I'm not a D&D fan. Even my own D&D, which isn't really D&D in the classic sense. Kinda sorta. The point is, although I do love Aerth and the Winghorn Guard setting, I don't often feel the desire to revisit it that often anymore. Once in a while I guess but not on the regular.

Been a while though...

Mecha (Various)

This is directed at the genre moreso then it is any particular game. From time to time the need to strut around in six story high humanoid robots is just undeniable. A fan of Mecha Anime going all the way back to my Junior High School/Middle School days, I do love me a great story with people, politics, adventure, and of course giant robots. 

My favorite Mecha setting/universe is Mobile Suit Gundam, specifically the classic 'Universal Century' and 'One Year War' timelines. Rules wise I tend to prefer using my homebrew Mecha System Variant mechanics. Other options (for both settings and rules) include Aura Battler Dunbine, Five Star Stories, Mekton (Original and II) Macross, and Wares Blade. 

With my current range of players, short campaigns of this one work best.

Superheroes (Various)

I periodically give other Superhero games (as in not Champions) a shot and have revisited such titles as Mutants and Masterminds and Villains and Vigilantes a handful of times in the past five years or so. I might take the Japanese TRPG Deadline Heroes out for a spin in the next few months and I'm hoping to play the Marvel Multiverse game at some point. 

This is a curiousity, not a priority. That are a number of other games I'd like to get to first/more.

Teenagers from Outer Space

Finally, here's a game that hasn't seen play at my table(s) in a very long while but which was, at one time, a go-to RPG for me for throughout the late 80s to the late 90s.  It was and remains one of my all time favorites, a game I've modified and used in the past to run a host of different campaigns. It's 'default' game conceit is that of Japanese Anime and Manga over-the-top Rom-Coms and was heavily influenced by the works of Rumiko Takahashi. 

I miss TFOS. I really do. My issue with bringing it back into active use is that only a few of my players across all my groups are big Anime fans. To be clear, MANY of my players like and watch Anime. However, only a handful of them are otaku; fans who would consider Anime and Manga as their major area of fandom interest.

I should really pull out a one-short or short campaign of this for my Mid-Week group. 

You might have noticed that the list is in the order of how often I get to run these games. From games currently being run to ones I've run short games or one-shots of and finally one it's been years since I've gotten the chance to play. 

What do these games have in common? Why do I keep going back to these again and again? Would I even do so given the opportunity to do something else? To put that last one another way, I would have to ask myself whether or not I'd prefer to return to a welocme favorite over trying out something I haven't before. 

Ah, who am I kidding? With rare exceptions I'd definitely want to go for something I've not yet played. Also, remember what I said in the beginning of this post: These are the games I regularly return to. They are not necessarily my all time favorite games. That is quite a different list.

All ideas I'd like to explore in the near future. 

See you then,

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Barking Alien

I'm So Embarrassed! My Uncle is a Bullet Train! Chapter 2

Welcome to the second half of my recap of the Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research adventure I created and my friend Yasa ran for his gaming group in Japan.

I recommend reading my description of the game itself and my idea of crossing it with Ghostbusters. It isn't necessary but I think it will give you a clearer context in regards to the adventure. 

I definitely suggest you read Chapter 1.

OK? You good? Cool. Let's continue...

Part 1 Summary: A Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research team consisting of Isamu, Kei, Sachiko, and Ryōsuke, and overseen by Kimiko back at the main office, were sent to Osaka to investigate strange activities on one of the Bullet Train lines. After a road trip and some investigation at Shin-Osaka Station, the group encountered a young woman named Kiko Sato. Miss Sato was seen on security footage regularly visiting the station for a few weeks, eating her lunch in the afternoon and just sitting in the evening, never once boarding or getting off a train. 

When the GB:TGR group confronted the woman, in a friendly fashion of course, they started asking her questions and she revealed that her uncle had passed away recently and he was an absolute fanatic about trains. She had become aware of the Bullet Train incidents and came to the realization that her late uncle, Yukito Sato, was haunting the Bullet Train(s). Seconds after this declaration, Ryōsuke's Psychic Spirit Perception went off and he turned towards the tracks to see a Bullet Train coming in. A Bullet Train POSSESSED!

Part 2 and How it went:

Phase II - Main Part: Kei swung her Ghost Light towards the train and its eerie pale beam revealed glowing blue streams of ectoplasm/spirit steam*. A ghostly blue vaguely humanoid shape hovered above the front windshield. It turned to look towards the Ghostbusters and faded as it passed downward into the driver's cabin.

"It's him. That's her Uncle. My Psychic Abilities confirm it", said Ryōsuke.

The train doors opened and people got off but at the late hour few got on. Sachiko broke into a mad dash for the doors and the group was taken aback. Kei rushed to follow her. Ryōsuke took Kiko Sato's left hand and gingerly motioned for her to stand up and follow him. She looked to him, blushed a bit, and then they both looked to the right to see Isamu doing the exact same thing with her other hand. Isamu gave an embarrassed smile as Sachiko, now on the train, saw him holding Sato's hand and turned red, starring daggers at him. Just then, the doors closed and the train took off at greater than normal speed.

"What the--? To the Ecto-K!", exclaimed Isamu with a devilish smile. He and Ryōsuke took off towards their vehicle at a 'Naruto Run', with Kiko Sato holding on to both their hands for dear life as she trailed behind them.

They rounded the K-Truck, got in, and as Isamu started the engine, Ryōsuke activated a roof mounted PKE Sensor. Between this device and Ryōsuke's Distant Impressions ability (thanks to touching the Uncle's book about trains earlier - See Part 1), there was no way they'd lose track (pun intended) of the haunted Bullet Train. Isamu drove like a wild man to travel to the next stop ahead of the Bullet Train. Unfortunately, Bullet Trains go FREAKIN' FAST, so Isamu had to cut across areas other than the expressway..

"Areas other than the expressway? What does he mean by that?", asked Ryōsuke.

"Buckle up and hold on to something. We're going off-road!", chuckled Isamu as he jumped the K-Truck over a barricade. 

Ryōsuke called Kimiko and gave her the 411 on what they're learned so far and the team's current status. He asked her to please compile any information she could on previous Projects involving haunted vehicles in general and trains in particular. She said OK but was rather busy on the other line; she was speaking with the Japanese transit authority client, various emergency services, and her contacts within the police. Kimiko was attempting to coordinate a response should things go...well...off the rails. 

At this point Kimiko and her player entered a kind of 'mini-game' in which she had to convince those who controlled the three key resources - the Trains, the Emergency Services (Fire, Paramedics, etc.), and the Police - to work together and supply the Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research Team with assistance. A key component was 'The Budget'. Inspired by the bureacracy and political troubles depicted in Japanese media (such as modern Godzilla films for example), Yasa managed to give Kimiko a social interaction/resource management task tailor made for her player and the character's role as a General Affairs Employee. 

These scenes were intercut between the scenes featuring the other characters. Sounds awesome and perfect for the themes of Tokyo Ghost Research.  .

Meanwhile on the train...

Kei grabs and shakes Sachiko, scolding her for being so brash. Sachiko apologized, letting out a sigh. She asks Kei if she saw Isamu flirting with Kiko and how unprofessional it was. Kei looks at Sachiko dumbfounded and tells her that yes, that would be unprofessional but that didn't seem to be what he was doing. 

"Do you...like Isamu?" asked Kei in a low, even voice.

Sachiko become flushed and lightly pushed Kei away. "No! That's not...we're...it's...nevermind."

Suddenly the two ladies heard screams from the next car foward and immediately took ready stances, charging up their Proton Packs. Kei stuck a Pocky in her mouth, looked at Sachiko and the two nodded at each other and began to take aim at...whatever may come. 

They didn't have long to wait. Blue and violet sparks erupted from the door and through them crawled...this crazy b****.

That my friends is a Teke Teke; a Japanese urban legend [with some yokai folklore ancestry] describing a young woman [usually] whose legs, or sometimes their entire lower torso, have been severed after being hit by a train. As in the legend this vengeful spirit, armed with a curved knife, asked the Ghostbusters, "Have you seen my legs?"

When Kei responded with a 'Huh?' the Teke Teke charged her, somehow bouncing into the air and swinging her blade downward, nicking Kei's cheek and knocking off her glasses. Sachiko shouted, "Hey! I know where your legs are!" The Teke Teke landed on a seat and spun to look at her, totally focused on Sachiko and seemingly desperate for the info. "Right here!", Sachiko growled as she blasted the Teke Teke at close range with a Particle Stream. 

The Teke Teke hit the wall and window, richocetted off into the aisle and then went at Sachiko in a berserk rage. "Everyone - Move away from the center aisle and towards the windows!", shouted Kei as she stood up and pointing her Neutrona Wand straight ahead of her. Together the two ladies in grey fired their weapons, sending the Teke Teke hurdling backward down the middle of the car. The passengers cheered and a few had their cellphones out, taking video of the two GB: TGR Agents. 

The Teke Teke, clearly injured, rushed Kei and Sachiko again, flipping about to avoid their blasts. Sachiko got stabbed in the shoulder as Kei lassoed the yokai with a Capture Stream. Sachiko, nursing her shoulder wound, tossed a Ghost Trap under the Teke Teke and activated it. The Teke Teke struggled against both the Streams and the Trap, slashing and thrashing about. Sachiko played to the crowd to boost herself and her teammate as well as intimidating the yokai, then fired her own lasso Stream. After a few tense moments, the Teke Teke was sucked into the Ghost Trap.

"Yatta!", the pair cheered as they high-fived each other to the applause of the passengers. The train then began to slow down and the two woman prepared to run further ahead towards the driver's car. 

Back to the boys...

Both Isamu and Ryōsuke took some Physical and Environmental Damage as the Ecto-K sped, swerved, and 'stunt showed ' to get to the next station before the paranormally possessed train arrived. Both guys took turns making sure Miss Sato was alright in the back seat, though Ryōsuke moreso since Isamu was driving.

They pulled in to a parking area near their target station and then the three of them hoof it to the train platform as fast they can. Reaching their destination, Sato pointed towards the second car and said, "Excuse me but...aren't those your co-workers?", as the fellas saw Sachiko and Kei running into the middle door. After exchanging quick glances at each other, the three of them put everything they had into a powerful sprint and managed to get on the train just as the doors were closing. The whole team plus Sato assembled once more, collectively taking a moment to catch their breaths. 

Kei's phone rang and it turned out to be Kimiko. She informed Kei that back-up and support was on the way or already in place. Kei lets the rest of the team know and Kimiko blushes and smiles as the others graciously thank her for efforts. Sachiko mentions the capture of the Teke Teke and Kimiko confirms she'll add that to her research for the Project. She'll also be sure to charge the client extra. 

Stay tuned for Chapter 3 and the big finale!

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Barking Alien

I'm So Embarrassed! My Uncle is a Bullet Train! Chapter 1

A few weeks ago I was contacted by my friend Yasa who told me he had read my posts on the Japanese TRPG 'Tokyo Ghost Research' and mixing it with Ghostbusters. He really liked the idea, downloaded the game rules, and decided he was going to run a session of it with his friends at their favorite game cafe. 

The only issue was he didn't feel comfortable going in without a pre-made adventure and wasn't certain he could come up with one himself. While there are some pre-mades for TGR available online, none of them are written with the idea of adding Ghostbusters elements. He asked if I could help. His group was likely to be 4-5 players and the session would last about 4 hours. 

I told him I'd be glad to assist. I had a sudden jolt of inspiration and came up with a scenario in no time. We met up on Discord to discuss it and go over any questions or unclear details. The end result was, 'It Seems My Uncle is a Bullet Train!", the title of which Yasa changed to 'I'm So Embarrasse! My Uncle is a Bullet Train!'. He ran it the weekend of July 20-21. 

He told me how it went and said it was OK to share it with all of you. As English is not his first language, he said it was cool to paraphrase his story in my retelling. 

Here goes...

GHOSTBUSTERS:

TOKYO GHOST RESEARCH

'I'M SO EMBARRASSED! MY UNCLE IS A BULLET TRAIN!'

Left to Right: Ryōsuke, Isamu, Sachiko, Kei, and Kimiko

Overview/Premise: The Japan Railway Construction, Transport, and Technology Agency has received numerous complaints over the past few weeks about Bullet Trains on a particular line and/or their operators having schedule issues, performing incorrect operations, experiencing malfunctions, and being generally discourteous to riders. Unable to get to the bottom of the situation on their own or with Police assistance, the JRCTTA has contacted Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research just in case the problem is paranormal in nature. 

Player Characters: Yasa and I came up with a twist on the original Character Creation rules, allowing each Employee to choose up to two Career Types. If they intended to play a 'traditional' Proton Pack wearing Ghostbuster, one of their Careers must be Sales.

The group ended up with:

Isamu -Sales and Investigations - Specializing in Social Interactions with People and Physical Action.

Kei -Sales and Technology - Focused on Equipment and Paranormal Science. 

Kimiko - General Affairs - Coordinating her Team with Public/Government Bureaucracy and managing the Project overall. 

Sachiko - Sales and Investigations - Specialized in Social Interaction with Ghosts and Detective Work.

Ryōsuke 'Ryo' - Sales and Technology - Having a Positive Attitude and Psychic Abilities. 

As noted in my previous post on Character Creation in Tokyo Ghost Research, each character chooses 5 skills between their Career(s) and General Skills. Most of the characters here focused on Career Skills with the exception of Kimiko and Ryo. Since Kimiko only picked one Career, she had General Skills that complimented her General Affairs abilities, specifically Communications and Connections. Ryo was Irish-Japanese and had the Psychic Powers of Distant Impressions (Psychometry) and Spirit Perception.

How it went: 

Introduction Scene: The Employees are sitting around the Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research office trying to stay awake and look busy. It's been a while since they'd had a Project and they were all pretty bummed and bored. 

Isamu and Sachiko were slacking off, playing a video game against each other at their desks. 

Ryosuke had just come back from a vacation to Ireland and was showing trip photos to Kei.

Kimiko was keeping busy with other work, filling out forms that had piled up on her desk.

Suddenly, the boss threw open the door of his office and enthusiastically announced a Project had come in! He called Kimiko into his office, closed the door, and explained what the job was. Meanwhile, the other Employees were trying to ease-drop at the door. Kimiko was told to put a Sales Team together and have them head out to Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka, Japan. The boss's office door swung open once more, sending the group comically scrambling to appear as if they weren't attempting to listen in. Kimiko shakes her head, assembles the Employees, explains what's what, and hands the Ecto-K keys to Isamu (who took the General Skill 'Company Car'). 

Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research Company Car - The 'Ecto-K'

An Ecto-Vehicle variant based on the Japanese K-Truck. 

Phase I - Investigation: As the team drives to the project site (about 6-8 hours from Tokyo to Osaka), Kimiko makes some calls to Shin-Osaka Station and her contacts in the Osaka Police Department. She starts to put together a more detailed understanding of what's been going on and assembles a file she can read to the team and hand in to the boss. What she learns is interesting; not just in what her contacts say but also in what they don't. 

On the suggestion of Isamu and Sachiko, the group stops for food and restrooms. This allowed for Roleplaying and Character Development. Isamu and Sachiko are highly competetive with each other. They are both very 'act first, think later'. There is also, possibly, unspoken romantic feelings between the two. At the same time, Isamu flirts with any pretty girl he meets, causing Sachiko to stare daggers at him.

Ryo is health conscious and vegetarian. He has a mellow, relaxed, open-minded, and unconventional approach to life. He's warm and quite gregarious. Kei has a sweet tooth and only seems to eat sugary snacks, cakes, Pocky, etc.. She is introverted, nerdy, and socially awkward, while also being very intellectual and focused on her job. The two are quite opposite but get along really well. 

Kimiko calls the team and goes over what she learned. A few of the Bullet Trains running on a specific transit line, all of which pass through Shin-Osaka Station, have been performing strangely. Numerous maintenance checks have failed to reveal any mechanical problems. The trains in question open and close their doors at random intervals, speed up or slow down in the same fashion, and sometimes even turn or break in a way that has caused minor injuries. 

Only...

Speaking with her Law Enforcement contacts and reading the complaints very carefully she discovered a peculiar trend. In one instance, an older businessman yelled at a pregnant lady to hurry and get on the train; he even pushed her. Once she was on the doors suddenly and very quickly shut in the businessman's face and the train left the station. At another time, the doors refused to shut until two old women got on. The most curious incident occurred late one evening when a drunk man was harassing two high school girls coming home from an after-school club meeting. The train sped up and changed tracks abruptly, sending the man stubbling and falling hard to the floor. When he got up, the train did it again. The man got off at the next spot and was later treated for a badly bruised elbow and dislocated shoulder. 

"If this is a ghost at work it seems OK by me", said Sachiko. Isamu nodded in agreement while Ryo and Kei exchanged concerned glances. 

Once the PCs reached Osaka Station, Kei and Ryo immediately went to speak with the administrators, while Isamu and Sachiko went to explore the station platform. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary on the platform until they noticed a young woman in business attire eating onigari and drinking a bottle of lemon tea. They noticed that she sat, ate, watched a train or two go by and then left. Her expression was an odd mixture of happiness and sadness, switching between the two states several times. 

Kei and Ryo arrived not long after and Ryo tried using his Psychic Abilities to find signs of a supernatural presence. Kei walked beside Sachiko and Isamu as they continued to investigate, shining her Ghost Light into dark corners or anywhere they heard an odd sound. After a few hours the group was tired and frustrated (in character, having fun in real life) as they came up with theories as to what might be going on. Just as they were preparing to leave, the young woman from earlier returned. 

As most of the team went over to talk to her, Kei had the brilliant idea of calling Kimiko. Kei asked if they could get ahold of security footage of the platform. If so, she asked Kimiko to check it for the presence of the young woman. Kimiko got on it right away. 

"Good evening", Isamu began in a polite and cordial manner, "lovely weather isn't it?" The young woman only then noticed him and nodded yes, looking out over the tracks. "So...you must like trains." Isamu added, smiling wide and scratching the back of his head..

"I suppose", she said quietly, "my Uncle did. He liked them a lot. He was a train otaku, especially the shinkansen ('new main line' or what we in the US would call 'the Bullet Train')."

She started to tear up a little though her voice did not tremble. Ryo handed her a tissue. She thanked him so quietly no one could really hear her. "He would sit here with me for hours and tell me all about them. I loved that when I was younger. Not so much when I grew up. I just thought of him as my silly Uncle who loved trains."

Kei rejoined the others. Isamu asked her name and she replied that it was Kiko Sato. The Ghostbusters all introduced themselves to her. Ryo noticed the young woman had a book about trains in her bag. He motioned to it. "Was that his?" he asked. Again, she nodded yes but didn't speak. "May I...?", asked Ryo, gingerly stretching out his hand. At first she gave him the faintest of scowls but then relaxed seeing his warm smile. She shrugged and handed him the book. 

Ryo flipped through the tome but wasn't really reading it. He was using his Psychometry to get impressions of the woman's uncle off the book. As he did, Kei's cel phone rang and it was Kimiko. She confirmed that the young lady they were talking to came to the station twice a day, every two or three days, and had been doing so for a few weeks. She was never once seen boarding or getting off a train. 

"I'm guessing your Uncle died", said Sachiko matter-of-factly. Everyone gave her a cold, stern look and she reeled back in true 'Embarrassed Anime Girl' fashion. Big Sweat Drop on the back of her head. Kiko sighed and told them that yes, her Uncle passed away last month. A tired and depressed man most of the time, with a job he found boring and tedious. He ate poorly, smoked, and drank a bit too much. The only think that seemed to make him happy had been trains. "I'm sorry", said Sachiko, as much for her bluntness as for consoling Miss Sato. 

"I assume you're here about the strange reports of trains malfunctioning. It isn't the trains themselves, not exactly." The others were all about to say something but stopped themselves. Kiko stood up and said, with tears of shame, "I'm so embarrassed! My Uncle is a Bullet Train!" (the players burst out laughing at that moment). Before anymore could be said, Ryo's green eyes flashed bright blue and he turned around quickly towards the tracks.

"There's a train coming and yes, it's her Uncle!"

Chapter 2 coming soon - stay tuned!

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Barking Alien