seneschal

Your character templates do demonstrate the differences between Legend and RQ 6. That's a lot of detail for only two professions. I haven't been reading the comics. We know that a Cimmerian is Howard's standard norther barbarian tribesman. But what is a "Borderer"?

Two girls for every boy. A bushy, bushy blond hairdo. Go riding in your little Deuce coupe (we don't know what you got). And if it all gets to be too much, you can relax in that ultimate refuge, your room.

I disagree. While some of the then-common slang expressions used in the original novels' dialogue (such as "that's real white of you") would make today's political correctness cops cringe, the protagonists, their parents and friends don't generally express racism in their remarks or attitudes toward other characters. In fact, in one novel a pair of black farmers rescued the Hardy Boys from (white) thugs that were following them. The fact that the Hardy Boys' friends included Italian immigrant Tony Prito was an attempt by the authors to be inclusive, since southern European immigration was a hot-button issue at the time. It's as unfair to label the Hardy Boys books as racist as it is to do the same to adult novels such as Huckleberry Finn or King Solomon's Mines -- which portray people of color in a positive light and were written before liberals began to attempt to restrict freedom of thought and expression by curtailing what words people can use. If anything, the HBs are the opposite of the perceived racism in Lovecraft's writings. In the Hardy Boys' adventures, immigrant children and boys from down-on-their-luck families are heroes right alongside the protagonists. In Lovecraft, they'd be lookouts for the Red Hook gang. Also, after reading some of the original tales and comparing them the rewrites done in the early '60s, I prefer the originals. There's genuine period flavor, and the stories are better written. Sometimes it is best to read and enjoy a book (or movie) as a product of its time rather than trying to make it "relevant" or "correct."

"I removed the cheese and bad seventies special effects" Awww, I like cheese ... and snappy white jumpsuits. Ever notice that no matter how many fights Buck and Wilma got into, their white jumpsuits never got mussed? Must have been one of those futuristic miracle fabrics.

I'm holding out for Outpost 20.

The video was one of the author's inspirations.

Actually, one of our robots has encountered life on Mars. That's the Rover that we aren't hearing from anymore. "Tastes ... like ... chicken." Seriously, though, I am glad Curiosity made it. I was hoping that a manned expedition to Mars would pan out, but it doesn't look as if it will happen anytime soon. Sheesh, according to several Fifties B-movies I've seen, we were already supposed to have a base there and regularly scheduled flights -- by the 1970s.

My adventure is Endless Summer, a light-hearted Twlight Zone-ish tale inspired by the thought, "What if everything described in all those Beach Boys and Jan and Dean songs was true?"

That highlights an interesting cultural difference between the 1920s, the '70s, and today. The Hardy Boys of the Twenties, although what we would consider teenagers, were very much school boys -- focused on homework, playing ball afterwards with the guys, barely beginning to notice girls at ages 15 and 16 -- even if they did slug adult criminals once in a while. Modern teen/youth culture didn't evolve until the 1950s and '60s -- which the 1977 Shaun Cassidy/Parker Stevenson version were very much part of. Near adults, they managed to pursue suspects into private clubs, fancy restaurants, and beachfront hotels -- places the original incarnations wouldn't have entered or been allowed to enter. You can see the difference by comparing the '70s TV show with the 1956-57 Disney TV show starring Tommy Kirk and Tim Considine. Or the 1977 TV version of Nancy Drew with Bonita Granville in the 1938-39 Nancy Drew movie series (there were three or four films). Same age range, all old enough to drive, but a very different world.

Vampire Bat Bites Help Shield Peruvians from Rabies - Yahoo! News Seems isolated jungle tribesmen in Peru have a natural immunity to rabies because they get bitten by vampire bats so often. What sort of CoC adventure could you make out of that?

I'm sorry. I know it hurts. To bounce back, see if you can re-market your submission to another science fiction publisher. No need for all that hard work to go to waste!

Nash was a smash, which will (we hope) earn him some ca$h in a flash to stash!!!

FYI, it looks as if the results of the 2011 BRP adventure contest are about to be published. A Nation Ransomed Chaosium Inc.

Blood & Badges Chaosium Inc.

Aw, they just failed their SAN rolls. Give 'em time, soothing soft music, and a quiet padded room and they'll be OK.

Naw, for that you need Goblinoid Games' Labyrinth Lord, one of the more faithful retro-clones available. The PDF is FREE, but you can get a shiny new hardbound copy for about $32. And that's the whole she-bang, none of this player's manual, GM's manual, Manuel's manual nonsense. http://www.lulu.com/shop/daniel-proctor/labyrinth-lord-revised-edition-hard-cover/hardcover/product-15061706.html

Just curious, which edition are each of you CoC fans currently playing? I understand the changes among editions have (so far) been minor and incremental. Both 5th and 6th are available at a discount in Chaosium's Boo-Boo Books section.

FYI, there has been a discussion about 7th edition at rpg.net, including a link to an overview by the writers. Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Authors' Seminar - Recording One of the pending changes is to ditch the Resistance Table.

Looks like the old school renaissance movement finally got Hasbro's attention. But the player's handbook is $35; too bad it couldn't be released at 1974 prices.

I just spotted it today, in one of the rotating sidebar ads on the Chaosium site. But a catalog search under Basic Roleplaying or Monographs didn't pull it up. Hmmm. Aces High New Mexico PDF Chaosium Inc.

Thanks for the update. We were beginning to worry that you'd had an out-of-body experience and been transported .... somewhere else. Hope you and your family are doing well despite all the chaos.

Hmmm, $20 from Mongoose, $25 from Amazon.com, paperback, no page count on either site, no independent reviews yet on Amazon.

Here's what I've got on the Bonkers so far. I'm unsure of how to define, in game terms, being "bonked." Blue Meanie Bonker Bonkers are braver than regular Meanies (as befits elite troops) but prefer to attack en mass so that their blunt, imprecise fruit weapons can be used to best effect. Their ridiculously tall, thin bodies make them hard to hit and enable them to stride swiftly across the battlefield. However, they’ve got little muscle mass or fat to protect them when they do get hit, and their spindly frames are vulnerable to back problems and sprained joints. They’ve also got to eat more than regular warriors because they shed body heat so rapidly. STR 3D6 (11) CON 2D6+3 (10) SIZ 4D6+12 (26) INT 2D6+6 (13) POW 3D6 (11) DEX 2D6+9 (16) APP 3D6 (11) Move: 12 Hit Points: 18 Damage Bonus: +1D6 Armor: None Attacks: Giant Green Apple Bonk 00%, Special; Grapple 00%, 1D4+1D6 Skills: Climb 00%, Dodge 32%, Jump 00%, Language (English) 65%, Parry 00%, Shield 00%, Spot 00%, Throw 00% Mutations: Metabolic Weakness (Increased Caloric Needs), Structural Improvement (Outrageously Long Limbs, equivalent to 2 levels of Stretching, 2-meter reach) [250 skill points, 130 personal skill points. How to define being “bonked” in game terms?]

Looks like the Blackfeet were near Calgary Canada First Nations History of Calgary Hard to find numbers on the Mounties, but 20 were sent to deal with Klondike miners in 1896. They were part of the 3,000 troops gathered to deal with an 1885 rebellion. North-West Mounted Police - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BRP Blue Meanies Source: Yellow Submarine, Apple Films, 1968 Quotes: “Pepperland is an itch of joy upon the blue belly of the universe. It must be scratched.” "Are you Bluish? You don't look Bluish." Blue Meanies are militaristic inter-dimensional invaders who hate beauty and the fine arts, particularly music. They are bright blue humanoids with broad toothy mouths, long sausage-like noses, and short arms ending in huge, clawed, six-fingered paws. Their spherical torsos sit atop long legs. When it comes to apparel, Blue Meanies favor black domino masks, fleecy dark blue tunics, and garish red-and-yellow striped hose. They also wear lumpy black berets that look suspiciously like Mickey Mouse ears. Meanies have highly developed military technology but prefer non-lethal weaponry. After all, they want their victims to survive to endure their bullying. Troops typically don’t wear armor. Blue Meanies aren't necessarily tougher or stronger than humans but their compact body shape does make them sometimes harder to hit in combat and also helps them endure frigid temperatures that would hinder human soldiers. They're aggressive enough, especially when they outnumber or outgun their foes, but not particularly bright or brave. If the tide of battle turns against them, they'll run like rabbits. They can see well in the dark, their eyes emitting flashlight-like beams. Blue Meanie Trooper STR 3D6 (11) CON 2D6+6 (13) SIZ 2D6+9 (16) INT 2D6+3 (10) POW 3D6 (11) DEX 3D6 (11) APP 2D6+3 (10) Move: 10 Hit Points: 15 Damage Bonus: +1D4 Armor: None Attacks: Claws 60%, 1D6+1D4; Pistol 55%, 1D10+2; Sub-machinegun 50%, 1D8 Skills: Climb 45%, Dodge 57%, First Aid 65%, Hide 45%, Jump 60%, Language (English) 50%, Listen 60%, Repair (Mechanical) 45%, Spot 50% Mutations: Adaptability (Extreme Cold), Luminescence (Flashlight Eyes), Natural Weaponry (Claws) In addition to being efficient gunsmiths, Blue Meanies are apparently skilled genetic engineers as well, having created several kinds of specialty troops even more bizarre than the regular Meanies: Bonkers are pencil-thin, 15-foot soldiers that resemble circus stilt men, right down to their swallow-tail coats and exaggeratedly tall top hats. They carry green apples the size of muscle balls, which they use to beat opponents over the head. “Bonked” victims turn grayish and become listless and passive to the point of near immobility. Clowns are paunchy, cone-shaped warriors capable of firing explosive or paralyzing missiles from the tops of their pointed hats when their ball-shaped noses are pushed. They are also employed as guards, capable of spinning their heads 360 degrees and emitting piercing siren-like cries. Snapping Turks resemble grossly obese Shriners, sporting red fezes and vests and long black sideburns. Their bulky stomachs are equipped with fang-laden reptilian mouths. Enforcers dress like Hollywood gangsters, but they have toothy reptilian mouths where their hands should be; their patent-leather shoes open to emit hands clutching pistols. Felixes are dwarves with feline ears and tails. They are agile leapers whose favorite tactic is to stomp on opponents since they don’t carry weapons. Their uniforms consist of blue sweaters numbered one through nine. The Dreadful Flying Glove The Blue Meanies have developed four-headed guard dogs but the pinnacle of their biological tinkering is the Dreadful Flying Glove, an elephant-sized creature that resembles a blue human hand. It has a single eye where a human’s thumbnail would be and a wide mouth between the middle and ring fingers. It is capable of jet speeds but can also hover like a balloon. The Glove’s method of attack is to form a giant fist and smash whatever is beneath it;, it can also grasp opponents. It is apparently intelligent, able to obey complex instructions, but cannot speak. It emits sinister giggles when it has trapped or injured a victim but deep roars when it is thwarted. Notes The Blue Meanie Trooper was built on the standard 250 skill points plus 100 personal skill points from INT. I'm concerned that the BRP version seems more menacing and competent than the creatures in the movie.