Maelstrom

Re: Maelstrom Very cool. Normally I hate VPP, but this one is perfect in a Bat-Utility-Belt type way.

By RK Millholland, the same guy that does Something Positive: http://www.superstupor.com Language and content warning

Re: The Addams Family

Re: DC ruleset used for modern (non costumed) gaming? I have that book. Of course, the original working title was Espionage. I got to play it when it was a bunch of copied 8 1/2 x 11" sheets.

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

Re: Songs that inspire(d) you to make a Champions Character DC villain from Motorhead's "The Hammer" Motorhead's "The Iron Fist" was copywritten.

Re: Clever Future Weapons This thread was almost dead, but I remembered something from Dickson: Essentially, the more complex the weapon, the easier it is for the enemy to mess with it. That's why his futuristic space army was armed with spring-firing rifles -- best possilbe alloys pushing bullets through the air.

Re: URBAN FANTASY HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See? Does Steampunk come under Urban Fantasy? All the tropes are there, but set back 100 years. Harry Dresden and Lord D'arcy also come to mind, for that kind of alternative reality. Tim Powers had a lot of 'incidental' and sympathetic magic that I'd like to see rules for. I'd also like to see treatments of synchronicity. Jungian archetypes as well, which fits into Power's work. Treatments, rather than rules for Tarot and dreamwalking.

Re: How many hero spoils the plot I don't even write up mooks -- I just assign them defenses and body/stun, and an attack. It saves time. Anybody who is the heroes' level or higher I stat up, and worry about points. Major villains I stat and build completely, figuring they or their cousins will be seen again. I file the serial numbers off a lot of book villains, and some times block them out and mix-and-match the blocks. I do a lot of running 'on the fly', where I figure out a plot while they're setting up, often in five to ten minutes, grab animals/mooks out of the bestiary, and then leaf through villain books while they're in the first mook fight. For fun, I'll use a pulp villain in a fantasy game, or vice-versa -- fantasy villains are great for pulp, especially if they're from an exotic location like Tibet or Africa, or the Amazon, or New York.

Re: Multitarget Abilities Personal preference is all about you.

Re: Maelstrom There's a reason they all look like that. Can't build a car without four wheels and an engine. The rest is cosmetic.

Re: Death Race It's a riff-on, not a remake, although Corman is one of the executive producers. There are almost no spectators, except on pay-per-view. Just saw the movie. I thought of Car Wars the entire time -- smoke, oil, napalm as defense, ablative armor, miniguns, the works. Noisy, silly fun, with some very winceable deaths.

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats Perryworld: where despite massive amounts of high-tech and interplanetary travel, people fight with a bunch of different hand-to-hand techniques and low-tech weapons.

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats Martinworld: where all the people are interesting, out for themselves, but take forever to actually accomplish anything. May have dragons, but you'll never see them. Low tech

Re: Superman Begins and Darker Superhero Stories I'm actually running a totally four-color game for the first time, after being primarily dark for ages. Either I'm behind the curve or ahead of it, or something.

Re: Does your character keep a journal? Maelstrom isn't introspective enough. O-kami is REQUIRED to keep one by his family -- and has regular After Action reports and debriefings. Ninja stuff, you wouldn't understand.

Re: What happens when a new GM doesn't understand game balance Meh. Love conquers all.

Re: Maelstrom Your forcefield is your main defense. You don't have enough end to keep that blast up all the time. You don't want it to drop and be out of end just in time to take an overhand right to the jaw. All the storm-type CE, like reducing PER, slipperyness due to rainy-wet surfaces, that sort of thing.

Re: Multitarget Abilities Wow. Um . . . wow. This is a really complicated setup. What's the special effect?

Re: You Are President! None of my characters care enough about politics to bother -- they're too busy staying alive. And I think being President would violate Maelstrom's contract with the DoD.

Re: Maelstrom Honest? There are more important things than efficiency. If you like the multipower because it fits what you see in your head, keep it. At least as important as perfect efficiency is building a character you want to play. It's true that they have similar effects (and I hate penetrating), but you've got to build the character you want to PLAY, or you won't have fun playing him. Besides, multipowers are a cheap way to grow as your character finds more interesting powers to use. My gripe is not that you have the multi, but that the powers in it may wind up frustrating you. Bottom line for either one, it's an expensive 8d6 attack that, in order to use, you have to get dangerously close to a brick or martial artist, without either the DCV or the raw defenses to suck up what they do to you in return. No-range, while useful to model powers, from a tactical standpoint is too little savings for too much danger. Just my opinion, YMMV. I'd check out what 'linked' means when you link your force field to your energy blast. I like the concept, though. Just for flavor, look into a Change Environment, and maybe teleport. Just having jumping can also be frustrating. I'd love to seem him rocketing across the battlefield as a slice o' lightning.

Re: Songs that inspire(d) you to make a Champions Character I could go on, but I stop now.

Re: Songs that inspire(d) you to make a Champions Character Rolling Stone's "Paint it Black" Saliva's "Click Click Boom" Evanescense: "Bring Me To Life" Queensryche's "Eyes of a Stranger" BOC again: "Career of Evil"

Re: Songs that inspire(d) you to make a Champions Character Disturbed's "Prayer" is also good. Godsmack's "Bad Religion" BOC's "Shadow Warrior" became O-kami's theme song. I used to play it before every game. Also from BOC: "I Am The One You Warned Me Of", and "Damaged" -- two great villains Kid Rock's "American Badass" became a DC character MCR's "I'm Not Okay" and "I Never Told You What I Do For A Living" became two more. As Oscar Wilde said: "Bad poets borrow. Good poets steal."

Re: Songs that inspire(d) you to make a Champions Character More evocative Disturbed lyrics I've used: Ah ah ah ah ah!! Ooh, Devon Won’t go to heaven She’s just another lost soul, about to be mine again Leave her we will receive her It is beyond your control will you ever meet again Devon No longer living Who had been rendered unwhole. As a little child, she was taken and then forsaken you will remember it all Let it blow your mind again Devon lies beyond this portal take the word of one immortal Give your soul to me For eternity release your life to begin another time with her End your grief with me there’s another way release your life take your place inside the fire with love Sever Now and forever you’re just another lost soul about to be mine again see her, you’ll never free her you must surrender it all And give life to me again Fire All you desire As she begins to turn cold and run out of time you will shiver till you deliver you will remember it all Let it blow your mind again Devon lies beyond this portal take the word of one immortal [Chorus] [solo] “Take me away, yeah” [Chorus] Ooh, Devon No longer living Who had been rendered unwhole. As a little child she was taken, and then forsaken you will remember it all Let it blow your mind again Burn…