Hyper-Man

The universe tried pretty hard to keep me from seeing this, but I have.  It exceeded expectations somewhat.  There sure is a lot of Double Knockback in this campaign.

This whole thread orbits around something I've been trying to figure out....and I still don't know that I have it clear mentally, so the following is likely not going to come out entirely right (consider this an advanced apology...and I'll attempt to clarify as needed).
 
Looking at some of the behaviors and depictions in old movies is VERY similar to looking at the behaviors and actions of certain individuals in recent press in regards to sexual abuse/predation.  Context plays a large part, but intent seems to be a major factor that is not discussed either because it's considered irrelevant or is too "sticky"/difficult to address.
 
By context, I'm referring primarily to the prevailing attitudes of the time.  Ben Franklin owned slaves.  So did most other wealthy Americans.  It was part of that period of time. Not something that we want to celebrate, but neither is it something that we want to condemn people of that time for (IMO).  To take a more current example, if 100 years from now some of the extreme arms of PETA have their way and owning an animal (say a dog or cat for a pet) is considered akin to slavery, I don't think that people today should be judged for that.  People today should be judged based on today's societal and moral standards -- owning a pet is fine, but you need to treat it properly (care for it, feed it, etc.). This applies equally well for sexual harassment -- the prevailing attitude of the time needs to be part of the equation.  That we have (hopefully) progressed in our current time from 50 or 100 years ago doesn't mean that we should judge people from prior times based on our current ideas -- their actions should be judged based on the times in which they were made.
 
Which is where we run into intent...and things get really sticky.  The intent behind an action (the production of a movie, physical contact with a member of the opposite sex, the publication of a book, etc.) should be considered strongly in any sort of "judgement" of that action.  A three year old boy who kisses a girl in his kindergarten class on the cheek should not be accused of sexual harassment (IMO) -- there is no intent there. A CEO (or anyone in a position of authority) who pulls a subordinate in for a peck on the cheek is a different story.
 
Blazing Saddles is a great example of one extreme, oddly enough.  Its main theme is based around racism.  White supremacy, racism, mysogeny, you name it -- all there.  But the intent was to laugh at them...to mock them and hopefully grow past them through laughter.  It's hard to take the movie as offensive or wrong (unless, of course, you sympathize with the white supremacy group).
 
Warner Bros./Bugs Bunny through WWII had some remarkably racist themes.  They were part of the propaganda push within the US.  Without the context of WWII, they are extremely offensive.  With proper context, they are (IMO) educational and enlightening as to what was going on in society at the time.  Certainly not something that would personally feel is appropriate for kids on a Saturday morning (do they still do that?), but not something to be locked away or burned.
 
Then there are movies that I've either intentionally avoided or simply not been subjected to due to my own preferences -- the ones that don't just portray hateful ideas/ideals, but promote them (without the excuse of historical context). The best examples I can think of here (again, I'm somewhat sheltered) are some of the earlier cartoons and their depictions of black people. They've generally been scrubbed from the airwaves at this point...and rightly so -- keep them for people researching history and society at those times, but they have little place for the general public.
 
 

Pfft. My hometown has a martial tradition. It involves getting really drunk, and then taking wild swings until you collapse on each other, at which point the guy with the most in his stomach wins in ways that I don't want to explain here. 
Beat that, wuxia guys!

I'd be happy if they started imitating the DCAU.

After thinking about it for a day, my favorite moment is the
 

Yes. Ignore the reviews.

Okay, I enjoyed this a lot. I am a notoriously soft touch for superhero movies, but I rank it over Avengers: Age of Ultron below Avengers itself if you want a comparison. I had a great time, and didn't have to turn my brain off to do so. In fact, some of the little touches were telling.
 
Aquaman is a brunette, but they frosted his tips blonde, so that whole 'Blonde hair is considered unlucky/cursed' bit can still apply. While I expected him to be the action junkie/surfer bro kind of mentality, it went deeper that, and not just when he chatted with Mera about his Mother

 
Cyborg, for a guy caught in a CGI suit, did some solid acting. I was worried he'd be all "Interface guy" and that was all, but he got some action moments in as well. And I think the most telling lines for his character was at the start of the film
and the other near the end, where
This after more than one scene where he looks like hates his very existence.
 
Flash is the comedy routine, take that or leave it, but Batman gives him some great advice that, works . And for me, the comedy worked, others I understand found it a mixed bag. Barry as portrayed here is so green they should give him a power ring, but as the rookie he is rather adorkable. He also shows some brains despite his inexperience, coming up with a few good ideas.
 
The Amazons were awesome, despite being out matched by Steppenwolf.
Speaking of the bad guy, Steppenwolf was, IMO, a better villain than the ones in Iron Man 2 and 3 and Thor 2. Others might disagree. Well, they can't all be Loki.
 
Wonder Woman has some great moves in this, and we learn more about how the loss of Steve scarred her. If you are hoping this is HER Movie, nope, but it wouldn't be possible without her and that's made abundantly clear. She gets to try her hand at leadership a bit, not enough, but we can see the seeds of her reclaiming her place as an inspiration.
 
Batman did tell some funnies, but nothing that jolted me out of the story. More than that, he is much better portrayed than he was in Batman V Superman. He's still an ass at times
but he's not such a #### that you cease to like him.
 
And of course, to the surprise of almost no one who has read a comic

 
 
The movie is pretty fast paced, having over 50 minutes of footage cut, I guess it had to be.
 
And, rather upbeat despite the usual 'world in danger ' thing. The message of hope is not subtle, but then it shouldn't be.
 
the lighter palate besides 'gray and more gray' was a godsend there.
 
Stick around, there are two scenes during/after credits. I guess DC finally gave up and weent 'fine, you want it that way? let marvel say we're stealing it'. One was wonderful for Comics buffs, a nostalgic smile. The other? Well, it has a good hook, but has a downside for me as it is the one and only appearance of EISENBerG! god, i had hoped they cut him entirely. Still, at least you'll get to see another villain.
 
 
B+ maybe even A-
 

I saw the movie last night and generally enjoyed it.Yes Wonder Woman was moping a bit, but she was also the fierce warrior princess at times too. I especially liked the new, kick ass Aquaman and the young naive Flash (although I agree he might not be to everyone's taste). After the very serious tone of "Batman vs Superman" it was good to see a bit of humour in a D C movie. I don't give a damn what "Rotten Tomatoes" or anyone else says, I enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the sequel that is hinted at in the post credit sequence. I hope it does well at the box office.

Show us your martial arts articles, builds, heroes, finds, pics, villains, etc.
 
Diamond Dragon Technique
 
Cost Maneuver                            OCV DCV Notes
5      Diamond Dragon Technique  -2     +1   1/2d6 HKA
Wong Yan Lam 王隱林 was the son of a Shaolin Kung-Fu master known as Wong Ping. Wong Ping was something of a local legend, known as "the bronze foot", and was fond of demonstrating his kung-fu in public. Because of this he came to the attention of Sing Lung*. One day Sing Lung came down from the mountain and had an opportunity to observe Wong Ping's kung-fu. He was impressed by Wong Ping's skill and tried to tell him so but because Sing Lung's Chinese was not very good there was a misunderstanding. Wong Ping attacked Sing Lung with a powerful leg sweep but the Tibetan monk utilized a technique known as "GAM GONG HONG LUHNG". He leapt up into the air and landed on the leg, breaking Wong Ping's knee (from Lo Wai Keung's "Yau Jih Baat Gihk Kuen" [in Chinese language] Hong Kong)   Lama Pai, Tibetan White Crane, and Hop Gar exist as relatively distinct lineages and/or organizations, all originated with a single figure known as Sing Lung who arrived in Guangdong Province during the Qing Dynasty and taught a martial art then known as "Lion's Roar" (獅子吼).  Different names were given to this martial art due to the distaste for a foreign system, especially one practiced by the Qing Royal Guard. 
*"Star Dragon", or more likely, "Sage Dragon."
   

I always found that the pop-up turret simply took up too much space and weight to be worth it in the arena. 

Justice League vs Steppenwolf: born to be wild. 

I heard Odin's speech about the hammer being a focus (rather than a source) for Thor's power, and immediately I thought, "So, Thor just got the experience points to buy off the OIF Limitation on his powers."  Is that wrong?

Big Trouble in Little Asgard really shook the pillars of heaven.

I'm just a huge fan of the sport.
 
I didn't realize that Mark Mothersbaugh did the music.

The dwarves made Stormbreaker, but Odin also transferred the old "whomsoever is worthy shall have the power of Thor" enchantment. Which he placed on Mjolnir way back when he originally banished Goldilocks to Midgard as Donald Blake for being a dick, which he deemed Thor no longer needed. That also had the side effect of giving Beta Ray Bill a normal body again (the Donald Blake effect), instead of the bionic one he'd volunteered to be made into to act as guardian for his sleeping people. Among other things that helped with his love life. And I believe Lady Sif may have benefited.
 
Man, I'm surprised I remembered all that, but it's clear as crystal.  
 
Edit: Looked it up - all the making of Stormbreaker stuff happened in Thor #339.

Completely ignoring the fact that Odin has enchanted at least one similar hammer (Stormbreaker) with the same powers as Mjolnir without having to wrangle some cosmic storm into it.

This seems like something appropriate to transcribe to this thread, since a lot of forumites don't check out the news on the website home page.
 
New Product: Gun Fu PDF
 
What is Gun Fu? Simply put, Gun Fu is the art of the gun — the ability to use firearms with sublime grace and deadly skill in combat. A practitioner of Gun Fu is typically known as a gunman, or if he’s considered a master of the style, a shootist. This 25 page Hero System supplement by famed Dark Champions author Steve Long contains all the Abilities, Charts, and information you will need to make your characters a master of the firing arts!

I wouldn't be too keen on distinguishing between Silver Age DC and Marvel. The two influenced each other massively, and they weren't the only two companies out there either.
 
OK, whoever Jack Kirby was working for had the benefit of his style, but that was both of them at different times.
 
This is why Challengers of the Unknown (1957, DC) was pretty much the first draft of the Fantastic Four (1961, Marvel).
 
And then, the FF were a response to the JLA.
 
And the Doom Patrol were a response to the FF.
 
And....
 
The interaction was continuous, and they swapped staff all the time. Yes, even back then.

I'm guessing I'm in a minority but I'm enjoying Star Trek Discovery.

Yeah, I wish they'd get off my lawn, too.

I coulda sworn I'd done this already but the thread isn't starred for me, so...
 
How did you come up with your 'handle' (forum name)?
My first Champions character was a powered armor type called Arsenal.  When I started playing City of Heroes, that name wasn't available so I took Armory.
 
What was the first tabletop RPG you GMed?  
AD&D, back in 1978 or '79.
 
What was the first tabletop RPG you Played?  
Same answer.
 
What are you currently Playing/GMing?  
Since my discovery of Champions in 1982, I have not played nor GMed any other RPG.  My current campaign has been running about 10 years with the same group of players, a current-day superhero game (I share a universe with two other GMs who each runs a separate team).  We're still using 5Er for that one.  The link to the Obsidian Portal site is in my sig.
 
When did you start to play Hero?  
1982, I think it was 2nd Edition (gray cover).  It was just me and a friend of mine, we both fell in love with it immediately.  He had already been trying to run a superhero game in AD&D; my Half-Elven thief PC had obtained a 'suit of the gods', enchanted leather armor that gave her all kinds of powers.  It was stupid, but we were 17 and new to the whole concept.  Champions and the Hero System were exactly what we were looking for.

How is it that I've never done this yet? Oh well, better late....
 
How did you come up with your 'handle' (forum name)?
One of my Champions characters was exiled from a secretive mystical society; he used his talents (enhanced by a 'radiation accident' that also gave him super-strength) and became a superhero. His code name was Pariah. Also, it's a pretty good description of my life in high school--not quite "leper-outcast-unclean", but pretty close.
 
What was the first tabletop RPG you Played?  
Like so many others, Dungeons and Dragons. That would've been Christmas of 1981, or thereabouts.
 
What was the first tabletop RPG you GMed?  
Probably also D&D, though not more than once or twice. The first time I GMed on a long-term basis was when I thought my hometown gaming group Champions, the summer after my first year of college.
 
What are you currently Playing/GMing?  
Nothing. My gaming group is inconveniently far away, and I have class on the night they play.
 
When did you start to play Hero?  
Winter of 1986-7. Third edition.

How dare you misquote me! You replaced my comma with a period! Good DAY, sir!

Tell that to the family in Poltergeist...

Inspired by a thread on RPG.net (How would you stat out John Wick?).
 

 
Enjoy!
 
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