starblaze

Re: What If? Empire Wins That's the problem with Empires, they get too top-heavy.

Re: [Game Long] Adventurers Inc! Just curious, why were the characters in the Andes? What was the backstory to it all?

Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes Don't forget the Monster Hunters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Hunters Even though the story is in the 50's it still is a very pulping kind of team. At least two of the characters were either immortal or very long-lived and could most possibly appear in the pulp era.

Re: Resistance is Futile... That was actually a very good ST novel. The planet eater was the original finished product of the "Doomsday Weapon" from the Star Trek TOS episode of the same name. Apparently the first planet eater ship was a prototype and the one is the novel was the finished product. The ship was discovered by an immortal alien who had twice suffered losses due to the Borg. The name of the novel was Vendetta.

Re: Just because I felt like it, The Red Tomato, er Tornado And she can still punch out a bad-guy!

Hi, Just reread JSA #55 and I was inspired to try out this old nearly forgotten character. I personally thought she was a pretty effective character and one tough cookie. So without further ado here is Ma Hunkle herself. RED TORNADO Val Char Cost Roll Notes 25 STR 15 14- Lift 800.0kg; 5d6 [2] 18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 20 CON 20 13- 18 BODY 16 13- 15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- 23 EGO 26 14- ECV: 8 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 10 COM 0 11- 9+8 PD 4 Total: 9/17 PD (0/8 rPD) 8+8 ED 4 Total: 8/16 ED (0/8 rED) 4 SPD 12 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 9 REC 0 40 END 0 50 STUN 9 Total Characteristic Cost: 153 Movement: Running: 10"/20" Leaping: 5"/10" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers END 12 Big metal plate: Armor (8 PD/8 ED) (24 Active Points); Activation Roll 14- (-½), OIF (-½) Dirty Infighting/Fisticuffs/Cinematic Brawling Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 4 Block/Chin Block +2 +2 Block, Abort 4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm; 35 STR to Disarm roll 5 Hoist 'n' Heave -2 -2 Grab Two Limbs, 20 STR to Throw 4 Low Blow -1 +1 2d6 NND 4 Punch/Backhand +0 +2 7d6 Strike 5 Roundhouse/Two-Fisted Smash -2 +1 9d6 Strike 3 Tackle +0 +0 +v/5; You Fall, Target Falls 3 Throw +0 +1 5d6 +v/5, Target Falls 1 Weapon Element: Clubs Perks 2 Local Hero: Reputation: Crimefighter who gets the job done (A small to medium sized group (local neighborhood).) 11-, +2/+2d6 Skills 3 Acrobatics 13- 3 Climbing 13- 15 +3 with HTH Combat 5 AK: Campaign City 14- 5 PS: Cook 14- 3 PS: Newspaperwoman 13- 5 Rapid Attack (HTH) 3 Stealth 13- 3 Streetwise 13- 2 Survival (Urban) 12- 3 KS: Criminal Badguys 12- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 97 Total Cost: 250 150+ Disadvantages 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity Frequently (11-), Major 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Versus Killing Common, Total 20 Psychological Limitation: Will not standby and let injustice occur (Common, Total) 15 Distinctive Features: Dresses up like a man with red longjohns, a sweater and a stewpot on her head. (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 20 Psychological Limitation: Protects innocents (Common, Total) 10 Dependent NPC: Sisty and Dunky 8- (Normal; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills; Unaware of character's adventuring career/Secret ID) Total Disadvantage Points: 250 Background/History: The original Red Tomato ... err ... I mean Tornado wasn't a fancy android with amazing whirlwind powers, nor one of the Earth's elemental protectors. The Red Tornado was, very simply, Ma Hunkel. Ma Hunkel was a housewife and grocery store owner who had simply had enough of the rampant crime in her neighborhood. She faced down a pair of Tubbs Torponi's thugs, who were trying to get protection money out of her. Her daughter Sisty and her friend Dinky Jibbet had been playing in the back of the goons' car, and had accidentally been kidnapped when they fled the grocery store. After the police refused to do anything to get the children back, Dinky's brother Scribbly mentioned that the Green Lantern would have the situation solved in a minute. That idle statement inspired Ma to take on the multi-colored garb of the Red Tornado … getting the kids back safely and bringing Torponi's gang to justice in one fell swoop. And starting a legend that still lives on today. Well, it does, too. Kinda. In that steadily increasing pantheon of what many of the uninitiated would call "dumb" super-heroes, The Red Tornado is oft mentioned as one of the founding inductees. Unfortunately for those poor souls who have never read Sheldon Mayer's work, they don't know squat about the character ... to them, it is just another Golden Age character with a reputation for being lame. Let's get this clear right at the start: Ma Hunkel is NOT a "dumb" super-hero. The Red Tornado is actually one of the first, and still one of the best, satires of the super-hero, done as the fledgling comic book industry was barely out of the gate. It is definitely NOT LAME, even by most modern standards. Ma Hunkel had begun appearing in the wonderful Scribbly feature in All-American Comics #3. For those who have never had the pleasure, Scribbly Jibbet was a renowned boy cartoonist for the Morning Dispatch (based not a little on Sheldon Mayer himself) who drew a strip called "Why Big Brudders Leave Home" (which was usually the closing panel each installment of Scribbly). Ma Hunkel came on the scene when Scribbly and her son Huey met and started fighting, Ma acting as the facilitator that instead had the young boys becoming best friends. Scribbly's brother, Dinky, also took up with Ma's young daughter Sisty (who could wallop 'em just like her ma). Ma was a not-quite-so-simple housewife until All-American Comics #20, when Huey's Uncle Gus hit a winner at the race track, and Ma used the winnings to buy out Schultz's Grocery store. This event, in turn, leads to the encounter the protection racket goons, and the subsequent appearance of The Red Tornado. After that, crime dried up in their neighborhood. Heck, a lot of stuff that wasn't a crime stopped happening, like the butcher overcharging his customers, all due to the continued presence of The Red Tornado. Scribbly even got a raise at the newspaper for drawing a picture of the new "mystery man" (as the super-heroes were often known in the early days). The local police, ineffective though they were, didn't take kindly to vigilantism (and especially disliking getting caught in lies for taking credit for the Red Tornado's good deeds) and went after our hero (well, heroine, but they didn't and probably still don't know that). Ma got the cops off her trail for a short while by putting her costume on a gorilla and letting the police catch him, making everyone think the Red Tornado was just a big hoax. Soon after that, Sisty got the idea to keep the spirit of The Red Tornado going by making costumes for herself and Dinky and going out into the neighborhood as The Cyclone Kids. Unfortunately, their first escapade nearly got them killed by a couple of extortionists, and it was only the timely and inadvertent intervention of The Red Tornado (who had been stuck at the end of a flagpole just over the kids) that saved their lives, and told criminals everywhere (or at least all over the neighborhood) that the Red Tornado was back in town! Interestingly, Ma Hunkel wasn't only the only super-hero to be inspired by the exploits of The Green Lantern (who happened to hold the lead feature in All-American Comics at the time). The first issue of Sensation Comics had Ted Grant being inspired to adopt his Wildcat guise as a result of someone mentioning Alan Scott's adventures. The Red Tornado's most famous appearance anywhere has to be in All-Star Comics #3, in which she, like Johnny Thunder, basically crashed the ground-breaking first meeting of The Justice Society of America. She didn't stay to recount adventures with The Flash, The Green Lantern, Hawkman, Doctor Fate, The Atom, The Spectre, The Sandman and Hourman. In fact, she left pretty early into the festivities, since breaking into the dinner meeting caused her have a rather embarrassing accident (she ripped and lost her pants climbing through the window). At lot of sources and people contend that this means that The Red Tornado was never a member of the Justice Society. She's been shown in a few of team pin-ups sitting with them, and she did appear in that pivotal first issue (well third issue, if you're a stickler). Heck, Superman, Batman and Robin were considered members of the Justice Society and they didn't even make it to that first dinner. Ma even had a modern-day namesake, the android Red Tornado, who ended up moving to Earth-One. As far as this writer is concerned, The original Red Tornado was a member of the Justice Society of America. So there. PBBBBTTT! There hasn't been a lot seen of the Red Tornado since Scribbly's strip ended in All-American Comics #59, and very few of the original stories have been reprinted. To my knowledge, Ma Hunkel has appeared in those JSA team pin-ups I mentioned (one notable one was in Justice League of America #76 as I recall), and was featured in a story in the second Secret Origins series that was written and drawn by Sheldon Mayer himself, though it really didn't end up being an origin of any kind, not that anyone who was a fan of Shelly's work would care. Beyond that, the appearances of the original Red Tomato ... umm sorry, I mean Tornado have been very few and far between. Though all hope is not lost for the fans of Ma Hunkel. The Red Tornado appeared in a story set during World War Two in the (fairly) recent All-Star Comics 80-Page Giant #1. This tale was one of the more fun stories I have read in recent years, as Hippolyta (the Golden Age Wonder Woman), Liberty Belle and Phantom Lady are all talking about the role of women in society and respond to a suspected sabotage attempt at an airplane factory, where Ma just happened to work as a riveter. The Red Tornado appears on the scene, and our heroines think he is a man trying to steal their glory throughout the whole battle. Even Hippolyta is impressed when Ma reveals her true identity to them and heads off to make dinner for her family. It's very good to know that someone at DC Comics, and especially someone in the JSA editorial loop, remembers Ma Hunkel.

Re: The Inconceivables! Yeah, speaking of which how about some write-ups of these heroes?! Abolex kind of reminds me of Yu'Genothorax from the first Champions Universe book.

Re: When did [Title X] Jumping the Shark Thankfully, Garth Ennis brought us back to Frank we all know and love.

Re: Best superhero titles of the 70's That was a great comic title that unfortunately got ruined when they decided to make more like a regular sanctioned team, then it lost it distinctiveness and was canceled soon later. I thought this was a bad move because what made the Defenders cool was that they were a non-team. They had no charter, no permanent base, no code words, and if you wanted to be a member you just showed up and you were a member. Just like that. Man, I wished they would bring that back, I loved that little mini-series with the Order a few years back.

Re: Grond vs. A Cow "Lionel Richie?, Lionel Richie ain't been black since he left the Commodores!"

Re: Cap is dead!!!! Well, at least Planet Hulk and World War Hulk look pretty good. But then I have always been a Hulk fan.

Re: Cap is dead!!!! I heard he drank himself to death.

Re: Campaign Tone -- explaining “Bronze Age” I have always felt that the Green Lantern/Green Arrow series from the seventies was a good example of Bronze age writing.

Hey there, My team the Citizen League, spent points on a base that I am trying to create. I think the total comes out to about 140 pts that I have to work with. The base is an old mansion that was originally used for bootlegging during the 20's. It is about two stories high and has an underground lake that leads to the ocean. The game is set in San Fransisco during the mid 1960's. What I need help with is how big would a base like this be. The players want a garage, a danger room, kitchen, some bedrooms, and an entertainment center as well as an indoor swimming pool. So any suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Re: Bewitched D&S? :confused:

Re: Bewitched Heh. I was watching True Hollywood Stories recently and they did one on Bewitched. There a story that one time Elizabeth Montgomery and her then husband William Asher decided to have a fantasy. You see when they ran the credits of the show at the end they would name the actress that played Serena as someone other than Elizabeth. So one night William Asher role-played calling home saying that he was working late at the office and then Elizabeth dressed as Serena took of with William and they played out the fantasy that William was having an affair with this other who in fact was his own wife. Screwy ain't it? :D

Is there a possible way to teleport someone out of a suit of powered armor?

Re: WWYCD?: Champions Universe Zombies He keeps his helmet off so he can bite someone.

Re: WWYCD?: Champions Universe Zombies Dude, you should read World War Z, by Max Brooks. It explores and entire world fighting in a World Wide war against a Zombie outbreak and how they took their world back from the Zombies and won. It doesn't have to be the end of the world.

Ok, let's say that your PC is involved in protracted battle with a supervillian who either has the ability to manipulate time and dimension or has a machine that does. At the height of the battle you are find yourself transplanted to somewhere in the city. Except that the city looks really messed up. Then you see them, superheroes heading you way. You see Defender and Ironclad, you see other supers. But there's something wrong. They look messed up themselves. Their flesh seems necrotized. The flesh is rotting away and they have big holes in them. Then suddenly they converge on you, screaming for your flesh and blood, moaning about how hungry they are. Then before they can do anything a powerful energy blast takes down the lead one. More blasts hit and eventually one hits a gas tanker causing a big explosion giving you a chance to act. The originator of the blasts and you see hovering above you is the supervillain Holocaust (insert some other powerful mutant supremist if it pleases you). He hold his hand and says, "Come with me if you want to live". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Zombies

Re: Super Origins This reminds me of A JLU TAS episode, Heart of Darkness. Batman's Batplane gets shot down and he makes a call on his radio as his plane is going down. "I've been shot down, I can't fly". "At all".

Re: Super Origins Aquaman?

Re: The downsides of the Iron Age I liked it too, although I would have liked to see them have Captain Marvel in that story.

Re: [Character] Popeye I remember him using a deck gun with his bare hands like a rifle.

Re: Character: Buzz Lightyear` Looks really cool. Ummmmm... HD File please?