A Champion Universe Update Suggestion

[TechnoViking]

In 2005+, when you are ready to update the Champions Universe I have a couple of suggestions.

I really like the sidebar notes in USPD, and I think a book design around this idea would be a great idea.

Call it something like UNTIL Meta-Human Field Guide, and include in it.
1. Updated version of the Champions (with +50-100 points of experience).
2. Updated timeline.
3. In the villian section, have some revised villians (For Experience, also some villian change powers alot in the comics book), and add new villians if you have any good ideas. I also would also like to see some Field notes similar to USPD in this section.
4. If you have not published Stronghold, that would be a good idea.
Mike

[Monolith]

Originally posted by Mike Basinger
I really like the sidebar notes in USPD, and I think a book design around this idea would be a great idea.

I really liked them as well. I think those sidebar added quite a bit of ambiance to the book. Getting perspective quotes/blurbs from heroes, villains, and normals goes a long way toward adding a sense of fun to the book. For me, the best part of the San Angelo line was all the in-character statements scattered through the book. I would really like to see DOJ continue to use those types of blurbs in the sidebar space of future books.

[Enforcer84]

Actually, and I don't mean to come across as a drooling fanboy (although, I fear I may just be one), I have found each new product has something that I find really cool. The Chapter Quotes from Ninja Hero, The general improvement of the artwork, the USPD side bars, Heck the power side bar examples in the various genre books and FRED itself.

But mike's suggestions are great.

[djday38]

I would also love to see an update book, further down the line.
Mike's suggestions all seem great.

rgds
Dean

[BobGreenwade]

Count me in as being in support of Mike's suggestions, at least in principle.

However, I don't know that I'd put them all into a single "updated Champions Universe" book that would make the current CU tome obsolete. I'd scatter them among different books -- for example, the updated, experienced Champions could go into a new Allies book such as the one under discussion in another thread, while Stronghold and some of the villain updates could go into a book on PRIMUS. Other villain updates could go into other appropriate books -- for instance, perhaps The Mystic World could update some of the magic-based villains in CKC.

[TechnoViking]

Originally posted by BobGreenwade

However, I don't know that I'd put them all into a single "updated Champions Universe" book that would make the current CU tome obsolete.

I see it as more of an add-on to Champion, Champions Universe, and CKC. If done right, I think it could boost sale of those book again in a couple of years.

Mike

[Doctor Agenda]

I would have liked an updated Champions Universe in the first place. The previous one was 1993, they could have done much of what they did for the new CU without throwing the old continuity out: gotten rid of old characters, brought in new ones, a world can change alot in 10 years. Many characters could have become older, more mature, retired, become handicapped, died, found a rejuvenating formula, etc. It would have been more interesting to me to see what happened in the last ten years than to go through another New Millenium style pastiche of old and new.

[Jhamin]

Originally posted by Doctor Agenda
I would have liked an updated Champions Universe in the first place. The previous one was 1993, they could have done much of what they did for the new CU without throwing the old continuity out: gotten rid of old characters, brought in new ones, a world can change alot in 10 years. Many characters could have become older, more mature, retired, become handicapped, died, found a rejuvenating formula, etc. It would have been more interesting to me to see what happened in the last ten years than to go through another New Millenium style pastiche of old and new.

I understand that the old continuity was abandoned for three reasons:

1) DOJ did not own the rights to alot of the old characters. These guys had to go for legal reasons. By just restarting the continuity they didn't have to explain where everyone went, they just never existed.

2) There were a lot of duplicate characters. Did we really need PRIMUS *and* SAT?

3) And what I think is a reason not politely discussed: There were also alot of unfortunate characters that were better forgotten. In the same way that Frizbee didn't make it into 4th, Shamrock and the 4th St. Avenger didn't make it into 5th.

Don't get me wrong, I miss Solitare and Bullet (but not the raiders) a lot. I think Obsidian was way cooler than Ironclad, but I also know that when I picked up the 4th Edition Champions universe and found all these refrences to characters who appeared in books I would never be able to track down I felt more than a little left out. Those of us who actually have copies of "To serve and Protect" or "The VOICE of Doom" might really enjoy seeing what has happened to everyone in 10 years. But to someone just discovering Champions for the first time now, it's just unfair for the Zodiac or Sniper to be a major part of continuity now.

Seeing as how Hero has to bring in new gamers as well as bringing back the old guard, I think it may be OK to retcon out a supervillian team that is written up in a book that has been out of print since 1987.

If we really need somebody, they will be reprinted like PSI and Eurostar were.

[Doctor Agenda]

Jhamin, you nailed me. I am one of those Champions fanboys who has everything Hero ever published except maybe some of those e-books they were doing in the lean years. I'm not sure I agree with the logic of throwing however-many of us were still USING the original universe in our campaigns into limbo, but I can understand the legal reasons for changing some of it and the economic reasons for not just going with something completely different (less irritating than mixing it up IMHO). There's nothing you can do about the legal reasons, so there had to be some changes...you can't even kill off characters you don't have rights to. I can't even really argue that they would have been better off to start over from scratch, since I'm going to buy everything they publish anyway. I can't help feeling a little cheated though...I didn't get a revitalized Champions Universe OR an entirely new and novel setting.