The Neighborhood
The Neighborhood is a campaign set in a suburban North American neighborhood sometime in the '60s or '70s, where players take on the roles of the animals that populate the Neighborhood. The setting can be used for a one-shot or as an entire campaign. The goal is to create the sense of mystery, wonder and exploration that one had as a child exploring backyards and vacant lots.
Introduction
The Neighborhood is a campaign set in a suburban North American neighborhood sometime in the '60s or '70s, where players take on the roles of the animals that populate the Neighborhood. The setting can be used for a one-shot or as an entire campaign. The goal is to create the sense of mystery, wonder and exploration that one had as a child exploring backyards and vacant lots. The Neighborhood is designed as a framework. Some locations, peoples and animals are specified, with potential for adventure and conflict, but it is up to the GM and players to create specific characters and breath real, detailed life into it.
Players can play as domesticated animals, such as dogs, cats, or house-birds, closely tied to their human owners, or they can play their wild counterparts, stray cats, runaway dogs, or lost birds. Characters can also be one of the many wild animals that naturally occur in neighborhoods, rats, mice, pigeons, raccoons, possums, blackbirds and squirrels. The setting is based on the assumption that the animals are sentient beings, who behave as the animals they are, but have emotions and think rationally like humans. They may still be guided by their instincts and do not have a strong understanding of human emotions and behavior beyond where it directly affects them. This adheres to the model of animals as found in most fiction, such as Watership Down, the Secret of N.I.M.H., Charlotte's Web, etc. The setting could be played much more realistically, with animals having limited rational intelligence and communication abilities (dogs bark, cats meow, etc.). You could take it to the other extreme and have the animals be as intelligent as humans, perhaps even being able to communicate with humans.
The type of animal the PCs choose will strongly direct the motivation and conflicts of the game. One of the most interesting aspects of this setting is the relationships between the various animals groups. Depending on the nature of the adventure, different species may cooperate, in spite of their instincts. The cat may have to grudgingly rely on the mice to get information for him. The dog may allow the cat to pass through the yard if the cat can steal him a snack. The squirrels and birds may make a food and information sharing agreement. The game could also be run "naturally" where the dogs and cats are truly rivals, the cats hunt the birds, mice, and squirrels, etc. There is plenty of conflict inherent in such a setting. It's up to you! The adventure ideas at the end of the article assume that the animals will want to work together.
Rules Additions
New Traits
Obedience: Because Fudge was designed by humans, the higher the obedience, the "better" the trait. However, from a dog character's perspective, a high obedience is not necessarily a good thing. A dog with a high obedience may often succeed at a roll and thus be forced to follow the desires of his master. Obedience is a situation that can make for interesting roleplaying as well as create the strange situation where a player may wish to fail his roll! For instance, a dog may discover an enemy in a vulnerable situation and attack. If his owner sees this and calls him back, the dog must fail his obedience roll to keep fighting.
Instinct: Instinct, like Obedience, is also "backwards." However, it affects a wider range of animals. Certain animals have strong instincts and sometimes they are so powerful that they overtake the animal's will and make it do something the player might not want to do. A tom may be forced to pursue a cat in heat. A mouse may be forced to cower in fear or run away from a cat. A mouse may also be compelled to take that nugget of cheese sitting on the metal spring! Again, these are cases where the player will want to fail his or her instincts roll. There are times when strong instincts are beneficial, such as in helping a cat find a hidden prey or a mouse discover a hidden exit.
Note: the GM can reverse these traits, calling them Resistance to Obedience or Instinct Discipline if it makes it less complicated and counter-intuitive. They can also discard them altogether if they don't want to add this component of roleplaying to the game and allow the players absolute free will.
The Animals
Cats
Cats tend to be house-cats or strays, though there is a gradient between these as there are some cats who spend all their time outdoors, but are fed regularly by a human. Cats have a range of personalities and goals, and because of their mobility and easy access to both human and animal worlds, can be the most interesting characters to play. They are also the most aggressive animals and often hated or feared by many of the other animals (except most dogs). Cats have a complex hierarchy and territory system and a lot of their lives are spent in establishing their place in the pecking order and defending or expanding their territory.
Dogs
Most dogs tend to have human owners. There are few strays. Dogs also come in a range of types and motivations, as well as a range of liberties. Some dogs may never be let out of the house, except for leashed walks; while others may be given free range of their backyard or even complete freedom.
Squirrels
Most squirrels live inside trees, either in holes higher up or in spaces underneath their roots. They forage for nuts and other food, and are extremely agile and mobile. They are also very verbal and aggressive. Some animals find them irritating, as they will sit on a wire looking down and criticizing the other animals in a loud voice (which sounds like weird chittering screeches to us humans). They especially love to berate humans, who, if they understood what was being said, would be deeply insulted. Squirrels are also big gossips and love to share information. If you can take the time to suffer their haranguing, they can provide a lot of useful knowledge about activities in the Neighborhood. They avoid cats and most dogs.
Mice
There are two groups of mice, field-mice and house-mice. They are both the same species, but have different cultures. The field mice tend to stick together in family groupings and help each other out. The house mice also live in family groups, but in smaller sizes and their members tend to act more independently, surviving and getting food on their own. All mice are incredibly timid and nervous, and are especially scared of cats. However, if they can be befriended, they are excellent infiltrators and also have a lot of information about what goes on inside houses.
Rats
The rats are tough and mean. They tend to live outside of (and under) the Neighborhood (on the other side of the tracks), but occasionally one or two will make their way down Parker Street. They command the sewers and must be negotiated with if any other animal wants to use them for transportation.
Birds
This is a coverall category for all the different birds that nest and socialize in the Neighborhood: blackbirds, robins, sparrows, crows, pigeons, etc. They tend to remain socially aloof from the other animals, being more concerned about their own social affairs. But they can deliver messages from afar and attack in groups, either dive-bombing or dropping scat on their opponent, which can be most effective against individual humans or dogs.
Raccoons
These masked bandits are tough and smart. They operate at night, and their main concern is getting food. They will eat from garbage cans, gardens, and kitchens, if they can get inside. They are not aggressive, but will fight if cornered. Most raccoons are not particularly social with other species, but can be persuaded to communicate with food or access to food.
Players are welcome to take on any other species the GM feels is appropriate.
Description of the Neighborhood
The center of the Neighborhood is Parker street, between Elm to the north and Oak to the south. It is a middle class residential neighborhood on the edge of a medium-sized city. It has a two-lane street and a tree-lined sidewalk. Most of the houses are one or two-story single-unit dwellings with front and back yards. There is an alley running behind both sides. The alleys are a favorite route for the dogcatcher, a relentless and disciplined city functionary who wears a white suit and drives a white truck (fortunately, he always eats spicy baloney sandwiches and thus can be smelled quite easily). Rainwater is collected in gutters and flows down drains at each end of the street. These drains are connected to the sewers which can also be accessed by manholes in the street. The sewers also connect to houses through drains and some animals (mainly rats) can access the interiors of houses this way.
Children play in the streets in the summer and after school, and they come home when their parents call them. Laundry is hung out on lines in the backyard. When the weather is nice, many families keep their front door open. Crime is low, but not non-existent. Residents are truly of the middle class that flourished in North America after the Second World War. There are tradespeople, salesman, young professionals, teachers, service industry workers, manual laborers, a house of students, an "artistic" couple and some just struggling to get by. Socially, it is a fairly open place and most neighbors know each other, though there are a few who keep to themselves.
There are four seasons and the weather can affect various animal groups' behavior significantly. Some of the municipal trees produce fruit (mainly small plums) which are a favorite of birds and local children. There are many gardens in the backyards which present a cornucopia of food for many different animals. When the weather is warm, the pets go out more and the wild animals are more active. When it's cold or snowing, domestic animals can be trapped indoors for days at a time and many of the wild animals will hibernate.
Specific Locations
The Rollins House
The Rollins family are the "poor" family in the Neighborhood. Though they are actually okay people in many ways, they do not conform to the social mores of the Neighborhood and are thus shunned by many of their neighbors. Their yard is a mess, with a junked car, old tires and other car parts spread around, all surrounded by a rickety 6' high wooden fence. Buddy, their German Shepherd, spends most of his time chained to a post there and is quite aggressive and ferocious. He barks at anyone who walks by and will attack any animal that enters the yard. Judd Rollins, the father, is a truck-driver and alcoholic, away for weeks at a time. His wife is also an alcoholic and their three kids (Kenny 16, Norma 14 and Eddie 8) are always getting into trouble. Other parents warn their children about hanging around with the Rollins.
The Vacant Lot
This plot of land, three houses south of Elm street, on the eastern side of Parker, belongs to the McWiley family. Old Man McWiley lived there for the longest time with his dog Moses. When he died, his children tore down his house and then got into a fight about what to do with the land. The fight has turned into a stalemate and the lot has become neglected and overgrown. When the old man died, his dog Moses ran away. He returned to the lot and now makes his home in what's left of the basement of his old house. The lot can be accessed from the street, from the alley behind and from the neighbors' house on either side. Moses is a wise dog and will speak with any animal that comes to see him. He is considered an excellent source of counsel and his lot is seen as neutral ground for the animals, where they can come and discuss problems that affect them all. Children do play here from time to time and some of them know about Moses, though most adults don't. He gets his food where he can.
The Red House
The narrow, dark-red shingled two-story home is rented by the Manfreds, a young couple relatively new to the Neighborhood. They are both "artistic" and are the first of a new generation that is not necessarily following the same cultural past as the others on the block. Jacob works at a local typesetter in town and paints in the evenings and weekends. Linda stays at home, tries to write and take care of the house. She loves animals, especially cats and feeds a lot of the Neighborhood strays (though many of them aren't actually strays, just taking advantage of an extra free meal). They have two parakeets (Gargantua and Pantagruel or "Gargy" and "Panty" as Linda calls them) of their own, but do not own a cat (Jacob isn't ready).
The Mansion
Doctor Ernest Jablonsky is a well-respected member of the community and lives in "The Mansion," as it is known, with his old aunt on the southwest corner of Parker and Oak. He has a busy practice as a General Practitioner in town, organizes well-attended dinner parties from time to time, and is known by the children to have the best porch and treats on Halloween. He has a small lab in his basement where he practices his second love, taxidermy. He contributes to taxidermy journals, attends conferences and is recognized in the field for having invented some new techniques.
White Picket Fence
The classic nuclear family, the Jordans live in a small, two-story house with a neat front lawn and a swing-set in the back. Mr. Jordan (Robert or Bob to his friends) works at the firm and his wife Elizabeth keeps house. Timmy, 12, is a good kid, a boy scout, and spends most of his time with Lucky, his border-collie, trying to shake his pesky kid sister Suzy. Lucky is smart and obedient and lives to serve and protect humans, especially the Jordans.
Mrs. Brewster's House
Hetty Brewster is the classic grandmother. She lives in a one-story bungalow and often sits out on her front lawn with her dachshund Libby. She contributes regularly to the SPCA and has gone out of her way to help injured or hungry animals. She is also well-loved by the children in the Neighborhood, to whom she gives cookies from time to time. Though old and starting to get mentally weak, she is quite tough still and works in her garden in the back when she's not out front. Her husband left her a lot of money when he died, which she keeps invested, spending only enough to keep herself comfortable and make her charitable donations.
Colonel Manley's Backyard
Colonel Manley may or may not have fought in the war, though everyone in the Neighborhood refers to him as the Colonel, as in "Don't go in the Colonel's backyard!" He has a high, secure fence protecting his extensive and abundant garden. He is obsessed with defending it against rodents, neighborhood dogs, and childrens' balls. He has a small salt-gun that he will not hesitate to use on intruders. Any balls that go over the fence will never come back. His front yard is an immaculate lawn and he is just as ferocious about defending it. He tends to use his high-powered hose on any dogs that walk on it.
Adventure Ideas
Dogcatcher
The Dogcatcher has finally caught Old Moses, the wily old sage of the vacant lot. The rest of the animals must get together to rescue him before he is put to sleep.
Saving Little Timmy
Little Timmy Jordan (or his sister) has (fallen in a well, gotten trapped in a cave, been kidnapped) and it's up to his dog Lucky to rally the rest of the animals to save him.
The New Rats
Judd Rollins is halfway through hauling a container from the west coast to the east coast. He decides to stop at home and leaves his truck parked in the Neighborhood. Some tough and mean wharf rats from Hong Kong have smuggled themselves aboard and decide that the Neighborhood looks like a perfect place to exploit. They sneak out of the container, find a nest and start breeding.
The Doctor
Stray cats are disappearing, so are squirrels. The smell of death emanates from the garbage outside Doctor Jablonski's old manor. The mice swear that he has an extensive laboratory in his basement where he spends all night working...
Animal Day
The animals unite and decide that the Neighborhood is theirs to inherit and they decide to take it over from the humans. The campaign starts with sabotage and will not end until every last human is driven out...
Mrs. Brewster's Nephew
A well-dressed, polite young gentleman starts calling on Mrs. Brewster. He helps her out around the house, has dinner with her and brings her presents. She introduces him as her nephew. He is not, however, as friendly with animals as she is and seems quite interested in the state of her will. When Libby shares her suspicions with the other animals, they decide to investigate...
The Mind Thing (read the book by Fredric Brown)
A small, streamlined object crashes into the vacant lot. Inside is an alien with the ability to possess any sleeping, sentient creature and make it its host. It's goal is to eventually possess the most powerful creature on the planet but in order to do that, he must first make his way through the animals...
