Chronology, Continuity, Comics and Champions

[Thirdbase]

The group I belong to uses a single calendar, that has no bearing on the current date. This can cause problems, because I believe at one time there was 4 separate campaigns with 4 GMs operating on 4 different dates.

 

What ussually happens is at the end of a major storyline, a large period of time passes, bringing the campaign up to the current date, and new characters come and go.

[Tom McCarthy]

We played out Wings of the Valkyrie recently (a time travel adventure in which time changes, then is changed back). I've used it to retcon some things (a player who moved away, new team name, Millennium City, etc.).

[MisterVimes]

Originally posted by Hermit

Let me guess, you find you can bear my endangerment with great fortitude?

 

Yes... I'm willing to sacrifice you for the greater good

[MisterVimes]

Originally posted by Tom McCarthy

We played out Wings of the Valkyrie recently (a time travel adventure in which time changes, then is changed back). I've used it to retcon some things (a player who moved away, new team name, Millennium City, etc.).

 

What I wouldn't give for a copy of that module. I saw it ONCE at Lou Zocci's booth at Dragon*Con in the late 80's... I should've grabbed it.

[Jhamin]

Originally posted by Supreme

Anyone ever been tempted to play out a retcon? Do a Crisis on Infinite Earths game?

 

Just did it. When I converted from 4th to FREd I had the Despoiler damage the Keystone of Reality in the Outback. His entropic powers were vastly increased as the universe unraveled, but an alliance of heros and villians were able to contain him (with a little help from Mrs. Miegs from Horror Enemies)

 

The real fun was the jockeying for supremacy by various cosmic forces while the crystal healed. The heroes eventually got things mostly back in the right place by the end. There are just a few hiccups, like Millenium City, the new (CKC inspired) rosters of a few teams, and the return of a couple enemies they thought gone for good.

 

It was great fun. My players have also demanded a temporary moratorium on time and dimension travel stories.

[Agent X]

A good way to set up a calendar in a campaign that is not anchored to our Real Time is to just start at "Year One" and go from there.

[MisterVimes]

Originally posted by Agent X

A good way to set up a calendar in a campaign that is not anchored to our Real Time is to just start at "Year One" and go from there.

 

I've tried this and it does work well. One thing I did in previous games was to set the campaign in an OBVIOUSLY divergent Earth (No Revolutionary War, or World War 1 lasted 20 years, etc)... This, of course, prevented such problems as "I know it's May in the game, but we are at war with Saddam in real time, can we go to Bagdad and kick his butt?"

[lemming]

Originally posted by MisterVimes

What I wouldn't give for a copy of that module.( Wings of the Valkyrie ) I saw it ONCE at Lou Zocci's booth at Dragon*Con in the late 80's... I should've grabbed it.

 

Ebay. Though I didn't see one up at this time. Should cost you less than $20 for a still shrink-wrapped version.

 

It's not that great of a module, but somewhat entertaining.

[MisterVimes]

Originally posted by lemming

Ebay. Though I didn't see one up at this time. Should cost you less than $20 for a still shrink-wrapped version.

 

It's not that great of a module, but somewhat entertaining.

 

Nah... but it's a piece of Gaming History

$20??? That's a deal. I'll keep an eye out

[Ghost Archer]

My campaign has been running since 1982 and my primary character, Ghost Archer began at the same point thru another GM. Since then many, many characters have come and gone but thru it all I have maintained a more or less real time history. Now, 21 years have passed and my bowman, an immortal, is seeing friends and enemies age dramatically. Friends he went to school with, friends he has known since kindergarten are now, apparently, 20 years older then he is. The fact he also travels in time, means he has aged chronologically over 200 years in twenty making it even more difficult for him. Teammates have retired and are raising their children and a new generation is coming up, leading to a certain amount of conflict between the 'old man' and the 'kids'. Now he's become much more of a loner, letting the younger team fend for themselves unless they find themselves in truly dire straights.

I prefer the richness an aging campaign provides and detest rewrites of history.

[Graviton]

We're continuity freaks as well. We started our campaign waaaayy back in '82 and played for about 4 years. Two of those PCs, and a couple of the villains, are still active. We had about an 5-year layoff and then picked up again in 1991. We retrofitted only the year of our origin, moving it up from 1982 to 1986. We've been keeping track of game time on Frederick's calendars from the appropriate years. All the characters age appropriately, and we incorporate real-world events into our scenarios. Right now in game time we're in June of 1993, so in the past 10 or so years of gaming, our game universe has only seen 3 years pass, and since the campaign's inception in 1982 only seven game years have transpired. But it's been an amazingly eventful 7 years!

[Chaosliege]

We try not to put too much thought into stuff like that. I'm playing to get a little break from reality, so what if it doesn't make sence that the character I've been playing for 6 years hasn't aged a day.

[zakueins]

Peter Christian, probably the best CHAMPIONS GM I've ever played under (sadly, he games much less these days, he's MAKed), ran his campaigns under some simple principals. As a GM myself, I've tried to uphold the tradition-

 

*One game session (more or less) is a single "real time" month.

*Almost as a rule, a character starts out new, levels up to a level of power pretty quickly, then doesn't change very much, and EP totals should reflect this.

*Supers tend to have (reasonably) a super-career life of about 10-12 years, then they burn out, get cynical, get very badly injured/killed... Most players should understand this in ther character creation.

 

There's some more, but it's mostly deep rules stuff.

 

(Ed note-the term MAKed means "Married and Kids". Hey, happens to the best of us.)

[zornwil]

I haven't had and don't expect to have campaigns running more than a few years. The last one and the current one started in a real-world date and time with generally very similar world events and such, and as the games do go slower than real life I've let them just lag. Sometimes, as storylines permit, I'll let several weeks or even 2 months pass between and/or during sessions. In the current campaign 9/11 just occurred though with campaign-consistent (one hopes) differences. This was actually handy as if we had run in real-time I would have probably ignored or skipped that due to the emotional immediacy. However, I think now that the event has occurred it will be a trigger event for the degree to which the world has already diverged to diverge much more dramatically and quickly than it has.

 

In general I prefer the idea of a campaign running its course and continuing on rather than resetting the clock or changing things, if I'm running it. If others are running a campaign, I don't care so long as I have fun.

[Shiva13]

Yes, I have a well worked out continuity for my campaign setting. Part of this was a response to the retconning in the comics I had been reading. I wanted stability and some reliability that was cut and dried from the outset that was fading from the comics because of lazy writers.

 

Also, there are two aspects extremely popularly used in comics that are either not included in my setting or is nearly nonexistant. Dimensional Travel and Time Travel.

 

Dimensional travel was tossed out, because it takes the character's attention off the real world around them and actually making a difference noticeably in the actual setting. Dimensional travel causes characters to have to go off on tangents that have no real significance.

 

Time Travel is a slippery slope I just don't care to deal with. It's a threat to continuity and story credibility.

[Superskrull]

Originally posted by Shiva13

Yes, I have a well worked out continuity for my campaign setting. Part of this was a response to the retconning in the comics I had been reading. I wanted stability and some reliability that was cut and dried from the outset that was fading from the comics because of lazy writers.

 

Also, there are two aspects extremely popularly used in comics that are either not included in my setting or is nearly nonexistant. Dimensional Travel and Time Travel.

 

Dimensional travel was tossed out, because it takes the character's attention off the real world around them and actually making a difference noticeably in the actual setting. Dimensional travel causes characters to have to go off on tangents that have no real significance.

 

Time Travel is a slippery slope I just don't care to deal with. It's a threat to continuity and story credibility.

 

Hmmm. Well, to be honest, I love the time and dimension travel stuff. My only rule of thumb so far is that time travel should be done TO the PCs but don't let the little beggars have any real say in keeping such plot-shattering stuff on tap.

That kinda mischief is staying in my personal bag of tricks where I can whap them in the head with it, smile knowingly as they speculate for hours on the ramifications, then ignore their half-assed theories and keep on with what I already worked out for travel rules.

Mostly though, it's used by me as an excuse to have Nazis available. they make great villains/fodder/punching bags for our heroes.

[MisterVimes]

Originally posted by Superskrull

Hmmm. Well, to be honest, I love the time and dimension travel stuff. My only rule of thumb so far is that time travel should be done TO the PCs but don't let the little beggars have any real say in keeping such plot-shattering stuff on tap.

That kinda mischief is staying in my personal bag of tricks where I can whap them in the head with it, smile knowingly as they speculate for hours on the ramifications, then ignore their half-assed theories and keep on with what I already worked out for travel rules.

Mostly though, it's used by me as an excuse to have Nazis available. they make great villains/fodder/punching bags for our heroes.

 

This is solid comic book fare as well. I mean, Dr. Doom had a time machine. Did he use it well? No.

 

And any excuse to:

 

1) Fight Nazis

2) Fight Dinosaurs

3) Meet the Legion of Future Heroes

4) Team up with the Golden Agency to fight Hitler's Automen

5) Have their travels create an implacable Lord of Time

6) Have the Lord of Time create divergent versions of himself so the Heroes never know what's coming.

 

Is good with me!

[RDU Neil]

Originally posted by MisterVimes

This is solid comic book fare as well. I mean, Dr. Doom had a time machine. Did he use it well? No.

 

And any excuse to:

 

1) Fight Nazis

2) Fight Dinosaurs

3) Meet the Legion of Future Heroes

4) Team up with the Golden Agency to fight Hitler's Automen

5) Have their travels create an implacable Lord of Time

6) Have the Lord of Time create divergent versions of himself so the Heroes never know what's coming.

 

Is good with me!

 

Or even better...

 

7) Have the Lord of Time actually be one of the PCs future selves!

 

That subplot has been running through my campaign for years. One PC had it thrust upon him, and his whole character changed direction in order to avoid that possible future at all costs. The other came up with some ideas himself (his character is immortal already) and in a "time squall" scenario he began to have flashes of future events and people, including two different futures selves... and he really groks on it. He'd LOVE to become the Zen Master of Time at some point

 

Just found that control issues aren't as bad as the fact that some players hate time travel stuff, and others like it. If a player hates the theme of a game, they aren't going to enjoy it, no matter how well it's run.

[Patriot]

time travel

 

When Team Vanguard first began, the team liked time and plane travel, but the current group isnt to keen on it.

 

 

I think it makes for some of the best scenarios:

 

Umm guys, Why is Dr. Destroyer wearing white armor????

 

(normal from a crowd) Destroyer...no thats our guardian , Professor Preserver.

 

Blink blink...I dont think were in Kansas any more

[MisterVimes]

Originally posted by RDU Neil

Or even better...

 

7) Have the Lord of Time actually be one of the PCs future selves!

 

That subplot has been running through my campaign for years. One PC had it thrust upon him, and his whole character changed direction in order to avoid that possible future at all costs. The other came up with some ideas himself (his character is immortal already) and in a "time squall" scenario he began to have flashes of future events and people, including two different futures selves... and he really groks on it. He'd LOVE to become the Zen Master of Time at some point

 

Just found that control issues aren't as bad as the fact that some players hate time travel stuff, and others like it. If a player hates the theme of a game, they aren't going to enjoy it, no matter how well it's run.

 

Hero framed as Future Villain is always nice (when done correctly: Hulk-Future Imperfect comes to mind... and then the disappointing Hank (Hawk) Hall/Monarch nonsense does as well.

 

Well (QUIT READING JOE!) my team will be discovering the joys of Time Travel coming up very shortly... and as I have just read the entire Avengers: Kang Dynasty (as well as read up on my old Steve Englhart Kang stories) ... they are in for a doosie.

[RDU Neil]

Originally posted by MisterVimes

Hero framed as Future Villain is always nice (when done correctly: Hulk-Future Imperfect comes to mind... and then the disappointing Hank (Hawk) Hall/Monarch nonsense does as well.

 

Well (QUIT READING JOE!) my team will be discovering the joys of Time Travel coming up very shortly... and as I have just read the entire Avengers: Kang Dynasty (as well as read up on my old Steve Englhart Kang stories) ... they are in for a doosie.

 

Assuming you've read the excellent... Avengers Forever... by Busiek and Pacheo... right?

 

Wow... great stuff. Wrapping up all the twisted time travel plots in the Marvelverse was no small feat. Just wish Marvel had more of a legacy style universe, so we'd see characters aging and retiring and dying a bit more... which would allow for time travel stories to have even better resonance.

[MisterVimes]

Originally posted by RDU Neil

Assuming you've read the excellent... Avengers Forever... by Busiek and Pacheo... right?

 

Wow... great stuff. Wrapping up all the twisted time travel plots in the Marvelverse was no small feat. Just wish Marvel had more of a legacy style universe, so we'd see characters aging and retiring and dying a bit more... which would allow for time travel stories to have even better resonance.

 

Yep... I loved Avengers Forever. I love time travel and parallel world stories (Like the New Warriors Sphynx storyline or the Original Roy Thomas Sqaudron stuff).

 

I'd LOVE for marvel to do that... the closest we got was Earth X (Blech!)

 

Though the last run of Guardians of the Galaxy made a nice attempt.

[Supreme]

I too read and adore "Avengers Forever." This is simply one of the best limited-run series I've ever read. BTW, I believe the first super-hero to face an adversarial future version of himself was marvel's Adam Warlock who faced the Magus. It's a great concept.

 

I ran a silver age version of my favorite brick character, Champion. We were all allowed to write little inconsequencial side-stories on our characters for extra EPs. I wrote one about Champion experimenting with the cosmic radiation that gave him his powers to try and boost them. Something went wrong and he was catapulted into a future where his experiments to increase his powers went horribly right. He became the corrupt overlord of the Earth, Lord Champion. The good Champion defeated the bad Champion in a climactic battle that caused a space-time disruption which hurled the good Champion back in time to 1959, where he decided not to pursue the experiments after all.

 

After I was forced to leave the game because of schedule conflicts, another GM ran a Champs campaign set a few years later wherein the characters had to face Lord Champion. It was cool, as the GM consulted with me about all kinds of things including what the good Champion would be doing in retirement.

[MisterVimes]

Originally posted by Supreme

I too read and adore "Avengers Forever." This is simply one of the best limited-run series I've ever read. BTW, I believe the first super-hero to face an adversarial future version of himself was marvel's Adam Warlock who faced the Magus. It's a great concept.

 

I ran a silver age version of my favorite brick character, Champion. We were all allowed to write little inconsequencial side-stories on our characters for extra EPs. I wrote one about Champion experimenting with the cosmic radiation that gave him his powers to try and boost them. Something went wrong and he was catapulted into a future where his experiments to increase his powers went horribly right. He became the corrupt overlord of the Earth, Lord Champion. The good Champion defeated the bad Champion in a climactic battle that caused a space-time disruption which hurled the good Champion back in time to 1959, where he decided not to pursue the experiments after all.

 

After I was forced to leave the game because of schedule conflicts, another GM ran a Champs campaign set a few years later wherein the characters had to face Lord Champion. It was cool, as the GM consulted with me about all kinds of things including what the good Champion would be doing in retirement.

 

That's one of those great moment

I played a not-so-nice hero called Kestral. Some of the other players hated him because he was pretty mean and didn't play by the rules (he had no Code vs. Killing). But Kestral would pull their fat out of the fire, so they put up with him and his mean streak.

 

A few years go by and I hear that one of the players has resurrected the campaign for a whole group of new players. A few weeks into the game I ask if I can sit in and I get a 'Yes'.

 

I walk in and pull out the old Kestral sheet and the GM looks him over and says 'OK'

 

A Short while later the room fills up with a crew of kids 5-10 years younger than me. They introduce themselves and Sam (the GM) introduces me as "Kestral".

 

Suddenly they ALL inch away from me.

 

It appaears while I was gone that Kestral was the Bad-Guy...

 

It was great.

[MCMaenza]

Re: Chronology, Continuity, Comics and Champions

 

Usually the campaign I start running in my world tends to take place at the same time/year it is in real time. Depending on how things progress, the characters can find themselves a few weeks/months off of real time depending upon the flow of the game, how often we played, etc.

 

Continuity and world history is very important to me though (as evidenced by the timeline on my gameworld site - see link in my signature). Characters age, retire, die, etc. Some have their heroic legacy picked up by a newcomer while others blaze new trails.