Savage News: Shane Hensley's End of Year Address

Shane Hensley's End of Year Address is essential reading for any Savage Worlds fan, but the most pertinent bit of news for readers of this blog (if there are any) is the announcement of the upcoming SWADE edition of the Science Fiction Companion. Stay tuned for details.

Mike Hodges 1932-2022

Mike Hodges, the director of Flash Gordon (1980), died on 17 December 2022. His contribution represents one of the highest achievements in Flash Gordon's history. May he rest in peace.

• Mike Hodges (IMDb.com)
• Mike Hodges (Wikipedia)

Gordon's Alive!

Today marks the 42nd anniversary of Flash Gordon, the 1980 film with the soundtrack composed and performed by Queen. I'll be watching it tonight.

Flash Gordon Inspiration: Action Figures 1978

In 1978, Mego released a set of four 10-inch action figures and a playset based on the Flash Gordon comic strips. The action figures included Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, Dr. Zarkov, and Ming the Merciless. I was unaware of them until this moment (the date being 28 November 2022 as I write this), so I am including this link to a short video on the subject produced by Mego Museum. More images are available here.

Flash Gordon Inspiration: Action Figures 1979-1980

The airing of the Flash Gordon animated series of 1979-1980 was accompanied by a line of action figures and two compatible vehicles manufactured by Mattel. Series one included Flash Gordon, Ming the Merciless, Prince Thun, and a Lizard Woman; series three included Dr. Hans Zarkov and a Beast Man; and series three included King Vultan and Captain Arak. (Notably absent were Dale Arden, Princess Aura, Prince Barin, and a Robot Soldier.) The vehicles included an inflatable Rocket Ship (with detachable plastic shuttle and weapon) and Ming's Space Shuttle (which was similar to the Rocket Ship's shuttle, but in green). A page from the Sears Wish Book of 1980 (above) was the closest I came to them as a lad, but I fantasized about owning the complete set. Had the animated series continued in the spirit of its first season, perhaps more toys would have been produced, such as Ming's ships, the electric mole, the beasts of Mongo, and the aforementioned missing characters.

The GROGNARD Files Interviews Christian Nommay

The GROGNARD Files podcast continues its exploration of Savage Worlds with special guest Christian Nommay in Episode 55 Pt. 2. Hear ye!

Flash Gordon/Savage Worlds Thought of the Day 2022-09-10

So far, Savage Arts & Sciences has been a blog with two separate personalities: half Flash Gordon and half Savage Worlds. In the future, I would like to merge these halves to a greater degree without sacrificing the blog's usefulness to those who are exclusively interested in one or the other. Can it be done? Only Tao knows, but I'll give it a shot.

I shall continue to post articles of Flash Gordon inspiration, which are free of game-related content, but I am thinking about writing follow-up articles that specifically address how they may be useful to those running or playing The Savage World of Flash Gordon for SWADE.

Meanwhile, today I shall be starting a rewatch of the second season of the Flash Gordon animated series. I have a feeling it will be a lengthier journey than my rewatch of the first season.

The GROGNARD Files Interviews Eric Lamoureux

The GROGNARD Files podcast (a personal favorite) finally dedicates an episode to Savage Worlds with special guest Eric Lamoureux in Episode 55 Pt 1. Listen, learn, and enjoy!

Flash Gordon Inspiration: The Comic Strips 1940-1942 (Dailies)

Flash Gordon: Radium Mines of Electra (Dailies 1940-1942) is the first volume in the collected Flash Gordon daily comic strips by Austin Briggs and Don Moore. The artwork by Briggs is strong, but the stories by Moore are not, and at times they border on self-parody. At one point Flash suffers a blow to the head, after which he becomes cold and cruel, only occasionally remembering his affection for Dale. Eventually, he snaps out of it after receiving another blow to the head, and he resumes a semblance of normalcy, but his encounter with the tempestuous Tigra, Queen of Forestia, results in a radical personality change for him. No longer an upholder of loyalty and chivalry, he transforms into the sort of stereotypical womanizer he would ordinarily chastise or fight. Perhaps the second volume of dailies will reveal that he is under the influence of another drug, spell, or hypnotic ray of Mongo and he will return to his senses, or that this is not the real Flash Gordon at all. Short of such a revelation, I fear that Moore himself might have been under the influence of something, and the dailies will be shown to have "jumped the flying shark" as it were.

Overall, I'm disappointed and a bit saddened by the comic strips in this volume. Flash Gordon's greatest appeal for me is his character: his courage, his ideals, his capacity for forgiveness, his open-mindedness, his ability to find and encourage the goodness in others, and his willingness to sacrifice himself to save others. To replace that with stock machismo and misogyny is a betrayal of the spirit of the Alex Raymond era of Flash Gordon. I will be relieved if he returns to normal in future installments, but I can't help feeling that it is a cheap and unimaginative plot device. If it isn't a plot device, but rather an intentional alteration of his character, then I regard it as a serious misstep (that was thankfully disregarded in the better adaptations). I await the next volume with trepidation.

Savage Worlds Thought of the Day 2022-06-26

As much as I appreciate the alacrity with which Pinnacle is working on the SWADE versions of the Fantasy Companion and the Super Powers Companion, I wish they had prioritized the Science Fiction Companion so I could use it with The Savage World of Flash Gordon (and post about it here). I have ideas for things I'd like to introduce for use with it, but I'm not sure if they've already been done or what the established parameters are rules-wise, and I'm not sure how useful the previous edition would be. I hope it won't be too long before it's released.

Flash Gordon Thought of the Day 2022-06-04

Flash Gordon has appeared in various forms in various media since first appearing in a Sunday newspaper comic strip in 1934, and many of these are fine, but some beg the question, "How dare you call this Flash Gordon?" followed by a slap in the face with a glove. The worst offenders are television bastardizations that bear little resemblance to the original characters and storylines. The 1996 animated series and the widely despised 2007 series are both execrable in their own ways, but the most egregious example might be the 1954 series. "Ah, Flash on television at last!" viewers might have said after his absence from movie screens for more than a decade. Alas, this is not the heroic and compassionate Flash Gordon who united disparate peoples to overthrow a tyrant. This is angry and hard-boiled Flash Gordon who works for the Galaxy Bureau of Investigation, a space G-man you might say, enforcing space laws and bringing space villains to justice. Granted, I have not seen more than a few episodes, and none to their conclusion, but as far as I can tell it has nothing in common with Flash Gordon — in any incarnation — other than the names of a few characters. The characters could have been renamed and the series retitled and no one would have ever connected it with the Flash Gordon legacy. Any television space opera of the period was superior to the 1954 Flash Gordon. Any! The rollercoaster that is the history of "reboots" goes on and on and on. Thank Tao we have the technology to preserve and enjoy the original Flash Gordon and the good reboots.

Flash's Background

When I was very young, all I knew about the background of the fictional character Flash Gordon was that he was a star polo player. I also thought he was supposed to be British, but I'm not sure where I got that idea. As it happens, very little about his background has been provided in any of the media in which he has appeared. For example:

The Newspaper Comic Strips: He was a star polo player and a Yale graduate.

The Movie Serials: He was a pilot and his father was a famous scientist.

The First Animated Series: Nothing I can recall.

The 1980 Movie: He was a quarterback for the New York Jets and had taken some flying lessons.

That's the entirety of his background as far as those sources are concerned. I'm not saying Flash Gordon needs more of a background (he's an action hero, after all), but I find it interesting how little we need to know about his life before Mongo. In terms of role-playing games, perhaps the lesson is that all you need for a character's background is a single sentence. The most compelling part of the character is that which emerges through play.

Lists of Mongo Update: The Dailies

I have begun reading the first of the Flash Gordon daily comic strips, and as I progress, I shall be adding to the Lists of Mongo as new subjects make their first appearance (such as the porcon, the horrosaur, and the cat-horse, all of which first appear in the dailies of May 1940).

Thinking about how I wish to organize the lists with the addition of material from another (albeit parallel) source, I originally planned to keep the Sundays and dailies in two separate lists, but I decided it would be easier for everyone if I integrated them and simply added (D) to those subjects that originated in the dailies. This prevents duplication and enables me to easily check chronology.

Savage News: Fantasy Companion

The updated Fantasy Companion for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition is now being crowdfunded via Pinnacle Entertainment Group's own site. You can pledge through 26 April 2022. Click on the link for details.

Savage Worlds Thought of the Day 2022-03-13

Of all the role-playing systems currently in publication, I think SWADE is probably the best fit for the Barsoom/Mars stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Savage Worlds is perfect for swords & planet pulp adventure, and the Barsoom stories are the epitome of the genre. (Note: I do not call them "John Carter stories" because Burroughs did not make John Carter the central protagonist of every story set on Barsoom.) We may never see an official SWADE version of The Savage World of John Carter or The Savage World of Barsoom or whatever it might have been entitled, but there's nothing to stop us from running our own unofficial versions for our own tables. And I just might do it.

Savage News: Savage Worlds PDFs on Sale

The PDF of the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition is now 30% off list price at DriveThruRPG.com as part of the GM's Day sale. This is the perfect time to buy a copy (especially if you are a player). The sale lasts through 13 March. Click here for details. (It appears most, if not all, Pinnacle Entertainment products are part of this sale including The Savage World of Flash Gordon.)

Flash Gordon Inspiration: The First Animated Series (Season 1)

"Blasting off on a desperate mission to save Earth from the evil plottings of the tyrannical space lord, Ming the Merciless, Dr. Hans Zarkov and Dale Arden have joined me, Flash Gordon, on a fantastic journey into worlds where peril and adventure await us."

In 1979, Flash Gordon returned to life as an animated television series by Filmation starring the voice talents of:

• Robert Ridgely as Flash Gordon, Prince Barin, et al;
• Alan Oppenheimer as Ming the Merciless, Dr. Hans Zarkov, et al;
• Diane Pershing as Dale Arden, Queen Azura, Queen Desira, and Queen Undina;
• Allan Melvin as Thun, King Vultan, et al; and
• Melendy Britt as Princess Aura, Queen Fria, and Liza.

According to a Wikipedia article on the subject,

The original project was produced as a made-for-television feature film. When NBC saw the finished work, it was decided to turn the work into an animated TV series. The change in format resulted in the story being significantly expanded with a subplot of Ming secretly giving military technology to Hitler being dropped, as well as being set in the present day rather than during World War II. When the series was canceled after its 2nd season, the original footage was reassembled with the original soundtrack, including the final role of Ted Cassidy, and aired on primetime in 1982 as a TV movie, Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All.

According to some IMDb trivia,

Dino De Laurentiis became a "ghost" producer on the series when Filmation developed monetary problems completing the animation involving the use of computers to create the spaceship animation, one of the first uses of computers in traditional animation. Since DeLaurentis was seeking the rights for the use of the Flash Gordon property for a live action film, and Filmation held the rights for all filmed media for the Flash Gordon characters, Filmation and DeLaurentis came to a deal. In exchange for the funding to complete the animation on the series, DeLaurentis would get the live action film rights to Flash Gordon while Filmation would retain the rights to animated projects featuring Flash Gordon.

Flash Gordon, the animated series, was first broadcast on American television in 1979 when I was ten years old, and I was instantly a fan. I had watched the movie serials on Matinee at the Bijou, so I was familiar with the format: the continuing story with cliffhanger endings and episode recaps. The animated series simultaneously adapted both the early years of the comic strip and the movie serials whilst adding its own unique spin. To my ten-year-old self, the animated series was, for a time, the crown jewel of the Saturday morning cartoon lineup, and it fired my imagination. Decades later, with unlimited access to the series via the DVD set, I can see that it isn't the monument of near perfection I remembered it being, but I shan't belabor the point. Suffice it to say that if you watch it at weekly intervals, as originally intended, the experience will be more pleasant and the flaws somewhat less apparent.

Despite its flaws, I think Season 1 of the animated series can still provide inspiration for one's Savage World of Flash Gordon game (or any Flash Gordon role-playing endeavor for that matter). The interesting thing about the various iterations of Flash Gordon is that none of them are identical. Each version takes certain liberties and emphasizes different aspects of the original comic strip. Any of them can be mixed or matched to suit your own vision of what Flash Gordon role-playing ought to be.

As for Season 2, well, that's another chapter. Tune in next time...

Random Ray Gun Generator (Roll All Dice)

[The following is a revision of my earlier random ray gun generator incorporating the Roll All Dice method using the standard dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20).]

These tables may be used to generate the focus, range, audibility, beam, color, and type of ray produced by any ray gun or ray attack. Certain colors may be more appropriate for certain types of rays and may be rerolled or designated as desired. For increased randomness, a d3 may be substituted for focus, range, and/or audibility.

Random Ray Gun Generator
(Roll All Dice)

Focus

Roll 1d4

1. Narrow
2. Adjustible
3. Adjustible
4. Wide

Range

Roll 1d6

1. Short
2. Medium
3. Medium
4. Medium
5. Long
6. Long

Audibility

Roll 1d8

1. Low (30 dB)
2. Low (60 dB)
3. Normal (75 dB)
4. Normal (80 dB)
5. Normal (85 dB)
6. Normal (90 dB)
7. High (120 dB)
8. High (140 dB)

Beam

Roll 1d10

1. Arc
2. Bolt
3. Bubble
4. Continuous
5. Flash
6. Flickering
7. Fluctuating
8. Pulsed
9. Ringed
10. Wave

Color

Roll 1d12

1. Red
2. Orange
3. Yellow
4. Green
5. Blue
6. Violet
7. Purple
8. Copper
9. Silver
10. Gold
11. Polychromatic
12. Invisible

Type

Roll 1d20

1. Amnesia ray
2. Blinding ray
3. Death ray
4. Dissolvo ray
5. Destructo ray
6. Devitalization ray
7. Disintegrator ray
8. Electro ray
9. Force ray
10. Freeze ray
11. Heat ray
12. Immobilizing ray
13. Petrification ray
14. Shrink ray
15. Sleep ray
16. Sonic ray
17. Stasis ray
18. Stun ray
19. Telekinetic ray
20. Withering ray

Example:

A roll of 3, 2, 8, 3, 2, 14 yields an Adjustible Focus, Medium Range, High Audibility (140 dB), Bubble Beam, Orange Shrink Ray.

Notes:

• "Low Audibility (30 dB)" is the equivalent noise level of a whisper.
• "Low Audibility (60 dB)" is the equivalent noise level of normal conversation.
• "Normal Audibility (75 dB)" is the equivalent noise level of a vacuum cleaner.
• "Normal Audibility (80 dB)" is the equivalent noise level of an alarm clock.
• "Normal Audibility (85 dB)" is the equivalent noise level of a snow blower.
• "Normal Audibility (90 dB)" is the equivalent noise level of a lawn mower.
• "High Audibility (120 dB)" is the equivalent noise level of a chainsaw.
• "High Audibility (140 dB)" is the equivalent noise level of a gunshot.
• An "Arc Beam" is a zigzag stream of light resembling a lightning stroke.
• A "Bolt Beam" resembles a projectile of light.
• A "Bubble Beam" resembles a concentrated stream of bubbles.
• A "Continuous Beam" is a steady stream of light.
• A "Flash Beam" appears as a flash of light at the ray gun's muzzle.
• A "Flickering Beam" is an unsteady, irregular stream of light.
• A "Fluctuating Beam" is a pulsating or rippling stream of light.
• A "Pulsed Beam" is a rapid fire series of light bursts.
• A "Ringed Beam" consists of a series of individual rings emitted rapidly.
• A "Wave Beam" consists of a wavy stream of light.
• Type effects may be determined by using the nearest equivalent weapon, power, or spell from an existing Savage Worlds publication, devising your own, or awaiting an update once I familarize myself with upcoming SWADE-compatible source books. [Indeed, they may be adapted to any role-playing system.]

Elaborations

Power sources will vary depending on the setting. Some models may use power cells containing 10 or 20 charges each. Other models might be connected to external power packs of 100 or 200 charges each. Ray guns that can be directly recharged generally have a maximum capacity of 30 charges.

Recharging a ray gun, power cell, or power pack with a compatible power source requires 1 hour of recharging time per 10 charges of capacity.

Each shot will drain a ray gun, power cell, or power pack of one or more charges. Ray guns capable of variable settings will drain additional charges at higher settings. Long range ray guns typically drain substantially more charges (double or triple the rate of medium range ray guns).

Forecast for Savage Arts & Sciences 2022

The following is a list of my plans for Savage Arts & Sciences this year in no particular order. It is merely a starting point, not a complete itinerary, for this journey across Savage Worlds (and the Flash Gordon universe).

• Finish rewatching the Flash Gordon animated series.
• Rewatch the Flash Gordon movie from 1980 (and watch it with the Brian Blessed commentary for the first time).
• Run The Savage World of Flash Gordon.
• Buy and read the next volume of Flash Gordon Sunday comic strips.
• Buy and read the first volume of Flash Gordon daily comic strips.
• Run a non-Flash Gordon SWADE game.
• Blog about all of the above.
• Post some useful random tables.