Supehero Media: Flash Gordon (1980)

Stone cold camp classic. Seriously, how can you not love this film? It's a big-budget remake of classic Golden Age serials, with the added artifice and sexuality that the 1980s could allow, with several great actors, and Sam Jones, who is... fine, really. I mean, it's Flash Gordon, you're not meant to take it seriously, you know? Just have fun with it. The story starts simply enough, with the Earth being threatened by Ming and Zarkov, Dale Arden and Flash blasting off in an experimental rocket to confront the problem; finding themselves in the uncanny world of Mongo, our heroes struggle to survive and get back in time to save their home. Again, "deep" is not a word I'd use to describe Flash Gordon, it's unashamedly pulp and revels in it, with plenty of declarative dialogue, pantomime acting and a blasting Queen soundtrack. I defy even the most jaded, edgelord, grim-and-gritty fanboy not to get excited when the score blasts back in with the line "king of the impossible" as Flash steers War Rocket Ajax into a death-dive on Ming's citadel. 

I think coming out after Star Wars really hurt Flash Gordon, as no one was looking for pulp any more in their sci-fi, though the Ted films have brought back the idea of it being a cult classic. On that note, if you're put off Ted by the usual Seth MacFarlane business, at least watch the sequence where Sam Jones does cocaine on YouTube, it's a blast. I love the design work of Flash Gordon, every costume, weapon and spaceship looks amazing, even if it is clearly a part of a costume or set. Some do look silly, like the Lizard-men, but the overall effect creates a cohesive world, with well-defined groups that can be identified with a glance. It's a great example of how to build a setting and is worth a look if you're one of those wargamers who wants to build a whole setting for their games. I don't necessarily recommend everything red and gold like Ming and associates, but strong colour schemes can be great. 

And the actors! Yes, Sam Jones is a bit rubbish, but Topol, Brian Blessed, Timothy Dalton and Max Von Syndow deliver gravitas mixed with high camp that Flash Gordon demands. Sure, having a white actor play an Asian-coded villain, as well as the Inscruitble Mastermind trope itself, are a bit racist for a film even of this era, but I just can't fully shake the brilliance of Syndow's performance, and tend to forgive it more than I probably should. Brian Blessed is one of the best parts of Flash Gordon, chewing scenery and relishing the absurdity of his dialogue with proper Shakespearean projection. Flash Gordon is pretty much a must-see for me, especially as there are so few really good non Marvel or DC superhero films out there, and this is just a fun 90 minute romp that manages to be greater than the sum of its parts. Forget the camp, forget the over-the-top and the glam, Flash Gordon is a joy to watch and well worth your time.

Cyberpunk In Drublic

Did a second playtest for the Little Wars Melbourne Cyberpunk game, just myself, Brendan and Jason. Public Security Section 9 went up against two Corp Raider teams in a quick game of Cyber Alley (Pulp Alley variant). We didn't finish the game, but it did highlight a few things we need to get onto in the next few weeks before the game. The terrain looked great though, so we're well on-track. 

 This was a 4x4' set-up, but the finished table will be 6x4' 

 My urban mat for Superheroes came in handy. 

 Table-level views show off the detail of the terrain.

 Section 9 deployed near the chemical plant. 

 Corporate Raiders move through the processing plant. 

 Network 21 Litigation Team agents appear behind a local Hab. 

 Bateu moves for the first Plot Point while the Major provides cover. 

 An Enforcer moves up to a Plot Point. 

 A well-timed Challenge takes the Corp Stooge out of the game. 

 The Cyborg leading the second Corp team takes a plot point. 

 Minions move over the roof of a local business. 

 The Major opens fire at the Corp Raiders. 

 Bateu moves up to provide support. 

 Combat Drones move forward. 

 A minion attempts a plot point... 

 ...but things do not go well. 

 Media drone and Corp Enforcer exchange fire. 

 Network 21 is not going well on the roof of the Hab. 

 Corporate soldiers aren't happy about potential arrest. 

 The Major is wounded. 

 Drones scan the alley. 

 Network 21 Hardsuit books for the Plot Point. 

Bateu blasts away at the Drones, to little effect. 

After that, the game kind of petered out as we started discussing the little things we needed to get done. But, there were a few more pictures taken by other club members, so enjoy those: 

Superhero Media: Myth Hunters

Another good find on Netflix, though I had seen a couple of episodes on SBS2 a couple of years ago, I was glad to be able to give the whole series a go. Labelled as a "documentary", Myth Hunters does look pretty sensationalist on the surface, searching for the "hidden truth" of Crystal Skulls, Noah's Ark and the Holy Grail. However, what Myth Hunters is about beneath the surface gloss is the men and woman who have dedicated their lives to finding these mysterious items, amazing people like Karl Mauch, who discovered amazing anthropological sites and was about as close to Doc Savage as any real person could ever have been. For those who consider documentaries "light entertainment", this may well be worth a quick binge between Attenboroughs. 

What Myth Hunters can offer the supers gamer is plenty of fodder for Golden Age gaming. Especially if you're keen on the idea of inter-war Mystery Men going toe-to-toe with "fiendish" Nazi magicians, seeking a fast path to world domination, Indiana Jones style. True, Indy has already dealt with crystal skulls, the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail, but items and places like the Germanica, King Solomon's mines and El Dorado are ripe for interpretation in miniature, with Lobster Johnson or Phantomah ready to defend against the terrors of the Third Reich. I can see Lobster Johnson tangling with Baron Blood over a ruined temple in my future already! May also be an excuse to paint up Kroenen and some more zombies, who knows what power the Book of Thoth holds, after all? 
 

If you're an avid Pulp Alley gamer, give Myth Hunters a watch, you won't be disappointed with what you find. I was hoping for something good to paint to, but I was rewarded with a programme with a decent amount of thought put into it and some great reconstructions. I'm off to paint some more Golden Age heroes and Nazi agents.  

Miniatures Finished: Lo-Pan, Hawkman, Rocket, Iron Fist

Not long into the new year, and I'm already cracking, with a few new supers to add to the roster: 

 David Lo-Pan, like nothing you can understand. 

 Carter Hall, Hawkman. If I get time, I'll go back over the skin on this figure, it never seemed to dry right. 

 Iron Fist and Rocket Racoon, ready for action! 

Different basing on some of these figures, as I intend to use Lo-Pan for fantasy games and Iron Fist in a little Pulp Alley. 

Thinking Objectively

As much as I enjoy Superhero games, it's always more fun for me when there is an actual mission going on and not just an all-out brawl. Having to rescue hostages, recover stolen goods, escape the authorities and so on. Glass beads, cardboard chits and spare dice are all well and good, but I like to have something a bit more special on my table. After all, I spent all that time making the terrain and painting the miniatures, why not take the time to work on some nice objecives? 

A, very kind, remark about one of my objectives on the Lead Adventure Forum inspired me to put together a look at my growing collection of gaming markers and objectives, you'll notice that many are on 50mm bases to be used for Secrets of the Third Reich, but they still work fine for Super System. 

HeroClix 

There are some great pieces hiding in the various Heroclix ranges, especially the Organised Play Rewards, which can go for quite cheap once they've fallen out of the meta. Above you can see the Clix M'Kaann Crystal and Cosmic Cube as well as Young Hellboy (great for Golden Age games) and a fun little marker that came with The Question. 

"Classic" Objectives

A couple that see service in SOTR, a stack of containers and an injured soldier still work for Golden Age Supers and pulp games. A packet of 1/35 Jerry Cans and some bases can give you all the objectives you'll ever need. 

Games Workshop

 

I was given a couple of these GW Tyranid "growths" a while back in a box of spares and thought I just had to do something with them. Some Liquid Greenstuff and a few spare parts later and I came up with these two grotesque beauties. I tried to paint them a bit like the "Creep" from StarCraft to make them more generic. 

Scratch Builds 

 

I love scratch-building. Its a challenge and it clears out my bits box (bits garage, whatever). Above you can see "The Football" and Mjolnir, my two favorites of all my objectives. The football is a 1/35 briefcase, zombie hand and a piece of chain from something. Mjolnir is a small rectangle of carved foam and the handle from a GW Beastman weapon. Both simple, both look great. 

  

A few smaller objectives that I did specifically for Super System; the bomb is spare bits and plastic rod and was originally made for The Joker to use in a Batman SS3 game. The Spear of Destiny and Dragonballs are for a big SS3/4 game that I've been working on for a while, both are scraps from other projects with a little Greenstuff. 

Hope you gleaned a few ideas to add that little more to your games. 

- James