A little help please?

[Guest Dragon]

Ok here is the deal. I currently running a champions game in which I have an ice projector, a ninja, an animal telpath, a rock brick, and a verson of supergirl.

 

Here is where I need help. One of my players suggested a superhero version of "Survivor" would be neat and I agree with her....problem is....I'm having a hard time thinking of challenges that would challenge a group of superheros who will be mixed in teams with the supervillian team who just happened to respond to the same ad as them (or something, its not worked out completely yet). Of course the prize is probably going to be something like 1 million dollars, like on the show and maybe 5-10 character points....just to make it interesting.

 

I have a few ideas, like some of the races were neat. And some of them will definatly have to have rules, like they would have to use the material provided to start a fire, not just use those handy eyebeams....or in the case of build the best shelter on the show....they can't just pile up a bunch of uprooted tree and call it the BEST shelter.

 

But....does anyone else have any ideas that might help? Please?

[BobGreenwade]

One thing comes right to mind: set up your castaways on a beach, some distance from any streams. The first challenge then becomes to find potable water, and set up a workable system to bring it to the campsite.

 

A later challenge could be to build a watchtower with the dual purpose of watching for rescuers, and watching for forest fires.

[Uncle Shecky]

I don't have any really specific challenge ideas (I'll give it some thought) but here are some potentially helpful thoughts:

 

The best contests on Survivor have some flexibility in the rules. There are some clearly defined rules to the challenge, but other parts are left hazy, to give more clever players an advantage.

 

Here's an example: in the most recent Survivor, the teams had to remove weights from submerged boats, bring the boats to the surface, bail them out, and row them to shore. They were given 2 bailing buckets to help them empty the boats, but they were never told thay HAD to use those buckets. One team got their boat to the surface quickly, then started bailing with the buckets. The 2nd tribe got their boat to the surface, pulled it out of the water, and tipped it over, emptying all the water immediately. They won the contest easily because they bent the rules without breaking them.

 

Some simple skill vs. skill contests would be fun (especially if a villain and hero were the world's best at a particular skill), but you need to create some challenges with rules that can be exploited by creative use of skills and powers. You need to throw in some semi-useful equipment (like those bailing buckets) that could hinder the players as much as help them.

 

Also, each contest needs several check points where the lead can change. For example, they often do "move a really heavy object" races that require stops to perform some kind of task, like the challenge where they moved a heavy, flaming cart, then stopped at intervals to light torches. Each torch lighting should be some kind of easy DEX roll, with a time advantage for the players who roll under by the greatest amount.

 

A heavy cart on wheels will need a certain combined STR to move it. It could have crappy wheels that limit its max move. Maybe clever teams with enough STR could move it faster if they lifted it completely off the ground.

 

The effects of the lack of food, sleep, and shelter: Deprivation could limit a character's END and REC. It could make it harder to push a power, or throw a few more negative modifiers on a skill roll.

 

Underwater challenges: You can't recover while holding your breath, so you have to watch your END. Players will try different strategies: burn END and some STUN and hope you make it vs. lower your SPD to 3 and hope slow and steady wins the race.

 

Personality conflicts: People on Survivor act freaky partly because they're starving, tired, and have a shot at a million bucks. The direct competition between players might bring out some of this behavior (especially with a great reward), but you could require players to make EGO or PRE rolls to keep their cool. Failure could affect other skill rolls.

[Supreme Serpent]

You could go another angle with it. Instead of being in some remote location, put it in a major city, and make the challenges more appropriate:

 

"Find the VIPER Nest and be the one to catch the Nest Leader"

 

"Put out the fire at the abandoned warehouse across town"

 

"Find and retrieve the 'alien spacecraft' at the bottom of the lake"

 

Follow everyone around with tiny flying robotic cameras so you don't put cameramen in harm's way, and let 'er rip!

[farik]

I think you should make the environment more hostile and put the challenge on the Moon or Mars. Teams would be limited by how many life support suits they get.

 

Who can build the largest habitable structure out of these parts? (Bonus points for the first one completed) (The group that realizes by digging into solid rock they can utilize the full capacity of the air filtration system will win but only if they can make the engineering rolls or generate structures to keep the whole thing from caving in.)

 

Relay racing with a limited number of suits (a super speed character could give the baton to a character who doesn't need the suit and then run ahead so the next person can change into the speedster's suit before the relay baton even gets there)

 

Capture as much water as possible thrown from a bucket. Sure it's falling at 1 sixth the rate it would on Earth but that also means it's spreading out farther.

 

Make a contestant stay in a secluded location and without moving more than 3 ft they need to signal their team. Points are based on how quickly they are rescued by their teammates. Leaving your 3 ft radius disqualifies you (additional food and air is 100 ft away just out of sight in case there are any ranged teleporters or stretching characters).[This is a contest where teammates can sabotage each other by not rescuing them right away, at the expense of lowering their overall team score.]

[badger3k]

Don't forget one of the main rules on behavior - if they hit another contestant, out they go! Using supers and villains could lead to some interesting situations (add mods to the Ego rolls suggested previously!). Might make for some interesting role-playing. For rewards, the money could go to the characters, a charity, or perhaps even give a villain a pardon. Some challenges could be power-oriented - perhaps a challenge is to rescue a hostage or save somebody from something. The Challenge of Champions adventures in Dungeon magazine have some interesting fantasy puzzles/challenges that might be adapted to a superhero genre.

 

I had thought of doing something like this, but hadn't gone very far - it really needs to be character specific, since it has to be written for the powers (although, for a change, some of the contests could involve using no powers, just skills or straight physical abilities).

[Vorsch]

Challenge 1 the helmet of DR Destroyer

 

Challenge 2 Takofanes scepter

 

Challange 3 whats the point.....

 

and all this followed by a film crew.

[Mayday]

First thing I'd do is mix up the teams, girls vs boys or some 'random' selection thats sure to lead to arguements and conflict, and more fun at voting time. You'll need extra people to fill out the roster, Id suggest Foxbat, Oculon, that Mechanon chef from Sanctuary, maybe Doc Silverback, some LAW & ORDER control freak like the Golden Avenger, maybe a kleptomaniac too. Oh, and an older hero (or villain) to do the Rudy role. Don't forget to rearrange the teams halfway through!

 

Id been considering a Survivor What If so had been thinking about challenges. Survivor uses puzzles and "How well do you remember the story I just said" as well as tests of balance and skill that none are necessarily best suited for. Relay races since none are speedsters. How well do you know your teammates? IE, whos shirt is this? Just how gross IS that food they're asking you to eat before the other team does?

 

Challenges about endurance. Standing on a stump for 6 hours, or a floating log trying not to fall off. What if they have to hold up something bulky or heavy? Your ninja will not have it quite so easy then...

 

Give them a challenge with 5 chickens. Set the chickens running and its up to the teams to catch them without killing them. Trust me, its not as easy as you think if you've never done it before. Most chickens wins. (Will have to enforce the no powers rule though)

 

I remember a maze with everyone tied together and in the maze were sections of a thingie they had to assemble.

 

But, I like the idea of bringing it into the real world more also. Burnett did a USA channel spinoff called Combat Missions where military and SWAT personnel on 4 teams went into missions with certain objectives and whoever did the best job at the end (most objectives met with most team members making it out) won that mission.

[Mayday]

Originally posted by Uncle Shecky

The effects of the lack of food, sleep, and shelter: Deprivation could limit a character's END and REC. It could make it harder to push a power, or throw a few more negative modifiers on a skill roll.

 

Remember the shots of them COVERED in bugbites and trying desperately not to scratch them? I remember several of them reporting when they got home, the large list of parasites they had to take medication for to get rid off. Colleen's legs in Season One, ugh! you could almost see them crawling under the skin.

[Battlestaff]

Who would you get to host the show? You'd want someone stable enough to keep the show on track (disqualifying Foxbat), and powerful enough to enforce the rules.

[Victim]

It might be funnier if the host didn't have the power to control the guests.

 

Don't forget additional complications, like Hunteds showing up. Since the characters will be in super ID for a while, and under lots of stress, some of their characteristic mannerisms might show. Watching DNPCs notice. Someone is really organizing the show to get his rivals out of the way or in one place.

 

Maybe some monstrously powerful character shows up as a contestant. Team A) The champions. Team Foxbat, Bulldozer, some elite Viper commando, and Gravitar.

[Jhamin]

If you want to use teams, why not some of the less sociopathic guys from CKC? Grab might be game, and the high babe factor would impress the TV executives. It might be fun to use the Ultimates and watch Binder lose it around episode 3.

Then it gets really fun when you rearrange the teams half way through and all the hidden rivalries pop up.

[Mayday]

The scheming would be alot of fun because the heroes dont want a villain to win, but in order for a hero to win you might feel it necessary to vote off a weak hero for now, and vote off the strong villain later.

 

Do you dare make an alliance with a villain? On national tv?

[Supreme Serpent]

Or you could do the Great Super-Villain Contest as a reality show, with cameras following the villains around, and the heroes are "challenges"...

[Mayday]

Posted this as a What If.

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13751

[Guest Dragon]

Ooo thank you all for all the good ideas! I did a internet search of some of the original immunity/reward challenges too so I can add a touch of 'realism' to the adventure.

 

I'm thinking of having it set on Mars, but change it up some, since my game is set in the near future, Mars has three domed outposts. Two are inhabitated, the third - over the Caldonia site - is too rife with unexplained occurances for habitation so its a large dome able to be lived under, but so far empty of all but plant life and strange parameciem type organisims. Unfortunately most of the challenges will take place outside the dome with rewards like getting to go to the other domes to eat/wash/sleep ect. I figure, since humanity is trying to colonize Mars, then they've started terraforming the planet. While they've been able to provide Mars with a atmosphere, its not yet a breathable one, the only advantage being they can survive in it for short peroids of time without exploding but it will drain STUN. It is in this enviroment they will have to do their challenges. There will also be a lake inside the dome where there can be water challenges....but -something- is causing Caldonia to be unstable. (Caldonia was the site where the Mars 'face' was discovered, btw) I dunno. Haven't got many details worked out yet, but does this sound doable or just dumb?

[AnotherSkip]

Sounds Like a fun doable adventure,

 

Go for it!

 

Post your challenge ideas when the players you have have been through it.

 

I wanna steal them for my FH campaign where I have a Country that is addicted to gambling and they need things to bet on......