Welcome to Kaiju Earth - A world of monsters

In the closing days of the Second World War, a matter of days after the "Trinity" nuclear bomb test in New Mexico, the first of the monsters appeared. It was thought that the detonation and the resultant release of radiation woke the beast from it's slumber, but many have come to believe the idea that humanity reaching the destructive power of nuclear arms spawned a kind of "Immune Response" from the Earth itself. Regardless of the cause of the monsters' arrival, the war, and the world, fell apart quickly once they appeared in numbers. The hardest hit places were Japan and Europe, as many monsters moved south from the Arctic Circle, destroying everything in their path; by the time resistance was organised, human civilisation was all but eradicated. 

Humanity itself, however, survived. Some went underground, some fled to the countryside and some even stayed where they were to take their chances, but life did indeed go on. After the initial surge, monster attacks against humans became less frequent, but clashes between the giant beasts would cause massive collateral damage, an occurrence that led to a focus on the rebuilding of military and development of new technologies. Whilst tanks and jets could rarely damage monsters significantly, on a good day traditional munitions could drive them away from civilians. In order to build these new forces, two new nations began to arise from the rubble of the past years. 

Due to it's sheer size, a reasonable amount of the governmental structure of Soviet Russia survived, though Stalin and his Politburo were long gone, what remained was able to restart agriculture and industry West of the Urals. Following on into the ruins of Europe where they were permitted (or often just not resisted), the Communists started communal farms and factories to restart society. Although no true central government arose, the communes began to cooperate to defend themselves and build new technologies. 

Far to the East, the Nation of Japan was rebuilding as well, though with a major advantage. Among the first monsters (or Kaiju in the native tongue) were several that hailed from alien worlds, attracted, it has been theorised by the presence of native Terran Kaiju. After these battles had ended, usually in the favour of the native Kaiju, the Japanese people took the technology in front of them and used it to lift themselves up. Whilst much of Europe struggled to recover the world they had lost in 1945, the Japanese soon found themselves in a futuristic new society. 

It was not only the Japanese that took advantage of alien technology falling from the skies, Doctor Douglas Birely, an outsider genius who had predicted both the Hollow Earth and Kaiju, saw the new world before him as an opportunity to get revenge on those who had laughed at him in the past. Seeing that the aliens had some way of controlling their own Kaiju, Birely sought this technology out, re-purposing it and declaring himself "Doctor Demonicus". Operating from his secret "Monster Island", Demonicus sends out mind-controlled Kaiju to do his foul bidding. 

The origin of the various alien invaders that the Kaiju have attracted remains much of a mystery, despite a tendency towards monologue and intensive picking-over of ruined technology. Some reports indicate within the Solar System, possibly Mars or Venus, but contradictory information speaks to their coming from much further away. Whilst the aliens first appeared in the wake of the initial Kaiju attacks, it is now thought that they were attracted to Earth by something that also appeared in the wake of the Kaiju; Energex Crystals. 

What is Energex? No one is yet quite sure, but what is known is that Energex is the richest source of power on the planet. Just a few grams of Energex can power a farm for months, or a battle-mech for seconds. When refined into cube form, the value of Energex is critical to every society and military on the globe, even the Kaiju themselves seem to need to consume Energex as part of their life-cycle. Just why this is and just what the connection between Kaiju and Energex could be, only time will tell... 

Superhero Media: Constantine (2005)

Although panned by comics fans upon release, the Keanu Reeves fantasy/horror/superhero vehicle Constantine has enjoyed something of a reappraisal in recent years, especially in light of the state of the DCU films and the rise of the Alt-Right on the internet. Even aside from being a fun "one-and-done" superhero outing with a great cast, gender-blind antagonist, and brilliant design work, Constantine has enough to recommend it for at least the one watch. Under the surface of the world, the forces of Heaven and Hell battle for the souls of mankind, and John Constantine is caught in the middle, doing the best he can to earn his way into Grace. When John uncovers a plot hatched between the Archangel Gabriel and Lucifer's son, he and Angela (a local police detective) must race against time to prevent the birth of the Antichrist. Even as far as these kind of plots go, Constantine is nothing terribly exciting, but the mood and brilliant cast keep it engaging from start to finish, even on repeat viewings. 

Let's seriously talk about the cast on this one; Keanu was considered a bit of a limp fish at the time, but looking back with post-John Wick eyes, you can see the effort he's putting in. Rachel Weisz and Djimon Hounsou provide solid performances in the supporting cast, however, Tilda Swinton as Gabriel is a masterful piece of casting, even putting the extra points for wokeness aside. The star of the cast is Peter Stormare as Satan, whose screen presence literally drips vileness all over the set and has a ball toying with Constantine in the climax of the film. Oh yeah, the epic climax is a conversation, not a fight! Holy shit, I can't think of too many superhero films that go down that route. There are, however, plenty of fights in the film to keep the action junkies engaged, probably the best is between Constantine and a bug demon in the rain outside a petrol station; it's brutal, the CGI meshes well with the physical acting and the payoff is well done. 

I spoke earlier about the design work in Constantine, but if you can get a copy to the DVD and watch the "Holy Relics" featurette, it's a masterclass in props and set dressing. One set of "holy knuckledusters" alone has more thought put into it than some entire films. Everything is planned to painful detail, which only makes the world feel all the more real while we're in it. Hell as an endless stretch of LA freeway on a hot day is inspired, as are the flying demons who can never land without legs. Much as with Mystery Men, I'm kind of glad there is only one Constantine, as I'm not sure any film[s] following would have held themselves up to the same standards. As it stands, Constantine remains a fun and unique film that manages to be grim and dour without overdoing it on the "hardcore" BS. As a final note, I really don't care anymore that Constantine isn't too much like the comics it spawned from. Adapting the comics would be pretty difficult, not to mention violent and weird, and the film stands on its own.

Miniatures Finished: The Polymer Platoon

Longtime readers will remember my "FAX News" supervillain team for SuperSystem (link), a fun take on ratings-chasing news media that I really should get out for games more often. The Power Rangers-esque henchmen of Doctor Villimax were the "Terror Tortoises", some Eureka Miniatures I had at the time (and have since sold), that were intended as a placeholder for something more "Super Sentai" in general look. 

I'm a little surprised at the lack of "Not-Sentai" miniatures available, but I stumbled upon these Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures "Medium Astral Stalker", which suit the idea perfectly. With a couple of coats of Typhus Corrosion to add a more "raw" texture, the Polymer Platoon were born!

 Pernicious Plastic Patrolmen from Planetoid Pluto's Purple Prison, the Polymer Platoon are ready for action! 

Created in a clandestine laboratory from pieces of the mysterious "Bubblegum" entity, the Polymer Platoon (formerly the Epoxy Enfilade) were a failed attempt at creating artificial soldiers for the military industrial complex. Unfortunately, the Polymer troopers where not as durable as desired, easily knocked over and had a tendency to flail about comically. Luckily, a bright spark at corporate HQ saw an opportunity to underwrite the losses on the project by tying it into FAX news and the toy division as a disposable force for Captain Heroica to dispatch on camera. A suitably lurid story was concocted and soon viewers of "Fast Action X-treme News" became accustomed to the sight of the Polymer Platoon flailing around their screens at 7PM (8PM Cental). 

Name: The Polymer Platoon				BP: 85
Affiliation: FAX News				AP: 8
Strike: 6 (1)	Strength: 5	Dodge: 4	Sense: 2
Toughness: 6 (1)	Mind: 2	Resolve: 2	Damage: 5
Powers
Another Wave 3 – TN2 Resolve Test, redeploy team next Turn
Elasticity - +2D to Grab rolls, 15” Melee attacks @ +2AP
Super-Strike 1 – May use Strike for Initiative Rolls
Soulless – Immune to Mind-based attacks and Healing. Automatically fails KO Checks
Instant Stand – Cannot be Knocked Down
Regeneration – End of turn, roll 1D, heal 1 for each Goal, may not be re-rolled.
Unstable – Roll 1D6 before the game, consult table p.88
Henchman Team – 5 Members

Superhero Media: The Death of Superman (2018)

Can we, as comic book fans, maybe stop lauding The Death if Superman as a story? I'm kind of sick of watching adaptations of it that never really turn out that good. Each one has elements of being a good film, or at least telling the story in an engaging way, but none quite gets there. I've talked at-length about Batman V Superman - Dawn of Justice, of which I enjoyed a few moments, and a lot of the animated Superman - Doomsday is perfectly acceptable, but each has its flaws to varying degrees. Where The Death of Superman has some success is in that it keeps the broader elements of the DC universe which made the comic so engaging, though I personally found the "New 52" Justice League to be less interesting when fighting Doomsday than Blue Beetle and Guy Gardner were in the original. I'm honestly not sure why the story needed to be retold for the New 52, as the changes really don't add much to what is already a glorified wrestling match. 

The major differences, aside from the New 52 overlay, are Luthor jumping into the fight in one of his suits of power armour, the time-lines on Steel, Superboy, Eradicator and Cyborg Superman being compacted, and the B-story revolving around Superman coming out through his secret identity to Lois and the lost promise of their relationship beyond that. That emotional element is really where The Death of Superman shines, as it is rare for adaptation to spare any of the violence in favour of emotion, which the comics will do. What is the relationship between Lois and Clark like? I imagine she doesn't worry about him a great deal, as he's indestructible, early issues of Invincible touch on the risks of being off-planet and how that can weigh on loved ones, but I'm struggling to think of a film that's done so. The utter shock and betrayal that Lois must feel seeing Clark die, even heroically, when the thing he is known best for is being unkillable, is a unique pain that tells a story all its own. Of course, we don't get much of a look into Lois' feelings, because there's more fighting to be had. 

Honestly, Doomsday is the biggest problem with both The Death of Superman and any of the adaptations of this story; he's boring and only remembered because he killed Superman once. Even compared to Superman's other "bruiser" villains, like Parasite and Metalo, Doomsday has little personality, just being a rampaging engine of destruction with essentially no lines to speak of; even the worst Hulk villains do better. Once the fight starts, there's little of anything else, and it's reasonably well done for an animated superhero battle, though not quite as good as the finale from Superman Vs The Elite or the better Dragonball stuff, the ending is a forgone conclusion, then there's a mad rush through the funeral to get to the credits and teasers for the next film in the series, Reign of the Supermen. I've said in the past that I believe a good film can be made with the death of Superman story, but now I wonder if that may not be a little optimistic, as we're now three down without a truly good one. Perhaps it's the story itself that's at fault; a boring villain, a dull conclusion and the most interesting elements forced aside for more punching. Hopefully no one tries this again for a while. 

Ultimate Alliance Rulebook - Part III

Ok, so far we've covered how characters work and how AP are spent differently in SuperSystem Ultimate Alliance (SSUA), this time we'll take a look at terrain and how to plan out your own scenarios. 

Terrain 
You've probably seen my massive 6x4' "Hero City" table in various battle reports on this blog, but you don't need to go as all out as that in your own games. I've run SSUA games using board sections from Doom and Castle Ravenloft as an AIM base and Arkham catacombs respectively for games in the past, as well as a ruined city-scape, so the only real limit is your imagination and budget. For the purposes of this article, however, I'm assuming the use of a city-style table for all of my examples. 

Unlike many miniatures games, essentially all terrain on a SSUA table is interactive to some degree. For the most part, this will play out as characters using objects as weapons, in classic superhero style, but some stronger characters, like Mongul and Invincible, may be able to destroy large buildings. The stat cards of characters will let you know what class of object/terrain they can interact with, for example, Captain America can lift Light Objects, GI Robot can lift Medium Objects, Optimus Prime can lift Heavy and Invincible can lift Massive. 

Light Objects include lamp posts, mail boxes, packing crates and other characters. Light Objects add +1D to Hit and Damage dice pools when used as clubs. 

Medium Objects include cars, dumpsters, hawker carts and large characters. Medium Objects add +2D to Hit and Damage dice pools when used as clubs. 

Heavy Objects include trucks, small detached buildings, train cars and giant robots. Heavy Objects add +3D to Hit and Damage dice pools when used as clubs. 

Massive Objects include full cement mixers, multi-story detached buildings, large statues and whatever else you feel like justifying someone wielding. Massive Objects add +4 to Hit and Damage dice pools when used as clubs. 

Throwing Objects is a little different, as first, assuming a model can lift the Object, a Strength Goal Roll must be made, for each Goal scored, the Object may be thrown either 5" Horizontally and 3" Vertically, or 3" Horizontally and 5" Vertically. If the distance rolled does not reach the target (remember to account for the height of Flying models), the attack automatically misses. If the distance overshoots the target, the object will travel the remaining distance if it misses the intended target. The Hit bonus remains the same for thrown Objects, but the damage is reduced to the Bonus and does not factor in the throwing model's Strength. 

Object Breakage is something I first introduced to my SS4 games as a house rule to prevent characters wielding a truck as a club for the entire game. After using an Object to make an attack, roll 1D6, on a 2+ the Object remains intact. This roll becomes more difficult after each use of an Object, 2+ after the first use, 3+ after the second, 4+ after the third, 5+ after the fifth and 6+ each use thereafter. Should the roll be failed, remove the Object from the game, it has broken beyond use. 

Catching Objects is something I've experimented with a few times, but am yet to be really satisfied with how it plays. What I normally do is when a model is Hit by a thrown Object, but takes no Damage, assuming it possesses a Power/Ability that would enable it to lift said Object, that model may make a TN4 Agility Goal Roll to "catch" the Object. If the model succeeds in the roll, it is now holding the Object and may use it in that model's next Activation. Again, this is a rough idea of how to incorporate this into your play, not something I've done a lot in games. 

I like to keep "Cover" as a concept pretty simple. Like many miniature wargames, I tend to declare that waved arms, brandished weapons and flowing capes aren't able to be targeted by ranged attacks, especially when they're the only part of a model visible. Superheroes tend not to cower in cover all that often, so if a significant proportion of the model (at least 50%) is obscured, it is considered to be "In Cover" and gains +2 to it's Agility when targeted by Ranged Attacks. There is no distinction between different types of Cover in SSUA.

Playing the Game 
The intent behind SSUA is such that there really should be no limit to designing a scenario. I've never really considered running a game in which Batman takes on the Penguin and his goons, as I can do that more easily in Batman Miniatures Game. Running a series of games based on Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles however, is an ideal use of SSUA, as no existing set of rules covers all of the characters in detail.

When planning my own games, I like to think about which characters I want to see interact; you will have seen some suggestions around this is my articles about crossovers and the like. Say I'm thinking of running a Halloween-themed game in late October, my mind already goes to characters like Ghost Rider, Deadman, Spawn and Mister Fear. I tend to operate games on teams of four, like the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games, and I like to mix up the origin of the characters as well, 1 Marvel, 1 DC, 2 Indy, if at all possible. 

For a "Halloween" game, I'm personally thinking that it should all be about the baddies, like a good horror film. I have a nice Necropolis wargames table, so how about some Zombies to start with? I've always wanted to have Freddy Krueger and Doctor Destiny team-up, so let's get that going, and for a Marvel character, I'm thinking Baron Blood, because why not throw a vampire into the mix? 

On to heroes, I feel that Deadman makes a nice foil to Freddy (both being ethereal), let's get Ash (Evil Dead) to slay some zombies, I'm sure I said Ghost Rider above and Abe Sapien has a good history against supernatural forces. A good idea is to try and keep the "power" balanced between heroes and villains, as much as is possible in a game without any internal balancing elements, like a points system. Putting Henchmen Teams on the Villain side is an easy way to do this, as well as limiting characters with high power levels. 

Now that we have the table and the teams, what are we doing? Straight-up fights tend to be a bit dull, so how about a diabolical plot to unleash literal Hell? We'll need a magic circle and evil altar, but thankfully I already have both. If a character is in the circle uncontested, they can make a Mind Roll in the circle, scoring one "Magic Point" for each Goal rolled. At the end of 10 turns, whoever has more Magic Points wins the game. 

Now, I just threw that together off the top of my head, with a rough idea of what I already had and could get together easily. With more time, you can plan bigger and more elaborate games, or even smaller ones. Next time, I'll demonstrate a short game and do some turn breakdowns.

Superhero Media: Thor (2011)

Going back this many years and films later, I'm really not sure why so many people I meet tend to look down on the Thor films. The first film in particular is very well done, with a good cast and crew, it just fails to be as interesting as other Wave 1 Marvel efforts such as Iron Man or Captain America - The First Avenger. In the distant realm of Asgard, the young and brash Thor, crown prince and first son of Odin, is immature and headstrong, not wanting to learn from the wisdom of his elders. Manipulated by his duplicitous younger brother Loki, Thor nearly accidentally a war and is exiled to Earth with his powers stripped away. Encountering Jane Foster, Eric Selvig and Darcy Lewis, Thor must learn humility and kindness in order to reclaim his hammer, and therefore power, return to Asgard, defeat Loki and get ready to appear in The Avengers. It's not a great plot, all things considered, but it's not bad either, just generic for both the Superhero and Fantasy genres. Still, I contend that Thor is better than the sum of its parts. 

For starters, let's not forget that Thor brought both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston not only into the MCU, but into the mainstream consciousness; I really can't imagine another Thor and Loki anymore. The introduction of magic (or, at least a Clarke's Third Law version thereof) paved the way for Infinity Stones, Doctor Strange and Time Travel. Antony Hopkins is always good value, not to mention Rene Russo as Frigga and Idris Elba more than pulling his weight. Oh, and let's not forget the perfect but all-to-brief debut of the MCU Hawkeye, complete with irreverent quip; "I'm really starting to root for this guy". In the broader sense, it's hard to not compare Thor with all of the "better" films that Loki and Thor would go on to be in, but I think it does this first outing a disservice, especially as it still manages to be better than many 1990s superhero films by virtue of the cast and crew taking it seriously. 

Although I feel that the recasting of both Bruce Banner and James Rhodes were for the better, I'm very glad that nothing changed from Thor, as the cast is the strongest part by far. Yes, it's a while before we'll see Hemsworth really get to flex his comedy chops, but "I need a horse!" and the many pratfalls in the second act hint at something amazing coming. Around half of the Wave 1 MCU efforts are really good by my reckoning, Iron Man, Captain America - The First Avenger and The Avengers for the record, though Iron Man does slip a little with each re-watch. Thor isn't in that half, but I have to say that each time I go back to it, it gets a little better, or at least my appreciation of it does, as distance does it's work and I can see the seeds of Thor Ragnarok being sewn even this far back. I feel that Thor is probably the least appreciated film of Wave 1, with nothing really wrong about it, but still considered poor, mostly by reputation. I'll defend the Thor series any day of the week, but Thor really does speak for itself.

DC Movie Villains

With the DC Films in something of a continuing flux, it has become fascinating to see which films get made and how they are tied (sometimes retroactively) into a broader inter-film narrative. What gets me is how the villains often seem wasted and/or repeated. About the only DC film villains of recent years that made any real impact on me were Black Manta and Doctor Sivana. Contrast this with Killmonger, Vulture, Thanos and more over on the competition's side. I find this odd because DC Comics are typically considered to have the "better" villains of the big two, I'd disagree, but it's mostly the Batman rogues gallery that people tend to think of, forgetting some of the great Fantastic Four antagonists. 

As I'm transitioning my "The Pitch" articles into a new format, I thought I'd be better off taking a look at some fun DC villains and how they may work in a film setting. I believe a good villain can not only be compelling in their own right, but can also inform us about a hero. Think of the contrast between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 or the first exchange between Superman and Luthor in Superman: The Movie, how the hero and villain interact build on who the hero is and how the audience perceives them. With that in mind, here are my ideas, mostly looking at any potential Justice League sequels.

Doctor Destiny

I'm not saying that Warner Bros should just adapt the Doctor Destiny episode of Justice League into a feature film, but I'm also not not saying that. The DCU's equivalent to Freddy Kruger, Doctor Destiny can enter people's dreams and battle them there, where he has the advantage. Any hero unfortunate enough to be trapped by Destiny can't wake up and must live in their worst nightmares for eternity. As well as a great concept for a film, showing the worst nightmares of the Justice League would be a fun way to introduce new characters without having to have a stand-alone film first. Just imagine Elogated Man, Vixen or John Stewart appearing like they've been there for ages and being informed of who they are by what they fear most. It would be even better if Batman's nightmare didn't involve the death of his parents.

Mongul 

To describe Mongul as a DC version of Thanos is both accurate and backhanded as the character is very interesting in his own right. A conqueror and warrior superb, Mongul rules by his own hand, being almost as strong as Superman and never afraid to get his hands dirty. Rather than just be another Thanos or Steppenwolf riff, imagine Mongul as the head of the Necromongers from Chronicles of Riddick, taking what they want by force of arms and getting bored by the lack of challenge. Stumbling across the exploits of the Justice League, Mongul decides to let down on Earth and start a ruckus. Sure, it's a big fight movie, but with a few guest stars like Massacre, Despero and Legion (who will never get a film of their own), it could be a lot of fun to watch.

Calculator and Clock King 

Now try this one on for size, Clock King and Calculator are sick of being seen as jokes, so they team up to take out as many heroes as they can. With the Supervillain answer to Oracle and the world's greatest Efficiency expert organising the heists from the shadows, soon the Justice League find third-stringers like Captain Nazi and Kite Man running rings around them and one of the big guns gets taken down hard. Capturing a few of the villains doesn't stop the crime wave, as no one seems to know who's really at the top. The Justice League are forced to resort to investigative tactics to uncover the truth, ending with not a massive fight, but a shocking anticlimax as godlike beings confront two nerds in a warehouse of computers. I'd watch it.


Prometheus 

I'm still a little disappointed as to how this character was used in Arrow, but that's no reason he couldn't make a return on the big screen. An ordinary human who has trained and equipped himself to take on superhumans, Prometheus takes the Batman factor and turns it to evil. Let's dial that up a notch, shall we, and combine it with the JLA Tower of Babel storyline? When a vigilante calling himself Prometheus starts taking down members of the League one-by-one, the trail leads back to Batman and a collection of files he keeps on his teammates in case he ever has to kill them. The mistrust Batman's secrets sews in the team makes taking on Prometheus an even bigger challenge, the heroes having to overcome their own paranoia to battle the bigger threat.

 

The Reach 

The only alien force to battle the Green Lanterns to a standstill, the Reach are long-lived and take over a planet with a smile rather than a gun. Playing a game of decades, the Reach cooperate with local authorities and operate in the open whilst getting species addicted to mind-altering drugs in soft drink and confectionery. In the interest of dropping all pretense, the Reach are Free Market Venture Capitalists and they need to be stopped, but everyone is brainwashed into thinking they're the "good guys". It's a metaphor. Justice League Vs Capitalism, I'm sure we could get Alan Moore on board to do a treatment.