Monday Anime Cinema: Sol Bianca For Your Old School Space Opera

 

Back when I was fortunate enough to go to Anime nights down to game store 30 or so miles away on a Saturday night. I got the chance to see this OVA on VHS. There has never been a DVD release of the movie within the American market. Anyhow I used this series as the basis for a Buck Rogers Rpg game that never made it.

 There were myriad reasons for using this OVA. The technology in this anime was light years ahead of anything out at the time. The whole series took place within the solar system so like Buck it was restricted to the nine planets. There was a land mate mecha already within the series. The party were space pirates. There was a weird ending(if you can even find it.The ending is pretty Legend of  The Overfiend)

Anyhow for one reason or another the OVA never made it into the main stream. Even the VHS tapes are getting harder to find. 

So they remade the series into 

So they remade the whole thing into  Sol Bianca: The Legacy. Which i personally haven't seen. 

Here's how wiki breaks the whole thing down. 

l Bianca (ソルビアンカ Sorubianka^?) is a two-volume original video animation (OVA)anime series released in 1990 and 1992 by director Katsuhito Akiyama in association with AIC. Sol Bianca: The Legacy is a remake of this series.

The name of the OVA is also the name of the ship that serves as both the home and the interstellar headquarters for an all-female band of notorious pirates. Thanks to a stowaway who hides herself aboard their ship following one of their raids, they learn of the ultimate treasure: the Gnosis (pronounced "G'Nohsis" in dialogue), an artifact reputedly from old Earth itself.

Unfortunately for them, the Gnosis happens to be in the hands of Emperor Batros, the brutal ruler of the planet Tres (pronounced "trez" in dialogue) who is executing great numbers of enemies, real or speculated, as a result of his military occupation of the neighboring planet Uno. Armed with a little luck, a sniper gun that can shoot from orbit, and a technologically advanced ship, the crew of the Sol Bianca are about to make a run for the greatest prize of all.

Characters - 

• April Bikirk: (Rei Sakuma/Kim Sevier) A skilled pilot and a crack shot, she is the first officer of the Sol Bianca. A headstrong and honorable individual, she will often fight to help others. April and Feb were the ones who discovered the Sol Bianca. April is thoughtful of her actions, but is also as impulsive as Janny when cornered. Most of the time she plays the mother and leader to the crew when Feb isn't sober. She appears very protective of everyone on board. She wears a red battle armor. Her favorite weapon is usually a laser whip/knife or a pistol.
  In Sol Bianca: the Legacy she is the one who inherits the control pistol, recovered the ship and June. As the owner she is the captain.

• Feb Fall: (Yohko Matsuoka/Laura Chapman) Captain of the Sol Bianca and oldest of the group. A woman of mystery, She is a calm and rational person, preferring to find a peaceful solution, but is capable in her own right. Feb is also cunning and a master at tactics and strategies. In the Sol Bianca 2 it is reveal that she and April discovered the starship. She usually carries a short shotgun. She is also good with a sniper laser. She wears light gray armor.
  In Sol Bianca: the Legacy she is a lot more fond of drinking.

• Janny Mann: (Minami Takeyama/Sue Ulu) Heavy gunsmith with all sorts of weapons. She's a hot tempered, foul-mouthed young woman that is easily irritated by many people. She's familiar with any kind of weapons, armor suits and vehicles. Naturally, she usually directs the ship's weaponry on her bridge station, but she also can fly the ship when necessary. Most of her past is unknown but when June hacks into her diary in Sol Bianca 2, a few pictures of Janny's previous life are revealed. She wears slate-gray armor. She and June do not get along very well and are constantly bickering with each other.

• June Ashel: (Yuriko Fuchizaki/Tiffany Grant) Hologram expert with computer skills. She is a selfish young teen who worries over her hair, and steals fancy dresses out of cargo containers. In Sol Bianca 2 it is revealed that June has an empathic link with the ship and its computer, even feeling its internal pain. Most of the time she drives the cargo truck that sucks up all the goodies they steal from cargo freighters or is called upon to infiltrate enemy computer systems. She has a sister like relationship with Mei.
  In Sol Bianca: the Legacy she is found inside the Sol Bianca by April. She is the last remaining member of the original crew. June has a very strong connection to "G", the ship's artificially intelligent computer, and may even be apart of it in some way. She also has a holographic device that creates Sancho (who looks like a genie) that is linked to "G" and has the ability to access and manipulate other computer systems.

May Jessica: (Miki Itou/Kimberly Yales) The youngest member of the crew. She likes frilly clothes, and is the ship's genius chief engineer responsible for the ship's maintenance and repairs. She cares about all the members of the crew who are like family to her. Being so young and isolated, she sometimes views the world fairly simply, and seems to have crush on Rim. May usually hangs out with June. The two are often left in charge of the ship when the others are out. She pilots a powered and heavily armored battlesuit (apple-green and red), similar to a Landmate, for work.

In Sol Bianca: the Legacy she is a stowaway on the ship. April decided to help her find her parents on Earth, only to find out from her uncle and aunt that May's parents have been killed by another group of pirates. She then decided to go with April and the others as a new and youngest crew member. On-board she attends a holographic simulated school life. She is usually lively, and somewhat immature person. She is often more preoccupied with having fun than with getting her homework done.

[edit]

Sol Bianca / OVA 1

• Rim Delapez: (Daisuke Namikawa/Jay Zeidman) The young boy who stows away aboard a cargo crate, and is found by the Sol Bianca crew. He asks the crew to help him rescue his mother from the planet Tres.

• Dr. Delapez: (Tesshou Genda/John Swasey) Rim 's father, he works with the leaders of the Uno Resistance.

• Emperor Batros: (Takeshi Aono/Tristan MacAvery) The Evil Emperor of the planet Tres. He is the antagonist.

[edit]

Sol Bianca 2 / OVA 2

• Gomez: (Daisuke Kyouri) Leader of the pirate gang the Sol Bianca crew encounters. His treatment of women is bad.

"Yuri Shuraba": (Shuuichi Ikeda) A mysterious man who claims to be someone from Feb and April's past. A major foreshadow for the events to come in Sol Bianca 3.

 Sol Bianca & The OSR 

  Sol Bianca is the perfect model for an old space game. Well minus the tentacle sex/rape stuff. The whole thing is padded out to the perfect adventuring campaign . 

1. The unique prototype star ship that the party uses for adventuring. The way that the anime handles hyperspace is unique & very much what I'd like to see in my games. 
2. Landmates are in evidence & are always welcome as an edition in my games
   

 In case your wondering what a landmate is go Here

3. The fact that this model for the break down of a party is great. You could use this for X plorers, Terminal Space , & it really goes well with the Stars Without Number Idea.. 

4. With a little bit of work these ideas can be transferred into my 40s science fiction campaign

Bottomline I'm going have to end up checking out Legacy & see where I go from there

Raising The Volume On The Stefan Poag Original Art Raffle for Jim Ward! And The Metamorphosis Alpha: Epsilon City Kickstarter

So there's this great piece of art being auctioned off from the Metamorphosis Alpha and DCC RPG artist +Stefan Poag. from the Dungeon Lord site for James Ward's medical bills. And if you don't think that these contributions are making a difference  according to Mr.Ward's Facebook page -

'The first GOFUNDME check arrived and Janean and I turned it right around and paid some really nasty bills. Bless you all for your donations on my behalf.

The Epsilon City Kickstarter ends in 3 days. We have a number of great authors helping me with the project. I got Joseph to put dice on the list so that I can have a new bag of dice and you all can get a great deal on purchasing a block of specific MA dice. I only have one project left to write and I'm sure I can get that done by the December 1 deadline. Thank you all for getting into that kickstarter.

I truly appreciate all the support I get from you all.'



Which brings me to the Epislon City Kickstarter , the fact is that the Kickstarter looks pretty damn cool and its got some damn nice stuff in it. I'm also enjoying the fact that its for Dungeon Crawl Classics and Mutant Crawl Classics as well. Personally I would get on board now before the time runs out. By the way I'm not getting anything out of this except for the fact that I enjoy James work and I wish to see him in the best possible health to continue the great stuff for Metamorphis Alpha's DCC version. 

The James Ward Medical Bills Go Fund Me Account & Further Efforts By Friends

Steve Sullivan & I go way,way, back over the years. We've crossed paths via comics, table top rpgs,fantasy literature, various authors who are mutual friends,etc. But one person whose a mutual friend of ours is James Ward the designer,author, editor and father of the Metamorphosis Alpha & Gamma World. Well James has some incredibly dismaying health issues over the last couple of weeks.

Well, John Popson has set up a
Go Fund me account
for James Ward's Medical Expenses  right over HERE
John Popson set up a Go Fund me account for James Ward and is making sure that everything is taken care of for Mr. Ward. In his words, to those who were asking, James M. Ward (at the right, as you know) has medical bills piling up because our stupid health insurance system is stupid. Anything y'all can donate would be greatly appreciated. (This is Jim's official GoFundMe, as he just told me on the phone.) Jim is a modest man, and would never ask for himself -- so it's up to us, his friends, to help him out.

Besides the raffle of the Metamorphosis Alpha Hardback from Goodman Games by the author of the Dungeonlord blog. Which is really a wonderful effort to reach out to help one of the fathers of our industry on so many levels. James Spahn of  White Star fame has pledged to help in a rather extrodinary way with his efforts on G+. Called the #WhiteStarforWard  James has pledged : Jim Ward has been an icon of gaming for almost 40 years. From Metamorphosis Alpha, to Dieties and Demigods, Greyhawk Adventures and countless other supplements - he's been there practically from the beginning.

Well, Jim's in trouble. He posted this on his Facebook today (Tuesday, August 11th, 2015)

"Got terrible news today. I need lots more hospital time with several more foot operations. How am I ever going to get work done in a situation like this. Bills are mounting and I have to be home to get much work done. I don't remember when I have been this miserable."

I want to help. I'm not a rich man - but I do have something to give. I have two print copies of White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying. They are proofs, with errors. Author's notes are in the softcover. There are literally only two copies of these books in the world and they will never exist again.

I'm auctioning them off, with 100% of the money raised going to help Jim. If you'd like to bid, simply send me an e-mail at JSpahn1978 (AT) gmail (DOT) com. Put "Jim Ward Auction" in your subject line and simply tell me your bid. Each book must be bid on individually.

The bidding will be open until Friday, August 21st, midnight Eastern Standard Time. Payment from the winner will be made via paypal. This auction IS open to international bidders, though all bids must be given in US dollars.

Let's do something great for Jim, guys.

(P.S. Don't comment on this inquiring about when official White Star print on demand copies will be available. They are coming, I swear. Hold out just a bit longer)

I've talked with James Ward via email.Facebook,etc. numerous times as well as Steve Sullivan and their folks I consider real life friends and please give to to the fund. My prayers and thoughts are with the Ward family tonight.  Thank you for your attention

James Ward Health Update And Raising The Volume On A Good Cause

Go Here To Buy A Chance To Win This Copy of the Goodman Games Version of  Metamorphosis Alpha Hard Back
HERE

When I read the following, I was at a bit of a loss. James Ward is one of the founding fathers of role playing and Metamorphosis Alpha is a fantastic game that is now under the Goodman Games banner as well as WardCo. So the following was shared on Facebook from the keyboard of Mr.Ward himself.

The following was posted by Jim Ward on his Facebook page a few hours ago

"Tuesday,
Got terrible news today. I need lots more hospital time with several more foot operations. How am I ever going to get work done in a situation like this. Bills are mounting and I have to be home to get much work done. I don't remember when I have been this miserable."
But Frank Taylor of the Dungeon Lord Blog is doing something to help.
I love Metamorphosis Alpha and I want to help him out, so I'm raffling off my Kickstarter Boxed Edition Deluxe Collectors Edition oversized Hardcover. Raffle tickets will be $5 a piece, which will be available through purchase on my blog and 100% of the ticket sales will go to Jim Ward and his family. The raffle draw will be held on a live Google hangouts and buying multiple tickets is encouraged!

James Ward Update & Metamorphosis Alpha: Epsilon City by Goodman Games Kickstarter

If you've been following up yesterday's blog entry then you know that my friend James Ward went into surgery. James is the creator, writer, editor,etc. of Metamorphosis Alpha 1st edition and Gamma World. And so much more.  Well, that was yesterday. Last night I got this update and this was the best news last night I had last night.

Good news everyone! From James Ward himself!
"The operation went well and thanks to Al Buckolz I have been able to read all of my well wishes this evening. I'm very thankful for my friends and their good thoughts. Thank you all very much."
My prayers and thoughts are with the Ward family today. Right, so I thought that was the end of the awesomeness, but alas no it wasn't. This morning I got up to a brand new Metamorphosis Alpha Kickstarter by Goodman games. With a new source book for Goodman game's coffee table edition of MA. The Epsilon City source book details that city that you saw in the original Metamorphosis Alpha rule book from the original edition.

Get right on board over HERE

So how is this a different strain of mutation from other Metamorphosis Alpha kickstarters?
Here's the source book introduction from the Kickstarter :

On a spaceship 50 miles long that launched with more than a million colonists, Epsilon City was the single largest habitation. It was filled with entertainment centers, apartments, and offices for all the people moving about the ship during the long voyage. The city was designed to be maintained by its own artificial intelligence (A.I.) and a special series of robots able to maintain areas of the city when breakdowns happened.
Epsilon City wasn’t even half full three hundred years ago, when the interstellar radiation cloud destroyed the people of the ship and turned 99% of them into piles of white ash. The city was wiped out. Now, three hundred years later things are vastly different in the city. The A.I. is insane and has an aggressive personality. The special robots have had to change or be destroyed, and have mutated much like the rest of the life on the ship. Wolfoid packs now inhabit many sections of the city and consider this metropolis their lair. And many more dangers lurk, hidden and waiting to be explored...


The contents of the sourcebook include:

• Details on Epsilon City itself. This includes an overview of the city’s geography, random encounter tables, and an illustrated description of key locations, encounters and situations that players can encounter, and new equipment and mutations for players.
• The Cyborg Archetype: This section is new player material, including the first-ever publication of the Cyborg archetype, an all-new character class for Metamorphosis Alpha players!
• The City Blocks: The irradiated city blocks have been repopulated by humans, mutants, and worse! This section of the book details the strange factions that now occupy Epsilon City’s urban centers. Each of the vast original apartment complexes was created with a fun historical theme. The ship replicators still supply costumes and equipment suitable for that theme, even though the human residents were turned to ash three hundred years ago. Now, in the pirate-themed section of the city, Wolfoids communicate with the insane A.I. of the city and arm themselves with metal cutlasses and real blunderbuss pistols and rifles! Throughout Epsilon City are other strange mutant civilizations, living in the ship’s simulations of ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, the Vikings, American Indians, Aztecs, and other places. This section of the book describes these bizarre city blocks and their inhabitants.
• The Maps: What good is a city book without many good maps? The core content will include at least three 11”x17” maps. Depending on stretch goals, we intend to expand the book to include more maps and potentially a large poster map.
• The adventures: A series of complete, short adventures ready to play.

My captain, my captain,! This is a very exciting time to be a Metamorphosis Alpha fan!

Happy International Gary Gygax Day & James Ward Update

Happy international Gary Gygax day! July 27th - A day for Role Players throughout the world to celebrate the man that helped create one of the worlds greatest hobbies. I've been drinking tea and trying to put the legacy of this man into words. Every time I get together with my friends and have a game, write or design something. Pick up a Dragon magazine or do something related to OD&D or AD&D its a bitter sweet thing. Someone whom I admired along with so many others is gone. While I do hold games to celebrate the life its at times bitter sweet. There are so many things I would have liked to have said and asked of Mr.Gygax. And I'd love to have played a war game or two with him. Even more so then D&D, I'd love to have played that imaginary war game with miniatures with him. A game that in my mind has gone on for 30 plus years with different forces from history.

I also find it sort of weird that my friend James Ward went into surgery. James is the creator, writer, editor,etc. of Metamorphosis Alpha 1st edition and Gamma World. And so much more.
He's probably had as much influence on me as Mr. Gygax. Right now he's been into surgery two hours and change ago.
From his James Ward's facebook page," Monday July 27th
In just two hours I'm having a medical procedure to put stints in the veins of my leg. My amputated foot isn't healing at all and they want more blood flow. A very nice nurse named Kim just came in and tried to cheer me up. She said I need to be a patient patient (sp). I'm always a little frightened when they put me under that I won't have all of my brain power when I wake up. It's not in my hands today. I really appreciate all the outpouring of thoughts and prayers. I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer and thank all of my facebook friends for sending up good thoughts. I worked on some miniature rules and enjoyed that yesterday. I also have a great Camelot adventure I'm writing right now. Thank you all again for being there."
James Ward and the Ward family along with all of his friends are in my thoughts and prayers today. Yes I will be getting together with friends this evening and celebrating the hobby that I love so much. Positive thoughts, prayers etc on International Gary Gygax to everyone.

Best Wishes To James Ward This Evening

  I just heard that James M. Ward suffered a heart attack last night. Based on the linked post, he is recovering well. Best wishes for a full recovery, Jim!
From Frank Mentzer  on Metamorphisis Alpha Facebook group page: 

Frank Mentzer

7 hrs · Edited · 

James M. Ward update:

'Good Vibes via Social Media DO seem to work!

Heart attack last night, very serious stuff, but recovering nicely.

He'll stay in the Milwaukee hospital until he fully stabilizes, prolly 2 or 3 days.

Jim wants to fulfill his commitments to the Nexus game convention this coming Thurs-Sun at the Milwaukee Airport Clarion.

We won't let him, so blame us. (But 3/4 of Eldritch Ent. is still attending, so come on down!)

Meanwhile, please keep the good thoughts rolling.'
James Ward is someone I consider a friend of mine.
I'm still in a bit of a state of shock about this, folks and let me be quite plain how I feel about it. James Ward is Metamorphosis Alpha in my mind. And I kinda owe the gentleman a great deal of gratitude for getting me back into the post apocalyptic genre. My thoughts, prayers, and good vibes are with James and the Ward family this evening. All my very best and respect to him this evening. Cheers my friend.
The Future of yesterday is still being written and we want you to continue to write it.


Any comments, questions, etc. should be directed to Eldritch Enterprises right over
HERE

We here at Swords and Stitchery wish only the very best to Eldritch and James Ward. Keep those positive vibes coming folks. 

METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA Deluxe Hardcover Collector's Edition by Goodman Games Kick Starter

You can find a ton of information on restoring one of my all time favorite old school rpg products. You can find all of it right over. 

HERE 

I have a serious weak spot for this particular rpg, it was the second or first old school rpg that I ever played in up state New York back in 1976. I was six years old at the time and I was in a smoke filled room over my babysitter's house. I had just rolled up my first PC and my mutant, a bunch of explorers were moving cautiously through the corridors of  the  'Warden'. A blinding flash of leopard spots and moment's later my PC's throat was a ruin of blood. My mutant warrior was bleeding out on the floor of the space craft deck.
The rest of the party tripped into a waiting man eating mutant plant abomination but I was hooked on the game.
Now Goodman games is in partnership with James Ward for a solid stacked 1st edition of Metamorphosis Alpha as a hardback. 

This edition is going to have all of the classic articles from Dragon included and in addition more adventures on the way. 

I've heard Metamorphosis Alpha described as Gamma World's older brother. While Gamma World is one of the all time classics of the hobby. Metamorphosis Alpha is still my choice for post apocalyptic space action. This is isn't simply a classic but a key choice of game for outer space action and adventure. The game is wide open for the DM to DYI the setting in a way that allows them to put their own unique stamp on it. 

Gary Gygax wrote of the game : 

“Furthermore it blends fantasy with weird and super science in a unique manner that is captivating to players with imaginations suited to such a startling mixture. METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA – in any edition – stimulates the imagination, encourages keen thinking, and breaks the mold of typical fantasy and science fiction roleplaying games. If that doesn't make it one of the best hobby games ever, I don’t know what would.”

 The plot of the game : 

METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA is a science-fiction tabletop role playing game in which the players are passengers on the interstellar colony ship Warden. Struck by radiation, the ship’s occupants have mutated into unusual and deadly creatures. After several generations, they have little or no knowledge of how to use the technology around them. Now tribal barbarians, they struggle to survive amidst a backdrop of advanced technology, mutant monsters, and the vast spaces on an intergalactic colony ship.

METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA spawned the popular GAMMA WORLD role playing games. When first published in 1976, METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA received rave reviews. From The Space Gamer #10, Feb-Mar 1977:

“The rules are logical, simple, and straight-forward. Each section of rules is well-outlined and usually followed by a detailed example of play… Overall, the facets of MA’s makeup are superb. The game is definitely first rate and quite excellent. MA is highly recommended to someone interested in buying their first role-playing game since the rules are rich with guidelines to help the player in constructing his own ship.”

Here's why I'm really quite excited about this: 

In 2001, the rights to METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA reverted to creator James M. Ward. Mr. Ward has authorized Goodman Games to publish a single printing of the METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA Collector’s Edition. This deluxe oversized hardcover will reproduce the original 1976 printing verbatim. This Kickstarter also allows for the production of new material by Mr. Ward and other METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA designers, including new monsters and NPCs, and several new adventures. The hardcover will also include a collection of the many magazine articles published in support of the original edition since 1976, a series of introductory and historical articles, an interview with Mr. Ward, period reviews of the original publication, consolidated tables for ease of reference by the game master, and a brief errata for the original printing.

In the interest of ensuring a timely release, this Kickstarter has been launched after the completion of most content. All text content is complete:  not just the original 1976 content and the magazine articles, but Mr. Ward's new NPCs and monsters, the new adventures, the introductions, and all new articles. Editing and layout have already begun. This Kickstarter will fund completion of art, which will commence immediately upon the Kickstarter's conclusion, and the very expensive print run.

Finally, this collector’s edition will feature the very first publication ever of Mr. Ward’s original notes from the first pre-publication playtest session of METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA ever conducted with Gary Gygax and Bryan Blume of TSR Hobbies in Lake Geneva, WI. These playtest notes provide a window into history as they reveal the origins of the game and the early rough draft approach of Mr. Ward, who would go on to become one of the industry’s senior designers.

The New Adventures 
So here's one of the part's of this kickstarter that is really exciting to me. We've got brand new material coming out for the MA rpg. Adventures,new monsters, NPC's and more . 

Here's more of the details below. I'm super excited to see this! It's a very good time to be an MA fan. Here's more details on the Adventure modules from the Kickstarter. 

Goodman Games is a strong advocate of gaming through play. Collecting is good; collecting and playing is better. To facilitate additional play of METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA, especially among fans who have less time to game than they did in 1976, Goodman Games will use this Kickstarter to fund a series of adventure modules for METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA. These adventures will be produced to the same very high standards as our Dungeon Crawl Classics adventure modules. They will be stand-alone, self-sufficient, and ready to play “out of the box,” allowing the game master to drop them into any METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA campaign. The intent of these new adventure publications is to jump-start your own home group with a very easy approach to new play.

A total of three new adventure modules will be produced, each of them expected to be from 12-20 pages in print. (These three are in addition to “The Android Underlords,” the special adventure released at Gary Con 2014 when this Kickstarter was announced.) All will be written using the original 1976 rules. One of the new adventures is a set of drop-in encounters, written by METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA creator James M. Ward, with his unique perspective on the game’s original vision and evolution. A second adventure is written by Michael Curtis, known for his work on Dungeon Crawl Classics adventure modules, as well as Stonehell Dungeon and The Dungeon Alphabet. A third adventure is written by Jobe Bittman, whose adventure The One Who Watches From Below won the Goodman Games Mystery Map Adventure Design Competition in 2012.

If this kickstarter goes through here's what the final result will be! It's a very sexy looking package. A complete gaming system in one whole ultimate edition of Metamorphosis Alpha!   

You can find a ton more of information about this Kickstarter on the link and a ton of information about the game project, rewards, and more. This really makes me want to grab some dice, players and get back to the Warden again! 

Quick Commentary On S3 'Expedition To The Barrier Peaks' Adventure

There are few modules that say 'Old School First Edition AD&D' as much as this module. No other module is as popular or polarizes the DM's and players as much as this one.
Why? Because of the science fictional elements in this one and it happens to be one my all time favorite modules almost hands down.
The plot according to wiki: 

"It takes place on a downed spaceship; the ship's crew has died of an unspecified disease, but functioning robots and strange creatures still inhabit the ship. The player characters fight monsters and robots, and gather the futuristic weapons and colored access cards that are necessary for advancing the story" 

Delving further into the back story as it takes place in the world of Greyhawk : 

"In the adventure's introduction, it is explained that the Grand Duchy of Geoff is under constant attack by a succession of monsters that have been emerging from a cave in the mountains. The Grand Duke of Geoff has hired the characters to discover the origin of the creatures, and stop their incursions."

I've had a conversation with friends this evening about this module and I have very fond memories about it. Both playing it as a player and running it as a dungeon master. This module has everything you could want from a science fantasy module. Everything from James Ward Gamma World to Gary Gygax in full fun house mode. 

Did I mention Veggie Pygmies? Androids, robots, power armor, laser pistols, mind flayers and need I go on. 

 

This module introduces a possible other worldly origin for many of the usual AD&D monster suspects including 'Mind Flayer' but as we've seen in the pages of Dragon this is perhaps one possible explanation for its origins. That wonderful monster goes back all the way to S&T magazine.
 
Lets not get into the frog mouth and that damn rabitoid on the stump that killed poor 'Gregory The Just' my 8th level paladin. 

Further Thoughts and Notes on Expedition 

 I ran this bad boy a little while back HERE  & tonight talking with players over at my house this evening they want me to run this one again. So I would say a big yes to it being relevant.
There are a few things I've got from tonight's conversation along with comments :

1. This module was released along with others in the 'S' series - Which according to wiki - 'In 1980, the updated version was published as Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. At the time of Expedition to the Barrier Peaks's release, each Dungeons & Dragons module was marked with an alphanumeric code indicating the series to which it belonged.^[10] The 32-page adventure bears the code S3 ("S" for "special").
   
   When Metamorphosis Alpha was updated and expanded into Gamma World, it seemed the right time for Gygax to reintroduce Expedition to the Barrier Peaks to the public. Said Gygax, "What could be more logical than to make available a scenario which blends the two role playing approaches into a single form?"^[5]:2 Gygax updated the scenario to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules, hoping it could serve as a primer on how to integrate science into one's fantasy role playing game
   Basically this module could be run if one were to alter it back to back with say either Gamma World or Metamorphis Alpha First Edition allowing one to use the events prior to the crash and after said crash to do a sort of strange Mayfair Keep adventure. The players playing both roles to give a total history of the Warden. 
2. Look I loath Wiz Bros with all of my being but they did release a very cool map of the Expediation to the Barrier Peaks map that includes many of the major plot points of the adventure. This allows a DM to have an overview of all the major events of the module. Available right over HERE
3. Folks are very divided on the module because of the science fantasy elements and artifacts of the adventure but as I pointed out the artifacts will quickly run out of charge. 
4. The robots don't leave the ship unless the DM wants them too and the invasive species are really nasty allowing the DM to introduce other monsters into their version of Greyhawk. These could keep a party busy for years to come. 

5. Because this is such a polarizing adventure its really easy to get players hyped to play that scoff at the adventure. Of course the science fantasy elements are silly and your PC is cool enough to survive but what if he's not?
6. Players aren't quite as knowledgeable up on the module as they like to pretend they are and boy does that make it easy as a DM to introduce a bit of random or special encounters.

7. As it was pointed out to me this evening, this is a perfect module to get the party into space!


Because after all why wouldn't there be a search effort mission  if the DM wants one to be. Night of the Comet folks? 

8. There could be return missions to gain some insight into the reasons for the ship's crash? Perhaps that mysterious plague isn't simply confined to the ship? Could the PC's become carriers for a mysterious illness and walking disease vectors unknowingly?
Perhaps the 'cure' is only found aboard. 

9. Given the history of the star ship the whole thing might be one toxic waste dump waiting to happen. Perhaps not only could there be the monsters but mutation spilling out into the campaign world meaning another trip into the bowels of the cavernous death trap. 

10. Given the nature of some of the retroclones on the market like Mutant Future, Labyrinth Lord and many others this module suddenly gains a bit more of a venue as the perfect cross over module for moving back and forth from one game system to another!

In closing I'm thinking about running this adventure as one of my possible mid winter mini campaigns with friends once again allowing me to mix and match the science fantasy/D&D goodness!
Game on!
 Much of tonight's entry came from the wiki entry right
HERE
 The Pdf of Metamorphosis Alpha 1st Edition which will be getting a work out as well is available right over
HERE
But I'd wait till it goes on sale.

Planning A Metamorphosis Alpha 1st edition/Carcosa Mash Up

 I've been contemplating a Metamorphosis Alpha/Carcosa mash up for quite awhile now. I looked into some of the Appendix N of MA and their are some pretty strikingly interesting ideas in some of the following books.
Fiction with a similar background as M.A. include:
* Orphans of the Sky (Robert Heinlein)
* Non-Stop (Brian Aldiss)
 * Captive Universe (Harry Harrison)

Rereading the back of the reprint booklet I get very nostalgic for the games of MA with my best friend. 

Have you ever encountered a moose with quills? Or a teleporting woodpecker with a double brain and a poison beak? How about a nearly invincible jaguar, complete with the ability to change its body density and emit a sonic shriek, but which fears birds? These are but a small sampling of the mutations which could inhabit the many worlds of METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA.

A vast starship, a virtual world in itself, carrying colonists, livestock, and the flora and fauna of Terra is struck by a cloud of an unknown form of radiation while enroute to a distant star. Chaos reigns when the radiation kills most of the crew, and in the ensuing madness the knowledge of what the ship is and where its destination lies is lost to the survivors - and there are many survivors. Intelligent mutated animals and plants now populate the vessel, and these compete or perhaps cooperate with the humans aboard.

In METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA, you are aboard the stricken starship and struggling to survive, trying to gain knowledge of the strange devices and mechanical apparatus of the vessel, attempting to learn the secrets of the strange world you inhabit. As a player, you may be a human or mutant - human or otherwise. Your course is up to your skill and imagination.

METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA is a role-playing game in the grand tradition of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. If you enjoy the worlds of medieval swords and sorcery, you will love what you find in the fantastic and fascinating worlds of science fiction!"

1976 ... 32 pages ... TSR SF18-R / 3001 (later printings)
The description from MA comes from right here
 The reprint is available right over here HERE

 One thing to remember about Metamorphosis Alpha is that it takes place in the 24th century. The echoes of it ring throughout Gamma World especially The Albuquerque Starport" and written by Paul Reiche III. The module was a reminder of the bizarre world of Gamma World where a complete space port still lurked under the New Mexico desert complete with working shuttle ready to take the characters off to the ruins of a space station floating above the Earth. 

A space station that is haunted by the victims of the "Canopus plague". The module is now largely forgotten but between the artwork of Otis and the kick ass one shot adventure. This was a world that felt squarely within a twenty fourth century gone very wrong. As if the WW III from Star Trek had gone on and the timeline continued to sputter until we got to Gamma World. 
It always felt like Gamma World 1st and 2nd editions were half games and that there was a monstrous" Post Apocalyptic Space Opera" just lurking in the background. Recently I've been rereading some of the "Gamma World" issues of Ares Magazine and Polyhedron.

 This pretty much brings me to Carcosa. I'm planning on taking a bunch of Metamorphosis Alpha 1st edition PC's and dumping them into the wilds of Carcosa.
City Of The Ancients has some ideas in it along with a location for introducing OD&D PC's into the  Carcosa setting. The Dungeon From A Distant Star is an excellent one shot for getting the PC's into the spirit of the Carcosa location. Both adventures, along with some very interesting house rules are all available right over HERE

Jack Shear is really to blame for some of this madness as well. He's got a different take on the setting along with new drugs, ritual rules, some ideas on the function of tribes within the setting, and so forth. You can read about his take right over HERE
Jack's World Between setting even has doorways that lead into Carcosa from his world's post apocalytic fantasy land known as Scar. The descriptions of which remind me of the war torn ruins of Poland from Clive Barker's Damnation Game. Shattered buildings, weird megadungeons, and strange weird monsters. Everything is just waiting to slice into PC's.
 This is all right now simply in the planning stage but I've got players who want to play this game or short campaign right now. One location that I really want to get into this up coming game is this one. 

The Citadel Skyscraper Fortresses of Nyarlathotep in hex 0211, you can read more about the uses of these locations right HERE

Mutants & Martians -The Alien Worlds Of Metamorphis Alpha

So I've been screwing around with the science fictional/fantasy origins of OD&D as well as Empire of the Petal Throne. & Metamorphosis Alpha. I've been rereading my copy of original MA & looking through the time line over at the MA's updated site.Earlier this year Signal Fire studios did a highly successful kickstarter & is currently working on the development of their game along with James Ward. Recently I've been taking players through AD&D Expedition to the Barrier Peaks & I'm looking into back dating some stuff into some of my older campaigns. The new Metamorphosis Alpha's time line might just help me do just that. There are lots of interesting tid bits in the new timeline. This isn't a happy world at all 
The timeline contains lots of information about the MA world such lines as this one :

2083 - Microbiological, crystal based life forms and subterranean ice discovered on Mars. War of the Worlds album in top 20 again. Massive public support for space exploration.

This has me thinking of

 

 But I digress here. The world of Metamorphis Alpha is one where genetic manipulation is common. The word mutant is one that has come to mean designing not only your own child but its abilities as well.
The radiation fantasy elements found in the original are there but there are other elements working behind the scenes. You can see the timeline right  here The_Timeline.html

Metamorphosis Alpha slightly out of focus on purpose 

So really what does this mean to the original game? The fact is that many play post Apocalyptic Games like Mutant Future, Metamorphosis Alpha, & others treat their campaign words with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Yet you have retro homage video games Fall out Vegas & now the X Com games that don't spare anything. The gonzo is there but the elements will still kill your PC. With things like this coming out it all ties those elements together nicely. 

2239 - Ruins of similar type as those found on Pacific Ocean Floor discovered on Mars. Explorers set off device, sending a beam into deep space. All communications on Mars disrupted. Ruins confirm Mars was once inhabited.

2276 - Ruins on Mars and Pacific Ocean floor receive signal from deep space. All communications in solar system blacked out for 30 minutes.

2281 - PAEB discovered developing genetically engineered “super-soldiers”. Operation exposed by Eco-Extremists, Blue Peace.

  

  The Post Apocalyptic Mars Gambit 

  A couple of months ago I ran a pretty nice little post apocaltyptic Mars campaign & I've been wanting to revisit it again. Those adventurers are still there & I'm waiting for my copy of Star Ships & Spacemen in the post. So using a bit of creative adventure sewing I'm going to spin things through my old Mars campaign via James Ward's new timeline. Since I now have Stars Without Number I've got the perfect system to seem this all together. There's more coming soon.