The Orville is a Retro-Clone

This isn't going to be a long blog post.

I've watched the first 3 episodes of the Seth MacFarlane created Star Trek homage (still haven't seen Discovery yet).  And that's just what The Orville is - an homage.  It's not a parody or spoof or comedic send-up of Star Trek.  It's a re-imagining, except a bit more lighthearted with occasional jokes.

In that way, The Orville is like a retro-clone.  Created to basically do what the original did, but in a slightly different way - some things are updated, sensibilities are tweaked, new adventures, etc.

I guess Star Trek has been around so long and has been so influential to televised scifi that they don't need an Open Game License.

It's not what I was expecting, but I think it's a good show and will continue to watch it.  I was hoping to see something silly, outrageous, and nostalgic with epic fail proportions.  Since this is 2017, I kind of thought American audiences were ready for scifi and sex, but we might have to wait another decade for that (at least we have pot brownies, tequila, and inter-species boxing).

So, I can't in good faith compare The Orville to Alpha Blue - which is what I was expecting to do just before the first episode aired.  They're totally different.  And that's cool.  Disappointing, but cool.  Whatever.

Until the world gets the episodic sleazy space opera comedy circa 1980 that it deserves, I'll leave you with some artwork that's much better than the actual movies.

Also, I launched a brand new Kickstarter for a post-apocalypse adventure / toolkit called Gamma Turquoise: Santa Fe Starport, and there's a stellar deal on all the Alpha Blue PDFs currently available!

In the meantime, enjoy what you enjoy and I'll see you in the outer limits of the erogenous zone!

VS

p.s.  I keep forgetting to mention my little automated demonstration of Alpha Blue online - create a character and go on a quick mission or two!

Khan's Wrath is Back!

I just found out the news - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is returning to theaters in September!

That's awesome, since it's my favorite of the Star Trek films and was a big part of my scifi movie watching in the early 80's.

Some of you may remember the free Alpha Blue scenario I put out just as Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2 was released.

It's called Guarding Galaxy XXX and there's some amusing references to Wrath of Khan in there, along with several other pokes at beloved scifi franchises.  After all, it's part scifi parody; part scifi porn parody.

In order to further celebrate this fine film, I might try to slip another short freebie into the busy Kort'thalis Publishing release schedule.  Perhaps Obi-Wan'k will make a surprise visit.  You never know...

VS

p.s.  If you're into Star Trek or Star Wars RPGs and you want it to have a sleazy edge, grab Alpha Blue while it's still on sale (and there's a softcover).

Guarding Galaxy XXX

Mmm mm - look at that sexy cover for Guarding Galaxy XXX!

Remember this?  Seems like only yesterday.  Consider the updated PDF a "volume 2" to what I erringly called Guardians of Galaxy XXX.

Guarding Galaxy XXX is better because this time I won't be locked in a Disney jail cell underneath Space Mountain.  So, buy it... wait, this thing is free.  Free, you say?  What the fuck?!?  And after I paid all that money for artwork... my wife is going to kill me.

Anyway, take a chance on this raunchy scifi adventure for Alpha Blue, though easily adaptable to the RPG system of your choice.

If you've never tried sleazy, 70's scifi that's about as funny as a thermal detonator to the balls (hang about, that doesn't sound funny at all!) this will give you an idea of what it's about.

VS

p.s.  I'd like to take a moment to thank Steve Wieck for his assistance in getting this better and less incarceration-y version of the PDF back onto DriveThruRPG.  If I was too harsh on One Book Shelf and/or Steve Wieck, let this post-script build space bridges and mend star fences.  I appreciate everyone's understanding and professionalism.

The Girl Who Would Be Assassinated

Last Saturday, I was running Alpha Blue at the OddCon convention in Madison, WI.  We had a backroom suite all to ourselves, free from noise and distraction - it was a fantastic experience and one I hope to see over and over again.

A few people did wander into our area, wondering what we were playing.  Invariably, I'd say "Alpha Blue".  They'd respond with, "Never heard of it."  Then I'd reply, "That's because I wrote it.  It's a sci-fi RPG mixed with 70's porn."  Mixed reactions, as expected.

One time I mentioned Ice Pirates, but the young dude hadn't heard of that.  Ice Pirates meets Flash Gordon might be a better description, if one were to dial down the sleaze.

As usual, I had a few ideas in my back pocket.  But mostly, I let character creation, player wanderlust, and luck decide how the scenario was going to go.  Luckily, Alpha Blue and Girls Gone Rogue are filled to the brim with all manner of random tables.

I've said this before, but it bears repeating - GMs should listen to what their players say when not actively playing the game, out of character and usually leading up to the adventure proper.  An attentive GM will pick up all manner of clues: what players want to do with their characters, who they want to talk to, where they want to go, what they want to kill, what's special about their character's backstory, why they need the money, etc.  Because we're all sitting, verbal cues are much more important than body language.  Just by listening to the tone in a player's voice, you can usually tell what's resonating with him.

For instance, the players were interested in things to buy.  +sean mcconkey, who's played Alpha Blue almost as much as I've run it, was talking about various purchasable goods when an idea hit.  Clones!  For a thousand credits, you could buy a clone.  Of course!

That made so much sense to me regarding available technology, avoiding unnecessary PC death, providing money pits for PCs to spend their hard earned credits on, and various shenanigans that can occur during the cloning process, etc.

Plus, what about the ins and outs of obtaining a clone of someone else?  Can one buy the rights (or steal the DNA) to clone the space girl next door?  What about a hardened super-criminal?  Or quantum physics genius?  Is that slavery?  What if you inserted some or all of your consciousness/will into the "not you" clone?  Mmm... possibilities.

So, what are these clones like?  As I envision it, a clone is an identical copy that could be held in reserve as backup or activated immediately - instant twin!  Want more than one clone?  Sure, it's 1,000 credits per clone... you can buy as many as you can afford.  My advice: definitely make that an option in our Alpha Blue game!

Getting back to the character creation process, one of the players was really excited about his space priest / assassin career opportunities and rolled on the debt owed tables in order to purchase his own starship.  He mentioned how "up for anything" he was if and when his creditors asked.

Boom!  That became the hook.  Within minutes of play, that PC received a transmission from the bounty hunters who lent him the credits to buy Tiny Dancer.  On they went to New Alderaan 2.  We all know that something bad happened to the original Alderaan, but apparently both New Alderaan and Alderaan 2 also took turns for the worse.

With my Samsung Galaxy 4, I found a picture of the target, Loganna.  Since New Alderaan 2 was home to domed cities full of beautiful androids draped in brightly colored, see-through fabrics, everyone at the table took a gander at the girl who would be assassinated.

Of course, that wasn't set in stone.  The PC who owed the debt didn't have to track her down and kill her - in fact, I was hoping the party would take an alternative route - but I've found that old habits die hard.  Longtime gamers who've assassinated hundreds of individuals in-game probably don't even question their orders anymore.  If their mission is to take someone out, they take them out... no matter how hot they are!

I've never encountered so many male players choosing to play female characters as when I'm running this RPG.  I like to think that Alpha Blue helps re-program gamers.  Another example is the technician / pirate PC (left my notes at home and have to do all this from memory and I'm terrible with names) who was alone on the ship with several space prostitutes.  As the Space Dungeon Master, I practically had to rip off his clothes (in-game) and grind her vagina on him before he got the hint.  As gamers, we've been so used to avoiding casual and serious, emotional and sexual relationships, attachments, and drama that it seems weird to intentionally involve ourselves in such moments, to embrace them rather than acknowledge them briefly before getting to "the real adventure": breaking in, slaying, and looting.

Another observation I had was a player who kept gambling.  His character was a gambler with an edge (he was invisible, except for clothing, items carried, etc.) and that's pretty much what he did throughout the game, except when forced into combat or situations between card games.  That seemed strange to me, but I went with it.  He actually made several hundred credits, though it didn't seem very exciting, heroic, villainous, adventurous, or sleazy.  To each his own.

Speaking of sleazy, after the assassination and leisure center shoot-out with a competing bounty hunter crew, Sean's pimp character had his girls work the session's concluding party back at the space station brothel we all know and love.  He rolled the best of anyone that game - 3d6, all sixes!  So, I let him re-roll for exploding dice because it was a situation of making money on his star whores.  All told, the party's pimp made 3,300 blue bucks in about two hours.  Who said pimpin' wasn't easy?

One last thing, in an effort to remind players that once per session they could double their dice pools, as well as, creating some additional visual aid, I brought a blue glow stick to the game.  The object was to double a PC's dice pool and then pass the glow stick to someone else who could use it and then he would pass it again.  That actually led to a couple of minor problems.  The passing back and forth was distracting while allowing it to be passed back and forth continually gave everyone 3 or 4 double-ups during the session.

Next time, I'll probably just splurge on a 10-pack of blue glow sticks for about $5.  Then everyone will have one and once they've used it, they can hand it back to me and it's done.

Everyone had a good time, were impressed with the maps, laughed at the tables, got to feel a little dirty, and I can't wait for next time!

VS

Alpha Blue on the "White List"

I have the distinct pleasure of announcing that One Book Shelf (DriveThruRPG, RPGnow, and a bunch of others) deemed Alpha Blue not quite offensive enough to ban from their virtual shelves.

During a lengthy conversation with Steve Wieck, he shared the concerns that some people had with my sleazy, vintage sci-fi RPG.  We both came to the same conclusion - Alpha Blue may be culturally insensitive at times and offensive to a few outspoken individuals, but it doesn't deserve to be blacklisted.

Long story short - Alpha Blue is back, baby!

I've just included a warning before its listing and that of Girls Gone Rogue, the one and only supplement for Alpha Blue.  Best of all, they're both on sale (for a limited time)... PDFs and softcovers!!!

Before I forget, reviews!  Erik from Tenkar's Tavern posted this and James Desborough blogged that.

Thanks to all those who supported me throughout this ordeal.  Glad you have my back.

VS

Fast Times at Alpha Blue

There was a time when sexuality and science fiction went hand in hand. A time when sci-fi masters like Robert A. Heinlein wrote about a future where nudity was in and chastity was out. Over the years, the genre has been neutered. Gone are the three-nippled alien hookers and in their place is a lot of techno-babble.  ~  
Giant Freakin Robot

Standing proudly with hands on hips, Shumachs Plib surveyed his new captain's chair upon his new starship while gazing upon the stars beyond, his validation boner displayed prominently...

Wait a minute, I skipped a whole bunch.  Let me back up several hundred parsecs.

I've lost count how many times I've run Alpha Blue.  Each one is not only a learning experience and a madcap free-for-all, it's also a testament to overcoming any sort of anxiety, guilt, shame, or embarrassment.  I'll admit, the first couple times I ran my 70's sci-fi porn RPG, I was a wee bit nervous.  Indeed, there was a modicum of insecurity mixed in with the excitement.  However, playing it proved those fears unfounded.  It was a glorious release.

But then, after the first few times I wondered if the game was doomed to reside amongst the one-shot novelty set.  Would anyone (including myself) want to play Alpha Blue more than once?  Twice?

Unless something came up, Nix has played in every single Alpha Blue game.  Steve nearly that.  This was Justin's second game and the first for Harold and Jeff.  I'd be lying if there weren't a couple people that flat-out told me Alpha Blue was not the game for them.  Hey, I don't blame them and appreciate their honesty.  But that's not a reason for the rest of us to stop.  After all, I have no interest in playing Pathfinder, though I don't care if others do.

Anyway, getting back to this session report... 5 players.

Zaparon, human psion who has his own ship, wears a silver uniform with blue trim, and is bi-sexual, into abs and butts.

Epson is a cerulean blue robot, he's friendly and a masochist into cheerleaders and hair.  He used to be a fax machine, but re-purposed to be a medic.  He still receives faxes on occasion, reading them and throwing them away (unless it's something important).

Ha'chth is an alien who looks nearly human except for his dark amethyst skin tone.  His uniform is tan suede and he's also a medic... and a zedi who plies The Way throughout the galaxy.  He also had a thing for cheerleaders.

Cassidy Vivrath'zha is half-human and half Lovecraftian monstrosity.  He's also both sexes.  His human parts are female (and freckled).  He owes a considerable amount of money to both a bounty hunter and a gangster.

Shumachs Plib is a human interior designer who left his colony because when everyone is starving, interior design isn't the first thing on people's minds.  Shu has latent psionic powers but pretends at being a fierce bounty hunter... with the emphasis on fierce.

There was no pilot in their crew, so they'd have to rely on autopilot exclusively.  I don't remember who, but someone asked if it was possible to have sex with the ship's autopilot program.  I answered yes, even though at the time I had absolutely no idea how that would work.

I won't go too deep into the scenario's heart, except to say that the spacers were hired by a man whose daughter, Vanessa, (in her early 20's) was taken from Alpha Blue.  To better connect, visualize, and identify with their mission, I provided a picture of Rose Byrne as a blonde cheerleader.  Yowza!

The scenario became an investigation.  Many leads were explored.  Eventually, it led the PCs to Club Wet Star where they squared off against a vicious space warlord named Faygos (combining Dragos from Jason of Star Command with the less-than-popular beverage brand Faygo).

Along the way, exotic cocktails were ordered, such as the exploding star lemon-lime space gin surprise.

The Tiny Dancer infiltrator starship cleverly avoided a ship-to-ship battle with the Sunfish thanks to Epson's mechanical interface.  Tiny Dancer docked while the Sunfish's computer dealt with Epson's virus distraction.

The PCs boarded and shot up nearly all the male crew.  The two females were unharmed.  The first was working out in the gym.  Ha'chth was immediately attracted to her and started working his extra-terrestrial mojo.  The juicy details: a year ago, she participated in a 500-humanoid gangbang, Ha'chth and her did it standing up, and his "O" face is best described as "hurts so good".  He got to add a d4 worth of temporary Health to his total.

The other female was an alien cat-girl.  Strangely, everyone left her alone and she retained her position as ship's weapons specialist.

They walked into Club Wet Star and immediately headed for the main stage where strippers were pole dancing.  It wasn't long before Shu sensed Vanessa's presence.  They made a B-line for the jacuzzi/bedroom area of the club and Ha'chth forced Wet Star's madame to show him where Vanessa was being kept.

The dark amethyst alien couldn't keep it in his pants and before rescuing her there was consensual anal sex.  More temporary Health!  How did Ha'chth get so much tail?  It's good to be a zedi.  ;)

Faygos' thugs attacked everyone who wasn't purple balls deep in Vanessa.  After a few scrapes, the PCs dispatched the thugs.  Ha'chth and his latest conquest joined the others and they all made for the door.  Unfortunately, Faygos was waiting for them!

The space warlord was accompanied by 4 more thugs.  This was a pitched battle.  Both sides took substantial hits.  At last, it was only the PCs vs. Faygos.  He brought out a strange device that lowered the gravity considerably - allowing me to use my sparkly blue and pink circle of slick.  Dice rolled off the circle frequently.  The robot rolled a critical failure - I think it was Jeff that suggested a fax came in just as Epson was firing - he did minor damage to one of his comrades.  Faygos did some serious damage, forcing one of the medics to stop attacking and heal while a couple of the PCs took random bodies as meat shields.

Faygos was eventually killed.  The crew flew both Tiny Dancer and Sunfish back to Alpha Blue, selling their original, smaller ship to pay off one of Cassidy's loans.  The rest of the money was spent on fitting a hot tub in the Sunfish and a huge celebratory blow-out.  It was quite the party.

There, ensconced in corinthian leather stood Shumachs Plib.  Once an interior designer and wannabe bounty hunter who didn't know exactly how to shoot his vortex equalizer... now, he was captain of an impressive military vessel - that had its own transparent aluminum hot tub.  Everyone could see his validation boner, but no one cared.  They had their own primitive urges to concern them.  And the most pressing of queries... is there such a thing as a mermaid cheerleader?

The above only touches on the many adventures and random tables coming soon in Girls Gone Rogue.

There's still a week left to back the Kickstarter.  The maps are FREE.  Anyone can use them for non-commercial uses.  Because I'm confident we'll reach the next stretch goal, I had Glynn Seal of +MonkeyBlood Design design the Chihuahua class starship, Tiny Dancer, for use in today's game.  That dropbox link will be released when the KS reaches $3,500.  So close!

Thanks for reading.  Please share this experiment in sci-fi and sleaze with others!

VS

Did I ever tell you my favorite color is blue?

[The ideas contained within this missive are NSFW]

That's a line by Sutter Cane from the movie In the Mouth of Madness.  But I think it's also appropriate for today's blog post, given that "blue" has another connotation [showing or mentioning sexual activity in a way that offends many people].  Wow, doesn't get any more fucking apt than that, does it?  Haha.

So, rather than focusing on horror, I'd like to say a few words on another subject that occasionally scares us: sex.

Just as in everyday life, there are certain taboos about sex in RPGs.  I can understand why.  It's generally considered a private thing.  People want it in varying degrees, in certain forms and expressions.  The majority of us keep it behind closed doors.  From the outside, it may look like a shameful secret.  But it's not, well, not for most of us.

Thinking about it now, I'm reminded of the 80's sci-fi film Alien Nation.  There's a drug talked about and it happens to drive the plot.  Pretty sure it's blue in color - not a lot of pictures available.  I had to look up its name (apparently, the internet isn't sure how it's spelled, as I found 3 different versions on 3 different websites): ss'jabroka.

However, I clearly remember that it was a narcotic, extremely pleasurable and addictive, it made the "newcomers" stronger and able to work harder so that the more they worked, the more they received.  They were essentially slaves to this drug.  I don't know about anyone else, but I see a parallel.  Yes, obviously, the street drugs we're all familiar with but, less obvious, sex!

Incidentally, I'm reading Chris Offutt's memoir about his dad - My Father, The Pornographer - before I dive into John Cleve's Spaceways series of sci-fi literary porn (written by Andrew J. Offutt under one of his many pseudonyms).  To many, the man who wrote 400+ books, most of them considered porn, was obsessed with sex.  He was.  And I must be, too, cause that seems natural to me.  That seems "normal".  Not the normal I see everyday out in the world, external; but the kind of normal that seems "right" or "logical" or "good" in my mind; internal.

Putting out stuff like Alpha Blue and Girls Gone Rogue (11 days left for this Kickstarer campaign) seems right, logical, and good.  And I've received plenty of praise, which I'm flattered and grateful for.  It makes the criticism easier to take.  To be honest, it would feel weird if I wasn't taking flak from people.  Probably because I've always been a weirdo and outsider.  Getting negative feedback from a certain segment of the population is normal for me.  As are feelings of alienation - aha!  Alien Nation... alienation.  See what I did there?

This whole blog post is a bit stream-of-consciousness (my usual jam), so I'll keep on with it.  The other day I was thinking about my crazy decision to throw my/our RPG dirty laundry into the light of day, writing these books which some gamers probably regard as straight-up "porn".

A couple weeks back, I was in Disney World.  One particular night, I was in the hotel room, watching the kids and probably eating pizza, flipping through the TV channels until I landed on Back to the Future.  I hadn't seen that movie in over a decade.  So, I started watching.

Long story short, when Michael J. Fox is playing guitar for his parents' under-the-sea prom everything is going good.  Then he breaks into some rock and roll that's just different and wild enough to impress the audience.  Finally, he ends on a bizarre... solo or something weird that no one seems to understand and basically freaks everyone out.

I can relate to that.  This may be delusional, but I happen to think that injecting sex into RPGs (not that I'm the first person to think of or do such) is the future.  It's going to be part of mainstream geek culture going forward until, I hope, it merges with pop culture and we all start to see some serious movement on the tabletop RPG front.  Where, if you asked 10 random Americans in their 20's if they regularly played the kind of RPGs we're talking about, at least 3 or 4 would probably say, "Yes."

Sex might not be the reason for the future proliferation of RPGs in pop culture, but it won't hurt.  That deep, inner need (even if we're consciously rejecting it, shouting profanities at it, or just hoping particular urges stay locked in the closet) will find expression somehow.  Life, uh, finds a way - wow, I'm kind of overdoing it with the film quotes!

The vehicle could be anything.  Hopefully, I can continue to stand upon the shoulders of those Old Ones who came before and do my part.  A new age of roleplaying may be just around the corner.  Whatever I have to do to help usher it in, I'm going to do.  No matter how much I stick out because the world I've chosen to inhabit is blue... or full of tentacles and strippers.

Thanks for reading my sort of rant, sort of getting something off my chest.  I welcome discussion, if anyone wants to chat about it.

VS

p.s.  Yes, indeed!  Girls Gone Rogue.  Check out the video, stretch goals (Tiny Dancer coming soon), and reward tiers for backers.  Please share it on social media or wherever people are talking about RPGs!

p.p.s.  I'm totally borrowing ss'jabroka and putting it in GGR.

Girls Gone Rogue kickstarter

I'm out there.  I can't be bargained with.  I can't be reasoned with.  I don't feel pity, remorse, or fear.  And I absolutely will not stop, ever, until I am dead.

Yep, I'm back at it again.  Here is my latest Kickstarter project Girls Gone Rogue.  It's a companion volume to Alpha Blue, filled with tables galore and fleshed-out adventures!

If you enjoy sex comedies and vintage sci-fi from the 60's, 70's, and 80's, this is your lucky day.

BTW, I'll be on my family vacation for a little over a week, starting tomorrow morning.  So, don't expect to hear much from me until Monday, February 8th.

Until then, please help me spread the love.  Tell your friends about Alpha Blue and Girls Gone Rogue!

Thanks,

VS

Alpha Blue session report (part 2 of 2)

Here is part 1 of my Alpha Blue playtest.  Full disclosure: my brain is half-fried from putting the finishing touches on the book.

Here's the subject for one of my favorite new tables created since Saturday's session:  Besides girls, drugs, and music... what's this party got going for it?


The Plot

I randomly rolled to see what the adventure would be.  Alpha Blue had stiff competition to see which was the best space brothel in the universe.  The PCs were hired by AB to ensure their victory.  If they won the contest, the space adventurers would make 25,000 blue bucks.

Everyone was on board with that.  I let the players know ahead of time that this adventure would be rather silly and sleazy, ridiculous and raunchy.  Mission accomplished.

Getting to Alpha Blue

The ship map that comes with the book is for Blue Flamingo.  It's supposed to be a designated Alpha Blue spaceship, but made sense to re-purpose it for the PCs' use.  There were two pilots and they co-owned the ship with borrowed money from an eccentric trillionaire who was going to break their kneecaps if they didn't make regular payments.

The following was a combination of rolling on tables and something else... Since it was my birthday last Wednesday, I got to watch an episode of Space: 1999 that I'd read about.  Supposedly, one of the scariest episodes of anything on television.  It was called Dragon's Domain, and while it didn't quite live up to the hype, I could see why that episode had such a reputation.  It was Lovecraftian and very enjoyable.

While I didn't approach the cosmic dread of Dragon's Domain, I still thought it was cool (more like a better than average episode of Blake's 7).  The PCs docked with a drifting cryo-ship that appeared on their ship's scanners and had their first encounter with an alien species and some tentacled horror.

Sugar D dealt the death blow with his ultra-glaive.  Ambassador General Starburst put the moves on some aquatic humanoid honey and convinced her to stay with him while the rest of the aquatic aliens continued their journey to a new planet.

Arrival

Master Humpty successfully negotiated a better exchange rate for the party at the Alpha Blue bank.

The first thing they saw was some guy in a gorilla costume being thrown out of an airlock by a security-bot.  They decided to save him and he led the party to... a party!

Imagine a futuristic disco nightclub in Vegas, abiding by frontier law.  That's pretty much what it was like.  Mastery Humpty caught some guy cheating at smuggler's quarry.  He and Taran, a human assassin technician, took his money and tossed him out of the space station.

Meanwhile, "Doc" encountered a hooker with some time to kill.  He declined, but I think everyone had fun watching him decline the offer.

The station's captain was met and they moved discussion to his quarters where so many plans were made.  Various schemes such as exhausting all the space-whores at other brothels, contracting really bad venereal diseases and then giving it to space-whores at other brothels, and messing with the food and beverage distribution channels of those competing brothels.  There were more.  Lots more!  But I'll stop there.


Interruption

Suddenly, the space station went to red alert because it drifted into some kind of alien radiation eating away at the hull.

Lead pilot Bloto took the Blue Flamingo and most of the PCs to a nearby asteroid that was at the center of the radiation.  There, they found alien technology and an unseen, malevolent presence.

Even though passing cards to a few players who rolled 1s with information about their possession didn't quite work the way I planned, the encounter was still pretty awesome.  Han Zulu, a reptilian dog-sized pilot, and Mrvlka'l, a cat-sized pirate that could camouflage itself so well that no one really knew what he looked like (but most assumed he sort of resembled a cat), got blasted for a lot of damage.

In the end, they defeated the alien consciousness and flew back to AB.  Almost forgot - its defeat wouldn't have been possible without the strangest member of the team.  Ace Rimmer was a thought-form existing only in the minds of those he interacted with.  Since he was also an unseen presence, he was able to weaken the alien force enough for others to destroy it.

Long story short, their plans had gone well.  Alpha Blue won the best brothel in the universe competition and they split the money.

There's a lot of stuff I left out.  Sorry if someone's favorite part got cut.  Anyways, I'll leave you with a couple playtester testimonials...

This is from Joshua Cooper Darlington:  Alpha Blue is a rockinroll Science Fiction/Transhumanist RPG filled with 80s inspired B movie psychotronic sleaze and tentacle porn.  The character generation is brilliant and the game is fast and super fun. Playtesting was an honor.  More please.  

Here's something from +sean mcconkey:  Early stages of Alpha Blue prove that it will not be a game that the entire family can sit down and enjoy, it might even prove a bit robust for many adults. 

However, if you find humor in random sex jokes, insane tables that skew a game into madness, and a groovy 70's vibe then Alpha Blue will be a game you need to add to your library. It is probably best enjoyed while sipping on a Harvey Wallbanger or a Grasshopper as some Marvin Gaye or Blondie wraps you in shag-carpeted wonderfulness. A sense of humor, an admiration of vintage porn, a fetish for fetishes, and a nostalgic longing for the 70's are a must. So just chill and know everything will be copacetic as you experience... Alpha Blue. 

Thanks for reading,

VS

p.s.  The book will be out in January and at that time I'll be releasing the ship and space station map files into cyberspace for general recreational (non-commercial) use.

Talk to me about 2300 AD

I've got a few RPG blind spots.  I'm probably not alone in that confession.  It happens.

A new acquaintance, +Erik Alfkin, mentioned an old school, hard science fiction RPG called 2300 AD.  Despite gaming heavily throughout the 80's, I knew almost nothing about the game, except for recalling a few of the covers.

That made me curious... why was that?  Why did I go out of my way to avoid it?  Must be the same reason I never wanted anything to do with Traveller.  Well, almost.

You see, I really don't like numbers.  For me, mathematics is the worst of all forms of communication.  The title of 2300 AD is, you guessed it, pretty much all numbers.  Additionally, it's easy to tell that the game is hard sci-fi.  Science-fantasy, space opera, sci-fi with humor?  Yes to all three.  Back then I just assumed serious science fiction was dry as unbuttered toast, and anything that looked like it might be boring was ignored.  But at least some of the art was good.

Traveller didn't have the numbers but where were the space ships, lasers, robots, and women in silver bikinis?  Yeah, it lost me as well.  And for similar reasons.  I don't have much experience with the Star Trek RPGs (owned the old Tom Baker boxed set Doctor Who RPG but never got beyond character creation), and a few others.  Man, if there weren't lightsabers, psychotic computers, or scantily clad ladies, it just never got on my radar.

Looking back, it's a shame.  I'm sure I would have had some great games and memories of those sessions to this day.  Just another case of bias, ignorance, and judging books by their covers.

To rectify the situation, I'm going to see about acquiring 2300 AD because the research I did earlier today makes it sound really cool.  I assume the 2nd edition is where it's at (even though I'm not a fan of the artwork), but I could be wrong.  Anyone want to talk about their own sci-fi RPG experiences in the 80's (or earlier/later)?  Want to make a recommendation?  Comment below!

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Old Trek through New Eyes (part II)

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Star Trek: Old School Through New Eyes

I loved fantasy and science fiction as a kid.  Born in 1974, there was some stuff I missed.  Thankfully, regular TV, HBO, and our family VCR helped bridge the gap so I could watch more and more and more!  The original series of Star Trek, however, somehow eluded my viewing.

By the way, my first exposure to Star Trek was The Wrath of Khan.  I must have watched it a couple dozen times in the 80's.  To this day, it's still my favorite Star Trek movie.

I think I tuned into the show once, quite accidentally, halfway during an episode where everyone was dressed like cowboys and walking through a western set.  A couple more such experiences must have soured me on the franchise's origins because I never tried to rent it or catch it on tv.  Then, a few years ago, I found out or maybe accidentally stumbled upon the episode "Space Seed".  For those who don't know, it's like a 50 minute Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan prequel.  Yes, "Space Seed" came first and the events lead up to the movie's premise.  Not only did I like the story - especially finding out it's about the earlier years of Khan - but there was a sexism aspect that I really enjoyed and found refreshingly old school.

Moving on, I purchased the original series on DVD a couple years ago after watching "Space Seed" and just kept putting it off and putting it off until just a couple months ago.  My youngest daughter likes to get up in the middle of the night (usually twice) for breastfeeding.  My wife takes care of that.  Illyria is my responsibility when she gets up around 6:30 or 7 in the morning.  At that point, we go downstairs.  She plays, I'm sitting on the couch five feet away watching, you guessed it, Star Trek: the original series until my eldest daughter wakes up and demands Mickey Mouse or Bubble Guppies or Lala Oopsie, etc.

Having never seen these vintage episodes before, I'm getting a real historical kick out of the scifi vintage that is this show.  An important point - I bought the DVDs with the updated, enhanced special effects.  Not sure if that was the right move, but think I may have been bummed to see 60's FX on a dismal budget.

It seems a little silly to review the original Star Trek show, so this isn't intended to be that.  Below are my snap-shot subjective thoughts on what I've seen so far.  The episodes I will most likely want to see again down the road, maybe when the girls are a bit older.
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"The Man Trap"  -  I like the planet's rock formations, ruins, and bizarre colors that seem to be everywhere like a Dario Argento film - scifi Suspiria!  Great looking creature!

"Charlie X"  -  I have to keep reminding myself that what I might find "unoriginal" now might have been ground breaking back then.  Three dimensional chess... cool.  Not sure if I only half understood the ending because of alien exposition and saving the day or one of my kids was screaming about something.

"Where No Man Has Gone Before"  -  Cool eyes and mind powers!  Not bad at all.

"The Naked Time"  -  The beginning reminded me at little of John Carpenter's The Thing.  Sulu without a shirt.  Overall, a little hokey, but not oh well.

"The Enemy Within"  -  Kirk is divided into a virtuous and demonic version of himself.  Both are extremes and neither are able to effectively captain the ship or live within society's confines.

"Mudd's Women"  -  What?!?  I enjoyed the blatant sexy space women angle, but the overall plot kind of bored and confounded me.

"What Little Girls Are Made Of"  -  Speaking of sexy space women (this is going to be a running theme, I guess).  That "research assistant" is one hot ticket.  And wasn't that "large humanoid" the cannibalistic alien dude from that Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man"?

"Miri"  -  It's only begun, but I already have the urge to shout, "Stop it!" at the planets that resemble 1960's earth.  Of course, that urge might also come from baby and/or toddler throwing food, slapping or clawing me in the face, and similar behavior.

"Dagger of the Mind"  -  This one seemed to take forever to get going, but I enjoyed the mad scientist / crazy psychological theories angle.  Next time, cut to the chase a little faster, ok?

"The Corbomite Maneuver"  -  Who doesn't want to slap Lt. Bailey - especially when he wants to slap everyone else?  I liked the back and forth of this episode, the unknown, the unwinnable forecast.  Chess versus poker.  Cool.  Wait, who the fuck is that little dude?

"The Menagerie, Part I"  -  I was sorry to find out that this is the series' only two-parter.  A shame because it's quite awesome.  And for the really, really good stories, this is my preferred format.  Pike looks so bad.  Jeez!  Spock is betraying Kirk!  No!  Why is Talos IV forbidden?  How are those images possible?  What's going on?

"The Menagerie, Part II"  -  Wow, Vina might be the single best part of this season!  My first glimpse of the green skinned Star Trek girls I've heard about.  Doesn't disappoint.  Those large headed aliens look really cool.  I kind of wish they would've only used their minds to speak, instead of quickly switching to the regular mouth talking we're used to.  Can't say I expected the ending.  Is the hottness that was Vina still there?  Can Pike run around in his imagination?  Is this the matrix?  What exactly is going on?

"The Conscience of the King"  -  This reminds me of a Blake's 7 episode.  A couple different ones, actually.

"Balance of Terror"  -  Yes!  Finally, there's some ship to ship combat, tactical maneuvering, and general fighting aliens awesomeness!  Wait, doesn't that Romulan look awfully familiar, even for someone who's never really seen the show before?  Why was that guy picking on Spock?  Ok, I enjoy the fact that there's some species/racial connectivity between Romulans and Vulcans.  Didn't know that.  Cool.

"Shore Leave"  -  No!  We go from one of the best episodes of Season 1 to one of the worst.  Alice in Wonderland, seriously?  I'd almost rather be playing Disney Princess tea party than pay close attention to this one.

"The Galileo Seven"  -  I'm not sure about this episode.  On one hand, it reminds me of Lost in Space (which is both good and bad, but mostly bad in the serious scifi sense).  On the other, it's an interesting entry in the Star Trek canon.  Am I glad that I didn't get to see much of those giants, like their faces?  Probably.  Why is everyone hating on Spock, god damn it?!?  Ok, he's logical and emotionless, but the man's (so to speak) doing his best to keep everyone alive.  Back off, Lieutenant Boma!

"The Squire of Gothos"  -  Dear god, why me?  Why should I be subjected to this poppycock!?!

"Arena"  -  I vaguely remember seeing bits and pieces of this one in my youth.  Hmm, not sure if I really liked it that much.  The reptile alien was cool, I suppose.

"Tomorrow is Yesterday"  -  This one reminded me of Twilight Zone, Land of the Lost, and Doctor Who.  It was done alright.  Time travel can be tricky business.

"Court Martial"  -  This episode was really good.  Unexpected!  Didn't have any cool star ship battles or aliens or bizarre scifi concepts, just a solid mystery fueled by quirky human behavior.  More 3D chess!

"The Return of the Archons"  -  For Landru's sake!  I understand the studio didn't actually give you any money for alien world sets and whatnot, but come on.  Overall, this wasn't too bad, but it started off so slow.  Pick up the pace a little, guys.

"Space Seed"  -  I remember this so well, I skipped it because I want to watch it with either my wife or a couple of friends and then see Wrath of Khan right after.  Awesome episode!

"A Taste of Armageddon"  -  Great story.  This episode would be original even in 2014.  I want to punch the idiots on that planet almost as much as Kirk.  Also, there's a darkness to it.  It creeps me out a little bit to think of people voluntarily walking into a disintegration booth just because the planet's computer lost a game of Battleship.

"This Side of Paradise"  -  This reminded me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers from the 70's.  Wait a minute, Leonard Nimoy was in that movie!  Last ditch save at the end.  Not sure if I like how the story panned out.  This episode made Spock sad.  >:(

"The Devil in the Dark"  -  There's got to be half a dozen vintage Doctor Who episodes that fit this basic description.  All the overweight, middle aged, average looking men at the beginning seem out of place - maybe that's because it actually seems plausible.  Oh my god, my reality has just been altered by some alien plant disease curse doppelganger hideous monster thing... no!

"Errand of Mercy"  -  Mostly awesome!  We get to see Klingons for the very first time!  Even though there's no ridged forehead stuff going on, the main one (that has more than just brown shoe polish rubbed into his pores) is pretty badass!  But who couldn't have guessed the natives of that planet didn't have some kind of ultimate doomsday weapon or were actually godlike beings just pretending to be human or were actually holograms or something?  Duh!  Still, the moral of the story was an interesting one.  Do civilized species/races have the right to wage war on each other when there are "grownup" aliens around?

"The Alternative Factor"  -  I just didn't know what to make of this one.  That dude's beard, for starters!  The last few minutes were the best.  A corridor between universes sounds pretty neat.

"The City on the Edge of Forever"  -  Isn't there a Blake's 7 episode of the same name?  Hang on, I've gotta look this up... ok, that one is called "City at the Edge of the World".  Anyways, this one started off really cool, but then 1930's earth.  Yawn.  Joan Collins?  Spock is building what with vacuum tubes and bottle caps?  Can pacifism ever be a bad thing?  Guess so.  Sorry, Hitler.  Joan Collins isn't going to lull baby America to sleep just yet.  "Let's get the hell out of here."  Indeed.  Wait, what?  No, that alien world time guardian thing is awesome.  It was the great depression era that made the episode suck.  Come back, Kirk!

"Operation: Annihilate!"  -  I didn't care for this one, either.  Kind of a poor ending to a pretty decent first season.  But wait, there's more...

"Amok Time"  -  Spock needs some time off... personal reasons.  I must have heard about "pon farr" before, but most recently a youtube series of videos called Barely Political / Key of Awesome did a parody thing about just that.  Just when I was starting to get bored with the back and forth shenanigans between Spock, Kirk, and Kirk's commanding officer telling him not to take a pit stop on the planet Vulcan, things started to get interesting.  This definitely could have been a two-parter.  I like the planet, rituals, Vulcans, fight to the death, Vulcan princesses' clever plan, and Bones' ingenuity.  That Vulcan who almost fought with Spock looked a lot like Leonard Nimoy, didn't he?  Uncanny.  And Spock smiles big at the end.  Nice.

"Who Mourns for Adonias?"  -  Jesus!  I have a feeling that this is why I never got into Star Trek as a kid.  A minute of this poorly done Bewitched meets I Dream of Jeanie bullshit is one minute too long, let alone 50 of them in a fucking row!!!

"The Changeling"  -  Even though Kirk tried to explain it, I have no idea what this episode has to do with changelings.  This is a common scifi tv trope.  I've seen it done in Lost in Space, Doctor Who, and probably a dozen other shows.  Not bad.  Nomad reminded me of IG88, which was nice.

"Mirror, Mirror"  -  Awesome!  This is more of what I'm talking about.  Spock with a goatee, Sulu a facial scar... where's the eye patch?  Assassination is a reasonable avenue to promotion!  Who knew?  Definitely enjoyed watching "the Captain's woman".  That dagger coming down into the world stencil really says it all.  Is evil Spock even more awesome than his usual self?  I think so.  He's still as logical and calculating as before.  Loved it when he said this to the scheming Sulu, "Many of my agents are Vulcans."  I can't believe we didn't get to see the evil landing party initially interact with the good enterprise crew.  Did the writer fall asleep?  This could have been another grand two-part episode.


That's all I've seen so far.  Will probably take me a couple months before I'm through season 3.  Hopefully, no one is offended by my sort of snide or snarky comments.  Just trying to add a little humor to the process.  If you have a comment, want to chat about an aspect of the show or something that happened in an episode, go right ahead.  Even though these episodes are fresh in my head, I'm no expert.  Find a Trekkie for all your esoteric trivia needs.

I'm starting see what all the fuss was about, up to and including Big Bang Theory.  Sheldon Cooper as Spock?  Only if he keeps the goatee...


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