bwdemon

Re: The First My favorite setting dealing with this was White Wolf's Aberrant. It does a good job of showing what happens as superheroes are introduced into modern society and how things progress from there. Unlike the traditional superheroic setting, you get a lot more self-interest and a wide variety of factions, which is perhaps more realistic. In fact, it's probably my favorite setting altogether and I plan to run a Champions game set there as soon as I can get past this bar exam thing. The Marvels series of comics was good for this sort of thing, too, but it was set in the past. Still, it'd give you an idea of the themes and feel involved.

Re: Countering the Speed Zone Transdimensional Force Wall - you're in the Speed Zone, but you can't go anywhere outside of the "box." It isn't the sort of thing I'd recommend as a common occurrence, but it'd be a nice surprise for a villain to spring at an opportune time. The best option was put forth by CrosshairCollie. Just make sure that the power goes to a player who will use it reasonably and appropriately.

Wrong Board Nothing to See Here Please Move along.

Re: Power Game. Give it a try. Whoops! I was just scanning through there, and I saw "AVLD" in the Tunneling section. I'd never thought about it until that moment and I didn't read the whole thing. Ugh... Change it to 3" Tunneling through up to 10 DEF, Usable as Attack (+1), Ranged (+1/2), Area of Effect (1 hex, +1/2); Total Cost = 138pts. Not quite as brutal, but still pretty good. It'll go through just about anything you'd need it to.

Re: Power Game. Give it a try. I had thought of using a Mega-Scale to cover the entire world in Images, essentially putting everyone in the character's imaginary world. However, Images uses a power advantage to increase the area covered, so it would be unbalanced to apply Mega-Scale to the power. The end result being a ridiculous cost to get what I was looking for. The best use of Images is pretty much as a distraction or cover-up for something else that's going on (e.g. hide the fact that the bridge is out, create an Image of you running away in one direction while you go invisible and run off in a different direction, cover up a photo on an FBI badge with an image of your own face, etc.). So it doesn't lend itself well to insane power-gaming. It's more of a finesse thing. Here's one use for an often-ignored power... Gravedigger (112pts): 3" Tunneling through 3 DEF, Fill In, AVLD (force wall, +1 1/2), Usable as Attack (+1), Ranged (+1/2), Area Effect (1 hex, +1/2) ... Point at your opponent and they're suddenly 6m underground. Thanks to AVLD, so long as you aren't trying to get through a force wall, you can tunnel through anything and everything as easy as if it were potting soil.

Re: Battletech Mecha First Loves, Favourites, and just plain silly. My first battle ever pitted my BLR-1G Battlemaster against a friend's MAD-3R Marauder. The original TRO:3025 compared them as equals and I just refused to believe it. Despite the massive amount of luck involved in any game of Battletech, the BLR-1G handily won that battle and many that would follow, losing only twice to good weapon grouping and crits. Because of this, the BLR-1G Battlemaster will always be near and dear to me. Another mech I really like is the 3025 Rifleman. I like both the RFL-3N (LLs & AC/5s) and the RFL-3C (AC/10s), preferring the former for looks and the latter for ability. Any of the later variants tended to carry XL engines, which made them unusable, AFAIC. I always liked Archers with LRM20s, because nothing seemed so cool to me as the thought of forty missiles streaking away at some far off target, covering it in a series of explosions. The LRM15 Archers are occasionally the better mech, but they just don't seem "Archer" enough to me. The ARC-7L Archer is just amazing - the epitome of what an Archer should be. I'm a fan of Wolf's Dragoons and have been since the mid-80s. This tends to color my mech selection, too. Unlike many of my peers, I prefer the lumbering Annihilator to the unstoppable Marauder II. Why? I like autocannon and missiles - things that go "boom" - and the Marauder II focuses on energy weapons. Plus, people underestimate the Annihilator. As you move forward in the timeline, the Gallowglas also becomes a favorite. I could really go on about so many mechs that it would take forever. Suffice to say that I am more than happy to ditch mobility for mass, long-range weapons, and armor. Basically, if you don't move and use mobility as a "dump stat" for your mech selections, then it becomes easy to make the most of the rest of your attributes (mass, armor, and lots of big, long-range weapons) within the BV allowed. Part of this is due to BV overrating mobility (especially jump jets), so if/when they fix the system I may have to change my ways.

Re: Naked Advantages I'm trying to get away from the HA label issues at this point, since they cloud up my real concern here. I generally do not like advantages for STR, simply because I feel it gives more for the points than it should. The only advantage I'm fine with is reduced endurance. It isn't like armor piercing would change your ability to lift things, but wouldn't explosion or AOE on STR result in the character being able to lift things with the explosion advantage? That's why I feel that you (should) need an attack-based advantage to reach the result I'm trying to achieve.

Re: Idle thinkings on BattleTech FASA was in very bad financial condition when they closed their doors, but I agree that it wasn't completely due to the Harmony Gold fiasco. Aside from not paying their writers' royalties (and not being able to), they took a bath on the purchase of Ral Partha and Vor: the Maelstrom. They also sold off FASA Interactive, easily the most lucrative portion of the company, to Microsoft for a handshake and a pat on the back in 1999 (have to pay the bills somehow). The whole "unseen" thing was an overreaction to a lawsuit (yes, HG did sue FASA, but the case was settled before going to trial after FASA lost a summary judgment motion). It would've been child's play to retcon the art at that point and move forward with the game and all mechs intact. Instead, they danced around the issue and removed the mechs from mention in products until they finally created new art for subsequent models using the names of the unseen (TRO:PP). This created two classes of players, those that knew of the unseen and possessed materials related to them and those who did not and never would (absent one of the former giving up his own materials). For no better reason than geek cred, the unseen issue persists today.

Re: Naked Advantages I guess I need to look into getting a copy of TUB, then. It just doesn't seem fair to me that you could buy something like AP for STR and then get to use AP with all of your damage related to STR (e.g. kicks, martial attacks, etc.). I just don't like the idea of a naked advantage on STR, rather than on damage. Perhaps wording it as "HA" is not the best way to do it. If instead of "HA" I put "on up to 8d6 of melee attack" then the whole problem that comes along with the "HA" label goes away, right?

Re: Naked Advantages Super Boxer has 40 STR and no HA. However, by the rules, I believe you would have to purchase a naked power advantage for up to 8d6 (more if so inclined) melee damage (equivalent = 8d6 HA). You base the cost of the advantage off the HA formula, which starts at 40 (8d6 normal damage EB) multiplied by 2 (variable advantage +1/2), minus the 40pts the attack will cost anyway (prepaid with STR) and then divided by 1.5 (no range), which leaves a cost of 27 points. If I wanted Super Boxer to have up to 12d6, then it'd cost me 40pts. If he did a normal strike, I'd still only do 8d6 (+ advantage effects), though. Right? I get this basic formula from the example from pg.74 of TUMA under Mowing 'Em Down. There, they use a naked power advantage (AE radius, selective) on any autofire RKA up to 4d6. That has a base cost of 75pts (60 * 2.25 - 60). You take the maximum effect, apply the modifers, subtract the base cost, then divide by the limitations. In this example, it had a full -1 in limitations, for an actual cost of 37pts. Now here's where I get confused. I pull up pg.131 in TUMA and I see the "Autofire" example. There it sounds like you just buy the advantage for your manuevers' maximum extra DC an then you get the advantage for free on your STR? The example is a character with 20 STR and +6DC as his best maneuver. They buy +6d6 HA, Autofire(5, +1/2), 1/2 END (+1/2), Hand Attack (-1/2) for a total cost of 40pts. This seems like it would allow the character to do 10d6 autofire for 40pts? Is that right or is it just a 6d6 autofire attack?

I thought I had a pretty good grasp on these, but now I'm not so sure. Let's start with a theoretical character called "Super Boxer" who wants a naked advantage (Variable Advantage +1/2) to give him a variety of special attacks to use in combat. Super Boxer has 40 STR. As I understand it, Super Boxer would buy Variable Advantage +1/2 (+1) for up to 8d6 HA, which would cost [(40 x 2.00) - 40] / 1.5 = 27pts. This would allow Super Boxer to apply any advantage he wanted, up to +1/2 total, to his 8d6 punch. If Super Boxer decided to kick an opponent and use Explosion as his advantage, we get into some gray territory. Option 1: 8d6 explosion or 12d6 normal; Option 2: 8d6 explosion and 4d6 normal; Option 3: 10 1/2d6 explosion; Option 4: he didn't buy variable advantage for up to 8d6 HA, he bought it for his full STR, so its 12d6 explosion. I fall into the "Option 1" camp, but I can't say it's the right way to interpret the rules. Option 2 sounds reasonable (variable advantage only applies to first 8d6). Option 3 sounds reasonable (additional DC divided by 1.5 to account for the cost of the advantage). Option 4 doesn't sound reasonable (nobody should get a power advantage on extra dice without paying for it appropriately). So which of these is right?

Re: Power Game. Give it a try. Plague Touch (40pts): 1d6 RKA, Continuous (+1), Penetrating (+1/2), Sticky (+1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2; lasts 24 hours or until victim receives a full dose of vancomycin, whichever comes first), 0 END (+1/2), No Range (-1/2) EDIT: still working on a good power for Images...

Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Aside from a few years playing the original Traveller, I haven't done anything with the game in a long time. When this comes out, I'll be happy to change that state of affairs. Just make sure some hardcopy makes it to Columbus, Ohio

Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement

Re: Running a X-men type game.... Hopefully these sites can give you a better idea of the setting... Wikipedia uncannyxmen.net marveldirectory.com IGN's 25 Greatest Moments in X-Men History

Re: Re-Imaged Hero(ines) Just one entry so far? I figured a name like this would spark a little more interest... I'll give it another week, just in case.

Re: Idle thinkings on BattleTech Most Battletech mecha are original. Since the Harmony Gold fiasco (look up "Harmony Gold FASA" in Google and you'll see what I mean), they've made a concerted effort to delete all pictures of unoriginal designs and those designs contracted out to others (where the others retained the rights). Additionally, because they decided the art had to go, they removed the unoriginal mechs from the Technical Readouts and either replaced them with original mecha or cut the page count. Basically, FASA got very, very scared of lawsuits and the unoriginal stuff had to go. In an effort to correct this state of affairs, FanPro (current Battletech producer licensing the rights from WizKids) released Technical Readout: Project Phoenix with changed art for versions of many of the original mechs released after 3062 (IIRC). Prior to 3062, the mechs look as they did before the art and their stats were deleted. Of course, if you don't have the older books or minis, then you don't know what they look like. You can find the art and stats online (and the stats in mech creation programs) if you care to look, but FanPro won't ever officially use their art again. If you know anyone with the books, compare the list of mechs from the original Technical Readout: 3025 with the revised Technical Readout: 3025 to see what was deleted. Other Technical Readouts that were impacted include 3050 and 3055. For this reason, older versions tend to command higher prices. I wouldn't invest in Battletech right now, though, since new rules are coming out over the convention season (maybe Origins, but most likely GenCon). It'd be a shame to waste money with that on the horizon.

Re: Re-Imaged Hero(ines) Name: The Thing

Re: Re-Imaged Hero(ines) "8... 9... 10! Ring the bell, it's all over, folks! Hammerin' Ed Hinkley knocks out the #1 contender 'Gravedigger' Grossman to move into contention for the NABA Cruiserweight title! Let's take a look at the third round, where things really went wrong for Grossman..." Sometimes, when you aren't expecting it, the greatest moment in your life can pass you right by. Ed Hinkley, "Hammerin' Ed" to boxing fans, had his greatest moment on June 13, 2003. In a nationally-televised fight, he became the #1 contender and knew, without a doubt, that the title would be never be his. Throughout his whole life, in school, at work, and in boxing, Ed never did anything great. He was always middle of his class, one of the middling workers, or one of those guys destined to be a journeyman boxer; the guy other people beat to move up in the rankings. But with one lucky uppercut in the third round of a fight he wasn't supposed to win, things changed. He didn't know what it was, it was like he was in the right place at the right time and everything just clicked. Just as quickly as he reached this peak, though, he knew he couldn't go any further, because at that moment, with that one lucky uppercut, Hammerin' Ed Hinkley knew he was a mutant. He didn't look any different or sound any different. He seemed as normal and undistinguished as ever. Just to try to quash his fears, though, he had a doctor run some tests and they found that his bones were higher density than most, that his strength was disproportionately greater than his muscle mass, and that his reactions were just that little bit beyond what a person should be capable of. Even as a mutant, Ed was purely middle-of-the-pack. Still, it was enough to ensure he'd never get that title shot. Ed dropped out of boxing, stumbling through an excuse about needing to find himself, placed a call to his agent to sell what few belongings he owned, and bought the first of many bus tickets that would take him across North America, looking for the place he could do the most good and become something more than he ever dreamt possible.

Re: Free Marvel Comics! When was the last time you paid $3 for 3 comics and had them delivered to your door? If I wasn't already buying two of the titles in hardback, I'd take them up on the deal. As for the "regular" Spider-Man title, Marvel's continuity is simply broken and I just can't stand to read it anymore. That's why I stick to the Ultimate books. I'm glad some people can still enjoy it, but even die-hard soap opera fans would make fun of it at this point for the craziness that's piled on over the years. DC isn't any better.

Re: Free Marvel Comics! I've only been buying the hardbound compilations of the Ultimate books, but based solely on those, I'd recommend both of the Ultimate titles.

Re: Code vs Killing, in your group? Along these lines, it'd be interesting to see how a CvK group would handle a "Mr. Glass" style opponent. If you know full well that any hit against the character will cause BODY, and likely death, what do you do? 0 PD/ED, 1-5 BODY, SUSC to energy attacks & toxins, SUSC to sensory overload, VULN to physical/energy 2x BODY... more as needed, but that should give an idea of the character Make the character a mentalist "main villain" type and see what happens. The one loophole would be mental attacks, of course, but anything else would have a strong chance of hurting him too badly or would be pointless. Sufficient mental defense would be a necessity and appropriate to the character, since he isn't likely to have too much in the way of STUN or CON. I'll have to use this sometime... On another note, I'm with the "start weak and increase/decrease as needed" crowd, planning to cause no BODY damage to the opponent. I also see the validity of a "so long as they aren't dead" interpretation, but I don't think I'd award full points for that as a GM.

Re: Speedster Tactics Here's an often-overlooked solution to ground-bound speedsters: fly! If you can fly and they can't, get a little height and start dropping bombs/blasts/rocks/rays/whatever on their high-DCV heads. It feels dirty, but so does getting pummeled without getting to answer in return. It'll also take a long time to bring them down, but it's better than the alternative. However, beware the speedster who may decide to run up a multiple-story building, then off its roof, in order to get at a flying aggressor. On the one hand, it gives him a shot at hitting you. On the other hand, it can be a long way down, hit or miss, for the speedster in question. Of course, if you're dealing with a flying speedster, then this just isn't going to work. Another option is to appeal to lesser-used powers (works on non-speedsters, too). The looser point restrictions on 5th edition characters led to lots of secondary and tertiary powers for characters. This is a good thing. However, they rarely get used in proportion to their cost (multipowers excepted). So if you can give them a chance to use one of these rarely-used powers, most players will jump on it. If they have a disarm power, then walk into battle with a large flashy fake gun. They'll try to disarm instead of something useful and usually end up in a position where it'll be easier to take them down in your phase.

Re: How a team fits in its world (team types) UberHero and his Less-Competent Friends: One incredibly powerful/talented character and an essentially unnecessary supporting cast generally only used to provide distractions (e.g. training sessions) or plots (e.g. rescue Kid Hostage again) for the main character.

Re: "You're not a REAL Hero!" Beowulf, while he did kill his enemies, still acted heroically to a large degree. He fought face-to-face with his opponents, not relying on stealth (beyond feigned sleep) or easy kills. Had Beowulf been written such that he snuck up on Grendel and Grendel's mother and cut their throats as they slept, his acts would've been completely unheroic by pretty much every societies' definitions. Grendel was a true monster, a maneater who did his worst in the dark of night while his prey slept. He wasn't human or even remotely humanized. In today's more liberal standards, his death would rank aside the death of a vicious rabid wolf. It was necessary, there was no option. So rehabilitation/incarceration isn't mandated for heroism, which is why I qualified it above. Rehabilitation/incarceration is more stereotypically heroic in the super-hero context and we're on the Champions board, so I stuck with the context. Many alleged heroes (mythical, historical, and current) are really crazed butchers of men, women, and children when viewed in more sensible light. Still, some heroic elements generally exist. The opponent is usually painted (rightly or wrongly) as truly despicable and worthy of death. They almost always act boldly, facing their opponent down with no regard to the odds (generally stacked against the hero). They fight because of honor, a duty, and/or a noble personal conviction.