Whitewings Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 Re: Background Cliches 12. Most female supers are major exhibitionists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paigeoliver Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 Re: Background Cliches 12. Most female supers are major exhibitionists. How about most female characters in most rpgs. D&D has chainmail bikinis and leather thongs. Science fiction has golden bikinis! =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypnotoad, the Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 Re: Background Cliches 13. Hero/heroine's biggest enemy happens to also be their mother/father/parental unit. I'm using this one right now in designing my magician, who happens to be Tyranon's daughter, just so we can have the following exchange. TYRANON: I am your FATHER! MY PC (rather flatly): No...no that can't be...that's impossible...how does a tree get it on? Now one might think the concept of having such an outrageous origin for the sake of such a flippant exchange is wasteful and silly, but what can I say? I like wasteful and silly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Posted December 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches Okay, we're getting a little too much into character cliches and not background cliches. We're also going off into the deep end about Captain America/Nomad. Make your down dang thread, boys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug McCrae Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches Orson Welles famous 1938 Halloween hoax is real - alien invaders genuinely did land at Grovers Mill. The superheroes that arrive separately to repel this invasion form a superteam. This is used in CU and also independently by Big Willy, the GM of our Golden Age Golden Heroes campaign. And in this random bloke's superhero universe that I just googled. Three's a bit too many for my liking. I'm calling cliche. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches 14. Powers from Genetic Mutation manifesting during adolescence. 15. "On my planet, everyone has armored skin and fires laser blasts from their fingers. Everyone who flies, that is. The ones who swim under the oceans have armored scales and fire laser blasts from the jewel embedded in their forehead, but they can still breathe in air just fine, thank you." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug McCrae Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches I'd say elements derived from the publishing history of comic books - the first superhero being a strong guy who debuts in 1938 or a lull in the 1950s - don't count as cliches. That 50s lull being due to McCarthyism OTOH, does count as a cliche. It's been used in Watchmen, Wildcards, probably Superfolks I'm guessing and, of course, Champions Universe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Knight Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches I've lost count..... but.. #) One day while searching a grandfather's house, the would-be hero stumbles across an old locked chest.. Being the good grandson that he/she is.. You force open the lock and find a strange glowing amulet... the rest is history!! Going back to the issue of family being the main nemesis.... In the campaign, I'm currently playing in... my character's father is one of the wealthiest men in the country AND the leader of a secret order determined to capture my character's hero Id or destroy him. Talk about issues!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches I've lost count..... but.. #) One day while searching a grandfather's house, the would-be hero stumbles across an old locked chest.. Being the good grandson that he/she is.. You force open the lock and find a strange glowing amulet... the rest is history!! Yup, used this one as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christougher Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches 17) PC hero is sent back in time to prevent some ugly future from occurring. [Guilty] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaosliege Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches An ongoing theme in many of our older games included the "evil conglomerate headed by an uber powerful super in disguise". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 13 Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches Orson Welles famous 1938 Halloween hoax is real - alien invaders genuinely did land at Grovers Mill. The superheroes that arrive separately to repel this invasion form a superteam. This is used in CU and also independently by Big Willy' date=' the GM of our Golden Age Golden Heroes campaign. And in this random bloke's superhero universe that I just googled. Three's a bit too many for my liking. I'm calling cliche. Four. In my old universe, the events of the Second War of the Worlds indirectly led to the creation of superhumans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches #18: You'd rather work 60 hours a week at a stressful job than actually earn millions in a sport or industry where your power is valued. Bonus: Despite having a full time job, you are able to disapear at any time of day to deal with Evil, and even if you spend weeks on Alien worlds your boss would never dream of firing your unreliable arse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches 12. Most female supers are major exhibitionists. How about most female characters in most rpgs. D&D has chainmail bikinis and leather thongs. Science fiction has golden bikinis! =) I steadfastly avoid "Howler Syndrome". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Publius Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches Gaining powers through radiation exposureadd "... or some other freakish event (chemical spill, bite by genetically enhanced spider, etc.)" p.s. I don't think this one got numbered. #19 (or 20). Some uncommon/rare genetic component makes one person possess superpowers after said radiation exposure while another individual without this "X Factor" just gets radiation sickness and dies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Worldmaker Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches Orson Welles famous 1938 Halloween hoax is real - alien invaders genuinely did land at Grovers Mill. The superheroes that arrive separately to repel this invasion form a superteam. This is used in CU and also independently by Big Willy' date=' the GM of our Golden Age Golden Heroes campaign. And in this random bloke's superhero universe that I just googled. Three's a bit too many for my liking. I'm calling cliche. Guilty as charged myself. Here's one: Atlantis is real, sits at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, and is populated with aquaman-style amphibious humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transmetahuman Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches 1. Atlantis existed, and some remnant of it or its people still does [Edit: Beat me to it, Worldmaker!] 2. Top Nazis were occultists/mages. 3. Islamic countries, and/or China, tend to kill their mutants/metahumans/paranormals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches At this point, I think every basic origin for superpowers has been used at least once. Godhood, genetics, accidents, bestowed powers, alien origin, etc, etc...what's left? It's not like you're going to come up with something entirely new. It's a bit unfair label any one origin "cliched" when they've all been done before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbsousa Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches X) The hero of every tall tale, old work of heroic fiction, and early mythology actually existed. stories about Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Pecos Bill, and Hercules are essentially historically accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitewings Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches How about most female characters in most rpgs. D&D has chainmail bikinis and leather thongs. Science fiction has golden bikinis! =)Actually, those are pretty scarce in the source fiction. Scantily-clad superheroines, on the other hand... Look at the late 70s/early 80s Legion for excellent examples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proditor Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches At this point' date=' I think every basic origin for superpowers has been used at least once. Godhood, genetics, accidents, bestowed powers, alien origin, etc, etc...what's left? It's not like you're going to come up with something entirely new. It's a bit unfair label any one origin "cliched" when they've [b']all[/b] been done before.I think the cliche comes in how you apply that origin, not in using it as a base. I'm rather proud of my clone with genetically granted powers who was made by Telios during a new period of blackouts, but thinks he is really the janitor for the League of Super Teens from the 30th century who got all of their powers (Only one at a time though) from a strange beam of light while cleaning their museum and was subsequently sent back in time to make sure that the future would be safe....WHEW! It's a fun quirky background on the surface with a very serious underlying series of plothooks for the GM to work with. Is he a cliche? Heck, he's a freakin' amalgam of rip-offs. But he works and he avoided stomping cliches mostly because he had that weird dual BG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 An ongoing theme in many of our older games included the "evil conglomerate headed by an uber powerful super in disguise". Yep, got that one. Although since I restarted that campaign the Monster Labs have been reformed (apparently) by the supposed clone of the founder... and now the heroes are semi-allied with the reformed do-gooding company. Here's one: Atlantis is real' date=' sits at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, and is populated with aquaman-style amphibious humans.[/quote'] Got that one too, 'cept it's at the bottom of the Mediterranean. X+1) Supervillain teams with a common origin develop "theme" powers. You rarely see a group of 4 villains with identical powers, but how many times is there 1 earth guy, 1 fire guy, 1 water guy, and 1 air guy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Publius Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches At this point' date=' I think every basic origin for superpowers has been used at least once. Godhood, genetics, accidents, bestowed powers, alien origin, etc, etc...what's left? It's not like you're going to come up with something entirely new. It's a bit unfair label any one origin "cliched" when they've [b']all[/b] been done before.I agree wholeheartedly. But being exposed to radiation (in the original example) or some other potentially deadly stimulus simply is a very common element in most superhero fiction. I didn't say it was bad or anything. Heck, I use a lot of these. I've had settings before that used a genetic factor for basic superhuman abilities and they were activated through a rather complex scientific procedure. All supers were "made" as a result, not gained through accidents (as my present campaign setting uses almost exclusively). That creates a whole different vibe. Some of the others (like registration) are being actively discussed in the campaign setting by NPC politicians in the background. There are a lot of issues involved, and there is an active debate to that effect. Do I "agree" or "disagree" with its functionality/rationality/practicality? Who cares, lots of stuff happens in the real world that I don't like or think is irrational/unconstitutional/impractical. I just wanted to draw the players into that situation (through an upcoming event in whihc their actions will be made very public) and see what happens. In other words, make them pivotal on how that situation will turn out. Scantily-clad superheroines' date=' on the other hand... Look at the late 70s/early 80s Legion for excellent examples.[/quote']Yeah MAN! Most excellent! Oops. Bad cliche! Bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches Backworlds seem to be popular. Whats good is bad, whats bad is good. Alternate universes in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moody Loner Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Re: Background Cliches I like just not explaining. Some characters, it just happened, and it's not like he's going "Crap! I'm a MUTANT!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.