Now, Shall We Begin the Experiment?

I've been thinking about Tokusatsu lately and would really like to do another game in that genre and style. The last one I did was a few years ago and it was specifically a Super Sentai campaign. This time I was thinking more of a Metal Hero Series approach, perhaps a team of Kamen Rider type Superheroes. I haven't done that in decades.

What's that? What the #@%$ am I talking about? Hmm. Maybe I should lay some ground work...

Tokusatsu is a catch-all phrase for Japanese live-action TV shows and films in which a good deal of special effects are used, from fireworks to miniature cities, rubber monster costumes to light-up props and so forth. Kaiju films, Super Sentai, and Metal Hero show are all subtypes of Tokusatsu. 

We all know what Kaiju films and shows are about, giant monsters attacking cities and battling other giant monsters! The word Kaiju translates to Strange Beast. Godzilla, Gamera, and even King Kong are well known Kaiju. I'll address this genre in detail later this month. 

Super Sentai is the genre most familiar to Americans and others in the Western World thanks to Power Rangers. Sentai is a military term that roughly translates to group or task force, be it a small team, squadron of figters, or fleet of ships. As such, Super Sentai shows feature a team of Superheroes usually identified by their color [and maybe a code name or motif]. I've talked about Super Sentai a few times in the past. 

Metal Hero is a lesser known thing outside of Asia; specifically Japan, China, and Korea. Metal Hero maybe teams or solo heroes and are often connected to the military, police, rescue services, or some scientific organization (particularly space agencies). They are identified less by the color of their costumes and more by what they do. Some are Space Cops or Sheriffs hunting down aliens that have come to Earth to cause havoc. Others are normal if very high-tech crimefighters battling evil organizations bent on world domination! Some focus on emergency services and rescuing people from disasters. It is common for there to be three members of the team, with other characters in support roles. 

Kamen Rider or 'Mask Rider' and Ultraman are examples of Tokusatsu but don't really fall into the Super Sentai or Metal Hero categories (though Kamen Rider shares many tropes with Metal Heroes). These two are sometimes referred to a Kaijin or Strange People. I'm a huge fan of Kamen Rider and to a lesser extent Ultraman. I used to watch some of the early Kamen Rider episodes on Spanish language television is the 80s. 

As noted above, I've run Super Sentai games and even one Metal Hero/Kamen Rider campaign (see the next 31 Days / 31 Characters entry) but it has definitely been a while. Since it was on my mind I thought I'd look into what's available in terms of published games for these genres.

Convictor Drive is inspired by Japanese live-action films and television shows such as Kamen Rider, Megabeast Investigator Juspion, and Android Kikaider. 

I was super excited for this game and contributed to the Kickstarter as I am definitely a fan of the genres of Super Sentai and Metal Hero . I've run Japanese Superhero campaigns and one-shots and was excited to see how the Japanese themselves handled the subject in game form. 

I've barely looked at it since I've received it.

Why? Not an easy question to answer...

I did give the book a cursory read through when I first got it and the thing that stood out to me most is that the game has quite a developed setting with a lot of backstory. A lot. Maybe no more or less than any other modern RPG but much more than I expected. I'll be the first to admit that's on me for making assumptions. Being disappointed that the product wasn't exactly what I thought it would be isn't the game's problem, it's mine. It still turned me off. 

LionWing sells the game with the tagline 'A Kamen Rider-inspired TTRPG that features action-packed combat and roleplaying, an original d10 system, and gorgeous anime art!' It is indeed an action-focused Tabletop RPG with a sizable portion of its D10 based rules dedicated to mechanics that support role-playing. It also has nice art. Gorgeous is a bit much. It definitely looks good but I've seen more impressive work, especially in Japanese TRPGs. Also, while the art is nice the layout, graphics, and writing are actually rather dry and a tad bland.

What is doesn't have is the feeling of being Kamen Rider-inspired. I mean...kind of...but I feel like less setting would have made it feel more inspired by the genre that informed it instead of it feeling very specific to itself. Convictor Drive doesn't feel like a Tokusatsu-flavored game the way Starships & Spaceman is a Star Trek-flavored game. Instead, Convictor Drive feels like its very much Convictor Drive flavored. It's atmosphere is too Cyberpunk and not 'Superhero' enough to be Tokusatsu. In fact, I'd say it's closer to late 80s-early 90s Science Fiction Anime like Armored Police Metal Jack and Sonic Soldier Borgman.  

The many faces of Kamen (Mask) Rider

By comparison, take a look at a game like Super Happy Sentai Hour. This is a game that explains the Super Sentai genre in considerable detail and then gives you all the tools, options, and idea suggestions you need to create your own setting.

It isn't as pretty as Convictor Drive, nor as polished, but its raw exuberance and extensive knowledge of the subject matter make it my go-to game for running a Super Sentai game. Seriously, if you are interested in knowing more about Super Sentai and/or running and playing a Sentai game, this book is definitely worth a read. It explains the various elements that make up a Sentai show in a clear and easy to understand way that is also very entertaining.  

There is also a game called Henshin, A Sentai RPG that I haven't gotten the chance to check out at all. Much of the advertising for it seemed oddly pretentious for a game in this genre. Since I'm such a Super Sentai fan I suppose I'll have to read it eventually.

There are likely other games in this sphere and I'll need to do some more research on what they are. I haven't even started on Japan's forays into this mix. I know of a few, including Marginal Heroes (covering general transforming 'Henshin' heroes) and Masquerade Style (a semi-official Kamen Rider RPG).

I tend to prefer games that give me what I need to create my own world as opposed to giving me a ton of info about theirs. If I were buying a licensed IP game like an official Super Rescue Solbrain RPG, then yes please give me everything you can about the world of Solbrain. What I'd rather have though is a Metal Hero RPG so I can make my own Metal Hero milieu.

I'm not writing off Convictor Drive completely but I'm not looking forward to trying to detach the setting from the rules in order to create a more general Tokusatsu vibe. I feel like it would be easier to customize and/or add to Super Happy Sentai Hour than to subtract from Convictor Drive but who knows, I could be wrong. 

Just some thoughts going into the next 31 Days / 31 Characters post...

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Barking Alien

The post title is a reference to the catchphrase of Kamen Rider Build. 

I updated this entry the day after posting it as I felt it gave the reader neither enough context nor my complete thoughts on the subject. Let me know if it all makes sense to you. Thanks.

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet Train

By the mid-to-late 1980s Superheroes were all over Japan, even if the Japanese still didn't call them Superheroes. 

Henshin Heroes, Cyborgs, Aliens, and all many of Supernatural types roamed the Japanese airwaves; from television to movie theaters, from comics to video games. Many had colorful outfits. Most had amazing powers or else high tech or magical weapons and vehicles. Few however received the coveted title of Superhero. 

The real reason for this is that the name was linked, in the mindset of both Japanese Creatives and Fans, with American Comics. Rarely was a Japanese Hero seen in the same light as Superman or Batman because, simply put, Superman and Batman are from the United States.

For those familiar with Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, do you consider them Anime? They weren't made in Japan and so they technically don't qualify as Anime even though they share many of the same qualities as Japanese animated TV shows. 

At the same time, Japan couldn't resist the lure of the American Superhero for long...

Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I personally recall a number of interviews with Japanese creators, in both Japanese and American Pop Culture magazines, mentioning the influence of Western comics and comic book characters on their writing and art. Notable among them was Dragonball creator Akira Toriyama who noted that the idea for Dragonball Z came largely from combining his two favorite works of fiction: the famous 16th Century Chinese novel 'Journey to the West' and DC's Superman comics. Kia Asamiya, whose real name is Michitaka Kikuchi, is the creator of Silent Moebius, Martian Successor Nadesico, and Steam Detectives. He is a self-proclaimed Batman fanatic and is the owner of a number of props from the first Tim Burton Batman film. 

The 1986 Sci-Fi Action-Comedy Anime 'Project A-Ko' features a 16 year old, female heroine attending high school with a rich, technological genius who builds powered armor and giant robots as well as a friendly, though immature girl who turns out to an alien princess. A-Ko herself possess Super Strength, Superspeed, Superhuman Jumping Ability, and some degree of Super Durability if not Invulnerability. It is hinted at the end of the first film that she may be the daughter of two very well known parents...

On first watch I assumed this was Clark Kent and Lois Lane

but another shot I couldn't find shows the woman wearing wrist

bracelets similar to none other than Princess Diana!

A-Ko is the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman!

I also recall an ongoing Light Novel story that appeared in Hobby Japan magazine around this time. I might be wrong about the magazine but I clearly remember the story as explained to me by a Japanese friend: In the USA a boy attends a high school for Superheroes but his 'power' is that he's really smart and builds a suit of armor like Iron Man. Unfortunately, most American Superheroes in the setting have powers and the school can only teach him so much. Luckily - it seems - he gets a scholarship to attend a prestigious Superhero school in Japan where most heroes are technology based. 

Unfortunately he is ridiculed by many of his Japanese classmates as he 'only made Powered Armor', which they view as nothing special. Also, he doesn't really speak Japanese. Thankfully he makes friends with a few other misfit students and changes his armor into a sort of Power Suit / Mecha combo. While testing the Mech Armor out he accidentally stumbles into a real crime scene! He ends up saving the day and is swarmed by Japanese reporters who want to know more about him. He tries to answer but as soon as he speaks English that label him a hero from America and the papers end up calling him, 'The Great Gaijin'!

The Great Gaijin was a favorite of mine and also a completely obscure and overlooked entry in the American/Japanese Superhero crossover genre (I can't even find references to it on the internet). However, I bring it up because long before the present day Superhero Anime and Manga, long before the MCU broke the Japanese box office, here was an Iron Man type hero, from America, going to a High School for Supers. 

Which brings us to...

Today, the influence of American Superheroes on the Japanese Pop Culture market is no longer underground, hidden as Easter Eggs, or subtle for that matter. A public love for many American Superhero movies, animated series such as Paul Dini and Bruce Timm's Batman, and of course video games like Marvel vs. Capcom is evident in some of the most popular Anime and Manga titles out there. 

My Hero Academia, One Punch Man, and Tiger and Bunny are all series that focus on American style Supers, though each has a very Japanese take on the Western costumed crimefighter. As with other Anime and Manga that tweak, twist, or turn genres on their ears, these titles excel for much the same reasons; Superhero stories true to the topic but with their own unique identities and a point of view we in the US might not immediately think about. 

Now the question is, "How do Japanese Game Designers and Fans translate this clear love of Superheroes - American or Japanese - into their Tabletop RPGs? Do they even do this?"

The answer is of course yes but the forms these games take can be as different from what we're used to as their series are from our comic books. 

See you soon - same Chojin-time, same Chojin channel!

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Truth, Justice, and The Japanese Way

Superheroes.

The very word conjures up images of powerful, colorfully costumed individuals with masks and capes, soaring above a metropolis teeming with crime. Our champion of truth and justice is out to do battle against similarly cowled and cloaked villains out to cause mayhem and take advantage of the innocent. 

So...wait...Are these Superheroes?

What about these guys?

Surely these are Superheroes! Right?

Yes, according to the Japanese, these are all Superheroes and yet rarely if ever are they called that. 

The thing is, the Japanese have a slightly different view of what qualifies as a Superhero and it's not necessarily just that they are 'Chōjin' - literally a Super Natured/Powered Person. In fact, the term Superhero is often reserved for American-style Comic Book characters, although more and more of those are popping up in Manga, Anime, and Japanese Pop Culture entertainment all the time. The basic concepts of the Japanese 'Chojin Hiro' and the American Superhero aren't all that different and yet like Japanese Horror, their physics defying champions have a distinct flavor all their own. 

The first Superhero of Japan was very possibly the first Superhero in the history of the world. Ōgon Bat or 'The Golden Bat', was created in 1931 - predating both Superman (1938) and Batman (1939) - by a 16-year old Japanese lad named Takeo Nagamatsu and 25 year old Suzuki Ichiro. 

The name came from the Golden Bat Cigarette company, while the elements that originally inspired the character's design and story came from paintings of Japanese mythological characters and some of the Western fiction available after the First World War. The creators decided to portray the character as Scientific in origin rather than Supernatural, another first for a Japanese fictional hero. 

Originally created for kamishibai (paper theater), a form of traveling show that would display sequential illustrations while a narrator told a story, the two young men would go around telling tales of Ōgon Bat, periodically showing pictures of him in action. After World War II, with the decline of Kamishibai as a form of entertainment, Ōgon Bat transitioned to Manga (done by none other than Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy/Tetsuwan Atom) and eventually a live action film and one of the earliest Anime.

Speaking of Osamu Tezuka, we can thank him for one of the most internationally well known Japanese characters of all time, Tetsuwan Atom, better known in the US as Astro Boy. First appearing in Manga form in 1952, The Mighty Atom's story was viewed as a Science Fiction tale and he was not really seen as a Superhero by Japanese fans. Other characters created by Tezuka, including his very popular Princess Knight heroine, were likewise not seen in the same category as Superman or fictional entities commonly thought of Superheroes. 

Manga writer and artist Shotaro Ishinomori released one of the first Manga series specifically aimed at something like the Superhero genre, creating a Superhero Team in point of fact. Still essentially viewed as a Science Fiction story with Espionage components, Ishinomori's Cyborg 009 shows signs of things to come, clear to anyone familiar with early American Superheroes such as Wally Wood's THUNDER Agents or the original X-Men.

Cyborg 009 tells us about a team of nine individuals, kidnapped and transformed into superpowered cyborgs against their will by the Black Ghost organization. The group escapes to use their abilities to stop Black Ghost's plan for world domination. Costumes? Basically. Check. Superpowers? Check. Multi-national, multi-ethnic team? Check and check. Curiously, while early Western Super-Teams mostly consisted of White Males, Ishinomori depicts a team including an African Member and a Native American member in 1964. Thought the initial designs of these characters were a bit stereotypical, they were full and effective members of the group and their looks have been improved over the decades.

In 1966, Tsuburaya Productions aired the first Tokusatsu TV series featuring a heroic character battling evil space monsters; the now world famous Ultraman! Tokusatsu refers to any live action series featuring fantastic or science fiction-related elements and involving elaborate costumes and special effects. Prior to Ultraman, many of these were Kaiju/Giant Monster related and before that they dealt with Mythology or Sci-Fi related stories. Now those aspects were being directed towards telling a story about a alien being who has come to Earth to protect Humanity against more villainous aliens. The first Kyodai Hīro - Giant Hero - is born!

The next live action Superhero to take Japan by storm was the Toei Company's 1971, motorcycle-riding, insect themed, kaijin (Strange or Monstrous Person) known as Kamen (Mask) Rider! Kamen Rider was the Batman to Ultraman's Superman, a darker (though still kid friendly) avenger doing battle with the Sacred Hegemony Of The Cycle Kindred Evolutionary Realm or S.H.O.C.K.E.R.. In case you haven't noticed, there is a common theme emerging. Unlike American-Style Super Villains, Japanese baddies almost always serve at some level of a larger HYDRA or COBRA like organization. Their origins, goals, and methods may differ but the tendency is to go less Dr. Doom and The Joker and more James Bond's SPECTRE. 

This sort of 'Secret Agents with Superpowers' or with super equipment (sometimes both) would take off in Anime and Manga form from 1972 to 1975, with the Tatsuunoko Production company leading the charge. The famous Tokyo based Animation studio and producer, responsible to one of the earliest of these heroes 'Mach GoGoGo' (aka 'Speed Racer') would develop solo and team heroes such as Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets / G-Force in the US), Casshan, and Hurricane Polymer. 

The Western entertainment influences on Japanese culture were becoming increasingly more evident if not yet prominent by the mid-70s. American Comic Books made it to Japan by way of G.I.s and their families. Hollywood films and TV show were coming over with more regularity. As with all such things however, the Japanese are quick to adopt, adapt, and then make it their own.

In 1975, the first Super Sentai series, Himitsu Sentai Gorenger (Secret Squad Goranger) would debut, changing the face of Japanese Supers forever. Here, when the villainous Black Cross Army emerges and virtually wipes out the Earth Guard League EAGLE, the five remaining agents are summoned by the surviving EAGLE Leader to save the world from the terror of The Black Cross Fuhrer and his forces.

Gorenger ran from 1975 to 1977 and was such a success it spawned a second series, then a third, and on and on to this very day. Unlike the American adaption 'Power Rangers', each of the Japanese shows are a self-contained story and universe, crossing over only for special occasions (TV Specials, Anniversary episodes, and the like). Interestingly, the third series, Battle Fever J, was a Toei Company / Marvel Comics co-production and yet not the first time Marvel had inspired a Japanese Tokusatsu show. In 1978 Japan saw a live-action Spider-Man show featuring a very different webslinger and of course his giant robot, Leopardon! 

It should be noted that all of these characters - Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Sentai - fall into a Superhero sub-category that is extremely popular in Japan: The Henshin Hero! Henshin means to change or transform and Henshin Heroes are known for transforming from normal (or seemingly normal) Humans into superhuman ones.

While not unknown in the US and beyond - the Hulk and Captain Marvel/SHAZAM! qualify as henshin characters - in Japan the tropes is very popular and can go further than their Western counterparts. For example, many versions of Kamen Rider have him as a normal person with a tiny implant that enables him to go from Human to full-on Cyborg. I vaguely remember a character, a little boy, who uses a special device and becomes a robot with the boy's mind. 

As time progressed forward and exposure to more American products grew, the opposite was also true. The appearances of Japanese Anime and Manga sent abroad and translated meant the lines of inspiration were beginning to blur and a new generation of Japanese creators were influenced by the Western depiction of the Superhero in different way. Likewise American artists and writers were seeing Japanese Animation and Comic Books and a cross pollination of epic proportions slowly but surely began taking place. 

In 1983 the Japanese Manga and Animation studios Kadokawa and Madhouse teams up to produce an animated film based on the 1967 Manga series 'Genma Wars' by science fiction writer Kazumasa Hirai and manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori.- yes, the same Ishinomori who gave us Cyborg 009. The character designs for the film version were done by Katsuhiro Otomo, the writer and artist of the groundbreaking 1982 series and 1988 film Akira. The film was entitled, 'Genma Wars: Harmagedon'. 

While the Manga and film were once again placed in the Science Fiction genre, it is impossible not to see the influence of American comics on movie version, particularly Giant Sized X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. Thanks to Otomo, the look of the characters changed; they are less cartoonish in overall design to coincide with the modern aesthetic of the time and the dark nature of the story. The global threat is pointed out by showcasing the international origins of the various Psychic/Psionic defenders of the Earth. It's not that this wasn't done in the Manga but the Manga focused more on the main hero, Jo Azuma, and he was Japanese. 

A domino effect had begun at this point, with Japanese artists and writers wanting to integrate more elements from outside of Japan, while America, England, and other nations were finally realizing the scope of the Japanese Anime and Manga empire and its fresh creativity and lucrative opportunities. 

Fast forward a bit and the Superhero would leap across the ocean in a single bound to have game-changing impact of Japanese/American fandom relations...

準備をしなさい True Believers!

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay Challenge 2018 - Day 16

This one made me laugh...

Sure.

You want that from newest idea to oldest, alphabetical order, most developed to least, or how likely they are to get to the table based on compatibility percentages with each group?

Seriously, this is the Barking Alien blog kids. Anyone whose been around here before this post knows I'm usually working on at least half a dozen new campaign ideas at any given time. Most of these concepts never get beyond the initial 'hey, you know what would be cool' stage. A select few get nearly the attention of games I manage to run before they are shelved for one reason or another. Developing a Role Playing Game campaign is, for me, very much like pitching a motion picture in Hollywood, complete with concept art that's never used and going over budget on props. 

All kidding aside, the games I plan to run next are...

The Orville

I would really love to give the Orville another chance. I don't feel like my initial attempt truly captured the feel of the series and it certainly wasn't as challenging for the PCs as it could have been. Against my own better judgement, I tried to make it 'Star Trek Lite' instead of serious Space Adventure with more quirky characters. I missed the mark big time and want very much to make another go at it. 

I would use Modiphius Entertainment's Star Trek Adventures system as I like it a lot and of course it designed (or at the very least adapted) to emulate just such a setting. I want to more fully flesh out the Orville universe elements and to do that I may have to wait until after Season 2 of the series has gotten underway. 

Maybe my new campaign for 2019? We'll see.

Bitichin'.

Pioneer

A little secret side project I've been toying with for some time is a Wild West RPG based on the rules of classic Traveller. Right now it lives in a dusty corner of my computer under the title 'Pioneer'.

The idea first came to me about a year ago (maybe two) when I was trying to think of a system for running my very specific take on Westerns. I wanted something that had an air of realism about it but would still enable me to tell the kind of American Folklore, Wild West Ghost Story tales I used in my first and really only Western campaign up to this point. 

The project is currently a bit unfocused. I know what I want for the most part but I am not sure how to present it or where I am going with it. Yet. It is very much a work in progress, though progress does continue. 

Can I / Will I / Should I finish Pioneer in time to make it my next campaign? I haven't yet decided...

and getting honorable mention...

Sentai / Giant Robots

I have been powerfully inspired by Voltron, The Legendary Defender and haven't run a Giant Robot campaign in a very long time. I'd really love to do a game inspired by the Netflix animated series combined with more Sentai elements such as more individualized abilities and gear for the PCs and more Kaiju-of-the-Week enemies.

Maybe. I kind of like how they held off throwing a 'robeast' at the Voltron team episode after episode, making the appearances of said monstrosities extra-special. 

Shelved in my mental archives for later.

Well, that's where I'm at.

Where are you?

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Barking Alien

Thorough Thursdays: SUPER SENTAI

Prior to this post, I have tagged exactly one entry on my blog with the label Sentai.

Sentai, now officially 'Super Sentai' since 2000 and the fancy new logo, is the name given to the long-running (40+ years now!) Japanese superhero team genre. The word Sentai directly translates to 'fighting team'. This series of shows is identified as live-action, produced by Toei Co., Ltd., and Bandai, although the term Sentai is sometimes used to describe similar series of Anime/Manga, and shows by these, and other companies.

While I am certain I have brought up the subject of Sentai elsewhere, perhaps only in passing, I do not appear to have ever made a dedicated post on the subject.

That's just wrong.

The Super Sentai Series

2016, 40th Anniversay Logo

For those unfamiliar with the shows, they are of the tokusatsu genre, featuring live action characters in color-coded costumes, performing exaggerated martial arts, or other acrobatic combat moves. The shows uniformly feature a giant robot, super-science, or magical powers and showy, but simple special effects (bright flashes of light, colored smoke, etc.). The programs are (generally) aimed at children, or younger audiences.

The Super Sentai Series is one of the most prominent tokusatsu productions in Japan, alongside the Ultra Series and the Kamen Rider Series. Currently the shows air along with the other similar programs in the Super Hero Time programming block on Sundays. Outside Japan, the Super Sentai Series is best known as the source material for the Power Rangers franchise. Note that while not a live action program, Gatchaman, which aired in the United States and elsewhere as G-Force, or Battle of the Planets, is also considered a Sentai show, possessing many of the same qualities, and tropes.

I've been a fan of Sentai for many years, having accidentally discovered it in the early days of cable TV. My father lived on a mountain in Northern New York State, where one neighbor higher up on the mountain had a satellite dish, and one below him had a another set up (I don't recall what it was). Located in the middle, my Dad's house sometimes caught foreign TV programs. 

When visiting him on weekends, I would occasionally catch episodes of Kamen Rider (Masked Rider), Ultraman (Japan's giant sized, Kaiju fighting Superman), and more specifically Changeman (Dengeki Sentai Changeman). 

Dengeki Sentai Changeman!

Some years later I would work for the various comic book/toy/fandom product stores that carried Sentai action figures, robots, and art books, reigniting my interest in the genre. 

The typical Sentai, or Super Sentai, series revolves around five young adults who are granted special abilities and weaponry by some outside force for use in battling an evil entity, or organization. 

The members of the Sentai team may be from different walks of life, or they may have been trained by the military specifically for the purpose of being a Sentai team. They are each given a device that transforms them from normal people into Super Sentai Superheroes, complete with cool, color coordinated costumes, and magical, or high-tech gear.

Each color represents something different, and governs the characters role on the team, and even their personality to some extent. For example, the team leader is always the Red member, and whatever else they may do they are strong-willed, morally good, and great at motivating their friends to battle evil. Blue is typically a scientist, or scientifically minded, etc.

Usually each member has a unique weapon, or device such as a sword, a shield, a lasso, a spear, or some other item of power. Other times, every member will carry the same array of armament, like everyone having a laser pistol, but are given some special feature to make it theirs. 

Another common element is each member having a unique vehicle, which may transform into another shape. Following the third Sentai series, the group can summon a Giant Robot, or combine their vehicles to form one.

The villains of the Sentai genre are typically an alien empire invading Earth, a secret, underground organization such as Hydra, or G.I. JOE's Cobra, or a hidden civilization trying to conquer the world. My favorite bit is that there is usually a main leader, a set of lieutenants - each with their own special abilities, personalities, and agenda's, and a horde of faceless goons. A common weapon/tactic of the enemy is to create some kind of monster to cause trouble, then enlarge it to Kaiju size requiring the Sentai team to battle it with their mecha. 

Around 1990 two good friends of mine introduced me to friends of theirs who lived in New Jersey, and who were involved in a Sentai RPG campaign. It was there that I met the members of my oft mentioned New Jersey Group.

The campaign itself was...well...let's just say it's one of the few RPG campaigns I've ever encountered that required one of those PTSD Support Groups afterwards for the players to deal with their experience. I never played it myself, but after watching an entire session I went to go sit alone in a dark room, contemplating the thought that perhaps this whole RPG thing had been a waste of my time and I should consider taking up stamp collecting as an alternative hobby.*

*Shudder*

While I have run a few Sentai one shots here and there, and I did run a short Tokusatsu** campaign, I've never gotten the chance to run a full on Sentai game.

I recently learned of a RPG produced by Stupid Dice Studios called Super Happy Sentai Hour. My friend Leo alerted me to it when he discovered there was a Kickstarter for a new improved version. 

This got me thinking...

I will be meeting up with the old NJ crew again sometime this summer in celebration of our long friendships and the memory of our friend Allen, who passed away this past March. I have been asked to run a one-shot game for the event, and I can think of no better subject than Sentai, returning to the genre that introduced us to each other over twenty-five years ago.

Lime-Green Wombat***, this one's for you. 

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Barking Alien

*This actually happened. My friend Martin found me downstairs in the house we were in sitting alone in the dark. When he asked if I was OK I replied, "Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe RPGs...aren't a good thing. Maybe...hmmm...stamp collecting seems appealing." He proceeded to run over to me, lift me up by my shoulders and shake me saying, "Snap out of it man! It's going to be OK!"

**Tokusatsu is a general term for Japanese live action programs, or movies with lots of special effects. Sentai is it's own entity, as are Giant Monster/Kaiju features, so when I refer to Tokusatsu I am generally talking about non-Sentai Japanese superheroes such as Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Kikaider. 

***Allen was not in the original Sentai game but there was a running gag that he would join as an additional member of the team called...The Lime-Green Wombat! He owned a t-shirt so shockingly bright green that it hurt to look directly at it. 

The Legendary Defender

Can you believe it's February already? This year is already going fast.

Anyhow, let's get down to business...

Have you seen the new Dreamworks reboot of Voltron on Netflix?

Why the hell not?!?

It's pretty awesome!

For those unfamiliar with Voltron, it was originally a Japanese animated series entitled King of the Beasts GoLion. The series was adapted for American television with a story written by Peter Keefe and John Teichmann, founding partners of a company called World Events Productions in 1984. 

There are a great many folks in the 30-50 year old range who have a deep affection for this show. As with many Japanese animated programs brought to the U.S., and altered during the 80s, I never developed a taste for it. The problem being that I was already exposed to the original Japanese version, and therefore found the American version more like a knock-off.

This feeling got even more pronounced when the later versions of Voltron were introduced. The further incarnations were based on Armored Fleet Dairugger 15 (Voltron II in America), and GodMars (If I remember correctly - used as a tv movie/special) which unlike GoLion were shows I was more interested in.

All in all, I never became a fan of the American phenomenon of Voltron.

In spite of this (or perhaps because of it), I found myself really intrigued by the rebooted version entitled, Voltron, The Legendary Defender. 

The Paladins of Voltron!

Left to Right:

Keith (Red), Lance (Blue), Shiro (Black), Pidge (Green), and Hunk (Yellow)!

Although ostensibly a reboot, I viewed it as an original program. The original was an adaption of an already existing Japanese product, where as this Voltron was actually built from the ground up to be Voltron!

I've now watched both seasons, and I have to say I really like it. It isn't perfect, it has its flaws, but overall I find it a ton of fun. It also provides some excellent inspiration, and insight into how to effectively run a super-heroic, giant robot anime style RPG campaign.

I will get to my RPG related ideas in a follow up post, but first I want to do a general overview/review of the series (or at least how I see it).

PALADINS BEWARE!

Sensors are detecting SPOILERS!

SPOILERS are Imminent!

The Good

The designs, animation, script, story, and pretty much everything that goes into the show is top quality. It is all very well done.

I am particularly impressed by the visual design of the 'Castle', the team's starship headquarters. I also really like the look of Voltron in fully combined, robot mode.

The aliens they encounter are very neat, looking reminiscent of the alien species from another favorite animated series of mine, Oban Star Racers. Going hand-in-hand with the nice look of the aliens in the series is the impressive setting artwork. The artwork done for the planetary environments is really cool indeed..

I like all the characters, each having a distinct personality, a specialty, a unique weapon, and an interesting background/subplot. Well...almost all of them have that. I'll discuss that a bit in the next section.

I also like that each pilot's robot Lion has unique powers, and special weaponry all their own. The connections between the Lions and the elements they're linked with are handled much better than they were in the original series. There are some distinctly mystical, and emotional relationships between the Paladins, their Lions, and the psychic/mystic forces the Lion draw their powers from. 

An excellent balance is achieved between the science-fiction, and mystical components of the setting and story. The result is a Space Opera setting that is one part classic super-robot show, and one part modern character driven action/comedy.

The Bad

The only real weakness of the show is that when it fails to do what it is good at, it shows.

For example, whereas Shiro, Keith, and Pidge have intriguing backstories, motivations, and goals, Lance, and Hunk are mainly comedy relief. This wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that it makes Lance and Hunk seem like especially weak characters by comparison. The two are considerably less interesting then their fellow Paladins at best, annoying distractions at worst.

Hunk suffers the worst because his comedic elements don't work as well as Lance's do. In addition, he is routinely depicted as cowardly, with a weak will, and constitution. Why is he even there? I like some of Hunk's dialogue, and feel the voice actor does a decent job. He, and the character, deserve better material, and more to do.

The Lions are shown to have cool unique abilities, but the enemy mecha are sort of hit, and miss. In the two seasons they've shown I can only recall them fighting the enemy robot-kaiju (Robeasts as they are referred to eventually) a couple of times. I can only clearly remember two of them. One appears in the first season, and returns in the second. The other is in the season two finale 'final boss'.

The Ugly

This is may sound a bit weird, but I am not sure how I feel about the character of Coran. 

Coran is the advisor to Princess Allura, an Altean male, and an experienced space traveller, and possibly soldier. I say possibly because although it's clear that he served the Altean Royal Family, I am not entirely certain in what capacity he did so. 

He is depicted as knowledgeable and compassionate, but also foppish, goofy, and absent-minded on various occasions. The character is more often than not far too comical to be taken seriously, especially during critical events. 

The show tries very hard to be an exciting action-adventure, but also still very funny. For the most part it succeeds, but there are many points in which they overdo the comedy and this is particularly true in scenes with Coran. He is so over-the-top, he shakes the suspension of disbelief. His humorous moments sometimes seem less humorous because they are so overdone, and more like a failure on the part of the episode's writer, director, or story editor to comprehend the proper use of the character as described. 

That's enough for now. I will follow this up with a post focusing more on what gamers - specifically Anime Mecha and Science Fiction/Space Opera gamers - can learn from the series.

Stay tuned,

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