Gamma World... Is Here! Hornetpocalypse Edition

In case you haven't heard, Giant Hornets are on the rampage in China!

37 people have been hospitalized and over 1600 attacks have been reported.  As you can see from the pictures to the right, the wounds are pretty horrific.
And the worst part?  They could be headed to your neighborhood next (scary newscaster voice)

If you live in England.

If you live in France?

They could already be in your neighborhood (scary newscaster voice).

Apparently a couple escaped china in a crate of pottery and are slowly taking over France, even as we speak.

How long before they turn their baleful, multifaceted gaze upon America?

Stay tuned to find out!

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2442384/Swarms-deadly-hornets-kill-42-people-injure-1-600-China.html

                                     

In the Future We Will All Be Anime

Well, according to a scientist and an artist, that is.

And, y'know... it's Forbes.  So.

Lamm says this is “one possible timeline,” where, thanks to zygotic genome engineering technology, our future selves would have the ability to control human biology and human evolution in much the same way we control electrons today.

Lamm speaks of “wresting control” of the human form from natural evolution and bending human biology to suit our needs.  The illustrations were inspired by conversations with Dr. Alan Kwan, who holds a PhD in computational genomics from Washington University.

Kwan based his predictions on what living environments might look like in the future, climate and technological advancements. One of the big changes will be a larger forehead, Kwan predicts – a feature that has already expanding since the 14th and 16th centuries. Scientists writing in the British Dental Journal have suggested that skull-measurement comparisons from that time show modern-day people have less prominent facial features but higher foreheads, and Kwan expects the human head to trend larger to accommodate a larger brain.

Kwan says that 60,000 years from now, our ability to control the human genome will also make the effect of evolution on our facial features moot. As genetic engineering becomes the norm, “the fate of the human face will be increasingly determined by human tastes,” he says in a research document. Eyes will meanwhile get larger, as attempts to colonize Earth’s solar system and beyond see people living in the dimmer environments of colonies further away from the Sun than Earth. Similarly, skin will become more pigmented to lesson the damage from harmful UV radiation outside of the Earth’s protective ozone. Kwan expects people to have thicker eyelids and a more pronounced superciliary arch (the smooth, frontal bone of the skull under the brow), to deal with the effects of low gravity.

The remaining 40,000 years, or 100,000 years from now, Kwan believes the human face will reflect “total mastery over human morphological genetics. This human face will be heavily biased towards features that humans find fundamentally appealing: strong, regal lines, straight nose, intense eyes, and placement of facial features that adhere to the golden ratio and left/right perfect symmetry,” he says.

Read the rest here

Gamma World... Is Here! Brazilian Treehopper Edition

What the hell is this thing?

This can't be real, I think, I mean, it's a drawing, so surely someone made this up, right?

Well here are photos!  Not saying that they couldn't be 'shopped, but it provides a little certainty anyways. The best part about these things/  Scientists have no idea what those balls are, or what they're for.

Read about them here and here.  It's also worth going to the Italian Wikipedia page, as for some reason, they have different pictures associated with them.  

And you know what, if they don't exist - they should....


IN GAMMA WORLD.

Three Days Remain!

No, this isn't a Mayan Apocalypse thing, there are only three days left in the Morrow Project Kickstarter!  One of the original post-apocalyptic RPGs,

I played this a few times when I was but a lad.  I'm not sure how much was the setting and how much was the GM, but it played like a cross between Gamma World, Twilight 2000 and Paranoia.  Even though my group only played it a handful of sessions before moving on, I've always held it in high regard.

Well, as I said above, they've got a Kickstarter on for a fourth edition of the game, and I've had the badge displayed prominently here on the blog for awhile now, but with only three days left, I figured I'd give it a final push.  It's fully funded at this point, and has hit the first two stretch goals, and the third is definitely doable with a strong push in the last few days, so if you haven't already, get on board!

I'm In A Post-Apocalyptic State of Mind

My wife and I are driving cross country, from Dallas, TX to Flagstaff, AZ on our honeymoon.  We plan to see the Grand Canyon, then take Route 66 back to Dallas.  We left Dallas on Friday afternoon, stayed in Oklahoma City Friday night, and made it to Albuquerque, NM late yesterday evening.

I often find that folks from other parts of the world, and even other parts of the US, don't really appreciate just how friggin' huge the southwestern part of the United States is.  For instance, the only reason we drove through Oklahoma at all was because it was quicker to go up to Oklahoma City, then west to Amarillo Texas than it was to drive directly to Amarillo from Dallas.  Yes, we have entire states that exist to be shortcuts through other states.  After a day and a half driving, we're in our third state, but we're really only a state and a half away from where we started.  Wrap your mind around that.

Further, calling stretches of our trip thus far desolate would be understating the matter.  Gigantic wind turbines and cows are all that break up the scenery for miles at a time.  It's mostly grassland and prairie through Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle, but as you get into New Mexico, it changes.  The grass thins out, replaced by pockets of shrubs, and honest-to-god tumbleweed.  At first, just faint outlines in the distance, you begin to see mountains rising up on the horizon, hazy blue in color.  Along the sides of the road are abandoned buildings, long surrendered to nature.  Texaco signs missing the X and the C, free-standing chimneys with the buildings they once warmed lying in ruin around them.  As you approach Albuquerque, the  mountains loom above you, when suddenly the road veers sharply to the south, going through a valley south of town before juking back up north to bring you into the sun-baked adobe homes that are scattered around the town.  As the sun goes down, you can't help but think that while Big Sky Country may be Montana's nickname, it applies equally well down here - the colors radiate out from the sunset, stretching almost to the opposite horizon.  The sun dips below the horizon as you enter town, and you find city colors replace it - underpasses are lit by lamps of shifting hues, from reds to blues to yellows and back again.  Driving through Albuquerque at night is a surreal experience.

And of course, finding myself in Albuquerque, I can't help but think of the Albuquerque Star Port Mini-Adventure, packaged in with early editions of Gamma World.  I have a soft spot in my heart for this adventure, I remember reading in the back seat of the car on a trip back when I was a kid.  It was the first Gamma World adventure that I ever played, and the first one that I ever GM'd.  The wonder of the adventure stays with me to this day - midway through, there's the big mindtwist, as you find out something you're exploring isn't quite what you thought it was, and suddenly you're looking at things from a very different perspective.

I've been focused on fantasy RPGs of late, but this trip is tickling a part of me that has been resting for awhile.  I feel a need for some Post-Apocalyptic RPGing coming on.  I need to gather some folks looking to explore the wastelands, to protect the villagers from rampaging hordes of mutants, to recover lost artifacts of the Ancients, to venture into the Bones of the Giants.

Other Dust, Mutant Future, Gamma World, hell maybe I'll even finish up on From the Ashes.

Winter is Coming II - The Cave of Eternal Winter

I missed the Winter is Coming Blog Carnival last year, indeed, I didn't even realize such a thing existed until I saw it over at Dice Monkey.  Now I know, and it sounded like fun.

The Cave of Eternal Winter was designed for Gamma World, Mutant Future, or any other post-apocalyptic rpg.

There is a legend, whispered among the tribes of Tixus, of a cave, hidden deep among the Bones of the Giants.  This cave contains the very Spirit of Winter.  No matter how hot it is outside, no matter how the sun beats down upon the scorched earth, the Cave is cold enough to freeze a body solid.   

Legend tells of blocks of ice within the cave that, when removed from the cave, reveal food of the ancients, mysteriously preserved through the ages.  Tales are told of wondrous legendary devices within, still in perfect working order, and some whisper their fear of the creatures that lurk within the cave, emerging from the snowy depths to kill any who dare trespass.

There are darker legends, of roving wanderers who have strayed too close and were dragged screaming into the cave.  Supposedly, nothing can live in its proximity.  When you stop feeling the bugs on your neck, when you stop hearing the birds cawing and the creatures growling, check the wind.  If you feel a chill, you've come too close!

The Cave of Winter is, in fact, an automated meat packing plant, still fully operational after centuries of abandonment.  Powered by a nuclear reactor far beneath the surface, an AI controls the day to day operations of the plant.  Several hundred years ago, some mutated moles were tunneling under the foundation of the facility, causing it to collapse beneath the earth, leaving only the entrance exposed. 

Undeterred, the AI continued on with its final directive - to keep the plant stocked with fresh, frozen meat.  It has fulfilled that directive enthusiastically, even as it has gradually lost perspective, along with its sanity.  The entire plant has been converted into a gigantic frozen meat locker, and temperatures have not risen above freezing in several centuries.  The robots that maintain the plant by this point have ice frozen to all non-mobile pieces of their bodies, and can be mistaken for Ice Demons.  The plant has thousands of pounds of frozen meat stockpiled in various parts of the facility, and the machinery is surprisingly intact and well maintained, if a bit frostbitten.

In order to fulfill its directive, the AI will send its robots out to snatch those who come too close to the factory, and process their flesh.  This results in a "Dead Zone" of approximately 1 mile around the factory.  Any intruders into the factory are similarly consumed, processed and packaged.

There are currently 54 fully functional robots in the facility, which is a significant decrease from the 377 that were initially present.  The 323 non-functional robots have frozen gears and joints which prevent them from moving.  These can be found scattered about the facility, frozen solid.  

The packaged meat is in cubes, with the label of the manufacturer, "Froztreatz" prominently displayed on the plastic wrap-like packaging.  

The AI is housed  in a chamber, with all the entrances frozen shut.  The cold and isolation has driven it mad, and it has taken to calling itself the Lord of Winter.  It has recently recognized that it is running out of space for the processed meant, and has begun using 15 of the functional robots to dig into the earth around the plant.  Its plan is to expand its wintry kingdom outwards and ensure that there is a never ending supply of meat to package!

Monstrous Monday - Fear the Mayfly Queen!

The Mayfly Queen:Size: Medium, Number Appearing: 1 (Unique) Armor Class: -2 Hit Dice: 14 Movement Special  Attacks: 3 Damage: 1d8/1d8/2d12 + special, see below XP: 10000  

Mayfly Drones: Size: Medium, Number Appearing: See Below, Armor Class: 5 Hit Dice 1-6 Movement: 12" 40" Fl Attacks: 3 Damage: 1d4, 1d4, 1d8 XP: 500

The Mayfly Queen is the progenitor god of an entire race of insect-like creatures. Although it has taken the name of the Mayfly Queen, it is not strictly female, nor is its race made up of Mayflies. Scholars speculate that it is a remnant of a previous universe, or an invader from somewhere else entirely. Planar historians have records of periodic infestations going back millenia, and while these infestations have been driven off, it has never been without cost, and the Queen herself has never been destroyed. It is speculated that the Queen's natural habitat is a place outside of time, that it worms its way into the cracks and breeds, forcing the cracks wider and wider until time itself splinters, and the hordes of the Mayfly Queen spill forth, consuming all in their path.

This begins the Mayqueen's cycle. The Queen is not native to linear time, and in order to survive in the hostile environment, the Queen must nest within the brain of a sentient creature, letting it act as a buffer. The longer the host would have lived had it not been taken by the Queen, the more energy exists to be converted. As such, the Queen typically targets the young, and sends whole detachments of its drones out to capture as many as possible. These unfortunates are wrapped up in a salival resin, and placed in storage for future use. For every month that the victim would have lived, it can protect the Queen for one day, at which point the host expires, and the Queen must find another.

Further, the Queen can use that same potential energy to create additional drones. Should she wish, she can burn through all of the host's potential energy to create 4d100 drones. A single host can spawn an entire legion of Mayfly Drones, and an infestation will typically result in thousands upon thousands of hosts. Some are kept near the Queen, allowing her to direct her Drones and replenish their ranks as they fall, while others are stuffed back into the cracks in Time, as she hedges her bets. Should she fail, there are always hosts stashed away in different places and times. Outside of time, the hosts' potential energy is multiplied a thousandfold, allowing for the Horde to reach vast sizes. These drones are not long lived, however, hence the name given to the species, and applied to the Queen.  Born of potential energy, the Drones are unstable, and will typically only live for 1-2 days.  They can consume the potential energy of living creatures to extend their own lifespans, however, at the rate of 1 day per victim.

Thus the Queen must constantly expand, her hordes consuming all living creatures, decimating entire planes of existence, before collapsing under the weight of their own need, or being driven back, at which point the Queen begins breeding anew, and the cycle begins again.

There are legends of a race of Eternal beings named the Aasir of the First City who appear during swarms, aiding the beleaguered defenders, but even they seem to favor containment over direct confrontations, and it appears that in certain instances, the Aasir have also been known to slaughter those same defenders, to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Mayfly Queen.

The Queen itself is a bloated parasite, resembling a giant tick. It is a mottled yellowish white color, like milk mixed with pus. It has two sharp claws, and a proboscis which can also deliver devastating damage. If damage is taken from the proboscis, the target must save vs. poison or be paralyzed for 2d6 rounds.  If encountered, it will almost certainly be attached to a Host, latched onto the spine of the unfortunate creature.  Its proboscis will be extended through the base of the skull, extending outwards through the mouth, and has been known to communicate, indicating that it does possess some measure of intelligence.  If engaged directly in combat, it will immediately burn through its host and generate a host of defenders, and will only enter combat itself as a last resort. It has both Plane Shift and Time Shift available as last resorts, each is usable only once per day. 

It should be noted that there are no records of the Mayfly Queen ever having been engaged directly in combat.  Whether that is because no-one has been able to, or no-one has lived to tell the tale is unknown. 

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream: The RPG

Over on Rather Gamey, Ark was describing an adventure format for Stars Without Number, based on the idea that you're all "Redshirts", beamed in and out of planets, which would allow for quick, one shot adventures with a rotating cast.  In the comments, someone pointed out that if the adventure didn't wrap up at the end of one session and instead needed to carry over to the next, each person would have to show up next time, defeating the modular aspect that Ark was going for.  Instead, he suggested, why not have a crazy computer AI beaming people in and out of scenarios at random intervals, so if someone drops out mid session, oh don't worry it's just that glitchy AI, it must have changed it's mind, Ensign Singh is gone now, and oh it looks like he's been replaced by Yeoman Hossenfeffer.

Now, to me, that sounds like you've left Gene Roddenberry behind, and crossed over into Harlan Ellison, specificially one of my favorite short stories of all time, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream".  What an awesome game that would be.  The story practically writes its own RPG - the AI = GM, you've got different characters, each with their own specialty (even if one of those specialties is f***ing), and they're being led through an endless maze by a crazed AI who just wants to mess with them.  Now that I think about it, you could probably file the serial numbers off of Paranoia and run it pretty well. 

Or you could just make your own game, because hey, Harlan wouldn't care if someone made a game based on his idea, right?  Right? 

Hahaha of course he would. 

Maybe a free version just distributed via fileshare, adapting the book to another system,  a la Thundarr for Mutant Future?  I dunno, I'm not sure how that would work, but I'm curious enough to find out!

Thinking about this has inspired me to crack open some of my Ellison books, and I may post more about him in the near future, as he's been a huge inspiration to me since I was but a lad.  I've written about half of a novel that is a love letter and spiritual sequel to The Whimper of Whipped Dogs, and Deathbird Stories is one of my favorite books, 25 years after I read it for the first time.  As much of a cranky, quixotic bastard as Ellison can be, his stories always manage to evoke a reaction in me, and he'll always be at the top of my list of authors.

A Cry For Help and A Request for Advice

Okay, so first, the Cry For Help.  About 10 years ago, I became aware of the existence of a certain thing.  As folks who have been to my house can attest, I am in possession of quite a few gaming related things, and by and large, if something shiny catches my eye, I pursue it with the unwavering focus of a starving bird of prey, until it's meaty bits rest safely within my clutched claws.  This particular thing, however, has eluded me for 10 years.  Literally.  I was okay with that, until Grognardia posted about white whales on Friday, which brought everything bubbling to the surface, and I have spent the weekend consumed with frustration at my inability to possess this thing. 

What is this thing, you might ask.  First, let me give you some background so that you might appreciate the dilligence with which I have pursued this thing.  About eight years ago, I set up a saved search on eBay.  For six years, it sat, silent and uncaring, sending me no notifications.  Two years ago, I was searching the googles when I came across a recently completed sale on eBay.  Why had my trusted hound not sniffed this out?  I had entered my search in quotation marks, and the sale had been listed slightly differently, and the blinders I had placed upon my hound had prevented it from seeing anything but exactly what I had set it to find.  Biting my knuckle in frustration, I set up a second saved search, this time using a different search string.  Just recently, as I'm sure many of you will recall, a number of Gary Gygax's personal items were put up for auction on eBay, and hark!  I received notification that my white whale was one of those items.  Consumed with excitement, I bid.  I literally came within seconds of owning it, but was sniped by someone at 10 seconds, and my phone picked that particular moment to reset it's data connection.  Damn you Verizon!  Damn you to hell!  At this point I began to get desperate.  Searching for completed sales, I found and contacted people who had purchased this thing on eBay in the past, and sent them messages through eBay, asking them if they were still in possession of the thing, and if so, were they interested in selling it.  Each responded, only to tell me in various forms that no, they were not interested in selling the thing.  One recend response, in particular, broke my heart, "I still have it. I love it. It embodies my dreams and delusions of youth. Sorry, but I won't part with it."

Gah!  The pain!

I've recently put up Wanted ad on rpg.net, and have joined the Acaeum, where I will be posting a similar plea.  But in the interest of casting as wide a net as possible, I am posting my entreaty here as well.

So, what is this thing of which I speak?  What item could possibly drive a man to a ten year long quest to possess it?

Only the finest bit of pop-art mastery ever laid to paper.  Only the most incredible, most evocative work of art ever to grace the cover of an RPG.  Only one of the few opportunities that exist to hang a piece of art done by one of the old-school masters on a wall.  Once, you could simply... mail TSR your address and two dollars, and they would send it to you.  Now, you must hunt.  Now, I must hunt.

What is this thing?

A poster, with the art of the legendary Dave Trampier, from the cover of TSR 3002, the Box Set of Gamma World, 1st edition.  Words cannot describe how I covet this item.  And my hope is that someone will read this post, and take pity upon this wretched, crooked soul, and aid me in bringing down my White Whale, that I may mount it upon my wall, a trophy of a hunt which has seemingly lasted a lifetime.

So I beg of you, if you possess this treasure, or if you know someone who does, and you or that person is interested in parting with it, contact me.  I am a VERY motivated buyer, and will make sure that you are paid more than fairly for the pain I am sure you would feel losing it.

Seriously, let me know.

....

Moving on.

The other, significantly less weighty request for this post is one that hopefully will garner some quick results.  I recently contributed to the Kickstarter campaign for Champions of Zed.  For those of you who are not familiar, click on that link.  It looks as though it will be very cool.  I was a big fan of Dragons at Dawn, which was done by the same guy, and the idea of using Arneson's notes to create an alternate timeline D&D is fascinating to me.  Hence my donation.  So the level of my contribution has gotten me the priviledge of selecting the subject of a quarter page piece of art.  I want to make it a good one, so I'm soliciting opinions from my readers.  The artist who will be creating my quarter page masterpiece is named Andres Canals, his picasa page is here - https://picasaweb.google.com/112556034220580566111/FantasyArt?noredirect=1.  That should give you an idea of his style. 

So, faithful readers, what should I have him draw?

Gamma World... Is Here! Still Continuing...

Light on Quests Mountain

I remember picking this up as a lad, at a garage sale.  I was big into Choose Your Own Adventure books, and the cover grabbed me right off the bat.  Co-written by James Ward, these definitely had a je ne sais quoi that my pre-rpg brain connected with.  I remember sitting up nights, going through the book over and over, trying to get the "perfect" ending.  At some point, I put it away, and forgot all about it.

Years later, having since actually played Gamma World, I was back at my parents' house, and was digging through my old stuff, and found my beat up copy.  I couldn't help but wonder if my affection for the book had somehow influenced me subconsciously, years later, to get into D&D, and subsequently Gamma World.  Probably not, but it's fun to imagine such things.

Reading through it as an adult, though, I was surprised to see that the story, for all intents and purposes, holds up as an actual adventure, and in fact, I ended up lifting large parts of Light on Quests Mountain for an adventure I ran, with the final battle in the robot's control room plagiarized directly from it. 

Looking on the interwebs, I see that a number of these were written, including three more Gamma World adventures.  I'll be keeping an eye out on ebay for any good lots that I can pick up cheap.

Who knows how many more adventure seeds they hold?

RUIN - A Pretty Awesome Post Apocalyptic Short Film

This apprently went online Friday, and I love the look and feel of it - it could practically be a Gamma World short film. Make sure you stick around after the credits!

RUIN from OddBall Animation on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/38591304

Gamma World... is Here! cont'd again

In Case You Missed It

With all the hoopla surrounding Wizards of the Coast's announcement that they intend to reprint AD&D 1st edition books, you'd be forgiven for having missed the fact that James M Ward has put Metamorphosis Alpha up for sale, print on demand, through Lulu.

The prototype for Gamma World, it was the first of its kind, and really, nothing like it has been seen since.  Set on a spaceship hurtling through space, you play a part in the ever evolving ecosystem that develops long after a cataclysm kills most of the inhabitants of the ship.  You are the descendants, the ship your world, left to puzzle out what is left behind.

Seriously, do yourself a favor and buy it. 

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/metamorphosis-alpha/1647436

WWtCD?

In a previous post, I had discussed the differences between player and character expectations, and I thought it was a topic that deserved some more room to breathe.  Specifically, I got to thinking about my time as a GM in a Gamma World campaign, and what a pain in the ass it was trying to create a world in which ordinary, every day items were wondrous artifacts of a bygone age.  Rolling up the "treasure" and finding they had discovered a fire extinguisher, and trying to describe it without giving it a way ("a red, tube shaped object with a hose running off of it that ends in a cone").  As much of a pain as it was, though, it was vital to keeping the "feel" of the game alive, because most people, or at least most people I have played with, sort of idealize themselves when they roleplay, so getting them into the heads of their characters can be a real challenge.  If I had told them that they had found a fire extinguisher, they would have been off to the Preservationists to hawk it without a second thought.  Instead, they went all the way through the "Figure Out an Artifact" chart, and were at one point using it as a bludgeoning weapon. 

When I play, I try and come up with a concept for my character as early in the character generation process as possible.  If I can do it beforehand and then fit the stats into the concept, all the better.  Once I've got that character, I try and react to situations as I feel my character would, which can lead to conflict in some cases with my fellow party members.  Playing a 1st level Elven Fighter, my fellow adventurers cannot understand why I won't go near the front lines, even though I have the biggest number of hit points.  Well, if you're an Elf that will live for thousands of years, provided you don't trip down the stairs or get impaled on the end of a spear, and you're only one or two sword strokes away from death, I think you'd be getting well acquainted with bows and arrows.  Similarly, when I played a Warforged Psionicist, the Evil, Evil GM had us square off against a monster that devoured metal.  My Warforged watched the fighter's shield turn to dust and broke and ran to "go for help".  It's those sorts of things, in my humble opinion, that make role playing fun.  Sure, there's always room in the party for a square jawed hero who laughs at death, but take the time to humanize your character!  Get in their head, and ask, WWtCD?

Crossing Streams

Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is a longtime favorite module of mine, serving as it did as a halfway point between D&D and Gamma World.  I remember hearing about it when I was younger, and reacting much as though someone had handed me a peanut butter and guacamole sandwich.  I like scifi, and I like fantasy, but both, together? 

The more I think about it, though, how much of a problem would it be, really, to incorporate either into the other?  In reality, the fantasy folks would probably marvel at the artifacts the scifi folks had, and the scifi folks would wonder how much radiation the mages had to bathe in to get so many mutations!

Bill Slavicsek didn't include it in the Dungeon Survival Guide because he felt it was a "fundamentally different experience", but I think that was the "peanut butter and guacamole" reaction.  I suspect the real reason was a branding decision, but that's another conversation for another time. 

Long story short, even though the direction always seems to be to bring the sci-fi to the fantasy, how would a group of irradiated, post-apocalyptic folks handle being presented with a bunch of sword-swinging, magic-casting do gooders?

Merry Christmas!

For those of you who are fans of WotC's 4e Gamma World, I'd like to remind you of the wonderful Christmas themed Gamma World adventure that they released last year, The Island of the Misfit Omega Tech, found here

Also, a reminder that James M Ward did "evil robot santa claus" YEARS before Futurama did, as shown below.

I have the adventure it's from at home, but I'm not there, and I can't find the name of the actual adventure it's from, but I'll put it in the comments section when I get home next week.

In the meantime, have a Merry Christmas, or at least accept the wish in the spirit in which it is offered!