BoloOfEarth

Re: Answers & Questions Q: What is the one sure thing to come out of the 2008 US presidential elections? A: Rush Limbaugh and Michael Moore dancing down the street hand-in-hand wearing pink sundresses and singing "I'm So Pretty."

Re: Answers & Questions

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... I forgot another one... As we were discussing plans to catch the Sudocarian ship and free our kidnapped crew members, and rejecting each one: Leila: You know, maybe we should just forget this rescue mission and continue on our quest. Yllek: Oh, yeah, that's real heroic. I can see it now, the crewmen chained up belowdecks... one of them says, "Don't worry, lads, we were travelling with adventurers! They'll rescue us! I'll bet they're following right behind us!" Then in swoops Leila as a bird. She lands and turns back human to say, "I just wanted to let you all know... you're fired. Bye!"

Re: Top Signs You Need to Rethink Your Playing Style.... If your character starts buying skills that make him better at *any* specialty of all other player characters... If you regularly draw up characters that can't be hurt by a nuclear weapon, but would die instantly if their Life Support was Suppressed for two phases... If your response to *every* situation is "I draw my gun and shoot"... If the other players start singing "We represent the Lollypop Guild..." whenever you present a new character...

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat

Re: Do you use miniatures? I use cardboard minis, and have for over a decade. I have a ton from SJG, plus a bunch I made up myself and printed on cardstock. (I collect character pictures, which I often shrink down and put into a template in PageMaker, with the character name on the back.) Along the way, I picked up a cheap plastic carrying case for fishing lures, and used the many compartments to organize and store my minis as groups (i.e. Eurostar in one, Ultimates in another, with bigger compartments for VIPER, PRIMUS, etc.). I also use the colored plastic bases from SJG -- they are *MUCH* better than folding and slipping tabs together. And by using different color bases (red for the heroes, green for primary opponents, grey or black for others) you can get an instant visual overview good for quickly contemplating tactics. For vehicles (cars, vans, trucks, buses, forklifts, etc.) I created plain cardboard overhead views and printed up a *lot* of them. One of these days, I hope to create more three-dimensional ones. Well, I did 3-D ones for some VIPER tanks (including rotating turrets), plus some VIPER airborne APCs, but I really should do that for the commonly-used vehicles. Of course, I also use maps (mostly drawn on Chessex battlemaps, though common ones get drawn on paper for use with a transparent hex overlay). If time allows I love to put detail in the maps. Somebody once joked that I'm the only GM that worries about whether the bathrooms are large enough, and if there are appropriate numbers of janitors closets. I've even gone so far as to mark locations of fire extinguishers, forklift recharging stations, copy machines, etc. in an attempt to get the PCs to interact with their environment more.

Re: Who is your favorite character? Since I almost exclusively GM, I'd have to pick from NPCs I've run in-game. That said, I'd go with Rocker. During the course of my NYC Champions campaign he went from zero to hero. Rocker started as Nameless/Faceless PRIMUS Iron Guard Agent #3, but a female PC (Tempest) started up a conversation with him during a battle, and (me making stuff up off-the-cuff) he invited her to hear him and his (very amateur) band play. Because of the band, his call sign was Rocker. As I told her, "they aren't very good, but they *are* enthusiastic." For a while, Rocker was Tempest's PRIMUS contact. They flirted, then dated on-and-off for most of that Champions campaign, eventually getting pretty serious (though they never got to the proposal/marriage stage). During a major story arc involving Genocide and a mutant supremacy group, all of Rocker's squad, except him, was killed trying to stop a runaway Minuteman robot from getting to Washington DC. He had major survivor guilt, and was transferred from Iron Guard to the NYC PRIMUS base security for a time. Shortly afterward, Tempest was apparently killed fighting a nasty-evil supervillain group known as the Hellraisers. The (mentalist) head of the mutant supremacy group admired Tempest, so he took revenge by mind-controlling Rocker to drug the detention cells' security guards, then go into the villains' cells -- they were awaiting transport to Stronghold -- and kill each one. The heroes eventually proved Rocker was mind controlled and the team mentalist helped him get past his feelings of guilt, but his career in PRIMUS was over. The heroes offered him a position in their base security, but he declined. So the heroes broke into the PRIMUS base evidence room and stole the armored battlesuit belonging to one of the now-deceased villains. The gadgeteer hero modified it and they set Rocker up as a superhero. He joined a team in nearby Albany, NY and worked with the heroes on several occasions.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Last night's D&D game, the ranger (Yllek) was more bloodthirsty than normal: Ryan: A number of our ship's crew have disappeared, and they were last seen in your tavern. Bartender: It was very busy last night. I don't recall them. But my memory might improve with some gold... Yllek: How about mithril? Bartender (with a big smile): Yes, mithril would be *very* good... Yllek: (draws his mithril longsword) - - - - - - - The PCs find and question one of the barmaids. Barmaid: If I talk to you, they'll kill me. Leila: I pull out a mithril stardisk. How about if we make it worth your while? Yllek: (OOC) A mithril stardisk?! Those are worth a hundred gold! Leila: I didn't say I was *giving* it to her, I'm just holding it... Leila ends up giving the barmaid the stardisk despite the paltry information she gives us. The barmaid runs away. Yllek's PC (imitates drawing a bow and notching an arrow, just joking, honestly) Ryan: Our ranger has gone over to the dark side. - - - - - - - The heroes take off after a ship that left port hours before. Leila, the druid, takes bird form and locates it. She discovers that the ship is crewed by Sudocarians, known for taking slaves despite it being illegal in the heroes' home kingdom. The heroes discuss ways to overtake and attack the ship. Il'Marcum: A few well-placed fireballs should do the trick. Aren: We don't want to sink the ship. We're trying to rescue our crew, remember? Ryan: (OOC) We'll send the ship to the bottom. "Well, at least they're not slaves any more..." Aren: They had poison gas at the bouncers' place, maybe they'll attack us with poison arrows. Il'Marcum (who had gotten a lungful of the poison gas previously): Oh, that would suck! Aren: Well, except for the girls; they're both immune to poison. They'll be like (plucks imaginary arrow from arm and licks the arrowhead) "hmmm! Tastes like nutmeg!" - - - - - - - Once we manage to slow the Sudocarian ship down, they send a wizard to fly back while invisible and attack us. DM: You see a fireball falling from the sky. Roll Initiative. (Our fighter rolls high, and lets fly a half dozen magic arrows) Aren: I do... 83 points of damage. DM: You see the guy go (head flops over, tongue out) and then disappears. - - - - - - - Ryan: Okay, we're heading back to port. What are we going to do with our captured bouncer? Yllek: What was the deal you made with the barkeeper? Ryan: That he'd never see the bouncer again. Yllek: So all we need to do is blind the barkeeper... - - - - - - - Devlyn (our rogue, whom we were teasing earlier for not having a sap): I could sell my Ring of Protection to get a sap... Il'Marcum: What the heck kind of sap are you getting?! A gold-plated one with your initials engraved on it?! One that vibrates?! Yllek: (gets a devilish grin on his face) Leila and Devlyn's players both begin smacking Yllek's player. Yllek: What?! I didn't even say anything! Devlyn: You were thinking it too loudly.

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat Don't forget making the combination "1-2-3-4-5". Biggest mistake: Pardoning keyes_bill. NT: Best idea for a Nobel Prize.

Re: SuperSquad America: Replacing Challenger I like the idea of keeping the name "Challenger" and keeping the battlesuit. Does Joey have a son or a protege? Perhaps that individual could don the suit (maybe without express permission) and become the new Challenger. If protege, this would easily bring the science skills back in (at a lower level, probably) and he could easily be a minority if you wish. My first thought was an Asian, perhaps with some martial arts training. If that's too stereotypical, you could always go off-brand: "I happen to like boxing. Why does everyone assume I know karate?!" If the rest of SSA isn't all that keen on this individual usurping the armor, this adds a different meaning to "Challenger" too.

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat

Re: Answers & Questions Q: For the love of all that's human, Joe Q, why would you have Spiderman make a deal with the devil?! A: I have two levels in Throwing a Cat in Someone's Soft, Unprotected Face.

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat Huckabee: Wear purple pants, turn green, and shout, "HUCK SMASH!!!" Oh, that's not what they mean by Super Tuesday?

Re: Answers & Questions Q: What are we going to do about that? A: Now, THAT is a deal with the Devil that I think Peter Parker WOULD make!

Re: Strangest "Plot Generator" I've found you can generate some strange plots just listening to your players. I told one player her PC's boyfriend had been acting a bit strange lately, to which she replied, "What, like he's working for VIPER now?" Guess what, I thought, he is now... In one of my campaign worlds, set in Millennium City, Foxbat had stolen a VIPER VTOL aircraft capable of turning invisible. Also, the city had the Boblo Blimp (a tour airship with small casino, restaurant, etc.). During one adventure where Foxbat was trying to rob the airborne casino, a player commented, "It looks like the Foxbat Flier is trying to mate with the Boblo Blimp." A few months later, the heroes read in the news about a miniature airship flying all over the city, turning visible then invisible again.

Re: The Super Darwin Awards

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat ... the Bush presidency. NT: Excuses that Republican (or Democratic) presidential candidates gave for *not* wanting George W Bush (or John Kerry) to campaign for them.

Re: The Ultimate Minature Gadget Seriously, though, I'll have to check some of my characters when I get home. I know a cat-burglar character I made (Diamond Kitty) had a utility belt multipower, though hers was 40 points IIRC. She had an oil-slick bomblet (Change Environment), smoke bomb (Darkness), grapnel line (Stretching / Swinging), pepper spray (Flash + NND EB), as well as tools for breaking into places (Skill Levels with Lockpicking and Security Systems). Since my players are paranoid, my personal favorite is: Images vs. Sight and Hearing Groups, 2" radius, -3 to PER. This device is thrown near a hero (or preferrably several of them) and, upon impact or when triggered by the user, makes a weird hum and bathes the heroes in odd greenish light, then starts to smoke as it self-destructs. That's it, just a one-phase light-and-sound-show. But they'll assume anything from their powers being mucked with, to mental illusions, to mind control, to heaven only knows what else.

Re: The Ultimate Minature Gadget Well, since I *did* grow up watching the Adam West "Batman" TV show: Bat Shark Repellent: 1d6 Mind Control, Telepathic (+1/4), Area Effect: 16" Radius (+1 3/4), Cumulative (8x Max = 48; +2), Continuous (+1), OIF (-1/2), 1 charge of 5 minute duration (-1), Single Command: Stay Away (-1/2), Limited Target: Sharks (-1), Extra Time: Full Phase to disperse in water (-1/4), Mental Power Based on CON (-1/2) Active Cost: 30, Real Cost: 7

Re: Deathstroke Caveat: it has been years since I read this particular Deathstroke adventure, so I don't remember any details. Or combine the two. Perhaps the method that Deathstroke is using to threaten US reactors will also trigger the glaciation. Could be intentional on Deathstroke's part, or maybe an unexpected side-effect. A *truly* evil GM would make is such that activating the Plot Device to threaten the reactor meltdown sets something in motion that will automatically cause runaway glaciation if the Plot Device is just shut down normally or destroyed. IOW, the players' initial choice is to (a) allow glaciers to destroy Canada or ( cause reactor meltdowns, mostly in the US. Of course, they need to figure out option ©, which might involve making a deal with Deathstroke or Dr. Draconis.

Re: A Simple rule about 5th edition material in long running campaigns

Re: NGD Scenes from a Hat [announcer voice] "Lee Harvey Oswald doesn't know it, but we replaced the gunpowder in his rifle bullets with Folger's Crystals. Let's see what he thinks..." NT: Best JFK Conspiracy Theory ever

Re: Most Oscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game Mine isn't all that obscure, except apparently to me... In one game, I created a supervillainess, Snafu, who threw glitter-filled balls and caused bad luck. One of the PC heroes (Hybrid) took a shining to her, eventually convinced her to mend her evil ways. She joined the hero team and fought at his side... then he started having bad luck. Eventually, he figured out that it was because of her, and they broke up. It wasn't until months afterward that I realized that I had (unintentionally) copied Black Cat and her romance with Spiderman.

Re: Is it really so wrong? Now, now! Batfox was a fixture in my campaign for years, hounding Foxbat (and the heroes) constantly. She even learned Foxbat's secret ID along the way. I remember one battle, Batfox got KO'd (just barely negative STUN), and a male hero decided to wake her up with a kiss. She melted into his kiss, eyes still closed, then murmured, "oh, Freddy..."

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... From tonight's Champions game: An UNTIL urban assault team travels to Chicago following leads on the Ultimates, and stops in to S-Squad's base to fill them in. The leader of the team, Lt. Alejandro Roca, is strict military and displays no apparent sense of humor when Serendipity cracks a joke. Lt. Roca: ... we are stationed in Millennium City. If you wish, you may verify with our base or the Champions, as we have worked with them in the past. Serendipity: Oh, believe me, we will... (OOC) I call the Champions. Sapphire: Hello, this is Champions HQ, Sapphire speaking... oh! Serendipity! I love what you've done with your hair! Serendipity: Well, yours is cute, too! Isn't that a new style? After a few minutes of exhanging hairdresser info and arranging a shopping date in MC... Serendipity: Oh, the reason we called is that we got a visit from UNTIL, a Lt. Roca, he said he's worked with you in the past... Sapphire: Oh, yes, we know Lt. Roca -- does he still have a stick stuck up his butt? Serendipity: (Looks at Roca standing at textbook attention, waiting) I think he might have two up there right now. Sapphire: Well, he's okay, not a bad guy, just a bit too stiff. (pause) If you can get him drunk while he's there you can win me a bet with Defender. - - - - - - - - - Later, Synergy (in secret ID) is in the university lab where he works, when Thunderbolt teleports in. Important info: Thunderbolt was involved in Synergy's origin, and they have learned that neither one of them can affect the other with their powers. GM: Make a Hearing PER roll. Synergy: I fail it completely. I must have my radio up too loud while I work. GM: Okay, the first hint you get that something is wrong is when you're blasted from behind. It does no damage to you, but it messes up your chair pretty bad, and your monitor blows. Synergy: No damage to me, eh? I know who that is... I'll act like he blasted me unconscious. (Makes a near-critical success on an Acting roll) Thunderbolt (muttering as he walks back to the lab's computer servers): Damn stupid college kid... shouldn't even be here... not smart enough to take off for Christmas break... working at 1 am, should blast him again, just on principle..." GM: Thunderbolt comes out, carrying all the backup tapes for the servers, and opens the window. You hear what sounds like a jet turbine, and Cyclone drops down. Thunderbolt hands him the tapes. Synergy: (OOC, shrugs) We have offsite copies. While he's facing away from me, I turn on my maglev flight. I want to make a Power skill roll to create enough of a magnetic field to erase the tapes he's carrying. GM: (thinking to self -- this really screws up the plot, but I gotta admit it's a neat idea.) You know, you'll be erasing *all* the computers in the lab, not just those tapes... Synergy: Any way I can direct the magnetic pulse only toward the tapes? GM: Make the Power roll at -2. Synergy: Oooo... Only made it by one. GM: That's okay, it just means you probably wiped out a few computers, not all of them. And you did zap the tapes. Synergy: The best part is, Binder will probably blame Thunderbolt for screwing up the tapes. He *does* have electrical powers, after all. Synergy: (After Thunderbolt leaves, he's looking at his slagged computer) How am I going to explain this... and the fact that I'm completely unhurt? (He calls Sentinel, who in secret ID is an EMT and drives an ambulance at night. He figures she can fake the paperwork so that, officially, it will appear he was injured by the attack.) Sentinel, any way you can swing by the university? I need your help. Sentinel, in secret ID, arrives. She recognizes and examines Synergy, to discover that though his clothes are slagged, he's completely unharmed. Sentinel: WTF? There's nothing wrong with you! Synergy (looking toward the campus security guard standing nearby, then hisses to Sentinel) I know! Thunderbolt did this, but his powers don't affect me. How's it going to look when the official report says I'm untouched? Sentinel: (confused pause) So... you want me to hurt you?!?