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...

A Threesome of Space Opera Sleaze

I just created this DriveThruRPG bundle at 20% off each of the three products:  Alpha Blue, Girls Gone Rogue, and Universal Exploits.

Those on the fence, hesitant about spending their hard earned money on a humorous soft core sci-fi shameless ripoff of dozens of popular and obscure franchises can check out the previews, read the reviews, and (if you like what you see) get a deal on everything at once.

Combined, these three books are like How to Game Master like a Fucking Boss, except for sci-fi and space opera RPGs.  There are multiple, short essays on GMing in the genre of blasters and starships.  The entire series is full of adventure hooks, evocative artwork, 1970's & 80's nostalgia, and high-res maps you can take to a local printer or use in a virtual tabletop.  You simply would not believe how many random tables are included in order to facilitate an infinite space sandbox for years of campaigning.

Even though Alpha Blue and both its sourcebooks are firmly in the old school style, I've provided ultra-neo innovations that make it easy to try this game with your non-gamer friends.  One-shot character creation takes as little as 5 minutes; short campaigns about 15.  It's all pick-and-choose or rolling on random tables... no number crunching, no min-maxing, and best of all - NO BORING!!!

I hope you take a chance on these books that I've put my heart and soul into creating the past year and a half.  In my opinion, it's the best of Kort'thalis Publishing and if you don't mind getting a little screwball and raunchy with your thermal detonators and photon torpedoes, I believe it'll soon become your new favorite RPG.

VS

p.s.  And here's a fun little bonus on the house!

Universal Exploits PDF is live!

Only three months ago, I launched the Kickstarter for Universal Exploits, the 2nd sourcebook for my sleazy sci-fi RPG Alpha Blue (1st sourcebook was Girls Gone Rogue).

It successfully funded awhile ago.  Now, the first exploitation fruits can be tasted and enjoyed!  Here it is (PDF only, until I can check out the proof) on DriveThruRPG.

As I've mentioned before, the time/energy I have for RPGs (running and writing) is dwindling.  My wife will be giving birth to twins this fall.  I hope to be active again a year from now, but we'll see.

That's why I wanted to go all-out with this book.  107 pages (8.5" x 11") worth of supplementary material, every nook and cranny stuffed to the gills with game-able content and gorgeous artwork (some of it NSFW).

Approximately 90% of Universal Exploits is system neutral.  Use it with your White Star, Machinations of the Space Princess, Traveller, Stars Without Number, Star Wars, Star Trek, Starfinder, Rifts, Thousand Suns, X-plorers, Starships & Spacemen, Encounter Critical, Metamorphosis Alpha, Warhammer 40K, and countless other sci-fi and space opera RPGs that could use a little gonzo grindhouse.

VS

Play Alpha Blue NOW!!!

Back when I was funding Girls Gone Rogue on Kickstarter, one of my stretch goals / campaign promises was to do a backer-wide play by email or chat session of Alpha Blue.

Well, this is where it starts.  Read the description below, roll the dice, see what happens, and comment below how you're going to react (be sure to include a sentence or two about who and what your character is).  Don't have a character?  Either create one from the Alpha Blue RPG rulebook or simply come up with a suitable character concept.

These tables will also tie into my next and last (for awhile, at least) Kickstarter project for Alpha Blue called... Pussy Chasers: The Legend of Oral.  Check it out here.

The After-Party

You missed the actual party, unfortunately.  The freighter hauling 23 space tons of frozen Purple Prizm grape soda was late... then it was stopped by customs... and then almost hijacked by dwermfermers on ultra-amphetamines.  Needless to say, you're ready to get this after-party into full swing!  Let's see what happens soon after you arrive.

1. Someone slipped a turquoise dreamer into your drink.  Now, all you want to do is have anal sex.

2. You accidentally got diverted into a nearby conference room where an orange-furred platypusoid is giving a power-point presentation regarding time-share properties on New Alderaan 2.

3. An alien that's mostly just eyes and glowing indigo snot just threw up all over you.  Gross!

4. After about 20 microns of waiting, you finally got yourself a drink and found the friends you were hanging out with from before - now some random, albeit cute, woman wants you to get her a drink, as well.

5. As soon as you walk in, a trio of large, two-headed, hairy albino ape-men with glittering horns tell you that you're kind isn't welcome here.

6. You order a drink, the bartender pours a thick, molasses-like, chartreuse-colored substance into a tall, rectangular glass and tells you that'll be 15 credits.  You feel around for your space wallet - but it's gone!

7. Some girl wearing a sexy red outfit with three boobs and smoking a personal hookah motions for you to come closer.  You walk towards her just as another spacer comes up to the girl, putting his arm around her.

8. You get an incoming call on your vis-a-fone.  Before you can see who it is, a sneaky little anchovy-based life form swipes it out of your hand and scurries towards the main stage where various strippers are pole-dancing to "Girls, Girls, Girls" by Motley Crue.

9. Just as one stripper is leaving the pole-dancing area and another is entering, one of the women accidentally kicks a platinum credit (worth approximately 100 regular credits) in your drink.

10. A stripper with clear-colored, high-heel platform dancer shoes walks right past you.  She's the hottest girl here tonight.  Your gaze follows her spectacular ass as she walks into the "Anything Goes Room."

11. You're snorting a few lines of vermilion psychopath off some reptilian girl's tits when suddenly the veins under your skin start glowing bright scarlet.

12. Some jackass let his tiger-bot into the party.  It's already clawed up a half-dozen people by the time it finds you - and regards you with cold, predatory disdain.

13. You haven't eaten since connecting with the Purple Prizm freighter at Algeria Gamma.  You're famished and there's nothing to eat!  In the distance, you see some spacer holding a grilled space cheese sandwich.

14. A protocol-bot corners you, regaling you with anecdotes about the Enigma Cluster orbiting Kryus Prime.

15. An old and inebriated acquaintance believes he can shoot faster and straighter than you.  He challenges you to a blaster duel right here and now.

16. A suckered star slug from Vokk Major-Minor insults your funky threads while implying that you have a reputation for disappointing your sexual partners.

17. There's a Knight in White Satin talking to the bartender about something.  Must be pretty important if he's taking up the bartender's valuable time.  Meanwhile, you and the other patrons aren't getting any drinks.

18. Directly in front of you, some girl is taking a selfie with one of her girlfriends.  The flash momentarily blinds you - sending you stumbling into a nearby crowd of people.  Your face somehow ends up in the cleavage of Vanessa Von Tease, a well-known burlesque performer on the outer rim.

19. Princess Assa is in attendance.  She's wearing a tight little blue dress accented with sparkling diamonds.  The Princess has ordered her personal bodyguards to line up some of the more desirable men and women in front of her VIP corner booth.  You're picked to stand in that line.

20. You're fucked up on Tinkerbell's Fairydust, wandering around asking people about the Great Space Chicken and Cosmic Egg.  Eventually, a sentient violet-colored gas tells you about an easy game of smuggler's quarry happening in the next sector.  He's willing to stake you the 5,000 credits required to play, both of you will split the profits... but if you lose it all - he owns you (as in slavery).  Not being in your right mind, you signed a contract agreeing to those terms.
_________

Good luck, spacers!

VS

Going, Going, Gone!

I'll blog about today's 5e game on Monday. Right now, I just want to mention Girls Gone Rogue one last time.

The Kickstarter has about 19 hours left to go, then it's over and in about 4 or 5 weeks, the PDF will be in your sweet, salacious hands.

Since Girls Gone Rogue is a supplement of the Alpha Blue RPG, I'd like to mention a few things...

An unboxing video...

Nemo's Lounge reviewed Alpha Blue here.

The Sorcerer's Skull reviewed it here.

But Girls Gone Rogue goes deeper.  It's got even more random tables, locations, NPCs, humor, sleaze, and adventuring possibilities... and the artwork is a bit filthier.  You're welcome.  Even if you prefer another sci-fi RPG, these books can give your campaign that edge, that... je ne sais quoi you've been looking for; taking it from PG to NC-17.

Check out the KS updates containing dropbox links to FREE (for personal, non-commercial use) maps.  You don't have to participate or back anything.  A cantina/bar/club and three starships are yours for the taking!  Glynn Seal of +MonkeyBlood Design did such an amazing job.

I was talking to a player in last week's Alpha Blue game and he was both impressed with the maps and the game, calling it a "breath of fresh air".  If you've been stuck in a fantasy rut (like many of us at one point or another), the space station brothel could be your home away from home.

If you know a gamer who might be interested in such things, tell them about the KS.  They can get both Alpha Blue and Girls Gone Rogue for a good price.  Also, there are still two top-tier backer reward packages.  I received the t-shirts today and they look sexy and badass!

Thanks,

VS

Corrected Alpha Blue Files

I'll provide Kickstarter update links below, but here's the long and short of it: there was some weird layout stuff going on with the Alpha Blue PDF and print files.  Glynn and I (with the help of a couple KS backers) found other things to correct as long as we were dealing with vanishing commas.

I'm glad that this found its way into the book, because the Interstellar Caliphate entry alone might have been interpreted as Islamophobic, which was not my intent.  The Elvehjem Azahd came out of a conversation I had with a Muslim American soldier who wasn't exactly sure how to feel about Alpha Blue's treatment of "space Muslims".  He vetted (and was pleased with) the Elvehjem Azahd splinter-group which now appears on page 89.

Here is the pre-correction KS update.

And this is the post-correction KS update.

If you already purchased your CreateSpace softcover of Alpha Blue, please let me know where I can send the corrected PDF.  Also, I'd be happy to provide a reduced price softcover replacement once the print files have been approved.

Thanks,

VS

p.s.  The CreateSpace print version of Alpha Blue is already fixed and available for purchase.  It also comes with a free PDF, just email me your receipt or order confirmation.