All Things Super

We've seen a lot of Superhero material this year and its only June!

As the subject of colorful, costumed crimefighters remains near and dear to me, I thought I'd discuss some of my favorite Supers related productions of 2026 and how they are influencing my next Superhero RPG endeavor...

Dispatch

If you love Superheroes, Video Games, and especially Superhero Video Games, do not miss out on this title. Dispatch, produced by and available for download on Stream, is a 'Superhero Workplace Dramedy'.

It largely revolves around Robert Robertson, formerly the superhero Mecha Man, who starts working as a Dispatcher for SDN after his Mecha Battlesuit gets wrecked. SDN is the Superhero Dispatch Network, a private company employing Superheroes [and former Supervillains] as an ongoing on-call protection, crimefighting, and rescue agency. 

It is funny, charming, romantic, quirky, and action-packed, with a solid story and best of all, some really fun characters. I highly recommend it! It has strong Supers RPG vibes and a game where the PCs work for SDN would absolutely rock! 

More on that later...

Invincible

The Invincible comic book series was great and the animated adaptation is quite excellent as well, particularly because its not a perfect one-for-one transfer from page to streaming screen. There are a number of changes to the original material in the form of characters and events that, IMHO, work even better than they did in the comic more often than not.

Not every wild swing the show makes is a home run but they're batting average is pretty damn good. 

Free League is releasing an Invincible Tabletop Roleplaying Game and for the most part, I think it's quite good. It does some interesting things directly related to the Invincible franchise that makes the game feel original in its approach to Superhero RPGs.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

I love this series. I've alluded to this in the past but I am going to come right out and say it here, I actually like it more than the original in a lot of ways.

It feels smaller but more personal and the way it explores a character learning to use their Quirk (Superpower) gives the viewer a clearer view of how such a thing might develop.

Add in some great characters, additional world-building, and a largely straightforward plot that still has some nice twists and turns and you've got the subject most heavily influencing my newest campaign. 

Spider Noir

I'll admit I went in to this series both very intrigued and highly skeptical and ended up absolutely loving it. This is how you do a Superhero alternate universe show! 

I watched it in B&W on my first run through and I just started my rewatch in Tru-Color. I gotta say, WOW! I think the purist in me prefers the B&W version but damn if their color choices aren't absolutely beautiful. 

Nicholas Cage is at his quirkiest and the rest of the cast does an amazing job that all the characters really pop. The story is interesting and the way they transfigure the Spiderman mythos is very clever indeed. I would absolutely love to see more of this series. 

Is there another Marvel 'What If' game in my future? You never know...

The Boys

After reading the first few issues of the Boys comic book I put it down and never really looked at it again. It just wasn't for me. I don't want to see deconstructions of the Superhero genre as, unlike writer Garth Ennis, I actually like Superheroes. If you are going to do it, you're going to need to do it REALLY well, with a deep love of the genre underneath it all. 

As far as The Boys as a streaming series, I loved it. Why? Because unlike the creator who hates the very idea of Superheroes, the team that produced the show clearly loves Supers. Its the same subject, story, and characters (for the most part) approached in a very different way thanks to a much more entertaining perspective. 

While I can't see myself ever running a game in this universe, there are aspects of 'Hero as Celebrity' shown in the series that are certainly on my mind.

My Adventures with Superman

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to check out the latest season as of yet so I'll save a discussion of this show for a future post. I very much enjoyed the previous seasons and I am definitely looking forward to this one.

MHA Hero Helpline and LSH Legion Outpost

I currently have two Superhero RPG campaigns going, which is probably one too many. It might even be two too many! We'll have to wait and see what happens. 

I was kind of desperate to come up with two new ongoing games, one for each the weekly groups I'm in but honestly, Superheroes was near the bottom of the list of choices. In the end I caved though because A) I realized that Supers just works with most of my friends and B) I was kind of inspired by all of the above.

With Group A I felt like we'd just played Supers not that long ago [and in fact, we had]. I

wanted to do something different though so I went with a very particular setting and vibe. The campaign is set in the world of the Anime/Manga My Hero Academia, with the players playing American Superheroes working for the Hero Helpline. Hero Helpline is an on-call private enterprise that responds to individual and business requests to fight crime, perform rescues, and provide other services best suited to the Hero profession. They are also available to assist city law enforcement and emergencies services. 

Basically, I wanted to combine the core concept of the computer game Dispatch with the setting of My Hero Academia. 

As far as Group B, well, I've been promising them I'd run Supers again with them 'someday soon' for a little while now. After a few short campaigns, false starts, and some really good one-shots, I decided someday was now. 

This campaign sees the PCs as an expansion of the Legion of Superheroes, the premier team of DC Comics' 31st Century. As the United Planets has grown in size, so has interstellar criminal activity and attacks from hostile powers like the Khund Empire and The Dominators. Our team of five Superheroes are based far from Earth on the ocean world of Vuruna. Every adventure sees one or more of the established Legion characters helping out the PCs. 

I'm having fun with these but I'm not sure they are what I want to run most. 

More on that...very soon,

AD

Barking Alien

This Is The May - From Shadow Lords to Baby Yodas

Today in a galaxy far, far away...

It is May the 4th once more, or as I like to call it, 'Secular Star Wars Day'. 'Orthodox Star Wars Day' being May 25th of course, the actual day the first Star Wars film was released. 

Nonetheless, this is the day we Star Wars fans celebrate George Lucas' creation; a universe of strange aliens, clever droids, fantastic creatures, distant planets, and of course, The Force.

This year, there is a lot to celebrate too, as we currently have the animated series Maul: Shadow Lord and will be getting The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22th, the first Star Wars film in theaters in 7 years. 

As the date approached, I started to get an idea for a Star Wars RPG that leaned even more heavily into the cinematic, often over-the-top nature of things like the Star Was computer and video games, the animated series such as the current and awesome Maul: Shadow Lord, and one of my personal favorite projects, Star Wars Visions. 

A few weeks ago (roughly), I had the chance to play in a game of Outgunned, a rules-lite cinematic 'Action Film' RPG by a company called Two Little Mice. The one-shot was run, quite excellently, by my friend Nick, a member of my Wednesday evening group. I liked it, a lot, though I couldn't resist the desire to tweak and modify the game for an even greater potential. One thing I wanted to be able to do with it was adapt it to other genres and settings such as...hmmm.

The day after the game I started writing up some notes for an Outgunned powered Star Wars game. While the official supplements for Outgunned, Action Flicks and Action Flicks Vol. 2 respectively, each contain Star Wars-like setting options and additional rules for 'Star Raiders' and 'Star Knights', I decided to try building my version of Outgunned Star Wars from scratch. Sort of.

I did read through the Action Flicks homage versions and they did indeed inform some of my ideas and choices going into the project. I also used Twitter's Grok AI to see what different variations of my proposed adjustments would be like. In the end, I'm pretty happy with what I've got. It isn't a full-on new game by any means but rather a functional way of using a particular set of already established rules to run an already established setting. It's the work of a fan of two things hoping to merge them together. 

I'll be making a series of posts across the month of May - Star Wars Month! - detailing my ideas under the working title...

Happy May the Fourth and beware Revenge of the Fifth.

Remember, The Force will be with you, always.

AD

Barking Alien

31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 11

It's Lights, Camera, Action time with my friend Nick's box office blockbuster of a question...or is an award winning documentary?

Question #11...

What are your thoughts on cinematic gameplay and design vs. simulationist gameplay and design?

I'm going to preface my full answer with a bit of a teaser trailer...all my games are Cinematic games. They all feature Cinematic Gameplay. 

I can't help it. It's baked into the reason I got interested in TRPGs in the first place. At the age of 8 it wasn't my vast knowledge of Sword & Sorcery literature that got me to excited to play as a hero going on adventures and fighting terrible monsters. It was Movies, Television, Animation, and Comic Books. I was raised on The Muppet Show, The Marx Brothers, Mel Brooks, Looney Tunes, Disney films, Star Trek, Star Wars, Superman, The Legion of Superheroes, and a host of other entertainment media that taught me the essentials of Gamemastering; no not rules knowledge silly, the important stuff!

Comedic and dramatic timing, building a scene, cool locations and backdrops, camera angles, sound effects, voice acting, improvisation, and everything that makes a given moment or series of moments in a game exciting and memorable. 

With that out of the way...

My thoughts on the subject kind of go the way of trying to be an 'Emulationist'.

My goal when creating a campaign is to emulate the genre, setting, atmosphere, and particulars of whatever it is I and those I'm gaming with are focused on portraying. 

For example, let's take the American West circa the mid-to-late 19th century. If I were trying to emulate the West as it truly was, if I were doing a realistic portrayal of the era, I would want a Simulationist game. I'd need to track resources, count bullets, have deadly combat, disease rules, etc.

I thin it would require that in order to lean into the brutal and desperate nature of survival in the American wilderness, the cutthroat politics and business of an expanding nation, and the

 tensions between the settlers and the indigenous peoples, etc. 

On the other hand, if I were trying to emulate Wild West movies and TV shows, I would go with a Cinematic system. Something that keeps the feel of the 'Old West' but allows for more dramatic battles and crazy stunts. 

If I were making a 'Bonanza RPG', I would go Cinematic but search for one the specifically modeled the tropes and cliché story beats we saw in that series.

Near future, realistic Science Fiction like the upcoming Pioneer RPG isn't a rollicking Space Opera like Stars Without Number. Nor is Stars Without Number the same sort of rollicking Space Opera the same as Star Trek Adventures. Each of these is its own animal and I am looking for the RPG whose gameplay matches the substance and style of that distinctive and unique animal.

AD

Barking Alien

I feel the need to acknowledge the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele.

I grew up watching Rob Reiner as Michael 'Meathead' Stivic on All in the Family. Later, the accomplished comedic actor and director would direct some of my all time favorite films. In addition to his Entertainment Industry accomplishments, Reiner was a good and decent man who warmed the hearts and inspired the minds of those who knew him and appreciated his work.

I didn't expect this particular passing to effect me so but it has.

Rest in Peace.

A Fourth To Be Reckoned With

A very Happy Star Wars Day to all!

This has been a very interesting year for Star Wars fans, with the Star Wars Celebration fan convention of 2025 having taken place in Japan from April 18-20. While news from the show may not have been abundant, much of what was announced was intriguing to say the least. 

We got updates on the next two films, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Starfighter, as well as an announcement of the new Star Wars Animated Series Maul: Shadow Lord. Plus, there's Tales of the Underworld, a six episode limited series releasing, wait...Today! Nice!

 

What intrigued me the most, not surprisingly, was the information about Star Wars VISIONS Volume 3 and the introduction of Star Wars VISIONS Presents...

For those unfamiliar with this project, Star Wars Visions is an animated anthology series created and produced by a variety of international animation studios. Volume 1 featured studios that were all from Japan. Volume 2 had a world wide collection of animators from countries such as England, Chile, France, Ireland, and South Korea to name a few.

Volume 3 returns to Japan with 8 Studios and 9 Episodes including 3 that are continuations of characters and stories first seen in Volume 1! I am incredibly excited for this, especially the 'reoccurring VISIONS'.

Heheh. See what I did there?

Kamikaze Douga/ANIMA are returning to the black and white + a shock of color world of DUEL, featuring a Sith Ronin hunting other Sith in a galaxy heavily influenced by Japanese Samurai films. The new installment is called 'Payback' and looks to be easily as insane as the original. 

Production I.G., the venerable Anime studio behind Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Kaiju No. 8, brings back The Ninth Jedi, arguably the most popular episode of the first VISIONS. 'Child of Hope' is a sequel to the entry that so many found intriguing that...hold on. Not yet. I don't want to ruin the surprise.

 

The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope

Lastly, 'The Lost Ones' features the young female Jedi introduced in The Village Bride. While that a fine episode, it wasn't one of my favorites. That said, I absolutely thought the Jedi was cool and wanted to see more of her. Now we will thanks to the work of Kinema Citrus, Co. 

In addition to these follow-ups there are several brand new stories including:

• Yuko's Treasure - Another entry by Kinema Citrus, Co. 
• The Smuggler - By Studio TRIGGER (who do my beloved Delicious in Dungeon!).
• The Bounty Hunters - By WIT Studio
• The Song of Four Wings - By Project Studio Q
• The Bird of Paradise - Polygon Pictures
• Black - David Production

The first two VISIONS Volumes contain some of my all time favorite examples of Star Wars content. I absolutely love the mix of art styles, cultural elements, and creative alternate takes on that galaxy far, far away. Really looking forward to seeing what Volume 3 brings. 

As for Star Wars VISIONS Presents, it's a new Star Wars animation 'imprint' in which one of the stories from VISIONS is expanded beyond the original, beyond a sequel episode, and into a full one animated series! The first of these continues the story of The Ninth Jedi from Volume 1. So after this year's sequel 'Child of Hope', we'll get an entire season of stories set in this variation of the Star Wars universe. Honestly, this new blew me away. Can hardly wait for this!

 

Since you're on the Barking Alien blog you've probably figured out that a major factor in my desire to see this new anthology is that I'm hoping to incorporate components of Star Wars VISIONS Volume 3 (and its predecessors) into some far, far away gaming. I've been trying to figure out how best to merge elements of the Japanese TRPG 'Space Ship Story' with the awesome Star Wars D6 game by West End Games. 

And I think I've done it...

This and other Star Wars gaming thoughts coming soon. In the meantime go watch Tales from the Underworld, Andor Season 2, and as always May The Force Be With You!

AD

Barking Alien

A Giant Leap for Mankind or A Stumble in the Dark?

Is this an April Fools prank? A hoax? No?? It's real? Really real?

It's not my birthday. It isn't Xmas or Hanukkah. Life Day?

How can this be true? 

Well it is...it definitely is...

Modiphius Entertainment, the makers of my beloved Star Trek Adventurers, have announced that they are making a Space:1999 Roleplaying Game. 

I've brought up Space:1999, the British Science Fiction TV Series, only a few times in the past and as some may remember, that's the tagline for my Thorough Thursdays series. I had always intended to do a Thorough Thursdays about this show but never got around to it much to my dismay. Now I have every reason to do so...only its Saturday. Drat. Oh well, the show must go on! I'm too excited about this to wait until next week. 

I caught the show when it first aired in the US in 1975 and instantly fell in love. It was like a  a cross between Lost in Space and Star Trek, yet distinctly different in setting, plot, and atmosphere from both of those shows. The stories were somewhat darker and more surreal. The science of it was often wonky (Isaac Asimov famously lambasted the 'science' of the series in Cue Magazine in 1975) yet somehow gave off the feeling of being more 'realistic' due to its tone and look. 

I for one ate it up. I had the Mattel Eagle 1 Spaceship (the Eagle Transporter), action figures, the toy prop Stun Gun and Communicator, and even went as a Moonbase Alpha crewman one Halloween (not a store bought costume but a total homebrew - long sleeve colored shirt underneath another white one with one sleeve removed. Vintage/second hand clothes are magic). 

I've always wanted to run a Space:1999 RPG but never have as best I can recall. The series has absolutely influenced many of my Sci-Fi campaigns such as Star Trek, Traveller, Red Dwarf, and more but I have never done a dedicated Space:1999 game. The reasons for this are really three fold:

While I was and am a fan of Space:1999, my working knowledge of the setting and its elements is no where near as strong as those of Star Trek, Star Wars, ALIEN, or Red Dwarf. I would need to re-familiarize myself with the series in a big way in order to feel comfortable running it as a campaign. 

Am I alone in my love for Space:1999? I've seen a lot of people on the internet surprised that Modiphius chose this particular franchise to produce as an RPG. Most noted positive but only vague memories of the show or a hope that some other Gerry Anderson property would be made into a game (most notably UFO or Thunderbirds). My concern now is the same as it was in the past - do enough people know about and like Space:1999 enough for me to find players?

Lastly, the setting focuses on one 'world', Earth's Moon. On it is a single, large base known as Moonbase Alpha which is occupied by 311 crewmembers*. That's kind of limiting when compared to the settings of other modern SF RPGs. In the RPG to come, are you one of the 311 on Alpha? Don't we know we (the Player Characters) aren't the ones in charge unless the players are controlling John Koenig, Helena Russell, or Alan Carter?

The question that comes to mind would be the same one I'd have if I were running a Star Trek campaign set on the original series Enterprise; if we come upon a derelict alien vessel and we're not playing Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, how is it that the PCs get to go on a mission to investigate it? If we are assigned to accompany the leads, do the NPCs (again, Kirk, Spock, McCoy) decide what to do? That doesn't sound like fun even though it makes internal sense.

Personally, I am very excited to see this game and will definitely be picking it up. I do hope that the book dedicates a significant portion of the GM section to how you play this given the parameters of the milieu.

Until then, "Loyalty is better than logic; Hope is better than despair; Creation is better than destruction".

AD

Barking Alien

*Between character deaths and new births during the course of the show's two seasons, Moonbase Alpha has approximately 284 occupants (including at least one baby as I recall). 

31 Days / 31 Characters - CRIMSON CYCLONE CYBERO

Crimson Cyclone Cybero was a character my buddy Aldrin originally created for a game we only ran a single session of and then couldn't seem to get around to scheduling. I think his original name was Crimson Hurricane and he was a homage to DC's Red Tornado. He was randomly rolled up for a Villains and Vigilantes game with the premise that the PCs were a team of international heroes. Crimson Hurricane represented Myanmar (Burma at the time) but it might also have been the Indochina region. Buzz really liked him and wanted to use him for this other game so I said sure, since I liked him too. 

Character: Crimson Cyclone Cybero

Cybero is pronounced sigh-BEH-row.

AKA: A Secret Identity (that I don't recall). 

Player: Aldrin 'Buzz' Aw

System: Mekton RPG, 1st Edition and Villains & Vigilantes, 2nd Edition kitbash.

 

Nature: Short Campaign: Super Savior Cybero

Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein

Circa: 1985-1986

Origins: I spent some time over one Summer with my Dad and where he lived he got foreign language TV stations if you messed with the antenna and channels a bit. I discovered and was able to watch Kamen Rider in Spanish and Ultraman in either Chinese or Japanese (depending on the day). I think I was also able to catch one of the Sentai programs as well. 

Sometime after running my first 'campaign' of Mekton (if you could really call it a campaign), I wondered if there was a way to take parts from R. Talsorian's Mecha game and glue them into the Superhero RPG that was 2nd Edition V&V in order to run a Tokusatsu RPG. It worked! OK, it worked 'cause I made it work and probably fudged some things. Maybe a lot of things. We got a good game out of it didn't we?

Backstory: When Doctor Simon Date invented the Cybero Circuit, a revolutionary Organic Computer far ahead of its time, he completely changed the field of cybernetics overnight! Unfortunately, the benefactor funding his research was secretly Catastrophe-X, leader of the would-be world conquering organization 'Armageddon Genesis'. 

With the help of his assistant Sana and his daughter Sadako, Dr. Date had just enough time to complete his three Super Cybero Savior projects and escape with them before X's minions arrived. Now, protected by this trio of cybernetic superheroes, the group tries to take down Armageddon Genesis and defend all mankind!

Overview: The campaign was very episodic, with each session following a basic format; either Armageddon Genesis would send agents to capture or kill Dr. Date or his Daughter and the PC heroes would have to protect them - or - the heroes would hear reports of a peculiar crime or occurrence and go to investigate, uncovering some scheme by AG to take over the planet.

The villains would consist of a half dozen to a dozen faceless goons and 1-3 'lieutenants', more formidable opponents using Super Weapons and Armor or else being Super Cyborgs themselves. 

As far as the PC good guys we had:

Protector Cybero Paladin - Blue, White, Gold - A normal but skilled young man wearing an 'Iron Man' type Powered Armor. He had Super Strength, near Invulnerability, a multi-setting Raygun and a Power Sword that delivered stunning blasts. The Cybero Circuit gave him mental control over the suit - he can change the settings on his weapons with a thought for example. He was basically our Captain America/Superman boy scout.

Cybero Midnight Mask - Purple, Black, White, Gold - was a cyborg whose enhancements were undetectable until he donned his special mask. Midnight Mask's cybernetics gave him 3x the strength, speed, and agility of a normal Human. He was equipped with numerous crimefighting gadgets like a tricked out Motorcycle, Throwing Disks, Shock Tonfa, Smoke Bombs, and Power Inhibitor Handcuffs. The Cybero Circuit activated his cybernetics and let him remote control his motorcycle. Midnight Mask was our cynical and grim detective in the vein of Kamen Rider and Batman. 

and last but not least...

Crimson Cyclone Cybero - Red, Black, Gold - is a full android and he was built before Dr. Date realized his work was being funded by a Supervillain! The prototype designs were shown to Catastrophe-X in his secret identity and as such were copied by Armageddon Genesis to create some of their powered minions. However, the good Doctor kept tinkering and eventually created a unique sentient machine. His primary power is Super Speed, able to travel so fast he appears to be a blur of red light. He can also move quickly, not just run quickly, giving him the ability to perform multiple attacks and catch or deflect projectiles. Crimson Cyclone can also use his speed to build up wind, creating powerful gusts and striking like a 'living' tornado. His Cybero Circuit allows him to transform into a normal looking person and he does have emotions. His personality is split; in battle he is a cold, calculated, and no non-sense, though still heroic and honorable. Out of combat he is like a child, a Data-like Pinocchio learning to be Human. A little Silver Surfer is in there as well. 

Three of the major inspirations for Crimson Cyclone Cybero

(Left to Right) Android Kikaider, Joe from Cyborg 009, and The Red Tornado

The Highlights: 

It is difficult to recall many of the game's specific moments. It was so long ago, a campaign of no more than a dozen sessions, probably less, and there were so many other games going on at the time. Even so...

I recall one really good session where Sadako, Dr. Date's daughter, had been kidnapped by the bad guys and ransomed. Armageddon Genesis would return her if Date handed over the blueprints for the Cybero Circuit, otherwise she would be killed at dawn! The heroes discovered the location where Sadako was being held and went to rescue her but it turned out to be a trap! The real Sadako was hidden somewhere else and the one at the place the PCs went to was an android duplicate. Worse yet, one with Magnetic Powers! 

The battle was extremely difficult, as Crimson Cyclone and Protector Paladin fought the Iron Maiden (her code name) while Midnight Mask sneak into the place where the true Sadako was held. MM had to fight through a bunch of goons and traps all on his own before being confronted by a major lieutenant. Meanwhile, the other two PCs had a tough time being Metal Heroes against the Mistress of Magnetism. 

What turned the tide was when Crimson Cyclone started to ask her why she was doing this, fighting against another android such as himself. She replied that it was her programming and what she was designed and built to do. CC got all existential on us, discussing what it meant to be an Artificial Intelligence and whether the fight was logical if you were going to think like a robot or decent and compassionate if you were going to think like a true living being. As she starts to get second thoughts about her role in all this, the villains signal that they're going to blow up the base with Cyclone, Paladin, and Maiden inside it. Cyclone appeals to her better judgement once more and convinces her to work with them to get free.

Just as Midnight Mask and his opponent duel to a standstill, Crimson Cyclone, Protector Paladin, and Iron Maiden blast through the ceiling to come to MM's aid. The heroes, including Sadako, depart after defeating their enemy and Cyclone asks Maiden to come with them. She declines as she must discover who she is now and what her purpose is but she assures them they'll all meet again. 

Game Info:

After running a lot of Villains and Vigilantes and then a lot of Mekton, it just struck me that if you mixed these together you could cover those Metal Hero series style characters. Now, how did I do it? What did it look like? Beats me...

It was a long time ago and I don't think I ran any other games with this particular kitbash. If I remember correctly, it was mainly Mekton with the powers from V&V stapled on and adapted to work with the former. Somehow.

Notes:

This was one of many games I ran between the mid-80s to the mid-90s that was initiated because I just really wanted to run a game about whatever the heck I thought was cool that month. Most of the time this worked because I was playing with people who also thought those things were really cool. I also had a number of people who didn't care to know anything before being introduced to it during play. I miss those days. Everyone now needs a 10 page write-up on the world background and mechanics in order to even consider playing a suggested game. Seems our sense of adventure only extends to our characters in their settings and not to the players in the real world. Sigh.

Thinking back, I wonder if the rules I stitched together actually worked or whether we all just agreed to pretend they did. It was an unholy mish-mash to be sure but it made sense to us at the time and I guess that's all that matters. 

Doctor Date's name is pronounced Dah-TEH. It is a Japanese family name that means Intelligent

I forgot to mention, one ability all three PCs got from their Cybero Circuits was to instantly change into their 'costumes'. Midnight Mask's Cybero Circuit was on his belt and activating it summoned his mask/helmet to him. Once putting it on he fully transformed. Protector Paladin's was on his wrist I think. Crimson Cyclone's was in the center of his chest a la Tony Stark's Arc Reactor. 

Legacy:

As mentioned under 'Origins', Crimson Cyclone was first created for a V&V campaign featuring international superheroes. He has since appeared or been mentioned in that capacity in various Supers games I've run over the years. More often than not its a name drop when discussing what Superheroes are around or available in the area of Southeast Asia. 

I've always liked this character and still do, though I haven't thought about him in a while. I am sure some version of him is out there in the Multiverse somewhere, defending Humanity while still trying desperately to fully understand it.

Not unlike myself I suppose.

From live action Superheroes to Space Opera Anime - tag along with dangerous DEE HOSHIYORU and face the Cregurian!

AD

Barking Alien

Now, Shall We Begin the Experiment?

I've been thinking about Tokusatsu lately and would really like to do another game in that genre and style. The last one I did was a few years ago and it was specifically a Super Sentai campaign. This time I was thinking more of a Metal Hero Series approach, perhaps a team of Kamen Rider type Superheroes. I haven't done that in decades.

What's that? What the #@%$ am I talking about? Hmm. Maybe I should lay some ground work...

Tokusatsu is a catch-all phrase for Japanese live-action TV shows and films in which a good deal of special effects are used, from fireworks to miniature cities, rubber monster costumes to light-up props and so forth. Kaiju films, Super Sentai, and Metal Hero show are all subtypes of Tokusatsu. 

We all know what Kaiju films and shows are about, giant monsters attacking cities and battling other giant monsters! The word Kaiju translates to Strange Beast. Godzilla, Gamera, and even King Kong are well known Kaiju. I'll address this genre in detail later this month. 

Super Sentai is the genre most familiar to Americans and others in the Western World thanks to Power Rangers. Sentai is a military term that roughly translates to group or task force, be it a small team, squadron of figters, or fleet of ships. As such, Super Sentai shows feature a team of Superheroes usually identified by their color [and maybe a code name or motif]. I've talked about Super Sentai a few times in the past. 

Metal Hero is a lesser known thing outside of Asia; specifically Japan, China, and Korea. Metal Hero maybe teams or solo heroes and are often connected to the military, police, rescue services, or some scientific organization (particularly space agencies). They are identified less by the color of their costumes and more by what they do. Some are Space Cops or Sheriffs hunting down aliens that have come to Earth to cause havoc. Others are normal if very high-tech crimefighters battling evil organizations bent on world domination! Some focus on emergency services and rescuing people from disasters. It is common for there to be three members of the team, with other characters in support roles. 

Kamen Rider or 'Mask Rider' and Ultraman are examples of Tokusatsu but don't really fall into the Super Sentai or Metal Hero categories (though Kamen Rider shares many tropes with Metal Heroes). These two are sometimes referred to a Kaijin or Strange People. I'm a huge fan of Kamen Rider and to a lesser extent Ultraman. I used to watch some of the early Kamen Rider episodes on Spanish language television is the 80s. 

As noted above, I've run Super Sentai games and even one Metal Hero/Kamen Rider campaign (see the next 31 Days / 31 Characters entry) but it has definitely been a while. Since it was on my mind I thought I'd look into what's available in terms of published games for these genres.

Convictor Drive is inspired by Japanese live-action films and television shows such as Kamen Rider, Megabeast Investigator Juspion, and Android Kikaider. 

I was super excited for this game and contributed to the Kickstarter as I am definitely a fan of the genres of Super Sentai and Metal Hero . I've run Japanese Superhero campaigns and one-shots and was excited to see how the Japanese themselves handled the subject in game form. 

I've barely looked at it since I've received it.

Why? Not an easy question to answer...

I did give the book a cursory read through when I first got it and the thing that stood out to me most is that the game has quite a developed setting with a lot of backstory. A lot. Maybe no more or less than any other modern RPG but much more than I expected. I'll be the first to admit that's on me for making assumptions. Being disappointed that the product wasn't exactly what I thought it would be isn't the game's problem, it's mine. It still turned me off. 

LionWing sells the game with the tagline 'A Kamen Rider-inspired TTRPG that features action-packed combat and roleplaying, an original d10 system, and gorgeous anime art!' It is indeed an action-focused Tabletop RPG with a sizable portion of its D10 based rules dedicated to mechanics that support role-playing. It also has nice art. Gorgeous is a bit much. It definitely looks good but I've seen more impressive work, especially in Japanese TRPGs. Also, while the art is nice the layout, graphics, and writing are actually rather dry and a tad bland.

What is doesn't have is the feeling of being Kamen Rider-inspired. I mean...kind of...but I feel like less setting would have made it feel more inspired by the genre that informed it instead of it feeling very specific to itself. Convictor Drive doesn't feel like a Tokusatsu-flavored game the way Starships & Spaceman is a Star Trek-flavored game. Instead, Convictor Drive feels like its very much Convictor Drive flavored. It's atmosphere is too Cyberpunk and not 'Superhero' enough to be Tokusatsu. In fact, I'd say it's closer to late 80s-early 90s Science Fiction Anime like Armored Police Metal Jack and Sonic Soldier Borgman.  

The many faces of Kamen (Mask) Rider

By comparison, take a look at a game like Super Happy Sentai Hour. This is a game that explains the Super Sentai genre in considerable detail and then gives you all the tools, options, and idea suggestions you need to create your own setting.

It isn't as pretty as Convictor Drive, nor as polished, but its raw exuberance and extensive knowledge of the subject matter make it my go-to game for running a Super Sentai game. Seriously, if you are interested in knowing more about Super Sentai and/or running and playing a Sentai game, this book is definitely worth a read. It explains the various elements that make up a Sentai show in a clear and easy to understand way that is also very entertaining.  

There is also a game called Henshin, A Sentai RPG that I haven't gotten the chance to check out at all. Much of the advertising for it seemed oddly pretentious for a game in this genre. Since I'm such a Super Sentai fan I suppose I'll have to read it eventually.

There are likely other games in this sphere and I'll need to do some more research on what they are. I haven't even started on Japan's forays into this mix. I know of a few, including Marginal Heroes (covering general transforming 'Henshin' heroes) and Masquerade Style (a semi-official Kamen Rider RPG).

I tend to prefer games that give me what I need to create my own world as opposed to giving me a ton of info about theirs. If I were buying a licensed IP game like an official Super Rescue Solbrain RPG, then yes please give me everything you can about the world of Solbrain. What I'd rather have though is a Metal Hero RPG so I can make my own Metal Hero milieu.

I'm not writing off Convictor Drive completely but I'm not looking forward to trying to detach the setting from the rules in order to create a more general Tokusatsu vibe. I feel like it would be easier to customize and/or add to Super Happy Sentai Hour than to subtract from Convictor Drive but who knows, I could be wrong. 

Just some thoughts going into the next 31 Days / 31 Characters post...

AD

Barking Alien

The post title is a reference to the catchphrase of Kamen Rider Build. 

I updated this entry the day after posting it as I felt it gave the reader neither enough context nor my complete thoughts on the subject. Let me know if it all makes sense to you. Thanks.