TheQuestionMan

GURPS WWII Weird War 
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/ww2/weirdwar2/  

Its all a matter of scale.

Pulp Heroes = Masked Avengers
 
Superheroes = Capes
 
 
Hmmm...
 
Masks & Capes - The PC's stumble or are guided to a Nazi 5th Column group planning to sabotague Munitions factories and harbours.
 
Connections:
The Criminal Underworld - Knowingly or Unknowingly traitors to their country.

Is this Joker supposed to remind me of Hillary Clinton?

Is this Joker supposed to remind me of Hillary Clinton?

Reed and Sue are good, and so is the "Flamed-On" Human Torch.  The Thing could have done a better job with the eyes.  The Mole Man leaves a great deal to be desired, as does the gender-flipped Silver Surfer--I'm guessing they couldn't sfford a silver body suit.  The rest are just okay.

I've been around (mostly lurking) since the start of the boards but I figured I would chime in anyway.
 
How did you come up with your 'handle' (forum name)? 
I earned my handle when I first went online.   
 
What was the first tabletop RPG you Played?  
D&D in the early 80's. 
 
What was the first tabletop RPG you GMed?  
D&D in the early 80's. 
 
What are you currently Playing/GMing?  
GURPS Fantasy alternating with GURPS Firefly. 
 
When did you start to play Hero?  
In the late 80's and early 90's. Champions of Course.
 
 
Cheers 
 
 
QM

Cheep though

“You know Actery?” Sharon heard the cap on the bottle release and the sound it made pouring into a glass.
 
“I knew someone that had a similar sense of humor. The man I knew went by Sofer. Phil O. Sofer.”
 
Her image of Jason nodded his head in thought. “Philosopher,” he said quietly.
 
The bottle was set on the counter and she sensed Jason approach. The bouquet of the wine reached her first. Sharon smiled. “The red.” The subtle scent of Egyptian musk oil and sandalwood blended caught Sharon's attention. A scent that reminded her of Marlene. Probably some residue left on the bottle from when Marlene last handled it.
 
“Someday, you'll have to explain that trick to me,” Jason said, trying to maintain the false sense of humor overlaying his anger. He settled on the other end of the couch.
 
Sharon smiled. “No trick. Heightened senses and the experience of a long life.” She lifted the glass to her nose and inhaled. “In response to your question, it depends on context. Originally warlocks were oath breakers. Then there is some belief or thought that they were spellcasters. Usually in league with the devil and dark forces. As time progressed, you get the male witch aspect. So it all depends on the context in which is was intended.”
 
“That's pretty much what Actery said,” Jason said quietly. “How did you know him?”
 
“Hmm...Nineteen fifty-six, I think it was. Atlanta? No,” she corrected herself. “Tampa. He was a private dick at the time.” She smiled at her usage of the old term for a private investigator. “What is he doing in Canada?”
 
“Fewer people around where he lives. Less danger. Less temptation and Phil said that his demon prefers the cold. I got the feeling that he only ventured into the city because need called to him.”
 
“Your need?”
 
His head was tilted back against the couch. “So, do you have any plans for Christmas?” he asked, ignoring her question.
 
“I've been invited to spend time with Daniel and his family. Irish invited me to spend time with them.” Sharon braced her elbow on the armrest and rested her head against her splayed fingers. “You were missed at Thanksgiving.”
 
“I didn't feel like I had a lot to be thankful for,” Jason said quietly.
 
“Your friends would have liked to see you,” Sharon said just as quietly. “Want to talk about the witches? What brought that on?”
 
“I had questions. The answers led to other questions. Invariably they led me where Actery could find me.”
 
Resting her wine glass on her knee, Sharon asked Jason, “How did you find out about him? If you have questions about magic and whatnot, why not ask the Spellbinder? Or Angelique?”
 
“Angel isn't around to ask.” There was a tone of finality in his voice.
 
“What do you mean she isn't around? I thought you and her were on good terms.”
 
Jason sighed. “We were on very good terms.”
 
Sharon cocked her head to the side and turned to face Jason. “I don't understand. What happened that you aren't on good terms?”
 
“Nothing. Angel and Marlene were building a friendship between them. Angel was in the loft with Marlene. As to how I found out about him, Mentor has a lot of things stored away. Like dad's notes. I ask Mentor to find out what he can and he scans the web, his own storage and finds me something that might have bearing.” A ping from the counter where Jason had poured the wine sounded and he stood up.
 
“So, old-fashioned detective work with a modern day angle. Sometimes I miss the old, pre-information age way of doing things,” Sharon said wistfully.
 
“Beating a guy in a back alley with a roll of dimes in your hand?”
 
Sharon laughed. “I never needed the roll of dimes!” She took a drink, giving herself a moment to think. “What did you find out that has you questioning witches?”
 
“A witch in time saved one. A witch in time can save two. A witch out of time can save no one.”
 
“Riddles. A demon's riddle?” She sensed Jason nod his head. “Words requiring context or they have multiple possible meanings.”
 
“So you see my quandary.” The aroma of coffee preceded Jason's return to the couch.
 
“Want to give me your thoughts on things?” Sharon asked.
 
“Something...something doesn't feel right. Inside my head. I can't really explain it,” Jason's voice was low.
 
“Try,” Sharon prodded. Jason was quiet for a long moment. She hated not being able to see his face, to get some clue from his expression.
 
Finally, he spoke. “How do you see? Are the lights on or off?”
 
“You've got one light on, set low.”
 
“And you know that how? You get around a lot better than most sighted people, Sharon. How? How do you know that there's only one light lit? How do you not crack your shin on the table? How did you manage to sit on the couch and not on the floor?” There was no tension in his voice. No frustration. Just the curiosity of the questions.
 
“I can't explain that. That is also something that requires context to understand,” she replied.
 
“The links to everyone still exist, but Marlene...and Angel, they feel...I can't say wrong, but they're gone,” he explained.
 
“What do you mean 'gone'?”
 
“I mean that it feels as if the connections were severed. More like ripped out to be left bleeding and raw. I can tell you where everyone I'm connected to is, direction and rough distance. If I concentrate or if something happens to one of them that causes some type of spike, emotional or physical, I know about it when it happens. Sometimes it can be a distraction. Other times, depending, it causes me to go looking.
 
“From the connections to Angel and Marlene...there is simply nothing.”
 
Sharon sat quiet. Jason's words tumbled through her head trying to find where each piece in the puzzle fit. She slipped her shoes off and drew her legs up on the couch. “Where is everyone?”
 
“Wolfgang's,” Jason answered. “Everyone except Warstar. Not sure, but I think they've got Spellbinder with them.”
 
“A late dinner,” Sharon said quietly with some amusement.
 
She had a sense of Jason giving a small smile. “Yeah. I figure Dani is trying to use up my account in one sitting. You should see how she eats.”
 
Sharon felt a twinge of regret. She knew there was no malice in Jason's choice of words, and yet it still stung. Too much like her own thoughts heading in here tonight. “She's fire, Jason. Fire consumes.” Taking a small sip, Sharon used the pause to push the feeling away. She didn't want to pitied by anyone. What was, was. The last person she wanted pity from was herself. She had long years to come to terms with her condition. Her abilities, as Jason had pointed out, more than compensated for the loss.
 
“What are your plans for Christmas?” she asked.
 
Movement cause her senses to shift. Jason hung his head for a moment. “Did the whole 'thanks for another year' at the offices here. Catch a flight at 3 AM and head out to California to do it again in a couple of days at the office there. What are you going to do?”
 
Eyes narrowing and lips pursing, Sharon realized Jason hadn't answered her at all. “Like I said, I've been invited places. Honestly, I was thinking of taking a trip somewhere. Hawaii, maybe the Bahamas.” Her fingers rubbed her temple. “So why did you ask me here tonight? What do you really want to talk about?”
 
Silence was her answer for a long moment. “How about Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?”
 
Nodding, Sharon said, “We haven't had any kind of philosophy debate in a long while. Why that topic?”
 
“Why do we pursue happiness?'
 
Cocking her head as if you look at him, she said, “Not to make light, but do you like feeling miserable?”
 
Jason sighed. “No, I don't. And yet it seems like every moment of happiness is paid for with pain and misery far outlasting the happiness.” Sensing Jason lifting his cup and hearing him take a drink gave Sharon a further moment to reflect. “I've been engaged twice. Do you realize that? And both times something...ugly happened to the woman.”
 
“Sandy and...Leah?”
 
Sharon sensed a slight shake of Jason's head. “I was going to propose to Leah the night we had planned to go out to dinner. I bought her outfit for that evening. I had George Sanza make a dress from a sketch I had done.” She sensed Jason lift his hand a small pressure wave buffeted her. “Still have the ring I was going to give her,” Jason said, followed by something dropping on the cushion between them. Sharon's hand went to the ring box on the couch. “But then she left town unexpectedly.”
 
Opening the box, Sharon's finger moved over the ring. “It's beautiful. Nice size stone. Secure setting.” She closed the box and set it back on the cushion.
 
“Considering our lifestyles, I figured secure was better than a stone that sticks out a half-inch from the ring and not one so big that she needed a crane to lift her hand to show it off.” Sharon felt the pain and sadness behind Jason's attempt at humor.
 
“When did you and Marlene...?”
 
“Reaffirmation Day. After we went back to the loft,” he answered quietly.
 
“And you never announced it.”
 
“We wanted to tell her parents first; ask her dad's permission and all that. Never got a chance to. Too much happened too fast.” She sensed Jason's head dropping again. “And then she was gone,” he added quietly.
 
“I think I was the only one that really realized that it hurt you every time she went out with someone,” Sharon admitted.
 
“It did,” he agreed quietly. “But I wanted her to be safe.”
 
“She didn't want to be safe, Jason. She wanted to be with you.”
 
“And we see where that got her.”
 
In Sharon's long life she knew full well the feeling of loss that came from being what she was. Jason was a lot younger, but the losses he had suffered had come fast and relatively close together. Her own losses, losing Dani's father, then her sight, finding and then losing Shane often came back to her in her quiet moments or in her dreams.
 
“Dani asked me for Shane's bike. She wants to give it to Charley.”
 
Jason lifted his head. “Shane was big. Heavy. It's a nice thought, but for Charley, that would be akin to riding a minibike.”
 
“Charley isn't that much taller than Shane was,” she jibed back.
 
“'Let's think about that one',” Jason said as if he were quoting someone. “'The woman is eight feet tall.'”
 
Sharon gave a quiet laugh. “Who said that?”
 
“One of the dog soldiers when I was hunting for Artie.”

Body Snachers/Swappers Adventure

GM (Hands Out Character Sheets to Players. Modified Versions of their Archnemesis's. Keeping only their Skills)

Players as a Groups: Noooooooooo!

GM (Evil Grin): You all awaken in a strange place, in your nemesis's body. Standing up you look down from a control room window where you see a death trap holding "You" and your teammates over a pool of lava.

Doing a double take you realize your surounded by the your teammates arch nemesis's.

Phase 12

Body Snachers/Swappers Adventure

GM (Hands Out Character Sheets to Players. Modified Versions of their Archnemesis's. Keeping only their Skills)

Players as a Groups: Noooooooooo!

GM (Evil Grin): You all awaken in a strange place, in your nemesis's body. Standing up you look down from a control room window where you see a death trap holding "You" and your teammates over a pool of lava.

Doing a double take you realize your surounded by the your teammates arch nemesis's.

Phase 12

Blindspot (tv series) 
Castle (tv series) 
Gotham (tv series) 
Limitless (tv series) 
Madam Secretary (tv series) 
Marvel's Agents of Shield (tv series) 
NCIS (tv series) 
NCIS New Orleans (tv series) 
Star Wars Rebels (tv series) 
Supergirl (tv series) 
The Librarians (tv series) 
Star Wars Rebels (tv series) 

Reminds me of a Wombat!

"If the Good side comes up--I'll support Bernie Sanders.  If the Evil side comes up--it's Trump all the way"

Cow/Rodeo Girls - Western Wonder Women

AS I AGE, I REALIZE THAT, there are CHANGES
 
1. I talk to myself, because sometimes I need expert advice.
2. Sometimes I roll my eyes out loud.
3. I don't need anger management. I need people to stop *bleep*ing me off.
4. My people skills are just fine. It's my tolerance of idiots that needs work.
5. The biggest lie I tell myself is "I don't need to write that down, I'll remember it."
6. When I was a child I thought nap time was punishment. Now it's like a mini vacation.
7. The day the world runs out of cold beer is just too terrible to think about.
8. Even duct tape can't fix stupid, but it can muffle the sound!
9. Wouldn't it be great if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes; come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller.
10. If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would've put them on my knees.
11. When the kids text me "plz" which is shorter than please, I text back "no" which is shorter than "yes".
12. At my age "getting lucky" means walking into a room and remembering what I came in there for.

Anybody got a World's Finest fan-film they wanna make?  Because I think I found your lead actors.

Marvelous M and Gorgeous G win!
 

The Pumpkin Crew are out of their gourds! 

Anton Darque stepped through a portal of his own making into the cool Nebraska evening. He glanced around in order to get his bearings. Magic had been done near. He could feel it in every fiber of his being. The portal behind him closed with a pop. He started walking unhurriedly down the dirt lane.
 
Before long, Darque saw a sign hanging above a lane that led to a house. The sign read, “Asher, too”. Lightning's home, Darque thought, his lips a grim line. He turned towards the lane.
 
“Where are you going?”
 
Darque was surprised by the voice. He had not seen anyone on the lane itself or nearby in any of the fields as he walked, and yet, there, sitting on a hay bale, was a young man with a blade of grass stuck between his teeth.
 
“Who dares address me?” Darque demanded.
 
The younger man looked somewhat amused. “I do, obviously.” Darque took in younger man's appearance, judging him as a possible threat. He wore boots and brown pants with creases down the front. The linen shirt he wore was off-white. The sleeves were rolled up below the elbow.. A workman's shirt, came an unbidden thought. Suspenders held the man's pants in lieu of a belt. The man's hair was cut short and neat. His facial hair was fashioned into a Van Dyke, with the beard bordering on a ducktail.
 
Darque's hands tightened on his walking stick. Sunlight danced off the faceted crystal set in its head. “Who art thou?”
 
“A watcher. For now.”
 
“I have business within,” Darque said, using the end of his cane to point at a large tent set up in a field.
 
The man stood slowly, brushing his hands off on his pants. “Then, I am afraid that I am no longer simply watching.”
 
Darque clenched his teeth, “Who art thou? Why art thee not watching from within?”
 
“I was not invited. You keep slipping into formal speech. I do hope that is not a sign of agitation. As to who I am, I am a successor. A worthy one, I hope.”
 
“Let me pass!”
 
“That I cannot do, as things stand,” the man said quietly.
 
“My daughter is within. I can feel her.”
 
“Aye, Angelique is within. With friends. Feel the enchantments. I do not warrant the familiarity of using your first name, but I will not deign to use your self-proclaimed title. Darque, I am not your enemy, but ye will find me in opposition if ye attempt to pass your mantle within.”
 
“My mantle? You wish me to pass on without my power?”
 
The man let out a heavy breath. “You mistake me, Darque. I do not wish you to pass at all. If you insist on doing so, you must do it without your power. I told you to feel the enchantments laid. The Spellbinder is within. Your daughter is within. If you seek to penetrate the barrier with your mantle, you will face them, along with myself.” The man shrugged his shoulders. One hand was held in a loose fist. The other, with fingers splayed. “And others.”
 
“Who are you?” demanded Darque once again.
 
“My name is my own. You can call me, Arcane.”
 
“Arcane? You are the successor to that old fool?” Arcane's only response was a nod of his head.

The shadowrunners were an ork/troll group. Against stereotype, they specialized in stealth, subtlety, bluff, illusion, deception and misdirection.
 
Cast of characters: 
Dent: ork, rat shaman
No-Step: ork, snake shaman, healer
Byte Force: ork, decker, chemist
Eye Spy: ork, rigger, drones, paramedic
Audacity Jane: ork, combat, stealth, security systems
Happy Jack: troll, combat, disguise, negotiator
Universal Brotherhood ("UB"): a charitable fringe religious organization
Judy (NPC): a human form insect spirit; almost impossible to distinguish from a normal human, even when assenced astrally, and therefore extremely dangerous
 
Missing Blood, part 7 - Orkin Man
 
The Universal Brotherhood was secretly being controlled by insect spirits. The team had decided to start by taking out the UB's Redmond chapterhouse.
 
The assault:
 
Unfortunately, Judy hadn't been eliminated before the assault. Therefore, she was a primary target during the assault, second only to the queen.
 
Happy Jack: "I'm going to go in the front door before walking around to the soup kitchen."
Audacity Jane: "Why? So you can run the risk of blowing your cover?"
Judy: (as Happy Jack walked in) "Is there something I can help you with?"
homeless Happy Jack: "Uh ... somebody said there was food here..." (looking around) "um ... sorry ... I guess they were wrong..."
Judy: "You're in the right place. Just the wrong door. If you go out the door and follow the wall along that way, you'll see the entrance to the soup kitchen."
Happy Jack: (subvocalizing over the radio link as he walked around the building) "The front half of the building is one large room. The elevator is accessed from that room, and both fire stairwells, and the stairs to the basement. Judy is sitting at the information desk. There are two guards, and about four other people."
Audacity Jane: "I'm impressed. You actually got some useful recon out of that."
Dent: "I'm less impressed. He mostly learned that the alarm is going to go off when you're halfway through clearing the ground floor."
 
Jack and Jane went into the soup kitchen and picked a spot at an empty table. Jane stayed back at the table while Jack went to where they were serving the food. As the only troll in the place, he drew a lot of attention ... particularly from the security guards.
 
homeless Happy Jack: (speaking a little too loudly) "Scuse me. Do you have bigger bowls than these?"
Jane used her silenced narcojet pistol to drop the two guards.
homeless Happy Jack: "Hey! They just fell down."
Jane used her narcojet pistol to drop the two UB volunteers who were serving food.
homeless Happy Jack: "Hey! You just fell down too."
In the confusion, Jane dropped everyone else in the room.
Audacity Jane: (to Jack) "Thanks for helping."
Happy Jack: "You're welcome."
Audacity Jane: "I was being sarcastic."
Happy Jack: "I was being a distraction."
Audacity Jane: "You didn't do anything except make inane comments ... loudly."
Happy Jack: "Which managed to distract them."
 
Jack and Jane worked their way through the building to the front room.
 
Happy Jack: (holding out his hand to Jane) "When I open the door, roll these into the middle of the room."
Audacity Jane: "What are these?"
Happy Jack: "NeuroStun grenades."
Audacity Jane: "Why do they have Nerps labels on them?"
Happy Jack: "What do you do when a grenade rolls into the middle of the room?"
Audacity Jane: "Dive for cover or throw it back."
Happy Jack: "And what do you do when a can of Nerps rolls into the middle of the room?"
Audacity Jane: (long pause) "From now on, I'm gonna dive for cover or throw it back."
 
Several things happened almost simultaneously: Byte Force severed the building's commline and started jamming cellular frequencies; Dent and No-Step unleashed their swarm of watcher spirits against the building's magickal ward; and Jane rolled the gas grenades into the front room.
 
As Jack and Jane waited in the hall for the NeuroStun gas to disperse, Jack pulled two small Spyder drones out of his backpack.
No-Step: (over the radio link) "The first spirits have reacted to our attack. They're fly spirits."
Audacity Jane: "That's appropriate."
Eye Spy: "Appropriate?"
Audacity Jane: "Your drones will be covering the lobby while we're in the basement." (pause) "So we'll be using your Spyders to catch some flies."
 
Jack entered the fly "queen's" chamber and assumed a wide-legged combat stance. Jane dropped to the floor and fired bursts from her silenced submachine gun between his legs, killing several flesh-form fly spirits.
 
Happy Jack: "Be very, very careful when you pull stunts like that."
Audacity Jane: "Seriously? You're not that well endowed."

Unfortunately I was overruled. We agreed to give it to the Dragon and owe the favour. Neither the Dragon nor my Teamates asked about the base I attached it to.

When the Dragon failed and the Idol Corrupted it the team was maneuvered into killing the Dragon and securing the idol we reluctantly agreed.

When I casually asked the GM if the Base was still attached he said we would have to find out ourselves.

Shrugging, my character checked his time piece (asking the GM the game time). Smiling at him I handed him my notes with another Player's noted date and time.

Within 5 minutes it detonated. The exasperated look I got from the GM was satisfying, but the head banging on the table was disturbing.

Unfortunately I was overruled. We agreed to give it to the Dragon and owe the favour. Neither the Dragon nor my Teamates asked about the base I attached it to.

When the Dragon failed and the Idol Corrupted it the team was maneuvered into killing the Dragon and securing the idol we reluctantly agreed.

When I casually asked the GM if the Base was still attached he said we would have to find out ourselves.

Shrugging, my character checked his time piece (asking the GM the game time). Smiling at him I handed him my notes with another Player's noted date and time.

Within 5 minutes it detonated. The exasperated look I got from the GM was satisfying, but the head banging on the table was disturbing.

Unfortunately I was overruled. We agreed to give it to the Dragon and owe the favour. Neither the Dragon nor my Teamates asked about the base I attached it to.

When the Dragon failed and the Idol Corrupted it the team was maneuvered into killing the Dragon and securing the idol we reluctantly agreed.

When I casually asked the GM if the Base was still attached he said we would have to find out ourselves.

Shrugging, my character checked his time piece (asking the GM the game time). Smiling at him I handed him my notes with another Player's noted date and time.

Within 5 minutes it detonated. The exasperated look I got from the GM was satisfying, but the head banging on the table was disturbing.