BoloOfEarth

Hey Brian.
 
Sympathies mate. Glad to see you've got such a positive attitude, it makes a huge difference.
 
If you don't mind, I'd like to share a similar story, with a very positive outcome. My dad was diagnosed with a type of leukemia last year. Like you, his cancer is not curable but is treatable. The chemo is working just fine and, because it's a low dose, isn't impacting on his lifestyle at all. Modern medicine is great.

Oh, man-- I hope you managed to pick it up anyway.  It's pretty good.  First thing I've ever read by Surbook, and was actually rather surprised as how much I enjoyed reading it.  That boy's got skills.
 
 

I've never submitted to Origins (I'm in Australia) but I did submit to the local Cancon last year.
 
I wanted to attract new players and I had a long hard think about what I could do to make the game more playable for new players.
 
I opted for player cheat sheets for basics like hitting, damage, and standard manouevres (with plain English explanations of those manouevres.) I also got rid of the OCV/DCV chart and replaced it with a simple equation (Roll 3d6+Attack, vs. target number of 11+Defense; equal or higher means a hit). I would recommend the HERO mobile app (available from the downloads section.) It quickly and easily counts Stun, BOD, and Knockback for damage. In my experience this is one of the things that new players struggle with.
 
I designed the characters. I wrote up plain English descriptions for all the powers. I wanted (but totally lack the programming skills required) a much simplified character sheet. One that downplayed the HERO speak jargon and focused on the plain English  explanations (the stuff  HERO designer puts in the notes and prints in teeny tiny print.)  Also just bigger printing on the sheets. I toyed with doing up my own sheets and then just manually filling them in, but time and laziness got away from me.
 
For each character I did up a character picture using Hero Machine. I did male and female art for each character and printed out little paper minis for the characters. To make tracking BOD, Stun, and END easier I put tracks on the art sheets. The players could use tokens to track the stats that way. I also included speed and skill level tracks.
 
I wrote up 3 scenarios of increasing complexity. The first was a VIPER agent bash. The second involved finding an underground metahuman fighting ring and rescuing 2 prisoners. The 3rd was a classic "the villains are stealing tech to build a doomsday weapon" scenario. I play tested my first scenario with my regular gaming group. It went pretty well and I got some feedback that I acted on.
 
And in the end I got no players. Couple of people contacted me but one of them contacted me late and cancelled shortly thereafter. The other was only ever a soft maybe. In the end I didn't want to run for one person (maybe). On the second day of the con a third person emailed me to see if I was running but by then I wasn't. ?
 
Some advice re. dealing with the con organisers:
Get your game blurb in early. I did, but it made little difference because...
Make sure the con organisers  put it up on their website and give it the appropriate tags so people can find it.
I did put my own blurb up on Warhorn. Don't think that helped find players. But it WAS useful for organising my own schedule.
Make sure they give you a table (or better yet room) in an appropriate space. I was given a table in the middle of the effin trade hall. Far too noisy and busy to run an rpg there.
Contact them regularly and make sure they are doing their end of the work.
 
Origins has the advantage that it's much bigger than Cancon and people are being paid to do the work. So you probably won't have the problems I did. But make sure this is the case.
 
Also, use word of mouth and your social media networks to spread the word. Tell everyone you know to tell everyone they know.
 
 
 

Maginot
 
This Frenchman can form a defensive shield which his colleagues can take cover behind. Additionally the shield will form miniature forts which can then open fire on anyone directly in front of them. Tis has proven to be surprisingly effective. He tends to use a rifle and can act as a sniper.
He speaks English, Spanish, German, Italian and Russian

A brief aside -- I put together a time capsule in 1999, to pass onto my kids, and then their kids, etc. until it's to be opened in 2101.  (So it goes from the 20th century to the 22nd century.)   One of the things it includes is a journal with stories of how I met my wife, about my kids' births, etc.  And then I realized that since I wrote it in cursive, it's entirely possible they wouldn't be able to decode what I'd written.  So I included a page where I listed each letter in cursive (upper and lower case) along with that letter in block form.  My great-great-grandkids will probably think I'm an idiot, but what the heck.  Better safe than sorry.

Have to admit, got to sample all, in the middle school cafeteria.

While everyone else is giving you their sympathies, I'm going to go out on a limb and congratulate you in advance for the superpowers you're going to get through the treatment process, when that freak lighting strike while you're getting chemo alters your body chemistry radically. 
 
Seriously, though, get that cancer into remission, Brian.  Kick its a**.  I pity the fool lymphoma that wants to mess with you.

Spoilered for swears
 

While everyone else is giving you their sympathies, I'm going to go out on a limb and congratulate you in advance for the superpowers you're going to get through the treatment process, when that freak lighting strike while you're getting chemo alters your body chemistry radically. 
 
Seriously, though, get that cancer into remission, Brian.  Kick its a**.  I pity the fool lymphoma that wants to mess with you.

So the guy whose Avatar looks like a Egyptian Pharao, gave his grandchildren a helper for his Hieroglyphs? Fitting

You know, I had considered that myself. As the treatments get more experimental, the likelihood of coming out of this with super-powers seems pretty clear. 
 
I've always been a fast healer, to the point that my friend said that "healing" is my actual super-power. Unfortunately, lymphoma is directly attacking my ability to heal. Clearly there is a dark reveal on the horizon, and some inevitable nemesis who will come to the fore. 

While everyone else is giving you their sympathies, I'm going to go out on a limb and congratulate you in advance for the superpowers you're going to get through the treatment process, when that freak lighting strike while you're getting chemo alters your body chemistry radically. 
 
Seriously, though, get that cancer into remission, Brian.  Kick its a**.  I pity the fool lymphoma that wants to mess with you.

Re: Jokes
 
A golfer playing in Ireland hooked his drive into the woods. Looking for his ball, he found a little Leprechaun flat on his back, a big bump on his head and the golfer's ball beside him.
 
Horrified, the golfer got his water bottle from the cart and poured it over the little guy, reviving him.
 
'Arrgh! What happened?' the Leprechaun asked.
 
'I'm afraid I hit you with my golf ball,' the golfer says.
 
'Oh, I see. Well, ye got me fair and square. Ye get three wishes, so whaddya want?'
 
'Thank God, you're all right!' the golfer answers in relief. 'I don't want anything, I'm just glad you're OK, and I apologize.'
 
And the golfer walks off.
 
'What a nice guy,' the Leprechaun says to himself.'I have to do something for him. I'll give him the three things I would want... a great golf game, all the money he ever needs, and a fantastic sex life.'
 
A year goes by and the golfer is back. On the same hole, he again hits a bad drive into the woods and the Leprechaun is there waiting for him.
 
'Twas me that made ye hit the ball here,' the little guy says. 'I just want to ask ye, how's yer golf game?'
 
'My game is fantastic!' the golfer answers. I'm an internationally famous golfer now.' He adds, 'By the way, it's good to see you're all right.'
 
'Oh, I'm fine now, thank ye. I did that fer yer golf game, you know. And tell me, how's yer money situation?'
 
'Why, it's just wonderful!' the golfer states. 'When I need cash, I just reach in my pocket and pull out $100 bills I didn't even know were there!'
 
'I did that fer ye also.' And tell me, how's yer sex life?'
 
The golfer blushes, turns his head away in embarrassment, and says shyly, 'It's OK.'
 
C'mon, c'mon now,' urged the Leprechaun, 'I'm wanting to know if I did a good job. How many times a week?'
 
Blushing even more, the golfer looks around then whispers, 'Once, sometimes twice a week.'
 
'What??' responds the Leprechaun in shock. 'That's all? Only once or twice a week?'
 
'Well,' says the golfer, 'I figure that's not bad for a Catholic priest in a small parish.'

Some villain groups come together to share and grow their knowledge about something specific (the Devil's Advocates come to mind in the CU).

Hmmm,  you've ruled out three of the most common tropes here but these two still come to mind.
 
Revenge - Somebody, be they government, corporate or individual has got to pay!
 
Revolution - Things have got to change! It could be destroying the world, culling the population/technology to save the environment or converting  everyone into programs in a VR environment but society will be different or else!

Seeking love.  "I'll take her away from him, then she'll come to love me!" or "He said he loves strong women, so I'll beat Gynamo and show I'm the strongest woman!"
Being in love.  "She said she wants diamond wedding rings, and the jeweler won't miss just two." or "He'd be crushed if Stanford didn't accept him.  One mind-control won't hurt anyone, right?"
Political motives.  "They can't outlaw swords, my entire family of sword-trainers will go bankrupt!  I have to make them stop!" or "In national news, Mister Everywhere has continued his sit-in of the entire state of Delaware, which he says will continue until Governor Naemhear resigns or is ousted."
Religious ideology.  "The holy book clearly says that lending money with interest is a sin.  I have to save Wall Street's souls!" or "Those new-new-reformed-new-Christians that set up a church are ungodly blasphemers and need to leave."
The thrill.  "There's no sport in fighting normals, and these do-gooders won't throw a punch without me giving them a reason." or "Getting away with it is the best feeling in the world!"
An old mistake.  "I didn't know I had super-yelling, I didn't mean to hurt that cop!  But now they're shooting at me!" or "I was young and stupid, and they saw my face.  I'm still wanted in half the world, but a superman's gotta eat." 
 
Also remember that motivations can easily be changed.  A motivation only needs to hold long enough for something simpler like 'revenge' or for the villain team to finish their relevance and fade into the background. 

Science!  Why should I be prevented from experimenting on living brains?  Some will suffer, but many will benefit!
 
Madness!  They're coming through the walls!  Can't you see them?
 
Existential Dread!  When the population reaches 10 billion, it will be impossible to stop Climate Change/The Return of The Demon Azararoth/The Intergalactic Invasion!
 
Single Issue Politics!  Whatever hysterical headline the paper is carrying today!
 
Collection!  I simply must have another flyer for my Superhero Zoo!
 
Property Rights!  I know there is an alien spaceship buried under Manhattan but can't get drilling permission...
 

A brief aside -- I put together a time capsule in 1999, to pass onto my kids, and then their kids, etc. until it's to be opened in 2101.  (So it goes from the 20th century to the 22nd century.)   One of the things it includes is a journal with stories of how I met my wife, about my kids' births, etc.  And then I realized that since I wrote it in cursive, it's entirely possible they wouldn't be able to decode what I'd written.  So I included a page where I listed each letter in cursive (upper and lower case) along with that letter in block form.  My great-great-grandkids will probably think I'm an idiot, but what the heck.  Better safe than sorry.

When Foxbat put the ball in the net with a scrambled kick at the Nou Camp.....
When Dr Destroyer thundered in a shot from 40 yards out at Wembley....
When Firewing scored from the penalty spot at the San Siro.....
and when the Monster put a bicycle kick at the Stade de France in the back of the net

Iron Tiger
 
Mitsubo Hiroshi was one of a few robotics expert that pushed the Japanese robotics forward when people got stumped. In his spare time, he practiced the Tiger style of Kung-Fu for discipline and protection. At times, he would go to a secluded home in the mountains to work on robotics & powersuit theories. He would've continued his life as usual until one of his fellow experts became jealous of his genius and framed him of business espionage. He was found guilty and jailed. His pride wouldn't allow him to just sit in jail because these foolish government lackeys couldn't see the truth of what happened. While making secret plans with other inmates to escape, again and again he thought to himself: "A tiger cannot be caged." After escaping, he went to his secluded home and created a suit of powered armor, based on some of his newest breakthroughs. The suit gave him plenty of protection and increased his physical speed to incredible levels. He later found his jealous rival and destroyed everything he had, yet left him unharmed: his rival would suffer the loss of everything he owed.
 
Although the suit as of yet has no ranged attacks, he can still leap five stories up and his senses are amplified through his helmet. When he attacks, he often uses his attack phrase, "Feel the claws of the Tiger!" He doesn't feel he can remain unknown in Japan for long, and has moved to America recently. He has a fully functional suit and has the power to continue his research, even if nowadays it means he steals from others. His pride has only gotten bigger since his frame-up, and has a warped view that anyone who tries to stop him from continuing his research, however he wants, is in the wrong.

The Armoured Grappler
 
It is unusual to see anyone in armour using martial arts moves like wrestling moves but that i exactly what you see when you see The Armoured Grappler in combat. He seems to feel his way into a fight or reacts in the way a wrestler would when attacked. It is thought to be one of a number of professional wrestlers who have 'disappeared' from public view. They can take quite a bit of punishment and the armour allows survival underwater or in perilous environments such as radiation or vacuum. If they land a particularly telling blow a robotic voice booms out 'Can you dig it, sucka ?' or if it survives a hard blow or something meant to knock it over out comes 'Oh yeah' or 'Oh yeah, dig it !'. There is the possibility that there is a woman operating the armour. But it is not an automaton as the reactions were more human in more than one encounter.

Señor Maximo, aka Mr. Maximum
 
When Miguel Alvarado discovered he had somehow acquired the strength of fifty men, he was more than eager to join the ranks of the world's greatest superheroes.  He soon discovered, though, that while he had superhuman strength, he did not have superhuman imperviousness.  So, with the help of a friend who was taking advanced placement courses in high technology at the local university, he put together a suit of armor to protect himself whenever he went into the thick of the danger.  While the orange tinted visor does provide some protection from flash attacks and obscures his face enough to protect his secret identity, the orange lights on the armor do nothing more than to look "really cool."  Nevertheless, the armor serves its main purpose quite well, allowing Miguel to make Senor Maximo a respected name in his city.

Nah, I think she has the hots for him.
 
Hots... Flame Strike... get it? 

How about this one?