Transformers: Collision Course - The Best of Both Worlds
As humanity stands poised to create a new digital lifeform, the Predacons plot to use for their own nefarious ends. Can you stop them in time?
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EXPERIENCE
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About the adventure
Welcome back, to the world of Transformers: Collision Course! Taking place in late 1995, this is an original timeline which kicks off a decade after Season 2 of the original cartoon, mixed with events from the Marvel and IDW comics. Now revealed, Jhiaxus and his Predacons have established a foothold on Earth. What are they seeking? Who is working with them? How have these new Predacons developed altmodes patterned on creatures of Earth? Following the events of Collision Course: Battle Protocol, this is an adventure for 3-6 level 2 PCs, which will begin the introduction of the larger world which has developed since the Transformers' existence was revealed on Earth. In this adventure module, you'll work to track down the Predacons, infiltrate their hideout, and rescue both long-standing test subjects... and awaken a new ally who may be able to help you in future endeavors.
Meet the Game Master
About me
Long-time player, been GMing a weekly game for the past year. Now I'm looking to share my interests with other players in need of a GM! Who am I? Well, first and foremost, a worldbuilder. I've had a fully-original far-future sci-fi setting in the works for so long now that my earliest notes are faded, illegible, and even lost. That was borne of my love of Star Trek, even before TNG came out, and heavily influenced by a voracious consumption of science-fiction books and TV series. It's something I've never let die out, filling notebooks and sketchpads over time, and leading to me running two campaigns in the settings back around the late 90s and early-aughts. Second, a "recovering theater kid." I soaked up creative writing and drama classes like a sponge, got up on stage in spite of my own nerves countless times, and realized that at the end of the day, I like the thrill of the performance. Given an audience, I'll find something to say, and if you give me a topic that YOU like, I'll try to make that the focus so that you're having a good time as well. Third, a pop-culture lexicon. From the original Transformers cartoon in 1984 to prestige science fiction on streaming right now, I absorb stories and commit many of them to memory, which serves to fuel my original creations, and the games I plan to run here. Beyond that? Husband, technology professional, and the full-time staff to two adorable rescue cats. Xennial, born right on the edge of two generations, polymath, and a jack of all trades. I've played at diverse tables, run diverse tables, and welcomed all-comers to my games-- to a point. My politics absolutely inform my behaviors and actions, and that includes the old chestnut of the paradox of tolerance: To be tolerant, we cannot tolerate the intolerant. I'll wear my heart on my sleeve on that point. What that means: I run an inclusive table. My personal lack of identity tags notwithstanding, at my VTT/Discord, we respect pronouns, identities, and above all, people. If you're bothered by the idea of DEI, or think that some people are "too woke," kindly seek another table. Thank you!
View Profile →Reviews (6)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Knows the Rules
Inclusive
I have been in several sessions with Chris and have had a great time in each. He focuses on each player equally, weaving in the backstories that you provide and crafting scenes that bring out those stories and the permutations of them. He has a excellent handle on the rules of the games that I have played with him (Essence 20) and draws from a vast array of lore for said games to provide a immersive and gratifying experience.
As a world builder, Chris is both thorough and flexible. He will build a timeline of the setting and make sure all the parts are working together like clockwork, and he's flexible enough to work your character's back story into it and smoothly retrofit interesting nuggets that come up. He's not afraid to say no, but he's more likely to say "no, but..." or "yes, and..." His style a shared story experience between GM and players rather than an adversarial relationship. He switches voices and mannerisms well enough that it's obvious which NPC is speaking at any given time. Specifically to Transformers, Chris has deep, deep knowledge of the property. He's managed to surprise me on multiple occasions, and I know a lot about Transformers. I've had a blast playing in his Transformers setting for the past year!
Character creation
Creating your character
If you've already built a character in one of my workshop classes or the Battle Protocol adventure, and want to bring it over, your task in Session 0 will be pretty simple: Share your concerns, establish your boundaries, and get to know your fellow players. If not? It's time for character generation. Everything in the Transformers Core Rulebook is available, but Enigma of Combination builds are not, and Decepticon Directive will be at my discretion. All characters will enter this campaign at level 2.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You'll need: - Headphones - Microphone - Webcam (optional but highly recommended!) - Discord account (Discord.com) - FantasyGround Unity (Demo version) with account (Fantasygrounds.com)
What Chris brings to the table
In addition to the Discord server and VTT, here's what I'm bringing to the session: - New takes on old characters/toys - An attempt at voice acting - A penchant for cliffhanger session endings - Mostly Theatre of the Mind, but some maps-- both custom and sourced from map designers - VTT tokens (256ppi) based on art you provide - A deep, almost obsessive exploration of the lore - Cameos! In past campaigns, I've folded in aspects of GI Joe, Power Rangers, MASK, Stargate SG-1, Tokusatsu Spider-Man, Jem and the Holograms, and Challenge of the GoBots, just to name a few. - Alternate History: On this Earth, things have moved a little differently since the 1960s. Some of that makes room for the fiction, and some of it means that you're in a 1995 with electric cars and missions to Mars. - Rule of Cool: I won't let everyone get away with everything, but if we can creatively interpret the rules so that everyone's having fun, I'm inclined to let you try.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Webcam
Microphone
Internet
Platforms used
Safety
How Chris creates a safe table
In Session 0, I'm going to go over a small bit of the lore-- as might relate to any triggers. Transformers stories often delve into areas of warfare, mad science, and death, so it's important that we're all on the same page there. Beyond that, the obvious bits: Pronouns (both in and out of character,) any triggers that I might have otherwise missed, etiquette and policies around bleed and post-session discussion, and anything else I might have missed. The way I see it, if we aren't all having fun, then I'm wasting your time and money, so if we need to pause because you're uncomfortable, 1) You should feel free to ask for that pause, and 2) I should make sure to adjust the game to provide that fun.