Richest Man in the World Disease

[TheRealVector]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Umm... why not? Having someone be the best in the worlsd at something is completely in genre. Afterall' date=' the Hulk is the strongest one there is, the Flash is the fastest man alive, Batman is the world's greatest detective, Dr. Strange is the sorceror supreme... why can one of your PCs be the absolute best in the world at something? Afterall, this is not real life (where, yes, there is always somebody better; if not now, eventually), it is superhero comic book-style RPGs.[/quote']

 

Why can't one of the PC's be the absolute best in the world? Are you insane man!! What would happen if GMs across the world started letting their players live out their fantasies and having unbridled fun?!

 

These players aren't here to play any role they desire. How foolish, don't they know the disastrous consequences this sort of thinking could have on GMs plots/world/good time?

 

And besides, I love the look of bewildered disappointment that washes across their face when I tell them no.

[nexus]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

This is starting to look like some just don't like one guy's preferred fantasy compared to their own. I can't see what's inherently wrong about playing a wealthy character and having them "flaunt it" in game. Is he using to try to make the other PLAYERS feel bad? That would be just childish and sad. If your playing larger than life beings with superhuman powers what wrong with being "shiny"? Its mostly, as has been said, just fluff text about how your character spends their downtime in most superheroic games, it can be used for plot hooks or a rationale for certain things if the player wants. Are people just mad because they don't like one character's concept? There's a vibe like that player should be punished or something for playing a particular character that other players don't like. IN GAME rivalry, annoyance, even jealousy is fine and fodder for rp, but I don't get resenting it out of game.

[Mephron]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

The issue with the Player #3 type is that he does things and then goes, "I should be able to do that, I have Wealth", when it's more for things that he doesn't have the XP to buy right away.

 

Also, I openly admit part of my issue is that one of his characters used his Wealth to buy lawyers to defeat one of my characters in a lawsuit, after he took my gadgeteer's research on the alien nanotech and put it out on the Internet for anyone to use... including my character's derivative research on how to shut down the nanotechnology.

 

He had the ability to insulate himself from the repercussions of supervillian technology curve boosting and used it to his fulest extent, and that, sir, irritates me tremendously. He uses his wealth to shield himself from plot hooks.

 

Another issue is one of the oldest PCs in the game, who runs an aerospace corporation in the Secret ID and is a beloved hero in powered armor. Another PC showed up about three years ago, also powered-armor, same level of Wealth, similar motif in corporation. There are a few times when you just shake your head and go "...why?" and this was one of them. There was no reason for a new PC to go stepping on that character's toes. (The fact the new hero is now agitating to raise INT to my gadgeteer's based on 'well, I came up with all this stuff', and the new hero's INT is the same as the old power-armor character's INT apparently notwithstanding. This person is currently on a shortlist of people I have considered writing a "why this person needs to go from our Champions game" essay to Balabanto about.)

 

(Hell, my Gadgeteer's corporation has a branch that is basically "a bunch of smart guys sit around and wait for people to bring them a question, which costs $5 million to answer, no matter the question". I see this as deliberately NOT stepping on toes, and trying to work in the gameworld, instead of setting up a conflict through OOC knowledge during character creation.)

 

A great deal of it really does become us going, OOCly, "why do you need that?" and the answer being "...because." We'd like a better answer than just "Because."

 

I had some great RP with the leader of my gadgeteer's team, because my gadgeteer FUNDS that team, but doesn't think she can lead worth beans and therefore doesn't do any leadership things. But when one of the people on the team performed a MAJOR screwup, she had to go and say, "Listen, I stay out of team politics because I don't want to be seen as undermining you as team leader, but I do fund this team, and we have to deal with this." It made some good RP, totally based on my character having the Wealth to fund a superteam. It CAN be done, but there are people who expect to just be able to wave their hand and their Wealth magically does things.

 

And that's a problem, because they forget that in a modern world, Wealth is just as much a power as Flight or Energy Blast, and they refuse to remember the Parker Lesson Of Powers.

[nexus]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Why can't one of the PC's be the absolute best in the world? Are you insane man!! What would happen if GMs across the world started letting their players live out their fantasies and having unbridled fun?!

 

These players aren't here to play any role they desire. How foolish, don't they know the disastrous consequences this sort of thinking could have on GMs plots/world/good time?

 

And besides, I love the look of bewildered disappointment that washes across their face when I tell them no.

 

Man, what kind of sadistic jerkwad GMs have you had? You seem actively hostile to GMs as a class.

 

But relating more to the topic, being The BEST with some players carries a connotation that can't really be supported in a game specifically that their character will never fail and that there is no one else, anywhere, ever that comes close to them in their area of expertise. Its not always that case. When some say the "The Best" they mean they want be in the top tier, respected and admired as one of the go to guys as far as their area is concerned. I've got no problem with that but there are some that expect if they're PC is the the "best" fighter in the world it means they will never lose a fight or even be signficantly challenged by it. If they're the smartest man in the world then there is no else approaching their intelligence, they will face no signifant intellectual challenges and no other character, PC or NPCs is allowed to have intellectual or scientific acheivement that approach or, Heaven forbid, exceed their own. I expect that many of the gms that instictively blanche when gives them a character concept about being "the best" have run to the second type of player more than the first.

 

Its not all about taking glee in squelching the player's hopes....

 

That's just part of it.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Umm... why not? Having someone be the best in the worlsd at something is completely in genre. Afterall' date=' the Hulk is the strongest one there is[/quote']

 

Yet the Hulk has encountered foes who turn out to be stronger than he is. The Abomination is stronger than a calm Hulk. Certainly, the Hulk is not stronger than Galactus. It has never been definitively determined which of Hulk, Thor or Hercules possesses the claim to greater strength. The Hulk BELIEVES himself to be the strongest one there is, and he's far enough up the curve to generally back it up, but it is by no means clear he is stronger than a few other SuperCharacters, and there are definitely Marvel characters who are stronger.

 

the Flash is the fastest man alive

 

Yet Wally West was not capable of outracing Zoom, and Barry Allen's speed was matched by the Reverse-Flash, Kid Flash and Jay Garrick in his prime. Although titled "The Fastest Man Alive", there were those who could match the Flash, and on occasion outrace him.

 

Batman is the world's greatest detective

 

Yet he was unable to sufficiently cover his tracks to prevent Ras Al Ghul learning his identity, and Ras had to tell him how he figured it out. Doesn't that make Ras a great detective as well? Which of them, objectively measured, is superior?

 

Dr. Strange is the sorceror supreme

 

That's a title. Many otherworldly beings he encounters clearly have vastly superior mystical might. Baron Mordo was able to obtain superior magical powers, albeit only by selling his soul to three different buyers.

 

... why can one of your PCs be the absolute best in the world at something? Afterall' date=' this is not real life (where, yes, there is always somebody better; if not now, eventually), it is superhero comic book-style RPGs.[/quote']

 

I would suggest that most characters who are touted as "the best in the world" have encountered someone better at some time if they have a lengthy publishing history.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

The issue with the Player #3 type is that he does things and then goes' date=' "I should be able to do that, I have Wealth", when it's more for things that he doesn't have the XP to buy right away.[/quote']

 

That simply needs to be answered - 15 points in Wealth does not provide unlimited xp. That thing you lack the xp to purchase? Sure, wealth can provide it. But you'll need to hire appropriate specialists, they'll need appropriate equipment, and they will reqiuire research time. How much time? Well, about the same amount of time it will take to earn the xp required to purchase the ability. What an amazing coincidence - but then, amazing coincidences are commonplace in supers comics, right?

 

Also' date=' I openly admit part of my issue is that one of his characters used his Wealth to buy lawyers to defeat one of my characters in a lawsuit, after he took my gadgeteer's research on the alien nanotech and put it out on the Internet for anyone to use... including my character's derivative research on how to shut down the nanotechnology.[/quote']

 

Frankly, that seems a perfectly valid use of Wealth. It sounds like the player is a lot more Lex Luthor than Bruce Wayne, but that IS an in-genre use of Wealth. I would suggest, however, that a bit of creative application of your own character's scientific and gadgeteering skills would provide the opportunity to "get even", if one upmanship is the name of the game here. Or your character could shrug it off and focus on being a hero, assuming that this universal knowledge distribution isn't harming people.

 

He had the ability to insulate himself from the repercussions of supervillian technology curve boosting and used it to his fullest extent' date=' and that, sir, irritates me tremendously. He uses his wealth to shield himself from plot hooks.[/quote']

 

My character uses his Force Field to shield himself from villainous attacks, preventing him being KO'd and captured. Being captured is a plot hook too, isn't it? Actually, NOT being wealthy also shields you from a lot of plot hooks. No one tries to swindle a pauper, their loved ones don't get kidnapped for ransom, and they don't have to deal with villains threatening to destroy their real estate. And doesn't your 2 points of wealth shield you from "trouble paying the rent" plot hooks?

 

I'm not sure how wealth insulates one from technology (although Tony Stark always seems a couple steps ahead on that curve, and Reed Richards is on a whole other curve from most).

 

The fact he uses his abilities "to their fullest extent" bothers you? Do you generally lower your defenses, movement and/or attacks in combat, or are these normally used to their fullest extent? Do you sandbag your skill rolls and not use your skill levels, or do you use them to their fullest extent? I'm having difficulty with how Wealth is different.

 

I think the bigger problem may lie in the player's attitude, if he views this as a "player vs player" game. But Balabanto has indicated he expects the campaign to include PvP elements, so maybe he's more in tune with that aspect of the campaign. It's tough to say, not being part of that campaign.

 

Another issue is one of the oldest PCs in the game' date=' who runs an aerospace corporation in the Secret ID and is a beloved hero in powered armor. Another PC showed up about three years ago, also powered-armor, same level of Wealth, similar motif in corporation. There are a few times when you just shake your head and go "...why?" and this was one of them. There was no reason for a new PC to go stepping on that character's toes. (The fact the new hero is now agitating to raise INT to my gadgeteer's based on 'well, I came up with all this stuff', and the new hero's INT is the same as the old power-armor character's INT apparently notwithstanding. This person is currently on a shortlist of people I have considered writing a "why this person needs to go from our Champions game" essay to Balabanto about.)[/quote']

 

I consider clone characters to be more problematic - stepping on another player's schtick is something I would preclude as a GM. Mind you, that's a lot easier with five players than 50. Powered Armor is a pretty common comic book schtick. Iron Man and War Machine get along somehow. I would also have more of an issue with the player wanting to raise his INT "to match GadgetMan's" than to a level determined as appropriate by outside benchmarks.

 

Hell' date=' my Gadgeteer's corporation has a branch that is basically "a bunch of smart guys sit around and wait for people to bring them a question, which costs $5 million to answer, no matter the question". I see this as deliberately NOT stepping on toes, and trying to work in the gameworld, instead of setting up a conflict through OOC knowledge during character creation.[/quote']

 

Sounds like it also precludes anyone else being the "go to guy" in any field, since you can manage any question in any field.

 

A great deal of it really does become us going' date=' OOCly, "why do you need that?" and the answer being "...because." We'd like a better answer than just "Because."[/quote']

 

Why is your character a gadegteer instead of a Brick? And why should all the players even know everything there is to know about the backstory of the other player characters. Investigate how he got his wealth in-game.

 

It CAN be done' date=' but there are people who expect to just be able to wave their hand and their Wealth magically does things. [/quote']

 

So is your issue with the player who purchases wealth, or with the GM who allows wealth to accomplish far more than its point cost should permit it to accomplish? It was suggested early on that, perhaps, the manner in which Wealth is treated in Balabanto's game inflates its value well beyond its point cost. Is this your perception of the problem?

 

And that's a problem' date=' because they forget that in a modern world, Wealth is just as much a power as Flight or Energy Blast[/quote']

 

Then why are you upset that the character can accomplish things with that power?

 

and they refuse to remember the Parker Lesson Of Powers.

 

Then the results should come home in-game, shouldn't they? Is this a criticism of a player for playing within the game rules and milieu, or of the GM for not running the game the way you would like, by allowing Wealth to accomplish too much with too little in the way of repercussions and/or allowing players to design characters that step on other characters' toes?

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

First of all, just because someone has big pockets and hires the highest-paid lawyers doesn't guarantee they'll win. Ever see "Erin Brockovich"? Or "Philadelphia"? Might doesn't necessarily make right. This is a GM issue. If he hand-waves it to let Rich Boy win just because he has more legal clout, seems like he's missing an opportunity to introduce some interesting NPCs (like a skilled, highly-ethical, but unpopular lawyer to try the poorer man's case) and some role-play opportunities.

 

Wealth should not allow the purchase/use of things that can (and should) be paid for with character points. Again, it's up to the GM to say, "Okay, you want a spanking new Lear jet with all the (normal) bells and whistles? No problem, you'll have it by 4 PM. Oh, you want it invisible to radar? Sure, your scientific staff can get right on it. By an amazing coincidence, they'll have a prototype completed at the same time that you have the XP to pay for such a vehicle."

 

From Balabanto's first post, it sounded like *all* of the players are buying Wealth, most at the 15 point level, but it sounds from your post, Mephron, that it's just a few bad apples. He needs to either ride herd on those individuals (as a GM, I know that's easier said than done, but still...) or send them packing.

 

Edit: by this, I don't mean people with 15 points of Wealth are bad, but that one or two are abusing that Perk.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

That simply needs to be answered - 15 points in Wealth does not provide unlimited xp. That thing you lack the xp to purchase? Sure' date=' wealth can provide it. But you'll need to hire appropriate specialists, they'll need appropriate equipment, and they will reqiuire research time. How much time? Well, about the same amount of time it will take to earn the xp required to purchase the ability. What an amazing coincidence - but then, amazing coincidences are commonplace in supers comics, right?[/quote']

 

Talk about amazing coincidences - exact same thought, but you beat me to the "send" button. Repped.

[Balabanto]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Well, the Pomegranate brothers have the best escape tactic in the world.

 

(Drop weapons, drop gadget belt, get down on hands and knuckles, howl ook ook ook and beat their chest.)

 

Off to the local zoo they go. (Or the zoo they originally came from if they're in a different city.)

[TheRealVector]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Man' date=' what kind of sadistic jerkwad GMs have you had? You seem actively hostile to GMs as a class.[/quote']

 

Actually, I'm the primary GM in our group and have been for years. I have no more hostility to the GM class than I have for the Player class (I despise each equally LOL). But, having been playing and GM'ing since the late '70s I've seen the worse the hobby can offer. Therefore, I love to take the vantage point of the stereotypical idot adversarial GM to make a point counter to what it appears I'm advocating. It's almost like...satire?

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Talk about amazing coincidences - exact same thought' date=' but you beat me to the "send" button. Repped.[/quote']

 

And cross-repped!

[TheRealVector]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

The issue with the Player #3 type is that he does things and then goes, "I should be able to do that, I have Wealth", when it's more for things that he doesn't have the XP to buy right away.

 

 

Also, I openly admit part of my issue is that one of his characters used his Wealth to buy lawyers to defeat one of my characters in a lawsuit, after he took my gadgeteer's research on the alien nanotech and put it out on the Internet for anyone to use... including my character's derivative research on how to shut down the nanotechnology.

 

If your fellow players are using the Wealth perk to buy those things that should (per the Hero rules) need the expenditure of XP then this is a problem. A problem your GM should fix with one little magic word - NO.

 

See. How easy was that? Just don't let the player do these things without spending the appropriate XP. And if he doesn't use a fancy sports car or his jet to directly fight the bad guys then I don't think he should have to pay any points for his "flavor text" lifestyle. Hiring good lawyers sounds like a legitimate use of the Wealth perk.

 

As for the nanotech disaster: Guess poor little plebs like your character best not F@!K with the Big Boys cause you'll get spanked. Maybe you should have a talk with his character when his lawyers aren't around!

[nexus]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Actually' date=' I'm the primary GM in our group and have been for years. I have no more hostility to the GM class than I have for the Player class (I despise each equally LOL). But, having been playing and GM'ing since the late '70s I've seen the worse the hobby can offer. Therefore, I love to take the vantage point of the stereotypical idot adversarial GM to make a point counter to what it appears I'm advocating. It's almost like...satire?[/quote']

 

Oh ok, Fair enough. It was difficult to tell from your posts, they really came across as being pretty bitter about many bad experiences.

[TheRealVector]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Oh ok' date=' Fair enough. It was difficult to tell from your posts, they really came across as being pretty bitter about many bad experiences.[/quote']

 

Glad I cleared that up. I'm not bitter at all. I love the hobby and love my players.

 

But I really do believe that there are plenty of real GMs out there that aren't too far off from my parodies. There are plenty of posts on these very discussion boards that make that obvious! LOL

[Mephron]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Sounds like it also precludes anyone else being the "go to guy" in any field' date=' since you can manage any question in any field.[/quote']

 

Actually, it's established that the think-tank for Random Access Technologies has a two-year waiting list, allowing lots of people to open a similar service. We worked that out specifically so that there wasn't going to be a Bad Russian Ballarina situation. (I don't want to be Ana Steponyatoeva.)

[Mephron]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

As for the nanotech disaster: Guess poor little plebs like your character best not F@!K with the Big Boys cause you'll get spanked. Maybe you should have a talk with his character when his lawyers aren't around!

 

Some heroes do think that shanking the asshole in the alley isn't going to solve problems. I happen to play one of them with my gadgeteer.

 

Now, mentioning the horrible lack of sense of humor he's showing to my 11- Contact MerryAndrew The Foolmaker (Leader of CLOWN), that may be more up the line. Except the PC has also been shown to go completely nonlinear when horribly embarrassed, and watching them be slaughtered by him would probably ruin him, but also result in people dying that I'd prefer not to see die. And he probably would try to kill them all; the player has said that the PC has become more dark and a bit villainous in his methods (which means that hopefully he'll slip up and we'll catch him and legally kick his ass into Tomorrowland).

 

But my gadgeteer has sighed and decided that he can manipulate the legal system just like he manipulated the press, and until something can be done to make his trouble obvious, I just need to sit and wait for him to buy the wrong thing.

 

(Actually, a third PC has information that will bring his world crashing down when it's revealed, but no one else knows about it yet.)

[TheRealVector]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Some heroes do think that shanking the asshole in the alley isn't going to solve problems. I happen to play one of them with my gadgeteer.

 

Now, mentioning the horrible lack of sense of humor he's showing to my 11- Contact MerryAndrew The Foolmaker (Leader of CLOWN), that may be more up the line. Except the PC has also been shown to go completely nonlinear when horribly embarrassed, and watching them be slaughtered by him would probably ruin him, but also result in people dying that I'd prefer not to see die. And he probably would try to kill them all; the player has said that the PC has become more dark and a bit villainous in his methods (which means that hopefully he'll slip up and we'll catch him and legally kick his ass into Tomorrowland).

 

But my gadgeteer has sighed and decided that he can manipulate the legal system just like he manipulated the press, and until something can be done to make his trouble obvious, I just need to sit and wait for him to buy the wrong thing.

 

(Actually, a third PC has information that will bring his world crashing down when it's revealed, but no one else knows about it yet.)

 

Sounds like you have some good ideas on how to put this (somewhat) villainous player back in his place. A strategy that nullifies his wealth advantage is a good idea.

 

Best of luck!

[input.jack]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Umm... why not? Having someone be the best in the worlsd at something is completely in genre. Afterall' date=' the Hulk is the strongest one there is, the Flash is the fastest man alive, Batman is the world's greatest detective, Dr. Strange is the sorceror supreme... why can one of your PCs be the absolute best in the world at something? Afterall, this is not real life (where, yes, there is always somebody better; if not now, eventually), it is superhero comic book-style RPGs.[/quote']

 

 

Because if a comic book character gains a reputation as "the best" at something, and smeone else comes along who is as good or better, it makes for an interesting storyline.

 

When a Player has decreed that his Character is "the best" at something, and someone (like a villain) who is as good (or maybe even better, even at some small aspect) comes along, the Player gets huffy.

 

If you want to allow Players to determine that their Characters are "the best" at something in your games, and then use that Character as the "yardstick" for that aspect, go right ahead . But Ive seen it cause hard feelings and complications in games in the past. (Like what happens when the Player of "the fastest speedster in the world" decides to change characters, and soemone else who wants to play a Speedster isnt allowed to make the character they want because "the fastest speedster" is still out there somewhere. Or when Players disagree about which character is "faster"; the one with the most MPH speed in running, in Flight, or the guy with the 12 Speed).

 

Also, since PCs tend to be made on a point budget, declaring one PC "the Sorcerer Supreme" is problematic when another Player designs a mage character who is better designed and more powerful on the same points. Let alone NPC wizards.

[Niles]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Clark Kent BECAME a world spanning, award winning, pulitzer prize winning journalist.

 

He did not START with this. He had to EARN it.

 

Clark Kent got his pulitzer for an exclusive on himself he submitted with his resume to the Daily Planet. If you call that EARNING it by dint of LONG HARD HONEST WORK, I don't know what to say.

[assault]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Another issue is one of the oldest PCs in the game' date=' who runs an aerospace corporation in the Secret ID and is a beloved hero in powered armor. Another PC showed up about three years ago, also powered-armor, same level of Wealth, similar motif in corporation. There are a few times when you just shake your head and go "...why?" and this was one of them. There was no reason for a new PC to go stepping on that character's toes.[/quote']

 

This is a shtick preservation issue. The new character shouldn't have been allowed.

 

While big campaigns like this are much more vulnerable to this kind of problem than smaller ones, the GM should still keep his eyes open for it.

 

Worse, it sounds like these characters actually play together in the same physical group. If that is the case, then the "big campaign" excuse doesn't actually apply. Allowing shtick violations between characters that don't regularly associate is one thing, but allowing them between characters that do is just stupid.

 

I wonder if the campaign isn't starting to collapse under its own weight... It seems a bit unwieldy.

[Balabanto]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

I'd like to point out that whether or not he's super-man, you don't earn a pulitzer without super-writing skills. You can, but typically, only the best writers get such things.

 

And I don't mean how fast he writes. I mean how WELL he writes. Granted, he has super speed to correct his grammar, but usually, good writing comes from practice.

 

If you write wealth into a character's background at the beginning, it should be justified.

[input.jack]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

If you write wealth into a character's background at the beginning, it should be justified.

 

Heck, if you write ANYTHING into a character's background, it should be justified. However, "I have 15 points of Wealth because I inherited a fortune from my family" IS a justification.

 

"Its a Power. Its in the book" is NOT a justification. (Although Ive heard that one used)

[wrestlinggeek]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Because if a comic book character gains a reputation as "the best" at something, and smeone else comes along who is as good or better, it makes for an interesting storyline.

 

When a Player has decreed that his Character is "the best" at something, and someone (like a villain) who is as good (or maybe even better, even at some small aspect) comes along, the Player gets huffy.

 

If you want to allow Players to determine that their Characters are "the best" at something in your games, and then use that Character as the "yardstick" for that aspect, go right ahead . But Ive seen it cause hard feelings and complications in games in the past. (Like what happens when the Player of "the fastest speedster in the world" decides to change characters, and soemone else who wants to play a Speedster isnt allowed to make the character they want because "the fastest speedster" is still out there somewhere. Or when Players disagree about which character is "faster"; the one with the most MPH speed in running, in Flight, or the guy with the 12 Speed).

 

Also, since PCs tend to be made on a point budget, declaring one PC "the Sorcerer Supreme" is problematic when another Player designs a mage character who is better designed and more powerful on the same points. Let alone NPC wizards.

I guess I've just been blessed (for the most part) with fairly mature players who have a decent understanding of the genre. As for myself as a player, if I was (for example), playing the world's fastest speedster, then a villain came along who was just as fast, or even faster; that means it's my character's story. My time to step up as a player and take the spotlight for a little while. "Ok, I've always been faster than everybody else, but this guy is as fast as I am, maybe faster. I have to find some other way to beat him." Either that or find some way to become even faster than I was before(a justification for spending the points). As a player, I would love to play this out. As a GM, I would reveal (at the end of the adventure), that the villain's speed boost was only temporary, and that the PC is now, once again, the Fastest Man Alive. Or, I could leave the villain at his original speed, if the PC had found a way to make himself even faster (which I would have made sure was available, whether the PC found it or not). As for PCs having such arguments among themselves, that's called "stepping on the other guy's shtick." As long as the original character is still in play. If the first speedster is retired to NPC status, and another player wants to make a new character who is as fast, or faster, I see several ways to handle it. First thing, no matter what, sit down with both players and figure out how to handle it. Maybe the original FMA is even faster than ever, now that he is not bound by point restrictions. Maybe he retired completly, and has lost his superspeed altogether. Maybe he just dissappeared one day... Or maybe we just need to have a race, the winner claiming the title of FMA, and the other graciously accepting the number 2 spot. Of course, my instincts as the player of the first, retired, FMA would be to let the new guy have it (if the stats supported the claim), since he's the one who is now, actively playing. Afterall, I'm on to my shiney, new character, the World's Strongest Man:D . My point is that if you have good players and a good GM, such titles are not a problem. They are a role-playing opportunity.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Some heroes do think that shanking the asshole in the alley isn't going to solve problems. I happen to play one of them with my gadgeteer.

 

And there's no question that this is very much an in genre character. But it's ALSO in genre that characters with more money and contacts, and less moral scruples, are very difficult for such characters to deal with, and can be very frustrating for such characters.

 

President Luthor would be the epiome of such characters. Superman didn't "shank him in the allley" or take any other action against him. He accepted that Lex had been legally voted in to the highest office in the land by the will of the American people. He dealt with it.

 

Of course, we don't see whether Supe's player is enjoying this challenge to his near-omnipotent PC, or whining to the GM about how unfair it is that Lex can use his wealth, contacts, etc. to achieve an advantage that Supes can't just beat by punching it or burning it with his Heat Vision.

 

But my gadgeteer has sighed and decided that he can manipulate the legal system just like he manipulated the press' date=' and until something can be done to make his trouble obvious, I just need to sit and wait for him to buy the wrong thing.[/quote']

 

But it seems pretty clear that you, the player, are not so accepting of the situation.

 

Now, if the player is playing an Iron Champions Anti-Hero in a Silver Age game, I'd suggest that he's breaching the social contract. But, from the information we have on the campaign, it seems to allow for both silver and iron age aspects, pitting the two against one another. Given that, and given Balabanto's acceptance (perhaps even desire) that the result be player vs player conflict, it doesn't seem like either of you are playing outside the ground rules of the campaign. That's not to say you're doing anything wrong, but the assertion the other player is somehow doing things wrong seems no more valid.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Richest Man in the World Disease

 

Also' date=' I openly admit part of my issue is that one of his characters used his Wealth to buy lawyers to defeat one of my characters in a lawsuit, after he took my gadgeteer's research on the alien nanotech and put it out on the Internet for anyone to use... including my character's derivative research on how to shut down the nanotechnology.[/quote']

 

Just a thought I had this morning -- not knowing the details on the alien nanotech, but it seems to me if it could be used to, for example, create nearly undetectable cameras/bugs, or make anything highly dangerous, the government itself should have a MAJOR problem with such tech being posted for other nations (or terrorists, or whomever) to see, even if such tech would take huge resources to create. The US government considers 128-bit encryption a "munition" and restricts it's export, after all. I'd think posting alien nanotech on the web would jump from a legal question straight into Treasonland, and Richie Rich's wealth, of *any* level, isn't likely to save him from a trip to Club Fed.