Tip Top Comics #22, 23

Or, v. 2, no. 10 and 11, from Feb. and Mar. 1938.

And we'll start with The Captain and the Kids, one of, if not the oldest, comic strip to be republished in comic book form, having begun back in 1914 (though called Hans und Fritz until 1918). For such a superficially Germanic feature, it's odd how long the strip was based in various parts of Africa.

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Game notes: Well...um...still trying to wrap my head around gluing pants to a tree. Would it really be easier to climb out of the pants rather than rip the pants? Climbing out of your pants is normally too easy to roll for, but under these

conditions, I would treat it as an expert skill check just to not tear them accidentally. And wrecking a pair of pants would be much easier than wrecking a door -- same mechanic, but with a +1 or +2 bonus.

Then there's the other issue of running with a barrel over your head and not falling over. Save vs. science to keep your balance? But how often to force rolls? I guess that depends on terrain - maybe once every 360' on level terrain, but every 180' on lightly wooded, flat terrain?

On to Jim Hardy. I'm not interesting in game mechanics for torture, as I've said here before, but I share this page because of the efforts to use a tool to break down the door, which begs the question, should that plank of wood give him some kind of bonus? If Jim had a big sledge hammer in his hands, I'd consider a +1, but awkwardly hitting the door with a wooden

plank in his hands? I think he's more likely to give himself a splinter than to knock that door down.

And then there's the other issue, of how he sees the rocks piled behind the door, even though he couldn't budge the door an inch just a panel earlier. I can't explain that one, but I can explain that the rocks would make it much harder to wreck through the door. Essentially, it is not a door anymore, but a stone wall, much harder to wreck.

In the debut of Frankie Doodle on this blog, we see some new prices -- 98 cents for boys sweaters (gosh!), boys overcoats for ...is that $4.98? And, of course, the joke is that Frankie fails to see sodas are 5 cents.

Chris Crusty learns the advantage - and disadvantage - of wearing a fake deputy badge. I suspect Heroes would not object to this disadvantage, though, and would welcome the chance for danger that it brings. Lawful Heroes would need to save vs. plot to carry badges they know are phonies.

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No real game content here, but I never knew the origin of the word tuxedo before. Remarkable!


And now, we return to Peter Pat, which I had initially enjoyed for its dramatic story, but it really strains credulity for the amount of stuff this little boy can do. I mean, he's like an Olympic-level athlete sometimes.

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Here we have a different kind of ape man. Usually, ape men are just men drawn to look more like apes, and is sometimes dangerously close to just looking like a racist caricature. This ape man is most definitely a gorilla, yet one with human intelligence (and modesty).

We know Peter was at least 10' high in the tree, because you need to fall at least 10' to take falling damage.

Here, our little Olympian uses a trip attack, and then gets tripped, all on the same page, making this the first time I've seen tripping happen twice in the same combat.

Peter also establishes that you can pick up two dropped items in the same melee turn.

And we learn this ape man can talk!

I shared this page because boxing a kangaroo for $5 seems like it would be a fun first scenario for 1st-level Heroes, and give them a good sense for how vulnerable they are at the beginning of their careers.

I have room enough for one page from the next issue I have access to, and it brings us back around to The Captain and the Kids again, this time giving me two ideas for a trap. One is, someone opens the door, and the log swings down and hits the person in the doorway. The other idea -- and it's more in line with what you see in this page -- is that the log swings down, hits a cutout in the door, and the cutout comes out and strikes the person in front of the door. The first version could do a lot of damage, depending on how heavy the log is. The second version would do less damage, as a lot of kinetic energy would get lost in the transference to the cutout, and I'd have that do maybe 1-4 points of damage.

(Scans courtesy of Comic Book Plus.)

Silver Streak Comics #2 - pt. 2

This strip is called Captain Fearless, but you won't see Capt. Fearless on this page. Dugan seems to be presented as a Supporting Cast Member, but he plays such a significant role in the story that he must be a played Hero.  

The hideout door closes behind Dugan, seemingly of its own accord. This is interesting to me because a staple of Old School D&D is that dungeon doors are resistant to opening, difficult to keep open. Could this be true of H&H hideouts too?

We get a told more than we're shown of Dugan's battle with six yellow peril hoodlums, so it's unclear if Dugan was able to start using the knife on the same turn he disarmed the hoodlum who had held it, or if he had to wait until the next turn. I would wager the latter is the case.

Ting Ling makes a good case for why more hoodlums should not be armed with guns in hideouts.  I'll have to recall it later, as the struggle is constant to downplay the importance of guns in an active Hideouts & Hoodlums campaign.

Dugan must be at least 2nd or 3rd level (a detective or sergeant, by level title), allowing him to come across three off-duty marines and easily recruit them to follow him into combat.

Did I say three?  Because now it seems Dugan has six marines fighting with him (maybe a wandering encounter of marines heard the fighting and joined in?).  This is one well-defended hideout; I count at least 15 yellow peril hoodlums in this fight, and possibly more.

I've not given this much thought yet, but I wonder if there is room for a hoodlum class?  The one on the left definitely seems to be a cowardly hoodlum, while the one on the right, with "more experience," seems to be a robber. I may work on this and see if I can produce an optional hoodlum class by next year's The Trophy Case issue.

Our cowardly hoodlum makes a surprisingly good case for turning to crime in 1940.  We also learn the value of a complete set of silverware in 1940.

Boy, that Aladdin movie sure would have turned out different if the Genie could have just kept his own lamp away from Jafar!  

Like the example in the basic book about how Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt-genie is a living wand for his spell focus, I think we're seeing the same thing play out here. Tom is casting Minor Telekinesis (a 3rd level spell!) to acquire the gun, but the magic appears to be coming from the Genie.

Normally I go with the narrator when he's naming mobster archetypes, but I've already established this guy is a cowardly hoodlum, so no burglar for you!

I think there's more magic going on here than meets the eye.  Somehow, Tom winds up at the judge's bench right next to the judge.  It makes no sense that any judge would allow this...unless Tom has cast Charm Person on the judge?  

Some subtle legerdemain seems to have allowed Tom to keep the gun he confiscated!  He could have made a skill check for sleight of hand, or maybe he cast a spell and made it invisible.  

Phantasmal Image spells would normally not be permissible in court, but then anything goes once you have the judge charmed!

(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum.)

The Comics #2 - pt. 1

Cowboy stunt, Disarming Shot.

Sometimes having a job is an impediment to being a full-time Hero. Other times, it's a good source for plot hooks.

I've never seen a comic this old as well-researched on asbestos to know that asbestos is only fire resistant, and can still get destroyed if it takes enough fire damage.

Gorgeous inking, by the way.

Failed open door check.

To thoroughly search a captured mobster, check their coat lining too.

Like yesterday's post, it's important to always make travel interesting. Storms help.

A great image showing the size of 1930s flashlights.

There are no rules, per se, for determining combat between vehicles. An Editor could assign a wrecking things level to bombs and roll for them but, really, if a bomb hits a submarine, the sub is going to sink or explode. It seems almost pointless to even roll past the attack roll.

Don't forget about the usefulness of windows. You can attack into a hideout before even entering it (and vice versa!).

A practical use for nightsticks you don't often see, but Heroes could use to good effect to let each other know where they are, if they split up.


(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum)

Funnies #3

This outing from Dell begins with a particularly useful (to us) installment of Stranger than Fiction. Sea serpents could easily be real in a Hideouts & Hoodlums campaign (indeed, sea monsters of fantastic size are statted in Book II: Mobsters & Trophies), but what if you wanted to run a campaign in a more mundane/less fantastic game world?  Then you might want to consider what all those sea serpent sightings actually are.

Giant squids were statted in Supplement II: All-American.  Seals are not generally dangerous, but some have reportedly been known to play aggressively in ways that can cause harm, such as grabbing a swimmer and dragging him under, or flipping a small boat. I would give a gray harbor seal 2 Hit Dice, with the ability to bite for 1-6 points of damage.  Porpoises are smaller, 1-1 HD, and would only bite to defend themselves for 1-4 points of damage. Oarfish are big, but harmless fish, not important for statting.  Same with flying fish, despite the illustration of one mid-air slapping someone.

Bronc Peeler and Coyote Pete are reminded of why I statted bulls to have 5 HD here. I would say that a bull could charge and gore for up to 3-10 points of damage.

On the Range reminds us that horses can be dangerous too. Horses should be 4 HD animals, able to trample or stomp on a prone opponent for 2-8 points of damage.  A poor encounter reaction roll from a bronco might make a rider have to save vs. science or be thrown from his saddle too.

Captain Easy here gives us two playing tips: if you're traveling by boat, leave a rope over the side in case you get knocked (or thrown) overboard. Also, if you're going to attack a group of men with just your feet, try to get the drop on them through a skylight so you get the +1 situational modifier to hit for attacking from above.

Now this is a complex fight scene, so let me break it down.  In turn 1, Easy gets two attacks with his fist because all parties involved are fighting in unarmed combat. My wording in the combat rules implies that both attacks have to be against the same opponent, but an Editor can be afforded some leniency here. Flavor text can "edit" the scene so that one swing hits both men, but game mechanics-wise, it was still two different attacks.

Also in turn 1, three men at once try to grapple Easy.

In turn 2, Easy goes first and flips one of the three grapplers off of him. This could be done one of two ways: Easy either grappled back and the flip was a successful counter-move, or he attempted a special maneuver and needed to hit his one opponent by 5 or more.  It doesn't really matter which one Easy's player chose.

Using missile weapons into a melee is a dangerous proposition; the rules state that the victim of a successful hit will be a random melee combatant.  In a three-on-one battle, then, Easy only has a 25% chance of being hit by the thrown dagger, assuming the to hit roll was successful.

Firehoses as a special weapon was first discussed here.  It does no damage in this particular instance, but the target must save vs. science or be knocked back 5'.

This is still true about ants, though the number of deaths per year is more like 20 now in the 21st century (progress?).  I am hesitant to stat ant swarms as a mobster, though, since ant swarms are pretty slow and easy to outrun. They are more useful as a living trap for victims tied up, buried up to their necks, or unfortunate enough to be sleeping in the wrong place. Let's say the victim would have to save vs. science each turn or take 1-3 points of damage until dead.



The Alley Oop featured monsters are arsinoetherium (an 11+1 HD rhino ancestor), chalicotherium (a 9+1 HD creature, with d12 Hit Dice, that was like a giant horse that could move like a bear), dinotherium (an enormous elephant ancestor with 11+1 HD of the d20 variety!), and dodo (which weren't very big or heavy, so maybe 1/3 of a Hit Die).  Remember that, in a fantastic H&H setting, none of these had to have gone extinct!

First correctly drawn crossbow in comic book history??

The invaders through themselves at the gates, the defenders throw themselves on the gates to hold them fast -- who wins?  Book III: Underworld & Metropolis Adventures explains that there is a 1-2 chance (on 1d6) of smashing through a stuck door, but that doesn't allow for active resistance or any kind of opposed mechanics. Or does it?  What if both sides just rolled the same die, one for opening doors and the other for closing doors?  The first side to lose the roll-off loses control of the doors/gates.

(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum)