E is for Earths

...of the parallel variety, that is.

I'd love for Light City to be accessible for all sorts of supers gaming.  I also just love a good, wacky multiverse.  Here's a little sample what's been discovered so far by the fringe physicists of Light City:

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Earth-Alpha:  The "prime" Light City universe.  In my head, anyway.  Heck, maybe every individual game world is its own Earth-Alpha.  That's the beauty of a prime universe: It's forever malleable, ready to be retconned, revised, and updated for the present time!

Earth-Beta:  The first parallel universe to be found, when Nature Man traversed the elemental planes and found his counterpart from this alternate Earth.  The boom in superheroics occurred much earlier here (in the 1940s...folks with masks and powers were a huge part of the Allied victory in World War II).  Some heroes, like Black Lion, are fairly similar between Earths Alpha and Beta, aside from age.  Others, such as the Flame, differ enough that it's hard to even trace how they're connected.  Still others have no known counterpart on the other Earth.

Earth-Beta

Earth-Gamma:  An Earth where The Assembly is the premier superhero team rather than The Association.  Cities don't all have the word "City" in their names.  And the movies tend to be a lot better.

Earth-Theta:  Here, an aged Black Lion came out of retirement in the 1980s to clean up his beloved Empire City after it had fallen deep into a crime wave.  He ended up facing off against his old pal Wonder Man, who has become a tool of the American government.

Earth-Mu:  A world of anthropomorphic cats.  And superheroes.  So, yeah, superhero cats.

Earth-Mu

Earth-Nu:  This universe has many of the same figures as Earth-Alpha, but the age of heroes began in the mid-1950s.  There are lots of apes, and Wonder Man is kind of a dick who spends a lot of time making his girlfriend look like an idiot.  Scholars of the Multiverse aren't quite clear on whether or not this is actually the same world as Earth-Theta.

Earth-Xi:  Pretty much everything on this world appears to be made out of toy bricks.

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There are a lot more of them out there!  (You might even say they're infinite...ba dump bump.)  I'm definitely interested in knowing what sorts of parallel Earths you would want to encounter in a superhero multiverse!

D is for Dogwood City

I'll make this one quick!  The world of Light City, and really the project itself, is a pretty natural extension of the the trip through the alphabet that I took on this blog two years ago, when I made my first attempt at constructing a superhero setting out of public domain characters.  The focus that year was Dogwood City, based in my mind upon the large southern city that I lived in at the time.

I guess I sort of fell in love with the process, because shaping the details of such a fictional world in my head has become almost an addiction over time.  Seriously, I think about stuff like...oh, how different heroes' debuts should fall on a timeline a LOT more than you'd probably think someone should consider such "facts."  At least Light City is giving me a bit of an outlet for it now!

Anyway, there's really no reason that Light City and Dogwood City shouldn't be on the same map.  (In my little section of the multiverse, anyway...!)  Perhaps there'll be a chance to look at geography in a little more detail in the coming days.  For now, let's take a quick second look at the flagship hero of Dogwood City...Nature Man!

Oh.  Yeah, that was it.  That WAS the quick second look.  Maybe we'll take a slower look when the letter N rolls around.

Up next:  EARTHS!

C is for The Club

The Club is the premier "teen team" of Earth-Alpha, initially formed by some of the younger companions of members of The Association.  At its founding, The Club consisted of just four heroes:  Nature Boy, Cub, Melanippe (sister of Hippolyta), and Leora (niece of the Sea Amazons' Queen Mea).

Nature Boy

Cub

Melanippe

Leora

The Club would go through a number of lineup changes over the years, eventually including heroes such as Young Robin Hood (operating out of Forest City) and Rainbow Boy.  The team later became widely known as The New Club, and as young adults, its members would form a related group called The Crew, leaving the Club moniker to a new generation of young superheroes.

(Nature Boy, of course, would slowly become less involved with the team after taking up the mantle of his mentor, Nature Man, upon the hero's death saving the multiverse.  As Nature Man, David Crandall would eventually join The Association.)

B is for Black Lion

Only nine days into the month, and I'm already on the letter B!  So let's see, looking at the A to Z calendar...

...mm hmm, carry the 2, and I should catch up sometime around no shot in hell.

Oh well.  Onward!  We just took a quick look at Black Lion on Wednesday as one of the keystone members of The Association.  He was also one of the first characters I covered two years ago when I pondered a superhero universe centered on Dogwood City for my first go at the A to Z blogging challenge.  To recap:

Ten years ago, George Davis's brother was stabbed to death for a diamond he possessed.  This senseless act of violence motivated George to take on a persona that would be the bane of criminals everywhere...

And so, we have a dark-clad hero, driven by revenge and operating at the peak of human physical condition...the Black Lion!

Not the MOST original background, but originality is pretty much the opposite of what I'm looking for here.  I imagine him to be one of the most prominent heroes in the prime Light City Universe.  (Hopefully I can be forgiven for some inconsistency in whether or not he gets a "the" before his name.  Even the Batman can vary in that regard.)

And to stat him up for Light City...well, I may as well pull liberally from my previous thoughts on the hero that Black Lion is undoubtedly based upon (hey, I already included the Lion-arang when I gave him rough stats two years ago...!).

Black Lion
Level 7 Brawler
Real name:  George Davis (secret)
First appearance:  Wonderworld Comics #21 (1941)
STR 16     DEX 13     CON 12     INT 18     WIS 18     CHA 16
7 HD (25 HP)     Saving Throw 8
AC 8[11] (Lion-suit)
Attacks:  3x Unarmed Strikes, +8 to hit, 1d6+1 damage; Lionarang, range 60 ft., +7 to hit, 1d6+1 damage; Special Improvisation 1x/day.

Hmm...well, A is for The Association

How's it going, internet?  It's been a while!

So, there've been a couple of months of big transition for me, as I went from living just outside the perimeter of Atlanta, GA, to a little old rural farmhouse nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina.  My wife Laura got what is essentially a dream job working at a newly opened Behavioral Rehabilitation Center for the ASPCA, and I have happily tagged along to see what adventures await.  Thus far, that's meant I've spent a lot of time following groundhogs back to their den entrances, hanging out with all the four-legged kids that we moved here from Georgia, and pondering/worrying about what the heck I'm gonna do with my life.  All of which somehow take a lot more time than you'd think...somehow...and blogging has fallen to the side in that setup.

But...April is here, and it's time to A to Z!  I just couldn't let the month pass without taking part in the blitz blogging event that has been so much fun for me the past two years.  So this month, I planned to explore, in alphabetical fashion, random thoughts related to the game and setting of Light City, the little superhero RPG project that I started working on last year, based on the excellent game Swords & Wizardry Light.  Unfortunately, not only did I miss the window to be an official A to Z participant, but I've failed to even get the first post up anywhere close to on time.

But...that's not gonna hold me back!  Just consider this my own little half-assed, guerrilla A to Z effort.  With a little luck, maybe I'll get through M by the end of the month!

If you want a quick introduction to Light City...and there are plans in the works to get a more ideal/complete intro to the setting available for perusal...you might want to check out the short RPG supplement The Assembly (which has quick rules for making characters in the style of a certain Marvel Comics superteam) or look at +Justin Isaac's excellent master list of Light City content.  (And let me note, by the way, that while I've been slack as heck, Justin has not only been absolutely killin' it with Light City material, he's also unleashed a brand new Old West game, a clever SWL mod called Six-Shooters & Wagons.  Check it out!)

...

Also, wow, that was a wordy intro.  And maybe too many hyperlinks.  Oh well.  Time to start the A to Zing.  A is for...

The Association

The Association is widely regarded as the premier super-team in the prime continuity (Earth-Alpha) of the Light City Multiverse.  Originally formed as an ad hoc effort to fend off the global domination scheme of the intergalactic echinoderm known as the Space Urchin, the heroes decided to continue working together whenever their combined skills were needed.

The Association's lineup has varied considerably over the years and has included heroes such as the Flame, Samson, the Green Giant, Silver Streak, and the Atomic Thunderbolt.  Additionally, the team has strong ties to some heroes whose membership status is debatable, such as Cub and the Wandering Nephil.  Many incarnations of The Association, however, have included the following heroes as a core:

Wonder Man

Operating out of Empire City, Wonder Man was one of the first costumed heroes to appear in the Light City Universe (which is why individuals with powers are often referred to as wonderheroes).

Black Lion

Hitting the super-scene in Empire City about the same time as Wonder Man, Black Lion works to keep the streets clean with the help of his sidekick Cub.  Black Lion is highly respected as perhaps the greatest mind on Earth-Alpha.

Hippolyta

Legendary queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta is often regarded as a role model for the girls of Earth.  However, she strives to be a symbol of courage and power for all of humanity.

Queen Mea

Ruler of a splinter group of Hippolyta's people known as the Sea Amazons, Mea's primary concern is the defense of the world's oceans.  She is also a formidable warrior on The Association's many non-aquatic adventures, although her prowess on dry land has somehow become a running joke among observers of metahumans.

The Arrow

The finest archer on the planet, the Arrow serves as a strong supporter of his teammates and, quite often, as the conscience of the group.

Dungeonstack A to Z: Zombie Mob

And finally, we come to Zed.  Really, what else could I include here?  I'm building a dungeon, after all...

I'm not completely sold that this should be a Monster card as opposed to an Event that just has you put some Zombies into play; this one may switch soon.

And with that...wow...we complete the alphabet and the challenge!  A very big "thank you" to anyone and everyone who has stopped by this month.  I hope you've gotten at least some mild entertainment...and if you've happened to enjoy it, please stay tuned, as I think I'll be following up on this project quite a bit in the coming weeks...!

(Oh!  And please let me take this chance to point out one blog that I failed to highlight with a "tribute card" this month, but that I'll hopefully target as I expand the game a bit more.  Celia over at WordWacker had a very simple but cool theme for the month...a geeky haiku riddle for each letter.  WordWacker is another blog that I discovered through the A to Z this year, and I've enjoyed stopping by to check out the riddles.

Also, I'm actually scheduling this post ahead of time...quite out of character, I know...and I'm kind of hoping Celia will go with Zombie for Z so this can almost-sort-of-coincidentally-but-not-really count as a shout-out in card form...!)

Dungeonstack A to Z: Young Minotaur

I think I'm going to finish up the A to Z challenge with a couple of final monsters that can be used as simple, basic villains for the Dungeonstack.  Like this fellow...

I like having this guy (multiples, almost undoubtedly) as a throwback to the "basic" monster I used in one of my earlier experiments with card-based dungeoneering:

And so, tomorrow we close out the alphabet.  See you then!

Dungeonstack A to Z: Xenos the Wanderer

The good thing about having a topic like mine for the A to Z blogging challenge is that when you hit a tough letter like X, you can just make up a name for a character.

So...here's the last of the "basic" classes to be used as a Hero in the Dungeonstack, the rogue Xenos:

(Skills in Dungeonstack will be handled via Xd6-roll-under...ranks in a skill subtract dice from the roll.  A simple application of this can be seen on the card Locked!  For more info on the class structures I used to build these Heroes, you may want to look over my alternate...and somewhat simplified...classes for Swords & Wizardry Light.)

Wow...just two days to go now!

Dungeonstack A to Z: Witch of the Otherside

With hardly any time to spare...I am momentarily caught up once again in the A to Z challenge with this entry for "W"...

On this one:

That name...I'm thinking of the Otherside as some version of the Celtic Otherworld...which, of course, has some analogues in other belief systems...

Although just about anyone who spends enough time online to come across my little blog will probably recognize that this card is a nod to the RPG blogosphere stalwart that is The Other Side.  +Timothy Brannan does some awesome work over there, giving great snippets of D&D history while consistently bringing something new to the game (one of his favorite muses: witches!).  Oh, and he seems like a nice guy to boot.  Tim isn't doing the A to Z this year, but he's tackled it multiple times in the past (along with being part of the crew that keeps the challenge rolling).  So, overall, a tip of the hat from this blogger...and you should check him out sometime...!

Oh!  And I very rudely left this out in the tired state I posted in last night...big thanks to Justin of Halls of the Nephilim for his advice on a "witchy" ability that would be simple enough to fit onto a card.  It's awesome having this online community as a think tank!

Dungeonstack A to Z: The Venerable August MacMulligan

Trying to quickly play catch-up in the A to Z challenge once again.  (This year's definitely had some timing snags!)

Here's another Hero card.  He represents the 4th class in the game, and yes, he's definitely a relative of April (just have to figure out how sometime)...

And like the 9 Realms' Guardian, he has a "cheat card" for the magic he wields...

Please join me tomorrow...or maybe today, let's see...as things get a little witchy around here...!

Dungeonstack A to Z: Undead Infestation

Going into today's Dungeonstack entry, I knew I wanted to make something undead...something that would give some importance to The Good Doctor's Crypt, and the ability to turn undead, and having Undead as a preferred enemy of a Scout.

And then at some point, I thought, "Why not just turn a bunch of monsters into the undead?"  So I made this:

I hope to roll out at least one more legitimate undead enemy before the month is out.

Thanks for stopping by!  I'd love it if you'd join me tomorrow, when another of April's relatives will be revealed...!

Dungeonstack A to Z (double!): Tavern Bouncer and Tome of Adventure

As the A to Z blogging challenge enters its final week, I've realized that I'm going to need to double-dip once or twice in order to hit on all of the items I want to cover.  Today is one of those days, with a classic Two-for-...Monday.

First up is a Monster card...

It probably won't surprise many people who happen upon this blog to hear that this is a nod to the OSR watering hole known as Tenkar's Tavern.  As I've noted, my intention with "tribute cards" this month was to focus on some other bloggers taking part in the A to Z challenge, but I had a hard time not giving some sort of tip of the hat to the locale that serves as the hub of the online gaming community for a lot of OSR types.  And once I pieced that picture together from a couple of public domain images...well, I kinda liked it, so we got the Bouncer!  If you're one of the few people who somehow finds themselves reading my blog without knowing anything about the Tavern, you should go check it out!  It's a very friendly place (as long as you don't screw people over on a Kickstarter).

Oh, so why is this tavern bouncer wandering a dungeon and fighting the Heroes that come through?  Eh, not sure...but it's probably better not to worry about that until his war hammer is no longer a threat.

On we go!  Card #2 today is another Item to find in the Dungeonstack, and a little salute to another A-to-Z'er...

While almost certainly a more subtle shout-out than some I've managed this month, I hope that won't make you any less inclined to check out the good stuff that Stuart and the team have to offer over at Lloyd of Gamebooks, a great blog covering anything and everything having to do with participatory fiction and related endeavors.  It's pretty awesome to see how much passion people have for that art form!

Thanks for reading, and please come back tomorrow as I try to give The Good Doctor's Crypt a worthy denizen...!

Dungeonstack A to Z (extra): 23rd Legionnaire

This month has gone by way too fast!

Hmm.  Well, I've included a bugbear, but I haven't yet put a regular old goblin into the Dungeonstack, so it's time to correct that...

I guess this isn't a regular old goblin, as he's a legionnaire.  I thought it was one of the coolest things ever when WotC printed Goblin Legionnaire, their first Goblin Soldier for MtG, back in the Apocalypse expansion...

...and since, on these A to Z "off days," I've struggled a little coming up with names incorporating the date rather than a letter...well, it all just came together for this little guy.

Join me tomorrow for more fun with placing a monster's image on top of a background it clearly doesn't fit...!

Dungeonstack A to Z: Spells

This is really just a bit of a "bookkeeping" card, but as I'd like for everything in the Dungeonstack to be playable from the cards themselves (once the basic rules are known), I thought it was important to include.  Here's reminder text for the spells known by the Heroic Mage presented earlier, the 9 Realms' Guardian (worded with the card game in mind):

I may look to spice up the presentation at some point, but at the moment I think it's pretty functional, looks decent when trimmed...

...and matches up nicely with its associated hero.

I hope to present another magic-wielding Hero before the month is over, so I'll be sure to make a spell card for her or him, too.

Dungeonstack A to Z: Ruinous Pact

As I've mentioned before, I think the Event cards in the Dungeonstack are going to be one of the more difficult card types both to design and to make worthwhile to anyone who wants to use the cards for a purpose other than just playing the game outright...which is a minor design goal for me, to make the cards useful as OSR gaming tools by themselves.  I think that one of the ways of approaching this may be to think of effects that fit simply onto a single card and hold a bit of flavor that might put some ideas into a GM's head.  Maybe something like this...

Maybe.

I mean, the idea will probably work nicely in the card game.  And maybe...maybe...things like this can make a referee think a bit about what sort of magic-user would enchant a room like this...and why...

Definitely gonna have to put some thought into this.

Also, a tip of the hat with this card (however subtle it may have ended up being) to Paul over at The Iron Pact!  Paul keeps up a top-notch blog focused solely on stuff for the Swedish dark fantasy RPG Symbaroum.  I wasn't familiar with either the blog or the RPG before this year's A to Z challenge, but I'm glad it brought them to my attention, because they both seem pretty outstanding!  Lots of fantastically presented grimness to be found...so if that sounds like your type of thing, definitely check them out!

Dungeonstack A to Z: Quiet Hall(s)

The 2017 A to Z Blogging Challenge marches on to the letter Q...and I march on toward regularly posting my contributions on time!

Today is another Room card...much like the Interior Walkway, it's fairly straightforward and comes in a couple of varieties...

Something to note here: I really need to figure out which words I'm going to capitalize in card text.  I like capitalizing "Heroes," as it's a specific thing (and a card type) that has meaning in the game...but really, so is "room," and if I'm not careful I'm just going to end up capitalizing everything.  Gotta think on it...

Dungeonstack A to Z: Potion of Cure Light Wounds

Since I'm trying to get caught up on the A to Z Challenge in the midst of a work trip, I'd be crazy not to take advantage of the times when the letter of the day gives me an obvious choice for a really simple card to make.  (Wouldn't I?  I'm not completely sold, but here we go...)

Hrm.  With that in mind, I present another very simple Item for the letter P:

I know!  I'll spice this post up with a caption...
Just print at 2.75" x 3.75" and cut along dotted lines.
Collect 'em all!

That is all.

Maybe something more interesting will come to me tomorrow...?

Post edited to include an updated card...added italics and the "+1"...

Dungeonstack A to Z: Ogre Freebooter

Late as usual (hrmph)...here's a Dungeonstack card for the letter O...

A dual-wielding ogre pirate ought to fit in just fine.  I'm not sure about making him a Giant type, but it does let him work well with the abilities of Nat Twinny.

Also, I should maybe think about spicing up the background of that image...

Now, back to playing catch-up...!

Dungeonstack A to Z: Nat Twinny, Woodsman

I'm guessing due to my affinity for nonhuman animals (I like humans too, but you know what I mean), I've been drawn to Druid, Ranger, and classes in the style of those two.  So, in wanting to present at least a small variety of Hero cards that can be matched against the Dungeonstack, it's only natural (heh) that I'd try to work one in here...

In addition to Nat, April, and the 9 Realms' Guardian, I hope to find space for two more Heroes before the month closes out...in classes somewhat like those other two you'd probably expect if all the bases are to be covered.  If all goes well, I'll present all of these as alternate classes for S&W Light for the upcoming Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day...in part to show that I really am building these Heroes with a rational structure, and not just throwing numbers onto virtual paper...!

And with this, I am briefly caught up on the A to Z challenge!  How long will it last?  Stay tuned...

Dungeonstack A to Z (extra): The 16th Pawn

Well, this card was made in the hope that I'll have an entry for every day in April (not just the A-Z days), but with the way I'm falling behind, perhaps the time would have been better spent on an "N" post...?

Anyway, here we go...!

Again...something pretty basic.  It's kind of a random cryptic treasure to find (which, who knows, could maybe inspire some brainstorming in a DM's head), but I do see a purpose for it in the game as I'm building it.  With my earlier experiments in card-based dungeons, I had a card in the deck that served as the "target treasure," the item that must be retrieved to treat the delve as a success.  The 16th Pawn is what I see as the focus of April's Quest...

I'm shaking my Magic 8-Ball now to see how likely I am to get an "N" post up today...