Monday, June 28, 2010

Hearts & Souls 2E: Presenting The Flea!



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A rough prototype of the the Hearts & Souls 2E PC Sheet, set up for one of our smallest, but not least, iconic heroes.

I appreciate any feedback and suggestions. I've tried moving some elements around but it results in to much crowding and complexity back to back.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Why do I like superheroes?

Why do I like superheroes? It what about them moves me to enjoy reading about them, or in the case of games, playing and writing about them?

It's not an easy thing to narrow down. I guess at heart its the simplicity of a person who properly motivated can go forth and punch evil in the face. Sure its not always that simple. Complexity adds spice and flavor. Yet at its heart, its this "The desire and will to go out and make a difference, in the world."

We have real heroes too--though we forget them I think because they lack the capes, cowls, and other costume accouterments. Some of them are police officers, some are emergency workers, others teachers, lawyers, and just plain folks. They choose to make a difference in the world, they choose to step forward, especially when it isn't easy.

Now no one of any job or profession is guaranteed to be a hero. Many are in the profession but abuse it, others simply don't go beyond the absolute minimum they must do like any day to day job. It is grueling, terrible work, they face. No matter which profession we speak of in the above lists. Yet heroes are not the same as superheroes, and of course masked crimefighters are a relative but not exactly the same.

Masked Crimefighters began farther back--Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, and the Reverend Dr. Christopher Syn, the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. They're heroes in their own way, they fight crime, they do so with skills and abilities a real world person can learn. Maybe they're better at them because they're protected by the fiction they dwell in of course. Yet at the core they are heroes, not superheroes. One could argue Batman is in this vein, but its questionable if he doesn't push narrative protection into the realm of even that being a superpower.


Superheroes are a bit more recent, or eons older depending on where you put culture heroes. Yet superheroes have created an existence all their own in popular media. Costumes, cowls, and all.

Yet when you get down to it--the desire to make a difference, and the will to go out and implement it, is why I like superheroes and their kindred spirits.

Why do you like superheroes?

Thursday, June 10, 2010

The Wonders of an Unfocused Mind

Lately I've not been getting much writing done. It has more to do with health issues than other concerns. Though hopefully with one of them handled things will move forward.

Sadly High Valor has had to be moved to another layout person. No response from the previous layout person for over a month, and regardless of it being 99% through, I simply have no choice but to find someone else and start again. It's not something I wanted to do, and I held off far longer than I should have, but the person is good at what they do, and a friend. That made the whole need to move on, all the more despairing.

In the meantime Derelict Delvers is coming along. I now need to get some names for the sub powers for the Medic class. I need a side bar on "Engineer vs Scientist" in the book. I mean the Engineer is both, but he's a practical scientist. The go build something that works and kick it when it doesn't sort. Not the stay in a lab and create hypothesis type.

E.o.N's setting and work is getting more and more solid. I've really got a hold of the new direction both visually in my head, and more solidly in my rules. While I'd love to make custom rules for everything, that doesn't always work out so it will be similar to high Valor but with tweaks. Other games in the works will often have their own system, though some will use my fallback one. (High Valor's system.)


Now onto contemplating Tribes of Mother Night :D