“Alright, I’ve got the TARDIS. Now, what am I supposed to do with it?”
Luna Lovegood
I got an updated picture of this cosplay at OCC 2018, but this way you can see the evolution of the amazing lion.
CoasteRPG Oneshot Scenario – Lost Toys
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
On Tuesday I introduced you the the new and improved CoasteRPG; *Compatible with One-Shot Party: The Simplest RPG* now here for the first time is a oneshot scenario for the game. Depending on your players’ zeal and distraction level, it should take between 1-3 hours to play.
The players are all playing a toy that has just now gained sentience. Encourage your players to bring in the toy or at least bring a picture. Give each of them an attack and special ability based off their toy and its accessories.
The Room
They start out waking up in a kid’s room. Clean but filled with toys. Other than them, there are only 2 other toys that are moving.
There is a door and a window. They can see the night sky out the window. The door appears to be locked.
One of the toys with them is a stuffed Winnie the Pooh. He is quiet, says “bother” a lot, and sometimes mumbles.
The other is a Barbie who is missing her arms and legs. She shudders as she talks and manages to say, “Ship… Chip… RUN!” before becoming immobile.
Challenge
They need to escape the room. If they can pick the lock to the door they find what looks like a solid metal wall. It’s actually a sliding door (Spot 6)
There is a computer chip inside the Barbie’s torso (Search 4) that will open the sliding metal door.
The window is a porthole to the outside. They could open the window (Strength 5 or two at strength 3) but everything will be sucked into space. If this happens, they can use special abilities to get back to the hull of the ship.
The Hall
The door leads to a long narrow corridor that branches left or right. There are signs.
Challenge
There are 6 flying defence drones. They target any flying toys first or anyone who hurts them.
The left passage leads to the Teleporter, the right to the Extractor.
The Extractor
The Extractor is where the mad genius sucks the love out of a toy and turns it into energy. The planet’s energy reserves are completely dependent on this form of energy.
Challenge
Zombie Toys and Mad Genius
The Teleporter
The Teleporter is where new toys arrive from alternate dimensions.
Challenge
Getting home.
Activating the transporter (2) sends them somewhere randomly.
Activating it with coordinates (4) sends them home.
Ending
Hopefully they don’t die…
Options: They can send themselves home, destroy the Extractor permanently, take over the facility, or all of the above. Let them play with the idea.
Enemies
| Defence Drone | Zombie | Mad Genius | |
| Health | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Defence | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Body | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Mind | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Luck | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Special Abilities | Lasers 1
Slam 1 Explode 3 flips Fly |
Bite 1
Squeeze 1 |
Drain 1+1flip
Grab and toss into extractor 6 |
Enjoy and good gaming,
Éric
Blush: Bondage Safety
With the continued popularity(?) of 50 Shades of Grey, and the release of the movie The Book Club (very well acted, I’d give it a 8/10), where the main characters read the book, I wanted to cover something that isn’t mentioned often enough.
Safety.
I’m talking about more than simply having a safe word (you also have to know how to use/listen for it). Use the right materials, and know how to use them properly.
If you’re just starting out, don’t use metal handcuffs.
Don’t jump right into a complicated suspension.
Do your research. Make your partner do research. Everyone involved should read about all aspects (tying up and tied up) before starting, and if you have questions, there are places you can go to ask.
In Ottawa, both Venus Envy and Wicked Wanda’s have education seminars. If you can’t make it out to one of those, the staff are incredibly knowledgeable and can either answer your questions or point you in the right direction.
Have fun, play safe!
References
(Mostly SFW – no big images)
https://www.theduchy.com/safety/#1513538858156-e1f5698a-c494
http://www.restrainedelegance.com/bondagesafety.php
If you’re enjoying the Blush blogs, consider learning more with Blush: The Card Game from Renaissance Press.
CoasteRPG
Hello My Imaginary Friends and Gamers,
A few years ago I developed The Simplest Role Playing System after some play testing I updated it and created a character sheet.
Now I have made a few more changes and changed the name. I plan on getting it printed on actual coasters (Rules on one side, character sheet on the other).
Here are the rules:
CoasteRPG
Simple Rules: Each player chooses Body, Mind, or Luck as their character’s specialty. They have 4 in that ability. (Ex. Fighters choose Body.) Their Health and Defence each equal 4.
Complex Rules: Each person has 5 points to place in Body, Mind, and Luck. No negatives. Their Health equals their Body plus their Mind+1. Their Defence equals Mind plus Luck +1
Resolution Mechanism: When a character needs to do something, the Storyteller decides if it’s easy (1), hard (2), ridiculous (4), or inconceivable (6). The character then subtracts their attribute from the difficulty.
If the attribute is higher than the difficulty they succeed. If not, they have to flip the coaster 3 times and call it (if it’s a die have them call even or odd). Add every right guess to their attribute.
If the player gets 3 successes in a row they continue until the fail.
Combat: Each character does 1 point of damage (unless specified in their abilities) if they hit something and takes the same if they are hit. Death occurs at 0 health.
Special Abilities: Choose 2 of; Hit (1 damage +1 flip), Heal (1 healing + 1 flip), or Help (+1 success to any other characters test.)
Everything else: The storyteller makes up.
Character Sheet: Download PDF (43KB)
Good gaming!
Éric
*Edited July 20th, 2019 to add special abilities*
Doctor Who minis
This miniature Doctor is trying to open the TARDIS to escape the Weeping Angel and Dalek.
Be Different but don’t be Different?
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
In genre fiction, most adventure or epic forms, the protagonist is an ordinary person placed in extraordinary situations. They are praised for a certain talent or personality trait that saves them in the end.
Despite being nothing special at the beginning, they have something that makes them special. As their story unfolds they become extremely special by the end.
Sometimes the protagonist starts as impressive or unique, but that almost always makes them social outcast in order to avoid making them seem too good to be true. We excuse friends, or characters we’ve watched grow, from this because we feel invested in their journey.
The whole narrative informs and is informed by real life, where anything new or different is seen as suspect. People revel in watching those with fame or great ability fall from grace. Is it jealousy or just a twisted sense of balance?
The contradiction is certainly there for everyone to see. We as a society worship extraordinary abilities and accomplishments while simultaneously dehumanizing anyone who is different, including those same people.
It honestly feels like society is telling us to be different and special but while being like everyone else.
Hold on… while I climb onto my high horse.
There’s a lesson in this and it’s simply to think critically about your reactions to what’s different. Your natural instincts will kick in and tell you that different is evil, wrong, silly, etc.; well, your instincts are jerk-faces.
Take the time to understand, analyse, and if necessary, live and let live.
Different isn’t bad, it’s just different. We need to stop trying to pull each other down and instead celebrate both our differences and our talents.
Be aware, be curious, and be kind,
Éric
The MET
While I don’t encourage travelling to the States right now, add this one to your list for the future.
I saw Ocean’s Eight last night, and after a rough night with the toddler, my brain is functioning at a very low capacity, so I’m going to stick with what I dreamt about all night: the MET.
The MET was (along with Cartier and the house) the main location of the movie. It was gorgeous, and every bit as fantastic as I remembered. When I visited NYC in 2014, we had about an hour in the museum (not enough time!) and I really want to go back.
Tip: it says that the “recommended entry fee” is $25. But you can pay whatever you like to get in. We paid $2 each.
Go see this movie! It’s fun, and the acting is amazing. I think I liked it better than Clooney’s Ocean’s Eleven – and that’s saying something!
Are you interested in travelling to NYC? You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca
Congratulations to Jen & The Travelling TARDIS
We discovered this weekend that Jen & The Travelling TARDIS were nominated for an Aurora Award in the category of “Best Fan Writing and Publications”.
Congratulations!
The Travelling TARDIS is almost 7 years old and has 870 images. These include locations, celebrities, monuments, cosplayers, and cute babies.
Check out The Travelling TARDIS and go vote for it to win an Aurora Award.
P.S. Happy 9th wedding anniversary to Jen and Eric.