# Twitter: Weird Heroes of Public Access and Loner: Paranormal Files ![[Loner (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Weird Heroes of Public Access (cover).jpg|300]] tags: #thoughts #game/rpg/loner Yes, I'm archiving another exchange from Twitter, because if it involves character generation off the top of my head, that thing needs to get saved. Besides, this is fascinating. ---  > Hey RPG rabble, I backed *[[Weird Heroes of Public Access]]* on Kickstarter and I’m damn glad I did. If you’ve ever fantasized about slapping on a cheap wig, firing up that old public access camcorder, and battling interdimensional horrors right between your midnight call-in show and a segment on cooking roadkill chili, then this game is speaking your language. > > The concept is pure gold: you play as the eccentric hosts and crew of a small-town public access station (WHPA-TV13) in Fairhaven. Think the weirdos who did late-night call-in shows, puppet skits, and access cable horror in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but now they’re the only ones standing between their town and angry moms, juvenile delinquents, and actual monsters crawling out of the static. The TTRPG possibilities here are endless. Every player can lean hard into their own flavor of unhinged local celebrity — the conspiracy guy, the guy who only does cooking shows with whatever’s in the station fridge, the psychic who reads auras on air, the wrestler who does public service announcements. It’s UHF (Weird Al's movie) meets X-Files meets SCTV, and it’s glorious. > > The rules system is deliberately light — a simple d6 pool setup with four stats. You roll your pool against difficulty, successes get you what you need. It’s a dual-edged sword. On one hand, it’s perfect for quick pick-up play. You can throw together a ridiculous character and be rolling dice in minutes, which fits the chaotic public access energy perfectly. On the other hand, the system feels a little underwhelming even for such a quirky genre. It doesn’t quite bring the mechanical punch or weird-specific tools I’d love to see to really elevate the over-the-top personalities and on-air antics. > > Still, the vibes are strong enough that the table will carry it. If you’re into rules-light nostalgia horror-comedy with a heavy dose of small-town weird, check it out. I’m looking forward to running a one-shot where the crew has to defeat a demon that’s hijacking their signal. Imagine a guy running a McDojo, a UFOlogist, Opera Guy and the Woman who Knits tacking a mystery that may be real and may be supernatural. Perfect for conventions where you are seeking out something other than the 5e snoozefest. You know what? I **love** this setup. It's brilliant and I'm here for it. I think if you wanted to do a longer form version of it that really works with the idea of a TV series, you might want to pick up a copy of *[[Primetime Adventures]]* (https://itsmrwilson.itch.io/primetime-adventures) and use that because it handles shifting spotlight play really nicely. I would be very tempted to just rip out the core mechanics and replace them with *[[Loner]]: Paranormal Files* (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/532368/loner-paranormal-files) because non-quantized trait-based mechanics seem like they would be perfect. In fact, let me put a character together right now: --- - **Name:** Gibson LeMarchand *("I'm ready to believe you!")* - **Concept:** Paranormal Paraphysicist - **Skills:** Deadpan Snarker, Run Like Hell - **Frailty:** Literally Will Believe Anyone - **Gear:** PKE Meter, Psychokinetic Trap - **Motive:** Profit, baby; pure profit. - **Nemesis:** The FCC (they want to bury his show for "fraudulent activity") *Gibson's call-in show ("Bustin' Through") airs in the deep late-night slot and sports a devoted bunch of callers, all of whom have a bizarre story of paranormal phenomenon. He engages each with whole-hearted credulity, with a particular focus on and love of ghosts. His gear is the real deal, but he can never prove his claims on live TV - something always goes sideways. He means well, though. One day he'll find it, the rainbow connection, straight to the other side. Until then, it's 2am for him.* A fat No-Prize from my collection for figuring out those references. ## Post-Scriptum Of course I picked up [[Weird Heroes of Public Access]] off of DriveThruRPG as a result of seeing this. Of course I did. How could you imagine that I wouldn't? $5, friends. $5. That's all it takes.