[This piece was originally written for another blog and published on 6th January 2021. Some aspects have been updated from the original, but most remains the same.]
I love table top Role Playing Games.
This is still a revelation to me as until a couple of years ago I hadn't given them much thought at all (I thank the Oxventurer's Guild for opening my eyes to the fun).
Almost a year ago I was lucky enough to be invited to join a beginners' Dungeons and Dragons campaign DM'd by a friend of mine, and needless to say it has been a tremendously positive aspect of my life ever since. We play a weekly game, and on the rare occasions we don't manage to get together online, the event is thoroughly missed by all those involved. I have found it a fantastic imaginative outlet and a perfect home for my terminal irreverence. On top of that, I feel I have become closer to my fellow players as a result and now call them some of my best friends.
Because of this, I started to expand my horizons and seek out more games like it. This is how I came across the game I am reviewing today.
"You've Got Lasers, And I've Got Feelings"
Lasers and Feelings (or to give it it's full name: Lasers and Feelings The Doubleclicks Tribute RPG v1.3) is a quick-play RPG designed by John Harper and inspired by the musical genius of The Doubleclicks. The game is an outright love letter to classic Science Fiction themes with it's feet firmly placed in the expansive realms of Star Trek and Firefly and its head floating in the absurdist schlock of Flash Gordon and Red Dwarf.
While the celebration of cheesy cliché may turn more hardcore Science Fiction fans away in search of the thrills of the Alien RPG, with a bit of suspension of disbelief and a willingness to embrace all the tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation the game allows, I feel this game could win anyone over. That being said, the rules are incredibly simple and flexible to allow a GM to mould the game to fit whatever tastes are present around the table (or webcam).
When I say that the rules are simple, I do mean simple. I'm talking one-side-of-A4 simple. This really is a game that requires only as much preparation as the GM wants to provide. There are no rule books, guides, compendiums, and reference wikis required, as so much of the action and adventure will be restricted only by what the players can invent in their minds and what the GM will allow in the heat of the moment. Further cutting down the preparation time, by following the rules of the game as they are laid out, character creation, ship design, and even the Big Bad that must be vanquished can all be worked into the initial pre-game discussion with players.
A GM who is light on their mental feet could easily throw together a one-shot adventure with less than half an hour to prepare. The chaotic energy and the large amount of control afforded to the players helps keep the game feeling fresh, silly, and if you roll well, awesomely badass.
"Keep Being Awesome (You Have Nothing To Prove)"
In this game the players assume the roles of the crew of the Interstellar Scout Ship Raptor. Your mission is to explore uncharted regions of space, deal with aliens both friendly and hostile, and defend Consortium worlds (think the Federation from Star Trek) against "space dangers".
There are a few notes to help players get into their roles but so much of these initial actions feel more like friendly guidance over hard and fast rules. This is partly because what you call yourself, your characters background and personality, and their personal objectives, really make no real difference to your abilities. However, what is important from a game play perspective, is whether your character is more inclined to Lasers or Feelings (hence the name...). For Lasers think science, logic, reasoning, and for Feelings think compassion, passion, and rapport. In deciding how their character typically responds to situations, players will choose a number from 2-5 to be their Laser Feelings number. Choosing lower on the scale will typically mean your character rolls well for Feelings, and choosing higher favours Lasers.
This is where the actual gaming mechanic proves itself to be both accessible to new players and incredibly satisfying to people already familiar with RPGs. Upon being presented with a challenge, or when a player attempts to do something the GM perceives as suitable risky, a player will be called to make a roll for Lasers or Feelings, depending on how the player is approaching the problem or what the problem is. Rolling for Lasers, the player is required to roll a D6 and achieve on or below their Laser Feelings number, and rolling for Feelings they aim for on or above this number.
For example, in a recent game I had a player attempt to hack a computer. This usually would have been a role for Lasers. However, the player quite rightly suggested that as a Feelings-heavy Android (with a surprisingly advanced emotion-chip, I assume) they were tackling this task more along the lines of computerised seduction. Therefore, I saw no reason (because lol) not to allow them to make a Feelings roll.
Of course, more power is given to the player on making a roll if they can explain to everyone how they are prepared for the situation (+1D6), or that they are an expert in matters such as this, "because once upon time etc." (+1D6). Not only does this increase their chances of rolling a critical success, but it affords more opportunity for players to "flashback" to moments in their character's lives. This really enriches a game that lacks depth with regards to lore.
With players and a GM who are willing to really stretch their imaginations, and take full use of terms like "quantum" in explaining how they "reversed the polarity of the neutron flow" to make a truly excellent Space Coffee, this game becomes a series of misadventures to rival that of Space Admiral Don Quixote himself.
"Jet Spaceman" Space Adventurer
As a result of this planning-light and imagination-heavy format, Lasers and Feelings is an ideal game for one-shot adventures when what you really need is to escape the gritty hardships of real life, or your long-running DnD campaign, and save the Universe on your own terms surrounded by good friends.
This was my first experience acting as GM and I can safely say it allowed me to have a lot of fun and my players to revel in as much crazy bad-assery as they wanted, while never spiralling fully out of control into a passing supernova.
And if I haven't persuaded you yet, perhaps that fact that it is COMPLETELY FREE, may sway you? Even if I didn't have quite so many positive words to say about this charming title, are you really going to look a Space Horse in it's Space Mouth?
You can download Lasers and Feelings here: http://www.onesevendesign.com/laserfeelings/
And I highly recommend you check out the music of The Doubleclicks, without whom I would never have played this game:
Lasers and Feelings, The Doubleclicks
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