This Tragic Glass

12:03PM - Another Doctor Who RPG idea

ICMG

The Intrusion CounterMeasures Group was a special military unit operating within Great Britain in the early 1960s. Most of the personnel were assigned from the RAF, but scientific advisors were seconded from the British Rocket Group [a group with its own interesting history-see “Quartermass”] It was under the command of Group Captain Ian Gilmore.

In 1963, the ICGM became involved in “The Shoreditch Incident.” Renegade and Imperial Dalek factions battled each over the Hand of Omega, a dangerous Time Lord artifact hidden on earth by the First Doctor. With the aid of the Seventh Doctor and Ace, the Daleks were defeated.

It is possible that the ICMG had other interesting missions before they were replaced by UNIT. They may face alien threats, crazed scientists, or spies. It’s a lot like a UNIT game, but with a Cold War/Swinging 60s flavor. Characters may be military members of the ICMG, scientific advisors, or civilians who have found themselves in the wrong place and time. One angle to consider is the involvement of Torchwood. How did Torchwood feel about the ICMG [and later UNIT] operating on their turf? Perhaps a player character can be a Torchwood liaison, torn between his ICMG colleagues and Torchwood masters? Perhaps Torchwood can be used in an ICMH game as those not-to-be-trusted spooks interfering in military operations and causing complications? An ICMG game offers some interesting possibilities.

5:20PM - Doctor Who Campaign Ideas

With the release of the Doctor Who: Adventures In Time And Space RPG, which I helped playtest, I’ve decided to put forth some of my quick campaign/adventure ideas for the game.

My inspirations for these ideas are the 1963-1989 series, the 1996 television film, the 2005-present series, the two theatrical films, and the Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures television series. I haven’t considered material from the many comics, novels, or audios.

[Mostly] Earth-Based Ideas

UNIT.

The player characters are an elite UNIT first response team. They may be based out of Geneva or on the replacement for the Valiant. When an alien spacecraft goes down over Kenya or an ancient Rutan base is reactivated in the Black Forest, they investigate.

It’s a setup that allows for a decent sized playing group. Group members might come and go as they are assigned on other missions due to player availability issues. It allows for investigation, action, and espionage with aliens, terrorists, criminal masterminds, and super scientists. Inspirations include the Pertwee era stories, Torchwood, and Warren Ellis’ run on StormWatch. The militaristic angle may not work for all groups. It also is based primarily on modern Earth.

Torchwood.

In the modern era, Torchwood Four is missing. The players could be members of that group. Torchwood Four can be lost in time and space. Or still active, but operating deep undercover [a concept apparently lost on Torchwood Three]. Perhaps the strange man who is Torchwood Two feels the need for help and recruits a team to help him. Or, with the loss of Torchwood One, and the events of Children of Earth, a new Torchwood team may be needed. A new Torchwood [One? Four?] is created. The players are members of that group. Pick a city to base them in and let the hijinks ensue.

Torchwood’s history is another source of campaign ideas. Torchwood has been in operation since the Victorian era. We’ve seen only the briefest glimpses of past Torchwood agents and those primarily from Torchwood Three-Cardiff. Other teams in other areas and times are waiting to be used in games. Possibilities include Torchwood in Victorian London, Torchwood India, Torchwood in the Great War, Torchwood in the 1920s, Torchwood in World War 2, and Torchwood Canada.

The Mr. Copper Foundation.

At the end of ‘Voyage of the Damned,’ the earthonomics expert Mr. Copper was left on Earth with a great deal of wealth. In ‘The Stolen Earth,’ Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister, was affiliated with a ‘Mr. Copper Foundation.’ Imagine a group funded by a benevolent alien with deep pockets. Its a group that finds people who are in the know about what is out there and recruits them to help people and solve unique problems.

This allows for something of a rotating cast and does not have the militaristic feel of a Torchwood or UNIT game. Inspirations include the “Blink” episode, the Sarah Jane Adventures series, and Warren Ellis’ Global Frequency.

Adventures in Space [if not time]

The Knights of Peladon.

For all you Classic Who fans, Agents of the Galactic Federation solve problems across the universe. Stop wars. Save lives. Adventure. Excitement. Romance. It’s a Who-verse spin on rock and roll space opera. Characters might be human, Ice Warrior/Ice Lord, Draconian, and other New Who and Classic Who races. For a twist, have them in political and sometimes actual conflict with the Shadow Proclamation.

The Shadow Proclamation.

Surely, the Judoon are not the only agents of the Shadow Proclamation. They must have someone with brains working for them, right? Players are agents of the Shadow Proclamation investigating galactic crimes and stopping galactic wars. It’s possible that the Shadow Proclamation has time travel capabilities. If so, the scope of the game increases dramatically.

The Doctor’s daughter.

Unbeknownst to the Doctor, Jenny survived. She stole a spaceship and left to travel the universe, fight monsters, and do an awful lot of running. Her father had Companions. Why shouldn’t she? The player characters are her Companions. If she, like the Doctor, gets her hands on a time machine, they can do an awful lot of running in time and space. A downside is that it requires that Jenny be a PC or an NPC.

Other Timelords

The Last Great Time War saw the end of Gallifrey and the Time Lords. However, the Doctor somehow survived and the Master survived by using a Chameleon Arch to become human. Perhaps other Time Lords survived? His will doubtless be the premise of many Doctor Who: Adventures In Time And Space RPG games. Players will create their own Time lords and give them titles instead of names, doubtless ignoring the fact that the majority of Time Lords seen in the original series had actual names. I’m going to suggest three Time Lords to act as NPC facilitators for adventures or PC Time Lord with canon ties, but room for development.

The Monk.

When the Monk first appeared, he revealed that he’d been inspired by the Doctor to travel time and space and make things better. His methods were a bit dodgy and he lost his way somewhere along the line. He was last seen stranded in time and space by the Doctor. It’s been a long time since he was last encountered. In the wake of the Time War, say he’s had time to reflect and learn the error of his ways. Now, like the Doctor, he’s gathered companions and is using his TARDIS to travel space and time righting wrongs. Given that his TARDIS has twice been sabotaged by the Doctor, it’s entirely possible that his TARDIS has become as eccentric as the Doctor’s TARDIS.

This gives us a Time Lord who isn’t the Doctor. He’s part of the history of the series, but not so overused that players will readily fault his characterization. The GM or PC will be able to flesh him out as desired.

Drax.

A renegade Time Lord and friend of the Doctor. He’s a character with only one appearance so is quite open for GM or PC characterization. Plus, he was fun. Of course, one has to determine how he survived the Last Great Time War.

Romana

When last we saw Romana, she had refused to return to Gallifrey and remained behind in E-Space. In the wake of the Last Great Time War, Romana may have returned from E-Space and found Gallifrey and the Time Lords destroyed. She’s smart and capable. It’s not impossible that she could salvage a TARDIS or cobble together a time machine of some sort. Believing herself the last Time Lady, she gathers companions and travels the universe righting wrongs as she and the Doctor once did.

This gives you another Time Lord [Lady] to use instead of the Doctor. She’s a popular character. But, having not been in the series in years, she’s open to reinterpretation.

The [great-grand] Children of Time

When first we met the Doctor, he was accompanied by his granddaughter, Susan.

Susan was eventually left behind on 22^nd Century Earth. We don’t actually know if Susan was a Time Lady or human. Perhaps she was a Time Lady who had used a Chameleon Arch to become human for some reason.

Susan offers a wealth of possibilities. Perhaps time has passed and she’s decided to leave her life on post-Dalek Occupied Earth behind. She cobbles together a time machine of some sort. Perhaps she’s been growing a TARDIS. Now, she’s off to have her own adventures in time and space. Like her grandfather, she’ll attract companions. The players are her companions. One could even play Susan if so desired. Alternately, Susan had fallen for a young man when last we saw her. Perhaps they have married and had children. Now, she has decided to take her children [or even grandchildren] out into the universe and show them their birthright. The players can play her children or grandchildren. One can even play Susan. This creates a group with an interesting dynamic that can provide a lot of role-playing opportunities.

Doctors

Were I running a game using the Doctor, I’d use him as an NPC. I’d also use a Doctor other than Eccleston or Tennant. Two Doctors come to mind who have long periods of undocumented history.

The 7^th Doctor.

I liked the 7^th Doctor. Sometime between his last regular episode, “Survival” in 1989, and his final appearance in the 1996 television movie, he parted company with Ace. He also upgraded the TARDIS from its small control room to a huge Victorian looking control room, a rather extreme example of updating the desktop theme. He was traveling alone when he died, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have companions other than Ace between the time they parted ways and his death. The players are his companions. The possibilities for adventures and plots are wide open. The Time Lords still exist and the Last Great Time War has yet to occur and this is a Doctor with an agenda. He always seemed to be up to something. How will players deal with his manipulations?

The 8^th Doctor

If nothing else, his physical appearance is now canonical. At the end of the television film, he left without a companion. In a game using the 8^th Doctor, the players are his companions. Its an era with great possibilities. The Time Lords and Gallifrey still exist. At some point, the TARDIS will change from its Victorian like control room to the one seen in the current series. Presumably, the Last Great Time War will occur in this period, leading him to regenerate into the 9^th Doctor.

A Very Different Doctor

For something different, run a series based not of the television series, but on the Doctor in the Doctor Who films. Peter Cushing played Doctor Who, an apparently human time traveler who encountered the Daleks. Perhaps he is human. Or, perhaps he is Time Lord after all. The Time Lords had not been introduced in the television series when the films were made. He could be a Time Lord whose regenerations will be made by the GM and players and do not have to follow the path of the television series. Likewise the adventures of this Doctor and his companions do not need to follow the television series. The Doctor’s foes can likewise be altered from their television series histories and appearances. Think of it as a reboot or reimagining. It’s a very different approach and one with limitless possibilities.

Time without Lords

Gallifrey and the Time Lords were destroyed in the Last Great Time War. But was everything destroyed? Did only the Doctor’s TARDIS survive? Presumably the Master used a TARDIS to hide in the far future. What became of it? Might there be other TARDISes out there still?

Imagine a TARDIS that somehow survived the Last Great Time War. Its crew is dead. It is battle damaged and lost and alone. And its moving endlessly through time and space.

The players are anyone from time and space who walked into the TARDIS. Now it has moved on and they are far from home.

A TARDIS is a valuable. Any number of races and beings will seek it out once they become aware of it.

This concept allows for the full range of time and space adventures in an episode of Doctor Who. It also makes all characters equal as they are all companions without a Time Lord. It also allows for a range of characters from anywhere in time or space. It also avoids a lot of the “Why don’t we use the TARDIS to…” issues that can occur in a Doctor Who game. Have the damaged TARDIS be out of control. The characters never know where or when it has materialized until they go outside and look around. Have them only know when the TARDIS will dematerialize next. “I don’t know when or where we are, but the TARDIS is leaving in three days. We better be back here when it does.”

That’s it for now. I’ll expand on some of these at a later date.

2:28PM - Rejoice or Mourn As You Will...

I'll be at Ambercon [but only slots 3-6; maybe 2 and 7] this year

4:53PM - About Ambercon 09

Looking at my school schedule, the dates of the con, potential flights [weekend rates for Vegas because of this year's con dates] and all, I must say this year's dates...SUCK

5:39PM - ACUS Ponderings

Out of curiosity, what are people doing in Slot 4 [Friday night]?

8:28PM - Big Holiday Sale

If you've been meaning to pick up some Doctor Who toys or the incredibly cool Blake's 7 audios, Mikes Comics is having a great sale until January 3.

http://mikescomics.livejournal.com/


Go buy the B7 audios already. Best science fiction series you'll hear.

Say Kit sent you.

6:37PM - Fudge Dice

I'm in need of some FUDGE dice. The online shops I've seen dont seem to have them i nthe colors I want. Its a case of sold out in those colors rather than not made in those colors.
I'm looking for a handful of dice in the following colors:
Black x2, Blue x 4-6, Green x 4-6, Yellow x 4-6, and Red. x4-6
A No Prize to anyone who figures out the geeky reason I want dice in those colors.

11:21PM - Name needed

For my ARKHAM game, I need a name for a creepy travelling circus/carnival. Think Mr. Dark and friends from Something Wicked This Way Comes. Ideas?

11:08AM - Watcher Evaluation

WATCHER EVALUATION

Complete the following questions. Answers are to be in the form of a at least a proper paragraph of a minimum of five to seven complete sentences in length. Proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling are expected. Answers will be kept confidential.

I. Discuss the Watcher’s role as team leader. Are the Watcher’s directives clear? Do the Slayer and support team follow the directives of the Watcher without hesitation? Why? Why not? Provide specific examples.

II. Discuss the Watcher’s role in training. What methods does the Watcher use to train the Slayer and support team? How often do training sessions occur? How long do these sessions last? Where do training sessions occur? Are the training methods equipping the Slayer and support team to better prepare for the mission? Provide specific examples.

III. Discuss the Watcher’s role in intelligence gathering. Does the Watcher make proper use of available resources and assets? Has the Watcher developed new resources and assets? Why? Why not? Provide specific examples.

IV. Discuss the Watcher’s role in mission planning and execution. Does the Watcher provide clear objectives? Are the Slayer and support team deployed according to the best utilization of their strengths and the requirements of the mission? Why? Why not? Provide specific examples.

V. Do you value the Watcher's advice? Why? Why not? What advice has the Watcher provided? Give specific examples.

VI. How does the Watcher support his or her Slayer's life outside of Slaying? Provide specific examples.

VII. What steps has the Watcher taken to ensure the safety of the Slayer's friends, family, and support team? Provide specific examples.

VIII. What are the areas in which the Watcher excels? Provide specific examples.

IX. What are the areas in which the Watcher needs to show improvement? Provide specific examples.

X. Is this Watcher suited to remain in the field commanding the Slayer and support team? Why? Why not? Should this Watcher be recalled and replaced? Why? Why not?

11:42PM - Watcher Review Questionaire

[If you are an ARKHAM player, go away]

Next Saturday, the player of the Watcher will discover that the Watcher's Council has sent someone to evaluate him. One thing i think would be fun is to have a questionaire that I can hand al lthe other players and have them fill out. It will get them involved and it should be fun. What I need are questions a supervising Watcher might ask the Slayer and her colleagues about the Watcher and his methods.
Please throw suggestions at me!

5:33PM - Wanted: Vegas Area Cute Gamer/Geek Girl

Anyone know any cute gamer/geek girls in Vegas? Having clearly achieved all the major elements of a Country-Western song of late, I think I am ready for, and frankly deserve, a new start on life.

9:57PM - More Blake's 7: The Early Years

Coming this November, the next installment in the prequel series, available from www.mikescomics.com :

Blake's 7: The Early Years #2 Double CD
Point Of No Return & Eye Of The Machine
Starring Colin Salmon, Keeley Hawkes, Craig Kelly, Peter Guinness, Jake Maskall, and featuring Geoffrey Palmer

Point Of No Return

The University of Oxford in the year 2230, and the campus is a hotbed of student protest as Roj Blake's Freedom Party seeks to sweep away a century of corrupt rule.

Kerr Avon (Colin Salmon), a young man from the frontier, brilliant, ambitious and naïve, has arrived to make his mark on the future.

Working with Professor Ensor (Geoffrey Palmer), the Federation's eminent cyberneticist, Avon has no intention of getting involved in politics - - he may be naïve, but he isn't stupid. But, when he meets activist Anna Grant (Keeley Hawes), all bets are off....

Written by Ben Aaronovitch, directed by Andrew Mark Sewell.

Eye Of The Machine

The right hand of Supreme Commander Servalan, Travis (Craig Kelly) is the relentless security officer dedicated to hunting down the dissident Roj Blake... but what choices made him the man he became?

London, 2230. On the eve of a tense election that will send shockwaves throughout the Federation, Major Stefan Travis finds his liberty unexpectedly cancelled and a new assignment thrust upon him.

A key political opponent of the government, Carl Varon (Peter Guinness), has been arrested, accused of hate crimes and incitement to violence, but a trail of murder and conspiracy leads Travis to doubt the truth presented to him. When the deadly threat of a terrorist atrocity looms, how far will he go to prevent the deaths of millions of people?

Written by James Swallow, directed by Andrew Mark Sewell.

2:27AM - Force Unleashed Spoilers?

A recent article in a Star Wars magazine claimed that the number one Star Wars shocker EVER is a something revealed in Force Unleashed about the formation of the Rebel Alliance. Now, i'm curious.

so...if you complete the game, or, i suppose, read the novel, please do let me know what it is.

3:00PM - More of The Best Science Fiction Series You Should be Listening To!

More B7 audios on their way! Prequels this Fall! Series Two in the Spring!

CD list:

http://www.mikescomics.com/CD3BLAKE.html


Early Years subscriptions:
http://www.mikescomics.com/SUBSCRIPTION7EY.html

Combined Early Years and Doctor Who subscripotion:

http://www.mikescomics.com/SUBSCRIPTION_BF_B7.html

Long Live the Revolution!

6:27PM - Dan Dare. Read it.

I'm not a Garth Ennis fan. A little too catholic still for PREACHER, I guess. So, i'm truly surprised to recomend an Ennis comic.
When I heard that Ennis was writing Virgin Comic's Dan dare title, I shuddered. Visions of what Ennis might do with Dare haunted me.
Instead, Ennis did something stunning: He played it straight. His 7 issue miniseries is a fantastic take on Dan Dare. It has enough of the wonder and space opera of the old stories with enough modern sensibility for it to work well. Its damn good fun.
The series just ended. The collection comes out in September or october. Worth a read at the library if nothing else.

11:36PM - Plot help needed

I could use some help for my ARKHAM game.
You may recall that one of the characters is a Kennedy. He's connected, rich, and going into law and eventually politics. He started the game as a football player, but injuries forced his leaving the team, but he was able to play the hero card and get elected student body president. His girlfriend is a sweet decent person who deserves better but sees what he could be if he grew up.
Kennedy's player wants me to kill off the girlfriend. He thinks Kennedy really lacks depth and motivation to fight the good fight. He thinks killing her will be his wake up call.
I need a way to do it.
in ARKHAM, its the end of the Spring Semester and Kennedy's Senior Year. The Miskatonic version of a prom [what do they call these in College?] is upcoming. Kenendy and his girlfriend will be crowned King and Queen [this reinforces a King theme lurking i nthe Shadows with Kennedy already. There is already the JFK obligatory Camelot thing, plus, Kenendy was essentially King of the football team and as Student Body President, King of the School.] This will reinforce it and tie the girlfriend into it.
One thing Kenendy's player hasnt figured out is that his VP is one of the Big Bads. Shes been an NPC since earliest sessions. She's been tied to lots of strange stuff [Her boyfriend got vamped, another friend got vamped, etc] but my players actually blame this on another player. in fact, that player jokes that all his friends suffer horrible fates, but he never realizes that it is sue, not him that is to blame. Sue is VP and is a friend of Kennedy's girlfriend, off and on dates the PC who blames himself for all the deaths, and has manipulated things for a long time. She's a witch and wants to play in the big leagues.
The way I'd like to work this is for her to kill the girlfriend and have Kenendy discover the body not unlike Giles discovering Jenny's body. The girlfriend is being killed because she is the Queen and sometimes you have to sacrifice the Queen.
She plans to sacrifice Kenendy, the King, too but that should be the Graduation plot.
I'd like to kill the gf off in a way that doesnt immediately implicate Sue, but can be made to link back to her in the following episodes.
So, if anyone has ideas on where and when and ho to kill the GF off for max angst and drams, throw em at me!

4:32PM - The Best Science Fiction Series You Are NOT Watching On TV

now has another release.

Blake's 7: The Early Years #1: When Vila Met Gan is now out!
The quality on these Cds has been amazing thus far and this prequel has the original Villa reprising his role!
Go to mikescomics.com and buy one now

Long live the revolution!

5:14PM - Toy Collection For Sale

For varous reasons, I have a huge collection of toys. Mostly they are comic book characters or from Star Trek or Star Wars. Most are from about 1994-1999. None of them have ever been removed from their boxes or bags or packagings. They have remained sealed and untouched.

If you or anyone you know might like to purchase the collection, drop me a line. I've got an offer on it, but thought I'd let people here know about it too in case one of you is interested. I would let the whole collection go for $2,000 which will -include- the ludicrous shipping costs it would take to get the collection to you in the lower 48 States.

Email me for the list of the toys.

5:21PM - Texorami News

Texorami players should watch for an email or two from me or John. you'll be getting a sneak peak at some material and a last chance to submit stuff to us.

Things you'll want to consider:

1) Do you have a favorite character quote you would like included?
2) Would you like to update your characer bio to reflect getting hitched, taking a new name, becoming a lawman, whatever. All the bios are going to be in third person for sake of consistency.
3) Got a choice for an actor [living or dead] to represent your character? Or a favorite NPC? I've made some suggestions to John and he has searched the internet tubes to find pics. We'll be sending you those soon.
4) anything else you want us to include.


If you are a former Texorami player and are interested in this anbd want to contribute, email me. You're always welcome in texorami

1:36AM - Torchwood

Anyone else suspect that among the Torchwood Institute's first recruits were Henry Gordon Jago and Dr. George Litefoot?