Role Playing Public Radio

SHIT JUST GOT REAL Apologies to MSpaint adventures! It’s time for the final battle between the Thieves Guild and the heroic ragtag army of underdogs (i.e. the players)! Who will live? Who will die? Who will die, then live because the players bitch enough to make me change my ruling? Find out in Episode 12

We’re back from Gencon and we’ve gathered our thoughts. It was an exhausting, exhilarating and expensive four days but well worth it. We cover everything from the trip to Indy, hotels, to the actual games we played or ran and our purchases. Tom tried out a few official games while I ran seven games, including an after hours Call of Cthulhu game. Of course the big news is that we played in a 2 part, 12 hour WW1 CoC scenario run by Adam Scott Glancy of Pagan Publishing. It was suitably epic. On top of that, we have some tips for all you con-goers including a few of my hints on running games at a con. Shout-Outs Eclipse Phase: Transhumanist Sci-Fi Horror Rpg. Very awesome, very pretty and well worth a look. Mecha & Manga: Mutants and Masterminds Animu setting book. If you want school girl ninjas and giant robots in M&M, try this. Shotgun Diaries: John Wick’s zombie survival horror rules-lite rpg. No link because there’s no website for the game. Shard: High-concept fantasy furry rpg. Zombie Cinema: A story game about zombies, sold in a VHS box. Very cool. Hills Rise Wild: Pagan Publishing’s Cthulhu Mythos board game. Mysteries of Mesoamerica: A Call of Cthulhu 1920s sourcebook for central america and has 4 scenarios. Hobocon: A documentary about some gamers trying to survive Gencon with no cash and no plan. Dragon Magazine Annual 2009: A collection of some of WOTC’s best stuff from Dragon magazine. Great material on kobolds and more Grim Wars: A new setting for Wild Talents written by Greg Stolze and Ken Hite. Damnation City: A nWoD sourcebook for cities – building your own, pulling the strings and so on. America the Audiobook: Hilarious audiobook from the Daily Show. I’m America and So Can You: Another funny audiobook, this one from Stephen Colbert. Music: Untitled song from Click Clack Kaboom.

The White House Washington March 15, 1984 Costumed Vigilantes, Adventurers and Criminals & The Reagan Act Executive Summary Today, President Cheney is proud to sign the Reagan Act into law. The tragedy of last year’s Air Force One attack galvanized Congress to finally outlaw so-called ‘masks’, as they are a clear and present danger to the American people. After decades of tolerating these fringe radicals out of a misguided notion that they could protect society better than our lawfully elected public officials and trained police officers, the 113 deaths on that fateful day has shown us the truth: that men and women who hide behind masks are not to be trusted. The Reagan Act: Named in memory of the late president, the Reagan Act makes costumed adventuring without prior approval of the US government a federal crime, in of itself. A 6 month amnesty will be granted to all costumed vigilantes The Act also raises the penalties for enhancile related crimes. Costumed adventuring is defined as committing a crime (including any vigilante related crimes) or otherwise endangering public safety and national security while in a costumed alter-personna. Furthermore, anyone wearing a costume of any kind must identify their true identity if asked by a law enforcement official. Masks Today: The Saraswati Institute, the world’s only think tank specializing in studying costumed vigilantes and criminals has released the most in-depth study of the topic, Capes and Masks: The Secret world of Costumed Adventurers and its conclusions support the tenets of the Reagan Act. Main Points of Capes and Masks Costumed Vigilantes cause more crime than they stop: Study after study has found a ‘broken window’ effect when costumed vigilantes operate in a given area. While this seems counter-intuitive, extensive interviews with criminals, police and even a few vigilantes found a common cycle. •   A vigilante’s initial operations in an area creates a temporary reduction in crime. •   The police respond by lowering their presence in the area and focuse elsewhere. •   Criminals, forced out by the police, move in the vigilante’s turf, raising crime. •   The vigilante responds by using psychological warfare and more violence. •   Criminals become desperate, using greater amounts of violence and depravity. •   Crime rates are generally higher in a vigilante’s turf as a result. Prosecuting criminals caught by costumed vigilantes is harder: While the conviction rates vary from state to state, many of the prosecutors interviewed for the book agree that a suspect who is caught by a mask has a much better chance of being acquitted than if the police conducted the investigation. Evidence gathered by a vigilante is thrown out in 64% of cases at least part of the time as there is no chain of custody. Other defendants have been freed on a variety of technicalities ranging from haebas corpus issues to the right to face one’s accuser. Of course, many vigilantes hope that suspects will be freed so they can seek revenge in private, such as the infamous ‘Meathook Killer’ Ted Logan who was beaten to death by a costumed vigilante after he was found not guilty. It was later shown that the same vigilante had hidden evidence from the police. Costumed Adventurers are entirely unaccountable to society: Power brings corruption. Many vigilante supporters point to isolated instances of governmental corruption as proof that the masks are needed. However, many costumed adventurers have shown themselves to be more corrupt than any public official. •   In Texas, a costumed vigilante raided drug dens and gave the contraband to minors during orgies as part of his ‘psychadelic counter-revolution’. •   A group of three vigilantes burned the headquarters of a legitimate political organization in act of terrorism. Five of the organization’s leaders died in the blaze. •   A female vigilante disrupted a peaceful pro-life group, crippled a Catholic bishop, and committed a lewd act with another woman during a public parade. •   In the most egregious example, a costumed adventurer named Doctor Electro destroyed his notes on a new system of fusion energy that could end the current energy crisis, after the Department of Defense spent over $2 billion dollars funding his research. Doctor Electro  is still at large. Costumed Adventurers abuse banned enhancile drugs and technology: The Geneva Convention banned the use of any technology that could create super soldiers but costumed adventurers frequently abuse thesm. The dangers of enhancile technology is so great that not even Communist China or North Korea incorporates their use. Researchers believe that over 80% of masks make use of enhancile drugs or other forms of technology. Virtually all costumed adventurers deny using these technologies but the evidence indicates otherwise. As Dr. Sullivan explains “the idea of a single combatant defeating ten or more hardened criminals with only martial arts and a few gadgets is insane. There are literally hundreds of reports of vigilantes performing impossible feats and surviving injuries that can only be explained through enhancile technology.” Masks on the Decline: Many of us remember the Freedom Squadron and other costumed adventurers who fought bravely in World War 2. While they served nobly, their modern counterparts are anything but noble. Fortunately, their numbers are dwindling. Most reports put active masks at anywhere between 200-400 in America alone.

In order to celebrate the success of the second RPPR ransom the Goblin Hulk, we’ll post the next episode of The New World Campaign. In this game, we introduce a new player, Mike, who takes over the NPC warforged named Watcher. The Water Barons have learned of the thieves guild’s stronghold and now must march on it with their ragtag army. Can they survive the dangerous wilderness with their army intact or will the many traps, hazards and wandering monsters stop them before they can even fight the guild?

Donate to the RPPR Ransom, The Goblin Hulk, a 4E D&D Dungeon usable in any campaign! Tom, Aaron and I discuss our plans for this year’s Gencon and RPPR’s third time there. But before we get into that, I discuss the werestorm, one of the more baffling features of the World of Synnibarr. Tom’s going to play in several games and I’m running 6 games for Arc Dreams. Even Aaron is going to play in a few games, including some fancy Battletech Pods. Scott Glancy of Pagan Publishing might even let us playtest some new WW1 Call of Cthulhu scenarios. Favorite Forum Threads: Need a little help with an Item creation – neat items for any fantasy game Anecdote: One-Upping Tom’s Gun-Rape story – it is quite horrific and not safe for work GURPS combat explained – it makes GURPS combat sound fun! Tom’s Call of Cthulhu WW2 actual play Shout-outs Last of the Living: Zombies in New Zealand. Hell Yeah. Ghostbusters the game.It’s fun, I guess? Survival City: Cold War Archeology, nuclear bunkers, missile silos and all that cool atomic era architecture. Blackest Night: I don’t even know. Hell’s Highway: A documentary about highway safety films, the first ultraviolent gore films. Dreamquest to Unknown Kadath the graphic novel: Lovecraft’s fantasy epic as a funnybook. Maptools: This is the most awesome virtual tabletop ever and I will learn how to use it. Music: The Geeks Come out At Night by Devo Spice

So you want to be a superhero?  No such thing. But. You can be a mask, which is why you’re here. You said superhero but you meant a mask. The difference? Simple. Superheroes didn’t choose to be what they turned out to be. They made the best with what they had. That’s why they died off. Masks want to be masks. Need to be. The governments, all around the world, passed those crackdown laws. That took out most of ‘em. But the call of the mask is still strong enough.  Strong enough to call you. Here’s what I got. First number here is for this company. They make body armor and costumes on the sly. Light weight kevlar sewn in, lead weights on the knuckles of the gloves, maybe a few extras if you got the bucks. Cheaper if you already got a design but they can come up with something. You got an idea on the design? Good. Only hacks let someone else do it. Next number is a street doc. Stitch your boo-boos right up. Cheap too. Oh and you’ll need that number. Might want to tattoo it on you or put it on speed dial on your  wrist communicator. Hey, no need to get cocky. You need this number. Oh yeah, you got some moves. You’re fast. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t be talking to you if I thought you couldn’t hack it. But it don’t matter how fast you are. How strong. How tough. You will bruise, you will break bones and you will bleed. But that’s part of the thrill you know? Masks dance the dance because they’re fucking crazy or they love the thrill or both. Oh sure you gotta stop the bad guys. But that’s not the point. Masks do what no one else can. Third number is Hal. He’s a trainer. Runs a 24 hour gym in the roughest part of the city. Doesn’t ask questions, about anything.  Can get you some weapons too. You gotta keep in shape, right? You want extra juice? Lemme give you a number. There’s a black market for, shall we say, performance enhancements. My advice is to not fucking touch them. Masks who dip into that shit get burned. The cops have an anti-mask unit you know and they make examples out of any freak who throws a car on the evening news. Not to mention the side effects, cancer the least of them. Lost a lot of good people to them. Your call. The place? Nah, kid. I gave you a lot but I can’t give you that. You gotta earn the right. It’s the only place where masks can relax and they are a goddamn exclusive crowd. Before the crackdown, there was over a thousand masks worldwide. Now, maybe 100 at any given time. Most masks die or get caught in the first month. Some study said the average mask’s career is 2 years. Oh sure, some go on for decades. Most don’t. I know you need this. Just pass the cash over and you get the numbers. Don’t forget the RPPR Goblin Hulk Ransom is still underway! You can get the entire Age of Masks mini campaign early if you contribute.

The Water Barons must now take a stand against the Thieves Guild. Lines are drawn, preparations are made and the final confrontation draws ever closer. This session and the next two sessions mark the conclusion of the heroic tier of the New World RPPR campaign. Also, be sure to check out the next RPPR ransom, the Goblin Hulk module. No one welcomes the goblin horde into their land. No one wants the goblins as guests or friends. No one, not even the other monstrous races, trusts the goblins. They are as the locust, a ravenous swarm consuming or despoiling all within reach. Normally, they are held back by the armies of civilized nations but the New World lacks an organized defense. The first goblin ship has laid anchor off the shore of the New World, a massive hulk that holds together despite its improbable construction. It is a ramshackle floating fortress with countless goblins nesting within it. Its very presence destabilizes the region and if left unchecked, the goblins could overrun the New World. This is a ransom project. If the ransom is met, The Goblin Hulk will be released as a free PDF by September 20, 2009 at the latest. Preview material including monster stats and maps will be released on a regular basis. The Goblin Hulk is a multi-purpose dungeon module suitable for any 4E game. The hulk can appear in any harbor or shore, threatening all nearby. It is designed so that you can use it as: *A starting town for evil or unaligned player characters – the bazaar is open to all and characters can use it to gain gold and power. Level 1 characters can even help one of the goblin chieftains gain power in the hulk. *A level 6 adventure for characters to sneak into the hulk and rescue captured friends or escape from the hulk themselves. *A level 12 adventure for a band of heroes to storm the hulk, slay its defenders and sink the ship before the goblins gain a permanent beachhead in the New World.

Conflict is the heart of drama, yet that doesn’t mean it’s always welcome in a role playing game, especially when it is between players. So when a debate becomes an argument or when tempers rise, what should you do? Tom and I discuss how to deal with various meta-player conflicts, as a GM and as a player. Instead of a letter, Tom reviews an animated movie The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. The second New World Campaign Ransom is up! Check out the Fundable for The Goblin Hulk, a module suitable for level 1, 6 or 12 characters. New Monsters, templates and more. No forum threads this time, because we both forgot. However, I did create a Synnibarr character for you to hear about, Tetsuo the Wereman Ninja! Oh and some anecdotes. Shout-Outs The Room + Rifftrax – the greatest movie ever made plus the best commentary ever recorded. Field Notes: Neat notebooks for all you notebook nerds out there. Prototype: Become the monster you always wanted to be. A Scary Solstice: Lovecraftian Christmas Carols. Twitch of the Def Nerve: A badass mashup of exploitation movies and hip-hop. Nostalgia Critic: Some reviewing website or something. Transformers 2 Review: The Best Review. Of Anything. Ever. Music: Break it up by the Cyanide Pills

Tom, the co-host of RPPR has long since been a featured player in the actual plays but the table have now been turned.  In his first ever game of Call of Cthulhu, he pits a group of German soldiers against the horrors of a Nazi experiment gone wrong. In the winter. In a remote base. With little chance of escaping. Thanks a lot Tom.

Meet Pontifex. The tribes of the New World call him Grandfather for he is older than any living creature. He has slaughtered entire tribes, commands all to do his bidding if need be, yet no tribal thinks to slay him or even hate him. What point is there in warring or hating a force of such power that it might as well be a hurricane or an earthquake? The Water Barons meet Pontifex for the first time in this session.