I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

[assault]

I'm considering starting a game, but I've run into a rather obvious snag.

 

Basically, it's going to be a mystery heavy, low combat thing - the kind where Batman rules, and Superman would use his X-Ray vision more often than his Heat Vision. (No telepaths!)

 

I have a set of scenarios to run, but... I don't really have a framework for getting the PCs involved!

 

I envisage it as being a bit of a Scooby Doo set up, but I need a way for the group to get together in the first place.

 

The PCs will be fairly low-powered in combat terms, but may have world class non-combat abilities. They're not a bunch of wannabes. I don't envisage them having a common origin.

 

So: does anyone have any bright ideas about why a bunch of supers would want to start hanging around together and looking for clues?

 

I can provide (make up) more information if requested.

[bubba smith]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

two actively investigating

two friends of the victim wanting to help

and two more who just blunder in fom out of town

[assault]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

two actively investigating

two friends of the victim wanting to help

and two more who just blunder in fom out of town

 

A good start.

 

I'm only planning on four PCs. I want to be able to spend a fair bit of time on/with each character. Well, maybe five PCs, if one's a Great Dane.

[assault]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

Another possible analogy: Green Lantern/Green Arrow on their road trip.

[Sketchpad]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

How about this:

A mutual friend of each hero has gone missing (along with a few other folks as well). The heroes find clues that they're victims of a Saw/Jigsaw-type killer and only have a small window before their friends fall victim to the madman's fiendish plot. As they work to discover clues, they run into each other and find that they'd have better luck working as a group rather than individuals. As they find the victims, place the heroes in a position to save one of the other's friends.

 

As an additional twist, include a 5th NPC hero. This is actually the villain who has heard of the heroes and believes, through his own twisted logic, that they should be a group ... and that every group is formed through tragedy. Perhaps he painstakingly has set up a base for them (where the people are) and plans on donating money either mysteriously or at the time of his death.

 

 

Hope it helps

[Certified]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

If all the PCs are of the heroic investigation cloth would it be safe to say that something of large enough scope could draw them together?

 

For example: One character is investigating a bank job that had gone horribly bad a few months ago and no leads had come up. Another a break in at a research lab. A third is researching the deaths of several homeless people from a bad neighborhood. While the fourth is researching the death of a Security Guard who works at the water treatment plant.

 

Each of their investigations lead them to a common point. Hopefully we have some dialog and sharing of information while evidence at their current location ties it all together. Then again depending on the Players you may be looking at a super fight...

 

In this scenario I would give each of the Players their set of background information before the first session or run a solo one shot with each. This allows you to bring them all together at the start of the first group session as they meet.

 

All things being equal we can hope they work together from that point. One thing to look out for is the lone wolf character when trying to bring a party together in game versus pregame.

[ParagonAlpha]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

Would you mind posting a brief bit of information about the characters? I'm sometimes lucky and can build something off of that.

 

But so far some great ideas.

[OddHat]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

It's usually easiest for me if the PCs are already a team before the game starts; then you can skip the meet up scenes unless you really want to run them. "OK, you've all been working together for about six months now. Here are some notes giving what you know about the other PCs. Decide for yourself how you feel about them."

 

That said, "You all knew the person in trouble" is a classic.

[Shaft]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

I find a good strategy is to tell the players that each character already knows 2 of the other PCs and let them figure it out. Then their relationships dictate the "pulling in".

 

The tone changes dramatically out of the gate when two PCs have decided that they are best friends, siblings, are old army buddies, business partners or whatever.

[assault]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

I don't want things to get too complicated, so big introductory scenarios are out. Shortcuts are something else.

 

In this scenario I would give each of the Players their set of background information before the first session or run a solo one shot with each. This allows you to bring them all together at the start of the first group session as they meet.

 

"You've been investigating this and it's led you here."

 

Well, apparently it worked for Aaron Allston's Strike Force campaign, so I guess it's a viable option.

 

Would you mind posting a brief bit of information about the characters? I'm sometimes lucky and can build something off of that.

 

Not possible. There aren't any PCs yet - I haven't even finished designing the game!

 

It's usually easiest for me if the PCs are already a team before the game starts; then you can skip the meet up scenes unless you really want to run them. "OK' date=' you've all been working together for about six months now. Here are some notes giving what you know about the other PCs. Decide for yourself how you feel about them."[/quote']

 

That's possible. I'm trying to write up a bit of introductory blurb text, though, and I think doing this might come across as a bit of a cop-out. It's really is tempting, though.

 

I find a good strategy is to tell the players that each character already knows 2 of the other PCs and let them figure it out. Then their relationships dictate the "pulling in".

 

That's a definite possibility. I'm not sure how it works with Secret Identities, though.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

Can't give you solid suggestions without more information on the plot, the villains, or the foes. But here's some things that worked for me.

 

My first Champions group got together because we happened to all be in the same area when one part of the plot (VIPER tries to kill a defector meeting with UNTIL) went down. The GM had one villain attack, one hero reacted, another villain attacked, another hero reacted, etc. until we were all engaged in the battle. Then we stayed together to deal with the fallout of the attack.

 

In my current game, I had each hero investigating a seemingly separate crime (with each involving a separate supervillain), but all were secretly related to the overall plot. The supervillains were forming a new group, so I also had one PC hero overhear an agent of the villains trying to recruit another agent as a driver, and he mentioned the group forming and all the villains involved. So that PC knew that the other solo heroes in town were all unknowingly investigating the same plot, and contacted them to bring them together.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

That's a definite possibility. I'm not sure how it works with Secret Identities' date=' though.[/quote']

 

They don't have to know each other's secret IDs. They could have just met or worked together on past cases. (A and B worked a kidnapping case, B and C dealt with an attempted robbery and carjacking, A and C met on patrol and had the cliched "mistaken identity mini-battle", B and D were both tailing the same VIPER agent, etc.)

[Bloodstone]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

An NPC that they all know and respect asks for their help.

 

A rash of crimes in home cites all point to a single master mind.

 

Everyone is attending a world peace conference or similar large social gathering when the ninja's attack!

 

"Ok, you're in a bar looking for adventure..."

[assault]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

In this scenario I would give each of the Players their set of background information before the first session or run a solo one shot with each. This allows you to bring them all together at the start of the first group session as they meet.

 

All things being equal we can hope they work together from that point.

 

I'm beginning to think this might be the best approach. The last sentence is the key though!

 

Maybe... the PCs all have established solo careers, and are invited to a meeting by a mysterious host.

Murder ensues.

 

 

Hardly original, but simple and to the point.

 

Keeping them together is a problem. I don't want to use the "clearing their name" thing, and I'm not all that keen on them being sponsored. I could just run their next adventure on immediately after their first one finishes...

[assault]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

Can't give you solid suggestions without more information on the plot' date=' the villains, or the foes.[/quote']

 

Typical plot: Whodunnit? Some stranger ones as well, to break things up.

 

Typical villain: a guy in a mask. Actually, usually without the mask. Occasionally weirdies and "unstoppable" monsters.

[assault]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

"Ok' date=' you're in a bar looking for adventure..."[/quote']

 

Don't laugh. I'm seriously considering it!

 

OK, I'll probably have a slightly better reason why they're in the bar, but there are good reasons why the classics are classics.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

The PCs will be fairly low-powered in combat terms, but may have world class non-combat abilities. They're not a bunch of wannabes. I don't envisage them having a common origin.

 

So: does anyone have any bright ideas about why a bunch of supers would want to start hanging around together and looking for clues?

 

If you can link the characters to a location, that may be a start. It's tough to get specific without details of the characters. Possible Maguffin Locations:

 

- a conference - given they all have world class non-combat abilities, they could be presenters, attendees, or panelists on the same panel. Maybe the scenario can start at the conference.

 

- they're all on the same airplane flight, going to the same location for different reasons. If the scenario can begin at the departure or arrival airport, or in transit, they're all in one place to start working it.

 

- they're all at the same hotel, or at the same restaurant.

 

Location, Location, Location!

[assault]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

- they're all at the same hotel' date=' or at the same restaurant.[/quote']

 

This is starting to look like the way I will go. I might even go with something like the Empire Club from Justice Inc.

 

Get them there, somebody drops dead, and the game is afoot!

 

---

 

Incidentally, this thread has been very useful for me. When I started it, I had no idea what I was going to do. Now I'm very close to having a Master Plan.

[csyphrett]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

To echo Hugh, the Angle Man was killed at a detective convention. Something similar could be a start up point.

 

CES

[Clonus]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

 

The PCs will be fairly low-powered in combat terms, but may have world class non-combat abilities. They're not a bunch of wannabes. I don't envisage them having a common origin.

 

So: does anyone have any bright ideas about why a bunch of supers would want to start hanging around together and looking for clues?

 

 

How big a group? Because you know, the truth is, in a campaign that isn't very combat oriented you probably don't need a mob of superhumanly enhanced detectives. While lots of boots on the ground can help with door to door legwork, that's the kind of police work where superpowers and genius don't help all that much. Once you've put Sherlock Holmes together with Harry Dresden and Reed Richards, you've already got all the information gathering capability you could possibly need for any imaginable situation. In detective work quality matters more than quantity. And when you've got only three or so characters, it isn't that hard to put them together.

[Shaft]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

Here's another idea: If time travel is possible in your game, a villain from the future tries to get them all killed before they can form the team. Since they are all targets of the same plot, they compare notes and end up deciding to team up. The rest is literally history.

[Certified]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

Here's another idea: If time travel is possible in your game' date=' a villain from the future tries to get them all killed before they can form the team. Since they are all targets of the same plot, they compare notes and end up deciding to team up. The rest is literally history. [/quote']

 

The Terminator Effect

 

As a player I would have to work in a "Come with me if you want to live."

[assault]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

Here's another idea: If time travel is possible in your game' date=' a villain from the future tries to get them all killed before they can form the team. Since they are all targets of the same plot, they compare notes and end up deciding to team up. The rest is literally history. [/quote']

 

Interesting. I might have to rep you even if I don't use it.

 

Yes, time travel is possible in my game. It follows Silver Age Superman conventions, where you can't change the past (unless the story is better that way), and everyone travels in 100 year increments (except when Superman is returning to Krypton, or when Supergirl visits the Kents, or...).

 

Something along these lines could work, although to be honest it has a bit of a retcon feel, as if some writer has come along decades later and changed the story. But then, I suppose that's what time travel does!

 

Once again, though, I would have to resort to background notes to explain why the PCs are all in the one place at the same time. A long set of solo adventures that I'm not all that interested in seems like a good way of killing off my game before it starts. I think any solo stuff I do use would have to be very quick and simple.

 

So, while this is a good idea, and time travel will happen sooner rather than later, I think it might be a little complex for my purposes. What I'm really after is a running start with the minimum setup time.

 

You're repped anyway.

[assault]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

How big a group? ... In detective work quality matters more than quantity. And when you've got only three or so characters' date=' it isn't that hard to put them together.[/quote']

 

I'm going with four. That allows a little more leeway for no shows, and can allow some interesting two against two dynamics. If it wasn't for that, I'd go with three.

[Psybolt]

Re: I'm not sure how to get the PCs together!

 

I have a campaign where the first adventure was to solve the murder of the world's greatest super hero (The Champion). The NPC non-powered partner of the Champion recruited the group after months of research. You see, the Champion had prophetic dreams and had forseen a series of events that began with his death. The Champion had accepted that his demise was inevitable and he had sent his friend to find a group of heroes to try to prevent the rest of the visions from coming to pass (which included the fall of the USA) in case he was killed. It became a murder mystery trying to solve the riddle of who had killed the Champion.