Scott Ruggels

My old stomping grounds. Living and working there.... Well having a tunnel to the Port of Oakland will reduce traffic on the 880, and 680.  The higher tech areas will make my old home town even more insufferable.

Not sports or entertainment, but definitely futuristic. Still, gotta wonder if he actually did more work designing this instead of just mowing the lawn.
 
 

Yes, 80% of what I play is Hero, even Fantasy. The other is games made specifically for something like Buffy, Star Trek, etc.

Life it too short for a bad game. Admit to being anti-social or better, admit to being an introvert. Tell your husband that the GM creeps you out, and that it's fine if he wants to play, but you don't like 5e, and you definitely don't like being railroaded. This game feels  bad, and remind him of the Wednesday game.

Failing that, have the character become reckless, and try the impossible. If the character dies, Immediately pick up your things, tell your husband that you will pick him up at the end of the game and leave quickly.

If the GM Bends the rules to keep you alive, then you have evidence of railroading, and you have a reason to leave, as well. 
 
In any case you are going to have to be firm. Loving, but firm.

Been thinking more about this.
 
“…they’re OUR FRIENDS”: Your husband needs to get a grip. Seriously. Who is more important to him? You, the person he’s been married to for many years? Or is it a bunch of people led by a dysfunctional-sounding DM? It all just comes across as a toxic-sounding situation, and he should be supporting you in your decsion, not trying to force you into enduring more of this.
 
You don’t want to play? That’s fine and totally understandable based on your descriptions of things. I wouldn’t want to be in such a campaign either. I think most normal people wouldn’t.
 
What isn’t sounding healthy is the rest of it. If you’re playing in another group without any problems, that shows you aren’t anti-social. You just don’t want to play with annoying people (substitute whatever word you like for annoying) and deal with the whims of a DM of questionable maturity and possible other issues.
 
Your husband sounds weirdly determined to subject you to this mental and emotional BDSM going on, even after seeing how much it distresses you. That’s not good. He needs to put on his big boy pants and let you make your own decisions on who you play with or don’t play with, not cater to a gaming group like the one you describe.

Horror on the Orient Express - Venice - Gondola 2 - Cruise Control
 
February 1923
 
In Which The Investigators Experience Elaborate Funerals And Avoid Elaborate Murders
 
   Antonio Maseiro might well have been a celebrated airman during the Great War and afterwards, but that does not mean he’s a supporter of the increasingly militarized Italian government of 1923. Indeed, there’s a reason he spent most of the post-War period out of the country, and when he learned that his friends had been injured in a fracas in Milan his immediate assumption was that Blackshirts were responsible. Huxley and Flo quickly assured him it was some unrelated thugs, to the relief of the portineria at his hotel, but Masiero is much more a lover than a fighter. That might be why Georgio Gasperetti, one of the would-be swains of Maria Stagliani, has come to him for advice. 
 
   He wants to know the best way to prove his love, especially since, with Prof. Stagliani dead, he can’t prove his worthiness through hard work. 
 
Florence: Well, what have you tried so far? Chocolates, flowers, promises you don’t intend to keep?
 
Plighting his troth is certainly tricky, given that the Staglianis are an old family in Venice, and Georgio a mere factory worker, and the whole recent-death-of-her-father thing, and the formidable maid Bice running interference. 
 
Florence: How do you solve a problem like Maria?
 
And of course, there’s the problem of Rossini, who is prominent in the local Fascist party, and part of the Venetian government too. Georgio is also certain that the vile Rossini and his Blackshirts are somehow responsible for Prof. Stagliani’s death. Masiero is not surprised.
 
Masiero: The number of people falling into the canals has increased drastically, lately. 
 
Their advice to Georgio is to just tell her, and to make the best possible impression at the funeral the day after tomorrow. He thanks them profusely and hurries off, leaving the investigators to enjoy their evening meal and a good night's sleep, interrupted only by screams of “Murder! Murder!” in the alley outside their flat well after midnight. Huxley heads out to investigate, but then thinks better of it, because hanging around on narrow foggy streets late at night when there are killers about is probably unwise. If he waits until daylight he’ll at least see the Brothers of the Skin coming. 
 
Speaking of whom, he really should send a telegram to Professor Smith, apprising him of their progress, and notify him about all the various parties that have been making their interest in the Sedefkar Simulacrum known, with attendant mayhem.
 
IN VENICE MAKING PROGRESS STOP SECURED THE MAIN BODY OF WISHLIST STOP OVERENTHUSIASTIC INTEREST FROM LOCAL AND VISITING COLLEAGUES
 
There’s also a telegram that’s come the other way.
 
BROTHERS SENT TO MILAN STOP TREAT CITY AS ALIGHERI TREATED FLORANCE
 
Florence: Florence or Florance?
GM: Definitely Florance with an ‘A’. Dante Aligheri famously never returned to Florance, no matter how badly the city has wanted him to since then.
Huxley: Given the Keystone Kops performance at the Opera House I’m not sure the Brotherhood are that much of a threat.
 
Did the Brothers of the Skin silence Arturo Faccia, after his failure to acquire the Torso? Faccia may well have been skinned alive before he was found on the roof of the cathedral - the newspaper doesn’t specify.
 
Huxley: And after all that trouble improving his singing voice. 
Florence: It would be nice to know if his voicebox was removed and returned to its rightful owner, too.
GM: That seems unlikely.
 
Of course it’s also entirely possible the opera patrons skinned him alive for interrupting the performance. Another reason for the investigators to avoid Milan in future. 
 
Florence is feeling a bit chesty, possibly the result of the winter fogs coming off the lagoon, but fortunately she has a medical professional to hand in the form of Lt. Huxley.
 
Florence: Time to break out the asthma cigarettes. 
GM: Or heroin in alcohol. 
 
Vicks Vaporub in a bowl of hot water is also an option, surprisingly - it’s certainly been around long enough, and Florence's family probably keep sending her more from Australia.
 
Florence: The guy who invented Vaporub also invented junk mail.
GM: This is why we can’t have nice things. 
 
Florence also writes up an article about opening night at Aida, carefully leaving out the excitement offstage, but including a photo of Huxley in costume. 
 
Florence: Make copies and send to our friends. And back to Mother. And to that lead tenor.
 
The fire that burned down the Church of San Maria Celeste in 1569 supposedly started in the shipyards next door, but the investigators have their own suspicions why an Ottoman saboteur would burn down a library known to contain information on the Sedefkar Simulacrum. 
 
Although further investigation into the Simulacrum may have to be postponed - the investigators receive a formal invitation to the funeral of Prof. Stagliani, delivered by her maid Bice. Asked for advice, she sternly criticises the outfits the investigators have with them, so the entirety of the next day is spent getting suitable formalwear and accessories, arranging flowers for the service, and nearly choking on the stench coming off the canals. The smell is also one of the reasons that the dead of Venice are buried out on the smaller islands in the lagoon - Masiero might not be a native of Venice and doesn’t know how often the canals get this bad, but he is aware of Venice’s history with shipborne plague, quarantine, and supposedly haunted islands like Poveglia.
 
While they’re out they find out what all the screaming last night was - somebody was brutally impaled on iron railings ten feet off the ground. According to one description, delivered with much gesticulation, the poor man was run through like a Turkish Kebab. Still, the police will surely catch whichever maniac or weirdo is responsible.
 
Masiero: This is good news *turns to rest of party* This is bad news. There is no-one weirder in Venice than you lot.
 
Masiero: Do you have any idea how hard it is to lift a man ten feet off the ground and give him the rogering with the metal spike?
 
Masiero is now determined to go around armed - at least, as a native Italian, he doesn’t have the same issues regarding legal firearms that the rest of the party does. A few other weapons might also be in order, if there’s a superhuman killer about as well as von Wurtheim, and Rossini’s goons. Assuming those are actually three different factions.
 
Florence: Would adding extra water to Huxley’s flask make it more or less holy?
GM: Depends if you ask a homeopath.
 
There’s a second murder the next night - a gondolier torn to pieces and wrung like a dishrag. The police have failed to keep the details of this one out of the public view. Indeed, there are apparently witnesses that saw the Devil himself poling a boat down the Grand Canal. Restaurant staff excitedly muttering about ‘tears of blood’ might be a coincidence - none of the investigators seem to be having any eye problems - although Huxley wonders if there’s a connection to that chameleon back in Milan.
 
Huxley: Maybe we have a magic horned toad in Venice.
 
Masiero has other suspicions - since they don't know exactly which part of the Sedefkar Simulacrum is in Venice, a statue that is bleeding from the eyes seems a good place to start. Apparently that’s what happened at the San Marco Basilica last night.
 
But first, the funeral of the late Professor Stagliani. It does not go well - Georgio and Rossini glare daggers at each other over the casket (an elaborate affair resembling a three-tier dark chocolate cake), the stench from the canal is back, and much worse, and Georgio’s comforting of Maria at the funeral lunch only earns him attempted violence from Rossini’s minions later. Fortunately the investigators are on the same gondola, and between preventing any heroics from Georgio, brandishing Masiero’s handgun, and pushing the gondolier into the water and stealing his pole, the party escape without any immediate problems. Certainly, the Blackshirts are recipients of some choice insults from Masiero and Florence, only one of which I will repeat here.
 
Florence: Your mother buys tinned tomatoes!
 
At least there aren’t anymore murders that night, and the late professor had an impressive personal library that Huxley hopes to peruse as soon as etiquette allows. On the other hand two giant fish with human arms are spotted in the Grand Canal. It’s amazing how much stuff never gets mentioned in the guidebooks. 

I think you are the only one. I would love it, if we cou8ld jst assume that the origin happened in another film, and use the time, instead to match the Hero up with one of their villains. and after a few films then either the villains team up, or something happens and the heroes team up. I am tired of seeing Thomas and Martha Wayne dropping to the pavement... again.

Thor Love and Thunder. Patten Ghost is right, it didn't earn its ending. It didn't earn its beginning or middle either. About halfway through (for those who have seen it) I realised that after THAT scene that the film lack the qualities that make it a Marvel comic. Fundamentally the film needed an comic-book editor, that would at least endeavour to keep the existing characters in tact without misrepresenting them. It's basically fan-fiction without the screenwriter being a fan of what they are adapting. But the film's problems really began when Jan Foster plagiarised a maths paper from 100 years ago.  

Additionally, i found the villain kinda boring as, I had seen it before with Desak during Dan Jurgens's run, and I like Desak. Desal comes with Tarene the Designate who later adopts the moniker Thor Girl. So the whole script feels like a waste.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/f/f9/Desak_Sterixian_(Earth-616)_from_Thor_Annual_Vol_2_2001_0001.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20191231071921

They showed the Black Adam trailer during thursday night football. I liked it and looks good. Loved the Justice Society.

Life it too short for a bad game. Admit to being anti-social or better, admit to being an introvert. Tell your husband that the GM creeps you out, and that it's fine if he wants to play, but you don't like 5e, and you definitely don't like being railroaded. This game feels  bad, and remind him of the Wednesday game.

Failing that, have the character become reckless, and try the impossible. If the character dies, Immediately pick up your things, tell your husband that you will pick him up at the end of the game and leave quickly.

If the GM Bends the rules to keep you alive, then you have evidence of railroading, and you have a reason to leave, as well. 
 
In any case you are going to have to be firm. Loving, but firm.

Comic-con TYhis year in HD
 
 
 

This.
Watchers of the Dragon was a pretty well regarded late 4e book (written by Steve Long), but it had all the detailed writeups, long skill lists, and 3 point powers with 6 modifiers that people rag on 5e for.
 
So it was absolutely possible to run 4e that way, it just became the "house style" once 5e dropped.  

I have 2 copies of the 4th ed hero system book along with Hero Creator and all of the ultimate books
I have not played 4th ed in over 20 yrs
I'd love to play in a game
what points and stats are you looking at?
 

She did her job without whingeing, which is more than can be said for a lot of people. RIP, and condolences for her family and friends.
 
Many years ago, when my sister was in the Society for Creative Anachronism, she was part of the delegation from the Kingdom of An Tir that welcomed Queen Elizabeth II to the Pacific Northwest. As my sister describes it, the Queen was apparently well briefed enough (and a good enough sport) not to ask in public, "Who are these raving nutters, and why am I meeting them?"
 
Dean Shomshak

I saw her twice.
Once when the King of Morocco was visiting and she travelled in a open top coach down Victoria Street with him.
The second time I was in front of the Palace and a car pulls up with the Queen and the Duke in the back.
 
I also got to see one of the celebrations and I was in front of the Palace in the seating the authorities sometimes bring out.
 
Doc Democracy, King Charles III and I are all born within a few days in November so we are all Scorpios. Be afraid of that fact.
 
I would like to add my thanks for the condolences that people are offering here, it is appreciated.

That makes Camilla, Bride of Chucky

His official title is King Charles III, but he'll always be KC3 to me.

I am a Aussie monarchist, so long live the King.
 
Why? Because, I perforce prefer realism over postmodernism and nominalism. 

During her reign, some of the most famous works of fiction were first written in Great Britain and later were made into movies as they rose to become worldwide phenomena.

The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit)
James Bond
Harry Potter

I have completed and published the digital version of The Jolrhos Codex!  Its up on DriveThruRPG in the Hall of Champions section.  I hope to have it up here on Hero soon as well as in print.
 
The Codex is the rewrite of my old Fantasy Codex, with doublechecked math, new spells, streamlined layout and content, and specifically built to be for my Fantasy Hero campaign setting rather than generic.  Also added are Bard Songs and Priest rituals, as well as campaign rules for building spells.  As a result its slimmed down, but has more content.
 
The full spell builds (and NPCS, songs etc) are all in hdc files that are bundled with the book.  Because of this, there is no preview (I cannot figure out how to make a preview available with the zip bundle).

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: I was at Best Buy after work, and had the choice of buying the latest Jurassic World movie on 4K, or Star Trek II on 4K. I'm not regretting my decision. The color grading is improved (HDR10 to match my equipment, thought he disc also has Dolby Vision), and the picture is (mostly) clearer*, with details showing up that I've missed in previous viewings of the Blu-ray and DVD. Sound mix is supposed to be Dolby Atmos, but it's very subtle. Only a few scenes had noticeable use of the side and rear channels, and I really couldn't detect any use of positional audio beyond what I'd expect in a good surround mix. That's probably for the best, as it preserves the original feel of the movie. Both the original theatrical version and the slightly longer Director's Cut are included; I watched the Director's Cut, which has a few additional scenes that help set up key plot points.
 
 
 
*Some graphics elements don't seem to have converted well, like the computer tactical displays shown early on in the movie, but for the most part, everything else looks great.
 
 

Well the first thing is research. You will have to read and immerse yourself in the source material. If based on short, or pulp fiction, you will have to infer a lot of missing background from the clues presented. From that you are going to have to put the economy together and concretize the various factions.  Material from published game books is much easier as the authors are often also GMs.  I like to homebrew, still, but that is perhaps a bit more work than someone with a wife, a job, and kids can really do much of anymore. Think about it when jogging or walking to the store (put the phone away). And ask yourself questions, and then answer them, sometimes in character of some campaign notable. 

Saw Samaritan on Amazon Prime yesterday--really good stuff, great street-level superhero action.  It would have been even better if they'd used the real Granite City instead of a fictional one--I always thought the steel mill there would make a great setting for a post-apocalyptic battle to the death.
 
At the risk of sounding immodest, I was quite pleased with myself for figuring out the mystery early on in the movie.  Usually I'm not that quick on the uptake.
 
Anyway, I liked it, and I hope you like it as well.

It seems to be the product of a distracted and disorganized mind. Perhaps not the target audience for Hero?
 
"There is no base mechanic. "
 
I think this is the most telling comment. And it's not all the author's fault, though they didn't even bother to mention what version of the game they're playing at the point they make this statement*, so I'm sure it's at least partly their fault. But, are the base mechanics hidden under the examples in some editions? Or too far in the back? (I don't know, really. I haven't  picked up the books in a while and done an actual front to back read through.) So, there may be something in the presentation of the material to look at.
 
I suspect this is a case of a poor reader not being serviced by rules that are a bit heavy in presentation in some editions. Also sounds like someone raised on modern "narrative" RPGs.** (I put "narrative" in scare quotes, b/c Champions was the first game I remember that actually had rules to give players and GMs story hooks. I was amazed by this, when I first saw limitations and advantages in 3rd (or 2nd?) edition.)
 
 
 
*The author mentions Fred, but doesn't actually state what edition they're reviewing. The complaints about the level of detailed examples in the rules seem to be more of a 6th thing to me, though.
**Plot twist: After reading to the end, it seems like they're familiar with some older systems, but have a preference for rules light systems. Which hero kind of is, if you boil it down, but most new players don't view it that way.
 

The younger the gamer, the weaker their understanding of what is going on in a game and the worse they grasp the rules, in my observation of reviews.