My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

[Theron]

I'm putting this here because it seems most appropriate. If the Mods want to move it, that's OK by me, obviously.

 

Some of you will probably consider the following rather ludicrous. Those of you doubtlessly have the ability to stay focused on a project with the precision of Oculon's eyebeams. I on the other hand, can usually maintain my focus with the precision of a very weak candle in a hurricane. In short, I have Gamer Attention Deficit Disorder. I constantly run afoul of bright and shiny new games and systems. Novels and TV shows push me into weird and unexpected interests and inspirations that end up burying campaigns before they ever get to the table. I'm tired of it. I need to focus. At the very least, I need to pull back from the attraction of buying every new system that hits the market because it sounds kind of neat.

 

So, taking a page from a fellow over on RPGnet, I've elected to devote my attentions to a single generic system for the next 101 days. I'm taking my non-Hero books and covering them with packing cling wrap so I can't open them. Yeah, it's kind of dumb, but I know how weak my willpower can be.

 

The guy who came up with this notion chose to use Savage Worlds for his experiement, but I've opted for HERO, specifically Champions. It's the game system and genre I personally know best, having played it since 1st edition, and it's the default poison of choice for most of the folks I've gamed with in the past decade.

 

So, after thinking about it for the past two weeks or so, and knowing my limitations (which are legion), I've instituted the following rules for today and the following 100:

 

1. All gaming-related reading will be HERO System products only. If a sourcebook has other system information in it, I start to get curious about ways that system might handle things better and the next thing I know, I'm off on some wild hair.

 

2. All gaming purchases will likewise be HERO System only. My budget will thank me for this, since most of their major products for 2005 are already out the door and on my bookshelf.

 

3. For the project to be a success, I must GM at least four game sessions. These sessions must not be one-shots. Part of my major goal in getting this project off the ground is to beging GMing regularly and get an actual campaign going. The last campaign I played in regularly petered out in 2004. The last one I actually GMed died in nineteenninetymumble... So kicking off a regularly running campaign is part and parcel of the project.

 

So far, I've gotten word from two of my old group expressing interest in playing regularly. I've put out the word to a couple of new folks I've met through RPGnet who live down my way, and an old friend who I haven't gamed with regularly in about 100 years. In the meantime, I'm working on polishing up my campaign premise and getting my ideas in some semblance of order.

 

Updates to follow...

[Big Willy]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

Agreed. Too much choice is paralysing. Focus, baby, focus!

 

Hope the experiment goes well.

[Fedifensor]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

You may want to restrict yourself on gaming websites as well - only going to HERO-related websites so you don't lose focus.

 

Good luck with the project! If I wasn't currently involved with a campaign in another game system, I'd consider doing something similar.

[Theron]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

You may want to restrict yourself on gaming websites as well - only going to HERO-related websites so you don't lose focus.

 

A man's gotta know his limits, but he can't be entirely limited by them. If I start having Exalted thoughts, I'll just channel them through Ninja Hero for the duration.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

Theron, have you decided yet what sort of campaign you're interested in running? Genre? Setting? Maybe we can direct you to HERO stuff you can use, that would also be interesting enough to suppress your system cravings.

[Theron]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

Theron' date=' have you decided yet what sort of campaign you're interested in running? Genre? Setting? Maybe we can direct you to HERO stuff you can use, that would also be interesting enough to suppress your system cravings. [/quote']

 

Heh. Out of the starting gate, the plan is for a supers game that focuses on the legacy of superheroicness...er...dom...er...thingy. You know, second and third generation supers, old farts taking up the mask one last time, etc. If you've read JSA in the past few years, you'll see the direction I'm working with. In fact, JSA and Starman are probably my two major influences.

 

Right now, my big decision is figuring out what setting to use. If I use the out of the box CU (attractive, because I own just about everything for it, including HD character packs, so it's a lot less work), Millenium City is out - it's too bright and shiny for the feel I want, plus the Champions are already in town. Vibora Bay is a possibility; I like the mystical feel of it, and it certainly has the flavor of some place with a sense of history to it. On the downside, Florida is kind of bleah to me (for some reason, I like the idea of running a game set in a place with actual seasons - probably because we don't have any here in Houstopolis either). I've got an old city of my old I could dust off without too much trouble, though I'd need to plug it into the CU, since it was originally written for another setting. It's closer to Opal City from the DC Universe, and probably the best choice, though the most work.

 

Running a distant third right now is the old New Millenium setting, which I always thought was pretty good, so long as you just read the setting and character bits and ignored the art and the system. Though Bay City also suffers quite a bit from bright and shiny syndrome.

 

And as of right now, I've got three interested parties. Ideally, I'd like five players, so we'll see if I get any more bites.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

Hmm... any reason you couldn't use Hudson City for the layout, city details, normal NPCs etc., and just add supers?

[Theron]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

D'oh!

 

Y'know, that's something I hadn't actually considered. I've got the setting book right here and didn't even have it on the list of contenders, probably because Meridian is, in many respects, Hudson City with supers. I've got the sourcebook on my shelf, so I'll give it a look.

 

More stuff to ponder.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

You know, given what you want to do, Hudson City might be even more appropriate. Although HC is on the same world as the rest of the CU characters and settings, true superbeings are practically unknown there. I saw a suggestion on the boards once that there might be some force or artifact in the vicinity that's suppressing paranormal powers, or dissuading supers from coming there on a subconscious level.

 

So, what if something happens to that force, causing it to shut down? More than that, reversing it to create an "event?" Something that triggers power development in random people in the area, or maybe rejuvenates some older retired supers who had settled in HC? You'd have a rationale for the PCs being the new (and only) heroes on the block. Villainous supers could also have been created, and other heroes and villains could start drifting into Hudson City with the ward against them gone. And you'd have an overarcing mystery plot: What was the force in Hudson City, and what (or who) caused it to change?

 

BTW there's a ton of additional free Hudson City material on the website, downloadable from here.

[Matt Frisbee]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

More power to you, Theron!

 

If you're only doing 101 days, however, you may want to scrap the extended setting preparation. My suggestion is you do the whole "Supers are just showing up now" thing in the Hudson City setting. (Maybe the turn of the Millennium is when they appear and all of the ones showing up so far are supervillains.)

 

Superhero team or fight club? I can imagine that the supers get to know each other through "under the radar" internet chat rooms and by chance meetings on the streets, and eventually develop a clandestine network to pull the team together during a crisis. Of course, the heroes aren't going to get any help from the police, since they would be considered vigilantes, and the local press would have a mixture of fascination and trepidation for the city's new "heroes" (a la The Daily Bugle vs. Spiderman).

 

Anyway, good luck with the project and keep us informed.

 

Matt

[Theron]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

My reason for using the CU is to minimize my prep time. Whether adding a host of supers to Hudson City would be more work than worthwhile is something worth considering.

 

One idea I've toyed with, since a couple of my prospective players haven't played HERO before, would be to have folks generate their characters using the random tables out of Champions. But I haven't bounced it off of anyone yet, so we'll have to see what they think about it.

 

I do like the notion of a clandestine network to get things started, though I'm not so keen on the notion of the heroes being treated like vigilantes. It's not really the tone I'm looking for.

[Theron]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

I've now got three interested parties lined up and another likely or two. Definitely enough to move forward on this. After reviewing my setting options, I've decided on Vibora Bay (even if the pronunciation information in the sidebar is laughably wrong - there's no way the Spanish pronunciation would ever be "Vye-bora" ). It's less shiny than Millenium City, and has more of that lived-in feel that I want. The mystical angle is becoming more attractive, and even if the PCs don't go that route, the contrast will make for interesting tension.

 

My next step is to put together an intro guide for the players, since none of them are all that conversant with the CU or Vibora Bay.

[Savinien]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

Good luck!

 

I wish I had the fortitude to simply only follow the headlights and go in ONE direction.

 

I may take your lead and try it, though!!!

[Theron]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

Day 6. We have a tentative date in place for our first session (Oct 16). Having done yet more reading, I decided on a different tack for location. While I like Vibora Bay well enough, I worry that the heroes would quickly fall into the trap of being local protectors, which is not the sort of tone I want for this campaign. So I've shifted gears. I really like keyes_bill's Unity 2010 stuff, with its globe-trotting scope. I don't want to do something that ambitious, but I am taking a page from it in setting up the premise of the campaign, which reads as follows:

 

Seeking to leave a greater legacy than mere wealth, billionaire industrialist Karl Magnus created Project Paladin in homage to the mystery men and women of WWII. The first crop of Paladins are drawn from individuals with strong ties to the past – the actual and spiritual sons and daughters of the heroes of those halcyon days of old.

 

I've gone back to using my own creation, the city of Meridian as the campaign base, but it will mainly serve as a jumping off point, rather than an ongoing setpiece. The heroes will live in Meridian and have some adventures there (probably more as they become better known and attract enemies), but they will spend quite a bit of time jetting about and dealing with superpowered threats.

 

The campaign is named Project Paladin. When I have some more info, I'll be updating it here, as well as a LiveJournal I've created for campaign materials.

[MisterBaldy]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

A man's gotta know his limits' date=' but he can't be entirely limited by them. If I start having Exalted thoughts, I'll just channel them through Ninja Hero for the duration.[/quote'] I agree. What's that old cliche'? Ah, yes..."Knowing is half of the battle." Knowing one's limitations helps you to decide an appropriate "course of action".

 

Should you go astray in your quest, bludgeon yourself with "The Big Black Book" (a.k.a. HERO System Fifth Edition, Revised) repeatedly until you come back to your senses.

 

That should help you remain focused...or at the very least will cause severe headaches, which means you won't be able to go astray!!! Now will you?

[Matt Frisbee]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

Having put together my fair share of campaigns, it's nice to hear that others "spin the wheels" occasionally and spend time on what eventually become dead end conceptual trails. Not to worry, though, since finding out what won't work always leads to new inspiration for what develops in the long run.

 

My current campaign took four tries before I finally settled on what it was going to be about and how the setting was going to accomplish that. However, I'm one of these guys who needs to find out what characters are going to be present in the game before I can focus on the background. Most of the landmarks I put in a city setting wind up being battle locations for the heroes and villains, or meeting places for PC and NPC's.

 

Keep up the good work and keep us informed. This really is fun.

 

Matt "Living-vicariously-through-other-gamers?" Frisbee

[Theron]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

Tomorrow is D-Day. My first gathering of the group to play. Or sort of play. More like a combat session with shake the rust off of four of us and introduce the other guy to the system, followed by going over character ideas and helping folks less familiar with the system get their PCs put together. So far, I've got two confirmed PCs. The Missus will be playing Witchfire, wielder of the Elemental Ring and grand-daughter of the WWII heroine Sea Witch. The other confirmed PC is USA Patriot, a Captain America type, with an interesting twist in that he's half Asian. For the combat, the other two players will get pre-gen characters. One of them mentioned wanting to run either a gadgeteer or a Mr. Terrific knockoff, and the last is new to superheroes and still learning the ropes.

 

I need to print out the pre-gens (member of the Champions) and pick out some villainy for them to whomp on. I also need to find my battlemat. It's been ages since I've needed it.

 

And my cardboard heroes. And buy snacks.

 

Ugh. Maybe it's not too late to cancel.

[Super Squirrel]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

Good luck.

[Theron]

Re: My New Project - 101 Days Of Champions

 

I must say, things went pretty well.

 

I had the two players with their PCs ready and gave the other two Ironclad and Defender. They faced off in Throwdown Park (a quick sketch on my battlemat with lots of trees, a pond, and a path), against Green Dragon, Icicle, Pulsar, and The Bull (a conversion from V&V). Dice were thrown by the handful. I caught a couple of preparation errors I shouldn't have made, but it gave me a chance to work around them. Ultimately US Patriot pasted Green Dragon (who I think we need to make into a Hunted), Icicle (a pyrophobic) got imprisoned in a cage of fire, and Pulsar turned tail and ran. The Bull could've held out for a while (he's plenty tough), but since this was basically a shakedown cruise, I didn't worry about it too much. I was definitely rusty as far as my GMing skills were concerned, even if this was just a pointless fight, but at least I know what I did wrong and how to fix it when we get up to speed.

 

After that, we discussed character ideas for the other two guys and amused Phalanx (not a comic book guy or a supers RPGer before today) with our comics geek-fu.

 

All in all, not a bad way to kill an afternoon. I can't wait to get the real campaign rolling.

 

Quotes of the day:

 

In character:

Witchfire: Does anyone need help?

US Patriot (fighting Green Dragon): No, I'm almost done with this Chinese take-out.

Witchfire (blasting GD): Oh please, let me heat it up for you.

 

Out of character:

Jess: Wow, this is really going quickly. You know what we need? One of Bob's speedsters.