For Supers games, what setting do you use?

[Altair]

Pretty much what it says on the tin. Do you play in the Supers genre? If so, what setting do you use? Champions? Marvel/DC? Something still licensed, but less mainstream like Robert Kirkman's Invincible, or Brian Michael Bendis' Powers? Perhaps a custom setting of your own design? Or maybe a mishmash of the above, multiverse style?

 

I'm sort of under the assumption that people play a lot of Champions, and I'm curious what the setting has going for it. In general, there are pros & cons to all the above approaches; I'm curious what people have found enjoyment in. 

 

Thanks!

[Christopher R Taylor]

My own, which is a blend of different influences and my own comic book setting that never saw the light of day.  Although if I run a Champions 101 intro game at some point, I'll just do basic Champions Universe - 4th edition, though.  Before they killed off hosts of heroes and blew up Detroit.

[grandmastergm]

Currently I'm combining the Champions Universe with that of Necessary Evil (a setting from Savage Worlds).  My players have really enjoyed it so far, as I have included references to previous campaigns (two of the players are former GMs of mine).

[Altair]

Currently I'm combining the Champions Universe with that of Necessary Evil (a setting from Savage Worlds).  My players have really enjoyed it so far, as I have included references to previous campaigns (two of the players are former GMs of mine).

 

Necessary Evil is the hotness. I was never sold on SW for supers, but man. The hotness.

 

My own, which is a blend of different influences and my own comic book setting that never saw the light of day.  Although if I run a Champions 101 intro game at some point, I'll just do basic Champions Universe - 4th edition, though.  Before they killed off hosts of heroes and blew up Detroit.

 

Oh man, I didn't realize that the Detroit -> Millennium City thing happened in game time. I always assumed it was setting backstory. Cool! 

 

Out of curiosity, why are you going pre-cataclysm? Just don't want anything as dark as that in your supers setting? Didn't like the way it was handled? Have your own plans to destroy Detroit?

[Shadow Hawk]

Champions Universe, 5th edition, modified to include actions done by previous PC groups.

[SteelCold]

One of my current campaigns (going on for nearly eight months now) is sort a 'Normal people with superpowers' theme, with ideas and characters taken from Heroes, Alphas and the Tomorrow People TV shows, the movies Unbreakable, Jumper, Chronicle and Push.

 

Another campaign is Emerald City Knights.

[Enforcer84]

My own world that technically started out as a Champions Universe fork but it happened before there was an actual Champions Universe to speak of. Just enemies books and a few adventures. 

 

The names have all be changed and replaced over the last 20 someodd years 

[IndianaJoe3]

My last game was completely original, but definitely inspired by Marvel and the CU.

[Lord Liaden]

Champions Universe, 5th edition, modified to include actions done by previous PC groups.

 

Essentially this, but also with a healthy infusion of pre-5E setting elements.

[TheQuestionMan]

TheQuestionMan's Champions Universe

[Comic]

It's been a long time since I set up a campaign world, but some mistakes I wouldn't make again:

 

1. Make it too different from the real world. People get confused and lose attention: it's entirely possible for GoT fans to know every intimate detail of the history and current events of Esos and Westeros, they choose to be fans of that series; it's pretty hard to get a sometimes changing band of roleplayers to commit your new world to memory meme-by-meme.

 

2. Make it too like the real world. American cultural intolerance (and constitutional law forbidding) of UN law enforcement on US soil would make UNTIL impossible, and UNTIL is a very integral part of so many pre-made villains that it's a lot of work to rewrite the whole organization.

 

3. Make it too much like the out-of-the-box game world. Switch it up. Make Lung Hung a hero, sort of a combination of The Shadow and Robin Hood from a Chinese setting. Make Oilco a front for VIPER. Let your players know that sure, they can _read_ the source material, but in my campaign world, some of the game source material is propaganda put out by Demon or C.L.O.W.N. to confuse superheros. (Indeed, C.L.O.W.N.'s greatest trick is to convince the superhero world C.L.O.W.N. never existed.)

 

4. Forget fun, because something else is more important. The fun is the whole point. Have a sense of humour.

 

5. Stick to the plan because it's the plan. Fun takes precedence. Be flexible. Prepare, and have notes, but be ready to stow them for another day.

 

6. Fail to plan "E" for when the heroes demolish plans "A" through "D". Have outs, like that some nemesis is feeding false information to the heroes, or a seeming villain is really a secret hero, or vice versa. But don't waste time with outs for outs for outs. If you get past plan "E", pull out TFOS.

[drunkonduty]

Pretty much the 5th ed Champions Universe. A few minor changes. It's there, already done up, and I have limited time to put toward setting creation nowadays.

[Scott Baker]

My own world that technically started out as a Champions Universe fork but it happened before there was an actual Champions Universe to speak of. Just enemies books and a few adventures. 

This pretty much sums it up for both my own campaign world (started back in 1981) and the current campaign I'm in.

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Heavily modified Champions Universe with stuff from all editions thrown in....

[Altair]

Bangin'! Seems like lots of Champions, sensibly adapted for individual groups, and reflecting ongoing play as every setting pretty much must be.

 

Follow-up question: what are some of the defining traits of the setting? I played a bit of Champions Online, and I've read CC, but I don't really have a good feel for the setting. What makes Champions the choice? Is it simple convenience? What's cool about the setting?

 

Thanks!

[Christopher R Taylor]

Out of curiosity, why are you going pre-cataclysm? Just don't want anything as dark as that in your supers setting? Didn't like the way it was handled? Have your own plans to destroy Detroit?

I prefer a bronze age approach to supers, and blowing up an entire city with lots of dead superheroes in it just doesn't fit that setting.  Its too dark and brutal.  Plus I prefer Detroit a mess because its a great setting for a Dark Champions campaign.  Millennium city isn't.

 

What makes Champions the choice? Is it simple convenience? What's cool about the setting?

Its a mix of things for me.  The ready materials make it easy to run a game, I like the blended DC/Marvel bronze age feel of 4th edition and earlier works, and its familiar feeling without being a clone.

[John Desmarais]

Neptune City. Our own modern day world and city inspired (mostly) by the DC & Marvel comics of the late 70s through early 80s. No direct swipes, but a lot of blatant homage characters and things.

[megaplayboy]

I don't think I've ever done a "straight" champions universe setting, though I have used VIPER and various CU villains in many of my campaigns. I generally scratch build my own settings. Though one of the most enjoyable campaigns I ever participated in was a collaborative campaign universe with multiple GMs, each creating and adding NPCs and organizations. Though there were occasional conflicts between GMs, the campaign setting persisted through multiple campaigns for several years.

[procyon]

Homemade setting, with the origin of 'superpowers' loosely based on the Wild Card virus from the novels.  But far more kid friendly in theme as two of the players are an 11 y/o girl and 14 y/o boy.  Still retains a lot of the 'lethality' of wild cards though - so dead is dead, and not that uncommon.  There are also a healthy population of 'jokers' (ie, mutants that aren't super but no longer appear human) and some of the issues that occur with that.

 

Not as much of an alien theme though.  In fact, so far in game, there are no aliens.  At least that the players know about.

 

Lots of other details that go with this (low pop growth so 2014 has a world population not much greater than 1945, a civil war over 'Joker' rights in the late '60 split the US into east and west (west is very conservative and anti-mutant/joker, etc) but it has been fun for the players so far.  All the kids are actually high powered 'Joker-Aces' who are stars in their own show ('The J Team') based in Chicago that try to promote awareness and support of Joker rights while dealing with all the problems that have cropped up...

My wife is the one 'Ace' (ie, human appearing super powered person) who is playing a middle aged widow with her teenage daughter who tries to avoid the spotlight but keeps getting pulled into the troubles....

 

Oh, and we use 4e.

[Hermit]

Champions current, but heavily tweaked with elements of 4th edition and personally created goodies.

 

I've thought about using a new setting, but as my face to face group hasn't played in years, what would be the point? *Sigh*

[Spence]

Champions current, but heavily tweaked with elements of 4th edition and personally created goodies.

 

I've thought about using a new setting, but as my face to face group hasn't played in years, what would be the point? *Sigh*

 

LOL,

 

Yep.  I use Hudson City as the location for all my games that are 'modern', Hero or other.

 

As for universe it is always my own with me shamelessly borrowing anything that fits....

[Checkmate]

I haven't run champions in a LONG time, but my favorite setting was Champions:The New Millennium. Didn't care for the system, but the background I thought was awesome. 

[Lord Liaden]

Bangin'! Seems like lots of Champions, sensibly adapted for individual groups, and reflecting ongoing play as every setting pretty much must be.

 

Follow-up question: what are some of the defining traits of the setting? I played a bit of Champions Online, and I've read CC, but I don't really have a good feel for the setting. What makes Champions the choice? Is it simple convenience? What's cool about the setting?

 

Thanks!

 

There are three features of the current official Champions Universe which particularly appeal to me:

 

1) Familiar, yet Distinct.  The CU is clearly heavily inspired by the mainstream comics companies, Marvel and DC. Practically all the classic concepts and tropes are there, and there are numerous obvious homages to recognizable people, places, and groups. Granted, the analogies are a little heavy-handed at times; but as I love mainstream comics, I find it a very comfortable environment to play out my fantasies in. It also has the advantage of being easy to transition new players into -- if they have any familiarity with comics, there's little difficulty explaining how things work or what roles particular characters fill. At the same time, the CU usually puts its own distinctive spin on even the most cliched comic-book elements; and there are quite a few that are unique to it. IME this gives players the perceived freedom to develop their own character storylines without feeling constrained by what's been published in Marvel or DC comics.

 

2) Breadth.  The CU is comprised of a remarkable number of detailed elements. Champions Earth is far less Ameri-centric than most superhero comics, and nearly all RPGs intended to emulate them. There's an enormous amount of super-activity described, and in many cases game-statted, all around the globe. (No offense intended to my American fellow gamers, but those of us living in countries outside the center of the universe tend to find this appealingly balanced.)   Beyond Earth is a dizzying array of other planets, alternate universes, and extra-dimensional planes of existence, sometimes rendered in considerable detail, along with their diverse inhabitants. That diversity allows for a comparable variety in campaign storylines, game styles, and power levels. Just using what's been published could fill years' worth of stories, game-world-time and real-world-time.

 

3) Depth.  The official Champions setting features a detailed timeline of past events, describing major occurrences from primordial prehistory, through the historical era, and into the modern Age of Superheroes. These aren't simply background filler. The rise and fall of great heroes and villains, the formation or destruction of organizations and empires, the waxing and waning glory of whole races and worlds, continues to impact the setting today. IMHO that gives it a sense of legacy, of foundation, almost unique among comic-inspired universes. Various source books focussed on particular elements of the setting often develop them to a degree rarely seen in comics themselves. And as part of the overarching meta-setting of the greater Hero Universe, that foundation extends into past and future eras of civilization (amply documented in Hero Games' fantasy and sci-fi setting books). I know some gamers dislike that meta-setting, but to me it adds an epic scope, as well as opportunities for time-crossing change-of-pace adventures and transplanted characters.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Incidentally the most recent game I ran was an experiment, meant to be a long-term slowly developing campaign.  The players started as pulp characters in January 1939 in a world where supervillains were running NYC through the mob and spreading in power.  After a few adventures the PCs got superpowers, then got used to them.  Over time they were supposed to learn why they got powers, where the villains had come from originally, and their actions as the world's first superheroes would set the template for later while impacting history.  That universe was a sort of blend between a short story I read and the game Freedom Force, rather than anything established and printed.

 

Too bad it sort of fell apart.  I think I was developing the concept too gradually for my group of players, maybe.

[assault]

No current game, but theoretically I would use a homebrew. Probably one of the following:

 

- something set in Australia or

- set in the US, with bits pinched from various Champions editions, especially 1st/2nd.

 

I'd be very tempted to use Bedlam City (for Savage Worlds) as an alternative. Small scale and local. On one level an Iron Age cr*psack, but the writer acknowledges that a more idealistic approach would be appropriate.  As published, it's a bit short on Lois Lanes and Jim Gordons, but since there would probably be multiple players, they could fill these roles themselves.