Night of the Ninja (and More!)

In this eclectic episode of The Vintage RPG Podcast, hosts John Hambone McGuire and Stu Horvath dive into a nostalgic deep dive on 1980s American ninja cinema, celebrating the campy, over-the-top action of films like Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, and Rage of Honor. They reflect on how these movies shaped childhood imaginations, particularly the endless hordes of henchmen, exaggerated death sequences, and the myth of the unstoppable ninja—'the only way to stop a ninja is with another ninja.' The conversation then pivots to the rare and bizarre role-playing game Night of the Ninja (1986), a combat-heavy, reality-defying RPG that captures the spirit of the films but lacks meaningful mechanics. The hosts express fascination with its art, potential unreleased expansions like Rage the Night, and the mysterious artist Neil Hansen. They also spotlight Graham Barry’s indie comic Black Orb—a surreal, Twin Peaks-inspired tale blending Conan-esque fantasy with a glitchy near-future dystopia—and discuss the latest TSR art book, The Worlds of TSR, praising its visual archive while critiquing its omissions of early D&D artists and Planescape. The episode closes with a promo for the duo’s upcoming Backerkit campaign, a dark double feature for Shadow Dark RPG featuring folk horror and Saw-inspired dungeon crawls, complete with a glow-in-the-dark mini figure and live playthrough event.