bigbywolfe

Leverage (2008-2012)
 
Tim Hutton is a former insurance investigator who leads a team of criminals including a Grifter (Gina Bellman) a Thief (Beth Riesgraf), a Hacker (Aldis Hodge), and a Hitter (Christian Kane) who steal from corrupt corporate business people and politicians.  Great humor and tons of science fiction references.  

Watched Stardust last night.  Fun movie, but how to describe it?  A young man (Tristan) crosses a wall into a magical realm to bring a fallen star (which happens to be a woman) back to a woman he thinks he loves, but discovers his actual true love along the way.  Also seeking the fallen star are witches and princes (who are rivals for the thrown after their father dies).  Along the way Tristan encounters sky pirates harvesting lightning, plus the aforementioned witches and princes.  Great performance by Robert DiNiro as Captain Shakespear (arr!), though in my daughter's opinion the best character is the captain's first mate, who does more with his facial expressions and a cleared throat than most actors do with spoken lines. 

Home Alone. Basically, it's Die Hard for kids.

Dude, I have just sat here for two hours, typing, and eventually deleted it all.
 
The answer, I think, it "no; despite thinking I could, I clearly cannot."
 
In the telling, nothing came across as truly unique (though none of it came off as "kingdom" either).  The problem is that what makes a setting truly unique or compelling isn't the overview, as much as it is the details, and those are really hard to "sum up."  
 
Let me try one more time, keeping in mind that this time I'm not even going to bother trying details:
 
Nine Clans of the arid plains is just what it sounds like: it's a collection of 9 nomadic clans that used to fight constantly, and steal and raid from each other all the time-- little more than barbarians.  Eventually a "visionary" leader was born to one of the tribes and he spent his life creating peace between his own and two other clans through trade and, eventually, the sharing of certain secrets of craftsmanship, farming, and even raiding.  He stressed most of all that no one Clan should rule all three Clans, and implemented a system by which the three leaders were always under the protection of a troupe of guards composed of equal number of guards from all Clans but his own.  One guard was changed each day, so as to slow any possible plotting.  One leader made all decisions for Three Clans, and remained "In office" for a single season, then the leader of another Clan took over for a season, etc. To ensure fair treatment of the other Clans, the new leader's first decision is always a ceremony in which he judges the previous leader's decisions and treatment of the Clans other than his own as "worthy of the ruler of Three Clans."  If he judges yes, the old leader is returned to lead his Clan and there is a great celebration, etc.  If he judges "no," there is a public execution and great celebration, etc.  Theoretically, in this way and Clan leader can stop a potential alliance between any other two leaders.
 
Over the course of the next few generations, all nine of the arid plains Clans have been united into what is known as Nine Clans.  Honestly, the larger the alignment became, the easier it was to sway the remaining Clans.  The Clans are still nomadic and responsible for their own, and still travel their traditional Clan routes, though there is much more mingling between the Clans than before, and they still meet for seasonal celebrations and the transition of power.
 
 
There.  That's one, and it went on too long and told too little.
 
One more:
 
Sway (as opposed to rule) by sharing
 
A much more educated people, far smaller in number, and decentralized as student travelers, are defacto "rulers" of  a small forest continent.  Originally arriving here to study, they found native tribes of people similar to themselves and, out of compassion, helped to heal the sick.  They were first revered as god-like beings, which to a being they denied (though it may have stuck with them that they were somehow "better" than the natives, from person to person).  They never settled with the people, and continue to travel as "students of science ("science" in this case being magic, astronomy, astrology, alchemy, all practiced as aspects of botany or meteorology).  They will happily offer advice to natives (when asked, or even volunteer when a clear problem is evident: farming techniques, harvesting of animals, preparations of medicines, or even advanced warnings of great storms), but have never forced it on them.  Over the generations, the native villages noticed that those who accepted the advice of the "wood walkers" tended to fare much better than those who didn't, and eventually the "Storm Seers" became so influential as to be sought out for counsel on all manner of issues, even as villages grew into towns, cities, and eventually small city-states, independent of but peaceful with (on the advice of the Wood Walkers) each other. These mystics (as seen by the natives) do not try or even wish to rule, but they sort of do regardless
 
 
There is a small fortification known as the Peasant's Keep.
 
A castle, ostensibly, is a fortification in which the rulers and their closest confidants live, and in which the peasants and serfs may seek shelter in times of invasion.
 
These castles are "fed" by a feudal system, peasants working farms that ultimately provide food for the nobility and its army.  The larger the nobility and its army, the greater its need for material.  Spread out too far, and even the army is charged with spreading out and making sure that the peasants are performing their due diligence for the nobility  (when they should be drilling, or at least not skipping leg day).
 
When a kingdom gets so large that the peasants realize that during an invasion they have a seventeen mile sprint to the safety of the king's fortifications, problems arise.
 
One such kingdom once existed, and it's furthest-flung reaches were so far flung that the nobility dispatched to keep it governed ordered the construction of a walled fortification at this location, as it was ridiculous to think anyone could make it to the castle.  In this fortification, the army dispatched to enforce the king's law could drill and barrack, and the local nobility tasked with running the poor in this area could live in relative comfort.  The spoils of the poor could be stored here until proper transfer was arranged, and peasants could more readily reach the safety of these walls than those of the great castle beyond the hills.
 
The military quickly realized that this fortification would well-serve a warlord and his men, and upon the completion of the fortification the put on a great feast, at which they slaughtered the various dukes and governors and lay claim to the small castle and the peasants beyond.  Things were never great for peasants, but after two separate battles between the renegade mercenaries and the distant king, things were downright _bad_ for the peasants.  A daring raid had resulted in the food stores of the king's castle being poisoned  (largely though magic), and the king's men became desperate, laying absolute siege to the small keep to gain access to the stores within.  During the battle, the storehouses were burned.  No one had anything worth fighting for, and those were weren't dead or poor simply _left_.  The king's influence dropped considerably, back to a supportable level enjoyed by his ancestors.
 
The peasants slowly repaired the smaller castle, expanding and reinforcing it as time went on, and using it largely as a store house for their harvests.  They take turns training as an army, but today exist largely on trade with caravans and the king up on the hill.   To date, Peasant's Keep has never been taken: the owners fight with a ferocity not seen in any paid mercenary, and they have learned a great deal about repelling invasion (step one being "invade no one else.")
 
 
Meh.
 
Still not working.
 
 
In short:  the king and feudal system doesn't work unless you're willing to let it.   A world filled with kingdoms is a world filled with cowards.  I have no doubts about the reality of a world full of cowards; I really don't.  However, I adventure so that I may _leave_ it once in a while.
 
 
Duke
 

"There are times, sir, when men of good conscience cannot blindly follow orders. You acknowledge their sentience, but ignore their personal liberties and freedom. Order a man to turn his child over to the state? Not while I'm his captain."
 
"No, I am not dead. Because I refuse to believe the afterlife is run by you. The universe is not so badly designed!"
 
"Fortune favors fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise."

Gojira(1954)- Though this is considered the prototype for all the "kaiju" films that followed(which really isn't true...1961's Mothra is a much more representative prototype of the Japanese kaiju film), it really is a masterpiece of cinema. More than just a metaphor for the atom bomb, the film is representative of war itself and of the difference even one person can make. It's all played straight...and....seen in its original Japanese form...is one of the most thoughtful and influential films of all time. The documentary style directing, black and white cinematography, and brooding powerful music all help to create a film that still impresses even today.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984) and subsequent seasons (until 1994)
 
Adapted from the Conan Doyle stories directly, this series sumptuously brought the late Victorian era to life. But the really great part was that played by Jeremy Brett, who seemed to have almost literally stepped out of  the pages of the books and brought Holmes to life. His mercurial nature, his arrogance and ego, his amazing talent, his mastery of disguise, even his drug issues -- he was the Platonic ideal of an actor playing Sherlock Holmes. I sincerely doubt that we will ever see anything quite like it again.
 
In addition, David Burke and later Edward Hardwicke redefined film/TV portrayals of Dr. Watson. Holmes would not suffer a fool, and Watson was no fool. He was still a perfect foil for Holmes, but practical where Holmes was whimsical -- firmly grounded in reality where Holmes often lived in his own mind.
 
I cannot recommend this highly enough.

A Grand Day Out
The Wrong Trousers
A Close Shave
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
A Matter of Loaf and Death
 
Wallace and Gromit. Four short films and one feature-length movie filled with wacky inventions, sight gags, and an animated dog that says more with his eyebrows than many actors do with their mouths. Pure, delightful stop-motion animated genius. Plus, cheese!
 

Clue (1985)
 
This comedy classic has great cast and a mystery who's ending you can guess, at least one of them.  The best movie based on a board game (it used to be the only one before Battleship).

Princess Mononoke (1999)
 
Hayao Miyazaki made several great movies over the course of his career, but this one deserves special mention. In it, a prince fighting a curse that is gradually devouring him finds himself in the middle of a man-vs-nature conflict in the middle of a divinely-enchanted forest. His moral choices are not pat or easy -- the leader of the industrial center of Irontown has benevolent motives towards her people, but is willing to make accommodations and use ruthless methods to keep the town going, while the forest spirits opposing her are led by a young woman raised by wolf-gods who despises the entire run of humanity. The movie is beautiful to look at, rich in atmosphere, and morally complex. The protagonist is inserted into this situation with the ability to "see with eyes unclouded by hate".

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Horror, humor, pathos...it had it all. Add in the good acting and excellent writing (although there was some decline as the years went on), and you get a very enjoyable show.

"You won, and she chose you, and she loved you, and she's gone. It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?"
 
"If I were you, I'd hate me too."
"I don't hate you."
"But I knew how you felt about Rose and I stayed anyway!"
"That wasn't the problem."
"Then what was?"
"She fell in love with you."

In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.
 
Five by five.
 
Who do you kill for fun around here ?
 
Death is your gift
 
Bored now
 
Oh, Buffy. You really need to have every square inch of your ass kicked.
 
The first day of kindergarten, you cried because you broke the yellow crayon and you were too afraid to tell anyone. You've come pretty far. Ending the world - not a terrific notion... But the thing is... yeah, I love you. I love crayon-breaky Willow and I love scary, veiny Willow. So if I'm goin' out, it's here. If you wanna kill the world, well, then start with me. I've earned that
 
Well, I was gonna walk you off a cliff and hand you an anvil, but it seemed kind of cartoony.
 
Say no more. Evil's still afoot. And I'm almost out of that nancy-boy hair-gel I like so much. Quickly, to the Angel-mobile, away.

"What has two thumbs and still doesn't give a crap? Bob Kelso! I thought we'd met."

"Is this really you? Once you uploaded your brain and stuff, like, are you still the same person?"
"I don't know for sure, but I feel like it's me. I hope that's enough."
 
" Get real, man. You're gonna be the Ice King 'til the sun blows up. This is your one chance. I made a mixtape for the ride, "Summer Jams 3"."

This thread seems to have drifted off the stated topic.  “Jumping the Shark” generally means a particular point in a long running series where you can point to and say “this is where the trouble started”.  Like the shark jump on Happy Days or the birth of the character Meath that Jonathon Winters played on Mork & Mindy etc.
   Here we seem to be complaining about stuff in the first season of a show we personally didn’t happen to like.

Well Duke sorry you had a bad experience with Power Skill. I think it’s great addition to Hero System. I think it’s less of an onus on the GM. Oh you want to try this? Ok roll the dice. ( And if I really like the idea, I do just let it work.)

I think it's a fair question although somewhat hyperbolically stated.  There has to be a cutoff point between what makes sense (which is highly open to interpretation) and what doesn't and what costs points.  The Power skill seems like a good fit as designed for one-off power stunts with the caveat that if a character continues to use the same stunt over and over they should really buy the power.

Adding dangling bits, extra weight, and heading over water seems like the worst possible way to learn to fly a drone.. 

Welcome back, it is a much quieter board than it used to be.  Same old arguments though. 🙂

A song that was popular enough to chart high and get tons of airplay clearly was  not annoying to a lot of people.
 
Poll this in the mid-sixties, and many people would likely suggest that "rock and roll and other children's records *" are all annoying.
 
* to quote Tom Lehrer