Monday Memories - Hearst, Andrew Hearst.

During the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in high school, I was hard-pressed to find a gaming group. I had friends who gamed, but for the most part, they had more interesting things to do at the time. Then I met Darren, and we soon discovered a common love of gaming, and of James Bond (and also of watching General Hospital, but that's a whole other story). So, we decided to embark on some fine Solo Superspy RPG-ing using Victory Games' James Bond 007 RPG. I immediately rolled up a character and dove in.

My character was Agent 005, Andrew Hearst. I chose Hearst because I loved Hearst Castle, and it was the most European-sounding name I could think of. Andrew just seemed to fit with it. The first thing I noticed about Hearst was that we was larger and more muscular than Bond. So, for visuals, I chose Antony Hamilton, from his role on the TV show Cover Up (he replaced the first guy who accidentally killed himself on set). Interestingly enough, Hamilton was considered for the role of James Bond in 1987's The Living Daylights, but the producers rejected him because he was gay. Had I known that at the time I might have been devastated, as I was very conservative-minded (military brat). However, I didn't find that fact out until many years later, when I had matured into a much more open-minded adult. So, I was just sad that he was gone (died of HIV complications in 1995).

Anyways, Andrew Hearst was a former Royal Marine, and bit more of a "direct action" kind of spy (actually, much like Bond in Daniel Craig's movies). He went on three of the published missions, Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, and For Your Eyes Only (if I recall correctly). I loved playing those missions. First of all, while the main plot was basically the same as the movies/books, the details were different, so you couldn't just ape Bond and hope to get through. You would invariably face things Bond hadn't. That being said, when you did find yourself in a similar situation, you could always try what Bond tried, if you were stumped for other ideas. All-in-all it was a very fun game.

I honestly don't remember much about the mechanics. I mean, I own a copy of the game now, and occasionally flip through it. But I haven't played it since those days, so I don't remember how it all works. I just remember being enthralled with Darren's copies of the books (especially the Q Manual, which I also now own).

If I were to play a Superspy RPG now, I would probably go with AEG's Spycraft. However, I would not be opposed to using that old 007 game again. It definitely had a unique feel, and captured the tone and feel of a good Bond novel and/or movie.

Incidentally, Hearst has appeared in my many attempts to write a superspy novel. I actually wrote an opening chapter, and polished it into a short story called "Without Hesitation." If anyone is interested in that, let me know. I can post it up here.