Villains From Games Gone By

[CrosshairCollie]

Warning ... this may be a very long and hallucinatory post.

 

For those of you who have run other supers games (Marvel, DC, GURPS, Silver Age Sentinels) as well as HERO, have you ever wanted to 'port' over a villain team that you created from that game to a new Champions game, because you and your players liked it?

 

When I was running a MSH game (the SAGA system, which really was better than most folks give it credit for IMNSHO), I stole something from the old boards here (I think), and created the PokeSpawn ... basically, a couple of kids had found a book that summoned the kinds of spirits that animate golems, and these demons inhabited their Pokemon action figures, bringing them to life with appropriate powers (very short form ... it got REAL complicated after that, as they swiped the book and used it to create a 50' tall Uranium Golem ... ah, memories).

 

Now, my players got a real kick out of that ... and I've got another couple of pet villain teams around that I'd like to use, but they're in different 'continuities' ... do you think it's a good idea to bring back old favorites like that? Admittedly, I can't just re-run the old plots, that'd be dull, and the 'history' wouldn't exist, so I'd have to watch out for above-board knowledge.

 

I think that the villains were good enough for another spin around the block, so to speak ... I was intending to re-use them in the MSH game, but it folded, and I've got an old 4E villain team that my wife keeps saying I should make an adventure around and submit it to HERO, so apparently at least she thinks they kick butt. So, I'm kinda stuck between wanting to be original and create new things, but having some old chestnuts I'd really like to bring back.

 

Any past experiences/thoughts on this, anybody?

[Blue]

I've recycled a few names mostly. The only actual character carried over is my low-level NPC (who used to be my Player Character in the Superworld RPG), Anthem. Everyone else is new.

 

I think with most of the things I've created, I had a blast with them at the time but now I want to move on and re-invent the wheel.

 

It's a little different with pre-fab characters. I'd consider using those over again in some cases. Like if my players have never been through "The Great Supervillain Contest" then I'd re-introduce those villains.

 

But with stuff I make, once that ship has sailed, most I'll do is steal names or ideas from them, because I'm almost always certain I can do something better with it now.

 

OH: And hope you had a happy Birthday, CC.

[Hermit]

You must remember this

A hiss is still a hiss

a slime is still a slime ......

 

oh, pardon. Normally if I really like a villainous character from years ago, I either alter him to adapt to the times and new setting, or simply do what Blue suggests and make something better in similar vein.

[death tribble]

If I like the idea enough I'll port the character straight over.

 

I have done this with Marvel, DC, Mutants And Masterminds and Villains and Vigilantes characters

[CrosshairCollie]

Originally posted by Blue

OH: And hope you had a happy Birthday, CC.

 

Thanks. T'wasn't bad ... went out to dinner, took the day off of work. Today, I get to run what may be one of the most ambitious games I've ever tried ... after my players insisted I run two weeks straight instead of keeping the DM rotation going because I did the 'looks like you're all dead' cliffhanger last week and they didn't want to wait a month to find out what happened.

[lemming]

Sometimes I wonder if I have any original ideas left.

I'm redoing a lot of my old villians from campaigns past into my current game.

So far, two of the villians are now allies of the heroes due to some good roleplaying.

Though it's kind of fun since I only have one player that's met any of these villians before so he gets mild anxiety attacks.

[Blue]

History is a funny thing. The first scenario I ran for my current group was scenario 1 from "Champions Battlegrounds", back when I was beta-testing it.

 

Player: [Eyeing the miniatures of people who got captured] "Who's the big guy?"

Me: "That, the authorities will tell you, is Ogre".

Player: "Ogre! He's one of the classics, isn't he?"

Me: "Yup. He was in the examples in the first edition book."

Player: "Oh, I don't want to arrest him! I want to go over and shake his hand!"

[group laughter]

 

The last scenario of the campaign involved a prison-break. Same player...

 

Me: "Three villains decided it was better to just get away than to seize control of the prison. I'll tell you the names after I've gone over the list [smirking] and decided which ones."

Player: "Ogre? Ogre had to get away!"

Me: [Admiring the old school respect] "Sure. Ogre got away."

[lemming]

Blue: Ogre is one villian I use from the old days. Mainly because one day a player handed me a character with "Hunted by Ogre 14-" and as more powerful. Looking at his sheet, he was fine for my game (a bit high powered), but he'd trash poor Ogre. So I updated him.

I'll have to post his picture that Sam Bell did when I get home

[ChuckB]

I liked a lot of the old V&V characters especially the Crushers and Crusaders.

 

Also liked most of the characters in "Trouble For Havoc" , a superworld/Champs/V&V sourcebook/module.

[bcholmes]

Re: Villains From Games Gone By

 

Originally posted by CrosshairCollie

For those of you who have run other supers games (Marvel, DC, GURPS, Silver Age Sentinels) as well as HERO, have you ever wanted to 'port' over a villain team that you created from that game to a new Champions game, because you and your players liked it?

 

I've reused a lot of the characters from my old V&V campaign as back-story characters for my current Champions campaign. Mostly, that's just been a bunch of names and stories about historical battles. There have been one or two reappearances, though.

[Sketchpad]

I reuse many old characters throughout a plethora of games I also like "borrowing" V&V characters for various villains ... for example, the villain Super Nova, converted to 5e ...

 

Super Nova

 

Player:

 

Val	Char	Cost
17	STR	7
15	DEX	15
10	CON	0
10	BODY	0
19	INT	9
15	EGO	10
15	PRE	5
14	COM	2
5/20	PD	2
5/20	ED	3
4	SPD	15
8	REC	6
65	END	23
35	STUN	11

6" RUN02" SWIM03" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 108

 

Cost	Power	END
30	Flame Powers: Elemental Control, 60-point powers
30	1) Flame Blast: Killing Attack - Ranged 4d6 (60 Active Points)	6
30	2) Flame Burst: Energy Blast 6d6, Area Of Effect Nonselective Target (7" Cone; +3/4) (52 Active Points)	5
30	3) Flame Sheath I: Energy Blast (Damage Shield) 4d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Damage Shield (+1/2), Continuous (+1) (60 Active Points)
40	Fiery Flight: Flight 15", Improved Noncombat Movement (x8), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points); Linked (Flame Sheath I; -1/2)
40	Flame Sheath II: Force Field (15 PD/15 ED) (Protect Carried Items), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points); Linked (Flame Sheath I; -1/2)
10	Flame Resistance: Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25% (15 Active Points); Only Works Against Limited Type Of Attack Limited Type of Attack (-1/2)

Powers Cost: 210

 

 

Cost	Skill
3	Breakfall 12-
21	+7 OCV w/ Flame Powers
7	Computer Programming 15-
5	KS: Stellar Bodies 15-
7	Flame Control 15-
5	Persuasion 13-
6	SS: Astronomy 16-
7	Systems Operation 15-

Skills Cost: 61

 

Cost	Perk
6	Contact: Underworld (Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has: very useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact) 11-

Perks Cost: 6

 

Cost	Talent
5	Eidetic Memory

Talents Cost: 5

 

 

Total Character Cost: 390

 

Val	Disadvantages
10	Distinctive Features: Mutant Not Concealable, Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction, Detectable Only By Unusual Senses
10	Enraged: When Captured Uncommon, go 11-, recover 14-
15	Hunted: Primus 8- (Occasionally), More Powerful, Harshly Punish
15	Hunted: U.N.T.I.L. 8- (Occasionally), More Powerful, Harshly Punish
15	Hunted: Viper 11- (Frequently), More Powerful, NCI, Watching
10	Psychological Limitation: Curious Common, Moderate
15	Psychological Limitation: Hatred of Authority Common, Strong
15	Psychological Limitation: Overconfident Very Common, Moderate
10	Psychological Limitation: Vengeful Uncommon, Strong
15	Social Limitation: Secret ID Frequently (11-), Major
10	Vulnerability: 2x STUN Cold Uncommon
10	Unluck: +2d6

Disadvantage Points: 150

 

Base Points: 200

Experience Required: 40

Total Experience Available: 40

Experience Unspent: 0

[zornwil]

Why not bring back old villains? You've got some developed characteristics for them and a good sense of where and when they work. Otherwise, everything you create has a risk factor of working or not working, and you have little "comfort zone" for yourself as GM.

 

If it's a concern of the knowledge players will have, just switch powers around, tweak some things. You don't even need to do much of that if they're pretty good roleplayers. The important thing, the memorable thing, about villains usually has less to do with their powers than their personalities, so you can sometimes dramatically change powers but remain true to what worked.

[CrosshairCollie]

Thank you all very much for the advice. Now, I must model Pikachu into 5E. *sadistic grin*