Old Habits Die Hard

[Theron]

Back in February, my group put away a 3+ year old Champions campaign due to a rather rancorous split with the GM over non-game issues.

 

I swore that for a number of reasons (chiefly, the fact that before the split, I was already a bit vocal about feeling burned out on the game and the genre), I would not take up the GM seat anytime soon and most certainly would not run supers. And if I did end up running supers in the future, I almost certainly would opt for a more streamlined system than Hero.

 

Well, I blew the first one. I've got a game set up and waiting to run this month.

 

I now seem to be blowing it on the second front. Between that short story anthology GOO published, "Astonishing X-Men", the "Ultimate Fantastic Four", re-reading "The Ultimates" and my "Stormwatch" TPBs, along with Justice League Unlimited, I'm finding myself compelled to dust off my notes for a superspies campaign I created over a decade ago that never got a fair shake.

 

And yesterday, I finally broke down and bought Hero Designer, having found that it actually WILL run on my archaic PC.

 

I guess it's really just bowing to the inevitable. After all, I've been playing Hero/Champions for 22 years now. For all the things about it that drive me up the wall, it's still the system I know best.

 

But I'm running my Feng Shui/Exalted/Crazed HK Fantasy campaign nonetheless. I just wish I had more time to game (and prepare).

[Evil Toki]

Re: Old Habits Die Hard

 

It is okay we still love you... happy gaming... can you share any notes on this superspies game

[Theron]

Re: Old Habits Die Hard

 

The background has changed quite a bit over the years, and the current incarnation is far from set in stone. Here's the gist of it, though.

 

It's set in waning years of the Cold War, 1988 or so. Reagan is still in office. Superhumans are a known but relatively rare quantity. 90% of same are either operatives of various national agencies or freelance crimnal/terrorist mercenaries. The PCs are members of IMPACT, the Inquiry into Metahuman and Paranormal Activities, Capabilities, and Technologies, the US Government's superhuman watchdog agency. They investigate paranormal occurrences, catalog superhumans according to threat level, and protect the nation from domestic and foreign metahuman threats. Stir in a big bowl of intrigue and paint in various shades of gray morality.

 

NPCs include a number of modified CU characters, along with a bunch of my own, and a number from other sources (such as Green Ronin's "Crooks" book).

 

Sort of WildCATS meets Stormwatch meets The Six Million Dollar Man, really.

[Evil Toki]

Re: Old Habits Die Hard

 

Nice... Crooks has some great characters in it

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Old Habits Die Hard

 

I get what you mean, Theron. I'm about your vintage as far as HERO gaming goes. After all this time it's like your first language; you're never quite as comfortable speaking anything else.

 

BTW have you ever looked at the HERO archives on Shelley Chrystal Mactyre's website? It sounds as though her "Chessmen" and "Armitage Investigations" organizations might have something you could use.

[Theron]

Re: Old Habits Die Hard

 

I'm sure I read Shelley's stuff at one point in the past decade or so, though it's been a long time.

 

I know what you mean about the "first language" thing. I compare it to being a COBOL programmer. I know there are better, more elegant, and less time-consuming ways to accomplish what I want, but at my age*, I just don't feel like learning a new language to do it.

 

*I'm exactly 18 years younger than the dawn of the Atomic Age. You do the math.