New class of scif badass: THE OV3R1T

The OV3R1T. Overwrites. The Overwritten. Many ways to say it, but they all describe the forgotten "reformed" and paroled prisoners (of a biological persuasion) that have been released back into the galactic population. Once hardened criminals, these neuro-reprogrammed ex-cons are given a chance to restart their lives after (sometimes hundreds of) solar cycles in solitary behavioral modification chambers.

Often, an OV3R1T faces challenges in reintegrating into society. As a result, many opt to take on the life of an adventurer-for-hire as a means to meaningful and lucrative employment. As you might have already guessed, sometimes code-rot, incomplete persona wipes, or data breaches occur and you've got a Simon Phoenix on your hands!

Don't do the crime...
Roll 1d20 for your criminal offense and implied, related skills and background (i.e., the reason you were locked up):

1. Unlicensed Psionic Spice Sales and/or Distribution
2. Sentient Species Trafficking
3. Fencing Illegal Space Salvage
4. Disintegration - First Degree
5. Mandroidslaughter or Dismemberment
6. Grand Theft Autobot
7. Genetic Identity Theft 
8. Kidnapping, (Somebody Really Important)
9. Manufacture Methane-Based-Lifeform Narcotics
10. Planetary Eco-terrorism (Especially if it was a nice planet like that one in Avatar)
11. Theft by Cosmic Swindle (Wanna' buy a jumpgate on New Brooklyn?)
12. Falsifying MIDC data for Space Settlement Stipend Payments
13. Space Vampirism While in the Nude
14. Unauthorized Detonation of a Solar or Planetary Body Within a Populated System
15. Cutting in Line at Space Chipotle
16. Theft of Central Space Command Property (or the nearest sovereign space authority)
17. Selling, Distribution, and/or Marketing of the Xenobiological Parasites known as "Tribbles"
18. Possessing or Operating a Particle Beam Weapon Without a License
19. Tampering with the Temporal Spacetime Continuum
20. Other (Fill in with your own heinous infraction of Galactic Law and/or disrespect for sentient lifeforms.)

...If you can't do the cryo-time!

You've served your sentence, now go in peace and start a new life using your recently-downloaded vocational programming. Roll randomly on the 1d12 table below, to overwrite your forbidden skillset.

1. Repair Repair Droids - Fix things that fix other things.
2. Xenolinguistics (dead languages only) 
3. Art History - With time, you could become Captain of the Docents.
4. Automat Quality ControlvMonitor
5. Pizza Delivery Drone Pilot - Work at Starr-Mart, Galactic Outfitters, or even Kwarq-Trip Convenience Stores.
6. Crowdfunding Campaign Promotion
7. Flying Taxi Driver
8. Extrasolar Missionary
9. Dewback Grooming - Handy with a nail file.
10. Space Barrista 
11. Everything There is to Know About Power Converters
12. Power Knitting - Complete projects in 70% less time than a normal human. (This is secretly a hack - all previous criminal skills are enhanced by two levels or you've picked up 2 new ones at one level each.)

Your new skillset will take effect immediately, and at a higher level than you might expect! (Typically +2 per level).

Corporate Malfeasance 101

PSIVILITY, the neuromedical research conglomerate that makes all the propriety software for cryo-prisons in the known galaxy, has encountered several severe bugs. The patches are released as quickly as possible through data-nodes at Galactic Security Outposts, but the file sizes are so huge that it's taken several decades to download them from one node to the next. PSIVILITY has had cutbacks and the entire Data-Integrity Division was let go approximately two centuries ago, so buyer beware.

If you can't wait that long, you can always attempt to reprogram an OV3R1T yourself using the following procedure:

• Roll a programming attempt for each number of infractions the OV3R1T has committed during the session. (Target numbers should be set to DIFFICULT or comparable high level.)
• Any failure will create a bug that will enhance one of the OV3RiT's criminal skills by one level. Three failures will create a permanent firmware upgrade making any further attempts impossible.
• Success will bring your OV3R1T back into compliance, but with a personality quirk (roll or choose below):

1d10 Successful Reprogramming Attempt Quirks

1. OV3R1T demands to be the Captain of your vessel.
2. Can only eat expensive nanite "grey goo" as meal replacements.
3. Walks arrhythmically - slowed and noticeable when movement or stealth matters.
4. Will only speak to robots, not living beings.
5. Intelligence score plummets to lowest ranking.
6. Will or charisma soars attracting unwanted attention to the party.
7. Cries or laughs (your pick) uncontrollably when you use their name or address them.
8. Mocks anyone relentlessly within 3 meters.
9. Can't remember anyone's name or what's going on, so resorts to their Cryo-Skill.
10. Uncontrollable urges to commit crimes but completely inept at doing so (all attempts automatically fail spectacularly).

WARNING: Any paroled convict, sentenced under the Galactic Penal Code of 2402, found to be using prohibited skill sets may face re-incarceration, total mind wipe, scientific experimentation, and/or bodily disintegration. Prohibited skill sets are those defined as any skills that may cause physical harm, property loss or damage, mental or emotional distress to others, or other due harm. If you believe you have somehow acquired these illegal skills without your own doing or purposeful acknowledgment, it is your responsibility to turn yourself in for immediate assessment and incarceration.

Simon Says: "These space-age knitting needles have really been an eye-opener!"

New logo! Playtesting! Convention planning!

It's been a while since I've had free time to post, so here's a quick round up of what's going on in this neck of the universe:

Saturday Night Space Opera has AWESOME new artwork!

An illustrator pal o'mine, Bill Hauser completed one HELL of a masthead banner and logo for the SNSO website. It far outshines the previous one I did in MS Paint! Check it out in all it's stupendous, fully detailed glory!

Rad Astra in playtest...

The first full test of character creation and basic rules has begun on my space opera roleplaying game. Hoping to have the core rules completed by Labor Day. I'm filling in bits of setting material as I go, but it'll be nice once I finish the rules and just whole-hog focus on setting again soon. More details here. 

$25 with a T-shirt!

Con of the North 2017 planning underway

It's funny how quickly Saturday Night Space Opera games come and go. By the time one rolls around, I'm already working on promotional materials for the next one. It's no different with Con of the North, the local, big tabletop game convention. It's typically in February every year, but scheduling for 2017 has already begun. Co-captain John Till and will be sitting down shortly to work on plans for SNSO's second year at the con. I still haven't written a wrap-up of 2016's games!

First on the agenda: get our GMs to REGISTER NOW WHILE IT'S ONLY $20. It's harder than you think.

Stay tuned to this frequency for more updates...

Rad Astra in playtest

It's been a while since I gave an update here, but things are humming along with Rad Astra. I'm working on a revised draft of the rules, which (at this point) are no longer just an X-plorers-based setting. It will be it's own game. Though, I will do an X-plorers version and I'm talking to a few interested parties in converting for other systems as well.

In truth, I've been testing various rules over the course of the last 6 years or so. I've messed with enough of under the hood that I began rewriting the underlying mechanics. Once that started, it was hard to stop. I will say that having all of those house rules in one document--and easily accessible just for my own sake--makes me just a wee bit giddy.
 
Next week, my regular gaming group (made up of almost all game masters) will dip toes in to some of the classes and basic mechanics, such as how abilities and skills will operate. There's more over at the official development site if that stuff interests you. To be honest, I'm more a fan of setting than I am of rules--unless the two can be combined in some interesting way...

Stay tuned for more Radness!

Space Magic in Rad Astra

First, a confession...

This is one of those posts that I initially dread writing. Mainly because I over think it. I've been mulling over ideas for space magic for a loooong time. Problem is I'd read spellcasting rules for other games as inspiration and that would just end up as an exercise in disappointment once I realized it wouldn't work in a rules-light game like X-plorers (the ruleset I'm currently using for Rad Astra) or other similar systems.

I'd decided a long while back on how I wanted the character class to work, but that didn't give me much of a clue about how to structure the underlying system. Until I decided to just let go and use X-plorers as my divining rod and snip off ideas from other sources without (hopefully) borrowing from them whole-cloth. Either way, this stuff still needs to be playtested.

This is a long winded way of saying, I'm not entirely sure this will work, but it's a start. I had originally planned to run a new spells system and space warlock/wizard class at Con of the North in 2015 but I was still hashing out details. So maybe consider this the first in a series, with this first post explaining how magic works (in a broad, rambling sense!), and an upcoming post will outline how the new class works.

This is all to say, it's going to take me a few tries to get this right. All right, let's begin...

How Magic Works in Rad Astra

In the beginning of spacetime, before the birth of the old gods and the plucking of the universal filaments to create the vibrations that would give way to the multiverse, there was only... the Krackle. The original source of all things that cracked, sputtered, spit, and hissed with raw power. Pure and potent, it's energies were first discovered by the eternal titans of the cosmos. Not only did they weave eternal geometries it into galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae, but likewise did they pour its essence into the "reverse" of spacetime fabric: hyperspace, astrality, and the dark dimensions. Hence, its application is unlimited. It can be pooled or tapped and called forth, fueling cosmic and arcane might. But those gifted mortals who seek to tame the blood of the universe are cursed to crave it evermore! 

RAD ASTRA: Knights of Nuclei

From the heart of Hexuba to her farthest flung fingers, the citizens of the galaxy have long sung tales of the heroic Knights of Nuclei--warriors clad in radically augmented battle armor. 

Knights of Nuclei are wanderers, taking payment in the form of tribute or tips after their escapades. As they crave high adventure above all else, payment is deemed a nuisance--a formality, really. It's against their code to set terms of business before an adventure starts.

Every knight is enthralled  by the pursuit of excellence and purity of her or his deeds. While they have never been great in number, their passion and clarity of purpose is the stuff of starry legend.

In order to become a Nucleic Knight, you must first squire with a journeyman knight in order to learn the ways of the order. Most knights have been around for centuries and have undergone some sort of cybernetic enhancement to continue adventuring in space or harsh environs.

Atomic Armor in Ritual and Practice
Knights regard their appearance in battle with cult-like dedication, hyper-conscious of their reputations and the iconography they employ to support their image. Every knight of the order is learned in constructing their own atomic armor, powered by some exotic element or energy crystal. This process is not undertaken lightly, but is the very threshold quest that bestows knighthood on lowly squires.

Armor is custom to the tastes and fabricated mythos of each knight--as beasts, gods, and other supernatural creatures of the cosmos.

In some cases, you may come across a knight who has taken to long-term suspended animation (further adding to the longevity of the order). Knight's are acutely aware that their legacies are directly related to their ability to get around the galaxy--which takes time. The longer they're "in play" and aggrandizing their daring deeds, the longer their names will echo across eternity.

Rarest of the Order: Knights of Modesty
Since their payment can vary greatly, atomically-powered armor as well as their weaponry (including cybernetics) is a reflection of their service. But even within their own ranks, some knights eschew the ostentatious displays of expensive accouterments. They'll appear as errant paupers, holding themselves to a "higher" moral code of humility and poverty. Though still recognizeable due to their haughty demeanor, these knights confer prestige and poise in the face of even the most dangerous of quests.


Knights of Nuclei will appear in a forthcoming Rad Astra publication. Role-playing tips, the Knights' Code, and armor stats and requirements to be available in publication only. Watch for upcoming announcements.

Inspiration: Sir Didymus, Don Quixote, Outer Spacemen, King Pelinore, Micronauts, Iron Man, ROM Spaceknight

Wargons space warlord race for X-plorers

WARGONS: Heavy Metal raiders of the void! 

  

I love what you've done with your ridge Gordak! Are you using a new conditioner?

Wargons are the galaxy's most-feared space pirates seeking fortune, glory, infamy, and bent on unleashing such woe unto their enemies so as to be told for generations. They organize into tribal units called "prides" with a parental matriarch or patriarch as captain. They hunt their spacefaring prey--migrant convoys, freighters carrying cargo, passenger liners, and even military frigates--aboard smaller assault ships with crews of a few dozen. For larger hunts, they employ heavily armed battlecruisers.

But sentient forms are not their only quarry. The Wargon hunt the megafauna that live in the void--space kaiju! They consider this their greatest challenge and most dangerous prospect. To slay a massive monster and live is to become an Exalted One for ages to come.

Ferocious Starships

Wargons do not kill for merely sport--they render every piece of their prize into usable goods--famously fashioning the bones and heads into the very structure of their wildly eccentric spacecraft. The process is ritualistic and highly technical, resulting in constructs that only accentuate their already terrifying reputations.

Because of the varied and random nature of their hunts, no two Wargon vessels look exactly the same. There are basic sizes and functions, but some may employ giant insect wings, filleted reptillian frills, beheaded space demons or dragon, unfurled giant bat wings or other body parts. The fantastic and fierce-looking craft designs are greatly determined by the relative variety of exobiologic game they have encountered. And the more exotic the quarry, the more they thirst for it to become their latest creation.

"Balrog Class Dreadnought" by Katase6626 on deviantART 

•  Vangjar Class (pictured) raider ships (bird of prey) are the most common type of Wargon vessel. Crew of 25-60.
•  Bagkar Class destroyers are a medium-sized (think classic Enterprise) and are an equal or better match for comparable ships. Crew of 200-300.
• Drakmir Class battlecruisers are the big mama-jamas, think STNG sized. Crew of 800 or more.

Physical Characteristics

Wargons are relatively the same size as humans, though their skin is more leathery and even hardens into sharp, bony protrusions on the front and top of the skull. Their skeletons are more dense and therefore stronger than normal humans. And if you think that makes them slower, you'd be mistaken--their muscles more than compensate for their fortified interiors, giving them surprising agility.

In general, they are:

• Stronger than humans (Physique +1 per level) 
• More intimidating (Presence +1 per level)
• Possess of enhanced abilities: Initiates are also trained in Wargon Martial Arts with extra significance placed on the use of the Dam'eth sword (Weapon Specialization +1 per level), one of which every Wargon possess.  

Rage Ale and its effects

When they render the carcass of a felled kaiju, the single-most prized organ is the beast's pineal gland. From it, Wargons distill and brew into one of the most potent concoctions in the known universe: Rage Ale! The substance hyper-activates the Wargons' own anger-prone tendencies (see Melee Madness below), often imbibed just before hand-to-hand combat ensues in order to push them even further into blind aggression.

Exposure is not without some lingering after-effects. Because they're ambitious pirates, Wargons are consuming large quantities of the stuff and therefore experiencing physical changes as well, including the growth of horns, hardened skin and bones, blood-stained scelera of the eyes, and sharpened hand and foot digits. It's not know if these effects are reversible.

Melee Madness

"The Madness" is a direct effect of consuming Rage Ale, which gives Wargons enhanced strength and stamina during combat. Every Wargon carries a personal cache (flask or ampule) of the potion to chug just before contact with the enemy. Non-Wargons have been known to die or at least fall extremely ill should they ingest any. Rage Ale enhancements are as follows:

• Physique/Strength & Constitution +2/per level
• Hit Points +1d/level
• Intelligence -2
• Wisdom/Presence -2

Wargon "Blessed One"

Blessed One

Every Wargon warship Fafnir class and larger has a "Blessed One", a crew member selected for genetic mutation to turn him into a berserking freak--basically de-volving him. They usually keep them in a large cargo hold and assign another crew member (a former comrade) to look after the lucky fellow.

Nasty rumor: Wargons might be descended from rancors, not primates. That might be just a scary story, but it explains why they're so cranky.

Size: Large Monstrosity at 5.5 meters!

Agility: 10
Intelligence: 3
Physique: 20
Presence: 3

Attacks: Grasping claws and chomping bite. Don't worry about damage stats, if one gets a hold of you it's time to roll up a new character.

Society and Ritual

The life of a Wargon is defined by the harsh vacuum of space. They call it "the sea" and each soul upon the inky black "a sailor". Both males and females fight for their pride's honor. They are an ornery bunch, so they seem to work best in small tribal crews aboard their hunter ships.

Wargons worship RAGNULK!, God of the Great Thermal Death and live aboard ships that resemble flying heavy metal concerts crossed with outer-space megafauna. Ships are crewed by their own kin. Their "prides" are ruled by a father or mother figure (their captain). When a rival rises through the ranks s/he may try to assassinate her/his liege (this is never done during combat with an enemy--which is cause for instant execution). But a challenger that successfully topples the reigning captain, takes over command of the ship.

If the attempt fails, the would-be challenger is put through a gauntlet by peers in the ship's' Great Hall. Should they survive, they would be expelled from the pride--but with good intention. The erstwhile challenger is given a barely-working launch from which to begin their own pride. This is how the Wargon proliferate their kind.

A Wargon captain introduces him or herself through a string of surnames, relaying their lengthy and belligerent heritage--each name is usually more intimidating than the last.

"Beware preyling! For I am LORP, droplet of WEGAT THE BEMUSED, a kinsmen of WERDAR OF THE WASTE, and kinsfolk to VORDAM THE SKULL-SCRAPER!"

What their poor victims don't know is that Lorp was a cranky radio operator, Werdar is a sanitation officer and Vordam was really the ship's barber, heh!

Wargon High Chiefs are the highest authority in their society. They give orders to the many raiding parties, organize reconnaissance and patrol missions, and lead fleets in battle. The current high chief ruler sitting at the head of the Onyx Pentagram is know is MAD MELEANATH. No one has seen their visage in years, but it's said they are actually a were-creature, turning into some sort of rapacious space wolf whenever their bloodlust goes un-sated.

Vocation and Station

Wargons take service aboard a ship of their kinsmen and are divided into groups by skill. This is usually done based on Agility or Dexterity. The highest scores fly the ship and fire weapons. Lower scores are sent to work other systems. Intelligence isn't valued that highly, except among the highest echelons of society. 

All technology, at this point, is stolen and reconfigured to fit the Wargon motif. They stopped innovating eons ago. Wargon scientists are the worst kind---never intentionally employing the scientific method but very adept at reverse engineering. 

Ship crew compliments are typically divided into fifths of 1/5 ship control and command officers, 1/5 tech engineers, 3/5 soldiers and basic crew--with the understanding that when it comes to down and dirty combat, everybody fights.

Weapons, Armor, Equipment

The Wargon soldier is heavily armed, but only moderately armored so they can quickly dispatch enemies in hand-to-hand combat. In addition to carrying a personal energy carbine or blunderbuss, they carry at least one signature melee weapon, which can include:

• Great axe, oversized, oversharp, heavy metal!
• Double throwing axes, these are still quite huge, weighted at handles to provide maximum spinnage...
• Spiked mace or flail, swingy, spikey--make sure not to sit on them
• Gantlet covered in spikes, gives edged damage to punches as well as a little knockback
• Cat O' Nine Tails, embedded with razors, also used in corporal punishment
• Dam'eth sword, double-bladed swords or giant butterfly-handled swords, often curved or barbed but require a special touch to wield as they're mounted via fast-access, swing mechanism 

In addition, they'll usually wear some sort of padded armor or leather equivalent. They will don ornately decorated helmets with openings that allow their Rage Ale-infused horns to protrude through, as well as all manner of overwrought shoulder armor in battle, but find these restrictive aboard the confines of a ship. They will wear them however to intimidate enemies over viewscreen confrontations. Helms and pauldrons vary highly and are decorated or adorned as a sign of individual expression. 

Finishing off the Wargon look are any assortment of ritualistic tattoos, scarring, tramp stamps, big heavy stompy boots, toothy grills, and other extravagantly badass accouterments.

Inspiration

Warlike races in space opera are no longer a foregone conclusion--it's practically an expectation. Klingons have had many iterations over the years. Who could forget the great "head crest vs. no head crest" debate? To me they always epitomized of the greatest warriors in history, like the surliest pirates, Vikings, or Mongol warriors. Aesthetically, I'd believed their onscreen depiction in the original Trek films was based on the latter.

I always liked that they were best in small crews aboard BoPs and with a tribal command structure. They raiders who conquer through intimidation and cunning in battle. It's no wonder that they have become iconic in the decades since their appearance on the original series.

I have something in Expanded Petty Gods!

There is no escape from the Goddess of Space Junk and Derelict Hope!

So THIS is pretty damn exciting! I submitted an entry to Expanded Petty Gods, overseen by the multi-talented Richard LeBlanc of New Big Dragon Games. Actually, I was a big baby about not getting into the previous efforts (I missed deadlines due to dumbness) and he relented!

Enslaved robo-space hornet is minion to Detriax

Either way, I'm extremely proud to be a part of this OSR community effort to bring some fun, homebrew content to game tables.

My entry is (naturally) on the scifi side: Detriax, a space goddess that consumes (and even creates) space wreckage and heartbroken star sailors. Imagine Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean mashed up with the Unicron or Galactus. She's got a few minions as well. Here's some of the fantastic illustrations for the entry.

FUN FACT: One type of Detriax's minions--a relative of the space hornet pictured here--appeared in an early Rad Astra home campaign. This art represents the first public depiction of a Rad Astra denizen. 



Scrap bots and an enslaved organic

She'll get a few tweaks, especially in the way of stats (which I'd left more or less as "unknowns" back when I wrote it). But in general, I think this whole project is shaping up to be something really special for GMs. It's already clocking in at more than 380 pages!! 

UPDATED: New image of Detriax's scrap bot minions as well as an enslaved organic!

#EPGLIVES!

Galaxy Laser Team makes everything gonzo!

I've had several people ask me where I got the green figures that made an appearance at Saturday Night Space Opera last week. The answer is: The Internet!

Okay fine, it was Amazon. Seems like just about everyone remembers seeing those figures, but not recalling where. "When" is always "when I was a kid" which if you're like me, was in the 80s.

The line is called Galaxy Laser Team, though they also go went by "Star Patrol". Tim Mee Toys is the name of the company that's recently brought them back into production, and boy are they doing a stellar job!

The exact set we had on game night were these fellas, the jumbo set:

Back in the day, Processed Plastics was the manufacturer, but a few years ago they closed and sold off the molds (is my understanding anyway). Tim Mee has been reproducing the sets, including this jumbo set which was also produced years ago. If you're thinking that the sculpts look strangely like other popular scifi characters, you aren't wrong. GLT were expeditiously brought to market following that one 70s space opera with that big hairy dude and that short, boisterous robot.

Unfortunately, they're only able to recreate what was originally produced back then. The female space commander at the computer console and the cool "x-fighter" were never previously made as jumbo figures---so no current ones exist either.

I've inquired as to whether these will ever get made or if NEW figures could be designed and released in the same aesthetic as the originals (like say, a female figure with a ray gun, more spaceships, playsets, etc.). The response was along the lines of "we hope so," which I think translates into "we'd love to, but these have to sell well enough to allow us to do that."

So in hopes of someday seeing NEW Galaxy Laser Team members.....

WHERE TO BUY GALAXY LASER TEAM TOYS
You can find them on Amazon for a reasonable price, the regular figures come in packs of 50.

• Blue/Green set
• Red/Orange set
• Jumbo Green set (no female or x-fighter figures)

....and if you wanted to make your space adventures Gonzo-to-the-MAX, there's also these sets:


That's a lot of funky fantasy dudes in yoga pants!

• Cavemen (Prehistoric Warriors)
• Dinosaurs (These are not in scale with other figures, but make for good smaller monsters, pets, etc.)
• Legendary Battle (sort of fantasy meets superheroes)
• Frontiersmen (Daaaaavy, Davey Crocket, king of the wild frontier!)
• Cowboys and Indians (Self explanatory)
• Army Men (Light and dark green)
• Battle Mountain Playset (This thing is awesome! And it looks like it would work for a wide range of other minis)

BONUS: If you're REALLY inclined to ask for more far-out space and fantasy figures, go "Like" the GLT's Facebook page and tell them how awesome they are/send them a message!

I have several vintage figures from the Galaxy Laser Team, so it was inevitable that they'd find their way to guest appearances here on Exonauts. The Space Yeti inspired a whole alien race I wrote up for X-plorers. I've a fondness for the old-fashioned static-pose, plastic figures of my kidhood. I'm sure you'll see more them here in the future.


To be continued...
A few weeks ago, the jumbo figs were on sale and I acquired several extra sets to use as prizes for some future fun activity. Haven't decided yet if they'll be awarded at a forthcoming Saturday Night Space Opera or part of that world-building blogging event I'd still like to do. Stay tuned!

Saturday Night Space Opera Part 2: Rad Astra Play Report!

If you've had a chance to digest my previous post on Saturday Night Space Opera's inaugural event, then you're now ready for this (as short and sweet as I can recall) summary of the actual RAD ASTRA game play:

• Four players chose three standard X-plorers classes: Technician (the team's pilot), Scientist, and Scout. One chose my custom class of Astrosassin (heck yeah!). 
• Plot involved them being hired on a centuries-old (and it shows) space station called Sanctuary Six in a backwater part of the galaxy referred to as "The Shallows". They were hired by one Captain Harford Fenn, an old smuggler specializing in do-or-die cargo runs, pushing retirement. The team met for the first time in a rundown saloon. 

(Fig. 1) Space station: Sanctuary Six

• Their mission was to take aid supplies through pirate-infested territory to a colony on the planet Cerellis VI.
• Colony communiques have been confusing for weeks, with garbled messages from the administrator giving panicked updates on how their original 100 settlers had dwindled to less than 15. No further details were given.

(Fig. 2) Cargo ship: The Radium Tear 

(Fig. 3) Captain Harford Fenn

• Fenn's ship, The Radium Tear, is a mid-sized freighter that's fast in hyperspace and well armored, but slow at sublight speeds. As such, he travels with an entourage of small, pointy single-pilot fighters called the Minutemen. 
• The Tear's crew are the four "mission specialist" PCs, plus two other regular members they've not yet met.
• Because the planet they're traveling to is located in unclaimed (and therefore fair-game for pirates) territory the freighter will drop them into orbit via a trim little shuttle craft with a three 1x1x1 meter cargo pods filled with humanitarian aid supplies.
• They boarded a station tram to make way to the ship dock and ended up catching a shifty character looking their way. Though the Astrosassin was brave enough to try and confront him, said miscreant gave them the slip.

(Fig. 4) He just doesn't look very trustworthy....

• At spacedock, Captain Fenn filled them in on the ship's compliment and other mission details. They boarded and the "aid supplies" were loaded aboard.
• Once the ship was in hyperspace the PCs took to grabbing a meal in the galley, but overheard yelling in the corridor.
• The astrosassin spied the captain being threatened by the ne'er do well from the tram! He was one of the Tear's crew members.
• The other PCs arrive just in time to scare off the dude, who bolts for the shuttle bay. A confrontation in the bay escalates into shots fired and tranquilizer needles readied (Scientist Till had no firearm on him at the time).
• The team brought down the renegade crew member (injuring him, but not killing him) just as Fenn huffs and puffs his way into the shuttle bay. During the fracas, the assailant was injured--or damaged, really, as he turns out to be an android!
• During their interrogation, the android refuses direct answers---only spewing hateful barbs at the crew, as well as some sort of greenish-black liquid. He says he's working for a space pirate named Argal, Basically, they're walking into a trap. The team agrees to take up battlestations aboard the Radium Tear to fight off any incursions.
• The captain informs them that they've actually only got minutes before they're out of hyperspace---giving them little time to prepare for an ambush. The captain tells them to make their delivery and he'll hold off any space hostiles as long as he can. To prove he's serious, he transmits their payment transfers---in full---back to Sanctuary Six. All they have to do is make it back to the station in one piece to get paid.
• At this point, several of the players have a protracted debate about what to do:
• Three players want to board the shuttle and make a dash for the planet and complete the mission
• One player wants to man a gunnery station on The Radium Tear---hoping to defeat the pirates and make off with the cargo (which he hopes to open, sell, and/or make it back to the station to collect payment regardless of making the delivery. SO MANY MORAL DILEMMAS, that guy.
• The other PCs convince him to shut up and get on the shuttle. They scoot the dingy out of the bay an into a full-on starfighter dogfight!

(Fig. 5) Quick and durable Minutemen fighters escort the Radium Tear

(Fig. 6) But faster, more numerous pirate starfighters overwhelm their enemies!

• Minutemen fighters are doing their best to hold off the pirate ships which outnumber them 4:1. The pirate craft are numerous and very fast, but light on firepower (they rely on swarming their enemies). 
• Another debate ensues over whether to gun the engines or try and fool the Argal into thinking his android is still steering the ship. The latter strategy is employed and fails. So it's a race to make cloud cover on the planet below. 
• The Minutemen buy time as the shuttle escapes the fracas. The Radium Tear explodes, taking with it their employer.
• A massive pirate spaceship emerges, it's Argal chasing down his prize.
• The Minutemen break off and make for the planet as well (in pairs, but in differing trajectories and not along the same path as the shuttle).
• Our game time had run out, but not before the crew had a chance to break atmo and see just how horrific the planet is gonna be next time:

(Fig. 7) Planet of thistle, bramble, and thorn!

TO BE CONTINUED:

• Final twist of the knife: as a parting gift, the PCs learned their shuttle was very badly damaged (only 1 hull point left!) and so they'd need to find alternate means off the hellscape planet! 
• The crew is on the lookout for Jem Quimble, security chief for the settlement on Cerellis. She's the only one who can open the cargo and ensure they get paid. But they have to FIND her first! 

(Fig. 8) Security Chief: Jem Quimble

Other stuff:

• Hilariously, the Source made an announcement over their P.A. system about me GMing the game! The flood of people rushing the table nearly put me in the hospital. Actually, I almost died of embarrassment, but John and I had a good laugh.
• Anyone wishing to run their own space opera game at the Source for SNSO should let me know and I'll custom make you a sign for your table. We're working to turn this into a regular Saturday event with multiple games going.
• The next game is set for February 7 at 6:00 p.m., RSVP if you want to join in or GM your own space opera campaign.
• My play report for next month won't be so lengthy, but I wanted to capture the fun of that first night (thank you for reading, if you've made it this far!). I'm sure John will chime in if I've missed anything good. ;-)



Image credits:

Fig. 1 Space station by John Harris

Fig. 2 Nostromo concept art by Gavin Rothery 

Fig. 3 Sergeant by Penko Gelev

Fig. 4 Cropped from UFO movie poster

Fig. 5 Arrowhead LEGO spaceship by Damien Labrousse

Fig. 6 IRD-A fighter from Star Wars: Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook

Fig. 7 Still Frame from Fantastic Planet

Fig. 8 Space Girl by Travis Charest

Saturday Night Space Opera Part 1: A Successful Launch!

Welcome space rangers!

WELL, we did it! This past weekend we hosted our first Saturday Night Space Opera at The Source! We had a total of three RSVPs, plus John Till and myself--plus a few other folks stopped by to ask about the event. They'd heard about it and have even gamed with John in a round of Cosmic Patrol (I think it was). 

There's too much to recount in a single blog post, so I'll cover the actual game in a follow up soon. For now though, just know that we all had a great time. A large part of that is due to having three young (teenage) players who were more than happy to get their feet wet with a system that's low on crunch. By the sounds of it, they'd actually played an early edition of D&D for a while, though it wasn't clear which, it was seemed to be some form of AD&D. So there we were, ready to kick off a new Rad Astra game using the X-plorers ruleset...

A True Wingman!

Having a veteran like John at the table was a huge benefit and great pleasure that I cannot overstate. When I was waist-deep in manuals and my own manically scrawled notes, he was gregarious to the other players, happy to ask them if they needed help, and generously chiming in with well-timed advice. He cheerfully kept the game aloft when decision-making ground to a halt between some of the other players. His avuncular presence was a boon to they and me. At the end of the night he asked the other players if they had fun, and they all responded firmly in the affirmative. All traits of a fantastic game master in his own right and I can't wait to thank him by sometime returning the favor when he's head of the table...or at least be class clown and heckle him!

So here's a few things I learned, or in some cases, relearned:

Character Generation Needs a Reboot

X-plorers is a game that not a ton of people have played. Despite its"rules light" nature, CharGen remains a speed bump. Even when there's Player's Guide books, simplified character sheets reduced to note cards, and a few summaries on classes, all provided at the table it can take a while. Mostly this is due to players enjoying the process of crafting their characters. But it's pretty much on my shoulders to make the process as painless as possible. So in the future I'll be writing up a quick-starter one-sheet with steps clearly outlined--if not a few ready-made templates. 

Still, I think the players had fun--too much maybe. Especially when it came to choosing....

Equipment is Everything

I already knew from previous session with this game and still forgot: hardware in a scifi game IS the theme. Yes, a lot of other things play into the aesthetics of a setting, but the gear PCs carry on them is the road on which the campaign travels. This extends to vehicles, spaceships, etc. of course--but their gear has to be the single strongest indicator of the kind of setting in which their adventuring. 

The game's default equipment list is heavily influenced by hard scifi (ALIEN, Outland, etc.) Rad Astra is not hard scifi. I like hard scifi just fine. But a space opera game needs broader strokes--it needs to dream bigger and bring the fantastic. So a very overdue equipment list will be created...and slowly integrated into the setting. 

Several of the players took their time to carefully consider each piece. Like whether or not they should carry flashlights or flare guns!! For most kickoff adventures, I don't want player to worry about that stuff, so I give them some basics to get started and let them improvise the rest. 

Either way, a selection of more setting appropriate gear is now top priority. 

Props Help Sell the Theme

I was like a kid in a candy store when I was planning this game. So I brought some table-candy: 

• A felt game mat with starfield and nebula
• A map of the six-armed super galaxy that I drew in the days leading up to the game
• A smattering of hastily printed B/W handouts of characters, ships, and locations
• Extra player aids (see Character Generation above)
• A handful of Buck Rogers minis and a swooshy ebony spaceship
• One package of over-sized Galaxy Laser Team figures to hold down the mat and just hang around being cool
• Besides John with his awesome Zochi dice, the other guys brought minimal polyhedrons and shared. Can't get more "light" than that...

Yeah, it's a zany way to game, but I've found that having fun things around to hold and gaze upon are are a perfect fit for a root beer and pretzels game night. And that's what Saturday Night Space Opera gaming is all about!

Theater of the Mind Wins Every Time

Despite having some cool toys on the table, we only used the Buck Rogers minis once to quickly settle confusion around some hand-to-hand combat with multiple participants. The rest of the game was group storytelling and good-old-fashioned dialog. The players intimated at the beginning that this was their preferred style (it's mine as well). Even the visitors who stopped by prior to the game, said they prefer no-minis in their games. 

It's amazing how far you can travel with just paper, pencils, and a few funny dice!

UPDATE: Here's the first play report!

Introducing: SATURDAY NIGHT SPACE OPERA!

LIVE, FROM SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA! (Actually, it's in Roseville, but whatever...) ---in the game room at Source Comics & Games it's---

The urge to game has finally taken hold and Saturday Night Space Opera is a chance to get your scifi fix amid the crowd of fantasy-heavy game nights.

FIRST GAME IN ONE WEEK!
Our first session kicks off January 3, 2015 at 6:00 p.m., and we'll return to hypergate coordinates every first Saturday of the month from 6pm to close. The honorable Star Admiral John Till of FATE SF is co-commanding the fleet with myself. (Finger crossed that he'll run a Strange Stars campaign in sometime in the future!)

SO MANY GAMES, TOO LITTLE SPACETIME
The first few sessions, I'll be running a Rad Astra mini campaign for X-plorers RPG. We're hoping folks enjoy gallivanting around the galaxy so much that we'll end up hosting several simultaneous games. What kind of games, you ask?

There's a lot of different systems (and settings) out there, here's just a few up for consideration:

• Cosmic Patrol
• FATE Core / Starblazer Adventures / Strange Stars
• Firefly
• Marvel Superheroes (FASERIP) set in Marvel Cosmic universe
• Metamorphosis Alpha
• Spelljammer
• Star Frontiers
• Star Trek
• Star Wars (West End Games and/or Fantasy Flight Games)
• Stars Without Number
• The Strange
• Tekumel
• Traveller /Thousand Suns
• X-plorers
• And more!

If you're interested in being a GM, let us know.

We're hoping to see more tabletop games join the fleet too:

• Battle Beyond Space 
• Cosmic Encounter
• Eclipse
• Firefly board game
• Fluxx
• Race for the Galaxy
• Space Cadets
• Space Empires
• Space Hulk
• Star Munchkin
• Star Fleet Battles
• Star Realms
• Star Trek miniatures (Wizkids)
• Star Wars: Imperial Assault
• Star Wars: X-wing
• Twilight Imperium
• You name it!

DON'T LET THE WOOKIE WIN
Stop kicking yourself for being stuck in the launch bay and wanting to play more games. 2015 IS THE FUTURE! Add some far-out space-capades to your weekend and join us---RSVP NOW!

Click cheesy flyer image to visit the full site!

A Cosmic Dungeon Project - Introduction

The adventurers wake aboard their spaceship. Interior illumination winks and flickers. Then, outboard lights.The stale waft of century old air hangs for a moment before the life support system comes fully online. A greasy blur obscures the windows of the spaceship, veiling all vistas of the starfield outside.

Soon, the crew is fully revived. The ship's command module is unable to interpret sensor readings. Without star positioning data, the navigation computer cannot calculate a current location. Worse, the ship is completely immobile. Thrusters fail to pitch the ship forward--or in any direction. Instead a terrible shimmy rocks all aboard. A rumbling warble of steal echos.

It's not going anywhere for a long, long time.

Sensors finally begin to pick up shapes in fixed positions around the vessel. Some nearby, some many kilometers away. None of them exhibit the usual "drift" that derelict vessels or debris would indicate. If the ship is unmovable, then perhaps they can make their way to one of the many abandoned craft? Or...the thousands of satellites both natural and constructed ("That's odd," the captain thinks), or...ancient ruins?

Some sort of temple from a forgotten time seems to have been plucked from the ground--while still embedded in it's earthen bed. A massive kaiju skeleton lies wrought in opisthotonus. The silvery head of a massive Celestial One stares vacantly, still helmet clad. Space junk from every era of humanity's time amidst the stars, surrounds the assemblage of strange objects. The sensors can't be right--can they?

It's up to our heroes to find out. They embark on a daring escape, taking only what they--and a few robot companions--can carry, unaware of the perils to come or the danger that fills the space around them.

The party could spend months traveling from one stop to the next, oblivious that the volume that they, and the other detected objects occupy... are already consumed. They were prey while they slept in suspension aboard their spaceship.

Outside that oddly blurred window, the spread of debris in this particular patch of inky black night fits neatly into a 300 by 300 by 300 kilometer behemoth. A monster of unfathomably cosmic indifference and perpetually unsated appetite. It roams space on an endless quest for no other purpose but to feed. It is all at once a wandering monster and migratory megadungeon.

Eons old, it is the most feared predator in any galaxy, it is the...

Con of the North event submitted!

Well I'm all paid up for my third visit to Con of the North, come February. I decided this time around I'd like to focus on playing games rather than running a bunch. I got sick of missing out on so many awesome games. In light of that I did submit one event for X-plorers. Here's the description:

RAD ASTRA: Gonzo, Space Adventure!
Pack your ray blaster, charge your laser sword and take off on a far-out, interstellar adventure! Get set for a rules-light, mash-up of sci-fi B-movies, 70s space opera TV, and Bronze Age comics. You're the galaxy's last hope on a do-or-die mission against a horde of savage space vikings, alien astrosassins, and sinister space wizards! Your swashbuckling, Saturday night space opera is here baby!   

I left the plot details out but sprinkled in some of the elements that will hopefully attract sci-fi fans. Maybe I should have put the words "space," "opera," and "adventure" in there a few more times? Aw well. In any case,  I have just over five months to procrastinate until I get my shit together the week before--so exciting! 

Con of the North 2015 is February 13-15 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West.

Rad Astra, where are you?

It's been a while since I've done a proper Rad Astra update. And for good reason--I've stalled. I've made good headway on what started as a setting book for X-plorers--but that really can be easily adapted to any scifi game. Here's what's completed (though not all of these are published on the site):

• Five classes, plus a "bonus" multi-class option
• Alternate rules for earning XP, building skills, and a few other options for PCs
• About 30 or so creatures (monsters and aliens)
• Four playable alien classes
• Equipment and gear options
• Rules for space magic
• Optional rules for building robots
• Three adventure modules
• About a dozen artifacts/treasures
• Various adventure hooks and "news from around the galaxy" bits
• Plus a few other surprises

But, I've run into several barriers this year, including:

100% increase in babies

We had a kid! She's awesome. Like the best, most awesomest thing ever. She's my new hobby. I don't really talk about her on the blog, but I expect as I work to introduce her to the geek lifestyle, that will change. The outcome? My time/energy was diverted. A recent conversation with my wife was very encouraging in respect to reclaiming those resources so I could "work on nerd things" like Rad Astra.

At least I've got my health

Or not. This one nearly leveled me, and I never, ever mention it because I'm a fairly private individual. Also, who gives a shit? Really, everyone has their day-to-day struggles. On this blog, it would get old fast. The details aren't important, but after 5 months and a lot of visits to the doc, things are finally back on track. But it sucked up a lot of previously mentioned time/energy.

Redundancy

Interest in space opera, thanks to juggernauts like Guardians of the Galaxy, has surged. We're living in a new golden age of wahoo, gonzo scifi. There's been an uptick in homebrewed scfi settings and games. I've agonized for 6 months on this: do we need another one?

This all seemed like a good idea back in the fall of 2012. I proposed this idea of doing a pastiche setting that ripped off the best and worst of comics, movies, and TV. It's by no means an original idea--and one that can be done many different ways. Currently there are several projects that are creatively knocking it out of the cosmos. Let's say that I'm able to get Rad Astra out a year from now--it would be pretty late to the party. Plus, I'd like to think that I could measure up to those, but the next barrier has a lot to do with quality...

Insufficient funds 

Money.Yep, it makes the world go round. At one point, I had a small sum saved for paying artists for much needed game art and maps. That's long gone. I'd switched to thinking I would do a gazetter (essentially a zine) and compile it into an almanac at the end of the year. But still, these things aren't cheap. Incidentally, I've considered doing Rad Astra sans art, but really, the theme demands it. And so do I.

I've got no game

In January of this year I attended Con of the North, our local game con here in the Twin Cities. I only had time to show up and run a single game of X-plorers (in the Rad Astra setting). I was woefully under-prepared. It was a complete disaster. I was overtired and the experience (from my perspective) was so bad that I didn't even want to blog about it. The adventure itself was pretty cool, but I just couldn't pull it off. The players said they had fun, but the end result was me going home and feeling like I'd let them down.

The longer-term result was a real lull in my RPGing. I'd even lost interest in it for a while. When I'd finally stopped feeling sorry for myself and my interest was renewed, I found it really tough to get a group together to play. Not to mention, I had all these things I'd written for Rad Astra that I'd been desperate to run--and no one to try them out on. The drought continues to this day.

So what now?

I don't know. I'm all over the map on this. I've thought of doing one of the following:

1. Kill this little darling. It's dead weight. Cut the cord and be done with it. Short term pain for long term gain.
2. Kickstarter! Beg strangers on the interwebs for money. I hate this option.
3. Partner with a publisher. I really only know of one who might take it. I'd have less control but it has a better chance of seeing publication. 
4. Take a million years to finish it and publish it anyway. (Not really an option, because I'll resort to #1 if I can't get it done without a clear finish date, e.g., end of the year.)

"What now?" indeed--besides the catharsis of writing this post. Do I double down? Are there more options I'm not seeing? The pity party is over, it's time to decide. Feel free to offer sideline analysis in the comments.