Spirit of the Century: Drunkards and Daredevils
From UTRPG
A new game started spring 2007. This is a pick-up game, which means that whatever players show up can participate in the game, and most adventures will be concluded in one session. This is helped by the fast game play system.
[edit] Game play
[edit] Setting
This is the real world, or one very much like it, in 1923.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Alex
| Elliot Royce, butter-fingered magician | |
|---|---|
| Phase 1: | Faster than the eye, Idle Hands |
| Phase 2: | Bluffing Blind, monkey business |
| Mentor: | Tobar the gypsy |
| Novel: | Elliot Royce and the Lightning Machine of Paris |
| Phase 3: | Caught in the Act, Own Worst Enemy |
| Guest star in John Howard and Mr. Smith's Four Daughters | |
| Phase 4: | The show must go on, Pants come first |
| Guest star in Friar Takanawa and the Diamond in the Jungle | |
| Phase 5: | Mystic Malady, "Oopsie" |
| Skills: |
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| Stunts: |
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[edit] Dat
| Rex McBuff, a time traveller | |
|---|---|
| Phase 1: | "Well that's a great idea and all, but I prefer a roundhouse kick to the face", Getting by on a shoestring |
| Phase 2: | "It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it", Shellshock |
| Mentor: | His future self |
| Other sections will be filled in shortly. | |
| Skills: |
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| Stunts: |
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[edit] Dave
| Milo Phobos | |
|---|---|
| Childhood: Growing up in the cult | |
| Aspects: | The Cult of Nod, Secrets of the Inner Circle |
| The Great War: Both sides against the middle | |
| Mentor: Dr. Wolfgang Straussenpfeiffer | |
| Aspects: | Behind Enemy Lines, Suppressed Memories |
| Milo Phobos vs. the Unseen Ape-Men of Mars | |
| Aspects: | "Just follow your nose", The Scion of Baal |
| Guest star in John Howard and Mr. Smith's Four Daughters | |
| Aspects: | "Let there be light", Shadows of the Past |
| Guest star in Melvin Maverick vs. the Throng of Intelligent Apes | |
| Aspects: | Secret Passageways, ___ |
| Skills: |
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| Stunts: |
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[edit] Eric S
| Melvin Maverick | |
|---|---|
| Phase 1: | "Anything God can do, I can do better", Deep Sleeper |
| Mentor: | Sir Alexander Fleming |
| Phase 2: | Own Guinea Pig, Recognized by Royalty |
| Novel: | Melvin Maverick vs. the Throng of Intelligent Apes |
| Phase 3: | "Intelligent Animals Cross the Line", The Timer Blinks 00:01 |
| Guest star in Milo Phobos vs. the Unseen Ape-Men of Mars | |
| Phase 4: | Extra-terrestrial Experience, "Science, the cause of and solution to all life's problems" |
| Guest star in Jack Hustler and the Great Indian Graveyard Robbery | |
| Phase 5: | Rush Production, Insatiable Apatite |
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| Stunts: |
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Melvin's Electronic Tracking System (METS)
[edit] Eric Z
| Masuyo "Friar" Takanawa, the Shinto-Jesuit Fighting Monk | |
|---|---|
| Phase 1: | Bastard, Engrish |
| Phase 2: | Catholic!, ___ |
| Mentor: | Friar ___ (not named yet) |
| Novel: | Friar Takanawa and the Diamond in the Jungle |
| Phase 3: | ___, ___ |
| Guest star in Derek Dynamo and the Dynasty of Doom | |
| Phase 4: | "The Power Of Christ Compels You!", ___ |
| Guest star in Elliot Royce and the Lightning Machine of Paris | |
| Phase 5: | Righteous!, ___ |
| Skills: |
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[edit] Jon
| John Howard, the Ne'er-do-well from HMSS | |
|---|---|
| Phase 1: | "You're not the boss of me", Cheeky Bastard |
| Phase 2: | Daring Deeds, "What you need is a drink" |
| Mentor: | Alex Richmond, infantry officer of His Majesty's army |
| Novel: | John Howard and Mr. Smith's Four Daughters |
| Phase 3: | Smooth Operator, Out the Back Door |
| Guest star in Friar Takanawa and the Diamond in the Jungle | |
| Phase 4: | Living in the Rough, Hair of the Dog |
| Guest star in Duncan Dirk in the Forbidden City | |
| Phase 5: | Girl in every Port, Heaven's Fortune/Pointy (Sword) |
| Skills: |
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| Stunts: |
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[edit] Mike
| Derek Dynamo, two-fisted pilot | |
|---|---|
| Phase 1: | "I can get this thing to go faster", Talks out loud to himself |
| Phase 2: | "I can't let him get away", Lived on roots & grubs |
| Mentor: | Surrey Storm, killed in a dogfight. |
| Novel: | Derek Dynamo and the Dynasty of Doom! |
| Phase 3: | Violet Fever, "You hit like a girl" |
| Guest star in Duncan Dirk in the Forbidden City | |
| Phase 4: | Deliverance (personal aircraft), "Shut up and follow me!" |
| Guest star in John Howard and Mr. Smith's Four Daughters | |
| Phase 5: | Highly protective of Deliverance, A Friend in Need |
| Skills: |
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[edit] Prince
| Duncan d'Agostino "Darkfoot" Dirk | |
|---|---|
| Phase 1: | Scrappy, Ear to the Ground |
| Phase 2: | Rear Echelon Mofo, Cynic |
| Mentor: | Sgt Claymore, gone missing behind enemy lines |
| Novel: | Duncan Dirk in the Forbidden City |
| Phase 3: | Connected to Triads, Danger magnet |
| Guest star in Elliot Royce and the Lightning Machine of Paris | |
| Phase 4: | Lightning-Phobic, Gumshoe |
| Guest star in Derek Dynamo and the Dynasty of Doom | |
| Phase 5: | Goes native, ___ |
| Skills: |
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| Stunts: |
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[edit] Tim
| Jack Hustler | |
|---|---|
| Phase 1: | Cowboy, Daddy's boy |
| Phase 2: | Not a People Person, "Let's see you dance!" |
| Mentor: | Milton John, hustler and bank robber |
| Novel: | Jack Hustler and the Great Indian Graveyard Robbery |
| Phase 3: | Afraid of Ghosts, ___ |
| Guest star in Duncan Dirk in the Forbidden City | |
| Phase 4: | Forgive and Forget, ___ |
| Guest star in Elliot Royce and the Lightning Machine of Paris | |
| Phase 5: | ___, ___ |
| Skills: |
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[edit] Novels
[edit] Derek Dynamo and the Dynasty of Doom!
- Starring Derek Dynamo
- Featuring Friar Takanawa and Duncan "Darkfoot" Dirk
Derek Dynamo defends aeromechanical secrets from the dastardly Dynasty of Doom! Chasing the fiends across the globe to their lair in the dark jungles of the Congo, he contracts the horrifying Violet Fever which spurs him on to great feats of strength while he fights the Dynasty with one fist and demons of the fever with the other. He is joined by the sagacious Friar Takanawa, who helps Derek devastatingly destroy his demons while scavenging the jungles of the Congo for the legendary Heart of Darkness, and converting the heathens... at the heel of his sandals. Drawn into dangers in the dark jungles is Duncan d'Agostino "Darkfoot" Dirk, determined to drive out the devious demons and dally with delightfully dazzling damsels.
[edit] Duncan Dirk in the Forbidden City
- Starring Duncan "Darkfoot" Dirk
- Featuring Derek Dynamo , John Howard , Jack Hustler
There's trouble in Kowloon, and once again Dirk is in the middle of it! Can he stay ahead of the secret societies, or will he be doused in their plot for world domination? When captured by Triad toughs, Duncan Dirk must turn to his old chum Derek Dynamo for an expedient rescue and escape from the Orient. Along the way out they meet John Howard on a drinking tour of the east, who provides drunken cover for the daring duo. Needing a place to hide, Duncan turns to his onetime adversary Jack Hustler to hide him, while he plans his next move...
[edit] Elliot Royce and the Lightning Machine of Paris
- Starring Elliot Royce
- Featuring Duncan "Darkfoot" Dirk , Friar Takanawa , Jack Hustler
Royce attempts to steal Doc Alan Bray's machine and is hounded by Perry Shay from London to Paris, ending at the Eiffel Tower. Shady and sinister private eye Duncan Dirk follows close behind... will he catch Royce, and what's with his new hairdo? Meanwhile, the pious Friar Takanawa investigates reports of a machine that calls down the power of God. Royce, hounded left and right, calls in an expert to help him out of his sticky situation. That expert is Jack Hustler...
[edit] Jack Hustler and the Great Indian Graveyard Robbery
- Starring Jack Hustler
- Featuring Duncan Dirk and Melvin Maverick
Jack Hustler, one of the greatest robbers of the early 20th century, has a plan to dig up gold that had been buried 20 years prior... in the middle of an Indian graveyard! It is a simple job, only a few dried-up old mystics guarding the area... or so he thinks. Unfortunately for him, one of the "mystics" is a scrappy detective, Duncan Dirk, who had "gone native" in his efforts to blend in. Just when things look a little dicey, Melvin Maverick brings in the cavalry. He and his two-headed hounds turn the tide of battle to the side of righteousness.
[edit] John Howard and Mr. Smith's Four Daughters
- Starring John Howard
- Featuring Elliot Royce , Derek Dynamo , Milo Phobos
John Howard returns from the war and hits London society. After short consideration London society hits back. Elliot Royce appears as drinking buddy and partner in exciting escapades, while seeking an assistant. Derek Dynamo offers expedient escape once again, and offers a little moral advice to Howard and Royce while he's about it. But when things go weird, only Milo Phobos has the know-how to dispel the dark shadows of the past.
[edit] Friar Takanawa and the Diamond in the Jungle
- Starring Friar Takanawa
- Featuring John Howard and Elliot Royce
At 20 Masuyo walked into the jungle. At 22 he walked out again, holding a jewel as bright as his visions for the future. Later on he meets John Howard, bereft of memory and married to a chieftain's daughter. Howard needs a divorce. Masuyo is a priest. Hilarity ensues, until Elliot Royce appears and makes the jewel and the daughter disappear -- only briefly.
[edit] Melvin Maverick vs. the Throng of Intelligent Apes
- Starring Melvin Maverick
- Featuring John Howard and Milo Phobos
Melvin discovers a secret society of intelligent apes seeking to destroy the earth. Melvin doesn't think so. Out of nowhere John Howard appears! His reason for being there is unknown, but he seeks to plumb from the apes the secrets of infinite booze. Infiltrating the secret base of the apes is no easy feat, but with the help of Milo Phobos, its secrets are laid bare.
[edit] Milo Phobos vs. the Unseen Ape-Men of Mars
[edit] Other Novels
- Drunk, Disorderly and Dead
- This story, appearing in an issue of Dan Turner - Hollywood Detective, has John Howard's hallmark all over it. Could this tale be a little-known adventure from before he gained his fame? Interviews with Dan Turner have evinced no knowledge of Howard, leading some to think Turner is covering something up to protect his reputation. But what?
- The Man Who Couldn't Remember
- Detective Fiction Weekly, May 18, 1922
- Starring Duncan "Darkfoot" Dirk
- Detective Duncan Dirk was enjoying his day off when he got an urgent telephone call. A man had come into the station with memory loss, and Duncan Dirk was the only one who could help!
- What had the man forgotten? Perhaps some dastardly crime was being committed right at that moment! Perhaps the man knew the location of a murder victim's corpse. There was no way to know!
- As the list of things the man might have forgotten grows longer and longer, can Duncan Dirk beat the clock and solve the mystery of... The Man Who Couldn't Remember
[edit] Resources
Here are some links for pulp novel covers and the like.
- Judge a Book by its Cover
- The Pulp Gallery
- Google Image Search -- be creative!
[edit] Storylines
[edit] The Century Club in... The Mesoamerican Discovery
[edit] Chapter 1
- At a gathering of the intellectual and social elite at the renowned Isabelle Stewart Gardner museum in Boston, a rivalry is brewing discontent. Doctor Walter Rowntree has returned from Central America with news of his discovery of an unknown civilization. He bears tablets and rubbings suggesting that the people who once lived there had knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, phrenology and other sciences. He brings back also various objets d'art: carvings of gold and jade, including the jewel of his collection, a foot-tall gold-and-jade statue of a man holding a snake-shaped device or symbol. One of the attendees, Doctor Joseph Toussaint, is unimpressed. A long-time rival of Rowntree, Toussaint insists that Rowntree stumbled on his find by accident, and that he does not deserve the doctorate it earned him.
- Then, disaster strikes! A band of thugs leaps into the room, brandishing guns! They fire into the air, scaring off the patrons and scientists gathered. Fortunately the Centurions of the Century Club are there to put them right. Duncan Dirk lays about, sending goons sprawling left and right. Friar Takanawa brings righteous wrath down at the end of a rosary-wrapped fist. John Howard is a blur of movement -- as the rest of the room surely seems to him -- as his steel flashes among his foes. Within moments all the masked thugs are on the ground or fleeing for their lives.
- But alas, all is not well. In the thick of the fight, a mysterious woman wearing a jetpack flies into the museum and steals the very tablets that Rowntree and his assistants had been in the process of deciphering. She even manages to somehow beguile John Howard into letting her escape. She flies away with her prize, leaving behind only questions as to her identity and motives.
- But where is Elliot Royce in all this? In the confusion of battle, he grabs the hat and mask of one of the thugs and infiltrates their ranks. They drive him back with them to their clubhouse, where he listens to them revealing tidbits of information about their plans and mission. He then attempts to spur them to further action, in order to find out more, but he is found out! In a flash Royce knocks all six of the goons out, calls the cops and has them carted away for questioning, but not before letting his quick fingers pilfer through their affairs and pocketing a mysterious telegram.
- Now mystery lingers, like a bad smell. Who were these goons working for? Who was that mysterious rocket-lady? And what is so special about those tablets that they're more valuable than jade and gold? Join us next time, for the thrilling continuation of... The Mesoamerican Discovery!
[edit] Chapter 2
- A scientific expert is called in to examine the rubbings of the stolen tablets. Melvin Maverick takes one look at them and exclaims, "these equations could mean the end of existence as we know it!" Having gotten everyone's attention, he explains that these equations, developed by Doctor Schoenbach, are intended to bridge between dimensions, and that if they were applied they run the risk of utterly destroying both bridged dimensions. Doctor Maverick and his old companion Jack Hustler join in the effort to stop whoever is playing with fire like this.
- Some investigation on the part of Duncan Dirk, and a bit of poking around tell the party that the mysterious Russian rocket lady stole an airplane from the Boston airstrip and flew south. They quickly deduce that she is going to British Honduras (the point of origin of the telegram from the mysterious Dr. W) and Derek Dynamo flies them out at top speed. While refueling in Miami, Dirk discovers that the rocket lady passed through this city as well, and our heroes are just an hour behind their quarry. She seems to have left behind a surprise, however: a gang of mechanics intent on destroying both Derek's plane and it's passengers!
- After a frightening display of combat prowess, the heroes dispatch the thugs and set off in pursuit once more, into the wilds of Mesoamerica. What awaits them on their arrival? Who is trying to destroy the universe? Will the Centurions be able to stop it in time? Join us next time, for the thrilling continuation of... The Mesoamerican Discovery!
[edit] Chapter 3
- A pursuit across the Gulf of Mexico results in high-altitude combat! Derek Dynamo's dependable Deliverance closes the lead and tails the russian rocket-lady's stolen biplane. Although Deliverance is faster, the biplane is more maneuverable, and the contest is close. The two planes circle and maneuver around each other, until the rocket-lady decides to open fire! Derek Dynamo banks hard, and Jack Hustler leans out the door and shoots out the biplane's left rudder controls.
- Seeing her impending demise, the pilot steers the biplane in a suicide attack directly at Deliverance! Despite some significant damage to her systems, Derek Dynamo manages to narrowly avoid being taken down by the doomed plane. The rocket-lady leaps from the cockpit, her rocket pack flaring to life. John Howard, fueled by bravado, lust and booze, ties a rope of seatbelts around his waist, runs out onto the wing, and leaps into the air to catch her. At first he snags her firmly around the waist and chest, but her rocket flares and she wriggles out of his grasp until all he is holding onto is her ankle. Elliot Royce sends his monkey scampering out to help, but she distracts John Howard with a lace undergarment and breaks free. She flies off into the jungle, but not before getting shot in the leg by Jack Hustler.
- Deliverance is pretty badly damaged, so our heroes land her in Belize City and put her up for repairs. Some investigation on the part of Duncan Dirk and John Howard reveals three scientists working in the area with the initial "W": Dr. Watson, a botanist, Dr. Wendigo, a zoologist, and Dr. Wilson, a meteorologist. Dr. Watson has a house in town, so naturally John Howard poses as his distant relative and cons his way in for the night, noting with pleasure that although Doctor Howard has no children with him, his household staff is quite well-stocked with pretty girls.
- First thing in the morning, Duncan Dirk goes out looking for information on where the doctors Wendigo and Wilson do their field work. He lucks out and finds someone on his way to bring supplies to Doctor Wendigo. Hurrying back to the others, he runs into Elliot Royce and Jack Hustler, on their way back from a strange and ill-fated attempt to wrangle account information from the manager of the local bank. The group sets out in search of Doctor Wendigo...
- ...and fall into a trap! An hour or two into the jungle, the group's guides stop and force the Centurions out of the trucks at gunpoint. They try to speed off, but are bested by the heroes, who commandeer two of the three trucks, and blow out the tire of the third. Just then, a roar erupts from the jungle, and a fearsome dinosaur, towering above the road, sets in pursuit of all three supply trucks!
- Derek Dynamo is momentarily spooked by a recurrence of his Violet Fever, and leaps out of one of the trucks. Duncan Dirk, trying to jump from one truck to another, tumbles into the road and ends up at the feat of the Thunder Lizard. John Howard jumps off the back of the last truck, waving his sword at the dinosaur. Melvin Maverick tries to shoot it from a distance, Elliot Royce struggles to keep control of the truck he is driving, while Jack Hustler finds a box of popcorn and sits back, enjoying the show.
- As danger looms, can the Centurions fight off, or at least escape, the rampaging Tyrannosaurus Rex? Will they track down the Russian Rocketeer? What is the dastardly Doctor W up to? And will Jack Hustler find the whole thing sufficiently amusing? Find out next time, in the thrilling continuation of... The Mesoamerican Discovery!
[edit] Chapter 4
- The Centurions fight long and hard against the massed dinosaurs. John Howard swings valiantly away with his magical sword; Duncan Dirk and Derek Dynamo do what they can to help, and Jack Hustler does his best to enjoy the show. One of the trucks is hobbling away with a blown tire, and the two others are stuck behind it. Things look grim for our heroes.
- Then, storm-clouds gather. In moments, the previously sunny sky darkens and begins rumbling with thunder. At the same time, a herd of dinosaurs is seen approaching the group. Duncan Dirk, getting flashbacks to his time in Paris, freaks out and goes crazy! Jack Hustler keeps the dinos at bay, but tension mounts, until a single bolt of lightning strikes the ground, right in front of John Howard! When the light fades, a shivering and naked McBuff is there, suddenly thrown into the fray.
- The rampage of the dinosaurs is not abated, though, and they tear through the Centurions. Friar Takanawa is found to be hiding under a tarp in one of the trucks, and despite his efforts to ward off the dinosaurs -- or at least convert them to "Emperor Jesus" -- he gets mauled worse than anyone. Finally Derek Dynamo and Melvin Maverick manage to beat a retreat, while Duncan Dirk organizes the locals, previously their antagonists, to fend off the reptilian menace. But in the chaos, Elliot Royce is dragged off by the T-Rex and disappears...
- The group drives dejectedly to the encampment of Doctor Wendigo, who is not the villain everyone suspected. In fact, she thought the Centurions were the ones trying to destroy the world with the Schoenbach equations. After some discussion, she decides that the only person insane and talented enough to try to pull off a caper of this magnitude is the nefarious Doctor Methuselah. Doctor Wendigo agrees to help the Centurions out with whatever information and advice she can give, and warns them to hurry on their way lest Doctor Methuselah find a source of power strong enough to run his evil deeds.
- Now that the truth is revealed, can the Centurions find Doctor Methuselah in time to prevent the destruction of the universe? Will they be able to stop his plan? What more twists and turns lie around the next corner? Join us next time, for the thrilling continuation of... The Mesoamerican Discovery!
