The Comics #11

This is from Man Hunt, and at issue here is women in Hideouts & Hoodlums.  I had suggested some time ago about statting women as a separate race in H&H -- not because women are a separate race, but because they are treated differently in comic books, in ways that could impact game mechanics. This ability to be constantly underestimated could be a real advantage for players needing to, say, sneak guns into a jail.

This is from Rod Rian of the Sky Police.  I share it because that temple shaped like a giant skull is just begging to be the entrance to a hideout.

Saber-tooth dogs -- because if they were saber-tooth cats this would seem to much like Earth!  They look tough; I would probably give them...oh, let's say 3+2 Hit Dice (one pip per saber).

This is a well-choreographed fight scene, but remember that feints and aiming for the solar plexus are all just flavor text -- this battle is being resolved by slow hit point loss.

Here's an example of a brigand (explained in Book II as Chaotic bandits).

When grappling, you can either maintain the pin automatically each turn until your opponent succeeds at a save vs. science to escape the hold or you can do damage (like by strangling), but then have to roll to hit again the following turn. As long the grappling hold remains unbroken (no made saves or no missed attack rolls), then I guess there's no reason the attacker could not switch back and forth between the two.

Of course, the head clubbing is done at +4 to hit because the brigand is prone. Attacking the prone brigand from behind does not stack additional pluses.

I think these two are pretty funny.

(Scans courtesy of Comic Book Plus)

The Comics #8

Ted Strong, indirectly, made me think of an interesting question today. What do you call hoodlums in a Western campaign? This page makes me think "henchmen" would be a good substitute for hoodlums, in a Western or any non-urban setting.



Rod Rian introduced us to the devil-like aliens, the Mephisians, last issue. This time we meet their enemies and they are, refreshingly, not made to look like angels. Instead, we have the Unicor who, interestingly enough, are distinguishable from the Mephistians by virtue of having just one horn instead of two and hair (reminding me of Star Trek's "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield").

Projectile planes look like spaceships, but they don't appear to be able to enter orbit. They would more properly treated like jets.

The destructor-flame gun is an interesting weapon -- it seems to shoot a pencil-thin beam and only erupts into flames when it hits its target. In this sense, it's more like a heat ray than a flame thrower.

I would not normally turn to a humor strip like Salesman Sam for realism, but perhaps Sam makes a good case that not everyone should have a game mechanic available to them for climbing sheer walls. This will likely remain a Mysteryman skill, or a stunt that can be prepared.

This cowboy is Tex Ritter, and I include these panels for three quick points. One, those costumes, like poison-KKK mash-ups, are pretty impressive-looking designs. Second, "cracker box" was apparently slang for a jail cell. Third, poisoned whiskey bottles might make a good trap for your Heroes, depending on how likely they are to drink out of random bottles found in hideouts.

Tomorrow...Action Comics #1, at last!

(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum)



 

The Comics #7 - pt. 1

Dell seems to have shaken up the line-up of The Comics so that it's not so many comic strip reprints anymore.

So, for this April 1938 issue, we start with cowboy nobody remembers, Ted Strong -- and Ted would sure be a goner already if not for his horse!  But what's the game mechanic here? Did Ted simply fail his saving throw vs. science, but the horse made its save? Or should there be some mechanic that is Hit Dice-based that would allow one to ignore certain effects (like x number of pounds of force)? I sense there should be some elegant way of creating that mechanic, but I'm just not seeing it yet...

Speaking of something that there's currently no game mechanic for -- how much damage should a boulder rolled off a cliff do to someone underneath it? Maybe we can wing that, from what we do have. Let's see...a 180 lb. opponent does a base 1d6 damage. Hit Dice and damage progress incrementally together on this model. So, let's be charitable and say that boulder is 1,000 lbs. That would be 5d6 damage. But it's also falling, oh, let's say 50'. So let's add 5d6 of falling damage to that, making it 10d6.

Or, the Editor would be within his rights to simply say save vs. missiles or die (unless the Hero is a Superhero with one of the "raise" powers ready to activate!).

If I were ever to create a cowboy-themed supplement for Hideouts & Hoodlums (and don't think I haven't considered that), I would compile a lot of the educational material from the comic books, like this piece. Maybe not so much for the Indian lore, but I found the saddle primer interesting, and would be useful for a cowboy player to know.

Similarly, this page of nautical-themed info on ships' bells and knot-tying could be conceivably improve someone's campaign flavor text.

Whoa!  I have no idea how to stat them yet, but Alien, Mephistosian needs to become a thing for H&H!  What a way to side-step the whole demons and devils controversy!

Rod Rian was, according to comics.org, a British strip that was purchased for U.S. distribution, much like Sheena of the Jungle will be by 1939.

I don't know what Carno is supposed to be -- a giant mutant ape?

Called shots to the eye, by the way, is a no-no for H&H -- unless the long-neglected optional hit location charts from Supplement II: All-American are in use.

Mephistosians fight with scimitars, and seem to show a surprising lack of technology for a sci fi feature.

(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum)