IDOL PURSUITS: SPECIAL EDITION: The DOCTOR STRANGE BOARD GAME (That YOU can now PRINT out and PLAY!)

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Introductory page to:

DOCTOR STRANGE’s

HAUNTED PATHWAYS

The Game of Mystic Mindrot

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“WHAT-the-wha…? A DOCTOR STRANGE BOARD GAME”, I hear the collective crowd exclaim, incredulously.

Yes! And, as a point of fact, a DOCTOR STRANGE BOARD GAME that was OFFICIALLY produced by MARVEL COMICS!

“Who-in-the-WHAT-now?!”, You all stammered, as one….

Yes! I am quite serious. There is a DOCTOR STRANGE BOARD GAME.

“WHY didn’t I ever hear of such a thing? HOW is such a thing possible? WHEN did this miraculous event occur?”, I heard you say, while completing the rest of the ‘5 “W’s” of proper questioning’.

I know what you’re thinking. “Whoever green-lit this project would have to be… CRAZY!”

And y’know what…? You’d be 100% correct!

Printed in the pages of CRAZY # 88 (a “SUPER SPECIAL” issue) by Marvel Comics (magazine division) back in July 1982, there was presented all the makings of an honest-to-goodness paper-craft DOCTOR STRANGE BOARD GAME!

My hand-colored figures and a close-up of my home-made box (from the early 1980's) for
DOCTOR STRANGE’s

HAUNTED PATHWAYS

The Game of Mystic Mindrot

Written by Steve Skeates.

Art by Steve Mellor

Complete with: spinner, multiple decks of cards, the game-board itself (because it can’t really be a board game if there isn’t a game board), rules, game pieces, and, of course, for the very reason that this is an “IDOL PURSUITS” post… FIGURE STANDEES!

But not just any old paper figures of ordinary people. Oh no! These are papercraft figures of:

 DOCTOR STRANGE

CLEA

DORMAMMU

&

BARON MORDO

!!!

(AND the game pointer is the
G’URANTHIC GUARDIAN!!!)

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(NOTE: For MORE info on the "IDOL PURSUITS" series of posts, and a review of every entry thus far, see the post just prior to this one  [HERE].)

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And so I present to you, in all its glory…
DOCTOR STRANGE’s
HAUNTED PATHWAYS:
The Game of Mystic Mindrot

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For your entertainment pleasure, I’ve scanned in the entire game pages (game board, pieces, instructions, etc) and digitally cleaned it all up to high-quality standards (available for download below).

You can either save the files and color them digitally (if you have the knack [and art software]) –or- print these out and color them in the more traditional manner (crayons, colored pencil, magic marker… heck, turn them into oil paintings, Picasso).

I still have my original set, which was from when this book was only a scant few months old. There were no fancy computers then, ya young whippersnappers, so we colored things with markers of magic, and THAT WAS THE WAY WE LIKED IT! Uh… sorry. I have the sudden urge to chase kids offa my lawn.

Now where was I?

Oh yes… My old set is shown here (at the top of this post) - for authenticity's sake - in a makeshift box and all hand-colored and pasted together. I have the urge to redo it all digitally now… and since I made these scans, I think I will!

Oh, you want to know what the game is about?

Well, it’s about obtaining perfect enlightenment as a Master of the Mystic Arts - or – falling into the grip of MADNESS and being locked away in an asylum!

See? FUN!

Here, let me allow Doctor Strange himself to explain it all in the accompanying comic strip (before and after the assorted game pieces).

*IMPORTANT: HIGH RESOLUTION SCANNED JPGS CAN BE DOWNLOADED BY CLICKING THE "DOWNLOAD PAGE" LINK, UNDER EACH PAGE.

THE IMAGES SHOWN HERE ARE LOW-RES MERELY FOR YOU TO VIEW.

REMEMBER: HIGH RESOLUTION SCANNED JPGS CAN BE DOWNLOADED BY CLICKING THE "DOWNLOAD PAGE" LINK, UNDER EACH PAGE.

(to download nice, quality scans to color and print)

OR
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE BATCH AT ONCE
AT THIS LINK:
HERE

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 01]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 02]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 03]

[DOWNLOAD GAME BOARD]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 04]

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[DOWNLOAD PAGE 05]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 06]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 07]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 08]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 09]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 10]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 11]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 12]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 13]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 14]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 15]

[DOWNLOAD PAGE 16]

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The ONLY part of assembling your very own version that MAY be even the slightest bit difficult is to align the FRONT and BACK of the playing cards (POWER CARDS, ASTRAL PLAYIN' CARDS, DISABILITY CARDS & TREATMENT CARDS). Your best bet is to print them out, cut out the BLOCK of cards (ignoring all the rest of the stuff on the page), and then make sure the edges line up. If the edges line up then the cards should line up, front-to-back (-or- hold them up to a light-source - on a window, or a lightbox, to see if they match up). Then use a glue stick or spray glue and reset together back-to-back. Then, cut them out on the dotted lines, and you'll have your cards!
If you're technically adept and want to align them on your computer and print out double-sided, well... aren't YOU fancy?!
And speaking of fancy... I'd highly recommend bringing the GAME BOARD file to your local copy shoppe to have them print it out on nice glossy stock (or even mount it onto some board)!

Anyway, the game is oodles of fun (if frustrating torture is your idea of a good time). I didn’t have anyone with whom to play this game when it first came out, so I pretty much had to play with myself (uh, wait…). It wasn’t until many years afterwards that I tested the love of my then-girlfriend by having her play with me (now WAIT a minute… I mean THE GAME! Perverts). She wasn’t all that excited by the game, but she seemed to still like ME enough to marry me a few years later. As I recall, I won the game and I won her heart.

So there ya have it! Play this game and find true love – guaranteed! (Note: Guarantee of love is not binding or in any way meant as a guarantee. Let’s face it, you’re about to slap together a home-made board game. No one is gonna find that sexy. Not even nerd-sexy. Good luck.)

So what’cha waiting for?

Begin YOUR exciting quest for ENLIGHTENMENT (or INSANITY)... NOW!

ENJOY!

Idol Pursuits : Master of the Plastic Arts - Part 3-a : Marvel / TSR R.P.G. standee

This entry is the 2nd of a two-post "linked" entry dealing with the TSR Marvel Super Heroes Role Playing Game, first released in 01984.
(Part one - HERE)

While it was only one game system, there were at least three different editions of the TSR Marvel RPG (not counting the multitudes of handbooks, game modules and character updates).

The Basic set was released in 01984.


The Advanced set was released in 01986.



and a Revised Basic Set was released in 01991.


I'll go into the RPG in depth at a later date, but for now I'm just going to focus on the standees.

This cardboard standee figure is from the 01986 Advanced Edition.

And this nearly identical version is from the 01991 Revised Edition.



Standing 1.25 inches tall, the figure is but one of dozens that were included in the boxed set.
Basically, if a character was being published (or remotely popular) at the time, they got a standee.
However, due to time constraints (and the fact that this is a Dr. Strange centric blog), we'll just stick with the Doctor.

Each figure could be cut out from the sheet that they were printed on and folded along the vertical lines (with the last tab being where glue - or tape - was applied), to thus transform the item into a 3-sided "standee".

This is what it would look like when assembled.
You'll note that it's triangular shape made it "arrow-like" so that the two front-facing images would both be looking ahead, and the back of the character was along the flat rear wall of the game-piece. That is because, it was basically a representative figure of your character(s) which you would then move along the included play-map as you made your way through the given adventure(s).
It might be a factor to know which way your character is actually facing so that the players would be able to "see" what was coming at them (or what would be able to sneak up behind them) during game-play.


Obviously, this is ANYTHING BUT an "action figure", and is even more rudimentary than the other standees that I have already showcased on the blog -
the Marvel World - & - "Rub-n-Play" standees (HERE).

However, it was the "cheap-ass", but fully functional version of a player figure if you didn't (or couldn't) get the metal figurines that I featured in the first part of this 2-fer entry (HERE).

Idol Pursuits: Master of the Plastic Arts (Addendum) - The Rub n' Play and Marvel World standees

As promised, I will be showcasing the two play figures that, while not "action figures" in any possible way, are still the official predecessors of any other Doctor Strange figures (including last week's posted "jiggler" action figure from Ben Cooper).

As noted in that last write-up, neither of these were available separately, instead coming packaged with a larger product. The MARVEL WORLD playset and the SPIDER-MAN RUB n' PLAY * activity set.

While I WILL show both of them in this post, the overall bulk of this post is to be dedicated to the 2nd figure and the RUB n' PLAY product set of which it was a part.
But we'll get to that in a mo'.

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The FIRST figure is from the (possibly most coveted item by collectors of Marvel ephemera):
01975 "Marvel World" playset from Amsco.



I won't be giving a detailed write-up on this item now, since it deserves it's own post, but I will show the box and the Doctor Strange "play figure" that it contained.

Note the classic artwork.
(I'm of mixed mind on who has drawn this. Part of me thinks it was by "our pal" Sal Buscema, but another part thinks that's by John Romita Sr. Perhaps penciled by Romita and inked by Sal?)

The figure is 3 inches tall and has a mirror image on the flip side.
(If a character had an alter ego, the flip side would show that character in civilian guise. However, Dr. Stephen Strange is always Doctor Strange, so... just a mirror image.
It would have been neat if, for those without civvies, it had the same pose but drawn from the back, so for Doc it'd be mostly the Cloak of Levitation being seen. That would give a better feeling of "realism" for play. But, alas...no.)

I'll give an in-depth write up for this item next week.
OK? OK.

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The next entry for a Dr. Strange figure is the one that came with:
the Amazing Spider-Man and the Marvel Heroes RUB n' PLAY Magic Transfer Set.



Produced in 01978 by the COLORFORMS corporation, (everyone remembers "colorforms" right? The die-cut rubbery clings that would come with a slick coated backdrop image and you would be able to position the clings over and over again many times), this Magic Transfer set featured rub-on transfers that the kids (and NOT adult nerd-collector's, right?) would position over pre-printed bases to make standee figures.

Each standee is about 5 1/2 inces tall.

Here's what was included:
- 3 plates of standee base-figures
- 2 rub-on decal sheets
- 1 "rubbing tool" (a wooden tongue-depressor / popsicle stick) to use as a burnisher

I'm not 100% sure why the set is "Spider-Man and the Marvel HEROES, since it featured some VILLAINS as well. A more accurate name would have been Marvel CHARACTERS, or something.
But, since there are only two baddies in the set, the bulk ARE heroes.
And while it is a staple of Marvel heroes to beat the living piss out of each other (in the typical "misunderstanding") they would eventually get their shit together to team up and turn the villain at large into paste, so we're glad they're included.

The list of characters is as thus:

- Spider-Man
- Captain America
- Hulk
- Thor
- Iron-Man
- Human Torch
- The Thing
- Invisible Girl (Ok. Not really, but it was the obvious joke.)
- Doctor Doom
- Green Goblin
- Sub-Mariner
and
- Doctor Strange

With that line-up of heroes, I'd wonder just what the hell Green Goblin is doing there?
Doom? Well, hells yeah. He can hold his own against almost all of these heroes by his self. So what the heck does the Goblin have to offer here?
Aside from Spider-Man, he's outclassed by every single hero in the set.

With nearly full base-compliments of DEFENDERS AND AVENGERS represented here, the only other logical choice of villain to be included would be LOKI.

However, I'd imagine that having the "GOD of EVIL" in a playset aimed at kids "ages 5 and up", wouldn't fly in the midwest.
For that matter, DORMAMMU would also be null and void, for the whole "demon / devil" thing.
And it goes without saying that MEPHISTO wouldn't be proper for an all-ages Spider-Man themed comic activity, right?
*cough* *cough*
Riiight.

But, I digress.
Here are the easy-to-follow instructions:
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1. Place transfer sheet over matching outline of each part, shiny side down.

2. Hold transfer firmly. Rub back of transfer with tool. Be careful to rub colored areas only.

3. Carefully lift the transfer sheet revealing a beautiful color section.

4. After rubbing on the remaining parts punch out completed figure

5. Punch out stand and place in slot at bottom of each figure.

6. Now you are ready to have fun with your stand-up Rub and Play figures.

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You kids today with your PSP's and iPod Touch don't know the sheer joy of playing gleefully with your paper-craft standees that you "made" yourself with a wooden popsicle stick and some minor hand-eye skills.
You think you're soooo cool.
You sicken me.
In my day, we played with paper and sticks and we LIKED it.

No. I kid. I kid.
I'd imagine that these didn't afford ANY kid much in the way of "hours of fun", but theoretically could have been cool to have standing on a bookshelf in your room.

I WILL state that, neither have I, nor do I plan to, actually er... rub these figures. However, I will show you the process via scans and through the magic of photoshop, I'll show you what a finished Dr. Strange standee would look like.

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Here is the base of the figure.
Printed on one side only of medium weight cardboard with perforated edges to easily "pop out" when ready.
Note that Doc's base is AWESOME!


This is the magic-rub-on portion.
Each of the characters had different amounts of rub-on decal to be applied.
If you look at the 2 sheets of transfers above, it's like a body-shop of limbs and torsos.
Doc, however, just needs the upper body to be applied.
You'll note that this image is the reverse of what you'll see in the final product (like an iron-on transfer).


This is what you'd have after you've positioned the decal over the base and used your stick "tool" to rub it on the body.
(Sure, I could have made that sound less pr0n-like, but I was using the terms written in the instructions. Ahh... it was a more innocent time.)

You'll, of course, recognize the oft-used Frank Brunner drawn pose (also used on the 'toon tumbler, mentioned here a few posts ago). However, it's been altered slightly, transforming the cloak from one that flowed out behind him (as if in a gale wind) into one that drapes down gracefully. I wonder if it was Brunner or a staff artist who made the change.
I'll have to dig around to see if there was a variation like this by Brunner for any other publication or product.
The fact that the golden trim on the cloak seems to have been drawn as if it was the bulk of the cloak seems to point to a well-intentioned, but erroneous staff artist.



And HERE'S what it would look like assembled and ready for "action".
Actually, that DOES look kinda cool. I'm tempted to (dare I say it)...
RUB n' PLAY.

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NEXT ISSUE :
* MARVEL WORLD PLAYSET *
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*At this time, I would like to say HELLO, sexy GOOGLE porn sex surfers!
All the mentioning of: rub, rubbing parts, rub with tool, "place in slot at bottom of figure", "your stick", golden trim, and of course, "rub n play" probably pulled in some soft core enthusiasts.
Heck, step # 5 ALONE, with the references to "punch out and stick in bottom of figure" probably drew in researchers of the "donkey punch". Crap. I've just made it worse.
No. Forget that. And don't look it up kids. Go read a nice wholesome comic.
Maybe one with Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker, who were never married. Ever. Nope didn't happen.
They just lived together and didn't do anything. And, she may have walked around the apartment dressed in skimpy lingerie. No wonder Spidey had all that pent up need to punch out the Green Goblin. A lot.

So...Greetings surfers. No one is judging you here. Stay for awhile.
:-)

I should direct any of you who DID come here due to that, to the comments of last week's "jigglers" post where I mention a Jenna Jameson jiggler on sale elsewhere.
Consider that a gesture of good will for accidentally luring you here.
We all good? Awesome.