At the Record Plant, 1978

A Lasers & Feelings hack of legendary studio sessions, inter-band drama, substance abuse, sprawling double-LPs, and Michael McDonald

Character Creation

Name: Pick something that sounds good on a marquee
Role: Choose your position in the chaos:

• The Songwriter (tortured genius with too many feelings)
• The Producer (trying to wrangle chaos into commercial gold)
• The Session Musician (professional survivor of everyone else's drama)
• The Manager (keeping the money flowing and the band functional)
• The Muse/Partner (inspiring and/or destroying everything)

Number: Pick 2-5. This is your stat along whatever spectrum the group chooses.
Gear: Start with one signature item (vintage guitar, Neumann mic, little black book, etc.)
Band: Pick something that looks great on the cover of Billboard magazine (and no, we don’t care what your band sounds like)

Choose Your Spectrum

The group collectively picks one thematic axis that defines the emotional core of your campaign:

Spectrum	Low Numbers	High Numbers
Rumours ↔ Tusk	Intimate, emotional, relationship-driven songcraft	Experimental, ambitious, expensive indulgence
Steely ↔ Dan	Clinical precision, obsessive perfectionism	Laid-back groove, "good enough" pragmatism
Yacht ↔ Rock	Smooth, polished, sailing metaphor energy	Gritty, authentic, "real music for real people"

Rolling Dice

When you attempt something with uncertain outcomes, roll 1d6. Add +1d6 if you're Prepared (right gear, connections, substances) and +1d6 if you're an Expert (this is your specialty).

Low Spectrum actions: Count successes for dice at or below your number High Spectrum actions: Count successes for dice at or above your number. Results:

• 0 successes: Disaster. GM says how it goes wrong + roll on Studio Chaos
• 1 success: You get what you want, but there's a cost or complication
• 2 successes: Clean success! Everything goes as planned
• 3+ successes: Critical hit! You get something extra (GM decides)

Rolling your exact number: Golden Hour - you pull it off perfectly AND choose one:

Ask the GM a question about the scene (they answer truthfully)

Gain a Buzz (+1d6 on your next roll)

Spend $5000 to throw a legendary party, reducing 1 Heat

Studio Chaos Table

When you fail spectacularly, roll 1d6:

1. Equipment Failure: The 24-track ate your perfect take / Mixing board caught fire / Synthesizer achieved sentience
2, Chemical Complications: Dealer busted in parking lot / Wrong drugs for this song / Someone confused the coke with baby powder
3. Interpersonal Meltdown: Fighting over the same groupie / Your ex walked in with rival band / Lead singer locked in bathroom
4. Industry Interference: Exec wants disco strings / Rolling Stone showed up unannounced / Manager embezzled studio budget
5. Time/Space Distortion: Been here 72 hours, don't know what day it is / Session was supposed to end in 1975 / Accidentally recorded over Beatles masters
6. Michael McDonald Event: Roll on Michael McDonald table

When Michael McDonald gets involved, roll 1d6:

1. Mysterious Appearance: He's been in the studio harmonizing for three days and no one remembers inviting him
2. Recursive Harmonies: He starts harmonizing with himself, creating infinite smooth jazz loops
3. Equipment Possession: He has somehow become one with the multitrack machine
4. Temporal Displacement: It's actually 1982 and he's been here the whole time
5. Universal Solvent: His backing vocals improve everything they touch, but also make everything sound like a Doobie Brothers song
6. Michael McDonald Singularity: All music in Los Angeles temporarily becomes Michael McDonald

Heat System

The band shares a Heat track (0-10) representing industry attention, legal troubles, and general chaos.

Gain Heat when:	Reduce Heat by:
You fail spectacularly (+1-2) You cause public scandals (+1) You cross powerful industry people (+2) You break into rival studios (+1-3)	Laying low for a month (-1) Paying substantial bribes (-1 per $5000) Having a hit single (-2) Blaming everything on drugs (-1, but gain a Substance Problem)

Consequences:

3-4: Industry gossip, rival bands circling
5-6: Record label pressure, tabloid attention
7-8: Federal investigation, all-out band warfare. Ambushed during next session
9-10: Congressional hearings about rock music corrupting America. All public rolls take -1d6

Money & Substances

Track Cash in thousands. Studio time costs $1000/day. Substances cost $500/type and provide +1d6 to creative rolls but -1d6 to everything else.

Going Broke: At $0, you're desperate. Take -1d6 on all High Spectrum rolls until you score a gig.

Overdoing It: Taking multiple substances in one scene requires a Heat roll or face consequences.

Scenario Generator

Roll 1d6 for each category:

Subject (who's causing drama): 1. The lead singer 2. Record executive 3. Rolling Stone journalist 4. Your ex who inspired the hit single 5. The coke dealer 6. Michael McDonald

Action (what they're doing): 1. Steals 2. Sabotages 3. Records over 4. Exposes 5. Falls in love with 6. Michael McDonald-ifies

Object (what's at stake): 1. The master tapes 2. Your songwriting partner 3. The Grammy nomination 4. The tour bus 5. The band's signature sound 6. Michael McDonald (himself)

Consequence (what might happen): 1. Billboard #1 hit 2. Messy public breakup 3. Bankrupt the label 4. Legendary album 5. Bitter 20-year feud 6. Summon more Michael McDonald

The Grey Ledger Society + CGCG Helix = CC BY-SA 4.0