All I Want For Christmas

Or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus or whatever appropriate gift giving holiday comes around that you find worth celebrating.

Honestly the only thing I could possibly want is an easier and more enjoyable next year as compared to this year for my friends, family and myself.

Now, addressing the statement as it relates to gaming...

I find myself wanting two things very much...

First, to run some fantasy something. Obviously I've been talking about it quite a bit lately but I still can't seem to lock down my ideas for a new setting and campaign concept. That may well be because...

Secondly, I really, really want to get back to Sci-Fi. It stuns me that I call this blog Barking Alien and I haven't run a decent, long term Science-Fiction game in forever. I honestly can't remember exactly. It's been over six years since my top notch Traveller campaign 'Trojan Horses'. While I've had several failed attempts at Star Trek, I haven't run an ongoing Trek campaign since the early 2000's (probably a good 10 years almost). That is just straight up wrong people.

How to rectify this situation? No sure.

See, my Champions game is going so well that the guys involved want to play it whenever we get the chance. Since we don't get the chance to game as often as we did even 6 months ago, free time is Champions time. Truth be told it's hard to argue with that thinking.

Still, I would love to get the opportunity to run something else. I am eager to return to either Traveller or Star Trek or try something newer like Stars Without Number. I would love to get in a session of my personal D&D-But-Not game, even if it's in my old setting.

Seems today's post amounts to little more then weekend musings of a rather unconstructive nature. Oh well. Seems just to be the way of things these days.

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Barking Alien

OK, wait...if I were really on the subject of things I want Santa to bring me how's this...a new edition of Mekton, Teenagers from Outer Space or a Star Trek RPG. How about the guys with the Star Wars license do a Star Wars game. Green Ronin, any chance the next DC Adventures book will come out before DC Comics reboots again?

Come on game industry! I am not buying games these days, not just because I'm broke but because you are not making anything I want. I don't play D&D. Can someone, ANYone make something interesting? Geez!

My Trouble With Sci-Fi Games...Picking One

I am having a bit of difficulty deciding which Sci-Fi game to run for my group. All I know is I want to create alien worlds, populate them with strange and wondrous life forms, enjoy epic space battles and explore the human condition (or its extraterrestrial equivalent in the case of alien PCs).

What game does that? Well in reality, all of them.

So how do I decide what's best for us? Honestly I am really not sure and could sure use some suggestions. But first...

I've ruled out Star Trek* because I kind of want something a bit more free-wheeling. I don't want to the PCs to have to work for Starfleet or any particular organization at the start of the game. I want them to do what they want to do and go where they want to go.

"But Adam, you can let them play smugglers, pirates and other non-Starfleet people in the Star Trek universe!"

Yes. Yes I could. I could also hammer in a nail with a shoe. It might work but its not the best tool for the job or the best use of my time. Also, the first time you play Star Wars, you want to be a Jedi or have the Force. Otherwise you want to be a Bounty Hunter or a Smuggler. Why? Because these are special features of the Star Wars setting. You'd want to be a Jedi because you can't be one in other Sci-Fi games which don't have Jedi.

To me, you play Star Trek so you can be part of Starfleet, operate Starfleet ships, use Starfleet equipment, etc. If you're going to not do these things, play Traveller or some other RPG where Starfleet isn't what's special.

Now, back to the issue at hand...system and to a much lesser extent, setting.

I just reread Stars Without Number and while there is a lot I like about it, I'm looking to play a different system, something a tad less old school. I want either a more innovative mechanic or just one that doesn't feel like D&D meets Traveller. Why? I'm odd in that I don't want to play the same system all the time. I want different games/campaigns to feel differently and even though it seems superficial on the surface, I've noticed that rolling the bones in a different manner then they're used to actually changes my players mind sets a bit. It's like, "Oh, in Champions you roll 3D6 and need to get under the target number? Wow, this isn't Mutants & Masterminds that's for sure." As I've said I'm big into atmosphere, style and feel and every little bit helps.

I am curious to see the new X-Plorers but I feel the same issue will be had there. It's too D&D like. I am running a vaguely D&D game with the kids at the Learning Center Sunday. I think my take is different enough but still, I want to avoid consuming the same taste too often less I get bored of it.

Traveller. It seems to be the 800 pound Altairian Gorilla in the room. I talk about running it, I reread it periodically, I look at articles and blog posts about it online but I haven't run it in forever. Why? Similar reasons to the above? Not quite. While very old school it's different enough from what we've been playing of late to seem new, especially to many of my current players who are unfamiliar with Traveller. It's a definite possibility. So why haven't I simply decided to go with it?

Well, part of it is that my last foray into running Traveller didn't go over well. I was out of practice and my group was...well I was running for a group I didn't know and who didn't know me and I don't think we quite managed to merge our styles into something cohesive. Pity. Nice bunch of guys. Still talk to one of them regularly, Doug, as he's a member of NerdNYC and just a hell of a nice fellow. Another used to visit here off and on. If you read this I hope all is well with you.

In the end, I know what's coming or at least I do now that I've written this (blogging can be very helpful that way). I'm very likely to go with Traveller, a bit houseruled to allow it to move a bit faster and smoother.

Suggestions are of course welcome. Let you know what I decide as soon as I figure it out.

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Barking Alien

*To say I've ruled out running Star Trek is to say...OK, I haven't ruled out running Star Trek. I'd love to get back to Star Trek. I was hoping to try a more open ended, sandboxy thing first.

Traveller vs. Star Trek. Tonight, live on pay-per-view. :)

Also: Thanks to a comment by Luis M. Rebollar, I can identify the artist of the image above as Luca Oleastri. I highly recommend checking out his work. Awesome stuff.

Best Buy...In

In a recent comment on my blog Zak S. said,

"The new school ethos you represent requires everybody be very serious about the fiction that the game creates."

To which Velaran said in my defense of sorts,

"Plenty of his previous posts would seem to say otherwise. BA seems to like a lot of games across the genre spectrum. 'Fiction'? Saying a game generates 'fiction' (rather than anecdotes or memories, whatever...) sounds kinda fringe 'New School-y', don't it?"

I wouldn't be so quick to discount what Zak S. is saying here. As a matter of fact, he is on to something that is further illustrated by my latest failed attempt at testing out a new campaign idea. I throw fish at porcupines until one sticks. Its frustrating but at least I'm not a fish or a porcupine.

The games I run do require a bit more of a buy-in to the universe and/or genre I'm covering then I think most old school and even some new school GMs ask of their players. In many cases, I don't care if you're familiar with the subject's specifics as long as you 'get' what I (and the rest of the group) are trying to create, a shared world to set our games in.

For example, I've said numerous times that you don't have to be a Star Trek fan to play in one of my Star Trek RPG games. If you are, hurray for you, as you'll love all the Easter Eggs and side references I throw in for guys and gals like us. Rarely will knowledge of a given episode or element be mandatory to accomplish the goals of the adventure/mission.

Its not important that you know DC Comics if I am running a 4-Color Superheroes game, even one set in the DC universe. It is important (vitally so) that you understand you're going to be in a 4-color campaign and not a gritty Iron Age one.

Today, I tried running a modified version of Starships & Spacemen, largely inspired by the one run by E. T. Smith at RECESS in NY. Another major influence however was my desire to get a new side Science Fiction game started and to make sure I've given every Space Adventure game ever made a fighting chance to prove itself. Stars Without Number...you're up next.

Now I did make some changes from Smith's version and the classic incarnation. I tried to expand the game into more 'Next Generation And Beyond' territory since that is the Star Trek style mode preferred by many of my players. At the same time, I wanted to keep the old school mechanics and the Sandbox feel that Smith was so good at portraying in the game I played it. Somehow, none of this worked.

Why? Well for starters, the buy-in price was a bit too high. I'm asking a bunch of new school, tech loving, serious business, setting fans to play an old school, limited gear, slightly tongue-in-cheek*, sandbox style game. Not my best plan ever to be certain.

While the idea of a sandbox game is something that sounds good going in, many of my players**, including and especially my good friend Dave, are setting junkies. They need a good setting to get into a game. Telling them that are going to play a Space Adventure game or a Star Trek like universe gets some nods and "ok"s. Staying your going to run Star Trek, Star Wars, 'canon' Traveller or Galaxy Quest is met with enthusiasm. When I asked, "But you wanted to play in my D&D-But-Not world and that's sort of Sandboxy. How come?" I was told, "All the stories you've told us about it from your old groups make us feel like we know enough to want to play there."

It's not about a licensed world or even a familiar one. Its, for many of them, about a world/universe with a history, theme or overarching idea they can learn and get behind. I can understand where they are coming from to some extent but I do miss the world-build-as-you-go style we use to have in our games.

As Dave put it, "I'm about the setting. Supers is one of my favorite genres but tell me Supers and it doesn't excite me. What kind of Supers? What's the world like? Who are the major players? I need to know a bit more then just the genre to get me pumped."

For the most part this is not true for me. Tell me we're running Supers and I'm excited. I love Superhero games. Tell me we're playing TFOS and I'm beside myself. I sometimes find too much setting stifling. World of Darkness drove me away with that years ago (except Changeling: The Dreaming which is just so cool).

RIFTS is therefore popular while I dislike RIFTS.

What is the best buy-in? How do you balance sandbox and predetermined setting? Can you get players excited about a world without giving away too much of it?

I will ponder this some and we shall reconvene. Until then.

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Barking Alien

*To say tongue-in-cheek may not be quite right. There is however a certain degree of parody felt when playing Starships & Spacemen. You know you're in a no-frills Star Trek.

**Many of my players but not all. Specifically, none of my NJ players or players who are part of that extended group (including my ex-wife Selina). These people are eager to discover and build a setting as the game is played. Having a known setting is fine with them but they excel at contributing to the world building process bit by bit as the campaign progresses.

Paging Dr. McCoy

I'm sick.

I'm pretty sure it's Altairian Chest Flu. I could be wrong. I'm a gamemaster, not a doctor.
Like much of the blogosphere, I am taking the opportunity (between bouts of passing out) to look through the World Creation rules/mechanics of Stars Without Number.

I've got to say, I like them. I'm not normally all that enamoured by random charts but sometimes, certain ones are fun and do inspire ideas. I would want to expand the Tech Level list a bit. It's also customized for the setting of the game which I'm not as into (I'd prefer to create mine own background).

The idea of the tags, similar in someways to Tags and Aspects in FATE related systems, is very useful here, helping to paint a picture more thoroughly than can be done with 'Breathable Atmosphere, Cold Temperature' etc.

That's all I can say right now. Feel like crap. Maybe not as good as crap. I strive to improve my status and feel like crap actually.

Hasn't McCoy cured the common cold yet?

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Barking Alien

Class Action

More thoughts on Classes for Aliens & Astrobases...

To me, the concept of a Class in an RPG falls into three main areas:

Class as Iconic Profession

This is the default D&D/D20/Palladium, etc. idea of classes. These are basically jobs that are easily and often boldly defined by looking to our favorite characters in the fiction of the genre. Conan is a Fighter or a Barbarian, Gandalf is a Wizard, Aragon is a Ranger, etc.

This is my least favorite interpretation as these Classes are often (though not always) given less customization options and don't define some of the genre's more unusual characters. Elric is not exactly a Wizard and he can fight with a bad ass sword. Gray Mouser is a Thief who also know some magic. You get what I'm saying.

Class as Templated Skill Set

This is sort of the 'Class-that-isn't-a-Class' system used by D6 Star Wars, ICON and FASA Star Trek (Decipher's CODA feels like a cross between this and the Iconic Profession which is why I'm not as keen on that game*), numerous modern and military themed RPGs and even to some degree point based systems like Mutants & Masterminds and Champions.

Now that wouldn't be standard for the latter two but both give you the option of using a template or purchasing a package of abilities where the math is already done for you. For Champions/HERO System, this is much more popular in its spin offs like Fantasy Hero and Star Hero so everyone who wants to play an Elf or a particular alien species can simply purchase the same package.

Class as Classification

Now this one is something I've been thinking about for years and years. The word Class in this context always makes me think of a classification or a type. So the job or profession of Fighter, Paladin, Cavalier or Barbarian would all fall under the 'Class' of Fighting Man for example. Wizard, Cleric, Druid and Sorceror would called be considered Magic Users.

I can't think of any RPGs that do it quite this way off the top of my head but I'm certain I remember encountering this idea before. If you guys can think of any let me know.

What am I getting at with this? Well how about the following Classes for Aliens & Astrobases:

Academic

Combatant

Contact

Enigma

Tech

In addition to two 'special' Classes

Alien

Robot

What you have here is the character that thinks (Academic - Int - Mental character), the character that fights ( Combatant - Con - Physical character), the character that interacts (Contact - Cha - Social character), the character the does (Tech - Wis - 'Skill' or Capable character) and the wild card (Enigma - Dex? - More about abilities than stats - this is the Psionic/Cyborg character).

To this Class you get to add a Profession or job that gives you one special ability or skill like ability and gives you some variation. Professions might include Pilot, Explorer, Medic, etc. There for you could play a Combatant Medic, a Combatant Pilot, an Enigma Soldier, a Contact Explorer or what-have-you. Its a bit like Stars Without Number but simplified, paired down and yet I may expand the use of the base Classes to make them more distinct.

Any thoughts? Back to Star Trek...

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Barking Alien

*I must say that while Decipher's Star Trek game isn't my forte', I think their Lord of the Rings RPG is somewhat underrated. The CODA system works much better for that game and it was pretty cool to run. If only Decipher as a company had had some clear idea of what the heck it was doing with its RPG lines....

OSR - Outer Space Redux

First off, I've got to level with you. The last few days have been rough.

The Holiday largely stank, I'm just getting over a cold and I'm feeling those end of the year blues.

Of course, this is the time my mind decides is just picture perfect for a huge spurt of creativity. When I read over my last few posts I find them far to chaotic and unfocused. There are some cool ideas in there, but I'm not really selling them, or getting the point across.

The same thing can be said of some recent comments I made on other game blogs. I stand by what I said, but I wish I had explained myself more eloquently. One specific point I'd like to rectify was my mention of the RPG Stars Without Number.

Some may have gleaned from my post that I didn't think it was a good game. That couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, I think it's an extremely good Science Fiction RPG, and quite well done. It reminds me a bit of my favorite RPG (well, one of my top three), the ICON System version of Star Trek by Last Unicorn Games. And therein lies the problem.

The game is too modern to convince me it is an OSR compatible Science Fiction game inspired by D&D. Its (and I don't mean to be facetious) too well put together. It makes almost too much sense the way they went about it. It needs to feel more clunky, arbitrary and odd. It doesn't need to really be those things, but it needs to generate that kind of vibe.

What I think an OSR Sci-Fi/Space Opera RPG should be like may well be impossible to make. Maybe it shouldn't be done. Honestly, I'm almost looking forward to a game I wouldn't play. Not really of course...but sort of.

To that end I issue myself a challenge! I, Adam Dickstein, will create an Old School, D&D inspired, Science Fiction/Space Opera RPG and save it to PDF by the First of the Year! Yes, racing rocket fans you heard (-pst-read-) er, read correctly. I give my lazy, candy ass 1 week to put my money where my mouth is and make Aliens and Astrobases available to the online viewing public. It'll be a nice practice run before I complete my real RPG project sometime in March. Who knows? Might have a hit and have to do a sellable version. Damn, but that would be funny, no?

Anyway, a few disclaimers...First and foremost, it might be very, very bad. Second, it will be an unplaytested game so it may have numerous flaws I don't even know about. Play it and send my feed back. It will have art but not a lot and not the best. I'll likely be using assorted old sketches from my previous Sci-Fi campaigns. Lastly, it will beg, borrow and steal heavily from Swords & Wizardry, Jeff Rients, SRS Basic* and numerous other places. I said I was going to do it in a week. I didn't say it was going to be super original or mind-blowing. This is more of an excercise in "Can Adam make the Old School feel, Sci-Fi RPG he always imagined TSR should've created but didn't."

It will be free to download but if you decide to use it as a substitute life support system device for intelligent, plant based aliens, I will have to charge you.

Comment, questions, words of encouragement and even the shaking of your heads is welcome.

I better get cracking!

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Barking Alien

*SRS Basic is the Basic version of the 'Standard Roleplaying System', the house engine used by Japanese tabletop RPG company FarEast Amusement Research (F.E.A.R.) for all of their games.

P.S. - Zak S of the forever awesome 'Playing D&D with Pornstars' and I are having a difference of opinion. Nothing hostile. I appreciate where Zak is coming from as I too came from there some 20 something years ago. It is a cool place to be. It rocks. Now I am largely here and here.

P.S.S. And speaking of there, I mean here, I mean...screw it. Look at this. Apocalypse World will change the way so wake up in the morning, go to sleep at night and enjoy spending time with your significant other. And I am understating how *&#^ing cool it is.