John T Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 As both GM and Player, I've seen several recurring themes (especially for Champions) to which my automatic, knee-jerk response is "No! Frikkin! Way!" The most common? Retractable claws, Regeneration and an "Unbreakable" Skeleton. Hmmm... Gee, THAT'S originality at its BEST... What others have anyone else here encountered? JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demonsong Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? It is unbelievable how many times I have run across that very combination. Can’t people come up with something new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greypaladin_01 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? I would say that its not really so much when someone copies an existing character. (Ok I admit that I've done things like this before, although usually its when I need an NPC in less than 5 minutes and I dont have anything better to use on hand.) But the concepts that make me cringe the most are when a player wants to do something that is (sadly) outside of either the HERO rules or the campaign guidelines. For example someone trying to make a Rogue (from X-Men) style character on 350 pts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? A few of my players manage to think outside the box. One player wanted a rodeo clown hero; As much as the idea both mortified and amused me, it still managed to fit the game pretty well. However, one of the most creative players in the game (a guy who usually GMs) came up with two characters that are absolutely borrowed concepts. That surprised me. He made "liquid metal guy" from T2, complete with cop uniform, and a transplanted Mind Flayer. Now like everyone else I'm guilty of borrowing concepts. I'd just love for people to TRY and make it their own. Do something different with the powers. I think if the player had said, "He looks like a mindflayer but is going to do *this* and *this*," I'd have been fine with it. Instead, he tried to build a mindflayer with all the mental powers of a mind flayer. I almost vetoed it, but I ultimately decided it's about what the players want to do, not about what I want them to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Just about any concept involving a trenchcoat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbarron Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Just about any concept involving a trenchcoat. Where did the trenchcoat concept originate? I have to admit, I like it. But I have no idea why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barton Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? This is not a "cringe concept". My wife plays a character that is based on Lenny Brisco from Law and Order. But she added some extra powers and he is a weaponeer. What makes this a good character is the way she plays it. Several of our group have NOT figured out that it is based on a TV character. She has given him a slightly different personality and behavior. My view is yes steal from other sources (TV, Comics, cartoons, movies, even real life) but make sure the Champions character is somehow unique. This can be as simple as playing him with a slightly different personality than in the orginal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Neilson Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Well, we're playing a game based on the comics. Why would it surprise you that the players take their inspiration from comic book characters? Is Dr. Destroyer (armored megalomaniac wants to rule the world) original? A big, strong tough guy? [sorry - no bricks allowed - we only want original characters] Is there a powered armor character out there who owes no credit to Iron Man? Put a spin on it that makes him "yours" and move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? I would say that its not really so much when someone copies an existing character. (Ok I admit that I've done things like this before, although usually its when I need an NPC in less than 5 minutes and I dont have anything better to use on hand.) But the concepts that make me cringe the most are when a player wants to do something that is (sadly) outside of either the HERO rules or the campaign guidelines. For example someone trying to make a Rogue (from X-Men) style character on 350 pts. Well, you could probably make something like the movie Rogue without too much difficulty, but it'd be point expensive, require a VPP, and be fairly low power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GestaltBennie Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Generally, if I want to play a serious game, and I get a roster of PCs who'd be too silly-stupid for Mystery Men or the League of Substitute Antarctican Heroes, I cringe. Scott Bennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Pheonix Dark Dirk adolescent power fantasy characters. Its sad to realize the maturity level and social competancy of so many gamers is so low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Just about any concept involving a trenchcoat. What? No Ablative Dusters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Did I mention characters whose main power seems to be "cleavage"? This hasn't happened in a LONG time because my new gaming group doesn't do this. But my old group, long, long ago... Me: "What kind of character did you have in mind?" Player: "I'd like her to be a brick, with long hair and big breasts." As some of my drawings will denote, breasts are nice. I just hate it when they wind up as a focus of the character. I used to say, "Ok. How do you want to build this breast power?" Which always got a laugh, but at the same time the sarcasm escaped them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? I had a male player who would consistently hand me female characters with comliness scores well over 30 (and almost non-existant costumes, of course). One of these characters had a 50! This was a player who had no comprehension of the female of the species. He couldn't play a female character to save his life (I've met a few women who couldn't play a male character to save their lives either, but he was exceptionally bad). I got to the point (the 50 com character) where I told him I wasn't going to allow him to waste the points on it. If he wanted a 20 com so be it, but more than that was a waster. If he wanted it to have game effects he could by skill levels or powers. He was really miffed, but he complied (and I note he didn't buy those extra things). I finally banned him from playing female characters at all. It was bad enough that the other male players were getting annoyed with him (to say nothing of the female players). In fact, it birthed a firm suggestion - play your own sex dagnabit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetle Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? I don't think there's any particular combination of powers that especially annoys me (except when somebody wants density increase and desolid to work at the same time...) The only thing that gets me is when the entire character is lifted from the comics. For example, I loathe wolverine clones, but for my last character I had the yen to do something animal based, and he ended up with some of the stock powers (including claws and regen). Now, if I was accused of doing a wolvie clone, I'd say "It's similar to that, but it's equally influenced by DCs Wildcat and !mpulse's Jaguar." But mostly I'd let the fact the character's personality is nothing like Logan's speak for itself. Edited because my spelling is less reliable than the Scarlet Witch's hex power Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? What? No Ablative Dusters? Sam Bell had a villian called Sharp Shooter who had an armored trenchcoat. Equal to a Bank Vault door if I recall. And on comic book characters being played: I don't mind inspired by, but carbon copies make me cringe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devlin1 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? As some of my drawings will denote' date=' breasts are nice. I just hate it when they wind up as a focus of the character. I used to say, "Ok. How do you want to build this breast power?" Which always got a laugh, but at the same time the sarcasm escaped them.[/quote']Do not deny the power of the breast. Me, I'm a little tired of dark, mysterious gadgeteers, although I love Batman, but I'm pretty open-minded to any well-conceived character concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Put me in the No one may play characters of the oposite sex... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrickstaPriest Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? I can sympathize with those who get annoyed with players playing characters of the opposite gender. I allow it, but I haven't had the problems some other people have had. I generally make some allowances because it's a "fantasy", but I do tell people "no" who consistently do things like: outrageous COM scores, inhumanly flirty characters, and not distinguishing gender in the character's "romantic" interests ever (the term romantic used liberally here). I don't have anything against any of these individually, but all together they tend to represent a rather annoying concept that I see repeated by people too into their fantasies. Once, maybe, but if they do it multiple times with their concepts? I may have the occasional NPC approach this, but if so in an original way, and I'd have trouble counting more than one or two like this out of the hundred or so I've made. Fortunately, this has only come up once, and the player moved out of town after a while. I tend to get annoyed with lots of character concepts that are "omni" effect, or "steal/copy/cancel powers" effects. For example, having the ability to steal or cancel out powers is ok for a major NPC or villain, and if it is limited enough, it's good for a player. But, with incredibly strong powers like this I really require some form of common limitation. I also like people to _decide_ on a concept, instead of doing a "D&D style" mage without a specialty of some sort. It can work in some of my campaigns, but usually it is just frustrating to have to deal with. Concepts are important, especially in the way I run my games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Put me in the No one may play characters of the oposite sex... Half of my characters are the opposite sex. Depends on the concept for me. The character concepts that bug me are the "all or nothing" characters. They either dominate the game, or are useless at which point the player whines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devlin1 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? A good number of my characters are of the opposite sex as well, and it's no problem. Ever. Of course, I'm not an idiot and respect women, so.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Did I mention characters whose main power seems to be "cleavage"? This hasn't happened in a LONG time because my new gaming group doesn't do this. But my old group, long, long ago... Me: "What kind of character did you have in mind?" Player: "I'd like her to be a brick, with long hair and big breasts." As some of my drawings will denote, breasts are nice. I just hate it when they wind up as a focus of the character. I used to say, "Ok. How do you want to build this breast power?" Which always got a laugh, but at the same time the sarcasm escaped them. Well, it is genre convention for all heroes/heroines to be extremely attractive. In my old group, people didn't draw their characters. They picked out pictures of attractive actors/actresses or models for their characters and purchased whatever presence and comeliness scores that were appropriate in their eyes for the model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? I think playing characters of the opposite sex is fine. I've both GMed for and played such characters, and never had any significant problems. Actually, in Champions games I think it's very handy to have some male players willing to play superheroines. Female superhero gamers are still somewhat rare, and all-male supergroups aren't the norm in the comics. And yes, the inhumanly beautiful, flirty lesbian played by a teen male gamer can be annoying, but no more annoying than several other wish-fullfilment types taken to extremes by clueless players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? Personally Ive never understood why hetero guys are even interested in lesbians, much less obsessed with them. Do they not get it? THEY ARENT INTERESTED IN YOU, so why waste time fantasizing about them? Besides of all the lesbians Ive ever known the "lipstick" variety seems to be the minority -- the "granola" and "butch" varieties seem to be more the norm. Just chill with the sex fantasies and realize that they are just normal people who prefer women over drooling deviant men like you and get over it. As far as characters go, I get real leary when ever a male player _wants_ to play a female character. Im always waiting for the dreaded annoying falsetto and totally off-base behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Re: What character concepts make you cringe? The character concept that I really have come to hate in Champions is the out of genre wonder. The more common varieties are anime guys and White Wolf refugees. I don't have anything against anime and White Wolf, but if I wanted to run games based on them, I'd inform the players. Somewhat related to the above is the "weird powers guys". It's the player that is so afraid of being accused of lack of originality that he ends up with a extremelly bizarre concept. Now, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with weird power guys (or even out of genre wonders) when they're *in the minority*. After all, one vampire in a group of otherwise conventional superheroes can spice things up, adds variety, and actually has some precedent in the genre. And it's always fun to have one super with really strange powers in the mix. The problem is, whenever I allow these kinds of characters, I find that *all* the players take this route and I end up with a group where the vanilla superhero guy actually is the minority. "Er... any of you PCs can actually fly? No?" Almost as annoying are the players who insist in trying to convince me to let them play selfish, crazy, psychopaths in a "classic" superhero game. One guy I used to play with was so completely stuck in White Wolf mode that it was painful to see. He also was somewhat obnoxious and rude, to make matters worse. When I kept rejecting his characters and asking him to make them a little bit friendlier, he finally lost his cool and made a long speech about the silliness of the old-fashioned superhero ideal, and how society should be changed through economic reforms and not by individualistic hypocritical heroism, and how moral relativism was the bomb, etc. What could I say but: "Man, this in only a game. Not my own personal political statement." I'm happy to say it's been some years since I last saw this guy. Good riddance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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