Tom

Re: Is it fun to play RPGs online? It's not the same as FtF, but it offers a broader range of opportunities. In a text based game, such as on Hero Central, it is effectively a giant blue booking session. For mapping (if I feel the need), I generally use AutoREALM.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... So two members of my Shadow Guard group are in Millennium City for Detroit Day when suddenly, the night before, the whole city apparently takes on a medieval/Disney fairy tale appearance.... Mole's response...

Re: Letter to yourself Given his past dealings with Chronos (aka: the future captain reynold's wrap), I'm not sure Speedzone would give him a chance to make the offer before trying hurt him -- a lot...

Re: Confessions of an Online GM

Re: Confessions of an Online GM

Re: Confessions of an Online GM

Re: Horizon Academy (Teen Champions) Notes Well, KO is from wealthy parents though... And Cold Snap better watch where he's pointing that 'dark edge' or he's going to get his clock cleaned...

Re: X-Men: The Next Generation campaign on Hero Central

Re: Adonis and his ladies (New Mastermind and henchwomen) Actually, we're wondering which pills you might have stopped taking... I think this guy would fit better in 4c than oMaM (that is not permission to 'kidnap' Melissa)... Duo's (and LowDown's) brain would probably short-circuit if you used him in Horizon, and Focus would probably have some serious negative modifiers to his Acting roll to maintain his usual signature detachment. I imagine Speedway would be even more incoherent than usual... ;D

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Hmmm, die roller must have liked it too...

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... ok -- got this lurking in Avengers: The Next Generation on HC... We're not going to speculate on what this says about my sense of humor that I find this funny...

Re: No robotic love? Syzygy in VVV qualifies I believe...

Re: I am so, so old... I've done a couple of simple combats with my kids playing, and even let my son 'sorta' participate in a couple of combats in regular games in the past -- but I've let him play as a real member of the game for the newest campaign I'm running. Been mixed results so far (especially since I have to resist my usual darker tendencies), but he's getting more involved and still wants to play so it can't be going too badly. The fact he's 11, and everybody else is mid-twenties and up (I'm the oldest at 42), I'd say he's doing pretty good... The fact he's playing the speedster probably doesn't hurt either... My daughter is already asking when she can play...

Re: Supers in Hudson City I run a supers game based in Hudson City on Hero Central, so I'll certainly vouch for the city's utility for that format. As for what supers would be there, the question is what sort of game do you want to run? I certainly won't claim I've taken everything in the book as canon (in fact, I've had to change things just because I sort of 'inherited' the game, and was running it before I had the 5e setting material). My approach was to treat the city as all the worst anyone has ever said about places like NYC, Washington DC, or Detroit (justified or not) with no established supers. The PCs were the first to dig in and either stick around or survive.

Re: Shades of Black I don't have SoB, but I've run two scenarios with my FtF group with Defender in an NPC role and Black Paladin as one of the villains. I'm tempted to give BP a new Psych Lim: Avoids Fights with Defender Present... That vuln of BP's will drop him in a heartbeat with only the slightest bit of luck. On the other hand, hitting him can be problematic (though the fact he's been one-shotted twice in two showings should be a cautionary tale)...

Re: What are you playing now? Hmmm, like Hermit, I only seem to get to actually 'play' as opposed to GM when I'm online (and I GM online too, go figure...). My current characters are: Speedzone: pretty self-evident there... Speedster with low-end super-strength and a background in sciences. My favorite power on his sheet is Bright Fringe Invisibility linked to his running (I was going for the 'now-you-see-him-now-you-don't' effect). Having used his base powerset as the kernel for my son's char in the FtF game I GM, I now have a little more sympathy for my online GM... (but only a little... ) Facet: crystalline metamorph. Former soldier turned super. Stretching, Growth and body shaping powers... Focus: TK-based flying brick. This is a 'teen'-ish game. So far his biggest problems are discovering one of the City's leather-clad heroines is really his MOM!!! (the fact he had the chance to actually meet her before he found this out isn't helping), and trying to deal with the fact he seems to be the 'catch of the day' at his new school for kids with powers... Sunhawk: flying EBer with high PRE and boosted sight. Powers are obviously linked to Horus, so it's no surprise the char is a grad student and aspiring Egyptologist in his secret ID. He's also very uncomfortable with the idea of being mistaken for a god. This is a game where superpowers are just now manifesting in people, and we've just started...

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh? Just remember, Nocturne could become a recurring NPC... (I'll need more beer... -- fortunately, only one of my chars has an older sister and that's in the game where VIPER doesn't exist. Errrr, yet...) On an 'on track' note, the biggest question is how far does the player trust you to have a good 'story' reason for this little surprise, and how sure are you that the player will want to be in the story? After that, it's all just details and hopefully having fun. I'll also second (or is it third) Assault's advice. Having a back door is always a good idea when everything goes someplace you never expected...

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... No context...

Re: Hudson City Map now in the online store

Re: Hudson City Map now in the online store One of my players just gave it to me as a b/d gift, and had it printed out at Kinko's on a 36"x30" sheet of vinyl. Very nice... (Though I understand Kinko's was a bit of a pain about it and Steve needed to send them an e-mail giving them permission before they would agree to do the job. Thanks, Steve!)

Re: Howl of Fear Of all the options that spring to mind, I'd probably go with Drain PRE, NND (vs deaf or Hearing Group Flash Def).. My main problem with the solution being that technically, PRE attacks can be directed against EGO or PRE -- whichever is higher. Though for more points, you can Drain EGO and PRE simultaneously... The next option would be additional PRE, only for Fear-based PRE attacks. (Probably your least expensive option, since you don't have to spend points on AOE)... Last would be Mind Control, only to cause Fear/set command. This gets a little wonky though mechanically, imo...

Re: Casting "Champions Universe: The Motion Picture" Actually, looking at the pic, I'm thinking Talisman more than Mind Slayer...

Re: Best Published Superhero Adventure? To Serve and Protect has always been a favorite of mine, as has Coriolis Effect. I keep wanting to run VOICE of Doom, but I never quite manage to do it. I've incorporated pieces in my games though... (maybe next time...)

Re: WWCYD: Lethal Force is Authorized Given all the debate that sometimes arises around CvK's, I've pretty much stopped using them for most of my characters. Still, not all my characters would react the same... Facet was a soldier before he was a super, he wouldn't need somebody to tell him the gloves come off in a war zone. I can see him exploring the more lethal options his powerset allows as the need demanded. His biggest concern would be helping his teammates deal with the changed circumstances... Speedzone, on the other hand, is a scientist with a strong sense of responsibility and a need to live up to the 'heroic ideal'. Throw in his partner/fiance (DNPC) who would almost certainly weigh in on the 'dove' side of the equation, he'd be very conflicted about the situation. On the plus side, assuming the average alien soldier was at least the equivalent of a VIPER agent, this wouldn't affect his ability to actually use his powers in combat as his attacks are all normal damage. I can't see him exploring lethal applications for his powers except under extreme need, though I imagine he'll get real good at taking apart (literally) warbots and other war machinery on the run... JT/Focus is just a teen. I really don't know how he'd develop without actually seeing how things play out. He's got 'fiercely protective of others' as a psych lim, so his initial concerns would be getting civilians clear of combat areas. After that, well, he's got a wild streak that may just break loose into a full fledged adrenaline junkie. Biggest question is how his parents react to the circumstances. JT doesn't know it yet, but both his parents have masked identities as well -- and the player already knows how Mom is going to react to an invasion force. The part that's in the balance is whether she decides to take JT under her wing, figuring he's going to get involved anyway so she better make sure he learns the ropes from her (while she can keep an eye on him). Or if she tries to keep him away from fighting as much as possible.