Barwickian

Re: (OT) Extraordinary Gentlemen query

I knew this was the right place to ask. Many thanks, people. Rep dished out.

Re: Vehicle: The real Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (and the fictional one)

I think the GEN11 (the fictional CCBB) should have an INT characteristic, and possibly EGO. In the movie at least, the car was able to operate itself and make decisions.

 

(Sadly, it's been many years since I've seen the movie and I don't recall much else about it.)

I agree, and hinted at its sentience in the text. The reason I didn't add INT boils down to my HD skills. I'll have a bash at adding a characteristic (or trying to do GEN11 as an automaton) soon.

Not only do I have the movie on DVD, last year I took my kids to London to see the stage show in the West End. I can't recommend the stage show highly enough - should it open on Broadway, go see it.

My only regret is that I saw it a few weeks after Richard "Rocky Horror Show" O'Brien stopped playing the Childcatcher. I'd have loved to see him doing Kiddy-kiddy-winkies.

Oh, the posh, posh travelling life

The travelling life for me

First cabin and captain's table

Regal company

Port out, starboard home!

Posh with a capital P - o - s - h

Posh!

Have I embarrassed myself enough yet? I love Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Re: The Pulp Hero Vehicle Sourcebook

Heigh-ho.

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to shadowcat1313 again."

The real Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Polish motor racing enthusiast Count Louis Zborowski lived in England during the first quarter of the 20th century. Determined to build a race-winning car, he recruited Captain Clive Gallop (later one of the 'Bentley Boys' racers) after the close of the First World War to help him merge an aircraft engine with a state-of-the-art chassis.

They built four vehicles, known as Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs (from which Ian Fleming took the name of his flying car). Each was a one-off, and only Chitty Chitty Bang Bang II survives to this day. Its owners, Crawford Auto Collection, of Cleveland, Ohio, currently wish to sell it, but so far no one has met the reserve price of $1,500,000.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang II, built in 1921, used an 18.8-litre Benz aircraft engine producing 230bhp mounted on a stretched and strengthened Mercedes chassis and a custom tourer body. At its first outing at the Brooklands racing oval, it was timed at 108mph.

After Count Louis' death during a crash at the 1924 Italian Grand Prix, the car was sold to a private owner.

Chitty II was at home on road or track, and was used to travel in continental Europe and in North Africa as well as in races. According to reports from a modern road drive, it's surprisingly easy to handle, though not suited to twisting roads.

The fictional Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was built from the derelict wreck of a race car by gadgeteer Caractacus Potts to please his children, Jeremy and Jemima. Reports suggest that in addition to being able to fly and float, GEN 11 may well have been sentient.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang II

Total Character Cost: 54

Disadvantage Points: 5

Total Cost: 49/5 = 10

Here, there, in our motor car,

On Chitty Chitty we depend

Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Our fine four-fendered friend!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (GEN11)

Total Character Cost: 126

Disadvantage Points: 30

Total Cost: 96/5 = 19

Since it's so popular in this section of the forums, I hope somebody may be able to enlighten me about the token American in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie.

Given the literary origins of the other characters, is Agent Sawyer supposed to be an older Tom Sawyer?

Re: Pulp Reading

A good non-fiction resource is Trident Press International's 1999 facsimile reprint of the Army & Navy Stores Catalogue, 1939-1940 (ISBN 1-888777-96-6). It lists everything a stout fellow could require, and delivery can be arranged to anywhere within the Empire. Chin-chin, old bean.

Re: Pulp Reading

I've been trying to wrack my brains to think of suitable British authors of the period - most of our fiction at that time was rather too sophisticated to be considered pulp (as others have pointed out, our Victorian writers set the stage for pulp, but then we moved on).

Then I remembered John Buchan. The 39 Steps is the obvious one, but Greenmantle (WWI gentlemen adventurers turn spies) and Prester John (African black magic comes ot Scotland) are also worth reading.

The Gutenburg Project has a good selection of Buchan novels, including the three I mentioned.

Re: Pulp Hero Resources

I'm positive it will come in handy for globe-trotting adventures' date=' and I seriously recommend it for all mapophiles. [/quote']

 

I bought it last year, and I second the recommendation. It's a wonderful resource.

Over in the Pulp Hero section, I've been posting some of the early Vincent and HRD motorbikes (and cheated a little by including the awesome Vincent Black Lightning, which was produced from 1948 to 1952).

But the story doesn't end with the closure of Vincent HRD Motors in 1955.

Back in 1991, Californian entrepreneur and biking enthusiast Bernard Li bought the Vincent name and set out to produce a new Vincent machine.

He wanted something that had the look and feel of a big powerbike, but a more comfortable riding position. Years of development - and a deal with Honda to supply an engine - have resulted in new prototype machines. Li hopes to have production machines running by the end of 2005.

There are four proposed models: The standard Black Shadow, the sporty Black Lightning S, the Black Lightning ST sports tourer, and the Black Eagle cruiser. They're expected to retail for between $20,000 and $25,000.

Since only prototypes exit, it's not easy to put these bikes in Hero terms. But I'll have a go at the new Black Lightning S - the perfect motorbike for your Dark Champion to ride.

The new Black Lightning used an eight-valve 999cc Honda V-Twin, as used in the Honda SP-2 (known as the Honda RC51 in the USA). It produces 136bhp, and estimates are that it'll take the Black Lightning S to speeds of around 165mph.

Like the Harley V-Rod, the Black Lightning is a retro-modern bike. It keeps the old, upright Vincent riding position, distinctive black motor and lots of other touches. But it uses modern materials and 21st-century lines.

For more information, visit Vincent Motors.

Vincent Black Lightning S

Total Character Cost: 49

Disadvantage Points: 15

Total Cost: 34/5 = 7

Vincent Rapide Series A

The last of the Pulp-era Vincent bikes for now...

In 1928 motorcycle enthusiast Philip C Vincent quit Cambridge University and, with the help of his cattle-farming family, bought the recently liquidised HRD Motor Company for £500. Included in the deal was the name, the goodwill and a few remaining components.

It took him a while to get the business going, and it wasn't really until he recruited Phil Irving as chief engineer in 1931 that the Vincent HRD Motor Co really got going. Irving and Vincent began designing a new motorbike worthy of its HRD predecessors. Unlike HRD, who used JAP engines, they'd build their own. The Vincent Rapide first rolled off the production line in October 1936.

It featured several innovations, most notably the first fully suspended rear frame on a motorbike, foot-controlled gears and a four-speed gearbox. Its 998cc air-cooled V-Twin engine produced 45bhp, and took the bike to 110mph. It was the direct inspiration for the big, post-WWII big V-Twins. In its day, it had no peers.

But the bike had its problems. The oil pipes, outside the engine, gave reliability issues, and gave the bike its nickname: the Plumber's Nightmare. Irving left Vincent in 1937, and though he rejoined in 1943, it wasn't until after the Second World War was over that he'd solve the oil problem with the post-war Series B Rapide.

Vincent HRD Rapide (Series A)

Total Character Cost: 33

Disadvantage Points: 15

Total Cost: 18/5 = 4

Hrd Hd90

Here's one more suited to the era...

Motorycle racer Howard Raymond Davies ended the First World War as a POW. He spent his time in the German POW camps dreaming of building the perfect motocycle.

It took him several years - and several times losing the Isle of Man TT race because of mechanical failure - to realise his dream. But in September 1924, with £3,000 capital, he founded HRD Motors Ltd in Wolverhampton, England. His plan was to build a small, exclusive series of high-performance motorcycles to retail for a 'reasonable' price. And he wanted them ready for November when there would be a motorcycle show at Olympia, London.

He conceived four models, all using engines built by JA Prestwich Co: the HD70 used a 350cc overhead-valve JAP engine and had a top speed of 70mph; the HD70S, available with or without sidecar (retailing at 66 guineas without, or 83 guineas with), used a 500cc side-valve JAP engine and would also reach 70mph. The HD80 used a special 350cc overhead valve, side-port JAP engine and would reach 80mph, and retailed for 80 guineas

The top of the range was the HD90. It used at 500cc overhead valve JAP engine, and was guaranteed to have a top speed of 90mph. It retailed for 90 guineas (£90, 90s).

Abround 60 production machines were ready by May 1925. Many were bought for competitive racing, and the press reviews were extremely favourable.

In June 1925, riding an HD90, Howard Davies won the Isle of Man TT Senior Race, finishing in 3 hours, 25 minutes and 35 secs, with an average speed of 66.13mph.

Over the next few years, new models appeared - the HD Super 90, the HD75 and others - but despite their race successes and healthy sales, HRD Motors was never a profitable business, and they went into liquidation in January 1928.

The firm was bought by a young motorcycle enthusiast, Phillip Vincent, who renamed the firm Vincent HRD Motors - but that's another story...

HRD HD90

Total Character Cost: 49

Disadvantage Points: 15

Total Cost: 44/5 = 9

Vincent Black Lightning

It's perhaps a little late for Pulp Hero - but it's a great motorbike.

Said James, "In my opinion there's nothing in this world

"Like a '52 Vincent and a red-headed girl.

"Now Nortons and Indians and Greaveses and Harleys won't do

"Coz they don't have a soul like a Vincent '52."

On September 13, 1948, at Bonneville Salt Flats, motorcyclist Rollie Free wrested the US motorcycle speed record from Harley Davidson atop a race-prepared motorbike custom built by the Vincent HRD Motorcycle Company, of Stevenage, England. In his first attempt at the record, the wind tore his leathers from his body when he reached 147mph. Undaunted, he removed the seat, stripped to his swimming trunks and lay down on the bike to take it to 150.313mph and a new record.

Vincent offered replicas of the bike, named the Black Lightning, by special order, price $1,500 (enough for a small family home in those days). Between 1948 and 1952 only another 28 were built. Vincent Black Lightnings remain one the most sought-after bikes in the world today - if you can even find one for sale, it'll set you back at least $250,000. Even the production-line spin-off, the Vincent Black Shadow, is highly desirable.

Vincent Black Lightning

Player:

Total Character Cost: 57

Disadvantage Points: 15

Total cost: 42/5 = 8

RPG.net has a nice review of Valdorian Age just up (not by me this time)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11172.phtml

Re: What are you working on?

(1) Marshal Ben Thompson - historical character for a DH submission

(2) 2300AD conversion - started it last autumn, but lost everything in a hard-drive crash. Now restarting, using DC guns templates as a conversion base.

(3) Contemplating my own Harn conversion. Yeah, I know there's a good 4th ed one out, but I have a few different ideas and want a 5ER/FH version.

(4) Preparing my house for sale and checking out job opportunities for a two-year move to Kenya. Hakuna matata.

Re: 5ER review

The review is now up on rpg.net at:

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11174.phtml

Stand by to repel boarders.

Re: Janda

Very nice - but I'm unsure whether I should picture them with short all-over body hair (fur) and a leonine mane, or just the leonine mane.

Any clues?

Re: 5ER review

I only have one small issue with your review--I can't get the word 'crunchy' out of my head.

Yeah, my bad. It's almost entirely down the the posts I've been reading on this forum over the last couple of days (are genre books fluffy, or are they crunchy?).

I began writing the review just after Christmas, extended it at the beginning of February, and completed and edited it today. Somehow the word 'crunchy' embedded itself in my brain...

Aside from that, great review; I wanted to buy the book before, but now I NEED to buy the book!

I know exactly how you feel. The truth is, you don't. You merely want it.

You, sir, are the victim of Steve Long's secret power: Minor Transform 4d6 (turn want into need), Based on ECV (+1), Works Against EGO, not BODY (+1/4), Area of Effect (+1/4), MegaArea: planet Earth (+1 1/4), Limited Target: Hero fans (-1/2).

Given that the average roll of a 4d6 is 14, only strong-willed Hero fans are likely to resist Steve's secret power. Being weak-willed, I naturally succumbed.

I suspect Steve has another secret power: Major Transform 3d6: create want, with similar modifiers. Despite the fact that I do not now, nor have ever, played or GMed a superhero game, I still feel the urge to pick up a copy of Champions. Only the purchase of Hudson City and Valdorian Age can expunge this burgeoning desire (which may also qualify as an NND on Steve's lesser-known secret power).

But thanks to both you and Sean for the nice words.

Here's the text of a review of 5ER I've just sent to rpg.net. It should be up sometime over the next week.

It's taken me longer that I thought to write it - I started just afer Christmas when, to my surprise, there were no reviews of 5ER on rpg.net. Since then, there's been one posted - by a newbie no less - which you can find at: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11044.phtml.

Anyway, FWIW, here's my take:

Over the past 18 months I've become increasingly impressed by, and devoted to, the Hero System. I'm a late starter - many Hero fans have been playing since its first incarnation, as the Champions RPG (1981); back in those days I was hooked on AD&D, Traveller and Runequest.

But since I bought Hero 5th edition, it's become one of my favourites. While I'm no expert compared to the people who've been playing for more than 20 years, I can no longer class myself as a newbie, as I did in my review of the Fantasy Hero Grimoire.

I'm going to attempt two things in this review: to give an overview of the differences between the fifth edition and the fifth edition, revised (henceforth known as 5ER), which will be of more interest to established players; and then to review 5ER as if it were an entirely new product, which will be of more interest to those who don't already play Hero.

So what does 5ER do that the unrevised 5th edition didn't?

Well, the most obvious difference is that it's chunkier. Far chunkier. The old version was an impressive 372-page hardback - thick enough for me to show a friend in awed disbelief - but the new one adds more than 200 extra pages, making it an intimidating 1.75 inches (4.5cm) across the spine. And the UK price (£29.99) is only £1 more than the previous oevre.

It isn't size that matters, though, it's what you do with it. And what DOJ/Hero Games have done seems intended to make it a lot easier for beginners to get into the system. The layout is clearer, the rules are clearer, and there are many more examples of rules in action. The FAQ file from the old edition has been incorporated into the revised version, so many of the thorny rules questions are answered in the book, and of course, the errata have been fixed.

Actual rules changes are very few - the only one I've spotted is that the way Extra-Dimensional Movement works (and its point costs) have been altered. That means that if you're happy with your 5th Edition, you don't have to upgrade. Let me repeat that: THE RULES HAVE HARDLY CHANGED - YOU DON'T HAVE TO UPGRADE. But for me, an extra 30 quid spent on a re-written version of rules I already own has been 30 quid well spent.

How I wish it had been available when I initially took the plunge. Hero System is hugely flexible, and the rules are relatively simple, but it requires something of a paradigm shift when you're used to more typical RPGs. The process gave me headaches. 5ER is much easier on the brain.

The first thing that makes the new version easier to use is simple navigation: each section is marked on the edge of the pages, making it easy to find the bit you're looking for. It's a minor touch, but important in a book this big.

The next most obvious difference is the addition of a new 50-page chapter (Hero Genre by Genre), which gives capsule overviews of how to modify Hero System for its most popular settings (superhero, fantasy, SF, modern action and 1930s pulp) and two or three paragraphs apiece on minor settings (horror, post-apocalypse, Old West). The main settings list recommended power levels, character archetypes, sample characters and popular sub-genres. For more details, look to the relevant expansion book (Fantasy Hero, Star Hero, Dark Champions and so on).

So what about the other 170 extra pages? Well, it isn't like you're going to find a new page here and a new page there - we're talking about a re-write of the entire book. The new text, while remaining crunchy, is largely devoted to making things clearer and providing examples for Hero newbies.

For example, there's a new table in the character generation section which shows what kind of stats various different kinds of people would have. Old hands may already know this, but for newcomers it's useful when designing characters to know that an Olympic-grade weightlifter would have a Strength of 14-20, and Hercules a Strength of more than 31.

There's a very useful new appendix giving templates for characters/creatures of different sizes, from insectile to colossal, which draws together rules scattered throughout the old edition.

OK, that's established (I hope) the main differences between old edition and revised edition. Let me change tack and review this as if it were a new product.

The physical side

5ER is, as mentioned, a huge tome. Hardback, 1.75 inches thick, and 592 pages. It is, according to Hero Games, designed to stand up to massive amounts of punishment. My copy hasn't been around long enough to judge the truth of this claim over the long term, but it has survived three months of reading and two game sessions unscathed. The pages are of an unbleached, rough textured paper which feels flimsy but is apparently designed for strength. It tends to give the book a slightly grubby appearance, though. Printing is black and white throughout, and nice and crisp. The body text is big enough for me to read without my spectacles (your eyesight may vary).

Artwork: Entirely B&W, and mostly line-art. Quality variies between acceptable and satisfactory - nothing awesome, but nothing awful. A nice touch is the use of B&W versions existing Hero book covers as full-page illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, such as the Dark Champions cover, showing a gunman bursting through a window, introducing Combat and Adventuring.

Overall: It looks as though Hero Games have had to balance presentation, durability and affordability. Presentation drew the short straw. It's a good effort - just be aware that the wow factor of this book lies in its size, not its appearance.

The Contents

Introduction (18 pages): Two pages of Hero history, followed by basic game concepts, core mechanics (3d6 skill rolls) and a brief overview of character creation and combat (do not skip this if you're a newbie), a sample filled-in character sheet, then a seven-page glossary. Since Hero, as befits its 1980s origins, is given to acronyms and abbreviations, the glossary is your friend.

Character creation (320 pages): Hero is a points-based design system, intended to be utterly flexible. You can create what you want, from an inch-high flower fairy to an extra-dimensional intelligent space amoeba. That's why this chapter is so big.

Hero breaks characters down into three basic types: normals, heroes and superheroes. Normals and heroes use the same rules; superheroes have a couple of differences - most notably, where normals and heroes can pay money, rather than character points, superheroes have to use their character points (of which they have many). The reasoning is that superheroic equipment is as much part of the character as innate powers (after all, where would Batman be without his utility belt or the Batmobile?). Normals and heroes have limits on their characteristics which are expensive (in design point terms) to exceed; superheroes don't.

PCs are generally either heroes or superheroes. You can play normals, but you have very few points to spend, and it's generally considered something for experienced players rather than novices.

With your chaarcter points, you buy characteristics (there are eight primary ones, including strength, intelligence, dexterity and body, and six derived ones - such as speed and recovery - which you can top up with extra points), skills, perks, talents and powers.

Powers are the key to Hero. 231 pages of character creation are devoted to them. They're what turn your bundles of characteristics into the flower fairy, the giant space amoeba, Rocket Man or whatever. And if you've never played Hero before, they're going to hurt your head.

The main things to understand about Powers is that they're described in terms of game mechanics. You decide what they represent. For instance, the Power Ranged Killing Attack could be a longbow, a lightning spell, a revolver, laser rifle or venom spit. It's up to you to decide, within the limits of the campaign. To turn the power into what you've decided, you then apply various modifiers to it.

For example, if your Ranged Killing Attack is a revolver, you'll add the modifiers Obvious Accessible Focus (people can see it, and can snatch it from you), Real Weapon (it has to be cleaned and maintained) and Limited Charges: 6 (you have six shots before you need to reload).

If it's a lightning bolt spell you'll probably want the modifiers Incantations, Gestures and Requires Magic Skill Roll, and you may like to add Extra Time (if you need some preparation before unleashing the spell), Requires Expendable Focus (if you need a material component) and so on.

There's no getting round it - to use Hero effectively, you have to understand how to use Powers and Power Modifiers. There is a learning curve: I'd say it took me about a year to get to grips with it fully by reading the 5th edition, but I never had the opportunity to play in someone else's Hero game first. That's the hard way - if you have a GM who knows the system, it'll be quicker, and 5ER will also make things quicker. But be aware of the learning curve.

Character creation rounds off with Disadvantages (which you can take to get more points to spend), a sample character (Randall Irons, a 1930s pulp hero) and four pages of generic NPC characters.

Combat and Adventuring (86 pages): The chapter covers spotting (the use of senses and perception rolls), moving (getting close enough to hit), striking (how to hit) and hurting your opponent (damage rolls). Various optional rules follow, together with sections on healing, special attacks and an example of combat (a clash between a superhero and a supervillain and his lackeys).

The default level of Hero combat is cinematic. PCs are expected to be able to take a fair bit of punishment and survive, and to pull a few flashy moves. Optional rules allow you to downgrade the combat towards gritty realism or upgrade it to four-colour pazzazz.

It assumes the use of a battleboard and miniatures though, like all such systems, you can make do without them at the expense of tactical precision.

It's often said (though I haven't found it so) that Hero combat is rather time-consuming, so there's even a panel giving several ideas on how to speed it up by taking shortcuts.

The Environment (18 pages): Deals with such things as falling, hazardous environments (radiation, chemicals and so on) and with breaking or repairing machinary, equipment and buildings. There are a coupleof pages on hiding and concealment, and three pages on animals (which only gives three sample beasts: the black bear, the lion and a heavy warhorse).

Equipment (44 pages): Equipment, like characters, is built using design points and Powers. As noted earlier, superheroes do have to pay points to have equipment, as its really just an expression of their superhero powers, but heroes just have to pay cash. The chapter covers creating automatons (which could be robots in an SF setting, or golems and zombies in a fantasy setting), computers, vehicles and bases, and weapons and armour. Rules for vehicle combat and explosives are found here.

Since heroic-level games don't really need to go through the whole design process there are a selection of prefab vehicles and weapons in table form, from archaic weapons and armours, through modern firearms, and a selection of modern vehicles.

Hero System Genre by Genre (52 pages): Each of Hero System's major genres is given an overview of several pages, ranging from two pages for the as-yet-unpublished Pulp Hero to 14 pages for Champions, the superhero genre in which Hero has its origins. Each gets a campaign overview and guidelines, conventions of the genre, suggested level of play (heroic or superheroic), and suggested points values for beginning characters, and each has sample characters. Five minor settings get three pages of notes between them.

Gamesmastering (14 pages): Has some good, if not awe-inspiring, advice on the Noble Art. Most of it boils down to common sense. It's well written, and may prove useful for a beginning GM; I couldn't say - I've been GMing for more than 20 years. Perhaps the most useful sections are on using PC disadvantages as part of the game (something that applies to any design system with disadvantages), and a handy list of GM Dos and Don'ts. THe most important bits of advice for someone who's GMed plenty but is new to Hero are the sections on participating in character design and on pacing character growth - after all, when the system can do pretty much anything you can imagine, you may want to try and ensure what the players design fits in with the overall concept of the campaign.

Changing the System (9 pages): Gives you an overview of the thinking behind Hero System, suggests ways you may like to adapt rules to fit particular genre, and finally tackles the biggies altering the rules in the book to fit your game. It's interesting that the example of changing the rules (in which the GM considers all the possibilities of affecting game balance and so on) ends with the GM deciding that the rules work perfectly well as written and a change would be detrimental. Hubris on the part of principal designer Steve Long? Maybe - or perhaps he's given what you have his best shot, and can't think of any ways to improve the rules he's written.

Concluding Notes (21 pages): The story of how Hero came to be, suggestions as to where you can take it, a four-page appendix covering the issue of differently sized characters and creatures (extremely useful), character sheet to copy, and a 13-page index. The index will be your friend - learn to love it.

Conclusion

Hero is a very flexible system with a steep learning curve. It's capable of modelling just about anything you want it to, but you have to be prepared to do the grunt work of learning how to use Powers and Power Modifiers. Whether you choose to put in the graft is up to you - I did, and I'm reaping the benefits of what I've found to be a wonderful system.

It's also an all-in-one book. Yes, there are genre supplements (such as Dark Champions or Fantasy Hero) and rules supplements (such as The Ultimate Martial Artist or The Ultimate Vehicle), but these are really just specific applications of the rules you find in 5ER. They make your life easier and suggest new ideas, but don't change the core rules any. That's impressive - all you need to play is your campaign notes and one (admittedly hefty) rulesbook, and you're ready to rumble.

Awarding the Scores

Style: 4 - If I were going purely on production quality, this would be a 3, as I think even Hero Games would admit they've sacrificed presentation for content. However, it's well written and clearly organised, with many examples, and that earns 5ER the bonus point as far as I'm concerned.

Substance: 5 - And if the reviewing rules allowed, I'd give it a 6. It's a hugely crunchy book which gives you the tools to model any genre you care to imagine. I was bowled over by the potential of Hero 5th; 5ER makes it easier to turn the potential into reality.

Note: edited to remove HTML tags, which no longer work on the boards

Re: Marna the Manslayer - Valdorian Age Warrior Woman

I wasn't sure what you meant by this' date=' so I googled 'Marna' and came across some Xena fanfic references, which I assume is what you meant. [/quote']

 

Actually, it was the 'Manslayer' bit I was referring to, and the stereotyped man-hating warrior woman it brought to my mind, not any character in particular. I know little of this Xena of whom you speak - though I do recall watching an episode four or five years ago.

 

What impressed me was that you had quite deliberately gone for the stereotype, and exceeded its limitations to produce an interesting character with some well-thought-out abilities.

 

As for the strength of my initial reaction against the stereoptype, that probably has something to do with my RPG past - I played a few games under an emotionally retarded GM whose pet NPC consistently overshadowed our PCs to the extent we were bit players in the NPC's saga. The NPC in question was named Morgan Ironwolf, who older gamers may remember as the improbably breasted female fighter from the old Basic D&D set.

Re: Marna the Manslayer - Valdorian Age Warrior Woman

I must confess that I thought, "Oh no, not again," when I saw the character name. But having read the character, I'm impressed - especially when I realised you where you were coming from.

I love the 'She-demon with a sword' power. Reminds me very much of Madmardigan from Willow.

Excellent character.

Re: Hey kids!

Grignr's muddled brain reeled from the shock of the blow he had recieved to the base of his skull.

That just about describes the way I feel after reaching Chapter 3...

This stuff is so bad it's brilliant.

Re: My Namesake Character

Dol Guldur was actually in Mirkwood.

It was Sauron's lair while he was undercover as The Necromancer, early in the Third Age (before he returned to Mordor).

(Tolkien nerd mode on)

Up until quite late in the Third Age, actually. Gandalf and the White Council assembled to force The Necromancer out of Dol Guldur shortly after Gandalf led Bilbo and the Dwarves to Beorn at The Carrock (see The Hobbit).

(Tolkien nerd mode off)

Re: Establishing an economy

Given that you freely admit to being not particularly knowledgeable in the field, I'd be inclined to rip a price list off.

If you don't have a game one you like, try this one - a collection of English medieval prices and wages:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/medievalprices.html

Taxation is really tricky. If you're wanting to model a medieval economy, there's be nothing quite so simple as income tax (the closest thing would be the 10 per cent tithe to the church - but that didn't affect royal income). The English medieval economy had numerous small taxes, supplemented by court fines, gifts, aids, fees and many more.

If you're prepared to do the reading, there are lots of links on this site; otherwise I'd be inclined to sweep the tax issue under the carpet:

http://www.css.edu/users/dswenson/web/Medieval/medievalhome.html

Somewhat less user-friendly, but full of atmosphere, are the primary sources at the ORB (online reference book for medieval studies)

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1j.html

Re: [Pulp] Suggested Reads

I'm rather late coming to this thread, but I have acouple of useful recommendations for the history/setting aspect of the pulp era.

Firstly, The Chronicle of the 20th Century is always a useful starting point for timelines.

I have a wonderful book called The World's Peoples and How They Live, published by Odhams Press of London. It's undated, but given the references to the Wandervogel and the Hitler Youth in the section on Germany, it was probably published in the mid-30s. It's also riddled with the 'benign racism', typical of the edutcated British attitude when we had the empire on which the sun never set.

Another good source is Stephen King-Hall's Our Own Times (1913-1938), published by Nicholson & Watson, London, in 1938, which looks at what was then modern history, current affairs, culture and economics.

The latter two were found in charity bookshops - always a good source of cheap and otherwise totally-unfindable resources.

Re: Fantasy Web Resources

To help create a realistic background, allow me to plug my medieval farming calendar:

http://www.minarsas.demon.co.uk/harn/farming/calendar.htm