lynnlefey Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 Hello all, This is my first post on these boards. I'm posting because I have an idea brewing. That idea is the tentatively titled 'Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe'. The idea would be this: Create a comic book in the style of the 'Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe' with characters submitted by players. Each writeup would have a picture, stats, history, etc. I am a comic colorist myself, and know where to find lots of up-and-coming pencilers and inkers, to get really first-rate art for the project. Since this idea is still in the planning stage, I'd like to hear whether folks would be interested in such a project. You could get to share your characters with other Champions players, and for only a few bucks (I'm guessing around 3 dollars per book) GMs could pick up something with 28 or so characters, organizations, whatever, to fill in gaps in their world. Any ideas or comments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayapuppies Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe I think this is a wonderful idea! Assuming no Copyright mumbo-jumbo is infringed upon...not a student of that stuff so i wouldn't even know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpira Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe It does sound pretty good. Just as long as it does not step on any legal toes, I would love to see a project like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnlefey Posted August 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe I am in discussions with Steven Long concerning licensing as we speak. Ownership of all characters would be retained by their creators. Owners would have to avow that the characters were their own creation, etc., etc. As far as I can tell, that covers everything. I see no problem with getting PCs to submit their characters, but wonder if there might be a lack of villians submitted due to game masters not wanting their players to have access to all the juicy info on their campaign villians. Maybe the books ought to be divided with half the book open to all PCs, and the other half 'for GM eyes only' or something. This won't stop really nosy players, but it would at least make them keenly aware when they're looking at something they shouldn't. Another thing, if this project moves forward, would people be interested in Paper figs of the characters included on a separate cardstock sheet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Beyond Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe Sounds like a blast. Yeah, I'd be willing to throw A) a couple of characters into the project and a couple of bucks into the coffers for the end result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L.Craig Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe This is an excellent idea, I wish we had more customer produced products for herofans. Adventures, characters etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tribe Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe I really like the idea, and if you can tap into the comic art world that's even better. With the price you're quoting there, i'm sure there would be a LOT of people willing to send money your way in exchange for the books. Looking forward to hearing more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnlefey Posted August 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe Afte running the numbers, the cover cost might still only be $3 or so, but shipping is going to be an extra $1.80. What a bummer. I was hoping to keep it down to normal comicbook price. Still, I think it can be done for about $5 total, which is still a pretty cheap suppliment. I think as far is incentive to contribute, all contributors would get a free copy. In the case of artists, it would most likely be a flat $5 for their character sketch instead of a copy. All contributors would be criditted on the inside front cover, and I suppose e-mail or URLs could be included, giving players a way to communicate as well as giving artists some exposure. I've been bouncing the idea of content around. Let me assume 28 pages. My initial thoughts for content are: 6 pages dedicated to a single hero group, 4 pages dedicated to solo heroes, 6 pages dedicated to a villian group, 6 pages dedicated to solo villians, and 6 pages dedicated to organizations (one or more). Does this sound like a good mix? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe BTW, lynnlefey, welcome to the boards! You certainly came up with an attention-catching introduction. I hope you'll take advantage of the many other resources and diversions that our community has to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnlefey Posted August 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe Thanks, LL. This idea, that's been stewing for a few months, was what primarily brought me to the boards. I figured if I would like to see my character in a 'Handbook' kind of book, I bet other Champs players would as well. And where better to find other Champs players? I will explore the boards as time allows. I started into the 'Superhero images' thread... and realised it was over a hundred pages long! So, it might take me a while to see the sights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe By all means take your time, but don't hesitate to ask for something in particular. We're a generally friendly and helpful bunch, and the online community is big and very creative. Whatever you might be interested in HERO- or gaming-wise, there's a good chance we can hook you up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnlefey Posted August 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe Alright, lets start with this: Are there many artists on these boards that would do character sketches for other people's characters? Having dug through 13 pages of the art thread, I saw a few reasonably good artists. I'd like to give fans of the game system first crack at any art going into this project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe I have to say, I really like this idea, and at $5 I still think it'd be a bargain. Unfortunately, I am not an artist, and so can't contribute to that end of things. Characters? That I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnlefey Posted August 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe I'll keep everyone informed on the status of this project. I'm sure, when I solicit for characters, I'll have no lack of people wanting to contribute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchpad Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe It's a neat idea I've been doing something similar with my supers universe, which is slowly becoming a tome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe An excellent idea! I really like this. A couple of comments: Cardstock figures would be absolutely marvelous. A big to that. I'd recommend fewer teams and organizations---preferably none---because it's much easier for a GM to add characters to his team(s) than to pull them out of someone elses team(s) and then add them into a different team(s). At least, IME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnlefey Posted August 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe Thanks for the feedback, Basil. Anyone else have any thoughts on whether you'd like ot see a large number of individual characters versus teams? Do people want to see organizations? How about paper figs? Are these something worth adding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpira Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe Not trying to knock Basil. But I would rather like to see teams and organizations as a whole. If the team works well together then I like to be able to introduce that dynamic into my game world but if they do not I find it is easier for me to break that team up and simply use the components that I liked and then discard the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnlefey Posted August 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe The group dynamic thing was one reason why I thought it might be a good idea to have a hero group and villian group in each book, along with individuals. It also allows back-story ties amongst various team members. I also understand the desire for solo characters. And again, thought (probably) that folks would be more in need of villians than heroes. So, again, I'm thinking 6 pages for one hero group, 4 pages of solo heros, 6 pages for villian group, 6 pages solo villians, and 6 pages dedicated to organizations. This might change from one issue ot the next, if this becomes a series, but I think it would give a good mix of stuff for use in champs games. This is still open to input though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe And again' date=' thought (probably) that folks would be more in need of villians than heroes.[/quote'] I don't think in the long run it would really make too terribly much difference to players other than the contributors. Just rattling thoughts here, but would not simply annotating each character as 'hero' or 'villain' (or let the backstory tell it) be enough? Individual play groups who use the characters will most likely change little things here and there anyway; I don't think I've ever objected to another GM using a retired or discarded hero from my files as a villain in his own..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpira Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe I don't think in the long run it would really make too terribly much difference to players other than the contributors. Just rattling thoughts here, but would not simply annotating each character as 'hero' or 'villain' (or let the backstory tell it) be enough? Individual play groups who use the characters will most likely change little things here and there anyway; I don't think I've ever objected to another GM using a retired or discarded hero from my files as a villain in his own..... That's true but I think what I would like to get out of this is an understanding of how others heroes influence their campaign world. Some I have no doubt I will love and others I am certain I will not. Our heroes and villians usually have a mjor impact on our campaign world and so we hold them dear to us. I would love to see if we could ever create a multiverse with the compatible teams and villians assigned to various worlds and a database that we could all contribute to as well as extract. This looks like a step in that direction and one that I would heavily support. We are fans and we love what we do. Even if I can not use it for my campaign, I would love to be able to share in that with everyone here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe Certainly; I, too, would support any chance for the fans to exchange ideas and concepts-- I didn't mean to imply that wether they were heroes or villains did not matter; my comments were made in reply to the idea of page count per category.... Perhaps I should have said something more along the lines of "I would not insist on a balanced number of heroes, villains, groups, and organizations being presented in the (or, hopefully, _each_) supplement. I enjoy seeing all characters, good or bad, and if I like them enough for my own world, I will certainly find a way to use them." Hmmm.... seems I do my best 'speaking' when I'm completely unconcious. 'Night, All. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpira Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe I am here with you on that. Ok off to work for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funksaw Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe Afte running the numbers, the cover cost might still only be $3 or so, but shipping is going to be an extra $1.80. What a bummer. I was hoping to keep it down to normal comicbook price. Still, I think it can be done for about $5 total, which is still a pretty cheap suppliment. I think as far is incentive to contribute, all contributors would get a free copy. In the case of artists, it would most likely be a flat $5 for their character sketch instead of a copy. All contributors would be criditted on the inside front cover, and I suppose e-mail or URLs could be included, giving players a way to communicate as well as giving artists some exposure. I've been bouncing the idea of content around. Let me assume 28 pages. My initial thoughts for content are: 6 pages dedicated to a single hero group, 4 pages dedicated to solo heroes, 6 pages dedicated to a villian group, 6 pages dedicated to solo villians, and 6 pages dedicated to organizations (one or more). Does this sound like a good mix? Again; Lulu might be a good distribution method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Unofficial Handbook to the Champions Universe Sounds exciting; I'm all for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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