Jhereg

I don’t see anything wrong with that. My group pretty much considers MA as a staple of the group. Every player has at least 20 pts in MA. It’s the style where they diverge. We got boxers and dirty infighters right along with the ninjutsu.

You bring up an excellent point. I like to play well-balanced characters in every aspect: abilities, and psychologically. Must be because I'm so proud of being a blanced individual myself!

As a player, my recurring role is the Mentalist. Not so much because it’s what I like (though I do), but more because I think every group needs one, and no one else in my group is willing to play one. I’ve never made a character without Ambidexterity. I’ve never made a “Heroic†setting character without Fast Draw.

As a player, that bugs the crap out of me. It seems like the GM doesn't want PC's have any sense of accomplishment at all.

That’s a big one in my group. There’s always a loner/Wolverine-wanna-be that doesn’t have any motivation to join a group. And the player expects the GM and other players to pull him along. Little does he realize, the players don’t give a crap about a character they just met, and the GM (me) will not halt the story to haggle with an uncooperative character, not to mention the uncooperative player. They usually get left behind, and on more than one occasion, sit there pouting all night because “everyone else made it impossible to playâ€.

Phil, I think you’re set up perfectly for villainy. The most memorable villains have a relatable, identifiable, even sympathetic story. It’s not poor Phil’s fault. He is what society made him. It also makes any future criminal convictions suspect, as mitigating circumstances. My advice, Phil: Get yourself some henchmen, and a publicist, and tear up the town. Punxsutawney will never be the same again. You owe yourself that much. -Abbey

I really hate those mess-with-the-GM players . My group always had 1 at any given time. I’m not sure why they do it. Maybe they’re trying to see how good the GM is. Maybe they’re trying to see how much the GM is willing to deal with. Maybe they want attention. But maybe they just have that “GM’s the enemy†way of thinking. My current one is the single most obnoxious roleplayer I’ve ever had the obligation of playing with. He purposefully makes every game more difficult. And he’s flat out said he does it all to see how much the GM can handle before he breaks.

Reflecting my distaste for D&D, while fulfilling my need to play something , my roommate and I made twin circus jugglers for a 2nd Ed D&D campaign. We loaded up on Non-WP’s like juggling and acrobatics; nothing to help in combat. In fact, all we did in combat was dazzle enemies with our antics. The kicker was we didn’t speak any common languages, and no one else in the group spoke ours. They were influenced by the pill-bugs in “A Bug’s Lifeâ€. However, the best I’ve seen was a friend of mine, and brand-spanking-new roleplayer who made a FH Lizardman-Pimp, named Silky Draws. He carried a mace, and wore a pink ascot. His tagline: “Don’t make me mace you, ho.â€

My group witnessed a surprising turn of events when attempting a Devil May Cry campaign. It was actually good! ...though not true to the game. Characters were 75+75 with melee weapons, and 20th century firearms with very limited ammo. Demonology magic was allowed (and 1 PC opted for it). Future plans included “magic†firearms (so ammo wouldn’t be an issue), and gaining demon-like powers (like the “Devil Triggerâ€). However, when we started, it became a very in depth post apocalyptic campaign. The world we pulled out of our nertherquarters was more vivid and rich than the one I was trying to emulate. The PC’s spent most of their time fighting lowly demons, and counting their precious ammo, and loving every excruciating minute of it. We gave up on the hopes for making like the Devil May Cry world, and continued as is. We eventually got bored, but while it lasted, it was a very fun campaign.

Can’t go wrong with Sam Elliot. I used him for my PC in (surprise) Western Hero.

My big one – the one I hope I avoid as a GM – is sort of an amalgam of some of the one’s I’ve read: The GM’s story that could occur with cardboard cutouts just as easily as players. The characters are merely the audience. This is my big problem with modules. As a GM I try to make each character integral to the adventure. If any one character is missing, the story must change.

I think the reason we select actors is that we always describe our games as if we were eventually going to make a live-action movie of our exploits. It began as “So-and-so could play my character,†and evolved into “My character is played by so-and-so.â€

It's do-able (excuse the pun). She's the widow of my late Mentalist PC. So she's single at the moment. But, be careful. She's a corporate assassin.

Kill him. Not the character. The player.

I notice a lot of gripes add up to a “player archetype†that really bugs me. - Trigger-happy players - Players with lack of respect for consequences - Players who act invulnerable - Players who always have to be the star - D&D Hack n’ Slashers All these equal my most hated player: The player that treats role-playing like a $%@!*&% video game!

Dear Confused, A dating service can help you find people that have a lot in common with you in that regard. However the real question is, do you want to limit yourself to lizard-women? I think normal women will find you attractive if they just get to know the real you. I recommend a 6d6 Entangle. -Abby

My most successful horror campaign was more of an X-files-like paranormal investigation deal. It worked well, but at best it would be categorized more as “dark and disturbing†than “scaryâ€.

I can’t help but notice that most of the Hero Players I meet online prefer High-powered campaigns. All the Champions campaigns seem to be 325 pts or more. And even the Fantasy/Sci-fi campaigns are 250 with superheroic house rules. I just want to know if there’s anybody else out there like me, who prefers low-powered, realistic campaigns. I run my fantasy and sci-fi campaigns on 50+50. At most, if I want an action movie feel, I’ll go 75+75. And my Champions campaigns start at 100+150, or sometimes 100+100. And it’s not just coming from me. My players love being underpowered, especially in any “real world†campaing. To me, nothing gets the blood pumping better than knowing the possibility of my character’s death is very real. Maybe it’s just a matter of taste.

We tried an Underworld campaign. It was a dismal failure. Not because it was Underworld, but because the PC’s didn’t know when to retreat. Talk about a bloodbath. Not pretty.

I’ve had to deal with this issue before. We settled on calling a “double barrel blast†a 2-shot autofire. It can just be bought as 3x autofire. Just call it a two-shot, and don’t argue about making it worth less as an advantage. That should only bother the munchkins.

Dear Abby, Ever since being rescued from that government facility, where they were experimenting on me, life has been kind of rough. I have always been able to emit, and to some degree control, light. However, recently I have begun emitting gamma rays. It has really affected my social life, as my boyfriend is now in the radiation ward. I’ve been thinking about leaving the mansion. I think I’ll go join the rival Supervillian group, after changing my name and costume. If the team loves me, they’ll come get me, right? -Spectrum

4th ed. Dark Champions calls Hunting a Psych Lim I do Hunting as a Hunted without the “Frequencyâ€. For the purpose of Category Maxima, I call it a Hunted (prevents people from taking the Hunted and Hunting w/ the same target), but it could also be appropriate to call it a Psych Lim or Rivalry.

Do any of you choose actors for prominent NPC’s or do your players choose actors to portray their characters? This is common in my group (where no one has any appreciable artistic talent). I was wondering if we were the only freaks who do that. Some of the ones that have popped up are: Vin Diesil (more than once) Tommy Lee Jones Patrick Warburton (from the short-lived live action Tick) Christopher Lee Seth Green David Hasselhoff Kurt Russel Sean Connery (old and young) Catherine Bell (JAG) Joe Peschi Most recently our Alternity Hero group was chasing down a powerful mentalist played by Christopher Walken (btw, my Walken impression blows)

Amen! Except we call it “Time Travelingâ€, and a couple players will sheepishly ask something like, “Can we say I brought my rocket launcher to this dinner party?†Some others: - Players that cease all participation (even putting their heads down on the table) when their character isn’t in the spotlight. - Players that use their characters to sabotage another player’s idea. - Players that make their characters do something stupid just to “make something happenâ€. I have a player that will shoot the nearest person (last time it was a bum) if he feels the group isn’t making progress. - Casual Killers in a light-hearted campaign (not to mention it’s infectious). - Players who jump on an action and go through with it, before telling the GM. GM: Player 1, you’re having a little trouble with the controls, but you should be able to make it. Player 2: [rolls dice] Made my Combat Piloting by 4 to do it for him. We’re ok. - Players who try to best another player’s niche. For example: the Brick investing all his points into becoming a better tech than the Tech. It’s a common decency thing. “I can see into the future too, but better than Kyle.â€

Psych lims are the only category on which I don't impose a maximun number of points. Mostly because I feel they're the most useful for developing a PC's persona... and because they're the most fun.