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.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Top 10 Star Wars Super-Weapons
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.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Marvel Comics Star War: A long time ago... Volume 3
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...
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...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wisdom from the strangest of places...
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.
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.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Maturity
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Star Wars without War?
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.
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.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Star Wars Weekend
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 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.
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