Getting the heroes together (the first time)

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Getting the heroes together (the first time)

 

The way I got the players together for my current campaign was to have them investigating seemingly unrelated pieces of an upcoming new supervillain team's plot. If it helps, you can feel free to modify or steal this for your game.

 

PC1 fought some robots at a laundry company, turns out one got away with a bunch of PRIMUS uniforms (the local PRIMUS base used that company for cleaning all their uniforms). The robots are minions of a fairly new supervillain. (Feel free to subsitute other minions, or throw in the supervillain himself, so long as he can get away from the PC somehow.)

 

PC2 happened upon a supervillain and some thugs buying some crates from a small VIPER front company. The villain got away with some crates, but PC2 discovered the others contained some stolen PRIMUS and SWAT weapons and equipment.

 

PC3 fought two supervillains breaking into a bank vault after hours for quick cash. She captured one, but the other got away with a bunch of money.

 

PC4 fought and captured Bulldozer after a bank robbery, and was asked to testify at the trial. After PRIMUS brought Bulldozer to the courthouse, and in the middle of the trial (while PRIMUS' attention was centered around Bulldozer), minions of a different supervillain stole the prisoner transport vehicle. PC4 learned that it had a hologram generator to appear as various normal vehicles (panel truck, UPS truck, ice cream truck, etc.)

 

PC5 was investigating the theft of a number of UPS trucks from a local distribution hub, and discovered that an ex-con worked there until just before the thefts. At a seedy bar, he overheard the ex-con telling his brother about his "new gig" working as a driver for a new group of supervillains (whom he named and the hero overheard). They have cash (from the bank break-in) to pay well. The villains had something big planned and needed more drivers.

 

After nabbing the ex-con, who of course refuses to talk, PC5 saw in the news where various heroes fought minions or individual members of this new villain team, so he contacted those heroes to meet and compare notes. They figured out that the bad guys are going to try a bait-and-switch to get a captured villain (Utility) out of PRIMUS custody during transport, hoping to recruit him into their team.

 

Of course, PRIMUS didn't believe the heroes at first, but allowed them to accompany the transport (in a different chase vehicle). At some point, a bunch of UPS trucks pulled out at the same time that a villain jammed radios, remotely commanded Utility's transport to change holograms to a UPS truck, and remotely drove it down a side street. The police and PRIMUS chase vehicles fell for the bait-and-switch, but the heroes followed the right vehicle, battled the villains, and kept Utility from getting free.

 

And viola! Instant superhero team!

[Plex]

Re: Getting the heroes together (the first time)

 

These are all really great ideas, thanks. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I am going to do, but whatever it is I know that eventually it has to be VIRGIL that set it up. The whole thing will be a set-up so he could see if they can work together as a team and if they can hold their own. (Whatever fight will end up happening, I'll need one character to break through a wall/ road/tunnel/whatever so that they can find a "secret" passageway that will lead to the hidden base where VIRGIL is located. Then from there things will get really interesting.)

[GoldenAge]

Re: Getting the heroes together (the first time)

 

As a GM, I usually want my heroes to be driven by Silver Age principles (though their powers can reflect any era) and, in order to enforce that little home rule; I recently created an inaugural scenario that involved a tragedy.

 

The heroes (all new to each other) rose up in their own way to battle against evil and the odds for others (proving their heroic ideals - even if they don't consider themselves heroes).

 

In the end, this acts as sort of an action interview... You don't really know someone until you've fought with or against them. By fighting against hope and for others (not themselves - personally they're not in danger until they spring into action) in their first battle they forge a base of trust from which a team can form and prosper (despite personality quirks).

 

 

The event was the assassination of a Senator who was running on an equality/better tomorrow platform by a neo-Nazi organization calling themselves the New Reich. The assassination was a surprise but because the event was large enough to garner attention from most of the city every available hero was there (or nearby). The New Reich didn't stop with the Senator and immediately turned their weapons on the gathered crowd of over 200 VIPs and thousands of average spectators. The heroes did a GREAT job and, believing that they were alone, stood up to the assassins saving countless lives.

 

HERO.Com Forum regular Rapier (above) was part of the scenario and did a great job!

[McManus]

Re: Getting the heroes together (the first time)

 

As a GM' date=' I usually want my heroes to be driven by Silver Age principles (though their powers can reflect any era) and, in order to enforce that little home rule, I recently created an inaugural scenario that involved a tragedy. [/quote']

 

And to instill the seriousness of it you could include a NPC, established as a legacy hero, who gives up his life heroically to help avert the disaster, giving the PCs a legend to live up to.

[GoldenAge]

Re: Getting the heroes together (the first time)

 

And to instill the seriousness of it you could include a NPC' date=' established as a legacy hero, who gives up his life heroically to help avert the disaster, giving the PCs a legend to live up to.[/quote']

The seriousness was immediate as the Senator's head (a character who was known to be a Golden Age hero turned representative of the people and proponent for truth and justice) was brutally exploded by sniper fire to open up game play. That was immediately followed up with wholesale slaughter of some of Epic City’s highest profile citizens who were in attendance… It was a bloody day that could have been much worse if not for the quick actions of the heroes.

 

As for a legacy character... The Senator's daughter took up that role after her father died in her hands (though her participation as an NPC was limited to little more than finance and getting the players organized for her secret revenge on the murderers of her father... disguised as a call for heroes to fight the evil spreading throughout the world).