Iuz the Evil

Re: Global Guardians Campaign Opening (PBEM) Nothing at all... Team 4 is just getting started. To be fair, there was an abortive attempt to get the GGU up to 5 teams this past summer which didn't work out. Teams 4 & 5 effectively disbanded prior to kickoff, and the two individuals on the Team 4 list are players from that period. We are re-initiating Team 4 only, so as to be sure to have a successful startup this time.

Re: Nigh invulnerability and Overconfidence If his 'Overconfidence' or 'Fearless' nature causes him to go "your 'plot device energy blasts' cannot possibly harm me PC-Crusher Man!". (Charges headlong into the fray without concern for his safety) ++ BAM! AVLD vs. "Defense the Character Does Not Have" ++ "Ow!" Then it's a disadvantage imho.

Re: Global Guardians Campaign Opening (PBEM) Here are the current lineups (with links) avaliable for reference for y'all who are generating characters for one of these teams. Where a 90 point power is present (thus banning taking that power at 90 points in characters on that team) I noted it in italics. Also note that there are 8 active slots on each of the four teams: Team 1: Adamant - Indestructible and Immortal Brick (Strength) Chronos (writeup not avaliable) - Time manipulator and master swordsman Gunmetal - Versatile Powered Armor (previous Gunmetal was team leader, new one won't be) (Armor) Los Hermanos - Duplicating Martial Artist and Deputy Leader (Duplication) Raptor - Shapeshifting Martial Artist Rook - Energy Projector and Gladiator from a Dark Future (Energy Emissions VPP) Tachyon - World's Fastest Ape and Team Leader Wave Rider - King of the Seas Team 2: Arrowstar - Powered Armor Hero (Hardened Armor) Aurora - Woman of Living Energy (Energy Blast) Dr. Archeville - Super Genius Scientist and Gadgeteer Samsonite - Unchangeable Brick with 'Dynamic Stasis' Powers Stone - Flying "Man of Steel" Brick (Strength) Uriel (writeup not avaliable) - Angelic Being and Weapons Master 2 Open Slots Team 3: Achilles - Super-skilled Martial Artist (Perfect Training VPP) Bandit - Teleporting Martial Artist Bungie - Stretching Metamorph (Stretching Powers) Guardsman - Force Manipulating Interplanetary Policeman (Telekinesis) Warlock - Earth's Sorcerer Supreme (Spells Variable Power Pool) 3 Open Slots Team 4: Silicon Sentinel - Artificially Intelligent Robot Brick X - Combat Enhancing Battle Suit 6 Open Slots

Re: Global Guardians Campaign Opening (PBEM)

Re: Global Guardians Campaign Opening (PBEM) Exactly. The overhaul of the character (the individual piloting the Gunmetal Armor, or the new Guardsman of the Sol System) itself is actively ENCOURAGED. It's the modification of the power set that is forbidden. Just to clear up the point.

Re: Global Guardians Campaign Opening (PBEM) Well, there's presently a "Guardsman" character on team 3 who is a member of an interplanetary police force dedicated to enforcing "Galactic Law' with their force projection powers, so no... I don't think you'd be boo'd off the stage . As another point of interest, we had until recently 'Arachne', the character from Greek Mythology transformed back to human shape and granted all your typical 'spider-man homage' powers on Team 1 (she's since left). Most of the characters don't correspond quite so closely, but there are definitely those who do. Theme or Homage based characters are fine, actually submitting "Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man" is unlikely to garner acceptance (see Arachne or Guardsman for examples of what would be permissible). There are a significant number of "audited/accepted" PCs on the website, I'd recommend reviewing them prior to actually making a submission (at least the ones on Global Guardians Teams 1-4 or at least the ones on whichever team you're submiting for to avoid duplication). If you have any questions, feel free to send me a private message... I'll be happy to pass along further information or provide clarification as needed.

The city of Delhi bustled with activity, even at this early hour. The citizenry had already risen before the sun, and were beginning their daily tasks. Cars, bicycles, and pedestrians had begun to drift out into the streets, navigating a maze of concrete modernity mixed with ancient architecture, as the gray pre-dawn lightened the sky to the east. A quiet bustle of industriousness began to take hold... With a crash of thunder, and flash of lightning, light flared blindingly across the city. The first drops of rain began to fall on a landscape now comprised largely of verdant foliage and faded alabaster ruins, villages of scattered huts and masonry. Of the densely populated metropolis visible moments before, there was no sign. Echoing above the shrieks of monkeys and birds, deep booming laughter rang out with the force of a sudden storm. Across the planet, moments later, a transmission went out to seven unique individuals. "Global Guardians, please assemble in the briefing room. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill. We have an Alpha Alpha priority situation." ============================================================= The Global Guardians Teams 1, 2, 3, and 4 campaigns are each looking for players to replace players who had to drop out due to real life concerns. Interested players should know that I am looking specifically for variants on established comic book tropes. Take your guidance from the pages of the Avengers, the Justice League, the Outsiders, the Teen Titans, the Fantastic Four... I'm sure you get the picture. Global Guardians Team 1 (http://www.globalguardians.com/campaigns/globalguardians.php), GM'd by Rob C Rogers, is looking for a player to take over the powered armor character Gunmetal. Specifically, Rob has stated that what he is looking for is a "new operator" for the armor, rather than someone who will take the character over completely. This means that an interested player need only submit a new background story and skill set, as the power set is already written. The player will be allowed to tweak the character to better fit his style of game play, but would not be able to re-write the character on a large scale. Global Guardians Team 2 (http://www.globalguardians.com/campaigns/globalguardians.php), GM'd by Jack Butler is looking for two characters who are entirely new to the team. The current lineup of Guardians 2 is as follows: ArrowStar (powered armor), Aurora (light-based blaster), Doctor Archeville (super-genius gadgeteer), Samsonite (petite, indestructible brick), Stone (looming, strong brick), and Uriel (angelic sword-wielding weapon master). Global Guardians Team 3 (http://www.globalguardians.com/campaigns/globalguardians2.php), GM'd by James Diel, is looking for two characters who are entirely new to the team. The current lineup of Guardians 3 is as follows: Achilles (a Batman-like skill-master martial artist), Bandit (a teleporting martial artist), Bungie (a super-flexible stretcher like Mr. Fantastic), Guardsman (a Green Lantern-like force projecting blaster), Menagerie (an animal-based shapeshifter), and Warlock, (the Sorcerer Supreme of the Global Guardians Universe). Interested players are encouraged to come up with characters who do not duplicate the already-present archetypes (sending in a martial artist is fine... sending in another teleporting martial artist would ruin your chance of getting accepted, for example). In addition to the two new characters, the GM is looking for a player to take over take over Guardsman, who is effectively the Green Lantern of the Global Guardians Universe. Specifically, James has stated that what he is looking for is a "new operator" for the Guardsman power suit, rather than someone who will take the character over completely. This means that an interested player need only submit a new background story and skill set, as the power set is already written. The player will be allowed to tweak the character to better fit his style of game play, but would not be able to re-write the character on a large scale. Global Guardians Team 4 (http://www.globalguardians.com/campaigns/globalguardians2.php), GM'd by Roland Renhack, is looking for six characters who are entirely new to the team. The current lineup of Guardians 4 is as follows: the Silicon Sentinel (an android with superpowers), and X (a powered armor hero). Interested players who want to submit an entirely new character are encouraged to come up with characters who do not duplicate the already-present archetypes (sending in a blaster is fine... sending in another light-based blaster would ruin your chance of getting accepted, for example). Those interested in possibly taking over one of the two existing characters up for grabs should just send a full background write-up. For new characters, send a full background and character sheet (in Microsoft Word, if you most possibly can...) to robcrogers3@gmail.com. If you have Hero Designer, hdc files are also accepted as long as they are accompanied by a non-hdc document. Check any of the active player characters on the Global Guardians website to see what is meant by "full background and character sheet". The deadline for submissions is Friday, January 13, 2006 at 11:59 US EST. Players who are accepted into the campaigns will be subscribed to the necessary email lists, so be sure to include your name and email address in the text of your submission. Feel free to ask any questions you might have. Feel free to ask any questions you may have, either here or in an email. The Campaign: Campaign Description: The Global Guardians campaign is a high-powered PBEM campaign featuring the adventures of the Earth's premiere hero team. The player characters are the cream of the crop of the superhero world. Importance of the Player Characters: Very important. Not only are these characters fighting world-threatening villains, non-combat character development and interaction will be a major part of the game. Players should expect to have several turns be nothing but their characters talking to each other and living/working together in non-combat scenarios. It should be noted that not all scenarios will include all of the Player Characters at the same time, and sometimes multiple scenarios will be playing out with multiple groups of players simultaneously. World Description: The Global Guardians Universe is a four-color comic book world full of larger than life characters. Technology is more advanced that the real world, and magic is real. Aliens and creatures of legend roam the Earth. The Story So Far: In the wake of the Cuban missile crisis, the United Nations Security Council unanimously decided that the world had come far to close to global thermonuclear war, and that it was the duty of the United Nations to do something about it. The Security Council authorized the creation of two special enforcement bodies: Checkmate and the Global Guardians. Local Relations: The Global Guardians are respected by nearly every law enforcement body on the planet as an effective team of crime-fighters. There are occasionally hard feelings regarding the Guardians mandate to fight crime everywhere, regardless of jurisdiction, but in general full cooperation is given by the national and local governments. Morality: Global Guardians is stereotypical four-color campaign, and for the most part the morality of the campaign will be four-color as well. However, there will be some crossover between good and evil, and thing will not always be black and white. Characters will find themselves making difficult decisions, but should always try to be good guys. Realism: Strong. Action sequences will be cinematic and descriptive. Characters won't die unless they take excessive risks or are going out in a blaze of glory. How you role-play the character will do a great deal to determine the realism of the game, so please put some soul into your characters. Try to make your descriptions as gritty as possible - use plenty of trash and dilapidated buildings where appropriate, for example. The characters will not exactly find themselves saving the world every other adventure, but their successes will always mean the world to somebody, no matter how insignificant they might seem. Outlook: While the outlook will be mostly positive, there will be many dark moments and many challenges outside of combat. The characters will start out as "the greatest heroes on Earth". It will be up to them to remain that way. Seriousness: While the overall tone of the campaign will be very serious, there will be time for a certain amount of light hearted banter, or comic relief. The heroes will be the world's best defense against the direst of situations. This does not mean that there is no room for humor. Witty repartee, creative use of powers, and the way you play should provide plenty of humor in the midst of even the direst situation. Continuity: The game will be entirely serial. Player actions in one scenario will have effects on later scenarios and continuity will be enforced. Adventures will move linearly through time. Bad guys will remember who you are and what you did to them, and the press will print your exploits for the world to see. Building a Character For The Global Guardians The most important thing to remember when building a character for this campaign is this: the Global Guardians are the best of the best among the community of superheroes. When building their characters, the players should keep the Justice League and the Avengers in mind at all times. All Global Guardians characters should follow these guidelines: Starting Points: 350 Maximum Disadvantages: 150 Maximum Points From One Category of Disadvantage: 50 Maximum Active Points for Any One Power: 75 Special Restrictions, Requirements and Exceptions: 1. It is advised that the player make use of all 150 points of Disadvantages. 2. All player characters are required to take the 3 point Global Guardians package, described in the house rules section of the Global Guardians website. 3. Each character is allowed a single exception to the Active Point Cap of 75; for a single power, the character may take up to 90 active points. Each power so taken must be unique to the individual character on that team. (For example, if someone on a particular team takes 90 active points of Energy Blast, no other character on that team is permitted to take 90 points of Energy Blast. Characters on one of the other four teams are permitted to duplicate the 90 point power.) 4. Characters may take up to 75 points of Psychological Limitations, rather than the usual 50 point per category limit. 5. All player characters should have either the 20 point Psychological Limitation "Code vs. Killing", or the 20 point Psychological Limit "Will Not Kill". The 15 point Psychological Limit "Reluctant to Kill" is only acceptable if you can convince the GM that your character cannot possibly exist without it. 6. This is an international team. Characters should thus be from countries all around the globe. 7. If you don't intend to play a character who gets along with others and fits in well with a team, don't bother submitting a character. http://www.globalguardians.com/

Re: Most Powerful Member of the FF? Well... Franklin ("Go Away Bad Man"). Then Sue.

Re: What Are You Listening To Right Now? Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys -Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson

Re: International Heroes Well, I play in several international themed PBEM campaigns... Global Guardians features most prominently among them. Check out the Global Guardian teams 1-5 for some international flavor. My character (who isn't up on the board yet) on the GG1 team is Adamant (German immortal uber-brick). In South Warriors I play Chemo (Chilean chemical metamorph), and in Canadian Shield I'm the Analogist (Canadian Supergenius Street Detective). Probably going to submit to something a little 'closer to home' next, but I do tend to gravitate toward the international flavor teams.

Re: But I want to play Champions I gave up on finding anyone locally... with 3 kids I don't really have time to schedule a whole lot of P&P gaming anyway. Joined a couple PBEM campaigns in the Global Guardians universe, as they appear largely stable (though individual players and even a GM or two may flake, the campaign universe continues). Been a hoot, I recommend it. Presently I'm in Global Guardians 1 (Adamant), Canadian Shield (The Analogist), and the South Warriors (Chemo). I'm hoping to join one or two more... maybe the Golden Gate Guardians and/or the Damocles Directive. http://www.globalguardians.com/

Re: Wwycd: Doom!!!! Gradually dry off as the soda evaporated...

Re: Wwycd: Doom!!!! 1) Knock over the soda onto my character sheet, apologize profusely, take it into the kitchen to get a paper towel, and head out the back door. 2) Never speak to the GM again.

Re: Wwycd: They Blew It!! Adamant - Well, he's not a U.S. citizen, and works on an international super-team. If the Global Guardians don't deploy to the United States anymore, so be it... good luck with all that villainy! Likewise, if they decide the team is going to ignore this mandate and go anyway, he'll do that. Probably the main reaction would be to wonder what the heck they're thinking? Chemo - He lives in Brazil, his citizenship is Chilean, and he's never been to North America anyway... The Analogist - Is Canadian, and part of a state sanctioned Canadian super-team. Those Yanks are wierd... Singularity - Would probably hang up his tights and return from sabbatical to his job as a physics professor at Princeton. This super-hero thing was just a lark anyway.

Re: New JLU Tonight Ah well, guess there's nothing to watch on Cartoon Network til January except re-runs of Family Guy...

Re: Between Two Cities I've used Sacramento/San Francisco on several occasions (including all the cities between the two - Davis, Fairfield, Vallejo, Oakland/Berkeley, etc.). It's considerably shorter distance than San Diego/L.A. and gives you a really diverse region to adventure in.

Re: New JLU Tonight Those new episodes were kickin'! Elegy was a lot of fun and probably my favorite of the two. 'Devil Ray' though? Looked like Black Manta to me. Superhero team vs. Supervillain team in the arctic seas was a nice one. Clearly Diana isn't as familiar with the saga of Prince Jon as you'd think. Sending him into the sun? Isn't he immune to fire per the legend Gorilla Grodd kicked out at the beginning? I'm just saying...

Re: New JLU Tonight About the second or third time the Legion poses some major dilemma for the League, it'll be time for Bats to sigh and reach for the dice on another mega-high end Deduction roll (or Clairsentience 'only to know what the JLU needs to know to save the day'). I mean c'mon... it's his schtick, after all. I like the new Legion of Doom. Nice array of nasty bad guys. Swamp high-tech base. Secrecy. Hints of major infighting to come between Lex & Grodd. All the hallmarks of a really good superhero/supervillain throwdown later this season!

Re: WWYCD? "Once more, with Justice" Adamant: Well, he was a crooner in the 1950s in Boston's 'The Two O'Clock Club', so he's got the pipes to carry it off. I'm thinking as far as a specific song is concerned... And now, the end is near; And so I face the final curtain. My friend, I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain. I’ve lived a life that’s full. I’ve traveled each and ev’ry highway; And more, much more than this, I did it my way. Regrets, I’ve had a few; But then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do And saw it through without exemption. I planned each charted course; Each careful step along the byway, But more, much more than this, I did it my way. Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall; And did it my way. I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried. I’ve had my fill; my share of losing. And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing. To think I did all that; And may I say - not in a shy way, No, oh no not me, I did it my way. For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he truly feels; And not the words of one who kneels. The record shows I took the blows - And did it my way! Chemo: Would be absolutely horrified, he can't carry a tune in a bucket. Even if he turned himself into said bucket. Something in Spanish for sure. The Analogist: His repertoire would be impressive, given his eidetic memory and eclectic tastes. He's at least a competent singer, and would rapidly deduce the source of this event from something odd - like the mating habits of central european sparrows and their impact on global climate change or something like that. Then it's off to the races to get it stopped asap. (Showtunes?! Ugh)

Re: Champions Characters DEX Inflation Why? Yeah, I gotta say that I always go with CSLs to offset the dexterity of my lower dex characters. My GGU PBEM brick Adamant has only a 17 Dex, but I have like 4 CSLs and some martial maneuvers (it's a 500 point campaign). The end result is an OCV of around 10+ when I decide to lay some smack on a baddie. Even bricks want to be able to HIT once in a while...

Re: Favorite Super-Mercenary "of all time" = Bullet "In 5th Edition" = Utility

Re: Anyone combine Champs with Call of Cuthulu? Champions 3-D from 4th Edition had a great adventure on a world where Cthuloid monstrosities had 'won'. 'The Anopheles Strain' or something like that...

Re: Super Prisons without Super Tech The precedent has been established in our real-world society regarding the impact certain types of punishment have on crimes (note someone's post on kidnapping & rape - Mentor's?... victims' survival rate goes down). I'd be a whole lot more concerned with the metahuman community's reaction to a separate and much harsher system of justice than the 'regular joe's'. You're talking a hair's breadth away from dark future warfare between metas and normals (tantamount to declaring a 'war against Islam' rather than a 'war on terror'). The government had better be real careful about how this is portrayed, or it's going to explode into open conflict. If the tech level is 'normal' and we're talking CU levels of superhuman power then the normals don't have a chance. Think about a world where the equivalent of Gravitar, Eurostar, King Cobra, et al. are united against the common foe of humanity at large. Throw in all the vigilante-hero types the government is also trying to incarcerate... they would quickly have little alternative if they're facing lobotomization, surgical implantation, and/or death by the authorities. What're you going to do? Nuke major population centers to get the one or two 750+ point supers that are decimating your military at that location alone? What percentage of all superhumans have 'superpatriot' as a psych lim anyway? Now if the power level is substantially lower, sure the government can bring it's jack-booted heel down on the neck of the minority group. Torture, mutilate, and implant away! Get ready for terrorism and resistance movements though. There are good reasons to exercise a modicum of restraint in designing containment for superhuman beings. I like the 'coercion + hire you once you're reformed' angle a lot. Gets your fascist state a massive quantity of super-soldiers to police the rest, just in case things do get out of hand. Plus you know China (or some other high-population nation) is going to be stockpiling the 'new WMDs' of superhumanity left and right... gotta have a response to that, can't 'waste' your superhuman assets. I also like the high pressure cell idea a lot. Every superhuman lacking LS: High-Pressure/Low-Pressure/Vacuum is going to be effectively contained by that, I'd think. And it's not inhumane (at least no more so than guard towers with armed guards).

Re: Tactical Challenge: Mechanon Adamant: *Adamant to Global Guardians, we have an Omega level alert involving Mechanon and nuclear weapons. All avaliable team members respond immediately* At this point I figure from 2-3 of the 5 Global Guardians teams (each consisting of 7 or so 500 point heroes) descend on Mechanon via Bandit's mass-teleportation (or some other method of instant or near-instant deployment), while Checkmate tactical units engage the other robots, and pretty much crush Mechanon and his cronies into component parts. No point in taking any chances. Avatar: 'Robots? Really?! Bwahahahaha!' *Zaps entire lot of them into slag with his massive AE NND vs. electronics (does Body)* Chemo/Singularity: Die nobly trying to save lives. They're fun and all that, but there's no chance in hell they or their teams can take Mechanon + Minutemen level robots. The Analogist: Calls the Global Guardians and goes to hide somewhere. He's smart enough to know when he's completely outmatched.

Re: WWYCD: Don't Say You Didn't Warn You Adamant: Wait for his 'dead' self to regenerate back to life, then ask 'What exactly do you mean by that?' Consider the possibility that this is some sort of trick. Avatar:Freak out that something managed to actually hurt him, let alone kill him. Set his affairs in order, continue his efforts to link with the other emerging super-powered beings and establish a coalition to face this threat. Singularity: Consider the implications of the warning carefully, talk with his wife & kid about the incident so they'll be prepared. Research the **** discussed in the warning for weaknesses/etc. The Analogist: Instantly realize given global fiscal shifts during the latter half of the nineteenth century, ice cream consumption during baseball games in 2003, and political affiliation of west virginian software engineers the true nature of the threat alluded to. Design a plan to foil this situation well in advance of his death and implement it. Chemo: Pray. A lot. Tell the rest of the South Warriors about the incident, and ask for advice/input.