Beltane tonight, best of luck making the sun come back.

(Edit: Yeah, about that...)

Onyx Path Convention 2024

Onyx Path Virtual Gaming Convention dates announced, June 14th-16th, including panels and live play acknowledging that Curseborne exists.

Last Dance season three

Next time our Vampire: The Masquerade game gets overly literal in time for Mardi Gras.

It would probably have happened before the Nationals banner, but still.

(New York doesn’t do Mardi Gras on any parade-type level but vampires like to party and it was that or Valentine’s. Which could also get a session.)

Terry Pratchett Day

Vale.

Josie And The Pussycats (2016-7)

Exceedingly early Nationals inspiration

Josie And The Pussycats (2016-7) by Marguerite Bennett, Cameron DeOrdio and Audrey Mok

From issue 2:

“Dang it! We need a distraction.”

“A tiny veneer of irony over the crushing despair that is being conscious in this world?”

“Um.”

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: Cyberpunk.

I may have already pitched a Buffy adventure for it: evil media corporation to fight against.

Yes, it is Josie And The Pussycats.

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 com 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.