Vondy

And so are Super Soldiers and Master Assassins.
I mean no-one uses shields these days apart from riot police.
No one uses archery when guns are easier to get hold of.
And the Russians have never ever used assassins.

So its about nothing, not funny and way overrated.  Ok.

It makes for really depressing storytelling but a superhero that finds out he's in a society where these days feels trump freedom would be a pretty effective sci fi type cautionary tale.

Firefighters wear masks, just like criminals and terrorists. 

I'm using hyperbole to make a serious point.   Raymond Chandler: “As to the emotional basis of the hard-boiled story... obviously it does not believe that murder will out and justice will be done — unless some very determined individual makes it his business to see that justice is done. These stories were about the men who made that happen.”   The focus in on private and individual and justice. Not on public and institution and order. It was assumed, if the powers that be had their way, no justice would come to the common man. The hard-boiled hero was not cop, soldier, g-man, member of the elks, or lover of PTA women.    He was a disruptor who did right despite - and in spite of - those in authority with official power. He represented purity in the face of institutional corruption and an oppression under color of law. He did not enforce bankrupt rules. He went out and fought for principles and righteousness.   He was a modern day Jeremiah the Prophet. Jeremiah was God's prophet. He stood up for truth, and justice, and righteousness. He went against the corrupt system and called out the leaders. What happened? They tried to kill him, imprison him, and discredit him.  He kept going - infused with courage and compassion for the people and a dogged desire to see justice win out.    That is the emotional basis that drives the superhero, but our culture has changed. Today, we are regulation loving sheep who fetishize government, order, the status quo, institutions, and rules. We obediently accept censorship, thought police, intellectual boshevism, zero tolerance policies, TSA gropings, and pervasive invasive government surveillance.   Extreme rendition? Water boarding? Extra-judicial killings? The loss of freedom? Insofar as its the other guy. Insofar as we are safe. Insofar as the government does for us instead of our doing for our neighbors and ourselves. When I said Zero Dark Thirty and Jack Bauer were now our national anthem and our national hero, I meant it.   And, it shows in our comic book derived media, too. Who will protect us from the heroes? Well, the government of course. They'll make sure all is well. Those superheroes have to be registered and regulated! After all, they wear masks, just like criminals! The constant zombie-horde of cop shows and espionage thrillers and special forces movies have increasingly become bald-faced propaganda for statist power.   Put your faith in the system, the institutions, and the powers that be. Don't question the rules. Don't question the outcomes, or the means to the outcomes, or the corruption and injustice inherent in our society. Don't rock the boat. And, especially, don't trust the goodness of the individual that marks the hallmark of the knight errant, the cowboy, the hard-boiled detective, and the superhero.   Superheroes are disruptors, superheroes threaten to unmask the status quo, and superheroes are therefore dangerous. Tony Stark in Civil War represents the antithesis of the hard-boiled detective and his pajama wearing son. Captain America is Chandler's bygone hero tilting at windmills in a world that would rather he stand down. Cap is The Last of the Mohicans. Which, as a term, is probably violating someone's speech-code and zero tolerance policy.   I guess what I'm saying is that the superhero hasn't realized society is looking the other way while the government unmasks him and puts him in a cell, to protect itself in the name of the people. That his mask was originally a totem intended to strike fear into evil-doers and to protect not himself, but his loved ones, from reprisals is lost on the sheeple who more deep down inside agree with Tony Stark. That the authors don't understand the emotional basis of the superhero is just a sign that the cultural rendition order has already been given.   Rant Off!

How did you come up with your 'handle' (forum name)? 
 
My name is David. My college era gaming group called me "Dave Man" and then "D-Man" when they got lazy. I do not know why. It was stupid. Embracing this pointless nickname, my handle back on the Cybergames boards and then the Hero boards and then these here resurrected Hero boards was D-Man.
 
However, back during the flame-wars of old (today is weak tea compared to 2003-2005) I led a coalition of like-minded flame-war disrupting and derailing dastards under the moniker of Von D-Man, the monocole doffing, hessian boot wearing, kaisereich uniform wearing, bad German accent wielding Supreme Leader of PAID in Full. Whenever the flame warriors gave up and surrendered a thread (and boo-hoo'd at me in whiny private messages) we informed them they had been "Paid in Full."
 
Yet, someone took to abbreviating Von D-Man as VD-Man and, well, no thank you. Since ScubaHERO had taken to referring to me as "Von-D," and occasionally "Vondy," I asked Simon to change my handle to Vondy. It has been thus for years on end now.
 
What was the first tabletop RPG you played? 
 
The blue-covered1977 Dungeons and Dragon boxed set. It was 1979. I was 7. 
 
I played a ton of early games, however, and I loved a lot of them.
 
What was the first tabletop RPG you GMed? 
 
Same.
 
What are you currently playing/GMing? 
 
I have been running FFG Star Wars, but last week converted the characters to Hero 5th. 
 
I have a street-level TAS style Hero game I want to run in the near future. 
 
When did you start to play Hero?
 
I first played Hero in 1983, but didn't settle on it as my system of choice until 1991. 

I'm not sure why the American is telling the British guy this...
 
The British Army owns 50 Apache Helicopters.
 
You signed a 3bn deal to upgrade them last summer.
 
That mouthy prince fellow... Harry is it?... is one of the pilots.
 
 

This explains much about Ballard, the little district in Seattle with a strong Norwegian (and othe Scandinavian) immigrant history.

I'm using hyperbole to make a serious point.   Raymond Chandler: “As to the emotional basis of the hard-boiled story... obviously it does not believe that murder will out and justice will be done — unless some very determined individual makes it his business to see that justice is done. These stories were about the men who made that happen.”   The focus in on private and individual and justice. Not on public and institution and order. It was assumed, if the powers that be had their way, no justice would come to the common man. The hard-boiled hero was not cop, soldier, g-man, member of the elks, or lover of PTA women.    He was a disruptor who did right despite - and in spite of - those in authority with official power. He represented purity in the face of institutional corruption and an oppression under color of law. He did not enforce bankrupt rules. He went out and fought for principles and righteousness.   He was a modern day Jeremiah the Prophet. Jeremiah was God's prophet. He stood up for truth, and justice, and righteousness. He went against the corrupt system and called out the leaders. What happened? They tried to kill him, imprison him, and discredit him.  He kept going - infused with courage and compassion for the people and a dogged desire to see justice win out.    That is the emotional basis that drives the superhero, but our culture has changed. Today, we are regulation loving sheep who fetishize government, order, the status quo, institutions, and rules. We obediently accept censorship, thought police, intellectual boshevism, zero tolerance policies, TSA gropings, and pervasive invasive government surveillance.   Extreme rendition? Water boarding? Extra-judicial killings? The loss of freedom? Insofar as its the other guy. Insofar as we are safe. Insofar as the government does for us instead of our doing for our neighbors and ourselves. When I said Zero Dark Thirty and Jack Bauer were now our national anthem and our national hero, I meant it.   And, it shows in our comic book derived media, too. Who will protect us from the heroes? Well, the government of course. They'll make sure all is well. Those superheroes have to be registered and regulated! After all, they wear masks, just like criminals! The constant zombie-horde of cop shows and espionage thrillers and special forces movies have increasingly become bald-faced propaganda for statist power.   Put your faith in the system, the institutions, and the powers that be. Don't question the rules. Don't question the outcomes, or the means to the outcomes, or the corruption and injustice inherent in our society. Don't rock the boat. And, especially, don't trust the goodness of the individual that marks the hallmark of the knight errant, the cowboy, the hard-boiled detective, and the superhero.   Superheroes are disruptors, superheroes threaten to unmask the status quo, and superheroes are therefore dangerous. Tony Stark in Civil War represents the antithesis of the hard-boiled detective and his pajama wearing son. Captain America is Chandler's bygone hero tilting at windmills in a world that would rather he stand down. Cap is The Last of the Mohicans. Which, as a term, is probably violating someone's speech-code and zero tolerance policy.   I guess what I'm saying is that the superhero hasn't realized society is looking the other way while the government unmasks him and puts him in a cell, to protect itself in the name of the people. That his mask was originally a totem intended to strike fear into evil-doers and to protect not himself, but his loved ones, from reprisals is lost on the sheeple who more deep down inside agree with Tony Stark. That the authors don't understand the emotional basis of the superhero is just a sign that the cultural rendition order has already been given.   Rant Off!

Firefighters and paramedics are real superheroes IMO.

Very slick.

$52,000 in 1980 adjusted for inflation is worth $160,355.93 today.
 
So, Avengers get paid slightly less than Congressmen do.
 
But then, even when the Battle of New York is taken into account, they also do less damage than Congress.

$52,000 in 1980 adjusted for inflation is worth $160,355.93 today.
 
So, Avengers get paid slightly less than Congressmen do.
 
But then, even when the Battle of New York is taken into account, they also do less damage than Congress.

$52,000 in 1980 adjusted for inflation is worth $160,355.93 today.
 
So, Avengers get paid slightly less than Congressmen do.
 
But then, even when the Battle of New York is taken into account, they also do less damage than Congress.

The wireless access point at my daughters middle school won't let me access the Dark Champions forums on the Hero Boards.
 
It says...
 
Weighted phrase limit exceeded.
Categories: Weapons, Violence, Pornography, Pornografia, Violence (Portuguese)
 
 
Apparently PORTUGUESE VIOLENCE is worse than other violence. Would American violence be acceptable?

And, on top of that, it even blocks out the content of my post in this thread!
 
And informs me the pornography is Norwegian. 
 
We know who you are!

Some of my best friends are people I only know from an obscure message board for an obscure pencil and paper RPG.  I too would mourn.

Khelben Blackstaff.

Agreed.

That is one of the reasons I love about the Fantastic Four. A well done tv show would be awesome. 

Étienne d'Ambreville became Immortal.
 
 
(Guessing respectfully this would be a negative in Vondy's book)

I first learned of them in Edith Hamilton's Mythology. 
 
But, then, I was a weird ten year old.
 
Of course, the next "source" for Norse Myths that I read was Deities & Demigods. 
 
Which included bare-midriff snow-bunny Freya...

I first learned of them in Edith Hamilton's Mythology. 
 
But, then, I was a weird ten year old.
 
Of course, the next "source" for Norse Myths that I read was Deities & Demigods. 
 
Which included bare-midriff snow-bunny Freya...

I first learned of them in Edith Hamilton's Mythology. 
 
But, then, I was a weird ten year old.
 
Of course, the next "source" for Norse Myths that I read was Deities & Demigods. 
 
Which included bare-midriff snow-bunny Freya...