Kevin Scrivner

Monolith said: I always knew Dr. Strange was evil. His good-guy actions were only an act to lull us into a false sense of security. Soon he will strike though, and then all will bow down to Lord Strange! ---- Yep, that pencil-thin mustache always gives 'em away!

Hmmm. I'm not sure who the expected winner would be in these previously posted mismatches: Spiderman vs. Batman--"thwip", "Pow", "thud" I mean, Spider-Man survived a battle with Superman (admittedly, he had a little help). And Batman has tangled with all sorts of wierdos from the Swamp Thing to the Hulk. Are we SURE this is a mismatch? Namor vs. Aquaman--"Fish-Talking fool!" Aquaman won when they faced off in the crossover series (whether he SHOULD have is another matter). Captain Marvel vs. Captain Marvel--"there can be only one!" The world's mightiest mortal vs. mister "I zap it with my alien bracers." Both are pretty powerful. Unless one of them caught the other in his Secret ID I think it would be a pretty tough fight.

Why magic is evil You answer a simple question about how you run your Champions games and it starts another (grumble, grumble) metaphysical debate outside the "Non-gaming Discussions" secion. MOM! They're doing it AGAIN! OK, here goes: Magic is man’s attempt to exercise supernatural power without dependence on God, to counterfeit of the workings of the Holy Spirit. It is a rehash of the original sin, man trying to make himself boss of the world instead of recognizing God’s authority. With all due respect to the author of the upcoming "Testament" campaign book, individuals who worked miracles in the Bible weren’t just another d20 magic user class. They performed amazing feats but only when a) it brought honor to God, and it helped somebody else. The power wasn’t theirs to wield as they wished; in fact, they didn’t have any power in and of themselves at all. Instead, God showed up to back them up when they obeyed his instructions. The focus wasn’t on the human tool but on the God who is there when you need him. Moses, for instance, didn’t go around slicing bodies of water in half whenever he felt like it. And when he did, it was to get the Hebrews out of a jam, not to make himself a celebrity. Magic, even so-called white magic, is inherently self-centered and selfish. It’s all about increasing one’s own knowledge and power to improve one’s personal control of the surrounding circumstances and people. Where the motive for miracles is service and compassion, the motive for magic is pride, stroking one’s ego: "Look at me. Look at what I can do! I’ve studied the secret writings. I know something you don’t know." The particular culture involved is beside the point. The effect on the magical practitioner is universal. An example of this difference in perspective can be seen in the New Testament. Simon of Samaria was a witch with powers apparently real and impressive enough to make him a big wheel in town. He converted to Christianity after hearing an evangelist preach. However, when the apostles Peter and John arrived and began praying for the converts to receive the Holy Spirit, Simon fell back on his old way of thinking. He recognized a source of spiritual power, and he was used to buying spell books, magic items, and other tools. So he offered Peter money for the ability to do the same thing. Peter chewed him out, both because Simon’s motives were wrong and because the apostles didn’t have any power to give away. The gift came from God. You also see this perspective in "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Lord of the Rings," both written by Christian authors. The heroes of Narnia are occasionally given gifts to use in the fight against evil by Aslan, the legitimate spiritual authority. But they don’t attempt to gain powers of their own. Those who do, such as Jadis the White Witch, are clearly the bad guys. In the same way, Frodo and friends aren’t spell casters. The elves’ "magic" is essentially a form of technology; in fact, the human concept of magic is alien to them. Gandalf performs feats of power not because he studied at some wizards’ academy but because he is one of Middle Earth’s guardian angels. That’s what makes the corruption of Saruman so terrible; he’s a fallen angel. The big bad guys, Sauron and Morgoth before him, were themselves angelic beings who rebelled against the Creator.

So ... Champions superheroes in a time travel story arc manage to plop themselves into the Terran Empire. They are unable to return to their own world and era because there isn't enough ambient mystical energy for their powers to work (hope they weren't depending on the cosmic guy's force bubble for life support). The handsome master of disguise becomes a late-night talk show host on Cartoon Network. The mystic, refusing to accept the loss of her abilities, retires to a small colony world to start her own religion, an event which could possibly come back to bite the galaxy a century hence. The angst-ridden detective is recruited by the galactic police a la The Stainless Steel Rat. What happens to the others, especially the powered armor dude and the hero whose powers are a product of his alien physiology?

I don't allow magic or magical characters in my campaigns since the PCs are supposed to be the good guys and magic is by definition evil and demonic. You can't use the powers of darkness to produce good results.

I've always thought that it'd be interesting if Supes had arrived black, in Alabama, in the 50s. --->M@ss --- Actually, Milestone Comics based their book "Icon and Rocket" on a similar premise. Icon was an alien who crashed on earth during the 1830s and blended into the population by shape shifting to match the nearest humans he could find: Negro slaves. At one point in the series, he and Rocket (a younger female sidekick) arrive to stop a crime and are surrounded by suspicious police. Rocket made a comment such as, "Superman never has this problem."

I guess this means we can now also discuss the exploits of Plainclothes Richard Tracy by employing his nickname.

6) *insert energy projector here* Of course it's gotta be Sunburst, that media-loving irradiated scientist from 3rd edition. I felt unable to choose between Witchcraft and Mother Raven since I have an aversion to occultish "heroes" in general and don't permit them in my games. Mother Raven had the cooler costume, however. Power-wise they seemed evenly matched. On the frog thing, hey, if a witch can't turn someone into a ubiquitous amphibian life form what's the point? It's part of the schtick.

Don't forget old radio shows! You can listen to many of the original shows for free at web sites such as: http://www.radiospirits.com http://www.radiolovers.com http://testbox.cob.rit.edu/ In addition to obvious picks such as "The Shadow," "Doc Savage," "Blue Beetle," "The Green Hornet," I recommend "I Love A Mystery" and "I Love Adventure" -- two radio series which highlight the escapades of a trio of adventurers and freelance detectives. I think medical student Jack Packard, Texas cowboy Doc Long, and English prizefighter Reggie York are better templates for Pulp Hero characters than many of the better known heroes.

Last time I checked, Bushido was still available from a Fantasy Games Unlimited web site. They've got old copies stored in a warehouse somewhere. I ran across a used copy of Bushido at my local game store. The game mechanics are horrible old-school algebra exercises to be ignored. However, the book captured the samurai mindset, social structure, and culture wonderfully. The whole character-improvement/experience points system was based on the accumulation of personal honor and status -- "face." A character could actually lose experience levels by messing up or otherwise experiencing an embarrassing situation. Although I hated the mechanics, they did a good job of hammering "Honor is everything" into the players' heads. Also, ninjas are depicted as the gangsters they actually were in Japanese society. They may have a fancy move here or there but they're considered lower than pond scum by society.

The write-up isn't completely finished but here's what I've got so far on the Blue Beetle. I went with "the strength of 10 fit men" approach based on the 1940 radio show; in the episodes he's strong enough to slap thugs around fairly easily but not strong enough to tear through walls or throw cars around. Name: Blue Beetle (1939) Val Char Cost 28 STR 18 15 DEX 15 28 CON 36 20 BODY 20 18 INT 8 15 EGO 10 20 PRE 10 16 COM 3 15 PD 9 15 ED 9 3 SPD 5 15 REC 6 56 END 43 STUN Characteristic Rolls: STR: 15-, DEX: 12-, CON: 15-, INT: 13-, EGO: 12-, PER: 17- Run: 13", Swim: 7", Jump: 5-1/2", Lift: 1,200 kg Cost Powers END/Roll 17 "Chain Armor," Armor 10 PD/10ED, -1/2 Limit OIF Costume, -1/4 Limit Activation 15- 14 "Abnormal Vitality," Running 7" (Total 13") 5 "Abnormal Vitality," Swimming 5" (Total 7") 12 "Keen Senses," +4 with All Perception 7 "Enhanced Mentality," Mental DEF 10 Cost Skills, Talents, Perks Roll 3 Acting 13- 3 Breakfall 12- 3 Bureaucratics 13- 3 Climbing 12- 3 Combat Driving 12- 3 Concealment 13- 3 Contortionist 12- 3 Conversation 13- 3 Criminology 13- 3 Deduction 13- 3 Interrogation 13- 2 AK: York City 11- 2 KS: Criminal Law 11- 2 PS: Policeman 11- 3 Mimicry13- 3 Riding: Horses 12- 3 Shadowing 13- 3 Stealth 12- 3 Streetwise 13- 2 Familiar with Small Arms 1 Familiar with Police Baton 15 +3 Levels with Hand-to-Hand Combat 20 Perk: Vehicle, Fast Car 10 Perk: Contact 14-: Dr. Franz, chemist/pharmacologist, extremely useful skills and resources, loyal to Blue Beetle 2 Perk: Local Police Powers (as Dan Garrett) 200+ Disadvantages 15 Social Limitation, Secret ID: Daniel Garrett, rookie policeman 10 Distinctive Features: Leaves Beetle Insignia At Crime Scenes, easily concealed, always noticed 15 DNPC 11-: Mike Mannigan, normal partner, useful skills, unaware of Garrett's adventuring persona 10 Reputation 11-: Ruthless Vigilante 20 Psychological Limitation: Tries to Obey the Law, Won't Harm Police 20 Hunted 11-: The Police (as Blue Beetle), more powerful 10 Watched 8-: Local Police Department (as Dan Garrett), more powerful OCV: 5 (8 with HTH Combat); DCV: 5; ECV: 5; Mental Def.: 10; Phases: 4, 8, 12 PD/rPD: 15/10 ; ED/rED: 15/10 Costs: Char.: 149 Disad.: Powers: + Base: + 200 Exp.: + Total: = Total: = Source: "Mystery Men Comics," Fox Features Syndicate, 1939; "The Blue Beetle," syndicated radio show, 48 episodes, 1940. Background: Young Dan Garrett followed his highly decorated father into law enforcement after the elder Garrett was gunned down by mobsters. He quickly distinguished himself as a rookie patrolman. Despite his dedication to upholding the law, Garrett began to see the limitations of the criminal justice system and to chaffe under the tediousness of its processes. When he expressed his frustrations to Dr. Franz, who operated an apothecary shop on his beat, the chemist supplied Garrett with a suit of blue mesh "as flexible as silk but more impervious than steel." Instead of wearing it beneath his uniform, Garrett began slipping it on when off duty and stalking criminals the law hadn't been able to catch. He adopted the name "Blue Beetle" because the armor reminded him of the metallic blue carapaces of beetles he'd seen at the York City Museum. He nearly emulated his father's death while he and partner Mike Mannigan were confronting dope peddlers on the street. Occupants of a fast-moving sedan machine-gunned both Garrett and the drug pusher he was grappling with. The crook died immediately. Garrett lay in the hospital for days, so weak that physicians were afraid he wouldn't recover from the removal of bullets. Dr. Franz slipped into his room at night and made him eat a tablet of Formula 2K, an experimental substance Franz promised would give him the strength to survive. Garrett was back on his beat the following afternoon, fully healed and eager to locate the drug ring. MORE Powers and Abilities: Garrett was an athletic and capable police officer even before he ingested Formula 2K. He is an effective investigator and has a good knowledge of his home city and its residents. The vitamin supplement gave him "enhanced mentality, keen senses, and abnormal strength and vitality." He is now ten times stronger and healthier than an ordinary man. The mesh armor supplied by Dr. Franz is capable of deflecting most small arms fire. The Blue Beetle occasionally makes use of other gadgetry provided by the pharmacist but his only regular equipment besides the armor is a fast car he bought at a police auction. In combat, the Blue Beetle is a brawler rather than a scientific fighter. He relies on intimidation and enjoys bashing a few heads together to gather the evidence he needs to convict a malefactor. He is perhaps too confident in his armor's ability to protect him because he's used to battling thugs packing conventional firearms. This has caused him to fall before more thoughtful villains armed with tear gas and electric stun guns. Dr. Franz has since insulated the armor against electric shock. Disadvantages: Height: cm ( ' "), Weight: kg ( lbs), Sex: Male, Race: Caucasian Appearance: Dan Garrett is an athletic man in his twenties. He usually wears his York City police uniform. After he partook of Formula 2K his boyish voice grew deeper and his face and physique became more mature. As the Blue Beetle, Garrett dons a blue metallic mesh bodysuit that covers everthing but his face. The costume includes a black mask that covers the upper half of his face, red elbow-length gloves, and a wide red belt. ======= Hero System write-up by Kevin Scrivner

Maybe it would help the comparison if we put it in Champions terms. The Beetle's strength and vitality of 10 men translates to a 28 STR and CON. So he has a 5 1/2 D6 punch and enough END to keep fighting for a while. But his agility isn't necessarily extraordinary, so his base Combat Value could easily be 5 with a SPD of 3. The Phantom's jungle reflexes would give him maybe a SPD of 4 or 5 and a base CV 6 or 7 with bonuses for martial maneuvers and skill levels. The maneuvers would increase his damage to match that of the Beetle even if his STR maxed out at 20 or 23. Defense might be the determining factor. The Phantom is tough (10+ PD) and probably has defensive combat skill levels. He'd try to outmaneuver the Beetle and avoid getting hit until he could land a telling blow. I'm assuming he wouldn't use his gun skill levels to shoot the Blue Beetle in the face. He IS a hero, after all. The Beetle's armor, on the other hand, might enable him to soak up any punishment the Phantom could dish out. He might be able to endure repeated blows while he waited for a lucky grab or punch of his own. If he managed to get the Phantom in a bear hug, the battle would be over quickly. I agree that the location of the battle would influence the outcome. In the city, the Beetle knows his way around but the Phantom might have access to tear gas or electricity, both of which can get through the armor. In the jungle, the Beetle would literally be sunk if the Phantom tricked him into swampy territory; that mesh armor is heavy enough to prevent him from swimming with it on.

Yet another poll! Let's go to the other end of the power spectrum. What about Lee Falk's The Phantom vs. the original 1939 Blue Beetle? Which of these mystery men do you think would come out on top? The Ghost Who Walks is a jungle ruler who has a pair of .45 automatics, jungle-trained reflexes, a faithful dog, limitless wealth, and (at least in the jungle) a network of assistants. Blue Beetle is a promising criminologist who sports a costume of bullet-proof metallic mesh, has the strength and vitality of 10 men thanks to a dose of Formula 2X, and has the scientific assistance of the kindly chemical genius down the street. He rarely carries a gun while in costume. Both are good in hand-to-hand combat. The Phantom is a scientific fighter trained in boxing and wrestling while the Blue Beetle is a brawler who relies on his enhanced strength to take down opponents. Both are competent detectives. The Phantom uses his jungle stealth to eavesdrop on the bad guys. Blue Beetle has had formal police training in seeking and identifying clues. In the costume department both are fashion disasters, but at least The Phantom can claim to have come up with the longjohns and mask getup first.

Go to http://www.radiolovers.com and look under "Science Fiction and Superheroes." You'll find almost the complete 1940 run of the Blue Beetle's radio show. You can listen for free or even download and save episodes. They're surprisingly good.