Based on a true story:
“There’s this new game I’d like to try, everyone. It’s called They Came From Beneath the Sea! They’re making the Kickstarter right now, but I backed it and have access to the text. It’s based on old campy sci-fi movies and lets you fight against all sort of aquatic monsters, from crab people and octopus villains to kaiju and alien eels!”
“Seems cool, but we already are doing one of your horror games and a fantasy one. Besides, you never make it fair when certain tropes are involved. There’s a reason you can’t run Call of Cthulhu anymore”
They know. They know I’m on THEIR side. Fhtagn.
“Wait! This one is different! This one is a comedy!”
I see curiosity. I pick up my phone and show them the game trailer from the Kickstarter page. That’s what gives me a chance.
They let me talk, so that I can explain them that yes, the game has plenty of monsters, but it offers tools that lead toward both pulp and campy adventures.That there’s humor all over the place, both dark and more light-hearted. I make a couple of examples, I mention Brendan Fraser, Fallout and Zoidberg.
After I tell them my plans for a short campaign, just to have a taste of the game, I look at them and ask “So, what do you think?”
“Can I have a lobster nunchaku?”
That was the moment I knew things looked promising.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello everyone. As the title says, this thread will feature the They Came From Beneath The Sea! Actual Play of the game my players and I are having. It’s the sort of enthusiastic short campaign that can only happen while riding a Kickstarter wave for a new game, but I thought that sharing it around could not hurt.
As I said, we don’t have plans for a long game. It’s mostly a general run just to see how TCfBtS! plays, have some fun and fill some time between a huge campaign and the other. But depending on how it goes, we’ll think about a longer chronicle in the future.
Here’s my pitch:
It’s the year 1955. Captain Jack “Shirley” Murray, former Navy official and oceanographer, has just begun to film his new documentary, “Explorers of the Fathoms!”. Murray is a good man who loves his crew and the sea, a veteran, man of culture and gentleman. He’s also...not right there. Some say it’s because of all the occasions he got wounded and consequent prosthetics, others that all that time spent down below kinda ruined his brain. Then there’s the fact he puts sea water in the coffee and keeps hitting his head around. Basically, he’s what happens when Jacques Cousteau meets Leslie Nielsen and Lloyd Bridges in Hot Shots!
The players are all members of his crew, for a reason or another, and they all kept the old man safe and their ship, the Amontillado, working. Things are rough lately, with all the hopes of the crew being put upon the success of “Explorers of the Fathoms!” But when the monsters from beneath the sea attack, suddenly it’s a lot harder to finish a documentary. Still, as captain Murray says, it’s their duty to make a good job, now more than ever.
And that’s it. It’s a pitch that lends itself to a rather linear storyline (to a point: my players are used to have branching plots and that’s how I run things), but the point here is more to have fun and get to know the game, so a trip around the world fighting monsters and dismantling fishy conspiracies works well. As you can guess from the inspirational sources, things might get a little absurd. here and there
Captain Murray is a GM crutch, not gonna deny it, but he’s not able to care for himself nor alter the events, so it all lies within the player’s hands.
Now, the most important part: the characters (and their players, which I will talk a little bit here but let slide in the background for future updates).
Note: We made the characters without Quips for now. It’s alright: for the first session I’ll let players familiarize with the core system and the setting. We’ll add them later once they Kickstarter preview happens. If players want to make the characters and play (and are all available for the session at the first roll call!), I learned it’s a good idea to let them play
- Clay Spencer:the ship’s mechanic. Everyman, Adventure, cares for his Best Friends. A giant of a man, Clay is surly and easy to anger, but he has a heart of gold, can build or fix everything and punch monsters like its nothing. Clay’s father was a friend of Murray in the Navy and when he died in a “mysterious encounter with an unidentified aquatic threat”, captain Murray pretty much became another father figure for him. All he cares about is the well-being of the crew, has no patience for fools and nuisances and wants to bring back the Amontillado to its former glory. He’s basically Bud Spencer as a mechanic, who is a cult actor not all might know, but we’re a bunch of Italian players so have it covered
Has Has I Can Fix This, Get Off My Land, The Name Is and Good Old Fashioned Fisticuffs for Trademarks, Occupational Hazard, Picket Line and With My Bare Hands for Tropes.
Giuseppe is Clay’s player. He’s an experienced roleplayer who tends to make characters that resemble him, often with some kind of mechanical prowess no matter the context. If the story involves a vehicle of some sorts, like a ship, a spaceship or a giant robot, you can bet he’ll claim it as his own, with other having the privilege to use it just because he allows it. He’s also built like brown bear.
- Dwayne O’Connell. Survivor, Military Brat and Lone Wolf. Dwayne is just a demigod among mortals. Grizzled soldier trained in all sorts of combats, athlete at the peak of the human shape, Dwayne is a charismatic killing machine. If they come from beneath the sea, then Dwayne is the champion of the surface that will stop them. Dwayne is, technically, on the Amontillado as military consultant, but he’s really there to solve any problem that requires brute forse.
Has Built Like a Brick House, Diamond Hard Emotions, I’m The Juggernaut and Ballistic Expert as Trademarks. I’m Not Dead Yet. Grizzled Veteran and Spotlight for Tropes.
Luca is Dwayne’s player. Luca has been a player of mine since I started running games, enough time ago that it makes me feel old. He probably qualifies as That One Player. He likes his power fantasies, his big weapons, and loves Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He plays a variation of him every game: he might set out to make an ambassador and still come out with The Rock in a fancy suit. This time things owe a lot to the Baywatch movie. I could not imagine running a game without him, he makes things so much more lively for all of us. Speaking as a Storyteller, I hate him so much.
- Thea Murray. Scientist, Outdoors Enthusiast, wants to become a Community Leader. Thea is none other than Captain Murray’s granddaughter. She’s a skilled scientist whose fascination towards monsters might eventually cause some problems, but she means well. She supplies for all sorts of the Amontillado’s scientific needs. Thea has vague memories of her parents, but the informations her grandpa gave her are all but reliable. She often considers trying to discover more about them.
Has A Taste for Danger, Seeing Beauty in Horror, Xenobiologist and See the Way It Holds its Tentacles for Trademarks, Weird Science, Eureka! and Elbow Grease for Tropes
Thea is Arianna's character. Arianna’s a new player! She has D&D experience, but I never ran a game for her. It’s TCfBtS! humour that piqued her interest this time. She’s also an actual archeologist with plenty of field experience who loves history nods and jokes.
- William Banner. G-Man, Street Rat and Out For Revenge. William fought in WWII and, once home, became a FBI agent. One bad experience with alien creatures nobody believed to be true made him a pariah, and he was assigned to keep an eye on Murray for vague suspicions of communist sympathies. Now his presence on the Amontillado offers him plenty of occasions to discover the truth about the creatures of the sea and finally have his revenge.
Has Badge and Gun, Nothing to see here, I Played a Little Ball and Party Crasher for Trademarks, Shadow Conspiracy, Sunglasses and Investigative Reporting for Tropes.
William is Matteo’s character. Matteo is, along with Luca, one of those who started roleplaying with me back in the day. He often plays the voice of reason, but can become extremely destructive and galvanize the others into acts of violence like its nothing when he feels his character are wronged. He loves geeky movies and has an extensive knowledge of sci-fi and bizarre films. He’s probably the strongest pillar of my usual gaming group.
- Sandro D’Amato. Mouth coming from a Life of Privilege, wants to Fall In Love. Son of a rich aristocratic family, Sandro wasted fortunes and earned the wrath of his parents. He used to appear in the news until a little ago, famous for his antics and public meltdowns. After a bad night, he woke up as a hostage on a pirate ship and when Captain Murray saved him, he decided to stick around.
Has You Won’t Forget Me, Sly Wink to the Camera, I Know What You Want and Best Buddy for Trademarks, Catchphrase, Press Pass and Voice of Reason for Tropes.
Antonio plays as Sandro. Antonio is fairly new to roleplaying, he only was with me during a Starfinder campaign. He still is surprised by how things work and the kind of situations that can happen. It’s cool to see that kind of beginner’s glee. He wanted to play the “rascal that gets better” kind of character, hence Sandro.
Other than them, there are other NPC members of the crew, but for now that’s all that’s worth to talk about.
Hope you liked this introduction and will stick around for more! Also, I tried to keep a humorous tone even here, considering the nature of the game. Let me know if it's annoying or if it works.
“There’s this new game I’d like to try, everyone. It’s called They Came From Beneath the Sea! They’re making the Kickstarter right now, but I backed it and have access to the text. It’s based on old campy sci-fi movies and lets you fight against all sort of aquatic monsters, from crab people and octopus villains to kaiju and alien eels!”
“Seems cool, but we already are doing one of your horror games and a fantasy one. Besides, you never make it fair when certain tropes are involved. There’s a reason you can’t run Call of Cthulhu anymore”
They know. They know I’m on THEIR side. Fhtagn.
“Wait! This one is different! This one is a comedy!”
I see curiosity. I pick up my phone and show them the game trailer from the Kickstarter page. That’s what gives me a chance.
They let me talk, so that I can explain them that yes, the game has plenty of monsters, but it offers tools that lead toward both pulp and campy adventures.That there’s humor all over the place, both dark and more light-hearted. I make a couple of examples, I mention Brendan Fraser, Fallout and Zoidberg.
After I tell them my plans for a short campaign, just to have a taste of the game, I look at them and ask “So, what do you think?”
“Can I have a lobster nunchaku?”
That was the moment I knew things looked promising.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello everyone. As the title says, this thread will feature the They Came From Beneath The Sea! Actual Play of the game my players and I are having. It’s the sort of enthusiastic short campaign that can only happen while riding a Kickstarter wave for a new game, but I thought that sharing it around could not hurt.
As I said, we don’t have plans for a long game. It’s mostly a general run just to see how TCfBtS! plays, have some fun and fill some time between a huge campaign and the other. But depending on how it goes, we’ll think about a longer chronicle in the future.
Here’s my pitch:
It’s the year 1955. Captain Jack “Shirley” Murray, former Navy official and oceanographer, has just begun to film his new documentary, “Explorers of the Fathoms!”. Murray is a good man who loves his crew and the sea, a veteran, man of culture and gentleman. He’s also...not right there. Some say it’s because of all the occasions he got wounded and consequent prosthetics, others that all that time spent down below kinda ruined his brain. Then there’s the fact he puts sea water in the coffee and keeps hitting his head around. Basically, he’s what happens when Jacques Cousteau meets Leslie Nielsen and Lloyd Bridges in Hot Shots!
The players are all members of his crew, for a reason or another, and they all kept the old man safe and their ship, the Amontillado, working. Things are rough lately, with all the hopes of the crew being put upon the success of “Explorers of the Fathoms!” But when the monsters from beneath the sea attack, suddenly it’s a lot harder to finish a documentary. Still, as captain Murray says, it’s their duty to make a good job, now more than ever.
And that’s it. It’s a pitch that lends itself to a rather linear storyline (to a point: my players are used to have branching plots and that’s how I run things), but the point here is more to have fun and get to know the game, so a trip around the world fighting monsters and dismantling fishy conspiracies works well. As you can guess from the inspirational sources, things might get a little absurd. here and there
Captain Murray is a GM crutch, not gonna deny it, but he’s not able to care for himself nor alter the events, so it all lies within the player’s hands.
Now, the most important part: the characters (and their players, which I will talk a little bit here but let slide in the background for future updates).
Note: We made the characters without Quips for now. It’s alright: for the first session I’ll let players familiarize with the core system and the setting. We’ll add them later once they Kickstarter preview happens. If players want to make the characters and play (and are all available for the session at the first roll call!), I learned it’s a good idea to let them play
- Clay Spencer:the ship’s mechanic. Everyman, Adventure, cares for his Best Friends. A giant of a man, Clay is surly and easy to anger, but he has a heart of gold, can build or fix everything and punch monsters like its nothing. Clay’s father was a friend of Murray in the Navy and when he died in a “mysterious encounter with an unidentified aquatic threat”, captain Murray pretty much became another father figure for him. All he cares about is the well-being of the crew, has no patience for fools and nuisances and wants to bring back the Amontillado to its former glory. He’s basically Bud Spencer as a mechanic, who is a cult actor not all might know, but we’re a bunch of Italian players so have it covered
Has Has I Can Fix This, Get Off My Land, The Name Is and Good Old Fashioned Fisticuffs for Trademarks, Occupational Hazard, Picket Line and With My Bare Hands for Tropes.
Giuseppe is Clay’s player. He’s an experienced roleplayer who tends to make characters that resemble him, often with some kind of mechanical prowess no matter the context. If the story involves a vehicle of some sorts, like a ship, a spaceship or a giant robot, you can bet he’ll claim it as his own, with other having the privilege to use it just because he allows it. He’s also built like brown bear.
- Dwayne O’Connell. Survivor, Military Brat and Lone Wolf. Dwayne is just a demigod among mortals. Grizzled soldier trained in all sorts of combats, athlete at the peak of the human shape, Dwayne is a charismatic killing machine. If they come from beneath the sea, then Dwayne is the champion of the surface that will stop them. Dwayne is, technically, on the Amontillado as military consultant, but he’s really there to solve any problem that requires brute forse.
Has Built Like a Brick House, Diamond Hard Emotions, I’m The Juggernaut and Ballistic Expert as Trademarks. I’m Not Dead Yet. Grizzled Veteran and Spotlight for Tropes.
Luca is Dwayne’s player. Luca has been a player of mine since I started running games, enough time ago that it makes me feel old. He probably qualifies as That One Player. He likes his power fantasies, his big weapons, and loves Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He plays a variation of him every game: he might set out to make an ambassador and still come out with The Rock in a fancy suit. This time things owe a lot to the Baywatch movie. I could not imagine running a game without him, he makes things so much more lively for all of us. Speaking as a Storyteller, I hate him so much.
- Thea Murray. Scientist, Outdoors Enthusiast, wants to become a Community Leader. Thea is none other than Captain Murray’s granddaughter. She’s a skilled scientist whose fascination towards monsters might eventually cause some problems, but she means well. She supplies for all sorts of the Amontillado’s scientific needs. Thea has vague memories of her parents, but the informations her grandpa gave her are all but reliable. She often considers trying to discover more about them.
Has A Taste for Danger, Seeing Beauty in Horror, Xenobiologist and See the Way It Holds its Tentacles for Trademarks, Weird Science, Eureka! and Elbow Grease for Tropes
Thea is Arianna's character. Arianna’s a new player! She has D&D experience, but I never ran a game for her. It’s TCfBtS! humour that piqued her interest this time. She’s also an actual archeologist with plenty of field experience who loves history nods and jokes.
- William Banner. G-Man, Street Rat and Out For Revenge. William fought in WWII and, once home, became a FBI agent. One bad experience with alien creatures nobody believed to be true made him a pariah, and he was assigned to keep an eye on Murray for vague suspicions of communist sympathies. Now his presence on the Amontillado offers him plenty of occasions to discover the truth about the creatures of the sea and finally have his revenge.
Has Badge and Gun, Nothing to see here, I Played a Little Ball and Party Crasher for Trademarks, Shadow Conspiracy, Sunglasses and Investigative Reporting for Tropes.
William is Matteo’s character. Matteo is, along with Luca, one of those who started roleplaying with me back in the day. He often plays the voice of reason, but can become extremely destructive and galvanize the others into acts of violence like its nothing when he feels his character are wronged. He loves geeky movies and has an extensive knowledge of sci-fi and bizarre films. He’s probably the strongest pillar of my usual gaming group.
- Sandro D’Amato. Mouth coming from a Life of Privilege, wants to Fall In Love. Son of a rich aristocratic family, Sandro wasted fortunes and earned the wrath of his parents. He used to appear in the news until a little ago, famous for his antics and public meltdowns. After a bad night, he woke up as a hostage on a pirate ship and when Captain Murray saved him, he decided to stick around.
Has You Won’t Forget Me, Sly Wink to the Camera, I Know What You Want and Best Buddy for Trademarks, Catchphrase, Press Pass and Voice of Reason for Tropes.
Antonio plays as Sandro. Antonio is fairly new to roleplaying, he only was with me during a Starfinder campaign. He still is surprised by how things work and the kind of situations that can happen. It’s cool to see that kind of beginner’s glee. He wanted to play the “rascal that gets better” kind of character, hence Sandro.
Other than them, there are other NPC members of the crew, but for now that’s all that’s worth to talk about.
Hope you liked this introduction and will stick around for more! Also, I tried to keep a humorous tone even here, considering the nature of the game. Let me know if it's annoying or if it works.
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