Barton

Re: Robot Love Stories I remember reading in high school a story; I think a short story of the I Robot series. A doctor meets a prototype female robot and they fall in love and marry (secretly of course). The robot then ages as the human does. The story ends when the main character a robotic expert is called by the female robot asking him to deactivate her. Her husband has died and she wants to be with him. Plot hooks: 1) The PC's find a human-robot couple on a world where such pairings are illegal. The couple is happy, do you turn them in? 2) Use the end of the short story above the robot wishes to "die" 3) A robot is used by a evil third party to get married and spy on a VIP, the characters find out and try to stop the plan. The VIP however is in love with the robot, not caring that his mate is a robot.

Re: brand new and trying to figure things out

Re: brand new and trying to figure things out Strongly recommend UNTIL Superpowers book. Also recommend HeroDesigner. It makes making characters and bad guys easy.

Re: Small Stuff My adult pet rats if motivated (by dragging a favorite food like a piece of pizza) they can drag/carry quite a lot, close to a 0.45kg or 1 lb.

Re: A campaign for my kids If you can attend GenCon or Origins this year I am running my Meyerson Academy teen champions games. I have had players as young as 8 play (an they had a blast). I spend time teaching the system. A suggestion that your family might like and I have slots open in my Origins events.....

Re: 20s or 30s? 1930's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Below are reasons you should use the 1930's (not in order) 1) Nazis are around a great enemy. 2) Soviet menace, they are in high gear in the 1930's 3) Spain's Civil war. Proxy Nazi-USSR war. 4) Better technology; like the China Clipper; better technology = more fun. 5) China - Japan war. For me I set my game in 1936 in part as a tribute to my late mother who was born in 1936. I also have read much about the 1930's and its history. This really helps to convey what is was like. My game of course has lost worlds, strange ancient sites, weird science, masked mystery men, and Nazi bad guys. My game has been described as history with pulp coating; meaning my game is historically based but with pulp features and plots.

Re: Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens 15 He is a robot from another planet, learned about humanity by watching TV broadcasts. After some adventures he got cable and saw Spongebob Squarepants. Now that is his favorite thing!! I even had the character spend two experience points to buy wealth and fame after the robot wrote a 800 page book on Spongebob.:doi:

Re: Has anybody played "Spirit of the Century" The problem with Spirit is that it REQUIRES good players and good GM for it to work. So-So players and/or So-So GM would doom the game to be bad. A more rules "heavy" system helps fight this IMHO. I am NOT a fan of rules light systems.

For a photo and specs: http://www.strategypage.com/military_photos/200831184419.aspx The US Marine Corps has ordered over 440 of these diesel badboys.

Re: Betatesting?

Re: Who's Who on the Champions Online forums? I am Barton Stano. I have GM'ed at Origins, GenCon and other 'cons. My id on the Champions OnLIne is Bartrat

Re: Has anybody played "Spirit of the Century" Played it ONCE, VERY unimpressed with the mechanics. WAY TOO rules-light and it failed to convey the Pulp Era to me (others may have different opinions). The system maybe good for a limited campaign or a one shot. The character generation system is great, the idea of all the characters backgrounds tied together was neat. The mechanics of the game just make it IMHO unplayable. At last year's GenCon I asked the designer how would you do a campaign with this rule system... he would not answer the question.

Re: A "Vintage" plot, take 2 A great plot for a teen champions game.......

Re: Mook rules? I do not like it; but as my friend Joe L. says my pulp games are "history with a veneer of pulp". So I a realism guy. So to make it fun I give the good guys and major villains combat luck and it works. Mooks never get armor or combat luck so they drop fast, while the good guy need to worry about shots, but no one shot will take them out. Also HAP (hero action points) can be used in my game to reduce wounds.

Re: Horror -- fied

Re: Anyone Have PA Hero yet? I love the CRUNCH in it!!! My formal education is in toxicology and radiation biology. The sections on radiation, post PA effects on the world were GREAT!!! Lots of good hard science, in easy to understand english. Good ideas/guidelines on how to PA your "world". Wonderful. Worth the price of the book just for that. A+ on that. The art is okay; but I do not care about eye-candy. The writing is good (sorry in advance to Steve Long) but not as good IMHO as was in Pulp Hero. PLEASE understand this is strictly my opinion, others will differ. B-. Layout/length - layout of book was well above average but TOO few pages. I love huge books so anything below 250 pages is too short. B-. The sample settings - Good example settings (the 1001AD setting was unique to say the least). I did not like any of them a lot except the North Carolina setting. I liked that one a lot. I think that the settings were to get the GM's creativity flowing, and for that they work great. B. OVERALL A- BUY THE BOOK.

Re: Suggestions for a player's Song character? My wife's character is Lenny a ex-singer turned Chicago cop retired; now a superhero. Has song powers. Part of the song powers should be cone or area of effect and limitation(s) on them (not work in vacuum and the like).

Re: New scientific discovery? The backbone of pulp... Radium is in my game, a element is a HUGE power source. It allows in my game, mind controlling radio transmissions, deadly robots, and of course death rays.

Re: Help: WWI Espionage References High in the Empty Blue - great book about 56 Squadron RFC/RAF. Appendex has a chapter about the spy who came to dinner. GREAT Story!!!.

Re: Testimonials: Perfect Pitch Lenny - my wife's weaponeer mutant character is a gun toting ex-singer. Perfect pitch is now needed for Lenny's sonic powers.

Re: Contacts or Something Else? I as a GM would allow it, but others mileage may vary. FYI: I often build NPC's with reputation as a power and as a disadvantage. In the right situation it adds to PRE (rep: "bad" cop threatens to beat a suspect) or hurts cooperation ("bad" cop the witnesses do not cooperate because the cop is a known bad actor).

Re: How to build a power to stop someone from talking Thanks Crosshair, I did not think of the usable as attack to make it "stick" thanks.

One of my Champions players wants a power that at range will prevent the target from speaking? Another power wanted is the ability to make an area where no sound can escape from it. I am wondering how the Herodom would do this? I am at a loss as to how to model this in Hero.

Re: To PLAY Or NOT To PLAY? I suggest what others have: Talk carefully to the GM about the problem and/or Run a game and show him a non-GM vs. player game In my four games that I GM (two pulp, one Golden Age, one Champions) I try to be NOT a GM vs. Players GM. I run all my games with the idea the game "fits" the players. What I mean is that situations and NPC's are "designed" for the players. I try every game to "highlight" a different PC. I build the plot around that character and make it "his/her night". My players like it, you may not, and it may not work with all groups. I am blessed with VERY good players in ALL of my games. I have found what helps to avoid GM vs. players is to have plots that are outlines with details left to the last minute. The idea is that the players will ALWAYS do something unexpected, so some details can change (BUT NOT THE OUTLINE) to adjust. This sometimes means that small things benefit the players and sometimes details are adjusted against them. IMHO it is okay if the players WIN! Just have other plots ready in case the players solve a plot. Also a GM take many notes during play, often I come up with ideas for future plots based on these notes. I also like game sessions that are non-combat, with just interaction of the PC's with the "world". I had the "dinner party from Hell" adventure in my Pulp game. The dinner party was due to one character's disadvantage, his family is always tring to get money from him. The PC invited the other PC's for moral support. The party included the pressuring the PC's to invest in a "for-sure" land deal, and small children throwing food at the PC's. A great way to see the players interact and all of my players thought it was interesting. Hope my rambling helps...

Re: What's the closest you can get to a legal assualt rifle?