Blog, Jvstin Style

Game IRE #27: Lets go to the Theater

My newest idea for an IRE is a piece of local news. The dominant force in Twin Cities Theater, the Guthrie Theater, has moved into a spectacular new space right on the river in downtown Minneapolis.

I see plenty of game possibilities in a new theater opening...

Since I am starting a co-run Nobilis game starting today, Nobilis is on my mind. The opening of a major new theater in a city is going to draw the attention of many Nobilis of different stripes and factions--the Nobilis of Plays or Theater, certainly. Ananda, as the Imperator who oversees Cities, might send emissaries. The spirits of the city itself, or the neighborhood, are liable to have opinions on the new Theater's presence.

And then there is of course those who would see the new theater fail..spectacularly.

The PCs themselves could wind up mixed up in this in a number of ways. Their chancel could have an exit close by the theater, and be drawn into matters purely on geographical grounds. One of them might have an estate positively or adversely affected by the new theater. (The Power of Blight and Slums, for example, will not like it one bit...). Or the PCs might be drawn into it to steal a march on their rivals or possible allies. One of the PCs, for instance might convince the others to come with him to the opening because she has been secretly romancing the Power of Theater.

Game IRE #26: Gone Fishing

It's been too long since I've had time to think of an IRE that isn't depressingly tied to natural disasters, political disasters or other such unhappy topics. Fortunately, living in the Great White North has given me something to work with.

Last weekend in Minnesota was the Fishing season opener. It's a very big deal in the state with over 10,000 lakes, a large economic boost to the lake dominated northland part of the state. Gas stations, among many other places, sell fishing licenses. The site of where the Governor of the state goes fishing on fishing opener weekend is news here, even in the urban Twin Cities. (And no Governor would dare not go fishing this first weekend). Going "up to the lake" is a tradition among Minnesotans during this first weekend of the fishing season, which runs until the winter.

So, let's go fishing for this Game IRE

Of the various aspects of the Fishing Opener, the idea that the Governor of the state's fishing plans are news amuses me the most and seems the most game worthy.

Let's take Burning Wheel, since I play that with the IndieGamers group. Set a group of characters to accompany a high noble (doesn't have to be a king) to accompany him to relax on his summer estate by the lake.

Naturally, with the high noble there, his vassals are going to show up, seeking succor, alliances, intrigue and more. I can see plenty of opportunities for duels of wits, and depending on the tone of the game, actual duels, romances, and more. And perhaps there is something lurking in the lake, something that strikes when the noble actually deigns to go fishing himself (perhaps a tradition or ritual in this world). The characters may have the opportunity to save the noble's life, or not...

Game IRE #25 : Mardi Gras

I did Ash Wednesday in a previous Game IRE (Number 11) , but this time, we'll go to the other side of the divide, and tackle Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Carnival.

The controversy in New Orleans over holding Mardi Gras festivities is the inspiration for my own take on it.I want to run this as a Nobilis game, although I bet you could do this with another system besides Nobilis if you wanted. Dogs in the Chancel, anyone?

Let's say that the Power of Revels decides to hold a gala to celebrate Mardi Gras in her chancel. The characters are invited, of course, being Powers worth the respect.

Its when they get to the party that the social conflict and interaction come into play. Have the Power of Sobriety and Temperance show up, or if I really wanted to get topical, the Power of Water, coming to protest holding such a celebration in the recent wake of the disaster in New Orleans, a disaster that the Power of Revels did nothing to alleviate or prevent. Characters will be forced to choose sides, and there might even be a duel or some other sort of contest to settle the matter between the Dionysian and Apollonian forces. I could see this conflict opening up a lot of cans of worms among the Powers there, and it will be impossible for any of the attendees to remain neutral, the PCs included.

Game Ire #24: Pilgrimage

Back by popular demand is the game meme IRE--Inspired by Recent Events. I take an event which has happened recently, and we, that is to say, myself and anyone who wants to play, spins a RPG scenario based on it.

The previous IREs are available to be read here.

This time out, I am going to eschew all the bad news that has hit the world lately, and go for something positive--Eid Al Adha, the beginning of the Muslim Hajj.

The Muslim Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that every faithful Muslim is asked to make at least one in his or her life. The pilgrimages traditionally begin at this time every year.

So, what shall I do with this in an RPG sense?

Since I have been using Burning Wheel recently at a group of indie gamers that meets every so often, let's go with that as our system. Since it suits medieval era games, let's use that, and let's set it in Spain, during the time of the Taifa kingdoms in the South and the Christian kingdoms in the North.

The PCs are pilgrims from beyond the Pyrenees who have crossed into the Iberian Peninsula to make the long pilgrimage west to Santiago de Compostela. With greedy feudal lords, bandits, and the threat of Muslim raiders from the South, there are plenty of adventures to be had as the characters cross a lot of unfamiliar territory. To say nothing of the dynamics of the player characters themselves as they make their way to their goal. Cooperation? Conflict? Rivalry? Depending on the group of players, and their styles, any number of directions can be had from a game like this.

Damn. If I know more about Medieval Spain, I'd run this in a heartbeat. Maybe I could, for TBR.

Game IRE #23: A Farewell to Arms

With many choices for our 23rd Game IRE, I decided to go with something right and hot off the presses:

IRA orders disarmament.

I am going to resist the obvious Amber idea involving Dalt (and leave it for the likes of Ginger or Arref to do) and instead use a Chaos themed Amber game based on the premise:

What happens at the *end* of a Vendetta. Lots of the political maneuverings and the meat of a story takes place in the run up to a feud between two Houses, but how does such a feud end? If its not mutual exhaustion, and, say, House Jesby decides to end its feud with House Helgram, how is it to be done?

The PCs, dropped into a scenario, can be any number of roles: Agents of Thelbane, working for Merlin (or whoever has the Throne) to work both sides of the conflict as mediators. Are they Jesby members, seeking an end to the violence--and does everyone in Jesby agree with a farewell to arms? Are they Helgrams--and do they trust the Jesby offer of a ceasefire?

Game IRE #22: Changing Hands

Lord, has it been several weeks since my last IRE?

Time to change that, then!

Today marks the 340th anniversary of the reincorporation of New Amsterdam by the English into the colony of New York. Its an important and momentous occasion, a turning point not only in the development of New York, but America in general. ((L.E. Modesitt Jr. Ghost books, as a divergence, have a Dutch-dominated New York and New England surviving British attempts at incorporation).

So, the handover of a valuable colony or country between rivals...and the people in the colony caught in the crossfire...

Me, if I wanted to use Amber for this, what better place to use than Eregnor. Eregnor has been described as the Alsace-Lorraine between the shadows of Kashfa and Begma. A sore point for time immemorial, Dalt got his start there.

Random, sick of the wrangling between the two shadows, finally decides he has an offer for Kashfa that Rinaldo I can't refuse: Golden Circle treaty status. The catch? Kashfa has to cede much of Eregnor to Begma.

And the PC's job? Help sell this--to the Court of the Salesman King, to the Begmans who undoubtedly would hate to have their rivals in the Golden Circle too, and to the people caught in the firing line. Send the PCs into Eregnor itself, and have Dalt show up to meddle and cause trouble...and the PCs will *never* see politics in the same way again.

IRE #21: Exposition

After an unexpected and unanticipated hiatus, IRE returns this week!

Trying to avoid the pitfalls of too many things political, this time we are going to take a look at something a little different:

E3, the Electronics Exposition is currently the hot thing in the West. I'd think that we could extend this idea to things like fairs, world fairs and expositions and the like, if you didn't want to stay in the technological milieu.

I'm going to do Amber for a change, because I play it so much. I *could* do Everway, but I don't know the system really well, but much of what I provide here could work for any game where there is inter-world travelling.

The PCs, in their travels, hear of an inter-shadow exposition and fair travelling the Golden Circle, having come into it from beyond the traditional circle of shadows around Amber.

Naturally, such a thing is relatively rare, and even if the PCs aren't intrigued themselves to go and see it, Random (or Gerard, if this is Regency) would definitely want to send the PCs to take a look at this fair. Likely the Ambassador from whatever shadow the fair has in will ask the Monarchy for help, and thus it will fall on the PCs.

Once the PCs reach the fair, they'll be confronted with all sorts of oddities. Out-shadow technology and magic rarely seen in the Golden Circle. Demonstrations that might be dazzling and amazing for the audience, but leave the PCs slightly uneasy somehow

So what's going on?

Any number of choices. Perhaps a minor House of Chaos has hit upon the perfect method of spying on the Golden Circle and Amber by sending the exposition. If they can sow a little dissent among the Golden Circle by showing wonders not available there (and darkly hinted that the Amberites might be holding for themselves), so much the better.

It could be a shadow power from somewhere beyond the Golden Circle, testing the waters and investigating the Golden Circle and its center.

I recall from Spherewalker that there are traders in Everway's world who do the same thing, sphere walking with wonders and strange goods. It could be a variant on that race, come to the lands of Amber.

IRE #20 : Lost Creature Found

Some of the most exciting news today has nothing to do with Presidential News Conferences or the price of oil or anything like that.

No, the news that the extinct Ivory Billed Woodpecker may not be quite as extinct as one might think.

And so our twentieth Game IRE is set: The rediscovery of a thought-lost creature and its impact on the PCs and their world. Monte Cook provides an answer in his Arcana Evolved follow up to Arcana Unearthed, where he has Dragons return to the land.

So, with that one negated, I think I am going to go with an Amber world setting for this one, but not the obvious choice of the Unicorn.

No, in the Golden Circle shadow of Crie, they worship the Phoenix, and have for long since before Prince Brand or Rinaldo made it their symbol. It has not been seen since Patternfall...

...and then a rash of sightings have been seen. The neighboring rival shadow of DuMarque is nervous, since Crie and DuMarque share a border and are rivals every bit as intense as, say, Begma and Kashfa.

So, Prince Hadrian, the PCs cousin, asks for help. He is not willing to go into Crie directly, Prince of Amber or not, his status as a Prince of DuMarque is something that is begging for an "Accident". But he will give logistical support and advice, and a back way into Crie...

What the sightings of the Phoenix mean are completely up to the GM. Is it a trick designed to incite the populace by its rulers? Is it some other force trying to manipulate Crie. Or has the trans-shadow being really returned, and what does it mean for the entire Golden Circle?

Game IRE #19: I'm the Taxman

After the difficulty of last week's IRE involving the passing of the pope, I felt it was only fair to go for a theme that is relatively simple and direct.

April 15th, in America, is "Tax Day", the last day once can file their income taxes for last year.

The Taxman cometh...and what are your characters going to do?

While it would be child's play to do a scenario where a character party is hit up for tax contributions to the local or kingdom's government, I'd like to look at this from a slightly different point of view.

Across the kingdom, public buildings are being outfitted with gold-leaf roofs. From temples of the state religion to slim towers on top of coliseums, it becomes clear that the taxes of the kingdom are going toward an enormous amount of ostentation of buildings. Those foolhardy enough to try and take some of this gold are met with increased patrols of the constabulary. Visibly, too, the taxes are not being spent on the things that the characters would expect...roads, general works projects and so forth.

Why? Why has the lord/lady of the land turned the taxes and revenues toward this seemingly non-sensical goal? Has the Queen simply gone mad? Is she under some sort of influence, mundane, magical or other? Is there some unfathomable logic to this that the characters will regret uncovering?

Ire #18: Sic Transit Papem

Our latest IRE (I missed last week thanks to ACUS) will acknowledge the 800 pound elephant in the news; the death of Pope John Paul II.

So, the death of a major religious figure. How do you figure it into a game?

I'm going to go a quantum leap above the Pope, and borrow from Monte Cook's Requiem for a God, with pinches of GURPS Religion and The Primal Order

What if a deity passed away in a campaign? Let's use a generic fantasy setting.

I like the evil idea of having multiple deities pass on. First, a demigod, some minor deity that the player characters have never heard of. After a couple of months of game time, raise the stakes a little, to a minor God that the PCs have had need to deal with in some fashion. Take away a second minor Goddess, more powerful than the first, and the panic and confusion will make for "Interesting Times".

Even high Powered PCs would be hard pressed to find and stop the Godskiller.

IRE #17: BP Oil

With a whirlwind of events large and small happening around the world big and small (Schaivo, revolution in Kyrgyzstan, March madness, Good Friday, and the Solstice), I've thought long and hard about this week's IRE. Many of the possibilities this week overlap a little too much with some of the previous ones.

So I will go with the BP Oil Refinery Blast.

A center for an important resource goes boom. I'm thinking I could set this as an ACUS game in Chaos. The Helgrams, sorcerers supreme, have control, in the already dangerous Black Zone, of a mana fount, an independent source of power, a primal realm long within the aegis of Chaos.

The Helgrams like to use this area for magical tests and experiments that are frankly too dangerous to do in Chaos, for a variety of reasons. What if one of those experiments goes horribly wrong. The PCs can be any number of groups--sent by an opposing House to see if they can make hay of it, or perhaps agents of the Emperor to investigate it, or Helgrams sent to contain the damage.

Any number of things could be waiting for them...magical experiments gone awry and now released, or perhaps the fabric of spacetime has weakened enough to allow horrors from the deep to seep into the universe...

IRE #16: The Revolutionary Document

NPR : Albert Einstein's Year of Miracles: Light Theory

Today, March 17th marks the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's completion of the first of his major papers that would revolutionize physics forever. So even with the recent Ides of March, I am choosing Einstein's papers as the inspiration for the latest IRE

One might say that the creation of the Pattern in Amber is an example of fulfilling the IRE. Dworkin's theory and radical experiment changed his universe forever, certainly.

In my example, let's take a D20 style world. Rumors abound of a lost scroll in an ancient city, alive or dead. (in the Forgotten Realm, the city of the shades might work here). Said scroll is said to contain something not seen for ages, something revolutionary--a spell above the highest power known to the sages of the day. An 11th level spell...

The search and battle for such a scroll would be for high level characters and probably take a great deal of campaign time, especially if the rumors drag them on a long, epic quest.

And even if the characters find it--there will be others wanting it from them. And what do they DO with such a revolutionary thing?

IRE #15: Troop Go Home

Our fifteenth IRE revolves around the events in Lebanon, as Syria, which has long held the country under its military thumb, seems to be sincere about its plans to reduce and withdraw its military presence.

When the armies go home, what happens next?

I could be funny and set this in a Star Trek Universe, because the withdrawal of the Cardassians from Bajor is one of the starting points of Deep Space Nine. Too, the withdrawal of the Centauri from Narn a hundred years before the events of Babylon 5 show that there is lots of meat and mileage in this idea.

In point of fact, one of my ACUS games, Royal Legacy, is revolving a bit around this idea. After the death of King Oberon, one of his personal fiefs, a tropical island shadow, is clamoring for independence and freedom for its future.

Who rises to power in the face of such a withdrawal? How does the formerly occupying power deal with the fact that its troops have left this distant land they have held so long and now have been given "the bum's rush"? In the ACUS game, the players are from Amber, and must come to terms and deal with the desires of independence for this nation, but the game could easily be done from the point of view of the Islanders.

IRE #14: Homo floresiensis

Our IRE this time around keys off of some new revelations about those mysterious "hobbit sized" skeletons found on an Indonesian island last year. As mentioned in a previous blog entry, Carl Zimmer's blog has a nice recap of the biology and the speculation thereof.

So what can you do with this?

Let's see...lost race, extinct in our world, but perhaps not in the world of Adventure! Transplant them to an even more remote location (a New Guinea valley system) say, and send the characters in there to track down a lost artifact, temple or what have you.

The hobbits would make very interesting guardians for such a place. I'm reminded of the "pygmy zombies" from THE MUMMY RETURNS for ideas on sending these folk after the adventurers.

A whimsical, humorous encounter with one of them...could soon change in tone as a swarm of the hobbits come after the player characters.

IRE #13: Miracle on Ice

Our 13th "Unlucky" IRE harkens back a quarter century to one of the most stunning events in Hockey, or any other sports, history. The unheralded, plucky US Hockey team beat the defending Olympic champion Russian team (enroute to eventually beating Finland for the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics). This story of David versus Goliath is the fodder for this outing's IRE.

So many ways one can handle this, the "David and Goliath" theme is one that has numerous possibilities.

I like the idea of taking the theme to a war setting, let's use Amber just for the heck of it this time. A belligerent Golden Circle-area (although not member) shadow decides to eat some lebensraum from a smaller, unassuming shadow. No even match like, say, Begma and Kashfa, the ostensibly weaker shadow looks destined to become a satellite (or worse) of the first shadow's empire.

But then the impossible happens. In the field of battle, by strength of arms, courage and perhaps something else, the smaller shadow defeats its behemoth rival and sends the enemy army home packing.

How did they do it? The Player characters, if they are hooked into plots in the Golden Circle, might be intrigued enough to visit this unheralded world, looking for their secret. And just what might that secret turn out to be? A power source of some kind? Plucky determination? An unheralded scion of the family (perhaps unknown even to herself) who led the defense of the land of her birth?

Or, alternatively, the PCs might visit the belligerent nation, and see why they failed...or having been brought down a peg, the PCs might be inclined to add insult to injury (say, if this shadow has threatened areas the PCs are interested in).

A bardic character might want details of the battle itself for song and story. An artistic character might want to do a depiction of the epic battle. A martial one, might want to know what strategies were used.

And so on and so forth.

IRE #12: Kyoto Protocol

This week's Game IRE ties in ecology, politics and conflicts over resources.

In other words, the recent ratification (although not by the US) of the Kyoto Protocol. , limiting Greenhouse Gas emissions in an attempt to reduce climate change.

I've going to steal Ginger's favorite game and use Everway.

Imagine a sphere whose magic is fading, reducing in potency. High level spells either fall, or worse, have unintended side effects. The political units of the sphere, then, squabble and argue over what to do. Should they limit magic? What about visitors, such as the arriving player characters? How will they be drawn into the political battles? Or can they provide the solution? You could theoretically limit the scope to factions of a single city or country, if you wanted to tighten the focus.

Political intrigue, magic, danger and double dealing. What's not to like?

Ire #11: Ash Wednesday

Hi everyone! After a week off thanks to my trip to NY, we are back with Game IRE. I had a plethora of choices for this one, but I have settled on the Christian tradition of Ash Wednesday as this week's topic.

Ash Wednesday, for the uninitiated, is the beginning of the forty days of Lent which precede Easter Sunday. (Mardi Gras/Carnival takes place on the last day before Ash Wednesday). Ash Wednesday is a somber day, where many sacrifice something prized until the Easter holiday arrives. And thus we have a Game IRE.

I think of Ash Wednesday and Lent as a purification ritual. By sacrificing and fasting and the like, you are purifiying yourself and making yourself more receptive and more able to appreciate the Passion, and the Resurrection. It is that aspect that I am going to focus on, in a pantheonic fantasy setting of your choice.

The player characters, as part of some goal of theirs, need access to the Library, or a personage, of a powerful and influential temple of a faith not their own. The priests will allow the player characters access--once they have been purified by fasting and self-denial for a certain period. If the periods of time allow it, you could go the traditional 40 day route.

It takes strong roleplaying to make this actually work, its very easy to "gloss over" the time, and provide no RP juice out of this at all. Perhaps the temple is of a sect that doesn't believe in killing, and as part of this purification, the PCs cannot kill (even in self defense?) during this period.

Throw in some rumors of treasure or the like in the wilderness outside of town, add in a bit of competition (if they don't go for it, other adventurers will get the boodle first), and the player characters will have a whole new set of challenges during their period of lent, trying to deal with traditional foes but without slaying them outright.

Ire #10: Oscar Nominations

Oscar Nominations.

Our 10th IRE has to do with the recent Academy Award Nominations. Glamour. Glitz. Stars. Awards. Campaigns for Awards. The usual madness

So many ways one can go with this. Let's use Nobilis as our base for a change, even if I have not actually (yet) run a scenario in same.

The Player characters are invited to visit by the Familias of a powerful allied chancel which is hosting festivities and celebrations. An invitation they dare not refuse...

Highlighted by the Powers of Media and Fashion, the allied chancel has turned their place upside down with parties, galas and events. The PCs will be swept into these, and will wind up surprised when their names wind up on lists for awards of no real value, but everyone in the chancel, Nobilis and ordinary alike, seem to cheer them for.

It's a lighthearted game for a change. No Lord Entropy or Excrucians, but a sense of bewildering excitement and confusion. If you wanted more meat, you could throw forbidden love and lust into the mix. (Say, if one of the "winners" gets some attention from the same/opposite sex of the guests, afterwards).

And what will other chancels and their members think of this frivolousness?Or the PCs own Imperator, if their Imperator is of the type to look her nose down on this?

Ire #9: Inauguration

I debated heavily the topic for this week's IRE, since I have two equally good, although very different choices. Perhaps next year I will go with the good Dr. King's birthday as the subject of an IRE.

This year, this week, however, I am going to go with the Inauguration. Tomorrow, January 20th, is the quadrennial American Presidential Inauguration, and the subject of this week's IRE. I think we can broaden it to include things like coronations and the like, too...

A pretty broad canvas for this week's IRE, and my choice is going to be a space opera esque sort of setting (Traveller-esque, if you like).

The player characters and their ship arrive at a planet not long before the inauguration of the planet's new President. The possibilities for threads and storylines in the midst of this is enormous.

Assassination attempts? Intrigue? Romance at one of the Inaugural Balls?(those offworlders can be, um, alluring to the local folk of the opposite (or, to be fair, same) sex.). A whole raft of gaming material for several sessions can revolve around this. With the inauguration, the actual business of the PCs might be put on hold, since everyone is wrapped up with preparations for THE local event. Thus, like it or not, the PCs might get mixed up in Inauguration events, like it or not.

The style and types of scenarios run on this larger framework depend really on taste. I might have the PCs discover a plot to assassinate one of the new President's cabinet (or the new President herself!). Throw in some heroics at one of the celebrations, and the PCs reputation on this backwater world could go up indeed. Of course, this might lead to the PCs returning to this world time, and again, and I might have to detail it to a greater degree as it becomes a focal point in their travels.

But it would lead to some great stories, no?

Ire #8: The Dire Outpost

MSNBC - Arctic village loses power in subzero weather

Our IRE this week involves a small, but interesting story in the far North. As the linked article indicates, the village of Kaktovik is in dire need of heating supplies, isolated and cut off. Worse, the power generating plant is out of commission.

A continued story of isolated survival, and the seed for our latest IRE.

I see this as an adventure set on a space station. The PCs, in a Traveller-esque universe, themselves only managed to limp to this free port, which suffers catastrophe not long after their arrival.

Help will come, but its a matter of trying to survive until that help can come. The PCs' cleverness will be tested.

The PCs ship is too badly damaged to use to escape, although PCs and NPCs alike might try to crowd into it for life support. The planet that the station circles isn't much good either, a mining outpost on a world without much in the way of a biosphere.

Ratchet up the tension with a meteor shower or other hazards, and the PCs and NPCs alike will have a white-knuckle time of it until relief arrives.

Ire #7: Spirit

Finding recent events and news which isn't tied with the Tsunami, or Iraq, is more of a challenge than I've anticipated. The news cycles are really riding the two stories hard.

But I do have something for our 7th IRE. Yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of one of the triumphs of human ingenuity and engineering, the landing of the Spirit Rover on Mars.

Your challenge with the IRE this week is to make use of this in your game.

Most of my gamer friends know that I love portals and planes and things like that. So I am going to go in that direction in tying in this week's IRE that I have devised.

A fantasy type world (D20, GURPS or what have you). A wizard in a tower, experimenting in sorceries involving gates, creates a Gate to another dimension, another plane.

Its hostile there, the magic level is relatively low, and so to explore it, the wizard has an idea, and that's where the PCs comes in. The wizard employs the PCs to connect mentally with golems that he has created. It is these golems who will go through the portal to this arid, mysterious world, and report back on what they find.

What will they find? Lost civilizations and relics that might tempt a human voyage, despite the dangers? Creatures capable of living in the hostile environment? Precious and rare minerals and spell components. The scenario provides a sort of "virtual reality" fantasy style, as the PCs maneuver, telepathically, their golem counterparts across an unfamiliar landscape.

IRE #6: Bowl Games

It is a coincidence, I am sure, that my fourth IRE, two weeks ago, dealt with the theme of a horrific disaster. So this week I do not feel compelled to address the tragedy of the Earthquake/Tsunami.

Instead, we are going to go for something cheerier. Or not, if you don't feel up to it this week.

This is the time of the year in football, both College and Professional, that we concern ourselves with playoffs, rankings and bowl games. The Rose Bowl and the Parade, too, are in a few days. So let's take this celebration and pinnacle of a year in sport as our theme this week, ok?

I'm going to go with a D20 fantasy kingdom, one with some Roman or Byzantine influences in its structure. There are stadia and coliseums both, and at the end of a year, the intensity of the races and the combats reach a fevered pitch. (Readers of the Sarantine Mosaic books by Kay will know what I mean as far as the horse races go).

PCs can plug into this theme in any number of ways. Maybe they are participating in the combats directly, trying to earn fame and fortune, and the right to go to the capital and fight there in front of the Empress. Or maybe they are drawn into a faction dispute between the Blues and the Greens (or their equivalents in this world), fighting to help the dominance of one group over the other as the end of the season draws nigh.

IRE #5: Winter Solstice

Our fifth IRE is another slam dunk, since today is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Today is the Winter Solstice.

So what would I do with the day that allows the least amount of sunlight of the year?

I'm going to do something different, to leave the "Fantasy" ecological niche open to masters such as Arref and Ginger.

No, I am going to go a little different and make this a Paranoia plotline. I do have that new Paranoia XP, and the Winter Solstice gives me an idea.

It's not explictly mentioned, as far as I can tell in the book, but I would hazard a guess that the day cycles in Alpha Complex are uniform. What need is there for the change of seasonal lighting in Alpha Complex, when it is enclosed and self-sustaining?

So...imagine the fun the PCs are going to have when the day cycles in Alpha Complex start to get shorter, day after day after day. The Computer claims that this is correct function (and aren't you being treasonous in questioning this, red citizen?), but the worry clearly is shown on people up the chain. You could use this as a background thread for a number of sessions, just to keep the players nervous and wondering if this isn't some subtle attack on the Computer that is affecting power and supply.

Finally, after the Winter Solstice, much to the players relief, the days will start to get longer again. Or even more of a mindscrew, have the days return immediately to their normal cycle the day after it.

So was it an experiment by the Computer? A malfunction? Something a Programmer has done? And what if it happens again...will the lights return to normal...the next time?

IRE #4: Zuider Zee

Our fourth IRE, is a slightly obscure, but important anniversary in history.

On December 14th, 1287, the Zuider Zee sea wall in what is now the Netherlands collapsed. killing 50,000 people. It is the most massive such flood in the history of Holland; the Zuider Zee is one of the most massive projects in the history of engineering.

Thus, this disaster is the theme of this week's IRE.

The game system I am going to use for this is Aberrant. In this system, a powerful cadre of aberrants have decided to transform the mostly useless Sahara by changing its interior into a large freshwater lake.

The mutants, however, miscalculate, and badly. Not long after the "Lake of Life" is set up, the imperfections in its walls become clear, and towns and villages which have sprung up on its shores are in danger.

The Pcs are low to medium power Aberrants themselves, and are on the scene as this occurs. What can or should they do? Is the lake salvagable? Or must everyone be evacuated first? A four-color sort of scenario, as the players race against time and the elements to stop an entirely natural--yet man made, disaster awaiting them.

IRE #3: Pearl Harbor

Its a no-brainer, really, what this latest edition of Inspired by Recent Events is going to be about.

(And yes, I've decided to stick with that name. It suits me better than any alternatives that I've thought of). And thanks to Arref for the button!

Anyway, the third IRE is going to be about the day that lives in infamy, the Japanese attack on the naval base of Pearl Harbor, Dec 7. 1941.

So many possibilities and choices for this one. But I am going to go with the out of print (but I found a copy cheap recently at the Source during their holiday sale) and go with Blue Planet. An oceanic world is somehow appropriate for a Pearl Harbor analogue, don't you think?

There are lots of tensions and simmering possible conflicts on Poseidon, and I would have the characters be at ground zero for one of them. One of the Incorporate states, tired of the encroachment of one of its rivals, does the unthinkable and launches a lightning military attack. Their goal is a fait accompli, to completely take the situation in hand so that the Colonial government will not be able to intervene or affect the situation once executed.

The PCs can work for either Incorporate, or just be at the site of the attack. How will they react, before and afterwards? If they are part of the attackers, how will they condone it afterwards? If they are part of the defenders or bystanders...what do they do in the aftermath?

Inspired by Recent Events #2: Orange Revolution

Even with other choices out there, such as the 49th anniversary of Rosa Parks' brave action, I can't ignore the 900 lb elephant of a recent event in the room for our second IRE.

No, I am referring to the putative Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, events unfolding and developing even as we speak. Revolutions can be rich fodder for game ideas, and in the chinese sense, "Interesting Times" for any PC.

Taking the Ukrainian revolution as a model, I think I would run a revolution in a d20 fantasy kingdom.

A fairly large kingdom is torn apart by two claimants to the throne, two cousins with a fairly equal claim to the purple seat. One of the cousins is from the east, and has strong relations with the kingdom's powerful neighbor Empire to the East. The other cousin is much more aligned to the republics and city states to the west, and seems to be ostensibly more popular.

In the game world, though, its likely to turn into a civil war, unless the player characters can help navigate a peaceful solution. Is there in fact, one? Can they find unimpeachable proof of the higher legitimacy of one or another claimant? Can they keep other nations from intervening? It's definitely a story arc for characters of either low level (man on the street perspective) or higher level (influencing the events on a meta level) alike.

IRE #1: JFK's Assassination

Please see the previous entry for details on my concept and what this might all be about.

Today is the anniversary of JFK's Assassination. The first IRE, then asks you to take that idea and turn it into a game scenario for a campaign.

Read on for my own answer

I am going to go system specific and take the event literally, rather than allegorically. I am going to use a time travel game, specifically Continuum. You probably could use this, too, with things like GURPS' Infinite Worlds, too.

The PCs, who are low level (Span 1s) time travellers, are suddenly asked to head back to that fateful morning in 1963 because tampering of the event by Narcissists has been detected.

The PCs go back to JFK's assassination, but its an event that is covered head to toe by spanners preventing any tampering with things. So what are the Narcissists up to?

Some research, some time combat, some frag later, it soon becomes clear. The Narcissists have clevered tampered with Jack Ruby's life, and a point a few months before the assassination. The frag only really has become clear now, on November 22, 1963, when he is not there to play his historical role. The PCs must now laboriously span backward some more and try and get things on the right course.

I like the poignancy of this...that the players have to make sure, no matter that it is a horrible event, that the events of the assassination must take place as history records them.

Inspired by Recent Events

Perverse Access Memory: Farewell Doc%u2019s Blog

Ginger mentions that there is an ebb in gameblogging as of late, especially when it comes to memeing.

Ironically, without seeing this, I was thinking about a game meme at work. Can I turn it into a series? Maybe, if there is interest in such a thing.

NB: Expanded the idea to include one-shots at cons and the like, on a tip from Ginger's answer to the first IRE.

The basic idea is thus.

In campaigns, especially, inspiration for individual scenarios and scenes away from the main plot can come from any number of sources. Too, one-shots at gaming cons can often have surprising inspirations.

One of them, for me, is current events, or anniversaries. Something recent, or about to happen, or a milestone of some kind.

In the Inspired by Recent Events (I really need a better name for this), I will produce such a recent or soon to be forthcoming event or anniversary. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to produce a game scenario for a campaign or a one-shot from it. You can remain generic, you can specify a system, as long as you tie in the hook somehow. The subsequent entry will show you just what I mean.

And we'll see if there is any interest.