ZootSoot

Re: Legal status of major supergroups The problem is that for UKoGBaNI and USA (and probably most other developed countries) is that, for the protection of their citizens, there is a strict division between federal police forces and national intelligence services. I suspect that you would, for political reasons, have to divide your supers between domestic law enforcement and extra-territorial agents in your super team with no one being able to be both simultaneously in a realistic setting.

Re: What concepts have you used for a 'Superman'? Paragon (who predated my exposure to Hellboy and probably Hellboy entirely) was a demon summoned by the Thule Society as the allies closed in on Berlin. To complete the summoning they had to shed the blood of a truly virtuous person, and for this purpose they had raised a young girl in complete isolation, shaping her to be the most moral and ethical individual imaginable. For this to work they had to reveal to her what was happening and why and she surprised them. Wilhelmina, realizing what was going on turned to the ethical core instilled in her by her villainous guardians and willingly went to her death with one intent, to provide the being they summoned with an ethical voice, a conscience. It worked, sorta. Paragon is an enormously powerful demonic entity, haunted by a human conscience that compels him (through persuasion) to do the right thing despite his instinct for evil. His powers are almost a perfect match for the more reasonable version of Pre-crisis Superman.

Re: WWYCD? "Once more, with Justice" Tom Cat-- As possibly the greatest musician/singer the world has ever known could do this in any style at all and would probably make it look intentional (often uses music as rhythm for combat anyway). The deep revelation would be his about his boredom, his disgust with himself, because his triumphs are all unearned (not his victories as a superhero, but his general life) because his "powers" mean he is always triumphant and how he wishes to taste a real struggle. Luna-- Ramones era punk. It is a song about how she is going to keep on enforcing her viewpoint on a silly world until it stops being silly and starts making sense. Brickhouse-- Would not sing her theme song! Instead she would sing something a little bit reggae and a little bit gospel about trying to leave the filthy past and its residue behind. The Tide-- Would 'filk' up the Alabama fight song to be about his struggle to achieve enough that people would think about the good he has done rather than what he looks like (or, alternatively, sing a variation on Steely Dan's "Deacon Blue"). Po'Boy-- A scatty, jazzy number about putting ambition aside. Sword Dancer-- Korean folksong about her unending fear both of something happening to her and about her doing something unforgivable (might also reveal her illicit relationship with her married boss). Luna and the Tide would be the most motivated to do something about this. Tom Cat would think it pretty hilarious. The others would be ready to help as soon as someone could tell them how.

Re: Metallic Ages? Champions was the first game I ever played in which there was a motivation to make the character have some depth, the character disad. Disads may have been invented by DC where Superman had kryptonite and every superhero had his/her equivalent, but Champions itself turned Marvel type character flaws into essential parts of the game. The more fallible the character the more iron age the character is. But then you have abortions like Watchmen where no matter how ludicrous the storyline we are expected to view it as important because the outlook is grim. I don't care about outlook, I care about story and logical results. No comic is as good as the game.

Re: WWYCD: You the Jury Under the system you describe there would have to be some recognized official means to be excused from jury duty for a case in which your alternate identity is involved. Some sort of coded response to jury notice or something. Actually, I can't imagine a system of registered superheroes in which keeping your identity secret from the registering body would be at all plausible.

Re: Sex and the Single Superhuman Tom Cat: Believes that every woman he gets involved with could be the one. But there's always another one waiting . . . Luna: Is in love with a straight superheroine teammate. The character thrives on frustration. Brickhouse: Her background has left her very cynical about the idea of love and it's going to be some time before sex interests her again. Crimson Tide: Tragically the Tide is an XYY chromosome male whose mother was well past fifty when she conceived leaving him so unimaginably ugly that he only has sex while wearing his mask . . . MacKenzie: Her appearance hasn't changed since she was thirteen, and her sense of touch is very poor and she really has a hard time distinguishing pain and pleasure. In other words she is fetish bait . . . SwordDancer: Is, unfortunately, in an awful relationship. She is in love with her boss at the magazine where she works, he has children her age and would never leave his wife, but is also caught in the fatal attraction. Trey: Physical invulnerability is linked to inability. Sex exists only on the level of fantasy for the boy. Po'Boy: Is definitely a playah, but haven't explored that aspect of his character much yet.

Re: WWY(Other)CD: If you became a villain? Luna: Would pull the Authority stunt in a heartbeat, the twist being that she would be out to eliminate all superbeings. She hates the comix aspects of the world and her profession and refuses to act like a comic book character. Se is smart and she would be lethal and the only one who might be able to stop her is . . . Brickhouse: She's mighty mighty! Turning evil means conquering the world to make it her playpen and everyone in it her slave. Not a responsible ruler but a self-aggrandizing despot and the only one with the power to stop her is . . .

Re: When you think "Superhero".... I do not think of people who "always do the right thing," I think of people who try to make the world a better place. A flawless hero of the Superman/Captain America model bugs the hell out of me. First I don't believe it's possible for them to be flawless. When Superman was fighting Doomsday and the kid yeled for him to come save his little sister under the truck we are supposed to applaud Superman for doing and believe that no innocents died in Doomsday's rampage because Supes took that break. Heroes have to have feet of clay in my view or they wind up being self-righteous prats. Superheroes in particular need such flaws (all hail Tony Stark) or they lose all empathy with normal folks and become nightmares.

Re: Wwycd: They Blew It!! Tom Cat: Goes home to Puerto Limon, doesn't perform or have openings in the US until this blows over. Sword Dancer: Has no choice, must remain.

Re: WWYCD: Will you forgive me? Sword Dancer: "You are the vilest creature I have ever heard of. Your deeds and desires are so black and twisted they have destroyed the potential for good in hundreds of thousands of others. You eat good and excrete evil. The crimes you have committed against me, as horrendous as they are, pale in comparison to those done to others far more innocent. Thus I must defy your final act of corruption. I forgive you for all you have done, I will not follow your fall." Tom Cat: "You want me to forgive you? Oh, damn honey, I'm so, so sorry . . ." and breaks down in tears. Pug: "You have got to get over yourself, dude. I have no idea who you are or what you did that you think you did that is so bad, but I think your ego has easily taken over your tumor in growth rate. Get a life." (Pug thinks pretending not to even remember this guy will hurt him more than any sort of acknowledgement or failure to forgive.) Ishtar: has no idea who the assassin was who killed everyone else in the dorm and shot her, leaving her for dead. If this guy can prove he is that triggerman he will burn out in seconds, not months. Luna: After catching her breath from laughing " . . .all right . . . you're . . . forgiven . . . " Brickhouse: If she recognizes him before he can speak (oh and she can recognize him, believe me) he is dead before the first word leaves his mouth. Tide: Umm, Tide murdered his worst enemy with a hunting rifle from concealment within a week of meeting him.

Re: WWYCD: "I, For One, Welcome Our New Insect Overlords" Umm, people refuse to live in slavery and serfdom? Since when? or is it that people only refuse to live in slavery and serfdom when the masters are ugly insecty things that make us go "ugh!" What if the invaders looked like Tolkien's elves or Charlize Theron, would that make a difference?

Re: a PC OOPSED

Re: WWYCD: Anti- 'Authority' Luna, undoubtedly she is one of the leaders of this team already. Tom Cat, infiltrate, work from within to mitigate any harm this group is doing. Brick House, infiltrate, or possibly flee looking for answers somewhere out there. She isn't sure enough of herself to be sure these are the bad guys. Sword Dancer Ignore the situation, this is not her concern she is more concerned about street-level violence. Hardcore and Straightedge probably sympathise with the conquerors, nothing's going to happen to Hardcore anyway, but he will do anything to protect Straightedge if she becomes a hostage (though that will cost a lot of blood and souls).

Re: Worst Fear! I don't know. I don't think I am willing to trade good writing and intelligent character design for an occasional randgasm. Oh, wait, I am more intelligent than a mole-rat, I can reject Rand in her entirety . . . does mean I will miss Spiderman.

Re: Worst Fear! Arrghhh! My worst fear, remembering that I paid $12.00 for that crapfest, that loathesome piece of Doomporn. Does Stan Lee have to die before they retire that idiotic annoyance of a character? There isn't a single character from the old Image roster that I would not welcome as Doom's permanent replacement, not ONE.

Re: Worst Fear! Tom Cat: Sadly, his worst fear would be nothing more significant than impotence.

Re: Comics are getting too steamy... I think there is too much casual sex in comics, 'cause it's bizarre. Arsenal has had sex with every superheroine in DC comix? Say what? Jean Grey was in bed with Wolverine when he ruined the moment by telling her he killed her boyfriend? Emma frost is so hot for Scott Summers' that she violates her professional ethics (well, not hard to believe, more hard to believe she's a good guy now . . .)? Wolverine tries to have sex with a teen-aged Mary-Jane Watson simply 'cause he thinks he can (being in Peter Parker's body at the time)? On the other hand, inappropriate sex behavior is not used enough. Sue Richards never knocked boots with Namor, never? Alicia Masters' sex life while dating Ben Grimm consisted of what? Plastic Man has not abused his abilities in the bars and clubs and maybe wound up in bed with a fourteen year old with a fake ID? Sex should be used to make stories happen, not to indulge fantasies of comic writers and artists or fans. Sex should be used because it makes interesting things happen, and it should be avoided when its results are boring or predictable or negligible.

Re: Supers and the law

Re: Batman VS Captain America! yeah right...

Re: Dr. Doom vs Iron Man If the question is who would win in a fight between Dr. "Why is this walking plot device character still around" Doom and Iron "Lost Weekend" Man, well, we know Tony would win (hell, we know DareDevil would win) 'cause the hero (particularly in his own book) eventually beats the bad guy regardless of power level differences. Doom's powers have slowly increased over the last forty years (very rapidly over the last 18 months), as have those of most characters. Doom, however, is Marvel's *premiere* villain which means that no matter how tiresomely repetitive the character he's gonna come back and he's gonna have the power to kick everyone's @ss, until the end game when he loses through some deus ex machina stupidity. Oh, yeah, and in the old TPBs this psychotic mass-murdering fascist is generally (secretly) a good guy. If Doom's last appearance ever in the MU was in Fantastic Four #300 he would have been one of the greatest characters of all time, now he's a waste of ink.

Re: Dr. Doom vs Iron Man Yeah, but as awful as the source is (and its beter than anything from any Secret Wars) the original HBTTMU says that Stark's armor is designed to survive a ground zero nuclear strike (it might actually say the same about Doom). When it comes to sheer technical prowess Tony tops anyone; now he doesn't have Reed Richards sheer intellectual power (let alone touch than of Bob Banner) and Vince has his mystic background (though until quite recently that all seemed to be boast rather than reality) but Tony's weapons tech is the best there is in Marvel.

Re: Thinking Differently About SPD So you say "No SPD scores higher than 6," to a gaming group of, oh say, seven players and you get back seven PCs all with SPD 6

Re: Belief in magic by normals. No, I do believe there is something going on in people's heads, I just admit that it is magical rather than scientific thinking.

Re: Belief in magic by normals. A person who has a truly scientific outlook is not going to grasp at straws in the face of evidence for the existence of magic. Confronted with solid evidence of magical effects a true scientist will admit that magic is the most reasonable explanation in the absence of clear evidence to the contrary. Now whether such unambiguous evidence exists (such as the original Starman examing the Prairie Witch's broom and discovering it is just an ordinary broom) is another question.

Re: Belief in magic by normals. The belief that something is going on in peoples' heads is a belief in magic.