Game Fodder / Story Fodder

[Setherick]

Immortal organic surveillance entities: http://rawstory.com/2010/02/pentagon-synthetic-organisms/

[Mckma]

Definitely would like to use this general idea in a one shot...

[clockworkjoe]

The Loneliest Whale: http://www.metafilter.com/88971/Nobody-Home

For the past 21 years, across the limitless expanse of the North Pacific, a lonely whale has been singing, calling for a response. There has been none, and there never will.

Picked up first in 1989 by NOAA hydrophones, the call is clearly a whale, but different than all other known species. Different enough that no other whale has responded in all this time. Hypotheses vary, but the mental image is definitely haunting.

[robotkarateman]

I've actually been considering that one. I've got a campaign coming up that's sort of an X-Files/Psi-Factor/Fringe monster-of-the-week thing and I've got a whole see monster adventure planned out based on the Bloop and the lonely whale.

I've really been wracking my brains tho' to come up with a punchline that doesn't involve the Cthulhu mythos at all.

[clockworkjoe]

Two sea monsters: Kraken and Leviathan for convenience's sake.

Kraken is bloop and hates humanity - has destroyed countless ships over the centuries but only a few every decade or so.

Leviathan is the Ur-whale - a sapient immortal whale. It is indifferent to humanity.  It used to like humans but seeing its lesser kin slain by whalers has hardened it.

Someone figures out how to manipulate or communicate with Kraken. Call him mad scientist. Uses Kraken to destroy many more ships than usual - Kraken is getting noticed. Enter the PCs.

PCs get on trail of mad scientist with help from Ahab - a whale song specialist who has learned that every freak ship sinking is accompanied by bloop type sounds.

PCs find Mad Scientist out at sea using a ship. Kraken attacks obviously. Before all is lost, Ahab detects the song of the lonely whale - Leviathan. Leviathan drives off Kraken but mad scientist escapes.

PCs and Ahab figure out how to communicate with Leviathan who tells them that Kraken's frequent attacks are upsetting the ecosystem of the ocean - Kraken produces certain chemicals when wounded or enraged that cause mass mutations in aquatic life - if Kraken doesn't stop the attacks soon, the entire ecosystem of the world's oceans will undergo a severe metamorphosis that will make all fish poisonous to humans, among other things.

So the PCs have to coordinate with Leviathan to track down Kraken and stop the mad scientist or the world will be doomed.

Optional side plot: Military/shadow government agency wants to acquire Kraken or Leviathan as weapons or kill the ancient whale after Kraken is slain (better to be sure) Moral dilemma horray!

[Shallazar]

Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus?

[robotkarateman]

I wasn't going to say it.


But, I'll admit to pulling some of my best ideas from really horrible schlock movies. In fact, one of the best TMNT games I ever ran lifted heavily from "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes".

[Setherick]

AtKT was a great cult classic.

[robotkarateman]

Forgot about this until today when I found ABWH on Grooveshark.

I've gotten a lot of inspiration for fantasy-style adventures from the seemingly random lyrics of Jon Anderson. In fact, I ran an entire campaign based off of the Anderson/Bruford/Wakeman/Howe album. Yes "Union" is another good one with random new-agey nonsense lyrics.

Granted, that music's not everyone's cup of tea, and it makes terrible game music, but it's got some weird/cool sentence fragments that a creative mind can take and expand upon.

[Setherick]

I wonder if this counts as an act of David Syndrome:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0211101walmart1.html

[Shallazar]

I never did anything that crazy while on Effexor.
I hope his bat did a number on them demons in the TVs.

[robotkarateman]

First off, is that Richard Kind?

Second, we all know he just saved the world, or at least the little portion of it he lives in, and the reason he won't talk is because nobody will believe the truth.

[Setherick]

Scientists recreate Big Bang, in miniature, and only for a billionth of a picosecond: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/science/16quark.html?em

[Kroack]

Yum, plasma.

[Charlie72]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania

Centralia is a borough and ghost town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its population has dwindled from over 1,000 residents in 1981 to 12 in 2005[1] and 9 in 2007,[2] as a result of a mine fire burning beneath the borough since 1962