Oh, those pesky politicans-Who are they anyways in your campaign?

[Hermit]

Another thread got me thinking about politicians in campaigns. Some GMs use the real life figures, others make up their own. The comics seem to split it up evenly there. Remember Lex as President for a time in DC?

 

There are certain politician standards in super hero universes.

 

The Anti-Super Congressman/Sentator- He might be a hatefilled bigot, or he might be looking out for "the common man" and national security. He might even share many of the heroes' ideas about truth, justice, and the American way but have a different vision of what that means. Either way, this is the guy who's always trying to create a registration act (Or tighten it up if it already exists). He's the one who insists on holding super humans responsible for their actions, and sees them as a greater threat than help.

 

The Vote Seeking Mayor- When the heroes are celebrities, and popular with the citizenry, the mayor is behind them all the way. He may be quite helpful, lending them support of all sorts (and consequently getting some choice photo ops for himself), even as much as a base. He calls on the super heroes when trouble looms, and expects them to repay him for favors. On the flip side, when the team's rep tanks due to some incident, he withdraws himself fast from their company. Heck, if the wind changes too much, the mayor might even turn on them so fast as to impress even the team speedster. He (or she) is the original fair weather friend.

 

Retired Super Hero- Maybe he thought he could do more good in congress. Maybe his powers faded and being a city councilman was another way to keep up the good fight. Heck, he could have been brutally iinjured and never recovered fully while protecting innocents. Either way, this gent is a retired super hero now turned politician. In a lot of ways this is a super hero's dream come true. He's likely to cut them more slack than anyone else because he's been there. He knows the trials and tribulations. On the flip side, he also maybe older school than the new breed. If, in his day, heroes did not kill, they sure as hell don't need to now. He has his standards for what a super hero can and can not do, and the PCs best be careful of going too far or they'll find he's still formidible despite having long ago mothballed his cape.

 

Villain sans Costume- Possibly a former supervillain who suddenly realized that compared to using tax money, robbing banks was small time; or maybe he just wants to advance power 'respectably' this guy is bad news in a lot of ways. He might be much more subtle than the anti super Senator. After all, his goal isn't to stop the super VILLAINS as well, just keep the heroes out of his way as he accumulates more power.

 

These are just a few that come right to mind...

 

So, anyone use these and other political types in their campaigns? And do you prefer to create fictional ones to using the real thing?

[death tribble]

Re: Oh, those pesky politicans-Who are they anyways in your campaign?

 

Fictional ones to get ideas of bigotry like anti-mutant backers but the real thing where they are just too well known like Margaret Thatcher.

[Mutant for Hire]

Re: Oh, those pesky politicans-Who are they anyways in your campaign?

 

Well, there's the classic corrupt politician who is in the pockets of big business or organized crime. You know, the kinds the old socialist Superman used to beat up in the comic books a long time ago. But of course there are plenty of other corrupt politicans in modern comics on the take from special interest groups.

[Hermit]

Re: Oh, those pesky politicans-Who are they anyways in your campaign?

 

Well' date=' there's the classic corrupt politician who is in the pockets of big business or organized crime. You know, the kinds the old socialist Superman used to beat up in the comic books a long time ago. But of course there are plenty of other corrupt politicans in modern comics on the take from special interest groups.[/quote']

 

Good point! Can't believe I forgot that one...

[Kirby]

Re: Oh, those pesky politicans-Who are they anyways in your campaign?

 

So' date=' anyone use these and other political types in their campaigns? And do you prefer to create fictional ones to using the real thing?[/quote']

Yes. The ones that have been mentioned so far are all good, along with the "deep, dark secret" politician.

 

I always use fictional politicians in my campaigns; it's just easier for me. While almost everyone I game with shares the same political beliefs, we don't always agree on the way a politician may handle things, or how a GM might portray a politician. Fictional politicians don't have to have political parties, you don't have to remember who the real politicians are (especially when your campaign city is not in the same state you are in) and the players can't have a predisposition on the NPC. I always refer to the President and Vice President as just that. No last names, no first names (except for "Mr.").

 

I've been in other campaigns where the GM has used real politicians and there was always one (and just one, strangely enough) who would start complaining about how he didn't like this guy's local policy (or foreign if president).

 

My politicians server two basic purposes: 1) To hold parades in honor of Super Hero Groups and 2) To be bailed out/rescued from a villain group that is blackmailing/kidnapping that dirty politician.

 

My big exception to this was when I ran a San Francisco game and the mayor was really an exiled, powerful demon who was forming his own power base so that he could return "home." I cast him as a damned handsome actor that no one in my gaming group liked, yet I made him amicable to them as fledgling heroes. He even put in a good word with the police chief when the heroes goofed up a "protect the ancient, mystical dagger" and ended up being arrested for STEALING the dagger on camera and fleeing the neighborhood. A big misunderstanding, that was.

 

Did I go off-topic? I hope not. I hope this helps.

[Chuckg]

Re: Oh, those pesky politicans-Who are they anyways in your campaign?

 

Ah yes, the politician that every high-end superhero campaign has to meet sometime...

 

Mr. President -- elected from one of the two big parties, he's either a moderate Republican or a conservative Democrat, whose politics are neither so vague as to make him look like a congenital flip-flopper nor are they openly confrontational with the party's. Although one or two of his Cabinet members or advisors might be hiding various nefarious deeds (or in a high-end game, possibly even the secret VIPER plant!), Mr. President is himself as honest as anybody in his job can be. Just on the tail end of middle-age and distinguished looking, he's athletic enough to do a good job of diving for cover when the supervillains attack, but he's in no danger of ruining the mood with any silly Harrison Ford impersonations. A sincere believer in American ideals yet willing to work with the international community, he's a consensus builder and a leader. Level-headed in a crisis, he's always good for giving the PCs the support they need against skeptical government offiials in a time of crisis (if they're making sense), or finding rational reasons to order the military/DOJ/intelligence community to bring the PCs in (if they look stupid, deranged, or criminal). He occasionally misses abuses of power and/or judgement by subordinates, but once they are brought to his attention, you can't fault his responses. In general, a human being, but a fairly intelligent and well-meaning one, who acts as responsibly as he can w/ the information he has.

 

He's very useful for keeping games from getting politically heated.

[Ghost who Walks]

Re: Oh, those pesky politicans-Who are they anyways in your campaign?

 

I tend to use real ones, more often that phony ones. I modify them heavily however.

 

Example of some of my politico types:

~Al Gore retired from being VP in 96', so he could run America's first extraterrestrial colony (I have stuff like that in my campaign). He did it so he could protect the colonies environment...later gold was discovered, and a bunch of low-tech aliens immigrated, and are wrecking the place. Al is rather unhappy.

 

~Ollie North: During one of my many Alien invasions, Ollie callep up the NRA to do battle against them.

 

~John Glenn: Blasted off in a rocketship to battle Aliens, Thunderbirds style.

 

~John Kennedy: Got abducted by a time travelling sorceress.

 

~J. Edgar Hoover: ex-Sorceror Supreme of Earth. Think about it.

 

~Bill Clinton turned out to be a demonic invader from dimension X, who had killed the real Clinton while he was out cruising for babes while Governor. He was later killed in a hail of gunfire when aliens captured the White House, and ordered him to launch nukes at the other nations.

 

~Hillary Clinton: Abducted by Aliens.

 

~Clelsea Clinton: Still in her powered armor, still a supervillain.

 

~Prince William: Determined to restore England to glory, with the help of his school "chums" Gets advice from his Grandmother.

 

~Bora: Minister of Finance for Italy

 

~Durak: President of the Republic of Georgia, major arms dealer

 

For made up Politico's I had:

~A Captain America type, who got disillusioned and started his own talk show, "The Metahuman Group". Four other metahumans join him each week to discuss the issues of the day.

 

Most of my foreign politicians I make up, the real ones don't have enough material.

 

Politicians usually show up when the aliens show up. Sometimes they fight the aliens, sometimes they surrender.

[Blue]

Re: Oh, those pesky politicans-Who are they anyways in your campaign?

 

The only politicians that have come into play in game so far are the City Council. There is no mayor at this point. The City Council make all decisions, along with various subcommittees. I've decided that in this rare instance, this model of government seems to work well (against all odds). There seems to be no bad guy, although ya never know.

[Lightray]

I use fictional politicians. So far I've had two main NPC politicians:

 

Politician Related to Superhero: the father of an NPC superhero who has a public ID, so he's pretty supportive of superheroes.

 

Politician Who May Or May Not Be A Villainous Arch-Nemesis Who Is Strangely Supportive of Superheroes: kind of an ongoing plot point in my game. Dan Blacke -- known secret ID of a villain -- ran for Congress (when the incumbent suddenly died). But Congressman Blacke is in no way contaminated by black magic (which he should be), and has shown no signs of magical powers (which he should have). And he's been very supportive of the superheroes. Who are confused and nervous about the whole thing...

[GestaltBennie]

Re: Oh, those pesky politicans-Who are they anyways in your campaign?

 

Because I have very fond memories of the Penguin Mayoral Race episode from the Adam West Batman series, I've designated "Vote Holocaust For Mayor (Or Else)" (a superhero mayoral race scenario) as an "if I have space" scenario for Villainy Amok.

 

It probably doesn't have the highest utility value of the scenarios in the book, but it should be fun to write and offer good role-play opportunities. (And no, Holocaust really won't be running for mayor).

 

Scott Bennie

[zornwil]

Re: Oh, those pesky politicans-Who are they anyways in your campaign?

 

We've got Mayor Bo Berry in Detroit, in an America deeply suspicious of mutants and with serious anti-mutant discrimination this former child singer (with a slick R&B/hip-hop act) who eventually became a serious politician works closely with mutant heroes. He's pretty sincere and while fairly slick also pretty stand-up with mutant heroes.

 

I've had Bush recently as the PCs went to see him.

 

In a prior campaign Oliver North was a mutant with amazing resistances to pretty much every form of attack.