Weird Heroes of Public Access: The Role Playing Game
Lights! Camera! Technical Difficulties! Action!
Have you ever dreamed of hosting your own public access TV show? Investigating the bizarre supernatural mysteries of your small town? Now's your chance!
Introducing Weird Heroes of Public Access - the table-top roleplaying game that lets you and your friends step into the shoes of quirky public access TV personalities battling monsters, angry moms, and juvenile delinquents to save your beloved town of Fairhaven.
Under the glow of a relentless full moon, you and your crew of public access heroes will use a simple d6-pool system to quickly get into the action. Time is of the essence as you race to uncover Fairhaven's darkest secrets and protect your show from being canceled!
This 100+ page core rulebook is packed with everything you need, including:
The complete Weird Heroes of Public Access game rules
Selections from Tales from Fairhaven 1 & 2
The WHPA Station Manager's Guide
Over 20 pages of brand new, unreleased content!
If you back in the first 48 hours, you'll even receive an exclusive WHPA-TV patch to proudly display your weirdness.
Public access TV may be a dying breed, but we're keeping the spirit alive. Join us in celebrating the creativity, hope, and confidence of those unsung heroes of the airwaves. Become a Weird Hero of Public Access today!
Grab your ventriloquist dummy, ham radio, and X-ray glasses and get to work! Fairhaven needs Heroes!
Public Access TV?
Public access television holds a special place in my heart. Public access hosts have a distinct level of creativity, hope, and confidence that I find admirable and interesting. At public access’s peak, those involved put in sincere effort that today’s technology has almost rendered obsolete. In WHPA-TV13, that effort has earned them the title of “heroes”.
This game is a tribute to a dying breed of entertainer and a dying breed of entertainment. I get that this project may only be embraced by a niche group of people, and that’s cool with me. We are a small but mighty group who will keep the torch burning. Stay weird, friends.
Where Does the Dough Go?
Funding supports the art, layout, and printing of the project. Â
Here at WHPA-TV13, we have an awesome friend who goes by The Lich. Here is their Twitch channel with all sorts of cool stuff including the hit gameshow Viva La Dungeon: The Liching Hour
We did an actual play together, and boy is it weird!
“WHPA is the best roleplaying game I’ve played in the last decade. Absolutely magical and legitimately my favorite roleplaying game. Really, everything I’ve been looking for in the RPG experience. It’s better than firing up the ole flux capacitor, lighting up the tires, setting the the target date for 1988 and grabbing some hot chicken fried steak at Old Country Buffet with Mr. T.”Â
John “Hambone” McGuire, 321 Action Games and the Vintage RPG Podcast:
“WHPA 13 Fairhaven feels like a fever dream of ephemera full of wild and weird characters, vaudevillian pleasures, and outlaw ideals. A collective memory of children from cable TV-less households during the Cold War, WHPA became the secret language of latchkey kids living on the edge of 174-216 megahertz. The last oasis of independent thought and creative freedom. Viva la Fairhaven!”
Brian Shutter, Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland
"There is a place. The soft static hidden behind the recorded message from a number station. The moment after the TV station plays the National Anthem and goes off the air for the night. An over-contrasted missing person photo. The moment something leaves the safety of your headlights, but you are not quite sure what “IT” was.
The dread in the analog. There is light that pushes back against the static and the dark. The unsung Weird Heroes of Public Access.
Never has a game spoken to my soul as much as WHPA. Never has a game pierced my psyche. Never has a game…"
Stretch Goal #1 Unlocked! WE ALL HAVE SECRETS Zine
WE ALL HAVE SECRETS Zine
At $6,000...
A WHPA-TV13 Zine by The Monster Squad! Shiver at adventure prompts by Levi Combs, Tim Deschene, Ben Grimes, John "Hambone" McGuire, and Brian "Neon Lord" Shutter!
Ian McGarty is throwing his hat into the ring and will have content published in the "We All Have Secrets" zine
Tim Snider is providing pdf copies to all backers of his smash hit "13 This Week" Tim ("Judge Sniderman") is an academic text and TTRPG editor by trade. He has written supplements and adventures for Goblinoid Games and Goodman Games, as well as his own TTRPG, "FIE, I SAY!"Â 13 THIS WEEK
Fanzine for use with the Weird Heroes of Public Access RPG (WHPA TV13)
WHPA Job Postings -- Want to host your own public access show? The station has openings for both Children's Entertainment and Informerical Salesperson! (Two new hero roles for players)
Weekly TV Listings -- Every public access show airing on WHPA for the week of January 10-16 is listed in detail! (Each show offers new adventure hooks and inspiration for your own adventures throughout Fairhaven)
Two WHPA TV13 Special Feature Presentations -- The players will face a possessed roller derby team in "Wiseguys On Wheels" and cultists from The Church of GOTO 10 in "Hello World"! (Two mini-adventures for the Weird Heroes of Public Access RPG)
Stretch Goal #4-Autographed Photo of the Station Manager Because Stu Horvath Asked For It
Stretch Goal #4-Autographed Photo of the Station Manager Because Stu Horvath Asked For It
I love Stu Horvath! You have to check out the Vintage RPG Podcast with Stu Horvath and John "Hambone" McGuire. Listen here: www.vintagerpg.com
Stu is also the author of the must-have history of rpgs, "Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground." Its a must for anyone who is in to the history of the hobby. Learn more here.
Stu wanted the autographed station manager's photo card, so here it goes! I will be signing each one by hand for physical backers!
Stretch Goal #5: Hall of Heroes and Classifieds, Personals, and Advertisements! You get to contribute to Fairhaven. All backers will have the opportunity to submit content to another physical and PDF supplement for WHPA- TV13
Physical fulfillment will be handled by Get Haunted Industries. Shipping will be charged post campaign via BackerKit.
We will be shipping all orders from the US.
We are trying to keep EU/UK/ROW shipping as low as possible, but can't guarantee there will be no import fees. Import fees are the responsibility of the backer. We will also endeavour to provide shipping options that include tracking in BackerKit.
Estimated shipping costs are as follows. We are using weight-based shipping, and you will be charged shipping via BackerKit for the total weight of your pledge and any add-ons.
United States - $8-13 Canada - $19-26 United Kingdom - $19-26 EU - $14-17 US Territories and ROW - $27-38
Note that these are shipping estimates, based on projected book weights. These estimates are subject to change. We will offer tracked shipping options in BackerKit.
The book is written, edited, laid out and ready to print. As soon as the crowdfunding ends, the book will go to print. I hope to have mailings out by February 2025.
Joey Royale has brought you One of Us (sideshow rpg for Dungeon Crawl Classics) with Tim Deschene, Darkest Dice (RPG disguised as religious tract), and Ninja City (80’s ninja RPG), all successfully funded and fulfilled games with solid reviews. Thanks for that, friends. Check out "Joey Royale's Pizza Party" on the Goodman Games YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodmanGames
The Cover Artist, Hayden Hall
Hayden Hall is an artist, animator, and filmmaker residing in Philadelphia, PA with credits spanning from Post Malone to Gatecreeper. His classic approach to art includes painting by hand and shooting only on analog film.
The Exterior Layout Designer, Brian Shutter
Writer/Creator of Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland Hailing from upstate New York, the Neon Lord tirelessly cranks out zines and supplements for Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland as well as a new game Zombie Braineaters: Decay in the USA with John "Hambone" McGuire. You can find his royal slimeness all over the internet and most notably on his Patreon where the Knights of the Slimetable meet!
