The Search for Charlie Episode 1.6: Seriously? The Joker?

"Why so serious?"

From Sam's Journal: "There are maniacs out there . . . tough guys who want to prove who is boss. My usual sources of informants, some reliable, some criminal, and all expensive, are now spreading tales of a clown. Seriously. A clown. How hard would it be to hide and not be seen if you were a clown. What I'm being told though is bone chilling . . . if real this clown guy would be probably the greatest threat I faced - even greater than Lo Pan. And now they are talking about some guy dressed as a bat . . . 

Key, and dangerous, "associates" of the Joker.

The Joker is a supervillain; though he has no super powers. The Joker is a criminal mastermind and a psychopath with a warped, sadistic sense of humor. As mentioned, the Joker possesses no superhuman abilities, instead his expertise in chemical engineering is used to develop poisonous or lethal concoctions and thematic weaponry, including razor-tipped playing cards, deadly joy buzzers, and acid-spraying lapel flowers. No one knows where this homicidal genius comes from, although a number of theories have been proposed but a definitive one has never been established for the Joker. According to an unreliable source, the Joker is uncertain of who he was before and how he became the Joker: "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another . . . if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!" The Joker commits crimes ranging from whimsical to brutal, for reasons that, "make sense to him alone". Death, chaos and destruction follow in his wake. Is the disappearance of Charlie some sick, twisted joke? And what about this man - bat?

The Invisible Man.

The Invisible Man refers to himself only as Griffin, a scientist who has devoted himself to research into optics and who invents a way to change a body's refractive index to that of air so that it neither absorbs nor reflects light. He carried out this procedure on himself and renders himself invisible, but he failed in his attempt to reverse it.  His condition has almost driven him mad, making him a practitioner of random and irresponsible violence - and also the perfect assassin.

 " . . . another victim of the Invisible Man."

Mister Remorse.

Benedict Stark is a genius of crime and one of the most evil master-criminals the vigilante known as The Shadow had ever fought. Though he is also known as the Prince of Evil, he calls himself Mr. Remorse. During their first battle, he successfully kidnapped The Shadow's agent, Rutledge Mann. Even after Mann's rescue, Stark brazenly kidnapped him a second time along with four other agents who worked with The Shadow. 

Some have theorized that he is the same Daniel Joshua Benedict Stark that invented electroporation. Electroporation is a method to permeabilize cell membranes for delivery of normally impermeable biomolecules. A microelectroporation system was built to provide

a well-controlled and well-defined environment for quantitative studies of electroporation of Jurkat cells, an immortalized line of T cells; however, it exploded killing several people and only one person survived the blast - a young woman was seen crawling away and then running. She, the only witness to what may have happened has disappeared and Daniel Joshua Benedict Stark was never seen again as he presumably was disintegrated in the blast. 

Mister Remorse faces his nemesis Photon.

Besides the criminals behind the crime insurance racket, Stark, and his henchman, are the only adversaries to unmask the identity of The Shadow and fully disrupt the vigilante's secret organization. He has sold this information to the Joker.

The Abominable Dr. Phibes.

Dr. Anton Phibes, a famous concert organist with doctorates in both music and theology, is believed to have been killed in a car crash in Switzerland in 1921, while racing home upon hearing of the death of his beloved wife, Victoria, during surgery. Phibes survived the crash, but was horribly scarred and left unable to speak. He remade his face with prosthetics and used his knowledge of acoustics to regain his voice. Resurfacing secretly, Phibes believes his wife was a victim of her doctors' incompetence, and begins elaborate plans to kill those he believes are guilty for her death. He is the perfect partner in the lab with the insane Joker.

"It's a laboratory, not a lair. I have to remember that."

Once again some great figures from Pulp Figures - until next time!

The Search for Charlie Episode 1.5: More Hollywood Nazis (Boo and Hiss!)

"So Mister Sam . . . or Mister Rick . . . or whatever alias you are using now. It's been awhile since the incident in Casablanca! And now I have you in my clutches! BWAH HAH HAH!(Don't try to figure out the year of timeline - just go with the flow! Ed.)

Do you want villains? We have some of the worst (best?) of the best (worst?). As Sam searches for Charlie amongst criminal gangs and secret organizations, the nation state of Nazi Germany is an old nemesis and has the resources to thwart our good guys.

The Leadership.

Though technically part of the Geheime Staatspolizei (Secret State Police) or Gestapo for short, all special projects and direct actions, including Stahl-Mask's Doom Squad, report to Generalmajor Heinrich Strasser. When last we saw Strasser, he was pretending to be a Major and was mortally wounded by Sam under the alias of Rick Blaine. He was miraculously saved from

 death by Herr Doktor Professor Wiener Horst of the secret Nazi Science division. Utterly ruthless and willing to throw all enemies plus his henchmen and goons . . . I mean valued employees, under the bus to ensure Nazi dominance over the world.

Generalmajor Heinrich Strasser and his loyal bodyguard Scharführer Volkmar Käsewurst.

Scharführer Volkmar Käsewurst is the strongest man in the Gestapo, the SS and possibly all of Nazi Germany. Hermann Göring has for a long time been wanted to arrange a "friendly" match between Käsewurst and the Nazi Supersoldat Carl Fronhausen but cooler heads have prevailed. Käsewurst wears the highest sniper award on his right cuff. His intense loyalty to Strasser was reinforced when he vowed after the "Casablanca" incident not to leave his side again.

Sturmbannführer Arnold Ernst Toht.

Sturmbannführer Arnold Ernst Toht is a sadistic and ruthless Nazi Gestapo agent and military officer. Major Arnold Ernst Toht has at least one sibling, a sister named Ilsa, an agent of the Third Reich herself. Toht joined the Gestapo and, as with the rest of his Gestapo brethren, is trained in the art of combat, interrogation, torture, and espionage, and was well-versed in mysticism and the belief in Aryan society. Over time, Toht became a skilled torturer and interrogator, relishing the opportunity to inflict pain and suffering even for its own sake, and a firm believer in the Nazi doctrine, leading him to dismiss any actions as absolutely necessary for the Nazis to destroy any threats to their supremacy. Over time, Toht would become known only for his last name. Some claim he will "melt away" when the odds are against him but his track record says otherwise.

Senior investigators and all around ruthless leaders.

Regierungs und KriminaldirektorReichskriminaldirektor (Colonel) Uhrwerk Kartoffelhänger.

Kriminaldirektor (Major) Wilhelm Forkenbrecher.

Kriminalkommissar (1st Lieutenant) Mordechai der Wissenschaftler.

"No one expects the Spanish Inqui . . . I mean Nazi Hollywood Gestapo!"

In any evil organization that is trying to bring the world to its knees . . . I mean challenge the entrenched hierarchies of the world, there are henchmen and goons . . . I mean assistants, that are willing to be at the point of the spear to deal with helpless victims . . . I mean the general public in leading them to enlightenment. Yep, they recently attended a positivity workshop.

All of these wonderful Pulp Nazis were designed by Bob Murch of Pulp Figures. All black uniforms are always a challenge but these days with Contrast paints it is a lot easier. For the black uniforms I used Citadel Contrast Black Templar and for the helmets, boots, pistol holsters and other black leather I used Vallejo German Grey. The officer hats were painted with Vallejo Flat Black.

"Hmmm . . . "

2024: The Plan

"This is what we will do in 2024."

When I retired from the U. S. Army as an Infantry Officer I was a Joint Operational Planner. Having said that, I have had more success with my hobby by developing a plan over the last few years and 2024 will be no exception. As with all plans, it will be adjusted as the year goes on but I believe I now have the basic framework. On with the plan:

Last known photograph of Charlie.

1. The Search for Charlie. During "Operation Big Move" last year Charlie disappeared. Sam, his partner, suspects foul play. Little does Sam know that his life will change - and possibly his quest will have world shattering effects.

Sam.

     a. Pulp Campaign: Hard boiled detectives, dangerous dames, returning heroes, menacing mechanical monstrosities, Nazis, The Canine Corps of Justice, unnatural science experiments, ancient and mythical beings, and evil geniuses eliminating the competition so they can take over the world! Globetrotting Adventure! What more could you want?

"It's time to eliminate Mr. Sam once and for all. (BWAH HAH HAH!)"

"The return?"

     b. Sam needs a car; he is tired of walking.

     c. Figures need to painted (TOP SECRET).

     d. Scenery and terrain need to be made. (TOP SECRET).

2. The Northwest Frontier Uprising of 1897-1898.

"Death to the Infidels and hopefully he's a slow painter."

The tribes are ready. The Indian army is on the frontier - but they need reinforcements:

    a. One British (Anglo) infantry unit.

    b. One Gurkha unit.

    c. One Sikh infantry unit.

    d. One British (Anglo) mountain gun.

    e. Tribal Cavalry if @#%& Wargames Atlantic ever releases their hard plastic Afghan Tribal Cavalry.

"Colonel Sahib. The Political Officer was right. We will hold and be true to our salt!"

f. Major General Pavel Ivanovich Mishchenko of the Imperial Russian Army wants to know when his Cavalry Brigade will show up for the ongoing Anglo-Russian War.

"When will the Trans-Baikal Cossack Brigade get here?"

3. The German Division in The Peninsular War. I plan on using WoFun Miniatures: Hesse-Darmstadt, Baden, the Dutch, minor German States and maybe some Poles just for fun.

Confederation of the Rhine Battalion Number 3 (Frankfurt).

4. One Hour Wargames. Easy to learn and always a tactical challenge. One Hour Wargames is one of my favorite set of rules and I haven't played it in years. I used it to teach a history class for several years but I donated all of the armies I had to the school. I think it's time to play again - the big question is which period. My tired brain will have to ponder.

That's the big painting plan. There will be games, more Warhammer 40K Fire Team (yes they sucked me in), and hopefully some French and Indian War action. Now to get started!

June Hollywood Break: The Mad Guru

 I'm taking a break from blogging in June - but not painting or gaming. I like Hollywood gaming so lets go! Originally published August 7, 2019.

The Guru has reestablished the Thuggee, a murder cult that had been suppressed 50 years previously.

Eduardo Ciannelli portrays the Guru in the film Gunga Din (1939) as a dignified, intelligent, though murderous defender of the Indian people. Ciannelli was an Italian baritone and character actor with a long career in American films, mostly playing gangsters and criminals. The contrasts between the characters of the Guru, Gunga Din, and the Sergeants Three are a whole dissertation on the state of the British Raj - but that is a discussion for another day.

Eduardo Ciannelli as the Guru: "You seem to think warfare an English invention. Have you never heard of Chandragupta Maurya? He slaughtered all the armies left in India by Alexander the Great. India was a mighty nation then while Englishmen still dwelt in caves and painted themselves blue."

The dignity that Ciannelli brings to the role and his monologues about India and the future are in stark contrast to the disciplinary headaches and shortsightedness of the Sergeants Three, and an extent Gunga Din. But every good buddy adventure film needs a villain, and the Guru fits the bill perfectly. For In Her Majesty's Name I am using the profile for Jera, High Priest of Kal that is found in the supplement Sleeping Dragon, Rising Sun.

 "Mad? Mad. Hannibal was mad, Caesar was mad, and Napoleon surely was the maddest of the lot. Ever since time began, they've called mad all the great soldiers in this world. Mad? We shall see what wisdom lies within my madness. For this is but the spring that precedes the flood. From here we roll on. From village to town. From town to mighty city. Ever mounting, ever widening, until at last my wave engulfs all India!"

Pulp Figures pack PBT 24 The Mad Guru perfectly reproduces the atmosphere of this classic character and associates. In addition to the guru there is also a idol of Kali, a body guard, a loyal adherent (sculpted to look like the Guru's son Chota played by Abner Biberman) and a cobra!!! in a basket.

The Kali idol. Unfortunately I managed to get static grass all over it before I sprayed it with a clear flat enamel. Oh well. Still looks great as an accessory to a game.

Chota and a great python in a basket! For Chota I will use the profile of a Thuggee leader (Naib Subedar) from Sleeping Dragon, Rising Sun.

  The menacing bodyguard; also can be used as an excellent leader figure. His profile will be that of the deadly warrior Sardi from Sleeping Dragon, Rising Sun.

I added an old GW Lizard man shield to his back. With his arms crossed, it conveniently covers any straps he uses to carry it on the back - plus it looks menacing!

KALI!!!

The Golden Sheik of the Pashtuns: The Punjab Adventuring Company for IHMN 2

"The Golden Sheik of the Pashtuns"

As mysterious as his sudden appearance on the Northwest Frontier, and, with an intimate knowledge of the British Raj, the Golden Sheik is the gravest threat to the British Empire along the North West Frontier. His gravitas and presence in bringing together the most dangerous tribes - the Afridi's, the Waziri's, the Mahmud's - has placed a price on his head throughout the Region. Imperial Russia, with the breakout of the Anglo-Russian War, has taken noticed . . .

WAR!

Rules for The Golden Sheik and the Punjab Adventuring Company can be found on pages 134 and 135 of In Her Majesty's Name, 2nd Edition. Of course, they can be easily adapted for other rule sets. For regular readers of my blog, I have been gaming, both historical and Victorian Sci Fi, in India and Central Asia over the last few years. The nice thing about doing this is easily using historical figures for most of IHMN2 which are considerably cheaper than most Sci Fi and Fantasy figures. In my pictures below I have examples of historical miniatures from Copplestone Castings, Artizan Designs and Perry Miniatures.

The Golden Sheik figure is a kit bash and once again (at least to me!) some of the advantages of hard plastic figures. The body is from the Gripping Beast Viking Hirdman box while everything else comes from the Perry Miniatures Afghan Tribesman (Paid Link) box. I'm not boasting (well, a little) but I really like the way the figure turned out. The Golden Sheik found an ancient tomb that included many wonders: golden armor from the time of Alexander the Great and a magical flute (not your parent's Mozart) that can control an ancient demon known as an Afrit.

The Afrit attacking a patrol of the 19th Punjabis. 

Imperial Russia is interested in stirring up as much trouble on the Northwest Frontier since their resources are stretched thin: Unrest at home, potential conflict with the Japanese in Manchuria, issues with the Chinese in the Peking Legation Center, border skirmishes with the Ottoman Empire and Persia. Though small in scale, the war with the British over the Princely State of Chaimbellistan, threatens to consume more resources so a second front is now planned.

Money and modern weapons are provided to the Golden Sheik and his Pashtun allies in the Northwest Frontier by the Russians. 

In addition to money and weapons, Major Ivan Rostov, an audacious and sophisticated cavalry officer of the Tsar's army (and secretly a member of the Russian Okhrana) has been assigned as the liaison and Russian emissary to the Afghan Court giving him easy access to the Golden Sheik and problems for the British Raj.

Major Ivan Rostov and the Golden Sheik. 

Major Rostov is a forward, thoroughly modern officer who believes in using modern technology to control the passes in the Northwest Frontier and eventually the British Raj.

Imperial Russian Engineer officer mapping the vital passes.

Setting up an ambush.

It's a trap!

With political complications with Afghanistan and conflict and uprisings on the Northwest Frontier, who can stop the Golden Sheik and Russia from taking advantage of the problems confronting the British Raj?

The Heroes of the Northwest Frontier: Colonel Sir Robert Warburton, KCIE, CSI, The Shadow of the Bat, and Mahbub Ali.