seneschal

I'm sorry. Perhaps I misunderstood. You said you'd gotten good rolls and I assumed things were going well. After re-reading the Mutations list, I personally think Hands gives the effect you want best. Imitation gives temporary skill bonuses for faking animal traits, but then it wears off. Great for Animal Man, but not the character you envision. Hybrid would potentially give the character a Natural Weapon at major level but generally leaves characteristics and abilities unaffected. The Hands Mutation, on the other hand, would ensure that your character's feet are fully functional manipulative limbs, just like his original hands. No bonuses merely for having the Mutation, but you'd handle that by buying up his appropriate skills like Jump and Climb. Meanwhile, though, your character would be able to do things a normal human couldn't, like sit at the card table and shuffle the deck while also fixing himself a sandwich. Or cling to a skyscraper girder while punching an opponent with full strength (a regular Joe would have to hold on with one hand or risk falling off himself). Also, the Big Gold Book says your GM should work with you on the exact ramifications of your character's differences.

Thanks, by the way, for keeping us updated on your company's projects. We appreciate it.

Apes get iPads at National Zoo | Photo Gallery - Yahoo! News FYI, orangutans at the National Zoo are now provided with iPads so the poor dears won't be bored. Hmmmm. This is where our tax dollars and private donations are going .... On the other hand, playing around with that DoodlePad app may be how they began developing their engineering skills for their eventual takeover.

It has a license to drive! Glad you found a solution you like. Have fun with your campaign. Perhaps the airship requires a pilot with extra limbs (feet and tail) to fly it because of its ridiculously complicated manual controls. Good reason for the other PCs to protect "Monkey Boy." "I told you not to call me 'Monkey Boy!'"

"Dad, can I borrow the keys to the robot?"

I made my son read the book first before he went to the movie. He did (and enjoyed it), so I took him.

I usually introduce critters as the plot requires; never did the random encounter thing. Now, having an ecology worked out (with appropriate and varied creatures) for a setting you're planning to publish is a good thing. But as Mr. Jealousy has said, for your own personal use, you don't necessarily have to have it all figured out in advance. Unless the PCs are big game hunters, wildlife scientists, or zookeepers seeking new specimens, you only need enough monsters and normal animals to keep them on their toes when they're in an appropriate environment. And then only when the creature's presence advances whatever story arc you're working on.

Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed both the LOTR trilogy and the first Hobbit installment. It's just that (as with Disney's Narnia movies) the films take more and more liberties as they go along. Jackson is clearly padding out The Hobbit, although doing it with style, turning people and events that were mentioned in passing in the book into entire subplots. [spoilers ahead if you haven't read the book!] Azog's name appears, but it is his son Bolg who opposes Thorin at the end, and neither of them were Thorin's personal nemesis. Radagast was a mere footnote in the trilogy, although I always felt he deserved more attention. Jackson apparently felt so, too. He was a fun addition, odd enough to earn Saruman's disdain yet competent enough to have Gandalf's respect. There was no elvish conspiracy to prevent the dwarves from attempting to regain their treasure, although the traitorous Saruman might have wanted to forestall investigations into the Necromancer business. On the other hand, Gandalf reported at the end of The Hobbit that the Wizard's Council (including presumably Saruman) had successfully driven the Necromancer out of Mirkwood. Still, it would be fun to at least have a skit with Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, and Chuck Norris standing in for some of Our Heroes. Perhaps on Youtube ....

The problem with Jackson's movie versions is that, given the numerous lengthy, non-canonical and gratuitious action sequences, the characters are miscast. What we need to do is import the testosterone-drenched crew from The Expendables 2 to fill major roles. Sauron? "No problemo."

Thing is, in Tolkien characters don't "cast spells" in the same sense that people do in other settings. No incantations or grimiores or spell components. No Hogwarts College. Galdalf, et. al., do magic because they are mythological beings. It's their nature. Old G throws exploding pinecones like a big league pitcher throws fastballs; it's just what he does. Galdriel struggles to grasp what humans mean when they say "magic" because her abilities are part of who she is. Elvish gear, like Sam's rope, is "magical" in the sense that it is alien (unfamiliar) technology, better than what most folks have access to. In running a Middle Earth game, the challenge is how do the game mechanics model this?

All good suggestions. As others have said, it depends on how monkey-like you want the character to be. If you want him to be an intelligent, talking monkey, go with the animal stats and human-level INT and POW. If you want him to be monkey-ish but mostly human, go the Mutations or Super Powers route. In addition to boosting DEX, I'd boost STR as well. Most simians have greater muscle mass for their size (or SIZ) than humans do. Monkey around with both concepts and see which result you like best.

Now, that's just hilarious, regardless of game system. Do your players realize this?

Looks like BRP product did well all around in those Diehard GameFAN awards.

Good write-up, although I would have given Ariel an APP of 16+. Your magic pool for her demonstrates the difficulty of statting up many characters like this, though. Unlike superheroes, who tend to have well-defined abilities, magicians seems to be able to pull out new powers and stunts as the plot demands. That's why I could never come up with stats for Mumm-Ra, even though writing up the Thundercats and Mutants of Plundarr wouldn't be too hard. The Big Bad could do whatever this week's episode required him to; and he might never exhibit this week's power again. Same deal with old radio's Frank Chandler aka Chandu the Magician. Most of the time, he acted like a detective, settling goons with his fists and only doing unobrusive magical tricks to intimidate thugs and gather information. Then he turned around and teleported himself and his family to the other side of the planet without breaking a sweat.

The Yul Brenner gunslinger from Westworld was truly scary; he'd slaughter anyone indiscriminately, even non-combatants, and just wouldn't stop coming. But the doppleganger androids from Futureworld were worse: they were you, knew how you thought, could anticipate your next move because that's what they would do, too.

He's from Arizona, right?

True, perhaps. But Evilschemer and PK Games don't want their renumeration to be completely gone. Dustin Wright being "off grid" is a disappointment since he is usually good about responding to questions, or has been in the past.

Lots of great suggestions, but no write-ups yet? Devil-dogs! Wizards was a disappointment to me -- disjointed, somewhat offensive; despite good animation, not worthy of the hype. And Bashki actually considered it suitable for children? Grrr!

We've had lots of discussions about magic systems and fantasy settings that use them. Magic-wielders, good or evil, have always gotten air time, whether it be old radio shows, Disney movies, or 1980s television cartoons. Who is your favorite animated magician and why? How has he or she influenced your role-playing campaigns or characters? Was it the powers or the panache that got your attention? Bonus points if you stat up your favorite in BRP! Here are a few modest suggestions, although Disney villains could comprise a whole thread of their own: Ace Cooper (The Magician, 1999) A stage magician in a retro-futuristic pulp universe, Ace Cooper used sleight of hand and occasional bursts of the real thing to thwart criminals and bad guys of every stripe. Mandrake the Magician (Defenders of the Earth, 1986) Mandrake, possibly the first costumed crime-fighter in the comics, was revived and joined with other King Features Syndicate heroes to battle yet another attempt by Ming the Merciless the conquer Earth. Presto (Dungeons and Dragons, 1983) His magic hat produced powerful but frequently unexpected effects as young Presto and his friends attempted to escape a fantasy world filled with, well, you know ... Skeletor (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, 1983) Disgruntled heir to the throne of Eternia, Skeletor backed his spells with pulp science fiction gadgetry in his bid to take over. Too bad he was a poor judge of character when choosing assistants. Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living (Thundercats, 1985) One of the few truly scary cartoon villains on TV, the withered Mumm-Ra could become awesomely powerful only for a brief time but insisted he could never die as long as evil persisted in the universe. Used the same employment agency as Skeletor for his agents. Venger (Dungeons and Dragons, 1983) The winged Big Bad opposed by the Dungeon Master and his underage heroes. Did not play well with others, no regular henchmen. Jafar (Disney's Aladdin, 1992) He was running the kingdom and pocketing the rewards anyway, so why'd this ambitious vizier insist on the Sultan's title (and daughter)? Gargomel (The Smurfs, 1981) Rural warlock with a taste for small blue humanoids. Given his success rate, perhaps he should have ordered out. Others?

We feel your pain, PK. Since the Orient Express kickstarter concluded, things have been dead silent except for Twitter reports on Nick and Meghan's trip to Turkey. Personally, I'd like to know the status on several contests I entered. On the other hand, I actually got a personal phone call during Chaosium's 30 percent off sale before Christmas; they wanted to clarify my order, which arrived promptly and intact.

He gets respect, he gets his castle, but he doesn't get the girl. Oh well ...

I was able to access rpg.net and its forums this morning.

Quite true, but in practice villains tend to be a lazy bunch. It's easier and cheaper to mass produce a standard model (or two or three standard models -- maybe a grunt soldier, a commander, and a heavy weapons version) than to support a great variety of specialized robots. Hence, Unga Khan had his Volkites, Skeletor had his robotic knights, Doctor Drakken had his syntho-drones, the Trade Federation had its battle droids, and the extinct lizard people had their Cylon centurions, etc. The "mission" in this case is to subdue and oppress the (usually human) helpless NPC population so the PC adventurers can come to their rescue. Now, that doesn't mean the Big Bad is averse to sending a mining robot or welding drone after Our Heroes, but his police force or army will tend to be made up of similar units. Its an economy of scale thing. So neither of you have a favorite mechanical enemy from comics, literature, radio shows, or movies?

Besides, zombies being "cut and dried" would be even ickier than usual.

So, what are your favorite robotic opponents and why? Are they a genuine menace, or mere mooks? Some possibilities: Volkites (Undersea Kingdom, 1936) – Movie serial villains often planned to create armies of robotic troops but rarely got beyond the prototype. Atlantean tyrant Unga Khan actually built squads of “Volkites” to back up his human soldiers. These were 7-foot-tall, heavily armored automatons of the “tin can on legs” variety common in the 1930s. They carried energy rifles. Despite their clumsy movements and inability to speak, they were capable of performing military duties without direct human supervision: engaging enemy troops, arresting and detaining prisoners, driving armored personnel carriers, operating heavy equipment. Unless ordered to by a human commander, they wouldn’t attack and slaughter submissive captives. Immune to small arms fire, their chief weakness was their top-heavy design. A well-thrown chair or well-placed blow could knock them over like bowling pins. Daleks (Doctor Who, 1963) – Originally human participants in a super-soldier program on the planet Skaros, Daleks gradually mutated into squid-like Things That Were Once Men, unable to leave their powered armor suits. Instead of merely prosecuting a war against their nation’s primary rival, they sought to enslave, then ultimately to exterminate, all humans regardless of what nation or planet they came from. While not creative thinkers, their impenetrable armor, built-in weaponry, and persistence made them dangerous foes. So many varied stories have been told about them over the show’s 50-year run that the Daleks' exact weaknesses are hard to pin down. Cybermen (Doctor Who, 1966) – Survivors of another, formerly habitable, planet in Earth’s solar system, Cybermen were manlike beings who ultimately sacrificed their humanity to continue their existence, replacing tissue with mechanical parts until only their biological brains remained. Cold and logical, they were ruthless, treacherous foes. They reproduced by “upgrading” their human victims, harvesting and wiping the brains to install in cybernetic bodies. They didn’t want to destroy mankind but to control and maintain it as an organic resource. Cybermen carried energy rifles and pistols. While tough, they weren’t as durable as Daleks, with whom they tried and failed to form an alliance. They were vulnerable to gold, which clogged their respiratory systems. Cylons (Battlestar Galactica, 1978) – Mechanical servants who turned on and replaced their declining reptilian creators, Cylons (like the Daleks) were determined to exterminate mankind for reasons that weren’t entirely clear. They resembled metallic Roman centurions wearing backpacks, and carried broadswords as well as energy rifles equipped with bayonets. While dangerous, they weren’t especially bright. It took three Cylon pilots, for example, to engage a single human fighter pilot. It was never quite clear whether they were wholly robotic or some sort of cyborg containing biological components. The bulky centurions were commanded by sleeker and smarter models that were clever, emotional, and capable of human-like ambition and vice. Any others? Why not do a BRP write-up of your preferred mechanical menace?