Big Red Couch Podcast - Turning Bad Ideas Into Games

[zircher]

When I originally thought of the topic I was thinking of things like Hell Rides in the Amber Chronicles and the haunted space stations of Maschine Zeit. But, after hearing about long lived earth spirits, I think a hack of Microscope might be interesting. The players are the spirits that in turn inhabit people that try to change the course of humanity. The hack part coming in the form of how the 'book ends' are formed. I'd want something more linear and 'play to find out' but that would also embrace the longer time span that these spirits use to see the world. For a more traditional pitch, I'd go with FAE and approaches like Force of Nature and Ageless Wisdom.

[Pruthian Caveman]

When I originally thought of the topic I was thinking of things like Hell Rides in the Amber Chronicles and the haunted space stations of Maschine Zeit. But, after hearing about long lived earth spirits, I think a hack of Microscope might be interesting. The players are the spirits that in turn inhabit people that try to change the course of humanity. The hack part coming in the form of how the 'book ends' are formed. I'd want something more linear and 'play to find out' but that would also embrace the longer time span that these spirits use to see the world. For a more traditional pitch, I'd go with FAE and approaches like Force of Nature and Ageless Wisdom.

Oooo, I'd completely forgotten about Microscope.

And the idea of irritable Urban geography, particularly if it's high-tech, is fun.
I have a dim memory of a long-running bit in the comic 2000AD, where what were essentially morality plays happened on the non-existent 13th floor of an A.I.-Run apartment building, ...

[Pruthian Caveman]

Episode One Hundred And Thirty Four – Tempest Redeye Flight



Trapped by the snow, the handful of passengers on a stranded air-liner find themselves retreading a classic story.

A Jovian gas extraction platform unexpectedly loses communication with it’s drill-head deep in the atmosphere below. Has the far end met with technical malfunction, a mutiny by the crew (or machinery), or something more sinister?

The first summit between the zombie nation and the terrified world that quarantined it is already off to a rocky start, so when a conspiracy is uncovered by a bi-partisan team of organisers they realise they will have to act to preserve the fruits of their work.

[Pruthian Caveman]

Episode One Hundred And Thirty Five – Things Are Going Down At Disney Town



The AI cast members at the theme park became a vital part of the experience; A wild assortment of characters you could talk to who would always remember your name and were always happy to see you.
Then things fell apart, and the people stopped coming, and the cast members found themselves without anything to do.
So they went out to find out where the guests had gone.

Rather than put people in unconvincing suits, the Theme Park uses modified people, but for everyone who is convincing enough to be a star, there are many who just don’t make the grade. They can get some work, but they’ll never break out of the Park Ghetto of the not-quite-right.
Now that one of them has gone rogue and is committing unspeakable crimes in their shanty town, it’s up to a “goofy-looking” PI to find them and stop them.

[Pruthian Caveman]

Episode One Hundred And Thirty Six- “I knew there was something I was supposed to do, but I can’t remember what it was…”



A group of total strangers who are distresingly familiar to each other attempt to work out what disaster befel their city, why they feel like they had something to do with it, and whether it could happen again.

The Universe is broken, the backup is corrupted, and you’re trying to rebuild from your own hazy memories of what it was like.
And maybe sneak in some improvements at the same time.

The Social Collateral system rewards helpful deeds & improves efficiency by ensuring that nobody can forget a task.
And yet it feels like that’s what’s happening, even though the system says it isn’t.

The World’s Greatest Genius needs a retinue of people to keep them on track & remind them to wear pants, and to stop anyone finding out that this is the case.
That’s where you come in.

Auto-Targeting systems mean that if you look human, and are a combatant, you get hit; The only defense is camoflage which obscures the human form.
In these dark times, Furries are our only hope for survival.

Airship Pirates stage raids on the Politico-Corporate Empire of the Mouse, rebroadcasting IP to anyone with the will to watch it and concealing their identities by wearing the cartoonish heads of the oppressor.

[Pruthian Caveman]

Episode One Hundred And Thirty Eight – Flip the Mythos



Extradimensional Horrors Desperately Try To Save Humanity, Hampered By The Fact That Their Devoted Followers Are Evil Idiots

A Travelling Caravan For The Relocation & Re-purposing Of Slightly Used Gods

[Pruthian Caveman]

Episode One Hundred And Thirty Nine – “The Maltese Falcon gun, a famous weapon once owned by the King of the Popes”



Q: What does this obscure clue mean? What can it possibly be pointing to?
A: Whatever the PCs decide, because they’re the experts.

Society has fallen apart, and the world has changed.
Or Has It?
What if the world is fine, but your perception of it is wrong?

Wildly Anachronistic High-Action AlchemyPunk in the Holy Land!
Adventures in the Misunderstood Present!

[Pruthian Caveman]

Episode One Hundred And Forty – Super Powers or your money back! 100% Guaranteed!



Investigators look into ‘We Can Give You Superpowers’ claims, trying to protect people from the scams, the dangerous scams, the snake-oil salesmen, and the 100% lethal scams.
And the occasional ones which are so much worse than just being fatal.

Having super-powered employees is a status symbol, and having super powers, even if they’re not very useful, is fast becoming a necessity if you want a job.

Metahumans Anonymous: Reluctant Superheroes trying to deal with being expected to use their unwanted superpowers.

Congratulations; You have a totally random superpower!
Now go out there and Make A Difference!!

[Pruthian Caveman]

Episode One Hundred And Forty One – “Here, have a protein squirrel”



Genetically Modified Adorable Food Mascots Throw Off The Shackles Of Their Behaviour Chips And Plot A Bid For Freedom!

Ben tries to make Hiking interesting with the Power of Gaming!

People try to understand, and ideally survive, in utterly unfamiliar environments

[Pruthian Caveman]

Episode One Hundred And Forty Two – Power Drift



Giant autonomous trucks make their way through the increasingly-abandoned areas outside of the cities.
There’s some fantastic cargo onboard if you’re good enough to take it. Of course, there may also be security onboard.

The Cities are wonderful, the Countryside is a hard desperate struggle, but if you can gain enough favour you can make the jump from Country to City.
Except that’s a lie, and folks are starting to figure that out.
The problem with having a downtrodden underclass is convincing them to stay that way.

Iceberg racing down the slopes of an enormous volcano on a low-gravity world, modifying your berg as the race progresses.
Getting to the bottom first gets you the win, but the other teams will have a few tricks to pull, and there’s also the issue of stopping

Life behind the scenes in a high-tech racing crew.