RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 6 - REACH

REACH

Going through the Space Opera Heroes RPG, I'm just getting to the Space Opera Master's section on Villains and this makes me I think its only appropriate that this entry should be focused on our first bady guy for the campaign.

Known throughout the Galactic Underworld as 'Big Red', this interstellar Crime Boss also goes by Mister Crimson. Dressed in what has been identified as a Pre-Galactic Federation model of Armored Powersuit favored by the old Martian Marines, the true identity and appearance of the person within is a mystery. 

According to the Galaxy Police's extensive files, Mr. Crimson runs the Red Reach Galactic Crime Syndicate. He and his veritable army of henchmen and thugs are wanted in over 25 star systems [and the space in between] for a litany of illegal activities ranging from extortion to spice smuggling to murder! 

A reward of 50,000 Credits is being offered by the Galactic Federation for any information that might lead to Big Red's whereabouts or his identity. Do not attempt to apprehend him yourself! Mr. Crimson should be considered armed and extremely dangerous!

The truth beneath the armored exterior is that Big Red is 'Crimson-1', a young boy who was [at perhaps 12 years of age] subjected to illegal experiments by an evil Megacorporation. The intention was to induce artificial Psychic Powers but instead it they gave him incredibly high intelligence and unbridled bitterness.

 

He used his genius to escape the facility that held him and two other surviving companions, Scarlet-2, and Vermilion-3. They were separated and the current whereabouts of the others are unknown. If Crimson has any sentimentality left, it lies with his desire to reunite with them, particularly Scarlet-2.

Crimson took to crime to survive but with his amazing Intellect he took over in no time. He was able to purchase his Powersuit from a collector. While the exterior appearance is that of a vintage model, Crimson modified the interior components to match those of a xx type Powersuit, one of the latest and most advanced on the market.  

Villians in Space Opera Heroes are very special NPCs and in fact, the game focuses more on the minions, lieutenants, and other antagonists more than it does 'the Big Bad'. This is because in Golden and Silver Age Space Opera, the main antagonist rarely appears, preferring to send expendables or their trusted Second-in-Command instead of confronting the hero themselves.

This is very obvious in early Anime and Manga stories as well, not to mention Tokusatsu shows. The Leader of the Evil Organization sits in his secret lair watching the heroes defeat his latest Monster-of-the-Week right before cursing them with his first raised, "I'll get you next time!"

As far as Villain Archetypes, Mr. Crimson fits several of them but is closed to the Evil Genius. It has a bit of the Hardboiled and Musclehead when in the Big Red suit. Overall I'd write him up as follows:

Ability Scores: As Crimson-1: Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Agility 2, Intellect 4, Luck 1, Size 0.

As Big Red: Strength 4, Dexterity 1, Agility 1, Intellect -, Luck -, Size 2.

Big Red's Intellect and Luck are the same as Crimson's obviously.

Skills: Close Combat 2, Commerce 2, Engineering-Electronics 2, Engineering-Mechanical 4, Evasion 2, Law 2, Tactics 4.

Crimson's Durability is 2 vs. Type A. With the Big Red Suit it's 5 vs. A, 3 vs. B.

The Powersuit also grants Increased Strength and Stamina (noted above), Sensors, a built-in Communicator, and Rockets in the boots for a quick escape. 

Mr. Crimson is only 21 years of age now despite his outward appearance. Although generally in excellent physical condition, he does suffer bouts of extreme fatigue, some nearsightedness, and mildly impaired hearing. The Big Red suit compensates for these issues.

His Reach is long and broad, his reputation infamous, but within him is an angry little boy who feels his life was taken from him and he's determined to get everything back and then some!

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Barking Alien

*The Powersuit is based on a reported Close Encounter in Cádiz Province, Spain in 1960. A school teacher named Don Miguel Timermans Ceballos claimed he'd seen two beings whose descriptions made them seem like the 'Michelin Man' painted red. The visual appearance of the 'aliens' in Ceballos' story always stood out to me.

I added to that aspects of what I think is one of the most terrifying robots in Science Fiction film history, Maximilian from Disney's Black Hole

As for Crimson, the man within the suit, I pictured Takashi / Esper No. 26 from the Anime and Manga Akira.

RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 5 - BURDEN

BURDEN

Today marks the release of the Japanese Animated Star Wars series, 'Star Was Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi', the first such endeavor of its kind for the venerable franchise. I will be making a post dedicated to it once I have watched the show in its entirety.

I've long wondered what a 'Star Wars Visions' TRPG would be like and how it would differ from simply running Star Wars. I may have my answer with The Ninth Jedi. We shall see.

Inspired by this series, I thought I would introduce a Jedi-like character to my Space Opera Heroes campaign, one saddled with a heavy Burden. 

Sir Onus, Psy-Knight of Excellion, has protected the Galactic Federation since its inception over 300 years ago. In fact, he played a vital role in the final battle against the , whose attacks against the Earth Federation and its alien allies united them all under one banner that still stands today.

Now, in similar times of great need, Sir Onus appears once again to vanquish the forces of evil with the power of Excellion! 

While all true...it isn't the whole story.

Sir Onus, that is THIS Sir Onus, has not been alive for 300 years. He is in fact the 7th or 8th Sir to carry the mantle and be bestowed the power of the Excellion Crystal which enhances the wielder's Psychic Powers and bestows a few other benefits all its own. 

The thing is, the Crystal is kind of alive. It is unclear if it is a true life form, an artificial intelligence, or something unique that changes the definition of life as we understand it. Whatever it is, it extends the bearers life span (though not indefinitely), makes them aware of where and when they're needed (based on its own opinion it seems), and compels the wielder to go to that location. 

Attempting to ignore the 'Call to Action' from the Crystal can result in difficulty sleeping, muscle pain and headaches, or even finding yourself walking towards your starship without your control or consent! This is one bossy Crystal! 

Another issue should be obvious from the fact that an item that extends your life has had 8 hosts in 300 years. Being the Psy-Knight of Excellion is a dangerous occupation and most don't get to benefit all that much from the additional years granted to them. Usually, it is a dying Sir Onus who passes on the Excellion Crystal to the next Sir Onus.

Finally, though there is much honor, prestige, and appreciation for what you do, it isn't exactly a high paying job these days. The current Sir Onus' Starfighter is not in top condition and his 300 year old armor could definitely do with some repairs. He' on his third cloak for Star's Sake! 

Excellion-One!

An interesting thing to note about Sir Onus' Starfighter, a GP SF-11 'Dirk', is not capable of Jump travel. Ships of this size do not have Jumpdrives in this setting. An odd choice for the Psy-Knight's profession one might say. Except...it has excellent speed and maneuverability, impressive armaments, and shields. To get from system to system Sir Onus must reply on JumpGates or a lift from a larger vessel.  

Such is the Burden of the chosen Psy-Knight of Excellion...

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Barking Alien

*This character was inspired first and foremost by the Jedi Knights of Star Wars. In addition, there is a little Lensman thrown in, a major reference point for the Space Opera Heroes RPG and for the Jedi themselves. Finally, I added in a touch of Dread Pirate Roberts from The Princess Bride, 'cause I could.

RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 4 - CHARM

CHARM

For some reason I can not quite articulate, the prompts thus far have all made me think of Female characters. I read the prompt and (hopefully) a character comes to mind and that's the one I write-up. It just so happens that none of these words have made me think of characters that 'had to be' guys.

Until now that is. 

Chase Varlet is, in many ways, your typical lovable Space Scoundrel; a Gambler, Pirate, Smuggler, and general galactic ne'er do well but with a heart of gold. At the very leadt gold plated.

He does have his principles you see, mostly, preferring to focus his less-than-scrupulous activities on greedy Megacorporations, the tyrannical Dark Pulsar Imperium, and on occasion, criminals far worse than himself.

He won't blast anyone who hasn't (or wouldn't have) blasted him first, never pirates from 'working class freighters captains', and will always lend a hand to another independent adventurer in need. After all, you never know when you might need to call in a favor, so its good to have a few extra favors in your pocket. 

What makes this fella 'special' though? How has he lasted so long living this kind of life? Why isn't he lying in a ditch on some unnamed rock or locked away on the prison planet Catacomb? Charm baby. *Wink*.

Chase is a terrible flirt.

Gidget is TERRIBLE at flirting.

Chase Varlet is one incredibly Charming individual. It's more than just good looks, a cool attitude, and a lot of confidence. No, Chase is just really good at reading people. He's a good actor. He knows what to say, who to say it to, how, and when.

 

Varlet's mouth and mannerisms have gotten him out of far more scraps than his starship piloting or marksmanship ever could or likely ever will to be honest. When all is said and done, Chase is a 'people person'; he knows and understands people and how they think. 

Another custom Archetype; yes I know but I just can't help it. They're so easy to make and when I can't find one that fits perfectly, creating what you need is a snap. Anyway, this one started as the Lucky Hero but it didn't have the Interpersonal Skills I needed for the Charm focus I wanted to give him. In the end, instead of combining Lucky Hero with another provided Archetype, I decided to break down the numbers/points that build a character in the game and just construct an Archetype that fit my goal. 

Varlet owns a customized GS GSS-2 Boomerang Class vessel, the smallest type of Jumpship currently in production. Dubbed 'The Skylark Dandy', it is a decent ship perfectly suited one person in Chase's particular line of work. The vessel is outfitted with two special modifications: Powerful Engines and Maneuvering Thrusters. A post focusing on Starships for Space Opera Heroes, which as I've mentioned in the past I'm basing on the game Space Ship Story, is definitely near the top of my list of things I HAVE to do.

Sorry I've been slow with this Challenge this week. Business is finally picking up after the Summer lull its been necessary to focus on that. 

More to come very soon,

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 3 - POISE

POISE

Poise isn't a word that commonly appears in my vocabularly, either written or spoken. It isn't something I think about and few of my characters are ever developed with their 'Poise' in mind. How does Poise even apply to RPGs Let's see if we can get an idea from the definition...

According to Merriam-Webster it means 'to hold or carry in equilibrium'. Isn't that balance? Are they synonymous? Hmm. Turns out they are in fact synonyms. That doesn't really help me though and it isn't what I think of what I think of Poise. What else is there?

Ah, Google has the definition of 'graceful and elegant bearing in a person'. OK, yes, that's more what I was thinking of. Like a princess. Like a Space Princess? A Psychic Space Princess!

YES!

I'm going with a Space Princess with Psychic Powers for this one. With that in mind, it is my honor to introduce her highness, Princess Yume Nebular of the Miraisekai Empire.

As lovely, charming, and diplomatic as she is enigmatic and, if rumors are true, dangerous, Princess Yume is the youngest member of the Nebular Royal Family and the heir to the Throne of Visions. Her elder cousin Kowai is next in line should something 'happen' to her. 

While accidents and direct attempts on her life have been made by forces unknown (shhyeah, right) none have been even remotely successful. Like many members of the Nebular Royal Family, the Princess possesses Psychic Abilities, one of which appears to be Precognition, the power to see the future. It is very difficult to rid yourself of a target who knows when, where, and how a threat to them is coming. 

Unbeknownst to all but the closest of family members, Princess Yume's personal scepter, the Infinity Stave, is an ancient artifact from a highly advanced though long extinct civilization that enhances her powers while she's in contact with it. 

Princess Yume always goes about with an air of Poise and a sense of calm confidence that can only come with being able to see events that have not yet occurred. This does not make the young royal invincible of course. Just because you know a catastrophe is coming doesn't mean you can stop it.

Luckily, she has the forces of the Miraisekai Empire at her disposal and a lot of friends who can help her escape a potentially deadly situation, including the Alien Explorer Gidget Starseeker and Asatira the Space Amazon.

Yume Nebular is built on another custom/combo Archetype, this one merging Princess and Esper into my own creation, Psychic Princess. I know, I know, we're workshopping the name. 

With this entry I focused on how she might function in an adventure or overarching plot, so things like Weapons and Adventure Gear and the like were kept to a minimum; I only gave her what I thought she needed her potential role. In an ongoing campaign I might flesh her out further if my players and their PCs responded well to her. 

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Barking Alien

Looking ahead, some of the future prompts, those towards the later half of the month, are little lacking in 'energy'. Few of them are, how shall I put it, 'action' words. Still and all, better than previous years. I may have to get creative. We'll see how it goes.  

*The name Yume isn't a name per se but a word; it means 'Dream' in Japanese. Her rival cousin Kowai's name mean 'Scary' or 'Frightening'

Likewise, the 'Miraisekai' Empire uses the Japanese words for 'Future' and 'World/Society/Civilization' to form the Future Society Empire. Is their Precognition that powerful or could they actually be from the future? Don't know yet but its fun to imagine the possibilities.

This character, her Empire, and many other aspects were inspired by the Jurai Empire and related characters in the Japanese Anime Franchise 'Tenchi Muyo'. 

RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 2 - STATURE

STATURE

The word Stature implies prominent and even imposing physical size. It also related to importance or perceived important due to ability and achievements. The word makes me think of something Science Fiction is noticably lacking in these days...Space Amazons!

Asatira 176 is an Amazon Warrior Woman from the planet Astart (Astart Sagitarri II) and a renowned interstellar adventurer. Like all the women of her world, Asatira is descended from a group of genetically engineered super soldiers who colonized the planet a few centuries back. 

Not long after arriving on the planet a terrible plague wiped out the Male population and only the Females survived. Now, over 300 years later, their society thrives as a Matriarchal Direct Democracy - One Woman, One Vote! The Astartians are much sought after as allies because of their martial prowess but are not yet members of the Galactic Federation, prefering their independant status.

Elena 225 and Asatira 176 showing variants in Astartian Battle Armor aesthetics. 

Asatira is, as you can imagine, a big woman. She stands just over 7 feet tall and weighs roughly 250 lbs. The gravity of Astart is heavier than Earth-Galactic Standard and the people are adapted to such conditions. In addition, her Stamina and Speed are as impressive as her Physical Strength; her enemies sometimes succumb to fatigue before she even breaks a sweat.

While skilled with various weapons, her favorite is a Plasma Energy based 'Ray Sword', seen here being used against a Robot Commando of the Ares Battalion, a renegade military organization originally from Mars in the Sol System. The Battalion and the Amazons of Astart are bitter rivals. 

I love this character. She just came to me upon reading today's prompt and I had to write her up. I gave her a Hoverbike and Special Gauntlets to show her people are technologically advanced and not just big barbarians. The number after her name is a hold over from the distant past when her people, being genetically engineered, were given a batch number or other such designation. Maybe they were clones? Who knows! That was a long time ago. How do they reproduce now? Hmm. Good question...

Here's her Character Sheet:

Instead of using the Amazon Archetype, I decided to do another custom one combining the Amazon and the Muscle, resulting in what I refer to as 'The Amazon Warrior'. 

I am really looking forward to running this game sometime soon and I am still considering do a Solo campaign as well. It's just a really functional system that emulates the genre of Space Opera particularly well and that is one of my favorite types of Science Fiction after all. 

I see Asatira as a sort of 'Big Sister' figure for Gidget, the latter wishing she was half as cool as this badass Space Amazon. Meanwhile Asatira is well aware Gidget is good at things she herself is not, like piloting Starships and understanding complex Sciences like Biology. 

What a team they'd make, right!

Where to next - or is it who to next - as we explore the denizens of Frontier Sector Zeta and the universe of Space Opera Heroes!

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Barking Alien

*Asatira is a Female name of Swahili origin meaning 'History' or 'Legend'. Quite fitting if I do say so myself. 

Asatira's homeworld of Astart (Astart Sagitarri II) is named for Astarte, the Hellenized form of the name of the ancient Near Eastern goddess, Attart. Attart is a counterpart to Ishtar and a female diety connected to Beauty, Sexuality, Royal Power, Healing, and War.  

RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 1 - DISCIPLINE

DISCIPLINE

An appropriate first word, as that's exactly what I'll need and hope to have to get anywhere with this particular Challenge. My track record here isn't particularly good.

When I think Discipline I think of 'Officer' type characters, like those serving in Starfleet and many Superheroes; those charged with the defense and well-being of civilians, institutions, and their fellow officers. 

Introducing Captain Lacey Pepper, the Sector Commanding Officer of the Galaxy Police in my rapidly developing Space Opera Heroes campaign universe. 

A career officer who worked her way up from Frontier Traffic Control, to Subsector 'Beat Cop', to the top law enforcement authority at the edge of Galactic Federation Space, Captain Pepper is equally liked and feared by the officers under her command. She's tough but fair and has a lot more compassion than most people might expect given her by-the-book outward demeanor. 

Flag of The Galactic Federation Galaxy Police

Galaxy Police Badge

So what makes Lacey Pepper stand out among the great many officers who constantly put their lives on the line to help the citizens of the Galactic Federation through anti-piracy operations, emergency responses and rescues, and interstellar community outreach? Discipline! She has a clear moral code, she sticks by it, and she has organized her life and her work (which are basically indistinguishable) in such a way as to allow her to apply her principles to the universe around her. This only works because she pursues her goals with unparalleled focus and resolve.  

And her she is in Space Opera Heroes Character Sheet form. Pretty simple to write-up. Once again she is an original Archetype, this one really just a variant on Super Heroine but with some added Law Enforcement skills like Investigation and Search. Super Heroine actually comes with Negotiation, which is largely why I choose that as my starting point. 

OK, Day 1 is complete. On to Day 2...

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Barking Alien

*Lacey Pepper gets her first name from Mary Beth Lacey, one of the two policewomen in the Female led Police Procedural Drama 'Cagney and Lacey', played by the incomparable Tyne Daley. It was a ground-breaking and Emmy Award winning series that ran on ABC Television for seven seasons, between 1982-1988. 

Before Cagney and Lacey there was an even more pioneering show, Police Woman. Starring American television icon Angie Dickenson as Sgt. 'Pepper' Anderson, the series lasted four seasons and ran on NBC between 1974-1978. It was one of the first police/crime dramas to focus on a Female lead, proceeded only months before by 'Get Christie Love!' starring the beautiful and talented Teresea Graves. That show is itself remarkable for having a Black Actress as the star of a Detective/Crime series.

Journey of A Fallen Star

With Exploration Driven campaigns on my mind and inspired by a comment I received from Timothy Brannan, I thought I'd share my memories of a favorite game I ran that very much fit this theme.

Starting out as a One-on-One campaign with my childhood best friend Joe and expanding to include a small group of additional players, this game is one of my first full-on open world Exploration outings. 

Journey of a Fallen Star

The campaign began with a falling star blazing through the sky and crash landing in a mountainous region in the North East hemisphere called Crystalrock. It exploded upon impact and the flash and billowing smoke could be viewed for several miles, if indeed there had been anyone around to see it. 

As it turned out, there was. A Dwarf Rogue, cast out by his kin and searching for Starmetal to get back into their good graces, just happened to see the meteor strike. 'STARMETAL!', he thought aloud and rushed to see what he could find. 

When the Dwarf arrived the impact crater was fairly large, likely deep, and a bright light glowed from within it. He found himself walking closer and closer, even though his inner voice told him to run. As the smoke cleared and the glow dimmed, he saw a...a figure...a person? Yes, someone was standing amidst the flecks of burning metal and rock! 

Eserwun Starfall / SR-1

It was an Elf (he assumed), clad in some kind of fancy magical armor. He stood completely motionless, as if frozen in time. Then...suddenly...the helmeted head turned towards the Dwarf.

The Elven Knight in the enchanted armor spoke a language the Dwarf did not understand, his voice powerful and hollow...eerie. "See here Sir Knight! I do not understand you. Do you not speak the Common tongue?", the Dwarf shouted.

Strange quiet noises, like cricket chirps and flute playing, came from within the Knight's visor. "I do. Where am I? Who are you?", the Elf asked in that same disconcerting voice.

"You are in the Crystalrock Mountains. South of the Dwarven Halls of Crystalright. I am Enut Deepshadow, a...prospector of these parts. Who are you?", Enut said, feigning as much confidence as he could muster.

"I am...S...I am...", the Elf began, seemingly having trouble recalling his own name. "I am SR-1 of the Third Interstellar Legion. I...may be damaged."

Enut Deepshadow

The Dwarf moved closer, his demeanor friendly. He reached his hand out, though he still stood some distance away from the Elf. "Eserwun you say? Well, I'm not surprised you're injured. Falling from the sky will do that", Deepshadow said with a chuckle. The Elf did not laugh. He did walk to meet the Dwarf however and reached out to shake his hand. 

So began the travels of 'Eserwun Starfall and Enut the Dwarf. The former searching for his missing memories, some lost weapons and gear, and out to slay the Six Demons of The Void. The latter serving as Eserwun's guide, his squire, and before long, his friend. 

Joe, playing Eserwun Starfall, would look at the map I drew and if anything interested him he would point it out and ask , "What do you know of this place?" I would give him the knowledge the Dwarf had on the location and he would decide to go there or not.

Yellow Dots indicate places visited by Eserwun Starfall during the campaign. 

 

Sometimes he would stop random merchants or pilgrims on the roads and simply ask them, "Greetings and well met! Have you heard any strange tales recently? Any mention of swords with blades of blue light or monsters you've not heard of before?" All in hopes of getting a lead on any of his goals. 

My favorite instance of this was when the two adventurers came upon highwaymen waylaying a trader and his family. They beat the brigands senseless! Afterwards, Eserwun held one over a cliff ledge and said, "Speak the truth and I will not drop you. Have you heard anything about 'Demons of The Void'?" The thug said there was someone calling themselves that in such-and-such city and gathering a small army of sellswords. Eserwun turned from the ledge and placed the sorry soul on solid ground. He then picked the cur up off the ground, thanked him, and let him run away. 

Eventually word of the campaign spread and friends of ours wanted in. I used this as an opportunity to expand the map. Eserwun and Enut would travel to a new place that Enut wasn't familiar with and the pair would ally with or hire a local (i.e. a new PC) to guide them through the area.

 The 'Known World' of Ranul.

One time the heroes had heard a rumor of a terrible monster living in a nearby swamp [between Zollner and Vogel] whose description sparked Eserwun's memory - one of the Six Demons of the Void! They get there and meet a Human Warrior (a newly joining PC) who, it turned out, was also after the monster. The character had a Magic Sword that Eserwun claimed was his! It had fallen away from him as he descended to Ranul (the name of the campaign world). 

The two characters almost came to blows but they put aside their differences to track down and defeat the 'Void Demon'. As it turned out, the villain had a nearly identical sword which shimmered red instead of blue. The Warrior gave Eserwun back his sword and took the red one as a trophy. 

In addition to exploring to locate narrative related elements, sometimes the players just looked at the map and said 'what's over here'? Often it was, 'Let's pass through this area on our way to thing we need or want to do.'

They would also explore to find resources like food, water, or shelter. A player would look at the map and point to a body of water ahead and say, 'there's good fishing here' or to a nearby town and say 'if I recall correctly, this place has an excellent market for us to get provisions.' I would nod in agreement and say something like, "Well you're from here so you know best."

By the end the campaign ran for about a year or so (1980-81), playing roughly every other weekend. Sometimes we'd get an extra session in here and there or miss one because of holidays and family stuff. I remember we got to play a few times during the week because of school assembly or the like. Sessions were usually 6-8 hours. Joe was joined by three other regulars and two or three other players that would pop in and out. 

The idea for the campaign came from Joe, who wondered what would happen if a Futuristic, Sci-Fi Robot landed in Medieval Europe and started hunting Demons and Monster (in truth, Alien Criminals). A major source of inspiration was the Marvel Comic Book 'ROM, The Spaceknight'. Looking back on it from 2026, its a little like the upcoming RPG 'MedivAliens'. 

Oh, in case you haven't caught on by now...

SR-1 was a Robot Soldier from some never specified starfaring society. He was rolled up and created as if he were an Elf Fighter/Magic-User (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition). His spells were made of 'Sci-Fi Energy' and the visual effects were always bright blue light (like his sword). When he would 'learn' new spells we framed it as if he was gaining access to more of his memories, programs, and capabilities.

While he didn't need to eat, SR-1 did sleep in order to recharge and self-repair. He could do both more rapidly by receiving an electrical discharge. This meant being struck by Lightning or hit by a Lightning Bolt Spell worked like a Cure Wounds Spell. :D

Several female NPCs made advances towards him but he would always raise his hand and calmly say, "I am sorry but I can not", which many took to be some sort of oath of celibacy but it was because he was a robot and not one designed for romance or intimacy. 

Like the Mandalorian Din Djarin, Eserwun would never remove his helmet, even in front of his closest friend. This was on account of having no head or face beyond the visage of the helmet. 

The other Player Characters were all native to Ranul but had a weapon, armor, or a piece of gear that had come to the planet from Outer Space. The Human Warrior had the Red Bladed Starsword and our Gnome Illusionist had an Energy Crystal on top of his staff, for example.

Enut our Dwarf NPC was a Thief. Bruce played the Human Fighter. Chris played a Gnome Illusionist and Wanda was a Female Half-Elf Druid. These were the regulars.

Not all of their items fell off of SR-1 during his drop. Some were from the Void Demons as mentioned above, while others had been on Ranul for hundreds of years. 

Ranul itself is our own moon, terraformed and rotating. The Great Moon of Ranul was a dead Earth. In my mind this was set in the far distant future of Gamma World. Elves, Dwarfs, and other such species were the descendants of Humans genetically engineered to survive this world. Goblins, Trolls, and other Humanoids were likely descended from Human hybrid experiments, their DNA spliced with animals or even non-sentient alien creatures. Monsters were Gamma World Mutants, Mutant Animals, Aliens, and even Mutated Aliens. 

Some of the weaponry, gear, and creatures were made by adapting Gamma World material to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition. Some were homebrewed whole cloth.

The ' Six Demons of The Void' were Alien Villains ranging from a Cyborg 'Ogre', to an Organic Armored Lizard Man, to an intelligent Manticore-like creature. Their weaponry and powers were a mix of Monster Manual abilities and Gamma World Mutations. It was never clear (I never decided) if they had anything to do with SR-1's crash on to Ranul, though he did determine hunting them down was his original mission. 

During the course of the campaign we only encountered three of the Six Demons. All were slain but we faced one twice; the Cyborg Ogre was the one with the red sword. The Red Manticore escaped the first time and the PCs eventually tracked it down again and took care of business.. 

So there you have it, a heavily Exploration Driven campaign with a good deal of Narrative incorporated, and Missions created by the PCs themselves. 

That's it for now. Tomorrow we begin the RPGaDay Challenge. 

See you there,

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Barking Alien

Space Opera Heroes - The Star of Life

Following up from my dicussion of Space Opera Heroes' basic rules, I thought the next, best thing to do is try making up a character.

I don't know about you but this is what I always do when I come across new RPGs that I'm interested in. I learn the system's base mechanic and then try to make up a PC. This is the approach that gives me the fastest and most efficient 'feel for the game'.

Let's take a look at the Character Sheet.

Pretty simple and straightforward design I think. Easy enough to read. I did very little alteration from the Japanese version; just a few adjustments to accomodate the translations. I like that you can fit everything on one sheet, at least at the start. 

To assist me with this I have once again called upon my new friend Gidget Starseeker, an Alien Explorer currently venturing into the frontier sectors with her robot companion, GUS.

Before we get started, I want to be completely transparent: Space Opera Heroes is a little...well...a product of its time. That's not exactly right. Hmm. I'll try to explain.

Primarily emulating the Space Opera genre fiction of the 1930s to the 1970s, the game focuses on the Space Opera HERO, not the Space Opera HEROINE. Most of the Archetypes are assumed to be male because those were the protagonists in Science Fiction of the era most influential on the game. Buck Rogers, Captain Future, Captain Harlock, Crusher Joe, Flash Gordon, Lensman, and many other stories were very male hero-centric.

At the same time, the game seems self-aware and progressive enough to address this. It provides several Female specific Archetypes that are no less effective than their Male counterparts. Furthermore, the game acknowledges the increasing number of Female protagonists in the genre (remember this game was written in 1992). As influential as Perry Rodan and Star King were on the RPG, the game also lists The Dirty Pair, Gall Force, Queen Esmeralda, Rumiko Takahashi's story 'The Superwoman', and other Female protagonist-led titles as major inspirations.

In the end, I am going to run and play my game my way and my way says guys, gals, non-binary pals, and everyone else is treated equally. We're all using the same rules and we can all be Space Opera Heroes. To be clear, the game is not of a counter opinion. It is simply written from the standpoint of a Japanese guy from the early 90s talking about a genre whose Golden Age was in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. 

OK? Cool. Onward...

Character Creation

There are two ways to create a Player Character in Space Opera Heroes. The first way is the long way and creates a character from the ground up. I'll have to give that a try sometime soon. The second way interests me much more: Archetypes. Basically choose or even invent an Archetype - which is not unlike a Template in Star Wars D6 or a Career in ALIEN - allocate some Skill Points, make a few choices, get some gear, and you're ready to go. That's where I started so that's what I'm going to talk about. 

In order to create 'Alien Explorer', an Archetype that doesn't exist in the game, I looked at the over 40 different Archetypes and essentially combined elements of two together. Looking over the list, it seemed the closet relatives to what I wanted would be Female Doctor/Scientist and Lucky Heroine. My character is mainly built on the latter but I gave up Energy Sword in exchange for Sensors and I added a Science: Biology Skill. The other Skills that fill out the Archetype are Evasion, Firearms-Pistol, Intuition, Spaceship Navigation, and Spaceship Pilot. Your Archetype also provides you with a set of Attributes.

Most of the Archetypes have six Skills and if they don't, the Skills start at a higher Base Score and/or the character will have one or two Attributes that are pretty high.  

When spending the 11 Skill Points I received to improve these Skills, I added one or two to the numbers the Skills automatically came with (1 for everything except Evasion, which is 2) and had one point left over. I used the one point to create a Special Ability, 'Danger Sense', which helps to define Gidget as an Alien (it is her Antenna that give her this ability). 

I haven't figured out how money works or rather I haven't figured out how much money you start with. It is noted that PCs start with some kind of Starship and considering I will likely be using Gidget as a Solo Character, I decided to give her a Callisto Class vessel. These are typical of Player Character type spaceships and can be decked out for Smuggling, Fighting, Exploring, or virtually any other configuration. Remember, the game doesn't give Starships much detail, treating them like just another piece of equipment. I'm expanding the Starship rules by porting over mechanics from Space Ship Story (more on that in a future post). 

I gave her a basic Spacesuit, a Robot Companion, a Raygun (the lowest power type), and a few other minor devices. Overall, the PC's equipment was just stuff I decided to give her as opposed to actual 'purchases'. Once I figure out the money situation I'll pay off the debt she has [if any]. 

Here's what her write-up looks like:

 

I like her. I like her a lot actually. She was fun to create,  which if you know me you know that's a pretty big deal for me to say  I don't generally enjoy Character Creation but here it was fun. It felt like picking a Template like those in Star Wars D6 and getting a character that feels more like classic Traveller. She was simple and remarkably quick to make but has just enough detail and uniqueness for me to 'get her' almost instantly.

Fun Fact: In the example I used in the previous post I said she had a Sensors and Science: Biology Skill of 2 each but that was just a guess based on my initial eyeballing of the Character Creation system. Once I figured out I had accidentally given her too many Skills, I redistributed her Skill Points enabling her to obtain higher ranks in certain ones (as noted on the sheet above). 

Dang it, she's cool and I am looking forward to exploring frontier space with her. 

Next up? Most likely her starship, the GFI-S.S. Wanderer, a modified GP-JS-Zeta Callisto Class Explorer. 

Is there something you'd like to know more about or see? Leave a comment and let me know.

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Barking Alien

Origin of the Title: 'The Star of Life' was a Science Fiction Novel written by Edmond Hamilton and published in excerpts in Startling Stories Magazine in 1947.

Space Opera Heroes - Operation Future

I've been kind of obsessed with the 'old school' Japanese TRPG Space Opera Heroes lately and while I was going over it I just happen to run into this friendly young lady who offered to help me get a better understanding of the system. 

She calls herself 'Gidget Starseeker' because, as she explained, her real name sounds vaguely like Gidget and the rest is unpronouceable by Humans. Fair enough. I promised that if she helped me to better grok this game I would make her a Character Sheet and possibly chronicle some of her adventures. 

He goes nothing...

The base mechanic of the game is very simple: when the outcome of a judgement would be variable, unclear, and especially dramatic, the player rolls 1 six-sided die and adds their character's appropriate Attribute and Skill to the result. If the final number meets or beats a Target Number the action succeeds. If not, the actions fails. Unless...well we'll get to that.

Attribute (Stat) + Skill + 1D6 Result = Total Roll

Now here's where things get interesting and the game shows its commitment to the Space Opera genre. Space Opera Heroes don't fail very often. In fact, they often succeed with epic effect! To this end, each judgement roll of your six-sided die is an Exploding Six-sided Die! That's right, the 1D6 you roll on every action check explodes on a 6!

For those unfamiliar with the Exploding Die concept; If you roll a 6 you add the result to your Stat+Skill and roll again, adding the next result to your total. If that number is a 6 you roll again, repeating the process until you don't roll a 6. 

For every 5 points over the Target Number the roll achieves, the character is able to do +1 Damage and/or gain an additional benefit of varying degrees. According to the rules it would look something like this:

Roll is < The Target Number = Failure. (Unless...see below)

Roll is = or > than the Target Number = Success!

Roll is > the Target Number +5 = Effective Success. +1 Damage or Situation Benefit.

Roll is > the Target Number +10 = Critical Success. +2 Damage or 2 Situation Benefits.

Roll is > the Target Number +15 = Extraordinary Success. +3 Damage or 3 Benefits.

Roll is > the Target Number +20 or more = Legendary Success. +4 Damage or 4 Benefits.

If it is appropriate to the scene you can split the Damage and Benefits so that, for example, an Extraordinary Success could be +4 Damage and 2 Situation Benefits. Likewise it could be +2 Damage and 4 Benefits. Only one point of Damage and one Benefit may be exchanged in this way. 

What the Situation Benefits are should be discussed between the Space Opera Master and PC Hero. Maybe your Laser Gun shoots one Pirate and he falls back, knocking another Pirate off his feet. Perhaps you hack into a Computer System to shut down the Alarm and you discovered the fastest path to your target. Benefits can translate to getting more information if you are performing a Sensor scan or asking Scientific questions. 

The Target Numbers in general are as follows:

3 - Very Easy (Usually not worth rolling for)

4 - Fairly Easy

6 - Easy

8 - Standard

9 - Tricky. Slightly Difficult.

10 - Difficult

12 - Very Difficult

15 - Extremely Difficult 

In some situations the player may get to roll more than 1D6. When doing so, you identify which one of your dice is the Base Die, the one representing the PC and the only one that Explodes. The other dice come from outside the PC (explained below) and are rolled along with the Base Die but only the Highest Score Rolled Counts. Again, if that roll is a 6 on the Base Die, you roll again as per the Exploding Die rules above. 

Why would the PC get extra dice? There are a number of reasons but the most commons ones are:

The PC getting as assist from other PCs or a Major NPC.

The PC's Starship has a Special Feature that grants a bonus die. 

The PC has Special Gear or a Special Ability like Psychic Power or Cybernetics. 

Here's a play example: 

Gidget is trying to scan a Biological Sample held in an illegal lab. The bad guys are trying to get in but she's used the computer to lock the door. Scanning with her Multi-Scanner is Easy (Target Number 6) but she is in a hurry. Her enemies will break in soon enough. That's a difficulty increase to 7.

Gidget's Intellect is 3 and her Sensors and Biology Skills are both 2. We'll say its Sensors. So she's rolling 1D6 + 3 + 2. Here we go...oops. A 1. That's a 6 Total, one less than she needs. Before she finishes her scan the villains open the door and point their Ray Guns at her. 

Example Two:

Same situation but Gidget isn't alone. She is with her robot companion, GUS (Guardian Utility Scout). While she is scanning, GUS is overriding the door controls so the enemy can't open it without blowing the door off but they don't know that right away. 

Once again, Gidget rolls her Intellect + Sensors + 1D6 but now she gets an extra 1D6 thanks to GUS' assistance. So 3 + 2 + a 2D6 roll, resulting in...oh wow. A 5 and a 6 on the Base Die. I roll again. 6. Again and I get a 1. Great Galaxies! 3+2+6+6+1 = 18! The Target Number was 7 and she beat it by 11 so that's a Critical Success! She not only Succeeds in scanning the sample but also manages to erase the data in the bad guys' computer and gets herself and GUS to a hatch in the ceiling for their escape. 

Now, I've been mentioning that if you don't meet the Target Number you Fail your action 'Unless'...well that unless is if you spend a Hero Point. If you Fail and spend a Hero Point you Succeed with a Consequence. Things work but don't go exactly as planned. Maybe a new problem arises. Like many other Japanese TRPGs, Success after Fail comes with a cost and makes things a bit more complicated (and interesting).

Lastly...

Hero Points

Hero Points are pretty awesome in this game, generally allowing the PCs to be as hard to defeat as a Space Opera Hero in the genre fiction show be. At the same time, Space Opera Heroes are famous from getting out of the frying pan and into the fire; getting away from a corridor full of Stormtroopers can land you in a Trash Compactor with a garbage squid and walls that will crush you flat. 

Here's what they can be used for:

Fail a Judgement Roll for any Action Check, spend 1 HP and Success w/ Consequence

Spend 1 HP, an Attack against your PC misses. Beware! Something or someone got hit.

Otherwise, spend 1 HP to lower the Damage Rank your character has taken. 

Spend 1, take an Attack meant for someone else. You take damage. Spend 1 to reduce.

Spend 1 to have a one time item you need. You find it near by or in your pack.

Spend 1 to gain Skill you don't already have. Must be related to one on your sheet.

Some of these have particulars that I should to go into greater detail about, so expect to see that soon. 

I'd like to thank you all for coming by and checking this out. I'd also like to thank Gidget for all her help. GUS too. You might be hearing a lot more from them in the near future. 

Ah, Future! Get it?

Later days,

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Barking Alien

Origin of the Title: 'Operation Future' was a Science Fiction Short Story and Exerpt Collection published by Permabooks in 1955. The anthology was edited by Groff Conklin.