Bad Nineties Comic, A Metatextual Environment

The last couple of one-shots I've played in have been deliberate parodies of the worst excesses of edgy Nineties comics, inspired by a recently-collapsed ongoing game and bad memories of working behind the counter in a comic shop back then - something three of the six of us went through during the peak of the boom-and-crash cycle that killed so many local stores.  In celebration(?) of the worst of that era, I'm dedicating this week to the decade dark side of the Nineties, starting with a meta-textual environment reflecting what it would be like being stuck inside one of the more incompetently-made books from back then.

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Locations

One standout feature of really terrible Nineties books was the lack of backgrounds and a general inability to convey a sense of where any given character was in a scene, or even where a scene was taking place at all.  To reflect this, a scene using this environment should have H-2 (minimum three) locations so that there's some room to spread out but those locations have no special rules and should be as nebulously defined as possible (eg Terrorist Base, Other Part of Terrorist Base, Yet Another Part of Terrorist Base).  Any character can move to any location in a scene using the usual rules, and some twists below can result in involuntary movement during the environment turn.  No matter where a character supposedly is, you can expect them to be shown against a mix of nonexistent and wildly inconsistent backgrounds, sometimes partly concealed by confusing speed lines.

On the plus side, you can always narrate a dramatic entrance by crashing through a window or wall even if doing so makes no sense whatsoever in what passes for a story.  

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Bad Nineties Comic environment

Shallow Writing d10, Sloppy Artwork d10, Sales Gimmicks d10

Green Zone

(Minor Twists)

Awkward Pose: I don't think legs bend that way.  Roll the environment dice.  Hinder one target using the Mid die.

Less Talk, More Action: No one's buying comics for the story.  Get to fighting!  Roll the environment dice.  Boost using the Min die.  All Attack and Hinder actions gain this bonus until the start of the next environment turn.

(Major Twist)

Another First Issue: Why have just one?  The speculators love first issues!  Reset the scene tracker to the first box in the current GYRO zone.

Yellow Zone

(Minor Twists)

Can't Draw Feet: Where'd all this knee-high debris come from?  Roll the environment dice.  Defend all non-flying targets using the Mid die.

First Appearance: What if they're the Next Big Thing?  Don't miss this book!  Add a Hot New Character lieutenant to the scene.

Unexplained Thugs: They tie in to a crossover with a comic that hasn't been published yet and never will be.  Roll the environment dice.  Add Mid die Mystery Goon minions to the scene.

(Major Twist)

What Continuity?: Wait, how did that happen?  Roll the environment dice.  Move Mid die characters from one location to another, shuffling them however you like.  Each character moved Recovers Health equal to the Max die, or increases their die size by one (max d12) if they're a minion or lieutenant.

Red Zone

(Minor Twist)

Our Characters Are Awesome!: We made them ourselves!  Roll the environment dice.  Boost all heroes and villains using the Mid die.

Showcase the New Hotness: This character's going to be HUGE!  We mean it!  Set one Hot New Character lieutenant to a d12 die size.  If there are no environment lieutenants in the scene, add one at a d10 die size instead.

(Major Twist)

Lousy Pacing:  What do you mean we ran out of pages?  Advance the scene tracker by one space. 

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Mystery Goon d8 environment minion

Description: Generic costumed toughs with big guns, random swords and no personalities.  Possibly cyborgs.  Might be aliens.  Could be cyborg aliens.  Why they're here and who they work for is a mystery since it's only explained in a book that hasn't been published yet and probably never will be.  That doesn't make them any less hostile.

We're Here For...Someone:  Treat all non-Mystery Goon targets as enemies.  If you take an actual hero or villain (not just an allied lieutenant or minion) Out of action with an Attack, remove all Mystery Goon minions from the scene as they high five each other and declare that they've completed their mission.  If their victim was a villain they probably abduct them unless there's a pressing narrative reason not to.

Hot New Character d10 environment lieutenant

Description: Brand new character making their first appearance in this book.  Invariably either a chunky over-muscled lout or a gal in a revealing fan service costume, with absurd anatomy either way.  Carries a small arsenal of blades and guns, might even use them sometimes.  Usually over-equipped with random pouches and oversized should pads as well.  If they have a personality beyond being mysterious and threatening it doesn't come through.  While they have individual names, feel free to be inconsistent about using them.  It's easy to confuse Bloodspiller, Bloodcraze, Bloodkill, and Bloodbath with each other, after all. 

Hyperviolence:  When you take an Attack action, ignore Defend actions and reactions protecting your target.

Poorly Defined Motivations:  You treat all other targets as enemies initially.  A hero or villain may attempt an Overcome to change you into their ally until the end of the scene, or until an opposing character succeeds at their own Overcome to change your allegiance again.

Sudden Appearance:  You may always take an action immediately after the environment term you first appear in the scene, and gain a +2 bonus to that action.

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Using This In A Scene

As said above, this is a meta-environment.  It can be used for an cation scene anywhere and in any situation, but the twists are going to produce the hallmarks of a truly bad Nineties comic no matter what the narrative behind the scene is.  From inept creative decisions to random intrusions by unfamiliar characters to erratic pacing you can have it all - depending on which twists the GM decides to use.  Remember that while you can only use each Major Twist once, they don't have to be chosen in their own GYRO zone, which can produce some wild effects if you use Another First Issue late in Yellow or even at the end of Red.

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