#cyborg commando

[rpgcovers]

Cyborg Commando: Operation Bifrost ~ New Infinities Productions (1988)

[vintagerpg]

This week is loosely themed around cyborgs. We start with Cyborg Commando (1987). It was the first game from New Infinities, a company formed by Gary Gygax, Kim Mohan and Frank Mentzer after Gygax was run out of TSR. Gygax outlined the game, while Mohan and Mentzer designed it — Gygax was too busy writing the Gord the Rogue novels that were keeping the company afloat to do more than that. As it turns out, Cyborg Commando is a terrible game and released to become one of the biggest flops in the hobby’s history, which probably doomed New Infinities.

Xenoborgs have invaded Earth, oh no! The only thing that can stop them is CYBORG COMMANDO (tm) Force. They do this by rolling 2d10 and multiplying the results. I don’t really understand the math, but that rolling mechanic seems to make skill progression inconsistent — increasing the value of a skill doesn’t proportionally increase the chances of success. Better keep that in mind when testing your Household Organization skill? That is a real game skill contained in a list of seeming hundreds of skills, of which only scant few seem useful in shooting lasers at aliens. Which makes sense, because as far as I can tell, the combat system doesn’t take into account the skill system at all. Similarly, the player book provides information on how cyborgs work, next to none of which has real mechanical or even narrative impact.

Which brings us to the sourcebook, which details the invasion and the aliens. Sort of. There are lots of lists of things like population data. A lot of latitude and longitude coordinates. Very important for running a campaign. Half the book is dedicated to the aliens, which are giant bugs that grow organic guns. Like the info on the cyborgs in the player book, it is hard to see how useful knowing how xenoborg cells work is for play, or in crafting scenarios.

Nice art, generally though, provided by Diane Hamil, Valerie Valusek, Gary Williams and Todd Hamilton. And, while the game is a stinker, I do think that Dave Dorman cover art is pretty classic.

[rpgcovers]

Cyborg Commando: Film at Eleven ~ New Infinities Productions (1988)

[mana-junkie]

Sketches from a Dozen Realities

The past few days have been a deep dive into creativity, the kind that sneaks up on you and then refuses to let go. I’ve been bouncing between ideas, building worlds, sketching scenes, and shaping stories into something that feels alive. It’s the sort of stretch of time where hours blur together because there’s always one more detail to refine or one more concept to explore. A lot of that time…

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[mana-junkie]

What's On The Gaming Menu

This week at the gaming table has been a mix of digital ops, rediscovery, and a bit of nostalgia hitting hard. On the PlayStation 5, I’ve been deep into Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, pushing hard against the cartel’s grip on Bolivia. I’ve now passed the 80 percent mark in destabilization, and the endgame is starting to come into focus. It’s that satisfying stretch where every mission…

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[mana-junkie]

Cold Snap at CanGames 2016

When the Mission Froze Solid There are convention games that run smoothly, hit their beats, and wrap up on time. And then there are the ones that bite back. Cold Snap was the latter. I brought this Cyborg Commando scenario to CanGames 2016 with a simple premise. Insert a team into the frozen ruins of Northern Ontario. Give them a clear objective. Let the environment do half the work. What I…

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[mana-junkie]

Cyborg Commando is on the agenda today.

[mana-junkie]

Cyborg Commando’d Each year at Cangames pick a game on my shelf that hasn't been played for a bit and then create a scenario for it to run at Cangames.