Everytime at the Table: Wobbling Around Midnights 1-3

 Running Wobble on Friday nights has been one of the easiest things I've done in a few years. Peryton and Iron Curtis indulge my particularly idiosyncratic obsession when it comes to this setting. Fridays just work for me as well. I get off of work in the evening, I am relaxed, just heading into my weekends of soccer, beer, and writing coming up. These Wobbles, the campaigns, help me revisit the published stuff as well as explore the newer ideas that pop into my head (always) set in these universes (or Verses). A couple of hours, stories told and notes made, WALLAH (not viola).

Viggo needs a shave

The Characters are Rudolpho Viggo, of the Primrose Corporation of Mu-Soufrik (Our World but Charlie Jade influenced), and Daisy Adair, pilot extraordinaire of Mu-1920 (Our world but the roaring 20s). I retconned the end of "the Art Show" from about three, maybe four, years to where the Professor (Rudy) had a lover aboard the insectoid space station. They were separated by the rush of people running for the escape pods just before the big bang that concluded that campaign's finale. Starting back on Soufrik, his supervisors task him with continuing his explorations of the Tau Verse. Daisy Adair had been hanging out on that world as well, working as a contract pilot of various flying craft for smugglers and whatnot. Since Viggo was pining for his boyfriend and Adair was getting bored with "the Future," it wasn't too hard to get them wobbling again. Taking charge of the Albatross-class "float" (Wobble-boat) christened The Dodo, by its crew, our two protagonists headed off into the wide, Tau yonder.


Though the species of pirates that attacked The Dodo were named Galareans, I couldn't stop calling them Onion-heads. Their rather radish-looking spacecrafts didn't help. Though the float took plenty of damage, being unarmed and all, a patrol of Strike-crafts ("bananas") representing the Radio-Apes controlling the area drove them off. Our players did have to make an emergency landing on the Overmind-63 (the Radio-Apes' home). 63 is a ring biosphere connected to a hub increasing its gravity with centrifugal spinning.

The primary purpose of Overmind-63 is to house the massive organic computer (known as Overmind-63) which is floating in the upper reaches of the contained atmosphere. The space station is big enough, rather huge, to where the speed of the spin isn't uncomfortable for its denizens. The hub of this wheel is not only the control centers of the platform its reflective exteriors provided daylight to most parts of the habitation areas when not facing the local star. Along the rims of the wheel are thousands of miles of farmlands. Floating "collecters" harvest various parts when their produce comes into maximum nutritional stage, and float up to the brain-ish looking Overmind. Smaller beings, mostly radio-apes, live in settlements, some as big as major cities. In these population centers, tens of thousands of beings live, work, and play. Space commerce and even tourism is a significant part of life here.

Helped by the Akkerbarick (Goat-head) Jax Biznez, lawyer at Law, the crew of the Dodo would be able to sue their now apprehended pirate attackers for damages to their ship. This lead to some court room drama. Of course, the Galarians didn't have enough money to make amends, but their ships' insurance company, the Gyyko Clan, had plenty of liability coverage. Viggo and Adair played up their emotional distress for the Monitors (video camera headed-baboons). So once the Galarians were put to death, on the spot, in the middle of the court room, our daytime TV stars where awarded plenty of Zed (dollars) to fix and improve their wobble-boat.
Of course, our Wobblers weren't able to leave the space station, because it was theirs _and_ the Overmind's. So they left illegally. A quick spaceship battle session, Daisy Adair made pretty quick work of their pursuing Strike-craft (Bananas), even without a weapon aboard the Dodo, with amazing pilot skills (Robin rolled really well). Afterwards, they were able to salvage wreckage from one of the strikers and get a Phazer Cannon, a weapon of their own, with Viggo's Fixer skills.

Back to the Search for Alejandro (Viggo's boyfriend), the Professor, using Technobabble, discovered "communitrons." These are sub-atomic molecules released by Faster-than-Light transmissions, that can be traced "for a certain amount of time" across the depths of interstellar space. This led our PCs to Planet Mondrom.

This world, though not really that well known, is one of the better spots in the multiverse for Wobblers to come across. The planet has two indigenous species, the Mon and the Drom. The drom are human-like beings that tend towards blue to gray skin and very similar hair to humans. The mon are intelligent mineral collections that form into rectangular blocks of very hard stone. Mons get larger and larger as they become more psychically powerful. Folks also call them "monoliths" for fun. The junior partner in the symbiotic relationship between the two, the Drom are monitored and mentored by the Mon, into becoming very capable psychics, and Wobblers as a side product. Now this relationship has a price. The drom of the planet are very stratified. Differing castes of them are identified by their "development level" as defined by the Mon. This is indicated on an adaptive tattoo of a number on the left side of the humanoid's neck.

Viggo and Adair tracked Alejandro from a crash landed escape pod into a Mon nursery-- the species is made of rocks so don't sweat the crash landing. They then were directed to the city of Population Center 47. As you all know, Center-47 is one of the best places to be when one is on Planet Mondrom. Know for its Really Big Decorative Bridge over the Salt-Water Inlet over the Western Side of the Planet Ocean, and great dance club scene. Here the PC's met the Triangles. The triangles are mons that have chosen to divde themselves into triangles of various sizes to lead various differing lives to one day come back together about ten thousand years later, to be Elders among the Mon. They tend to be skilled technicians of the rocks' society, while also providing the fastfood workers and gas station attendants for the metropolises over the world.
Viggo would meet the triangle Trixar. Trixi had taken a particular interest in the elusive Alejandro. Meanwhile Adair would be doing the Luke Skywalker on Dagoba thing, with a triangle on her back, ultimately dueling a clone of 14 y/o Amelia Earhart with light-sabers. After the Professor would take a particular interest in the triangle, our players would have their next lead as to where their quest would take them. Sex with the geometric block of stone was a matter of finding "the right angle." Afterwards, the Professor would hear the Warden (Trixar) mutter, "I only deal with criminals, usually."
Most of this last session was me getting the players to clean up their Roll-Playing XP tallies, through the "leveling" of the Mondroms. It also helped me continue to refine my Wobble rules as to how to, you know, wobble. If only I had done this before I published the source book.

So with Daisy Adair ready at the helm, Professor Rudolph Viggo wobbled them to the last known location of his GM-imposed love interest. Surprisingly, I am sure, had pirates awaiting them. But this was not because of rote script writing. Viggo would do an open channel hail to the attacking ships. The attack would come to a halt. On the Dodo's vid screen, Alejandro flanked by two pirate-looking Pyramid-heads would appear.

"Hello Rudolph." The dread-pirate Ajahando of Inasfar would say with a little chagrin.

GenCon 22: Back to Big Blue

On Saturday night at GenCon during my Crawlspace scenario "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps" someone found a reason for everyone at the table to identify their pronouns. I was beginning to think it was not going to happen. For all the warnings from many about "the wokists" being all over the convention, supposedly as ubiquitous as police informers at an antifa get-together. I came face to face with the advent that so many of the more, well, reactionary gamers warned me about. There it was, right in front of me. I could only say "Finally." I was so damned proud. The cool kids are showing up at my games! 

It's not like I wasn't busy before then though. There I was at GenCon. Thrown into the indy game ghetto of the third floor suites of the JW Marriott, Suite 313 to be exact. There was only one other official event in my room all four days of the convention. I was either at the end of the world or had finally gotten my corner office. Folks would come in the late evening to do open gaming and some partying as my evening games were finishing up, but for six out of my seven games I had a private setting with a great view.

Thursday's morning event was a Monsters! Monsters!/Tunnels & Trolls session called "Off the Rez." I had not prepared the pregenerated Characters for the session, so we did a quick roll up. The group were a band of goblins, but I forgot modify their Stats because, you know, GM busy-ness. Most of my listed encounters were pretty much overpowered, but we concentrated antics and storyline instead. The players were downright rebellious in disregarding my leads, but were being hilarious. The ten or so players were a pleasant mix of teenagers, folks, in their 20s, and a couple of guys close to my age, which happens to have been my target audience for this event. I met Todd Petersen the author "Raganrok Tunnels" for DT&T as well. Awarding the copy of M!M! signed by Ken St Andre to one of the players was only a part of my salesmanship. I hoped to be spreading some sales of all things Tunnels-ish. Of course, I'd find out an hour later that Flying Buffalo did not show up to Indy-- typical luck me.

My Thursday night game "Night of the Cryptids II: Bigfoot Babies" was surprisingly a wash. But I demoed the Crawlspace system to three guys from Peoria, Illinois. I'd run into them throughout the week. We have plans for the Wednesday night party next year.  I'd get the email from the folks that had bought the tickets telling me that they couldn't show up later in the night.

On Friday I ran my homebrew Gotham City PD Major Crimes "Two Jokers in the Deck" to a full house. Major Crimes is a whole lot of fun for me. This group of players was especially creative. The plot developed nicely as well as the climax of session being a really big bang. Because of their antics during the course of play, I have some ideas for next year. It's going to quite a production. This will be because of these guys. 

"The Horrible Fate of the Haunted House Hunters" went great. This repeat of a favorite Crawlspace event, just goes great every running. This year the Deputy's Player, Brennan would get the killing started early. My NPC, pervy-douchy Tom died from an accidental shotgun blast, though the PCs would not know this for a few scenes yet. Oh that Delaney Mansion gets 'em every time.

Crawlspace's "The Sleep Study" was not only full, but Mister Geiger from previous years graced the scenario. I felt like I was struggling, the gang around me seemed to be enjoying themselves. While I was pretty much railroading everybody, I did keep things creepy. Nose bleeds to incest, it stayed interesting. I'd end up having beers with a new bru named Ryan and his twin brother.  Of course when I was trying to have dinner and drink with the boys, Robin would phone me. She had finally showed up and would not leave the car. It was time to go.

Saturday noon, I'd run Peryton's Crawlspace scenario "TerrorHog". Luckily there were only four players, but what players they were. One was a perfect voice actor, another was indeed a professor, the other played the indolent technician too well, and being a diva came natural to our anchorman character. The author herself would show up and play as well. I think my choices made the session as interesting as the movie (Hogzilla) that it is based off of, but Robin was there to point out everything that she thought I missed. She'd also go on to post her thoughts online. Godshead woman, no pressure or anything, eh?

The previously mentioned "Scary Monsters, Super Creeps" was awesome. Despite my weariness, I kept the players in a perpetual state of creep out. Not to brag, but I would love to see the movie that I constructed in everyone's mind on TV. It was that good of a UFO horror story.



Peryton and I would spend the rest of Saturday and Sunday, leisurely enjoying the small city of dorks that downtown Indianapolis was. And pizza. We enjoyed all sorts of pizza. She'd stay on until Monday morning. It was a wonderful culmination to my "Convention Season" this year.