Line #5 TabletopGame/Hol


1	-->"Warning: Do NOT read further if you are offended by the following sentence:
2	-->'''The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog; what a fuckin' asshole.'''"
3	--> --''[=HoL=]'' Disclaimer, as well as the disclaimer for this page
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5	'''[=HoL=]''', short for "Human Occupied Landfill" is a [[TabletopGames roleplaying game]] originally released in 1994 by Dirt Merchant Games. It's a {{Satire}} of several famous roleplaying systems, plots, and conventions, including ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', the TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness series by Creator/WhiteWolf, and many others. The game was written by two long-time gamers, usually on late nights at a local IHOP, originally as attempt to create their own game based on ComicBook/{{Lobo}} and later to outright make fun of the complicated and often contradictory rules in role-playing games.
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7	Players take the role of a character dumped in the CrapsackWorld that is the Human Occupied Landfill, a PenalColony run by the Confederation of Worlds (C.O.W.) that also doubles as a [[LandfillBeyondTheStars literal galactic landfill]], where everything from candy wrappers to nuclear waste rests alongside the prisoners. [=HoL=] itself is full of gangs, other criminals, and native creatures with the happy name of Fleshtenders to contend with, all for the amusement of the law-abiding citizens of C.O.W. who can watch the planet's prisoners fight as entertainment, via special camera bots called Crickets. The characters must survive and escape by any means possible, but it's not going to be easy. Particularly when the more useful skills a character can have include "Make Sharp Things Go Through Soft Things That Scream and Bleed", "Tolerate Hideous Amounts of Bloody Mutilation and Still Eat Fast Foods," or "Turn Radios Into Howitzers." There's also the added complications of C.O.W's mortal enemy, the [[SdrawkcabName Sedud Neerg Elttil Esoht]], making trouble for the Confederation itself.
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9	Although there are rules for combat, interactions, and using skills using d6s, and the game was play-tested and has been successfully played, the book is mostly meant to be enjoyed as a read and a laugh for RPG fans.
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11	There have been three editions of ''[=HoL=]''. The original has long since been out-of-print; White Wolf later picked it up and published for a time it under its adults-only Black Dog label. It is now published by The Cabil.
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13	An [[ExpansionPack expansion book]], ''Buttery Wholesomeness'' (sometimes ''Buttery [=HoLsomeness=]'') was released 1995, containing the character creation missing from the corebook, new weapons, and other goodies, as well as a short bonus RPG, ''Freebase'' that, amazingly, makes even less sense than ''[=HoL=]''.
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15	----
16	!!This game provides examples of:
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18	* AbnormalAmmo: The flaming gerbil cannon, a grenade that creates rabid monkeys on impact, a moist towelette dispenser cannon. The list just goes on.
19	** "What's more fun than a barrel full of monkeys? A GRENADE, THAT'S WHAT!" Upon detonation, the "Barrel of Monkeys Grenade" flash aged a hundred fertilized silverback gorilla zygotes into adult maturity. [[OhCrap Just think about that for a second]].
20	* AffectionateParody: Although it can be quite harsh, the book was written by two long-time role-playing fans.
21	* BlackComedy: The game's raison d'etre.
22	* CaptainErsatz: Many of the pre-created characters:
23	** The Zinc Surfer (The ComicBook/SilverSurfer)
24	** The Man With No Nām (Creator/ClintEastwood's character from the Film/DollarsTrilogy)
25	** Johnny Carbon and Dredd [=McMahon=] (Johnny Carson and [=Ed McMahon=] of ''Series/TheTonightShow'')
26	** The King (Music/ElvisPresley, naturally)
27	* CharacterCustomization: Averted. In the words of the authors:
28	--> "...we've provided you with lame-o pre-gens to choose from 'cause we didn't wanna waste our time figuring out some half-assed generation system when we could skip the whole ball of guts entirely."
29	** Later played straight in ''Buttery Wholesomeness'', but the Chart Chart is still limited as it's entirely based on random dice rolls.
30	* CompositeCharacter:
31	** Dredd [=McMahon=], a mix of Ed [=McMahon=] and Franchise/{{Predator}}. It doesn't make much sense in context either.
32	** Franchise/{{Alien}} + WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse = Uncle Mickey. Also MakesAsMuchSenseInContext.
33	* CrapsackWorld: The Human-Occupied Landfill is a prison that's also a landfill. Everyone wants to kill and/or eat you. You're also being watched by many people who likely want you dead for their entertainment. Even your ''money'' can attack and try to kill you.
34	* CriticalFailure: Rolling two ones, or snake-eyes: '''"YOU LOSE!"'''
35	--> "Example: Jeff's character, Fizzteeth is trying to tie his shoes. The HM requires a skill role and Jeff rolls snake-eyes.
36	--> The result: Fizzteeth's head explodes."
37	* CriticalHit: Rolling two sixes, or box-cars results in another roll which the player can add to what he's already rolled, and gets to add 1 to their Grace of God pool.
38	* CuteCreatureCreepyMouth: The Wastits look near-identical to the cute Wastems, but can reveal a very large maw filled with sharp teeth.
39	* DeadlyGame: The events of [=HoL=] are filmed as entertainment for the holochannels of C.O.W.
40	* DeusExMachina: The Grace of God pool; a player who has any points in it will be automatically be saved if they say, "Praise Jesus!"
41	** Averted if they have no points and attempt to use Grace of God, they may instead incur the Wrath of God, the results of which are "worse than snake-eyes."
42	* EnfantTerrible:
43	** Babies. They look like normal ones, but [=HoL=] babies are actually engineered by the Fleshtenders, and can destroy you with their sonic mindwarp.
44	** Also, Led Pighp, the mascot of the game. He is the only child to have survived [=HoL=] into double-digit years of age. Even with his {{BFG}} and pet wastit, this is impressive.
45	* FunWithAcronyms: Human-Occupied Landfill ([=HoL=]), Confederation of Worlds (C.O.W.)
46	** The name of the expansion ''Buttery [=HoL=]someness'' can also be officially shortened to "Butt [=HoL=]".
47	* GameMaster: The [=HoLmeister=].
48	* TheGMIsACheatingBastard: "The [=HoLmeister=] is allowed to cheat. Whenever he wants to. Period."
49	* TheGrimReaper: Death is given stats. He's also been forced to hire subcontractors and open a branch office due to demand.
50	* HellHolePrison: Sent to [=HoL=]? You are most likely going to die. Painfully. And violently.
51	* ICallItVera: Led Pighp's plasma cannon "The Harbinger of the Void" and Frank the Were-Guy's pistol "Phyllis".
52	* KillerRabbit: The Wastits, cute little blob creatures that suddenly sprout lots and lots of sharp, pointy teeth. Not to be confused with Wastems, which are both harmless and delicious.
53	** [[GenreBlindness You cannot tell them apart without the Spot Wastit skill, even if the thing is walking away from the hacked up corpse of a baby while holding a bloody butcher's knife]].
54	* LivingCurrency: The standard currency on [=HoL=] are grobules, which are grobling eggs. If you hoard them too long the groblings will hatch and attack their former owner.
55	* NoodleIncident: The one page about a quarter way through the book that is blank, save for the word "ling" typed in the middle of the page.
56	* PenalColony: The original purpose of [=HoL=]; it later was turned into a LandfillBeyondTheStars as well.
57	* PlayerArchetypes: All of the pre-made characters make fun of these archetypes.
58	* PlotArmor: Figuratively, and almost literally. The Dickens Boys were originally collections agents for the imperial library. This being a CrapsackWorld, their job was more dangerous than RealLife repossession agents, so they had to arm themselves. The standard issue body armor they use is called Literature/WarAndPeace Armor, and it's the best armor in the game. Why? Because ''nobody'' gets through ''[[DoorStopper War and Peace]]''.
59	* PunctuationShaker: long vowels are consistently spelled with a macron, e.g. "Hōl" insead of "Hole", "nām" instead of "name" etc.
60	* ShoutOut: Several, as expected with an AffectionateParody.
61	** The Chart Chart, to the character generation system in ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}''.
62	** Uncle Mickey, the abominable hybrid {{expy}} of WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse and the xenomorph from ''Franchise/{{Alien}}''. Yes, it hosts a [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids kid's show]].
63	** "''[[OurOrcsAreDifferent MILLIONS OF FOUL, FETID, FUCKING]]'' ''[[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings ORCS!!!]]'' ''[[PublicDomainCharacter ALL IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN!!!]]''"
64	** The martial arts skill is "That Psycho Creator/BruceLee Shit."
65	** [[Creator/BillCosby Cosby IV, the pudding planet]].
66	** [=HoL=]'s status as the prison planet was established in the Imperial Decree Number S1, "The Tomb of Terror".[[labelnote:explanation]]The infamous D&D module'' TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors'' had the production code S1.[[/labelnote]]
67	* TheSixStats: Averted. ''[=HoL=]'' only uses five. "Meat" roughly corresponds to Strength and Constitution, "Feets" to Dexterity/Agility, "Mouth" to Charisma, "Greymatta" to Intelligence and Wisdom, and "Nuts" to Courage or Willpower.
68	* SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality: There are no women on [=HoL=] because "no woman has been that stupid or unlucky yet."
69	* TestosteronePoisoning: Frank, the Were-Guy, who's so manly every full moon he can only turn into something even more manly.
70	* UnconventionalFormatting: The entire book is scrawled in handwriting. Not a bit of printed text is to be found.
71	** Except see NoodleIncident, above.
72	* UnwinnableByDesign: Hell, it's practically ''Unplayable'' By Design.

Context TabletopGame / Hol