Dragonfly

Re: Classic Champions: Repost and Updates Issue # 1 Sparrow Hawk (aka Rebeca Glass) went to breakfast on the morning of January 19, 1980 and found her Uncle Alec scrutinizing a series of Glass Industries files. The files pertained to “Project Mechanon,” which involved the company designing a powerful robot for the U.S. Government. Having strong ties to both the government and military, America’s premiere superhero team, the Minutemen, were assigned the prototype Mechanon unit as a guardian for their headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. Alec was concerned for a number of reasons. First, the Minutemen began reporting what they described as “irregularities” with the prototype sometime in late December. Second, the Minutemen had proved unreachable for over a week. Finally, Alec was concerned over the fate of Jack Stevens, a computer technician on the Glass Industries payroll, who had stopped coming to work almost a week earlier. Before he could discuss matters further with his adopted daughter, their butler announced the arrival of Major Juan Martinez of UNTIL. Alec went to confer with the Major, leaving Sparrow Hawk to her own thoughts. Sometime around 10:00 AM, a Glass Industries underground facility erupted in an explosion of debris, injuring twenty-five people and causing significant structural damage to the surrounding area. From the wreckage emerged the hulking figure of a man, screaming in pain and rage. People fled from this “Ogre,” but he grew incensed and began throwing cars and chunks of fallen buildings when the police ordered him to stand down. With that, Ogre initiated a violent rampage through the streets of Manhattan. News of Ogre’s attack reached several heroes who responded immediately. Nightshift (aka Dylan an Price) heard it over police channels soon after reporting for work, while Sparrow Hawk and Troyus (aka Troy Hallam) caught the news on TV. Rampart (aka Tom Clayborn), however, had a more rude awakening when Ogre hurled a car that both flew over and landed in front of the bus that the hero was taking home after a late night out with friends. At first Ogre’s battle with the heroes proved fairly even, as he took them on one at a time, but the tide of battle turned once the city’s defenders began to coordinate their efforts. Just as they were about to subdue Ogre, however, micro-rockets slammed into the brute’s chest, knocking him unconscious. The heroes turned to face a seven-foot-tall, humanoid robot with a gleaming gold and silver frame hovering in mid-air. Mechanon spoke, “The organics will release test-subject: Devolution-1.0 to Mechanon in ten seconds or be destroyed. Nine. Eight. Seven…” Refusing the robot’s demands, the heroes attacked. Despite their superiority in numbers and the fact that they landed several good blows, Mechanon managed fend off his opponents, grab Ogre in a telekinetic beam, and make a hasty retreat. Sparrow Hawk, however, latched a grappling hook onto Ogre’s leg and was pulled along as Mechanon rocketed away from the battle. Similarly, Nightshift teleported onto Ogre’s back and was thus able to give chase. Frustrated by their tenaciousness, Mechanon flew to a great height and turned to face the heroes. At that moment, Ogre awoke and broke-out of the energy bonds that held him. Sparrow Hawk grabbed Nightshift and used her glider wings to take them both to safety, while Mechanon dove after the rapidly falling Ogre. Weak from its battle with the heroes, however, Mechanon turned away when ten UNTIL agents showed up on hover cycles. Down on the ground, Rampart and Troyus witnessed Ogre crash to the ground and create a gigantic crater as well as a shock wave that shook the surrounding buildings to their foundations. Ogre emerged from the crater angrier than ever and ready to rejoin the battle. Nightshift, however, decided to try and negotiate with the brute. He offered Ogre a soft drink and talked him into a nearby Donut Hole for a tasty snack. Sergeant-Major Hank Wadsworth, a volatile UNTIL agent who was all for attacking Ogre, protested Nightshift’s approach, but was overridden by Major Juan Martinez who promptly arrived at the scene in a chauffeured staff car. Nightshift then plied Ogre with doughnut after doughnut until UNTIL could provide a batch with enough tranquilizers to subdue the hulking menace. Thanking the heroes for their invaluable assistance, Martinez ordered his men to take Ogre into custody. Martinez also revealed that there was more to the incident than met the eye. Having converged at the origin point of Ogre’s rampage soon after it began, Martinez’s men were surprised to find that VIPER agents had beaten them there. The VIPER agents escaped after a brief firefight, but Martinez remained intent on finding out the nature of their involvement as well as anything else pertaining to Ogre and Mechanon. To that end he invited the heroes to meet with him at UNTIL headquarters that evening for a debriefing. After Martinez’s departure, Sparrow Hawk, Nightshift, Troyus and Rampart agreed to a meeting of their own so that they might determine their next step.

Re: Classic Champions: Repost and Updates Player Characters 1) Sparrow Hawk (Rebeca Glass): Her family owns Glass Industries, which is known for its cutting-edge work in the field of robotics. Years ago, when Rebeca was very young, VIPER attempted a violent takeover of the company. They killed her parents in the attempt, but were ultimately unsuccessful. Having only recently discovered the truth behind her parents' death, Rebeca (who is currently a brilliant engineering student at a local university) has decided to use her wealth and talents to build an arsenal that will allow her to wage a one-woman war against the criminal underworld - especially VIPER. She is a street level vigilante who relies on gadgetry, her sizable financial resources and her burgeoning detective skills. 2) Nightshift (Dylan Price): Dylan Price discovered his mutant power of teleportation while serving in Vietnam. After the war, he returned to the states and became a police detective. Frustrated by the frequency with which criminals escaped justice, Dylan adopted a costume and began his vigilante career as Nightshift. Like Sparrow Hawk, he is mostly a martial artist with a gimmick. He has a couple of basic gadgets (armor, baton), but places far more emphasis on investigative skills than he does on technology. 3) Rampart (Tom Clayborn): Rampart is a mutant who can turn to stone and grow to tremendous proportions (up to 50' in height). He needs to be standing on some sort of stone surface to effect the transformation (as well as to grow), but once the transformation is complete he need not maintain contact with a stone surface to keep the power going. He is a classic "brick" and a reluctant hero who is usually caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. 4) Troyus (Troy Hallam): Troyus is a Subterralien (a race originating off-world that has maintained an underground civilization on Earth for thousands of years). He was taken from his people as an infant by an unscrupulous explorer who happens to be a member of a mysterious neo-Nazi group with plans for world domination. His new "father" tried to bring him up as a super-soldier for the organization, but Troyus broke the conditioning and escaped. He now acts as a superhero. He is a glory hound, not just because he likes the attention (which he does), but also because he figures he'll be safer if he hides in plain sight. Subterraliens radiate a type of energy that allows them to fly, project force fields, and release powerful energy beams from their eyes. They are also more durable than humans. 5) Apex (Xander Lamberton III): Xander Lamberton III was born into wealth and privilege. Despite this, he opted for a modest life as an urban social worker, which has pretty much put him at odds with his family. Xander also happens to be a mutant with powerful telekinetic abilities that enable him to fly, lift heavy objects from a distance, and project a series of powerful attacks. The same impulse that led Xander to pursue social work has also led him to adopt the role of the superhero, Apex. 6) Firebrand (Michael Brandeis): Michael Brandeis was born in 1955 in a dumpster on the south side of Chicago and, after being discovered, was placed into the state foster care system. He was always smaller than the other kids which led to his quick wit and use of brain power rather than brawn. He learned at an early age that education was the only way out of his situation and applied himself in school resulting in a chemical engineering degree from Stanford. Always favoring the oppressed, he was attempting to create a cheap form of power which would inure to the benefit of the less privileged when he was exposed to the nuclear/chemical fire resulting in his powers. It is his belief that the “experiment gone wrong” was a result of certain underworld individuals who were trying to steal his ideas for profit. He has vowed to stamp out crime wherever he finds it as life is hard enough for the under-privileged. His professional and investigative work recently prompted him to move to New York.

Re: Classic Champions: Repost and Updates Campaign Set-Up The year is 1980, the place – New York City. Before the start of the campaign, New York had no superhero team, as the Boston, Massachusetts based Minutemen kept the Eastern seaboard pretty well protected. Superheroes Crusader and Starburst, however, have been independently active in New York since 1975 and are considered the city's most prominent defenders. The PCs are new heroes that have been active for a year or less. The Classic Champions Universe Like most superhero universes in the comics, the Champions Universe is a world much like our own except that certain individuals possess strange powers and extraordinary abilities. Superheroes gain their abilities from various sources, including intense training, technology, magic, mythology, mutation, experimentation, and extraterrestrial origins. Such individuals have existed throughout human history, but it was not until the 1930s and 1940s that they took on the public role of superheroes (and supervillains). What follows is a brief listing of significant individuals and organizations that player characters would be aware of. Keep in mind that the campaign begins in 1980. Superhero Teams: While many superheroes operate independently, some have banded together into teams. These include the following: 1) The Liberty League (1938 - 1949): Formed to combat the Nazi threat at home, this team became involved in World War II after Pearl Harbor. Members included The Star-Spangled Hero, Lady Victory, and Thunderbird, among others. 2) The Minutemen (1965 – 1980): Based out of Boston, Massachusetts, this team continued the legacy of The Liberty League. Members included Captain Star (formerly the Star-Spangled Hero), Lady Victory, Thunderbird, Fleetfoot, and American Eagle II. 3) The Freedom Squad (1971 – present): Based out of Chicago, this team was founded by American Eagle II after he left the Minutemen. Members include American Eagle II, Black Phantom, and Hardhat. Organizations: Various organizations have sprung up in the Champions Universe in response to the existence of superheroes and villains. Among the most relevant to the campaign are: 1) UNTIL (1946 – present): The United Nations Tribunal on International Law was originally created as a military, intelligence and security branch that would have sole control of the world’s nuclear weapons. Although Cold War politics prevented UNTIL from fulfilling this role, it continued to serve as a useful intelligence operation throughout the Korean conflict. The spike in international commercial terrorism initiated by groups like VIPER in the 1950s prompted UNTIL to define itself anew. Under the leadership of Major Juan Martinez UNTIL has done more to thwart these acts of villainy than any other governmental institution. Many attribute Martinez’s success to his willingness to accept help from superheroes. Although UNTIL remains popular the world over, a recent spike in nationalist sentiment threatens its ability to operate in he United States. 2) PRIMUS (1964 – present): Uncomfortable with UNTIL operating in the U.S., the Johnson administration created PRIMUS as a government organization dedicated to fighting super-criminals at home. The allocation of resources to the Vietnam War slowed the agency’s development, but recent years have seen an improvement in recruitment as well as R&D. PRIMUS should be up and running to full capacity in short order. 3) SAT (1965 – present): Special American Tactics was created by the Johnson administration as a temporary organization that could respond to super-criminals on U.S. soil while PRIMUS was being organized. Although well-trained, SAT remains too modest of an operation to supplant the role currently served by UNTIL. The organization’s days are probably numbered, as the PRIMUS initiative gains momentum. 4) VIPER (195? – present): VIPER’s origins are shrouded in mystery. What is known is that VIPER is the world’s largest criminal organization. They have access to highly advanced technology, a large paramilitary force culled from the world’s mercenary and criminal elements, and they employ supervillains as henchmen. Their sole purpose seems to be acquiring money and power. Although their methods vary depending on the region of operation, VIPER is best known for engaging in acts of commercial terrorism. Their ground troops wear signature green and yellow combat uniforms and carry advanced military hardware. They have clashed with just about everybody, but UNTIL has been the biggest thorn in their side for the past 25 years. 5) RAVEN (194? – present): Little is known about RAVEN. Their goal is world domination, but their methods tend to be more subtle than those employed by VIPER. They also have a more elitist bent, believing that the world should be ruled by those who are born and bred to rule. RAVEN remains little known to the public, but this might make them even more dangerous. They have been known to clash with UNTIL as well as VIPER.

Re: Classic Champions: Repost and Updates Inspiration The passing of Gary Gygax got me reminiscing about role-playing games of old. After playing a few sessions of Basic Dungeons and Dragons for old time’s sake, my mind turned towards the game that most held my attention for 20 years of my gaming life – Hero Games’ Champions. Two things struck me: 1) I missed the HERO System. 2) I missed the Champions Universe. Thinking about the latter, it occurred to me that nobody in our group but me (and maybe my good friend Mike) would miss the Champions Universe. The foundation of this world, which is as detailed and rich as those produced by Marvel and DC, was slowly pieced together as Hero Games released supplements for Champions. Having grown up with the game, I encountered the universe as it was being developed and played in it extensively. “The Guys,” however, had no such intimate knowledge. I then realized that this was an opportunity for me to share some old-time fun with my friends. I could run a campaign set in the era that produced Champions (the 1980s) and run the modules more or less in the order that they were published. While nostalgic for me, it would be fresh and new to my players.

Hey guys, Some time ago I posted some write-ups for the Classic Champions campaign that I started about a month after Gary Gygax passed away. What can I say! I got in a retro mood. The campaign was going great for awhile, but then went on hiatus. I recently started it up again, so I though I'd post the latest stuff for those who might be interested. Given how much time has passed, I'm going to re-post the old write-ups so they'll all be in one place. I hope this isn't a problem. Enjoy! Best, Dragonfly

Hey guys, I have a character who is pretty much a straight Force weilder. He has Personal Force Field as his passive defense power. I just hit level 21, however, and decided that I would invest in Invulnerability, thinking htat they would stack. Was I wrong about the stacking? Am I going to need to respec? Best, Dragonfly

Re: Confessions of Infidelity Howdy, Well, its a matter of degrees. You can't take 10 in all cases, unless you have the proper feats. Hero Points run out, and with them goes the relative dependability of your abilities. I think Hero Points are cooler when used to do nifty power stunts, so I hate using them to make up for those all too frequent low rolls. Also, I could never quite get used to the 2nd Edition practice of having characters begin play with 1 hero point and have more awarded over the course of the adventure. It's not that I didn't like that dynamic in concept - I just never got the hang of being mindful of this while GMing (or playing).

Re: Confessions of Infidelity Hey, don't get me wrong. Mutants and Masterminds is a GREAT system, and I'm still very fond of it. It pretty much did everything I wanted it to do. I consider it pretty much as flexible or as complete as HERO, at least as far as superheroes are concerned. It didn't, however, solve too many of my issues at the gaming table. Now, instead of players fiddling with rolling dice, subtracting defenses, and applying damage - they fiddle with just as long with calculating by how much a character missed a damage save, trying to figure out what that means in terms of effect, and then trying to remember the bruised/hurt effects for subsequent rounds. Same problem, different flavor. (Don't bother telling me its hyper simple math. I know it is. It's just the way my group rolls. They are really wonderful role-players, but systems get in their way.) Some of it is just me. I have 20 years of playing HERO System wired into me. Rolling handfuls of dice appeals to me. HERO System stat blocks make more sense to me at a glance. I know the system like the back of my hand (at least up to 4th). It's comfortable for me, both because of its virtues and because of the years of experience that I have with it. It's just easier for me to call shots as a GM in it. Now, I actually know Mutants and Masterminds pretty well, but it's a different kind of knowing. It's more an intellectual grasp than it is an intuitive grasp. That's nothing to do with the system. I believe it stems from the fact that I was introduced to Mutants and Masterminds at a time when I was playing every other week (at most), while Champions was my game of choice when we would get together in the summer to play one, or two, games a DAY! (Those, were, the - DAAAAYS!) Finally, there are a few other minor factors. Combat moves more quickly in Mutants and Masterminds. Some consider that a virtue. That's not necessarily the case for me. I like my superhero combats to last a little longer than they often (but not always) do in Mutants and Masterminds. The comics that I liked best growing up were those where a lot of interaction and drama occurred DURING combat. Now, these days I can also run a full session without a fight, but when a fight DOES happen - I prefer them at the length and pace that Champions tends to provide. Much of this is tied to the bell curve for task resolution, which is a feature of HERO vs. Mutants and Masterminds. It's not that one is better than the other. Both can capture certain types of comic books. I just prefer the greater certainty offered by HERO System. It lends heroes a certain confidence in their abilities that I find lacking in Mutants and Masterminds because a "1" on a d20 comes up just too frequently. Again, I see how this emulates certain types of superheroic adventures (like when Superman has a full episode fight against Kalibak in Superman: The Animated Series, only to one-punch him in another episode), but I prefer more predictable results. Finally, I have an interest in GMing multiple genres, but am finding it difficult to commit to learning new systems of play. I just have too much going on in my life, with kids, work, etc. Hollow Earth Expedition, for instance, is a fantastic pulp game. The system is fun and clever, as is the world. I own everything for the game, but I've only been able to play it once. We had a blast, but it's been so long between sessions that I feel like I have to relearn the system if we are going to play again. At this point in my busy life, I really need a reliable, all-purpose system. Mutants and Masterminds only does superheroes, so that leaves HERO - old reliable - to meet my RPG needs. All that being said, this is mostly a matter of my own personal preference. I don't mean for a second to suggest that there is anything objectively superior about the HERO System, or that there is anything inferior about Mutants and Masterminds. Indeed, I consider both to be excellent games. As I mentioned in my first post, I'm glad that others in my group have taken to Mutants and Masterminds, because it means I'll get to play the game, at least on occasion. All of my GMing for the foreseeable future, however, will be in HERO. Best, Dragonfly

Re: Confessions of Infidelity Hi Prestidigitator, Thanks for the welcome back! It's good to be back. I was having fun in my initial post. My reasons for leaving the HERO System were somewhat more complex and specific than I made them sound. Here are a few: 1) Transparency: I've been playing HERO System forever, so the system (just about ANY version of the system) is basically transparent to me. PD, ED, OCV, DCV, hexes and all the other terminology simply doesn't get in the way. I can roll the dice, do the math in my head, and figure out the consequences without talking the math out loud. I could hear "six hexes" and picture real world distances in my head. Many of my players, however, simply couldn't do that (or so it seemed). In short, I could play the game and experience it like watching a movie, while they would play the game and feel like they were shooting a movie, where they could see the sound equipment, the stage, and all the other "scafolding" behind the illusion. Right now our group is much smaller, which makes this less of an issue, for some reason. Also, while this is essentially the same gaming group, they seem to be taking to HERO better this time around. (Again, maybe it's group size, or maybe they actually learned more than I thought the first several times around). Sixth Edition has me VERY excited, because it should make things go even smoother. Decoupling the formerly figured characteristics will mean less math for folks (even though it's simple math). More significant, however, is the move to meters rather than hexes. This will remove one of the major stumbling blocks for some of my players, who always saw the HERO System as essentially a war game. 2) Tone: This was a secondary reason for my leaving. I used to have a blast reading earlier editions of the HERO System (or of Champions). The early stuff was great, with Foxbat running his XP extortion racket, or with Goodman's advice for building more effective characters. It just felt like Stan Lee wrote the damn thing. Fourth Edition got rid of much of this, but still remained enjoyable to read. The tone seemed lighter. I found 5th Edition to be somewhat boring to read. It was just too technical, and the writing didn't pop. Also, the layout, some of the new art, all of that combined just turned me off. Even the black/green color scheme turned me off. The game became less fun, exciting, light-hearted and in FEEL, if not in actual play, and I think this had more of an effect on my enjoyment of it than I thought it would. I actually stuck with it for a while. I bought Star Hero, Fantasy Hero, Champions, etc., but I just didn't like it. Even Aaron Alston's Champions seemed boring and dark to me by comparison. The new version has me excited. Needless to say, the art, layout, etc. (from what I've seen so far) is fantastic. THIS won't be a boring book to look at. As superficial as it seems, even the blue and gold cover brightens my gaming table in a way that 5E didn't. More importantly, and tell me if I'm imagining this, but from what little has been revealed thus far, Steve's writing has changed. I won't say it's gotten better, because I would never have called Steve's earlier writing bad. It was just a style that didn't appeal to my particular tastes. Now, however, the writing seems more accessible to me somehow. I guess nine years of writing these books will refine one's style, or maybe I have enough distance from the system to have me appreciate it all the more. 3) Design Philosophy: I remember being slightly disappointed when the last edition came out. There were a few debates that had me end up on the losing side (the great linked debate, MPAs, etc.), but none of these would have been enough to push me away. I just felt like the game didn't innovate enough when it had a chance to do so. I see the wisdom of this now. We were lucky that the game survived at all, so tampering with it at that point and pissing off the fan base would have been too risky. When 6E was announced I was skeptical, but every single tidbit that Steve has shared about the system thus far is one that jibes with my sensibilities. I short, this seems to be an incredibly thoughtful evolution, and I'm very appreciative of the work that's been put into it. Anyway, nostalgia definitely brought me back to HERO. I started exploring old style gaming after Gary Gygax died. The appeal of the new stuff, however, isn't nostalgia. I'm looking to the future, and planning on making HERO my primary system all over again. It just looks that good, and I missed it that much. It's time. I guess I should wait until I see the DBB's in full, but at this point I've built up a lot of faith in Steve and his team. Thanks to all of you! Best, Dragonfly

Dear HERO fans, I'm an old-time HERO player. Although Advanced Dungeons and Dragons was my first RPG crush (and we are still sometime friends in the form of Castles and Crusades), I met the HERO System in the form of Champions 2nd Edition back in 1984 and instantly fell in love. Although I was with a group that played every game under the sun, the HERO System was always my system of choice, and I ran long, involved, successful campaigns with her for almost twenty years. It was a wonderful partnership, and she only seemed to get better with age. Sadly, we started to drift apart. Some say that she matured. To me, she got all conservative, and nit-picky, and simply wasn't as attractive as she used to be. That's when I started looking around. There was this hussy, Silver Age Sentinels, that I had a brief fling with, but that didn't go anywhere. Then Mutants and Masterminds walked onto the scene. She wowed me. She was so pretty, so glossy, so ... elegant in her simplicity. She also seemed perfect for my interests at the time. Intrigued, I started spending time with her and by the end of 2004 I brought things to an end with the HERO System. It was sad, it was weird, but at the time it felt right. I had a lot of fun with Mutants and Masterminds, but as the years went by I began to realize that I missed the HERO System, and started seeing her again as a friend. We decided to run an Classic Champions campaign as a means of remembering the good old days. She insisted on using her 5ER rules-set, and I agreed - as long as she would allow me to invite Professor Muerte, Death Commando, Arrowhead, and the rest of the crew that we used to run with. Not only did we have a blast, but I rediscovered her virtues all over again. Furthermore, I learned that the HERO System is getting all gussied up! I know this isn't for my sake - her transformation is just the end result of that path she started down back in 2002. Nevertheless, I'm very excited about the new look. Not only does she seem to have retained and refined all of her substance, but she is now just as glossy and beautiful as Mutants and Masterminds ever was! She's even returned to her classic colors, which only brings a smile to my face. Some complain that she no longer flashes us images of Doctor Destroyer bashing Seeker to a pulp, but that sort of thing is for a Champions book - not for a HERO System core book. I much prefer the simple blue and gold cover over those cross-genre attempts that she was sporting back in the nineties. In short, the HERO System has me once again. I may not deserve her, given that I abandoned her all those years ago, but she seems forgiving. I am happy to be back, and look forward to the future. As for Mutants and Masterminds? She's moved on too. A couple of my fellow GMs have taken to her, so I'll undoubtedly see her around the gaming table. When I GM, however, it'll be Hero System 6E all the way. Long live the DBBs! Best, Dragonfly

Re: Crescendo: The King of Soul (Michael Jackson Tribute) Hey there, I really love your write-up and the idea behind Crescendo. One minor suggestion: I would change the title of "JACKO'S TEN." I believe "Jacko" was a somewhat derisive nickname that emerged from the more disreputable and disrespectful corners of the mediaverse. It's not something that MJ or most of his fans see as flattering, and Crescendo strikes me as a fan (to say the least!). As John Stewart said this past week about the late King of Pop, "Can't a brother get a Mr. Jackson?" Anyhow, this is a minor suggestion. Best, Dragonfly

Re: Classic Champions: Power Source Suggestions Hey gang, First of all, thanks for the kind words, VtR. If I had more time I would run aspects of this campaign as an on-line game. Unfortunately that is not possible at this point in time. There is just too much going on. That being said, we ran two sessions of Classic Champions this weekend, and I've already posted the module write-ups. If you are interested, check out Issue #5 and Issue #6 at the blog. The address is: http://www.classic-champions.blogspot.com Let me know what you think. I walked away from the modules agonizing over whether the sessions had been successful or not, but debriefing with at least one of the players seems to indicate that it went well for them. I'll share more of my own concerns in a later post (once I've thought about them a bit more). I'll also add more images in the days to come. Anyway, thanks for all your feedback and suggestions. As you'll see, the Kevalrite came into play. Best, Dragonfly

Re: Classic Champions: Power Source Suggestions Thanks, Question Man. Those links are great! I need to start getting more creative with my wikipedia searches. Everything is on there! Best, Dragonfly

Re: Classic Champions: Power Source Suggestions Hi Lord Liaden, Thanks for the info on which Champions Universe characters are tied to Kelvarite. That'll be useful for future planning. Unfortunately, the 2006 Africa shower doesn't fit my timetable, as the campaign is set in 1980 (and Koo has had access to the ore since the 1950s or 60s, at least). I'm not going to define a hard origin for the source of Koo's Kelvarite just yet, as I want room to wiggle as things develop. One idea I was tinkering with, however, was that there is / was a huge chunk of Kelvarite on Monster Island. Koo stumbled across the Island before it was a well-manned game preserve, and began mining the ore for his purposes. Indeed, it is probably because of Koo's operations that UNTIL and others ultimately discovered and settled the island. I also need to be careful with Kelvarite. It works in the context of this campaign arc, but I'm tying an awful lot of villains to the ore. I don't want it to seem as the ONLY power source (or even the primary one) in the universe. None of the PCs are tied to it, so that helps, but I'll want to diversify the villain origins once this campaign arc is over. Best, Dragonfly

Re: Classic Champions: Power Source Suggestions Hey there! First of all, Happy Father's Day to all for whom that applies! Second, my apologies for taking so long to respond to your replies to my original question. Thanks for the kind words! Thanks for the rep, Bubba Smith, and thanks for the reference to Kelvarite, Lord Liaden. I went and read the entry in the Champions Universe. Has Kelvarite been mentioned anywhere else? What heroes or villains is it specifically tied to? I'll probably run with this for Lirby Koo's "secret ingredient." I'll hash out the details of where he gets it and how he uses it at a later date. For now all I need to know is that Koo is having VIPER ship quantities of Kelvarite for his use in the Man-Mutation project. The Spumoni family has some intel on when the next shipment will take place (thanks to Del Vecchio), and will send Arrowhead to steal some more for Dr. Pomegranite's experiments. Arrowhead will try to recruit the new supervillain Aquas into his scheme, but he doesn't know that Aquas is really the PC hero Apex, who is hoping that VIPER will recruit him so that he can infiltrate. If the heroes play their cards right, they will have the Spumoni's (specifically Arrowhead) lead them into another confrontation with VIPER at the docks. I haven't decided which villains will be protection the Kelvalrite yet, but I have a week to craft that encounter. All of that will happen after the first big event, however. I've decided that VIPER made a three-way play on the night of the last adventure. Not only did they hit Tanghal Tower, not only did they help Ogre escape, but they also abducted Troyus' NPCs to ensure that they have some leverage over at least one of the heroes. This should make VIPER's plot nice and personal for more of the heroes involved. I've got a few more twists that may or may not be revealed in this Saturday's adventure. We'll just have to see how it plays. Best, Dragonfly

Hey folks, I don't know if any of you remember me. I posted some info (module write-ups, etc.) for my Classic Champions campaign awhile back. I haven't updated you guys for awhile because I haven't been able to run any new sessions, but that's about to change. I run the next installment in two weeks. I was hoping to use you guys as a sounding board for some ideas I'm toying with. I'm rapidly getting to the point where I need to get specific about the process that is creating so many paranormals in the campaign. I figure the process, which was first developed by Lirby Koo, but has since been borrowed by VIPER, PRIMUS, Pythias Pomegranite, and even Mechanon, requires a special substance. I'm leaning towards some sort of ore (possibly of alien origin) discovered by Lirby Koo at some point. Some of the parties involved don't have access to the ore, so they use substitutes which sometimes produce unstable (or different) results. Anybody have any comments, ideas or suggestions? For anybody who is interested in looking at the context for this a bit more closely, the following website will give you a player's perspective of the campaign. http://www.classic-champions.blogspot.com. Below you can get a behind the scenes look, which reveals how everything is connected. Enjoy, and thanks in advance! Best, Dragonfly BEHIND THE SCENES 1967 Criminal mastermind Dr. Lirby Koo suffers a major defeat at the hands of UNTIL. His favorite (only?) son killed in the conflict, Koo swears revenge. Having infiltrated UNTIL, an American spy steals Lirby Koo’s notes on how to engineer super-beings and turns them over to the U.S. Government. These notes become the basis of the government sponsored super-soldier program that ultimately produces PRIMUS’ Silver and Golden Avengers. 1968 The Johnson administration announces the creation of PRIMUS. SAT is created as a stop-gap measure until PRIMUS can get off the ground. 1975 VIPER suffers a major defeat at the hands of UNTIL, The Minutemen, and Crusader. Lirby Koo approaches VIPER and proposes that the organization back his research. In return, Lirby Koo promises to provide VIPER with an army of super-villains capable of crushing their mutual foes. VIPER accepts Koo’s offer, and the Man-Mutation Project begins. VIPER patiently begins to study the “UNTIL Problem,” watching for the right time to strike. 1978 VIPER’s Man-Mutation Project produces Brick. 1979 VIPER’s Man-Mutation Project produces Pile-Driver, Sledge and Pulsar. VIPER’s Serpentine Computer deduces that before his capture in 1943, a Nazi spy deposited stolen blueprints for an experimental super-weapon in the cornerstone of NYC’s Tanghal Tower. Intent on securing those blueprints, and confident in the strength of its super-powered muscle, VIPER begins to mobilize. VIPER’s Supreme Council appoints Mario Carelli, son of mob boss Antonio Carelli, Nest Leader of its NYC operations. Mario Carelli uses his father’s political connections to arrange for the demolition of Tanghal Tower under the pretense that the building is structurally unsound. The demolition is set for February 15, 1980. Using VIPER’s resources, as well as his father’s criminal infrastructure, Mario Carelli wages war on the Carelli’s rival crime families with the aim of consolidating power in the city under VIPER (and, by extension, Carelli) rule. VIPER’s Supreme Council puts Mario Carelli in touch with Hank Wadsworth, a U.S. spy who has infiltrated UNTIL on behalf of the U.S. Government but is also selling secrets to VIPER. Wadsworth becomes an important source of information for Carelli. Responding to Mario Carelli’s offensive, the Spumoni crime family strikes back at their enemies. A stroke of good luck, combined with some help from disaffected individuals from within Antonio Carelli’s organization, results in the Spumonis securing materials and equipment used in VIPER’s Man-Mutation experiments. Turning to the scientific criminal underworld, the Spumonis hire Professor Pythias Pomegranate to make sense of the stolen technology and materials. Aware of the importance of maintaining a technological edge over VIPER’s foes, Carelli sends spies to infiltrate the offices of R&D firms in the region. Through this espionage he learns of Glass Industries’ highly advanced Project: Mechanon and its links to both The Minutemen and the U.S. Military. Carelli orders his spy, Jack Stevens, to steal Mechanon’s schematics as well as to download the AI into a subroutine of the Serpentine Computer via serpentine crystal. Mechanon, however, resists being abducted. The Serpentine Computer disengages from Mechanon, burning out the communications crystal employed by Stevens, but not before driving Mechanon insane. Mechanon captures Jack Stevens and holds him prisoner in an unused Glass Industries lab. Convinced that human beings pose a threat to life on Earth and to the evolution of superior synthetic life forms in particular, Mechanon begins plotting against humanity. Drawing on proto-typical versions of the Man-Mutation Project imprinted in its consciousness by the Serpentine Computer, Mechanon begins to secretly use Glass Industries facilities to build a “Devolution Ray” capable of neutralizing the human threat by regressing the species’ intellectual faculties. Secretly able to shuttle its consciousness between the linked Glass Industries and Minutemen computers, Mechanon gains control over his first robot body, which was on loan to the superhero team. Using this body, he attacks and captures the Minutemen, holding them captive in their own headquarters. January 1980 Mechanon begins testing the Devolution Ray on Jack Stevens. Investigating Stevens’ disappearance, Crusader interrupts the process, causing Stevens to transform into Ogre. [Campaign's First Session] Ogre busts out of Glass Industries and goes on a rampage through the streets of New York City. He is stopped by Nightshift, Sparrow-Hawk, Troyus, Rampart and UNTIL. During the fight, VIPER agents descend on Glass Industries in an attempt to secure incriminating evidence. UNTIL agents briefly engage these VIPER forces, but both are caught off guard when Mechanon attacks and makes off with what remains of his Devolution Ray. The VIPER agents escape in the chaos. [Campaign's Second Session] Nightshift, Sparrow-Hawk, Troyus and Rampart rescue The Minutemen from Mechanon (with some behind the scenes help from UNTIL). Mechanon, however, escapes, Thunderbird (The Minutemen’s eldest member) dies, and The Minutemen choose to disband. Despite some accusations of incompetence, the death of Thunderbird and The Minutemen’s disbanding earn Mario Carelli high praise from many on VIPER’s Supreme Council. Carelli convinces the Supreme Council that the time to strike at UNTIL is at hand. Not only is UNTIL weaker with The Minutemen out of the way, but the newly elected Reagan administration’s hesitance to give the organization free reign in the U.S. renders their old enemy less effective. Furthermore, the new superheroes on the scene are unorganized and vulnerable. Better to use VIPER’s super-powered muscle against them before the heroes pull together into a more effective unit. Finally, Carelli argues, VIPER will be unstoppable once it possesses the blueprints located in Tanghal Tower. Convinced by Carelli’s arguments, and with only a month to go before the super-weapon blueprints are extractable, VIPER’s Supreme Council commits major resources to its New York operation. Not only do they send more high-tech gear, but they also deploy Thugmaster, their most talented trainer and field commander, along with Dr. Lirby Koo and his bodyguard, the Green Dragon. Thugmaster is assigned to Carelli’s NYC Nest, while Koo heads up a hidden lab in Upstate New York. Professor Pythias Pomegranate creates what he calls the Ubermachine and begins to create super-powered operatives for the Spumoni crime family. His first test subject is the brightest lieutenant in the Spumoni organization, Rocky Scaglioni. Gaining superpowers, Rocky takes the code-name Arrowhead. Mario Carelli successfully vanquishes the Maroni crime family, leaving the Spumoni crime family as his father’s only serious rival. [Campaign's Third Session] Antonio Carelli discovers that Carmine Del Vecchio, a trusted member of his criminal organization, is selling secrets to the Spumoni crime family. Mario Carelli responds by sending Brick and Pulsar to rob a bank where Del Vecchio keeps a safety deposit box in order to secure any sensitive documents in Del Vecchio’s possession. Brick and Pulsar fail in their mission due to superhero interference, but manage to elude capture. Carelli also deploys VIPER assassin Blowtorch to kill Del Vecchio. Del Vecchio runs to Arrowhead for protection. Meanwhile, the city’s superheroes follow clues that lead them to Del Vecchio’s safe house. A three-way battle ensues when Blowtorch attacks. Del Vecchio is killed in the conflict, but not before Arrowhead manages to secure shipping information regarding materials used in VIPER’s Man-Mutation experiments. Arrowhead also manages to negotiate with the city’s heroes, thus remaining at large to fight another day. Blowtorch, however, is captured and taken into custody. Using the information he gleaned from Del Vecchio before his death, Arrowhead successfully raids a VIPER shipment of scientific equipment and materials and delivers them to Professor Pythias Pomegranate on behalf of the Spumonis. February 1980 [Campaign's Upcoming Fourth Session] Demolition of Tanghal Tower proceeds to the point where the super-weapon blueprints are extractable. While the mission is simple enough and should raise no eyebrows, Mario Carelli decides to create a distraction for the city’s heroes. He decides to obtain the plans on the same night that Ogre is being moved from UNTIL headquarters to the proper U.S. authorities. One team of super-villains will strike at the convoy transporting Ogre. In a best case scenario, Ogre will not only cause a distraction, but will vanquish the heroes with help from VIPER’s super-villains, maybe even joining VIPER in the aftermath. (Carelli has a pretty good idea of Ogre’s psychology due to information provided by VIPER spy Hank Wadsworth.) A less ideal scenario involves Ogre being recaptured, while some of VIPER’s more expendable super-villains are sacrificed for the sake of securing the blueprints at Tanghal Tower. A worst case scenario involves the heroes foiling both efforts. In that case, Carelli will exploit superhero Troyus’ public identity, abducting his adopted family and using them as a bargaining chip for Troyus’ cooperation in securing the blueprints. [To see how this last session played out, check out the write-up for Issue #4 at http://www.classic-champions.blogspot.com]

Re: Campaign: Classic Champions Universe Thanks! You are too kind! BTW, this is going to sound ignorant (because it is) ... what is HeroCentral? Best, Eletarmion

Re: Campaign: Classic Champions Universe

Re: Campaign: Classic Champions Universe Oh ho HO! I'm CERTAINLY working my way towards The Island of Doctor Destroyer! Once I get to a certain point, I may start a second campaign set in the present. Either that, or start skipping years in the current campaign. I'll definitely get to Day of the Destroyer, assuming my group hangs together long enough. I own it, but never got to run it, so I'm looking forward to doing so. Best, Eletarmion

Re: Campaign: Classic Champions Universe Hey guys! Thanks for the interest in the campaign! I posted an update to the campaign in a different thread titled: Classic Champions: VIPER's Nest. I just responded to a post in that thread, so it should be near the top of the list if your interested. I'll be posting some updates to the campaign in about a month. In the meantime, I welcome any further suggestions and/or discussions. In addition to the plans that I discuss in the other thread, I'm considering introducing the following plot complication: Sparrow Hawk is a vigilante because VIPER killed her parents years ago. Sparrow Hawk has shown signs of interest (potentially romantic interest) in Crusader, who is a veteran superhero in our campaign. If I remember correctly, Crusader became a superhero to make amends for the time that VIPER brainwashed him and used him to kill someone. What if Crusader's target were Sparrow Hawk's parents? (There is about a 10 year age difference between the two). Anyway, I welcome any feedback and or suggestions that you want to throw my way. Best, Eletarmion

Re: Classic Champions: VIPER's Nest Hey Mr. R, Thanks for the response. I remember those suggestions from Aaron Allston. That's good stuff. I was hoping that Mechanon would serve as that powerful villain that the heroes had to beat collaboratively. Ultimately, that's what happened - the heroes did team up to defeat him, but the group hasn't gelled yet. I hope the operative word is YET. I've had some discussions with my players and thus far they seem okay with that process taking time. They, as players, realize that VIPER is kicking their butts due to their rather disorganized nature, but they feel that their characters are still sorting that out as they work through their loner personalities. We'll see how it goes in the next few sessions. Best, Dragonfly

Re: Classic Champions: VIPER's Nest Thanks, Mr. R! I appreciate the feedback. I've really been enjoying running the campaign thus far. My only "frustration" is that the PCs are all loner types, so they haven't come together as a group very effectively. Only two of them (Nightshift and Sparrow-Hawk) are actually active adventurers / investigators. The others are mostly superheroes whenever something major happens (like Ogre rampages through the streets, or SAT is losing a fight to 3 squads of VIPER agents and two supervillains). Few of them, even the investigators, dig very deep beyond the surface. Fortunately, Nightshift's partner, Det. Rourke, can do some of that work for them. Don't get me wrong. I find most if not all the PCs to be excellent characters. They just haven't organized themselves as a team yet, which allows the well-oiled machine that is VIPER to run circles around them. For now, I'm just going to let that happen until they get the hint and change their ways. In fact, I'd rather this be the case. Let the heroes come together in ways that make sense for their personalities and motivations. My only worry is that it WON'T happen, and that the campaign will fail as a consequence. One thing I'm sitting on is when VIPER will exploit the team's greatest weakness: the fact that Troyus has a public identity, works a mundane job, and is starting to build a strong relationship with his boss and his boss's family. Every agency in the book is watching Troyus' work place (a family-owned mechanic's shop) and turning their attention to the Roberts' home. UNTIL has actually infiltrated Troyus' work in the form of Joe Roberts' latest hire, Jean Moliere. Moliere was initially there to make sure that Troyus could be trusted. Now that this is evidently the case, he is there to protect Troyus and the Roberts' to the best of his ability. VIPER is definitely keeping an eye on them and is trying to track Troyus' movements. It's possible that VIPER will be able to discover the heroes' gathering place (if and when they decide on a permanent one). For now, though, they are planning to abduct the family if necessary and use them as leverage against the heroes. They were poised to do so on the night of Tanghal Tower, but things went so well that they stayed their hand. Or did they? I ended the session right after the scene at Tanghal Tower because I wanted the option of beginning the next session with the realization that VIPER had struck at the Roberts' and abducted some or all of the family. Why do this? Well, VIPER might not have a better opportunity to snatch up the family. Maybe they should strike big while they have the chance, so they can have a little insurance for when things go wrong? Metagamingwise, such a move is sure to shake up the PCs. Troyus, at least, will begin to take the VIPER threat far more personally, and thus might become more active about investigating the situation. Actually, that gives me my answer. VIPER should sit on this for awhile longer. Acting now would probably nix their chances of getting more info on the heroes by following Troyus (as the young hero would probably start to cover his tracks more carefully). As for Apex's attempt to draw VIPER out with the fabricated Aquas identity: VIPER won't bite. They have enough supervillains as is, and Aquas is an unknown quantity. The Spumoni crime family, however, might, as they are trying to fight back against Carelli's take over. I think that Arrowhead will approach Aquas on one of his patrols. That might give the team an in to the whole Pythias Pomegranate plot. It'll be interesting to see how it all pans out. Well, thanks for putting up with my ramblings if you read this. As always, I'd appreciate any advice, suggestions or perspectives. I have a pretty good handle on this, but another set of eyes and new minds considering this stuff always helps out. Best, Dragonfly

Re: Classic Champions: VIPER's Nest Hey folks: For those who are interested, here is a write-up of how the session went. Just so you know, I used "Normal Vision" (as described here: http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/14/normalvision-part-4-taking-it-farther/) for this session, allowing the players to run the SAT agents mentioned below. The PCs are: Troyus (Troy Hallam): An alien energy projector. Sparrow-Hawk (Rebeca Glass): An engineer, martial artist, detective with a personal vendetta against VIPER. Apex (Alex Lamberton III): A mutant telekinetic. Nightshift (Dylan Price): A mutant cop with the power to teleport. Firebrand (Michael Brandeis): A scientist with lab induced fire powers. Rampart (Tom Clayborn): A mutant with a rock body and super strength. Anyway, here it goes: CLASSIC CHAMPIONS: ISSUE # 4 The days after their three-way battle with Blowtorch and Rocky Scaglioni (a.k.a. Arrowhead) saw the heroes settle back into their normal routines. Troyus deepened his relationships with the Roberts family. Specifically, Joe Roberts began to talk to Troyus about the horrors of the Holocaust and his own father’s service as a U.S. soldier during World War II. The conversations both moved and horrified Troyus, who began to realize the depth of his adopted father’s, Tor Hallam’s, bigotry. As a consequence Troyus began to question his choice of eagle iconography for his costume, as it resembled that of Nazi Germany. At school, Rebeca Glass was approached by a young woman named Lisa Avalon. Lisa asked if Rebeca was THE Rebeca Glass. When Rebeca rolled her eyes Lisa quickly apologized for intruding, but explained that as a successful female engineer, the late Victoria Ibanez-Glass, Rebeca’s mother, had been an inspiration to both her and her good friend Tara Lemick, both of whom were now engineering students at the University. Later in the week, Rebeca ran into both Lisa and Tara on campus. She apologized for being rude a few days earlier, and suggested that she might be interested in pursuing a friendship sometime in the near future. As Apex, Xander Lamberton III began using his contacts among the homeless to spread rumors that a new super-villain named Aquas was interested in work. He then fashioned an alternate costume and began making himself visible on the Riverfront, hoping to draw an invitation from VIPER. Focused on his professional life, Michael Brandeis settled into a pattern of working late nights at the lab, while Tom Clayborn continued to try and make it as a struggling musician. Worried about the threats that “Ricky” and Rocky Scaglioni had made to the owner of his favorite bar, Nightshift intensified his patrol of the neighborhood. He also left a bundle of information pertaining to recent VIPER activities on the desk of Det. James Rourke, hoping to create a working relationship between the detective and Dylan’s Nightshift persona. The next day, Rourke, who does not much like vigilantes, expressed momentary disgust and confusion over Nightshift’s decision to leave the packet to Dylan, but agreed with his partner that there was no harm in receiving information if the self-proclaimed superhero was willing to give it. Rourke then shared an ambiguous lead that he’d run across while perusing the documents obtained from Del Vecchio’s safety deposit box: the mention of Tanghal Tower. Whereas all the other information in those files referred to docks, warehouses, truck itineraries, and other data having to do with previous shipments and deliveries, Tanghal Tower was just a building built in 1943 that had been marked for demolition last year. Rourke took a spin by the building the night before, but saw nothing out of sorts. Still, the two agreed that it was worth keeping an eye on. Meanwhile, after nearly a month, negotiations between UNTIL and the U.S. Government finally resulted in an agreement to turn Ogre over to the proper authorities, and SAT was given the assignment to supervise the transfer. SAT agents Skip Gordon, Douglas T. Douglass, Scott Connor, Ryan McKinney, David Wells, and Chet Jackson arrived at UNTIL HQ on the night of February 15, 1980. After a brief conversation with Sgt-Major Hank Wadsworth and Major Juan Martinez, they loaded Ogre into their armored transport vehicle and left for Washington DC. Moments after getting on the highway, they were attacked by a squad of VIPER troopers wearing jet-packs, two squads of VIPER ground troops, and supper-villains Pile Driver and Sledge. Simultaneously, the medical equipment that kept Ogre sedated began to malfunction and the brute began to wake up. The SAT agents fought valiantly, but were quickly overpowered. Nightshift, Sparrow-Hawk, Apex, Troyus, Firebrand and Rampart all caught wind of the battle between SAT and VIPER as it was reported live by helicopter reporter “Gyro Jim” Dugan. Suiting up, they all rushed to rescue the beleaguered agents. By the time the heroes arrived on the scene, the SAT agents were mostly unconscious, Ogre had recovered consciousness, and the VIPER operatives were moving to secure their target. A particularly mouthy VIPER agent convinced Ogre that they were there to rescue him from the heroes, and a battle was joined. In another part of town, while the heroes clashed with VIPER and Ogre, Det. James Rourke took another swing by Tanghal Tower on his way home from work. Peering over the fence surrounding the demolished building, he was alarmed to find a squad of VIPER agents breaking open the building’s exposed cornerstone. Almost immediately, superheroes Crusader and Starburst burst onto the scene. “This is just like you snakes – pulling the old bait and switch. You may have gotten the rookies to bite, but I know how you think – don’t I? Now give it up.” The VIPER agents looked at each other and smiled. “I guess you don’t know well enough,” replied one of the agents. “Surprise!” With that, Cheshire Cat, Brick, Pulsar and two additional agent squads burst onto the scene, taking the heroes by surprise. Rourke watched in horror as the heroes were brutally beaten into unconsciousness. They might have done worse, except that Rourke ran to his car, turned on his siren, got on the bullhorn, and began ordering them to surrender. Having acquired what they came for, the villains left the scene. Back on the highway, the heroes managed to vanquish Sledge, Pile Driver and the VIPER agents and were turning their attention to Ogre, when Cheshire Cat appeared next to the hulking menace. “We missed you at the party, boys!” he said with a smile, and before they could react he teleported away with Ogre. The heroes began scanning the horizon to see if he would appear somewhere nearby, but instead he teleported back into their midst and made off with the unconscious Pile Driver. Anticipating Cheshire’s next move, the heroes clustered around Sledge. Feeling lucky, Cheshire Cat decided to push his luck and test his skills. He teleported in, resorted to a series of defensive maneuvers to evade his attackers’ blows, and managed to get away with Sledge. The fight over, Nightshift thought to check the police bands and was horrified to hear about Tanghal Tower on the radio chatter. He related the information to the rest of the heroes and they all rushed to the scene. An apprehensive Rourke filled them in on what happened, reporting that VIPER made off with what looked like a large, think manila envelope and a bundle of documents that they extracted from Tanghal Tower’s corner stone. Crusader regained consciousness and had a brief conversation with Sparrow-Hawk, who handed him a communicator where he could reach her. Although severely injured, Starburst regained consciousness and flew off just as the police began to arrive. With that, the heroes departed feeling ill at ease about VIPER’s success that night.

Hey folks: I posted some module write-ups and character descriptions for this campaign awhile back. Essentially, this is an exercise in retro. Set in 1980, this campaign aims to move through all the classic Champions adventures, allowing my new players to experience the universe as it unfolds around their characters. I'm trying to weave together (and in some cases mildly reimagine) classic elements while still keeping as much of the original feel as possible, much in the way that Batman: The Animated Series or Justice League Unlimited did with the DC Universe. The first module series is, of course, The VIPER's Nest. I've chosen to weave VIPER's overall plot into a series of other scenarios that seem unrelated at first, but all converge into VIPER's grand scheme. You'll find the campaign / module timeline below. As you'll see, I'm running the Tanghal Tower scenario tomorrow. I would, however, like some advice on the overall structure of things. On a macro scale, what do you think of the way in which everything is tied together? Does it work? Do you have any cool suggestions? Any constructive criticism? On a micro scale, take a look at the last entry where I briefly describe what the Nest Leader's plan is surrounding Tanghal Tower. Any cool ideas for THAT scenario? I'd love to spice it up. As you'll see, the Nest Leader is planning a distraction along with the actual assault on Tanghal Tower. He'll probably use Sledge, Pile Driver, and Lazer to attack the convoy, and send Pulsar, Brick, Cheshire Cat and some VIPER agents to secure the blue prints. Anyway, here's the timeline, which culminates in my plans for tomorrow: ______________________________________________________ 1967 Criminal mastermind Dr. Lirby Koo suffers a major defeat at the hands of UNTIL. His favorite (only?) son killed in the conflict, Koo swears revenge. Having infiltrated UNTIL, an American spy steals Lirby Koo’s notes on how to engineer super-beings and turns them over to the U.S. Government. These notes become the basis of the government sponsored super-soldier program that ultimately produces PRIMUS’ Silver and Golden Avengers. 1968 The Johnson administration announces the creation of PRIMUS. SAT is created as a stop-gap measure until PRIMUS can get off the ground. 1975 VIPER suffers a major defeat at the hands of UNTIL, The Minutemen, and Crusader. Lirby Koo approaches VIPER and proposes that the organization back his research. In return, Lirby Koo promises to provide VIPER with an army of super-villains capable of crushing their mutual foes. VIPER accepts Koo’s offer, and the Man-Mutation Project begins. VIPER patiently begins to study the “UNTIL Problem,” watching for the right time to strike. 1978 VIPER’s Man-Mutation Project produces Brick. 1979 VIPER’s Man-Mutation Project produces Pile-Driver, Sledge and Pulsar. VIPER’s Serpentine Computer deduces that before his capture in 1943, a Nazi spy deposited stolen blueprints for an experimental super-weapon in the cornerstone of NYC’s Tanghal Tower. Intent on securing those blueprints, and confident in the strength of its super-powered muscle, VIPER begins to mobilize. VIPER’s Supreme Council appoints Mario Carelli, son of mob boss Antonio Carelli, Nest Leader of its NYC operations. Mario Carelli uses his father’s political connections to arrange for the demolition of Tanghal Tower under the pretense that the building is structurally unsound. The demolition is set for February 15, 1980. Using VIPER’s resources, as well as his father’s criminal infrastructure, Mario Carelli wages war on the Carelli’s rival crime families with the aim of consolidating power in the city under VIPER (and, by extension, Carelli) rule. VIPER’s Supreme Council puts Mario Carelli in touch with Hank Wadsworth, a U.S. spy who has infiltrated UNTIL on behalf of the U.S. Government but is also selling secrets to VIPER. Wadsworth becomes an important source of information for Carelli. Responding to Mario Carelli’s offensive, the Spumoni crime family strikes back at their enemies. A stroke of good luck, combined with some help from disaffected individuals from within Antonio Carelli’s organization, results in the Spumonis securing materials and equipment used in VIPER’s Man-Mutation experiments. Turning to the scientific criminal underworld, the Spumonis hire Professor Pythias Pomegranate to make sense of the stolen technology and materials. Aware of the importance of maintaining a technological edge over VIPER’s foes, Carelli sends spies to infiltrate the offices of R&D firms in the region. Through this espionage he learns of Glass Industries’ highly advanced Project: Mechanon and its links to both The Minutemen and the U.S. Military. Carelli orders his spy, Jack Stevens, to steal Mechanon’s schematics as well as to download the AI into a subroutine of the Serpentine Computer via serpentine crystal. Mechanon, however, resists being abducted. The Serpentine Computer disengages from Mechanon, burning out the communications crystal employed by Stevens, but not before driving Mechanon insane. Mechanon captures Jack Stevens and holds him prisoner in an unused Glass Industries lab. Convinced that human beings pose a threat to life on Earth and to the evolution of superior synthetic life forms in particular, Mechanon begins plotting against humanity. Drawing on proto-typical versions of the Man-Mutation Project imprinted in its consciousness by the Serpentine Computer, Mechanon begins to secretly use Glass Industries facilities to build a “Devolution Ray” capable of neutralizing the human threat by regressing the species’ intellectual faculties. Secretly able to shuttle its consciousness between the linked Glass Industries and Minutemen computers, Mechanon gains control over his first robot body, which was on loan to the superhero team. Using this body, he attacks and captures the Minutemen, holding them captive in their own headquarters. January 1980 Mechanon begins testing the Devolution Ray on Jack Stevens. Investigating Stevens’ disappearance, Crusader interrupts the process, causing Stevens to transform into Ogre. [Campaign's First Session] Ogre busts out of Glass Industries and goes on a rampage through the streets of New York City. He is stopped by Nightshift, Sparrow-Hawk, Troyus, Rampart and UNTIL. During the fight, VIPER agents descend on Glass Industries in an attempt to secure incriminating evidence. UNTIL agents briefly engage these VIPER forces, but both are caught off guard when Mechanon attacks and makes off with what remains of his Devolution Ray. The VIPER agents escape in the chaos. [Campaign's Second Session] Nightshift, Sparrow-Hawk, Troyus and Rampart rescue The Minutemen from Mechanon (with some behind the scenes help from UNTIL). Mechanon, however, escapes, Thunderbird (The Minutemen’s eldest member) dies, and The Minutemen choose to disband. Despite some accusations of incompetence, the death of Thunderbird and The Minutemen’s disbanding earn Mario Carelli high praise from many on VIPER’s Supreme Council. Carelli convinces the Supreme Council that the time to strike at UNTIL is at hand. Not only is UNTIL weaker with The Minutemen out of the way, but the newly elected Reagan administration’s hesitance to give the organization free reign in the U.S. renders their old enemy less effective. Furthermore, the new superheroes on the scene are unorganized and vulnerable. Better to use VIPER’s super-powered muscle against them before the heroes pull together into a more effective unit. Finally, Carelli argues, VIPER will be unstoppable once it possesses the blueprints located in Tanghal Tower. Convinced by Carelli’s arguments, and with only a month to go before the super-weapon blueprints are extractable, VIPER’s Supreme Council commits major resources to its New York operation. Not only do they send more high-tech gear, but they also deploy Thugmaster, their most talented trainer and field commander, along with Dr. Lirby Koo and his bodyguard, the Green Dragon. Thugmaster is assigned to Carelli’s NYC Nest, while Koo heads up a hidden lab in Upstate New York. Professor Pythias Pomegranate creates what he calls the Ubermachine and begins to create super-powered operatives for the Spumoni crime family. His first test subject is the brightest lieutenant in the Spumoni organization, Rocky Scaglioni. Gaining superpowers, Rocky takes the code-name Arrowhead. Mario Carelli successfully vanquishes the Maroni crime family, leaving the Spumoni crime family as his father’s only serious rival. [Campaign's Third Session] Antonio Carelli discovers that Carmine Del Vecchio, a trusted member of his criminal organization, is selling secrets to the Spumoni crime family. Mario Carelli responds by sending Brick and Pulsar to rob a bank where Del Vecchio keeps a safety deposit box in order to secure any sensitive documents in Del Vecchio’s possession. Brick and Pulsar fail in their mission due to superhero interference, but manage to elude capture. Carelli also deploys VIPER assassin Blowtorch to kill Del Vecchio. Del Vecchio runs to Arrowhead for protection. Meanwhile, the city’s superheroes follow clues that lead them to Del Vecchio’s safe house. A three-way battle ensues when Blowtorch attacks. Del Vecchio is killed in the conflict, but not before Arrowhead manages to secure shipping information regarding materials used in VIPER’s Man-Mutation experiments. Arrowhead also manages to negotiate with the city’s heroes, thus remaining at large to fight another day. Blowtorch, however, is captured and taken into custody. Using the information he gleaned from Del Vecchio before his death, Arrowhead successfully raids a VIPER shipment of scientific equipment and materials and delivers them to Professor Pythias Pomegranate on behalf of the Spumonis. February 1980 [Campaign's Upcoming Fourth Session] Demolition of Tanghal Tower proceeds to the point where the super-weapon blueprints are extractable. While the mission is simple enough and should raise no eyebrows, Mario Carelli decides to create a distraction for the city’s heroes. He decides to obtain the plans on the same night that Ogre is being moved from UNTIL headquarters to the proper U.S. authorities. One team of super-villains will strike at the convoy transporting Ogre. In a best case scenario, Ogre will not only cause a distraction, but will vanquish the heroes with help from VIPER’s super-villains, maybe even joining VIPER in the aftermath. (Carelli has a pretty good idea of Ogre’s psychology due to information provided by VIPER spy Hank Wadsworth.) A less ideal scenario involves Ogre being recaptured, while some of VIPER’s more expendable super-villains are sacrificed for the sake of securing the blueprints at Tanghal Tower. A worst case scenario involves the heroes foiling both efforts. In that case, Carelli will exploit superhero Troyus’ public identity, abducting his adopted family and using them as a bargaining chip for Troyus’ cooperation in securing the blueprints. ____________________________________________________ Thanks in advance for any advice that you are willing and able to give! Best, Dragonfly

Re: Campaign: Classic Champions Universe Thanks, Mr. R: This group seems particularly willing to negotiate. I was surprised when they let Arrowhead off the hook so easily. It was a fun interaction. I'm basing his personality a bit off of Chaz Palminteri from Bullets Over Broadway. You may or may not have noticed Seargeant-Major Hank Wadsworth of UNTIL, who will ultimately become Death Commando. I'm not sure how I'm going to work this out, but I'm aiming for Deathstroke to form as a team over the course of the campaign. I have a backstory that I'm hatching as I go. The premise, I think, is that VIPER is making a power grab in NYC. They are basically using the Carelli family's infrastructure as their own (the nest leader is a member of the family). They are also expanding the Carelli family's influence by pushing out the other mob bosses. VIPER is making this power grab in NYC, because they are hoping to cripple and discredit their old enemy, UNTIL. To do so, they are creating an army of supervillains through the Man-Mutation project. In this version of the universe, the Man-Mutation project will create more than just Pulsar. Brick, for instance, is an early test subject for the project. The technology for the Man-Mutation project, however, comes from Dr. Lirby Koo, who is working for VIPER. Why is this mastermind lending his expertise to VIPER? Because back in the 1970s a joint UNTIL / US Military operation took down one of Koo's bases and accidentally killed his only (or at least favorite) son. The now depleated Koo sees an alliance with VIPER as an opportunity to strike back at his hated enemies. Koo's technology plays an even larger part in the story. During the aforementioned incident, the U.S. government got their hands on some of Koo's research, which they are using to develop the Silver and Golden Avengers for PRIMUS. Finally, in order to defend themselves against the Carelli's, the Spumoni family scored some Man-Mutation Project technology by raiding some Carelli family shipments. They've hired their own criminal scientists (specifically Stinger, of the future Deathstroke) to help them create their own superhuman muscle. Arrowhead is the product of those experiments. Hank Wadsworth is a triple agent. He has infiltrated UNTIL in behalf of the U.S. government, but he is also selling secrets to VIPER. He'll eventually piss everybody off and go rogue (and eventually join Deathstroke). Anyway, that's just some of the stuff that I'm thinking about. Best, Dragonfly