Pól Ruadh

Re: Reimagining the Superhero I'd definitely recommend the BPRD series. It's spun-off from Hellboy, but without the big, red bloke to bask stuff with his giant fist, the team have to rely on a far more investigatory approach. It's a nice blend of superheroes (most of the characters are superhumans of some sort, but none of them are wearing tights and fighting crime) and investigative horror a la Call of Cthulhu.

Re: Luchador Wine? We're south of the border... We're like Mexico EXTREME!!! yeah. yeah, i'll buy that...

Re: Luchador Wine? I'd gladly submit to some MMA cheese.

Re: Lucha Libre convention game! Not all luchadors wear masks. Many formerly masked luchadors lose their masks in mask vs mask or hair vs mask matches where the loser not only loses the match, but their mask or hair as well. One of the 'rules' is that, once you have lost your mask, you shouldn't wear it again. It's acceptable to assume another identity... El Santo himself once wrestled as 'El Hombre Rojo' early on in his career, but you shouldn't put the old mask back on... some purists were somewhat miffed that Rey Misterio, jr. reassumed his mask after losing it. But yeah, there are many, many luchadors who don't wear masks.

Re: Campaign Idea . . . almost. The DC/Vertigo Series 'The Exterminators' used the whole pest control angle pretty well, and is potentially a great source for REALLY unique PC's (and, in many cases, REALLY disgusting NPCs). but I think general contractors is probably your best bet. They're basically blue collar guys who get called in to solve problems. Unfortunately, the problems end up bigger than they expected.

Re: Luchador Wine? Most wines will mess you up... Luchador Wine will mess you up RIGHTEOUSLY! Ole!

Re: Mutants and Masterminds: Why did you stay/come back? I played Champions for over 10 years... maybe over 20? (eek!) but the reason I switched was because I found phased combat somewhat irksome (especially recovery) and the need to quantify and number crunch everything was getting in the way. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for the lessons learned and the years of fun I had playing Champions, and I love the boundless enthusiasm and passion the writers have for the various genres they work with, but in the end, I wanted something a little more streamlined.

Re: Lucha Libre Hero Great review, James. I confess, I'm exactly one of those people. I played Hero for decades but eventually grew tired of its need to exactly quantify everything. That said, I have to admire the dedication and genuine passion the developers and writers have for the material. I didn't think it was possible, but now I'm even more hyped to get my copy of 'Lucha Hero'.

Re: Lucha Libre Hero Plot Threads I had a really similar idea for a character in a Feng Shui game... El Sol Diablo (it's bad Spanish, but scans better than El Diablo del Sol - the first time I got the chance to play a luchador. Basically, my character was the young protege of the original El Sol Diablo. El Sol Diablo (the elder) was a luchador, famous for his devastating finishing move, The Supernova Press, a move so dangerous that he has never found a student to teach it to... a move capable of injuring or even killing an opponent or an untrained luchador who attempts it. What he was less famous for was being a secret monster hunter. For years, though, monster-hunting fell by the wayside. El Sol Diablo devoted himself to his career, training a successor, and living the high life. Finally, the call came, but El Sol Diablo's many years away from monster hunting had taken its toll. He succumbed to a massive heart attack and was rushed to hospital. His young successor took up the mask. Unwilling to allow his master's honour to be besmirched, he vowed to take his place so that no-one need know of his weakness. Unfortunately, there are two downsides. Firstly, the new El Sol Diablo thinks he's going to a wrestling event, not a monster hunt... and secondly, he has never successfully performed The Supernova Press.

Re: the honorable rudo Thanks so much, guys. I'm so glad you're enjoying my manic genre nerdery.

Re: Pulp Lucha Saying that 'mucha lucha' ruined anything is overstating it. Sure there are going to be people who will associate it with the cartoon, or with Jack Black in 'Nacho Libre' or over-the-top WWE ridiculousness. But then again, some folks will always associate superheroes with Adam West playing Batman in the 1960's. As long as there are people willing to look beyond the most immediate artefacts to the genuine stuff, nothing's ruined.

Re: the honorable rudo As for the name, well, I wanted something stereotypically evil. Originally, he was El Ombre Negro (The Black Shadow), but I wasn't comfortable with the whole Black = Evil thing. I changed him to El Demonio because I am a HUGE fan of Blue Demon, and made him White instead of Black because of all the great evil luchadors who primarily wore white, including El Angel Blanco, and of course, Dr.Wagner and El Medico Asesino. In fact, the whole formation and destruction of the tag team part of the story was inspired by La Ola Blanca (The White Wave), the trio consisting of El Angel Blanco, Dr.Wagner and El Solitario. When El Solitario turned technico, Dr.Wagner and El Angel Blanco turned on him, and of course, El Angel Blanco would lose his mask, just as Tigre Ramirez did.

Re: the honorable rudo There isn't much of a backstory to El Demonio Blanco (Blanca? Not sure) anyhoo... I haven't started playing Lucha Hero yet, and the three luchadors I currently play (El Aguila Azul in Mutants & Masterminds, El Diablo Del Sol in Feng Shui, and El Mono Mascarado, who is my alter ego when I have cause to don my wrestling mask and cause trouble, are all technicos, so I had to come up with a rudo on the spot. Simply put, El Demonio is a tough kid. Raised poor, he realized early on that if he wanted something, he took it. That mercy was for the weak and that half-measures were for the half-hearted. As a result, he became a bully and a thug... oddly enough (and it's not something even HE has noticed), unlike most bullies, he tends to pick on people larger and stronger than he is - a result of being bullied so much as a child. Also, he has a soft spot for children and will never harm them. Anyone foolish enough to question this is never foolish enough to do so twice. As a child, he enjoyed going to local lucha libre events, however, as he grew to be a teenager, he came to sneer at the luchadors... play-acting as tough guys. Especially the technicos, who he saw as weak men, weakening themselves further with their stupid pointless codes of honour. "There is a name for those who play fair," he used to say, "and that name is 'Loser'. The only thing their honour is good for is comforting them after I've taken everything from them." One night, drunk in a bar, he picked a fight with a luchador and a raucous melee ensued. Finally, the luchador's friends had to separate the two. Word soon came to Senor Alfredo Ramon De La Cruz, a local promoter, who offered him a job. Life on the streets was getting tough and The Kid was starting to attract lots of enemies with his 'never back down' style. He saw lucha libre as killing two birds with one stone - he could beat up the sissified musclemen he hated so much, and lie low under a mask for awhile. His attitude marked him as an outsider in the locker room, bitter and resentful, until he met another man as bitter as he was, 'Tigre' Ramirez. Together the two formed El Pareja Vicioso. For years, the two were the scourge of wrestling rings across Mexico and fans lined up for hours to buy tickets to see them brought low. Finally, Ramirez became embittered. It was THEM the fans were coming to see, and yet they were making a fraction of the amount the main event Technicos were making. He hatched a scheme to kidnap Senor Cruz' son, Pepito, and ransom him back, but when he shared his plan with his partner, El Demonio went crazy. For the first time, when he looked into the rage-crazed eyes of his partner, the 'fearless' Ramirez felt a cold dread, and broke down, begging for his life. Afterwards, his mind raced. What if El Demonio told Senor Cruz what had happened? He'd be fired, and he couldn't have that. And besides, El Demonio has made him afraid, had seen his weakness. The shame of his craven cowardice stung like a brand. He went to Senor Cruz and showed him the bruises. He showed him the broken furniture and trashed lockerroom from El Demonio's fearsome rage. He could no longer partner with El Demonio. He had seen the error of his ways and had turned over a new leaf. From now on, he wished to be booked as a technico. If being a rule-breaker and a thug led to the kind of behaviour El Demonio had shown, he explained. He wanted no part of it... to quit now, while he still could. Also, he explained, El Senor Cruz should keep a wary eye on El Demonio. He had a devil in his heart, and who knows what such a devil would make him do next? And with that, he began to reconfigure his plans, only this time, there would be a convenient scapegoat... a nefarious, cruel and untrustworthy man who no-one would believe could possibly be innocent. Soon, he would get everything he deserved. Main-event money, recognition, and the destruction of the one man who had witnessed his shame. It was all so perfect... nothing could go wrong. ... wow. I wrote all that just off the top of my head. Lucha Libre is AWESOME!

Re: the honorable rudo The light swept over the scene, as the muscular man with the cruel, cruel eyes clutched at the tattered remnants of his mask. Standing over him, his knuckles bruised and a contemptuous snarl on his lips, stood the mysterious luchador, El Fantasma Verde. "Rata sucia," he muttered at his fallen opponent, "it's over for you." The approaching police cars trained their headlights on the two opponents as Captain Menendez stepped forward. "Congratulations, El Fantasma, you've caught that rotten monster, El Demonio Blanco." El Fantasma looked over at the police officer, "...and rescued the child, El Capitan." El Fantasma glanced over where Pepito was being re-united with his mother and father. A flicker of a smile danced on his lips, but it was only a flicker... and only briefly, as his gaze turned back to his erstwhile opponent. Roughly, he tore away the remaining scraps of white and red leather, "How about you finally show us your face?" The fallen man clutched desperately at the mask, but was powerless before his captor's fury. In the light, he was revealed. "Madre de dios," gasped Captain Menendez, "Oscar Ramirez? You mean HE was the kidnapper all the time? But he was El Demonio's tag-team partner until he turned technico and lost his mask. How could HE be El Demonio Blanco?" El Fantasma smiled, "Anyone can wear a mask, El Capitan, and we've heard most of it already. Yes, it's true that El Demonio and 'Tigre' Ramirez were partners, and yes, it's true that one of them resented Pepito's father, Senor Cruz. One of them DID feel that Senor Cruz was cheating them of money... "...but it was NOT El Demonio. Still, when El Demonio refused to go along with Ramirez' plan, Ramirez tried to ruin El Demonio. Spread lies about him and smeared his reputation. Made it seem like Ramirez had changed his ways in the face of El Demonio's increasing rage and bitterness. "Finally, El Demonio challenged Ramirez to a contest of honour... mascara contra mascara. And won. "For months, it was thought that this was the end, but the dishonour of being unmasked merely fuelled Ramirez' rage... and having to play the role of supportive technico made it even worse. "Finally, he decided. If El Demonio could make him lose his mask, he would make El Demonio lose face in ANOTHER way." The captain stared at the fallen luchador, bitterness, resentment and anger forming a new mask across his bare face. "But El Fantasma, how do you know all this?" "I know," he said, his hands reaching to unlace the back of his mask, "Because I AM EL DEMONIO BLANCO!" tearing lose the green and silver leather, to reveal the white mask beneath, "And I am sick of hiding myself to protect this... imposter." He spat the final word as though it was poison in his mouth. Pepito's father gaped in awe, "But... but why? Why not come forth and tell us?" The true El Demonio Blanco looked rueful, "How could I? Would you have believed me? The Terror of the Ring? A man notorious for violence and dirty tactics? And besides, I always thought I could stop him before things would go so far. I never wanted to destroy him... he was almost a brother to me. "By the time I realized how far gone he was, it was too late. Nobody would have believed me. "I had to stop him. Before he could hurt Pepito. Before he could hurt himself." Senor Cruz rested his hand on El Demonio's shoulder, "You have returned my son to me, Senor. You are an honourable man." "No, Senor. I am not. I am as you see me. But I am NOT a monster." He glanced over at his former partner being led away by the police. In his eyes was a terrible hatred that El Demonio now knew would never leave, "I am just sorry it took me so long to see it in him." Captain Menendez walked over to El Demonio. "We will still have some questions to ask. Can I give you a lift to the station?" "Certainly," replied El Demonio Blanco, and walked off towards the Captain's cruiser. "He is a very brave man," said little Pepito to his papa. "Si, Pepito. A brave man indeed. And good. I hope he realizes THAT before it's too late too."

Re: How did you handle the change in the Champions Universe between the 4th Ed & 5th I just kept playing 4th Ed. Never did the crossover.

Re: Character Concepts and Appearance, what gets your juices flowing? I usually start with a strong archetype and start tweaking like a madman.

Re: Lucha Libre Hero Plot Threads Just as Jay Garrick handed his alter ego on to Barry Allen, who then passed the torch to Wally West... legacies are a big part of Lucha Libre, as El Santo passes on his mask to one of his sons, El Hijo Del Santo. Ditto Blue Demon and his son, Blue Demon jr. and, of course, Rey Mysterio and his nephew, Rey Mysterio jr. And then, there are the second or third generation luchadors who create all new identities, such as Silver King, the son of the diabolical Dr.Wagner.

Re: Some annoying news on Lucha Hero There's a proud tradition of Canadian Luchadors, including Vampiro, who started his career as El Vampiro Canadienne, and Chris Jericho who worked for many years as El Corazon De Leon, and even had a photocomic published where he was inspired to be a wrestler by a talking frog no less!

Re: Classic Champions: Power Source Suggestions I love this stuff.

Re: TV to rpg

Re: TV to rpg Ah yes, love the Tomorrow People. I am, of course, referring to the original series from the 70's and not the incredible naff remake from the 90's. Teenage psychics with teleport belts and an AI fight paranormal horror. Good stuff!

Re: Some annoying news on Lucha Hero Looks like the work of El Accidento Bizarro. I've felt the sting of his villainy many a time! Buena suerte, hombres.

Re: Missing Airliner El Aguila Azul would contact a scientist pal and hire a plane from a nearby airfield to investigate. EDIT: The scientist's 'weird stuff meter' would pick up the weird energy signature and El Aguila would tell him to take the plane in for a landing while he parachutes into the energy cloud.

Re: TV to rpg I'd love to play a game that incorporated all that awesome 60's Telefantasy stuff. The Champions, The Avengers, Ace of Wands, The Prisoner, Department S, Adam Adamant, Sapphire and Steel... all gold! Throw it all in together, or make up analogues... but I'd love to see a weird superspy game set in that kind of milieu. Actually, for those who are interested, DC/Wildstorm did a neat series called 'The Establishment' in which a bunch of heroes who were analogues of Number 6 (The Prisoner), The Champions, John Steed and Emma Peel (The Avengers), The Doctor (Doctor Who), and Randall and Hopkirk, Deceased (known in the US as 'My Partner, The Ghost'). It didn't last very long, but what was there was awesome.

Re: The Marvels That Men Do! (Marvel Comics Conversion to Pulp) "A mysterious dust settles over New York City, all who touch it, fall into an instant, deep slumber. A band of arch-criminals uses this to cover a series of daring crimes. Police are baffled, but ace journalist Peter Parker believes that something even more sinister than robbery is the motive. Can he, and his mysterious alter ego, the shadowy Spider-Man solve The Sinister Schemes of The Sandman?" (Flint Marko, rather than being the Sandman himself, would appear in this story as the true mastermind's chief henchman.) "A series of what seem like terrible accidents rocks the city, leaving carnage, devastation and sorrow in their wake, and yet, one shadowy figure sees more than misery - he sees opportunity. "Swooping as if out of nowhere to loot the ruins, the terrible saboteur behind this diabolical plot seems destined to leave New York a wasteland unless he can be stopped. "Can even The Spider-Man stop The Claws of The Vulture?" "Reed Richard's daring crew are called in to uncover the culprit behind a series of missing ships, only to discover a new threat from deep beneath the sea which may be even more dangerous that Doctor Doom! "Don't miss... Prisoners of Prince Namor!!!"