Mutant Ninja Squirrels!

[BentonGrey]

Howdy guys, I've got a proposition for y'all.  Is anyone interested in playing an old fashioned RPG campaign?  A few weeks ago I came across this:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/2008/4/9/

The Ninja Turtles RPG system of which the article in question speaks is one of which I have been sadly ignorant.  Being a child of the 80's I grew up with the Ninja Turtles.  In fact, for a good portion of my childhood Turtle-mania held me in an unyielding and vice-like grip.  Having discovered this lost link to my past, I find myself consumed with an urge to try it.  Given the fact that my friends are in no way the RPG playing type, I was wondering if there was anyone on the forums who might be interested in dealing out some mutated vigilante justice.  I have been thinking about trying to GM one or two of the introductory campaigns, and if there are some willing participants, I'll do just that.  It would be especially great if someone around here was interested in GMing a game or two themselves, so that I could see the other side of it eventually.  There is a giant mutated ninja squirrel just begging for some action. 

:EDIT:

I should also note that I can provide reference materials, as the source book has been out of print for some years now.

[Glitch Girl]

I've played a little Paladium (which the TMNT system was based on), but mostly RIFTS and it's been years too.  Still I'm kinda interested.  What kind of format and framework (setting, allowable characters, etc) are you thinking here?

While I have GMed here in the past, I don't have the time to prep a campaign at the moment.  Still interested in being a player though.

[Gremlin]

I've never played Paladium or TMNT. My experience is all GURPS and D&D 3.5e. I know, I'm a horrible person. Like GG, I'm GMed here, but I'm really busy now.

I'd like to do this...but I have a tendency to run out of steam/interest.

[BentonGrey]

Awesome!  Well, here's what I'm thinking so far, and pretty much everything is up for discussion.  Setting would be around 1986, a major metropolitan area...mostly just for fun and because the resources are from that era...along with my Turtles memories.    Pretty much any mutated animal characters would be allowable.  I've got the Transdimensional Turtles expansion, so we COULD do one with dinosaurs, etc., but I think to start off with we should stick with the basics.  The sourcebook has instructions for creating a nice variety of critter characters, plus guidelines for adding in new animals.  Technically you're supposed to randomly roll up your characters, but I'm not a big fan of that idea.  I'm thinking that I'd have some really loose guidelines for character creation, but you'd pretty much be able to chose what you want.

The scenario I'd run would depend on the level of interest we create here, but it would be a fairly short one either way.  I'd like to do it relatively hardcore, insomuch as we'd really do some dice rolling and try and keep track of combat rounds, but we'll have to see how that works out.  I'd like at least three players, methinks.  I played in one of the games you GM'ed GG, and I really enjoyed it, but since I'm going for the P&P experience here, I think I want to try the dice rolling and such.  If schedules work out nicely we could even have realtime sessions in the Shack, which is what I'd really like to do. 

Ha, no worries Grem, my entire non-PC RPG playing experience boils down to two single games of playing D&D back in the early years of highschool.  This is all new to me...but I DO like telling stories...

If you're interested, we can definitely do a short adventure to get people started.  Also, if you think you really want to play, PM me and I'll send you the stuff you'll need to create your character.

[BentonGrey]

Bearded has said that he's interested, so if both GG and Grem want to try it out, that gives us enough for a solid game.

[bearded]

i've used tmnt rules a lot.  they are the best for that sort of thing.  players have tried menagery(sp?) style, but it works best if the players all agree to play the same type of animal.  fun way to do it might be to have each player roll an animal type, and then do a poll and everyone plays the winner.  i can't remember how we chose bio points in agreement.  might be interesting to have each player have different bio points expenditures.
the best group we had back then were the destroyer ducks.  there was demolition duck, doom duck, and i can't remember the rest.  story was disney was trying to create live action cartoons for the movies, by experimenting on animals and recombinant dna.  the destroyers were upset by their own creation and set out to get revenge on disney.

[BentonGrey]

Evil Disney.....how awesome is that? 

To provide a bit more info on the scenarios that I was thinking about running, I thought I would provide some very slight descriptions of the options.  Well there are three choices for a beginner party.  The first involves a mad scientist, which may or may not tie into the other two.  The second involves mutated farm animals, while the third involves mentally powered mutants.

[Glitch Girl]

Can we get some more details?  While I tend to lean towards mad science, I am kind of curious about the mutant option.

[Uncle Yuan]

I'd be in!  Regardless of the characters.  PM on it's way.

[BentonGrey]

Hurray!  That's two for sure.

GG, I'd be happy to give you more details, but I'd hate to spoil too much as part of each adventure would be figuring certain things out....let's see, what can I tell you...I should say that each of these would likely involve fighting mutant animals at some point, but the ultimate antagonist of the first is a mad scientist and his organization. 

In the first I was thinking that I might have everyone choose the same background for their characters (although you can chose various species if you like) and actually be created by, and be forced to escape from, said scientist.  In this one you would have less resources than might be possible in some of the others, and  you would likely not be as well trained.  Your role would be that of the hunted to the hunter, until you could find a way to turn the tables.  This one is the most flexible of all the encounters, as I can place pretty much the same adventure in any kind of frame, so if y'all want to do one of the others this may still be weaved into those stories in one way or another.

The second would involve having to attack a numerically superior, heavily armed force, while avoiding certain collateral damages.  Cleverness might be the name of the game, depending on how you chose to build your characters.

The third would involve a mysterious menace prowling the city at night.  Much of the adventure would involve tracking and cornering dangerous foes.

[UnkoMan]

Whereas I have not ever played a role playing game in my life, I have always been somewhat curious about them. I'm not fond of all the dice and math though. I will still be interested to watch your events unfold.

[BentonGrey]

Well, I'm not fond of the math myself, and I for one will be doing my rolls online with a dice roller.   I rather think that we'll be using the honor system as far as rolls go.  If you think it looks fun as we're playing Unko, maybe we can work it out where you can control an NPC for a round or two. 

[Gremlin]

Escaping experiments are always fun...

[UnkoMan]

Hmm... perhaps. I was always fond of making characters.

In fact I did make a couple major villains for this one internet friend who ran some of those White Wolf games. Nazis, they were. Fun stuff. I didn't play them though, and let him deal with stats.

[BentonGrey]

Yep, but I have to say that they all sound like fun to me.  I'll be happy with whichever y'all choose! 

Ha, cool Unko, let me know if you decide you want to do something like that.

[crimsonquill]

My apologies for not running across this earlier...

I played my share of TMNT and RIFTS back in my college days.. of course I also was a gamemaster of Star Wars and Shadowrun as well when I could find the time to put together a good storyline. Probably still have most of my original game books on a shelf in my storage area.

TMNT was one of the more interesting worlds to play in because it had so much potential outside of mutated turtles and a samaurai rabbit for heroic characters. Plus if you followed the Post-Apocalypse expansion set then you really had a wild time just throwing the storyline of a campaign into twists that nobody could see coming. In fact I remember coming up with two mice scientists who spent years trying to escape the high-tech maze they were trapped in and discovered that they were being held prisoner by cats.

I'd be interested in watching what you guys come up with.. and maybe digging up some old characters of mine to post just in case someone might actually find use for them. I'm way too rusty and tangled up in offline stuff to join into anything myself.

- CQ 

[BentonGrey]

Cool CQ, maybe you'll help me put together the campaign for this one, hmm?  I am, as I said, entirely new to this.

[Glitch Girl]

can you link me to some of the source books.  I have an idea but not sure how well it'll work.

[Uncle Yuan]

Any thoughts on when you'll know the player roster and the character types? 

[Alaric]

I actually own a copy of the original TMNT game book, though I've never actually played it. Unfortunately, that means I'm also familiar with the tow scenarios mentioned (assuming they're the ones I think they are), since they're included in the book. Still, I've been very much wanting to do some PnP RPing, so I'm defintiely interested, if there's still room. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can make any guarantees as to availablity on a regular basis.

[BentonGrey]

Well, I think it's time for me to start dealing in some concretes.  

At the moment it looks like GG, Bearded, Kk, and Uncle Yuan are all for sure, and Gremlin is still thinking about it.  With a little thought I can scale the adventure to any number of players, so the more the merrier.  I think a 4 player game is a good median, and we've got that already, so that's cool.

Players can go ahead and start character creation if they like, and I'm just going to make an executive decision and declare that we'll be playing the mad scientist scenario.  You've all been created by a rather strange but utterly brilliant man obsessed with experimenting on humanoid mutants.  What does that mean for character creation?  Let me give you some parameters. 

If the players decide that they want to form a "team" (all the same animal/background/Bio-E) that will be acceptable, but I am not going to force it on you.

If you so choose, ignore the source book's instructions about rolling for species, background, etc.  I'm fine with you choosing the facets of the character you're going to be playing.  I would certainly hate to be stuck playing an mutant rat if I really wanted to play something different. 

You will have to choose from a limited selection of backgrounds, however.  You may select any option under the "Deliberate Experimentation" heading that provides an origin in which your character was mistreated in some way by the creating organization.

You may chose weapon proficiencies and whatever else you're allowed in the skills section, but you will not receive any starting equipment.  You'll have to scavenge, but I promise that there will be some options.  Also, I suggest that at least one of you select some medical skills.  Someone with some psionic abilities might also eventually be useful, but that is less important.

Feel free to discuss what you're doing with your character.



As far as the practical side of the game itself, here's what I'm thinking.  We meet in the RP section of the Shack once every week or every other week for...let's say two, three hours?  I'm flexible with length, and I don't really have any experience to draw on here, so tell me if that is unreasonable.  Also, go ahead and start posting your availability so we can work out a schedule.

If you don't think you can make it to every game, that's okay, as long as we've got three people or so a game I think we can still make it work and have fun.  I'm thinking that if anyone misses a game there character will be played by the other players at random....so, you should probably keep your teammates happy if you plan on missing sessions unless you want your beloved ninja hamster to take on suicidal tendencies. 

XP will be doled out at the end of each session (maybe by PM), that way leveling and upkeep can be done at will.

If we can get character creation handled this week and get the roster nailed down, I'll go ahead and write up the campaign this week/weekend and we'll start next week sometime.

[Uncle Yuan]

Thanks for the details - a couple of questions -

Are we all from the same facility?  Should we limit ourselves to "common" lab animals, or can we be fairly creative?  Should we, as a group, agree on a single critter?

I also call "not it" on the medical skills - this is supposed to be recreation, after all.  (I do reserve the right to kibbitz um, advise, though.)

[BentonGrey]

Haha, I forgot we had a real medical professional playing with us.  Yep, no problem with calling not it.

You are all from the same facility, created by a man named Dr. Feral and his Bio-Spawn company for various purposes.  Technically he'd likely be using lab animals, but for the sake of fun you can be any animal that you like.  Kk, for example, is playing a mutated porcupine who was created to serve as an enforcer for the good Doctor.  If you strongly feel that you are too limited by this, we could discuss it.  Feral is known to kidnap existant mutants and experiment upon them.

As for the question of a single critter, that is a matter for the group to decide.

[Glitch Girl]

I say pick pick your own species.  It worked for the Zoo Crew

BTW if we're picking times, maybe we need to post when available.

Myself: every night except thursdays and saturdays, 6:00-10:00 pm Central Standard Time 

[Uncle Yuan]

With my schedule I have no set time - it varies considerably week to week.  Generally Sunday evenings are OK, though.

[kkhohoho]

I'm available every night, though on Wednesdays, I'm unavailable from 5:30 to 7:00 Central Time.

[BentonGrey]

I say pick pick your own species.  It worked for the Zoo Crew

BTW if we're picking times, maybe we need to post when available.

Myself: every night except thursdays and saturdays, 6:00-10:00 pm Central Standard Time 

(That is what I meant by posting your availability GG. )

All I'm doing this semester is working on my thesis, so although I've got tons to do, I can pretty much do it whenever.  I've got Bible study Wed. night, but other than that I'm pretty flexible.

[Glitch Girl]

oops.  Missed that.  My bad.

[BentonGrey]

No worries!  Well guys, I've been doing a little experimentation with a tool that could make this whole thing run much more smoothly...and be a lot more visually interesting.

http://www.rptools.net/index.php?page=tools

If I can get this to work right, we'll have nice, color maps, tokens for various characters, and be able to update such in real time as we play.  I've only just started messing with it, but the potential is pretty exciting.

[Uncle Yuan]

I've only given it a quick glance - but that is really cool.  Isn't the internet great?!