Meditations On An Alpha Blue Rpg & Crawljammer Mash Up As An Old School Campaign Setting

 I've been off line for a bit but now your uncle Eric is back with a bit of science fantasy action. We're going to switch things up a bit like finding that box of sleazy vintage science fantasy at a tag sale or attic & talk about quick campaign construction with Alpha Blue & The DCC fanzine Crawljammer.  These two go together like peanut butter & intergalactic jelly but there are some rpg issues that need to be addressed.

Finally getting home now & throughout the day I've been discussing Venger Satanis's Alpha Blue rpg & Dungeon Crawl Classic's fanzine Crawljammer with a friend yesterday and here's what we came up with. What Alpha Blue brings to the table is a dyed in the wool violent  fun sleazy adult themed traveling space opera along with a ton of background and world setting material. Crawljammer has DCC's system & mechanics to work with. So here how the break down would go for running a campaign with the two:

• DCC/Crawljammer for the system & mechanics to speed along the process but Alpha Blue works with random tables to fill in some great PC background details & bits after the funnel. Crawljammer has some really nice 'insert bits' that can add some really nice twists to
• Alpha Blue has some great adult interstellar setting material & it brings that straight through from page one. Alpha Blue as a setting location is one vast intergalactic traveling adventure location. This is a perfect front to branch off into Crawljammer missions. Then there are those Alpha Blue factions that bring all kinds of twists & turns to the table.
  
  Everything here meshes quite nicely because Dungeon Crawl Classics is like B/X (race = class), running on a simplified d20 engine (Ascending AC, Fort/Will/Ref Saves), on LSD. Alpha Blue has the tools to convert its system into & through most OSR retroclones quite easily. Use the Alpha Blue  system as a bench mark and fudge or change as needed.

We're going to have to quickly talk about some of the adult themes and issues in the background of Venger Satanis's products & writing for a moment. The adult themes, Lovecraft bits, & weird tentacle sex stuff is all there no I'm talking about the fact that while the Liberation of the Demon Slayer adventure stands on its own the product dove tales into Islands of the Purple Haunted Putrescence, Revelry in Torth,  
and even the Crimson Dragon Slayer 1.11  if you want a free sample of Kort'thalis Publishing's wares. Sounds like a headache?


Its not at all, basically Alpha Blue provides a suitable and easy to drag and drop intergalatic background with all of the trimmings. While DCC/Crawljammer provide a really nice system to use for PC generation & combat. Crawljammer fits the background quite nicely from the PC technomages to the fly people in issue #1 to a ton more.


Here are some of the material from Crawljammer that fits Alpha Blue in no particular order:

1. Deadly cocktails that can only be served in high velocity!
2. The PSYCHIC KNIGHT PC class is excellent as a counter point to the Zedi knights from Girls Gone Rogue
3. The PERILOUS LEAGUE is a perfect explorers guild that fits the ideals laid out in Alpha Blue. Alien wizard in control of a guild of space faring adventurers with a hidden agenda. 
4. From issue four of Crawljammer SPACE PIRATES FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE a great menace to have lurking in the back of the Alpha Blue setting. 
5. An elemental-powered, dimension-shifting space monk called called the RIFTRUNNER that will punch your face as it summons a LEECHTAIL SPACEDRAGON to devour your friends. Yeah that also fits the Alpha Blue vibe quite nicely. 
6. Issue number five is really essential for this mash up. Why because it has space gods by the score! 
7. SISTER ULTIVA, GODDESS OF VENGEANCE a space going dominatrix of death & vengeance
8.  ARS-ELEETA, GODDESS OF TECHNOLOGY, whose machinations will have adventurers running for cover! 
9. THE ECCLESIAST is a perfect blend of space cleric & adventurer whose going to cause all kinds of issues on Alpha Blue and run afoul of the factions of Alpha Blue 
10. All of this material has a cheeky adult themed blend of weirdness and erotically charged adult humor. This isn't for the kids! 

  While none of the material of Crawljammer is anyway adult many of the themes and ideas fit in a bit well with Alpha Blue especially Girls Gone Rogue an Alpha Blue sourcebook/adventure. The material works hand and glove together with its background. Be advised this isn't one for the kids so play this one when they're asleep.


Now one of the main points of friction is going to be the Templars & THE ECCLESIAST  pc/NPC class hating each other right out of the gate. These factions are going to be trying to exterminate each other faster then you can say,"I'm holy then thou".  Which is exactly the sort of interstellar drama that you as a DM are going to want.  These are the sorts of friction that mercenaries, space scum ermm I mean adventurers want to exploit for fun and profit.


This combination also has some great points where the sword & sorcery angle can be completely played up to add just that quick Lovecraftian DCC twist to adventures allowing DM's to port over their favorite DCC adventurers quickly and easily.


There's lots of other little interstellar niches that the DM can easily exploit and tack on to keep the PC's on their toes throughout this adult themed campaign setting romp. Take the brain bugs which are perfect fodder to grate against the myriad of Crawljammer insect peoples. Lots of opportunities for interstellar extermination in the cosmos.


So keep those dice rolling and those space funnels moving!
Until next time kids!