Before I get to my Twin Peaks meets Game of Death Tulpa character for SFRPG, let us consider how time towers above us all, everything dies; eek, that is a bit abstract and dark. Well I live in Blackpool, we have our own tower. 😉 I wonder what the future of clock towers will be? Something that was once a prominent feature, sort of a magical tower of bygone years.
Like many people, I associate towers with power but also crucially with hubris, linking the idea back to the Tower of Babel tale; likely why the Tarot uses this symbol to mean impending disaster/change. Although the Tower symbol can also represent higher learning, but there is the inbuilt reminder to not build too high, to have good foundations or else. Appreciating the importance of the belief of the stars upon peoples’ lives is key to understanding why the symbol is important to many cultures, and why the Wizard Tower became a trope. With most fantasies having magic, along with the power of the heavens (culturally or literally), it goes a long-way to justifying how and why these anomalies are built. Both positive and negative meanings fit wonderfully with either Mage: the Ascension or Mage: the Awakening; particularly Awakening with the importance of the Watchtowers. The Flight of Dragons film had the Mage Tower linked to the individual Mage’s personality and magic style.
If we step away from magic, Towers are still important. Years before Mage I played many games of Cyberpunk. After the iconic adventure Never Fade Away, visiting the Corporate Plaza in Night City was generally avoided. 😉
I started a megadungeon in 2017 that was effectively a Haemonculi Tower, hidden in ancient Warp Tunnels. The Warhammer 40,000 universe has many towers, especially if we view the Spire Hive Cities like Necromunda. Games Workshops long running relationship with Judge Dread and Mega-City One is likely a source for why the 40K Hive Spires are so ridiculous. 😉
Street Fighter RPG
With martial arts, towers are not a majorly important concept, but there are a few standouts like the legendary Bruce Lee in his yellow jumpsuit in the Game of Death. Then there is the epic and intense film The Raid, which in addition to being a solid movie with incredible action sequences, it feels like a step away from being Judge Dredd.
The game Kung Fu Master was based upon Game of Death, plus also supposedly the first beat’em up. Oddly, apparently the game had a film tie-in with the incredible Wheels on Meals, even though there is 0% plot relationship?! Anyway, I have briefly mentioned Kung Fu Master before in regards to my RPG roots, Fist 2 and adventure martial arts, so it is funny that decades after playing it, I am working on adventure inspired by it.
As a quick explanation this adventure can be considered to be a fusion of Twin Peaks and Game of Death. Thus I have made a strange character, which is inspired by Hakim from Game of Death, played by amazing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but is neither of them, the version is the one in Kabuki Town, not the version inside The Pagoda. Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris stats were in Punho do Guerreiro 17(Brazilian), the English version for Warrior’s Fist has been translated, but it needs the cover and formatting finalising, I’ll add a link when that is completed. 🙂
I couldn’t find an image that is not copyrighted, but there are some great pieces of art out there, like:
Other Peoples’ Answers
Anthony Boyd @Runeslinger
Inspired by Chicago By Night, a SFRPG / Final Fight cover for Metro City by Night
Sue Savage @SavageSpiel
Paul Baldowski @deesanction
Kehaar @DissectingWrlds
John M. Kahane @jkahane1
Heather Fey @slapjellyfish
Melestrua @Melestrua
Geek-Life Balance @cybogoblin
Charles Etheridge-Nunn @charlie_en
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
Batjutsu 