Since horror is one of the more accessible genres, supernatural dramas are perennially popular on television. I’ve enjoyed BBC America’s Being Human, and I can appreciate why SyFy’s U.S. version, as well as Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, and HBO’s True Blood, all have strong fan bases. I don’t know if any of them will have the popularity or influence of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, but Joss Whedon always had an eye for talent and an ear for dialogue. Greg D.C. has been running a Dresden Files game using FATE.
In fact, after the demise of superhero shows and the struggles of space opera on TV, the networks are again banking on fairy tales and police procedurals for their fall schedules, with Alcatraz, Awake, Gifted Man, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Person of Interest, River, Secret Circle, and Touch. Never mind that shows such as Journeyman, New Amsterdam, Eli Stone, Reaper, and Eastwick all failed. Of the upcoming shows, I may check out Grimm and Awake.
For more traditional sword-and-sandals action, I wonder how Season 2.5 of Spartacus will manage with a new star. I’ve seen only the premiere of the fantasy Game of Thrones, which sports strong writing and production values, but Cameloton Starz should satisfy my sword-and-sorcery (and sex) quota and is not to be confused with the BBC/SyFy young-adult Merlin.
Camelot is based on Thomas Malory’s Le Morte de Arthur, which isn’t my favorite version of the legends, but the series has taken a new look at mythic Britain’s romantic intrigues and attempts to establish chivalrous code. I recently enjoyed Tony Hays’ The Beloved Dead, the third book in a series of Arthurian mysteries that Janice pointed me to. They’re more historical than mystical, like The Last Legion and the 2004 King Arthur.
Two aliens and their human allies encountered xenophobes and megacorporate intrigues on and around Earth. After visiting factionalized Mars and acquiring a starship in the Asteroid Belt from the Olvar Star League, they continued their mission of diplomacy and exploration to Titan, Tyche, and Alpha Centauri….
>>”Vortex” Team 1 (5a), crew of the Blackbird, as of spring 2011:
-“Tela” [Sara F.]-female Tharian (winged reptilian humanoid alien) escapee from the Encegulans, engineer
-“Chris McKee/Agent Prometheus” [Josh C.]-male Terran cyborg human sniper working for eugenicists at Black Box Security Co.
-“Aughest-vor…” [Jason E.R.]-male human from the Lemuria orbital city, onetime dilettante, solar-sail racer, pilot
-“Lt. Kevin Reese” [Bruce K.]-male Terran human, burned-out officer and explorer in the Interplanetary Patrol
-“Gombo Shisel” [Rich L./absent]-male Mongolian/Martian human, former horse rancher and wilderness survival expert
-“Syzygy” [Brian W./absent]-Trinoid (trilateral amphibious alien) xenologist with an organic laboratory and a pet cat named “Mr. Sniffles”
-“Dr. Bucket” [Non-Player Character]-United Earth Authority astromech robot assigned to the Blackbird
“20 to 22 September 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” The adventuring party readies the Blackbird to leave from Camp Alpha on Toliman, a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. Maj. Walt Vanderbilt, acting commander of Tiger Squadron, orders Lt. Kevin Reese and his civilian companions to take the search for the missing Lt.Col. Hollis Shelman into space.
Tela and Dr. Bucket secure the Tiger Hawk Sandstorm ground-effect vehicle and prepare for sublight travel (at 1 AU per hour), and Chris McKee checks the weapons locker in his cabin. Aughest-vor plots a search pattern around the last known location of Lt.Col. Shelman’s Raptor-class fighter.
Syzygy (with Mr. Sniffles) and Gombo Shisel offer to stay behind to analyze the local ecosystem and help the North American Aerospace Marine Corps troops learn how to coexist with the native Tolimanian “mantiles” (insectoid/reptilian pack hunters).
Kevin asks Tela to divert power from the navigational array to sensors, which detect the ion trail of the missing Raptor, as well as an anomalous cloud of hydrogen and helium. Agent Prometheus climbs into the gun turret, and Aughest sets course for Proxima Centauri, the third star in the system.
The Blackbird passes Furon, a “cold” gas giant orbiting dim Proxima Centauri, but there is no sign of Shelman’s craft. Dr. Bucket helpfully notes that flares from the red star could interfere with sensors, and Lt. Reese doggedly decides to continue searching the area.
The atmosphere of the next gas giant, Shedar, is very similar to the cloud found near the ion trail. Aughest pilots past icy rings, electromagnetic currents, and various gravity wells. Tela spots three large objects moving against the winds of Shedar.
Passive sensors indicate that they’re swimming along the magnetic field toward concentrations of hydrocarbons in the turbulent outer layers of the gas giant. When the Blackbird actively scans, two of the shark-like ships circle around, and Tela collapses from psychic overload!
Cautious Kevin tries to communicate with the three vessels, which regard him as “a solid.” Paranoid Chris trains a particle beam on the nearest potential foe but holds his fire. Hotshot Aughest-vor pulls an Immelman turn and plunges toward Shedar!
The astrogator nearly loses control, but Aughest manages to avoid one of the unidentified craft by only 100 meters. Gunner Chris keeps the three objects in his sights, and closer sensor readings confirm that they’re ships rather than individual spacefaring creatures, which Tela had hoped to meet.
The aliens aboard the three ships identify themselves as “Dwellers of the Clouds” to Lt. Reese, who asks about their intent and whether they have encountered other humans. Dr. Bucket says that the Olvar (mammal-like arboreal aliens) are aware of species that live in gas giants, but most interactions with them have gone badly. The robot declines to speculate how they could have developed interstellar travel.
The Dwellers confirm that they were harvesting from Furon and offer to take the Blackbird to a “broken one.” As ruby Proxima Centauri rises behind Eldritch, its innermost planet, the Terrans (and Tharian) approach several gas-dweller ships. Tela regains her faculties, but Chris is disappointed at not being able to shoot anything.
A damaged Raptor, dwarfed by the blimp-like starships, is quickly maneuvered into the Blackbird‘s landing/cargo bay. Tela examines the fighter and concludes that it was probably hit with a pulse similar to what affected her. Kevin thanks the Dwellers of the Clouds, and Chris takes a disoriented Lt.Col. Shelman to Gombo’s quarters and gives him a sedative.
Lt. Reese says that he hopes for mutually beneficial future relations between Terrans and the gas dwellers, but their replies are cryptic and border on condescension. Aughest-vor is only too happy to fly away from Proxima, and Tela theorizes that the Raptor could have been damaged when the aliens arrived from Transit (faster-than-light) mode.
Chris reports that the advanced aliens must have put the missing marine in some sort of stasis, since Hollis couldn’t have survived long in their atmosphere without life support. He also notes that the fighter is missing one missile, which was probably fired in panic during the collision.
After a day’s flight (subjective Terran time) back, Lt. Reese is pleased to return Lt.Col. Shelman to Camp Alpha. Maj. Vanderbilt asks the Interplanetary Patrol officer to leave the missile out of his report to the United Earth Authority. Kevin and Chris agree, and they celebrate over glasses of brandy.
Tela briefs Syzygy on the successful First Contact situation, which could have gone much worse because of the aggressive impulses of both the gas dwellers and humans. Gombo announces that he plans to stay on Toliman because his experience with animals on the Martian frontier can help the marines, as well as colonists coming on the Zheng He, but he adds that he’ll try to catch up.
Capt. Robin Buckley, a former flame of Kevin, invites notorious Aughest-vor back to her bunk. The next morning, Aughest consults U.E.A. and Kharvamid Alliance records and finds a few inhabitable solar systems on the way to Oasis Station, about 40 parsecs from Earth. Tela worries about returning to space controlled by the trade guilds and the Ru’ulok (heavy-gravity reptilian pirates).
I hope that each of you enjoyed our latest game, despite a slow start. Brian and Rich, we missed “Syzygy” and “Gombo!” I’m glad that we’ve been able able to trade miniatures, books, and videos, as well as discuss our favorite fiction. The Blackbird‘s adventures are just beginning….
Jason, thanks for your offer to run a one-shot of Darkpages; I’ll reply separately once I’ve had a chance to reread the rules. If anybody else is interested in one-shots, miniseries, or crossovers this summer, let us know on the Yahoo/eGroups message board so we can look at the schedule.
Speaking of scheduling, the latest Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” teleconferencing fantasy session (T3.28) is scheduled for Sunday, 29 May 2011, and “Vortex” Team 2 (the Appomattox crew) will meet on Memorial Day for its planned heist of Ru’ulok FTL drives. “Vortex” Team 1 will play again on June 6, but I won’t be available on June 13. Have a great holiday weekend! -Gene
>>”Vortex” Team 2 (5b), crew of the Appomattox, as of spring 2011:
-“Gabriel Adams” [Paul J.]-male North American Terran near-human with telepathy, courier and pilot
-“Hector Chavez” [Beruk A.]-male Latin American Terran human, “burned” operative and communications expert
-“ARTHERR” [Greg D.C.]-Advanced Resonance Theoretical Heuristic Exploration and Research Robot created by megacorp Vimeco
-“Jasmine” [Sara F.] female Martian Felinoid (Synth, “Uplifted” tiger), former professional pit fighter
-“Dr. Richmond Garrett” [Dave S.C.]-male Southern American Terran human, space snake-oil salesman and social climber
-“Dr. Dieter Klein” [Rich L.]-male European Terran human, semi-retired physician, altruist and thrill seeker
-“Nero Bartholomew” [Non-Player Character]-male Terran human, former owner of the “Fortune’s Fool,” ship’s cook
I haven’t watched the latest iteration of Transformers, and it’s too bad that Genndy Tartakovsky’s SymBionic Titan didn’t get the support it deserved. The counterterrorist, anticorporate, and on-the-run take on G.I. Joeis interesting, but I’ve only seen a little of it. Many of the cartoons on the Cartoon Network, Fox, and Nickelodeon aren’t really my style, but I am looking forward to the anthropomorphic animals of the upcoming ThundercatsandTeenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles reboots.
The Looney Tunes Showis an interesting sitcom approach to the classic Warner Brothers characters, and I wonder whether Seth McFarlane’s revival of The Flintstonescan succeed alongside the postmodern sarcasm of The Simpsons and its ilk.
In direct-to-video tie-ins, I just picked up Marvel’s Thor: Tales of Asgard, and I’m looking forward to DC’s animatedGreen Lantern: Emerald Knights, Batman: Year One, and Justice League: Doom. Between live-action movies, video and TV, and of course comic books, it’s no surprise that several role-players in my groups have asked about D20 Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Ed. or Icons! Fellow Game Master Jason E.R. may run a one-shot of Dark Pagesthis coming summer.
Fellow role-players, here is my update for Session T3.27 of the latest adventuring party in my “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign setting. The teleconferencing team met on Sunday, 22 May 2011, and has been using Pathfinder, Skype, and an online dice roller.
In one ancient world, there was a region where strange majicks and demihuman races thrived. After “Holy Steel‘s” journey to the distant empire of Khemet, another motley group gathered in the northwestern “Vanished Lands” to explore a world full of perils and wonders….
After meeting in the Wisalef Forest, an unlikely band of adventurers encountered the hostile Centaur followers of Vappu Lahja on the Plains of Sathendo and a haunted inn in Alarn before riding to Nadwi….
>>Telecom party Player Character roster, as of spring 2011:
-“Gawain Keary” [Paul J.]-male Saganim human Illusionist (proto-Celtic Wizard); NGc, Age 20, Lvl. 2
-“Kovar” [Beruk A.]-male Half-Orc/Saganim human Paladin of Mithras, god of contracts and brotherhood; LGn, Lvl. 3
-“Davven ‘Digger’ Hollysharp” [Robert A.S.]-male Faldine Halfling archaeologist (Tallfellow Rogue) from a pipeweed farm in Tarken; CGn, Age 45, Lvl. 3
-“Asish Chen Ti” [Byron V.O.]-male Tsucharim human archer (Mongol-style Ranger), escaped from the kingdom of Gokuri; owner of Akita dog Genghis and horse Onimusha; NGl, Age 20, Lvl. 3
-“Jovinda Halflight” [Sammy H.]-female Half-Elf (Grugach/Hifalendorin) Cleric of Mekkil, goddess of nature; owner of horse Wyth-Amoi, or “Wind Spirit”; NGl, Age 23, Lvl. 3
-“Kazuo Takenaga” [Taum D’A.]-male Nezumi (Rat-kin) Monk from the Zedu kingdom in the Therud Forest; LNg, Age 20, Lvl. 3
“27 August 1229 B.C.E.:” After several days in Nadwi, the adventuring party receives a summons to appear before the Hifalendorin (proto-Western European) human city’s ruling council.
Gawain and Digger continue their research into devils at the local Magisterium (magic school/library) and linguistics and history at the civic library, respectively. The scholars hope to determine the true nature and intent of the mysterious Vappu Lahja and mage Octavius Karstus.
Asish hopes to meet “Jade Xi” [Sammy/Non-Player Character], but Digger warns that his former classmate and rival is not to be trusted. Both Asish and Gawain seem smitten with the attractive young woman, but they agree to curb their tongues. Kazuo trains with Hans Jeffers at the Arena of Arrakis.
Before their audience at the palace, Kovar and Jovinda go to the temple of Otih, lord of the sun and justice. At the barracks-style building, they tell human priest Sibelus Pirandor about the haunted hamlet of Alarn north of Nadwi. The Cleric (who first thinks that a Half-Orc and a follower of Mekkil, goddess of nature, are out of place) compares notes on Otih and Kovar’s patron, Mithras, deity of contracts and brothers in arms.
Sibelus refers them to Sir Daramor Helios, who orders his squire to prepare for an immediate departure. Satisfied, Kovar and Jovinda rejoin their companions, change clothes, and go to the palace. Royal and city guards in chain armor and blue surcoats hold halberds, and scribes and supplicants fill the outer corridors.
In a great hall, the adventurers introduce themselves to representatives of Nadwi’s nobles, merchants, and spellcasters. Gen. Sixtus Aurelias of the Hifalendorin army and Lady Elaine Valis are skeptical of their report of Vappu Lahja gathering an army of hostile Centaurs near the town of Kedetura.
However, Sir Rodrigo Adelmo of the city watch and Quelanthi (High Elf/Eladrin) Lady Ingrid Sufeliastra of the Magisterium verify Jovinda’s testimony of Fey mischief in Alarn. Sigmund Balard, the Halfling master of the gates, expresses concern to curious Digger about the decline in trade between Hifalendor and the Waletku kingdom to the north.
Lord Mayor Clobard Thudoric tells Ranger Asish that he is reluctant to commit resources to investigating threats out on the Plains of Sathendo, but Sylvan Elf merchant and consul Joella Kylikki offers the party a stipend. Upon learning from Kovar that knights of Otih have already departed, Pater Aldric and Lady Lara Maxiope vow that Paladins of Urda, lord of the sky, will also be dispatched.
Prince Andre de Giles, cousin to King Akkon XII in Hesolin, looks to aged Sir Mador Basored and Saganim loremaster Duncan Teague for counsel. When Jovinda repeats her request for aid, the prince notes that the Elves have offered gold, the Paladins plan to cleanse Alarn of Undead, and the city guard will send messengers to communities warning of the Centaurs.
He and the other aristocrats are still reluctant to believe that Vappu Lahja, who shares a name with a fairy tale character, poses a danger to their constituents. The wanderers are dismissed and plan to follow up with various demihumans later. Back at the “Deer’s Heart” tavern in the Dagger District, Digger and friends are surprised to find Jade waiting for them!
The Shengtese/Saganim woman offers information about agents of Vappu Lahja in the city for a price of 10 crowns (gold pieces). After some haggling, Kovar firmly turns her down, saying that Jade should share the names as a show of good faith. She replies that she’ll be around if Digger, Asish, or others need her, but she’ll take her business elsewhere.
Potential quests to weigh include returning to Alarn to search for refugees, Digger’s real estate inquiry for Octavius Karstus and scouting of ruined border forts, the besieged kingdom of Saganim as described by Asish, Jovinda’s search for her father, and missing gladiator Marcus (predecessor to Kazuo at the ludus)….
I hope that everybody enjoyed the latest game, despite numerous distractions. I know I’ve provided a lot of names to keep track of, but I hope that these notes and our Skype records will help. Good luck as your characters sort out missions and get ready to leave Nadwi!
Sammy and Taum, I’m glad that you were both able to join us from Denver, and congratulations on your engagement! Paul and Beruk, note that Team 2 for the FATE 3eStarblazer Adventures: “Vortex” space opera is scheduled to meet on Memorial Day. Rob, I hope that Ethan becomes more manageable, and Byron, I hope the tornadoes didn’t affect too many people near you.
Also, please remember to post to the Google Groups message board between virtual sessions regarding character questions, planning, and scheduling. Other than Paul, I look forward to seeing each of you online next Sunday, May 29! -Gene
As part of the aforementioned spring cleaning, I’ve now sold most of my books for Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition. It’s the first time in nearly 30 years that I’m role-playing but not using the latest edition of that game. (I still have lots of books from prior editions.)
I’ve been an early and enthusiastic adopter of past editions of D&D, including moves from the boxed sets to AD&D1 back in high school in the early 1980s, from AD&D1 to AD&D2 in college, and from AD&D2 to D&D3.0 and 3.5 (and the D20 Open Game License in general) in the early 2000s. Each new version had clearer rules, stronger support in terms of published supplements, and a larger fan base than its predecessors. I’m surprised to now find myself sympathizing more with the grognards.
In 2009, I used D&D4e for the “Faith-Based Initiative” team in my long-running “Vanished Lands” homebrew fantasy setting. The rules set worked well enough for a time, but more than half of the eight gamers soon became disenchanted, mirroring a schism in the larger community.
Some of the problems were stylistic. As a Dungeon Master accustomed to “sandbox“-style settings, in which the Player Characters are free to pick quests and explore a world in any direction, I clashed with those who expected every encounter or challenge to be appropriately scaled to the adventuring party’s power/experience level, as D&D4e encourages.
In my previous campaigns, if low-level adventurers found a monster like a dragon, they ran or hid. In D&D4e, some would either express shock at the unfairness of such a battle or doggedly fight until all opposition (and possibly some of their own company) was dead. I’ve become stingier with treasure and prefer slower advancement than in most published modules.
It’s true that I and other people didn’t master the D&D4e’s subtleties as quickly as a few in the group, and I grew impatient with combat scenes that dragged on for nearly as long as similar scenes had in earlier editions. D&D4e’s emphasis on tactical maneuvering, collectible miniatures and cards, and balanced powers was different from games that focus on nonstatistical character development, narrative storytelling, and varying “sweet spots.”
For example, Fighters used to be more important relative to other archetypes/occupational classes at lower levels, while Wizards came into their own at higher levels. In addition, I and some other Game Masters prefer scenarios between third and eighth levels, when characters are tough enough to survive some battles but still had more gritty or realistic concerns, like keeping their horses fed, than leading armies or slaying gods.
D&D4e sought to eliminate intraparty imbalances across levels, but it also made every combat maneuver resemble “button mashing” common to multiplayer online games, with every attack from a weapon or a spell resulting in predictable outcome of some damage and a move. I’m more interested in spontaneous character interaction than crunching numbers, but other G.M.s are definitely better at providing interesting combat scenes than me.
Noncombat skills, which proliferated in AD&D2 and D&D3.x, were pared back. Sure, an ambitious character who wanted to become a warlord still could administer a fiefdom in D&D4e, but it could require creative role-playing only recently supported by the official rules, and an inexperienced gamer wouldn’t necessarily even know of an option other than striving for demigodhood at Level 30.
To be fair, D&D4e eliminated some of the “min-maxing” and numerous inconsistencies, but I think it also lost some flexibility and seemed less connected to its literary inspirations, such as the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Jack Vance, and Fritz Lieber. The weird and unpredictable magic, bizarre creatures, and character vulnerability of early editions of D&D are in marked contrast to powers and “exception-based” rules. See the excellent Vornheimfor the retro-clone Lamentations of the Flame Princess for a return to the days when adventuring could be scary fun.
Unfortunately, a early lack of support for third-party publishers and the more restrictive Game System License, the successor to the OGL, has limited the diversity of worlds using D&D4e in comparison with D20. Just as role-players moved from AD&D2’s “code bloat” to White Wolf’s Storyteller: World of Darkness in the 1990s, so today some gamers are moving to lighter systems such as FATE rather than play D&D4e.
The D&D Essentials product line has addressed some of the confusion by compiling rules into affordable softcover books, and the D&D Insider (DDI) makes errata and character generation tools available through a digital subscription. If the DDI had provided a virtual tabletop as quickly as initially promised, I might even still be running or playing D&D4e now instead of Pathfinder and FATE. Ultimately, every role-player, Game Master, and group has to find the system that suits them best. I don’t expect debate to die down, but what works best for you?
Coming soon: More on genre TV, retro games, and current campaigns!
Gene's Worlds 