Ninja Operator Not Included
The subtitle for this blog comes from a mock-ad at the end of the "Jackie Chan Adventures" cartoon. I am in the process of developing a game scenario based on the stories in the cartoon [so far].
If you haven't checked it out, it's a lot of fun. There's the ubiquitous Jackie Chan, of course, there's the "kid factor" with Jade, his niece [who is so like I imagine my character Damascus as a child], there's the "Chi magician," Uncle, and a plethora of other very interesting characters. Check out the web site at http://www.jackiechanadventures.com. The plots vary from standard cartoon fare to fairly complex moral issues... one of the "bad guys" has converted. There's been issues of wanting to please your parents, bullying, all sorts of very neat things... plus, despite the obvious connection to Chinese mythology, there have been incredible forays into other myths and myth structures.
The first season revolved around the quest for twelve magic talismans that bound the powers of an evil Dragon Demon (Shendu.) Each of the magic talismans (related to Chinese astrology) had a magic power. Rabbit, for example, was speed, Horse, healing, and so forth. The second season has mostly been learning how to use the talismans, plus thwarting Shendu's plans to open the Demon Gates so his brother and sister demons could make it through to our world. The third season starts early on Saturday morning.
"You DARE to interrupt me in my moment of triumph?" - Moon Demon
"It's...what I do." - Jackie, lamenting.
One of the ways Jackie (a "simple archaeologist by trade," with hints of Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, and, heck, some of my Amber playing net.friends) gets involved with these adventures is through his connections with Captain Black. Captain Black heads "Section 13," described as, "A secret division of the United States government whose purpose is to investigate unusual crimes and track down elusive criminals." Captain Black is described as, "A genius who has dedicated his life to fighting crime and the forces of evil."
I keep casting him as "King Mob" from "The Invisibles." If that gives you any indication of what my game might be like.
I may run several versions of the game, making PCs from Section 13, or maybe casting people into the roles of The Dark Hand (the "bad guys") or even focusing on the archaeological side of things. Anyway, it's one of those "projects in the works."