Popular Comics #7 - pt. 1

Another issue of Dell's Popular Comics has a lot to teach us!

Here, Gasoline Alley shows us that Fighters should be able to climb.  Well, actually, I think every class should have the ability to climb trees. Some games would just assign a big modifier to a skill check, but I think we can waive a mechanic entirely for tree climbing.

Ultra-obscure comic strip reprint A Strain on the Family Tie is going to illuminate some aspect of Hideouts & Hoodlums for us?   It does when it reminds us that fireworks are legally available for sale (though not on the starting equipment list, they should be easily picked up in game play), and make great diversions for Heroes to use.

Hatchet men would be another name -- and perhaps a less offensive name, for Yellow Peril Hoodlums.  I plan to retain this mobster type, though I'm seriously considering adding to them that they are adept at ambushes, with perhaps a 3 in 6 chance of surprise.



The Dick Tracy installment reminds us of more tools available to "modern day" Heroes of the '30s and '40s -- though not as available as fireworks -- the lie detector and the "trick mirror" that can be seen through from the other side.

Little Joe's bandit general pal here demonstrates two combat moves: disarming (which will have its own game mechanic in the next edition) and the technique that only seems to exist in comics -- picking up someone and using them as a club against another target (Batman will do this frequently in his early days).  After grappling the first target, the attacker can use this technique to do clubbing damage to both opponents at once.  Editors might want to limit this technique only to Heroes with a Strength of 15 or higher.

Reg'lar Fellers reminds us of two more potentially useful items for Heroes to acquire -- stilts and glue.  Glue is even going to be on the starting equipment list.

This panel of On the Range reminds us that bisons have not been statted for H&H yet, and perhaps they should be. Wikipedia tells me that bison at Yellowstone National Park are three times as likely to harm people than bears, and I've long since statted bears!  The American bison would have 6 HD, trample for 1-10+1 damage, and use 12-siders for Hit Dice because of their mass.

(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum)

Popular Comics #1 - pt. 2

Look out, Connie!  Good thing that guy shooting at you is a lousy shot; the side of that plane is only going to serve as soft cover for you.  I'm guessing you don't have much of a Dexterity bonus to speak of, so that means that guy only has to hit an Armor Class of 8 to hit you!

Hard to say how to play Terry's move there, as it's somewhere in between a trip and a tackle.  If I had to choose, I'd call that a trip attack.  Then there would actually be one turn between panels where they grappled the guy while he was prone.

There's no real game mechanic to highlight here, but that's a pretty slick trick that Skull Man pulls on Pat there.  Try it in your hideouts!

Can you blame that "hoss" for missing its morale save?  Bears get a daunting 7 Hit Dice in Book II: Mobsters & Trophies, making them one of the toughest encounters a basic-level Hero is likely to encounter (good thing they're not always hostile!).  They might get toned down slightly for the next edition.

  I talked about game mechanics for tightrope walking before here.  Falling damage in Hideouts & Hoodlums is 1d6 per 10', with no official damage cap.  If Little Joe is right and that canyon is really a mile deep, he's looking at 528d6 damage! No Editor should feel guilty for just saying Little Joe went splat at this point and not even bother rolling dice.  Nor should the Editor feel guilty for having placed a mile-deep canyon there, since he gave Little Joe's player no reason to cross it, only the opportunity.

Toonerville Folks is not going to make it onto this blog often, but here the idea of Heroes just going out and randomly digging for treasure struck me as noteworthy.  Why not?  If the Editor fails to entice them with plot hooks worth nibbling on, then just grab a shovel, head outdoors, and enjoy...oh, maybe a 1% chance of finding something interesting buried there. Then you can wonder about how it got there.  Maybe that will turn out to be a plot hook!



(Scans courtesy of the Digital Comic Museum at http://www.digitalcomicmuseum.org/index.php?dlid=1630)