seneschal

I use a laptop notebook for all my role-playing games. It has lovely college-ruled lined paper set at a readable resolution, and I can add all the memory I need merely by popping open the three rings and inserting new pages. Upgrades are relatively cheap, and despite decades of predictions otherwise, the technology has never become obsolete. I never have to worry about loose or too-taut power cords or fading batteries, nor do I struggle to use my laptop because some programmer had a different idea of what to do with it than I do. The learning curve was kind of steep, but I got all the instruction I needed in grade school. Although it is possible to erase the contents, I've never had them disappear because of a lightning storm or hard drive crash. Documents I saved to 5-1/4-inch floppy disk in the late '70s and early '80s are unreadable on today's gadgetry and software, but my RPG files from college are intact and perfectly legible. I never have to worry about them becoming obsolete (despite Hero System v. 6 or Mongoose Traveller), nor am I plagued by annual demands that I renew my license and/or update my copies. I can use my laptop notebook without fear in the bathroom or at the doctor's office, and there's little worry about theft. I can update information in it without disturbing my wife and kids since it makes no noise (unlike my desktop computer). If it ain't broke ...

"For reference (like anyone would even care ), the mass of the Universe has an estimated upper limit of SIZ 1566... " So now we can stat out Galactus, Star Trek's space aemeba, the assorted sci-fi planet killers, and celebrity egos!

I'm glad your niece enjoyed herself. Always good to leave 'em wanting more, and you've got a couple plot hooks dangling. And it sounds like BRP can handle Avengers type heroes nicely without you resorting to H-Questing. Her question "should I kill them?" reminds me of my (then pre-teen) kids' reaction to a pirate attack in a Mazes and Minotaurs session. After the children's characters' arrows took out one-third to one-half of their number, the NPC pirates were ready to flee or surrender. My kids insisted on having their characters slaughter the remaining brigands ruthlessly even though I asked "Are you sure?" Different genre (ancient Greek fantasy) but still, they were supposed to be the good guys. To my son and daughter, however, the pirates were the bad guys and had threatened their characters and thus had to die! Scary! Especially since they didn't get a "kill it and take its stuff" play style from me.

Returned to the game shop closest to my house, the one that specializes in miniatures wargaming. They had restocked Call of Cthulhu (one copy) and had the supplements (one copy each) Arkham Now, Masks of Nyarlothotep, and Cthulhu Invictus. No Big Gold Book. Also present was one copy of the new Legend and the Blood Magic supplement. I have to say that Legend is quite a contrast to RuneQuest 6 (as well as to previous Mongoose versions of RuneQuest). The version I saw was a relatively thick digest-sized book, paperback, that went for $20. Little or no interior art (a very few black and white line drawings), lots of charts, a rather unattractive character sheet. But a complete game at half the size of the other RPG books there. The plain, dark-blue cover told a casual browser nothing about the contents; I couldn't help comparing it to the coffee table sized and extremely garish Mongoose RuneQuest I hardbacks I remember or to the gorgeous RQ 6. It kind of got lost on the shelf among all those larger, more colorful gaming tomes. Meanwhile, at my favorite used book store, used copies of Mongoose's Player's Guide to Glorantha Second Age is selling for between $20-$22, depending on the condition of the copy (there are several). So ... Legend, affordable and incredibly portable but drab and uninspiring. RuneQuest 6, gorgeous and evocative but oh so expensive. Both in short supply. Call of Cthulhu, in between at $35, Deep Ones but no dragonewts. Also in short supply, but like the Universal Monsters it just keeps on coming back.

Dr. Entropy inhabits a landscape something like Gamma World cranked up to 11. Monsters include muscular two-headed babies, strutting rooster men in black leather jackets, giant sentient cheeseburgers, animated office furniture and garbage cans, massive steroid men, baseball-hurling sports cyborgs, sinister Richard Nixon clones, and marketing directors gone bad.

After a few weeks, the new wore off and my wife tired of feeding the THING in the jar sugar. It died a long, slow, agonizing, appropriately icky death -- first separating into a series of broad, mushroom cap-like discs, then rotting. She only recently dumped it and bleached the jar.

"and doesn't give the owner a heart attack in it gets dropped, stepped on, or has soda spilled on it." Speak for yourself, bub. I'm mighty touchy about my books! I've got a 2 GB thumb drive full of PDF games. The ones that get played are the ones that have been printed out -- even the extremely short ones like Risus and Legends of the Ancient World. Longer games like Timelord, or even BRP Quick-Start Edition, would be impossible to play from an electronic format.

Since ORtrail had mentioned the possibility of running a post-apocalyptic superhero game, I couldn't resist statting up one of my favorite villains from such a setting. Dr. Entropy Source: Superhero League of Hoboken, Legend Entertainment, 1994 Quote: “You win this round, heroes. But remember, Entropy always increases!” “Spawn of a junkyard,” the nefarious Dr. Entropy seeks to disrupt and discourage the rebirth of civilization in the post-apocalyptic ruins of late 22nd Century New England. What used to be the eastern United States is now a collection of primitive villages, dominated by local warlords and menaced by mutants and monsters created by the collapse of a former high-tech nation. Small local groups of heroes with unique mutant abilities have begun trying to restore order, re-establish trade and travel among the isolated communities, and encourage peace and cooperation among the town councils and strongmen who now rule. Entropy, on the other hand, sees criminal opportunity in societal chaos and wants to stop the growth of unity and learning these adventurers are trying to foster. To that end, he exerts his inventive genius and malign persuasiveness to stir unrest, disrupt communication, thwart repairs to crumbled infrastructure, prevent scattered knowledge and surviving technology from being gathered, and sabotage remaining manufacturing capabilities. Although he wishes to deny technology to others, Dr. Entropy is a master of ancient electronics and mechanics. He has salvaged and repaired many old world devices and created new gadgets and weapons of his own design. He’s a canny negotiator and politician, manipulating the prejudices and vanity of selfish chieftains and intelligent monsters so that they assist in his schemes. Very much a behind-the-scenes mastermind, Entropy depends on hired goons to carry out his plans and perform his bloodletting. He’s too small to be any good at fisticuffs, but he always has a ranged weapon, secret escape route, force field generator, or fast vehicle handy. Physically, Dr. Entropy resembles an old-fashioned jack-in-the-box, his clown face twisted into an evil smirk and his rusted inner springs exposed (the former cloth clown outfit rotted away long ago). He typically wears a physician’s head mirror and latex-free gloves, but his assorted plots don’t indicate that he possesses any actual medical skill. Although he travels throughout the eastern seaboard extensively, it isn’t clear how he moves, since (as a jack-in-the-box) he lacks legs. Presumably, he rides in a variety of vehicles or has a fleet-footed henchman carry him. Is Dr. Entropy a robot? A possessed toy? A cyborg? A mutant? There’s no way of knowing. STR 7 CON 13 SIZ 2 INT 21 POW 18 DEX 16 APP 9 Move: Um, we’re not exactly sure Hit Points: 15 (CON + SIZ) Damage Bonus: -1D6 Armor: 5 (metal box) Attacks: Energy Pistol 30%, 1D8+2, Head Butt, 34%, 1D3+DB Skills: Bargain 26%, Craft (Scientific Instrumentation) 26%, Demolition 22%, Drive 41%, Fast Talk 26%, Fine Manipulation 26%, Heavy Machine 26%, Hide 31%, Insight 26%, Language (English) 105%, Listen 46%, Literacy 21%, Persuasion 36%, Pilot 22%, Repair (Electrical) 36%, Repair (Mechanical) 36%, Research 46%, Spot 46%, Technical (Computer Use) 26% Notes: 460 skill points (21 skills, 21 points each plus 19)

Please let us know how the game goes and how your niece liked it.

I like your Whirling Wumpus write-up. My only suggestion is that rather than give it hundreds of attacks per combat round, just increase the damage it inflicts if it hits. Physical contact would be like brushing up against a buzz saw or chainsaw. I also appreciate your description of what happens if a PC attempts to attack the thing; practical physics makes it hard to hurt while in motion. Basing the BedCats on real bedbugs is exactly the approach I would have taken. Yikes! Supposedly, they were a natural mutation that occurred at one of Paul Bunyan's northernmost logging camps. Vermin were always an issue in camp because filthy loggers had little opportunity to bathe, particularly given the chilly Canadian climate. This remote camp was especially infested. Bunyan's men were forced to abandon it, not because of bedbugs or lice but because of a run of severe winters that kept them working further south for several seasons. When they finally returned, all went well until the men prepared for sleep -- the results in the tall tale I read weren't as grisly as the ones you've logically described. Without humans to feed on, the bedbugs had survived by preying upon wildlife that took shelter in the deserted log cabins. They coped with the terrible cold by growing larger and growing fur. They were very ... happy ... to have the loggers back.

I like your take on the Chupacabras. It is icky yet plausible. The bald head and tail, uniform coloration, and hidden reproductive organs explain why witnesses, catching a brief glimpse in the dark, might mistake a primate for a reptile. My question is, how did this previously undiscovered species spread so rapidly from a Caribbean island to most of Hispanic America, including the Southwestern and Western United States? Was it always there? Are most sightings merely hysteria? Is it a recent natural mutation? Or was it genetically engineered? It has a short gestation time but mothers are unlikely to breed while still caring for existing young, so one to two years in between births. It doesn't reproduce as rapidly as, say, a coyote, which is a similar-sized predator. I like it that, like coyotes, possums, and raccoons, it adapts easily to urban conditions. Also, given the proximity of Puerto Rico to the U.S. East Coast, why are most sightings on the other end of the continent? It would seemingly be easier for the creatures to migrate to the Eastern United States, where trees would give welcome shelter to the mutant monkeys. Instead, people most often report it in arid areas, where shelter and food are less plentiful. Officially, of course, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denies that the Chupacabras exists, putting down sightings as encounters with coyotes and other dogs afflicted with mange.

As mentioned in other threads, BRP has some issues with Godzilla-sized critters. How about starting smaller and working your way up? El Chupacabra, the Goatsucker -- Actually, a quite recent "legend," originating in Puerto Rico in 1995. Originally, it was supposedly a lizard-y biped 3-4 feet tall, with dorsal spines and glowing eyes. Whirling Whumpus -- American folklore. A mammalian critter with heavy forepaws that spins rapidly in the manner of Warner Brothers' Tasmanian Devil, pulverizing its prey like a blender. It licks off its paws afterward to feed. Bedcats -- American folklore. Mutant bedbugs, grown to house cat size and covered with fur. They preyed upon Paul Bunyan's loggers in one tale. Beesquitoes -- American folklore. Paul Bunyan attempted to battle giant Texas mosquitoes (the kind that nearly carried off infant Pecos Bill and his family) by importing fierce bees. Instead, the two insects interbred, producing swarms of giant bugs with stingers at both ends. Just to get you started ....

The younger generation of superheroes does find portable devices useful ... But if you're not a gadget hound, you can always find an empty room, closet, hallway or alley and twirl around in a circle ... Or, you can dive out the window of your high-rise office building and click your bracelets together ... The avengers funny scene "Loki v.s Tony Stark" - YouTube Or, clench your teeth and fists and concentrate really, really hard ... Allow them to make you angry. They won't like you when you're angry ... First ever hulk-out - series transformation music - YouTube But if you can move fast enough, it just doesn't matter ...

I like your prospective adventure, simple and straightforward with opportunities to expand into a campaign if your niece enjoys herself. The Criminal Mimes are a hoot; make sure they run the whole mime theme into the ground with their (invisible?) tools, henchmen, costumes, transportation, choice of crime targets, and hideout. The calico cat caper is a good follow-up adventure. Hope things go smoothly and that you and your family have fun. At the end, you'll have already introduced a rogue's gallery of villains -- the Mimes, Watchdog, the Evil Geneticist, their assorted goons, and the rich little old lady (who may not like having her project interrupted). One or more of them could easily become recurring nemeses for your niece's character.

filbanto's suggestions are good. Since your niece is role-playing for the first time, she needs to be free to concentrate on being her character, not wrestling with game mechanics. Pre-gens all around might be helpful if you can't locate that old folder -- as long as your other players can also give you an idea of what kind of heroes they want to be. In addition to asking her what type of character she wants to be, try to get a feel for what she has in mind for a superhero game. Although a Gamma World-ish game is certainly doable (Superhero League of Hoboken took that approach), such a game will be different from an Adam West fun fest or a grim Dark Knight Rises saga.

Sounds like those sorcerers are like superheroes (or villains) who depend on their gadgets. Take away the powered armor, the freeze ray gun, the rocket-powered roller skates, etc., and the character loses his powers. However, the authorities (and fairy tale dungeon keepers) are always complacent once they've tossed the Our Heroes (or the Big Bad) into the pokey. The magic lamp, ring of invisibility, atomic pogo stick is always left in plain sight -- on a shelf or in a display case -- possibly guarded but maybe not. After all, its former user is locked up tight. What could possibly go wrong?

On the other hand, many stereotypes have a basis in fact. I'm reminded of the sheriff's department I covered as a young newspaper reporter. There were about five or so men in their fifties, all fat from sitting doing reports or driving long miles across the breadth and length of Garvin County, Oklahoma. They all wore white cowboy hats, had thick country accents. The Sheriff, a man of Native American descent, was never without a chaw of tobacco in his jaw at least the size of a golf ball. He'd take it out to talk to me during interviews, then put in back in his mouth afterwards. To my knowledge, the deputies were all honest men and there was no Boss Hogg puling the strings in the background, but rural politics was convoluted and interesting enough without such a figure. Unlike the comic characters from "Dukes of Hazzard," however, these men meant business. They had a huge area to patrol and were battling international drug dealers as well as local criminals. "Modern day Robin Hoods" would have gotten themselves shot dead pretty quickly.

I agree with filbanto. Colonial America presents a pile of possibilities -- and they're not separate from the other options folks have mentioned. The India Company is exploring and the swashbucklers are swashing while English, French and Spanish colonists are toughing it out in the New World and Stuart sympathizers are plotting against the new regime in Great Britain. It isn't an either/or, it's an all of the above. American shipwrights are building those exploration vessels and colonial sailors are manning them. Courtiers could easily be granted land in the New World for services to their monarch -- or they could be forced to flee there to avoid political or marital troubles.

I'm a Godzilla fan, too. Love the write-up, 1d8+DB. Minor quibble: SIZ 300 is waaaaay too small. Kaiju fan sites list most monsters at 20,000 to 25,000 tons or more. Whether you choose short tons or metric, Godzilla and friends are literally off the chart when one consults the Extended SIZ Table in the Big Gold Book. Basic Roleplaying just wasn't designed with critters that massive in mind. Even the Mythos entities in Call of Cthulhu are midgets in comparison. That's why I've said in other threads that a Godzilla-Cthulhu match is a non-starter. Godzilla would eat Old Squidface as an appetizer, then go slap around King Ghidora for the main course. They don't call him the King of Monsters for nothing. For practical game mechanics purposes, though, SIZ 300 is probably "big enough." The extra pounds per square inch wouldn't matter if you've already been squashed paper-thin.

Time and energy are factors. I work nights. Saturdays are the only time I've had enough sleep to be coherent, and there are many other activities that compete with gaming (such as fixing meals, getting laundry done, etc.). Even playing a board game is a rarity, much less an RPG that involves a lot of thought and creativity. My kids have played some: a couple sessions each of Mazes and Minotaurs and the Buck Rogers Adventure Game, one or two sessions of Mini Six. Part of the way I ran into BRP was that I was looking for a system they could understand and enjoy. But I haven't been able to get a sustainable campaign going. Plans for a Narnia outing, Mouse Guard, and a haunted house venture haven't panned out yet.

Sorta true. Flying Buffalo is still actively promoting Tunnels & Trolls, but like BRP it lacks shelf presence (but see post upthread). FGU and Tri Tac are websites only, selling (lots of) decades-old titles with new books rare or non-existent. Again, no shelf presence. Tri Tac has absorbed the IP of several other small companies, which at least gives it more games to offer. Far Future Enterprises offers Classic Traveller both in reprints and on CD, but the reprints are gradually selling out of stock and are no longer found in stores. Hero Games, in its third or fourth incarnation, just recently seriously downsized to a skeleton of its former self. The Second Coming of Iron Crown Enterprises is still promoting Rolemaster and HARP, but I haven't seen their products actually on shelves in at least 15 years. The Pacesetter name as been acquired by Goblinoid Games, which is offering TimeMaster via Lulu.com and in PDF form (Chill and Star Ace are still owned by other companies). So T&T, Space Opera, Psi World, It Came From the Late Late Late Show, Stalking the Night Fantastic, Rolemaster 2 (Electric Boogaloo!), MegaTraveller, et. al., are indeed still available -- but increasingly only in electronic format from tiny legacy publishers with little or no advertising budget, no physical product distribution, no means of attracting new players. As an old fart who still remembers them, I know how to hunt them down out of nostalgia. But that 11- to 17-year-old potential new player mentioned above doesn't know that they or their publishers ever existed, isn't going to be introduced to them by his peers (unless his Dad or Uncle or much older Brother has a copy), isn't going to see them at a game shop or convention or Walmart or anywhere. As far as new gamers are concerned, they as well be out of business.

My daughter is the one family member who might be amenable to role-playing. She likes fantasy and dragons and enjoyed sessions of Buck Rogers and Mazes and Minotaurs. But homework and cheerleading are serious contenders for her time, and a one-on-one game is tough when everyone else is watching TV or playing X-box (darn electronics! Who did that Edison guy think he was, anyway?).

No apology needed. Although we've had these discussion before, Magic World can't succeed without plenty of promotion.

Exactly. Add to this the difficulty of attracting new players in general, regardless of the game. In the '70s and '80s I was playing with my high school and then college peers, who have now scattered to the four winds. Imagine me trying to attract newbies to my campaign at the local game shop (or library), potential players possibly decades younger than myself. What are Mom and Dad going to think when this 50-something-year-old guy approaches their 11-17-year-old son or daughter (who came in to buy Magic the Gathering cards) with the line: "Psssst! Hey kid. Ya wanna play RuneQuest?" [insert disturbing leer] I can only rarely get my own wife and children to play, especially since my son discovered football. "Awwwww, Daaaaaaad! Not another one of those imagination games!" Like that's a bad thing.

www.darkcitygames.com Well worth checking out if you're an old Fantasy Trip or Melee fan, or if you wish you had been.