BobGreenwade

Re: I don't know if it fits the Champions Universe Well, if the players are mutants themselves, they're probably trying to get away from that sort of angst-ridden life -- in fact, that's probably why they play RPGs in the first place. Or even Springfield, Oregon.... Seriously, I think there would be some merit to doing a book on The Mutant World to go along the lines of The Mystic World, a book already on the Hero Games calendar.

Re: Momentum and Superheroic special effects As with most of the game, it's a GM's call. But I'd tend to go with the third option, as something about halfway between the other two. Y'see, one point that the other posters here seem to have missed is that the villain lifts the vehicle off the ground. This would instantly kill any westward momentum. (Murderer!) Then, when the vehicle is set down, it immediately starts to accelerate toward the east, subject to any modifiers the GM might impose for trying to accelerate on grassy soil using tires. That gives you a mix of realism and cinematicism that, I think, provides the best of both.

Absolutely, positively Robert Asprin's "Phule's Company" series -- Phule's Company, Phule's Paradise, Phule and His Money, and Phule Me Twice. They have the same tongue-in-cheeck approach as his "Myth" series, as well as the same wonderfully colorful characterizations and some good thoughts on how military functions might work in the future (okay, it's the Legion and not the Army, but you get the idea). On those rare occasions where the hardware takes center stage, it does so in a very interesting manner -- my personal favorite is the "instant base" in Phule Me Twice.

Okay, here are a few of mine: Captain Glory, patriotic martial artist/gadgeteer: George Eads Captain Photon, goofball energy projector: Ted Raimi Laughing Boy, clown-themed gadgeteer: Gordon Michael Woolvedt [sp?] Rattler, serpentine mentalist/martial artist: Arsenio Hall

On a more serious note, if the Terran Empire-based game I'm currently working on doesn't fly, I'll probably set out doing something like CSI Hero.

The "character facing" image on page 248 is apparently mislabeled; it's use is for misfiring with Area Of Effect and Explosion attacks. The rules for facing aren't specifically spelled out in one place. Look for the rules on Turn Mode, Attacks From Behind, and other factors that facing can affect.

You mean... we're going to have to wait a year to find out?

I think it may help if you consider that "per garment."

Actually, if you'd stopped at "single volume," I would've been with you all the way. Of course, such a thing would have to wait until all of the currently-planned genre and Ultimate books (and possibly more than that) have been completed, include only the "new rules" from those books (see my previous post), and be priced high enough to not cut too badly into FREd's sales... but it could be done.

Re: How Do the Threats Come Back, Anyhow? Someone in another thread suggested that Mechanon and Takofanes might team up in a grand attempt to wipe out all life on Earth. I proposed (in the same thread) that this could be the Big Event of 2020. Maybe the Church of the Infinite Dark succeeds in locating the Crowns of Krim, or the Thane manage to reassert themselves.

Great news! Huzzah!

TK alternatives I certainly could live with this (either alternative).

From what I understand of the Galactic Champions setting, "major threat" villains of the 21st century would be something like "secondary threat" villains in the higher-powered 31st century. Doctor D would have to ramp up his armor considerably, and form a supervillain team, just to be competitive with other villains (Istvatha V'han is an excellent example).

Re: Elvis Weapon I had been going to write up something very long and very silly, but since you beat me to it I've saved a lot of trouble. Thankyouverymuch.

All of this is a large part of the reason I tried to lobby for the removal of the damaging aspect of TK when 5th Edition was under development. I very strongly preferred having a straight 1:1 cost, with no punch/squeeze aspect (let TK punch and squeeze be bought with Energy Blast). (Am I remembering wrong that 3rd and earlier editions handled TK in more or less the same manner?) If and when there's a Sixth Edition, maybe we can all gang up on Steve for that.

Since this thread has been brought back to the front.... A few comments in the text tend to lead me to think of it as starting "officially" in 2640. But that's must my own interpretation.

Maybe the AI was programmed by a genetically altered lab mouse....

Same here. It's a little like the soldier who, when ordered to jump, doesn't even bother asking how high -- he just jumps as high as he can, and then asks if it's high enough. Different type of situation, but same attitude.

Re: But Steve said... I tend to agree with him on that score. In any event, it's way too early to consider 6th edition as anything more than theoretical or hypothetical.

Me, I'll go along with Yamo's first two suggestions, and that's it. (Well, maybe number 6. Maybe.) Fifth Edition should remain Fifth Edition, with a minimum of changes that would cause any text to land on a different page than in the first print run. Now, I do think that some of these other things could go well into Sixth Edition, if and when Steve ever approves such a thing. Mostly, some of the new power options and campaign options (such as Yamo's mention of Normal-level games) would be good candidates. A few of the new rules ideas from Digital Hero (thinking mostly of Steve's Create Object power and Dave's new Area Of Effect options) would be good for that too. I do think that it would be cool to have a book gathering together all of the new rules options from the genre and Ultimate books (and USPD). I wouldn't include any of the genre/archetype tricks that don't involve new rules options (especially the "this is how you can build this using the existing rules" stuff), but having a book with things like, say, the No Turn Mode Advantage, the options for Telekinesis and Clairsentience from USPD, the Area Of Effect options and diceless combat from Digital Hero, a lot of the new Perks and Talents, and such would be a wonderful utility for Hero System GMs -- especially those who like to mix genres.

Worse idea: PC based on Legion of Substitute Heroes Auxiliary member.

Good idea: having a DNPC who works for Taco Bell. Bad idea: having a DNPC who works for Takofanes.

Count me in as being in support of Mike's suggestions, at least in principle. However, I don't know that I'd put them all into a single "updated Champions Universe" book that would make the current CU tome obsolete. I'd scatter them among different books -- for example, the updated, experienced Champions could go into a new Allies book such as the one under discussion in another thread, while Stronghold and some of the villain updates could go into a book on PRIMUS. Other villain updates could go into other appropriate books -- for instance, perhaps The Mystic World could update some of the magic-based villains in CKC.

Good idea: letting your hero follow the religious tenets of Hare Krishna. Bad idea: letting your hero follow the business tenets of Harry Kirshner.

For lack of anything more "official," I think I'll go with this in principle, but using the TSS package for the TDC guys (since these will be the PCs, and I want them to be a sort of "elite of the elite" types given the relatively high lawlessness and potential for things to get screwy).