The Daily Rumble: Oh, Captain, My Captain, Round 7: Gate v. Trek

 

It's another clash of the franchises when two spinoffs go head-to-head.

Colonel John Speppard from Stargate: Atlantis was an experienced and a talented US Air Force Officer in Afghanistan, though his reputation was somewhat tarnished when he disobeyed a direct order in an unsuccessful attempt to save the lives of several US servicemen. When called upon to transport Brigadier General Jack O'Neill to the research base that had been established at the nearby Ancient defense facility, he inadvertently discovered that he not only had the ATA gene (the genetic factor necessary to activate Ancient technology), but that he was naturally proficient at using it. John is one of the more laid-back, easy-going personalities on the Atlantis Expedition. He is capable under pressure, an excellent marksman, and outstanding pilot. He is very instinctual and frequently is able to come up with ingenious solutions to complicated problems. Some put this ability down to his being a closet mathematical genius, despite little scientific training (from the Wikipedia entry).

Captain Benjamin Sisko from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a jarring step away from the diplomacy-savvy Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation. When he first appeared, he was in direct opposition to Picard's Locutus of Borg, and lost his wife at the Battle of Wolf 359. In 2369, Sisko is assigned to the Bajoran sector to command Deep Space Nine and to help Bajor's recovery from the recently concluded Cardassian occupation, shepherding them toward possible membership in the Federation. Sisko plays a critical role in the intrigue of the Alpha Quadrant and the ongoing Dominion War. His actions prove key in the security of Earth and the whole Alpha Quadrant. Additionally, and probably one of the coolest things he's done, he punched the cosmic entity known as "Q" being sure to remind him that he's "not Picard." Sisko isn't afraid of bending the truth or regulations to get done what needs to get done.

Whatcha Doin'?

 If you read the title of today's post in the voice of Isabella from Phineas & Ferb, then you get 1,000,000 bonus points, but I digress.

To answer the question, I can say I haven't been writing or reading much. I did read through the Prowlers & Paragons Ultimate Edition core book PDF from Evil Beagle Games - and I liked what I read. It was actually the first RPG book I've read all the way through in ... well, a few years probably since the new edition of Savage Worlds came out. Before that, I can't even remember a new RPG I read all the way through.

No, I've been doing other things, up to and including painting up some miniatures.

One thing this pandemic did was give me some time to get back into painting (and writing, and reading, etc.), and starting about this time last year, I was churning out painted miniatures by a handful a day. One thing I was able to do was work and paint at the same time, more or less. I started making my way through the loose miniatures I had - a bunch of wild west minis I'd had for over a decade.

This was compounded by me getting a 3-d resin printer last year for Father's Day. I was a printing and painting machine for about seven or eight months, until I got a promotion at work and my duties changed. I don't paint as much any more, and haven't done it in several weeks. I got back to it over this last weekend.

I mentioned that I started painting those loose minis that I would normally use for Deadlands, but when those ran out, I went into the copious amount of miniatures that I have in my board game collection. I made it about half-way through all those minis before my promotion, and I've gotten/printed more minis since then.

Over the weekend, I got around to painting four minis, and started on a few others. I printed and painted up a Juggernaut and Hulk, scaled for use in the quite fun Marvel Crisis Protocol game. I have several minis from that line now, and while expensive, they're a lot of fun to paint up. In that same vein, I painted the Ultron miniature from the core set. The other mini I got around to painting was the Alien Queen from Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps.

Now, probably the most complex mini I painted was Juggernaut, the others were pretty basic, but I like what I ended up with, for the most part.

I don't have any "formal training" in painting miniatures. I just kind of figured it out. By no means am I a great painter, but I get by, and I have a handful of minis that I've painted that I'm really quite proud of.

In progress would be another Hulk (gray this time), Spider-Man, some bits of the Marvel Crisis Protocol game, and a few others that I can't quite remember.

Here's a gallery of all the minis I've painted since the start of this pandemic.

The Daily Rumble: Oh, Captain, My Captain, Round 6: Comedy is Hard

 

In today's Daily Rumble, we go a little lighter on the content with two notoriously funny captains, although one is more a straight-uh-alien than the other.

Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce from M*A*S*H

As played by Alan Alda, a long-time TV actor, M*A*S*H set the bar for comedies in the early 1980's. He's the wisecracking, womanizing, carousing, prankster doctor in the MASH unit. Pierce has little tolerance for military red tape and customs, feeling they get in the way of his doing his job, and has little respect for most Regular Army personnel. He never wears rank insignia on his fatigues, never polishes his combat boots, and only wears his Class A uniform when he believes appearance can achieve greater good – but does not wear any of the decorations to which he is entitled. (from the Wikipedia entry).

Captain Turanga Leela from Futurama

Captain, pilot, and pretty much the grown-up at Planet Express, Leela is the one who you can count on in any situation. No, really, she's the ONLY one. The character, voiced by Katey Sagal, is named after the Turangalîla-Symphonie by Olivier Messiaen. She is one of the few characters in the cast to routinely display competence and the ability to command, and routinely saves the rest of the cast from disaster. However, she suffers extreme self-doubt because she has only one eye and grew up as a bullied orphan. She first believes herself an alien, but later finds out she is the least-mutated sewer mutant in the history of 31st-century Earth (from the Wikipedia entry).

The Daily Rumble: Oh, Captain, My Captain, Round 5: Stargate or Jumpgate?

 

In this round we have yet another Captain of Babylon 5 going up against a veteran of television in general, a guy who originally could smarts his way out of anything, but took a dramatic turn when he went all military and started going to other planets. We have beauty and the beast this time around.

Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Babylon 5)

Taking over from the departing Captain-to-President Sheridan, Captain Lochley has a rigid set of morals that put her at odds with other, long-time crew-members. Hers was a time of adjustment and a rather unexpected addition to the station. She was certainly different than her predecessors, but it was nice to see that Earthforce uniform return to C&C.

Regularly known for being the guy who can solve any problem ... was not Colonel O'Neill. Not always quick on the uptake, he got the job done and wasn't afraid to break rules in order to do it. Hey, he had  a planet to protect! He went on to become General O'Neill and then ... I stopped watching the show, and I don't want to spoil things.

The Daily Rumble: Oh, Captain, My Captain, Round 4: The One

 

In Round 4 we have the somewhat stiff, but loved going up against a potential powerhouse in this tournament.

Commander Jeffrey Sinclair (Babylon 5)

One of three captains of the eponymous last of the Babylon stations. Veteran of the Minbari War and fought at the Battle of the Line when all seemed lost, Sinclair served one year as Commander of Babylon 5, and then was called on to greater things. He went on to lead the Rangers and serve as the first Earth ambassador to Minbar. He is the One Who Was, Entil Za, in Valen's Name.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Firefly)

A potential powerhouse in the competition, Mal Reynolds definitely looks out for his crew. He'll do whatever it takes to keep his people safe, and he aims to misbehave on a regular occasion - up to and including kicking someone through their ship's engine and wearing a pretty little bonnet. Mercy is the sign of a great man, but he's alright. Veteran of his own battles and the browncoat of all browncoats.

The Daily Rumble: Oh, Captain, My Captain, Round 3: Gumshoe Science

 

While there were no surprises in the first round, this round is an interesting and somewhat obscure one.

Commissioner James Gordon (Batman: The Animated Series)

That's right, we got a little animation in the mix here! Jim Gordon, the only good cop in the city of corruption ,Gotham. He's a staunch ally of the Dark Knight, but he brings a level-head and code of honor to the role of Police Commissioner.

Captain Nathan Bridger (SeaQuest DSV)

Ah, vintage 1990's network Science Fiction television. Roy Scheider (from Jaws, amongst others), is the underwater captain of the large submarine, SeaQuest. This show came about because of the popularity and resurgence of Star Trek and other genre shows like Lois & Clark. The show took on a science-centered nature and had a very schizophrenic run.  Scheider was unforgiving about the show in interviews during the second season.

The Daily Rumble: Oh, Captain, My Captain, Round 1 Results

Kirk advances from the first round, 4 to 0.

via GIPHY

The Daily Rumble: Oh, Captain, My Captain, Round 2: Crook vs. Cop

The tournament continues, this time pulling from two very different genres.

In the first corner, we have the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch ... he knows nothing all the time and shanked his queen in the final episode (spoilers) ... We have Jon Snow from Game of Thrones! For the last part of his first life, he served as the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch when the former Lord Moremont was killed. Stabbed to death by his own men for taking in the Wildlings amongst others and throwing tradition under the bus, he was resurrected by the Red Witch and was King in the North for a time. Then he decided he wanted to win the war and got himself in with the dragon lady, who turned out to be related to him. Ew.

In the other corner, we have a Law & Order, dancing, and singing Broadway star in Captain Joe West from The Flash. He took in Barry as a boy and raised him alongside his own daughter. Later, he found that he had a son he never knew about, and then everyone (except him) got super powers.

The Daily Rumble: Oh, Captain, My Captain, Round 1: Legend vs. Legend

What makes a great commander? It's a staple of all kinds of television in history, and creates memorable characters we know and love, sometimes for decades.

The rules are simple: Characters who claimed to have a rank of some kind and were generally in command of their ship and/or group. Someone had to call them by rank during the show regularly, i.e., "Captain," "Commander," or "General" are all acceptable titles.

How to judge? Well, that's entirely subjective on your part. Just ask yourself, which one is better? Which one do I like more? Which one would win in a fight? Whatever works for you, vote in the poll and the winners will progress in the Daily Rumble bracket.

The pairings are completely randomized, so some will definitely end up being one-sided. Some choices will be difficult, and it's bound to get more and more difficult as time goes on.

Captain Sara Lance, aka The White Canary.

Sara Lance originally appeared on Arrow as the Black Canary. She became a fan-favorite and was a recurring character on the show, even after her "death." The character was a completely new creation for the show and evolved into the "White Canary." She was brought on as a series lead in DC's Legends of Tomorrow and began serving as the Captain of the Waverider in Season 2. 

Captain James Tiberius Kirk, aka the Legend. 

What can be said about the measuring stick of all starship captains? We all know him, whether it's as portrayed by William Shatner or by Chris Pine, but he's a cultural icon. In Star Trek, Kirk is the template that everyone compares other captains to. Sometimes this is an unfair comparison, but I digress. Kirk was the quintessential Captain. Does he measure up now in comparison to the others in this tournament?

Heroic Re-Beginnings

I mentioned a while back that I had an idea for a superhero game. To be more precise, I had an idea on how to start a superhero game.

I've ran many campaigns over the years, and I've noticed of late I like to follow a formula. I've done it the last two campaigns I've run, including the one I'm running now.

Basically, it goes like this:

1. Heroes are together.
2. Big nasty bad guy shows up, wrecks stuff, and the heroes run away.
3. Heroes go on adventures to get tougher and try to find a way to stop the bad-guy.
4. The End.

In my superhero game I ran before, it was like this. The villain, Hans Kammler showed up, was way too powerful to defeat, and then left to do his own thing. The heroes then adventured around and gained power so they could fight Kammler later in the game.

I didn't use Kammler well, and I didn't do much with him.

Thing is - the game I'm running now, Deadlands, has the same problem. I introduced the main villain in the first session, and now we're four-years into the game and I haven't used him again.

I suppose it's alright, but I definitely feel like I could do better.

I was watching Viva La Dirt League Dungeons & Dragons on YouTube. They do comedy sketches out of New Zealand that are hilarious, and they started this D&D Actual Play channel that is equally as hilarious. For what it's worth, check it out, you will laugh a lot.

In the first episode of their regular campaign, they had this character played by Adam named Baradun, the High Sorcerer. He's 20th level and a total badass at the start of the game. The other characters are all first level, so how does that work?

Well, part of the first session involved Baradun getting all his powers sucked away from him and he was reduced to a first level Sorcerer.

This got me thinking. What if I started a superhero game with the players creating their penultimate characters - the greatest heroes in the world - The Avengers/Justice League of their universe. I can open it up with them already as a team, established and known world-wide. Then, in the middle of a fight with some horrifying menace of some sort, something happens - whether it's some cosmic entity, an energy burst, a meteor-strike, or what-have-you - and strips the heroes of their powers down to their basic levels where they started off.

I thought about this and it opens itself up to a fun bit of roleplaying for the heroes - they can't let on that they're way reduced in power or there will be a long line of villains that will come seek them out for years of payback. Also they would probably want to keep a lid on it to keep general panic down to a minimum - what if big nasty bad-guy X were to show up and the pre-imminent heroes of the world are too weak or ill-prepared to handle the situation. What if Darkseid shows up when the Justice League is reduced to a small fraction of their powers?

Then what about those nosy reporters? There heroes are behaving strangely - cancelling appearances, charity races/bouts/whatever, taking new tactics, seemingly taking harder hits and staying down just a little longer than usual - enough to get an intrepid reporter to ask questions.

That was just scratching the surface of what I had in mind.

Might be a lot of fun. Maybe I'll run that someday.