RPGaDay Challenge 2019 - SPACE

Space?!? Seriously? You want me to write something about Space? Muhuwahahaha! I thought you'd never ask!

Let's see. What's the first thing I think of when I think of Space. Well there's always...

This is an image of the Observable Universe.

This is a map of all the Exoplanets NASA has cataloged as of this post. The number is 4003. Yes. Four thousand and three planets have been observed orbiting stars other than our own.

Is that not the coolest thing you have ever conceived of? These aren't made up worlds. They're not from Science Fiction. There are PLANETS BEYOND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM and WE CAN SEE THEM! *Squee*

Ever since I was a very young child I have been absolutely fascinated with and inspired by Outer Space. I had a telescope way back when and I would spend a few hours each night looking at the stars. I lived in Brooklyn, New York and you really couldn't see all that much due to smog and the eternal glow of New York. At the same time, every tiny pin-prick of light in the endless black sheet of night was a catalyst for my imagination and a glimmer of hope that 'we are not alone'. 

I would constantly stare at some random star and wonder if there was a young being looking back at our Sun just as I looked at theirs and thinking, as I did, 'Is there anybody out there?'

Space Adventure Science Fiction is by far my favorite subject/genre for running Role-Playing Games. Whether it's a unified alliance of species banded together to explore the unknown reaches of the cosmos or a ragtag band of rebels trying to overthrow the tyranny of a galaxy spanning empire, I can guarantee that's where my head, heart, and dare I say spirit can be found.

The very idea of an infinite void that is not a void at all but filled with stars, planets, asteroids, comets, radiation, and potentially life propels my creativity far more than Fantasy ever could. Always in the back of my mind there is the knowledge that dragons are not real, magic is impossible, but Space...Space exists, as do all the things within it.

From the horror of Alien to the comedy of Galaxy Quest, the social commentary of Star Trek to the classic star-spanning action of Lensman or Valerian and Laureline, Space is the ultimate place to find adventure. 

Over the past 42 years I've run and played dozens upon dozens of RPGs set in Space. In addition to IP games based on some of the franchises I've mentioned, I have had successful games set in the universes of Traveller, Space Opera, and Star Frontiers, as well as numerous settings of my own design. 

Currently I am running a Star Trek campaign set in the era of The Original Series (now in it's fourth year) and FRONTIER, a hard Sci-Fi meets horror game I've been developing for about 30 years. 

I have other Space game ideas. I will always have other space game ideas.

After all, it's the final frontier.

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Barking Alien

The Eagle Landed

On July 20th, 1969, the United States' Apollo 11 became the first Human crewed craft to land on the surface of the Earth's Moon. 

I was born on February 12th, 1969.

I was 6 months old when Neil Armstrong made his 'one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Held by my Mother, we watched the event on television.  From the very beginning, space travel has been a part of me. 

The fact that we, the flawed and all too often foolish Human race managed to travel from our birth world to it's natural satellite is nothing short of amazing. It is the culmination of the pioneering spirit that came before it and the inspiration that fueled all the intrepid journeys that came after it.

Happy 50th Anniversary to Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and all those who made the dream possible. 

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Barking Alien

Hugging The Donkey

"Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity,

because if you're passionate about something,

then you're willing to take risks."

-Yo-Yo Ma

There are a lot of fandom subjects that I'm passionate about, but few as strongly as Star Trek.

Although the original Star Trek television series went off the air in the same year I was born, I fondly remember watching it with my father when it was re-run on our local TV channel on the one evening a week when he was off from work as a police officer.

Star Trek reminded me of my Dad back then, and vice versa. 

The characters were men, and women in uniforms, protecting their families, friends, and neighbors from hostile forces who might seek to steal from, or harm the good citizens of the United Federation of Planets. 

Additionally, they embraced the task of exploration, meeting new people from far away places, helping strangers in need, and discovering things about their universe, and about themselves. 

Star Trek, like DC Comics Green Lantern Corps (one of my other favorite things) combined my two dream jobs as a child - Policeman, and Astronaut. What could possibly be cooler than that?

Much changed as I got older, but one thing that didn't was my love for the optimistic, 'better tomorrow' of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek universe. Apparently, I wasn't alone, as the original series spawned a series of motion pictures, four spin-off series, hundreds of novels, and books, and of course Role Playing Games. 

Now, 48 years after the first series ended, yet another series has been produced that embraces the philosophy of Human, and extraterrestrial mutual prosperity through putting aside our differences, and embracing what makes each of us unique. A series that celebrates diversity, discovery, and flat out Space Adventure Fun!

I am of course talking about...

The Orville.

What? You thought I meant another show? A different show? Really? What...

Oh, Star Trek: Discovery. No.

I shall discuss the utter disappoint that is STD some other time. Suffice to say, no program has ever had more appropriate initials. 

If you are a fan of Star Trek, truly passionate about the kind of Action-Adventure Science Fiction that sometimes asks tough questions, and doesn't have easy answers, then the show you are looking for is The Orville.

A love letter to both The Original Series of Star Trek, as well as The Next Generation, The Orville is the brainchild of Seth MacFarlane, a multi-talented fellow best know for the long-running animated comedy series Family Guy. In addition to other spin-off series, he also created the wildly popular film Ted, and serves as executive producer for the Neil deGrasse Tyson hosted space science series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (based on the show Cosmos, hosted by the late Carl Sagan). 

Seth is, it turns out, a Sci-Fi geek, and a huge Star Trek fan. He had a reoccurring support role on Star Trek: Enterprise, and has always wanted to do a Science Fiction series in the vein of Star Trek.

As a matter of fact, it is now coming to light that Mr. MacFarlane approach CBS about producing a new Star Trek series sometime ago, but was turned down. Like any bold explorer he didn't let that stop him. Instead, he decided to make his own and as far as I am concerned, he succeeded!

The Orville is great! It is a fun romp through an all-new Space Opera galaxy that feels at once familiar and brand new. There is more than a touch of humor in the show, and while not always hilarious, the drier and more subtle jokes are very funny indeed. They lighten the mood, and at the same time make the characters seem more Human.

The characters are my favorite part of the show. I like these people. I would hang out with them. I'd love to catch an old Earth flick with Malloy, and Lamarr, talk futuristic weapons with Bortus, see if the awesomely capable and adorable Alara wanted to go for hike on some alien world, and find out if Isaac dreams, and if so what about.

That's not even addressing Captain Ed Mercer (played by Seth himself), who is a huge Muppets fan (just like Seth himself). We have so much in common! Then there's Commander Kelly Grayson, Mercer's ex-wife and a former Agent of SHIELD. Heheh. 

What's a good Sci-Fi show without cool tech though, am I right? We've got it all here on The Orville. The ship itself is awesome (designed by a friend of mine - No kidding! - A guy I went to high school with. I found out he was the lead designer), with Cutting Rays, Tractor Beams, Deflector Shields, and a Quantum Drive based on the Alcubierre Drive. 

The characters themselves are armed with energy weapon sidearms (yet to be named as of this writing), and 'Comm-Scanners', which are a combination of a Communicator and a Tricorder (Comm-Scanner is not the official name, as that too has not yet been confirmed). 

The uniforms, the aliens, including the villainous Krill, ALL SO COOL!

The stories are a mix of classic Science Fiction tropes, and in at least one instance, real, thought provoking moral questions. There's only been four episodes for far, so it remains to be seen which style of story will dominate the episodes. I'll point out that the series format is more episodic, with traits carry over from one episode to the next, but no big meta-plots. I am so relieved. Take me to a new planet each week! Let's meet god-like aliens, and evil space pirates! I am so tired of the, 'What? You missed one episode here and one there? Well now you'll never understand the opening of Season 3 and the intricate layers of intrigue we've so carefully developed'. Bugger off you! What's the matter? Not skilled enough to tell a story in an hour?

Anyway, you know me, when I get this excited about something, I just have to game it. So, as a bit of a side project (you realize that I have as many side things going on as a box of D20s right?), I'm working on this...

I'm starting to turn around on the new Star Trek Adventures RPG, and think it's a perfect fit for the type of stories being told on the Orville so far. Basically, interesting, exciting, quickly paced, but not as complex, or involved on the average as classic Star Trek. I am really looking forward to seeing where this goes, and whether or not I can get any of my friends to take the trip with me. 

I'll update you guys as I go, but I already have a custom character sheet, and ship record ship ready to go. More info as it becomes available (and as more episodes of the series come out).

Until next time, Engage Quantum Drive!

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay Challenge 2016 - Day 29

Only on Earth? Oh. I don't really care then I guess.*

If it was ANYWHERE anywhere I'd say the International Space Station.

I'd love to game in space. 

That'd be sweet.


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Barking Alien


*This is probably the weakest question of this years challenge. I mean really, what's this one for?

Have Space Suit Will Travel

I wish I knew what first drew me to Science Fiction.

As far back as I can remember I have been interested in, and excited by the ideas of traveling to other planets, meeting alien life forms, and having a friendly robot sidekick that could help me fix my Star Drive so I continue my grand adventures through the the galaxy. 

I can't think of a single catalyst for my obsession with Space Adventure Science Fiction.

I can only think of dozens.

It confounds me to no end how so many Fantasy fans who started gaming in 1977 (like I did) were exposed to their genre of choice. I remember little to no Medieval Fantasy being readily accessible to an 8 year old me beyond books on mythology, the Oz stories, and a few animated cartoons. I recall the coffee table books Faeries, and Gnomes of course, but not much else I'm afraid.

Science Fiction on the other hand was everywhere.

By August of 1977 I had every episode of the original Star Trek series committed to memory. I had watched Lost in Space, as well as Space:1999. The Saturday Afternoon movies on our local TV stations featured such classics as The Day The Earth Stood Still, and This Island Earth. I had seen Star Wars a number of times. Close Encounters of the Third Kind was a few months away.

It wasn't all so serious either. Sid and Marty Krofft had given us Far Out Space Nuts, and the Lost Saucer by then.

Comic books were full of Science Fiction heroes, and space adventures, from DC's Legion of Superheroes and Adam Strange, to Marvel's Kree-Skrull War, Silver Surfer and much, much more. 

In addition to toys from the various popular TV shows, and movies there were Sci-Fi toys that existed solely because SCIENCE FICTION DAMN IT! Major Matt Mason, The Outer Space Men, Fisher Price Adventure People, and others. 

Books! I don't even know where to start with books. About a year after Star Wars the Terran Trade Authority series came out, and I was hooked on the combination of amazing 1970s Science Fiction, and Space Art, and the stories of the Earth's war rattled, star spanning future.

I couldn't get enough. I still can't. I might be bored of telling a particular story, but I never tire of outer space as the setting for epic adventure. Be it the void between worlds, the command deck of an interstellar vessel that takes you to fantastic vistas light years from Sol, or the strange landscape of a cold desert planet with three oblong moons, Science Fiction inspires my mind like nothing else.

This month, along some other fun things I have in store for all of you, I will be focusing primarily on a Science Fiction/Space Adventure theme. Popular post series such as Campaigns I Have Known, Thorough Thursdays, and the like will appear, with a distinctly Sci-Fi air about them. 

Also look out for Player Profiles! My first one was surprisingly well received based on the number of views, and I can't wait to do some more. I've been delayed because the people I want to feature have been very busy, but I think we're ready to go full throttle very soon.

Well, that's my introduction to August 2016, and the Summer Science Fiction Space Spectacular here at Barking Alien.

You are cleared to dock at the orbital facilities...

Have Space Suit - Will Travel.

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Barking Alien

For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky

Rest In Peace

Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)

Take it easy universe! I'm running out of heroes...

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Barking Alien

Fantasy Versus Science Fiction...Total BS

The following post may have the possible side effect of making me somewhat unpopular, especially with those who can't tell my serious bits from my humorous ones. Luckily, I don't really care too much 'bout those people. I'm also not entirely sure where one ends and the other begins in this post to be honest...

To me, one of the major differences between Fantasy and Science-Fiction is the level of BS and how well it works in the setting you're creating. Perhaps level isn't quite the right word though. Nature? For instance...

In 9.9 out of 10 Fantasy settings I encounter, the bottom line answer for the why of all things is 'Magic'. Of course it is. It's Fantasy. At the same time it seems to me that very few writers and even fewer gamers determine what, if anything, magic is. I guess what I mean is, I feel you could put any word there and it would be just as valid (or invalid).

"How is it that these great and terrible winged lizards fly through the air and breath fire o' mighty and majestic master?", asked the young apprentice of Morbrood the Less-Dated.

"Why it's poop my boy", exclaimed the dateless Morbrood, "Everyone knows poop can do anything".

Now I know what you're thinking. Science-Fiction is the same thing. But it isn't to me.

In Science-Fiction, the BS needs consistency. It needs to make sense on close inspection, even if it's only internal sense in the setting. Just saying, "It's Science!" just doesn't cut it. In Fantasy, the cop-out is excepted, even expected. In Sci-Fi it comes off as lazy or poorly thought out.

Kind of a double standard. See, I think magic should mean something too. It should be something, even if that something is difficult to handle and impossible to fully understand. It should represent an idea or a concept on the nature of the nature of things and not simply be a word whose very definition is 'to hand wave; to not have a real answer. See also 'Full of crap.''

Not sure why this was on my mind but it was and so now, like an embarrassing youtube video of that party you went to last weekend, it's on the internet.

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Barking Alien

It's life Jim but not as we know it

So yesterday's announcement from NASA was actually rather interesting, though as I surmised, not exactly first contact level news.

Essentially, thanks to the most alien place on Earth, Mono Lake in California, we now have definitive proof of and information on a microbe utilizing arsenic instead of phosphorus to live. This article from BBC News in February of last year discusses the early forray into the exploration of this unusual phenomena.

Now I'm going to let that sink in a moment. Now, I'm going to wake you up. Yes, I know it doesn't sound that special to us gamers and science fiction fans who've been reading about and theorizing intelligent shades of blue for over 30 years but it really is significant.

Unfortunately it requires further tests (what doesn't?) before it can be a certainty that it isn't a fluke or a poor excuse for a better system. As one scientist put it, "If you had phosphorus present in sufficient quantities would the microbes still use arsenic?" Good question.

Anyway, I will continue to follow the story but I'm really only biding my time until we get to Pluto and find out...heh...no, I don't want to ruin the surprise. Heh, not a planet. We'll see whose not a planet.

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Barking Alien

Announcing the announcement of a Big Announcement

NASA has a big announcement in the field of astrobiology research. That is, they will. Tomorrow at 2pm EST. Go here to learn more and have fevered dreams tonight about the possibility that they may have evidence of the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

Sorry if this sounds cynical but while I'm very excited I've also been let down in this category more than once. So far, nothing but nothing has given us a confirmation of living organisms on an planetary body other than Earth. Yeah, yeah, some fossiled microbes in an meteorite or some such but that hardly counts. And seriously, that sucks. Its 2010 for crying out loud. Where are the dang aliens?

Probably hanging out with the flying cars we were promised.

Fingers crossed.

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Barking Alien