Super Rules for Superhero 2044

L to R:  Spy Smasher, Bulletman, (the genuine) Captain Marvel, Minute-Man, Mr. Scarlet     
Image from the cover of America's Greatest Comics #1 (public domain)

In the sixth issue of Different Worlds (Dec 79/Jan 80) appeared an article written by the inestimable Brian Wagner, “Super Rules for Superhero:  44.”  According to Wagner:

As enjoyable and interesting game it is, it's not without its rough spots.  The basic systems of the game work well but there are parts which need to be elaborated upon or outright changed.

These “rough spots” did not permit Superhero 2044 to enjoy a decided popularity, much less maintain a significant market presence after other games in the genre – more polished games – were published.

In the article, Wagner addresses what he considers to be the shortcomings of the game.

First, he provides supplementary details about some of the organizations with which player characters may choose to associate.  (Discussed, to some extent, in an earlier post.)

Köln Institute:  It was your humble host's supposition that Superhero 2044 creator Don Saxman included the Institute as a background option – a way for player characters to obtain services provided by the alumni organization at the cost of a tithe and by following a code of ethics.  Wagner supplies information on enrolling in the Institute during play.  A complete program lasts two years and the cost and commitment are substantial; 20,000 Psuedodollars and two six-hour blocks five days per week, respectively.  In addition to the alumni benefits, graduates increase many of their requisite scores by 1d4.
The Hunters Club (called the Hunter Club in the rulebook):  Wagner indicates that the weekly allowance mentioned in the rules is 80 Psuedodollars.
Science Police:  Again, your humble host thinks that Saxman intended this entity more as a plot device rather than an organization to which player characters would want to belong, especially as Science Police operatives “are psychoconditioned to remain loyal.”  Yikes!  Still, Wagner presents details for the benefit of characters who choose to be operatives.  Training is similar to that provided by the Köln Institute and an operative's weekly salary starts at 600 Psuedodollars.  Also, when on missions, operatives are subject to “dangerous encounters” (i.e., deathtraps).
Uniquex:  Wagner states that this organization will purchase “germ plasm of proven merit” from Uniques.  The price paid can be 100 - 3,500 Psuedodollars depending on a modified die roll.  It is possible that Uniques with “common” abilities may not have their germ plasm accepted at all.  Regardless, each Unique can only submit germ plasm once; there's no returning to the well.

With regard to combat, Wagner recommends the use of hit locations for direct physical attacks as well as projectile attacks.  He also supplies a 1d20 hit location chart as opposed to the 1d10 description in the rules;  percentages remail the same, but a separate roll is not needed for determining right or left limb.  He also recommends 1d20 rather than 3d6 be used for hit determination.

In terms of damage, Wagner recommends a variable range of damage through the use of dice rather than applying “flat blocks of damage” as specified in the rules.  Although the rulebook discusses recovery from injuries, Wagner addresses the monetary costs associated with hospitals.  Aside from room costs, Wagner explains medical expenses as a function of Psuedodollar “Cost Per Vigor Point Repaired.” For instance, medical expenses for a limb injury are less than that of a head injury when both locations have lost the same amount of Vigor.

Wagner also provides “The Quick Deathtrap Resolver.”  The rule book presents an example of a deathtrap, but does not provide any advice on devising them.  Wagner accurately states that his method “reduces it all down to an unromantic die roll,” but at least it is a method and, as he also says, “it is quick.”  In a game  like Superhero 2044, one needn't apologize for an unromantic die roll.  Anyway, Wagner suggests a 'saving throw' where a requisite value is multiplied by 0.75 and that is the number or less needed on a roll of 1d20.  To determine which requisite must be used to escape a given deathtrap, 1d12 is rolled.  More than one requisite may be indicated; if so, the values are averaged for saving throw purposes.

Inspiration: Arisilon, Brynthia, Durnin, & Zenon

Retrieve the Ancient Magic Scepter that has been stolen by a tyrant king.  The Scepter is the Power Staff of the Empire and a Kingdom has been offered for its return.  It now lays hidden in the Dark Tower guarded by the tyrant's fierce band of Brigands.  Three magic keys will open the tower to you...

In this very special holiday installment of Thoul's Paradise Inspiration, we harken back to a Christmas years agone; a time when “One push of a keyboard button transports you into a world with fire-spitting dragons, warrior hordes, exotic marketplaces and undreamt-of-treasure!”  I speak of Milton Bradley's memorable board game, Dark Tower – “A Fantasy Adventure Game With The Unique Electronic Tower.”  Although quaint by 21st century standards, the electronic interaction offered by the tower centerpiece was a big deal in 1981.  Priced in the $40-50 range, MB put a good deal of effort in making and marketing the game; they even had Orson Welles shilling it.

In the course of the game, each player attempts to lead a band of warriors against the forces within the eponymous tower.  However, in order to gain access to the tower the player must collect three magic keys:  the brass key (protected by the imps), the silver key (guarded by the gnomes), and the golden key (kept by the faerie-folk).  Mere possession of the keys is not enough; one must also solve the “Ancient Riddle of the Keys” (i.e., the order in which the keys must be used).  So as to obtain their respective sets of keys, each player – represented by a warrior pawn – must travel around the board encountering various events and managing the three 'resources' of warriors, food, and gold.

The tower keeps track of the players' inventories and where the players are in the game (but not their exact position on the board).  On their turns, players would indicate their intentions (e.g., purchase supplies at the bazaar, explore ruins, cross a frontier, retreat from combat, etc.) by pressing appropriate buttons on the tower's 'keyboard.'  The tower would indicate the results by showing pictures, providing numbers on a digital display, and issuing forth electronic sounds (such as a portion of the 1812 Overture when storming the tower and a snippet of Ride of the Valkyries upon winning the game).

Player interaction is limited to afflicting a curse (when one encounters the wizard) and blocking an opponent's movement by placing the dragon pawn (after encountering the dragon).  Otherwise, the players are merely racing to be the first to defeat the denizens of the tower.

It looks like another blog started to adapt Dark Tower to a conventional role-playing setting, but did not get very far.  In essence, Dark Tower is a campaign in a capsulized form, complete with an end goal and roles suitable for player characters:  the leader, a scout, a healer, a wizard, perhaps even a merchant to haggle at the bazaar.

Much of what makes the game especially fun – even today – is the detail and imagery.  The 'art' of the game, perhaps more than the plot, engenders wonder and inspiration.

First and foremost, the evocative art of Bob Pepper creates a distinct, exotic ambiance.  This site is dedicated to Dark Tower and displays all of Pepper's art for the game as well as his art for the card game Dragonmaster, published contemporaneously by Milton Bradley.  Here is Pepper's depiction of “brigands,” the foes of the players' warriors.

I do not know why MB chose to refer to these thoroughly inhuman opponents as “brigands” rather than hobgoblins or bugbears or some such.

MB provided little plastic buildings and flags for the kingdoms instead of going the easy route and just depict those things on the board.  Instead of using just one mold for the warrior pawns, differentiating them only by color, MB supplied a distinct figurine for each player/kingdom.

L to R:  Arisilonish, Brynthian, Durniner, Zenonite

Another remarkable component of the game is the two-piece board and the fantastic terrain it depicts.  Although the terrain has no effect on gameplay, it engages the player and enhances the experience of the game.  I have endeavored to craft a composite image of the board for the edification of the reader.  I present the humble result of my effort below.

As can be seen, the board primarily shows the kingdoms of Arisilon, Brynthia, Durnin, and Zenon, as well as the frontiers that separate them.  Each kingdom contains equivalent locations:  bazaar, citadel, ruin, tomb, and sanctuary.  The tower, of course, stands at the center, equally accessible from any kingdom.  Each kingdom possesses examples of noteworthy terrain that hint at exciting adventure.

Brynthia:  The enormous plant growth near the tower, the pinnacle next to the bazaar, the chasm above the ruin, and the immense desert near the Arisilonish frontier

Durnin:  the tableland upon which sits the bazaar, the mist enshrouded hills that host the tomb, the outcropping of green crystals near the tower, and the valley of mushrooms

Zenon:  the forest of lightning, the badlands, and the trees that dwarf even the gigantic Brynthian plants

Arisilon:  the huge craters near the tower, the shattered spires near Zenon, and the feature resembling Devils Tower near the sanctuary

In the instruction booklet the accompanies the game, the board is specifically referred to as “the gameboard empire” suggesting – at least to me – that the four kingdoms are the fractured remnants of an ancient empire.  The scepter gained by the victorious player, “the Power Staff of the Empire,” would seem to be useful in unifying the kingdoms once more.  “[A] Kingdom has been offered for its return.”  Why should the player, a successful leader of warriors, settle for a mere kingdom when he (or she) can take the reins of destiny and create a glorious new empire?


It's More Than a Game, It's an Experience

Inspiration: Rusta

Two Great Ladies will catch your fall

for they are the ones who catch us all.

Their children kept them far apart;

the Lady Light, the Lady Dark.

Dark broken, light storm

dead spoken, dreams torn...

and we will bring you home.

Long ago, in a faraway time called 1995, there was a made-for-TV movie called White Dwarf.  It was written by Bruce Wagner and starred the late, lamented Paul Winfield.  The ninety minutes of airtime provided a host of interesting concepts ready to be exploited for a role-playing game setting.  The story takes place in the year 3040; humanity has been colonizing star systems for hundreds of years.  Rusta is a world in a remote white dwarf system, hence the title of the film.  Although a VHS version was available, White Dwarf has not been released on DVD.

Rusta continually presents the same face towards its sun so that one hemisphere endures constant daylight and the other hemisphere remains in perpetual darkness.  Normally, this would result in extreme temperatures not conducive to supporting Earth-type lifeforms.  However, floating in Rusta's atmosphere are numerous metallic globes called 'regulators' that maintain environmental conditions suitable for humans and other terrestrial organisms.

Regulators

The regulators were put in place by a pre-human civilization ten thousand years ago.  (Throughout this article, I assume 'years' means 'Earth years' and when I write 'ago,' I mean prior to 3040.)  Inhabitants of Rusta believe that the regulators are “breaking down,” which lends an air of fatalism to the setting.  Vegetation manages to grow on the sunless half of Rusta and the people there do not seem to be concerned about vitamin D deficiency.  Perhaps the regulators are responsible or maybe it's genetic engineering (or suspension of disbelief).

The Wall

Five hundred years ago, the (human) inhabitants built a wall separating 'the light side' from 'the dark side.'  Only an orange-robed sect of eunuchs called “the Davids” are allowed to travel freely from one side to the other.  (A group of Davids can be seen in the lower right-hand corner of the 'Dark Side Castle' picture below.)  At the onset of the story, the two sides are at war but efforts toward peace are progressing.  Thus, Rusta is a divided world in more than one respect.  'The Two Ladies' are abstract religious figures representing Rustan duality; two parts of a whole.  There are indications that Rusta is a genius loci – one of the characters refers to it as “a sentient place.”

The technology in use on Rusta is not as advanced as one might suppose – horses are used for transportation.  Light side civilization resembles that of the American Old West, complete with badge-wearing marshalls sporting antique firearms.  There are, however, some noteworthy exceptions – electrical devices are in use to some degree.  The reigning light side authority holds the title of “governor,” but the method of appointment to that office is not described.  In contrast, the dark side has a hereditary monarchy; the culture and technology are both medieval.  For denizens of the dark side, the crossbow is the weapon of preference.

The Dark Side Castle

'The Keep' is a prison on Rusta where Lady X is incarcerated.  Although she maintains her innocence (Don't they all?), Lady X was convicted of “being responsible for the plague on Earth.”  As of 3040, she has served 500 years of her 5,000 year sentence.  So that she may serve the entirety of her sentence, she has been granted an undying existence.  This is possible by virtue of Osh, the alien warden of the Keep, who secretes an unusual enzyme that somehow “gives immunity to the aging process.”

The Keep

For executions, warden Osh uses 'Keep Hounds,' nearly feral humanoids with canine characteristics.  However, Keep Hounds are not always thus; early in their life-cycle they are quite intelligent and have a mastery of many talents and languages.

A couple of miscellaneous tidbits:  Among the exotic locales of Rusta, there are “the grottoes underneath the dreaming sands” and the red-colored Sea of Tears.  An example of Rustan fauna is the pumyx, a panther-like animal indigenous to the dark side.  It is mesmerised by the human voice.  When ill or injured, it travels to the light side in order to die.

Combat in Psi World

The 'Combat' chapter in Psi World consists of seven pages; about two-and-a-half of which are dedicated to tables and details regarding weapons and accessories (including, inexplicably, ranges for communications equipment).  Of the remaining four-and-a-half pages, one page is consumed by mostly repetitive outlines for unarmed combat procedures.  The idea of presenting attack resolution rules in the form of an outline is a good one; however, several repetitions of that outline with minor variations is boring and unnecessary.  The rules explain how to conduct a combat throw.  After a successful throw, the attacker may attempt to pin or choke the target.  The 'unarmed attacks' section concludes with how to conduct a normal strike.  Readers would have been better served with an explanation of normal strikes first and foremost, followed by throws, pins, and chokes as special cases.  If desired, complete outlines for each attack 'form' could have been printed on the GM screen (included with the base set) or the blank back cover of the rule book.

Psi World uses a skill-based system and it makes allowances for untrained attacks.  I find the rules for untrained attacks more irksome than the rules for determination of hit points.  Untrained 'skill levels' are determined by doubling the average of two attributes.  'Doubling the average' is pointless!  Just use the sum of the two attributes.  Dang.

Characters have a total number of hit points.  Each of seven hit locations of the body (i.e., head, chest, abdomen, two arms, two legs) has a set number of hit points as well as a percentage of the character's total hit points.  For instance, a leg has 4 hit points plus 10% of total hit points and the abdomen has 6 hit points plus 25% of total hit points.  Damage from a wound is subtracted from both the hit location hit points and the total hit points.

A character who loses all of his or her 'total' hit points is unconscious and can only be revived through “professional medical attention.”  If the 'total' number of hit points is negative, the character will die unless medical attention is received within a number of rounds equal to his or her Endurance score.  (1 round = 10 seconds)  When all of the hit points for a given hit location are depleted, that hit location is disabled; the effects vary based upon the specific hit location (e.g., a disabled leg halves the character's movement rate).  Disabling effects are described on page 4 (in the character generation section) as well as on page 26 (in the combat section).  In both places, a character loses consciousness when all hit points in the head hit location are lost; however, the duration of unconsciousness differs.  On page 4, unconsciousness lasts for one hour plus an additional hour for each hit point taken over the hit location total.  On page 26, unconsciousness lasts for 3d20 turns.  (1 turn = 1 minute)  Page 26 also explains that whenever a hit location is disabled, the character must succeed with a 'shock resistance' roll or suffer unconsciousness for 3d20 turns.  The durations are cumulative, so – according to page 26 – a character with a disabling head injury and who fails a shock resistance roll will be unconscious for 6d20 turns.  I would recommend the page 4 rules, forgoing shock resistance rolls for disabling head injuries.

A target's defense score is applied to an attacker's chance to hit.  Therefore, it is beneficial to have a negative defense score.  (Characters with an extraordinarily low Intelligence or Agility could wind up with a positive defense score.)  Armor is presented as a negative number that supplements defense score.  (Armor does not affect 'throw' attacks.)  In addition, armor provides a percentage chance that damage will be halved, assuming the armor covers the applicable hit location.  For instance, a motorcycle helmet provides “-5 on defense.”  So the chance of success of an attack against a person wearing a motorcycle helmet is reduced by five (assuming the attacker is not specifically aiming at a hit location other than the head).  If the attack is nonetheless successful and the head is determined to be the afflicted hit location, there is a 20% chance that damage from the attack will be halved.

Encumbrance is not an issue in Psi World and, as far as I can tell, there are no rules for falling or drowning.

Role Playing Game of Psionic Powers

A multi-sided game system in which the players may choose to belong

to either side in a sociological and genetic clash of power.

                                                        -- From the Introduction

Science fiction fans and RPG enthusiasts are doubtless familiar with the word psionic.  The word ultimately derives from psi (ψ), a term for 'psychic phenomena' which apparently was first used by Robert Thouless (What? No thoul?) in a paper published in 1942.  The -onics (as in 'electronics') came from science fiction writer/editor John W. Campbell, Jr. in the early 50's.  Campbell applied the term "psionic" to a 'Hieronymus machine,' a pseudoscientific gadget.  Unlike Hieronymus, Campbell believed that in order to generate the effects of the machine, a person didn't need the actual machine, just a symbolic representation of it.  Powers of the mind would do the actual work.  Personally, I think a better word would have been 'psitropic,' but there's nothing I can do about it.

Psi World was published as a boxed set in 1984 by Fantasy Games Unlimited. (This was back in the day when publishing a role-playing game as a boxed set was standard practice, not a 'retro-novelty.') Included in the box were: a 32-page rulebook, a 20-page adventure book, a Game Master's screen, a master character sheet, and dice (2d10 and 2d6). Evidently, box sets are still available from the publisher, as are two of the three supplements. Otherwise, PDF scans are available from RPGNow.

The game was designed by Delbert and Cheron Carr (or, as they are credited, Del Carr & Cheron). Prior to Psi World, they both worked on some of the early Role Aids books from Mayfair; after Psi World, they lack any RPG credits.

Art was provided by 'Bain Sidhe Studio.' Among the studio's members were Bill Willingham and Matt Wagner. Willingham's art is, of course, familiar to aficionados of 'old school' role-playing games. Both Willingham and Wagner would go on to achieve remarkable success in the comics industry. (By the time of the publication of Psi World, Wagner's signature characters, Grendel and Mage, had both seen print, but his fame was still accruing.) Other listed members of the studio were Bill Cucinotta and Rich Rankin, whose accomplishments in the comics industry have not managed to rival that of their onetime colleagues.

Psi World may not have been the original name chosen for the game.  In Section 1A (Scenarios and Design Ideas) of the adventure book, we find the following sentence:

It is the wish of the Authors that players and referees should have FUN in their quest to fulfill fantasies and live out dreams in all potential worlds of Psi Wars.

So, the working title for the game may have been Psi Wars.  Psi World is certainly more appropriate; Psi Wars sounds like...well, a war game.

I find the above quote interesting for a couple of reasons.  First, the word 'authors' is capitalized while the words 'players' and 'referees' are not.  In the dedication, the Carrs seem to be more humble; 'authors' is not capitalized.  Also,  the term Gamemaster (thus capitalized) is more often used in the rules as opposed to 'referee.'  'Game Master' (as two words) seems to appear only on the back of the box. The other reason I find the sentence interesting is that it emphasizes the concept that games should be fun.  Nearly every game contains this exhortation in some form or other and, sadly, it is often overlooked or misconstrued.  Enjoyment is the entire purpose, not some ancillary effect.  Sometimes, it seems to your humble host that certain prominent entities within the OSR do not truly appreciate this or, perhaps, they have forgotten it.  I'm sorry...was I ranting again?  Let us move on.

Psi World is described thusly on RPGGeek:

Heavily influenced by such classic science fiction as Van Vogt's Slan and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep [sic], the PCs are Psis in a world where they are hunted by an oppressive government. Alternatively, the game allows the players to take on the rolls of the hunters, as well.

Upon reading this description, your humble host thought that it must apply to an edition of Psi World with which he was not familiar.  Alas, there is only one edition of Psi World; the breadth of knowledge of the person writing the description seems to have been inadequate to do justice to the game.  I cannot discount A. E. van Vogt’s Slan as an influence – it is a science fiction classic – but I would hesitate to say that Psi World was heavily influenced by it.  More direct influences certainly include motion pictures such as Scanners and The Fury as well as various works by Stephen King.  Otherwise, there is definitely a PKD vibe at work in Psi World, but it emanates from works other than 'Androids.'

Additionally, the RPGGeek description states that player characters are Psis "hunted by an oppressive government" or they "take on the rolls of the hunters."  This is the 'multi-sided' aspect referenced in the introductory quote; however, the implication in the RPGGeek description is that the government is oppressive regardless.  This is simply not the case and I hope to show this as I continue my analysis of the game.