I think Contenders worked largely because of the celebrity status and intense rivalries involved in the sport of boxing. Bowling just doesn't have the same level of glamour and intensity about it. It might work as s poof of sports-themed RPGs are just an out-and-out comedy, but as a serious game I'm just not feeling it. I mean, it just doesn't feel like there's any need for conflict there at all. I guess there's always the old 'rival team' story, but where do you go from there?

I think it needs some kind of kicker to make it work, preferably something funny. Bowling just doesn't evoke the right kind of atmosphere in me to suggest any decent and compelling bowling-based scenarios beyond the old cookie-cutter ones that you could have in any RPG.

Ash

I feel I need to ask: have you read and/or actually played Contenders? The game isn't just about the boxing, it's about the stories of the people involved. Boxing is the background, but the game is about people and their lives.

'The Big Lebowski' involves bowling, but it's a story about people and the way their lives can suddenly and unexpectedly go haywire. The touchingly fucked-up nature of the relationships between The Dude, Walter and Donny. It's the film that was pretty much in the front of my mind when I was writing this.

Then there's 'Kingpin'. Yep, got the bowling thing going on, but it's about the people. Munson is the PC, Ishmael and McCracken are key NPCs (connection and serious rival respectively). But the film is a story of redemption and fulfillment for Roy Munson.

I think playing Contenders with bowling replacing boxing would be a fun game to play. Maybe only once, but it would be fun. The petty rivalries at the local alley. The day to day problems suffered by the characters, their ups, downs, highs, lows, friendships, successes and failures.

And, if it wasn't already apparent, the idea of a bowling hack for Contenders isn't hugely serious to begin with.

Cheers
Malc

Contested Ground Studios

SO GOOD.

I'd play this in a heartbeat. The source material is, of course, gold. And the implementation is spot on. 'Drinking' - heh! And as another piece of source material, the oft-overlooked 'Ed' tv show. Ed comes back to his hometown after becoming a lawyer and works out of a bowling alley. Lots of odd staff, locals and color.

There's even elements to a bowling game that Contenders doesn't have. The characters can be older. One of the Penny Arcade guys said his dad was great at Wii Bowling; his knees had given out, but he could still deliver a consistent arm movement.

Don't fuck with the Jesus.

Joe.

Definitely intrigued to give this a go.

*No, not BL, cool as it is.
From Munsoned to Rubber Man -
that's the hero's journey I care about.

...I do agree with Alex and Ash that Bowling probably lends itself to a more humourous than serious tone, i.e. more Kingpin or Uncle Buck than Big Lebowski (well, for me anyway).

You could try to run it serious but I'm not sure that's reinforced by the bowling. Would Norman Mailer really get as macho about ten-pin bowling as he did about boxing?

That's not to say it wouldn't be fun, or I wouldn't want to play it. I would, but I'd be looking at it through a humour filter.

What about... Dodgeball? Or even Pro Wrestling...

...Contenders is very adaptable to these "skins", as you wheel (apols to Dusty).

As I said before, this wasn't intended to be entirely serious anyway (you have Booze stat, for heavens sake!). Both Big Lebowski and Kingpin are comic in nature (one, however, being considerably blacker than the other) and these were my touchstones when musing about such a thing.

I envisage a game of Strike! (where it ever to take place) as tragi-comic in nature.

Edit: In my initial post, my intention was to for any potential game of this to be in a tragi-comic tone befitting the source material. I guess this perhaps did not come across well enough. And it's kind of a half-formed, jokey idea anyway. Although, I discussed it a few minutes ago with Morgue and it could be a fun game to play for a session, all about these guys who's only escape from the mundanity of life is bowling and their bowling friends. Oh, and the beer.

And dodgeball? Yes!

Cheers
Malc

Contested Ground Studios

I thought this was going to be about trade unions and industrial action. Bah!

Sizzling HOT!

What do you do for recreation?
Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.

Per
http://darkplaces.squarespace.com

Oh, I know, but that goes for any RPG really. It's always about the people. However the game's theme, atmosphere, idium, call it what you will is the first contact that anyone is likely to have with it (along with cover art) and hence one of your first point of marketing. Contenders might not be just boxing, but even if it were, it would probably still draw a crowd.

I have one question to ask about the project though: how do you intend for the theme of Bowling to drive the game forward? What will this theme bring to the game that you couldn't've done with Contenders?

Ash

Love it.

I would include drinking White Russians into the rules somewhere:-)

Cheers

Iain

Mob Justice now available!

'The Giant Brain':Small games, big ideas.

Quality idea Malc.

The Big Lebowski is my favourite film ever. Not as humourous? You human paraquat.

Ash, seriously you need to read Contenders (preferably play it too), specially if you're going to review it for KOTDT. I'll get you a pdf out if you like.

In Contenders the driving motive for each PC is his Connection to a loved NPC (or place sometimes) this would be the same in Strike, I guess. Contenders actually suffers for the boxing theme (at least in terms of a sales hook), it's a hurdle to a lot of role-players, though once they start playing they tend to love the game and still hate boxing!

Strike will work the same way, it won't be the theme of bowling that drives the game, it'll be the hope and pain of the bowlers and their connections. The bowling matches will serve as climactic scenes of coflict between the desperate individuals.

You could use Contenders for pro-wrestling - though of course you'd want to buy the sports fan double pack from IPR and get yourself Piledrivers & Powerbombs too!

+++
JoE
+++

Prince of Darkness Games
Rock N' Role-Play....

If there was a project, I might be able to answer that. It was an idea I had after a couple of beers (where 'couple' is a moveable feast of sorts) and wrote it up in about 10 minutes (plus another 10 minutes of going "Darn, now I really want to watch The Big Lebowski again!").

But, what could the game bring that you couldn't have with straight-up Contenders? Nothing. But, if you wanted a game where the dramatic conflicts were bowling rather than boxing, then it would be cool for you and your mates.

I think Joe covers pretty much all you could want in his post.

Cheers
Malc

Contested Ground Studios

...ha, Princeton, I raise your paraquat with my DDT.

Anyway, when do we get an AP of this?

Well then, Agent Orange!

Actually, I might be running this on Sunday. Strange, but true.

Cheers
Malcolm

Contested Ground Studios