Secret Project X-13

In which Chuck falls off the wagon. No, not that wagon, he was never on that one, the other wagon.

Ahem.

So, I have been writing a RPG for a few weeks now. As always, the name of any RPG in development is Secret Project X-13. The usual suspects have already seen it and have provided some great input.

But now it is time to broaden the field. If you'd like a look, drop me a line and let me know where I know you from. If I don't know you, at least virtually, well, it's hard to put this delicately, but I am unlikely to trust you with a manuscript that is still in development.

Who are the usual suspects? They are legend. Give me great input and this is your chance to become one of the usual suspects!

Chuck

Star Trek Into Darkness thoughts: It's about parallel worlds

I am a huge fan of Fringe, which is similar in many ways to STID, and is a show created and created by the same creative minds (Abrams, Orci, and Kurzman).

My favorite Trek is DS9, but I am very much enjoying the latest film franchise. 

Following are some thoughts that contain spoilers for both Fringe and STID.

Fringe is a show about (among other things) two alternate Earths coming into contact.

The Earths are subtly different, and the show LOVES to show scenes from subtly different angles.

For example, in one episode, a father on Earth One is shown teaching a coin trick to his son, who is terminally ill. 

On Earth Two, we see the same boy, still terminally ill, who is being taught the same coin trick but by his mother.

We also see that in Earth One, the twin towers were destroyed on 9/11 while on Earth Two, the twin towers were saved, but the Pentagon and White House were destroyed. 

Even seemingly insignificant details are shown to be different, such as Back to the Future starring Eric Stoltz, rather than Michael J. Fox. 

So for those who think a lot of the subtle differences in, for example, the Engine Room scene of STID are just tugging on nostalgia (or- more unkindly, laziness or a lack of creativity), I would strongly disagree.

The subtle differences of a parallel reality are clearly an idea that interested the creative team in 2009. To my mind, it's a great idea and one of my favorite things about this new incarnation of our favorite franchise.

Hey! We're back!

"So, how did you fare going through the asteroid belt?"

"Jeepers! Don't remind me!"

Joel and the Mads, MST3K

So, been quiet here for a long time. Well, blogwise anyway.

So, how are you? What's new?

Me?

Well, in addition to working at Mayfair Games and making myself a hallowed, revered figure at my local watering hole, I've been running a FASA star trek campaign.

You can read about it here. 

I have also been working on a little short story about the origins of a prohibition-era still busting masked vigilante. More on that when I have more to tell.

Hmm, what else.

Well, the American House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey is awesome. It's based on the 20+ year old British House of Cards, starring Ian Richardson, which was also awesome. Such a Mobius strip of awesome has not been seen since "The Office" and uh, "The Office".

Star Trek- The Toys Are Awesome (Play With The Toys)

So I seem to be in the minority on this- but I am SO STOKED to hear that Gary Mitchell will be the villain in the next Abrams Star Trek movie. Many (most?) seem to want him to leave the toys in the toybox, so they can stay collector's items.

I say bah to that. He brought the toybox out of the basement for a reason. Most thought he couldn't do it, and he did. So now, he should play with ALL the coolest ones- Guardian of Forever, Doomsday Machine, Khan (yes, Khan), Kang, and Gary Mitchell.




Whatever he wants.

Glad to see he's not afraid. Course, I suspect most of the people sniffing and shaking their heads at Gary Mitchell (and saying he should never, EVER revisit Khan) probably had the same reaction to recasting Kirk, Spock and Bones too.

How many Jokers have we seen in the same amount of time we saw one Khan? Three? Way more if you count voice actors in the mix.

Having a different Khan will not make anyone forget the awesomeness of Ricardo "Corinthian Leather" Montalbahn. And maybe, just maybe, the second Khan, or the second Gary Mitchell, will be better than the first.

I mean, it's certainly possible. Heath Ledger crushed Jack Nicholson like a grape.

The toys are awesome JJ. You lugged the toybox up from the basement, and grandpa is dead anyway. Play with the toys.

Batman is Antiquated

I think this is one of the problems comic books have that isn't often discussed, and uttering the phrase I used for this post title in a room full of nerds is apt to get some nice explosions of disbelief out of folks.

But the idea that billionaires can lead truly private lives is super, super old fashioned. It requires an era where reporters didn't delve into people's personal affairs and even if they did discover, say, that Babe Ruth was an alcoholic whore-monger, their sense of propriety (and the money to be made selling heroes) would lead reporters to keep it to themselves.

Quaint, huh?

Batman is about as modern as Zorro.

Let's walk through a thought experiment to illustrate how out of touch an idea Batman is.

1. Bill Gates meets a young boy and takes a liking to him.

2. Bill Gates begins to spend a lot of time with this boy and is frequently seen with him around town at all hours, especially in the shady parts of town.

3. Bill Gates adopts this young lad, and cuts him into a sizeable part of his fortune.

4. Beginning to look into this weirdness, a reporter begins to hear rumors that Gates has been spending money unofficially. Like lots of money. He finds a trucker who reveals that Gates has been building some sort of underground dungeon, custom-made cars, various weapons, supercomputers, at the cost of a couple billion dollars.

5. Looking into the financial side of things, the reporter, who has now brought a financial expert in to help him investigate the case, discovers that Microsoft has secretly opened an entire new division doing research into things like exotic cars, aircraft, weapons and computers.

6. Delving deeper into Gates odd goings' on, reporters speak to a doctor off the record. This doctor has treated Gates and his young, adopted ward for various injuries, blunt force trauma, the occasional concussion, bruising consistent with multiple auto accidents thing like that.

The doctor was paid handsomely to keep his treatments off the books but finally had pangs of conscience after treating the young boy for a severe electrical burn and Gates for a gunshot wound.

7. After an outcry from shareholders about these odd expenditures and odd behavior, the SEC launches an investigation of Gates and Microsoft.

8. The young boy Gates been spending so much time with is found dead, beaten to death in one of the parts of town where he and Gates have been seen together.

I think we can all imagine where things would go from here.

The media shitstorm that would surround this would make the OJ case look like a press conference given by a minor league baseball team.

We can still be friends D&D

Of all the myriad reactions and responses to D&D 5th edition, this Grognardia post is easily my favorite.

If you're excited for 5e, then you only went to the old school because you were a lover jilted by 4e and playing old school games was strictly your "rebound fling".

James doesn't come right out and say it, but I guess unless you're completely disinterested and dismissive, I guess you aren't a real old schooler at all.

There is, in fact, a 3rd option, that one can be excited to see a new take on D&D without abandoning your love of the old school.

Speaking only for myself, I will buy 5e and read it with interest. However, I will still be RUNNING the same two games: AD&D and FASA Star Trek.

Maybe what we're seeing is the difference between an old-school gamer, which I definitely am, and a grognard, who feels the need to give a "meh" to anything new just so they can show how hardcore they are.

Truth

‎"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."

HOWEVER, reading Ayn Rand gave us 2112.

So, I think I have to call this one a wash.

Two bad books.*

One led to a great album. One led to three great movies.
*I know, I am in the minority on this one, especially when it comes to Lord of the Rings. I am comfortable with that. I also don't care for Shania Twain and millions would disagree with me.

All views expressed are only my opinion, not a claim to objective quality.

When I start speaking on behalf of all mankind, I'll let you know. ;)