Introducing players to Champions at a mini-con

[sentry0]

I am a member of a local meetup.com gaming group in my area and am planning on running a 6e origin story/1 shot.  This would be a 4 person group using pre-generated characters that would run through a simple session where they receive powers and have to fight off some baddies (likely VIPER).  I'm super nervous about doing this but am going to push myself to do it.

 

My goals are to hopefully be able to:

• showcase what you can do with Champions/HERO System
• introduce people to the game concepts gently and organically

 

My thoughts around showcasing the system is that I want to build diverse characters that illustrate the depth of possibilities available to you.  Here's what I have so far:

• Energy Projector - solar based with an array of attacks...is also spaceworthy and has FTL for flavor
• Brick - Kryptonian-esq with ranged attacks based on gravity manipulation in place of heat vision etc.
• Speedster - classic speedster able to run up walls and reach mach speeds...lots of SPEED, lots of utility ('cause we all know speedsters always get stuck on crowd control )
• ???

 

I feel like those 3 characters cover the median, high speed, and high damage/low speed ends of the spectrum nicely.  What I need help with is this last character...I'm thinking of either doing a psychic or a martial artist but can't decide and want to open it up to debate on the forums. 

 

So what do people think?  Psychic or Martial Artist or something completely different?  Should I combine the Psychic and Martial Artist into one character...it would be so expensive...

 

[Watchman Mk. IV]

Eh, martial artists are so over-represented.  Perhaps a support character, who either sets up the opponents or Aids the heroes?  (The Psychic could fill that role.)

[phydaux]

Trick Arrow guy with a quiver full of Entangles, AOE Entangles, NNDs, and AOE NNDs.

[Hyper-Man]

Before reinventing the wheel I would take a look at this thread and the website linked in the first post.

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/96693-kountry-komics-request-for-help/

 

I've done starting Clark and Barry but they are pretty complex builds to show to potential new players.

 

https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?795840-HERO6E-My-rookie-JLA-builds&p=20707008&highlight=Superman#post20707008

 

[Lord Liaden]

First of all, Sentry0, thank you for taking on this challenge and for spreading the word about Hero System. Demonstrating the game is the best way to raise interest in it.

 

Since you want to sell the versatility of Hero, I would recommend a Martial Artist with a few Gadgeteer-style Focused gimmicks in the vein of Batman. That would emphasize that Hero characters aren't confined to a narrow archetypal framework as with many other games. And no hero is more recognized than the Bat.

[BoloOfEarth]

For introducing new players to Champions, I would avoid mentalists entirely - both on the hero as well as the villain side.  IMO those powers add a whole new level of complexity to the game.  For beginning Champions characters, KISS:  Keep It Simple, Sentry. 

 

With that in mind, I second LL's Martial Artist / Gadgeteer.  Failing that, Scientist / Battlesuit Guy (because currently, Iron Man is pretty recognizable too).

 

I'd create the heroes with a close eye on the adventure itself.  Give each hero some skills that help move the plot along, don't just pile those skills all on one guy -- but have enough overlap that if you only have three players, you're not at a loss.

 

Can you give us the bare bones outline of the adventure?  That might help in developing the pregen heroes.

[sentry0]

I'm still trying to pin down exactly what I want to do for the sessions...here's what I'm bouncing around.

• Players all work the same mega-corporation at a research facility 
• Players are from the following departments - Accounting, IT, Reception (aspiring actress), and Security Specialist (ex-military)
• VIPER breaks in to steal the research
• Takes the players hostage
• There's an accident with the research materials that the players are caught in
• Players awake to find that they have powers

The rest should be straightforward combat with the players wiping the floor with VIPER goons.  I'm not sure if I want to throw in another set of supers on VIPERs side or not or have some of the VIPER agents mutated as well from the accident.  It may be more work than it's worth.

 

I'm open to any tweaks or suggestions here too so feel free to weigh in.

[Ninja-Bear]

As much as I like JMoz starting characters, I feel building iconic archetype should be built at 300 pts. Less options less overwhelming. I like the old 4th ed format. Basically 1 main power, 1 defensive power and 1 movement power. I’d also suggest from staying away from multipower a and VPP. 

 

 Do you have any old books? Why reinvent the wheel when you can swipe classic characters and just write them up? And if you want-rename then if you feel it’s approoriate. 

 

When do you need this done by?

[sentry0]

14 minutes ago, Ninja-Bear said:

As much as I like JMoz starting characters, I feel building iconic archetype should be built at 300 pts. Less options less overwhelming. I like the old 4th ed format. Basically 1 main power, 1 defensive power and 1 movement power. I’d also suggest from staying away from multipower a and VPP. 

 

 Do you have any old books? Why reinvent the wheel when you can swipe classic characters and just write them up? And if you want-rename then if you feel it’s approoriate. 

 

When do you need this done by?

 

I don't own much past 5th edition anymore and only really owned the old 4th edition core book.

 

This meetup group runs mini-cons every month at a local gaming themed restaurant with the next one scheduled for April 28th.  Lots of time to figure this out.

[Ninja-Bear]

Another thought Sentry, you could have a Power Armored villain be with Viper-either a merc or one of their own, and have him show up at the last battle. He could be the reason that they definitely get captured in the beginning and should get trounced once the PCs get powers.

[Ninja-Bear]

What books specifically do you have? I ask because I find it easier to modify preexisitng characters than writing up new ones whole cloth.  In Hero system genre by genre, there are two heroes and one villain. Perchance do you have 5th or 5 rev.

[Ninja-Bear]

I ask about which edition because in revised it has not only the 2 heroes and 1 villain but in the beginning of the book, on the sample character sheet is another super hero.

[sentry0]

5th Edition Books

• Core
• Ultimate MA
• Bestiary
• Millennium City
• VIPER
• CKC
• VVV

6th Edition Books

• 2 Core books
• Bestiary
• Champions Complete
• Villains I, II, and III

[Ninja-Bear]

Another idea sentry could be the classic giant monster escapes from lab (perhaps secret viper lab) that’s what gets the heroes together. Then track down lab.

[Ninja-Bear]

Or monster breaks out of lab, and Vioer wants to steal it to study it.

[BoloOfEarth]

1 hour ago, sentry0 said:

I'm still trying to pin down exactly what I want to do for the sessions...here's what I'm bouncing around.

• Players all work the same mega-corporation at a research facility 
• Players are from the following departments - Accounting, IT, Reception (aspiring actress), and Security Specialist (ex-military)
• VIPER breaks in to steal the research
• Takes the players hostage
• There's an accident with the research materials that the players are caught in
• Players awake to find that they have powers

The rest should be straightforward combat with the players wiping the floor with VIPER goons.  I'm not sure if I want to throw in another set of supers on VIPERs side or not or have some of the VIPER agents mutated as well from the accident.  It may be more work than it's worth.

 

I'm open to any tweaks or suggestions here too so feel free to weigh in.

 

One big warning -- some players would rather their characters die in a blaze of glory than get captured / taken hostage.  Especially the Security character -- that player is bound to think it's his job to fight back immediately.  In my experience, a game plan that involves taking the PCs hostage rarely if ever ends well.  Yes, it's a comic book trope, but it runs completely counter to RPG player mentality.

 

I ran an adventure to start a campaign, with the PCs starting out as unpowered, planning that they would gain their powers while captured by the bad guys.  With multiple bad guys wielding Uzis and assault rifles and dozens of innocent hostages, the PCs obviously outnumbered and outgunned, one of the players nonetheless decided his character would dive through a window rather than get captured.  It quickly turned into a clusterf*** bloodbath.

 

Either (1) make it painfully, blatantly clear to the players that they will start out getting captured as a way to get their powers, so they better go along with that up front, or (2) change it so the accident happens up right up front, allowing them to fight back immediately (albeit with powers they're just learning to use).  I think (2) is preferable.

 

My suggestion is to have the PCs together as a group somewhere not immediately in VIPER's sights when the break in and lab accident happens - maybe they all know each other and are having lunch together in an empty conference room, or the latter three are all in Accounting dealing with a payroll issue when VIPER breaks in.  (If so, I'd suggest the Goons in Green accidentally trigger some kind of energy wave that can pass through walls and affect people in different ways -- the PCs just happen to be in the path of the directed energy wave.)  That said, I'd suggest a few VIPER agents mutated as well, but initially KOd but wake up to be the big bad the players have to beat after pounding on agents.

[sentry0]

I like the monster escaping from the lab idea...I could introduce a 3 way skirmish between the players, VIPER, and the creature.

[sentry0]

6 minutes ago, BoloOfEarth said:

 

One big warning -- some players would rather their characters die in a blaze of glory than get captured / taken hostage.  Especially the Security character -- that player is bound to think it's his job to fight back immediately.  In my experience, a game plan that involves taking the PCs hostage rarely if ever ends well.  Yes, it's a comic book trope, but it runs completely counter to RPG player mentality.

 

I ran an adventure to start a campaign, with the PCs starting out as unpowered, planning that they would gain their powers while captured by the bad guys.  With multiple bad guys wielding Uzis and assault rifles and dozens of innocent hostages, the PCs obviously outnumbered and outgunned, one of the players nonetheless decided his character would dive through a window rather than get captured.  It quickly turned into a clusterf*** bloodbath.

 

Either (1) make it painfully, blatantly clear to the players that they will start out getting captured as a way to get their powers, so they better go along with that up front, or (2) change it so the accident happens up right up front, allowing them to fight back immediately (albeit with powers they're just learning to use).  I think (2) is preferable.

 

My suggestion is to have the PCs together as a group somewhere not immediately in VIPER's sights when the break in and lab accident happens - maybe they all know each other and are having lunch together in an empty conference room, or the latter three are all in Accounting dealing with a payroll issue when VIPER breaks in.  (If so, I'd suggest the Goons in Green accidentally trigger some kind of energy wave that can pass through walls and affect people in different ways -- the PCs just happen to be in the path of the directed energy wave.)  That said, I'd suggest a few VIPER agents mutated as well, but initially KOd but wake up to be the big bad the players have to beat after pounding on agents.

 

Point well taken, I'll set it up so the players are not taken hostage but their co-workers are.  This should help keep the cluster****ing to a minimum.  

 

I'll have accident take place almost immediately after "creature-x" is set loose to rampage the city.  I'll tie in their mutations with the same accident that creates the creature.

 

I'm thinking of like a 50' tall mindless creature rampages the city...something fun to introduce a lot of chaos.

[Brian Stanfield]

1 hour ago, sentry0 said:

I'm still trying to pin down exactly what I want to do for the sessions...here's what I'm bouncing around.

• Players all work the same mega-corporation at a research facility 
• Players are from the following departments - Accounting, IT, Reception (aspiring actress), and Security Specialist (ex-military)
• VIPER breaks in to steal the research
• Takes the players hostage
• There's an accident with the research materials that the players are caught in
• Players awake to find that they have powers

The rest should be straightforward combat with the players wiping the floor with VIPER goons.  I'm not sure if I want to throw in another set of supers on VIPERs side or not or have some of the VIPER agents mutated as well from the accident.  It may be more work than it's worth.

 

I'm open to any tweaks or suggestions here too so feel free to weigh in.

 

It seems like you already have a martial artist-Dark Champions type of character already built into your plot. I'd run with that.

 

If all else fails, use the Quick Character Generator from Champions 5e, beginning on page 81. I thought there was a download of that section, but I can't find it, and since we can't search the store anymore I'm not sure I'll ever find it again.

[sentry0]

11 minutes ago, Brian Stanfield said:

 

It seems like you already have a martial artist-Dark Champions type of character already built into your plot. I'd run with that.

 

If all else fails, use the Quick Character Generator from Champions 5e, beginning on page 81. I thought there was a download of that section, but I can't find it, and since we can't search the store anymore I'm not sure I'll ever find it again.

 

Yeah, I wanted to work in a character with a more skill based focus but it doesn't preclude them from being a psychic.  At this point though I am leaning towards martial artist pretty heavily.

 

There could always be a set of advanced tactical weapondry in this facility so I can work in the gadget angle.

[Brian Stanfield]

Or the security specialist could be working with some experimental technology at the research facility, when suddenly . . . . He'd have a bunch of gadgets to choose from, and he'd have a bunch of skills to supplement their use. 

[Ninja-Bear]

3 villains I saw that could fairly easy to convert from CKC are Fenris pg 145, Hornet pg 161 and Morning Star pg 182

[sentry0]

1 minute ago, Ninja-Bear said:

3 villains I saw that could fairly easy to convert from CKC are Fenris pg 145, Hornet pg 161 and Morning Star pg 182

 

Thanks, I'll have a look!

[sentry0]

2 minutes ago, Brian Stanfield said:

Or the security specialist could be working with some experimental technology at the research facility, when suddenly . . . . He'd have a bunch of gadgets to choose from, and he'd have a bunch of skills to supplement their use. 

 

I like it, maybe he's the "test pilot" if you will for this set of equipment.

[Brian Stanfield]

If the players like this, you can soft-start them with their own characters by using the Quick Character Generator I mentioned above. Have you seen the quick character generation cards that will be coming out?