7TV Campaign: Behind The Scenes Shenanigans...

In 7TV, an actual game represents your cast and crew filming a scripted episode or scene, complete with special effects and so forth.

However, in the context of a campaign, between games each player also gets to find out what is happening off-screen, whether that's in your show's production office ("What do you mean, Benny the accountant is missing?"), at an awards ceremony ("I owe it all to my pet budgie...") or (oh dear) in the tabloid press...

By way of example, therefore, here's an extract from The Stage, concerning the backlot of The S.P.A.C.E. Man show (once again, courtesy of the Doc)...

	“Equality for Extras?”
While it is the big stars themselves that sell a show there are times when the lesser roles in a show play just an important part. Even harking back to the silent films of the 20’s it was the scenes with many hundreds if not thousands of extras that stole the show. But while the life of an extra in film or TV is always one that will pay little, even what little rights they have are often squandered. One such controversy saw me driving my battered 57 Chevy to a disused industrial complex on the outskirts of St Augustine Florida. The old and disused apparatus were quietly rusting in the Florida sun, but pocked between them were stranger sights. Bits of rocket litter the landscape and men in strange uniforms sat around calmly eating lunch. For this was the set of The S.P.A.C.E Man, 7TV’s latest escapade about rockets, spies and action. Except that when I turn up, the only action is two extras dressed in military uniform getting marched off set.  Dicky Mainwaring, the show’s British director and producer took me over to the production van, but not without introducing me to his cast. It was good to meet the blond beefcake that is Rhett Braun and the technical marvel of T.I.T.A.N, (played by P. Mayhugh and voiced by UK-based Pete Horkins). Yet the fact there were few extras was of puzzlement to me.
The cast of The S.P.A.C.E. Man. The two extras fired are far left and right. Mark Bacomill pictured second left  “We had to let our extras go” admitted Dicky once we had settled into our plush chairs and he had poured me some tea (“A memento of home” he tells me). “Our show has to date had few extras in it due to the cost of effects”. This was clearly true, but I had to ask whether it had more to do with the double standards by which the extras were treated. After all, the sacking would not be big news were it was not for the promotion of extra Mark Bacomill from a brief appearance as a simple technician to an “Also Starring” credit. “If there are double standards then it’s to do with the scripted character, not the actor himself.” admits Dicky. “The simple truth is the role Mark played had far more potential than either the pay he was getting or the presence we realised it gave to the show”. I ask him if he knew the two extras were Vietnam vets and that their sacking might be seen as unpatriotic. He laughs and shakes his head. “There is no discrimination. While Mark’s role was expanded, theirs was not. They both wanted more pay for the same role and the studio is unwilling to do that. I have no personal grievances with either of them”. Finally I ask about the manner of their ejection from set. “Oh, that’s because one of them grew angry and started damaging the set. Many parts of the set are from NASA and cost a great deal for us to hire in. But no charges will be made”. No comment came from either sacked extra, But Lorrie Fishbone’s lawyer wished us to know that “legal action may be underway after the case has been assessed”. Meanwhile, The S.P.A.C.E Man is looking for extras to replace the roles lost and is adding one more extra to the cast. If interested please respond to the various advertisements placed in the industry newspapers such as this august organ, via Mr Mainwaring’s PA.

One of the disgruntled extras

7TV Campaign: Into The Breach

(With thanks to Doc Neodynium for this excellent write-up)


The Man From S.P.A.C.E. versus Spy Force UK

S.P.A.C.E. Men: Soldier, Redstone, Technician (foreground), Atlas (background), Soldier AND T.I.T.A.N.

Spy Force UK: Major Erskine, Landrover with Driver (background), Jill Steward and Technician

The nefarious VOSTOK had stolen a C-130 containing parts of a new upper stage booster vital to a NASA Mars mission. Luckily they were forced down but not before dumping the cargo. Fortunately S.P.A.C.E. was nearby and raced to the scene.  With T.I.T.A.N. unavailable due to “technical issues”, it fell to John Redstone and Franz Atlas to save the day.  

Redstone and Atlas infiltrate Spy Force UK's deployment zone

British organisation Spy Force UK, led by Colonel Cato, were also attempting to secure the booster, ostensibly on behalf of their US allies, but also to have the opportunity of taking a look for themselves.

A cordon was created around the industrial site and two components were quickly secured by S.P.A.C.E..  Redstone then managed to power-run from shadow to shadow to rescue a third. 

Redstone makes a break for the fence whilst Spy Force UK are distracted

Realising they were losing the initiative to the Americans, Spyforce UK's landrover  breached the cordon, from whence a mysterious fur clad woman dived out to take one of the components. Meanwhile Cato and his driver also debussed and took an apparent short cut around what appeared to be some kind of vat containing a  (thankfully harmless) chemical in order to retrieve another booster component,  but disaster struck as both slipped in! 

"I'd love to help you out, Major, but it'd ruin my anorak..."

Erskine and his driver swim for it, whilst Redstone looks smugly on

While they were swum for the edge, Atlas tried to take aim at the driver but his conscience stopped him from firing.  Meanwhile John leapt over a fence in a single bound to secure the final component.  With the majority of the booster secure in US hands, and US reinforcements drawing closer,  Spy Force UK withdrew. Victory was S.P.A.C.E.’s and without a shot fired (just)!

Production
The episode was filmed in an abandoned industrial complex. While considered a ratings success, the show was marred with several major flaws. In the original cut, there was a scene in which an unnamed technician played by Mark Bacomill grabbed a component of the booster and run behind a crate. NASA, who thought the episode would run too short, introduced a scene where this same technician met a wandering boy and explained the importance of space. Bacomill's performance convinced the show’s writers to expand the role, and technician Matt Juno was born, a blond farm boy who had studied hard to get a job in NASA. The increased pay for Bacomill (for what was seen as corny acting by other extras playing soldiers) resulted in extras walking off the production. This increased costs for the next episode, though one additional extra was hired.

Character Update
Matt Juno (played by Mark Bacomill)
DOB: 25/09/1951     Height: 5’7     Weight: 160lb     Gender: Male
Affiliation:  NASA     Rank: Level 3 Tech     From: Concord, California

Raised on a farm in Concord, Matthew Luke Juno was a normal American kid with a dream, a dream to be a scientist.  Despite a humble upbringing, he studied hard and never got into trouble, managing to gain a scholarship at Yale.  As part of his course he was transferred to Whitesands as a contractor to work on T.I.T.A.N, then on to Cape Canaveral to assist R.I.S.T. and Dr Atlas. When T.I.T.A.N was transferred to S.P.A.C.E., it made sense for Juno to be transferred in, given his technical knowledge of both John Redstone and T.I.T.A.N..

Trivia:  The urban myth that the malfunctioning booster's sound effect was ripped from Lou Reed’s experimental track “Metal Machine Music Part 2” is just that: a myth. Whilst similar, this episode aired three years before Reed’s track was randomly generated.

Trivia: One of the extras who left was a young Lorrie Fishbone who later described the show as “worthless propaganda”.

7TV Campaign: Desert Dust-UP

(With thanks to Overlord for this excellent write-up)

The Darke versus Riot Squad- In Color!

Parts of a ARC (Albion Rocket Consortium) satellite have fallen to Earth and been scattered across a small, remote desert town.  Riot Squad, training local police in public order, have been dispatched as the nearest available representatives of HM Government to retrieve the vital pieces. 

The unplanned satellite re-entry has not gone un-noticed by Lazarus Darke, who decides to personally lead a team to recover the components, convinced they will yield important data to aid his ultimate goal.

Prologue:

The Director decided that the set was a bit too cluttered for the sweeping camera shots he wanted, so a couple of minor scenery items were cleared (Darke Event: Sparse Location).

Feature:

RAS-AL-BOWRAJ, EXTERIOR

The Darke won the roll and selected a table edge, chiefly deploying in two main groups, each led by Lazarus and Black.  NERO kept a solitary watch.  The Riot Squad formed up in a close formation, clearly expecting trouble in the narrow middle-eastern streets.

The Riot Squad took the initiative and moved forward as a group.  Their Marksman peeled off into a compound towards the first component, and a suitable hide.

Konrad Black moved forward then used his Grapple Gun gadget to sweep up onto a rooftop and recover the first item.  Lazarus commanded a Knight to secure a second component before BLINC*-ing, teleporting himself to a third part of the satellite in the distance.

The cops retained the initiative, with the marksman retrieving their first component before going to ground in a building.  The Squad proceeded in an orderly manner, picking up a second component and sealing off the street.

The Darke held their position apart from a solitary Knight who dashed across the street, in full view of the Police line, to the final satellite remnant.

Epilogue:

A rather low key episode, with each side only vaguely aware of the other. The Darke recovered 4 components, greatly assisted by Lazarus’ teleport SFX.  Points totals were 14 and 7 for each side, giving The Darke 2VP and the Riot Squad 1VP.  Canny use of their Think Tank meant The Riot Squad gained a second VP for deploying a Miniature Camera; 2 all!  However, Lazarus stole a minor victory with an extra 1VP for his Most Wanted SFX.

Ratings War:

With no casualties in the episode the behind the scenes campaign aspect was quickly resolved.  The audience were obviously impressed with the cool control of the Squad in the searing heat (of arc-lights on the gravel pit OB location), winning them a ‘Benny’.  The Riot Squad gained a 10PP bonus for fielding a slightly smaller cast than the Darke and spent only some of their gains on extra event cards for the next episode. 

The Darke studios suffered a mysterious fire, halving the proposed production budget, which halted work on the ground-breaking SFX planned for the next episode.  Its producers decided to improve Lazarus' Alien Pistol marksmanship to a 4+ (10PP), increase Black’s INT to a vaguely cognisant 3 (3PP) and add a female Administrator to the all male cast (8PP). 

* Bi-Locational Inter-spacial Nexus Connector

The Highlights Of This Winter's Television...

The 7TV campaign finally kicked off tonight at Abingdon Wargames Club.  Stiff upper lipped SpyForce UK squared off against the brash American S.P.A.C.E Man, Jimmy Albion and the Nuneaton Ninja crossed paths with the Man from F.R.A.N.C.E. once more and finally the Darke descended upon Riot Squad- In Color!

I'm awaiting critics reviews of the three episodes that were broadcast tonight, and will revise/edit this post as production stills and critics' copy arrives on the desk...

Nothing is certain with Warfare...

Nothing is certain: So much for cracking on with 7TV this Friday past.  A last-minute shuffle at work meant I had to step into some quiz master shoes.  Tsk-tsk.

Warfare:  The Doc, Bowman and I zipped down to Reading on Saturday to attend Warfare, where we bumped into 7 of our Abingdon Wargames Club compatriots (three competing in the various competitions, one supporting a trader and three also there as punters).  It was pleasant enough, but getting round was a bit tight, rucksacks and shoving wargamers notwithstanding (wargamers shoving us, that is, not the other way around).  The layout didn't help, as it felt like we were squeezing past and walking through various games to try to take a gander at those in the centre.  

6 of us crammed into a Legends of the Old West inspired game and even if the bank was robbed, at least my US Marshals helped to stop Lincoln being assassinated prematurely.  There wasn't any game in particular that grabbed the attention overall, but aspects of some were clocked.  There was the cunning use of LEDs in an Aeronef-style game and what looked like a large-scale game based around Cambrai.  Unfortunately, it seemed to take forever to set up, and still really didn't seem to have got going when we left (a good four hours after we arrived at 10am; we really were trying to nail the idea of a leisurely stroll around the show...).

No complaints on the shopping front.  Picked up some trucks from QRF to motorise my ARVN, various odds and ends from Peter Pig for my Vietnam and WWII BEF, got a variety of palm trees from various suppliers to continue jungle building for Charlie Don't Surf, and finally grabbed some Kaiser Rushforth boxes in which to hide the lead pile.  It's almost all out of sight now, y'know...