Michael Hopcroft

Re: Traveller HERO: end is approaching Matsumoto. Leiji Matsumoto. You probably know that Star Blazers is the Americanized version of Space Battleship Yamato -- same basic story, cleaned up for the American audience. Yamato was actually controversial when it came out, as Matsumoto was accused of glorifying the Japanese war machine of the '30s and '40s. The producers had to scramble for replacement music in the third episode when they had used the Imperial Naval March -- which is outlawed in modern Japan -- during the depiction of the historical Yamato's final suicide mission. In the original, the starship was literally built around the frame of the sunken battleship; Matsumoto was never big on literal realism and was fond of devices like railroads across the stars (the classic Galaxy Express 999, a transhumanist story long before there was such a genre as transhumanism, was built around such a plot device).

Re: Answers & Questions Q: What is the most obvious consequence of a credit crunch? A: Any way you look at it, you lose.

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat "Uncle Ben never told you what happened to your father." "He told me enough, Osbourne! He told me...." "Peter, I am your father!" NT: Subtle signs that Dad is a retired superhero.

Re: And the old shall swallow the new... That and a ship (to sink, or to scuttle itself before Groo can climb on board and sink it himself).

Re: And the old shall swallow the new... I'm trying to figure out how to write up Grue Repellent.

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat Their small drink is sixty-four ounces. You don't want to know about a large....

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat Fuzz of Doom II: The New Beginning

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat

Re: Answers & Questions

Re: Spell upgrades another spell What happens, though, if you are somehow prevented from casting the spell you are modifying -- if, for example, the next spell requires Gestures and someone comes up to you from behind and Grabs you, or hits you with an Entangle that prevents you from moving your arms? Does the effect hang around waiting for you to cast any spell -- not just the spell you intended it to be cast on?

Re: Time Stop (its harder than it sounds)

Re: And the old shall swallow the new... IIRC, Atari has had some successful products lately, most notably for our purposes the long-running Neverwinter Nights line. They haven't had a lot of success with MMORPGs, though; Dungeons & Dragons Online Stormwatch was a disaster of epic proportions. They've had a long-standing connection to Wizards of the Coast, and have overall made money from the endeavor. That said, they are an independent company (no Hasbro ownership) and have a solid record of transposing RPG mechanics to computerized formats. The name may still be linked to the first videogame boom and bust, and to a doomed line of microcomputers (they made the first computer I almost bought back in 1988 -- I chose the imported PC-compatible Amstrad instead, and they ended up losing out to PCs ion the marketplace), but Atari does have a good understanding of the market and a decent capital base. Barring catastrophe, this should work out.

Re: THE BOOK OF DRAGONS -- What Do *You* Want To See? The beatings will continue until morale improves.

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat 1d6 Transform, wastes to compost (only without the smell). NT: Subtle signs that your state's governor is abusing his office.

Re: Hypothetically and unofficially, what would you like to see in a Mecha Hero book?

Re: Answers & Questions Q: If you want to kill a bear, what do you feed him? A: I want you to show me the way.

Re: Time Stop (its harder than it sounds) The mage might not want to do this too often, as he emerges from his temporal cocoon six months older than when he entered. If people start to notice, that could have unpleasant social repercussions.

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat The Illuminati, as part of their insidious conspiracy to rule the world! Just like everything else ever done by anyone!

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat Combat Dressmaking 101 (for when you need a new costume RIGHT NOW). NT: Subtle signs that you've lost the Superpowers Sweepstakes.

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat "Time for a refreshing paddle!" "In liquid nitrogen?"

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat Two words: Instant Snowman. NT: Subtle signs that it wasn't such a good idea to stalk Witchcraft.

Re: Money in Fantasy Setting And of course, what's money in one part of the world might not be money in another. The farmer brings his barley to the miller to be milled into flour, and pays by giving the miller some of his barley to make beer. The local ruler collects some of the flour for use in his kitchens as a tax: in return he's expected to protect the farmer's community if the Orcs attack again. It's usually much more complicated than that -- all economies are -- but you get the idea. "Gold? We've got too much of that stuff. Not quite as useful as it looks -- makes terrible armor and weapons. Now, if you've got some Iron -- that we really need."

Re: THE BOOK OF DRAGONS -- What Do *You* Want To See? But where are people going to find 30-pound acorns?

Re: Answers & Questions Q: Excuse me? Where I can I find the nuclear wessels? A: Any plan where you lose your hat is a BAD PLAN.

Re: Answers & Questions