Mainstream Vs What Ifs: character design

[Superskrull]

OK, I've read the Exiles since issue one and have all but a half dozen of the What Ifs from the 70's, 80's & 90's. I've read Days of Future Past, Present, Long Gone By and whatever other variants somebody wants to barf up to rehash what was once a pretty cool story. I've seen the alternate world where Captain America has to fight Adam II 'cause the Contemplator yanked all the Caps out of time to see how badly we could do "It's A Wonderful Life" and the one in his second most recent volume where he wakes up in an alternate 1960's with non-powered versions of the classic early Marvel line and the world ruled by Nazis. I've got the two issues of Marvel 2in1 where Ben goes back in time to cure himself and discovers you can't really go back in your own timeline and the issues of X-men where Legion does just that.

I may have read Earth X, but after trying the sequels, there's a tingling feeling in my toes and these blank spots I can't account for in my memories.

 

I've read dozens of Superman's imaginary adventures and damn near every Elseworld-style comic ever done including those lame Wildstorm Flashback issues and the horror that was The Kingdom where we see Hypertime in all it's glory and go "My God, it's full of comic book panels with bad color seperation!"

 

I even managed to hang one for like six bone-jarringly bad Peter Milligan Animal Man issues following the entertaining Grant Morrison run.

 

I'm really starting to ramble on here, so I'll get to my point.

 

When it comes down to it, any half-way popular character not currently battling the cancellation blues and in possession of his own comic or a reasonable facsimile like being a key player in a popular team book is gonna need like 5d6 Luck, a few completely invisible layers of Combat Luck and Favor- current creative team to adequately represent how they're going to stumble through whatever "Final Jeopardy" or showdown they're in.

 

For example, let's go with Spider-man. I'm positive almost everyone of you guys knows who he is and what he can do. Also note that despite such horrible stuff as Maximum Clonage, Maximum Carnage and Spider-man: Year One, he's gonna keep on slingin' those webs, making bad jokes and carrying several titles.

Now, let's look at him again, only this time, let's go all what-if on him. I any given What If he's gonna join the FF, permanently keep one of his innumerable power upgrades/downgrades or get whacked by the Punisher. Seriously, he's been killed by him like 3-4 times in these stories, Spidersense notwithstanding. I saw him killed by the grey Hulk when Earth got turned into Set's personal snake-pit, stabbed by demonized Wolverine when Inferno never ended (and if you read Daredevil at the time, you'd swear it lasted like a year and a half), lose his leg in final battle with Harry Os-goblin and then have a cute little similarly empowered daughter who still has her own title to this day.

 

I've seen Captain America safely stick his hands into antimatter in his own book and get himself killed by Death's Head in a What If or get 90% dead and need to get borged up while they hire Frank Castle as his replacement in another. Meanwhile, when Garth Ennis is writing, he can get whacked by the Punisher after socking the punk through a brick wall, all 'cause Castle learned in Nam that when the Star-spangled Avenger is putting his boot upside your head that you hide guns behind every available wall 'cause he's sending you an a tour through each of them.

 

Regardless of my rambling ways, all I'm trying to say is sometimes you have to just write the characters down as best you feel represents them and let the dice fall where they may. Remember, this isn't gonna be Cap or Spidey's book . Heck, it isn't even gonna be Captain Ultra's book or his back-up strip in Marvel Comics Presents. So, if the dice say that this time, ol Spidey's luck has run out and that last Goblin Bomb had his name and social security #, then by God, roll with it and make it a cool story for your players and yourself.

 

This is a simulation of comic books not the actual thing. Otherwise some wiseguy who read too much She-Hulk is gonna start trying to climb from panel to panel or hide in the white spacesbetween the things.

[Black Rose]

Re: Mainstream Vs What Ifs: character design

 

That was a glorious ramble/rant, Superskrull. But, um, did I miss it, or was there no actual question in there?

[Superskrull]

Re: Mainstream Vs What Ifs: character design

 

That was a glorious ramble/rant' date=' Superskrull. But, um, did I miss it, or was there no actual question in there?[/quote']

 

I wrote that when I was bone-tired after getting home from work in the morning. Upon later perusal, I would say that, yes, there is no question and it is indeed more of a ramble.

 

I'll put it in the form of a question, then.

 

When you are designing a character based on comics/movies/books/netcomics/whatnot, do you prefer to strip them of the qualities they possess as the protagonist/antagonist of a set piece of fiction or do you try to duplicate these effects in game?

 

For example:

Hulk is the strongest one there is.

If it's got martial arts in it, Ranma Saotome can do it.

The Joker will always be able to find goons to work for him. Even if he ate the last couple.

When Dr Doom is defeated, it was probably just a Doombot, despite it's astounding impersonations of the real thing.

With their indomitable willpower, a woman written by Claremont can do anything she needs to, even if it means defying all logic and prior continuity.

[Agent X]

Re: Mainstream Vs What Ifs: character design

 

I wrote that when I was bone-tired after getting home from work in the morning. Upon later perusal, I would say that, yes, there is no question and it is indeed more of a ramble.

 

I'll put it in the form of a question, then.

 

When you are designing a character based on comics/movies/books/netcomics/whatnot, do you prefer to strip them of the qualities they possess as the protagonist/antagonist of a set piece of fiction or do you try to duplicate these effects in game?

 

For example:

Hulk is the strongest one there is.

If it's got martial arts in it, Ranma Saotome can do it.

The Joker will always be able to find goons to work for him. Even if he ate the last couple.

When Dr Doom is defeated, it was probably just a Doombot, despite it's astounding impersonations of the real thing.

With their indomitable willpower, a woman written by Claremont can do anything she needs to, even if it means defying all logic and prior continuity.

I try to ignore Claremontian elements but Hulk should be able to be the strongest one there is as he becomes the angriest. Ranma Saotome is a tough one. His schtick steps on the concept of a hidden, super, secret unique martial art. And of course it was a Doombot! The Joker thing just blows my suspension of disbelief right out of the water.