Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Haven't seen too much in the way of reviews on this...so...seeing as I just got this today....I figured I'd give some first impressions.

 

The Layout: pretty good...though I'm not a big fan of what I call the "Cryptic" look. I did enjoy the ratings posted right by each villain entry.

 

The Content: A nice selection of bad guys. Not just the big guns, but a lot of their associates too. So..Warlord has his posse...Kinematik(hate that name!) has his brotherhood of mutants...Borealis his associates..and so on.

 

The art: This was seriously a mixed bag. Some of it was good....really good...and some of it was quite frankly...awful. I'd say more of it was good than not, but there's no excuse for some of the shoddy art in here. I'll marvel at the excellent King Cobra one page and then wonder who got their 4 year old child to scribble together the pic of Sunburst on the next page.

 

The writeups: Nothing too surprising here. I wouldn't say there was any major shift as far as the DEX scores, BUT....they weren't direct translations of the 5th stats either. Some of the new powers were used...mostly Barrier and Damage Negation, but these characters should be familiar to most people by now.

 

The newbies: I liked Professor Paradigm...and the picks for his associates made sense. They remind me a bit of DC's Brotherhood of Dada.

 

The Rest: This book pulls a LOT of content from older 5th books. You'll certainly get your money's worth buying this no doubt. If the art had been consistent throughout....this would have been a home run. It is very good for what it is though. Looking forward to looking at it more closely in the days to come.

[shugotenshi]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

I was wondering how this stacked up, I have conquerors, killers and crooks. I found that book very good for villain write-ups.

I appreciate the review, seems it is worth the cost, but it is nothing spectacular; just what was expected?

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

More notes...

 

Borealis and his crew are the first chracters listed. Noticed Augury really doesn't have any form of offense. Borealis uses the new Barrier power...with the Dismissable and Non Anchored options.

 

Doc D is as overpowered...and boring...as ever..clocking in at a whopping 3600+ points.

 

Gravitar added a few new tricks..like a Gravitic Pulse(Blast-double knockback) and a gravitic shield(Damage negation -8 DC's physical and energy). That one..combined with her normal shielding makes her darn near invulnerable. I'm not seeing the logic behind her having 40 STR though. I can see her using gravitic TK to lift things, but other than that..she should be a normal woman.

 

Holocaust got a significant power boost..with his energy absorption also providing defense..and a new energy draining ability.

 

Kinematik(formerly Momentum) got a new look, name, and origin. His VVP didn't have any sample powers listed which was kind of annoying.

 

Fossil...a new character(I think) is one of Kinematik's mutant followers.

 

Some really good art for Kinematik and friends as well as for King Cobra and his COIL group.

 

Mechanon was pretty much identical to his writeup in Book of the Machine just with 6th ed stats..Avar-7 and a couple other of his robot allies are included here too.

 

Menton got a big VVP(with sample powers this time) and he's more or less back to his 5th ed look(though a bit older and more serious looking). Love that 15 OMCV/DMCV.

 

I really didn't see the need to have guys like Franklin Stone or Dr. Moreau statted out, but...it is what it is I guess.

 

More to look at...thoughts later....

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

More notes...

 

Holocaust is listed as having sensed that Invictus has energy powers and is waiting to use the information to blackmail him. This seems unlikely as Invictus is already publically known as a super...so this information would hardly be damaging. Odd that this got overlooked...

 

King Cobra and his COIL group got quite a bit of space in the book, but as they're pretty cool and the illos for them all good...I didn't mind.

 

Menton is still a beast...if anything he's even better at mental combat. The illustration for him here is quite good. Older...more brooding...definitely scarier....like an evil Spock. Physically he's a tad weaker, but who cares? If you had his powers...would you ever be in a physical fight?

 

Necrull was pretty creepy even in his 5th ed version, but the art doesn't truly do him justice here. Interesting concept, but may be way too dark for some campaigns.

 

Joseph Otanga got a way better pic than either of his two previous writeups...props to the artist.

 

Sunburst and his group were more or less unchanged, but joined by Radium(which I did a long time ago in my campaign). The art on most of the members is pretty weak IMO. Only Phaze and Radium look at all impressive. Radium got a damage shield that makes it difficult to be around him unless you're immune to radiation.

 

Takofanes is still a a beatstick, but very close to 5th ed version. Art for him is much better though.

 

Some great art on Warlord and friends as well.

 

Yin Wu...I like him, but something about the expression on his face in his picture didn't suggest a criminal mastermind.

[Matt the Bruins]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

I'm not too thrilled with the content. Not crazy about the power creep on familiar faces like Dr. Destroyer, Menton, Mechanon, and Holocaust; I liked their 5th edition builds better. And I quickly learned to dread the appearance of the word Canada in any write-up as a sign of a twinked-out character that I would take an instant dislike to. (When you find yourself admiring the adaptation of Takofanes for the restraint shown, something ain't right. He's like a sentimental throwback to the days when a three digit VPP was impressive and unusual!)

 

That said, I did like how Istvatha V'han's soldiers and military hardware were fleshed out, and the inclusion of criminal masterminds like Franklin Stone and Dr. Moreau who don't possess godlike personal powers.

 

Art-wise, it was a mixed bag. I'm slightly puzzled by the substitution of new art for characters like Gravitar, Gigaton, and Tezcatlipoca that already had excellent illustrations in previous villain sourcebooks - was that a decision prompted by Cryptic to match the online versions? But at the same time, I prefer the new art for Menton and Takofanes, and I'm a fan of the animation-inspired style used for Franklin Stone, Sunburst, etc.

[Doc Samson]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

What's Fossil like? I have a character named Fossil in my game.

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

What's Fossil like? I have a character named Fossil in my game.

 

Fossil is one of Kinematik's mutant minions. His powers basically involve some sort of telekinetic control over bone. He can warp bones(Killing NND), heal bones, move objects made primarily of bone matter(TK). He can also maniuplate his own bones to give himself bony armor or bone claws or horns. In that way, he's kind of like Marvel's Marrow character. Fossil can also animate a skeleton and use that to attack(Summon). Generally, he's not that strong an opponent for superheroes unless they're vulnerable to his NND, but even then he's more of an ambush type character. In a straight up fight, I'd say he goes down pretty easily.

[Armitage]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

Gravitar... I'm not seeing the logic behind her having 40 STR though. I can see her using gravitic TK to lift things' date=' but other than that..she should be a normal woman.[/quote']

 

She had a 40 STR in Conquerors, Killers & Crooks too. No explanation there either.

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

I'm not too thrilled with the content. Not crazy about the power creep on familiar faces like Dr. Destroyer, Menton, Mechanon, and Holocaust; I liked their 5th edition builds better. And I quickly learned to dread the appearance of the word Canada in any write-up as a sign of a twinked-out character that I would take an instant dislike to. (When you find yourself admiring the adaptation of Takofanes for the restraint shown, something ain't right. He's like a sentimental throwback to the days when a three digit VPP was impressive and unusual!)

 

That said, I did like how Istvatha V'han's soldiers and military hardware were fleshed out, and the inclusion of criminal masterminds like Franklin Stone and Dr. Moreau who don't possess godlike personal powers.

 

Art-wise, it was a mixed bag. I'm slightly puzzled by the substitution of new art for characters like Gravitar, Gigaton, and Tezcatlipoca that already had excellent illustrations in previous villain sourcebooks - was that a decision prompted by Cryptic to match the online versions? But at the same time, I prefer the new art for Menton and Takofanes, and I'm a fan of the animation-inspired style used for Franklin Stone, Sunburst, etc.

 

Ugh...I hated that "animation" style artwork. It was more Power Puff Girls than Justice League if you ask me. Invictus had feet bigger than his head. Crappy proportions does not good art make...

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

She had a 40 STR in Conquerors' date=' Killers & Crooks too. No explanation there either.[/quote']

 

Odd. Guess it doesn't matter too much..as I'd never run her with a personal STR score of 40, but it is rather weird that she has it.

[Susano]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

Odd. Guess it doesn't matter too much..as I'd never run her with a personal STR score of 40' date=' but it is rather weird that she has it.[/quote']

 

It may be the same reason Shion Nys has a 40 STR in Kazei 5. Shion has no-range TK, which she uses to boost her STR. So she has 20 STR base and then +20 as a power. Gravitar may simply have a personal gravity negation field that acts as 40 STR.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

Gravitar has superior physical stats across the board. I always figured that was just one more element of her being a mutant. After all, there's nothing that says gravity control has to be her only mutation. And there are Special Effects benefits to her having exceptional abilities not based on gravity.

 

OTOH the books mention her on-off relationship with Holocaust, who also has STR 40. This would ameliorate the classic "man of steel, woman of kleenex" dilemma.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

One thing I do find a little disheartening is the increasing frequency of Variable Power Pools as the main power for master villains, rather than building defined abilities for them. I hesitate to criticize Steve Long whom I greatly respect, but I can't help feeling like this is lazy character design. It also puts more onus on the GM to come up with powers for the villains to use. Then again, perhaps this was intended to stimulate purchases of Champions Powers and similar books.

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

One thing I do find a little disheartening is the increasing frequency of Variable Power Pools as the main power for master villains' date=' rather than building defined abilities for them. I hesitate to criticize Steve Long whom I greatly respect, but I can't help feeling like this is lazy character design. It also puts more onus on the GM to come up with powers for the villains to use. Then again, perhaps this was intended to stimulate purchases of [i']Champions Powers[/i] and similar books.

 

In fairness...most of the characters with VVPs in this book DO have example powers...so it's not like no effort was made...so I wouldn't say lazy per se. Only Kinematik was missing example powers...which was annoying cause he's the one who'd probably need more definition for his powers. And even those who did use VVPs(like Menton)....it wasn't their sole ability. Menton could still Mind Scan and use Telepathy without using the VVP and so on. My overall response to the book was positive(minus some of the god awful art).

[Guest dan2448]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

I just received my copy a few days ago. So I thought that I'd offer my reactions to the previous comments in this thread, as someone who is really happy with the book but for whom some of the critiques also resonated.

 

The repeated criticisms above about the variable quality of the artwork are accurate, I think, but a little overstated. And in many ways those criticisms could really be re-interpreted as complimentary of much of the artwork, which is superlative. But as a result of being juxtaposed against some of the really excellent illustrations, the more minimal, animation-style line drawings that pepper the book really pale by comparison. That being said, I too thought that the flat, cartoon-y style of the "Invictus" artwork was a notably bad mismatch for the character. But you don't have to take my word for it. When my four year old daughter looked over my shoulder as I was reading through this book yesterday, she saw that illustration and asked, "Is that Fred from Scooby Doo?" That says it all, I think.

 

My favorite part of the book is the section for each character on "Associates, Allies and Adversaries." I am not a passionate fan of the Champions Universe, but I really loved these little sections in the book. Understanding Steve Long's vision of how certain of these characters relate to one another really gave me an ever better feel for the characters themselves, and helped imbue them with even more depth. For similar reasons I also really liked the sample "Quotes" from the respective characters. Steve has a real knack for writing those, too, I think.

 

Perhaps my strongest criticism of the book is that the backgrounds of many of the characters go on for too long, beyond even the point of interesting trivia in many cases. Several of the master villains have multiple minions whose own backgrounds are also expounded upon at length in the book, going back to their respective childhoods and parentage. For the characters I really liked, this level of detail was sort of interesting. But for most of the characters (especially the minions), I found myself wishing that these extensive background narratives would have been deleted in favor of having a single volume of villains, rather than this being the first volume of three.

 

For me the prototypical example of this extraneous detail was the full 18 pages devoted to King Cobra and his minions. I loved this character as a teenager when I first bought the 2e "Enemies" book back in 1983 (and when he was just "Cobra"). His whole description back then took up a half a page, and his textual description was one paragraph (within that half page). In contrast, in this new book there is a detailed narrative description of one of King Cobra's minions called "Boomslang" whose "Background/History" section runs and five full paragraphs alone (in addition to a full-page character sheet on the next page). It takes four paragraphs of this "Background" (running a half a page) just to get Boomslang to the age of 17 (all before he had any super powers). And that's just for one of King Cobra's multiple minions.

 

After having read this book, I now understand how the 5e Champions "Conquerors, Killers & Crooks" book, which was a single volume of 230 pages, is being expanded into a three volume series for 6e, with the first volume coming in at almost 300 pages alone. (At that rate the 3 volume set may total 850 pages or more.)

 

While I am totally happy with this book and would recommend it, I do think there's a lot of truth in the old adage, "sometimes less is more."

[Zephrosyne]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

I really like the book a lot (the second one as well). I think the characters were pretty interesting and I like all of the background information. The only thing I don't like is this Shadow Destroyer business. I really hate the whole concept...a lot. I do think Dr. Destroyer is a bit over the top. I could not even imagine stating out a character with over 3500 points and 34 Science Skills.

[death tribble]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

I too have the second book as a PDF and I like the new look for some people like Tremblor.

[Tech]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

After reading these reviews, my interest in getting this book has gone from "I'd like to get this, if only to see what changes have gone in" to "I'll probably get this - someday".

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Champions Villans Vol. 1: Master Villains

 

After having read this book' date=' I now understand how the 5e Champions "Conquerors, Killers & Crooks" book, which was a single volume of 230 pages, is being expanded into a three volume series for 6e, with the first volume coming in at almost 300 pages alone. (At that rate the 3 volume set may total 850 pages or more.) [/quote']

 

I know you didn't mean it this way, dan2448, but for someone coming new to Champions, that statement might be a bit misleading. To clarify, the Champions Villains trilogy not only includes the villains from the original CKC, but also from three other villain compendium volumes published subsequently, as well as new villains created by Cryptic Studios and/or Steve Long. It covers many more villains than the old Conquerors, Killers, And Crooks; so while excess verbiage may arguably be a factor in the length of the trilogy books, making them three volumes is more than justified.