The Miscellanium

The Mir Game: The PCs are cosmonauts on an aging spacecraft put together on a shoestring budget with production overseen by corrupt officials. As well as completing their mission and dealing with alien horrors, they must struggle to keep their equipment functioning through the judicious use of duct tape (although even duct tape is not immune to poor quality control…).

System: Unisystem, maybe. Something pretty light with a future feel.

The PCs are the last surviving members of an ancient order of warrior monks. They have lived their entire lives in seclusion, mastering combat techniques that allow them to preform superhuman feats of strength and agility. One day they find their master murdered. They must venture out into a strange and unfamiliar world in search of his killer.

System: Feng Shui might not be a bad choice

The Rocking Son of Genghis Khan (Inspired by the song).

The PCs are the late-teenage children of the Mongol nobility at the court of Genghis Khan. They experience oddly modern teenage problems; trying to escape the disapproval of their strict Chinese tutor, living up to their parents’ expectations, and trying to look cool in front of that cute guy/girl. Think a classic high school story in a decidedly unusual setting.

System: PDQ

The PCs board the Orient Express in Istanbul in July 1914, the last train before the outbreak of the Great War, a train packed with patriots, spies, and at least one murderer. The PCs must navigate a maze of sealed envelopes and coded missives to survive the trip and carry out the secret instructions of their respective spymasters. Perhaps, just perhaps, there is a letter on the train that could prevent the outbreak of war and save Europe from self-destruction.

System: 1920s CoC - without the Mythos stuff

The world-spanning, grand conspiracy CoC game.

1921. An eminent scholar of archeology vanishes in China, having entrusted a coded manuscript to the PCs. Strange ruins are uncovered in Sweden and people from local villages disappear in the night.

1922. The CEO of a prominent banking firm is torn apart by invisible forces on a New York sidewalk. An acquaintance of the PCs is driven mad by horrible nightmares. A ship runs around in California will all the crew dismembered and their limbs and organs neatly stacked and labeled in an unknown language.

1923. The PCs begin to suspect that the above events are connected, but go insane before they can figure out how.

Yup, this would be the classic evil brotherhood of darkness carrying out world-spanning evil CoC game. A string of strange events begins to reveal a pattern, leading the PCs to have to risk their lives and sanity to save the world.

System: CoC

The Kaoboy Game.

1975, Paris, after midnight:

Two men sit in a dimly lit room, late at night, smoking and drinking whisky. The older one finishes his glass and puts it down. The younger man picks up the bottle to pour another but finds that the bottle is empty.

“It is OK, Raman. I have an early flight.” The older man sighs. “You know, I do not like it. I will tell her that when I got home tomorrow, but I do not know if she will listen to me.”

“If she will listen to anyone, sir, she will listen to you,” the younger man replies softly. “You are the hero of ‘71.”

The older man sighs again. “She feels backed into a corner.”

They are both quiet for a few minutes, their cigarettes glowing in the dim room.

The older man puts out his cigarette. “It is an uncertain future. Listen to the radio the day after tomorrow and you will know if I succeeded or not. Do what you think is right.”

The younger man nods. “Always, sir. You trained me well.”

The older man smiles faintly. “Good. Now, get me my coat, Raman. I should have been asleep hours ago.”

System: Unisystem

The Coup Game. The PCs are cabinet ministers of a developing world authoritarian regime (Maoism optional). During a cabinet meeting in a secluded mountain dacha a radio broadcast announces that the PCs have been overthrown and a conspiracy of Army generals has seized control of the government. The PCs must evaluate the loyalties of those surrounding them, evade capture, and find a way to regain power (or at least escape with their Swiss bank accounts intact).

System: Depending how seriously we want to take this, Unisystem or Feng Shui (“… and the Minister for Forests, Rivers, and Fisheries beheads the commando sergeant with a single blow from his shovel…”)

I know I haven’t posted anything in a while, but it’s finals season here so my brain power for thinking on things that aren’t related to the systemic problems of the Indian intelligence services is limited.

I get done with finals on the 14th, so expect posts to resume shortly thereafter.

Legend is cool. Go check it out.

It’s a d20, OGL-based fantasy RPG. It takes the D&D 3.5 rules, slims them down a little and injects an extra dose of awesome. All of the classes seem to be better balanced and are given cool tools to play with at most levels, fixing the boring nature of fighter progression. Customization is easy and encouraged, both in classes and races.

Plus it’s pay what you want and all the money goes to charity. The more people contribute the more cool stuff the designers put out for free.

So, yeah, I want to give it a try. There will be epic.

The PCs are normal people living in Small Town, USA. Passing through a city park during a solar eclipse, they are surprised, to say the least, when the ground splits open and animate tendrils of inky black smoke emerge and pull them down into darkness. They awake in a barren desolate landscape that goes on as far as the eye can see and seems to fit most classical descriptions of “Hell.” Working together, they must explore their surroundings to discover where they are and what is going on.

System: Something light