BvBPL

Re: Billionaires: Supervillains earn, Superheroes inherit Does this mean that the children of supervillians grow up to be superheroes? That’s not an uncommon theme in generational stories. First Family’s Rex springs immediately to mind. It could be argued that inheriting one’s wealth is less complicated than earning it because it closes the door on the possibility of heroes using their powers and abilities for personal gain. If Professor X earned his wealth, instead of inheriting it, then questions would be raised if he used his psychic powers as a means to his wealth. Interestingly, I think that very topic was raised in Ultimate X-Men.

Re: So Which Hideout are you looking at? My character has a 1960’s Moonbase. The décor is awesome, but I wish I had the option to turn on normal gravity. Also, the hideouts really need crafting tables. It is a total pain to have to jump from Monster Island or Lemuria to another site to use tables. If the hideouts came equipped with them that would be a lot better.

Re: Heroes for pay I agree with Clonus: paid heroes are less heroic in absolute terms because the heroes have an ulterior, and selfish, motive to their actions. This doesn’t make them unheroic, just less heroic, again just as Clonus said. That said, a “Heroes for Hire” campaign presents a lot of very interesting ideas. Here’s ten story hooks or twists for a heroes for hire campaign: 1.) While on a mission for their employer, perhaps chasing their escaping target, the heroes see a more severe crime in progress. Do they let their quarry go to save the day, completed their hired tasks, or try to do both? 2.) The heroes’ employer has sent them on a mission that puts them in conflict with other heroes hired by another organization. Assuming the heroes talk it out, they realize that both employers seem to have legitimate reason for hiring the heroes. How do the PCs handle this? 3.) During a slow time, the heroes are offered a opportunity to compete in some sort of superpowered athletic or pugilistic competition for broadcast TV. Is this an ethical use of their superpowers? 4.) Citizen groups picket the PCs because the citizens feel the heroes are ignoring the needs of the poor in favor of those who can pay for the services of the superheroes. Or the policemen’s union pickets them for infringement on the role of the police. 5.) Via proxy, a villain hires the heroes to: a. Fight another villain (or other heroes through some subterfuge) for the employer’s gain. b. Go on a shaggy dog mission so they villain can run amok c. Perform some work that turns out to be unpopular so that public opinion turns against the heroes. 6.) After a successful mission, an employer cannot or will not pay the heroes. What action can they take? 7.) The heroes’ national government decides to nationalize the Heroes for Hire industry. The PCs’ private organization will be subsumed within the greater governmental organization, and the heroes may be used for less than heroic purposes. 8.) Where do you buy insurance for your Hire A Hero business? An interesting downtime session can be built around obtaining the necessary insurance, representation, permits, and the like for running a heroic business. Having the players create a logo and business card can be an interesting teambuilding exercise. 9.) Heroes, maybe the PCs or maybe another NPC hero for hire group, feel that their compensation is inappropriately low. What action do they take? Do they organize into a labor union? How do they respond to claims that they are greedy money grabbers in the media? 10.) Through running a successful hire a hero business, the heroes have earned substantial wealth and fame. How do they explain this in their secret identities? What sort of problems does fame and wealth create for those with public identities?

Re: Dieselpunk? “Let’s see. You’ve got 13 points in cybernetics, a 15 pt dirigible, and a 20 pt Babbage accounting computational device. Oh, and a 13 pt Mohawk.”

Re: Dieselpunk? Taken another way, you could rejoice at the new work in your particular genre even if it is under a new name. “But why rename it at all? What was wrong with just calling it pulp (or whatever)?” a.) Creative producers want to put their marks upon the artistic environment. Renaming a genre as whateverpunk is one way to do so. It allows them to mark a work as their own even though they stand on the shoulders of giants. b.) People are general unaware of the cyclical nature of human culture and are equally unaware of the forbearers of any particular cultural element. Pulp (or whatever) is no longer in the limelight and therefore doesn’t register on our cultural landscape. The creators of the new whateverpunk are unaware of the precedents and perhaps even the name of the old genre, even though they’ve been infused with it through cultural osmosis. c.) It is a savvy rebranding move to draw new consumers into a genre that, by its old name, said consumers would have avoided. d.) Kids are stupid. e.) There is sufficient difference between the old genre and the new whateverpunk that the distinction is warranted. Take your pick. I can dig your complaint about inferring a degree of grubbiness from the punk appellation. I’m not necessary sure it applies to all whateverpunks though.

Re: How can mutants be discriminated against while other "supers" get a pass?

Re: "Holy Silver Age, Batman!" The Simian Sentential would recognize that the wide-spread plague of Silver Age crimes necessitates an equally broad response. At the same time, he’d recognize that it is best to fight fire with fire. To these ends, the Simian Sentential would organize law abiding citizens into a task force to combat these foolish supervillains. Members of Bad-Ass Normals Against Naughty Antagonists would be recognizable by their bright yellow shirts and green berets and would swear to report and oppose themed crime wherever it may occur. What’s more, the Sentential who need to apply combat and interrogation techniques appropriate to each villain. So the Condiment King can be expected to be battered with pans from Panda Express while SS asks “Soy, wok’s the matter with you?”