How much for that cell phone? [Archive] - HERO Games Discussion Boards

OddHat

Aug 16th, '03, 02:59 PM

I'd just use radio perception and transmission with a fragile OAF and the -1 limit:Real Tech Cell Phone, total cost 3 points, if I charged any points at all. IMO, real tech cell phone is considerably more limiting than Real Weapon or Real Armor, but you could reduce the limit to as low as -1/4, maybe bump te price up to 4 points.
Probably I'd allow it for free if the character didn't have some level of poverty, or maybe charge a 1 or 2 point perk for it.
YMMV

umbra

Aug 16th, '03, 04:35 PM

So you all don't think I would have to buy anything special for the photo part? I'm wondering because that would have really come in handy in our last game. We were trying to copy onto paper the tattoos we found on a goon (major clue for plot) but it was raining etc. Our GM is evil and none of us had umbrellas in our super suits, so we ended up hunched over the paper looking reallllly non-heroic. Our GM has ruled we have to use character points to buy things that could be useful (like a cell phone with all the bells and whistles). What about connecting to the internet, shouldn't that cost something too?

assault

Aug 16th, '03, 04:49 PM

I'm having an Air Wave moment here.

He bought a mobile phone in the 1940's. It was a pretty good superpower then! :)

Actually, he's on my short list for characters I would play in a Golden Age campaign. His "power" is silly enough to be amusing, useful enough (bugging!), and hopefully cheap enough for him to be a decent non-powered thug basher as well.

He also has his roller skates that allow him to travel along phone lines... I guess it's a kind of limited magnetic levitation flight.

Built as a homage, rather than a direct copy, he could combine silliness and playability enough to be fun.

Then again, I might play Aquaman ("I can talk to fish!") instead.

Anyway, ignore my madness and carry on with the serious business of the thread...

Alan

OddHat

Aug 16th, '03, 04:49 PM

It's all real-tech, and it's all covered in radio hearing and transmit in Hero terms. However, if your GM wants to charge you more points, he could design it as a computer then charge you for that. Or he could charge you a perk for it.

OTOH, a 5 point skill, stat or power in Champions is generally a heck of a lot more useful and powerful than a real tech cell phone. 2 or 3 points at most is plenty.

Snarf

Aug 16th, '03, 04:54 PM

It kind of depends on what you want to use it for. If you just use it to communicate voice, the standard radio perception through focus works. If you want to use it to store photos, that might be some sort of limited eidetic memory. If you want it to do a whole lot of different things and have some ability to act independently, you could buy it as a minor computer with a whole bunch of powers, senses, and whatnot.

McCoy

Aug 16th, '03, 06:18 PM

Personally, real world tech, I'd allow it on a 3 point perk. But if your GM wants it detailed:

<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td align="right">Cost  </td><td>Power</td><td align="right">END</td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">4  </td><td>Cell phone with digital camera & internet access: Multipower, 25-point reserve, all slots: (25 Active Points); Independent (-2), OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Requires A INT Roll (-1), Gestures (-1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Extra Time, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power (Full Phase; -1/4), Real Tech (-1/4) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">1u  </td><td>1) Telephone: Mind Link (Specific Group of Minds, those with telephones or net access; Any distance, No LOS Needed) (25 Active Points); Only With Others Who Have Mind Link (-1) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">1u  </td><td>2) Digital Camera: Sight Group Images, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points); Only to show recorded scenes (-1) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">1u  </td><td>3) Internet Access: Eidetic Memory (5 Active Points); only information on the net or stored in phone (-1) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr></table>Powers Cost: 7

RevHooligan

Aug 16th, '03, 07:08 PM

I recently decided a good cell phone was an Everyman thing since my campaign is set in 2053. My rule is if your character has an average income, you get the phone for 0 points.

Lupus

Aug 16th, '03, 09:51 PM

I've also decided cell phones, and other very-common technology, is free. My reasoning is that if you want to charge someone points for everything they have... well, the average geek's house would put them well over many campaign limits. Imagine buying all the knowledge skills necessary to represent the internet, even at a one-per-five discount.

In addition, these things have problems. Mobile phones are neat, and useful. But if a hero drops his phone in the middle of a fight, that's nasty. That's a real big problem. Suddenly, the bad guys know who they are, can access their messages, address book, all of that kind of stuff. Not to mention making free calls.

Now, if characters want a mobile phone with a blank ownership, or something like that, then they buy a limited form of the 'anonymity' perk.

Basically, if they use real-tech, it comes with limitations. If they spend point, it has only those limitations they buy. My thing of buying perks is essentially a round-the-back way of charging points for PerfectTech.

Vondy

Aug 16th, '03, 09:54 PM

I've always gone with the assumption that items people commonly own and use in day to day life (forks, toothpaste, regular passenger cars, cel-phones, normal computers with a standard internet connection...) are available without an expenditure of character points insofar as its reasonable within the characters economic zone.

dbsousa

Aug 17th, '03, 02:48 AM

a dozen years ago, when I ran a superhero game, I charged points for a portable radio setup as mind link, uses radio waves, etc.

I ran a reunion game last month and decided that a cell phone was an everyman power, and handwaved it.

OddHat

Aug 17th, '03, 03:33 AM

I don't charge points for every-day real tech if your chararacter could aford it at his base wealth level. Maybe a 1 or 2 point perk if it's something really useful and a bit beyond the reach of Joe Average. OTOH, I do charge points for exceptional or customized real-tech weapons, armor and vehicles in a Champions campaign. It's the "Could you buy it at K-Mart" rule. :)

tmutant

Aug 17th, '03, 08:50 AM

Originally posted by McCoy
Personally, real world tech, I'd allow it on a 3 point perk. But if your GM wants it detailed:

<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td align="right">Cost  </td><td>Power</td><td align="right">END</td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">4  </td><td>Cell phone with digital camera & internet access: Multipower, 25-point reserve, all slots: (25 Active Points); Independent (-2), OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Requires A INT Roll (-1), Gestures (-1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Extra Time, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power (Full Phase; -1/4), Real Tech (-1/4) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">1u  </td><td>1) Telephone: Mind Link (Specific Group of Minds, those with telephones or net access; Any distance, No LOS Needed) (25 Active Points); Only With Others Who Have Mind Link (-1) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">1u  </td><td>2) Digital Camera: Sight Group Images, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points); Only to show recorded scenes (-1) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">1u  </td><td>3) Internet Access: Eidetic Memory (5 Active Points); only information on the net or stored in phone (-1) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr></table>Powers Cost: 7

Just remember the "only in range of cell tower" limitation -1/4 :D

Chris Goodwin

Aug 17th, '03, 10:44 AM

Independent?

You're joking, right?

Your phone breaks and you're permanently out 7 points?

Dude, my phone broke a couple of months ago and I paid $50 and got a new one.

No, it's not Independent, not by any stretch of the imagination. I know you needed something to not make it cost 25 points, but Independent is not that something.

Alibear

Aug 17th, '03, 12:54 PM

Don't cost nothin in my campaign.

Have you got an address? Can your character fulfil whatever questions you or I would need to, to answer needed to "buy" a 2nd phone qestions?

Wormhole

Aug 17th, '03, 02:25 PM

unless it has especially useful special features such as unlimited battery life, security encryption, or doesn't suffer the usual annoying cell phone malfuntions (all of you who have one know what I'm talking about), let the character pay for it with money.

Hugh Neilson

Aug 17th, '03, 05:14 PM

Originally posted by Alibear
Don't cost nothin in my campaign.

Have you got an address? Can your character fulfil whatever questions you or I would need to, to answer needed to "buy" a 2nd phone qestions?

Well, I suppose most characters have an address. How many have an address they wish to give out (for billing purposes)? "Sure Batman, we'll just send the bill to Wayne Manor. That Mr. Wayne sure is swell to take care of your bills like that."

Certainly, there are ways around it, but hey - we pay points to justify those ways around things!

hmmm...FoxBat disguises himself as each member of the supergroup and signs up for dozens of cell phone plans. And the bills start pouring in...

"Crusaders won't pay their phone bills. Film at 11" :p

WhammeWhamme

Aug 17th, '03, 05:56 PM

Well, |don't know how things are over there, but I've personally bought a prepay cellphone that had more-or-less complete anonymity.

So no ID worries there I'd say.

Wormhole

Aug 17th, '03, 07:19 PM

Originally posted by WhammeWhamme
Well, |don't know how things are over there, but I've personally bought a prepay cellphone that had more-or-less complete anonymity.

So no ID worries there I'd say.
It's true here in the U.S. too. You can go into a gas station almost anywhere, pay in cash and walk out with a cell phone and about a year's worth of prepaid local calls. They even do something similar with pagers.

WhammeWhamme

Aug 17th, '03, 08:12 PM

Stupid Lawyer Question From An Actual Court Case:
Q: Do you recall approximately the time that you examined the body
A: It was in the evening. The autopsy started about 8:30 pm.
Q: And Mr. Edington was dead at the time, is that correct?
A: No, you stupid idiot, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy!

I'm sorry, but that is a brilliant sig, and, well... Where did it come from?

:D

Hugh Neilson

Aug 17th, '03, 08:21 PM

Originally posted by WhammeWhamme
Well, |don't know how things are over there, but I've personally bought a prepay cellphone that had more-or-less complete anonymity.

So no ID worries there I'd say.

The owner of the phone number must be on file somewhere. If he can pay cash, then he should have no problem. Of course, he should consider where he leaves the phone while in secret ID - hard to explain why you don't answer it...

If you can get by with local calling only, perhaps you can stay somewhat anonymous. I'm not a big fan of cellphones, so I wouldn't be familiar with anonymous phones. You have a number - there must be a name attached to it somewhere.

At the end of the day, from a game perspective, it's no different from a car. If you want to use it in play, you pay the points for it (assuming the campaign as a whole doesn't allow equipment purchases with money).

WhammeWhamme

Aug 17th, '03, 08:59 PM

Originally posted by Hugh Neilson
The owner of the phone number must be on file somewhere. If he can pay cash, then he should have no problem. Of course, he should consider where he leaves the phone while in secret ID - hard to explain why you don't answer it...

If you can get by with local calling only, perhaps you can stay somewhat anonymous. I'm not a big fan of cellphones, so I wouldn't be familiar with anonymous phones. You have a number - there must be a name attached to it somewhere.

At the end of the day, from a game perspective, it's no different from a car. If you want to use it in play, you pay the points for it (assuming the campaign as a whole doesn't allow equipment purchases with money).

There is no name. I went into the store, paid cash, and walked out with the phone. It's not a very good phone (then again it's both cheap and old), but the network that offered it never required any registration. Just pay via pre-pay card and dial.

I've never checked the extent of where it can call, but I'm pretty sure my father (who also bought a phone at the same place; he's a bargain hunter) has called from other parts of NZ.

Like I said, I don't know what it's like where you are;maybe there's extra legal requirements or summat. Or maybe I missed something.

I do agree about 'when in Normy ID' though. Could be a leetle awkward.

Wormhole

Aug 18th, '03, 10:09 PM

Originally posted by WhammeWhamme
I'm sorry, but that is a brilliant sig, and, well... Where did it come from?

:D
I got it from a post in Tim's "Let's Lighten The Mood..." thread.

I think. :confused:

Champsguy

Aug 19th, '03, 06:52 AM

Originally posted by WhammeWhamme

I do agree about 'when in Normy ID' though. Could be a leetle awkward.

Not really. Turn it on silent. Or, when the phone rings, pull it out of your pocket, see the number displayed, and say "Oh, I hate that guy" and put it away again.

Wormhole

Aug 19th, '03, 07:14 AM

Urklore

Aug 19th, '03, 11:00 AM

I thought there is suppose to be a PDF or some sort coming out with all sorts of common everday items written up for champions. The everyman's catalog or something. Steve?

Zed-F

Aug 19th, '03, 12:04 PM

Originally posted by Urklore
I thought there is suppose to be a PDF or some sort coming out with all sorts of common everday items written up for champions. The everyman's catalog or something. Steve?

That would be tres handy. Right now I'm trying to guess how much to pay for a real-world laptop for my "teen hero" idea. I've got it pegged at 3 points right now, but that might be a bit high, considering her vehicle costs 3 points and does a heck of a lot more than a laptop does...

Of course with disadvantages the vehicle comes to 65 RP, and as with most vehicles pretty much everything has a OIF, Bulky (-1) limitation on it. Maybe I should just build the laptop as a computer & see what happens. :) You could probably do the same with a cell phone if you really wanted detailed stats on it.

BoloOfEarth

Aug 20th, '03, 06:54 PM

I played in a GenCon game where Cell Phone was a 1-point Perk. However, that was also during the BBB days, pre-Fifth.

I would allow common normal tech as no-point-cost, but might require some sort of financial requirement (not Poor or Destitute, for instance). However, rare or cutting-edge tech should cost something. So a normal cell phone wouldn't cost points in my game, but a photo-phone would. And since I doubt those can be purchased as disposables for cash, you do have potential Secret ID problems.

Urklore

Aug 21st, '03, 10:33 AM

Be careful with those cellphone guys. I remember the spiderman 2003 MTV ep with Silver Sable. Parker was in his spiderman outfit talking to mary jane on his cellphone while walking on a building. As a GM I thought 'That would suck if it fell or he lost it while in superhero ID.'

'operator can you trace this number or cellphone to the orginator'

'Peter Parker IS spiderman'? Let's get em boys

Hugh Neilson

Aug 21st, '03, 11:50 AM

Originally posted by Urklore
Be careful with those cellphone guys. I remember the spiderman 2003 MTV ep with Silver Sable. Parker was in his spiderman outfit talking to mary jane on his cellphone while walking on a building. As a GM I thought 'That would suck if it fell or he lost it while in superhero ID.'

What if someone snaps a picture for the evening news and your nosy DNPC happens to notice it's about the time of your telephone discussion...

"Promise me you'll keep your cell phone handy in case I need to reach you."

"Yes Dear!"

When you see the super (and you KNOW you will - after all, you're the DNPC), call the cell. How many times can he make an excuse convincing?

Tech

Aug 22nd, '03, 06:43 AM

Originally posted by archer
Independent?

You're joking, right?

Your phone breaks and you're permanently out 7 points?

Dude, my phone broke a couple of months ago and I paid $50 and got a new one.

No, it's not Independent, not by any stretch of the imagination. I know you needed something to not make it cost 25 points, but Independent is not that something.

Hero: "Excuse me, I need a new cellphone."
Service Rep: "I'm sorry. You can't have one."
Hero: "What?"
S.R: "Yes, when you purchased it, you signed this contract."
Hero: "So what? I'll pay cash."
S.R: "I'm sorry. According to this contract, you cannot buy another cellphone for the rest of your life."
Hero: "That's ridiculous! Give me one!"
S.R.: "If you threaten me, I'll have to call Security."
Ogre stands behind the S.R. in a security uniform and grins.
Hero: "Fine, then! I need a new toaster."
S.R.: "You bought your last one at the same time as your cellphone, didn't you...?"
:D

BenKimball

Jan 17th, '04, 08:07 AM

Here's what I've done in my game. I didn't want to just give the cell phones away, but I wanted them cheap, too.

1-800-CHAMPION: High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group) (12 Active Points); Independent (-2), Cellular voice communication only (-2), Extra Time (1 Turn, -1 1/4), OAF (-1), Sense Also Affected As Hearing (-1/2). Real Cost: 1.

The Extra Time limitation is pretty much just to make the cell phone useless in combat, and represents time dialing, waiting for the cell phone to connect to the network, etc. The Cellular voice communication only is (obviously) a custom disad meant to represent the extremely limited spectrum of HRRP that the cellphone makes available.

Cheers!
Ben