A L I E N Day

A L I E N Day 45 due to American dating structure. This year Romulus is due, and Marvel pushing on with a new comics continuity which deals with the prequel-y stuff but has its moments, and Free League doing a few big releases for the R P G.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - The Book Of Hungry Names

The Book Of Hungry Names opens.

At 1.6 million words it would be hard to print as a physical gamebook, being as long as three of War And Peace.

Who Killed Nessie?

Who Killed Nessie? by Paul Cornell and Rachael Smith is so close to funding that it might... just... happen!

Star Trek Adventures second edition quickstart

Star Trek Adventures second edition quickstart now online.

Multiple NPCs

Just played a session where the multiple NPCs in a council meeting were scripted, and handed out to the players to read for a few minutes. I’ve seen some cases where NPCs are handed out with briefings to play for longer sequences. My usual default is to summarise up to the point PCs can interrupt.

Earth Day

Be a hero. Save the world.

Last Dance 2.16 dialogue

Preston and Vincent exchange money over which of their theories about the Circulatory System’s plans was right, in a standoff with the local System leader.

“... Do I have to explain my villainous plan?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“We’re not exactly Batman.”

That awkward moment when you’re not sure how much posturing to do.

(I did then have her explain, so she could weasel out of repercussions )

Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department

You walk into the Succubus Club and...

All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February

Fortnight

Wordplay, gloom, making the Dead Poets Society reference even more explicit with video cameos...

Abigail

Abigail is great gory fun, though it takes longer than expected to get to the USP revealed by all the marketing - I like to think I’d have gotten it a bit before the reveal if I’d gone in cold. Much more clearly from the makers of Ready Or Not than Scream 5 and 6.

Dialogue for a possible Buffy idea

“Are you a wish-granting demon? Because you have to say so.”

“That’s cops. And it’s not true about cops either.”

“Oh.”

The Enterprise flies home

The original Star Trek three-foot film model of the USS Enterprise has returned to the Roddenberry family archive.

Nationals 2025: MMU

I may know what the provisional Nationals 2025 theme is.

I may have already pitched a Buffy adventure for it.

2024 Olympics

100 days to the start of the summer Olympics in Paris.

And I have already seen Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester and what may be Porky Pig explaining realy race handoffs.

Wreck series 2

Wreck series 2, the unexpected return of the comedy-horror about a slasher a cruise ship, doesn’t feature a slasher on a cruise ship as it runs with the reveals at the end of series 1 and shifts to a different and less self-contained location.

It works as a way to continue what felt like a big one-shot, and has fun with the premise, but the setting is more regular-issue.

Nationals 2024 banner

The category banners were very nice indeed. Gallery hopefully to follow!

Alexis - Welfare Cult Leader

The banners were designed by the incredible MelWare, our very own plague doctor, with support from Astra (Cultist) and the Pope himself James Cult Pope I <3

James Cult Pope I 

Notepad art was also MelWare

Dice was Xiggy, Astra (Cultist), myself and a Q-workshop employee

Nationals 2024 amusing statistical oddity

Of the seven PCs for groups of four and five, two were played twice.

One of them both days by a player sitting on my right (and they weren’'t spread out so they were closest) who then chose the same role in the PCs’' band, the same gender, and the same character picture out of the fifteen options for that gender.

I didn’t think that specific picture was that that character.

For those wondering, this gives Gangrel and lead guitarist vibes.

Willa Holland in Arrow

I was more thinking Brujah when I included it...

Nationals 2024

My first time running a one-game category at the Nationals and I prefer the more even playing field of a genre category, instead of the wide variety from first time trying to having years of experience and OPINIONS about the various editions.

I in turn have OPINIONS about Nationals organisation.

Hotel room proved as helpfully close as I booked it for, and also proved to be an attic room with an exciting lack of headroom.

Stirling should just build their own union and a hotel so they can host after all these wins.

The World Of Darkness MMO

The World Of Darkness MMO was confirmed cancelled ten years ago today, two years after the first in-g.

Since then, a lot of the concept art has made its ways into V5, including the clan fashion spreads as well as art from the trailer. We finally got to see some of the in-game character movement in World Of Darkness: The Documentary three years later and it looked pretty cool, presumably from a couple of stages as the style varies.

I probably would have played it now and then.

Happy birthday Rick!

The other Nationals ST exists!

Yuri's Night

Look up.

My Nationals printer killing curse continues

Sorry Erich, and everybody at his department! Rationally I suppose it’s because it’s the most printing I do most years, but still, I killed a printer I’ve never even been in the same building as!

Thank you to Liam for offering a backup!

Secret identity slice of life

Is Bruce Wayne fun to play? asks Poe’s Law on RPGnet but the wider question is about playing out the mundane side of supers, urban fantasy and the like, and my answer is it depends on the players, the characters and what they get up to:

The more down-to-earth sides of a secret identity can be a lot of fun, as noted, depending on what they’re doing. Clark Kent is often a better example than Bruce Wayne, as a mild-mannered reporter at the Daily Planet brings in investigative journalism adventures and workplace comedy, and his ongoing relationship with Lois Lane has fueled series by itself.

My current Vampire: The Masquerade game is about a band, and getting and playing shows, going to other gigs by vampire and mortal musicians and hanging out in the scene as well as other slice-of-life events like seeing connected human NPCs (the latter built into the current edition) takes up more sessions than the regular vampire turf wars, because being in a band is itself something that there are stories like films and TV series - and indeed RPGs - about.

Nationals prep all over bar the cutting bits of paper.

Star Wars Outlaws story trailer

A chaotic funny making-this-up-as-I-go robbery story dodging the Empire? In.

Star Wars dot come interview with creative director Julian Gerighty.

MaXXXine

MaXXXine trailer, urge to reread New Wave Requiem rising.

The First Omen

The First Omen is a pretty solid religious horror movie, though not as overwhelmingly atmospheric as the trailers suggested, and bound to be unfavourably compared to Immaculate which gets to go wild with a lot of the same building blocks. I kind of expected that, so my biggest letdown is the low number of spectacular “accidents” for an Omen movie, and none of them topping the all-timer from the original with the glass safety issue. (Yes, Final Destination has come and stolen that USP since.) It also carries on the amusing Omen tradition of having them kill people just after it would be useful.

The period setting was nicely used, reminding me of all the behind-the-scenes stories from the original about living in tense times. Only one big jump and that relies entirely on LOUD NOISES to work. But it toyed with enough expectations to entertain.

Monkey Man

Monkey Man is a great time if you like brutal fight choreography and righteous vengeance. Most of its surprises (though not all) are stylistic. The fictional city of Yatana is a cyberpunky exaggeration of Mumbai where the haves drive past the have-nots on the way to all-service nightclub marked with crowns. Don’t expect laughs - the best is in the trailer, apart from choice ironic needle drops and some action cinema shoutouts. The cam gets a bit too shaky here and there. Slows a bit in the middle with an origin we already had plenty gist of but ramps back up after that.

Quantum Leap

Aw, shame. Still, good to have a seaon arc with a finale that would sit okay as a series finale.

Dark Eras Bundle Of Holding

Dark Eras Bundle Of Holding for Chronicles Of Darkness.

Here we are now, entertain us.

That was a shot in the arm

5G updated, and I got a lollipop.

Nationals update, T minus one week

Have now sent off second and hopefully last print request, this for nonessential visual references and that took a while. Nothing more to do for a week except arrange travel, which is one upside of not currently being to print at home.

Be nice to know what the replacement other GM is planning.

Sounds Like Hell dialogue

Vampire Slayers visiting the town where said Buffy PBP is set:

“This town has smugglers’ caves? We really should do the local history tour.”

“I did that at Castle Rock. Hasn’t had an actual monster in years. It’s a total tourist Hellmouth.”

The Matrix DrewGoddard

Drew Goddard is to write and direct a new film in The Matrix... setting? A Buffy and Angel writer, he co-wrote and directed Cabin In The Woods so has some familiarity with words not being as they seem, among a variety of other things since including Daredevil so he’s also familiar with people in black martial-artsing each other in grimy streets.

RPGnet merch

RPGnet now has a merch store! Once it ships further than North America I may get something.

The Conpulsion 2024 Quiz answers

And here... we... go.

The Conpulsion 2024 Quiz

Five read-out rounds plus picture and write-in. 64 points. Somewhat themed for it being Easter. Answers... maybe tomorrow?

Roleplaying Games

1. Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures In The Multiverse revives which AD&D setting?

2. Which World Of Darkness game came out between the Fifth Editions of Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse?

3. Which is not a Call Of Cthulhu solo adventure? Alone Against The Clock, Alone Against The Flames, Alone Against The Static?

4. Solo Ops is the One-2-One book for which Gumshoe game?

5. Hot War is the sequel to which alternate-history RPG?

6. The Big Five manufacturers including General Massive Systems and HORUS build the mechs in which game?

7. Cubicle 7’s new game Imperium Maledictum is based on which wargame setting?

8. The “They Came From” game about spy movies is They Came From WHAT?

9. Who publishes the Fallout and Homeworld Revelations RPGs?

10. Which word already mentioned in this round is the subtitle of the new Marvel superhero RPG?

Other Tabletop Games

1. The Kingdom of Bretonnia and Tomb Kings of Khemri are the launch armies for which Warhammer game?

2. Doctor Who, Fallout and Lord Of The Rings feature in which Magic: The Gathering variant?

3. Name the cooperative boardgame about stopping climate change co-created by the creator of Pandemic?

4. Osprey’s wargame of Napoleonic soldiers fighting supernatural threats is The WHAT Bayonet?

5. The card game The Crew is subtitled The Quest For Planet WHAT?

6. Cthulhoid betrayal by sea boardgame Unfathomable is a new setting update of which classic licensed game from 2008?

7. Which of these is an expansion for 7 Wonders? Gods, Heroes, Leaders?

8. Shatterpoint is the latest skirmish miniatures wargame for which setting?

9. Name the dragon-centric game based on Wingspan?

10. Which of these settings does not (yet) have a licensed version of Risk? Black Sails, Peaky Blinders, Vikings?

Film and TV

1. Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves put Hugh Grant in charge of which Forgotten Realms city?

2. What did Doctor Who get to the Christmas top twenty singles with?

3. The Marvels quantum entangles Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and who?

4. Subspace Rhapsody is the musical episode of which Star Trek series?

5. In Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, which Easter-related artefact is revealed to be a fake in the prologue?

6. In Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which of the heroes is not voiced by Dee Bradley Baker? Echo, Hunter, Omega, or Wrecker?

7. In 2022’s The Batman, which of these characters is played by the same actor who previously voiced them in The Lego Batman Movie? A: Alfred, B: Batman, C: Catwoman, R: The Riddler?

8. What did Nadja call her nightclub in season four of What We Do In The Shadows?

9. Painting the set for Barbie caused a global shortage of which colour?

10. Which story adapted in the live-action series of The Sandman isn’t adapted in live-action?

Books and Comics

1. Sir Terry Pratchett’s biography by Rob Wilkins is subtitled A Life With WHAT?

2. Name R. F. Kuang’s .novel subtitled “or the Necessity of Violence”?

3. This year, A Better World tackled a change to policing in which long-running comic strip?

4. The titular thing in Gareth Brown’s novel has the power to make “any door every door”. What is it?

5. The Fifth Season RPG is based on which trilogy by N.K. Jemisin?

6. In Marvel Comics since 2020 we’ve seen the Dawn, Reign, Destiny and now Fall of WHAT?

7. Name Kiersten White’s novel about a deadly game with one rule – don’t be found?

8. Gareth Hanrahan introduces Alf and Spellbreaker in The WHAT Defiant?

9. Which Ghostmaker came first: the DC comics antihero, the horror film, or the Warhammer 40,000 novel?

10. In which city will this year’s WorldCon, the world science fiction convention, be held this August?

Resurrection

1. Who does Jesus raise from the dead in the Book of John?

2. Who tried to bring Eurydice back from the Underworld in Greek myth?

3. The Cailleach returns every year in Gaelic mythology to usher in which season?

4. The Drawing Of The Dark by Tim Powers is based on which legendary hero returning in our time of greatest need - more than once?

5. Name the author of recently filmed Frankenstein riff Poor Things?

6. What is DC hero Mitch Shelley, who comes back from the dead with a different superpower every time, known as?

7. In Only Murders In The Building, who plays actor and dirtbag Ben Glenroy, who is fatally poisoned at the end of season two, then in season three successfully resuscitated and then killed again by pushing him down an elevator shaft?

8. The third edition of which World Of Darkness supernatural character book has the subtitle The Resurrection?

9. Is the starting date for ALIEN RPG source material before or after Alien Resurrection on the setting timeline?

10. In Dungeons & Dragons 5e, a diamond used for the Resurrection spell has to be worth at least how many Gold Pieces?

Picture Round

Bunnies, Bunnies, It Must Be Bunnies!

Name these RPGs about or featuring rabbit player characters

Write In Round

“Somehow, Conpulsion Returned”

Match these characters from film, TV, books and comics to how they were brought back from the dead (or at least mostly dead).

1. BUFFY SUMMERS (the second time)

2. ERIC DRAVEN

3. DR. HENRY JONES, SENIOR

4. JEAN GREY

5. THE MARQUIS DE CARABAS

6. MR. SPOCK

7. RA’S AL GHUL

8. SCOTT PILGRIM

9. SNOW WHITE

10. WESTLEY

1-UP, THE CROW, THE GENESIS PLANET, THE HOLY GRAIL, THE LAZARUS PIT, LIFE KEPT IN A SILVER BOX, A MIRACLE PILL, THE PHOENIX FORCE, TRUE LOVE’S KISS, THE URN OF OSIRIS

... Well?

Vampire: The Masquerade 1920s

An entirely unplanned blog post as I discovered 300 words with paragraph gaps is more than a whole screen on Discord, when asked for ideas for a 1920s Vampire: The Masquerade game. Some of this will be familiar, but hey.

As noted above, Call Of Cthulhu is the big RPG for the 1920s. A useful book for a non-Cthulhu game set in the era is the 1920s Investigator’s Companion, which has a historical overview of major events and cultural ones like which books and films came out when as well as which vehicles and weapons are available, price guides and the like. It also has lots of adventures, some city and regional books - the one for Weimar-era Berlin could be great for a game like Vampire.

In the USA, Prohibition is a major factor in organised crime, and Kindred society is (among other things) connected to organised crime. Speakeasies, secret bars and clubs where people come for a drink of something illegal...

I’d look at vampires in popular culture as well. The film Nosferatu is released in 1922, and due to being based on Dracula without permission it’s quickly sued by Bram Stoker’s widow Florence, who couldn’t claim damages as the production company went bankrupt, and all copies were ordered destroyed at the end of the case in 1925, some escaping due to international distribution legal or otherwise. It popularised the idea of vampires being destroyed by sunlight and of course in VtM there’s a clan whose unlives were complicated when it come out, so who helped suppress it and who helped save some copies from destruction?

And Dracula itself is also well known, with the play that the 1931 film will be based on being a big hit from its 1924 debut in the UK (the first authorised adaptation, which Stoker’s widow was happy to licence to help fund the Nosferatu legal battle) coming to Broadway (with Bela Lugosi) in 1927. 

... I may have considered this before.

See also the rise of Spiritualism after the Great War for Giovanni and other now-Hecata bloodlines as well as Wraith connections, the Russian Civil War, the Tut-mania ancient Egypt craze after Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered which is why vampires like ankhs...

April

Happy Easter Monday which is also April Fools’ Day. Don’t take any wooden pilgrimage tokens.

Conpulsion 2024 day two

I have done the quiz. More on this later.

I played C7 Doctor Who second edition. I do feel it sanded off a bit too much from an already light system..

Congratulations to Banquo Award winner Aleksandra Brokman!

Conpulsion 2024 day one

£4000 at the charity auction! Including 50 for the lots I put in and me starting the bidding at 50 for something.

Hugo 2024 finalists

Hugo and related awards finalists for 2024 responding to the 2023 scandal with a lot of east Asian work.

I have actually read one of the novels!

D&D is up for dramatic presentation (long form) in a strong field. Doctor Who and Strange New Worlds both have two short form entries (justice for The Meep!) which could split their vote and let that great episode of The Last Of Us get it.

Nationals update update

The other GM in the category has had to drop out. Asking who the replacement is so I can say hello.

Nationals update

Okay, that’s 63 pages of printing so far for this Nationals game. (Not including the optional character pictures I’m still collecting.) And two of them are for me, in case I can’t get access to notes online.

... 64. I should have a name card as well as the players.

This is the game outline, also known as page 61.

VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE

LAST DANCE

Three cheers to the mirror

Now the two of us

Can we have one last dance?

Thursday, Jet Black New Year

New York City is home to over ten million people and haven to hundreds of vampires.

The Camarilla, the vampire establishment, serves under the Prince, Hellene. She has ruled since the turn of the century – hardly any time to some Kindred, but you have only been undead a few years. The Camarilla runs like a feudal fief – or an organised crime syndicate.

And like any syndicate, it has rivals, lieutenants who would rather be captains, and enemies.

Standing outside are the Anarchs, factions hiding in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Some think a better world is possible, others only care about a better supply of blood.

Hellene also tolerates others like the Church of Caine, the Hecata families, and the blood bank racketeers of the Circulatory System, so long as they contribute to “the good of all Kindred” in their own ways.

Around the city’s nightlife districts a number of clubs form the Rack, with vampire backers ensuring Kindred can hunt there in safety, provided they not make a mess.

The most prominent club on the Rack is the Electric, backed by the host known as Saint, but many Kindred feel most free in Thea Corbin’s Goth and alternative club Absolution.

In December, the sun sets before five in the afternoon and rises after seven in the morning. So the Camarilla likes to keep its subjects busy.

The Midwinter Gala is one of the most extravagant cultural events in the Kindred year. Artists in every field seek to perform there, or in spinoff events better suited to their style.

Kindred bands like Cold and Tearstain and performers like the violinist Michael Devere and the dancer Melusine prepare for a few minutes in front of the Prince,

Last Dance are to take the stage at Absolution the night before, in three nights’ time...

Spider-Verse: The Spider Within

The Spider Within, a Spider-Verse short film about anxiety, raising funds for an education charity. Note to arachnophobes to avoid the end, as it goes past the usual Spider-Man levels of spiders being involved.

Immaculate

Immaculate (2024) (trailer) does its job well, with some good surprises and twists on a solid formula as well as one puzzling choice.

I do think it would be interesting to see a version where something like this goes well.

It’s also at times a rare-these-days Paperback Gothic Cover movie with a lot of creeping around a big dark house in a nightdress carrying a candle.

Also the second film I’ve seen this year starring Sydney Sweeney and both have birds hitting windows at one point, though it’s only important in the other one, here it’s a jumpscare that kind of deflates the atmosphere for a moment.

Trailers include The First Omen, great trailer for a film that has some distinct overlap here and the problem of being a prequel so will lose a lot of the uncertainty in comparison. And Abigail, yay! And Tarot, boo.

Spoilery bit

Pirates Of The Carebootean

Or, recurse of the Black Pearl.

As someone who loves the first and has seen them all in cinemas and went to the ride as a child and still wants an RPG... yeah, could go for more. Maybe reset the level of absurd giant building smashing stunts, as well as the having-that-lead issue.

And maybe Disney+ up a spinoff show, live or more practically animated? A proper comic series maybe... And an RPG...

Four years since lockdown became legally enforced here.

March 25th

Happy Tolkien Reading Day. commemmorating the day the Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom.

Demon: The Descent at 10

Demon: The Descent launched ten years ago today. It’s the only Chronicles of Darkness outside of Vampire: The Requiem and a couple of blue book one-shots that I’ve actually run.

Conpulsion programme

Conpulsion programme now with talks and panels and a time for the quiz. This time next week it should be ready to go.

Happy birthday Cat!

The Filmhouse

The Filmhouse has received a grant for restoration and reopening, and could be back by the end of the year.

Bloodlines 2 announced five years ago

Ouch.

In a land of purest speculation

A reminder of the heyday of official moderated World Of Darkness chats just gave me an idea that may or may not work depending on the social structures involved but...

A Curseborne official chat like New Bremen.

Also wondering how LARPable it will be. That seems fairly likely to be a factor.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Last time I saw the first trailer for a Beetlejuice movie I taped it on VHS.

What would you put in the Superpal Museum?

A request from committed hero at RPGnet for trophies for the Big Team in a four-colour superhero world.

Alien: Romulus teaser

Alien: Romulus teaser is very much selling a back to basics ALIEN/S movie, which forty-five years in is entirely fair.

X-Men '97

Having had a quarter of a century to pick a codename for Jean Grey so she doesn’t look out of place in the intro, I guess X-Men ’97 didn’t do that on purpose.

Interview With The Vampire season two trailer

“We can’t be the only good ones out there...”

Star Wars: The Acolyte trailer

“Your eyes can deceive you...” June the Fourth be with you!

Star Wars dot com interview with showrunner Leslye Headland.

Furiosa trailer 2

There will always be war, but to get home Furiosa fought the world.

Spring

Coulda fooled me.

Jim Ward

Jim Ward, one of the early D&D team, creator of Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World among other effects on the gaming world.

Primeval repeating on free TV

Primeval is on Sky Mix Mondays at 6.

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all who celebrate. Ideas by Gar for Pelgrane games from 2020.

Alert

This year Easter Monday is April Fools’ Day, so be sure to check your miracles carefully!

Nationals update: inspiration attempts

Now have at least some of a plot, and seven of the eight requested characters are probably fairly interesting.

Have attempted to jumpstart my brain for a Vampire: The Masquerade one-shot since getting the category allocated by rewatching:

World Of Darkness: the documentary

Near Dark

Dracula (1931)

Nosferatu (1922)

Dracula (1958)

Dracula (1992)

Cat People (1942)

End Of Days at New Year

Heartless

L.A. Confidential

Se7en

8mm

The Game

The Crow

The Crow: City Of Angels

Black Swan

The Batman (2022)

Daredevil season 1

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

John Wick

Constantine

Blade

Blade II

X-Men

Atomic Blonde

Dracula’s Daughter (for the 1930s Hollywood idea)

Strange Days

21 Bridges

... and watching for the first time:

What We Do In The Shadows season 4 (which I was going to watch anyway)

Morbius

In the latter case... the things I do for gaming.

Conpulsion Quiz update

Conpulsion quiz now submitted for approval, apart from the almost empty Books And Comics round and a vague idea for the write-in round.

The Books And Comics round was inherited and kept so I could do the Film And TV round without it being the only media round. And with the Hugos this year, not really wanting the traditional Hugo winning novel question...

Time Of Judgment

It was twenty years ago... the World of Darkness ended.

Thanks to Ian A. A. Watson for the reminder.

Yes, Bloodlines came out eight months after the end of the world. Insert delay joke here.

Comic Relief

Not a fan of Amazon exclusive red noses, but I understand the logistics.

Conpulsion Quiz draft away

Conpulsion Quiz draft away. Apart from the Books and Comics round. And a possible write-in round.

The Crow (2024) trailer

The first trailer for The Crow (2024) is here and I’d say it looks like another possibly interesting The Crow movie, it doesn’t especially feel like Eric and Shelly in particular but hey, Danny Huston as the villain is usually good value.

(And bonus World Of Darkness connection, the big concert venue is the Rudolfinum in Prague, which Bloodhunt players will also have massacred their way through.)

The Bad Batch 3.06 and 3.07

The Bad Batch continues to show off with atmospheric lighting.

“How should we light this little establishing shot of Omega and Wrecker having dinner?”

“Like Caravaggio.”

Deadpool Role-plays The Marvel Universe

Deadpool Role-plays The Marvel Universe, coming this summer, a comic and also an adventure for the new Marvel Multiverse RPG. That is some nice support for a new licence.

OOC solutions for game-shifting choices

“When a player’s actions turn the game on its head, it’s not just about controlling a character - it’s about the whole group’s fun.”

Four Heroes And A Murderhobo by Robin D. Laws

This goes for possibilities beyond sudden violent actions, but that’s certainly a common example.

Daggerheart open beta

Daggerheart open beta. Darrington Press sets out to make the kind of game Critical Role has always used D&D to do.

It’s clearly a child of D&D with classes and levels and whatnot, albeit with a nice 2d12 curve, but with theatre of the mind action including zone-ranged combat.

Special abilities and action tracks using cards and chits and other things a VTT would help with, I wonder how much could be skipped to minimise stuff at the table.

Collaborative worldbuilding, though I wouldn’t rule out sourcebooks.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - The Book Of Hungry Names demo

Werewolf: The Apocalypse — The Book Of Hungry Names gigantic computer gamebook from Kyle Marquis (Vampire: The Masquerade - Night Road) out April 25th, and intro chapters demo now.

Also a Tribes playlist! 

It's been fun threading the needle between the old and new interpretations of the tribes. The Black Fury song that opens this list is pretty classic, same with the Hart Wardens, but the Galestalker and Silver Fang songs break from the older editions.

Kyle Marquis on Bluesky

Godzilla won an Oscar

For special effects, after seventy years in the business well earned.

That character name update

Dallas

Diaz

Jordan

Mason

Rain

Sage

Sam

Story

Yes I know that’s three S names out of eight. Shut up.

Happy Buffy anniversary!

Buffy The Vampire Slayer premiered on TV in the US on this day in 1997.

Mother's Day

Happy UK Mother’s Day if applicable.

The naming of characters

Making starting Vampire: The Masquerade characters for a one-shot: under ten minutes.

Choosing one Conviction each: um.

Naming them: why hast thou forsaken me

International Women's Day

A safe and happy International Women’s Day.

World Book Day

Happy World Book Day!

RPGnet update

A couple days in and it’s certainly nice not having ads on RPGnet for T3MU.

FiveEvil is coming

FiveEvil from Handiwork Games and by Morgue Davie, coming soon to crowdfunding, inverts 5E for King-style horror with ordinary people in trouble. No Armour Class but a box for Suffering.

RPGnet merging with RPGMatch

RPGnet merging with RPGMatch, a startup for looking-for-group and other online RPG aids, a side project for the owner.

To Boldly Go

Keith R.A. DeCandido looks back at his pre-streaming Star trek rewatches at Tor and Reactor.

The Lost Universe, an adventure from NASA

The Lost Universe, a free D&D adventure in search of the disappeared Hubble telescope, published by NASA.

Ludonarrative Dissidents season 3

Ludonarrative Dissidents season 3 Kickstarter for the system-fu with adventures and sourcebooks too.

Dracula's Daughter

A retro review of Dracula's Daughter. I had known about it being a mess behind the scenes with MGM holding rights for a payoff and unused and possible unusable scripts - it explains why the comic relief characters appear in two scenes at the start and never again and why a central character’s motivation is revealed six minutes before the end - but didn’t know about the Laemmle family being ousted from Universal four days after it came out, so am now leaning even more into running an adventure about vampires messing with it.

GM's Day

Appreciate us. APPRECIATE US!

Lisa Frankenstein

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

Jennifer’s Body creator Diablo Cody returns to this general field with a sweet little romantic comedy apart from the occasional murder and dismemberment.

Vampire population explosions

I see a lot of Vampire: The Masquerade games start with failed Sabbat mass Embraces to explain a table full of new clueless vampires showing up at once. (It’s a subset of the brewing conflict introduction where newly turned PCs are part of a rising problem, which I go for sometimes myself.)

I used a failed mass Embrace with just NPCs a while ago, the PCs helping unearth them and seeing if they could be brought back from the brink of madness.

And I just suggested adding NPCs to one example. It gives a relatable possible enemy, and if you want to lean into the personal horror maybe it includes people the PCs know. An equally fresh bunch of undead causing trouble feels different if they’re led by your sister.

moth

Curseborne

The Onyx Pathcast 300, in which we’re cursed.

Starting in medias res.

Supernatural and mundane.

Kinds seem to be families. Lykan and Bathorite elders talk, and young ones will fight like Montagues and Capulets.

Both families led by a mother. Perhaps with a capital M, they seem to have siblings and cousins they don’t really know.

Lykans and Bathorites are much as expected.

Characters have Edges, one example is Quick Read. And Spells.

Lineage Torments.

Places of deferment. The example here is an all night café called Neutral Grounds.

Curse Dice. Limited usage - cannot buy off Complications. Bad to run out of them though.

Cursebind.

Momentum and Complications and other features of Storypath Ultra.

Nationals T minus six weeks

Nationals is in six weeks, and the organisers want character sheets and the like for vetting in ten days’ time. Which should be fine... if I have anything done by then.

Yes I’m still swithering over this.

Normally I’d be well on the way, but I was assigned to GM Vampire: The Masquerade. This isn’t my first time assigned a not-first-choice category or even a Darkness category but it is my first time assigned to a one game category. And one that isn’t great for one-shots.

And I don’t know how well any of the players know the game in general or the current edition in particular, or their expectations or preferences.

And this is always the case but with less narrow categories I expect total newb-ness. Here I don’t have that.

I can absolutely do a standard mystery with a fight at the end, but, y’know.

(Small update: I now know what the other ST is aiming at, which definitely helps.)

Paramore, Thick Skull

I am a magnet for broken pieces

I am attracted to broken people

The Chocolate Experience

Fiasco of the week Willy’s Chocolate Experience in Glasgow looks slightly worse than the Christmas village scams reported somewhere most years but the use of algorithm-generated pictures and text in the advertising and the script pushes it over the bar. The work of someone who also publishes algorithm-generated conspiracy theory books, it’s a glaring example of how much that sucks impacting on the world outside the net.

It fails as the scam it looks like as well as the event it was meant to be. I’m sorry for everyone else involved - a number of the actors have spoken up about it as well as some of the audience.

It also seems like something that a more appropriate venue and a decent-sized student theatre or LARP group could put on properly and still turn a modest profit.

That said, expect to see an evil chocolate maker called The Unknown showing up in other things as people swipe that.

Dialogue

“Surrender or die! ... I don’t have a strong preference so it’s your call.”

March

At the end of the month, Conpulsion. Largely ready for the quiz except the Books and Comics round, which is always the most effort.

GM's Day Sale

The March Fo(u)rth GM’s Day Sale is now on at DriveThruRPG.

Neuromancer

Apple TV making William Gibson’s Neuromancer after people have been trying for forty years. Curious to see how the tech will work because you can do most of it now apart from minor things like retractable finger knives and private space stations.

Of course, nowadays the sky above the port being the colour of television tuned to a dead channel is black with a No Signal bar.

Discworld: Adventures In Ankh-Morpork

Modiphius has acquired the Discworld licence, and has announced an RPG. signup news here with a link to a survey. Aiming to Kickstart in the winter.

No word yet of a system. They’ve adjusted their 2d20 house system for different complexity levels but can they adjust it for characters who aren’t really competent?

(The survey mentions 2d20 among other systems when asking what we play.)

Discworld has previously had an official GURPS book with two editions and a supplement (as well as first getting RPG-ish eyes on with an introductory article in White Dwarf magazine in its early WFRP days) but a bigger line would obviously work. The main issue would be making it feel like Discworld specifically and not just like a typical fantasy RPG session going wrong in an amusing manner.

The licence says tabletop games, and there have board games already including a version of Thud! so there may be more there too, as the survey mentions those while focusing on RPGs and Discworld favourites. I would expect miniatures too, as they like making miniatures.

The trick is for it to be funny without people acting funny. Never get the impression that Discworld characters think of themselves as anything other than serious (while they may acknowledge the situations they find themselves in are absurd, they still treat them as serious issues to sort). Difficult to run/play. But yes, they’ll sell a few copies!

Ian

I'd put my money on it being based off one of the many variations of the 2D20 system. Its pretty narrative, reasonably light and tends away from DND style hack n slash, something that Discworld definitely is not. In all, the thing I am happiest about is that Discworld has not been licensed to WOTC. They've made a mess of so many things and don't show any signs of improving either. Modiphius is a solid company with a good track record and from my experience they have handled the other licenses they've picked up really well.

LIam

February the 29th

I feel that February the 29th should be a holiday. I mean, what else are you going to do with it?

The Crow (2024) photos

Empire shares first look photos from a Vanity Fair interview (read one free) with director Rupert Sanders. The first two are from happier times, the third shows what we’ll be seeing in the main story.

I have doubts, but I saw Wicked Prayer so I can do this too.

“I grew up listening to Joy Division and the Cure, and this movie is a bit like a Cure song – the beauty of melancholy.”

Rupert Sanders

Iwájú

Iwájú, a new animated series from Disney and Kugali, a family adventure in a solarpunk future Nigeria. (Trailer)

The series dropped today on D+ so I plan to spend an afternoon with it.

Our Brilliant Ruin

Our Brilliant Ruin is now live on Kickstarter. An entropic apocalypse approaches a fin de siècle world. What will you do as it all winds down?

Also important to me is making sure that everyone who wants it can have a copy of the game. We’re planning to make the full core book PDF available to everyone who wants it for free, whether or not you back the project. Your support helps make this possible (and hopefully ensures everyone at your game table has their own copy on game night).

Justin Achilli

Heart: Dagger in the Heart

Dagger in the Heart is a big 144 page adventure for Heart: The City Beneath, by Gar Hanrahan. Interest in Heart rising.

Buttons are good

The TV is now on its third remote control. The original lasted over a decade and was taken out by a cup of coffee, while the replacement lasted fourteen months and just stopped acknowledging some buttons, which does not bode well for the new replacement of the same model.

Moon lander Odysseus

Next time maybe do the expensive safety check rather than sending something to the Moon where it might fall over and lose half its operating window.

Brond

I just had a terrible idea for a reference leaning into the location and Gothic theme at the Glasgow Nationals, as ain’t nobody gonna get this, sadly. Brond, the 1987 Channel 4 miniseries based on the novel by Frederic Lindsay about a Glasgow Uni student who witnesses the literally winking murder of a child by the titular criminal / spy / perhaps I was being too literal but I always thought he was the Devil, and it gets worse for him from there. My brother had the theme on EP, and it certainly doesn’t hurt my theory. This may be how Demon: The Descent looks to a character on the outside.

Star Trek Adventures second edition

Star Trek Adventures second edition news signup.

So in today's big announcement; I worked on the Star Trek Adventures Second Edition RPG!

There's so much this new edition offers - as well as streamlined mechanics and support to play in every era of Star Trek.

Alison Cybe

Nationals playtests

GUGS playtested some Nationals games this weekend, seven weeks ahead of the event. I hear it went well! Though not many games are at that stage yet. Which is kind of a relief for mine.

A Haunting

My prompt for thinking about true stories was the documentary series Amityville: An Origin Story, hence my including the note about stories people claim to be true. Going from a true tragedy to a byword for schlock.

A True Story

Have you ever taken a true story, or a supposedly true tall tale, as the basis for an adventure or campaign?

I’ve borrowed elements for setup here and there - I’ve always wanted to base an adventure on scientists going into a dormant volcano to get data to better predict eruptions.

The invasion of Ukraine two years on

This act of evil and stupidity continues.

Tomb Raider RPG

You wait years for a Tomb Raider RPG and then one is announced nine months after the free one.

Madame Web

Madame Web (2024)

As I suspected when seeing the trailer:

Madame Web could easily lose eight minutes that didn’t work and a couple of costume choices and be a pretty fun movie taking an interesting idea and running with it, but I presume they were required to connect it to the titular obscure Marvel character.

Someone with Final Destination style sorta-helpful visions of the future trying to save people from a murderer, that’s cool.

Someone with one non-combat superpower having to take on a full-tilt supervillain, also cool.

Disgruntled hero having to deal with the kids she has to protect, also fun.

The stuff I’d lose which I assume they were stuck with:

ChatRIP

Delighted that after someone made an evil supercomputer it was undone by people messing with it, as has long been the case with evil supercomputers in SF. Shame they didn’t get it to sing Daisy, Daisy but we can’t have everything.

The Bad Batch 3.01-3.03

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

3.01: Confined

“Imprisoned on Tantiss, Omega adjusts to a new life.”

30 minutes plus credits including a two-minute Previously cut and scored for drama.

“When have we ever followed orders?”

The opening three episodes start with a slow-burn setup of Omega’s captivity.

Animation showoff bit: multiple scenes gloomily lit only by computer screens and dim overhead lighting.

--

3.02 Paths Unknown

“Following a lead, Hunter and Wrecker make a startling discovery.”

24 1/2 minutes plus credits. Despite not moving unusually fast, it starts in such a hurry that the theme tune cuts off early.

The music cues referencing Aliens should give you a hint of what the ruined abandoned genetics lab is like.

Design showoff bit: the very Heorot-looking Devaronian palace.

--

3.03 Shadows of Tantiss

“Omega and Crosshair hatch a daring plan.”

24 1/2 minutes plus credits.

In case Hemlock being in charge of a torture-happy genetic experiment and leaving troopers to die as they called for aid in 3.01 wasn’t enough, it says a lot about someone if he’s happy that the Emperor is coming for an inspection.

Animation showoff bit: dramatically backlit Crimson Guard.

This show sometimes really shows off how far the CGI woodentop look has come.

Nationals 2024 plans

Plan one: something along the lines of Last Dance with the Goth scene front and centre. Buuuuut I lack plot.

The backup plan is to do a fairly standard mystery but crank up the Vampire: The Masquerade setting’s Gothic-Punk vibe above its default levels.

A club called Angels Fall

Elysium in a gallery after midnight

A meeting in a cemetery with a blind Hecata

Dark alleys

Subway stations

A chase across rooftops

Already largely ruled out Victorian as there’s a Victoriana/Steampunk category.

Now halfway from the Nationals GM allocation to the event and... well, got a backup plan...

Mitch Benn's Gilbert & Sullivan's Dracula

Mitch Benn’s Gilbert & Sullivan’s Dracula.

And then, Mitch Benn’s Gilbert & Sullivan’s Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Conpulsion 2024 RPG programme

Conpulsion 2024 RPG programme as of six weeks to go.

Modern fantastic fight scene idea

Superheroes, urban fantasy, that kind of thing.

Modern office building with motion-activated lights. The human(oid) heroes set them off. These seemingly corporeal(ish) monsters don’t.

The Hugos disqualification scandal

Kat Jones has resigned from Hugos administration for Glasgow 2024 Worldcon, among other effects.

Propulsion at 20

Propulsion, the 24-hour gaming marathon at GEAS (named later, I believe) started on this day in 2004.

Not really viable for revival currently due to the bigger student union building being unavailable for a year, among other reasons, but maybe someday...

Bumblebee director for Masters Of The Universe?

Travis Knight is also a key member of Laika animation studio.

Hearing! Yay!

Hearing restored thanks to block removal. Easier than the last two times this ear has gone wonky.

Mood while waiting affected by radio playing I Will Survive, Dizzy and Blockbuster. I swear.

(And since one was used, I got to ask what “the thing with the light and magnifier that you look in ears with” is actually called, having wondered for years. An oroscope.)

(So now you know.)

Happy Valentine's Day to all who celebrate

And now, Mardi Gras parade videos.

Roses are red

Salsa is often red

Fire engines are red

Iron Man’s armour usually has some red in it

Superman’s cape is red

Roses are nice I guess?

Pancake Day

Pancakes achieved (thanks mum!) for, as is traditional, the only day they are!

D&D 5.1

Dungeons & Dragons is to get new and heavily tweaked but backwards-compatible 5e rulebooks starting with the Player’s Handbook due September 17th, Dungeon Master’s Guide November 12th and Monster Manual February 18th 2025. A full set to further confuse D&D edition numbering.

Bagpuss at 50

Bagpuss first aired on this day in 1974. Still in regular rotation through my childhood and past.

Super Bowl LVIII

Good Super Bowl. Overtime is a lot more fun than a penalty shootout. Now to catch up on the trailers and other adverts (exception for Selling Jesus) because we don’t get those here.

Nationals looming

Nine weeks to Nationals and... pretty much done with the Conpulsion quiz. Which is earlier, sure, but...

D&D at 50, for real, maybe?

Sounds like D&D at fifty might be about now.

Happy Lunar New Year to all who celebrate

A happy Year of the Dragon!

John Rogers on cons and heists

John Rogers, creator of Leverage and also writer of the Crimeworld supplement for FATE Worlds, on con and heist story structure. He covered some of this in Crimeworld as it also needs the act structure.

Sometimes context can add a lot

I missed this week’s What We Do In the Shadows (episode 4.08) on BBC Two and am catching up on Disney+.

(Yes, I could be a year ahead. I’m not. I like watching TV on the TV, it’s bigger.)

Episode 4.08 is presented as an episode of Laszlo’s favourite home makeover show Go Flip Yourself.

Complete with fake intro.

AND DISNEY+ PUT THE ‘SKIP INTRO’ BUTTON ON THE FAKE INTRO.

That’s beautiful.

Happy 50th birthday to Seth Green.

Dialogue for somewhere like Buffy or something

He looks like the Sad Trombone noise.

Vampire: The Crowded Streets chapter two

We have a Victorian Ravnos witch (alternate bane so she can have a house and shop) and a Lasombra computer security expert (also alternate bane so he can function).

So not my subtlest ploy, but an emailed video file of a ritual murder got them both called in...

Bluesky

Bluesky is now open. See how that goes.

National Werewolf Day

Yes, apparently.

Our Flag Continues To Mean Death

Our Flag Means Death season two reaches here much faster than S1 did. The tonal swing of Stede’s shenanigans and Blackbeard’s reign of terror is pretty sharp.

King Charles has begun treatment for cancer. Noting this here to remember it.

They made a Curseborne movie already?

Not really. Probably. Longlegs trailer at Empire.

Bonus: You’ve got the teeth of the hydra upon you.

Dialogue for... probably nothing really.

My mother was courted by one of the Crench boys when I was a kid. I knew the family had gotten rich by dubious means, so when she asked I said I wasn’t a fan. But honestly I was more concerned that if she married him and we took his name I wouldn’t be able to pursue a career with ranks because I could never be a captain.

Nationals T Minus 70 Days

Ten weeks to go! (If I can read a calendar...)

I’m currently undecided between two or three possible ideas. They all lean into the Gothic theme to some extent as I’m running Vampire, one of the categories that exists because of the theme.

One using it as backdrop and tone for a relatively “normal” adventure which is fine but a bit... “normal”, one about a band a la Last Dance which is good for a vibe but trickier for rising action and the like, and one Victorian melodrama which loses the clash of the mundane and horrific and also steps on the Victorian category’s shiny booted toes so is very much the “or three” option.

It’s okay that I’ve already been thinking about this for six weeks, right?

It's Groundhog Day

... again.

Feels strange not trying to create a player character.

Curseborne has questions

Curseborne from Onyx Path has a site now, which gives a hint of what it is through an online questionnaire.

Modern supernatural with various monster types, which is not really a surprise but nice to know. The quiz reveals thirty answers, some of which sound like creature types and some sound social or political, so guessing a mix of type and faction and possibly a third axis.

For those wondering I got Archivist, to the surprise of no-one. Possibly less.

Though with a minor change I got Lykan, presumably for mentioning friends and a willingness to fight. And possibly wearing jeans.

Also an email, bottom left.

Bonus amusement: the free-to-use pictures in some of the questions include the one I used for a Vampire PBP title image. There are only so many atmospheric lonely-city free pictures out there.

February

Welcome to the still shortest month even with an added day.

Character Creation Challenge 2024 Roundup

Character Creation Challenge 2024

Overall, I did not have quite enough of a plan, hence making five TOON characters in an afternoon at the end there.

Well done all taking part! Thanks to TardisCaptain for getting us going, and SunlessNick for the hat tip taking the one-system idea much further with integrated groups for two. And I hope I’ve provided some entertaining reading along the way.

Character Creation Challenge 2024 Collection

Character Creation Challenge 2024

TardisCaptain introduction and after action report

RPGnet thread

A: Angel

1a: Stone, cursed immortal warrior

2a: Lydia, humanising influence

3a: Dade, fortune teller

4a: Maurice, Watcher

5a: Lana, expert

6a: Sinclair, soldier

B: Doctor Who

7b: Walker, the traveller

8b: Josh, the companion

9b: Amit, the expert

C: Beautiful Anomalies

10c: Walker, the Stranger

11c: Josh, the Innocent

12c: Amit, the Adventurer

D: Ghostbusters

13d: Bob the franchise holder

14d: Deb the muscle

15d: Jim the intern

16d: Wentworth the actual brains

E: ICONS Assembled Edition

17e: One-Eyed Jack

18e: Miss Mystery

19e: Desert Wind

20e: Blue Jay

21e: The King Of Clubs

F: Star Trek Adventures

22f: Captain Diana Carter

23f: First Officer Sofia Melnyk

24f: Science Officer Professor Melet Ra-Shear

25f: Chief of Security Eran Dal

26f: Michael Sebastian, non-Starfleet adviser

G: TOON

27g: Lavinia Lynx, World’s Greatest Thief

28g: Detective Shepherd, long paw of the law

29g: Hannah Harvest-Mouse, plucky reporter

30g: Mr. Snap, gangster

31g: Genevra Gerbil, innocent bystander

Roundup.

Relics: The Collection

The Collection of Relics for Relics, at a knockdown price on itch. Now you can see the things I wrote!

Character Creation Challenge 2024 31g: TOON 5

Character Creation Challenge 2024

31g: TOON

Professor Genevra Gerbil

Renowned Historian, Also Gerbil

Genevra is the unfortunate innocent bystander in every museum heist. Prone to gasping and looking appalled, but also defending threatened antiquities with surprising ferocity.

A wee gerbil in tweed and reading glasses

“Oh dear!”

Rose Chamber, State Of Affairs

Bandcamp stream of State of Affairs, about eight minutes of goth-punk from hardcore performer Ace Stallings, via Stereogum.

Character Creation Challenge 2024 30g: TOON 4

Character Creation Challenge 2024

30g: TOON

Mr. Snap

Gangster

Mr. Snap is (a) a gangster and (b) a snapping turtle.

A snapping turtle in a black hat

“I tried to be reasonable - ”

- “No you didn’t!”

“Alright, that’s fair.”

Character Creation Challenge 2024 29g: TOON 3

Character Creation Challenge 2024

29g: TOON

Hannah Harvest-Mouse

Plucky Reporter

A reporter for the Daily News, she’ll do anything for The Truth.

A harvest mouse with a constantly determined expression

“The people deserve to know!”

Character Creation Challenge 2024 28g: TOON 2

Character Creation Challenge 2024

28g: TOON

Detective John Q. Shepherd

The Real Inspector Hound

The best police dog on the force, focused and driven and the straight man to other characters.

A distinguished German Shepherd in plain clothes

“Not in this watchdog’s watch!”

Character Creation Challenge 2024 27g: TOON 1

Character Creation Challenge 2024

27g: TOON

I came into the Challenge with plans for six games and a ????? for the last few entries. And having gotten to the end of January and no plan presenting itself... here goes.

TOON, the RPG of cartoon chaos mostly aimed at Short Subjects like Bugs Bunny or Tom And Jerry though later developments encouraged a series format. 2D6 roll under, and sometimes failing is better (like failing to notice you’ve walked off a cliff).

These days available in a Deluxe Edition that folds in options from the sourcebooks, but let’s go for the original 68 pages of large type including 24 pages of adventures. This is the game that taught me that one rule system doesn’t fit all.

Imagining a crime caper series with different characters starring in different shorts and a possible crossover.

Going with the points system, 14 in Attributes, 30 in Skills and Shticks. And basing Hit Points on Muscle instead of randomising that too.

27g:

Lavinia Lynx

Cat Burglar

World’s Greatest Thief according to herself, her expertise in stealth and conning sometimes let down by her bitey temper.

A dashing lynx, domino mask optional.

“Haha! Lavinia Lynx strikes again!”

Monkey Man trailer

Dev Patel co-writes, directs and stars in actioner Monkey Man, trailer and talk at Empire.

“Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for a fucking fiiiiight?”

Dungeons & Dragons at 50 (soon)

Historians suggest that Dungeons & Dragons first came out on this day in 1974.

But apparently not. Come back next month.

Thanks to Tim Knight and Ian A. A. Watson.

Bauhaus, Bela Lugosi's Dead at 45

Bauhaus recorded Bela Lugosi’s Dead on this day in 1979. It would become the Vampire song due to featuring at the start o0f The Hunger in 1983, the scene that directly inspired the Succubus Club.

Character Creation Challenge 2024 26f: Star Trek Adventures 5

Character Creation Challenge 2024

26f: Star Trek Adventures

Star Trek shows are mostly about Starfleet characters, but there’s often an odd one out in the main cast, an outsider observer or someone seconded to the mission. Deep Space Nine and Voyager had a particularly wide spread of characters more-or-less working together. We’ll have to scribble over some specifics to generate a non-Starfleet character using the core rules, but here goes. And just to be extra weird, make it a human with a wildly different viewpoint. This could be fun to play if the other players are cool with it.

Michael Sebastian

U.S.S. Horizon secondment

Mr. Sebastian has been placed on the Horizon as an expert in one of the threats it will be facing, a rogue human system government. As a former member of said rogue government who had a falling out with the current leadership.

“We don’t want to bring down everything Starfleet stands for. Not quite.”

Nicholas Hoult

Character Creation Challenge 2024 25f: Star Trek Adventures 4

Character Creation Challenge 2024

25f: Star Trek Adventures

Because every Star Trek series needs an unfamiliar alien on the bridge.

One thing the character creator doesn’t include is DIY species, which would be more work for a database than a GM and player. So I looked through the Talents list and tagged the relevant books so I could create something like the Turians from Mass Effect, giving them the raptor-like strength and speed.

Not so concerned about culture because they’re more of a Star Wars style “just folks” type with some classic Proud Warrior Race notes about honour.

One Rigellian Chelon Talent from the Beta Quadrant sourcebook, and otherwise run from core.

Lieutenant Commander Eran Dal

Security Officer

U.S.S. Horizon

Lieutenant Commander Dal comes from a family of Tarator rangers, making him a prime choice for away team security. His deadpan sense of humour is an added... bonus?

“If we die doing this just remember I told you so. More than once.”

A Garrus cosplay

Character Creation Challenge 2024 24f: Star Trek Adventures 3

Character Creation Challenge 2024

24f: Star Trek Adventures

So far I’ve kept to the core rulebook options but I decided to tag in an extra book to see what the Efrosians have in this system. I remember the FASA version added in the sourcebook for The Voyage Home with warrior-priests who sometimes wore ceremonial robes when working as medical officers. I see later developments pretty much ignored that version apart from their arctic origin, including them being a new addition to the Federation as its President was one two films later. (Looking back I’d definitely lose the part about hair colour being so gendered that it’s shameful to be born ‘wrong’.)

Now we have linguists with a music-based learning method and eyes that don’t cope well with light.

Let’s do what the shows usually do and massively alter and expand as the series goes on. So a bit of a warrior priest feel to a science officer who’s also a language expert.

He’s more playable than my previous idea for a science officer, Mr. N.

Professor Melet Ra-Shear

Science Officer

U.S.S. Horizon

Professor Ra-Shear was already a decorated quantum physicist when he took secondment to Starfleet for scientific exploration. As he explains it, the song of the cosmos guided him to take his studies out of the observatory.

“There is always something more to learn.”

Illustration by David R. Deitrick

Relics Bundle Of Holding

Relics Bundle Of Holding. Note: does not contain the book I wrote a third of.

Character Creation Challenge 2024 23f: Star Trek Adventures 2

Character Creation Challenge 2024

23f: Star Trek Adventures

Commander Sofia Melnyk

First Officer

U.S.S. Horizon

Commander Melnyk comes from a background in technology and has always been an expert in managing people, making her a strong first officer.

“The wise learn from others’ mistakes.”

Summer Glau
No I'm not doing a full Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles reunion

The Bad Batch Season 3

Trailer! February 21st! Action! Emotional stakes! Final-season lack of plot armour! An unexpected recurring character from the show this spun off from!

Character Creation Challenge 2024 22f: Star Trek Adventures 1

Character Creation Challenge 2024

22f: Star Trek Adventures

(quickstart)

There have been Star Trek RPGs about as long as there have been any licensed RPGs, but Star Trek Adventures in particular sets out to emulate the series rather than play-in-the-world simulation. It runs on a pretty simple system with several ways to boost results in the PCs’ favour, and the starting PCs are competent enough that publishers Modiphius have released rosters of various series PCs at starting level. it has other touches like bringing in supporting characters and encouraging reusing them.

The core rules have been slightly revised in a digest book and a Klingon-specific rulebook, but I’ve played from the first book so here we go.

And it looks like that’s one of the options supported in the online character creator.

It gives options to select or roll at every step, which I may use later. For now, selecting to recreate my first character.

Federation starship with a catchy name, senior staff of PCs, post-TNG era.

Star Trek: Horizon

A newly commissioned Manticore-class starship (Stargazer update, give it a new model) with a mission of scientific exploration and diplomatic outreach.

22f:

Captain Diana Carter

U.S.S. Horizon

Captain Carter is the daughter of a Starfleet senior designer at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on Mars so she grew up around starships, seeing how they come together and how it takes a crew to make them fly. Young for command, even of a relatively small ship, but she’s had to prove herself time and again.

“When you tell me something’s impossible, just remember that I’m from Mars.”

Lena Headey

Character Creation Challenge 2024 21e: ICONS 5

Character Creation Challenge 2024

21e: ICONS Assembled Edition

I’m running a three to four player game at the moment so am mostly thinking of small groups, but to make five for this one how about a villain?

Going with the Batman model I could do a a powered villain for this effectively unpowered team, maybe a probability manipulator (who may or may not be a demon) to really lean into the gambling motif, but went for a mobster with a gimmick, and with the Joker being otherwise occupied...

The King Of Clubs

Frank Cesar

Enforcer for the Romero gang

Frank came up from nothing to make his way to the right hand of Old Man Romero’s gang, making sure nothing goes wrong in the Firework casino complex or with the other families. He likes sharp suits, fast cars, women who don’t expect serious attachments and the odd good fight now and then. A crack shot with a gun, but he prefers a club or a silent thrown strike.

Inspiration: Bullseye (Daredevil)

Character Creation Challenge 2024 20e: ICONS 4

Character Creation Challenge 2024

20e: ICONS Assembled Edition

And having created a group called the Aces, another kind of ace.

Blue Jay

Harry Langdon

Ace pilot and paraglider

A former stunt pilot recruited by One-Eyed Jack as a rapid insertion pilot, he’s keen on testing a new parachute glider. (Paragliding really started in 1966, though it had been tried before.)

Inspiration: The Rocketeer

Character Creation Challenge 2024 19e: ICONS 3

Character Creation Challenge 2024

19e: ICONS Assembled Edition

Having just created two characters with one not-really power between them, I figured I should create an actual super, even a low-level one. He may not fit the group but I had the idea so here he is.

Desert Wind

Joshua Roth

Controller of desert winds.

Standing up against the racketeers, he survived being left in the desert to die because the desert let him. Now he can feel the hot wind and turn it on others. He can strike with gusts of wind and sand, making it hard to see, appearing and disappearing without warning.

Inspiration: Dust (X-Men)

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (trailer) (gameplay feature and interview video including said trailer) is the unexciting title of a new computer and console game. From the makers of recent Wolfenstein games so mostly first person, set in 1937 so there be Nazis for the punching, albeit with a pretty stiff Harrison Ford model and a passable voice imitation. Also Tony Todd at one point, which is cool.

The Great Circle is apparently a ring of sites of spiritual significance, presumably chosen for being about the right place and ignoring plenty of others.

Domino Day

Domino day trailer at SFX. A new urban fantasy show from BBC Three, original home of Being Human and The Fades, from the makers of Gangs Of London, about modern witches though the title character seems more like a succubus. iPlayering from the 31st, and presumably on TV at some point soon as well.

Character Creation Challenge 2024 18e: ICONS 2

Character Creation Challenge 2024

18e: ICONS Assembled Edition

Miss Mystery

Katherine Montgomery

Stage magician and sleight-of-hand expert. (In a more supers than pulp setting she could have actual magic.)

Inspiration: Zatanna (Batman: The Animated Series version) and Sophie Deveraux (Leverage)

Character Creation Challenge 2024 17e: ICONS 1

Character Creation Challenge 2024

17e: ICONS Assembled Edition

ICONS is a pretty light 2D6-based superhero RPG influenced by the original Marvel Super Heroes. Using the second Assembled Edition as the first edition PDF isn’t available separately.

It defaults to random character generation, though it has a points-based option. 45 points each, 1 point per for Attributes, Powers and Specialties, Extras 1 per point of the base power, Limits countering that cost.

Having created a public city team for the 2022 challenge, this time a city’s big private team...

The Aces

A team dedicated to fighting organised crime in 1960s Las Vegas. (The series version of organised crime may be more Batman: The Animated Series than Crime Story.)

Team Qualities

Crimefighters

Contacts

Secret Identities

Starting with their team leader:

17e:

One-Eyed Jack

James Jensen

Team leader and mastermind

Having lost a friend when one gang targeted another in a drive-by shooting and didn’t stop shooting, a former rich kid dedicated his life to stopping this happening to anyone else.

Inspiration: The Shadow and therefore Batman etc.