Edsel

I purchased and downloaded Shades of Black this morning. I've only had a chance to skim over it so far but I am very pleased with what I am seeing. I intend to tone down the power levels to Dark Champions Street level and use the modified adventure in the agents campaign I am planning. The occult and supernatural aspects are just perfect for my style of campaign. The props and maps look wonderful. A tip of the hat to Allen Thomas and the Hero gang.

Well, according the the rules: "...someone taking one Turn out of combat can take an Inaccessible Focus away from a character." It is pretty rare that a character has been able to make off with another character's Inaccessible Focus while they are still conscious. Usually you have to have KOed them before you can peel that armor off. As stated in the book, if its much harder than that (say you have to take them back to the lab to remove it) its really not a focus. However you can still target an Inaccessible Focus (at the standard -2 OCV) to try and break it.

For almost two weeks now I have been kicking around ideas for the pre-campaign history of my next Dark Champions campaign. I just can't seem to get myself psyched up to start writing it up. I know I can get it done in only a couple of hours. I've made the notes and thought out the rough idea in my head. I just can't get myself started. It's very frustating.

I was this close to having 10 topics in a row on the top of the board but Zornwil killed my dream. I just can't post fast enough.

Putty Ponderings I was working on an epoxy resin model the other day when I ran out of Squadron Green Putty. I'd had this tube of putty for several years. I got online to order some more putty and discovered that Squadron now makes green putty and white putty. First time I've seen the white putty so I ordered a tube of both. So is the white putty just like the green without the green coloring added or is it green putty that has been bleached white?

I keep my copy of LoM in my Justice Inc. box set. Its a wonderful setting. I have used it in at least two different campaigns that I can think of. A very worthy purchase if you can find a copy on eBay. BTW: In addition to Hero System, Lands of Mystery also includes data needed for Call of Cthulhu, the old Daredevils game, and Pacesetter's CHILL. I believe that latter two of those system are now defunct.

Awfully quite night on the boards tonight. Its like I'm missing the superbowl or something...

Here is a write-up that we used to use in our Hero / X-men game. The Strength will probably be a little screwy since we used a house rules STR chart that differed from standard Hero System. This is a 375 point version. Colossus Player: NPR Hero Val Char Cost 78/88 STR 15 20 DEX 30 30 CON 26 12/13 BODY 4 10 INT 0 18 EGO 10 20 PRE 5 16 COM 3 24/45 PD 5 24/45 ED 5 4 SPD 0 23 REC 2 60 END -3 87/88 STUN 3 6" RUN 0 2" SWIM 0 5 1/2"/7 1/2" LEAP -10 Characteristics Cost: 95 Cost Power END Living Steel Powers 60 1) Armor (20 PD/20 ED), Hardened (+1/4); OIHID (-1/4) 31 2) Life Support (Immunity All terrestrial diseases and biowarfare agents; Immunity All terrestrial poisons and chemical warfare agents; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing) (39 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 8 3) Density Increase (200 kg mass, +5 STR, +1 PD/ED, -1" KB), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (10 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 8 4) Growth (+5 STR, +1 BODY, +1 STUN, -1" KB, 198 kg, +0 DCV, +0 PER Rolls to perceive character, 2 m tall, 1 m wide), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (10 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 4 5) Power Defense (5 points) (5 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) Living Steel Increased Characteristics 42 1) +53 STR (53 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) [Notes: STR Does Not Add To Jump] 5 11 2) +7 CON (14 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 5 3) +3 EGO (6 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 4 4) +5 PRE (5 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 2 5) +3 PD (3 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 10 6) +13 ED (13 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 8 7) +1 SPD (10 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 13 8) +16 STUN (16 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 2 9) +6 END (3 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 3 Mental Resistance Training: Mental Defense (9 points total) (5 Active Points); Limited Power Not vs. EGO Attacks (-1/2) Powers Cost: 211 Cost Martial Arts Maneuver 4 Block: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort 2 Punch: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, Strike 3 Throw: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +1 DCV, 15 1/2d6 / 17 1/2d6 +v/5, Target Falls 3 Upper Cut: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +1 DCV, Strike +2d6 Martial Arts Cost: 12 Cost Skill 1 Breakfall 8- 3 Language: English (Russian is native) (completely fluent) 2 Navigation (Air, Land) 8- 3 Paramedics 11- 4 PS: Artist 13- 2 PS: Farmer 11- 3 Survival (Arctic/Subarctic, Temperate/Subtropical, Mountain) 8- 1 Systems Operation 8- 18 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, Agricultural & Construction Vehicles, Combat Aircraft, Equines, Helicopters, Large Planes, Parachuting, Basic, SCUBA, Skating (iceskating or rollerskating), Skiing (snow), Sleds, Small Motorized Boats, Small Planes, Small Rowed Boats, Snowmobiles, Tracked Military Vehicles, Wheeled Military Vehicles 10 +2 with HTH Combat 3 +1 Throwing 4 +2 RMod with Throwing Skills Cost: 54 Cost Perk 3 Fringe Benefit: Membership: X-Men Perks Cost: 3 Total Character Cost: 375 Val Disadvantages 10 Psychological Limitation: Loyality to the X-Men (Uncommon, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Code vs. Killing (Common, Strong) 15 Social Limitation: Secret ID: Pietr Rasputian (Frequently, Major) 20 Hunted: Sentinels 11- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: Magneto 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: Brotherhood of Evil Mutants 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: Hellfire Club 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) [Notes: All of the hunteds are More Powerful because all are groups whose combined might is greater than Colossus alone, except for Magneto who is obviously more powerful.] 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN EGO Attacks (Uncommon) Disadvantage Points: 110 Base Points: 200 Experience Required: 65 Total Experience Available: 65 Experience Unspent: 0 Attached is the Hero Designer file

The Alienist by Calab Carr. Just went on Amazon and ordered a copy. It looks fasinating.

Thanks tomd1969, the Hell's Kitchen site is pretty good and gives me some street boundaries, just what I needed. Wish I could find that map you mentioned with the neighborhoods indicated. Alas, too bad about the fog. I guess a vampire just has to raise his own.

Yep, I thought of that. Also in 1902 Bat Masterson arrives in New York City to take a job as a columnist (sports, I think). He becomes (or was) a good friend of Theodore Roosevelt who later appoints him US Marshal for the state. Both of them are going to enter into my plot. While Mr. Masterson may not have been a paragon of virtue I'm sure he was much better than the like of Wyatt Earp. I make him a good guy and a benefactor. I need to research him somemore for all I know he truely was a genuine good guy.

Re: Religious based organizations as bad guys. I really don't have any problem with it and I am a confirmed Christian. Evil people have often hid behind the facade of religion. History is rife with examples. Ironically the new Dark Champions setting that I am working on will have the players working for an agency that is somewhat religiously based. Some of their funding will come secretly from churchs since they will battle vampires and the like from time to time.

Yeah, that'd probably work. But where in the city did these people live around that time? Was there housing around Central Park back then, or were the people living elsewhere in the city. Did Manhattan have residentual areas back then? What about the Bronx, Queens, etc. My though is that said vigilante group was originally founded to try and keep gang violence out of their neighborhood. Although 1890-95 is past the prime of the gangs from the movie, I believe that their were still some pretty high crime areas in the city during the period I'm looking at. FYI: The vigilante group that I create will eventually grow in power (while remaining secret) and eventually get covert government support. By modern day they have grown into a secret organization that battles things such as vampires, werewolves, etc. in addition to solving internal problems that the government wants quietly resolved. Sort of an Anti-crime, Anti-terrorist and Vampire Hunters Agency. Part of the reason that they'll remain unacknowledged by the government is that they also have a heavy religious influence (all those crosses and holy water for the vamps you see). Does NYC get much fog? I guess it does around the waterfront at least.

I am working on a history for my new Dark Champions setting. As part of the back story I need to have an early vigilante group operating in NYC around 1890. I have never been to New York, nor do I have much knowledge of the demographics of the early city. Maps are not a problem. What I need to know is; Where, in NYC around 1890, could such a hypothetical Vigilante group have sprung up from? What neighborhood or area of the city would such people have likely lived and/or operated in? It only needs to be a simple neighborhood protective organization... at least to start with. Anybody got some ideas for me?

This is what comes from glancing at the topic when you are in a hurry. Ironically I already posted on this thread anyway.

Write-ups of some of the historic gunfighters and lawmen of the old west is almost a necessity. Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Jesse James, etc.

Oooh. Just as good or a better discription than I could have given.

The closest I have come is the Dark Champions games I've participated in. I ran a long-term one and was a player in a short-term one. Of course neither of these featured truely super-powered heroes (though a few of the bad guys were boderline). Both campaigns were fairly gritty and had some "shades of grey" situations. Actually we did have a very short-run campaign that was Iron Age but it was very short-term (about 6 secessions). It had potential but was canceled due to other circumstances (players moving on, etc.). I think that these can be very good settings. In fact I am working on my next campaign. However, it will be more street-level/agent type game since that is where my strength as a GM seems to be.

Do you mean Iron Age as in the modern era of comics? Or do you mean Iron Age as in Maximus the Super Centurian, defender of the Roman way?

If this pans out (If I don't get lazy) I'll probably test post the proposed history on the Other Genre topic, in a week or two.

Working on the past-history of my latest campaign. In other words, what led up to the current game world. So far Bat Masterson is instramental in forming a group called the Conclave. And the missing Judge Crater was actually a vampire that they did away with in 1937. (Just thinking out loud).

And with this post I'll make an even 1300 posts. Didn't feel it warented an new topic so I just use this thread.

I've noticed lately that I get in a more prolific mood, posting-wise, just about the time it gets too late for me to stay on the boards.

Would this happen to be the book in question? The Science of Superheros Also since this is the first time I've put a link in a page, did it work?

I'd like to see how you write-up Lan Mandragoran, Warder of Moraine Damodred Aes Sedai. The top warrior of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time.