Blobs : Roleplaying in a world gone Blobby

Introduction

Welcome to Blobs, I'm currently playing around with ideas for a game based on the classic Claymation programs of my youth like Trap Door and Morph. Currently we have some initial design sketches to help me get my head around the idea but I have a plan to a series of game settings based on a world where putty like blobs are the dominant form of life. Firstly I'm working on some ideas for an Blobby ecosystem that holds together and then I plan to get a cave blob setting done. More soon, for now enjoy the pictures.

Small Blobs

From the design pictures to the left we can see some of the basic forms of blobs life. Small blobs tend to be single colour, red, yellow and blue are most common in any selection of 10 small blobs only 1 will be white or black with the others on average an even split between the other colours. Between 1000mm³ and 8000mm³ in volume they are simple creatures squidging around eating grass. If they meet another blob of the same colour the two will merge into a larger blob. When a blob reaches a volume of about 7500mm³ they either learn to ingest smaller blobs and begin on the path to creaturehood or they learn to merge with other blobs to create organs. Organs do occur naturally in the wild but are more likely to occur inside another blob having been ingested.

Creatures

The worm pictured has learnt to ingest smaller blobs and has gained two eye organs, it may well have a number of internal organs already and possibly even a rudimentary brain. Blobs of ths type are know as creatures to seperate them from the pure colour small blobs and organs. Creatures are faster than smaller blobs and (if they have brains) are capable of hunting prey. If they have not gained a stomach a Creature has to hunt constantly in order to keep their volume otherwise they risk shrinking as they expend energy moving around. A shrunken Creature will soon find itself prey to something larger.

Colours and Organs

While small blobs come in five primary colours (red, yellow, blue, white and black) larger blobs tend to be some shade of brown, close examination will often reveal streaks of primary colours visible on them. Organs are blobs which have successfully mixed two colours together this will happen in one of two ways. Merged organs where the two colours have mixed into a new colour (orange, green or purple) such as stomachs and compound organs where the joined colours still have distinct parts such as eyes and brains. Whilst organs are normally formed within a creature they can exist on their own and are still capable of movement and feeding. A lone organ will normally be eaten thought as it's specialisation cannot compete against the more vigourous Creatures. A organ inside a Creature (having been formed there or after being eaten) can form a symbitotic realtionship with it, providing the fruits of it's specialisation in return for safety and energy.

The colours of simple and merged organs are shown below. No other mergings of colors have been seen thet have not resulted in a Creature instead of an Organ.

Basic Blobs Colours

Red

Blue

Yellow

White

Black

Color Merging

Purple (Red + Blue)

Orange (Red + Yellow)

Green (Yellow + Blue)

Dark Shades

Dark Red (Black + Red)

Dark Blue (Black + Blue)

Dark Yellow (Black + Yellow)

Dark Purple (Black + Purple)

Dark Orange (Black + Orange)

Dark Green (Black + Green)

Light Shades

Light Red (White + Red)

Light Blue (White + Blue)

Light Yellow (White + Yellow)

Light Purple (White + Purple)

Light Orange (White + Orange)

Light Green (White + Green)

It should be noted that the Dark and Light shades are very rare due to the rarity of the black and white blobs that make them up. They are often only found in Brains and other complex Organs. There are no other naturally occuring Blob colours.

Common Organs

Brains are merged Organs combining at least three colours and often more, brains are one of the few organs that continue to merge once they've joined a host. The colours in a brain are found in long braids interweaving with each other. Most Creatures will only have one Brain, if any, but a few have two or more which vie for control of the creature. Whilst this can lead to faster reactions and the ability to mutli-task the Brains can argue and this can lead to confusion and in worst cases the Creature will tear itself apart into smaller creatures woth only one Brain each.

Eyes are made up of a white and black part, whilst all blobs have limited light sensitivity Eyes give a Creature the abililty to truely see as well as distinguish colours, which is very useful when a Creature requires new Organs. Due to the low numbers of white and black small blobs in relation to the others Eyes are quite hard to get hold off and Creatures will often attack others in order to stela their Eyes. Most Creatures only have one to two Eyes, Creatures with more find themselves having to fight off attack on a regular basis, attacks they can at least see coming.

A Stomach is a Purple organ that is capable of holding a semi rigid shape, the skin of most blobs is a soft putty like substance but some Organs, like Stomachs have a leathery outer layer. This enables the Stomach to hold a volume of air or undigested food within it. A Blob with a stomach is less subject to shrinkage as it stores it's food in the stomach until it digests it and the removal of food from the Stomach does not cause the blob to lose volume. Many Creatures have more than one Stomach enabling them to go a signifcant time between meals without shrinkage.

Skin is one of the few organs that is found in a number of colours. Like Stomaches, Skin has a leathery outer layer. Creatures wrap themselves in Skin in order to help them keep a certain shape without expending energy allowing for faster movement. Skin also provides it's wearer with a certain measure of protection to the outside world. What the Creature loses in flexibility it makes up for in speed and protection.

Other Life

Blobs are not the only form of life on their world, there is a extensive array of plant life that Blobs can feed off including various grasses and trees. While small blobs eat only plant matter Creatures will eat both plants and other blobs. Organs are unable to eat other blobs, they will merge with them instead, while their symboitic relationship with their hosts provides them with much of their energy requirements they still need certain nutirients. Thus even the most Blobiviourous Creature will eat some plants in order to feed it's internal organs. Only a Creature with no Organs can surivive on a Blob only diet and such a Creature can be incredibly dangerous to other Blobs, lacking a Stomach or Brain and with only the rudimentary senses of a simple Blob is devours everything in it's path driven by it's insatiable appietite.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 UK: Scotland License.

Design Pictures

A larger creature prepares to eat a worm

A Worm (see notes)

Small Red Blob

Small Blue Blob

Small Yellow Blob