Spark

Honestly, if she is going to do all that you need her to do, a cat burgler wouldn't have the skillset. She needs organizational skills and a very detailed set of knowledge just to run personal security. Remember, burglers know security systems, how to get around them, and how to figure out when nobody is around. But they are not snipers (nor do they know how to prevent them). You've set up her role to be that of the Secret Service and her role seems to require more management, organization, cooperation, heavy planning, and failure mitigation. Instead of a burgler, the role you are describing is that of a secret service agent, or even an agent from another country that may have been turned (think Black Widow).

I'm also on the east coast and would be interested in playing!

The difference is that in the Champions universe mermaiding would be taught by ACTUAL mermaids...or at least those able to breathe underwater without SCUBA equipment.

Obviously there are muitliple organizations doing it...and if there is a chance to make money, PADI will be there.

FYI, "Mermaid" is an actual PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the primary SCUBA certification agency in the States if not the world) certification. It is a course that is offered frequently by many dive shops.

Very true. And that brings us to another thought, can we use CMU and Pitt or are there copywrite issues? If so, we need to come up with names to replace CMU and Pitt and Chatham and Carlow and...sigh

Not a bad idea. However, in a game we have THREE types of heroes: Player characters Support heros (that give color to the town, that can fill in gaps in skills/powersets, etc) Template characters that the players can each run (if they don't want to write their own characters). Each of these has a different purpose. That being said, having an already existing hero group would be a great place to start. If we carefully explain that you can use them or play them or replace them...well, this should all work. And THAT being said, my suggestions for purely and unashameadly Pittsburgh characters is... A power suiter, something unlinke the newer Ironman in that he/she would be much less configurable (no power pools). This character is often complicated to use so needs to be made simple. It should have big rivets, maybe even the US Steel logo (if we can use it...it is also the same logo the Steelers use so...) and should be more brick like with 6 or so charges of a variety of different missle/cannon like weapons (a mulitpower?) A martial artist/fighter that is more along the lines of Captain America. She could have a shield (that would look like the Pittsburgh city logo so wouldn't be throwable), and a hammer...get this....THE HEAD IS MADE OUT OF A PIECE OF STEEL I-BEAM! That should be able to be thrown...but then would have to be retreived. Not sure how to do that in Champions terms....maybe stretching as a linked power but using lockout to ensure they have to pick it up first. She would also have a utility belt that would have throwable attacks and flash bangs and other things (a big multipower with lots of limitations) A water elemental. Understand that the river is only really seen as an impediment to travel, an annoyance when the parking garages flood, and...well, mostly ignored by most residents. HOWEVER, they are there and in everyone's mind. So, we need a hero that can manipulate that water. The Cougar (or Panther or Mountain Lion or Catamount or whatever name you like for that 40 lb wild cat). They are indiginous to the area. This would be a cat-like super with fast reflexes and amazing fighting/acrobatics skills A few mutant siblings/twins/orphans...or... Pittsburgh, in recent years, has become a Mecca of sorts for tech (computers and robotics...kids taking parent's life work?) and medical research (genetics, surgery...experimentation?). These can be almost anything Should they have a theme to their powers (light, temperature, etc)? Maybe you have Thunder and Lightning or Fire and Ice or Dusk and Twilight. This is where you would get your hero that can move the entire group long distances for a battle. They could pilot the plane (in case no player has the skills) or just teleport the entier room somewhere or...whell, you get the idea.

I love this!! Oh, and there's so much more... There HAS to be two groups on social media, one that hates everything (and even spreads lies) and the other that are all fanboys. And, of course, a third that is simply the official line. As for how to include this in the book, I think the best approach would be to do some sort of columned presentation. If we allow three columns, each with a different approach that the GM/players could take. Of course the middle column is the moderate, middle of the road, approach. What would these three be? A "Golden Age", heroic, almost Homeric view where the heros are always supported and seen as saviors. Think of the original Superman movies A moderate view where the heros are sometimes good and sometimes bad and the official line will always support the heros, but some undercurrent would not. This would be similar to the MCU An extreme approach where villains are actively stoking negative social media views against the heros, the government is ready to arrest any super that isnt' one of "their guys". This dystopian viewpoint would be similar to most of the Batman movie approaches...POST 2000. I'd stay away from "Pussycats" altogether since there could be copywrite issues. Remember, the go-to costume of EVERY genX college girl (at least on the campuses I was on) was to wear something revealing, and clip on what could best be described as a "Josie and the Pussycats" ears and tail.

Interesting, but why diminutize the female version. Can they be the Iron Panthers?

This would most appropriately be done via one of the colleges like Pitt or CMU (or even Carlow). The big schools ALWAYS have radio stations for the students to run. It isn't a stretch to go one step farther to TV...or more precicely a streaming service of some sort. On a side note, because of Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood (and a few other public TV shows), we're probably best staying away from involving public TV in our publication. Of course, the individual game masters can do whatever they want.

WOW!!! THIS is the kind of deep dive I would do! You EVEN included the major out-of-market SportsNet Pittsburgh (which is how those not in the Pittsburgh area mostly get their PGH sports).

My intent here is NOT to be political. However, this poltical meme really drives home what people in Pittsburgh (even those that MOVED there from outside) think about people with no ties to Pittsburgh. Dr. Oz is running for Senate to represent the entire state of Pennsylvania. He's running against a guy from the Pittsburgh region. AND yes. This image is a stop pic of a guy holding a blank piece of cardboard with the words photoshopped onto it. Oh, and for the record, "Yinz" essentially means the plural "you" as in, "Yinz ready for lunch?" And, those "from" Pittsburgh are often PROUDLY called "Yinzers".

And THAT is the last time I'm posting something from my phone. I can't ever seem to properly proof read. Sorry about that, but I hope you all got the gist of my thoughts. Also, the founder MAY be Reginald Edward Acton (R. E. Acton). He would have had no children but would have sold off the shares and donated many millions to social projects around the city (similar to Andrew Carnegie...which, by the way, is pronounced car-NEG-ee). Carnegie donated mostly to museums and libraries (in fact, founding those systems in Pittsburgh). Acton would have donated to orphanages (which were dismantled by the 70s) and many, many programs to help children (like summer camps and arts programs). This way, nothing existing in the city today would need to be renamed, BUT all kinds of programs and events can be named in honor of this corporate magnate (serving the superhero purposes for our version of Andrew Car-NEG-ee).

There were, of course, a number of influences including Stark AND on Edna (from the Incredibles) who those writers were trying to make into a sort of Q from James Bond (but styled her on a costume designer). However, I've used things like this before (although not acronymned REACT since I came up with that this week). Essentially you have a need in super hero games for an armorer. This fills that niche. AND, in our case, it really fits into the city of Pittsburgh as a modern day technical/medical hub.

I don't know aobut the box or anything else, but I can't get images of Bloom County out of my head.

All that being said, I can see a fictional company sponsoring the stadium. Given the city's high tech focus (medical, AI, robotics, etc) it is conceivable that one of the local, very successful tech companies sponsors the stadium. For exmaple, the following may be a good company to use (yes, I just made it up) since it would ALSO provide a reason for super-villians to be in town ("Gotta steal...I mean, PICK-UP the new ultra-gamma-ray-blaster"). How's this for a marketing slick? REACT (Research, Engineering, Advanced Concepts, and Technology) is a weapon's manufacturer and think tank, specializing in theoretical research, high tech gadgets, gizmos, weapons, armor, and even vehicles. REACT is the most trusted gadget supplier of the super powered community. Do you want to... tweak your armor for better comfort? increase the power of your Transduction Ray? trick out your super-mobile? need an X-Ray unmogrifier? Well, REACT is your one stop shopping. Our engineers can help you resolve your own design issues, manufacture your designs, and can even create new gadgets for which you have only the vaguest of concepts. Instead of the catsup bottle pouring after each score (touchdown or field goal) at "Heinz Field" (where both the Steelers and Univerisy of Pittsburgh play), for the NEW sponsor, it would be changed to a "ladle" (the actual name of the bucket) pouring molten iron. Sound effects (sizzling) could even be added). This imagery would not only be good for our fictional REACT (if that is the direction we go), but it would be PERFECT for the real world and whatever it is that the new stadium sponsors call themselves, but in that case it would be a peace offering to the people of Pittsburgh. And as a bonus, here is a Pittsburgh overview for your viewing pleasure:

The problem with naming something like that is that Acrisure Stadium will be in the news. The name will eventually be accepted and brought into the culture. Then, this gaming module will be outdated or at least out-of-sync. Besides, naming it after the local hero group would be better since the stadium would become a target for supervillains...not that it hasn't already been a target in the past. Oh, and as an interesting note, it was called Gotham City Stadium in that movie.

I think they are very helpful. With NPCs we need to consider the following: Game Mechanics: Where do the NPCs come from? Are they DNPCs that belong to the base and if so, do they have useful skills that will earn the base fewer complication points. The NPCs should be swappable and/or deletable The NPCs should not duplicate a player character skills. After all, the game is about the players. The NPCs need to be unrelated to each other. For example, three related NPCs with complimentary helpful skills, a coheseiv set of names (i.e. Ben & Jerry), and a really cool intertwined background would be lost when a player character has the skills of one of the twins and you have to remove that character to avoid stepping on a player's toes. We probably need an entire "rogue's gallery" of those helpful NPCs. They should probably be listed together, but also in a chart that details all the skills. How many or which ones will be needed for a campaign will be dictated by the player's characters and the GMs needs. These NPCs will need to be organized and easily selectable.

That second bit (where the previous team just vanished) is a GREAT way to start a campaign. It actuall creates a background mystery to weave into the scenarios.

There's a few things to unpack here. First, let's look at those copters... The H135 (in Pittsburgh colors, in front of Pitt's Cathedral of Learning) : I've seen some of these with externally mounted stretcher racks on the skids. For this game, we can modify it with bench seating (and really good harnesses) so you can carry a few more people...and of course, hit a button on the harness to release it for a quick jump into combat. The Speedhawk: This is very similar, but with a bit more strength and an extra non-combat multiplier...plus it can carry weapons (which of course it wouldn't since the heroes are the weapons.

Base costs: The base should be about 20m x 40m and 4 stories (or 20m tall including a basement). This comes out to 16,00 cubic meters or a size of 7 (5 pts). Bring the PD and ED to 12 (to barely resist a typical 60 pt attack) and 17 body (default) for a total of 66 points. Of course, that is an empty base with nothing in it. It should have Internet access and TV/radio reception (high ranged radio hearing) which would cost about 4 points for a total of 70 points. I'll talk about how to pay for the intial 70 points below. Now, if the heros want defenses or security cameras or labs or...well, those will be extra costs and will need to be paid for by experience point donations from the heros. How do you pay for the base? Obviously, the heroes have to donate points. However, the base can have disadvantages. The ones I'd suggest are... Distinctive Features (20 pts): Superhero base (Not concealable, Major Reaction) 3D6 Unluck(15 pts): Something always breaks Group DNPC (35 pts): 32 Normal employees (Normal/Infrequently) A group DNPC of 32 people? Yes. The building would have employees and THIS post is really going to detail that. Security would need to be 24/7 and to accomplish this (I spoke to the director of security in the building I used to work in) you need at least 10 guards. The shifts are day and night. And each of those shifts is divided in two so you have alternating shifts. There are twelve total guards. Day shift M-F: 7 am to 3 pm or M-F: 3 pm to 7 pm and also 7 am to 7 pm on Sat and Sun. Then, at the end of the week, the two day shifts switch so the morning crew becomes afternoon and the afternoon becomes morning and has the weekend off. Night shift M-F: 7 pm to 3 am or M-F: 3 am to 7 am and also 7 pm to 7 am on Sat and Sun. The same swapping occurs with every other weekend off. There would need to be 4 security personel working during the day shift and 2 at night. In both instances, 2 would always be doing rounds. But, during the day you need two more at the front desk. There should be 4 support staff that clean the residential areas and run errands for the heroes as well as cook or even help get ready for special events. Only one would ever be there at a time. They would also use swap shifts, but would do it from 9 am to 3 pm or 3 pm to 9 pm. Of course the shift working the evening would be working 9 am to 9 pm on the weekends. Maintenance and custodial is easier. There are 6. They work daylight hours (8 to 4?). They'd really just be there during the work week. The last 10 would be the true hero team members. Some would be manning the communications, some would be your PR managers, and one would even be the facilities manager. The actual jobs would all be dependent on what you think the team needs. As for their names, well we could do something SUPER cool like use the names of the most famous comic book artists to pay homage to them. However, that would be difficult to publish due to copywriting. Regardless, if this is how we do it, we will need to come up with some of the names if not all. Again, first names only for most of them would be good enough. I WAS TYPING IT UP!!! There was a lot to cover. Geeze...be patient!!! I can only type so fast. The Champions basic rulebook lists the V-Jet which is probably the best one to use since it's already written up. However, if you want a helicopter, the H135 works, unless you have a bunch of flyers in the group and don't need THAT much space. Then you can use an X-49A SpeedHawk (a real helicopter). I think the points wouldn't be much more than for the H135.

The reason we chose a coffee shop instead of a diner was traffic. There isn't much organic traffic there and with any restaurant, the three most important factors in success are location, location, and location. Additionally, a coffee shop allows both sit down AND walk-up patronage. From a role playing perspective, this gives a GM the options for sedentary NPCs as well as a constant stream of potential civilian targets. Of course, if you set it up more like a Panera's with salads and sandwiches, it will be more useful. As for the people in the shop, I'd suggest three baristers at all times, if they are open from 6 AM (for the morning rush) till 8 or 9 when they close to clean so that people would be in the shop from 5:30 AM till 9:30 PM, or 16 hours a day. There would be a morning crew and an evening crew. There would probably be 3 to 6 employees at any given time. However, you really need only first names for all but the manager, and maybe one or two interesting employees.

Actually, there are three GREAT places for a base. In fact, I not only considered them all for the location of the base in the Pittsburgh based campaign I just started running, but when was in Da Burgh recently I checked them out. There are several things I considered when choosing a location: Ease of access The heroes must be able to get from the base to anywhere, so somewhere between the Point (where the three rivers meet) and Oakland (where all the colleges are) Like most north eastern cities, it's an organic city without an easily navigated grid system, so the traffic can be quite ensnaring (2D6 SPD drain, cummulative, only-vs-vehicles). The solution is to move East and West via the rivers or the air, and if you are flying, flying over the rivers is the safest. So, being located closer to the water is a plus...AND it gives the GM the ability to have river monsters. Visibility: Unless the base is purchased as underground or invisible, it has to be seen. These things tend to be prominent jewels of the city, points of pride. The base should be easily seen from most places. Safety: Avenger's Tower (or Stark Tower) was a HORRIBLE location for the Avengers since it became a target of an alien invasion. Had it NOT been in the center of Manhattan, the damage may have been reduced. Fits in the surroundings: Something important can't already be there. Don't put it in the Northside. THAT is where the stadiums are. All that being said, There are three locations that are perfect: Gateway View Plaza (just west of the Point, on the south shore of the Ohio). This is a non-descript strip mall in a depressed spot that has perfect view of downtown, is right on the water, can be seen from anywhere someone is going to shoot video (like sporting events), is at the base of Duquesne Heights so there are no houses in close proximity and the closest sit on top of a mountain which pretty much protects them. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4433262,-80.0193044,1352m/data=!3m1!1e3 Hazlewood (Between the Monongahela and Second Avenue). This is a little further from downtown, a little more heavily populated, but a bit closer to the universities. Currently in this spot is the Aurora Test Facility which USED to be used by Uber to test...I'm assuming self driving cars. It's pretty much right on the river (giving water access and enabling heroes to just fly up and down the river), it's pretty much empty, but there is little distance between the facility and a residential neighborhood. There is a building (Mill 19) that could be ignored for the game purposes which would give more of a buffer between the base and the houses. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4155851,-79.9508835,4171m/data=!3m1!1e3 Lincoln Park (on the south shore of the Allegheny river, just east of Highland Park and the Pittsburgh Zoo). This one is just across the river from some decent shopping with heavy traffic. It's also harder to get to the airport. Like the Gateway View Plaza location, there is a mountain that will protect the residents. Currently, there is a boatyard there (Brilliant Boat Club), but that isn't too well noticed. AND, there are fewer residents (although there is a cemetary...spooky!). https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4813467,-79.8867968,4544m/data=!3m1!1e3 For the campaign I'm already running, I chose the first option. It gave me the ability to build the base as 4 stories with only one underground (and that is going to flood on them periodically). Roof: Helipad 3rd Floor: Residences 2nd Floor: Administrative offices and other police like functions (they are part of a larger system so they could be deputized and I didn't have to worry about the whole vigilantiism thing) 1st Floor: Reception, security station, meeting rooms, a coffeshop with outside access only, and an empty retail space with outside access only. I figure this one will be filled by something that would either be a great joke, a real help, or the bane of their existance. Basement: Labs, gym, and future home of the danger room once I figure out how to build that. I hope these ideas and examples help.

Actually, a museum would be more appropriately located where all the others are. the Carnegie (and of course the Cathedral) are in Oakland (along with Phipps and Frick and...) or on the Northside near the stadiums where you have the Carnegie Science, Andy Warhol, the Children's museums. And just across all over downtown you have Toonseum and Heinz. As for the Strip District, there are precious few high traffic areas that are right up against easily accessible depressed areas still. Unless you don't want an area where your homeless, vagrants, and displaced mutants can hide.

The weather is a great point. Yes. In one day, you can go from 35 degrees to 75 and sunny, and then back down to 55 and raining. And, in the region, snow can be heavy (not like Wisconsin or Michigan heavy, but...). However, in the city limits the snow is half to a third as deep as it is in the suburbs.