mraley
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Re: Elementary, My Dear Watson
Also see Ian Hart ("The Hound of the Baskervilles", with Richard Roxburgh), Kenneth Walsh (who did three Holmes films with Matt Frewer) or Andre Morrell in the Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee Hammer version of "Hound".
I think Burke is my favorite Watson (he plays him with an incredible sense of humor, which I think you'd have to have to live with Holmes), with Hardwicke a close second.
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Re: Elementary, My Dear Watson
Not sure about "seduction". Did Holmes ever seduce anyone ? I thought that he was generally disdainful of women.Charles Augustus Milverton's maid.
"You would not call me a marrying man, Watson?"
"No, indeed!"
"You'll be interested to hear that I am engaged."
"My dear fellow! I congrat ----"
"To Milverton's housemaid."
"Good heavens, Holmes!"
"I wanted information, Watson."
"Surely you have gone too far?"
"It was a most necessary step. I am a plumber with a rising business, Escott by name. I have walked out with her each evening, and I have talked with her. Good heavens, those talks! However, I have got all I wanted. I know Milverton's house as I know the palm of my hand."
"But the girl, Holmes?"
He shrugged his shoulders.
"You can't help it, my dear Watson. You must play your cards as best you can when such a stake is on the table. However, I rejoice to say that I have a hated rival who will certainly cut me out the instant that my back is turned. What a splendid night it is!"
Sounds like seduction to me.
Mary Ann
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Re: Elementary, My Dear Watson
He should also have Martial Arts consisting of at least boxing and some Jujutsu. And if I remember right' date=' maybe he can have a Physical Limitation of "Incredibly Bad Shot"? I seem to recall that for all his pulp hero-esque skill levels, he was a lousy marksman.[/quote']I think he has the boxing maneuvers, and three levels with HTH.
As to the "Incredibly Bad Shot"... There are only three cites to Holmes actually firing a gun in canon, and Watson never really speaks to his abilities with it.
"Even as we looked he [the islander] plucked out from under his covering a short, round piece of wood, like a school-ruler, and clapped it to his lips. Our pistols rang out together. He whirled round, threw up his arms, and with a kind of choking cough fell sideways into the stream." (Sign of Four)
"Then Holmes and I both fired together, and the creature gave a hideous howl, which showed that one at least had hit him… But the next instant Holmes had emptied five barrels of his revolver into the creature's flank. With a last howl of agony and a vicious snap in the air, it rolled upon its back, four feet pawing furiously, and then fell limp upon its side. I stooped, panting, and pressed my pistol to the dreadful, shimmering head, but it was useless to press the trigger. The giant hound was dead." (Hound of the Baskervilles)
"I have always held, too, that pistol practice should be distinctly an open-air pastime; and when Holmes, in one of his queer humors, would sit in an arm-chair with his hair-trigger and a hundred Boxer cartridges, and proceed to adorn the opposite wall with a patriotic V. R. done in bullet-pocks, I felt strongly that neither the atmosphere nor the appearance of our room was improved by it." (Musgrave Ritual)
Monster - I have seen "Giants", but it's been years.
Mary Ann, who tonight is being subjected to "The Purple Monster Strikes", which, admittedly, is extremely Pulp.
The hero just answered a ringing phone in an apartment he was searching, which triggered a spiked gate to drop and the wall to start closing in on him, forcing him into the spikes. I should not let Rob watch these....
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Re: Elementary, My Dear Watson
Thank you for bringing your encyclopedic knowledge to bear.The Internet is a wonderful thing for checking cites. "I vaguely remember that..."
I have these occasional obsessions
, and lately it's been Holmes. In the past few months, I've reread canon twice, read about three dozen pastiches, watched the entirety of the Brett BBC stuff (twice) and the Ronald Howard TV series as well as three different "interpretations" of 'Hound of the Baskervilles' (including the Matt Frewer version, which is endurable merely because Frewer's only in it about twenty minutes), and several other films (including one Reginald Owen and three Arthur Wontner offerings from the '30's and two Christopher Lee films from the early 90's). Last night was the Hammer Films "Hound" from '59 (Now there's a good Watson!).Last time it was King Arthur/the Grail. Who knows what next month will bring?
Rob puts up with me because I buy him Godzilla movies and 30's serials.
Mary Ann
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Since I haven't figured out the nifty multiple quotes thing....
As to the WF: Handguns - He and Watson both shoot at the Andeman Islander in "Sign of Four" and at the hound in "Hound of the Baskervilles". As The Monster said, he decorated the wall with VR (mentioned in "The Musgrave Ritual"). It appears he knows how to use a pistol, he'd just rather not. (He does pistol whip a couple of guys, however.)
As to Irene Adler, define "a woman of character" There are a number of undertones in "Scandal" showing that Holmes respected Irene quite a bit, and not only as the winner in their match. The last line of "Scandal" is "He used to make merry over the cleverness of women, but I have not heard him do it of late. And when he speaks of Irene Adler, or when he refers to her photograph, it is always under the honourable title of the woman." IMHO, the disad should remain, or perhaps be modified slightly. Holmes does get in one good snark at the "King" after he remarks that Irene would have made a good queen if she were "on [his] level”.
“From what I have seen of the lady, she seems, indeed, to be on a very different level to your Majesty,” said Holmes coldly.
He also turns down an emerald ring in payment in favor of her photograph.
And as to Watson referring to her as "the late Irene Adler", in the Victorian period, that didn't necessarily mean she was dead, simply that she was no longer a point of interest.
(Can you tell I like Irene?)
As to the DNPC for Watson, I see him more as an ally or contact than a DNPC. He's very capable and (as discussed above) intelligent. He has useful combat skills as well as noncombat skills ("Quickly Watson, get your service revolver!"). SH refers to himself and Watson as "this agency" ("Sussex Vampire") and depends on Watson to protect their client and to investigate in "Hound of the Baskervilles". I just don't see him as a DNPC.
Holmes is, however, very protective of Watson. In "The Three Garridebs", he tells the forger "If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this room alive."
He needs a KS: Music. He wrote a monograph on the Polyphonic Motets of Lassus ("Bruce Partington Plans). He often attends the opera and concerts (in "Study in Scarlet", he wants to wrap up the investigation so he can go hear Norman Neruda play the violin).
He needs Cryptography - "I am fairly familiar with all forms of secret writing, and am myself the author of a trifling monograph upon the subject, in which I analyse one hundred and sixty separate ciphers." ("the Dancing Men").
He needs SS: Physiology - he recognised the relationship between the three sisters by the shape of their ears ("Cardboard Box") and later identified one of the victims by the shape of her ear (which was all he had).
He also needs Tracking (“Study in Scarlet”, "Silver Blaze", "The Priory School", "Hound of the Baskervilles", "Boscombe Valley Mystery"), SS: Ballistics ("Reigate Squire" and "The Empty House"), SS: Psychology ("Scandal in Bohemia", where he lures Irene Adler into betraying where she had hidden a photograph based on the "precis" that an unmarried woman will seek her most valuable possession in case of fire, whereas a married woman will grab her baby instead.) and probably a dozen other things I've forgotten.
Mary Ann
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Re: Elementary, My Dear Watson
However' date=' in [i']Scarlet[/i], his first appearance, he has never heard of the Copernican Theory of the Solar System. He's only interested in knowledge that help's him fight Britain's master criminals and throws everything else out of his "brain attic."It is widely accepted that at that point he was "having Watson on".
He unbends the poker in The Speckled Band.
Mary Ann
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Re: Elementary, My Dear Watson
Too many times' date=' we have seen the Nigel Bruce interpretation of Watson portrayed. I for one would love to see a confident, intelligent, competent assistant to the great Consulting Detective....
[/quote']Try the film "Without a Clue" with Michael Caine as Holmes and Ben Kingsley as Watson. "Holmes" is really an actor who's cover for Watson's brilliance.
For a less humorous turn on it, try the Jeremy Brett BBC films (where Watson is only dim in comparison to Holmes) or the Richard Roxburgh/Ian Hart "Hound of the Baskervilles". The Brett episodes are very close to the originals; Brett kept an annotated copy of the canon on the set all the time.
Mary Ann
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Re: Pulp Hero Resources
http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_78_1.html
The Smithsonian Institute's exhibit of automobiles from 1866 to the present. Good photos, some information about the various cars.
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Re: Getting the “Pulp Feel” with Hero
Hero' date=' OTOH, works for me for any genre I’ve tried so far. Maybe it’s partly because, like g-a, I started with Fantasy Hero and only got around to Champions much later. So the mechanics don’t particularly “feel” more superhero-y than any other genre.[/quote']I have the same feeling. My first experience with HERO was a Pulp game, run by (noted Pulp HERO author) Rob Hudson. I liked it so much I married the GM. (Okay, there were other reasons, too....)
Now I'm in three Pulp campaigns, including the original one. And oddly enough, while I've been playing in Pulp campaigns for fifteen years, in that time I've only played two scenarios in a Champions game. Supers just aren't that popular with my gaming group.
Mary Ann
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Re: Help Me Pick A Book
Anyway' date=' If you go the GURPS route be sure and check out the Castle Falkenstein books that were adapted to GURPS. they are excellent.[/quote']And the Forgotten Futures stuff by Marcus Rowland. And anything in the Wold Newton universe. Google searches will find these for you.
Mary Ann
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Re: Thrilling Places!
From what I can glean' date=' it sounds like the focus is less on the maps and physical aspects of the places, and more on the background with NPC's and package deals, climate, etc.[/quote']Actually, there are very good maps of all the locations, ranging from larger scale maps (for K'hull Island) to room-by-room maps and descriptions for single locations (the Royal Viridian Theater, Schloss Eisenwolf, the Pharoah Club), as well as detailed descriptions (most room-by-room) of each location (the description of the PI's office in the Grant Building includes where his plants are). The NPC write-ups are relatively brief (stat blocks, some skills/disads, and a note about personality, motivation and so on). The sections for more "Hudson City-ish" locations don't include background on climate, etc., but do include some details making it easier to set a "real world" location into your pulp game. The more distant locales do have more information about climate, flora/fauna, population, and so on (since not everyone has been to Siberia, Bavaria, Greenland, or the South Pacific) as well as tidbits of information to help add color to your narration. (And trust me, the real-world information on these places is as accurate as research can make it. If I never hear another debate on the relative merits of WWI era Russian planes or how many miles of paved roads there were in Louisiana in 1930, it will be far too soon.)
While I am (understandably) somewhat biased in my opinion (the author is my husband), I think this is a well written and valuable source book. I've been gaming (both as a player and a GM) for almost thirty years, and it's one of the best I've ever seen.
Mary Ann
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Re: ENNIE nominations out
Don't forget - voting starts today!
Mary Ann
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Re: ENNIE nominations out
Hero has been nominated in the following categories:Best Adversary/Monster Book (Masterminds and Madmen) (Yay, Rob!)
Since Rob is still staring at the screen in dumbfounded amazement, please allow me to say WOOHOO!
Mary Ann
(Mrs. Rob)
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Re: Pulp Movie Resources
They are indeed good resources. There's also a pack that specifically has classic serial films (advertised as 150 chapters all told' date=' which makes it 10-12 films), which include some real gems for mining ideas.[/quote']As one of Kharis' players, I watch them purely out of self defense.
However, if he ever decides to recycle a Japanese "suit-mation" plot, I'm doomed.
Mary Ann
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Re: Serial Villany
Kharis' date=' you used to be TimeShare?[/quote']AFAIK (and if anyone should K it's me), Kharis has always been Kharis.
Speaking as the recipient-and-almost-victim of an "enhanced" terrier, I can only say, "Bad dog!"
Mary Ann
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Re: Pulp Egypt
Oh I can hear it now. :My Egyptian mum-mum-mummy used to rub my tum -tum- tummy ". Quick' date=' get the flame throwers I can't stand any more of this muzak !"[/quote']Actually, we worked this out at one point. IIRC, it ran about seven points to give one the theme music for the Jonny Quest mummy episode, which, in my more impressionable childhood, gave me nightmares for weeks!
Rob told one of his players (who has dreadful dice luck) the other night that he might do better if he had theme music - and suggested the Peter Gunn theme for his hard-boiled detective.
Mary Ann
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Re: Pulp Egypt
Looks like I'll be checking in on his site to purchase this one on the 26th!I live in fear.
Do *his* mummies have theme music?
Mary Ann
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Re: The Trail of the Gold Spike
Oooohhhh! My first very adventure! That was the one where you nearly killed Marcus by dropping a mine shaft on him.
Bad Rob! Bad!
Didn't Bird's character end up marrying the mine owner's daughter? After what's-his-name's character nearly beat her to death because he didn't recognize her in the dark?
Mary Ann
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Re: Hero Plus Adventure #18 -- The Tablets Of Destiny -- Now Available!
I live in fear.
Mary Ann
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Re: Hero Plus Adventure #18 -- The Tablets Of Destiny -- Now Available!
Don't look, Rob!
Mary Ann
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Re: Have You Used Characters from Masterminds And Madmen?
Having been in at Lothar's "birth," I'm kind of hoping he shows up in Rob's campaign. I'll be so tempted to quote Bill Cosby at him - "I brought you into this world, I can take you out and make another who looks just like you!"
Mary Ann
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Re: Be the Spider!
"We were too late' date='" he said. "Ya-chie is dead. The orang-utang had mated."[/quote']And that pretty much says it all for the Spider.
We always thought he was so insanely driven because every criminal was one more speed bump on the road to him getting any.
Mary Ann
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Re: Be the Spider!
You also have to know the cheesy lines, like:
"Die, die! The Spider bids you die!"
VERY cool site!
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Re: Madmen & Masterminds Question:the Skymaster
I have to (embarrassingly) admit that I actually don't own anyof the G-8 stories. I've read a number of summaries of the character and the like' date=' but I've never had the opportunity to sit down and read the novels.[/quote']And now I know what to get him for Christmas!
Mary Ann
Secret Of The Incas
in Pulp Hero
Posted
Re: Secret Of The Incas