Villainy Amok

[GestaltBennie]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Well I bought it. Very useful and so nice to see The Engineer and Invictus back.

 

But one of the things I did was to check who attacked the wedding party as I went through and gave a list in the Wedding thread last year. Almost all the people I listed for the great punch up were there. Result.

 

Exit one happy Tribble

 

Glad you (and Powerhouse) liked it. Thanks for your contributions, they were fun to include.

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Glad you (and Powerhouse) liked it. Thanks for your contributions' date=' they were fun to include.[/quote']

 

Count me among those who liked it very much. Not a lot of writeups....but probably for the first time....I didn't care....as there was way too much other stuff to absorb...more than worth the money....really.

 

Rob

[Myrlyn]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

I just picked the book up last evening from my local hobby store, and while I haven't read through all of it yet, there are several really great things about the book I like. Most notable among these are the multiple hooks and threads and plot twist items in the book. Not only do you get a great series of ready made adventure items, but then you've got all of the other thoughts and ideas to build from for your own campaign.

 

Great stuff, nice job guys!

 

Keith

[AlHazred]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

I really liked it. Now I'm wondering whether or not we can expect a book of Environmental Situations. I liked the way the Inferno scenario was broken down; what about a book of other catastrophes and their effects? Floods, Earthquakes, Blizzards, etc.

 

I haven't checked the Product Schedule lately and can't remember: is something like this in the pipe?

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

The Crimelords were originally meant to be the War Machine (minus the Warlord). However, Steve may have had other villains in mind.

 

Feel free to replace them with whatever expendable cadre of starting level villains meets your fancy.

 

To bad you aren't planning on running a game at Cloud City with this book providing a Con Game. Oh well.

 

Loving it. Oh and I like the idea of a Natual & Unnatural Disasters. Your great.

 

QM (Five Stars)

[nightbringer256]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

this is without a dought the best hero book i have read. it has a table for everything. i will never have to make up some lame bank robbery or encounter ever agian. thank you hero system for make a fraziled gm's life that much easier.

ooh one of my pc's is in love and thinking about getting married, little does he know that i got villany amok. yay all his old "friends" are going to show up and crash the party. including Dr. D, except he won't give them a chess set and leave. he will be more difficult. oh the possiblities. yay iam going to have so much fun. best $27 i ever spent. my PC's on the other hand are going to learn to hate this book, oh well their loss.

 

thanks Scott Bennie

 

-night

[Susano]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Scott,

VA just arrived last night and I've been looking though it. Let me say I love your writing style. Casual, easy to read, humorous, and highly informative. Great fun to both read and casually flip through.

[Enforcer84]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

I got this Wednesday. Fun to Read Scott! Very good indeed.

[GestaltBennie]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Glad you guys enjoyed it. So far the book's receiving a warmer reception than I anticipated.

[Doctor Otaku]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Adding it to my Hero-to-get List...

[Enforcer84]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Glad you guys enjoyed it. So far the book's receiving a warmer reception than I anticipated.

You were expecting only a few worshipers instead of a dedicated cult?

[GestaltBennie]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

You were expecting only a few worshipers instead of a dedicated cult?

 

Well. I was worried that an angry mob would be picking up torches and pitchforks and getting ready to round me up. Or worse, denounce me as an over the hill hack. :-)

 

First, Vamok was written with novice GMs in mind. The last book that targeted that audience was Aaron's Champions genre book, which (even though I thought it was excellent) received a less than universally positive response.

 

Second, Vamok's primarily a book of basic situations and plot hooks. If there's anything a half-decent GM can do, it's those. Heck, there's already a ton of those readily available on this site - some really good ones - just in the "From Little Plot Seeds..." or the "What Would Your Character Do" threads. Sometimes I worried I was trying to sell coal in Newcastle. Writing requires a certain degree of arrogance, but coming up with enough good ideas in sufficient detail to satisfy the majority of an experienced audience for *this* project occasionally seemed like an impossible task.

 

Third, as documented elsewhere. I was having a lot of problems with my vision while writing this project. Partially as a result of this, the project proceeded much slower than usual, and I made a lot of atrocious spelling and grammatical mistakes. Proofreading and rewriting was pretty painful. It was a real confidence sapper.

 

Fourth, I'd envisioned a much larger and more comprehensive book, and when I had to cut half the planned scenarios for space (not to mention time, though Steve and Darren were extremely generous with their extensions), it was pretty discouraging.

 

Fifth, it charts untrod ground. When I proposed Vamok, there was no book quite like it on the market. I desperately don't want to hand Hero a book that's going to be a financial bomb.

 

Okay, a lot of that seems silly in retrospect. Let's face it, writing is as neurotic a field as any other on the planet, there are plenty of people who have a heckuva lot more talent than me who are absolutely convinced their current project is going to suck. :-) I'm pretty happy with the final book, and I'm thrilled that most of youze guys seem to like it too.

[CBikle]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

I liked the Advanced Fire rules. I'd like to see more stuff like that as far as environmental dangers go.

[FenrisUlf]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Adding my vote to all the others, Mister Bennie, I think it's great. I especially like the little oddball scenario outlines you gave for each chapter. My own favorites are the Mad Science & the super-drugs chapter.

 

And is it just me, or did you include a lot of options for having what some folks call 'furry' characters crop up in various scenarios?

 

Oh, and BTW -- what woould you think if I told you that I discussed the 'Superhero Wedding' problems with a preacher friend of mine, and he told me, "I've actually _seen_ that stuff happen." (i.e., nasty revelations at the altar, bride/groom runs off with/gets caught having sex with best man/maid of honor, brawl at the reception...)?

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Okay' date=' a lot of that seems silly in retrospect. Let's face it, writing is as neurotic a field as any other on the planet, there are plenty of people who have a heckuva lot more talent than me who are absolutely convinced their current project is going to suck. :-) I'm pretty happy with the final book, and I'm thrilled that most of youze guys seem to like it too.[/quote']

 

The list of people with "a heckuva lot more talent" than you in your field would fit on a microdot. Hand-written.

[Enforcer84]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

What he said. I appreciate the book as it's a nice jumpstart. There are plenty of ideas and it brings back two more classic villains. I would also point out that Invictus' use in the book is awesome. Perhaps, if sales warrant you will be able to put some of the stuff you had to cut into another book.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Perhaps' date=' if sales warrant you will be able to put some of the stuff you had to cut into another book.[/quote']

 

That's certainly my hope. It sounds like Villainy Amok II is mostly written already, which would make it a great filler book the next time Hero Games has a hole in the production schedule.

[GestaltBennie]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

What he said. I appreciate the book as it's a nice jumpstart. There are plenty of ideas and it brings back two more classic villains. I would also point out that Invictus' use in the book is awesome. Perhaps' date=' if sales warrant you will be able to put some of the stuff you had to cut into another book.[/quote']

 

Thanks for the compliments, guys.

 

The cut material - at least the cut material that was developed - will appear in Digital Hero (the "Trial" scenario already appeared in this month's issue), As for a sequel, time and sales will tell.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Thanks for the compliments, guys.

 

The cut material - at least the cut material that was developed - will appear in Digital Hero (the "Trial" scenario already appeared in this month's issue), As for a sequel, time and sales will tell.

 

I would still love to see you do a "Natural and Unnatural Disasters".

 

How do heroes stop a Tsunami, Vulcano, Tornado, Flood, etc...

 

Hope to See yah at Cloudy City 2005 Gaming Convention on May 27th-29th.

 

Cheers

 

QM

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

The list of people with "a heckuva lot more talent" than you in your field would fit on a microdot. Hand-written.

 

I second this sentiment, Scott. You have always been a writer whose name I look for in my books.

[Susano]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

I have about half-a-dozen candidates for "best line" in the book.... The one about mole men is fairly priceless.

[Wanderer]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Fourth, I'd envisioned a much larger and more comprehensive book, and when I had to cut half the planned scenarios for space (not to mention time, though Steve and Darren were extremely generous with their extensions), it was pretty discouraging.

 

To show how much I appreciated your work, I'll say just this: I really hope you carefully stored all of your notes and preliminary work on the planned scenarios you had to cut out, so that when Steve will ask you to do Villainy Amok II, in 2006 or 2007, I want all of that stuff in it, as thoroughly delved as the scenarios were that made up in the book.

 

From playtest, your work looked excellent, and having the hardcopy in my greedy hand, I cannot but confirm that judgement and heap praise. I really hope (but forumites' reactions seem to agree) that it gets successful enough for a sequel to get an early greenlight (much like USPD I & II). There are so many good superhero classic plot hooks and scenario ideas worthy of getting the same attention.

 

Just to mollify my curiosity, provided that Steve graciously allows the disclosure, which are the scenarios that you planned, but had to cut ??

[GestaltBennie]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

 

Just to mollify my curiosity, provided that Steve graciously allows the disclosure, which are the scenarios that you planned, but had to cut ??

 

The ones I wrote but which didn't make it into the book were:

 

"Eat Caped Justice, Fools!" (the Superhero Trial Scenario)

"They Bombed The Abortion Clinic" (The Socially Relevant Scenario)

 

Scenarios which were planned but which pretty much exist only as a few 2-3 paragraph notes include:

 

"Who Killed Strontium-90?" (The superhero murder mystery)

“Chained to Evil†(escorting supercriminals to prison)

"Get Your Filthy Paws Off Simianopolis!" (Lost Worlds In Danger)

"The Island Where Superheroes Are Hunted Like Big Game Animals"

"I Want One... Million... Dollars..." (the Kidnapping scenario)

“Ooops!†(When Military Weapons Tests Go Horribly Wrong!)

"The Polar Ice Cap Melt" (and Other Doomsday Weapon Scenarios)

"Smuggler's Round-up" (Smuggling scenarios and their complications)

"The Telepathic Hate Crime Cult"

 

If I should ever be fortunate enough to do a sequel, I'd probably change things around a bit - there were a few suggestions in the "What Would You Like To See" thread that deserve exploring - and I'd include a second Plot Gallery.

[levi]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

The ones I wrote but which didn't make it into the book were:

 

"Eat Caped Justice, Fools!" (the Superhero Trial Scenario)

"They Bombed The Abortion Clinic" (The Socially Relevant Scenario)

 

Scenarios which were planned but which pretty much exist only as a few 2-3 paragraph notes include:

 

"Who Killed Strontium-90?" (The superhero murder mystery)

“Chained to Evil†(escorting supercriminals to prison)

"Get Your Filthy Paws Off Simianopolis!" (Lost Worlds In Danger)

"The Island Where Superheroes Are Hunted Like Big Game Animals"

"I Want One... Million... Dollars..." (the Kidnapping scenario)

“Ooops!†(When Military Weapons Tests Go Horribly Wrong!)

"The Polar Ice Cap Melt" (and Other Doomsday Weapon Scenarios)

"Smuggler's Round-up" (Smuggling scenarios and their complications)

"The Telepathic Hate Crime Cult"...

 

Any chance these scenarios could be a downloadable suppliment?

 

Please, please, please!

[MitchellS]

Re: Villainy Amok

 

Any chance these scenarios could be a downloadable suppliment?

 

Please, please, please!

I'd just as see them in Digital Hero. It gives the magazine some leverage with gamers wanting the material. Anything which helps spark DH sales is good, IMO.