I have been working on a new tabletop roleplaying game project for the past year and a half called Battle of the Bands. It is a full campaign and toolbox for Xcrawl Classics in which the player characters are musician adventurers in a band who compete both on stage and in the dungeon. Taking place in the dystopian fantasy world of Xcrawl, it amplifies the intense competition of a made-for-TV death sport with the excitement of a pyrotechnic, high volume concert.
If you are not familiar with Xcrawl, here is a description:
“Xcrawl is a televised death sport where heroes try to survive exploring artificial dungeons. The players take the roles of professional dungeon challengers, AKA crawlers: tough-as-nails athletes, hard-hitting brawlers, spell-weaving blasters, lethally sneaky specialists, divinity-channeling messengers, house-rocking jammers, battle- mad half-orcs, fey-touched gnomes, and more. They face the challenges set forth by the Dungeon Judge, or DJ, who designs a dungeon full of dangerous creatures, perilous traps, deadly obstacles, and incredible treasure.”
XCrawl Classics Role-Playing Game. Goodman Games. p. 8.
In Battle of the Bands, characters must survive the Road, rock the Gig, and win the Crawl.
The Road - In the North American Empire, traveling from city to city to get to the gig on time is a dangerous proposition. Automotive bandits and monsters of the American wilderness present a constant threat. Newer bands may choose the safety of an automobile caravan, while the biggest bands outfit their luxurious tour buses with plated armor, mounted turrets, and professional security forces.
The Gig - Each Battle of the Bands event starts with a music competition. Bands are tasked with promoting the gig, completing special challenges, and putting on a show that will blow away the competition. Winners of this music battle receive rewards that help them in the dungeon, such as special weapons, potions, magic items, and penalties they can assign to rival bands.
The Crawl - The heart of all Xcrawl competitions is the dungeon crawl itself. Crafty Dungeon Judges (DJs) apply their diabolical creativity to presenting a music-themed adventure site filled with dangerous monsters, devious traps, and mind-twisting puzzles. The energy from live spectators and the pressure from a massive television audience keeps the adrenaline flowing as bands face a life and death reality competition like no other.
The first season of Battle of the Bands consists of 8 tour stops across the North American Empire. Every tour stop has a Gig and a Crawl, each of which are performed in front of live audiences and televised for national viewing. Here are short descriptions of each adventure/tour stop:
Rat Rumble in Boston - Head DJ Nick Dagger is the master of ceremonies as the first season of the Battle of the Bands kicks off in Beantown. With a guest appearance from DJ Molly Militia, the competition takes place within the ruins of the legendary Rat music club. Bands will try to climb their way to the top of the initial leaderboard, facing dangers from Rats in the Cellar to Toys in the Attic.
The Big Apple Escape - Competitors must journey across the whole city Warriors-style while threatened by monstrous gangs and sabotage from other teams. DJ Duke Baker has created challenges inspired by new wave, punk, and hip hop that lurk around every corner and within each subway station. Can your band escape from New York?
Axe and Thrills in Jacksonville - Held at the infamous Hell House located deep within gator country, DJ Skinner will have the challengers flirtin’ with disaster. Will your band survive Molly’s Hatchet, the Grinderswitch, and the Whipping Post, or will they boogie no more?
Crimson Karn Evil in Kansas - The cape-wearing DJ known as “The Wake Man” has crafted a hellish and surreal dungeon, featuring a progressively challenging set of encounters. All but the most cunning and creative “carpet crawlers” will have The Wake Man writing their epitaph and making them dust in the wind.
Motor City Shakedown - DJ Sin Claire has embraced any means necessary to turn the legendary Grande Ballroom into an assembly line of death. Competitors may just lose their mind in her motor city madhouse; however, the bands who don’t panic in Detroit have a chance to leave Detroit Rock City with a brand new set of wheels.
The Big Dark - DJ Marshall has rebuilt the Spanish Castle music club in Seattle and turned it into a venue for grunge music and grungier dungeon crawling. Competitors will find themselves down in a hole and deep into the ground, ground. Only the best will survive. The rest will end up a big ol' pile of them bones.
Hate and Ash Buried - DJ Moriarty has re-christened two famous San Francisco streets and created a psychedelic dungeon crawl in which competitors will likely both expand and lose their consciousness. Promotional materials hint at dire wolves, white rabbits, and a purple whale.
The Decline of Western Civil-La-La-Land - DJ XTreme has turned the Los Angeles river flood control channel into her own personal playground for the fearless. Competitors can expect blaring punk rock music, intense skateboarding, and high speed carnage. And a car with something unusual in the trunk, but you don’t want to look in there.
I have started the initial playtesting of Battle of the Bands, and I have set up a Patreon page dedicated to the project. My current design for the final product includes a player's guide, a judge's guide, a campaign guide, and a series of connected adventures. I intend to crowdfund Battle of the Bands upon its completion.
If you want to join me on the journey to bring Battle of the Bands to life, please consider becoming a patron to support the ongoing development of Battle of the Bands. You will have early and exclusive access to Battle of the Bands content and behind-the-scenes insight into the project. Your support will allow me to commission artwork prior to launching the crowdfunding campaign.
Each month, you will receive a packet of content in PDF format. Packets may contain new mechanics, full adventures, NPCs, world-building content for the cities in the campaign, descriptions of important factions, encounters & tables for city to city travel, and judge's tips.
View more details and sign up at the Battle of the Bands Patreon page.
Meanwhile, you can expect this week’s Critical Hit Parader newsletter on the intersection of music and games at it’s usual time tomorrow (every Wednesday at 9:00 AM Eastern).
You can kill conversation as you walk into the room
You're a three line whip and the sort of thing they ban
You're a walking disaster, you are a demolition man
I humbly submit this for the back of volume 2 :)
You're a streetwalking cheetah with a heart full of napalm
You're a runaway son of a nuclear A-bomb
You are the world's forgotten boy, the one who searches and destroys