Babewatch, the roleplaying game of hot lady lifeguards and hunky "David Hasslehoff"s, is a free download from Beyond Belief Games. Written by Simon Washbourne with artwork by Jay Forster, Babewatch fills a vital – no, NECESSARY – niche in the world of roleplaying games. As spring hits and summer begins to loom overhead, it’s time to pull out the imaginary bikinis and patrol the beach. Babewatch is the roleplaying game to mix adventure, romance, and amazing montages of hot ladies diving through the waves.
Babewatch is an 8-page PDF file, with a smattering of original art and clipart. You can also snag a character sheet for Hunks and Babes if needed. The game is formatted in a basic two column layout. Nothing fancy – but it’s free. The game contains a simple introduction, character creation rules, game system, and 18 ideas for episode plots.
Character creation is straightforward, fast-paced, and "sunny". First, you decide whether you want to play a Hunk or a Babe. Next, you distribute points between three attributes – Body, Brains, and Sex Appeal. Hunks need a minimum of 5 in Body. Babes need a minimum of 5 in Sex Appeal. From there, you choose ten skills for your epic beach guardian, ranging from the ever useful Beachcombing to the popular Getting Attention. Next, you roll your tropical d10s and pick up three random traits from a list. Traits give your character bonuses to different skills or actions, like “Ex-Marine”, “Posture”, and “Trim Waist”. Then, you are done, ready to catch some sun and stand with hands on hips, staring off into the sunset.
The game delves into a basic game system at this point. When your glistening lifeguard has to tackle the drunken beach bum, you roll either a D10 or D20 and want to get below your skill or related attribute. If you have the skill in question, you roll the D10. If your character doesn’t have the skill, you roll the D20. Contested actions work similarly – you just roll against your opponent. Success only comes when one person succeeds and the other fails. If you both fail, you both look like amateurs. If you both succeed, you tie – and the action carries on.
Rounding out the game, you get 18 ideas to start into some immediate action. I know some might think exciting, action-packed plots are impossible in a game about busty, muscled lifeguards. Wrong. For example, try NITEMARE BAY - "One of the Hunks or Babes saves the life of an underwater photographer after she is attacked by a supposed sea monster, which the press quickly picks up on, throwing the community into a panic." Awesome. Or try BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - "Inside Sports magazine comes to Babewatch to find the perfect lifeguard model for their swimsuit issue. Meanwhile, swimmers are being attacked by an alligator that is inhabiting the storm drains, and the characters must find a way to capture it before someone gets killed." Score! Anytime you mix flesh-eating alligators with swimsuit photo-shoots -- you've just earned a "bad ass roleplaying game design" award from me!
Finally, Ken St Andre includes an additional idea in the PDF - a pairing of Babewatch and Cthulhu terror! I know Cthlulhu purists might find the idea sickening, but I think the image of David Hasslehoff taking on an Elder Horror from Beyond Time and Space rocks my creative world. I may have to write that game, novel, or comic. Just wait.
Yes, Babewatch is a fun, lil’ game which won’t take long to learn or get going. It can be a great one shot style game when nothing else clicks. You can do it tongue-in-cheek or mix it with some bizarre genre to make it an entirely unusual. As for the downsides, the game system isn’t fully developed, and a few examples would be nice. The writing isn’t the most polished, and the art doesn’t really capture the essence of being a lifeguard (hah). But -- it’s free. You don’t lose anything to download it and give it a shot.
Have a great summer, and watch for my epic Hasslehoff vs. Cthulhu roleplaying experience in the future!
You can find Babewatch at: http://www.geocities.com/simonwashbourne/babewatch.html
