Power Rangers

[nexus]

Would anyone happen to have or know where to find Champions write ups for the Power Rangers?

[SKJAM!]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Not the Power Rangers per se, but if you can find the Allies sourcebook for Fourth Edition, Zen Team is my homage to the sentai genre.

[Lethosos]

Re: Power Rangers

 

No.

 

Just... say No to Power Rangers. They've gone through sooooo many incarnations that they're starting to blur together, for me. (At least the Green Dragonzord is still nice and distinct--can't hate the Gojira homage.)

[Twilight]

Re: Power Rangers

 

No.

 

Just... say No to Power Rangers. They've gone through sooooo many incarnations that they're starting to blur together, for me. (At least the Green Dragonzord is still nice and distinct--can't hate the Gojira homage.)

 

Well the SuperSentai shows that inspired Power Rangers, not to mention provided footage for it on occasion, did run for something like twenty years or so and are still putting out episodes so it's hardly a surprise that Power Rangers is still going.

[ShinDangaioh]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Some of the Super Sentai shows are very distinct.

 

Jetman for example had the team be able to fly under their own power

 

DaiRanger and KakuRanger gave the rangers induvidual powers.

 

The anime Shinesman is a send-up of the various battle teams.

 

The Zen Team from Allies works for some of the Sentai shows, but not all. You'd have to do some modifications to do certain shows, and that is not counting the vehicles

 

As to English versions of battle team shows:

Monster Squad-Wax figures of Dracula, Frankenstien's Monster, and the Wolfman come to life and become heroes to make up for the past actions of the beings they are based off of.

 

Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverley Hills-The less said about this show, the better.

 

Thunderbirds-Thunderbirds are Go! The Tracey family with the various Thunderbirds(1-rocket-plane, 2-cargo plane, 3-space rocket, 4-sub, 5-space station)

[Alverant]

Re: Power Rangers

 

 

The anime Shinesman is a send-up of the various battle teams.

 

 

Oh yes, can't forget the Shinesman with their fantastic colors (one color I had to look up the dictionary) and their awesome weapons. Too bad there were just two episodes. There's a thread in the Star Hero section about funny quotes from sci-fi. I wonder if anime counts....

[ShinDangaioh]

Re: Power Rangers

 

2 Anime episodes and 9 manga tankoubons for Shinesman(I should know. I have all nine/Still learning kanji. I have Katakana and Hiragna down) Let me guess, the color you had to look up was sepia.

 

Just toss the Shinesman into a Champions universe and watch the fun.

[Mister E]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Not the Power Rangers per se' date=' but if you can find the Allies sourcebook for Fourth Edition, Zen Team is my homage to the sentai genre.[/quote']Can you define sentai for me? Does it simply refer to all giant-robot shows, or something more specific? I've never heard this term used before, and except for the old Voltron cartoon, haven't really followed the genre that closely.

[SKJAM!]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Can you define sentai for me? Does it simply refer to all giant-robot shows' date=' or something more specific? I've never heard this term used before, and except for the old Voltron cartoon, haven't really followed the genre that closely. [/quote']

 

"Sentai" is a subgenre of Japanese television shows (which has since expanded to all other media) which focuses on a "battle team" (roughly what the word means.) Traditionally, the team all have similar powers and outfits,and usually the same origin, almost always the same origin type. The typical team has five members, corresponding directly or metaphorically to the five elements* There have been many, many variations on the basic notion--Sailor Moon was sentai for girls, for example.

 

*The bad guys generally have four major lieutenants under the enemy leader, as four is an unlucky number in Chinese and Japanese folklore. In contrast to the heroes, who use their friendship and teamwork to become more effective than they would be fighting individually, the four lieutenants are individually quite powerful, but refuse to cooperate or work together except on direct orders from the leader.

[Twilight]

Re: Power Rangers

 

"Sentai" is a subgenre of Japanese television shows (which has since expanded to all other media) which focuses on a "battle team" (roughly what the word means.) Traditionally, the team all have similar powers and outfits,and usually the same origin, almost always the same origin type. The typical team has five members, corresponding directly or metaphorically to the five elements* There have been many, many variations on the basic notion--Sailor Moon was sentai for girls, for example.

 

*The bad guys generally have four major lieutenants under the enemy leader, as four is an unlucky number in Chinese and Japanese folklore. In contrast to the heroes, who use their friendship and teamwork to become more effective than they would be fighting individually, the four lieutenants are individually quite powerful, but refuse to cooperate or work together except on direct orders from the leader.

 

Also sometimes the lieutenants are very stupid, which often helps the hero win in an otherwise hopeless situation. Of course, now that I think more about it that's hardly a sentai only bit.

[Alverant]

Re: Power Rangers

 

2 Anime episodes and 9 manga tankoubons for Shinesman(I should know. I have all nine/Still learning kanji. I have Katakana and Hiragna down) Let me guess, the color you had to look up was sepia.

 

Just toss the Shinesman into a Champions universe and watch the fun.

 

Yep, "a dark redish brown color" (because I know people will want to know what it is). Crayola never made one for this. Except for red, this was the most muted group of colors I've seen.

[SKJAM!]

Re: Power Rangers

 

I wrote up a list of villain types appropriate for Sentai genre games a while back. If you folks are interested, I can dig it up.

[nexus]

Re: Power Rangers

 

I wrote up a list of villain types appropriate for Sentai genre games a while back. If you folks are interested' date=' I can dig it up.[/quote']

 

Color me interested.

[Twilight]

Re: Power Rangers

 

I wrote up a list of villain types appropriate for Sentai genre games a while back. If you folks are interested' date=' I can dig it up.[/quote']

 

I'm definetly interested.

[JmOz]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Wasn't there a DH article on Sentai a while back as well...

[SKJAM!]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Villain Types for the Sentai Genre

 

Cannon Fodder : The ground troops of the enemy forces. They tend to be faceless and nearly identical. (Indeed, in many cases, they are literally faceless and identical.) They may be artificially created, or recruited from the villain's home world/dimension, but the bad guys never run out of them. Cannon fodder types are fanatically loyal to the enemy cause, and are of low intelligence; they are almost always just used as a way to distract or tire the heroes before the villains spring their real plan. They should be built on many points less than the player characters, and appear in great numbers. Cannon fodder should only do serious damage to a PC rarely and when it advances the plot. Typical quote: "Get them!"

 

Monster of the Week : The focus of many sentai episodes. This does not literally have to be a monster, but that's the way it usually turns out. This is a one-shot creature or weapon that the enemy hopes will finally achieve their goal of (world domination/destroying the universe/winning the heart of Paris Hilton/getting rid of the pesky heroes) once and for all. Most MotWs are fanatically devoted to the enemy cause, or are nonintelligent. Friendly or tragic MotWs should be a once-off as a change of pace. A Monster of the Week should be built to be a challenge to the entire PC team and/or their giant robot. It's often handy to have a theme for the enemy monsters (Household Appliances/Endangered Species/Things that Annoy the GM) and base each monster's specific powers on something from that theme. Typical quote: "Raahhr!"

 

Traitor : This is a character who supposedly is on the heroes' side, but turns on them at an inopportune moment. Their motivations vary, and the character should be given a Disadvantage to represent the reason for the betrayal. (Greed, Feels Unappreciated, DNPC: Child who's been kidnapped by the baddies, etc.) Usually, this character is not a combat-ready one, though his knowledge of the heroes' secrets and weaknesses makes him dangerous. Those with base motivations tend to meet a sticky end; the enemy has no intention of keeping its promises, and needs someone to turn into a Monster of the Week anyway. A Traitor plotline may stretch over several adventures, but the GM should only use it once per sentai campaign. Typical quote: "So I was 'useless,' eh, Attitude Ranger? Now who's laughing? Hahaha!"

 

Mad Scientist : A relatively rare type (usually combined with one of the Lieutenants instead), the Mad Scientist builds and maintains the enemy technology/magic/majitek. When he's around, he's usually the one who comes up with the Monster of the Week that the Boss will then build a plan around. Player characters rarely interact with the Mad Scientist unless they've been captured, in which case one or more of them will wind up in his lab for painful/blasphemous experiments. This usually happens to either the Stalwart Leader (for interrogation purposes) or the Female Lead (because the Mad Scientist didn't get to date much in college.)The Mad Scientist will have a high INT (maybe EGO) and a whole bunch of science-related skills at high levels, but is invariably physically frail and no match for an unrestrained player character at fisticuffs. Typical quote: "Behold my latest creation!"

 

Lieutenant : As mentioned upthread, there are usually four of these fellows, who oversee various plots for the Boss. They should be tough enough to take on two or more player characters at the same time, and should be provided with some method of escaping capture easily. They vary more than any other level of sentai villain; I'm providing some stereotypes frequently seen that you can mix and match.

 

The Brute : This fellow is bigger and stronger than the other lieutenants, and will have brick-style powers appropriate to the campaign flavor. He's not very bright, and his plans are straightforward. Brutes tend to be very macho, and often disdain the Female and the Androgyne. Some Brutes will be "Big Softies" who secretly love puppies and babies. Usually dies in direct combat with the heroes. Typical quote: "Stand still so I can smash you!"

 

The Military Nut : This lieutenant takes the whole "evil army" thing seriously. He usually has a military title attached to his name, uses a lot of spit and polish, and a costume styled after a historical army. (All too often these guys go for the Nazi imagery. Idiots.) His plots tend to be meticulously planned, and his cannon fodder are better trained than usual. He's the most likely to make use of actual military weaponry as well, such as carrying a gun. The Military Nut tends to be anal-retentive, and hates it when his fellow Lieutenants make fun of him. Usually dies in a big explosion. Typical quote: "Blue Army is in position! Launch the counterstrike!"

 

The Usurper : This fellow is primarily interested in career advancement. Of course, in the enemy organization, there's only one position above him. His plans generally involve being sneaky, and making sure his personal safety isn't in danger. His powers will often emphasize stealth or "unfair" attacks. He and the Noble hate each other's guts. Eventually, the Usurper will make an attempt on the Boss, and either be squashed like a bug, or succeed and become the Boss himself as a mid-season twist. Typical quote: "Of course, my lord. I would never dream of disobeying your orders."

 

The Noble : This fellow would probably be a good guy, if it weren't for his personal loyalty to either the Boss or to the enemy organization. He usually has high PRE, decent COM, strong hand-to-hand combat skills (sword, most likely) and a Code of Honor. He's invariably a snappy dresser, and capes go well with this character type. He hates the Usurper and other "dishonorable" types. Either switches sides towards the end when his Code of Honor tells him it's appropriate, or is bushwhacked by a fellow Lieutenant who thinks he's about to turn. Typical quote: "I could kill you now, and have done with it. But I cannot strike a helpless foe. Come, pick up your weapon and we shall begin again."

 

The Female : Usually seen as mere eyecandy by her male counterparts, and deeply resentful of it. It doesn't help that the Female will have a high COM (even if obviously non-human) and usually dress in a sexualized costume. A Female will usually have more common sense than the other Lieutenants, and should have about the same power level. Her plans will generally be well thought-out and show an understanding of psychology. Some but not all Females will fall in love with a male Player Character; the others will be in love with a fellow Lieutenant or the Boss. The Female will die protecting her beloved. (If the beloved is a good guy, there's a chance that she will survive her ordeal, but she's still not going to be much help.) Typical quote: "Ah, but these petunias happen to be...carnivorous. Ohohohoho!"

 

The Psycho : This character became a villain because he likes to kill people, or at least hurt them a lot. His most distinguishing feature is the "Casual Killer" Psych Lim, though the insane look in his eyes comes a close second. His plans will involve the maximum of death and destruction, even on what are supposed to be stealth missions. He is roundly despised by all his fellow lieutenants for obvious reasons. He will usually be equipped with bladed weapons, the scarier they look the better. The Psycho usually dies very, very quickly due to his complete lack of self-preservation instinct. Typical quote: "I wonder what your internal organs look like. Let's find out."

 

The Androgyne : AKA the "bishie." He has a high COM, and can pass for either male or female, usually dressing so as to heighten the confusion. This creeps out the Brute, and the Androgyne despises the Brute's excessive masculinity. Often a master of disguise, the Androgyne's plans will involve throwing the player characters off balance and events that are not what they appear. The Androgyne may or may not be gay. He has no special death pattern. Typical quote: "Well, it seems I've given it away." *rips off disguise, revealing costume that could not possibly have fit underneath* "Get them!"

 

The Sidekick : An exception to the usual rule about Lieutenants not cooperating, the Sidekick is personally loyal to or in love with one of the other Lieutenants, and supports him both in battle and in arguments with the other Lieutenants. He can have any power set. May die protecting the person he's attached to. If the heroes kill him, this will trigger a Hunted (more so) by the surviving partner. Typical quote: "I think we should do what Venal-sama suggested. It's a good idea."

 

The Brainwashed Hero : Often a midseason twist; one of the heroes is captured and mind-controlled into working for the enemy. Up his major attacks by 10-20 AP; turning evil always boosts your power. But the Brainwashed Hero is vulnerable to things that remind him of his true history/nature. (Reacting as if Stunned, provided it works just right.) This twist works especially well if for some reason the character's player can't make it to game sessions for a while/anymore. Usually returns to his senses by the end. Typical quote: "I do not know this Attitude Ranger. I am Lord Attitude."

 

Boss : The enemy leader. Could look like just about anything, but rules his Lieutenants by force and fear. Sometimes the true identity/nature of the Boss is a late season twist. The Boss should be able to take on the entire player character team (and their giant robot if any) single-handedly, but far more intelligently than the Monster of the Week. May have a "true form" that's even more powerful. The boss dies either in the last episode or the next to last. In the latter case, it's so the Final Boss can come out. Typical quote: "Now you face true power!"

 

Final Boss : The Boss' boss. It's best if the GM has hinted to the players that this person exists, because otherwise they're going to feel a little annoyed that beating the Boss didn't solve things. The Final Boss is even more powerful than the Boss, capable of taking on the entire team, their giant robots, their allies, and any surviving Lieutenants who've realized just what they were actually serving. Only the power of love and friendship can save you now! Typical quote: "No! This cannot be!"

[loraxxx]

Re: Power Rangers

 

skjam--i applaud you for your excellent work--i give you a rep point!

[Hermit]

Re: Power Rangers

 

skjam--i applaud you for your excellent work--i give you a rep point!

 

I agree about it being great work, but alas, I need to spread some rep around before I do the latter myself

[Moody Loner]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Took care of it, Hermit.

 

Course, he got my 3 instead of your 51, but I can't help that.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Oh yes' date=' can't forget the Shinesman with their fantastic colors (one color I had to look up the dictionary) and their awesome weapons. Too bad there were just two episodes. There's a thread in the Star Hero section about funny quotes from sci-fi. I wonder if anime counts....[/quote']

A Shimesman campaign would actually be a lot of fun -- particularly with the social satire aspects played up (the heroes all work for a Japanese corportation that does contract work for the aliens) and if you also play up the genre satire ("You've seen me naked -- that makes you my husband!")

 

From what I've seen, the villains are not particularly bad sorts either -- they're just doing a job which happens to be planetary conquest.

 

The Emperess of a Thousand Dimensions supervillainess from CK&C would make a great sentai-style villain.

[loraxxx]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Took care of it, Hermit.

 

Course, he got my 3 instead of your 51, but I can't help that.

 

huh??!!??--what are you talking about??

[Powerhouse]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Everyone is color coded I think as well. The female is almost always pink while the leader is red and the rebel on the team is in black. Blue, Green, and yellow are also very popular but they are either one color or that color mixed with white.

 

There is a BESM (Big Eyes Small Mouth) d20 book which lets people define a number of anime classes, including the Sentai team member.

 

Hmm... I'm reminded of a line where the Sentai member always wants to fight with their team mates so making the skill "teamwork" mandatory is probably a good thing.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Hmm... I'm reminded of a line where the Sentai member always wants to fight with their team mates so making the skill "teamwork" mandatory is probably a good thing.

Then again, there are sentai-style characters who do operate solo. Ultraman and Kamen Rider are classic examples. (Saban brought over the latter as Masked Rider. He had high-tech weapons and a super-motorcycle.)

 

There are times when literal translation can be a bitch when brining over a sentai or similar series. Tuxedo Mask may be a literal translation of Tuxedo Kamen, but it doesn't sound nearly as cool.

[nexus]

Re: Power Rangers

 

huh??!!??--what are you talking about??

 

I think he's talking about "Rep Power". Its worth more when people with higher Rep and post count (such as Hermit) rep you than when relatives newbies to. In this case, his Rep is 3 as opposed to Hermit's 51.

[ShinDangaioh]

Re: Power Rangers

 

Can you define sentai for me? Does it simply refer to all giant-robot shows' date=' or something more specific? I've never heard this term used before, and except for the old Voltron cartoon, haven't really followed the genre that closely. [/quote']

 

Little translation of Sentai: Battle Team

 

The Super Sentai(or Super Battle Team) group of shows have the giant robots. The original show, Five Man, had NO gaint robots. It wasn't Super Sentai