tkdguy

Sung to the tune of "Send in the Clowns" Isn't it strange? After eight years Him playing captain again, Me with my ears! Send in the crew... Wow! I actually remember the first lines of that spoof.

Each stanza always ended with the line "This is my kind of sickness!" I think that was the song's title.

It is possible the elves and orcs are subraces of humanity. Or they all evolved from a common ancestor. They may or may not be able to breed depending on how far the races have diverged from one another. Another thing that would need to be addressed is the racial psychology. In a medieval society, humans would be superstitious and xenophobic. That need not be the case with elves and orcs. If they are different enough to be considered different species, shouldn't the way they think be considerably different as well? As for magic, I like having subtle effects. I read an article that described "how magic works in the real world." Basically, coins will not magically appear if the wizard casts a spell that would give him money. Instead the wizard would find some coins that had slipped out from a beltpouch. Similarly, a wizard wouldn't cause instant death on a target. But he could cast a spell, and the target would die from a freak accident (like being thrown from a horse) a week later. Also, if magic were well known, there would be laws restricting its use. Firebals and the like (if you like flashy magic) would be illegal to cast in the city. Spells that dominate another's will would also be outlawed. That being said, people believed in magic then. They often had charms to ward off evil (Darkness to sight, only vs. "the bad guys") or cure disease ( LS: Immunity to disease). And most people knew an incantation or two.

If you have the out of print GURPS Swashbucklers, you could find a bunch of sword styles from each country. The Avalons and Eisen could take the old style, with the latter substituting a buckler with a Panzerhand. The Montaigne could use the transitional rapier style. The Castillans would know La Destreza Verdadera, and the Vodacce would know the Italian rapier style. I would also add the following unarmed styles: Boxing (Ancient), Cinematic Brawling, Kampfringen, L'Arte Abbraciare, Savate, Wrestling, and Zipota. Characters from the Cathayan subcontinent could use Kung Fu, Tai Chi Chuan, Pakua, Hsing-I, Hwarangdo, Simgomdo, Muay Thai.

I remember the Mad magazine spof of Thunderdome. Max says he always ends up getting beat up, while james Bond ends up with beautiful women. He wishes he could end up with beautiful women too. The last panel has Tina Turner, Cindy Lauper, and Madonna there. Max is fleeing in terror. "YECCH! I said beautiful!...)

You know we're going to take you up on that offer.

A Mad Max game sounds like a lot of fun. Although I'd prefer a Road Warrior kind of scenario.

I just got an update, from a telemaketer, no less. There will be a fifth Highlander movie named The Source, as well as a new TV series called Forever Young. And Adrian Paul and Team Highlander will be in a car race (more like a marathon like the Tour de France) like he has been doing for a few years now.

I only remember four singers. I thought it was Scotty, Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu. Maybe it was Chapel singing the part about their food tasting like dried alfalfa. It was so long ago. I do remember Chekov's and Sulu's lines.

Have you checked out Mage: The Ascension? This may give you lots of ideas for your campaign, and it's set in the modern world.

Here's an old discussion I started to get ideas for that world. Look Here

Let's see: 1. King Arthur goes to Narn. 2. The new generation of Round Table knights are Narn. Sounds scary, except this guy was nowhere in sight when G'kar liberated Narn from the Centauri. He's pathetic. Maybe if a technomage came to advise him AND Delenn returned Excalibur, then maybe he'd have a chance. Of course, I could write up a story that he is Immortal with a memory lapse (it happened in the series). Methos or another friend comes looking for him and takes him away before he has a chance to liberate the Narn. Either that or someone takes his head.

If it's just sleep, the ones suggested would work well. I was thinking of: 1. 10d6 EB, Invisible, NND (Defense is not having to sleep) 2. Drain STUN 10d6. It occurred to me the target could wake up once hs STUN was positive again. Maybe Drain the REC as well.

I liked the initial idea, but it went to hell after the Montaigne Revolution, IMO. I bought a few of the books. That was enough to get some ideas rolling. I have mixed it with some stuff from Warhammer FRPG, especially the map of the Old World, which I like better than Theah. So I took what I thought was the best of each game and created my own world there.

How I wish I could remember all the lyrics from "I'll never fly through space again" (spoof of Bert Bacharrach's "I'll never fall in love again") sung by Scotty, Uhura, Chekov and Sulu.

There's been lots of fan fiction with different ideas, including Immortals having children (and not remembering them afterwards), the Gathering being a made-up story, etc. I even read one story where Satan was actually an ancient Egyptian goddess and Methos'mother. Here's another twist mixing the Highlander and Babylon 5 universes; my two favorite shows ever. Immortals were created by the Vorlons and Shadows as part of their ongoing rivalry. The winner would get the power to lead Earth on the side of either the Vorlons or the Shadows, depending on who won, of course. A friend of mine also suggested that "King Arthur" episode of B5 could have the man actually being Arthur himself, an Immortal suffering from a memory lapse. Maybe I'll write another story.

How about this setting for a Highlander campaign? THE GATHERING IS A LIE! That's right. The whole "there can be only one" nonsense started in ancient times, when there were only a few immortals. They were once a close-knit group, but they soon became rivals and eventually became enemies. The Gathering was a lie they perpetuated to get their younger counterparts to fight their enemies for them. They also made up all the rules of combat so that they would have some sort of sanctuary. Suppose an immortal found out this was the cas. How would he or she convince the others to lay down their swords? And how would the Watchers react?

I'm sorry, but I just remembered a joke from Mad Magazine that I read years ago (I remember the darnedest things), and I really need to share. Q: Why do Vulcans have pointed ears? A: So they can count to twelve!

Here a rundown of the campaign: CAMPAIGN: MODERN FANTASY INTRODUCTION The campaign is a cinematic genre for Ninja Hero and Dark Champions. It is based loosely on the movie Kill Bill. IMPORTANCE OF THE PLAYER CHARACTERS The player characters are somewhat important. They are not major players on the grand scheme of things, but they have powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to see them dead. CAMPAIGN TONE Morality: There is some crossover between good and bad. Corruption is everywhere, and even “good†people have hidden agendas. The player characters themselves occasionally do things that are morally ambiguous. Realism: The campaign is cinematic. The characters are encouraged to perform cinematic stunts, but not all wuxia-style powers are available. Chi powers are rare, but they do exist. The players are allowed to pick any armed or unarmed style presented in The Ultimate Martial Artist and Fantasy HERO. Outlook: Some things work out; others do not. Nothing is guaranteed, although the characters should always have a good chance to escape any given dilemma. Seriousness: The campaign is more serious than lighthearted. The world is often a dangerous place, and enemies often lurk in the shadows. Continuity: There are some long stories and some episodic ones. However, the characters’ actions will always have consequences, be they benevolent or otherwise. SETTING Physical World: The world is almost like our world in the early 21st century, except that the battles between the heroes and the villains are fought with martial arts and melee weapons rather than firearms. The setting will be post-modern, with noir undertones. Scope: The city of San Francisco will be the backdrop of the campaign. The actual extent of the characters’ travels depends on their decisions. Technology Level: The technology is the same as today’s technology. Character Building Guidelines • Starting Points for PCs: 100 • Maximum Disadvantage Points for PCs: 100 • Maximum Points for any One Disadvantage: 25 • All characters have normal characteristic maxima at no cost. • All characters must be hunted by a more powerful enemy. • Characters can have normal items without paying any points. • Characters are not allowed to use firearms (see below). Power Levels Starting Range Starting Maximum OCV/DCV 5-8 10 Speed 3-4 4 DEF 0-2 4 Skill Rolls 11- to 14- 17 CAMPAIGN RULES Guns are essentially useless in the campaign and will only be used for flavor. Nobody will have WF: firearms. Likewise, no dice will be rolled for attack or damage. NPCs that are mere window dressing will be killed. PCs and major NPCs will never get hit by gunfire. When the heroes and villains engage in combat, they will fight unarmed or with melee weapons. Characters should buy maneuvers with an unarmed style and an armed style. Acrobatics and Breakfall are highly recommended skill. Adding to a character’s running and leaping abilities is also recommended. A Multipower can be used to build a martial arts style. Chi exists in the campaign, but all the effects are subtle. A character may glide across the water, but he cannot fly. He may use his chi to enhance his abilities or heal himself, but he cannot use it to directly cause damage (i.e. no fireballs or energy blasts). However, chi can be used to indirectly cause damage (e.g. increasing STR) Aid can only be used to enhance the following characteristics: STR, CON, BODY, PRE, END. The maximum amount is 2d6. Powers like Hand-to-hand Attack and Killing Attack (both hand-to-hand and ranged) may still be purchased, but must be physical attacks. These will often come in the form of normal or improvised weapons or special martial arts techniques. Leaping, Running, and Swimming are good powers to take, but they can only add up to a maximum of 3†to the base rate.

Wow! Just when I thought this entire thread was finished. It must be immortal too! Well, one of my friends thinks it's hard trying to find a way to get a bunch of Immortals together. You figured out one way. I came up with another young Immortals story arc. A group of people die (together or separately) and wake up newly Immortal. They are found by an older Immortal who trains them simultaneously. For an added twist, the teacher loses his head before completing the newbies' training, and they must find a new mentor to complete their training and eventually avenge their old teacher. If you're interested, check out the Highlander online game. I used to be a player there. Highlander Online RPG

The stars look more like diamonds, but I like it.

To add to the atmosphere of my retro/postmodern mix, I found websites featuring 40s, 50, and 60s music. Anyone knows where I can find 30s music?

Let me clarify my previous statement. My treating WF: firearms as an everyman skill means nobody has to spend points for them. Letting the bad guys use them is only meant for background stuff. For example, they will fire at some minor NPC or into a crowd. However, they usually won't fire at the PCs. Even if they do, they will miss. No rolls will be needed. Important characters will never get hit. Unimportant ones will die, but that is only for the background story and rarely used. This isn't a military campaign, so there won't be any soldiers around. As for thrown weapons and bows, it's in the air. I could allow the PCs to have them, but they should concentrate on melee combat rather than ranged combat. Stuff like shuriken and crossbows would primarily be usd by assassins, ninja, etc. If a player really wants to use them, I could possibly let him, but my players aren't too big on them anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Here are my rules regarding guns and grenades: 1. Nobody should not take those WPs, as it doesn't fit the genre. They will be treated as everyman skills and are used only in the background. 2. PCs shouldn't use guns. Period. I'm considering the same thing with bows and thrown weapons. 3. Bad guys and cops will use guns, but only with the following effects: a. Nameless NPCs usually get slaughtered. b. PCs and important NPCs will never get hit by gunfire. c. The bad guys will fire on the cops and innocent bystanders, but will engage in melee combat (armed or unarmed) when facing the PCs. On the other hand, PCs can take any WF for melee weapons and a style of unarmed combat. It's highly recommended they take one of each option.

The Way of Steel writeup sounds great.