Campaigns I'd Like to Run: X-COM/STALKER: Fight the Future

Like many GMs I often have more ideas for RPG campaigns than time to run them all. It's part of the fun to build on a creative spark and plan out the "what if" possibilities for new campaigns, even if it's unlikely to hit the table.

This month's RPG Blog Carnival -- hosted by Age of Ravens -- is based on this theme, "Campaigns I'd Like to Run." The Carnival is a great opportunity to work out some of these partially-formed campaign ideas.

X-COM/STALKER: Fight the Future

Yeah, we got the package, Colonel. No we didn't open it.

North of town? No, there's nobody there, no survivors. You see how many of us made it back?

It's perpetual night in there. Like walking though a curtain. Right inside the edge of Zone Mike Three. Gordon lost it right then. Didn't you know that?

The designator signal held out, it's the only way we could have found the package again. We secured it and fell back to the DZ. That's when they hit us. They knew we were there.

This campaign idea is for a near-future sci-fi/horror mashup that combines elements from two complimentary settings, the video game X-COM: Enemy Unknown, and the STALKER tabletop RPG, based on the novel Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky Brothers. Additional inspiration can be found in The X-Files, Delta Green, GURPS Atomic Horror, and GURPS Warehouse 23.

What is the campaign about?

Ever-increasingly desperate battles against an alien threat to humanity. Worldwide, there are gains and losses by both sides. Some areas previously controlled by the aliens have been mysteriously abandoned and are designated Zones. Some of the natural laws of physics no longer apply in the Zones. Despite the danger to body and mind, priceless alien artifacts of every description litter the Zones. It's only a matter of time before we learn how to use what they left behind to finally destroy the aliens. Conspiracy and fear reign: What do the aliens want? Which humans are collaborating with them?

How does the game do this?

The tone and the style of the campaign would depend on the interest of the players. I see two ways to go with the source material, and a sliding continuum between the extremes.

1) Investigation, Research and Building: The player characters are involved with the investigation of alien artifacts, and may be out in the field collecting data and material. This would certainly include forays into Zones of previous alien activity. They could also be involved with the development and management of team and agency resources, from the unit level expanding to the worldwide XCOM organization.

2) Tactical combat: The player characters are assigned to the combat field teams that face the alien threat. This would encompass actual combat roles (ranged, hand-to-hand, sniper) and support roles (medic, engineer, field tech).

As far as which rules system to use, again this would depend on the intended style of the game. For a more investigative game, and a focus on building resources, perhaps GUMSHOE, FATE Core, or Action Cards. For a game focused on combat with the aliens and other field operations, a system with more specific combat options, skills, and weapons might be more appropriate, such as Cyberpunk, Shadowrun or even nWoD. Somewhere in the middle, perhaps True20, Savage Worlds, or Chaosium BRP.

Ray Harryhausen was a Magician (including random tables)

(Part of the Ray Harryhausen Blogfest)

Ray Harryhausen was a magician. He took foam rubber and fur wrapped around a wire armature and made it come to life in dozens of feature films and short subjects.

Harryhausen's contributions to visual and photographic effects cannot be overestimated. His pioneering work in refining the art of stop-motion animation over the course of 50 years gave us defining moments in the history of science-fiction and fantasy films. His technical wizardry and attention to detail mark the work of a true professional of the craft. Several generations of film fans, filmmakers, and gamers have been inspired by his creations.

This should have been a story in honor of Ray Harryhausen's 93rd birthday in June. Instead, it is in memoriam for the filmmaker, artist and writer who passed away on Tuesday.

I don't remember the exact first Harryhausen movie that I saw. Many of my early memories of movies as a kid are mixed together. My best guess is that it was 20 Million Miles to Earth, about an alien creature loose in Rome; a late-night showing (9pm?) that my parents let me stay up to watch. I soon began to recognize his work in other movies over many more late nights and Saturday afternoons. They were known as "Harryhausen movies", as his special effects overshadowed the names of producers, directors, and often the actors. I wrote about one particular film, The First Men in the Moon, in this review.

To me, the battle with the skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts represents the pinnacle of Harryhausen's talent, even if he would go on to create more intricate models and complicated effects in later films. He spent four months animating the skeleton models, and the amount of synchronization required to match up models to the live actors is still astounding.



Although we can create all manner of wondrous effects, creatures, and whole worlds through the use of computer animation, I feel that sometimes we lose a connection to the real objects, like stop-motion models and the physical sets they inhabit. Their lack of slick perfection make them less polished and more uneven, but more immediate and ultimately, real.



Bonus: Two d12 tables for random Harryhausen monsters in the fantasy role-playing game of your choice.

Small Creatures

1 -A Roc hatchling

2 - Skeletons

3 - Pterodactyl

4 - Giant bee

5 - Harpies

6 - Selenites

7 - A homunculus

8 - Animated ship's figurehead

9 - Centaur

10 - A chess-playing baboon

11 - A mechanical owl

12 - Medusa

Large Creatures

1 - Giant ape

2 - Rhedosaur

3 - Giant octopus

4 - Triceratops

5 - Cyclops

6 - Giant crab

7 - Talos

8 - Hydra

9 - The Avatar of Kali

10 - Griffin

11 - Troglodyte

12 - The Kraken

Free Renaissance D100 one-shot adventure

Monday saw the release of a free one-shot adventure for the Renaissance D100 rules. From the announcement email:

You may have thought that the Renaissance Deluxe D100 rules were only useful for black powder games, but Adrian Jones shows their flexibility with a FREE one-shot adventure and resource pack which pits Celtic Adventurers against Viking raiders in an 11th century adventure in the spirit of Robert E. Howard...

Download it now! http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/113819/The-Wolves-of-the-Coast

I have been interested in the Renaissance rules, although I've not yet dug into them very deeply. This adventure might be a good catalyst to do so. The SRD is also free, being the core of the Clockwork & Chivalry RPG and based on OpenQuest.

Roger Ebert, RIP

I was very saddened to read the news yesterday afternoon that film critic (and so much more) Roger Ebert passed away at the age of 70. Only two days ago he posted about his webpage getting revamped and taking off some time for "reviewing only the movies I want to review," for reasons of declining health.

Mr. Ebert was my favorite film critic. Although I didn't always agree with his opinions -- particularly on some genre films -- our tastes matched up more often than not. I have very fond memories of watching "Sneak Previews" on PBS, then later "At the Movies" and "Siskel & Ebert". In the opening credits, a poster for Godzilla 1985 was clearly visible behind his desk as he typed.

Beyond his work as a critic, what I liked most about him was that he obviously loved movies. He was passionate about them, and made you want to share his enthusiasm. He was a scholar of film history, working to preserve Hollywood's history and point out the shoulders of the giants on which today's films stand. His commentaries on Citizen Kane and Dark City are legendary.

Save us the aisle seats behind you and Gene, Roger. We'll see you at the movies.

This last clip is NSFW (language):

Hammer DVD and Blu-ray releases in April

After a long dry spell, April sees the release of several Hammer Horror classics on home video. Each one had been released previously but are now back again after being out-of-print.

The Hammer Horror 3 Feature Film Set from Millennium Films is out next Tuesday, April 2nd, a 2-DVD collection including Dracula, Prince of Darkness, The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, and Frankenstein Created Woman. These titles were previously released as part of Anchor Bay's Hammer Collection. No word on any extras for this set, although the press release mentions "new extras" and Blu-ray collector editions. This may be an initial release to test the market demand, as "a full release schedule is planned", and if so the under-$10 price at online retailers makes this an easy decision.


On the 30th, Shout Factory brings us The Vampire Lovers on Blu-ray. This first entry in the Karnstein Trilogy stars Ingrid Pitt, Madeline Smith and Peter Cushing. MGM released this film on a Midnite Movies double-feature DVD with Countess Dracula, which is also due on Blu-ray (at some unspecified point) from Synapse Films. The MGM disc extras carry over, along with some new interviews with Madeline Smith and Hammer film scholars.

Happy Birthday, Akira Kurosawa

Today would have been the director's 103rd birthday. To commemorate the occasion, Hulu is offering all of Kurosawa's films from the Criterion Collection for free this weekend on their streaming video service. Watch a old favorite or check out a film you may not have seen before.

Montgolfier Brothers Flying Balloon and Adventuring Co.

Elevator pitch for an RPG campaign.

Montgolfier Brothers Flying Balloon and Adventuring Co.

The Montgolfier Brothers have invented the passenger balloon, and they use it to travel widely and have adventures. Light-hearted picaresque romps through an alternate history in the vein of Baron Munchausen, the Three Musketeers, memoirs of Pre-Revolution France, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, and Monty Python.

 In December 1782, the Montgolfier Brothers made the first test flight of their hot-air flying balloon design. They successfully flew in a balloon on September 19th, 1783, during an audience with King Louis XVI. While aloft, the brothers' balloon disappeared behind a low veil of mist. They found themselves traveling through the aether and soon their balloon was gliding above the Pyramids of Egypt. Upon guiding the balloon back into a low cloud bank they were returned to Paris. Through a series of trial-and-error test flights and some mathematical calculations by their friend Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier at the Académie des sciences, the brothers could direct their flight's course -- often to a known destination, and occasionally to unknown and far-off lands.

The Montgolfier Brothers use their knowledge of ballooning through the aether -- accompanied by other like-minded individuals -- on missions of discretion for rich nobility, occasionally for the King, against rival British balloonists, and always, for adventure.

Fire Sale for Chris Huth

Freelance RPG illustrator and designer Chris Huth and his partner lost their home and possessions in an apartment fire last week. His most current project is 13th Age, which was about a week from layout completion.

From the Pelgrane Press news page:

...until Friday, all margin on sales from Pelgrane Press products from the store will go to help Chris get back on his feet. DriveThruRPG will also give their royalty share to Chris on Pelgrane products.

100% of the price of download sales, and 50% of all physical sales will go to Chris. This is one step of several that 13th Age creators Fire Opal Media and Pelgrane will be taking to help out.

If none of Pelgrane's current offerings appeal to you but you still wish to help, direct donations can be made to Chris's Paypal account. His email can be found in the comments at the above-linked page.

Conan and the Academy

I was surprised this week to see that Conan and the Academy: Multidisciplinary Essays on the Enduring Barbarian had been released. I was expecting it but didn't know that it was published at the end of November.

Brian Murphy wrote an outstanding review and critique of the book at The Silver Key (read the comments, too). Finding out that some of the scholars involved with the book are perpetuating ideas that were debunked years ago, and not using the latest existing scholarship, is disappointing. With luck I can find a discounted copy this summer at the ALA annual conference or at Gen Con.