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!

5 minutes ago, Mark Rand said:

Yep.  In real life, NAUI has only one mermaid class, and that's in Hawaii.  In a superhero universe, all scuba diving organizations will probably have classes in mermaiding, as mermaid-style swimming is often called.

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.

On 11/13/2022 at 4:21 PM, Mark Rand said:

I thought SSI (Scuba Schools International) certified most mermaid training courses.  The beginning one is "Try Mermaid".  "Ocean Mermaid" is the advanced one.  Nancy has her Ocean Mermaid certification.  She also serves as student assistant to Coach Mary Ann Kramer, a physical education teacher and the swimming coach who teaches both regular and SSI-certified mermaid-style swimming classes in the Allderdice pool on weekends.

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

1 hour ago, Mark Rand said:

An invention of Sarah Wasilewski — who goes by the nickname Woshe — the Pittsburgh Mermaid has appeared at events throughout the summer, lounging in a kiddie pool, flapping her blue and green costume tail.
 

 

 

 

Woshe says “mermaiding” is a real thing, citing a woman who swims with LED lights on her costume.  However, she feels that what she does is more casual and mostly appears at events hosted by friends, while most professional mermaids are adept swimmer and divers, which she, admittedly, is not. 

 

 

 

 

 

As if to prove her point, she recalls an unfortunate swim in a local river last summer, where she contracted a bacterial infection.  “I call myself the Pittsburgh Mermaid but then I go and swim in the river and get sick,” says Woshe.

 

 

Another local mermaid is Taylor Allderdice High School student Nancy Aaronson.  Nancy, dubbed “Ariel” by the popular girls, is a student in the CTE Health Careers Technology, one of the school nurse’s student aides, either a medic or a lifeguard during home athletic events, and the EQT Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta’s official mermaid.  Unlike Woshe, she swims in the rivers without any problems.  But then, it is rumored that she is part mermaid.

 

 

 

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.

1 hour ago, Mark Rand said:

Cougar sounds like Lionheart from the Champions Begins Character Book. 

 

Also, the University of Pittsburgh has the Panther as its mascot while Chatham University has the Cougar as its.

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

5 hours ago, vardhnam said:

I think one of its major heroes should be a powered armor sort or have Steel in their name somehow.

Not a bad idea. However, in a game we have THREE types of heroes:

1. Player characters
2. Support heros (that give color to the town, that can fill in gaps in skills/powersets, etc)
3. 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...

1. 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?)
2. 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)
3. 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.
4. 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
5. 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.

15 hours ago, Steve said:

How does the Mayor and the city council view superhumans? Are they pro-superhero sorts, giving a team of heroes a taxpayer-funded base or anti-superhero types that think the likes of J. Jonah Jameson are speaking the truth? Somewhere in between?

 

Are there individual police detectives, or maybe a dedicated unit of police, trying to root out secret identities and arrest the masked vigilantes?

 

How about the state government? They have more funding than a city would, so maybe they have a task force that interfaces with superhumans.

 

Or maybe it’s all federalized, and local law enforcement is constantly running into jurisdiction spats with the feds.

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?

1. A "Golden Age", heroic, almost Homeric view where the heros are always supported and seen as saviors. Think of the original Superman movies
2. 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
3. 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.

15 hours ago, Mark Rand said:

I might just call them "The Pussycats".  The ladies could wear clip-on black tails and headband ears with their blue and gold street clothes.  The paint scheme on their van includes the phrase, "The Pussycats Prowl With Pitt".    

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.

20 hours ago, Mark Rand said:

I have two more groups for you.

 

The first is the Panther Cubs, a University of Pittsburgh-based version of Josie and the Pussycats.  The trio consists of a guitarist, a drummer, and a bass guitar player who, occasionally, switches to two tambourines.  Their costumes are like those of Josie and the Pussycats, but have panther (cougar) coloration.

 

The second is the Jazz Angels.  The all-girl group consists of a keyboardist, a guitarist, a drummer, a bass guitar player, a saxophonist, and a vocalist.

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

1 hour ago, steriaca said:

Another "extra" television channel is Shock! Shock! primarily focuses on horror and suspense movies and shows, but also dips their toes into fantasy and science fiction (especially if they also touch horror). Much like Comet TV, Shock! has a bit of repeats of movies throughout the month, but they try to keep things fresh.

 

They even have their own horror host by the name of The Editor, who is obsessed with the floor of The Cutting Room. 

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.

1 hour ago, Mark Rand said:

Television

 

The Pittsburgh TV market is currently ranked as the 23rd largest in the United States by Nielsen.  It has recently gained distinction as one of the most competitive.  (In the listing below the table, network O&O’s are denoted in bold.) The market is served by:

 

Channel	Call Sign	Network	Since	Digital subchannel	Digital Subchannel	Owner
2	KDKA	CBS	1949 (Jan. 11)	Start TV		CBS
4	WTAE	ABC	1958 (Sept. 14)	Cozi TV	--	Hearst
11	WPXI	NBC	1957 (Sept. 1)	Me-TV	--	Cox Media
13	WQED	PBS	1954 (Apr. 1)	Create	Neighborhood
16	WEPA-CD	Cozi TV	1989 (Feb. 28)	Movies!		OTA Broadcasting
19	WPCW	The CW	1953 (Oct. 15)			CBS
22	WPNT	MyTV	1978 (Sept. 26)			Sinclair
31	WIIC-LD		1989 (Aug. 29)			Abacus Television
39	WBYD-CD	JTV	1990 (Jul. 25)			Perez Broadcasting
38	WINP	ION	1953 (Aug. 31)	Bounce TV	Court TV	Ion Media
50	WPCB	Cornerstone	1979 (Apr. 15)			Cornerstone
53	WPGH	Fox	1953 (July 14)	ZUUSCountry		Sinclair
	PCNC		1994 (Jan. 1)			Cox Media
	AT&T SportsNet	FoxSports	1986 (Apr. 13)			AT&T Sports Networks
	PanthersTV	Pitt	2010 (Sep. 21)

 

 

• VHF:

   

  • KDKA 2 (CBS)

     

  • WTAE 4 (ABC)

     

  • WPXI 11 (NBC)

     

  • WQED 13 (PBS)

     

    • This PBS member station is a major contributor to national media as the source for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, National Geographic Explorer, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

       

•                 UHF:

   

  • WEPA-CD 16

     

  • WPCW 19 (CW)

     

  • WPNT 22 (MyNetworkTV)

     

  • WIIC-LD 31

     

  • WBYD-CD 39

     

  • WINP 38 (Ion)

     

  • WPCB 40 (Cornerstone)

     

  • WPGH 53 (FOX)

     

               

 

• Cable news stations:

   

  • Pitt Panthers TV

     

  • Pittsburgh Cable News Channel

     

  • AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

     

 

 

•                 Digital television stations:

   

  • KNNP-TV

     

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".

8 hours ago, Spark said:

 

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.

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).

8 hours ago, Mark Rand said:

REACT might be something like one of Tony Stark's companies.  I could see it headquartered in an area industrial park instead of right in the city.

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.

31 minutes ago, Mark Rand said:

Based on the above the penguin from either outer space or another world might be an intelligent male who can stand warm temperatures and wears a box on his chest that converts his noises to human speech.  The lady who drives him is a member of the Penguins Ice Crew.  She uses a team-owned SUV to drive him to official events. 

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.

2 hours ago, Mark Rand said:

What do you think of my above-mentioned characters?  Since Helen has, at least, basic first aid training, Andrea and Melody might call on her for an assist, if they're at the same scene, even if it's just to help carry gear or a stretcher.

I think they are very helpful. With NPCs we need to consider the following:

1. 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.
2. The NPCs should be swappable and/or deletable
   1. The NPCs should not duplicate a player character skills. After all, the game is about the players.
   2. 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.
   3. 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.

17 hours ago, Mark Rand said:

One idea I had for a beginning team was that they meet in the living room of Thomas Avery's house, and, when needed,use his front lawn as a rally point.

 

Of course, they might be replacing a team that, for some reason, vanished and are using the team's support base and support staff.

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.

3 minutes ago, Mark Rand said:

I chose the H135 because it’s often seen in the skies above Pittsburgh.  Both STAT Medevac and AHN Lifeflight use this helicopter.  Additionally the H135 also has a Fenestron or shrouded tail rotor.  All seats have headsets racked above them.  The pilot and front passenger have binoculars and explosion-proof flashlights in their front door compartments.  The other passengers have them under their seats.  The rear section holds emergency supplies and tools for opening manhole covers.

 

 

 

Helen Davenport pilots of team’s copter.  A former army captain, she piloted an AH-64E Apache Guardian.  Her copilot/gunner, Andrea Winslow, now a pilot of the H135 STAT Medevac keeps at Allegheny County Airport. Melody Samuels, RN, CFRN (Certified Flight Registered Nurse), is Andrea’s usual flight nurse.  

 

 

 

Bonnie Knight, a mechanical and electronics genius, and Christine Valentine, an IT genius, are the team’s main technical people.

 

 

 

Jeannette Barstow is the head of housekeeping.

 

 

All four live at the base.

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...

1. Distinctive Features (20 pts): Superhero base (Not concealable, Major Reaction)
2. 3D6 Unluck(15 pts): Something always breaks
3. 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.

30 minutes ago, Mark Rand said:

And the superhero team's support staff?

I WAS TYPING IT UP!!! There was a lot to cover. Geeze...be patient!!! I can only type so fast.

3 hours ago, Mark Rand said:

If they have their own helicopter it might be an Airbus Helicopters H135.  It needs only one pilot and can hold up to seven passengers.

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.

2 hours ago, Mark Rand said:

The coffee shop could actually be a diner.  B/G, a former area diner chain, could be revived and one located there.

 

Any ideas on the support staff?  Which ones live in and which ones commute?

 

If they have their own helicopter it might be an Airbus Helicopters H135.  It needs only one pilot and can hold up to seven passengers.

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.

1 hour ago, Mark Rand said:

Any ideas about where in the city the base is or what it, generally, looks like?

 

Keep in mind that the Port Authority works on a hub and spoke system.  Most bus routes begin and end in the Central Business District.

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:

1. Ease of access
   1. 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)
   2. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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:

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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.

4 hours ago, Mark Rand said:

The Strip District might be a good place for it.  Construction is going on in places there and there are a number of parking lots there which could be converted into parking garages and buildings.

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.

16 minutes ago, Ninja-Bear said:

I know Pittsburgh is used to snow though not like Corry. Erie typically doesn’t get as much as the snow belt. So you need at least a snow themed villain or hero and well the joke in PA is that you can all four season in one day, we could have a weather themed hero or villain or group. Did I mention potholes? A villain with tunneling at range. Or just a miner and themed person as well. 

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.