Scott Ruggels

So on a lark I created a 3e character at 200 pts. I also used the recommend guidelines in the book but I used the minimum stats. I did this just to see the interplay of numbers and dice. Now I just had a battle against 3 UNTIL agents. Although Warboar went down, it was interesting and fun. 3e has some more wargame tactical elements to keep track off such as Range Modifiers change based on if Autofire was used.  Warboar did survive a 6D6 AF that hit him 6 times from one attack roll!  Warboar only has 40 STR and a whopping CV 6 plus one level for Punch and another for move bys and thrus.  It hurt him missing that Move Thru by one too.

Mortem or Vita?  Which?
 
HMMM!  I am getting a Al Qadim Shair type feel for this school (They are genie summoners who could use their lowest type genie to hunt for spells for them.  So they had a HUGE spell selection BUT it took time to cast each spell, like minutes or hours time)
 
 
OK you are going for some classics used in a lot of games.  Is there a limit to how many schools you can learn?  Are there certain counter schools, like if you know Vita you can't learn Mortis?
It has promise and I'd like to see more!

Developing superpowers In statistically significant portion of the population would be bad. Western nations would lose their philosophical underpinnings with regards to equality, and would either go totalitarian, or dissolve.  Less developed nations would factionalize into might makes right situations. The unpowered would hide, and the labor market would become unstable.  Civilization would collapse, or regress into feudalism. Rule by Kryptonian level thugs or powered sociopaths would become the norm.  

It all depends.  There is no fixed, correct answer.  
--"Superhuman" doesn't equal "godlike"...and Superman is INSANELY powerful.  Obviously, it depends on which one you're talking about, but he's several thousand points IMO, in Hero.  (EDIT:  built a mostly reasonable version.  Characteristics and powers are coming out at about 1300 with, I think, almost all the big stuff included.)
--One of the critical, huge scenes in WtC happens very shortly after the Event.  I don't recall if it's in the first book;  it's definitely in the RPG, and I believe in one of the books eventually.  Atlas, Ajax, Touches Clouds, and the rest of those who would become the Sentinels walk into a Congressional hearing about a bill to restrict supers.  Ajax gives a speech that is awesome..."we will stop them."  And that's the start.  
--What's the draw to be a hero?  Celebrity status like nothing else.  In both Hayes' SPU and WtC, popular culture is completely swept up in hero culture...and in WtC, villain culture, but not per se of the "go out and STOMP" villain types.  Those are in super prison.  
 
Push comes to shove...if suddenly very powerful supers (I like to build SPU characters at around 600-650, with 16 DC attacks max) arise in today's polarized, nervous, and hair-trigger environment...then honestly?  I think a billion people would die inside of a couple years, and infrastructure collapse would happen in many places.  But that, in itself, could lead to a transition whereby heroes form...and knowing that the entire planet came VERY close to being obliterated, a semi-stable arrangement could be reached.  In WtC, Cuba was taken over by the Tyrant...who might well be called godlike, his powers aren't made clear.  He has absolute control...but he's not there to exploit.  It's described as a mostly free, almost libertarian state.  OTOH, there's Juarez, which is still an ongoing war zone that spills over onto both sides of the border.  
 
But some of what you're thinking...it's self-correcting to a degree.  Mind...it's bloody UGLY.  I kinda think that's why Harmon skipped 10 years forward.  In Hayes' SPU, where powers became public and more common in the late 50's, there was an extensive stretch where hero vs. villain battles were VERY frequent, and VERY bloody.
 
Another interesting series is Drew Hayes' Villain's Code.  In SPU, heroes are heavily restricted and seriously trained.  In VC...they're not.  In some ways, it's like The Boys...and yes, there's more problems.  But one of the subthemes in VC is that a chaotic situation where people run wild, at some point *some* form of control will develop.  
 
  

Not familiar with 6th Edition rules, as I am a 4th Edition guy, but these seem quite reasonable.
 
 A couple of gun nut concerns.  Powder activated weapons carry their own oxidizer inside the cartridge, and work in a vacuum decently enough.  The problem would be in environments with flammable atmospheres.  Cartridges are usually air and water tight, and last about a century give or take depending on the quality of the packaging and the cartridge itself. I cannot think of a planetary atmosphere that would neutralize the self contained chemical reaction. Powder cartridges are initiated by stored mechanical energy (springs), causing the primer to detonate. Elementary, I know, but It comes out to Energy requirements. There are limited electrical detonated military ordinance but that is for specialized applications, usually Naval. There was a commercial hunting rifle offered by Remington that used electrically detonated ammunition. It was a commercial failure. Batteries and firearms are a poor match due to a lot of variables regarding declining charges, outside temperatures, corrosive chemicals inside them and fragility. This is why “smart guns” are a non-starter. Yes, sighting systems often require batteries, especially those using exotic spectra, but those are mostly for  specific mission requirements, and even then, pleas from soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq to their families to send them batteries, was noted. 

Back to your weapons.  Good designs. But these are Rail rather than coil guns? Rail Guns “push” the projectile along rails ( which apparently wear with use) , and Coil guns “pull” the projectile through the gun like a maglev. I would think the coil principle would serve better as the size and quality of the projectile would be less critical than using the Rail principle.  There is some discussion between the accuracy of each method, with Navy experiments favoring the accuracy of the Rail principle. I would suggest that magazines contain the fuel for the piece, as well as ammunition, as they can be balanced to the ammo requirements and simplify maintenance of the weapon itself, and allow for long term storage of the weapons. Having its own internal power generation obviates the battery problem, and as long as the weapon can maintain a capacitor to initiate the reaction It can be stored but ready as soon a the user slaps a magazine in.  So, how much do the various weapons cost ( for heroic games)

Mages have a couple things to balance out having to pay for spells.  When a mage attacks is based on EGO instead of DEX.  Since EGO is cheaper and is the mages primary stat, they tend to act first.  Mental skill levels are cheaper than normal combat skill levels, so the mage pays less for those than the fighter.  Spells also get an additional -1 limitation in addition to any other limitation just for being a spell.  This puts the minimum limitation on a spell to a – 1 ½.   That puts the cost of a 1d6 RKA to 6 pts, throw on a few more limitations like gestures, incantations and side effect it drops to 4 pts. 
 
Mages have one big advantage in that they get more than just basic damage.  Being able to add advantages and use unusual forms of attacks is quite powerful, so I don’t want to give them too much.
 
I will be adding more details latter including what magic can and cannot do.

Part of the issue is that I've played 6th Ed so little. My old gaming group transitioned over just about the time I moved two counties away. So there's going to be a learning curve for me in terms of both character creation and GM mechanics. 
 
I'm pondering pulling out the old pregens for 3rd Ed (Crusader, Starburst, et. al.) and using the Character Creation Cards to generate simple 6th Ed versions of the characters. I'm also looking heavily at the Appendices from Champions Complete.
 
No idea if anything is likely to come of this, but it's fun to be thinking in this direction again.

True! However, Conan doesn't belong in a Champions campaign. And, Champions morals and mores don't belong in Hyboria.
 
Different genres and settings have different operable moral baselines and mores. The play groups should be comfortable with those, of course.
 
Not every genre is for every group, or even for every reader. It boils down to different strokes for different folks.   
 
This isn't super-redeeming, but he also gives the victims of his piracy and armed robbery the chance to surrender and comply without violence, too. He'd rather not murder you for your loot... (facepalm!).

Mechanics: OK, whatever.
 
As a player, though, I'd want more information on what sort of things this magic can and cannot do, beyond "no Holy effects." And what is the nature of magic? Quasi-psychic power? Spirit invocations? A quasi-Hermetic system of supernatural forces, channeled through a system or symbolic correspondences? Elemental? True Names? This is what makes magic vivid and distinctive.
 
Though I may be unusual in this interest.
 
Dean Shomshak

I think what makes Conan tolerable is he is essentially a Robin Hood type character: he mostly preys on corrupt sorcerers, nobles, and other neer-do-wells. But he is honorable towards women; in Beyond the Black River he is protective of the settlers; when there are two sides he almost always ends up on the right one. I don't recall him ever preying on ordinary people. On the other hand he doesn't give his unjust gains to the poor either; he just takes them from other people who don't deserve them either. He's also a mercenary and a lot of what he does is either fulfilling a contract, or climbing the ambition ladder. Again not the most honorable profession, but he pursues it in a generally honorable fashion. When serving a good Lord or Lady he's loyal, and twin serving a wolf he follows the wolf's code. Basically he double crosses those who double cross him, he baits them into it often enough but their own corruption is always their downfall. You root for him because you know he's not going to cause much collateral damage among innocent people, but he's going to ruthlessly clear out everyone else who is similar to himself. And really as Lords go he wouldn't be such a bad one because he's relatively benevolent and disinterested, he just wants to be top dog but has little interest in throwing his weight around, or indulging in foul degeneracies.

Feels like that holds true for many of the DC writers

One of the points of interest, and just off the edge of the map, would be the Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC). This is a device to colliding and measuring High energy particles, and sometimes using those high energy particles for medical experiments. My Late Room mate, Marc, worked there, in the fabrication department as he was a machinist, and he tols stories of the place. There is a Photo on line of the Backstop that is to keep Portola Valley from becoming a target, and these high energy particles have left a sizeable crater in the metal Backstop )Lead, I thin, about a foot thick_ The Accelerator runs under 280 in a supernaturally straight line, as it's a mile long and propped up at each end to account for the curvature of the earth.  It's a perfect place for a Superhero origin to take place.

https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/
 

Chuck Dixon says that in his experience and observation, these are not people who get into comics because they love the medium and storytelling, but because they see it as a stepping stone to something bigger and (to them) better like script writing and directing movies.
 
Also there is a financial element here.  DC and Marvel comics divisions are hemorrhaging money, they are net losers. Any profits they might see are from merchandizing (spider man tee shirts, batman sheets, 'action figures' etc).  They are looking at ways to cut costs, so they don't go with established, professional, and proven talent, they go with cheaper, newer, younger talent they grab from stuff like webcomics creators who have neither the clue about nor inclination to learn about storytelling and layouts etc in comic books as opposed to a 4 panel webcomic.
 
And of course, there's the youth factor.  Most creative companies are not at all inclined to hire older people, you die at around age 40 in Hollywood, even for writers.  They want younger writers, artists, directors etc because they "understand the youth market".  So they're less likely to hire older and experienced talent even if they could afford it.

What strikes me most about DC and Marvel comics today, is that they seem to be produced by people who don't like comics. Heroes keep being torn down, shown to be stupid or weak or villainous at heart. Stories are devoid of hope or idealism, and include shocking elements which seem to serve no purpose except to shock. Illustrations are loud, flashy, and crudely made, and are just splash panels with no effort made to link them into a visual story. And when fans complain and don't buy them, the comics creators blame them for not appreciating their depth and innovation.

Hey, I think I saw that anime!

When Conan agrees to work with or for someone, if he's treated fairly he sticks to the agreement, not only literally but in its spirit. But on several occasions I can recall from Howard's fiction, if he falls in with someone who tries to rule his subordinates through violence and fear, said leader soon finds his own men turning against him, because Conan is tougher, smarter, more charismatic, and treats his men better.

I think the Knowledge Skill is sufficient in itself.  I think this effect is only worth a Complication if it means that people would know these things without a Skill.  In other words, it would be kind of similar to a low-grade version of Social Complication: Public Identity.  It's not that everyone knows your biographical details or other personal information, but everyone knows these traits about you.
 
Imagine it with vampires.  If I have KS: Vampires, then I know what vampires can do and what their weaknesses are, whether they have a Complication to that effect or not.  However, if a vampire has something like Social Complication: Stereotypical Vampire, because its abilities and weaknesses match the classic cinematic traits, then even people who don't have KS: Vampires know what this vampire can do and what its weaknesses are.

The Ukrainian Snipex Alligator, 5 rounds of 14.5mm x 114mm armor piercing, 7km maximum range, weighs merely 25kg.
 

25 Kg of mass, with a bipod, rear monopod and shoulder pad? Guessing pretty OK.

I have used a corner of the battle mat and a Pente stone as a move able marker.  Just list the participants in order of dex. And put their phases after their names. Move the stone from top to bottom. Calling out who moves. You can use a non cubic die, or a different colored stone to indicate a held action, or an abort. 

I wish I could run a game at the local store, I think that would help generate interest and sales.  Definitely I would encourage others to do so if possible.  Run games at cons, at game shops, etc.  The hobby needs life injected into it, and not just stunt celebrities playing on youtube.

Anyone remember the old 1e characteristics maxima in D&D?  Same across the board except that female characters always had a lower STR maximum.
 
Ultimately, the customer base will decide, and I would hope they would decide strongly against NUTS R.

So there is no characteristic where a lower maximum for men than for women would be appropriate?  And it is true across the board, for all races, that men are stronger (the Drow were a notable 1e exception, but even there the warriors were typically male, not female)?  I think the lower STR of smaller races is reasonable, although Humans always had the highest STR limit, as I recall.
 
Unfortunately, in today's society, I believe there is a fairly large contingent which does consider noting some realities  to be sexist or racist, and therefore evil.

"If 'ignorance is bliss', does that make you a walking orgasm?"