Elements of 80s Fantasy Style

 I've written before about the implied setting of 80s TSR art, but it's really only a subcategory of more widespread trends in fantasy of the 80s. Obviously, with something as broad as a multimedia genre, it's difficult to encompass all the works that appear in that time period with any sort of list of features, but I think the following elements are ways that the body of fantasy of the 80s tended to be different from what came before and to an extent, what came after.

The Triumph of the Barbarian

The barbarian (thanks to Conan and paperbacks with Frazetta covers), loosely defined, was the predominant protagonist type of the Sword & Sorcery subgenre, but in the 80s it may squeezed out the knight to become the predominant fighter variant in general. The barbarian films, rushing to cash in after the success of Conan the Barbarian (1982), had a lot to do with it, probably. A lot of fantasy warriors in the 80s just had the classic barbarian look whatever their origins.

Ninja!

The 80s was the third "ninja boom" in Japanese pop culture, but it was the first time North America really took notice. Ninja were part of a revitalization of the martial arts genre in the U.S., but they also crept into fantasy in the form of various black suited and masked thieves and assassins.

More Women Warriors

The 80s didn't invent the woman warrior, but they certainly became much more common then. The trend was heralded Richard Kirk's Raven series that started in the late 70s (possibly inspired by Marvel's Red Sonja?), but there were many more to come.

Glam over Grotty

Gone were the muted or moody colors of Frazetta in favor of Vallejo body-builder sheen. Medieval grime gave way to gleaming Excalibur plate armor, Royo rocker leather, and there was a lot of gorgeous hair.

The Elf and Dwarf  Move toward Codification 

The cutesy elf or dwarf of the children's story-derived popular imagining was giving way to the more Tolkienish D&D version, but we hadn't arrived at peak Tolkien "better than humans in every way" status for elves. From Elfquest to Hawk the Slayer, elves were no longer comedic craftsmen, but instead wilderness warriors. They were often depicted in Robin Hood-ish attire.

Dwarves continued to become differentiated from elves and perhaps moved closer to their Nordic roots. The most emphasized trait seems to be their warrior nature. They seem just as likely as barbarians to wield double-headed battleaxes, and they began wearing horned helmets appropriated from Vikings of earlier eras.

The Delver Underworld

In wuxia fiction, the characters are members of the Wulin, the World of the Martial Arts or community of martial arts practitioners. This term has overlap with, but is not identical to Jianghu, which is the sort of demimonde/underworld that includes the Wulin practitioners and associated people and locations.

While D&D and D&Dish settings sometimes feature guilds adventures are members of, I don't think I've ever seen this developed into a full-fledged community analogous to the Jianghu or Wulin. As I've briefly suggested before, there are a number of interesting developments taking this sort of approach would allow, though. Just off the top of my head:

• Schools of magic using types would be given an in-setting function.
• It would provide an in-setting rationale for the separation between adventuring clerics and stay in the temple priests
• The "keeping the Martial (or in this case Adventuring) World" separate from "civilians" aspect of wuxia would explain why adventurers are running every kingdom in the land.
• It would seem to naturally lead to more rivalry between adventuring groups, potentially meaning more faction play within dungeons.
• Guilds/sects/collegia are an easy source of adventure hooks.

Wednesday Comics: DC, May 1982 (week 3)

My goal: read DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm looking at the comics at newsstands around February 18, 1982, the week of my 9th birthday.

Brave & the Bold #186: Mishkin/Cohn and Aparo have Batman and Hawkman looking to recover a stolen Egyptian sarcophagus and starting a manhunt in Gotham City to find the culprit. They find out that the art thief is the Fadeaway Man, who sets up an auction for Gotham underworld--where he offers a fake sarcophagus for sale. The heroes infiltrate the auction, but the villain uses the Cloak of Cagliostro to escape. Back in his hideout, the Fadeway Man is surprised by Horus (really Hawkman) emerging from the sarcophagus. The heroes capture the the villain, but his magical cloak gets away.

Legion of Super-Heroes #287: Giffen arrives on art duties as Chameleon Boy, Timber Wolf and Shrinking Violet infiltrate the Khund's homeworld, only to be challenged to a death-fight because Timber Wolf jostled an irritable Khund. The important stuff this issue is the Mon-El and Shadow Lass backup with art by Broderick, "Prologue to Darkness," where our heroes investigate a planet filled with hidden defenses, an awaken an ancient evil.

Green Lantern #152: Wolfman is joined by two other writers this issue: Mishkin and Cohn. It seems the Guardians are out to teach Jordan, so they've had him cooling his hills for the 5 weeks of his exile. Finally, though, they send him to the planet M'Brai with no explanation as a test. He finds two humanoid species warring with each other. He takes sides against the technologically advanced species, assuming they are invaders. After he's knocked unconscious, he's rescued by yet another group. He learns that all three sides--the primitive folk, the advanced Queln, and the Cormm, are all natives of M'Brai. The presence of these three species is mystery for Jordan, but then he sees a similar scar on a Queln and a Cormm and realizes what is happening.

In the backup by Kupperberg and Infantino, the planet Glirell is a world totally against violence. So when Jeryll, the Green Lantern of that world, hard-pressed by a violent madman, strikes him with a fist constructed of her ring's power, she is ostracized by her people. The cigh council give her one last chance, else she will be banished. Unfortunately, slavers from the planet Drel choose that moment to attack. When she flies off to stop the fighting, but the council reminds her of their decree to do it without violence.

House of Mystery #304: After immobilizing Bennett with a stake through the heart, Mary has her goons put him inside a coffin in the carnival's dark ride. Bennett, clinging to life, uses telepathy to induce a teenage girl into releasing him. He manages to rescue the millionaire's kid Mary's group had kidnapped, but the carnival is set on fire in the process and the shadow of a cross shape inadvertently cast. The remaining vamps are pinned down by the cross and go to their fiery deaths. Bennett sees a single bat escape and knows that it must be Mary.

Newman and Zamora follow that with the story of an old woman with a dog who can predict people's deaths, including in the end, her owner's. The last story, written by the letterer Todd Klein and drawn by Estrada, is the creepiest this title has had in a while. A new family moves into an old house, where their son makes a new friend, the ghost of a boy abandoned there by his parents who died of starvation. The new kid begins wasting away too and dies so that ghost can have a companion. They decide to get another friend: the son of a new family moving in.

Sgt. Rock #364: Easy gets a new addition in Pete Anthony, a brave and experienced soldier, who unfortunately is blinded in a fighter strafing run. Rock has promised to get him to his grandparent's house, where he grew up as a boy before immigrating to America. Luckily, Anthony other senses remember the way, and he's able to lead Easy Company--who only have to take care of the Germans occupying the village. Duursema does the art on a fantasy story about a war between pterodactyl-men and centaurs, that ends with both sides losing. Harris and Randall round out the issue with a major league pitcher ironically unable to make his last throw--a grenade--but getting it to its target anyway.

Superman Family #218: Kupperberg and Mortimer provide the Supergirl story. An aging rich woman summons Hecate to bargain for extended life. Hecate will grant her request only if she can deliver Supergirl's soul but gives the woman the power to do it. Dealing with magic, Supergirl has to use her knowledge of mythology to win the day. Kupperberg is back again with Delbo with the Jimmy Olsen story where Jimmy has no memory of his past 24 hours and finds his signal-watch is in the window of a pawn shop. He can't call Superman for help with the goons that tried to kill him, but luckily Olsen is kind of a badass in these stories and prevails anyway.

O'Flynn and Oksner send Lois to cover the Winter Olympics trials, where she is caught in the crossfire of two hitmen on the slopes. Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Superman go undercover as The Flying Tiger and his moll to figure out who's supplying kryptonite to street-level criminals. This is the last appearance of the Tycoon of Crime who only has had one other appearance in 1944.

Warlord #57: I detailed the main story in this issue here. The backup continues Kupperberg's and Duursema's Arion. Lady Chian and Wyynde fight to save Arion from sacrifice, meanwhile, he has mentally slipped into a realm where he is confronted by three god-like beings. He tries to fight them, but it doesn't go well, as they appear to break free into the real world.

Weird Revisited: Froglings for 5e

This post originally appeared in 2014. it's interesting what remained true and what got tweaked regarding the Land of Azurth from this conceptual, pre-game phase...

 

Frox or Bufokin (a bit of a misnomer, as frox resemble frogs more than their warty, dry-skinned cousins) are amphibious humanoids native to the bottomlands and marshes of the country of Yanth. Following rivers, they've ranged beyond their ancestral home to be a common sight in river towns. Their call and response work songs can be heard dockside all over Azurth. Frox work as bargemen or stevedores in civilized areas, and as hunters, farmers, or guides in their villages.

Frox legends say they come from a land across the Boundless Sea, which they left to escape persecution by a terrible and poisonous race of toad-folk, but this claim is considered doubtful by the scholars of Azurth for many reasons--not the least of which being that the Boundless Sea has no other side!

Frox are generally shorter than humans and tend to be thinner of limb, though many develop a potbelly as they age. Their skin colors are generally a dull green or brown, though they range from muted reds to purplish-gray.

A wealthy Frox businessman and tribal chieftain visiting the palace

Frox Traits
Ability Score Increase. Dexterity increased by 2 and another ability score by 1.
Age. Frox live shorter lifespans than humans on average with only a few living beyond their mid-60s. They are mature by their early teens.
Alignment. Frox tend toward good but are have no special affinity for Law and Chaos.
Size. Frox are between 3 and 4 feet tall. Small.
Speed. Base walking speed in 25 feet.
Jumper. Frox can long jump their full Strength score in feet from standing start, and double their Strength in feet with at least 10 feet of movement in a running start. They can high jump a total of 6 feet (rather than the usual 3) + their Strength modifier in a moving high jump and  half that for a standing jump. They have an advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks to land in difficult terrain.
Swimmer. Frox can swim at their full movement rate and rough waters only cost them 1 extra foot for each foot of movement. They use double their Constitution modifier for the purposes of holding their breath.
Resistance to Poisons. Frox have an advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance against poison damage.
Moisture Dependent. Frox require twice as much water as most races. However, submerging most of their body in water for 20 minutes or more reduces their requirement to standard levels.
Languages. Frox can speak and read (limited) Common. They also speak their on croaking, chirping tongue, which has no written form.

[Thanks to Evan Elkins, the creator of the Froglings, the basis for the Frox.]

A frox traditional dwelling

Weird Revisited: Found in a Shoebox

This a Weird Adventures post, originally present in August of 2012...

Cataloging of a deceased adventurer’s belongings revealed a shoebox full of assorted old photos.  A few held more than sentimental interest:

The Dark Manor
The most dangerous photo of the lot.  If stared at during night, the photo may open a portal to the pictured manor in a strange demi-realm shrouded in mist and populated by people who appeared to come from a gothic horror yarn. Anyone transported to the realm will be there for 24 hours on earth--though the exact time in the demi-realm is variable: anything from one night to a two weeks.

The Gold Women

A set of automata construct by a Staarkish thaumaturgist two centuries ago.  They disappeared from a private collection in Lutha during the Great War.  This photo has an address in Metropolis written on the back of it.

The Succubus
Naughty postcard from roughly 40 years ago.  It can be used to summon a succubus once per week if the incantation written on back is read and a few drops of the summoners blood (or other body fluid) is spilled into a circle draw on the floor.

Wednesday Comics: DC, May 1982 (week 2)

My goal: read DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm looking at the comics at newsstands around February 11, 1982.

Batman #347: Slifer and von Eeden/Marcos present one of those "people talk about Batman" type stories within a story as a small-time crook tries to persuade a buddy to join in on a bank robbery, but his friend relates two tales of their biggest obstacle: Batman. In the end they decide to go straight. More interesting is the politics of the story. A group has been setting fire to slum tenements ostensibly as a "blow against capitalism." Batman calls it the "big business is bad syndrome." When the arson hurts someone in the community Batman is able to show the group the error of their ways. 

The rest of the issue is filled with mystery "shorts" with Bat Family characters: Batman and a retired police detective turned security guard solve the mystery of a detective's murder. Then, Alfred gets in the game by proving that the nephew of a friend's employer murdered his uncle and made it look like suicide.

Flash #309: Bates and Infantino/Smith have a time-traveler from the 98th Century comes back to the 1982 to find out if superheroes are real, and if so, steal the powers of one to save his future from a monster. The Flash prevents the visitor from stealing his powers but helps him by leading the guy back to the day Barry Allen became the Flash (April 23rd, if you were wondering) and allowing the visitor to get duplicate Flash powers. The visitor returns to his time and as the Flash of the 98th Century, sacrifices himself to save his people.

In the Dr. Fate backup, all seems lost as the Helm of Fate has been stolen by Malferrazae and Inza is dead. Inza's spirit reveals to the grieving Nelson that there is a way to bring her back, by reuniting her body with the entity of jealous the Lord of Chaos made from her. Nelson smartly defeats the Jealous entity, by showing interest in her, causing her to turn her wrath on herself. This allows him to snatch back the helm and reassume the mantle of Dr. Fate. Using his power to his utmost, he is able to defeat Malferrazae and repair the damage done. Inza is restored and the riff between the couple patched.

G.I. Combat #241: The Haunted Tank crew in some ways seem to be the luckiest guys in the war. They are being transported from North Africa to Sicily on an LST, but they are attacked by German aircraft. Everyone else on the ship is killed, but the vessel runs aground and the door opens to let the Tank about before the ship is consumed in an explosion. Anyway, Jeb is guided by his superiors to a series of locations seemingly for no reason, but really to to drive a narrow wedge through the enemy lines while the American forces followed in secret behind them. The tank is destroyed, but the crew survives and wins the day. 

The second Haunted Tank yarn is a flashback to their earliest days in Africa. Once again, the Tank is the only survivor of a squadron, but Jeb grabs his dead captain's helmet to replace his missing one, inadvertently spurring the company coming behind them to come to their aid in an assault on a German fortress.

The other stories include a history of the song "Taps," and a story by Allikas and Bercasio set in the Korean War where a rich kid learns he can't always buy his way out of work or trouble, but steps up and becomes a better man and soldier. The O.S.S. story involves trying to keep the site of the D-Day landing secret from the Germans. Hitler thinks the Allies are using reverse psychology via a captured spy and the landing will be in Calais, but Control is employing reverse reverse psychology. Or something like that.

Jonah Hex #60: Hex has been kidnapped and is on a ship to China. When pirates attack, Hex falls off the ship, but then washes up on the Chinese coast. He's nursed back to health by a local couple, but then captured again by the authorities. It turns out a Warlord wants Hex to do something for him--and they've got Mei Ling captive to ensure his cooperation. 

The El Diablo backup by Cohn and Ayers/DeZuniga has the town all riled up due to some abductions which they blame on a new religious group that's moved into town. I was thinking wrongly accused Mennonites or something, but nope, they are full-on robed, Satanic cultists into human sacrifice. They call up the Devil, but El Diablo turns the tables on them, because he and the Devil apparently have an understanding.

Saga of the Swamp Thing #1: Just in time for the movie (premiering on February 19, 1982) we get a new Swamp Thing title by Pasko and Yeates. After a recap of his origin, we find Swamp Thing near Limbo, North Carolina, near the Great Dismal Swamp. He's having a bad time of things, as he loses a hand while trying to save some dumb hunters from a bear. While waiting on his hand to regrow, he befriends a strange young girl who's father was preparing to kill her because he thinks she's a witch. Instead, he accidentally kills himself after the Swamp Thing intervenes. Meanwhile, a guy working for the Sunderland Corporation is after Swamp Thing. He's got Swamp Thing's dismembered hand, and he tells his boss Swamp Thing is dying.

The Phantom Stranger backup is by Jones and Spiegle. The Stranger bears witness to the strange end of a corrupt Baptist Preacher who fleeces his parishioners and uses his church as a front for his heroin operation. Unfortunately for him, one of his flock is a former voodoo practitioner, and when she gets wise to his con, she summons a swarm of cockroaches to end him.

New Teen Titans #19: Wolfman and Perez bring back Dr. Light and again play him as a joke to the heroes. He tries to rob an Indian exhibit in (I guess) a Midway City museum, only to run afoul of visiting museum curator Carter Hall in his Hawkman identity. Somehow, his light power brings to life monstrous incarnations of Vishnu. Light leads them to the Titans, hoping they will protect him from the vengeful beings. Once Robin and Hawkman get the truth from Light, Starfire uses her power to reverse the effect and banish the creatures. Light goes back to jail.

Superman #371: Wein and Swan have Superman puttering around the ol' Fortress, when he discovers a 

race of tiny, other-dimensional aliens have taken up residence in the Kandor replica Superman built in the old bottle. They want to live and normal sized people somewhere in our universe. Superman helps two volunteers to grow to human-size, but they are devolved into humanoid monsters by Earth bacteria. Superman is able to turn them back to normal with Kryptonite. He promises to work on a way to vaccinate them all, but until then they must remain in the bottled city as the new Kandorians. This has the feel of a "discontinuity nod" as the tvtropes folks say.

Rozakis and Calnan bring "The Private Life of Clark Kent" over here from World's Finest. An exposure to the rays of a purple sun gives Superman temporary mind-over-matter powers, which leads to numerous instances of hm creating money out of nowhere until he realizes what's going on. 

13th Age

 

I've had the 13th Age core book for sometime, but after picking up most of the rest of the publications for the game in a recent Bundle of Holding, I decided to give it a try. My online group was willing to give it a try. 

For the unfamiliar, 13th Age is sort of an "alternate evolution" of D&D. Debuting in 2013, it sort sort of took D&D 4e and stepped in a rules lighter direction, adding some freeform elements, quite different from the specification of 3e versions of the game. It's roughly equivalent in crunch, I would say, to 5e, but lighter than 5e in some areas.

We spent the first session in character creation. It took perhaps a little longer than 5e because the freeform elements required a little more thought. What are these elements? Well, the biggest is that every character has "One Unique Thing" some (noncombat) thing that sets them apart from perhaps everyone else. Not only does this serve as a character hook, but it allows the player to define something about the world. 

Then there are backgrounds. Unlike 5e backgrounds which are essentially packages of skills and accoutrements, 13th Age backgrounds are player defined (and presumably GM negotiated) broad skills. You could do something simple like "Miner," but it could also be something like (one my wife picked) "Gnomish Debutante." Like the One Unique Thing, backgrounds have the effect of fleshing out the world to a degree. The only downside I see to them is that characters might not be as "well-rounded" in the arena of adventure related tasks as their 5e counterparts. Still, that just means that (like older versions of D&D) skills are likely of less importance.

One final element not found in typical D&D is that every character has a relationship to one of the settings Icons, vaguely defined (so the GM can flesh them out more) beings of great power and importance in the setting. Characters can have a positive, conflicted, or negative relationship with one or more Icons. These are meant to be adventure hooks. You roll to see when they might come into play.

Anyway, the group seem to like what they've seen of the system so far and are interested in giving it a go.