Top-Notch Comics #4 - pt. 2

We're back and, if you've been waiting on me to finish the Wizard's story, here it is -- the Wizard defeats the "Bundonian" sub by lifting it out of the water. That's right, he can lift at least 750 tons over his head, without even firm ground underneath him. As unlikely as that is, I have to wonder if he's not actually using some form of levitation -- contra-gravity discs attached to the hull -- and then is pretending to hold it up just for the showmanship of it? Or, hey, I'd even be willing to accept some combination of the two. 

This ending brings up the issue of what to do in your Hideouts & Hoodlums campaigns when it's well before 1945, but your heroes have already forced Germany, or your German-analog country, to surrender. One possibility is to just keep replacing them with German-analog countries ("Bundonia surrenders...but the next day their neighbors Caledonia declares war on Europe!"). Or the country reneges on their surrender, finding some excuse to invalidate it and then continues the war effort. Or, you and your players agree to a campaign where nothing the Heroes do has an impact on continuity between sessions, as if the world resets each session (very much like many golden age comic books, though I don't recommend this so much for fun campaign play). 

But you didn't come back to hear more about the Wizard, you came back for Dick Storm. Because who can resist Dick Storm? 

Here we find an unimaginatively named Chile analog called Chilan, with an unusual history. It's not too surprising that, 22 years after the 1918 pandemic, people were still worried about plagues, but Chile had not had its own plague during the intervening years. 

I wonder what the president thinks Dick Storm is going to be able to do about a plague. Shouldn't he talking to a doctor instead?

Here is a great example of Hideouts & Hoodlums' abstract combat system, and at the same time an argument against specific hit locations. At point blank range, the assassin could probably hit Dick Storm anywhere, but panel 2 seems to make it appear the bullet is going to land in his right arm or stomach. In panel 3, the bullet lands in his left arm. 

That is the worst outfit for an assassin ever. Maybe not; I suppose pink pajamas would make him stand out even more.

Rana is surprised to see how quickly Dick Storm stands erect.

Pruvians is almost certainly an analogue for Peruvians. In reality, Chile and Peru had been at peace since 1883.

"I have a plan but you need to turn your army over to me for a few days."

"Sure, what could go wrong?"

"I'll also need access to all your bank accounts. And -- heeyyy...if you're Chileans, why is your daughter blonde?"

"Rana! Despite parading around in a cocktail dress, you've managed to sneak past my entire air force and reached that plane!"

Dick swings into action! Honestly, I can't even make fun of this stuff anymore because now I think the author is in on all the jokes.

To their credit, these soldiers have had about five minutes of uninterrupted stare-up-a-dress-time as the parachutists descend, but their thoughts are entirely on Dick Storm when they reach the ground. 

The fact that the general is still standing there unarmed in panel 7 as Dick Storm is attacking him seems to suggest Dick is enjoying a surprise round, but I don't think the circumstances here would have warranted a surprise roll. Rather, I think Dick won initiative and the Editor had made no statement yet of the general's intentions. It's also possible that the general is holding his gun in the shadows of his uniform; his whole right hand seems malformed, as if hastily drawn.

In a chase sequence, the desk in the way would be considered a complication to overcome, but in a combat sequence, this panel is correct; in H&H, you can ignore obstacles in your way during melee, unless you choose to incorporate them into your flavor text (or, obviously, if you plan to pick it up and use it as a weapon!).

I remember this scene from the first Indiana Jones movie. Plane propellers are nasty weapons; I'd put this at least in the range of 3-12 damage, so no wonder the soldiers are running. 

You might have guessed that Dick Storm's plan turns out perfectly and Chile surrenders after Dick arranges for a lot of them to die. So we're going to jump way ahead towards the end of the next story featuring Moore of the Mounted. Here we see an example of a trap as a wandering encounter. This page also shows us a good example of Lawful and Chaotic Alignments and how they differ in this scenario.

Technically Sgt. Moore is right; an Olympic skier can achieve downhill speeds of ten times someone running on foot, but the average speed of the average skier is more like 2 1/2 times faster (Movement rate 30 as opposed to 12).

And now we're going to make one last jump into the next story, Streak Chandler of Mars. I think from just this one page you can tell the backstory borrows heavily from Flash Gordon, with the wrinkle of the gangsters forcing them all to leave. Streak's problems are a frequent staple of the sports genre. The art isn't very good, but doesn't Streak look awful old to be a college football player?

(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum.)
 

 

 

Wonderworld Comics #8 - pt. 4

Mob Buster Robinson is in a pickle of a death trap here. The Editor gives him a sharp rail and one turn to use it to cut himself free. He then has to beat the train in initiative in order to move first, or he's run over and killed (a train can be assumed to do enough damage to automatically kill anyone not being buffed by a defensive power).

I have written before about how level title is a soft game mechanic that essentially acts as a guideline for how much the hero can boss around non-hero characters. At this point, with only four 4-5 page long adventures under his belt, Robinson should be only a 2nd level fighter, also known as a detective. It seems a little convenient, to me, to have a beat cop surrender his motorcycle and gun to a detective just on his say-so, so something else may be going on here. Maybe he rolled a 12 on his encounter reaction check?

The chase scene is also ended conveniently fast. My new chase mechanics in 2nd edition slow it down somewhat, though they still play fast (I've had cause to use them twice now in my current campaign). Nothing in my rules allows for shooting a tire to make it skid off the road, though -- unless you treat the bullet as a halting obstacle (which is a bit of a stress).

This (page from "Spark" Stevens) is one of the first times a blow to the solar plexus has any kind of special effect on someone in comics. Second edition has no hit location system, though I did introduce an optional one once in The Trophy Case. More likely, I think, this little man is classed as a mysteryman and poking with his cane is his signature move!

(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)