Another show I missed, but that looks like it woujld make fascinating campaign material, is Galaxy Rangers.
Anyone remember enough details about this show that they would be able to put together a decent outline for a CAH canmpaign? The most memorable characters IIRC were Gooseman, a genetically-engineered "super-trooper" who was the only one of his type who didn;t go either evil or mad, and Doc, a computer/technical whiz who had access to a "byte" who gave him information (this was the 1980's idea of futuristic technology -- no concept of an Internet).
The main enemy was the Queen of the Crown, ruler of an intergalactic empire that was hostile to Earth.
Quote from: Michael HopcroftThe main enemy was the Queen of the Crown, ruler of an intergalactic empire that was hostile to Earth.
Nononono...the main enemy was Scarecrow, a cool-ass zombie dude who wore a longcoat and looked like Eddie.
There are lots of AotGH resources on the web...including, I believe, some RPG conversion notes.
Quote from: Jared A. SorensenQuote from: Michael HopcroftThe main enemy was the Queen of the Crown, ruler of an intergalactic empire that was hostile to Earth.
...The main enemy was Scarecrow, a cool-ass zombie dude who wore a longcoat and looked like Eddie.
Depends on which end of the series you start on. At the beginning it was the Queen and her insatiable need for power squeezed (pretty much literally) from different alien races - only humans 'had the juice' to use only one per 'treatment,' the next best race took three per 'treatment.' Towards the end the show was getting really caught up in the politics of Tarkon and its 'precursor artifacts' on a 'fantasy-medieval' world (that shunned technology) and how Scarecrow wanted to steal that. Personally I thought some of the best episodes grew out of exploring Gooseman's ("I'm not a xenomorph!") relationships with both the other members of his 'batch' of clones and his own genetic donor – their supreme commander.
But the two best episodes for me was on the swamp world with the yellow stalactite-headed aliens creating pollution with machinery they 'found' and the episode where Buzzwang got 'photocopied' by a recurrent bad guy (Rutabaga! Ha ha!).
Fang Langford
p. s. Now if they just put them out on DVD...sigh.
p. s. s. And the show I would most like (both in CAH and on DVD) is ALF (the DIC cartoon - about Gordon Shumway on his home planet of Melmac - both its name and composition - before it blew up).
Quote from: Le JoueurAnd the show I would most like (both in CAH and on DVD) is ALF (the DIC cartoon - about Gordon Shumway on his home planet of Melmac - both its name and composition - before it blew up).
Holy shit, the ALF cartoon had NO right to be as good as it was...
Quote from: Jared A. SorensenQuote from: Le JoueurAnd the show I would most like (both in CAH and on DVD) is ALF (the DIC cartoon - about Gordon Shumway on his home planet of Melmac - both its name and composition - before it blew up).
Holy shit, the ALF cartoon had NO right to be as good as it was...
You got that right.
...And my tape collection of it has no right to be so degraded. Sigh, only a few more viewing left.
Fang Langford
Quote from: Le Joueur...And my tape collection of it has no right to be so degraded. Sigh, only a few more viewing left.
No! Oh, the humanity!
Quote from: Eddy FateQuote from: Le Joueur...And my tape collection of it has no right to be so degraded. Sigh, only a few more viewing left.
No! Oh, the humanity!
Not to derail the thread, but I'm grinding my teeth right now because I've finally found a source for original-recordings of the show...
...In Britain for PAL VCRs; Argh!
Fang Langford
Fun Fact: Zev Shlasinger, the publisher of CAH, wrote an episode of the Galaxy Rangers.
Oy? F'real?
If so, that is fukin sweeeeeeeeeet.
He's not (mistakenly spelled, mind you) as this guy in the IMDb, is he? http://us.imdb.com/Name?Schlasinger,+Zev
Quote from: Jason L BlairOy? F'real?
If so, that is fukin sweeeeeeeeeet.
He's not (mistakenly spelled, mind you) as this guy in the IMDb, is he? http://us.imdb.com/Name?Schlasinger,+Zev
I sincerely hope not! :-)
Quote from: Jason L BlairOy? F'real?
If so, that is fukin sweeeeeeeeeet.
He's not (mistakenly spelled, mind you) as this guy in the IMDb, is he? http://us.imdb.com/Name?Schlasinger,+Zev
****ahem* Yes, that is me on the IMDB. The spelling should be corrected as of a few months back - when a friend pointed it out to me. I got a co-writing credit on a schlocky horror film.
And yes, I did write an episode for AotGR. Was there in the middle stages where the character development was done, much of the character realization was done. Got a writer's bible and all that. The episode I wrote (and have not seen so don't know what changes were made - though someone said they were going to rip me that episode since it's available from kazaa or somesuch place) were little people that were terrorizing the station and when everyone thought they were alien invaders or something it turned out they were toys belonging to a child of a very large species. It was supposed to be Twilight Zonish.
Being a TZ fan it was the episode I chose to write among the 30 or so I could have picked. Alas, it was the only episode I wrote, never got credit for it, got paid $1000 - my first professional writing gig and I was 19.
There, my sordid story is all out.
Now, never having heard of the cartoon, I read the topic and immediately thought "Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers" by Harry Harrison...
...and wondered what sort of weirdo was posting :-)
Conquering the universe with a jumbo jet and a lump of cheese... I dunno, though, if ANY RPG could do it...
Wulf
I also never got to see aotGR, yet have heard nothing but good things about it. I know that most thrift stores have a huge video collection dating from as far back as the early 70's, with lots of children's shows. I've gotten a lot of good 70's and 80's cartoons at such places, including the entire run of Droids for only six bucks! You might want to check around some of these places. You will be surprised at what you will find.
Now of only I could find the damned Dungeons & Dragons cartoon all on one tape or dvd all would be right with the universe.
Quote from: SlantNow of only I could find the damned Dungeons & Dragons cartoon all on one tape or dvd all would be right with the universe.
You do not want to see it. Believe me. It has not aged well. Damned is the right word.
Wulf
You've got to admit, though, that ordinary kids and teenagers caught in an RPG world and imbued with magic/special powers is a great campaign hook. CLAMP worked wonders with it in Magic Knight Rayearth.
I'd like to see a CAH campaign in which the PCs are kids from today who find themselves ina twisted version of the Forgotten Realms and are given the powers of each of the D&D 3E main character classes at about 8th-9th level. Only they can save the Realms, but first they have to a.) learn their way around and b.) evade or defeat the all-powerful villain who is dogging their every step.
I did something similar early in the Idea Pile thread, but only for one character.
ORDINARY kids and teenagers, yes, but squeaky-clean Barbie and Ken clones no...
There was a series of novels about players caught as their characters, in a far from squeaky-clean world, I forget the name and can't spot the books right away. More interesting, but not so cartoon-like...
Wulf
EDIT: Joel Rosenburg's Guardians of the Flame series...
Yeaaaaaah, I remember Guardians of the Flame. Main characters actually died in the series, too. I particularly liked the dragon. They really weren't "kids" though; they were college students. In the D&D cartoon I think they were supposed to be between ages 10-16.
I have found a guy on ebay who has the whole series on VHS tape for sale. I am getting one!
Guardians of the Flame actually tackled some fairly non fun issues.
One "main character" died in the first few moments of the book. One was raped and never emotionally recovered. One had to face the fact that he enjoyed the fantasy world more than the real one (where he was crippled) and that he didn't really WANT to go back. And the over all main character of the story...freedom fighter / world savior type died in the end, his mission started but unfillfilled.
Pretty excellent books, I thought, though I haven't read them since highschool.
Quote from: ValamirGuardians of the Flame actually tackled some fairly non fun issues.
God, I have not seen those since High school either! I only got to read like the first 3 books. Really well writen though. May have to see if I can find some copies!