phookadude

After reading the Venture Bro's thread I was inspired to tell you all about the Hero game I have been running for nigh unto 2 years. Inspired by Venture Brothers, Gi Joe and Various incarnations of Batman I developed the Flunkies game. Set in a 4 color world the players get to play one of the nameless minions that so slavishly serve their evil masters. The characters are members of a sort of Employment agency that has taken over a small recently de-communized eastern European country. They act as a clearinghouse for villainy, providing not only personnel but equipment and information for the world community of villains. This set up allows me to send the characters on missions of any type, from bank robberies to world conquest, they even once simply acted as warm bodies to vote in a South American election. They never know what will happen next, if they will be teamed with a supervillian who will outfit them with powered armor and advanced tech or if they will be stuck with a T-shirt with the words "thug #4" on it. The way the game continues is the plot device that the employment agency is run by a group of incredibly powerful super-lawyers. They have shaped international law to favor them. The character’s identities are kept secret by the same laws that allow supers to maintain their secrets (until convicted) and their health is kept intact by the same laws that decree excessive use of super powers to attack non-supers is a felony. When they are arrested they are simply picked up by a representative from the sovereign nation that they are "citizens" of due to iron clad extradition treaties. I have the characters start as competent normals, but I allow up to 100 points of disads. I give out a few more EXP than normal but half of this goes to an "Origen Pool". One of the aspects of the game is that eventually the characters will Origen, unlike most supers games where the character's Origens are determined before the start they get then chance to look forward to it in this one. Although "Origined against your will" is something to be feared on occasion. The origin pool is used when the character would die from something, instead they get super powers, often not the ones they want. Several of the PCs have gained considerable power and have tired becoming supers or villains on their own. It's been a really entertaining game, lots of memorable moments.

Re: I'm going to have a WHAT? In game terms wouldn't it be duplication with a long activation time and a dependant NPC?

Re: Stacking Armor Actually the system handles stacking armor quite well, you as game master simply decide how many active points of defense characters are allowed to have. Make skin weave 3PD/3ED resistant invisable armor. It's doubtfull that any reasonable tech will allow for much more than that to be implanted under the skin and not be noticible or debilitating. That will greatly reduce the damage of a knife or small arm. Possibly make the skin weave better in the less flexible areas and worse in the armpits, elbows, crotch, and face. Heavier skin weave would be noticble and would make villians reach for thier AP ammo. Apply the bullet proof vest as normal, you cannot wear more than one. 9PD/9ED Bullet resistant clothing should be limited to 2 or 3 max PD and ED and only allow two layers of that. Say the t-shirt is 2 and the trenchcoat is 3. Combat luck? Sure let 'em have it... So you end up with about 20 maximum armor that's around 60 Active points. That means you allow your characters up to a 4d6 ranged killing attack (or 2 1/2 d6 with armor peircing) weapon wich would still be potentially dangerous to the guy who maxed his armor. A cyber martial artist with a 25 str could do a 9d6 (or 10d6) offensive strike wich could penitrate as well. Also all this armor is based on locations wich could be avoided with targeting. With hero you have to apply the balance as the Gamemaster. Figure out where you want it and apply it. The obvious way the damage would be applied is combat luck -> trenchcoat -> vest -> t-shirt -> skin weave