Alpha Blue session report: Green Slime Boobs Religion

Another excellent game of Alpha Blue last night... a continuation from last session.

Three players, two new PCs, and one returning - Ginger Roots, a female navigation expert and explorer who's contemplative, healthy, wealthy, and wise - along with being good with lasers and hand-to-hand combat.

The other PCs were a robot chef named RB with flamethrower, chopping knives, and hover-board feet who also kept a little creature in his chest oven.

Hanzo was a space rat templar embodying the worst parts of organized religion - fanatical in the promotion of his own god for the dual purposes of increasing the power and spreading the influence of that god's religion.

Hanzo was created using the traditional character generation tables in the Alpha Blue rulebook, while RB was made using the new 7 word or phrase method over here.

Left high and dry on Alpha Blue by their former crew, they wandered the Mardi Gras type celebration happening in the entire entertainment section of the space station.

Ginger Roots and Hanzo got acquainted with RB as he was serving succulent and effervescent desserts upon a platter or h'orderves.  If the player hadn't come up with his own, we could have used this random dessert table here.

Ginger and Hanzo were looking to join a new crew on a new ship, so they asked RB if he knew of any job openings.  Turns out that RB's master was in the market for spacers. 

They talked to Kystin pirate pimp extraordinaire and he agreed to take them on as probationary members of the crew if they delivered a message to his rival, Vom Fass.

So, the PCs continued to walk through the celebration - going to the restroom, watching some alien get blasted, someone bought them drinks with his gambling winnings, they bought some drugs from a shifty trench-coat wearing dude, and chatted with a bunch of prostitutes who took RB's credits so he could taste a very special kind of dessert in the backroom. 

Before you know it, they were standing in front of Vom Fass who stood inside an environmental suit. Vom Fass insulted them and when the PCs talked back, he got ready to draw.  RB preempted any dueling by letting loose his flame thrower.  Hanzo kept shooting laser crossbow bolts into his groin while Ginger Roots blasted his arm off.  Vom Fass got a couple good shots in before he died.

They hightailed it onto Kystin's ship and out of Alpha Blue before a small angry, laser-toting mob got to them.  Off to the desert planet of P'oon to pick up an illegal shipment of... an undisclosed substance.

While relaxing on route to P'oon, Hanzo took a look at the meditation room on the ship, only to discover there was another crew member already using it.  This fellow spacer was a pink gelatinous dude who worshiped an entirely different space god.  This distressed Hanzo and led to a heretical religious debate of sacrilege and blasphemy. The jelly dude's form of worship was oozing green slime on women's breasts.  As much as Hanzo wanted to denounce such alternative religious practices, he couldn't help but realize the sense of it, eventually joining in.

Kystin's ship bypassed a Federation battle cruiser thanks to Ginger's navigational skills.  They landed in the desert, near the intended target - a starport. 

A Zone trooper security patrol caught up to the PCs, demanding to see their papers.  Instead, Kystin blasted them, but then got shot himself.  Before dying, his last words to the PCs were don't forget to pick up the turquoise.

RB used his computer access to locate the ship full of turquoise.  Dressed as Zone troopers, the PCs cut in line at the checkpoint.  Hanzo decided to pop some drugs he had bought on Alpha Blue and started seeing colorful dots all over, plus he was talking to himself. 

Luckily, he held it together until they could take possession of the turquoise.  Another security officer came by to check on things, questioning the PCs.  They made it through ok and flew the smaller ship full of turquoise into Kystin's ship. 

Then, they went back to Alpha Blue to sell it.

It was a typical Alpha Blue sandbox adventure driven by the players and helped with some random tables.  Besides coming up with a couple of NPCs beforehand, it was all improvised.  I got to use my electric, color-changing candles and roll on some new tables, so that was also cool.

VS

p.s. I had planned on recording some of this session and uploading it to YouTube, but since it was Alpha Blue (the sleaziest RPG in the galaxy), the wife vetoed that pretty hard. 

Alpha Blue session report - Ta'andor Rising

I ran another one-shot (actually part 1 of 3) of Alpha Blue last Friday night.  This was a playtest session for my current Kickstarter campaign Battle Star Trilogy: Trek Wars.

We started things off with character creation, but unlike every other session... things went a little differently.

Five players, three hours, and fast times at Ta'andor galaxy...

• Alpha Blue has its own "what's going on?" info-crawl at the bottom of every display screen (including ships refueling in the space station brothel's hangar), allowing patrons to hear about events, news, promotions, specials, sales, and hooker availability at a moment's notice.
• The crew of The Stargazer decided to crash the Miss Ta'andor Bikini Contest.  Bribing the humanoid shark doorman.
• On the way, drugs were purchased, imbibed, and bought in bulk!  Also, spare starship parts were ordered.
• After choosing three teal-colored women (who were all half-sisters to each other), their pimp required extra payment.  He was poisoned and the PCs got out of there quick - but not before grabbing the pimp's room key.
• They robbed the pimp's room and grabbed a blu-ber that was waiting for them.  Two lifeforms were having sex in the backseat.  Hung-Solo joined in.  He wanted to "wash of this stank."  Luckily, there's an app for that.  The blu-ber's driver hosed his mega-penis off before they stopped at a checkpoint.
  
• They bribed the security officer to let them into the hangar, even though they looked just like the suspects' descriptions.
• The pimp had a cache of supplies and information on Ta'andor Prime - a planet at the center of the galaxy that was rich in blue crystal.  Many factions poised to exploit the planet, but so many that it's turned into a deadly competition.
• The PCs were allowed to enter the Pleasure Seekers of Ta'andor faction and hired to collect arms from the Mutant Death Squad faction and bring it back to them.
• I learned what "ruggedized" means... as in, that pleasure droid should be ruggedized if she's going to hold up on a deep space voyage with these spacers.
• They set off for a planet in that sector of the galaxy, but had to get through Krylon space first - and they were attacked by two Krylon raiders.  The PCs evaded the enemy ships instead of being destroyed.
• After the arms deal, they landed on Ta'andor Prime and grabbed the dead pimp's loot.  

While this session was low on sexual activity (Samuel Jones had some off-camera stuff with the teal "ship's entertainment" who had nice hands) and non-starship laser battles were noticeably absent (I'm pretty sure that's never happened before), it was awesome. 

I got to break out the new map of Ta'andor galaxy!  Oh yes, and my wife bought me LED candles for Christmas, so I got to use those.  About a dozen different colors to choose from and they work on remote control.  I used them during the session, but could have used them more... pink for when the sex happens and red during ship-to-ship combat.

Session #2 won't happen for another month.  Though, I'm interested in running some quick demo games on Roll20...

VS

Alpha Blue session report: Don't Take Candy From Spacers

A few sessions have transpired since the last time I blogged about my weekly Alpha Blue campaign on Roll20.

So, this is going to be a quick and dirty, bullet-point wrap-up of everything that's transpired thus far...

• The PCs, Katya and Miles Artemis, found themselves back on Alpha Blue.  They wandered into a melee combat arena and decided to pass on the guy selling his hot nuts in favor of sitting down and watching a man get beaten by some alien thing with tentacles.
• Miles was not content to merely watch - there was money being offered to the man who could hold his own versus the best melee combatant in the galaxy - Syresh Vos!
• A series of lucky rolls, plus the crafty use of his telepathy gave Miles the upper hand.  He knocked Syresh Vos out.  He won a bunch of credits and a sexy, green-skinned arena girl named Kiwi congratulated Miles by fellating him in front of the entire crowd.
• While all that was going on, Katya was talking to a black-robed human who wanted both the PCs to come with him to see Grabba the butt - the reason was not revealed.
• On the way out of the arena, a drunk spacer thought it would be a good idea to challenge the exhausted Miles to a laser duel.  Drunk guy got his trigger-hand blasted.
• The PCs met up with the mysterious employee of Grabba the butt, a human named Fructis New Zaelyn. Miles and Katya were passengers on Fructis' ship as he took them to Grabba's pleasure palace on the desert planet P'oon.
  
• When questioned, Fructis New Zaelyn told Miles and Ace VanHendrix, a zedi technician, (this was the start of the next session - lost Katya's player and gained Ricky's) and Fructis told them that Grabba the butt had a long-standing feud with Syresh Vos.
• Just before reaching planetary orbit, a droid enters the cockpit and offers everyone a drink.  Miles takes a can of Purple Prizm, opens it, and it fizzes all over his space khakis.  A beautiful, blue-skinned female takes Miles' pants so they can be washed.  
• Upon landing on P'oon, some revolutionary forces attack the ship with lasers.  Fructis gets out with the intention of fighting them off, then realizes there's, like, a dozen of them.  He uses his jetback to get the fuck out of there, leaving the PCs on their own.
• Miles and Ace surrender rather than face a dozen armed rebels.  The desert revolutionaries take the PCs to their base and offer them a deal - give this blue-colored elixir to Grabba and be free or refuse and die.
• Obviously, they agree to present Grabba the butt with the elixir. Miles still doesn't have any pants on.
  
• A pale, tentacled humanoid comes to the door when Miles and Ace knock on the pleasure palace door.  He shows them to Grabba's secretary who then takes them to Grabba's main audience chamber where a full-scale feast is going on.
• Grabba the butt is pleased with the PCs.  They made Syresh Vos look the fool and seem capable of handling some illicit jobs that Grabba needs done.  Miles still isn't wearing any pants.
• Ace pretends to take a swig from the elixir and then offers it to Grabba.  Cliffhanger!
• New session with Ace VanHendrix, Katya is back, and total Alpha Blue noob Badger who is playing an evangelical robot who can't pass up vice.  The robot's name is Reverend Screw-Loose, but that seems like a lot of work, so I called him Mr. Robot for most of the session.
• Ace rolled decent in trying to convince Grabba that it was perfectly safe to drink the elixir, so Grabba gave it to his royal taster before taking a drink himself.
• Suddenly, the entire complex shook with the force of an earthquake - someone was shooting their laser cannons at Grabba's pleasure palace.  Luckily the defensive shields diminished the blast.
• Syresh Vos came down in an attack ship, attempting to take out his crime lord rival.  It wasn't long before Vos and several of his underlings were inside the palace shooting people and looking for Grabba.
• One of the PCs looked outside the window to see if there was a way out, but all they could see was a sarlacc moat encircling the entire palace.
• There was a massive laser-fight between team Vos and team Grabba, since both had similar forces.  The PCs were in the middle - Mr. Robot hid, Ace was determined to take out Grabba, and Katya was shooting at Vos.  It was a glorious clusterfuck!
• Grabba made his escape in a secret starship at the back of his pleasure palace.  The PCs jumped into the back of that ship just before the door closed.
  
• There were two guards and no sign of Grabba (he was moved to a safer section of the ship).  
• From a window, everyone watched as Grabba's palace went up in a huge explosion!
• Then a couple of sexy alien girls came in and Ace decided to take out the guards single-handed.  He killed one and the second guard got him, knocking him unconscious and bleeding out.  That last guard was about to throw Ace's body out of the airlock when Mr. Robot intervened - throwing the guard out and saving Ace from certain death.  
• Katya, being a medic, patched Ace up while Mr. Robot charmed the alien women.
• The strange women took Mr. Robot to their cabin, offered him a seat on their translucent blue beanbags, and then asked if he wanted to have sex... but that's where we had to end the session.

These bullet-points get the job done of telling the story, but they leave out all the little details like Mr. Robot flirting with Katya and various side-jokes.  Oh well, for the full effect, you've really got to be there - and therein lies the entire point of roleplaying.  It's a personal, deep, intimate kind of game with layers and subtly that board, card, and computer games just can't match.

Before I go, just want to remind everyone that Guarding Galaxy XXX was just released.  This FREE scenario will introduce gamers to my sleazy scifi RPG Alpha Blue.  Just read all the stellar reviews... oh wait, there aren't any.  Hey, review that shit, hoss!  Much obliged.  ;)

VS

Alpha Blue session report: The Nuts on Zeta Minor

Want to make things happen?  Start small, do what you do (which is hopefully what you love), and keep at it, little by little.  Sustained effort.

That's how you build an audience, a player pool, a long-term campaign...

So, I ran five players through another 90 minute Alpha Blue session on Roll20.  To give you some idea, I've run probably a dozen sessions on Roll20, all Alpha Blue.  Once I had a single player and once I had three, the rest were all two-player games.

There's no way I can transcribe the chat log faithfully without it taking me hours and hours, so I'm just going to summarize, showcase bits here and there - the highlights!

The cast of characters...

• Miles Artemis (male) - human telepathic space pirate
• Dask Jorana (male) - human space pirate and mutant with ice powers and a love of brains (eating them)
• Saga Vortau (female) - human performer and prostitute who wants to be famous
• Lexina (female) - human gambler and mutant with snake DNA
• Katya Vosdil (female) - human medic who gets lucky when she needs it

Opening Crawl

All of you were contacted by a temp agency calling itself Universal Exploits.  They need a few expendable spacers to investigate troubles on the planet Zeta Minor.  Universal Exploits doesn't believe in specifics and they pay triple for dead teammates... that's all you need to know.

You're currently flying in a starship called The Nuts on route to Zeta Minor.  

It's going to take a couple hours before you're in planetary orbit.

Settling In & Small Talk

Dask:  Who is piloting The Nuts?

GM:  It's on autopilot.

Lexina:  Do we have a holo-deck or some entertainment center?

Katya:  I will be in whatever passes for a lounge on the ship, checking medical kit and making sure no one is a cop.

Miles:  I'll be greeting my fellow companions while drinking from my flask and offering a swig to each one I greet.

GM:  There is entertainment aboard The Nuts.  Three-dimensional chess, miniature holographic creature battles, and your own private lounge called Moonglow & Stardust (it came with the ship when you bought it).

The ship came with its own droid, too.  He looks like C3-PO, except he's shiny and sparkly blue.  The droid is unpacking a crate in the lounge, something he found in the cargo hold.  "One of Captain Urez's leftovers from his tour of duty in the clone war."

Saga:  I'm going over to take a closer look at the contents.

GM:  There's a thousand little styrofoam peanuts all over the place; underneath is some kind of sexbot.

Proximity Warning

The Nuts' crew talks amongst themselves about the sexbot, gambling debts, seeking adventure, and Zeta Minor (it's rich in blue crystal) when suddenly the ship is on alert - something approaches!

It's a klingon warship.

Since Lexina speaks Klingon, she does her best to persuade the klingons to back off.  Nope, they want to board The Nuts and make sure the crew is who they say they are (on a mission from some high-up klingon that Lexina remembers hearing about).

Long story short, The Nuts tries to get the hell out of there - but not before Lexina grabs the weapon controls and starts firing.  She rolls a 19 on the ship-to-ship combat table found in Girls Gone Rogue.  The klingon ship is heavily damaged and the crew are dead.  

Time to loot the warship!  Just as they find some nifty body armor, small noises are heard.  Something is rummaging around the debris.  Face huggers!

Almost all of the alien organisms are destroyed, but one hugs onto Dask's face.  Everyone who went aboard the klingon ship races back to The Nuts, which promptly lands on Zeta Minor.

Planet-Fall

Miles lands their ship, but his controls are jammed with raspberry.  A couple of rough looking spacers are coming up the landing gantry with laser rifles.  They want everyone out so they can steal the ship.

Meanwhile, the face hugger has fallen off Dask's face and his stomach isn't feeling too good.  What bursts out is, in fact, space herpes!  Dask just barely makes his saving throw, which means he survives but is unconscious for awhile.

There's a shootout with the spacers trying to steal The Nuts.  Katya deals out the most damage, eventually killing the space thieves.  

_________

That's about it.  Hope you enjoyed reading about the latest adventure in deep space!

There's a fine line between moving onto the next scene and wanting to preserve those little moments where characters are interacting with each other and the world.  

Squeeze too much and you're wasting time on spent fruit... squeeze too little and you may be throwing away the best parts.  Finding that balance is key.

VS

p.s.  Just lowered the price on Alpha Blue softcovers - fancy, thick cream-colored paper.  But it here for a better deal!

Alpha Blue session report: Five Times the Finger-Bang!

Earlier today, I ran yet another Alpha Blue shorty on Roll20.  Two recurring players - Cédric P and Patrick H.

Patrick played his usual character Miles Artemis, a human telepathic pirate. Cedric opted to roll up a new one.  This time a human mutant female gambler named Lexina with snake DNA, kangaroo pouch, and sickly (-4 to Health).  She's into Master/slave relationships, women's feet, and scruffy men.

Since Miles was returning, I rolled to see what his character had been up to since the last session.  He was cruising the outer rim for bi-sexual, nymphomaniac models, but didn't find any.

GM:  The two of you got paired up, randomly assigned by an interstellar employment agency called Universal Exploits.

Your mission is to locate the daughter of a highly placed politician.  Her last whereabouts are the space station brothel known as Alpha Blue.  If you bring her back to her father, you each will be paid 5,000 credits (minus Universal Exploits sub-contracting fee).

Miles:  Quite a large payday.

GM:  You just got into Alpha Blue this morning and are standing at the central terminal.  A scan of the daughter comes in.

Lexina:  She ran away or she was kidnapped?

GM:  You're not sure because there's no information about that in your file.

Lexina:  Ok, we need to start looking.  What are the main places of interest on the station?  There's a bar, I guess.

Miles:  I think there are two or three bars, if I recall.

GM:  Yes, there are several bars.  Miles is familiar with the Blue Oyster Lounge.

Lexina:  Ok, we can always start there.  But I am curious about exploring other locations.

GM:  You arrive at the Blue Oyster, look around, but don't see anything out of the ordinary.  The usual collection of spacers, aliens, and a few droids.  The human bartender asks what you'll have.

Miles, you have telepathy, so perhaps a mind scan would yield some results.  You can roll 2d6 if you want to try.  [He rolls and gets a result of 5... a success.]

You get a clear image of the woman you're looking for in your mind.  Her name is Jaspa.  You sense that she's nearby.

Miles:  I scratch my chin a bit, "I'm getting an image, her name is Jaspa and she's close by, but I can't pinpoint the spot."

Lexina:  I take a drink at the bar and I look around to see if there are any other rooms, like a private room or something.

GM:  The bartender looks at Miles and says, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?  You can't do that in here."  He points to a sign that reads, 'No mind-scanning on these premises!'

Miles:  I blink before laughing a bit, "Sorry, didn't know."

GM:  The bartender pours you today's special - Purple Prizm and space gin with a chunk of pineapple floating on top.

Lexina:  Delicious.  Since I had prior (bad) experiences with bounty hunters, I look around to see if I can spot any "bounty hunter" types.

GM:  "That'll be 5 credits, snake-girl."

Lexina:  "Here you go, handsssome."  I tip 2 creds.

GM:  The bartender takes your money and goes back to cleaning glasses.  "Thanks."

You see there are some back rooms, but they are off limits.  However, you also see several barthrooms in the back.

Miles:  I wait for her order to finish before asking the bartender for a drink.  "I like something a bit strong and bitter."

GM:  "You got it, hoss."  He pours Miles a Martian pineapple martini.  "That'll be 10 credits... cause it's a stronger drink."

Miles:  I hand over 15 credits, "Here yah go and a tip for the drink."

Lexina:  I prefer smoother ones because of my delicate reptilian nature.

GM:  In the corner of the lounge you see a klingon arguing with a short droid.

Lexina:  "Look Milesss... probably trouble... maybe he is alssso after the target."  I get closer to listen to their discussion.

GM:  You listen in.  They're arguing about politics.

Lexina:  Ok, I'm going to check the ladies room since Miles sensed her near.

Miles:  I'm going to sit at the bar with my drink, keeping my back to the bar top and watching the door for anyone leaving or coming.

GM:  Lexina sees a female in one of the stalls.  You doubt it's her because you can easily see her bilious-green tentacles under the stall door.

Miles sits with his drink and notices his shorter insect friend, Xyap'stee, walk by the lounge.

Lexina:  I ask her, "Have you seen my girl Jaspa?  Black hair with a white streak, mammalian."

Miles:  I call out to my short insect friend, raising a drink in his direction.

GM:  The woman opens the door so you can see her sitting on the toilet.  Her panties are around her ankles, but her legs are spread so you can watch her pee.  She says, "I don't know anyone by that name, honey."

Lexina:  "Ah, a shame... thanksss anyway, honey."  I check myself briefly in the mirror and leave the place (except, if I feel she is lying or something).

GM:  The insectoid greets you warmly, saying "My good friend.  Where have you been?  Hey, try this."  He has a glowing magenta powder in his palm.  "You rub it on your nipples.  That's how it works."

Lexina doesn't think she's lying.  Your reflection looks good.  You step out of the bathroom and see several more klingons at the bar.  You notice Miles just outside the lounge, talking to some short insect humanoid.

Miles:  I'm going to try it out for curiosity's sake, rubbing it on my nipples like Xyap'stee said.  "Been doing some work on a job right now.  Actually here to find a woman by the name Jaspa, some daughter of a politician."

Lexina:  Do the klingons seem to be in a good mood?

GM:  Miles, your entire body tingles moments after rubbing the luminous magenta powder on your nipples.

Xyap'stee says, "Lot of high-born ladies here in the leisure district.  Or maybe she's slumming it sexy in the red hologram district?"

Miles:  Would I know directions to both?

GM:  In your experience, Lexina, klingons are never in a good mood.  Today, they seem especially volatile.  There's some sort of revolt happening on a nearby planet.  Maybe a political revolution...

Lexina:  Ok, I keep my distance.

GM:  Both those districts are easy to find.  You can hop on the light-speed rail just down the corridor.
Lexina:  I get closer to Miles, "Maybe we can get outssside the bar to see if you can feelsss her presssence..."

GM:  Just as you're about to leave the lounge, Lexina, a klingon steps in front of you.  He says something to you in his native language.

Lexina:  Is telepathy forbidden in the entire station?

GM:  No, just this bar.

Miles, you're entire body feels numb... and like you can fly.

Lexina:  Ok, do I understand some words or his intentions?

GM:  Probably not.  Roll 1d6.  [Cedric rolls a 6.]

Miles:  "Hey, buddy, how long does this last?"  I enjoy the numb feeling.

GM:  You're actually fluent in klingon, but the klingon isn't expecting that.  Assuming you don't know what he's saying, he immediately repeats himself even louder, "Why don't you buy me a drink, serpentine bitch?"

Lexina:  (hehe)

GM:  The insect tells you it'll wear off in about an hour.

Lexina:  I smile and answer in klingon, "Ssssure, mighty warrior."

GM:  The klingon appears surprised and impressed.  He gestures for you to sit down as the bar with him.

Lexina:  I pay for his super strong drink and I take something soft, like a Purple Prizm.

GM:  The bartender pours both.

Xyap'stee says to Miles, "Look at that sleek droid.  Undoubtedly some kind of assassination model.  I used to have one like that... back when I was running guns on Zeta Minor."

Lexina:  I get close to the klingon, like snakes do.  "Things ssseems tenssse... there is a lot of rumorsss flying aroundsss..."

GM:  Meanwhile, the klingon puts his hand on Lexina's leg.  He moves it up until he's made his way to your crotch.

Miles:  "Assassination model all the way out here?  Wonder who he's after?"  I look to the droid, keeping a careful eye on it.

GM:  You clock the assassination droid.  It's black and shiny, holding a female prisoner.

The klingon is going to try and finger-bang you right at the bar, unless Lexina tries to stop him.

Miles:  I will stare at the prisoner, comparing her looks to the mental image of Jaspa, searching for similarities.

Lexina:  Will I receive Health for this or does it have to be full-on sex to get more HP?

GM:  If you get off, then it counts and you'll get temporary bonus Health.

Miles isn't sure in his current state of awareness, but he things the droid is walking with the girl he's looking for - Jaspa.

Lexina:  Ok, I try to get some intimacy.  "I got enough creds for a private lounge, fearsssome one..."

Miles:  I will walk to the bar, bumping my shoulder into Lexina and playing it off as numbness or being drunk as I whisper into her ear, "Found the girl."

GM:  "No need for that.  I'm good right here," the klingon says, continuing to feel you down there.  He works your snake-vagina into a froth until you cum.  "Second round's on me, baby."  [I roll 5 more Health for Lexina.]

Miles bumps into Lexina just after your orgasm.  You hear what he said.

Lexina:  Hmmm ssssss.

To the klingon:  "Do you know that droid?  He owes me something."  My hands get to his junk.

GM:  The klingon nods.  "I don't know that droid in particular, but I recognize the model.  Also, the girl he's holding is the daughter of Senator Urik."

Lexina:  I work on the klingon handjob.  Biting him on the shoulder with my snake fangs, guessing that he will appreciate this kind of stuff, whispering "I may have to take this package out of his robotic hands... some nice credsss are involved."  I sit on his lap.

GM:  He appreciates it and finishes quickly.  "Go, baby.  Do your thing.  My friends and I will be here for another hour at least."  Turning to the bartender, "Can I get some space wipes, please?"

Lexina:  I kiss the klingon in the ear with my fork tongue and I sensually move away.

GM:  The droid is about to enter an escalator up to the next level.

Lexina:  I try to find Miles.

Miles:  I'm watching the droid closely, hand on the butt of my blaster while motioning for Lexina to follow.  "Over here," he calls out, not too loudly.

GM:  The droid spots Miles and fires at him with a blaster.  [Rolling dice.]  Miles takes 16 points of damage.  Laser burns cover the left side of your torso and leg.  He got you good.

Remember, both of you can double your dice pool once per session.  And the session is ending in about 5 minutes.  Normally, both of you roll 2d6 to attack.

Lexina:  I get out of the bar and I take my micro-phaser out of my kangaroo pouch, situated just above my crotch.  I fire at the droid while doubling my dice.

Miles:  I'll double my dice pool for my attack and fire with my blaster.

GM:  Lexina shoots... [Even with an attack of 4d6, she doesn't do much damage... a measly 8 points.]  The angle was off.

Miles doesn't do much better.  The droid is already halfway up the escalator.  You do 7 points of damage.  Let me see who he's going to target, most likely Miles.

Lexina:  How's Jaspa reacting?

GM:  Jaspa is struggling with futility.  [I roll (badly) for the assassination droid.]  Miles takes another 4 points of damage.  He's got 5 left.  You guys are returning fire, I assume...

Lexina:  I shoot at the elevator controls.

Miles:  Yes, while taking cover behind anything that is by him.

GM:  [Lexina rolls extraordinarily well.  Instead of simply wasting such a great shot by saying, "You disabled the escalator," I decide that her success increases their advantage - as per the no damage left behind rule.]  Not only do you stop the escalator, but Lexina's blasting makes it collapse.  The droid lets go of the girl and is trying to hang on to the escalator remnants.  Miles, you've got an easy shot if you want to take it.

Miles:  I'll take it.

GM:  [I roll 3d6 for his attack this time because of said advantage (i.e. the droid's vulnerability due to his hanging on with both hands rather than trying to defend himself).  The aftermath is devastating.  Miles ends up doing 31 points of damage.]  Yowza!  You annihilate him.  There's almost nothing left.

Lexina:  Oh yeah!

GM:  Jaspa runs towards Miles and into her arms.  "Thank you for saving me."

Miles:  I blow off the smoke rising from my blaster, holster it, and catch her in my arms.  "Aye, it was no trouble, miss."

GM:  Long story short, you both collect your credits.  Miles is now 2nd level; Lexina is halfway there.

_________

Thanks for reading the latest installment of this lurid space pulp adventure!

VS

Alpha Blue session report - First Time's Free

I do love the chance to run Alpha Blue, and a virtual 60 minute game (that invariably lasts 90 minutes) with a couple of enthusiastic players is just what the space doctor ordered.

In Alpha Blue, all that cheesy awesome sci-fi from the 60's to the 80's (no reason why you can't go all the way to 2017, though) is alive and well - a melting pot of TV shows, films, literature, RPGs, video games, and even cosplay photos on the internet.

I only had one player, who goes by Niven81, but he more than held his own.

First, we went through character creation...

Name: Akier

Species: Human

Gender: Male (straight and likes women in uniform and red-heads)

Profession: Bounty Hunter (just under the Federation's radar)

Something Special: Noble (rich, connected, and has some nifty gadgets)

Prior Experiences: Akier's native dome was bombarded by heavy artillery as ooze marauders attacked, but thanks to his animal cunning, he managed to survive the Kur-gash incursion.

Attire: Outre (weird space pajamas) in sky blue, magenta, and tan hues made out of alligator with elbow patches.

Weapon: Vorpal chainsword
______

The Adventure: First Time's Free

GM:  You've been living on Alpha Blue several weeks.  Not many individuals could afford that (except prostitutes and successful high-stakes gamblers), but you can.  Wealth has its privileges.

Moments ago, a little red light on your communicator blipped.  It only does that when someone is searching the Alpha Blue computer registry for your name, specifically.  Even though you've been keeping a fairly low profile, someone has found you.  But you have no idea who they are or what they want.

Akier:  Well, being that I'm wealthy, I am sitting at a private table entertaining one of the contractors of this fine establishment with grand tales of my adventurers over some rather cheap scotch.

"Then I used his own grav-booster to propel him and me - hanging onto his third leg - through the glass ceiling and into the vacuum of space..."

GM:  The contractor seems impressed.  You casually look around, seeing that more and more lifeforms have filtered into the club.  It must be happy hour.  Your private table gives you a good view of the establishment.  There are plenty of humans, aliens, working girls, spacers, and even a few robots.

Akier:  I take a sip of my scotch, looking at all the newcomers and keeping my eyes open for any that might pique my discerning interests... especially redheads.

GM:  You see one or two pretty redheads among the crowd.  Just as you're considering making some kind of move, a female alien approaches your table.  There's a laser velvet rope barring her way.  The alien whispers something to one of the club's bouncers and he deactivates the laser, allowing her to pass.

She stands in front of your table, waiting to see your reaction.

Akier:  I cock an eyebrow at the bouncer's actions, take a larger pull on my whiskey and turn to the contractor.  "It would appear that I've some business to attend to, my dear.  Sorry to say we must part company... for now."

I then offer the newcomer a seat and motion toward the whiskey, inviting her to partake.

GM:  She sits down and begins to speak.  The sound coming out of her mouth doesn't sound anything like what you're used to.  However, you have one of those expensive little translators attached to your lapel.

She says, "My name is Akoona Lata.  I seek an alliance with you to bring down House Draconis.  In exchange, I will give you anything that is within my power to grant.  I am not rich, but am a good warrior and skilled in the many arts of pleasure."

Akier:  Do I know anything about House Draconis, or can I find anything out easily?

GM:  They are a distant and occasionally rival noble family.  They deal in everything unsavory, from drugs to arms to slaves.

Akier:  "House Draconis... hmmm."  I say thoughtfully and take a drink.  "They are powerful and I have returned some of their lost property in the past.  Tell me, Miss Lata, why would I want to make such powerful enemies?  Well, I would... so the better question is why would you, my dear?  And why should I trust you not to stab me in the gibblies?"

GM:  She replies, "Most noble Akier, House Draconis has taken nearly a hundred of my people from our home planet only hours ago.  The Draconis ship is docked here at Alpha Blue.  Very soon, they will leave to go back to the Draconis system and it will be too late for me to save my family and friends."

Akier:  I swish the scotch around and stare at it for a moment, thinking it over.  After a few moments, I down the rest and look at Akoona.  "We should get to work... but first, what do you know about the traditional uniforms of 20th century human high schools?"

GM:  "I know nothing, my lord.  But I am also a fast learner."

Akier:  "Excellent, my dear.  Research it while I figure out what to do and consider it your armor.  I would recommend the Finnish or Danish routes of study myself."

GM:  She nods in compliance.

Akier:  Looking at the rest of the bottle of scotch, I decide to pocket it and stand to leave.  Is there a central computer terminal I could use in my private quarters?

GM:  Yes, there is.

Akier:  I will head there then with the intention of finding out what I can about where the House Draconis ship is docked.

Oh, I would like to look around first to see if I can spot anyone who looks dependable from that batch of people who came in earlier.

GM:  You notice a short, silver robot who looks quite dependable.

Akier:  I approach the robot with a lot more swagger than I would normally have, and introduce myself as Octavious Septimus Sextimus the Fifth.

GM:  "They call me X19-8B.  What can I do you for?"

Akier:  I give a nod as if the robots's name is of grave importance.  "Nice to meet you, X19-8B.  May I call you X19?

GM:  "Yes.  May I reciprocate by referring to you as 5?"

Akier:  I smile at the small robot.  "All my friends do, X19."  I give a quick look around and whisper in a conspiratorial tone, "Is there anywhere we can speak man to... er... robot?"

GM:  The robot walks with you out into the corridor.  No one is around.

Akier:  I give another look and then ask.  "Tell me, are you aware of the underground sex-bot slave trade?  No, probably not.  You see, there are folks about who kidnap poor, honest female robots and forcibly reprogram them into sex-bots."  Putting my hands up, I continue.  "Now, that's not me.  I wouldn't think of doing that to another sentient in a heartbeat, but... some would.  Some on this very station."

GM:  "That's terrible," the robot replies.  "Where can I find one of these underground sex-bot slave traders in order to bargain with him?"

Just then, Akier hears a voice behind him.  A voice from the recent past...

"You shouldn't have run out on us back on Nebulon Minor, Akier.  Especially not after you slept with my sister."

Akier:  One of these days, I need to stop trying to play a hustler.

GM:  You remember your ex-partner's redheaded sister as he fires his blaster at your torso.

BTW, you are 1st level and have 25 Health.

[I roll 2d6.  Would have been 3d6, but I took one off because of Akier's personal shielding unit.  My results are a 2 and a 6.  That critical success (the 6) means 3d6 damage.  I roll embarrassingly bad, lucky for Akier.  He takes a mere 5 points of damage.

Akier:  "You know I don't have time for this today, old chum."  I pull my vorpal chainsword and point it at his head.  "I would rather things not go snicker-snacker, but they will if you don't kindly back off."

GM:  Your ex-partner, Greely, backs off.  Lowering his blaster, he takes a step back and turns as if to leave.  "You should have killed me when you had the chance, Akier."

He swiftly turns around and shoots at you again.

[I roll another 2d6 and the highest result is a 5.  I roll another 2d6 to determine damage and it's not looking good for the nobleman.  I roll a 5 and 6, then another 6, then a 2... totalling 19 damage.  Akier has 1 point of Health remaining.]

Holy shit!  He caps you right in the face!  By the way, once per session you can double your dice pool.  I strongly suggest you take advantage of that now before it's too late.  If you survive this encounter, you're sure to acquire a badass facial scar.

Akier:  As I attack with the chainsword, I say to the silver robot, "X19 old bean, I tell you what.  4 days VIP treatment on my credit if you help me kill this wanker."

[He rolls 6d6 and gets two 6's, good for 4d6 damage.  Unfortunately, he ends up with an uninspiring 11 points of damage.  X19 isn't made for combat and he only does 3.]

GM:  Your ex-partner fires again.

[I roll 2d6 again and my highest result is a 6, so I roll another 3d6 for damage.  Since Akier only had 1 point left, I probably didn't need to even roll, but I was curious about the results.  Sometimes, you just can't look away from the car crash.  I ended up with a total of 20 points of damage.]

Akier:  Is there an Alpha Blue version of a Doc Wagon?

GM:  Assuming you want to be stitched back together, yeah, it can be done, but not cheaply.  Akier's available funds are siphoned into the account of the cyber-surgeon on duty.

Akier receives "I can't believe it's not organic" synthetic flesh.  There's no tissue rejection, but he will have horrendous scarring and an electronic eye.  It'll be 5 weeks of rest before he will fully recuperate.

_____________

Niven81 told me it was a great game and that he'd like to keep playing.

So, that's it.  Not as much sex as I was hoping for, but you can't always get into every aspect of a game in 90 minutes.

Going forward, I'd like to keep scheduling Alpha Blue sessions online.  Until a better platform comes along, I'll keep using Roll20.


VS

p.s.  I've got a Kickstarter running throughout March.  It includes an Alpha Blue scenario, among other things...

Alpha Blue session report (part 1 of 2)

Ok, let's dive right in because I still have ridiculous random tables to forge.  As you can see, no less than Harrison Ford was present, guiding us on our way.

What can I say?  It's always nice to have a celebrity at your game table.

Last Saturday was the first chance I've had to run Alpha Blue, an RPG and campaign setting with scenario seeds up the wazoo.  The book is about 95% completed, so it was kind of a playtest while also being my chance to use the material I've been writing for the last few months.

At this point, I don't have a regular gaming group.  However, I do have regular gaming buddies, a slew of great players that come to the table when they're able.  We're all adults with busy lives, after all.  These guys were so pumped to take a shot at Alpha Blue, they invited guests.

So, there were 9 players.  I'm not going to go through each and every one, but picking out a couple here and there.  Character creation went pretty well.  There are quite a few tables, some big, others little.  As I mentioned to the group, coming up with the color palette alone took me a couple hours.

A character sheet is still in the works.  Glynn Seal of +MonkeyBlood Design is still conjuring it from the great beyond.  However, he was able to get me the files for the space station mega-map and medium-sized transport ship.  The station mega-map is composed of 4 separate maps.  It's super big and detailed and exactly what I wanted... even though I didn't really know what I wanted until Glynn pointed the way.  The ship, Blue Flamingo, is pretty much what I saw in my head.  Thankfully, it's also what Glynn saw in his head, too.

Since I had the files a couple days in advance of the game, I submitted them to my local copy shop.  The mega-map was so huge (177mb) that I couldn't even go through their online system for ordering.  I had to email them the dropbox link so they could download it and get it printed... and then laminated.  My wife is still shaking her head over the extravagance, the expense, the sheer superfluous frivolity of having such things designed, made, and paid for.

It was all worth it, says I.  Just looking at my 17" x 22" map of the ship and 34" x 44" map of the space station was enough to make my fucking day.  When I saw them there at the checkout counter... I almost wept.  It was that beautiful.

Anyways... back to +Tim Virnig's character - Sugar D.  Below is exactly what Tim wrote on his "character sheet".

Sugar Johnson, known to his friends as "Sugar D", a human bounty hunter [and diplomat] who wears a skin-tight gold velvet uniform with the company logo of CyberSnatch Ltd.  He was hired to recover rogue cyber companions from hackers that are trying to turn hos into housewives.  Also known around the universe for single-handedly bartering a peace accord in the great pimp wars of 2191.  He wields an ultra-glaive!

I went around the room at each stage of character creation, having players roll for various things like occupation, weapon, and alien mannerisms / cultural differences.  It took a full hour to get all 9 PCs ready to go.

Learned something from that experience.  I had "mutant" tucked away under a sub-table that was pretty much forgotten about as soon as I mentioned it.  Now, playing a mutant is just as prominent as playing an alien.

Star Wars, to the best of my knowledge, is the closest I've come to Game Mastering a sci-fi RPG.  Obviously, it's more space opera or even science-fantasy than hard sci-fi.  So, running this session was really new.  Instead of calling upon my vast GMing experience with dragons, wizards, and elves... I had to draw from all the awesomely cheesy sci-fi TV shows of a misspent youth and adulthood.

Tomorrow, I hope to have part 2 posted.  Stay tuned!

Before I go, here's a quote from Tim:  "Venger has done it again!  Alpha Blue is another installment from the king of gonzo gaming.  Equal parts 70's sci-fi exploitation flick and late night cable television.  His simple game mechanics let the story shine with lots of random tables to take the gonzo to the next level. I can't wait to run this myself with my own discerning adult gamers!" 

VS

This is part 2.