Flying Brick?

[Qev]

I'm curious, does anyone know where this term originated? I first heard it playing Champions back in the early '90s... still makes me giggle for some reason.

[Sir_Spirit]

The Trerm "brick" was used to describe a tough strong character at least since the eighties. FLying was addded on some time after.....

[Cardiac]

Not sure - but "brick" is a term to describe a "type" of hero:

Brick/Tank: specialzes in resistance to damage and (usually) some degree of super-strength.

Blaster: specialized in ranged attacks

Mage: has a whole load of powers - or can do many different things with one power.

.....and so forth.

These "arctypes" are sometimes combined or a descriptor added on, like:

Tank-mage: Super tough and extremely versatile (Silver Surfer, Iron man or the Green Lanterns come to mind)

Flying Brick: super-tough and can fly - basically used to describe a superman-like charater.

[Sentinel]

I remember seeing a show on either the History Channel or Military Channel, where a cargo pilot described his plane as a flying brick.

I don't really remember if those were his exact words, but your post brought back that memory.

That was a reference to how his plane handled. Pilots have used that expression for a long time, but I don't recall where or when it originated.

In super-hero game context, Champions coined the term "brick" to desribe characters like the Thing and Wonder Man, and flying got tacked on later.
The Max Fleischer Superman (1940s cartoons) was probably one of the first flying bricks, along with Sub-Mariner (1939).

Sub-Mariner may have been more powerful than Superman at that time: He could fly (whereas Superman could merely leap tall buildings), had the "strength of 1000 adult men" (which would have been about 90-100 tons in a lift), and could breathe water or air.
Of course, Namor is no match for Superman as he is today.

[Overlord Rikonius]

I'm curious, does anyone know where this term originated? I first heard it playing Champions back in the early '90s... still makes me giggle for some reason.

The Vogon Construction Fleet?

[Sentinel]

Don't forget the:
Gadgeteer: One who uses high-tech gear (instead of powers).
Toolmaster :One who uses, but can also build and modify those same gadgets.
Stealth, or Sneak, or Spy: One with stealthy powers like invisiblity, intangibility, shapechanging, etc. In the absence of powers, a ninja can fill in.

[Sentinel]

Don't forget the:
Gadgeteer: One who uses high-tech gear (instead of powers).


Generally, gadgeteers end up being bricks, blasters, buffers/debuffers, etc. it's just that their abilities are via gadgets.
Toolmaster :One who uses, but can also build and modify those same gadgets.

That would generally fall under the category of buffer. If the tool master builds you an armor, he's buffing your defenses. If he builds you a gun, he's buffing your offensive, etc.

In the case of the Gadgeteer and Toolmaster, it is their reliance on the removable equipment. Once it's gone, they have (temporarily) lost their powers, while the "true" brick doesn't have that issue.
Moreover, if the "true" brick were to lose his strength, he's got nothing, while the Toolmaster can simply build a new gizmo which had the same or even different abilities. Thus, they aren't "stuck" in one catagory, so long as their arsenal remains adaptable.

Stealth, or Sneak, or Spy: One with stealthy powers like invisiblity, intangibility, shapechanging, etc. In the absence of powers, a ninja can fill in.

Good point. That should be its own category.

[Sir_Spirit]

The terms "scrapper" and "buffer/debuffer" we coined by COH to describe "combat monsters" and "Wizards" respectively.