TOON - ZOONATICS

In order to provide context to my next 3w Day Character Challenge entry, I think it's finally time to post a Campaigns I Have Known installment covering one of the greatest games I've ever done.

This one defies all logic [except its own]. It goes against what makes sense to most gamers - a long term [Semi-Dark] Comedy campaign with strong player 'buy-in' and immersion. 

'Here's Our Show (It's really funny!)

Here's Our Show (It's how we get our kicks!)

Here's Our Show (It better make us some money!)

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Zoonatics!

Here's Our Host, Jekyl the Jackal,

Trouble Won't Leave Him Alone.

His Nemesis is The Killer Emu,

Heir to the Dinosaur Throne!

His Sidekick is Uhaul the Rhino,

There's Manny the Mannequin Bird.

There's a Frog and a Toad and a Ninja Zebra*,

After that it just gets absurd. 

Here's Our Show (It's really funny!)

Here's Our Show (Sometimes we take our licks!)

Here's Our Show (It better make us some money!)

Without further adieu its The Zoonatics!'

Campaigns I Have Known

Proudly Presents...

ZOONATICS

Title: Zoonatics

System: Toon, Steve Jackson Games. Houseruled (See below).

Circa: 1993 (I believe)

Gamemaster: Me.

Like playing the AI in a Red Dwarf campaign, I was both the GM and an active Player Character here. In fact, I rarely Gamemastered in the traditional sense. I think this was the first time I had done this and I would later adopt a similar approach when running my homebrewed The Muppet Show game. Obviously I suggest going this way in The Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show if playing in a setting where there is an announcer, host, or Master of Ceremonies type of character.

It was extremely freeing to just act in character and make references to a possible story or adventure and see where the players take it. I honestly miss that.

Player Base: The players in this game were a collection of various friends from what I tend to refer to as 'The NJ Group'. Said group has changed and shifted its membership over the years as friends have come and gone. 

This outing featured about five regulars other than myself: Allen, Lynn, Martin, Nelson, and Anna. Others came in and out in 'Guest Star' roles. These players included Beverly, Phil, and Big J. There was a roughly even mix of male and female participants, of a variety of ethnicities, the major being older than myself by two or three years. I was in my early 20s.  

Origins: It's genesis was somewhat accidental. My friends and I were at the house of an aquaintence (a sort of mecca for much of the fandom/nerd crowd we knew) discussing the [then] brand new Warner Bros. animated series Animaniacs, which had come on the tail end (all puns intended) of Tiny Toon Adventures.

For no particular reason I went into this first-person riff where I pretended to be Jekyll the Jackal, host of a children's variety TV show (animated was the implication but never stated outright) who was putting the first episode together as it aired. I gave Jekyl an accent both Latin and Slavic, making it sound like his name was either Jekyll the Jekyll or Jackal the Jackal as I pronounced the two words nearly identically. As I went on I spoke directly to the 'audience' but not necessary to any one friend present, clearly breaking the fourth wall. 

Then What Happened?:

I did a number of very odd things to give Jekyll more character, such as make references to the 'behind-the-scenes' staff of the show (Denise the Stage Manager, Joe the Cameraman, and Andrea in Craft Services were mentioned most often), talk about his admirations for Abraham Lincoln (leading to one of the best, organically forming running gags EVER to come from one of my games), and the fact that unlike 'that silly Coyote', everytime you think Jekyll has been crushed by a rockside, run over by the stage cleaning machine, or blowtorched by the Killer Emu, it wasn't him. Of course not, he's the Star of the Show! Jekyll has people for that! There's a group of Stunt Jackals who all look nearly identical to him and are paid to get injured instead of their boss.

Next I started going on about auditions for other parts on 'the show' and my friend Martin stepped up as Uhaul, a Rhinoceros who was going for the part of Sidekick/Co-Host. We interacted and ad libbed the idea that the 'part' was that of a dumb sidekick, while Uhaul was a formally trained Shakespearean actor, thoroughly mortified that he'd been reduced to taken such a role. He read for it and then almost walked out until I said, "There are no small parts, yes? Only small actors.". Looking him up and down - Martin was a head or more taller than me and we assumed the same scale between Uhaul and Jekyll - I added, "And you my Rhino friend are NOT a small actor!".

After having Uhaul except the job, Martin has a true stroke of genius and introduced a new character, simply called 'The Emu'. The Emu was there for the part of Master of Ceremonies. He wanted to be the host of the show. Jekyll informs him the HE, Jekyll the Jackal is the host. We already have that thank you. Martin goes full melodramatic villain, whipping a black cape he found around him and declaring "You have made a grave error this day Jackal the Jackal! From today forward I shall be your arch-nemesis. I am now the bane of your existence! I shall not rest until you and your show are totally destroyed! Call me, 'The KILLER EMU!'! Muwa-hahahahaha!" He then ran into the kitchen leaving everyone, myself included, laughing hysterically. 

He also opened the flood gates. Nelson starts mimming a silent Zebra who we would later learn was a ninja. He could flawlessly (kind of) disguise himself as any Black and White animal. The new sound guy who's a Panda, that Penguin messager from yesterday, this skunk fella over here...all the Ninja Zebra! He had a tell though; he was easily distinguished by the can of Coca-Cola he always had in hand regardless of his form.

Lynn become Flamingo Rose, femme fatale singer, dancer, spy, and love interest of both Jekyll and The Killer Emu, with the latter hiring her to get intel on our Jackal host.

 

Ludwig and Livingston

Allen was Ludwig W. Wombat, host of a Wildlife Show-within-the show segment, 'The Wombat Walkabout' with his assistant, a Puffin named Livingston who only spoke in small, soft caw/chirp sounds. The two had a very Bunsen and Beaker vibe. Ludwig would come upon some ferocious animal, describe their environment and behavior, make it sound extremely dangerous, then tell Livingston to, "see if you can wake the Orca and ask if we can interview him. Go on now." Ludwig's voice was...I can only describe it as an Middle Aged Australian English Professor on Safari. 

There were rival talk show hosts, The Frog and The Toad patterned after Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon. Someone was a Possum Maintenance Worker always complaining about the 'Higher Ups' and working conditions and invoking his Union membership whenever he could. There was this Toucan, I wish I could remember his name; an easy going fella who sang and joked with a Caribbean Island accent (patterned after Bob Marley for the most part and a little like the Muppets Tonight host character Clifford - originally created for the Jim Henson Hour.).

I myself added The Killer Emu's sidekick Manny the Mannequin Bird (one of my all time favorite characters I've ever played! Inspired by Marcie from the Peanuts). Although the Killer Emu hated Jekyll, the latter couldn't be bothered to even remember who the Killer Emu was most of the time. Meanwhile Uhaul and Manny were on very good terms, often described eating with each other or playing chess in the background in some scenes. 

I thought this was an RPG campaign

We improved this whole thing for over an hour until we couldn't speak from laughing so hard. I looked up to notice others in the house watching and laughing along; a true audience! Finally, someone off to the side said, "Is this a game? WHY ISN"T THIS A GAME!". I looked over at Martin and Nelson to see they were looking at me with a questioning expression. Lynn did the same, nodding and wiping tears from her eyes. 

And so it became one. I wrote up everything in Toon, though I'll admit to being even looser with the mechanics than Toon already is. The rules had to support the improv and not the other way around. 

Highlights:

There were several re-occurring sketches/skits such as Animal General (an 80s style Soap Opera), Good Cop, Boar Cop (Police Drama Parody), Great Birds of the Galaxy (All Avian Space Adventurers), And Then You Add Bamboo (a Cooking Show featuring a Red Panda that always adds Bamboo to every dish), and the aforementioned Wombat Walkabout. These along with the Killer Emu constantly trying to destroy or take over the show and/or kill Jekyll and Jekyll's Lincoln themed outro.

Every 'episode' ended with me as Jekyll saying, "And remember kids, if Lincoln were alive today...", followed by some humorous, sometimes odd or morbid, statement. Examples include:

"If Lincoln were alive today...that would be impressive. He'd dead you know. Very dead."

"If Lincoln were alive today...he'd say, (in a muffled voice), "HELP! Open this box! HELP!"

"If Lincoln were alive today...the smell...I'm thinking the smell would be unbearable."

The best part is that I did this for the first few sessions but then one time I started to say it and when I got to, "If Lincoln were alive today...", and then Martin stepped in as Uhaul and said: "If Lincoln were aiive today, he'd likely be complaining of a headache at the very least." Another time Allen stepped in and did one. Then Lynn did it. Then Martin did one, Lynn did one, and Anastashia did one, all in the same session. 

I swear, one time two of my friends visited me at work in midtown Manhattan and sometime after they left my supervisor walked over and said he was about to head home for the day (he had the Opening Shift, I had the Closing Shift). He said, "Before I go I just want you to know...

If Lincoln were alive today...he'd be doing this", he proceeded to vibrate his right leg in spasms, "because he had that problem."

I stood there slack jawed. Completely and utterly dumbfounded before bursting into laughter. How?!? Who?!? He wasn't in my gaming group! How did he know about the gag??? Turned out he overhead my buddies doing it, laughed, asked where it was from and after they told him he was like, "Oh...I got one." Then he waited til his shift was over to deliver it to me. So well done! I tip my hat you sir, wherever you are.

Finally, there were hints, very subtle usually, that something about the entire Zoonatics 'show' was off somehow. There was something deeper and weirder going on. Over the course of the campaign, some of the players started to catch on and by the end (nearly) it finally clicked. I forget who figured it out but it was spoken aloud following a scene featuring Mr. Tycho, a Tiger.

The Tiger was a sponsor of the show. His supported it in an unclear way that was implied to be something like a key advertisers. We needed to key Mr. Tycho happy. He told everyone how much he liked the exciting sequences, thought the Soap Opera parody was too slow, loved it when Flamingo Rose did a song and dance number - "More of that! That's great entertainment!", and wanted more gazelles and deer on the show. All the while he paced back and forth. Well, I did. Back and forth. Back and forth. Sometimes leaning forward as I/Mor. Tycho spoke...

"Wait a sec...", one of the players started, "he's a tiger and he paces. He paces like a tiger in a zoo. In a...". All the players went wide-eyed and looked to one another. "A ZOO! Are we in a zoo? Is this a zoo? OMG! We...all these animals are animals in a zoo!"

"Denise...Joe...", said another player, 'they're not a Stage Manager and a Cameraman. They're Zookeepers! Maybe Denise is the Zoo's Manager but...Holy Sh**!" The player stood up, "Andrea...Craft Services...she feeds the animals! She's the Zookeeper that feeds the animals!"

"Now hold on...", said yet another participant. "What about the show? There's a show and I guess the kids in the audience are those children looking at us...through the bars? *Shudder* But...but...there is a show right? Or...is there no show at all? Are we all...crazy?"

"TYCHO! The Tiger is the key! He's pacing...he's definitely disturbed. And Jekyll...OMG. It's. like an insane asylum for beasts! A Zoo caring for crazy animals! We're All MAD!"

And there it was. My plan from the beginning. The idea behind the idea. I got honest applause from my group that day. Pats on the back. Like I said, one of my best campaigns ever. 

Legacy:

Many years later while I was developing my own TRPG, The Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show, my (now departed) friend Dave Cotton about Zoonatics, he said he didn't realize it was Toon that I had used. He said, "Whenever you've mentioned this game I always saw the characters as Puppets. It had to be live action for the Stage Director and other staff to make sense. Yeah, I pictured an animal kingdom themed Muppet Show."

As a result of that conversation, Zoonatics appears in the published TGEPPS books as one of the campaign examples, complete with character sheets for Jekyll, Uhaul (under the name Yuhall. It was also occaisionally written U-Haul), and Flamingo Rose. 

I think about this campaign all the time. If you search Zoonatics in the blogger search on the tool bar at the upper left (on desktop) you see a few references to the game, always promising to do a full write up of it. I'm happy to have finally done made this post. Felt good.

Now...a new, Second Edition of Toon is coming...could we see a Return of the Zoonatics?

Now that you know about Zoonatics, check out my next 31/31 Character...

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Barking Alien

Rock On!

They is, am, are, and be,

they who is and are known as

THE ELECTRIC MAYHEM!

Electric Mayhem - The Muppets Mayhem

Album Cover Art by Matt Taylor

I apologize for how long its taken me to cover the recent Disney+ Streaming Series The Muppets Mayhem, a ten episode series featuring the Muppets legendary rock band, The Electric Mayhem. 

Let me start by saying WOW! I absotively posilutely lovified this streamificated narrative of musical proportions. Heheh, channeling my inner Dr. Teeth there. Truthfully though, I am happy to say I really enjoyed it.

The Muppets Mayhem does a lot right. I would even go so far as to say it does what it sets out to do better than some of the previous attempts to 'modernize' the Muppets. How? Well, at the heart of what makes The Muppets Mayhem not just a great series but a great Muppets series is that this series embraces the fact that the Muppets are Muppets.

I...um...Say what now?

The laws of physics and other basic facts about our world change when the Muppets are around. They themselves can instantly change clothes, make items appear out of nowhere, get squashed, stretched, and of course, survive massive explosions. When Humans enter the presence of Muppets - and vice versa - the normal people become part of the Muppets' extraordinary reality. Forget that, ignore that, and you lose a great deal of the magic of the Muppets. The Muppets Mayhem doesn't shy away from this but rather embraces it. 

Well All Right!

On to a full-on Barking Alien-a-rific review...

SPOI-LERS! SPOI-LERS! SPOI-LERS!

Ha-Ha-Ha.

The GOOD

So much! The element that stands out the most to me is, as noted above, the Muppet-ness of the band and how the band interacts with the world they're in. It is both subtle and apparent and happens throughout the series. It isn't focused on but rather just happens as an aside to the scenes the Muppet characters are in. Clearly there are things that occur in the series solely because Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem are Muppets.

Another thing about the series that I loved was the detail and depth given to the characters. Each and every member of the band, including 'new' member Lips, is given time to shine and has some great moments dedicated to them. While not every character gets heavy character development, all the characters get the chance to stand out, to be distinct, to be funny, and to make the viewers feel like we got to know them. A very impressive feat given an aspect of the show that I'll discuss below (The BAD). 

I liked the Human characters, although I feel that not aspects of them were as well thought out as the personalities and traits of the Muppet characters. The thing is, if I came to the Muppets Mayhem series for the Muppets, the real life Humans had better be highly entertaining to warrant their presence in the show. I personally think that the Humans were handled quiet well in that respect. I liked when they were on screen and I really liked how they interacted with the Electric Mayhem. 

I liked the new Muppet character of Penny Waxman a lot. Not only is she a classic character type, a trope of the heyday of the 60s and 70s Music Industry, but she was also given enough unique quirks to make her memorable. I also really liked her design. 

The overall story was quite good, with the subplots given to the individual Mayhem members even stronger in many cases. Getting new reveals and realizations about these characters, some of which are nearly 50 years old, was extremely fun for a long time, die hard Muppets fan like myself. 

Finally, it was funny - REALLY FUNNY! Oh man, I found myself laughing out loud so many times throughout the season. The best part about the humor is that it wasn't all from cameos  or nostalgia - it was from the context of the narrative and the characters. That is amazing to see in modern pop culture entertainment. Yes, it had Easter Eggs. The series definitely made references to past Muppet works. All of that was simply icing on the cake. The cake definitely had a great flavor all its own. 

Oh, fer sure. Like, totally.

The BAD

There really wasn't anything I would deem bad but there were a few things that seemed off and it largely revolved around the Human characters, specifically the lead.

Nora Singh (played by actress Lilly Singh and that's not confusing) is the main Human protagonist, the assistant to Penny Waxman, owner of Wax Town Records. Her major character trait and focus seems to be her love of music, imparted to her by her father. According to references made during the show, including a specific one made by her sister, music has been Nora's life since she was little. This is why she got a job in the Record/Music Industry and why she wants to make a name for herself and Wax Town Records by getting the Electric Mayhem to cut their first album. 

OK, cool, I'm on board. Except...the writers are very inconsistent about Nora's relationship with music. In an inverse version of 'Show don't tell', we are repeatedly told that Nora loves classic rock n' roll (especially her dad's favorite song by Joe Cocker) but then gets the words to a famous KISS song incorrect, doesn't seem overly familiar with the Electric Mayhem, their history, inside info about the industry she's in, and has few if any contacts within the music business. I get it, she's young, struggling, an underdog to be sure, but she either knows music or doesn't and it's unclear which of these defining things is true. It repeatedly threw me off and I found it distracting. 

Maybe that's just me.

Huh?

The GROOVY

The music! It's actually good and some of it is very good but you don't get to hear many of the songs in their entirety in the episodes. You need to check out The Electric Mayhem - Muppets Mayhem album, available on Spotify as well as for purchase ON VINYL! Vinyl baby! 

I am particularly fond of Rock On and Gotta Be. 

Man, I am so inspired by this series to do something to honor it with my RPG, The Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show. Not sure what yet. Any ideas?

Mahb du da rit up oul da band stas 'em pote dem ere?

Lips, that's it! You are a genius brother. Thanks.

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Barking Alien

Hey everybody, one more thing before I split...

Could really use some help and support to keep the creative works coming as well as just get through the Summer months, which can be very tough for me and my business. If you like what I do and can lend a hand, check out my Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/barkingalien 

Thanks all. I really appreciate it. 

31 Days / 31 Characters - BLEEP - THE SPACE GUARDIAN

My fondness for this next character is deep. He is a combination of many things I truly love, such as Science Fiction, Comedy, and the Warner Brothers Cartoons of Fritz Freleng, Chuck Jones, and many others throughout the 1950s and 60s.

The main thing that makes BLEEP-THE SPACE GUARDIAN special however, is that he is second fiddle in his own campaign.

Character: BLEEP - THE SPACE GUARDIAN

Player: Adam Dickstein

System: Toon

 
Campaign: The Adventures of BLEEP - THE SPACE GUARDIAN!

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein 

Circa: 1986-1987

Origins: BLEEP was inspired by a number of things including my general love of Science Fiction, Comedy, Cartoons, and a newspaper comic strip by Bruce Drummond called Orbit. It wasn't the greatest strip but I really loved the art style and Orbit's design. 

Backstory: Very little of BLEEP - THE SPACE GUARDIAN's 'backstory' is revealed in the campaign. All we know is that he is one of an unknown number of other 'Space Guardians', each protecting their Space Sector from evil (much like the DC Comics Green Lantern Corps). 

One interesting element of the campaign is a subversion of the classic Space Patrol troupe in that many planets don't recognize the authority or jurisdiction of the Space Guardians. They appointed themselves the protectors of various regions of space but who asked them to? On what authority do they come down to your planet and arrest a criminal? Many worlds do appreciate their help but then they're like, "Thanks. We'll take it from here."

BLEEP - THE SPACE GUARDIAN is comically earnest, overly enthusiastic about being a heroic do-gooder, and so honorable and forthright he is often clueless about things like stealth, trickery, and subterfuge of any kind. This isn't the case with other Space Guardians who come off as more jaded and professional. 

BLEEP lives in a oddly shaped spaceship in orbit of the Earth (more on this later) with the true hero of the campaign, his 'sidekick' Cha-Wump. Cha-Wump is a purple, cube-shaped, alien eating machine resembling a sponge crossed with a marshmallow. . 

You see, the main player in the campaign was my good friend, the late Pete Hernandez, who played Cha-Wump. Other players would pop in and out as guest stars - usually villains but occasionally other Space Guardians, Earth Military Officers, UN Ambassadors, etc. - with myself as Gamemaster and the titular BLEEP - THE SPACE GUARDIAN. Usually BLEEP is shown as being in over his head and it is Cha-Wump who saves the day, though more often than not BLEEP still got the credit. 

Overview: Our campaign began with an emergency meeting at the United Nations as various politicians, dignitaries, scientists, and military person discuss some sort of impending disaster. Before long they very reluctantly decide they have no other choice and bring out a white rotary phone with a single glowing blue button.

Picking up the receiver and pressing it, we cut to the interior of a very lived in looking spaceship. A short blue alien leaps out of bed, bounds into his space suit, and answers the call with, "Hello citizen and fear not, for you have reached BLEEEEP, THE SPAAACE GUARRDIAANN!" The name is shouted and elongated to a comical degree. 

On the other end a UN official face palms and then wearily replies, "Yes, this is the United Nations on Earth. We need your assistance Bleep!."

"Who...? Who are you trying to reach?", asks the antenna-head hero.

"What? Bleep. Bleep, the Space Guardian."

"I'm sorry, whom?"

Exasperated, the official makes a grimaced face, takes a deep breath, and copies our hero's delivery, "Please help us BLEEEEP, THE SPAAACE GUARRDIAANN!" 

"Why didn't you say so? What seems to be the trouble threatening that pretty, blue marble of yours?"

This begins the first of our running gags; BLEEP will only say his name and respond to it if it is shouted with gusto. Even in casual conversation he insists on saying the entire name and title like the universe depends upon it. 

As the relevant conundrum of the session is brought to BLEEP's attention - be it a comet hurtling towards the Earth, an invasion of the Moon by robot monkeys, or a cosmic anomaly about to swallow Proxima Centauri, Cha-Wump wakes up with something ridiculous in his mouth (the handle bars of a bicycle, the rear half of a python, several feet of steel cable) and joins BLEEP on the bridge as he slurps up the rest of whatever he was eating. 

BLEEP then discusses what to do to save the day with Cha-Wump, who - like Groot of the Guardians of the Galaxy - only replies with some variant of his name, "CHA-WUMP! Cha-cha-wump. *sob* Cha-WUUUMP!" Like an extremely nuanced Pokemon, Cha-Wump would carry on involved conversations using only his own name. Pete was incredibly good at this, often bringing other players, casual observers, and myself to tears of laughter in this way. 

While bold, well-meaning, and good at the basics liking shooting a ray gun and piloting his spaceship, BLEEP was not especially clever or even all that bright. Cha-Wump was the brains of the operation and might eat their way out of a trap, devise a plan to neutralize an enemy spaceship's weapons, or give a heart felt speech that would win the day, revealing in each and every adventure who the real Space Guardian was. 

Cha-Wump would occasionally get frustrated with BLEEP's general ineptness but he never stayed mad at him. Additionally, BLEEP happily admits he couldn't have won without his trusted companion and best buddy. They were depicted as close friends, not unlike a boy and his dog, though who was who's pet is left kind of open. 

Highlights:

Cha-Wump's main power was that he could eat absolutely anything or at least swallow it. His mouth would extend to five times its standard size to engulf hover cars, bombs, and other ludicrous inedible objects. His secondary power was that BLEEP could reach into his mouth and pull out any number of relatively intact people, devices, and other objects.  

The single most memorable adventure of the BLEEP - THE SPACE GUARDIAN campaign was when BLEEP faced off against one of his few reoccurring arch-enemies, Captain Cosmo Crush. Captain Crush (played by another player) had his minions devise a weapon known as 'White Out' Missile. Teased as something akin to Anti-Matter, they were in fact filled with white paint and when they struck or exploded they erased the area they hit. This was the first and most fourth wall breaking session we had, actively acknowledging the campaign to represent a weekly animated television series. If white out spilled on the art - i.e. ANYTHING - it no longer existed.

As BLEEP's ship lost more and more detail, various systems began to fail and it looked like BLEEP and Cha-Wump might actually be wiped from the universe...er...or their show cancelled. One or the other. 

Thinking very quickly, Cha-Wump gets BLEEP to extend his arm out and then appears to try and swallow it! As BLEEP tries to shake his friend off, Cha-Wump coughs various items into BLEEP's hand, periodically letting go to check what he has before swallowing the arm yet again. Finally, Cha-Wump manages to get a magic marker into BLEEP's palm. Taking the cap of the marker off with his mouth, spitting it away, and then grabbing the drawing implement in the same way, Cha-Wump proceeds to re-draw the areas wiped out by the White Out Missiles. Not only that but since he is re-drawing it, he adds new weapons and equipment to BLEEP's vessel including Japanese Anime-style Missile Pods and a Wave Motion Gun. 

Overjoyed by the upgrades, BLEEP lets Captain Crush have it with both...wait...three? four? Four barrels! Four barrels and a barrage of contrail streaming missiles that would impress the makers of Macross the Movie. 

Another villain who made only one appearance but dialogue indicated they were long time opponents was a female space pirate who flip-flopped between deadly nemesis and romantic interest based on whether the player playing her rolled an odd or even number. Her name was something like Duallia.

Legacy: It has been a very long time since I have used BLEEP - THE SPACE GUARDIAN in any meaningful capacity. I never really forgot about him but I never found a good use for him or a satisfying way of bringing him back. 

Cha-Wump appears in my game, The Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show Role Playing Game which I believe may reference BLEEP. 

Game Info: Originally these characters were used in a Toon campaign but those character sheets are long gone and I haven't run Toon in many years.

Instead, here's BLEEP and Cha-Wump converted to The Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show. Following these are some additional notes. Enjoy!

BLEEP's Ray Gun was known as the Zap-alizer and had three settings - Zap, which did damage - Heat Beam, which was used to weld, start a campfire, etc. - and Kinetic Beam, which could push people and objects away or pull them towards the pistol shaped weapon. 

At one point I had a random list of items in Cha-Wump's mouth and if Pete failed his 'Stomach of Holding' roll he would get on by rolling D66, a range from 11 to 66. I periodically switched out the list for alternative ones, later changed that mechanic, and then brought it back again. 

BLEEP's spaceship deserves special mention, though sadly I can not recall the name of it. The exterior for it was a mix of retro-50s/60s Sci-Fi shapes and a modern, mid-80s big budget film. Basically a Buck Rogers Rocketship but illustrated by a concept artist for the Star Wars films. The ship's interior was very homey, with that Sci-Fi RV feel you find in the Millennium Falcon and The Mandalorian's Razor Crest. It was equipped with Force Fields, two Zap Cannons identical in function to BLEEP's Ray Gun, and could travel at Hyper-Zoom Velocities! Whatever that means.

Next Up, when the going gets tough, the tough start purring! Meet a Feline Femme Fatale you mugs are going to go gaga for! After all, she's THE CAT'S MEOW...

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Barking Alien

Shameless Self Promotion!

 Hi Ho Everybody!

This has been a very difficult year and I wanted to do something to lift myself out of the overwhelming feeling of malaise that has gripped me since this past April. Additionally, I wanted to re-invigorate my love of all things RPG and a little off kilter. 

Lastly, not going to lie, I need to make some extra scratch as my business has been hurt badly by our current global health crisis. 

So...

I have just updated my game, The Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show, available on Drivethrurpg!

The updated version corrects numerous spelling and grammar errors, clarifies certain rules, and adds in a few sample Puppet Characters to go with the Series Pitches / campaign ideas that are included in the book. 

I've been meaning to do this for some time now. I decided to do it now for all the aforementioned reasons plus one - I intend to make new product! 

I wanted to use this moment to announce my upcoming series of system-agnostic, Sci-Fi RPG e-booklets, 'The Barking Alien Guide Series' TM, beginning with 'The Barking Alien Guide to The Neraida Sector' TM.

Each product will showcase the planets in an area of space that can easily be placed into your Sci-Fi/Space Adventure game of choice. Within its pages, Barkley - the titular 'Barking Alien' himself - serves as your travel guide introducing you to each worlds' points of interest, native flora and fauna, culture, cuisine, and possible adventure opportunities. 

The idea is provide Gamemasters and players with worlds to discover and explore whatever their default theme or setting.

Maybe you have an adventure planned but haven't thought of an environment to set it in. Perhaps you are itching for an outing on a desert planet but you're not sure what to do once you're there. Peruse one of these galactic gazetteers and find your next stop for excitement, intrigue, and the best deep fried Szor'riz this side of the Pleiades Star Cluster! 

Stay tuned for more and keep it together anyway you can. 

We'll get through this. 

Peace and Love,

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay Challenge 2017 - Day 21

I am starting to lose my enthusiasm for this year's RPGaDay Challenge. 

Many of the questions so far can easily be answered with the same reply of 'Who Cares?'.

Best writing? I don't know. If I read it, and then I want to play it and can, it has good enough writing. Best cover? Seriously? Best interior art? Is this an award ceremony, or an RPG challenge?

This next one is almost intriguing, but only almost.

As I've stated in the past, it is my humble opinion that most RPGs are over-written. 

Too many unnecessarily complex rules, too many rules no one will use because they slow down the game, not enough examples of how gameplay works, but tons of uninteresting game fiction. Ugh. Save me. 

Asking which games do the most with the least amount of words sounds, to me, like a misunderstanding of how games should be written. The question should be, 'Which RPGs have just the right amount of words?', or 'Which RPGs use an economy of words to achieve the best results?'

I would have to say InSpectres is at the top of that category. Golden Sky Stories, the English translation, is another that uses what I feel are the right amount of words to get its point across, no more, and no less. 

I like to think my own game, The Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show, does a pretty good job of this, though it is by no means perfect. In fact, it may be a tad underwritten. I hope to do even better with my next product.

That's it. That's all I have to say on the matter.

Can we get an interesting question now please?

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Barking Alien

Trust Him, He's a Doctor

Guess who's on YouTube talking to a frog?

Wow. You guessed right. Are you psychic?

I was recently a guest on the Dr. Tom the Frog Show, a podcast discussing Role Playing Game produced by the incomparable +Richard Rogers.

The show is part of the Gauntlet YouTube Channel.

Oh, and it features a frog puppet. Really, what more could you ask for.

It was incredibly fun to do, and I was able to promote my Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show RPG, which was essentially the focus of the episode. I was also able to describe some elements of the game, and briefly touch upon some ideas for future products. 

Sometime later this month I'll be doing a Q&A with Dan Davenport in an RPGnet chatroom set-up.

Look at me! I'm nigh-famous!

I hope you'll all give it a listen.

Thanks!

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Barking Alien

Fabricated Visuals

As a treat for those of you out there you have supported, and/or purchased my new RPG, or who are at least curious about what the art looks like in...

The Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show Role Playing Game

...I thought I'd post some of my favorite illustrations from the book.

The art was created by either hand drawing illustrations of the characters and then photoshopping the daylights out of them, or combining various photographs...and then photoshopping the daylights out of them. 

Many of the photographs are pictures of my own puppet creations, much of which are long gone I'm afraid. Thankfully pictures of them in varying stages of completion remained on one of my hard drives.

In some cases I combined my illustrations, and photos with stock, and royalty free images, especially of animals. Royalty free clip art was also used on occasion. 

Anyway, here you are, a little bonus material from Barking Alien Productions to you! If you haven't given this book a looksee, maybe the art will inspire you to do so. 

Peppy Monster and Yammer the Grump

The Many Costumes of

Frankenstein's Monster

Ludwig, The Avant Garde Wombat

and his faithful assistant.

Bogey Monster

Those are just a few of the illustrations in the book, and really they're some of my favorites. 

You know what? I'm feeling generous. I'll also include a color version of the character sheet that comes with the game, because that's the kind of guy I am.

As you can see, the character is very similar to my original sheet done for this product's precursor. It's been streamlined a bit, and I definitely like how it came out. 

Well, that's all for now. 

Much still to come,

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Barking Alien

Funny Business

If you're wondering what I've been doing with myself this past month, or so (I know I have), then you might be interested to know that among the things that's kept me busy has been putting together my first, self-published role playing game - now available on Drivethrurpg.

It's called...

Yep. That's a real game, really made by me, and really available right now for purchase.

It was inspired by my love of those very particular puppets seen on television, in movies, and in many other entertainment formats over the past 60+ years.

It also celebrates all puppets, and puppet programs like theirs, from Rags on the Patchwork Family, to Gary Gnu of The Great Space Coaster, and the characters of more adult fare such as Avenue Q and Netflix's The Fuzz.

If you've enjoyed that sort of wanton craziness in the past, and would like to try it as an RPG, please give it a look-see. 

Thanks.

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Barking Alien