Over The Line?

[DocMan]

I don't think we've every had a death in a champions game. Come close to losing a PC a time or two, but I can't think of any actual deaths.

 

But it's not due to any CvsK ideals. The group I play with concentrates more on the role-playing aspects. We deal with what is appropriate for the character. A few examples:

 

One of our Champions campaigns is just three PC's: Psi Lord, Photon Blue, and Anaba.

Psi Lord is (obviously) a Mentalist. He's donned the spandex because he feels a certain sense of social responsibility. He has powers beyond the norm, so he should use them responsibly, and one of those responsibilities is to stop people who use their powers irresponsibly. He's a classic CvsK paragon.

Photon Blue is an energy projector, and a teen. She is a superhero because she gets off on having powers. She really enjoys when she can do things to someone and they can't do anything to her. For most of us, this is very annoying... But, deep down, she doesn't really want to hurt anyone, she just wants to have fun. She's a good kid.

Anaba is a 7 foot tall AmerInd Warrior Shamen. She's a hero because there are dark forces in the world and it's her job to fight them. She's the team brick and a whole lot more. She calls on different totems to give her different powers. But first and foremost, she's a warrior doing her job. People can get killed in battle and she's accepted that. But that's one of the fortunes of battle. She's not going to kill someone who's helpless or murder someone unaware.

 

And just because you won't kill someone doesn't mean you're a good guy. A character I played in a Vampire game wouldn't kill anyone except in self defense. He believed that his purpose in unlife was to sow corruption and to help others bring out the evil in themselves. He was a very nasty character and I had great fun playing him. } But he wouldn't kill people. That would just let them get off easy...

 

Doc

[RDU Neil]

As the GM of the RDU (though Storn runs a game by-weekly, now) I really developed the world over the last 16 years based on the following concept...

 

"I love comics! I HATE comics!"

 

Basically, I loved the CONCEPT of comics universes... essentially these worlds similar to ours, but with metahuman powers, high tech, magic, etc. But I despised the execution of these ideas in the comics... because as Storn said, "Nothing ever changed."

 

The "to kill or not" issue was only one thing I thought about from the beginning. I realized that I had no preference, except that it should be based on role playing. If a player feels lethal action is justified or necessary, I'm not going to tell them no... they just need to realize that it will effect their character and the world. No decision is without repercussion.

 

Some call this gritty. Some want "enforced morality." Me... I play and run FOR the morale dichotomies... the ethical questions... the theoretical "what ifs?" As a child, I read comics, and always thought "Oh... this is so cool... but this is so lame! I could do better!" With gaming, I got the chance to tell the stories I wanted to see.

 

The RDU is about "people with powers." If they turn out to be a "superhero" it is because they earned it through their actions... not because they have tights on.

 

The PCs are protagonists. Whether they turn out to be heroes, villains, or most likely something in between... that is what the story and role playing is all about.