oryanfactor

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine [ATTACH=CONFIG]34618[/ATTACH] heres a sample, which required some mods

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine i have the downloaded version, works well.

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine Hello, been off the board for awhile, came back and found this great Hero Maker! Been playing with the program a bit too much... (intended as nothing more than a tribute)

Re: Superhero Comics & D&D Alignments Hugh, I just want to point out that Harvey's dedication to the order of the coin, good and bad, black and white, is what appears to make him appear random, and therefore chaotic. The irony is his very lawfulness is what makes him chaotic, and the chaos he causes is the direct result of his dedication to the law. He is after all, a lawyer by training. "You are lying to me now. But if you are lying, that must be the truth, and if you are telling the truth, you cannot be lying, which makes your statement a lie.......warning, warning, abort, abort......." oryan

I read through a few of the threads regarding how elves, dwarves and other demi-humans are treated in different game worlds, as well as the nature and availiblity of magic. There were a number of interesting ideas about how these concepts are handled in gameplay, and their respective impacts on the game world. This brought me to the idea that, of course, game worlds themselves are simply developing stories, self-contained artifical eco-systems in which our characters live out their triumphs and tragedies. We assign genres to them, complete with conventions, stereotypes and with luck, at least a few interesting qualities. When it comes to the Fantasy genre, we probably rely on Tolkien more than anyone, or at least Dungeons and Dragons did at first, with myths, legends and other tales of wonder. We introduce various demi-human races and for the most part, substitute magic for, or as a compliment to, natural law and science. We are 21st century people, living in a mundane world of paperwork, petty regulation, 9 to 5 jobs and changing diapers. To a person of imagination and creativity, the repetition and grind can be stifling, so we use the elements of fantasy to allow ourselves to play out the ideas we'd like to express in our lives, without all the bother of a more familar frame of reference. In other terms, while the stories we play out take place on far-flung worlds and in distant times, we look at those stories through our 21st century eyes. With Elves and other demi-humans, we have a parallel substitute for the archetypes of ourselves as people. They may have been servants of the gods, the architects of magic themselves or a simple wood-dwelling nature people, but in any case the elves simply represent one or more facets of ourselves. We may begin with a premise, but there elves go is best dependant on where the story itself goes. Can you imagine a world with multiple intellgent, self-aware species, all in competion for natural resources? In the real world, with various ethnicities, religions and politcal affiliations, we have enough trouble with one such species. As to magic, it assists in allowing ourselves to "rubberize" science, to make natural law what we want it to be, rather than what it is, to bend it to our own wills. Historically, the myths and stories which have defined our understanding of what magic is largely derive from our attempts to understand the natural world and scientific law. The nature of the world in which the story takes place is defined by the flexiblity of the magic therein, by how defining the the natural order there is. It has been said that science, sufficiently advanced, appears as if it were magic, and in a sense, perhaps it is. If a game world has little magic, it's inhabitants can count on reliablity, deduction and logic, while a world with widely accessible magic can count on the strongest manipulator of will creating the nature of reality itself. How unlike the real world is that really? My point here is that these concepts of magic and fantasy are simply reflections, tools to be used to move our stories forward, to create drama and fascinate the attention of others. They could just as easily be zap guns and robots, or dark, hidden cabals of political power and intrique. In any case, their forms are our own, their messages belong to us, and we present them best when their internal logic most consistantly communicates the tale we have to tell. But that's just my opinon, I have been drinking a lot of coffee. oryan

Re: Superhero Comics & D&D Alignments Hugh, I almost put Two-Face into the CN category, but then I realized he isn't chaotic at all. He has a monomania regarding the coin, and adjusts his behavior depending on which side comes up. He could no more deny the coin than the Sun could rise in the west. Therefore, that is his "system", from his perspective. In his world of order, perfect random chance determines acts of kindness or cruelty. He takes no pleasure in his wrong-doing, yet is not rewarded by acting with compassion. From our perspective as generally good people (I assume you are), we regard what he does as wrong. Giving $1000 to orphans does not balance mugging the night before, so he is a villian. Did you ever stop to think that Luke Skywalker is a dangerous terrorist, fighting the legitimate order of the Empire or that to a Klingon, James Kirk is the most reviled military enemy? This is one of the flaws of the alignment system, that it is far too easy to look at them subjectively, and put our opponents in catagories opposite ourselves. Also, I'm not sure I agree that differing alignments cannot work together, they are rather more likely to come into conflict. When this occurs, they may either begrudging assist each other or fight openly, but it's a matter of degree. A Paladin working with a LE Fighter, for instance, may allow that Fighter to kill a man the Paladin knows to be innocent, because that Fighter might be the local sherrif. It also depends on that Paladin's local order and their rules. You may see another problem which arises with alignment systems here. They are objectively constant, but subjectively personal. A good example is Al Capone. Capone rubbed out his enemies, and delighted in making them suffer for their transgressions. However, he was highly protective of his territories and people and provided social services to the community. He maintained a strict heiarchy within his organization, but was highly disruptive towards elected government. What is his alignment? I'll end up with trying to venture a guess. Because overall, he did what he did to enrich himself, I'd catagorize him as evil, because evil doesn't mean a cackling manaical fool, but a selfish person. He respected rules and discipline, but wasn't blindly bound to societies' law, and was known to break his own from time to time. I'd say that makes him more neutral. But, as you see, it can be much more grey than appears at first glance. oryan

Re: Superhero Comics & D&D Alignments I may have a different take on D&D alignments, which never worked as well in practice than it sounded in theory. In the law versus chaos axis, lawfuls are characters who respect discipline, order, routine, systems and community while chaotic characters prefer individualism, randomness and chance. In the good and evil axis, good characters value life, creation, what we regard as beauty. They despise loss. Evil characters regard their own impulses as being superior to these concepts, even if they do not regard this as "evil" from their point of view. The way I understand the alignments to work is: Lawful Good--These characters beleive that life and society must be preserved, even if that means trampling a few rights along the way. They tend to be supportive of the local legal system where they live, even if they feel personally that it's values are wrong. In D&D games, LG's tend to be assumed to have taken codes against killing, or never lying, etc, but they simply do whatever they can to preserve the greater good while trying to remain "reasonable". Examples include: Superman, Captain America and Hal Jordan. Neutral Good--NG characters are interested in preserving life and creation, no matter what. They can be a bit blind to wether they need to bend rules, regulations or disruption might be caused, simply because goodness is more important. They aren't looking to break rules, but have no problem doing so. Examples include: Batman, Thor and Ben Grimm. Chaotic Good--The major difference between these characters and others in the good axis is not that they are inherently wild, but rather they either lack a certain self-control, have a sense of irony when "the system" breaks down or simply beleive that individuals are more important than societies. Examples include: The Creeper, Green Arrow or Power Girl. Lawful Neutrals--All the Neutrals share in common that systems are important to them, even the Chaotics who value a system which is the breaking of systems. No alignment expresses a love for systems more so than the LN. They tend to identify the way things are and are rigid in their beliefs. Wether the system of things causes joy or pain, LN's will defend it's perfect order. Examples include: The Spectre, Clock King (BTAS) or The Collector. True Neutral--This alignment senses that balance is the best way and that law, order, good and evil exist only to counter each other. They will act to create balance when they feel that one side or the other has the upper hand. They may appear to be feckless, and may turn on both friend and foe alike to insure that none prevails over another. Examples include: Galactus, Destiny of the Endless and Two-Face. Chaotic Neutral--Probably the most dangerous alignment, as they simply operate by the breakdown of systems, and are personally rewarded when disruption results. It is in no way important to them wether anyone is hurt or not, so long as change is a constant. Examples include: Mr. Myxyzsptlk, Major Disaster or Chemo. Lawful Evil--While they may appear as uncaring as LN's, these characters differ in the sense that they feel order is best preserved by their own rules. If destruction of life is the result of their imposition of order, so be it. They are dominators. At worst, LE's may take a perverse pleasure in suffering, and may deliberately cause it, according to their own codes. Examples include: Darkseid, Doctor Doom or Magneto. Neutral Evil--This alignment is dedicated to getting their way, regardless of the cost in life or property. Whether thier own standards are maintained in the process is irrelevant, and will lie, cheat, steal or kill, provided they take the day. Examples include Lex Luthor, Loki or The Penguin. Chaotic Evil--The Jackanapes in this catagory bring mindless destruction and suffering, moreso, they delight in it. They will go long out of their way to cause death or pain, even if their own goals suffer for it. They cannot be trusted, and will turn on an ally even when it is in their best interests to maintain that relationship. Examples include: Joker, Eclipso and The Green Goblin. I hope you enjoyed the list, and I am not above begging for a little green pip for this much work. oryan

Re: Anybody out there playing Doctor Who Hero? Aside from being probably the saddest Doctor Who story ever, Age of Ghosts/Doomsday was no doubt one of the best. Let's see how they top this one. As for a DW game, what is really great about the DW concept is the TARDIS, which largely functions as a plot point, allowing the Doc and his companions to get into trouble easily and quickly enter into an almost infinite number of scenarios. (Somehow, its never as easy as hopping back in and leaving, is it?) So, write yourself up a TARDIS-like device, hop inside, and you've got a "Who" type game. I myself cooked up the idea of a concept of a mysterious character who lives in a cave or a temple which exists, well, nowhere actually, but which is connected to a gateway whch might lead anywhere or any time. Rather than the TARDIS as a physical object which exists within the frame of reality in which the characters are, the "travel" takes place because they go to it. One such example might be an old obscure cartoon called Mission: Magic where a school teacher, who was also a witch, would draw a "magic door" on her chalkboard and fly her students through it to other dimensions. I read once, I think it was Making of Star Trek by Stehen Whitfield, that one essential element of any dramatic series is that the central characters may go anywhere or do anything, but have a place to hang their hats at the end of the day, wether that's the Batcave, the Enterprise, an old hotel or a police station. The question then becomes how you introduce them into the conflict at hand. oryan

Re: Anybody out there playing Doctor Who Hero? Info on US ratings for Doctor Who: (From Galifreyone.com) Ratings for the broadcast of the first season finale on the Sci Fi Channel, The Parting of the Ways, in America are in: the telecast scored a 1.14 household rating with an average of 1.4 million viewers. According to Outpost Gallifrey's source at the Sci Fi Channel, the first full season of the series averaged a 1.26 household rating, with an average audience of 1.5 million views. (Some other statistics for the season: the audience was 63% male, with a median age of 46 years, and scored a 1.00 rating in men ages 18-49 and a 0.62 rating in men 18-34.) Though the ratings for the broadcast of the first series seem to have been lower than expected, that now doesn't appear to be the case. As reported at the Sci Fi Channel's own news service, Sci Fi Wire, "the new updated Doctor Who boosted SCI FI Channel's ratings on Friday nights by double digits, the network reported. The new version of Doctor Who, produced by the BBC, wrapped its first season on SCI FI on June 9. Doctor Who averaged a 1.3 household rating and 1.5 million total viewers in its 9 p.m. Friday timeslot, a 44 percent increase in ratings and a 54 percent increase in viewership over the same timeslot in the second quarter last year. In key demographics, Doctor Who averaged 778,000 viewers aged 18-49, a 57 percent increase over 2005, and 942,000 viewers aged 25-54, a 56 percent increase." The Futon Critic, a respected source of industry and media news noted the "double-digit ratings growth this quarter on Fridays from 9pm to 10pm versus the time period last year," referring to the fact that Doctor Who was a broadcast original for the network in a time period (March to June) when it normally shows reruns. (Until this series broadcast, Sci Fi's original Friday night series -- Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica -- broadcast in two halves, July through September for the first half of each season, and then January to March for the second half.) A note from me: Keep in mind this is with the show running at 9pm on Fridays, a timeslot when most kids are in bed and most young adults are out on the town. oryan

Re: Anybody out there playing Doctor Who Hero? I actually have seen K-9 and Company, and it's really, really bad. Little in the way of sci-fi except for the tin dog. I also got thru watching The Unearthly Child, The Tribe of Gum and The Daleks recently, these being the first three Doctor Who Stories. As a matter of fact, I've noticed that companions, especially Ian Chesterfield, are quite capable, and in the case of The Daleks, it was the Doctor that gets them trapped in the first place. So, Companions can be rather useful. In fact, now that I think about it, Adric had insane math skills, Jamie was much better than the Doctor at HTH combat and of course Romana might have been a more skilled Time Lord than the Doctor himself. The current series is making them generally rather useful, probably more so than the old series, and Army of Ghosts especially so. oryan

Re: Kryptonians, Asgardians and Spectres! Oh My! Shaun, The book is Swamp Thing #50, and it has something to do with a "change" in the agreement between the Light (Heaven) and the Darkness (Hell). We weren't told the full story, but we see the Spectre (with his hood folded back!), laying on the ground and giving off smoke. oryan

Re: Wow....that is a useless power for sure.... The villian in Kevin Smith's "Evil that Men Do", had the ability to teleport small quantities of liquid. invisible spoiler below: He used the power to teleport heroin into celebrities that didn't want track marks, and killed his mother be teleporting listerene into her heart. oryan

Re: Magic and Mechanics, to you Keith, "Fantasy" Hero versus Champions, to me the difference is that Champions is modern day and mostly has guys in masks running around in spandex beating each other up, while Fantasy has elves, monsters and goblins and take place at some indeternimate time in the past. Of course, there are exceptions. As to what I don't like about unified magic systems, which I expressed in the post, is that you limit your stories, or paint yourself into a corner as the system becomes clearer. oryan

Re: Real World Stuff That Only Sounds Like A Comic Book

I've been involved with a thread in the Pulp Hero section regarding who strange the real world is compared to the worlds of science fiction, fantasy, comic books and other fictional wierdness. in the interests of promoting really cool, esoteric gameplay, and just sparking the imagination of players everywhere, I thought it might be a good idea to begin a thread here regarding bizzare people, places and things which either exist in real life, or did, or might have. Posters are encouraged to relate strange stories, myths, tales and news reports that describe odd bits that go to make up the real world, and with luck, our games will all be the richer for it. To start the thread, I thought I might find a good topic as an example of what might work, but found that one single idea might be too specfic, so I'll toss out a few: Take the platypus, for instance. Originally thought to be a hoax, this ridiculous little animal might actually make a formidable foe as a "comic book" villain. Although most people are not aware of this, the platypus is venomous and it's rear claws contain a poison which causes excruicating pain for months, and it locates prey by detecting it's bio-electric field, actually called electrolocation. Or, for strange places, try Cap d'Adge, on the South coast of France. This town of 60,000 people is unique in the world because everyone walks around nude. It does have a post office, a gas station, resturants, a bank and stores, and yep, not to many clothes there either. How you work this into a game I have no idea, but it's plenty odd anyway. One case of strange people might be Ramzia Tukmatullina, a 14 year old girl found by police in Karzan, Russia last year, who they suspect has been raised by wolves (I'm not making this up, I swear) since the age of two. Let the strangeness begin..... oryan