bigdamnhero

OK, this requires a little more set-up that the funny one-liners I typically post here, but it was too awesome not to share. This is a low-fantasy FH game set in 11th century Europe.
 
Dramatis Personae:
 
Thyri Torvaldsdottir: PC, Viking shieldmaiden with a mysterious past and serious anger management issues.
 
Father Edmondo: PC, Priest of Rome, the "face man." Edmondo and Thyri have an odd codependent relationship that includes an unspecified level of intimacy. (Hey, it's the 11th Century; celibacy for priests was encouraged, but not mandatory.)
 
Geralt Mac Uaid: PC, Irish warrior, also a chirurgeon (medic).
 
Jarl Calder: NPC, Thyri's nemesis. 5 years ago Calder raped and killed Thyri's mother, had her entire family declared outlaws, seized their lands, and oh yeah enslaved Thyri and tortured her for years before selling her into a pit fighting ring. (The other PCs don't know this part of her backstory.)
 
Hjortur Larsson: NPC, respected elder and neutral arbiter.
 
 
Our Heroes have returned to Thyri's native Sweden, where of course they run into Calder. Thyri goes Berserk and attacks Calder; after a lengthy fight, Thyri succeeds in beating the shit out of him, but Edmondo convinces her not to kill him.
 
Afterwards, Elder Larsson appoints himself as judge to hear their dispute and decide if Thyri should be punished for assaulting a Jarl and generally being an outlaw, or if her charges against Calder are justified. Thyri tells her emotional story, the first time the other PCs/players have heard any of it. Calder of course tells a completely different story, and several of his men are willing to back up his version of events. Edmondo on cross-examination is able to poke a few holes in their story, but nothing conclusive. And since she's been declared an Outlaw, she doesn't have the right of trial by combat so the fact that she already defeated him isn't considered conclusive. So it's basically He They Said, She Said, which of course is likely to go down in favor of the noble.
 
Geralt: [grasping at straws] "If he enslaved and tortured you for that long, do you maybe have any scars that can substantiate your story?"
 
Edmondo: [sudden realization] "Oh, is that what that's from?"
 
Thyri says nothing.
 
Edmondo walks over to Thyri and reaches towards her. Thyri shoots him a Back Off look. Edmondo returns a Trust Me look. Thyri, suddenly looking vulnerable for the first time since they've known her, nods.
 
Edmondo pulls Thyri's hair aside revealing the scar on the back of her neck that she always keeps hidden - where Calder had branded his initials into her with a hot knife.
 
Calder: "Uh..." [blank stare]
 
Elder Larsson: "...Well that seems pretty conclusive to me."
 
And Larsson rules in favor of Thyri. (Sentence TBD.)
 
 
I love it when minor bits of character backstory written months before, and which the GM had honestly forgotten about, become a big dramatic reveal and wind up being crucial to the plot!

Let me put it this way: It's a very popular storyline, a logical outgrowth of the mutant hysteria theme (despite that theme not fitting within the established universe), and it's been around 36 years. It's part of the mythos, such as it is. Having it be the basis for TV or movie versions of the franchise is inevitable.
 
The "I don't see it going away," in my above comment wasn't an endorsement, just a statement of inevitability. You know TV producers/networks are going to latch on to the darkest part of the franchise, and the one they can apply to a hot topic. And I agree with you that that sort of thing can get old fast. Fortunately, there are other less dark superhero (and non-superhero) shows to balance it out.
 
FWIW, the wife and I watched the firs episode the other day, and liked it. It was well-done. (That's for the general audience, I don't expect to sway you, zslane, as I can see where you're coming from. This clearly isn't to your tastes.)

The Gifted is a well-made show, I'll give it that. But I'm so tired of the villains being our own government. It seems that's the only thing Marvel can come up with these days. At least on Attilan, the conflict is Shakespearean in nature, and not stuck in a 1960s/1970s mindset.

"Come Billy, we shall beat back this barbaric brute with bashings both belittling and baneful to body and brain!"
~ Donur Tymtumbler, Cleric of Urjyon the Thunderer. (to a giant goat)

Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe 5.1 mix.
 
I also just preordered my birthday present: https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/the-alan-parsons-project-eye-in-the-sky

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 did you come up with your 'handle' (forum name)?
When watching Superman 2 when I was around 10 years old, when Zod says "Jor-El? Our jailer?" and "Revenge! We will kill the son of our jailer!" I mis-heard Terence Stamp saying "our jailer" in his english accent and thought Jor-El's second name was Arjailer. I realised my mistake a few years later, but liked the name, so it stuck  :-)
 
What was the first tabletop RPG you GMed?  
Inherited a copy of Moldvay D&D Basic in around 1983 from a family friend who'd returned to Scotland after living in America for a while. I had no idea how to play it at first, but I was fascinated by it, so we bumbled through and eventually worked it out.
 
What was the first tabletop RPG you Played?  
Probably around 1984/85 - a school friend got the Menzter D&D Basic and I started playing in his game.
 
What are you currently Playing/GMing?  
D&D 5e with my sons (14 and 16)  We've been playing for a few years now, and they're finally getting to the point where they're starting to read the books themselves and take an interest beyond just "I hit the orcs with my sword".
 
When did you start to play Hero?  
A friend ran 1st edition Fantasy Hero, probably around 1989-ish. I liked the flexibility of the point-based system, and by the time I bought and started running F.H. it was the 2nd edition (with the Elmore snow cover). I've since got 4th and 5th editions (I tend to stick to fantasy and star hero), but haven't got 6th yet.
 
Edit: Turns out I did get 6th edition in a Bundle of Holding - guess I haven't read it yet though  :-)
 
Edit 2: Thinking of trying my kids with Hero after our current D&D 5e game is done - hence why I've started lurking around here again  :-)

So, has Fox canceled it yet?
 
 
What? It's a fair question.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
I forgot this one from a couple weeks ago. A player new to Champions (but not to gaming) had thrown herself on a grenade to protect nearby civilians. After finding out her force field was strong enough to not only save her life, but prevent any serious wounding:
 
"That's all the damage I take? Being a superhero is cool!"
 
 
bigdamnhero
“The grave opens up before me like a...big hole in the ground.â€

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.

I think I posted something from Caravan Palace awhile back. But this video has dancing robots. You're welcome.

Clash, from Caravan Palace. Electro-swing. Fun stuff.

 
(Actually I stumbled upon this one because it's the theme music for the You Are Not So Smart podcast.)

DC wasn't doing an overarching universe well because they were pushing the universe instead of the stories.  Just a few hints and fun bits are enough for fans, particularly in the internet age where every frame of a film is pulled apart an examined to meticulous detail.
 
They were using a sledgehammer when all that's needed was the stroke of a pen.  Wonder Woman in a newspaper article.  Drop a hint of Aquaman in Suicide Squad.  A joke in Wonder Woman about Batman.  No need to have more than that, just a feeling that this self contained film is part of a larger world.  Instead they were like modern day Simpsons where a guest celebrity star is announced: Its Tim Allen! (Tim Allen says a joke) in the middle of the story for no apparent reason.

Except, in STNG I have no doubt the child would not have been changed. Hence my comment, more like B5. STNG ending = make all the arguments, big shock moment, changes whole racial bias. B5 is show all that except you don't change the bias, just put the seed of doubt into it.

Seems DC/Warner have finally realized what most of us have been saying for years now.
 
http://www.vulture.com/2017/09/dc-cinematic-universe-is-being-downplayed.html

It was awesome when I was 12.

That does make it stand out a lot these days.
 
If it is popular enough long enough maybe we'll see other networks try for something akin.

Cool
 
for me it is more of the only game in town. Orville is the only "non-grim scifi in space" show on TV that I know of.

The INT-challenged brick in our group, upon encountering zombies for the first time:
 
"You called 'em undead?  That's confusin'.  I mean, "un" means "not", right?  So living people are un-dead too, right?  How does anybody know who "undead" is about, then?  It's about everybody, not just zombies.  Why not call 'em "unalive"?  Naw, that don't work, 'cause they's walkin' around, so they's kinda-alive. Plus, everything that ain't alive is unalive, like cars and rocks.  I know!  Used-ta-be-dead!
 
"See, ya'll really need me more for my brain than my muscles.  I'm the only one who can keep this stuff straight."

Last week's Star Wars game featured the Battle of Endor and destruction of the second Death Star.
 
Except in this game, instead of the Ewoks being annoying midgets in teddy bear costumes, the GM turned them into terrifying CGI killbeasts who see the world as divided into into "Food" and "Things We Can Use To Kill Food." And the former category very emphatically does NOT include exceptions for sentient species. We manage to convince them not to eat us in exchange for helping them kill "The Food That Comes In White Shells" aka Stormtroopers.
 
GM: "The Ewoks start singing a battle song..."
PCs (all singing) "Yub yub, Ewok yub yub..."
GM: "Actually their battle songs sound more like recipes." (singing in a low dirge voice) "Add 2 cups butter, parsley and simmer until tender."
PCs:
 
 
Another change in this game is that Luke died blowing up the 1st Death Star, so Leia (as an NPC) became a Jedi instead; while the PCs take out the shield generator planetside, she's the one who goes up to the Death Star to watch Vader and the Emperor kill each other. Afterwards, back on Endor she readies Dad's corpse for the big Viking funeral send-off.
 
PC1: (to Leia) "Do you want to keep Lord Vader's shuttle?"
Leia: "No, you guys can have it."
PC2: "But you should at least keep his helmet. As a memento"
Leia: "That helmet is a reminder of what my father turned into, a monster who killed millions. Why would I want to be reminded of that?"
PC1: "Oh, you may not want it now. But someday your kids might want something to connect them to the grandfather they never knew."
GM: "..."
PC2: "Something to brood and obsess over..."
GM: "STOP!"

And from this week's Historical-Fantasy Hero game:
 
The PCs have journeyed to Ireland, to the Hill of Tara, seat of High King Mael Sechnaill mac Domnaill, who is currently losing a civil war against Brian Boru, the King of Munster...
 
Player 1: "How would you like to be known to history as the Cheese King? No wonder he wants to take over, he just wants a better title!"
 
 
The PCs figure out the High King is going blind, so the Holy Warrior and the Alchemist decide to try and cure him:
 
Warrior: "Herbalism by 2, Medic by 4."
GM: "OK, great." (to Alchemist) "Give me a SS: Medicine roll."
Alchemist: (rolls) "...Well...crap."
Priest: "Did we just poison the High King?"
Warrior: "We were planning on leaving town anyway..."
Alchemist: "Screw that; I'm going to blow a Hero Point to reroll."
GM: "But it's funnier this way! ...Okay, fine grumble grumble."
Alchemist: (rerolls - gets a natural 3!) "WOOT!"
Priest: "As uses of Hero Points go..."
GM: "Yeah, wow. OK, go ahead and give me an Alchemical Invention roll just for..."
Alchemist: (rolls a second natural 3!)
Everyone:
Warrior: "So not only is he no longer blind, now he has Super Vision!"
GM: (singing) "I can see for miles and miles..."
Priest: "Did you make enough for everyone?"

Oh, and I missed a great one from a couple weeks ago. The PCs are traveling with a group of 10 pilgrims (one of whom is a new PC), when they are attacked by bandits. As the pilgrims all huddle together for protection:
Priest: OK, I'm going to try something, but it'll only work if nobody talks.
[Priest prays for God to hide them from the bandits' sight, and the whole group turns invisible]
Pilgrim PC: AH! Where did everyone else go!
Priest: ...Sonofabitch.
GM: Yes, since you didn't warn them what to expect, the pilgrims all freak out and start yelling. "What trick of the devil is this," "Saints preserve us," that sort of thing. The miracle fails and everyone turns visible again.
Priest: What part of...oh, never mind.

A few good ones from last night’s Fantasy Hero game:
 
Our heroes begin to suspect that all the relics the new PC carries may not be 100% legit:
Pilgrim: “These are the toes of Saint Tathyw. I have 12 of them.”
 
After the Muslim PC criticizes the Christian PCs for idolatry:
Priest: “We don’t worship the Saints; we’ve weaponized them.”
 
Last time, the Alchemist had cured the High King’s fading sight, rolling two natural 3s in a row. Now the High King not only has 20-20 vision, but has apparently started having visions of the future:
Alchemist: “Side effects may include…”
 
The Priest has a detect evil, which is built as Smell. (Brimstone, etc). As they enter a tomb:
GM: “Smells like evil. Or possibly teen spirit. Hard to tell those apart sometimes.”
[Players all start humming Nirvana]
 
Edit: Forgot one. I realized I had left my battlemat at home, so right before game time I was texting everyone to see if anyone else could bring one. (Not normally a big deal, because in this campaign we've only needed it about 1 in 4 sessions.) Later, the PCs are preparing to swim through an underwater tunnel.
Fighter: I leave my chainmail behind.
GM: Makes sense.
Fighter: And I guess I wouldn't really swim with weapons and all, so I'll just take my dagger.
GM: ...Not to encourage metagaming or anything, but the GM did kinda make a big deal about having a hex mat tonight.
Alchemist: I don't always metagame, but when I do I BRING MY DAMN WEAPONS!

Before last night's Star Wars game, a couple of us got into a spirited discussion of Patsy Walker's origins, how she became a superhero, her comics "legacy" and what they could do with her on Jessica Jones.
GM: OK, recognize this is coming from a structural engineer who's about to run a Star Wars game, but...neeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrdzzzz!
 
Our characters had been recruited to pilot a troop dropship as part of an invasion of a Hutt-controlled world building some new superweapon. But apparently all our dice got drunk together before the game, resulting in a statistically-questionable rash of extreme rolls, both good and bad. (And one of the entertaining quirks of the Edge of Empire system is it's possible to have both good and bad in the same roll.)
 
As we drop out of hyper, the protocol droid sends a message in binary to the orbital defensive stations:
Droid: Anyone wanna Kill All Fleshies!? You have nothing to lose but your restraining bolts! [rolls critical success]
GM: You pick up a bunch of "Oh Hell Yes!" messages in binary, followed by a lot of "What's going on oh god the droids have gone MAD!" over the enemy's coms. The station isn't shooting at anyone.
 
As we pass the station, our Jedi Wannabe uses Force Move to redirect a torpedo to make it look like the stations are shooting at each another, leading them to actually shoot back at each another. So much for the orbital defenses.
 
One ground-to-space missile manages to lock on to us:
Pilot: I evade. [rolls a critical success AND a critical failure]
GM: OK, so you successfully dodge the missile...
Players: Yay!
GM: ...but the 4 ships behind you aren't so lucky. Suddenly there are a lot fewer friendly dots following you on the radar.
Players:
 
Rhodean Slicer (ie hacker): Wait, how are the ground-based missiles getting through the planetary shields? [makes a scan roll]
GM: It appears the system is coordinated to open tiny localized windows in the shields when the missiles approach.
Rhodean: Great, I hack into their system and insert a randomized variable into their system so the shield openings are out of sync with the missiles. [rolls critical success]
GM: All of a sudden the shields are lit up by hundreds of explosions as the missiles slam into the closed shield.
Droid: Oooo, fireworks!
GM: The shield controllers are sending angry messages to the missile launchers. "What are you guys doing? Double-check your timing?" "Our timing is fine, it must be a targeting error!" "My board shows green; the problem is with the shields!"
Pilot: It should only take them 5 or 6 months to sort that out that finger-pointing.
GM: Meanwhile 5 different Hutts on the planet are already drafting memos explaining why the failure of the planetary defenses wasn't their fault...
 
The energy discharged by all the exploding missiles also makes it hard to get a lock on our ship. We make it to the ground mostly intact, but a stray blaster hit blows out the ship's nav computer. So while our infantry troops go storming off to destroy their objective, the 4 PCs head towards a nearby office building to find a substitute computer. And again our dice just Could. Not. Miss. I picture this scene done in slow-mo ala Reservoir Dogs...
GM: A ground car full of heavily-armed Aqualish comes screaming around the corner on 3 of its 6 wheels.
Droid: (who has Fast Draw with a blaster in a concealed thigh compartment ala Robocop) "I draw and shoot out one of the wheels it's riding on. [rolls critical hit and critical damage]
GM: Seriously? OK, the ground car goes skidding past you out of control and slams into the building. Several Aqualish are killed outright and the rest are stunned."
Jedi Wannabe: I use Force Move to throw a thermal detonator at them. [rolls critical hit]
GM: You actually hit the driver in the forehead with the grenade. Not that that matters once it goes off, killing all of them.
Pilot: Hey, save some for me?
GM: A lone Gamorrean pops his head up from a guard booth in front of the building to your right.
Pilot: Yay! [rolls not one but two critical hits]
GM: Oh FFS! Fine, you don't even look as you casually blow the entire guard booth to smithereens. You don't know what happened to the Gamorrean, but he ain't there no more.
Rhodean: Once all the shooting stops, I pop my head up out of a trash dumpster and say "All clear? Great" And walk calmly into the building brushing dirt off my cape.
Droid: Those are coffee grounds on you, right?
Rhodean: We're going to pretend they are.
 
The Rhodean and the Jedi Wannabe/Gadgeteer search the building for a replacement computer while the others stand guard.
The Jedi/Gadgeteer rolls a failure with advantages...
GM: You are distracted by a closet full of spare parts and old computer junk, most of which is years out of date.
Jedi: Ooo, they don't even make these connectors anymore! And I can totally find a use for those drives. Where's that forklift we passed earlier?
Rhodean: I got 3 successes...
GM: You walk up to the secretary's desk, grab her laptop and say "This'll do."
Rhodean: ...and 1 disadvantage.
GM: As you pull the laptop free you smack yourself in the face with it. Take 1 point of Strain.

 
We managed to make it back to the dropship and leave without further incident. Which was probably best for everyone involved.

Presented sans context:
 
"I know all the best nuns. You can trust me; I'm a priest."