The Idea Pile

[Derek Devlin]

They say that whenever you get an idea, you should write it down so you don't forget it. So I thought, "Why not make a thread where everyone can write down their ideas?" That way people can get feedback on them, offer some advice, and maybe we'll end up with some neat stuff. So here's some ideas I had recently for CAH series.


Title: The Princess Bride

Premise: Westley and Buttercup have had their "happily ever after", but what about the rest of the world? Heroes like Inigo Montoya and Fezzik are searching for new adventures, and Prince Humperdinck is still around causing trouble. The players are heroes from Guilder, the kingdom across the sea from Florin, ready to thwart Humperdinck and live their own fairy tale.

Tone: Like the movie, the series is meant to celebrate fairy tales as well as satirize them. Fairy-tale standards like dragons, kings, and wizards should have some odd twist to them. How about a dragon-slayer that's afraid of tiny spiders? Or a four foot tall giant(well, his parents were both giants)? Or a swashbuckling Cyclops named Cyrano who duels anyone who makes fun of his eye?

Episodes: The first four episodes(released as the movie "The Princess Bride: After Happily Ever After") make up the story arc called "Sink the Humperdinck!". The Guilderian heroes are accused of being spies and thrown into Humperdinck's escape-proof prison. They must escape, steal the plans to Florin's new warship, reach the open sea, contact the Dread Pirate Roberts(really Inigo Montoya), and take part in a massive sea battle between Roberts' fleet and the seemingly unstoppable S.S. Humperdinck!


Title: Fallen Stars

Premise: In a dark future, aliens have conquered our galaxy. From his secret lair, human scientist Dr. Prometheus has hatched a daring scheme. He uses a time-travel device to snatch exceptional people from the past to fight against the alien overlords, people who supposedly died young or mysteriously and will not be missed from the timestream. These heroes from the distant past will spur mankind to fight back against their oppressors! They are...the Fallen Stars!

Tone: While the show is predominately dark, there is always an element of ludicrousness in any show where Bruce Lee, Buddy Holly, and Marilyn Monroe can team up to liberate a prison colony. Think of it as a cross between "Babylon 5" and "Mission:Impossible" starring famous dead people.

Derek Devlin

[Derek Devlin]

As a big fan of the 7th Sea RPG from Alderac Entertainment Group, I thought of this...

Title: 7th Millenium

Premise: In the far future, the Thean Federation send their young fighters to the Ring of Steel, an arena where duelists compete in tournament for glory and honor. The combatants duel with holographic weapons, attempting to score points on their opponents(the deluxe action figures would have battery-operated "scoring" sounds). The holographic weapons can also be set to stun, but not kill. In and out of the Ring, adventure abounds in...the 7th Millenium!

Tone: Swashbuckling space opera with good and evil clearly defined and lots of messages about discipline, friendship, and fair play. Characters will be fairly sterotypical, like The Honorable Prince, The Feisty Swordswoman, The Womanizing Rogue, The Grizzled Arena Veteran, and The Comic Relief. Think Masters of the Universe meets Revolutionary Girl Utena(but without Utena's surreal lesbian undertones).

Episodes:

1. "The Ring Has No Beginning" - introduces the premise and the characters in a minor tournament.

2. "Anything To Win" - The Prince befriends a fighter named Lasparri who practices the Ambrogia style, a style many fighters consider dishonorable. The Prince finds he has much in common with Lasparri, but can he afford to keep a friend who will do anything to win?

3. "Ulnar the Unstoppable" - The Comic Relief discovers he is slotted to face Ulnar the Unstoppable in a tournament. After trying various comic ways to get out of it, he decides to face the music and fight Ulnar. The Comic Relief loses, but fights so bravely that Ulnar is impressed and befriends him.

4. "What is Courage?" - The Rogue is competing for a girl's affections with Sangria, a duelist who belongs to a group that stages secret fights with real weapons. Will the Rogue refuse Sangria's challenge, losing the girl and tarnishing his honor, or accept and risk deadly consequences?

5. "Swordsman's Serenade" - The Swordswoman must face an opponent who has never been beaten in the Ring. By studying his moves and doing research she figures out he uses the Aldana style, where the duelist moves in time to a piece of music in his head. During the duel she figures out when he is following the refrain, thus becoming predictable, and defeats him.

6. "Not Like Us" - Fighters from the Crescent Moon Empire come to the Ring for the first time. They speak a different language, practice strange styles, and the Comic Relief's attempt to be friendly is misinterpreted and starts a brawl. But when space pirates take the entire arena hostage, all the Duelists must join forces to save the day!

7. "Mystery of the Master's Circle" - Many years ago a master of Gallegos, the style of the Mysterious Circle, left his sword to his descendants, but only if they could figure out where it was. The heroes help a young duelist solve the riddles and recover the blade.

8. "Royal Welcome" - The Prince returns to his homeworld for a visit and learns that his mother is very ill. He decides to resign from the Ring in order to take care of her. It seems no one can change his mind, until his mother tells him that his victories in the Ring make her very proud. He returns to the Ring and wins the tournament in her honor.

9. "Double Trouble" - The Veteran is pitted against a fighter who has mastered two styles. The other heroes help the Veteran train for his match, which pays off in a hard-fought victory.

10. "Night of the Black Spiders" - The heroes go to the Crescent Moon Empire at the request of the duelists from "Not Like Us", and must match swords and wits with the mysterious Hashashin and an evil tyrant.

11. "Whispers" - When the Rogue starts seeing a mystery woman, rumors start that she's a witch and using magic to help the Rogue win his matches. The heroes track the source of the rumor to the Swordswoman, who started it out of jealousy. She apologizes to the Rogue and the mystery woman, who turns out to be tutoring him in history. The Swordswoman replaces her.

12. "The Ring Has No End" - A celebrity condemns the Ring of Steel for being "violent and elitist", leading to vandalism, protests, and even a riot. With sponsors leaving and ticket sales plummeting, is this the end of the Ring of Steel?

Derek Devlin

[Cynthia Celeste Miller]

They say that whenever you get an idea, you should write it down so you don't forget it. So I thought, "Why not make a thread where everyone can write down their ideas?" That way people can get feedback on them, offer some advice, and maybe we'll end up with some neat stuff. So here's some ideas I had recently for CAH series.

I like this idea.  Anyone else have any cool stuff to contribute to this thread?  Rules, series seeds, anything.

[Eddy Fate]

My quick comment (since I'm borrowing someone else's computer ATM):

I've been kicking around running a Men In Black (a la the movie and cartoon series) in ATM.  I'm wondering if I should make the Trait Max 4 with technology raising it possibly up to 4(5), and aliens having access to the full range of Trait numbers.  Does that sound reasonable?

[Derek Devlin]

The Trait 4 limit sounds right, since I've always thought anything above that is in the realm of the superheroic anyway. The MiBs are often taking on creatures that have some edge over normal humans, using technology to compensate.

I still can't think of a decent title for my series about the former kid sidekick and his recently returned mentor. It's an idea I'd like to develop further, but I'm drawing a blank.

Still unsure if I should develop my "blaxploitation in space" series.

Derek Devlin

[Derek Devlin]

More half-baked ideas...

Title: Twilight 911

Premise: Open any phone book and you can find an ad for Mistress Twilight's Psychic Hotline. But not everyone calls wanting to know if money is in their future or if their girlfriend is cheating on them. Some have problems that only those experienced in the supernatural can help them with. Mistress Twilight then dispatches her best operatives to deal with the emergency, and bills the client at the end of the month.

Tone: Part Dark Brigade, part Real Ghostbusters. Equal parts action, horror, and dark comedy. Characters can be crusading clerics, professional monster hunters, rookie psychics, cops who "believe", private investigators who don't, or any other "normal person confronting the supernatural" that Mistress Twilight might call upon(or that stumbles on something while her operatives are dealing with it).


Title: Ace Chaser, Space Tracer

Premise: When folks jump bail, Ace Chaser gets on their trail! Intergalactic skip tracer Ace Chaser(voiced by Isaac Hayes) and his team of funky mercenaries track down bounties and dispense justice in the year 2172.

Tone: Funky space opera in a galaxy of big hats, big hair, and spaceships that look like cars from the 1970s. The players will make up Ace's support network, providing their skills in order to help him track down and apprehend bounties, protect the innocent, or make life difficult for some scummy crimelord.


Derek Devlin

[Michael Hopcroft]

Title: The Journey of Michael Kell

Premise: Michael Kell's alter ego, Gregor the Clever, is one of the most legendary avatars in the massively multiplayer online RPG Swords of Kemuria. But one day, while playing the game in the middle of a lightning storm, Michael and Gregor switch worlds! Now Gregor, who looks just like Michael, must cope with life in the early 21st century while Michael (who looks just like Gregor) must find a way back to the real world, all the while pursued by all the enemies Gregor has made over the course of play and more....

Tone: High Adventure with comedy thrown in. Gregor in the 21st century is a classic fish-out-of-water, trying to apply the skills of a medival adventurer to modern problems while not letting the world know he isn't really Michael. Michael, on the other hand, must pit 21st-century know-how against swords, sorcery, and deception in a "game" that has suddenly become all too real.

*********

Title: The Steel Family

Premise: The Armstrong family has a secret; Dad, Mom and their three teenage children are all superheroes! You see, the famous superhero Metaman's archnemesis was the supervillainess Crimson Queen -- until they fell in love, Crimson Queen reformed, and they became a team. Then came marriage, kids, a five-bedroom home in subrubia, and then, when they discovered the children all had superpowers -- well, there was only one thing to do, and that was to form a team. Now, in between sibling quarrels and arguments with the parents, the Armstrong family fights the supervillains that are attracted to their city like flies to honey.

Tone: Think Thermonuclear Family. A blend of family comedy with superhero adventure, with each member of the family displaying a  unique power. They bicker constantly, get into all the trouble families get into, yet they work together as a team when the chips are down.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Title: Dogs of War

Premise: The Dog Star has been the site of an ongoing battle between rival factions of War Dogs. The heroic Mutt Soldiers, who want to bring peace to the Galaxy, find out that the evil Doberman Army has sent an invasion force to Earth led by the notorious General von Barque. Using ultra-tech weaponry, Earth is their new battleground as the Dobermans seek conquest and the Mutt Soldiers try to stop them from making Earth their prize....

Tone: Humorous military fiction. Nobody on Earth wants to believe that these invaders from the Dog Star really are a Sirius matter. 8^) TGhe Dobermans are a parody of all those bad WWII movie German officers -- except that they are fierce, dedicated warriors. The Mutt Soldiers are just regular joes doing a thankless job.

[Derek Devlin]

Some really cool ideas from Michael Hopcroft. I especially like Dogs of War, since anthropomorphic animal series have been a staple of Saturday morning for a long time. I tried coming up with one, but the best idea I came up with was ninja worms. Which should tell you how bad the other ideas were.

Anyway, here's an episode list for a season of Iron and Steele.

Title: Iron and Steele

Premise: Fifteen years ago, the masked vigilante known as The Iron Ghost and his sidekick Kid Iron kept the streets of Savage City safe. Then the Ghost disappeared, leaving his sidekick to be raised in a string of foster homes, eventually growing up into a 6'10" cynical P.I. named Biff Steele. Now after all this time Morgan Robeson, The Iron Ghost, has come back into Biff's life muttering something about being in a Tibetan monastery and having a vision of a great evil that will threaten the city and the world. Biff doesn't believe a word of it of course, but the old man is still a great detective and business has been kind of rough lately...

Tone: An action-comedy that skewers the clichés surrounding comic book superheroes. Some pathos from Biff, who has forgotten what it means to be a hero and hasn't forgiven the Ghost for abandoning him, and from Morgan, who yearns for a past when he could beat up a roomful of thugs without getting winded and his sidekick wasn't a foot taller than him. Players may take on the roles of Biff or Morgan, as well as characters from Biff's normal world(cops, reporters, former clients) or Morgan's superheroic one(old flames, retired villains, rookie heroes).

1. "Ghost from the Past: Part I"
Through a series of flashbacks, we learn about Biff Steele, the Iron Ghost, and the other regular characters. The episode ends with the Ghost appearing in Steele's office.

2. "Ghost from the Past: Part II"
Biff and his old mentor clash over past differences and present events, but in the end they team up to thwart a hostage-taking at city hall. Morgan becomes a partner in Steele Investigations and the partnership is reforged...on a probationary basis.

3. "A Tale of Two Kitties"
Tina and Tamara, the terrible Tiger Twins, have just gotten out of jail. Tina wants to settle down with the guy she corresponded with in prison, while Tamara wants to reunite the old gang and bring the city to its knees. Biff and Morgan are going to have front row seats for the catfight of the century!

4. "Clang Clang, You're Dead"
The insidious Mind in the Iron Mask assaults the city with an army of steam powered automatons. Forced to retreat, our heroes meet a reclusive inventor named Verne and team up for some giant robot combat with the Mind in the middle of the city!

5. "Diamonds, Clubs, and Broken Hearts"
When one of Biff's friends begins renovating an old nightclub, the gang uncover clues to the location of a fortune in diamonds stolen during the 1930s. But can Biff and Morgan beat the other fortune-hunters to the prize and prevent history from tragically repeating itself?

6. "The Problem with Brower"
Morgan encounters one of his old friends, a superhero who turned in his cape after accidentally killing a small-time hood named Gerry Brower. But then Morgan accidentally kills a man, who looks a lot like Gerry Brower! Biff discovers that over the years, several heroes have quit after accidentally killing someone who resembles Brower. Can he solve the mystery before the Ghost hangs up his cowl for good?(5 points if you know which classic cartoon episode this story is spoofing)

7. "Kiss Your Asp Goodbye"
A Bible-quoting madman is stalking the snake-themed superbeings of Savage City. Our heroes must stop the snake-hater before reformed supervillain Gold Adder marries his sweetheart Pythona, in front of all of their friends from the Secret Serpent Society!

8. "Violence is Golden"
Biff and Morgan go undercover to take down a sleazy Internet mogul who uses down-and-out superbeings as pit fighters and broadcasts the matches online. Do they have what it takes to survive in the Duodecahedron?

9. "The Accountant of Monty Cristos"
Biff and Morgan are hired to investigate a mysterious millionaire. When their client disappears, our heroes uncover a tale of betrayal, revenge, and a lost fortune, leading to a swashbuckling showdown at a restored French castle!

10. "The Ghost Breakers"
With Biff and the gang out of town, Morgan finds himself the target of four fledgling supervillains looking to establish a rep by "breaking the Ghost". Outnumbered and outmuscled, can the Ghost turn the tables on his adversaries?

11. "Once Upon a Time-Bomb"
When a distraught man threatens to blow up an office building, Biff stalls the child-like bomber by telling him a fairy tale starring some very familiar characters...

12. "A Prayer for the Flying"
Biff and Morgan are escorting a criminal back to Savage City after he jumped bail and decide to hire a plane, despite their charge's protests. Their prisoner panics in mid-flight and his psionic powers cause the plane to crash in the mountains. What was supposed to be easy money becomes a battle for survival as the elements, wild animals, and the crook's old cronies conspire to make sure they never reach civilization!

13. "When Darkness Calls: Part I"
The "Great Evil" that Morgan saw in his vision comes to Savage City, but has he been able to gather enough heroes to fight it? Especially since the Evil has claimed Biff, and pitted him against his mentor!

Derek Devlin

[Ron Edwards]

Hey,

Michael, "Dogs of War" is awesome. I'd play that in a shot.

Best,
Ron

[Eddy Fate]

I love "Dogs of War" (reminds me of a similar cartoon with motorcycle-riding cats, but I can't think of the name of it...)

"Iron and Steele" is very cool (even if the title isn't 100% appropriate - something like "Ghost Steele" maybe?), and seems like a blend between "Batman: The Animated Series" and "The Tick".

[Derek Devlin]

I love "Dogs of War" (reminds me of a similar cartoon with motorcycle-riding cats, but I can't think of the name of it...)

Are you thinking of "Biker Mice from Mars"? That's the only series that had bike-riding animals that I remember.

"Iron and Steele" is very cool (even if the title isn't 100% appropriate - something like "Ghost Steele" maybe?), and seems like a blend between "Batman: The Animated Series" and "The Tick".

The title is something I've been stuck on for a while now. I even changed Biff's surname from Marlowe to Steele just so I could have two metals in the title. Having a catchy title that gives both main characters equal billing is something I think I'm going to need help on.

As a big fan of "Batman:TAS" and "The Tick", I'm honored to be compared to them. :) Morgan "The Iron Ghost" Robeson was based very much on Adam West(who played "The Grey Ghost" on an episode of Batman:TAS).

Derek Devlin

[Eddy Fate]

Are you thinking of "Biker Mice from Mars"? That's the only series that had bike-riding animals that I remember.

Nope.  It was something-C.A.T.S.

The title is something I've been stuck on for a while now. I even changed Biff's surname from Marlowe to Steele just so I could have two metals in the title. Having a catchy title that gives both main characters equal billing is something I think I'm going to need help on.

I still like "Ghost Steele", but that might be because I'm a Deadlands fan.  :-)

As a big fan of "Batman:TAS" and "The Tick", I'm honored to be compared to them. :) Morgan "The Iron Ghost" Robeson was based very much on Adam West(who played "The Grey Ghost" on an episode of Batman:TAS).

I did catch that reference.  :-)

[Shreyas Sampat]

Mega Kats?  The cats in MegaKat City, who did things like air-drop themselves and their bikes onto the heads of <insert random villain here>?  They had all this rad blue and red gear.

[Eddy Fate]

Mega Kats?  The cats in MegaKat City, who did things like air-drop themselves and their bikes onto the heads of <insert random villain here>?  They had all this rad blue and red gear.

I think that was it.  I thought it was an acronym, but my memory is really hazy on it.