Many of us growing up read about a band of ring-bearing superheroes who fought evil across 3600 sectors of space (and many of us still do). We have shared in their adventures, cheered at their triumphs and cried with their losses. But no matter what, they have overcome fear and self-doubt to become true heroes. The source of their power was an artifact that allowed them to do anything, depending on willpower and imagination. If you could imagine it, it could be done. The Gauntlet Alliance is much like these heroic ring-slingers. Like them, they wield a powerful artifact that can do anything, in this case a glove with a gem embedded in it, and they fight evil in thousands of planets. But that’s where the similarities end. Gauntlets are placed wherever they are needed, and if more are needed on some planets, then more are recruited. There is no central base of operations, and most Gauntlets have never even seen the enigmatic creators of the Alliance, the Masters. The Gauntlet Alliance Sourcebook is the first in a series of books detailing the first truly open source supers universe. You’ll see who the Gauntlets are, how the Alliance is organized, what powers they have, how Gauntlets utilizing different Gems (the real source of their power) differ in ability, who actively oppose them, Earth’s four stationed Gauntlets, and much more. The alliance is divided into four groups, depending on the gems they wield:Ruby Gauntlets are the fighters of the Alliance.Emerald Gauntlets represent hope, and are often Diplomats.Sapphire Gauntlets act as peacekeepers, stressing love as a means to an end.Amethyst Gauntlets signify truth, and are the spirit of the Alliance. And then there are the Diamond Gauntlets, the lost ones. At one time representing purity, they were slowly taken over by an evil force, and they became too pure, and their objective is to bring the entire universe under their rule.
The Sourcebook not only details the Alliance and all things about it, but also includes a role-playing system so you can jump in with your friends and start having your own adventures. About the Darkstar Supers Universe:I created the Darkstar Supers Universe years ago as a place for my characters to play, although they have showed up in fanfiction from time to time. However, I noticed other companies creating their own universes, oftentimes mirroring tropes from DC and Marvel Comics, either for storytelling or for role-playing games. These universes are meant to emulate those comics, but like DC and Marvel, those universes are also closed, protected by copyrights and trademarks. I decided that people who want to tell stories about the Green Lantern Corps, the Avengers, the Justice League, the X-Men, and so on should not have to fear reprisement from big companies. Marvel created the Squadron Supreme to tell Justice League stories and DC created the Champions of Angor to tell Avengers stories. However, how many people want to create an entire universe just to tell similar stories? I decided that enough was enough, and I decided to make my years-long project open source. Now, without begging permission or paying royalties or any other hassles, you will now have a fully-realized supers universe that you can use to tell stories, make games, use in movies, even incorporate into your own universe, if you need some blanks filled. Whatever you want. The Gauntlets, like the Nova Corps (Marvel) and the Star Knights (Mutants & Masterminds RPG), are your way of telling the same kind of stories as the Green Lanterns.
–Mike Conway 12:19 PM GMT | Read comments(3)What is Heroes of Oz?
Way back in 1899, author L. Frank Baum wrote and published his magnum opus, the first fairy tale specifically for American children. He wanted to do away with lessons and bad images all the nightmares. Published in 1900, it was called “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
The book was an instant success and Baum was inundated with letters from fans. Five years later, he followed his fairy tale up with a sequel, “The Marvelous Land of Oz.” This book reintroduced the familiar characters from the first book and introduced new ones, like Jack Pumpkinhead and Princess Ozma.
After that, Baum wrote an Oz book each year. He tried to end the series and start another, even placing it in the same universe (Polychrome, the Rainbow’s daughter showed up in “Sky Island”). But it was not to be, and Baum went back to Oz, producing a total of 14 books before his death in 1919. The publishers hired other authors to continue the series, and people got their yearly dose of Oz. 40 books total were published.
There’s a saying that “If you scratch and Oz fan, you’ll find an Oz book inside.” Truer words were never spoken. Oz seems to have the quality to inspire. over 200 books today have been written by fans returning again and again to the magical fairyland.
Heroes of Oz Role-Playing Game and Guidebook is the next step in Oz fiction. With a role-playing game (RPG), you and a few other players can make your own characters and take them on adventures. One player takes the role of the Historian, who guides the other players. This makes for an immersive experience greater than any video game, because you can do (or at least try) anything.
“Heroes of Oz” is written by Mike Conway (that would be me) and Bruce Gray, a true Oz scholar. Bruce took the task of creating a comprehensive history and gazetteer of Oz, and I took care of the rules, and made sure they made for easy play and fast character creation. With a prepared adventure (the rulebook has one for you), you can be up and running in a half hour.
I’m in the process of getting the main Heroes of Oz website rebuilt, after it was lost by our last web host. We’re planning a slew of stuff to help you and get you going. keep coming back or subscribe for more.
–Mike Conway 12:16 PM GMT | Read comments(0)A Day of Fudge!
On June 6, Fudge will be played around the world! For those caught unawares, Fudge is the engine that runs some of the games we will be publishing, and it’s easy to build characters with, and to run games with. It’s also my favorite system.
June 6 is the International Day of Fudge, and Darkstar Eclectic Media will be participating in Colorado Springs, Co. More than likely, I’m going to run either a game based off of Heroes of Oz (most likely) or some pulp adventure. Keep coming back for more details.