Have you heard the hoopla? Kort’thalis Publishing came out with a scenario for their flagship game, Alpha Blue. However, there may have been a few people (namely OneBookShelf) who thought that “Guardians of Galaxy XXX” sounded a little too familiar to a certain current big budget movie. I guess that after some words between parties… yelling, fighting, lasers, and ‘splosions, both sides came to an agreement/compromise.
Enter Guarding Galaxy XXX.
I was a little curious about it, so I talked to Venger Satanis (the author)…
So as I understand it, from OneBookShelf’s point of view, your latest publication (Guardians of Galaxy XXX) sounded and looked a little too familiar to a presently major movie. So, you changed the name, as well as the image for the cover. Now it’s back up for download? And for free?
Yes, indeed. I wanted to accomplish three things. The first two are rather obvious – show my excitement for the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie and create a little promotion for my sleazy sci-fi RPG Alpha Blue. I haven’t talked about the third thing because it only came to me after the whole debacle slid out of control. Briefly, I wanted to go back to the roots of late 70s / early 80s sci-fi. And there’s no truer expression of vintage space opera than ripping off the biggest and best that the genre has to offer. Back then, it was Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Those are still tremendous films and extremely inspirational. But in 2017, I felt the need to take a contemporary “classic” and parody the shit out of it.
What was Guardians of Galaxy XXX is now Guarding Galaxy XXX, a distinction without much of a difference, except in the eyes of One Book Shelf and Marvel/Disney (one hopes). Here’s the link to download the free PDF.
A few things changed. Most noticeably, the title and cover. It used to have a cartoon-y action/adventure kind of Guardians of the Galaxy thing going on. I found some fan art and since I was making a not-for-profit fan RPG adventure, I thought, why not? I paid the artist, of course. Now, the PDF has a purple construction paper cover – the censured version. It reminds me a little of Spinal Tap… smell the space glove!
Is there anything you can tell me about the adventure… that I can share?
Absolutely! The PCs wake up in cryogenic pods (got that idea from the Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence movie Passengers) only to discover that the galaxy is on the precipice of annihilation. This is galaxy XXX, so there’s going to be lots of erotic opportunities. I thought it would be amusing to pit the PCs against the current guardians of the galaxy – who are kind of on the wrong side of things, at the moment. By the end, the PCs have an encounter with a genetically superior villain named Jaem’z Khaan and his dark zedi (zith lord?) cohort Obsidian Shadow.
I can’t make anything without including at least one or two random tables, so that’s in there. Hmm… what else? Some really great artwork by Monstark – I try to use him as much as I can because his style is both specific and obvious (a certain guy looks like a certain guy, etc.) without being slavish to reference pictures, while also being on the razor’s edge between realism and animation/cartoon. So, perfect for Alpha Blue adventures.
You’ve had several releases in the past few years. How many more do you see coming out for your flagship game, Alpha Blue?
Even though sci-fi isn’t my favorite genre, it gives me to the most ideas. I already have a small handful of Alpha Blue adventure outlines that I could start working on tomorrow, assuming I had the time and energy. Sourcebooks with adventures and scenario seeds like Girls Gone Rogue and Universal Exploits are enough to supplement the core Alpha Blue book. From here on out, it’s going to be adventures full of encounters, NPCs, technology, etc. with useful doodads attached, like plans/maps, random tables, and games of chance… such as Q’uay-Q’uar.
You’ve had several successful Kickstarter projects (10?). Is there a new one in the works?
Assuming my wife is cool with me starting another one right away, it’s going to be called Gamma Turquoise: Santa Fe Starport.
It’s a post-apocalypse science-fantasy setting and scenario for both Alpha Blue and Crimson Dragon Slayer (really, any non-vanilla fantasy, sci-fi, or post-apocalyptic RPG). I got the idea from reading Grognardia’s review of the Gamma World’s Albuquerque Starport. Since I haven’t done much in the post-apoc genre, but love it and want to create something that benefits multiple genres, it seems like a no-brainer. And it just so happens that I’ve actually lived in that area of the southwest. Specifically, Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
Well, I’m glad Guarding Gallaxy XXX finally got worked out for you. Thanks for chit-chatting with me, Venger!
You’re welcome!
Charisma Keller
Charisma is a self-proclaimed Gran Tourismo champion, and swears that it’s official (or that it should be). She loves strength and beauty, so she usually tries to combine the two. Her characters are confident, humble, foolish, and heroic, and has named at least two of them after her favorite drink, the Lemon Drop. Oh yeah, her favorite muscle car would be the 67 GT-500E.
I appreciate the interview. Thanks, Charisma and Stuffer Shack!