THE RYUDE KNIGHTS ARE COMING!

Today, August 26th, 2025, LionWing Publishing's English translation of the classic Japanese TRPG of Magic and Machinery - WARES BLADE - went live on Kickstarter! Join the Legions of Ahan here! 

As you can imagine, I am extremely excited about this. As I've previously noted, I'm a big fan of this game and have been since I first discovered it back in 1988. We're talking about a classic of the Japanese Tabletop RPG industry going back over 35 years.

Nowadays I tend to default to my own homebrew system of MSV (Mecha System Variant) when I want to run games involving Japanese Anime/Manga style giant robots but that doesn't mean A) I couldn't be convinced to try a different system, especially one I've used successfully in the past and B) I can't adapt Wares Blade to my MSV system if indeed that works better for me. 

Just having a full English version of this game is a dream come true for me, whether I use it as is or as source material for my own mechanics. Regardless of the rule specifics, this is a product I am looking forward to more than practically any other in recent memory. 

Expect more about this project as news develops!

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Barking Alien

HOLY ORDER OF WARES!!!

Did everyone hear the news? No?!? Well lemme lay it on you...

WARES BLADE is coming to the United States in ENGLISH! 

Sorry it's taken me so long to post this but I've been in a deep dive down the rabbit hole of Japanese TRPGs lately and it took awhile to find my way back up to the surface. I've got so much I want to talk about! Ah, but first...

On March 12th, LionWing Publishing announced via a 'Showcase' stream and the attached video that they'll be doing a Kickstarter in 2025 for an English Language translation of Wares Blade. This is the classic Japanese TRPG of Magic and Machinery that I've mentioned on this blog many times now (click the Wares Blade tag below). Check out this announcement statement on LionWing's website.

I can't tell you how excited I am. I've literally been waiting for Wares Blade in English since I first found out about the game in 1988. This is news I never expected to hear. It's kind of incredible. Almost hard to believe. What's next? Life discovered on another planet in our Solar System? Some distant relative I've never heard of left me a million dollars? After 'Wares Blade coming to the USA in English' I'm ready for anything!

It seems this is part of what they intend to be a line of games; collectively called 'Legends of Japan' (not the most creative name but it works), focused on Japanese Tabletop Roleplaying Games of that market's early era. Well, sort of. Not so early that they were largely just importing and translating US games and not so late that JTRPGs were regularly produced, distributed, and sold all over Japan and available through JTRPG dedicated websites. Wares Blade is pretty much the perfect example of a game that fits within this category. Others might include Gear Antique, Metalhead, Peekaboo (aka Peekaboo Horror), SATASUPE, and of course Sword World. 

Curiously...

The image they used to announce their endeavor is the cover of

'The Renewal', the 2nd Edition of the Wares Blade TRPG.

Here's the full version.

Expect more coverage of this as I learn more. Until then...

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Barking Alien

UPDATE: I got the chance to chat with Bradley of LionWing Publishing on their livestream last night (03/19/2024 10:00 pm EST) about Wares Blade and their other upcoming projects. It was very interesting and informative.

Also, Bradley gave a shout out to my blog, saying he'd checked out Barking Alien while doing research on Wares Blade. So cool!

You can check out the stream here.

You Have My Sword, My Bow, My Mecha

The combination of Medieval Fantasy and Giant Robots is nothing new in Anime and Manga, though nor is it especially commonplace. Given the monumental number of Mech series that have come out in Japan, it might be surprising to realize how few of them take place in a Medieval and/or Fantasy setting. 

I'm not entirely sure when and where the idea first appeared but I know my first exposure to it was in the early-to-mid 80s. It was during this period, as I've mentioned in prior  posts, that I first became aware of Japanese Anime that hadn't yet left Japan. Amid the initial dozen or so series that I was made aware of were two that fit the rare category in question.

While other kids across the United States were falling in love with He-Man and The Masters of the Universe and Thundercats, I was watching Aura Battler Dunbine and Panzer World Galient. 

My next 31 Day Character Challenge entry comes from a Mekton II campaign I ran very much influenced by these aforementioned Mecha Anime. As such, I thought it might be a good idea to discuss these two shows as they aren't among the Mecha series familiar to the average Western Anime fan.

I'm adding in a third series to this post as well, The Vision of Escaflowne. Even though it came out long after my Medieval Mekton game was over, it remains a favorite and one I think about from time to time. The reason for this is that Escaflowne definitely influenced my later Giant Robot Fantasy projects, most notably when I run Wares Blade. 

Aura Battler Dunbine

One of my early favorites as I was really getting into Anime, Aura Battler Dunbine was written by none other than Yoshiyuki Tomino, the prolific novelist, anime screenwriter, director, songwriter, and creator of Mobile Suit Gundam. 

The plot revolves around motorcross cyclist Sho Zoma, who following an accident on his bike, ends up in the Medieval Europe-esque Fantasy Realm of Byston Well. It is a world of knights, castles, and the faery-like Ferario. The main draw of the series were the Aura Battlers, insect-like Giant Robots used by the kingdoms of Byston Well as weapons of war.

These six meter plus Mecha are powered a semi-spiritual energy called Aura. Certain people have especially strong Auras and are therefore able to function as power-supplies to these Mecha, making them Aura Warriors. As it turns out, beings from our world seem to have more powerful Auras on average than Byston Well natives, making visitors a much coveted resources for the armies of various nations.

There was a lot more to this series then this simple summary of course but suffice to say it was quite an involved tale. This show had quite an impact on me. The key to this series was its characters and said character drove the plot more so than anything else. Relationships, romances, enemies becoming lovers, lovers becoming enemies, dealing with war's effect on individuals, and what some people will do to have power over others were all explored throughout the shows 40 episodes.

Additionally the Mecha designs were quite distinct and different, though I'll admit they didn't impress me that much at first. It wasn't until I discovered that the original plan was for the Aura Battlers to appear both more insectoid and more like knights. These first concepts were deemed impractical if they wanted to be able to make reasonably priced toys, models, and other merchandise with the robots so they were altered to more practical configurations. Later animations were able to realize designer Kazutaka Miyatake's original ideas, which were further developed by other creatives.

Old Aura Battler design vs. later redesign based on original intention.

Panzer World Galient

A favorite series of the late, great Allen Halden and a major inspiration for his own epic campaign, Panzer Dreams (I mean, it's in the title). Broadcast from October of 1984 to March of 1985, Panzer World Galient ran 25 episodes and initially followed a fairly simple story. The protagonist was Prince Jordy Volder, operator of the Mecha known as Galient, who fought against the villainous conqueror Marder.

Intriguingly, the Medieval world they were on, Arst I believe, turns out to be just one planet in a large interstellar union. The setting played a role both subtle and surprising in the series and serves as a great example of how to subvert expectations while adding something to the context of the narrative. 

The Mecha designs are both very typical and traditional for the time but distinct enough that the look of Galient has always been memorable to me. It isn't as flashy as some or as intimidating as others but its definitely a classic. 

The Vision of Escaflowne

Created by Shōji Kawamori with Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane, The Vision of Escaflowne is the story of a high school girl named Hitomi Kanzaki, who finds herself transported to a fantastical world called Gaea after witnessing a boy appear in her world fighting a dragon. After reaching Gaia, Hitomi becomes involved in a war when the Zaibach Empire attempts to conquer Gaia. The young Dragonslayer from earlier is revealed to be Van, the King of Fanelia. Finding an additional ally in Allen, an Asturian Knight, Van teams with him and Hitomi to try and defeat the Zaibach Empire and free his world. 

Van's advantage in this battle is his mystical, transforming Mecha, The Escaflowne. Additionally, Hitomi's appears to possess psychic powers and fortune telling abilities while on Gaia, possibly related to or even stemming from her long time interest in tarot cards. Soon, it becomes apparent she is the key to awakening the full power of Escaflowne and thwarting Zaibach's plans

The Vision of Escaflowne aired rom April to September of 1996 on TV Tokyo in Japan. It was eventually broadcast on Animax, a channel set up by Sony, that allowed it to be shown in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and elsewhere in Asia. 'Region 1' countries were able to see it thanks to its release in those areas by Bandai Entertainment. The series is currently available for viewing on Crunchyroll.

Escaflowne was a favorite of myself and many of friends in my old New Jersey Gaming Group, as well as my ex-wife. While the world and its nature are very specific and different from those of Wares Blade, there are elements of the two that remind me of each other. It's hard to put my finger on. Something in world building perhaps. The sense of mysticism in a world with Giant Robots really comes through in Vision of Escaflowne, giving the story a unique atmosphere.

I've spoken about Wares Blade, Japan's classic Magic and Machinery TRPG several times now and I am considering running it again. As such, I started to think about the various inspirations for the game and for other games like it. What else is like it? At this point there are actually quite a few. Relatively recent examples include Armour Astir: Advent and  Knights of the Round Table: Academy. 

I feel this idea requires further deliberation. 

Ever onward...

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Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - EVERYN WOLFSHADOW

One of my all time favorite Japanese Tabletop RPGs is Wares Blade. 

First published in 1988, Wares Blade is a Fantasy Role Playing Game in which the components and tropes of Medieval Fantasy are merged with those of the Giant Robot/Mecha genre popular throughout the world but [arguably] originating in Japan.

Unlike many other examples of the Fantasy and Mecha combination, the mechs of Wares Blade are not purely technological or steampunk but magical artifacts. It isn't Magic and Technology but it is Magic and Machinery. The machinery in this world is powered and created by enchantments and sorcery. 

Years ago when I was regularly gaming with my old New Jersey group, I found out that some of the gang's favorite Anime and Manga included such titles as Aura Battler Dunbine, Panzer World Galient, and (one I love myself) Rune Masquer. What do all these have in common? They are all in the vein of Giant Robot Fantasy. 

Realizing this, I decided to give a Wares Blade campaign with the group (including my ex-wife Selina) the old college try. The results were...well...magical. 

Character: Everyn Wolfshadow

AKA: The Forest Witch, The Wolf Woman of the Remote North

Player: Selina Wong

System: Mekton II - Modified with Houserules and Elements of Wares Blade, 1st Edition.

 

Campaign: The World of Magic and Machinery

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein 

Circa: Roughly 2001-2002

Sadly this campaign only went about five sessions before scheduling became too difficult to continue. Not being able to continue this game with this group is one of my great RPG gaming regrets.

 

Origins: In addition to the reasons given above, one of the things I really wanted to do around this time was introduce my girlfriend of the time (later my wife) to gaming with a group. We had already been playing RPGs together just the two of us; her as the main character and me as Gamemaster and a cast of thousands. She had yet to play an ongoing game with a large group and so I developed a portion of this game to facilitate that. 

In addition to the setting - which incidentally looks and feels like Medieval Europe has been crossed with Arabian and North African cultures and civilizations - and of course the pre-requisite Japanese Mecha battles, I really wanted the game to be about the Player Characters. I wanted their personal stories, goals, and obstacles to be paramount.

Selina has always been uniquely well-suited for this type of game; equally capable of engaging in edge-of-your-seat, visceral combat and gut-wrenching, emotional trials and tribulations. There is a reason we initially bonded over our mutual love of Anime.

Backstory: When we first meet Everyn Wolfshadow she is traveling through the Southern Lands of the continent of Ahan. She seemed almost lost but later revealed that she spirits of the Water had told her this was where she needed to be. Her only companion was Rowan, a rather large wolf. 

It was later be revealed that Everyn was blind, the result of a curse placed upon her for falling in love with a young man who severed as one of her nations' Hunters and Rangers. The group of Witches she had trained to become were forbidden from having such relationships. Luckily she found Rowan or he her and her mystical powers allowed her to 'see' through his keen wolf senses. 

What she did not know was that Rowan had been cursed as well and was once the young Hunter with whom she had shared her heart. 

Overview: I had either forgotten or didn't quite absorb the detail that Everyn was blind. I think I thought her curse was more of a banishment; i.e. she was 'cursed' to never again walk the verdant forests of the Elves or something like that. 

None of the other players or PCs knew of her handicap either until at one point in the second or third session when the group planned to uncover an ancient magical mech which legends say slept beneath the city of Flare. The party would split into three groups - One would search the great Library of the Flare for a old tome that would help pinpoint the Ryude Knight's location. Another would speak with the Duke and Duchess of Flare to convince them to stay a visiting noble they believed sought out the mech as well [on behalf of an enemy nation]. Finally, the last group would infiltrate the headquarters of the Thieves Guild, as they had recently stolen a key needed to activate the mech. 

Everyn was chosen to search the Library given her high intellect, affinity for water magic (Flare was built on bridges over a river and tales said the Mecha might be in or near the river), and the presence of an Elf in the city might make other nervous [never mind the wolf]. Everyn was find with this as long as one other PC accompanied her. Jarod Steele, knightly 'half-Elf' agreed to go but remarked that she has shown she could take care of herself. Plus there was Rowan! She smiled and said politely, "Yes but I can not read the pages without assistance."

Someone started muttering something about language when all of a sudden our friend Lynn exclaimed, "Wait! Everyn is blind!" The room fell silent for a moment, followed by a symphony of hands slapping foreheads. All the clues had been there and yet no one had realized it. 

Selina, playing as Everyn, never looked directly at myself (as GM) or any other player when speaking to a PC or NPC. She instead leaned in with her ear angled slightly in the other persons direction. She mimed feeling around before pretending to grab an object, including drawing her dagger. She always established a link of sorts with Rowan as her first action in combat, especially before casting any spells. Best of all, she had been doing all that since the first session and the rest of us were just then putting it together. 

Best Actress in a Dramatic Medieval Mecha Fantasy Campaign goes to... 

The Highlights:

Aside from the big reveal mentioned above, there was a fantastic sequence when the PCs finally discovered the Ryude of Flare, a red, winged Mecha which had been buried deep beneath the riverbed far below the elegant city. Of all those with magical abilities, only Everyn had access to the domain or 'Gate' of Water. This meant she was the only one who could her people safely to the gigantic robot. 

She ends up one of the two pilots, with our Warrior Prince controlling the mech's movements and physical combat and Everyn supplying Mana to activate the machine's special abilities. Unfortunately the group's fortunes reversed - the Ryude Knight had wings but Everyn's Gates were Sun, Tree, and Water! Unable to fly or use the robot's Fire based enchantments, the two PC's nonetheless managed a bold if awkward escape, aided by the rest of the team. When in the light of the Sun, Everyn transferred as much Mana to the Mecha as she could and it did indeed take to the air to cheers from the whole group. 

So beloved was the character by the other players that, as you can see, two separate people decided to do illustrations of her. Both Lynn Morton (Left Side Drawing) and Keith Conroy (Right Side Drawing) - without discussing it with each other - surprised Selina with these drawings around session five. I love both for different reasons. 

Game Info:

I have Everyn Wolfshadow's original Character Sheet from the game but since I used a hybrid system merging Mekton II with what few translations I could find of Wares Blade 1st Edition, I can't really make heads or tales of it. Heh. *Anime Sweat Drop*

I can tell you that her Physical and Social Stats were about average, her Mental and Magical Stats quite good, and her skill at Sorcery and Spellcasting especially high. Wolfshadow is knowledgeable about Plants and Beasts, has a Keen Sense of Hearing and Smell even without connecting with Rowan, and is capable of Blind-Fighting with her Quarterstaff. She can also play the flute, though she isn't very good at it. At all. 

She has a magical item known as the Bracer of the Clear Path - worn on the wrist and forearm, the Bracer tugs you towards of the path or direction with the fewest and/or easiest to overcome obstacles. The perfect thing for a blind Elf moving through unfamiliar country. 

I hope to run a long campaign of Wares Blade someday and if I do, I'd like to think that Everyn Wolfshadow and Rowan might call upon the PCs to help her lift her curse and return her sweetheart to his rightful form. 

Someday...

Hey, you there bumping gums. Yeah, you! We're trying to make tracks before the coppers get here see, so don't be a pill. Don't worry, we're on our way to go see FRANKIE THE FERRET so relax and don't flip your wig. 

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Barking Alien

Initiate This

I ran a one shot just the other day of one of my favorite Japanese tabletop RPGs, Wares Blade. While gearing up for the game (pun intended) I was reminded of the games somewhat unusual Initiative rules and thought I'd share them with you.

Initiative, as I have discovered over the past ten years or so of blogging, is an extremely popular subject among the participants of the gaming blog-o-sphere. Good grief! It seems that gamers, especially D&D types, are absolutely obsessed with Initiative. I see more posts and articles about that aspect of the game than any other single element.

This has lead me to the conclusion that A) those who have created and worked on D&D over the years have no clear idea what they wanted to do when designing the Initiative system B) since the rules they designed are absolutely daft! Just terrible. C) Those who play the game and blog about it on the internet definitely feel this way. 

Wha...? I'm wrong? How could this be? I am merely an outside observer taking in what I see. If the Initiative system isn't woefully flawed why is it modified and remade so often in so many ways? 

Humans are so confusing. 

Back to the Initiative rules from Wares Blade. I simplified things a little and will try to keep the description of this idea pretty simple as well. 

Basically, Initiative is a number on your character sheet. You roll one 10 sided die, add the result to the number on your sheet, and you get your Initiative for the combat you're about to be in. Now here's the fun part...You can take away points from your Initiative Number and use those points to 'Avoid Attacks'. 

Imagine you have a 5 Initiative, you roll a 5, and now your Initiative for the battle is 10. You take away 4 points and now have an Initiative of 6. Your 4 points buy you two Avoids. Twice during the combat, you can say that your PC avoids an attack that would have hit them. 

In game, the idea is that you are quick enough, perceptive enough, and skilled enough to predict an enemy's move and dodge or deflect it. Mechanically, this gives characters with low Health Points and poor Armor a better chance of survival. In Wares Blade, where early stage Wizard and Clergy PCs have more support style abilities and magic in addition to being rather fragile, having the capacity to Avoid a good number of attacks while going last each round is a pretty fair trade off. 

Anyway, I just thought the idea was interesting. In play it worked pretty well, with the Avoids giving the feel of a fight where blows and slashes were deflected by the Warrior's sword, the Wizard's cleverness, and the Professional's skill and agility. 

Are there any other systems that use something similar? I'm curious as I am still planning to devise a Dark Crystal game. 

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Barking Alien

Brain Purge

My brain constantly generates ideas for games. Campaign concepts, plots, characters, equipment, locales, and more are forever trickling from the recesses of my mind like light but unending rain. 

Every so often that persistent drizzle turns into a deluge. When this happens, the rivers that carry my creations from my head out to my hands (so that I may write, type, or illustrate the things I'm imagining) overflow. The thoughts flood through me and I become very frustrated, anxious, and even depressed knowing that little of this monsoon of gaming goodness is ever going to see the light of day. 

It's too much, coming too fast, and usually the ideas flowing in these instances are too high concept, too odd to find an audience. The flooding rivers do not aid the drought plagued villages. They drown them. 

I've been experiencing this phenomena for the past few weeks and it's getting to me. Even more so with recent gaming frustrations and opportunities that simply aren't helping. 

This time is different from such phases in the past as I have an awesome girlfriend who gave me a bang-on suggestion. She said that when similar thoughts and feelings come to her she writes them down. All of them. Stream of consciousness style. She gets them out of her head and on to paper or screen where she can actually analyze their worth and they aren't taking up valuable mental real estate. 

I love this idea. 

So here are the [primary] campaign concepts that have come to me and won't leave me alone. I keep coming up with material for these while other thoughts for other games and other game ideas themselves (literally dozens upon dozens) come and go at break neck speed. 

Idea #1. Monster Trainers in a Medieval Fantasy World

Inspired By:

As I've mentioned before I'm not a big fan of traditional Dungeons and Dragons style RPGs or settings but I do like them a bit more when they contain a twist. My own D&D-But-Not setting seems like a Fantasy game but really it's not, being structured and styled more like a Superhero campaign. 

The recent announcements of a new Pokemon game for the Nintendo Switch, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, a plethora of Western-Style Fantasy Anime and Manga, and the release of Creatures, an artbook of incredible imaginary beasts by Rei Yamamura has me imagining a setting in which Monsters are more than threats in a dungeon. 

Imagine a Medieval Fantasy society were Monsters are EVERYTHING! They are sources of food, clothing, and magical ingredients, hazards in the wilderness and the dark places of the world, but also part of the family. They work on the farm, herd and protect livestock (which may or may not also be Monsters), and sleep at the foot of our beds at night.

It would be mixture of Dungeons & Dragons, Monster Hunter, and Pokemon. I am really loving this idea but I am pretty sure practically no one I currently game with would be into it. 

Idea #2. Wares Blade - Medieval Fantasy with Giant Robots

Inspired By:

I've been wanting to run a new Wares Blade campaign ever since I first learned about the Reboot Project. Check out the webpage! Now, with the introduction of the awesome miniatures depicted above - incidentally called, 'WARES LEGION' - the desire has only doubled. 

The thing is, I can't get those minis at this time and I have no interest in a tactical war game even if it's Wares Blade based. A tabletop (or 'tabletalk' in Japan) Role Playing Game though, yes, that is something I am definitely interested in and these minis just massively inspire me and give me added enthusiasm for a game concept I've liked for many years now. 

Again, as I pointed out in Idea #1, I am intrigued by Wizard and Warrior Fantasy if you can put a good enough spin on it. Being the major Mecha fan that I am, adding them to Fantasy absolutely has me on board. 

Idea #3. Space Battleship Yamato Universe 

Inspired By:

Here is an idea I've had for ages that has recently returned with the tumble of other campaign possibilities tormenting...I mean...occurring to me of late.

Based on the Manga and Anime classic by Reji Mastumoto and Yoshinobu Nishizaki, Space Battleship Yamato, better known in the US as 'Star Blazers', is the story of a war in the future between the United Nations of Earth and the Great Gamilas Empire. Gamilas initiated the conflict by launching radioactive meteor bombs at the Earth, the impact of which will result in the extinction of the Human race in one year's time unless the crew of the UNCF Yamato can find the radiation neutralizing Cosmo DNA on the distant planet of Iscandar.

My love of Space Battleship Yamato could easily be the subject of a future Thorough Thursdays entry (and probably will be). I loved coming home from school each day in time to catch the American translation (Star Blazers). At the end of every episode, the number of days the Earth had left before everyone was dead would appear on the bottom of the screen. Intense!

A campaign of this may at first seem like a more military focused Star Trek, but with it's World War II allegories, Metaphysical 70s Sci-Fi, and distinct visual design, it reminds me more of Space:1999 meets the original version of Battlestar Galactica.

I think this could be very cool. 

Idea #4. Metal Head - Anime Outer Space Cyberpunk 

Inspired By:

Cyberpunk is a genre I haven't visited in a long time. At least, not directly. With my formative teen years of pop culture consumption and gaming having taken place in the 1980s, Cyberpunk is like salt and pepper, it gets added to everything out of habit. 

While my Traveller games see a lot of Cyberpunk influence, they are not Cyberpunk; Traveller remains very much the Hard Science/Space Opera game of Traveller no matter how many megacorporations and cybernetic mercenaries I throw in. 

What I am talking about here is closer to the Japanese TRPG Metal Head. Instead of a Space Adventure game with cyber-technology added in as a bit of spice, this is a Cyberpunk game that answers the question, "What the heck is up with Blade Runner's 'Off-World Colonies'. Where are Humanity's space programs at in the worlds of Ghost in the Shell or Cyberpunk 2077? 

Set in 2150 (and later in future editions), Metal Head is a game where you can explore the classic themes of Cyberpunk - the effect of rampant technological advancement on Human society, the nature of what it means to be Human in the face of uploading your persona to an Artificial Intelligence, and so on - while also investigating how our curiosity and drive will forever push us to expand our understanding of the universe.

This is one case where the inspirational images I've chosen don't really do it justice. I have so many visions of what this would be that I had trouble distilling them into a single frame. It's Love, Death, and Robots, Blade Runner, Altered Carbon, Ghost in the Shell, Bubblegum Crisis, and so many other high tech dystopian genre greats crossbred with the limitless hope of space travel. 

Idea #5. Middle School Kids vs. Things That Go Bump in The Night

Inspired By:

One idea I have that comes and goes from time to time is a Comedic Horror game primarily based around the Japanese Tabletalk RPG (are you seeing a theme here? Me too) Peekaboo Horror. The basic premise is that you play pre-teen/elementary school kids fighting ghosts and supernaturals monsters in your neighborhood. The twist on this that makes the game unique is that each player plays two characters, an Innocent (the kid) and a Boo, or Spooky (a spirit or other paranormal entity). 

In my few previous times running this game I had the players play each others Boos. In other words: John plays his Kid and Cindy's Boo. Ryan plays his Kid and John's Boo. Cindy plays her Kid and Ryan's Boo. That kind of thing. 

The idea has come back to me again and that is largely due to the announcement of Stranger Things Series 3, a new Ghostbusters film in 2020, and some recent discussions with friends of mine from high school about our old Ghostbusters RPG campaign. 

Like Fantasy, Horror is not a genre I enjoy generally speaking but if mixed with Comedy and leaned more toward Quirk/Creepy and less toward Gore/Shock, I find it can be a really fun and rewarding gaming experience. 

There are other ideas but these are the ones I keep coming back to.

Truth be told, I started this post days ago and my mind has calmed down quite a bit. As a result, I am able to think a bit more clearly and there may be one additional game concept that has occurred to me and may just be the one I will use for a new Gamemastering opportunity.

The idea is...

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay Challenge 2017 - Day 30

The end is near...

OK, I can answer this...but I'd first like to say that I really don't want to see 'genre-mashups'.  Not when there are so few genres with a decent headline game.

If there a definitive Wild West game out there? A 60s Spy game? How about a Fantasy Folklore game, huh?

Yeah. Don't go putting your chocolate in my peanut butter until you can make really good chocolate.

That said...I wouldn't mind seeing a Medieval Fantasy/Mecha game that doesn't fall into the typical American default of making the mechs Steampunk contraptions, or regular Science Fiction robots. I want that mix of magical item, and fantasy engineering you see in Japanese TRPGs like Wares Blade, or Anime like Knights & Magic.

While I am not a big fan of traditional Fantasy settings, adding a giant robot makes anything better.

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay Challenge 2017 - Day 6

After a wonderful day on Saturday, I spent most of Sunday exhausted, and honestly feeling like crap. I passed out on my bed for a nap at some point (a thing I am very rarely able to do), and ended up sleeping over five hours.

The end result is that I am a tad behind on my posts, but I will do my best to catch up.

I actually had the opportunity to do this once, in high school I believe, and it was a pretty epic experience. The game was Skyrealms of Jorune. The story covered a journey from one location to another over the course of 7 days. Each day of travel was one session, played on a different day for one week.

A tale for another time.

What would I do now?

Hmmm.

Inspired by my recently rekindled interest in Anime, and Manga, and the idea of binge-watching shows on Netflix, or other similar streaming services, I would probably run a Giant Robot/Mecha RPG with a finite story designed to be told in seven 'episodes'. 

Additional inspirations include Netflix's Voltron, The Legendary Defender, Japan's revival of the Japanese tabletop RPG Wares Blade (a personal favorite of mine), and the computer/video game franchise Monster Hunter.

The end result would be a Fantasy with Mecha tale of a small city-state plagued by attacks from monsters for so long that they've developed an entire way of life built around slaying these creatures, and using their parts for various purposes. 

Clothing, food, armor, weapons, and even building materials from homes, and tools are made of monster parts. These are obtained by brave, volunteer citizens who use mechs to defeat the larger, and more dangerous of these mystic beasts. 

I don't really have a story beyond that, but it's an idea I've been playing around with for sometime now that I'd really like to try. I'd probably use a modified version of first edition Mekton to run it, possibly merged with my homebrew Extended Mecha system. Maybe Mekton 1E + Ars Magica? Sword World? Not sure.

Well, that's what I'd do.

What would you do?

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Barking Alien

Wares Blade Beyond

Oh, I forgot to mention...

I recently discovered that Japan has its own Kickstarter style crowdfunding site, called Campfire. How did I discover this? Why is it significant? 

Well, it just so happens I was doing some research for a possible new Mecha Anime RPG campaign, and I came across a little something that may not mean much to the rest of you, but is of great importance to me...

A WARES BLADE REBOOT ?!?

So it would seem!

A company by the name of Shindosha, located outside of Tokyo proper, is trying to gather the fan backing necessary to bring back the epic 'Medieval Fantasy meets Giant Robot' classic in the form of games, replay comics, novels, and most especially an animated feature!

From what I've been able to gather, the main focus is on an animated film, or original video animated series and a series of setting guidebooks, and novels (or novels with a game information section in them - which is a neat idea) for a 'new' setting for the game called 'The Earth of the Sacred Texts', or 'Earth of the Sacred Land' (my translations may be off).

I put 'new' in quotes because if I am not mistaken, some of the previous Wares Blade prose novels do take place in this setting, though it is not the default setting of the game (think old school AD&D. The game itself is based on Greyhawk, but later there were novels set in the worlds of Dragonlance, and The Forgotten Realms). 

Wares Blade was very popular in Japan at one time,

and well supported with numerous products.

I've talked about Wares Blade a number of times on this blog, and would be totally jazzed to see it resurrected in any form. I am very curious to see what they do with it. Preliminary designs, and concept art look excellent, and I have high hopes that an new edition of the RPG will be available if the crowd funding project is successful.

Wow. A new Wares Blade. I can barely wrap my head around it. 

A new Mecha campaign by yours truly is now a must.

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Barking Alien

In The Works

Whoah. I got a lot to talk about.

I'm not going to dump it all into this one post, but suffice to say there are some interesting games on my horizon. Let's cross our fingers, and hope they work out.

Coming down the pipeline we've got...

The Masked Age '66

Bell-Bottoms, Tie Dye, The Beatles, Vietnam, Gemni 8, Luna 10, Star Trek, The Monkees, Capes, Masks, and Superpowers!

Using a doujinshi (self-published small press) Japanese tabletop RPG about Western-style Superheroes, I am going to run a campaign for 'Dan's Group' set in New York City, NY with an in universe starting date of March 11, 1966!

The premise will start out as a classically Silver Age Superhero romp, with spandex clad villains and crazy capers, then slowly introduce the trials, tribulations, and turmoil of the late 60's.

I'm really looking forward to this and already think the [PC] characters are fantastic. They lend themselves easily to both action packed comic book adventures and the possibilities of deeper pathos.

Next...

I have two ideas for my next RPG project with my Barking Alien Gaming Group. Before I talk about them, I need to update you all a little on what's been going on with them.

As it stands, I haven't run anything for them or with them in over a month. I ran a one-shot/test game of Star Wars Traveller* and while it went over pretty well and I definitely felt the system worked, it didn't really inspire me the way I was hoping it would.

I could fall back on regular Traveller again and honestly a part of me is tempted to do so, another stronger part of me wants to do something different.

Different, as readers of this blog may know by now, is difficult with the Barking Alien Group. Everything is a little harder to run with this group than I feel it should be. Many, many times I've assumed that it's me but I know it's not only me. As a matter of fact, one of the players let me know quite clearly it definitely isn't just me.

Anyway...I've taken enough time off from the group and I really want to get back to a regular game with them so I've come up with two concepts...

Wares Blade

You want different from Traveller? I got different from Traveller!

Wares Blade, the Japanese TRPG set in a world of Medieval Fantasy and Giant Robots is a favorite of mine that I have not run in a long time. I'd love to get an ongoing campaign of Wares Blade going and I think the group is a good fit as many of them are into Anime/Manga (though not necessarily Mecha Anime/Manga)**.

Space Opera Adventure / Comedy

I have a really fun idea I'm having trouble locking down.

I am seeing a game heavily inspired by the French comic book krrpk, the Anime Space Dandy, and the games Hunter Planet, Star Frontiers, Starships and Spacemen, and Teenagers from Outer Space.

I'm thinking of a group of space adventurers who perform some sort of job (maybe explorers, maybe salvage, maybe they're Galactic Patrol) with a slight tongue-in-cheek nature to the whole thing. Kind of like my old Galaxy Quest game but not exactly.

I can see it clearly but I'm having a little trouble putting it into a pitch. I think once I can explain what the PCs will be doing I will have a better idea of how to 'sell it'.

OK, off to work. Expect to see more on these and other subjects very soon.

Ta-ta for now!

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Barking Alien

* More Star Wars Traveller posts are going to be dropping out of hyperspace in the very near future. I am also hoping to incorporate material from the upcoming Rogue One film when more information on it is released.

** Which in my opinion is un-Japanese the way not liking Superheroes is un-American. That's the most political any post of mine will ever be

RPGaDay Challenge - Day 23

Day 23 - Coolest looking RPG product / book

I'm a visual person.

While it's not hard for me to imagine strange aliens, frightening monsters, colossal starships and unearthly vistas, I do enjoy a good illustration, painting or other artistic depiction of these things. I am more easily and thoroughly inspired by artwork than I am by music or even the written word (though I do love a good written word).

IMO, the art in most American RPGs is, well, disappointing.

Not all, but a lot, and certainly that of the most mainstream of them. Now I am leaving out licensed RPGs here, as they usually have the benefit of using art from the comic books, computer games, TV shows, or films they're based on. I am talking about D&D, Pathfinder, Traveller, and many, many others. Their art just doesn't do much for me.

Especially not when, for example, Traveller can look like this:

Ok.

 

The Fifth Frontier War

Japanese Edition 

 

and this...

  

 

Traveller Box Set

Original Cover Art - Japanese Edition

 

Yeah, I'm a little miffed that we get this...

 

And they get this...

 

 

 

I mean, it's not just more, and better art, it's the design skill that goes into it, the quality of the printing, and just the overall presentation, and format of the books. They just look great.

 

Check out these pictures of Wares 1092, an artbook made for the Wares Blade RPG that actually has game content in it! Let that percolate in your brain juices for a second. This is not a game book with some nice art; This is an artbook with game information! Do we do that? No! Why don't we do that?!

 

Our Superhero games tend to look good, especially M&M, DC Adventures and Marvel Heroic (again though, licensed products), though not so much Champions. Why? Why is the art of Champions still so weak sauce in 2014?

 

Anyway, in conclusion, the coolest looking RPG products I own are all from Japan.

 

Enjoy...*

 

Wares 1092, Front Cover Art

 
  

 

Map Fold Out in the Inside Front Cover

 

 

Locations on the Map

Machine Soldiers

This picture came out badly due to my crappy camera.
The following pages of this section list various Mecha of the setting, how powerful they are,
how much they cost to operate and maintain, and other details useful in game play.

Some pages, like this one above, show how the cockpit and control systems
of the various Machine Soldiers look. 

 

*The camera on my phone stinks. Doesn't do it justice. 

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Barking Alien
  

Sorry this came a bit late. We had our first session of our new Bushido campaign today. A character creation and prologue session, it took longer than intended.

Fret not, a post about the results will be forthcoming.