RPGaDay Challenge 2016 - Day 2

This is an extremely difficult question to answer.

While I've had tons of great sessions as both a player, and a GM over the past year, I don't know that I've had a best session.

I know that answer sounds like a bit of a cop out, so let me at least try to clarify what I mean.

As I've been noting in posts over the last few years (two or three I'd have to say), the groups I'm currently gaming with and I aren't always on the exact same page. Sometimes thematically, sometimes stylistically, or occasionally in a way I can't really put my finger on, things don't gel perfectly. More often than not however, it all works out, and we have ourselves a good game. Sometimes we have a great game.

A best game? A best game would require all rockets to fire at the right time, all mission objectives met, and all systems to show green at the end. 

That...almost never happens. It's never perfect, and that's OK I guess, but for something to be the best it would have to be better than all the others. To be better than all the other sessions, it would have to be perfect.

It's been a while since it's been perfect.

I'll keep trying though.


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RPGaDay Challenge 2016 - Day 1

First up...

Real dice. Physical polyhedrons. Roll them bones.

Yeah, while not as much of a dice-o-phile as some friends of mine are, or as I used to be, I prefer to roll honest-to-goodness plastic objects whenever possible.

It's funny to me too because I have a very strong preference for D6s, the most mundane of the various die types we gamers use. I dislike the D20 for a variety of reasons, chief among them the fact that they seem to dislike me. My luck with D20s is bad to the point of diminishing all the studies ever done on how probability is supposed to work mathematically.

I do use Dicestream pretty often these days for my online games, but if given the choice I prefer to kick it old school.

One down, thirty to go.

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Here Come The Suns

You may notice this post appears out of order at some point. Do not be alarmed. You're not going crazy, or if you are it has nothing to do with this and certainly isn't any of my doing.

I originally intended this post to usher in my discussion of Science Fiction RPGing this month, but for various reasons, a few of my posts weren't ready when I intended them to be, and they were posted out of the 'proper' sequence. 

This post will therefore end up where I intended it to go. 

Thanks for humoring me.

"There is no such thing as Science Fiction.

There is only science eventuality."

-Steven Spielberg

How's this for an understatement: 

I like Space Adventure Science Fiction Role Playing Games.

Unquenchable

By Rob Caswell

Do tell, right?

OK, so that's no big reveal. No major spoilers there. 

What's this all about anyway?

It's about getting others in on the act. I am constantly stunned by the number of people who love Sci-Fi movies, TV shows, books, and even video games, but they won't partake in SF on table top.

Much of this seems to stem from a preconceived notion that Science Fiction gaming is innately more difficult to pull off then say, Fantasy gaming. 

That idea is simply not...hmmm...OK, hold on a sec. Alright, maybe that's true.

There is certainly more to think about on a basic level. A Science Fiction GM has all the responsibilities, and concerns of any other Gamemaster, but in addition to engaging stories, memorable NPCs, cool locations, and all the other elements that go into running a great game, a Sci-Fi GM must be well versed in a few other disciplines.

He, or she must have a scientifically believable (if not entirely accurate) universe. They must ready for PCs who are generally more capable (see below), more mobile (potentially), and who can communicate with each other more easily over greater distances. This means that, among other things, splitting the party is a more viable, and as a result a more common occurrence. 

Now what do I mean by saying the Science Fiction PCs are more capable?

Consider the typical Dungeons & Dragons (or similar Fantasy game) party of five PCs. What is the most basic weapon in Fantasy gaming? I don't think I'm stretching things by saying it's the sword*. Now, how many members of an average D&D party can use that weapon? One or two? Three out of five at best? How many can sense danger, or magical effects before they impact the group? One? Maybe two if you're lucky? How party members can climb well? Swim well? Ride a horse?

Now let's look at a group of Science Fiction PCs. Specifically a Traveller party is good for this example, but it holds up especially well in Star Trek, Star Wars, and many others.

Here, the standard weapon is some type of firearm. Usually it's a bullet/slugthrower pistol, a blaster, or a laser gun. Now then, in a group of five Traveller PCs, how many do you think can fire a gun. All? Yep. Very likely all of them, and at least use a gun. How many can sense danger, detect approaching lifeforms, or scan for radiation? Potentially all of them, because it's not a special power, or a unique item. It's a scanner, a device anyone can buy and very likely anyone can use. While not everyone is likely to be a skilled swimmer, or climber, I've rarely seen a group of Traveller characters in which each, and every character couldn't drive something. Be it with a wheeled car, grav vehicle, boat, helicopter, or starship, a party of five Sci-Fi characters is very likely going to see between four, and five members who can drive, or pilot something. 

Corvette Starship Concept Art

By John Wallin

Between skills, and available equipment, a starting Science Fiction PC is far more versatile than a beginning Fantasy PC. While it can be argued that later in the campaign the power of an individual Fantasy character is greater (and it is, generally speaking), it is still true that the Sci-Fi PC may have more options as to what to do in a given situation.

Most Science Fiction games lack 'Classes', or if they do have something like them they are a bit more open ended. In Traveller a Marine can get the skills Electronics and Mechanical, but that doesn't make him an Engineer. Likewise all Starfleet Officer PCs in Star Trek have Shipboard Systems and can operate the Transporter. They don't have to be the 'Transporter Chief'. In Fantasy this isn't usually the case. Can anyone other than the Thief Pick Pockets or Hide in Shadows? Can anyone but a Fighter use any weapon, or armor they want? For a long time they couldn't, though that has changed.

My point to all this is yes, it is tougher on the GM when designing adventures to have player characters with greater access to the types of abilities, and tools that make besting challenges, and solving mysteries that much easier. At the same time, you have to keep everything else - the locales, the opponents, the allies, the scenarios - as exciting as you do in your Fantasy games. 

That's not easy for many people. 

There's no shame in that.

I am going to try to help you. Why? To increase the number of people playing, and talking about Science Fiction RPGs hopefully. Also because all this comes easy to me. I know they probably sounds like I'm pretty full of myself, but honestly, I couldn't do it in traditional D&D type Fantasy if I wanted to. My brain is just wired for Sci-Fi (no pun intended). 

Among the posts this month with be ones that identify, and tackle very specific difficulties in running Science Fiction games, specifically those dealing with Space Adventure (going to multiple planets, exploration, space battles, aliens, etc.). 

If anyone has any questions, or anything they'd like me to cover PLEASE LET ME KNOW! Seriously, I'd love to hear what you think, and how we can all help each other better embrace, and run Space games.

Until then...

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*I'm sure your dissertation on the misconceptions regarding the commonality of the sword as the base weapon of Medieval European Society is absolutely fascinating. Please, do tell me all about it. Oh wait, before you do I just have to set this Phaser here for Disintergrate, point it just so, and...PHZZZERT!

Oh Barkley? Can you bring me a broom, and a dust pan please? Thanks.

Challenge Accepted - RPGaDay 2016

What else is poppin this month?

The RPGaDay Challenge 2016

my groovy brothers, and sisters!

This year it would appear the festivities are being organized by BrigadeCon, and I must say I think it's an improvement.

Not to take away from the efforts made the previous two years, but I like the questions much better this time around. They are more clearly worded, less vague as to what they're asking, and BrigadeCon's website gives further clarification for each, and every one of the 31 questions. That's a nice touch, and much appreciated by this blogger right here.

Here's a very nice video by Runeslinger explaining a little bit about RPGaDay's origins, and how it reins were transferred this year from it's creator David Chapman to Anthony Boyd and the RPG Brigade. Check it out:

Let's see who else is chiming in shall we...

F. Douglas Wall of There more to Oz than The Yellow Brick Road

Stephanie Bryant's Mortaine's Blog

To Boldly Nerd

WQRobb over at Graphs, Paper, and Games

So let the game about games commence!

This is going to be one helluva busy month on Barking Alien.

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Have Space Suit Will Travel

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

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

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

I can only think of dozens.

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

Science Fiction on the other hand was everywhere.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have Space Suit - Will Travel.

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