League of Champions

[Gnaskar]

I participate in a local gaming club. We meet once a week, play some board games and do some role-playing. This school year we've done Changeling the Lost, but the most influential members of the club are getting bored with Urban Fantasy, and with the World of Darkness system. So they've asked for volunteers to run next year's campaign and ideas for a system to use that isn't DnD or WoD. Naturally I pulled my Basic Rulebook out of my bag and suggested Champions as a possible campaign; I was met with overwhelming support and a pile of questions. It seems likely that I'll be running the campaign next year, and that it will be a variation of Champions.

 

My problem is that on a average day this club has 15 players and 3 GMs. We peak at over 25 people. As a GM, it's simply epic. Rather than playing the life of an adventuring group we model a whole society. It requires thinking far outside the regular box, and frankly I'm afraid its a bit more than I can handle. Hence, I appeal to the collected genius of the forums.

 

The first thing I need is plot ideas. My previous champions game was a collection kidnapped DNPCs and robberies in progress. I'll need more of a repertoire, essentially plots that are low on combat, or without combat entirely. I've never actually run any non-combat encounters. Remember that the rather unique nature of the club allows for added dimensions to the plot, like two groups working at the same problem from different angles.

 

Secondly, I need villains. The awesome, the evil, notes on running official ones, crazy teams you're made yourself, theme groups, ect. I've got 140 missions to plan; everything goes.

 

My Plan, or what I have so far

First off, the players will have part of some larger group of heroes than in a normal campaign. A League like organization is the best idea I've been able to come up with. It allows for a rotating roster for teams for different tasks, makes it possible for them to be asked on expeditions, and is a large enough organization to allow for infiltration by hostile groups. I also figure internal politics and rule changes could be a spring board for non combat scenarios.

 

As for plot, I need a big and scary foe for a campaign spanning meta arc. The problem is that it's hard to choose just one big bad. Between MECHANON, VIPER, DEMON, ARGENT, Istvatha V'han, Takofanes, Dr. Destroyer (shadow or standard) or even Foxbat, there are a lot of potential masterminds out there. As it stands I'm considering two half year storylines, first Istvatha V'han then Takofanes, with the others coming in on semi related month long storylines, and/or making appearances occasionally on scenarios not related to the main plot.

 

As a starting point to the campaign, I figure some disaster strikes Millennium City, a general call for heroes is issued, and a coalition forms from the gathered heroes. An alien invasion would do nicely, especially if it's a race of aliens working for Istvatha V'han. Of course, if I later figure another master villain for the main role another disaster might be more appropriate.

 

And that's all I've got. Ideas will be rewarded with rep.

[Sketchpad]

Re: League of Champions

 

The league idea is a good one. I would suggest looking at several team books from the Big Two, in particular the current run on the X-Men books and some classic Legion of Superheroes. Both have a massive roster and manage to spotlight members well. Maybe give them a base in a central location where they meet and are allocated on missions ala Mission Impossible style. Perhaps in the world you're using, Heroes have to work through an agency to gain support/benefits (aka Police Powers, Legal Support, etc.) after a world-changing event. I've always been partial to the Champions: New Millennium info, where the main heroes of the world were wiped out during a massive attack, leaving only a few experienced and several new heroes around.

 

As for adventures, well, if you have 140 missions, with 3 GMs ... that leaves around 46/GM with 2 remaining. The first thing I would do is create a few arcs much like you see in comics. Things like your bank robberies, corporate espionage, simple smash & grab. These would be good for a couple of games, but maybe start revealing they're part of a bigger plot. Maybe a mastermind villain or organization are using these attacks as a diversion to steal X or place in motion plan Y. So maybe plot out something like:

 

Title: The DEMON of Politics

Group 1

Mission 1: Ogre is hired to take down a campaign HQ for the re-election of the Mayor. Upon his defeat, the heroes find he was working for a mysterious benefactor.

Mission 2: DNPC Sally disappears and the heroes search the city for her. In the process, they discover Mystic Baddie G in the sewers with a stream of Norse monsters. Defeating him, he says something cryptic about the worse winter of the year.

Mission 3: Stray Troll from 2 is sent to destroy politician Pete before he can make a run for Mayor.

Mission 4: DEMON stands revealed as the mastermind behind the plot and the heroes must stop them from assassinating the current mayor during a freak snow storm and placing their own person in.

 

Title: The DEMON of Winter

Group 2

Mission 1: Heroes battle Pulsar during a bank heist. After the battle, they find evidence that he was only hired help.

Mission 2: Heroes uncover an artifact theft and battle DEMON outside of the National Museum. Upon their defeat, they discover there are plans to use the artifact in a political ploy.

Mission 3: After a spree of abductions in the city, the heroes battle Mystic Baddie X, during which, they uncover that he was collecting people for DEMON. They find DNPC Sally.

Mission 4: DEMON raises Ymir to battle the heroes.

 

And so on. Each mission could be a weekly session, with each GM working with the others to create a fun continuity between games. And each arc could focus on a different style (i.e. - one magical, one cosmic, one disaster, and one organized crime), with linking the games allowing for members to join up with other teams. Maybe have a few massive crossovers utilizing the 2 spare sessions for a truly epic event in the same lines as Secret Wars or Infinite Crisis.

 

Hope this helps

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: League of Champions

 

I want to see writeups of Mystic Baddie X and Mystic Baddie G.

I assume G is aimed at the young folks and the hippity-hop music, while X is some kind of mutant, and maybe they met when X dropped out of Mutant High School to keep it real in the 'hood. (They say that now, right? It's not just me all hopped up on instant coffee?)

[csyphrett]

Re: League of Champions

 

there are threads full of characters that can be used as villains, heroes, or fixers.

CES

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: League of Champions

 

And in all seriousness, Sketchpad's fight with Ogre sounds like a better introduction to the campaign than an alien invasion. He might be a little light in the loafers for group, though. How about Holocaust, being manipulated by DEMON through a cutout?

Hmm. The main problem with Holocaust is that his most powerful ability is also a bit subtle --that Absorption VPP. The tactics suggestion for Holocaust is that he configures it to the heroes he is expecting to meet. Why not have him take down the big name solo hero of the setting. The players respond, beat Holocaust, and when the hero goes off to spend the next six months in traction, the PCs inherit his casefile. And, little do they know it, DEMON's gradually unfolding plan to bring chaos to the city on the eve of 2012.

[Sketchpad]

Re: League of Champions

 

Another possibility is to use a few pre-generated modules, like War of Worldcraft and Foxbat for President

[Checkmate]

Re: League of Champions

 

There was a campaign book for 4th edition. I can't remember the name of it, but it was where a team of supers from a different dimension invaded ours. There was adventures for different groups of PC's, a Street Oriented arc, a Mystic arc, and a high tech arc.

 

Another suggestion, if you take Hudson City Blues (again from 4th edition) and put it on a wider scale and use a Lex Luthor type villain, this could be a world spanning epic adventure.

[MeteorMan]

Re: League of Champions

 

I just reread "The Justice Society Returns" a 9 issue story and it has potential for a large group story arc as the storyline below attests to a super group of 14 characters with a main storyline and then a 7 separate 2 character adventures happening simultaneously around the world and then the return to the main villain and a showdown with the whole team at the end. With a little rework it can be used with your main villain Istvatha V'han. You would need to pick 7 villains to substitute for the Avatars.

 

 

Storyline

 

During World War II, Nazi sympathizers begin a ritual using Dr. Occult to bring a being known as Koth to Earth, in order to ensure an Axis victory in the war. Hourman and several magical heroes attempt to stop them, but are unsuccessful. The spell goes wrong, however, and the Nazis release a villain known as Stalker, whose sole purpose is to end life everywhere and thus end war. The magical heroes are either killed or captured by Stalker, and only Hourman and Dr. Occult escape. Hourman informs the rest of the Justice Society of America about Stalker, and the group battles with him in Washington, DC. The JSA manages to wound Stalker enough so that he must create seven disciples (the men who originally brought Stalker to earth) to carry on his work while he recuperates. The JSA splits up to batter each of the disciples. Each team is able to defeat a disciple. Dr. Occult gathers everyone together to battle Stalker in Antarctica, where Stalker is building a machine that will destroy all life on Earth. After a long fight, the machine is destroyed and Stalker is defeated.

[torchwolf]

Re: League of Champions

 

There was a campaign book for 4th edition. I can't remember the name of it' date=' but it was where a team of supers from a different dimension invaded ours. There was adventures for different groups of PC's, a Street Oriented arc, a Mystic arc, and a high tech arc.[/quote']

Might you be referring to "In the Shadows of Worlds" from Champions Universe 4th Edition?

(ISBN 1-55806-167-3)

That different dimension featured an alternate Earth with some interesting twists.

[Checkmate]

Re: League of Champions

 

Might you be referring to "In the Shadows of Worlds" from Champions Universe 4th Edition?

(ISBN 1-55806-167-3)

That different dimension featured an alternate Earth with some interesting twists.

Hmm maybe did it have a character called Mistress Stormbriar and... Bronze Tiger (pretty sure that was the name)? The leader was a guy in armor.

[torchwolf]

Re: League of Champions

 

Hmm maybe did it have a character called Mistress Stormbriar and... Bronze Tiger (pretty sure that was the name)? The leader was a guy in armor.

The alternate Earth was Anarchy World (seems in 4e the alternates mostly ended in "World").

Leader was Baron Mass, and there was Mistress Stormbriar, Bronze Bandit, and Sister Shadow.

Funny, the adventure is only 24 pages - those pages must have made some impressions.

[Checkmate]

Re: League of Champions

 

Yes that was it. I was going to run it on Hero Central. I planned to run the three threads ad three different campaigns, never telling anyone that they were related. Even the big fight at the end where everyone was together I wouldn't tell them that the "NPC's" they saw helping or even met were really PC's in a different campaign. The the reality of how impossible that would be hit me and I gave it up.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: League of Champions

 

Borrow from the Justice League as the AAA, the Justice Society as AA, and the Teen Titans as A League Farms teams.

 

Or go the Stormwatch method of standard teams of with lots of Guest Starring and etc...

 

15 Players and 3 Game Masters? Those were the days.

 

QM

[Fry Daddy]

Re: League of Champions

 

You could go really old school and run the Great Super-villain Contest...that dates back all the way to 2nd edition...

[novi]

Re: League of Champions

 

The first thing that strikes me is that you can run three different power levels and/or gaming styles. A team of heavy hitters for those who like combat and a political wing for people more interested in character interactions. It also makes it easier to have Batman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary on the same team as Superman, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern; they are technically part of the same team, but they have different adventures. And it's easier to explain why they only fight supervillains of their power level.

 

You might want to have everyone give you a concept before you tell them the power levels and see how things break down - it'll let you see who wants to play and how, and you can tailor each team based on that. It also might help you in choosing a mastermind if there's strong preference towards any of their shticks.

 

The big question on the team structure is whether it's pre-existing or just happens during the first adventure, and whether it's the characters' idea, or some benefactor who convinces them all to join. Also, does everyone join the same team to start with, or are there three teams that gradually merge as the campaign goes on?

 

It almost sounds like the best campaign might be world-domination chess between Dr. D and Menton. You know, each is conducting a intricate and massive plan to take over the world, and there is conflict between the two and the PCs. And the PCs shouldn't know that it's all because of those two until month 11 of the campaign. But that would also be hard to plot out.

 

If you want aliens to attack, you might have it be retaliation for VIPER or ARGENT managing to get out there and really tweak them by stealing a bunch of their stuff. And then the PCs have to help track it all down, lest the villains figure it out and upgrade their stuff with advanced alien tech. And also figure out how they managed to steal from the aliens in the first place...

 

On the other hand, depending on what you mean by modeling societies, another option might be to run a non-stupid version of Civil War. And figure out which villain is behind it all, and how this helps their master plan...

[Nuclear Fridge]

Re: League of Champions

 

The alternate Earth was Anarchy World (seems in 4e the alternates mostly ended in "World").

Leader was Baron Mass, and there was Mistress Stormbriar, Bronze Bandit, and Sister Shadow.

Funny, the adventure is only 24 pages - those pages must have made some impressions.

Oh, they did.

Dark Seraph, Tyrannon, the Death Dragon... These were almost the 'end of level bosses'.

I'm planning to use it as part of my revived campaign.