Lord Mhoram

To quote my sigline over at RPG net.

Champion, SAS, MnM, San Angelo - man it is a good time to be a superhero roleplayer.

Cynthia, I've been impressed with what I have seen over at the MnM boards, so you can add another to your list of those waiting with bated breath.

Originally posted by JeffreyWKramer

 

("Aikido Boy just kicked a hole through the starship." )

 

Funny you should mention that, this like this happened in the LSH. Karate Kid could kick through intertron. So given the subgenre that is really not too far out.

Seconding the advice of niche control. One of the cool bits that the legion had was that each hero was _very_ specific powers. A lot of high power, low versitily type stuff throughout the legion.

Having run a JLA esque high power game (never got to full galaxy spanning stuff) the comments above about fixed cost powers and mental powers/nnds are spot on.

Some other things...

The powerlevel makes for things you can't do otherwise. Use that, let the players have fun with the powerlevel. A tidal wave that they can actually stop, and earthquake you can dive to inner earth and stop. An asteriod that will destroy the earth but the heroes can through raw power shift its orbit. being able to do these sorts of things set the high powered hero apart from the average.

If the GM and or players are deconstructionist types, having the characters fill social niches common to comics is fairly nice - and I'm not talking power structure but social. The Patroit, the Boy Scout, the Impressive Female Hero, the Adventuring Family, the Urban Trickster, the Rich Socialite, the Detective, ect...

Realizing these niches and which characters fill them allow you to tell stories based around the archtypes as well as the specific characters.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: San Angelo - Your input

Originally posted by RPMiller

We appreciate that very much!

We'll see what we can do about SAS stats in future products. The thing that we have to be concerned with though is *too* many. I know that seems strange, but consider the amount of extra printing and materials that has to go into it and that in turn increases the cost. Perhaps just some conversion notes would be better?

Oh understand that. When I heard three system stats I went for SAS, MnM & Hero, thinking of the three big Supergames forgetting that Goldrush has a "house" system.

Just an excuse to push Reality storm. Hey buy this San Angelo book - best super hero setting around, and here buy this book to convert the characters into your game.

Originally posted by Agent X

The only problem is that it makes it difficult to create a rich background of superherodom. That is my big concern.

Really? I found it just the opposite. I always have to write out the "primary team" to make room for the PCs in other books, but here I didn't, so more of my background creation time was able to be spent making my backgrounds richer.

Re: Cap vs Bats...my 2 cents

Originally posted by Vigil

Hey Guys,

 

IYeah Batman is way smart and has a high PRE but Captain America is the Ultimate Combat Machine! He's used to fighting in situations and against opponents that even Bats would find daunting...Korvac (Avengers 177) and Kang in the epic Kang Dynasty storyline.

 

And Bats took out 4 White Martians when no one else on the JLA took more than one. I think that is a fair equivilent of fighting opponents that others find daunting.

Not figuring that he would win, but that is would be oh too close to call. It all would depends on whose player had better die rolls.

Re: Re: Re: San Angelo - Your input

Originally posted by RPMiller

So then would you say that you are a proponent of the multiple system stats that we are considering putting in all the books?

Yeah, I am. I think it expands the possible customer base, and that is good for SA. More sales, more money, more supplements. I work at a game shop, and we have 2 HERO groups that get their stuff there, a MnM group and an SAS group. I can push Dragon's Gate to more people. I just wish that SAS stats could have been included too. *sigh*

Also each game system has tendancies, so if a writer who comes from a MnM background writes a supplement, the character design would be somewhat different than the same ideas for HERO; even when you have the HERO stats of the selfsame character. And even if it doesn't make it into the published stuff, it would appear in fan material.

As a point - I use characters adapted/converted from V&V, Gurps Supers, SAS, MnM, Abberant and Heroes unlimted in my campaigns, so obviuosly, multiple system stats are something I like (I'd love to see the MnM/HERO conversion framework you use for my own conversions). And yes I am really looking forward to Reality Storm for those reasons.

Originally posted by Gold Rush Games

I appreciate your comments. This won't work for SA:CoH, however, and I'll tell you why. One of the design principles we had going in to SA:CoH was that the PCs are the premier supers in the setting. No one -- not even the Justice Foundation -- are assumed to overshadow or outshine the PCs. Ever.

And that is another of the things in the book that I just adored - that this was a basic principles of the world/city.

Blackcat (martial artists extrordinaire) - this wouldn't happen to without major amounts of mind control, so she would phone her teamates, and get the guy incarcerated. She has only one true love (an ex villian actually) so she would be very upset- she would then go on a very intense investigation on who had the power and desire to mind control her in such a way, and beat them into a bloody pulp.

Ballistic (supersuit/supermage) - think to himself "hmmm" and scan back in time with his magic, and if there seems to be no foul play involved enjoy the moment. Then mentally scan the sleeping partner, to see if he could possibly use this relationship (or whatever it is) to turn the individual from the dark path. If so, he would kiss her. If not he would wake her up with "That was a very interesting night, but you do realize I still have to arrest you"

Re: San Angelo - Your input

Originally posted by RPMiller

With all the new hype and interest in the San Angelo line, I wanted to pick your brains and get some feedback. A while ago I ran a poll asking who had heard of San Angelo and who was using it.

What I would like to know is:

[*]For those of you who use it, why?

 

[/list=1]

Feel free to be as brief or detailed as you want. Again, if you would rather not post publicly, shoot me a private message or email.

 

Thank you for your time!

 

Well first let me quote myself from the San Angelo product page over at Gold Rush:

"It far surpassed my expectations. It is quite possibly the best campaign setting I've ever read - for any system."

 

That still holds true. I didn't come into San Angelo from Astro City, in fact it went the other way- I found astro city because everyone kept saying that SA was like it (thanks for that guys).

 

It is a well developed setting and I really like the feel and mood. I have run a short san angelo game, and in my current champs world San Angelo is one of the primary cities in the world for PCs to wander around it (along with Millenium City, Freedom City and Hudson).

It is the center of my university group (I have 4 groups I rotate through).

 

I also really like the fact that there are multiple game systems involved, to exapnd the customer base and the possible creative input into the world because of more people reading and tossing ideas around.

Blackcat would nod with the serinity of a true martial arts master, then her fist would launch with such speed it could not be seen, and hit the guy with a nerve strike that would knock him out, but not be too painful when he awoke. She would then break out her teammates, and make a point of buzzing the base, until they send out a squad with her old friend in it, and take them out, and "capture" him, so he could start his life anew.

Ballistic would just ask "Head or gut?" and oblige. Then use the key, regain his connection to his mystical powers, teleport the guy out of the base, summon his supersuit and teach VIPER not to mess with a guy named Ballistic.... named so for his temper.

Blackcat would go. She has never lost a one on one battle (other than to a supersuit that got lucky, once very early in her career) and has beaten the death dragon as citizen of Earth (rather than a country). She figures some blowhard from another planet couldn't be that bad.

Ballistic would go to see who else was showing up for the guys and if he saw someone he knew was tougher and more versitile, he would bow out. But that would be tough to do. (Mechanically he is a supersuit supermage with defences in the 40-50 range and half reduction and a 75 point magic cosmic pool as well - he is amoung the three or four toughest characters in the gameworld he plays in).

Originally posted by Starlord

The image is cool (and if it's not Perez it's a good imitator), but not the 'idea' of it in my opinion. In other words, if this turns out to be a 'let's-give-all-our-powers-and-weapons-to-Supes-and-he'll-save-the-day' type of ending, I'll be disappointed.

Well that is the front cover. There is red energy flowing in the background and where the lightning hits the edge of the frame a little blue maybe green energy. All of that red material could be Supe's cape, but it could also be some red material drifting from the back cover, which I suspect will be a Marvel character with a couple of DC items. I vote for Wanda with GL's Ring and Diana's Lasso.

Originally posted by Acroyear II

I mean, come on, 750 points and up for characters? Yikes!

Come on now...

In my case the characters have been played for 10 years or so, and the players still like them, and still want to play them. Nothing wrong with that.

Points are a guide for what you want.

I read and enjoy the JLA, Avengers and the legion of Superheroes. If I run a game, there are times I want that feel. You can't do these kind of heroes easily on 250; expecially for how they interact with the environment- One recent JLA plot had the team powerhouses dragging the moon through the upper atmophere for friction to nail white martials (IIRC) with Flash and some mystics keeping the tides under control. If that is the feel you are after well then.....

I run three seperate groups in my world, revolving between them.

The University campaign the characters are on 350, 200+150 in disads

The Mystics group is on 300 + 150. They are a full mystic team.

The legacy characters are the JLA and are made up of a few new characters and some old ones from other campaigns that have since passed on (bits of whose history I worked into my new world). They are on 700. 200 + 150 disads and 350 experience (most of the older characters were in games for 8 to 10 years).

Originally posted by Lord Mhoram

..

The bad guy version would have gone more into the violence and death, becoming a ruthless murdering vigilante - not unlike the Punisher or the Blue Moon Killer (yes in my superhero campaigns these types of characters are villians).

Quoting myself sheesh...

Yes - Dark Champions is the sourcebook I would have put at the very bottom of the pile after Western, Cyber, Horror or Pulp.

Ballistic - A supersuit excop, dismissed from the force for excessive violence (he shot and killed a teen gang member who was trying to use mind control on him, but that was never proven)....

The bad guy version would have gone more into the violence and death, becoming a ruthless murdering vigilante - not unlike the Punisher or the Blue Moon Killer (yes in my superhero campaigns these types of characters are villians).

Black Cat - She got possessed by her powers and went evil and got depowered. The badguy version never got depowered and really enjoyed the suffering she caused.

You could also go with an Area Effect radius 3-5 D6 RKA, and indirect variant (affects all hexes within area, not just surface ones) assuming area affects don't go underground, and enough area doubles to cover great chunks of the planet. One blast and most every hex within the area is demolished down to the mantle. This is more of a big explosion effect rather than a death star beam effect.

Of you could just get enough area to cover the whole planet - the weapon from Battle beyond the stars.

I played in a comedy game with hero. It was supers... the PCs were a little blue guy with a 60 pt variable power pool that he had no control over (a wand of wonder thing), a small flying dragon (think the Lockhheed from Kitty's dream) and I played a variation of Slimer from the Ghostbuster cartoon. It was a blast.

Very much in the mode of Toon.

Originally posted by Tim

For who wrote it: I have to go dig it out of storage.

Rob Bell, the ye old line editor during the ICE age.

Ballistic No. Never. If there is a law in place to register an American, not because of an action he has done, like a crime; but rather who or what he is due to some chance of genetics, then you are only a step away from wearing a yellow Star of David. And you can qoute me on that.

Black Cat *smiles sweetly* Don't see any reason to. I'm just a martial artist. What I do anyone could learn to do, no real reason to register.

Originally posted by Storn

wow. Every reply enforces the comic code crap and 4 color outlook.

 

This one will not. We play a world of consequences that looks more like Authority or Planetary or Watchmen.

Originally posted by RDU Neil

I run the RDU campaign that Storn was talking about. It's lasted almost 17 years. When Storn joined in '92, we had that talk, and my reply was... "RDU is about power and repercussions. No false genre conventions... "

Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum.

I play for the "false genre conventions" and I pretty much stopped reading what few marvel titles I read when they dropped the comics code. I hate Authority and Watchmen was something that was well done, but 12 issues of things like that in the last 20 years was plenty for me.

I go for an Astro City feel. It is still about power and repercussions, but is full of "false genre conventions" and is pretty much comics code style.

Some people want to play realistic in the sense "what if supers really existed in the real world" I'd rather play "what if we were in thier world"- the second qoute by Busiek in Astro City.

Now to the topic of the thread. If the camaign is four color and players kill without thought or remorse drop the heavy end of the hammer on them; but first talk to the player and let them know that this kind of action is not what you expected/wanted from the campaign- I usually have a handout for new players explaining things like that.

Now, if they do it with soul searching due to an extreme situation, then go with the roleplaying. I had a character kill someone for just that reason, but I came up to the GM and said "I want to run an extended plot about my character being possessed by her powers, killing someone, being depowered and dealing with the consequences." So we did. In the end, there was a big laser shot at stronghold that let everyone out, and she fought to keep the other prisoners in, and got pardoned because of it. Deal with the power, and repercusions, but still a very four color end result.

YES YES YES.... We must have the centepedeboile!!!!!

It's the amazing Fobtax.

More speedster bits

In the blink of an eye: Transform and / or Change environment - Doing things at superspeed (cleaning room, taking the engine apart on a running car ect).

Speedy skills: Overall levels cost end only to negate time penalties

Supersonic fingersnap. NND VS hard ear covering/hearing flash d -

Wind Trail - TK area affect line non ranged line is the hexline you run in, linked to movement

Here is a construct I've used with a number of SFX :

Dispel KB resistance, does KB, double KB- at 6 pts a die it's cheap and it gets them away from you.

Brick push, MA chi concussive punch, speedster imparting his velocity without damage, or even the ever famous Knockback gun.

Re: The Power Brigade Interview Form

Super Hero Name:

Black Cat

(Optional)Secret Idenity/Alternate Name:

Sonia Caruthers

(Optional)Ethnic Group/Species:

Human/Caucasion

Place of Birth: Northern California

Date of Birth: Sept 14 1969

Question 1. How did you hear about the Power Brigade team?

Recent news stories.

Question 2. What do you feel you can offer (Both in Super heroic powers/gifts and your knowledges) to the Power Brigade team?

I am a world class hand to hand fighter, and have spent decades training and practicing tactical approaches to combat. I have also been the tactical officer and small unit tactics trainer for a superteam. I also have spent 20 years studying supervillians and have a large database of styles and modes of operation of same.

Question 3. Why do you wish to join our team, and what do you hope for if you join?

To help the team do what it intends to do. Hoping for a place to be able to get back to superheroing.

Question 4. Have you ever been on a super hero team before? If so, which one(s) and why are you no longer a member?

Yes - Tempest.

Team dissolved during the alien invasions during the late 90s.

Question 5. Are you a supervillain, govt agent, law enforcement official, media person, or anyone else who is attempting to infilitrate the Power Brigade?

No.

Question 6. How often will you be availible to fight crime and save the world? What schedule would be best for you?

Full time.

Question 7: Do you have some disability, ailment, or other situation (Occasional Demonic possession, intense allergy to space rocks, etc) that our scientists, doctors, and mystics should take into account?

Will have to take occasional leaves of absence to do contract work for a dimensional ruler to whom I have worked with before.

Question 8. To what degree do you comply with the law? Are you registered?

Comply 100%.

Register - am not a superpowered. I am what the media refers to as a TPO (trained paranormal operative).

Question 9. Will you be able to provide your own transporation to and from the Power Brigade HQ?

Yes. Motorcycle.

Question 10. What are your feelings on death and property damage?

Prefer not to kill. Property damage should be avoided when possible, but not to the detriment of the mission. Have been dead, got better- prefer not to repeat the experience.

Question 11. Are you willing to wear our team Logo?

Yes, as long as it is in conjunction with my own.

Question 12. How may we contact you should we be interested in having you join? (Phone, mystic mirror, large signal, etc)

Phone number 1-800-555-BCAT

Please include any additional notes about yourself you feel are relevant below:

A number of my old students have taken up crimefighting after my identity was released to the public.

Was fully pardoned for the murder that I was tried for.

For More information see:

http://home.comcast.net/~lordmho/chars/blackcat.html

Thank you for your interest in the Power Brigade. All aplications will be reviewed, if no response in 4-6 weeks, it is likely the team is currently filled.

Another vote No on the reprints. Although I do like the sidebar idea.

I'd like to see a good cross-section of "standard" vehicles for each major play era, as already been mentioned. The shuttle and the Apollo would be great. I'd love to see more Mechs but.... ah well.

What I would really like to see, probably in the fantasy/superhero section is a collection of "how do I build this?" kind of vehicles- not unlike the appendix in USPD section with the Negabeam and Transference touch. Things like transforming vehicles, vehicles within vehicles, and other such things.

I'd also love to see some famous fictional vehicles approximated. Chitty chitty bang bang, Blue Thunder, KITT, Bond's Car (whichever one you like).

I'd also love to see a write up of a supercarrier.