One-Trick Pony Campaigns

[Manic Typist]

Re: One-Trick Pony Campaigns

 

Thank you.

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: One-Trick Pony Campaigns

 

I think a nice variation of a OTP campaign is just that, but have them be 350-point experienced PC's - equipment, Tactics/Leadership powers, allies, low-end superheroic martial training, etc., can thoroughly round out a character, even if they originally were only 'I shoot laser beams from my eyes" lad.

 

It would probably be something like "you have one 60-point power or multipower. That one power can be anything, but probably should be magic or mutant-based. Everything else has an active cost of 30, and should reflect intensive training and experience."

 

You can do a LOT with that, if only with a Martial Arts EC, an Armor EC, a gadgeteering multipower, and the Ranged MA DCs.

[levi]

Re: One-Trick Pony Campaigns

 

...

The idea I was exploring was that of a Blood-like but much larger family line, each scion of which developed a unique, pretty much magical, Xanth-type Talent. The world wouldn't be a typical supers universe; they wouldn't be up against foes any more well-rounded than themselves. It would probably have deemphasized combat a lot, since combat would often fall into a "whoever goes first wins, unless they happen to be able to counter your power with theirs" deal. The PCs wouldn't be crime-fighters, more just extended family pulled into the plot because of relationships or direct threat from the main group of antagonists (a pair whose in-family political power was based on being the only people whose Talents enabled them to promise extended/eternal youth - a healer and a bodyjacker - and their thralls). Skills would be encouraged; each would have only one supernatural power but that wasn't intended to make everyone useless if their power wasn't applicable. It might be better to think of it as a Heroic level game, except that the powers could be quite high-level in their specific ways.

 

I'm thinking now that the low incidence and all-or-nothing predisposition of combat would probably make this not very fun for most gamers. It might work for a short-term campaign, though.

....

 

When I first looked at this thread it made me think of a Dark Champions Campaign in which the characters are limited to a single 45 AP Power to accentuate their Skills and Talents. I still think this could be cool to do.

 

Along the lines of a Bloodline of OTPs I would think of more of a Modern HERO type of game with a rival family / organization that the PCs would be working against. The vast majority of combats would be between the PCs and skilled normal agents or against the creatures / creations spawned by the rival in their bid to take over the world / undermine the PC family.

 

I may steal this idea...thanks

[John Desmarais]

Re: One-Trick Pony Campaigns

 

In the beginning (before secondary mutations, healing factors that somehow enhanced your senses, and nearly every telepath also having telekinesis &/or astral projection/clairvoyance), the X-Men were designed as one-trick ponies. Each was a normal person, with one specific "extra". Some mutant powers were more versatile than others (Iceman vs Cyclops or Angel), but for the most part each had to rely on teamwork to get done what needed to be done.

 

I've read a lot on this board to discourage such concepts; the big one seems to be that lacking superhuman defenses will get you killed real fast when you don't have the X-Men's plot protection powers at work.

 

On the other hand, people do seem to be playing X-Men based games, as well as Legion of Superheros games (another big herd of ponies). What are your experiences with such games? How do the characters stay alive without ubiquitous bulletproof spandex or combat luck? Are they fun to play, or do you quickly drop the campaigns for concepts that allow more versatility? What if powers were even more strictly held to concept (ie, no, you can't fly because you have a sonic scream, because that's just stupid; no, having an EB doesn't always justify having a FF)? What should a GM of such a game watch out for, what can he do to make it more fun?

 

I'm a big fan (both as a player and GM) of characters that have only one power, but only in the proper framework. One trick ponies only work well in a campaign where everyone is a one-trick pony. Even in the comics, where the writers have a lot more ability to manipulate the plot, the classic one-trick wonders tend to strain credibility sometimes. Cyclops just seemed to strain my suspension of disbelief a lot less back in the "good ole days" than now.

 

A single one-trick wonder in a typical "active point cap well balanced characters" type of campaign will probably have a low survival quotient as all of the well-balanced marvels, having some type of primary attack, primary defense, and primary movement; will tend to forget that Singlepower Lad can only function well in a team that really is a "team".

 

If I were going to start a game of this type, I would make it very clear to the players before hand what the expectations are of the characters - and make it clear that the villains will be built along similar lines. I would also put more effort than normal into having a "all-hands" character building session where the players can sit down together and build a team rather than a collection of individual characters.