Jab’s Builds! (Nightmare Creatures/Circus! Lawnmower Man! Metroid!)

[greycrusader]

Shirley Bellinger seems to be a composite character, based on Susan Smith and Andrea Yates; both women were notorious for murdering their own children (Smith trapped them in her car, which she drove into a lake, Yates smothered and drowned her children). Smith was apparently a racist (she concocted a story about a "thuggish" black man hijacking the car and kidnapping her children), and killed the kids as twisted revenge against her unfaithful husband. Smith was diagnosed with clinical depression (she had been a longtime victim of sexual abuse as child and teenager) and borderline personality disorder, but WAS legally sane.

Yates, on the other hand, was pretty clearly a psychotic; she was a borderline religious fanatic who murdered her kids because she feared otherwise they would be "corrupted" by the outside world and end up in Hell. She was on several anti-depression and anti-schizophrenia medications, and her psychiatrist warned her husband Rusty that Andrea should NOT be left alone with the children the couple already had, let alone get pregnant again. But the husband was likewise a zealous believer who followed in the "quiverfull" movement (where Christian couples strive to have a dozen offspring or more) and disregarded the advice...with horrific consequences.

I actually just saw a TV show featuring the Smith story, it wasn't revenge against her husband, she was the one who had been unfaithful but the man she loved didn't want be with someone who had kids.

I'm sorry I got that wrong; the source I read stated her marriage was strained, with accusations of infidelity on both sides, and neighbors reported Susan Smith going on screaming tirades against her husband,making threats.The motive you give is similar to that of Diane Downs, another woman who murdered her own children, allegedly to be with her new lover.

[Jabroniville]

"You, too, mother?" (to Servilia)

MARCUS JUNIUS BRUTUS
Played By: Tobias Menzies
Role: The Easily-Manipulated Toad
Status: Roman Elite, Army Leader against Antony & Octavian
PL 3 (40)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 1 (+2)
Deception 2 (+2)
Expertise (Business) 2 (+4)
Expertise (History) 5 (+7)
Expertise (Civics) 6 (+8)
Expertise (Theology & Philosophy) 2 (+4)
Insight 1 (+3)
Persuasion 3 (+3)

Advantages:
Benefit 2 (Wealthy Senator), Equipment 2

Equipment:
"Legionnaire's Spear" Strength-Damage +2, Reach 2 (4) -- (5)

• AE: "Short Sword" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Improved Critical) (3)

"Plate Armour" Protection 2 (2)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Sword/Spear +3 (+3 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +3 (DC 13), Toughness +1 (+3 Armour), Fortitude +2, Will +3

Complications:
Relationship (Mother, Servilia)- Brutus is a Mama's Boy plain and simple, and generally is easily led by his manipulative mother.
Relationship (Julius Caeasar)- Brutus is very close to his mama's Boy-Toy, and considers him his closest friend.
Guilt (The Death of Caeasar)- Brutus is one of the senators dedicated to ending the possible dictatorship of Caesar, despite their friendship. Caesar's accusatory look upon his death continues to haunt Brutus throughout the remainder of his life.
Responsibility (The Roman Republic)- Fear of Caesar's dictatorship leads Brutus down the path of betrayal.
Enemy (Antony & Octavian)- Brutus's allegiance to Caesar does not extend to his successors.

Total: Abilities: 22 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 3 (40)

-Brutus popped up again and again on Rome, for obvious reasons. Played by a fairly unusual-looking actor (kind of a gaunt Ed Helms look to him), he was a wishy-washy, flip-flopping, indecisive young man who worshipped Julius Caesar like a father (fitting, as Caesar's mistress was Brutus's own mother), but was manipulated and forced by his mother Servilia into taking a position against him publically, and ultimately made him aid in the stabbing to death of Caesar in the Senate. This led to a guilt-ridden Brutus finally absolving himself of the deed and growing into his role as the defender of the Republic, but the Civil War goes poorly for him thanks to some bad information (ally Cassius kills himself after falsely believing that Brutus has lost a major battle), and he kills himself by willingly running into the enemy's ranks unarmoured. Kind of a sad overall story, though the character was never exactly likeable- is a show with MEN'S MEN, he was a Mama's Boy who wasn't very good at anything, and was only his own man at the end.

-Not much of a warrior, Brutus has a fair bit of Skills, but nowhere near the heart of the other major characters, usually just a weapon of his mother.

[Jabroniville]

MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO
Played By: David Bamber
Role: The Last Scion of the Republic
Status: Roman Elite, Head of the Roman Senate
PL 3 (58), PL 5 (58) Skills
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 5 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 5 (+9)
Expertise (Art) 4 (+8)
Expertise (Civics) 7 (+11)
Expertise (History) 4 (+8)
Expertise (Theology & Philosophy) 4 (+8)
Expertise (Oratory) 11 (+15)
Insight 4 (+9)
Persuasion 5 (+9)

Advantages:
Benefit 3 (Wealthy Lead Senator), Connected, Skill Mastery 4 (Civics, History, Oratory, Persuasion), Ultimate Skill (Oratory)

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +0 (DC 10), Toughness +0, Fortitude +0, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (The Roman Republic)
Enemy (Marc Antony)

Total: Abilities: 26 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 1 (58)

-Cicero was another major recurring character, and a HUGE name in history by dorks like me. The leader of the Roman Senate, he was depicted as eager to avoid a civil war at all costs, never quite siding with Brutus & the others against Caesar (as much out of cowardice as distaste for war) until the very end. He was a brilliant lawmaker and orator, as in real life, but ultimately his mouth made a check his ass couldn't cash, and he ended up with his hands nailed to the Senate Door, as Marc Antony threatened. He ended his life bravely, though, willingly sticking his neck out after politely engaging his assassin (Titus Pullo) in discourse.

-Cicero is the ultimate Bystander and NPC power-player, a man with many friends in high places, and the favor of the Roman People, making him a very dangerous man despite a lack of any physical capabilities of his own, or much bravery. He is THE best Orator in the Senate (I mean, he's so good at words that his name is invoked to this day), and is arguably the smartest guy in the entire series, for all the good it does him.

[Woodclaw]

Back in the day, Rome was one of those shows that I skipped... more or less without a second thought. As far as I can remember I discovered the show only in the late 2009, during the final season and things get mixed up because the network it aired on replaced it with Spartacus Blood and Sand the next year. As a result, the two shows kind of mixed up in my mind and since Spartacus really failed to impress me (except for seeing Lucy Lawless with red hair... I fainted).
Anyway, from what I can see by Jab notes the show got a lot of stuff right (or at least more right than most), but it also seems that it felt in one of the great pitfalls of Roman history: the women. It's no secret that Rome was a very male-centric society, although Roman women were significantly more independent and educated than those of the "democratic" Athens of old, but this had a really interesting impact of historiography. One of the most common tropes in Roman history is the "manipulative wife" (or the "manipulative mother" to a lesser extent).
The gist of it was simple, portray a powerful and influential character either an honest but gullible fool or an honorable but weak-willed man controlled by the female guiles of his wife/mother/lover. It was a very common writing technique to criticize one's enemies without engaging in a direct confrontation.
While there's probably more than a grain of truth into it, this trope became so pervasive and ingrained in Roman culture that it was still present in Constantinople during the 6th century AD. In his Secret History, Procopius of Caesarea used it against both Emperor Justinian and General Belisarius. Another case, although with a final subversion of the trope, is Cleopatra, often portrayed in the propaganda of the Augustan era as an exotic seductress that almost single-handedly caused the war between the "Brother in arms" Octavian and Marc-Anthony. Of course, a lot of this comes down to propaganda and going by the most balanced eye-witnesses accounts used by Plutarch (who lived shortly after her time), she was more intelligent (she spoke something like 10 languages) and willful, rather than enticing and sexy.

[Jabroniville]

"I want to warn you, Livia. During our marriage, there are times I may strike you. I do not do it out of anger, or hatred. I do it because it gives me sexual pleasure. Do you understand?"
(among the things to matter-of-factly explain to your fiancee, this is one of the weirder)

GAIUS OCTAVIUS (aka Octavian)
Played By: Max Pirkis (as child), Simon Woods (as adult)
Role: The Heir Apparent #2, The Cold Calculating Manipulator
Status: Child of Roman Elite, Adopted Son of Caesar, Member of Ruling Triumvirate & General, Final Ruler of Rome
PL 4 (89)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 6 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+4)
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Civics) 6 (+11)
Expertise (Current Events) 7 (+12)
Expertise (History) 5 (+10)
Expertise (Tactics) 2 (+7)
Expertise (Theology & Philosophy) 4 (+9)
Insight 5 (+11)
Intimdiation 5 (+7)
Investigation 7 (+9)
Perception 2 (+8)
Persuasion 8 (+10)

Advantages:
Benefit 4 (Wealthy Patrician, Leader of Various Armies), Leadership

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +7

Complications:
Relationship (Wife, Livia)- We see little of her, but it's certain she's a bit of a bad-girl, and carries a grudge.
Relationship (Octavia- Sister)- Octavian is sexually-fascinated by his beautiful older sister, and later is easily seduced by her into giving up some important information. Their mother is not impressed with this Game of Thrones shit.
Rivalry (Marc Antony)- Octavian & Antony are uneasy allies for a long while, never truly liking each other. Eventually they become rival generals, fighting over Rome itself.
Responsibility (Memory of Julius Caesar)

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 58--29 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (89)

-Octavian was the final major central character of Rome. He debuted being played by a young actor, and was the son of Atia and a relative of Julius Caesar, and turned out to be a child prodigy. His intelligence and wisdom were years beyond what they should've been, which impressed all those around him, enough that Caesar himself named the boy his heir when he died. Rejected by Marc Antony, he did a "behind the scenes" actor-switch and came back much older and wiser, with a huge army behind him. Though he lacked Antony's public persona or any military experience, he proved smart enough to make the right allies, put the right people against each other, and eventually became the sole leader of Rome, controlling everything as he was crowned the Emperor Augustus Caesar in the final moments of the series.

-Octavian was kind of messed-up, partially because of his weird upbringing. His mom bathed nude in front of him and acted like this was totally normal, he boinked his own sister once, and he grew up loving sadomasochistic sexual activities. But he hid it all well- showing a cold, logical persona to those he knew (much more accurate than BRIAN BLESSED's over-the-top performance as a jovial old man in I, Claudius), though he had a nice relationship with Titus Pullo, the man who saved him when he was younger, and trained him how to fight.

-Octavian isn't much more expensive than Vorenus & Pullo, and is far cheaper than Caesar or Antony, but he is arguably superior to all of them. He's just plain SMART- the kid has the perfect allies in all the right parts, plays all of his cards properly, and eventually deftly maneuvers Antony into falling out of public sympathy. He ends the series the ultimate ruler of Rome, and would do so in real life until he died at age 75. He's no melee fighter, but he's got higher Mental Stats than anyone else, and has quite a few skills as well.

[Jabroniville]

WAY OF THE WARRIOR:
Made By: Naughty Dog
Release Date: 1994

-Like I've said before, the ENORMOUS impact Mortal Kombat had on the video game industry, and the millions and millions of dollars it made, inspired a lot of "Me, Too!" copycats all over the place, with everyone and their brother filming a bunch of actors doing karate moves and calling it a video game, and hilariously, not a single one of the games was well made. None of them had cool costumes, or great storylines, or even a good fighting engine- they were all ugly, tacky, hack-y rip-offs that were deservedly mocked in their own time.

Way of the Warrior may in fact by the tackiest and most "They clearly did this in their basement" of the entire group of rip-offs (which include Kasumi Ninaj, Ultra Vortek, and more). And yet, that very "DIY" nature is probably why I find this stupid thing so utterly charming. I mean, it's just the basest dream of all video game fans when MK hit arcades- "Hey, let's get some peoople together and make our OWN Mortal Kombat!" And it's just this cheesy pile of stupid, but almost adorable in its tackiness. You've got a shirtless karate guy doing tons of funny poses (with herky-jerky graphics making it look much, much worse), an Army Guy named "Major Gaines" who can grow bigger, a "GM's Girlfriend" character who IS LITERALLY PLAYED BY THE DEVELOPER'S GIRLFRIEND, guys wearing dollar-store merchandise & Happy Meal toys, and more. They literally even filmed the goddamn thing in one guy's apartment, using a yellow sheet glued to the wall as their "Motion Capture Backdrop"!

Hilariously, a large chunk of the game's ridiculously-attired cast, including the biker chick, diaper-wearing swami and Chinese fighter, are very well-educated people with interesting, world-travelling backstories. I own a Video Games Magazine from way, way back in late 1994 which features mini-bios of all the performers (oddly, in a featurette on the characters' moves). And despite kind of shilling the game, the developers cop to all the ways they cheaped out (like spending 15 bucks on Konotori's gear, using the same guy for two characters, and a continuity error because one guy wouldn't shave off all his beard for the Character Select image).

Even more hilariously, this game was designed by Naughty Dog, and put them on the map as developers, as the game impressed Universal Interactive Studios, who signed them on for three more games. So there is a direct line between this hilariously-awful game and both Crash Bandicoot and The Last of Us. Life is weird.

The Story:
-The ancient "Book of Fighting" has been written for ages, with the greatest warriors having their names written in the book, which is symbolized by a three-part Yin/Yang emblem- Good, Evil, and a bleeding piece for "the pain brought by their eternal conflict". Now, the final page in the book needs to be written, and the victor of this tournament, hidden deep in the Himalayas, will determine if Good or Evil will write the future. That's it. That's the whole thing. Also, you don't get a real "ending"- your character's Selection Screen image simply appears in the Book and that's that. Nobody here has any kind of a real motivation to be the best; they're just kind of there. At least a few have issues with other fighters (primarily two guys opposing The Ninja).

The Game Itself:
-Way of the Warrior is a standard-issue fighting game, with nine different warriors who have to fight each other- then you face your own "shadow" (same character as you, but pallette-swapped to be a silhouette), then two bosses. White Zombie's 1992 album provides the soundtrack. There are standard moves, Fatalities (it's an MK rip-off, remember?), Stage Fatalities, and a ton of hidden moves so vast that the developers even teased that nobody's ever found them all (translation: they probably didn't write them down and forgot about it, or just teased people and had none). The graphics were high-resolution and HUGE for the time- probably the best digitization of people of any game of that generation (even MK3 had smaller sprites with less detail), but the animation was so poor that it comes off as unwatchable garbage even in 1994, much less today. This is excused by the fact that each character has MANY more moves than is normal for a 2D fighter, especially for the time... and is an important lesson as to WHY that is: fewer moves allow you to spread the memory around, improving animation rather than shoving all your shit into it.

The game also features Fatalities, and actually calls them that. Like, not "Final Endings" or "Killing Blows" or anything- just "Fatalities". Exactly like Mortal Kombat. A good number of them just feature exploding heads or dropping the opponent onto their head, thus crushing the upper half of their bodies- likely to save on animation costs. And for some reason, you can perform Fatalities in EVERY ROUND- the enemy will just get back up like normal for the second round. The advertisements promised "Nine Fatalities Per Character", but clearly dropped the ball, and were sneaky about it, and only offered two, plus five Stage Fatalities which are shared among all characters.

The Stage Fatalities are: falling from The Bridge into an open grave, falling off The Cliffs, flying into The Dojo's spiked ceiling fan, crashing through The Roof and landing in the throne room, and falling into the lava in The Pit. In the latter example, no special moves or combinations are required- the bridges next to the fighting mat disappear, meaning you can easily accidentaly fall into the lava, at which point a flesh-melted, bloody skeleton with an eyeball hanging out will reach up at the screen before falling back into the hot semi-solid.

The game was... not well-reviewed. Next Generation gave it 2/5, GamePro gave it a bad review despite them being notorious shills. YouTube reviewers have declared the game impossible to learn and "get good", involving no good techniques, and being EVEN WORSE than the infamous Kasumi Ninja. The latter probably gets more snark, as it was treated like a "System Seller" for Atari's Jaguar, which was an industry joke (the 3DO at least got SOME respect for its adaptations).

The Cast of Characters:
1) Dragon- White guy dressed like your generic kung fu dude.
2) Shaky Jake- Fire-Spitting Australian outdoorsman.
3) Crimson Glory- A bad-ass Biker Chick.
4) The Ninja- A mysterious warrior-for-hire.
5) Major Gaines- Toned military dude.
6) Konotori- "The Stork"- a flying Asiatic dude.
7) Nikki Chan- Short Chinese martial artist unknowingly out to reunite with her lost love- a God of China.
8) Nobunaga- Self-Perfecting Swordsman.
9) High Abbott- Dinosaur Sub-Boss.
10) Kull the Despoiler- Final Boss. Giant Skeleton.

Secret Characters:
* Scoring two perfect rounds in the "Graveyard" stage allows you to fight Black Dragon, a color-swapped version of Dragon. Beating him lets you fight Major Trouble, then Voodoo. All three are implied to be controlled by an evil, possessing entity known as "Gulab Jamun", who is of course the final Secret Character, fought when you take on all three. Wait'll you see how he looks. Video Games Magazine suggests that "if you are really good, you can fight a total of, say, 14 to 20 characters". So unless six have never been found in 25 years, this is probably it.
11) Voodoo- Black & white Fox with a green tie.
12) Black Dragon- Black & white Dragon with a green belt.
13) Major Trouble- Black & white Major Gaines.
14) Gulab Jamun- A spirit that possesses other fighters.

[Jabroniville]

"Magic":
-Oddly called "Magics" by the guy who wrote the FAQ for Way of the Warrior (shockingly all the way back in the mid-1990s!! That site is OLD!), they are meant for every character, though only the Final Bosses had access to ALL of them- the GameFAQs guy only found a handful for some, and none for others. Some cost you "Skull Points", which are accumulated by doing moves and stuff, like Super Meters in most other Fighting Games. Some are seen on the GameFAQs page for WOTW, which admits to only having found a handful of them, though they all seem to use the same button combinations (mostly "Taunt" + other stuff). The Video Games Magazine article details them a lot more, showing you the full costs, though adds that "about 15" are available, but not all have been discovered (I've got 12 listed, which I guess is "about" 15). These can shift you in size, power, etc., and could be make or break if anyone had bothered to play this competitively.

I chose to stat these up as an overall Limited Variable, outside of the array of the characters' regular moves (as you can be Invisible or something and still do your Special Moves). The cost gives this limited utility- Unreliable-style. You can also only do the move while Taunting, meaning you're a bit vulnerable while trying one (what would normally take four points off the cost, but since it's only for the one round you utilize the move, it's half-price). Overall the whole thing costs seven points, which is fairly cheap for some of the stuff, but expensive for others- it's about right for what is essentially some barely-useful stuff that forces you to give up an attack to start using.

"Speed Up" Fighting +1, Dodge 1 (3)
"Invisibility" Concealment 2 (Visuals), Close Combat -2 (2)
"Shrink" Defenses +1, Close Combat -1 (1)
"Heal A" Healing 4 (8)
"Heal B" Healing 6 (12)
"Heal C" (Heals 100% of energy) Healing 10 (20)
"Confusion" (Messes Up Enemy Controls) Affliction 6 (Will; Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Perception-Ranged +2, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (Reduced Defenses -1) (11)
"Power Up" Strength +1 (2)
"Super Power Up" (one hit to kill the opponent) Strength +4, Blasts +4 (12)
"Untouchable" (Immune to Harm) Protection 6 (Flaws: Unreliable- 1/day) (5)
"No Jump" (makes your opponent unable to jump) Affliction 6 (Will; Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Jumpless) (Extras: Perception-Ranged +2) (Flaws: Limited to Jumping) (8)
"Make Opponents Bleed" (I'm assuming this causes damage? It's not listed in the magazine)

"Magic" Variable (Magic Powers) 3 (Flaws: Limited to Short List, Limited to Half the List, Limited to 1-2 Rounds, Unreliable- 5 Uses) (Reduced Defenses 2 on Activation -2) [7]

[Jabroniville]

SHAKY JAKE (Jake Querious)
First Appearance: Way of the Warrior (1994)
Role: Drunken Australian
PL 7 (103)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 10 (+12)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 10 (+10)
Intimidation 7 (+6)
Perception 6 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment 1 (Staff +1, Bowie Knife, Bottle of Jim Beam), Ranged Attack 6

The Way of the Warrior: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Fast Grab (Grab), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Trip (Throw)

Powers:
"Pole Throw" Blast 5 (Requires Staff -1, Inaccurate -1) (8) -- [12]

• AE: "Air Torpedo" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
• AE: "Outback Smack- Staff Shot" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
• AE: Teleport 2 (Feats: Change Direction) (5)
• AE: "Whiskey Flame" Damage 4 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cone +1/2) (Reduced Defenses -2) (2)

"Magic" Variable (Magic Powers) 3 (Flaws: Limited to Short List, Limited to Half the List, Limited to 1-2 Rounds, Unreliable- 5 Uses) (Reduced Defenses 2 on Activation -2) [7]

Features 1: Adds Staff Damage to Special Moves [1]

"Fatalities"
Features 1: May Use a New Move as a Coup De Grace [1]
("Barbecue"- Spits fire from a Jim Beam Bottle and burns them alive; "Pole Impale"- Slides them up onto his wooden staff and they slide down it, impaling them)

Equipment:
"Staff" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Reach) (2)
"Buck Knife" Blast 3 (6)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Staff Attack +11 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Air Torpedo +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Outback Smash +9 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Bottle Throw +8 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Pole Throw +6 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Whiskey Flame +4 Area (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (Outsider)- Jake was raised in the Outback by survivalist parents, and didn't even realize that humans other than his parents existed until he was seventeen years old!

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 6 + 5 / Powers: 20 / Defenses: 9 (103)

-Shaky Jake is a wild Aussie who grew up 1,100 miles from the nearest neighbor, way in the Australian Outback. In fact, until he was 17 his parents neglected to inform him that there were other people on the Earth besides him and them! His parents sent him to Melbourne to find a wife, and he instead cleared out his first bar, and discovered that he could breathe fire if he had a drink first!

-Shaky Jake was played by Mitch Gavin, the younger brother of Andy Gavin. Mitch was a wannabe bass player who was always experimenting with dated hairdos- it makes him look like a classic teenage wannabe rock star, with longish hair, jeans, and a vest (yes, Shaky Jake wears Mitch's actual clothing). Jake's staff and whiskey bottle also came from Mitch, who gave the staff to Andy as a gift. Hilariously, though Mitch himself doesn't have a gut, something about the way they shot one of his victory poses makes it look like he has an ample beer belly- Mitch has been embarrassed by that shot ever since .

-Inexplicably, the drunken Jake can teleport, but is more typically focused around striking with his staff, using it to bounce around like a pogo stick, and throw both his knife and his staff.

[Jabroniville]

CRIMSON GLORY (Crimson Smith)
First Appearance: Way of the Warrior (1994)
Role: Biker Chick
PL 7 (104)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+11)
Athletics 8 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+12)
Expertise (Biker) 9 (+9)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 6

The Way of the Warrior: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Fast Grab (Grab), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Trip (Throw)

Powers:
"Lit Match Throw" Blast 5 (Extras: Secondary Effect) (Flaws: Limited to Opponents Hit By Bottle) (10) -- [13]

• AE: "Bottle Throw" Blast 3 (6)
• AE: "Elbow Attack/Uppercut" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
• AE: "Head Butt" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -2) Linked to Affliction 4 (Toughness; Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (4)

"Magic" Variable (Magic Powers) 3 (Flaws: Limited to Short List, Limited to Half the List, Limited to 1-2 Rounds, Unreliable- 5 Uses) (Reduced Defenses 2 on Activation -2) [7]

"Fatalities"
Features 1: May Use a New Move as a Coup De Grace [1]
("Back Smasher"- Splits Opponent Open From the Stomach With a Backbreaker; "Brain Burst"- Blows a Kiss to Explode Their Head)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Dash Attack +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Head Butt +8 (+4 Damage & Affliction, DC 19 & 14)
Bottle Throw +8 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Lit Match +8 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Fightin' Round The World)- Crimson has beaten up men in every sleazy bar west of the Mississippi River, and sees the tournament as just another bar full of men- like the ones who stopped treating her like one of the boys once she developed.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 6 + 5 / Powers: 21 / Defenses: 10 (104)

-Crimson Glory is a good-looking, bad-ass biker chick (you can tell she's a biker because she wears jeans and a leather cap) who was a tomboy from an early age (growing up with the stereotypical family full of brothers). When the boys started treating her differently when they developed, she used her well-earned toughness to beat the hell out of them. She joins the competition soleley to beat people up and see some action. Her Southern accent is, um, unconvincing, featuring a recurring "Take Tha-yut" quote.

-Glory was played by Carole May, who was dating the game's designer Jason Rubin before filming started. They say she was a real sweetheart, and still came back to do the filming after they broke up! I literally still remember this story from reading it the first time all the way back in December 1994, to show you how weird memory is. The only weird thing is that Carole has pretty "Girl Next Door" good looks, while Glory is supposed to be this rough & tumble, bad-ass biker who always gets hit on. You'd figure more of a bombshell or Hot Amazon or something- she's just way too "the girl who sat next to you in home room" for the job. Her high-pitched, girlish "AAAHHH!" cries of pain don't help give her a tough vibe, either.

-Crimson Glory has an interesting move pairing- her Bottle Throw turns the opponent green, and if she then hits them with her "Lit Match" attach, they will immediately be set on fire for more damage! She also has a stunning attack (the Head Butt) and standard-issue fighting moves.

[Jabroniville]

Back in the day, Rome was one of those shows that I skipped... more or less without a second thought. As far as I can remember I discovered the show only in the late 2009, during the final season and things get mixed up because the network it aired on replaced it with Spartacus Blood and Sand the next year. As a result, the two shows kind of mixed up in my mind and since Spartacus really failed to impress me (except for seeing Lucy Lawless with red hair... I fainted).
Anyway, from what I can see by Jab notes the show got a lot of stuff right (or at least more right than most), but it also seems that it felt in one of the great pitfalls of Roman history: the women. It's no secret that Rome was a very male-centric society, although Roman women were significantly more independent and educated than those of the "democratic" Athens of old, but this had a really interesting impact of historiography. One of the most common tropes in Roman history is the "manipulative wife" (or the "manipulative mother" to a lesser extent).
The gist of it was simple, portray a powerful and influential character either an honest but gullible fool or an honorable but weak-willed man controlled by the female guiles of his wife/mother/lover. It was a very common writing technique to criticize one's enemies without engaging in a direct confrontation.

Yeah, and I think Rome was basing a LOT of characterization on a few I, Claudius characters. I don't know if you ever saw that one, but Augustus's wife Livia was a manipulative matron who controlled things via subordinates, minions and controlling the men in her life, and Julia was a relentless wang-fiend who slept with everyone in Rome (so much so that a competitive orgy featured the highest-paid prostitute in Rome being disgusted with Julia's shamelessness). While Atia wasn't THAT excessive, she definitely had bits of both.

While there's probably more than a grain of truth into it, this trope became so pervasive and ingrained in Roman culture that it was still present in Constantinople during the 6th century AD. In his Secret History, Procopius of Caesarea used it against both Emperor Justinian and General Belisarius. Another case, although with a final subversion of the trope, is Cleopatra, often portrayed in the propaganda of the Augustan era as an exotic seductress that almost single-handedly caused the war between the "Brother in arms" Octavian and Marc-Anthony. Of course, a lot of this comes down to propaganda and going by the most balanced eye-witnesses accounts used by Plutarch (who lived shortly after her time), she was more intelligent (she spoke something like 10 languages) and willful, rather than enticing and sexy.

Yeah, Tiberius was said to have been pushed into the role as second Emperor of Rome because he was the natural-born son of Livia, who pushed her husband Augustus to accept him. Tiberius's poor reign was seen as HER fault, and not that of divine Augustus. Hell, I, Claudius even has Livia poison Augustus to ensure Tiberius's reign!

Here's the two manipulation queens of each series meeting each other in Rome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ciEMMZ_t58

[Jabroniville]

FOX (Malcolm Fox)
First Appearance: Way of the Warrior (1994)
Role: Token Black Guy, Black Dude in a Sharp Suit
PL 7 (119)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+11)
Athletics 8 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+11)
Expertise (Martial Arts) 7 (+9)
Expertise (High Society) 4 (+6)
Expertise (Streetwise) 9 (+10)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Benefit (Wealth), Ranged Attack 6

The Way of the Warrior: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Fast Grab (Grab), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Trip (Throw)

Powers:
"Sai Throw" Blast 3 (6) -- [8]

• AE: "Voodoo Roll- Off-Brand Blanka Roll" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
• AE: "Voodoo Dust" Affliction 4 (Fort; Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Feats: Reach) (Extras: Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (Inaccurate -1) (4)
• AE: Teleport 2 (Feats: Change Direction) (4)

"Magic" Variable (Magic Powers) 3 (Flaws: Limited to Short List, Limited to Half the List, Limited to 1-2 Rounds, Unreliable- 5 Uses) (Reduced Defenses 2 on Activation -2) [7]

"Fatalities"
Features 1: May Use a New Move as a Coup De Grace [1]
("Impale" Lets Opponent Fall Down His Outstretched Arm; "Overhead Smash" Slams Headfirst Into the Ground)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Voodoo Roll +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Voodoo Dust +10 (+4 Affliction, DC 14)
Sai Throw +8 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Wealth)

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 7 + 5 / Powers: 17 / Defenses: 9 (119)

-Fox is the most (well, only) well-dressed character in Way of the Warrior, sporting an outfit straight out of Office Space, but at least a nice tie. He's the son of the African ambassador (... ambassador of the whole continent?) to France. He rebelled against his sophisticated father by roaming the streets of Paris in gangs, eventually becoming the leader of the toughest gang in the city. Whe he led his gang against a Thai businessman, the wealthy victim marveled at how Fox dispatched his high-priced bodyguards. One bribe later, and Fox murdered his own gang and swore and oath to be that man's bodyguard from then on. Or a freelance one, as apparently his skills are now high in demand. He has now ironically taken on all the manners and sophistication he disliked in his own father.

-Fox is played by Chris Sanford, who went to the same dojo as the guy who played Nobunaga, and was recruited that way. He was a Harvard grad who sold exotic cars and used to live in Japan- the pants were Chris's own, who wore them because people tended to be unfriendly when he went out to the bars, and so had to have pants that worked for fighting. The character has no voice because Chris went on vacation when they were doing the recordings, and they had no way to get in touch with him!

-Fox is a pretty standard-issue character- nothing fancy, just a Blast, some Blanka-like stuff (the rolling attack, mainly), and a stunning thing called "Voodoo Dust".

[Jabroniville]

VOODOO
First Appearance: Way of the Warrior (1994)
Role: Secret Character
PL 7 (119)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+11)
Athletics 8 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+12)
Expertise (Martial Arts) 7 (+9)
Expertise (High Society) 4 (+6)
Expertise (Streetwise) 9 (+10)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Benefit (Wealth), Ranged Attack 6

The Way of the Warrior: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Fast Grab (Grab), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Trip (Throw)

Powers:
"Sai Throw" Blast 3 (6) -- [9]

• AE: "Voodoo Roll- Off-Brand Blanka Roll" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
• AE: "Voodoo Dust" Affliction 4 (Fort; Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Feats: Reach) (Extras: Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (Inaccurate -1) (4)
• AE: Teleport 2 (Feats: Change Direction) (4)

"Magic" Variable (Magic Powers) 3 (Flaws: Limited to Short List, Limited to Half the List, Limited to 1-2 Rounds, Unreliable- 5 Uses) (Reduced Defenses 2 on Activation -2) [7]

"Fatalities"
Features 1: May Use a New Move as a Coup De Grace [1]
(Lets Opponent Fall Down His Outstretched Arm; Slams Headfirst Into the Ground)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Voodoo Roll +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Voodoo Dust +10 (+4 Affliction, DC 14)
Sai Throw +8 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (Controlled)- Voodoo is likely controlled by the evil entity Gulab Jamun.

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 7 + 5 / Powers: 17 / Defenses: 9 (119)

-The first Secret Character found in Way of the Warrior, Voodoo is just a black & white version of Fox, but adds a Teleport and makes his tie green- the only bit of color on the sprite. You get Voodoo by defeating Major Trouble, the second of the Secret Characters, as well as winning two perfect rounds in a row. Beating him allows you to unlock the final Secret Character, Gulab Jamun.

[Jabroniville]

MAJOR GAINES (Simon Gaines)
First Appearance: Way of the Warrior (1994)
Role: Army Guy, Growing Guy
PL 7 (114), PL 8 (114) BOOSTED
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10)
Athletics 7 (+10)
Deception 1 (+4)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10)
Expertise (Military) 10 (+10)
Intimidation 4 (+7)
Perception 6 (+9)
Stealth 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Benefit (Wealth), Equipment 2 (Grenade- Blast 4), Ranged Attack 6

The Way of the Warrior: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Fast Grab (Grab), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Trip (Throw)

Powers:
"Ground Lightning" Damage 2 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited to While Boosted) Linked to Affliction 6 (Athletics; Hindered & Vulnerable/Immobile & Defenseless) (Extras: Extra Condition, Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Distracting, Limited Degree, Instant Recovery) (5) -- [7]

• AE: "Uppercut" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: +2 to Hit Jumping Opponents) (Inaccurate -1) (2)
• AE: "Rolling Ball- Off-Brand Blanka Beast Roll" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)

"STEROID BOOST"
Enhanced Strength +1 [2]
Enhanced Advantages 1: Close Attack 1 [1]
Reduced Defenses -2 [-4]

"Magic" Variable (Magic Powers) 3 (Flaws: Limited to Short List, Limited to Half the List, Limited to 1-2 Rounds, Unreliable- 5 Uses) (Reduced Defenses 2 on Activation -2) [7]

"Fatalities"
Features 1: May Use a New Move as a Coup De Grace [1]
("Back Breaker" Splits Enemy in Half; "Super Suplex Toss" Folds Them in Half With Suplex)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Special Moves +8 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
BOOST Unarmed +11 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
BOOST Special Moves +9 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Ground Lightning +2-6 Area (+2 Damage & +6 Affliction, DC 17 & 16)
Grenade +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
"Normal" Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +6, Will +5
"BOOSTED" Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3, Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Greed & Violence)- Major Gaines gladly betrays his closest allies for money, and simply likes to commit acts of violence.

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 9 + 5 / Powers: 14 / Defenses: 11 (114)

-LOL, "Major Gaines". The backstory behind this character, as usual, is way funnier and more interesting than the actual character himself. He's a pretty cut guy with a military theme, and his thing is to grow extra large and thus have extra reach. The character himself was said to be a "violent child since birth" and was put into the Army early, where they discovered his extreme gift for combat. He was sent into the covert team, the S.A.S., where he became the commanding officer of the Iron Hawks, who were typically sent on suicide missions (lol), with a life expectancy of 1.7 missions. Gaines had survived SIXTEEN of these, but in the end, defected. When confronted by a drug lord with his gun to the head of a kidnapped British Minister, he offered Gaines a place with him, and so Gaines turned traitor (killing the Minister himself, along with the sole surviving other member of his team). Now the South American warlord's chief bodyguard, he received a steroid injection to let him grow extra large... but then he got a ten million dollar bribe to kill his own boss. Gaines is thus now a free agent, acting for those who can afford him.

-Major Gaines has a HILARIOUS real-world backstory, though. The actor who plays him, "T-Mike" Gaines (a frat brother of Jason Rubin, and the only cast member not from the Boston area), is "5'8" but cut", according to the designers, yet begged them to give him a huge sprite, bigger than all the other characters. This, plus his name, give me the most TREMENDOUS vibe of "Small Man Syndrome" ever- the idea of a guy a bit below-average in height wanting to be soooooooooooo tall just bleeds of "I wish I was bigger". There's also a hilarious bit where the in-game sprite is clean-shaven, but when it came time to do the close-up photos of the cast for the Character Select Screen, he'd grown a goatee, and refused to shave off the shitty "soul patch" part, because it'd taken so long to grow in. So the Character Select for Major Gaines now features this tiny lil' patch of beard, unlike the in-game version of the guy.

-Gaines is a tricky character given how his bonuses work- the "STEROID BOOST" power gives him adding hitting power AND accuracy (given his tremendous reach), making him a bit higher in PL than the rest of the characters, but only temporarily. The reduction in defenses (because he's now MUCH easier to hit) makes it a tricky thing to attempt, though. The game developers found the "7-Foot Major Gaines" to be too hard to balance properly, as he gobbled up the other fighters with tremendous reach (part of what makes giant characters and Dhalsim potentially deadly in other games), and was unable to be struck back as efficiently, so they made it a temporary boost and wiped out a lot of Gaines' other powers in the process. This makes him a bit worse and less versatile than the other fighters at times, so his base fighting skill is lower.

[Jabroniville]

MAJOR TROUBLE
First Appearance: Way of the Warrior (1994)
Role: Army Guy, Growing Guy, Secret Character
PL 7 (114), PL 8 (114) BOOSTED
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10)
Athletics 7 (+10)
Deception 1 (+4)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10)
Expertise (Military) 10 (+10)
Intimidation 4 (+7)
Perception 6 (+9)
Stealth 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Benefit (Wealth), Equipment 2 (Grenade- Blast 4), Ranged Attack 6

The Way of the Warrior: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Fast Grab (Grab), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Trip (Throw)

Powers:
"Ground Lightning" Damage 2 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited to While Boosted) Linked to Affliction 6 (Athletics; Hindered & Vulnerable/Immobile & Defenseless) (Extras: Extra Condition, Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Distracting, Limited Degree, Instant Recovery) (5) -- [7]

• AE: "Uppercut" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: +2 to Hit Jumping Opponents) (Inaccurate -1) (2)
• AE: "Rolling Ball- Off-Brand Blanka Beast Roll" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)

"STEROID BOOST"
Enhanced Strength +1 [2]
Enhanced Advantages 1: Close Attack 1 [1]
Reduced Defenses -2 [-4]

"Magic" Variable (Magic Powers) 3 (Flaws: Limited to Short List, Limited to Half the List, Limited to 1-2 Rounds, Unreliable- 5 Uses) (Reduced Defenses 2 on Activation -2) [7]

"Fatalities"
Features 1: May Use a New Move as a Coup De Grace [1]
("Back Breaker" Splits Enemy in Half; "Super Suplex Toss" Folds Them in Half With Suplex)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Special Moves +8 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
BOOST Unarmed +11 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
BOOST Special Moves +9 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Ground Lightning +2-6 Area (+2 Damage & +6 Affliction, DC 17 & 16)
Grenade +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
"Normal" Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +6, Will +5
"BOOSTED" Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3, Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Greed & Violence)- Major Gaines gladly betrays his closest allies for money, and simply likes to commit acts of violence.

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 9 + 5 / Powers: 14 / Defenses: 11 (114)

-Major Trouble is the second of the Secret Characters found in the game- to get him, you must defeat Black Dragon, the first of them, and also win two perfect rounds. He's a black & white version of Major Gaines, with the exact same moves.

[greycrusader]

LOL,I've NEVER heard of this game, but I actually really like the whole DIY/homemade vibe-I mean, putting together an MK knock-off with skills, a few bucks, basic equipment, and getting by with a little help from your friends. Seems like they were a tight bunch of buddies who just had a lot of fun doing this. How many people can say they were fighting game characters, after all?

All my best.