12 Questions from the Octopi Lord

Saw this add in hundreds of comics and I would look at every time as a kid.

I have done a crap job at my own questions but here goes. I feel a bit more dull than some others who have answered this. Six games of Psychon at con and precon this coming fortnight so that is promising. I guess my Exile Island game is all about classic dnd/fantasy tropes and is thus kinda a cliche. I think more about campaign arcs, next game and sandbox tools than the past. I will ask some old players of mine.

12 Questions from the Octopi Lord:

1. What is your favorite villain you ever challenged players with?
   Derek Draken was a prince of the Volnir kingdoms and was kind of a good looking ivan the terrible meets ghengis khaan in my longest running RQ fantasy earth. He was technically an enemy but often party on same side versus worse things. Players rubbed against him many times and fought with him a few occasions. He was better than the pantheon of evil gods destroying the world. Immortal Barron of Shadelport in my current game comes close. He is a bit of a bastard but treats them ok (now). Grandslam in my Marvel game was a super hitman and characters enjoyed having moral debates with him kinda like Tom Strong. It is magic when you finally get a good hit on villain while making a moral point in dialogue. I like the greek drama villain who is a flawed noble which was basis of all these bastards. If only wasnot a dick they would be awesome guys but something flawed and even tragic origins. Making heroes partly like a villain so harder to kill them is an art.
   
2. What is your favorite organization behind wrong-doing in your setting?
   Tower was a secret society iin my SF/conspiract game that i have used versions of in my supers and fantasy games. Their assasins are rooks. Inner order use chess symbold and claim to date from crusaders and the order of assasins. They were world manipulators who built WOTAN a super AI they used which of course became their god. The rival organizational had an AI: PHEONIX which sent party on missions. Theses two are currently gods in my Planet Psychon.
3. What is the most interesting location you ever staged a battle in?
   Part of me says my River city superhero setting as roving battles frequently encountered local gangs, a broken wall could lead to a superbeings HQ. Fights often got unececarily complex and violent. There was also a certain underground base in Alaska that was full of robot villains and the party never realized till all fled and a monk hero remained to hold the escape route. Space is always fun because extra badness happens so easily. Inside the dream of a god on one occasion was strange. One superhero had his own nightmare pocket dimension he would gate villains to and party would follow to finish off. Occasional a giant jack in the box demon might have eaten the poor badguys first. Was running battle inside master villain who turned out to be a multiplanar god. Had to kill his followers then him from inside then escape collapsing universe. Several heroes have had own pocket universes which were good for weird fights.
4. What is the most interesting chase scene you ever had in a game?
   I dont have enough chase scenes or running away in my games. My espionage game (sort of topsecret/SI and BRP probably the most deliberate. I particularly remember a very long battle on a moving train where rookie agents were being hunted by the Tower agent Puzzleface, a mask wearing scarified psychopath with a garrotte wrist watch. They struggled at everything. Ran a super space psychic ninja campagn with lots of chases especially in space ships, but also with jetpacks, space suits, fightercraft and hovercars. Supers games had some silly high speed chases and hyperfast avoiding of obstacles. "Cars that ate sanity" rules for Cthulhu made some nice chase scenes. Outrunning the growth spurts of Azathoth in a car counts right?
5. What is the most evocative scenic location you have used in a game?
   Psychon will be it but at moment I always like having games set in hell or ruined cities. Ruins good in every genre. Always liked other planes like hell or elemental ones. Did have a giant battle with Orcus inside a mountain size statue to him. Im a big fan of thickly applying genre and tropes to make a interesting place. National geographic gave duck artist Carl Barks many awesome locations and did for me too.
6. What is the most interesting one-of-a-kind unique monster in your games?
   The Chaos Goat in RQ one of my favorite monsters the heroes heard of an laughed about it. When they met the huge mutated multiheaded winged fire breathing beast they gulped. After they never mocked monsters again and scolded newer players who laughed whenever heroes names mentioned with this act. I had a cool space vampire (like buck rogers one + zombies) in Star Frontiers that party couldn't get authorities to care about. Branlack Korr the black broo in RQ was father, king and lord of broo horde in one world. Was Illuminated and kept healing goddess avatar hostage and kept her unharmed and well cared for which kinda surprised party considering his utter scumbaggerey in the past.
7. What is the most tantalizing artifact, relic or tech you have ever used in game?
   Shadowhelm - summoned shadow dog pack that did not obey and killed everything in sight. Ivanavitch the weilder would use near enemy then ride away on horse. He never bothered activating most of the other 9 powers except the cloud of darkness that he couldnt even see in. Plane destroying bombs in multiverse game used to stop Mythos gods multiversal alignment plot. I like troublesome relics and look forward to more in my dnd game.
   
8. What is the most world shattering thing a player has ever got up to in your settings?
   Cthulhu awakened from crypt by treasure and power hungry adventurers opening the crypt of the forgotten dead god (he will be grateful or have loot). Ruined the world, spreading madness and chaos. All the greatest heroes and villains ganged up drove big C off but world ruined and most human gods dead. Was really horrible end of my first DnD world in 80s. Had time traveling imortal in stasis survive into next universe once.
9. What is the strangest death of a character in game you have run?
   Generally not a killer GM but Cthulhu my exception. Suicide after mutation or killing your family by accident a few times in game. Letting something live that later kills your family has resulted in suicide in game. In DnD death isnt a bit obstacle - i never have done a TPK. I find cults willing to restore you to life with a cost and a quest. Sadly did have a cop killing superhero killed buy party own government spook with a pistol which players mentioned for rest of 20 year game so it was unusual for that game.
10. What is the most intriguing challenge, trap, or non combat obstacle in your games?
    Players own egos and paranoia. If they really hate some villain they return. If they imagine a mysterious willfull villain behind stuff there is one. If they shake world or get notieriety they get attention from powers that be. I like moral conundrums. Players justifying appalling child killing with alighnment philosophy and forcing them to make tough choices like who to side with. Physical traps are for low levels.  Deathtraps are for archvillains. magic traps for more advanced dungeons. Monsters are my favorite trap.
    
11. What is most interesting ability or character option you have added to your game
    HeHe. I rewote most of marvel talents and powers in my TSR marvel. Ran a system sorta d100/d10 game evolved from star frontiers to BRP over years with entire magic system. I had dozens of spell lists so probably a bit of rolemaster influence. Have always hacked DnD and always felt like a framework. 1st ADnD felt like a toolkit of Gary's notebook of his hacks of his own game. BRP has lotsa variations and Cthulh7 looks like a new emanation for people who cannot learn 5x tables. BRP system I have not messed with really but I might make my own magic system and psionics system based on my 80s game.
12. What is the strangest mash up or weirdest system hack you have made in gaming?
    Cthulhu-Metropolis is may favorite. Superheroes let you mash anything. I always liked wild west vs aliens and plane traveling and did it for a bit. Had a plane travelling city of superheroes (a but of an unsafe wreck full of freaks). Classic games I think keep longer interest but short term cool experiments. I hope Psychon can be both. Long stairs DnD vs mod secial forces was fun will do again.

I could answer as a player in others games too

Ideas for future blogs:
(best side fx of questions)
d100 what happens when you die table
-price of death
-what happens to body
-what happens to soul
-resurrection by strangers with a price
d100 deathtraps - ancient modern and future versions
more space tables
d100 high powered artifacts
d100 demons
d100 warlords
psychon hex description form
more space stuff
pulp/metropolis encounters
are popes just host bodies for immortal cultist?

will get BRP pulp, fantasy monograph

decided to buy cubicle7 stuff for cthulhu - got folklore book - has handy stats to use for my 1490 game