31 Days / 31 Characters - EERIE

I've been planning to run a new campaign with Wednesday Night group but, as is usual for me, I couldn't decide which of the three or four ideas I liked best. I pitched them all to my group of four players and asked, "What are your top two picks?"

Everyone, myself included, had one pick among their preferred choices, Meteor City SFRPG - Star Rainy Days, and so that is what we're going to be playing.

 
To test Meteor City's Character Creation system before sharing it with the gang, I created Eerie, a Ghost Roamer of the Outer Rim!

Character: None.

The Ghost Roamers of the Outer Rim don't normally have individual names. They take the names of those they mimic, leave them behind, take new ones, and on and on. They will, on occasion, adopt 'nicknames' given to them by companions they like and respect. 

AKA: 'Eerie'.

Nickname given to it by aquaintences teasing them about the small, simple smile it always has regardless of the form it takes. While generally pleasant, the expression has been called eerie on numerous occasion. 

Player: Possibly me, possibly an NPC. 

System: Meteor City SFRPG - Star Rainy Days

 

Nature: Created for this Challenge

Gamemaster: None yet. Possibly me. 

Circa: January 6th, 2025

Origins: I played a one-shot of Meteor City - Star Rainy Days on New Year's Eve 2024 into New Year's Day 2025 with some internet friends in Chiba, Japan, Gamemastered by my pal Yasahiro Sato. I've been low key obsessed with the game ever since. 

When considering a new game to run this year, Meteor City was one of the top three titles on my list of 'Most Want to GM'. When my Wednesday group said yes to Star Rainy Days, I figured it would be a good idea to test the system by making a new character and I was curious to try a different Alien than the one I had previously played. 

Backstory: Shapes. Sizes. Colors. The universe is so full of amazing things to see. And not just see but imagine! And not just imagine but create and show others! This Ghost Roamer has traveled throughout the stars, experiencing breathtaking and wonderous sites and hoping to make some of its own.

One day it found out about a place called Earth, the homeworld of strange beings who have among them members of a class or profession called 'Artists'. Fascinated by the idea that a portion of Earth's native sentients, called Humans, were dedicated to creativity and the same things that excited and inspired the Ghost Roamer, it decided to travel to our world to more learn more about and make Art. 

It has since made friends among the local Artist Community in a place called Meteor City. Because it has not yet mastered Human facial expressions, its smile tends to look a little odd, though it does smile a lot these days. It has earned the nickname, 'Eerie'. 

Overview: I have a clear idea for this character but I am finding it hard to convey said idea. Eerie is a dreamer; a free-spirited entity who appreciates 'art' on a deep personal level but what it sees as art is not necessarily what we would attribute that word to. Eerie might be moved by the swirls of steamed milk poured into the espresso of a latte as it is the subtle smile of the Mona Lisa. His own creations are abstract in the extreme, though I haven't yet decided how that will manifest exactly. 

Mechanically, Eerie has a Sense of 5, which gives it an excellent awareness of its surroundings. It is always looking around, always listening, wanting to feel textures, smell smells, etc. 

Like all Ghost Roamers of the Outer Rim, Eerie has Mimicry, the ability to shift into the form and appearance of any person or object (of roughly half to full Human size). Ghost Roamers are able to duplicate the look, personality, and even memories of the person they're copying but not special Features, talents, or skills. Luckily (seriously, I randomly rolled it), it has a Potion of Complete Mimicry, which allows a Human to use the Mimic Feature or a Ghost Roamer to duplicate the Features of the person they're disguised as. 

Eerie also has a Favorite Shop, maybe a Cafe or Art Supply Store, where it can go, hang out with its friends, and receive the 'Empathy' Condition/Status while there. It's a Lucky liquid-smoke and also gets the 'Blessing' Status at the beginning of each Session. 

The Highlights: I like the abilities available in the game and I'm particularly found of this cloud-out-of-water character having a warm and passionate personality but also 'Back Alleys'; connections with space pirates, galactic smugglers, and other Alien ne'er-do-wells.It sees Art everywhere and so it doesn't write-off these scoundrels as not having 'culture'. 

Game Info: 

Notes: I really like this game and making up a character is actually fun. That's pretty special as the more I do this year's Challenge this way, the more I realize how much I REALLY don't enjoy making up characters in most systems (more on this in another post). This one was cool because it evokes a concept and supports 

Legacy: I'm about to run a Meteor City SFRPG - Star Rainy Days campaign. Eerie here may show up. What more intrisic a legacy can an RPG character have I ask you!

Well? I asked.

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Barking Alien

City Guide to BLAST CITY

Welcome to the Barking Alien City Guide to Original TRPG Cities created by yours truly. Over the course of the month of August I hope to get out at least five posts depicting fictional cities I've created throughout my HOLY-CRAP-IT'S-BEEN-48-FREAKIN'-YEARS of gaming. 

Enjoy.

BLAST CITY

Blast City, New York, United States of America, North America

Earth / Sol III

Origin/History: Early in the 21st century an alien starship crashed into New York State's Lower Bay. The vessel was a prototype, bringing with it over three thousand Sentient Extraterrestrial refugees. These aliens were on the run from a marauding species known as the Dreggetti.

Begging the people of Earth for help, as the Dreggetti Empire were destined to catch up with the refugees within a year, these beings offered Humanity advanced technology, incredible scientific knowledge, and - wait for it - superpowers. The aliens had invented a formula that could give Humans, and only Humans, extranormal abilities (although some of the alien species that arrived on Earth had some special traits naturally). 

Humanity agreed to ally with their galactic charges and a year later their combined forces were ready for any threat. With Super Soldiers, Space Fighters, Force Fields, and Particle Cannons, a United Earth and their alien allies waited for the Dreggeddi's arrival. 

And it never came.

Not a year later, not five years later, and not ten.  

Forward to today and the starship has been converted into a city - Blast City! Home to nearly a million people, Human and Alien alike, the city stands as arguably the most important and vibrant in the entire Sol System. A center of scientific and technological development, cultural exploration, and economic change, everyone wants to visit, if not live, in Blast City. 

Demographics: There are virtually one million permanent residents of Blast City. An additional 100,000 people live outside the city but commute to work on a daily basis. Thanks to improvements in infrastructure and transportation, someone living in Manhattan can expect less than an hour commute on average while still complaining about the traffic. 

Approximately 60% of the city's population, about 600,000 people, are Humans. Of those Humans, perhaps .05% or 300 people, are SuperHuman, possessing extranormal abilities. Generally this is limited to active Superheroes and students attending Hero Classes at Blast City High School and Blast City University but also includes Scientists, Engineers, and other civic/civilian jobs cleared for Superpower use.

The remaining 400,000 occupants of Blast City are extraterrestrial in origin. Most arrived along with the starship, though some were born on Earth after the landing/crash. Other aliens arrived later on slower spaceships. The alien population is made up of 30 different species. Some are fairly numerous, like the Uchunekojin, while others are remarkably few in number like the Googlimooglians.  

Weather: Essentially the same as the greater New York City area but a little more severe given that Blast City is basically an island in New York Harbor. That said, the citizens of Blast City don't really notice it as Weather Control technology prevents extreme climate situations from bothering anybody. Unless this technology is damaged or hindered in some way, conditions of intense heat and humidity, cold, high winds, rain, and flooding simply do not occur. 

Infrastructure: Thanks to the advanced scientific and technological knowledge of the city's denizens, upkeep and maintenance of the Blast City's utilities, streets, and the like are expertly and excellently handled. Blast City's plumbing is particularly effecient. 

Transportation throughout the city is accomplished by a few municipal conveyances: The Magnetic Levitation Monorail (colloquially referred to as the Mag-Rail), a Subway system, and City Buses. In addition, there are Taxis, Uber, and other car services, many of which have grav-cars. Ferry service is available between Blast City and several locations on the mainland. 

In addition, there are some interesting elements atypical of most metropoles. Blast City has four large and six smaller Force Field generators that can be activated to protect the city from everything from a Tsunami to directed Particle Beams! Along with the Central Power Plant in the center of Blast City, a number of Auxiliary Batteries are scattered throughout the inner workings of the island that help prevent power failures and black outs. They can also be used to super-charge the city's power grid for...well...see below. 

Highlights and Points of Interest:

You've probably noticed that the city, which was formally a starship, looks very much like a giant humanoid robot. That is because it is. The original starship was capable of transforming from interstellar craft to mecha in hopes of being able to fight the Dreggetti so others could escape. When converting the starship into a livable city, the engineers found it easier to work on the structure and systems with the vessel in robot mode. 

Rumor has it, the city can still fully transform and stand up but this has yet to be confirmed. 

A) Blast City University - The prestigious BCU is THE center for higher learning - College Bachelor's Degrees, Master's Degrees, and Doctoral Degrees available - in a wide variety of majors. The majority of the students are graduates of Blast City High School. They have a major rivalry with Titan Prep based on Saturn's moon Titan. 

B) Supernova Stadium and Entertainment Arena - A massive stadium/arena with a retractable roof,modifiable and movable terrain, great sound systems, and an unparalleled holographic light show capacity. It is used to hold all sorts of events, from home games of the Blast City Blazers Boogie Ball Team to Rock & Roll concerts. It also has the ability to convert into an Emergency Shelter and descend underground if the city is under attack or suffers some other catastrophe. 

C) Galaxy Patrol Central - Precinct One - Headquarters and Command Post of Blast City's Finest, the Galaxy Patrol. The name is a holdover from the organization the alien refugee's used to police their region of space prior to the Dreggetti invasion that forced them to escape to Earth.

At present, the Galaxy Patrol doesn't actually 'patrol the galaxy'. I mean, c'mon. They do protect the citizens of the Sol System, enforce the law on its various inhabited planets, moons, and asteroids, investigate interplanetary crimes, and most importantly of all, regulate the unauthorized use of supernormal abilities.

A much put upon sub-division functions as Truant Officers who make sure the students of Blast City High School don't do anything crazy. They are rarely successful.

D) Blast City High School - [The main focus of most of the campaigns I've run using this setting] The heart and soul of Blast City are the students and facility of Blast City High. While it is a free, public school, an entry examination is required to get it. Students take fundamental classes in English, Literature, History, Science, Art, etc., as well as elective esoteric courses such as Applied Mad Science, Combat Geometry, and Lollygagging Throught Life 101. 

Gym classes include Superpower Use Training for members of the student body with extranormal Human or alien abilities. In addition, BCH boasts the best High School Boogie Ball Team in the Sol System! Go Starbirds! The school has a particularly intense rivalry with Mars High of Utopia Planitia. 

Many BCH students go on to attend Blast CIty University and get jobs in such exciting careers as Superhero, Space Explorer, or 5th Dimensonal Accountant. 

E) Sol Institute of Super Science - Some of the greatest and most unpredictable minds in the fields of Quantum Physics, Extra-Dimensional Travel, Exobiology, and Hyperspatial Engineering work at SISS, researching and developing the innovative answers to tomorrow's questions today!

F) Offworld Amusement Park - Featuring innovative rides and plenty of food vendors, the Offworld Amusement Park is a favorite destination of kids of all ages in Blast City and beyond. While much of Blast City caters towards helping aliens assimilate to Earth culture, the Offworld Amusement Park celebrates the interests and tastes of extraterrestrials and the Humans who want to learn more about them.

The park is split into five major sections, each based on a different planet, with the food, rides, and attractions within based on the culture and/or ecosystems of those worlds. Every section contains 2-3 elements from other worlds as well and there are plans to expand to include more 'worlds' in the future.

Rides utilize advanced Environmental Controls and Artifical Gravity to create unusual experiences such as the Tubular Floom, the Climb & Dive, and Bumper Pods. Food options include variations on Earth fare like Zlogburgers and Gorpogo Ice Cream (a little pricey - Gorpogo's are very difficult to milk) to classic alien dishes like Zlent Pucks and Fried Nanite Fritters (a favorite of Cyborgs everywhere). 

Ticket prices are reasonable with discounts for young children, students, families, and there are three-day packages available! The first twenty-five visitors each day get a free picture with park mascot and popular cartoon character 'Offworld Ollie'! 

G) Stellar Nightinggale Hospital - This medical facility focuses on special surgeries, rare alien diseases, and advanced medical research. The experimental cybernetics inside of Blast City High School student Miquel 'Mecha' Herrera were made here [and the operation performed on him to install them were done here as well]. It is named for a medical supply ship that arrived sometime after the initial starship's landing, having been damaged by a Dreggetti attack. The building is constructed out of the vessel's hull. 

H) ReEntry Island - The first place and last place you see when entering or leaving Blast City is ReEntry Island, constructed from the remains of an advanced Scout Probe. In addition to serving as a 'Chamber of Commerce' information site and toll booth (no toll for permenant residents of Blast City), ReEntry Island also functions as a security check point. The central tower on the island is equipped with extremely advanced communication and sensor gear second only to Blast City Central Control (in the robot 'head'). 

Blast City Like a Local:

The most notable neighborhoods of the city are Upper Thorax (the robot's chest) which is the business and commercial district, North Brachium (upper right arm) which is mostly upper and upper-middle class families, South Brachium (upper left arm) where middle class families and lots of single people live, Lower Pelvis (the robot's stomach to groin region) is a mix of commerical and residental and also includes Blast City High School, and the tough parts of town - North and South Talus (the robot's ankle to lower shins). Watch yourself around these areas! While they have great bars and nightclubs and a thriving art and music community, a lot of dicey characters hang out there at night.  

The sport of Boogie Ball is all the rage in Blast City and throughout the Sol System. It is an amalgam of a alien game and a number of Earth sports. The home team are the Blast City Blazers and they have won the Sol System Championship for the past 5 years in a row! Blast City University boasts the BCU Shooting Stars, while Blast City High School has the Starbirds - Go Starbirds! The game is played by two teams of 7 facing off against each other to get a flying ball into a goal using what looks like a cross between a radar dish and a lacrosse stick. Each player rides a hover board across the field, which consists of a large (preferably olympic size) swimming pool. It's a rough and very fast moving sport that most closely resembles Earth lacrosse and hockey. Kinda sorta.

If you're in town, catch a game!

 

Blast City's popular fast food chain WinkyDink's, often called Winky D's by natives, has over a dozen locations throughout the 'Big Blaster'. The best one, according to a survey of students attending Blast City High, is located a few blocks Southeast of the school in the area known as Lower Pelvis. Get the Big Winky Deluxe if you're really hungry! It's sooo worth it.

North and South Talus, especially South Talus, has underground Superpowered and Supernatural Fight Clubs! Some serious and dangerous customers can be found there and that's just the attendees! You should see the combatants! Yikes!

Teenagers from Outer Space and Blast CIty Blues

I created Blast City in 1987 as the backdrop for my first TFOS campaign, which I titled 'Blast City Blues'. Inspired by Macross City from the classic Japanese Anime 'Super Dimensional Fortress Macross' (which arrived here in the USA as R-word: The Macross Saga), I noted to myself that the city in Macross is built around the transformable starship/robot. What I wanted to do was go one step further and have the city BE the transformable starship/robot and vice versa. 

Over the course of dozens of sessions and a few later campaigns, the city was fleshed out in great detail. The image up top shows many areas and features from my games that I didn't detail here because if I did this post would be alot longer than it already is and its already really long. Gomen nasai. 

To describe every NPC, location, and the ever expanding milieu of Blast City and its universe could easily take up an RPG sourcebook product. Maybe some day.

Well that's the first entry in my City Guide series. Did you like it? Hate it? Something I could do to make it better? Is there a feature of City gaming you think I should include? Please let me know in the comments. 

See you soon,

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Barking Alien

Summer in the CITY

I'm not doing the RPGaDay Challenge this year but I do have a project of my own making I'd like to work on for August. I'd like to celebrate my 48th Anniversary in the TRPG Hobby by showing my love for Cities in RPGs.

That's right, Cities. I'm really into Cities.

The image above is from the recently released Japanese Anime series 'CITY-The Animation', based on the Manga of the same name. Written and illustrated by Keniichi Arawi, the show follows the humorous, not-so-normal, sometimes downright surreal, slice-of-life escapades of a group of quirky characters living in a fictional city in Japan.

 

I am really enjoying the series as its definitely my kind of thing. Simultaneously, it got me thinking about how much I lenjoy my life in New York City. I am a City boy at heart. The urban sprawl of a modern metropolis is in my blood.

More than the dank dungeons of Fantasy or the wilds of an alien planet in Science Fiction (though I do love those as well), I really like developing the Cities that the Player Characters visit before or after their excursions into the unknown.

I am even more jazzed when they decide to set up a home and/or headquarters in a City and we - the Players and I - get to further explore the setting as resource of both safe haven and potential adventure. 

Remember my affection for Player Character Bases? Well this is an extension of that. 

City based adventures are some of my favorites. This is why genres or games that focus on a City as the primary locale are ones I find particularly intriguing. Just as the Starship a group of PCs own and/or operate is a character in itself in a Space Adventure Game, a city is a personality all its own in campaigns centered in and around one.

Think of Superheroes, where the majority of your scenarios take place in a City like Gotham, Metropolis, Mutants & Masterminds' Freedom City, or my buddy Will's version of New York [in Champions].

Your Ghostbusters franchise can be set in your own hometown or, as is the case in the Solo TRPG outing I'm currently running, it could be placed in a made-up place such as a fictional coastal city in Japan.

In Traveller we sometimes set up a semi-permanent base in a planetary spaceport or on an orbital space station that functions very much like a City.

I don't want to leave out Fantasy either! My many campaigns of The Winghorn Guard on my homebrewed world of Aerth have each group of Guardsmen attached to a Division based in one of several Cities across the realms. Ars Magica often sees the PC Mages' Covenants placed none-to-far from a town or city that they regularly visist (or which regularly visits them).

The possibilities are virtually limitless! 

So far I am planning to showcase Cities I've created for games such as:

Maybe more! We'll see how much time I have.

Bare in mind, these will be in addition to any other RPG recaps, reviews, or thoughts that might pop up. I am hoping my current creative mood translates to posting a bit more (famous last words?). 

Wish me luck and see you around the City!

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Barking Alien