Campaign Beginnings

[Harry Canyon]

Hi all!

 

I've recently started a Champions game (huz-zah!) for a group which have never played Hero System before. (Me? I'm an oldtimer having played since 1980 or thereabouts... )

 

Anyway... So I've got 5 players and didn't request or force the characters to be connected.

 

I'm feeling a little rusty with my GM'ing, after a 2+ year hiatus, so I'm looking for inspiration/ideas. How have others ran the initial stages of a campaign and brought characters together?

 

Since the characters not only don't really know each other, they don't know how to get in contact with each other. (To me the biggest "issue".) And I dont' want to overuse the "by some coincidence you are all in the same place for various reasons". (Although that certainly seems to have occured a lot in the comics I read... )

 

Thanks for your help and ideas!

 

Take care,

 

Harry

[Hermit]

The "Patron" is an oldy but a goody. An individual (Retired Golden age hero, billionare industrialist, whatever) decides he wants to organize a super team... and brings the PC together. This can be either very mysterious, or quite straight forward.

[Guest Celt]

By coincidence they're all in the same place.

 

Depending on how they work together a wealthy philanthopist funds them as a team because: A) You work so well together! -or- You guys need all the help you can get.

 

Have the current NPC super group get trashed in public then have the PCs come in to save the day, the old guard passing the baton to the new.

 

Have one of the PCs who's spent the points on wealth be the backer. I'm that character in my current Champions game, and let me tell you we had a laugh everytime they tried to call Christopher Barry and The Archer started looking for reasons to get away for a few minutes.

 

Have them gathered by some entity to fulfill a mission which will consist of the first series of adventures.

[Blue]

Similarly, my campaign is constructed around the campaign city enlisting the aid of heroes because of the demise of the previous team. They recruit heroes and give them use of a base (thus removing any need to buy one of their own and allowing me to make it however I want).

 

You can also have a lot of coincidence eventually imply that there is a guiding force in the universe that is bringing you together. You could even have an occultic character imply knowledge of your fates being intertwined. You don't need to decide why or how right now; it's just a way to guide them together.

 

Then there's the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" type of thing. They could band together because of a common evil that is preying on heroes. Perhaps knock off one or two NPCs created for this purpose to create tension, forcing the heroes to watch each other's backs.

[Enforcer84]

I almost always use the Patron.

The Cattle Call is also fun. Its a variation on the Patron where someone announces that they are creating a superhero team and holding tryouts. Make a bunch of wierd powered or delusional normals to mix in with the PC's and have "Mystery Men" type hilarity.

[death tribble]

You could always say as well that some are hunting crime and criminals and run across each other that way because they are following different clues to the same destination etc.

 

Then have someone in authority say, 'Right you lot are a team'

 

And the Press can hilight problems. 'So you guys fight crime together but don't have a way of contacting each other ?'

 

Then there is the Thor/Collector option. One of the Heroes keeps suddenly turning up in the nick of time and has no idea how they got there or why. This is named after the Korvac run in the Avengers when Thor would suddenly appear for no reason when the rest of the Avengers were being trounced. The Collector was responsible for this.

[Syberdwarf2]

It all depends on how you handle the "by coincidence" premise. Obviously, the players are always going to be 'in the same place' to some degree. To wit, say they're all in the city going about their business when each of them (not all at exactly the same time, unless that's what you want) witnesses a crime in progress being perfoormed by agents of the campaign villain at different locales. Tracking the agents down will lead them to the other PCs.....

 

But i think i get your point. It would be kind of odd to have 4 or 5 complete strangers with superpowers happen to sit at the same table in a public cafeteria for no particular reason.

 

("okay, so your in a bar when a mysterious old man walks up to you.....")

[assault]

The easiest way for people to meet is to have the local supers (especially teenage supers) hang out at a prominent local landmark. For example, in Brisbane, they might hang out on top of the Story Bridge (very obvious, right near town, and difficult to get to the top unless you can fly). In Sydney, the Sydney Harbour Bridge would work. In San Francisco/the Bay Area, the Golden Gate. In New York, whatever. You get the idea.

 

Some landmarks are just natural places where people who can fly, cling, or whatever will hang out. Once a few such people do that, others will... Of course, that tends to subvert some of the more "serious" origins, but I certainly know where I would have hung out if I had been a super in Brisbane. There are plenty of rooftops for "dating" on, but the "hanging out and meeting people" place is horribly obvious.

 

If you have a problem, think of this: "gosh, I'm a super in New York. Where am I going to go to meet other supers? Maybe I might hang out on top of the Empire State building!" Would it work? Is there some equivalent in Millenium City? What would you do if you couldn't fly/cling/whatever?

 

Alan

[Trebuchet]

Our campaign used a combination of the patron and coincidence.

 

The original team leader, Cyberknight, was also in his secret identity the head of a large international philanthropic organization, the Europa 2000 Foundation. At the time Cyberknight was a solo hero. Shortly after he had taken over as head of Europa 2000, my own character, Zl'f, appealed to Europa 2000 for help after she had fled Russia. With her arrival they had the nucleus of a team, which they named MidGuard. Catseye, our invisible Filipino martial artist, was working as a cat burglar when he broke into Europa 2000's Manila HQ shortly thereafter. By coincidence Cyberknight was visiting the site, and managed to capture Catseye since Catseye's invisibility doesn't work versus mechanical sensors (It's psionics-based). Our android from the future, G-Force, simply showed up at our headquarter's doorstep and announced he was to join our team. He was built, we later found out, by a decendant of Cyberknight's several centuries in the future.

 

The other members all joined by being on location as we were in action.

[TheTemplar]

The last campaign that I was involved in used a mystic "Patron" NPC to bring the team together, which fit well because the overall tone of our team was fairly mystic.

 

A couple of things I personally would like to try if I were to ever GM a campaign would be:

 

1. A mysterious patron organizes a group of local supers and sends them on Red Herring assignments all over the city, where they eventually discover that he is a master criminal and they've been eliminating his competition for him while he's been carrying out his criminal activities with no fear of being caught since the group's attention was so focused elsewhere.

 

-OR-

 

2. A master criminal orchestrates a meeting of the heroes, but does it in such a fashion that when the heroes run into eachother, they believe that eachother are the criminals, and they fight...meanwhile the master criminal steals The Statue of Liberty, or some other unbelieveably outrageous criminal stunt.

I've always found it fascinating that in the comics it seems like whenever heroes meet for the first time (whether solo or groups of heroes meeting) they almost always have to fight it out first. I suppose that's something that we as fans caused by the endless debates of "Who would win? Spider-Man vs. Batman? Namor vs. Aquaman? Galactus vs. Darkseid?"

 

Anyway, hope this helps. If you like these ideas, feel free to rip them off...that's why I posted them, afterall! Oh...except for you, Frydaddy. You can't use my own ideas against me. That's just not cool..not cool at all. ;-)

 

 

-T

 

BTW: the correct answers are - Batman over Spidey, Aquaman over Namor, and...hmmm....I'm not touching that last one. My gut tells me Galactus...but Darkseid is wily, and wily goes a long way.

[Crimson Arrow]

It would probably be much nicer if you can work up an individual story which explains how the heroes meet, rather like the example Trebuchet gave.

 

Without an idea of the characters' backgrounds, personalities and powers, it is difficult to take this any further, but if you want to post this info, I expect someone can come up with a plausible way to bring the heroes together.

 

However, even generic ideas like banding together to fight a powerful villain, or replacing a fallen or missing team have some nice potential, if used right.

[Catacomb]

You could have some big nasty attack the same are where they all are...hopefully they're at least in the same city.

[johnflang]

The coolest start of a campaign I was in was a Cyber hero game. It started with:

DM "You awake on an airplane in first class."

Me: "What time/day is it?"

DM: " 12 days have passed since you last remeber."

Me: "I look at my ticket stub"

DM: "It says you are flying from Tokyo to your home in Dallas."

Me: "Where was I 12 days ago?"

DM: "Dallas"

Me: "I look around for anyone else that is waking up/looking confused"

DM: "You see 5 other people"

 

A Champions variant would be you regain concisness and see the rest of the team waking up with no memory of the fight.

[Talon]

I started one campaign with a charity supers tournament: the 6 PCs and 6 other supers showed up to battle (in teams of 3) for a charity event. That lets you intro everyone in roleplay (before the event), show off abilities in combat, and provides a hook to get the PCs together. If you need something more dire, you can have villains attack the event or have something happen to the other heroes.

[Wildcat]

I've just recently started a new Campaign (November... Gee that's been a while now huh?) Anyway I was able to bring in different players using dif methods. The 1st 2 were a coincidence, the next a Mutant, who hade heard of one of the PCs (Who had a Public ID) 4th a Patron of that PC introduced him to the fledgling team. Then after getting trounced in a fight, they held a membership drive, and got another PC.

 

Now I did have the luxury of having Players join one at a time, but the same kind of thing could be done.

 

I've also taken great steppes to integrate the PCs and their backgrounds into an already existing campaign (One that parts of date back to the early 80s) once the character is integrated into the world (Normally before play starts, in the Creation step) the intro of the PC almost is written for you.

[Guest Worldmaker]

Assuming the characters are being played in a truly heroic fashion, the old "Massive Threat to Campaign City Brings the PCs Together" trick is a good one to use.

 

I started a good number of Champions campaigns over the last 20 years using this bit, and if the first Massive Threat doesn't work, I lather, rinse, and repeat until the players get the idea. Eventually, someone will give the "More effective together than apart" speech, and your hero team is born.

 

 

Jack

[Mayday]

If you have experienced players they can usually assemble without any help from you while you get set up. I very much like the 12 days missing concept though.

 

Communication devices also help, particularly radio listening on the police band.

[Trebuchet]

Originally posted by Mayday

Communication devices also help, particularly radio listening on the police band.

One of my few requirements for members of our team MidGuard is that every character must buy Radio Hearing and Perception (or better). I designed an "earbug" version that costs just 2 points that most of the characters use, but a couple (such as our powered armor leader, Cyberknight), have Hi Range Radio.

 

Radio communication is a tremendous asset to a team, and paying points for it (even at a massive discount) seems to remind people to use it. Best thing I ever did to build a team.

[Karma]

A variation on the Patron is the 'Slavemaster'.

GM: You wake up. Around you you see people who could only be supervillians (from their costumes). Then you notice the corpse, it so familiar, you know you've seen him somewhere before. Suddenly you realise "Mind Master" one of the worlds worst Mentalist Villans, famous for using other people to commit his crimes...My God what has he made you do?"

 

The story, the 'team' has been working together for weeks, and are now the most wanted Super Villian team in the country. They must work together to clear their names and make restitution for their crimes.

 

Sort of a 'Thunderbolts' approach with the 'wanted criminals' turning into heroes.

 

Another idea the 'He's too big for any one of us' approach.

 

Create an Ubervillian to attack the City that is too powerful for any single member of the group. Have all the characters hear about his rampage and decide to try and stop him. Have them realise that they are going to have to work together if they are going to have any chance...

 

Such tactics are a staple of comics teams. Its a variation on the 'you all happen to be in the same place' being instead the 'the crime is taking place here and if you want to stop it your going to have to go there too...and look the other heroes have had the same idea maybe you should all help out'

The problem, of course, is that some charaters are not the type to 'Kick ass and then take each others names' being 'Wolverene clones' who think of themsel;ves as lone wolves. They are the oines who need to be roped in using their Disadvantages:

 

"That PA guy must be loaded, or at least know someone who is, perhaps he would be willing to loan you some money to help pay for your DNPC's operation"

 

"That Mentalist might be able to help you with your anger management issues (Enraged), it can't hurt to ask"

 

"That teleporting MA is kinda cute (and what comics hero isn't), maybe you should get her number"

 

"The last time your Hunted attacked you barely made it out alive, he's beginning to work out you weaknesses, perhaps hanging around with these guys will make him think twice, or at least give him more people to deal with..."

 

"Only fellow supers can really understand the responsability that comes with these powers..."

 

"That gadgeteer seems to specialise in creating illusions. With something to disguise my hideous form I could lead something approaching a normal life..."

[DocMan]

We had a similar thread a while back. I suggested a combination of the old "meet in a barfight" schtick combined with the "Lost weekend".

 

i.e.

 

DM:You wake up, and open your eyes. After a while you realize you're looking at a cieling. A strange cieling. You stir, and look around. You appear to be lying on the floor of a bar. There is a large hole in one wall. The place looks like a battle took place there. There are several people in costumes also lying on the floor. You've never seen them before in your life. A policeman peeks his head in the hole in the wall. He says, "Ah! Is it over? Looks like the guy got away. Well, no worries , we're sure you'll track him down. Sorry to bother you like this, but could one of you move yer vehicle? The firetruck can't get by it."

 

As the players get up and question the cop, they'll find out that he knows all their hero names, and that they announced themselves as a new hero team about a week and a half ago. Oh, and when they look at the date, they'll realize they have no memory of the past two weeks.

 

Then it's up to the party to figure out how they got together, who can fly the vehicle. Oh, and where is that secret base, anyway?

 

Doc

[Marchwarden]

IMO, it largely depends on the nature of the characters involved.

 

Are they a bunch of moody, obsessed vigilantes? Better spring a heavy threat that forces them to cooperate in order to survive.

 

Are they all the sort of upstanding citizens who'd answer an appeal for service to the nation? Have the government announce its intentions to put together a sanctioned superteam.

 

Do they share a common origin (all mutants, all experiment-gone-awry altered humans, all aliens etc.)? Have them all undergo the event together. They were all in the lab when the accident happened, they all came to Earth in the same crashed spaceship (fleeing a galactic catastrophe or an oppressive space empire), they all went to a school for "Gifted Youngsters" in upstate New York...

 

They could all be related, either by blood or through social relationships in their alternate IDs.

[Harry Canyon]

re: Campaign Beginnings

 

Wow!

 

Thanks for all the ideas! (Keep 'em coming!)

 

Some background on the campaign setting. It's set in San Francisco and generally follows the Champions Universe.

 

The name of the campaign is New Wave. There's an exisiting superhero group whose credibility is deteriorating and will eventually be disbanded. (The leader is more interested in the next big endorsement contract, fame has gone to their heads, etc.) The idea is that eventually the PC's replace the existing heroes as the "primary" heroes.

 

The continuous downward spiral of the current group will be a major "emotional/dark" element in the campaign. As the "Old Wave" starts to realize what they've become, how they handle it will be a source of many stories.

 

Take care,

 

Harry

[levi]

From the info you gave us Harry I would offer the following. The existing team responds to a major threat, but because of the flaws that are tearing them apart, only some of the team shows up and those that do are thrashed by the major threat (Grond, Gravitar, Invading Space Monkeys...whatever) . The second string heroes (the PCs) must step in and save the Old Wave's butts. This sets up the rivalry in the public eye almost immediately.

 

You may also take the direction of having the New Wave directly involved in the Old Wave's break up by having a member of the Old Wave (possibly one who's but was saved by the New Wave) invite the new guys to join the existing team. After the membership shift is complete, the New Wave can have a press conference to enlighten the masses to the New Wave's way of thinking and how the old days are gone. San Fran will be safer than ever with the New Wave heroes in charge!

[MarkusDark]

With just what you mentioned, I would suggest one of two things. First off, have some guy atop Coit Tower threatening to destroy the city. He has monitors secreted around the old hero group's base and that he knows they're all in there and if they leave, he'll blow up major areas in San Francisco. It gives a 'call to arms' for all the independants out there.

 

Second, go with the patron. An old member/contact for the original group sees the way things are going. He send out invitations to the newer heroes in the area - ones he believes would be best for the city. With all of the retrofitting and construction going on in the bay area, he has also found a base that they can use.