GURPS IST in Champions

[Mark Rand]

In the 1990s, Steve Jackson Games came out with the International Super Teams (IST) for its GURPS Supers game.

What do you think of using the IST universe with the Champions system?

With a team at UN Headquarters in New York and another in Washington, D.C., and other teams in the country, would it be reasonable for a team to be in Pittsburgh?

[Lord Liaden]

The IST world is a very well-developed one, particularly in its study of the social consequences of the existence of superbeings. It diverges in several key areas from real-world history, and even that of mainstream comic universes; and its timeline needs more than a decade worth of updating. These aren't insurmountable obstacles, though. I myself have mainly used it as a source for cool names for international supers - it has quite a few from many nationalities.

If you want to use characters from the International Super Teams, that would of course require conversion. If you want help with that I'd suggest the HERO/GURPS Supers conversion notes on Michael Surbrook's excellent website:
http://www.devermore.net/surbrook/he...gurpshero.html

You might also want to take a look at some GURPS Supers conversion writeups that Mr. Surbrook recently posted on the boards here, including two IST members, Argurous Astraph and Midnight Angel:
http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14755

[Redmenace]

I apologize for not having the URL but the author used to have a website of the original IST world that greatly detailed the 80s and 90s. You might search on Google.

If you want to use it in the Champs Universe I'd reccomend combining it with Until.

As to why they'd have a resident team in Pittsburgh, they probobly wouldn't unless there some grandiose phenomena locally. In past you've suggested a Stargate or a Hellmouth. They'd work fine.

[Just A Guy Name]

I'm glad you asked that question (well, it was implied at least ) IST World is the creation of Bob Schroeck, the author of the GURPS:IST sourcebook. He has some other interesting bits on his site, and you might want to check out his fanfic "Drunkards Walk", about a dimension-hopping hero from a world very much like IST Earth.

[Mark Rand]

Good ideas from Redmenace and Just A Guy Name. Thank you.

We can locate Stargate Command in the Laurel Highlands, which are the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, a part of the Appalachian Mountains. It was secret until an alien invasion caused the President to reveal that it existed. We can even decide that Samantha Carter is still Jolinar's host. Would the UN call Teal'c or Somantha/Jolinar supers?

The Hellmouth can be in southern Allegheny County. The Initiative let the IST know about the Hellmouth, Slayer, vampires and related stuff. I don't think Pittsburgh's Slayer(s) would be part of the IST, but they's work with it.

I visited the IST World website and got good ideas from it.

[Mark Rand]

The existance of Stargate Command was revealed to the world by the President during the height of Anubis's attack on Earth (at the end of season seven).

The President is Henry Hayes. The Vice President is Gloria Valdez (former Vice President Robert Kinsey is in jail). The Chief Justice of the United States is Evelyn Baker Long. Dr. Elizabeth Weir is now the head of Stargate Command. Former SGC commander Major General George Hammond now commands the Prometheus, an X-303 spaceship, the world's only space battleship and its X-302 starfighters.

[Major Tom]

I've noticed from your previous threads that you like to incorporate some of
the stranger themes from TV shows into your campaign, particulary those of
recent vintage. What I was wondering, though, was if you've ever included
ideas from older TV series in your campaign world; say, for instance, Project
Tick Tock from Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel?

Major Tom

[Southern Cross]

So when can we see a Fifth Edition character sheet for Douglas Q. Sangnoir?
(And no,I won't tell you what the Q. is short for - go and read Chapter 15 of Drunkard's Walk II to find out.And if you haven't read it before,start with Chapter One.like I had to).

A

[Just A Guy Name]

Or any edition, for that matter I suppose I could give it a try..but you know, I generally don't like converting to Hero, it's so complicated

[Mark Rand]

I've noticed from your previous threads that you like to incorporate some of
the stranger themes from TV shows into your campaign, particulary those of
recent vintage. What I was wondering, though, was if you've ever included
ideas from older TV series in your campaign world; say, for instance, Project
Tick Tock from Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel?

Major Tom

I remember the series. The idea was wonderful, but the stories weren't that great. Of course, it still could be under the desert somewhere, either abondoned or still in operation.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was anotherseries from back then. The Nelson Institute of Marine Research could exist in California and there could be a new Seaview.

We might even meet the Battlestar Galactica on day (the original, not the miniseries, of course).

[Redmenace]

If they met the Galactica it would be even more interesting to meet the fleet of basestars that aren't too far behind them.

[Mark Rand]

If they met the Galactica it would be even more interesting to meet the fleet of basestars that aren't too far behind them.

Agreed. No doubt, we'd have one heck of a battle.

[Major Tom]

If they met the Galactica it would be even more interesting to meet the fleet of basestars that aren't too far behind them.

I remember seeing something along those lines in one of the earlier Champions
rulebooks (which version it was escapes me at the moment), where one of the
writers mentioned in the section on running campaigns how his campaign ended
with the PC team defending Earth against a dozen Base Stars ( Crikey!).

I don't know about you, but I think facing just one of those monsters would
be more than enough of a challenge for a hero team...

Major Tom

[Redmenace]

Thats for sure, though it would make an interesting transition for a normal modern day campaign to a Galactic hero one.

I don't remember which Champs book it was from but It was Aaron Allston who ran it.

[Major Tom]

Now that I've had some time to prowl the old memory banks, I believe it was
in Champions II (the one with the wraparound cover showing Jimmy Dugan
walking in on the Champions -- or was it the Guardians? -- during a Danger
Room session).

Major Tom