GoldenAge

Re: Space the final frontier I always have multiple NPCs on board my ship games. Often there are a few that are secretly much better than the PCs. But it always turns out that a missing PC ruins continuity and breaks the command structure, thus stalling game momentum and forcing a hiatus. In college the Star Trek games worked like a charm. We could play whenever everyone was available. In real life we schedule games weekly or bi-monthly. 1 game without the Captain meens a whole missed week(s).

Re: Space the final frontier Oh sure, I can always have an NPC finish off an awesome adventure for a player... But what about Captain??? Do you want the Captain of your ship to be an NPC (especially if the PC Captain was deeply embroiled in the current situation)? Now you have an NPC calling all the shots, from combat and discipline to where to fly the ship next. Talk about leading by the nose. No, the Captain is almost always needed in a Star Trek game. The absence Star Trek PC Captain is almost always the downfall of such a game. There's only 1 Captain and 1 First Officer (and usually only 1 "Quark"). On top of that you have ranks to consider. If the NPCs are as high a rank as the PCs then you have to determine why the PC are the focus of the game. Probably because they're the best at what they do. So, substituting an NPC Helmsman for a PC usually fails to pass scrutiny.

Re: Space the final frontier Star Trek always seems like a great idea. It's rife with awsomeness... However, it's tough to pull off. All of the Star Trek genres are, by nature, military. That means the need for a clear and concise command structure. How would we have received Kirk, Picard, Janeway or Sisko if they were just part of a council of elders or senators. No, they ran their commands with a host of perfectly timed adjectives... Their crews were awesome as well, each contributing in a major way to the excitement (and continued existence) of their positions... But how do you role-play that consistently? Sure, on face value it seems perfect. Each PC has a distinct position, unlimited possibilities, and is slotted into a pseudo command structure that forces the players to come together to thwart all sorts of trials and tribulations! You can even stretch the sanity of a situation to accommodate ANY character in ANY circumstance (heck, Picard went on away missions in the face of his First Officer's quoting of the regs and protestations regularly). But, think for a moment. What have you created? The crew of one of the Star Trek shows is a fine-tuned machine, each member with its distinct responsibilities. From the Captain to the bartender they all fill a special role. So what happens when a player can't make it to the game??? I can't count the number of times I've put into play a Star-Trek-like game (dependent on military structure) that came to a screeching halt when the Captain had a sick child, or the Engineer's car broke down or the Lt. Commander in charge of the away mission turned up missing or the Helmsman took a wrong turn on the way to the second part of a deadly ship-to-ship battle. Without every cog present the machine usually ceases to run. On the other hand, a Superhero game can survive even if Superman turns up missing (heck Batman can be gone too). A Fantasy game doesn't fold when the cleric gets sick or the Dwarf stays home. Even a Star Wars game can continue without pause if the Jedi is called away. These games usually have individuals brought together by fate or circumstances. Like a Star Trek game they usually fill a specific niche in the story. Unlike Star Trek games they can usually perform individually, without the need for permission or the inevitable mission report to Star Fleet. Too many of my "Space Military" games have stalled due to player absence for me not to mention it here. Just something to think about.

Re: Rules of Engagement for Comic Book Eras Riiiiiight

Re: CHAR: Martian Manhunter Yes, please!!! :thumbup:

Re: CHAR: Martian Manhunter

Re: Rules of Engagement for Comic Book Eras Upcoming Age - Female heroes first have to pull on pants, THEN fight!

Re: A Thread for Random Videos

Re: Stretching Character Art? Tough one! Beyond the regulars (Plastic Man, Mr. Fantastic, Elongated Man) you could try the Metal Men, Metamorpho, E-Man, Martian Manhunter, Venom, Skin, Spanner, Warblade, Thin Man, Flat Man, Flexo the Rubber Man, Shadow Thief and others I can't think of right now. Look up Jack Cole for some great old Plastic Man stuff.

Re: Cybernetics and Bioengineering: what are YOUR limits? I'm open to any augmentation as long as any losses are substantially mitigated by the gains and pose no future problems.

Re: CHAR: Captain Marvel (Shazam) I actually felt that it was the fact that Marvel WAS power-sharing that allowed Superman to go toe-to-toe with Billy for so long in Kingdom Come. The power-sharing makes sense to me. Marvel freely shares a portion of his power with the two (one originally out of guilt) and it has always been thus. New sources of Mary's and Freddy's power make me want to explore the capabilities of an always-full-power Captain Marvel.

Re: If you Had to Pick, ONE (already) Setting, to Run in, What is it? Hey Rex, were you aware that we have Kzinti in our NEMESIS game? (see NEMESIS link in sig)

Re: Superhero Showdown #11: Justice Society of America v. The Avengers Again it comes down to writers... If they handle Captain Marvel as they should, Billy would have years of experience (including winning battles against the combined might of the Flash (Jay), Green Lantern (Alan) and Superman. Yup, all at once), access to a mental rolodex of martial tactics and theory, speed equal to the Flash's (exhibited on multiple occasions) and even the power to resist possession by the Sword of Destiny! or... Captain Marvel can be depicted as a prepubescent turd who will be distracted by Star Girl's pretty hair during the battle and get creamed.

Re: A Thread for Random Videos This is why I shop at Target!

Re: How would you build Mr. Fantastic's or Plastic Man's movement? Bingo

Re: Where is your campaign based? [fixed]

Re: Where is your campaign based? Epic City is in the United Societies of America... A "What If" world where just a few different political and strategic decisions changed the entire look and feel of the Earth. It's outlined in this document: The World of Epic City Learn more by clicking the Epic City link in my sig. Since the OP is from Britain, he may be interested to know that in the world of Epic City, the British Empire still exists!!!

Re: How much do you customize the setting? I make the world and very sparingly add Champions Universe material (if at all - right now, its only VIPER)... Take a look at the link to EPIC CITY in my sig. Theres stuff in there everyone can us in their campaigns! That's why I posted it... to share.

Re: Project WyrmStar: Posthegemony I'm with Ranxerox. To achieve a more professional look you might want to reinvestigate both the font, the pictures and their usage before finalizing anything. As a Designer I'd have no problem assisting in the refinement process. Just PM me.

Re: "Neat" Pictures bingo!

Re: A Thread for Random Videos Artificially aged and programmed with Nazi hate clones?

Re: The Morality of Sending In The Clones! Taking notes... (Remember Rex... The Moon habitat and research facility [delivered by Corona and interrupted by the Amlem 3 Invasion] is just waiting to be populated!) Read more about it HERE!

Re: The Morality of Sending In The Clones! I want to thank EVERYONE who has participated in this debate!!! If I've learned anything, your impassioned and often diametrically opposed perspectives have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is NO consensus on the legal handling of clones. I can easily see these very same arguments being bandied about in the halls of government as they try to develop laws to deal with this complex situation. Just like this thread, those arguments would be fierce and ongoing. This leads me right back where I began... GITMO. You guys ROCK!!!

Re: The Morality of Sending In The Clones!

Re: "Neat" Pictures