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1/31/2020

Gauntlet Video Roundup - January 31, 2020

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[Gauntlet Hangouts logo]
Greetings, and welcome to the weekly Gauntlet Hangouts video roundup! Enjoy these new recordings of online games organized through Gauntlet Hangouts and the Gauntlet RPG community. These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the wide selection of games available every week, and anyone is welcome to join in the fun! If you'd like to play in new games (or catch up on the back catalog of recordings), check the links at the end of the post.

Also, don't miss the Trophy RPG Kickstarter, running through February 23rd. Trophy from Gauntlet Publishing is a game of dark forests, doomed treasure-hunters, and a world woven on a loom of rumor, history, and myth. Check out the Kickstarter page to pick up a FREE quick start PDF collection so you can start playing right away!
Star Wars Saturday

Padawans in the Vineyard (Session 3)
Rich Rogers runs for Blaise, Eli S., and Steven Watkins
The Padawans head to the town of Mercy on Ragas 3 to meet with... another Jedi? But this Jedi is unlike any Jedi they know.

Gauntlet Sunday

Purplest Prose
Lowell Francis runs for Darold Ross, Pearl Zare, and Scot Ryder
In this game, four trashy writers try to collaboratively create a trashy romance novel. Content warning: language, explicit sexual content. Find the game here. This game is broken up into chapters. For easier viewing/listening, you can find the time codes and the final text here.

Gauntlet Comics

Masks (Session 3)
Rich Rogers runs for Joe Zantek, Sawyer Rankin, and Sherri
The students of Hope Prep attend a party. With dates! Too bad barghests showed up to ruin the afterparty before it even began.

Gauntlet Comics: Masks (Session 4)
Rich Rogers runs for David Jay, Joe Zantek, Sawyer Rankin, and Sherri
The Hopefuls stop a bank robbery attempt by April Fool and the Fooligans, then attend a pep rally that gets the students of Hope Prep maybe a little too hyped up.

Gauntlet Hangouts

ALIEN: Chariot of the Gods (Hack) (Session 3 of 4)
Jason Zanes runs for Jamila R. Nedjadi, Leandro Pondoc, Richard Moser, and Steven Watkins
Company Agent Wilson interfaces with MU/TH/UR while Roughneck Cham and Pilot Davis work to clear strange black resin from the air scrubbers. Meanwhile, Captain Miller explores the ship alone.

Band of Blades (Session 7)
Leandro Pondoc runs for Chris Newton, Dan Pucul, Matt Phillips, and Patrick Buechner
In the shadows of Westlake's walls, the glittering gem of Aldermark, the Legion is handed an opportunity: a bandit defector willing to them a chance to take out the bandit monarch known as the Vulture. Shut out of Westlake's streets, the Legion turns outwards and sets forth in force to try and take down the upstart thorn on their side for good.

Trophy Dark: The Twisted King
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Gerrit Reininghaus, Maria M., and Robert Angus
Where we play Trophy Dark absolutely on the fly! What a dark tale of hubris, tragedy, and futility we tell. Lots of dark and twisted magic in the swamp of the Twisted King.

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins (Session 4 of 8)
Lowell Francis runs for Alun R., David Morrison, Leandro Pondoc, and Rye
With the turning of the comes a wonder, a new capital and the largest urban center since the fall, but it brings turmoil and progress in equal measure. Radicle offers aid to the Soft of the Dancing Wave and together they mount a dangerous expedition to wreckage of The Mystified.

ALIEN: Chariot of the Gods (Hack) (Session 4 of 4)
Jason Zanes runs for Jamila R. Nedjadi, Leandro Pondoc, Richard Moser, and Steven Watkins
Captain Miller wakes up Weyland-Yutani executive Clayton and she takes charge. Company agent Wilson is sent to retrieve samples while Roughneck Cham and Pilot Davis are sent on a hunt for a "little" alien.

Night Witches: January 2020: CHWASZCZYNO
Jim Likes Games runs for Bethany H., Eli S., Maria M., and Puckett
A brawl leads to a very dangerous mission, as Lara just can't seem to keep out of trouble.

Bite Marks: Northern Souls (Session 3 of 3)
David Morrison runs for Bethany H., Bryan, and Puckett
Garrett calls the pack together in preparation for their opening club night at the Crossed Swords. But Jax and Jo bring him news of the increasing threat from the Good Shepherds. The pack searches for allies as they prepare for a showdown, and their very future hangs in the balance.

Rapscallion: The 8th Pirate King (Session 4 of 4)
Alun R. runs for Paul Rivers, SalamanderJames, Sawyer Rankin, and Will H
Deep in the Isle of Dread, Percy the Mountebank (& his demon 'Grandfather') and Lucia the Swashbuckler confront Captain Tricky (& his demon 'Samson'). Captain Klaus is marked by the living tattoo Tricky has borne until now and uses it to steer to the mysterious obsidian obelisk on the horizon...where the 7 Pirate Kings & Queens are also converging. Morgana the Matelot plots with her love, Lucia, and then Percy, but Klaus has his suspicions and leaves Morgana in command while the others enter the Obelisk. She discovers that the Captains' motives may not be what they seemed as the Wardens intervene in the world of men! There is a tense stand-off deep in the Obelisk, and Morgana receives the help of her Guild to protect the Black Cat, before the 8th Pirate King is enthroned...how will they wield their power...?

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Hangouts games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Hangouts games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

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1/29/2020

Gauntlet Gameway

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Lowell Francis, Gauntlet Gaming Community Manager
In the past couple of months discussions popped up on Twitter and elsewhere about finding ways to eliminate barriers for folks wanting to participate in gaming. That sparked a conversation in our community spaces about how we might support that. We’ve come up with a first step intended to help marginalized gamers and/or those dealing with financial hardship a way to play online with The Gauntlet Hangouts.


What is Gauntlet Hangouts?
It is an online gaming community which provides space for reliable online play supported by an app and supported by mandatory use of safety tools. GMs & Event Creators post sessions on our calendar at least with a good lead time. Players sign up for events there and each has a waitlist. You can see our site here.

Supporters of our Patreon get priority RSVP access. After the first week of a game posting, anyone can sign up. The Gauntlet has an open table policy, so for most games players can drop in for a session or sign up for a whole series. Gauntlet Gameway is a new program to give gamers from marginalized communities or in a financial pinch early access to the event calendar.

Gauntlet Gameway
We’re setting aside 25 Gauntlet Calendar membership slots. These will be offered free of charge to members of marginalized communities or those suffering financial hardship. You can define that and we won’t ask for an explanation or details. This also gives access to our Slack if you want. If you’re interested or have questions, you can email us at gauntletcommunity@gmail.com or edige23@gmail.com.

Why Game with Gauntlet Hangouts?
  • We have a gaming calendar filled with a wide-range of indie, storygame, OSR, and other kinds of rpgs.
  • We’re glad to help new players get set up: walking you through the technical side of things.
  • GMs teach the rules of games and you don’t have to buy materials.
  • Our online calendar app means you can see what’s coming up and most sessions actually happen.
  • We require that all games be run with safety tools. We ask all GMs to explain and use the safety tool(s) of their choice: Script Change, Lines & Veils, X-Card, etc., Open Door
  • We have players and GMs across different time zones. Community members try to work with requests for particular times or games.
  • The community’s supportive of trying out new hacks and playtesting new games.

Bottom Line
We want to provide an online gaming option for people who might find the joining the Patreon for RSVP access a barrier for money, commitment, or other reasons. We also want to make sure the power of choice and authority rests with them. The Gauntlet Calendar and our play culture mean add reliability to sessions. Finally the use and discussion of safety tools is a priority.

Questions
What commitment is there?
We ask that all community members abide by our Community Code of Conduct. We also ask that everyone follow our best practices for sign ups. If you try it out and find it isn’t for you, you may quit at any time. In this case, we ask that you contact us so we can free the slot up for someone else.

How long does this membership last?
Your RSVP priority access will last for six full calendar months. At the end of that time, we’ll check in with you to see if you want to continue. If you do, we’ll set you up for another six months, and so on.

What do I need to play?
A computer with a decent internet connection and a microphone. A camera is useful, but not absolutely required. GMs teach the rules and make materials available so you won’t have to buy anything.

I’m more of a GM than a player, can I GM?
We ask that community members play with us a few times before we set them up to create events. This gives potential GMs a feeling for our play culture. It also shows us that someone can commit to attendance and scheduling. We also occasionally run Gauntlet Facilitator Camps, where three new GMs workshop with a veteran about all kinds of issues from recording sessions to managing safety tools to pacing.

If I don’t want to do this but I want to play in a session, can I do that?
Yes. After the first week of priority access, anyone can sign up for sessions. You’ll see a time listed on events showing when they open up. You’ll have to register at the site. Many events end up pulling from the waitlist, so signing up is a good gamble.

Are you going to advertise or broadcast who signs up for this?
No. We might mention the number of people enrolled in the program, but that’s it.

Who do I contact if I’m interested?
You can email us at gauntletcommunity@gmail.com / edige23@gmail.com if you’d like to participate or if you have questions.

Last Thing
This doesn’t eliminate all barriers. Money, time, and accessibility all still create roadblocks. But we hope it’s a decent first step. We’d love to have designers from these communities join, play, and then have a good place to run their own games. If someone tries it out and then migrates to another online group, that’s still a win. We want to share our expertise and help bring more players into the community.

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1/24/2020

Gauntlet Video Roundup - January 24, 2020

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[Gauntlet Hangouts logo]
Greetings, and welcome to the weekly Gauntlet Hangouts video roundup! Enjoy these new recordings of online games organized through Gauntlet Hangouts and the Gauntlet RPG community. These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the wide selection of games available every week, and anyone is welcome to join in the fun! If you'd like to play in new games (or catch up on the back catalog of recordings), check the links at the end of the post.

Also, don't miss the Trophy RPG Kickstarter, running through February 23rd. Trophy from Gauntlet Publishing is a game of dark forests, doomed treasure-hunters, and a world woven on a loom of rumor, history, and myth. Check out the Kickstarter page to pick up a FREE quick start PDF collection so you can start playing right away!
Gauntlet Sunday

Have a Familiar Ring
Lowell Francis runs for Puckett, Sabine V., Scot Ryder, and Sherri
We tell the tale of a wizard from a 1980s where magic has risen in response to Thatcher and Reagan, as she and her three familiars work to preserve a park in the face of corporate expansion.

Gauntlet Hangouts

The Dying World: Playtest
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Leandro Pondoc, Sawyer Rankin, and Steven desJardins
We went BIG with this one, drag queens, living gods, and cosmic entities, oh my! It was super fun seeing players take characters they've played in other games and bring them into this multiverse shattering adventure.

Liminal RPG: Scarborough (Session 2)
Blake Ryan runs for Patsy and Will H
Possession is nine 10ths of the law...

BALIKBAYAN: Returning Home (Session 3 of 4)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Bethany H., Diana Moon, Leandro Pondoc, and Puckett
Our Duwende proves why they can't be alone, sad girl Santelmo finds a quiet moment in the underworld, and the Tikbalang and Saint go after their friends to see what they can do. Everything comes to a head as they struggle to save a Diwata!

Apocalypse World: Wreckage (Sessions 1-2 of 4)
Kyle H. runs for Dan Brown, David Jay, Jim C., and Richard Moser

Band of Blades (Session 6)
Leandro Pondoc runs for Chris Newton, Dan Pucul, Matt Phillips, and Patrick Buechner
Despite the losses, the Legion refuses to bow down against terrible odds. To the north of Sunstrider Camp, a mythical wolf seethes with blight. To the south, a bandit wearing a Vulture's cloak dares to proclaim the Legion mortal, ineffective, unworthy. As the undead force continues to force their hand, the Legion is faced with the task of finding out what exactly they fight for.

Bite Marks: Northern Souls (Session 2 of 3)
David Morrison runs for Bethany H., Bryan, and Kyle H.
While Garrett is busy making preparations for the new club night, Fran helps out by spreading some buzz in town. Jax meets a visitor from out of town who expresses an interest in the pack's business. And Jo digs deeper into the mysterious hunter she met after the full moon hunt. Together, they uncover an old foe, and prepare to defend their territory.

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins (Session 3 of 8)
Lowell Francis runs for Alun R., David Morrison, Leandro Pondoc, and Rye
Our factions move to take advantage of their contact with the Crater Heretics. New cities begin to rise and families split apart, and that's before the Turning of the Age.

Rapscallion: The 8th Pirate King (Session 3 of 4)
Alun R. runs for Paul Rivers, SalamanderJames, Sawyer Rankin, and Will H
The crew of The Black Cat arrive at The Isle of Dread in pursuit of the key to making Captain Klaus the 8th Pirate King. They avoid the siren call of its Leviathan guardians and make their way up to the prison the island hosts. There they lose an informant, convince the inmates, and confuse garrison of misfits, before making their way past traps into the bowels of the island. There they get a harsh reminder of the victims they have left along the way...

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Hangouts games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Hangouts games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

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1/17/2020

Gauntlet Video Roundup - January 17, 2020

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[Gauntlet Hangouts logo]
Greetings, and welcome to the weekly Gauntlet Hangouts video roundup! Enjoy these new recordings of online games organized through Gauntlet Hangouts and the Gauntlet RPG community. These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the wide selection of games available every week, and anyone is welcome to join in the fun! If you'd like to play in new games (or catch up on the back catalog of recordings), check the links at the end of the post.

Star Wars Saturday

Padawans in the Vineyard (Session 2 of 4)
Rich Rogers runs for Alexi S., Eli S., Leah Libresco Sargeant, and Steven Watkins
The padawans deal with a young Bothan who has been tempted by the Dark Side. Will they save him?

Bounty of the Week: It's a Living (Session 1 of 3)
David Miessler-Kubanek runs for Bryan, Rich Rogers, Sabine V., and Tony H
Old Debts - Bounty Hunters successfully overcome a bounty's computer virus before capturing him aboard a luxury spaceliner and turning him in for payment. The hunters then took on the next job to hunt down Ree-Yees. He was once a member of Jabba the Hutt's court on Tatooine, and is now on Cloud City, Bespin getting ready for an operation to change his appearance and fix his hands to live a new life post-Jabba. Enter the hunters, ready to rock his world--cliffhanger due to a shorter event.

Gauntlet Comics

Masks: Polychromatic Alliance (Issue 0)
Sawyer Rankin runs for David Morrison, Sabine V., Sydney, and Will H
Our team is set, meet Artemis & the Nobodies - our Legacy Artemis who is questioning their gender identity, especially in a Legacy made up of Amazons. Our dynamic duo Null & Void, the Janus and Joined, who are brothers fighting justice behind masks! And our liminal Doomed Holo who is a projection from the American Empire into our world played. In our debut we fight off some of the Dead End Queens who are smashing up AEON.

Masks: Polychromatic Alliance (Issue 1)
Sawyer Rankin runs for David Morrison, Sabine V., Sydney, and Will H
A week later the team has started off figuring out some plans to deal with information gathered by Null. This leads to some Hazmat suits, a trip to the Hollowed Park, and discoveries that are quite...unique. A new Scion of Loki is discovered with gloves that are similar in make to Rubble Rouser's. The Artemis deals with their Legacy being tarnished while Void gets a visit from an old friend. Null heads deeper into AEON to help Holo while Holo is quarantined in his Sanctuary. Hopefully a vaccine is soon coming.

Masks (Session 2)
Rich Rogers runs for Alexi S., Leah Libresco Sargeant, Sawyer Rankin, and Sherri
The team decides to throw their own party to spite Donny D, that nefarious so and so! That's why jetpack-wearing cybermonkeys attacked, of course.

Gauntlet Hangouts

Beam Saber: The Millenium War (Session 2 of 5)
Leandro Pondoc runs for Alex, Puckett, Sabine V., and Sawyer Rankin
After a ferocious battle over a farm, driving back the Exalted Mandate's Winnowers, the Queen's Venom get back to base only to deal with opaque higher-ups, corporate bullies and, most distressingly of all, defining their relationships with each other.

Liminal: Scarborough
Blake Ryan runs for Pearl Zare and Will H

Band of Blades (Session 5)
Leandro Pondoc runs for Chris Newton, Dan Pucul, Matt Phillips, and Patrick Buechner
In the open plains of Aldermark, perched at Sunstrider Camp, one can almost imagine the continent swallowing the Legion whole. But with the threat of a mighty horse lord lending his legendary firemanes to the Cinder King, the Legion will have to stand tall and keep paying the costs of war to endure.

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins (Session 2 of 8)
Lowell Francis runs for Alun R., David Morrison, Leandro Pondoc, and Rye
Drawn from four divergent factions, our PCs descend into a crater populated by heretics in search of the Magma Opus and more, only to find their purposes and interests at odds.

ALIEN: Chariot of the Gods (Hack) (Session 2 of 4)
Jason Zanes runs for Jamila R. Nedjadi, Leandro Pondoc, Richard Moser, and Steven Watkins
Things go from bad to worse. A xenomorph attacks poor technician Rye and then the ships computer shows its true colors. Captain Miller orders people to hurry up, pilot Davis gets crazy behind the wheel, and roughneck Cham rolls with the punches.

BALIKBAYAN: This is our Revolution (Sessions 1-2 of 4)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Bethany H., Diana Moon, Leandro Pondoc, and Puckett

Bite Marks: Northern Souls (Session Zero)
David Morrison runs for Bethany H., Bryan, Kyle H., and Puckett
This series of Bite Marks is set in the fictional suburb of Huntersley, in the northern industrial city of Sheffield in the early 1970s. In this session, we work together to create our werewolf pack, and flesh out the bonds between them and the world they inhabit. Garrett Heath is the pack Alpha; recently made redundant from a steel mill, he is determined to forge a better future for the pack, and is drawn by the opportunities of the burgeoning Northern Soul club scene. Jax is his right-hand man and the pack Fixer; from a mining family, he is connected in both the human and werewolf worlds, and makes a living skirting the law. Jo Hammond is a Prodigal; she left the pack when her secret was discovered, and has been focusing on her nursing job until recent events drew her back. Finally, Fran Flynn is still a Cub, the newest member of the pack; the events of her turning shrouded in mystery, she is looking to find a place with the pack.

Bite Marks: Northern Souls (Session 1 of 3)
David Morrison runs for Bethany H., Bryan, Kyle H., and Puckett
The Pack go on a full moon hunt in the Peak District. Jo struggles to regain control of her wolf nature. Jax aids Garrett in springing an ambush, and Garrett sees off a rival. Meanwhile Fran seems to be adapting well to her new life. But there are inklings the Pack may be facing a new threat, even as Garrett begins to plan for the future.

Fellowship: The Sunset of Giants (Session 1 of 4)
Rye runs for Parham Doustdar, Pawel S., Sabine V., and Sawyer Rankin
In this game of Fellowship, the players are agents of the Federation of Carsak who have been sent to discover the Apostle's (Overlord) weakness and destroy her before she can bring about the Federation's ruin. In this session we complete character creation, establish the world and create bonds with each other and the Overlord. The characters then encounter Unger a huge monstrous centipede in the service of the Apostle who has been forced into waylaying caravans to hinder the Federation.

Fellowship: The Sunset of Giants (Session 2 of 4)
Rye runs for Parham Doustdar, Pawel S., Sabine V., and Sawyer Rankin
In this game of Fellowship, the players learn from Unger, a huge monstrous centipede, that she is being forced to do the Apostle's (Overlord) bidding because her mate and brood are being held captive. The players talk their way past several stone trolls and confront the Honor Bound Lesenya to free Unger's mate and brood from the overlord's clutches.

Rapscallion: The 8th Pirate King (Session 1 of 4)
Alun R. runs for Paul Rivers, SalamanderJames, Sawyer Rankin, and Will H
Captain Klaus and his crew run into difficulties while looking for the key to becoming the 8th Pirate King. Morgana the Matelot intervenes to protect a crewmate but causes a fire to break out, while the Captain organises an ineffectual bucket chain and Percy the Mountebank comes to the rescue with the aid of his demon, 'Grandfather'. Later young Lucia the Swashbuckler earns her pirate stripes by craching through a window to help kidnap of an informant from under the nose of rival Captain Magda.

Rapscallion: The 8th Pirate King (Session 2 of 4)
Alun R. runs for Paul Rivers, SalamanderJames, Sawyer Rankin, and Will H
The crew of The Black Cat are pursued through a storm by angry Captain Magda's ship, The Uncanny Walrus. While the first cannonade favours the Walrus Captain Klaus orders 'Ramming Speed'. In the boarding action that follows Lucia the Swashbuckler buckles her swash while Morgana the Matelot shows how potent her fire-breathing can be. Percy feeds his demon with Captain Magda's life and the Captain takes crew and treasure to the Black Port of the Unquiet Dead...for a peaceful shoreleave...

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Hangouts games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Hangouts games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

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1/16/2020

AoR: History of Universal RPGs (Part 1.5: 1978-1993)

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The list so big I had to split it in two...see the first part here. 

8. Simulacres (1988)
A French rpg from Casus Belli. The main volume, Simulacres, came out as a 96-page special release. It offered a tight set of mechanics, about ten pages worth, accompanied by seven different settings. Each genre section had different authors and ranged from medieval fantasy to pulp adventure to horror to spy stories to TV dramas. Each section had two pages of rules for handling distinct elements, followed by a 5-6 page scenario. Simulacres seems to be a touchstone for French rpg gamers, judging by the comments and arguments over it on Le Grog. The roots of Simulara seem to be a release from the comic publisher Humanoids. Called La Fleur de L'Asiamar, it had a BRP-style booklet and a scenario co-written by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Simulacres received several supplements: Aventures Extraordinaires & Machinations Infernales (a Vernian setting my Steampunk lists missed); Capitaine Vaudou (piracy); Cyber Age (cyberpunk); and SangDragon (fantasy). In '94 the publisher released a revised version which focused more on general role-play issues.
 
9. Binary (1990)
Another French game, apparently one page long. The minimalist Binary came in a plastic bag with those rules and an advertisement twice as long for other games. Players resolve actions by tossing a coin in Binary. Normally I'd leave something like this off, but it seems to have been actually distributed and sold in stores.

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10. HERO System (1990)
We played a lot of supers in the 1980's. Champions stood on the top of the heap for local groups. Sure everyone made occasional detours into V&V and ​DC Heroes, but GMs eventually returned to 12 phase rounds, calculated characteristics, and killing attacks. Hero Games recognized early on they could use Champions’ base system for multiple genres. They tried a few variations, like Espionage! The Secret Agent RPG, its better sequel Danger International, and Fantasy Hero. Some didn't go over well, like Justice, Inc., Robot Warriors, and Star Hero. My group stood ready for a universal edition of the system, having already adapted it to G.I. Joe, super-wuxia, and Middle Earth.
 
Hero delivered big with two versions: one bundled together with Champions (the big blue book) and the other a supers-free standalone. With George Perez covers and smart design, players immediately switched over. I don't think I've ever seen a smoother edition shift. Hero supported the line with theme tracks: Champions, Dark Champions, and Fantasy Hero as well as smaller genre lines like Western Hero and Cyber Hero. They'd carry that format through to 5th edition.
 
Hero System offered a point-based, complete construction, math-driven system. Rival GURPS collapsed and abstracted elements: you don't pay points for everything like weapons & equipment. But Hero made that an important part of play. GURPS performed well at the low end of the scale, making it ideal for "normals" games. We ran for horror, gangsters, and the like with it. But GURPS broke down at higher levels; stronger powers meant more points and more tracking. Balance went out the window. Hero had the opposite problem. It worked fantastic at higher levels, which made sense since it came out of supers. But characters felt same-y at lower levels. Options didn't feel as distinct as those offered by GURPS. In the end while we admired Hero System’s symmetry, balance, and mechanics, we went with GURPS when we weren't playing supers.
 
11. Saga System (1991)
This German RPG seems to be the culmination of a long-running series of generic products. The company had previously released trap books, riddle collections, fantasy settings, and a generic magic system. Saga offered a simple but complete set of rules which could be used with any of those or applied to other genres. From what I can tell it used a d20 for resolution combined with an action result table. Saga System seems to have lasted, and I believe there's still an edition of it in print today.

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12. Adventure Maximum (1992)
An all-in-one system you may not have heard of that has a new edition in the works. The 160 page Adventure Maximum core book looks efficient. The back cover smartly goes through its selling points: quick character creation, comprehensive skills, simple mechanics, visual combat, and coverage for equipment & magic. The game itself feels a lot like GURPS for character creation, with advantages, disadvantages, and a stat/skill combo. But it shifts away from there to more complex terms and numbers.
 
Characters choose a Creed (Saintly, Villainous, Diabolical, etc) and assign values to a Personality Profile. The PP rates your feelings about different concepts in five degrees from Love to Hate. The 15 areas include Authority, Children, Foreigners, and Torture. Then it assesses your personality traits in five degrees from Very Weak to Extreme. Attitudes include Confident, Pious, Suspicious, Vengeful. The game's character sheets take up three pages with the first for stats, that personality profile, and skills. The second tracks armor, equipment, abilities, and disads. The third covers all of the combat details. That’s important because the system rates attacks across different attack profiles (Jab, Slash, Impale, etc) and armor/damage across sixteen hit locations. Note that my assessment comes from a reading of the 2008 playtest document for a revised edition of Adventure Maximum, so the original may be different. The designer has continued to work on the system and you can check out his blog here.
 
13. Amazing Engine (1993)
Prolific designer David "Zeb" Cook took the lead in this, TSR's first attempt at a universal system. The Amazing Engine base rules came as a 32-page booklet. This covered the basics of character creation, action resolution, and combat. Amazing Engine took the standard path of stats and skills combined with a point-buy approach. It also went with with percentiles for tests. The whole idea wasn't bad. GURPS had cut a path for them and seemed to be doing well. However the Amazing Engine line lacked focus and support. As well the settings on offer weren't that exciting or spectacular. Non-TSR gamers thought they looked weak and TSR gamers stuck with tried & true AD&D products. The company released nine setting supplements: For Faerie, Queen and Country, Bughunters, Magitech, The Galactos Barrier, Once and Future King, Metamorphosis Alpha to Omega, Kromosome, and Tabloid!. They all felt middle of the road, with perhaps the exception of Metamorphosis Alpha to Omega which tried to reignite that franchise. One year later TSR, still flailing for direction, shut down the line.
​

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14. Theatrix (1993)
Theatrix is a strange beast. I remember flipping through it and being turned off by the references to dramatics, directing, and staging. I read that as pretentious rather than innovative. I was firmly embedded in the classic gaming culture of the time. Both the local game store and gaming community had begun to pull in several directions: Old Grognards, Standard Trad Gamers, Storygame LARPers, and an incoming generation just picking shiny things off the shelf. In particular LARP and anything that smacked of LARPing got a bad rep from the older gamers. I assumed Theatrix was just another Mind's Eye Theatre thing, which it wasn't. The company didn't do itself any favors with its first setting supplement: Ironwood, Bill Willingham's soft-core fantasy sex comic. We had to pull that off the shelf.
 
But there's a lot of amazing stuff in Theatrix I missed. It offered a diceless system (with optional diced mechanics), collaborative creation, aspect-like approaches, a focus on improvisation, and highly scalable mechanics. However for all it wants to be simple and easy to play, Theatrix obscures the rules. Some of that comes from overwriting and over explanation. The game has minimal Basic Rules, but then straps a ton of other stuff to that. But more opacity comes from the desire to use dramatic, theatrical, and cinematic terms and ideas for everything. The whole thing feels like it could be cut down by at least two-thirds. Still it's daring for the time and a strong precursor for games like Primetime Adventures.
 
15. WEBS Basic Gaming System (1993)
This game has quite the cover. It’s like a Geocities page. WEBS is a self-published, universal system that seems to rework of D&D. It uses stats, skills, and point-buy. The points seem ridiculously high, with a human starting out at 2000BP. The system has skills and sketchy versions of magic and psionics. While the core book's only 86 pages, 24 of that's given over to equipment. WEBS seems like a heartbreaker hodge-podge. Yet they released a second edition two years later, managed to get tepidly positive cover blurbs from Shadis & Starlog, and even released a sci-fi supplement twice as long as the core book. I don't know what to make of that. For a detailed review, check out this one on RPGNet.

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16. Universal Adjacent
Several games in this period took a generic, settingless, or multidimensional approach:
  • Dream Park: You play as character playing in a park as characters. A short and solid game that had pregens for quick play and light, adaptable rules.
  • In The Labyrinth: As I mentioned above, ITL aimed for a flexible fantasy system which many people adapted to other genres.
  • Lords of Creation: A game taking place across all times, dimensions, and myths. While it has a universal approach, there's a strongly sketched frame. Players are the Lords of the title, gaining power to shape reality.
  • Morpheus: The Roleplaying System of the Mind's Eye!: Playing in a future VR reality. The back cover states that it has been "(h)eralded as the best roleplaying system ever developed." Wow!
  • Phoenix Command: A multi-volume, suuuuper crunchy system, which tries to just model combat. And guns. Lots and lots of guns.
  • Risus: The Anything RPG: This only gets left off the list because it’s an electronic release. A great and simple system. It arguably influenced later designs.​

​17. Universal Aspiring

Several of the game systems of the era had portability, but never went full universal. TSR chose not to carry the same mechanics across their different rpgs. Others embraced that, whether for convenience or the desire to keep refining their work. Palladium Megaversal's probably the most important of these. A similar basic system powered Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rifts, Palladium Fantasy, Beyond the Supernatural, and many more. They weren't exactly compatible, but you could make the transition. In ’91 they released the Palladium Conversion Guide. Tri-Tac likewise used the same clunky system across all of their titles: Stalking the Night Fantastic, Fringeworthy, FTL: 2448, and beyond. They had differences in stats and skills, but each shared core systems like insanely detailed hit locations. You could also see parallel mechanics in several FGU titles (Bushido, Daredevils), but they had even more titles which spiraled off in other directions.
 
In another approach, Iron Crown Enterprises tried to establish compatible systems for the big two genres: fantasy (Rolemaster) and sci-fi (Spacemaster). Likewise the French system Mega went through several iterations with different genres. But ICE also dabbled in strange genre books (Oriental Companion, Robin Hood, Cyberspace, Outlaw). They wanted RM to be universal without a stand-alone universal system book. White Wolf also built a cross-platform engine with Storyteller. They bolted a ton of disparate games to it. Eventually that lead to an 'almost' universal system with World of Darkness.
 
History of Universal RPGs (Part One: 1978-1993)
History of Universal RPGs (Part Two: 1994-1997)
History of Universal RPGs (Part Three: 1998-2004)
History of Universal RPGs (Part Four: 2005-2007)
History of Universal RPGs (Part Five: 2008-2009)
History of Universal RPGs (Part Six: 2010-2011)
History of Post-Apocalyptic RPGs
History of Steampunk & Victoriana RPGs
History of Superhero RPGs
History of Horror RPGs
History of Wild West RPGs

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1/14/2020

A Dozen Favorite Characters of 2019

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By Sabine V
​

1. Serenade of Thorns (Masks, a New Generation, by Brendan Conway), the Weapon (playbook by Ennis R. Bashe), later the Transformed. Played for 23 sessions.
The Serenade of Thorns was a runaway from the Dreaming Heaven Choir, a strange cult who had given them the Serenade Implant – an alien device that would intertwine with their body – as an infant and used them as a violent tool. When I first played them, they were shy, unsure about themselves and their role in the world, and had a hard time connecting with others. That changed, and by the end, they were a moral compass, had made a lot of friends and some enemies, and started integrating fully with their Implant.

Serenade of Thorns was honest, and a badass, and afraid to hurt those they cared about, and I loved playing them completely. Just the right mix of teenage insecurities, guilt-ridden warrior and culturally puzzled outsider!
(I even wrote a backstory fan-fiction for them.)

2. Tiger-Eye (Hearts of Wulin, by Lowell Francis), the Rebel Outlaw. Played for 10 sessions.
Tiger-Eye was a rebel leader in a Water-Margin-inspired setting. At the beginning, he had to avenge his father and bring down the cruel Custodian Tian, later he had to confront the evil Emperor himself.
When I started playing Tiger-Eye, he was driven by honor and duty – so much so that he even sacrificed a woman he once loved to achieve his revenge. But after a series of grave and dramatic misunderstandings, he found love with an old friend and even understood that sometimes he had to stand back and let her take the spotlight.
Tiger-Eye was dramatic and driven and an occasional wise-ass, and it was absolutely great to go from broody Robin Hood to devoted lover.
 
3. Pasithea (Once Again, We Return, Patrick Knowles’ hack of Monsterhearts by Avery Alder), the Bedlam (playbook by Sawyer Rankin); inspired by the ‘The Wicked and The Divine’ comics by Kieron Gillen. Played for 5 sessions.
Pasithea was the Grace of Hallucinations and Altered Perceptions, and she was called into the body of Carvalin Davos by Luna for the Eternal’s own purposes. Together with the others who were called, Pasithea helped bring down the forces of the Sun and Moon and free Gaia from her oppressive parents. Mostly, though, she wanted to take drugs, have a good time, for her friends to be happy, and forget about painful reality completely. In the end, she let go of herself and turned into a hundred thousand butterflies.

Pasi was sweet, and so very sad, but she never wanted her friends to see the sadness. And they didn’t, but they found happiness for themselves, and that was enough for Pasi in the end. Still makes me tear up, that one.

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4.  Iamon (Eotenweard, a hack of Michael Sands’ Monster of the Week by Alun Rees), the Monster Hunter. Played for 8 sessions.
Iamon was a grim and silent Monster Hunter in early medieval Britain who got involved with politics and various monsters in the town of Synhamm. Initially little more than a vagabond, he became a trusted (if not overly well-paid) adviser to Eorl Wicluf, and in the end, married a princess in exile.

It was fun playing this simple monster hunter who became more and more involved in politics, and – while not really ambitious – was proud enough to claim a place for himself. Even if he usually was a bit overwhelmed by his own success.
 
5. Sam Riles / Ursûl (DIE by Kieron Gillen), the Rage Knight. Played for 3 sessions (or one very long session)
Sam was a bossy little black girl who was talked into playing D&D when she came down with chicken pox at summer camp. Later, Sam became a passionate environmentalist, driven by the cause, never putting down roots. When Sam reconnected with the former summer camp kids, one of those kids made the whole group come physically into the Hollow World – that’s when Sam became Ursûl, the Rage Knight. Ursûl was not happy about being manipulated by the Master, and he didn’t let anything get into his way. When Sam / Ursûl and the others confronted the Master, they all decided (more or less willingly) to go back to the real world. There, Sam finally understood that he was transgender, and – in the epilogue – was shown to have started transitioning.
 
This was a very personal character – Sam’s rage really spoke to me, and Sam’s realization about his gender did as well (I’m not transgender, but I’m not a girl either). Also, the whole game was densely dramatic, and the stakes felt very real.

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6. James Willoughby (Pride, Prejudice and Practical Magic, the Good Society variant by Haley Gordon and Vee Hendro), a Dowager coming from Old Money. Played for 4 sessions.
James was a widower and a practitioner of magic – not very much favored by his father because he tended to be very playful and whimsical with his spells, unlike his sister, the stalwart and serious Lydia. During the game, Lydia and James met her illegitimate child by a fairy prince, a capricious but helpful artist and various fairies, witches and cats.
The magic of this game was a lot of fun, and finding ways for James to both excel at his spells but be too unconventional with them was great fun. Also, I just love good-natured, bumbling uncles who find the strength to accept their own eccentricities, and that’s what James was.
 
7. Utri Dov’Sei (Star Riders, a hack of Michael J. Barford’s Stormriders, by Richard Rogers), a Jedi. Played for 2 sessions.
Utri was a Bothan, a cat-like sentient with pale golden fur and a cat’s attitude. She was known for her snarky comments more than for her Jedi wisdom; but Star Riders was a kid’s cartoon series, so snarky comments, many naps, and occasional speeches about friendship were exactly what you could expect.

Playing this funny cat Jedi was a blast, and I liked Utri’s whimsical peculiarities quite a lot. (So much, in fact, that I roped her into some Star Wars fanfic I wrote.)
 
8. Grask Tarvo (Witch Squadron, a hack of Jason Morningstar’s Night Witches, by Richard Rogers), a Sparrow misanthrope. Played for 3 sessions.
Grask Tarvo was a Weequay pilot with the Alliance to Restore the Republic – because he was not human, he had to serve with all the other aliens in a special Squadron who usually were the last to get any stuff, let alone good stuff. Grask mostly tried to make the best of things, wheeling and dealing more or less successfully, but later developed some attachment to his team mates.

I didn’t think I would like playing a misanthrope so much, but I had a lot of fun growsing and complaining about things. Also, slowly going from someone who is just out for himself to someone who actually cares about others was very cool.
 
9. Irjan Karjensen (Taverns of Aventuria, a hack of Simon Washbourne’s Barbarians of Lemuria, by Simon ‘korknadel’), a Rogue. Played for 1 session.
Irjan was a scoundrel, and together with his friend Robart, he had appropriated a tavern! Of course, the first guest involved him and Robart in a strange adventure that led to a luxury yacht, a sad captured merman (who Irjan promptly fell in love with) and the underwater domain of the marking. In the end, he helped to save a city, more by accident than by design.
 
Another rogue with a heart of gold! Irjan had a really fun dynamic with his best friend Robart; and the whole adventure felt like it had come from the good old times that never happened back them, but was happening here.

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10. Falling Blaze (Hearts of Wulin, by Lowell Francis), Devoted Child. Played for 4 sessions.
Falling Blaze had an amazing arc from being a young and unimportant princess who secretly dreamed of falling in love with a pirate queen to becoming the actual Empress and leader of the people.
 
I think she’s still dreaming of running away with a pirate queen.
 
11. Miru / Sunbeam (Masks, a New Generation, by Brendan Conway), the Outsider
Miru was a friendly alien of the Eska people (inspired by C. Valente’s Space Opera) who wanted to see of humans were nice at all. He met some nice ones, some not-so-nice ones, fell in love with a blue-haired boy and saved the misunderstood villain – the Anti-Sentai-Squid, leader of the Anti-Sentai-Squad – from planet Earth.
 
I might bring him back yet, he was so nice and sweet!
 
12. Lord Cedric Griffin, the Justice Phantom (Sense, Sensibility and Swordsmanship, a variant of Good Society, by Vee Hendro and Hayley Gordon), a Bounty Hunter careerist. Played for 4 sessions.
Rooftop shenanigans, mistaken identities, murder, revenge, a misguided sister, a villainous mother … and love with the Lancashire Lover at last! Cedric mostly didn’t really know what was going on, and who was doing what with whom, but he stubbornly stayed his course and tried to protect the people of London!

…. I don’t think he ever hunted a bounty, though.

Honorary mentions: CG-5713, “Quake” was my favorite character last year. I got to play him again this year, re-imagined as a Hard Case in a Bounty of the Week game (a hack of Michael Sands’ Monster of the Week by Richard Rogers), for two sessions. He nearly gave up his live to fight a Dark Force user, but was convinced to at least try and stay alive by a friend. I still like this gruff, sarcastic guy with the dark past he’s still trying to grow beyond. ​

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1/10/2020

Gauntlet Video Roundup - January 10, 2020

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[Gauntlet Hangouts logo]
Greetings, and welcome to the weekly Gauntlet Hangouts video roundup! Enjoy these new recordings of online games organized through Gauntlet Hangouts and the Gauntlet RPG community. These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the wide selection of games available every week, and anyone is welcome to join in the fun! If you'd like to play in new games (or catch up on the back catalog of recordings), check the links at the end of the post.

Star Wars Saturday

Padawans in the Vineyard (Session 1 of 4)
Rich Rogers runs for Eli S., Greg G., and Steven Watkins
Initiation and the first "town" for our troubled fledgling padawans.

Gauntlet Comics

Masks Bi-Monthly (Session 1)
Rich Rogers runs for Alexi S., Leah Libresco Sargeant, Sawyer Rankin, and Sherri
The junior year of Hope Prep, a supers high school in New Gauntlet City, starts with a challenge to a schoolyard fight. From a fae prince. To a demigod.

Gauntlet Hangouts

Beam Saber: The Millennium War (Session 1 of 5)
Leandro Pondoc runs for Alex, Puckett, Sabine V., and Sawyer Rankin
Character and worldbuilding as we zoom into Magnum City, home to a mighty Trebuchet Engine and fought over by five powerful factions in a seemingly-endless War. Amidst this war, a ragtag squad of misfits, forged under the name of the Queen's Venom, try to make by, with plenty of guile and a lot of firepower.

Take My Revolution
Lowell Francis runs for Darold Ross, Puckett, Sherri, and Steven desJardins
Called by The World's End, four students seek out a way to take their revolution, even as they tangle themselves and their hearts together.

Band of Blades (Session 4)
Leandro Pondoc runs for Chris Newton, Dan Pucul, Matt Phillips, and Patrick Buechner
Supplies dwindle and time runs short as the Legion tries to regain footing at Plainsworth. Veterans begin to be forged in battle but the deaths do pile up. Perhaps a mission against an Infamous Hound to retrieve an ancient Legion banner can help bolster morale.

Impulse Drive: Coriolis (Session 11)
Lowell Francis runs for Patrick Knowles, Rich Rogers, Sherri, and Steven desJardins
In our finale, the crew comes face to face with their adversaries--known and unknown, leading to a desperate race against a crashing spaceship.

Thirsty Sword Lesbians: Queen of Thieves (Session 4 of 4)
Bethany H. runs for Chris Newton, Eli S., and Kristen D.
The sheriff comes seeking revenge, but she's a minor threat compared to the destruction unleashed by a simple nature witch with a cursed sword. Meanwhile, Jenna gets caught up in a dramatic sword fight over a waterfall, and Asheara's destiny is getting closer, but first she has to not crash this broom...

ALIEN: Chariot of the Gods (Hack) (Session 1 of 4)
Jason Zanes runs for Jamila R. Nedjadi, Leandro Pondoc, Richard Moser, and Steven Watkins
Captain Miller, Pilot Davis, Technician Rye, and roughneck Cham are ordered by Weyland-Yutani to investigate a derelict vessel in the dead of space. Rye makes a solo space walk and enters the derelict. Certainly nothing bad will happen.

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins (Session 1 of 8)
Lowell Francis runs for Alun R., David Morrison, Leandro Pondoc, and Rye
We do the Session 0 for this generational post-apocalyptic PbtA RPG. Meet the Riverfolk (Pioneers of the Depths), Seeds of Sunset (Enclave of Bygone Lore), The Dancing Wave (Stranded Starfarers), and Sky Children (Serene Choir).

Trophy Dark: Gift of the Sea
Gabriel Robinson runs for Keith Stetson and Robbie Boerth
A venture into the realm of the Queen Beneath the Waves.

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Hangouts games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Hangouts games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

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1/3/2020

Gauntlet Video Roundup - January 3, 2020

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[Gauntlet Hangouts logo]
Greetings, happy new year, and welcome to the weekly Gauntlet Hangouts video roundup! Enjoy these new recordings of online games organized through Gauntlet Hangouts and the Gauntlet RPG community. These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the wide selection of games available every week, and anyone is welcome to join in the fun! If you'd like to play in new games (or catch up on the back catalog of recordings), check the links at the end of the post.

Star Wars Saturday

Ghost Orbit: Pound of Flesh (Session 2)
Rich Rogers runs for Erez, Marco, and Will H
The union engineers negotiate a double-cross while one of them joins a church and another hangs out with his old TIE Fighter Pilot buddy. Also, did someone say Doro the politician?

Hutt Cartel (Session 3)
Rich Rogers runs for Keith Stetson, Leandro Pondoc, Scot Ryder, and Tyler Lominack
Kingpin Skreet Mountbank advances on the Pyke Syndicate while supported by his new assassin and his Cook, but he's beset by the ISB in unexpected ways.

Gauntlet Hangouts

Band of Blades: The Legion at the Western Front (Session 3)
Leandro Pondoc runs for Chris Newton, Dan Pucul, David Morrison, and Matt Phillips
In the relatively-safe but suspicious climes of Plainsworth, the Legion deals with numerous highs and lows as they tally their dead, try to resupply their stores, try to divine the workings of Blighter's undead and battle a bandit monarch in the woods afar. Everything goes quite well until it doesn't.

Last Fleet: Playtest (Session 3 of 3)
David Morrison runs for Diana Moon, Leandro Pondoc, and Zach Bain
Commander Cascade is obsessed with the new threat that has materialised, and her paranoia leads her to shut herself off from her fellow crewmembers. Lt. Soto stands strong in her convictions, though a moment of weakness exposes a dark secret. And Porter Malik prepares for an important function with his fellow Captains. One thing is certain - the evening will go off with a bang.

The Alien Dark: Fiorina 161
Alun R. runs for Blake Ryan, Christopher G., SalamanderJames, and Will H
(Content warning: some body horror.) The 7 person crew of the USCSS Lake are contracted by Eigen Disposals Inc. (EDI) to undertake a survey of the mothballed mining & ore processing facility on Fiorina 161. EDI are handing the sale of the site by Weyland-Yutani and need to confirm that the site conforms to the specification they've been given. This is 2 years after the escape pod from the USS Sulaco crash-landed on Fiorina 161, and the events of 'Alien 3'...not that the characters know anything about those events, which were covered up by Weyland-Yutani...

Rhapsody of Blood (Sessions 1-2 of 2)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Bethany H., Charles Cordingley, Kristen, and Will
I ran this to celebrate my birthday! It's easily one of my favorite systems, even though I've only played it a handful of times. Hope I can run a longer campaign later this year. Our players were fantastic and I had so much fun playing off everyone's great personal stories.

Thirsty Sword Lesbians: Queen of Thieves (Part 1 of Session 3 of 4)
Bethany H. runs for Chris Newton, Eli S., and Kristen D.
Our heroes make a foolproof plan to deal with the sheriff and get the previous generation of witches and bandits on board. Nobody can sustain that level of responsibility for long, so then they go to a secret cave and dig up cursed items.

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Hangouts games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Hangouts games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

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