Brackett's Empire Strikes Back

All of the posts over at Grognardia about Star Wars have got me thinking about how I might run an alternate Star Wars game, or rather, one of the ways I might run one, since I can think of several. This particular one involves throwing out most of the accretions on to the universe that have come over the years...

I would not throw out everything since Star Wars (Episode IV, if you will) as some might. That would toss out the best movie of the bunch--The Empire Strikes Back. Still though, Empire gives us Vader as Luke’s father which it seems to me (along with Luke and Leia as siblings) one of the biggest dividers between the Star Wars Universe as given in the first film, and the Star Wars Universe of today which emerged in sequels and other media.

Interestingly, earlier this year Leigh Brackett’s 1978 first draft of Empire (which was at that point only the “Star Wars Sequel”) was leaked to the Internet. This was an exciting find as I’m a big fan of Brackett’s Eric John Stark stories and wondered what her version of Star Wars looked like. Lucas has always said he used very little of her script and only kept her name on the final version out of respect (she had passed on by the time the film was released).

Brackett’s script gives a version of Empire that is a bit more pulp space opera that Star Wars--which could be either a strength of weakness depending on one’s tastes. The rebel base on Ice Planet (it isn’t named Hoth) is inside a natural occurring ice structure resembling a castle. Wampas attack the rebel base en masse, and Chewbacca goes toe to toe with one. Lando is a clone, from a family of clones. The natives of Hoth (what we know as Bespin) are known as the Cloud People and ride giant, flying manta-ray type creatures and use dart guns.

There are also more fantasy type trappings. Vader’s castle lair includes small, gargoyle-like creatures flying around. Luke’s training involves sort of psychic contact with Vader where they appear to be giants among the stars. Minch (Yoda) is even more of a crotchety Chuin or Pai Mei-esque character than in the final film.

Then, there are the big differences. Darth Vader isn’t Luke’s father, he’s the man who killed him like Star Wars said. In fact, the script has Luke’s dad appearing in force ghost-form along with Obi-Wan. The central tension of Luke’s battle with Vader isn’t the father reveal, but the concern over whether Luke will give in to the dark side--which he does, in frustration, to try and defeat Vader. Luke realizes his error and backs down, but Vader claims victory from starting Luke down the path. Also, Luke’s sister (Nellith?) is mentioned, and the rivalry for Leia's affections between Han and Luke is more pronounced than in the final film.  Luke almost gets a chance to declare his love for Leia, but there is no carbomite freezing to give Leia the chance to declare hers for Han.

All in all, its an interesting trip into alternate fictional history. It could very easily be the branch point or a sharply divergent Star Wars game.

Random Femme Fatale Encounter

In the bold tradition of the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide's Random Harlot Encounter Table, I thought I should offer a somewhat less focused Random Femme Fatale Encounter Table for use in the City, and its world--or maybe any pulpish setting.   And its illustrated.

Femme fatale’s are 50% likely to have useful information, but only 30% likely to spill it, and 15% likely to make up something. There is 60% chance she’ll attempt to enlist a PC's help in regard to her problem which will inevitably lead to more trouble.

01-10  Devil in a Blue Dress

11-25  Songbird

26-35  Reform School Girl

36-45  Carnival Girl

46-55  Burlesque Dancer/Stripper

56-69  Working Girl*

70-75  Wayward Wife

76-85  Gun Moll

86-90  Dope Girl

91-92  "Mata Hari"

93-94  Hayseed/Hillbilly Hussy**

95-98  Swamp Babe**

 

99-00  Witchy Woman

 

*If in an urban environment, otherwise replace with appropriate rural alternative.

**If in appropriate rural environment, otherwise re-roll.

Warlord Wednesday: The Curse of the Cobra Queen

It's Wednesday, so let's re-enter the lost world with another installment of my issue by issue examination of DC Comic's Warlord, the earlier installments of which can be found here...

"The Curse of the Cobra Queen" and "Wizard World"

Warlord (vol. 1) #28 (December 1979)

Written and Pencilled by Mike Grell; Inked by Vince Colletta (first story)

Synopsis: Riding across Skartaris, Morgan and Ashir reach a parting of ways. Ashir rides for Kaambuka to claim his crown, and the responsibility he’s shirked. Morgan is on his way to Shamballah--and his wife with whom he intends to reconcile.

The two haven’t long parted ways, when Morgan is startled by a meteorite streaking across the sky--one that must have chanced to fall through the polar opening and into Skartaris. Morgan is unaware that the meteor’s fall is even stranger than he can guess. It passes through the “corona” of Skartaris’ eternal sun and is bombarded with radiation. It crashes into the jungle, where a serpent comes to bask in the warmth of its eldritch emanations.

Morgan’s ride takes him close to the place of the meteorites fall. Due to the strange flow of time in the inner world, there is no way to know how long its been since he saw the shooting star. In an area of the jungle darkened by the tree canopy, amazons in reptilian headdresses ambush Morgan. Their numbers, and Morgan’s reluctance to fight women. allow them to take him down with a club to the back of the skull.

When Morgan awakens. he's tied before a throne of a bone, where a beautiful, green-skinned woman with a reptilian cast to her features, reclines. This is the cobra queen. She moves toward Morgan with a raised dagger, but instead of using it on him, she cuts his bonds.

Morgan is mesmerized by her sensuous grace; she moves in for a kiss. Suddenly, there’s a stirring in the underbrush, and the cobra queen recoils in terror. Morgan goes to investigate and finds it's only a small mongoose.

When Morgan turns back to the woman, he finds a giant cobra in her stead! The cobra queen’s hand-maiden’s flee in terror, but Morgan lunges with his sword. He stabs the serpent through its hood, but then is caught in its coils. His sword is wrenched from his grasp. Desperately, he stabs at it with his dagger, hoping to loosen its hold enough so that he can pull his pistol.

Finally, he’s able. He shoots the cobra in the head, killing it. He wonders for a moment if it was a woman who became a snake, or a snake who became a woman? Putting such idle thoughts aside, he rides on, leaving the mongoose to sniff at the body of what is now a beautiful woman once more.

“Wizard World”
In the forests near Shamballah, Tara, Machiste, and Mariah also see a fragment of the falling star coming down. Mariah, aware of the rarity of such a sight, rides ahead into an ancient ruin to investigate. Tara warns her that legends say this is a place where black arts were practiced in the Age of Wizard Kings, and magic is said to still be in the stones. Mariah dismisses all that as superstition.

As Mariah gets close to the meteorite fragment, a strange tear occurs in the fabric of reality, and she falls in. Mariah emerges from her fall through darkness inside of a pentagram inscribed on the floor--startling a diminutive wizard who had been trying to summon a three-headed dog!

The wizard (who addresses her as “demon”) tells her he’s Mungo Ironhand, Sorcerer Supreme, and that this is the Age of the Wizard Kings--it won’t be called Skartaris for another eon or two. He says he’s summoned her to do his bidding, and now he bids her to kiss him. Mariah firmly declines.

Meanwhile, back in Skartaris, Tara tries (unsuccessfully) to stop Machiste from following Mariah into the rift...

Things to Notice:

• Skartarian time weirdness is used in the furtherance of plot (sort of).
• Apparently, Skartarian cobras have some constrictor-ish characteristics.
• This is the first Warlord issue with a back-up story.

Where It Comes From:

This issue was perhaps inspired by the 1972 film Night of the Cobra Woman, wherein a beautiful woman, who transforms into a cobra, must seduce and suck the life from men to stay youthful.  It's also possible that the 1966 Hammer film, The Reptile wa in inspiratiom.  Here, a woman cursed by a snake cult takes on a reptilian form--much less attractive then our cobra queen in this issue.

Wizard World is both more "high fantasy" than Skartaris, and more humorous as well.  Grell seems equally inspired by Lord of the Rings and The Wizard of Oz.  Cigar-chomping Mungo Ironhand was perhaps inspired by a another cigar afficiando wizard with a not dissimilar personality--Avatar, from the 1977 animated film, Wizards.