Skip to content

Published on

Another RPG campaign that never got played. This one was for Mutants & Masterminds. The central idea was that this would be an episodic campaign using pre-generated characters representing the major Marvel super-heroes. Each game session would be like a comic book issue, with each issue introducing plot points and puzzle pieces leading to a big finish to the campaign. So, I created an outline of six “issues” for three different Marvel groups: the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the Avengers. I figured an advantage to that approach would be that whatever players were playing that session would have a choice of the three. Once enough of the “issues” got played, there would be enough story elements revealed to play the grand finale. Each “issue” would be short enough that two of them should be playable in a game session.
...continue reading "Mutants & Masterminds RPG – Marvel Super Heroes"

Published on

Another campaign that never got off the ground. I wanted to run a sci-fi campaign but was undecided whether or not to use Savage Worlds (which I was somewhat familiar with) or Traveller's new edition (which I knew nothing about). So, I ran two play-tests, one with each system. The first (Traveller system) attracted two players, and the second (Savage Worlds) attracted just one player. So, that one fizzled right out the box. I've included some of the background and miscellaneous stuff I wrote. ...continue reading "Traveller Campaign"

Published on
  1. Worlds that do not trade with other worlds are poor and have low technology.
    • 1st Corollary of Law 1: Poor, low tech worlds are in constant danger of extinction.
    • 2nd Corollary of Law 1: Exceptions to this law tend to be extremely nasty.
  2. You are not the first traveller to arrive in this system.
    • 1st Corollary of Law 2: If you don't know what happened to previous travellers, you are asking for trouble.
  3. The people that built your ship assumed that you would always be fully supplied, have a full fuel tank, and not have more than the recommended amount of cargo and passengers before entering hyperspace.
    • 1st Corollary of Law 3: The most important knowledge a traveller must have is how to bend Law 3.
  4. Human beings are short-sighted, paranoid, selfish, greedy, and delusional.
    • 1st Corollary of Law 4: This is the primary source of profit for travellers.
    • 2nd Corollary of Law 4: This is the primary source of danger for travellers.
    • 3rd Corollary of Law 4: This applies to your crew, too, so watch your back.
  5. Always be prepared to nuke the site from orbit (a.k.a. Dead men tell no tales).
    • 1st Corollary of Law 5: Remember that everyone you meet is trying to figure out how to kill you if they decide they have to.
  6. Exposure to hard radiation does not give you super powers. It simply kills you.
  7. Gravity is a harsh mistress.
  8. Don't touch that.
    • 1st Corollary of Law 8: If you think you can profit by touching that, go ahead, but be prepared to be wrong.
    • 2nd Corollary of Law 8: Much better to order a crewman to touch that.
  9. Never forget where you landed the shuttle.
    • 1st Corollary of Law 9: When on a planet, always conduct yourself in such a manner that you are on the shuttle when it takes off again.
    • 2nd Corollary of Law 9: Always remember that your captain can probably recall the shuttle on autopilot.
    • 3rd Corollary of Law 9: It doesn't do any good to be on the shuttle when it returns if your captain is simply going to throw you out the air lock.
  10. It's good to be the Captain.
    • 1st Corollary of Law 10: Your entire crew knows this.

Published on

I wrote this several years ago in a fit of fannish pedantry. Utterly useless, of course, but kind of fun (at least to me).

Star Trek Timeline

Every Star Trek series since the original has subtly, or not so subtly, shifted the historical assumptions underlying the Star Trek historical timeline. Even the movie series introduces different implications than the original series. This timeline is an attempt to show a conjectural Star Trek historical timeline that views the original series as canon, without regard to subsequent interpretations. There will be some borrowing of ideas from later series, but only as a means of filling out incomplete information. The following is an outline of the historical data from ST:TOS, followed by conjectures based on ST:TOS, and then the complete timeline chart.

...continue reading "Star Trek Timeline and Strategic Analysis"

Published on

Another game that never was. I was going to run a Savage Worlds cyberpunk game, but it never got off the ground. This was an essay I wrote for myself as a thought-starter and background information sort of thing.

The Technological System is nothing less than the sum total of the organization, techniques, drives, and capabilities of modern existence. In the Technological System, efficiency is king, trumping nationalism, economics, even biology. That which can be made efficient thrives; that which can not withers. That includes ideologies, historical conflicts, cultures … and people.
...continue reading "Cyberpunk"

Published on

For the Dreadmire campaign, I had the idea that there was this huge port city somewhere off in the void. It would be the source and a way-point for trade goods and people, and a source of rumor. Going there might have become a goal for the PCs. I never really developed any of this stuff, but the ideas are still interesting, at least to me.

 

The City “T’sai-shen”

Cai-shen

The Chinese god of prosperity, both of religious Taoism and in the syncretist folk religion. He has various magical powers, such as warding off thunder and lightning, and ensuring profit from commercial transactions. As a historical figure he is identified as Zhao Xuan-tan (Chao Hsüan-t'an), "General Zhao of the Dark Terrace", from the Qin Dynasty. He attained enlightenment on top of a mountain. He also assisted Zhang Dao-ling on his search for the life-prolonging elixir.
...continue reading "C’ai Shen"

Published on

(This one's interesting. I only have a vague memory of it. I think I actually ran this at a Game Day we had at our place of employment. It wasn't part of the regular campaign, I know that much.)

Dreadmire Campaign

D&D 4.0

August 16, 2008

 

Begin – the gnome sets them down in the Dreadmire swamp. After awhile, they come across a battlefield.

 

1a. Battle scene – twelve dead pirates, thoroughly scavenged by critters. DC 18 – they are sailors. DC 20 – they are offworlders. DC 22 – they killed each other…although some similarly armed combatants may have survived. DC 25 track – find the track of Tree.

 

1b. Find the pirate captain Aloysius Tree of the Skuttlebutt, taken over from the late dread pirate Quee Quai Queg.
...continue reading "Dreadmire – Alternate 1st adventure"

1

Published on 1 Comment on Dreadmire – Adventure #1

Dreadmire Campaign

Adventure #1: The Saga Begins

 

  • Silur Rock
  • Time: early morning
  • At the shore is a hill giant throwing rocks

 

  1. Near the near bank of the river can be seen a fishing boat with one small figure in it (50’ out)
  2. Tip of rock is 250’ from the shore; wavefront of ocean can be seen; swampland seen to the west, hills to the east, river going north; the river is 300’ across with virtually no current

Bob (Bayou Halfling) old fisherman

Knowledge local +10

Boat can carry six uncomfortably
...continue reading "Dreadmire – Adventure #1"

Published on

This was just a file of notes of plot points, setting ideas, encounter ideas, and whatnot for the campaign. Since the game never really went anywhere, I never used 90% of this stuff.

Dreadmire Campaign Ideas

 

Tribe of Fomorians –

  • a city of them, but scattered members can be found all over the Dreadmire.
  • Some can pass as human, though the cat-eye gives them away if you can see through their glamer.
  • Similarity to Rakshasa – urbane, yet cruel – communicative, but not open – enjoys society, but is an enslaver and tyrant.
  • Fomorian warlock ruling a plantation – Halflings in servitude, almost slavery
  • Fomorian rogue passing as a human woman – may be an ally to the PCs, but is also quite willing to turn on them if hired by an enemy

 
...continue reading "Dreadmire campaign ideas"