Balabanto

Re: The best retcons of all time Infinite Crisis handled this very well: No, George Perez, you may not !##$$!@! with Wonder Woman ANY MORE!

Re: Secret IDs: In or Out? That's because "Written for Eight Year Olds" was actually written on two levels. One for the young kids, and one for an older audience. These days, there's so much regulating that in the comics, it's very hard to get good writing done. But to stay on topic, I really do feel that the secret ID has a place in any game, and that that transformation into an icon or a legend really does mean something special. Heck, that's what Mind over Matter is all about, right here, the debate on this thread. So I hope I've stoked your jones for that little project, and, of course... Excelsior!

Re: Secret IDs: In or Out? Didn't you forget, David, that by the modern era, if you've had Superheroes since World War II, they may simply be seen as part of the socially acceptable culture and tolerated under good samaritan laws? As long as the heroes ACT like heroes, and don't kill people, and bring people to justice, and save the lives of innocents, then there's not a problem. If the 'heroes" start acting as a law unto themselves, then there's a problem.

Re: Secret IDs: In or Out? In my opinion, without secret ID's, the Superhero Genre falls apart. Allow me to explain this, both as my literate master's degree in English Literature self, and as only the Brawling Balabanto can!!!! A secret ID creates the illusion that the hero is someone else. This illusion is both perceptual, and occasionally psychological. For some superheroes, their personality may change completely when they "Transform" into their hero ID, even if it's just something as simple as putting on a costume. Removing the secret ID removes the illusion, it makes the hero exactly who they appear to be, revealing their relationships, flaws, and disadvantages as well as highlighting their natural strengths. Is it more or less heroic, that's for you, the GM or the player, to decide. BUT... The illusion of the Superhero is what is actually important, regardless of the heroicness of the individual character. If I am "Partacel" and my father dies, and no one, with the exception of a few people in the government, know who he is, I take up his mantle and I BECOME him. And no one is the wiser. As long as the concept of the mask is present, barring an inabilty to have a secret ID, it is possible for the hero to metamorphose into something more. And that is when a HERO becomes a LEGEND. An ICON, something greater than himself or herself. And it is this that formulates the concept of the secret identity. The idea that when the character puts on that mask, they become the REPRESENTATION of something that is good, that is true, that is right, that is wholly representative of that which is ideal. Read Nietzsche's Man and Superman, which a lot of these ideas come out of. And this is why bringing too much realism into the whole business stinks. Because realism, folks, isn't real. It's just realism. It's a philosophy, almost akin to a religion, like Kant's belief in the supernoumenal (Also important here), or the very churches and temples and mosques that many of you go to to pray each day. Stan Lee understood this, true believers, and that's why he used to call people true believers all the time. Because he KNEW. He understood that the calling to be a hero frequently meant that you would have to hide that secret from the people closest to you, not only for their own safety, but because the very nature of that heroism depended on the doubt and wonder of who was behind that mask. So embrace the secret identity. Because like it or not, whether you want to admit it or not, we all have one inside somewhere.

Re: Assault on Stronghold Quite frankly, if I were attacking Stronghold, my opening move would be to capture The Monster, and have Durak THROW the Monster at Stronghold, from above, thus causing a breach approximately....hmmm.... The Monster, moving through Stronghold at full velocity of 112" (He's Aerodynamic, Balanced, and heading straight down, base damage is 5d6+1 HKA + another 6d6+1, that's 11.5 killing dice. So, unless Stronghold has more defense and BODY than 40, that makes a monster sized hole. And if it has less than 20/20, it's a MUCH larger hole. (Probably about 15/15, so that's a hole about 1x2^10 hexes) Whoops. No Stronghold left. My mistake.

Re: PCs are not the most important in the world Hang onto your hats, True Believers, because the Brawling Balabanto has run a world that's sort of like this for 20 years!!!! Solution One: DON'T ALLOW SUPERHEROES TO MOVE AT RIDICULOUS NONCOMBAT SPEEDS WITHOUT A TEAM VEHICLE!!!!! This is the best solution. If the NPC's can't get there in time, then your PC's get to save the day. No matter how powerful their cavalry might be, if they can't move faster than, say 20" with a x16 NCM, then by the time the NPC's get there, the battle will be over. Solution Two: DON'T ALLOW UBER TELEPORTATION DEVICES (Except for your master villain) AND MAKE THE TECHNOLOGY DIFFICULT TO ACQUIRE! See above. If Matter Transport is difficult to use, or has a long lag time (5-10 minutes) the battle will still likely be over by the time the NPC's arrive. Solution Three: Make sure you set up real roleplaying rivalries between the heroes and their enemies. "Professor Agammemnon, do you need our help?"/"Sorry, I can't accept it. He's my problem, (I created him, he's my brother, etc) Solution Four: Make sure you set up real rivalries between the heroes that make them want to do things themselves. "We really don't need Millennium Guard to handle this problem. We started this, and we're going to finish it." Of course, I've seen situations where the PC's in my game called Millennium Guard ANYWAY. (And they have the fastest response time in the world.) Solution Five: Law of Economy of characters=Law of Intelligence: If the villain knows that Partacel, the world's greatest armored hero, is in the city, he'll be devoting time and resources to preventing this man from finding him, while your heroes get to be the stars. If your villains aren't morons, then this works fabulously!!! Plus, if your villains are morons, and he catches them, then the PC's get the satisfaction of saying "Wow. They were morons!" Solution Six: The villain has it in for YOUR hero team. If this is the case, it doesn't matter who they call for backup. His plan is entirely set up around KEEPING OTHER PEOPLE FROM BACKING UP YOUR PC'S! Solution Seven: The villain IS another superhero. (Don't use this too often, it will make your players paranoid) Then, he actively works against the PC's through other superheroes, and they have to PROVE he's a bad guy. But it's likely that his teammates won't believe you. Solution Eight: The villain has no interest in the others. This works best for a comic villain, like Foxbat. For whatever reason, the momentary object of his fixation is the PC's, and the other heroes shrug and say "This is a perfect time to fight some normal crime while they're stuck dealing with Foxbat. Perhaps I should send them an anti-groping manual. Naaahh...let them learn the hard way." And so on...

Re: Which characters would you enjoy playing? Doctor Draconis does not appear. He is not the mastermind. Doctor Draconis may get his own treatment later however. However, I promise you new Cyborg Ants and Cyborg Wasps. Everything I write is based on what Steven Long tells me he has no plans for but that people want. It's a calculated marketing tool. That way, when I bring my universe out in full, it won't look anything like the CU, which will be very interesting and a kind of lower powered counterpoint to it. Deathstroke appears because one of the threads in Mind over Matter is Stinger's research gone mad. (And yes, there are like Four threads that lead into it. This thing will weigh a ton when it's done.) Just remember: The tag line on Mind over Matter is not Deathstroke. The tag line is "Who is the Psiconic Man, and what is his terrible secret?" Legacies (My Champions Game) is a game of classics, sad truths about heroism, and awesome four color action. Themes you can expect to see as more stuff rolls out: 1) The sins of the father are visited upon the son, even unto the 7th generation. 2) Those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. 3) Man created God in his own image. 4) The nature of heroism lies not in the power that a hero has, but the sacrifices that they make. 5) What do you STAND for? Who do you REPRESENT? I stand not for the world, but for it's people/I stand for the world and the people of it. Same thing, right? Wrong... 6) What makes a character iconic or mythological? 7) The nature of heroism is never the easy road. Remember, it's a fictional world. But it's also the best damned thing I've ever done. And I'll go through hell to share it with y'all. Twenty years of GMing can't be wrong.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... My new Teen Champions Paul Revere High playtest. I began the game by rolling a d6 and saying "Well...you've got a secret ID. So when those Maldonados saw you on the way to school, they grabbed you. So there you are...tied to the bicycle rack..." Brendan Flynn: While all of you are sitting there staring, would someone MIND HELPING ME OUT OF THIS? In Secret ID, one of the characters goes up to the most popular girl in school, who is trying to recruit one of the PC's into the "Hot Chicks" clique. Unfortunately, he only succceeds in implying that they are both lesbians. Marcia (The NPC): HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT ABOUT ME? Sarah Lawrence: HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT ABOUT ME??? Marcia storms off. They are joined by one of the biggest female nerds in School, Melisa, also a PC. Mellisa: Because he's a d**k? Sarah: No. His name is Mervin Spitzner. If he was a d**k, he'd be Mervin Shvantz. Mellisa: (Makes a Snorking noise unlike anything else ever acheived by the human body. Trust me. It was weird.) (Sarah's revenge forthcoming next time. Let's just say it involves a neutrino beamer and manly love tattoo for now) Later, as the obligatory villainous agents searching for something hit the school assembly. TWO PC's decide to teleport into the lighting booth. Prestige arrives. Action complete Seizure arrives, puts on Mask. Prestige: Well...that's interesting...

Re: Thanks from a GM I would actually post more than I do, but I DO run a whole bunch of champions games and put my money where my mouth is when someone says "You know, you really should write something about this." After all, Liaden said "So, Bal, will we ever see anything about Captain Unity and the other members of the Super Six?" and I accommodated him.

Re: Which characters would you enjoy playing? Well, here's your hint. The Royal Executioner of Saudi Arabia has the best one in the world.

Re: Rationalize this.... Just because the rules give you the ABILITY to do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do something. If Gadgets and Gear has that, then fine, they built a gadget that does that. That doesn't mean that a smart GM should allow it. I remember the old Champions In 3-D supplement, where one of the characters was a "Jaeger." They had 7 or 8 OCV bought through a focus. It was outrageous. That was my first real experience with levels bought through a focus. I immediately disallowed it forever.

Re: Which characters would you enjoy playing? Well, Kirby, something that didn't get the transition will be appearing in both King of the Mountain AND in Mind over Matter. So I promise you a big hard smack of the taste of the old school. I'll even go back to the original first edition names. I hated their revamp. Just think about what Deathstroke will be like with 20 years of experience points...Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh... Oh. My megalomania. Excuse me. Anyway, I always enjoy playing Defender and/or Nighthawk at conventions. I'll never forget Leah's final round a few years ago where someone else was playing Defender and I was playing Nighthawk and Defender shot an agent with a 12d6 EB and did 19 Body and 72 stun to him. I just turned to the poor guy (Who I actually get along with great every year) and said, as Nighthawk "Glad to see you're coming around to my way of thinking!" As for Bad guys? Well, I've always been curious as to why Holocaust isn't more dangerous than he is. Using the Rapid Attacking rules, he's an evil deity, practically. An 8 SPD and a 20d6 EB? He can mop the floor with the Champions all by himself. Just spread two dice and choose your targets carefully. Oh, and Foxbat. Come on, guys! He's Foxbat! Would I really run and publish for you guys an adventure entitled "Foxbat for President" if I didn't love everyone's favorite dog/flying mammal?

Re: Why should I buy Champions? A belated congratulations! And of course, Excelsior!

Re: Rationalize this.... The rules on this are clear. Since the character doesn't actually HAVE martial arts himself, the correct way to buy this is Hand to Hand attack and combat levels with the armor. Since you should NEVER buy levels through a focus, and it's cheese on earth to do so, this is the best course of action for balance and fair gameplay.

Re: Need an organization name My ego does need stroking. How else am I supposed to pump out three to five Digital Hero projects a year while working a full time retail job? Come on, Liaden! Throw the Brawling Balabanto a break!

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... From this week's session of Freedom Strike Breaking into the casino to be sponsored by Lorenzo Vitale-Seveigny: Gideon: Okay, there's a security camera there? I grab Romula and start making out in the hallway while Eiko disables the security systems in the security room. Eiko gets to the security room and disables the security lock on the door. Inside is a lecherous cheaply engineered robot. Robot: Ohh, yeah, baby. Grab thoooose (It is at this point that Eiko shoves an electroknife into the neck of the robot)...ti...tzzz...skqeeeeze...those bunnz....clickt... Eiko grabs the security tape and pockets it. We'll have more on this security tape in a couple weeks when I find out what the player decides to do with it. Shortly thereafter... Captain Unity: Is there anything going on up there in that building? Gideon: You're not the one who almost got a metal enema. Captain Unity, Aside to Ember, unaware that Ultra Gadget Queen G is monitoring the radio: You know, there are times when I wish I could spank members of this team.... Ultra: You know, there is something we could do about that! I could build a machine, and you could operate it!

Re: Need an organization name The Orion Foundation The Mannheim Imperative The Advanced Technology Analysis Assocation The Technological Advancement Parascience Squads (That way, you can have Data Taps, Technology Taps, Biological Taps, and so on...) The Galilean League

Re: Help with some African Supervillains please ! Yeah, but the one I'm referring to was actually written by African-Americans. It's fabulous. Also check out the long deceased Milestone Titles, which included Icon, Static, and Blood Syndicate. Those were also very good. (Regrettably, Xombi was not. Whoever was writing that spent too much time with Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol and a very large bong.)

Re: Where's it's base? Of course, I should be one to talk. One of my adventures concludes at a beachcliff estate in South Carolina. I'll bet you can't wait to see the map for it either!

Re: Help with some African Supervillains please ! Don't forget to use your resources. Somewhere out there is an awesome series of comics called "Captain Africa." Captain Africa rules. It's one of the coolest alternate histories I've ever seen for a comic, and it really kicks serious silver age ass despite this. Look it up.

Re: Where's it's base? His base is in an eighteen wheeler. He has some minions drive the truck around the campaign city while he sits in the back and does his experiments. Plus, this has the added advantage of being able to bring people to your base and just drive off with them.

Re: Vampires in Supers Setting I have always believed that Vampires make lousy superheroes. As Scott Bennie, the genius of our age as far as Superheroes and The Law are concerned, once said: The constitution entitles everyone to the promise of one man, one vote. It does not entitle one man to create as many subservient votes as he can. That being said, logic clearly dictates that your character would be HUNTED BY THE US GOVERNMENT on a 14-. Furthermore, vampires violate the 14th amendment, as any vampire that turns someone into a vampire, willingly or unwillingly, is guilty of keeping slaves, and is therefore in violation of the constitutional rights of his victim. So, if you want to do it, sure. I just wouldn't count on being alive for long. There's only one good Vampire as Superhero story, and if you haven't read Kurt Busiek's "Confession" from Astro City, you should.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... In the dramatic conclusion of this latest San Diego Knights arc, the heroes faced off against Stonefire, their greatest foe! Stonefire: If you wish to burn so badly, Mesa, enjoy these fires of hell! (WHOOSH, Massive Burst of Flame) A bad roll occurs. Mesa: I've met tanning beds that were hotter than you.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Well, if any of you are in Northern New Jersey or feel like making the trip once every two weeks (Yes, I run different champions games on alternate Thursdays), you can drop me a line at ChampionsGuru@gmail.com and see if you can get into my next TT game. (I think I have a couple slots, one, maybe two.) I'm trying to run more Champions, but some of the D+D games I'm running have to end.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Well, Funky (You don't mind if I call you funky, do you?), don't blame me. Blame Marvelous Mark Arsenault and the "Throwing Stars and Bars" adventure. It's 4th edition, but I had a little chat with Mark and everything's fine. Void, from GSVC, makes an appearance in the adventure too. Aaron Allston said go ahead.