Star Wars in South Dakota

TUESDAY TANGENT: League of Extraordinary Gentlement, 1990s

2012-02-07T08:49:00.000-08:00

Once again, I will delve into the realm of geekery to post up who (and what) I would recruit into my 1990s era LXG. While some choices may seem like no-brainers, others will possibly baffle. I will therefore attempt to explain why I chose the people I did. I will also make honorable mention of some of those who did not make the cut (along with reasons why). Again, the ‘rules’ for this are basically that these must be movie or ‘literary’ characters, but not full-time members of any comic book combined universe. So without further ado…

LXG: TEAM 1990s

Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI (Source: “X-Files” TV Series)
Portrayed by David Duchovney

OOC: 90’s sci-fi/horror? Of course Agent Mulder.

In an LXG universe, Mulder would be mostly unchanged from his TV appearances. He is an agent with the FBI, self-assigned to work on ‘odd’ cases. His success in this area as well as his investigatory skills and occult knowledge would prove invaluable to a LXG team. In fact, he would be the ‘leader’ of the group. Though he isn’t exactly the ‘inspirational general’ type, his passion and drive would be more than enough to compensate and to keep the team on-task. That having been said, he wouldn’t be a huge help in physical altercations. Though trained in firearms and self-defense, he’s no combat monster. He would, however, be the one most likely to know the weakness of any ‘strange’ things faced. He could also call upon his contacts in the FBI- most notably his (former) partner Dana Scully. Though the ultimate skeptic, she would be an invaluable scientific aide.

Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer (Source: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV Series)
Portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar

OOC: An icon of 90’s horror/comedy/drama

Born with the mystical powers of the Vampire Slayer, Buffy has, in just a short while, become an incredibly powerful and accomplished slayer of all kinds of monsters: from Vampires to Werewolves to Demons to Witches. You name it, odds are she’s faced it. It is for these reasons she would be highly sought after to join the League. Her strong personality, intelligence, dedication and moral sense would, in fact, make her an excellent leader for the group. The only thing lacking in that regard would be experience in managing others (and perhaps her independent and self-sacrificing nature). While Mulder would be the ‘brains’ of the operation, Buffy would be its heart and inspiration. Unlike Mulder, Buffy’s personal knowledge of the occult would be somewhat limited. She would, however, be able to call upon her friends (particularly Giles) for assistance in this regard. In fact, her occult resources would probably far exceed the FBI’s own. As a Slayer, Buffy is also supernaturally strong and fast and possesses the ability to ‘sense’ Vampires. She is also highly skilled in hand-to-hand, melee and even ranged combat (with crossbows, at least).

Eric Draven, Vengeful Spirit (Source: “The Crow” Motion Picture)
Portrayed by Brandon Lee

OOC: An icon of 90’s action/melodrama/occult.

Though his exact ‘status’ is difficult to categorize, most occult scholars would classify Eric as ‘undead’. He doesn’t seem to conform to most undead stereotypes, however. He isn’t a vampire, or a zombie, or a disembodied spirit. He has a physical form, but it seems to be impervious to (or ‘heals’ quickly from) any kind of physical injury. His only weakness seems to be his totem animal companion: the Crow that accompanies him and also seems to grant him some form of extra-sensory perception. If it is injured, so is Eric. Draven also seems to possess superhuman speed, reflexes and agility- and possibly strength. ‘Born’ from a great injustice and tragedy, Eric is drawn to right these kinds of wrongs. An artist at heart, Eric wouldn’t be the best candidate for leadership, in fact, he would be one of those most likely to try and go off on his own. Thus, he would require some management by his team leader and mates. Eric is a fair armed and unarmed combatant, but is perhaps a bit too reliant on his invulnerability. He enjoys making big entrances and often gets shot up unnecessarily while doing so. This can, however, be greatly intimidating to some foes, so it has its uses.

Benton Fraser, R.C.M.P. (Source: “Due South” TV Series)
Portrayed by Paul Gross

OOC: A memorable, but perhaps obscure character with a lot of…well, character.

While at first glance the inclusion of this forthright and upstanding Canadian Mountie might seem very odd, there are a number of factors that would make Fraser a powerful addition to the League. Though he believes in non-violent resolutions to most matters, he is nevertheless an accomplished unarmed-combatant and marksman. He is also a skilled investigator and gatherer of clues. Fraser is also a peerless tracker, able to follow the slightest clue to find his quarry, even in urban settings. Likewise, his skills of survival (taught by years spent in the great northern wilderness of Canada) are unmatched. He has also displayed incredibly keen senses (particularly of hearing and sight) and above-average physical abilities (strength, agility, etc.). Beyond these abilities, Fraser is also a very rare thing: a ‘pure spirit’. He doesn’t just preach the ideals “doing good” and “fighting the good fight”, he lives them. This could make him a very potent weapon against many occult powers, particularly those who react poorly to ‘faith’. Though he does not openly reveal it, Fraser also has a form of supernatural perception that allows him to see and actually converse with the dead: or at least his own Father. Though perhaps dismissed as a figment of his imagination, Fraser’s father has nevertheless become a kind of spirit guide, looking out for his son, offering advice and sometimes even providing cryptic information on the situation at hand. Benton is assisted in his adventures by his faithful Wolf: Diefenbaker. Though deaf, the wolf is exceptionally intelligent and capable and nicely complements his human companion in urban or wilderness settings. While at first glance Benton might seem to be a good team leader, his lack of experience with the occult (and other strangeness) would put him at somewhat of a disadvantage compared to the others. Oh, and he’s not a bad singer, either. And yes, of course he knows how to ride horses. Very well, in fact.

Darkman (Source: “Darkman” Motion Picture)
Portrayed by Liam Neeson

A brilliant scientist, Peyton Westlake became the victim of a crimelord’s attempt to cover up his misdeeds. He is left horribly disfigured, with a deadened nervous system and an overloaded adrenal gland giving him a deadened sense of pain and enhanced strength. The trauma of this has also left him mentally unstable. Utilizing his experimental synthetic skin experiment, Westlake (now calling himself Darkman), killed those responsible for his tragedy. Unfortunately, he could not cope with returning to a ‘normal’ life afterward and became a vigilante. Though brilliant and in possession of remarkable abilities (and technology), Westlake is unstable and a ‘risky’ choice for the team. Even so, his ability to impersonate others (as well as his scientific expertise in several areas) is what finally won over the selection committee.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

Cole Sear (Source: “The Sixth Sense” Motion Picture)
Portrayed by Haley Joel Osment

Identified by the League for his extra-sensory perception of “Dead People”, Only Cole’s youth (having been born in 1988) keeps him from being recruited. Even so, a watch is being kept upon him as he grows up- and if needed, he could be brought in on special cases to help communicate with the dead.

Halliwell Sisters (Source: “Charmed” TV Series)
Portrayed by Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano

A coven of Witches who only recently inherited their power, the Halliwell sisters are rapidly gaining experience in identifying and defeating supernatural menaces. They have been identified by the League as a ‘backup’ resource for their primary team, but were not recruited for active duty mainly due to their resistance to leaving their home and ‘normal lives’.

Chance Boudreaux (Source: “Hard Target” Motion Picture)
Portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme

A former special-forces soldier turned drifter/merchant marine sailor, Chance seems a somewhat odd choice. He was brought onto the team mainly to shore up its combat potential- in both hand to hand and ranged engagements. He is also quite skilled in survival techniques, especially in a swamp setting such a his native bayou in Louisiana. Having grown up in the back woods of this region, he also has a smattering of knowledge of voodoo and other folk-occult/religion practices- though he considers these mostly as superstitions. It was his actions versus a human-hunting conspiracy in New Orleans that brought him to the League’s attention. He is a loner by nature, however, and this is the primary reason he was rejected for team membership. Though he never talks about it, Chance has a twin brother, Luc, who was (supposedly) killed during the Gulf War in which they both fought.

Casey Ryback (Source: “Under Siege” Motion Picture)
Portrayed by Steven Seagal

A former Navy SEAL busted for numerous infractions and insubordinations, Ryback recently retired from the Navy after an incident involving the hijacking of a U.S. Battleship. He has since pursued his career as a cook and hopes to open his own restaurant. Though an incredibly skilled combatant (both armed and unarmed), his attitude and personality precluded him from selection for the LXG team.

Jack Ryan (Source: “The Hunt for Red Oktober” Motion Picture)
Portrayed by Alec Baldwin

A former marine turned analyst for the CIA, Ryan posseses a sharp mind and extensive technical knowledge of the world’s military technology and systems (particularly naval technology). He is also a trained combatant and has proven brave and resourceful in a variety of dangerous situations. He is also a family man, and it is primarily for this reason (and his previous back injury) that he was not recruited into the League. He is, however open as an advisor for missions dealing with the military.

Nikita (Source: “Nikita” Motion Picture)
Portrayed by Bridget Fonda (yes, I know she wasn’t in the original)

A former drug addict and street criminal recruited by a shadowy organization to be an agent and assassin. Nikita is incredibly resourceful, quick-thinking and talented. Unfortunately, she doesn’t work well with others and has (understandable) trust issues. Her association with her current organization also made her less than desirable for recruitment into the team.

John Cutter (Source: “Passenger 57” and “Drop Zone” Motion Pictures)
Portrayed by Wesley Snipes

A U.S. Marshall with accidental but extensive experience in bringing down terrorist cells. This included both a hijacking of a civilian airliner and thwarting a gang of parachute-based mercenaries. Cutter is an expert ad hand-to-hand combat and a talented marksman. He is also extensively trained in skydiving techniques. His main limitation (from the League’s perspective) is his lack of experience with supernatural or other ‘odd’ situations.

Jackie (Source: “Armor of God II: Operation Condor” Motion Picture)
Portrayed by Jackie Chan

Jackie (also known as the ‘Asian Hawk’) is an adventurer. Part archaeologist, part mercenary, part agent, part explorer and part thrill-seeker- his capabilities are broad. When you add to this the fact that he is one of the best martial artists in the world, you have a very powerful candidate for recruitment by the League. He has a penchant for working alone, however, and truth be told he prefers it that way. All the same, the League has kept his name and contact information ‘on file’ should he be necessary to assist or supplement the main team.

So, there you have it. Disagree with my choices? Did I overlook anyone? Let me know what you think.

Annual Awesomeness

2012-02-03T07:25:00.001-08:00

Once more I have left my (now) 'native' Florida to brave the frozen tundra that is South Dakota in late January. I return to you now with tales of adventure and amusement from what has now become an annual gaming pilgrimage. It started four years ago, shortly after I began this blog. A friend of mine (Steve, the other one (TOO)) was going to visit our old stomping grounds of Vermillion, South Dakota. A few of our mutual friends still live and game there. On a lark, I decided to go with him and attend a small gaming convention there called Vermincon. This trip is now a tradition, and every year I marvel at how much fun I have.

DAY 1:
I fly into Denver where I meet with Steve TOO.

DAY2:
Steve TOO drives the 9-10 hours to Vermillion, SD. Along the way, we game. In this case, I ran an adventure in our new 'Next Generation' Star Wars campaign- where he is playing the child of his 'old' Star Wars character. If you haven't tried gaming on a long trip, let me tell you that it is a GREAT way to pass the time. It keeps both driver and passenger engaged without causing an accident. The only thing that really requires figuring out is how to roll dice. This was solved this time by using digital dice rollers. Steve TOO has a tablet, I have a laptop. Between them, there is plenty of juice to last through the trip. The adventure I ran was fun, and in it, we discovered that a young Mandalorian with the 'Stubborn' and 'Overconfident' disadvantages doesn't make the best candidate for handling 'first contact' situations with powerful, alien empires.

Upon reaching Vermillion, we bunked at the house of my other friend (also named Steve). There, we kicked back, shared amusing youtube clips we'd discovered, then watched a 'Rifftracks' version of a truly abominable 80's film called 'Abraxis, Guardian of the Universe' (or something of the sort). This starred Jesse the Body Ventura. Yeah. It was horrible. But the commentary was hilarious.

DAY 3
The next day I slept in, then helped get things set up at Vermincon. Instead of running anything, I signed up to actually PLAY in a game that evening. Steve was running a session of a game he has dubbed "Scooby-Doo Cthulu". The premise of this is as follows: The players take control of members of the Scooby Gang. If there are more than five players, 'Special Guest Stars' are introduced. In our case, this was Don Knots (appearing as a local deputy, of course). Once players are assigned to characters, a situation is introduced. In this case, we were attending the wedding of one of Daphne's friends- which just happened to be in the creepy old Cathedral in the middle of nowhere.

Well, odd things started happening and the 'gang' began to investigate. But instead of men in rubber masks or images projected on the mist created by dry ice it was... well, REAL horrors from the unknown. In this case, a coven of witches and warlocks determined to sacrifice the bride-to-be to their demonic patron. Thus, the gang found itself fighting animated, pumpkin-headed scarecrows wielding scythes. In the end (and much to all of our surprise) the entire gang managed to escape- though Don Knots was almost killed, Velma was wounded and Shaggy had a permanent psychosis. Scooby wound up tearing the throats out of two of the Witch cultists- which really saved the day. The gang, upon escaping (with the rescued sacrifice), burned down the cathedral. Like, ZOINKS!

The game was a LOT of fun. I played Shaggy and Steve TOO played Scooby. We had the rest of the group giggling on several occasions- like when Officer Don Knots drove up to the mystery machine in his squad car. I did my best Shaggy voice: "Like, hide the stash, Scoob! It's the fuzz!"

DAY 4
The next day, I started my Star Wars adventure for the group. The premise was a bit different than anything we'd done before. A series of bad dreams drew the group together. The group included: Rick Oman (Mandalorian Warlord), Arianne Volar (New Republic Admiral and Jedi Knight), Horatio Flynn (Self-Proclaimed Emperor of the Nagai), and Bob (Jedi Knight and Khan of the Tusken Hordes). Following the clues found in their dreams, the team made its way to the ruins of the planet Korriban (destroyed in the last adventure). There, they discovered an ancient, spherical prison that had once been buried far below the surface of the planet. It was now, unfortunately, cracked open and empty. Inside they found a group of Sith also investigating. After some initial tension, however, the two groups talked and pieced together the following: An ancient and powerful evil had been imprisoned here by the Sith, thousands of years ago. It was apparently set loose by the destruction of Korriban. Already, it seemed to be 'calling' to Jedi and Sith both, with some on both sides 'vanishing'.

Searching for clues, the heroes (with one Sith 'ally' in tow), traveled to the ancient Library of Xer. There, they found not only a hidden repository of Sith Knowledge, but also signs that others (some of the missing Jedi) were also investigating this, and had already visited the library. The Jedi in question included Jared (one of my Star Wars group's previous comrades) and Galen Marek (yes, Starkiller- who they had 'rescued' in last year's adventure). The main find of the mission, however, was information on how the ‘prison’ sphere the Entity was housed in worked. The Ancient Sith created the sphere, lured the Entity inside it, then ‘sealed’ it by sacrificing thousands of force-sensitive thralls. The spirits of these beings is what held the entity inside. Thus, in order to put this thing away again, someone was going to have to die. According to the information, the ‘imprisoning’ effect might also be achieved by the ‘sacrifice’ of one very powerful person instead of thousands of ‘lesser’ individuals.

As the group tried to exit the library (with data and a few Sith Holocrons), they found their paths blocked by the normal 'patrons' of the place, all of whom were acting in unison, like zombies. Evidently, the Entity had 'touched' this place as well and spread its influence. Thus, the group had to escape WITHOUT injuring the (mostly) innocent people standing in their way.

As soon as they escaped, the group contacted their various ‘support groups. Oman put his fleet on Alert and moved one of his cruisers into position in case it’s firepower was needed. Horatio called his Nagai and, since they were experts in crystalline structures, ordered them to proceed to Korriban to repair the crystalline ‘prison’ there. Arianne contacted the Republic task force guarding Korriban to alert them of the danger. Bob, meanwhile, delved into the Sith Holocrons, looking for any more clues on how they might defeat the Entity.

Using clues found in the data repository (as well as some information gleaned from a brave/foolhardy 'mind-meld' with the entity, made by Bob), the group proceeded to a remote world housing a Sith Artifact/Temple. There, they discovered that the artifact was a ‘focus’ for Force Powers. The Entity was intending to use it to spread its influence and control across the galaxy.

I essentially stole the core storyline from a snippet I read on wookieepedia about the being ‘Abeloth’- and changed things up (since I never read any of the novels in which it was featured). Essentially, the ‘Entity’ wanted ‘love’- and thought it could get it by forcing people to adore it.

To make matters worse, word came from Korriban that the Republic forces there had fallen under the sway of Abeloth and were preventing the Nagai from entering to fix the prison. A quick call to Luke Skywalker resulted in him personally visiting Korriban to ‘sort out’ the situation there with a group of his fellow Jedi.

On the remote world, Abeloth had already gathered a sizable group of followers and housed them in the temple complex. These included Jedi, Sith and a number of civilians, including children. This complicated matters for the heroes, as they could not simply bombard the temple from orbit. Instead, they went down in person to see what they could do. This forced them into a battle with both Sith and their former comrade Jared- all mind-controlled by Abeloth.

Bob once again engaged Abeloth in ‘conversation’- providing an increasing distraction as the rest of the group went to work. Oman set about placing demo charges on the temple’s arcane generator. Horatio managed to clear the temple of its ‘human shields’- leading them outside as Abeloth’s attention became more and more focused on Bob. Arianne, meanwhile, was able to talk down a mind-controlled Galen Marek and snap him out of his zombie-stupor. Upon learning of the situation, Marek decided that he would be the one to sacrifice himself to imprison Abeloth once more.

The charges went off, the temple was destroyed and Abeloth was pissed. The party fled to their ship, taking on most of the recently freed mind-controlled folks. They then fled back to Korriban. All the while, the Jedi AND Sith onboard the heroes ship were battling mentally to keep Abeloth at bay. Upon arrival at Korriban, Galen Marek used a Nagai teleportation belt to enter the recently repaired prison. Drawn to his power, Abeloth followed. Galen sacrificed himself, sealing Abeloth inside once more.

Uncertain of what to do with Abeloth, the New Republic decided to move her prison to a Deep Space location- with only a handful of people knowing where that is. It is hoped that it will not be discovered- and that if any method of ‘destroying’ Abeloth is found, they can implement it.

And that was the end of the Star Wars adventure. Once more, I had a GREAT time, and my players seemed to have fun, too.

DAY 5:
I had an open schedule for the third day of the convention. In the morning, Steve TOO ran some Mass Effect adventures for me (with Todd sitting in to take control of one of my character’s ship mates). Steve had started this game a while back for me. It is a ‘homebrew’ game, using the D6 system as its base. In it, I play a commander of the ‘MIDWAY’, the second of the Normandy class vessels. So far, we are up against a group of Battarian terrorists working on some kind of bioweapon to use against humanity.

In the afternoon I ran an open session of Star Wars, using the Tatooine Manhunt adventure (shortened and modified by me to fit the limited time available to run it). I had been both looking forward to this and dreading it. I was absolutely CERTAIN that one particular gamer (one that had proven to be a constant annoyance in all the previous visits to SD) would want to play in the game- and would likely ruin it for all involved. Oddly enough, he was absent from most of the con- and did NOT show up for my game. In fact, nobody but Steve TOO had signed up for the game until shortly before it was due to start. Then I got a sudden influx of folks in the form of two 20-something guys (brothers, I think) and an older dude (40’s, maybe 50). I was shocked to find that these guys were both normal and good players. I’d go as far as saying that the older dude was a GREAT player.

The session was quite fun and it was interesting to note that the adventure proceeded a LOT differently than any of my previous run throughs with other groups (and I have run the adventure with quite a few over the years). In fact, this group did a lot to avoid some of the ‘set piece’ combats in the adventure. For example, they notice they are being followed by a speeder in the middle of the desert. The Heroes proceed through a canyon, set a booby trap for the following speeder. They mange to disable it- and as soon as they do, the heroes turn and continue on in their own speeder. Most ‘gamer’ groups would have gone to ‘finish off’ their pursuers. I respected the fact they didn’t use MORE force than was necessary. In fact, by avoiding several of the ‘big’ fights on the way to the final confrontation, the party had managed NOT to use any of its Force points. This resulted in a very quick ‘boss battle’ at the end which might have been much more difficult if the group hadn’t conserved their strength.

This was the first time I had run for a group of (mostly) complete strangers in a long while. I’m surprised and pleased it went as well as it did.

DAY 6:
The voyage home. Steve TOO drives and I run another adventure. Again, we play the ‘Next Generation’ campaign. This time, the hero (or heroine, as Steve’s character is a female) is part of the crew of an exploration ship (corvette sized). This mission is to rescue a team of researchers on a remote world. The ship arrives to find most of the researchers dead. Much strangeness ensues as Steve’s character explores the planet. Eventually, it is discovered that the researchers found an odd ‘stone’ on the planet, one that causes mass paranoia and eventually violence. He managed to get the stone back onboard the rescue ship with him. The heroine manages to get back to the ship and get rid of the stone in the nick of time, just as the entire crew is going berserk. Again, I had a lot of fun with this- and it really helped to pass the time on that long trip.

DAY 7:
I got home, after a hefty delay and a missed connection. As nice as it is to get away and see friends, it is just as nice to get home once more.

It's the Fan's Fault, Says Lucas

2012-01-18T06:42:00.000-08:00

I came across this article the other day.

This is related to a source article here.

In these articles, there are some quotes from George Lucas talking about the Star Wars franchise. The most striking of these is:

"Star Wars” fans can only blame themselves for ending the franchise."

Another interesting tidbit:

“Why would I make any more,” Lucas says, “when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?"

So yeah, at first, I was a little ticked off at reading this. A knee jerk reaction because I love the setting so much. But you know what? He really does have a point. I've brought this up before in my blog, but it bears repeating.

The original Star Wars trilogy became a part of popular culture. The fact that the movies stood alone for so long before the prequels came out gave fans (like me) a sense of 'ownership' of the material. Every fan had their own ideas about the Star Wars universe, built on the scant information presented in the original three movies. We all had time to build our own 'mythology' of the setting (some of us on a deeper level than others). We all had our expectations of what the setting could become.

So when Lucas came to make the prequels he was already facing an impossible task. The original movies were satisfying his creative vision. The prequels had a whole lot of baggage pre-attached to them. There was no WAY he could make everyone happy. So he did what creative people do: He made something that satisfied his own vision. And unfortunately, that didn't mesh with the vision of a lot of other people.

Now, my profession is a creative one. My designs are based upon my own sense of aesthetics. And when someone else comes in- the client I was making the piece for- and doesn't like that vision...well, that sucks. Since I am in the commercial business, I am bound to change my vision to suit what the client wants. Lucas, in control of his own product, sees himself as the 'end client' of his work. And so, as an artist, he seeks to satisfy himself. It isn't selfish, its just part of art and the creative process.

I just wish that George Lucas could see that he isn't the only 'client' he should be seeking to satisfy. He made something that became part of our culture. It isn't just 'his' anymore. And you know... maybe he's made the right decision here. Just stop.

And then there's the argument that he should just 'listen to his fans'. Well... that won't work either. Since fans have VERY different ideas about the setting and where it should go. Even if you took a 'consensus' view on it- had fans 'vote' on what they wanted to see. I know for a fact that anything 'designed by a committee' tends to water down the idea.

So what's the answer? Hell if I know. I'd love to say that all he needs to do is hire ME to 'manage the brand' and all would be well, but...ahem. Yeah. Same problem.

As frustrated as I get with George Lucas sometimes, I still love the man for all he's done- and for being a very talented and innovative person. I can feel his pain when it comes to this.

I've often wondered what would have happened if the prequels had come shortly after the original trilogy, instead of waiting sixteen years. If Star Wars hadn't had time to 'imprint' as deeply into the minds of its fans, would the prequels have been received better? Would they have been different without Lucas waiting 16 years to write them? I honestly don't know, but its interesting to ponder.

Diseases in Star Wars

2012-01-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a short post- but I just wanted to put down a thought I had after watching the movie 'Andromeda Strain' a couple nights ago. That movie stressed how dangerous that contact with 'extra terrestrial' germs could be. And when you look at history- like the Spanish exploration/conquest of the "new world", it is easy to see what a huge effect introducing new germs into a previously isolated ecosystem would have.

In the Galaxy spanning setting of Star Wars, I can only imagine what a nightmare disease would be- when you have people living among all manner of different species- to say nothing of the exploration of previously undiscovered worlds. While the 'civilized' galaxy might have sorted out its disease problems over the centuries, one would think that contact with new worlds would constantly introduce new threats.

However, we do not see disease running rampant in any Star Wars stories that I know about—save for a few relatively isolated instances (like where Vader destroys a Faleen city to stop the spread of a particular plague). Now I know that this was probably done for the sake of cinema. Nobody wants to watch an adventure story about people visiting a new world, contracting horrible diseases, and dieing. Even so, I like to have some kind of 'in-character' explanation for these things- without getting TOO 'scientific' about it.

The explanation I came up with is this:

Medical science in the Star Wars galaxy- specifically the science of disease control- has reached a VERY advanced level. The majority of the galaxy's population has been 'immunized' with advanced (species specific) serums, thus giving them protection versus almost all known diseases and most 'new' ones as well. However scientifically implausible this may be, it is a nice, simple explanation as to why there aren't constant epidemics with every visit to a new world.

Of course, this still leaves room for health problems- what if a 'super disease' could overcome standard immunization techniques. And there is still the problem of newly discovered and/or isolated species contracting diseases FROM the 'civilized' galaxy. In this way, you can still include diseases as a threat in your campaign without making them the main focus.

Works for me anyway.

Star (no)Wars

2012-01-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

I've spoken about this in quite a few other blog entries-namely the question of what do you DO in a Star Wars setting where there is no 'War' going on. I mean, the title of the franchise doesn't leave much room for interpretation on that point. The whole setting boils down to heroic actions taken during war.

So what happens when, for instance, you run a campaign that lasts through the entire 'Rebellion' and the various wars that follow (Thrawn's Campaign, the 'Rebirth' of the Emperor, etc.)?

Well, in the 'official' expanded universe, the answer to this is: have more wars! Every series of books therefore has a new set of wars going on, usually galactic in scale: The Vong Invasion, the Swarm War, the Second Galactic Civil War, the...whatever the hell War it is going on in the Legacy Era, etc., etc..

As I have mentioned before, I think that having the Galaxy constantly in a state of open war and crisis strains the credulity of the setting. Yes, I know I'm talking about a setting that has mystical energy fields and giant space worms, but still. To me there was always a feeling of realism, or at least an allegory of realism, in the Star Wars saga. There was an 'Era of Peace' during the Old Republic. Then there was the Rebellion. In my mind, it only seems logical that another era of peace would follow.

The alternative is a downward spiral into the breakdown of the fabric of galactic society. In my mind, at least, you simply can't continue to have Galaxy-Shaking wars every few years and NOT have everything fall apart. Unfortunately, that seems to be where the 'official' universe has gone. I won't go into that further here, as I have long railed against the trend to bring 'gritty realism' or a 'darker edge' to the Star Wars galaxy. Yes, there is war and death and sacrifice, but overall, I've found the tone of the franchise to be one of hope for the future- at least in the original trilogy.

But this post isn't about any of that. No, really. It's about what there is to do DURING an Era of Peace in the Galaxy, such as the one that has finally come to my own, very long-running, campaign. Below are just some of my thoughts on angles to take for adventure in a time like this.

Political Corruption
Hopefully, the downfall of the Old Republic due to its own corruption was a huge lesson for the people of the Galaxy. In a New Republic, there would have to be a concerted effort to avoid and root out corruption within the government. As far as adventures go, this would involve Player Characters who are agents of the New Republic (or its allies), or perhaps even politicians themselves. Missions would involve investigating rumors of corruption. Checking up on those Senators with shady dealings and exposing them to the light of day. Likewise, the huge corporations of the Galaxy would need someone to check their more avaricious behavior. Stealth, tact, true idealism and diplomacy would be at the heart of these kind of adventures-otherwise you run the risk of becoming a 'McCarthy Era' inquisition. But the latter even provides another adventure opportunity. What if an agency, committee or group of senators starts taking things too far? Your heroes would have to deal with these threats as well.

Criminal Organizations
With the Galaxy just recovering from a series of devastating wars, Criminal organizations are sure to abound- profiting off the chaos and misery while the 'large powers' have their attention diverted elsewhere. Agents of the New Republic would be needed to battle these criminals, be they isolated smugglers and pirates or full-blown criminal syndicates. Missions here would involve investigation (possibly undercover work) and raiding missions versus criminal bases and the like- as well as the protection of normal citizens. With some of the larger organizations (the Hutt Cartels for example) this might almost necessitate military intervention.

Cold War
Though the war between the Republic and the fragmented Empire may be officially over, there is no love lost between the two factions. Imperial Warlords may not make overt war against the might of the New Republic, but they could still carry on covert campaigns to undermine its presence and attempt to expand their own power. You have to look no further than any James Bond movie for inspiration for a lot of different adventures. The trick here is conducting operations in a manner that WON'T start a full-blown war.

Brushfire Wars
Though I see the New Republic as the most powerful single entity in the Galaxy during this period of peace, it is by no means in control of the entire Galaxy. There are hundreds of smaller powers that must be dealt with- and many of them have their own agendas. Whether it is expanding their power or settling old scores, these smaller powers may go to war with each other. Unfortunately, such things tend to destabilize everything around them— including the Republic. Thus, agents would be needed to go in and help stop these wars with quick, decisive action. This fits in well with the cold war gimmick as well- what if Imperial agitators are stirring up trouble? The trick then is to eliminate the Empire's influence without widening the scope of the conflict (Korea? Vietnam?).

Terrorists
Can't see why they wouldn't exist in the Star Wars galaxy. They could range from political idealists working for some specific agenda to pure anarchists who only wish to see the universe burn. Defending the galaxy from these kinds of threats is certainly a heroic task- and missions could range all over the place, from investigation to infiltration to raids and surgical strikes to rushing to stop some attack on a political figure or landmark.

Sith
They're always there. They had it pretty good for 20 years or so, running the entire Galaxy. With the downfall of the Emperor they have lost that power, but there are now (in my setting at least) dozens, if not hundreds of Sith vying to become the next emperor, through whatever means they can. This again can overlap with the other angles. Perhaps a Sith takes up politics and attempts to work his way into power within the Senate. Perhaps another is a terrorist seeking nothing but vengeance for the fallen Emperor. Another might seek to forge a criminal empire. Etc..

Supernatural Threats
Since I loved Dark Conspiracy (another horror RP games), I can't help but include this idea. The galaxy is a big place, and there are a lot of unexplained things out there. Force Spirits have been used in some stories. Monsters in others. Much like the criminal angle, the Empire and New Republic would have been distracted from such concerns during the war. And indeed, all the death and destruction caused could have opened the door (as it were) for all kinds of nastiness to emerge from the shadows. I could see the New Republic forming a 'taskforce' to deal with this kind of threat- tracking down strange and unexplained things at the fringes of the galaxy- or in those dark corners at its very heart.

Exploration
Here you have the Star Trek angle, and to me it makes sense. The Old Republic had a policy of exploration, but all of that got derailed by the rise of the Empire. Now, with things finally 'settling down', effort would be put back into this arena. New worlds will be needed for their resources and scientific value. More pragmatically, the New Republic may wish to avoid any more surprise attacks from alien races from the 'unknown regions'. Who knows what is out there- especially in my own campaign, where the Republic has unlocked the secret to intergalactic travel via hyperspace gates.

Diplomacy
This may not be particularly 'Star Wars', but missions to meet with foreign powers and solidify relationships would be a large part of a galaxy at peace. It would also offer interesting constraints to the activities of heroes, who would definitely have to think twice about going in, guns blazing.

So, there you have it, just a few of the ideas I have off the top of my head. I personally think there is a lot there to keep any heroes busy. In fact, the average 'mission' undertaken by heroes during this era wouldn't be much different from the scope of adventures that took place during the war(s). Only rarely did my PCs ever participate in large scale battles anyway.

The only thing I see 'lacking' is that sense of desperation that a huge war can bring about. Where every decision could mean the lives of thousands. Then again, maintaining peace seems to be as much a challenge as achieving it.

For some, the idea of a Galaxy at peace might also throw out another Star Wars staple: The idea of the PCs being the underdogs. It is kind of hard to see them that way when they have the resources of the entire Republic at their disposal. But to that I have only to say that the Republic, while huge, is limited in its resources. Especially in the period directly following the war(s). Yes, it may have entire fleets of starships at its disposal, but it can't commit them whilly nilly to counter every threat and 'back up' every team in the field.

Anyway, I'm thinking that Star Wars without the Wars still works.

Star Wars Live Action TV Series

2012-01-11T09:42:00.001-08:00

Since Return of the Jedi came out in 1983, rumors have been floating around about the possibility of a TV series set in the Star Wars universe. Every now and then something happens to stir up those rumors again-like when the Young Indiana Jones series came out in 1992 or with the release of the prequels in 1999. As of yet, nothing solid has materialized.

One of my bosses recently sent me an 'off-the-cuff' interview with Rick McCallum, George Lucas' right-hand-man (and biggest fan). In this interview, McCallum mentions the TV series again-saying that they have 50 scripts already written. He also went on to say that the 'working title' of the series is "Underworld" and it will focus on criminal gangs and the like during the period between the prequels and original trilogy-in those twenty years when Luke and Leia were growing up. He was quick to point out that it wouldn't be about Luke though. The sticking point of the series, according to McCallum, is the price point per episode. They're trying to get it down to a manageable 5-Million per episode. Until they get closer to that goal, the series will, it seems, remain in limbo. McCallum just hopes that it'll be released 'before he dies'.

You and me both, buddy.

In any case, this little inkling as to what the series might be is, to me, encouraging. I have said before that what I thought the prequels were lacking was a 'Han Solo' type character who WASN'T a Jedi or Sith. A series about the underworld of the Star Wars galaxy has promise. I mean, just imagine a show kind of like Firefly (a ship full of misfits) only in the Star Wars universe. I'm onboard with that.

Smugglers, Pirates, Bounty Hunters, Crimelords. Yeah, that will be a nice change from Jedi Generals and Clone Troopers.

That having been said, I'm sure that with the HUGE focus on lightsaber-wielders since the prequel release that we'll see far too many of them for my liking-even in an era where most of them are supposed to be dead.

Here's hoping this show actually happens within MY lifetime. And here's doubly hoping it doesn't suck.

A Star Wars Holiday

2012-01-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Being an Uncle is awesome.

Being an Uncle with Nephews who love Star Wars is even MORE awesome.

This holiday, I went up to my mom's house to spend time with family- which included my oldest Sister's two boys- one five, the other one and a half. Thanks to the miracle of Skype, the oldest of those two had already seen a lot of my collection of Star Wars toys. Needless to say, he wanted to see these toys 'in person'.

So it was that when I loaded up my car, the trunk was filled with the cream of my collection- the 'Hoth Playset' as I now call it. This included an AT-AT walker, a Snowspeeder, a Squad of Snowtroopers, a Squad of Rebel Hoth troopers plus some taun-tauns, a Wampa, and various droids and the like. Also along for the ride were a TIE fighter, an X-Wing, a Y-Wing and Boba Fett's Slave I.

I arrived before the kiddies, so I had a little time to 'set up'. Of course when they arrived, I had to do the Uncle thing and pretend that I had forgotten to bring my toys. My sister unfortunately ruined my teasing by telling her son I was full of beans. Within moments, my oldest Nephew and I were playing Star Wars.

And you know what? It is still fun. We had a blast- and more importantly- HE had a blast. In particular, he loved the Y-Wing. This made me grin as I have to admit that as a kid, that particular toy would have been my favorite as well. We are talking the 'Old Republic' version of the Y-Wing here, from the Clone Wars series. This features seating for a Piot, a Gunner AND an Astromech droid- plus it has spring loaded pop-up missile bays- into which you can fit ANOTHER droid (or so my Nephew discovered). It could also FIRE six spring-launched missiles and drop two bombs. Yep, that would be my favorite, and it certainly was his.

But lets not forget little brother. The one-and-a-half-year-old was just as fascinated by the toys as his older brother. Again I had to grin. Even at that age, he totally 'got it'.. you put the pilots into the cockpit, you take them out, you fire the missiles, you put the missiles back and fire them again.

Sigh. Good times.

In any case, I am glad to see that some things DO seem to bridge the generations. Say what you want about the electronic age and all the distractions and entertainments therein. There is still something amazing about actually holding a toy and playing with it. I'm not sure that will ever go out of style.

In case you were wondering what the exact point of this post was, there isn't one beyond the fact that playing Star Wars remains awesome. That is all. Happy New Year, everyone.

TUESDAY TANGENT: Skyrim and the Illusion of Freedom

2011-12-13T15:02:00.001-08:00

Contrary to the activity of my blog, I am not, in fact, dead. Truth be told, I am in the year-end crunch that most people experience at their jobs. Between that and planning for my vacation I've been swamped. And when you add to that the release of a new video game (Skyrim), well...lets just say the blog got put on the back burner, hm? In any case, I am finally taking some time to discuss something game related- though not at all Star Wars related (thus the tangent).

My introduction to the Elder Scrolls series (of which Skyrim is the 5th chapter) was with its predecessor, ES-IV: Oblivion. I purchased this game shortly after playing Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic. I was looking for something to give me that same 'fix' of awesome, free-ranging roleplay. I played Oblivion for...oh, about two hours before I sadly discovered that it was nowhere near the experience I had hoped it would be. Many people would consider this an unfair comparison, and it is to an extent. But only to an extent. I think the exact moment I quit Oblivion is when I entered into 'conversation' with a random NPC and found myself in a bizarre mini-game involving different 'moods' and colors and... yeah. After the friendships I'd formed in Knights of the Old Republic (for example the awesome dialogue with Jolee Bindo), I found the whole thing to be very flat.

Even so, years later, when I saw the ads for Skyrim I thought that it looked pretty cool. So I took the plunge and hours and hours later, I finished the main storylines of the game. My initial reaction to the game was one of awe. The world was HUGE and beautiful, and I could go wherever I wanted. Okay, so maybe the NPCs were shallow, the combat was fun, as was the exploration. The sheer number of things to do was staggering. There were all kinds of dungeons and ruins and towns to explore. Okay, so maybe the big set-piece battles of the game were a little uh.. low key. Not epic, but still fun and playable. I was certain, though, that as things built towards a climax with the civil war AND the dragon invasion that there would be those big MOMENTS. I was sure that some of the characters (the main ones) would prove to be more than your typical NPCs... that they would have deeper stories to tell and have personalities that come out through association with them and... well, when I 'finished' the game, I was still waiting for this to happen. Don't get me wrong. I think Skyrim is a good game. I had (and am having) a lot of fun with it. But for all it's vast scope, it is not a very 'deep' game. And that is probably the reason why I am not nearly as enthusiastic about it as I was about other games.

Now, before I keep rambling, I want to get to the point of this blog entry- namely that Freedom in any video game is an Illusion. And to me, a well done illusion of freedom is a lot better than a game that offers freedom but seemingly without dramatic impact. I will explore this by comparing Skyrim to a couple contemporary games: The Dragon Age series and even Mass Effect. Now again, some folks might call the comparisons unfair- that Skyrim is going after another kind of role playing experience. But I am talking personal preference here-which is all anyone can really do, since there is no great 'universal truth' to making a game 'fun'.

First of all, I'd like to describe what I mean by 'Freedom' within a game. Ultimately what I'm talking about here is being able to make MAJOR choices that affect either the world or the story being told-which, in effect, allow me to steer the course of the story (and in effect the 'game world') in the way I want it to go. In games like Skyrim (and Dragon Age), this kind of freedom is achieved in three major ways- through the setting, the characters and the 'setpiece' events and storylines.

As far as setting goes, Skyrim achieves the illusion of freedom by allowing the player to go wherever he/she wants. The only 'invisible walls' are the borders of the huge realm of Skyrim. Other than that, if you want to get there, odds are you can find a way to do so-be in the peak of a towering mountain or the depths of an icy lake. The size of Skyrim makes this very impressive indeed. You aren't confined to one set of corridors or a single path that takes you through a forest. If you're on a road that goes east and west, you can make a right angle turn and go north or south and STILL find adventure. That is impressive. Especially when you compare it to something like the Dragon Age series, where travel through the world is achieved through menu screens and only 'encounter areas' are actually open for exploration.

Where this Freedom of travel/setting thing begins to break down, however, is in the scope of human habitation in Skyrim. Miles of tractless wilderness are one thing, but when you reach a large town or city, the 'illusion of reality' begins to falter. Yes, you're able to go ANYWHERE within that city map, but the city itself is small-maybe a couple dozen or so buildings all-told. And while, at first glance, it gives the impression of being larger than it actually is, the more you visit and explore a location, the smaller you realize it is. In games like Dragon Age (or even the Fable Series), there are 'snippets' of large cities present to explore, but beyond those are hints at the larger scope of the setting- buildings leading off into the distance. Even if I can't physically break into and rob each of those houses, the fact they are there creates the 'Illusion' of an epic scale to a story. A city LOOKS like a city, not just a collection of a few buildings. I would point to Mass Effect 2 for an almost perfect illustration of my point. One planet, Ilium, is a vast metropolis, a la Coruscant or Blade Runner- and yet the part you can explore is (in comparison) almost laughably small. Even so, when you look off of a balcony and see the miles and miles of cityscape stretching out... well, you get feeling- the illusion- that you're in a vast world. And yes, again I realize (and have heard) arguments that Skyrim's cities are supposed to be small, but seriously, 'real' medieval cities were a LOT larger than Skyrim's.

But more than just the setting itself, the characters (people and beasts) who populate it really help bring a world (and a game) to life. In Skyrim there are hundreds (if not thousands) of NPCs scattered across various cities, towns and even farms and remote cabins. Most of them can be interacted with in some manner. And then there is the wild life. Walking through the mountainous tundra, you can find everything from tiny butterflies to elk, to mammoths. And you're able to interact with ALL of them. Nothing here is 'just for show'. Are you really in the mood for some delicious mammoth snout sandwiches? Well, go ahead. Attack one of the beasts (I wouldn't recommend it though). Do you need butterfly wings for one of your potions? Go ahead, send your heavily armored dragon-slaying warrior skipping around the fields of flowers to catch one. It is all possible.

More to the point that most gamers seem to bring up, if you feel like killing some random villager for casting a disparaging remark in your direction (which, for some reason, they seem to do with frequency), you can do that. You can slaughter to your heart's content. Well, except for children. Because that would be bad. Oh, and except for shop-keepers or folks who are important to the storyline in certain quests and...hmmmm. So maybe my freedom is somewhat limited after all.

I normally play a good guy, so this 'unkillable NPC syndrome' doesn't usually bother me-I don't fancy random slaughter of children or anything else for that matter. But I ran into a situation in my own game that irked me. In one town, there is a crooked noblewoman- Maven Black-Briar. She basically runs the Thieves' Guild in her city. In fact, several NPCs tell you this outright. She is also thoroughly unpleasant to boot. So, after the tenth time of her making some snide remark as she walked past me, I decided enough was enough. I'd take her out, and the Guild with her. It would be one of those 'justified killings' (at least in my mind) for the greater good (the greater good!). Imagine my annoyance when I found out that she was unkillable. So much for freedom of choice. And honestly, in my play through I saw NO reason at all why she would be immortal. I didn't participate in any of the Thieves' Guild stuff, so her life (or death) were of no consequence to me or the main storyline as a whole. But in the end, it just serves to illustrate my point. As much as Skyrim may tout its 'you can do anything' selling point, there are a lot of exceptions to that rule.

In other games, such as Dragon Age, there were characters who I (or rather my character) would have very much liked to kill. But within the confines of that game, you knew up front that you couldn't do so unless it was 'scripted'. There was never any option to 'go berserk and kill everyone'. Therefore, such situations didn't really bother me. In games that tout 'freedom of action', however, anything that curtails that freedom really does become an issue. Once again, the Illusion of Freedom is broken- and if I had my druthers, I'd prefer to know up front (out of character) that some annoying people are just untouchable.

Another point regarding characters in Skyrim is the fact that all of them-even the lowliest farmer in his field or woodcutter plying his trade-have something to say. Most of them are able to interact with your character in some way. Some just have a few lines of dialogue, others have quests and still others turn out to be elements of various larger stories or adventures. Each town has its own rogue's gallery of denizens, each of them going about their daily lives. At first glance, this serves to make the world seem 'alive'- to make those cities (however small) seem to be bustling. But the fortieth time you return to your hometown and have the SAME NPCs spout the same lines at you that they have for the entire game. Well...it gets old. And I'm not sure if I have a good 'solution' to this one. In fact, Dragon Age and Mass Effect kind of do the same things, though they do have a lot fewer NPCs with lines.. and well, I don't mind that, actually. While I feel it is rewarding to talk to NPCs in a video game, I tend to only do so when that NPC has something interesting to say-and I don't just mean a fetch quest. I mean the ability to carry on some kind of conversation that teaches me about the world or the NPC. So while at first glance 'chatty' NPCs may seem like a good way to liven up a world, it tends (for me at least) to get old fast. Perhaps the whole 'less is more' thing is preferable. You can have a city populated by NPCs, but maybe only have a few of them speak and/or interact. And those that do should hopefully have some 'reason' for being interacted with- be it a quest, some general information or even just a laugh.

The last character-related issue I want to discuss is the depth of personality of specific, plot-important NPCs and companions. In Skyrim, unfortunately, this depth is lacking. Even the most important people in the game-the Greybeards, General Tullius and Ulfric Stormcloak, do not develop much through play. Nor do you ever feel like you are creating a 'relationship' with any of them. About the only nods to this are the bits of dialogue prior to them handing out quests. If you've been doing good for them, they'll comment on it, but that's about it. And for me at least, the Villains (or rather, the enemies I chose to label as such), didn't seem to react to me at all. I mean, I had helped the Empire capture two forts and was able to just walk into the capital of the Stormcloak rebels without any fuss except a guard commenting. "Hey, how come you're not wearing our kind of armor?"

As far as actual adventuring companions go, they might as well have just named them all 'meatshield' and/or 'walking inventory space'. None of them have any personality- at least not while they are with you. Oh sure, some of them might have a bit of a backstory (the Companions, for example), but once they begin traveling with you, they robotically adhere to the behavior (and even dialogue) of all other companion characters. Yes, Lydia, that does look like a cave. Yes, Erik the Slayer, that does look like a cave. Yes, Aela the Huntress, I too wonder if we should explore that cave. It is perhaps unfair to compare Bioware games and their very well developed NPCs to those of Skyrim, but... well, if you're going to include the option of recruiting people to join you, shouldn't there be SOME kind of reason for them to do so outside of helping in combat and carrying all your excess loot? In the end, I found companions to be more of a nuisance than anything else. And when that happens, you lose a wonderful way of helping players connect to the world and the story.

Finally, we come to the 'story' aspect of a game: how your choices affect the way things work out. In most modern computer roleplaying games, the player character is central to the resolution of whatever conflict is going on in the game world. Skyrim is no different in that regard- save for the fact that there are two ‘main’ quest lines running through the game. The first is the civil war between the Empire and the Stormcloak rebels. In truth, both sides are portrayed as rather ‘grey’, so whichever one you wind up choosing (if either) become the ‘good guys’ of your story. The second major storyline is the return of Dragons to Skyrim from their centuries-long slumber. In this case, you have a more definite ‘enemy’ in the big-bad dragon, “Alduin the World Eater”, who is destined to bring about the end of the world and the birth of a new one. So, unless you LIKE the idea of dieing to make room for a new world, odds are you’re going to try and fight Alduin.

The resolution of the Alduin storyline is pretty straightforward— find the tools necessary to defeat him and then go do it. The civil war is a lot more open ended—and how it ends depends entirely upon who you side with. There are also dozens of smaller quest-lines that can be picked up or ignored. You can become the Archmage of the College of Magic. You can join and take over the thieves’ guild, you can become an assassin in the Dark Brotherhood. On the surface, at least, it appears as though the sky is the limit (no pun intended). In practice, however, very little seems to change. The 'major earthshaking events' of the story don't seem to amount to much. The only things that really seem to change are the color of the city guards' uniforms and a few of their random bits of dialogue. In fact, even after I had defeated the 'main villain' of the piece, Ulfric Stormcloak (well, he was the villain in MY particular story), the various rulers of the different towns didn't even seem to recognize that he was gone. All the same (previously exhausted) bits of dialogue were still there, including questions as to why they chose this or that side in the war. And the responses I got were the same AFTER the war as they were while it was going on. Disappointing. For all the importance placed on my character, the world itself didn't change outwardly at all.

The same can be said of a lot of the other quest lines. I became Arch Mage of the college of magic. But apart from the snazzy new apartment and some robes, it didn’t mean anything. Only the Mages in the college ever referred to me by my title, nobody else in the world seemed to care. The same could be said for me becoming the leader of the Companions (Warrior Guild). No reactions at all, for the most part. So while you’re free to choose to do whatever you want, not a lot comes of it. There don’t SEEM to be any consequences or effect on the larger world.

Then again, when I look at a game like Mass Effect, it isn’t as though a whole lot changes based on your decisions- at least not within a single game. But when I played ME2 AFTER ME1, I really DID have the illusion that my choices had an impact. The dialogue of quite a few NPCs depended entirely upon what I decided to do in the last game- as did the tone of various encounters- and with the game continuing into its third installment, I can see how my game might be VERY different from someone else’s. Perhaps something like this will happen in Skyrim- either with DLC or the next game, but to me, the open-ended nature of the game seems to work only because you CAN’T change the setting that much. And that makes me feel less impactful as a hero.

Another aspect of story is ‘drama’- and by placing almost the entirety of Skyrim’s ‘camera work’ in the hands of the player, you can really miss out on a lot of drama. There were entire scenes and interactions between NPCs that I missed entirely because I ran past them by accident, then returned only to find the conversation over. Likewise, some big villain might be making his big entrance onto the battlefield, but I missed it because I was looting a corpse elsewhere. While this can be attributed to my own bad timing, it does contribute to an overall lessening of the ‘drama’. While I am not a huge fan of cut-scenes, I do feel that they can really enhance an encounter- even if only to momentarily focus your adventurer on some momentous happening.

And finally, there is something to be said for a sense of scale. In Dragon Age, the opening big battle of the game is preceded by an awesome cut scene of thousands of monsters and men doing battle. When you cut back to your character, you find yourself in a much smaller scale battle, but it FEELS like it is part of something larger. In Skyrim, the big assault on the enemy fortress seems to be conducted by me and twelve other guys, against a couple dozen bad guys, who come in waves. It was distinctly underwhelming. And I’d wager that in both games, there were probably the same number of enemies, the difference was the illusion of scale and scope present in Dragon Age and absent in Skyrim.

Anyway, that’s just what I wanted to ramble off the top of my head. And remember, despite everything I have said, I DO enjoy Skyrim for its own merits. I just can’t help but wonder if there will ever be a marriage of concepts. A game as BIG as Skyrim, and as Deep as Dragon Age. If it ever came to be, it would rank as one of the best games of all time, I think.

TUESDAY TANGENT: Mass Effect and Difficulty

2011-11-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

My favorite kind of video game is the ‘role playing’ type. Just what constitutes an RPG is open to debate— but to me, it is something that allows me to play the role of a character- to make decisions that impact the world around them and shape the story of the game. However, I am also a fan shooters (first or third person). It should come as no surprise, then, that the Mass Effect game series is one of my favorites. These games combine incredibly well-done storytelling with increasingly more ‘visceral’ gunfighting combat. But if I were forced to choose one or the other, the RPG aspect would definitely come first.

This attitude and the desire to experience the story of these games often causes me to do my initial run-through on very low difficulty settings. In fact, most of my subsequent run-throughs are on the ‘casual’ or ‘average’ settings. This allows me to focus more on the story and worry less about the combat (which is, in my opinion, ultimately peripheral).

That being said, once I have completed the game (usually several times over), I have made a point of going back through on the most difficult setting available- or at least I have done so with both Mass Effect games thus far. I have recently finished doing so with Mass Effect 2 and discovered something quite interesting along the way— a sense of real accomplishment and a whole new appreciation for a game that I have played literally dozens of times.

Oddly enough, instead of detracting from the RP elements, the incredibly difficult combats often made me much more ‘involved’ than I normally am. A case in point is the whole last act of Mass Effect 2- the final confrontation with the villains. The fights were incredibly difficult, requiring me to really make use of ALL the ‘bells and whistles’ of the combat system. I had to think tactically, ordering my companions into advantageous positions. I had to make use of the variety of special abilities that I and my companions had- I couldn’t just shoot bullets into every problem to solve it. I had to always be mindful of my ammo and medical supplies. And in the end, this playthrough really made me feel as though I were part of a ‘unit’ rather than a lone gunman.

For example, there was a part of the game where zombie-like beasts were swarming my small group. We had to keep falling back, until at last we were cornered. Things were looking pretty grim. Then one of my companions- Grunt the Krogan (big brick lizard dude) does his battle cry. “I. AM. KROGAN!” and suddenly charges forward, trampling down and destroying most of the zombie horde. I had heard him use that cry dozens times before. I’d even seen his charge before. But in that desperate situation I actually cheered out loud.

There were plenty of other situations like that throughout the playthrough. More than once, my companions saved my butt (or vice versa) by a well-timed shot or Biotic body slam. And in the midst of actual adrenaline filled combat, those actions had a lot more impact. The climactic string of battles were especially intense- most notably those events that were time dependent. No way I was going to let Tali die in those ventilation shafts!

In short (too late), it was almost like playing a brand new game.

It also got me thinking about my table-top gaming and some of the ‘best fights’ we’ve ever had there. In my Star Wars group, in particular, we have had a LOT of fights. But the ones we really remember were the most hard-fought- where the players really had to pull out all the stops in order to just survive. So yeah. Next time we play, I might crank up the difficulty setting a few notches and see what happens.

Star Wars, Realism and Ion Drives

2011-11-07T09:55:00.000-08:00

As always, I tend to overthink things related to the Star Wars movies. One of these things is the ‘reality’ of space travel- or rather, the dangers involved in it. It is one of the things glossed over in almost all Sci Fi films, but which is a huge threat in real-life space travel- namely: Collisions. I’m not talking about ships hitting other ships or even meteors or asteroids, but the idea of micro-meteors and other tiny bits of matter that could be traveling at incredible speeds. Just one hit by one of these fragments could seriously damage even a large ship. And when you think of a spacefaring culture like the one shown in Star Wars, there would likely be all KINDS of space junk floating around. How is it, then, that ships in the Star Wars universe aren’t just torn to shreds on a regular basis- to say nothing of trying to navigate a battlefield with all kinds of debris flying around.

One could say that the whole issue is simply avoided by ships having ‘shields’ and that these shields deflect any such incoming matter. That's fine. I’m good with that. But what about all those ships out there that don’t have shields. Like TIE fighters, for instance- though there are several other examples (at least in expanded universe continuity). How is it that TIE fighters and other unshielded ships can fly through battle-zones likely FILLED with deadly particles and not get destroyed.

Well, I have a theory- entirely made up, of course, and no doubt riddled with scientific impossibilities, but a theory nonetheless. I am also borrowing bits of pseudo science from Star Trek (and likely other sources I don’t know about).

In any case, Starships in the Star Wars universe are described as having ‘Ion Drives’ as their primary means of sublight propulsion. Like most Star Wars tech, the exact functioning of such devices is purposely vague.

Well, what if these Ion Drives weren’t simply thrusters that propelled a ship, but ‘generators’ as well- something that created an ‘ionized bubble’ around a starship (a-la the ‘warp field’ utilized in the Trek universe). In effect they surround a ship with a field of energy that ‘streamlines’ the ship from bow to stern, perhaps even functioning like a ‘slip-stream’- both pulling and pushing the ship through space. This ion-bubble would divert micro-meteors and other small space debris- instead of hitting the ship, they would just ‘flow around’ it. To me, at least, this is a tidy little way to talk around at least one of the real life hazards of space travel.

It might also explain why some vessels (like the X-Wing) seem to have forward facing ‘intakes’ to their engines. Perhaps these are not intakes, but rather the forward ‘projectors’ of the Ion Drive. I don’t know, but again, it works for me.

And on a slight tangent, I am of the opinion that the ‘solar panels’ on the TIE fighter are NOT solar panels at all, rather they ARE the ‘Twin Ion Engines’ of the craft (not those two little red dots on the back of the cockpit pod). Instead of conventional ‘thrusters’, these engine panels use an ionic charge to both draw and push the fighter through space. The large size of these ‘engine panels’ would certainly help explain the speed of the craft relative to its size.

Interesting Star Wars Quote

2011-11-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

I was recently going back through some old Star Wars DVDs I had- a 'home made' collection of the various Star Wars TV specials that have aired over the years. I wound up watching one that must have come out in the era between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. This particular behind the scenes special was narrated by Mark Hamill. During the show, he made a couple comments (scripted or not) that I found interesting. The first was regarding the Force:

"More people ask me about the Force than anything else. And I don't like to be too specific when I answer. Everyone has their own ideas about it. And if none of them is exactly right, none of them is necessarily wrong. Ultimately, the Force is what YOU make of it."

Wow. If only they'd continued with that outlook in the prequels. I mean, of all the things that did NOT need more explaining, the origin and nature of the Force was one of them.

Another, more telling, statement came in the closing moments of the special:

"Special effects are the purest form of movie making. With them, we can create visions that owe nothing to any other form of artistic expression—and which no other art can possibly duplicate. We now possess a technology that places anything man can imagine within reach of the camera. There's no place, past, present or future it cannot go.

But if we possess this new technology, we mustn't allow it to possess us-as so many of this century's great inventions have come to do. For in the end, a special effect is just a special effect. If it isn't surrounded by people we care about- if it doesn't serve a story that moves and involves us- and if (above all) it doesn't help us to grasp some larger imaginative vision, then it is just a trick- a gimmick."

When I look at the special effect-laden prequel trilogy, I find this whole statement rather ironic. The prequels were gorgeous to look at, without a doubt, but with 'wooden' acting and writing they (to me at least) lack the impact of the original movies. Anyway, I just thought it was interesting.

TUESDAY TANGENT: BIOWARE GAME DESIGN

2011-11-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

I am by no means a designer of video games. But I would consider myself a fairly experienced player of video games—at least of the RPG variety. Admittedly, most of my experience in this area comes from Bioware games—starting with Knights of the Old Republic. But I feel that this actually adds to my ‘credibility’ in what I am about to talk about.

I would like to start by saying that I think Bioware is an excellent company. They’ve given me hours of fun- hell.. days and weeks of fun, even. But they aren’t perfect. One needs to look no further than Dragon Age 2 to see that. As much as I would defend the game to others, I have also come to realize that the ‘little faults’ of the game have finally added up to an overall disappointment for me.

I mean, I didn’t mind the recycled environments or the ever-present ‘second wave’ of enemies spawning in after every fight, or the fact that the kinds of enemies you fought started to become very repetitive by the end of the game (wow. More demons. Really?). Taken individually, these things can be forgiven (by me) if there is a good story to tell. And for the most part, there was. But that’s the problem- it was just a ‘good’ story, not a GREAT one. That’s the problem for a company like Bioware. If ‘excellent’ is the norm, then anything ‘average’ stands out like a sore thumb. And compared to most every other game they have produced, Dragon Age 2 was just ‘average’ for me.

Now, I do NOT have a lot of the problems with it that other folks do. I liked the faster-paced combat. I liked the streamlined inventory and skill system. I didn’t care that my companions dressed themselves and chose their own unique fighting styles. In fact, I liked that. Overall, I didn’t ‘have a problem’ with the story, either- except that it was less focused than Dragon Age: Origins. But when you combine that with the aforementioned ‘little’ problems, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. For me, DA2 fell apart not from some single game-breaking item, but rather a collection of little things “I wished they’d done differently”.

And that trend seems to have continued (for me at least) in one of their Downloadable Content packages- namely the “Legacy” add on. Overall, it was a fun-enough sideline. I especially enjoyed the fact that you get to know your character’s father- and it was nice that if you brought your sibling along, they were impacted by it as well. In fact, I was really LOVING the content right up until the final act.

Here, you have to face an incredibly powerful enemy who makes you run through an increasingly lethal maze in order to finally confront him. Essentially, you’re running in circles, constantly destroying ‘power sources’ that your enemy is using, all the while dodging spawned in creatures and a maze of obstacles. It is a very difficult fight- and it seemed to me to be set up especially for PC gamers- in that in order to successfully get through the maze, you had to constantly tell your NPC companions EXACTLY where to go in order to keep them from being destroyed by the wall of fire that was constantly chasing you through the maze. Now, on the PC you can ‘zoom out’ from the action more than you can in the console. Likewise, you can select your team as a group and have them all move together. On the console, neither of these options seemed to be available (if they were, I sure as heck couldn’t find them). This meant that I had to try and run this gauntlet by constantly pausing the game, switching from one character to the next and telling them where to go. I literally played this battle for HOURS and finally had to RAGE QUIT for a while to calm down- Because every time you died in this final fight, you had to start all the way from the beginning- including a cut scene and the SAME dialogue over and over.

That marks the first time I have EVER had to RAGE QUIT a Bioware game. Ever. And that says something.

To me, this end battle was just a huge FU by whoever designed it. The game gave me helpful hints like “If you’re having a hard time, switch to a lower difficulty level”. Unfortunately, I had already SWITCHED to the lowest difficulty setting and still, after hours of playing, could not get through it. Things were made worse by the fact that without direction, your NPC companions would die within five seconds.

Ultimately, I beat the battle by buffing my main character and allowing all my companions to die (within five seconds). I was just BARELY able to beat the main bad guy. For this, I got the Achievement ‘Conductor’. Evidently a joke on the fact that in order to beat this particular battle, you have to be able to ‘conduct’ (orchestrate) your entire team. Well, if that was the goal, I failed horribly. And when I was done with this DLC I was in the strange position of NEVER wanting to play it again. Sure, the story line was interesting enough, but the thought of having to go through that battle again just makes me ill.

Yes, you could make fun of me for not being as good a gamer as most folks- and I don’t claim to be. But the end result was, that even on the lowest difficulty, I was having no fun. And that is the worst result you can get from any game design choice.

In the end, this really tainted my view of DA2 overall. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. This failing was made all the more noticeable by the fact that I was simultaneously playing Mass Effect 2 and its downloadable content. I am currently in the process of trying to beat that game on its highest difficulty level (Insanity). It is tough. Very tough. Very challenging. It is occasionally frustrating and sometimes scares the crap out of me (i.e. the ‘threats’ presented really are that). But the design is such that I have (so far) not had to quit the game in a rage because of a design choice. The challenges are VERY hard, but I can find my own way through them- apply tactics and strategies that work for me in that particular situation. I am not simply a rat running through a maze in the ONE particular way that the designer intended or I will die.

In short, I feel that ME2 was much better designed than DA2. And that seems to be a function of time- in that DA2 felt rushed- which is really a shame.

Star Wars Plot Holes

2011-10-05T11:03:00.001-07:00

As much as I love the original trilogy (minus all its recent 'improvements'), there are still a few things about these Star Wars movies that have never sat quite well with me- from a purely 'logical' sense, that is. The one I'm going to focus on (briefly) in this post is the whole Mission to Endor at the end of Return of the Jedi.

I am perfectly alright with the whole concept of the Rebel attack on the Death Star. Yes, it is all a bit 'shooting from the hip', but then the Rebels know they are taking a risk here. They just feel that the risk is worth the possible reward. I'm even cool with the whole plan of sneaking people onto Endor using a stolen shuttle and codes. Where that falls apart (for me at least) is after the shuttle has passed through the Imperial blockade. They reported that they are a 'parts and technical crew for the forest moon'. That makes sense, but then they land the shuttle, apparently, in the middle of the forest- a couple days march from the ONLY Imperial installation (that we know of) on the planet. Considering how tight security MUST have been in the system (especially with the Emperor there), you would think that SOMEONE would have noticed this shuttle going off course and heading for the boonies. I mean, they probably had limited approach vectors and ALL that stuff.

Now, you COULD explain this all away by saying that the Empire 'allowed' them to land, since Vader had already sensed Luke and knew there were shenanigans in the works. But that wouldn't explain why the Rebels would have thought this was a good plan. So, yeah. There we are a pretty big plot hole if you ask me. And quite honestly, I don't have a way to 'fix' this. Perhaps there WERE other Imperial installations on the planet and they 'pretended' to land at one, but instead diverted to the forest. But again, you'd think someone would check on this and follow up- especially when you have an entire day (at least) to notice the discrepancy.

So, ummmm... nope. I'm drawin' a blank here. If anyone else has any bright ideas as to what might close this plot hole, I'm all ears.

Tuesday Tangent: Humanoids

2011-09-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Humanoids

This is another D&D related post- though it applies to pretty much any fantasy setting. In these kind of worlds, one of the things I enjoy are a variety of beasts and beings, both magical and mundane. But on the other hand, I like a little ‘realism’ to my fantasy (other Old School gamers have termed that ‘Gygaxian Naturalism). In short, I like to have my beasties make some kind of ‘sense’- even if it is a convoluted sense I have made up. What I didn’t like about the line of monster books produced for the D&D game was the abandonment of ‘classic’ monsters in favor of the ‘flavor of the week’ new monsters. To me, this was very prevalent in the introduction of various humanoid races in the Fiend Folio and Monster Manual II.

This explosion of humanoid races seems all the more strange when you consider how ‘sub-races’ of Elves and Dwarves and the like were handled- not as their own distinct species- but rather as a variation of a ‘stock’ species, with different cultures and perhaps some minor physical differences.

For my own fantasy world, I would go down this road when handling humanoid creatures. Below are some examples of this:

The Goblin Family.

I see goblins as the ‘basic’ D&D villain, especially for low-level beginner groups. They are dangerous enough in numbers, but weak individually- thus, they make a good ‘cowardly villain’ type. There would be variations of these humanoids mostly based upon what environment they have adapted to:

Stone Goblins: These represent the ‘typical’ goblins, evolved to live in caves located in hilly or mountainous regions. They partner with Worgs and survive by raiding other tribes or settlements nearby. They are short but wirey and deceptively strong for their size.

Forest Goblins: These are lankier versions of the typical goblin- evolved to living in the deepest, darkest parts of forests. Though many tribes continue to ally themselves with Worgs, some groups actually form partnerships with giant spiders, even riding them into battle.

Dark Goblins: These pale-skinned creatures visually resemble the ‘Dark Creeper’ monster of Fiend Folio fame. They are very sensitive to light and typically live in dark caves deep underground. They are masters of stealth- even moreso than your typical goblins. Where possible, groups in large cave systems partner with Giant bats to use in battle and raiding. Some groups who live closer to the surface use these bats as well, riding them out for raids on moonless nights.

Jungle Goblins: These are based off the Tasloi, from the Monster Manual II. They are skinny goblins evolved to living in Jungle canopies. They typically partner with giant insects such as wasps or other jungle types.

Swamp Goblins: These are based off the Bulluwugs from the Fiend Folio. Instead of actually being ‘Frog Men’, they would be bug-eyed, lanky swamp dwellers adept at swimming and jumping. They would also utilize giant frogs as guard and attack beasts.

Gibberlings: Typically found only in the remotest wilderness or caverns, Gibberlings represent Goblins pushed beyond sanity by their desperate situations. They are mad, gibbering things who think only of eating. They would be without the sharp swords specified in the Fiend Folio, however. That never did make much sense to me. In appearance, they would be like ‘normal’ Goblins, only crazed, unkempt and naked.

Hobgoblins: These represent an evolved ‘high’ species of Goblins, larger and more intelligent than their bretheren. They tend to construct their own villages or cave system/fortresses. Depending on the terrain in which they live, they might still ally themselves with any of the ‘beast companions’ the lesser tribes do- such as Worgs or Giant Spiders, etc.

Bugbears: These are huge versions of standard goblins- they are barbarians by nature, taking what they want from any ‘lesser’ (i.e. smaller) species. Again, they might have racial traits and animal companions similar to any of the base goblin tribes.

The Orc Family

There is a bit less variety here as Orcs seem to me to be more ubiquitous than goblins- just as humans are among the ‘good’ races of the surface. Your typical orc is beast-faced (with squinty eyes, protruding brows, blunt noses and pronounced fangs). Their bodies are powerfully built but typically hunched, with long arms and stocky legs.

Grimlocks: This is a variety of Orc adapted to living deep underground. They are albino in nature and blind. They make up for this by having acute senses of hearing and smell.

Orog: These are large orcs- said to be a hybrid between Orcs and Ogres. While not much more intelligent than the base variety, they are quite a bit more powerful.

Beast Men

These represent humanoids that display the distinct traits of various beasts. In most cases, these races were brought about by dark magics and the twisting of humanoid species into unholy ‘man-beast’ hybrids. They are not related to eachother except for this origin. Beast-man tribes include:

Gnolls: Hyena men of desert/arid regions (similar to Northern Africa)- however, they could have spread beyond this to colder regions in search of food. They are fierce fighters, but (like their Hyena stock) are opportunists- preferring the easiest route to prey. They sometimes partner with actual Hyenas.

Ratlings: Rat/Man hybrids, they dwell in swamps or sewers or other places where they can live off the resfuse of others. I see them based somewhat on the Skaven from Warhammer.

Wolfen: Wolf men- essentially like Gnolls, only more prevalent in temperate regions. I see them as being more beastial than the wolfen presented in the Palladium RPG.

Anyway, its time to get back to work. These are just a few ideas I had and wanted to get down in writing.

The Emperor was (and is) awesome

2011-09-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

I've commented before on how much I enjoyed the expanded role the Emperor played in the Star Wars Prequels. In fact, I would say this was the high-point in these three movies. And the more I think about his plan and rise to power, the more respect I have for him as a villain. What got me thinking about this again was a conversation I had with a co-worker regarding the Clone Wars cartoon. My work buddy asked (since I am the resident Star Wars guru at work): "If the Darth Sidious is in charge of the Republic AND the Separatists, why can't he simply 'hand' the victory to the Separatists?" To which I replied. "Because he doesn't want them to win. He doesn't want EITHER side to win until the time is right and his goals are accomplished."

And that is what is so freaking awesome about his plan. By fabricating a war and essentially running both sides of it, Palpatine created an environment where he can accomplish ALL the things necessary for him to rise to power. These are as follows:

1) By giving the Republic an external threat Palpatine forces them to create (or rather 'accept') a huge military force where none existed before. So desperate is the Republic in the early days that it completely overlooks the shady origins of the Clone forces entirely.

2) Palpatine creates a crisis whereby people give him emergency powers that will only last 'for the duration of the crisis'. By prolonging the crisis, people get 'used to' him having that power. They begin not to question it.

3) People don't question that power because Palpatine can, whenever he needs to, set up an instance where only HIS foresight and action prevented a major military failure. Thus, he is regarded as a hero- becoming a 'father figure' to his people who would look to him for 'stability' during the war.

4) Palpatine weakens his enemies- and not just the Jedi. Yes, he makes sure THOSE people are at the front of the conflict and are actually being whittled down, but the Separatists themselves would likely oppose Palpatine's bid to 'unite' the galaxy. By spurring them into a war, he grinds THEM down as well. In short, he allows all his potential enemies to destroy each other. Awesome. It is even MORE awesome when you realize that almost all the people on BOTH sides of the conflict do not realize they are being used. I think that, perhaps, Count Dooku knew the plan, but I doubt anyone else did (Grievous, for instance, probably didn't).

5) Palpatine creates a permanent enemy/threat that furthers his anti-alien stance. It is uncertain (to me at least) if Palpatine really hated aliens or if he simply saw them as a way to consolidate his power. Either way, by conspiring to have the Separatists lead by non-humans, he creates a situation where other (perhaps troublesome) non-humans can be cast in a doubtful light if he so requires.

6) Palpatine sets the Jedi up. I've spoken about this before, so won't go into detail. But suffice it to say that he really worked them over. Palpatine got a bunch of them killed in combat and had the others spread out and unwittingly placed in front of the guns of troops who were programmed to be loyal to him. And when he defeated those who knew his true nature, he could spin any story he wanted about the Jedi- namely that they were trying to seize power for themselves- something which would gain a lot of traction based upon the trust the people had for him and the seeming isolation the Jedi had from the rest of the galactic public.

Seriously, that is an awesome plan. And what is more awesome is that it WORKED. For over twenty years, it worked. That's not something MOST movie villains can boast. I mean, your typical Bond villain never lives to see the fruition of their evil plans. The Emperor, in this instance, does NOT follow the 'Evil Overlord' rules set. And that is what makes him (in my book) one of the best movie villains of all time. And you know what? It is the prequels that were responsible for telling this awesome story. Say what you will about other aspects of those films, but this is one thing they really got right.

Tuesday Tangent: D&D

2011-09-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

While I may currently hide behind the ultra-cool label of "Star Wars Geek" currently, I must also admit to the fact that as a younger geek I also indulged in a certain role playing game by the name of Dungeons and Dragons. In fact, D&D was my introduction to the world of 'gaming' and the focus of a lot of my creative energies in Jr. High and High School. Alas, my relationship with D&D mostly came to an end when I discovered my 'true love'—the Star Wars D6 RPG.

I've spoken before as to why I like the D6 system so much more than any other, so I won't go into that again. But even saying all of that, there is something compelling about the D&D system, even after all of these years. I have run fantasy adventures and even a few campaigns using the D6 system, but strangely enough, they never felt quite...right? I suppose a lot of that has to do with nostalgia for the D&D system. It is what I 'cut my teeth' on, and what I came to so closely associate with that particular genre. When I see knights and dragons, I think of 'classes', 'levels', 'hit points', etc.. It just seems natural. For whatever the reason, that genre and those rules seem to fit. It is just the same with Star Wars and D6- it doesn't feel right with '10th Level Jedi Guardians' and 'hit points'.

So I am forced to admit that as much as I LOVE the D6 system, and still feel that it can be used in ANY genre, there are times where I 'yearn' for a good 'old fashioned' D&D campaign. But whenever I get to thinking about doing that, I always run into the same old blocks that turned me off of the system in the first place. Advanced D&D, for instance, just doesn't have the 'symmetry' to it that I like. It is, for lack of a better word, 'quirky'.

D&D is a product of its upbringing- i.e. it was not developed from the 'top down', but rather, during play- with all manner of house rules being gradually incorporated into its canon. Thus, you have bizarre things like the percentile differentiation for strength, but straight numbers for all other stats. Likewise, skills and abilities (thief 'hiding in shadows' and elven 'detect secret doors' for instance) are sometimes governed by percentile dice, other times by d6. I guess that is one of the things that DID appeal to me about D&D 3rd edition- the more consistent approach to things like this.

So where does all of this rambling lead me? To another 'project' of course!- a revamping of the D&D system. Yes, I know. So many others have done this already. And no, I don't intend to 'publish' this or anything of the sort. Its just something I'd like to do so I can run my own D&D campaign at some point- without all the complications and annoyances I found in the other published editions. If I had to describe what I have come up with so far, I would say it is a 'mash up' of the old B/X (Basic/Expert) D&D, with a healthy dose of 3rd (or 3.5) edition- with a little of 2.5 thrown in.

I won't go into a lot of detail here, but a few aspects of what I'm thinking are as follows:

1) There are only five main attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.

As per the '2.5' edition rules, these can each be broken up into two 'sub-attributes' (though this is purely optional). For example, Strength is broken into Muscle and Constitution- which can vary slightly from the base stat. For example, a character is generated with a 16 STR. They could split this up into a 17 Muscle and 15 Constitution (favoring Muscle over health) or a 14 Muscle and 18 Constitution (not overly musclebound, but very healthy). As with the 2.5 edition rules, you can't vary more than 4 points between the sub attributes (thus, the 14/18 split above is as far as you can go). To me, this makes sense, especially with strength. I never liked the idea that it was possible for someone to have an 18 Strength and a Constitution of 3. Yes, you can make all kinds of arguments as to how this would be possible, but to me, it was never PLAUSIBLE. Plus, I like the idea of being able to 'fine tune' your character if you want. I also like the idea that you can just ignore this rule if you'd like. If you roll a 16 for strength, you just keep a 16 in Muscle and Constitution. Easy peasy.

2) There are only 3 classes. Fighter, Mage, Rogue.

There are also multi-class combinations of the above- which allow you to progress in two (or even all three) classes simultaneously. I never liked the D20 system of being able to multi-class each level- mainly because it forced EVERYONE to be single class at first level, no matter what. You're an elf who was raised by a great warrior and a wizard? Well, too bad. You can either have NO fighting abilities or NO magic abilities until you're second level. Bleh.

What I did like from the D20 system was the fact that all classes use the same level advancement scheme- i.e. no matter what class, it costs the same amount of XP to advance a level. For multi-class characters in my system, it would mean that folks with 2 classes pay twice the XP to go up a level and a Fight/Mage/Rogue would pay three-times the XP. Again, simple.

Depending upon what skills/spells a character chooses, these three classes can incorporate a variety of different 'sub-classes' that people are used to in their D&D. For instance, a Fighter who has wilderness skills could be termed a 'ranger'.

2a) Why no Priests/Clerics?
I suppose it is a personal thing with me. I never much cared for the 'religious' system implicit in most D&D settings. I never liked the idea of 'gods' just being ultra-powerful, extra-planar beings (complete with stats and hit points). Likewise, I always disliked the idea of player characters being raised to the status of gods. I'm not saying it is 'wrong' or that my 'christian beliefs' don't allow it or whatever (hey, its just a fantasy game). I just personally don't care for it. I also feel that having a more 'ambiguous' faith- one that does NOT have such 'tangible' evidence as a god coming down to say howdy to his followers- is more dramatic. Oh, I would still include all the 'Gods' of ancient beliefs (Olympians, Asgardians, etc.). They would still be powerful extra-planar beings (with stats and hit points), but they would not, in fact, be the 'creator spirit' of the universe. So, yes, maybe there is some christian influence in there. But that's just my particular preference.

For those wondering, most cleric spells would be just another 'school' of magic spells, available to any mage who studied them (i.e. Mages could be healers, etc.). The exception to this would be spells of a truly 'divine' nature- things like 'Bless' and Holy Word and even the ability to turn/control undead. 'Divine' spells like this would be available to mages ONLY if they chose a special ability I call "True Faith". In the game world, these 'divine' spells would be of somewhat ambiguous origin. For those of 'true faith', they would be a sign of 'God's' power, focused through them, the faithful. For atheists, they would be simply another school of spells- albeit one that seems to require a particular belief that they do not possess. Also, even Non-Mages can take this 'true faith' ability- allowing them to utilize holy symbols to turn undead. To me, this hearkens back to the old adage that it is not a cross that turns a Vampire, but the faith of the person using it. True faith would come with a price, however- requiring an individual to live by a code of ethics, etc.

3) Hit points and healing would be handled just a bit differently.

I didn't like the fact that as player levels increased, the effectiveness of cure spells dropped off. A cure light wounds cast on a first level fighter with 1 hit point left out of 8 could, conceivably, heal him from the brink of death to perfect health. Now take a high level fighter who has lost 40 of his 80 hit points. It would take at BARE MINIMUM 5 cure light wounds spells to bring him back to full. When you consider that loss of hit points represent a wearing away of 'luck' as well as actual physical injury, this makes no sense at all. So, what I propose is this (some of which is taken from D&D 2.5).

The 'wound level' of an individual is determined by the percentage of hit points he has left.

A person with 75% to 99% of their hit points are just a little, bruised or Superficially Wounded, with no real injuries. A character suffers no ill effects at this wound level and their health will not deteriorate further unless they are injured again.

A person with 50% to 74% of their hit points are considered Lightly Wounded. A Lightly wounded character suffers no ill effects from their wound, but must bind or heal the wound within a short while after combat (within 1 turn- requiring an 'easy' Healing skill roll) or they may become moderately wounded.

A person with 25% to 49% of their hit points are considered Moderately Wounded. A moderately wounded character suffers a penalty of -1 to all attacks, defenses and skill rolls. The wound must be bound or healed within a short while of combat (within 1 turn- requiring a 'moderate' Healing skill roll) or the character will become severely wounded.

A person with 1 to 24% of their hit points are considered Severely Wounded. A severely wounded character suffers a penalty of -2 to all attacks, defenses and skill rolls. The wound must be bound or healed within a short while of combat (within 1 turn- requiring a 'difficult' Healing skill roll) or the character will become critically wounded.

A person with negative hit points are considered Critically Wounded. A critically wounded character must be bound or healed within a short while of combat (within 1 turn- requiring a 'very difficult' healing skill roll) or the character will die.

A superficially wounded character is 'healed' with a few minutes (1 turn) rest. i.e. after 1 Turn, a person would be restored to 100% of their hit points.

Light Wounds are healed with a cure light wounds spell. i.e. someone injured down to 50% of their hit points could be restored to full health with this spell. If no spell is available the wound may be 'bound', requiring an easy healing skill roll. This keeps the wound from becoming more serious, but does not give back any hit points.

Moderate Wounds are healed with a cure moderate wounds spell which will restore the character to full health. A cure light wounds spell will automatically 'stabilize' the wound- keeping it from getting any worse, but will not give back any hit points. Likewise, a successful (moderate) healing skill check allows a moderate wound to be 'bound'- but does not return any hit points.

Severe Wounds are healed with a cure severe wounds spell. Which will restore the character to full health. A cure moderate wounds spell will automatically stabilize the wound- keeping it from getting any worse, but will not give back any hit points. A Cure Light Wounds spell has a 50% chance of stabilizing the wound as above, but likewise will not return any hit points. Likewise, a successful (difficult) healing skill check allows a severe wound to be 'bound'- but does not return any hit points.

Critical Wounds are healed with a cure critical wounds spell. Which will restore the character to full health. A cure Severe wounds spell will automatically stabilize the wound- keeping it from getting any worse, but will not give back any hit points. A Cure Moderate Wounds spell has a 50% chance of stabilizing the wound as above, but will not return any hit points. A Cure Light Wounds spell has a 25% chance of stabilizing the wound as above, but will not return any hit points. Likewise, a successful (very difficult) healing skill check allows a critical wound to be 'bound'- but does not return any hit points.

So, yeah, this is quite a bit different than your usual D&D. Though it hasn't been playtested, I imagine this is going to have the effect of giving characters a bit more 'longevity' during a dungeon crawl. They will likely be able to replenish their hit points after a battle a lot more easily than a 'standard' party would, especially if they are only 'superficially' or 'lightly wounded' in a confrontation. I personally like this idea, as it prevents the group from having to withdraw from the adventuring locale as often as they might otherwise.

I also like the idea of giving wounds 'weight'. In D&D, folks function at 100% effectiveness even if they're down to their last HP- that never sat well with me, either.

Anyway, those are just some of my thoughts for the system- and enough for my tangent today.

Adventure Conversion: The Mummy - Part 4

2011-09-12T10:37:00.001-07:00

EPISODE III: THE RUINS

SYNOPSIS:

The heroes (and a rival group of treasure hunters), begin to explore the ruins of Hamunaptra. Here, they find a variety of dangers- from ancient traps to flesh-eating beetles. Here also they begin to uncover the story behind the curse on this place. Unfortunately for everyone involved, all this activity has drawn the attention of the spirit of Imhotep. This dark lord waits only for the a mistake that will rouse him from his slumber...

CUTAWAY
As the groups of explorers reach the outskirts of the ruins, a tremor seems to run beneath the sands, as if something stirs there- but always just out of sight of any of these new arrivals. And as the group reaches the sand-swept central plaza a great, mournful moan seems to sound from the various open cave entrances as a wind suddenly sweeps through the area...then settles.

ADVENTURE

Now that they've reached the ruins, the heroes no doubt wish to proceed inside and find the treasure (or, for more altruistic groups, seek to preserve the treasures within?). There are a number of different passages into the ruins- all of which seem to lead into the tunnels below (with all the surface buildings having long since been obliterated by erosion).

Beni's group will immediately 'claim' one of the tunnel entrances and set up camp around it. Evelyn doesn't seem to think that entrance is any more promising than the others, so she is content to let them have it. This could, however, spark a confrontation between the groups. Beni's group is stubborn and will, if pressed, fight to protect their claim- but they won't start a fight. In fact, they are much more likely to strike up a friendly rivalry with the heroes team- taking bets on who will reach the treasure first. They will begin to explore their tunnel entrance immediately, bringing their hired laborers in with them and leaving a few outside to keep watch. Beni, while anxious to find the treasure, will be more than a little 'jumpy' due to the dark presence at the site. In general, however, the group will not work directly WITH the heroes.

The heroes are free to do their own exploration now. Evelyn and Jonathan are quite eager to get going (though the latter seems just a little spooked). If the Imperial Magistrate (Gad Hassan) is with the heroes, he too will be quite eager to get started.

ENCOUNTERS:

The tunnels themselves form an immense maze beneath the sands. Many tunnels lead to dead ends- either by design or due to collapses. Within these tunnels, the GM can have the heroes encounter a variety of dangers and oddities, including:

1) Cave in. A section of the tunnel gives way as the heroes pass- forcing them to dodge the collapse and possibly cutting them off from their original route back. The GM should use this to re-direct the players, though- not to trap them in an inescapable location (unless they have the means to dig themselves out).

2) Ancient Traps. This could be anything from a pit filled with spikes to crushing walls to darts firing out of holes in the wall. The GM is encouraged to have the players run into a variety of traps to help show how dangerous this location is. In or near some of these traps, the heroes may find the remains of previous treasure hunters. Considering the age of this place, this could be anything from 'ancient' Jedi or Sith to explorers from the Old Republic to completely alien and unknown beings. If he feels like it, the GM might even place some salvageable artifacts on these remains.

3) Odd sounds/sights. These are mood setters- designed to keep the party off balance as they explore. It could be anything from the faint skittering of insects (hinting at the deadly scarab beetles) to seeming movements in the shadows (a trick of the light or perhaps even supernatural phenomena)

4) Old Tombs. These tunnels are home to more than just Imhotep's remains. Here and there can be found the bodies of other ancients. Most would be laid to rest in modest cubicles, carved into the walls. Others are held in sarcophagi found in small side chambers and a few might even have a full blown tomb with antechambers and the like (usually protected by a hidden door and several traps). The GM may include some treasure with these finds, but should keep the reward in line with the difficulty of recovering it. Also note that this IS a grave site, and that stealing from the dead isn't necessarily a 'good' thing to do. If the heroes go about this callously- stripping dead bodies of their valuables, the GM may wish to utilize a 'bad karma' rule- penalizing all their further skill rolls by 1 or 2 pips or otherwise facing them with 'bad luck'. If, however, the players are at least somewhat respectful in their handling of the dead, they may be able to recover these treasures without incurring penalty.

5) Hieroglyphs. These are found throughout the tombs. Most simply reflect the daily lives of the ancient Aegyptian empire. This will be a great find archaeologically speaking (Evelyn will certainly be interested), but for the most part they have no bearing on the adventure). Some hieroglyphs, however, will offer clues as to the story behind Imhotep- showing his rise to power, his Dark Side corruption, his treachery and his downfall. Astute characters might notice a few things of interest- one being the symbol of the Medjai- one they may have seen on the 'nomads' that attacked the sail barge during their trip here. Others may also notice an uncanny resemblance between Evelyn Carnahan and the pictographs of the Queen Ank-Su-Namun. Still others might notice the repeated depiction of a book, constantly associated with a forbidding, dog-headed deity.

6) The other guys. The heroes encounter Beni and his employers while exploring the tunnels. This can hopefully be played for a 'jump scare' as the two nervous groups suddenly come face to face around a corner. Though played mostly for atmosphere, it is possible this could spark a fight (depending on how the heroes react).

7) The scarab beetles. The heroes will come upon yet another wall covered with hieroglyphs, only this one seems to have some small iridescent stones inlaid into it. They appear to be of only moderate worth, but some in the group might attempt to pry them free (Gad Hassan certainly will). The stones do appear to be just that- though upon a very close inspection (or run beneath a scanning device), their true nature will be discovered. These 'stones' are actually a kind of silicon based 'beetle'- evidently gone dormant. The GM should have any of these 'stones' attack when it is least expected. If Gad Hassan steals a few then they might suddenly come alive and burrow into his flesh- killing him mysteriously. If one of the heroes unknowingly takes a scarab, it might come alive and attack him as well. If the heroes discover the true nature of the beetles, the one they are examining might suddenly come to life as well.

COMPANIONS:

Also keep in mind the actions of the various NPCs during this initial exploration. Each will behave differently and may have an impact on how things play out.

Evelyn
Evelyn will be extremely excited and energetic in her exploration of the tombs- for her, this is a dream come true. She is clearly much more interested in the archaeological value of the site than she is any treasure. Though a smart young woman, Evelyn isn't as cautious as she perhaps should be and might wander into a trap that could require her to be helped by the heroes.

Jonathan
He is nearly as excited as his sister, though for the exact opposite reason. He's interested in finding the treasure- and is impatient even in that regard. This may lead him to take risks a more cautious person wouldn't when in pursuit of those riches. He may likely wander into trouble and require rescuing. Even so, his greed isn't necessarily a selfish one- i.e. he won't 'backstab' his companions to get ahead.

Gad Hassan
The magistrate is motivated solely by greed. He wants treasure and he wants it right away. In much the same way as Jonathan, this will lead to him taking risks he shouldn't. Unlike Jonathan, however, he is keen on taking what he can even at the expense of others. If the GM feels it appropriate, this Greed could lead Hassan to an untimely death during the scarab beetle encounter (see above).

Beni
Beni is much like Hassan- eager to get wealthy and willing to cheat anyone else to do so. He is growing especially desperate now, though- since his main usefulness to his employers (Burne, Henders and Danis)- namely his knowledge of how to reach the ruins- is now no longer necessary. He may wander off in search of his own riches or even attempt to steal from or sabotage the heroes. Likewise, he might get into trouble in one of the traps- giving the players a choice of whether or not to save this thoroughly despicable character.

Burne, Henders and Danis
The three treasure hunters are keen on getting the treasure- and in that pursuit they reveal a degree of ruthlessness in driving their workers hard. Danis will even go to the point of using them to spring any traps the group suspects but cannot find. While not openly hostile to the heroes, they might well engage in some 'friendly' pranks or even sabotage (of a non lethal variety) if the opportunity presents itself.

The Workers
These are a group of local laborers who signed on in the hopes of riches but who are now regretting that decision due to the dark nature of the ruins. They are unhappy with their lot, but unwilling to risk the wrath of their employers.

MAJOR EVENTS

After several encounters (and perhaps a day or two of searching), the GM should move events forward with one of the major happenings of the adventure. These are:

1) The discovery of Imhotep's tomb. This will actually be accomplished by the Burne, Henders and Danis- who will stumble upon it in their explorations near dusk on the first day of the 'dig'. Unfortunately, this tomb was trapped- resulting in the deaths of several of the group's native workers. Though they didn't find any treasure hordes, they did find several gold trappings of the former priest- including a scepter, a necklace and a diadem. Needless to say, the three will be keen to show off their hard won treasures that evening as both groups camp. They will also try to collect on any bets as to who finds 'the treasure' first (though technically, they didn't find THE treasure, just SOME treasure). The three will be rather callous in regards to the death of their laborers.

Though a bit disappointed at having been beaten to the find, Evelyn isn't particularly upset. In fact, she suspects (due to her knowledge of Ancient Aegyptian building practices) that there may be further treasures in the vaults on the levels directly BELOW where Imhotep's tomb was found. And it is here that she will wish to go the next day. That night, Evelyn will have strange and unsettling dreams- as may others in the group, especially Force sensitive types. Also, anyone on watch might (with rather difficult search skill rolls) notice what appears to be a nomad rider off in the distance across the desert- though he will quickly disappear.

In any case, the explorations continue the next day and this leads to...

2) The discovery of the Book of the Dead. This ancient tome contains many Dark secrets- including methods to raise the dead. It is a Dark Side artifact, of course, and will radiate an uneasy cold to any in its presence. This will be located in a side tomb deep within the tunnels- lying in a secret compartment under the statue of a dog-headed deity (something hinted at in any hieroglyphs the heroes may have examined). It was once one of the sources of Imhotep's power and remains a key 'anchor' for his spirit. Indeed, it is set on top of the sarcophagus that holds Imhotep’s mortal remains. Opening the Sarcophagus reveals a horrific body within- evidently one who had been entombed alive. Heroes may wish to destroy the body- and can be allowed to. It is just a husk now in any case- Imhotep exists as a disembodied spirit.

Evelyn will be keen to study the book- despite the protests of any PCs who might sense its 'evil'. She will relent if hard pressed, though. A few other trinkets may be found in the area, but nothing of extreme value. The group may continue their searching, but eventually, night will fall and people will return to camp to rest.

3) The Medjai pay a visit. The guardians of the city had hoped that the adventurers would be driven off or slain by the traps of the tombs. Meanwhile, they were forced to wait until they could gather strength again (calling in patrols from the far desert). As the heroes emerge from their day’s explorations (with the Book of the Dead in hand), riders will suddenly sweep in from the desert to encircle the camps. They are dressed in the same robes as the men who attacked the group on sail barge in the previous episode. They will impress upon the heroes (and the other adventurer group) their superior numbers. And indeed, they have a fair number of blasters among them as well (even if they are of an antiquated variety). This may very well turn into a battle if the heroes are trigger happy- but that is not the intention of the leader of the Medjai, Ardeth Bey. He will implore the heroes to give up their search and leave now- stating that there is a great evil here. Beni and the other adventurers will be skeptical and even insulting- and have no intention of leaving. Bey says that the group will have until sundown the next day to be on their way- or the Medjai will be forced to attack. With that, the nomads ride back out into the desert.

If shooting DOES break out, the Medjai will fight back. There are perhaps three dozen riders in all. You should let the fight play out as it will. If the heroes gain the upper hand, the Medjai will flee (heading back out to the desert to regroup and draw on reinforcements). If the Medjai gain the upper hand, they will stop short of slaughtering everyone- and will give them the same option of leaving by sundown the next day. If a fight does break out, Beni and the others will retreat into the tunnels- to a better defensive position- essentially abandoning any surviving workers to the nomads.

4) The resurrection of Imhotep. This could go a number of different ways.

a) The heroes open the Book of the Dead or allow Evelyn to. At first, all will be fine. They can examine the writings within, though only Evelyn will be able to decipher them- well, some of them, anyway. They seem to be a mix of ancient Aegyptian and an unknown language (actually a form of ancient Sith). As this happens, the reader may fall under the sway of the spirit of Imhotep- who wants to use them to read a phrase from the book that will release him- or rather 'bring him back' from the dead. This takes the form of a battle of wills- with the reader rolling his or her Willpower or Control skill vs. Imhotep's Alter skill. If Evelyn is doing the examination, she will automatically fail at this. A hero might have a better chance to beat this roll (especially if they use a Force point)- but if they do, Imhotep will use one, himself to counter. The most likely result is that the reader will fall under the spell of Imhotep (he is, afterall, an extremely powerful Force user. If the hero somehow defeats Imhotep (no small feat), then one of the contingencies below might happen.

b) If not allowed to examine the book, Evelyn (or even Jonathan or Gad Hassan) may attempt to steal it during the night and do so. This results in the same battle of wills described above- a battle the NPCs will automatically lose. If the book is under guard by the Heroes, Imhotep may attempt to mind control one of its guards as well (again following the rules above).

c) Beni, or even one of the other explorers (Burne, Henders or Danis) might attempt to steal the book and be bound by the will within to open it.

NOTE: In any of the above instances, the person ‘compelled’ to open the book will be released from the control of Imhotep after doing so. The mummy must focus his energies on his re-incarnation. If the book was stolen by one of the others or an NPC, that person will quickly abandon it after being released from control- wanting nothing to do with it (and allowing it to come back into the possession of the heroes).

d) The heroes may attempt to destroy the book. Unfortunately, it is constructed entirely of metal and, bound as it is, nearly impervious to destruction (at least by any hand-weapons or explosives the party may have on hand). Worse still, any attempt to destroy the book by violent means will- through the act of this violence- release Imhotep.

Assuming one of these things happens and Imhotep is released, stormclouds with gather over the city and the sand itself will begin to roil as if alive. The sand will soon die down. A moaning wind will suddenly burst forth from the tunnel entrances and the ground will tremble. Then everything will grow still. Uneasily still.

5) Should we stay or should we go? Everyone will seem to realize that something BAD has just happened. And on top of that, they know that a large force of Nomads is gathering and preparing to wipe them out. Most sane parties will attempt to flee at this point. Evelyn is shocked and horrified by what has happened (especially if SHE caused it), but will recover quickly and come up with a plan. Though it is a great find, Eve realizes that the book is somehow ‘evil’- she will hope to find some way of destroying it or perhaps some passage within it that will ‘set right’ what happened. In either case, she is at a loss here- but feels that with research in the libraries of Cairos, she may be able to find something that will help.

Beni and his greedy companions plan on fleeing- however, they intend to spend the night in the tunnels hoping to find some last minute loot before setting out in the morning. Some heroes may wish to do this as well- however, doing so will prove to be quite dangerous. Even if the players DO avoid the temptation, Jonathan Carnahan will not. He will slip off (if at all possible) and venture into the tunnels on his own last-minute treasure hunt. Evelyn will, of course, wish to go after him.

6) Mummy on the loose. With Imhotep now ‘freed’ of his hidden tomb- His spirit takes corporeal form- in this case, possessing the mummified remains of someone within the temple complex (there are thousands of bodies here suitable to his needs- including (possibly) his own (assuming the heroes did not destroy it earlier). In an effort to possibly find MORE treasure, Beni’s group splits up. Burne and Beni go one way, Henders and Danis another. Unfortunately for them, Imhotep finds Burne and Beni. The latter flees, terrified, into the tunnels, leaving Burne alone. As luck would have it, any Heroes in the tunnels will be nearby during this attack. They will hear hear screams (Beni’s), then blaster shots (Burne’s), then a horrible strangled cry (Burne’s). Assuming they go to check, the Heroes will be able to interfere with the attack- They will see a horrible, dead form grappling a helpless Burne and seeming to draw ‘energy’ from his body, causing him to wither and shrivel. At this point, Imhotep is relaviely weak (at least versus an entire party) and so they will likely be able to drive him off- and possibly even destroy his body ‘shell’ (at which point, his spirit will flee- being only eerily visible as he streaks off into the darkness to find another host.

If Evelyn is present during this fight, Imhotep may become distracted- either as his material (Mummy) form or as a spirit when that form is destroyed or driven off. In either case he will call out the name “Anck-Su-Namun”- as he recognizes her as such.

If the heroes do NOT help, but investigate anyway, they will find only Burne’s dessicated corpse, seemingly drained of.. well, everything.

Henders and Danis will race to the scene, though too late to affect the attack. They will find either Burne dead or in horrible condition- evidently at the hands of the Heroes. Some quick talking should be able to prevent a fight, however- and the adventurers will have finally had enough- they’re packing up and leaving- and don’t care that Beni is evidently missing.

The sounds of all of this will attract Jonathan as well (assuming the heroes have not already found him) and Evelyn will then urge that everyone flee- since she has no idea how to defeat a ‘spirit’. Their only hope now is to try and get to Cairos and the library there, where maybe here is information on how to do so.

And so everyone decides to flee, abandoning Beni to his fate in the tunnels as they pack up their mounts and ride off into the desert. It is a simple and relatively uneventful trek back to the Canal- and from there, the heroes should be able to hop another Barge back to Cairos. All the NPCs are no doubt a bit twitchy and frightened at this point. If Burne is still alive, he will be in bad condition, lingering on in a shriveled form. Henders and Danis hope that medical treatment in the city will be able to help.

CONTINGENCIES

Considering the open nature of this episode, there are a lot of different possibilities of what can happen. I have tried to deal with many of those in the above outline. As anyone reading this will note, there seem to be a lot of ‘pre-ordained’ things in this particular episode. And that’s true. It is one of the difficult things about adapting a movie (with a linear plot) to an adventure where the heroes determine the outcome. But even with this ‘railroading’, there are a lot of options for the heroes to take. Most of those options DO lead to failure of one sort or another, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, sometimes there are ‘no win’ situations (no matter what Captain Kirk says).

The release of Imhotep is vital to the plot of this adventure. And so it is that there are a LOT of different ways this can come about. Ideally, this should happen organically, based upon what the heroes do- and any precautious they take. It is possible that a particularly wary and paranoid group of heroes might thwart any attempt of the mummy escaping. In this case…well, more power to them, but the adventure as written will probably not work. It could work in some other way, however. Say the heroes bury or otherwise hide the book again. In this case, Imhotep’s spirit will ‘call’ to one of the NPCs- and lead them to find it. Which may very well put things ‘back on track’. If the heroes manage to get the book back to Cairos without somehow releasing Imhotep, then it is STILL possible they may do so once they get there. They will miss having the first encounter with the mummy at the tomb, but Imhotep will come to seek them out eventually- he may well even follow them off planet. In these far-ranging cases, the GM is on his own as to what happens next, but It could be a lot of ‘fun’ having an undead Darkside Force user chasing after you, right?

And finally, what if the heroes are particularly stubborn and decide to stay in Hamunaptra and fight the mummy right then and there. Any who do this are going to have a very difficult time. Imhotep can continue to chip away at them, possessing as many corpses as necessary to press the attack. And the heroes will have no real way of fighting him in his spirit form. They also have to worry about their supplies- and the fact that the Medjai will likely come in and try to kill them as well. It is hoped that even such a stubborn group will see the futility of this effort and return to Cairos to seek knowledge.

Seriously?

2011-09-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

So, I'm hoping it is all a rumor. But if you're reading this blog, odds are you've heard the latest about the release of the Star Wars movies on Blue Ray. The 'rumor' (which has, according to some folks been 'confirmed' by Lucasfilm) is that they're 'enhancing' Return of the Jedi. How you might ask? During the finale of the movie, there is a scene where the Emperor is frying Luke with Force lightning. In the original film, Vader looks on in stoic silence before suddenly lunging and attacking the Emperor. He hoists him over his head and throws him down a reactor shaft.

Well, now Vader isn't quite so 'stoic'. Evidently Vader now shouts. "No. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" while doing all of this.

So. Right. Is Lucas actually TRYING to piss off his fans now? I mean, I can understand creative ownership and doing what you want to with 'your' product. I mean, when Vader did that in the Prequel trilogies, I'm sure Lucas thought it was a good and dramatic moment. I saw that movie on opening night- with a room full of hundreds of Star Wars fans all psyched to see the movie. That 'dramatic' scene drew laughs. Out loud laughs from the whole theater. NOT the reaction George was looking for. And I doubt seriously if my particular theater was in the minority on this point. Even so, I can chalk that up to "oh well, guess that didn't work".

But then to take that scene- the one that fans LAUGHED at- and duplicate it in a previous film...well, that just seems stupid. Stubborn even. I mean, was the thought behind it: "Well, they didn't like it before, but this time, for sure!".

Geez.

Again, I have to say that I still do admire Lucas for a LOT of reasons. Heck, I even have a grudging admiration for him holding his ground AGAINST a lot of fan feedback. But I have to wonder at the reasoning behind things like this.

In any case, its a small thing in my book. I can remember the movies how they were- and I've been 'mentally editing' his stuff for decades now. Here's hoping that this is just a rumor, but even if it isn't- Meh. I'll cope.

Tuesday Tangent: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - 1970s Style

2011-08-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun putting together the 1980s League, I decided to do the same with the 70s.. the era of really, really bad fashion and disco music. I should point out that there are a few rules I am applying to the selection of these members:

1) The characters can't be a big/regular part of an established comic book universe- otherwise, I could just pick the Justice League and be done with it. The same is not necessarily true for characters from older comic strips. Nor does it apply to properties that were later turned into comic books.

2) I reserve the right to alter the background of such characters a little to fit my particular 'shared' universe or in order to 'resurrect' them from a scripted death.

Those 'ground rules' having been laid, on with the matter at hand. Here they are, then, your League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 1970s.

Steve Austin (played by Lee Majors)

A pilot and former astronaut, Steve was gravely injured in the test flight of an experimental space plane. He was rebuilt by the government using experimental bionic components and was subsequently employed by a shadowy agency to right various wrongs around the globe. This 'bionic man', would serve as the leader of this team due to his military and command experience. His enhanced abilities would be a great asset in League field operations.

Lee (played by Bruce Lee)

A martial arts master and monk from China, Lee is one of the most capable fighters in the world. In addition, he is a philosopher and scholar of many ancient secrets of his order which may very well have applications in supernatural operations. Only his rather solitary and introspective nature prevent Lee from being chosen as team leader. Even so, he would work well as an advisor and second in command.

Foxy Brown (played by Pam Greer)

A nurse turned private investigator (after the death of her boyfriend at the hands of ruthless vice lords). Foxy single-handedly brought down an entire syndicate and in the process became a capable and fearless investigator and combatant. She is particularly skilled at undercover work (no pun or entendre intended) and would make an excellent information gatherer for her team in the field. Though smart and independent, Foxy has developed a rather ruthless streak when it comes to dealing with 'bad people'- a streak that could put her at odds with more idealistic team members.

Carl Kolchak (played by Darren McGavin)

A seemingly odd choice at first, this freelance reporter has lately come to specialize in occult cases- the most notable of which saw him tracking down and destroying a Vampire 'serial killer'. Though he is at best a 'passable' combatant, Kolchak's investigative abilities and first-hand experience with various paranormal incidents would make him a valuable member of the team. Carl is likely to be a reluctant team member, seeing himself as 'just a reporter'- however, his steadfast courage and calm in the face of true horror is a rarity- and a great asset.

Mark Harris aka "The Man from Atlantis" (played by Patrick Duffy)

The origins of this mysterious individual are unknown- though some theorize that he is the last surviving member of an extinct aquatic species- perhaps descendents of the Atlanteans of legend. Apart from his ability to breathe underwater, he is incredibly strong and resilient, capable of operating at great depths and swimming at incredible speeds with webbed fingers and toes. Suffering from amnesia, Mark (his adopted name) is something of a blank slate, learning all he can about a world he is completely unfamiliar with. Though he must return to water at regular intervals, Mark's exceptional abilities would make him an asset on just about any League mission.

Backup Members

The following individuals were considered for recruitment, but were passed over for one reason or another (typically that their area of expertise overlapped another member's).

Father Merrin (played by Max Von Sydow)

An aging, but incredibly dedicated catholic priest. Father Merrin is one of the Church's premier experts in the field of the occult in general and exorcism in particular. His age and failing health were the primary reason Father Merrin was not chosen for the team. He is to be considered as an information asset, however- though he is currently engaged in a mission in Washington, DC...

Jaime Sommers (played by Lindsay Wagner)

A 'bionic woman', rebuilt by the same organization as Steve Austin. Ms. Sommers is currently engaged in missions for that organization, but could be called upon if the team found itself in need. Her powers easily match those of Col. Austin.

John Shaft (played by Richard Roundtree)

A former police officer turned private investigator. Shaft currently works in New York City, and has become something of a legend there for standing up to various underworld figures as well as corrupt city politicians and police officials. His independent nature and distaste for authority (and even teamwork) was the primary reason he was excluded from recruitment.

Harry Calahan (played by Clint Eastwood)

An infamous police detective operating out of San Francisco. "Dirty" Harry Calahan has made a reputation for a particularly 'direct' form of police work that often makes use of his signature .44 magnum handgun. As with others on the 'standby' list, Harry was excluded from recruitment mainly due to his dislike of working with others.

Gator McKlusky (played by Burt Reynolds)

A moonshiner and smuggler operating out of the south (from Texas to Florida). Gator is an expert driver and capable boat-handler. He is also something of a show-off and has a distinct lack of regard for the law. While not a 'ruthless criminal' by any means, his nature prevented him from making it onto the recruitment list. He could still be considered for individual operations where skilled road or aquatic travel is required.

James Rockford (played by James Garner)

A hardbitten private detective operating out of Los Angeles. Rockford is a highly capable investigator and even hand-to-hand combatant- but he often finds himself battered and bruised in the course of his work. Indeed, he does seem to have a kind of 'hard luck' that some occultists theorize may actually have supernatural origins. Needless to say, 'bad luck' is not something a field team needs.

Tertiary Possibilities

These are other names that came up, but were disregarded for various reasons:

Jill Munroe, Sabrina Duncan, Kelly Garrett (played by Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith) - Aka "Charlies Angels"

Leann "Pepper" Anderson (played by Angie Dickinson) - Aka Police Woman

Theo Kojak (played by Telly Savalas)

Columbo (played by Peter Falk)

Dr. Quincy (played by Jack Klugman) - Aka Quincy, M.E.

Adventure Conversion: The Mummy - Part 3

2011-08-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

EPISODE II: ACROSS THE DESERT

SYNOPSIS:

The expedition begins with a Sail Barge ride across the desert. Onboard, the heroes will meet the other adventurers in search of the lost city. Unfortunately for everyone, the journey is interrupted by an attack by Medjai extremists bent on stopping the explorers in any way possible.

CUTAWAY:

The sail barge makes its way along the banks of the canal, leaving civilization behind as it heads off across the desert towards another distant settlement. From a rise in the distant desert, a group of mounted nomads watch the vessel make its slow but steady progress. The leader of the group suddenly urges his mount into motion, calling to his fellows. “Come, we will deal with these dogs after the sun has gone down..” Another nomad replies. “But Ardeth Bey told us only to follow-“ “And allow these infidels to defile our sacred trust? I think not. Now, ride!” The nomads slip off behind the desert ridge, shadowing the course of the barge as it heads towards the sunset.

ADVENTURE:

The barge is a large, commercial vehicle that serves as both cargo and passenger transport between cities. Though equipped with repulsorlift technology, it relies mainly upon its sails for propulsion (a cost saving measure- and one that doesn’t really hamper the lumbering vessel’s speed very much). The lower decks of the barge are filled with various cargos as well as the mounts of both the party and the rival party of adventurers. The middle decks are filled with cramped passenger staterooms as well as a few ‘dormitories’ for poorer travelers. The upper and outside decks house the vessel’s limited galley and ‘recreational’ facilities- which consist of a few deckchairs and tables. In fact, the upper deck is also used as auxiliary storage, with all manner of cargo strapped to it- somewhat restricting movement. A luxury barge, this is not. Finally, there is a small ‘bridge’ located at the aft of the barge, from which the captain and a small crew guide its journey.

The barge travels along the route of an old canal that carries water between the major cities of the planet. In places, the barge will cruise along the banks of the canal, in others, it will actually venture out over the water- depending upon the terrain. There will be small farms and settlements along the banks, but these will get more sparse the further away from the city the vessel gets. If the players follow Evelyn and Jonathan’s advice, they will be planning on getting off the barge at a small stop far away from the city- a place where it is hoped they won’t be noticed much save for a few onboard the barge- and even then, they could pretend to be visiting one of the known archaeological dig sites in the area.

It is assumed that the heroes will have one or two staterooms reserved for themselves as well as space in the hold below for any mounts or larger supplies. Once they’re settled in, they can spend their time onboard in whatever manner they wish. Jonathan quickly looks for (and finds) the only bar-like place onboard- the ‘galley’ on the upper deck. Evelyn spends a fair amount of time reading on a deck chair or looking out over the surrounding desert. Gad Hassan (assuming the Imperial is along for the ride), will likewise gravitate to the bar and otherwise spend a deal of time planning what he’s going to do with his share of the loot- and planning how he might cheat the others out of theirs.

An exploration of the ship will quickly discover that apart from the normal local ‘worker’ types traveling from one city to the next, the ship is also carrying a decidedly uncommon group: Beni Gabor and his three ‘Partners’, Burne, Henders, Danis. Jonathan will, of course, recognize Beni and be suitably (though not physically) hostile. Beni will respond in kind. Burne, Henders and Danis are QUITE interested to find they may have competition, and will do their best to figure out just what the heroes are up to and how much of a threat they might be. The three will not be openly hostile. They won’t even start a fight. In fact, they’re much more likely to strike up a friendly ‘rivalry’ with the heroes. They will also be at least a little cautious in talking about their final goal- they don’t want anyone else to overhear any more than the heroes do. Beni will likewise try to ferret out any information from his rivals and may even attempt to sabotage their gear in some way (if he thinks he can get away with it- i.e., he won’t take any real risks to do so).

Give the players some time to roleplay amongst themselves and with the various NPCs. Talking with Jonathan or Evelyn could easily result in friendship or even romance (though the latter is liable to jump into anything too quickly- the former certainly is). Wait for things to naturally ‘wind down’ before proceeding to the next section- which will take place after sundown of that first day.

As the barge drifts lazily in the still-cooling night air, a band of dark-robed nomads (actually Medjai extremists) ride their pad-footed mounts out of the desert and quietly beneath the vessel. There, they fire silenced grapnels into its underbelly and ascend their lines up onto the barge- some stealing into open portholes, others climbing over the rail. They will first seek to eliminate any on watch. From there, some of the Medjai will head for the bridge with the intention of taking out the crew and heading the barge into the desert. Others will head below decks to find and eliminate the PCs and their rival adventuring group. Still others will prepare jury-rigged explosives to set the barge on fire. The plan of this group is take the barge off course, eliminate everyone onboard (because they aren’t sure exactly WHO knows the location of Hamunaptra), and then destroy the ship to make it look like a typical nomad raid (or at least destroy most of the evidence).

How this attack plays out depends a lot on the actions of the Heroes. Those who set watch may very well find out what’s going on before things get too out of hand. Once their cover is blown, the Medjai will attack in earnest- and with fanatical zeal. If it looks as though they are losing, they will set off their charges and set the whole barge on fire, even with their own people onboard.

During the attack, the normal passengers and crew will do their best to survive, but they are no match for the Medjai. Some may try to flee overboard, but many will be cut down in the fighting.

Beni will seek a place to hide during the fighting- or perhaps just cower behind his three ‘partners’- Burne, Henders and Danis. These latter three will meet the attack head on, taking cover behind the cargo on deck and gleefully pouring blaster fire into the fanatics.

Evelyn and Jonathan aren’t really soldiers, but they’re capable enough and will certainly help the heroes in whatever plan they develop. Gad Hassan, however, will seek only his own preservation- which may likely result in him hiding behind the PCs.

If the heroes pause to examine their attackers, they will find that under the robes, each of these men have tattoos with a strange Aegyptian symbol. Evelyn will be able to identify it as the mark of an ancient Pharoah- thus placing these men as part of his household guard- known as the Medjai. This particular group of Medjai is not acting upon orders from the leader of their sect, however, and will fight brutally and fanatically to the death.

The battle could be resolved in a number of ways, but a couple of the most likely are:

1. The heroes stop the Medjai attack cold and regain control of the Barge.
In this case, the players can continue on to their original point of disembarkation without further trouble.

2. The heroes thwart the attack, but the barge is destroyed. In this case, survivors of the passengers and crew will flee to the canal to wait rescue. Beni and his group will struggle to get their mounts out of the hold and continue ‘on foot’ to the ruins. Evelyn and Jonathan will urge the players to do likewise. In this eventuality, the GM may rule that some of the PCs gear is destroyed and lost in the evacuation.

3. The heroes barely escape with their lives. The barge is destroyed- along with most of their mounts and gear. In this case, the players are really in a tough spot. It is likely that Beni and his group escaped in a similar condition. His partners might suggest a temporary ‘truce’ in order to survive the situation. The group can pool together their meager resources to continue- perhaps scavenging the wreck of the Barge or even attacking any surviving Medjai to replenish their gear.

In any case, the heroes (and Beni’s group) will then have to continue on to Hamunaptra on foot. This will take them through the desert sands and (if the GM feels the players have had too easy of a time) might include encounters with some dangerous wildlife (sand worms, anyone?) or natural hazards (sandstorms? Quicksand?), etc.

Beni’s group will likely shadow the course of the players (provided they aren’t traveling directly with the heroes). This group includes not only Beni and the three offworld adventurers, but also a half-dozen or so local workers (and perhaps even a couple beat-up labor droids) hired to help with the excavations.

After several days travel across the shifting sands (led by Jonathan’s sense of direction), the group actually WILL find Hamunaptra- seeming to appear before them from the heat haze in the distance.

Any Force sensitive players may very well get a sense of foreboding from these sand-swept ruins, though at the moment, there doesn’t seem to be a precise ‘source’ to these feelings. Likewise, both Beni and Jonathan will seem to be a bit nervous and even jumpy- though they won’t easily reveal why.

CONTINGENCIES

The main contingencies in this episode have mostly been discussed above and deal largely with how the players react and ‘weather’ the Medjai attack on the barge. There is also the possibility that the heroes might form a true enmity with their rival expedition (i.e. Beni and the others). The GM should work hard to prevent this. Burne, Henders and Danis aren’t looking for a fight. In fact, they realize that with the dangers they are facing, they might need help from the PCs. They certainly won’t start any trouble. But likewise they won’t be bullied or dissuaded by aggressive PCs. If the heroes go as far as to attack and kill their rivals on their own initiative, well… then they deserve what is likely to happen to them in the upcoming episodes…and it isn’t good.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times...

2011-08-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

...but mostly it was the best of times.

My sparse posting of late has been due to a memorable 'long-weekend' vacation and visit from several of my old college buddies. I say 'memorable', because I've never had a weekend quite like this. We had an awesome time hanging out, playing rock band, eating out and (of course) playing Star Wars. My local friends Sharon and Philip joined in and I had an absolute blast.

And then on the other hand...

My air-conditioner went out. In Florida, in August, this is a problem. A big problem. An expensive problem, as it turned out. And on the same night THAT happened, I began to experience a tooth-ache. This is a pain I have never really encountered before. It is excruciating in a way I had never imagined. Between painkillers and several emergency dentist visits I got the pain under control- but the situation is still not solved (still waiting for the rest of my root canal).

So, yeah... as awesome of a time as I had, I can only lament the fact that it could have been so much more fun without the bad luck on my part. I'm just glad that my friends are understanding and I hope I didn't ruin their vacation too much with my misfortune. Truth be told, they were very supportive, which helped make what could have been a really terrible situation manageable.

As far as our Star Wars game went, we had a great time. The adventure was set one year after our last (run during January of this year). Here we had the Republic finally at peace- and looking to help keep the Empire from falling into the chaos of civil war (since Pellaeon was on his death bed).

The adventure began with the characters accompanying Chancellor Leia Organa-Solo to a 'summit' on the planet Bastion within the Empire (aka the 'Imperial Remnant'). The adventuring group consisted of (in alphabetical order):

Adrienne Olin: Jedi and New Republic Intelligence Agent (played by Sharon)

Arianne Volar: Jedi and Admiral in charge of New Republic Naval Intelligence (played by Steve)

Horatio S. Flynn: Former Pirate, Current Emperor of the Nagai, Hero of the Battle of Korriban, etc., etc., etc. (played by Todd)

Rick Oman (aka Mandalore): Former mercenary turned leader of the Mandalorian people (played by the other Steve)

Shagg: Youthful Wookiee Jedi and protege of Adren (played by Philip)

At the party, they rubbed shoulders with various Imperial personages. Arianne exchanged barbed insults with Admiral Daala. Adrienne hung out with Han Solo at the punch bowl and talked 'shop' with all the various Imperial pilots eager to meet Solo (a living legend). Horatio decided to hang out with the caterers, smoking, sneaking drinks and food and commenting on how awesome his life was. Yes, much fun was had by all. That is, until word arrived that Baron Fel (the chosen successor of Admiral Pellaeon) had disappeared while on patrol of the border with the New Republic. Leia and the NR delegation beat a hasty retreat as the Empire gears up for civil war- with Daala on one side (rumored to be backed by Sith) and officers loyal to Pellaeon on the other.

Leia asks 'our heroes' to investigate Fel's disappearance- both to clear the NR of any wrongdoing and to (if possible) recover the Baron before war breaks out again. Investigating the wreckage of Fel's flagship, the group rapidly determines that foul play is involved (much to nobody's surprise). A few leads later and the group finds themselves headed to a prison tower on the former (but now mostly abandoned and ruined) world of Byss, deep in the Galactic core.

What follows from there is an infiltration of the prison tower (actually based upon the 'Stars End' facility from the Han Solo/Corporate Sector novels). This turned out to be one of the most interesting adventures we've had in a while- and a bit odd, as well. The group actually PLANNED quite a bit of it, including an exit route. This is not something my group was known for. In my long-running campaign, my group's tactics could really be considered 'cowboy' at best- run in, shoot things up, run out again. But here, Mandalore (played by the other Steve), came up with a pretty good outline for a plan- and along the way, the other players executed it really well- improvising when they had to.

There was VERY little actual combat throughout the whole thing- which was VERY wise on the part of my players, considering the odds they would be facing.

Also unique is the fact that the players didn't actually CONFRONT either of the 'main villains' in the piece- at least not directly. Lady Lumiya, the Sith in charge of the Prison, was a constant background threat, but the players were INCREDIBLY careful about NOT using Force powers in order to not draw her attention. And so they never DID encounter her. Admiral Daala actually arrived at the prison during the middle of this all- but amusingly enough, the closest she came to encountering the players was inhabiting a toilet stall next to one of them (Adrienne)- who had actually gone into the bathroom to AVOID the encounter. Of course, there was the obligatory passing of the TP beneath the stall, but other than that? No contact!

I really, really wish I had taped that last evening's Roleplay, because there really were some awesome moments- and a lot of funny moments in and out of character. Horatio really hammed it up while disguised as an Imperial Doctor, playing the 'arrogant prick' angle to the hilt. Adrienne made a giggle-worthy comment about "Finding Nemo" when the group unwittingly stumbled upon Admiral Ackbar being held prisoner. Arianne played up the whole 'in-joke' of her always bringing Ackbar his coffee. And... crap, see! I'm already forgetting all the other awesome moments! If any of my buds are reading this, please feel free to add in anything I missed...which is a lot.

In the end, the group managed to escape with Fel AND Ackbar (who had disappeared- presumed dead- about a year prior). Again, it was an awful lot of fun. Makes me look forward to the next time we get to play.

Lets just hope the next time avoids failing Air Conditioners and ailing teeth.

Tuesday Tangent: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - 1980's Style

2011-08-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

While I consider Alan Moore to be bat-guano crazy, I do think he’s had some interesting ideas over the years. One of those ideas is the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The whole thing is based on the premise of “What if” all the fictional characters of a particular era (in this case, the Victorian era) were ‘real’- and existed in the same, shared universe. Thus, you have Adventurer Alan Quatermain teaming up with Mina Harker (from the novel Dracula), Dr. Jeckyll (and Mr. Hyde), Captain Nemo and the Invisible Man. While I don’t really care for Moore’s stories with these characters, I really do LOVE the concept- so much so that it got me thinking what other “Leagues” might have looked like in other eras.

Since I am a child of the 80’s, and well versed in the movies and TV shows of the time, I have put together MY list of characters I think would make an…interesting LXG. It was VERY difficult to make the ‘final’ choice for the team- and I am still ambivalent on a few. It is also a bit disappointing (and telling) that there aren’t a whole lot of Female heroes in this era- at least ones that really stand out in my own (addled) memory. So, without Further ado, here are my picks for an 80’s era LXG.

Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger)

Here is the quintessential 80’s muscle-bound adventure hero. But Dutch has a bit more going for him than contemporaries like John Rambo or James Braddock- namely the fact that he’s had a very memorable run-in with an alien Predator in the jungles of Central America. I see Dutch as a survivor of that mission, recruited by the league to be the leader of this particular team. He is, of course, a highly skilled combatant, and physically powerful.

Dr. Buckaroo Banzai (played by Peter Weller)

In many ways the opposite of the ‘Dutch’-type hero, Dr. Banzai is a scientific genius who also happens to be a capable combatant. He has his own organization of scientist/adventurers to back him up and is an expert on all manner of strange technologies, sciences and even arcane studies. He is also a ‘renaissance’ man, exploring many different specialties and even the arts (through his rock band, the Hong Kong Cavaliers). Dr. Banzai would be the ‘brains’ of the LXG, responsible for coming up with plans and gadgets to overcome the obstacles they will face.

Connor McCloud (played by Christopher Lambert)

He’s an immortal- that would come in handy in ANY kind of team. McCloud is, of course, an immensely talented swordsman, but also has hundreds of years of first-hand experience with history and other cultures. He is also at least partially versed in various ‘occult’ knowledges- considering his ‘kind’ are certainly outside the realm of conventional science.

Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton)

A waitress turned fugitive, Sarah Connor was involved in a temporal disturbance in which she was hunted by a machine from a possible future. She is supposedly the ‘mother of the resistance’ in the future. She is having a difficult time with what has been thrust upon her- as well as the loss of her love (the father of her young child). She is a kind-hearted person, but has had to harden herself in preparation for what MIGHT come to pass. She was taken on by the League at first for ‘study’- but has since been taken ‘under its wing’ on the off chance that this possible future might come to pass. Thus, the League is attempting to train her for what might come to be- as well as look out for ways to prevent that future- or at least delay it.

David Kessler – aka “An American Werewolf in London” (played by David Naughton)

Though supposedly killed at the end of the film, it is entirely possible that David could have been claimed by a top-secret British laboratory (perhaps one run by the League?) and ‘brought back to life’ in order to study his condition. He could have also been subject to a variety of tests and treatments designed to help him control his ‘condition’ and even use it ‘for good’. David, however, would likely be quite traumatized by all that has happened. He would be a powerful ally, but an untrustworthy one- with powers and a psyche that aren’t entirely predictable.

There they are, my ‘top five’. But there was a rather large list of runners up for this. Below are some of the folks who are waiting in the wings, as it were:

Mick “Crocodile” Dundee (played by Paul Hogan)
Though light-hearted, Mick is a peerless hunter and tracker and also seems to have an uncanny ability with animals. He would be held back, however (at least in the eyes of the League), by his unwillingness to kill.

Charlene McGee – aka “Firestarter” (played by Drew Barrymore)
Her incredibly powerful pyrokinetic abilities would be QUITE useful on League business. She is, however, just a child, and thus probably would not be formally ‘recruited’ until she has come of age (perhaps in the 90’s era league)

David Lightman (played by Matthew Broderick)
A computer hacker who managed to break into the U.S. Government’s ‘wargames’ computer, David almost accidently destroyed the world. His abilities as a hacker- as well as his resourcefulness- would make him a prime candidate for recruitment by the league- even if only in a ‘support’ role for field teams.

Sheena (played by Tanya Roberts)
Yes, I know. The movie and the actress are/were cheesy (cheesecakey) to the extreme, but the concept of a strong, capable jungle-woman who can converse with and command wild animals is an interesting one. Her talents could certainly come in handy, even in a ‘modern’ world. Unfortunately, her generally pacifistic attitude could work against some of the League's desperate missions.

J.J. “Lone Wolf” McQuade (played by Chuck Norris)
A Texas Ranger responsible for bringing down a major arms smuggling operation, McQuade is a highly skilled combatant and also has tracking and survival skills. His “Lone Wolf” attitude, however, would hamper his abilities to operate within the League.

John McClane (played by Bruce Willis)
A New York Cop (now working/living in LA), McClane has proven to be resourceful and nigh-indestructable in his single-handed foiling of a terrorist plot in the Nakatomi tower. Though quite capable, McClane is a family man, and moreso has a distinctly ‘cop’ attitude that might not work well within the bounds of the league.

Dr. Egon Spengler (played by Harold Ramis)
Operating with the Ghostbusters team, Spengler is a brilliant scientific mind. His knowledge of occult entities would prove invaluable to the League. However, he is no ‘combatant’- at least not against the living. He would thus work better in an advisory role for specific missions.

Angus MacGyver (played by Richard Dean Anderson)
An agent for the mysterious “Phoenix Foundation”, MacGyver is known for his unorthodox approach to problems- making use of a variety of on-hand materials and a strong knowledge of science in order to accomplish his missions. He is resolutely against killing, though he is quite capable in unarmed combat and subdual techniques. It is this code against killing that would limit his usefulness in many league operations.

Ralph Hinkley (played by William Katt)
This unassuming high-school teacher was given a ‘suit’ of alien design, evidently intended to give him amazing powers of strength, speed, invulnerability and even flight. Unfortunately, Ralph lost the ‘instruction manual’ to the suit, and must thus ‘muddle through’ on his own. He is currently (nominally) in the employ of the FBI through a handler agent (Bill Maxwell). This status, plus his inability to fully control “The Suit” have kept him from recruitment by the league thus far.

John Rambo (played by Sylvester Stallone)
A Vietnam-era special forces soldier, John Rambo has had significant trouble re-adjusting to civilian life, resulting in a bloody showdown with a small town sherrif in the pacific northwest. He subsequently moved to a monastery in southeast asia to try and find some peace. His mental instability is the prime reason he has been passed over for recruitment in favor of more ‘stable’ individuals such as Dutch Schaeffer.

Stringfellow Hawke (played by Jan Michael Vincent)
Hawke is an elite helicopter pilot who occasionally works for a branch of the CIA. It was during an operation for them that he acquired a prototype attack helicopter known as “Airwolf”. While he continues to work for the CIA, he has thus far kept Airwolf hidden from them (evidently not trusting them to use it ethically). It is for this attitude towards authority that he was not considered as a final candidate for recruitment by the League.

Remo Williams (played by Fred Ward)
A former cop, Remo was ‘recruited’ by a shadowy organization acting as a watchdog versus corrupt politicians and big-businessmen. Remo was subsequently trained in a form of martial arts that allow him almost supernatural abilities. He was not recruited by the league because he was essentially already ‘doing the job’- albeit for another employer.

Leroy Green – aka “The Last Dragon” (played by Taimak)
A pure-hearted martial arts master who has achieved- through training and confrontation with a powerful gang-leader- a supernatural power known as “The Glow”. His boyscout and pacifist attitude is the primary reason he was not recruited for the League.

Dr. Emmet Brown (played by Christopher Lloyed)
A crazed inventor who squandered his family fortune in pursuit of time-travel technology, Brown actually managed to achieve his goal. Unfortunately, he disappeared in time and his whereabouts are unknown to the League at this point.

In addition to these individuals, there are several notable people who fall into various groups. These people were omitted from recruitment for various reasons- many of which having to do with duplication of skills with others already in the league or distinct personal codes against killing or even a lack of real ‘combat’ (field) experience or aptitude.

Police Officers:

Jericho “Action” Jackson (played by Carl Weathers)

TJ Hooker (played by William Shatner)

Martin Riggs (played by Mel Gibson)

Gabriel “Gabe” Cash (played by Kurt Russell)

James “Sonny” Crocket and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs (played by Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas)

Private Investigators:

Thomas Magnum (played by Tom Selleck)

Rick & AJ Simon (played by Geral McRaney and Jameson Parker)

Remington Steele and Laura Holt (played by Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist)

Misc:

The A-Team (played by George Peppard, Mr. T, Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz)

Ash Williams (played by Bruce Campbell)

In future tangents, I will explore just what kind of enemies this LXG-80 team might face.

Adventure Conversion: The Mummy - Part 2

2011-08-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

EPISODE I: THE EXPEDITION BEGINS

SYNOPSIS:
Recruited by Aegyptologist Evelyn Carnahan, the heroes must somehow rescue her brother from prison in order to learn the whereabouts of the lost "City of the Dead", Hamunaptra. From there, they prepare for the journey into the desert itself.

CUTAWAY:
A battle rages in the midst of a desert ruin between a band of nomad warriors and a small group of mercenary soldiers. The soldiers are overwhelmed- one (wearing a fez) hides within the ruins. Another, in a pith helmet prepares to make his final stand in front of a crumbling obelisk. Suddenly, something stirs beneath the sand, roiling its surface throughout the ruins. The Nomads flee in terror- as do the two remaining soldiers- back into the open desert. From a ridge nearby, another group of nomads watch. One asks- gesturing to the soldiers. "Do we finish them?" The apparent leader of this group shakes his head. "The desert will do it for us. The secret is safe... for now." But even as he looks down upon the ruins, the sands shift once more, ominously.

ADVENTURE:
This adventure can begin in different ways depending upon the type of group involved:

For Independent smuggler types, the heroes could simply be recruited by Evelyn Carnahan- hired to join her on an expedition to a ruin on the planet Aegyptus. In this situation, it is likely she will not be specific about where they are going, but will point out there is likely to be some 'treasure' involved (which explains why she isn't willing (or able) to pay much in advance. She will negotiate with the heroes for equal shares of whatever they find- though she would like to arrange sale of the most archeologically significant pieces to a museum. In this case, unless the heroes seem VERY trustworthy, she will probably NOT mention the troubles her brother is facing (see below) until AFTER the group is on Aegyptus.

For Rebel (or New Republic) types, they could be assigned to the mission for several reasons. The rebellion IS cash-strapped, and could use any treasure found to help support itself. There is also a desire to keep these treasures out of the hands of the Empire. There is also the more idealistic reason of wanting to secure such treasures against exploitation or even destruction by unscrupulous people. For groups with Force types (Jedi), there may also be rumors of ancient Force artifacts rumored to be in the possession of the ancient Aegyptian pharaohs. Evelyn herself could have connections within the Rebellion/NR- Perhaps she is known by prominent historians within the organization (such as Arhul Hextrophon- the Alliance's official historian). In any case, in this scenario, Evelyn would be much more open with details about the mission- revealing just where they are trying to go (Hamunaptra) and the fact that her brother is in trouble and will require help (see below)

Once the heroes are officially part of the 'Expedition' (as Evelyn will refer to it). They must make their way to Aegyptus- which is currently under Imperial occupation (as noted in the previous Locations section). This means the heroes will have to go in 'incognito' and try to maintain a low profile. This Imperial presence is also one of the main tools that a GM has to ensure that the characters don't just avoid the dangers of the expedition by flying DIRECTLY to the lost city. In fact, Evelyn will warn them of this fact- if they go flying off into the desert, the Imperials are likely to get suspicious and investigate- which could compromise the location of Hamunaptra. In fact, Evelyn has gone as far as to officially register the expedition to the Empire- using fictitious credentials- and stating a fictitious destination at one of the planets numerous known (and already looted) archaeological sites.

Once on Aegyptus, Evelyn will explain that they must 'pick up' her brother, Jonathan. Evidently he sent her a message some time ago stating that he had discovered the location of Hamunaptra. It is at this point point that Evelyn reveals that her brother also said he was in trouble. Checking at Jonathan's hotel finds that he is a) behind in his rent and b) currently in the local imperial jail.

At this point, Evelyn will want to rescue her brother- pointing out that only HE knows the location of the city. How the players do this is up to them, but could include:

1) Jail break. The characters could simply try to break into the prison and bust Jonathan out. This would be difficult, but the jail itself is located in an old, 'native' structure of brick and stone- and isn't exactly as 'high tech' as your typical imperial detention center. Unless handled carefully, this approach might have the unwanted effect of putting the Empire on Alert. Prudent parties would plan on leaving the city VERY quickly after any jailbreak to avoid the patrols that would surely follow.

2) Negotiate. The characters could try to 'bail out' or otherwise remove Jonathan WITHOUT breaking in. Any attempt to do so will inevitably send them to the presence of the repulsive local Imperial Magistrate, Gad Hassan. Hassan has heard the rumors of Jonathan's knowledge of Hamunaptra, and is VERY unwilling to let him go. He will demand a stake in the rewards of any expedition. He will at first demand two full shares, but can be talked down to one. He will also insist on accompanying the group to 'protect his investment'. As a negotiating technique, Hassan might also order the immediate death of Jonathan by hanging. He may even allow him to hang for a little before finally agreeing on a price.

Please note that if Hassan DOES wind up joining the expedition, he will still counsel against flying a ship into the desert. He is only a mid level bureaucrat, and does not have the right to supercede planetary security sweeps.

Once Jonathan is secured, he will need some cleaning up. He will also need someone to pay his hotel bill in order to get his luggage out of hock. This should tell the players something about his character and what to suspect. He's a good guy, but... well, something of a freeloader and huckster.

When asked about Hamunaptra, Jonathan will relate the story of his previous expedition- inflating his own role within. He will also play up his own heroism in the battle against the nomad tribesmen- while at the same time commenting on the wretched behavior of some of his previous comrades- Beni Gabor, for one, who evidently locked himself into one of the ruins- and locked Jonathan and the others out. In fact, Jonathan (rightly) suspects that Beni is the one who tipped off the Imperial Magistrate about Jonathan's whereabouts. Jonathan also suspects (again rightly) that Beni is planning his own expedition to Hamunaptra. He downplays this a bit, though, saying that Beni was 'rubbish' with maps and a coward, to boot. Jonathan will not bring up the odd happenings at the ruins, however- not unless the information is ferreted out of him through conversation. On the one hand, it frightens him a little- on the other, he doesn't want it to scare others off from helping with a NEW expedition.

At this point, Evelyn and Jonathan will help the heroes plan out the next phase of the expedition. Jonathan is dead set against using any type of vehicle- mainly because the Empire's orbital arrays could pick them up. He suggests using local transport- this includes a sail barge for part of the way (such barges travel along the planetary canals between cities). After a couple days of this, the group will have to disembark and use riding beasts (Eopies) for the rest of the journey.

After a day of gathering the necessary supplies, the group is ready to board the sail barge and begin their expedition in earnest.

NOTE: It is entirely possible that the Imperial Magistrate, Gad Hassan, may insinuate himself into the mission. He will be an obnoxious companion, but is ‘trustworthy’ enough- he wants the expedition to succeed- afterall, he wants to become rich.

CONTINGENCIES:

As mentioned above, getting Jonathan out of jail could go in any number of ways- and if any of those ways draw too much attention, then the Empire may crack down on the city or even the entire planet. This could very well serve as a warning for future actions by the heroes and help the GM keep them 'grounded'- something that is very important to this adventure. While I dislike 'railroading', there are certain aspects of this adventure that could be ruined if the players could simply fly their ship to the lost city and bring its weapons to bear to take out any obstacles. However, a GM should never just arbitrarily say they can NOT do something. There should be reasons behind it. Just like any other obstacle a GM sets up for a group in his game, there are effective and less effective ways to overcome it.

In this case, those reasons have been mentioned above. There is a LARGE Imperial garrison on the planet and in Orbit. If the players draw attention to themselves and their expedition, the Empire will send scouts first- and then troops. Lots and lots of troops- more troops than ANY gaming group should be able to handle. If players insist upon doing things that will draw attention, then a GM has no other recourse than to bring that full weight against their characters. This can be done incrementally to try and URGE them to be less conspicuous, but persistence could result in the Empire completely foiling the rest of the adventure. Hopefully the players will not let it come to that.

Also note that in the planning portion of the expedition, the GM should not necessarily have the NPCs present the 'plan'. He can use them to help guide the PCs in coming up with their own plan. Players might, if aware of the unique situation on the world, come up with the idea of using riding beasts themselves. They may also come up with some other solution that no one can foresee. By all means do not squash other ideas just because they don't go according to the 'story'- if they come up with something good that isn't in the 'script', then by all means, let them do that. Just take a moment to try and see how you can still work elements of the adventure in with the 'new plan'. If they wind up coming up with something that DOES bypass big parts of the adventure? Oh well, good for them!

Adventure Conversion: The Mummy - Part 1

2011-08-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here is the first part of my Star Wars conversion of the 1999 Film "The Mummy".

ADVENTURE CONVERSION: THE MUMMY

OVERVIEW:
In this adventure, the heroes become involved in a hunt for an ancient tomb reported to house vast treasure (both archaeological and monetary). The group must overcome rival treasure hunters, the traps of the 'city of the dead' and ultimately the ancient force of darkness that dwells within- a force determined to find new life in this 'modern' world.

BACKGROUND:
Thousands of years prior to the events of this adventure, a powerful Force user named Imhotep served as the priest/advisor to the Pharaoh-Emperor Seti of the star-spanning Aegyptian empire. The power of his position corrupted Imhotep, who began researching ancient sith rituals designed to place himself in power and overcome death itself. He also began to covet the Emperor's wife, Anck-su-Namun. Imhotep professed his love for the Queen, only to be rejected. In a fit of rage, the priest lashed out, accidently killing the object of his obsession. Unwilling to let death deprive him of his prize, Imhotep stole the Empress' body and took it with him back to the royal necropolis of Hamunaptra. There, he began a ritual designed to bring his lost love back from the dead.

Pharoah Seti soon learned of his high-priest's actions and gave chase- leading his palace guard into Hamunaptra's underground tombs. In the battle that followed, many were slain- including all of Imhotep's corrupted servants. The ritual to bring the Empress back to life was interrupted and Imhotep himself was captured. In his rage and grief, Seti had his high preist entombed alive in a sarcophagus and then had the entire series of surrounding tombs sealed off.

Empress Anck-su-Namun was given a proper burial. Her body was placed in the royal tombs of Hamunaptra. This tragic story had evidently come to a close. Or so it seemed. Unfortunately, due to his mastery of the Dark Side, Imhotep's spirit survived his horrendous death- soon 'tainting' all of Hamunaptra with his evil. Thus the whole place was abandoned and stricken from the knowledge of any save for a loyal group of the Emperor's guards, the Medjai, chosen to watch over the tomb and ensure that Imhotep never return to plague the living.

As the millennia passed, knowledge of Imhotep and the Necropolis passed into the realm of legend for most. Even so, rumors of the treasure kept within the ancient 'city of the dead' was enough to keep adventurers visiting the former throne world of the Aegyptians- now little more than a galactic backwater desert world, strewn with the ruins of it's past glories.

Recently, a ruthless mercenary treasure-hunter by the name of Kir O’con came into the possession of an ancient map to the lost city of Hamunaptra. He recruited a band of unscrupulous adventurers like himself— a band that included ne’er-do-well “Aegyptologist” Jonathan Carnahan (see below) and a devious rat of a thief named Beni Gabor (see below).

The expedition traveled to Aegyptus and into the deserts. They did indeed find the Lost City, but soon came under attack by hostile nomad tribesmen. Beni survived by sealing himself into one of the sheltered tomb entrances (and locking OUT all his fellow expedition members). Kir O’Con and the rest of the expedition were then killed by the tribesmen and Jonathan would have joined them were it not for the sudden emergence of a dark ‘presence’ beneath the sand that frightened the triumphant nomads away. Jonathan and Beni likewise fled the ruins. Somehow, they managed to make it back through the desert to the city of Cairos. Both soon found themselves hunted by other unscrupulous “adventurers”, criminals and greedy Imperial officials eager to learn about the fate of O’Con’s expediton (and get their hands on any treasure found by it…).

Jonathan was eventually caught and thrown in jail by a low-level Imperial Magistrate, Gad Hassan. The Imperial is determined to FORCE Jonathan to reveal what he knows (before killing him). Jonathan, realizing this (and motivated by his OWN greed for the treasure he HOPES is in the ruin), has thus far held out despite the horrendous conditions and threat of execution. He had actually managed to send out a plea for help to his sister before his capture and hopes that she will be able to extricate him from his current situation.

Meanwhile, Beni Gabor had managed to avoid capture and planned to gather the necessary gear to make his own return to Hamunaptra. Unfortunately for him, he was subsequently found and ‘hired’ by a group of Adventurers (Burne, Henders and Danis) to be their guide to the lost city, whether he wants to be or not.

Out in the remote desert, the re-awakened spirit of Imhotep waits and the Medjai guardians prepare for what is to come.

MAJOR NPCs:

Imhotep
Imhotep begins this adventured as the disembodied spirit of an ancient Dark Force user. He exists in torment, haunting the ruins of the necropolis of Hamunaptra, looking for a way to escape his fate. He still holds onto the twisted hope of being some day reunited with his 'love' Anck-Su-Namun. He is driven by a desire to claim the power that was 'taken' from him by the ancient Pharoah and sees himself as a tragic figure.

During the course of the Adventure, Imhotep will partially regain his physical form due to the accidental reading of incantations from an ancient text. In this 'undead' form, he will attempt to put the pieces of his former life back together- using his Dark Side powers to drain the life of others. In this way, he will slowly regain 'true' physical form- and to grow in power. Along the way, he will discover that one of the heroes' companions is the reincarnation of his beloved Anck-Su-Namun. Once he discovers this, all his efforts will be directed at finding her and at completing the ritual he started all those thousands of years ago. It was not just a ritual to 'bring her back', you see- but one that would forever bind her soul to his.

Due to his undead nature, Imhotep will be a truly terrifying enemy. Most weaponry will do nothing but slow him down and even if his physical form is 'destroyed', he will be able to transfer his essence to a new 'host'. The only way he can be defeated is to perform an ancient ritual upon him- found in the "Book of Amun Ra"- to make him truly mortal again.

Physically, Imhotep's mummy form will be fantastically strong and resilient. He will also have an arsenal of Force powers at his disposal- not the least of which including telekinetic control of the sands, mental domination of the weak-willed and the previously mentioned ability to drain life essences.

Evelyn Carnahan
Evelyn is a student of Archaeology. One of her specialties is the history of the ancient Aegyptian Empire. She is able to read and speak their ancient language and has a deep knowledge of their history and legends. In fact, she has always felt drawn to these stories, despite having been raised in the Core Worlds. It will be revealed that Evelyn bears an uncanny resemblance to the ancient Queen Anck-Su-Namun. Imhotep believes she is the reincarnation of his 'lost love'. It is quite possible that Eve is indeed a distant descendant of this line.

Eve is young, bookish and naïve, having lived a sheltered life in the libraries and universities of the core worlds. She is an 'expert' on Archaeology who hasn't actually ever been on a dig. With the death of her parents (who were also scholars), she has had to support her own education by taking on a job as an assistant librarian.

Jonathan Carnahan
Jonathan is the younger brother of Evelyn Carnahan. He is intelligent but impatient, and dropped out of school in an attempt to 'strike it rich' by finding and raiding the tombs of ancient cultures throughout the Galaxy. Though part of several expeditions (of a dubious nature), he has not had much luck. He has thus supported himself by becoming a bit of a card-shark, con-man and even petty thief.

Jonathan basically a good guy, but is just a little greedy and self-centered. He feels that the discovery of Hamunaptra will finally give him the acclaim (and wealth) he has been striving for all his life. While he may be a bit self-destructive, he draws the line at betraying friends and family, and would never knowingly do so.

Beni Gabor
Beni is a greedy, self-serving thief. He is on the run from several different law-enforcement agencies and criminal organizations who want him in jail- or dead for various transgressions. He weaseled his way onto Kir O’Con’s expedition mainly to dodge any pursuit. Though terrified by what he witnessed at the ruins of Hamunaptra, his greed far outweighs his fear. He desires wealth above all things- including any companions. He would do anything to save himself.

Burne, Henders, Danis
The three young men are treasure-hunting adventurers looking for a ‘big score’. They don’t put any credence in the legends surrounding Hamunaptra- but they do believe in the treasure reported to be found there. Of the three, Burne is the ‘smart’ one, an ex-scout with a basic understanding of Archaeology (and Aegyptian languages). Henders is an ex bounty-hunter and gunslinger, proud of his heavy blaster and quickdraw. Danis is a smuggler and the overall ‘leader’ of the group. While the three men are money-grubbing, and quite willing to step over others in pursuit of wealth, they aren’t murderous and generally don’t resort to violence unless provoked. They managed to catch Beni Gabor after hearing rumors of his expedition. They intend to use him to guide them to the lost city, but (wisely) don’t trust him further than they could spit.

Gad Hassan
Fat, sweaty and greedy, Hassan is a low-level Imperial Magistrate. His position as law-enforcer has given him intimate knowledge of the Cairos underworld. It is through these contacts that he heard the rumors of Kir O’Con’s failed expedition- and it is through his officers that he was able to capture Jonathan Carnahan. He hopes to learn the location of Hamunaptra and become rich and powerful. He realizes that to do so, he must not let word of this reach his superiors. Thus, he tries to keep the rumors under control until he can capitalize on the situation himself. As with others involved in this ‘treasure hunt’, Hassan is extremely greedy, and will try to weasel his way into any expedition to the lost city. See the information in Episode I for more on how Hassan will play into the events of the adventure.

Ardeth Bay
Ardeth Bay is the leader of the Medjai- the descendants of the Pharoah’s royal guards, tasked with protecting Hamunaptra- or rather, protecting the rest of the Galaxy from what is contained within. Bay had watched Kir O’Con’s expedition- and in fact had planned to attack it himself with his followers. Thankfully, that proved to be unnecessary when a tribe of Nomads attacked. Upon seeing the two survivors (Jonathan and Beni) escaping into the desert, Bay assumed that they would be killed by the elements- or at the very least too frightened to attempt to return. Unfortunately, informants in Cairos have told him that more expeditions have been planned. Bay has since gathered and prepared his bretheren. They will try to deflect these treasure hunters- to warn them off. But if they cannot, then more drastic steps may be required.

LOCATIONS:

The Adventure takes place on the arid world of Aegyptus. This was the center of a star-spanning empire that collapsed some 5,000 years ago. Most of the cities and architectural wonders of the world were destroyed in the fighting that marked the fall of the Aegyptian empire. Many more were consumed by the sands of the world's expanding deserts. Even so, Aegyptus never entirely lost contact with the rest of the Galaxy, thus 'modern' technology is still in use. Due to the economically poor conditions of the world, however, such technology tends to be in a battered and out-of-date condition (something common to a lot of backwater worlds). There are still several large settlements on the planet, located along the coastlines of the world's few rivers and seas- anywhere that water can be processed for irrigation.

The Aegyptians themselves are human, though they are of a dark skinned, dark haired variety. They have lost much of their traditional culture due to contact with the rest of the Galaxy. The Old Republic (and now the Empire) have governed this world for centuries due to the presence of some mining concerns that have since since played out. Now control is maintained simply because it has become 'tradition'.

Apart from the civilized city-dwellers, there are various Aegyptian tribes that make their homes in the desert- either as wandering nomads or in remote oases scattered across the world. Some of these tribes are decidedly hostile- being little more than thieves and raiders who attack other tribes and occasionally raid the outskirts of the larger settlements.

With the upsurge of the Rebellion in the sector, the Empire has actually stationed a sizable garrison on Aegyptus, using it as a supply depot for its operations in surrounding systems. Though they make routine shows of force for the local population, the Empire actually has very little to do with the day to day lives of the Aegyptians- unless there is trouble. This they will crack down on fiercely (if only to counteract the boredom of being stationed here).

Hamunaptra itself is located in the midst of a vast desert- and in fact has been mostly buried by it. Those few ruins still above the sands are sheltered amongst a rocky outcropping. Being made of stone (with the more ‘technological’ areas deep underground), it is nearly indistinguishable from any other rock outcropping- both to sensors or the naked eye.

Chicken Like Creature

2011-08-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

Oh, and by the way, here is the 'Chicken Like Creature' mentioned in the previous post. The one who tortured Jacen Solo into turning to the dark side. He reminds me of the 'hyper-chicken' from Futurama or Foghorn Leghorn. His name is Vergere, a fallen Jedi.. though I refer to him as:

Darth B-GAAAWK!

I can just hear him terrorizing Jacen now. "Listen up when I talk to you, boy! (aside) Boy's like dead horse- got no get up and go! (to Jacen once more) I say pay attention, boy! I'm cuttin' but you're not bleedin'.. oh, well, actually you are, but.."

Terrifyin', I say, Terrifyin', aint he? Not at all silly...

(b-gawk!)

The Expanded Universe...Again

2011-08-11T13:24:00.001-07:00

Yeah. Once again, this comic I found pretty much sums up my feelings on the Star Wars EU. Pretty much anything after the Thrawn trilogy.

Tuesday Tangent: Thundarr the Barbarian

2011-08-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

While this site is intended to be about Star Wars, and Star Wars gaming, I have (on occasion) strayed from that mandate. In an effort to legitimize my failings, I am instigating something new: The Tuesday Tangent, where I can (without guilt or lame attempts at trying to string things back to Star Wars), talk about any subject I want.

In this inaugural edition of this new feature, I will be discussing something very near and dear to my heart: Thundarr the Barbarian.

Though it only ran for two seasons on Saturday morning (from 1980 to 1982), this cartoon made a huge impression on me. It took various things that I was already interested in and lumped them all into one huge, imaginative ball of action.

First you had the whole 'fantasy barbarian' thing going- referencing things like Conan and other sword and sorcery films of the era. Then you had the sci-fi aspects like the ‘Sun Sword’ and Ookla the Mok- referencing Lightsabers and Wookiees (respectively) from Star Wars. And if this wasn’t enough, you had the whole post apocalyptic setting thing to really push things over the edge.

Looking back on it, I’m surprised a show like this got onto TV, especially in the 80’s, where ‘action’ cartoons didn’t allow much in the way of violence. And here we have a show with swords and monsters set in a world where our own civilization DIED thousands of years ago. Its rather dark when you think about it, and maybe that’s why it appealed to me: it was different than all the other brightly-colored shows of the same time. And by ‘dark’ I mean in setting, not tone. I mean, Thundarr and his crew were champions of justice and freedom who always seemed to win. I LIKED that aspect of the show. To me, this heroism was made even more pronounce by the bleakness of the setting.

Another huge draw for me was the combination of familiar technology (stuff we have today) with the fantastic. One memorable episode had a band of pirates utilizing an aircraft carrier as their primary mobile base- festooned with crude log ‘pontoon’ stabilizers and even sails, but also featuring big cannons, some of which seemed to be crudely taken from other vessels. Another episode featured a still functional train being run by a group of lizard mutants. It was all just so interesting- and seemed to make anything possible.

I will be the first to admit that the story-lines and characters of the show were shallow. But this was one of those things I didn’t really mind/notice until I got older- and even then, it doesn’t ruin the show for me. Yes, the dialogue was cheesy, but it was actually quite a bit better than most other shows of this type at the time. So much so that it was always at the back of my mind that I would LOVE to play a game that was like Thundarr the Barbarian.

There were a couple different options for this through the years. Gamma World was the most obvious choice- but truth be told, the setting seemed too ‘gonzo’ for me- even moreso than Thundarr itself (which was pretty gonzo). One of the things I liked about Thundarr was the presence of ‘modern’ technology. Gamma World focused on ‘futuristic’ tech and even the ‘ruins’ you would explore were ‘futuristic’- automated factories and the like. Gamma World’s ‘apocalypse’ happened in some future time, not in ‘the modern day’ and that just didn’t appeal to me as much as Thundarr’s setting.

Likewise, the game Rifts followed this same pattern- the apocalypse happened in the ‘future’- in a time where the world was already markedly different than the one I would recognize. However, rifts did offer a lot more explanation as to how the ‘fantastical’ elements of that world came to be. It didn’t rely upon ‘radiation’ to explain how everything had changed. Rather, Rifts introduced the idea of a multi-dimensional apocalypse- where energies and creatures from other realms of existence came to our world and changed it forever. As interesting as this may be, the extremely dark tone of Rifts (not to mention its very lethal system) just didn’t appeal to me in the same way Thundarr did.

Adding to this dilemma was the increasing realization that there was no ‘real’ way that a world like Thundarr’s could exist. In the opening narration of the Cartoon, we’re told that it is 2,000 years since the cataclysm that destroyed the world. There is no realistic way that the trappings of our modern world could survive in the numbers and conditions shown in the cartoon. The cities would largely have been obliterated and covered up within 100 years- rotted and collapsing in on themselves due to exposure to the elements. So to imagine that things like cars or clothing or other short-lived artifacts from the pre-apocalyptic days would survive was just too far-fetched to believe- at least as it was presented in the series.

I read one fan-site justification for the world of Thundarr that went something like this: during the cataclysm, the “runaway planet” that passed between the earth and the moon actually took with it (in its wake) a fair amount of the Earth’s Atmosphere (this is actually ‘shown’ in the intro to the cartoon as a cloud layer being peeled away). This leaves the Earth with a much thinner atmosphere, which supposedly translates into things on the surface being more ‘well preserved’. I am somewhat dubious as to the scientific plausibility of this- to say nothing of the fact that it doesn’t explain away erosion by plant-life (which is seen to be very thick in most areas of Thundarr’s world).

And so I have been ‘stuck’ without any satisfactory explanation for this fantastic world for years now. Not that it has been a great ‘pain’ or anything, its just something I would like to figure out on the off chance that some day I might actually run a game in the world of Thundarr and I’d like to have SOME explanation (however far fetched or fantastical) for the way things are the way they are- other than “just because.”

Just a few months ago, I came up with something.

It is (admittedly) largely stolen from the ideas put forth by the Rifts game, but with a significant twist that (to me) suits the world of Thundarr in particular. This idea is as follows:

As in the Cartoon, the man’s civilization on earth is “cast in ruin” by a runaway planet, “hurtling between the earth and moon”. This causes severe weather systems, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Now, borrowing from Rifts I posit that the psychic (or psionic) energy of so many people (billions) dieing all at once unleashes even MORE destruction in the form of various ‘rifts’ being opened and spilling out an unknown form of energy- we’ll call it ‘magical’ energy. Along with this energy comes some denizens from other dimensions. The energy ALSO mutates various species of animals (and even humans) across the globe, setting in motion the monstrous races and beasts that will evolve into the world of Thundarr that we know. These energies are also responsible for the rise of the Wizards- mutated or extra-dimensional beings who strive to dominate the world. They often ‘meld’ their magic with various technologies to create the ‘super-science’ of the era- fantastical creations powered by magic itself and far surpassing anything found before the Cataclysm.

But there are further side-effects from this burst of magical energy- most importantly that some of the ‘rifts’ that open are actually temporal in nature. Huge swathes of the world (or sometimes just individual objects) are literally torn out of time and strewn into its future. In most cases, only the non-living matter of these areas survives the trip, with living creatures being obliterated or otherwise killed in its energies. And so you have a world in ruins, with many great cities being overgrown by jungle and eroded by time and neglect. But at the same time, various parts of that world are continually re-emerging over the years, depositing landmarks and artifacts from the era of the cataclysm- many of which are then taken by survivors for use in the current world. Thus, wizards, warlords, primitive tribes and even adventurers would be constantly drawn to these sites as they are discovered, plundering what they can and sometimes claiming the area as their own.

Thus, you have a world in which the things we see in the cartoon are possible. And a campaign set in this world could even occur in a time period where these ‘temporal rifts’ are most active. It could be 2,000 years since the Cataclysm, but some ruins and artifacts are only decades or years or months or even DAYS old. For me, this strikes the right kind of balance and allows for huge variety in the ‘technology’ of surviving tribes. Some might be completely primitive, living in wooden huts and wielding spears, others might have just recovered some huge artifact that emerged from a rift (say they find a cruise ship, now beached in the middle of a jungle, and use it for their home), still others might have recovered functional weapons or vehicles from the cataclysm and finally some might live in the fantastical techno-magical citadels of wizards, typically as their slaves.

Does it work for you? It certainly does for me. And darnit, now I want to play some Thundarr. DEMON DOGS! Ookla, Ariel, RIIIDE!

Adventure Conversion: Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone - Part 2 (of 2)

2011-08-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the continuation/completion of my conversion of "Spacehunter"

Episode III: The Journey

SYNOPSIS:
The characters (likely with a 'native' guide), must brave the dangers of the wasteland and make their way into the Zone. Along the way, they encounter a rival would-be rescuer as well as dangerous mutant guardians.

CUTAWAY:
Zoner airships fly over a blasted landscape to land inside a bunker-fortress-complex built into a cliffside. The survivors from the escape pod are ushered out of the vehicles and inside. There, they are studied by a deformed man in a ratty military uniform who comments on their beauty and 'purity'. Leeringly, he remarks that the Overdog will be quite pleased with them, quite pleased indeed.

ADVENTURE:
The heroes set out into the wastes (most likely on the ground- and most likely with their native guide Nikki). The terrain is mostly rugged canyon country- a veritable maze, but one that Nikki (true to her word) seems to know. There are several dangers along the trail- in the form of rock slides and sudden wind-storms.

Due to the length of the journey (and dangers of the trail), the heroes are forced to camp for the night. They are ambushed that night by a rival group of would-be rescuers (of roughly the same size as the character's group). This group of spacers had responded to the distress call as well, only to be shot down while in space. They managed to escape, but their ship was destroyed. These spacers (led by a man named Hudson), aren't a completely rotten lot. They don't necessarily wish to KILL the heroes, just take them out of the hunt, steal their ship, strand them here and take the reward for themselves. Thus, they'll attempt to 'get the drop' on the characters and get them to surrender. Failing that, they will attack with weapons on stun. Hudson's band will resort to lethal force only in response to the same. Let the situation play out as it will.

If a fight breaks out, and the heroes win, any survivors among Hudson's group will attempt to negotiate for their lives. They'll first offer to help with the recovery of escape pod survivors in exchange for a ride off the planet. Failing that, they'll ask that the players leave them and at least send someone else back to pick them up. Failing THAT, they plead that the characters leave them with enough gear to defend themselves.

If the heroes surrender or are defeated, Hudson will graciously allow them to keep some of their weapons and gear (though none of their vehicles) and will promise to send help back for them once he's rescued the escape pod survivors. Depending on how the heroes handle the situation, Hudson may even offer to team up with the group for the final entrance into the zone. Heck, he may even promise to cut them in for a reward. A lot depends upon how the players react to all of this- especially since they hold a BIG card in the form of having the only known means to get off the planet. They also hold a card in the form of having Nikki as their guide.

If the players leave Hudson's group behind (or simply drives them off), they might still show up later...

If the groups decide to team up, play Hudson's people for a bit of comic relief and/or rivalry. They're money-grubbers and not particularly brave, but they are competent enough where they might be of use in the upcoming situations. They can also be used as 'fodder' for the monsters/dangers in the upcoming scenes.

The next day, the heroes (possibly with new 'partners') set off again, directed through another maze of canyons by their guide. Unless they take particularly extensive precautions (like abandoning their vehicles), the heroes approach will likely be sighted by Zoner airspeeders. This can lead to a firefight in the canyons, with airspeeders sweeping in and party vehicles racing over the canyon floors, avoiding and returning fire. This shouldn't be TOO big of an attack, as the Zoners are just patrolling.

Eventually, the heroes are forced to abandon their vehicles (assuming they have any) and head into a cave that Nikki assures them leads into the Zone. Unfortunately, the caves are inhabited by hideous, bloated mutant humanoids who suddenly emerge from pod-like growths in the walls. This would be a good spot for some dramatic deaths of some of Hudson's group (assuming they tagged along). The characters can either fight these hordes or run. Note that Nikki hadn't encountered these things in her previous trip

Either way (assuming they survive!), the heroes eventually reach the cave exit. From here, the party gets a look at the Zoner fortress, and see that it is actually the remains of a planetary military base, complete with anti orbital defenses as well as anti-fighter and other defensive weapons and shields. There are even a few airspeeder patrols roaming around the cliffs/canyons.

At this point, Nikki points out that she's never actually been INSIDE the base...

CONTINGENCIES
As with previous sections, a lot of this episode assumes that the players are using ground transportation. It is possible that particularly stubborn characters may try to fly their way into the Zone. As mentioned before, this should be akin to suicide due to the amount of firepower the zoners have at their disposal. Even if the characters take the 'low altitude' approach, they will have to wind their way through canyons to keep 'under the guns'- and will burn up even more power. And again, once they reach the final canyon barrier, they must decide whether to try and risk flying in or land and proceed through the cave passage. GMs may also wish to throw a wave (or two) of Zoner airspeeders at the heroes ship- which will be particularly vulnerable in the limited space of the canyons.

Ship-borne parties will avoid encountering Hudson's party altogether, though there is nothing to say that when the players land, their ship won't be found (and possibly captured) by the rival group of spacers.

It is also possible that the characters may have refused the assistance of Nikki. In this case, the characters are going to have to try and find their own way. Unless they are extremely lucky, it is doubtful they will find the secret 'cave entrance' into the Zone. This means they'll either have to try an aerial approach (suicide), drive/fly to and then try to climb over the cliffs surrounding the zone (dangerous) or try to storm one of the fortified guardposts blocking the ground entrances into the zone (also dangerous- and with the added possibility of raising the alarm in the main fortress). Characters who refuse Nikki's help and then get 'stuck' somehow might be given a second chance- the GM can rule that Nikki took it upon herself to follow the group (using another scav vehicle), and will show up once again with an offer of help.

Episode IV: The Overdog's Lair

SYNOPSIS:
The heroes finally reach the villains lair. They must figure out a way to get inside and then rescue their 'bounty' from the clutches of the evil cyborg known as the "Overdog". Of course, these kinds of plans are always fraught with peril, and things rarely go as expected...

CUTAWAY:
The survivors from the escape pod, now dressed in 'suitable' slave attire, are ushered into a huge, machine-filled room. A large form descends from above, apparently supported on metallic 'tentacles'. This is revealed to be a hideous mutant-cyborg, covered with metallic armor and sporting four metal tentacles 'growing' from his back. He introduces himself menacingly as the "Overdog", explaining that it has been years since he enjoyed the company of ones as lovely as this- and that over the coming weeks, he will enjoy getting to know his new guests. Alas, he must first preside over the 'games' tonight. He goes on to say that he hopes the girls will enjoy the show- it will be one to remember.

ADVENTURE:
The cave lets out at the base of the Overdog's fortress. Though Nikki has never been inside before, she had noticed that there was a possible way in- through an exhaust duct. Unfortunately, said duct is located high up in the cliff face. It would require a dangerous climb to reach and would also require some means of getting past the grate that blocks it. A quick survey of the area shows that the Fortress itself has guards patrolling its upper 'battlements'- and within the large airspeeder hangars built into the cliff-face. There is a ground level entrance, but its gate is thick and heavily guarded. There is, however, a fair amount of traffic passing through the gate. It appears that various groups of Zoners from around the valley are making their way into the Fortress. Seems as though there is some 'gathering' going on. The occasional airspeeder cruises overhead as well, some leaving on patrol, others returning. Every now and then, one of them will do a circuit of the fortress, shining their spotlights on its cliff walls to check for any infiltrators.

At this point, the heroes must decide how to get into the base. The methods of entry could include:

1) Taking Nikki's path. This would require some climbing skill rolls and perhaps some stealth checks along the way as guards from the battlements above patrol and look down. The grate itself is actually quite rusted, and could be wedged out the the way (with some strength). It could also be cut through by tools or lightsabers with relative ease. Once inside, the heroes have to make their way through some disgustingly slimy vent shafts that haven't seen real maintenance in years. There would be dangers along the way- perhaps a huge, stealthy snake-like beast that tries to pick off any stragglers in the party and drag them into a pipe. Perhaps there is a sudden incline on a particularly slippery shaft that threatens to drop players into one of the few still functioning vent fans. Once the heroes are finally out of the vents, the adventure can continue in the main fortress.

2) Trying to ambush a Zoner patrol, using their clothing/armor as a disguise to get past the guards at the main gate. The guards aren't particularly observant- as long as the players look like Zoners and don't draw too much attention to themselves. One of the guards might try to engage the party in conversation, perhaps requiring some type of con or other fast-talking to get past. They may even ask for a 'password'- which, of course, there isn't. The Zoners seem to be talking amongst themselves about the 'games' that night- evidently some kind of big event the Overdog puts on to keep them entertained. Once the heroes are finally past the gates, the adventure can continue in the main fortress.

3) Climbing up to one of the airspeeder hangars located in the cliff-walls of the fortress- or up to the 'battlements' on top. This would be a dangerous climb in and of itself, with the added problem of having to make several stealth checks along the way as guards check occasionally down the cliff face. Once the party reaches its destination, they will have to overcome the guards- which could result in an alarm being tripped. Thankfully, the comm-system in the base is in disrepair, meaning that a response might take a while. This could give the heroes time to disappear into the main fortress itself and continue their search.

4) Anything else the players might hatch. This could include a frontal assault on the base, either from the ground or the air. Such an assault would face heavy opposition- and any party foolish enough to do this should be held accountable for their actions. Heroes are heroes, yes, but even heroes should have the judgment to know when they are overmatched in a 'stand up' fight.

For her part, Nikki will be apprehensive about entering the fortress- having heard stories of the depredations that go on within. It is up to the heroes to decide whether to take her along or leave her to wait. Either decisions could have consequences later.

Once the party is into the main fortress itself, they have quite a few options. Likely, they'll just want to find their targets and escape with them. Ambitious parties may well want to destroy the base by sabotaging its generators. They might also wish to try and steal airspeeders to aide their escape. At this point, the GM is on his own as far as 'contingencies' go. This can be a very free-form part of the mission. There are, however, a few events and locations within the Fortress that can affect how things play out. These include:

1) The games. In a huge, central chamber of the fortress, a deadly maze has been set up, filled with death traps- spikes, flamethrowers, spinning blades, pits, etc. Through this gauntlet, prisoners of the Overdog are forced to run- with the promise of freedom given if they make it all the way through. They are 'urged along' through the maze by a huge, buzz-saw wielding droid that follows behind them at an slow but inexorable pace. This is dubbed "the Persuader".

Most of the Zoners are here, watching from the multiple gallery levels overlooking the 'game pit'. The Overdog is here as well, hanging like a spider from an array of machinery in his 'private box'. Though it is difficult to notice, his box is actually protected by a shield generator that can absorb most weapon-fire directed at him. Near the cyborg-tyrant, in a hanging cage (displayed for his own pleasure and the delight of his servants) are the escape pod survivors, looking terrified, but otherwise whole.

The games will already be in progress as the heroes arrive, with a hapless 'Scav' meeting a grisly fate within the maze. The next victim depends on several things. If the characters left Nikki behind, then the GM can rule that she was subsequently captured by the Zoners and taken here to run the gauntlet. Likewise, if the characters left Hudson or any of his people behind, they could now show up here as captives. Depending on the heroes, they might feel compelled to rescue these victims. If neither Nikki nor any of Hudson's people are at risk, substitute another sympathetic scav. Of course, anyone trying to rescue a person from the maze will likely have to confront "the Persuader". Nikki will prove to be quite adept during these scene, navigating the maze rather well, despite her fear. Even so, the Persuader remains a danger. The whole thing should serve as a dramatic background for whatever the characters are planning- perhaps urging them to hurry as Nikki (or whoever else is stuck in the maze) just BARELY overcomes its dangers.

Any attack during the 'games' will cause mass confusion amongst the zoners- especially if the attacks seem to be coming from 'some of their own'. This will likely touch off violence between the various 'sub-tribes' of the Zoners, who will then turn on each other- essentially creating chaos. Likewise any remaining prisoners (scavs or hudson's men) will use this as a chance to turn against their attackers.

The Overdog will respond to any direct attack by trying to snatch a 'hostage' and then flee via machinery ducts back to his sanctum. His first choice of a hostage would be Nikki- whom he can swoop down to snatch up from the Maze. His second choice would be any one of his new 'slave girls'.

2) The generator room. Reaching this is going to be difficult. It is located in the bowels of the fortress and stands at the end of a featureless hall, behind a massive blast-security door, guarded by a pair of Zoner robots (similar to the "Persuader" in the game chamber above). Even after the guards are subdued, getting through the door is problematic. It can resist most weapon damage and the security locks are very difficult to bypass. All this security is not without reason, though- as the Generator room is actually the lair of the Overdog himself. It is possible that the heroes may reach this room via another passage- following the Overdog through the machinery conduit from the game chamber above. There is only ONE security door blocking their way in this case- this one is less durable and has only a moderate security lock. Apart from the generator machinery, there are 'comforts' here for the the Overdog and his 'guests'- including several plush couches and a bed. Any characters hoping to find the Overdog's fabled 'treasure' will likely be disappointed. The technology here is the true treasure on an otherwise devastated world. He would have access to some modern medicine (medpacs and the like) as well as the cyborg parts necessary to keep him going. There may also be some rare wines and the like, but they wouldn't be a particularly lucrative treasure.

3) Airspeeder hangars. There are a dozen or so airspeeders in here at any given time, half of them the smaller patrol types and half the larger passenger types. There are also several guards present (about a half-dozen) and a like number of Zoner mechanics. As with others in the base, they are likely a bit distracted and lamenting the fact that they can't be at the games.

4) Battlements. Various walkways, towers and watchposts line the top of the cliff-top fortress. These are manned by reasonably alert guards, perhaps a dozen spread in groups of two throughout the area. Each group has access to an intercom at their main patrol station- and are thus able to alert the base 'command center' if there is a problem. Also located on the roof are the various sensor dishes and the defensive batteries of the fortress itself- these include Turbolasers, Anti-fighter battiers, a massive shield generator tower and a scattering of long range anti-vehicle and anti-personnel cannons covering the ground approaches to the fortress.

5) Command center. This is a bunker housed just below the 'battlements'- within the rock of the fortress and accessible only through a single, guarded choke-point manned by a half-dozen Zoners. It is typically manned by the Overdog's trusted lieutenant- a deformed former military officer. He is assisted by another half-dozen other Zoners responsible for directing the fire of the base's defensive batteries. Destroying this room means that the weapons would have to be manned directly in order to fire (at reduced accuracy).

6) Dungeons. Again, located deep within the fortress, these dank cells and passages would be empty and unguarded- with the prisoners having been taken up to the 'games' above for execution. One of the cells has apparently been recently cleaned up- and was evidently used to house the survivors of the escape pod crash.

7) Other areas. There are barracks, mess halls, an armory and storage bays within the fortress. The details of these are left to the GM, though the armory should contain little more than the crude barely maintained weapons the Zoners use. Most of these would be lightly populated during the player's entrance into the fortress- with everyone attending the games.

Eventually, the heroes are likely to have a show-down with the Overdog. The tyrant will flee to his sanctum at the first opportunity. Once there, he will attempt to hide amongst the machinery itself, his own mostly-metal body 'blending in' with the various pipes and ducts. He will also use any hostages taken as bait to lure the heroes into an ambush- dangling them over some danger like a pit of spikes or perhaps a sparking power electrode or some other nastiness. Anyone who goes to rescue them is liable to trigger a trap or be attacked by the Overdog himself, who may be hiding nearby.

Though quite physically durable, the Overdog knows that a stand-up fight against a group of well-armed attackers is likely not to go in his favor, so try to play him as intelligent and have him retreat to hiding when hard pressed. His metal tentacles allow him great mobility. He's able to climb walls, dangle from the ceiling, etc. He will use this to his advantage.

Once the Overdog is defeated, it is up to the characters to make their escape. Since the final showdown is likely to take place within the generator room, they could easily set the fortress to explode- or it could happen by accident during the fight. A spiteful and mortally wounded Overdog may even trigger a 'self destruct' when he thinks all is lost.

There is likely to be a good amount of chaos in the fortress following the Overdog's death- especially of the generator starts to overload and parts of the base begin to explode. This would be a perfect time to escape- and heroes shouldn't have too much trouble- as the Zoners will be more concerned with saving themselves than stopping anyone else.

CONTINGENCIES:

It is possible that the characters may be captured by the Zoners at some point during the adventure. They may even try to gain entrance into the Fortress by allowing themselves to be taken. In either case, they would be searched, disarmed and taken directly to the 'game chamber' to await their chance to run the gauntlet. Their escape could take many forms- they could try and get through the gauntlet and earn their freedom (the Overdog won't grant it, however), or more likely, they could try to escape or overpower their guards. This would be difficult- but could be aided by NPCs. If Nikki or any of Hudson's men weren't with the group when they were captured, this would be a good time for them to swoop in with a diversion.

Some groups may adopt a 'wait and see' attitude about the games- allowing whoever is in the maze to either die or get through it on their own. They may then try to stealthily rescue the pod survivors at a later time. This plan has its own problems, though, as the girls are kept in a cage in full view of the entire arena. And when the games are over, the Overdog will take them back to his sanctum- thus providing him with SEVERAL hostages if the heroes seek him there. If left to her own devices, Nikki WILL make it through the maze, but she will subsequently be taken by the Overdog to join him in his chambers. Also, after the games, the other Zoners will return to their duties, and might very well begin to question any strangers within their midst...

Some heroes may try to formulate a plan to kill the Overdog while he watches the games- perhaps by sniping him from a distance. Due to the crowded nature of the area, this would be difficult to do- with the crowds of Zoners, odds are that the shot would be spoiled by jostling or someone might notice a hero lining up the shot. There is also the (previously mentioned) fact that the Overdog's private box has its own hidden shield generator- that should thwart most attacks. And as mentioned above, the Overdog will attempt to flee from any direct attack outside of his sanctum, preferring to lure heroes into a fight on his own terms.

Due to the open-nature of this last episode, there are quite a few different contingencies- too many to account for them all. GMs will have to be flexible to handle whatever plans the characters might come up with.

Episode V: Epilogue

SYNOPSIS:
Everyone escapes from the Overdog's Fortress and retreats to safe ground. Preparations are made to leave- though there may be a few wrinkles

ADVENTURE:
Depending how the battle within the Fortress went, the characters could have a very easy or a difficult escape. If the Fortress was destroyed, then the Zoners will be scattered and fleeing- offering no fight to anyone. If the Fortress is somehow left intact, then there may be some semi-organizes zoner pursuit- either on foot or by vehicle.

Eventually, though, the heroes will make it back to their ship- hopefully with all of the pod survivors intact. It is possible at this point that if the characters left their ship in a vulnerable position that some of Hudson's people (assuming they didn't accompany the heroes and weren't encountered elsewhere) might have captured it. If so, there may be a bit of a stand-off with Hudson's folks trying to negotiate the most favorable (for them) deal possible.

The GM may also rule (again depending on how well hidden/defended) the ship was, that some Zoners or even some weird mutated beast may have found and boarded it- and may wait in ambush for the heroes return.

The pod survivors will be quite grateful and friendly to their rescuers, but are rather useless in any fight the characters might run into. Any particularly gallant rescuer might become the object of affection from one (or more?) of the girls.

There is also the matter of Nikki. Assuming the characters took her up on her deal, she will be expecting both a cut of the reward and a ride off planet. It is up to the characters whether or not they'll honor this bargain. There is also the question of what to do with Nikki once she is off world. She could join the party as an NPC 'sidekick' or simply be left to her own devices on some starport somewhere (though that's a rather harsh action). A 'nice' end to this might be that Nikki is taken in by the family of one of the pod survivors- and given the life of comfort and safety Nikki thinks she wants. Of course, someone as adventurous as that is bound to turn up somewhere else at some future time...

Once the women are safely returned 'home' (in this case to the nearest civilized star system), their manager will pay the reward and the players are free to do as they will. The manager may wish to 'hire' the characters for a while to do a publicity tour based on the daring rescue- its up to the heroes to determine what to do next...

Adventure Conversion: Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone

2011-08-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

OVERVIEW:
In this adventure, a group of heroes attempts to rescue the survivors of destroyed starship, stranded on a remote world that had been quarantined decades ago. They must brave the dangers of the world and its post-apocalyptic society and eventually rescue the survivors from the lair of a local cyborg warlord.

Independent/Smuggler type characters could become involved simply for the reward. Rebel/New Republic type characters could just happen to be in the area and respond to the call. Plus, there’s nothing to say that rebels don’t need a little reward money either.

BACKGROUND:
Decades ago, before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the planet Terros IX was in the grips of a vicious civil war. Efforts by Republic peace-keepers failed and open conflict raged across the planet. Massive bombing raids destroyed much of the civilization, and what was left fell to a particularly vicious bio-engineered plague. This latter event prompted the Republic to Quarantine the world until a proper relief effort could be launched. Unfortunately, the outbreak of the Clone Wars resulted in Terros IX being pushed to the ‘back burner’ and eventually just forgotten.

The survivors of Terros’ civil war were reduced to scavengers, picking at the skeleton of their technological civilization. One group, however, gained control of the sole surviving planetary defense fortress. Unfortunately, it was located in a highly contaminated ‘Forbidden Zone’. Many of these scavengers perished, still others were deformed and mutated by the radiation and disease. These became known as ‘Zoners’ by the other ‘Scav’ tribes. Using the superior technology they found at the base (mostly in the form of functional airspeeders and blaster weaponry), the ‘Zoners’ strike at the other tribes with near impunity, killing for amusement and taking what they want.

The leader of the ‘Zoners’ was actually a military scientist. Driven insane by the losses in the war (which he was partly responsible for), he took on the persona of the “Overdog”, a brutal warlord. Over the years, illness and deformity has forced him to ‘augment’ his body with technological components. He became a monstrous cyborg, which served only to further his terrifying reputation among his own people and all the other tribes of the wasted planet. And so things have gone right up until the present day…

…the present day, in a completely unrelated incident, a trio of up-and-coming female pop-star singers was enjoying a leisurely trip to their next concern onboard a corporate yacht. A hyperspace collision of some sort sends their ship careening out of its hyperlane and, by sheer chance, into the Terros system. As the ship begins the break up, the trio are hurried onto an escape pod. They manage to eject as their ship is destroyed…and face an uncertain future on the planet’s surface.

The Yacht’s distress signal is picked up by the comm-net. Immediately, the manager of the trio puts out a reward for the safe rescue of the group- hoping that 100,000 credits is enough to prompt someone to brave the dangers of a quarantined world…

MAJOR NPCs:

The Overdog: A former scientist, now quite mad. The Overdog sees Terros as his own realm now, his personal ‘hell’ to rule. Though he does have a functional off-world comm-transmitter, he refuses to use it, preferring the power his isolation has given him. The Overdog has kept himself alive by gradually replacing failing pieces of his body with home-made cybernetic components. Currently, his body is mostly metal, with only a few ‘original’ pieces left (such as part of his face). He has augmented his strength and added a four new limbs in the form of metallic tentacles ‘growing’ out of his back. These he can use to move around on- and even climb walls and the like. They are also equipped with vicious claws. The Overdog took control of, and continues to lead, a group of ruthless mutant raiders known as the Zoners. They operate out of a fortress (actually an old planetary defense base) in the “Forbidden Zone” of Terros IX. Having picked up the descent of the escape pod on their base’s still functional sensors, the Overdog desires to capture its occupants who are, in his twisted viewpoint, intruders on ‘his’ world. Upon learning of the beauty of the survivors, the tyrant lusts after their beauty and ‘purity’.

The Zoners: These are a motley collection of mutant tribesmen led by the overdog. They dress in ragged clothing mixed with pieces of makeshift armor and usually with turban-like head-wrappings to protect them from the sun. They are armed with various vicious looking home-made knives, axes and clubs, but also carry blaster weaponry taken from their base. The latter is functional, but only barely due to years of abuse. Zoners make use of armed airspeeders to raid other scavenger tribes, using smaller ones to patrol and attack and larger ones to land raiding parties and recover goods and prisoners. Prisoners taken are typically forced to run a deadly maze-like ‘gauntlet’ for the entertainment of the Zoners- none have survived thus far.

The Scavs: There are many different tribes throughout the wastes of Terros, eking out a living through hunting, gathering and scavenging whatever they can (hence their name). They dress similarly to Zoners as far as head-wraps and ragged clothing goes, but take more care in their cleanliness. Overall, Scavs are a peaceful lot- willing to defend themselves, but unlikely to instigate attacks. One of the tribes closest to the ‘Zone’ resides on a huge repulsorlift platform they had salvaged- turning it into a mobile village. They are the first to stumble upon the trio of survivors and actually take them in to provide shelter- perhaps with the hope of making off-world contact or even receiving the help promised to them so long ago by the Republic. Most scavs have access to only primitive weapons- a few have blasters, but most must rely upon crude projectile weapons, including crossbows and the like. Most scav tribes have also salvaged other vehicles, these are typically crude ground vehicles (wheeled), but a few have managed to find (and keep) speeders of various sorts.

Nikki: A spunky young Scav girl (in her mid-teens). She is a scout and gatherer for her people, but often ranges far beyond where the should. This has given her intimate knowledge of the routes leading into the Forbidden Zone. Being an adventurer at heart, she desires to eventually get off Terros and see the galaxy. She is something of a mercenary as well- wanting and expecting ‘payment’ for her services as a scout (even if she does have an overall good-hearted demeanor).

The Trio: Nova, Reena and Meagan. Three up-and-coming pop star singers who are caught in a situation well out of their control. They are reasonably capable individuals, but are NOT combatants and have never encountered any of the dangers they suddenly face on Terros. Thus, after their crash landing, they must rely on others to help them out of their predicament. All three are quite attractive- which unfortunately draws the unwanted attention of the Overdog.

LOCATIONS:

The Wastelands: Much of the surface of Terros has teen reduced to a blasted, desert wasteland. The terrain consists mostly of areas of steep, twisted canyons and broad expanses of rocky flatland. Dotting the landscape are the ruins of cities and other installations, now mostly collapsed or covered by years of wind-blown dirt. Vegetation is sparse and stunted, but exists enough to support a small population of various animals- some of which are dangerous and even mutated.

The Forbidden Zone: This is a huge box canyon situated in the midst of a maze of rocky canyons. It is entirely surrounded by sheer ridges of stone, forming an ‘outer wall’ that shelters a blasted valley. Various Zoner tribes live within the caves lining the inside of the canyon and there are two main ‘gates’ through the outer ‘wall’- both of which are heavily guarded. One spur of the cliffs extends out from the wall and into the center of the canyon. On this is perched the old planetary defense installation where the Overdog has made his lair.

Episode I: Distress Signal

SYNOPSIS:
In this episode, the characters follow up on the reward offer for the recovery of survivors of a hyperspace accident. Unfortunately, the passengers have been stranded on an isolated world that had been all but destroyed by civil war, decades ago. Upon arrival at the planet, the heroes must run a gauntlet of fire from still-active planetary defense batteries in order to make it to the surface.

CUTAWAY:
A scene of a luxury Yacht cruising through hyperspace. Suddenly, it suffers some form of hyperspace collision, sending it spinning out of the hyperlane, trailing smoke and debris. As the ship breaks up, its captain looks for a safe place to land- or abandon ship. They get a fix on a nearby planet, but can't immediately identify it. The passengers, a trio of lovely young women, are taken to one of the escape pods and eject, just as the ship breaks up completely and explodes. The pod arc away from the destruction towards the vaguely menacing planet below.
The pod lands and the women emerge dazedly, surveying a wasted landscape. Off in the distance, one of them spies a dust cloud- some kind of vehicle? They hope it is a rescuer...

ADVENTURE:
The heroes are (for whatever reason) out in a remote area of space when they pick up an alert on emergency frequencies. A space yacht has suffered a hyperdrive accident, throwing it light years off course and into a remote system where its passengers are forced to abandon ship for the nearby planet of Terros IX. A reward of 100,000 credits is being offered by a private citizen for the return of the Yacht's VIP passengers. The characters just happen to be in the area and could get there before any other would-be rescuers.

Some research shows that the planet Terros IX was quarantined several decades ago, during the old republic, following a planetary civil war and subsequent apocalypse brought on by a series of bio-weapon induced plagues. Though a relief mission was planned, the outbreak of the Clone Wars and collapse of the Old Republic insured that it was never carried out. Thus, nobody is quite sure what to expect on Terros IX- though any medical experts might theorize that any bioweapons would most likely have 'run their course' by now. Probably...

It is assumed that from here the party will travel to Terros IX to attempt the rescue. Once in orbit, their sensors will reveal a wasteland below- largely desert, with scattered ruins the only remaining sign of the civilization that used to be here. There are signs of life, however, and even a few power signatures- possibly generators. It will be a relatively simple matter to pick up the distress beacon on an escape pod and follow it down. This is where things get interesting.

Any ship getting close to the planet (either by flying high and scanning or by going in after the escape beacon) will come under sudden attack by powerful and accurate fire from below- and indeed from orbit. Evidently part of the planetary defense system is still active. The heroes will have to evade this fire to get to the surface- otherwise, they might be forced to land due to damage. Worst case scenario, they might actually crash land. GM Note: This threat of fire is essentially a tool to keep the player's ship grounded- or at least operating at low altitude. It is hoped that players will use ground-transport to continue their search. If not, refer to the 'contingencies' section below.

CONTINGENCIES:
Since much of the action in this adventure takes place on the ground, it would be more of a challenge if the players were 'forced' to rely on ground transport instead of using their ship to fly from place to place. This would also prevent them from solving all their problems by simply bombarding them from the sky. The main deterrent to this are the planetary defense batteries- still active and controlled by the main 'villains' of the piece in a fortress located in the 'zone' (an area of toxic wasteland). The earliest stages of the heroes exploration on the surface might allow them to fly at low-altitude without coming under fire (since they would be beyond the horizon from the 'zone'). But as they near their ultimate goal, the ship would face direct fire from those same batteries (which should prove more than a match for a single armed transport). There is also the matter of fuel conservation to consider. Flying/hovering within the atmosphere of the planet burns a lot of fuel. Thus, if players DO insist on flying everywhere, they will find their fuel reserves running low. This should be pointed out to the players so their characters can make educated decisions on how to proceed. If the players do decide to use their ship in the early stages of the adventure, it shouldn't affect too much- and there could be threats to help counter this so the heroes can't simply 'cakewalk' through the threats.

Particularly brash (or bullheaded) characters may wish to attack this planetary defense base head on. Every effort should be made by the GM to discourage this through description of the 'base' itself- heavily shielded and armored, with long range (anti-orbital) and short range batteries. If characters persist, however, the GM should let the (heavily slanted) battle play out as it will. Barring some miracle on the character's part, their ship will likely be damaged or destroyed.

Episode II: Meeting the Locals

SYNOPSIS:
In this espisode, the heroes begin their search for the crash survivors and stumble upon a battle between resident factions of the planet- the evil 'Zoners' and the beleaguered 'Scavs'. The timely intervention of the characters saves the Scavs, but is (likely) too late to keep the Zoners from abducting the crash survivors. Thus the heroes must prepare for a dangerous journey into the wasteland known as the 'Zone'.

ADVENTURE:
The heroes will likely want to start their search at the escape pod's crash site. They might even be able to land nearby- or even survey the site from low altitude. Either way, they will discover that the pod is empty- though if they are performing close fly-bys, they might obscure some of the evidence with the wash of their engines kicking up sand and debris. Closer inspection will show numerous footprints and some tracks in the dirt- evidently left by some kind of primitive ground vehicles. These tracks can be followed off into the wastes- a task that is accomplished much easier from the ground than the air due to the relative size of those tracks. The characters have a couple options at this point, following the tracks or starting a search pattern from the air (keeping at low altitude, beneath the arc of the planetary guns). Anyone using sensors (either in the air or on the ground) has a chance to notice the approach of several 'bogeys'- evidently airborne and moving fast- though not in the direction of the heroes, per se. If these are followed, continue with the scene below.

Eventually, the tracks (or the search) will reveal a huge, ramshackle repulsorlift platform, evidently serving as some kind of mobile 'village'. It moves via a series of large, makeshift sails. It is also, apparently, under attack. Weapon batteries on the platform fire at circling airspeeders- which include both gunships and smaller attack craft. All these vehicles are beat up, but seem quite functional- and deadly. On the barge itself, hand-to-hand fighting is going on between boarders dropped by the airspeeders and the denizens of the 'village'. The attackers are dressed in piecemeal armor and seem to be mutated humans (with a few other alien species mixed in). The villagers are likewise- but not mutated- and they also seem to be outgunned.

It is hoped that the heroes (being heroes) will join in on this fight- against the obviously aggressive attackers. If players are having a hard time determining who the 'bad guy' is here, make sure to describe the brutal actions of the attackers, cutting down women and children, etc.. The heroes will likely be the deciding factor in this battle, driving off the attackers- though the 'villagers' will have taken many casualties. Any particularly observant characters might notice some prisoners being taken by the bad guys as they flee- namely the three women from the escape pod! Evidently the 'villagers' had rescued them, only to be attacked by the bad guys, who now fly off with them.

After the battle, the villagers will tentatively contact the heroes, thanking them for their assistance. The Village elder (gravely wounded) will tell them a bit about their world. These people are one of several groups of survivors who call themselves 'Scavs'- they survive off the leftover tech found in the various ruins and are generally peaceful. The people who just attacked are known as 'Zoners'- they are a gang of mutants and other outcasts who control the last functional planetary defense bunker- located in a devastated area known as the 'Zone'. They are ruled by a being known as the 'Overdog'- a brutal cyborg.

The elder will also inform the characters that the passengers of the crashed escape pod were taken in by his own people- but unfortunately were just stolen by the Zoners in this attack (the characters may have seen this for themselves, see above). Battered as they are, the Scavs have little to offer the heroes, except for directions to the Zone itself- which is surely where the girls were taken. They strongly recommend against following, however, as the Zone is a huge canyon, surrounded on all sides by massive cliffs and heavily defended from the air and the ground. At this point, a young Scav girl (Nikki) points out that she knows a secret way in. She refuses to help, however, unless the characters agree to 1) take her with them on the mission, 2) take her with them when they leave the planet, and 3) give her an equal share of the reward.

The characters have several choices at this point, they can abandon the search (boo), try to get into the Zone by themselves, or take Nikki up on her offer as a guide. The latter is probably the most expedient- and remember, time is of the essence, as others may come in response to the reward. Indeed, at some point thereafter (perhaps if the characters accept the Scav's invitation to spend the night), they will notice what appears to be a starship arcing through the sky, only to be shot down by the Zoners planetary defenses. Evidently someone else HAD responded to the call. Characters wishing to find the crash site should be notified that it clearly lies within the danger zone of the Zoner's planetary guns- so...it's probably not a good idea to go looking from the air.

CONTINGENCIES:
In order to keep the adventure moving, all efforts should be made to ensure that the women from the escape pod are NOT saved by the heroes at this point. In the heat of the battle, their presence may not even be noticed by the heroes. Even if it is, the heroes may not be able to get to them in time. To be fair, however, the possibility of rescue should not be arbitrarily eliminated. Particularly clever, lucky or fast actions might work, but they should be difficult. One tactic to counter 'early rescue' could be that the women are being taken onto different Zoner airspeeders. Even if the characters are able to rescue one or two, the third might STILL be taken away to the zone, thus keeping the 'motivation' for the subsequent adventure intact. If all three women are somehow rescued, there could still be motivation for the heroes to take on the zone: they might be moved by the plight of the scavs and want to help them overthrow this pillaging tyrant. Also, they might want to take out the planetary defense batteries to avoid being shot down as they leave (though clever characters could avoid this by flying low until they are out of the battery's fire arc). As a last-ditch effort for GREEDY characters, a GM might have one of the scavs talk about rumors of the Zoners guarding a 'great treasure' left over from before the war. If the characters manage to rescue all the girls at this point, and want to just cut and run? Well, that's their prerogative- and oh well.

Note that characters utilizing their ship in this episode will find that it becomes a rather large target for the Zoner attack airspeeders. It is quite possible that it could suffer damage or even get shot down during the battle. This is yet another way the GM can 'hint' that using a ship might not be the most prudent thing in this case.

If the players do not have any ground transportation (or if they need more), you can have the scavs provide them with some- in the form of beat-up ground vehicles or maybe even a rare, makeshift landspeeder or skiff they were able to fix. As far as the 'look' of the vehicles go, think "Mad Max" meets Star Wars.

To be continued...in 3D!

Adventure Conversions

2011-08-03T12:42:00.001-07:00

I have often posted about my love of taking existing ideas and modifying them for use in the Star Wars setting. I have even posted a couple examples of this. Well, I'm starting a new 'series' of posts where I intend to make a full-fledged adventure outline out of some of my favorite non-star wars things. The first of these is going to be a conversion of the 1983 Sci-Fi film: "Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone! in 3D".

Yes, I realize this was a cheesy movie. I love cheesy movies. The worst I can find. But it is one of those cheesy movies that had a big impact on me as a 13-year-old (when I first saw it on HBO). It is also one of the most easily translatable movies on my 'list'- thus its the one I'm going to do first. I'll be releasing my conversion in parts over the next couple three days. I hope you enjoy it. It is a fun exercise for me, so far, and I think its in a condition where a GM could flesh it out and use it in their own campaigns if they wanted.

In the future, I intend to convert such classics as:

Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared Syn
The Mummy
Big Trouble in Little China
The Ice Pirates
Forbidden Planet
The Black Hole
Goliath Awaits
and
Flash Gordon

Stay tuned!

Energy in Star Wars

2011-07-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I like Star Wars so much is the fact it does NOT go into detail about a lot of the 'tech' in its universe. How do ships fly? How do shields work? How? They just do. That's how. From a gaming perspective, this is even more refreshing, since you don't really need to keep track of a lot of 'techy' aspects- as a player or a game master. Even so, I like to have a few general guidelines in place so I know how things 'seem to function' in a game, even if I don't know (or care about) the science behind them.

For instance, I know that blasters seem to require an energy source (a power pack) and a small amount of 'blaster gas' to function. The gas is assumed to last a long time between refillings and can easily be worked into the 'routine maintenance' that is assumed by me in my games. The power-packs are used up more more quickly (depending on the output of the blaster in question) and are generally looked at as the 'ammo' for the weapon- i.e. they are what determines the number of 'rounds' a blaster can fire. Do I need to know exactly how any of this works? No. But its nice to have the superficial details like characters swapping out energy-packs in the midst of battle.

I feel the same way about power sources in the SW universe. I don't really care about the science behind them, I just want the 'gist' of how they work. And yet, there is very little canon information on this subject. More to the point, there seem to be conflicting stories. In some of the 'technical companions' many vehicles run on 'fuel slugs', while in others, reactors are 'solar ionization'. Still others are 'hyperparticle' reactors. Likewise, in some books they show some vehicles (such as AT-STs) as being 'too small' to have onboard reactors, and thus have a power-cell/battery instead.

This seems quite odd to me, considering there are some vague representations of generators in the movies themselves that seem to show that 'generators' can actually be quite small. For example, there is the power-generator that the Snowtroopers carry to power their E-Web blaster in Empire Strikes back. In the same movie, there is that tiny little generator that Luke plugs Artoo-Deeto into after he's crashed on Dagobah. And then there are power-droids, seen throughout the original trilogy- who were described to be 'walking power generators'.

As usual, I tend to err in favor of what we see in the movies over what is presented in the EU or in the (often conflicting) technical readouts of various vehicles. So it is that in my OWN Star Wars galaxy, Power Generators are relatively small in size compared to their power output. This means that in my universe most vehicles are equipped with power generators- even vehicles as small as speeder bikes. This means that with the proper fuel, these vehicles generate their own power- they do not run off a 'battery' (though they would have the ability to store some of the power they generate as a backup).

Though I do not want to get too deeply into the science behind them, I consider Star Wars technology to be based upon fusion technology- a much safer form of nuclear energy than the fission we're used to. The fuel for these reactors would likely be a liquid deuterium (or whatever other star wars equivalents might be invented). I say liquid because it strikes a nice balance of storage space (taking up less space than gaseous fuel) and usability (able to be 'pumped' into fuel tanks instead of having to be 'inserted' as solid fuel slugs or anything of the sort). The use of a fuel like deuterium is also supported in some of the RPG sources as well- specifically those listing 'fuel scoops' and converters. This would allow ships so equipped to dip into naturally occurring supplies of deuterium (in gas giants or even ocean water) to use as low-grade fuel in emergency situations. Since deuterium is a relatively common element, this would mean that power is pretty abundant in the SW universe- and considering the amount of tech we see in the movies, this seems to be the case. Also, in the movies, we never hear about 'fuel shortages' or the like. From a purely 'cinematic' viewpoint, I also like the idea of 'fuel' being a combustible material (deuterium is) and being transported in 'tankers'. To me, that just feels 'right'.

So that's how I handle energy in my own Star Wars universe, vague on the scientific details, but cinematically functional.

p.s. At first glance, it might seem that this system would actually eliminate the necessity for power droids. But having read into just what they were (supposedly) used for, it actually doesn't. In makeshift bases and settlements without a centralized power-grid, power-droids are used to recharge various bits of isolated tech to keep them functioning. In locations where there WAS centralized power, these droids could have a supply of deuterium onboard and could thus 'top off' the fuel tanks of various reactors they service.

Marvel Comics Star War: A long time ago... Volume 3 - Part 4

2011-07-22T08:43:00.001-07:00

And finally- the last few issues included in this collection. All in all, I enjoyed the heck out of this book and the various stories within, even if some of them (as you'll see below) have their problems...

Serphidian Eyes

This is a single-issue story arc- and one that seems oddly out of place since it does not follow the continuity of the previous issue. In fact, it actually 'gets in the way' of the conclusion of the "Shira Brie" arc (which actually happens in the next issue). This story seems as though it could have taken place at any point in the Star Wars timeline, being a rather 'generic' and self contained adventure.

The basic premise of Serphidian Eyes is that the Rebellion needs a listening post established on the remote world of Serphidi. Unfortunately, the ruler of the native population of that world (the Serps) is a tyrant and likely opposed to Rebel contact. Thus Luke and two other pilots (Berl and Cinda) are sent to "change a few minds".

Upon arriving over Serphidi, the rebels find themselves under attack by Imperial TIE fighters. They fend off the attack, but Cinda's craft is damaged and the trio are forced to land. On the ground they are attacked by armored Serps riding lizard-mounts and wielding lances that fire energy. Berl is killed and Cinda captured. Luke just barely manages to escape. While trying to figure out a way to rescue his friend, Luke comes across an older Serp and gains his trust (by rescuing him from a native monster).

The elder Serp (Elglih), tells Luke of the plight of his world, which had banned technology long ago to keep the peace. Unfortunately, the Tyrant S'shah revived some of this technology in the form of the power lance and established himself as tyrant of the otherwise medieval world. The only way to unseat him from the throne is to defeat him at the royal tournament. And so Elglih volunteers to train Luke to fight in this tournament.

Meanwhile, Luke's wingman Cinda finds herself a captive of the tyrant S'shah. He finds her an amusing distraction- nice to look at in her 'slave garb'. But he also enjoys terrifying her by stating that he intends to eat her following his victory in the upcoming tournament.

Luke continues his training as Cinda endures her captivity and even attempts to escape (though to no avail). And then comes the day of the tournament. The battle is hard fought, but Luke manages to win. Thus S'shah is defeated and Elglih takes the throne at Luke's request- vowing friendship and aid to the Rebel Alliance.

As I said before, this whole adventure seems a bit out of place in the timeline of the comics up to this point. Even so, it is a generally solid adventure, if a bit hokily written and presented. The medieval trappings of the Serphidian society don't look alien at all, rather, they look like stereotypical 'knight in shining armor' stuff, except for the fact that everyone (and their horses) are big lizards (it's always big lizards). But that doesn't spoil my overall enjoyment, even if I do have to wonder: what exactly was Leia's intention when she sent three pilots to this world. Did she honestly expect three pilots to be able to overthrow a tyrant? Maybe she just hoped for some kind of diplomatic solution, but... well, it's all a bit obscure.

Golrath Never Forgets

This is a single issue story-arc, but one that brings in and ties together plot threads from previous issues- namely the whole "Shira Brie" saga. The adventure begins with Luke returning from his adventures of two issues ago. He stands trial for both the killing of Shira Brie and his 'desertion' after the fact. He is cleared of all charges, however, due to the evidence he was able to gather on Shira and her status as an Imperial agent.

But before anyone can celebrate another problem rears its head. A Rebel tech had taken a stone from the Alliance's previous (if temporary) base on the planet Golrath as a keepsake. This stone begins to exhibit odd properties: namely, it seems to have somehow 'stored' and can project visual images of what was around it. Rebel scientists determine that this particular mineral acts as a kind of natural video-recorder. Unfortunately for the rebels, this means that the stone walls of their previous base actually recorded all their activities on Golrath. Leia quickly scrambles an attack force to return to their previous base and destroy it before the Empire discovers their previous base and its 'recordings'.

Unbeknownst to the Rebels, the Empire has already found the base. The investigation of it has been turned over to Lieutenant Giel (the same officer who had been demoted by Vader in previous issues). Giel feels that the assignment is a punitive one, but is determined to do his best job anyway. He is thrilled when some of his men discover the odd properties of the stone. Giel sees this as a way to begin his climb back to his position as admiral.

The rebel strike force hits the system and is immediately embroiled in a battle with Giel's forces in space. As the starfighters duke it out in orbit, Leia is dropped (via a Jetpack) onto the base itself to set its reactor to self destruct. Giel notices this and sets a trap- personally cornering Leia in the Generator room. There he cuts her off and then HE sets the reactor to blow. Giel offers Leia and ultimatum, surrender or he kills both of them. He reasons that his loss to the Empire will not be crippling, but her loss to the Rebellion could hurt it greatly. Leia, realizing that Giel is NOT bluffing, surrenders- or rather, appears to. Just when things seem lost, however, Leia remotely triggers her jetpack (strapped to a supply cart). This distracts the Imperial- and in fact runs him right over- allowing Leia to escape the reactor room.

Giel gives chase, but its too late. Outside, Leia is extracted via a daring low-level Y-Wing flyby (piloted by Lando and covered by Luke in his X-Wing). Giel takes a pot shot at Luke as he flies by, but seems to do only minimal damage. The former admiral then calmly evacuates with his men, though to an uncertain fate, as he has to now report another failure to Vader. Behind him, the previous rebel base explodes

In space, the Rebels engage their hyperdrives and escape the still-pursuing Imperials. They all escape. Well. Almost all. It seems that the shot that hit Luke's fighter actually DID do some damage. He's stuck facing an armada of TIE fighters. To be continued (in the next issue, of course).

This story frustrates me. On the one hand, I love the whole 'mission' aspect of it. From the waves of Rebel fighters to the covert drop of Leia to sabotage the base. I love Giel as a villain, for once again he shows both intelligence and true dedication to his cause. His intimidation of Leia is an AWESOME example of that. Yes, I love this adventure...except for the fact that the premise beneath it is entirely stupid. Really? Rocks that record what's going on around them...and play it back? The Rebels were at that base for some time- weeks (if not months) and you mean to tell me that nobody noticed this about the rocks THEN? Again, it seems to be a Macguffin devised solely to set up a situation. This is all the more frustrating because some other, more believable Macguffin could have been used. Hell, it could have been something as simple as: The Empire is setting up a new base on , we have a chance to destroy it before it is fully operational. There. You have a solid reason for a quick strike without any magical movie rocks. I would also have added more saboteurs than just Leia to the 'ground team'. Seriously, I mean they send in just ONE person? And one of their top commanders, to boot? That seems just a little reckless. Why not have a squad of guys accompanying Leia. It wouldn't have changed much at all. Bleh. Yes, so- this could have been one of the most awesome Star Wars adventures yet, but...no. Instead it is just 'what could have been'.

Water Bandits

This story picks up after the previous issue. The hyperdrive on Luke Skywalker's X-Wing had been damaged. He manages to hide out on a backwater desert planet to evade the pursuing imperial TIE Fighters. When his provisions are spoiled by local insects, he is forced to visit a local settlement. There he discovers that not all is well on this planet. A friendly female water farmer by the name of Darial explains that mysterious bandits have been stealing all their water harvests and stores, using some mysterious weapon that knocks out any defenders. Luke agrees to help and that night stands guard at Darial's farm. Unfortunately, he succumbs to a strange drowsiness, just like everyone else- but not before sensing something odd- voices saying that they "do what they must" and "mean you no harm".

When Luke wakes, the other dazed farm hands tell him that Darial has gone missing, along with all the water- they fear she's been taken by the bandits. Luke determinedly sets out into the mountains after her. He finds the bandits' base, but is captured and taken before their leader, Gideon Longspar. The villain, of course, lays out his plan now- gesturing to a globe that holds some strange cloud of tiny organisms. Seems these organisms are an empathic colony (referring to itself telepathically as Tirrith). Gideon captured part of the colony and holds it hostage- threatening to harm or kill it if the rest does not do his bidding. Tirrith complies because any harm to PART of the colony will bring great pain to the rest. The water thefts are made possible by the organism creating an odorless chemical that renders humanoids unconscious. After this, the bandits move in and take what they want.

Luke and Darial are then thrown into a cell. They manage to escape, however, with a distraction caused by Tirrith as well as some use of force powers by Luke (who uses telekinesis to open the bolt on their cell). Once freed, Luke manages to free the 'hostage' organisms, but the bandits respond and are about to overrun Luke and Darial. Tirrith urges Darial to destroy the water storage tanks in the Bandit's base- to use the flood to defeat them. Darial is hesitant, because her people NEED that water to survive...but in the end, she does so. The bandits are washed away, but at what cost?

Luke and Darial return to her farm, but the woman is uncertain about her future. At this point, Tirrith returns and through manipulation of the planet's atmosphere causes it to rain.

Overall, I really liked this story. For the most part, it seemed pretty plausible (in a space fantasy kind of way). Tirrith was a unique kind of alien entity and didn't seem TOO outside the realm of believability. About the only thing I didn't like about the story was the fact that the water farmers never thought to use breath masks when there were a LOT of clues that the Bandits could have been using some kind of chemical knockout gas to commit their crimes.

Shadeshine

This story is told within the Star Wars “King Size Annual!”. While on the run from the Empire on the planet Ventooine, Luke and Lando stumble across a statue of Han Solo. A local priest informs them that Han is revered on this world as their savior. A rather convenient audio-recording in the statue then begins to narrate the tale, in Han Solo’s own words.

Years ago, Han and Chewbacca had visited Ventooine in search of some rare spice. This being Han Solo, things rapidly got complicated. Finding himself on the run from some hostile locals, Han inadvertently saves the life of a beautiful woman named Chrysalla. The latter turns out to be the consort of the local Tyrant (known as the “Satab”) and insists that Han accompany her back to the palace to be rewarded properly. Meanwhile, we see that a local priest that Han had helped out earlier is actually part of a plot to overthrow the Satab.

At the Satab’s palace, Han is treated to a banquet- but also gets to see first hand the corruption of the tyrant. The Satab ‘entertains’ his dinner guests by executing a revolutionary with a strange power that seems to just drain him of life. During the dinner, Han is also forced to give up his blaster. This leaves him an unarmed and slightly unwilling ‘houseguest’. Once night falls, however, Han determines to continue with his original mission- to get his hands on the rare spice he came here for (and which he had seen the Satab using earlier). While sneaking through the darkened halls of the palace, however, he is discovered. Thankfully, it is by a friendly Chrysalla, who invites Han to join her in her room. Ahem.

Unfortunately for both of them, the Satab seems to be aware of this tryst, able to perceive the two of them through some strange clairvoyant ability. The next day, the tyrant invites Solo out for a tour of the realm, taking him to see a mine. Here, the Satab’s lackeys release a monster to attack Solo. With some quick thinking, Han manages to kill the beast. At this, the Satab comments quietly to his underlings that he may have must found the perfect candidate to be the NEXT Satab. This development, overheard by a spy, is reported to the local priests conspiring against the tyrant.

That evening, Han is invited to the throne room of the Satab, who has a ‘gift’ for the smuggler- the “Shadeshine”- a strange gemstone amulet that seems to be the source of his power. Han (being Han) is ready to accept this, seeing it as a bit of good luck. Before he can, however, the proceedings are interrupted by the capture of the rebellious priests, who had come to the palace in disguise. Even so, Han is about to accept the “Shadeshine” when Chrysalla suddenly acts- using Han’s blaster to create a distraction, she pulls the smuggler away from the Satab and the two flee. Han is confused by all of this, but as he puts it: “Sure wish I knew what was goin’ on. But until I do, I’m sidin’ with the pretty one.”

Whilst fleeing through the bowels of the palace, Chrysalla explains the TRUE nature of the Shadeshine. It does indeed grant many powers, but it comes with a price. Within a year of coming in contact with the stone, a victim’s senses are enhance to the point where the slightest sensation is overwhelming. All of the previous Satabs have fallen to this and placed themselves in suspended animation in a vault beneath the palace. The current Satab had intended to retreat here as well. The plan, you see, is to Select a suitably ‘ruthless’ and capable person to be the next Satab in the hopes that THIS person will be able to find a ‘cure’ for the Shadeshine, if only out of self-interest (but in the hopes that he will then cure those who came before). Han is shown proof of this when Chrysalla opens the vault containing all the Satabs that came before.

It is at this point that the current Satab finds the two of them and a battle erupts. Using the mystical powers of the Shadeshine, the Satab rapidly begins to gain the upper hand over Solo. Chrysalla then steps in, managing to wrest the stone away from the tyrant. Suddenly able to use those same powers, she manages to resist the Satab’s attack. This clash of powers is evidently the last straw, as the Tyrant literally burns up from the power of the stone. Unfortunately, this means that Chrysalla will eventually share the Satab’s fate. Even so, the Tyrant has been overthrown. Han gets his spice, but the ‘victory’ is dulled by the fact that Chrysalla must retire to the hibernation vault. Thus, the story ends.

Back in the ‘present’, Luke and Lando are aided by the priest when Stormtroopers come looking. The holy man directs the troopers into a mysterious vault where they fall victim to the suspended animation machinery within. Looking on from the Doorway, Luke and Lando see Chrysalla there, thus confirming this amazing story.

Overall, I liked the story. It was a solid adventure tale that felt very ‘pulp hero’ to me, complete with decadent tyrants and scantily clad female consorts. The writing was a bit ‘expositive’, but not bad- and Han Solo did have a few good lines. In fact, I thought they did a reasonably good job of keeping him ‘in character’- or at least in character for his younger self- obsessed with wealth and luxury and perhaps not as wise as his older self. But again there are some problems I have with the ‘root’ of the story- the “Shadeshine” itself. I don’t have a problem really with the ‘powers’ the stone granted. In fact, they felt a lot to me like ‘dark side’ Force abilities. No, the problem I had was with the reasoning behind the Satab’s actions. If each Satab was ruthless and ‘morally flexible’, what makes any of the guys who went on before think that if one of their successors DOES find a ‘cure’ for the gem that they would ever use it to revive all the previous rulers. I mean, if you’re a Tyrant do you really want to suddenly wake up hundreds of OTHER Tyrants who will probably want the throne back? Uhhh. No. To me, it would have made more sense if the Satab was simply looking for a ‘host’- a body and a mind compatible with his own in order to prolong his own life by transferring his consciousness- or even by ‘draining’ the host. But maybe that’s just me…

The Darker

As with the previous few issues, this is another relatively self-contained, single-issue story. It is different from most of the rest in this collection because it focuses almost entirely upon all the ‘sidekick’ characters of the Saga, namely C-3PO, Chewbacca and R2-D2. In fact, of all of them, I’d say that Threepio was probably the main hero of the story.

While working on the Rebel base on Arbra, Artoo hears a call for help coming from one of the unexplored cave passages. Following this, the droid Disappears- causing one of the locals (a bunny-like ‘hoojib’) to go seeking help. 3PO and Chewbacca (along with a small group of Hoojibs) respond to the call and soon find a cave sealed off by a strange Force Field. Within, they find a creepy, ruined city- and also a partially dismantled Artoo. Before they can rescue him, however, they discover the true resident of the area- a strange, floating entity calling itself “The Darker”.

“The Darker” explains its origins- claiming that the race that USED to live on this planet were ultra advanced, technologically. They had even found a way to eliminate their ‘baser emotions’. They weren’t able to destroy this evil half of themselves, though, but rather built a prison for it- this very cave. The Darker, then, is the remains of this evil energy, trapped here long after the original race that created it had departed. Furthermore, the Darker intends to escape by using the Droids to weaken its force field prison. It then intends to inflict its will upon others.

Needless to say, the heroes don’t take this well. Chewbacca attacks- only to find his hatred amplified by the Darker- and redirected towards Threepio. The droid flees, managing to elude the enthralled Wookiee. The droid searches through the records of the lost city to try and find some way of defeating The Darker. He manages to do just that- all the while evading Chewbacca. Threepio even manages to get Artoo running again- just in time to be Cornered by Chewbacca. Before the Wookiee can demolish the droid, however, Threepio appeals to Chewie’s love for Han. This snaps Chewbacca out of his rage-trance.

Threepio then explains that the Darker had lied earlier. He said that the race that created him could NOT destroy him. The truth of the matter is, they CHOSE not to destroy him, because he was a part of them, even if he was their worst part. The force field that holds the Darker does so because it CAN destroy him. The Darker then returns. Chewbacca tries to face him, but is overcome by waves of fear directed at him. Only the timely intervention of the Hoojibs (who had been cowering the the shadows all this time) distract the Darker long enough for Chewbacca to recover- and throw the entity into the Force field, destroying it for good.

As the weary heroes leave the cave and return to the Rebel base, they are teased by Luke and Lando for their absence- with Luke insinuating that they’d been on ‘vacation’.

This is certainly one of the more strange Star Wars stories, dealing as it does with disembodied entities and ancient all-powerful races. But even so, it’s not bad, and not entirely outside the realm of believability (within the Star Wars universe). It was also nice to see Threepio get a chance to be the hero, however reluctant he was to do so.

Marvel Comics Star War: A long time ago... Volume 3 - Part 3

2011-07-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is yet another continuation of my review of the Star Wars Marvel Comics Omnibus, Volume 3. In this installment I'll be looking at a four-comic story-arc that centers around the newly introduced character Shira Brie.

Shira's Story

In this story, we see the Rebel Alliance (Luke Skywalker's Squadron specifically) using its illegally acquired TIE fighters to launch a series of raids on remote Imperial installations unprepared for attacks from "friendly" craft. We also see the burgeoning relationship between Luke and Shira via their banter during and after combat. After one mission, Shira asks to be allowed to run a personal errand. Leia nixes the request, fearful of compromising base security- see, only high-ranking officers actually know the coordinates of the secret base on Arbra. Thus, if Shira left, she wouldn't be able to find her way back. Luke, knowing the coordinates, volunteers to escort Shira on her errand. Leia agrees, though reluctantly (once again implying some sort of unease between the Princess and Shira).

Shira, Luke and a couple other pilots from the squadron head to the remote world of Shalyvane- Shira's birthplace. On the surface they find only ruins. Shira insists on visiting a local temple alone and performs a strange ceremony in which she cuts herself and lets the blood drip onto an altar of sorts. This is rudely interrupted when a large group of humanoids suddenly attacks. Luke and his group are quickly pinned down, even as Shira explains what happened: Evidently her people used to live in these ruins and were at war with the 'nomads' now attacking them. That war ended when the nomads told the Empire that Shira's people were rebel sympathizers- prompting the complete destruction of the city- and all of Shira's family by bombardment and stormtrooper assault. That is the reason for Shira joining the Rebellion and her reason for returning here is to renew her 'blood vow' of vengeance for her people.

After this story is told Artoo discovers an underground tunnel and the rebels prepare to use it to escape. Unfortunately, the tunnel collapses after Shira enters it, apparently killing her. Luke and his men hold out until they run out of ammo, then prepare to make a final stand against the nomads when, suddenly, an X-Wing soars in and drives them back. Evidently Shira made it out of the tunnel and back to her ship, saving them all. Luke seems especially relieved that Shira survived- again hinting at the growing relationship.

This is definitely one of the better story arcs in the marvel comics series. From the dialogue to the 'realistic' feel of the missions presented it was quite grounded in the 'reality' of the Star Wars universe (i.e. it felt like the movies to me). About the only thing I don't really like is the suggested jealousy Leia holds for Shira. Though looking at this with 'modern' eyes, you could easily read something more into it- a protectiveness Leia feels towards her brother and perhaps some unease about Shira herself- whom she doesn't trust for some reason...

Screams in the Void

This issue begins with an awards ceremony for Shira Brie for her actions in saving her squadron-mates in their last mission. The award is presented by Leia herself and Shira is shown to be accepted and admired by the other Rebels. The rift between Leia and Shira seems to deepen, however, as Luke spends all his time with the latter at the expense of the former. This leads to a whole scene in which in introspective Leia examines just what she's feeling and why she's feeling it- going so far as to remind herself that she IS in love with Han Solo, and shouldn't begrudge Luke forming his own relationship...should she?

We then cut to the armada of Admiral Giel, who had briefly been introduced in the former issue. Here, we see him in command of an escort mission for a strange electromagnetic entity called a 'screamer'. This rare (perhaps unique) creature could, if 'installed' on Coruscant, greatly increase the speed of intergalactic communications for the Empire, thus giving them another edge over the Rebellion. Giel is shown to be a firm but fair commander- and in fact comes off as competent- a seeming rarity among Imperial officers.

We then rejoin the rebels as they prepare for their next mission. Here we finally see the REAL reason that they acquired the TIE Fighters in the previous missions. They intend to infiltrate Admiral Giel's armada and destroy the Screamer before the Empire realizes what's going on. It is during preparation for this mission that Shira takes Luke aside and they share a kiss- after haltingly commenting on how dangerous the coming mission is going to be.

Phase one of the rebel plan involves ambushing a long-range patrol from the Admiral's fleet. From a captured TIE pilot, the rebels gain the recognition codes they will need to pose as that same returning patrol. Phase two of the plan is the infiltration itself, with some tense moments as the recognition code is given and finally accepted. Phase three finds all hell breaking loose as Luke and his squadron attack- prompting the Empire to open fire on its own TIEs in an attempt to isolate the attackers. Admiral Giel cleverly orders his techs to utilize the "Screamer" to jam all communications channels save his own. Thus, Luke and his squadron find themselves unable to identify each other in the melee. As Luke lines up for his shot on Giel's ship, he finds his path blocked by another TIE. Reaching out with the force to determine if it's a friend or foe, he senses foe and fires- destroying the tie before firing the shots that destroy the Shrieker and cripple Giel's ship (which had been carrying it).

Luke only narrowly escapes Imperial pursuit and makes it back to base. There, he finds an oddly cold reception. Evidently one of Luke's team-mates made it back just before Luke. On his flight-recorder, Rebel techs have made a shocking discovery. The fighter Luke shot down, thinking it was an enemy, was actually Shira Brie's.

Again, this was a pretty darn good story. And again this was mostly due to the dialogue (and monologue) of the various characters. The action leading up to the final showdown was great, as was the Introduction of Admiral Giel as a unique character. What I really did NOT like was the whole concept of the "Screamer". It just came off as being far fetched- and in retrospect it really only seemed to exist as a Mcguffin to set up the REST of the story. It provided a reason for the Rebels to attack. It provided a reason why the Empire could jam Luke's communications- thus setting the stage for the tragic accidental death of Shira Brie at Luke's hands. You could have just as easily had something more believable be the target of the attack (a prototype shield or weapon or vehicle, etc.) and the whole Jamming thing could have just as easily been standard Imperial jamming- or a special jammer on Giel's flagship. You didn't need to make up some 'cosmic entity'. Bleh.

Pariah

This story picks immediately after the events of the last, as Luke tries to come to grips with the fact that he has just evidently killed Shira Brie, his wingman- and a woman he was beginning to have feelings for. He faces cool hostility from many in the Rebel base- and some outright anger as one soldier accuses him of being a 'sorceror' who may be in league with Darth Vader. Luke reflects moodily on his sudden status as outcast- and feels all the worse because he IS guilty of shooting down Shira. Ultimately, he decides to dig further into the matter, unable to accept the fact that the Force simply led him astray in identifying her as an enemy. Lando and Chewbacca aid Luke in taking the Millennium Falcon, despite standing orders that Skywalker was to be confined to base. Chewbacca goes so far as to accompany the boy in a show of solidarity with his friend.

Not sure where to begin, Luke travels to Shira's desolate homeworld of Shalyvane, hoping to learn more about her and the strange blood ritual she performed there (several issues previous). What he finds are more hostile natives- the same nomads who attacked him the last time he visited. From their Shaman, however, he learns a very different story than the one Shira told. This was not a human city at all, but rather home to the Nomads, wiped out without warning by the Empire. Luke is skeptical, but his misgivings about Shira's story only grow when he discovers a transmitter hidden inside the 'altar' Shira had visited. Mimicking Shira's own action, Luke lets drops of his own blood fall on the altar. At first nothing happens, and then suddenly- Darth Vader Appears!

I thought this was a very solid story, if a bit melodramatic. But then, a lot of comics of this era are. I especially liked the idea of not ALL of the alliance folks liking the fact that Luke has the Force. With this being set post-Empire Strikes Back it has the added gut-punch of making Luke question himself and his training. Is Darth Vader really his father? CAN his powers be trusted if this is so? What else DIDN'T Yoda and Ben tell him… I also really enjoyed the various reactions of the other heroes. Lando and Chewbacca in particular really stand by Luke in his moment of need. What I didn't understand, though, is the 'faked' scene early in the story where Leia pretends to have chewed out Luke and he pretends to be angry with that. It was evidently done so that Leia wouldn't seem 'preferential' in her treatment of a soldier who had just committed 'fratricide', but to me, it didn't seem to work- it just made Luke look all the more guilty- and like a jerk, to boot.

The Mind Spider

This issue picks up right away with the Cliffhanger from the last- which is quickly defused as Darth Vader turns out to be just a pre-recorded Hologram who (very thoughtfully) 'monologues' his entire plan to Luke. Seems Shira was an agent of the Dark Lord, placed to bring about the downfall of Luke by destroying his credibility within the Rebellion- turning him into an outcast with nobody to turn to- except Vader. The hologram- and the transmitter- then self-destruct, leaving Luke with the knowledge that Shira was a traitor- but no proof.

Meanwhile, on Vader's Flagship, Admiral Giel (from two issues ago) must report his failure to the Dark Lord. His professionalism and courage impress Vader enough that he doesn't kill the man- he merely demotes him to Lieutenant. At this point, Vader receives word that the transmitter on Shalyvane has terminated- and Vader sets course immediately for a world called “Krake's Planet”.

As it turns out, this is where Luke had traveled as well- looking to break into an Imperial “data vault”. The vault is revealed to be of rather unique construction: an organic “crystal cocoon” shaped by native slug-like creatures under Imperial control. It is held aloft in the middle of a ravine by spindly, leg-like supports, giving it a resemblance to a giant spider (the titular “mind spider”). Luke and Chewbacca manage to sneak inside through a difficult to reach (and less well guarded) kitchen entrance. Here, they ambush an Imperial officer and (by pretending to poison him) convince him to access the computer files via the Kitchen's recipe terminal. Here then, Luke finally gets the proof he needs- Shira Brie's complete file. It reveals her to be an Imperial agent in Darth Vader's employ. Unfortunately, stormtroopers attack and destroy the data-disk Luke had just used to capture that information.

A running battle ensues as Luke and Chewbacca try to escape the vault. The two are separated, forcing Luke to find his own way out (and hope Chewbacca can do the same). He manages to get back to the Falcon and take off. He then swings back around to see if he can find Chewie. Utilizing the Force, Luke reaches out and 'convinces' the commander of the Vault to lower its shields momentarily. This allows Luke to fly in and pick up the Wookiee. By this time, however, the shields are back up. Nothing to do now but destroy the whole complex. And that's what they do- escaping as the Data Vault explodes. Vader's fleet has evidently just arrived in orbit as this happens, but is unable to prevent the Falcon from escaping yet again. Luke is at first distraught at being unable to get the proof he needs. Thankfully, Chewbacca had gone back to make another copy of the data (hence the reason for his getting separated from Luke). The two then head back to base to clear Luke's name.

Meanwhile, on Vader's ship we follow the Dark Lord as he visits the medical bay. There, floating in a bacta tank, is none other than Shira Brie herself- injured but apparently still alive.

I was REALLY enjoying this story arc until the very end. I mean the exchange between Giel and Vader was neat- as was the fact that Vader's plan to discredit Luke was actually not that bad (though I do wonder just how Shira intended to do that if she HADN'T been blown up). The infiltration of the data vault is fun as well, as it the con-job Luke pulls in convincing an Imperial officer he had been poisoned (using soap flakes). There is also an awesome fight between Luke and some Stormtroopers that shows just how badass Luke was getting by this point. I also really loved the cliffhanger- with Shira revealed to be still alive. She will, of course, come back to haunt Luke in the future.

The whole Data Vault thing was a bit odd, however. Why would the Empire make use of crystal-exuding slugs to create a base? Maybe it was just cost effective. If that's the case (and I'm assuming it is), then I have no problem with it.

The 'deal-breaker' for me, however is in the final few moments of the adventure. It is another example of the Force used as a deus ex machina. Without even seeing her, or being anywhere close to her, Luke manages to somehow mentally control the base commander and force her to lower the shields momentarily. It just felt so out of the blue and way beyond anything Luke had shown before. I also disliked the fact that Luke and Chewbacca apparently destroyed the Imperial base by turning the Falcon's shields on and flying straight THROUGH it. That seems implausible, otherwise, why wouldn't ships with shields just be flying through everything? Bleh. In any case, it was a lame “Wah wah wah” ending to an otherwise great story arc.

Marvel Comics Star War: A long time ago... Volume 3 - Part 2

2011-07-15T10:54:00.001-07:00

This is a continuation of my review/thoughts on Volume 3 of the Marvel Comics Star Wars Omnibus series: A long Time Ago... There will likely be several more updates as I delve into each storyline in a bit more depth.

Plif

This is a stand-alone story arc, but one that forms the basis for quite a few stories to follow. It begins by showing a rebel scouting party (led by Princess Leia and Chewbacca), scouting the forest world of Arbra as a possible site to set up a new base (since they lost their last base on Hoth). The team very quickly discovers that the planet is already inhabited—in this case by tiny rabbit-like aliens (Hoojibs) who feed on energy and also happen to communicate via telepathy. Unfortunately for the rebels, the “introduction” comes when the Hoojibs raid their camp, draining nearly every weapon and piece of equipment of power. It seems these otherwise gentle folk have been starving since they were forced out of their cavern home by a gigantic, flying monstrosity (dubbed “The Slivilith”). When both rebels and Hoojibs come under attack by said beast, they join forces to do battle. Through use of teamwork and clever tactics, the monster is slain. It is shown that the caverns in which the Hoojibs live are home to an odd-but-powerful crystal power source. This serves as the Hoojibs ‘food’- but could also be put to use to help power a rebel base. Some of the desperate rebels seem about to turn on the Hoojibs and TAKE their home. But Leia quickly nixes this. Thankfully, the Hoojibs, impressed by Leia’s integrity, invite the Rebels to share their home with them. The Alliance seems to have found a new base.

This was actually a very solid story. My only real criticism is the hoojibs themselves, who are…well, just too darn cute. They’re like the Nibblonians from Futurama. But even that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story. And again it is nice to see Leia as the main protagonist in the story- flexing her skills both as a soldier and a diplomat. I especially liked the way the rebels had to figure out a way to fight the big bad monster WITHOUT most of their high-tech gadgets. Great stuff.

Return to Bespin

This story arc spans two issues of the comic and details Lando Calrissian’s return to Cloud city to to check up on what happened to it since the Empire’s takeover (during the Empire Strikes Back). He finds the metropolis seemingly deserted- save for Lobot, who seems to have malfunctioned/gone berserk. While fleeing from the cyborg, Lando discovers a team of Imperials. After several shootouts, Lando finally comes face to face with the Imperial leader (Governor Treece) and finds out what’s really going on. Evidently, Cloud City’s Ugnaught workers (in protest against harsh Imperial rule) set explosives designed to topple the city- which was subsequently evacuated. The Ugnaughts were also responsible for disabling Lobot, the only person capable of thwarting their plans. Forced into an alliance of convenience with Teece, Lando manages to capture and repair Lobot. The Cyborg manages to defuse the bombs, just in time for Teece to betray Lando and kick him (literally) off cloud city.

The next book picks up with Lando plummeting to his death. Lobot, now fully restored, manages to save his former boss with a Jet Pack- just barely slowing his crash landing into the swampy surface of Bespin. There, the two fall in with a clan of Ugnaughts. After escaping Imperial pursuit, Lando meets with the Ugnaught King and discovers that the Imperials had increased tibanna gas production to a point where it was damaging the ecosystem (mostly so Governor Treece could skim profit off the top without anyone noticing).

Meanwhile, back on Cloud City, Luke and his new wingman (a woman named Shira Brie) have come to Bespin to check up on Lando (since he had missed his scheduled check-in). The two quickly get into trouble with the Governor’s stormtroopers who are now “clearing” the city in preparation for a return to operation. It is during this firefight that Lando arrives, flying up to the city on an Ugnaught airship (lifted by huge gas-balloons). Accompanying him are Lobot and (of all things) an ugnaught news crew. The latter quickly set about ‘covering the story’ going on- remarking on the plight of the outnumbered rebels. Lando attempts to bully Treece into surrender by threatening to have Lobot re-arm the explosive charges. The Governor responds by shooting Lobot. It is at this point that Luke rejoins the fray. Using the Force, he apparently re-activates the charges. The Imperials flee as the explosives detonate and the city begins to drop. All seems lost when the city slowly halts its fall and Luke explains that he didn’t re arm the MAIN explosives, only the arming charges. Thus, it was lots of flash and bang, but without any real damage to the city.

The story ends with the city being repopulated, both by the ugnaughts and the returning evacuees. Lando and the Rebels are hailed as heroes and it is explained that Bespin will, once again, become a ‘free port’, since the Empire thinks it was destroyed.

Right. Yeah. So, I have quite a few problems with the above story, which is really a shame, because as far as characterization goes, it was actually pretty well done. The characters had great interactions and we get to really see Lando in action. He is definitely presented as a brains over brawn guy who plays the odds. Which nicely sets him apart from the more haphazard Han Solo.

The Ugnaught news crew was actually rather amusing- and a nice little touch to both the story and the race as a whole- giving them more character. There was even an amusing little scene with the Imperial Bomb squad discovering a ‘talking bomb’ (droid brain built into a bomb) that convinces them that it wants to help them disarm it. Yeah, turns out it really didn’t. Suckers.

Unfortunately, so much of the rest of the story just…ugh. First of all, there was the huge mistake of making Bespin a planet with a surface instead of a gas giant. I mean, it’s an honest enough mistake, since Bespin’s exact composition wasn’t ever explicitly stated in the movie itself. I could even forgive this and ‘gloss it over’ if it weren’t for the horrible ending to the story. Seriously. Luke suddenly develops the ability to sense and re-wire a dozen bombs which are likely several kilometers away from him. Yeah. Right. Not buying that. And then the whole Idea that Luke knew that the re-wired bombs would only cause the city to drop for a few minutes. Not buying that, either. And then the idea that the Empire would just assume the city had fallen and would never send anyone to check on it ever again. Riiiight. Sigh. This kind of ending just ticks me off, especially since it was an otherwise good story.

As a final note, this story-arc marks the first introduction of Shira Brie- a red-headed rebel pilot destined to become something of a love interest for Luke Skywalker. Though she plays only a small part here, she is involved in a few key moments- her introduction quickly sets her at odds with Leia (who is seemingly a bit jealous of Shira’s budding relationship with Luke). Shira also has some fun banter with Luke during the firefight and its aftermath. She will become an increasingly important character in future story arcs.

Sundown

This single-issue story details the Rebel Alliance’s attempt to find a hiding place for it’s fleet even as they set up their new headquarters on the planet Arbra. The plan is to utilize a gigantic ‘energy pyramid’ to surround their fleet and then fly the whole thing into the chromosphere of the system’s star. They’re going to hide in the fires of the sun itself- the last place ANYone would look. Yeah. You can say that again. Of course, all of this seems to be worth it when an Imperial TIE patrol passes through the system, looking for Rebels- and find none.

Unfortunately (but perhaps not surprisingly), things go wrong. One of the ‘points’ of the pyramid (responsible for generating and maintaining the energy field) experiences some ‘technical difficulties’- and it seems as though the whole thing is going to collapse and fall into the sun’s corona- destroying the fleet entirely. Only through the timely intervention of Artoo and Threepio is disaster averted and the fleet saved.

So. Yeah. I dislike this entire story and call BS on both the concept of the ‘energy pyramid’ and the necessity of hiding a fleet inside a sun. I mean, seriously- how big is space? Why not just hide in deep space, outside of any solar system. The odds of being found there would be very, very (very) low. Why risk having an entire FLEET destroyed by hiding in a sun. There is no reason. It’s just stupid. It reminds me of that scene from Family Guy’s version of the Empire Strikes back:

Leia’s Plan: “We’re going to hide our ships inside the sun! What could possibly go wrong!”

Rebel soldier: “Ummm yeah. Could we talk to someone else? Maybe in the military? Preferably a man?”

Bazarre

This is mostly a single-issue story-arc, though some of the set up actually occurred in the previous issue. Here we have Lando and Luke traveling to the gigantic spaceship/spacestation known as “Bazarre”- a less-than-reputable trading post run by a less-than-reputable criminal named Orion Ferret. Yes, that’s really his name. Subtle, huh? I guess “Weasley McBackstabber” was taken. In any case, the two heroes are here to purchase four TIE fighters for an as-yet-unknown reason. Ferret, of course, intends to betray them, but is (for the moment) thwarted in this by Chewbacca, whom Lando leaves behind with the crime boss to ensure nothing bad happens.

Luke and Lando, meanwhile, travel in Ferret’s shuttle to the junk world of “Patch 4” to pick up their TIE fighters. There they find (not surprisingly) a trap in the form of a gigantic worm-like watchbeast that tries to kill them. The two escape to link up with some friendly local folk who reside amongst the junk. The junk-folk tell Luke and Lando that Ferret keeps a ‘sonic pacifier’ in his shuttle and the two concoct a plan to get it an escape. They wind up battling the worm beast, with Lando moving to distract it as Luke races for the pacifier. In the end, they manage to down the critter just in the nick of time- and turn the pacifier over to the junk-folk.

Meanwhile, back on Bazarre, the scheming Ferret manages to utilize a hidden ‘freeze ray’ to immobilize Chewbacca. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work and Chewie escapes. Needless to say, the Wookiee is a bit irate, but before he can twist Ferret’s head off, Luke and Lando return— with their promised cargo of TIE Fighters— and all is well.

All in all, this was a great little story- especially when compared to the shortcomings of the previous tales. Again, we get to see a lot of insight into Lando’s character. There is also quite a bit of genuinely amusing banter- something that is, to me, a MUST in any Star Wars story. Other things I enjoyed were the fact that they FINALLY allowed Lando to get out of the costume he’d been wearing since bespin- you know, the blue shirt with red-cape combo? Yeesh. I also enjoyed (despite his less-than-subtle name) the character of Ferret and his amusing little octopus-parrot thing that sat on his shoulder. He was a unique and memorable character who I could easily see being used in any game campaign. But most of all, I liked the rather solid plot, with no deus ex machina ending. At one point, Luke uses his force powers to topple a pile of junk onto the worm beast- only to have it simply burrow its way out. So yeah, the Force isn’t infallible, no does it always produce a miraculous rescue. Yay!

More Funny

2011-07-14T14:35:00.001-07:00

I've posted about Mr. Welch's List before— and have the link to this guy's list in my side panel. If you are a gamer and haven't gone there, you need to. Funny, funny stuff. Here is a smattering of his most recent listings of things he is no longer allowed to do in gaming:

1776. They don't make weapon grade schnauzers.

1789. Doesn't matter what the map says, can't drive a sports car through the villain's lair.

1792. Let's keep the collateral damage to under a billion dollars.

1794. Can't use party members for ante.

1798. Can't start every game breaking out of jail.

1800. I will not point out any loophole that arouses the powergamer.

1808. Even if I buy enough for everybody, snuggies alone will not raise crew morale.

1814. My battlecruiser does not inclue a discotheque, bowling alley, IMAX, or strip joint.

1815. Can't have a gun capable of using other PC's as ammo.

1820. Let's not see how far I can lower crew morale before the game begins.

1829. Darth Vader does not need his air filter changed.

1830. Deer Season is restricted to rifle or bow. Not greco-roman.

1833. If we're short on cash no starting a telethon.

1834. Star Destroyers don't have help desks.

1837. I won't ask how a 9' combat monster with no concept of subtlety starts with a +1D in stealth.

1856. I will refer to the radar contact as a Blitzer-72 MBT, and not as a TPK in a can.

1857. No unloading all my remaining ammo in the last bad guy so I don't have to carry it back with me.

1867. Can't have a gun that reduces people to Rorschach tests.

1868. Playing the Who doesn't give me a bonus to forensic checks.

1873. Stormtroopers will only fall for the broken comlink trick so many times.

1881. No shooting the Quarren at the start of the adventure, even if it would have immediately solved the last four adventures instantly.

1885. Considering we don't have a TARDIS or a bag of holding, we can stop speculating on how they would interact.

1894. No mounting my rival's anti-gravity plating on his ceiling.

1898. No hiring Anakin Skywalker some Twilek hookers, thus removing his reason to become Vader.

1899. The target's current zip code has no bearing on my called shot.

1901. Even if my Jedi has a Scottish accent, can't have a plaid lightsaber.

1902. Playing a Gamorrean doesn't violate anybody's religion.

1906. I will ask permission before performing an autopsy in another character's hideout.

1907. No putting the villain's fake bio on Match.com and letting the stalkers do my work for me.

1909. Combat boots don't give bonuses to CPR checks.

1915. The following are not acceptable specialties for a weapon master: Mustard Gas, Cheese Grater, Sardonicism.

1922. Can't air hump the king from behind while he's performing demagoguery.

1924. Despite what the rules say, shooting other PC's in the head does not improve morale.

1927. Can't filibuster other characters.

1928. Nobody is going to buy the disguised wookie as a jawa with a pituitary problems.

1934. Breaking the fourth wall doesn't require a strength check.

1940. Blasting the distress signal from orbit is forbidden, even if it would have avoided the last six ambushes.

1946. No improvising, winging or fabricating funeral rites.

1949. Can't free the hostage with a surprise game of Red Rover.

Top 10 Star Wars Super-Weapons

2011-07-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

The ‘super-weapon’ is a core aspect of the Star Wars saga. The Death Star is one of the most memorable visual icons of the series. But the Death Star wasn’t the only super weapon to exist in the Star Wars universe. Below are some of my personal ‘favorites’.

10. Shawken Device

Introduced in the Marvel Star Wars comics, this superweapon appears on this list because of the sheer scope of its intended purpose. Built by a nihilistic scientist on the remote world of Shawken, the device was intended to destroy not just a planet or even a solar system- but rather, the entire Universe. It would theoretically accomplish this by detonating a planet in a way that sent fragments of it racing through hyperspace which would in turn strike and detonate other planets in a similar manner. The chain reaction would (again theoretically) destroy all matter in the universe.

Okay, so it’s a little far-fetched, even for ‘super science’, but you have to admire the creators for turning the dial up to 11. That alone earns it a place on this list.

9. Stone Mites

Another introduction of the Star Wars Marvel comics. Stone Mites are small (bug-sized) artificially created organisms that can devour just about anything—stone, metal, organic matter, you name it. According to the comics, they were created as a biological weapon during the clone wars. It was never made clear just who created them, though. Evidently some managed to escape ‘to the wild’, however.

I always found the idea of an unstoppable swarm of bugs that can eat EVERYthing, to be very creepy. Yeah, they may not have the ‘flash’ of other super-weapons, but their horror potential is off the charts.

8. World Devastator

Introduced in the Dark Empire comics series, the World Devastator may lack the cataclysmic ‘flash’ of other superweapons, but it is terrifying in its own right. A World Devastator is actually a huge and heavily automated starship capable of interstellar flight and atmospheric operations. Vessels of this type are deployed on enemy worlds where they utilize a gigantic plasma furnace to vaporize huge swathes of a planet’s surface (including cities, mountains, etc.). It takes the raw materials generated by this and funnels them into interior, automated factories. These factories in turn churn out war materiel and in fact add onto the world-devastator itself- making it larger, more well armed, etc. That is the true horror of these weapons. Even as they destroy their enemy, they become stronger.

A lot of folks may have a problem with the Dark Empire comic series (I know I have a few gripes), but the idea of the Devastators is pretty solid in my opinion- and quite a bit different than the typical “it blow up planets” gimmick used in so many other super weapons.

7. Gravatic Polarization Beam

Introduced in the excellent Rogue Squadron comic book series, the Gravatic Polarization beam was developed by a university professor as a way to ‘relocate’ land on a planet (essentially, it would re-structure/destroy matter on an atomic level). The Empire, of course, wanted the device to use as a weapon. Unfortunately for them, the ship assigned to ‘acquire’ the beam was vaporized when the beam was ‘detonated’ and created a hyperspace wormhole. Ouch.

The GPB ranks relatively low on this list because its true potential was never really explored. Could it have wrought havoc on a planetary scale? It certainly seems so- to say nothing of the fact that it could evidently be just as devastating when used in space.

6. Orbital Nightcloak

The concept of this device was first introduced in the Star Wars role playing game- specifically in the Imperial Sourcebook. Here we have a particularly devious kind of weapon. Again, it doesn’t destroy a world outright, rather, the Nightcloak’s series of orbital stations project an energy field that can completely block solar radiation from reaching a planet- blot out the sun itself. This would, of course, completely disrupt a planet’s biosphere and could, in time destroy most life on it.

There is also a ‘reverse’ version of the nightcloak that intensifies the sunlight reaching a planet- with the result you would expect (raising the temperature, destroying the ecosystem, etc.)

I like the Nightcloak again because it isn’t based on outright destruction. I can see it used as a siege weapon, slowly impressing upon a planetary population that resistance is futile- even if they HAVE a planetary shield, the whole ‘no sun’ (or too much sun) thing is going to be a problem for most worlds.

5. Two-Wave Gravshock Device

This is another weapon introduced in the Star Wars RPG Imperial Sourcebook. Here it is presented as an energy projector housed in the shell of a massive ‘Torpedo Sphere’ warship. It could manipulate planetary gravity to cause earthquakes and the like- from merely toppling a city to cracking an entire continent.

The gravshock device is another truly terrifying weapon, but it was never completely spelled out whether or not it could be used on a planet that was defended by a planetary shield. If not, then it seems somewhat superfluous. I mean, if you had to knock out the shield first, then it would seem that you could use conventional orbital bombardment just as easily as you could a device that causes earthquakes. That aside, the effectiveness of the device as a weapon of terror- hanging (literally) over the head of a subjugated world- would be immense.

4. Galaxy Gun

Though it was introduced in the crappy Dark Empire II comic book series, the Galaxy Gun has some merit in and of itself. The gun itself is a massive space platform centered around an accelerator ‘barrel’ that fires huge (cruiser-sized) particle disintegrator warheads through hyperspace to hit star systems (theoretically) anywhere in the Galaxy. The warheads themselves were difficult to detect until nearing their target and were even capable of defending themselves while on final approach. A target struck would ignite in a nuclear chain reaction- which was perpetuated into previously inert materials, causing complete destruction. The yield of the weapon could be set to destroy an entire planet, or merely a continent thereupon.

I have a love-hate relationship with this weapon. I like the general concept of it, but the execution just leaves a lot to be desired. For instance, why even BUILD a ‘gun’ to fire these particle disintegrator warheads if they only travel at ‘normal’ (albeit fast) hyperspace speeds. Why not just convert existing cruisers into flying bombs. For that matter, why not just DROP them from an even bigger ship. The ‘gun’ itself seems to make no sense in this regard. What would make more sense (and this is the reasoning I used in my own campaign) is that the gun fired its ‘shells’ at speeds exceeding typical hyperdrives- and that it was this speed COMBINED with a specialized warhead that caused the destruction- not just the warhead itself: i.e. the shell would still be going at trans-hyperdrive speed when it hit a planet, thus causing the aforementioned ‘chain reaction’ of destruction.

3. Mass Shadow Generator

This superweapon was introduced in the video game Knights of the Old Republic II. Here it is presented as the weapon that ended the Mandalorian wars when it was detonated on the planet Malachor, completely devastating the world and the fleets in orbit of it. The MSG functions by intensifying the gravatic pull of its target- in this case causing Malachor to ‘implode’ and draw the ships nearby into a ‘gravity vortex’ that crushed them and/or tore them to pieces.

This weapon seems very similar in function to the aforementioned Two-Wave Gravshock device. Since the MSG pre-dates the gravshock then I guess it would be more like the gravshock was an attempt to re-create the MSG. For me, the MSG wins out due to the fact that it’s destructive effects continue out into the orbit of the planet it is used upon- plus, it has all that ‘mythic’ background of bringing a cataclysmic war to an end.

2. “Suncrusher” Resonance Torpedo

The Jedi Academy series of novels is where this weapon system originated. The “Suncrusher” name is actually a reference to a nigh-invulnerable starship designed to deliver resonance torpedoes- weapons capable of causing a sun to go nova and destroy an entire solar system.

I HATED the concept of the Suncrusher starship. It was completely ridiculous. I don’t care HOW resilient you make a starship hull, the idea that anything INSIDE of it could survive the physical forces of an exploding sun is stupid. To say nothing of the fact that the ship MUST have had weak points it in- like.. oh, the engine thruster ports? The window? Not ALL of these could be completely invulnerable like the rest of the ship. Unless they were made of solid MacGuffium. Must be. In ANY case, the Resonance torpedos are the really terrifying part of the weapon, and in my OWN RPG universe THEY are the ‘suncrusher’ not the ship. How terrifying is the whole idea of being able to destroy an entire solar system. Pretty scary if you ask me, hence the presence of the “Suncrusher” here near the top of the list.

1. Death Star

It may not be able to destroy an entire star system (at least not all at once), but you have to admire the sheer magnitude of this weapon system. Heck, the Death Star could level a planet with its CONVENTIONAL weapon systems or the armada of TIE fighters it carries, let alone using its superlaser. At full power, it is easily a match for entire fleets of enemy ships in addition to being able to menace a planet. In short, it doesn’t just dish out damage, it can take it, too. Of course, there is that pesky problem of the thermal exhaust port. But that’s only two-meters wide. What are the odds of someone hitting that? Ahem.

Honorable Mention:

While the above are my favorite super weapons, there are a few others that I like that didn’t quite make the cut (for various reasons) these are:

The Ion Ring

This was actually introduced in a Star Wars comic strip (The Second Kessel Run). Originally designed as an aid in terraforming, the Ion Ring was an orbital platform that could affect planetary weather systems. Of course this original purpose was perverted by the Empire, turning the device into a weapon capable of wreaking destruction via violent weather systems.

The Ion Ring is a novel approach to planetary-level destruction. It isn’t just blowing things up, and hey, it’s actually rather ‘eco-friendly’. I mean, you could use it to destroy entire civilizations and still have a world that is at least somewhat habitable afterwards.

Omega Frost

I include this here because the name is both menacing and giggle-worthy. Introduced in the Marvel comics series, Omega Frost consists of two energy pylons that generate a field of intense cold between them- cold enough to destroy just about anything that passes between.

This didn’t make the list primarily because I don’t know exactly how this would work in the already freezing and arid void of outer space. Somehow, I don’t think it would encase ships in blocks of ice (complete with icicles dangling from them) like it showed in the comics. Yeah. And also, it is somewhat difficult to deploy. You can’t FIRE it at someone, you have to somehow trick your enemy into flying between the pylons. Not really practical in a lot of situations.

Star Forge

This was introduced in the Knights of the Old Republic video game. Though officially classified as a super weapon, I would argue against this. The Star Forge isn’t a weapon so much as a huge factory. I mean, it doesn’t move anywhere, it can’t fire giant beams or destroy anything directly (except with its defensive cannons). So, yeah. Not a ‘super weapon’ in my book. Plus, it was never really explained how the heck it created all those ships (and other weapons). Okay, I’ll buy that it was powered by dark force energy (or some such). Sure. But…you can’t make ships out of thin air. I mean, it has to have the materials necessary to do so— not just the energy. So, were the Sith ‘feeding’ it raw materials? Seems like they’d have to, but… well, you can see why I didn’t include it. Too many questions and not enough ‘bang’.

Magnetic Bombard

Another invention of West End games, the Magnetic Bombard is a torpedo-like device that, upon detonation, release a powerful electromagnetic pulse capable of shorting out all manner of unshielded electrical devices.

The reason this didn’t make the list-proper is because I can see a lot of ways to resist the effects of a weapon like this. First of all, as a torpedo, it can be intercepted before detonation. Secondly, they have only a limited area of effect, so many would need to be used in order to ‘reduce’ a target planet. And finally, I would imagine that many systems (especially important military/defensive weapons/installations) would have shielding to protect against just such an attack.

Marvel Comics Star War: A long time ago... Volume 3

2011-07-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

I am really loving the whole "Omnibus" series of Star Wars comics. But the 'A Long Time Ago' volumes are a particular treat. I was very sporadic in my comic book buying during the 80's, and so I missed huge chunks of the series. So for me, this is like a walk down memory lane and a chance to finally 'catch up' on what I had missed. What I'm going to do here is briefly discuss each storyline presented in the Omnibus, outlining the plot and my thoughts on it. So without further ado...

The Crimson Forever

This story is told in the "Giant Sized 50th Collectors Edition" and (I feel) is suitably 'epic' in scope. It begins with Lando and Chewbacca being called back from their search for Han Solo to help Leia deal with a developing situation. We find that Luke Skywalker (and several other rebels in his patrol) have been stricken with a mysterious disease (the eponymous "Crimson Forever") that colors the eyes and skin of its victims red before killing them. It seems that Luke had found a derelict Imperial craft with a dead crew- and a mysterious gemstone onboard that seemed to be the source of the trouble. Through Chewbacca, we learn (and are shown through flashback) that Han had encountered a stone like that on a previous misadventure- having been shanghaied into trying to steal it from a remote temple. It was here he learned that there were TWO gems, and if one was removed from the other, the "Crimson Forever" would result. Following this tale, we are shocked to hear that Luke has apparently succumbed to the disease.

Nevertheless, Leia, Lando and Chewie press on to find a way to stop the disease at its source. Traveling to the same remote temple that was the source of the gemstones, the heroes discover another derelict ship- this time, a House Tagge mining explorer. Boarding it, they find that this crew has also been stricken with the Crimson Forever- save for a small group- Lady Domina Tagge and her bounty-hunter bodyguards (who include Bossk, IG-88 and Dengar, apparently), who are trapped in a sealed (and shielded) area. Domina (of course) does some 'monologueing' here and reveals her plan. It was SHE who took the stones and tricked the Empire into stealing one of them (thus triggering the disease). Her intention was to bring doom upon both the Empire and the Rebellion. Unfortunately, things didn't quite happen the way Domina intended, thus her being stranded. And it is 'stranded' that Leia intends to leave Domina- until the wily Tagge says that she can 'undo' the death of Luke Skywalker- provided Leia rescues her.

Leia agrees and when the two stones (the one Domina had and the one the Rebellion had) are brought back together Luke does revive. The same can't be said for the other victims, however. Only Luke's ability with the Force allowed him to endure the effects of the Crimson Forever enough to recover. The adventure ends with Domina being released and the Rebellion sending the two stones off into the depths of inter galactic space where they (presumably) won't cause any more trouble. In an amusing footnote, Lando apparently informed Domina's bounty hunter bodyguards that the Empire would probably pay them a pretty penny if they turned their 'former' boss in.

Overall, this was a pretty good story- provided you can get past the somewhat implausible nature of the disease. It seemed to be some kind of 'radiation' that the stones projected and (to me at least) that makes the most sense, as sealed bulkheads, containers and full space suits seemed to prevent the disease from spreading. What I liked most about the adventure was the manner in which the characters acted. Leia and Lando in particular seemed to hew very close to what we saw in the movies. Leia was a strong, yet caring leader. Lando was subtle, smart and tricky- making use of a con to help Leia and himself escape Tagge's hunters.

As it turns out, I had been wrong in a previous post about the Tagge family disappearing as villains in the comic series. I was quite surprised to see Domina appear here and now I wonder if she shows up again at some point. Even so, I'm not sure Domina Tagge's plan made a lot of sense. I mean, it's a bit much to believe that a 'disease' of this sort would seriously impact the Galaxy as a whole. It didn't seem to be communicable past direct exposure to the radiation of the stones themselves. But then, Domina always struck me as a bit 'impractical' in her schemes and this one certainly was.

As far as the art goes, I was quite glad to see the team of Al Williamson, Tom Palmer and Walt Simonson take over in this issue. I never did care for Carmine Infantino. I mean, in these comics the characters AND their equipment all looked a lot like they did in the movies. While I'm all for 'artistic expression', I never thought that Infantino's art really captured the 'feel' of Star Wars.

Resurrection of Evil

Told over two issues of the comic, this storyline deals with the Empire's attempt to build a 'pocket' Death Star in the form of a battlestation known as "The Tarkin". After word reaches the Rebels, the heroes launch a desperate plan to infiltrate and destroy this new weapon. Luke, Leia, Chewbacca and the droids pose as workers to get onboard. Once there, they must face not only Darth Vader (who senses Luke's presence) but also a cabal of Imperial Officers determined to kill both the rebels AND Vader. After numerous close calls, misadventures and fights the heroes find their attempts at sabotage seemingly foiled. Likewise, Vader narrowly escapes an attempt on his own life by the Imperial officer's conspiracy. The Rebels are forced to run for their lives and escape only with the timely intervention of Lando and the Falcon. With Vader in pursuit, the Imperial officers attempt to kill two birds with one stone by firing the superlaser and "accidently" destroying Vader AND the rebels. Unfortunately for the Imperials, however, Leia had managed to sabotage the firing circuits and the station blew itself up.

This story arc is one of the strongest in the comic series so far, in terms of characterization, art and capturing the 'feel' of the movies. In particular, I was happy to see all sorts of little character moments interspersed through the story- things that showed both the personalities of the heroes and how far they had come by this point in becoming true badasses. Leia, for instance, is able to take on several Stormtroopers in close combat. And Luke is shown using fledgling Force powers to help 'bluff' his way onboard the Tarkin. As far as characterization goes, it was nice to see that some attention was paid to Lando still being something of an outsider among the heroes due to his betrayal of Han. He is excluded from the mission due to distrust, but stows away and winds up saving the day- thus helping to take some of the edge off his relationship with Leia in particular. Even Vader got some cool moments- like when he 'suggests' that an Imperial officer 'take a walk'. The mind-warped officer does so- right out the airlock. Yes, a truly devious use of the Affect Mind power- and original, too.

I especially loved the added plot layer of Imperial Officers banding together to try and kill Vader. To me, this made perfect sense, considering how Vader treated those officers who "failed him".

Of course there were some 'weaker' moments to the story. I still don't quite buy that Lando could bribe stormtroopers- especially with fake spice, but...meh. It didn't ruin the overall plotline. And for once, the main superweapon was something that really seemed to make sense. It was basically JUST the superlaser from the deathstar, without all the other trappings or size of the previous battlestation.

A Princess of Mars

Okay, so that isn't really the title of this two-issue story arc, but might as well have been. The actual titles were "The Last Gift from Alderaan" and "Starfire Rising", but the whole thing was clearly a homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs "John Carter of Mars" series. This particular story begins with Princess Leia on a mission to investigate why the Empire is suddenly interested in the remote world of Shiva. Unfortunately, she quickly finds herself stranded on this world and under attack by hostile natives. She is just as quickly rescued by a local Warlord known as Aron Peacebringer (aka John Carter). In the days that follow, a plot by one of Aron's lieutenant's (Delios) is discovered. He has agreed to work with the Empire to conquer the planet and rule it in their name. The Empire's representative on the planet is a very odd looking being named General Sk'ar. Odd because he is a monstrous, non-human Imperial and because he seems to be wearing the native garb instead of any kind of Imperial uniform. It is never exactly explained if Sk'ar is from offworld (though this is suggested in dialogue) or if he is a native of the world, but of some odd, rare, monstrous species. In any case, Aron and Leia work together to thwart Sk'ar's scheme of anti-matter bombing the capital city of Shiva and taking control in the chaos. In the end, the heroes are victorious only with the timely intervention of Luke, Lando and the rest, who arrive in the nick of time. But the victory celebration is short lived when an Imperial Star Destroyer shows up. This too is overcome as Luke manages to lead the ship to its doom in the arms of a nearby black hole- managing to escape himself only by 'feeling his way' out with the Force.

Overall, this story-arc is a pretty straightforward adventure tale. It does have some odd and/or interesting twists, though- namely that much of the adventure is actually told through the somewhat stilted first-person view of Aron Peacebringer (again, a homage to the first-person viewpoint used in the Warlord of Mars series). There is also the sub-plot of Aron falling in love with Princess Leia- despite the fact he is quite happily married to his own Princess (the stand-in for Dejah Thoris). Aron never acts upon his feelings, however, which is good both for his marriage and the fact that if Leia had succumbed to the Warlord's charm it would have felt very out of character for her.

This story-arc really had an impact on me as a Star Wars game master, opening my eyes to the possibilities of incorporating other settings into the larger Star Wars universe. At the same time, it also highlighted some of the pitfalls of doing so. Namely that if you DO bring in an archetype from another fantasy/sci-fi setting, you should find some way to keep the focus on YOUR characters. It is for this reason that these two comics were rather jarring to me. I felt (and still feel) that these comics would have been much better if they had been told from the point of view of Leia rather than Aron Peacebringer- even moreso because Aron's involvement in the whole story is rather anti-climactic. I mean, in the final battle it isn't even Aron who saves Leia's life, it's the late arriving Luke. In all, I enjoyed this story, but it could have been a lot more interesting as a way to explore Leia's character. In fact, the story arc BEGAN and ENDED by examining Leia's thoughts about the loss of Alderaan and her place in the universe. I found that a lot more interesting than listening to Aron's internal monologue.

There are plenty of other Stories in this omnibus, but my time for right now is running short, so I'll continue in another post.

To be continued...

Wisdom from the strangest of places...

2011-07-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Being a geek who is fond of humor (geeky or otherwise), the Internet is awesome. Youtube in particular is a source for a lot of laughs. One thing I have enjoyed over the years is the series of "I'm a Marvel, I'm a DC" parodies (obviously of the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" commercials). These typically involve the action-figure incarnations of various heroes exchanging barbed comments regarding their latest movies. The folks who make these parodies (ItsJustSomeRandomGuy and Gal), have also branched out into creating some of their own very silly 'plots', involving DC and Marvel heroes and villains. While these are comedy GOLD for a comic book fan, I am surprised to find that they are remarkably insightful as well.

Take for example the plot line where the Joker is using some kind of 'mind control' technology to turn all the heroes in the world (Marvel and DC alike) as "Dark" as Batman. It is up to Batman and Spider-Man to team up and set things right. Much wacky fun ensues, but beneath it all is an obvious reference to the tendencies of "hollywood" to latch onto the most superficial of concepts and try to employ them in an attempt to create a formula that will consistently bring them good box office numbers. In this case, the success of the recent Batman movies has sparked the idea that all heroes should have some dark 'edge' to them.

This is, of course, a ridiculous idea. In ANY medium. With ANY heroes (like, say... oh, I don't know.. Star Wars, and its whole 'Dark Future' Legacy setting). It mirrors what I've always believed myself, there are different types of heroes- each appealing in their own way. But in this 'comedy spoof', we have this idea voiced in a very profound (and hilarous) way. Take for example this rant by the Green Goblin, talking to the Joker about his master plan:

"Making every hero on earth as dark as Batman? That was your master plan? Great. So after the audience gets bored to tears by every hero being just like every other hero, they'll be so depressed over how freakin' bleak they are, they'll KILL themselves. Don't you get it? Light heroes DEFINE the dark ones and vice versa! And if everyone is just like you, what makes YOU so special?"

This truth is further driven home in a couple speeches given by Batman. The first is to Spider-Man himself, who is lamenting the fact that he isn't as "dark" and "cool" as Batman:

"Spider-Man, at the risk of over-inflating your ego, let me tell you something-
Being optimistic when you know the odds are against you is not a bad thing. Stupid. But not bad. Neither is refusing to let go of that optimism when life takes things away from you. That takes strength. That takes courage. And it's who you are. Not all heroes have to be dark to be successful. If anything, my friend, you are the living embodiment of that."

And finally, there is Batman's speech to Superman, regarding the strength of Spider-Man:

"We both give everything we've got to fight for Justice. But at the end of the day, you're still the most powerful being on Earth and I'm still one of the richest men in the world. Spider-Man has neither luxury. He has had to sacrifice everything, time and again-more than either of us ever will. That's what he does. That's who he is. Maybe one day he'll have the chance to get things straightened out, but until then he'll deal with it. Because he can take it. Because he's a hero. And because not all heroes have to be dark. Because he's one hero who's spirit can't be broken. Because no matter what, he'll always be your friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man."

So, yeah. Those are actually some really profound and insightful statements...and found in a very unexpected place. Neat.

Maturity

2011-06-30T10:26:00.001-07:00

This is kind of a rant, so- you’re forewarned. And yeah, I’m again probably going back over some things I’ve touched on before. So sue me. Anyway:

Why is it that a lot of people seem to equate ‘maturity’ of subject matter with ‘darkness’? In this case, I define ‘darkness’ as: violence, grim/gritty situations, pessimism, hopeless efforts, etc.

It is a trend I have seen in various mediums- usually an ‘updating’ of a subject/setting from years ago (the childhood era of my generation) to a modern day setting. Comic books are probably the best example of this, though movies and even video games play into this as well.

A lot of the notions prevalent in the entertainment of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s were quite simplistic and even ‘kiddified’. I began to notice the trend towards ‘maturity’ during the late 80’s and early 90’s with comics. New ‘dark’ heroes emerged and older, established heroes all seemed to take on a ‘darker’ tone. The Watchmen were a prime example of this- a ‘what if Super Heroes existed in the real world’ thing. But then, I wouldn’t call Alan Moore’s deranged concept of the world ‘real’. Same goes for Frank Miller. In any case, the general idea was that things were horrible and heroes had to be horrible in order to deal with them. Notions of right and wrong (a la Superman) were just foolish and ‘childish’. The idea was that by recognizing how bad the world sucked, heroes were ‘growing up’.

Now, in some ways, I understand the appeal of the growing ‘maturity’ of entertainment subject matter. People who grew up with heroes (or settings) liked to see those heroes (or settings) growing up with them. They wanted stories that had more complexity and nuance. I understand this desire- and have it, myself. There is also the appeal of the ‘shock’ value of re-imagining something ‘kiddiefied’ as suddenly dark and dangerous. Take the death of Robin in the Batman comics for instance. Not only is this shocking to people who grew up with certain ‘rules’ in their comics, there is the whole appeal of being a ‘rebel’- of bucking established trends. That is also part of growing up. I understand that, too.

What I do not understand (or agree with) is the trend in many creators and consumers of entertainment media that equates mature with dark. For instance, I purchased a Thundercats Graphic novel- based partly on the fact I used to like the cartoon and partly on the fact that the artwork was really well done. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that during the time between the TV cartoon and the novel the villain had conquered the world and enslaved or murdered the Thundercats. I am not opposed to this plot-twist in and of itself, but the details of it just kept getting darker and darker. I mean, seriously- they implied (and even partially showed) that one of the Thundercats, Cheetara had been raped by the mutants. And one of the younger female Thundercats is insinuated as having been a sex-slave to the main villain- the undead Mum-raa. Seriously? I mean seriously? Did you HAVE to go this far? It’s like the authors were beating you over the head and screaming: “THIS ISN’T A KIDS CARTOON ANYMORE! IT IS MATURE AND SERIOUS! SEE!? HORRIBLE THINGS HAPPEN! THAT’S SERIOUS! SO WE ARE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS CREATORS!”

Well you know what? It didn’t make me take them seriously, it disgusted me. The authors took a cherished childhood memory and crapped all over it in an attempt to shock people and show how ‘mature’ their subject was now. They completely lost all sense of what the source material ‘felt like’. They didn’t have to do that. Overall, the plot-line was complex enough to be interesting. I didn’t mind that it was a little darker: i.e. the bad guys were in control. That just meant the heroes had to face a lot more challenges. But when you throw sexual assault into the mix (aimed solely at the female characters, it seems) then you’ve gone too far- at least for the subject matter you’ve chosen. Thundercats WAS a kids cartoon- why does it have to be the exact opposite of that to be ‘mature’ in content. Why not just deepen the characterizations of the various leads. Why not rely on more complex storylines and even some morally ‘grey’ areas. You could keep the excitement and adventure of the original source material and just add to it. Instead, the authors in this case went for the ‘cheap’ method of shocking their readers.

The above wasn’t the first example of mature = dark. There were plenty of others (Watchmen, Dark Knight, etc.). Some (the Watchmen) were done quite a bit better than the Thundercats example above. But even so, I never really bought into the whole notion. Yes. The real world sucks at times. Yes, Heroes in the vein of comic book/movie types don’t exist in real life. But the IDEA of them has a lot of appeal and stories about those kind of people aren’t ‘immature’ just because they aren’t ‘realistic’. Most entertainment media is escapism and you know, sometimes I just like my stories to be entertaining- not dreary descents into how terrible things ‘really’ are.

And how does any of this relate to Star Wars? Well the thing that got me thinking about the subject actually was the whole Star Wars: Legacy setting. It is dark and gritty and (therefore) much more 'mature' than its Source Material. Right? Yeah. Right. It doesn't even feel like Star Wars to me. Like so much of the Expanded Universe. Star Wars doesn't need to 'grow up'. It was plenty 'mature' despite its seemingly black and white outlook. Well. That's my opinion anyway.

Rant over.

Star Wars without War?

2011-06-29T09:59:00.001-07:00

I love the Star Wars setting. Obviously. But one of my biggest pet peeves with the ‘Expanded Universe’ is the fact that even after the ‘good guys win’ in Episode VI the galaxy continues to spiral into more and more wars which eventually (according to the EU) result in the ultimate destruction of the Republic (as we know it) and a seemingly endless string of even more wars. If this were the case, and the galaxy were really constantly at war for what seems like centuries then I would think there wouldn’t be much civilization left- economies would be in ruins, etc. etc. It paints a rather bleak picture of the Galaxy, and one I don’t subscribe to. It also gets boring (for me at least)- as each new writer tries to one-up the one before by presenting an even MORE terrible threat to the Galaxy. It is ultimately self defeating. And yeah. I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating.

Considering the timeline of my current, long-running campaign- long past even the Thrawn timeline- a question has constantly come to my mind. Can you have a game that feels like Star Wars without… well… war? I mean it’s right there in the title. But is it really necessary? Though my opinion has varied from time to time, I have finally settled into viewpoint that no, Star Wars does not HAVE to have a galaxy-spanning war in progress in order to feel ‘right’. Of course this doesn’t mean there will be a lack of conflict- or combat. Combat is a huge part of the movies and the setting. It is also a staple of almost ALL roleplaying games. But an actual war doesn’t HAVE to be going on.

If you look at it from a story standpoint you can see that all sorts of exciting adventures can be found even in a time of peace: from the intrigues of James Bond to the explorations of Star Trek, there are plenty of examples of what can be done in a setting where War isn’t the focal point.

If you look at from a gaming standpoint, most of the ‘missions’ characters are sent on in a ‘typical’ Star Wars campaign are of a small scale, tactical nature. Only rarely do players get involved in a huge battle. Most game systems are geared towards this small scale, and in a setting without war, very little would change in terms of mission types.

I will say that it is a bit more challenging as a game master to come up with ideas for a setting that is (on the surface at least) at peace. I mean, you can’t just say: “Oh, the Imperials are invading again”. But I feel that I ‘owe’ it to the Star Wars setting to not just continue the ‘same old same old’ and maintain an unrealistic (I know, an odd term to use when talking about Star Wars) status quo of Galactic combat for centuries on end. I personally enjoy the challenge of this new era, and have confidence that it won’t stop feeling like Star Wars just because the ‘Wars’ are much, much smaller now.

Of course, I say all this knowing that I’m going to be launching a new campaign (set some time in the future) which takes place in a different Galaxy. As far as I’m concerned with that, all bets are off. There can be lots of large scale combat and even major wars, but I’m giving “The Galaxy Far, Far Away” some time to revel in its well earned era of Peace.

Star Wars Weekend

2011-06-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Between work, vacation and illness (all of which are overlapping terribly), I haven't had much time for the blog. Sorry about that- moreso for myself, since I have fun writing for it. But in any case, I'm here to report that a couple weekends ago I finally made it to a 'Star Wars Weekend' down at Disney Hollywood Studios theme park. Yes, that's right, all these years in Florida and I've never actually been to a Star Wars weekend. Sad, I know. I blame my overall sloth and general dislike of large crowds. But in any case- I went, and it was great- despite the fact I was still recovering from a fever the day before. The experience (of the park, not the fever) was made all the better by having a couple other Star Wars fans with me (my friends Sharon and Philip- and their little 'fan in training', Alex).

The whole 'Star Wars' theme began even as we entered the park, with a pair of stormtroopers positioned on the roof of the check-in kiosk, trash talking the crowds. Heh, nice. There were plenty more Star Wars characters to be found throughout the park, to say nothing of all the fans sporting their various T-Shirts, caps and other paraphernalia. It's sometimes easy to forget that Star Wars has so MANY fans- I mean, you don't run into them that often in 'every day life' (at least I don't). But here they were- and in force (no pun intended).

Of course the Star Tours ride was the main draw for this crowd, and the crowds around it were impressive. Most impressive. So while Sharon ran off to get our group 'fast passes' to the ride, I got my first in-person look at the Jedi training academy they have for kids. This is (as with all things Disney) really well done. The trainers are fun people able to ad-lib amusingly and keep things moving quickly for dozens and dozens of kids each day. All I can say about this is that if I were a kid, I would love it- a chance to duel Darth Vader (or Darth Maul for the 'overflow' class).

As it turns out, the 'Fast-Pass' for Star Tours was a bit of an oxymoron- at least on a Star Wars weekend. We still had a pretty good wait to get on the ride. But that was fine. Disney does an awesome job of making even the waiting line be interesting. There were all sorts of little scenes and gee-gaws along the way- from droids talking to you, to a little scene with Artoo and Threepio to something else I found quite amusing- a collection of crates with droids in them- labeled 'defective, return to factory'. Inside one of these was the pilot droid from the OLD Star Tours. Heh. Nice touch.

The ride itself was fun- a marked improvement over the Star Tours- with 3D and (I thought) a much better sensation of acceleration and movement. There were also some nice touches in the form of some 'audience interaction'. Seemed to me that one passenger on each 'flight' is randomly chosen to be a 'rebel spy' and is featured in the 'story' of the adventure. Also, the exact course of the flight changes with each ride. So in one flight, you can wind up on Geonosis, in the other, you might land on Naboo. In one you may be attacked by a probe droid, in another it may be Darth Vader. All in all, a fun ride.

But as fun as Star Tours was, the high-point of that particular day came in a very odd and unexpected manner. While waiting for a parade to start, my friend Sharon and I just happened to look up as someone passed by. This someone was accompanied by a couple Disney security guys and was wearing a bright, metallic golden vest. Sharon and I looked at eachother and said (almost in unison): "That was Anthony Daniels". And you know what? It was. C-3PO, walking right past me, just a couple feet away. For someone who doesn't normally have brushes with 'celebrities', it was a fun moment for me.

It wasn't long after C-3PO walked past me (wow!) that the parade of the 501st Legion began. This was pretty darn cool. Okay, so... a few of the Stormtroopers were a little on the heavy side, but the costumes were awesome. And funnily enough, the Sand People in the parade traveled in single file, to hide their numbers. Awesome.

So, yeah. I enjoyed the heck out of Star Wars weekend, and look forward to going again sometime. In fact, the next time Star Wars Celebrations is hosted in Florida I may just do that.

The True Identity of Darth Vader

2011-05-19T13:07:00.001-07:00

Being a Star Wars fan, I give the various issues brought up in the movies a lot more thought than most people. Why? Because I find them interesting. One such 'issue' is the subject of Darth Vader's true identity and just who knew about it- both during and after the movies.

It seems to me that during the time of the movies, only a few people knew who Darth Vader truly was:

The Emperor knew, of course, because he was there during Vader's 'birth'.

Obi Wan and Yoda obviously figured out who Vader was. But I don't think either of them told anyone. I suspect that Kenobi did tell Luke's aunt and uncle, however. The whole "He's too much like his father/That's what I'm afraid of" dialogue could very well have been in reference to this. It would also seem like a prudent thing to do if Kenobi wanted to impress upon them how important it was to keep a low profile. But then again, if he did know, why didn't he change Luke's last name... This all plays back into my thoughts about Ben planning to tell Luke about his heritage at a very specific time (perhaps even AFTER he had killed Vader).

Bail Organa may have suspected the truth about Vader, but it doesn't seem that he had any contact with people who knew the truth. He adopted Leia and parted from Yoda and Kenobi before 'Vader' became publicly known. Based on the events of Episode IV, it seems that Organa and Kenobi had no contact during all the years that Leia was growing up. It is possible that Bail intended to tell Leia of her true heritage at some point, but if he did, then he put it off too long. Besides, how do you tell someone you love that their REAL father might be a monster.

Artoo Deetoo may have had some idea of the true identity of Vader. He was pretty clever and, unlike Threepio, never had his memory wiped. Even so, he never had any direct contact with Vader and so had no chance to prove or disprove any suspicions he may have had.

Outside of these people, it seems that nobody else in the Galaxy knew Vader's true identity. He must have just suddenly 'appeared' as a servant to the Emperor, slowly gaining recognition in his new identity.

This changes when Vader reveals his relationship to Luke in the Empire Strikes Back. But it seems that Luke tells no-one of this dark secret. At first he may have done so out of disbelief- he thought Vader was trying to trick him. Later, however, he seemed to have done so out of caution and perhaps even fear. When people find out your father is a monster responsible for the deaths of millions across the galaxy they're liable to have some strong reactions. Indeed, when Luke finally does tell Leia in Return of the Jedi, you can see the horror on her face- and the pity she feels towards Luke. The horror only deepens when Luke reveals that Leia too is the child of Anakin/Vader.

Where things really get interesting, however, is AFTER the movies. In the 'expanded universe', the whole issue seems to have been glossed over or ignored. The only mention I recall of it is when the Noghri somehow recognize Leia's relationship to Vader via her scent. Other than that, it just doesn't seem to come up much. This I find very odd, especially with Luke and Leia taking such prominent positions in the New Republic. In my mind, there are only two options for what is going on here:

Option A: Luke and Leia have kept their relationship to Vader a secret. Nobody outside their close circle of friends knows the truth. Thus, most people just see them as the descendents of the Jedi Hero Anakin Skywalker, who died tragically (but obscurely) in the turmoil of the end of the Clone Wars.

Option B: Luke and Leia have revealed their secret to the Galaxy at large- that Vader was the corrupted (and then redeemed) Anakin Skywalker and that they are both his children.

Both options seem problematic to me. In option A, both Luke and Leia are harboring a 'dark secret'. This would have to be very stressful for both of them. For Luke, as a Jedi master, this could be damaging of his ability to teach or indeed continue his own learning. In my opinion, being a Jedi is about being honest and open- about confronting problems rather than avoiding them. By keeping this secret, Luke would always have to hold some part of himself back- and would always have a nagging fear of the truth coming out. For both Luke and Leia, this secret would be a political time bomb just waiting to go off. If they hid the fact they were Vader's children and it came out some other way it would look like a conspiracy and could cause the public to doubt them, despite their obvious heroics during the rebellion.

If Option B is true, then the Galaxy (as depicted in various novels) has been incredibly understanding of Luke and Leia’s heritage- to the point where even political enemies don’t seem to use it against them. I find this a little difficult to believe. A guy like Borsk Fey’lya, for instance, seems to be the type who’d exploit that particular ‘weakness’. And yet he doesn’t do anything of the sort- and Leia actually becomes Chancellor of the New Republic without the whole issue of her father ever coming up.

All that having been said, however, I tend to lean towards Option B as being the case. To me, it seems to be the most logical. As far as that being a political weakness is concerned, Leia has a huge trump card to play: The fact that her adopted homeworld was destroyed by the Empire. This, in addition to her well-documented role in the victory of the Rebel Alliance would make her rather bullet-proof when it came to attacks regarding her parentage. She may be a blood relative of Vader, but she has proven where her loyalties lie. The same can apply to Luke- considering his own role in the downfall of Vader and the Emperor. There is also the fact that the Rebellion WAS a civil war. I doubt if Luke and Leia are alone in having parents or other relatives who were on the ‘other side’. Yes, their particular parent may have done much more harm than the typical Imperial Officer, but overall, their situation was probably quite common.

So, in my Star Wars universe at least the ‘cat is out of the bag’ in regards to the identity of Anakin Skywalker as Vader. While he is probably reviled by many (and rightly so), his story was not hidden from the public. It serves as both a cautionary tale and perhaps a source of hope that even the most evil might find enlightenment and do what is right when it counts.

1984: Film’s Best Year Ever

2011-05-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe that’s claiming a bit much- I mean, for every awesome movie that came out in 1984 there was a real stinker to balance it out. Even so, the number of awesomely great and awesomely bad movies in 1984 was extraordinary- at least from the point of view of a child of the 80’s. Just compiling the information for this post, I was amazed at how many movies came out in this year, let alone the fact that so many of them struck my fancy. In fact, quite a few of these helped shape my ‘psyche’ (for good or ill) and had a huge impact on my imagination.

In 1984 I was thirteen years old and living in my home town of Eagle Butte in the midst of South Dakota. Considering how remote the town was, movies always arrived there months after their release elsewhere. So it was that I mostly went to movies when we traveled to one of the bigger towns (Pierre- 1.5 hours away or Rapid City, 3.5 hours away) or went away (to Michigan) on Summer break. Truth be told, however, I probably saw most of the movies on this list the following year, after they came out on video and HBO. In 1984, both cable TV and VHS were VERY new to Eagle Butte- but both became wildly popular (especially with me). This is all just so you can see that movies were a ‘big deal’ with me, even after the introduction of HBO (or perhaps even moreso because of it).

So, without further ado, I’ll delve into the movies and maybe comment here or there about them- especially about how they affected my imagination (and through that, my gaming in general and my Star Wars gaming in particular).

ACTION/ADVENTURE FILMS

Beverly Hills Cop
This was the epitome of cool in its day and helped define a ‘buddy’ cop movie for me (even if it was three cops instead of the usual two). It also showed me that action movies could have comic elements in them without defusing the adrenaline burst. In fact, for me, they enhanced it. I mean, one minute you’re laughing, the next you’re in a gunfight. Each seems to play off the others and I always like to include comedy in my own adventures, especially during action scenes.

City Heat
Maybe not the best movie, but at the time I loved the whole ‘Gangbusters’ 1920’s feel- plus, I like Clint Eastwood (even if I don’t much care for Burt Reynolds).

Cloak & Dagger
Of course I loved this movie. I mean, the hero was a kid close to my own age who was into playing video games and roleplaying games. In fact, they even opened the movie with a ‘table-top’ session complete with miniatures. I do remember being a bit confused by this movie, though. On the one hand, the premise seemed pretty light-hearted (a kid and his wacky spy imaginary friend). But on the other, people were actually getting killed in the movie and there were insinuations that the kid was actually mentally disturbed. So, yeah…weird.

Dune
This movie was a lot weirder and grosser than it had to be. And for some reason, they added a bunch of non-canon material to an already complex story. Even so, the whole concept of noble houses vying for control within a galaxy spanning empire has stuck with me. In fact, I would credit this movie with giving me a basis for my concept of the BattleTech universe (with its warring noble houses). And this in turn is great for running ‘noble’ adventures in a Star Wars universe (say the Tapani sector, for instance). Great imagery and fodder for adventures.

Firestarter
Kind of creepy, but perhaps one of the better Stephen King movies out there. A great exploration into the whole idea of fugitive ‘mutant/mentalists’ hunted by the government. This is one of those movies I refer back to mentally when I play games like ‘Dark Conspiracy’ or any other dark future/supernatural game.

Greystoke
For its time, it had some great visuals and makeup work for the apes. But overall, this movie was just too ‘moody’ for me. I wanted more adventure and less dreariness. Apart from Disney, I have yet to see a really good Tarzan movie.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Pure awesome. What more needs to be said? Pulp adventure that could EASILY be translated into a sci-fi/Star Wars genre.

The Karate Kid
“Sweep the Leg”. Heh. This actually inspired a friend of mine (Sharon) to get into Martial Arts. She became a nationally ranked fighter who made it to the Olympic tryouts. How’s THAT for inspirational.

Missing In Action
About as cheesy as you can get. But what do you expect from Chuck Norris. Even so, not a bad idea for the basis of a Star Wars adventure about ‘going behind enemy lines’ to rescue POWs.

Red Dawn
My older sister was seriously scared by this movie. I was skeptical that ANYTHING like this could really happen. But even so, the IDEA was a powerful one, especially to people who were the age of the people in the movie. What would YOU do? Become a ‘Wolverine’?

Romancing the Stone
This movie surprised me. A great mix of action and comedy (and of course romance). Would be a great adventure to game, too.

Sheena
Ahem. Yes. Well. I was 13. So of course I remember this movie. Zebra-horses and all.

Streets of Fire
Talk about an oddball movie. This one looked like it was set in the 50’s, but had modern musical elements and an almost ‘Roadwarrior’ vibe at times (biker gangs, etc.). Yeah. Weird, but I have to admit liking some of the songs from it.

Sword of the Valiant
The only reason I remember this movie at all is because of how incredibly dorky the leading man’s haircut was. Seriously. Look it up sometime.

Tank
I like James Garner. I like Tanks. This movie had both. It also had the old “good guy takes on the corrupt sheriff” plot. Only this time, he did it in a Tank.

SCIENCE FICTION FILMS

2010
I enjoyed this a LOT more than 2001. It had great special effects, a much more comprehensible story and characters I actually got to know/like. I actually felt sorry for HAL at the end of the film. They released an adventure module based on this movie (and for 2001) for the Star Frontiers game. It didn’t seem like a great fit for the system but it was neat to see all the background information on the ships and people.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai
I didn’t know whether to put this under comedy or Sci-Fi because it was both- but even more than that, it was just plain weird. But weird in a way I loved (and continue to love). A true ‘cult classic’, Buckaroo Banzai introduced me to the idea of a ‘super-scientist/adventurer’ team before I’d even heard of ‘Doc Savage’. I LOVED the (copyright infringing) inclusion of Banzai in the BattlTech universe and I could easily see a team of oddball geniuses like this making an appearance in a Star Wars setting, too.

Dreamscape
I’m ashamed to say this movie actually scared me. Ashamed because looking back on it the ‘snake man’ that terrorized me was really cheesy. It has a GREAT concept, however- the idea of an assassin working through dreams and people working to stop him. I have yet to use this idea, but I’d love to work it in somehow.

The Last Starfighter
I just got the anniversary edition of this a while ago. In fact, it is what inspired me to make this post. This was the first movie to include really ground-breaking computer visual effects (blowing Tron away in my opinion).

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds
I don’t like most anime. And looking back I’m not sure I can say I really ‘liked’ this one either. But like a lot of anime films, this one had some really impressive and memorable visions. The aerial dogfights and flying scenes were awesome and the image of swarms of gigantic insects plowing over a radioactive plain is a memorable one.

The Philadelphia Experiment
A bit of a throw-away movie, but I like the time travel concepts involved.

Repo Man
This was a weird one alright. A car with an alien artifact in the trunk that disintegrated anyone who disturbed it. That plus Emilio Estevez. Weird.

Runaway
Future-cop Tom Sellek vs. Killer robots- including a ‘robot bullet’ that chased down its target. Unfortunately, the bullets were incredibly slow. Even so, I still like the concept and the little “bug-like” robot assassins are a great idea for any sci-fi game.

Starman
Not much to say on this. Was interesting enough, but not one of my favorites

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Following on the heels of Star Trek II, this movie had a LOT to live up to. It didn’t. I personally didn’t like the fact the killed off Kirk’s son. The death of the Enterprise was memorable, but not nearly as heart-wrenching as the death of Spock in the previous film.

Supergirl
Wow. What a complete stinker. Bad acting. Incomprehensible script. Just. Wow.

The Terminator
I was blown away by this movie. It was action-packed and frightening (especially in the world of the 80’s, with nuclear Armageddon seeming so close). The ending was melancholy, what with the heroine not preventing doomsday, but simply running to survive it. Kind of bleak. But I loved it anyway. James Cameron is the man.

The Warrior and the Sorceress
This movie is probably only memorable to anyone because the scantily clad barbarian woman on the cover of the VHS box had four breasts. Truth be told, I don’t remember much about this movie, or if it even HAD the aforementioned woman in it.It did have David Caradine, but seriously, that isn’t much of a draw for me.

COMEDY FILMS

All of Me
What can you say. Steve Martin is a funny guy. He was funny in this.

Bachelor Party
This is what I’d call a ‘typical’ 80’s comedy. Raunchy with lots of nudity (i.e. boobs). Even so, this one had a little more going for it than the average movie of its type- i.e. it was actually funny in some parts. Who’d have though Tom Hanks would turn into a big, serious actor though, huh?

Cannonball Run II
The original Cannonball Run was pretty terrible. But at least it had the benefit of being (somewhat) original. This? This was just terrible. The idea, however, could be fun. Imagine a ralley race of misfit spacer/smugglers running a gauntlet of Imperial patrols and space pirates in order to win a prize sponsored by an eccentric crimelord (to say nothing of the bragging rights). Could be fun.

Electric Dreams
A charming little movie with a classic 80’s soundtrack. I like it for sentimental reasons.

Ghostbusters
One of THE defining movies of my life. Ghostbusters was an AWESOME blend of comedy and scares. I don’t think a week of my life goes by without me using some kind of quote from or reference to this film. Oh, and it was with the official game adaptation of Ghostbusters that my beloved D6 system first appeared in a recognizable form. Sweet.

Gremlins
Another mix of laughs and frights. It was entertaining and at the time, I liked Phoebe Cates. This would make a fun adventure for a ‘horror’ RPG.

Johnny Dangerously
I liked this movie. Funny and quotable. VERY quotable (“The .88 magnum. It shoots through schools.”)

The Muppets Take Manhattan
Truth be told, I don’t remember this movie much. But I DO love the muppets.

Police Academy
Yes. It was terrible. Yes. I hated Steve Gutenberg and his smarmy smirk. No. I didn’t really like this movie. But there were a few laughs to be found.

Revenge of the Nerds
Another exemplar of the 80’s comedy movie- i.e. lots of gratuitous nudity. But like Bachelor Party, this was probably one of the better films of the genre (which isn’t saying much, I know).

Sixteen Candles
Another defining movie of my life- and probably the lives of every other kid around my age in the 80’s. I must have seen this film about a hundred times.

Splash
A charming and fun little movie. Who’d have though Tom Hanks would turn into a big, serious actor though, huh?

This is Spinal Tap
It goes to 11. It really does. This quirky ‘mockumentary’ was like nothing I’d ever seen. Original and hilarious.

Top Secret!
I loved, loved, loved this movie. Completely silly. I mean, it had an old-time western saloon brawl.. only underwater. And that was one of the more realistic scenes.

DRAMATIC FILMS

Overall, I am not much for ‘dramatic’ movies. I mean, I will occasionally find one I like, but if I had my ‘druthers’, almost any other genre would do. So I probably won’t have much to say about most of the following films. But that doesn’t stop me from marveling at how many acclaimed films of this type came out within the span of one year.

Against All Odds
I thought actress Rachel Ward was gorgeous. She is in this movie.

Amadeus
Funny and tragic. Actually saw this in the theatre and liked it.

The Bounty
Meh.

The Cotton Club
Heard it was great. Never really saw the whole thing in one sitting.

Country
Critically acclaimed. Never saw it all.

The Killing Fields
Critically acclaimed. Never saw it all.

The Natural
Critically acclaimed. Never saw it all.

Once Upon a Time in America
Critically acclaimed. Never saw it all.

Places in the Heart
Critically acclaimed. Never saw it all.

The River
Critically acclaimed. Never saw it all.

Teachers
Actually saw this one. Liked it at the time- probably moreso for the music than the actual story.

MUSICAL FILMS

Breakin
Okay, it’s a dance film, not a ‘musical’, but close enough. I remember how wildly possibly break dancing was at this time. I also remember how BAD these kind of exploitation movies were. Even so, this one is just a pale shadow of its successor- a true 80’s classic: Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Footloose
Again, its more of a dance film, but what I remember most about footloose are the songs it popularized and the videos of those songs. One of the most listened to albums of that year by me.

Purple Rain
Wow. I hate Prince- or the artist formerly known as him. This movie was ridiculous and pretentious to the extreme. Thus it was perfect for Prince. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this movie in one sitting. I couldn’t stomach it (or the music), but whether I liked him or not, he was a HUGE star at the time.

Rhinestone
Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stalone sing. Painful. Just painful.

HORROR FILMS

C.H.U.D.
Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers. I’ve never seen this movie in its entirety, but the name stuck with me. Seriously, it is so ridiculous- but evidently it is very memorable.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
SPOILER: No, it wasn’t.

A Nightmare on Elm Street
This scared the absolute crap out of me. I don’t much care for horror movies, but this one stood apart from the others due to the particularly horrific way in which the bad guy killed you- where you could do NOTHING to protect yourself. Yeeesh. Would be a good mash-up with a “Dreamscape” style adventure- a psychopathic killer on the loose in people’s subconscious.

Night of the Comet
An odd mixup of 80’s teen music and zombie apocalypse. Strangely enough, this was probably the first zombie movie I’d actually seen. Wasn’t until later that I delved into the whole ‘Night of the Living Dead’ thing.

And this isn’t even ALL the movies that came out that year, just the ones I remember most keenly (even if for some it was just the title I remembered). So yeah, I have yet to see a year like 1984 and I doubt I ever will. Was fun to think back on it, though I didn’t realize just what an exceptional (and often goofy) time it was.

May the Fourth Be With You!

2011-05-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know that movie wasn't officially released until May 25th, 1977, but... May the Fourth just has a nice ring to it. In fact, it almost kind of sounds like May the For- HEY! I got the joke!

Man, its hard to believe that Star Wars is going to be 34 years old. It seems like just yesterday it was learning to walk. And now look at it! All grown up and living in its parents basement, playing the Force Unleashed 2. Sniff. But seriously, its been a great 34 years, all told. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without Star Wars. And yes, I know that sounds weird and (to some) pathetic, but it's true. The Star Wars movies have been life-long companions, and through them (and the games they've spawned) I have met some of the best friends in my life.

Though I may occasionally grumble at some of the decisions made with the franchise, I will always be grateful to George Lucas and his team for their imagination, their creativity and their perseverance in bringing the first movie to the screen some 34 years ago. I may be hopelessly optimistic, but I still believe there is a lot to look forward to in the Star Wars franchise.

May the Fourth be with you, indeed.

Character Flaws

2011-05-03T10:07:00.001-07:00

It is said that a hallmark of a ‘good character’ in a book/movie/game is that he/she has flaws. I agree with this wholeheartedly. Any character who is good at everything and never makes mistakes is ultimately boring and annoying. I think a vast number of ‘Mary Sue’ characters fall into this camp. Oh, sure, they might have a ‘flaw’ but it is typically something forgivable like “They just care too damn much!” or are “so good hearted that they overlook the flaws in others”. If the flaw is yet another thing to look up to then it really isn’t a flaw. No, I’m talking about REAL flaws that actually limit a character or even cause them to (gasp) make mistakes or act irrationally.

You need look no further than the heroes of the Star Wars universe to see that they are flawed and that it is those flaws that make them all the more interesting.

Luke
He is impetuous and impatient- both of these are serious flaws when it comes to being a Jedi. Looking at the behavior of his father, you see that he comes by these flaws honestly. In The Empire Strikes Back we see these flaws very clearly on display during his training with Yoda. He is frustrated that the lessons are not coming easily to him. Frustrated that it is taking so much time. He runs off half-cocked and nearly gets himself killed. Luke also seems to have a bit of a temper- as witnessed in his final duel with Vader. He CAN be goaded into taking rash action. Thankfully, Luke is able to battle these flaws- and indeed, that is the central message of the movies. Luke succeeds in setting aside his bad emotions when it counts most, unlike his father. He doesn’t allow his flaws to master him.

Leia
She is likewise impetuous (but less so than either Luke or Han), but also haughty. She may not be a typically ‘stuck up’ noblewoman, but she has an ‘attitude’ and isn’t afraid of throwing it around. To me, it seems to be a defense mechanism of sorts. She is obviously a very caring and dedicated person, but at the same time, she seems to hold herself apart from others- this is especially apparent in The Empire Strikes back. She hides behind a mask of cool ‘professionalism’ (and insults) to keep herself from getting too close to Han Solo, whom she obviously has feelings for. I see this attitude as one of self-denial. She sees what she’s doing as too important to allow her personal feelings to ‘get in the way’. In fact, it isn’t much of a stretch to guess that she is (intentionally or not) martyring herself to ‘the cause’. The loss of her family and entire planet had to have had a HUGE impact on her psyche. Thus, she is dedicated to the point where her own life begins to mean less and less. And that isn’t healthy. While this flaw may seem more ‘noble’ (and less ‘flaw-like’) than those of Luke’s it is still something Leia must overcome- she must come to grips with her loss and allow herself to feel again- to care about some-ONE, not just about a cause. She must allow herself to have a life, even if she is guilty that the people of Alderaan lost theirs.

Han
He is arrogant, overconfident and self-centered. These traits make him a very interesting character- though especially frustrating to ‘dedicated’ people like Leia. Han’s Mercenary streak is, however, a façade. This is quickly proved in the first movie and continues to be disproved in the others. Much like Leia, Han Solo has been ‘hurt’ in his past and puts forth an attitude of casual indifference in an attempt to shield himself from further hurt. His dream of becoming a fighter pilot was dashed, and so he now pretends that things ‘don't matter’, because he doesn’t want anything to matter enough to hurt him if he lost it. Again, like Leia, Han has to overcome this fear of loss and be willing to commit himself to something bigger than himself- in this case it is both ‘the cause’ of the Rebellion and his love of Leia.

So right there, you see what I’m talking about. None of these characters are perfect, and it is those imperfections that make them interesting. That having been said, I feel that a lot of characterization- particularly in recent decades, has swung much too far into the ‘flawed’ end of the spectrum. You look at comics, TV series and movies and you find characters who aren’t ‘accentuated’ by their flaws. They are defined by them. In short, I think there is a trend to ‘go too far’, in the flaws category. And this is (in my opinion) just as dangerous as a lack of flaws.

I blame a lot of this trend on comics and the seeming need of many writers to turn everything ‘gritty and dark’- likely in an effort to make comics seem more real. But I would argue that by turning every ‘hero’ into an ‘anti-hero’, you are making something just as ‘unreal’ as a world with squeaky clean characters. For an example of this, look at just about anything Frank Miller produces. There are NO good people in any of his stories. The ‘heroes’ are mostly socipathic jerks (Batman), the women are whores (take your pick), normal people are completely self-centered and moronic. NOBODY has any redeeming qualities. Or rather, not enough to outweigh the overwhelming ‘grit’ of everyone else. Yes, there are jerks galore in the real world. There are even some evil people. But it has been my experience that quite a few people are nice. And a surprising number are even reasonably well-balanced.

Is it too much to want to have a character you can actually like? Looking at most recent dramatic TV shows, the answer seems to be yes. Take the show ‘Rescue Me’ for instance. I wanted to like this show. I enjoyed the humor of the first few episodes- I even enjoyed the drama. But very quickly, every character in the show descended into the ‘gritty’ realm of being a complete jerk. Pretty soon I couldn’t like or even relate to any of them.

It was much the same for the Battlestar Galactica series. One by one, all the characters I liked ‘let me down’ for one reason or another- and then continued to do so. After a time, it just felt to me like the writers were doing so just for the sake of generating drama. But to me it felt forced. Yes, I understand characters can change, especially under dire circumstances. But is it too much to hope that some ‘core’ of a character can continue throughout a series? That the person you grew to like at the beginning can retain some element of that and not just slowly descent into a morass of (dramatic) crap? To me, a character retaining some of their ‘essence’ is much more realistic than someone who’s actions change at the whim of whatever script is being produced that week. I will say, however, that one character in BSG did NOT let me down- at least not until the final episode. Commander Adama was awesome- and a rock. In fact, he was a showcase for what I am talking about. His attitudes towards cylons changed radically throughout the show- from mortal enemies to (ultimately) allies and even friends. But that never changed WHO HE WAS. He always retained that ‘core’. Contrast that with Chief Tyrol. He began as a very solidly grounded guy- a hard-working ‘everyman’, but by the end of the series, he was a violently impulsive jerk. Yes, I realize he went through quite a bit, but there was so little left of that original person that he didn’t even LOOK the same at the end.

In any case, I’m rambling now (or ranting), so I’ll stop and summarize.

Character flaws are great. They are great in movies, books and games. Every character should have one (or more)- and probably will, even if the PLAYER doesn’t realize it. Flawless characters are dull and uninteresting. But at the same time, it is possible to go too far and turn a character into a completely unsympathetic jerk by playing him too dark and gritty. So develop those flaws, just don’t overdo them.

Descent into Nostalgia, Part Deux

2011-05-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

After School Cartoons were a ‘constant’ in my growing up- and another ‘tradition’ that has fallen to the wayside in the on-demand world of modern entertainment. Again, don’t get me wrong. I LOVE the accessibility of modern entertainment. This post isn’t the lament the way society has changed. Rather, it is to celebrate the unique perspective my generation had on cartoon entertainment.

Much like Saturday Morning cartoons, after school shows were something to look forward to. In the earliest days (the late 70’s, early 80’s), most of these cartoons consisted of re-runs of looney toons. These were awesome, of course, but in the early 80’s, a whole slew of purpose-made after-school cartoons emerged. Admittedly, most of these shows were little more than half-hour long animated commercials, but that didn’t stop them from being a lot of fun. So, without further ado, here is my (relatively) short list of after-school cartoons. As with all things on this blog, I will endeavor to relate the cartoons to Star Wars in some way (for indeed they did give me quite a few gaming ideas over the year).

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

Another in a long line of Filmation-Brand animated series. By the time this one rolled around, I was getting pretty sick of the same canned ‘rotoscope’ animations, the same sound-effects and the stilted public service announcement message crammed into the end of each episode. The stories and characters were simplistic at best and downright goofy at worst. Don’t even get me started on Prince Adam and his pink outfit. Seriously? Seriously?! The toys associated with this show also never really appealed to me. They were all just a bit too goofy for me- and their odd size (much larger than contemporary action figures) made them seem more like...well, dolls.

All that having been said, there was and is something appealing about the WORLD of He-Man- a gonzo combination of magic and science. You have guys with laser guns fighting barbarians riding giant sabre-toothed cats. THAT part I always liked. I could see a whole mini-campaign in Star Wars set on a world like Eternia- just replace ‘Magic’ with The Force and there you go. Though, you’d have to do away with the whole ‘magic transformation thing with He-Man himself- but I don’t have a problem with that. Never liked that whole concept. Skeletor would make a pretty good Dark Force user type, the Sorceress would be a good Light Side user. Yep, lots of potential- say a world far out in the ‘unknown regions’ or even isolated in a densely packed and unexplored star cluster. All the ‘high-tech’ of the Eternians would work just fine- I mean, they had never developed starflight in the show, either.

Oh, and I would also lump She-Ra into this discussion- it was the same show for the most part, only with more toys that had hair you could brush. Err.. Not that I ever did. Ahem.. right. So. Moving on!

Thundercats

The animation on this series was just plain awesome. It was the kind of ‘anime’ I like- lots of dynamic movement and action with characters who have ‘normal’ proportions for the most part and who don’t suddenly get all ‘cartoony’ for ‘comic’ effect. I’m sure some folks would argue it isn’t ‘anime’ at all, but whatever. It was certainly NOT traditional western animation. As with Masters of the Universe, I never got into the toys associated with the series, just the Cartoon itself. Heck, I watched re-runs into my teens.

While the storylines in Thundercats could occasionally be just as goofy as anything He-Man might throw at you, the appeal of the visual style was undeniable. So what if it had ‘Snarf’ when all the other characters just looked so cool. I mean, who didn’t think Panthro was a badass? Who didn’t think Cheetara was hot? Just me? Oh, well.. moving on again.

As with He-Man, the “Third Earth” of the Thundercats could easily exist in a Star Wars setting- home of a species of exiled feline-humanoids battling against what amounts to a group of mutant space-pirates. What really sets the setting apart from Masters of the Universe is the fact that, at some point at least, both the Thundercats and their mutant enemies had space travel. The easiest way to explain this is to have both mutant and thundercat species ‘trapped’ on the planet, having crashed there years ago. There would be a number of native species (though I would just as soon the ‘Ro-Bears’ didn’t exist, bleh). Mum-Raa could easily be the lich-like remains of an evil Force user who at one point nearly destroyed the planet. He could be awakened by the arrival of new species on his world and seek to rise to power once more. Again, lots of fodder there for a mini campaign, with heroes stumbling upon the world and resolving to aid the Thundercats in their struggle.

GI Joe

When I think after-school cartoons, this is what first comes to my mind. GI JOE- A Real American Hero. I already mentioned the blatant commercialism involved in all these series, but GI Joe was really a showcase of that- and it actually worked on me. I owned quite a few figures and vehicles in my day. It helped a lot in my mind that they were the same scale as Star Wars figures. Thus, they weren’t ‘another line’ of toys, they were toys that expanded my current collection. The bases I built out in the yard quickly became a mish-mash of Star Wars and GI Joe, with a fair amount of Fisher Price “Adventure People” thrown in for good measure.

But I digress. The GI Joe Cartoon itself was pretty darn hokey when you get right down to it. I mean here were all these lasers flying all over the place. Missiles blowing up planes. Bombs destroying entire bases- and nobody ever got hurt or killed? Yep, well. Whatever. The point was- it HAD lasers, and jets, and tanks and all kinds of other cool stuff going on. It was enough for me at least to set aside all the silly elements and just enjoy some action (even if it was ‘kiddified’ action. Also, the public service announcement portion of the show was just that- a separate little message tacked onto the end of the cartoon. This meant that the cartoon episodes themselves could be about pretty much ANYTHING. They didn't’ have to have an overriding ‘message’ to them- unlike He-Man (for instance) where the whole episode was geared around teaching a particular life lesson. To me, it made the shows more entertaining and less stilted.

While I say that I enjoyed the gunfights and vehicles in this show, it was really the characters who I enjoyed the most. That’s what set GI Joe apart from other shows of its ilk- instead of a steady cast of 4-6 ‘regulars’, they had an ever-expanding supporting cast. And from this cast, they would switch focus every few episodes to a new group. Duke, Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Flint, Shipwreck, Snake-Eyes, Roadblock- heck, even a lot of the supporting characters got their chance to shine. Of course, some of that I could have done without. Alpine and Bazooka, for instance. This ‘comic’ duo was just downright annoying. I mean, seriously- how stupid WAS Bazooka. Yeesh. Thankfully, annoyances like that were overshadowed by characters I DID like. Flint was my favorite Joe guy (followed closely by Snake Eyes- who was MUCH cooler in the comics than the TV show) and Lady Jaye was by far the most awesome female Joe.

The Villains of GI Joe were quite memorable as well- though portrayed (ultimately) as idiots. Still, they all had interesting ‘hooks’- and would make great NPC villains in most games. You had the stereotypical megalomaniacal Cobra Commander; the plotting Destro with his distinctive iron-mask; the femme-fatale Baroness; the chameleon-like Zartan; and so on into the even more silly Tomax and Xamot and the incredibly silly “Dr. Mindbender” and “Serpentor”.

And then you have the stories. As mentioned above, GI Joe stories were universally goofy, but wow did they cover a lot of ground. Many were simply ‘Cobra’s Super-Weapon of the week’, but there were some truly bizarre ones mixed in there as well- like the time Lady Jaye was tricked into visiting the Scottish estate of her remote family- only to discover that she was actually related to Destro and that HIS part of the family evidently worshipped Cthulu in their basement. Yeah. Look that one up. Oh, and the time where some of the Joes got sent into an alternate future where Cobra had won- and eventually decided to STAY in that dimension to help (this was how they ‘weeded out’ a lot of the old/original joes in favor of the new/flashy ones). And who can forget the multi-episode ‘epics’ that usually revolved around some ‘artifact’ that is in several pieces and both Joes and Cobra have to race to find them all. I have used this particular structure in more than one of my own adventures.

As you can see from all of the gushing above, I was a fan of the show. Indeed, I have used names and even characterizations from it in various RPGs. One of my favorite sub-hobbies is ‘translating’ the JOE team into various settings/game systems. GI Joe in Twilight 2000? Yep. Done it. GI Joe in Battletech? Yep. GI Joe in Dark Conspiracy? Yep. GI Joe in Star Wars? Yep, done that, too. They exist as a ‘cell’ of the Rebel alliance, an elite, self-contained unit with their own distinctive vehicles and equipment. Likewise, the villains of the series could fit in QUITE well in a Star Wars setting, even if a “Cobra” organization doesn’t exist. Destro the Arms Dealer works great- even better with the Baroness as his agent. Zartan could be a REAL shapeshifter and Serpentor…well, he’s still kind of goofy, but I think you get the point.

So yeah. Yo Joe!

Transformers

I’m tempted to lump this in with GI Joe, as the cartoons were produced simultaneously by the same companies. They share a lot of similarities in their structure (lots of characters, gonzo storylines, etc.). I was never into the Transformers as toys, but I did enjoy the cartoons well enough. Oddly enough, they seemed to be set in an ‘alternate future’ Earth- and equally odd was the fact that despite all the horrific combats going on, most episodes had little or no involvement with the government/military forces of humanity. The Autobots were almost ALWAYS the ‘only’ response to Decepticon aggression. Very odd.

After a couple years, the focus of the stories seemed to shift from earth to other planets, what with the addition of the world-devouring Unicron in ‘Transformers The Movie’. Indeed, this movie (despite being incredibly hokey) was quite memorable. First of all, it had that awesome song (“You’ve got the Touch!”), then it had characters die. And I mean a LOT of characters. Seriously, I think they killed every single original autobot. THAT was certainly memorable in a day and age where NOBODY every got hurt in cartoons. But more interesting to geeks like me was the after-school episode in which the Decepticons hire a human ‘strategic advisor’ to help them in their battles with the Autobots. This advisor (portrayed as an ancient man in a mask who speaks with a lisping accent), is revealed at the end of the episode to be none-other than Cobra Commander, himself. So it seems that the Autobots were actually set in the same universe as the Joes. Neat, huh? Well, I think so, anyway.

In any case, I find the Transformers to be a lot less…transformable into a Star Wars setting than any of the other cartoons mentioned in this post. I suppose you could have a race of sentient machines (droids), but it just wouldn’t be all that extraordinary. And if you had them ‘transform’ into various things it would just seem…hokey to me. Even so, thinking back on it I would have to say that a Unicron-like planet-devouring machine would be an AWESOME superweapon to use in a Star Wars campaign- though I’d steer away from it being a ‘current’ invention (as it would rather upstage the Death Star). Rather, I’d see it as an ancient machine built by a long-dead (or lost) race. Perhaps it wanders into the known galaxy. The Empire tries to sieze it for their own use. The Rebellion tries to destroy it (or at the very least prevent the Empire from getting it). Yeah, that does have possibilities.

I’ll stop there. I could reminisce for hours on this kind of stuff, but I think I’ve said the core of what I wanted. As goofy as cartoons of the day were, they left me with some great ideas and inspiration for my own imagination and gaming.

Love Triangle

2011-04-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

All this talk about ‘alternate histories’ for Star Wars has gotten me thinking about all the stuff I would have changed or omitted if I had been the one writing the Star Wars movies. This isn’t to say at all that I think I’m some great writer or scripting genius- or that MY version is more compelling. Rather, these musings are just how I would have liked to have seen things go. So I preface this post with this: this is all subjective and stuff I would probably NEVER do in a Star Wars gaming universe. Truth be told, I stick pretty darn close to everything we see in the movies. So this is just an exploration of ‘what if’.

In particular, I am going to talk about the relationship between the three main heroes of the Saga: Luke, Leia and Han. Having grown up with the original movies, I distinctly remember going through ‘stages’ with each movie’s release. In the first movie, for instance, I was seven years old. I recognized Luke as the Hero and Leia (as the Princess) would be his love interest. I mean. That’s how fairytales go, right? I never really thought past that.

The novel “Splinter of the Minds Eye” (which came out shortly after Episode IV), reinforced this perception, hinting at a growing romance between Luke and Leia. The marvel comics of the period likewise hinted at this- though there was a fair bit of spark going on between Leia and Han as well. In fact, it was the comics that first really established the ‘Love Triangle’ dynamic between the three heroes.

I was ten when the second movie came out and going into it, I was still very much in the same mindset. The fact that Han Solo and Leia ‘connected’ in that movie threw me for a loop. Heck, the whole movie threw me for a loop. Luke, the Hero, was failing at his training and now was losing his girl!? What kind of a fairytale was this? I have to admit, it bothered me a little at the time. But at the same time, I found the unlikely romance between Leia and Han to be interesting and even ‘meaningful’.

By the time Return of the Jedi came out, I was thirteen and much more sophisticated (heh, right). I had ‘made peace’ with the fact that Han and Leia were destined to be together. In fact, it felt ‘right’ to me. But then another curve ball was thrown into the situation. Suddenly we find that Leia is Luke’s sister. That revelation…just never really sat well with me. Though George Lucas CLAIMS that he had ‘planned this all along’, I think that the earlier movies proved that no, he didn’t. Or that if he did, then…creepy. I mean, Luke and Leia kiss several times. Blech.

And then there was the fact that Ben said NOTHING about this relationship, even though he knew Luke and Leia were going to meet. Hell, it didn’t take a mind-reader to see that Luke was infatuated with the princess and that MIGHT grow into something more if it was not ‘checked’. And Ben Kenobi WAS a mind-reader. He could have taken SOME steps to prevent any ‘mis-steps’ on Luke’s part, even if he didn’t do the full reveal of Luke’s parentage. Hell, even some kind of ‘subliminal’ message to ‘not go there’. But no, he said nothing, even though he had the opportunity before and after he died. And in retrospect, that’s just messed up.

The truth of the matter seems to be that Lucas needed a motivation for Vader to use to goad Luke into attacking him. For some reason, Lucas came to the conclusion that the only way this could be done was by having Leia be Luke’s sister. I think that is what bothered me most- the fact that there had to be a familial tie between Luke and Leia for him to have ‘motivation’ to defend her. It was unnecessary.

After all the heroes had been through together, I think it was clear that Luke DID love Leia. Sister or not, he cared about her. And whether he was ‘in a relationship’ with her or not, that didn’t change. So what I’m saying is that the whole ‘sibling’ angle was not needed to give Luke motivation. Likewise, I don’t think it was needed to ‘smooth over’ the relationship between Han and Leia by eliminating Luke as a potential rival. The love triangle made for a much more interesting character dynamic in my opinion and I felt that Return of the Jedi just hamfistedly ‘solved’ that situation by the whole sibling thing.

So what would have changed if Luke and Leia were NOT siblings? Well, not much, really. Sure, there would have had to have been an explanation as to why Leia seemed to have latent Force powers, but is it really that difficult to believe that someone NOT related to Anakin could just have them? No. The Jedi didn’t ‘breed’ force Sensitive children, they found them in families across the Galaxy. Leia could have just been one of the ‘new generation’ of Force Sensitive people. In my opinion, this revelation wouldn’t have been any more ‘jarring’ than the whole “Luke and Leia are siblings thing.

Would Leia have still wound up with Han? Yep. To me at least, even before the sibling thing was revealed, it became clear that these two characters ‘clicked’. Would it have been a little sad for Luke that Leia had chosen Han over him? Yes, it would have. But I think it would have also pointed out how strong the bonds of friendship are. Luke, Leia and Han ‘loved’ each other as friends and I don’t think that a relationship between Han and Leia would have changed that.

In short (too late), I liked the love triangle that existed in Episodes IV and V and I didn’t like the way it was ‘resolved’ in Episode VI. I still believe it was clumsy and unnecessary.

The Spice Mines of Kessel

2011-04-21T05:57:00.001-07:00

...That is where I am toiling this week. Sorry for the lack of posts. Hopefully I won't get eaten by an energy spider before I can escape. Hope to return to normal soon.

Kenobi's Plan

2011-04-14T07:22:00.001-07:00

So, in posing my question yesterday about why nobody changed Luke’s last name when he went into ‘hiding’ as a baby, I got to thinking about the implications of that and just what Kenobi might have been thinking. Just what WAS his plan in regards to Luke?

All of the following is just assumption and guesswork on my part, as I don’t recall there being an ‘official’ story describing what ‘the plan’ was (or if there was, I missed it). That having been said, it seems to me that Kenobi did have some kind of plan in mind when he first took Luke away to live on Tatooine. Part of the plan was to make sure Luke was isolated and difficult to find for any Imperial or Sith agents who might be sniffing about. In such a backwater as Tatooine, I can kind of see this. But since the planet evidently WAS part of the Empire, I still question the fact they didn’t change Luke’s last name.

Another part of Kenobi’s plan may very well have been to give Luke some modicum of a ‘normal’ life by giving him to his Aunt and Uncle to raise- to give him some amount of ‘joy’. And from all accounts (boredom aside), Luke seemed to have an okay life with his Aunt and Uncle. It seemed to be a ‘stable’ home, and despite the gruffness of Owen, Luke was clearly cared for. Of course, having been raised within the Jedi, I wonder why Kenobi would give Luke a ‘normal’ upbringing like this and not raise him, himself- training him from childhood. Perhaps Kenobi thought that he might be hunted down by Imperial agents and didn’t want to risk the boy being captured, too. That’s possible- indeed plausible. I’m not entirely sure that Kenobi would see the value in a ‘normal’ upbringing, however. Indeed, the Jedi of the era seemed to see familial attachments as a problem and a source of potential Dark Side corruption. So in the end, I’m thinking Kenobi’s reasoning for giving Luke to his Aunt and Uncle was a pragmatic one.

But in the end, Kenobi knew that Luke would grow to maturity- and that he would likely be powerful in the Force. The question remains, then, what he intended to do once Luke reached adulthood. I am of the opinion that Kenobi (at least originally) intended to train Luke, to shape him into a weapon to use against Vader and the Emperor. But judging from the fact that Kenobi made no attempt to start Luke’s training at an early age (i.e. as a “youngling”), I’m thinking that somewhere along the line, Kenobi lost heart. Perhaps he grew tired and resigned to his fate. As he saw Luke growing up, he just didn’t have the heart to intrude on his simple life- didn’t have the heart to expose the young man to his true destiny and the dangers around it. Of course, another part of this could be that Kenobi might not have trusted Luke to ‘do the right thing’. Afterall, he was Anakin’s son. And indeed, when you look at the movies you can see many of the same traits between father and son- most notably their impetuous nature. Having been ‘burned’ by Anakin, perhaps Kenobi was afraid to try again with Luke. Then, of course, there was the Influence of Luke’s Uncle- who probably fought against Kenobi trying to train his nephew at all. So maybe Kenobi had just resigned himself that Luke would become a simple farmer.

The initial encounter between Luke and Kenobi in the original movie (Episode IV), was rather ambiguous. Kenobi talks about the ‘old days’ and about Luke’s father, but clearly misleads Luke by painting Vader as a completely different person. To me, this is rather telling. It seemed to suggest that Kenobi did not plan to tell Luke the truth about his father- at least not at first. It makes me wonder WHEN he did intend to tell Luke? After his training? Or after he killed Vader. This holding back of information says to me that Kenobi did NOT trust Luke entirely. And once again, it paints the Jedi in an odd, not so noble, light. But at this point they could (perhaps) be forgiven. Considering what happened to them, and HOW it happened, they had justification to be wary of a Skywalker.

In any case, once Kenobi heard of the plea of Leia to come to her aid, I believe something was rekindled in him. That is why he asked Luke to come along. Well, that and the fact he knew he would need help. So at this point, Kenobi’s plan of training Luke suddenly comes back to life- a little late, perhaps, but better late than never.

Onboard the Death Star, in Kenobi’s duel with Darth Vader, we see something happen that could be taken as a very devious thing. Kenobi allows himself to be struck down by Vader- and does so when he is certain that Luke is watching. That whole speech about “I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine” could have been in reference to something other than Kenobi’s continued existence as a ‘Force Spirit’. Rather, by ‘setting up’ this scene, Kenobi helps to ensure that Luke HATES Vader and sees him as a monster who killed his mentor. This is a powerful impression, and one that drives Luke for the following years as he fights against the Empire.

Being “dead” now, Kenobi has to alter his plan. He won’t be able to train Luke, so he (eventually) sends him off to find Yoda. If anything, however, Yoda seems even MORE resigned and wary than Kenobi. He tries to refuse Luke as a student, despite pleas from Luke and Kenobi’s spirit. And when he finally agrees to take Luke on, Yoda remains wary and highly critical. Again, I think we see mistrust here on the part of Yoda. He knows all about Luke’s father and sees a lot of the same traits- many of which are only intensified by the training. And again, there is a conspiracy here to keep Luke in the dark about the true identity of Vader. And it is even more ‘insidious’ in that Yoda and Ben both really DO seem to be manipulating Luke into killing his father without his knowing the truth.

Eventually, the whole ‘plan’ is revealed to Luke- by Vader no less. Not only must Luke deal with the trauma of finding out the monster he hates is his father, he must come to grips with the fact that Kenobi LIED to him and Yoda just ‘forgot to mention’ the truth. At this point, were I Luke, I’d be feeling more than a little betrayed. Kenobi and Yoda both seem to try and explain away what they were doing, but neither explanation really rang true to me. When you boil it down, they WERE trying to manipulate Luke. They didn’t really trust him to do what was right. From a story perspective, its actually quite empowering to Luke’s character. Here you have the Jedi on one side, trying to force him into killing his fater. You have Vader on the other side, trying to force him into joining “The Dark Side”. And in the middle, you have Luke, who comes up with a third solution- the redemption of his father through an act of faith in the bonds of love. Not only did Luke prove his ability ‘to do what is right’, he actually exceeded what his masters AND enemy thought he was capable of. Go Luke!

So anyway, that’s my take on the matter. What do you think?

Why did they...

2011-04-13T11:23:00.001-07:00

Here is an issue that I've always wondered about- or rather, that I've wondered about ever since I was old enough (and geeky enough) to really THINK about the Star Wars movies and not just experience them. What question? Why, this one:

If Kenobi and Bail Organa were trying to hide Luke Skywalker's existence from his father (Vader), why did they allow him to keep the surname "Skywalker". And for that matter, why did they take him back to Tatooine to live with his Aunt and Uncle- who were known to exist by Vader. I understand how remote Tatooine was, but wasn't this taking an unnecessary risk? I mean, unless the name "Skywalker" was like "Smith" or "Jones" in the Star Wars universe, couldn't that name have set off flags if were ever discovered? Even if nobody knew that Vader WAS Anakin Skywalker, couldn't the name itself have aroused suspicion. Wasn't the Emperor's 'Inquisition' searching for hiding Jedi or even Jedi bloodlines? Certainly the name Skywalker might have stood out. Even if the chances of Luke's name being discovered were REMOTE (perhaps he and the Lars weren't registered Imperial citizens?), NOT changing the name still seems like a mistake.

You know, come to think of it, maybe that was another reason why Owen Lars stopped Luke from sending off his application to the academy. Maybe he knew the name WAS a liability. I'd like to think that the Lars were (before their deaths) on the verge of "spilling the beans" to Luke about his name and heritage- including the dark parts of it. Afterall, if a "Luke Skywalker from Tatooine" suddenly applied for the Imperial military, some warning flags might have been tripped.

But then "Luke Lars" isn't a particularly heroic sounding name. So...

Anyway, it was just a question I've always wondered about.