One of the things that the staff here at PwrRngr.com want to do is to highlight various creators in the Power Rangers fandom. There are numerous podcasts, YouTube channels, cosplayers, toy reviewers, and so much more that a lot of them can be lost or glossed over on accident as the endless stream of content is made available for consumption.
Today I am very excited to share the story of “Relic Hunters: A Ranger Tale“, a Twitch-streamed tabletop RPG put together by a few friends inspired by Power Rangers HyperForce from 2017. As we were creating the site I was connected with Josh, the Game Master of Relic Hunters, and I planned to feature him and his crew as one of our first spotlights.
I spent some time talking with Josh about Relic Hunters and that question and answer session is below!
PwrRngr: Right out of the gate – what exactly is Relic Hunters?
Josh: Relic Hunters: A Ranger Tale is a Twitch streamed Tabletop RP loosely based in the Power Rangers Universe and using Classic horror movie monsters and horror movie characters as our “Rangers” that we call Hunters and other Non-Playable Characters (NPC’s). We use a custom d6 system drawing inspiration from Hyper RPG’s HyperForce D6 system and influenced by Dungeons and Dragons as well as a D10 system called Werewolf of the apocalypse.
PwrRngr: Obviously fans will want to know what differences and what similarities does Relic Hunters have with Power Rangers HyperForce?
Josh: The differences are pretty easy to spot even by watching the first episode obviously we are lower budget and all of us are using a video chat service so we are not all together, as well as Relic Hunters is a slightly darker and grittier take on Power Rangers with there being mild language as well as there being death and some mature subject matter but handled delicately. But it still has that Power Rangers feel like HyperForce while maintaining its individuality. We have guest’s like HyperForce but we try to build more on our characters so it feels like your watching an HBO series rather that a Saturday Cartoon.
PwrRngr: What is the basic plot behind Relic Hunters?
Josh: Long ago Mysterious items were forged with mysterious Relic Energy and were scattered around the world. These items took shape of something that the wielder held dear and bestowed amazing powers to their wielders. Years passed and many Relic Hunters came and went through death and desertion not to be heard from, now a new group of seemingly random but oddly connected heroes join forces and learn to master their Relics along with attempting to defeat mysterious other Villains, Evil Relic Hunters, and Entities far beyond their knowledge. This is the story of 5 new Relic Hunters and their quest to save Classic City and the world.
PwrRngr: Can you tell us a bit about the characters in Relic Hunters and who the players are behind them?
Josh: There are 5 Relic Hunters (our form of Power Rangers) that are the main cast along with a few major NPC’s (Non-Playable Characters)
Jason Myers Played by Trevor Smith- The Green Creation Relic Hunter: With an unknown past and an uncontrollable personality Jason often takes control in situations and acts as the powerhouse of the team and is a prop master for films in Classic City. Trevor is a long time fan of power rangers but just recently started to become a super fan as well as a horror film aficionado.
Johanna “Jo” Callahan played by Robin Saunders- The Black Phantom Relic Hunter: Jo is calm, cool, and collected but not without her own insecurities. She also is a highly esteemed Film Critic. Robin is a laid back Nurse with a heard of gold and a Power Rangers Super Fan with her own Custom Ranger outfit.
Ryan Ryder Played by Ryan Dusso- The Red Werewolf Relic Hunter: Ryan acts as a consultant on films in Classic City dealing with ancient artifacts and Relics. He is also the most cautious of the group and the most inquisitive. Ryan Dusso on the other hand is a calm soul, massive Power Rangers and Super Sentai Fan along with being a wrestling personality in Indy wrestling.
Elvira Drac played by Andrew Brigham- The Silver Vampiric Relic Hunter: Elvira is a stoic old timer clinging to the past and the daughter of Vlad Drac the original head of the Relic Hunters but she was banished by Vlad at the age of 18 now well over a hundred years old but doesn’t physically age, she adapted and became one of the Top actresses throughout the early to mid 1900’s now she acts as a producer and well esteemed Director in Classic City under the Pseudonym Mandi Myt. Andrew is a Classic Movie Monster Super fan and a casual fan of Power Rangers and few Super Sentai.
Josh: With as much traction as communities have had with regards to tabletop RPG’s, the sky’s the limit especially as big and growing as the Power Rangers community is. With Boom Comics pulling Rangers back into the spotlight as well as Hasbro doing fantastic things with the brand i wouldn’t be surprised if we have a show based on idea’s from the tabletop community, whether they be live action or animated.PwrRngr: As the Game Master your role is to create a story and essentially guide the players through the story while allowing them the creative freedom to make the story their own. Are there any examples of a time when the players did something you were not expecting or where you had to drastically intervene to keep the story progressing as originally intended?
Josh: Honestly it happens at least once every episode. My Hunters(Ranger’s) know how to keep me on my feet and that’s just how i like it. One example was actually in our first few episodes Jason the Green Relic Hunter doesn’t really like following some guidance and this one time he decided he was going to get angry and attempt to kick a gravestone in the castles graveyard well he rolled really low and since he is basically Frankenstein’s monster his leg detached and he fell into the grave was buried and didn’t reappear until late the next episode but it worked for the story and made for a very memorable moment.PwrRngr: What advice or tips do you have for anyone who is interested in creating their own tabletop RPG in the universe of Power Rangers?
Josh: Really learn from watching, and let your mind be free, don’t strap yourself down to a linear very solitary idea let yourself be free and make sure to communicate with your players and never be afraid to speak your mind. Also talk with the community and let your idea’s fly the more input whether it be your own or a random person be open.PwrRngr: Where can people who are interested in watching Relic Hunters find you?
Also all of our Episodes are up on YouTube which you can check out by clicking here.
I can be found on Twitter at @IronAlde and on Twitch at Twitch.tv/RelicHunterGM
@Krypton_Bear
@KyLeCaT124
@NursePurpleRngr
@ducemagic
