Sunday, November 23, 2008

See! I'm Not Crazy!

In my really misspent youth, I used to watch Superfriends all of the time. There was an episode with a vampire queen who turned people into vampires by shooting them with rays.

Rays that came from jewels embedded in her fangs.

Now, with the majesty that is YouTube, I can prove that there was a Voodoo Vampire.



In your face!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Uncle Happy's Trailer Bonanza!

Hi gang!

Quick note: Cartoon Action Hour Season 2 is now available at RPGNow and Drivethru RPG. I say order it up for good retro-toon fun!

Yesterday was my birthday but you get the presents!

One of my favorite movies, Fulci's The Beyond!



The amazing Ator l'invincibile 2 (aka The Blade Master)!



and a compilation of great 70's Horror Movies Trailers!



See ya soon!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

A New Character for Cartoon Action Hour Season 2

Recently I ordered a copy of Cartoon Action Hour Season 2 (CAH S2) from the fine folks at Spectrum Games. This new edition of their 80s cartoon roleplaying game is a great revamp. It has streamlines character creation and utilizes a make it yourself trait system that is extremely flexible.

I created a character for the new rules. The CAH S2 book comes with three ready-made cartoon series: Transbots (Transformers), Strikeforce Freedom (G.I. Joe), and the setting I chose, Warriors of the Cosmos (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe). The CAH S2 Playset here gives you a brief background of the setting. So without further ado I give you:

Traloc
“Loyal Lizard Centaur Detective of Shadestar”

Quick Bio: Traloc is a member of a race of lizard centaurs known as the Xoanon. They are refugees from another dimension that settled in Iconia a century ago. The Xoanon live in small communities scattered throughout Iconia. They are usually a reclusive people, but several of the Xoanon have entered the service of the kingdoms in which they reside. They cannot be changed into goop zombies, so Nekrottus usually imprisons them or forces them to work in one of his pet projects.

Traloc’s family lived in the Kingdom of Shadestar, in a small village near the royal lands. He grew up an inquisitive child, and became renowned for his prowess at solving puzzles. As he grew older, Traloc left his village and entered the Shadestar Guard. He soon became the personal detective for the new queen, a young woman named Noblara.

When Nekrottus attacked Shadestar, Traloc helped fight, but was captured by the Blackskull Empire. He was among those sent to the Castle Suspended, a prison run by the disgraced former Shadestar Guard Captain Rezlor. A raid by the Guardians of Iconia freed Traloc and his fellow prisoners. With Noblara’s support, he offered his services to King Rastor and the people of Haven. Today Traloc uses both his brains and his brawn to fight for the freedom of Iconia.

Appearance: Traloc is a Xoanon of average height (five feet tall) and length (four feet long). His upper torso is humanoid, and his lower body is similar to a small rhino with a long tail at the end. Traloc’s scales are green, with shades of gray here and there. His face is lizard like with no nose and eyes that seem to notice everything. When at official functions he wears a blue sash with his family sigils and symbols of his deeds. He always carries a mace given to him by his father when he became a member of the Shadestar Guard.

Factoids: “Former member of the Shadestar Guard” ”Uses both brains and strength to solve cases” ”Cannot be bought” ”One of the few Xoanon who leave their villages” ”Loyal to Noblara”

Subplots: Archenemy (Captain Rezlor), Vow (To help free his people)

Traits: Xoanon Mace 4 [Enhancer +2, Accessory], Tail Slap 3 [Enhancer +2], Trample 5 [Enhancer +3, Disadvantage (Must make a running start)], Scaly Skin 2, Shadestar Guard Detective 4, Xoanon Lore 1, Stamina 3, Brawling 3, Strong 3, Inconvenient Size 2X.

Oomph 2, Threshold 10, Battle Rating 5

Okay, you got me. Traloc is a Zoat. I just had to do that. Once you have a general idea of what you want, character creation is pretty easy. It does have some of the same daunting nature of a “make your own trait” system. It emulates the chosen genre well, and that is always a plus.

Friday, November 14, 2008

We Need a Ghostbusters RPG Retro-Clone and Other Random RPG Thoughts

In no particular order (in fine Larry King newspaper column style):

*There should be a retro-clone of the venerable Ghostbusters RPG. We could call it Phantom Fighters or Ghoul Smashers or something like that. That would rock.

*As I get older, I find myself gravitating to simpler systems. I started out with Red Box D&D. GURPS 3rd Edition with always be one of my great RPG loves. But for now I love simpler systems like Risus, PDQ, and Cinematic Unisystem.

*I see the eras of gaming like the history of rap music. My friend Joe, who has been gaming for since 0eD&D, is from the Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five era. I consider myself from the RUN-DMC/Beastie Boy era of gaming. Okay. Maybe it’s just me.

*It’s a shame that there aren’t more products out for Steve Jackson’s Toon game.

*Sci-Fi Original movies may be lousy, but they would make fun RPG scenarios or miniature games.

*When I went to see Reign of Fire with my friends in the theatre years ago, my first thought was “Well, that was an okay movie”. My second thought was “Ya know, if this was made in the early 90s, Leading Edge Games would have made a board game and RPG about this movie.”

*I personally don’t take a side in the whole GNS gaming debate. I look at that whole business like the East Coast/West Coast rap war. I like artists and works on both coasts, and I don’t really want to pick a side when Biggie and Tupac start arguing about something.

*Part of me wants to use Mutant Future and Labyrinth Lord to run a version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe vs. the Thundercats/Silverhawks/Tigersharks.

*Emmanuelle Vaugieur is hot. I know that has nothing to do with gaming. I just had to get that off my chest.

Mike David out!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Veterans Day!

With respect and admiration I salute those who have fought and died so I have my freedom to do what I do!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Old Campaign Ideas--for YOU!

Here are some campaign seeds for you to use. I originally wrote these up for GURPS about 10 years ago, but they can be useful as a source of ideas for your campaigns today!

CLASH OF THE HEAVENS
A superhero idea.

Mythology and the superhero genre have been going together as long as comics have been around. Many comic book companies have appearances and continuity tied to gods and devils from diverse cultures. This seed involves these mythological forces.

Metahumans are appearing at an alarming rate around the world. This would not be so unusual, except that many of them adopt identities based on mythology. Soon the new metas start banding together and call themselves the gottkinder (roughly translated "god child").

Tensions soon arise as the new metahumans begin to splinter into groups based on classic pantheons. An evangelistic preacher has begun to preach that the gottkinder are demons that are on Earth to bring about the Apocalypse. He has begun to amass weird technology and metahuman mercenaries in an attempt to end their threat.

What's going on? A recent surge of spiritual energy has awakened the meta potential of people chosen by the forgotten pantheons. This choice is usually either a distant descendant of a particular god, or a person "adopted" just because the god happens to like him or her. Most are normal people who call forth a manifestation form, a physical embodiment of his/her power. Each manifests powers and abilities based around a concept or idea.

An annoying side effect is a resurgence of old grudges and hatreds. The gods are subtly manipulating the gottkinder to reenact the past. Hera still bedevils kinder loyal to Zeus. The Celtic and Greek pantheon gottkinder have a cold war going on over the Romans brutal colonization of Britain.

Enemies exist for the gottkinder other than your average supervillains. Some religious people are amassing forces to destroy the "demons". Also, the same force that animated the gottkinder has also resurrected other, darker things as well.

The number of gottkinder can remain the same throughout the campaign, or it can grow or shrink as the GM desires. It could be just an interesting break for a campaign, or this new force can become a regular facet of the PCs world.

Gottkinder Characters

If the GM wants to design gottkinder, the base character should be built as an alter ego character ala Captain Marvel. Each gottkinder has a Human form and a Kinder form that they can change to at will. Most mental skills shared between the forms.
You have the whole range of mythology to choose from. Pick a pantheon and use that as a base to for the manifestation form. Weapons and magic items that never lose a charge or can be taken should be bought as powers with the necessary enhancements and limitations. The fact that it is a weapon is, of course, a special effect.

Yes, I know there are a ton of really good games out there with this very theme. At the time I wrote this there was no real good source campaign material. The Gottkinder would work with any system.


DRAC AND FRANK GO TO IOU
An adventure seed for GURPS IOU

This seed is a tribute to all those Abbott and Costello and House of ...movies of the 40s. It is intended for a Silly IOU campaign.

As the title of the adventure seed says, Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster come to that bastion of education, Illuminati University. The reason? Very simple. The great Count Dracula has fallen in love with the Arch Dean. He will do anything to get her attention.

Being the King of the Monsters (TM), Dracula has brought over some of his friends over to wreak havoc. Yes kiddies, all of the classics are here. The Wolfman, the Phantom, the Creature of the Black Lagoon, the Fly (the cool one with the big ass fly head), Dennis Rodman...all your favorites.

The PCs can be brought into the fray in several devious ways. They could be the victim of a monster attach or scare. One of the deans could ask the players to investigate strange rumors in exchange for leniency for last session’s destruction. Or, in best movie fashion, they could stumble on to it obliviously.

What happens next is a comedy of terrors as the monsters begin to chase the students around campus. Pull out all the great gags: mistaken identities, hypnosis, shape changing, the "fool the monster for a minute" plan, etc. Whatever is planned by the GM. the monsters will stop at nothing to keep the students from telling the ArchDean about Dracula's plan.

The scenario could end with the ArchDean setting up Dracula with a succubus friend of hers. It could get really weird--the ArchDean could accept Dracula's proposal of marriage. The wedding can be an adventure in itself.

GURPS IOU is a great sourcebook. I say search it out at conventions. The setting is worth adapting to other systems.


LO, THE CREATURES AWAKEN
A Giant monsters running about seed.

This campaign/adventure seed involves giant monster akin to the Japanese kaiju films and the classic Kirby/Lee Marvel monsters from the 50s. Another inspiration for this seed was the short-lived animated series Inhumanoids. Best kiddy Lovecraft on television.

The time period is the 1950s or beyond. The world is our own, movie style. In the distant past of the world, the creators of the creatures took various dinosaurs and experimented on them. These dinosaurs formed the building blocks of the new creatures, forged in the mutating bath of the Sepulchers.

Sepulchers are structures buried deep within the Earth that hold the Shaping Pools and Holding Chambers that creates the creatures. The genetic material is placed in the shaping pool, where it sits in the Holding Chambers until the resulting creature is released by outside forces. The structures are very difficult to destroy.

An evil force releases the Sepulchers Creatures upon an unsuspecting world. Each creature is between 30-40 feet tall. Each is an unique entity with its own powers, invulnerable to conventional weaponry. Each has unique weaknesses and vulnerbilities that can result in the death of the beast. (Never make a weapon you can't neutralize.) The possesor of such an army has a formidable force at his/her command.

The players are the forces that fight against the coming Sepulcher Creatures. They can be a team of scientists and military specialists formed to fight the monsters. A group of supers with a mission to destroy the monsters is another option. In the MASS (Monster Assault Strike Squad) setting, the main characters use heavy weapons, powered armor, and hi-tech vehicles in their fight. The MASS Force battles against the evil Dr. Mysteria, deposed head of several universities and mad scientist extraordinaire.

A campaign can detail a running fight between the players and the creatures. The Attack of the Sepulcher Creatures can make a fun adventure(s). Fight alongside the world's greatest superheroes to defeat the marauding creatures.

Yes. This one begs to be ran using CAH Season 2 or your favorite superhero game.

That's all for now. See ya!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Vote!

It's as simple as that. No matter what side you're on:
If you don't vote, you have no right to bitch about it.
Make sure to cast your ballot!