Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas Eve With Full Moon Entertainment 2011



Christmas Eve is here again! Right now I'm making cannolis and getting ready to wrap presents. This is a night of personal and family traditions, and I have several of my own. Now, continuing the Amazing RPG Fun Pad Christmas Eve Celebration tradition, I present to you the 2011 Full Moon Entertainment Christmas Eve Extravaganza! Here are some more trailers from one of my favorite B-Movie companies.

I've always wanted to run a game in this universe:



Jack Deth in a fantasy world. Cheesy brainless fun, these sequels were shot back to back:





A strange chiller set in Louisiana with a silly plot, but again some fun stuff to steal.



Back in the VHS Days (long, long ago...) each Full Moon video would have a VideoZone, a mix of making of shorts, coming attractions, and pure hucksterism.  Here is the VideoZone for Puppet Master 4. There may be spoilers, so be warned, but enjoy the early 90s flavor!



I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! And since it's Christmas Eve I love to give you a Christmas Carol so here is "Do You Hear What I Hear?" by the Spiraling . This classic song is merged with The Who classic "Baba O'Riley". You all enjoy yourselves!

Monday, December 19, 2011

B-Movie Monday: Monkey Ninja Pirate Robot Santa (with apologies to Chad Underkoffler)

Since I've got Christmas baking to do tonight and work was busy, B-Movie Monday is featuring a bunch of trailers featuring Monkeys, Ninjas, Pirates, Robots, and Santa! Yes this is based on the great game Monkey, Ninja, Pirate, Robot (I added Santa for today) by Chad Underkoffler which you get here at RPGNow. Check it out!

Here we go!

Monkey!



Ninja!



Pirate!



Robot!



Santa!



Happy Holidays!

Friday, December 16, 2011

Deja Vu Blogfest: Yellow Rhapsody



Here's my entry for the Deja Vu Blogfest. A Tale of Terror I call Yellow Rhapsody...

This is yet more game material written when I was a member of All of the Above, the GURPS APA. Yellow Rhapsody is an adventure seed featuring The King In Yellow. It was written in the systemless style of Steve Hatherley's Tales of Terror. I first saw this format in Pagan Publishing's legendary Call of Cthulhu zine The Unspeakable Oath. Written in 1997, I consider Yellow Rhapsody one the best things I have ever created. The only changes made here are spelling and formatting. Enjoy.


Yellow Rhapsody
A Film by "Alan Smithee"



Excerpt:

Man in the Mask:
To what do you hold dear?
Robert:
Life, love, happiness, what all men hold dear.
M in M:
They mean nothing in the Tremors of the dance.
R:
Then why do you dance if you have no pleasure?
M in M:
There is no question in the dance, no why, no how. We dance for the king. That is enough.
R:
Who is the King?
M in M:
The name is all around you.
R:
I see nothing.
M in M:
That is his name.


The packaging is deceptive. It is a video box decorated by colorful computer generated art with the title Tales of the Weird set in garish red. The back has text that promises terrors from these three college films. The only film company mentioned on the cover in "Weird Press Films".

The first and second films are normal horror films. "Early for Dinner" is an EC Comics-style fable involving a grifter who attempts to con a beautiful gourmet cook. He gets his comeuppance when she makes him the meal for a family of ghouls. "Last Call" is a bizarre black and white blending of German Expressionistic film and Italian zombie films. Two couples spend a night in a deserted Midwest farm and stumble onto a devilish device that alters their reality.

"Yellow Rhapsody" is the highlight. It is an animated film done in a minimalist, Alex Toth-like style. The plot involves a young man named Robert Chambers who gets a strange book from his grandfather—The King in Yellow. As he reads the play, characters inspired by it begin to haunt him day and night. Helped by the mysterious Man in the Mask and the lovely Cassilda, he pierces the veil and walks the halls of Carcosa. After a surrealistic journey he meets the King, who envelopes him in voluminous cloaks of yellow. The film ends with Robert dancing with Cassilda in the King in Yellow's court. The Man in the Mask looks to the screen and pulls of his mask, revealing nothing but a starry field and a yellow rune where his left eye should be.


Tales of the Weird
has become a cult classic due to the amount of disappearances connected to it. According to the legend that has grown up around it. The legend claims that "Yellow Rhapsody" was animated by a recluse who slit his own throat over the original cells of animation. It is a challenge, they say, to watch the film the whole way through. Something about the colors and the sound has a tendency to lull the viewer asleep or blur his vision. The ones that do claim that the camera plunges in the starry field and the credits begin to roll. An evil looking little boy with milky white eyes grins insanely as the credits begin to blur and break up, becoming unreadable.

Police are starting to take this case seriously. The suicides and disappearances on college campuses are starting to mount. Most of the original print run of the film has been seized and/or destroyed. Weird Press Films cannot be reached for comment.


Possibilities


1. The film itself is not the problem. It is the spirit of the animator that is the cause of the disappearances. The Mythos references were unintentional; he simply liked the King in Yellow. "Alan Smithee" lives within the original print of Yellow Rhapsody. He can perceive anyone who watches the entire film. After each viewing he attempts to take over the watcher. If he succeeds, Smithee drains life force or implants commands to watch the movie again. The disappearances are caused by the eventual destruction Smithee can visit upon a victim by draining them until they turn to dust.

2. The film is actually nested with subliminal messages put in by cultists at Weird Press Films. Throughout the video the Yellow Sign and other Mythos sigils and symbols are present. The other two short films also have references to the Mythos hidden within their narrative. The subliminals are a tool used by the cultists to recruit and identify. The curious ones are drawn to join the cult, while those who investigate the Mythos can by drawn out and eliminated. If innocents are driven to harm, that is not their concern.

3. "Yellow Rhapsody" is a cleverly disguised gate to Carcosa. If a person watches the film in its entirety (up to the grinning child), they become touched by the film. The viewer begins to watch the film over and over again and begins to see more detailed backgrounds. The sky forms into strange runes, the details in the clothes, and the characters' lines not heard before all become apparent. As the viewer becomes more drawn into the animation, the film becomes more nightmarish and surreal. The landscapes beyond the window become strange and alien, their inhabitants staring back. Screams of torture can be heard beneath the etherial music. Hallucinations begin to set in as the victim sees the characters come to life around him.

When sanity finally slips away, the Man in the Mask comes to snatch away the viewer, while Robert and Cassilda hold open the way to the city of Carcosa. The victim becomes one of the dancers whirling away to the dance of the Yellow King. A friend who watches the video might be lucky enough to see an old friend dancing for eternity in wild abandon as the Man in the Mask laughs mockingly.

Monday, December 12, 2011

B-Movie Monday: Low Budget Fun

I have respect for the really low budget film makers. I mean the guys and gals who make their own movies in their backyard with their family and friends. Yes special effects may be lacking and the acting questionable at best, but these folks at least made some movies. That's more than I've ever done...

I had a copy of this movie on VHS but I lost it. Took years for it to come out on DVD. An interesting and creepy dream monster movie:



A trailer from the legendary indie b-movie makers The Polonia Brothers:



Two trailers from the mind of Christopher R. Mihm, a Minnesota filmmaker who makes schlocky horror/sci-fi films. I love the classic 50s/60s retro feel to these movies.





A low budgeted horror comedy with an Ash Williams-esque character. Not a bad little film with fun characters.



A vampire movie by the late great Don Dohler. Dig the computer generated effects!



Enjoy!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Seventh Sanctum Generator Fun: Weird Fantasy

These 4 entries were all generated by some of the fine random generators at the Seventh Sanctum website. The paragraph below each of them was genrated by me. Use them for your weird fantasy/pulp/horror campaigns.

The Fourth Sultanna Who Hates Possibility


In the lands of the Plutocracy, hidden in the shadows of the Pantheons is the veneration of the Sultannas. These ancestor goddesses are worshipped by the native peoples who asked for various intercession with the deities of the Land. They are not named fearing that those who know the true names of the Sultannas will bind them to the will of men. The Fourth Sultanna Who Hates Possibility is called upon when someone is threatened by the changing of the staus quo. If the Sultanna is placated strange things will happen until change is stopped or averted.

The Dark Emperor of the Garnet Arrow

The Symbol of the Dark Emperor
A demon lord of moderate power, this servitor of Demogorgon appears as handsome 9 foot tall human with iron infused skin and an ornate suit of garnet armor carved in swirling runes describing abhorrent deeds surrounding the Garnet Arrow. His only weapons are a demonforged morningstar and a longbow made of dinosaur bones. The Dark Emperor tempts rulers with promises of vast wealth and land. His abyssal demense Elazguro has pathways to all of the Realms the Dark Emperor has corrupted. He sits at the center of intrigue, watching as his minions plot and poison for his favor.

Ooze Children From Thognyia



Thognyia, the City of the Swamps,  is a remnant of the Fifth Planet that lies buried underneath the swamps of Lousiana. The once men that walked it's streets were infected by an ancient curse to become one with the land. Within three generations the once proud beings became caniballistic ooze creatures that soon sank in to the swamps to feed at their leisure. Thognyia soon sank into the swamps, but legends tell of strange beasts the shamble in the night to capture the unwary.




Subterranean Spiders Of Shaictha the Vermillion Blasphemy


Ancient tomes speak of Shaictha the Vermillion Blasphemy, one of the Lords of Beyond, entities of Malevolent Power. Many are the servants of Shaicatha, but the best known are the Spiders. Lurking underneath the Realms of Men, the Spiders plot ans plan to replace man as the true rulers of reality. In their true shape they appear as spiders the size of men, each with a deformity that marks them as not of this plane. The Blessed of Shaictha, some say, can change into the shape of man to walk among us to look, to listen, and to feed.

Monday, December 5, 2011

B-Movie Monday: The Deathstalker Tetralogy

Last week I planning on doing some B-Movie stuff but I just never got to it. The holiday season is quite busy for a grocery store worker like myself. But I'm back with more fun stuff for you all.

The Deathstalker movies were admittedly cheap Conan the Barbarian rip-offs that were mainly made in Argentina. The artwork for the movie posters and VHS were all paintings by Boris Vallejo. Stock footage was used throughout and they were threadbare plots at best. But I have fond memories of watching the first Deathstalker on basic cable late on a Saturday night.








I can't find the trailer to Deathstalker III: The Warriors From Hell




And here is the classic Corman pig-faced Orc that you've seen in a bunch of sword and sorcery epics!

Monday, November 28, 2011

I Am A Neutral Good Human Cleric

I finally jumped into the What D&D Character Am I meme that's going around. This is what I got...

I Am A: Neutral Good Human Cleric (6th Level)

Ability Scores:

Strength-12

Dexterity-12

Constitution-14

Intelligence-15

Wisdom-14

Charisma-12


Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.


Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.


Class:
Clerics act as intermediaries between the earthly and the divine (or infernal) worlds. A good cleric helps those in need, while an evil cleric seeks to spread his patron's vision of evil across the world. All clerics can heal wounds and bring people back from the brink of death, and powerful clerics can even raise the dead. Likewise, all clerics have authority over undead creatures, and they can turn away or even destroy these creatures. Clerics are trained in the use of simple weapons, and can use all forms of armor and shields without penalty, since armor does not interfere with the casting of divine spells. In addition to his normal complement of spells, every cleric chooses to focus on two of his deity's domains. These domains grants the cleric special powers, and give him access to spells that he might otherwise never learn. A cleric's Wisdom score should be high, since this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Some of my best D&D characters were clerics. Go figure...

Monday, November 21, 2011

B-Movie Monday: Equinox (1970)



Recently I was reminded of the movie Equinox, also known as The Beast,by my friend Jim, who saw in on TCM. This 1970 film is considered one of the inspirations for the Evil Dead series.

The basic plot of the movie is that four friends are looking for a lost professor. They stumble upon an ancient book and are pursued by monsters in a strange pocket universe. There are several people of note in this movie: Frank Bonner (Herb from WKRP in Cincinnati)  plays one of the teen. Legendary author Fritz Leiber plays the missing scientist. Plus Equinox was produced and directed by Dennis Muren, famed special effects designer who worked on Star Wars and Terminator 2. One of my personal favorites who was also involved was Dave Allen, famous stop motion artist who worked on many a b-movie production.


Equinox is a raw, low budgeted ($6500) early 70s movie with plenty of stop motion animation. There are ideas to steal from the movie for role playing or miniatures gaming. I recommend checking out the Criterion Edition of the movie. It's chock full of extras including the original version of the movie, two audio commentaries, and some fun little extras.

Bonus: The legendary King Kong Volkswagen commercial, animated by Dave Allen. I love how fluid the animation is.



Links To Check Out:

Equinox (film) on Wikipedia
"Backyard Monsters: Equinox and the Triumph of Love":  (SPOILERS!)  A great essay about the movie that delves into the inspirations and history of the film.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

[RISUS] Pyotr Derevenko and Sara Bannister

Here are two characters more urban fantasy characters I created for Risus. They use Options I, II, III, and IV from the Risus rules. Also used are the Lucky Shots & Questing Dice, Sidekicks and Shieldmates, Eye of the Tiger, and Boxcars & Breakthroughs Options from the Risus Companion

PYOTR "PETE" DEREVENKO


A former law student who dropped out of law school when strange incidents began to happen to him. Pyotr is a descendant of one of the mythical Bogatyri, the mythical hero knights of Russian legend. He often times has dealings with creatures of that myth cycle. Wherever he goes, his ancient heritage has a tendency to seek him out. Recently Pyotr has been spending more time with a fey maiden he saved from a mad alchemist.

Cliches:
Descendant of the Bogatyri (4d10)
Construction Worker (4)
Ex-Law School Student [3]

Hook:Myth Magnet: As a descendant of the Bogatyri, Pyotr is a magnet to mythological beings, especially faeries. While sometimes this is useful, this can also cause problems in GM-decided situations. Ex.: die penalty when sneaking because a nymph in the park your hiding in likes you; penalty sneaking in abuild because the house fey doesn’t like him.

Natasha (Real Name Unknown)


A Russian fey who has become close to Pyotr. Most people consider them a couple, but both of them deny it.

Cliches: Drop Dead Gorgeous Vila Fey (3), Mistress of the Crossbow (3)
Hook: Impulsiveness

SARA BANNISTER


The game is all that matters to Sara Bannister. She comes from a long line of con folk and grifters that have traversed the US and Europe. Sara is currently “retired” from the business. After a situation that she refuses to discuss, she was pardoned by the federal government and “directed” towards various private interests that could do more good with less bureaucracy .

Her skills are quite useful in investigators, but she is also used in delicate “retrieval” scenarios. Sara is carefully watched around the valuables.

Cliches:
Silver Tongued Ex-Grifter (4d8)
Gorgeous Actress (4)
Well Connected Player [3]
Vicious Dirty Fighter (3)
Lucky Shots: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Hook: Hard to Resist the Con: Sara’s greed sometimes overwhelms her more altruistic aspirations. 1 die penalty in situation where she can get away with conning someone.

Monday, November 14, 2011

B-Movie Monday

Saw this movie this weekend. It was pretty decent.



This one just looks cool



If you want a classic 80s monster movie, check this out. It's the Ultimate Eating Machine!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

250 Posts!


I just had to get over this hurdle. 250 posts in the rpg blogosphere. Life has made it easier to indulge my love of B-Movie trailers than RPG material but hopefully that will change. Thanks everybody for glancing at my blog and I promise more stuff down the road!

Monday, October 31, 2011

B-Movie Monday: Halloween!

After a rough last week (I'll tell you about it sometime), it's time for B-Movie Monday on that darkest of nights Halloween! Although many horror movies are set on Halloween proper, the movies below have a special link to that horrific of holidays...









Thursday, October 27, 2011

13 Days 'Til Halloween: The Three Mothers

I love the films of Dario Argento. The Three Mothers Trilogy is one of my favorite parts of his work. Here are trailers to the three films. Enjoy.

First from the movie Inferno, the mystery of the Three Mothers







Wednesday, October 26, 2011

13 Days 'Til Halloween: Arrival Of The Cenobites

The arrival of the Cenobites in the first two Hellraiser movies always impressed me. That is how realities can merge as gates to Hell open...



Monday, October 24, 2011

13 Days 'Til Halloween: Countess Dracula (1971) [NSFW]

Monsters are part of Halloween as much as tricks and treats. Not all of them are hideous creatures either. Evil is seductive and beautiful in Hammer Films' Countess Dracula (1971), featuring the late, great Ingrid Pitt as Countess Elizabeth Bathory.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

13 Days 'Til Halloween: A Noiva (The Bride), Portuguese Horror

Don't got much time for anything today cause I worked this morning and am going to a Halloween party tonight with friends (eating and watching horror movies). So here we go with another short horror movie: A Noiva (The Bride), a short  horror film from Portugal by Ana Almeida. I first read about A Noiva in Diabolique Magazine when screenwriter Jose Pedro Lopes wrote a short tale that continued the short film. It's a creepy and grisly bite-sized Eurohorror treat. Be careful watching at work; it's a bit bloody...

Friday, October 21, 2011

13 Days 'Til Halloween: Fewdio Short Horror Films

There is a lot of fun little short films on YouTube and some of my favorite horror short films are made by Fewdio.com. The short films (the longest film they have on YouTube is 12 minutes) have a raw, visceral feel to them. Even the short ones have stiff shots of horror in fun little packages. Below are movies that running about 2-4 minutes a piece, but trust me there are a more then a few chills here.











Check out more Fewdio movies at their YouTube channel and visit their website at www.fewdio.com.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

13 Days 'Til Halloween: J.K. Potter

One of my favorite artists back in the day when I used to get the Twilight Zone Magazine (my dad got me a subscription back in the day) was J.K. Potter. His work is a surrealistic blend of hyper realistic images twisted with horrific imagery. Here are some pictures that capture why I like this man's body of work.

The image that first made me a fan:


A cover for Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes.


Assorted Visions:





Wednesday, October 19, 2011

13 Days 'Til Halloween: Black Sunday

Welcome to 13 Days Til Halloween at the Amazing RPG Fun Pad. The goal: 13 days of halloween related trailers, movies, characters and monsters. For the opening day I present to you Mario Bava's classic vampire movie Black Sunday, featuring the alluring Barbara Steele.

Monday, October 17, 2011

B-Movie Monday!

After a few weeks away due to vacation and the jet lag and getting life back on track, I give you the return of B-Movie Monday! Just a random sampling today of whatever captured my thoughts...



An underrated film I first saw on Elvira







Sunday, October 9, 2011

I'm Back!

Me with Sir Bruce Forsyth, Tess Daly, the Doctor and Murray the Shortest Dalek

Got back from London Wednesday A-OK! Will be posting more stuff soon.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Off to London!


Tomorrow I'm taking the 6 pm flight out of the Chicago O'Hare Airport to London, UK! If I get a chance I'll post some pictures while I'm there. If not I'll show off when I get home. See you all later!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Me, My Grandma, and the Matching Skull Shirts of DOOM!

Had to share this picture from way back in 1994:


My Grandma Angel and I in Florida visiting my Great Aunt Josephine back in 1994. I think this pic was taken at the Weeki Wachee Springs Park. Notice the matching skull shirts. They were her idea, honest.

It will be a year since she passed away tomorrow, but I figure you guys would enjoy this.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Next Week: Flying To London


One of the reasons I haven't been posting much lately is because I've been planned a trip to London. My grandmother left me an inheritance so I decided to take a dream vacation. And next week Wednesday is when I'm going. It's an amazing feeling to realize that one your dreams is going to come true in a week.

Aunt Christine (Auntie Nut), me, and my Pa. Note the family resemblance.

I blame my Aunt Christine. She was serving in  the Navy in the mid to late 70s and her station was London. When she came home in 1979 she brought back a ton of stuff from the UK with her. I listened to The Clash and early Parliament Funkadelic with her. I would stay up on the weekends and watch Dave Allen, Benny Hill and Monty Python with her. And All Creatures Great and Small...If I owe anybody for my enduring fascination with going to the United Kingdom its my beloved Auntie Nut, the most sarcastic woman I've ever met.

 Joesky tax to be paid when I get back.

Monday, September 19, 2011

B-Movie Monday: Here Be Pirate Trailers!

Arrrr! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day today! Here be some of th' more obscure Pirate trailers I be diggin up here for yer lords and ladyships.

One of my favorite movies that HBO played constantly in the 80s:



Among my circle of friends this is among the good Hammer Films:



And the Disney version of the same tale:




Cause I, by contract, have to include a Michael Caine movie on my blog once a year:



Just because I love the title:



Have a great Monday!

Monday, September 12, 2011

B-Movie Monday: 80s Horror Trailer Grab Bag

Some random 80s trailers for you all today. Gaze upon the kind of movies I would rent on my pa's Blockbuster card.









Sunday, September 11, 2011

Remembrance 9/11


Whatever your side of the poltical spectrum or your views on religion or whatever else colors your opinion on life I ask for a small indulgence today. On this 10th year remember those victims and first responders who were killed when the towers were hit, and those who have suffered loss and sickness due to that attack.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Because Ghost Rider Riding A Shark Is AWESOME!

Or the 25 cent comic book bin can inspire a wikipedia search on Marvel's Midnight Sons. That leads to Ghost Rider which somehow led to mention of the The Last Stand of the Spirits of Vengeance arc. That led to this picture: Ghost Riders from throughout history (from Ghost Rider vol 6 #31):


Words can't top the awesome.

Monday, September 5, 2011

The Return of B-Movie Monday!

Yes gang, it's the return of B-Movie Monday! This week I have three international horror movie trailers from around the world.

From India:



From Nigeria:



From Indonesia, an oldie but a goodie:



Enjoy!

Friday, September 2, 2011

The Last Filmation Friday: The Kid Super Power Hour With Shazam!

Everybody has their guilty or corny loves as a kid. One of mine was The Kids Super Power Hour With Shazam from 1981. It was a live action/cartoon show with the voice actors of the heroes also doing some live action songs and jokes. This was filmed before a live studio audience. There was the Hero High cartoon and the Shazam (DC's Captain Marvel) cartoon.







One of these days I'm doing RPG stats for the Hero High kids. One day...

This is going to be the last Filmation Friday. I will be having some Filmation ideas integrated into the general blog itself, but as a separate entity it's closing up shop. Thanks to everyone who enjoyed it and gave it a look. I'm planning on an action adventure animation day sometime next year, but that is in the future. Hope you enjoyed.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Little Red Riding Hood and the Monsters (1962) Trailer

Netflix is like crack to a b-movie fan like myself. It lets me indulge in some rarer movies that are harder to find in my usual stomping grounds. My current movies are Bloody New Year (an 80s British horror movie) and the luchadoras double feature Doctor Of Doom/Wrestling Women vs. The Aztec Mummy from the fine folks at Something Weird Cinema. It was watching their trailer section, always the first thing I do when viewing a DVD, that I saw this trailer:



Little Red Riding Hood and the Monsters (Caperucita y Pulgarcito contra los monstruos) (1962) is a Mexican children's movie imported by schlockmeister K. Gordan Murray. The content of this trailer is, quite frankly, some of the unwittingly bizarre content I've seen this year. Think fairy tale heroes facing off against a bevy of monsters. This is the type of movie you could turn into a bizarre roleplaying scenario (or campaign!) with a little work and twisting.

Just A Note: Last Filmation Friday, Return of B-Movie Monday

Just doing a little housecleaning. This Friday's entry of Filmation Friday will be the last for a while. I liked digging up Filmation stuff to share with you folk but my heart hasn't been in it for a while. When looking for pictures and stuff feels like a chore, it's time to shelve the idea for a while. I may do a Saturday Morning Cartoon day next spring, but I'm still thinking about it. Special thanks to Cyborg Trucker who helped me with some of the pics I've used.

But all is not lost! Labor Day 2011 will mark the return of B-Movie Monday! I've seen some cool new movies, posters, and trailer and want to share them with you. I'm planning on having more RPG stats this time around, but only time will tell.

I may be changing the name of the blog next year. I'm still thinking about that idea too.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Belated Happy Birthday, Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby art featuring Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla.
Happy Belated Birthday to one of my idols, Jack "The King" Kirby.

Remember--DC and especially Marvel Comics owe this guy BIG TIME!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Filmation Friday: Superstretch and Microwoman

Superstretch and Microwoman was part of the Tarzan and the Super 7 animation block that Filmation had on CBS circa 1979. This show was among the first cartoons I can remember where the main leads were African-American (this was back in the late 70's). These are humorous superhero adventures, with the main characters engaging in banter as they put the criminals away. I remember liking the show when I watched it as a kid. Here's an episode:







Enjoy!





Monday, August 22, 2011

Quick Thought I Had At Work: Mind Flayers and Zombies

Here's a quick thought I had at work:



The mind flayer is a classic AD&D monster that has terrorized campaigns around the world for decades. Different origins, variants and alternate versions of the mind flayer have been designed for various RPGs, especial since the illithids have been deemed as product identity by WotC. But I've never seen this one.

Mind flayers are an advanced form of undead that wield strange powers due to the brains they eat. 

The mind flayers once existed as any other race until they were infected by an ancient contagion. The contagion increased their psionic abilities but gave them an insatiable craving for the brains of other intelligent beings--including their own race. Mind flayers can no longer procreate normally. They reproduce by infecting a promising victim with some of their own flesh. The contagion takes over and the new mind flayer is brought underground to his or her new people.

This idea has some other possibilities:

  1. There were mind flayers that were not infected by the contagion that corrupted the rest of their race. They may be hiding anywhere in the campaign world. They may be a hidden force of good, or a bitter enclave just as evil as their brethren. The other races will confuse them for their brain-eating brethren. Plus, other mind flayers have not tasted fresh mind flayer brain in sooooo long...
  2. Some of the undead in the campaign may be created by the mind flayers as vehicles to get more bodies and brains. The zombies eat their victims, the viruses animates the bodies, and the mind flayers render the zombies to get the tender brains and flesh. Mind flayer zombies probably wouldn't be turned by a priest, and would be very creatively designed.
  3. The relationship between mind flayers and necromancers can go in some interesting ways. They could be wary allies, traders in various resources, or bitter enemies. Powerful necromancers may know formulas that allow them to control mind flayers, or the contagion that changed them.
  4. Mind flayers and the undead they create would probably be parallel to the undead created by other means, There may be wars with liches and vampires over their shared food source.
If anybody uses some of these ideas, let me know!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Mutant Future Inspiration: Zordax II: The Metal War and She (1982)

Here's a short film I heard of a year of two ago that is a tribute to 80's Italian post apocalyptic movies. Zordax II The Metal War is great Mutant Future inspiration, a bite size chunk of after the bomb type fun.



Here's the Zordax II page on Producer and Director Syl Disjonk's website.

Now here's two clips from a rarer movie, She starring Sandahl Bergman. H. Rider Haggard this is not. This is full throttle bats#!+ crazy 80s after the bomb movie fun! I had an old VHS copy but it got messed up, and it never was released on DVD that I know of. She is worth seeking out in whatever format you can find, because of scenes like this, presented below:







I'm sure that an enterprising Mutant Future GM can find a ton of ideas from these clips!








Friday, August 12, 2011

Filmation Friday: Back From Vacation!

Hello folks, I'm back from Winneconne and eating way to much at the Wisconsin State Fair. For Filmation Friday today I have two entries:


First, Glimmer is in trouble piloting a butterfly-like flyer from a She-Ra Princess of Power episode. Note the very Elvish Spelljammer design look to this vehicle.

Here is an episode of the Filmation  Journey to the Center of the Earth (1967)





See ya!





Wednesday, August 3, 2011

On VACATION!

I'll be gone for a week of fun, relaxation, and recharging, visiting my second hometown of Winneconne, Wisconsin. When I come back I hope I'll be over this posting funk and will put more stuff on the Amazing RPG Fun Pad. While I have been reading many of your blogs religiously, I just haven't had the gumption to type up some of my ideas. Everybody going to Gen Con, have a great time! Everybody staying home have a great time!

Will pay the Joesky tax later...

Friday, July 29, 2011

Filmation Friday: Lessons From He-Man

With some family stuff and planning two vacations going on amongst the regular work schedule the posting has been slower of late. But I have something for you...



Because back in the 80s you sometimes had to have a socially positive message in your cartoons.

Like that helped.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Filmation Friday

The Overlord combines the Starsword and the Powersword to form the Power Star.  From "Spacewrecked", the sixth episode of Blackstar (1981), an underrated sword and planet gem.

Here's the intro (a cleaner copy than I've had on the Fun Pad before):



Blackstar on Wikipedia has a great overview of the show.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Adamant Entertainment To Make Buckaroo Banzai RPG

I saw this on Facebook while checking up on my friends:


http://www.adamantentertainment.com/2011/07/18/buckaroo-banzai-is-back/

I may have to check this one out. I loved Buckaroo Banzai when I was a young 'un.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Filmation Friday: Good, Evil, And Gilligan (From Gilligan's Planet [1982])

In memorial to the passing of Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of Gilligans Island, I present this:



Good and Evil argue over Gilligan in this scene from Gilligan's Planet (1982). I never really watched this show before but the Filmation intro pretty much explains the premise:



This intro also proves the wisdom of Weird Al Yankovic, revealed in the song "Isle Thing":

He'd mess up every rescue
Man, that first mate was illin'
If I was one of those Castaways
I think I'd probably kill 'im

Monday, July 11, 2011

Strigoi (2009) Trailer

With Strigoi-mania running wild on several RPG blogs, I stumbled onto this trailer when tooling around the net:



Check out the film's website at www.strigoimovie.com

I first heard about the Strigoi meme  at Tim Brannan's blog.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Filmation Friday


With some Sword and Planet talk going on though the RPG blogs, I give you Bravestarr and the Empress Nadia from the Bravestarr episode "Bravestarr and the Empress". I love the character design for Nadia with her very Kirbyesque headdress and stylish bikini armor.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Doctor Who Summed Up In One Sentence



When the Doctor arrived you know some real weird shit is going down.


There is a lot of truth in that one statement!


The Shadow World blog has a very opinionated set of Doctor Who roleplaying notes using the Xpress System by Postmortem Studios. Shadow World is a series of games that parody the "World O' Darkness" genre written by Ian Warner. There are no sacred cows in this Doctor Who adaptation, and you may see a favorite Doctor or companion skewered, but it's still fun.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Happy 4th of July!

I'd like to extend to everybody in the RPG blogosphere a good 4th of July! Enjoy the fireworks, get some gaming in, take a ride, eat some good food or visit with family.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Filmation Friday: Dragon Strike

It's been a long day. so I have something simple today. 


A concerted blast of dragonfire from "The Dragon Invasion", a first season He-Man and the Masters of the Universe episode. And yes, this is the only cartoon appearance of Jitsu in the Filmation series. Which is a shame, because I think with some decent writing Jitsu could have been an interesting character.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

[Risus] Dirk Bogart, Diablosaur Hunter

Just a quick Risus character for today. Take some weird dinosaur theories and add a twist of Valiant's version of Turok, Son of Stone and you get...

Dirk Bogart, Diablosaur Hunter










Dirk Bogart is the first Diablosaur Hunter. Once Dirk was a forest ranger until he stumbled onto a dimensional rift deep in Central Wisconsin. A gaping hole in an ancient burial mound opened into , the hideous realm of the Diablosaurs. At first Dirk used his wits, artifacts from the mound, and a smattering of occult knowledge from his grandmother, Dirk soon was able to get a hold of some technomantic weaponry to aid in his attempts to stop the Diablosaur invasion. His was a lonely battle until survivors of Diablosaur attacks began to her stories of a lone hunter foiling unholy plots. Other groups began to hunt the demonic dinosaurs and Dirk found himself a reluctant mentor to a new generation of Diablosaur Hunters. Most of the time you can find him deep in the woods hunting alone.


Grizzled Diablosaur Hunter [5d8]
Conversationalist Ex-Forest Ranger [4]
Reluctant Mentor To The Next Generation (3)
Grandson of A Wise Woman (3)

Bonus Item: Betsy: Technomantic Diablosaur Hunting Rifle (4)

Questing Dice (Destroy The Diablosaurs): [][][][][]

Hook: Guilt Complex. Dirk has always been a loner, dealing with people only when he has to, This tendency towards being a loner was only intensified by the hunt he finds himself in. Deep down Dirk is afraid that every death caused by Diablosaurs is his responsibility. He avoids crowds whenever possible, and keeps conversation to a minimum. This can hinder him in his Diablosaur hunting activities, even when he finds allies to his cause.

The Diablosaurs were inspired by this article.




Friday, June 24, 2011

Filmation Friday: The Mighty Isis!

From the 70s I give you Filmation live-action through the wonders of YouTube! Here are two episodes of The Secret of Isis. Dig the 70s computer in the beginning of the first episode!



Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Just An Idea...


The 27 planets stolen by Davros and the Daleks in the Doctor Who Episodes "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End".

How about this for a science fantasy campaign, inspired by the 4th season of Doctor Who, Spelljammer, and the Savage Worlds setting Slipstream:

A cosmic being steals random worlds from across the Multiverse for an unknown purpose. The being places the planets in a pocket dimension bordered by various dimensions. The worlds orbit each other in a complex pattern, and the dimension seems to light and darken to give the impressions of day and night. With that, the cosmic being disappears.

After the initial chaos of the Stealing, the denizens of the various planet go out to meet each other. Alliances are made, battles are fought, and conspiracies are begun. World that have not contacted the other planets are marked for exploration. Travel between the planets is made possible by ships powered by science, magic, psionics, and other motive forces. And the greatest question of all is the mystery of why the planets were taken in the first place.

Take a bunch of worlds you always wanted to have interact with each other and throw them in the mix. May do something with this in the future...



Friday, June 17, 2011

Filmation Friday: Hypno Rick Springfield!

With all of the recent back and forth in the OSR and beyond, you internet pal Mike has decided that we need a little break from all of the chaos. I give you Hypno Rick Springfield...


--IN STEREO!

A hypnotic scene from Mission: Magic, a lesser known Filmation effort from 1973. It featured Rick Springfield aiding teacher Miss Tickle and her students. Both Rick Springfield and Miss Tickle were magicians, and they went on 16 weird adventures in time and space. It's kind of weird in a trippy 70s way. Check the wikipedia entry here for more info.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Art from The Horn of Roland, A Lords of Creation Adventure


Here's a several scans of art from The Horn of Roland, the first adventure for Lords of Creation. They were drawn once again by Dave Billman. Soak in the mad science fantasy goodness!