OddHat

Re: The Classic Justice League starting members on 350 points

Thematically, Superman should have higher Str than any GL can get through the ring alone. He's Superman. Of the GLs, only entities like the Living Planet GL or Daxamite GL should be more powerful one on one.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings

Some people do all that for strangers.

 

...Oh, sorry, I forgot. They're clearly selfish, since they get personal satisfaction out of it.

Do not assume I doubt the existence of altruism. It's part of healthy brain function, as real as rock. Also, as a friendly reminder, replies to posts in this thread should be posted in Musings on Random Musings.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings

There's a physical limit to the brain's capacity for love. You can't "love" everyone, unless you're applying a nearly meaningless definition to the term. You love him as a person? Really? Well, will you sacrifice for him, placing his welfare before your own, or at least making it a top priority? No? Will you be caring for him in his sickness and grief, healing him, being there for him when he needs you? No? Will you be budgeting time for her? Giving up other things you want to do to spend that time with her? No?

So it's the "I enjoy making empty noise" kind of love.

Re: The Classic Justice League starting members on 350 points

Nice! I'd give the Ring it's own END bat, as it's equipment, recharged by the power battery, rather than the continuing charge (which feels slightly off to me). I seem to remember recent GLs exhausting their rings faster some of the time. The battery would be a second piece of equipment with it's own AI and set of powers.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

rhetorical question: Is it too late to get high culture back?

We had high culture?

Re: Musings on Random Musings

A crystallized' date=' symbolic manifestation of a deeper cultural trauma, if you will. And one that accelerated what it represented in an intense cultural feedback loop. America had a classless blend of low and high culture before MTV aired, but afterwards American popular culture has consistently driven downward to the lowest common denominator, creating an trash unter-culture, with MTV frequently pioneering the way or quickly jumping on the bandwagon by showcasing gossip journalism, toilet humor, slapstick, reality television, exploitation films, high-gloss packaging vacuous drivel, and the like. And while popular culture has always been associated with low culture by some, there is no strict requirement low culture be crass, vacuous, shivering, quivering, soul-killing, intellectual novacane. It isn't just MTV, but when I look back at life to date, MTV has come to represent the mainstreaming of trash culture and the sanction of an indecorous social milieu. Its Prolefeed for the bread and circus set. In the form of a pithy maxim: yes, the day MTV aired was the day American culture died.[/quote']

 

And here I thought American Culture plunged into the garbage heap in 1776.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

I watched American culture die.

 

Time of Death: August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m.

MTV was the death of American Culture?

Re: The Classic Justice League starting members on 350 points

Very nice, wish I could rep you again.

I use the Ego Drain myself for lower point total WW homages; it's one of the cheapest way I've found to get the Lasso's effect before going for pure cheese. I'll also sometimes throw it into a MP with a few other mental effects and powers, but then I really do feel like I'm getting cheesy.

Re: Remember Cyber-Cop?

Unless time travel is known, or the Cybercop is an idiot / insane / poorly programed. He might not understand that he's out of his jurisdiction.

Re: Con Game Thoughts.

I also want to add an option for an Al Pratt Atom/Wildcat character. I'm still thinking about that one. I'm thinking circus strongman/acrobat/boxer with a costume.

This is my favorite kind of Golden Age character. So many real life absurdly tough guys to use as starting points.

Re: Remember Cyber-Cop?

"Do you have a license for that genetic code, sir?" All sorts of crazy laws get passed in the real world, and high technology is no defense against stupid and dangerous law making. Testosterone or Estrogen levels too high or low? You're emotionally unstable and more likely to commit crimes. Death-o-cution time. Carrying a genetic disorder? You're a danger to the species. Death-o-cution. Anti-corporate attitudes in your body language and voice patterns? You're a probable criminal. Death-o-cution. Looking at this officer funny?

You should have run, meatbag. Not that it would have helped.

Re: The Classic Justice League starting members on 350 points

Here's my 6e update on Wonder Woman.

 

As with Flash, her power level suffers with the loss of 'characteristics formerly known as figured'.

I traded out the Fires of Hestia for a usable Tiara. My reasoning is that unlike the others so far (Superman, Captain Marvel and Flash) she has not learned or been granted the full breadth of her powers. She is a more seasoned combatant though.

 

As always, comments welcome.

Overall I like her, even if there's stuff I'd have done differently.

Two thoughts, one trivial, one (to me at least) less so. First, why NCC Universal Translator? Mechanically I see how it works, but I don't remember WW having unreliable language skills any more than any other comic book character. Of course, I haven't followed the character lately, but I did read a bunch of Golden Age WW and some Silver back when I was making my homage characters.

Second, I'd think about finding some way of getting her ability to compell truth back on the character sheet. It was a core part of even the earliest versions of the character (her creator was also the inventor of the polygraph). Either directly with mind control or indirectly with a Sense, it should be built into the Lasso.

Um, the whole "Helpless when in bondage" thing is also really part of the core character. Marston was in a polyamorous BDSM relationship, and much of his thinking on Male-Female relationships made it into his work on the character.

She should also probably have a better Breakfall skill. She can jump off of buildings unharmed even in the Golden Age.

Re: Con Game Thoughts.

I thought scenario 2 would be fun, but I can see your points. It may need some more oomph. I was sort of leaning toward having the dad having more point sin gadgets to make up for him not being a tank. I also forgot how many people like ranged combatants and magic types.

 

I'm also debating a robot. More Robbie than Herbie, but who would play a robot?

 

I also wonder if people may not be interested in the Challengers of the Unknown/Johnny Quest aspect.

 

If the kids are built Teen Champions style and the adults as low level supers, would that balance it out?

Well, just speaking for myself based on what I play at conventions, I think it's this particular genre blend that's not quite working for me. Others may feel differently.

I'd love a Challengers of the Unknown / Johnny Quest game, where all the characters were iconic homages with different skill sets and minimal overlap (just enough to make everyone useful in combat, which is a big chunk of most convention games).

I'd love a Fantastic Four / Incredibles game, with a Super Family, each with distinct power sets.

Maybe I'm just looking at it wrong. Granpa Skill Master, Super Scientist Gadget Dad and Mystic Weapon Warrior Woman Mom work as a team for me. Brick Son and Speedster Daughter seem a little out of place.

I guess it would hang together better for me if the Power Family aspect were done in Bionic Six / Incredibles / Fantastic Four style, with everyone having obvious powers. As it is, I kind of wonder where the kids get theirs. Dad was experimenting on them? Adopted aliens?

Re: Campaign tools need editorial review by interested parties.

Nice to see how it's evolving, and I like the pictures.

Yes, that was a Rocky Horror ref. Part of my "If it was a live action movie or TV show, was cool, and doesn't directly conflict with something else, it's more or less true" rule.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

I still think the villain's name for his condition that gives him a 300 IQ is great... if I recall what it is. I'll use that in any future superhero gaming.

Malign Hypercognition Disorder; true Super Geniuses tend to become Evil, presumably because they can't stand the thought of being told what to do by monkeys.

Sort of the reaction every kid with a 150+ IQ has the first time he sees his own test results.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Just re-read "Soon I Will Be Invincible". I know it has been talked about on the board before, but I thought I'd plug it again. A very good Superhero novel, a Silver/Bronze Age Villain facing a team of Iron Age Heroes in a Superhero world that as a Champions GM I'm tempted to stat out. Villain as angry, bullied nerd; Heroes as the popular kids with their own less obvious pain. Some bits of the world background were excellent, some of the themes explored didn't work for me. Still consider it well worth reading.

Re: Con Game Thoughts.

I like both, and I'm always interested in how other people think about their convention games.

I'd go with option one. The group is nicely varied, and period adventures have a charm of their own, especially as one shots.

The team in game two just doesn't interest me that much. They're all HtH fighters, and while dad's power set is useful in a skills heavy scenario, I'd worry about him being over-shadowed in a combat heavy convention game. Maybe if he had a Power Suit or big gun & bunch of gadgets? As a player sitting down at the game, I'm not sure any of them would catch my eye except maybe Grandpa America.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings

There are two types of people: Those who run, and those who realize it won't save them.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

Alas' date=' I love "tasty, tasty murder!" way too much to ever go vegetarian, let alone vegan. And there's no way I could sit with anarchists with a straight face long enough to avoid having one of them throw a pipe-bomb at me.[/quote']

 

While listening to Dan Savage* and thinking about the people in Poly relationships I've known always makes me short tempered about Poly theory and practice, it's the preaching and incredibly bad science used to justify [fill in lifestyle choice here] that bugs me, not the choice itself.

 

For the record, I also get anoyed by people preaching to me about the incredible glory (and obvious Scientific Virtue) of pretty much anything.

 

 

*I like Dan's writing and podcast, but Polyamory an issue he really goes on endlessly about.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

I am neither' date=' so I can't offer an insiders perspective [/quote']

 

Go for it, then. It's the trifecta. Bonus points if you can handle Raw Food Veganism.

Re: The Classic Justice League starting members on 350 points

Here's my 6e update on The Flash.

Definitely seems lower powered than 5e version due to the loss of figured characteristics. This is also partly due to my attempt at using the same VPP upgrade that I did with Superman and Captain Marvel. I'm sure the basic combat power of the character could be improved by going with a more traditional (but limited) Multipower instead.

 

As always, comments welcome.

Overall, I like it. I've often used VPPs for my own Flash homage characters; they come up with so many odd power applications. As a player, if I were worried about being under-powered, I'd probably talk with the GM about using a MP and a Power Skill at the start of the campaign, with an eye towards moving to a VPP later.

Not sure about Unified Power in a VPP. I think it's rules legal, but I'd have to look over the rules on Drains and VPPs again before I'd use it as a GM.

Re: Musings on Random Musings

I am polyamorous' date=' and I can assure you it has nothing to do with religion.[/quote']

 

But you can't be sure about Vegans or Anarchists, right?

Re: A Thread for Random Musings

Polyamory is one of the more annoying religious beliefs, right up there with Veganism and Anarchism. No surprise how often they go together, or how often all three involve herbal refreshment.

Re: Campaign tools need editorial review by interested parties.

I'm still massaging the timeline. There are just too many 1950s Alien Invader and Giant Creature sci-fi movies to mention each one' date=' though I still hope to include [i']Attack of the 50-Foot Woman[/i], some reference to Plan Nine from Outer Space, and George Pal's Destination Moon. Yes, the existence of Super Science (and Mad Science) has changed things a little, but not so much as to make things unrecognizeable.

One of the rules I tried to follow when making my own timeline was to consolodate characters and events when & where I could, so long as it worked well as a story. Have a bunch of guys with Superman's basic power set? Most of them were Superman, either wearing different costumes or misreported (intentionally or un-intentionally). Have a bunch of different movies about Alien Invasions with very similar plots? There was only one invasion, but lots of movies made about it, and (again) people intentionally and unintentionally got details wrong. Where things couldn't be simply reconciled and I still wanted to use them, I created links. So, Plastic Man links to Reed Richards and The Elongated Man; all of the Japanese Giant Monsters and Robots are linked (an easy one, since many of them are officially linked in their own continuity); and so on.

It makes the story of your timeline easier to follow, and easier to use as the jumping off point for adventures.

Re: Foods for those that just don't care anymore

:: is horrified ::

 

If only there were one of these places near me.