zornwil Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Whamme Whamme recently raised how concerned one of his characters would be if there were no crime - after all, fighting crime is his life, as WW put it. Lemming is very fond of the Tick quote about not being here to stop crime but to fight crime. Others have said similar. But WW's last post got me thinking...how many superheroes NEED crime? How many would be in a mental institution or otherwise dysfunctional or just plain unhappy if crime went away? Probably a fair number. Some are repeating an event over and over in their minds, replaying it however tangentially or surrealistically, in the manner some writers portray Batman, needing to fight crime over and over. Some superheroes just want glory and attention (which they could get outside of fighting crime, but sometimes they also need that ego-praising "you're so good" kick). Still others are bounty hunters and don't really have other vocational skills. So what about your PCs? How would they deal with crime ending? Would they be basket cases or among the happiest people in the world? Or would they just shrug and continue on whatever non-crimefighting activities that they do (I know many supers are government operatives and many just are wandering adventurers - I'm assuming those "causes" remain). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Serpent Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Pretty much all of my characters would be happy. Some would spend the time they used to use to fight crime to do good in other ways - volunteering, etc. Superspeedster can do a number on some Habitat for Humanity projects! Scientist types would spend more time in lab curing diseases, improving the lot of mankind and let the blasters and battlesuits stay in the museum. Thrillseeker types would turn to some other outlet - exploring, superextreme sports, some other kind of serious challenge. Might be a few semi-paranoid types that would work laying the groundwork/preparing for the sham to end, crime to return, aliens to invade suddenly peaceful world, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckg Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Starguard -- be very happy, and then after a short while, realize that the rest of the Milky Way needs somebody to look out for the people who live there, too. And then she'd go to the stars. Dr. Pain -- retires to the beach house in Malibu. *cue "Louie Louie"* Baron von Darien -- at long, long, *long* last, his self-imposed duty to humankind is over. The threat of his kindred to man is forever neutralized, as are the threats from the powermongers and killers and bandits who are like unto his kindred morally. He can finally rest now. And so after putting everything in order and taking a short while to enjoy the finer pleasures in life, he calmly sits on his terrace and watches the sun come up, one last time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WhammeWhamme Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Okay, I'd just like to elaborate a little more on *why* crimefighting is so important to Flip... He's an 'ex-super athlete with powers' who essentially lives, breathes and thinks crimefighting now, because he really can't live any other way. He 'transferred' his devotion from one to the other, and that only with some difficulty. It's not obvious on the surface, mind. He isn't a grim hero to interact with though; he takes the *entire* job seriously. I expanded that to include being personable and the like. I suppose he could survive with some other outlet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monolith Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 The Living Titan can never rest, for even if the petty crimes of man were no more, the evils of the gods, and those who believe themselves to be gods, must be weighed and measures, and justice must be extracted for their criminal deeds. Monolith stands ready throughout eternity to be judge, jury, and executioner if the need arises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Many of mine would be eventually be happy... a bit bored, but happy As pointed out, former super heroes could use their abilities in other ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Without crime, you still have natural disasters, alien invasions, science gone amok and lots of other fun stuff to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Since I was one of those who mentioned it... Spectrum: I should start with the character from zornwil's game; She'd be thrilled. Wonder if the relationship with Nightshade would still work without the patrolling etc... Calico: Hmm, she'd get bored. Might start fights. Ice Pirate: She's got way too many thief like skills. Damn it! Scales: More time to contemplate the structure of the universe. The rest of my PCs have other interests that would take up their time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 A lot of what T'Shenk Kennet fought against was supernatural in nature. Dark Seraph, Black Paladin, those types. Not just superpowered but still essentially human criminals; he fought real, actual, irredeemable Evil with-a-capital-"E". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoloOfEarth Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 I haven't played in a long time, so I'll take a stab at what the player characters in my game would do. Possum would have to find some other route to meet and impress hot chicks, but he'd probably find something without a problem. Pack Rat would go into the lab and invent truly strange things. (This is a guy who uses Super Silly String and an electrified rubber dart gun; he and Foxbat are kindred spirits.) Seal would buy a boat, teach scuba diving, and go wreck diving. Mosquito would raise her kids and predict the weather. Probably also protect her photojournalist husband when he puts himself in dangerous situations. ("The building wouldn't dare collapse before I get this shot...") Argent would continue searching to find out who, and what, he is. (Amnesia, don't ya know...) Now, the players are a different story. I don't think a few of them could enjoy a game without a decent fight somewhere along the way. (I've run blatantly token battles in the middle of investigations, just to keep everybody happy.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightfly Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Next! Since my characters have collectively purchased a StarCrusier as their League base, we'd just warp on over to the next system/planet that did have crime & get crackin' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theron Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 Troubadour would get bored rather quickly and find new challenges - exploring the Amazon, climbing Everest, deep-sea diving in the Marianas Trench. Spectrum would go back to full time research, torn between seeking a cure for his condition and utilizing the unusual opportunities it affords him to explore the world of nuclear physics in a very hands on way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pteryx Posted November 8, 2003 Report Share Posted November 8, 2003 You mean after his weeks of prayers of praise were over? Probably try to help his family of robotic now-former supervillains to adjust. If he had time, he'd also try to help the formerly genocidal robot faction adjust, which would likely be less work as their control programming was more essentially evil. Once he finally has enough time to himself to do more than honor the spirits, he'd reopen Crystal Eye Lapidary, pointing out this time that all the jewels are the product of technology (but still real in the sense that they're actual rubies, diamonds, etc.), and go back to what he was made for -- selling his own jewelry. -- Pteryx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted November 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Originally posted by lemming Since I was one of those who mentioned it... Spectrum: I should start with the character from zornwil's game; She'd be thrilled. Wonder if the relationship with Nightshade would still work without the patrolling etc... Calico: Hmm, she'd get bored. Might start fights. Ice Pirate: She's got way too many thief like skills. Damn it! Scales: More time to contemplate the structure of the universe. The rest of my PCs have other interests that would take up their time. It might be too much of a strain on the relationship, but mainly because without clearcut bad guys (and he's not into soldiering) Nightshade wouldn't have an outlet for his vampiric nature. He'd have a hard time adjusting and likely take it out on those close to him. Maybe he'd become a super-villain, even, as I think about it. Back when he was a PC, he was getting darker as the campaign went on, along with another character who started out as he did more heroic, while the darker characters got lighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Anthem: retire, unless crime doesn't include national security issues, in which case he'd continue doing his job. Law enforcement is a secondary consideration for him anyways. Midnight: retire and dedicate more time to his boxing school. Pinstripe: he'd probably end up in a mental institution. Doc Micro: begin intensive explorations of the microverse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandi Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Irving would be quite happy to get on with doing other good things for people, probably more centered around the library. Literacy classes. Reading to kids. Being a public notary. Stuff like that. His teammates... well, one of them, Elizabeth van Leiden (my husband's character-- I should post her here sometime) would be only too happy to get the hell out of the hero business and back to her studies. Being cured of her superheroic condition as well would be gravy (looking like a human glowstick isn't really her idea of joy). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightfly Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Question: would only All Crime End? Or would all EVIL be gone too? Afterall, not all things legal are necessarily free of evil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted November 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Originally posted by Nightfly Question: would only All Crime End? Or would all EVIL be gone too? Afterall, not all things legal are necessarily free of evil. Great point. I should have phrased it that way. All sentient-based evil on Earth, let's say, so cosmic characters I suppose could move on if they were so inclined. Natural disasters and incidental sincerely "negligent" evil ("I forgot to turn the water off so the basement flooded!") would continue. Also, if you think political decisions are evil, I suppose that would continue, but the distinction I'll make is that through whatever miracle all politicians are incorruptible and don't lie (at least directly) such that any "evil" you might see in their decisions is purely that you don't like the decision, not that they have an ulterior motive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightfly Posted November 9, 2003 Report Share Posted November 9, 2003 Wow! I guess there'd be nothing left to do but buy a coat, cuz Hell would've surely froze over (in your scenario) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccabe Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 No more crime? It's a crime Well there's always; Retire. Seriously..... Helping the environment, accident prevention (not a crime but can save a life or two), Finally get married, bury my focus in a time capsule for when it would be needed in the future, do movies (heck it worked for Wonderman). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted November 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Re: No more crime? It's a crime Originally posted by Maccabe Well there's always; Retire. Seriously..... Helping the environment, accident prevention (not a crime but can save a life or two), Finally get married, bury my focus in a time capsule for when it would be needed in the future, do movies (heck it worked for Wonderman). Yeah, I was just wondering which crimefighters were obsessive about it or had other psych lims that limited their ability to function normally otherwise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightfly Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 I think, in the event of crime & evil vanishing, my heroes would go after poor spellers, and those with bad grammar. jk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted November 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Originally posted by Nightfly I think, in the event of crime & evil vanishing, my heroes would go after poor spellers, and those with bad grammar. jk Ah, the Catcher in the Rye Brigade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Re: Re: No more crime? It's a crime Originally posted by zornwil Yeah, I was just wondering which crimefighters were obsessive about it or had other psych lims that limited their ability to function normally otherwise T'Shenk Kennet is only a superhero because he gave his word to a friend, his only friend at the time. His friend is dead now. He takes his word very seriously. He takes the memories of dead friends very seriously. If all evil and crime disappeared, and he had nothing to do with that, he'd be very conflicted about whether he was keeping his word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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