Checking on my numbers for my October Movie Challenges.
2014
39 Total Watched, 26 New
2013
35 Total Watched, 30 New
2012
33 Total Watched, 24 New
2011
31 Total Watched, 24 New.
Not too bad really.
Got in some horror-related gaming in too. No new releases; Eldritch Witchery came out in 2013 and The Witch in 2012. But still a fun month.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Friday, October 31, 2014
October Movie Challenge: Mad Scientist Marathon
I have a mini marathon of movies I have watched in the last few hours. All dealing with Vampires and Mad Scientists (give or take)
The Vampire Bat (1933)
This one turns some of the vampire tropes into plot fodder and features a mad scientist that needs human blood to keep his new creation alive. An older flick but fun. It features the ever impressive Faye Wray and Dwight Frye. Frye of course played one of the first ever Renfields in 1931's Dracula. I am struck by how good his range was and his performances reminds me of Andy Serkis.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
This of course features a song about Faye Wray and a mad scientist. No real vampire, but they do come from Transylvania. I have seen this one hundreds of times of course, but I still enjoy it. It is though no where near as fun on TV as it is in the theaters.
I have to admit I have always wanted to write a Buffy RPG adventure based on this. Have players play the original cast. Great for an adult themed Con game I am sure. Gotta get worked down to 4 hours.
Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (2009)
Man. I have no idea where to start with this one. Dracula and Frankenstein's monster battle it out. IF they were both super cute Japanese school girls. There is so much blood and gore in this movie. but it is comical and beyond over the top. Plus stereotypes of all sorts of Japanese cultural fads. It's insane. The big battle on top of Tokyo Tower is the climax of the movie.
The interesting bit is the mad scientist (who is related to Frankenstein) uses vampire blood to animate the corpses.
Might get to more tonight.
--
Tally so far: 39 Total Watched / 26 New
What do you find scary?
October Horror Movie Challenge hosted by Krell Laboratories.
The Vampire Bat (1933)
This one turns some of the vampire tropes into plot fodder and features a mad scientist that needs human blood to keep his new creation alive. An older flick but fun. It features the ever impressive Faye Wray and Dwight Frye. Frye of course played one of the first ever Renfields in 1931's Dracula. I am struck by how good his range was and his performances reminds me of Andy Serkis.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
This of course features a song about Faye Wray and a mad scientist. No real vampire, but they do come from Transylvania. I have seen this one hundreds of times of course, but I still enjoy it. It is though no where near as fun on TV as it is in the theaters.
I have to admit I have always wanted to write a Buffy RPG adventure based on this. Have players play the original cast. Great for an adult themed Con game I am sure. Gotta get worked down to 4 hours.
Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (2009)
Man. I have no idea where to start with this one. Dracula and Frankenstein's monster battle it out. IF they were both super cute Japanese school girls. There is so much blood and gore in this movie. but it is comical and beyond over the top. Plus stereotypes of all sorts of Japanese cultural fads. It's insane. The big battle on top of Tokyo Tower is the climax of the movie.
The interesting bit is the mad scientist (who is related to Frankenstein) uses vampire blood to animate the corpses.
Might get to more tonight.
--
Tally so far: 39 Total Watched / 26 New
What do you find scary?
October Horror Movie Challenge hosted by Krell Laboratories.
Skylla: The Complete B/X Adventurer
Been a while since my last Skylla post. Longer than I care to admit really.
But something popped up in my feed in my feed today to make me want to get this particular post done. Plus it is great for a Halloween post.
+Jonathan Becker over at B/X Blackrazor has been talking about witches, and his The Complete B/X Adventurer witch in particular. What I like about his witch class is that while it is compatible with Basic Era D&D, it is also very different than my own witch from The Witch. I have always wondered how well they interacted with each other and how his played.
If you like you can compare this version with my Eldritch Witchery version and +Joseph Bloch's Adventures Dark & Deep version.
Skylla, 7th Level Witch, "Initiate"
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 14*
Wisdom: 13*
Charisma: 12
Hit Points: 20 (d4)
Alignment: Chaotic
AC: 4 (Ring of Protection +1)
Special Abilities
1st: Book of Shadows, bind wounds (heal 1d4)
6th: Brew Potions
Spells
Maximum Spell Level: 3rd
Number of Spells know: 14
1st Level (4): Charm Person, Detect Magic, Hex, Ugliness,
2nd Level (6): Cause Fear, Disguise, Eldritch Flame, Familiar Spirit, Hold Person, Levitate
3rd Level (4): Bestow Curse, Hoodoo, Object Read, Wizard Lock
Additional Scribed
4th Level (2): Dispel Magic, Scrying
This witch has a lot of interesting features and a lot of spell potential. Not only will she end up with a lot of spells, her spells go up to 10th level!
I think I would have liked to see some more special abilities/powers to seperate her more from the Wizard, but this is a really cool class.
Playing with this Witch and my Witch
There is no reason why both witches can't exist in the same game. After all Jonathan and I both used B/X-style D&D as our starting points. So these two witches have a lot in common from the word go. While their styles of magic differ I think their overall power remains the same over the 36 levels.
I think a good test will be to take my current iconic Queen of Witches (level 36) and see how she looks under both classes.
I say take both classes, pick one you like the best. Call that one "witch" and the other one "warlock" and you are good to go.
But something popped up in my feed in my feed today to make me want to get this particular post done. Plus it is great for a Halloween post.
+Jonathan Becker over at B/X Blackrazor has been talking about witches, and his The Complete B/X Adventurer witch in particular. What I like about his witch class is that while it is compatible with Basic Era D&D, it is also very different than my own witch from The Witch. I have always wondered how well they interacted with each other and how his played.
If you like you can compare this version with my Eldritch Witchery version and +Joseph Bloch's Adventures Dark & Deep version.
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 14*
Wisdom: 13*
Charisma: 12
Hit Points: 20 (d4)
Alignment: Chaotic
AC: 4 (Ring of Protection +1)
Special Abilities
1st: Book of Shadows, bind wounds (heal 1d4)
6th: Brew Potions
Spells
Maximum Spell Level: 3rd
Number of Spells know: 14
1st Level (4): Charm Person, Detect Magic, Hex, Ugliness,
2nd Level (6): Cause Fear, Disguise, Eldritch Flame, Familiar Spirit, Hold Person, Levitate
3rd Level (4): Bestow Curse, Hoodoo, Object Read, Wizard Lock
Additional Scribed
4th Level (2): Dispel Magic, Scrying
This witch has a lot of interesting features and a lot of spell potential. Not only will she end up with a lot of spells, her spells go up to 10th level!
I think I would have liked to see some more special abilities/powers to seperate her more from the Wizard, but this is a really cool class.
Playing with this Witch and my Witch
There is no reason why both witches can't exist in the same game. After all Jonathan and I both used B/X-style D&D as our starting points. So these two witches have a lot in common from the word go. While their styles of magic differ I think their overall power remains the same over the 36 levels.
I think a good test will be to take my current iconic Queen of Witches (level 36) and see how she looks under both classes.
I say take both classes, pick one you like the best. Call that one "witch" and the other one "warlock" and you are good to go.
Kickstart Your Weekend: CHILL style!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
I want draw your attention once again to the Chill 3.0 Kickstarter.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playattentiongames/chill-3rd-edition-a-horror-roleplaying-game
With just a few hours left to go this promises to be one really fun game.
I want draw your attention once again to the Chill 3.0 Kickstarter.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playattentiongames/chill-3rd-edition-a-horror-roleplaying-game
With just a few hours left to go this promises to be one really fun game.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
October Movie Challenge: Feast of Flesh (2007)
In my defense I want to say up front that I thought this was going to be better.
The title is fine and my research said it was a bit like Bordello of Blood only featuring Elizabeth Bathory AND Carmilla. I mean really. How can I say no?
I was so horribly wrong.
I think I am prepared to say that this was the WORST vampire movie I have seen this entire challenge. Though Mama Dracula might give it a run for it's money.
The story focuses on a "high class" brothel known as Bathory House. A couple gets a ticket to go from a poker game. Of course they are looking for a little threesome fun and instead they get eaten (and not in the way they wanted). Anyway I guess there is a prohibition against the vampires from hunting townfolk so the local vampire hunters come in and beat the vampire-hookers up a little.
Both sides fight. There is also a plot about a woman that is a local, but leaving town, getting brought into the brothel. The vampires thought she was coming to town, not leaving it. Her boyfriend wants her back...you know the drill.
I will give the movie one credit. The ending is not what I expected it to be. Bathory is killed and the townie girl becomes the new Madame. The boyfriend and all the hunters are killed.
The acting is terrible, including and especially Director, Writer and head Vampire Killer Sheridan, aka Mike Watt. What was up with that accent? He was supposed to be Dutch, but it sounded like Irish that learned from a book on tape. Anyway. It's not good.
I toyed with the idea of a vampire brothel in my games before. Mayfairs is a brothel in my games run by two vampire lovers, Miriam and Fran and founded by a Street Fae, Dirty Nellie. I now have a list of things NOT to do with it.
--
Tally so far: 36 Total Watched / 24 New
What do you find scary?
October Horror Movie Challenge hosted by Krell Laboratories.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Owl & Weasel Wednesday #15 April 1976
In something of a first O&W features a number of new "SF/F" games. Page 1 (and 7) is an overview of GDW's En Garde game. I don't recall this game very well to be honest and had to go look it up.
SPI's Sorcerer is also covered, briefly, and a new miniatures game "Wizards & Warefare". All of which shoe some common descent from D&D.
In another first O&W also reviews a couple of "pub" Video Games. These are the cabinet style video games, not the home versions that became more popular after the introduction of the Atari 2600 some 18-20 months later.
Pages 10 and half of 11 deal with the new D&D society. I am beginning to see, or rather have more evidence of, the reasons why Gygax felt the need to codify the D&D rules into AD&D. Everyone was off doing their own thing how they liked. Not to different than today to be honest.
In this issue there are more "RPG" elements and less board game material than previous editions. I expect this trend to continue.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
October Movie Challenge: Vampire Happening (1971)
October Movie Challenge: Vampire Happening (1971)
Vampire Happening or Gebissen wird nur nachts came up in my searches for a Countess Bathory like figure. I saw it and noticed that it was directed by Freddie Francis. The same that gave us Dracula Has Risen from His Grave, Tales that Witness Madness and one of my all time favorites, The Creeping Flesh.
So I was not expecting a lot when I saw that it was a "horror/comedy" but certainly more than I got.
The basic plot is simple. American Actress inherited a castle in Transylvania. Here she discovers that she is a dead ringer for her Great-Grandmother the former Countess. Not only was she notoriously lascivious she was also believed to be a vampire (of course).
The Countess does come back and causes a lot of Benny Hill-quality hijinks when she is thought to be the Actress and visa versa. Meanwhile the entire village has been transformed into vampires by the Countess.
The plot is thin and the acting is for the most part terrible save for Pia Degermark who pulls double duty as American Betty Williams and Vampire Countess Clarimonde.
There was also a surprising amount of nudity and sex in this movie for the time. It was released in 1971, but feels more late 60s. Some of the posters refer to it as an "Adult" vampire movie.
I am guess it is because it was made in West Germany at the time.
I can't help but feel there is a better story here somewhere.
Since I am still working through the Vampire Queen module I am thinking that a human descendant of Lady Neeblack running around the dungeon might be fun.
--
Tally so far: 35 Total Watched / 23 New
What do you find scary?
October Horror Movie Challenge hosted by Krell Laboratories.
So I was not expecting a lot when I saw that it was a "horror/comedy" but certainly more than I got.
The basic plot is simple. American Actress inherited a castle in Transylvania. Here she discovers that she is a dead ringer for her Great-Grandmother the former Countess. Not only was she notoriously lascivious she was also believed to be a vampire (of course).
The Countess does come back and causes a lot of Benny Hill-quality hijinks when she is thought to be the Actress and visa versa. Meanwhile the entire village has been transformed into vampires by the Countess.
The plot is thin and the acting is for the most part terrible save for Pia Degermark who pulls double duty as American Betty Williams and Vampire Countess Clarimonde.
There was also a surprising amount of nudity and sex in this movie for the time. It was released in 1971, but feels more late 60s. Some of the posters refer to it as an "Adult" vampire movie.
I am guess it is because it was made in West Germany at the time.
I can't help but feel there is a better story here somewhere.
Since I am still working through the Vampire Queen module I am thinking that a human descendant of Lady Neeblack running around the dungeon might be fun.
--
Tally so far: 35 Total Watched / 23 New
What do you find scary?
October Horror Movie Challenge hosted by Krell Laboratories.
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