What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

[Hermit]

In your group, or generally?

 

For example, I like aliens. However, I have never been allowed to PLAY an alien in Champions. The GMs either cringe about how hard it would be to fit that in, wheedle because it is (honestly) more work than they might like, or (sometimes) they or other players roll their eyes at that element thinking it silly. How exactly it's sillier than mutations that allow you to defy gravity, not sure, but there you go

 

Robots similarly freak some out. Oddly enough, demi gods and mystic creatures are ago.

 

Weird.

 

Other players I talk to are similarly indifferent, or disdainful of aliens in their champions campaigns. I rather like the races in Terran Empire and the setting of CU 5th, even if they are a bit 'star treky' but sometimes I feel like I'm alone in that.

 

Then again, I suppose I'm no better. I get bored with the 'die mutant die' scenerio, which doesn't make sense to me that is a comic book main stay ala X men, so I seldom if ever run anti mutant campaigns. Anti super, sure, but that makes more sense to me.

 

SO, anyone else been twharted or foiled in something they wanted to play in Champions, either character type, campaign theme, or a setting of some sort just because they appeared to be the only one that liked such??

[Super Squirrel]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Sidekicks.

 

I'd love to have a game with either players having sidekicks or the players starting as sidekicks but no one seems that interested in it.

[Hermit]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Sidekicks.

 

I'd love to have a game with either players having sidekicks or the players starting as sidekicks but no one seems that interested in it.

 

Yeah, that's one I haven't seen in awhile. Sidekicks have gone pretty much the way of the dodo save for a few rare cases, at least in name. For a time, it seemed Wolverine was always hooking up with one teenage female mutant or another (Kitty, Jube, etc) which might have had a power, but was clearly reliant on him for protection or training, but they were never CALLED Sidekicks, so no one said anything

[Super Squirrel]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Sidekicks are like familiars. You forget they are there until something comes up that you, the player don't want to do yourself.

[Karma]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Haven't run or played in many Champions games so I've never had anyone say how silly the stuff I like is (had a few of my friends change the subject when it goes to superheroes in general, but no specific part of the genre).

So I'll just add what I don't like (these are my issues, and I have no problem with those who like them apart from disgreeing with their preferences):

'Patriots as heroes': Sorry but the 'Champion of (insert country, concept, subculture)' idea just rubs the wrong way.

 

Cosmically powerful heroes: When you have your home planet as a DNPC and it's seen as fine (since your opponents can reasonable threaten it on a regular basis) I think the campaigns power level has got too high. For me heroes should be close enough in power to actual normals that they can have the same problems (plus those their powers give them).

 

The 'VPP ability': Characters who have just the spell/gadget/whatever that they need in a given situation for no discernable reason (Thankfully I had some anti-torpedo spray in my undershorts). Who needs preparation, or teammates for that matter when you always have what you need, when you need it.

 

These are the tropes I can't handle.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

How exactly it's sillier than mutations that allow you to defy gravity' date=' not sure, but there you go [/quote']

 

Are we talking about Power Girl again?

[assault]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

I rather like the races in Terran Empire and the setting of CU 5th' date=' even if they are a bit 'star treky' but sometimes I feel like I'm alone in that.[/quote']

 

I like aliens, but I don't really like the ones in the current CU. They don't have the right "feel" in my opinion.

 

I'm otherwise pretty OK with most genre bits. Probably the only things that really would get up my nose would be Bad Iron Age "everybody is a corrupt scumbag" assumptions. I'm also not particularly impressed by people who are unfamiliar with genre conventions, or hold them in contempt.

 

So what do I like that others don't? Well, I guess the answer is more or less the opposite of the things that I don't like!

 

I guess the sheer fact that I am a bit of a genre fiend provides more clues. I _like_ the wacky Silver Age bits, and would like to see them used more. Then again, I also like good Iron Age material, but I know perfectly well that I would hate any such game that I didn't GM myself.

 

So my short answer is:

(1) hyper-intelligent apes, kid sidekicks and superpets.

(2) Iron Age settings where (most) people behave like real human beings.

 

Most Iron Age fans hate both!

[Werehawk]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

In your group, or generally?

 

For example, I like aliens. However, I have never been allowed to PLAY an alien in Champions. The GMs either cringe about how hard it would be to fit that in,

 

In my group, the players are members of a SHADO-like organization defending the earth against hostile alien threats. I have not excluded actual alien characters and no one has come up with one. My only requierment for alien characters is to come up with a viable background of the race and what does he or she bring to the table in terms of enhancing the organization's ability to carry out its mandate.

[Enforcer84]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Iconic Superman Type Bricks. I think they are a staple, many around me think they are annoying preferring their Iconic Batman Style *** whuppers.

[Werehawk]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Aquatic characters. Dispite the fact that the all the recent campaigns that I play in are based in port cities (Cleveland,San Diego,and New Orleans).

[Bloodstone]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Weaponmasters with gimicked weapons. Archers with Trick arrows are tollerated, but boomerangs.. oh god how they hate the trick boomerangs! Toymaster types are also frequently looked down on as "too silly".

 

For the record, I have no problem with kid sidekicks or super pets in small quantites. Our current group has one kid sidekick (thirteen year old super hacker, she mostly stays at the base) and two super pets (a psychic bunny rabbit that is an actul PC and the hackers cyberdog). However, at the point where everyone has one, the other or both, I start to change my tune.

 

I also don't really like kid sidekicks that have all the powers of the main hero, but just at a lower level. I suppose, in general, I prefer the New Mutants model to the Teen Titans. Again, one or two of these characters are perfectly fine, to be expected and encouraged... but when you have a whole team composed of younger tribute characters it kinda annoys me. Especially when ALL of them are named Lad/Boy/Girl/Lass/Kid.

 

Everything in moderation I suppose...

[Zed-F]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

It really depends on the campaign.

 

In a 4-color game? Sure, bring on the aliens and the intelligent apes. In a quasi-realistic setting? I'd tend to be less likely to accept them without a really well-developed, consistent, and 'realistic' character idea, if at all. It's just a matter of how much suspension of disbelief you're aiming to require in your game -- how far you're willing to depart from baseline reality.

[Mike W]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

I love playing guys with Magical elements to them, be it a mage or a guy with a magic sword. But most people think of straight mages as guys who are off in their own little corner, not as team guys.

 

I also like the Super-Scholar. The guy who knows a bit of something about everything and has a skill list that requires its own page on the character sheet because it's so damn long. The skill set almost becomes a power. But a lot of Champs games, the non-combat skills aren't that important.

[McCoy]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

The Heros getting captured.

 

Once as a player I figured out the best way to find the villian's hideout was to get captured, taken there, then break out. So I took a dive in the next combat. The GM seemed puzzled.

 

As a GM I have had players get angry OOC when their characters were knocked out and captured by the villian. Why have a mechanic for STUN if your character is never going to be knocked out? Why buy the security systems skill, or escape artist talent if you are never going to need them?

 

It's a genre convention. Hero is captured, carried through 5 layers of perimiter security they would otherwise have to overcome, is locked up, the overconfident villian monologues the entire plan, including that the only thing that could possibly stop them is someone pushing that big red button right there, the hero makes a single power tricks roll to break out and kicks the villian's tail.

 

Why does this push the player's buttons?

[Mutant for Hire]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

The Heros getting captured.

 

Why does this push the player's buttons?

Players don't like it in general when bad things happen to their characters. Or when their characters get 'beaten' for any reason. They like to have control over their characters and to have a certain freedom of action. Not to mention not having the humiliation of being captured. It means the villains have 'won', even if only temporarily. Most players I know play games for empowerment, not to feel trapped and helpless. They get enough of that at the office.

[Peregrine]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

The Heros getting captured.

 

Once as a player I figured out the best way to find the villian's hideout was to get captured, taken there, then break out. So I took a dive in the next combat. The GM seemed puzzled.

 

As a GM I have had players get angry OOC when their characters were knocked out and captured by the villian. Why have a mechanic for STUN if your character is never going to be knocked out? Why buy the security systems skill, or escape artist talent if you are never going to need them?

 

It's a genre convention. Hero is captured, carried through 5 layers of perimiter security they would otherwise have to overcome, is locked up, the overconfident villian monologues the entire plan, including that the only thing that could possibly stop them is someone pushing that big red button right there, the hero makes a single power tricks roll to break out and kicks the villian's tail.

 

Why does this push the player's buttons?

 

Best way to handle this in a game - GM-player discussion.

 

Yes, yes, that is the greatest evil of RPGs - Metagaming. Tough. If it helps all present to have a good time, then do it. If a GM is concerned that a 'capture the heroes so they can escape later' scenario might not come across well, discuss it with the players ahead of time. 'Don't get stuck on stupid' and think that everything in the game has to come as a surprise to the players. Some surprise is good, but quality of play often suffers when everything has to be a surprise.

[Hermit]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Aquatic characters. Dispite the fact that the all the recent campaigns that I play in are based in port cities (Cleveland' date='San Diego,and New Orleans).[/quote']

 

Yeah, Aquaman gets no respect it seems, and Aquatic characters do get seen as niche characters to a very high degree even when their powers aren't limited to that.

[assault]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Yeah' date=' Aquaman gets no respect it seems, and Aquatic characters do get seen as niche characters to a very high degree even when their powers aren't limited to that.[/quote']

 

The interesting thing is that nobody seems to want to play Namor.

 

After all, he's a perfectly kicka** flying brick, who just happens to be an aquatic character. I can't see the problem, except, perhaps, that he burns a lot of points on non-combat stuff. His need for water isn't a bigger/worse weakness than that of many other characters, and, for that matter, isn't as absolute as Aquaman's anyway.

 

Then again, that makes you wonder how many characters with weaknesses actually get played. Maybe that's a genre bit people don't like.

 

In any case, the Namor niche could be worth exploring for players looking for something a little bit different. And if anyone gives you lip about "talking to fish", well...

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Yeah' date=' Aquaman gets no respect it seems, and Aquatic characters do get seen as niche characters to a very high degree even when their powers aren't limited to that.[/quote']

 

This happened with my old Teen Champions game (before the genre book came out, unfortunately) ... I intentionally made the aquatic character (actually, he was a full blown Hydroman; turn into water, control water, the works), and I made him more powerful than the other members of the team (though not as powerful as all of them), and despite 'having the numbers' as it were, he frequently said, "Well, I'm just the water guy, I'll do what I can," and gimped himself!

[Kirby]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

I like to play Speedsters and Ninjas. But I've never been allowed to play either.

 

I would also like to play a villain character as a reformed character. I've been able to play Grond in a game that's been on hiatus for months, so that's not so much fun. Though, I'd like to play Icicle as well. :shrugs: Oh, and clones. I'd like to play a clone, and have all the PCs be clones, but others don't seem to care for that.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

I'd really like to play a classic silver age type villain, single minded schtick and all.

[Haven Walkur]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

I'm a Legion of Superheroes girl...and as such, I LOVE the traditionally dreadful or clunky hero names given to the classic Legion members. Something-or-other Boy, Whatsit Girl, Thingame Lad or Whatchamacallit Lass; yeah, it's silly, but without those names, it's not the Legion! Bring it on Matter-Eater Lad, Phantom Girl, Lightning Lass, Bouncing Boy...

 

Embarrassed whisper: I've also come to really enjoy the Legion of Super Pets.

 

In my defense, having Doctor Anomaly GMing a bitter argument between Chameleon Boy and Proty II, or a spat between Supergirl, Streaky and Krypto gave me new respect for the admittedly rather silly concept of "super pets".

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

This happened with my old Teen Champions game (before the genre book came out' date=' unfortunately) ... I intentionally made the aquatic character (actually, he was a full blown Hydroman; turn into water, control water, the works), and I made him more powerful than the other members of the team (though not as powerful as all of them), and despite 'having the numbers' as it were, he frequently said, "Well, I'm just the water guy, I'll do what I can," and gimped himself![/quote']

 

This is exactly what happened with the 'plant guy' I wrote up for my DC game... - on paper, arguably most powerful. In practice, player gimps self, character gets no respect.

 

Luckily, 'plant guy' powers are just one multiform form, so the weather master and the temperature controlling forms are fine.

[Zed-F]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

Then again' date=' that makes you wonder how many characters with weaknesses actually get played. Maybe that's a genre bit people don't like.[/quote']

I know it's a genre bit that a lot of GMs don't seem to like. Many GMs seem to prefer 'simple builds' with as few limitations as possible, possibly on the grounds that use of limitations encourages munchkinism. This seems silly to me. All you have to do to keep things balanced is to enforce the lims, or allow them to enforce themselves in many cases. But many GMs don't seem to want to be bothered.

[Trebuchet]

Re: What in genre bit do you like that no one else seems to enjoy ?

 

More (and more creative!) use of DNPCs. I'm tired of DNPCs being solely used as hostages: "Baron von Evil was robbing Campaign City Bank, and your DNPC was standing in line to withdraw $11.28 from her account to buy rice for starving children in Somalia. So now you have to rescue her." Yawn.

 

Why can't we ever see DNPCs having relationship issues, or drug/alcohol problems, or car accidents, or serious illnesses, or problems in school, or loving/hating the PC's heroic identity, or...? Well, you get the idea.

 

In 13 years of play in our campaign, my young heroine Zl'f has NEVER had an adventure or even out-of-playstory involve any of her DNPCs despite the fact I literally designed those DNPCs with copious plot hooks. Heck, I'd almost welcome a bank hostage scenario.