Frogmen and Wrasslin'

I haven’t really posted this week because I started my job Monday. I think I’m going to like it. In other awesomeness, I’ve also found a place to move into next month. That should mean regular gaming will occur. This past weekend I attended the fifth annual Loveland Frogman Festival and GCW Presents “So Alive." I had a fantastic time at both. I spent most of my Frogman time hanging out with Eric and Josh from Bloat Games. They are the best and it's always a wonderful time when I get to see them. My friend Holly of Holly Who Art was also there (and a sponsor). I also got to see my friends Creep It Real. Check out their Frogman songs.

I probably spent too much, but I snagged some cool stuff. Y'all know I love public domain supers and I finally had a chance to grab a physical copy of one. I've not done Dracula stats, but now I have too. I also grabbed another Savage Dragon issue I didn't have. While it took me a a second to understand how to read them, I also grabbed some really cool oversized cryptid d6's from P House Games.

I also picked up some cool cryptid figures from Archie McPhee. They are perfect for D&D and other tabletop games. Here they are with a few D&D minis and some Archie McPhee glowing zombies I picked up a few months ago.

After visiting Loveland (near Cincy) I headed home and then made my way to Columbus to watch a Game Changer Wrestling show. I won't go too much into it, but I will say I had an amazing time! In addition to badass wrestling there were wrestling zombies and circus clowns. Oh and an entire ballroom full of people singing Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus.

So yeah, I had an awesome weekend. It was a great way to end my birthday week.

BONESAW IS (ALWAYS) REAAAADDDYYY!

First he body slammed his way into Vigilante City/SURVIVE THIS!!. Then he did a diving elbow in 5e. Now Bonesaw gets the three for Evolved and other DCC supers games, because as we all know:

BONESAW IS REAAAADDDYYY!

The Macho Man's small role (or featured role as he proclaimed in his iconic Hogan diss track "Be A Man") in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man has stuck with me. 

Bonesaw McGraw: Init +2; Atk +d5 (unarmed, 1d8+3); Crit IV/1d16; AC 12; HD 3d12+6; HP 16; Mov. 30'; Act 1d20; SP Off the top rope; SV Ref +3; Fort +3; Will +1; AL N

Off the top rope: Bonesaw gains a +1 modifier when performing diving attacks and ignores the damage of any fall that is 15' or less.

Gawd Almighty!

I had to share this piece by Becky Appleyard because it combines two things I love. This is a spoiler of sorts for the Baldur's Gate 3 Find the Nightsong quest.

Here's a clip of the event its referencing:

RIP Sabu (1964 - 2025)

Yesterday Terrance Michael Brunk aka Sabu passed away. If you aren't familiar with the "suicidal, homicidal, genocidal, death-defying maniac," he's a hardcore wrestling legend. Trained by his uncle, the original Sheik, he started wrestling in 1985 and only had his recent retirement match a few weeks ago. 

Here's a nice little tribute released by Game Changer Wrestling (the promotion that put on his retirement match):

This might sound goofy, but as a tribute I decided to stat Sabu as a 10th level Deathmatch Wrestler for DCC. If you aren't familiar with the class, I recommend checking out Judge Phil's Zine of Goodies #1. All of the SP listed in the stats are described there, with the exception of duct tape which was inspired by this incident. TL;DR he ripped his bicep open on barbwire and instead ending the match, he taped it up and wrestled for another 15 minutes.

Sabu (10th level Deathmatch Wrestler): Init +1; Atk +9 (unarmed, 1d12+1), (light tubes 1d10+1); Crit III/1d30; AC 14+ (pads, dex + combat adrenaline); HD 10d12+30; HP 116; Mov. 30'; Act 1d20 + 1d20 + 1d10; SP death die d10+2, combat adrenaline, suicide dive, duct tape*; SV Ref +6; Fort +9; Will +5; AL N

*Once per combat Sabu can take an action to duct tape up his wounds and heal 1d7 HP.

Titan Takedown!

An exciting new crossover of two things I love, rpg's and pro wrestling, is coming to Dropout April 4th. Titan Takedown is a fantasy slobberknocker taking place in ancient Greece. One of my favorite celebrity GM's, the fantastic and ever entertaining Brennan Lee Mulligan, will be running the four part series. At the table he'll be joined by four WWE superstars. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of the (New) New Day, Chelsea Green, and Bayley.  Check out the trailer.

 

I think this looks like a blast. If you want to watch Titan Takedown you will need to subscribe to Dropout, but at just 5.99 a month its worth it for the funny geek content.

WWE vs The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants

This Marvel vs WWE artwork by Norberto Gaeten is fantastic. You can tell the artist is a real wrestling fan. Mystique transforming into Cody’s hated gimmick Stardust is perfect.

Not That Demolition Man

Demolition Man has recently starred in a Lego Marvel movie. I've not watched it yet, but I think it's awesome that it's a thing. While he's made a multiple "Worst Avengers of All Times" lists, I love the character. D-Man is such a great supporting character. 

In addition to the nasty villains, reminder Punch A Nazi Week starts back up tomorrow, I thought it would be nice to post some positive supporting characters. D-Man is a fun LGBTQ+ character and serves as a mentor to trans mutant youth in the 616. 

Code Name: Demoltion Man aka D-Man

Real Name: Dennis Dunphy

Pronouns: He/Him
Team Affiliations: Avengers, Night People, Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, Revengers, Super Trans (mentor)

Medium Humanoid (Augmented), Chaotic Good 

Armor Class: 15 (Costume, Dex)

Hit Points: 105 (10d8+60)

Speed: 30 ft.

Challenge: 4 (1,100XP)

Str 22 (+6) Dex 12 (+1) Con 22 (+6) Int 10 (+0) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 12 (+1)

Saving Throws: Str +10, Con +10

Skills:  Athletics +10, Insight +4, Perception +4, Survival +4

Proficiencies: Air Vehicles, Land Vehicles

Senses: passive Perception 14

Languages: English

Traits

Grappler: D-Man has advantage on attack rolls against any creature he has grappled.

Heart Condition: If D-Man fails a Constitution saving throw for any reason he gains a level of exhaustion.

Powerful Build: D-Man can carry/lift twice the weight of a normal creature his size. Additionally, he can wield heavy weapons with one hand.

Actions

Multiattack: D-Man can make three unarmed attacks.

Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, D-Man can grapple the target (escape DC 16).

Bodyslam (Recharge 5-6). Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., a creature that is grappled by D-Man, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit:  20 (4d10+6) bludgeoning damage and the target falls prone.

Background

Demolition Man (aka D-Man) is an athlete that had his strength and endurance augmented by the Power Broker (though this would weaken his heart). While he's often seen as a joke (especially considering his costume is an amalgamation of Wolverine and Daredevil's), he is respected by Steve Rogers and many of his close allies (as well as Ben Grimm). D-Man gained some fame in the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation. Despite those highs, he's also had some lows, being homeless, brainwashed, and delusional at various times in his life. He has died a few times but comes back. At one point he lost his powers, was killed, and even resurrected as a vampire.

While not trans himself, D-Man is queer and serves as the mentor for the trans mutant support group/team, Super Trans (aka the Morally Superior X-Men).

October Horror Challenge - Terrifier 3 (2024)

 "Clown" is the prompt for Day 18 and there's only one clown on my mind at the moment. Also it wasn't for the challenge, but I watched my favorite Halloween movie Ernest Scared Stupid so I added it to my movies watched total.

Plot

Five years after her horrifying battle with Art the Clown, Sienna Shaw is trying to live a normal life and reconnect with family. Unfortunately for her, Art has other plans in this holiday horror.  

Review

If you are a fan of the franchise, then you're going to love Terrifier 3. Let's get it out of the way. Like the previous movies this one has gratuitous violence and gore that pushes the boundaries of taste.  Unlike previous Terrifier films, this one also includes child murder. That is typically a hard limit for me. However, you don't actually see the children murdered. The first child death is heard and the aftermath is scene, but we aren't subjected to seeing Art hack a kid up. There is another scene that involves children dying, but we don't see it in detail and we only catch a few glimpses of the aftermath. The film also has some violence towards animals, though its towards rats so its not as offensive to some. There's also a super screwed up sadomasochistic sex scene but it's self inflicted, so the film still doesn't include SA. If it wasn't for Art's absurd mannerisms all of this would be too much. There's even a humerous moment after the previously mentioned sexual scene that made it more palatable. I mean come on, Art gets his own Christmas carol!

The gore and effects are ridiculous. They aren't realistic, but that doesn't really matter. For me this enhances the experience. I wouldn't want to watch these gnarly things if they were done realistically. I mean I might be sick, but I'm not that sick. They violence is gruesome, graphic, and killer... but mostly just absurd. There are buckets of blood and muck on screen throughout the film. There are multiple limbs and other appendages being hacked off, smashed, or suffering worse fates.

The cast is absolutely phenomenal. As always, David Howard Thornton absolutely kills it (pun intended). Lauren LeVera returns as Sienna Shaw and she is someone I'm definitely keeping my eye on. She has a great presence and her character feels real and fleshed out. She's definitely one of my favorite scream queens (though I'm not sure if that term truly applies to her). Her character's lore and connection to Art is expanded and many of the questions I had after watching the second were answered. Elliot Fullman returns as Siena's little brother Jonathan. He doesn't have as large a role, but still does a great job. Samantha Scaffidi once again plays Victoria, who is now a full fledged villain. She has one of the most disturbing scenes in the movie. Antonella Rose joins the cast as the Shaws' younger cousin Gabbie. She's a fantastic young actress and I read she did such a good performance that Thornton originally thought he actually emotionally scarred her in their scenes. Clint Howard, Tom Savini, Chris Jericho (retuning as security guard Burke) and and Jason Patric also appear. Notably missing Amelie McLain's Pale Little Girl from the second film. She was creepy as hell, but wasn't really necessary for the plot (especially with Victoria's expanded roll), so I can look past it.

Terrifier 4 is happening and I can't wait.

 Your Game 

I've created new 5e stats for Art. They are based on BenDjinn's stats, but updated with new info about the character, beefed up, and presented in the new monster format. 

ART THE CLOWN

Medium Fiend, Chaotic Evil

Armor Class 12             Initiative +0 (10)

Hit Points:  60 (8d8+24)

Speed 30 ft.

                    MOD SAVE                                     MOD SAVE  

STR  13        +1     +1                        INT 12          +1    +1

DEX  10       +0      +0                       WIS 16         +3    +6

CON  16       +3      +3                       CHA 18        +4    +7   

Gear Bag of sharp objects, pistol , Art's Costume (see below)

Skills Performance +7, Stealth +3

Resistances Cold, Fire, Lightning

Immunities Poison, Poisoned

Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception +6

Language: Understands all languages but can't speak

CR 4 (XP 1,100; PB +3)

Traits

Anatomically Independent: Art can control his limbs even if they are separated from his body.

Chaotic Resistance (1/Day). If Art fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. 

Regeneration. Art regains 5 hit points at the start of each of his turns. If Art takes radiant damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of his turn. Art only dies only if he starts his turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate.

Terrifier. When Art reduces a creature to 0 hit points, each creature who saw the victim killed must succeed a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be Frightened of Art until the start of its next turn. 

Actions

Multiattack. Art can make two Pistol or Slash attacks. 

Pistol. Ranged Attack Roll: +3, range 30/90Hit: 5 (1d10) Piercing damage.

Slash. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (2d4+1) Slashing damage.

Stomp. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft., one prone creature Hit: 8 (2d6+1) Bludgeoning damage and the target is stunned until the start of Art's next turn.

Teleport. Art magically teleports while standing in  a dimly lit or dark area, along with any equipment he is wearing or carrying up to 60 feet to another dimly lit or dark area he can see. 

Art's Costume

Wondrous Item, Very Rare (Requires Attunement)

This garish clown suit has the following properties. The suit has 6 charges. It regains 1d6 expended charges daily at dawn. It cannot be worn over or under any type of armor.

Darkvsion. While wearing this suit you can gain Darkvision 120 ft. 

Teleport. While in dim light or darkness, you can expend a charge to teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is in dim light or darkness.

Movies Watched: 20

New to Me: 12.66

October Horror Challenge - Here For Blood (2022)

It's October 1st which means its time to start the challenge. Today's prompt is pretty simple: first time watch. I'm already deviating from my plan. Tonight I watched Here For Blood on Tubi.

Plot

Tom is a wrestler trying to make a living. Despite his reluctance he agrees to babysit a 10 year old girl for his girlfriend. He soon finds himself defending the little girl from crazed cultists.

Review

I was happy to find this one Tubi. The premise is fun and the flick is a nice throwback to the 90's action movies I used to watch with my dad. Honestly while there are horror elements to this one, it's heavy on the action. There aren't any huge laughs, but definitely some chuckles. Checked this one out because of the wrestling related plot. Not familiar with the, but two of the cultists are played by indie Canadian wrestlers. The main character is played Shawn Roberts (who I recognized as Wesker from the Resident Evil flicks). 

Blood is in the title and this flick is full of it. We're talking Evil Dead 2 levels. Honestly that's not a bad reference. The movie has Evil Dead/Army of Darkness vibes to me. Not necessarily in plot, but just the absurd comedy mixed with horror (and some action). The cult members has some interesting mask. I really liked Spinhead's. 

This one isn't high art, but it was fun as Hell. Oh yeah and while it basically repeats the same lines, there's a decaying immortal head voiced by Dee Snider!

In Your Game 

Because of the Evil Dead vibes I'm going to stat Tom out for Army of Darkness. The Eternal Ones could be the Dark Ones.

Tom O'Bannon

Hero

Life Points: 65

Drama Points: 10

Attributes: 

Strength:  5

Dexterity: 4

Constitution: 5

Intelligence: 2  

Perception: 2

Willpower: 4

Qualities: 

Attractiveness +4 (4)

Big Chin (1)

Buff Guy (3)

Fast Reaction Time (2)

Hard to Kill (5)

Natural Toughness (2)

Nerves of Steel (4)

Drawbacks: 

Love (2)

Skills:  20

Driving/Riding 1

Getting Medieval 4 

Influence 1

Knowledge 1

Kung Fu 5

Mr. Fix It 1

Notice 2

Sports 5

Maneuvers:          Bonus     Damage           Notes

Axe                         10          25               Slash/Stab 

Grapple                   11          -                  See page 90 

Punch                      10          10               Bash 

Slam-Tackle            10          10               See page 91 

Dodge                     10            -                Defense action

Wrestling Hold       10            -                See page 92   

Movies Watched: 1

New to Me: 1

Fuccubus Friday (With Special Guest Star Mystico)

Mystico faces a succubus and the forces of Hell in this piece by El Perex.

Fuccubus Friday - More Love For Karlach

I’ve featured content related to my favorite Faerunian cinnamon roll, Karlach before. Well a few weeks ago, Ring of Honor’s Athena dressed as her for a match at the Supercard of Honor.

 

Bullet Club #1

Since I’ve been sharing art and things related to my A-Z theme I thought I’d show off this print from Erik Hodson.

This Bullet Club tribute is an homage to issue of Ostrander’s iconic Suicide Squad run.

The Rock n’ Smash Express

Check out this comic and wrestling crossover featuring the Thing, Hulk, and controversial wrestling figure Jim Cornette.

The Rock n’ Smash Express by Simon-Williams-Art

GVW Available Now

GVW : The Roleplaying Game is now available in print and pdf on the Gallant Knight Games site. You can read my review of the Mork Borg-powered ECW tribute here. If you want to add to your roster you can also check out my GVW take on the infamous Gobbledy Gooker here.

Go here and order your copy today! 

Music Monday - Christmas

A funny Christmas song I learned about thanks to Brandon of Wet Ink Games, love this track and its wrestling references.

GVW Profile: The Gobbledy Gooker

I felt like playing around with Glorify Violence Wrestling!.  I also wanted to mess around with a seriously infamous gimmick (that inexplicably has been brought back a few times), the Gobbledy Gooker.

GVW Profile:

Height: 6'

Weight: 205 LBS

Hometown: Hartford, Connecticut

Signature Move: "Wishbone"; camel clutch

Finisher: "The Black Friday"; GTS

Signature Weapon: Skillet

Favorite Wrestler: Héctor Guerrero 

Least Favorite Wrestler: The GVW Brawler

The feathered wrestling phenomenon known as the Gobbledy Gooker started his life in the "Fed." Considered a joke by the biggest promotion in the game, he left for the indies, never really fitting in until entering the pool and bingo halls of GVW. Technical mastery mixed with highly directed violence is the Gooker's style. While he only speaks turkey, he knows how to communicate his feelings to the crowd (the crowd always pop for his "for the drippings" crotch chops). 

No one knows why, but the Gooker has a special reverence for the legendary Guerrero wrestling  family. If any family member or friend of the family can rely on the fowl fighter for aid. In contrast, the is some animosity between the Gooker and the GVW Brawler because of their connection to Stamford, CT.

Glorify Violence Wrestling!

GVW is a Mork-Borg powered hardcore wrestling zine that's a collaboration between Alan Bahr of Gallant Knight Games and HodagRPG. The zine is 20 pages of hardcore heaven! The rules are pretty bare bones, but Mork Borg isn't a game known for being super detailed so that works. This is what you get in the zine:

• Gimmicks (archetypes): Brawling Bruiser, Technical Master, Hardcore Legend, Aerial Assassin, and Ring General
• Rules: character creation, tests, getting hurt (busted open and injured tables), doing violence (how to run a match), common actions, how the crowd reacts to you, 
• Random Charts Bay Baby!: Wrestler names, signature weapon, crowd reactions, audience object table, finishing move table, PPV name/location table, event space table, manager table
• Two in-universe character bios (with hidden stats). I think I've decoded them:
• Work Rating = Toughness
• Pop Rating = Presence
• Rope Rating - Agility
• Power Rating = Strength
• Tough SOB Rating = Hit Points

The art and layout is great. It definitely has a DIY zine feel to it and the art is fitting. It also has a faux magazine look which is nice. One issue some folks have with Mork Borg content is that it's super busy looking. This is one isn't. It's easy to read and easy to follow. If you want an ECW rpg, this is for you! Eventually the print zine will be avaible on the Gallant Knight Games page, but until this you can still get the pdf here.

Beware Of The Locals Review

Intro and Overview

Beware of the Locals is the first supplement to Bloody Appalachia. While the core book focuses on playing outsiders entering Bludworth Hollow, this book includes new classes and rules to let you play locals.

Character Creation

The book starts with a local specific occupation table. We're then presented with several new classes:

• Backwoods Chemist - While the Pusher from the core book might sell illicit substances, you know how to make 'em
• Backyard Wrestler- you're one Jim Cornette would refer to as an outlaw garbage wrestler, as the first official wrestling class for ST this, I'm super happy with this one! 
• Family Prodigy - the class name, taken out of context is misleading, this one is designed to play a champion of the Lee and Hooper families. This class emulates the Sawyer family from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise.
• Good Ol' Boy/Girl - this is just a rough and tumble country native
• Miner - Miners have along history in Appalachia, it's hard dangerous work, the class also has an option for spelunkers
• Moonshine Runner - you know how to drive and deliver your goods without get caught by the law
• Mountain Folk - this is a solid class for kin that live in the back hollers
• Mountain Preacher - this one is a fun one and very fitting. That old-time religion is an important part of Appalachian society (for good or ill). There are four variants and I've met them all (except the snake wrangler)
• Poacher - these folks hunt when they want and where they want, laws be damned
• Survivalist (Mountain Tracker Variant) - A doomsday prepper that's at home in the hills

Because of the lethal nature of the game, it's recommended to have back up characters ready. The skills section looks pretty similar to other ST games. The same can be said for the equipment. There is a small section on improvised explosives and quick and dirty drug creation. There's a full page of drugs, costs, and effects.

Rules For Play

Beware of the Locals adds vehicle and vehicle combat rules. There's a chart with vehicles, their costs and stats. We're also presented with ways to upgrade them (and what that costs). New car chase/race rules and specific actions for drivers are detailed (with a multiround example). Of course, the roads aren't always going to be clear so obstacle and crash rules are also included.  

Game Master Section

There are three new scenario for Bloody Appalachia. They can be played by locals or outsiders. There is an appendix of Appalachian terms. Going to be honest, I've lived in Appalachia 35 of my 39 years on Earth and haven't heard a lot of these terms. Not doubting there veracity, there just older terms. There are several useful tables like weapons you would fin in a barn, basic items you would find in a barn, what's in the cooler, as well as several other.

Final Thoughts

While this supplement is short (only 40 pages), it's definitely useful. Honestly, even if you don't plan on playing Bloody Appalachia, I think this is a good rural sourcebook for something like What Shadows Hide.  Plus it provides some vehicle rules not found in that game. Speaking of those rules, I might revisit this flick now that I have an Appalachian horror game with vehicle rules.

The art is fantastic. Peter Frain did a great job on this cover too and Christopher Torres art is metal af.

Preorder Link

Mortal Kombat Is In Our Blood

I love Dave Bautista. I think he’s a fantastic actor and he seems like a genuinely good guy. He gave me goosebumps in this brand new live action trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 (which is a tribute to the OG trailer which is also below).

Also librarian Bautista for the win!

Overwatch 2 Animated Shorts and Cinematics

As I said yesterday, I wanted to share the more current Overwatch animation.  

The Wastelander features Junker Queen and a cameo by Junk Rat (who was one of my favorite characters when I played). 

Kirkiko focuses on the titular character protecting her home. Next to Soldier 76's hero, this might be my favorite and is one of the best superhero-esque shorts.

Calling features brand new hero Sojourn and ties directly into the games new Invasion story, while also tapping into the history of the setting.

Zero Hour was the announcement cinematic for Overwatch 2 and a fantastic short full of heart. Not going to spoil all the characters in it, but this is one of those videos that gave me inspirational tingles.

Fight the Invasion is the new story trailer and deals with the attack by the villainous Null Sector (who are discussed in the Overwatch Genesis shorts).

This live action trailer for the Invasion storyline introduces the Enigma... who's played by John Cena! <queue Cena's theme>

Another Invasion trailer that gives a bit more story to the event and shows off new game features.