The Unofficial Populating The Golden Age Thread

[Major Tom 2009]

I just got through putting these together a while ago:

 

 

 

 

Longbow and Steel Saxon

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[Major Tom 2009]

For.Excaliber, how about the Cowboy? and American helping the Brits before U.S. entered the war effort?

 

For.Excaliber, how about the Cowboy? and American helping the Brits before U.S. entered the war effort?

 

He'd definitely have to have a secret identity that's a polar opposite to his heroic identity -- say, a cultured and refined

college/university professor-type, as opposed to his Wild West 'gunslinger' persona.

 

 

Major Tom 2009

Feuer Frei! Bang-Bang!

[Major Tom 2009]

And here are my ideas as to what a certain other pair of heroes mentioned earlier might look like:

 

 

 

 

Wonder Boy and Wendy Wonder

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[bubba smith]

thanks

[Ninja-Bear]

For African-Americans you still can have the Cowboy or you can have the Buffalo Soldier. Also a natural for a brick is John Henry.

[GhostDancer]

Black Peter leads the Psionic Department of the Thought Police (Shiso Keisatsu) formally known as the Special Higher Police (特別高等警察 Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu), often shortened to Tokkō (特高 Tokkō), a police force established in 1911 in Japan, specifically to investigate and control political groups and ideologies deemed to be a threat to public order. Its main function was as a civilian counterpart to the military's Kempeitai and Tokkeitai, and it can be considered roughly equivalent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States in terms of combining both criminal investigation and counter-espionage functions. It has been less charitably compared to the Nazi Gestapo secret police. The Tokkō was also known as the "Peace Police" (Chian Keisatsu).

The High Treason Incident of 1910 was the stimulus for the establishment of the Tokkō under the aegis of the Home Ministry. With the Russian Revolution, unrest at home due to the Rice Riots of 1918, increase in strikes and labor unrest from the labor movement, and Samil Uprising in Korea, the Tokkō was greatly expanded under the administration of Hara Takashi, and subsequent prime ministers. The Tokkō was charged with suppressing "dangerous thoughts" that could endanger the state. It was primarily concerned with anarchism, communism, socialism, and the growing foreign population within Japan, but its scope gradually increased to include religious groups, pacifists, student activists, liberals, and ultrarightists.

After the passage of the Peace Preservation Law of 1925, the power of the Tokkō was expanded tremendously, and it expanded to include branches in every Japanese prefecture, major city, and overseas locations with a large Japanese population (including Shanghai, London and Berlin). In the late 1920s and 1930s, the Tokkō launched a sustained campaign to destroy the Japanese Communist Party with several waves of mass arrests of known members, sympathizers and suspected sympathizers (March 15 incident).  The other six departments of the Tokkō were Special Police Work, Foreign Surveillance, Koreans in Japan, Labor Relations, Censorship, Arbitration). In 1927, a sub-bureau was added, the Thought Section of the Criminal Affairs Bureau, to deal with the study and suppression of subversive ideologies. The Tokkō made use of both uniformed and non-uniformed officers, along with a large network of informants. These informants were often undercover officers infiltrating suspect organizations and acting as agents provocateur, or voluntary informants from Tonarigumi neighborhood associations. Counter-espionage activities also included monitoring external telephone and radio communications inside or outside Japan and nearest areas.

By 1936, the Tokkō had arrested 59,013 people, of whom 5000 had been brought to trial; about half of those received prison sentences. Prisoners were forced to write accounts of how they had become involved with "dangerous ideologies", rewriting these essays until their interrogators were happy with the work. These works then were used to prove their criminal involvement.  [wikipedia]

[steriaca]

Black Peter leads the Psionic Department of the Thought Police (Shiso Keisatsu) formally known as the Special Higher Police (特別高等警察 Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu), often shortened to Tokkō (特高 Tokkō), a police force established in 1911 in Japan, specifically to investigate and control political groups and ideologies deemed to be a threat to public order. Its main function was as a civilian counterpart to the military's Kempeitai and Tokkeitai, and it can be considered roughly equivalent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States in terms of combining both criminal investigation and counter-espionage functions. It has been less charitably compared to the Nazi Gestapo secret police. The Tokkō was also known as the "Peace Police" (Chian Keisatsu). The High Treason Incident of 1910 was the stimulus for the establishment of the Tokkō under the aegis of the Home Ministry. With the Russian Revolution, unrest at home due to the Rice Riots of 1918, increase in strikes and labor unrest from the labor movement, and Samil Uprising in Korea, the Tokkō was greatly expanded under the administration of Hara Takashi, and subsequent prime ministers. The Tokkō was charged with suppressing "dangerous thoughts" that could endanger the state. It was primarily concerned with anarchism, communism, socialism, and the growing foreign population within Japan, but its scope gradually increased to include religious groups, pacifists, student activists, liberals, and ultrarightists.

After the passage of the Peace Preservation Law of 1925, the power of the Tokkō was expanded tremendously, and it expanded to include branches in every Japanese prefecture, major city, and overseas locations with a large Japanese population (including Shanghai, London and Berlin). In the late 1920s and 1930s, the Tokkō launched a sustained campaign to destroy the Japanese Communist Party with several waves of mass arrests of known members, sympathizers and suspected sympathizers (March 15 incident). The other six departments of the Tokkō were Special Police Work, Foreign Surveillance, Koreans in Japan, Labor Relations, Censorship, Arbitration). In 1927, a sub-bureau was added, the Thought Section of the Criminal Affairs Bureau, to deal with the study and suppression of subversive ideologies. The Tokkō made use of both uniformed and non-uniformed officers, along with a large network of informants. These informants were often undercover officers infiltrating suspect organizations and acting as agents provocateur, or voluntary informants from Tonarigumi neighborhood associations. Counter-espionage activities also included monitoring external telephone and radio communications inside or outside Japan and nearest areas.

By 1936, the Tokkō had arrested 59,013 people, of whom 5000 had been brought to trial; about half of those received prison sentences. Prisoners were forced to write accounts of how they had become involved with "dangerous ideologies", rewriting these essays until their interrogators were happy with the work. These works then were used to prove their criminal involvement. [wikipedia]

And why would they give this post to the World's Most Wicked Rabbit?

[GhostDancer]

It was a wicked thing to do.  Also, the Thought Police are short on psionics, pre-atom bombing.

[GhostDancer]

Ally

 

Yoshitoshi, the Spider Princess, is a Tsuchigumo (土蜘蛛), literally translated "dirt/earth spider", a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, and also the name for a race of spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore.  Like others of her kind, she has no allegiance to the Japanese Emperor, and she only looks human.  Her monstrous true form is seen by who are Stunned, or when she is Stunned, Knocked out, or asleep.

 

She has four Invisible Extra Limbs with exoskeleton Armor, the body of a tiger, and the head of a demon.  Her blood is white.

 

She has a suite of spider Powers: Clinging, and

 

25  Multipower Spider Webs, Susceptible to Flame (-1)

 1) Entangle 4d6 DEF 4, 1/2 END (+1/4), 

 1 2) Stretching 4", No END (+1/2), 

 1 3) Swinging 15", 4x NCM, No END (+1/2)

 

 

,  

[bubba smith]

the PULP HERO characters might still be operating in the golden age right ?

[Major Tom 2009]

the PULP HERO characters might still be operating in the golden age right ?

 

Probably, but they'd likely be working for the OSS (or its predecessor organization, whatever it might have been)

as field agents, operating primarily in those countries that they'd adventured in during the pre-war years. The

group mentioned in Pulp Hero -- Randall's Raiders -- would be a likely choice, especially since as a group, they've

had encounters with Axis agents prior to the War.

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[Cassandra]

Minuteman - Black American Pilot who took part in the Spanish Civil War.  He was captured by a Nazi Scientist and experimented on gaining superhuman speed and intellect.  Escaped using his powers and started working for the Manhattan Project.  Based loosely on James Lincoln Peck.

 

Lady Liberty - World Famous Aviatrix who on an Around the World flight in 1937 discovered a Secret Axis based in the Pacific and while evading an unmarked Fighter Plane flew into a mystic realm ruled by the Ancient Goddesses Aphrodite, Artemis, and Athena.  After reading the minds of both her and the Axis pilot they granted her a number of magic items that gave her superhuman strength, mind control, a bulletproof shield, and the ability to fly.  Based on Amelia Earhart.

[Major Tom 2009]

Here's one of those mentioned as a possible member of the Knights of Excalibur:

 

 

 

 

Red Dragon (Draig Coch)

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[steriaca]

Somebody forgot the Blue Knight?

[steriaca]

Somebody forgot the Blue Knight?

[Major Tom 2009]

Somebody forgot the Blue Knight?

 

Give me time to come up with something; the previous pic was one that I'd done while I was still at a nursing home

getting I.V. therapy, but didn't have time to post before being discharged and sent home.

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[Major Tom 2009]

It took some time, but here he is now -- my interpetation of the first character mentioned on this thread:

 

 

 

 

Blue Knight

 

 

I'd decided to take the 'Defensor' approach to the design of his armored suit, seeing as how he found the

suit during an archaeological dig (I'm assuming that's the sort of dig that this was).

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[PhantomGM2602]

And here are my ideas as to what a certain other pair of heroes mentioned earlier might look like:

 

 

Wonder_Boy.jpgWendy_Wonder.jpg

 

 

Wonder Boy and Wendy Wonder

 

 

Major Tom 2009

Sounds like golden age versions of Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel.

[assault]

Sounds like golden age versions of Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel.

 

How odd.

 

(Not to mention that "golden age versions of Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel" is redundant.)

[assault]

It took some time, but here he is now -- my interpetation of the first character mentioned on this thread:

 

 

Blue_Knight.jpg

 

 

Blue Knight

 

 

I'd decided to take the 'Defensor' approach to the design of his armored suit, seeing as how he found the

suit during an archaeological dig (I'm assuming that's the sort of dig that this was).

 

 

Major Tom 2009

 

The suit looks like it's from the future, not the past.

[steriaca]

It took some time, but here he is now -- my interpetation of the first character mentioned on this thread:

 

 

Blue_Knight.jpg

 

 

Blue Knight

 

 

I'd decided to take the 'Defensor' approach to the design of his armored suit, seeing as how he found the

suit during an archaeological dig (I'm assuming that's the sort of dig that this was).

 

 

Major Tom 2009

Yep. Except it was suppose to look more like a midevil suite of armour.

[Major Tom 2009]

Yep. Except it was suppose to look more like a midevil suite of armour.

 

Sorry about that; in my defense, there was nothing in that first post to indicate that the armor had a medieval look

to it at all. Now that I know that it's supposed to look like something from out of the Middle Ages, I can come up

with a more appropiate design for the Blue Knight.

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[Major Tom 2009]

OK, here's a Golden Age version of Blue Knight that should pass muster:

 

 

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[assault]

I wasn't going to do this, but here are some Nazis.

 

The Junker: Baron Von (whatever). A stereotypical version of a member of the Prussian aristocracy. He despises the plebeian Nazi riffraff, but has joined them in their attempt to restore the glory of Germany. Of course he means Imperial Germany, but he doesn't mention that. Shaved head, monocle, dueling scars. Kind of like a lawyer friendly version of this guy.

 

The Dwarf: A pathetic attempt to avoid stereotyping, this Mad Scientist may or may not be descended from mythological Dwarves. Short, physically pathetic, but with a big head, he can be counted upon to invent super-weapons. Japanese counterparts are too racist to use. Similar characters appear during the Cold War.

 

The Troll: Another attempt to avoid stereotyping, this huge bullying thug isn't a "typical German soldier". Instead, he's much worse. He's big, he's tough and he's dumb. He's typically found as a lackey for German supervillains, including the two above. Once again, he pops up in Japanese and Cold War contexts, but watch the racism.

 

Attila: the only one I recommend using, but he's sketchy as well. Attila the Hun drawn as a Viking by a historically illiterate teenager. Big axe, horned helmet (possibly with a pickelhaube type spike in the middle), fur kilt.

 

Yes, I know.

[Doc Democracy]

I think there is room for a little bit of education in a golden age game. Every now and again there should be something that throws a wrinkle in the over the top stereotypes we love to play in the genre.

 

In one golden age scenario, I allowed the players to encounter The Volk. This was a duplication based German hero. He was left-wing patriot, seeking to protect the German people and is the manifestation of all the Germans who died through deprivation due to the imposition of sanctions on Germany after WWI. His whole ethos was protecting the Volk and he was doing this by targeting Allied Command bomber raids...

 

In another scenario, they met Nissei, a second generation female Japanese hero from California. She was combatting third columnists in the concentration camps where Japanese Americans were held. Japanese agents were looking to foment rebellion and cause disruption but the people in the camp were refusing to turn over their children who were tempted to kick back against internment.

 

Can't do many of these or you lose the essential black and white morality of the times. They are good to do once in a while though.

 

 

Doc