I have always been mesmerized by the snapshots of (potentially) other campaigns that are scattered throughout rulebooks. Many is the time I have looked closely at an image from one of my Champions books and have been inspired by the implications of the image to craft an entire adventure.

 

Case in point: I was looking something up for my 5e pulp campaign and I came across this image:

 

 

From page 313 of Hero System 5e Revised. I mean: what the &%$ !

 

What is the context of this image? It's clearly an intelligent ape of some kind, running from a gladiator-type fight with a dragon-snake..? The gorilla dude is dropping his sword (a la Captain Kirk refusing to participate in the barbarism?). There are what looks like bullet holes in the wall of the gladiator pit--and our protagonist seems to be shedding his sunglasses as he bolts..? There is some kind of emblem below the "emperor" viewing lounge....

 

Many, many wonderful details. Does anyone know the context? Or, perhaps a better question, what type of adventure/campaign would you imagine this image depicts?

 

PS: I believe posting this image falls under Fair Use. And, I think we need to share more of stuff like this so people understand why Hero is the One True System. : P

Edited July 26, 2024Jul 26 by Grow-Arm-Hair Lad
Incorrect page number

Hmm... I couldn't find that image on p. 113 of 5ER, so I can't say whether there's any context implied in the accompanying text. However, many of the images in that book appear to be random space fillers.

 

The several anachronistic elements make me suspect either a "lost worlds" romance, or a sci-fi "space opera." I'm inclined toward the latter because neither the gladiator nor the serpent-creature resemble known Terrestrial species. The specific scene is clearly depicting some sort of gladiatorial arena. The cleanest fit within the Hero Universe would be the arena on Malva, most technologically advanced planet in the Milky Way, whose jaded and decadent inhabitants stage blood-sport entertainments, drawing gladiators and utilizing creatures from across the galaxy.

4 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

Hmm... I couldn't find that image on p. 113 of 5ER, so I can't say whether there's any context implied in the accompanying text. However, many of the images in that book appear to be random space fillers.

 

The several anachronistic elements make me suspect either a "lost worlds" romance, or a sci-fi "space opera." I'm inclined toward the latter because neither the gladiator nor the serpent-creature resemble known Terrestrial species. The specific scene is clearly depicting some sort of gladiatorial arena. The cleanest fit within the Hero Universe would be the arena on Malva, most technologically advanced planet in the Milky Way, whose jaded and decadent inhabitants stage blood-sport entertainments, drawing gladiators and utilizing creatures from across the galaxy.

Sorry. Typo. Should have said page 313.

I'll fix it in the original post if I can.

 

PS: Malva makes sense...and there are fire aspects in the image...I never thought of Malva for some reason!

 

Also...I just noticed that there is a round object on the right that appears to be moving, like, maybe a helmet or a shield the ape discarded?

On 7/25/2024 at 4:55 PM, Lord Liaden said:

Hmm... I couldn't find that image on p. 113 of 5ER, so I can't say whether there's any context implied in the accompanying text. However, many of the images in that book appear to be random space fillers.

 

The several anachronistic elements make me suspect either a "lost worlds" romance, or a sci-fi "space opera." I'm inclined toward the latter because neither the gladiator nor the serpent-creature resemble known Terrestrial species. The specific scene is clearly depicting some sort of gladiatorial arena. The cleanest fit within the Hero Universe would be the arena on Malva, most technologically advanced planet in the Milky Way, whose jaded and decadent inhabitants stage blood-sport entertainments, drawing gladiators and utilizing creatures from across the galaxy.

I would go with the Mad Doctor for the dragon snake.  It would still be Pulp. I believe intelligent ape is a Pulp idea?

Both Pulp and comic-book, and that could work in the lost-world subgenre. Although apes don't have legs that long, so it would have to be either a different species, or mutated due to some outside agency.

 

In a Hero Universe alien-world setting, that could be an Ereni, who are described as tall humanoids covered in short fur, with an advanced star-faring society.

Looks a lot like an unusually well-dressed bigfoot/sasquatch/skunk ape to me.  The proportions are closer to the one from the Harry & the Hendersons franchise than a gorilla and (while colors are just guesswork) the exposed skin tone seems lighter. 

Pity there's no signature on the picture. We don't even know who to ask for context. Although I'd be willing to bet it was just a cool image thrown in to symbolize the Hero System does everything no matter how weird.

 

I can think of a couple of other things it could represent, though. One would be a "wild" post-apocalyptic Earth, like TSR's old Gamma World game, or the 1980's Thundarr the Barbarian cartoon. Mutated animals and plants, crumbling ruins of modern buildings, high-tech mingled with archaic tech and mutant powers, and even magic. Another possibility would be a multi-universe crossover world such as Palladium's RIFTS, with mythic gods, aliens, wizards, mutants, vampires, super-science and more, from every genre, all thrown together into one chaotic planet.

Edited July 30, 2024Jul 30 by Lord Liaden

Considering the glasses that seem to be coming off the main figure I'd guess it's Dr. Silverback

Not impossible that that was the artist's intention. But to reiterate, the character's proportions are wrong for a gorilla.

5 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

Not impossible that that was the artist's intention. But to reiterate, the character's proportions are wrong for a gorilla.

That may be quite true about the proportions. However even with you pointing that out, I’d say it’s a gorilla, I think most people

might too. I never noticed the proportions before. Nice to know though. So perhaps the artist had a hard time to draw the correct proportion for Dr. Silverback?

Like I said, not impossible. But other published artwork for Silverback gives him standard gorilla proportions.

 

 

If you want the OP image to be a gorilla, I can't definitively say that wasn't what the artist intended. Can't say it matters to me either way. It's just a drawing.

@Lord Liaden, I forgot to ask if there was other artwork for Dr. Silverback. 👍

10 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

Like I said, not impossible. But other published artwork for Silverback gives him standard gorilla proportions.

 

Who's the artist on that one?  I'd guess Holloway or Loubet but that's just a guess.

2 hours ago, Rich McGee said:

Who's the artist on that one?  I'd guess Holloway or Loubet but that's just a guess.

 

The original was published in the Millennium City source book, but it isn't signed. Artists for that book were Nate Barnes, Andrew Cremeans, Storn Cook, Keith Curtis, Nick Ingeneri, Eric Lofgren, Greg Smith, and Chris Stevens.

 

6 hours ago, Ninja-Bear said:

@Lord Liaden, I forgot to ask if there was other artwork for Dr. Silverback. 👍

 

Here's one from Champions Universe 6E:

 

Edited August 1, 2024Aug 1 by Lord Liaden