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| Dragon head icon by Faithtoken, licensed via CC BY 3.0 |
In thinking about the little project I'm working(?) on over at PermaDeath.Net (now at https://asciiverse.blogspot.com/), one of the commercial game settings I'm undoubtedly drawing on as I imagine the Asciiverse is the world presented in last year's MTG set Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. I have very fond memories of the original Kamigawa Block; it came at one of the highest points of my involvement in organized MTG, and in some ways it shows the early stages of the designers' approach to worldbuilding in which they take a theme and work out what an MTG world - that is, somewhat fantasy based with a nod to the color pie that defines MTG's ethics and magic - based upon that theme would look like.
In this case, the focus was Japanese mythology, history, and religion, and I really dug the flavor. I've no doubt there are some Orientalist overtones...or at least undertones...but it was still a series of three sets (an old MTG block) with a setting that I enjoyed and hoped to go back to. When the return to the plane was announced, and I realized that it was getting a cyberpunk update, I knew we were probably in for something pretty cool.
A somewhat random thought that struck me lately: We, as humans in an ostensibly civilized society, sure spend a lot of time and energy trying to determine if we're normal...and if we're not, if we fall into a band of abnormality that's deemed "good" or at the very least "not bad."
Those of us who spend more time than we probably should thinking about RPG stats often encounter the question of what "normal" really means. What are normal stats for a human? Is normal the same as average? Where do we want our PCs to fall on the spectrum of normality, and how do the rules support that implication?
I have become a fan of the notion that, in class-based RPGs like D&D, most regular/normal/average folks can be described without class levels. Gaining levels in a class is something reserved for the outstanding among us...or for those who satisfy a more metaphysical measure of ability to drive the narrative of the universe. The difference between a human with class levels and one without can become a very subjective distinction, not based on intrinsic capability but on importance to the story currently being told.
Now, this is the part of the blog post where I start the pivot into just talking about one of my toys.
Okay, so the NBA season ended just a couple of weeks ago, with the Denver Nuggets taking their first-ever title after defeating the Miami Heat at home. Now, sports in general, and perhaps basketball in particular, lend themselves to assessments of good/better/best. There's a lot of talk right now about how Finals MVP Nikola Jokic stacks up against the best to ever play the game. And during the regular season, there was a lot of talk about how Jokic stacks up against the other "best" players currently in the league, specifically Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid (whose likeness is pictured above).
Jokic was the league's regular-season MVP the past two seasons. The two years before that, it was Giannis. And this year, it was Embiid. Some pundits seemed to believe that Joel took the title this year just because it was his "turn," and that he wasn't necessarily better than Jokic or Giannis. And really, it kinda seemed like it could be any of those three players, and no one could argue too much.
BUT...everyone loves to talk about how the MVP is a regular-season award, and most basketball fans look to the postseason for that extra factor that separates the great from the very good. Jokic absolutely killed it this postseason. And Embiid, while he had his moments, ultimately didn't demonstrate next-level greatness in the minds of most fans. As someone who has slowly, and somewhat inadvertently, found myself becoming more and more of a Philadelphia sports fan (the 76ers especially) now that I live in Jersey, I disliked this for multiple reasons. I wanted the Sixers to win, for one. And Embiid has become one of my favorite players, so I especially didn't enjoy the immediate dismissal of his abilities by so many people when the team was eliminated by the Celtics.
Now...for an RPG, is Joel Embiid a normal human? I mean...clearly he is not normal physically. He's seven feet tall and extremely gifted athletically. And clearly his presence and actions are more notable to the world at large than they are for most of us regular folks. If he stepped into a D&D world, would he need class levels to highlight how awesome he is? Or can he just be a guy with a Background, like you and me...but with some pretty impressive STR and DEX, no doubt.
Seriously, I'm getting to the toy part...
A little while back, spurred in part by my recently renewed interest in 3 3/4" action figures, I couldn't resist picking up this Joel Embiid ReAction Figure from Super7.
I had heard that these figures were intended to be properly sized for the scale they're in...and since the 3 3/4" scale typically defaults to 1:18 - but those don't really match up perfectly - I wanted to see how tall they made a seven foot dude.
First, a note...the figure unfortunately came with one leg a bit longer than the other, which I'm pretty sure isn't a reflection of Joel's actual anatomy. I am definitely a ReAction figure apologist when it comes to folks' complaints about their limited articulation in a world where we often expect much more. BUT...these things are at a price point where I would hope QC issues like this would be minimal. Anyway, I'm not complaining (too much), but definitely noting it.
From the bottom of the sole of his right shoe (on the longer leg) to the point where I think the top of his head would be, he's about 4 3/16". If I go with an even 7' for his height, that puts the scale of the figure at about 1:20. FWIW, at this scale, a 3.75" figure would be about 6'3", which probably isn't too far off for some of the physically imposing characters that have been turned into figures at this standard scale...and in some cases may be a bit low (I'm looking at you, Roadblock). And at the very least, it's as good as calling the scale 1:18, which would put a 3.75" guy at under 5'8"...for most characters, not ridiculous but not particularly close either.
(This is who Joel's looking at up there, btw...)
(Not gonna turn down that chance to show off my vintage Crimson Guard figure...)
Finally rounding out the Cobra fireteam that I displayed about a week and a half ago, here's a tough guy from north of the border...
Part of my first Cobra fireteam with Blast Beat, Apostle is an original '83/'84 swivel-arm Cobra soldier that ended up in my collection as a kid. I word it this way because I really don't remember getting it...I had an original '82 straight-arm version, and then somehow over the course of my G.I. Joe playing career, this guy ended up among the rest of my figures. Maybe it was given to me? A friend's figure that got mixed up with mine, and then was never requested back because it's such a minor character? Maybe I traded for it? A sign of my age, I suppose...I truly don't recall. But I could probably be convinced that I remember any of those scenarios.
As a true old-school trooper, this seemed like a great figure to take on the Acolyte background from 5E. As the only background put into the original 5E SRD (meant to serve as an example for others' work), I think it's also the only one that made it into the rules that Wizards of the Coast released this year under a Creative Commons license. It just felt like a good match with an original figure.
I guess it's a little lame to "start" Cobra Trooper Week on a Wednesday evening...but better late than never...?
Anyway, this guy's from the G.I. Joe Retro Collection Cobra Officer & Cobra Trooper 2-Pack. I am pleased with the purchase, but I'm not the most discerning action figure fan. If you're interested, I'd say check out some of the reviews out there, like THIS excellent one from the HissTank.com forums.
