viktor_haag: (Default)
[personal profile] viktor_haag
So, I was jazzed enough by Spirit of the Century, a new pulp-age rolegame, that I thought I would try to actually play it (this may seem like a silly statement, but I probably have actually played less than a fifth of the rolegames that I have purchased over the years; partly the reason I don't really buy them any more). In fact, I was impressed enough by reading the game's rules, that I thought, "Hey! These rules would seem to be good for any kind of heroic action game, not just a pulp-genre game!".

So, starting this week, my regular Friday group (finally back together after a long absence) will be easing into the pool, with a game that's roughly inspired by Hellboy and BPRD -- strange heroes bump back against the things that go bump in the night!

And, I've also set up an irregular Sunday group (featuring [livejournal.com profile] pyat, [livejournal.com profile] doc_mystery, and [livejournal.com profile] thebitterguy in an effort to expand my gaming horizons. Once we managed to settle on a schedule that seemed to work for everyone, we then settled on what to play -- in the end, it's going to be a sort of a face-off between Spirit of the Century and Traveller (the Classic kind, of course).

Here's the four "campaign seedlings" I presented to the players. They chose the first one on the list.

Operation Atlantis!
Clarence K Clapton, III, eccentric billionaire and media baron has financed the construction of a massive submarine, named The Leviathan, and seeks a crew. His purpose? To find the fabled lost city of Atlantis, gateway to the Hollow Earth!

Gotham Knights!
Dr Thomas Wayne was a happy and successful doctor until one night tragedy struck! A street robbery resulted in the death of Wayne's wife and young son, leaving Thomas alive and permanently crippled. Now Thomas has created the Wayne Academy as a cover for his youthful group of vigilantes with special talents, hand-picked by the good Doctor to Investigate Mystery And Fight Crime!

Starship Odyssey!
A group of brave astronauts are chosen to test The Odyssey Project, a new SpaceCorp Star Ship with their ground breaking Better-Than-Light drive! The BTL drive will open up new horizons for mankind and bring us beyond the bounds of our solar system, to the stars!

They Day They Came Back!
Somewhere in the Florida everglades works Richard Mendelman, a brilliant scientist, assistated by a crew of able assistants, funded by a top secret government research dollars. Some time last week, his research station went radio-silent, and his government minders decided it was time to send in a top-flight team to investigate. Your briefing has been maddeningly ambiguous on certain points, but on one point your are clear: you must travel to the research base, ascertain the status of the Dr Mendelman and the project, and report back to your superiors. Sounds like a walk in the park.

Discerning readers will remark that at least one of these is a shamelessly ripped off notion. But I do much better with riffs than sui generis notions anyway.

Which of these would you like to use as a starting point for your upcoming Spirit of the Century game? What, you're not playing it? Well, you should give it a try...

Date: 2007-03-08 02:32 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] doc-mystery.livejournal.com
My! Own! Order! Of! Preference! Was!:

Operation Atlantis!

They Day They Came Back!

Starship Odyssey!

Gotham Knights!

::B::

Date: 2007-03-08 03:52 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] viktor-haag.livejournal.com
Colophon: the Starship Odyssey seed was lifted whole cloth from "Spaceship Zero", and I would have followed that premise as far as it was taken in that game, if the players had wanted it to go there. I won't detail the premise because that would be a spoiler ("SZ" is one of those games where it's important not to spoil the premise, I think).

The "Day They Came Back" seed was lifted in spirit from Lucius Shephard's "Green Eyes".

Operation Atlantis is obviously inspired by a certain Film Of The Mouse, but also has other sources (like a certain Irwin Allen TV series, for example, and "The Mysterious Island").

Gotham Knights is an "Elseworlds" idea that I came up with on my own; it seemed fairly obvious to me, so I'd be surprised if DC hasn't already done a story based on something like this premise.

Date: 2007-03-08 08:53 (UTC)
mylescorcoran: (Default)
From: [personal profile] mylescorcoran
My order of preference would be

1. Operation Atlantis
2. The Day They Came Back
3. Gotham Knights (sort of tied for 2nd place, actually)
4. Starship Odyssey

and for More! Exclamation! Marks! Obviously!

Jealousy rises in the East.

Date: 2007-03-21 22:43 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jkahane.livejournal.com
Hullo, Viktor,

I was just wondering if you have taken a look at Exile Games' HOLLOW EARTH EXPEDITION (HEX) rpg. If so, what is it about SPIRIT OF THE CENTURY that you like better?

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