[oxfordgamers] Re: Praise and Anal Observations

Gee, why do we suddenly feel "completely out of the loop?"  We didn't even know 
you guys scheduled a game, let alone played one.

- Steve and Andrea
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ted Brengle 
  To: oxfordgamers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2002 2:07 PM
  Subject: [oxfordgamers] Praise and Anal Observations


      Or: "What Ted thought about during the long ride home after the game." 
         I wanted to be the first to publicly laud Nico's last GM-effort (JLA 
Issue #24: "The Shell Game"). I know it's becoming habit to haul out the 
hyperbole after each of these adventures, but I think this one was particularly 
strong. It just buzzed with that magic produced when the GM and the players are 
both "on." "The Shell Game" was filled with great character bits, cool plot 
twists, canny uses of continuity, satisfying and destructive big action 
set-pieces, neat moments for every character to shine, and some very clever GM 
gimmicks that worked really well. Thanks in no small part to some truly 
wonderful bits of serendipity, this adventure will definitely go in the time 
capsule. As we seem to be topping ourselves with each new adventure, I do not 
envy to person who takes over the next slot. 

      And now some real geekiness: 

      As Aaron likes to list the official first appearance of characters in 
their Who's Who entries, he asked if this was run as an issue of JLA while we 
were wrapping up. We all agreed that it was (despite the fact that Cap was the 
only full member of the JLA to make an appearance--aside from a quick, but 
priceless, cameo by Harley as Trouble Alert Monitor), and that this would be 
logged as Green Goblin II's first appearance. 

      On the ride home, I realized that this was clearly incorrect. 

      In the interest of comic book anal retentiveness (which we are also 
simulating with this campaign), let me point put that in Nico's background 
packet for this adventure he clearly says that AGF first encountered GG2 while 
AGF was in New York trying to contact Daredevil, after AGF had been asked by 
Cap and the U.S. government to find D.D. and learn what had happened to ol' 
hornhead while he was in Magneto's clutches and why Matt Murdock was wanted for 
questioning by the police. AGF found DD at the beginning of "Thieves" (JLA 
#23), but as there was no Goblin in that issue, AGF must have encountered him 
in his own book, which had been published earlier that same month and had 
served to segue AGF into the events of "Thieves." As the next issue of The 
Amazing Ghost Fighter (TM) (AGF #31) takes place after the death of Harvey 
Bullock (revealed in the last panel of "Thieves") and begins the "Vision Quest" 
story line (cryptic references to it playing through "The Shell Game" to good 
effect), Green Goblin must, logically, have first appeared, revealed his origin 
and convinced AGF that he was "a good kid" in the issue right before it, The 
Amazing Ghost Fighter (TM) #30. 
    
      By the same token, The Huntress is said to have been training under the 
Joker/Harley/AGF block for a while now, usually being surprised by AGF due to 
Harley's pregnancy. As Huntress was not present in the ranks during the Legion 
Crisis, she must have been part of the large wave of heroes that appeared right 
after it ended. That would track with Harley's pregnancy being announced in JLA 
#21. Although most major Gotham figures are introduced in the pages of The 
Joker, Nico's write up leads me to think she popped up first in The Amazing 
Ghost Fighter (TM), although she must surely have also appeared multiple times 
in both The Joker and The Joker's Wife Harley Quinn since then. Working 
backwards, that would put The Huntress's introduction most probably in AGF #27. 

      -Ted 
      (Who really doesn't have as much time on his hands as he used to, but 
still can't stop doing this shit)

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