DusterBoy

Re: Superhero Aging

Of course, quantity of life doesn't matter as much as quality of life. There's no point having a vastly extended lifespan if your active years are not also significantly increased. Otherwise, you wind up like Bilbo after he'd had the ring for so long: "I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean, like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can't be right."

I happen to believe that our mortality, and our recognition of it, is a fundamental part of what makes us human. Life is to be seized because it is so brief.

Sgt Taura, in Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga is a transgenic wolf-human super-soldier. The people who created her thought that a short life would be more readily sacrificed so she ages more quickly than anyone else. However, that has translated into her living her life as a smash and grab. "Every day is a gift. Me, I rip open the package and wolf it down on the spot."

I only wish I had the bottle to do the same.

Re: Superhero Aging

I have much simpler explanations for why superheroes don't age in real time:

The stories require the characters to be the ages they are depicted as being.

And I reckon Superman probably is immortal, although he'd age normally away from a yellow sun.

I did a little figuring once. Given a start date of 1963 and giving a base age of sixteen for Scott, Jean, Bobby and Hank that gives a common birth date of 1947.

Which means that the original X-Men would now all be 61.

Given that Erik Lensherr was fourteen when he was taken to Auschwitz in 1944, that gives us a birthdate of 1930 - and a current age of 78, nine years older than Sir Ian McKellen. A little old to be powering about in that natty purple outfit he wears.

And aren't Erik and Charles meant to be close to the same age? Xavier did fight in the Korean War, after all.

Mystique's powers mean that she ages more slowly than other people, but I think she's older than Magneto, given that she was active as a adult in the thirties as a detective named D Raven.

Personally, I think it would be interesting to have a one-shot story which deals with the X-Men being the ages they are, dealing with the loss of Professor Xavier and his funeral after a long and dedicated struggle for "mutant" rights and equality. No powers, no fights, just a quiet little story dealing with everyone's reactions. I envision Erik being there too, to say goodbye to an old friend.

But that could be just me.

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

I just finished viewing Dog Soldiers, a soldiers versus werewolves movie. I found it liked it at lot, parts made me laugh, parts made me shudder, and parts made me say "that's not right...." I highly recommend it.

 

I also watched The Wizard of Oz over the weekend, for the first time. Rather fun, with some highly enjoyable sequences -- the flying monkeys were great! -- and the musical numbers are catchy. I also found it amusing to sort of "count" all the lines that have remained in popular use.

 

What have you seen recently?

I've never seen Wizard of Oz but I have read the book. I have seen Tin Man which was on Sci-Fi channel recently which is kind of a re-imagining of Wizard and I really enjoyed that.

I will always watch Shark. Two reasons: James Woods and JERI RYAN (I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!)! It may be almost ten years on from ST:VOY but d*** that woman is still so hot and she and Woods make a great double act. Whoever writes the dialogue for it should be given an award because it is brilliant. :thumbup:

(Said very fast) Disclaimer: These are my opinions only and in no way do they reflect the official stance of this board.

Re: Althea "Dutch" Ddwandythyr

Do you know which part of the Discworld chronology she's supposed to fit into? She would be easier to play in a campaign based on the earlier books, from "Colour of Magic" where she could run wiith Hrun, up to say "Guards, Guards", as one of the heroes hired to kill the dragon, than it would be in the later books when it takes a turn into Dickens territory.

Of course, as we all know, Cohen has become a series regular, and a character of now almost mythic proportions, especially after "The Last Hero".

I had the honour of playing GURPS Discworld with the writer, Phil Masters as GM at the 2002 Con (that seems so long ago now) and I'm trying to write up the characters for HERO.

Re: The Apocalypse: Stage 1

The doom-mongers amongst us have always predicted the apocalypse. It gives them something to do. All the brou-ha-ha over the millenium (technicially - the billennium) and everybody running around like Chicken Little saying "The sky is falling ! The sky is falling!".

And what happens? There's a glich in a computer in a power plant in Japan. And that's it. Life went on as normal.

Before the Trinity test, some of the scientists who built the atomic bomb were concerned that the test would cause a chain reaction that would ignite the atmosphere and incinerate the planet.

Only it didn't.

Every time a comet passes Earth the doom-mongers and cranks say "This time, it's really going to hit us." Remember the fuss about Shoemaker-Levy 9?

I think the odds are greater of being hit by a bus - or winning the lottery.

O'course - I have the advantage that if I'm wrong, none of you will be around to say "I told you so,"

Merovign - when you develop your machine - can I buy shares? I fancy being really rich.

Re: Even MORE spy Miniatures! Including some guy that says "Yeah baby!"

I think John Steed is in there, as well, as well as one of his assistants, but I can't tell which one.

Re: Bad Movies.org reviews The Champions of Justice

Well that looks like the most surreal movie I've never seen. Of course it is - it's a luchadore movie.

Looks like it would be tons of fun to watch as a late-nighter, though.

Re: "real" unicorn

Err . . . what's special about 2012?

Or shouldn't I ask?

Re: CthulhuTech?

they really MAKE cthulhu plushies?

Sure, do you want yours in small, medium or large?

There's MIB, Dracula, Super Hero, Santa and Gothic versions.

I got mine from my local gaming store.

They have Nyarlethotep and Godzilla as well, plus the Mad Rabbit from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and a Red Dragon.

Mad and sad, I'm finally rumbled.

Re: CthulhuTech?

You could say the same thing about Cthulhu plushies. Fortunately' date=' nothing obligates us to actually care about the point of the Mythos.[/quote']

 

I have a Cthulhu plushie.

 

So I'm sad like that. Sue me.

 

(But my nieces love him)

Re: Robot Love Stories

I wanna see it for the animation. I'm not sure about the storyline, but Wall-E looks cute.

Re: What will you be watching in 5 years' time?

'Cos "A" listers actually have lives - and careers. They don't need to waste their time with this rubbish.

Re: PAH Fun: Top 20 Post-Apocalyptic Vehicles

The "Landmaster" from "Damnation Alley"?

(runs and hides)

Re: Music to Kill Zombies By

When I was a kid I used to imagine stormtroopers marching when I listened to "Mars, the Bringer of War".

Now, of course, it's John Carter kicking backside on Barsoom.

It was also used for the "Quatermass Experiment" and probably for the rest of the "Quatermass" shows as well, except for the last one.

Re: Steve Reviews INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

How could KotCS have been better?

Easy.

Make sure George Lucas had nothing to do with it.

I am firmly convinced that George Lucas should not be allowed to make movies any more, not after he butchered Star Wars and after hearing the words "George Lucas wrote the script [for KotCS] . . . it's boring."

(Jar-Jar Binks should have surrfered a fatal lightsaber "accident" in the opening sequence of "Phantom Menace".)

Steven Spielberg on the other hand, is movie-making gold.

Just my tuppenceworth.

Re: Music to Kill Zombies By

based on your avatar I figured you'd just need a harmonica and 2' date='000 rounds of .45 ammunition. [/quote']

 

Sorry to disappoint you, Susano.

 

BTW I just reread the rules - it says 1 weapon, so I'll ditch the Milkor. With an AA12 loaded up with FRAG-12s I won't need a grenade launcher anyway.

 

I would have called in an F15E Strike Eagle loaded up with cluster bombs, but I figured that was cheating.

Re: Music to Kill Zombies By

I've seen the video for the MPS AA-12. One word: WANT!

And gimme those FRAG-12 rounds as well in High Explosive, Fragmenting Antipersonnel.

Re: Music to Kill Zombies By

Weapons: custom-modified Remington M870 loaded with solid slugs and No4 shot shells. Plus a Milkor MGL-140 40mm MGL and plenty of ammo, esp HE and WP.

Music: "Mein Teil" by Rammstein (for the irony - it's about the Armin Meiwes cannibalism story.)

"Sidekick": Either S/Sgt Henno Garvey or Sgt Taura from the Dendarii Free Mercenaries 'cos she would just pile in and start ripping with those claws of hers.

You mean you've never heard of Sgt Taura and the Dendarii Free Mercenaries? Then check out the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold now!

Re: Strike Force

Well, my copy just arrived today, from Abebooks.

HEH!

(Although the previous owner clearly amused himself by colouring in some of the characters . . .)

Re: Concubine Seeks New Position

I SWEAR VENGEANCE ON DR DESTROYER!!

(But not in his hearing)

Re: Concubine Seeks New Position

It could be largely environmental too. On the Ka's world, she was treated quite well. All her needs met, not having to do any of the drudge work and respected (as much as concubine's were).

 

Then she's ripped out of this and sent to Earth. With Vitus, who spent most of his time working on spells etc, paid very little attention to her, expected her to do all the cooking and cleaning and other housework of the slum of a room he lived in and denied her to oppurtinity to do her job properly. Oh, and the almost being killed all the time and being forced to wear clothes. She was treated like dirt and not the lady that she is and she responded in like.

 

Of course, she also got a crash course on women's rights and the like from Felicity and her sister. And TV.

 

Now she's with The Spectre, she *is* treated like a lady. After all, he even bothered to give her a proper *name*, which is something the Ka and Vitus never bothered to do.

"Forced to wear clothes." Does that mean she went around naked alla time as a concubine on Ka's world? And with 31 PRE and 32 COM that makes her a "human" WMD (Woman of Mass Distraction).

Time for a cold shower, methinks, until the images go away.

Re: "Agents of ILM" campaign idea: Help me flesh it out?

H'mm - sounds like Terry Pratchett's "Moving Pictures".

Re: IST San Angelo

A quick stop in Las Vegas.

All Nevada Crime Scene Investigators are deputy sheriffs and must carry a department-approved firearm.

CSI Catherine Willows, the swing-shift supervisor at Clark County's crime lab, is a metahuman. She can become a Bengal tiger that has human intelligence. After a high-speed camera experiment, conducted by computer and video expert Archie Johnson, it was discovered that she has an in between form that resembles a humanoid tiger. Catherine, however, can't, yet, stop the change at that form.

Next, back to San Angelo.

You made Catherine Willows a were-tiger? Ooohhh boy!

(Okay, now I have to lie down with a damp cloth over my face until the images go away)

Much rep to you.

I'm a Catherine Willows/Marg Helgenberger fan. You can tell, can't you?

When you've got a multipower with all fixed (ultra) slots and you've got got a power with 45 AP, for example, which way do you round when you've divided by ten?

Re: Death of the Jester

Vitus would be puzzled why he wasn't gutted and hung up outside the Asylum to rot years ago. If the possibility the death was faked arises, then an a closer investigation may be indicated. As distasteful as he finds the idea of an autopsy, it would be an opportunity for some ventriloquist stunts with the jester's severed head. "Gottle o' Geer! Gottle o' Gear!"

 

And he'd agree that the shooter would need some protection. How much do you want to bet there's a Jester-obsessed woman out there named Judy?quote]

 

Yeah, or Harley.

 

Why is it that serial killers always seem to get tons of fan mail - from women, natch?

 

None of my characters would give a damn, even the ones with a CvK. They would, however, confirm that the Jester is really for real dead and get ready for the inevitable copy cats, etc.