CMON Feature Friday: Gaming With Icons
You’ve probably heard the question: What famous person, living or dead, would you most want to do X with? Now, the X in this case could be anything really; eat a meal, watch a movie, even get into fisticuffs with them. The real idea is to imagine yourself in a made up situation, with an appropriate person, who you wouldn’t normally get the chance to meet.
Well, we’re gamers, and as such, for this week's CMON Feature Friday, we decided to figure out what games we’d like to play with certain historical figures.
Henry Morgan and Rum & Bones
Long before he had a second career schilling rum products, Welshman Henry Morgan was a landowner and eventually the Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. He made a fortune raiding settlements and ships on the Spanish Main. In 1667, when the relationship between England and Spain worsened, Morgan was given a license to attack from the King himself. His extraordinarily successful run as a privateer allowed him to buy three sugar cane plantations, which is probably what led to his association with sugar-based liqueurs.
Sitting down to a game of the two-player strategic battle, Rum & Bones, would be a ton of fun. Two galleons come together for a boarding. The deckhands and bosuns of each ship are equally matched, so it will come down to the five-member team of officers that the players put together. Destroying each other’s key targets will take leadership, a steady hand, and the ability to keep calm under pressure. Morgan could very well have a strategic advantage, considering he’d have taken part in his fair share of boardings in the past, often in a command position. The only problem he might run into would be negative memories coming up from the appearance of the giant Kraken in the game.
Winston Churchill and Rise of Moloch
Churchill fought the rise of one of the most terrible threats to the world in the 1930’s and 40’s, with the Third Reich. During World War II, he was the Prime Minister of England and the face of the resistance to the German forces. His brave speeches and fearless leadership helped win the day, and the ‘British Bulldog,’ as he was known, will forever be remembered for his willingness to stand up to tyranny and evil.
We could think of no better player to take control of one of the Gentlemen of the Unicorn Club to face another threat to the world in Rise of Moloch. While the London of the World of SMOG is set in an alternate, steampunk period, we think Winston would still feel at home on it’s fog-covered streets, facing off against the likes of The Cult and the Grotesque Company Circus. He’d also have to be a little touched that the Bulldog character was named after him. A man with a strategic military mind and no fear would be great to have on your side, and considering his history, you better believe he’d have the heart to stand up to Moloch, fire demon, or not.
H.P. Lovecraft and The Others
Lovecraft was not always as famous as he is today. In fact, he was relatively unsuccessful in his lifetime. His work was largely published in pulp magazines to little or no acclaim. It wasn’t until after his death in 1937, that he became know for shaping a genre and changing the way we think of ‘monsters’. His most recognized work, The Call of Cthulhu, has gone on to inspire countless other forms of horror media, from books, to movies, to games. We wonder what he would think of the many incarnations of Cthulhu you see everywhere today, from nightmarish beast, to cuddly chibi.
Speaking of nightmarish beasts, we imagine Lovecraft would feel right at home stepping into the Sins role in a game of Eric M. Lang’s horror masterpiece, The Others. It would probably go something like this:
HP: So, I’m controlling horrible monsters from another dimension?
Us: Yeah.
HP: And I get to spread death, destruction, and corruption around the city?!
Us: Um, yeah.
HP: Let’s Rock!
Oprah Winfrey and Potion Explosion
There’s really no justification for this one, other than the fact that we think Oprah seems like she’d be a heck of a lot of fun to play this awesome ingredient-collecting, potion-creating game with. I mean, it’s Oprah and Potion Explosion!
Let us know what you think on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #CMONFeatureFriday. What game and what person, living or dead, would you most want to play together? We’d love to hear your ideas!
