TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
How about a Gamera adaptation? I keep sugesting we get the license (or buy it outright) and begin our own Kaiju films with Gamera at its head. After all, he managed to become nearly as popular as Godzilla, perhaps even more at one point, and to sink Godzila when facing Gamera would be so cathartic.
How about a Gamera adaptation? I keep sugesting we get the license (or buy it outright) and begin our own Kaiju films with Gamera at its head. After all, he managed to become nearly as popular as Godzilla, perhaps even more at one point, and to sink Godzila when facing Gamera would be so cathartic.
You know one great thing about us buying out Marvel Comics is that we handwaved away the dogshit Dark Empire comics since they were a Dark Horse creation while here all Star Wars comics are gonna be Marvel comics. Don't know how radical Stan would have a take on the EU or what he wants for post-ROTJ comics, but hopefully it won't be a Palpatine clone crisis and we can get the comics to start after the Thrawn trilogy.
So long as the "Knights of the Old Republic" era of Star Wars with Nomi Sunrider, Revan, and Meetra Surik still exist I'll be happy. As Dark Horse did the original "Tales of the Jedi" series where that era came from.
So long as the "Knights of the Old Republic" era of Star Wars with Nomi Sunrider, Revan, and Meetra Surik still exist I'll be happy. As Dark Horse did the original "Tales of the Jedi" series where that era came from.
They tried their best to restrain themselves [they really did], to remain composed so as to avoid the possibility of them being overseen but Ethan Martin and Javon McGuiness could not stop beaming in joy at the knowledge that Ethan's company, Lucasfilm Unlimited, had purchased Javon's, Marvel Comics, as what had started as a quiet lunch at one of those hole in the wall burger joints, two lifelong friends absolutely giddy at the chance to collaborate on another project together. Years ago, they'd been smalltown boys living in a small town nestled deep in the Missouri countryside and the best of friends despite the goings on about the town that often forced them apart, and whenever they had the chance exclaimed to all the world their small town wouldn't hold the pair of them back.
And so on a hot summer night mid July, they had escaped up north together on a Greyhound bound to New York to achieve their dreams, their destinies. They worked back breaking jobs at every hour of the day, and night fell they were enrolled in college studying the arts. When they finally achieved their diplomas, they were finally forced to work apart, Javon landing a small role in Marvel Comics in the mail room, still dreaming to become one of the artists, and Ethan as a writer for Search for Tomorrow, with dreams of being on something noteworthy like MASH. These hours became hell on these roommates, and as the years passed, it led them to drifting apart as one day Ethan had enough and snapped at his best friend, this fight nearly ending their friendship. Despondent, they continued to let their friendship quietly die as time passed, until the day came that with a tearful farewell, Ethan bid Javon adieu and fled to Los Angeles to escape the painful memories.
Years passed this way, a wall of silence that shielded, aggrieved and betrayed them, as other friends came and went in the interim...until the day came that Ethan managed to land a steady and decent job at the up-and-comer as one of the writers for Lucasfilm, at the recommendation of his neighbors, Dave Alistair, who'd found one of his idle musings left by the trash and found it enjoyable enough for what it was. After so long, things were looking good with him and...Javon wasn't there to celebrate with him. Saddened he waits by his phone, afraid to even lift it and see the future revealed...it had been years, what was a new chapter to an old story but the epilogue. He did this, night after night, month after month for almost two years, until he finally caved and called Javon.
And when Javon answered, it all came flooding back. Their childhood, their friendship, their being roommates, anything and everything that they were came to the forefront and Ethan breathed his apology in a single, tearful breath.
"I'm sorry."
It'd been a year and a day since, and now here they were, at this small hole in the wall, giddy as any school boy could be. They were on the project together, and they were going to do anything and everything they could to ensure it was an absolute, smashing success.
Ethan and Javon against the world, as they had since they were children, taking all their passions, their shared and common love for storytelling through any medium. As soon as the opportunity to create test footage for the new project, their excitement was palpable. They immediately joined forces, eager to combine their talents and create a masterpiece that would pay homage to numerous historic boxing matches, including the between Bruce O'Brian and Muhammad Ali, while infusing it with the dynamic world of superheroes. Setting up a makeshift animation studio in Ethan's apartment, they gathered their art supplies, pencils, and paper sheets. Their shared passion fueled their creativity as they meticulously planned every frame, aiming to capture the intensity, sweat, and emotion that filled the boxing ring that historic day. Days turned into weeks as Ethan and Javon devoted themselves to their ambitious project. They painstakingly sketched, inked, and colored each frame, ensuring that every movement, every punch, and every detail was brought to life with precision. Their friendship served as a constant source of support and inspiration, urging them to push the boundaries of their creativity.
As the animation started to take shape, Ethan and Javon's excitement grew exponentially. They could feel the energy radiating from their drawings. The punches had impact, the footwork was swift, and the sweat dripped down the characters' brows. It was as if the essence of the original matches was reborn on paper. But their vision didn't stop there. When the news finally broke, that Marvel Comics had been purchased by Lucasfilm Unlimited, they took their homage of the fight to their bosses and unveiled their test animation for the new and collaborative project by Lucasfilm and Marvel, codenamed "Patriot Moon", they showed what an animated fight between Captain America and Red Skull could be; and while it was rough, certainly nothing that could called a masterpiece, it was one of the most visceral animation put to the screen, perfectly articulating what a Titanic Clash in animation could be.
When the meeting wrapped up and the friends congratulated, promised a seat at the table for the new project, they left work happy, happier than both men had been for a long time. Afterwards, they returned to their home in New York to oversee Javon's moving all his stuff to LA, stopping for drinks at a small bar on Stonewall on the way there.
Because afterall, what's between roommates? A/N: ...so I wanted to write a story centered around how animation based on Martial Arts grew as a new staple of Dreamworks/Sunrise, and ended up with this. The end goal wasn't for new characters, but whatever.
Please enjoy, and please feel free to adopt the characters if you'd like.
[EDIT: Edited for clarity, accidentally made something sound problematic.]
"Wow, what a good movie that was. Right Bob?"
"Are you kidding me? That was the movie of the decade and the eighties have barely even begun!"
"Yeah can't wait for episode VI"
"VI? I thought their were only two movies?"
"Well... Yeah, but look the poster says V!"
"Well where are episode's I through III?"
"Do I look like a californian yuppie to you Bob? Heck do I know what these artsy stars are thinking"
"..... Still a good movie Bill"
"Of course!"
You know one great thing about us buying out Marvel Comics is that we handwaved away the dogshit Dark Empire comics since they were a Dark Horse creation while here all Star Wars comics are gonna be Marvel comics. Don't know how radical Stan would have a take on the EU or what he wants for post-ROTJ comics, but hopefully it won't be a Palpatine clone crisis and we can get the comics to start after the Thrawn trilogy.
Well, following that logic we would never get comics like Tales from the Jedi, Star Wars Legacy, Crimson Empire, and many others... Dark Horse has published many of the best Star Wars Comics of all time and it would be a shame to have them butterflied away...
Also in regards to Talsorian games, are they gonna be the ones to make the Star Wars RPGs instead of West End Games and will it be soon? If Cyberpunk 2013 is immensely successful, I can't see why George wouldn't want a Star Wars RPG and development of the RPGs is actually super important because they were the foundation of most of the initial lore for the first half of Bantam's Star Wars EU.
Well, since we also have Carrie´s and DnD, we have two ways of publishing it already... And let´s be honest DnD 3.5 would work better than Cyberpunk for adapting Star Wars into a TTRPG...
Well, since we also have Carrie´s and DnD, we have two ways of publishing it already... And let´s be honest DnD 3.5 would work better than Cyberpunk for adapting Star Wars into a TTRPG...
That's absolutely not true, Cyberpunk's entire system was designed to include everything such as vehicle combat from the ground up, with the Empathy and Willpower Stats being far easier to convert into working with the Force than the absolute mathematical nightmare that is 3.5.
You know… Bruce and Carrie liking DND might mean we could get a dnd anime/cartoon series or even a live action movie occurring much earlier than real life.
Mhm. Still I really do wanna see more of how Empire just fucked all the other studios and expectations over. All said I do like the fact that we're Batman, we're Bruce Wayne, we're Han Solo, we're Conan, and more but now here we are shitting on the haters with our glorious two movies directed and acted in alongside directing that are box office blockbusters really.
Mhm. Still I really do wanna see more of how Empire just fucked all the other studios and expectations over. All said I do like the fact that we're Batman, we're Bruce Wayne, we're Han Solo, we're Conan, and more but now here we are shitting on the haters with our glorious two movies directed and acted in alongside directing that are box office blockbusters really.
When Mike Pondsmith first joined with R.Taulson Games in tow, you had been a little bit… afraid at what he wanted to do. He wanted to create a game, a world, and a universe that was deeply rich in lore, in its themes, and above all else fun.
That was Mikes's main goal, of course, to do something fun. See when he began writing the world back in 78, he had slowly come into contact with several key things. One of them was a thrown-out script from Philip K Dicks Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep… or as it was known by its production and real name… Blade Runner. It was a script that had captivated him, along with other futuristic settings, later, like with Mobius' seminal work on Hevey Metal Magazine, something that you had learned also did reviews about Carries Metal Album, and called here the Queen of Scream.
It was a deserved nickname, but you also knew it made things interesting.
But with Dave Alister's world-building it went far beyond the simple factors of a new Sci-fi dystopia that had a futuristic edge that was cynical and pessimistic. It was a world that was slowly falling apart around the seams, of greed, unbridled corporate control, of people beginning to lose their minds into apathy. The World was gone and replaced by one of sterile and colorless. Filled with War intrigue, and destruction.
With the nascent internet, some increased, global Arptnet, something that only a few had access was now connecting the entire world with data, and the Netrunners can do anything to get access to it, through espionage, through journalism, and sometimes through sheer fucking insanity, like trying to destroy it with artificial intelligences.
It was almost too bleak, like George Orwell's 1984, only with a neon coat of paint… and with the all-seeing eye of the state replaced by those that were to consume everything and control everything.
But it was too dark, for both Mike and Dave, cause they knew that with adversity, came great art.
Then came the music. The culture that rose from this world, with Anarchistic Rockers preaching death to their corporate overlords while backing up their insane lyrical symphonies of intensity and love before blasting the fuckers with Molotovs and shotguns.
The Movies and actors, something you took great pride in implementing, were titans that could shape the public message, and even do insane things… like be actual spies, mercs, and corpo rats.
It was fun to think people can now act out their fantasies of playing Bruce O'Brian… which is also creepy.
But the world of Cyberpunk had millions of potential choices for cybernetic upgrades. Bio upgrades and DNA splicing. Fighting in Zero Grav, on vehicles… Space ships and space stations…
All while trying to keep your humanity… A humanity that is harder to keep in a world falling apart… but one that should be fought for without any hesitation.
Those two created a world that was fun and where adventures of a thousand different sorts could happen.
And the preset characters, Johnny Silverhand, Morgan Blackhand, Wayland Boa Boa, Alt Cunningham… Joseph Mallory (A personal favorite, you knew that Mike and Dave made him after you, seeing as you were the biggest badass in the film industry, and a fitting tribute to your father), was all fun and exciting.
Now if only Mike would stop making Johnny the main character in his preset stories. Like you get it, he's his favorite character… but that doesn't mean the world of Night City should revolve around him.
And speaking of Night City. The Art was gorgeous and the city was fully realized with maps, districts, and history that would be explored if you could.
-------------------------------
And the Gaming public loved it. It was still a small niche group of people, but people saw the name Lucasfilms on the cover and sought to buy it up, and they were happy with it.
There was praise, and people also took time to write fan mail to Mike asking lore questions… or Dave, but mostly to praise his world-building.
And a lot of new people seemed to be joining clubs to play. Because it was also deep, but also incredibly simple to play.
Unfortunately, the Moral Guardians decided to boycott the book and prevent it from being sold.
All it did was promote sex, violence, and moral degeneracy, calling the book "A game for Drug Dealers and Degenerates."
But they were a minority, some people deciding that the system was complicated and not for beginners.
Yet Mike was happy. Both Mikes. Mike Eisner wanted to have another system and book ready in 2 years.
And Mike Pondsmith looked at you with Dave next to him, with Tiajana Takedown ready… He wanted Cyberpunk to get the Lucasfilm treatment on screen.
This was the early days, back when D&D was fighting the Satanic Panic that largely sprang from one of its early players having a public mental breakdown that led to his demise [a firearm was involved, and is infamously referred to as the Steam Tunnel Incident at Michigan State], and disgustingly media exploitation in the form of Mazes and Monsters [worst Tom Hanks movie] that somehow the aggrieved mother agreed to [she became one of the most fervent crusaders against D&D and the founder of BADD], so directly comparing the two during this timeframe would have been impossible.
Is it likely this would have taken D&D's place as America's most maligned TTRPG in this timeline? Probably, but the rolls suggest everybody can tell who the outcriers this time around are: Karens Busybodies who need to touch grass and get a job.
I do hope that kid got the help he needed in this timeline though.
So...
how feasible might it be to go for creating a fantasy western style RPG that has a central mechanic being spell crafting and a knowledge/lore currency?
When Mike Pondsmith first joined with R.Taulson Games in tow, you had been a little bit… afraid at what he wanted to do. He wanted to create a game, a world, and a universe that was deeply rich in lore, in its themes, and above all else fun.
That was Mikes's main goal, of course, to do something fun. See when he began writing the world back in 78, he had slowly come into contact with several key things. One of them was a thrown-out script from Philip K Dicks Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep… or as it was known by its production and real name… Blade Runner. It was a script that had captivated him, along with other futuristic settings, later, like with Mobius' seminal work on Hevey Metal Magazine, something that you had learned also did reviews about Carries Metal Album, and called here the Queen of Scream.
It was a deserved nickname, but you also knew it made things interesting.
But with Dave Alister's world-building it went far beyond the simple factors of a new Sci-fi dystopia that had a futuristic edge that was cynical and pessimistic. It was a world that was slowly falling apart around the seams, of greed, unbridled corporate control, of people beginning to lose their minds into apathy. The World was gone and replaced by one of sterile and colorless. Filled with War intrigue, and destruction.
With the nascent internet, some increased, global Arptnet, something that only a few had access was now connecting the entire world with data, and the Netrunners can do anything to get access to it, through espionage, through journalism, and sometimes through sheer fucking insanity, like trying to destroy it with artificial intelligences.
It was almost too bleak, like George Orwell's 1984, only with a neon coat of paint… and with the all-seeing eye of the state replaced by those that were to consume everything and control everything.
But it was too dark, for both Mike and Dave, cause they knew that with adversity, came great art.
Then came the music. The culture that rose from this world, with Anarchistic Rockers preaching death to their corporate overlords while backing up their insane lyrical symphonies of intensity and love before blasting the fuckers with Molotovs and shotguns.
The Movies and actors, something you took great pride in implementing, were titans that could shape the public message, and even do insane things… like be actual spies, mercs, and corpo rats.
It was fun to think people can now act out their fantasies of playing Bruce O'Brian… which is also creepy.
But the world of Cyberpunk had millions of potential choices for cybernetic upgrades. Bio upgrades and DNA splicing. Fighting in Zero Grav, on vehicles… Space ships and space stations…
All while trying to keep your humanity… A humanity that is harder to keep in a world falling apart… but one that should be fought for without any hesitation.
Those two created a world that was fun and where adventures of a thousand different sorts could happen.
And the preset characters, Johnny Silverhand, Morgan Blackhand, Wayland Boa Boa, Alt Cunningham… Joseph Mallory (A personal favorite, you knew that Mike and Dave made him after you, seeing as you were the biggest badass in the film industry, and a fitting tribute to your father), was all fun and exciting.
Now if only Mike would stop making Johnny the main character in his preset stories. Like you get it, he's his favorite character… but that doesn't mean the world of Night City should revolve around him.
And speaking of Night City. The Art was gorgeous and the city was fully realized with maps, districts, and history that would be explored if you could.
-------------------------------
And the Gaming public loved it. It was still a small niche group of people, but people saw the name Lucasfilms on the cover and sought to buy it up, and they were happy with it.
There was praise, and people also took time to write fan mail to Mike asking lore questions… or Dave, but mostly to praise his world-building.
And a lot of new people seemed to be joining clubs to play. Because it was also deep, but also incredibly simple to play.
Unfortunately, the Moral Guardians decided to boycott the book and prevent it from being sold.
All it did was promote sex, violence, and moral degeneracy, calling the book "A game for Drug Dealers and Degenerates."
But they were a minority, some people deciding that the system was complicated and not for beginners.
Yet Mike was happy. Both Mikes. Mike Eisner wanted to have another system and book ready in 2 years.
And Mike Pondsmith looked at you with Dave next to him, with Tiajana Takedown ready… He wanted Cyberpunk to get the Lucasfilm treatment on screen.
Pretty preem to see 2013 be a grand success Choom. Sure it's not Star Wars numbers, but this is the birth of nerd culture and tabletops are a really infant industry so this was probably as best as we could and by my guess we probably got a couple million fans which is a hell of a lot larger than Cyberpunk's fandom ever was until the release of 2077 so that's a good story. Like the more optimistic elements and the emphasis on still fighting for this broken world instead of just saving your soul as in OTL. Looking forward to the adventures of Joseph Mallory and how Lucasfilms is as a Cyberpunk Megacorp in the lore.
So I'm probably going to jump in with my own lore additions and expansions and lorebooks in the future, but one thing I want to make clear is that I'm staking my claim to writing the pitch for Cyberpunk 2013. Have the pitch in my mind for months now and I'm really eager to give it a shot though help is welcome. Basically the climax features Never Fade Away with the main story focused on Sasha Yakoleva who exists in 2013 instead of 2075 and her life in Night City and the beginnings of her Edgerunner career where she bumps into many of the early greats of the series and sees the best and worst of Cyberpunk life.
