Five Terribe Cultclassic Eghties Sword, Sorcery, & Science Fantasy Films That We Love

If your into Sword & Sorcery flicks there's a certain how shall we say this level that the gets crossed right after 1985's Red Sonja film.



In the desperate quest to find films that the players haven't heard of there was a line that used to get crossed by old school dungeon masters who came into the video store I worked in back in the 90's in Boston. Those poor desperate souls who went searching to the far shores of Europe & Italy for there sword & sorcery fare. The Italians God bless their hearts made some of the most cheese ball films in the Sixties, Seventies, & Eighties. They did it with gusto but beware these are relics of a lost age that should not be sought out by the weak of heart. There's always been that cross point between science fantasy & post apocalyptic films.
There are flicks that should be classified as weapons of mass destruction of celluloid. First up is Yor: The Hunter From The Future which is based on a decent comic book property from Argentina back in 74 by by writer Eugenio Zappietro and artist Juan Zanotto. 

The original Seventy Four graphic novel series shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as the 83 film. Sorry but even though Yor has a cult following, its still a wholly separate entity from the '74 comic series. Still the film is by itself in a class all of its own but personally seek out the graphic novels which are far more worth your time.

This next one is has been on the fringes a long time, I'm talking about Hundra  a 1983 Italian-Spanish fantasy film directed by Matt Cimber and starring Laurene Landon. This is one of those Amazon pictures with an incredibly weird history. It's a rollicking good sword & sorcery flick with Amazons front and center. Its got a Ennio Morricone soundtrack worth the price of admission.   

On the flip side of this equation is the post apocalyptic films of , Enzo G. Castellari. Especially his1982 film, 1990: The Bronx Warriors is an Italian film with all of the makings of an old school campaign. Its sort of like Escape From New York on an Italian budget. But its an old favorite of mine & the number of times its been in the VHS player is shameful in my house. Enzo Castellari has been churning out post apocalyptic & grind house exploitation films longer then I've been on Earth. His stuff was always on tap for a more adult Gamma World first & second edition campaign.

The 1990 The Bronx Warriors was followed up with 'Escape From The Bronx'; "A rag-tag group of people must fight extermination squads amid their ruined city.". That's pretty much the entire plot of the film but its really bad/good Eighties fun from '83. These films were recently released by Blue Underground again & number of cult classic video companies a few years ago.In fact there's a great website with a ton of stuff for the fans of these films. 
These might not be great films but they sure were fun. 

Recently I got into an old Eighties title called Wizards of the Lost Kingdom which comes from Eighty five and while it has a horrid IMDB rating was one of those films that seemed be on an endless loop on Cinemax way back when.
"Simon, son of the wizard, must flee when the empire is overthrown by the evil Shurka. Schooled in the arts of magic, he must find the Ring of Magic and the Sword of Power and defeated the wizard who killed his father. He is joined in his quest by  the swordmaster Kor, his faithful creature Gulfax, and the Forest Wizard Hurla."

This might be that lower tier of films that I would use for a Crimson Dragon Slayer 1.1 game campaign. The tongue is firmly planted in cheek with this film. The acting is horrendous, the plot terrible, the special effects are not that special but the whole product would make an excellent campaign.
Each of  these films marks a period in both old school gaming & film making that made people groan but gave us hours of amusement as well as entertainment.

Nineteen Seventy Five OD&D Campaign Movie Memories - 'The Equinox... A Journey into the Supernatural' 1970 For Supernatural Sunday

So last night I got together with my OSR systems guy ( you know that guy at the table who knows rpg & OSR systems back to front) and we started talking about the Evil Dead. Joe was surprised to learn that Evil Dead isn't as original as many folks think. The film was inspired by The Equinox... A Journey into the Supernatural'  Where the hell do I begin with The Equinox... A Journey into the Supernatural', I'm trying to think what year I had it plastered into my brain in a New York State ' Drive In' by baby sitter and her friends?  It might have been '74 or '75. First of all the this is schlock film with wooden acting, fantastic weird stop motion, and lots of action to keep the whole affair moving.  Is there a OD&D connection? Well for us back in 1975 yeah there was!



The Equinox... A Journey into the Supernatural' has a plot straight out of pulp magazines of the 1930's;"Equinox (also known as The Equinox... A Journey into the Supernatural, and released on home video as The Beast^[1]) is a 1970 American independent horror film directed by Dennis Muren and Jack Woods, and starring Edward Connell, Barbara Hewitt, Frank Bonner and award-winning science fiction/horror writer Fritz Leiber. The plot focuses on four teenagers having a picnic in the canyons of California who stumble upon an ancient book containing secrets of a strange world that exists alongside humans, and consequently unleash a plethora of evil creatures and monsters." Yes this sounds very familiar but the real stars of the film are the monsters, the special effects and the stop motion;"Made on a budget of a mere $6,500^[2][3] in 1967, Equinox initially gained a reputation as a midnight movie during its theatrical run, but has in later years been noted for its economical yet sophisticated use of stop-motion special effects and cel animation, which were provided by Dave Allen and Jim Danforth; the latter later worked on Flesh Gordon, in which he animated a giant monster similar to the ones in Equinox." 

For my dungeon master Jason way back in '77 this was an instrumental film as our party was called from beyond the gate to seal the unholy creatures and a crazy mix of Metamorphosis Alpha 1st edition & D&D was the result. It wasn't until years later that the first Evil Dead film hit the Drive In circuit that I recognized plot elements. But that's a post for another time, the film inspired the crew of Evil Dead in many ways;
Due to the similarities in their plots, Equinox is believed to have inspired Evil Dead, yet this has not been confirmed. It was seen by members of the crew of Evil Dead before production:

"I had seen Equinox at least twice in drive-ins before making Evil Dead. I don't recall having discussed it with [Evil Dead director] Sam Raimi, but the similarities are remarkable. I think they come from the low-budget nature of both films. That is, a few characters, an isolated, inexpensive location, and ambitious special effects. All in all, Equinox did inspire me to continue my goal of making movies. 'If they can do it...'" —Tom Sullivan, special effects and makeup artist for the Evil Dead movies, as quoted in the booklet included with the Criterion DVD set, "Backyard Monsters: Equinox and the Triumph of Love" by Brock Deshane.
For us we spent years in that campaign tracking Asmodeus and that damn book across the planes and wastelands. Characters were rolled up, ascended levels, only to die at the hands of that fiend. Yes it was a glorious campaign. It ended for me when my family moved back to Connecticut.

Years later I got to talk with Forrest Ackerman at a science fiction convention in '88 about The Equinox… A Journey into the Supernatural or as I knew it many years later as The Beast on VHS. He was happy that it had such an impact on a group of  young kids. 
Make no mistake this is a low budget cult film with lots of praise; "The film has been influential to the horror and sci-fi monster genres, receiving praise from filmmaker George Lucas and effects artist Ray Harryhausen;^[2] it was also noted as a main inspiration for Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead (1983).^[4] It was released on DVD by The Criterion Collection in 2006."
If you ever want to see this film grab the Criterion Collection which has both cuts of the film the original '67 student version and the recut theatrical version. "The audience to wonder if the story will ever continue and if Susan is still possessed by Asmodeus." yeah we didn't wonder we chased that aspect of that archdevil across the planes to get that book and we lost many characters along the way. As far as I know he's still out there & the Equinox might be breached at any time.

A Very Alpha Blue Rpg Christmas Adventure Encounter - Santa Clause ReConquers The Martians

This adventure picks up five years after the events of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Those unfamiliar with the plot of the cult classic film goes something like this according to Wiki;"

The story involves the people of Mars, including Momar ("Mom Martian") and Kimar ("King Martian"). They're worried that their children Girmar ("Girl Martian") and Bomar ("Boy Martian") are watching too much Earth television, most notably station KID-TV's interview with Santa Claus in his workshop at the North Pole. Consulting the ancient 800-year-old Martian sage Chochem (a Yiddish word meaning "genius"), they are advised that the children of Mars are growing distracted due to the society's overly rigid structure; from infancy, all their education is fed into their brains through machines and they are not allowed individuality or freedom of thought.

Chochem notes that he had seen this coming "for centuries", and says the only way to help the children is to allow them their freedom and be allowed to have fun. To do this, they need a Santa Claus figure, like on Earth. Leaving the Chochem's cave, the Martian leaders decide to abduct Santa Claus from Earth and bring him to Mars. As the Martians could not distinguish between all the fake Santas, they kidnapped two children to find the real one. Once this is accomplished, one Martian, Voldar, who strongly disagrees with the idea, repeatedly tries to kill Santa Claus along with the two kidnapped Earth children. He believes that Santa is corrupting the children of Mars and turning them away from Mars' original glory.

When they arrive on Mars, Santa and the children build a factory to make toys for the children. However, Voldar and his assistants, Stobo and Shim, sabotage the factory and change the programming so that it makes the toys incorrectly. Meanwhile, Dropo, Kimar's assistant, has taken a great liking to Santa Claus and Christmas, puts on one of Santa's spare suits and starts acting like Santa Claus. He goes to the toy factory to make toys, but Voldar mistakes him for Santa and kidnaps him.

When Santa and the children come back to the factory to make more toys, they discover the machines have been tampered with. Voldar and Stobo come back to the factory to make a deal with Kimar, but when they see the real Santa Claus they realize that their plan has been foiled. Dropo, held hostage in a cave, tricks his guard Shim and escapes. Kimar then arrests Voldar, Stobo and Shim. Santa notices Dropo acts like him, and says that Dropo would make a good Martian Santa. Kimar agrees to let Dropo be the Martian Santa Claus and sends Santa and the children back to Earth."

This adventure picks up the action five years on!  After the events of Santa Clause Conquers The Martians, Dropo was made the Martian Santa Claus. Unfortunately Voldar and his forces have escaped from the Martian penal colony on Phobos and want to off both Dropo and Santa Claus once again. He might just succeed this time as well.

Voldar the slippy bastard will try to escape the clutches of the PC's

The action picks up with the PC's relaxing in one of the many lounges aboard Alpha Blue after a hard week and a series of adventures. The PC's are out of money and luck having blown their treasure  wad on facilitator love and gambling and perhaps a bauble and some nifty equipment from one of the many pawn shops aboard the station. Other space scum before them have liquidated their hauls, equipment and weapons. Players should roll on one of the random equipment tables in Alpha Blue. As they contemplate the party's next move they encounter the ancient 800-year-old Martian sage Chochem whose come Alpha Blue looking for noble wizards warriors from far off worlds. Instead he's encountered your lot instead. You'll have to do, he has a cache of super science artifacts to offer as a reward worth about 30,000 gold pieces or at least 15,000 gold pieces. Chochem has a scroll of interstellar teleport without error back to the surface of Mars.


Meanwhile back on Mars, Voldar has recruited a number of outlaw Green Martians part of the Anti Christmas cult that has cropped up among the warrior clans. These bastards hate the fact that the holiday disrupts the war practice and the usual bloodletting among the youth of Mars. Depending upon the party's size most of the fighters will be of 3rd level fighters and warriors armed with sonic ray guns capable of doing 2d6 points of damage at a range of a thirty foot range. These weapons have at least six charges. Many of these space scum are of the Chaotic outlook and won't hesitate to murder anyone who gets in their way.


Voldar has the Martian Santa Claus stashed away in some ancient Martian ruins protected by some robotic guardians. These are some of the most loyal followers and flunkies the PC's will meet. They are of low intelligence and are part of the Robotic RUR 1401 union local. They're very dangerous because their incredibly strong and very single minded.
Martian Robotic units HD 10 (45hp); AC 7 [12]; Atk Pencer  (3d10); Move 8; Save 5; AL N; CL/XP 14/2600; Special: Immune to slashing  weapons, immune to most spells. Electrical systems vulnerable to water.


Dropo is being held in the lowest point of the former power station, his cell's energy bars are powered by an atomic radium cell. There are 1d6 random relics and tools scattered around the place. Dropo knows that Santa is being held in a bunker about two days ride from these ruins. He's a seventh level cleric of Santa Claus who belongs to a more Orthodox group of Santa believers. He knows Voldar's diabolic plan which involves a mind altering thought projector to beam his message of hate across the surface of Mars to the children! This will turn them against the spirit of the Christmas holiday! To add insult to injury the mind altering technology was stolen from the Alpha Blue facility.


  The bunker where Santa Claus is being held is heavy modified and has several of Voldar's minor Martian artifacts. As soon as Santa is released he will wish to return to the North Pole of Earth to save Christmas on both worlds. The bunker will be protected by 1d10 Martian fungus men armed with short swords, radium pistols which do 2d6  points of damage with each shot which has a twenty foot range and six charges. The average Martian fungus man has a level of three and are fighter types.  Santa Clause and Dropo will want to deliver presents AS soon as it can. The Children of Mars will be thrilled to have both their Santa back and the real one freed.



Note that most of the stats have been  generically done for a retro clone or AD&D style game, Alpha Blue can easily handle the conversions for all of the retroclone system stats. The PC's can return to Alpha Blue for arranging to sell those rare Martian relics that they happened to recover. Prices should be 3 times below market value though because of the fluctuating prices of the credit market. Dungeon Masters should be quite familiar with the public domain cult classic of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

It should also be noted that Alpha Blue is available for a hard copy for fifteen dollars from Amazon   and a fourteen dollar pdf

Should the PC's save Santa and Dropo the Martian Santa, the fat judgmental bastard will claim all of the credit should be his. After all it was only those PC's! Alpha Blue's facilities await and they can teleport back to the station for some much needed R & R.

The New Hateful Eight Movie By Quentin Tarantino As Old West Campaign Inspiration

What do you get with a gang of Old West hooligans right in the middle of an isolated adventure location out in the middle of nowhere squared with bloodshed and violence on their minds? Well you get is the film the Hateful Eight by Quentin Tarantino. We got the extended trailer today and it looks like a nasty piece of work.



So at some point today the new version of the Hateful Eight film trailer surfaced and I've been all over this film like stink on a corpse. There are some great reasons to be excited by this film. An all star cast is one of the first reasons, this is the second Western that features some fantastic images. The plot is straight out of a Sixties pulp Western film. But what does this film have to do Weird West role playing? Everything kids, everything in a nutshell. The Synopsis goes into a bit of the details of the film.

Synopsis:

In THE HATEFUL EIGHT, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…
Basically you've got a ready made movie to drop your own party of adventurers & desperadoes right into the thick of events and things happening.

What the Hateful Eight signals is the return of the pulp Western to the screens of movie theaters at a time when this genre needs a shot in the arm. This also means that people are going to be moving back into the Western role playing game. One of the simplest and easiest old school TSR to pick up was Boot Hill.



So basically everything you could want in a fast pick up old school Western adventure is loaded right into the front end of this movie. You've got a complete set of vile NPC characters waiting on cash and desecration in the middle of all of it is a great motivator for a mini campaign set against the events of something like this film's plot. This doesn't have to be a very complicated game adventure at all or rather it can be. The events and motives of the NPC's are outlined and then spun into play as the session plays out. Now when it comes to adding in more background to your favorite PC's? Well, AD&D first edition has always been a popular choice or you can go with for background. Or select one of the other fantastic games and retroclones I've outlined in this article HERE  .Now that being said, the Hill Canton's blog has some great resources for fast packing a group of NPC's or adventurers in the Old West very quickly with some killer tables that he had worked out. He also worked up a points system which could easily apply to this style of game. This poster below  for the film reminds me of something completely different though.



Now back to the movie for a second this sort of a film's plot has the potential for another completely off the wall style of adventure. Yes I'm actually thinking of the 1982 film the Thing. Eight people out in the middle of an isolated location caught in a blizzard and now combined it with Gamma World 1st or 2nd edition, you've got another adventure all together.

So already I'm saving my pennies and looking forward to seeing this little charming piece of the old ultra violence. Maybe its the snow and the location, the cast, and fact the Kurt Russell is in this one. But man I'm excited to see what we're in store for.

'Where The Bat Flies' A Weird Adventures Actual Play Event!

Tonight was a bit different, as I had a chance together together with Steve, his brother Mark, and their other brother in arms  Marcus. Marcus wished to return to the 'Weird Adventures.'  Noir sub-setting I did a few years ago called New Gomorrah. New Gomorrah's the kinda place that mom warned you about and the mob settled there via Interzone. It was also the place where Eric Anderson the son of the Bat had fled on a tramp steamer after murdering a thaumaturgist, his apprentice, and having stole several mystical relics from the mage in Staak. This wasn't the first time that the adventurers had been hired to trace down Anderson. Anderson was a completely amoral piece of work(adventurer, thief, & villain for hire) and unlike his dad was able to slip between the cracks in the planes. He took up the Bat mantle ten years ago and really went to town with the racket cutting a swath throughout the underworld of Staak. 

The rumor of course is that he's got his hands on a crystal skull among other wonderful little trinkets, he bribed the right people and slipped away to New Gomorrah. Now the adventurers were on his tale.

Eric Anderson aka The Bat
wanted for murder, robbery, and a host of other crimes

The adventurers were Elliot Nesmithian retired city detective whose worked for some of the best including Samael T. Hazard. Elliot was a wise cracking son of acre whose suit was cut to house a specially made  pair of pearl handled .45. He was retired army after the war and had served with 'The City' for twelve years before taking one in the leg. His partner was killed by the Bat in a botched jewelry store heist. Elliot has sworn vengeance. Steve's Fighter 5th level. 

Sin Fang 'The Sorceress Extraordinaire' - A lady adventuress of rare beauty and incredible talent. The Fangs are a Yian family renowned in magick for generations.Sin is considered 'odd' for turning her back on the family underworld business and becoming a magician of pretty high caliber. Sin had a radio program 'The Sorceress's Hour', that was until the Bat murdered her co host on live radio.Disgraced she swore vengeance and only last year came close to bringing Eric Anderson to justice. Since then she's taken on case after hard boiled case to track the son of a bitch down. Seventh  level wizard. Mark's PC 

Chattanooga Chad 'The Man With the Midas Touch' Chad was a locksmith before the War, in fact he was one of the very best, it didn't matter if it was mechanical, magical, or alchemical locks, traps, or mechanisms. The Chattanoogas were the very lock smiths and worked for various police departments, the Army, the Freedonian Rangers, until the faithful day when Eric Anderson murdered Chad's brother right in front of him in cold blood. The brothers were in the wrong place at the wrong time and between the Bat and a shipment of jewels. For ten years Chad has tracked the Bat across the planes and back to the City again.He's now a thief for hire on the side of right.  Mark's 5th level thief/adventurer. Amazing that three men can fall into each others company in a dry dusty bar out in the middle of a Freedonian border town. Now their on the trail of the Bat once again. And tonight they almost lost their lives!


In tonight's game they tracked the bastard to his hideout in a sub basement, instead they almost bought it as a Neo plastic blob  filled the place after one of the adventurers opened a closet and rolled a one. A dexterity check and suddenly one of the others grabbed him and pulled Chad away. His expensive shoe wasn't so lucky though. The menacing laughter filled the place and the bat flew the coop!

 New Gomorrah
New Gomorrah is the city at the center of the world, an alternative Eastern Sea board New York City filled with all of the elements of  the City and with the addition of masked vigilantes and adventurers. This is the quintessential  pulp city of so many dime novels. A place of high adventure, occult mystery, and strange mysteries and magic. Is it any wonder that the 'Bat' feels at home here? And its a place that comes into phase at night with both the City and the Beyond.


The city is host to its own brand of adventurers and heroes many times drifting in when the City's long shadows pull on the dimensional  fabric of  New Gomorrah allowing passage between the two worlds. Travel is infrequent, strange, and very dangerous and yet people do it as a matter of course.
More on New Gomorrah coming up soon.

Notes from Tonight's Game.
About ninety percent of tonight's adventure material came from Weird Adventure's author's blog From The Sorcerer's Skull Weird Adventures resource page over here. 

 Trey Causey makes some wonderful setting and gaming material be sure to check out his work with the Hydra Cooperative. 

Other items that appeared in tonight's game include items from the Smyth's & Jordon's Novelties Of Adventure catalog. These include Miracles of the Gnome Workshop Die Drop Table,  Wasteland Emporium & Wonderama Die Drop Table ,Magic Ring Die Drop Table & Potion Pill Die Drop Table

Five More Cultclassic Films As Fodder For The Crimson Dragon Slayer Rpg

So today I've been thinking about the Crimson Dragon Slayer Rpg and reading through the pulpy pst apocalyptic goodness that is the CR  rpg system. And back to my glory days of working in the video rental store back in Nineteen Ninety something. Which five other fantasy film would I pull from to bring some weirdly odd nostalgia into the world of Thule. Now the thing about Thule is that its instant recognizable from the usual tropes of D&D but with a ton of awesomeness that gotten thrown into the mix. Your PC's are survivors from the 80's who have been transformed into POA survivors. But the game just begs for 80's weirdness to get tossed in to the deep end of this game system. So right off the top of my head here's what I came up with. 

Grab Crimson Dragon Slayers Right
HERE 

So when we're looking into Crimson Dragon Slayer the DM is walking a fine line between nostalgia and sheer high weirdness. The game does this balance very well and Thule really needs to get more of edge on treatment in how it handles itself. Reference Back To The Future is one thing but playing around with the usual tropes of the Eighties is another. For example using one of my favorite true fantasy films from the 1980's. The Never Ending Story has for some folks all of the charm and wit of the 80's fantasy films right at its center. The books are far,far better but that's alright we're more concerned here about the film. 

The Never Ending Story 1984 

So the basic outline in the Never Ending Story has a plot according to Wiki that goes something like this :
Bastian Balthazar Bux (Barret Oliver), a shy and friendless bibliophile child, hides in a bookstore, interrupting the grumpy bookseller, Mr. Coreander (Thomas Hill). Bastian asks about one of the books he sees, but Mr. Coreander advises against it; despite which, Bastian seizes the book, leaving a note promising to return it, and hides in the school's attic to read. The book describes the world of Fantasia threatened by a force called "The Nothing"; wherefore the Childlike Empress (Tami Stronach) who rules over Fantasia has fallen ill, and has summoned Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) to discover the cure. Atreyu is therefore given AURYN. As Atreyu sets out, the Nothing summons Gmork(voiced by Alan Oppenheimer), a werewolf, to kill Atreyu.
When we look at the dire force behind the world spanning affairs in Fantasia. That's really the DM's ticket here. You see the 'Nothing' wasn't exactly pulling out all of its forces right on Atreyu and the Child Empress, instead there were still dark forces that threatened that world. Enter the PC's to help mop up the left over horrors that still lurk on the edges of Fantasia and Thule. Plenty of opportunity to mix in the real world of The Never Ending Story with the high fantasy pop corner  of the film. 
Speaking of working around films and adventure opportunity, the film Time Bandits is another film whose loose ends can easily be exploited full for the DM to involve his PC's from the Crimson Dragon Slayer game. Did all those pieces of evil simply round themselves up and collect themselves into those rubbish bins by the Supreme Being? I don't think so. I think that the very clever and kindly looking Supreme Being whisks the adventurers away from Thule to help clean up the mess. There's also potential for dungeon exploitation by finding out if the weird head vile villain is really gone by exploring that massive castle at the center of the setting. 
Time Bandits 1981 

Erik The Viking 1983 
Plenty of opportunities here as well, the PC's get called in to help fill in some of the gaping plot holes and keep getting shafted by Erik and his crew of misfits. They still gain the treasure and experience but they keep getting shafted by the gods who use them as an adventuring clean up crew. 

You can find more information about this one right Here

This sort of campaign can walk the line between comedic and adventure. The high weirdness factor of the film certainly fits in with CR's feel. And the none pc nature is in keeping with some of the material that one finds in game. Lots of famous and infamous bits and pieces of legend and mythology make their way in and out of this one.
This isn't a well known film which makes it perfect fodder for adventure creation. 

Big Trouble In Little China 1986 
Lots of potential here and this all begins and ends with two characters, one is Egg Shan and the other is the Oni Troll. There is a history between Lo Pan and Egg Shan stretching back quite a few years.  I get the impression that Jack Burton is only one in a very long line of heroes that the little sorcerer has used to battle the forces of Lo Pan over the years. 

Could the forces of Lo Pan have threatened other worlds in the past? Was he reduced in power since the glory day's of China's mythological period? I think so and in fact that I'd go so far as to say that Thule might be next and that the PC's are in for a very rough ride. And what about that underworld in BTILC? That place is perfect to bring in adventurers to face down the forces of darkness and shake the pillars of Heaven.

Here's another not so quick choice that comes to mind when we're talking about Crimson Dragon Slayer. Flash Gordon from 1980. Yeah, this might not seem like the obvious choice at first but Mongo has a ton to offer. Besides a killer soundtrack, the film has a great world to threaten Thule with. Lizardmen, Hawkmen diving from the skies, War Rocket Ajax, imperial Mongo kinkiness, and its an icon of the 1980's just waiting to be plundered!
Flash Gordon 1980 

Because its going to be the last thing that players are going to be expecting. Flash Gordon has a ton to offer. There is plenty of megadungeon its and lots of sci fi adventure just waiting to be added into the world of Thule and let's not mention that there are ton's of gadgets, NPC's, treasures, and more. 

Five Cultclassic Eighties Fantasy Films As Fodder For Crimson Dragon Slayer Campaigns

Well, Venger Satanis  released Crimson Dragon Slayers what seems like an eternity and it sits on my hard drive mocking me. But the pulpy and weird adventure apocalyptic world of 80's awesomeness called Thule is a bit of a conundrum for me. What sort of campaign is going to work for Thule when your 80's stereotype is transported to a world dripping with pulpy gobs of danger and adventure around every corner. What do you do? Well you turn to the awesome films of the 80's for help.Here are five possible candidates for adding a bit more weirdness and nostalgia echo to Thule. I chose five films that are not the usual sword and sorcery films that get slapped onto every list of Appendix N fodder.

Grab Crimson Dragon Slayers Right
HERE 

So right off the bat is one of the classic vampire flicks of all time. Lost Boys 1987  brings a ton of stuff to the table that can be mined to create some very interesting and compelling adventure fodder. Re skinning the locations, characters,etc. can turn this film into an instant campaign jump start.

The village of San Demingo has a problem with vampires and the PC's have stumbled upon this little corner of paradise. Well at least at least until sun set when the vampires come out like flying nuns. A series of caverns around the coastline hide a mega dungeon secret or two. Put the Lost Boys soundtrack and let your imagination run wild.

Vacation 1983

Look hear me out before you go dismissing this film right out of hand. Take the family from this classic comedy lock, stock and two smoking NPC's and add them right into the background of Thule. Then reskin the Los Angeles amusement park Walley World, billed as "America's Favorite Family Fun Park" as a megadungeon run by your favorite dementated monster or demon lord and your set ready to go. Add in traps and classic fantasy tropes as needed. For even more fun add in bits of barely recognizable Advanced Dungeons and Dragons cartoon bits as needed. 


Fun for the whole party awaits in this re skinned classic with classic adventure bits for the whole family.

Legend 1985 
The Fey have come to Thule for a little fun and to challenge a demon lord whose going to shut off the sun. Weirdness and demonic hi jinks await the party as the entire world is a frozen snow globe of goblins,elves, and fey awaiting the party of adventures. Or is it? Could all of this epic weirdness be happening inside some wizard's snow globe and all of this epicness being nothing more then a trick by a demon lord?

. 

There's enough milage in this film for at least three different campaigns for Crimson Dragon Slayers. And enough challenges, treasures, and boldness to mine this one for months of play.

     Beetlejuice 1988 

What happens when the dead of the 80's get miss placed into the background of Thule? Can they adapt to a world of fantasy awesomeness? Will they be able to escape the vast desert that surrounds their afterlife? Will the sand worms claim your adventurers or will they joined those living challenged NPC's? Are there answers to these questions in the megadungeons of the afterlife of the ghost with the most? Only your DM can answer these questions and how will things ever be the same again? 

Crank up the VCR and let your ideas flow and bleed into Thule changing and modifying this world of pulp adventure to suit your twisted needs.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit 1988 
Classic toons, toon town, weird characters, twisted NPC's and lots of fun is what this film has to offer. Adding in toons to Thule brings home the twisted strangeness of the location. And there's plenty of opportunity to have tongue planted firmly in cheek with this one. Add in random adventure locations as Toon town bleeds into Thule at random intervals. Maybe there's an H.P. Lovecraft's  Dreamland connection or some lost child has suddenly found themselves in Thule and brought a bit of Toon town with them.

Don't be too quick to dismiss this Eighties classic film of animated fun, there's lots of weirdness to mine as you realize that much of this film offers some truly interesting and unique NPC's if some of the background of Toon town is researched and explored. These films offer some really strange and interesting ideas to add into as solo or one shot adventures or unique encounters for Thule. 

Five Cult Classic Post Apocalyptic Films For Fodder For Your Old School Wasteland Campaign

In no particular order are five of my all time favorites for your old school wasteland and post apocalyptic campaigns. As always your mileage may vary. 

1974's Zardoz With Sean Connery in hooker boots. Because the gun is good. Com'n this film is a classic post apocalyptic potboiler 

Damnation Alley 1977 is pure science fantasy gold from the killer monster truck the Land Master to the Hills have Eyes cannibal hill billies.

The film is so far reaching of an influence that it even appeared as a special encounter in the Fallout video game series as well. 

The Omega Man is another classic film that has so much going for it, from the killer weird plague scenes, to the 70's survival mode of the film. Simply a great flick to borrow themes and such. 

This has some pretty damn dark undertones but it is a great flick to use for looting ideas for PA games. Stacks of 70's status symbols for the taking. Dimensional door spells are great for this sort of adventure. 

Planet of The Apes is always one of my top lists of PA films, with so much to plunder and classic lines. The original has so much going for it.



The thing is that every time I've used this film I've had players who want an ape for a PC, because let's face it apes are cool. 

How much more classic does it get then with the original Logan's Run film. Self contained domed 70's cities, Sandmen, Runners,Box, and more this is one of the 70's classics

The film remains an old favorite and fortunately I own this one on DVD and VHS. A classic in every sense of the word.

Black Hole 'The Black Hole' 1979 Movie Concept Art Part II Peter Ellenshaw's Artwork as Inspiration For Your Old School Science Fiction Campaigns

A look at the USS Cynus from the Black Hole from 1979 by Peter Ellenshaw. 

  Peter Ellenshaw is a legendary matte painter and special effects designers from England, whose work embodied so many Disney classics and productions.
 

 According to Wiki: 

William Samuel Cook "Peter" Ellenshaw (May 24, 1913 – February 12, 2007) was an English matte designer and special effects creator who worked on manyDisney features. Born in London, he moved to America in 1953.

His first worked in matte painting for producer Alexander Korda on such films as Things to Come (1936), and later on such Powell and Pressburger productions as Black Narcissus (1947) assisting his mentor W. (Walter) Percy Day. A few years later, while still based in Europe, he began to work for Hollywood studios. He worked for MGM on Quo Vadis (1951), but his most extensive association was with Walt Disney Studios beginning with their first completely live action feature film, Treasure Island (1950). He went on to work on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and Mary Poppins (1964), for which he won an Academy Award. He retired after his work on The Black Hole (1979), but contributed matte paintings for Dick Tracy (1990). His son Harrison is also an Academy Award-winning effects designer.

After Peter Ellenshaw retired from the film business, he dedicated his life to his passion for fine art painting. Numerous works were created, of both Disney Fine Artand non-Disney themed subjects, which have been highly collected. He was named a Disney Legend in 1993

The artwork from the production represents a Seventies aesthetic of science fiction old school goodness that would come to be appreciated by a number of fans of the old cult Disney film. 
You can find even more wonderful artwork right over  HERE at Peter Ellenshaw official website.

'The Black Hole' 1979 Movie Concept Art of Robert McCall as Inspiration For Your Old School Science Fiction Campaigns

   Robert McCall was one of the premiere sci fi artists of all times who got his start in Life magazine in the 1960's. The gentleman worked on some of the best sci fi of the 70's and 80's including films such as Star Trek The Motion picture and the Black hole. Mr. McCall passed on in 2010 but his legacy lives on. You can learn more about this fabulous artist right over HERE

                      
Its only recently that I've discovered his incredible artwork on one of my all time favorite films 'The Black Hole' and 2001 A Space Odyssey. 

This legacy of artwork included things like designs for V.I.N.C.E.N.T

And the various incarnations of  the star ship U.S.S. Palomino

 More versions of the Palomino.

You can find more of this incredible artwork for this master artist over on his official web page right over
HERE