John T Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 I'm not talking about the rules; that's fixed by reading. I'm referring to the genre and style, itself. I've run a lot of games in my gaming lifetime (since 1982), but the last couple of times I've tried to run or develop a campaign for Champions... I end up kind of drawing a blank. I think it's a matter of exposure... or lack thereof, in this case. The last Champions game I played in was in/around 2006/07, iirc, and the last long-term (more than 2 months) Champions game I'd run was... 1989?.. Even more telling, I haven't READ any superhero comics since the mid-1990s. I finally gave up on them: all the retcons and reimaginings, all the nobility plundered from favorite characters in the name of making them more "relevant" (another term for "changing them from heroes into petty, capricious godlings"). Not really looking for advice, per se. It was just... an odd, depressing epiphany to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... First off, do a super-hero movie marathon. All the Marvel titles and DC titles you can get your hands on and watch them. That should get your ideas flowing. Or possibly kill more brain cells. It's hard to say which. Take notes, jot down ideas, except the one to stop watching. You'll do that at the end. Re-read any comics you do have handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balabanto Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... Try creating a world without any retcons or reimaginings. It worked for me. I had to hit time with a hammer twice thanks to rights issues and edition changes, but all that's part of the publication (game). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... I suffer from this problem to. The first thing you do is acknowlede you have a problem. Then decide what kind of Champions Campaign Setting your Player will enjoy most and that you would enjoy creating with them. In my experience its a joint process. Next plan out your first six adventures starring your Superheroes and inclued their Hunted's, DNPC's and Contacts. Introduce your favorite NPC's see how the Player's react and see if they will remain supporting characters. Make a decision about how Supervillains are handle by the authorities. Ask yourself and your players what you want and go for it is all about fun. Just my 2 cents QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... I would add the Justice League Cartoons to the list of inspirations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epiphanis Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... Even if you aren't looking for advice... well, have some. In your current state of mind, don't GM Champions. If the GM isn't into the material, the game sucks, and only the most obsessively one-tracked players can get anything out of it. Like a bad romantic relationship, if its not there for you, everybody is better off if you just end it. Go do some other genre. Maybe be a player for a while, and try to learn from someone else being in the GM seat. Just because your head isn't in it now, doesn't mean it never will be again. I've gone long stretches not interested in the superhero genre, and have always eventually come back to it. The same goes for sword-and-sorcery. And swashbuckling. And SF... basically, every 6-8 years I find myself fascinated with Traveller again for a few months to a year before putting it away again. Chances are, at some point something will catch your attention and pull you back into it with gusto. If not, it isn't meant to be; move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... I'd add the Avengers cartoon for additional inspiration. It is on Netflix streaming videos if you have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John T Posted October 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... Appreciate the input, folks. Still don't know what I'm seeking, really. Inspiration is good. A "break" isn't really; have already had one, several years long. Still think that's the biggest factor in my "problem", but I've been wrong before. Twice, maybe... Obviously feeling a bit "tongue-in-cheeky" here. Over on the (back) side of my life, I've been working on a couple of Champions campaigns. One is a "Mythic Champions" campaign which may FINALLY become a reality when Mythic Hero is published. There was simply too much groundwork for me to do when designing RPG materials was not (ever) my job and/or life. The other is what I refer to as "The Last City" campaign. Think Logan's Run with supers. That's a nice, simple, five-word synopsis. The reality is that there's the potential for that campaign to take a very, very Dark turn. Can't really think of any potential inspirations. Thor wasn't "mythic" enough, and nothing I can think of really conveys the other concept well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asperion Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... Here is a suggestion that you may not want nor desire: Get off the puter and talk with the the other players. Tell them what has been going on and how you have been feeling. They may have some great ideas for how to solve the problem and if they cannot help you, then at least then they will be more understanding of what is going on and why you have been behaving the way you have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin2 Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... One possibility would be to buy a recent scenario and read it through and see if you like it. I have bought 5th Edn (but play 6th) Shades of Black and Sharper than a Serpents Tooth. Both are well written with lots of story to them, others may recommended good starter scenarios. The VIPER background book is good for background flavour. Really focus on the scenarios and possibly break them down and make your own fillers based on the story or pull in standard plots suggestions from the Villain backgrounds and weave in a few DNPC's and player back stories. Do the suggested film watch. Most players will probably do the same so use it for flavour and not plot suggestions . X men are good for this. Iron Man was good as well. I have not seen Captain America or Thor but I think they are good. You can do what I do and place it in your part of the world and base it on a similar time line with only super heroes being the thing being different (I have had scenarios based on the local community centre, factory, farm, train station. With internet searches for maps and aerial footage and even visits to imagine how it would be like). You can always transport the heroes to other areas for the major scenarios. I have a teleporter in the group so have them set up with Teleporter or other transport power or have access to a fast jet. Or you can base it on NY or MC or any major real of fictional super hero city (rob information from DC and Marvel sources as well as Champions, get it from e-bay or local hoby stores). With this planning the game will then flow with your planned direction or get pulled by the players. If you all like which ever direction it is going stay with it. If not stop, rethink and try again in a few months / years when you have found what you want to run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Democracy Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... I think that the problem with campaigns is that you invest a lot of effort into something that you know might just not work, or you are not sure where the longevity might come from. My thoughts on what to do is pretty much what the comic companies used to do (not been watching closely to see if it has continued). I plan on doing a mini-series. Four, possibly six, adventures linked in some way. Everything coming to a definite end point. If it was good, it might warrant a bit more development and another mini-series. If it was fantastic, then an ongoing series. It means that I should be able to limit my input to the mini-series, minimise my investment to see whether it plays well enough and whether I am inspired to do more with the setting and the characters. If not, I can think of another mini-series with a different direction and context... Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... I too can only advice to watch mroe cartoons. Justice League and Justice League Unlimited were good and not to much on the "Soap side". Also: Avengers: Earths Mightiest heroes. I am mixed about Avengers: United They Stand cartoon*. The new Thundercats and He-Man* are also quite good, but I think THudnercats is the more interesting. *They both suffer from their repeated "Transformation Sequences", wich I regard as very anoying. Plus their stories where a tad more on the Soap Side. The New Iron Man Film shows im in a very badass light. With the current trick technic he is like a flying robocop superman. Haven't seen part two. Thor mostly runs around unpowered, but his "hammer time" makes up for it. I really want to watch Captain America, the last Hulk and the Avengers movie (once it comes out). Edit: What I also watched where the Teen Titans and now the "Young Justice". They had these "action can hit at a moments notice" moments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Main Man Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... If I could recommend a comic, it would be Astro City. It provides many refreshing looks at the superhero genre that stray from the same old same old through analysis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Goodwin Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... Pick up your earliest edition Champions book that you still have. First, second, or third edition. Put yourself briefly back in the mindset of when you were 15 or whenever and picked it up for the first time. Look at the advice for running games, some of which has become slightly outdated by rules mutation if nothing else. I think just remind yourself what made it awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Goodwin Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Re: I've... forgotten how to run Champions... Oh, and maybe try not to overcreate. What I mean is, don't come up with every single villain, villainous organization, secret government agency, and so on. Throw out a few slightly evocative names, come up with maybe a few agent types and some villains, and let the players run with it. Instead of UNTIL, VIPER, and the rest, change the names. Why would the heroes be hunted by GORGON? What kind of agency would STEEL be? Etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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