I've put some work into the alpha document, and I am now about 25% finished with character creation. I still need to do some work on the classes (adventurer, sorcerer and scientist - only minor differences between the three, mostly in how powers are purchased) and then work on all of the powers - that will likely be the lion's share of the project.
Last update, I previewed the ubermenschen who were up for a vote on who gets illustrated by our artist, Joel Carroll (that's a sample of his work in the upper right corner) and included in the book as sample heroes. This time, we'll look at the "tough guys".
Tough guys are mostly non-powered heroes who rely on their fists, guns and wits to stop crime and punish evil-doers. The category includes "dark avengers" as well as the archers that loom large in comic books even to this day.
Tony Quinn was a district attorney scarred by acid thrown at him by an angry criminal. Blinded in the attack, he gets a new set of eyes in a transplant that allow him to see in the dark. A true dark avenger type, he carries twin .45s and leaves a bat-shaped scar on his victims.
John Perry is a gossip columnist who puts on tights, cape and cowl to, surprisingly, wage war on crime. He is assisted by his ward, Chuck - AKA Kid Fury. Wonder where they got that idea?
Wrestler Bob White and this teen-aged manager Terry Wake enjoy pounding criminals in their off hours. Nothing weird about that. He later got a less frightening costume - a move you just know has "angry moms" written all over it.
Rick Raleigh is an assistant district attorney who fights crime with athleticism, fighting skill, a keen red gun and trained bees, one of whom is named Michael. How can you not get behind a trained bee named Michael?
Dianne Grayton is a millionaire playgirl who dresses up like a witch to fight criminals. She has a thing for another hero called The Raven, and uses trained spiders in her crusade against villainy.
Golden Age patrons don't need to vote now - if the project gets funded I'll email you a "ballot" to handle all that.
Have you seen Hideouts & Hoodlums?
ReplyDeletehttp://groups.google.com/group/hideouts--hoodlums/topics
I haven't seen that, and if its using the same general concept as Myster Men, I probably shouldn't see it to make sure I don't grab any good ideas that I shouldn't.
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm the H&H guy here. Just curious, if you know now that there already is an OD&D comic book golden age/pulp fiction game on the market, why continue reinventing a reinvention of the wheel? We could be working together instead of at odds for a tiny market share.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to step on any toes, and wasn't aware of anyone else using the old rules to do something similar, although there are many different sets of comic book hero rules floating around. Mystery Men isn't entirely focused on golden age heroes or pulp fiction - by and large that aspect has more to do with the existing characters who are in the public domain. One should be able to use the rules in the book to play out any era of comic books. I think there's probably plenty of room for a couple different takes on the subject, just as there seems to be room for many different retro clones of the old school fantasy rules. Really, I just found that there was lots of interest in my original blog post on the subject, and thought it would be fun to take it to the next level and produce a nice book with some nice artwork for the community to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI guess if your game covers all eras then you're competing with Villains & Vigilantes as much as Hideouts & Hoodlums. And I have looked at your draft document and see differences of approach. I've always said M&M is to 3E what V&V is to AD&D and H&H is to OD&D, but your game looks like it will be more like Moldvay/Cook ed. D&D than Gygax ed. OD&D, and I'm fine with that. Still, I could use a lot more material for my Supplement III, so if you're ever looking to team up...
ReplyDeleteLet me know what kind of material you're looking for - I'd be happy to lend a hand.
ReplyDeleteVery kindly offered, Matt. I will remember that in January when Supplement II is done and work on Supplement III starts!
ReplyDelete