Filmation Friday: Giant Floating Heads!

Sentinel One, the supercomputer who works with the Space Sentinels from the Space Sentinels show.

I first saw this show when I was 5-6 years old. Sentinel One freaked me the hell out the first couple of times I saw it. It was a floating head that would just pop up! I got nightmares from that bit of cartoon. Well, that and a commercial that had the Universal Monsters with Joe Cocker's version of "You Are So Beautiful". When Karloff as Frankenstein showed up, I screamed my head off.

I was a weird kid.

80s Video Adventure Helper: Wouldn't It Be Good by Nik Kershaw

Last time was fun, so let's do it again! Watch the video, then think about the questions below. Maybe weave them into your next campaign or scenario.



Why is Nik in the hotel room with the alien technology?

What abilities does his amazing video suit have? We see that it reflects things going behind closed doors, possible futures and stranger possibilities. Is this the way he communicates?

Why does the communication to the sky create the white light streaming through the window?

Why are all of the people signing in unison? Are they possessed?

Why are they surrounding Nik, seemingly trying to stop him from leaving?

Is Nik being psychically attacked by the crowd or is it a reaction from being surrounded by too many people?

Where does Nik travel to next?

Have fun!

Farewell Sarah Jane Smith

RIP Elisabeth Sladen, best known to me as the irrepressible Sarah Jane Smith. Good voyage, old friend.

Filmation Friday: Plundorr!

Since it's Easter, we need a rabbit! Here's Plundorr, the evil rabbit man from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe episode "Quest for He-Man"

RIP Gerald "Gerry" Lahr (1924-2011)

This past Saturday afternoon my maternal grandfather Gerald Lahr died after a fight with various ailments. He just celebrated his birthday on August 5. There had been 4-5 scares for the past six months that this was "the last time". Over the past to-three weeks I've been back and forth visiting either the hospital or the rehab place he was staying at. I had already made peace with the fact that he could pass on at any time. But when the time does come, it's still a wicked sucker punch.

Grandpa Lahr was technically my step grandfather, but after 30+ years you can really take the step out of the equation. He and his wife Virginia always treated me like one of their own grandkids, never any different from my stepsiblings. He played accordion regularly at the local Knights of Columbus Friday fish fry. Grandpa never learned how to read music; he played simply be hearing the song. I can remember him playing some of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" after hearing my brother play the song on cassette. He laughed at dirty jokes, and always told me to have a shot and a beer for him. I'll miss him a lot.

In the course of less than two years I've seen all my remaining grandparents go on to a better life. But knowing Grandpa, he'd want me to keep blogging, keep playing, keep living, and above all not work too hard.

Filmation Friday: Tarzan and the Earth's Core

Have some family stuff to deal with, so he're some Tarzan Lord of the Jungle to watch this week.

80s Video Adventure Helper: Africa by Toto

Watch the video, then think about the questions below. Maybe weave them into your next campaign or scenario.



Why is the bearded guy looking for the book that the page corner he has comes from?

What secret does the picture of the African native hold?

Is the African native that threw the spear real, a dream, a spirit or something else?

What really happened to the library and the librarian?

Filmation Friday: Dark Riders From She-Ra

Here are some pics of the Dark Riders, summoned by the Evil Horde sorceress Shadow Weaver. This happened in the She Ra Princess of Power episode "The Price of Power". I think the monster designs rock.

Bonus RPG Notes! (Spoilers!)

To use the Dark Riders in a D&D campaign for any edition:

• The Dark Riders are summoned by powerful evil sorcerers, necromancers, and clerics.
• They are usually sent to slow down powerful warriors, especially those with flying mounts and magicians.
• The Dark Riders themselves are skeletal warriors who wear a helm, plate mail armor, and wield an ax. They are able follow slightly complicated commands but they can be outwitted.
• The Dark Riders constantly shriek, so they cannot surprise their quarry.
• Their Mounts are winged nightmares. A Mount whose rider is knocked off will go beserk and attack the being responsible. The most common tactic is too drive the attacker to the ground.
• Both the Dark Riders and their Mounts are immune to magic. They can only be destroyed/banished by driving them into the ground, where there explode into a blinding flash.

Use with any edition! Take the stats for skeletons and nightmares, and add the immunity to magic, shrieking and the banishment by touching the ground. Adjust to taste, then send against your party next time the Evil Necromancer(tm) wants to slow your party down.

Jack Kirby Visualizes Wildspace

A year and four days ago, Mr. Maliszewski had a fine little essay about Steve Ditko and Dr. Strange as inspiration for the D&D planes. I was thinking of making a similar point as a filler post before I found the Grognardia piece that pretty much said everything I wanted to.

Then I realized that in his work on Marvel's 2001: A Space Odyssey comic book series, Jack Kirby drew one the best representations of Spelljammer's Wildspace ever!

A Gnomish Spelljammer Sphere behind a massive worldship.

A possible representation of how someone using a spelljamming helm perceives wildspace.

Approaching a crystal sphere.

When someone first sits on a spelljamming helm, their mind adjusts to new vistas of perception.

[Toon RPG] Dudley Battlethumper, Rabbit Barbarian

Inspired by the classic Doom Bunny miniature by Ral Partha, I give you my first Toon RPG character in quite a while.

Dudley Battlethumper, Rabbit Barbarian

Dudley Battlethumper is a 7-foot tall gray rabbit that dresses in plate mail. He travels the Tooniverse in search of treasure and adventure. No one knows what he looks like because he always wears a full helmet wherever he goes. Dudley loves to fight anyone or anything for any reason with his trusty axe and shield. He makes outrageous oaths, and delivers them with a loud voice even when his friends are hiding. When someone tries to knock off or remove his helmet, Dudley goes into a berserk rage that can clear out a room in seconds. Dudley keeps gems, gold, carrots and small paintings of his 125 brothers and sisters in his Back Pocket.

Beliefs & Goals: By the Seven Thunders of Scheimer I live for battle! Finding gems and gold is only bested by the sweet taste of carrots! Smash those ratmen who dare burrow into the warrens of my kin! By Freleng’s Flashing Fists they will fall! Any problem that can be solved by words can be better solved with action! No one shall remove my helmet, this I swear by the Ruby and the Spears! Let my enemies beware!

Hit Points: 15 Speed: 6

Muscle: 7
Break Down Door: 8
Climb: 8
Fight: 9
Pick Up Heavy Thing: 9
Throw: 8

Zip: 5
Dodge: 7
Drive Vehicle: 2
Fire Gun: 7
Jump: 8
Ride: 6
Run: 6
Swim: 5

Smarts: 2
Hide/Spot Hidden: 4
Identify Dangerous Thing: 2
Read: 2
Resist Fast-Talk: 2
See/Hear/Smell: 5
Set/Disarm Trap: 3
Track/Cover Tracks: 3

Chutzpah: 3
Fast-Talk: 3
Pass/Detect Shoddy Goods: 3
Sleight of Hand: 3
Sneak: 3

Shticks:
Incredible Strength: 7
Toughness (Physical): 8
Fantastic Flying Fists and Feet Only When Helmet Is Off: 7

Filmation Friday: Laughing Skeletor!

What the title said. Happy April Fools!