I woke up this morning thinking about how to resolve a problem I'd had in an earlier OD&D-related post I'd made this week. As it turns out, I'd made no such blog post, which, if I'd not been so fuzzy headed when I woke up, I'd have realized immediately.You see, I'd dreamed that I'd come up with, for lack of a better word, a "Muppet hack" for OD&D. Instead of the familiar quartet of Fighter, Magic-User, Cleric, and Thief, I had created new character classes based on the various types of Muppets. There was a class for "Humanoid" Muppets like Guy Smiley or Bunsen Honeydew, a class for anthropomorphic animals like Kermit or Miss Piggy, and a "Monster" class for characters like Grover or Oscar.
The problem I woke up attempting to resolve was twofold. First, what would be the fourth class to complete the set? I was toying with the idea of including those giant "suit" Muppets like Big Bird or Sweetums, but I wasn't convinced it was a strong enough archetype to be a class. Second, I was trying to figure out which ability scores ought to be the prime requisite for each class and I was thinking that Charisma rather than Strength should be the prime requisite for the Monster class, since not every Monster was strong but all had strong personalities, even Grover.
Of course, if I hadn't been in a haze for a minute or so upon waking up, I would have realized immediately that this whole thing is absurd, but I was and so I actually tricked myself into believing that this was a worthwhile way to spend my time for a few more minutes. And then, as often happens, my head cleared, the dream faded, and I found myself wondering what could have possibly inspired this bit of nonsense.
I still have no idea.
That... actually sounds kind of awesome...
ReplyDeleteYeah, gotta second David here. Some people dream in color. You apparently dream in AWESOME!
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ReplyDeleteFourth class: Snufflupagus. He gets his own class.
ReplyDeleteThe fourth class is Actual Human, of course: Gordon, Mr. Hooper, Weekly Guest Star, etc.
ReplyDelete"I found myself wondering what could have possibly inspired this bit of nonsense."
ReplyDeletePizza too late in the evening? :)
The Muppets were huge amongst the game geeks a couple of years after I got into D&D. I've never been a huge fan of puppets or Muppets in general, although I enjoyed the Muppet Show to a degree, but not in any life long way like a lot of people do.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I have a quick story full of dorky goodness. The old owner of Aero Hobbies in Santa Monica, Gary, had a Grover puppet (with moveable arm and all) hanging on the wall. I was going to a small Doctor Who con near Beverly Hills, and I don't remember why but I borrowed the puppet from Gary to take with. I put a scarf on him to make him look a bit like the Doc, and believe it or not it was a huge hit at the con. My one and only puppet triumph.
Anyway, after looking at a thread on DF yesterday where dudes were talking about having flying ghosts of Black Puddings in their games, and troll mummies that breathed gas and other crap, I can promise you that Muppets are not the most retarded thing you can include in a D&D game.
Too New School!
ReplyDeleteI prefer the Original, predating the Sesame Edition by 7 years. I speak of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.
It had an actual Magic Kingdom afterall. Look at King Friday XIII. Now there's a real Grognard if there ever was one; He is relatively egocentric, irrational, resistant to change, and temperamental.
;)
Ciao!
GW
Now you're telling us about your *dreams*?? That's worse than telling other people about your D&D campaign! And once again, despite that, awesome.
ReplyDeleteBut how far are you going push this? Vacation slideshow? Wife giving birth?
You have been given a dream quest. Fulfill it. I must have the Muppets Go to Greyhawk.
ReplyDeleteWhat about just "human" as a class? There always needs to be a bit of balance there I think (Bob, or Mr. Hooper).
ReplyDeleteI also like Snuffy as a class--as "imaginary" or an unseen class that can shapeshift depending on the character make up of the rest of the party. Snuffy could balance a party if they need a different class, or it could act as a gestalt of several characters.
Also, some possible alignments:
Optimist (Kermit), Worrier (Telly), and Grouch (Oscar)!
/A muppet RPG is about neatest idea I've heard this year!
@Luke Fleeman Martinez: Thanks, now I have to make an NPC Muppet party!
ReplyDeleteSir Khermitt, paladin
Bertenkainen, magic-user
Erniestro, magic-user
Birdicus the Big, cleric
Oscarde, fighter/thief
Groveron, barbarian
Elmonica, bard
Ciao!
GW
With a little bit of leeway in interpretation, isn't this the breakdown for character types in Gamma World/Mutant Future? Human, Mutated Human, Mutated Animal.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteSunflare Day
Burnin' the clouds away
Warm ash blowing into my face
Can you tell me how to get,
How to get to Sesame Base
Come and play
RAD Levels are A-OK
Friendly mutants there
A whole new human race
Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Base
It's a nuclear aftermath
Where you can make your own path
To happy people like you--
Happy people like
What a beautiful
Sunflare Day . . .
Don't make me break out my Sesame Street LP! Rubber Duckie Rocks! Heh
ReplyDelete"I found myself wondering what could have possibly inspired this bit of nonsense."
ReplyDeletePossibly this?:
http://jrients.blogspot.com/2010/07/and-now-words-of-wisdom.html
"Ya gotta put down the Duckie if you wanna learn the saxophone!"
ReplyDeleteFrom Kermyt the Kameliod:
"It's not that easy being green;
Adapting each day to the color of the leaves.
The tingle in my skin turning red, or yellow or gold-
or something much more colorful like that.
It's not easy being green.
It seems you stand out against the urban debris and carnage.
And people tend to align their laser-sites on you 'cause you're standing out like a christmas tree in the middle of the desert . . ."
Ciao!
GW
@Matthew: Zoot made 'im do it! That crazy ol' Zoot!
ReplyDeleteCiao!
GW
and The Count, so ol skool it hurts !
ReplyDeleteCookie Monster as the new cleanup crew
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ReplyDeleteI also call awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe overall waking-up-dream-hazy resolving problems that don't exist is very familiar. And sometimes they do exist and it's extra awesome.
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ReplyDeleteWould anthropomorphic letters, numbers and inanimate objects be considered monsters? Or a seperate class for Supplement I: Sesame Street?
ReplyDeleteSweetums!
ReplyDelete<>
Jack not name - jack job.
ReplyDeleteJamie Albrecht said...
ReplyDeleteWould anthropomorphic letters, numbers and inanimate objects be considered monsters?
Chamberlain: "Sire, this very important message has just arrived from our ambassador on in the Dark Kingdom"
King: "Where is the messenger?"
Chamberlain: "It was brought to us ... by the letter "D" and the number "5" . . ."
Ciao!
GW
Oh you son of a bitch.
ReplyDelete:)
The whole premise of Greg the Bunny and Warren the Ape was that puppets (err.. Fabricated Americans as they say) were real with their own language and such.
ReplyDeleteSo why not a living puppet class for D&D?
Fraggle Rock or The Dark Crystal would probably be easier to do in D&D, but there were various films (possibly straight to video) with the Muppets acting out fairy tales, Treasure Island etc.
ReplyDeleteThe thief class would be the Robber Ducky.
ReplyDelete