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I shouldn't laugh.

All those splashy "woke" rebuilds sell well at first, then tail off rapidly once people figure out the writing is just as bad, its just a gimmick. They've been trying to save comics by "expanding the demographics" for a decade now and its not working.

My supers universe is filled with these: Characters (NPCs) with a power or two who are _not_ "super heroes" or "super villains," but just people. Honestly, I _had_ to do it. I mean, i introduced it as a minor, once-in-a-while background gag, just to test the waters, but I was surprised at the reaction of the players: it just made so much sense to them! I was shocked. Like me, they figured for every one guy who got ten different powers, there were probably three or four who got one or two powers. For every person who go some awesome movement or combat or clairvoyance power, there were likely a few who got "see in the dark, period." I have no idea whatsoever how to write them up in 6e in a way that won't result in nine different discussions about what I did right or wrong, so let me just give you the basic idea of two of the still-present (and strangely popular) of these characters: Steven "The Step" Stephenon (real name Jordan Piper) has the singular ability to survive a fall from any height. That's it. Even if he lands at terminal velocity and falls flat onto a field of high-density concrete, he'll be fine. This does _not_ mean he can survive being hit by a car doing 50. His amazing invulnerability only applies to falls. He currently supports himself as a highly-demanded stuntman in the movie industry. Danica Manning (real name Danica Manning): Duplication. She has become so used to being twelve people that it's rare to find her fully combined. Currently, she supports herself as six lab assistants (mostly in the "super science" type fields), attends college where she is currently working on four different degrees (three duplicates) to go with the ones she already has. She is also dating a couple of guys, and is living a life of absolute leisure, doing whatever strikes her fancy. When she needs to rest, the more worried, frazzled, or tired duplicates will merge for a few days with the "permanent vacation" duplicate, re-align themselves psychically, intellectually, and spiritually, and then go back to work. Though sometimes it's not always the same one going back to the same place (nor does it really matter, so long as she has recently combined with the appropriate one). This neat trick has given her an undeserved reputation for infinite patience. She respects those with powers who decide to put on costumes and put their lives on the line, but in equal measure she finds the entire idea unbelievably stupid. As she is does not age unless all of her is combined into one form, she expects to enjoy a long working life (with eleven retirement plans! ), she's pretty confident that she's working toward a very, _very_ comfortable "middle age" that she plans to extend for as long as possible. She's slightly sarcastic, (very slightly), almost monotone when at work, and -- well, she's not exactly anti-social; it's just that sometimes she is more company than she cares to have. She can be bribed with a small sack of chocolate-covered mayonnaise balls from Truck's Tacos. There are many, _many_ more, but for some reason, with every supers group I run, those two keep coming up as fan favorites.

Ripley in Alien was originally written as a male character, and I think just about all that was changed was the first name and pronouns. The trick to writing a strong woman is to write a strong person, not just a collection of macho cliches. Gender isn't necessarily important to doing so if the character is three-dimensional and engaging.

I think this is the first non-joking premise I've heard that would make me boycott a Marvel movie. Darcy overstayed her welcome by 1 3/4 movies as far as I'm concerned.

Trump uses fear and hatred to motivate his supporters. To counter that the Democrats will have to offer a counter message, of hope and compassion. "Anybody but Trump" is not going to do it -- Americans are hungry for a positive vision. But the Dems will need someone who can inspire voters to hope again, as Barack Obama did. No more party apparatchiks like Hillary Clinton.

A solemn group of adventurers gather around a human pincushion. "I guess Bob should have specified that the arrows appear in a hex he wasn't standing in."

Jack Maywood Slayer / Alchemist Lord Maggot Joey Manegarm Lokispawn Scything Beretta Colt Final Girl Steve Drew Altman Lucky Operator WilyQ Murgatroyd Arcanist Durzan Killroy Sniper / Cabalist King Red Placeholder

If your players aren't happy with the, "rule of cool," then you aren't going to have swords in your SF game. They'll have to make do with a bayonet on the end of their plasma rifle.

Planetary Pick what goes Kaboom!: Magrathea.

I feel compelled to cheat since my entry missed the mark by only 4 months and 4 days (Aug 27th, 1999) - 13th Warrior. It clocks in at 33% by way of critic reviews and I loved that movie. With exceptions for Avengers, LOTR series and Commando I don't think I've watched any movie as many times.

Its a pretty minor effect, honestly. I think Mind Control (and other mental powers) are broken in Hero and always have been. They cost vast points for minor effects and simulate the genre material very, very poorly. I would rather see a structure more like transform where the desire effect determines the cost rather than a flat build structure across all desired attempts. Transform has different costs for specific attempts to accomplish a goal: Making someone's eyebrows pink costs 3 points per d6, its not a flat cost for every type of effect. Mental powers should follow the same kind of structure, and target the Ego of a character to overwhelm it rather than presence attack-like levels of effect.

The saddest thing about Temple of Doom is that it starts really well.

I liked parts of Crystal Skull. Maybe even most of it.

Kari Clauson floats through life, intersecting with people like they were ghosts. She is untouchable and barely touches others. She defines her her status as a holding pattern as she waits for something to change. She is Limbo. CES

Sony is being run by imbeciles if they don't rent out Spider-Man to Disney on a permanent basis. You can use him... if you pay us. Make your billion and give us our cut. Its basically zero risk, zero investment, and constant income.

I think part of the problem is that the more severe side of the left tends to call anyone who isn't left enough for them ALT Right. A lot of the labeling is patently absurd. Two internet guys I like to listen to fairly often are Joe Rogan and Tim Pool. They're both moderate democrats. They dislike/hate Trump and agree with most things that would have been mainstream left only 8-10 years ago. Now Tim has a show that is being threatened to be shut down by Antifa nuts because it involves trying to get progressives and conservatives sitting down face-to-face to talk to each other. Tim, in particular, getting called ALT Right is incomprehensible to me. He likes universal income, health-care for all, and several other mainstream left ideas. If this kind of nonsense doesn't cool off by 2020 there are going to be lifelong liberals voting for Trump because their own party has lost its mind.

These changes are what he's talking about. The current Spider-Man is a Sony-Marvel collaboration. He's saying they took a strong swerve away from the prior two Sony incarnations of Spider-Man. (Though in this case Ultimate universe, which influences all of the MCU versions of characters to some degree, not Elseworlds.)

https://ffn.nodwick.com/?p=1963

Dude are you throwing shade onto my idea for the great american novel, written in 144 word chapters!!!...😜

I would say that the majority of people who prefer Story Games have seriously backed away from this stance. I also find these days that people are more likely to play both traditional and story games. I believe the worst of this superiority complex is behind us. I suggest forgiving the overly-enthusiast and focusing on what you like.

If you don't articulate that you aren't enjoying yourself, and why, your resentment is only going to build. Sooner or later that's going to come out, probably in a way that will be more harmful to your friendship than if you were straight with him early on. I'm sure there are other things each of you enjoys that the other doesn't. If you're reasonable about it, and he's that good a friend, he should understand. If he doesn't he couldn't have been that good a friend, and it's better to know that now.

Just being aware is 95% of self defense. It's very rare that someone is out there just looking to fight some random dude on the street - there's always a goal and that goal is almost always best met (by the attacker) by avoiding physical conflict. Physical conflicts are risky...and noisy. Put yourself in the mind of, say, a mugger. You're not in this to fight, you're in this to find a target that you can take off guard, get their stuff, and get away with minimal commotion. Get in, get your stuff, get out. That guy who's walking down the street with his head down as he texts on his iPhone? Great target. Barely has the self awareness to avoid a pot hole much less see you coming up behind him. That woman walking along with her purse over the opposite shoulder (not easy to take off), head up, and aware of where she is? Not a great target...likely going to make a huge racket even if she doesn't actively fight back. That's just initial target selection, but that self-aware woman stopped things before they ever moved past that.

I see the opposite, actually. There’s better writing everywhere, on TV, in theaters, and in print. And there’s a lot of it. The problem is finding it since there is that much more content available now. DC/Marvel properties alone have more hours of shows than I could ever watch. And I’m immortal.

Yes, but.... Any point can be reached on earth within hours rather than days/weeks/months in space. in the real world if you hole the hull the atmosphere doesn't disappear. in the real world if the air becomes fouled you just vent. in the real world if you lose propulsion no matter where you are you have air and aid within hours. in the real world if your environmental support (heating & cooling) goes out, you can survive the hours needed for rescue. in the real world if you vessel becomes catastrophically disabled (sinks) you can take to lifeboats that have endless breathable air in the real world if a gunshot/shotgun blast destroys/damages a critical system you can survive air & heat for the hours needed to get a replacement. In the real world I have seen critical parts for an engineering casualty delivered to an adrift vessel within the same day. It is true that on earth they didn't need to worry about lose of air or freezing to death with the loss of heating as would be a danger in space. In the real world I have seen critical medical supplies delivered to a private sailing yacht in the middle of the Pacific by air in less than 9 hours and a surface vessel intercept withing 14 hours. Compared to space, seafaring is very forgiving. And the sea has rightly been described as unforgiving. In the 1900's all the way through the 30's/40's kerosene and oil lamps were very common. In the 1910-20's they were far far more common than electrical lights on land or at sea. And yet we didn't see them used on zeppelins/airships. Something to do with hydrogen going bang. On earth at sea the firearm is used because it is a easy weapon that is very efficient and the possible collateral damage is very low on the "we will die scale". Even adrift and without power you can live a long time until rescue arrives and in 2019, unless it is a private vessel on the cheap, a ships position is always known down to meters and there are several methods of singling distress that do not involve visual signalling. On a vessel that operates in space, the destruction or incapacitation damage to a critical support system needed to maintain breathable atmosphere, a control that controls heating/cooling to maintain livable temperature or even damage that causes a fire or chemical reaction that contaminates the existing atmosphere that cannot be removed. Any of those could be caused by one errant shot be it a high powered round or pellets from a shotgun. All tools are chosen by simplicity (easier to train the users) and efficiency (completes the task quickly and correctly with less error/rework). Swords replaced earlier weapons because they were "better". They held that spot until a "better" weapon came around, the firearm. Redefine conditions and "better" may be a weapon that does not damage the things that keep you alive and condemn you to a slow death. Most of the naysayers use an old environments assumptions plastered over a new environment and call it proved. While I cannot say you are wrong, I can say I have envisioned several new issues that make the use of a firearm detrimental to survival. All of which give some credence to the need for a personal weapon system that is not a firearm. It could be a sword, or maybe something we haven't thought of. But a explosively driven kinetic impact weapon fired inside of a metal box filled with fragile equipment needed to keep one alive minute to minute is not a good thing.

Here's a preview of the apps new look and feel... the screenshot quality is OK, it's a little sharper and has a bit more contrast in person.

Gotham Professional Building. Clean roof, good edging for hanging thugs over to threaten them, but noisy HVAC unit made me have to repeat threats. 3/5.

Who knew if you were poor, you were more likely to get shot while being robbed or shoot yourself, or if you were married, you are more likely to get shot by your significant other especially if you are the woman in the relationship, or suicide by gun is more likely to succeed than any other way? I didn't.

I was contacted by the Kamala HArris campaign and asked to take a survey to tell what I thought were important issues of the day. At the end, the survey asked, "Is there anything you want Kamala to know. Here's my reply: I'd like a flat income tax similar to what Gov. Jerry Brown proposed in the 1992 Democratic primaries. I'd like immigration law either enforced or changed rather than be ignored. I'd like a candidate to project a calm and professional demeanor to foreign countries by addressing bread-and-butter mainstream Democrat issues rather than chasing after primary voters by fully embracing every fringe stance which comes along. Looking like a frothing radical doesn't help a candidate to appeal to Democrats as a whole and certainly doesn't help in looking professional to foreign countries.

Discord is super popular! When I went to look for a Discord server for HERO I found a small server focused on a superhero setting that discussed a bunch of RPGs. Not exactly HERO-related. Having a Twitter account doesn't mean I hate Facebook. I use a bunch of different social media platforms. I feel like the goal here is to meet people where they are at. It doesn't hurt to have a presence on every platform. Did you know there is a /r/Champions and /r/herosystem Reddit forums? A Facebook fangroup? To wit: when I upload something to the downloads here, I link to it in other places - to encourage people to come look here! The goal is to generate buzz, find people where they are at and then share stuff with those interested. One of the big issues with non-current-D&D RPGs is keeping the presence up to those looking for something else. I believe having a Discord server could help on that front. Think of it as screaming into the room from under the 800lb gorilla...

I read Grrl Power, a full-color superhero comic which has been an ongoing series for 10 years. The author has increased his output to getting out 2-3 pages a week which is a scorchingly high rate for a webcomic and his art is much improved over the years. The storyline in that 10 years of real life has progressed about 3 months maybe (in 759 pages). As much as I love the title, that's not a lot of content even though the author is very prolific by webcomic standards. As a consumer, it's tough to pay a lot. If you're giving him $5 a month on Patreon, for example, you're getting less than a comic book of content per month for the cost of a physical comic book. Now in my opinion, the content is better than a lot of Marvel/DC titles. But what amount is the right amount to give an author per month for getting a fraction of the content of a comic book? Some comic books are $4 rather than $5. If you're getting half of a comic book a month, is $2 a month the right amount? How many people need to give an author/artist $2 a month to not only keep him from starving to death but also keep him in a good frame of mind to keep producing top quality content? And keep in mind he has to pay the inker as welI. I certainly don't know. https://grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/gp0001/

That would belong in a "Movies that are significantly worse than their RT rating" thread.

I've posted it before, but here's a bit more good news.

I am going to say straight out, we will need at least 20 characters, and if we plan for 5 or 6 players, We will need to make at least 12 example characters, to give folks some choices, even if it's simple like "Male Brick", "Female brick"> Look, how they look is going to be different at the end, from the beginning. If we are going to crowd fund this hypothetical projects, we might as well crowd source here. Even when presenting Write ups of Characters in the Old Rogues Gallery, I would include a villain option so that the powers and abilities could be used. Yes we will need cops, Bystanders, automatons, Gang members, Mooks, and the two BBEGs, but a lot of the percieved value of this is going to be through a mass of character, and character ideas, we haven't seen since the first or second edition, simple, easy characters with minimal back story and no tricks or much efficiency in their builds (Plus lots of full color Character art.) The goal is being an attractive package that can be run fairly quickly out of the box. The scenery, and the maps and details of Hepzibah are necessary to a point, but they don't have to be exhaustive. Unlike 1981,, Google now exists to look stuff up, and we should say as much. Types of characters should be in Sections such as "Friends" with the bystanders, cops and Firemen, and important NPCS, Enemies with The Skull, CJ, The gangs , The mob, and Chaos. Finally the example characters should be at the back with the build notes, asnd a suggestion to test the characters out for them selves on a blank map to practice combat, and to see how different poweres interact with each other. The PLAY should be the attraction. The base minumum would be enough for a Gm and 4 - 6 players to be able to run this over three or four nights (Warn them that combats often take a long time, so plan accordingly), and by the end they are conversqant at how to play Champions, and are THEN curious enough to want to build their own. Also in terms of Plot and Characters, There is no outside help avalaible, and Our Heroes must sove this dome problem with their wits or their fists.

Unless it's all part of a diabolical plot........

Been awhile since I ran a game and studied the deep esoterica of Hero System, but I would judge that Aid would require AoE. It is a good method if the spell wears off but might get prohibitively expensive to do so. Transform is not something I would recommend. Barrier is your best bet if the change is permanent. The special effect of transforming the rock to this new "dense rock" can easily be simulated using that rule more easily than others. Just toss on a "Only to harden the existing rock" requirement (which, at best, I would allow a -¼ Limitation on) and define it as the existing rock in the defined area. I know the Barrier power says "create," but sculptors "create" art from existing clay or stone. This is much the same concept. Just my $0.02.

I have Champions Complete rulebook and try to understand. Probaly its easy, but i cant find answer. On page 156 is about damage. I completly dont understand how calculate DC (damage class) to damage dices? For example: how i know how many dices add to HKA if I add 4 DC to attack?

I think the "previous answer" you're referring to is this one: That, in turn, led to the statement on APG2 37. Does that answer your question? If not, please PM me and I will edit this answer to address your concern. Thanks!

Changing gears again ...

Depends on your players, really. Generally I offer a set of guidelines (you should have between X and Y disadvantage points) and let them build to what they want. If someone wants a number not divisible by 5, I still allow the old "quirks", which are up to 4 points of 1 point quirks (When battle approaches, always says "Smoke 'em if you got 'em", Likes to use puns in battle, etc.). I have some players who always max out points, I have others who just take what they see as core to the character and fit their points to that. I have other guidelines as well (you should have at least N spent in skills that represent your job, interests, knowledge) and try to work with players to understand how things will come up in the game and why I have the guidelines. - E

Succor! That's what it was called! Great. Now I've got to go sand my nipples clean. ugh.

The optimal outcome, frankly, does not include a drunk with a machete, samurai sword and rifle charging around yelling "Your heads belong to me". While not "optimal", I would much rather the officer took the action most likely to stop that drunk - even if that option is lethal force - than take the risk of someone else being seriously injured or killed. He seriously abridged his own rights by his own actions. While I would also prefer that the perpetrator had not had access to a rifle to begin with, the sword and machete are quite enough, in my view. to justify lethal force against him, especially when he has already threatened civilians and is now charging the police. His rights come far behind all others involved in the scenario, at least in my view. "Reduced risk" options are not "no risk options". The officer could club a guy with a baton and severely injure or kill him. We know that concussions have serious repercussions. Violence is risky, and would ideally be avoided, but the real world often falls well short of "ideal". To the traffic stop, if the license plate is the evidence, how do we prove who was driving the car? We use photo radar a lot here, but the tradeoff is that the only penalty is a fine. Demerits cannot be issued as it cannot be clearly demonstrated who the driver was. Like Pattern Ghost, I would rather the police were armed and did not need to be than that they were not, and did need to be. I would want to see a massive reduction of dangerous weapons in the hands of non-police before I would consider reducing their own access to weapons. If two officers responding to a domestic dispute from a noise complain see Joe SixPack brandishing a knife and threatening his spouse, kids or a neighbour, I'd rather Joe takes a bullet than that his victims' safety is jeopardized. My priority is victims' rights well over criminals' rights. Assuming Joe SixPack is brought down with non-lethal force, that one incident should be enough that he is never entitled to acquire a firearm, or any other item whose sole, or even primary, use is a weapon. One strike, you're out. It should be considerably harder for him to ever recover his Second Amendment rights than for someone convicted of drunk driving to get re-licensed to drive. BTW, like Pattern Ghost, I am curious as to your area of practice in law. I would really like to see a study by an objective, non-partisan group not affiliated with the pro- or anti-gun lobby assess the benefits and costs of defensive use of firearms. My gut feel is that people with ready access to guns in the US are no safer than those with more restricted access to guns in countries with greater gun control regulations. However, "when your gut talks to you, what does it use for a mouth?" I would rather rely on expert advice than gut feel, and I would MUCH rather our laws were based on expert analysis than the political agenda of the day. This is something I would support. Funding it with a tax as you suggest makes it a "user pay" system, not a "general revenue funded" measure, which I believe is appropriate (much like gas taxes used to fund road maintenance). Sounds like leveraging expertise to me - always a good idea. It also puts some onus back on the NRA - contribute to actively reducing the risks, not just rhetoric, to support your preferences. Here, I would go further - safe storage should be mandatory, not optional. I would not, however, extend the "training tax" to such storage devices. Here, my bias is to greater restriction, but I do not need to contend with 2nd amendment rights. I agree restrictions for general "outside the home" carrying should be significantly greater, and should be funded by the gun user, not general revenue. I would favour "reason to carry", but as long as we are prepared to accept self-defense as a reason, it seems like it would be a rubber stamped formality serving no purpose, even ignoring any constitutional issue. Loss of right to carry for past violent offenses, mental health issues, uttering threats, past negligence in firearm storage or use, etc. would likely be the better approach - target the exceptions who merit restrictions, not those who are responsible. Canada has had a variety of approaches to deal with long guns, some more successful than others. Again, reliance on expert, rather than popular, opinion would be beneficial on both sides of our border. I see no reason anyone should need to carry such a weapon outside of the exceptions you note.

This. I don't like the idea that the helm looks magical even if it isn't doing anything. But, if Allen is actually using the power, it ought to glow (or something) making it, um, obvious, that he's doing something and it's happening through the helm. But, there's no "energy beam" (or some such) that goes from the helm to Bob so the power effect is still invisible per a Mental Power. Obvious focus with invisible power effect. On the other hand, I guess a case could be made that part of the limitation of being an Obvious focus is that it makes the power(s) that require it also obvious (even if they normally wouldn't be). But, that seems too limiting to me, especially if there are a lot of powers that use the focus. If I were GM, I would use the former and not the latter. YMMV of course. Lee

Also keep in mind that good swords are expensive, and people need training to use them well. I had thought of creating a science fantasy campaign, where some force field prevented modern and futuristic firearms from working. The PCs would probably try to find that force field and negate it. I nixed that idea because it would have turned into a retread of some previous campaigns. But I can post it in the Fantasy Hero boards if you wish. In any case, my players prefer guns over swords anyway. I am leaning toward a non-military science fiction campaign, which will be hard enough to sell.

Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD was more serious. Yes people died in both but The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was competing against Batman