DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

[Lord Liaden]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

The Last one' date=' basically turned into Every version of Nighthawk from Marvel and DC hunting down the CU Nighthawk to kick him out of the Nighhawk continuity, for his incredibly lame Duck Cowl costume.....[/quote']

 

"Sigh" CU Nighthawk has received so much vitriol over that one unfortunately-proportioned illo -- the response itself has been disproportionate IMHO. Most other renditions of the character show him with a much smaller-beaked cowl. His illustration on the cover of Gadgets And Gear looks particularly cool and bada$$.

 

I reserve my contempt for Nighthawk for his being a would-be Batman homage with an exceptionally un-compelling (or -convincing) origin.

 

[Apologies to Steve Long. I respect his writing skill, but feel he fell short with that one.]

[Cassandra]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

My Nighthawk is a former U.S. Naval Intelligence Officer and Pilot who was the victim of a number of tragic events. His parents were murdered when he was fifteen, his naval career was cut short because he volunteered for a secret mission, he was forced to become a South American revolutionary to clear his name. He met and fell in love with a woman who was killed, rescued a genie who turned out to be a the daughter of the King of the Titans, flew off and landed on an island where he rescued the kidnapped and superpowered amenesic daughter of a millionaire industrialist, and then built up an aviation company with the reward money. Eventually he is joined by his brilliant criminologist twin sister to begin a career as crimefighters.

 

You know, that old chestnut.

[Cassandra]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

I do find it's helpful to build a well known character to compaire to an original version.

[Greywind]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

I don't have a Nighthawk

[Checkmate]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

The OP reminded me of a player we used to have in our group. He would make Homage characters, then try to completely deny they were homage characters, like they were his original creations. I was looking at a picture he drew and it had 3 claws coming out of the back of each hand. So I said "oh a wolverine type", his immediate response "No, he's nothing like Wolverine". So I started looking at the actual sheet... "So he's got massive REC and regeneration, enhanced senses out the wazoo, LS Immunity to Poison and Disease, Martial Arts and Claws. Which part of that is NOT Wolverine?" "Shut up". In his defense the costume was completely different and the name was Golden Gorger, so I guess that qualifies as "Completely Different".

[csyphrett]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

Well, the wolverine used to be called gorgers because they have to eat their weight in meat I believe.

CES

[Jas]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

He would make Homage characters' date=' then try to completely deny they were homage characters, like they were his original creations.[/quote']

 

Gah! The absolute worst thing to do.

 

If you like a character, make an homage, declare it proudly, and then show everyone how you managed to twist the minutia of the rules to make him or her as close to canon perfect as possible.

[RexMundi]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

My Homage characters have always been, either Bat-Man/Hawkman esque or combo's (Hence, swiping the name Nighthawk as often as everyone else, heh), OR, Giant Man, because all Real Bricks are Giants.....

 

~Rex

[Stone]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

IMO comic characters rarely translate well into RPG game. If they are in your setting, I would make them NPC's with little actual combat involved using them.

[RexMundi]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

I used to run both Marvel Super Heroes and every incarnation of the DC Heroes/Universe game as well.....You can have the big guns out there (in fact, that was the point of those games originally, making your Own Characters was sort of a secondary development)......and it works well if the GM knows what they are doing.

 

Now Mixing them into or having them pop up in a CU game. The Scale's not the same.

 

~Rex.....Scale not the same means, excessive amount of Work for the GM.....usually means, issues abound.

[Shadow Hawk]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

Gah! The absolute worst thing to do.

 

If you like a character, make an homage, declare it proudly, and then show everyone how you managed to twist the minutia of the rules to make him or her as close to canon perfect as possible.

 

Always admit the homage, and then declare where you changed it to suit the campaign, the rules, or where you think it went wrong.

 

I've done Spider Man, Wolverine, The Thing, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Iron Man, Captain America, Vindicator...

[RexMundi]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

It's all good so long as you admit it, and there is nothing wrong with xeroxing something you like game wise that way.....That's how we get, Miracle Man from Captain Marvel, and Moon Knight, from Batman. Comics have been around so long that even if you think you're being original, someone can point at it and go, "That's just a copy of...*insert name here*...." What makes it fun and original is what you do with it.

 

~Rex....Has done, Hawkman, Aquaman, The Atom (all versions), Dr. Fate, Thor, The Thing (And who wouldn't want their own Ben Grimm equivilant. ), etc etc etc ......More in the mode of folks like Doc Savage, The Spirit, Hourman, things like that for the last couple of decades......so long as you can admit it, it's all good.

[Shadow Hawk]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

Only problem I ever had was when I wasn't copying, had a original character and origin story... only to find out that the NAME had already been used by a minor character that didn't last two dozen issues.

[casualplayer]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

So many names have been expended on one-offs or just used period that it's best not to waste energy avoiding reusing one if it fits. You will have a Rogue, but he might a thief with hyperluck powers. You will have an Iron Man, but they might be a triathlete or a synthetic man who likes Black Sabbath. Calling a one-eyed giant anything but Cyclops is an exercise in futility.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

Of course the current official CU is full of homages to comic characters from mainstream publishers: Defender, Grond, VIPER, Kinetik, the Archmage, Doctor Destroyer, Nighthawk, Firewing, Black Harlequin, Diamond, the Empyreans, Prince Marus, Vanguard, Captain Patriot... They all have their own distinctive twists, but the affection for their original inspiration shows through. Which is what a good homage should have.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

So many names have been expended on one-offs or just used period that it's best not to waste energy avoiding reusing one if it fits. You will have a Rogue' date=' but [u']he[/u] might a thief with hyperluck powers. You will have an Iron Man, but they might be a triathlete or a synthetic man who likes Black Sabbath. Calling a one-eyed giant anything but Cyclops is an exercise in futility.

 

I must admit, I'm tempted to create a Rogue homage called Rouge -- with the same powers, except she turns dusky red when using them -- in honor of all those fans of the character who seemingly can't spell.

[torchwolf]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

I must admit' date=' I'm tempted to create a Rogue homage called [b']Rouge[/b] -- with the same powers, except she turns dusky red when using them -- in honor of all those fans of the character who seemingly can't spell.

Aargh.

Unfortunately, I recall the Swedish publisher of Marvel Comics, who managed to transform that character into cosmetics with alarming frequency, even on covers.

Also memorable was the issue featuring the death of Phoenix, where the cover stated (in Swedish):

"The death of Jane Grey"...

 

It should have cued me in that Jean Grey wasn't really dead, I guess.

[megaplayboy]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

Of course the current official CU is full of homages to comic characters from mainstream publishers: Defender' date=' Grond, VIPER, Kinetik, the Archmage, Doctor Destroyer, Nighthawk, Firewing, Black Harlequin, Diamond, the Empyreans, Prince Marus, Vanguard, Captain Patriot... They all have their own distinctive twists, but the affection for their original inspiration shows through. Which is what a good homage should have. [/quote']

 

Destroyer is kind of a fusion of the Red Skull and Dr. Doom, though. He's more powerful than the Skull, and more ruthless than Doom.

[casualplayer]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

I must admit' date=' I'm tempted to create a Rogue homage called [b']Rouge[/b] -- with the same powers, except she turns dusky red when using them -- in honor of all those fans of the character who seemingly can't spell.

 

I'm tempted to create a Rogue homage called Homage, who copies your powers but won't admit it.

 

Hacks copy carelessly; artists steal shamelessly.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

I'm tempted to create a Rogue homage called Homage, who copies your powers but won't admit it.

 

Hacks copy carelessly; artists steal shamelessly.

 

They need to have a silly British accent like an old Monty Python skit.

[IndianaJoe3]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

I'm tempted to create a Rogue homage called Homage' date=' who copies your powers but won't admit it. [/quote']

 

"I pronounce it Hom-age! I'm completely different!"

[RexMundi]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

Heh, I think I have players that do that all the time anyway.....Of course then I'm talking about folks that want to Hold and action then use their leaping ability to "take the blow" from the bad guy that's got the hostage in the biggening of a philidelphia curp stomp....." So getting them to admit a copy, probably won't work, heh.

 

~Rex

[Mathew]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

I think the 250 and 350 Point Project write-ups would be good for this. If a player wants to play someone "like Wolverine" just take the 250 or 350 point Wolverine writeup, which covers the basics of the character, rename the sheet "The Mad Badger" and you are all set. Instant homage.

[Shadow Hawk]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

I think the 250 and 350 Point Project write-ups would be good for this. If a player wants to play someone "like Wolverine" just take the 250 or 350 point Wolverine writeup' date=' which covers the basics of the character, rename the sheet "The Mad Badger" and you are all set. Instant homage.[/quote']

 

Which is pretty close to what one of my players did back in 1982 when she created "Cougar".

I am 90% convinced that the modern usage of the word "Cougar" for 'sexually agressive older female' comes from her.

[casualplayer]

Re: DC / Marvel Characters in Champions Universe

 

Every game needs a sexually aggressive older female, or at least an homage of one.