urbwar

Was it "God of Cookery"?

Originally posted by Dr Rotwang!

URBWAR --

 

Thanks! I can only get better, huh?

Very true Doc.

Originally posted by Dr Rotwang!

I hafta work today, else I'd finish the picture I started last night -- a villain named Voltang, who answers the immortal question: "What if Thor had a flail, and were a drunken, shirtless hobo?"

As opposed to a New Age, anti-establishment member of the Ultimates?

The idea sounds really cool. Looking forward to seing it when you get it done.

Originally posted by Dr Rotwang!

Meantime, here's an uncolored, unstatted character naned Lorna Trent. She's a slinky, two-gunned precognitive chanteuse in exotic 1930s Shanghai, perfect for a Justice, Inc. game. In fact, she's good for ANY pulp game. I might stat her up on break at work today; I have GURPS stats for her upon request. I hope nobody minds that I said "GURPS".

I like. When you said Shanghai, I immediately thought of the anime "Master of Mosquiton" for some reason.

Bet Lorna would work well for Adventure!

Re: American Valor

Originally posted by Deathwatch

while digging through the files i found this... im spoiled i have a good artist.

Damn!

Does he do work on commission at all?

Re: Skeleton

Originally posted by death tribble

This again is a villain from very early on in the campaign history. The Skeleton is a scientist and a partner to the Weaponmaster.

 

This drawing is by Paul Geelan

That one looks perfect for a pulp villain!

Doc,

Just wanted to say that I like the image you posted. Good to see some new art popping up. This thread has been a treasure trove of art. Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to seeing more of your work!

Re: Am I the only one here?

Originally posted by Wildcat

Hmmm Seems I killed this thread. Oh Well in the event that someone still reads this tread and woule like to see a few more character pics. I'll post another few.

 

Anodyne - She was a friend of mine's character from a game I played in last year. As you can guess she was a healer... and a DAMN good one. So good that my character, Slider (based off a Robotech Cyclone) had a seat mounted on the back of his Batteliod so she could ride along nd keep me alive :-)

 

WC

 

PS: Not the best pic ever, I did it a bit to quickly.

That's a really good image for a quick one Wilcadt. I liked it alot

Originally posted by Lord Liaden

Just recently I saw a mint shrinkwrapped copy of Wings of the Valkyrie that had been listed for a whole week go from $20.00 to $70.00 during the last half-hour!

I actually scored a copy in shrinkwrap off ebay for under 20 bucks (it was more like 15 with shipping). Funny thing is, no one else bid on the auction, and I snagged it on the opening price just before the auction ended. Talk about being lucky....

Originally posted by steriaca

My official apologies to Ubwar. I diden't mean to insult you.

I didn't take it as one, so no worries.

Originally posted by steriaca

As for what is the "official" take on oriental vampiers, I beleve that, like there ocidental cousands, there is no real "true" vampier. There ARE lots of difrent stories in which thay all have simuler abilities, thoe. The most simuler is the drinking of blood, but even that is questioned. It is more likely that a Vampier can be defined as "Any undead / evil spirit creacher which 'eats' the life force / blood / chi / breath of the living".

I think some "vampires" in Asia are really Gaki, the hungry ghosts. The similarities are there, so they all get lumped in as cultural examples of vampires.

Originally posted by Susano

They are on the list of "things to write up."

 

I recently found (on line) a big list of things from the Philippines, and am really trying to find some "offical" material on them...

Mike,

Do you go to rpg.net at all? There is a poster there who is from the Phillipines, and he posted some links for a comic company that is doing comics based on Phillipine myths. He might be able to help you out. His screen name there is pointyman2000 (I think; I know it's pointyman with numbers at the end)

Originally posted by Susano

BTW -- if anyone has any good references for Asian monsters, ghosts, dragons, and assorted creatures, please let me know.

 

If you have anything you can send me, that's even better!

Mike,

Do you have this:

Jikininki

In Japanese myth, jikininki are demons, corpse-eaters, who eat dead human bodies. These demons are often the spirits of dead men or women whose greed prevented their souls from entering a more peaceful existence after death. They continue a half-life by devouring corpses. A particular myth tells of a strong-willed priest called Muso Kokushi who once kept watch near the body of a deceased person. Suddenly a jikininki arrived to devour it, but the priest's prayers liberated the demon's soul.

Originally posted by Susano

I've done so. Thanks.

No, thank you. I'm really looking forward to this book!

Originally posted by Susano

All the material I could find on the Chiang-Shih (also known as a ch'ng-shih, jiang-shi, kiang-shi, kyonshi, kyuketsuki, or a qing-shi) mentioned nothing about them or any other vampires hopping. At least one reference said the HK film industry started the whole "hopping vampires" look.

 

So, based on what I could find, in various references, I wrote up the Chiang-Shih the best I could.

I copied an article I found online into an email, and it has a paragraph that covers this part. I'll post it here, since it was the only info I found on why they hop:

I've asked several people why Chinese ghosts hop and I've yet to receive a definitive answer. My guess is I probably won't. Best guesses yet: the tradition of burying the corpse in a standing position suggests that it would hop. Some people believe that it's the nature of the burial garments (usually of the Qing - Ching- Dynasty) that essentially bind the legs together making it impossible to walk. Some people believe that it's because rigor mortis has set in and the joints have lost all flexibility making a hopping motion the only possible option for mobility. Others maintain that the hopping motion is symbolic of the ghost's attachment to the physical plane and the inability of the soul to move on. Really, what it all boils down to is this: more often than not, Chinese vampires hop.

I don't have the url for the site, but it was a site covering various types of undead, eastern and western.

Still, it doesn't matter if the book has them hop, though I would suggest you should at least mention it. I mean, even if it's cinematic, wouldn't you want to mention that for people who want to run cinematic games? It does fit.

Originally posted by MarkusDark

Heh, I'd hate to come back to unlife like that...

 

"What? Oh, CRAP! I was bitten by one of the dang hopping vampires! Why couldn't I be one of those cool floating ones. Now everyone will laugh - here comes Peter BloodyTail - hoppin' down the vampy trail..."

 

Of course, I know very little about Japanese Mythos, but eh, it struck me funny.

 

"EEK! A vampire! Run away!"

*hop* *hop*

"What the???? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Actually,

These are Chinese, not Japanese vampires (though they do exist in Japanese myth too, but it originated in China)

Also, depending on which legend you follow, they don't have to bite you. They can infect you with what is known as "Corpse Poison" through their clawed nails.

As to why they hop, it might have to do with the fact that they would bind the legs of the corpses prior to burial.

If you really want to see Jiangshi in action, check out Mr. Vampire. It started a whole slew of movies with Hopping Vampires in it, and they can be pretty nasty if portrayed properly (of course, the cinematic versions drink blood, but normally they don't. One type steals a person's breath, and there might be other types as well, kind of like the Gaki).

I actually did a setting for All Flesh Must Be Eaten/Enter the Zombie (their Hong Kong add on) based around Jiangshi. I think they're almost as cool as ninjas myself

Originally posted by steriaca

Uebwar asked, if it dosen't hop, then what's the point. Well, some oriental vampiers don't hop. Some float around in the air, and can never touch the ground at all.

Which had nothing to do with my comment. I asked Mike if the Chiang-shi were the Jiangshi, who are hopping vampires. Mike said they don't hop, so I asked sarcastically, what's the point. If they are hopping vampires, and you include them, but don't have them hop, why include them as non hoppers? That's my point.

I know that some oriental vampires don't hop; I did mention the ones whose heads detach. I was specifically asking about the ones who do hop. I figured that was obvious by my asking specifically about the Jiangshi. Sorry I wasn't clear enough on that

Originally posted by Susano

Yes it is the Jiangshi, no, it doesn't hop.

If it doesn't hop, what's the point?

Originally posted by Susano

Depends on what you mean by "demon."

 

I mean, I'm putting in everything I can find a decent amount of information on. So far, I have (demon wise), the Chiang-Shih

Is that the Hopping Vampire, also known as the Jiangshi?

If so, are you going with their actual feeding practice (stealing breath), or the cinematic version of drinking blood?

I saw later in your post you mentioned vampires. I take it that means other vampires from asia, like the detached head fliers (Pennagulan I think is the name?) and others?

Re: Aces

Originally posted by Archon

The Wildcards anthology series was the best one of these I've read. Unfortunately, they came out in the late 80's originally and are hard to find now.

 

I've never really run into a book based story without the major groups except for that one.

Wildcards seems to have been reissued. About 2-3 weeks ago, I was in the local B&N, and I saw these oversized paperbacks that said Wilcards, and seemed to be collections of 2-3 books from the series. There were at least 2 volumes that I saw in the bookstore.

Originally posted by NuSoardGraphite

Yes, I've had New Legend of Shaolin for some time now.

 

It was recently released by New Line Home Video under the tittle Legend of the Red Dragon and the cut about 15 minutes from the film...which sucks because the film is short enough in its original length (about 100min or so). The seemed to cut out most of the scenes with the mom and the kids interacting (when she was pretending to be dead)

 

I hate it when they do that damnit!

That's why I won't buy any of the New Line versions of Jet Li's films. I'd rather have the badly subtitled Hong Kong versions. They english may not be perfect, but I'd rather have to deal with that than missing footage. My friend got Twin Warriors, and then I got him the original (Tai Chi Master), and he said there is about 20 minutes cut from Twin Warriors, mainly fight scenes with bloodshed, and he was not too happy. He won't buy those anymore.

Of course, it helps that I live in NYC, because we have a big chinatwon, and the stores are real friendly when you want to buy movies (and they are cheap too)

I recently saw Musa the Warrior, which is Korean, but some of the action is pretty cool. More realistic than fantastic, one guy is a wicked warrior with a spear. It did have Zhang Zi Yi and the guy who played Iron Monkey (Yu Ron Gang?), which was pretty cool.

Re: Re: Re: Dark Champions - Please no Harbinger of Justice...

Originally posted by RDU Neil

You think HoJ is "low" powered? Holy Cow! I'd tremble to see your high power campaigns.

You misunderstood. I said "Low Supers" as in low powered superpowers used in the game. Harbinger is still a human being, just one with alot of experience under his belt. His enemies, much like Batman's, ranges from talented normals like himself, to some of the super powered goons of the Card Shark.

Re: Dark Champions - Please no Harbinger of Justice...

Originally posted by CPaladino

I was flipping through my DC book last week, and saw the Harbinger of Justice.

 

I hope that guy doesn't make any return appearances in any DC books.

 

He's what, 800 pts? Way too high for any dark-champions game I'd be running. He has a Variable Power Pool for his guns which he warps in from another dimension to use. What do I even say to THAT? Dark champions don't teleport guns from anywhere. They pull them out of their holsters.

 

Am I in the minority on THIS issue too?

I just would like dark champs. to be very Punisher-esque. Punisher fighting a low-powered super is ok, but Harbinger is just too hokey for my tastes...

I think Harbinger fits fine. Sure, the teleporting guns is kind of high tech. So is all of Batman's vehicles. HoJ's nemesis, Card Shark, uses high tech gear, and some of his thugs are super powered.

Harbinger is a perfect example of a DC character in a low supers style DC game. His only real power is the teleporation of his guns.

I ran two Dark Champions games when it came out. One was a low supers game. It went ok, but I wasn't happy with it. My second one was more along the lines of street level heroes, with only gadgets as powers. While they all carried guns, some used cool gadgets (one pc used the utility belt from the supplements, and another one has a small vpp that he used to simulate various gadgets, since the character had been a special effects expert along the lines of Mysterio before he became a vigilante).

I think HoJ should be in the next DC, just revised to fit him so that he isn't more along the lines of being an ally of the regular supers. Of course, that depends on how the next version of DC is going to be presented. if Low level supers will feature in it, then his guns as they were would fit, imho

Originally posted by NuSoardGraphite

I actually liked Last Hero in China. Not as much as the OUATIC movies, but I still liked it nonetheless. I'm not that big a fan of the Fong Sai Yuk movies, but they're pretty good overall. A movie which features the Fong Sai Yuk character (but not played by Jet Li) is a movie called Burning Paradise. That one I liked a lot. Good stuff. Check it out if you haven't already.

I liked Last Hero in China too. I just don't think it's as good as the OUATIC films, and I felt that Fong Sai Yuk was better too (I'd rate Last Hero a bit above FSY 2 though)

I have a dubbed version of Burning Paradise, but just scored a version in Cantonese off ebay. Have you seen New Legend of Shaolin? Nice Jet Li take on Lone Wolf and Cub, though I understand the character he plays was a real hero in China. Donnie Yen played the same character in an old tv series (part of which I saw on the International Channel).

Of course, my favorite Jet Li movie is still the first one I saw him in, Fist of Legend. That one always has a soft spot with me

Musa the Warrior

I saw this film the other night. Interesting Korean film. The basics are that a Korean Ambasadorial party is arrested by the Ming, and sent into Exile in the north. They get free after Mongols raid the Ming escorting them north, and they start to head home. Along the way, they find a Ming Princess held captive by the Yuan (A group of Mongols), rescue her, and attempt to bring her back to the Ming (and earn points with the Ming so that they can complete their mission as Ambassadors). Except for one character who is wicked nasty with a spear, and maybe one Korean warrior with a sword, the majority of the characters are not really over the top type fighters. The combats are fairly brutal and realistic, with limbs being hacked off, and lots of blood squirting from wounds. Zhang Zi Yi plays the princess, and the guy who played Iron Monkey is the Yuan general. It's a decent film, and a good inspiration for more realistic martial arts campaigns.

Originally posted by NuSoardGraphite

That 8 Drunken Fairies "stance" is a subset taught in a few Kung Fu styles. The character of Wong Fei Hong was famous for it (I believe). This is who Jackie Chan portrayed in Drunken Master I and II.

Its funny, because the Once Upon a Time in China Wong Fei Hong never uses 8 Drunken Fairies in any of the OUATIC movies (that I remember) yet, Jet Li played Wong Fei Hong in a non-OUATIC movie called Last Hero in China and he was doing Drunken Style all over the place.

Not really. As Mike pointed out, the OUATIC movies show Wong after he gave up using Drunken Style after he promised his father not to use it anymore.

Last Hero in China was made by a rival company, and Jet Li had a falling out with Tsui Hark, so the movie is a swipe at the OUATIC films. Using more Drunken Style was probably part of the swiping done in the script (imho). It's not really as good a film as the OUATIC films. Then again, I didn't like it as much as the Fong Sai Yuk movies either.

Originally posted by Dynamo

That's up to everyone else. I throw in a few every time I do a roundup, about enough to replace the ones I screen out for various reasons, but the bulk of the new names come from other contributors. As soon as death tribble gives up trying to talk me into replacing names I've already rejected, he'll start throwing new ones. Hopefully, that will spur others into a fresh spate of creativity.

 

Onward to 10K.

Here's a few more:

Ahriman (Persian Deity. Personificaton of darkness. Basically the Persian Satan)

Mithra (Persian god of light/war; also known as Mithras)

Lamashtu (Mesopotamian disease demon/goddess)

Guererra Sagrada (Sacred Warrior in Mexican)

Originally posted by Susano

Actually, I should have mentioned that Dragon 9 was a really cool character. And yes, he does make for a great "mythic China" secret agent. And I loved the SFX for his Dispell Versus Poisons!

Ahh, I thought you didn't like him, cause you referred to him as a "goof"

Originally posted by Susano

And the attack you are thinking of is the Heavenly Holy Fairy Stance. Reminded me of Jackie's Eight Drunken Fairy Stance from DRUNKEN MASTER II.

That's the stance! It just seemed...odd to me. Then again, I haven't viewed my copy of DMII in chinese (I've seen the US version), so I didn't know he had a move called Eight Drunken Fairy Stance

Originally posted by Susano

I've heard MONK was pirated already and has been shown overseas. IMDB has people in some forums saying it's not very good. All talk, no action -- basically the trailer is all the action you get. Others are saying this is bunk. So... not sure as of yet.

I have my fears about the movie, and this just adds to it. I will still go see it, to support CYF. At least he will hopefully do the CTHD prequel, so I know he will be doing at least one more good movie that Hollywood has some hand in (not much, which is why I think CTHD did so well)

Originally posted by Susano

One problem is that Hollywood won't do what guys like Jet Li is known for, which is period martial arts films. or,if they did, people would say "It's just THE MATRIX with sword." Maybe the success of LOTR will allow Hollywood to look into more fantasy films.

I dunno. My nephew watches alot of HK films with me (especially Jet Li and Jackie Chan films), and his friends have seen a few themselves. And these are kids 12-14.

I think that CTHD opened alot of eyes to the coolness of asian action films. Then Iron Monkey was released, and HERO will be coming out.

If some producer had any sense, they'd do a film showcasing the strength of a Jet Li and a Donnie Yen, wrapped around a decent story. Jet Li can do modern films; what he needs is a decent script. His US films haven been shoddy scripts. It's kind of sad in a way