Kelly’s Heroes (1970)

By | Published July 23, 2010

Brian G. Hutton’s Kelly’s Heroes is an all-time favourite.kellys_heroes1

Its brilliance comes from an easy combination of seeming incompatible elements. At its core, Kelly’s Heroes is a sort of anti-war heist story that’s executed with same kind of anarchic panache as Altman’s M*A*S*H.

The film’s plot is pretty straightforward.

A platoon of hard-done-by soldiers learn of a secret cache of lightly guarded German gold worth $16 million. Unfortunately the gold is 30 miles behind enemy lines. Determining that’s better to die getting rich than for an uncaring and bureaucratic army, the platoon deserts and makes their play.

Gathering an unlikely group of allies (and always wary of diluting the loot), Kelly and Company have to overcome a whack of obstacles while outrunning the US drive into enemy territory that they accidentally trigger. The climax of the film will make every GM who’s had their boss fight thwarted smile with glee.

The film’s cast includes Clint Eastwood as the hard bitten Kelly and Telly kellys_heroes_ver2Savalas as Big Joe, his cynical platoon leader. Clint and Telly, however, are only as good as the cast they work off of which includes:

Donald Sutherland as a the leader of a proto-hippie tank commune

Don Rickles as a self-serving supply officer

Carroll O’Conner as a vainglorious general

Harry Dean Stanton as a down home country private, which should make fans of David Lynch and Red Dawn alike happy.

The chemistry between Eastwood scowling tough guy and Sutherland’s zany hippie is particularly delightful.

Honestly, if you’re looking for an easy, breezy caper or war film, I suggest giving Kelly’s Heroes a chance. The cast and the soundtrack alone should keep you smiling throughout!

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The Klepto GM

By | Published June 7, 2010

It’s almost easier to ask which forms of outside media don’t inspire my gaming than those that do. I mean, in this blog, I’ve been encouraging people to steal from obscure 70s horror films, comic books, and some of my other favorites.

I’ve even written about my Punk and Prog inspired D&D campaign, which sadly died an ignominious death.RPG-Blog-Carnival-Logo

I think being inspired by outside sources is really a core element of the hobby. Be it the way that Appendix N listed the works that inspired the creation of D&D or licensed games literally wearing their inspiration on their sleeves, I’m hard pressed to find any games out there that don’t draw on a slew of outside sources.

And so should you.

Today, though, I’d like to talk about actually lifting ‘story’ the books, films, TV shows and comics you love. In a nutshell it’s to steal ‘plots’ and not ‘Plot.’

For instance, I heartily endorse lifting Wormtongue’s plot from Lord of the Rings.

It boils down to having a shifty minister poisoning the body and mind of a king who might otherwise be a potential ally of the PCs. From there it should play out however the PCs mangle it. Perhaps they will discover the Minister’s treachery and split him in two. Maybe they will leave the kingdom under the Minister’s subtle control.

For that matter, they may cut a deal with the Minister (and there by found the Wormtongue Dynasty) or seize the throne for themselves.

The important thing is not to force them to follow even roughly in the footsteps of the Plot you gleaned from the Lord of the Rings.

Taking the schemes, traps, and character plots you find strewn in popular culture and using them as hooks in a game is good. Forcing your PCs on a death march up Mount Doom when they’ve come up with their own solution to the ‘ring’ issue is bad.

But hey, your mileage may vary.

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The Black Hole (1979)

By | Published May 17, 2010

Maybe it’s my age, but the Black Hole (1979) was my favourite non-Star Wars sci-fi flick growing up. Maybe it’s because448px-black_hole_ver1 it’s a sci-fi take on the haunted house story sitting somewhere between Event Horizon and The Tempest. Either way, it is still a favourite.

The film has a brooding quality not the least because of its The film’s costume and set design. From the robots draped in plain grey cloth to the way the Cygnus hangs in the darkness like a cross between a cathedral and the Eiffel Tower, the film oozes mood. Overall, the Black Hole has a brooding and downbeat quality that juxtaposes nicely with the slick special effects, cute robots and stirring score.

The Black Hole follows a small group of space explorers as they encounter the Cygnus: a vast and long lost star ship sitting impossibly close to the titular black hole. Aboard the vessel they encounter Hans Reinhardt, the brilliant and megalomaniacal captain of the Cygnus, presiding over a crew of subservient robots (most notably his massive and deadly enforcer Maximilian). Although seemingly happy to see them at first, it doesn’t take long before the crew of the Cygnus realize that Reinhardt is hiding a terrible secret. Needless to say, it doesn’t end happily for everyone.

Adding to the film’s dark design and classic horror plot is a strong cast including Anthony Perkins as the deluded Dr. Alex Durant, Ernest Borgnine as the irascible journalist Harry Booth and uncredited voice work by Roddy McDowall and Slim Pickens as the robots V.I.N.CENT and B.O.B.

If you don’t mind a film that takes its time and haven’t seen the Black Hole (or just haven’t seen it lately) I strongly recommend you give it a look.

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Stuff to Steal From: Smokin’ Aces

By | Published May 3, 2010

Personally, I recommend every GM rip off Smokin’ Aces for a messy good time.

Mr MacGuffin

Mr MacGuffin

Now I’ve chatted about Smokin Aces before, but the stripped down premise goes a little like this:

A talented schlub has a MacGuffin or is a MacGuffin (lets call him, Mr. MacGuffin). Mr. MacGuffin has crossed a lot of powerful people and has squirreled himself away. A bounty is put on Mr. MacGuffin’s head, and a whack of odd-balls, mercenaries, and psychos set out to collect it. Through in a couple of other interested factions and havoc ensues.

And really that’s it. The simplicity of this set-up is it’s big advantage. Personally, I’ve used this in a Convention Game to great effect with Bugsy Siegel as Mr. MacGuffin and the players as a number of small-time super-villains.

In general, the way I’d recommend you set it up is as follows:

Keep 'em Memorable

Keep 'em Memorable

  • The PCs have been hired, harassed or cajoled into hunting after Mr. MacGuffin. They are also probably aware that a number of other, similarly psychotic groups are on the hunt as well.
  • Unlike Smokin’ Aces, I don’t recommend that you tell your PCs group Mr. MacGuffin is right away. Instead, I’d suggest giving them two or three locations or contacts that could lead to Mr. MacGuffin and will serve as set-pieces for interactions with competing groups.
  • Give Mr. MacGuffin some talented bodyguards and an exit strategy from the scenario, if possible.
  • Depending on your group, you may want to consider having some members of your PC group working fordifferent factions that are at odds with each other. For example, a PC’s secret master may want Mr. MacGuffin’s head not to fall into the hands of the PC group’s Patron. I find this particularly effective at Convention Games.
  • Finally, the most vital thing to lift from Smokin’ Aces is its take on Characters.
  • Now I’m not suggesting you lift characters wholesale from the film, although there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m suggesting you make sure your competing characters are broadly painted types that will stick in your players’ minds.
  • So, throw in a bunch of memorable psychopaths (bloodthirsty shark-face mutants), ice-cold professionals (assassins from the black city of Styre) and Johnny Laws (Agent Thirsk and Steel of A.X.E.).
  • Give them each a timeline and a set of locations they’ll be at; and let the fireworks begin.

With a little luck, you’re adventure will end up as glorious a mess as Smokin’ Aces’ shoot-out at the Nomad.

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Smokin’ Aces (2007)

By | Published April 30, 2010

Smokin’ Aces is a mess, but it’s a good mess.smokinaces20

The film is stylishly shot—reminiscent of Tony Scott and Guy Ritchie—filled with solid character actors in quirky roles and it’s chalk full of twists, surprises and impactful action sequences.

On the other hand, the plot is basically ‘It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad, world’ with hitmen, drugs, and sex instead of a whacky race. 9/10ths of Smokin’ Aces is little more than an alibi for the film’s primary clusterfuck. It’s violent, vulgar and overcomplicated, but it’s also a lot of fun.

The film’s premise is that one Buddy ‘Aces’ Israel (played to the hilt by Jermey Piven), a Las Vegas magician turned wannabe mobster, has not only opted to become state’s evidence, but managed to double cross Johnny Law and flee from his protectors as well. Lounging in the penthouse of a Lake Tahoe casino, Israel is praying for a longshot and indulging in a hedonistic bender.

A thing to keep in mind is that Buddy is the film’s Maguffin. And everyone wants Buddy.

The Mob’s placed a bounty on his head, attracting assassins ranging from a mysterious man of a thousand faces, to crazed ultra-violent white supremacists, to a pair of ice cold soul sisters and they’re all out to get Buddy before their peers do.

And then there are the forces of law and order. The FBI provides the film’s nominal protagonists in a pair of agents (played by Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta) who are out to collect Buddy before a bullet takes him. There’s also a group of low-life bounty hunters (featuring Ben Affleck) out to grab Buddy for jumping bail thrown in for good measure.

There’s also a cameo by Jason Bateman for good measure.

Although the FBI agents are kinda, sorta, the heroes of the piece, the film gives almost as much attention to the various and sundry oddballs who’ve been attracted to this big pay day. These characters and their competition to all achieve the same basic goal is the meat of the film. And once all the pieces are put in place, the film throws them into a blender and the audience gets to see the splatter filled aftermath.

It ain’t a deep film, and the ending seemed a little forced (kind of a desperate attempt to justify the caranage, I suppose), but it’s a lot of fun.

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Stuff to Steal From: The Prisoner of Zenda

By | Published April 13, 2010

The Prisoner of Zenda has one of those set-ups that every GM should be quick to cannibalize.

Actually, there are two set-ups that quite gameable.

Coronations Gone Wild

Good? Bad? I'm the PC!

Good? Bad? I'm the PC!

It’s the eve of a new King’s coronation. His brooding, brutal and passed-over sibling would rather eat ashes than see their useless and soft-hearted playboy of a brother sit on the throne. Preferring abdication to outright murder, they plan to kidnap or incapacitate the King and, in the chaos following the King’s absence at his own coronation, seize the throne.

Truthfully, either the loyal supporters of the King or the Jealous Sibling could be solid patrons for any wandering adventurer-type parties. Whether they rescue the king or help the coup, one only need to have an equally capable group supporting the other faction to keep things interesting. For a real curve-ball, have the Sibling be their patron, execute the kidnapping, and then discover that the King’s supporters are happy to have a double crowned in his place, if only temporarily.

This is an easy plot to transplant to nearly any setting. Substitute ‘planet’ for ‘kingdom’ and you’re doing space opera, change it to ‘corporation’ and you’ve got yourself a cyberpunk or contemporary hook. For that matter, turn the king into a Prince and you’ve got yourself a Vampire plot.

Double Trouble

This hook is appropriate for any travelling PC group. In fact, I’m really hoping to run this in my upcoming Rogue

King for a Day? Why not Two?

King for a Day? Why not Two?

Trader game.

The set-up is simple: on their travels the PCs encounter a royal party, including the wastrel of a prince destined to be the king in the first scenario. Just as in Prisoner of Zenda, one of the PCs shares an ancestor with the Prince and is his spitting image. From here you can run the Coronation Gone Wrong scenario, but with the King’s supporters begging the PCs to help with the ruse…and the recovery of the King.

I do have two cautions though.

First, have the kidnapping occur off-stage and away from the PCs. Otherwise you might wind up in a situation where the PCs feel they are being forced to stand by and let the Sibling have their way.

Second, don’t get too attached to the PCs actually rescuing the King. Knowing my players, there’s always a good chance they might try to turn their ruse into a coup of their own…

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The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952)

By | Published April 13, 2010

This is one of those films you’ve seen even if you haven’t. Based on a novel by Anthony Hope, these two flicks are its best known adaptations. If you can handle black and white films and dig a little swash with your buckle, then I’d strongly suggest giving either version a view.

The plot is a variation on the Prince and Pauper. Travelling through the fictional kingdom of Ruritania Rudolf, an English commoner, accidentally crosses paths with its new king on the eve of his coronation. Rudolf discovers that the king is spoiled, drunk and virtually his identical twin. Due to a royal indiscretion, it seems that Rudolf and the king share the same great-great-grandfather and that the ‘Elphberg face’ crops up in Rudolf’s family from time to time.

Delighted at the coincidence, the king insists that Rudolf come to his hunting lodge so that they can celebrate in

Rudolf and Rupert, 1937

Rudolf and Rupert, 1937

appropriate style: with copious amounts of wine. Unfortunately for the king, his half-brother Michael has drugged a bottle of wine in the hopes of seizing power when the king is too ill to attend his own coronation. Fearing the cruelty of Michael’s reign, two of the king’s loyal servants convince Rudolf to impersonate the king and foil Black Duke Michael’s plan.

Needless to say, things don’t go according to plan.

The remainder of the film is chalk full of classic adventure: Rudolf romances the unsuspecting future Queen; matches wits and swords with the viperous mercenary Rupert of Hentzau; and intrigues with Antoinette de Mauban, Michael’s only love and the film’s femme fatale.

Now which version to watch?

The 1952 version stars Stewart Granger as the slightly wooden, but larger than life Rudolf (and as the king, of course). In general, the stunts are bigger, the Technicolor is gorgeous and James Mason positively preens as Rupert of Hentzau. It’s a great film, but it’s a bit stiff.

The 1937 version features Ronald Coleman in starring double role. Overall, I’d say Coleman is a better actor than Granger. What really pushes the ’37 version over the edge though, is the supporting cast: David Niven as the loyal and fun-loving Fritz; Madeleine Carroll as the radiant Princess Flavia; and Douglas Fairbanks Jr as the lovably psychotic Rupert. If you are one of those people who just can’t handle black and white film though, you might want to give this one a pass.

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God Told Me To (Larry Cohen, 1976)

By | Published April 2, 2010

An off-beat, creepy and strange b-film, God Told Me Too is a low-rent supernatural detective film worth checking out.

How can you lose with a Poster like This?

How can you lose with a Poster like This?

On one level, it’s a gritty police procedural set in 70s New York at its ugliest.

On another, it strings together kooky alien astronaut theories, hermaphrodism, and bizarre cult killers into a suspenseful occult thriller.

In other words, it’s a film of stark contrasts in a washed out and dirty grey world.

The main contrast is between Cohen’s protagonist and antagonist. The hard-boiled Peter Nicolas and the barely seen Bernard Phillips.

Tony Lo Bianco plays Peter Nicholas. At first glance, Peter is a stereotypical 70s tough-guy cop. He’s middle-aged, working class and divorced. About the only thing that sets him apart from the usual cop character is his intense Catholic devotion, that is illustrated by his slinking out of his young lover’s bed to go to mass each day.

Richard Lynch plays Bernard Phillips the enigmatic cult messiah who is little more than a rumor for most of the film. Only visible at its climax, Phillips embodies everything that square society finds distasteful about hippies: he is long-haired, slender, almost hermaphroditic. He wanders around the filthy city penniless and barefoot. Moreover, anyone who listens to his subversive message instinctively knows he’s the son of god and obeys his every command.

God Told Me To is in no small way about the clash between these two characters. Told firmly from Peter’s perspective, the narrative shows Peter gazing a little too deeply into the abyss. Without spoiling anything, their conflict is pretty transformative and ultimately results in Peter becoming a character who is as disturbing as Phillips.

In other words, God Told Me To plays on the theme of becoming the thing you are hunting.

Alright, you might be saying, but how does this play out plot-wise?

The film opens with a sniper taking out random targets in downtown Manhattan. Another in a series of seemingly senseless killings in the film that Peter is obsessed with getting to the bottom of. The only obvious connection between the murders is that each spree ends with killer committing suicide after saying, with serene sincerity, ‘God Told Me To.’

Disturbed because of his religious principles–and because he’s just that kind of movie cop–Peter sets out to find the force behind these killings. This propels him into clashing with the golden haloed hippie messiah Phillips and a coterie of wealthy and devoted disciples. As the plot rolls on, Peter witnesses more and more acts of madness by Phillips’ thralls and digs deeper into a mystery involving religion, strange abductions, and, ultimately, his own identity.

By the end of the film, God Told Me To gleefully smashes together religion with science fiction, mind control with faith, and nature with nurture. The film doesn’t pretend to have any answers, but it sure makes a fun mess.

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The Crazies (1973)

By | Published August 12, 2009

Are you sick of zombies yet? I know I am. May I suggest you give George A. Romero’s The Crazies a whirl as a cure for the ‘sick of the walking dead’ blues?

the_crazies_1973_poster_01If Romero’s name alone doesn’t sell you, consider the premise:

An experimental bio-weapon has accidentally been unleashed on an unsuspecting small town. Once exposed, victims either die or become homicidally insane.

The Crazies primarily follows a band of townspeople trying desperately to escape the military quarantine thrown up around the town while trying to maintain their own sanity. You also are treated to the army’s point-of-view as their efforts are hampered by misinformation, bureaucratic ass-covering and a half-hearted initial response to the crisis.

In many respects, The Crazies is perfectly aligned with the themes Romero explores in his better known Dead films.  Things fall apart, the centre does not hold, and the line between suspense, horror and black comedy is blurred, if not outright erased.

This is done pretty explicitly in the film as each character’s response to the situation’s stress and extremity seems to be driving them insane as readily as the virus. As one character observes early on (and I’m paraphrasing) “how can you tell if someone’s sick when the whole situation is insane?”

And it is tough to tell who is virally insane and who is just reacting to the craziesfr04trauma around them: Soldiers begin to loot quarantined homes and generally turn their occupation into a party, townsfolk who’ve had their home turned into a battlefield behave as much like trauma victims as psychopaths, and a ‘Nam vet protagonist quickly slides into enjoying the situations madness a bit too much.

Throw in a biting satire of the irrational and self-serving machinations of army bureaucracy, small town peculiarity and intellectual self-importance, and I think you have a winner.

So yeah, The Crazies is an overlooked classic by Romero and I think it is essential viewing for any fan of his Dead films. While the acting is somewhat amateurish, the budget low and the scenario slightly absurd, the film hangs together brilliantly. Romero’s tight editing and subversive script make The Crazies a joy to watch.

Oh, and finally, it looks like they are remaking Crazies with Timothy Olyphant of Deadwood fame. Wouldn’t you rather be one of the folks who can dismiss the new film by saying ‘I liked the original better?’ So go give The Crazies a shot!

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Ralph Bakshi’s Fire and Ice (1983)

By | Published August 3, 2009
I loved VHS covers like this back in the day...

I loved VHS covers like this back in the day...

Jerry Beck called Fire and Ice a “more graphic episode of Filmation’s He-Man series,” and he was absolutely right. The film brings together the aesthetics of Seventies Sword & Sorcery typified by Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian magazine series with the action-figure oriented kids cartoons of the 80′s.

Dark Wolf and Larn

Dark Wolf and Larn

For a child of the 80′s like myself, it was extremely interesting to see the links between these two fantasy sub-genres made explicit. Perhaps I’m just thick, but it had never dawned on me that He-Man was as much a product of Robert E. Howard as he was the post-Star Wars action figure craze.

Fire and Ice was a collaboration between Ralph Bakshi and long time fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta. Frazetta’s influence is palpable and large chunks of the film seem like Frazetta’s old Conan illustrations come to life. But that isn’t the only set of influences.

Me Influence, You Jane

Me Influence, You Jane

Larn, the film’s protagonist, looks like the illegitimate descendent of Frazetta’s Conan, Adam of Eternia and the Tarzan of Filmation’s 70s series. Similarly, Larn’s companion Darkwolf bears a striking resemblance to the Mighty Mightor (last seen on Harvey Birdman).

Darkwolf's Daddy?

Darkwolf's Daddy?

Visually, Fire and Ice is a treat. And not just because of Teegra. Although odd, the collision of animated fantasy styles is fascinating and inspiring. For fantasy and 80s cartoon afficiandos this alone makes it worth checking out.

That said, I couldn’t recite Fire and Ice’s plot to you if I was forced at gun point. There’s an evil guy with an evil mom. There’s a conflict between scantily dressed free-tribes and glacier dwelling neanderthals. But that’s beside the point.

Teegra...in Trouble Again

Teegra...in Trouble Again

My advice would be to stretch out and let the visuals take you, don’t dwell on the plot, characters or subtext. They will only disappoint.

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