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I'm wondering if the returned chimp was actually returned completely unchanged. It'd be an interesting if whatever tinkering the aliens did to his genome was something which could be passed along to future generations. You could take it in a number of directions: An ape superteam like the one lead by the Red Ghost which frequently clashes with the Fantastic Four Gorilla City variant Planet of the Apes variant Super-intelligent chimp who has become a well-known advocate for animal rights A genetic viral outbreak jumping from species to species among animals which makes them hyper-aggressive and mutate (James Patterson's book and TV series "Zoo"). Or perhaps just a contamination from a completely normal Ham the chimp which jumped across to the dogs of the space program. Dogs with telepathy and telekinesis (Cosmo) or something else (Krypto) would make wonderful pets and/or a wonderful black market in super-pets, super-guard dogs, underground dog fighting rings, etc. Or dog kidnapping. This looks like a job for Nura, Ace Vet Detective!

Even when not written to a concept, the Who's albums seem to revolve around themes that happen to be the things Pete Townshend felt was important. There are at two three tracks on Who Are You about the creative process, and several others ab out the changes going on in the music industry at the time (the collapse of the Disco bubble, the emergence of Punk). This was Keith Moon's last album before his death. His alcoholism and other substance issues made recording difficult at best, and he was so far gone that Townshend even considered kicking him out of the band. Moon died witin a month of the album's release. Townshend knew the world of music was changing, and that the Who may not have been the sort of band that could remain artistically relevant with those changes.

Finally saw Endgame. While well made and I have always liked the cast, I have liked each of the Avengers movies less and less overall. It isn't that anything in them was not well done. The solo movies have been fantastic and the initial Avengers was a home run, It is just that for me they get less interesting with each sequel. I won't discus any specifics, but for Endgame instead of avidly waiting to see "what will happen next?", it was "can it please get to the end faster?" As for the paywall shows. The initial info had me seriously thinking of reversing myself and trying D+. And then they started expounding and adding info. This line made me cringe. I'm not really looking forward to any of it now. Maybe after it hits rental or blu-ray I'll sample some of them. But not too likely.

If I may be allowed to abuse my historical knowledge of the Apollo program... it didn't have to be all six landings which did the Plutonian's bidding... just one. Seen in that light, I now have to ask, "What was so important about Fra Mauro to the Plutonians that Apollo 14 was re-tasked to perform the mission Apollo 13 couldn't do?" Also consider in Real Life that LMP Edgar Mitchell publicly admitted to attempting an experiment in interplanetary ESP with someone back on Earth during that mission. An enterprising GM can take things from there.

"Servobot! Dictate the following." Servobot: "YES SIR!" "I Billy Lipniski have tired of being surrounded by idiots and fools. By the uneducated masses and rubes. Also I tire of having my allowance being so low. Ridiculous! How am I supposed to build my Stupendous Devastationator Cannon with 5 dollars a week? Impossible...no strike that!" Servobot: "STRIKEN SIR!!" Billy: "As a genius of the highest level I can overcome any obstacle. I will become a master villain. I shall be the bane of all dums dums and dullards. Authorities will quiver at the mere mention of my name!" Servobot: "APOLOGIES SIR, BUT THAT DOES NOT COMPUTE. BILLY LIPNISKI CALULACTES OUT TO .00000451 ON MY INTIMDATION-O-METER." Billy: "Silence you bucket of bolts! I will not use my given name. No I shall be....HEL..." "LANGUAGE!!" Billy: "Er...sorry Mombot...I shall hence forth be known as HECKRAISER!!! Muhahahaha!!!" Servobot: "EXCELLENT EVIL LIFE SIR. BRAVO" Heckrasier: "Stop sucking up Servobot...I shall spare you the compactor...this time. Now let's get back to work on my fully functioning super cool Light Sab..." Servobot: "SIR. PERHAPS ANOTHER NAME? YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SUED BY...THEM." Heckraiser: "Hmmmm....indeed Servobot...not even a supervillain as brilliant as I will be can stand up to the Mouse and his Evil Empire. So....let's call it the Blazer Sword. Yes...that will work just fine. Beware planet Earth....Tomorrow you meet your new master!"

@Scything Just remember to act like the Aggie Bonfire's heat affects Joey even though it doesn't.

When I was coming with the backstory and what he was doing before he was introduced into Arc 1. I said that Joey and his tech partner Teja were in a battle bots program and we won a national competition,and Joey was hoping to get a scholarship from Texas A&M because he knew he couldn't get into M.I.T.

I'm curious if any of the other PCs have in-character connections to any of these cities. Anyone have or want a backstory in the heart land of America? Where was Beretta's first final girl experience? Where did Jack get recruited into the Ordo? Have Drew and Joey always been southern California boys? Where did Kilroy make his real estate empire? Given that we've only had two months of in-game down-time to setup our business and acquire real estate, I suspect we currently only have one or two properties, unless people are willing to help buy them with XP.

Romanians adore Vlad the Impaler...with an attitude of "Sure, he was a monster, but he was OUR monster, and he scared the @##@ out of would be invaders"

Simplifier This member of the group looks at the making of graven images and works to change people's minds. However the cult of celebrity has given him problems as some have suggested he should kill the celebrities or destroy the magazines that make them idols. He wears a simple uniform that resembles a lower member of the church with a black tunic and a white tie. Most of the time Simplifier will try and talk someone out of the worship of idols but if he is facing an idol such as gargoyle he is empowered and can blast the idol to pieces with holy power. This has also been the fate of demons who can also be considered as idols. Simplifier wears a bullet proof layer as some of the foes have sent gunmen to kill what they see as the weakest member of the team.. He also knows first aid and has some martial arts knowledge mainly for self defence.

Lot of good ideas. Ham could be brainwashed to loyalty to the Confederation, the "Manchimpian Candidate"

You knowledgeable people sure make it hard for us ignoramuses to coast :Shakes fist in faux rage: Seriously though , some excellent factoids here and ideas. If I continue to flesh this out I'll try to incorporate some more. Thank you

As a running joke in my 2600CE game there are 37 planets named Argos. I don't know how or why it started. I think I mentioned two entirely different worlds and a player called me on it. I hastily improvised a stupid story about prankster astrocartographers, bored pioneers, and some fairly shoddy interstellar communication. It stuck.

Hrung Hrung are gigantic reptavians native to Vabulon, but spread across the galaxy in an age past. In the Vabuloid tongue, Hrung translates as “thunder bird.” In Lacertan, the translation cannot be printed here, but at least you’ll have some understanding of why those aliens are giggling. I was present at a Hrung Mating Ritual on Argos (the one in Ophiuchus). The ritual is up to 18 days long. It consists of the male clearing an area a kilometer in diameter of all plant life and rocks. He then proceeds to gather Hrung Berries (huge fruits some five feet across), Thrat Moss and Dragonsbreath Blossoms. This he arranges in tasteful arcs and lines resembling ancient Celtic knotwork. Lastly, he begins to dance. For 10 days, this titanic creature struts across his ritual area, throwing his head back to hoot at the sun and howl at the stars (Argos' moon went missing some time ago, there is a cash reward). His bio-luminescence flares like neon signs advertising stuff your mother warned you about. He does not eat, he does not sleep, seeking only the attention of his chosen one. As the 17th or 18th day dawns, the male Hrung dies of exhaustion and the female lays her eggs in him. The circle of life spins on. It sounds cliched, but Hrung tastes just like four tons of chicken. Hrung.hdc

The Nazi cloning program just didn't go as planned. The Hitler fetus was successfully implanted in the involuntary donor womb. But something happened during the data download in the third trimester. The mother went into premature labor as the fetus started to grow at an astonishing rate. The c-section was too late to save the mother's life but that was inconsequential to the program: the child survived. Unfortunately for the scientists, the baby continued to mature and grow into an adolescent within days then killed the scientists. The new man was born. The superior man. What was supposed to be the perfect man. But regardless, this is the day for the H-Man! ===== The information download into the unborn H-Man was supposed to include all of Hitler's memories, all of Nazi Germany's super-science knowledge, and all of the military expertise of Germany's top people. And it might have worked if the scientist hadn't kept thinking of additional information to include such as current events, pop culture, superheroes, the Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia, and on and on. As it is, H-Man knows his previous incarnation was as Hitler and he has some fuzzy memories of that life. He has a voracious appetite for drugs. He has disdain for anyone who he considers to be his inferiors but isn't quite psychotic about it. The super-science and military knowledge is intact along with much of the knowledge about the current world. And he knows that Nazi scientists would like nothing more than to catch and dissect him to figure out what went wrong so they could start over. H-Man hasn't decided whether he's a hero (in his own mind), a villain, or a politician: he's been too busy raiding secret Nazi warehouses for resources and establishing the connections needed to keep him supplied with illicit pharmaceuticals for both recreation and work. He has, however, decided that he hates being an adolescent and hates being short and hates being reminded of both of those facts: his astounding growth rate stalled out well before adulthood. At this point, H-Man doesn't know whether he will age normally to become an adult over the coming years, whether he's stuck being an adolescent, or whether he's stuck being an adolescent forever. You see, the process which brought him to life was supposed to give him an immortal body as well. The prospect of being a short adolescent forever has, somewhat understandably, been an irritation during his (ahem) short life. But regardless, the show must go on. Stay in America? Take over Germany? Get revenge on Russia? Fight superheroes? Fight supervillains? Subvert superheroes? Gather supervillains? So much to do and so...much...time in which to do it. But youthful hormones are bubbling and it won't be long until H-Man takes the stage...to do something...something epic? "Should I take the red pill? Should I take the blue pill? Screw it, I'll take both along with a couple of the pinks. What's the worst that could happen?"

Just confirming that we're gaming today Saturday August 24th at 5pm in the back room of At Ease Games.

Schadenfreude. 'I cannot get down': Terrified Pauline Hanson gets STUCK on Uluru while climbing the rock in protest before tourists are banned from scaling it Pauline Hanson is a far right politician in Australia.

Take the children and yourself And hide out in the cellar By now the fighting will be close at hand Don't believe the church and state And everything they tell you Believe in me, I'm with the high command Can you hear me, can you hear me running? Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you? Can you hear me, can you hear me running? Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you? There's a gun and ammunition Just inside the doorway Use it only in emergency Better you should pray to God The Father and the Spirit Will guide you and protect from up here Can you hear me, can you hear me running? Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you? Can you hear me, can you hear me running? Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you? Swear allegiance to the flag Whatever flag they offer Never hint at what you really feel Teach the children quietly For someday sons and daughters Will rise up and fight while we stand still Can you hear me, can you hear me running? Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you? Can you hear me, can you hear me running? Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?

No objection to any of what you said (what works is what works), but I just wanted to flag that this is substantively different from how Penetrating works. I understood it was meant as an analogy, but it's so different from how it actually works that I wanted to make sure you'd reviewed the rules on it recently so you're sure your target solution is what you think it is versus what a player reviewing the rules might think.

Avengers Endgame will be available on Disney+ beginning December 11 WandaVision described as classic sitcom meets MCU spectacle. Actress Kat Dennings will be reprising her role as Darcy Lewis from the first two THOR films in the WandaVision Disney+ series. Actor Park Randall has been confirmed to be reprising his ANT-MAN AND THE WASP role as former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jimmy Woo in the WandaVision Disney+ series.

I'd say New Orleans, Ann Arbor or Las Vegas would be convenient. I would also suggest St.Louis, Memphis, or Milwaukee due to these cites crime rates in the real world. Also we could have a location in all four directions. We already have a east and a west location, so all we would have to do is get a north and south location, and possibly a middle of America location like a St.Louis. If we were to do that, which I believe we should, then here are my recommendations for the locations... 1. East- Boston- Due to the CEO being most familiar with the area 2. West- San Diego-San Diego is where all the players lives so every player would be familiar in the area 3. North- Milwaukee or Detroit- High Crime rate and Milwaukee, Detroit are pretty close to each other-Grand Rapids wouldn't be a bad choice either because it's in between both 4. South- New Orleans- Basically what Steve said 5. Central (Optional/Not Mandatory)- St.Louis- Highest crime rate in America, close to Kansas City, and is pretty much in the center of America (8 hour drive non-stop from St Louis to the center of the U.S)

It was just a matter of finding my voice and writing for myself. My writing became funny as a result.

While I had no vote in the last American presidential election, if I had I would not have had serious reservations over voting for Hillary Clinton. I do believe her relationship to the truth is highly flexible, but that applies to many (most?) politicians. But I had no doubt that she was competent to perform the duties of the office, based on her past experience and demonstrable effectiveness. Hillary's biggest drawback was being seen, justifiably, as the ultimate political insider, the candidate chosen through "machine politics" as pinecone puts it, at a time when the American public was fed up with the dysfunctional, elitist politics-as-usual crowd dominating the federal scene. The "machine" should have recognized that, and they paid for their arrogance. Trump's appeal in that political climate was the perception that he was a political outsider (he never was, of course), and his populist rhetoric, which is the easiest platform to get elected on and hardest to govern from. I was convinced as soon as Trump started spouting off in debates that he was dangerously incompetent for the office of POTUS, so Hillary seemed an acceptable if not ideal alternative. But none of us could have foreseen the magnitude of disaster President Trump would become. As Abraham Lincoln said, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

Nureyev said that was the most fun he'd had dancing in years.

sixty

I am amused, amazed, and envious. Dean Shomshak

Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos

Geez, Quackhell couldn't even let me put out a mediocre post before he knocks one out of the park. Anyway, here goes... >>> Rejected Submission to UNTIL Supercriminal Tactical Reference Manual <<< Subject: Hubert Humphries Category: Supergenius Power Origin: Subject Hubert Humphries, age 10, exhibits incredible technical intelligence (albeit not so much common sense), evidenced by his building an energy sword, anti-grav scooter, and other similar high-tech devices to aid him in his self-proclaimed "War against Crime." It is believed subject's engineering acumen is the result of a genetic mutation. Subject also claims to have been bitten by a "radioactive man" and says he now has the "proportionate strength of a fully grown adult male." Note that the reporting agent specifies "technical intelligence" -- true intelligence is questionable, owing both to this latter claim as well as subject's chosen superhero moniker. To wit, he uses the first two letters of his name, along with the radioactive being that bit him, to produce the code name "Hu-Man". (I just posted this so it's not a "one-and-done".)

While Boston is fine with me for a home base area, we do need to think about where we should set up remote staging bases. I have a few suggestions, in no particular order. 1) Ann Arbor, MI: It's about 45 minutes away from Detroit and is also the current HQ location of the Pinkerton agency. It would be cool if the Pinkertons were involved in supernatural stuff, given their Deadlands lore. 2) New Orleans, LA: This place has got to be a hot spot for supernatural activity, right? 3) Orlando, FL: Disneyworld must have some spooky happenings going on from time to time. Maybe that's why it's so successful. What dark things might go on in the tunnels underneath the parks? 4) Las Vegas, NV: We already know some weird stuff is going on here. There could be much more than we've seen so far. The desert around the city also hides many secrets. 5) San Francisco, CA: Chinatown. What more need be said? 6) San Antonio, TX: It's got a lot of history, what with the Alamo and all. 7) Portland, OR: It's got it's share of supernatural weirdness from all accounts. 8 ) New York City, NY: I wonder if there are any abandoned fire stations we could procure? 9) Honolulu, HI: If nothing else, it would make for a great rest stop area. 10) San Diego, CA: It's where we game in real life, so seems a waste to not use it.

Speaking as someone who works in the commercial real estate industry, that seems like a pretty fair deal. Here are some real world numbers to consider. $100k cash outlay will pay for a one-year lease in Boston in a Class B building for about 3,300 or so rentable square feet ($30/sf annually or $99,000). There's about 20 million square feet currently vacant in that city, so even a Class A space can probably be found for that rate in a lower occupancy building, given Killroy's knowledge of real estate. In comparison, here in suburban San Diego county, you can pay about the same price for office space in a Class A building. Location will really determine things. Warehouse rental rates in the US are averaging about a quarter of the rate that Class B office space goes for in Boston, or about $7 per square foot. There are also dying strip malls where space can be had for real cheap nowadays, especially in less popular areas.

I could dump 100 points into faster-than-light travel and not have a superhero. The first time the character activated her power, she'd be off-planet without a spacesuit. You could run a Typhoid Mary plot with someone who is unknowingly giving other people FTL but can't use the power herself. The victims disappear without a trace

During those three months does he starve to death? Lucius Alexander The palindromedary supposes there is probably Desolidified food available in that dimension

Thanks for the info. I will consider your offer.

I could be mistaken but it could be the return of the Hero forum Fantasy Football League. I quit obsessively watching the NFL and doing fantasy football the year that Peyton Manning was drafted, if I remember correctly.