Designing my first game

[needo]

Next week I am beginning my brand new game with brand new players. Woohoo!

However, I've never GM'ed or played a Champions game before. Neither has most of my players.

I was wondering if any one had any good guidelines to designing the first mission. Including number of enemies, strength of enemies etc. All my char's are standard Superheros with 200 points and 150 points of disadvantages.

Thanks!

[Tom McCarthy]

Keep it simple.

Design a team of 350 point villains with standard physical and energy attacks who are outnumbered by the heroes (maybe a 4 to 6 ratio, or even 4 to 5), and stage a simple bank robbery or brazen jewelry heist. The heroes should win, but it will be close enough that they'll learn combat rules.

Some GMs start with one tough guy like Grond, but choose carefully; Grond for example folds under Ego Attack but will present a very tough, very nasty foe to grounded bricks and martial artists.

[Talon]

I agree that using a slightly smaller team of bad guys of equal or slightly lesser point value is a good idea -- it's easy to do direct comparisons of attacks vs. defenses to make sure things aren't unbalanced in either direction.

If you have CKC or any other books with villains, one option would be to present the players with the writeups of villains who you want to use as examples of the power level you're looking to achieve. Say that those villains have sufficient reputations that their abilities are common knowledge. Then, use those villains in the first session; the PCs will have some confidence because they know what they are facing, and you can use the shared knowledge to help all of you through any rules issues.

[schir1964]

Needo,

I've a Crystal Room Setting document that is designed to help GM's create a Genesis Scenario (where the characters start out as normals and aquire thier powers during play).

I think you'll find some useful ideas within and some graphics already created to help get a game going quickly.

Just email me at schir1964@netzero.net and I'll email it to you.

- Christopher Mullins

[Keneton]

In this months Digital Hero I have a beginnig Champions game. It gives advice for new GM's and helps with many gamemastering tips. I know it will be a resource for you. In addition you get all the fun Hero Stuff from DH and in my opinion one of the best issues to date.
:)

[needo]

Originally posted by Keneton
In this months Digital Hero I have a beginnig Champions game. It gives advice for new GM's and helps with many gamemastering tips. I know it will be a resource for you. In addition you get all the fun Hero Stuff from DH and in my opinion one of the best issues to date.
:)

Is that the August's issue or the September issuer?

I just bought the August issue and I dont see it with what I glanced through...

[Asperion]

I recently started an all-new campaign. The Genesis senario that I put everyone through was where the master villain decided to test the city for any possible heros that might exist out there. He did this by setting loose an experimental hunter-killer robot similar to Marvel's Sentinal robots. The heros were able to destroy the robot easier than I thought that they would and the villain recuited the heros into his hero team that he was in the process of creating. He had the theory that the best way to watch your enemy is to bring them into your camp. At the time that the campaign was forced to end, no PC had really figured out that the town's great benefactor is also the villain that they need to fight, so good was his method of misdirection, partially since he has spent years creating the foundation before the campaign started.

[Keneton]

Originally posted by needo
Is that the August's issue or the September issuer?

I just bought the August issue and I dont see it with what I glanced through...

Unearthed Mechana
:)

[needo]

Originally posted by Keneton
In this months Digital Hero I have a beginnig Champions game. It gives advice for new GM's and helps with many gamemastering tips. I know it will be a resource for you. In addition you get all the fun Hero Stuff from DH and in my opinion one of the best issues to date.
:)

You mention in your article that you are going to show us the Tally Sheets you use, but I cannot find it at the end of the article? Am I missing this or is it just not there? (This is Unearthed Mechana by the way)

[GenreFiend]

I also like the villain team bringing your heroes together. But, whatever you decide to do, make sure it leads into an on-going mystery. That way, your PCs have a reason to stay in touch with each other and even start working together to bring down a common foe.

[pinecone]

Another good "first run" senario is a buch o'agents with a coupla supers for backbone...nothing makes you feel "super" like mowing down agents...use the characyers hunteds to provide the supers,get those archfoe rivalrys going right off the bat, keep the run simple too. I love red herrings and mysterys and I used to over do it back in the day...:)

[Dr. Rune]

Originally posted by Keneton
Unearthed Mechana
:)

Played at Origins.....lotsa fun! :)

[Keneton]

Originally posted by needo
You mention in your article that you are going to show us the Tally Sheets you use, but I cannot find it at the end of the article? Am I missing this or is it just not there? (This is Unearthed Mechana by the way)

Sorry. This is totally my fault. The Agent Tally Sheets are from the Hero Sytem Resource Kit. As for my own sheet let me give you a guideline format and you can do the rest.

Keneton 28 Dex 2,4,6,8,10,12 +2 Overall, +3 All Cbt.

END: 80

Stun: 60

Body 15

The above method is used on index cards or notebook paper for each person on Dex order. For Chracters with high ego or lightning reflexes you can note as follows.

Speed Pounder 28(35) Dex 2,4,6,8,10,12 +4 HTH, +3 PSL's

End stun and Body are noted as normal.

To use the sheets mark off end stun and body as used. If Keneton has zeto end on strength, but if he pushes he uses 10. That same phase he takes 12 stun from an attack. His tally sheet looks as follows. Note the () would actually be a strikethrew on the number.

End: (80) 70

Stun (60) 48

Body 15

When you get to negative STUN mark the numbers in a box or (#). This avoisd confusion. End does not go negative, just to zero then you burn as per fred. Mark Negative Body as noted for stun.

If you are STUNNED note as below.

S
2,4,6,8,10,12

Note the S is above the 4th. Cross it off when you recover from being stunned. Flashes and charges are lited via boxes as so.

[16] [13] Shows a 3 round burst. you can note clips like the stun from above.

3
[16]
This shows 3 clips of 16. Here Sly has used a full clip and has shot 5 rounds from the next.

(3) 2
([16]) ([16]) [11}
Remmber the () equals a striketrough.

Hope this helps a little.