Author: Charlie Brooks

Award-winning author of "Fantasy as you Like It" and "Eight-Bit Heaven," Season 9 finalist in RPG Superstar, author of the young adult fantasy novel Greystone Valley, and super-opinionated nerd dad.

Comics & Quests: Phases of the Moon

On By Charlie BrooksIn Comics, Role-Playing GamesLeave a comment

The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons comic series lasted for 36 issues and one annual, but I would argue that the main story of the series ends with issue #22, which concludes the “Phases of the Moon” story. Not that the comic shouldn’t have continued after that–as we will see, there are certainly some more fun stories to tell–but after this story all the plot hooks that appeared back in “The Gathering” get largely wrapped up.

The actual storytelling in “Phases of the Moon” is messy and has a few plot holes that go unexplained. Nonetheless, it’s probably my favorite story in this series because it deals with my favorite character of the bunch: the innkeeper Luna.

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The Stepford Wiveses

On By Charlie BrooksIn FilmLeave a comment

Some years ago, I watched the 2004 version of The Stepford Wives and came away thinking the film had a good premise but some missed opportunities in the execution. Later, I discovered that said movie was a remake of a 1975 horror film, which itself is based on a novel by Ira Levin. While I haven’t yet read the novel, I did watch the 1975 film and found it to be drastically different, to the point where putting the two versions side by side highlights the differences in our movie audiences between generations.

If you don’t know the story, I suggest checking it out before you read the rest of this. While the tale still resonates if you know the big twist, there’s much to be said for seeing it yourself fresh for the first time. If you do already know the twist, let’s delve into the major differences that 30 years makes in a story’s adaptation.

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Meddling Heroes: The Destiny Entity

On By Charlie BrooksIn FictionLeave a comment

While most trace the origin of the modern superhero to the Manhattan Project disaster which transformed an ordinary man into the American Paradigm, some scholars believe that superheroes walked the world long before one man put on a mask and cape. Those individuals scour mythology and ancient legends, looking for grains of truth in stories about the supernatural. One particular myth has persisted through the centuries, beginning in the Middle Ages and continuing all the way to the modern day: the Destiny Entity.

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The Life and Times of Adam West

On By Charlie BrooksIn Miscellaneous RamblingsLeave a comment

Although he has accumulated quite a fan base through his work on such television series as Batman and Family Guy, the great and powerful Adam West remains an enigma. Few people take the time really necessary to learn about such an important figure in American history. This piece serves as an unauthorized biography of this great American hero. Don’t bother trying to check my facts – the people who control the flow of information are hideous pinko commies who would do everything in their power to besmirch Mr. West’s good name and hide his many accomplishments.

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Meddling Heroes: Another World, Another Time

On By Charlie BrooksIn FictionLeave a comment

“Einstein told the President to make a bomb. Instead, they made a man.”

Meddling Heroes is a superhero murder mystery where the laws of our reality don’t always apply. Starting in World War II, superheroes became a fact of life. That touched every part of the world’s history, culminating in the mystery that former villain Roosevelt Pythagoras aims to solve.

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Meddling Heroes: The Most Dangerous Man on Earth

On By Charlie BrooksIn FictionLeave a comment

Every day, my captors wake me up, strip me naked, and check for microchips in my brain.

This morning, three armed guards stand on the far end of the corridor facing my cell. Dressed in riot gear, they keep assault rifles trained on me as I remove my clothes. Two more guards stand in
front of the locked door, pistols ready.

I count four regulars and one rookie on mad scientist detail today. The new kid hangs in back, keeping his finger on the trigger and ignoring proper gun safety. New blood makes my mornings more exciting, but also increases my odds of catching a bullet if I unbutton my fly too quickly. Fear makes people do stupid things.

I didn’t earn nine PhDs and shrink the state of Delaware to pocket size just so I could die in prison because somebody thinks the naked super-genius wants to take over the world from his cell. I just want some toast and oatmeal.

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Hit Points and Armor Class

On By Charlie BrooksIn Role-Playing GamesLeave a comment

Dungeons & Dragons uses an abstract combat system, and many role-playing games afterward used said abstraction as a model. While the game has at times become a more tactical system over the years, certain elements of the combat engine have remained constant. Most notably, hit points and armor class have remained largely the same since the game’s inception.

True, the number of hit points a character has have gone up and AC has gone from a high-to-low to low-to-high number, but the core concept remains: roll a d20, beat a target number, and subtract damage from a target’s hit points. It’s simple, it’s fast, and it has worked for decades.

It’s also one element of the game that drives those wishing for a more realistic system nuts.

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The Editions of Dungeons & Dragons

On By Charlie BrooksIn Role-Playing GamesLeave a comment

Wizards of the Coast still claims that the new Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks released in time with the game’s 50th anniversary is still part of the game’s 5th edition, but that number is really just a marketing decision. The game has really undergone at least ten different edition changes across two brand names. That doesn’t include optional rulebooks that, if incorporated, radically changed the way the game played.

So what edition are we really on? Here’s my subjective scorecard on the many faces of D&D.

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Those Blasted Superfriends: Sirena, Empress of Evil

On By Charlie BrooksIn Comics, FilmLeave a comment

Of all the bad shows I loved as a kid, none were dearer to my heart than Superfriends. It was where I learned to loved Green Lantern, he of the cool costume and even cooler power ring. Nowadays, I recognize it as very schlocky, basically thrown together because folks figured any bright lights and weird noises could keep school-aged children entertained.

In my case, they were right.

Looking back at Superfriends, it’s like McDonald’s food: terrible, but I still get a craving for it every now and then. Thus, I am happy to share my thoughts and commentary about certain episodes, beginning with my favorite Superfriend Green Lantern taking on Sirena, the so-called Empress of Evil.

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