csyphrett

Re: Can Characters get to powerful for some Genres/Settings? The Gm will have to ask the weaker members of the party what they want to do. He can't just make them stand up on their own. It's like the old saying about horses and water. CES

Re: Heroes from All Fifty States I had a whole bunch of heroes like these but now I can't find the notebook. Isn't that always the way? The ones that stick out in my mind are the Redbird from NC, The Blue and Gray from VA, the Blue Cresent from SC, Keystone from PENN, Gold and Silver from NM I think, the Golden Bear from CA, The Loon from Minnesota. CES

Re: Ben 10: Alien Force Kais, I don't know anything about translating characters from other media like Bloodstone, but it seems to me that Gwen 10k had a multipower for flight, telekinesis, energy blast, then a power pool for transforms, uncommon spells she did. The power pool probably only needs incantations. Then skills like hang gliding, computer programming, martial arts. A lot depends on what the point cost is but that should be all you need as a base. CES

Re: Can Characters get to powerful for some Genres/Settings? Trebuchet and Chris both seem right. Of course a character can become too powerful but in this case I think the matter of relevance applies. If some characters are standing around, are they standing around because they have no means to investigate or because they can't think of something to do? It sounds like two problems going on. If the characters' powers allow them to get clues better, the gm should use it to his advantage. If some characters are standing around, maybe turning the focus on them will help them move out. CES

Re: Hell's Heroes And the Duke of Wellington was his best friend. CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The Unnatural Inquirer is upbeat. I have the second Drood book but I haven't read it yet. The third is supposed to be out next year I think. CES

Re: Online Steampulp Game I'm sorry Hooligan. I got sidetracked. When do you need characters? CES

Re: Pulparize It! Cop movies are the easiest to pulperize. After all, most pulps built their magazines on the hardboiled detective. Above the Law: Steven Seagal comes home from the Great War to become a detective on the Chicago PD. He becomes embroiled with army officers from his past trying to shut down a congressman filing a report for the government on the rum runners turning the city into a war zone. And when he discovers his enemies are in league with Al Capone, it's time for machine gun justice. CES

Re: almost ready to start my own game...Help I don't know if this helps but you can find hundreds of characters on the board in the New Circle, various universe, and call for campaign threads. Surely there will be at least six guys you can use. CES

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Work related. "Let me get this straight. You got a speeding ticket right next to a big yellow sign saying SLOW DOWN?" CES

Re: The New Circle Rider 1- Waldo Newsome glanced at the driver's side mirror. He didn't like what he saw trailing behind his car. He pushed the gas pedal down, grinning as he started pulling away. No phantom was going to catch him. Waldo had picked the car up outside of a chain grocery store. Two twists with his slim jim, some rewiring underneath the dash, and he had something he could chop. He drove casually through the neighborhood, eyes open for cops. He didn't want to get caught with a hot car. That's when he saw that thing behind him. It rode a horse of fire, long black cape billowing behind it. The ghost, whatever it was, had a bag for its head. Waldo noted the rope hanging from its neck at the end of a long knot. He had seen enough westerns to know what that meant. Waldo hit the gas. His latest ride slipped forward as the tires dug in, then accelerated away from the horseman. It wasn't the brightest move, but being chased by the cops had to be better than dealing with something that wasn't human. Waldo breathed a sigh of relief at the thought he had lost the horseman. Too many guys were winding up burned, in the hospital. He didn't want to be one of those fallen members of his brethren. Suddenly a fiery thing reared up in front of Waldo's stolen car. He twisted his wheel hard to the left. His chevy ran into the brick wall of a store. Waldo's head snapped forward against the steering wheel, turning the world a shade of gray. Hands pulled the door open. Waldo tried to turn his head. He found the going slow and painful. The hooded man leaned in to grab his neck and face. The quick exam showed that the thief was hurt but he would live. A quick search produced a cell phone. An emergency operator demanded answers. Only an address was given. The Rider whistled his horse into existence. He swung a leg over the phantom's back. A quick snap of the reins sent the ghost into a gallop. Before the sirens of the police arrived, he had vanished into the night. The police called an ambulance for Waldo. His story was checked. Of course the stolen car was charged to him since he was driving it when he smashed into the wall. A phantom rider chasing him across town like the headless horseman was discounted due to the huge bump on his head. After all, why would a ghost chase a car thief across town, and then cause him to wreck? Waldo spent a couple of days in the hospital until he was excused to report to court. The judge asked how he pled while his court appointed lawyer held him up to steady him in front of the judge. He thought about pleading not guilty, spin a yarn how he had been placed in the car. The cops had beaten a confession out of him while he was alone and hurt in his sick bed. He thought about it and pled guilty. Waldo figured he would get a five to ten, maybe parole after three if he stayed out of trouble. He could do that standing up. When he got out, he would find a way to go straight. He could look around for a job and stick with it. Waldo winced at the harsh sentence he did receive in the light of his criminal record. He thanked the judge, shook the lawyer's hand, and let the bailiff lead him away. He would be in the jail for a while waiting for his paperwork, then he would go to prison for a while. It wasn't exactly perfect, but he would do the best he could until he was released. He needed to call his mom while he was waiting, let her know. Waldo walked to his cell, and sat down. He looked up at the ceiling. He figured he would have plenty of time to be doing this in the future. Time to think wasn't necessarily the best thing to have in a place like the Pen, but it was time that he did that to find a way to fix the rest of his life. His eyes closed, then snapped open. He imagined he had seen a man with a hood on his head walking the cell block. He went to the barred door. He looked up and down the corridor. A guard stood at one end, reading some paperwork. No one else was in sight. Other inmates went about their businesses without any excitement. Waldo sat back down, putting what he had seen down to his imagination. It wouldn't be the first time he had seen something that wasn't there. He needed to get a handle on that if he wanted to serve his years without going crazy. Prisoners didn't like crazies in their midst.

Re: Walking With Strangers

Re: Walking With Strangers 2 Quin Martin wondered how he had been talked into the situation he was about to deal with as the Question Man. How had he become a hero in the first place? He should be doing research now instead of thinking about the meeting he was about to go into. He decided to blame Odd Dorfman. He was the man who had started all this. Odd had met someone in trouble, and had volunteered Quin to help him out. Then he had asked Quin to at least talk to the man about his problem. Oz Mike Michaelson had urged him to follow up and go to the meeting. Quin decided that Oz Mike shared the blame for this situation. Quin pulled his mask on. Odd had pulled it out of his hat when the group that had saved Marlowe had decided to stay together. It was a clear sheet that would protect his face while rendering it featureless. The rest of his disguise was a simple suit and hat. The long coat necessary for Minnesota weather made his body almost as featureless as his face. Anonymity would help him in the long run. The person he was meeting stood out in the small bar crowd. He had gotten a seat at a booth at the back of the place. He carried weight that could have been okay if he was forty years younger. His face spoke of bulldog tenacity. His glasses said he was well on his way to being blind. Quin made his way to the booth, pushing through the young crowd trying to have a drink after work. He kept his collar up to cover the mask so no one would freak out at the faceless man. He settled into the booth. The other man looked up, smiled at the disguise. "You must be Odd's friend." The older man extended a hand. "I'm Darby. Frank Darby." "I'm the Question Man." Quin shook the hand, not needing his special power to know the man was a former policeman. "What can I do for you, Mr. Darby?" "I hope you can help me solve an old murder." Darby sat back, waving a waitress over to take an order for a beer. Quin blocked his face with a hand until she had left. "Why don't you start at the beginning?" Quin blocked his face again when the waitress returned with the beverage while the old man arranged notes on the table in front of him. "It started almost forty years ago." Darby looked his notes over through his thick eyeglasses. "I walked a beat then. I found the body while walking my patrol." "Hold on." Quin held out his gloved hand. He took the notes and scanned them, memorizing each fact with a glance. "Let's go. You can show me what you're talking about." Quin handed the notes back before standing and heading for the door. Of course Odd had wanted him to get involved. Who else could solve a mysterious crime than a man with all the answers? All that was needed was the right questions. Quin waited on the sidewalk, hat pulled low. Darby walked out of the saloon, parka wrapped around his big body. He walked over, looking puzzled. "What do you think?" Darby frowned. "Can you help me?" "I think it has been a long time to try to find out what happened, and yes, I can help you, if you have the right questions." Quin looked down at the sidewalk. "Why don't you walk me through your report at the scene?" "You think I'm crazy." Darby's frown deepened. "Anything we come up with won't be admissible." Quin started walking. "Are you sure you want to delve into this?" "I have to know." Darby shrugged, walking along, keeping pace easily. "This is the only one I couldn't crack. I have to know who and why." "Let's walk then." Quin knew the city had changed in the last forty years, new companies exchanging services and products across the border had caused a bubble boom that had been replaced with several strong companies that helped keep employment up for the expanding population. "I thought you knew everything." Darby glanced at the new buildings as they walked, already walking back in time as they went. "I know answers to questions but what's the point if I don't know what I'm telling you." Quin paused, checking his mental map. "What do you remember about that night?" "It was cold as anything." Darby looked back, not even checking his notes. He had already read them hundreds of time before this. He knew what they said by heart. "It was as dark as the pit, and we were asked to look for vagrants that might have frozen in the alleys and culverts." "Show me where you found the body." No wonder Odd had wanted Quin to help out with this. "Right." Darby smiled then. "It's a few blocks over. That's why I picked Kerr's as a meeting place." Quin nodded, glad that his guess had been confirmed.

Re: Walking With Strangers Here it is, Bub. http://herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1586718#post1586718 CES

Re: Rooftop Travel I believe that I have also seen heroes who use this with flight as a superleap, as extreme balance, and vertical climbing like Jackie Chan's ability to move around in his movies. CES

Re: Walking With Strangers Oh no, Bub. This is going to be the Great Lake Avengers vs. the Masters of Evil. I refer you to the earlier story on the board. CES

1 Staff Sergeant Blue Baloo knew he was going to die. He paused on the brink of a precipice, a cold Minnesota wind whipping his Air Force uniform around his bear-like body. Gray hair sprouted from his skull like short porcupine quills. He glanced over a massive shoulder. Somewhere in the forest behind him, a group of professional hunters was closing in on where he stood. He couldn't outrun them. That had been the plan at first. Now he knew it was hopeless. His keen mind boiled everything down to two choices. He could wait for the hirelings to catch up with him. That would put him at the mercy of the men hunting him. They hadn't shown much of that quality so far. Or he could jump into the raging water far below where he stood and take his chances. If he lived, the roaring stream would take him to the small dam that made Lake Marlowe possible. Then he could find a phone to call for help. The big hitch in that plan was living through the ride. "Hold, varlet." The booming voice made up Baloo's mind. "I wish to bandy words with you." Baloo glanced at the furry bulk of the berserker known as Fenris Ulf, wrapped in fur, and horned helmet. The gleaming two bladed axe looked like a child's toy in his fist, but was actually almost as long as the sergeant's arm. Gleaming blackness burned from the eyes in the wolf face he wore. Baloo jumped off the edge of the cliff. He had time to hope he didn't hit a rock when he did hit. Then he struck the water and went under. The giant bounded to the water, prepared to throw his terrible axe with a mighty swing of his arm. He paused. There was no sign of the sergeant. He let the axe drop down to his side. "Where is he?" Mr. Wolf arrived in his neatly pressed, black BDUs, and polished boots, rifle held in his hands. Sunglasses covered his weathered face. His hair dropped back from his wide forehead. "We were supposed to bring him back." "Verily, friend Wolf, he jumped into the water rather than face me in a manly manner." The Viking tucked his axe in his belt. "I had hoped to render him senseless with the flat of my axe." "I'll let you explain to Mr. R." Mr. Wolf pulled out a cigarette case and took a Marlboro out to light after slinging his rifle. "Let's gather the others so we can finish the job before we have more bad luck." "Lead on." Fenris Ulf looked down at the boiling water. "I doubt the coward will survive his foolish act." "I would rather be sure." Mr. Wolf led the way into the watching trees. He smoked his cigarette as he glided through the foliage. Fenris Ulf tore his gaze away from the stream. He crashed through the brush, a challenge to any who heard him. Anyone he encountered at that point would have a cleaved skull for their trouble. The subject of the big hunter's ire swam down river with powerful strokes, riding the swift current instead of trying to fight it. He wanted distance. Trying to fight for shore wouldn't give him that. Baloo surfaced in time to push off a boulder in his way, then slipped over a small waterfall. Above and behind him, he expected bullets or energy beams from his pursuers. He swam around a whirlpool and grasped another boulder near the opposite shore by chance. His big hands held on as the water battered him. He had to get out of the water and get moving before he froze to death. If he could get to Lake Marlowe before nightfall he might have a chance. Otherwise he could expect to freeze in the small woods outside the small city. Baloo pulled on the top of the boulder. He got half his body out of the water. He yanked again. His legs came free of the punching liquid. His lungs fought for air so he laid on top of the boulder until he could feel his heart slowing down, his breath slowing to normal. Then the sergeant got to his feet. He turned to face the direction the lake and its city should be in. Then he started jogging. He had to make it somewhere to change clothes and warm up before the sun went down. And he needed to check in with someone who could try and stop what was going on at the base hidden in the woods. He felt like both of his objectives were out of reach. He had nothing to lose by trying. His footsteps crunched as the water dripped from his freezing skin. At least the exertion was warming him enough to keep him going. He could easily see someone finding his frozen skeleton years in the future and asking who could this be.

Re: Dragonia Sir Donald and his two assistants break out of the burning basement to get to the ground floor of the sanctuary. The vampire had been waiting, and attacked the knight with life drain. Ishiyama and Flames repulsed the monster before he could kill Donald. Ishiyama used his clairvoyance spell to locate the vampire. Realizing the monster was outside waiting for them to exit so it could attack again, they searched the building for another exit. They smashed through a broken and barred window at the back of the building. The group separates. Ishiyama went up to trick the vampire into attacking while Sir Donald circled the building to attack from behind. The vampire attacked the monk. The gravity axe spell dropped him to the ground. Ishiyama stabbed the vampire through the heart with his magic sword, reducing him to dust. The heroes contact the local water dragon handlers to blast the fire out of the abandoned sanctuary before it burns down the neighborhood. The fire could not survive the fire department's five blue lizards. The group heal up, rest, and send a message to the king before leaving North Town for Opal, the capitol of the Yetis. The trio trail the steam plane halfway across the country before losing the trail. They decide to fly into Opal. The high altitude produces cold weather for the crystal city. Animals such as the sabertooth and pterodactyl act as vehicles and cargo machines. Sir Donald headed to the local embassy, a building of white stone, that stuck out from the local glass towers around it. Only one knight and two squires are on duty as a guard, while an ambassador and trade officials act to ship crystals south to Dragonia as jewelry and decorations. Sir Donald was informed that the city has been under a strange crime wave. Someone has been stealing the giant bells from the clock towers around town. Almost thirty of the big crystal ringers have been taken by the mysterious thief. Sir Donald and Ishiyama asked to lend a hand to the local authorities while they wait for news of the plane to reach Opal. Arrangements were made, and the two were quickly allowed access to the newest crime scene, a clock tower in the middle of several skyscrapers and many more lesser buildings. The whole tower consisted of the famous crystal the Yetis are famous for making, even the gears made of glass. Ishiyama used his clairvoyant spell. He learned two things the heroes could use. Coop Cooper was involved in the thefts. The bells could be seen from the tower. He could see the tower from where they rested. After some careful flying around, Sir Donald and his ally decided at midnight, they would break into a steel and glass monolith that sat among the skyscrapers. They felt that was the best course. The trio fly to the roof. They discover there were no doors to the inner workings of the place. They decided to break in a window. The windows were steel shutters. Ishiyama cut through with his sword attack. They found the bells had been hooked to a machine when they burst into the large area built out of the skyscraper's upper floors. The break in alerted Cooper and his squad of robots. Combat ensued with half the squad destroyed, but both Flames and Ishiyama badly hurt. The bells were used in the machine to collapse two nearby buildings in the hope that the Yeti government would give in to future demands. Sir Donald used gravity axe on the machine. It collapsed. Cooper and his surviving steam men fled the scene of the battle as Yeti police arrived on the back of pterodactyls, using empowered gems as weapons and badges of office.

Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Deja Vu- I liked it but I had the feeling that the production company couldn't make up its mind if it was about a man falling love with a dead woman, a procedural with a new technology, or time travel. It seemed to be split in three different ways as it went along. And naturally they change the event and cause a loop in the timestream which I don't think they considered beyond the end of the movie. Outlaw Star the collection- Gene Starwind gathers a motley crew to help him find a legendary treasure and battle his enemies. CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Dungeon Master for Dummies by Baker and Slavisnak- General advice, adventures for 3.5, and other things to help the aspiring GM out. I thought it was okay and I don't even play D&D. Doc Savage 2 in 1 Cold Death and the South Pole Terror. Doc Savage and the Fighting Five battle a mastermind that can cause explosions with a strange blue light, then journey to the South Pole to stop a greedy explorer from unleashing the force of cosmic rays. CES

Re: Setting: World of Alts I write on Corel. When I post directly to the board from that, it messes up the formatting. To fix that I use my email. I cut and paste to an empty mail form, then c&p to the post box. See if that fixes your format problem. CES

Re: Ben 10: Alien Force Here's another thing that stands out. I always got the impression that Plumbers were based on Earth for the most part, and were mostly human. I believe it was stated several times they fought aliens when they arrived on Earth and just retired when things settled down. Alien force is the first mention of Alien plumbers. Where are the Galactic Enforcers? CES

Re: Ben 10: Alien Force Only have seen six episodes. It kind of does bother me that Verdona and the alien chick from the last episode of Ben 10 season three do essentially the same thing. THat would seem to be an important thing to point out to Gwen in the light that she is half alien and all. It does look like a poor patch job. CES

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... My son is playing a dragon knight and is talking to more senior members of the force. Naturally the dragons aren't getting along. Flames: Arf arf arf. (The bark of a pomeranian) Other Dragon: Rooooowwwwlll (the sound of a hungry t-rex) Flames: ein ein ein (the whine of a scared pomeranian). CES

Re: champions campign logs I have a couple of logs here but the games appear to be on hiatus, plus I post notes for my NSU game here when I reset an archive page. CES