Real Men Don’t Play GURPS
Chris's note: I'm reposting this without the author's permission. His website has been inactive for about two and a half years, so waiting around for permission seems like it might be a waste of time. And real men don't waste time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to wash down a pile of rare meat with a bottle of whiskey, then roll up some characters. Like a man, baby. Like a man.
Real Men Don't Play GURPS
or Vampire, for that matter
Back in the good old days — the "Golden Era" of roleplaying — it was easy to separate the men from the boys (sometimes called "Real Men" and "Quiche Eaters" in the literature). During this period, the Real Men were the ones who played Dungeons and Dragons, and the Quiche Eaters were the ones who didn't.
A Real Man said things like "save vs death or die" and "THAC0" (they actually pronounced the zero in THAC0, you understand), and the rest of the world said things like "Dungeons and Dragons — isn't that Satanic?" and "dragons don't exist". Real Men brush off such trivial issues, and have never had problems killing things that don't exist.
But, as usual, times change. Dungeons and Dragons is no longer the only force in roleplaying. We are faced today with a world in which vampires can be player characters instead of monsters, and rules exist for creating microwave ovens and toasters that are more detailed than those for creating humans.
There is a clear need to point out the differences between the typical pasty-faced goth poseur or aspiring gearhead, and a Real Man. If this difference is made clear, it will give these people something to aspire to — a role model, a father figure. It will also help explain why, despite 25 years of progress in roleplaying games, the Real Man continues to be the force that he is today.
Games
The easiest way to tell a Real Man from the rest of the roleplaying crowd is by the game he plays. Real Men play Dungeons and Dragons. Quiche Eaters play GURPS and Storyteller. Mark Rein·Hagen, the designer of Storyteller, was once asked, "How do you pronounce the dot in your name?" He replied, "It's unpronounceable, and symbolises how meaningless are the labels that we attach to ourselves." One can tell immediately from this comment that Mark Rein·Hagen is a Quiche Eater. Real Men don't need the abstract concepts introduced by Quiche-Eating games — like characterisation, immersiveness or realism — to get their jobs done. They are perfectly happy with a sword, a spellbook, and a beer.
- Real Men use swords to kill monsters.
- Real Men use swords to tame the wilderness.
- Real Men use swords to negotiate peace treaties.
- Real Men use swords to romance the opposite sex.
If you can't do it with a sword, do it with a fireball. If you can't do it with a fireball, it isn't worth doing.
Real Gaming
Roleplaying pundits have gotten into a "gamist/simulationist/dramatist" classification rut over the past several years. They claim that roleplaying has many purposes, and games should be designed to emphasise the particular purpose that the designer has in mind. They don't all agree on exactly which purposes should be emphasised, of course, which hasn't stopped megabytes of tedious discussion on one forum or another. These people have obviously never played a Real Game. My first adventure in a Real Game involved tracking down a demon with six arms, a snake-like tail and a bad attitude, and killing it before it destroyed an entire kingdom. Any Real Man will tell you that all the Dramatist Existentialist Angst and Simulationist Verisimilitude in the world won't help you solve a problem like that — it takes violence. Some quick observations on Real Men and violence:
- Real Men aren't afraid to kill orcs.
- Real Men aren't afraid to kill giants.
- Real Men aren't afraid to kill dragons.
- Real Men aren't afraid to kill kittens — they might grow up to become an evil wizard's familiar.
- Real Men don't have to justify killing things — the need is obvious.
Games emphasising free-form storytelling and non-violent interaction have gotten a lot of press lately. "The story is the thing", according to these games. The people who write these games believe that they offer an alternative to how roleplaying games have historically been played, namely as a series of encounters involving killing things. Real Men know better than that; they know that the story is merely a convenient device used to set the stage for the important parts of the game, namely killing things.
Dice
What kind of dice are used by a Real Man? Six-sided dice? Naturally — everyone and his dog uses six-sided dice; the d6 is the iconic die. But a Real Man isn't satisfied until his dice collection includes every platonic solid and regular polyhedron, and possibly irregular ones as well.
A Real Man's dice collection includes multiple examples of four-, six-, eight-, ten-, twelve- and 20-sided dice. Some particularly dedicated Real Men also have two-, three-, 30- and 100-sided dice. The fact that it is physically impossible to have a polyhedron with only two faces (sides) is but a minor inconvenience to a Real Man.
Real Men are also discerning consumers who demand value for money from their roleplaying purchases. Dice are expensive, and justifying their existence is a key requirement from any game that a Real Man plays. A ruleset that doesn't use ten different polyhedra simply isn't worth considering for a Real Man.
Rulesets
What kind of system does a Real Man use to resolve tasks in the game? In theory, a Real Man could use any task resolution system he liked. Back in the days when adventures consisted solely of 10-foot-square rooms occupied by 50-foot-long dragons, this was of course moot. The only task resolution systems that mattered were the attack roll (see "Real Gaming" above) and the saving throw. Your typical Real Man knew the class attack matrices in the 1st Edition D&D Dungeon Master's Guide by heart, and exactly where the breakpoints were for optimal dual-classing. (Back then, classes were REAL classes. Every cleric was the same as every other cleric, every fighter was the same as every other fighter, and so on. This made it very easy to create new characters after your original ones got killed. These days, you can spend more time creating new characters than actually gaming.)
Let it not be said that the Real Man is averse to progress, however. Many of the innovations that have appeared in the last 25 years have been incorporated into rulesets that Real Men use today. For example, Dungeons and Dragons originally had no task resolution system for non-combat situations, so not surprisingly, people tended to gloss over them. Today, there are lots of ways of handling such situations, so Real Men now have the luxury of glossing over them for its own sake. Some people have claimed that the latest version of Dungeons and Dragons places more emphasis on nonviolent solutions to problems, but after careful study I have come to the conclusion that they were mistaken.
The Real Man might compromise his principles and use a ruleset that is not Dungeons and Dragons, if there are enough opportunities to cause violence. There are several Real Men playing GURPS, for instance, and they talk about Real Men's issues like wound ballistics and the physics of laminate armour and long rod penetrators. Those Real Men who play Storyteller also find no lack of opportunities to kill things. Indeed, Storyteller, despite its Quiche-Eating sensibilities, is perhaps even more suited to epic violence than Dungeons and Dragons; some 2,000-year-old elder kindred make 50th level wizard-paladins look like kids in the park.
- Real Men play hardened, violent adventurers in GURPS.
- Real Men play hardened, violent adventurers in Vampire.
- Real Men play hardened, violent adventurers in Call of Cthulhu.
- Real Men play hardened, violent adventurers in Elfquest.
As we can see, the determined Real Man can instigate violence in any ruleset.
The Future
What of the future? It is a matter of some concern to Real Men that the latest generation of roleplayers are not being brought up with the same outlook on life as their elders. Many of them have never seen a 10-foot-wide corridor, let alone heard the tale of Eric and the dread gazebo. Hardly anyone in gaming clubs these days has had the experience of mapping out a dungeon on grid paper. Gamers these days are soft — protected from the realities of roleplaying by diceless systems, computer games, and "player-friendly" modules. Worst of all, some of these alleged "roleplayers" manage to become game developers without ever having had a character die on them! Are we destined to become a community of goth poseurs and aspiring gearheads?
From my experience, I can only report that the future is bright for Real Men everywhere. Dungeons and Dragons doesn't show any signs of dying out, despite all the efforts of Storyteller and GURPS fans the world over. Even more subtle tricks, like adding nonweapon proficiencies, skills and powers to D&D have failed. Oh sure, TSR came out with the Players' Option books, which were almost certainly D&D's darkest hour. However, all of them simply just gave us more and better ways to kill monsters — to cause violence as God meant it to be. Furthermore, on the computer gaming front, games like Diablo and Counterstrike are giving rise to a whole new generation of Real Men. They may use a strange lingo containing words like w00t and 3l33t, but the truth is that Real Men speak the same language everywhere — even if the words are different.
Even D&D itself is not as bad on Real Men as it once was. The latest release of D&D has the potential of a roleplaying game worthy of any Real Man — unlimited hit dice, all classes gaining multiple attacks per round, and plenty of strange and arbitrary special abilities. If you ignore the fact that it contains skills like Diplomacy, Craft and Profession, 3rd Edition contains much can be appreciated by the Real Man. After all, there's no multiclassing limits, three-quarters of the core classes use spells, and the added bonus of the prestige class is thrown in — like having the best parts of kits and dual-classing in one place. To add to the fun, bonuses can have different types, so not only do you have to remember which numbers to add up, you have to remember which ones to throw away too.
No, the future isn't all that bad. Why, in the past year, even the classic Real Man's roleplaying game — 1st Edition Dungeons and Dragons — has been revived and republished under the Hackmaster brand. From all evidence, the spirit of Real Men lives on in this excellent ruleset. As long as there are ill-defined campaign worlds, quirky challenges, and bizarre dungeons, there will be Real Men willing to jump in, Kill the Monsters and Take their Treasure.
Long live Dungeons and Dragons!
Acknowledgement
Adapted without permission from the infamous "Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal", itself inspired by the book Real Men Don't Eat Quiche.
April 4th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
April 5th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Let’s face it: Real Men play hardened, violent adventurers in ANY game they play.
April 5th, 2010 at 10:25 am
I don’t care how shitty the script is. I’M IN.
Click the pic to get more Foxiness.
http://www.hollywood.com/news/Is_Megan_Fox_The_New_Red_Sonja/6838408
Is Megan Fox The New Red Sonja?
Robert Rodriguez has been toying with the idea of a reboot of Red Sonja, the warrior vixen who’s slain all manners of beings alongside counterpart Conan, since long before Marcus Nispel began shooting his take on the Cimmerian slaughterer last month. As far back as 2008, the filmmaker had been working on the re-tooling with his then girlfriend Rose McGowan in the lead role.
Recently, McGowan was cast as a half human, half witch, all evil character in Nispel’s new film, leaving the status of Sonja unknown. Additionally, insider’s claim that the entire project (who’s home is at Millennium Films, like Conan) as it existed under Rodriguez’s thumb has been scrapped and a new writer is being searching for to re-work David N. White’s script. Today, Pajiba reports that not only is the project far from dead, but it’s attracted a major star – Megan Fox.
File this under rumor for the time being, but the sexy Transformers star may end up wielding deadly weapons in the update. She is of the perfect age, type and point in her career to take on a major action tentpole and potential franchise, what with her involvement in the robots-in-disguise franchise uncertain past next years installment, which reportedly begins shooting next month.
A lot of action, a little clothes and Megan Fox? Sign us up today! Meanwhile, check out the studio’s 2008 description of the project:
In her return we find Red Sonja, a young girl risen from the ashes of tragedy to become the most feared woman warrior of all time. The mythical red-head blindly seeks vengeance on those who destroyed her family. In her path of destruction she discovers a larger purpose for her unearthly powers: to save all Hyrkania from the villainous Kulan Gath.
April 5th, 2010 at 10:33 am
OK. This looks like it might actually be tolerable. Aw hell, who am I kidding? I’ll definitely be seeing this one:
http://www.hollywood.com/news/New_A_Team_Trailer_Same_Awesomeness/6837433
April 5th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Jesus, she is so goddamned beautiful. It’s almost unreal. She makes my libido hurt.
April 5th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
I copied and pasted Hong’s article as-is, broken links and all. If you’re interested in The Tale of Eric and the Dread Gazebo, here you go, straight from Richard Aronson, the man who first unleashed this yarn on the world back in 1985. Now that I’ve read this, that gazebo card in Munchkin makes a lot more sense…
April 5th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
WOW
April 5th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
This shirt makes a lot more sense now, too…
April 6th, 2010 at 5:31 am
I’m not entirely sure this cross promotion makes sense…
Courtesy of FailBlog.org
April 6th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
so…where’s the article full of unbelievable stuff?
April 7th, 2010 at 5:15 am
It’s unbelievably long and unbelievably unfinished. Until I uncover some unspoken for time, it will remain undone and unposted, unfortunately.
April 7th, 2010 at 7:19 am
Tell the slave drivers at work to back off! You have more important things to do!
April 7th, 2010 at 7:44 am
I must say, I mildly intrigued:
http://scifiwire.com/2010/04/new-trailer-for-splice-hi.php
April 8th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
I’ve been working hard for the last two days to find a nice template for Dungeons & Dragons monster write-ups (Monster Manual entries, as those of us who play call them). I was going to assign some stats to the gazebo as if it were a published monster, then post them and spend the rest of the week congratulating myself for being so clever. Only it turns out other people are much more clever than I am, and on a more timely schedule. DanM found this excellent Monster Manual-style entry for The Dread Gazebo, which is hilarious, deadly, and much better than the one I had in mind.
Click to cast enlarge on these mystical runes.
DanM gets 50 XP for locating The Dread Gazebo, and as a bonus I’m giving him a free reroll on one (1) future save vs. gazebo. Well played, sir!
From Bride Of Portable Hole, © 2005 E.N.Publishing
April 9th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Two people who do not know each other, in separate and unrelated conversations, have recently expressed to me their opinions to the effect that it is impossible for stupid people to become doctors, either of medicine or philosophy. That the system of obtaining a Ph.D. is specifically designed to eliminate those people from doctoral candidacy so that such a thing cannot happen. To that, I reply thus:
April 9th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
I love meat as much as the next red blooded American man, but this may be taking things a bit too far:
“I felt disenfranchised, and alone… a real lack of meat-based liqueurs… let them infuse in a large jar for five weeks. The hot dogs haven’t colored the vodka in the way that lemon zest or berries do, just a slight discoloration… after infusion, I made sure to squeeze the dogs well and strain them through a cheesecloth, to release all the essential oils and lipids… a fine beefy taste, with a hint of salt and gentle spiciness… a richness and subtle beefiness not to be found in traditional vegetarian cocktails… dust the rim with dry mustard and garnish with boiled peanuts… it makes good cocktails for pets… I added a few spoonfuls to their kibble to make a rich gravy… I’m interested in experimenting with cheese infusions…”
I think I’m gonna be sick…
April 12th, 2010 at 9:53 am
Having previously provided IT support for the Department of Family Medicine at a fairly well known university I’ve had the chance to interact with residents (physicians completeing their training) both in professional and informal environments. 5 years of observation taught me the following:
-ALL up and coming physicians are arrogant to some degree. The greater the arrogance, the greater the risk of mistakes because the physician becomes overconfidant in their abilities.
-There are DEFINITELY individuals out there who persue the career of a physician not out of any sense of duty, or desire to help others, but simply for the presitge. They put in the absolute minimal amount of work necessary to become certified and that’s it.
-Despite being doctors they are still very human and capable of making the same mental and emotional mistakes as anyone else. (These tend to be compounded based on how arrogant the individual is).
In short, not every physician will be an A level student. And being an A level student does mean they’ll possess an overabundance of common sense. It also does not guarantee they give a shit about their job for the right reasons either.
A quick parting story:
During one of the weekly lectures to the residents, a guest speaker came in. He openly admitted to being a young, arrogant hot shot intern at a major hospital several years ago and during one particular incident was put in charge of intubating a baby for some procedure. This was a task he considered relatively easy so he didn’t bother to double check his work.
Well, during the procedure the baby ended up dying because it wasn’t intubated correctly. He no longer practices medicine but speaks to residents and medical students about the inherent dangers of arrogance and complacency in their work.
April 13th, 2010 at 7:27 am
Why does this not surprise me. Our government at its finest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssl5yb7FewA&aia=true
April 14th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Brilliant!
http://scifiwire.com/2010/04/coolest-soap-ever-han-sol.php
April 14th, 2010 at 9:40 am
Not sure how I feel about this….
http://scifiwire.com/2010/04/confirmed-joss-whedon-to.php
Confirmed: Joss Whedon to direct The Avengers
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but Deadline Hollywood is confirming that rumor that Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon is in final talks to direct Marvel’s proposed The Avengers movie.
The report confirms a rumor first reported by IESB.net on April 1 that Whedon was edging out Clash of the Titans director Louis Leterrier to direct the superhero saga:
I’m told Marvel Studios is in final negotiations for Buffy the Vampire Slayer series architect Joss Whedon to direct Marvel Studios’ The Avengers. That’s the fast-tracked film that would amount to an all-star team of Marvel superheros, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), as well as SHIELD leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Other signature superheros will likely be involved, but I’ve listed the actors in active superhero duty.
Whedon has been rumored for this job for awhile, and is high on the fanboy wish-list.
Whedon’s only directed one movie—Serenity—though he’s written the scripts for several (including his upcoming Cabin in the Woods) and is a well-known script doctor in Hollywood. He’s also got a long relationship with Marvel, having written Astonishing X-Men, not to mention an early draft of the X-Men movie, among other things.
Fingers crossed!
April 15th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Check out the A-Z of Awesomeness. Definitely not to be missed.
April 15th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Female lead for the New Captain America movie.
SSSSSHHHHHHAAAAAWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/m-lounge/9395542-1.html
April 15th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
I suppose it was only a matter of time:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36551880/ns/world_news-world_environment/
April 18th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
testing the new spam filter
April 18th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
viagra cheap online
April 18th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
pre-teen ass fucking
(I am still testing the new spam filter to see if I can make it block me. This is not standard Sci-Fi Guys content, I assure you.)
April 18th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
HUGE BLACK COCK
(Seriously, we get tons of this kind of shit constantly. I’m just trying to make sure we’re blocking as much as possible. Stop judging me.)
April 18th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
Great, now my own website has stored my name prefill as “Anal Destruction.” Wonderful. On the up side, this new filter has blocked pretty much everything I’ve thrown at it. Except for “Anal Destruction,” that is.
April 19th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
“We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/19/security-brief-radical-islamic-web-site-takes-on-south-park/?hpt=T2
Nope, not threatening at all.
April 20th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
I’m a big, dumb male so my first inclination was to make fun. But the more I looked at this thing, the more I realized that I want one. This is pretty astounding. This chick has skills.
Click any of these pics to see more of the finished product, as well as an in-depth look at how she did it. Impressive.
April 20th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
Happy birthday, George.
April 21st, 2010 at 8:49 am
Click to enlarge.
Don Maitz – The Big Sun Of Mercury
April 22nd, 2010 at 9:41 am
My sincerest thanks for bringing us Robotech and laying the groundwork for countless other anime classics to find their way to America.
Carl Macek
1951-2010
http://www.robotech.com/news/viewarticle.php?id=418
Carl F. Macek passed away on Saturday, April 17, 2010 of a heart attack.
From his early days at California State University Fullerton, where he served as a librarian of popular culture, Carl was set on a course to make his mark on the anime industry in the United States. Fans know him as the producer who originally weaved together the Robotech saga out of separate anime series when faced with broadcast syndication hurdles in 1985. The result was a science fiction phenomenon that launched popular lines of novels, comics, videos, toys, and other memorabilia that continue to be coveted collectibles to this day. Sure, Robotech had its ups and downs over the years, but Carl relished its longevity and resurgence.
Carl later went on to found Streamline Pictures, which was known for releasing major anime titles such as Akira and Vampire Hunter D. He was also directly involved in the first English adaptations of many of Hayao Miyazake’s classics such as Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro, My Neighbor Totoro. Recently, Carl had worked on the adaptation of many of the episodes of the hit anime series Bleach. Outside of anime, Carl had also written many books, from The Art of Heavy Metal to the novel War Eagles, an epic adventure which he also adapted into a screenplay for a film in development.
Carl was delighted to get involved again in the Robotech universe for its 25th anniversary, not to mention the widespread anticipation over a live action movie on the horizon.
Carl Macek spent the past Saturday, April 17th as he often did, enjoying life to its fullest at a concert with his beloved wife Svea. Then a massive heart attack took him away from all of us. It was a bitter pill to swallow. This did not seem fair. He was still so full of creative energy. However, with the amazing legacy of his work, Carl has left us much to remember him by, and in this way, he has truly become immortal.
We asked a few people to share some thoughts and memories about Carl: (some have been edited for space)
We had heard a lot about each other before we met but then we met in 1993 and both realized it was all demonizing by people who didn’t understand us. We had an interesting friendship after that. When I moved back to the US, we bumped into each other at an animation show in Hollywood and he had just finished working on Heavy Metal 2, which hadn’t been released yet. He said, “You know how they say Battlefield Earth is the worst movie ever made? It’s because they haven’t seen this movie yet!” I had to watch it as soon as it came out after hearing that! I went up to his house in the Hollywood Hills for dinner one night and he was watching a basketball game on his giant TV. While we were talking, the game ended and riots broke out. We watched cars and other things close to my home burn. Carl was a great guy to watch riots with. He always had so many great stories and we would go on for hours, our stories getting more wild and ridiculous the longer we entertained a group. I liked being on panels with him because he was honest, direct and funny at the same time. We had some good times together and I miss him greatly.
Jan Scott Frazier
Anime industry veteran
I had first met Carl several years ago when I was running a small college anime convention nobody had ever heard of. For one reason or another, be it faith, luck, or just some kind of serendipity, Carl agreed to come out to the show and be my guest of honor. His presence gave me my first slice of cred in the business, and started a fiery momentum that still burns forward today. Without this inspiration from landing an industry giant, one who had given me many of the great adventures of my youth, this boy with a dream would never have gone on to pursue a professional career in the business with so much passion and enthusiasm. Carl, I will miss your inspiration, your ideas and your conversation. I will miss talking to you about all sorts of things and then soaking in the wisdom in your words each time. I am deeply saddened by your passing, but know that through your works, public and private alike, a part of you will live on forever. Rest in Peace, My Dear Admiral,
Rob Pereyda
VP of Licensing, Crunchyroll
Carl Macek was a man of immense writing talent, skill, style, class and intelligence. Working with him was an exciting collaborative effort. It was always a pleasure to be directed by him on any project.
I began my anime career with Carl on Akira, Vampire Hunter “D” and Robotech among many others. He was a master at how to weave a story and had a wealth of knowledge on so many subjects. What a clear sharp mind he had.
You could see how deeply in love he was with his wife Svea whenever they were together. My prayers go out to her and their extended family. This is a huge loss.
Barbara Goodson
Voice actress (Marie Crystal, Sera in Robotech)
I first met Carl at the premiere of Robotech: [The Shadow Chronicles] in Westwood. I immediately felt I met a tremendously interesting person who has been around this Hollywood business for a long time, reminded me of Dan O’Bannon (writer of Alien, Total Recall, who also just passed a few months ago). I was the “new kid” to the franchise of Robotech (which of course was his baby). Carl treated me with total respect and was interested in what I was thinking musically with Robotech. He was not jaded in even the slightest which after all these years he could have been. The last time I saw him was at Comic Con in San Diego a few years ago where he gave me a copy of his book “War Eagles” and introduced me to Debbie Bishop (writer of “Shadow Boys” a project he was talking about turning into a film). He was a really a wonderful, giving guy who was a genuine person (which is unique in Hollywood). Also he always seemed to have time and patience for his fans (even the ones who were not so nice) and his friends — even the new ones. He will be missed.
Scott Glasgow
Composer, Robotech The Shadow Chronicles
I will never forget the thrill of having Carl over to my apartment to record a radio interview for our show ANNCast. He was a mysterious figure to me, since by the time I was active in the industry he had stepped away. Nonetheless I deeply admired his work. It always seemed so much more professional than the other releases of the era, in terms of workmanship. There was something otherworldly about having such an exalted figure sitting on my couch, waxing nostalgic.
He was incredibly compelling and talked about everything. By the time it was over — over two hours of discussion later — he was no longer mysterious, but familiar, likable, and very real. It was an experience I’ll never forget. I’m indescribably grateful that he was able to share so much with us that day. The fact that he’s left us so quickly afterwards is something I don’t think I’ve wrapped my head around yet.
I don’t think he was interested (or even able) to do for anime now what he did for it in the 90s, but he was able to market anime to the mainstream in a way that we desperately need today. Nobody else in the business ever learned how to do it properly, to the extent he did, and with the vision, the resources and the connections to get anime noticed by people that never would have thought to look at Japanese cartoons. Companies in the anime market today should be studying his playbook, as nobody in the West has ever been responsible for converting so many people into anime fans.
Justin Sevakis
Anime News Network
I was a fan of Robotech back in the mid-80s, and I was completely star-struck the first time I met “Uncle Carl” (as many of us called him). I mean, here I’d been working in the industry for about eight years, done hundreds of episodes of anime and even played Asuka for crying out loud, but I was going to work for Carl Macek!!
I will never forget walking into the studio, shaking his hand and saying, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Macek. I’m a big fan of Robotech. I’m really looking forward to working with you.” I think I may have mispronounced his name, because I remember he said, “It’s MAY-SECK, like ‘Sissy Spacek’.” Later, when I got to know Carl better — the first time Matt heard me refer to him as “Carl,” it was “Oh… so you’re on a first name basis now, huh?” — I loved to be regaled by all of his incredible, engaging stories.
I’ll never forget how he was completely exhausted one Monday because he and Svea had driven to Atlanta (or some such far off place) over the weekend to pick up a BMW STATION WAGON (of all things!!) — think he had won it on eBay. He was so particular about having that specific car that nothing else would do. But it was certainly all his little quirks and eccentricities that made him fascinating to know.
I could never have imagined when I was seventeen and watching Robotech after school, the impact this would later have on my life. The anime industry would never have achieved the incredible popularity it has in the United States if not for Carl Macek. For that, I am truly grateful.
Tiffany Grant
Voice actress (Asuka in Evangelion)
I first saw Carl in 1984. I was just out of high school and went to the LA Worldcon and by accident was present for his unveiling of Macross Boobytrap, his pre-Robotech dub of Macross. Little did I know how much interaction I’d have with him a few years later when I joined the staff of Books Nippan and its budding production division U.S. Renditions. David Riddick and Kevin Seymour had pioneered the first ever anime style BGM album with the Robotech Soundrack LP and I joined them to work on the CD version and we all got to know Carl quite well as a result. Carl was then and always passionate about his point of view — one might not always agree with him, and sometimes we argued, but one could not help but respect where he was coming from because he was always so confident and persuasive (laughs).
I’ll never forget a meeting we had with Carl where he came in and pitched Books Nippan’s management on his overall vision for anime in the U.S. During that discussion he likened himself to Kevin Costner in the movie Field of Dreams and he said of his plans for anime in the U.S. “I know if I build it, they’ll come.” Being cynical and in my 20s I dismissed this remark as showmanship. But the truth is this: Carl was a dreamer. And he stuck with his dreams and he saw a lot of them happen. He saw the derision about Robotech from the early days fade away twenty years later into pure nostalgia and love for his reimagining of one great series (Macross) and let’s be honest, two series that would have been largely ignored had they not been part of Robotech. Carl was a dreamer and he never gave up on his dreams and that’s what I’ll always remember about him.
Robert Napton
Bandai Entertainment
Carl Macek was a sheer genius. He was the father of ROBOTECH. He will be missed.
Robert Axelrod
Voice actor (Rico in Robotech)
April 22nd, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Like many anime fans my age, Robotech was my first real taste of Japanese animation, and it got me hooked. I remember watching it very, very early in the morning at my grandparents’ house and being blown away by the visuals. I only saw it here and there so I had no idea what was going on, but I drank it in whenever possible. Robotech was also the first RPG I ever played, and it got me hooked on a lifelong hobby that I still love to this day.
I owe both those experiences largely to Carl Macek. The skill with which Carl and his contemporaries rewrote and marketed anime for American audiences has had a TREMENDOUS impact on our popular culture. Look at some of the most popular cartoon franchises today: Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Naruto, Bakugan… all anime. Cartoons like Robotech, Tranzor-Z, Speed Racer, and Voltron paved the way for these shows, and opened American audiences to the anime experience, and Robotech was a big part of that early effort.
While Carl Macek wasn’t the only person bringing “Japanimation” to The States in those days, I think it’s safe to say that he was one of the most successful, and therefore one of the most instrumental. Without Carl Macek’s vision and ingenuity, anime might have had a different course in this country. I, for one, am damn glad he was there when he was, and I send my condolences to his loved ones. Thanks a million, Carl. You will be missed.
April 22nd, 2010 at 2:12 pm
On a lighter note:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_zYD3aekbk&feature=player_embedded
April 27th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
I’m not sure if I believe this, but its an interesting way to go:
Alien’s Prequel to be All About Space Jockey
1979 movie Alien’s prequel being directed by Ridley Scott is going to be dealing with the Space Jockey that was discovered by the Nostromo crew on LV-426. Now, this is a 360 degree turn from Scott’s last official statement where he mentioned that he does not intend to make the prequel; in the line of the old story and would in fact be something new and fresh! Though the story of the movie is being still written down but Scott seems to be pretty confident on getting back to his old subject. Tough to leave your comfort-zone Scott!
Source: MTV
April 29th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Why the hell can’t anything like this happen in the Greater Cincinnati Area?
http://scifiwire.com/2010/04/slave-leias-soap-up-for-the-greatest-car-wash-of-all-time.php
April 29th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Ok, I’m interested:
Click to enlarge.
http://scifiwire.com/2010/04/smokin-jonah-hex-trailer.php
April 30th, 2010 at 5:38 am
I sometimes think people who make movie posters forget that there are other colors besides blue and orange. That combo is getting pretty fucking tired. This is a fucking Western. How about a brown, red and yellow poster? Westerns shouldn’t have a “cool” color component. They should look hot, dirty, a little washed out, and a whole lot dangerous. Was this poster drawn by James Cameron? Enough with the fucking cobalt blue. It’s been done.
Also, why does Jonah Hex have a Gatling gun and what appears to be Chewbacca’s bowcaster? Hex is a dangerous gunslinger, not a Wookie Terminator. He uses revolvers. I wish I could watch this trailer here at work, because I really, really want this movie to be good. But this poster does not inspire confidence.
April 30th, 2010 at 7:01 am
Yeah….there’s not much traditional gunslinging action in the trailer. My initial impression is he’s going to be using several gimmick weapons, like that crossbow (which appears to shoot something akin to lit sticks of dynamite).
I’ll admit it. I’m in mainly because of Megan Fox. Plus I’m a sucker for movies spawned from comics, even ones I haven’t read.
Based on the trailer alone, my expectations are fairly low. I know you want this to be a good movie Chris but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
April 30th, 2010 at 7:34 am
Oh, god, you mean they’re turning this into Van Helsing? Kill me. Just kill me now.
May 5th, 2010 at 11:33 am
At least Bryan Singer is back. Brett Ratner’s X-men venture was less than stellar.
http://scifiwire.com/2010/05/x-men-first-class-gets-di.php
May 5th, 2010 at 11:37 am
It only took 28 years….
http://scifiwire.com/2010/05/cool-new-3-d-dark-crystal.php
May 5th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Spiderman Foils Would-Be Thief
Hero … Spiderman stopped thief from stealing valuable comic
May 6th, 2010 at 10:38 am
I’m still working on that really long article I promised to be done with about 14 years ago. Just logged into get a little more finished and very nearly shit myself. The word count should have been a little over 13,500 (told you it was long), but it was down to a little over 4000. 9500 fucking words. GONE.
I thought I was going to throw up. I had worked SO fucking long on this, and it was really coming together nicely. I save often to prevent just such data loss from happening, yet somehow, right in the middle of a sentence, the bulk of the article had just fucking vanished. I have not had a good couple of weeks, and I was seriously thinking that this was the thing that would cause me to snap. There’s only so much a person can take.
That’s when I discovered that Word Press automatically saves post revisions. My anal retentive saving meant that nothing was really lost that couldn’t be reconstructed in a matter of minutes. I don’t know who you are, Word Press programmer who made that wonderful feature, but I swear to god if you were here I would kiss your right on the mouth.
To those people to whom I’ve promised the new article and have been waiting with semi-patience, I swear it’ll be published soon, and it’ll be worth the word count. In the mean time, here’s a little taste of what’s coming your way:
May 6th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Are we going to be terminated? Just liked to know so I can get my affairs in order.
May 6th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
This isn’t Sci Fi but GOD DAMN. This PC shit is getting out of fucking control:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36981179/ns/local_news-san_francisco_bay_area_ca/
May 7th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Police arrest naked ‘Terminator’
May 9th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Outstanding.
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