Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Review and Commentary On The Asia Trailer For Godzilla 2014 And Adapting It For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns







So the big reveal last night was this new Godzilla 2014 trailer which gives an incredible amount of details about the back
 story of the new film. I'd go so far as to say that they give too much away but that being said there is a ton of material here.
 I've got one word here RODAN!
 Other reveals in this film hint that this Godzilla goes all the way back to the original 1950's  Toho movie and pulls on that huge history for this film. It also means that Godzilla has been growing since that time! That's a personal opinion but its one that seems to explain the expansion of the monster.
We've had hints,teases, and  but right here we've got action, more giant monsters, adventure, disaster porn, and mythology??!
Yes, that's right old school gamers we've got a ton of Toho mythology in this one thrown in. The tone is super serious but we're given ton of material about 'the Shadow Years' of this universe. This film is the 'Shadow Years' of the Godzilla franchise.
 While we're given a lot gamable stuff to use and there are already a number of sites picking a part, dissecting, and tearing into this trailer lets look at this from another view point.
With Kaiju roaming the landscape is  this going to be a game changer? 

Not only are these walking toxic nuclear waste dumps going be campaign changers but they'll be creating instant wastelands were ever they go.
Some of what we're likely to see in this film?
 Mutations,creatures, instant mini mutant ecosystems are all going to be on the menu. As we've seen with last year's Pacific Rim there is a lot of potential here for campaign changing events. Or are there?
Giant mutant monsters stomping around in old school post apocalyptic games has been happening since Gamma World first edition. The real difference here is that this  film could be set in the so called Shadow Years of Mankind.
The rise of these monsters could signal the end of mankind. And that's really what the game changer is. PC's born to human parents exposed to the incredibly weird and poorly understood energies of Kaijui could explain the instant evolutionary jump start in generations.

 Adapting Giant Monsters For Fun and Profit
In Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns
No. Enc: 1

Alignment:  Neutral
Movement: 1800’ (600’)
                     600’ (200’) Swim
AC: -10
HD: 800
Attacks: 2 bashes, or 2 stomps, or 1 tail slap, or 1 bite or 1 Breath blast.
Damage:  50d6 / 50/d6 or death / death, or 75d6 and knockback or 100d6 and class 10 radiation
Save: L20
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: None

Mutations: Energy Ray (special), gigantism.
Source: The various incarnations of Godzilla
There is a ton more of information right over
HERE
The potential for hunting these giant monsters for technology, relics, cast off material, and super science exploitation is huge. Imagine a group of adventurers following in the wake of such a creature and gathering all that they can. Armor made from scales, studies conducted on the structure of bones, skeleton, etc. All in the wake of such giants striding across the landscape.
Slimes,cells, etc. might all have value to wizards and alchemists dealing with such potential horrors.
Then there is the potential here for relic recovery from the various sites and cities that these creatures have stomped. These places might be crawling with who knows what mutant spawn and radioactive horrors. Given the classes of Labyrinth Lord and Mutant Future there might be potential here for a number of options using the usual PC classes. The rise of such monsters might also signal the return of magic and perhaps the return of the Lovecraftian Great Old Ones. 
The signal of these monsters return might be the flare that the various cults have been waiting and watching for across the world.
There's lots of potential here. This might also enable PC's to journey from a traditional D&D style world and be confronted with things they've only seen in their nightmares. Imagine the average party of PC's confronted with the suffering that these horrors leave in their wake. Could they turn their backs on such a world that needs heroes such themselves? I think not.
This new trailer has me really excited on a number of levels and its one that might signal a return to the giant monster movie horror film. A very welcome thing in my book! 

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