This year’s Spirit of 77 Day (July 7, for those of you wondering) we will be releasing our first sequel to a Spirit of 77 adventure, our first adventure Cruise Ship of the Damned. Cruise Ship was more than our first adventure, it was our proof of concept to confirm the modifications to the original Apocalypse World system actually worked, coupled with a “testing of the waters” to see if anyone would like it. (Thankfully, many people did).
I remember very clearly when the idea first formed, I was speaking with Stephanie Bryant (author of Threadbare) at one of the Strategicon conventions here in Los Angeles, directly after a playtest of one of our adventures. As usual, the idea started with, “Wouldn’t it be funny if…” and then, I trailed off in silence as the idea took hold. Stephanie, bless her heart, just nodded her head as she tried to figure out what the hell just happened.
“Return” is more than just a second installment on the doomed SS Tangerine, of course. It’s an homage to a strange genre of movie-making – the Disaster movie sequel – “Return to the Poseidon Adventure”, “Airport ’75” and even the more recent “Speed 2” (which I’ve never fully understood). But in addition to that trope, there was also the idea of exploring a little-used rule set in the original book, changing your Role.
Obviously you can’t change your Story, it’s your background and your background and would always remain the same. But how would these characters change based on the years that have passed since that first go-around aboard the luxury liner? The idea always tickled me and finally I took the plunge to go back aboard with the original cast. With its release, I thought you might find it entertaining to hear where some of these ideas came from.
(I warn you there are about to be some spoilers.)
- Ming Lo of course was the Kung-Fu Tough Lady in the original adventure. So it might seem strange to make her a Rocker now, but it made perfect sense – in the 1970’s there was a brief one-hit wonder singing duo from Japan called “Pink Lady”. For some unknown reason, they decided to make a variety TV show around them, despite their inability to speak English. So they added an American actor for “Pink Lady and Jeff”. The show itself did not do very well, but it’s one of those weird things from the 70’s that I just love.
- Sammy Summers, our resident captain of the Texas Tornado cheerleading team, needed to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a doctor. Personally I love her credentials of being a doctor boiling down to her stethoscope, the prop every actor is given to indicate they’re a doctor (as opposed to a safecracker).
- Vincent Peck was also a no-brainer, in the idea he went Hollywood with one of his books. I love the idea he basically decided to go back on the boat as a return to the thrills. I also love the idea that Vincent became a little bored with the newfound money, which was his Buzz in the first adventure. Now he’s got it… and now he’s bored.
- Gemini was one of those strange ideas that probably shouldn’t work but does in my opinion – the idea that Gemini had a nervous breakdown after the rescue and turned the magic gold flute into a pistol (that still talks). Gemini is intended to have that shattered mental ambiance of David Bowie in the post-Ziggy, Berlin years but far more disheveled.
- The new Victoria Crowne was also my homage to Lindsay Wagner and the Bionic Woman. Considering Victoria’s line of work, it only made sense that she would get injured enough to warrant X-Tech bionics. Switching her over to the Sleuth role still played well with her secret agent background without losing her mysteriousness.
- Jethro Colgrove is a new character, the quasi-heir to the Colonel Roscoe legacy. Didn’t seem right to have a eighty-year old man going back to a flipped over cruise ship, so the idea of his son going in his stead was far more logical. In addition, I truly, truly love the Bucketmobile – the Sweet Ride being brought on board as part of a marketing campaign. It’s a call back to the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile and those weird Baseball Hat golfcarts the MLB used during the 70’s. Every time this adventure has been playtested, that Bucketmobile becomes the star – whether it’s shooting frozen chickens from a turret or a giant animatronic chicken head that breathes fire (in order to broast the chicken in real time).
- Gascap Gamble is a character near and dear to my heart, probably my favorite NPC to play in an adventure. As Big Duke’s trusted mechanic, I loved the idea of Gascap taking the center stage for the first time. The idea that he’s filling in for Big Duke who’s nursing a broken leg also seemed to fit in with the motif of Big Duke being the ultimate stuntman.
There’s obviously more, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun. Although the game can be played completely as a new adventure, I loved the idea of players doing one game of Cruise Ship, and then the next night playing the same characters for the Return. And of course, whatever happened to the Turtledove Family? Oh man, you do *not* want to know. (Shudder).
“Return to the Cruise Ship of the Damned” drops July 7.