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Soleil Noir

HERO Member
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About Soleil Noir

  • Birthday 10/30/1970

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Euless, TX
  • Occupation
    Uber Driver

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    jasonsoleil@yahoo.com

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  1. Well, it's a new year and I think we're all overdue for a return to normality, so I thought I'd put out the invitation and see if there are folks interested in starting an in-person, bi-weekly, long-term Champions campaign here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, or if there's an existing group that's got room for an additional player. For my own part, I've been GMing in the HERO System for about 35 years in a broad range of genres and styles. I don't currently have any specifics about what sort of campaign I'd be running or when, preferring to tailor the game based on player availability and interest; but I would lean towards gaming on alternate weekends during the afternoon/evening, and doing a four-color "Avengers" style game (i.e.; any origin/background or power source), just for maximum flexibility and story options. All levels of experience would be welcome; I find the most important attributes for a good gamer are a willingness to commit to showing up consistently and ready to play (i.e.; don't punk out at the last minute, and don't show up without your character sheet and dice at the bare minimum), and a desire to take an active role in cooperative story-telling (e.g.; if you're the sort who deliberately ganks their teammates or sabotages the story and then tries to rationalize it by claiming they're "roleplaying", you're not going to get invited back after the first warning). Anyhow, folks who are interested are invited to respond here or contact me directly. I look forward to hearing from you soon!
  2. That part rings extremely hollow to me; what the gem-wielder has isn't companionship, it's just a very shallow and masturbatory projection of his own psyche -- will a simulacrum ever disagree with him, or call him on his bullshit? Will it ever add anything new to his life, or tell him something he doesn't already know? Maybe the character's own subconscious could start working against him, using the gem to manifest his own self-doubt or self-loathing for always taking the easy way out, using the gemstone rather than actually working for the things he wants -- human beings don't generally fare well psychologically when they get everything handed to them on a silver platter. Or, depending on what end he is ultimately working toward, perhaps the adversary might look for ways to goad the hero and show him how empty his "relationships" through the gem really are. Maybe the adversary creates a second, heroic persona (or aids some flunky in a colorful suit, to make him look the part of the hero), so the PC can see what real adulation and affection look like as the city takes to the new hero on the block. Perhaps the adversary worms his way into the hero's private life, drawing away the attentions of the hero's friends and loved ones. Maybe the adversary works to turn public opinion against the hero, tricking the hero or setting him up to cause massive collateral damage or loss of life; as the public turns against him, maybe the hero draws more and more into himself, eventually writing off the real world entirely in favor of hiding in his perfect fantasy world! Or maybe you'd consider some scenario where the PC is unexpectedly cut off from his wish fulfillment gemstone -- he is temporarily deemed unworthy to wield its power, or some exceedingly rare conjunction of the spheres nullifies the gem's abilities for some unknown length of time. Then the PC will be limited to what is really REAL in his life, and be forced to confront how he's neglected creating anything of any substantial or lasting importance in the real world. Let him face some threat or adversary without the use of the gem -- even something as simple as saving the residents in a tenement fire, or stopping a mugging in an alleyway -- and remind him that it's not the gem, but the person they are underneath that truly makes someone a hero...
  3. I'd definitely be interested in playing, or possibly pitching in with GM-ing duty, but first I'd like to pose a barrage of questions, to better understand your vision for the campaign... 😉 1.) In terms of the nuts and bolts, what version of the HERO rules will you be using, and what's the general power level for the PC's? Are there any particular powers or archetypes you'd encourage or want to avoid (e.g.; people with mental or precognitive powers can often take the wind out of the sails during an investigation or mystery story)? 2.) What's the setting for the campaign -- are the PC's in a special academy for "gifted children", or will they be mainstreamed into a regular school? Are they isolated from the public on a private campus, or are they in the middle of a big city? What time period will the campaign be set in -- is this the modern day, or will it be a period piece (a la "Stranger Things")? Do metahumans in the campaign all draw their powers from the same source (e.g.; the various X-titles generally restrict themselves to dealing with other mutants and mutant-related issues), or will you be taking the "salad bar" approach and allow mutants and magic, talent and tech, and anything else that strikes our fancy? 3.) How long have there been supers in the campaign world -- can the PC's be the offspring of established metahumans, or are people with powers something the world is still coming to terms with? How about the tropes of four-color comics -- should the characters plan on having flashy costumes, with code names and masks to conceal their identities? 4.) How about your vision for the morality of the campaign, and the general cohesiveness of the PC's? Can players make PC's who are delinquents or "bad influences", who might form rivalries with other PC's or try to lead the "goody two-shoes" PC's astray? (I'm thinking of the "X-Men: Evolution" animated series, where the "bad kids" were often forced to cooperate due to some class project or somesuch, or where budding romances and unlikely friendships might lead kids from one camp to reach across the aisle or even switch sides.) I've got an idea for a character who'd be the son of a famous supervillain; he's currently under the foster care of his father's archenemy, since no regular family could deal with him and the "foster father" hero isn't ready to write the kid off and watch him turn into just another villain... 5.) Do all the PC's need to be minors, or would you consider a concept that calls for an older hero who might be a mentor or somesuch (e.g.; an older brother or sister who already graduated from the academy, or the former student who's come back to the school during his final year at university as a student teacher, or that one janitor at the school that the kids think is cool and relatable even though he's an adult, etc.)? 6.) What would you say are your major influences or inspirations for this campaign? I look forward to hearing your response!
  4. You still have room on your Roll20 Champions game?  I'd definitely like to get in on that action -- I've been gaming in various genres for about 40 years now, and played & run Champions in its various iterations for 35.  I'm extremely reliable when it comes to attendance, and I like to think I'm a good team player who works well with others and is not a hog for the spotlight (this is a cooperative storytelling process, after all...)

  5. I'm definitely still interested -- just name a date and time for this "Session Zero"...
  6. Out of curiosity, Starmoon -- have you tried any sites like Meetup.com for recruiting players? I had pretty good look assembling my current Portland game by advertising through some of the gamer groups there...
  7. I live in Vancouver, WA, but I definitely would be down for a regular HERO game (my son lives in Salem, so I head down that way on a regular basis anyway). I'd also be available to carpool, if there's anyone in the Portland area who wants to tag along. Do you have a particular day of the week of time of day in mind?
  8. I might be willing to participate in (and GM my share of sessions for) a shared campaign; but I already have a steady bi-weekly game that takes up most of my free time. Wish I could offer you a seat, but I’m already maxed out with six reliable players...
  9. Now that the holiday craziness is mostly over, thought I'd give another try at forming a new Champions campaign, or join in with an existing group that's looking for new blood... As a player, I've been gaming with the HERO system for about 35 years now (!) and would self-classify as a Genre Fiend/Mad Thinker (see Aaron Allston's "Strike Force" sourcebook). I'm pretty flexible in terms of availability for when and where we play (benefits of being my own boss), and would be happy to fill any role that's needed on an existing team. If I'm going to be GMing, I'd be looking for about 4-6 players who can commit to showing up regularly on a bi-weekly basis. Day and time TBD, based on players' availability, although I'd prefer to run on a weekday, just to make managing girlfriend aggro a little easier... I'd want to determine the specific sub-genre based on player interest as well -- my natural inclination is to do an MCU-style buffet with a mix of magic, super-science, street justice, or whatever else; but if the consensus is to play something a little more focused, like a "Mystic Masters" or "Teen CHAMPIONS" campaign, I'd be down with running that as well. I'd be welcoming to players of all levels of experience; I've got room to host (I live in Vancouver, near the Vancouver Mall), but it might make more sense to play at a neutral area if that's more centrally located for everyone, and/or if folks are willing to ante up a couple of bucks a week to rent out one of the private rooms at Guardian Games or the like. Anyhow, if any of this sounds interesting to you, or you'd just like more information, feel free to message me -- hope to hear from you soon!
  10. Not quite sure what you mean by "hard magic" systems -- given that we're working with the HERO system, I suspect that it will be much more efficient for PC spellcasters to build their characters using VPP's or other Power Frameworks rather than buying each spell as individual powers; but I'd want everything statted out and GM-approved in advance, and only the most powerful wizards would be able to make up new spells on the fly in a combat situation. New spells would have to be learned either by training with other casters, or laborious research and experimentation undertaken during the PC's down time. As to the setting? I want to steer away from things that are too predictable and familiar -- I want exploration and discovery of the world the PC's are in to play as much of a part of the campaign as defeating bad guys. I think that's part of the appeal of the Numenera setting to me -- with the world being so old and influenced by so many different sources and races, pretty much everything is up for grabs, and the stories are limited only by the imaginations of the players and GM. I've also heard good things about "Skyrealms of Jorune" for creating a fantasy setting with truly alien elements, although I'd need to do some serious boning-up on the setting before I'd feel comfortable adapting it to HERO. Another idea that comes to mind for a "fantasy plus" setting -- something an old friend in Maryland and I had kicked around back in the day -- would be a game based on (or inspired by) the 80's cartoon series "Thundarr The Barbarian". For those unfamiliar with the show, here's the "elevator pitch": The original show was a mix of "Conan The Barbarian", "John Carter of Mars", and "Star Wars" -- there's very clear delineations between the "white hats" and "black hats", wizards and possessors of "super-science" tech are generally evil and have enslaved the local populations to create their own little fiefdoms, and selflessness & heroism will generally win the day against the forces of evil. For an RPG I'd want to make things a little more nuanced, with more shades of grey; just how much would depend on what sort of a campaign the players are interested in...
  11. I've been online at Meetup.com and folks have shown interest in a bi-weekly campaign of Monte Cook's Numenera -- not sure I'd want to convert it to HERO, but it might offer the alternative-fantasy feel I'm looking for...
  12. Actually, I probably shouldn't be too quick to poo-poo a Fantasy HERO game; I would probably be willing and able to run one, but it'd have to be something other than some generic Tolkien-esque medieval setting...
  13. Not much of a Fantasy HERO fan, but I'd be down to run another 6th Edition Champions game, now that my work situation has stabilized. Anyone out there interested?
  14. Definitely interested! As far as preferences go...: I'd prefer 6th Edition over 5th (it's a bit more fair for powers-based heroes compared to stat-based ones); I'd prefer to play in the 11am-5pm time slot -- since I'm self-employed I can adjust my schedule to make sure I can always attend, whatever day of the week we settle on, although a 6-hour game is asking quite a commitment of your players; A one-page primer on what your vision for the campaign is would be helpful when it comes to designing characters and such, as well as to know what tropes or characters from the published material you would or won't be importing into the game world...
  15. Best of luck in your search -- I'd love to see about assembling another F2F Champions campaign (I live in Vancouver, WA, and used to run a bi-weekly game at Guardian Games); but right now there simply aren't enough hours in the day to devote the time to run one the way I'd like to, and my circumstances won't be changing until about the end of August...
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