Monsters and Other Childish Things: Camp Tongacheeka
It's been nearly a year, and I'm not sure how much I still remember. Also, Sunday morning exhaustion was starting to strike. But, here are my notes.
GM: Robert Dushay
Gavin Young: Davy Perlstein. Monster: Bear Woof
Katie <illeg>: Lizzy Walton. Monster: <illeg> Furry Spider. I am an arachnaphobe, but she managed to draw an absolutely adorable picture of this.
Me: Torvald Eison. Monster: Huh. I don't seem to remember this. How utterly embarrassing!
Ari Siberman. ???. Monster: Queen Miaow -- Amanda Richardson as a cat girl.
John Callo. Ian. Robot chicken. Blipdoolpool.
Stephanie Dushay: Angelique. Monster: Mewzine.
The six PCs were off to summer camp, and Bob did a fine job of evoking the atmosphere.
John: Congratulations. You've brought back memories I never had.
The setting was Camp Tongacheeka. And, the parents had all signed something saying that they would be charged quadruple damage for anything their children wrecked or otherwise messed up. All parents made sure that their children understood this!
Each of us played our child and someone else's monster.
Out of Context Quote: Okay, so it sounds like nobody knows anything.
Bob started the action by pointing at Gavin and saying: Jimmy Rainer is beating up Davy. Why?
Gavin: Because he brought his teddy bear.
Jimmy Rainer: I'm gonna punch you. What are you gonna do?
Davy: What would Daddy do? I'll scream "I'm gonna sue you!" I don't know what it means, but it sure sounds scary!
And we saw the combat rules in action.
GM: How I punched you in the foot, I don't know.
Davy (weighing options): I'm gonna go with face and charm and take my lumps and not wreck the camp on the first day, cuz that will cost Dad money, which is more important than I am.
Naturally, kids and monsters started spiraling out of control. I forget the context of this sequence:
Feel the power of music as it tears your intestines apart!
I said Glenn Rock, not Death Metal.
We will hit him with the Power Ballad of Doom!
Wouldn't it be better to just do a Power Ballad about the Power of Friendship?
Oh no! Care Bears! David Bowie as the Care Bear!
Sorry, I don't grasp the transgressence of Glenn Rock. (Glen Rock? Glum Rock?)
You grasp the essence of the 80s. It has to end with a moral.
Someone tried to get the nurse to let him or her stay in the infirmary. I forget who or why.
Mr. Nurse: Here. Take this. Go back to your cabin. Get out.
Player: I try the Big Eyes.
More combat followed:
GM: You understand what you're doing is scaring their feet. You need 3 1s or 2 9s for the head.
GM: 2 points of damage to furry body of Herman. Shelob pops out of the wall -- Shelob in Pink Boots. They should have bows on them! (Player takes sheet back and rectifies this startling omission.)
Davy: When are they making us shower? Cuz my Dad had rules about what to do when they try to make you shower.
And more out of context dialogue bits:
Boy, this sounds like our lifestyle?
I had nothing to do with it!
Stop! This is not rock! This is not even lounge rock!
2d <illegible> then he can't do his performance.
Burns -- has been a little too close to one or two experiments!
I can still smell, though, cuz that's a plus. This week.
About someone's outfit, I think:
John: She's the Twitch
Me: She's the Pre-Goth.
John: The Pre-Goth Twitch!
Davy = Johnny Depp as a 10 year old.
Davy: Are they Art Frogs? Cuz my Dad really doesn't want me to associate with Art Frogs.
We began to get the feeling that Davy's Father had Issues.
The male buff swim instructor had to deal with Angelique trying to get out of swimming. She pleaded a torn bathing suit. This worked, and her friends tried to do likewise, with far less success, i.e., none whatsoever.
Meanwhile, the boys were supposed to make something arty, I think ash trays. Again, I forget context and who said what.
Then the house will catch fire, and my eyebrows will burn off again.
I don't think that will be a problem this time.
It could be a candy dish if your parents don't smoke.
They do.
Make a candy dish.
What if your parents are on a diet?
Fortunately, I always bring my toolkit for popsicle stick adjustments.
Gary: Wizard of Oz is my favorite movies, but I can't watch it except when Dad's not around.
As popsicle sticks were being used to make a miniature log cabin:
Bob: Wait! I only need e popsicle sticks!
Katie: i! i popsicle sticks!
Someone: Is it a logarithmic cabin?
Someone: A natural log.
What is Woof doing?
Woof is seeing an adult doing something inappropriate to a child.
When we broke, we agreed that it had been fun, although the One Roll System seems to break down with lots of players. And, there were 12 characters -- 6 children and 6 monsters. It would likely have been best for half of the PCs to be kids and the other half monsters, although we freely chose to do it the other way.
Addenda:
1. I am told what I misheard was actuall "Glam Rock".
2. I found my PC's monster sheet. Torvald's monster was Mittie Gard, a giant snake that looked like an interdimensional slinky. Mittie Gard's favorite thing to do was to eat Yigs! Yigs grew on the Yig Tree!
