New class of scif badass: THE OV3R1T

The OV3R1T. Overwrites. The Overwritten. Many ways to say it, but they all describe the forgotten "reformed" and paroled prisoners (of a biological persuasion) that have been released back into the galactic population. Once hardened criminals, these neuro-reprogrammed ex-cons are given a chance to restart their lives after (sometimes hundreds of) solar cycles in solitary behavioral modification chambers.

Often, an OV3R1T faces challenges in reintegrating into society. As a result, many opt to take on the life of an adventurer-for-hire as a means to meaningful and lucrative employment. As you might have already guessed, sometimes code-rot, incomplete persona wipes, or data breaches occur and you've got a Simon Phoenix on your hands!

Don't do the crime...
Roll 1d20 for your criminal offense and implied, related skills and background (i.e., the reason you were locked up):

1. Unlicensed Psionic Spice Sales and/or Distribution
2. Sentient Species Trafficking
3. Fencing Illegal Space Salvage
4. Disintegration - First Degree
5. Mandroidslaughter or Dismemberment
6. Grand Theft Autobot
7. Genetic Identity Theft 
8. Kidnapping, (Somebody Really Important)
9. Manufacture Methane-Based-Lifeform Narcotics
10. Planetary Eco-terrorism (Especially if it was a nice planet like that one in Avatar)
11. Theft by Cosmic Swindle (Wanna' buy a jumpgate on New Brooklyn?)
12. Falsifying MIDC data for Space Settlement Stipend Payments
13. Space Vampirism While in the Nude
14. Unauthorized Detonation of a Solar or Planetary Body Within a Populated System
15. Cutting in Line at Space Chipotle
16. Theft of Central Space Command Property (or the nearest sovereign space authority)
17. Selling, Distribution, and/or Marketing of the Xenobiological Parasites known as "Tribbles"
18. Possessing or Operating a Particle Beam Weapon Without a License
19. Tampering with the Temporal Spacetime Continuum
20. Other (Fill in with your own heinous infraction of Galactic Law and/or disrespect for sentient lifeforms.)

...If you can't do the cryo-time!

You've served your sentence, now go in peace and start a new life using your recently-downloaded vocational programming. Roll randomly on the 1d12 table below, to overwrite your forbidden skillset.

1. Repair Repair Droids - Fix things that fix other things.
2. Xenolinguistics (dead languages only) 
3. Art History - With time, you could become Captain of the Docents.
4. Automat Quality ControlvMonitor
5. Pizza Delivery Drone Pilot - Work at Starr-Mart, Galactic Outfitters, or even Kwarq-Trip Convenience Stores.
6. Crowdfunding Campaign Promotion
7. Flying Taxi Driver
8. Extrasolar Missionary
9. Dewback Grooming - Handy with a nail file.
10. Space Barrista 
11. Everything There is to Know About Power Converters
12. Power Knitting - Complete projects in 70% less time than a normal human. (This is secretly a hack - all previous criminal skills are enhanced by two levels or you've picked up 2 new ones at one level each.)

Your new skillset will take effect immediately, and at a higher level than you might expect! (Typically +2 per level).

Corporate Malfeasance 101

PSIVILITY, the neuromedical research conglomerate that makes all the propriety software for cryo-prisons in the known galaxy, has encountered several severe bugs. The patches are released as quickly as possible through data-nodes at Galactic Security Outposts, but the file sizes are so huge that it's taken several decades to download them from one node to the next. PSIVILITY has had cutbacks and the entire Data-Integrity Division was let go approximately two centuries ago, so buyer beware.

If you can't wait that long, you can always attempt to reprogram an OV3R1T yourself using the following procedure:

• Roll a programming attempt for each number of infractions the OV3R1T has committed during the session. (Target numbers should be set to DIFFICULT or comparable high level.)
• Any failure will create a bug that will enhance one of the OV3RiT's criminal skills by one level. Three failures will create a permanent firmware upgrade making any further attempts impossible.
• Success will bring your OV3R1T back into compliance, but with a personality quirk (roll or choose below):

1d10 Successful Reprogramming Attempt Quirks

1. OV3R1T demands to be the Captain of your vessel.
2. Can only eat expensive nanite "grey goo" as meal replacements.
3. Walks arrhythmically - slowed and noticeable when movement or stealth matters.
4. Will only speak to robots, not living beings.
5. Intelligence score plummets to lowest ranking.
6. Will or charisma soars attracting unwanted attention to the party.
7. Cries or laughs (your pick) uncontrollably when you use their name or address them.
8. Mocks anyone relentlessly within 3 meters.
9. Can't remember anyone's name or what's going on, so resorts to their Cryo-Skill.
10. Uncontrollable urges to commit crimes but completely inept at doing so (all attempts automatically fail spectacularly).

WARNING: Any paroled convict, sentenced under the Galactic Penal Code of 2402, found to be using prohibited skill sets may face re-incarceration, total mind wipe, scientific experimentation, and/or bodily disintegration. Prohibited skill sets are those defined as any skills that may cause physical harm, property loss or damage, mental or emotional distress to others, or other due harm. If you believe you have somehow acquired these illegal skills without your own doing or purposeful acknowledgment, it is your responsibility to turn yourself in for immediate assessment and incarceration.

Simon Says: "These space-age knitting needles have really been an eye-opener!"

The Phoenix II: Van of the Future!

 Found this groovy van online and it makes me think it make a great Gamma World or Star Frontiers "team vehicle".

Here's another cool one, but not a Phoenix, per se. Still has that Adventure People/Playmobil vibe to it:

New Year's Day Tradition: Saving the Galaxy!

In what's become a bit of a tradition now around New Year's Day, the Geeklet and returned to Fantasy Flight Games in Roseville to play our homebrew Star Wars minis game which is part-skirmish, part capture the flag.

FFG provides many large tables to game at, as well as lots of interesting terrain to incorporate into your game. Each time we've gone, she's enjoyed setting up the battlefields and coming up with what our battle-story will be.

Though she'd recently been toying with playing the bad guys, she took up the Rebel cause, which left me the Imps.

She picked the main heroes from the OT, (Leia, Luke, Han, Chewie, Lando, etc.) plus a few flunkies.

Luke and Leia ventured out from opposite ends of the Rebel side and both encountered wild battle cats!

Luke was successful in using The Force to make it his ally--and thus, against the Stormies!

Much later, the Rebel ship, The Ghost, took out a few marauding baddie vehicles, including a TIE. It got into a shooting match with an Imp speeder, which left both a little worse for wear.

Using her own formidable Force powers, Leia tamed another wild battle cat and captured the Darkside base and won the game!

As a coda, the Geeklet insisted on a big lightsaber battle high atop an Imperial watchtower.

It was three-to-one. Not only was Vader  defeated, he turned back to the good side of The Force.

#MTFBY!

Adventures in the Cave of Wonders!

Friday, I took the Geeklet to see the new Aladdin film, expecting it to be passable. But WHOA was I wrong--it's awesome! Disney did a great job updating their own material--and letting Will Smith take the Genie in a new direction that fit his style (since Robin Williams is basically irreplaceable). But the real boon came the next day. After a full afternoon of yard work for the whole family--Grandma included (my mom)--kiddo wanted to "play Dungeons and Dragons!"

I'd hoped that she might get that idea, and earlier in the day I made a quick trip to my FLGS to have a look at their used minis rack. I found a blue genie that I knew would be PERFECT for an Aladdin-themed game.

Let's make it a party!
But by far the BEST part was that the kid convinced my 75 y.o. mother to play. Now, my mom is the one who gave me my first boxed sets of D&D when I was a kid (I think I was 9? Maybe?). But she's NEVER played. And any time I begged her to try (hey, there were never kids around who wanted to play) she was steadfast in her refusals.

But she and the Geeklet have been playing pretend every weekend for years now. It's second-nature to them: making up super-powered princess characters and having all sorts of adventures. This is essentially that--with dice!

And I've talked about playing games with the kiddo before, but those were largely skirmish-focused. This was to be more in the way of an actual D&D game: off-the-cuff storytelling, exploring, combat and dice deciding our fates--but as light and easy as possible.

They had character sheets with stats and any time I needed them to make a 'to hit' I gave them a number to roll against. And if it was a save, I picked a stat for them to roll under. SUPER streamlined.

Arabian Fafrd and The Gray Mouser?
I thought a good 'ol dungeon crawl through the Cave of Wonders would work nicely. I wanted the story to be familiar to the Geeklet, so we began with their characters in the bazaar in Agrabah, the fabled kingdom from the film.

She played a brave fighter named Celia and my mom played a very skeptical thief named Hovy. [Sidenote: my mom, at 75, never having played ANY RPG came up with her character's name, backstory and general demeanor in less than 2 minutes???!!]

They found themselves duped into stealing food to feed starving peasants. It was a ruse by the evil sorcerer Jafar--he was testing their skills for a much bigger job: delving into the Cave of Wonders to seek out the magic lamp!

Picked up this colorful Wildlands map from Osprey. Kiddo and I played an adventure using the tower side last week.

After a brief incarceration they were carted off into the desert to the cavern, where they were tossed inside with some gear and weapons. Right away, I introduced the idea that the cave was filled with treasure that would tempt them (they passed their Wisdom saves). But dangled the notion that this would not be their first test in resisting something shiny to pocket.

If you remember the films--this is a big deal because anyone who takes anything other than the lamp will find themselves running for the exit while the cave collapses.

The crystal canyon/cavern side made for a nice Cave of Wonders to explore.

Soon after, they were ambushed by an armed band of skeletons--which gave them some trouble and a few bumps and bruises.

A tunnel of encroaching walls encrusted with sharp crystals made them dash into a room of complete darkness where a mummy was waiting! Regular combat wouldn't put this baddie down, but they did have a supply of torches, which came in handy for setting it ablaze.

As bedtime loomed closer, we came to a hall of golden mirrors. I cribbed heavily from Harry Potter on this one--they each saw in their reflection that they were holding something. This time I made them roll a Charisma check to test their vanity (it seemed like a nice swap since their Wisdom and Charisma scores were near opposites).

Celia the fighter passed and found herself holding the lamp! But Hovy the thief failed his save and was left holding...a giant jewel. And then the walls came crashing down!

They ran for the exit, making their way out along their path, but in reverse--having to avoid the same traps, plus a few new ones.

In the end, they woke Genie from his slumber and made their first wish: GET US OUT OF HERE!

Seriously, I don't think I've had this much fun making a game on the fly. And I think they had fun--at least, they said they did.

Here's hoping for more multi-generational RPGing. I mean... they still have 2 wishes left!

That's Gameable hatched on Twitter!

 Well it looks like we made the big time! That's Gameable has become a tag on Twitter! I'm blushing with surprise and pride that it's made it made it's way onto a more public-facing site! As famed chaos mathmatician Ian Malcolm once said ...

It looks like the first post was by OSRer, Follow Me, And Die! 

Three years ago!!! HAVE I BEEN DOING THIS THIS LONG, ALREADY?!

Man, I need to catch up with the times. I need to start posting more stuff on Twitter, I guess! 

Anyway, you can look for more TG content via Twitter--once I get my act together--using #thatsgameable (with hashtag). This makes my heart swell, especially since G+ is on its way out [saddest of emojis]. At least the slimy tendril of That's Gameable has made a dash to safety!

Shout out to FMAD for being the first poster. Gotta keep it going now!