BlackSword

Re: Taking the plunge into Fantasy Hero ... help! Our group typically lets people move points around after one or two sessions. This is so that a player can find out if he forgot something or needs to change something because it is too powerful or too weak. In Champions I forgot to buy up my END, that was fun with the speedster. Segment 6 I rest, two phases burned all my end. If the players don't yet have full comprehension of the rules then they may buy something and find it much less useful then they expected. This way they can move points around to something that may see more game-play.

Re: Taking the plunge into Fantasy Hero ... help! Yeah. We usually write stories to introduce our characters to the game. I usually end up writing the story before I ever start putting the character together. Writing the story helps me flesh out some ideas, then I justhave to come up with a way to get those ideas into a character sheet.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings From a CSM Article about orange growers: This made me pause for a second. Every week I pick up two half-gallon boxes of OJ (or grapefruit juice). I live alone. Consider I drink less OJ when I travel, that probably puts me close to 48-50 gallons of juice per year. That is a lot of OJ. I wonder if I could just get a 55 gallon drum at the beginning of the year. Of course I have no soda in my home, so it limits my choices to milk, juice, water or occasionaly ice tea (and a small selection of adult beverages).

Re: Harry Potter HERO You're right, forgot that it was a different class. Thanks for the reminder.

Re: Harry Potter HERO After watching the third film. The scene that comes to mind is Snape's class where we walks by and flicks his wand closing each shutter as he passes. Don't know if it is consistent with the book*, but if so it would seem that some wizards have a low-level TK and don't need any incantation to invoke it. Thanks for the web-site Keith. I got through the first few pages of spells. Very detailed and well documented site. Makes less work for putting together the setting for a game. With the talk about Harry Potter and Champion High Schools in the Champion Forum I am getting interested in a short HS-age game. *Doesn't seem like it, in the first book Snape's class is described as being in the dungeon. Just started the second book, so still afew more days til I get to the third book. Still even if it is unique to the movie it was a pretty cool visual effect.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings Yay. A good weekend after a too-busy and frustrating week. Car fixed, no more viruses on my computer. Got to spend the weekend with friends. Only problem was it ruined my diet. From noon to midnight it was full of beer(not getting drunk, just have a few beers with lunch, a few more with dinner, one at the movies, and a few more after the movie) and too much food. Even ended up with a little time on Sunday to play City of Heroes. Got to see WWE Smackdown live. It was quite an event, lots of action, some good matches. I am sure all of the wrestlers really appreciate the fans, but due to the script, obviously heels have to act like heels. But it was good to see the faces act like real faces. Mysterio* walked around and shook or high fived everyone's hand that was over the rail. Eddie thanked everyone for coming at the end. A very cool experience. *And wow, never realized how short Rey Mysterio is. He's a big guy, but not that tall.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings The week started of well enough, but now, (just over) half-way through the following has happened. My computer has somehow contracted a virus or some other mal-ware. My car battery is on its last legs. Normally neither of these problems would cause me much issue except for the time and/or money it takes to fix, but one problem. My night class started and our game is on Tuesday. So from Monday morning when I went to work, to today I have had less then an hour of concious free time. Guess today is the day I get to run errands to keep my car running and fix my computer.

Re: Disad Advice Not going to jump on him just yet. Does the guy say that his alien comes from a different type of atmosphere and that the oxygen in our atmosphere boosts his abilities? Superman has a disad for light from a red sun draining his powers, even though most his adventures take place under our yellow sun (of course I think this is normally bought as a power limitation, not a physical limitation). If he can breath in other atmospheres and oxygen is the source of his powers, his teammates are gonna hate it when the villains figure it out and want to drain his powers.

Re: Harry Potter HERO A few questions, clarifications. With Expecto Patronum: I haven't yet read the third book (but in the fifth book they do make reference to Harry have a fully developed Patronum) but it seems there are a few levels for the Patronum. At first it appears to be a simpel shield, but in the advanced stage (a white stag for Harry) it actually attacks and drives off the opponents. Again, not having read only the last two books, but it appears that they can use any wand, but obviously they have a preference with their wand. Also it seems that advanced wizards can cast with out incantations (though a silence spell is definitaly helpful). I like the idea of doing the spells as skills, and then have some skill modifiers for being silent, using another's wand, etc. Perhaps bonuses for using a wand attuned to a particular aspect of the wizarding world. I like the breakdown for XP advancement through the school years. In trying to compare the proper XP development for Harry, Hermione, etc, have to remember that trying to compare a PC to them is like trying to compare a champs character to Superman.

Re: Harry Potter HERO with the new movie out...*bump*

Re: Status of My Mixed Power-Level Campaign

Re: Doom Patrol Champions

Re: Doom Patrol Champions

Re: A Modern League of Extroardinary Gentlemen Novel was written by David Morrell. I probably wouldn't have realized it either except that my parent's liked Morrell's books so I had a large selection to choose from. The movie was more candy-coated. In the book Rambo wasn't as nice. For using a charcter for the Harry Potter books, I would agree with Hermione, or even Neville Longbottom. One of the characters who isn't quite main character material but will shine in a group. (and in the fifth book Neville is becoming more sure of himself).

Re: A Modern League of Extroardinary Gentlemen Rambo was killed in the novel.

Re: THE TURAKIAN AGE Reviewed On RPG.Net Another review is up: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10354.phtml

Re: A Thread for Random Musings The first 13 episodes of Samurai Jack are out on DVD. Picked them up last night at Target. Haven't had time to watch them (though I have seen them all already). I did put in the DVD to watch the Aku's Fairy Tales episode. Also picked up the Season 4, collection 4 of Farscape. Only one more set (released July 13) and I'll have all the episodes of Farscape. A little sad that it will be the end, but at least the miniseries is coming out this winter.

Re: Why play Fantasy Hero over other fantasy games? An advantage to non-level based systems. If someone is familar with level and spell progression they can gauge their enemies (in both a metagame(he used Thufir's Greater Cleaving he is >15) as well as IC moments(that's a move I haven't seen before, he must be tougher then me)). This can lead to players being able to count spells, approximate BAB, etc. Depending on the magic system you use for Hero that can't happen. You can't guess how much END (or long term END) a mage has left for spell-casting. You can judge from the power of the spell, but it could be a mage who can only cast that single spell and is then out of juice as opposed to a mage who can cast all night without breaking a sweat. So part of it is that the players are unfamilar enough with the system its harder to predict. But also since its not a regeimented level progression there is less to be able to predict.

Re: Can someone give me a idea about the Terran Empire? Thinking of how to describe the setting and the Roman Empire is the best analogy I could think of. The book spans a swath of time and quite a few Emprorers (or Empresses). (its been a while since I read the book in detail, so some statements may be fuzzy, any else can correct ) At the beginning the Empire is just beginning to reach all of the human settlements they lost contact with during the Xenovore war. The main setting of the book is during the reign of Marissa III. Then the empire begins a downhill slide as slightly more paranoid leaders take over, eventually to the point where the Empire breaks into a civil war between a power mad dictator and a rebellion. During the reign of Marissa III, my impression the empire is pretty benign. It has a large military power, it has secret police that do actively look for insurgents, but not everyone is a suspect until proven dead.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings Anyone else reading Nightwing? The end of last week's issue surprised me a bit. It was interesting to see Nightwing's choice when he realized that the Bludhaven system had failed. As well as his reaction to his choice. I know Nightwing is supposed to be the first of this summer's "Secret Identity" stories at DC, but I wonder if there will be the Bruce/Dick discussion before that happens and how Grayson will handle it. I was waiting for Desmond to say something along the lines, "And now I will go after your adopted father." "No, not the slightly foppish and vapid playboy Bruce Wayne. My adopted father has no way to counter your evil mobster ways."

Re: A Modern League of Extroardinary Gentlemen You can add in Monk as the team investigator. Quirky, nuerotic, but brilliant, fits the LXGs requirements for misfits and people one off from fame.

Re: 'Empire': a cliché? I agree that Confederacy is the best term for describing that politcal set-up. Loose knit group of soveriegn nations bound together for mutual protection and trade agreements. The Eichberger Confederacy shall surely drive fear into the hearts of all men who do evil.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings Looks like we might have a day without rain. I think we got about 4 inches in the past three days. It wouldn't be so bad if it all didn't come down at once. The drainage area behind my house looked like a whitewater river more than the gentle creek it usually is.

Re: Range Combat: Gun Fu & rule changes Thanks for the feedback. I have mostly played Champs, so as I said the idea of burning 5 shots worth of END for an OCV bonus is a pretty high price to pay. I am thinking of doing a Special Ops one-shot and may try the rule (2 shots for +1 OCV) in that game.

Re: Range Combat: Gun Fu & rule changes No, it was just something I was brainstorming, haven't tried it out. Was thinking about it for smaller bursts or powers where you would have to burn a lot of end for the extra OCV. Of course, on the other hand if someone pulls out an SMG it would definitaly convince you to dive for cover. Maybe change the rate of sacrifice to +1 OCV per 2 shots. Or maybe its crap. Still, doing a 10 shot burst at someone is going to be throwing a lot of lead their way, I would expect it would be dangerous to stand downrange.