So yes, my head has still been in the clouds so to speak. I’ve needed the distraction shall we say. I’ve also been meaning to dig out the Crimson Skies Clix planes I have (I think I had all the squadrons bar the Hollywood Knights and some of the Ace packs). I have fond memories of the game, though I remember it had a knack for planes to fly to the center of the board and then desperately try not to crash into each other. I always meant to build a zeppelin for it, or add more terrain. I also never lost the joy of picking up the planes and making “Neeeeeeoooooow, DAKKA DAKKA* noises with them. I grow old, but i refuse to grow up.

Right, so in the last installment I said I’d be talking about NPC’s and adventure seeds. Thoughts on that follow.

NPC’s. We’re talking quite a few here. The unit’s benefactor, local politicians and business moguls for starters. A squadron needs a base, so that means repair techs (Yes, I’d give one the nickname Ratchet), ground crew and the like. I’d say they wouldn’t need a medic but accidents do happen. They’re in Hollywood, so there’s bar owners, celebrities and journalists, both reputable and muck raking. Any success brings enemies, and the PC’s need a pirate or two who’s surname they can yell at the sky as they escape. We can’t go without mentioning fellow pilots, both on their side and against them, both pirate and civilian. And for flavour, there’s hangers on, family, possible romantic partners and the kid who sells newspapers on the corner of the base. Most of them deserve to be cast, and have quirks and accents. Also, a whole lot of them will be happy to see the PC’s, something I’d had… issues with in past campaigns. I could also do with remembering to keep a list of names close by for random NPC’s. Names are a bit of an Achilles heel of mine.

As for adventures, just because the campaign is set around a squadron of pilots doesn’t every adventure should include flight. True, if you’ve put a bunch of XP into Pilot skills, you want to use them, but surely that’s not all you can do, right? I had an idea of a group loosely inspired by Wraith Squadron (In short, half commando unit, half fighter squadron), but they might work better as antagonists.

So, adventure seeds:
The press launch, and the first flight of the new squadron. Their benefactor has laid out a solid amount of dough to finance this op and wants results. Said shindig will almost certainly be interrupted by something.
Hollywood isn’t all about flying – it’s also about being seen. Time for a night on the town!
The PC’s are hired to act as consultants on Errol Flynn’s latest picture. Not everyone wants the picture to succeed though, as the notorious pirate that Flynn is portraying is alive and angry about it.
Their exploits have attracted a lot of press attention and a studio is planning a (hilariously inaccurate) movie about them
A society heiress has been kidnapped by pirates! (Actually, she’s fallen in love with one of them and it’s a secret elopement)
Local hot shots have challenged one (or all) of the PC’s to an air race to determine who’s the better pilot. The fact that the race is highly illegal and stupidly dangerous has nothing to do with it.
Pirates! How do the PC’s deal with them – do they try to blast them out of the air, follow them back to their base or pretend to go rogue and infiltrate them?
Local cargo zeppelins have been getting hit hard – how have the pirates been getting a hold of the shipping times?
The bigwigs at Hughes Aviation need some new planes tested.
The neighbours are getting cranky – tensions between nearby states are flaring again. Are the PC’s on bodyguard duty for the peace talks, or are they the diplomats?
The Hollywood Knights see themselves as the protectors of Hollywood and aren’t happy about the new upstarts on the block – how do we mend the fence, so to speak?
A local pirate outfit is suspiciously well supplied – just where are the new planes and munitions coming from?

I’m enjoying this, it’s helping keep the brain ticking over and occupied. As for how long this goes on for, who knows what the future will bring?

Time for sleep. Be seeing you.