UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

[teh bunneh]

Hey y'all!

 

I'm in the planning stages for a new Champs game. I'm using a heavily modified version of the CU. The heroes are going to be new recruits to UNITY (a much larger, more powerful, more respected, and better organized team than they are in the regular CU).

 

These are the house rules and character creation guidelines I'm going to be using (subject to change as D-Day approaches, of course). Any comments are welcome -- I haven't run a full-blown Superhero game in years!

 

----------

House Rules

Good guys only. I require a “Code vs. Killing,” and everyone will have at least a 0-point “Protective of Innocents” limitation built in.

 

 

Team-players only. No lone-wolf type characters, unless you can think of a good reason that they would join a team like UNITY. This is a team-oriented game and will require the characters act together to face the challenges I’m going to throw at you.

 

 

This is going to be what I call a “Bronze-Age” or “5-color” game (that is, 4-colors plus gray). While we’ll be using all the standard superhero tropes (bigger-than-life heroes wearing flashy costumes and helping save people from disasters (both the man-made and the natural kinds) and stop evil in all its forms), but themes from the real world will creep in, too. How does the existence of superheroes and villains affect the average person? How does having superpowers and a high-risk, top-secret job affect a person’s family and friends? How do governments maintain control when there are individuals out there with enough power to decimate a tank battalion?

 

 

This is a world with nearly 100 years of superhero history, so I encourage “Legacy” heroes. I’m not going to make up the entire history of the world (though I will provide a timeline), so feel free to be creative. If you want to be SuperPatriot III, the grandson of the great SuperPatriot of WWII and the son of the Commie-busting SuperPatriot II, I will fit that into my game.

 

 

No archetypes or powers are banned, but I will take a very close look at your characters. If I see anything that won’t fit with the game, I’ll ask you to change it. I’ll try to make suggestions to help keep your character in concept while at the same time making sure he’ll work with the campaign I have planned.

 

 

I highly recommend “International” heroes from a variety of countries – you’re working for the UN, after all. Characters from Russia, the US, and China are special cases; if you’re interested in a hero from one of these nations, we’ll talk about it.

 

 

Standard END rules will be used, so don’t underestimate the power of the “Reduced END” advantage on at least some of your powers!

 

Hit locations will not be used, but you can make called shots.

 

 

Language Similarity: Use language similarity rules.

 

 

Don’t worry about skills that a UNITY agent must have. This comes as a package that will be tacked on after character development. If the UNITY package has a skill your character already knows (ie Language: English if you’re from an English-speaking country), you can choose a similar skill to replace it.

 

 

Characters are to be built as “Standard Superheroic” characters: 200 base points, up to 150 disads, 5 quirks, no more than 50 points in any one disad category. SPD should be in the 4-6 range. CV should be in the 7-13 range (with all bonuses added in). DCs should be between 8-14. Active points should be 40-60. Defenses should be 20-25, resistant defenses should be 10-15. Skill rolls should be no higher than 18-, and should average around 13-. All of these guidelines are negotiable if you can’t do your character concept within these limitations, but expect to justify your reasoning!

 

 

You can take up to 25 points worth of “Secret” Disadvantages if you like.

 

 

Optionally, you can get more points to start, as follows:

· +25 points for a picture of your character (www.heromachine.com is a good place to start for this!). Finding a photograph of a celebrity for your character’s “out of costume” look is worth points, too.

· +25 points for a miniature (as close as you can get to your character). It does not need to be painted (but it can be if you’re feeling creative!).

· +50 points for character background/history, personality/motivation, powers/tactics, a quote, and the character’s appearance (in and out of uniform). At least one page, but it can be more. This includes info on any DNPCs and Hunteds you take.

 

 

You don’t have to get these things to me right away, but as soon as possible after play begins is good.

 

 

 

 

UNITY Package

5 Fringe Benefit: International Police Powers

1 Fringe Benefit: Passport

2 Fringe Benefit: UNITY Membership

1 Criminology 8-

2 KS: International Law & Law Enforcement 11-

2 KS: UNTIL 11-

1 KS: The United Nations 8-

1 KS: Supervillains 8-

1 KS: World Politics 8-

3 Language: English (fluent with accent)

2 PS: UNITY Agent 11-

3 Teamwork

6 UNITY Radio: High-Range Radio Perception; OIF (Radio; -1/2), Affected as Sight, Hearing & Radio Sense Groups (-1/2) 0

2 UNITY GPS: Bump of Direction; OIF (Radio; -1/2)

2 UNITY Ultra-Secure Computer Link: Mind Link , Machine class of minds, One Specific Mind (LOKI) (5 Active Points); OIF (Radio; -1/2), Sense Affected As More Than One Sense Sight, Hearing, Radio (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4)

1 UNITY Bifrost Link: Teleportation 1", MegaScale (1" = 10,000 km; +1 1/4) (4 Active Points); Can Only Teleport To Yggdrasil (-1), OIF (Radio; -1/2), Extra Time (Delayed Phase, -1/4) (Real Cost: 1)

5 Base Donation (Midgard Base)

5 Vehicle Donation (Mjolnir Jet)

 

 

Total cost = 45

 

 

Disadvantages:

15 Hunted: UNITY 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Easy to Find, Watching)

20 Social Limitation: Subject to Orders (Very Frequently, Major)

10 Secret Disad

 

Total Value of Disads: -45

 

Team A – This is the largest, most experienced, most powerful team. Team A is assigned to deal with problems that threaten the entire world – such as alien invasions. They are not based on Earth, but instead explore the galaxy in order to keep trouble away from our Solar System. Team A consists of:

Quasar (German) – An energy projector who is in touch with the cosmic forces that power the universe

Fortunata (Italian) – An Italian woman with the power to alter probability in her favor

Inque (Indian) – A hero who can stretch and contort her body at will

Pharaoh’s Daughter (Egyptian) – She can call upon the powers of the ancient Egyptian gods to give her strength

Seeker (Australian) – A master of many different types of martial arts

Shadow Puppet (Balinese) – She has the power to bring shadows to life

Tiger Hawk (Korean) – He can transform into either a gigantic tiger or a huge hawk

Warsmith (Kenyan) – A genius who can build nearly anything & wears powered armor

Simian Fury (Congolese) – An animist shaman with the power to harm and to heal.

 

Team B –Team B is called on for world-shaking problems involving mass destruction, super-villain attacks, alien sightings on-planet, and bigger problems. Team B consists of:

Myrmidon (Greek) – A man in a suit of armor infused with the power of the Greek gods

Bird of Paradise (Brazilian) – A man with the power to flight and fire sonic bolts

DragonWing (Thai) – A young woman with the power to fly and generate flame

El Picaro II (Mexican) – A swordsman with a magical sword, son of the original El Picaro, who was injured in battle

Rock Steady (Alien) – A super-strong, rock-like alien

Spellbreaker (Monaco) – A powerful sorceress

Gadget Man (United States) – A brilliant (if unstable) man capable of creating nearly any kind of gadget or gizmo.

 

Team C – Team C is the newest team. They are sent to investigate situations that may need UNITY's involvement, and to defuse the situation before it becomes an international crisis (if possible).

Straight Arrow (British) – An archer and former Special Forces agent.

Ifrita (Jordanian) – Descendent of the Efreeti; flies on wings of flame.

Aurora (Finnish) – A woman made of pure electricity.

Red Dragon (Japanese) – A Japanese student who possesses (and is in turn possessed by) an ancient suit of samurai armor.

New Man (Canadian) – A powerful mentalist.

Thich Nat Han (Tibetan) – A sorcerer seeped in the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

Tank (Destrugan) – A walking, living tank.

 

[levi]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Your package Deal include LS: English, why English over another language?

 

Also is this a FTF game or a PBeM?

[Redmenace]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

It sounds good Bill with lots of room to grow and lots of potential plotlines. My questions, were I a player, would most likely be answered by the timeline but I was wondering which countries are and aren't around in 2010.

 

What is the current state of say Cuba or Taiwan?

 

What is the policy for use of UNTIL vehicles and or technology and what is available?

 

Across the globe, where does Until's reach extend and what are the Rogue States/Non member states of 2010?

 

Your position on Extraterrestrials, extra-dimentionals, alternate Earths and all the other high wierdness one sees in 4 colour?

 

Did you ever read Wildcards 4 "Aces Abroad", Gurps Supers "IST" or the comic UN Force? All have good material for you and I think Surbrook has some of the IST translated to 5th on his site.

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Levi -- It's a FtF game. English was chosen because (a) members of the team need a common tongue, ( it's part of the basic UNTIL package (from the UNTIL sourcebook, © it's my native language, (d) it is spoken commonly throughout the world, and (e) it seems to be the common language of business and science.

 

Red -- Thanks for the advice. I'll check Surbrook's site.

 

Here is the rough timeline and some other details for the game. I have shamelessly stolen several ideas from other posters (Oddhat, WorldMaker, some others), and for that I both thank them and apologize to them. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

 

Timeline

1908 – The Tunguska Blast in Siberia ushered in a new century.

1910 – Halley’s Comet passed by the earth, its closest pass in history.

1911 – The first “Masked Men,” exhibiting strange and unexplainable powers, began appearing in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

1914 – In the summer of 1914, Archduke Ferdinand is assassinated, thus setting in motion events that would become known as The Great War or World War I. Several “Masked Men” participate in the war, on both sides, in both public and secret roles, but their contributions are small and don’t affect the final outcome of the war.

1918-1933 – As before the Great War, more “Masked Men” make their appearance, establishing their existence as something other than a passing fad.

1934 – Historians and sorcerers point to this year as the time when a wave of energy of unknown origins washed over the Earth. After this point, Super Humans begin appearing with more regularity and more power. No one knows what caused this, but speculation is rampant.

1938-1945 – World War II. Again, both the Axis and the Allies used Supers on the battlefield, but they were too few in number to make much difference in the outcome of the war.

1946-1963 – Most of the Supers who were active during WWII retire. New heroes take their place.

1949 – China, wracked by civil war, fragments into five separate and independent nations, each one ruled by a council of Super Humans.

1954 – The United Nations votes to create an international police force, known as UNTIL (the UN Tribunal on International Law).

1958 – UNITY is founded. Its founding members are Quasar, Myrmidon, El Picaro, Dr. Black and Dr. White, Paragon, and Mentiac. UNITY is poorly funded and not well regarded by most nations. It is seen as an expensive and unnecessary boondoggle.

1960 – In the US, the HUAC demands that all Supers should work for the US Government. Though their suggestion is never passed, it paves the way for the later creation of PRIMUS

1963-1965 – An alien force attacks the Earth. UNITY spearheads the counter-assault and eventually drives the aliens off the planet and out of the Solar System. UNITY gains new respect from the people of Earth and are hailed as the Heroes of Earth. UNTIL lays claim to most of the captured alien technology, though persistent rumors say the US and the Soviets also have access to the technology.

1968 – The US forms its own Superteam, PRIMUS, and withdraws all American heroes from UNITY.

1970 – Alarmed by the US’s Superteam, the Soviets form their own, known as the Soviet Super Soldiers.

1975 – UNITY builds a new base, known as “Midgard,” in Sweden. UNITY is recognized as the world’s premier Superteam and has members from all over the world (excepting the US, the USSR, and the Chinese states).

1986 – UNITY has grown too large to rapidly respond to crises, so it is split into two teams, UNITY A and UNITY B.

1988 – Fiacho issues his “Eurostar Manifesto” and becomes a great terrorist threat all across Europe.

1990 – The Berlin Wall comes down and the Soviet Empire begins to crumble.

1992 – A team of Soviet Super Soldiers responds to the collapse of their nation by staging a coup and taking over the government. However, at this point it is too late to prevent many former Soviet Republics from breaking away. The Council of Super Soldiers now rules over what is left of the Soviet Empire.

1996 – Europe responds to the growing Eurostar threat by establishing a joint Super Human Task Force known as EuroGuard.

2010 – UNITY receives permission to once more split, forming a third team known as UNITY C. The game begins…

 

Today:

There is roughly one Super per million people, but this varies a little based on culture. The Middle East has fewer because they killed a lot of them off in the early days. China has fewer because of the Revolution. The US and Europe have more because they encourage them (through immigration & technological innovation).

 

Technology is slightly higher than our world, and the UN controls a cache of extreme high tech (which was stolen/adapted from the aliens who tried to invade in the 1960s).

 

Extraterrestrials (and by extension, extra-dimensional entities) are viewed with extreme suspicion because of the war.

 

The World

The US has traditionally distrusted UNITY, and does not allow them to operate on US soil. It has its own superteam – PRIMUS – though there are some who feel that the US should join its peacekeeping operations with UNITY’s.

 

The Soviet Union is considerably smaller than it was, but is still a Communist regime. The Cold War is still going on, but it is not as intense as it once was.

 

China is fragmented and is much less powerful than it is in our world.

 

Europe is enthusiastic in its support of UNITY and EuroGuard. The map hasn’t changed much since about 1992 or so.

 

Africa and the Middle East are frequently at war with themselves. This fact is made much worse by the presence of Supers. Many African and Middle Eastern nations have not signed the UN charter and do not allow UNITY within their borders.

 

South America and Latin America are pretty much as we know them today. It’s the same with Australia and New Zealand. Most nations are in the UN and allow UNITY access to their lands.

 

Super Teams:

UNITY has three teams (UNITY A, UNITY B, and UNITY C).

 

PRIMUS has three teams (PRIMUS East, PRIMUS Central, and PRIMUS West).

 

The Soviet Republic also has several teams, but no one is sure just how many. Members move frequently between teams and change their uniforms often, so no one can tell exactly how many there are.

 

There are 5 large teams in China, each one in charge of one of the smaller nation-states.

 

There are a handful of independent, corporate teams throughout the world, but these are quasi-legal at best.

 

There are a handful of non-aligned teams which function much like street gangs. These are illegal as hell and are usually short-lived.

[Ghost who Walks]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

I'm working on restarting my own campaign by moving it forward 10 years in the future (2015), so lots of luck!

 

If you are breaking up China, you may want to look at India-Pakistan, good place for a major war if you need one. Or if you kept them together, time for a Civil war.

 

China fragmented, with metahuman warlords sounds fun.

 

PRIMUS has three teams (PRIMUS East, PRIMUS Central, and PRIMUS West).

PRIMUS South...

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Your package Deal include LS: English, why English over another language?

 

Also is this a FTF game or a PBeM?

 

Dumb question of the day: What does FTF mean?

 

Rob

[Agent 13]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Face-to-face.

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Face-to-face.

 

Thanks.

 

Rob

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Eurostar has been around since 1988 -- which is a very long time indeed for such a high-profile terrorist organization. However, it has not remained unchanged. Many of the original members are dead, imprisoned, or missing, and several new members have taken their place. Fiacho's dream still burns hotly in the breasts of many super-villains!

 

This is the current state of things WRT Eurostar:

 

Eurostar 2010

Old Members

Fiacho suffered a terrible, humiliating beating by Myrmidon of UNITY in 2003, and hasn’t been seen publicly since then. Some people think that Myrmidon may have killed or crippled the arch-villain in their fight, and this is why he hasn’t made any appearances since that time. However, Fiacho still issues periodic recordings and writings, and his team is still very much active, proving to the world that he is still a threat to be feared.

 

Scorpia was killed by an UNTIL strike team during a botched bank heist in late 2003, just a few months after Fiacho disappeared. Her body was taken by UNTIL, given a full autopsy to verify that she was who she seemed to be, and then cremated.

 

Fuermacher is currently “cooling†his heels in a German ultimate-security prison, serving 40-60 on a variety of charges.

 

Durak has been in and out of jail several times. He has been captured many times, but his team has always been there to break him out again. He is currently in a Russian ultimate-security prison awaiting execution.

 

Ultrasonique is in a French maximum-security prison, under heavy psychiatric care. He is a babbling madman at this point, very paranoid and hardly functional. There have been no breakout attempts for him -- his usefulness to Fiacho is apparently at an end.

 

Little has been seen of Mentalla since Fiacho disappeared. Many people think she went back to work with Dr. Albert Zerstoiten, AKA Dr. Destroyer, but UNTIL has been unable to confirm this.

 

Bora and Lash were killed by VIPER agents in 2001.

 

Pantera was thrown off the team (and nearly killed) when she went berserk and attacked Fiacho. She was severely beaten and left in the wilds of eastern Europe (that she was not killed is a testiment that Fiacho always had a "soft spot" for her). Since that time, rumors of a terrible beast living in the mountains and murdering lone travelers have surfaced from time to time.

 

New Members

Rasputin claims to be the reincarnation of the Russian “Mad Monk.†Little is known about him; he has only been seen publicly a few times, and all photographs are blurry at best. He appears to be a tall, thin man with a bald head and a thick black beard, wearing a black robe. According to UNTIL’s best sources, he is a sorcerer of some skill.

 

Der Westgote, AKA the Visigoth, is a German super-mercenary. Though he has been active for some time, he has never exhibited any political aspirations – he works for the highest bidder. This makes his membership in Eurostar something of a mystery.

 

Killer Frost’s identity and origin are unknown. She is one of the newest members of Eurostar, and displays a ruthlessness that would do even Scorpia proud. From her accent, it is assumed she hails from Romania.

 

Lo Spartano, AKA Spartan, is a man who claims to have discovered armor forged by the gods themselves – much like Myrmidon of UNITY. He is a powerful fighter and, though honorable, he can be quite ruthless.

 

ХРЯК (Chrahk), AKA The Boar, is a Russian science experiment gone wrong. They were working on combining human and animal DNA in order to create the perfect laborer – strong, stupid, and willing to do nearly anything. They succeeded, but their creation had more free-will than they had imagined. It killed the scientists and escaped the lab, where it was soon found by Fiacho’s organization. It has since become a willing – and powerful – member of Eurostar.

 

Scorpia is the newest member of the team. Is she the original Scorpia, brought back to life by the Mad Monk’s magic; is she a clone of the original, created through some mad scientific experiment; or is she a new person entirely? No one knows, but all her familiar mannerisms and tactics seem to point to a re-birth of some kind…

[teh bunneh]

The Team

 

So the game has started. The team is simply known as "UNITY Team C" (or "UTC" for short). Hey, it was given this name by unimaginative diplomats -- what do you want? UTC consists of:

 

Straight Arrow -- A British former special forces officer, brilliant scholar, and Olympic athlete outfitted with special armor and a bow that fires a variety of trick arrows. He is a by-the-book soldier, and the heir to a long family tradition of heroism. Played by my old buddy Mike.

 

Ifrita -- A Syrian diplomat who is descended from Djinn. She is incredibly fast, flying on wings of flame. Played by my wife Tammy.

 

New Man -- a Canadian mentalist; he's a little bit crazy (think Adrian Monk), but very keen and observant. Played by my old pal Ron.

 

Red Dragon -- A Japanese college student possessed by the spirit of an ancient samurai; he wears the samurai's armor, which gives him great strength and skill and protects him from injury. Played by a newcomer to the group, Allen.

 

Aurora -- A teenaged Finnish girl with the power to turn her body into electricity. Secretly, she is a member of an alien race who are made entirely of energy. She was given special training to assume a solid form, then sent to earth to observe our culture, but she was injured when her ship crashed so she's kind of forgetful. Played by Mike's fiance.

 

Tank -- A South American from Destruga (the land that Dr. Destroyer took over shortly after WWII). He is a huge, hulking cyborg, but is a gentle giant who doesn't like to hurt people. GM's PC, played by me (the team needed a brick).

 

Bill.

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: The Team

 

I was never a fan of the green arrow / hawkeye type of hero so I'm surprised to see so many pop up in games mentioned here in the forums. What is the attraction? I'm hoping you'll ask you're old buddy mike or you might know off hand why he chose such.

[teh bunneh]

Re: The Team

 

I was never a fan of the green arrow / hawkeye type of hero so I'm surprised to see so many pop up in games mentioned here in the forums. What is the attraction? I'm hoping you'll ask you're old buddy mike or you might know off hand why he chose such.

 

I can't speak for everyone who plays these types, but I suspect it might be a variety of reasons:

 

* The Robin Hood legend is still a pretty powerful one in our culture. Not just the "steal from the rich/give to the poor" motivation, but the amazing skills he is said to have possessed -- not the least of which was his skill with the bow.

 

* As you said, Green Arrow and Hawkeye are both popular characters in comics; maybe popular enough to consider them archtypes of a sort. So an archer character is a pretty "in-genre" concept.

 

* Archery is quite well-storied in myth as well. Artemis, Apollo, Frej, Rama -- all gods who were famed for their skills as archers. Since (in my mind at least) superheroes are the heirs to the gods of old, bow-weilding characters fit in that mold as well.

 

* Meta-game wise, it's a very effective character build. A Multipower with various "trick arrow" slots, OAF, 4 Charges each gives a character a lot of variety without having to spend a lot of points. Throw in some martial arts (for when you get disarmed) and a lot of non-combat skills (for solving mysteries and interacting with NPCs) and you've got a pretty solid character.

 

As for why my buddy chose this particular character... well, I'm partially to blame. He had a handful of ideas that he ran past me. One was well-suited to a leadership roll: a highly skilled and well-trained ex-government operative who's uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather all served as heroes. I told him to go with that, and he brought me back Straight Arrow. Honestly, I didn't care what his powers were at that point -- I just liked the background and personality he came up with. That's what's most important, IMHO.

 

That answer your question?

 

Bill.

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: The Team

 

Yes. I'd also be curious to hear from other people on this.

 

I have simply never had any 'respect' for 'super heroes' who were just guys with bows and arrows. I must admit that I also never really read the archetypes comics so my bias is obvious.

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Here's a recap of the team's first adventure:

 

----------

UNITY Team C has been assembled, trained, and prepped for their unenviable job of protecting the world from threats too great for ordinary men and women to handle. Though they have spent the last 6 months training together, they have not yet had their trial by fire. This was about to change.

 

Their UNTIL liason, Major Becera* ("Bec" to his friends), called them to the ready room and told them that a number of things have come up that demand their attention. After reviewing the situation, it was decided that they would head to the Philippines to investigate an archaeological team that had failed to check in. The scientist in charge of the expedition was investigating potential alien artifacts, so UNITY felt it should find out what was going on.

 

The trip south and east was uneventful. The Mjolnir jet settled down in a shallow bay just off the coast of the island (there was no other place to land), and the heroes headed ashore. They found a staging area, a few Quonset huts with the archaeologists' boats and some supplies. They also found a trail leading into the highlands of the island.

 

With Ifrita in the lead, the team moved quickly through the dense jungle and up into the hills. After about a half-day of very rapid travel, they came upon the archeologists' camp. A team of about a dozen native men were digging a huge pit -- about 40'x60'. A single European man was supervising. He saw the team as they came out of the woods, and greeted them, introducing himself as Dr. Hans Langstrom, the leader of the expedition.

 

He was confused at seeing the superheroes, and had apparently never heard of UNITY (though he quickly corrected himself, saying that he didn't know that there was a new UNITY team). He told them that they had discovered something amazing, something that would blow all his previous theories out of the water. He had postulated that aliens had visited the Earth many times in the past; now he had proof that not only had they visited, they were instrumental in shaping mankind into the creature he is today.

 

Strangely, when he greeted Aurora by kissing her hand, she reacted by jerking her hand out of his and backing away slowly, a look of dread on her face -- though she couldn't (or wouldn't) explain why. Everyone just assumed she had accidentally shocked the man and was embarrassed by it.

 

The heroes were skeptical, but he offered to show them what he found. The team followed him cautiously to another dig site, not far from the first, where they met the rest of Dr. Langstrom's team. A woman, Dr. Bihir, smiled and greeted them -- "This must be UNITY!" -- as if she were expecting them. She then corrected herself, saying that she assumed they were the new UNITY team because she noticed the UNITY symbol they all wore on their shoulders.

 

It was about this time that Straight Arrow noticed that New Man was not with the team. He sent Tank and Gadget Man back to find him, while the rest of the team followed Dr. Langstrom into an ancient lava-tube.

 

Meanwhile, New Man was having problems of his own. His OCD was kicking in, forcing him to clean all the horrible "nature" off his shoes and pants (thanks to Ron failing multiple EGO rolls). Suddenly, he got a hunch that something was about to happen. He ducked just as a man in filthy rags, armed with a large knife, jumped at him. New Man used his mental powers to subdue the man, who he recognized as the archeological team's guide -- malnourished, filthy, and badly injured. New Man immediately contacted Straight Arrow over their mental link -- but "Something's wrong here!" was all he managed to get out before something forced the mental link down.

 

Back at the cave, Dr. Langstrom took the heroes past a pile of skeletons ("These are all ancient -- hundreds of years old. The interesting thing is deeper") and into a large lava chamber. In the center of the chamber was a glowing red crystal. Dr. Langstrom began to explain. "There was once a race of powerful beings who controlled most of the galaxy, millions of years ago. They came to this insignificant planet and were intrigued by its life forms. They decided to improve what they found, forcing the evolution of an ape to eventually become what you are today."

 

"Why would they do that?" Straight Arrow asked.

 

"They wanted to create a better food source," Dr. Langstrom answered. "They feed on minds -- the more intelligent, the better!"

 

Suddenly, the man standing before them was no longer Dr. Langstrom, but a hideous, slimy creature that looked like a vaguely humanoid worm! About that time, Straight Arrow received a distress call from New Man -- "Something's wrong here!" was all that came out, then the mental link was cut.

 

Aurora shrieked and ran to get out of the cave. Red Dragon drew his ancient blade, and Straight Arrow nocked an arrow. "Soon, we will feed upon your puny race again, just as we intended from the start!" the horrible creature said.

 

Aurora, fleeing from the cave, found her way blocked by the rest of the archeological team, who had also changed into the creatures. Ifrita rushed to help her teammate and knocked one of the monsters into the jungle. The other monster touched Ifrita, who was instantly paralyzed with fear.

 

New Man, after making sure the crazy guy was not going to die, flew towards his teammates. He saw Tank and Gadget Man surrounded by the native workers, who were doing their best to crack Tank's armor with their picks and shovels. New Man also noticed two more of the worm-creatures sneaking up on his teammates, so he decided to lend a hand.

 

It took some work, but eventually the heroes triumphed. Two of the worm-creatures died in the battle (though no one felt too horrible about it, since they were, after all, hideous aliens); the rest were taken captive. As soon as the worms were down, the natives snapped out of their mental confusion. They were frightened, but they listened to the heroes. The entire team headed back to the beach and radioed HQ for cleanup.

 

As Straight Arrow was describing the situation, Major Bec was cut off, and another of UNITY's officers chimed in. "We're going to assign UNITY Team B to take over from here," he said. "All further discussion of this event is classified."

 

A few hours later, another Mjolnir jet arrived, this one carrying El Picaro and Bird of Paradise, two members of UTB. They thanked the heroes for their help and took the prisoners (and the other witnesses) off their hands. El Picaro showed a certain amount of glee in ensuring that the aliens stayed unconscious.

 

UTC got back in their transport and headed toward home, proud of a job well-done.

 

Their next assignment: They will be going to the Soviet Union to witness the execution of Durak; after that, they will head to London to consult with Scotland Yard about the disappearance of several notable politicians.

 

----------

* Yes, I'm going to be stealing names from these boards for my NPCs. Don't be surprised if a Dr. Oddhat, a Det. Lemming, or a Mr. Skaramine show up.

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

A few things. Great intro and run of the adventure. The write up was good, too! Had a very comic book feel to it.

 

Why did no one try to determine the reason for them not checking in? I'm thinking that would be my first question. Dr. so and so greets the group and says ahhh so nice to see you, you'll never believe what we found, come see... Ummm, thats nice, why did you miss your check in? Surely a find of this importantce is worth calling in...?

 

Sounds like a great set up for future stuff. Reports are good, keep em coming!

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

A few things. Great intro and run of the adventure. The write up was good, too! Had a very comic book feel to it.

 

Why did no one try to determine the reason for them not checking in? I'm thinking that would be my first question. Dr. so and so greets the group and says ahhh so nice to see you, you'll never believe what we found, come see... Ummm, thats nice, why did you miss your check in? Surely a find of this importantce is worth calling in...?

 

Sounds like a great set up for future stuff. Reports are good, keep em coming!

 

Thanks! Glad you like it. I appreciate the feeback.

 

I forgot to put some of the details into the writeup... Like why "Dr. Langstrom" didn't call in. The heroes found that once they entered the mountains, their own radios stopped working. They assumed it was because of the high metal content of the mountains (though, of course, there is more to it than that). They guessed that the expedition was having the same problem. When they asked about it, Dr. Langstrom told them that he was so excited by his findings he didn't want to take the time to march all the way back to the beach to get a proper radio signal (it would have been a long slog on foot).

 

Bill.

[teh bunneh]

Re: The Team

 

I have simply never had any 'respect' for 'super heroes' who were just guys with bows and arrows. I must admit that I also never really read the archetypes comics so my bias is obvious.

 

I definitely see where you're coming from -- what's a regular guy doing, hanging out with people who can shoot fire out of their fingertips and juggle asteroids?

 

On the other hand, if you drop the "normal guy who just has a weapon and some skillz" concept, you're going to lose a lot of comic book archetypes -- not the least of which is Batman.

 

The series premier of Justice League Unlimited (which features Super Girl, Green Lantern, Captain Atom, and Green Arrow fighting Brimstone) has a really good take on the "I'm just a regular guy, how can I compete with the big dawgz?" concept. Take a look at it if you get the chance.

 

Bill.

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: The Team

 

I definitely see where you're coming from -- what's a regular guy doing, hanging out with people who can shoot fire out of their fingertips and juggle asteroids?

 

On the other hand, if you drop the "normal guy who just has a weapon and some skillz" concept, you're going to lose a lot of comic book archetypes -- not the least of which is Batman.

 

The series premier of Justice League Unlimited (which features Super Girl, Green Lantern, Captain Atom, and Green Arrow fighting Brimstone) has a really good take on the "I'm just a regular guy, how can I compete with the big dawgz?" concept. Take a look at it if you get the chance.

 

Bill.

 

I tend to put Batman in a different class than hawkeye and green arrow. Take away all of the bats toys and he can still whup ya. He's more of a martial artist IMO. The other two aren't like that IMO. Take their bows and most people can put the beat down on them.

 

Anywho, yeah those left out tidbits are the answer to my question. I would have someone in this game come up with radios that aren't affected by the metal content in the ground. Thats one of my RPG pet peeves, got hit with it multiple times in a row in a sci-fi game online. But I'm just a silly head and probably the exception. You did say there was more behind it than that.

 

Did the worm things go down once they were hit or did it take a bit to put them down?

[teh bunneh]

Re: The Team

 

I tend to put Batman in a different class than hawkeye and green arrow. Take away all of the bats toys and he can still whup ya. He's more of a martial artist IMO. The other two aren't like that IMO. Take their bows and most people can put the beat down on them.

 

Well, Straight Arrow is hardly useless, even without his bow. He's a skilled martial artist and an inventor/engineer of some reknown. He'd lose a lot of options if he got disarmed, but that wouldn't take all the fight out of him.

 

Did the worm things go down once they were hit or did it take a bit to put them down?

 

The "junior" worms only took 1-2 hits to take out. The big guy (the former Dr. Langstrom) was a tough one -- every bit as strong as any of the heroes. And all the worms had some formidable mental attacks. I used Slug from CKC as my template for the big baddie.

 

My next recap should be up early next week. Wish me luck!

 

Bill.

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

This ended up being a great session! For those of you who may still be interested, here’s the recap:

 

----------

Pre-mission briefing

The Soviet Union is no more open than it used to be; the Iron Curtain is still pulled shut over Russia and much of Eastern Europe. The coup in the early 1990s displaced many of the old Politburo, but the architecture of the state remains as it always has – only the public face has changed. The Soviet Union is now ruled by the “Supreme Soviet,†a select council of Super Soldiers most of whose names are not publicly known.

 

The remainder of the Soviet Super Soldiers patrols the country, stopping trouble before it starts. They are both feared and respected throughout the country – and the world (though they are seldom seen outside the borders of their lands).

 

Recently, a team of Eurostar agents raided the museum in Stalingrad, doing heavy damage to the Czarist display. The Eurostar team consisted of Rasputin, Durak, Penny Dreadful, and Killer Frost. The Soviets responded immediately, and managed to disable and capture Durak. Unfortunately, the rest of the team escaped.

 

Durak was been tried (both in person and in absentia) and found guilty by Soviet courts six times previously. The Soviets have learned that if he was allowed to wait for very long, then he always escapes their clutches; therefore, they are not wasting any time, carrying out the sentence for his previous convictions immediately.

 

UNTIL has protested this miscarriage of justice, but to no avail. However, in a gesture of good will, the Soviets are allowing a small team of UNITY agents to be witnesses to the execution. The Soviets are being very paranoid about this whole thing (and with good reason – the last time Durak broke out of prison, nearly a score of soldiers were killed).

 

The team was ordered to fly to the edge of Soviet airspace, where they would be escorted by Soviet jets to a landing field in upper Siberia. Members of the Super Soldiers would greet them there and escort them to the Ultimate Security prison where Durak was being held. The execution would take place shortly after UNITY arrived.

 

They were given strict orders not to cause an international incident. They were not to interfere with the process (despite how distasteful you may find it). However, they were told to keep their eyes open at all times, ask questions, make note of everything they saw and heard – UNTIL has long suspected the Soviets of hoarding alien technology, and this was the first time they’ve ever seen the inside of this Ultimate Security facility. They were also told to take note of any and all Super Soldiers you meet – UNTIL has been trying to assemble a full list of them for a long time.

 

The team was made up of Red Dragon (field leader), New Man, Simian Fury, and Tank. The rest of the team had another mission elsewhere, and were unable to attend.

 

The Mission

The heroes arrived at the airfield without incident. It was late spring, but although a touch of warmth was in the air the ground was still covered in snow and ice. The team was greeted at the airfield by a team of soldiers led by a tall, good-looking man in a western-style tailored business suit. New Man recognized him as Proletariat (AKA Arkaidy Steryenko), one of the public members of the Supreme Soviet. He was accompanied by his secretary (a gorgeous blonde), a score of Russian Spetznaz soldiers, and a 10’ tall, heavily armored Super Soldier who the heroes don’t recognize.

 

Proletariat greeted the heroes warmly, like old friends. He introduced the tank as Muromets (which means “Bull†in his language), who was here to provide additional security. “I hope you will forgive him for not speaking,†Proletariat explained, “But he does not speak English, nor any other tongue but his native.â€

 

The prison itself was built “without walls,†Proletariat proudly announced. “Security is hidden, you see. We have a very progressive view of rehabilitation. We believe that many, if not most, prisoners can be made to work for the good of the people. We are very proud of our modern system.â€

 

The team could smell the stench of BS everytime Proletariat opened his mouth, but they were too polite (or too well-disciplined) to call him on it. Instead, they asked many questions of him, such as “Where are all the guards?†to which he responded, “There are many guards, but they remain unseen. Additional security is being handled by the Super Soldiers.â€

 

“What security measures are you taking?†Red Dragon asked. “That is confidential, I’m sure you understand,†he said. “But rest assured that we are taking no chances – we will not allow the murderer Durak to escape again.â€

 

“How exactly do you plan to execute a man who is nearly invulnerable?†Tkembe wanted to know. Proletariat chuckled. “We have our ways. You will see soon enough.â€

 

Proletariat asked them a number of questions as well, but the team was tight-lipped.

 

Finally, they arrived at the facility. The Main building consisted of a large, circular building with two wings protruding from either side. Both wings were two stories, and had windows. The center building was about twice as tall, with no windows. There were numerous smaller dome-shaped buildings surrounding the main complex – about a dozen in all. “These are for security,†was all that Proletariat will say. “The main prisoner holding complex is below ground – beneath nearly half a mile of stone and dirt. It is very good for keeping super-powered prisoners safe.â€

 

The heroes were led into the main building, ushered quickly through an empty, lobby-like area, and into a large elevator (like a cargo elevator).

 

The elevator ride was very smooth, but it lasted a good 15-20 minutes. Once it stopped, the elevator let out into a featureless gray passage. Guards stood at attention. Colored lines were painted on the floor. Proletariat followed a red line. There were doors along the hallway, but none of them were open, and Proletariat walked at a brisk pace that did not allow the heroes much time to dawdle. Bull brought up the rear, ushering any stragglers along.

 

Finally, they reached a tall gray steel vault door. The guards opened it into a very large chamber. There were benches lined up, facing a heavy gray curtain. A number of Russian dignitaries were already present, though no one the heroes recognized. Proletariat introduces them as General Pravdush of the Soviet Army, Colonel Chenko of the KGB, and Mr. Ioseph Katka of the Russian Parliament.

 

Simian Fury tried to talk to Mr. Katka, but Proletariat quickly shushed the older man into silence.

 

Once the pleasantries were over, Proletariat nodded to one of the guards, who slid the curtain open, revealing a thick glass wall. Behind the wall were two more guards and two men in labcoats. Strapped to a huge, throne-like chair was Durak, dressed in prison orange. He strained at the heavy metal straps and grimaced at the glass wall.

 

Proletariat indicated that they were to begin. The technicians and guards in the other room walked out of sight, the lights dimmed, and the hair on the back of everyone’s neck began to rise. Though the heroes could not see exactly what was happening to him, Durak started to twitch and strain at his bonds.

 

Then Red Dragon and New Man heard a faint “boom,†somewhere far above. New Man immediately jumped to his feet and shouted, “Something is going on!â€

 

Proletariat took no heed, though the others in the room looked around. Durak continued to strain, then there was another, louder boom. Proletariat whispered something to his secretary and she and Bull left the room. Proletariat continued to insist that nothing was wrong, that they were perfectly safe, and that the execution should continue as planned. “We are beneath a half-mile of solid stone, and a team of Soviet Super Soldiers is outside dealing with the problem. We were prepared for this eventuality, and it is nothing to be concerned with.â€

 

Durak, sweating and straining, suddenly let out an animal-like howl of pain. He howled long and hard, a harrowing sound of agony… and that’s when the lights went out. Simian Fury jumped to his feet and ran back to where Tank was standing. Red Dragon, sensing trouble, drew his sword. New Man thought he could confuse Durak by creating the mental illusion of the terrorist “Walking Into The Light.â€

 

Then Tank (who can see in the dark) said a word that chilled everyone to the bone – “Uh oh…â€

 

The lights came on again and the heroes saw that Durak was free, holding the crushed bodies of a guard and a technician in his massive hands. The sound of gunfire erupted from just outside, and then ended abruptly. The great steel door swung open, revealing none other than Chrahk (the Boar), Lo Spartano (Spartan), Killer Frost, and a woman who appeared to be Scorpia!

 

(But that’s impossible! Scorpia was killed over 7 years ago!)

 

Spartan immediately charged Proletariat, hitting him several times with his axe and knocking the Super Soldier unconscious. Durak broke through the glass wall separating him from the fight and immediately crushed the skull of General Pravdush. Red Dragon charged Spartan and knocked him away from Proletariat’s prone form. Simian Fury decided that Durak was the biggest threat and so unleashed his Mind Fire upon the huge super-terrorist. Durak, however, ignored the pain in his skull and continued his rampage.

 

Killer Frost shouted something in a foreign language to Durak (though he seemed to be ignoring her). She then froze Red Dragon in a solid block of ice, preventing him from moving. Tank moved forward to try to stop Durak, but his way was blocked by the Boar, who whacked the giant cyborg with his iron-rimmed club. Simian Fury continued to attack Durak in his weakest spot (his brain), but though he was causing the big man pain, he was not slowing him down at all.

 

Killer Frost decided to help the Boar, and she covered Tank in a light coating of frost. This didn’t seem to harm the cyborg, but the Boar’s next hit managed to stun the big guy. New Man didn’t like the looks of this, so he created an illusion in Killer Frost’s mind – that her clothes were coming undone. Though not particularly modest, she shrieked and rushed out of the room, trying to cover herself up.

 

Spartan hit Red Dragon with his axe, freeing the samurai from his icy bonds. “Arigato,†Red Dragon said, just before hitting Spartan and knocking him into the far wall. Spartan did not get back up. Red Dragon then rushed over to help Tank, who was having some trouble with the Boar.

 

Durak finally regained his composure. Killer Frost and Scorpia were yelling at him, and he ran over to them (knocking Red Dragon and Tank flying). Simian Fury summoned up his deepest reserves of strength and hit Durak with another mental blast of force. This time, Durak clutched his head and groaned, but it was not enough to stop him and he fled down the hallway.

 

The Boar decided to follow his companions, but found Tank and Red Dragon standing in his way. Red Dragon let out a furious “Kiai!†and hit the Boar as hard as he could. The Boar went flying across the room, plowed into Tank, and both of them ended up in a crumpled heap on the floor. New Man ran down the hallway to try to catch the fleeing terrorists, but stopped short when he noticed that the floor, walls, and ceiling were covered with landmines – apparently, “Scorpia†wasn’t idle in the time she spent alone in the hallway.

 

New Man set off the mines with his telekinesis, but it was too late by this time – Eurostar had escaped.

 

Meanwhile, Red Dragon was busy disarming the prisoners. Simian Fury went to try to assist the injured. General Pravdush and Colonel Chenko were beyond help, but Proletariat was only slightly wounded. New Man took a cell-phone from one of the Soviets and tried to call for assistance (but it was useless, as he couldn’t get bars). Once his patient was out of danger, Simian Fury went into the “Death Room†to see if he could spot any forbidden technology. He isn’t a gear-head, but he thought the machinery that made up the “Death Chair†looked suspicious. He called New Man over, who took a few pictures using the low-res camera built into the cell-phone.

 

At that point, the team was ordered to freeze. A squad of Spetznatz, accompanied by Bull and another Super Soldier (a blonde woman in a red bodysuit that no one recognized) came into the room. They immediately assumed control of the situation. New Man quickly hid the cell-phone, before anyone saw him with it.

 

Proletariat began accusing UNITY of allowing Durak and the rest of Eurostar to escape. The heroes didn’t make excuses – after all, Proletariat was the one who assured them that he had everything “under control.†Then the woman stepped in. The two Russians had a heated argument in which she prevailed. Proletariat told the heroes to go, get out of his country. They did so with all haste, barely daring to breathe until they were safely out of Soviet airspace.

 

Upon their return to base, the higher-ups were both happy and upset. They were happy that Durak wasn’t executed as planned, but upset that he escaped. They were happy that Chrahk and Lo Spartano were captured, but upset that they were in Soviet custody. They were happy that the team managed to take a few photographs, but upset because it appeared that the Soviets did, indeed, possess alien technology. They were happy that the team met a few new Soviet Super Soldiers, but upset that they didn’t get to see any of them in action (and thereby get a better idea of their capabilities).

 

Overall, the mission was a wash. Once the debriefing was over, Major Bec informed the team that they needed to get ready to head down to London for their next mission...

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Super good stuff! I always enjoy an entertaining read. What type of job did your players do of suspending their disbelief? Seems a foregone conclusion that Eurostar was gonna come for their bud.

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Super good stuff! I always enjoy an entertaining read. What type of job did your players do of suspending their disbelief? Seems a foregone conclusion that Eurostar was gonna come for their bud.

 

Oh, they were pretty sure it was going to happen. They kept asking the Ruskies what precautions they were taking, and they kept getting the runaround (darned Commies!). They talked privately amongst themselves what they were going to do if/when it happened, but they were sort of constrained by diplomatic protocols.

 

Bill.

[Ki-rin]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

(\ /)

(X.x)

(> <)

The Bunny has been shot! Who killed the Bunny?

Beware the Evil That Fluffs!

SERIOUSLY OT:

 

Ummm, what is the "NGD"? And why would being elected President of it result in an assasination attempt?

[lemming]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

SERIOUSLY OT:

 

Ummm, what is the "NGD"? And why would being elected President of it result in an assasination attempt?

NGD is Non Gaming Discussion. Fear it.

[Red Knight]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

First let me say that I love the story so far. It has a definite comic-book feel. Keep up the great work.

 

I do have a question though.... does UNITY stand for anything... is it an acronym?