novi Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Among the many campaign concepts I've got simmering and want to do something with someday is the music group game. Basic concept? The PCs and every group they run into are musically inspired. I'd plan to play it for comedy. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement issues in the game. A couple examples that have inspired me: The Abbey Road Gang Feedback! So, does anyone else have any ideas along those lines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Well, there's this archive of music-based characters: http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationsmusic/musicchar.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Holck Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Ma Baker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups We had a thread somewhere around here that was a "Name That Band" by creating a group of characters (Villains or Heroes) named after song titles... I'm way to lazy to find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups White Gold would so own. Jukebox Hero seems to be the most popularly created in this vein. I've known lots of people who used this name at some point in their campaigns. I made a group long ago and I remember nothing about it now. It would be interesting to re-explore this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Digital Hero #24 includes full background and character sheets for an entire music-themed villain team called the Choir, created by our own Denver "Hermit" Mason: Bridge, Caterwaul, Crescendo, Dirge, Duet, Songbird, Soprano, and Virtuoso. Very interesting and diverse group, although some of them aren't well suited to comedy. Here are free samples from the article of two members of the Choir, Duet and Dirge. If you can get your hands on the 5E HERO version of The Algernon Files by BlackWyrm Games (an overall excellent character sourcebook for Champions), you'll find full write-ups for an all-female superpowered punk/goth rock band known as Hell's Belles. They're certainly competent enough to be a real threat to superheroes, although they're mainly interested in making music, so easy to use in lighter-hearted adventures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Digital Hero #24 includes full background and character sheets for an entire music-themed villain team called the Choir' date=' created by our own Denver "Hermit" Mason: [b']Bridge, Caterwaul, Crescendo, Dirge, Duet, Songbird, Soprano,[/b] and Virtuoso. Very interesting and diverse group, although some of them aren't well suited to comedy. Here are free samples from the article of two members of the Choir, Duet and Dirge. If you can get your hands on the 5E HERO version of The Algernon Files by BlackWyrm Games (an overall excellent character sourcebook for Champions), you'll find full write-ups for an all-female superpowered punk/goth rock band known as Hell's Belles. They're certainly competent enough to be a real threat to superheroes, although they're mainly interested in making music, so easy to use in lighter-hearted adventures. I really like Dirge's background and concept. I wasn't even thinking of adding music-based villains, but I might have to adapt him. Thanks for the link! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups There's always Kissmyanthia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Holck Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups I have a whole Bast Mafia built around Cats mostly martial artist an interesting trick was Mongo Jerry and Rumple Teaser could switch places with each out and indeed teleport loot that way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narratio Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Hey novi, as you've got everything music based, do you have an overall campaign arc? Like your mastermind villain is a Phantom of the Opera type? Secret genius, failed musician after some nasty accident seeking revenge upon the world. Tried with punk , then rap, now probably J-pop... Or it's really a hidden war between two or three competing factions of musical creators. Sort of Chinnichap vs SAW vs independent music writers. Or, still with the secret war, major recording studios vying for cash (situation normal then) or maybe it's Satan's way of drumming up business - 'Devil Came Down To Georgia' style. Some factions (Viper / Demon etc) trying out low level mind control techniques - who can promote a no talent bum into a position of fame and... hang on a minute... hasn't this already been done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoloOfEarth Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Some factions (Viper / Demon etc) trying out low level mind control techniques - who can promote a no talent bum into a position of fame and... hang on a minute... hasn't this already been done? American Idol? America's Got Talent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naanomi Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Some factions (Viper / Demon etc) trying out low level mind control techniques - who can promote a no talent bum into a position of fame and... hang on a minute... hasn't this already been done? And thus, Grunge music was born... oh you don't mean that kind of bum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novi Posted November 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Hey novi, as you've got everything music based, do you have an overall campaign arc? Like your mastermind villain is a Phantom of the Opera type? Secret genius, failed musician after some nasty accident seeking revenge upon the world. Tried with punk , then rap, now probably J-pop... Or it's really a hidden war between two or three competing factions of musical creators. Sort of Chinnichap vs SAW vs independent music writers. Or, still with the secret war, major recording studios vying for cash (situation normal then) or maybe it's Satan's way of drumming up business - 'Devil Came Down To Georgia' style. Some factions (Viper / Demon etc) trying out low level mind control techniques - who can promote a no talent bum into a position of fame and... hang on a minute... hasn't this already been done? Ah, if only I were so far along. I'm more in the initial brainstorming area, trying to get enough character ideas to put together the game. I haven't even started on a plot, thought all of your suggestions could make a good game. Okay, maybe having a plot would help me figure out what groups I need. But at this point, I don't have a venue for he game, and it's mostly just brainstorming. The proper context is essential for a game like this, since the joke will probably get old after about 5.27 sessions, give or take. also, thank LL. T should take a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoloOfEarth Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Digital Hero #24 includes full background and character sheets for an entire music-themed villain team called the Choir' date=' created by our own Denver "Hermit" Mason: [b']Bridge, Caterwaul, Crescendo, Dirge, Duet, Songbird, Soprano,[/b] and Virtuoso. Very interesting and diverse group, although some of them aren't well suited to comedy. Here are free samples from the article of two members of the Choir, Duet and Dirge. Having used The Choir, I can endorse them wholeheartedly, though I agree that some of them may need to be modified for comedy or dropped entirely. As for both comedic and music-based, I've used the 4E heavy metal supergroup Road Kill to great effect in the past. Edit: In case you hadn't heard of Road Kill, they consist of Heavy Metal, Axeman, Boomer, Screech, Sparks, and Ted, plus their Roadies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Road Kill is far from my favorite 4E Champs adventure -- I don't get the impression the author really understood much about rock sub-culture -- but it does contain the germs of some decent characters and ideas. Come to think of it, for those reasons the group might even work better for a comedy game! And wonder of wonders, it's still available from the Hero Games website store, reasonably priced: https://www.herogames.com/viewItem.htm?itemID=73042 Along similar lines, you might be able to use Michael "Susano" Surbrook's 5E updates and "debugging" of the supervillain punk band Argent Anarky, from the otherwise wretched 4E Champs book European Enemies: http://surbrook.devermore.net/revisedhero/herorev.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alverant Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups I remember a villain from early Gold Digger comics. An Elvis impersonator who learned magic. His supervillain name was Spellvis! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoloOfEarth Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Road Kill is far from my favorite 4E Champs adventure -- I don't get the impression the author really understood much about rock sub-culture -- but it does contain the germs of some decent characters and ideas. Come to think of it' date=' for those reasons the group might even work better for a comedy game![/quote'] I never ran the adventure from Road Kill, but I have used Road Kill as a villain group several times. One time in my game I had Weird Al Yankovic do a parody of one of Road Kill's songs, to which they objected and tried to take out his tour bus (and the heroes of course saved him). The players got a huge kick of having the Perk "Favor: Weird Al" on their character sheets. Edit: IIRC, they even called in that favor to get Foxbat off their backs once. To tell the truth, I don't know much about heavy metal rock culture either. I took Road Kill as an in-game parody of that culture, and played them that way. I forgot entirely about Argent Anarky, but frankly I tried to forget much of European Enemies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Only one flaw in that plot... Al normally asks before making the parody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoloOfEarth Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Only one flaw in that plot... Al normally asks before making the parody. Maybe he talked to a business manager of some sort, who didn't clear it with the band beforehand. But yeah, I didn't consider that before I ran the game. Besides, if there's a group just begging to be parodied, it would be Road Kill. The worst part, for the players, was that I wrote a Road Kill song so I could "sing" it during play. Fortunately for the world, the lyrics were lost when my computer crashed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted November 6, 2009 Report Share Posted November 6, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Maybe he talked to a business manager of some sort, who didn't clear it with the band beforehand. Which fits what happened between Weird Al and... whoever did Gangster's Paradise (which Al parodied as Amish Paradise). He thought he had the okay only to have the original artist throw a fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted November 6, 2009 Report Share Posted November 6, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Which fits what happened between Weird Al and... whoever did Gangster's Paradise (which Al parodied as Amish Paradise). He thought he had the okay only to have the original artist throw a fit. That was the once-hot Coolio. I never ran the adventure from Road Kill, but I have used Road Kill as a villain group several times. One time in my game I had Weird Al Yankovic do a parody of one of Road Kill's songs, to which they objected and tried to take out his tour bus (and the heroes of course saved him). The players got a huge kick of having the Perk "Favor: Weird Al" on their character sheets. Edit: IIRC, they even called in that favor to get Foxbat off their backs once. To tell the truth, I don't know much about heavy metal rock culture either. I took Road Kill as an in-game parody of that culture, and played them that way. I forgot entirely about Argent Anarky, but frankly I tried to forget much of European Enemies. I did run the suggestion from the 4E Champions Universe book of a "battle of the bands" between Road Kill and Argent Anarky. It was organized by rock star Leo Lowe (secretly Leo of the Zodiac -- see The Zodiac Conspiracy) as a diversion for one of the Zodiac's plots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Agenda Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups One band can provide a lot of hero and villain names, my age may be showing but Steely Dan and R.E.M. come to mind. Crimson Tide, Deacon Blues, Orange Crush, Electrolyte, Daysleeper, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Holck Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Well, there's this archive of music-based characters: http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationsmusic/musicchar.html those are fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups Doe: Martial artist with superleap, fast running, and levels with a move-through attack. Ray: solar-powered energy projector. Me: a mimic, so characters fight themselves. Far: speedster, with heaps of Combat Skill levels vs Range. Sew: has a device that fires small spikes with rope entangles. La: a Follower for Sew. Tea: boils water vapor from the air to create energy blasts and steam clouds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 Re: Music-themed groups those are fun I hope to add more in the future. And many of those were created by other people; I'm always open for donations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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