assault Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Instead of working on my Australian super-villains, I've been sidetracked into thinking about a campaign inspired by Marvel's pre-Fantastic Four monster comics and GURPS Atomic Horror. I thought I should write it up and share it. Setting: the 1950s. The Atomic Age. The beginning of the Space Age. The Cold War. About a decade after the end of World War II. The heroes: Well, the ultimate team would actually be the Challengers of the Unknown, but I want a team with powers. The FF would be suitable too, but I want something more Avengers-like. Two characters come to mind. First, the Hulk. He's a monster in his own right - just a heroic one. Who better to fight a monster than another monster? Second, a monster fighting scientist and explorer. Marvel had such a character - the unnamed blonde scientist who was eventually named as Hank Pym and made a superhero - Ant-Man. This is a rare case where someone who develops superpowers doesn't go mad and try to take over the world. Obviously there would be a temptation to have the interaction between them being similar to that between Reed Richards and Ben Grimm - that's perfectly fine. Female characters are a little trickier. This is the 50s. I don't want characters with derivative powers, so characters modelled on the Wasp and Sue Storm are out. A cross between Lois Lane and Black Canary would work. After all, the world can be a dangerous place for a single girl, so learning Judo is a good idea. And Plucky Girl Reporters can go anywhere. Wearing a costume and a mask is a bit dubious though, and should probably be left for later. Patsy Walker would be another suitable influence. Finally, you can't go wrong with a Jungle Girl. (Actually, you can go very wrong with a Jungle Girl, but that's another story). Personally, I would go with a character influenced by the Australian published Kazanda. She would have psychic abilities that would give her a role in the team separate from the Girl Reporter. Lost Worlds are a legitimate part of the setting, or she could even be from Venus (or an alien Jungle World if you insist on a "realistic" Venus). And by the way, how did she maintain her hair and nails in such perfect condition in the jungle? Her fondness for dressing like a circus performer would cause a certain amount of disapproval in certain social circles, but the fact that she has the body of a pin-up girl would attract approval in others. Because I'm still in the framework of my Australian setting, four heroes would be enough. Villains: For the moment, I'll only go with about 6. Most of them are pretty much masterminds anyway. 1. The leftover Nazi. Remember, WW2 was only about a decade ago. A hardline Nazi could still be trying to reverse the outcome, through Mad Science! 2. The Silver Age Commie mastermind. Basically the same as the Nazi, but with different symbolism. 3. The Femme Fatale. Works for the Commie mastermind. Basically the Black Widow. Will our heroic scientist fall for her charms? What does the Plucky Reporter think about her? 4. The Alien Queen. Commands a fleet of UFOs, an army of robots, giant monsters and all the Mad Scientists you could ever want. She has plans for conquering Earth. Just hope she doesn't resort to Plan 9... She might have a special grudge with the Jungle Girl if the latter is an alien. Why? 5. Some scientists just don't know enough not to mess with things Man Was Not Meant To Know. And some do it deliberately... 6. An innocent lizard was caught in the blast of a nuclear test. We had better hope she wasn't pregnant, and that Our Heroes can prevent her from reaching Adelaide... Or Tokyo, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted December 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! Incidentally, all this does tie in well with my Australian setting. Australia was the scene of British nuclear testing, and fallout from French atmospheric tests in the Pacific reached here as well. Woomera was the site of extensive missile testing. I have to admit that Australia doesn't seem like a prime target for the Nazi and Commie masterminds, but it's likely that either of them could have secret island bases, and in any case Our Heroes are likely to encounter them no matter where they are carrying out their Nefarious Plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! I have to admit that Australia doesn't seem like a prime target for the Nazi and Commie masterminds' date=' but it's likely that either of them could have secret island bases, and in any case Our Heroes are likely to encounter them no matter where they are carrying out their Nefarious Plans.[/quote']If you're going to RISK your armies on world domination, Australia is a safer place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! You could have a remnant or two of Australia's top secret super-soldier project for hero sources, a project so secret that they never announced any successes. For a laugh, you could have their one success be a woman, a fast Brick-type. Maybe she was cryo-preserved during the early years of the war, so never saw action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted December 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! From memory, Pulp Hero had a suitable Nazi. (Doctor Destroyer is too far over the top). I'd consider combining the remnant Nazi with a cut down version of VIPER, to get that proper HYDRA feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted December 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! You could have a remnant or two of Australia's top secret super-soldier project for hero sources' date=' a project so secret that they never announced any successes. For a laugh, you could have their one success be a woman, a fast Brick-type. Maybe she was cryo-preserved during the early years of the war, so never saw action.[/quote'] Ouch. I'm going for an Atomic Horror vibe here, so that probably wouldn't end well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! How about the Doom Patrol for a team idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! Monsterpocalypse http://www.monsterpocalypse.com/ Enjoy the Minis QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! Monster Island is based in that part of the world. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! Radiation-mutated giant insects a la Them! are a staple of the genre. Plenty of room in the Outback to grow a nest of ants the size of Buicks. Not to mention wasps, spiders, whatever other nasties you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! I have to admit that Australia doesn't seem like a prime target for the Nazi and Commie masterminds' date=' but it's likely that either of them could have secret island bases, and in any case Our Heroes are likely to encounter them no matter where they are carrying out their Nefarious Plans.[/quote']At the end of WW2, there was a German U-boat transporting some secret material to the Japanese that never reached its destination. While the cargo was most likely German technology and blueprints (V2's, jet engines, etc.), you could always modify the cargo to suit your campaign needs as well as how the Germans arrived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Arc Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! For an Aussie based campaign wouldn't it be more like a Fu Manchu or an Imperial Japanese Mad Scientist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! good question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted December 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! For an Aussie based campaign wouldn't it be more like a Fu Manchu or an Imperial Japanese Mad Scientist? I considered that. The first thing is that the Australian-based part is optional, and was something I bolted on retrospectively. That doesn't prevent the change from being made though. Nazis are, after all, somewhat overused. However.... I tend to avoid Yellow Peril villains. They are in genre, and many real 1950s Australians were convinced that the Indonesians and/or Chinese were going to invade at any moment, but I'm reluctant to pander to that kind of stupidity. For the record, Australian troops fought the Chinese in Korea, and the Indonesians in Malaya. That's while sending troops to occupied Japan, and a few years before sending troops to Vietnam. Maybe I should create an Australian mastermind, plotting to overthrow the governments of Asian countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! Second, a monster fighting scientist and explorer. Marvel had such a character - the unnamed blonde scientist who was eventually named as Hank Pym and made a superhero - Ant-Man. This is a rare case where someone who develops superpowers doesn't go mad and try to take over the world. *SNIP* I don't want characters with derivative powers, so characters modelled on the Wasp and Sue Storm are out. Okay, this is kinda off-the-wall... but how about a scientist modelled after the one in the movie The Fly? Not the 1986 Jeff Goldblum remake, but the original 1958 film? As something of an odd-couple partnership, you could have both forms -- the fly-headed insect man, and the tiny human-headed fly -- working together. If you want a female character you could adapt the Pym/ Van Dyne dynamic, with the tiny insect as the scientist's wife or girlfriend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Arc Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! Okay make way for the Sirenian Hegemony out of the depths of space to take over the depths of Earth. Presenting... Princess Duyung of the Sirenian Hegemony I'll come up with some troopers later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burrito Boy Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Re: The Monster Age! 4. The Alien Queen. Commands a fleet of UFOs, an army of robots, giant monsters and all the Mad Scientists you could ever want. She has plans for conquering Earth. Just hope she doesn't resort to Plan 9... She might have a special grudge with the Jungle Girl if the latter is an alien. Why? Why? Because they're sisters. Trust me. I have their long form birth certificates around here somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.