31 Days / 31 Characters - IVAN PETROVO

One of my longest and best campaigns, at least by my own criteria, was a game of modified classic Traveller called Operation: PALADIN. The campaign began with a large group but not long after the first story arc a few of the players had to drop out for varying reasons. Luckily, a few new players joined including Hans, Dave, and Andy. 

Andy's character was...

Character: Ivan Petrovo

AKA: 

 
Player: Andrew Frank Rodriguez

 
System: Traveller - Classic version w/ modification from MegaTraveller and houserules.
 
Nature: Long Campaign: Operation: PALADIN

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein

 
Circa: 2013-2015

Origins: Like most classic Traveller Player Characters, Ivan was very much a product of random rolls as much as he was any sort of plan by the player. Andy certainly chose which score went to which Attribute (a houserule - no one has to roll in order) and picked which Career to try for (though he still had to roll to Enlist, Survive, Reenlist, etc.). However he and Ivan both benefited from random generation. 

One of my houserules - which I've discussed before - is that if you fail to Survive a Tour of Duty you can decide to embrace the 'Death by Character Creation' that Traveller is famous for or you can say, "Well, he/she/they didn't REALLY die". If that's the case you stop where you are and only get half the skills/bonuses/whathaveyou of the final Tour. You then roll on some custom 'Alternatives to Death' charts that I made (largely based on Central Casting: Heroes of Tomorrow by the late, great Jennell Jaquays).

Here we learn that Petrovo crash landed on an uncharted planet and was presumed dead. In actuality... 

 
Backstory: ...Ivan survived, gravely injured but luckily found by the world's indigenous sentient species. After a month of healing and recuperation, largely thanks to a native plant with anagathic-like properties, Petrovo attempted to contact the Imperial but could not. His ship was destroyed, its equipment completely totaled. He was marooned on this planet where he remained for next three years. He learned to live off the world's resources, became close to the planet's people and learned their customs, and honed additional hunting and fighting skills against the local fauna.

Three of the planet's years later, an Imperial Interstellar Scout Service vessel landed after detecting the wreckage of Ivan's ship while doing a general Type 1 Survey. Telling his indigenous friends to hide, Petrovo makes contact with the Scout Ship's crew. They offer to rescue him and he decides to take them up on it, partially to prevent the Scouts from learning about and disturbing the native culture. 

Dropped off at Bussard Reach, the orbital highport at Leighton IV in the Leighton System (1023 Flux Subsector, Spica Sector), Petrovo searches the public Library Data Systen and discovers he has officially been listed as deceased. In addition, he learns his personal Safari Ship has been berthed at his last assigned base and remains there largely due to Imperial bureaucracy losing the impound order.

Bussard Reach Highport

While on the station trying to decide what to do next, Ivan is approached by a fellow who needs help on the surface of Leighton IV. The guy and his team are zoologists trying to capture an Amanook, a native creature resembling a polar bear crossed with a wolf. There are concerns about the mining operation on Leighton IV effecting the animal's habitat and they need to catch one to aid in the study. Something about Ivan's garb (a mix of standard clothing and accessories from his time on the low Tech Level planet) gave the potential patron the idea that Ivan might be a Scout or Hunter. With nothing else to do and having had a lot of experience with large fauna, Ivan joins the expedition. 

Amanook, Adlult Female

Solitary Arctic Carnivore/Hunter - Leighton IV

After successfully capturing one of the creatures, Petrovo returns to the station and ends up meeting the other PCs. He first encounters the late Dave Cotton's character, who is a Solomani Military Officer investigating some recent goings on in a nearby system (the initial adventure arc). He befriends Petrovo and promises to help him retrieve his ship. He does do this but 'borrows' the ship first to complete a side mission. Eventually the craft is moored at Bussard Reach but Petrovo isn't there at the time, having already left with the other PCs to investigate part of the larger plot. 

 
Overview: I loved Ivan Petrovo. Seriously, what a great character. In a game largely focused on Corporate Espionage and Political Intrigue, Petrovo brought in a much needed dose of action. Ivan wasn't alone in this but he was the most straightforward about it. Ivan was just, ya'know, Ivan. He was a good guy who could fight and would if he felt it was for a good reason. Petrovo wasn't motivated by money, politics, and had no personal agenda beyond 'doing the right thing'. 

What no one realized, including Ivan himself, was that his time on that low tech planet where the ship he was on crashed had changed him. He died during Character Creation, remember? Well it turns out that the native medicinal herbs he was given to save his life contained a unique mix of chemicals and microscopic parasites. The result was an incredible healing factor; a nearly superhuman ability to regenerate. Evidence of the ability revealed itself a few times in the early adventures but it was chalked up to lucky rolls and narrative time passing. It wasn't until a fight with an Aslan Assassin (See Highlights) where he realized, "Oh my gosh! I heal @^#&ing FAST!" 

 
The Highlights:

As other members of the team engaged an Aslan Assassin in hand-to-hand combat, Ivan was setting up on a roof above in hopes of taking the adversary out with a sniper shot from his souped up hunting rifle. The Aslan spotted him somehow and fired a laser weapon that sheered off a few of the fingers on Ivan's right hands and severely burned him. With only his ring finger, thumb, and in serious pain, Petrovo managed to fire off a shot that took the Assassin out completely. Rushed to a medical facility, the entire team, the doctors, and Ivan were stunned when within a day his hand had totally healed, regrown digits and all. It was then that the previous clues to his healing factors fell into place. 

In Andy's own words (slightly paraphrased for context: "The second [big] moment [I recall] was when they (the enemy) unleashed a dang horror out of that satellite vault. A Mech basically. I (Ivan) had to distract it was Hans' character could take out the legs with that massive firearm she'd invented.

The third was when all heck broke lose in the sewer system [of Amaro Highport at Aequine II]. I believe the female Alsan diplomat, Han's character, Marcus' character, his [NPC] sister, and Ivan were literally fighting for our lives as we were being chased by some crazed battle dressed Marines. I sniped 'Master Chief' with what that gun Han's character gave me. Han's kept creating these 'Frankenstein' rail gun rifles and when he finalized the design he was give me the prototype. He was like, 'that one was the experimental version, it's yours now.' lol

When Rex Kinkaid (Marcus' character) went rogue and then seemingly turned traitor, it was Ivan who tried to once last time to talk to him about it. Ivan had become close with Rex's sister Nova and the two had a bond (moreso than anyone else on the team did with Rex the loner). Rex refused to return to the rest of the gang with Ivan but with a nod approved of Ivan and Nova teaming up and maybe more. Rex said, "Take care of her and she'll take care of you." With that, we never saw Rex again. 

Game Info:

Not Available Right Now - Will Update Soon. 

Notes: 

Ivan was great. His simple, straightforward manner and willingness to take action was a wonderful counterbalance to often overly cautious nature of some of his other team members. He could always be counted on to do...not the wisest thing per se...but definitely the 'right' thing. 

In the epilogue of the campaign, Ivan returns to the low tech world where he'd been stranded 7 or 8 years earlier, this time with Nova Kinkaid and a female Aslan warrior who he'd become good friends with in the final 6+ months of the game. They are last seen walking into the dense underbrush, with members of the native species celebrating seeing their old friend once more.

Legacy: I had originally planned a direct sequel to Operation: PALADIN but that project fell apart unfortunately. Given the way Ivan's story 'ends', he certainly could return but I kind of like not knowing exactly what happened next.

AD
Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - HE WHO GLISTENS IN THE AUTUMN TWILIGHT BENEATH THE THIRD AND SEVENTH MOONS

This entry is a toast to the memory of one of my dearest friends and greatest gamers I've ever known, Allen Halden.

Allen passed away in the fall of 2017 and not a week goes by where I don't think about him and miss him terribly. As I try to regularly post RPG related subjects to this blog, I can't help but think of Allen as he was such a big part of my best gaming experiences for so many years.

One of my favorites of which, was our Galaxy Quest campaign and one of the reasons it was so good was his character... 

Character: He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons.

AKA: Lt. Commander, Moonbug

Player: Allen Halden

System: Galaxy Quest, The Roleplaying Game, Homebrew based on Teenagers from Outer Space, 1st Edition by R. Talsorian Games. 

Nature: Short Campaign: Galaxy Quest: Galient

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein 

Circa: 2003

Origins: I've told this tale before but to sum it up; originally I was meant to run our regularly scheduled game with my ol' New Jersey group but for one reason or another it couldn't be done. Most everyone was therethough  and I still really wanted to run something so I had a sudden epiphany - a Galaxy Quest game. 

After quickly explaining the rules, everybody pitched me their character concepts. My buddy Allen, already well known for playing strangle looking and quirky characters, decided to take the 'Dr. Lazarus' role (played by the incomparable Alan Rickman) and create a Token Alien who was also our Science Officer (and Second-in-Command). 

Where he got the idea to create this character I couldn't say. Allen was very creative but also great at understanding how to pick and choose the appropriate tropes to include so that his characters fit the setting he was playing or running in.

I do know his choice of the name was a spoof on how so many aliens in Sci-Fi TV and films have names that are easy for the actors to say and audience to remember. This character's parents didn't name him with you in mind. His name makes perfect sense to other members of his species and hey, that's what counts.

Backstory: He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons didn't really have a backstory per se. At least he didn't have any that came up during the course of our campaign. Through dialogue and jokes we developed a little information about his species however. 

The Lieutenant Commander's home planet was warm, wet, and mostly covered by rainforests and jungles. Plants grew very large, particularly flowers, lilipads, and fruit trees.We know it has at least seven moons but it is unclear if that is the total number of natural satellites.  According to the Lt. Commander the most dangerous predators on his world were a type of amphibious reptile described as an alligator/frog hybrid. 

Like everyone else on his planet, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons has dozens of brothers and sisters. Although this makes the homeworld heavily populated, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons is the only member of his alien race in the NSEA Fleet and one of the few roaming the galaxy. The Insectoid people (no species name was ever established, though they were sometimes referred to as 'Insectiloids'.) were content to remain on their own world and had little interest in the greater interstellar community. He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons was a very rare exception. 

Overview: Played as both comedically over-the-top and with subtle nuance, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons' personality is difficult to describe. For the most part he was calm, cool, collected, a consumate professional, and always polite. He could sometimes get frustrated that not everyone shared his views on proper manners and etiquette. This is best exemplified by the use of his name. He would always say it in its entirety when asked what his name was and wasn't fond of other trying to shorten it or give him a nickname. To everyone else his name was too long but to him, it was his name and he didn't shorten yours. 

Eventually the reoccurring joke/real life issue of people tripping over his name caused our friend Lynn's character to call him 'Moonbug' and it stuck. Otherwise people got around the issue by calling him by his rank.

Knowing our Commander had the responsibility and burden of...well...command, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons tried very hard not to distract her or interfere with her operations. This created a running gag wherein He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons.starts to say, "Commander, perhaps we should...", as the Commander walks past and waves him off or ignores him for the most [while rubbing the bridge of her nose]. The Lt. Commander then falls silent. Later, when the poop really hits those huge unnecessary fans below the catwalk, the Commander would call for ideas, suggestions, or answers and Moonbug would say, "As I was going to say earlier...". 

The Highlights:

I usually prefer to highlight character driven moments and not just action based ones but in the case of Moonbug its been over 20 years, it was a humorous campaign, and his personality was, as noted above, subtle and hard to pinpoint in a single standard out event.

In the very first use of his Token Alien ability, He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons invented 'Communicate with Insects' to prevent a rhino sized beetle creature from attacking the PCs in the first session/adventure. He used it again in the second adventure, talking to a large flutter of butterfly-like insects in order to locate an ancient ruin hidden by the surrounding jungle. This was his most often used ability and therefore became his only permanent Special Ability. Among my favorite uses was his last, wherein he called upon clouds of swarming gnats to distract and frustrate a Meechan Warlord! 

When a murder occurred on the NSEA Spaceport Beta-2 during a Galactic Peace Accord Conference, Commader Krista Packard had her hands full dealing with panicked diplomats, coordinating station security, and getting hassled by her superiors to find answers and fast! He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons made some initial observations and came up with a general guess about what had happened, which he kept to himself for the time.

The rest of the Galient's crew split-up into teams to investigate the situation, including Moonbug heading off with Security Chief Van Pelt. After looking into the mystery and attempting to catch a mysterious group of 'phantom assassins', the Commander called everyone back to give her a run down on what they'd found. Ambassadors from a few different galactic powers barged in demanding to know what Commander Packard and her people had discovered. Packard told them all to have a seat as she was just about to be informed on just that subject. The PCs all gave the evidence they had, testimonies they'd heard, and theories they'd come up with based on their observations. All but He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons. When the Commander asked, "Lt. Commander? Anything to add?"

He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons stood up from his chair, looked to the Commander and said, "Yes Commander, if it would please you and the esteemed assembled dignitaries, I'd like to solve the mystery. Again, if that's all right with you." The Commander, heck everyone, stared at him dumbfounded until she finally shook her head and motioned for him to speak. Allen goes on to say that he actually solved the murder in the very beginning and then waited for everyone to gather proof to back up the answer he'd had all that time. Not only was he right, he worked out additional details based on evidence the PCs had assembled that weren't intended to be part of the mystery [by me].

His idea was BETTER than the idea I had. It was essentially my plot plus. 

Game Info:

While I can't seem to locate the original piece of scrap paper Allen wrote the character on (though I found everyone else's oddly), I do have the one we used for the expanded campaign.

 

Notes: He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons' special abilities included Communicate with Insects (which he used enough to make it part of the 'show's' permanent continuity), Danger Sense (which he successfully used once), Limited Flight (also used once), and Sticking to Walks (used twice). I believe he had one or two other one-shot abilities. 

While Allen didn't affect a funny voice for this character, he definitely had a distinct way of speaking and particular mannerisms. He was polite, very fastidious, and was a being of few words except when directly asked to explain something. Then (as in the Highlights section above) he could go on and on about a subject in great detail.  

Legacy: This character hasn't been used in any capacity since the original Galaxy Quest campaign I ran back in 2003 and that's partially because I've never felt comfortable portraying him the way Allen did. I can't quite nail that certain something that made him so awesome. With Allen gone, it is possible He Who Glistens in the Autumn Twilight Beneath the Third and Seventh Moons may never grace my table again. 

Still...what I wouldn't give to run Galaxy Quest once more. Maybe, just maybe, a shiny green insectoid alien science officer could appear as a background NPC. 

The true legacy of this PC isn't the character itself but Allen Halden - his creativity, talent, warmth, humor, and friendship. 

We miss you Moonbug.

AD

Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - ETO HALO BRIGHT

Starting the year off right, I had the privilege of playing a Japanese TRPG with my friend Yasa and a bunch of his pals over Discord. Due to the massive time difference between New York and Chiba, Japan, I ended up sleeping for twelve hours following the session, missing most of New Year's Day. 

Totally worth it.

Character: ETO Halo Bright 

AKA: Halo Bright, Eto Bright (See Below)

Player: Adam Dicsktein

System: Star Rain Days in Meteor City

The exact translation of the game's title might also be Star Rainy Day in Meteor City or Stars Rain Down on Meteor City as my translation software and Google Translate don't always agree. Plus, there are multiple Japanese websites listing it slightly differently (possibly due to typos). My friend Yasa seemed to translate it as 'Star Rain Days in Meteor City' so that's what I'm going with. 

 

Nature: One-Shot. Online over Discord. Roughly four hours. Five players and a GM. 

Gamemaster: Yasahiro Sato

Circa: January 1st, 2025!

Origins: What felt like a last minute idea to me was actually a well planned event by Yasa. He and a small group of friends intended to meet on New Year's Eve, go out to a favorite local restaurant, eat, drink, and then return to their homes to log on to Cocofolia (a Japanese Online Gaming tool and Virtual Tabletop similar though more expansive than say Roll20 - See Notes) to play a TRPG. 

After reading my post on unusual genres or genre takes I'd like to explore, Yasa decided Star Rain Days in Meteor City would be the game. That was way back on December 9th! He purchased it, read it, and a few weeks later had an epiphany! Get Adam (me) in on it.

He came up with a character he specifically wanted me to play and sent me an email on the subject. I said yes; how could I pass up this chance? The only problem was I couldn't figure out Cocofolia as it is generally used more in Asia than in English speaking countries. After a discussion and an attempt to get it working, Yasa said it was OK if we used Discord.  

Overview: Normally I do the character's Backstory entry before the Overview but in this case it makes more sense to introduce the game and the scenario's premise before the character. He's a doozy so I don't mind keeping you in suspense. *Giggle*

Star Rain Days in Meteor City is a tabletop RPG about living in a small-ish city whose night sky hosts a most unusual phenomenon, not unlike the Northern Lights of Canada. For reasons scientists can not yet figure out, a surprisingly large number of meteors and other space debris streak across the evening skies on a regular basis such that it often looks like its raining shooting stars.

The Player Characters are Observers, people living in Meteor City who know the truth, a least in part. Meteor City is secretly a Spaceport for Extraterrestrial Visitors arriving and leaving the Earth. Some of the citizens of Meteor City are aliens themselves, working in hidden shops, restaurants, and travel offices that facilitate and accomodate the various Star People stopping over on our little blue marble. 

It's a cozy, slice of life Men in Black. It's a Sci-Fi themed Kiki's Delivery Service. Its my new obession. 

Of course, our session began as very laid back and ended up FLCL. 

Backstory: A group of university students living in Meteor City are gearing up for a small, intimate party at the house of one of the group named Takashi. Takashi, or Taka for short, has his house to himself as his parents are traveling abroad. We first encounter everyone as they are shopping in a sort of mall/market area, each looking to bring something for everybody to enjoy at the party, as well as a gift for Taka for hosting. 

(Within moments we learn a little about everyone and the dynamics between the four friends. Very well handled by Yasa and portrayed by the players). 

While looking for special sweets, two of the friends - Yoshi (Male) and Reimi (Female) - notice a strange, blonde haired boy who appears lost and confused. Yoshi suggests helping the kid out but Reimi is weary. After all, the four friends are all Observers, people who know about the strange goings on in Meteor City and they might accidentally reveal something to this stranger. Yoshi chides her for her cold demeanor (apparently typical of Reimi) and says, "All the more reason to talk to him. Maybe he's a 'Visitor'."

Meanwhile, Sakura (Female) and Takashi (Male) are looking for drinks for the party. Sakura goes on and on about having enough beer, which Takashi humors whiles also blushing. He is attracted to Sakura and knows he can't drink even half as much as she can. Sakura then says she has a great idea; she knows of a store that carries, um, very unique beverages. Taka gets nervous but she convinces him to follow her down a back alley to a hidden shop. As they walk - really she runs and he gets pulled along behind her - Taka eyes Yoshi and Reimi walking over to a foreign boy with blonde hair. 

The pair greet the stranger in a polite and friendly manner - well, Yoshi does - and ask if they can help him. Though he looks young, the two friends estimate he is close to them in age once up close. The boy introduces himself as Halo Bright, although he begins by saying "eto..." (See Notes). Reimi from that point forward calls him 'Eto Bright', and Yoshi thinks she is being mean by teasing him. Bright explains he is looking for the Golden Evening Star. The others don't seem to know what he's referring to. 

Sakura and Takashi walk up with bags full of beer cans and bottles with odd looking shapes and labels. Yoshi and Reimi ask if their friends are familiar with the Golden Evening Star and unfortunately they aren't. Bright seems sad or at the very least a bit frustrated and Sakura suggests they invite him to their party and try to sort it out. Yoshi backs her up while the other two question inviting a total stranger to Taka's house for a get together of long time friends (in fact, Sakura's suggestion is a major faux pas in Japan. No one would do that in this way but the player said Sakura doesn't care and often ignores proper social ques and conventions.). Sakura pouts, then pleads, and because of his crush on her Taka caves in. 

The Highlights: We jump ahead to the group, including Bright, preparing food and making lively small talk in Taka's house. Not being from Japan, Bright seems clueless about many customs and the others have fun filling him in. All but Reimi, who spends much of the time staring at Bright to the point of unnerving him. There was even a hilarious moment where Bright goes to get ice out of a freezer in the basement and turns on the light only to see Reimi standing there holding a big bag of ice in her hands. I as the player made a squeaky yelp that made everyone laugh hard. A startled Bright says, "Eto...eto...thank you?", nervously takes the bag - which he almost drops its so heavy and cold - and then hurries back upstairs. 

This is followed by a number of character moments and gags out of a typical Japanese Rom-Com anime, though adjusted for the games tone of coziness mixed with a touch of melancholy. The group of Japanese friends start drinking, first beer and sake, then Sakura pulls out the weird stuff from the hidden shop. Bright seems to only drink water. There was a moment where Yoshi offers him a beer, Sakura insists, and Taka scolds them thinking Bright is way too young. "No, I just look young", I say , "I'm likely the most mature person here". Everyone laughs.

Just then, the night sky lights up with fireworks both man-made and natural, as Meteor City's New Year's celebration merges with its famous rain of falling stars. One in particular pulses as it descends and Reimi drops her drink as she stands and stares at it.

The flashing meteor lights up Bright's eyes and he points, "There! That's it! The Golden Evening Star!" Taka, Sakura, and Yoshi look at each other dumbfounded. "That's my ride home! Oh my, I must hurry. Thank you all so much for this evening. It was so special. I will never forget it. I will always remember your kindness and friendship, even if I should live a thousand, thousand years...which I likely will." At that, Halo Bright began to glow with a golden shimmer and transformed into...

Halo Bright of The Legacy of Sirius

"Not so fast", muttered Reimi. "Your people destroyed those who created mine and I am sworn to vengence!" Reimi's body goes through a complex transformation of its own, revealing her to be a battle ready android armed to the teeth with everything from eye beams to missiles!

Reimi 3 of the Mechane of Mars

This was immediately followed by the other players and I exclaiming a collective WTF?!?

It was so brilliant. I was the obvious alien, so obvious that everyone pretty much figured out the mystery of who I was almost immediately. This...this came out of no where and yet all the signs were there! Reimi was alluring but cold and distant. She didn't trust me right from the start. She seemed indifferent to my plight and was always watching me. She could easily lift and hold a big bag of ice in her hands without issue. So good! SO GOOD! 

I would later learn that yes, I was the alien everyone was supposed to focus on; there had to be an alien character in this outer space conspiracy setting and it only made sense to make it me, the actual foreigner in the group. Reimi's player was given her character and said, "When the alien is revealed, know that your species of androids from Mars doesn't like this alien". It was the Player who suggested, "Ah yes, long ago that species killed off the people who built the androids." Perfect. 

As Bright and Reimi battled, their fight spilled out of the top floor of the house and into the New Year's Eve air as they leap and floated off nearby rooftops. I could fly (though not especially fast), she could not, but her attacks were only barely held back by my magical powers (mostly Shield and Change Fate). The others went to all kinds of lengths to protect me and try to make Reimi stand down, from throwing things in the way of her attacks to playing her favorite song to calm her down (or cheer her up?). It was madness - wild and wacky Anime fun at its best. 

Finally, as the Golden Evening Star began to beam me aboard and mysterious figures approached to read everyone the riot act for 'disturbing the peace' (See Notes), I gave a speech above mistakes, consequences, and what the true Legacy of Sirius was - paying for the terrible actions of our ancestors and feeling lost in the galaxy. Reimi stopped, gritted her teeth and replied how although her programming made her attack a Sirius Legacy alien, Reimi 3 didn't hate Halo Bright. She acknowledged that he was kind, sweet, helpful, and she wished things could have gone differently.

"Honestly" said Bright with a melancholy smile, "Given the history of our peoples, it went the best it could." Bright departed in a thin streak of glimmering yellow light as Reimi, now joined by the others, watched his 'star' fade into the nighttime sky. 

Cut to the four friends on a Taka's roof with a telescope, Reimi back to 'normal', toasting to a better tomorrow.  

Game Info:

This character sheet might not make a lot of sense without more detail on the system but its basic mechanics are really simple:

To accomplish something, roll 2D6 and add the appropriate Stat/Attribute in an attempt to meet or beat a difficulty number. Want to jump over a fence? 2D6 + Physical. Trying to read a map? 2D6 + Mental. Attempting to overhear a nearby conversation? 2D6 + Sense. Can you make friends with the frightened alien child? 2D6 + Connect.

With the right Features, Conditions, and/or Items you might receive bonus D6 which is rolled along with the base 2 and the result of all three added together. 

There is a lot more to it than that though, with an interesting game mechanic economy that I find quite cool. Again, I'm sure I'll cover that in the future.

 

Notes: 

The players in this session are many of the same ones from the Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research game, 'I'm So Embarrased! My Uncle is a Bullet Train!' (the recap of which I REEEALLY need to finish). Yasa GMed both and beyond that:

Reimi was played by Kei.

Sakura was played by Sachiko

Takashi was played by Ryōsuke

Yoshi was played by Isamu.

Halo Bright is a member of the alien species known as The Legacy of Sirius (or Sirius Legacy), extremely long lived beings who once ruled a vast space empire. The empire fell long ago and now the Sirius Legacy are scattered across the galaxy. In the rulebook they are said to look identical to Humans. Neither I nor Yasa liked that so we workshopped an alternate appearance. I suggested that they were in disguise as Humans and their true form was a glowing angel. Together we came up with the final look. 

Reimi 3 is a member of a race of androids known as the Mechane of Mars. Reimi came up with the idea that those who built the Mechane were wiped out by the Sirius during the days of the empire.

'Eto' is a word used in Japanese to indicate thinking or searching for the right words. It is the equivalent of 'umm...', 'hmmm...', or 'er...' in English. Playing the part of a lost alien tourist, I opened many sentences with eto. As I know the Japanese love wordplay, it is revealed during the session that Bright thought it meant 'ExtraTerrestrial Observer'. He misunderstood its use and thought it was an honorific. 

When its mentioned near the end of the game that people are likely coming to investigate the lights and sounds of Bright and Reimi's battle, it was implied this might not be the Meteor City Police. In the game's setting there is something called 'The Navigator Act' that allows for the spaceport hidden within the city to exist but prohibits aliens from allowing themselves, their abilities, and their technology from being seen by normal Human society. Someone - who exactly was never clear - may have shown up to prevent the commonfolk from seeing a blazing golden angel fighting an attractive android combat-doll. Does Meteor City have its own Men in Black? 

Yasa and the other players made their version of Meteor City feel so real so quickly and easily I couldn't help but be impressed. Turns out that two of the players were originally from smaller cities; one growing up in a suburban town and the other coming from the coastal city of Choshi in Northwestern Chiba Prefecture. Apparently the city in this session was strongly influenced by Choshi. 

Chiba Prefecture - Choshi highlighted in yellow.

Cocofolia is a fascinating online Virtual Tabletop that is especially popular in Japan, Korea, and a number of other countries. Among the interesting features of this tool is the ability to support still or animated illustrations representing the Player Characters and/or GM run NPCs. Most of these are 2D images and not as animated as say, VTuber models but they appear or move when the player speaks and it creates a very different experience from what we see on Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds. 

The rules of the game are really interesting and I will very likely cover them in a future post. This post is long enough (Sorry).

Legacy: The biggest lasting legacy of this session was that I purchased Star Rain Days in Meteor City and hope to run it with ones my groups as soon as Yasa and I finish translating it. I would absolutely love to GM this sometime later this year.

Really sorry this one is so long folks. It could easily have been twice the length as there is so much I have to say about the experience, the players and their characters, the system, and just...just...WOW! Not sure how I'm gonna top this. 

...but I'll try. 

AD

Barking Alien

31 Days / 31 Characters - CURIOUS MERP

Character: Merp

AKA: Ensign Merp, Curious Merp

Player: Adam Dickstein

System: Star Trek Adventures, 2nd Edition

 

Nature: Not yet applicable

Gamemaster: Not yet applicable

Circa: December 28th, 2024. Not yet used.

Origins: I fell in love with Star Trek: Lower Decks right from the very beginning. Now, with the series completing its run with Season 5 (at least at the time of this writing), I'm even more inspired to run and/or play a 'Lower Decks' style campaign of Star Trek Adventures. The Second Edition of the game is now available and while I wasn't particularly interested in giving it ago*, I did consider, 'Why not make a 2E character for the 31 Day Character Challenge?'.

A about a year ago (roughly) I came up with some alternative Character Creation rules for making a Lower Decks PC that seems closer to the characters on the show. The write-up for Ensign 'Curious' Merp does not reflect this as my objective was to see how 2nd Edition was different from First. I didn't want to confuse things with my own houserules. I might redo him if I were going to use him in a full-on campaign. 

Why a...Merp?

Well, the Merp are an alien species introduced to the Star Trek universe in the inagural season of Lower Decks, though they remained unnamed for sometime. Eventually we learn that one individual member is named Merp. Later in the series we meet another nicknamed 'Big Merp'. The third member identified is a female called 'Sleepy Merp'. We still don't have an official name for these aliens but it would seem they're simple called the Merp. Each Merp is named Merp. This humorous concept spurred me on to create this PC. 

Merp, Big Merp, and Sleepy Merp.

Backstory: Merp, like so many Merp, was born on the Merp homeworld to a family of artists and creative philosophers. Merp grew up fascinated by the idea that a people's art could give you insights into their culture and even their biology. His parents were extremely supportive, as not only was Merp their only son but their worldview was all about 'following your heart, mind, and spirit wherever they lead you'. I imagine them being low-fi nerdy space hippies.

Once he was old enough, he applied to Starfleet Academy, deciding to Major in Anthropology and Cultural Studies. Combining his studies he focused on researching his idea of learning about sentient species through their art. Merp Minored in Xenobiology to round out his theories. This and his overall nature earned him the nickname 'Curious Merp' from his classmates.

Merp graduated to the rank of Ensign and was assigned to the Starfleet Support Service vessel USS Long Beach, a California Class starship specializing in Scientific Research and Survey Operations. 

Overview: I love the idea of a character who is intelligent, kind of nerdy, and accidentally brave. That is to say, he is so eager to learn, to understand and know his universe, that he is willing to put himself in mortal danger to do so. You'll notice his Attributes reflect this, giving him a decent Daring for a Junior Science Officer. 

The Highlights: None yet. 

Game Info:

Note that there are no official stats for the Merp species. I based them on the Aquans from the Star Trek: Animated Series, which are depicted in the Animated Series Campaign Guide. I made a few changes but not much. My reasoning is that in at least one episode we very clearly see Big Merp with his shirt off and he has gills on the sides of his ribs.

Full transparency, I used the absolutely amazing Star Trek Adventures Campaign Creator by BC Holmes, a fan who has gone above and beyond in the development of an indispensible sets of tools for running a Star Trek campaign. If you plan to run Star Trek Adventures, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Notes:

The ship Curious Merp is assigned to is named for Long Beach, CA, known for Long Beach Comic Con and being the home of my paternal grandfather for decades. My grandpa and my dad were both born in Southern California. 

*I have nothing against Second Edition but I also don't feel the need to switch my current campaign from 1st. Why? After 10 years or so of running Star Trek Adventures and modifying the game to my liking - adding houserules, taking away unnecessary elements - I have the 'edition' of the game that works best for me. The 'Barking Alien' edition.

This is pretty common for me with games I've played again and again over a long stretch of time. 

Legacy: I want to play this guy sooo badly. I've got ideas man. IDEAS! He has an outlook!  He's got goals! He loves to play Human party games like Charades and Pictionary so he can better understand how others think. Get to know him! He definitely wants to get to know you!

How far can I take him? Ensign to Chief Science Officer perhaps? I'd really like to try. 

AD

Barking Alien

31 Questions for Barking Alien - Question 13

Whoa, Question 13 falls on a Friday the 13th? Sooo spooky! Except I don't have any specifically spooky questions. Bummer. Oh wait, I do have something awesome though...

Activate...The Omega 13!

Question #13 comes from Carl Stark, who Never Gives Up and Never Surrenders!

What RPG system would work best for a Galaxy Quest one-shot or campaign?

The YouTube channel RedLetterMedia recently featured Jack Quaid (Huey on THE BOYS and the voice of Boimler on Star Trek: Lower Decks) as a guest for a video discussing Galaxy Quest, which is apparently one of Jack's favorite films. It's very funny and if you're a fan of the movie, of Jack's, or RedLetterMedia's material I highly recommend checking it out.

It immediately got me reminiscing about the times I've run Galaxy Quest RPG games, including looking through my old notes. This question popped up in my email the next day. Kismet!

It's a hell of a thing.

On to the subject at hand...like Jack Quaid, I LOVE this movie. It is definitely one of my all time favorites and as I mentioned, I've run both a short campaign and a few one-shots of Galaxy Quest over the years and honestly it's some of my best work and the most fun I've had as a GM. The trifecta of Science Fiction + Comedy + Star Trek Parody/Homage is simply made for me. It's also an IP and I do love me some IP gaming. 

The system I've used in the past has been my modified version of Teenagers from Outer Space by R. Talsorian Games, which I refer to as 'Advanced TFOS'. The main difference is that I switched the D6 for a D10. Additionally, I added special abilities for each of the roles on the ship - Commander, Doctor, Engineer, Operations, Pilot, Science Officer, and Security/Extra - and character types such as Feature Alien (originally Token Alien), Background Alien, and Prodigy. I go into more detail on this homebrew in these three posts:

It's a Hell of a Thing

By Grabthar's Hammer, We Live to Tell the Tale

This Fine Ship, This Fine Crew

If I were going to run Galaxy Quest today, I might not use the same system (more on that in a moment) but I would definitely incorporate the special abilities I attributed to each 'Job' or ship's position. Those unique capabilities, such as the Commander's 'Overdramatis Persona' and Security's 'Glorified Extra', have been lauded by my players and blog readers alike as the key to making a Galaxy Quest game feel like the Galaxy Quest movie. 

What set of rules would I use if not my variant of TFOS? Well, there are actually a lot of options. I've considered using Starships and Spacemen, Far Trek, or even Star Trek Adventures.

While it may seem strange to suggest Star Trek Adventures, it being 'too close to the source material' as it were, keep in mind that STA has a published 'Lower Decks' supplement. It is certainly possible to use this system to facilitate a comedic campaign. I've used it to run a Lower Decks game as well as The Orville, so theoretically it would seem appropriate for Galaxy Quest. The role abilities I mentioned could become Talents I suppose and Momentum might be renamed 'Fanmail' or 'Star Power'. Threat can be 'Interference', as in interence from the studio execs. 

A note: When I've run Galaxy Quest previously, I've done so with the assumption that the PCs are characters living in the universe of the mock TV series. I don't directly incorporate the Meta nature of the characters being played by actors on a show but treat it the way most people treat playing a Star Trek or Star Wars RPG. 

However, outside of the events happening in-game the players and I have joked about the actors, episodes, writers, and the special effects budget for the series. I would describe it by saying that during 'Time Out's we are aware its a television program and during 'Time In' we are unaware of that and it's the 'real world' for the PCs. 

Honestly, after all this recent discussion about the film I decided to watch it again and damn it holds up perfectly. I'd really love to run it again if given the opportunity. 

AD

Barking Alien

31 Questions for Barking Alien - Question 11

Jonathan Linneman jacks into the 'net once again with Question #11

Do you find that some [technological] elements of your games are actually retro-futuristic at this point and if so, do you embrace that or try to keep modern tech in mind?

I view all genre fiction in the way one might imagine a piece of period fiction, it's simply that the period in question might be the present or the distant future. You wouldn't add cellphones to the era of the Vikings or give Victorian England streaming television now would you? Of course not. The attraction of playing in a different time and place is partially that it features the props of some other time and place. 

In my opinion, the worlds of ALIEN, Cyberpunk 2020, Star Trek, and Traveller are no different. They need not line up with our current, real world technological developments but rather they should be internally logical and consistent.

All too often I see writers and GMs trying to make their game settings 'realistic' even though they deal with elves and wizards, superheroes flying unaided across the sky, and fleets of FTL starships. Realism? Sorry Captain, that boat has sailed. The universes of Sci-Fi and Fantasy need not line up with ours but they must absolutely, positively line up with themselves. 

So yes, one could say the Star Trek TOS Communicator or the MUTH/R computer interface of ALIEN is anachronistic but only to us, to our knowledge of current technologies. To them, those in that setting, it's not just advanced but more importantly, perfectly normal.

AD

Barking Alien 

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 15

'All the Universe is full of the life of perfect creatures.'

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Scientist. One of the 'fathers' of modern astronautics and rocketry. 

I love animals and I love Science Fiction, so it isn't surprising that one of my favorite aspects of the latter is alien critters. The field of exozoology would definitely be my calling if I lived in a distant future akin to Star Trek or Traveller. 

Art by Nicholas Ferrand

I love considering what kind of animals might live on the planets I create for my Science Fiction RPGs, even if they don't necessarily play a major part in the adventure I'm running. As mentioned previously in the post on WORLDS (Day 13), a creature that is both strange to the players but squarely fits its environment can add a sense of 'realism' to largely fantastic local. 

Shy by Alexander Ostrowski

Dragon Magazine #123 (July 1987) had a Star Frontiers article in it titled, 'The Whole Earth Ecology' that discussed just this very subject. While the article was not an in depth bio-sciences analysis of life on other planets, it did what many great Dragon articles did back in the day; it made easily forgotten things into points to remember. It caused the often overlooked to stick out in your mind and as such, it inspired ideas. 

Art by nao70shark

Like a lot of articles from the old Dragon, I've read and re-read this one over and over, each time getting charged up by the very idea of populating distant worlds with new life forms. I couldn't wait to flex my creative muscles and create creatures that would challenge and interest my players and create a believable ecosystem for the world around them. 

The Sardu Reef by Alex Reis aka Abiogenesis

As you can see from the images accompanying this post, visuals play an important role in my use of creatures. I really like having or making pictures of the creatures I am referring to during a game. Sometimes the visual of the critter comes first and it inspires the biology and stats. Sometimes its the other way around; I envision an alien beast, write it up, and then I search for or illustrate what it looks like. Either way, a picture really enhances the introduction of a new extraterrestrial animal. 

Art by Ben Mauro

With that, I don't really have much else say. I just love me some cute and cuddly creatures like the fellow above. Heheh. I'm sure I'll have some inspired revelation tomorrow but that's the way it goes. 

AD

Barking Alien

BONUS FEATURE: Day 15 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

Hmm. You know which characters have great gear? Starfleet characters and Ghostbusters. 

I might have mentioned this before but playing these two games, along with Star Wars, really shook up my outlook on how to run an RPG. Starting the characters off with some seriously awesome hardware not only feels right for the settings in question but also adds to the idea that gear is cool but not the goal.

The objective isn't obtaining more and/or better weapons when you start off with a Phaser or Particle Thrower. The Tricorder and PKE Meter are the right tools for the right job in their respective settings. You've already got the best toys. You're free to dig a little deeper and sure for something more meaningful. 'Course you could still be in it for the money in Ghostbusters and Star Wars. Oh well.