Iuz the Evil

Re: Foriegn Captain America's

Immigration and demographics are replacing old national images with new, usually Muslim, ones. I think it's probably best to get in early with this. Old cultures are nothing to the new, and will be eliminated, so the heroes of tomorrow should have appropriate outlooks. There are new colours, not the old national colours but lots of Islamic green, and red, and white. You also want to get rid of those pale-skinned old-European types, blondes and red-heads and characters with orange or overly pale brown hair, as well as eliminating all eye colours other than brown. Old Europe is dying or dead, taking its culture and variety of colours and human types with it.

 

I think that's another reason the Captain America types works best for Americans. They have to add new images, and have been doing so for a long time (Captain America and Falcon, Black everything and so on), but they don't have to figure the end of their old stock culture, religion and variety of physical types into the equation in considering the image of the national future.

This is a joke, right? It's the only way I can figure how what was stated makes any sense at all... that or the writer is completely unfamiliar with the region he maligns. Please tell me this is a joke.

Re: Romantic Villians

What's wrong with Dr. Destroyer? You know he's got money, power, and check out the PRE (charisma)! What lady could resist the dulcet tones of... "Yield yourself to Destroyer or be annihilated!"

C'mon, he's DEAD SEXY!

Re: Sacramento Area Campaign - VINDICATOR

Sigh. My dormant campaign was based in Sac to start, then wandered all over California.

 

You guys have a perfectly good, half-assed reactor in Rancho Seco. Who can't have adventures around a nuclear reactor?

 

My game flamed out when the adventure plot was to save the kidnapped governor, and the whole team said screw it. Of course the governor at the time was Pete Wilson.

Bwahahahaha! Pete Wilson?! I probably wouldn't have tried to save him either...

That's awesomely funny... I still remember him approving the 300% hike in tuition for the state University system. Yeah, I think that would be a hard sell for the group I was in at the time.

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

.oO(And I thought he was evil...Iuz' date=' not Storn)[/quote']

 

I'm evil, not lacking in aesthetic appreciation...

Re: Storn's Art & Characters thread.

I'd just like to express my appreciation Storn. Your art has been truly an inspiration for the campaign I've been in these past months...

You are amazingly talented, I'm sure you hear it all the time but I call 'em like I see 'em. Plus, hearing it doesn't get old.

Re: Sacramento Area Campaign - ZEPHYR

Yup, when not lurking on my "obsidian throne in Dorakaa", I reside in Davis. I spent 18 years there, went of to CSUChico for the standard 6.5 year BA that institution produces (and killersocial skills), moved to Oklahoma for graduate school & licensure & just living/working, had kids and like the mighty salmon returned to Davis to raise them.

It's a good time... the Sacto campaign is a blast, we took a break for about 2 weeks cause of RL stuff. I expect to resume my "crime journal" next weekend by crushing the Organizatsiya branch I've tracked to central Sac (the neighborhood in the letters region near 16th street). Hoping that "Mr. Smith" will make a return appearance and bring up some component of the main plot thread as well, or maybe a clash with another villainous superhuman? Only the GM knows for sure...

Re: [iron] Why do you dislike the Four Color/Silver age (No Flames please)

I personally feel that the Iron Age is the end of idealism. It's a step back in the evolutionary process; taking us back to a point in time where only extreme violence solves anything. My personal preference is Bronze Age material where the character is forced to make the difficult decisions but is not willing to sacrifice his humanity or ideals to sink to a lower level.

Well put... I enjoy Silver, Bronze, Iron age. As people have pointed out, each has it's flaws, but I think Bronze less than most. I prefer to game in a Bronze Age setting as it allows for greater flexibility of storyline imho, you don't HAVE to put a bullet in the bad guy's head (and won't necessarily have him take out a schoolbus full of nuns if you don't), and you get some of the realistic tough choices that tie into the reality we live in.

Re: Setting up super-prisons

I can't see how you could have Super Villains overwhelmingly more powerful than the best the government has and still have a government at all; at best you'd have a barely stable state where corrupt villain appointed officials stole what they could before another group of thugs drove them off. My own answer to that problem was to assume that governments would have to recruit and train a many metahumans as they possibly could' date=' and to concede that some of these metahumans would have great influence in governmental circle themelves. However, that's just my take. If there's a storyline that makes more sense to you, well, your campaign, your rules as well. [/quote']

 

I think the difference here is how we are defining "supervillain". I'm pretty much of a mindset that government sanction does not a superhero make in and of itself. Lately I'd be more inclined to go with the opposite, 'cause I'm in a "Lex Luthor in the White House" mindset.

 

Dark times my friend, dark times... obviously you have the reverse polarity on the issue, and that's a beautiful thing. But I'm not going to run a campaign based on that... heck someone recently posted their "Machiavellian evil murderers" were Bill & Hillary Clinton during the '90s. It should hardly be surprising that political mirrorverses spring up based on GM (and player) viewpoints.

 

In fact, even when I'm more approving of a given administration, I tend to prefer independent superhumans. I like the Superman types, who are motivated by concern for the "little guy" and are looking out for the human race as opposed to a single country ("Truth, Justice, and Hope" vs. "Truth, Justice, and the American Way"), I'm not as big a fan of the Authority types with ultra-violence as their primary mode of communication, but I can get where they come from easily enough. Superpatriots make me uneasy - that's probably why I flinch at the "government sanctioned supers" more than any other reason.

 

Now in regard to Superprisons, which was the original thread and one I found very interesting...

 

I continue to see Stronghold as one of the better write-ups I've seen (that'd be the 4th Ed. version in Classic Enemies). A couple waves of robots are pretty brutal, and some of those cells can hold anyone under 450 points pretty easily once they're custom fitted. Breaking out isn't a cake-walk, and if you had "panic buttons" to alert major hero teams (like the ones with mega-scale teleportation or whatever so they could respond quickly enough), it becomes a whole 'nother problem (unless of course the villain can mega-scale "get the hell out of dodge", it's all relative).

 

Still a good thread, wish I could give Wanderer rep but I still gotta "spread some around".

Re: Setting up super-prisons

The meat of this is that not much can deal with top level Supers except other top level Supers. So you as the GM have decided that Dr.D is going to kill off any tribunal that actually orders a villain executed? Then why should the PCs turn anyone over to human courts? You say that Dr.D will kill them? You've just created a world where Dr.D is already in charge, in which case the bad guys are now his problem.

 

In my own campaigns, I answer this problem by having the goverments of the world be the primary employers of Supers at all levels. Silly power disparities between top Super Villains and top Government Supers are not present; if they do show up, the Villains would win, and it would switch to a type of dystopia game I don't feel like GMing. YMMV, of course.

 

Legitimacy I do not see as any sort of issue. When faced with a real and immediate threat, questions of civil rights go out the door. Part of the reason that the FBI and others are worried about Guantanimo is that the obvious immediacy of the threat is fading; in a world of Super Villains, it never would.

 

As to the official CU, its a weird Bonze hybrid, where Tak and Dr.D are kept in check by GM fiat between bouts of mass murder, and yet governments remain roughly the same. "Realism" need not apply.

Actually, it appears that we are by and large in agreement based on what you just stated. ("Tak and Dr. D are kept in check by GM fiat" and also "not much can deal with top level Supers except other top level Supers"). Where we appear to disagree is whether the government would be able to effectively employ said superhumans in sufficient numbers to contain the menace, which would depend on the campaign tone entirely. Can the government detect superhumans? How many are even willing to cooperate? How do the powers that be initially react to the super-entities and what long ranging impact does this have? It's all variable based on the campaign setting at that point.

Additionally, despite the knee jerk reactions which cause people to forget about Legitimacy in the face of threats, it NEVER goes out the window. When governments forget about this, they play into the hands of their opponents. The FBI was griping about how the suspects weren't being read Miranda rights etc from the very beginning, because they are oriented to consider Legal challenges and the like. The CIA and Pentagon don't care about those issues, as they view this as a military-style conflict. Unfortunately the situation is more complex than either view, and therefore neither is implicitly correct. Sooner or later, someone will get their day in court, there are several historical precedents which appear germaine. How these issues were handled will then be extremely relevant. I fully expect that the same would apply for superhumans, either in the short or long term.

Then again, your campaign, your rules. I personally would find the scenario you propose distasteful, where top end supers are government enforcers, not unrealistic necessarily however.

Re: Setting up super-prisons

I don't use super prisons. Which means I shouldn't post this, but I will anyway.

 

Here’s one set-up for a real-world with powers:

 

Non-powered costumed criminals are treated like any other sort of criminal, until the first time they escape. After that it’s maximum security, solitary, or the death penalty.

 

Powered criminals are kept heavily drugged until closed door government tribunals decide what to do with them. If you think this is too harsh, imagine where civil rights for Supers will be after just one or two 9-11 scale battles in a downtown area.

 

Super crooks that can’t be drugged or otherwise controlled are killed outright.

That's definitely realistic. Problem is, with actual superbeings who "push the envelope" point-wise (especially 800+), if you go with the "killed outright" you have to find a way to do it. If they're invulnerable enough, this can present a real problem - oh I can see it being implemented easily enough until you start getting up into that "white knight" defense range. The government just isn't going to drop 10 or 12 nuclear weapons on a condemned prisoner so they can execute him, the environmental and political repercussions are too severe. I can think of similar problems for other high end power sets. It'll work for most supers though.

Also, I can see a problem developing for people on the "secret government tribunals" real quick. How long before their identity is routinely revealed by a villainous mentalist? Whoops, Dr. Destroyer knows you ordered the execution of three of his henchmen. Guys, we need a new government tribunal over here... What's that, we have a shortage of volunteers? No problem, you three, you're our new tribunal. What do you mean "not guilty"?

Staying within the existing Justice system will mitigate this to a large extent. Gives the prosecuting body the benefit of having legitimacy, which translates into a more widely accepted resolution of criminal behavior. The "post 9-11" reference is especially apt here, as even the FBI is expressing concerns about the legitimacy of our present maneuverings in several respects. As one agent mentioned (I'm paraphrasing here): sooner or later we have to decide what to do with these people, what happens when they go to court and the issue of their detention is raised? Even the federal government isn't sure about that one.

I thought the Dark Champions rulebook (4th Ed.) did a very nice breakdown of the American legal system as it pertains to superhuman criminals.

Anyway, a very interesting thread. I enjoy Stronghold and use it pretty much as described in Classic Enemies. It's harder to escape from than most people seem to think - unless you're given a "GM fiat" revolving door, such as when I want to use a villain again. It's a tissue paper prison for true "Mega Supers" without the use of "Hot Sleep" but short of a phantom zone projector those are always going to be hard to deal with (as noted above). Hmmm... phantom zone projector.

Has anyone mentioned that to the guys at Guantanamo? That might resolve the whole problem.

Re: Avenger/Justice League in the "real" world

On further reflection, there are approximately four things which I think would be crucial to be a "real world vigilante"...

1) Indeterminate Ethnic Origin - hispanic/african american/asian/caucasian/unkown ethnicity which would not be easily identified, or a really good level of skin/hair coverage. Don't look arabic at all. Right now, it just would be impossible to be operating outside the law as a violent vigilante if someone was a representative of that particular ethnic group (much like a Japanese-American would struggle with this during WWII).

2) slight build/middling physical size - would need to be between 5'8" and 6' as a male, between 5'4" and 5'6" as a female, neither over nor underweight, with no obvious tattoos or piercings.

3) Don't speak at all, ever

4) Not be a "secreter" so that blood type cannot be identified from sweat, tears, spit, etc. (that'd be about 20% or less of the population)

With those in place, you'd have a solid chance of not being picked out by the police after your first one or two vigilante operations. That's barring a random cop in the wrong place, at the wrong time (from your perspective).

Re: Avenger/Justice League in the "real" world

Then there's forensic evidence and our lovely legal system. I doubt a mask or sunglasses would go as far in a real world setting.

 

"Well, we're looking for a Caucasian woman, 5'1", bright red hair, about 15-25 years old, waving a shotgun and wearing Wranglers and a tee shirt, but we'll never find her, 1/3 of her face was covered! Damn her vigilante brilliance!"

You have so exactly clarified the reason why I am not kicking the crap out of innumerable child molesters/abusers and abusive spouses whose information I come across on a daily basis. "Damn, the Counseling Crusader is a caucasian male, about 6'6" and weighing approximately 250-275 lbs. with blue eyes and facial hair. Curse him and his clever knowledge of psychotherapeutic principles, if only he wasn't wearing a half-mask we'd track him to his lair!!!"

That is so damn funny, rep for you.

Re: Sacramento Area Campaign - ZEPHYR

Here's another Storn art inspired superhero who will reprise the "recurring NPC hero" role. The speedster threads on this board were extremely helpful.

ZEPHYR

(William Renvold)

20 Str. 10 CHA Cost = 173

30 Dex. 60 Power Cost = 177

25 Con. 30 Total Cost = 350

10 Body 0

10 Int. 0

11 Ego 2

20 Pre. 10

12 Com. 1 OCV: 10

14 PD 10 DCV: 10

10 ED 5 ECV: 4

8 Spd. 40 Phases: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

9 Rec. 0

50 End. 0

38 Stun 5

Pts. Power

END

60 Multipower (Super Speed)

6 u. 30†Flight, must be in contact with a surface, 1/2 END Cost 1/10â€

6 u. +22†Running (28â€), 8x noncombat multiple, 1/2 END Cost 2(3)

5 u. Teleportation 50â€, only to reach area that Zephyr could physically

1/5†move to by normal means (-1/2), no noncombat multiple (-1/4)

45 Variable Power Pool, (20 point pool/25 point control cost), change as 0-

phase action (+1), no skill roll required (+1), Speed Powers Only

(-1/2)

7 Damage Resistance, 12rPD 8rED (OIF - speedsuit)

3 5 points Vision Flash Defense (OIF - visor)

17 +4d6 Hand to Hand Attack (8d6 hyper velocity punch/kick), str+2(x5)

Autofire (5 shots)(+1/2)

11 2 levels with All Combat, only vs. attacks Zephyr is aware of (-1/2)

10 3 levels DCV, only vs attacks Zephyr is aware of (-1/2)

8 Breakfall, Bureaucracy, PS: Human Resources

Disadvantages:

Pts.

Secret Identity

15

Hunted by Organized Crime, 11/less

20

Hunted by campaign Supervillain group, 8/less

20

Hunted by Street Gangs, 11/less

15

Reputation (speedster vigilante), 11/less

10

2x effect from Gas or poisons

20

1 1/2x effect from drains or transfers

10

Physical Limitation (hyperactive metabolism, must eat at

double rate) 10

Showoff

15

Overconfidence

15

Code vs. Killing

15

Hyperactive/Easily Bored

15

Distinctive Features (Mutant)

10

Rivalry (other speedsters)

10

Background/History:

Bill Renvold grew up in San Diego, where his parents

still live. He did well enough at school, graduating with a

degree in Business Administration from CSU, San Diego. Bill

was coasting through life, moving into a position with the

human resources department of a northern California

publishing company... most people thought things were looking

pretty decent for Bill. Except for the fact he was bored to

death.

Bill’s latent mutant powers had kicked in during those

college years, and events around him now moved with the

speed of molasses in winter. Waiting in line at a grocery store

was an excercise in patience, while the DMV was now

something he avoided at all costs. He adopted the identity of

Zephyr shortly after moving to the west Bay Area, and has

fought crime all over northern California since doing so.

Early in his career, Zephyr rescued the wife of a wealthy

industrialist, who gifted him with the bullet-proof “speed suitâ€

he now wears (and who continues to provide for regular

maintenance of it as well). Zephyr is having the time of his life,

and cannot imagine doing anything else!

Quote:

“Thisfightwasoverbeforeitstarted!†(WHOOOSH <

boom>>)

Speed Powers - Common Variable Power Pool Configurations

“You Can’t Hit What You Can’t Catch†- +9 DEX., doesn’t affect

skills/figured characteristics (-1/2), only to calculate CV (-

1/2) [14 active points]

“Catch a bullet in my teeth†- Missile Deflection, through

bullets/shrapnel, affects adja cent (+1/2), Costs END to

use (-1/2) [15 active points]

“Sonic Boom†- 2d6 NND vs. hearing flash defense, Explosion

(+1/2), No Range (-1/2), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Must move

at least half move/gestures (-1/4) [20 ac tive points]

“Whooosh!†- 4d6 EB, Double KB (+3/4), 3x END Cost (-1),

Trigger - super speed(+1/4), Linked to Running (-1/2), AE:Any

(+1), No Range (-1/2) [20 active points]

“Ten on one, I like these odds†- +10 STR., Area of Effect (Any

Area:+1), Selective Target (+1/2), only for HTH combat (-1/2)

[20 active points] (Note: when com bined with the autofire,

hyper-velocity attack this can inflict 5 shots of 10d6 dam age

to any 3 hex area selectively... at a cost of 30 END!)

“Just let me... catch my breath†- +15 REC, only to recover END.

(-1/2) [20 active points]

“Mach what?†- additional x16 noncombat multiple on Running

(multipower slot #2) or Flight (multipower slot #1) [20

active points] (Maximum velocity is just over Mach 18,

though Zephyr obviously doesn’t do this near population

centers)

“You can’t sneak up on me†- 360 degree vision [10 points]

“Need an extra hand?†- Extra Limbs, only for instant speed

effects (-1/2) [7 active points]

“Didn’t even see me move†- Stretching 2â€, no noncombat

stretching (-1/4), instant speed effects only (-1/2) [11 active

points]

“Barely got me†- 50% resistant Physical or Energy Damage

Reduction, requires a suc cessful “Dex†roll (-1/2), Costs END

to use (-1/2), only vs. attacks Zephyr is aware of (-1/2) [12

active points]

“Ouch! Good thing I heal quick†- 2 BODY Regeneration [20

active points]

“Headed right through you†- +x levels OCV with move through,

only to offset velocity penalties (-1/2) [2/3 points per

level, ex. 6 points = 4 levels]

“I’m a quick study†- Lightning Calculator, Speed Reading [3

active points each]

Re: Sacramento Area Campaign - CHIMERA

Here's a Stockton area superheroine/vigilante who Vindicator will be interacting with on a semi-frequent basis (recurring NPC). Inspired (as are all the NPCs I generated for this purpose) by Storn's art.

CHIMERA

(Carole Reihms)

10/15* Str. 3

18/23* Dex. 34

20 Con. 20

10 Body 0

13 Int. 3

11 Ego 2

20 Pre. 10

16 Com. 3

5/12* PD 6

5/8* ED 3

4/5* Spd. 15

6/8 Rec. 0 CHA Cost = 116 OCV = 6/8

40/50 End. 2 Power Cost = 184 DCV = 6/8

35/45* Stun 15 Total Cost = 300 ECV = 4

Pts. Power

14* Armor 10 rPD, 5 rED, OIF - Battlesuit

11* Suit Sensor Suite - Radio Listen & Transmit, IR Vision, +3 on PER rolls

7* 360 degree vision (suit sensor suite)

5* 5 points Vision & 3 points Hearing Flash Defense (sensor buffers)

3* -5 Lack of Weakness

3* 8 points Mental Defense (Psionic Shielding)

20 Multipower - 40 active points (OAF - Battle Staff)

4 u. Battle Staff - +4d6 Hand to Hand Attack, AP, Penetrating, 0 END [+2] Cost with linked 1†stretching (no noncombat -1/4, linked to HTH (-1/2)

4 u. Staff Blaster - 12d6 Energy Blast, beam only (-1/4), 12 charges (-1/4)

4 u. Spinning Block - Missile Deflection through bullets/shrapnel, +7 on “to hit†rolls, affects adjacent hex

10 +2â€/5†Running (8â€/11†total), 1/2 END Cost* 1/10â€

3* +5†Superleap (8†x 4†total) 1/5â€

7* 2 levels with Martial Arts (Suit Battle Computer Interface)

3* Defense Maneuver (Suit Battle Computer Interface)

12 Acrobatics, Breakfall, Computer Programming, Deduction

12 Criminology, Lockpicking, Electronics, Security Systems

8 Stealth, Streetwise, AK: Central Valley

4 WF: Bo Staff/Jo Staff, Small Arms

29 Martial Arts - Bojutsu/Jojutsu, Shaolin Shuan Fa

Block (10 OCV, 10 DCV: Block, Abort)

Disarm (7 OCV, 9 DCV: 25/30 STR Disarm)

Legsweep (10 OCV, 7 DCV: 4d6/5d6 strike or 9d6 w/ staff, target falls)

Strike (8 OCV, 10 DCV: 5d6/6d6 strike or 10d6 w/ staff)

Smash (6 OCV, 9 DCV: 7d6/8d6 strike or 12d6 w/ staff)

Dodge (13 DCV: Dodge, Abort)

Escape (7 OCV, 9 DCV: 30/35 STR vs. Grabs)

4 +1 DC with Martial Arts

5 2 levels DCV, requires an acrobatics roll, side effect (-2 DCV)

4 Languages: Spanish, Russian (fluent w/ accent)

1 Perk - Local Police Powers (only in Secret ID)

7 PS: Policewoman, Well Connected, Contacts (FBI, Police)

* OIF - Battlesuit

Disadvantages:

Pts.

Secret Identity 15

Reputation (Vengeful Vigilante), 11/less 15

Distinctive Features (Air of Overconfidence and Competence) 5

Hunted by Local Gangs, 11/less 20

Watched by Federal Government, 14/less 15

Hunted by Organized Crime, 8/less 15

Hunted by Campaign Villain Group, 8/less 20

Protective of Innocents (x1/2) 5

Vengeful 15

Thrillseeker, Love of Excitement and Danger 15

Loves to Fight 15

Normal Characteristic Maxima 20

Rivalry: Professional, with Zephyr 10

DNPC, Normal Sister, 8/less (CPS worker) 10

Background/History:

Carole Reihms had always dreamed of following in her

father’s footsteps and becoming a law enforcement officer.

Her dad was a good cop, a great father, and she and her sister

were both stunned and traumatized when he was killed in the

line of duty during a drug store robbery while she was in high

school. Carole grew increasingly determined to “make a

differenceâ€, and went to CSU, Sacramento where she majored

in Criminology. After a stint with the Sacramento County

Sherriff’s Department, she was wounded in a shootout while

busting a meth lab. Carole realized that she would need more

than a badge to truly impact the criminals who had killed her

father and continued to terrorize innocent people. She began

to evaluate what would be necessary for her to make a

difference in the shadows, as a vigilante.

Five more long years passed, and Carole had greatly

expanded her repertoire of skills, had acquired some

equipment through black market channels and crafted some

as well, and had transferred to the Stockton Police

Department where she’d been promoted to the rank of

Detective. Now she was ready to take the battle to the streets

in a new identity, as a creature of legend whose name would

evoke terror in the superstitious criminals of the city... as

Chimera!

Quote:

“Drop the gun or I’ll drop you Vato...†OR “Do yourself a favor

and give up, I can keep this up all night longâ€

Re: Avenger/Justice League in the "real" world

The Authority is a prime example of what to fear.

 

Another dystopia would be: Kingdom Come: the nuke worked. The next generation of supers, after everyone including the best and purest of the old school were killed off, would see mankind as a deadly enemy: it would be an established fact. Without Superman (and some other extraordinary paladins), there is no forgiveness or stopping point in that conflict.

I've been thinking about the Authority a lot this past week, given their recurrence as a topic in several threads. While I'm not very thrilled with the level of escalation which seems to have happened in the comic, now that I've considered it for a while I can absolutely see any group of PCs I've ever gamed with doing just about exactly the same thing given the same circumstances. Their response is over the top, but it is extremely logical. If a government, even my own government, tortured & mutilated me and my loved ones I would take it personally. I wouldn't be much in the mood to listen to a lot of rationalization about it either. Add in the fact they have clear proof of complicity in world-wide atrocities, and the power to pretty much put a stop to it (they're in the "godlike and ridiculous" range point wise I would think), and honestly who wouldn't do exactly what this comic super group has been depicted as doing? I'm pretty much in agreement with them after much reflection... would very much prefer not to be an innocent bystander in such a circumstance however, or a citizen of the offending government.

I was pleasantly surprised by the end of Kingdom Come, and to me that was another example of ways in which Superman is an Iconic character that consistently exceeds the norm in his actions. I daresay most people would be exterminating the UN and halfway to "Authority-esque" behavior before they bothered to listen after watching (what they thought to be) the death of pretty much all their friends. Successful nuclear strike would be a recipe for exactly what you indicated, future supers would be considering themselves (accurately) in a fight to the finish with no holds barred. Ugh, that would suck.

Re: Props and your PCs

Almost forgot a really amusing prop I used to use in a fantasy themed campaign, I think I may revive it for Champions sometime. Sound effects w/ a CD remote. I picked up a 4 CD compilation set of 100 sound effects per CD, ranging from "Lion Roar" to "lightning" to "machine gun" (from the sound it was really more like an assault rifle than a .50 cal). I'd queue up the ones I wanted and skip forward or back then hit play in response to events that occurred in the game.

Used the "lightning" one a LOT actually, the "lion roar" less frequently but also was handy. I'm gonna have to dig those out & dust them off.

Re: Use the news

One of these scenarios doesn't preclude the other. But then the heroes will probably hate all forms of government.

Now THAT would definitely make me twitchy about government... heh, players would be in full on "fight the Power" a la Authority mode.

Re: Use the news

Early in our game(about ten years back), somehow President Bill Clinton and Hillary were machiavellian, behind-the-scenes traitors, murderers and opportunists.

 

The basic premise (in our multi-GM game) was, what if all the accusations back then were true, and the Clintons were tied into coke-deals, real-estate scams, the death of Vince Foster,selling missile-secrets to the PRC, etc.

 

At the time, two of the players were pretty right-wing and I was (and am) more centrist in ideology.

Wow, you were playing in the political mirrorverse of the campaign I am presently playing in. President George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and a cabal of energy industry oligarchs are portrayed as machiavellian, behind-the-scenes traitors, murderers, and opportunists.

The basic premise is that basically "all the accusations are true", and the neo-Cons are tied into invading foreign countries under false pretenses to seize reserves of natural resources, rolling back personal liberties and civil rights to empower their buddies who are bastions of corporate greed, "dissapearing" people without legal recourse into convenient third world Guantanamo-bay style "detention facilities" or friendly "foreign run" torture centers, rigging electoral outcomes, and pretty much getting up to all sorts of EVIL, while manipulating a subverted media.

It's pretty out there, but has been a lot of fun to play in so far. I strongly suspect that there's some even more secretive Illuminati-style group behind the front which we're aware of so far. Good times

Re: Question for the legal eagles re federal arrest warrants

Which may well end up with you singing "I fought the law (and the law won)"' date=' but that may still be better. [/quote']

 

Heck yeah it likely will end with that particular melody... but then if that's the campaign theme, there's some likelihood of the expectation of resistance by the PCs. So "if the noose is around my neck, I might as well jump" at that point.

 

Plus, it's what I'd do... that's not to say it's good advice

Re: Avenger/Justice League in the "real" world

Otherwise you would have superhuman wars, or else you have a bunch of superhuman Donald Rumsfelds running around. Or you have a war, and the winners remake the world in their own sick and twisted image.

 

 

"You go to war with the superpowers you have..." indeed.

I think that any set of idealogues, who would impose an "Authority-style" dominion would be pretty scary. It makes for fun reading, it's amusing in RPGs or literature, but no thank you! I would refer people to the thread on McCarthy-esque super patriots I read a couple months back, "Let freedom ring!" or words to that effect? Yipe!

...and just in case anyone thinks that sounds just peachy, please bear in mind that the idealogues might be radically opposed to YOUR ideals. Say for instance, either neo-progressivism or neo-conservativism, depending on the orientation of the reader.

I'm all for the mythic benign super babysitters though, especially if they espouse my belief system. Rock on supers! Gimme the "Outsider" every time... you go Kal El!

Re: Der Psychology of der Super Human

There's a JLA graphic novel that deals with precisely this issue called "Superpower' date='" in which a man radically alters his physiology to become more capable of helping people and ultimately comes to blows with the Justice League over proper methods.[/quote']

 

That was a pretty fun read actually... I thought the guy was kind of deranged with the whole voluntary cybernetic replacement stuff, and it didn't work out so well for him in the end as I recall.

 

Speaking of ways in which graphic novels / comics have treated the psychology of the superhuman, what about "the Nail"? I enjoyed Amish Superman as a concept vs. "raised with wholesome Kansas values ". The villain in that one was an interesting statement on the jealousy of the non-super.

 

Bah... I must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Speedball again. Foiled again.

Re: Der Psychology of der Super Human

Interesting posts, and I think very insightful. I'd disagree with the assessment of narcissism/antisocial tendencies as being common for the mentalists however, unless the power manifested in early childhood or latency age. Both of these disorders tend to grow from situations of abuse, and the lack of self-worth exhibited is central to the devaluing of others. And since empathy typically develops by age five or six (at the outside), a mentalist whose powers manifest after this time will at the very least be able to empathise with the suffering of those around him/her... probably much better than your average person. Maybe to the point where they had to avoid their company though...

I think it's more likely that these sorts of powers would change the actual behaviors of people, but not the underlying psychology, unless they existed from a very early age. Your revenge minded villain types would exist, likely would be diagnosible with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, a Personality Disorder, or some type of Adjustment Disorder. Mentalists who were repeatedly traumatized by the thoughts of those around them might exhibit characteristics of Agoraphobia or some sort of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (although as the anxiety is based on a "realistic concern or fear" maybe this would be a poor diagnosis).

The funny thing is, lots of these things are "super treatable"... with very low relapse rates (like PTSD, most Mood Disorders, and pretty much all "phase of life issues" like Bereavement or Adjustment Disorders), and for many medication for mood management isn't even necessarily an issue. The ones with formal Personality Disorders, Bi-Polar Disorder (Type I), and Psychotic Disorders would be the ones I'd worry the most about. Barring some new super-formulary, there's not much you can do in terms of "curing" those at this stage. Best bet is to go for "in remission" with some nice atypical anti-psychotic or mood stabilizer, and expect periodic lapses for the Bi-Polar or Psychoses... the Personality DOs are probably the worst prognostically for a superhuman, as it's fundamental to their world view. At least the Anti-Social Personality Type Supervillain will decrease their negative behaviors in middle-age as they realize that the negative consequences of their actions (including years of time in Stronghold, lack of satisfying interpersonal relationships, and nothing to show for a lifetime of effort). Anti-Socials tend to modify their behavior in response to what they get out of things, just like most other folks... it reminds me of a joke I heard from a patient when I was working in Griffen Memorial Hospital (State Psychiatric Hospital in Oklahoma).

This guy's car gets a flat tire on a deserted country road in the middle of the night. Cursing, he gets out in the middle of the night and finds he's standing alongside this 15' tall fence with the words "State Hospital for the Criminally Insane" on a large metal sign. Moving quickly, and more than a little freaked out, he gets out his spare and starts changing the tire. Just as he puts the last of the lug nuts into the hubcap, he looks up and sees this guy standing on the other side of the fence and watching him silently. "Holy CRAP!" and the lug nuts go flying into the night, gone forever. The guy is really freaked out at this point, but the patient on the other side of the fence just calmly states "Why don't you just take one lug nut off of each remaining tire and use that to get you to the nearest gas station?". In response the man thinks briefly, agrees and is ready to head out in minutes. Turning to the helpful psychiatric patient, he asks "Wow, you're pretty smart fella. What're you doing in there?".

"I'm crazy, not stupid" is the response.

Re: The Ages of Comics. Threw a Glass Dorkly

Oh the accents that villains were sometimes lumbered with in the golden age:

"Prozeed mit der eggzerkuuchunz!"

"Yah, mein oberstumbanngeneral! Foyer!!"

I think you should have fun with this. I also think you should have at least one villain (Hitler's brain in an overturned salad dish? - a temporary expedient that became permanent ...) whose monologues are so mangled that his loyal supporters no longer know what he is saying and are just winging it to the best of their ability.

"Lhaarhnge!"

(quick whispering: "Large, something is large!" "Lunge! We are fencing?!" "But what about the rocket?" "Lunch?' "Lunch!" (The V-8X rocket technicians break for lunch en masse, leaving the doom-rocket unlaunched.)

 

In the early Silver Age, events take place with breakneck speed. Stories may be complex but never continue because so much happens so quickly that a resolution is inevitable.

"Darn it, Biff, that've escaped with the mole machine! Quick, to South America!" (Next panel - instantly to the players - the Zoom Jet dives in a strafing run as the Mole Machine pokes its nose above the surface next to a palace with a flag labelled simply "South America"; General Coup laments "Curses! They're onto us!!", while Captain Commissar yells at his luckless lackeys: "The hypersonic marshmallow jet-jammer - quickly you fools!." (The early Silver Age has gadgetary implausibilities of which even the Golden Age did not dream. Do not forget that you can totally jam advanced powered armour with a simple emery powder pistol!)

Rare and desperately needed pauses are provided when some hero, heroine or blonde beauty in a huge beehive hairdo pauses to face an invisible audience and provide moral instruction the kids at home. ("We're fighting to defuse the Agitprop Bomb, not to hurt the animals. We do not hate the Proletariapes: we feel sorry for them, because just like socialists everywhere, they're merely being made monkeys of by their malevolent Marxist masters." ) Heroes may want to get out of this world quickly, before something else happens - something else is always about to happen.

 

Late Iron Age: Image Attack! All suffer, but female character suffer most, as their legs lengthen to two or more times the length of their torsos, breasts swell bigger than the characters' heads, and long heel spikes grow inexorably from once sensible hero boots. It becomes impossible for the victims to pass through a doorway without doing a back-arched, derriere-protruding, heel-raised pose. (Stretching will be useful in complying with this requirement without loss of time, and in minimizing disorientation in general.) Events regularly splinter into alternates (foil-covered etc.) and it takes an EGO roll (or appropriate sense roll) at the beginning of each turn to determine which is the "official", applicable version - till things get so bad that there isn't one. Even so, this world looks "easier" at first in that stories aren't whipping through, Silver Age style. Then it emerges that nothing is ever resolved - it just diverts into more cheesecake, aimless and endless sub-plots, danglers and retcons that can remove characters and even make them never have existed! How do you escape a world where nothing can ever happen!?

Hilarious, rep for you!

Re: Question for the legal eagles re federal arrest warrants

I would make damn sure that my GM hadn't read the recent New Yorker article mentioned by Speedball on "Outsourcing Torture: the battle over extraordinary rendition." Caught that in the Doctor's waiting room and it was extremely chilling stuff... I can easily see that catching their eye, especially in a gritty iron-age style campaign. This seems like a "know your GM" type of scenario, but it would depend heavily on the style of the campaign as to how I'd respond to it. If it was four color, should probably trust that the good old US of A has your best interest at heart, let freedom shine forth and turn him in. If it's gritty and dark, with governmental conspiracies behind every closet door - then definitely I'd be more inclined to be singing ")*(@ the Police!" in response to this supposed warrant. Campaign settings falling between the extremes... well, you get the picture.

As to the legal recourse actually asked for in the thread, I'd think that you have got some excellent advice there. Federal Warrant should be accessable to at least motions for disclosure or whatever, if they decline to let you know anything about it that would raise my suspicions further. "We don't have to care, we're the government", is the likely response, but federal courts are bound by precedent and procedure... that high rent attorney should be good for something, after all!

Good luck avoiding your buddy being "outsourced" to the Sudan or some other 3rd world torture facility!

Re: Props and your PCs

When I walked into the game yesterday, I asked Neil if he had seen this thread. No.

 

But.

 

The man had done a PowerPoint presentation and projected against the wall as our UNITE team tried to come to grips with connecting the dots of several factions. It was a debriefing more than a briefing... but was very, very cool. That was a major use of prop!

That is "freakin' awesome!"... I so want a PowerPoint projector now.