THE BRONZE BOMBERS
They are bold, they are men of the sun, they are brilliant warriors — The Bronze Bombers!

Fearlessly, the mighty U.S. 369th Infantry Regiment led the nation's greatest Black Army into battle. They fought in WWI and WWII and they never lost. There have been no warriors their equal until today! Today we have the Bronze Bombers! Today they defend the country agents the P.S.B. enemy squad. These highly skilled combatants stand for justice and they never lose!

The Bronze Bombers were a highly ambitious Olmec action figure toyline from 1988 (and later in 1997) that rode on the success of G.I.Joe, which used the molds from Galoob's well recycled A-Team action figures but with wholly original heads. They were created for black children to have more heroes to look-up to while also encouraging academic pursuits.

In keeping with that theme, on top of having the specialization of one's Background and Military as one's second, each member of the team is required to have Academic and to note their Major (Physics, Political Science, Biology, History, etc.) from a notable HBCU — historically black college or university, such as Howard, Morehouse, Meharry Medical, Tuskegee, et al. — which leaves only one free specialization to choose from. While the adventures can be as mature as the players are comfortable running, there needs to be some part of the adventure that addresses black history or cultural contributions made by people of color. Think of it as G.I.Joe with a bit of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? themed for Black History Month.

Much like Dogs of W*A*R, the Bronze Bombers conduct clandestine missions to fight groups who threaten peace and national security, and is set in the 1980s. Players create their own Bronze Bomber, with the established B.B. characters serving as support and background characters within the organization. The original BB line had the Plunder, Stomp and Bomb Enemy Squad, while the more futuristic '97 line had Pyro's Band of Thugs to fight against. Game Masters are encouraged to add too or modify what is listed.

I am posting this as this was a toy line that got no love and I really like the hook that each member has to be an academic of some sort.

ENJOY!

(I was considering doing a G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero conversion to Dogs of W*A*R, but that setting has way too many characters and history. Plus, most of the core members are one-note specialists who were quickly outshine by the min-max ninja-commando badass Snake Eyes. Much like the pitfall of playing a Conan the Barbarian RPG, the player characters are living under the shadow of a living legend with no hope of topping it.)

Conversion Note: I only have the old 2010 Dogs of W*A*R rulebook available and thus, the following notes use what is available to me (I have no idea what changed in the current rulebook). All stats are left up to the Game Master to fill. The information was based on the "clip-and-save" dossiers that came with the packaging. All the following members of the Bronze Bombers unit are created as PC with Military Backgrounds along with a Soldier Specialization, while the P.S.B. Enemy Squad are created as Villains (Rivals in Everywhen) or NPC (Toughs) who use nameless, faceless rabble to fill out their ranks. I have made some minor changes to the text presented on the dossiers, especially the names of the institutes attended by the members of the P.S.B. Enemy Squad (there are no known college, university, med school or law school named "Attila", "Mussolini" or "Hitler", much less a HBCU institute). I gave a few B.B. members an additional specialization outside what was noted in their bio cards to fill out the team's overall capabilities (the core team lacks a Medic and Wheelman). I gave "Cool Breeze" the first name "Raymond" as I like the joke. I have only listed the characters from the 1988 line. (I might add the 1997 line in a follow-up to this post.)


THE P.S.B. ENEMY SQUAD
The Plunder, Stomp and Bomb Enemy Squad are group of criminals and terrorists known for government & military infiltration, contract killings, kidnapping & ransom, illegal arms & narcotics trade, and explosives & biological terrorism. The current leader is a criminal kingpin known only as "The Baron" (real name not known), who fought his way to the top of the P.S.B. by betraying many within the organization. His head enforcer and right-hand man is Charles "Chilly Pop" Battle, a former and once well-respected member of the Bronze Bombers, who leads their army of troops recruited from street gangs. With Charles' twin brother "Cool Breeze" as a member, the organization is now dabbling in biological warfare.

Villains:

The Baron
Role: Captain of the P.S.B. Enemy Squad
Background: Law Enforcement & Criminal
Institute: Thurgood Marshall
Specializations: Leader, Academic (Political Science), Faceman, Sleuth
Boon: Mimic
Flaws: Deadly Enemies (not of the B.B.)

Even on his graduation day from Thurgood Marshall School of Law, he knew what he wanted — he wanted if all! The stars, the moon, the money and the recognition — and he would do anything to get it.

He is head of the P.S.B., the Plunder, Stomp and Bomb Enemy Squad. He was able to steal secret codes and infiltrate enemy camps by creating different masks and disguises. But his cunning did not stop with the Bronze Bombers. He fought his way to the top of the P.S.B. by planting misinformation on fellow P.S.B. members that got then kicked out of the squad or exiled. He had no friends because he could not be trusted. He was feared by all He was ruthless in this pursuit and had no morals to guide his path. He sees law and morality as a weakness of the human condition and is driven to rid the world of such moral constraints. But the truth is, he is a cruel, self-severing man who treats people as "things" to be dispose of once they no longer prove useful.

Charles "Chilly Pop" Battle
Role: Head Enforcer
Background: Military
Institute: Dillard
Specializations: Sapper, Soldier, Academic (Physics), Leader
Boon: Action Hero, Demolition
Flaws: Greedy

Chilly Pop Always knew he wanted to be a soldier. So when he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dillard University and top of his class, he enlisted in the Army. He was immediately given his own unit, he was that competent. His men nicknamed "Chilly Pop" because of his cold and devious precision in battle — Pop was chilly, but they knew he would keep them alive. What they did not know was that he would sell arms to anyone who would meet his price! To him, "Money is the massage!" and that is all he cares about. Big house, fast cars and hot women — he needs to have it all!

NPCs:

Raymond "Cool Breeze" Battle
Role: Biological Warfare Expert
Institute: Meharry
Specializations: Medic, Academic (Medicine)
Boon: Chemist

Raymond "Cool Breeze" Battle was the twin brother of Charles Battle. His hands were finely tuned instruments, his mind was a beer trap, his body was strong, powerful, loose, and ready. He was known as "Cool Breeze", a name he acquired his final year at Meharry Medical school, because he scored to the top of the class without sweating or struggling a day! But he used his talents to do bad. He dropped chemicals into clean water to make people sick. He prepared a poisonous solution to sap the strength of good men. He didn't care who he hurt.


THE BRONZE BOMBERS
The nine core members of the Bronze Bombers are lead by Marc "Kaboom" Walters, with Sure Fire second-in-command. While A.J. Moon can fly any aircraft, he tends to go into battle in an attack helicopter. Besides being a Computer Programmer, Wayne "Golden" Alexander is also the team's navy man. If there is a body of water too operate from, Wayne "Golden" Alexander will fight in a combat airboat or hovercaft.Arrow Hawk and Mapman Jackson are the team's recon/scouts. Agent Telepathy and Mapman Jackson are the team's Faces, while Shaka Jackson are the team's Fixer. Agent Telepathy and Wayne "Golden" Alexander are the team's computer and electronic warfare experts. A.J. Moon and Hi Tech are the team's technicians. Hi Tech is the team's default Wheelman. Without a dedicated field medic, it is up to Arrow Hawk to team injured personnel. And besides being the team's leader, Marc "Kaboom" Walters is team's Demolitionist.

A.J. Moon
Role: Pilot
Institute: Morehouse
Major: Fight Technology
Main Specialty: Flyboy
Other: Tech
Boon: Air Ace

A.J. Moon is the most proficient of the Black Eagles. When he was a boy, he read all he could about the Tuskegee Airmen, this first Black US Airforce Pilots. They were his inspiration. To be as good as his heroes he know he needed education, training and practice. So he finished Morehouse College. Now he's the best pilot in the sky. While brave and adventurous, he is always driven to survive.

Arrow Hawk
Role: Topography
Institute: Cheyney State
Major: Geology
Main Specialty: Scout
Other: Medic
Boon: Survivalist

Hawk's Mohawk parents moved from Connecticut and he grew up in the Allegheny mountains of Pennsylvania. Hawk traversed those mountains with his father since he was four years old and he could accurately diagram any area he saw. Hawk could scale the highest of mountains and never miss a step, never get dizzy-his balance was almost super human! He learned his skill as Cheyney State College, now Hawk is the best scout the Bronze Bombers could ever have! True to the spirituality of his people, his main goal in life is to be at one with the forces of nature.

Agent Telepathy
Role: Code Braking
Institute: M.I.T.
Major: Computer Science
Main Specialty: Snoop
Other: Faceman
Boon: Mathematical Genus

She was young, gifted and lethal — a math wiz with a love for languages. She spoke 7 languages fluently and could break any secret code. Her charm got her in the door, but her fearlessness and cunning brought the enemy to their knees. Her belief was: What People say is often opposite of what they mean. Upon receiving her doctorate degree from M.I.T., she joined the elite Bronzed Bombers intelligence unit. Her desire is to stay honest, strong and proud. Even with her complex nature, she likes to remind people to "Keep it simple; brake it down."

Hi Tech
Role: Missile Systems Expert
Institute: Hampton
Major: Electronic Engineering
Main Specialty: Tech
Other: Wheelman
Boon: Grease Monkey

Before the age of seven, he had attempted to take apart and put back together every appliance in his parent's home. By age ten he was building model planes and trains form scratch. By age fifteen he had a thriving "Fix It" business. During his collage years at Hampton Institute he was sought after for his technical skills, warm personality and willingness to help whenever he could. He kept the Bronze Bombers afloat, airborne and sure-footed. They knew that Hi-tech was good as his word and gave of himself in every task he tacked. His personal goal is to advance the art of technology.

Mapman Jackson
Role: Navigation
Institute: Tuskegee
Major: English Literature
Main Specialty: Scout
Other Specialty: Faceman
Boon: Fast Talker

Mapman Jackson was know for being direct in his speach and actions. As a kid he drew maps for the treasure hunts he and his friends enjoyed regularly. As a young man he excelled in public speaking and could make a sleeping person stand up and stomp for more! He took pride in always completing what started in and was an excellent student. He graduated at the top of his class at Tuskegee Institute with honors. Becoming a Navigator was a natural thing for Mapman Jackson. It fulfilled his need for creativity with a purpose.

Marc "Kaboom" Walters
Role: Chemical Warfare Expert
Institute: Howard
Major: Chemistry
Main Specialty: Leader
Other: Sapper
Boon: Demolitions

Marc "Kaboom" Walters has been a chemist for as long as he remember. He blow up his mother's kitchen when he was 8 years old. She's the one that called him "Kaboom" — it stuck. He received his BA and Masters Degree in chemistry from Howard University and completed his chemical studies as Harvard University where he received his PhD. Now he's captain of the the Bronze Bombers! Marc Walters is resolute and driven to create thinks.

Shaka Jackson
Role: Martial Arts Expert
Institute: Lincoln
Major: Asian History
Main Specialty: Martial Arts
Other: Fixer
Boon: Tough Guy or Hard-to-Kill

Shaka Jackson was a guerilla fighter. He could have been nothing else. As a boy, he fought for his life each and everyday on the streets. At Lincoln University, Shaka totally immersed himself in the martial arts while studying everything Eastern - their culture, their languages, their sciences. He speaks Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, and six other dialects. Shaka Jackson is a positive-thinker who is driven to self-improvement.

Sure Fire
Role: Combat
Institute: Norfolk State
Major: Physical Education
Main Specialty: Markman
Other: Leader
Boon: Team Guy

Some people never take no for an answer and confident is cloak that shields them through the roughest times! They're sure-footed and keen of sight and mind! That was Sure Fire! All of his professors at Norfolk State University sighed a sigh of relief in unison as Sure Fire received his degree on graduation day. He had been the most challenging student they had ever had but also one of the bast! If their was a job to, he would do it. He was the heart and guts of the Bronze Bombers! Sure Fire likes to stay on top of business and deal with potential issues before they become a problem.

Wayne "Golden" Alexander
Role: Computer Programing
Institute: US Naval Academy
Major: Computer Science
Main Specialty: Squid
Other: Snoop
Boon: Hacker

Wayne "Golden" Alexander was a navy brat. He came from a long, proud line of navy men. His great-grandfather was once the Golden 13, a group of Black Naval Officers. When Wayne graduated number one in his class from the US Naval Academy, no one was surprised. Wayne can make a computer do anything — he is the master. He is a driven learner and explorer with a dream to sail the world.