Black Ops Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 I made it I finally finangeled a couple of my friends into playing Champions ! There is only one little problem: They want to play at home....here in Germany, not New York and such as usual. Here is my actuall problem: Germany has nearly no tradition of vigilantism and if I stay in tune with the Champions Universe (which is my intention.). I need to come up with some cultural backround for Germany concerning Paranormals. According to Champions Universe we have a required registration and when I look at how german Supers seem to have been used during WW2, I think our goverment would try to avoid deploying a overt paranormal force. Maybe a organisation on state Level ? Federal Police Force ? So far the only Idea I have come up with is a Unit that is part of the Bundesgrenzschutz. (GSG S ?) Anybody with Ideas or suggestions ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcan Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Nothing wrong with having a federally sactioned law-enforcement team of supers. In fact, if you think your players would go along with it, that could be a really fun game! Of course, the players would have to be willing to deal with the paperwork and government oversight that would entail (Bureaucratics, anyone?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yansuf Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Well, you could make them an UNTIL team based in FRG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... I assume you've already read the Germany-relevant sections of Champions Universe pp. 46 and 72, which briefly address German attitudes toward superheroes. If you want to harmonize your efforts with the official CU, there's a little more information about Germany specifically (and more about Europe in general) in the sourcebook Champions Worldwide. It wouldn't be worth getting the book just for that info, although it does include full write-ups for one German independent hero and two villains. Let me briefly summarize the useful info from that book: Germany, like France and Italy, is home to between 80 and 100 superhumans. Superhuman registration isn't mandatory in Germany, but without it a super can't receive any government sanction, and will be prosecuted for laws broken, as well as being liable for property damage. Germany has a (unnamed) ministry which oversees registration and sanctioning of superhumans, and coordinates with private teams when appropriate. However, Germany rarely grants official sanction even for popular and respected local heroes, and when they do it's only temporary. That info and the lack of any German government superteam mentioned leads me to conclude that Germany doesn't field any "official" national superheroes. OTOH UNTIL maintains an excellent relationship with the German military and law enforcement agencies, and often cooperates with local superheroes. There's also quite a bit of informal cross-border cooperation among European supers. For example, Chevalier of France has worked with the German speedster Geschwindigkeit several times, and Germany's elemental mystic hero Mondfeur has teamed with Italy's luck-manipulator Fortuna. VIPER reportedly dominates organized crime in Germany, and is suspected of trying to infiltrate various European adminstrative and espionage agencies. According to VIPER: Coils Of The Serpent, VIPER has a very large Nest in Berlin, and among its other criminal activies it supplies weapons to right-wing paramilitarists. DEMON is relatively low-profile in Europe, but as per DEMON: Servants Of Darkness there are two Demonhames in Berlin. In 2003 a Morbane known as the Widdershins Man, who led a Bavarian Demonhame, attempted a powerful demon-summoning ritual, but after it was broken up by UNTIL he's been in hiding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... try having tv hero level powers for the characters who volunteer their talents to the local police but are rebuffed as well intentioned freaks or have them work as corperate bodyguards [heroes for hire] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Ops Posted August 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Well' date=' you could make them an UNTIL team based in FRG.[/quote'] I am reclutant to try that. Lets just say a few of them are not that good at taking orders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... I would suggest that an independent team with informal connections to the German government or UNTIL would fit the setting best. Perhaps provide them with a corporate sponsor or patron. A company can get good PR out of superheroes on the payroll (or at least owing them favors). If you want to be subtle and nasty, the PCs' patron corporation could be Duchess Industries -- it's headquartered in Bonn, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Book of the Destroyer describes the Destroyer's 1982 attempt to return to the land of his birth. He seals off Berlin with a forcefield, but the New Knights of the Round Table are in the city. They are consulting with various German supers who want to form their own team, and it works out for the best. So I suggest a "free" team based in Berlin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Germans - DC Comics Database http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Germans Germans - Marvel Comics Database http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Germans German - List of Comic Books - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_comic_books#Germany_.28Comic.29 Continental Germanic Mythology - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_mythology Hmmm... QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Ops Posted August 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Sorry Question Man but that is not really helpful. Nearly everybody on the first two links is a Nazi and the third goes to the german equivalent of Uncle Scrooge and the Ducks. The others are pure mythology. Oddly enough german Legend has no real Mystic on the caliber of Merlin or Morgan LeFay. A lot of Faeries and mystical Dwarfs still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Admittedly from what little I have found there does not seem to a strong tradition of Superhero comic books in Germany. My glance into German social issues has left little for a traditional superhero team to be based on. Unless you want to draw from extremist groups. I would be very interested in seeing what your group develops. I could see a European Union style team more easily, but that's just my limited take on things. Cheers QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Ops Posted August 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... As far as I know there was never a Superhero Comic produced by germans and all effords to publish Marvel and DC stuff went under sooner or later. We have something akin to the Punisher a Guy called the Clown. He is the only "Super" that springs to my mind when I think about it. (He was created for Television. His shtick was that he wore a Clown Mask and had more Guns then everybody else. IIRC he was a former member of the GSG 9.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... As far as I know there was never a Superhero Comic produced by germans and all effords to publish Marvel and DC stuff went under sooner or later. We have something akin to the Punisher a Guy called the Clown. He is the only "Super" that springs to my mind when I think about it. (He was created for Television. His shtick was that he wore a Clown Mask and had more Guns then everybody else. IIRC he was a former member of the GSG 9.) perhaps tv style super like i sugested earilierfor instance olympic level athletes or psycics likt the british tv show the champions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yansuf Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... I am reluctant to try that. Lets just say a few of them are not that good at taking orders. So? In fiction, the cop/detective who doesn't follow orders but is tolerated because he/she get results is a staple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Ops Posted August 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Oh well. I am waiting for the first characters. They should come in today and tomorrow. So far I am promised a psychic, a brick and at least two "supernormals". (People with only slightly enhanced attributes.) I will translate them to HM and post them as soon as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... i'm sorry if my suggestions wen't any help ,i did the best i could Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Of the ideas you can fling around consider that the Wall has only been down for 20 years. Anyone older may remember it. The people in the East were more Socialist and that could colour any heroes or villains you have. Consider the land that Germany lost to Poland post war as Poland lost territory to Russia. Older German heroes ? I asked Der Roter Baron a similar question. Consider Blucher whose Prussian army helped defeat Napoleon at Waterloo. Consider and study the real life people Bismark, Scharnhorst and Gniesenau. These are all good bases for heroes. Then there is Arminius who lured three Legions to their doom during Augustus reign as Emporer. You could also look at Rosa Luxembourg who was a socialist murdered just after World War 1. Frederick the Great is another possible inspiration. I also picked the Lorelei who lives by the side of the Rhine as a villain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... one of our felow posters legatus lives in germany maybe HE has an idea that'll help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Ops Posted August 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Ok so far my Idea is that the different Bundesländer (federal states) form their own state sponsored Teams as a response for catastrophes and supervillain Attacks. The federal goverment itself keeps its Hands out of the Affairs to avoid any accursation (sp ?) of militarizing supers. There is a quite generous compensation and it will be tried to to keep the Identitys of the individuals secret. Since Germany still has the Draft the federal Goverment does a few test that are able to identify mutations. If you get identified you are automatically disqualified from entering military service, but are required to serve a period of at least 48 months in one of the Teams. (Afterwards you are on reserve status.) There pople are prodded by goverment scientists who try to categorized the individuals powers and discover eventuall side effects. People are further trained in Teamwork and given some combat training. I think a lot of Ideas can come from that: Getting over the political infighting...., combating Viper Attempts of infiltration ( and getting their records etc..) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnia Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Would DEMON or Circle of the Red Moon count as a cult by current German laws? I recall Germany having issues with Scientology and classifying it as a cult, so I'm wondering if something similar could be at work here as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Ops Posted August 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Well DEMON does human sacrifice (and overt crime), that is a big nono in germany. I think they would be a crimminal organisation at the least. The Circle is a different can of Worms. They are much more subtle. Very likely a Cult. (Paganism is not really big in Germany, but New Age is sort of.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcan Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... Ok so far my Idea is that the different Bundesländer (federal states) form their own state sponsored Teams as a response for catastrophes and supervillain Attacks. The federal goverment itself keeps its Hands out of the Affairs to avoid any accursation (sp ?) of militarizing supers. There is a quite generous compensation and it will be tried to to keep the Identitys of the individuals secret. Since Germany still has the Draft the federal Goverment does a few test that are able to identify mutations. If you get identified you are automatically disqualified from entering military service, but are required to serve a period of at least 48 months in one of the Teams. (Afterwards you are on reserve status.) There pople are prodded by goverment scientists who try to categorized the individuals powers and discover eventuall side effects. People are further trained in Teamwork and given some combat training. I think a lot of Ideas can come from that: Getting over the political infighting...., combating Viper Attempts of infiltration ( and getting their records etc..) Now that is positively brilliant. It never occurred to me that since Germany still has a draft, it would logically test for superhumans as part of the medical exams. Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... There is some interesting mystical information about Germany. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, of which Alistair Crowly was a well known member, was a real world "magical society of wizards." Certain information was given to the creator of the order, from a German woman, who supposedly was in contact with other greater Mages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetic_Order_of_the_Golden_Dawn And http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Sprengel It's not exactly as I read it, but close enough. This suggests Anna Sprengel didn't exist, but she might be for your game. Also I believe that one of the oldest known origin of Tarot lies somewhere in Germany. At least according to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberon Oberon: King of the elves, is based in German Lore. And going off of the Ring and the Nibelung, you could even introduce the Cast of the Nordic Gods, with their Germanic names: Wotan (Odin), Donner (Thor), Lodge (Loki), etc. Large somewhat brutish villains, or Honorable super team type... but they could get you some extra mileage. Even a group of Techno-super suits made up of Chicks, called the Valkyrie. What about a mad scientist who is using an army of Technology based super-zombies, he is mad and trying to validate the ridiculing of his ancestor- Friedrich Von Frankenstein. Other ideas Werewolves: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/werewolf.html Humm This has given me ton's of ideas (my super-group may be moving to Germany soon): http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/gerchange.html More ideas here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_folklore "Character folklore includes the stories of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the trickster hero Till Eulenspiegel, the Town Musicians of Bremen and Faust." Faust, how could I forget... man this could be a good guy, or bad guy either way, or just a magic user who uses his name, a fire based Energy Projector... Pied Piper- a Psi w/ mind control? I mean Wow. More here: "Some of the works of Washington Irving - notably Rip van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - are based on German folktales." Rip Van Winkle- Sleep based bad guy, or actual "man from the past"? The Legend of Sleepy Hollow- The Headless bloody Horseman... Oh, this is too cool. I now want my supers to fight the Headless Horseman! That's all I got for now... Hope this is some of what you were looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... aren't dr frankenstein and the werewolf more assosiated wit transilvania/romania than germany? if you do use dr. frankenstein though he could be one of the HEROES or an ally wanting to REDEEM his family honor instead of a villain avenging it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Re: Making up a current Day Germany for Champions..... aren't dr frankenstein and the werewolf more assosiated wit transilvania/romania than germany? if you do use dr. frankenstein though he could be one of the HEROES or an ally wanting to REDEEM his family honor instead of a villain avenging it Frankenstein is a very Germanic sounding name, so I figured it would be cool to go for it there, you could even have "The Monster" it self as a Hero (Brick tiype), or even just a body that's a brick, one of your master villain's come-backs in his "body." As far as the Dr... I Think him as a good guy is cool too, I was just having a brain-gasm. Werewolves... I was just following the information in that link, I don't know How Literal it is. I was also thinking a Classic Barbarian, Or even a Gaul Maybe a Classic Knight... Heck, continuing with the Ring and the Nibelung Sigurd or even Fafnir, both as the actual Hero and Dragon, or as names for supers with powers that evoke the image of those in the story. The Prussian- a militant like super. Here's more from The Ring and the Nibelung http://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/german.html#German and some from Beowulf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Germanic_deities_and_heroes Outside of the Wagner epic, a list of Pseudo-Norse gods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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