Journey of A Fallen Star

With Exploration Driven campaigns on my mind and inspired by a comment I received from Timothy Brannan, I thought I'd share my memories of a favorite game I ran that very much fit this theme.

Starting out as a One-on-One campaign with my childhood best friend Joe and expanding to include a small group of additional players, this game is one of my first full-on open world Exploration outings. 

Journey of a Fallen Star

The campaign began with a falling star blazing through the sky and crash landing in a mountainous region in the North East hemisphere called. It exploded upon impact and the flash and billowing smoke could be viewed for several miles, if indeed there had been anyone to see it. 

As it turned out, there was. A Dwarf Rogue, cast out by his kin and searching for Starmetal to get back into their good graces, just happened to see the meteor strike. 'STARMETAL!', he thought aloud and rushed to see what he could find. 

When the Dwarf arrived the impact crater was fairly large, likely deep, and a bright light glowed from within it. He found himself walking closer and closer, even though his inner voice told him to run. As the smoke cleared and the glow dimmed, he saw a...a figure...a person? Yes, someone was standing amidst the flecks of burning metal and rock! 

Eserwun Starfall / SR-1

It was an Elf (he assumed), clad in some kind of fancy magical armor. He stood completely motionless, as if frozen in time. Then...suddenly...the helmeted head turned towards the Dwarf.

The Elven Knight in enchanted armor spoke a language the Dwarf did not understand, his voice powerful and hollow...eerie. "See here Sir Knight! I do not understand you. Do you not speak the Common tongue?", the Dwarf shouted.

Strange quiet noises, like cricket chirps and flute playing, came from within the Knight's visor. "I do. Where am I? Who are you?", the Elf asked in that same disconcerting voice.

"You are in the Crystalrock Mountains. South of the Dwarven Halls of Crystalright. I am Enut Deepshadow, a...prospector of these parts. Who are you?", Enut said, feigning as much confidence as he could muster.

"I am...S...I am...", the Elf began, seemingly having trouble recalling his own name. "I am SR-1 of the Third Interstellar Legion. I...may be damaged."

Enut Deepshadow

The Dwarf moved closer, his demeanor friendly. He reached his hand out, though he still stood some distance away from the Elf. "Eserwun you say? Well, I'm not surprised you're injured. Falling from the sky will do that", Deepshadow said with a chuckle. The Elf did not laugh. He did walk to meet the Dwarf however and reached out to shake his hand. 

So began the travels of 'Eserwun Starfal'l and Enut the Dwarf. The former searching for his missing memories, some lost weapons and gear, and out to slay the Six Demons of The Void. The latter serving as Eserwun's guide, his squire, and before long, his friend. 

Joe, playing Eserwun Starfall, would look at the map I drew and if anything interested him he would point it out and ask , "What do you know of this place?" I would give him the knowledge the Dwarf had on the location and he would decide to go there or not.

Yellow Dots indicate places visited by Eserwun Starfall during the campaign. 

 

Sometimes he would stop random merchants or pilgrims on the roads and simply ask them, "Greetings and well met! Have you heard any strange tales recently? Any mention of swords with blades of blue light or monsters you've not heard of before?" All in hopes of getting a lead on any of his goals. 

My favorite instance of this was when the two adventurers came upon highwaymen waylaying a trader and his family. They beat the brigands senseless! Afterwards, Eserwun held one over a cliff ledge and said, "Speak the truth and I will not drop you. Have you heard anything about 'Demons of The Void'?" The thug said there was someone calling themselves that in such-and-such city and gathering a small army of sellswords. Eserwun picked him up off the ground, thanked him, and let him run away. 

Eventually word of the campaign spread and friends of ours wanted in. I used this as an opportunity to expand the map. Eserwun and would travel to a new place that wasn't familiar with and the pair would ally with or hire a local (i.e. a new PC) to guide them through the area.

 The 'Known World' of Ranul.

One time the heroes had heard a rumor of a terrible monster living in a nearby swamp [between Zollner and Vogel] whose description sparked Eserwun's memory - one of the Six Demons of the Void! They get there and meet a Human Warrior (a newly joining PC) who, it turned out, was also after the monster. The character had a Magic Sword that Eserwun claimed was his! It had fallen away from him as he descended to Ranul (the name of the campaign world). 

The two characters almost came to blows but they put aside their differences to track down and defeat the 'Void Demon'. As it turned out, the villain had a nearly identical sword which shimmered red instead of blue. The Warrior gave Eserwun back his sword and took the red one as a trophy. 

In addition to exploring to locate narrative related elements, sometimes the players just looked at the map and said 'what's over here'? Often it was, 'Let's pass through this area on our way to thing we need or want to do.'

They would also explore to find resources like food, water, or shelter. A player would look at the map and point to a body of water ahead and say, 'there's good fishing here' or to a nearby town and say 'if I recall correctly, this place has an excellent market for us to get provisions.' I would nod in agreement and say something like, "Well you're from here so you know best."

By the end the campaign ran for about a year or so (1980-81), playing roughly every other weekend. Sometimes we'd get an extra session in here and there or miss one because of holidays and family stuff. I remember we got to play a few times during the week because of school assembly or the like. Sessions were usually 6-8 hours. Joe was joined by two or three other regulars and two or three players that would pop in and out. 

The idea for the campaign came from Joe, who wondered what would happen if a Futuristic, Sci-Fi Robot landed in Medieval Europe and started hunting Demons and Monster (in truth Alien Criminals). A major source of inspiration was the Marvel Comic Book 'ROM, The Spaceknight'. Looking back on it from 2026 and its a little like the upcoming RPG 'MedivAliens'. 

Oh, in case you haven't caught on by now...

SR-1 was a Robot Soldier from some never specified starfaring society. He was rolled up and created as if he were an Elf Fighter/Magic-User (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition). His spells were made of 'Sci-Fi Energy' and the visual effects were always bright blue light (like his sword). When he would 'learn' new spells we framed it as if he was gaining access to more of his memories, programs, and capabilities.

While he didn't need to eat, SR-1 did sleep in order to recharge and self-repair. He could do both more rapidly by receiving an electrical discharge. This meant being struck by Lightning or hit by a Lightning Bolt Spell worked like a Cure Wounds Spell. :D

Several female NPCs made advances towards him but he would always raise his hand and calmly say, "I am sorry but I can not", which many took to be some sort of oath of celibacy but it was because he was a robot and not one designed for romance or intimacy. 

Like the Mandalorian Din Djarin, Eserwun would never remove his helmet, even in front of his closest friend. This was on account of having no head or face beyond the visage of the helmet. 

The other Player Characters were all native to Ranul but had often had a weapon, armor, or a piece of gear that had come to the planet from Outer Space. The Human Warrior had the Red Bladed Starsword and our Gnome Illusionist had an Energy Crystal on top of his staff, for example.

Enut our Dwarf NPC was a Thief. Bruce played the Human Fighter. Chris played a Gnome Illusionist and Wanda was a Female Half-Elf Druid. These were the regulars.

Not all of these items fell off of SR-1 during his drop. Some were from the Void Demons as mentioned above, while others had been on Ranul for hundreds of years. 

Ranul itself is our own moon, terraformed and rotating. The Great Moon of Ranul was a dead Earth. In my mind this was set in the far distant future of Gamma World. Elves, Dwarfs, and other such species were the descendants of Humans genetically engineered to survive this world. Goblins, Trolls, and other Humanoids were likely descended from Human hybrid experiments, their DNA spliced with animals or even non-sentient alien creatures. Monsters were Gamma World Mutants, Mutant Animals, Aliens, and even Mutated Aliens. 

Some of the weaponry, gear, and creatures were made by adapting Gamma World material to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition. Some were homebrew whole cloth.

The ' Six Demons of The Void' were Alien Villains ranging from a Cyborg 'Ogre', to an Organic Armored Lizard Man, to an intelligent Manticore-like creature. Their weaponry and powers were a mix of Monster Manual abilities and Gamma World Mutations.It was never clear (I never decided) if they had anything to do with SR-1's crash on to Ranul, though he did determine hunting them down was his original mission. 

During the course of the campaign we only encountered three of the Six Demons. All were slain but we faced one twice; the Cyborg Ogre was the one with the red sword. The Red Manticore escaped the first time and the PCs eventually tracked it down again and took care of business.. 

So there you have it, a heavily Exploration Driven campaign with a good deal of Narrative incorporated, and Missions created by the PCs themselves. 

That's it for now. Tomorrow we begin the RPGaDay Challenge. 

See you there,

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Barking Alien

Uncharacteristic Ideas

A lot of good talk on the blog roll lately. Good to see.

I find myself in one of my moods where my thoughts turn towards games I haven't played in a very long time, or ideas I haven't had the chance to explore more fully. I'll dispense with mentioning Star Trek, as that's a given, and I will probably be getting the opportunity to run a one-shot of it for my bi-weekly group sometime in October.

I also want to get back into Superheroes in some capacity soon. A fill-in for the regular GM of the bi-weekly game or an online, Google + session would be just the thing to satisfy that itch.

What I am talking about here is a little different. It's a desire by Barking Alien to run some distinctly un-Barking Alien-like games.

Such as...

Alternative Supers

What I mean by this is not your typical cape and cowl, four-color/modern fare (though that is where my love truly lies), but rather something a bit more like Aberrant, the TV series HEROES, or the Wild Card novels.

Since DC Comics has been a real let down since the nu52 began, I've been getting back into Anime and Manga more and more (in addition to reading more Marvel). The Japanese creators have been doing a ton of work in a very American comics vein, although tweaked by Japanese culture and sensibilities.

Among the series I've found inspiring for this idea include (for one reason or another) Darker Than Black, Tiger and Bunny, Tokyo ESP, and s-CRY-ed, among others.

As I mentioned in a previous, recent post, the company Ver. Blue Amusement has licensed and translated a Japanese RPG exemplifying this subgenre called Double Cross. I am seriously looking into giving this a go.

Military and Espionage

While discussing elements of the various military and intelligence factions in our current Traveller game with my good buddy Dave, we somehow sidetracked to reminisce about various spy and commando type games like Top Secret, James Bond 007, Recon/Advanced Recon, Aftermath, The Morrow Project, and the greatest-game-that-never-was, MISSION.

This is so not my cup of tea normally, but I like the idea of a Tom Clancy, Bourne Identity thriller, possibly mixed with Sci-Fi or supernatural elements.

On a separate but related note...could the military or espionage activity be fighting off a zombie apocalypse or alien invasion? Could we mix a little The End of The World in here with this? Who knows, and why not!

Medieval Fantasy

Yeah, that pesky genre is more tenacious than a bed bug, and just as welcome I assure you.

The recent release of 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons has caused a plethora of posts across the blog-o-sphere, all of which cause me to have European, medieval, fantasy ideas on the brain, and absolutely no interest in using D&D 5E to explore them.

It doesn't help that Noisms recently mentioned Ryuutama, a game I've been dying to try, and the recent Japan Game Convention showcased Grancrest, a new Japanese TRPG fantasy game that I have heard good things about (but few details sadly).

The two smaller books are core rulebooks 1 and 2 respectively.

The larger book underneath is a 'Super Campaign Book',

which details additional material on the world/setting.

 

As it stands I really have no time for another campaign. This is just my creative side shooting its proverbial mouth off, so to speak. We'll just have to wait and see what wins out, time, interest, or my inability to keep my mind quiet.

 

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Barking Alien


 

 



Split The Damn Party

I'm off to a bang up start this month on my plan to post more, aren't I? Yeah.

Oh, well.

Here is a post I've been thinking of making since, oh let's see now, roughly 2009.

Yep, since I started this blog pretty much.

Warning. It's a long one.

I know I've talked about it here and there before, but a recent post on Chris C.'s blog, The Clash of Spear on Shield, got me thinking about how common a trope it is in gaming, and how my personal view of the concept is so different from most peoples. Kind of the polar opposite of the default assumptions actually.

Doing a Google Search for 'Split The Party' results in the following...

Let's see now...Never do it, Don't do it, a song about Never doing it, and something about Republicans (which is also pretty negative, and rarely results in anything good these days).

This 'Splitting the Party' thing; this is a bad thing. This really doesn't sound like a good idea. I'm scared. Hold me.

Whatever you do...don't let us get separated.

Screw that noise! You're all big boys and girls ain'tcha? You put on your undies one leg at a time, all by yourselves right? You've got a lot to do and not much time to do it in. You go that way, I'll go this way, and we'll meet back here in twenty minutes. Go!

Now, we all know why you shouldn't Split The Party, right?

As far as I can tell, the main reason for the existence of this trope lies with the granddaddy of all RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons. If the thief goes left and the fighter goes right, than the wizard is left alone to...to...um. Hmmm. To get picked on by the GM I guess. I mean, if you walk down a side hallway, and everyone else is 50 feet to your right, and then you walk back to them, or they walk over to you, there really is no danger inherent to that scenario by itself. It only becomes an issue when you (conveniently) go too far away from the rest of your party, and are (conveniently) attacked by boogies that came outta freakin' nowhere.

Now granted, there is safety in numbers. That's not a cliché, it's a universal truth. A simple fact. Five guys are going to trounce one average fellow who's on his own, but it's not going to be so easy for them to take down an equal group of five, or a larger group of seven. It's basic mathematics you see.

It makes sense from a survival standpoint. Someone on their own in the woods, in a desert, or some other wilderness terrain, is in much greater danger, and is less capable of surviving their ordeal, than they would be if they had a companion and ally to help them.

RPGs where basic, day-to-day survival is a factor, such as Dungeons & Dragons (and other Medieval Fantasy games of the 'Dungeon Crawl' type), Gamma World (and other Post-Apocalypse games), and most Horror RPGs, benefit from this approach and mindset. Even Traveller and other Science Fiction games where combat is both common and deadly, could foreseeably have situations where splitting the party is a foolish way to go.

That said...

I personally can't recall a campaign, dating back to my earliest days in the hobby, where we didn't split up on a regular basis.

I recently retold the story of the death of my very first character, and it involved the party getting split up, but the PC didn't actually die because of that. In fact, A) he didn't die until the group was reunited, and B) he found out vital information by separating from the rest of the team.

Some thoughts...

I often read, or listen to, session recaps by various people, and I'm constantly amazed by how little gets done in comparison to my groups' game sessions. Granted, a four hour session seems standard these days and we do eight [hours], but it's more than that. In splitting the party as we do, we simply cover more ground.

By way of example, let's take a look at a typical Superheroes session:

The Protectors (one of my first Superhero RPG teams ever - Villains and Vigilantes, 1982-83) are mostly at their new headquarters, still under-construction.

Intrepid (High-Tech Armored Guy), and Mutant Man (Mutant whose body changes to adapt to different situations) are working on getting the place up and running. Saint Patrick (GM NPC - Me - Think mystical, green, Human Torch) is on monitor duty. The Blue Paladin (Also just called Paladin - A time lost medieval knight with a magic sword, shield and armor) is also at the HQ, trying to adapt to life in the 21st century.

Striker (Low-grade, martial artist Superman who can increase his power level by absorbing kinetic energy through impacts) is patrolling the streets of downtown Center City. Snowblind is in her secret identity, teaching art and dance to blind kids. Her school is not far from where Striker is flying around.

The Monitor alerts St. Patrick that various space agencies have tracked an unidentified flying object, currently hurtling toward the Earth. It is likely to crash in upstate New York within a hour or so. He contacts the available team members and Intrepid and Mutant Man fly North to investigate (Mutant Man grows wings in order to facilitate a rapid response to the situation).

Meanwhile, Striker comes across some hoodlums harassing a young, strange looking boy in an alleyway. He overhears the thugs calling the kid a 'mutie' and a 'super-freak'. Striker is a mutant himself and doesn't take kindly to that sort of talk. As Striker moves to protect the boy and possibly bust some heads, the youth lashes out, releasing a wave of psychic energy that blows everyone back with hurricane force!

The gangbangers are scattered and even Striker is having trouble getting any closer than 30 feet from the distraught lad. Knowing he is no good at dealing with kids, Striker calls on Snowblind for help. Luckily she is just about to go on her lunch break and tells him she'll be right there.

At that point, a three part story began, all interconnected. Intrepid and Mutant Man made contact with the UFO aliens and a theretofore unknown, extraterrestrial 'superhero' who insisted there were invaders on the way. The young mutant boy Striker found was actually an alien as well. While Snowblind and Striker try to convince the young alien they are trying to help him, a black ops government agency tried to infiltrate the Protectors' base, only to face St. Patrick and The Paladin.

Not only was this, if I do say so myself, very comic book like, it also gave each of the players and their PCs the chance to show off their particular talents and areas of skill. Each team learned something about the overall plot of the story, expanded their knowledge of the setting, and had the chance to move the game forward in their own way. At the same time, they coordinated their information and abilities in the end to reassemble as a team and solve the situation as a unified group.

As noted above, a major benefit to splitting the party that sadly few GMs see fit to focus on (as this came up in a recent conversation I had with another Gamemaster) is that doing so gives multiple players a chance to shine. If you are playing in a system with classes, or other distinct role archetypes, it is not unusual to end up with two combat types, two rogue types, or two of any particular class on your PC team. Some players, especially those a bit more reluctant to speak out (Shy by nature, less experienced as a player, or what-have-you), will be less likely to do their thing if someone else is doing in a more overt manner.

By splitting the party, the quieter player gets to be the star in their own mini-scenario, more focused on them. If planned right, with a combination of player and GM input, a more experienced player can be teamed with a newer player as well, giving the rookie the spotlight while being expertly assisted by the veteran.

Don't worry ol' pro, you'll get you're moment in the sun soon enough. I mean, don't you usually? You're good at this. Give someone else a chance to shine, and I promise, you'll still glow just as much as always. In a way, probably more.

I have a lot more to say on this subject, but this bad boy is running long already. I'm sure to revisit this again before long.

In the meantime, I happily quote from one of my favorite films:

Dr Ray Stantz: I think we'd better split up.
Dr. Egon Spengler: Good idea.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Yeah... we can do more damage that way.
 
Split the damn party people.

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Barking Alien

Blast From The Past - My First Gamma World Character

My first Gamma World PC was...um...Honestly? No clue.

About the only thing I remember about my first Gamma World character was that he may have been a mutated raccoon or posseum and he was killed by a plant monster of some kind.

Yeah.

See, Gamma World characters, especially 1st Edition Gamma World characters, were not meant to be memorable 34 years later. They were not that important. The system that created them was meant to generate a freaky, super creature with bizarre, acid trip powers and weaknesses that would fight other freaky super creatures and most likely perish. Nine times out of ten when I talk to people about Gamma World they can't remember their characters but they can almost always remember how they were killed.

While I do wax nostalgic on GW every once in a while, it's not one of the games I really want to play again or miss playing. Perhaps as I one shot, yes, that would be fun but it's just not the kind of thing I want to pull out for a campaign.

My longest lived guy was from the second or third edition (I forget exactly) and he lasted the entire campaign (some 12 sessions or so). He was a mutant ram with spine/quills like a porcupine. He was pretty bad ass.

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Barking Alien

Rapture Me This

So, today is the day.

The world ends, or begins to end if I am understanding correctly, the faithful go poof and bye-bye and the rest of us wait it out in the ruins, flame and muck. Thing is, there are a lot of 'rest of us' aren't there.

I sent Barkley out to investigate. He just got back.

So Barkley, what's the skinny?

"Well, I went to Asia and checked with the Buddhists. Nice guys. They got nothing on their itinerary. No 'Judgement' plans. All good.

While I was there I hopped over to speak with some Shinto priests. Nada. No Rapture going on.

When to Israel, Russia and other places I knew I could find Jewish worshippers. Likewise. Nothing.

Still awaiting on some calls from the Muslims, the Hindus and a few others but for the most part it looks like we're in the clear. The way I figure it only the believers who don't believe enough will perish or something. The rest of us are A.O.K."

Good to know. What if you don't believe in any of this stuff.

"Then don't sweat it. It's all bunk."

Sweet.

"Oh wait, there is one tragic bit I found out about."

There is? What?

RIP Macho Man Randy Savage (1952-2011) - While not a huge wrestling fan, this dude had personality, style, showmanship and did some amazing voices in animation over the years. He'll be missed.







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Barking Alien

The Land of Gorch - I Got You Babe

"Psst. Adam. Pssst.""Who's that...I...SCRED?!"
"Yeah. Can I come out and talk to you?"
"Wow. Yeah, sure buddy come on out."




"Thanks. I just wanted to say, on behalf of the Gorch Muppets, we appreciate this thing you're doing here. It's really nice be remembered and recognized."

"Aww Scred. Listen pal, I'm sure you'll get your day in the sun soon. I mean, there's a new Muppet motion picture coming up, Sesame Street is still going strong and Cookie Monster even sang with Jeff Bridges on Saturday Night Live. It's just a matter of time before..."

"What?"

"What what? About Cookie Monster on SNL? Yeah, he sang with Jeff Bridges during a Christmas episode."

"I see. How nice for him. Would you excuse me I have an errand to run."

(Hefts a large club with spikes in it and walks off muttering to himself...)

"Hmm...hope he doesn't do anything rash. Oh well... "

...

First a note I should've made before...

In a Land of Gorch game, I recommend only one character per player, unlike a typical Muppets RPG. The cast was smaller and the setting more specific. Also it helps give the impression that there isn't much life out there in this barren badland dump your characters call home.

All characters are also Customs. The techniques used to build these Muppets are too elaborate to waste on Whatnots.

Relationships

Routines are less about the Routine and more about the Relationships in a Land of Gorch game. A character would be able to say 'Consider My Appeal' as opposed to 'Hold Your Applause' and then receive an Exploding Die when interacting with specific characters in specific, preset ways.

For example:King Ploobis is the husband of Queen Peuta, father of Wisss and secretly lusts after Vazh. Well, it's a secret to Peuta anyway.

If Ploobis wants to make a move on Vazh but it's possible Peuta isn't too far away, he can have the table 'Consider My Appeal' and then an Exploding Die in his attempts to seduce Vazh or avoid detection. Now he's taking a risk of being found out and losing a 'Stay' at the close of the session (Peuta will be furious!) and in a way endangering Vazh as Peuta could vote her off instead! Queens so wronged can be very vengeful.

So Routines become Relationships in Gorch. If you wanted to stretch the meaning, which would be in keeping with the themes of the setting, you could use Relationships to illustrate addictions. That is, instead of a Relationship with a character, your PC could have a 'Relationship' with a thing or a substance like money, booze or craters.

Wisss is a 'Crater Head' and enjoys getting wasted by sticking his head into smoking craters and breathing in the noxious vapors. If this is important to the character maybe (Director and Player should discuss the option) he can hold off on getting Appeal and get an Exploding Die to hide his nasty habit from his mom and dad (Peuta and Ploobis) or his pal Scred.

OK. That's it for Gorch for now. I hope you've enjoyed this little Muppets RPG variant and consider checking out the SNL episodes featuring this nearly forgotten phase of Henson's genius. See you round the tar pits.

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Barking Alien

Muppet Quotes

King Ploobis: Well, it's, uh... looks like the first draft of a letter to Lily Tomlin!

[ Peuta pops up from the crater and reads the letter over Ploobis' shoulder.]

King Ploobis: It says: "Dear Lily Tomlin: I have watched with enchantment your beautiful image, when I can sneak away from my loathsome, degrading, filthy job."

[ Peuta gasps.]

Peuta: Read on, read on.

King Ploobis: Yes. It says: "mi amore enchante, je t'aime, je t'aime." Hunnhh. It says: "PS, Be mine tonight, your slave in love, Scred." And then down at the bottom, it says, "PS, X X X X."

Peuta: Oh! He's in love with Lily Tomlin!

King Ploobis: Grrrunnhh. She has my sympathies.






Here's A Muppet News Flash!

The rose presented to the beautiful and talented Lily Tomlin (I too am a big fan) by way of Scred was actually an unrehearsed surprise gesture from Scred's performer, the amazing Jerry Nelson. You know Jerry as the performer for Floyd Pepper, Julius Strangepork, Sesame Street's Count Von Count, Fraggle Rock's Gobo Fraggle and many others.

The Land of Gorch - Live From The End of the World, It's Saturday Night!

So you're in the mood for a post-apocalyptic struggle for survival against harsh elements, blood thirsty mutant cannibals (which would technically mean they eat other blood thirsty mutants I suppose) and strange powers your feeble mind was not meant to comprehend. Then, someone says, "Hell yeah! And Muppets!"

Well, you've got the Muppets RPG but you're going to have to make a few changes.

..



First, you would be creating a character who looks like they would fit in the Gorch 'universe,' so Shticks like 'Frog', 'Penguin' or 'Ghost' would be dropped for more of what you do or your place in the tribe. Essentially, everyone on Gorch is a mutant something-or-other. Leave it at that.

Applause and Stars could be renamed for flavor but that flavor could also add a bit of depth and meaning to the game. I like the idea that part of Gorch's nature is that it could end at any time, figuratively and literally. Your character and the world he lives in, within and without the 4th wall, is in a lot more danger of being cancelled by the powers that be. To get a little metaphysical, the campaign is both a 'show' and a metaphor and one I don't think enough post-apocalypse games talk about.

What if...If you (the PCs) don't make it, the world doesn't make it. What if the world's survival depends upon your own.

This would be a fantastic thing to consider in any post-apocalypse game but it would seem front and center in the Land of Gorch.

To this end, Applause is called Appeal, as in the character's appeal but also an appeal to the gods to let you live on one more day. Appeal can be obtained by entertaining the group in the same fashion as the regular Muppets RPG but it can also be obtained by accomplishing something that helps the groups survival. Maybe it was you who found shelter or actually understood what the Mighty Favog was talking about.

Star Power is therefore, Staying Power. A character with more Staying Power can attempt to use that power to perform feats similar to those in the regular Muppets RPG (which may expand soon - keep checking back for details-AD).

Now, here's the big twist...Survival depends on Staying Power right? OK. What if, at the end of each session all the players weigh in on who contributed to the Land of Gorch's Staying Power?

If you cheated on your betrothed, ate the last living Glig or failed to milk the Gorkon properly (and hey, we've all been there), maybe you were entertaining but we're all gonna die. Maybe you get voted off the island. See where I'm going with this?

Everyone votes on who did the best job and who did the worst job of keeping the Land of Gorch alive. Gorch itself, the world that is, should start the game with a Staying Power of 5. If a character receives a positive majority vote they get one extra Staying Power mote or a 'Stay' if you will. If anyone gets a negative vote they lose one. If someone loses one, Gorch looses one.

For Example:

It's the first session.

The Land of Gorch has a Staying Power score of 5.

The secret ballot votes are tallied for the first adventure.As for who did the best at keeping us alive and on the air..
.
Peuta gets 1 vote
Ploobis gets 1 vote
Scred gets 2 votes
Vazh gets 1 vote
Wisss gets 0 votes

As to who put us on a direct path toward utter extinction...

Peuta gets 0 votes
Ploobis gets 1 vote
Scred gets 1 vote
Vazh gets 0 votes
Wisss gets 3 votes

In the end, Scred gets an extra Stay, Wisss loses a Stay and the Land of Gorch goes down to 4.

If the votes had been one each or one person got 2, another got 2 and another 1, no one would lose a Stay because it was a tie. Likewise, Gorch wouldn't lose one either.

So how does Gorch gain Staying Power? Only together can we make the world a better place...seriously. So if everyone gives up 1 Stay, Gorch gains a Stay.






(I'm thinking this mechanic could also be used in some way to simulate 'saving the Muppet Theater'. A sort of short hand resource management game that keeps the constantly broke Theater a float. More ideas to add! It never ends...!).

One more installment coming...then on to some really strange ideas!

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Barking Alien


Muppet Quotes

Ploobis: Oh, Mighty Favog! I got a problem.
Favog: BUSINESS, SPORTS OR PERSONAL?
Ploobis: Uh... Scred?
Scred: Medical, your grossness.
Ploobis: Oh, Mighty Favog, it's medical.
Favog: MEDICAL.
Ploobis: Mmm.
Favog: IT'S GONNA COST YA.
( Ploobis looks uneasily at Scred. )
Favog: THREE CHICKENS, TWO SWANS, AND A DUCK.
Ploobis: Holy guacamole. Whatcha got on you, Scred?
Scred: Just two chickens. But that's car fare home!
Ploobis: Oh Favog, I offer you two chickens -- it's all I've got!
Favog: BUSINESS IS SLOW. I'LL TAKE 'EM.

Here's A Muppet News Flash!

I am serious up there when I say ideas keep coming. They Just Keep Coming! I could do a year of posts...well maybe not a year. I do want to talk about other things. Yet this is the most fun I've had in a while. Maybe Muppet Mondays? Hmm...

The Land of Gorch - Post-Apocalypse Muppets

Ladies and Gentlemen...the time has come...

Gorched Earth Policy is in effect!

As promised, Muppets Post-Apocalypse is here!

A little back story...

During the 1975-76 first season run of Saturday Night Live, Jim Henson's Muppets were featured in a series of short sketches collectively known as the Land of Gorch. A desolate, swampy landscape of grey rock, heavy shadows and red-orange skies, Gorch looked like an awesome place to adventure in.

At 8 years old I probably shouldn't have been up watching Saturday Night Live but I did and the images of that set and the strange characters that lived there had a major impact.

The Muppets of the Land of Gorch were not your typical Frogs, Dogs, Pigs and Whatevers. OK, close to Whatevers but not typical ones.

The cast: left to right:

Scred, Queen Peuta, Wisss, Vazh and King Ploobis

with Mighty Favog in the front.

Using the same sort of glass eyes taxidermists use and applying various unusual painting and dying techniques, the Saturday Night Live Muppets were alive and disturbing in a way the previous ones had not been. In addition, they were among the most flexible, both structurally and in terms of what they could do and say. These were adult Muppets who could 'Stay Up Late' as it were. Elements of the Land of Gorch sketches included discussions of adultery, alcohol, drugs, endangered species and other 'adult' topics normally taboo in most Muppet productions.

Ploobis and Scred get hammered before going to see the Mighty Favog

The characters themselves were broadly portrayed stereotypes, at least at first but real depth came to them over time, especially when in the second season it was revealed that Saturday Night Live would no longer be having the Muppets on the program.

You see, though created by Henson and company, it was the SNL writers who wrote the stories and skits and the writing staff was not fond of working with the Muppets. Therefore, for the second season Gorch sketches, the Land of Gorch itself was often missing and instead the Muppet characters would interact with the live actors on the show. Many of the gags at that point revolved around the Muppets trying to keep their jobs. The end result, sad though it is, was that the Gorch characters developed real three dimensional personality just as they were being cancelled. I especially miss Scred. That dude was freakin' awesome. Alas, Gorch was dumped and the characters have not been used in any Muppet production since.

It's a damn shame.

I could seriously envision a late night comedy program with these characters on Cartoon Network. Come on, the guys who brought us Venture Brothers, The Mighty Boosh and Robot Chicken couldn't swing a dark comedy Muppet Show?

Where was I...ah yes...Gorch.

Scred tries to get Wisss to stop 'Smoking Craters'.

While some subsequent references to Gorch would seem to indicate it to be an alien planet, I took it to be more like Planet of the Apes or Gamma World when I was a kid. With the ability to be edgier and still very much in character and tone for a Muppet production, a Gorch game would rock. I could see running it with Gamma World or Mutant Future, a somewhat hacked Encounter Critical, Apocalypse World (Good Lord!) or, just throwing this out there, The Muppets RPG.

So that's what you're about to see. A Post-Apocalyptic Muppets RPG campaign set in a cynical, messed up world of horrible and twisted mutations. Won't this be fun!

In the next post, how to turn the wild and wacky game of The Muppets RPG into a boiling cesspool of degenerate filth. Come on in the waters great!

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Barking Alien

Muppet Quotes

"This land is your land, this land is my land.
From the bubbling tar pits, to the sulfurous wasteland.
From the rotting forest, to the stagnant mud flat,
This land was made for you and me."
King Ploobis to Queen Peuta.

Here's A Muppet News Flash!

I used the Land of Gorch as the picture in my mind of a Post-Apocalypse New Jersey in one of my first Gamma World games. The session, the first of several in a short lived campaign (typical of the original Gamma World) featured a tribe of mutant lizard/walrus hybrids whose design was based on the Muppet of King Ploobis.

I saw the Land of Gorch puppets up close and personal at the Lincoln Center Exhibition in 1979. Their eyes, the texture of some of them and their clothing give them a truly eerie appearance. Even more so when on display and unmoving I'd wager.

Scred is one of my all time favorite Muppets, up there with Gonzo, Grover and Uncle Deadly. It is so unfortunate that most people don't even know who the character is.

Elseworlds

I once said that aside from Star Trek, Star Wars may be the game I've run most often. Looking back, that may not be true. It may well be Superheroes if you consider the genre and not any one particular system. It was most certainly superhero comic books that got me into gaming in the first place.

Though I have never before run a Golden Age Superhero campaign, I have run a number of Superhero campaigns in non-standard settings. Recently, while I was reminiscing with a few friends about these old games, I thought it might may a fun post to mention them. Here are but three...

SUPERS: 1889

Using a heavily houseruled/homebrewed/kitbashed version of GDW's Space:1889 game, this short but memorable campaign focused on the first superhero team the world had ever known (a point of continuity I've kept throughout many later Supers campaigns). The team consisted of a number of unusually gifted individuals operating under Queen Victoria for the purpose of protecting the world from a German mad scientist and his army of steampunk robots powered by quasi-mystic crystals from Mars. The campaign's background was original though I borrowed librally from the Space:1889 game, Marvel, DC and other sources.

JUSTICE LEAGUE EARTH

Run with the DC Heroes RPG by Mayfair Games, this campaign was set in the 30th century of the Legion of Superheroes, my favorite comic book superteam of all time. The premise was, in celebration of the Earth's freedom from a Dominion invasion and to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the formation of its unified world government EarthGov, a reformed Vidar (aka the villain Universo) assembled a team of superheroes he called the Justice League of Earth. Vidar explained that the Legion has to protect the entire United Planets and that's not only a lot of work but they can't be everywhere which is how the invasion of Earth by the Dominion occured.

Vidar's JLE was designed to emulate the famous 20th and 21st century Justice League teams and consisted of heroes from all over the planet. From Japan, Talon Guard, the team's bird of prey themed Batman who resembled the heroes of Battle of the Planets/G-Force/Gatchaman. From Ireland, Balefire, a descendant of Alan Scott/Green Lantern and Jade who possessed mystical green flames he could shape into virtually anything. From Kenya, Radi Roho, 'The Lightning Spirit' who possessed the superspeed of the Flash but could also read the speed force to determine information about objects in motion. From an unknown African nation (a mystery to be revealed later in the campaign) came Nubia, whose physical abilities, combat experience and skill with melee weapons resembled none other than Wonder Woman. Finally, from the good old U.S. of A. came Maximum, a half-Daxamite, half-Human hero with a powerful secret who represented the one and only Man of Steel - Superman!

It was eventually revealed that Universo intended to use his mind control powers and hidden devices in the JLE's ear plug communicators to turn them into his personal army. Talon Guard figured it out and freed Maximum seconds before the latter pulverized the former. Maximum than used his secret weapon to reach the rest of the team and free them or fight them as needed with Talon Guard going after Universo himself (until the rest of the group could catch up). Maximum's secret? His Human side. Family name: Freeman. As in Freddy Freeman, Capt. Marvel Jr.. When Maximum says, "CAPTAIN MARVEL", a bolt of lightning and a crack of thunder transform him into Max Marvel. Plus Daxamite. Yeah baby.

THE LAST PROTECTORS

A Gamma World game originally run by a friend but which I took over half way through because he was starting to run out of ideas and had difficulty with 'where to go' with Gamma World. I've had this issue as well with Post Apocalypse settings. Sometimes its hard for story oriented GMs to find a focus or purpose to a Gamma World campaign.

My idea once I took over what my pal had already developed was that it seemed clear to me he was trying to determine who was at fault for the current state of the planet. I also thought he was hinting at some epic event as the cause or at least the catalyst. Furthermore, we had found an ancient device the was receiving messages from the Moon. So my thought was...

There was a Crisis on Infinite Earths and nobody won. Everybody lost. Gamma World is the way it is because an infinite number of parallel Earths merged and not quite correctly. Its also why mutants abound and many have superpowers. Our main enemy had been a robot mastermind who reminded me of Brainiac or Ultron.

I decided that the villain was indeed an arch-nemesis of the original heroes of one of the Earths who was the only real survivor from the time of the Ancients (i.e. the time of superhero comics). On the Moon, unbeknownst to the PCs, was the headquarters of 'The Protectors', the primary superteam of the old world. Its own AI was attempting to contact any member it could by communicator (and had been trying this for hundreds and hundreds of years). Eventually the PCs find the ruins of a 'Batcave' like base belonging to another long dead hero and use its intact rocketship/plane to reach the HQ on the Moon. There they are assumed to be various heroes by the base's damaged AI and healed and repaired by it, against their will and not completely correctly (new mutations, powers altered or adjusted, etc.).

Ever run an off beat Supers game? Tell me about it.

Up, up and away,

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Barking Alien

The Flood Gates Have Opened

After my earlier entry today I started thinking about all the gaming related ideas I am thinking about. There's a lot. A lot of a lot. There always is.

Among the concepts blowing about in the windmills of my mind are:

Favorite Games I Want to Post About!

Most notably Teenagers from Outer Space, Toon, Sketch! and Faery's Tale Deluxe. In the cases of the first and last of those listed, I should also post up my houserules for each.


Why Am I Playing So Much D&D Lately?

OK, so its my own D&D-But-Not variation but still. It seems like over the last two years I've played this more than I've played almost anything else. That stinks. I want to go back to Sci-Fi!


One Shot Fever!

I currently have this uncontrollable erge to run a one shot of something at a convention or the like. I'm thinking of doing something at the next RECESS in NY but that's still months away.


Aliens & Astrobases is Taking Too Long.

That is, I expected to be done already but I'm not even close. I don't know why but I'm being really slow and meticulious with this thing. I guess that's a positive but I'm not used to taking so much time on rules.

Who or What Are These Creatures?




This is the cover for the Japanese TRPG Crash World, which takes place some time after a Human Starship has crash landed on an alien world. Now dwelling in this post-apocalyptic extraterrestrial environment, the remains of the crew and passengers must scavenge for advanced technology to survive.

Interesting group no? Tell me about one or more of them.

Well that's all the time I have for now. If I don't pass out early tonight I'll probably post one more time today.

Take that procrastination!

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Barking Alien

Same Old Song and Dance

While I work on my ideas for my new Star Trek campaign (NY) and my new Post-Apocalypse campaign (NJ), I head out today to run my D&D-for-those-who-don't-like-D&D game. I may have mentioned this before, but Erin Palette said to me not long ago, "For someone who doesn't like D&D you sure seem to play it a lot."

She's right of course. I feel like Al Pacino in Godfather III..."I try to get out but they keep pulling me back in."

It seems my approach to D&D, whatever it may be, goes over really well among the gamers I know. Generally speaking the usual response is, "This is not D&D. This is something totally different." In reality, its not. That is, its not really that different in game terms. Mechanically its a blend of AD&D first and 3.0 with no feats. Instead, I injected my Talent System and that seems to make all the difference. That and my style of play is very fast when action of any kind is involved. I've removed the need to look up anything, consult charts or roll anything that isn't a contested challenge (meaning you roll to hit, save, 'Talent' checks but not for every little thing every moment. A Fighter is going to recognize most weapons and armor without needing to roll. A Ranger familiar with a given terrain doesn't need to roll to determine which berries in his home turf are edible.).

Currently, our group of freelance Monster Hunters are in a region of what on our Earth would be Canada. Originally they went their on their own volition to locate a creature known as The Ghost Wolf, a massive, spirit wolf whose fur, if it can be obtained, will make the perfect component for a magic bow one of the players wants to have constructed. While in the area, they stopped at a trading post and discovered several other potential jobs.

Miners in the region need help getting rid of a Wendigo that haunts the hills where the mines are.

A Mage from a prestigious Wizard's College and Guild is doing research on plants useful for alchemical purposes but is constantly being hindered by tree spirit creatures.

The local trade authority has revealed a desire to get the exclusive mining rites to a dried up lake area where they believe there is oil (Yes oil. Black gold. Control of the area would also enable them to develop a road North to what is essentially Alaska and perhaps more of the stuff). Unfortunately for them, this desire puts them in conflict with a small but tenacious mining outfit that is already staking a claim to the lake bed, originally unaware of the potential oil deposits. The PCs have since negotiated a deal that looks to benefit everyone involved. The only snag is that a previous Monster Hunter of some notoriety was sent to scout out the Alaska region and never returned.

The PC group's 'leader' (guy who owns their ship) also discovered an Elven Fighter/Mage whose father may have been friends with the PC's father. Both men disappeared 10 years ago. One went looking for the other.

The PCs are...
Male, Half-Elf*, Ranger/Shaman, Levels 3/3
Male, Grey Elf, Mage (Illusionist Specialty), Level 5
Female, Human, Cleric (of Poseidon), Level 4
Male, Half-Orc**, Fighter, Level 4
Male, Human (Appears Native American), Ranger, Level 4

Several NPC companions accompany them at this time including three Male Dwarves (all Fighters), a Male Half-Elf* Rogue (More Sailor/Pirate) and a Male Human Barbarian (of sorts).

Anyway, off to the races. Take care and I hope your day is as gamey as possible!

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Barking Alien

*As I may have mentioned, Half-Elf is a misnomer. While there are Half-Elves on my world, both of the characters noted are from this nearly Australia sized island where Humans and Elves have lived together so long that any given individual can't really determine how much Human and how much Elf is mixed into their genes. Some 'Half-Elves' are more like three quarters Elf while others are about 85% Human. The Ranger/Shaman's dad was 50% Human and 50% Wood Elf, while his mom was a pure blooded Wild Elf.

**Orcs are rare on my world, having largely been killed off and driven to extinction by Humans, Elves, Dwarves, etc. Half-Orcs might as well be aliens. When people see him the basic reaction is either 'What the hell is wrong with your face? Are you cursed?" or "Damn that guy is ugly. If I didn't know better I'd say he was half Orc." "Half-Orc? Don't be silly dear...".