Of G-men and Supermen
Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 1:04 pmA super hero is a lot like a Squid. In its natural environment, its sleek, sleek, strong, cunning, and graceful. But when you really stop to look at them, they're really kind of disturbing and otherworldly - the implications of their abilities are like tentacles splaying out in unknown directions.
It was my intention to create a 24 hour game for a while, but a pair of interesting coincidences that made me create this Of ""
The night before I was thinking of a new game based on the web comic . The authors ran into a bit of financial trouble, and I rather want to help them out by offering a new product they can market. (They already offer pins in exchange for donations of $10 or more, and have attempted to sell their comics, but the publisher screwed them over) So I had filled about two pages of my notebook with ideas for a system before going to bed. Since the comic is about people caught up in errors of the celestial filing system, the idea that a character sheet is a folio, and that after creation, the numbers are re-shuffled at random, along with the use of cards caught the theme.
In the morning, I was looking through the forums for any new entries, and I see the unfinished game "". It reminded me of the numerous conversations I've had with my friends about the legal ramifications of super-heroes, and where they fit in the realms of philosophy. (Super-man vs Transcendent-man and all that.)
Then the image of a smoking G-man complaining about super heroes popped into my head, and I knew I had an idea. I started writing at noon without any real idea for a system - just the Hayes letter and intro. However, then it occurred to me that the unfinished system from the misfile game would be a good fit for the genre - normal humans rated 1-9 drawing from a deck of 13, against heroes with higher stats. (Angels have some screen time in the web-comic)
Originally, I was thinking of setting it in the modern day, only with some more raygun-Gothic architecture and certain laws in place. - but then the idea of actually placing it in the 50s, a few months after Sputnik won out. Its only a slight change from "Comic" to "Comie", and the feeling of the red menace adds atmosphere.
Much like most good horror movies never use the Z-word (Zombie), "Superhero" is never actually used in the game - its always "Comic", "Squid", or a reference to unusual individuals.
The game was made in a very hap-hazard fashion, yet it came together very nicely. The character sheet was actually amongst the first elements established, while the cover came in the last half hour before noon on the 27th. As per my usual - I had certain ideas for section headers, and then filled in once I had a skeleton outline. However, once the names were there, I certainly didn't work in that order - combat was late to be finished.
I'm very proud of the connection between G-men and Comics, even if that wasn't the original intent - and I want to know if anyone picks it up before reading the Illustrator's section.
On the other hand, I'm not entirely happy with the combat system. For a non-combat oriented comic like Misfile, it might work, but for something staring armed enforcement agents I think I want something a bit more detailed. At the very least, it could be re-worded in a more coherent fashion.
I'm wondering about how well some of the ideas around shift work. Using it as part of experience system while at the same being a quickly used resource, and dependent on performance. (Rather similar to the assignment of advancement points in the game "Random Anime" - granted by other players, not the GM) This is actually my first completed game to have a level system.
The example scenario could be better, or complete for that mater. Originally, the mentioned submarine was a "Whiskey Twin Cylinder" but my desire for accuracy revealed such boats weren't deployed in 1958, so I changed it to a Juliette cruise missile sub. (The picture is accurate to that type, courtesy US navy) Not that anyone else is going to call me on Soviet Submarine types, but I like to get these things right.
A lot of my odd sense of humor is visible in the names and descriptions. I'm a little worried about this; is its too much and detracts from the film-noir setting, and does anyone besides me understand the references?
For example, the sender and recipient of the "Olympus Report" document. In the real world 1930s, the Hayes Code was an early regulation about film decency and Frank Wertham was the author of "Seduction of the Innocent" which in turn lead to the creation of the Comics Code Authority.
This post has gotten quite long enough, so I'll bring up my ideas for "Beyond Good and Super Villainy after some responses." (Nietzsche jokes, how geeky can we get?)
As a final note - a "Power Squid" is an actual product available from Radioshack - and is a multi-tap surge protector where each outlet is on the end of its own two foot extension cord. Most of the other topics I submitted have funny stories behind them as well.
It was my intention to create a 24 hour game for a while, but a pair of interesting coincidences that made me create this Of ""
The night before I was thinking of a new game based on the web comic . The authors ran into a bit of financial trouble, and I rather want to help them out by offering a new product they can market. (They already offer pins in exchange for donations of $10 or more, and have attempted to sell their comics, but the publisher screwed them over) So I had filled about two pages of my notebook with ideas for a system before going to bed. Since the comic is about people caught up in errors of the celestial filing system, the idea that a character sheet is a folio, and that after creation, the numbers are re-shuffled at random, along with the use of cards caught the theme.
In the morning, I was looking through the forums for any new entries, and I see the unfinished game "". It reminded me of the numerous conversations I've had with my friends about the legal ramifications of super-heroes, and where they fit in the realms of philosophy. (Super-man vs Transcendent-man and all that.)
Then the image of a smoking G-man complaining about super heroes popped into my head, and I knew I had an idea. I started writing at noon without any real idea for a system - just the Hayes letter and intro. However, then it occurred to me that the unfinished system from the misfile game would be a good fit for the genre - normal humans rated 1-9 drawing from a deck of 13, against heroes with higher stats. (Angels have some screen time in the web-comic)
Originally, I was thinking of setting it in the modern day, only with some more raygun-Gothic architecture and certain laws in place. - but then the idea of actually placing it in the 50s, a few months after Sputnik won out. Its only a slight change from "Comic" to "Comie", and the feeling of the red menace adds atmosphere.
Much like most good horror movies never use the Z-word (Zombie), "Superhero" is never actually used in the game - its always "Comic", "Squid", or a reference to unusual individuals.
The game was made in a very hap-hazard fashion, yet it came together very nicely. The character sheet was actually amongst the first elements established, while the cover came in the last half hour before noon on the 27th. As per my usual - I had certain ideas for section headers, and then filled in once I had a skeleton outline. However, once the names were there, I certainly didn't work in that order - combat was late to be finished.
I'm very proud of the connection between G-men and Comics, even if that wasn't the original intent - and I want to know if anyone picks it up before reading the Illustrator's section.
On the other hand, I'm not entirely happy with the combat system. For a non-combat oriented comic like Misfile, it might work, but for something staring armed enforcement agents I think I want something a bit more detailed. At the very least, it could be re-worded in a more coherent fashion.
I'm wondering about how well some of the ideas around shift work. Using it as part of experience system while at the same being a quickly used resource, and dependent on performance. (Rather similar to the assignment of advancement points in the game "Random Anime" - granted by other players, not the GM) This is actually my first completed game to have a level system.
The example scenario could be better, or complete for that mater. Originally, the mentioned submarine was a "Whiskey Twin Cylinder" but my desire for accuracy revealed such boats weren't deployed in 1958, so I changed it to a Juliette cruise missile sub. (The picture is accurate to that type, courtesy US navy) Not that anyone else is going to call me on Soviet Submarine types, but I like to get these things right.
A lot of my odd sense of humor is visible in the names and descriptions. I'm a little worried about this; is its too much and detracts from the film-noir setting, and does anyone besides me understand the references?
For example, the sender and recipient of the "Olympus Report" document. In the real world 1930s, the Hayes Code was an early regulation about film decency and Frank Wertham was the author of "Seduction of the Innocent" which in turn lead to the creation of the Comics Code Authority.
This post has gotten quite long enough, so I'll bring up my ideas for "Beyond Good and Super Villainy after some responses." (Nietzsche jokes, how geeky can we get?)
As a final note - a "Power Squid" is an actual product available from Radioshack - and is a multi-tap surge protector where each outlet is on the end of its own two foot extension cord. Most of the other topics I submitted have funny stories behind them as well.