Blue Ribbon Comics #3 - pt. 3

And we continue with Scoop Cody, what could have been a dry and boring crime reporter strip, but is livened by the energetic artwork of Charles Biro.

Here, we get to see a jewel case being used as a throwing weapon (improvised weapons do the same damage as fists, 1-3) with another example of disarming. Scoop follows up with a grappling move, a throw that would leave the Count prone for the following turn. But there seems to be a turn of fighting missing between panels, because the Count is back up on his feet to get punched already in panel 4. Now the Count is prone again in panel 5 (as if they were out of order...), but is still able to kick at a -1 penalty to hit. We may have missed another turn of action between panels 5 and 6, or maybe the Count got to draw his knife at the beginning of the turn, but has to wait until the end of the turn to use it. It does seem strange to grapple a prone opponent to make him lose his knife instead of just kicking it out of his hand, though.

I guess chewing gum sticking to a dress could happen, but I'm skeptical he could slip it around her back like that without anyone noticing. A sleight of hand skill check, as an expert skill?

The Marvel is Biro's first "superhero." His power might be levitation...as I'm wondering what he's standing on while looking through that porthole from the outside...

The first time we met Corporal Collins was during our landmark 500th post. I had conjectured that Collins was statted as an alien superhero because of what all he could do, so let's take another look and see if that bears up.

Initially, I wrote off the fabri-steel flexible repeller as flavor text for some Armor Class-buffing power like Nigh-Invulnerable Skin, but an awful lot is made of the "science" behind the repeller, and maybe it really is a trophy item (one that gives the wielder the Turn Guns on Bad Guys power, no less!).

It's also worth noting that, since the U.S. is still not at war with anyone, Collins has to be fighting with the French.

I almost have nightmares about this happening in one of my games. "Oh look, guys, we just captured an enemy fighter plane! Let's be unstoppable for awhile!"

That said, I'm REALLY skeptical that you could take off in a plane like that. Maybe that's an expert skill check, with a penalty of having to take a higher die (so 1 in 8 instead of 1 in 6).

I'm sure that munitions dump was worth a lot of XP!

Now, here's where the story differs from what players would really do. Instead of ditching the plane to stay in the combat, players would look at the longterm benefits of keeping the plane, bail from the fight, and go refuel.  You could put every fuel depot under heavy guard, but that's not too big a deterrent when you can strafe the depots with machine gun fire from above.

Now, Collins landing on the balloon would be an attack roll, but against AC 9 since it's a big target. I would require a basic skill check for climbing around the balloon like that.

There is absolutely no explanation for the corkscrew tank that Collins steals after he reaches the ground. What purpose does it serve? Does it wreck through walls faster? I would think that tanks wreck through walls pretty well already. Maybe it opens giant champagne bottles.

That is one super-powerful grenade. I might give one a chance to wreck a tank or a bridge, but a grenade that can wreck both at once? I do have a high-level power called Mass Wrecking. Is Collins a superhero of that high a level?

This is a new series called Devils in the Deep. I really want to stat that monster, but I don't know what to call it -- killer lobster-tiger shark-barracuda-man? 

And how big was that barracuda to have a heart that size?

The monster is pretty smart, since it understands what dynamite is. It's also cagey enough to pretend to kill Dr. Carbo, even though it must know it can't.

Later, the killer lobster-tiger shark-barracuda-man kills a giant octopus, so we know it's at least that strong.

This is from a series called Secret Assignments. Jack only has to overpower two guards to free the prisoners. You might think they would have bum-rushed the guards themselves, having superior numbers. Perhaps even stranger is that Jack leaps all that way down to reach the guard -- maybe sustaining 1-6 points of damage from the fall? -- and then punches the guard. Of course, what happened was that Jack rolled poorly and missed falling on the guard!

(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum.)

Blue Ribbon Comics #3 - pt. 2

Stuart Logan not only knows to look for clues, but knows that how a trail of blood moves around furniture can itself be a clue.

I'm not convinced this is a good way to murder someone, but it would make a good trap for injuring someone.

This filler page explains what most comic book robots of the time are based on, Elektro being the real life robot from the World's Fair.

This is Silver Fox, another detective. He wisely points out a problem with fingerprinting -- having one set of fingerprints does  you no good without another set of fingerprints to compare it too (which is why he's pretending he wants to buy the vase).

Personally, I feel like this is a bit of a cheat in an investigation scenario, but sometimes, if your player just isn't picking up on the right clues, you have to let his Hero overhear a confession. Or you can prearrange for there to be a confession, but the Hero has to be in the right place at the right time to hear it.

I'm pretty sure the police can't do this now, and probably not then either.

I have never been a fan of this guy, who's art graced all the early Centaur comics. Dick Ryan's "The Master Plan of Billy Wolf" ends in Billy being placed in a deathtrap and hurled off a cliff -- so, that's right, kids -- Billy is lying there dead at the end.

Note how quickly the reporter is deputized, just for being a played character who shows up at the crime scene.

Classic -- this is the 20th century version of hiding a gem in the head of a cane. Players often don't think of the versatile uses of chewing gum. Now that I think of it, I think I'll buy a pack for my own Hero!

(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum.)

Blue Ribbon Comics #2 - pt. 1

This is shaping up to be my least productive month on the blog in the past two and a half years! And we end this month, revisiting MLJ's second issue of their first comic book.

Hmm...according to Rang-a-Tang the Wonder Dog, dogs can make high jumps into second story windows. Or maybe I'm selling the "wonder" in "wonder dog" too short. Could this be the first dog superhero?

Hmm again...if you see unusual tire tracks, you can call the Rubber Manufacturers Association and they can tell you where the tires were sold? It seems implausible..and yet, players sometimes need really easy hints to keep them moving in the right direction.

Assuming this page is referring to the North Bay in Ontario, it seems very unlikely that Detective Speed is going to need a dog sled to get around. This would be an example of adding "local color" to a foreign scene by utilizing common cliches about it.

It seems unlikely that seeing the same tire tracks in Canada would signify anything, since Speed was already told that those tires were only sold in Canada, and hence would be more common there. This would be another example of keeping the clues really simple.

You heard Speed -- rifles way a lot and slow you down! No complaining about encumbrance rules allowed now.

Okay, think about this one. Dan Hasting's friend, Dr. Carter, wants to set Dan up with an assistant. First, he picks one with an obvious personal grudge against him. Then, he talks up what a "fine technician" he is, when Barnes is almost 50 and still just an assistant. The lesson here is -- if your Editor tries to set you up with a supporting cast member who seems suspicious -- ask questions. Check references. Your Editor could be setting you up for a trap later.

That's right -- if an atomic blast hits your spaceship, it's not the heat that will get to you -- it's the humidity. I love how clueless people were about atomic radiation in 1939. You can use this in your campaigns to have atomic radiation do any crazy thing you want it to. Humidity? Sure, why not!

This is Buck Stacey. Now, it's true that low-level Heroes and mobsters with low Hit Dice have a roughly 50/50 chance to hit something. Some people might think that seems low. I give you this page, then, as evidence of how hard it is to hit someone. That gunman is shooting at Buck as Buck rides away with his back to him, in a straight line, at short range -- and misses. Now, there is also the Hero's save vs. missiles to factor in here, but I believe a low chance to hit is still justifiable.

This is Scoop Cody, and Scoop is the guy in orange. That might surprise you, because the guy dominating this scene is the mysteryman in a suit and ski mask. The guy (his calling card says he's called Marvel) just wanders into the scene like a wandering encounter -- proving that Hero classes need to be featured on the wandering mobster tables.

This is Bob Phantom -- one of my favorite characters to make fun of about his name. You can tell Bob is low-level; here, Bob warns the bad guys not to kill this guy. But, hey, they've got Tommy guns, so Bob is just going to warn here where it's safe. Hey, he did warn them, at least!

(Read at Comic Book Plus.)

Star Comics #13

By 1938, Centaur is publishing less silly stuff and more adventure. Which is good for its inclusion here!

Costumes are important for superheroes, but optional for everyone else. Secret identities are entirely optional -- you can take them as seriously or as not seriously as you want.

This is "Scoop" Cody, aka the Mask.  He insists on wearing the mask even though it doesn't fool anyone. His supporting cast has figured it out and barely humor him.

And it's not just his girlfriend who has him figured out -- even the bad guy sees through the obvious disguise! Hideouts & Hoodlums has a mechanic where anyone in costume can be recognized with a save vs. plot, but it is up to the Editor how often to use this and it will help determine the mood of the campaign he wants.

After Dan Hastings, Fred Guardineer launches another hero for Centaur -- Don Marlow.

The locale is high fantasy -- "a strange island in a lake of liquid gold". It seems Don can get all the XP for treasure he wants by dipping a bucket! Not content with just getting rich (which I suspect many players would do instead), Dan and friends search the island and run into one of the earliest uses of amazons in comics. Amazons have no H&H entry, yet, but will in 2nd edition.

Note the use of one of Guardineer's favorite tricks, having people speak backwards.

Here's something to consider: can a Lawful (or even a Neutral) Hero strike a female? Should a code of honor be entirely self-regulated, or should the save vs. plot mechanic be used for this?  There already is a precedent for the later, in the save needed for non-Fighters to shoot anyone.

And just what is Don and the Professor wearing? Is that supposed to be chainmail, or just heavy sweaters?

Move over Bunnies & Burrows -- this game is Walruses & Wastelands!  If I only had time for yet more projects...

(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum)