Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Space Love

I wrote some of the lyrics of this for my Cold Space game, but the music is all new, the first I had written on my new guitar. It switches between my normal register and my lower register in the mid-8. When I record this for real, the low part will continue throughout the mid-8, with the higher voice over it.

Space Love

Big Space Liner, Asteroid Miner. Guess which one's goin' to lose?

Cosmic diciples, Laser-gun rifles, all come to spread the news

Off on a comet, Want to get on it? Wish you would come aboard

See you on the Trivox, meet you on the slidewalks, keep you from bein' so bored!

Split the Skies with your ion jets

Do you love me? I'll lay my bets

When you come kiss me, it's just like in a movie, you're my leading lady love

When we hold each other, never want another, we fit like hand into glove

I'm a lonely star pilot, come to cause a riot, look for my lovely girl

Then when I find you, I'm gonna space and time you, gonna set us both in a whirl

Split the Skies with your ion jets

Do you love me? I'll lay my bets

Big orbit baby, free-fallin' lady, do you want your rocket man?

I love you only, you bought and sold me, kiss you whenever I can

I'm a lonely star pilot, come to cause a riot, look for my lovely girl

Then when I find you, I'm gonna space and time you, gonna set us both in a whirl

Split the Skies with your ion jets

Do you love me? I'll lay my bets

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0MttZrl0EeecnU4VWRSM0RCMlE

No Green, No Envy

This song was a collaboration between myself and my old drummer, Angelo Aversa, back in 1975 or so. The words are Angelo's and the music is mine.

No Green, No Envy

Copyright 2017 by clash bowley and Angelo Aversa

No green, no envy - Ahh! That ain't what she said

She said "Won't you come up into my apartment? I'm going to bed"

"You can walk if you want but take on my advice, won't you... tantalize your mind with me?"

Baby. Maybe. Yeah. Hey hey hey hey!

I said "Baby, maybe... yeah!"

No blue, no heaven - Ahh! That ain't what she meant

She said "You're welcome any time of the day or night! Just pitch a tent"

"You can walk if you want but take on my advice, won't you... tantalize your mind with me?"

Baby. Maybe. Yeah. Hey hey hey hey!

I said "Baby, maybe... yeah!"

No red, no rainbow - Ahh! That ain't what she done

She said "I'm ready to pick a partner, honey, but you're not the one"

"You can walk if you want but take on my advice, won't you... tantalize your mind with me?"

Baby. Maybe. Yeah. Hey hey hey hey!

I said "Baby, maybe... yeah!"

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0MttZrl0EeeSVItdEVfTDBRREE

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Summer Never Comes

Here's a new song. I wrote it in 2006 as part of the FTL Now roleplaying game. The lyrics are there in the game, which was a device I also used in the Cold Space game which preceded FTL Now, and is set in the same universe. It's set on earth after the comet hit New York harbor and caused a nuclear winter where it didn't completely destroy everything.

Summer Never Comes copyright 2016 clash bowley

Everyone's walkin' in white, y'see that

Everything's all covered in snow

Everybody's trading in hate, y'know that

They're all gettin' ready to go

All the snow

Fallin' down

On the dead

In this town

I'm gettin' too ragged to roll

Summer never comes

.

Shot another man in the back one mornin'

Ate him for twenty-one days

Carried his meat in a sack forever

Carry him now in my brain

It's so cold

On this road

And this horror

Is my load

I'm gettin' too ragged to roll

Summer never comes

.

I've eaten everything that moves, and then some

Eaten anything not nailed down

Rather eat a rat than get laid, I tell you

Did that in some Michigan town

It's so cold

I'm not proud

Teeth just chatter

Right out loud

I'm gettin' too ragged to roll

Summer never comes

.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0MttZrl0EeeZTY2WVpZY2VyTGc

Thursday, January 26, 2017

The Martian Rock

This song is a Bo Diddly beat, which is always fun! It was written for my Cold Space RPG, but I've changed the lyrics since.

The Martian Rock Copyright 2017 clash bowley

Whenever I see that Martian Sun I wanna take out my laser gun Poppin’ off Greenies one by one! Shootin’ Greenies is so much fun!

(Chorus) Do the Rock, Do the Rock, Do the Martian Rock Do the Rock, Do the Rock, Do the Martian Rock

Whenever I see that Martian sand I feel my laser in my hand Greenies crawlin’ after me! Shoot ‘em down, one-two-three!

(Chorus) Do the Rock, Do the Rock, Do the Martian Rock Do the Rock, Do the Rock, Do the Martian Rock

Whenever I wear my wartime boots I see them Greenies and start to shoot A night on the town and we're feelin' fine Boy we had ourselves a time

(Chorus) Do the Rock, Do the Rock, Do the Martian Rock Do the Rock, Do the Rock, Do the Martian Rock

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0MttZrl0EeeMjhsWTFXdUtUaVE

Swim Sheba

This song uses my lower register. I never used to sing in this range. It's a fast 6/8 with lyrics from a post apocalyptic future, specifically my game FTL Now.

Swim Sheba Copyright 2017 clash bowley

Salt Liquor! It tastes of the best and it makes you so wild Oooh, Sheba! Nothin', never never nothin's gonna get you so high Cry Tiger! Take a little sip and, take a little sip and Poor baby! Lost off the bridge let the wind take your cry And she sings!

Cool Lucy! She got in her hand a smooth nylon rope Cha cha Charlie! Sheba's long gone and you ain't got no hope Swim Sheba! Gotta make it fast now, gotta make it fast now Poor baby! Wolves on the street and they come at a lope And they sing!

Cool Lucy! Ooh ohh little darlin', it's the best of your life Swim Sheba! Swallow the sewers, you swallow your pride Go Sheba! Gotta get ahold now, gotta get ahold now Poor baby! Sharks in the water they come at a glide And they sing!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0MttZrl0EeeM2pIb3lsRnd5LUE

The Last Romantic

I just recorded a crap straight version of one of my songs, The Last Romantic - just one track, amp down to like 1.5 to avoid clipping, no enhancements whatever. Enjoy!

The Last Romantic Copyright 2016 clash bowley

Hang on down the Moebius Strip ah Joe hands me a beer an' I take a sip Wishin' and a-hopin' of just bein' with you Thinkin' 'bout the things that we'd say an' do (Chorus)

Now I see you step into your Z-16 An' the man that's with you babe does he look mean Well he don't scare me with that evil glance 'Cause I'd kick his head in if I got the chance (Chorus)

(Mid 8)

Now I see you step into your Z-16 An' the man that's with you babe does he look mean Well he don't scare me with that evil glance 'Cause I'd kick his head in if I got the chance (Chorus)

Well Joe he said you know an' I said I knew That I'd have to be be a billionare babe to buy a night with you He got his rockets babe but I got my dreams An' things ain't always y'know what they seem

Chorus: 'Cuz I'd walk all the wway to Singapore T' be with you babe right at your door Oooh I'm sufferin' babe whay can't you see? Oh sweet lord I'm in Misery Misery I'm in mis-mis-mis-mis-mis-mis-misery

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0MttZrl0EeeNURPZHNMV1NtMGs/view

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Twice the Helkaraxe!

Currently, both my Saturday face-to-face group and my Sunday IRC groups are in Helkaraxe! The Sunday group was not unexpected, as it was this group, with their exploration-on-a-shoestring concept that made me realize i needed something like Helkaraxe in the first place! Their ship - a big old former military ship - couldn't generate enough Thrust Units to exit either solar system and enter the other. They had to either get a newer, more powerful ship, or I had to create Helkaraxe. Helkaraxe is a rogue gas giant with eight moons - some of them planet sized, and all ice-covered - outside either system, and the negligible cost to enter and exit makes it a natural place for a gas station or four. By refueling at Helkaraxe, they would have enough Thrust Units to brake into the new, unexplored Numenor system. They chose to keep their big old ship - because potential problems! - and go through Helkaraxe! Yay!

Above is a schematic of their ship, an ancient Bintaur Pregnant Pause vessel. The two arms at the front each carry an arc-segment shaped living quarters, rotating to give spin gravity. The rest of the ship is under microgravity except when under thrust.

Now the Saturday group was a different story! They are not explorers, but technology hunters, and were focusing on the former Eldar world of Varda in the Manwe system. the Eldar left Varda long ago, and in the meantime, it cooled and in undergoing glaciation. The tech hunters - operating under Church licenses - look for Eldar Tech left behind, in pockets of unglaciated land or sea. They had just completed a very profitable job on a pocket kept warm geothermally in the northern areas normally fully glaciated, and were looking for a new place without so much competition. One of them thought if Helkaraxe was known to the Eldar, maybe they built there, and looking through the legendaria decided they very well may have. Unlike Varda, without a sun, the ice on Helkaraxe's moons is stable, at liquid helium temperatures, and does not move, unlike the glaciers of Varda. If they built on the ice, it should still be there!

With that, they formed a new company - or rather, since they are an autonomous branch of Wayland-Yutani, they created a shell business unit, ostensibly a mining and prospecting organization, and purchased the new supplies - equipment to survive in the utter cold and complete dark of Helkaraxe - through it. This was to deceive any other tech hunters who might be watching them after their big success. There is plenty of mining being done in Helkaraxe, wo they would not raise any alarms there. Then they renamed their ship and transferred ownership to the shell company. Next week they will be in Helkaraxe!

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Gaming in Helkaraxe

A great game today for Out of the Ruins! The group reached Helkaraxe from Valinor in order to refuel for their attempt at jumping to Numenor, a never before explored star system. Helkaraxe is a rogue gas giant about 4 LY from Valinor with eight icy moons and four stations.

There is no sun for Helkaraxe and the planet and moons are visible only as black silhouettes against the dusting of stars, like the illo below. After being warned that gazing into the dark has bad effect - leading in some cases to catatonia, four PCs tried it, and two got caught.

The balance was spent trying to get then to WANT to come out of it! They were shot full of adrenaline and packed in ice, coddled and strapped down. Some really terrific roleplaying from my Sunday gang! Thank you all guys!

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Aerodromes/Aeries and Swamps for Sabre and World

Finished my last setting creation table for StarCluster 4 - Sabre and World, and it may be the best yet! :D

"Yes, yes ... soon my minions shall launch their Thorium Fliers from the Temple of Flight and crush those swamp dwelling Crustacean Men of the Floating City forever!!" - Brian Isikoff

"An ancient ruin clings to a crumbling mountainside shelf where gaping worm tunnels burrow deep into the stone. Below stretches a floodplain inhabited by devolved ancients squirming in quicksand pools rife with near sentient molds dreaming of potentialities unclean." - Alan Kellogg

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Factions for StarCluster 4 - Sabre & World

Factions - generally speaking i hate factions in an RPG. They always seem arbitrary and pointless, and usually are cartoonish. But I do like the idea of there being factions in the world, because that's politics, and that's real. Here is my implementation of them in Sabre & World...

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Helkaraxe Released!

Just released! A supplement for StarCluster 4 - Out of the Ruins

Helkaraxe

Helkaraxe, a bridge of ice from Manwe to Valinor and back, for those who do not have the ships to make it

Helkaraxe, A place of utter dark, black on black, shades on shades, where the only light is from stars and stations

Helkaraxe, the ultimate freedom and the ultimate opportunity, the ultimate frivolity and the ultimate prison

Helkaraxe, where Morgoth Bauglir whispers into your soul

In Print from Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/shop/clash-bowley-and-klaxon-bowley/starcluster-4-out-of-the-ruins-helkaraxe/paperback/product-23014037.html

As PDF From OBS: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/202149/StarCluster-4--Out-of-the-Ruins-Helkaraxe?manufacturers_id=111

As PDF From Precis International: http://www.pigames.net/store/product_info.php?products_id=858