DShomshak

"Top. Men."

Well, the PCs in my urban D&D campaign encountered a magic sword with a will of its own, though it did not talk. Thousands of years old, forged by Elves for one of their ancient wars against Orcs, still devoted to the cause. Only, oops, Elves and Orcs are now equal citizens of the Plenary Empire (as are all sapient beings who are capable of obeying its laws). When the sword woke from centuries of sleep to find itself in a city with an orc minority, it overpowered the will of its owner and began a campaign of assassination intended to spark a race war.
 
The PCs dealt with the situation and freed the wielder from the sword's control. They have been assured by the Powers That Be that the powerful sword has been destroyed.
 
Dean Shomshak

Speaking of which, may I recommend the movie Nomad: the Warrior? Made in Kazakhstan, and skip the "Borat" jokes, it's a crackerjack Fantasy epic. With no magic as such, but there's prophecy, destiny, and battles both glorious and terrible. And never since the glory days of Hollywood westers, and maybe not even then, has a camera so loved horses.
 
 

Speaking of which, may I recommend the movie Nomad: the Warrior? Made in Kazakhstan, and skip the "Borat" jokes, it's a crackerjack Fantasy epic. With no magic as such, but there's prophecy, destiny, and battles both glorious and terrible. And never since the glory days of Hollywood westers, and maybe not even then, has a camera so loved horses.
 
 

I believe it's The Gate of Worlds by Robert Silverberg. (I also read it years back.) But the Wikipedia article lists several other novels using similar conceits.
 
The Gate of Worlds - Wikipedia
 
Dean Shomshak

I can only guess at the reasoning behind such design, but I'll try.
 
One thing you sometimes see in comics is the giga-villain who fights multiple teams of heroes at once. They come at him in waves, he bats them back, the next wave piles on and gets scattered in turn, etc. This is tricky to do in Champions, because a single team of, say, 5 heroes can dish out an awful lot of STUN in a Turn. Even giving the giga-villain high defenses and lots of Damage Reduction might not be enough -- and yet you still want it to mean something if a hero manages a Pushed, Haymakered, Called Shot to the head. So it's not a good idea to push the villain's defenses too impossibly high.
 
Ditto DCV. It's a boring adventure if the fight consists of whiff after whiff because nobody can hit Big Bad with any roll over a 5. Okay, so players might be able to devise a clever use of Powers to reduce Big Bad's DCV, but when you publish Big Bad you don't know who the PCs will be.
 
Or you use the STUN rules. Give Big Bad such overpowered attacks that any hero he hits is Knocked Out, or at least Stunned. That way, you don't have a dozen or more heroes launching 5+ attacks per Turn. You have the few who are conscious at any given moment, not all of whom will hit, while the others regain consciousness and take Recoveries.
 
So that's my guess. I still think it sucks. I think it's based on a comic-book trope that just doesn't translate to the gaming table. Don't have a fight with large numbers of NPC heroes. (Or if you do, have them engage in a separate fight off in the distance, which you as GM merely allude to now and then. No dice rolls, good God.)
 
Though as LL recounts -- some campaigns have run so long the PCs *can* fight even the most apparently overpowered published villains and win handily. That's why 6e versions include notes on adjusting character power up and down... one of few 6e innovations of which I approve.
 
Dean Shomshak

I have two volumes of Hite's columns, called Suppressed Transmission: The First Broadcast and Suppressed Transmission: The Second Broadcast. I suppose I should see if further collections were published.
 
Well, yes, the key to a good investigative scenario is that the players can be rewarded for thinking, but don't actually need to do so. It's a good idea to have something ready if the player *does* make a great Deduction roll. It lets you skip the step where the NPC posts the snarky comment that, "I don't see Jesus. I see a road map to Eveleth, Minnesota. And I should know because I live nearby in Hibbing." Then add another Fortean event or two.
 
As GM, you have also primed the pump by describing how Fortean events, both loud and subtle, followed Dr. Macabre -- and that the heroes he fought used this to track him. 
 
It's still possible that the players won't trust you to supply clues to the Janus Key even though they said they wanted an adventure built around searching for the Janus Key. Or, yeah, that they won't realize you are trying to give them what they asked for. Then you'd probably go to your Plan B. Maybe go big and have Eveleth suddenly be replaced by a swath of long-devastated land patrolled by Martian war tripods. See, the new owner's latest experiment replaced the town with a section from an alternate history where the Martians won the War of the Worlds. (In the CU, it was the Orson Wells version that really happened, and the "Martians" were actually Sirians, but whatever.)
 
As always, know your players. But at least try to give them a chance to feel smart.
 
Dean Shomshak

I have two volumes of Hite's columns, called Suppressed Transmission: The First Broadcast and Suppressed Transmission: The Second Broadcast. I suppose I should see if further collections were published.
 
Well, yes, the key to a good investigative scenario is that the players can be rewarded for thinking, but don't actually need to do so. It's a good idea to have something ready if the player *does* make a great Deduction roll. It lets you skip the step where the NPC posts the snarky comment that, "I don't see Jesus. I see a road map to Eveleth, Minnesota. And I should know because I live nearby in Hibbing." Then add another Fortean event or two.
 
As GM, you have also primed the pump by describing how Fortean events, both loud and subtle, followed Dr. Macabre -- and that the heroes he fought used this to track him. 
 
It's still possible that the players won't trust you to supply clues to the Janus Key even though they said they wanted an adventure built around searching for the Janus Key. Or, yeah, that they won't realize you are trying to give them what they asked for. Then you'd probably go to your Plan B. Maybe go big and have Eveleth suddenly be replaced by a swath of long-devastated land patrolled by Martian war tripods. See, the new owner's latest experiment replaced the town with a section from an alternate history where the Martians won the War of the Worlds. (In the CU, it was the Orson Wells version that really happened, and the "Martians" were actually Sirians, but whatever.)
 
As always, know your players. But at least try to give them a chance to feel smart.
 
Dean Shomshak

Mystic "echoes" of the Janus Key being used? How about Fortean events? As the Key's wielder warps reality, unintended alterations also happen. Back in the day, PCs would have needed to read the Weekly World News for sightings of Elvis (or Batboy), rains of toads, images of Jesus appearing in tortillas, and the like. Nowadays I assume there are websites for this stuff.
 
Oh, hey. Let's work more with Tortilla Jesus. There are lots of lines going hither and thither in the taco, and okay, a person with a vivid imagination could imagine some of them as forming a vaguely human outline. But someone who makes a really good Deduction roll (or applies computer analysis) finds the lines form a map. The tortilla isn't showing Jesus, it's showing the roads and rivers around Eveleth, Minnesota. What's significant about Eveleth, Minnesota? Well, the PCs don't know until they go there. But it's a breadcrumb along the trail to the Janus Key. Or at least on the trail to something the Janus Key wants done.
 
Maybe the PCs encounter other people who are follow their own similarly obscure investigative trails. Maybe they're just nuts, engaging in a more abstract form of pareidolia; maybe it's connected to the Janus Key; or maybe the world genuinely is far stranger than the PCs imagined.
 
Dean Shomshak

Mystic "echoes" of the Janus Key being used? How about Fortean events? As the Key's wielder warps reality, unintended alterations also happen. Back in the day, PCs would have needed to read the Weekly World News for sightings of Elvis (or Batboy), rains of toads, images of Jesus appearing in tortillas, and the like. Nowadays I assume there are websites for this stuff.
 
Oh, hey. Let's work more with Tortilla Jesus. There are lots of lines going hither and thither in the taco, and okay, a person with a vivid imagination could imagine some of them as forming a vaguely human outline. But someone who makes a really good Deduction roll (or applies computer analysis) finds the lines form a map. The tortilla isn't showing Jesus, it's showing the roads and rivers around Eveleth, Minnesota. What's significant about Eveleth, Minnesota? Well, the PCs don't know until they go there. But it's a breadcrumb along the trail to the Janus Key. Or at least on the trail to something the Janus Key wants done.
 
Maybe the PCs encounter other people who are follow their own similarly obscure investigative trails. Maybe they're just nuts, engaging in a more abstract form of pareidolia; maybe it's connected to the Janus Key; or maybe the world genuinely is far stranger than the PCs imagined.
 
Dean Shomshak

RIP Peter Schickele
 
‘PDQ Bach’ musical satirist has died
 
His musical comedy was remarkable in that the more you know about classical music, the funnier it is. I will miss him.

And try to establish a precedent for punishing the nonconforming. Or at least virtue-signal your eagerness to punish the nonconforming.
 
Dean Shomshak

One of Kenneth Hite's excellent "Suppressed Transmissions" columns, "Justinian and Arthur: Historical High Fantasy," described a campaign based on bringing these two together, with Justinian as Evil Overlord. Dead tree publication in Suppressed Transmission: the First Broadcast.
 
Dean Shomshak

One of Kenneth Hite's excellent "Suppressed Transmissions" columns, "Justinian and Arthur: Historical High Fantasy," described a campaign based on bringing these two together, with Justinian as Evil Overlord. Dead tree publication in Suppressed Transmission: the First Broadcast.
 
Dean Shomshak

I've always been intrigued by the Byzantine Empire, so I'm inclined to consider using the reign of the Emperor, Manuel I Komnenos (1143-1180). Manuel had particularly good relations with Western European realms, including the Crusaders who held territories in the Middle East. He formed military alliances with those nations and with the Pope, and even adopted some of their cultural traditions such as jousting tournaments. The Empire thus presents an interesting "East meets West" flavor. Manuel's conflicts with Hungary in the Balkans, and the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia, leave plenty of opportunities for scenarios of battle and intrigue. And of course, there's no better location for big-city adventures than Constantinople.
 
The Byzantine Emperor's elite personal force, the Varangian Guard, were recruited from foreign countries with a Norse-Germanic tradition of personal loyalty to the lord they swore to serve. Originally these were from Rus, later Scandinavia, and by Manuel's reign, primarily Anglo-Saxons unhappy with Norman rulership of England. So there's plenty of rationale to have PCs from other lands emigrate to the Empire and experience its unique culture for the first time.

Huge ancient city found in the Amazon
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-67940671

Cape Verde declared malaria free. No cases in three years.
 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-67951537
 
Huge ring of galaxies challenges thinking on the cosmos. (And no Cancer and I had nothing to do with this. This time.)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-67950749

Oh for sure, Seal Team 6 would never obey such an order. But Trump could find people who would.
 
Trump has done and gotten away with (so far) enough things that we thought nobody could or would try that I don't think this hypothetical can be dismissed as pure hysteria.
 
The core issue, I think, is that when presented with such an absurd extension of his argument, Trump's lawyer didn't immediately reply, "No that's ridiculous, it could never happen, the President would be in jail so fast it'd make your head spin." His response at the time seemed to be. "...Maybe?"
 
It can happen here.
 
Dean Shomshak

Oh for sure, Seal Team 6 would never obey such an order. But Trump could find people who would.
 
Trump has done and gotten away with (so far) enough things that we thought nobody could or would try that I don't think this hypothetical can be dismissed as pure hysteria.
 
The core issue, I think, is that when presented with such an absurd extension of his argument, Trump's lawyer didn't immediately reply, "No that's ridiculous, it could never happen, the President would be in jail so fast it'd make your head spin." His response at the time seemed to be. "...Maybe?"
 
It can happen here.
 
Dean Shomshak

Mystery Mustache Monday
The Coverage
[Opening shot of a newsroom, the banner "Breaking News: Mystery Mustache Monday" flashing at the bottom of the screen. Poppy McCauley, a seasoned news anchor with a professional demeanor and bright blonde mustache, sits at the desk. Despite the gravity of her role, there’s a hint of amusement in her eyes as she adjusts the papers in front of her. The camera zooms in.]
Poppy McCauley:
"Good morning, I’m Poppy McCauley, and this is Retropolis Now. In an unprecedented event that has citizens baffled and barbers busy, a mysterious phenomenon has occurred citywide. At precisely 9:03 am today, people across a 25-mile radius found themselves sporting a brand-new mustache. Yes, you heard that right—a mustache. From the young to the old, regardless of gender or previous facial hair proclivities, everyone now has what can only be described as an overnight lip toupee."
[Cut to a series of images showing a diverse array of people, all with mustaches, ranging from the pencil-thin to the full handlebar. Some are laughing, taking selfies; others look bewildered, even annoyed.]
Poppy McCauley:
"Folks on social media have named it #MysteryMustacheMonday, and it's the top trending topic worldwide. Local businesses are seizing the moment, with pop-up mustache grooming stations appearing on street corners and in malls, offering styling, trimming, and, for those not so fond of their new facial accessories, swift removal."
[A video plays showing a queue outside a barber shop, a street vendor selling mustache combs, and a group of teenagers comparing their mustaches and laughing.]
Poppy McCauley:
"While the cause of this follicular phenomenon is currently unknown, Hemlock Creed suggests magical mischief may be afoot. He is urging the public to remain calm and is assuring everyone that he is working tirelessly to uncover the source of this spell—if indeed it is a spell—and how to reverse it."
[The screen splits, showing Poppy on one side and a live feed of Hemlock Creed on the other, surrounded by ancient tomes and magical detectors.]
Hemlock Creed:
"The transmutation of hair across a cityscape is no trivial matter. While some may find humor in the bewilderment of a mustachioed morning, let us not forget the underlying currents of power at play. Such a widespread enchantment speaks to a potent and mischievous source, one that must be approached with caution and a keen understanding of the arcane. Rest assured, the Council and I are delving into the weave of magic that has spun this unexpected tapestry upon the faces of the unsuspecting. We will seek to unravel this spell, ensuring that the personal sovereignty of our citizens remains unviolated by whimsical sorcery."
Poppy McCauley:
"As we continue our coverage, we ask our viewers to share their mustache stories and photos with us. Local heroes are on high alert and investigating the situation. If this is the work of a rogue spellcaster, rest assured, they will face some serious questions, not least of which will be: Why mustaches?"
[Poppy smiles, the broadcast returning to full frame on her.]
Poppy McCauley:
"For now, Retropolis, whether you love your new 'stache or hate it, it seems we're all in this together. We'll keep you updated with any developments. For Retropolis Now, I'm Poppy McCauley. Stay brave, stay bewhiskered, and stay tuned."
[The camera zooms out, fading to a commercial break, leaving the image of Poppy McCauley trying—and failing—to maintain a completely straight face.]
 
The Truth
The Imp casts a spell that causes everyone in a 40km radius to grow a mustache at 9:03 am on a Monday morning. The spell cast by The Imp would result in a cascade of effects across the 25-mile radius, causing widespread astonishment and confusion. Here are some possible outcomes:
Public Reaction: Residents would wake up to find themselves with sudden mustaches, leading to shock and bewilderment. Social media would explode with selfies and videos, and the phenomenon would likely trend globally as #MysteryMustacheMonday.
News Coverage: Local and international news outlets would rush to cover the story, with reporters on the ground interviewing mustached citizens and speculating about the cause of this bizarre event.
Economic Impact: Razor and shaving cream sales could skyrocket as people scramble to remove their unexpected facial hair. Conversely, some might embrace the change, leading to a pop-up industry of mustache grooming products and styling services.
Workplace Disruptions: Offices might encounter a drop in productivity as employees deal with their new facial hair, with some taking the day off due to the distraction or embarrassment. Others might find humor in the situation, leading to a more lighthearted work atmosphere.
Emergency Services: Hospitals and clinics could be overwhelmed with people seeking explanations or solutions. Meanwhile, emergency services would need to ensure that the mustache spell hasn't caused any health issues or accidents due to impaired vision or distraction.
Political and Social Discussions: Debates would arise about personal autonomy and the ethics of widespread magical effects. Activists might protest against unsolicited magical interference, while some political figures could call for regulations on magic use.
Cultural Impact: The event would become part of the cultural lexicon, potentially changing attitudes towards mustaches. It could inspire themed parties, art, and even influence fashion trends.
Scientific Inquiry: Scientists and experts in the supernatural would seek to study the phenomenon, attempting to understand how such a spell was cast and whether it could be replicated or reversed.
Hero Response: Local heroes might attempt to find the source of the spell to prevent further magical mischief. This could lead to an encounter with The Imp, resulting in either a confrontation or a negotiation to end the spell.
Long-Term Effects: Depending on whether the mustaches are permanent or temporary, there could be long-term social effects. Relationships might be tested, individuals might undergo personal growth or crisis, and the collective experience could either bring the community together or sow discord based on the reaction to the change.
 
Mass Mustache
The mustache spell would be remembered as a peculiar but defining moment, illustrating the unpredictable nature of living in a world where characters like The Imp wield their powers with a whimsical touch, challenging the mundane reality of Monday mornings in your Champions campaign. I used it as a slot in her Variable Power Pool. 
 
Mass Mustache:  Cosmetic Transform 8d6 (Clean-shaven person to person with Mustache, Shaving the mustache off), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), MegaScale (1m = 10 km; +1 1/4) (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60

HERO is so good at representing everything and anything in mechanical terms that I think it's easy to slide into thinking that everything *must* have a mechanical representation, paid for with points on a character sheet. I can unfortunately imagine an exchange something like this:
 
Rubber Band Man's Player: "The Sun Stone could be a source of limitless energy! I need to get it back to my lab to study."
 
GM: "How do you plan on moving it? Like the name says, it's as hot as the surface of the Sun. It isn
't burning anything right now because it's magnetically levitated. If you take it out of the starship engine, it won't be."
 
I'm On Fire Guy's Player: "My costume doesn't burn up when use my Damage Shield, so let's make a bag from my costume. We can carry it that way."
 
GM: <fixes glittering eye on player> "Oh? And did you spend points on your costume being fireproof all the time? If it's not on the character sheet, it doesn't exist."
 
Now, I think The GM is being a jerk. Players should be rewarded for clever use of resources and capabilities. Sketchpad found the phrase I was looking for before: Using the costume this way is a *power stunt,* which is a thing in HERO but mentioned so briefly that it's easy to forget about it. And even that's been "mechanic-ized" by adding the Power skill, with rules for your chance to fail depending on the Active Points of the stunt effect.
 
(One way, and not the only one, in which I think earlier editions were better *because* they were looser.)
 
Dean Shomshak

HERO is so good at representing everything and anything in mechanical terms that I think it's easy to slide into thinking that everything *must* have a mechanical representation, paid for with points on a character sheet. I can unfortunately imagine an exchange something like this:
 
Rubber Band Man's Player: "The Sun Stone could be a source of limitless energy! I need to get it back to my lab to study."
 
GM: "How do you plan on moving it? Like the name says, it's as hot as the surface of the Sun. It isn
't burning anything right now because it's magnetically levitated. If you take it out of the starship engine, it won't be."
 
I'm On Fire Guy's Player: "My costume doesn't burn up when use my Damage Shield, so let's make a bag from my costume. We can carry it that way."
 
GM: <fixes glittering eye on player> "Oh? And did you spend points on your costume being fireproof all the time? If it's not on the character sheet, it doesn't exist."
 
Now, I think The GM is being a jerk. Players should be rewarded for clever use of resources and capabilities. Sketchpad found the phrase I was looking for before: Using the costume this way is a *power stunt,* which is a thing in HERO but mentioned so briefly that it's easy to forget about it. And even that's been "mechanic-ized" by adding the Power skill, with rules for your chance to fail depending on the Active Points of the stunt effect.
 
(One way, and not the only one, in which I think earlier editions were better *because* they were looser.)
 
Dean Shomshak

HERO is so good at representing everything and anything in mechanical terms that I think it's easy to slide into thinking that everything *must* have a mechanical representation, paid for with points on a character sheet. I can unfortunately imagine an exchange something like this:
 
Rubber Band Man's Player: "The Sun Stone could be a source of limitless energy! I need to get it back to my lab to study."
 
GM: "How do you plan on moving it? Like the name says, it's as hot as the surface of the Sun. It isn
't burning anything right now because it's magnetically levitated. If you take it out of the starship engine, it won't be."
 
I'm On Fire Guy's Player: "My costume doesn't burn up when use my Damage Shield, so let's make a bag from my costume. We can carry it that way."
 
GM: <fixes glittering eye on player> "Oh? And did you spend points on your costume being fireproof all the time? If it's not on the character sheet, it doesn't exist."
 
Now, I think The GM is being a jerk. Players should be rewarded for clever use of resources and capabilities. Sketchpad found the phrase I was looking for before: Using the costume this way is a *power stunt,* which is a thing in HERO but mentioned so briefly that it's easy to forget about it. And even that's been "mechanic-ized" by adding the Power skill, with rules for your chance to fail depending on the Active Points of the stunt effect.
 
(One way, and not the only one, in which I think earlier editions were better *because* they were looser.)
 
Dean Shomshak