Stalwart Phile #2

Stalwart Phile #2 is now available as a PWYW release on DrivethruRPG. If you are a KS backer or a member of the FB group, you already got a link to the pdf. This will pair nicely with issue 3, that will stat out the Great War-era group Freedom's Four, and which will build on the theme of fighting Nazis. Because, again, we punch Nazis in the face. Because maybe we need a reminder of that once in a while. 

Multiple Birds

Well I've had a productive morning! I finally got the inspiration for something that was going to go into the core rules, but I never solved it (and which was suggested by Tony L. originally - who also suggested the letters page)... I wanted to include a 'classic advertisement' somewhere in the book from the early 80s, but never really figured out how to make the page work. However, my Facebook feed in the last week or so has included a bunch of Hostess ads from the early 80s, and I realized that was the sweet spot, and the perfect ad to include. So, I went ahead and created that page... but, I also solved a few problems. I haven't actually drawn many pages of comics in a long time (I did a page for the Core Rules, but I drew that over a year ago now I think)... I didn't have a process in place to create a page. I didn't have any sort of routine. So, I went ahead and created a blank page in paint that was 2000 pixels wide and 3000 pixels tall. Working at 50% size, I did a rough layout/thumbnail. Then I moved to 100% and blocked in some 'pencils'. Then I put in the dialogue. Then working between 200% and 300%, I did the black and white for the whole page. Then I did colors for the whole page. 

And I am very happy with how it turned out. So, here it is... the black and white and color versions. And, I now have a process in place to create the pages for Cataclysm (or any other comic pages I do going forward). The proportions ended up being just right for the various tools I use in Paint. FYI, the whole process took a little over three hours.  

Thinking about tyranny...

I have no idea WHAT contemporary news could have me thinking about Nazis and fascist dictators... but I started to cobble together some villains for my intrepid Freedom's Four to face. I love how these are coming out. I have both original characters and some public domain characters, so I'm thinking that I'll basically have two Stalwart Philes dedicated to Nazis. I mean, it turns out that there are never enough Nazis to punch in the face. Here are two more. I particularly like how Iron Maiden turned out. For Captain Reicher, I just took the public domain Captain Nazi and re-skinned him. I was not comfortable drawing a swastica at all, and I figured that he's a member of the Great Reich, so he needed their symbol on his costume.

Errata for Stalwart '85

A hefty prizeless goes to Rick Hull for bringing these to my attention. Please feel free to send any typos/corrections my way. I don't plan to correct the books (since many of you have physical copies), but for the purpose of being as accurate as possible, here is the list of errata for Stalwart '85:

• Antigen: Evade should be 5 (Tag Evade +1)
• Clockwork Killer: HP should be 13 (12 +1 Tag)
• Emissary: HP should be 30 (Tag HP+2) 
• Lord Wrack: Focus should be 7 (Tag Focus +1)
• Messenger: SP should be 8 (Tag SP +2)
• Typical Javelin Agent: HP should be 12 (no HP tag)
• Javelin Knights: Mind D8 (4); Reflex D8 (4)
• Rochambeau: HP should be 20 (Tag HP +2)
• Blue Sun Boy: Force should be 8 (Power D16), Evade should be 5 (Reflex D10, no tag)
• Earthquake Kid: HP should be 17 (HP +1 Tag)
• Gamma Grrl: Evade should be 5 (no tag)
• Stalwart Sentinel: Focus should be 6; Force should be 7
• Typical T.E.N.D.R.I.L. Agent: Level should be 3, Endure should be 4
• Aria, Daughter of Ancients: Evade should be 4
• Zero, the Final Robot: HP should be 34 (HP +2 Tag)
• The Butterfly: Evade should be 6, not 5
• Captain Cross: Evade should be 4, not 3
• Dablo: Endure should be 5, not 4 
• Heracles: HP should be 40, not 36
• Mr. Lightning: Endure should be 10, not 6
• The Owl: Evade should be 7, not 6
• Plymo: Focus should be 3, not 4
• Sub Saunders: Endure should be 6, not 5
• The Sponge: Evade should be 3, not 6

Stalwart Phile #1

After a few rounds of edits, I think that this is actually correct! You can now get a copy of the Stalwart Phile #1.

I finally stopped trying to be clever and did what I wanted to do originally, which is follow the format for the Marvel Phile from Dragon Magazine back in the day - a short article with 3-6 character stat blocks, and no particular frills. I'm going to alternate between my characters/world in odd-numbered Stalwart Philes, and PD characters in the even-numbered Philes. I'll be posting these with a direct link to the pdf to the FB group and the Kickstarter, but I'll also put these up as a PWYW release on DriveThru in case you feel like tipping and to increase awareness of the game to the larger community.

Thanks!  

Into the Null Zone

Wow. I got something DONE - I put together a cover design for Doc #50, with the first foray into the fabulous Null Zone. I actually feel the cloud lifting a little today, and I haven't taken my two morning naps, so progress! Still not feeling math, but at least I was able to focus long enough to get this finished. Feels good.

And it gives me a chance to blog about an actual idea that has something to do with gaming... someone posted on FB somewhere about how Sandman could basically just kill anyone. He can send a little bit of sand into your heart or brain and cause a stroke and boom. In effect, many super-heroes could do this. If they really used their powers in a smart way, many supers could just cut off oxygen to their foes and end fights quickly... but they obviously don't.

And that got me thinking about why playing superhero RPGs is in many ways harder than other types of games - you have to willingly suspend your disbelief to have your character conform within certain standards, even when you have better options. As a fighter, your best option is going to be your long sword. If you had a fireball spell, you would use it. Every time. A supers game basically says, 'yeah, you have unlimited fireball spells, but wouldn't it be fun to conjure flame here and see what happens?' Everyone at the table has to be in agreement that this is the way the game is going to roll. You could use your force field to choke Simian Prime out in one round. But you don't because... you pull punches? You are dumb? 

Because it's a convention of the genre.

I have some built-in safeguards with Stalwart Points and ways you can use your powers in 'unusual' ways, but there's no rule saying that knocking out your foes with your force field isn't the 'usual' way you use that power, except that it's not a comic book way to do it.

Therein lies the rub for supers gaming. If you have one player at the table who's like, 'uh, logically, I just use my teleport to teleport the criminal directly to prison', then the game is already over. In effect, the players have to choose fun over winning. It's a mindset everyone has to agree to. Building a game that has traditional XP progression and advancement rewards players for winning. A supers game, to my mind, has to have rewards that have little to do with 'winning' the encounter, and more to do with 'enjoying' the encounter. Fun has to be the reward.

Fighting Through Chemo Fog...

I had a new chemo treatment with heavy-duty immunotherapy at the end of last week, and it has been a challenge to get my brain locked in ever since. I'm just kind of generally having a hard time focusing on anything, which is (all things considered) a minor annoyance. My pain is almost zero, and I spend my days napping and scrolling. My Facebook feed now overflows with LEGO updates, 70s and 80s comics, and a little bit of pro wrestling from the late 80s, so it keeps me occupied and I suppose on some level I'm filling the creative reservoir a little bit with raw material that I can draw from later on. 

I have tried on and off to work on both the adventures I'm writing (Cataclysm and Issue 58), but as soon as I get to math or specific details of plot, my eyes roll into the back of my head and my brain just won't cooperate. I have swelling in my hands and feet, so even building LEGOs right now is challenging because of uneven control of my fingers - just typing this feels weird because of the pins and needles feelings in my fingertips that's been here a few days. 

So, I doodle a bit and scroll. However, this morning I found an image I'd started during the KS campaign that I never finished (not sure why - but I obviously did now) of Satana, a PD character, and realized that she's the heavy hitter that Act 3 of Cataclysm is missing. She'll be appearing there, but I thought I'd at least share something that I am working on. I'm hopeful that since I'm almost a week out from my last chemo treatment, and have two weeks until my next one, at some point sooner than later this chemo fog will lift and I can get to some actual progress. 

However, in the interim it has been incredibly gratifying to watch you all start a community around Stalwart '85 on FB, and I'm very grateful to all of you who've contributed or shared your enthusiasm for the game. It has really and truly been a source of amazing positivity in the suckage of cancer.

Finally, thought I'd share that I have re-discovered the Decemberists, and I cannot believe how deep and rich their catalog is. It's like I find a new song and become completely obsessed over it. I have been listening to the Hazards of Love on non-stop rotation for a few days, but last night came upon the Infanta and just love it so much. I see that they are touring a little bit this summer, and I'd like to be strong enough to go and see them live. I don't go to many concerts (I have maybe gone to six in my lifetime), but the Decemberists would be front and center on my wish list. Being healthy enough in July to take a six-hour road trip to Canada to see them would be a huge win.