Golden Hour: Tokyo Masks

6 pm: Tokyo Masks (Golden Hour)

This is a game where the PCs are both superheroes and playing themselves on television. The show is rated TV-14. There were 8 PCs and 6 players.

GM: Brandon Grinslade

???: Velany: Her disadvantage was the PTA, aka the Parent-Teacher Association. They would call her in the middle of a show to complain about her image. For example, if she used profanity, just think about what that was teaching the kids!

???: Grimwitch: A witch from a family of villains, although she herself was a hero. She had a pet bat. Curiosity was her disadvantage.

Me: Sapphire, an alien unfamiliar with modern Earth customs. Gullibility was her disadvantage.

???: The Canadian Ninja. His disadvantage was that he was unfailingly polite. As with other disadvantages, he did not _have_ to let this affect him. But -- but then, he wouldn't be Unfailingly Polite! Unthinkable!

???: Broding, a Surfer Dude. His disadvantage was communications breakdown. The player played this by talking in an accent that was often about as comprehensible as the Muppet Show's Swedish Chef.

???: The Catgirl. Her disadvantage was that she tended to wander off. The player used this as an actual disadvantage, not an excuse to be a loner. It came up twice, and each time, it meant that the character missed some of the action.

The GM noted that the two PCs we did not select were the Leader and the Tank. The show was rated TV 14, which meant that nobody dies. The system called for rolling as high as possible, while still staying below one's ability. Rolling one's ability exactly was a critical success.

Initiative proceeded counterclockwise from the GM. However, the GM moved regularly, changing his place in the circle. He said that we could move around too -- just not in the middle of a combat!

An action was the equivalent of a panel. A page was a scene, and an issue was a scenario. We could do Public Service Announcements and Product Placement. NPCs were divided into Extras, who could only take 1 wound, and Stars, who used the same rules as the PCs.

We played two issues in the four our slot.

1. The Beats of Uns Unsia

The Tokyo Masks learned that Someone was stealing the Beats of Uns Unsia! While their leader and Tank were elsewhere, the rest of the team went to Uns Unsia to investigate, forgoing their costumes at first.

Someone: I'm almost wishing we'd decided to stay in costume -- it would have attracted less attention.

This state of affairs didn't last long, as the heroes approached an Uns Unsian farmer to ask about the Beats. Broding was especially horrified and the Canadian Ninja apologetic and promising all would be fixed. The farmer explained that all the best beats were being taken and how disastrous this was.

Farmer: One bad beat can ruin a whole drum.

Someone: And one bad drum can ruin a whole beat.

Broding started playing a concert.

GM: The beats are trying very hard. But, these beats are not yet tasty enough to make sweet music.

Uns Unsia happened to be Grimwitch's home country, so she was trying to keep a bit of a low profile. But the clues next led to a bakery run by an Evil Hag, one that she knew from her childhood, dear old Owa (not sure on the spelling of that).

Owa was delighted to see Grimwitch, and some of the others were able to pretend to fit in. But, alas, Owa recognized one of the heroes.

Owa: Aren't you Broding? (as Broding tries to deny this) You have a tattoo that says "Broding" on your arm.

And a fight broke out, with Owa sending monsters against Broding. I think the Catgirl joined in, as my notes say:

Meowolith 6 million! Cat fight!

Grimwitch, naturally, could not join the fight.

Grimwitch: But, she's Owa!

And, neither could Sapphire. Friendship was important, and Grimwitch was her friend. And, Owa was Grimwitch's friend.

Sapphire: I can't hurt her friend!

She did, however, manage to get Owa to let slip some information, saying that she thought Broding was trying to find the stolen bests. Owa cackled and said that he'd never get them out of Castle Beatenstein!

Meanwhile, the table next to us also had a Tokyo Heroes game in progress.

From the other table: The Canadian Ninja appears out of nowhere!

Our Canadian Ninja recognized his cue and went over there to do just that!

Grimwitch went outside, unable to watch the fight. Sapphire agonized, then finally had a realization.

Sapphire: She's Grimwitch's friend... but... she's a bad person!

And, she joined the fight. The Canadian Ninja reappeared from nowhere after, as far I could tell, teaming up with... the Canadian Ninja at the other table.

Quote whose context I forget: I take out my iPod and use it to solve the problem

The Tokyo Masks went to Castle Beatenstein, where Grimwitch confronted the villain's henchwoman, none other than Grimwitch's own sister, Anguish! Grimwitch was able to defeat her, and the two sisters had a bonding moment, as they caught up on each other's lives and agreed about the flaws of their other relatives. And, somewhere in here, Velany had to take a call from the PTA and began apologizing profusely for whatever it was she had done to taint her image. Think of the kids!

The final confrontation was with the beat thief himself, Count Beatula! Broding made an impassioned and utterly incomprehensible speech about -- er, I presume about how wrong Count Beatula's actions were. And, in an epic battle involving music and melee, the heroes triumphed and restored the beats to the farmers. Broding gave another concert, and the Canadian Ninja apologized to everyone.

Everyone now did a commercial or Public Service Announcement. I forget most of them, of course. Sapphire's involved a set of matching jewelry which kids could buy. But the one that was judged best was from Grimwitch's player, a commercial for aspirin, for the adults having to deal with noisy, rambunctious kids who had just watched Tokyo Masks.

2. Captain Awkward

Remember how the team's leader and Tank were not around last episode? And, nobody even tried to find them at the end of the episode. Well, the team got a letter from their old nemesis, Captain Awkward!

Perhaps "nemesis" isn't strictly accurate, though it isn't exactly inaccurate either. He did things like follow team members around, trying to get hair from them or other personal things. Awkward.

Yes, he was a villain. But, he was also, whether he consciously understood this or not, a great fan of the team. Awkward.

Captain Awkward's letter explained how he had captured Tank and the leader, and asked how the rest of his team liked his present.

Captain Awkward's Post Script: PS: It's supposed to explode.

Either he'd wired the letter bomb wrong or the team had some reason to suspect something was up and disarmed it. I forget which. But, how to find out where Captain Awkward and the missing teammates were?

Sapphire (remembering what she's learned about the mail): Check the return address!

GM: He _put_ a return address on it. He lives in his mother's basement.

Ensemble: Awkward!

So, instead of a henchman, he had a Hench Mom? Well, maybe not. The team went to confront Captain Awkward and rescue their teammates.

Someone: Ms. Mom, Ma'am --

GM: Ma'am works.

Most of the group managed to talk their way past the mother to go down to the basement. Catgirl, however, was distracted.

Mrs. Awkward: I'm watching Kitty Cat Party on television.

Catgirl immediately had to go watch, of course. And, she invited all of Mrs. Awkward's many cats to come watch with her.

The rest of the group went down to the basement where Captain Awkward had their teammates tied to chairs. A somewhat awkward fight broke out, and, at one point, Captain Awkward bumped into Grimwitch.

GM: Dr. Awkward -- is going to attempt to compliment you.

Grimwitch: Awkward!

Indeed. I think the best he could do was to note that their names were, ah, right next to each other in the alphabet.

It soon became clear that the captives had had their minds swapped with a pair of lab rats. When freed from the chairs, the rats-in-superhero-bodies panicked and attacked. Awkward.

Well, unless you're Catgirl. Once she returned and was updated on the situation, she played with the rat minds, having a lot of fun terrorizing them. This meant that they didn't get in the way of the rest of the team, who figured out where the superhero-minds-in-rat-bodies were and where the Device that had caused the problem was.

GM (to Velany, I think): You're a doctor. Traditionally, it's the doctor who throws the mad scientist switch.

Velany: Oh yeah -- is there a button to push?

Someone: Push the button!

Velany: I'm nowhere near it!

Everyone: Awkward!

Captain Awkward's last ditch defense was his Awkward Ray-Gun, firing beams of Pure Awkward. But, it was pointing at him, not at the heroes. Awkward.

Someone: At least it won't have any effect on him -- he can't be any more awkward!

Someone else: Or _can_ he?

Someone: Maybe it'd conceal it?

Someone else: We're overthinking it.

Nevertheless, the heroes managed to switch the minds of rats and teammates back, although Captain Awkward's mother came on the scene in time to see the Canadian Ninja fighting with her son. Awkward. After all, she was an Evil Crone (the GM said so!), but she seemed unaware of her son's activities, and he was still her son.

Mrs. Awkward: How could you strike a boy? I thought you were Canadian!

The group agreed that the time had come to leave. They had retrieved their companions, and, after all, disciplinary action is best left to the parents.