Gamma Runner Blues - Old School Commentary On The Blade Runner 2049 Film Trailer & More S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks Adventure Connections

" I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."
Roy Batty Blade Runner '82

So the new Blade Runner 2049 trailer broke from Twentieth Century Fox or whomever is call themselves that name these days. Like so many other folks I was sort of excited about it, but these days nostalgia is so thick you can cut it with a spinner. So why is the Eighties nostalgia so in vogue? Personally I think its because folks are so scared about humanity's future that they're looking to the past of their youth for solace and perspective. One of my teachers in college would have said that this was the perspective of an empire on its last legs. But that perspective brings up another bitter sweet memory of old school gaming. Turn your way back machines to Nineteen Ninety Four &  the director's cut of Blade Runner was hitting Block Buster's shelves. Old school gaming was full swing, errm no it wasn't because there had a blow out with friends over Cyberpunk 2020 vs Gamma World second edition. See our little gaming community was in the middle of a heated Gamma World 2nd edition campaign. And then this other DM wanted to come in & start talking trash about our campaign in college. Nerd rage has always been with the hobby folks and its not pretty. This hobby attracts some very strong personalities. Words were said & our 'friend' got what he came for other players. At least for a bit because the players drifted back to our table after about a month or so.

So why were we using Gamma World Second edition for a Blade Runner style campaign? Well there are several reasons why it works. The technologies are all there from flying e cars to androids. Especially those androids which were in full use in the Gamma World timeline. We used that timeline that appeared in Dragon magazine to play in the Shadow Years.

Tyrell was the new upstart company producing far more life like android workers while mutations were appearing all over the place.  A.I. had come into its own and the interstellar community was quite used to dealing with the many aspects of both androids & robots helping them in the blackness of outer space. You get in on some of the updated versions of this campaign that I did for Stars Without Numbers based partially on the film Silent Running here, part II here  & finally part III here  
We were also using Metamorphosis Alpha first edition for the ship board action as well for this game.  In our game campaign the Delos corporation was the older and standard model. The debacle at the Delos resort had pushed things in a direction that caused a world wide panic reaction to the androids. This being one of the factors that forced the android cryptic alliance faction's hand to help start WW III.  Delos also manufactured the androids for a little star ship called the Warden, no not that one the other one!

But not only is it possible to use Gamma World second edition to fill this sort of a campaign out but Mutant Future can also be used to expand or possibly run this sort of a campaign completely these days.  There are more Blade Runner/Gamma World Advanced Dungeons & Dragons connections.
The other factor that no one ever talks about it is the planar & dimensional gate experiments that were built into the old Dragon magazine Gamma World timeline. This is where the old school AD&D connection comes into S3 Expedition To The Barrier Peaks. Way back in the Nineties we had seen an interview with Gary Gygax where he talked about the fact that the space craft in S3 Expedition To The Barrier Peaks  isn't the Warden of James Ward's Metamorphosis Alpha first edition fame.  In fact this was written up in the Drivethrurpg add for the module;"
A Ship Called Warden. The story of "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks", begins with Metamorphosis Alpha (1976), a science-fantasy game that James Ward was designing in early 1976. When Gary Gygax saw some of Ward's "rough notes", he decided to "introduce the concept" through a tournament scenario: "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks".

"Barrier Peaks" is about a spaceship crashing into the world of Greyhawk. Gygax was very clear is saying that the ship was not the Warden from Metamorphosis Alpha: "The size and the technology in this vehicle should make such speculation quite misplaced, in fact. The downed space ship is far too small, and its science quite different from that of the famed starship Warden." The connection between "Barrier Peaks" and Metamorphosis Alpha is thus more of a thematic one."
So what's the deal with this Warden? Yes it was on a mission of exploration but could there have been far more going on below the surface? The answer is yes! There was experimental time & space research happening on board this version of the Warden. Notice I said this version which for our games would come into far more focus deeper into the campaign in '98. But that's another blog entry.

So what we did was to have a gateway through time and space tying this Warden back to our campaign someplace aboard the ship. The A.I.'s were experimenting with planar & time travel to alternative worlds and it was a great way for us to bridge the AD&D 1st edition game with our Gamma World second edition game. It was also a great way to slip in some android NPC's into Greyhawk working their own nefarious agendas. Plus there was an alien presence on board working its own agenda behind the scenes that caused problems for the android NPC's and the adventurers themselves! And it wanted through the gateway to Earth!


The PC's couldn't let the alien bastard get back through the gate! There had to be a way to seal the gateway? They eventually used one of the atomic batteries they found and blew themselves, the Warden, and the aliens to kingdom come! It was a great way to end a campaign run like tears in the rain!


Keep em rolling folks &
  there's more to come!

The Space Sirens A New OSR Faction For The Alpha Blue & Crimson Dragon Slayer Rpg Systems As Well As Your Old School Campaigns

Many spacers & adventurers have run across the space sirens;these attractive space maidens are actually semi artificial cloned beings adapted for their planetary environments by their god. They are also highly active psychics who are able to lure many adventurers to their deaths. Amazing these women psychics have frequently appeared in the wastelands of Thule where they have adapted quite easily. These space sirens appear to be tolerated by the dragon lords of Thule and there are rumors of some connections with Thulian royal  houses.



They are the sirens of space and the children of the space gods themselves. These prehistoric women have as many names as the stars in the skies above. The star sirens are a race of buxom telepathic alien cloned women humanoids who are the products of the ancient space god The Corman. They come in a wide variety of racial types often suitable to climate and conditions of the worlds chosen for them by their god. The space sirens are most often seen on idyllic paradise planets where they spend their afternoons worshiping and engaging barbaric space rites to the war avatar of their space god 'The Corman'. Each new piece of technology or relic encountered by the space sirens is quickly adapted into their weird religious outlook as an aspect of their god.

The space sirens all share a cosmic telepathic hive mind that allows the race to share in &  indulge in a group consciousness. They are able to learn as well as  access knowledge quickly & easily allowing the space sirens to adapt to changing conditions that they often find within the interstellar universe. They act individuality as agents of  'the Corman' moving throughout space & time for its greater glory and its mysterious agenda. Many have become infamous spacers and famous adventurers in their own right crewing star ships and pirating across the space ways in the name of their god. 'The Corman' often takes the form of a burnt out robotic or cybernetic life form. It often appears to the space sirens in dream sequences or other reality altering scenes.

Many space sirens serve aboard Alpha Blue for their own mysterious reasons and there are often 1d100 aboard the station serving in many capacities. Any births resulting from sleeping with a space siren has a 99.9 percent of producing another space siren. Praise be 'The Corman'.

The Space Sirens For Crimson Dragon Slayer
& Alpha Blue
Health: 80

Armor:4

Action Dice: 4d6

#Attacks: 3 [Level: 12]

Siren's Song - The ladies are able to create a weird alien song that telepathically lulls targets into a calm state and lures the targets to places where they want them. Often this song is same as certain space grocery chains or gambling dens. Targets must resist this telepathic lure or head straight for the siren's position.

Telepathic Erotic Orgasmic  Blast - The target's neural pathways are filled with a raging neural energy and must save or their heads will explode in a shower of orgasmic sexual gore from the siren.


Telepathic F$%#ery - The space siren sends out a telepathic message of weirdness & total alien confusion. Targets will be stunned for two rounds

Summon Rock - The space siren is able to summon a rock from the planet of their origin and use it as a +2 attack against a target. This is often done as an attack of last resort.

Powers & Abilities -

Breath of the Sisters - The Siren is able to adapt & breath underwater or in adverse conditions on a roll of 1d6 often this is to conditions that might otherwise kill an ordinary human being. 

Hot Outfit Of Desire - The space siren is able to summon a matching set of perfectly clean sexy outfits from other dimensional space three times per day.

Hot Healing Sexy Time - A sex act with a space siren is able to heal almost any damage that a PC has making them one of the most sought after races to have relations with.


OSR Stats




Star Sirens
No Appearing : 1-6 

Alignment: Neutral 

Move:12" in flats
Armor Class : 5 

Hit Dice : 3 

Attacks: 3 or special 

Damage :1d6 

Save: F4 

Treasure Type: D

Special Attacks :
Siren's Song - A telepathic charm person attack that lasts for 1d6 rounds unless the target makes his save vs wands 

Telepathic Erotic Orgasmic  Blast - The target's mind is filled with violent erotic imagery that rots their brain from within telepathically. The victim must save vs death or have their head explode in a show of gore and blood.

Telepathic F$%#ery - The target is hit with waves of confusion and telepathic weirdness, they must save vs spells or be stunned for 1d6 rounds


Summon Rock - The siren summons a +2 rock from her home world and instantly it appears in her hand for an attack

Powers & Abilities

Breath of the Sisters - Once per day the Siren is able to adapt to adverse planetary or elemental conditions by the grace of their god.

Hot Outfit Of Desire - The space siren is able to summon a matching set of perfectly clean sexy outfits from other dimensional space three times per day.


Hot Healing Sexy Time- Copulation with a space siren acts as a cure heavy wounds spell, this ability can only be used three times per day.

This faction is from the schlock public domain  classic The Voyage To The Planet Of Prehistoric Women!

Critters: Bounty Hunter - Fan Film

A very well produced fan film of one of my favorite 80's cult movies series . I really love the way that this was done, it retains the charm of the original Critters movies without ripping them off. A nicely done little homage to one of the best of the grade 'B' science fiction films that had some very awesome entertainment value in the video rental place I worked in Boston way back in the 90's. 

According to the Youtube entry: 

 Warner Bros. recently announced plans to revive "Critters" as a web series for their digital unit, Blue Ribbon Content. I've been a die-hard fan of the series since I was a kid and wanted to show that I would be the right director for the project. This short film is my pitch..

MAKING OF:

Critters Bounty Hunter was completed from start to finish in under two months with a small budget and an even smaller crew. All in, a total of six people worked on the movie: Myself, Kevin Stewart, Ricky Fosheim, Nick Soole, Troy Smith and Gina Luciani. We shot for two nights at a house in Mammoth Lakes, California. The Critter puppet was built by Troy Smith who worked with us on both ThanksKilling movies. Our crew handled everything from building the bounty hunter costume, learning the VFX required to pull off the glowing head, scoring, title cards, sound design, etc. We're proud of what we pulled off with limited resources and can't wait to share this with everyone. Turn up the volume and hit HD - We hope you enjoy our fun little take on Critters!

Star Trek Axanar Kickstarter For Your Consideration

When it comes to Star Trek I love the original series and many of the myriad of fan films that have graced my computer screen over the last several years. This one just came across my desk from the Facebook of George Takai. After looking over the the Kickstarter page I was impressed enough to make sure that the word got out about this one. It however only has twenty hours to go? We will see this one made? It would warm this old Treker's heart to see this film made. 

Further Details Right 

HERE 

Garth of Izar has always been a favorite of mine ever since I was a kid and I watched Trek reruns out of New York on channel eleven on a Saturday afternoon. Later the Four Years War would make its face known from Fasa's Star Trek Rpg module The Return to Axanar. This production is original and follows some very interesting twists and turns. 

The plot of this one follows the events that almost tear the Federation apart and leaves a great many worlds in flames and ruins. 

Axanar takes place 21 years before the events of “Where no Man Has Gone Before”. It tells the story of Garth of Izar, the legendary Starfleet captain who is Captain Kirk’s hero and the role model for a generation of Starfleet officers. Garth charted more planets than any other Captain and was the hero of the Battle of Axanar.  His exploits are required reading at Starfleet Academy.

This is the story of Garth and his crew during the Four Years War, the war with the Klingon Empire that almost tore the Federation apart, and whose resolution solidified the Federation and allowed it to become the entity we know in Kirk's time.

It is the year 2245, four years into the war with the Klingons.
I'm really loving the pre-production artwork of the Klingon ships and some of the Federation forces. Here are a few examples : 

Go take a look and see what I'm talking about. Throw a few credits their way and let's get this one made.
Live Long and Prosper !

1d10 Random Waste Land Finds Table Inspired By Classic 1970's & 80's Science Fiction Films For Mutant Future Or Any Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns

One never knows what your PC's might stumble upon in the deep wastes of the post apocalyptic world. Here's a table inspired by some of the classic shows and films from an age long past. 

1d10 Random Waste Land Finds Table Inspired By Classic 1970's & 80's 

1. A decayed human hand with a broken laser sword nearby. The hand has been cut off right at the wrist and there's still bits of clothing around the wrist. The laser sword has a few focus crystals that can be salvaged. About 60 gold pieces worth of crystal. 
2. One damaged web shooter out of fluid with some nozzle issues. Might be worth something to a collector as a novelty. 20 gold pieces 
3. A hover car containing three skeletons including the remains of an android. The others are pure strain humans with one wearing the uniform of a Sandman. He has a damaged energy weapon and tracking unit but these can be made operative again with some minor repairs. The hover car has a bad cooling unit but with some minor work will run. Worth about 500 gold pieces for the hover car. 
4. A escape pod from an Eagle Lander with the remains of its pilot still inside dressed in an orange astronaut suit. The suit is worth 200 gold pieces for salvage. The pod is in bad shape and beyond help. 
5. Pork Pie hat slightly singed that adds +2 Charisma to whomever wears it. Worth 50 gold pieces. There's a press pass inside the hat that reads Kolchak. 
6. A hand weapon in rough shape, Type II phaser in need of major repairs. 100 gold pieces 
7. Golden droid arm with major carbon scoring, could be used for cybernetic implantation with some spare parts. 100 gold pieces to a robotic specialist. 
8. Strange laser pistol of unusual design that looks like a stapler. Very badly burnt though and in need of major repair work. 60 gold pieces in present condition 
9. NASA space suit slightly water damaged and with gorilla hair around the fittings. Worth 200 gold pieces. In mostly working order but in need of minor repairs. 
10. An android gun fighter badly acid scarred dressed in the remains of a gunfighter outfit. Good only for parts. Worth 200 gold pieces. The positronic brain is still intact.