Mutant Town Pride

I think I have shared it before, but I love this Mutant Town Pride piece by @Astrolimes.

Another X-Men #1 Tribute (Shocking, I Know)

Y’all know I love homages to Jim Lee’s iconic X-Men #1 cover. This tribute by comic artist Jamie Johnson is my new favorite. If you want links to previously shared homages check out this post.

Outstanding Oddibeasts, Toxic Protectors, and 5e Mousers (Oh My!)

I have picked my new laptop up. I've started work on the TMNT tribute game I mentioned previously. I'm going to be using the X-1 system created by Andy Hand of Limitless Adventures and Cheatin' Fair Games for his Rat Catchers and Pixie Punks games. It's a simple to learn and fun rules-lite system and i think it will be perfect for the game. So what am I calling it? The name is not set in stone, but I'm really considering Outstanding Oddibeasts. The Mighty Mutanimals are a team that's been allied to the turtles in various versions of the group. Mutanimals is a portmanteau of Mutant Animals. Outstanding Oddibeasts (Oddibeast being a portmanteau of Oddity and Beasts) is the best sounding homage I've come up with so far. It's not perfect, but I'm going to be real, I dig it.

It will take a bit to finish, so in the mean time I've am also going to do something I haven't done in years. I've started working on a PWYW class for Vigilante City. While there are already rules to play ninjas, street tough vigilantes, and mutant animals, I thought it would be fun to make a class based on Toxie. The Toxic Protector will allow you to create a character based on the Toxic Crusaders version of Toxie (though it will have some elements of the original film version too). If I can figure out how to do the layout, the class will hopefully be released next week. 

I wanted this post to having something folks could use too, so I'm finishing with 5e stats to the iconic TMNT army fodder, Mousers.

Mousers are iconic robo-fodder in TMNT. They've existed in almost all version so of the franchise (except the movies, which is odd). They are small robots, about 2.5 feet tall, created by Baxter Stockman to eliminate NYC's rat problem (at least in the 1987 cartoon). However, the automatons were used by Shredder to hunt the Hamato Clan (specifically Splinter). The original comic versions were created to get rid of the rat problem, but also used by their creator to steal valuables. They also associated with one of my fondest memories. When I was a kid I talked my uncle Carlos into taking me to the Ashland Mall to see the Ninja Turtles. He agreed to and afterword we went to Hills Department Store. He let me get a toy and I was able to pick up my first TMNT action figure. It was slim pickings. All they had were Wacky Action Mousers and Rocksteady. I went with the latter (which I still have), but fondly think of the mouser figure from time to time (even though I never picked one up).

Mouser

Small Construct, Unaligned

Armor Class: 12 (metal chassis)

Hit Points: 7 (2d6)

Speed: 25 ft.

Challenge: 1/8 (25 XP)

Str 10 (+0) Dex 10 (+0) Con 10 (+0) Int 4 (-3) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 3 (-4)

Damage Immunities: poison, psychic

Damage Resistance: acid, lightning, fire, cold, necrotic, radiant

Condition Immunities: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages: --

Unique Features

Rat Sense: The mouser is always aware of all rodents (mutant or otherwise) within 30 feet of it. This sense can penetrate most walls and objects, although certain materials such as lead can block it.

Actions

Bite: Melee Weapon Attack. +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage, and the mouser attaches to the target. While attached, the mouser doesn't attack. Instead at the start of each of the mouser's turns, the target loses 1 point of piecing damage. While attached, the target has disadvantage on all skill and attack rolls.

The mouser can detach itself by spending 5 feet of it's movement. A creature, including the target, can use its action to make a Strength (Athletics) roll (DC 12) to detach the mouser.

Fuccubus Friday - TMNT

Incubi and succubi have made appearances in TMNT stories. For example, in the Raphael: Bad Moon Rising miniseries readers are intrigued to an incubus named Lord Incubor (clever I know) and his succubi servants. These life draining demons live in the realm of Nocturna.

Update From The Halls

Thought I'd give a little update on what's up at the Halls. I still don't have a computer yet, but that will change in the next day or two. My friend Lindsey got a new computer and is passing on her old laptop to me. That means I will be blog more regularly (instead of just when I head to the library). This means I'll start on my review of the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game.

I'm still looking for a new job and have plenty of free time. I've decided I want to start working on some new projects to release as The Lone Bards (though since Josh had given up writing for now it's the Lone Bard).  I've been on a TMNT kick recently. Started reading the comics again which has been fun. Thinking about sitting down and watching all of the major series (1987, 2003, 2012, and Rise of the the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). What does this have to do with The Lone Bards? Well, one of the projects I want to do is an original game that's an homage to TMNT (and the series it spawned like Street Sharks and Toxic Crusaders). I haven't fully decided if I'm going to go full Saturday Morning Cartoon camp, classic gritty, or somewhere in between... though I'm leaning towards somewhere in between. It will probably never get finished like most of the ideas I have, but sometimes I think just having a goal helps my mental state out, even if I never get to the point of achieving it. 

Middle-Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles

I grew up on TMNT and am almost middle aged, so this one hit close to home. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

Plot

Four teenage brother feel stifled by their father and seek to win over the hearts and minds of the citizens of NYC so that they can be a part of the human world and accepted as normal teenagers. They team up with human teen, April O'Neil, and seek to stop a crime boss named Super-Fly.

Review

 Y'all know I love the TMNT. The original live action film is the first movie I saw at the cinema. It's  probably no surprise I thought this movie was fantastic! Honestly, I'd put it in the top three movies I've watched this years. It definitely owes its existence to one of those, though. Mutant Mayhem had some very unique animation and even mixed in some live action elements. I don't think this would not have happened if not for the Spider-Verse movies and their success (at least the first one's). This fantastic animation was accompanied by an amazing soundtrack/score. The instrumental music seemed plucked from your typical coming of age story. That's not a critique because given the nature of the story, Mutant Mayhem fits the criteria (though you could hardly argue it's indie). The vocal tracks were fantastic too. There are some great sequences that are essentially musical montages.

The voice cast and characterization are amazing. Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon do an outstanding job bringing the turtles to life. Unlike some previous incarnations, these turtles actually felt like teenagers. They used current slang and were cringey, in that adorable way only teens can be. They also showed a love of pop culture, which proved to be important. The MCU and Attack on Titan both exist in this world. They also really felt like a family. I can't praise them enough. Ayo Edebiri gave an interesting take on April and I liked her. Jackie Chan's take on splinter felt new yet still familiar, and I appreciated that. The rest of the voice cast hit it out of the park too! How could it not when it included Hannibal Buress, Rose Byrne, John Cena, Ice Cube, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Seth Rogan, Maya Rudolph, Alex Hirsch, and Paul Rudd?

One thing I really appreciated about this movie is that while it was definitely a TMNT movie, it was also something new. I can't recall a version of the story that went quite like this one. There were some story beats and risks taken, but the story went some places I wasn't expecting. 

Seth Rogan, I was nervous when they announced you were doing a TMNT movie. You surprised me in all the best ways, though. Well done.

In Your Game

There are definitely gameable things to take from this one. If you want to play a turtles game, I recommend Teenage Mutant Dirtbags. I picked up a copy at Origins and will review it soon.

Postapocalyptic Punk Sewerlife

 More interesting punk/undead/postapocalyptic art from Johan Åberg, this time sewer flavored... yuck!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Teaser

I didn't know what to think when I saw Seth Rogan was doing a TMNT movie, but this looks fun as hell. Going to have to take another look at Teenage Mutant Dirtbags.

Bronx Beasts Volume 1 Review

Written by Dan Steeby, Bronx Beasts is a fantastic take on Dungeon Crawl Classics. I picked up a copy of volume 1 at Gen Con and I was very happy with the purchase. "Bronx Beasts is a wild 1980's action featuring rules for generating and playing bizarre mutant animal characters..." These rules let you get your TMNT fix using DCC rules.

A majority of the 43 page zine is focused on Character Creation. This is different that typical DCC rules and has seven steps.

• roll attributes
• role beast origin
• roll beast type
• choose beast size
• roll beast form
• roll and spend evolution points
• roll lucky sign
• fill in the blanks

If you want your game to have a more heroic feel, there is a four color comic variant for character creation. Characters are either random or deliberate mutations. There are several sub tables for beasts created deliberately. The Beast Type table has a great set up. You can roll a d100 to randomly determine your animal nature or you can roll different dice depending on what biome you come from (urban, rural, wild, exotic, or bird-only). You then choose beast size (tiny to huge). This choice affects various stats. Next your roll to see how beastly your speech, legs, hands, and looks are. After this you get several "evolution points" that can be spent to customize your beast (for example give you armor or a natural attack). Like other DCC games, you roll your lucky sign (which gives you bonuses or penalties are certain die rolls based on  your Luck score). The final part of character creation involves using that info and filling in the rest of your character sheet. Overall the character creation process seems like a fun blend of DCC and TMNT and Other Strangeness. 

The rest of the zine gives other variations to standard DCC. There are no classes and everyone's stats are determined by their beast's levels level. There are some cool new rules. The non-magical nature of the game reminds me of DCC Lankhmar. Characters get Fleeting Luck and can spend luck to heal. Armor doesn't actually increase armor class, but is rather a die that lets you soak damage. Finally there are beast checks, fur burn, and bestial freakouts that are reminiscent of the actions wizards can take, but in this case allow beasts to tap into their inherent animal sides.

If you're a fan of DCC and TMNT, you NEED to pick up this zine. It's only 5 bucks! You can grab your copy here. Look for a 0-level funnel adventure for the setting when this year's Gongfarmer's Almanac is released digitally.

Addendum: Because this doesn't use magic or the standard classes, I'm pretty sure you have almost everything you need to run this game just by picking this up and any version of the DCC Quick Start. 

#SewerLife - Diggs

I remember seeing this picture in one of the Dragon Magazines I had in the late 90's. It was from a Gamma World Alternity article. I found it again recently and decided to make some content for it. Here's an npc you can add to your Crawling Under A Broken Moon Umerica games.

Diggs the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
The mutant turtle known as Diggs is the heir to a heroic legacy. The son of Raphael, Diggs and his brothers (Jones and Smith) were named after great artists of their father's youth, the Wu-Tang Clan. An angry young mutant, he is the last surviving member of his family. He travels the wastes of Umerica, seeking to help the helpless.

Init +4, Atk Machete or Baseball Bat +4 melee (1d6+2); AC 15; HD 6d10+6; MV 12', 12' Swim; Act 1d20/1d14; SP amphibious, Might Deeds (d3), +5 to Sneak Silently and Hide in Shadows;  SV Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +3; AL L

Music Monday - I.C.K.

Ice Cream Kitty was one of the more bizarre, but cute additions to the TMNT mythos via the 2012-2017 Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle series. Here's a musical tribute the chilly kitty (who was voiced by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman).

"I scream. You scream. We all scream for kitty."

And because I can, here are Ice Cream Kitty stats for Vigilante City.

Ice Cream Kitty
Armor Class: 13
Hit Dice/Points: 1 (5 HP)
Move: 12
Actions: 1
Attack: Claw(1)
Special: Immune to cold damage, double damage from heat/fire based attacks, ice cream body (tastes delicious and can squeeze through any opening)
Bonuses: +3 to Street Survival
Morale: 4
Terror: -
HDE: 1

Ice Cream Kitty started live as a normal stray tabby cat in NYC. April found her in an alley and asked Mikey to take care of her. He agreed to raise it as a pet. The cat ate some Neopolitan ice cream covered in mutagen and mutated into a sentient cat-ice cream hybrid. She is cute, cuddly, and extremely lovable. She also lives in the turtles' ice chest.

Music Monday - Ode to Shredder

I will love TMNT until the day I go to that big gaming table in the sky. Here's a silly tribute song to everyone's favorite ninja master in a tin can, Shredder.

We know I don't like to not include game content so here's Shredder's armor statted out for Vigilante City.

Shredder's Armor

Shredder's armor is just as deadly as the ninja that wears it. It provides a +4 bonus to AC and +2 to toughness. In addition wearers gain a +2 to Critical and Death Saving Throws. The claws and blades provide a +1d4 points of damage to unarmed attacks. In addition when an opponent missed with a melee attack they take 1d4 points of damage. Finally the suit is just frightening to look at and the wearer gains a +2 bonus to Intimidation rolls.

Succubus Sunday

Apparently Raph is a fan of succubi too...

El Mariachi de Combate

El Mariachi de Combate is a unique and amusing class created by Mark Chance of Spes Magna games. It's essentially a mariachi luchador. Yeah this may not be the most serious (or culturally sensitive) class but it's fun. It's basically a battle bard!

El mariachi de combate combines musical prowess with dazzling showmanship and martial skill. Whether he travels alone or as part of a grupo, el mariachi de combate adventures with zest, relying on his skills and bold action to do more than just survive another day. Instead, el mariachi de combate triumphs with style.

The class has 10 levels total and sounds like it would be a blast to play. They literally sing and dance while fighting unarmed on the battlefield. Seems like the perfect companion to Puss in Boots. The class doesn't have much place in a serious game, but if you want something a little light-hearted, you can't go wrong with this one. 

You can download the official release on OBS  (it's pay what you want) or snag the one released for Original Edition RPG Appreciation Day here. You can throw Mark some money with the first one, but the second one is a lot prettier.

Cinematic Mutant Ninja Turtles

OG Turtles

Surprisingly I like this...

I've been contemplating running some sort of TMNT game.  I've already discussed my love for the reptiles here. The main hindrance I've found is that I don't know what system to use. I have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness, but after reading through it, I'm just not feeling the system.  Mutants and Masterminds (PL6 or so) would work fine, though I have a feeling the characters would be extremely similar. D20 Modern works (especially if you use Moreaus for mutants), but my friends didn't really care for that system. Then it hit me. Why not use my favorite rules set, cinematic unisystem?

Apes with Guns... Need I say more?

I think the system would work well to emulate the comics and movies. If you wanted the gritty classic turtles use the drama points system as usual or be even a bit stingy with awarding them. If you want the over the top feeling of the cartoon or newer movie, give them out liberally (especially for one-liners).

Many of the existing qualities from Ghosts of Albion, Buffy, and Angel work perfectly. Others should be ignored and a few more need made. As far as character types I think Human and Mutant will be what I go with. Human will be similar to whitehats, though I'll probably give them hero skill points. On the flipside mutant will have hero attribute and quality points, but will only have white hat skill points. Mutant will also be the catchall for non-human characters. Robots, aliens (such as the Triceratons), and other freaks will use Mutant values.

I know I get the idea to do things like this and it never comes to fruition. This may be another one of those, but hey I'll give it a shot.

Not a Horrible Look For A Cinematic Shredder

Cinematic Street Sharks Seem A Bit Scarier