Andy Robb's Blog, page 3

It’s Just a Ride. My Bill Hicks Tribute

In 1992, I had just come out of drama school and was on the audition trail, hoping to land my first job as an actor. If I remember rightly, it was a hot summer and I was living in a first-floor flat in Shepherd’s Bush.

At that time, my friends all lived within walking distance; we’d all been at the same college and where we lived was dictated by geography and convenience, rather than choice. But, for me, it was something of a Golden Time: London seemed full of promise and I had my buddies close to hand.

Eating Eggs and Edinburgh

One evening, I got home from a mate’s party, a little the worse for wear. It was late, but still warm enough to warrant chucking all the windows open to let some air and traffic fumes in. And I was hungry; that kind of boozy hungry that won’t let you sleep until you’ve sorted it out. I remember ransacking the kitchen cupboards to find that all I had were some eggs. I boiled them and sat in front of the late-night telly, looking like a slightly dissolute Popeye Doyle.

There was a programme on the box; Live from the Edinburgh Fringe or something like that. Anyhow, a compere in some dark and crowded venue introduced an American comic, called Bill Hicks.

Beyond the Swearing and the Smoke

Now, much as I love laughing, I’m one of those that doesn’t really do it on their own. If something’s going to make me laugh when I’m on my own, it’s got to be really funny.

Hicks was really funny. But he was dangerous, too. Up until then, my comedy heroes were pretty old school, like Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howerd, Morecambe and Wise and the much-maligned Ken Dodd. They told gags that made you marvel at their word-play or timing. They were light inoffensive jokes that made you feel better about life and appreciate its silliness.

But Hicks was different. He presented this persona of a dark force at work, like a chain-smoking, swearing demon, looking get out to the surface and destroy everything. But, beyond the swearing and the smoke was a beautiful message and intelligent thought. Even in my boozy state, I picked up on it; there was something about this guy I’d never seen before.

After he’d done his set, I turned the TV of and did something I’d never done before: I wrote his name down and put it on the noticeboard in the kitchen.

Dangerous

A few months later, I was walking through Earl’s Court and saw a hoarding, advertising Bill Hicks and the Dangerous Tour – and I remembered who he was, so I rang the Dominion Theatre and booked two tickets: one for me and one for the girl I was seeing at the time.

One chilly night in November, we went to go and see Bill Hicks – and it changed the way I looked at comedy.

There’s been a lot of argument as to whether he was actually a comic or a prophet or a political agitator, but all I know is that I laughed hard and came away feeling energised and enlightened. Hicks is one of those comedians that makes you think about the world around you. And, while he rants a lot, there is this underlying, beautiful – perhaps slightly idealistic or romantic – message that, once you’ve heard it, you want everyone else to hear. It’s almost messianic – but you’ve got to listen past the swearing and the taboo references.

Spreading the Word

A few months after that, I was in HMV on Oxford Street, buying a Bill Hicks CD for a mate’s birthday. I picked it up and looked at it, reading the reviews on the back, like you do. I looked up and, further down the aisle, was a shop assistant. He looked at what I was holding and just said one word:

“Hicks?”

I nodded. He smiled and put a thumb up. It’s all that was needed.

If I’m waxing a bit too lyrical about Bill Hicks, it’s still not enough to convey just what esteem I hold this guy and his work in. I still speak to mates about him, whenever there’s a political scandal or a new, manufactured pop act hits the charts. And one of us always says “Where’s Bill? We could really use him, here, right now.” Or “Where’s Bill? He’d have a field day over this one.”

Where is Bill?

If you don’t know, he died 20 years ago, this very day. I remember finding out and, although I never knew or met the guy, I felt something of a loss.

Revelations

About a year after seeing the Dangerous Tour, I was doing a showbiz job in North Wales. One Sunday, I was reading the paper and saw an advert for Bill Hicks: The Revelations Tour. I checked the dates, but I couldn’t go as every one of his shows clashed with the ones I was doing. But, like I said, once you know Bill, you want to spread the word.

I rang my mate, Miserable Jim, in London. Miserable Jim was the most tight-fisted person I’d ever met; tighter than two coats of paint. So, I told him to buy two tickets to this tour and, if he didn’t like it, I’d give him his money back. I’ve never been asked for it.

If you’ve never heard Hicks, then I sort of envy you: you get to go through that thing that I did 22 years ago: that feeling that someone’s unlocked something inside you and that we are all as important as each other. Yes, it’s sweary, yes, he smokes – but you’re in for the ride of a lifetime.

 

Gametesting a Geeky Game

Anyone who’s read my books will know that I love my RPGs and I have more than a soft-spot for war-gaming. I love the release from the Real World and, perhaps more, the fabulous interaction that can only take place between people when they’re committing to game-play.

I was born a little too late to get into the card games that followed – the Pokemons, Yu-Gi-Ohs and the Magics of this world – although I did manage to get myself together for the Talisman game that was released in the ‘80’s.

However, since having a son, Hugh, I’ve now been reintroduced to card-based fantasy games and, being an old gamer, have thrown myself in the deep-end. I think the first one we really got to grips with was Munchkin, which was swiftly followed by things like the Warhammer games and the inevitable Top Trumps. With card games being such a staple of our time together, I was more than delighted to play-test Oddball Aeronauts with Hugh and his chum, Max – both of whom are 10 years old.

The Artwork

It was one autumn afternoon when I produced the cards and the rules and we settled down to play, around the coffee-table. Funnily enough, both the boys reacted in the same way I did to seeing the cards; the first thing they wanted to do was check out the artwork – and I’m pleased to report that the artwork is superb. It’s a bit hard to categorise; you might say it’s Steampunk, you might detect a drop of Manga in there and you might be tempted to pin a Fantasy badge on it. I think it’s all those things and a little bit more; the Crew, Weapons, monsters and Events are all beautifully realised in crisp, clean illustration that leave you in no doubt as to who’s who. For my two play-testing chums, it sparked some cheerful conversation about back-stories and characters. If there were ever a bunch of cards that have the potential to be given their own comic-strips, then you’ll find them in Oddball Aeronauts.

In fact, I’m quietly hoping that the designers take this as a hint and get their pens out.

Gameplay

The game itself is fast and easy to play. Without giving too much away, you play the captain and crew of an air-faring vessel and attempt to blow anyone who gets in your way to smithereens. However, just to spice things up, there are Event cards thrown into the mix; cards that can produce an unexpected situation than can affect all the players and scupper even the most tactical plans.

Rounds are nicely ordered, so that you always know whose turn it is to do what. Using Skill Cards, you can opt to do all sorts of swashbuckley things, such as Sail, use or your Guns or Board an enemy vessel and have at the swabs that stand between you and victory. But the features that provided the most air-pumping and cries of ‘Yesss!’ were the Tricks. These are just what you think they are: bonuses that give you the upper-hand, in an underhand fashion. Playing a Trick can be used to augment your Skill Bonus in attacks, defence or, if you’re feeling a bit lily-livered, getting away. For our game, it became a good excuse to backstab anyone who looked like they were doing a bit better than you.

It’s worth remembering that I’m a 43 year-old man, who was playing Oddball Aeronauts with two 10 year-old; we all picked up the rules pretty quickly and, as is the case with the best games, we found that the best way to get familiar with them was to learn by playing.

Off-the-cuff Gaming and Extra Fluff

I think our first game lasted about half an hour and the following two were even faster. Oddball Aeronauts is perfect for off-the-cuff gaming or if you’re looking for a game to get your dander up, without having to roll dice and follow lengthy plots. It’s fast and furious and the closest you’ll get to swashing your buckle without getting arrested! The other eminently-practical thing about this game is that it’s not played on a surface; you all sit round like air-faring gamblers, fanning your cards out, but keeping them close to your chest, meaning you can pretty much play anywhere.

If there’s anything I’d like to see more of, it’s a bit more ‘fluff’. Because the artwork is so superb, I wanted to know a bit more about the characters and the world they inhabit – but that could just be the RPG fan in me. However, if there is the chance for a supporting comic or some extra background material – I’d love to see it.

Oddball Aeronauts is one of those rare games that does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s fun, fast and easy to play, without all those arguments over rules that seem to dominate other games of this sort.

I think it’s fair to say that I’m a fan!

The first print-run is being funded on Kickstarter – click here for the link

A Thousand Geeks!

Righty-ho – here we go: I’m getting close to having 1,000 followers – which is no mean feat for a Twitter twonk, like me.

When I got to 500, I did a book giveaway, with a little painting of Archie chucked in. Never having reached 1,000 before, I’m stuck for ideas as how to mark the occasion – and I’d really like to.

So, folks, this is where you come in: what would you like to see happen to celebrate my first Twitter Millennium?  A book giveaway? A drawing? Winning a school visit? A competition of some sort? Anything involving me turning up somewhere will have to be UK-based, but throw your ideas at me and I’ll aim to get the most feasible together. And be creative; I like a challenge! And get as Geeky as you like!

To those of you who haven’t unfollowed me over the last couple of years, I’d just like to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ and I hope my generally dopey Tweets haven’t clogged up your feeds too much!

Let battle commence!

Andy

A Message for Portuguese Geeks!

Hallo, linda blogueiros brasileiros!

Peço desculpas por não postar mais em sua língua nativa, e eu espero que você não se sentiram ignorados. Eu também me desculpar pelo meu Português – Estou usando o Google Translate e esperando o melhor! De qualquer forma, eu tenho sido muito sobrecarregado com a resposta positiva de vocês e não posso agradecer o suficiente para o seu apoio. Tudo que posso fazer em troca é de agradecer e dizer que se alguém quiser me entrevistar ou quer que eu escreva um post em seu blog, em seguida, por favor entrar em contato através do meu site: theandyrobbsite.co.uk. Você tem sido tão incrivelmente favorável e eu estou humilhado que você recebeu os meus livros de forma tão positiva.

Um grande obrigado a todos vocês – e, por favor entrar em contato!

Feliz Ano Novo!

Andy

The Geek’s New Year’s Honours List

I was going to do one of those ’2013 in retrospect’ posts, but then I realised you’ve only got to go into the archives to see what I got up to. But, before I start banging on about 2014, there are a few people I met (and some I re-met) in 2013, who I’d like to do a ‘big-up’ to. In no particular order, I’m bestowing my Geeky New Year’s Honours at:

Sean with a good old British pint

Sean Cummings – author of the Poltergeek books and an all-round good egg, to boot. If he ever troubles these shores again, then get out there and go and see him. No fuss, no frills – just a top chap who writes top books.

Karen Saunders – we did Edinburgh together and I met up with her in Bath. Lovely to meet someone who panics as much as I do about events and she writes very funny books. Check out the Suzy P series and be prepared to cringe!

Jo Nadin – Jo was the chairperson for the event I did in Bath. She’s disarmingly cool and far more on top of things than I am. She writes the brilliant Rachel Riley books and probably knows more about Marvel heroes than I do – ask her why, if you bump into her.

Me and Holly Smale

Holly Smale - after a spectacular Twitter-duel over the summer, me and Holly were thrown together in Bath and I’m really glad we were. She’s a fine, funny woman and the author of the stupidly-successful Geek Girl books. We’ve done two gigs together and, with a bit of luck, we’ll do more.

Me and PHILIP REEVE!!!!

Philip Reeve – because he’s Philip Reeve.

Karen and Adrian at Rosedale Retreat – doing the festivals thing, you get put up in a variety of types of accommodation. The Rosadale Retreat (where I stayed for the Hay Book Festival) wasn’t just a lovely place to stay, it had the Brucie Bonus of having Adrian and Karen as the owners. I hope to get back there soon and pick up on one of the most interesting conversations I’ve had in a LONG time.

Jenny Savill – she’s my agent and she can swear like a trooper.

Julia Eccleshare – we met at Edinburgh and her reputation preceded her enough to make me more than a bit nervous. But if there was ever a lesson to be learnt about not listening to second-hand opinion, it was on meeting Julia, who turned out to be a lovely, funny and slightly anarchic lady.

this isn’t Jesse but he took the photo for me

Jesse Owen – after lots of internetting, we finally got to meet in Bath. Jesse, despite his claims, is a bit of a hoot and very easy to talk to. I hope we get to meet up again and I hope he gets out there and grabs life by the scruff of the neck and gives it a good shaking.

Laura Heath – I don’t think I’ve ever met such an enthusiastic blogger. Meeting Laura’s a bit like watching the Muppet Show through a kaleidoscope. She’s ridiculously passionate about books and supportive above and beyond the call of duty.

Jim Dean – we met at a Geek Night in Waterstones in Kensington. He’s a fine, fine feller with enough Geeky facts up his sleeve to start an encyclopedia. Top man, Mr Dean!

Laura Vile – she’s the new Publicity Honcho at Stripes and has got her shoulders right behind Geekhood. Looking forward to making 2014 a supremely Geeky year!

Natasha Desborough – we did the Cheltenham Literature Festival together and she’s so ridiculously laid-back, it’s envy-making. Also, her book, Weirdos vs Quimboids is the first book I’ve ever been asked to offer up a quote for. It was so funny, it wasn’t a problem.

Darran Stobbart – our paths finally crossed at the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Although our physical encounter was brief, it was a sheer joy to meet a like-minded Geek. The man’s a gent and you’ll find him on Twitter as @ShinraAlpha

Bloggers – just ALL of you. You’re incredible, altruistic lunatics and I’m so glad you are!

There are loads more people I could – and probably should – mention, but I think that’ll do for the minute, otherwise we’ll be here until 2015. But, if our paths crossed and we had a laugh, then consider yourself Honoured.

Happy New Year!

Andy

 

Going Geek in Cheltenham with Weirdos and Pants

I know it’s on its side, but I haven’t got to grips with modern technology. Anyhow, lie on your sofa and you’ll see a photo of me outside the Cheltenham Literature Festival. A fine, fine place to be.

I’ll tell you a not-so-secret secret. Before an Event, I get stupidly nervous. Nervous to the point that I talk gabbling nonsense to anyone in a 5-metre radius. It was under these conditions that I met the incredibly youthful Mark Lowrey (author of the fabulous Pants Are Everything) and the impossibly rock ‘n’ roll Natasha Desborough (author of the stupidly funny Weirdos vs Quimboids). If you haven’t read them – do.

Let’s rewind. On the way to the Writer’s Room, I was delightfully accosted by the artist, Diana Bell who owns the third biggest book in the world. When you’re feeling nervous, this is a bit surreal, but what she was after was a signature in her Huge Book. I’m of the mind that, when you’re nervous, any distraction is a good distraction. But, once I’d got to grips with what she was doing, I found myself becoming a very small part of a very big work of art. I know, I know: still sideways. 

 

Anyhow, I made it to the Writer’s Room and met my two cohorts. Mark Lowrey is a right old ball of energy, fizzing with stories of his latest adventures and somehow turning even a domestic tale into something far more exciting. By contrast, Natasha Desborough is very laid-back; happy to chat, in a very cool, collected way  - like an auburn Keith Richards. But without the wrinkles.

I, however, babble. Like I need some conversational driftwood to latch on to. At the same time, we met our chairperson, Canny, who was wonderfully unruffled and part of the ‘Let’s See What Happens’ brigade – which I like. Although an unstructured event scares the proverbial out of me, I prefer that to a rigid framework; there’s a certain amount of freedom involved.

So, the call came and we were on. As we walked down the hallway to our personal Coliseum, I noticed that Steven Moffat was doing a talk about Sherlock and Dr Who. Oh, how I would have loved to have seen that – I’m a huge Who Geek and getting a titbit about Peter Capaldi would’ve blown my tiny mind.

So we turned up at our ‘space’. I love empty auditoriums. They remind me of my time as a Stage Manager for Alan Ayckbourn at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Round; there’s all that uncrushed velvet, just waiting to support some attentive backs; it’s exciting and terrifying, yet riddled with comfort at the same time. We got miked up and, after some pre-show banter, people started to come in.

Danny fired out some good, thoughtful questions, which gave us room to talk about our personal experiences and the way we approach writing. Keen-eyed members of the audience may have noticed I kept touching my ear. That’s because I’d been doing an online NLP course for the previous month, to help get rid of  my nerves – and, amazingly, it did seem to have some effect.

I’m sure it seems weird that I get so worked up about these things, what with my Showbiz background and all, but, as I’ve said before, doing plays and telly gives you the luxury of speaking someone else’s words and telling someone else’s story. When you’re doing the author thing, it’s about you, your words and your story – which makes you kind of vulnerable. But – when it goes right – it’s also amazingly rewarding.

Highlights of the event for me were Natasha talking tampons and Mark doing his reading. I’m still a bit unsure about reading. Until I’d met Julia Eccleshare in Edinburgh I’d stayed away from reading my own words. The way I saw it, I was writing the story of a 14 year-old and the sound of a 43 year-old voice wouldn’t cut the mustard. However, Julia told me I should act it. Since then, that’s what I’ve done.

I did my reading, which was received well, and then Mark read a bit from his book. He played a blinder, reading a bit involving boobs and Coco Pops. Top man.

 

Event done, it was Signing Time and I got to chat with a chap who wanted to go into Acting. Natasha and Mark were superbly engaging and their fans obviously got a kick out of meeting them.

 

 

So that was Cheltenham.

I never did get to meet Mr Moffat – but there’s time yet.

 

 

 

The Bath Literary Festival Geekathon

The Bath Literary Festival. Blimey; it was only a day, really – but a busy one, full of Good Things. It started the day before. I wanted to get there earlyish, but there was a lot of traffic – although this is one of the lorries I got stuck behind and took it for an omen of some sort:

 

I arrived in Bath and dropped Karen Saunders a line, to see if she was around.

I’d just done the Edinburgh Festival with Karen and it was lovely to meet someone who cacks themselves as much as I do. She’d just done an event, so was all relieved and laid-back when I went to go and meet her in some Mrs Miggins-style tea-shop near the Abbey. Also present and correct was Jo Nadin.

Jo is the author of the Penny Dreadful series and a very cool cat, to boot. She also seemed ridiculously calm about the whole thing. For normal folk, this might be reassuring. For me, it just kind of added fuel to my Fire of Fear – which was already lit. Anyhow, I went back to the hotel and watched some TV (which I don’t get to do, normally, as I don’t have one). Actually, I must confess – I watched the X-Factor and felt more than a little dirty, having done so.

The next day kicked off with a school visit to St Gregory’s: 170 Year 7′s – who were really rather good fun. A couple of hours later, I was picked up by a lovely lady called Pat, who was a rep for the Bath Fest, and whisked off to the next school: Hayesfield School. Hayesfield School is an all-girls’ school, which often sticks a different dynamic into an event. What’s great about it is that they get a look inside what the boys in their orbits might be thinking and I get to find out answers to Big Questions that boys have, like:

Why, when you know a guy ‘likes’ you, do you send your friend to go and talk to him -instead of doing it yourself?

If there are any guys reading this: the answer is weirder than you could ever believe.

Another couple of hours later, I was back at the hotel and Tired. But, I had a mission up my sleeve. Since the release of the first Geekhood book, I have been lucky enough to receive the support and loveliness of a blogger, called Jesse Owen. On the release of Mission Improbable, he put together a video/vlog/whatever it’s called about ‘the voices in your head’ – in reference to Archie’s Internal Monologue. Here it is:

I found it very touching, humbling a beautiful, and was determined to say hallo to this Champion of Geek. Jesse, by his own admission, is a bit of a shy chap – but he was true to his word and we met up (more by luck than design) outside Green Park, in Bath.

Fast forward an hour or so and we were yapping away like old friends in a Thai cafe, in an Italian-style square. If you do meet Jesse – don’t be fooled by his quiet demeanour; he’s a very astute and observant chap and, give him a little time, and he gets into the conversational flow like a seasoned pro. Good man, very funny. En route to the Guildhall, we found someone reading a copy of my book:

 

And then it was Nearly Time. In the Green Room Jo was there, being all cool and laid-back and then Holly Smale rocked up. Holly and me had done the Hay Festival earlier in the year – which was her first event. Now, with a few more under her belt and a book that’s doing incredibly well, she seemed really relaxed and up for a laugh. But before we were turned loose on-stage, we were interviewed by Lucy Powrie – another lovely blogger, whose support has been also very humbling. She turned the interview into a video – which looks like this:

But, finally, we were up on stage. I get SO nervous about these things it’s untrue – but I think the two school events earlier had worn me out to the point where I just didn’t have the energy to spare. Jo was a superb chair, with a very telly style of interviewing; I could see her doing a chat-show or hosting a radio thing; she was calm and very in control – but allowed me and Holly to ramble if we needed to.

Holly was her usual self-deprecating self, but did a great recital of  poem she wrote when she was six, all about a unicorn. And then there was a quiz, which involved the audience as well and then it was over. 60 minutes done – just like that.

Afters, we hooked up with Karen and Jo and Sarah Benwell and hit Bath, in a literary stylee.

There was singing. It was McFly. That’s all I’m prepared to reveal.

The Great Geekhood Geekathon!

So far, I’ve written two books about Archie and his Geeky pals, covering topics like miniature painting, RPGs and LARP. What’s surprised me is just how many people are unaware of these phenomenon. Maybe it shouldn’t’ maybe it’s a Geek thing.

Another Hapless Plan?

But I gave my head a little scratch the other day and wondered how I could get those people who the books represent to come out of the shadows and into the spotlight; to make themselves known. And then I came up with another of my usually-hapless ideas. But this time – I’ve got help.

Foam-latex Fun and Frolics

As you may know, researching Geekhood: Mission Improbable brought me to a LARPing group in Devon where, on top of getting to get involved in some foam-latex fun, I’ve also made some good friends. So, what I’ve done is this: I sent out three copies of Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind to three LARPers. The caveat attached is that they read the book, pass it onto another Geek – and take a photo of themselves doing something Geeky. Like really Geeky. Like so Geeky that people might not have heard of it.

The Great Geekhood Geekathon!

The result is the Great Geekhood Geekathon and I’ll be Tweeting photos of those fabulous people, under the hashtag, #Geekathon. Hopefully, I’ll be getting and Tweeting pictures from people who don’t normally appear centre-stage and who do things that the rest of us might not know about. Here’s the first, from a LARP-lady in her chosen character of Scarlet. And bloomin’ marvellous she looks, too!

Author Top Trumps

What started out as a silly bit of banter between me, Jim from YA Yeah Yeah and Holly Smale is slowly gathering ground…

Author Top Trumps.

No – hang on; keep reading.

Just imagine being able to turn up at a festival and trade cards with your fellow authors or your audience. Imagine being able to play the game! Would Mallorie Blackman trump Philip Reeve? Could I take on the mighty Sarwat Chadda? And who’s got the rare, shiny JK Rowling card? And what about YOUR card – how cool would that be?

I haven’t got the foggiest how to get this going, but it might be a good idea to start with you lot. So, in the first faltering steps of something a bit bonkers, I’m asking you guys to send me what you think the categories should be.

Diva points?

Frendliness?

Publishability?

What about hidden talents?

I don’t know how far we’ll get with this – but it might be fun to start, anyway.

Drop me a line with your suggestions for Author Top Trumps. Hell – Tweet them with the hastag #AuthorTopTrumps – maybe some crazy person with pots of cash is looking for an elitist product with no commercial value, whatsoever. At a later stage, we might get round to fielding ideas for Blogger Pokemon…

Andy

Forgotten Games for Geeks

When I threw myself into the world of RPGs, in the mid-80’s, there were plenty of geek games. Dungeons and Dragons had crashed onto the scene and divided parents across the country: you were either for it or against it. Part of the problem was that various religious groups saw D&D as the first step towards Satanism – a bit like some of the hoo-ha that surrounded the Harry Potter books. Really, this was because D&D wasn’t fully understood.

However, D&D gave rise to a whole load of other games for geeks; some that didn’t involve witchcraft, as they weren’t set in fantasy environments – and the RPG scene exploded; some even kicked-off some icons that are popular today. Many of the games I used to play seem to have disappeared, so I want to have a look at my Top 5 Games for Geeks:

1)    Paranioa. I really like this one, because it was loaded with humour. Where other geek games relied on serious interaction and character development, Paranoia had a ‘divide and conquer’ attitude, giving each player his own secret agenda; everyone was out to stab everyone else in the back.

It was set in the dystopian future of Alpha Complex; a huge, domed city run by The Computer. Think 1984, Hal from 2001 and Logan’s Run and you’re pretty much there. The other difference from other geek games was that you got ‘lives’ – a bit like a computer game; if your character died (which they often did – and in the most ridiculous circumstances), you had a few more clones of that character up your sleeve. If you like the lighter side of RPGing, then check Paranoia out; it has returned and is now published by Mongoose Publishing.

 

2)    Judge Dredd. This one, too, was loaded with humour – but a bit more tombstone-faced. Inspired by the leading character from the comic, 2000 AD, Judge Dredd RPG gave you a taste of what it was like to be a lawman in Mega City One.

More than the game itself, I liked the background fluff on the major characters. I’d been a 2000AD fan since it was Starlord and reading up on baddies, such as the Dark Judges, Chopper and the Angel Gang was really cool. Plus there was some extra stuff on the Judges and their equipment – the mighty Lawmaster and the dreaded Lawgiver. Again, this has resurfaced and is in the hands of Mongoose Publishing.

 

3)    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness. You read that right. Long before the cartoon, films, action figures and ‘cowabunga’, there was TMNT&OS. It came off the back of the original comic strip, by Eastman and Laird and was pretty different to the family-friendly fluff we know today.

TMNT&OS was set in a post-apocalyptic world, in which characters could be any form of mutated animal – not just a turtle. Although the accent was on fun, this was one of the distinctly grittier geek games and was one of the first in which players rolled for a mental illness and could choose their sexual orientation – which was pretty forward-thinking at the time.

As soon as the half-shelled heroes hit the big screens, changes were made to their world and the characters; it was dumbed-down, which killed it off. Copies of the original rules sell on eBay for Big Bucks. My Mum sold mine at a car-boot sale.

 

4)    Call of Cthulhu was one of the ultimate games for geeks – which is partly why I referenced it in Geekhood: Mission Improbable. If you’ve ever read any HP Lovecraft, then you’ll know the world the game’s set in. If you don’t – strap yourself in!

Cthulhu is set in Edwardian England (or wherever you happen to fancy locating it) and is based around horror. But it’s not  just your bog-standard ‘here comes a werewolf’ scenario; Lovecraft’s monsters are Out There. They’re Proper Bonkers and Off The Hook, etc. Think lots of tentacles and weirdness.

The great thing about Cthulhu was that you had to try and keep you character sane: the longer you hung onto your Sanity Points, the better your character got a grip on his own skills. But lose a few and you started to look at your fellow players with a hungry glint in your eyes…

 

5)    Middle Earth Role Play. OK, there had to be one fantasy game in here; you can’t really have list of geek games without some swords and pointy hats thrown in.

MERP was, as you might guess, set in the world of Orcs and Hobbits. While I loved the artwork and the background fluff on Middle Earth and all its races, I did find this one a bit harder to play; the rules system was way more complicated than D&D but, if you were a seasoned RPGer, I think you would have welcomed the attention to detail.

MERP was pretty popular in the 80’s but the one niggle amongst us Tolkien-heads was that the use of magic was a bit overt. Tolkien saw magic in Middle Earth as an extension of the forces of nature and something that took time and effort to use. When we played MERP, we’d fling thunderbolts around like they were going out of fashion.

 

So there you have it – my five forgotten games for geeks. Most of them are available in some form or other, but you can always check out eBay for the early editions. My brain’s a bit cobwebbed these days – which ones have i forgotten?