The kids of today should defend themselves against the ‘70s.

They should defend themselves against Bigfoot, against grave-robbing aliens, against Los Angeles vampires, against devil cars, and against evil corporations trying to replace everyone with lookalike androids.

They should do this because it’s fun!

Two tastes that go great together.

Welcome to Against the ‘70s, the place where 1970s movies collide with 21st century role-playing games, and I pick up the pieces and smoosh them back together. Every week, I’ll write about a 1970s movie, then find something from it to put in a role-playing game. Monsters? Of course! NPCs? You bet! Character options? Natch!

Over the course of this newsletter, I’ll be looking at films from the 70s, from the popular to the obscure, from horror and science fiction to drama and comedy. The first four will be Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977), The Car (1977), Klute (1971), and The Muppet Movie (1979). Future films include Logan’s Run (1976), Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Roller Boogie (1979), Soylent Green (1973) and The Goodbye Girl (1977). What kind of game material can I wring out of Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl? I have no idea, and that’s part of the fun. Currently, my rpg of choice is the Cypher System by Monte Cook Games, but I’m open to branching out to other games, if the demand is there.

Who? (1974, Jack Gold)

I’m Kent M. Beeson, an rpg player and game master for 35 years, for such games as Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and Feng Shui. I’ve been a film critic for Comixology, and have been writing about movies, on- and off-blog, for nearly 18 years. These days, you can find me on Twitter at @Kza and @bestalbum95, home of the world’s longest-running Twitter music bracket tournament. Also, Jaws is the best movie ever.

What Do I Get as a Subscriber?

All Against the ‘70s movie posts will be free to read. Feel free to use the game material posted there in your own Cypher System games, or otherwise inspire you for your current rpg system. (If you do use it, shoot me a line to tell me how it went!) If you would like to support my work here, subscriptions are $5/month. This is the same as the highest tier on my Patreon, which means you get free downloads of all the rpg products I publish here, plus each month you will be able to vote on a 1970s movie for me to cover, plus once per month, you can straight-up pick any 1970s movie for me to cover, pending availability. All that for only a $1.25 a week!

Right now, I will be publishing a small rpg book at the end of each month, in support of the Cypher System. The books will cover new player options, new creatures and setting material for the GM, and of course, adventures. (The first book, Owns the Road, is available now!) I plan to branch out into other games in the future, including Cortex Prime and LUMEN. I even have an idea how to combine ‘70s cinema with Dungeons & Dragons without compromising either. Stay tuned for that!

Does Mike Watt Have Anything to Do With This?

The title of this newsletter comes from the Mike Watt song, “Against the 70’s” from his album Ball-Hog or Tugboat?. The song is about exhorting the youth of the ‘90s to find their own voice and not fall back on the nostalgia of their elders. Unfortunately, my use of the title and some of the lyrics completely subverts the original intention. Mr. Watt, I’m very sorry. I think you’re great, for what it’s worth. Jam Econo forever.

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‘70s movies are the chocolate. RPGs are the peanut butter. This is the result.

People

70s film enthusiast, TTRPG game master, a fan of the World's Phoniest Bat.