Base Raiders Episode 01 – Loot Bases. Live Better

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In the poor, rundown city of Bucketsford, Wisconsin, the Mahatma Gandhi Cultural Center is about to be replaced by a Super Walmart. Since the stereotypical redneck town is more concerned about guns and the Packers, they don’t seem to care about losing a cultural center dedicated to .00025% of the population (Old Sam Hurley’s great-grandpa had an exciting night with an “escort” in India once).

Yet there are those that suspect a hidden truth beneath the cultural center. The player characters (a wealthy pair of Russian brothers with telepathic and old-school beatdown powers, a master con-artist driven by the almighty dollar, and a retired cop just trying to keep valuable base loot from falling into the wrong hands),  having heard rumors of the cultural center serving as a front for an old super-villain, must investigate the base and make off with the loot before Super Walmart is able to get their hands on the goods and make them available for insanely low prices.

If it were only that easy. There are many secrets that lurk in the base. . . and not all of them can be sold on the black market. And the people of Bucketsford may not appreciate visitors. . .

Southern-speaking Wisconsinites, surprising revelations, and layers of mystery await!

**This Base Raiders campaign is being run as a connected series of demos for Base Raiders at Kenosha, Wisconsin’s #1 FLGS, Colosseum Games.  Anyone interested has the option of dropping-in for a session or two to check out the game, so there may be some special guest-star characters!**

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Tabloid! – Faux Pas

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“Editorial meeting! In my office, everybody – now!” bellowed the editor as he strode through the reporter’s bullpen. He didn’t wait to see if anyone followed, but barged right through and planted himself at his desk.

The editorial offices of the World Tattler-Tribune were in one of the squat skyscrapers in the greatest city in the world: Akron, Ohio.

Howard Combine was an ace tabloid reporter. He had an athletic build, blue eyes, a soul patch, and a nice tan. He was a bush pilot and was into voodoo. He was also a smug liberal and could talk down a conservative Republican like no one else. From Quahog, R.I., and graduated from James Woods High.

Mark Farcas was a good-looking though thin and pasty man with thinning brown hair. He was nervous-looking and always watchful. He covered Bigfoot and dead rock stars (like Elvis Presley). He had graduated from Tudbull High School in Scranton, Penn.

Horace Shrugg had long, greasy hair and squinty eyes. He was shifty-looking with a gold tooth prominent in the front of his mouth. He usually wore jeans and a t-shirt. He was a photographer who’d graduated from Eunice Harper Higgins High School in San Antonio, Texas.

George Schmidlap was a tall, thin Dwight-Shrute-ish looking man who wore his hair parted down the center. He wore thick-framed bifocals and had a thick, black beard and mustache. He didn’t have a penny to his name and lived in basement somewhere. He was shifty and always watchful.

Ralph Fisher had dark hair and was handsome but his face was scarred and slightly burned. He wore a fine suit that fit his tall frame perfectly. He also wore thick glasses which his fellow reporters knew were fake (ala Clark Kent). After graduating from Benedict Arnold Senior High School in Muncie, Ind., he went to college for a while.

On March 22, 2013, I ran a game of Tabloid at CaesarCon 2013, playing the scenario Faux Pas from the game book. Players were Josh, Buddy, Jeff, Adam, and Steve.

Role Playing Journal entries of the session can be found here:

http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1788-Tabloid!-Faux-Pas-Part-1
http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1787-Tabloid!-Faux-Pas-Part-2

The playlist of the video recordings of the game session can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLonZ7fuFAFDqmvrzxn3_57LfPER802EX-

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Birthright – Family Matters

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Shaemes Whitestaff was a young lad of 17 who had been content in his role as minor noble in the country of Aerenwe, at least until the current regent, Liliene Swordwraith, died in the early spring of the year 551 Michaeline. It was little less than a month later when it was determined that he was the next in line to the throne of the old woman and so he moved his court and advisors to the castle of Caer Callin in the village of Calrie in the province of that same name to become king. He was slight of frame with auburn hair and had been sick as a child. He was only a novice with war, having spent most of the time studying to learn the laws of the land and how to administer a government.

Gaelyn Markland was a priest of Haelyn. He was an aged gentleman who had seen 41 years; his hair was mostly white with only a little red left over from his younger days. He was stark and hard around the edges. He had been an advisor to King Shaemes’ father before his death the year before and now found himself in the court of the entirety of the kingdom, advising the boy king.

Ruinil hailed from the Erebannien mostly. He was tall and strapping. A true companion to his friends and liege, he dutifully served the boy king in whatever capacity he might need. He was a ranger of that forest and had been a yeoman for the family all of his life.

On January 4, 2013, I ran a game of Birthright for Jeff, Steve, and Erik.

The RPG Journal of the session can be found here: http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1779-Birthright-Family-Matters

The game was also video recorded. The playlist of the 12 video recordings of the game session can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLonZ7fuFAFDoznmr4teQcDqA6seVQZ_Al

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Base Raiders – New Trouble in Old Titletown

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***WARNING:  For mature listeners only.  There are a few naughty words, a handful of sexual references, and buckets of bitter tears.***

Once, long ago, two opposing factions of great men plated themselves with armor and battled with both their wits and their strength.  Although they were mere mortals, they were the champions to many, and gods to some.  Children believed them to be supermen, and each possessed unique abilities that gave their sides key advantages.

But these men were not gladiators, nor were they military warriors.  They were neither superhuman nor godlike.

They were football players.

New Trouble in Old Titletown is an introductory scenario for the Base Raiders game.  Players assumed the roles of retirees taking a tour of the former stadium of their favorite football team, the Crimson Bay Butchers.  They did not suspect how exciting their free trolley tour would actually be. . .

. . . and that they really knew nothing of their favorite team.

But they got sweet powers and stuff, so it’s all good now.

ARE YOU READY FROM SOME BASE RAIDERS!?!?

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Ravenloft: Masque of the Red Death – Falls Run

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On Tuesday, December 23, 1890, two strangers boarded the crowded train in Baltimore, Maryland. There were three engines on the train, the first of which had a huge snow plow affixed to it. These were followed by the coal car, a baggage car, a dining car, and three Pullman sleeper cars. The two men found themselves sitting together in the center Pullman sleeper car.

Robert James Blair was 32 years old. A tall, slim man of average appearance, he wore rough clothing and had a thick beard and mustache. His hair was fairly long. He was returning to Cincinnati from Baltimore with his brother’s body. His brother had died of consumption and Blair had come east from his home in Nevada to settle the man’s affairs.

Dr. Johann Jacob Heintz was 30 years old and had only recently started his own practice. He was a plain-looking man of slight build with blonde hair and blue eyes. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses was perched on his nose. He dressed in a very nice suit and wore a fine overcoat with a fur collar. He also wore a silk top hat and carried a physician’s bag and a violin case. Originally from Pennsylvania, his family had moved to Ohio when he was young. He now practiced medicine in Baltimore. He was en route to his sister’s family for the holidays and had safely seen the crate with the four Christmas presents stowed in the baggage car.

On August 3, 2012, I ran the Ravenloft: Masque of the Red Death scenario “Falls Run” by James Wyatt (Dungeon Adventures #67) for Steve and Erik.

Journal entries of the session can be found here:

http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1751-Ravenloft-Masque-of-the-Red-Death-Falls-Run-Part-1
http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1750-Ravenloft-Masque-of-the-Red-Death-Falls-Run-Part-2
http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1749-Ravenloft-Masque-of-the-Red-Death-Falls-Run-Part-3

The game was also video recording. The playlist of nine videos can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1567AAFBD4864D1B

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Bughunters (Amazing Engine) – Unnatural Selection

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In its first attempts at colonizing the stars, United Terra discovered that the galaxy hosted horrible dangers. But given the incredible distances involved, the extent of those dangers remained unknown. In a growing effort to gain better information of Sol’s galactic neighborhood, United Terra decided to pepper the stars in Sol’s vicinity with a virtual shotgun blast of colony ships. Whereas Terra’s initial colonies were sent out in colonizer ships – huge, lumbering vessels carrying great contingents of colonists, incredible arrays of equipment, several years worth of supplies, and entire companies of synthetic human troops for protection – the colonies of the new effort were being sent in lightly loaded modified combat landers carrying just half a hundred colonists, minimal prefab buildings, barely enough supplies for six months of survival, and a mere squad of low-ranking United Terra Reconnaissance and Peacekeeping Force (UTRPF) troops.

The synthetic humans were relatively new as well. Vat-grown clones of human volunteers, specially modified to serve as starships crews, combat teams, and general troubleshooters for the human race, they were all part of UTRPF and superior than humans in many ways. They had been physically enhanced to react more quickly, to keep moving longer, and to endure more punishment in battle. Mentally, they were able to withstand the psychological stresses of hyperspace travel, a situation that disoriented normal humans sometimes to the point of madness.

Six brand-new UTRPF (utter-puff) troopers were quartered at UTRPF’s training facilities on Stargate station. PFC Jackson was the ranking synth in the group. His donor background was an infantry lieutenant with the U.S. Army, giving him more military expertise than would be expected of a private. He was armed with an assault rifle (with grenade launcher), several hand grenades of various type, and body armor. Private Two Fisk was the lowest ranking member of the squad and got most of the crappy jobs. His donor had been a factory worker and from him, Fisk had inherited a natural skill with various electronic, computer, and mechanical repair. He was also armed with an assault rifle and grenade launcher, hand grenades, and body armor. Private Two Boomer was listed as the heavy weapons expert in the group and his donor had also been a factory worker. In addition to his heavy pistol, he was responsible for a grenade launcher, a flame thrower, and had the typical body armor. He was a little miffed that Jackson was the squad leader, having only one week of seniority over Boomer. Flatline was the group’s radio operator and also a Private Two. His donor had been an office clerk but the recording was 46% patchy. It wasn’t easy making do with only half a set of memories, but his donor had died during the trauma of undergoing a mental recording for his cloned brain. He was quiet about his donor’s past and carried only a heavy pistol. Doc Martin was the squad’s medic and also a Private Two. His donor background was a chemistry professor who had been very intelligent. He was armed with an assault rifle. Finally, Runningwolf was the squad’s scout, also a Private Two, and armed with a heavy pistol and a laser sniper rifle.

On March 16, 2012, I ran a game of Bughunters at CaesarCon 2012. The scenario was Unnatural Selection” by Lester W. Smith from Polyhedron Magazine # 96. The players were Adam, Neal, Steve, and Rick.

The journal entry for the game can be found at http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1702-Bughunters-Unnatural-Selection-2012-03-16-CaesarCon

A video of the game is on YouTube though the audio is not very good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax0aG4r9bmM

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