seneschal

Which is why self-driving vehicles are a really, really bad idea.

U.S. printers can’t handle hardbacks for a reasonable price? At least now I understand why the Australians are getting their games first. They’re physically a lot a closer to the printers. Nothing against Aussies, especially the cutie who was explaining how to play Call of Cthulhu. How long will it take for her to arrive in the States?

Not intending any snark here, but is there no one within Western civilization who can print and bind books at an affordable rate? I mean, we already depend on the Chinese for essential military parts, Christmas toys and decorations, and national flags. Now we depend on them for reading material, too? They can shut down our military and cancel Christmas at a whim — and they control our gaming! How many Chinese Runequest, Pendragon and Cthulhu fanatics have we created? 😱

Daimajin, stone giant warrior of wrath. Fits the Mythras/Runequest vibe perfectly.

Greeks vs Aztecs ... on Monster Island!

I'll have to do some noodling on these. Both Spectre and Fate are classic long-running characters from the Forties worthy of write-ups. But their powers are so broad and vast they'd be hard to represent with game mechanics. By comparison, 1940 Superman is fairly easy to quantify: strong, tough, fast, flies, has enhanced senses. Kent "Doctor Fate" Nelson possesses all of these (and immortality) before he dons the Helmet of Nabu. With his headgear, he's practically a mystical Swiss Army knife. You could divide his powers among the members of a super team and call them the Hex Men. Likewise, The Spectre isn't merely a scary guy who dishes out punishment to people who deserve it (that would be The Shadow or The Spirit). He's the official, licensed Wrath of God (from a time when it was OK to acknowledge the Judeo-Christian God and His ultimate divine authority). I mean, we've seen him as a celestial giant physically (metaphysically?) holding Earth 1 and Earth 2 apart to prevent their destruction. How do you write up a guy like that? The Vision is much more doable. Interestingly, he's one of those characters that made his debut around the same time as a competing publisher's hero who possesses similar abilities. Both Vision and the Martian Manhunter are lonely (and bald and green) outsiders who are super strong, can fly, and can become intangible. Both are members and sometime leaders of their respective publishers' top super team. Maybe they could meet up after hours and form a support group. Don't know about The Crow. I'm not much into grim, dark, tragic, angst-filled superheroes. Hence, all the Batman '66 write-ups. The Shadow and The Spider were grim and dark, but they didn't feel guilty about it, never apologized for anything, never sought psychiatric help. Sorry, Crow, Punisher, Logan, heh, even Batman. You guys are Johnny-Come-Latelys. Dang it, just go ahead and kill The Joker, Doctor Doom and Deathstroke, enjoy a romantic dinner with your honey, then go home to an untroubled night's sleep. You just saved the citizenry untold suffering and misery as well as thousands, if not millions, of tax dollars.

I was perfectly happy with Windows 98 ....

It isn’t an RPG but Osprey publishing’s “A Fistful of Kung Fu” is a skirmish game with roleplaying elements that screams “Big Trouble,” especially when you see the miniatures for it.

After watching too many cube square law videos and calculating conflicting sums, I guesstimate that a consistently 24-foot Kong would have a mass of about 16 tons. That’s based on an average 6-foot gorrila weighing 500 pounds. Kong would be four times stronger than his smaller cousins (at four times the size) but 64 times the mass. It seems a bit excessive — the other result I kept getting was 3 tons, 12 times the mass. Despite being a Hero System fan, the math was confusing to me. If we downsize Kong to his originally intended 18 feet tall, he is 3x bigger than a regular ape, 2 and a half times as strong, 27x mass — just under 7 tons (6.75). This is the size he appears to be while chained up on that doomed Broadway stage. Found my own old write-up here: Given our recent calculations, Kong’s SIZ should have been 64. I’d raise his INT to 8 or 10.

I agree. The original 1933 King Kong is still the best. And the movie monsters of the Twenties through the Fifties are perfectly suited for horror and adventure scenarios. In fact, some of the best ideas come from Grade Z films. In role-playing you have an unlimited special effects budget. To stat up 1933 Kong we still need to decide how big he is. Animator Willis O’Brien intended the ape to be 18 feet tall, almost double the size of the largest known prehistoric gorilla, but increased Kong to 24-25 feet tall in the urban scenes to make him more impressive against modern skyscrapers. Fine. Except the producer varied King Kong’s actual size throughout the film to make him as scary as possible in every scene. So he ranged up to 40 feet tall, the arm that reached through the bedroom window to seize Ann Darrow was that of a 70-foot gorilla, and RKO publicity papers set Kong’s height at 50 feet. Yow! At least Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake kept Kong at a consistent 25 feet tall.

Hmmm. Well, Shi Godzilla and the Legendary Pictures version of Kong have already kind of gone there. Let me think. The Elder Gods’ whole schtick is that they are mysterious and unknowable as well as disgustingly powerful and dangerous. Humans can’t comprehend them, can’t determine their goals or motives, can’t communicate with them. Azathoth, their chief, is mindless. Godzilla was like this in his early movies — an unstoppable and unpredictable engine of destruction. But King Kong and Godzilla are more fun when they aren’t merely massive destructive beasts, when they show personality. Both of them fight other monsters and smash buildings not only to survive in a harsh world but because they enjoy it. Kong is a sucker for a pretty face and will pursue his favorite across continents. Godzilla has allies and enemies among the monster population and is a bit of a bully. His 1990s incarnation actually smirked when he thought he’d blown away Mothra’s hatchlings only to roar in pain and chagrin when they latched onto his tail. In contrast, do we have any idea what Cthulhu wants or enjoys? It is the difference between the monster being a symbol or impersonal event or the monster being a character, however unpleasant. Which is scarier? An entity that kills you because you just happened to be in the way, or a monster that hunts you specifically because you displeased it somehow? Stats for Godzilla here (2 write-ups):

So, you introduced the equivalent of The Joker or Marvel’s Loki as a PC in your fantasy game? What could possibly go wrong? What about modeling a kinder, gentler trickster — Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Brer Rabbit, Turtle from African folktales. Annoying and selfish, yes, but they didn’t kill anyone. Except maybe Daffy Duck ... multiple times. 🤨

I think it would make Atgxtg’s back saur, I mean sore.

Whee! Can I ride on your shoulders? We can charge, er, I mean, stroll casually into battle together. It’ll be epic! 😃

Because no one asked for it (but should have): King Tut aka The Pharoah Source: Batman, 20th Century Fox Television, 1966 Quote: “I am Tut, Master of Thebes, King of the Nile, Moon God of Thoth! And that’s just on Momma’s side of the family. I must proclaim my reincarnation to the faithful. Hand me the telephone.” Gentle, bulky William McElroy was a beloved and respected professor of Egyptology at Yale University until a blow to the head during a student riot unleashed an arrogant, aggressive alternate personality. As King Tut, the middle-aged academic believed himself to be the boy king of ancient Egypt and his current urban location the capital of Thebes. He immediately gathered a small band of loyal followers and set about to re-establish his rightful rule by any means necessary. Tut broadcast threats from a faux idol he set up in a public park. He kidnapped prominent and/or wealthy citizens and demanded ransom or favors for their safe return. He even re-created an obscure Mesopotamian drug, intending to place the entire population under his hypnotic control. King Tut was defeated following each outrage and, after treatment, returned to his teaching duties. Inevitably, however, the accident-prone professor suffered additional head injuries and returned to a life of crime. Clever and cruel, King Tut is a bombastic tyrant given to wild mood swings. He can shift from towering rage to weepy sentimentality to quivering cowardice within moments. Tut is a committed theme villain, dressing in voluminous colorful Hollywood epic robes, maintaining pet crocodiles, keeping a variety of supposedly authentic torture devices at hand, attempting to steal rare artifacts from prominent museums. King Tut retains the professor’s encyclopedic knowledge of the ancient world and is skilled in forgotten magical and medicinal arts. Unlike many Batman villains, he isn’t a gadget hound. His tools tend to be mundane ones dressed up in gold paint and Egyptian motifs. His heavy scepter makes a handy club, and he’s reasonably competent with a khopesh. However, he’s a coward in a fight, hiding behind his followers unless he can sneak in a low blow. Tut’s emotionalism and lack of physical bravery might cause some adventurers to underestimate him. However, he is smart enough to have discovered Batman’s secret identity twice, losing the knowledge when he reverted to his William McElroy personality. Despite his tendency to be a bully, King Tut is also quite persuasive, able to convince both former students and goons-for-hire to eagerly support his cause. Tut always has four or five minions, a rotating group of specialists for whatever his current scheme is. One of these is always a svelte “queen” half his age, an attractive girl who acts as a spy as well as arm candy. King Tut requires his henchmen to dress in costumes worthy of a 1950s biblical movie and to adopt Egyptian names and an archaic speaking style. As long as they pay him proper homage, he’ surprisingly lenient with them but is ever jealous of his girlfriend’s attentions. (“It isn’t every young girl who gets to wrap her arms around the King!”) William McElroy is a tall (6’4”) Caucasian man of considerable girth with thinning brown hair. He sports a longish chin beard, wears conservative suits, and exudes an air of Teddy bear shyness that some female students find appealing, much to his embarrassment. Since his first few transformations, McElroy has taken the precaution of wearing a reinforced bowler hat in a vain attempt to prevent them. King Tut isn’t shy at all and takes full advantage of his perceived attractiveness. He hides his bald spot beneath ornate helmets and headdresses, and his boosted confidence actually makes him smarter and better looking. King Tut was created specifically for the 1966 Batman TV show, appearing in all three seasons and more often than any foe except the main four (Joker, Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman). He appeared in the comics and in animation belatedly because Fox Television held the rights to the character. Sadly, Victor Buono, the actor who portrayed King Tut, died at age 43 in 1982 of health problems related to his size. He was only 28 at the time he played the role, although he appeared older. STR 11 CON 8 SIZ 16 INT 17/21 POW 10 DEX 13 APP 9/13 Hits: 24 (CON+SIZ) Damage Bonus: +1d4 Move: 10 Armor: 2 kinetic (headdress and voluminous robes) Attacks: Brawl 25%, 1d3+1d4; Khopesh 30%, 1d6+1d4; Scepter 45%, 1d6+1d4 Skills: Command 72%, Drive 40%, Fine Manipulation 42%, Hide 47%, Knowledge (Egyptology) 72%, Language (English) 85%, Language (Ancient Egyptian) 57%, Listen 30%, Parry (with khopesh) 30%, Persuade 72%, Medicine 45%, Research 62%, Science (Pharmacology) 42%, Spot 30%, Status 52%, Stealth 47%, Teach 77% Powers: Super Characteristics +4 INT (12) and +4 APP (4); Regeneration 10 levels (30); Extra Energy +50 (5), total 60 Failings: Wild mood swings (+3), Super identity must be activated and in an obvious manner (by being bashed in the head, +2), Hunted by the police (+2) Notes: As a supervillain, King Tut had 500 skill points plus 170 personal skill points based on INTx10. He had 84 super power build points based on his randomly rolled unmodified characteristics plus 7 more for Failings, total 91. He spent 51 power points, holding 40 in reserve for whatever his next scheme is. His Regeneration power represents his ability to survive and recover from repeated head trauma.

That's why ancient warriors had their shield bearers march in front of them. Persian bearers protected their comrades with giant mats of straw intended to soak up missile barrages. Goliath of Gath had his shield bearer precede him when he went to fight David (and we know how that turned out).

Now my head hurts! 😵 I prefer simple tactical movement systems. "Your character moves X hexes per combat round, period. You can move half of that and still attack."

Such games were my gateway to roleplaying — Melee, Wizard, Sticks and Stones, Warpwar, Rivets, and others. They were inexpensive, highly portable, had evocative cover art and (mostly) simple rules. A kid could save his allowance or lawn mowing money, pick up a game or three, slip them in a folder or backpack and play with friends anywhere. I think that’s something lost in today’s market of multi-volume full color hardback premium component gaming, even with the reintroduction of Jackson’s classics. The games that got me playing cost about $6-7 dollars, affordable and accessible. When I graduated to actual RPGs the Traveller boxed set was $12. Later, Champions 3rd edition was about $25, a stretch at the time but I was able to get it. Today a kid would have to invest $150 to play D&D 5th or $100 to play Cthulu 7th (because as owner of the rules of course he’s going to be the GM). Even as a working adult I can’t afford those kind of prices. I’ve read all sorts of discussions about the relative value of money but the bottom line is my teenage self could afford to become a gamer. If I was starting out today I couldn’t do it.

The discussion reminds me of the debate over the height of Goliath of Gath in the book of Samuel in the Old Testament. Traditionally he’s said to have been 9 feet 9 inches tall, unable to stand erect in my living room with an 8 foot ceiling. Some scholars say he was 6 feet 9 inches tall, equivalent to a modern basketball center and in the ancient world of 5 foot people still a pretty big guy. If your frost giants are the descendants of ancient starfarers that might explain both their stature (low gravity aboard ship) and their odd skin tones (different minerals in their hemoglobin).

I agree that the Quick-Start rules are the way to go, then

Hope folks enjoyed the film as much as I did.

I understand your concerns but don't make this campaign harder on yourself that it needs to be. You need to remember the options you chose as GM but can rely on your own brief hand-written notes. Since you've decided on a fairly realistic low-tech setting, you've already cut out a lot of the variations that might complicate the game. Your players don't need access to the Big Gold Book toolkit. They don't need to know how your weird effects, technology or critters work in game mechanics terms. Give them a generic BRP character sheet and a few suggested career options. Since your players are already familiar with Call of Cthulhu, you can have them create their characters with it and then tweak the results to suit your campaign. Whether you choose a sci-fi or historical game, you don't need to burden yourself with all the magic and power suites listed in the BGB, especially not at first. Go the Pendragon route and let NPC villains and monsters just do strange stuff without worrying about how it works. After all, your player-characters in a realistic setting won't be sorcerers or Thundarr the Barbarian style tech-wizards. They just have to deal with the environmental hazards of all kinds that you throw at them. Keep it basic and simple, especially at first. You can always add new things as the campaign progresses.

Depends on which rules variation you use. Armor usually subtracts X amount of damage, period. (E.g., Daffy Duck smirks that he’s wearing his disintegration -proof vest. Marvin the Martian fires his ray gun. Daffy crumbles to dust as vest, undamaged, hangs momentarily in mid- air then drops onto the dust pile.) However, there are optional rules for ablative armor where a shield or other protective gear gradually takes damage from use and must eventually be repaired or replaced. It depends on which way you as GM want it to work.

In passing I saw the thread title as “ Elvis vs Magic World.” The Southern Reaches face a cultural threat the likes of which no fantasy kingdom has ever seen!

I own the DVD. I’m a fan of classic silent movies, and the Society did an excellent job of filmmaking on a shoestring budget. If you didn’t know better you ‘d think “Call” was made in the Twenties.