Sesame Street Saturday - Happy Birthday!

Off to run Ars Magica in a little while but couldn't pass up a shout out in celebration of this most special of days.

Happy 43rd Birthday to Sesame Street!

The first episode of which aired November 10th, 1969.

I am only 9 months older, having first aired in February of the same year.

Happy Birthday gang and many more!*

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*And thanks to the re-election, they will likely get the chance!

Muppet Mondays! - RECESS Replay - Part I

As I mentioned previously, this past Saturday I attended the first RECESS game event of 2012, running two sessions of my Muppets Role Playing Game. The first was a Sesame Street adventure called 'D is for Dungeon' and the second was a variant Muppet Show adventure called, 'The Muppets: Big Time Hollywood Movie!'.

Where as in the past I've given you guys the complete, play-by-play breakdown as a session recap, this time I'm just going for the highlights. Trust me, there were a lot of them.

At the same time, I will mention that the second of the two had a somewhat slow start. I was really afraid it wasn't going to go over well. For starters, it used a more open ended framework instead of the structure of a typical Muppet Show episode. In order to run a Muppets RPG, you kind of need that structure to give the craziness form, otherwise it can turn into either an amorphous blob of silly or fall flat to the ground and go inert. I feared we were in danger of the latter. It was totally my fault as I'll explain in the next post but I also figured out how to save it about half the way through so 'yay' me.

Sesame Street - D is for Dungeon

So the plot...

As Susan reads fairy tales to some kids and monsters, a few other kids are playing at being knights and wizards. When someone asks, "Were there really Knights andWizards and Kings and Monsters and Castles?" Susan and Gordon clarify that while Knights, Kings and Castles were real long ago, much of the other stuff is from stories.

*POOF!* That's when a wizard shows up and says the magical fairy Abby Cadabby is trapped by a Dragon and an evil wizard in a castle beyond a mystic forest. It's not far actually. It's a few blocks past The Count's castle and the Amazing Mumford's castle. You can't miss it.

The wizard claims he tried to save her but his wand was broken. After convincing various characters to go on a quest to rescue her he heads to Luis and Maria's Fix-It Shop to get his wand repaired.

After facing numerous perils including as a smelly, slimey swamp, a puzzle at the front door, a terrible timpiece and a lightly sleeping Dragon, the heroes manage to reach Abby who is trapped in a large, birdcage like prison. Eventually, it is revealed that the wizard the PCs first spoke to is actually the evil nasty of the castle. In truth, Abby broke his wand while they were dueling before her capture. In the end, the quick thinking of Bif and Sully, Ernie, Snuffleupagus and Elmo saved the day.

***

"I'd like to thank you all for coming and choosing to play this game. I also think we should thank NerdNYC and RECESS for their awesome event. Also, I'd like to thank The Children's Television Workshop, The Association for Public Broadcasting, The Sears-Roebuck Foundation and a grant from The Helena Rubenstein Foundation. And remember, we couldn't do this without the contributions and support of viewers like you."

My opening monologue for the Sesame Street RPG, paraphrased from what we hear before the show airs in New York on the Public Broadcasting Service/Channel 13.

***

***

Me: "Any last questions before we get started?"
Player: "Yes, on Mr. Snuffleupagus's character sheet it says he has...Snufflekinesis."
Me: "Yes."

Player: "What is Snufflekinesis?"
Me: "What's telekinesis?"

Player: "The ability to move or manipulate objects with your mind."
Me: "Right. So what's Snufflekinesis?"

Player: "The ability to move or manipulate objects with your...Snuffle?"
Me: "Exactly."

***

A fellow by the name of Carl who runs BrickQuest at RECESS played Forgetful Jones and Sherlock Hemlock, among others, totally flooring me with his portrayal of these rather obscure characters. It's incredible but it never fails. At every session someone turns a third or fourth string Muppet into a star.

We had two couples playing and it was awesome. One couple were huge Muppets fans (and in fact, the fellow ran a Fraggle Rock game using the PDQ system on Sunday. Sadly I had to work and couldn't attend. If anyone knows how it went please tell!). The other couple was simply very in sync and did an excellent job playing as the Two Headed Monster (one head per player).

Other notable characters and actions included Bert's player trying to use Windex to clean a swamp, Oscar (played by the same player) ignoring the adventure to bath and play in the swamp, Cookie Monster showing responsibility with Gordon's Metrocard (only to eat it at the very end), Elmo and Mr. Snuffleupagus teaming up to spend Sunny Days and literally Sweep the Clouds away by blowing enough air through Snuffie's trunk (or Snuffle as it is properly called) to part the dark clouds above and let the Sun shine through. This had the effect of ruining the mean wizard's powers and clearing the darkness (much to Oscar's dismay).

Here's a Sesame Street News Flash!

A few Easter Eggs and in jokes from the Sesame Street game...

D and M are the letters of the days. As in Dungeon Master, since the whole thing was a D&D parody.

Although the adventure is 'D is for Dungeon', there is technically no dungeon in the adventure. The PCs enter the front of the castle and progress upstairs, higher and higher into the place.

The smelly swamp around the castle is a reference to the 'Bog of Eternal Stench' from Labyrinth.

The description of the castle itself was a homage to Jareth's (David Bowie) castle in Labyrinth and the castle of the Skeksis in Dark Crystal.

The Terrible Timepiece on the second level of the castle was inspired by Jim Henson's 1965, experimental short film, 'The Timepiece'.

The dragon on level three was Delbert, the La Choy Dragon.

When the clouds part at the end, breaking the wizard's spell and freeing Abby, the scene is a homage to the end of The Dark Crystal.

More to come,

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Run Silent, Run Deep

Just letting you all know that this blog will likely see little attention from me over the next few days.

I am really busy with real life stuff as well as preparing for RECESS this Saturday where I am running two games (Sesame Street and The Muppets: Movie Special).

If that weren't enough, either blogger or my internet is being stupider then stupid and making everything take forever to work if it works at all.

Enjoy the weekend gang. I'm sure I'll have much to tell come Monday.

Laters,

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The Lovers, The Dreamers and You...and Me

"OK, everyone...let me concentrate...Adam...if you can hear me... just call out my name? Have your thoughts go wherever I am."
Barkley


"I'll come running...to see you again."
Kermit


"Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall..."
Rowlf, Scooter and Big Bird

"All you've got to do is call..."
Fozzie, Piggy, Floyd, Janice, Grover and Oscar

"And we'll be there, yeah we will...Mee be be"
Bunsen, Beaker, Van Neuter, Gobo Fraggle, Red Fraggle, Ernie and Bert

"You've got a friend!"
Everybody

(Bunsen and Van Neuter's Transdimensional Teleporter blinks, flashes and emits beams in a vast array of colors - Fizz-Zoom *crackle* KA-POW! BOOOM!!!)

"I'm back! You guys did it!"

"Hey man, we did it together. High paw!"

"Well that about wraps it up gang. We've come to the end of another show..."

"What?! The end? But I have so much more to talk about! I never go to go into Locations and Sets in detail. I had this idea, my take on Ravenloft featuring Count Von Count. The PDF! The PDF isn't finished!"

"And I, the Great Gonzo, never got to do my act. See, I was going to juggle active thermal detonators while being randomly teleported about the stage by the Transdimensional Teleporter, all to the music of the Anvil Chorus!"

"And I need to get back to Piggy's dressing room...My keys! I lost my keys and she found them! Sheesh!" 

"Well sorry guys, that's all the time we have. Listen we can come over and help you out on Monday's starting in May."

"Perfect! Muppet Mondays is unofficially officially a go!"

"Great! OK, let's have a big round of applause for our very special guest stars Adam and Barkley! Yaaay!!!"

"It was fantastic everybody. I had so much fun this month and received huge amounts of support. I'd like to thank Erin Palette for all her help and input. Also, James Mal of GROGNARDIA, The Happy Whisk and Jay of EXONAUTS for their guest blog posts. I want to thank Joe of Tough Pigs, Ryan of the Muppet Mindset, the Muppet Wiki without which I'd be lost and of course, the Muppets. And the audience! I hope you all enjoyed the show!"

"We'll see you next time on Barking Alien!"




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"Well, what did you think?"

"I thought that it was the most self-indulgent collection of cockamamie ideas and new school claptrap I've ever seen in one place on the internet."

"Ah...so you didn't like it."

"It was OK."

Madness Reigns

(Adam goes spinning through the flotsam and jetsam of multiple realities and alternate cosmoses...cosmosi...more than one cosmos. As he travels, various strange and wonderous realities and concepts float by, each more amazing and disturbing then the next...)

The Storyteller with Ars Magica
Do this. Watch all the Storyteller episodes and then play Ars Magica. You'll thank me.

Labyrinth with Changeling: The Dreaming
Is it just me or is this combination just so obvious?

The Dark Crystal
So many ways you can go. Erin Palette suggested Unknown Armies. I feel I could go with a modified Faery's Tale Deluxe. Most people would just as soon D&D it but I think that's like using a hammer to screw in a nail.

In Nomine
Do doo bee-do-doo
In Nomine
Do do-do-doo
In Nomine
Do doo bee-do-doo bee-do-doo bee-do-doo bee-do-do-doodle doo doo do-do-doo*

Sam and Friends
The first prime time television series to feature the Muppets was a Washington D.C. local show called Sam and Friends that ran twice a day for five minutes each episode. While most of its characters have faded into obscurity, the program did feature the earliest version of Kermit, then a lizard like creature.

I've often considered what a remake of this show would be like or how to make a cool Muppets campaign using the look and feel of Sam and Friends. Having aired from 1955 to 1961, the idea of giving the game a film noir or 'Mad Men' quality is very intriguing. As yet the concept is largely undeveloped.

The Hoobs, Mopatop's Shop and Bear in The Big Blue House
While 'Bear' is best served using a trimmed down version of the Sesame Street rules, the Hoobs and Mopatop are a little Sesame Street and a little Fraggle Rock in some ways. I may have to think on them a bit more to get a more definitive idea.

"OK, my friend, we see you need some help. Being the enlightened higher beings that we are, we're going to do you a solid."


"Thanks..um...Cosmic Fish."

"No problem my karmic castaway. You need to focus on something or someone who will act as an anchor in the reality you wish to go to."

"An anchor huh? Hmmm...wait...I'm got it. In regards to my last set of ideas, I may have to think more on them..."

To Be Concluded...

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*Credit for the In Nomine joke goes to Pete Hernandez, a talented artist who I used to be good friends with and who I gamed with all throughout high school. This was the first thing that came out of his mouth when I told him about In Nomine. The title of this post refers to a proposed TV series featuring Tim Curry as the exiled ruler of a small fictional national, now forced to live in America (New York City to be precise). Both Human and Muppet characters represent members of his formerly royal family.

Street Magic

"Well guys it's been really wonderful being here on Sesame Street and sharing my ideas for a Sesame Street RPG with all of you. I want to thank everybody in the neighborhood from Elmo and Telly to Ernie and Bert, Cookie, Super Grover 2.0...everyone's been just awesome. I've had so much fun but right now I have to get going. I'm sure I'll be here again before long but I'm needed back at the Muppet Theater for the last part of Muppet Madness Month. The problem is I'm already late do to blogspot not working very well for me tonight. So I've brought some help... Meet the Dream Team!"




"OK gang, I need to get back to the Muppet Theater really quickly. What do you think is the best way to go?"

"I could help with my fairy magic wand!"

"And I, Super Grover 2.0, can fly you there."

"And I suppose I could give you a lift in my crummy cab. I got nothing better to do."

"I've got it! Mr. Adam, get in the cab if you would. That's right. And now Oscar. Good, good. Super Grover will lift the cab and Abby Cadabby will use her wand to enchant it. Right. Now when I say the magic words, everyone do they're thing. Ready..."

"I was thinking more like directions or if you told me which train goes express. I'm not sure this is such a good id..."

"A la Peanut Butter Sandwiches!"

(Monumentally loud and sparkly KABOOM)

"What...what happened? Mr. Mumford, where did Adam go?"

"I don't know Abby. Everyone else...yes we're all here but he's...disappeared."

To Be Continued...

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Today's post was brought to you but the letter R, the letter P, the letter G and the number 1.

Our Sesame Planet

When creating a Sesame Street campaign one might assume, and with good reason, that the 'setting' for your game is a given. I mean, we're talking about the world's most famous address, 123 Sesame Street is known all across the United States. You've got a good forty plus years of material to utilize and new characters, events and even places are constantly being added.

But what if...what if...you made your own Sesame Street? What if your hometown had this one magical place where sheep sang and monsters played and Humans went to work with Grouches? For ideas on a different kind of Sesame Street, I direct your attention to the rest of the world and the over 140 countries whose children have grown up with Sesame Street in some form or another, even if that form isn't exactly the same as ours.

Currently, approximately 20 countries have unique co-productions with Sesame Workshop that produce unique interpretations of the Sesame Street 'milieu' if you will. Each has its own unique setting and characters and so of the variations on familiar Muppets and themes are remarkably entertaining.

Here is a small sampling...

Sesamestrasse

Sesamstrasse is the international version of Sesame Street in Germany. Sesamstrasse was the first co-production of Sesame Street outside the United States. It is currently in its 36th season.






A number of changes and additions were made to Sesame Street when it was adapted for Germany, my personal favorite being Rumpel, a green Grouch who lives in an old water barrel with his pet caterpillar.

The German production company and many parents found Oscar too negative and most suburban and rural German children had not familiarity with trash cans. Rumpel was created to serve as a cross between Grover and Oscar. He likes rainy days when others want sunshine, eats food people don't often like and has other Grouch like qualities but is generally friendly, good natured and even a bit playfully mischievous at times. At one point he had a superhero identity similar to Super Grover and often tries to make weird, near alchemical recipes from his great grandfather's cook book.


Plaza Sesamo

Produced in Mexico and initially covering mostly Mexico and Puerto Rico, Plaza Sesamo first went on the air in 1972. It was and remains extremely popular, eventually spreading throughout Latin America as many of my Spanish speaking friends can attest too.






In addition to having Spanish speaking versions of a number of the American Muppet characters, this show features what has to be, without a doubt, the most awesome alternative to Big Bird I've ever seen. The colorful, giant parrot Abelardo Montoya is Big Bird's cousin, appearing on the American Sesame Street once in an episode explaining the celebration of Cinco de Mayo. Since then he can be seen in his next writing letters, emailing and video chatting with his American cousin.


Sesam Stasjon

The Norwegian co-production of Sesame Street is set in a train station. Many stories revolve around a train taking the characters somewhere or bringing a new character or situation to the station. The two main Human cast members and four original Muppet characters work at the station or on the Sesame Train. A major departure from the standard Sesame Street format, aside from the unique setting, was that some stories unfolded over a number of episodes. Multi-episode story arcs were quite popular with viewers and give Sesame Stasjon a very different feel.


Jalan Sesama

Indonesia's co-production, Jalan Sesama means, "Street for All", a name perfect for its overall theme of diversity and acceptance. The series is set in an Indonesian village rather than the New York neighborhood featured in the American version of the program. It began in 2008.

It features a number of new Muppet characters including the very cool looking Tantan the Orangutan and the strangely furry Jabrik the Rhino.


Sesame Street Japan

For over thirty years Japan simply dubbed the American Sesame Street until in 2004 they created their first localized co-production.

The show was praised by many for covering a wide range of lesson topics such as ethics, the environment, interacting with friends and how to approach problems and solve them logically.

Unfortunately it was also ridiculed by critics who said that the parts of the show dedicated to learning English words were not especially accurate with their use of grammar, thereby perpetuating language issues instead of helping.



The show does have another of my favorite international characters however; the sweet, chipper and adorable orange monster Grorie. Grorie (also seen as Groly) is basically a female Grover, right down to doing sketches in which she has various jobs such as a waitress in a pink and white stripped French waitress apron. Rumors have it a Super Grover like magical girl identity was planned but never used. Come on! Sailor Grorie? What's not to love?

I could go on and on. Really. Don't get me started on Israel's resident Grouch, Moishe Oofnik. Old Jewish Grumpy Grouch? I think we might be related!

So as your planning your Sesame Street campaign, think about the people in your neighborhood, the street where you live and what things do and don't belong in your version of everybody's favorite locale.


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Muppet Quotes

Phil Donahue: This is Sesame Street. A place where people, birds, monsters all live in perfect harmony.

Here's A Sesame Street News Flash!

Well, later today we leave Sesame Street and head for stranger pastures. I hope everyone is ready for a bit more Muppet craziness and guest cameos galore!

If you have any ideas or requests for stuff to be covered let me know. While I can't guarantee I'll get to all (or any) of it before the month's end, my new regular feature of Muppet Mondays should start in May. April will most likely be taken up by the A-to-Z challenge.

You're My Very Best Friend It's True

"Bert! Bert! Oh Bert! You've got to come outside and check out this cool new RPG Bert! It is fantastic!"

"Ernie, not now. I'm reading about my favorite RPG, OK? Maybe later."

"Bert, you're reading an RPG book? What game is it?"

"Oh just the best game ever. See - Pigeons and Pedestrian Walkways!"

"Pedestrian Walkways Bert?"

"Yeah, it's..."

"What are Pedestrian Walkways Bert?"

"What? Oh, sidewalks. It's a game where you play Pigeons trying to find crumbs and having adventures up and down sidewalks all over the city. Doesn't it sound great! Exploring all these long, grey, flat areas of stone and concrete. Oh and get this! If you advance in level to High Arch-Pigeon you can explore Mega-Pedestrian Walkways!"

"Mega-Sidewalks? You can look around really, really long sidewalks Bert?"

"I know! I can hardly wait to play. Ernie, would you like to play?"

"Umm...maybe later Bert but I need to get back outside. Telly, Elmo, Big Bird, Snuffy, Zoe, Rosita, a bunch of kids and grown ups, and now even Super Grover 2.0, Cookie, and Oscar are playing the um...the other game I was going to tell you about."

"Oh. Wow, that's...that's a lot of people."

"You're welcome to come Bert."

"...yeah, I can finish this later. After all, if my best friend thinks it's worth checking out, I should at least check it out."

"Thanks Bert. You're my best friend too. We'll play your game next."

"Thanks Ernie."

"Can I be a Ranger/Dragon Slayer Pigeon with magic armor and a +5 backscratcher?"

"We'll see."

...

Just a quick post to remind everyone of the importance of Relationships and Routines in the Sesame Street RPG.

I don't think I need to retell the mechanics but I would make a note on style. Where as the Muppet Show take on this is sort of 60/40 Routine to Relationship and the Gorch version is 70/30 Relationship to Routine, I imagine Sesame Street's view would be almost 50/50. That is, the two are really connected more closely. Ernie and Elmo meet, sing together and have fun but they don't have Routines with reoccurring themes the way Ernie and Bert do. If you check out old episodes you'll notice a strong Relationship between Grover and Kermit. Grover and Mr. Johnson (aka 'Fat Blue') illustrate a nice use of an Anything Muppet in the creation of a Relationship Routine (Charlie's Restaurant sketches).

Another quick Saturday note...I don't think I actually defined the rules for Humans in Sesame Street games. My idea is that if something can be handled by the PC's 'Trait' you would roll the number of dice connected to the attribute. If the task relates to a 'Skill' the character should use that number. If a Trait can help a Skill then add the number of dice in the Trait as a modifier to the Skill roll results.

For Example:

Susan is Smart. Why as a matter of fact, we'll say she's Smart-2. If she needs to figure something out she rolls two dice. Susan also has the Skill Teach-4. If she wants to teach something to Elmo she rolls four dice. Since being Smart is related to Teaching, Susan can add +2 (the number of dice she has in the Trait Smart) to the results of her Teach roll.

So what might have been 2, 3, 4 and 6 are now 4, 5, 6 and 8! Nice job Susan. Elmo finally gets punctuation.

Have A Sunny Day Everyone!

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Muppet Quotes

Bert: Ernie? Ernie, come here... did I just make a complete fool of myself?
Ernie: [patting Bert's shoulder] Absolutely, Bert.

Here's A Sesame Street News Flash!

Bert and Ernie Trivia!

Bert is considered to be 'older' then Ernie, though not by much.
Bert's pet pigeon is named Bernice.

Bert wears a shirt with vertical strips to visually reinforce his uptight nature.
Ernie wears horizontal strips because they appear more relaxed.

Ernie appears without Bert (alone or with another character) far more often than Bert appears without Ernie.

A common rumor is that Bert and Ernie are named for the cop and mailman in the film, 'It's A Wonderful Life', though Henson and company has always said it's merely a coincidence.

C is for Challenge

"Good evening. Me Alistair Cookie. Welcome to Monsterpiece Theater.

Today we look at big deal in literature. Conflict. Yeah. It major part of story. For example, Me want cookie. How Me get cookie? What if there no cookie to be had? What if someone have cookie but not want to share with Me? What if other monster challenge me to game of Go Fish! over right to get cookie?

Me don't know about you but Me on edge of Me seat wondering what outcome will be!"

How does a Director create Conflict and Challenge in a Sesame Street RPG?

While I have my own ideas, I have looked to Japan for inspiration.

There is a very cool Japanese Tabletop RPG called Yuuyake Koyake, which Ewen Cheney of Yaruki Zero Games describes as follows on the website J-RPG Talk,


" Yuuyake Koyake ("Vivid Sunset") is a game about henge, animals that have just a little bit of magical power, including the ability to take on human form. The creator specifically wanted to make a game that eschews violence and accumulation of power, and in YK these henge mostly help out ordinary people with everyday problems. The henge come from Japanese animal myths, though needless to say they've been toned down for the game's more heartwarming portrayal."


I highly recommend reading up on this particular game but the key element of it that I found most interesting was the development of a role playing game that had, at is heart, a system for doing things other than beating up monsters and stealing their stuff. The Conflict in Yuuyake Koyake is best described, as noted by its author, as " someone is troubled by something; no evil intentions involved."

That is the same basic adventure, conflict and challenge design parameters for a Sesame Street RPG. Now and then you can throw in a bit of 'evil' in the form of a melodramatically nasty villain but even they are often just misunderstood or in need of something to not be so nasty anymore.

When creating an episode of Sesame Street for the RPG, it's best to start by setting up a situation where an NPC needs something or doesn't understand something. Present the PC's with an opportunity to try to figure out what the NPC's situation is and then how best to help them. This can be used to teach kids by creating an adventure in which you discuss things like how to find clues, look up information, talk about ideas in a group setting and many other elements most gamers take for granted. These important skills need not be directly related to the item or situation but they do show how you find a solution to a troubling situation.

"Me all over this like chocolate chips on a chocolate chip cookie. Me demonstrate."

"Really? OK. By all means."

"Monsterpiece Theater presents, World According to Carp."

"Uh, the book is Garp. The World According to Garp."

"You demonstrate your way, Me demonstrate my way."

So one day a Carp, you know, the fish, comes done Sesame Street in a large fish tank on wheels. Maybe it's in a wagon. It is being pulled by a turtle or similar amphibian. The Carp is describing what he sees to the turtle and several smaller fish in the tank. His descriptions are a bit off. Never having been out of the lake he lives in for long, he doesn't know as much about the surface world as he thinks he does.

He'll say, "And over there is a tall, hard and rough, brown thing with small leaves on the top. Birds live in it. You sometimes see those at the edge of the lake."

A small fish says, "What are they called Mr. Carp?"

"Those are...Big Hard Bird Home Plants."

As the PCs listen it gets more and more made up with some of the descriptions being way off and all the names being wrong. The PCs must figure out what he is referring to, what it's really called and how to teach the fish the right names and info without make Mr. Carp look bad in front of his students.

Something like that.

Now remember this idea is aimed at younger kids. Grown-ups playing the game can create and partake in much more in depth and complex stories. I'll address some ideas for those another time.

"Thank you Alistair Cookie. Here is a Snickerdoodle."

"Mmm...if it all the same to you, Me not like friend Grover. Costume or not, Me Cookie Monster. SNICKERDOODLE! Om-nom-nom!"






"Gaming Delicious."

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Muppet Quotes

" Hey, You know what?
A round cookie with one bite out of it looks like a "C"
A round donut with one bite out of it also looks like a "C" but it is not as good as a cookie
Oh, and the moon sometimes looks like a "C" but you can't eat that
So...
"C" is for Cookie that's good enough for me,
"C" is for cookie that's good enough for me,
"C" is for cookie that's good enough for me,
Oh! cookie, cookie, cookie starts with "C"!
Cookie Monster, Sesame Street

Here's a Sesame Street News Flash!

It was revealed in an episode of Sesame Street that Cookie Monster is his nick name. Before he ate his first cookie his name was Sid. A twitter tweet confirmed this something later. Cookie was born Sidney Monster.

I have a lot more to say on the subject of Sesame Street adventure design but I doubt I will get to it all this month. I actually think that a long term Muppets campaign is best achieved in a Muppet Show meets Sesame Street format that we haven't really seen the Muppets produce. There is some sweet spot between Sesame Street and Avenue Q that would be awesome to explore.

If you don't know what a Snickerdoodle is, may the heavens have mercy on your soul.

A Sesame Place of Your Own

Welcome back gang! Right now, Super Grover 2.0 is flying around getting a list together of different examples of a new game element I'm adding in called 'Playgrounds'.

Playgrounds combines three elements of the regular Muppets game, namely Props, Costumes and a renovated idea called Locations/Sets, into a catch all title that better fits what they are and how they work on Sesame Street.

"OK, he told me to turn on this signal light to let him know when I'm ready...here goes."

(CLICK-spark-BUZZ)

"There! Look, it's..."





SUPER GROVER 2.0!

"Once more the call goes out to the cutest and furriest of do-gooders, say it with me, Super Grover 2.0."

"Excellent Super Grover 2.0! Do you have the list?"

"Come again? List?"

"Yeah. The list I told you to get together of everything that fit the description of a Playground for the Sesame Street RPG. You did do it right?"

"Ahh...a list is all you wanted. Oh dear. I may have overdone the superheroics a bit. I am still working all the bugs out of this upgrade you know."

"Super Grover 2.0 is that...did you...Holy Macaroni!"

"Yes. I um...I gathered together everything you wanted to use to represent Playgrounds and put them over here. Big Bird's Nest was a bit tricky but Oscar's Trashcan was surprisingly easy."

"You're not half as surprised as I am fur-face. Now what's all this racket about a Playground?"

Playgrounds are basically locations that act similarly to Costumes in the Muppets RPG but in a way can do even more. Essentially, all the props and more you need for various adventures are back at your Playground. However, all the items must follow a certain theme. There is no problem with a loose interpretation of a theme but a Spaceship would be unlikely to contain a Magic Wand for example, without a really cool reason of course.

There are two kinds of Playgrounds, Personal and Community.

To obtain a Personal Playground you need to spend five Sunny Days. Once created, it is yours and all the other Props and Costumes you obtain can be kept in your Playground regardless of how strange it may seem. Oscar's Trashcan contains an Olympic sized swimming pool, a piano, his pet elephant Fluffy and, at least in my mind, somewhere to park his car, the Sloppy Jalopy.

To create a Community Playground, at least two characters must give up four Sunny Days each. If more than five characters are involved, each needs only spend three Sunny Days. All the characters involved in the creation of a Community Playground can keep their stuff there (Props, Costumes) and the location is assumed to be slightly bigger to accommodate multiple characters.

In addition, for each character connected to the Playground, it (the Playground that is) can produce one Bonus Die Prop per session. Alternatively, it can make one +1 item and one +2 item, or three +1 items.

Personal Playgrounds from Sesame Street include Big Bird's Nest and Oscar's Trash Can. Possibly even Elmo's World!

Community Playgrounds can range from small, two character places like Bert & Ernie's Apartment or Luis and Maria's Fix-It Shop to Hooper's Store!





"Yeah I tried to lift that one but it was a bit tough. Not heavy so much as awkward."

"Right. Well, I think I got my idea across. Couldn't have done it without you Super Grover. I mean, Super Grover 2.0."

"Glad to be of service."

"That sounds kinda fun. Now then, since you're so glad to be of service, do me the service of putting my trash can back where it belongs!"





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Barking Alien



Muppet Quotes

Kermit the Frog: "Hi ho there. This is Kermit the Frog and I'm here to find out why Oscar the Grouch likes public television."
Oscar the Grouch: "I don't like public television!"
Kermit the Frog: "How about live concerts?"
Oscar the Grouch: "I prefer recorded concerts on badly scratched records."
Kermit the Frog: "How about movie classics in the original black and white without interruptions?"
Oscar the Grouch: "I prefer colorized versions with lots and lots of commercial interruptions!"

Here's A Sesame Street News Flash!

Playgrounds were originally called Locations, then Bases (As in 'Base' in a game of tag), then dropped, then added back as Locations in the first rules sets I did for a Sesame Street game. Erin Palette helped me come up with the name Playgrounds by first suggesting 'Play Areas'.

Did you honestly think I would do a Sesame Street RPG blog that didn't include a least one shot of Mr. Hooper? Come on now.

Getting down to the wire, eh? A bit less than two weeks left on this Month! How am I going to fit everything in? We'll see. It's going to be fun trying.

B is for Bonus

Super Grover painting by comic book artist extraordinaire Alex Ross

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Barking Alien

Muppet Quotes

Grover: "Remember this, kids, it is very important. Even if your mommy makes you a super hero costume, do not attempt to do any of these things, especially flying. Because you cannot do it. You do not have super powers. Because there is only one Super Grover. And that is me."

Here's A Sesame Street News Flash!

This painting was commissioned by Palisades Toys to adorn the box containing the limited edition Super Grover action figure. Originally, this was intended to be the first in a line of Sesame Street figures but the license and company both went south for various reasons, leaving a void in the hearts of collectors everywhere. The Super Grover figure is very sweet though.

Smarter Than A Speeding Bullet

"Welcome to Charlie's Restaurant sir. I am Grover and I will be your waiter today. May I recommend the Alphabet Soup. It is both tasty and educational."

"Grover! Thank goodness I found you. It's me, Adam. I need Super Grover's help."

"Super Grover? What would I, loveable, furry, little Waiter Grover know about this amazing, superhero? I may know someone who knows him but..."

"OK, fine. Who? Who knows him?"

"A customer of mine. Grover Kent."


"Seriously?"

"Why would I kid you?"

"OK, where do I find this Grover Kent?"

"He's sitting in a booth by the window."

"Grover, that's imposs..."

(Looks around and Grover has disappeared. Over by the window Adam sees...)





"Wow. OK. Mr. Kent, a word if you would..."


"Kumquat."


"Yes, that...is a word. Mr. Kent, I'll be frank. I need Super Grover's help. Can you get a hold of him for me."

"I am just a mild mannered doorknob salesman but I'll see what I can do...Frank is it? Wait out front Frank."...

It really doesn't make much sense in the context of Sesame Street to use ideas like Upstaging and Stealing The Show. When a character learns something (or teaches something to another character) and improves their A-B-C's, what do they do with all those Sunny Days?

Well, they can spend them to get extra dice to add to their next roll just like in the regular Muppets game. Now if they spend all five Sunny Days, which is the most you'll have at once, you can 'Sweep The Clouds Away'. Similar to Stealing the Show but both more practical and more powerful. When a character Sweeps The Clouds Away they can undo one major stroke of bad luck. This could mean they find the lost dog, know where Luis left the keys to the Fix-It Shop, figure out the perfect gift for Oscar's Birthday, etc. Here's the catch...

First, Sweep The Clouds Away can solve the problem at hand but never the entire adventure.

Second, You can only Sweep The Clouds Away for someone else.

Sweep The Clouds Away can never be used to solve your own problem. It can only be used to help someone in need. This is much more in line with the feel of Sesame Street and contrasts Stealing The Show which all about you hogging all the glory (my apologies to Miss Piggy for the unintentional 'hog' pun).

Now in regards the solving the problem and not the adventure...

You find the lost dog but still need to get it back to its owner.
You know where Luis left his keys but need to go get them and make it back to the shop in time to open. You figure out the perfect gift for Oscar's Birthday but still have to get it.

Sweep The Clouds Away can overcome a major hurdle but it can never be a 'push the button, save the day' action.

A few other things you can do...

Each episode (that is, game session) is Sponsored by two letters and a number, though you can change this if you wish. If gaming with younger kids, whatever you decide to use, try to be consistent. If you use two numbers and a letter, try to keep that up for a while. If you prefer three letters and two numbers, that's cool but continue to do so.

Now, each player may, once per game, substitute The Number of The Day for his or her dice in a Specialty (remember, that's the Sesame Street name for a Shtick). So, let's say The Number of The Day is 6. If you want to replace your Specialty of Kite Flying-2 with a Kite Flying of 6 so your Kite can get Ernie's Frisbee out of a tree you would say, "I'd like to use The Number of The Day, the number 6!" and then tell the Director what you're using it for.

Now, as for the other uses of Sunny Days...

If you spend 2 Sunny Days you can gain an Exploding Die instead of a regular added die when using a word, any word, that starts with one of The Letters of The Day. In this example let's say that the episode was brought to you by D and R. You spend 2 Sunny Day points and say you're adding an Exploding Die to your Kite Flying Specialty of 2 because you're 'Rescuing and Recovering' Ernie's Frisbee.

Used in combination, The Letters of the Day and The Numbers of The Day are powerful stuff.

"Powerful indeed! I, Super Grover, am impressed by the might of these letters and numbers. I shall consider them allies in my fight for justice."





"Super Grover! Finally! I'm so glad you're here. I need help telling everyone about a special part of my Sesame Street RPG."


"If I can help I will stranger-I-have-never-met-before."


"It's me A...Adam. My name is Adam, Super Grover."


"OK Adam...I thought it was Frank...OK...What is this special part you need help with."


"I need to explain....Playgrounds."


"What, pray tell, is a 'Playground' in your game?"

(Whispers into Super Grover's ear)


"Wubba wubba that's a toughy. I think we may need to upgrade for this one."


"You mean...?"


"Yes...Super Grover 2.0!"


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Barking Alien



Muppet Quotes

"Smarter than a speeding bullet.
Furrier than a locomotive.
Able to leap tall sandwiches in a single bound.
Look...up in the sky!
It's an eggplant.
It's a meatball.
No!
It's Super Grover!"
-Sesame Street, 1984


Here's A Sesame Street News Flash!

Like the Pigs in Space post, I've been wanted to do a post on Super Grover forever. This one isn't as 'about him' as some of the follow-ups you're going to see but I worked really hard on the dialog so it would be just right for my main monster.

Gone now, sadly, due to damage from a move, is a Muppet like puppet of my own construction I named Addison. He was essentially a yellow, Grover looking thing with a slightly more conical head, a red nose and bushy eyebrows. I intend to remake him one of these days and when I do I'll most the images on my blog.

Originally I identified the Muppet Quote above as coming from 1974. That was not correct. Super Grover first appeared in 74' but the dialog is from 84'.

A is for Anything

."Hmmm...Pardon me sir but I was wondering if I could get in on this 'Role Playing Game' you speak of?"

"Why sure. Everybody is welcome to play. Here's a character sheet."

"Hey there that looks like fun! Got one for me too?"

"Definitely. The more the merrier. Here you go."

"Hi, I'm a bunny who just happens to look a lot like the two guys you just spoke to. Can I play?"

"Why of course...wait a second. You are the same guy! Aren't you?"

"Heheh. Mr. Adam, he's an Anything Muppet."

"Yeah. Sorry I tried to fool you. I just wanted more characters to play than anyone else."

"Well, that's ok. I forgive you. Everybody plays multiple characters in most Muppets games anyway."

"They do?"

"Sure! Check this out..."

...

An Anything Muppet is similar to its Whatnot cousin but also quite different in many aspects.

Whatnots, while modifiable, are generally single Muppets with set features that can be adjusted and redressed for various parts. There is only one of each Whatnot, giving them some uniqueness in their default form.

An Anything Muppet is customizable to the point where it can be a Rabbit one day, a Person another day and a Twiddlebug the next. Often there are multiple copies of a particular style of Anything Muppet. Sometimes there are variants on a single style, such as a large round headed blue Muppet (used to make 'Fat Blue', the customer seen in all of the Waiter Grover sketches) who comes in a hand and rod version and a live hand version.

What does this mean for the game? Well, creating an Anything Muppet is similar to creating a Whatnot except all Specialties are Temporary. You give them to the Anything Muppet when you need to use the Anything Muppet. Also, it would be cool to draw the Anything Muppets in a way that you could remove the eyes, noses and such and replace them whenever you want to. Not sure how to do that exactly but ideas include reusable stickers, Colorforms, made the heads and parts out of play-doh, use magnets and a magnet board or (maybe best of all) draw them on a dry erase board.

This got me to thinking...

In the Sesame Street variation of the game, why not have each player choose to play one Person, a Human Cast Member that is, a troupe of say, 3-5 Customs and then leave a pile of index cards with Anything Muppets on them that can be picked up and played as needed. Anythings are much less viable as character then the Whatnots are but could still be a fun part of the Muppet RPG experience. Remember, there are Anything Monsters too!

Hmm...I suppose the Honkers and the Dingers could work this way too unless you wanted to elevate one to main character status.

...

"Hi Everyone!"

"Hey guys Big Bird's back and he brought Snuffy, Zoe and Rosita."

"Hola mis amigos!"

"This is fantastic! Elmo, Telly, you guys fill everyone in on what we've covered so far. I'm going to need some super help with the next part."

"We'll try but...where are you going to get to 'super' help?"

"When you need super help on Sesame Street there is only one place to turn..."

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Barking Alien

Muppet Quotes

Fat Blue: (in Grover's taxi) "I do not want to go to the museum, I do not want to go the movies, I do not want to go to the zoo! I want YOU to drive ME to the library!"
Grover: "Gladly, sir. If you do not mind waiting."
Fat Blue: "Waiting? Waiting for what?"
Grover: "'Til I get my car fixed. It is broken."
Fat Blue: "I can't wait 'til your car is fixed. I'm in a hurry!"
Grover: "Oh alright, sir, if you are going to be difficult."
Grover: (Yells out) "Hey, Herry! Forget the garage. We need to go to the library!"
Fat Blue: "But I'm in a hurry. Hey...?"
Grover: "Well in that case I shall call you a taxi."
Grover: "Taxi! Taxi, we got a library job! Taxi! They never stop when you need them. Have you ever noticed that?"

Here's A Sesame Street News Flash!

The Muppet for Rosita originally had extra material that made her arms resemble wings. Her original name was Rosita, la Monstrua de las Cuevas or Rosita, The Monster of the Caves. She is one of my favorite of the 'newer' Sesame Street Monsters, though she was actually introduced in 1991.

I like Elmo but, I nust confess, I don't love Elmo. I'm liking the character more in recent years as the producers and creative staff of Sesame Street have toned down the character's considerable over exposure and given more screen time to other characters I like more, such as Telly, Cookie, and of course Grover.