Smoot

Re: Concepts you wish your players would play Someday, I'm going to do an all Alternates game. That is, the team would consist of people/cyborgs/genegineered clones, etc. that were sent back to "here" to prevent something from their timeline from happening, or otherwise from a 'upcoming timeline'). Marvel and DC have characters like that (Booster Gold's from a 'good' timeline, Rachel Summers and Cable aren't...). Astro City's Samaritan would be a good contender, too. I was thinking of the team name "The Orphans" (since they're the only members of their world left), and their adventures would largely consist of trying to encourage/prevent things that brought their future about. Just tossing it out there, in case someone wants to try it, too...

Hi, I'm 'auditioning' ideas for a new game at Hero Central. Please, check them out and see if anything appeals: http://www.herocentral.net/readGeneralMessage.htm;jsessionid=avL51EiL3645?messageId=310859 Thanks!

Re: Does your Team have a Charter? Hi, My last FfF Champions game had a team charter. I found the file- it's cribbed a little from: - the JLA charter (from their sourcebook), -the Avengers Charter (found online, at one of the old TSR/MSH sites) -Half-remembered stuff from Strike Force (which I gave to someone, to my later chagrin) ...plus, some stuff I came up with myself. (The division of Team Chairman and Combat Leader into two roles, for example. I wanted to take the Superman/Batman; Cyclops/Wolverine type dynamic into a different direction. The 'stone badass' can work on combat maneuvers, etc, while the 'sterling hero' directs the general direction of the team outside of fights.) Here goes. Hope it's useful. A lot of it is campaign-specific. The bracketed stuff is OOC, and the stuff in red is IC "footnotes"...

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Look- I haven't learned too much in this world, but I've learned two things: 1) Don't ever agree with a lady disparaging herself and 2) Don't go too far complimenting other men's wives. Suffice it to say: you're not entirely what you bill yourself as, and leave it there.

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Hello, assorted people- Used to post fairly often hereabouts, thought I'd come "out of retirement". So, Hi. PS: I know SSquirrel and his bride, out in The World That Exists When the Server Is Down, so I feel qualified to tell you that it's lies! ALL LIES!

Not much to add on the defense question, that hasn't been said already, but I'm intrigued by your campaign idea: Where is it set, specifically? What characters have you got, so far? Are the powers single-source, and if so, what is it? (Magic/Links to folklore? Mutants?) There is just so much that would kick ass, as background detail. (Ex: I was just reading a book on the Chinese in America. One early Asian 'immigration' was Cheng & Eng, the 'original' Siamese Twins, who settled in the south, owned a plantation, and had sons who fought in the Civil War. They made their fortune(s) touring, as some more-unusual 'mutant' types might.)

death tribble: I can't speak for others, but I don't think anyone's going to get mad at the name of a GM's NPC (and Villain, after all.) If your villain chooses "Rocket Redglare" as a name, it'd be in the knowledge that he (she?) would be baiting the US population at large (and, no doubt, the more patriotic-oriented heroes), rather than garnering support in any way. I see your point, though. I spent some time living in the UK, and often had a hard time digging up a common point of reference for this sort of thing (ie, something that, if insulted or defiled, would p*** off the average Briton to the extent that messing with the flag or anthem would to Joe American.) By-the-by, doesn't HUAC sound like a pre-spitting noise? Edited to add: Jimi Hendrix did a number on the anthem, and that seemed not to cause too much damage to peoples' impressions of him...

How about "The Blacklist" or (if you're targeting each agency individually) "The Shadow Cabinet"? Frankly (and the Four Aces from Wild Cards aside), the HUAC and McCarthy tended to target fairly easy marks- not esp. fearsome figures. IIRC, the only one publically tarred as a 'red' in that period that I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley would be Dashiell Hammett. I'm not an expert on the period, but istr that the whole thing ended when they tried harder targets, like the Army, and got hit with a backlash. That's why the JSA plotline seemed a bit... off. Also (just a note), the Red Doom or Comintern teams would've probably tried to welcome any supers 'kicked out' of the US. Or (as in the Four Aces' cases) publically support their 'friends' in order to ruin them. PS: Alas, "Spook" has the connotation that Crimson Arrow thinks it does.

Thanks! Oh, and how about the campaign world's version of the movie Almost Famous being about an amalgam of Rick Jones and Snapper Carr? "Hulk am a GOLDEN GOD!"

Wyrd (from a Norse word, meaning both 'strange' and 'fate'): A rune-based sorceror working out of the Northeast. A former surgeon, he took a trip to Scandanavia, where he 'discovered' his powers. (Driving back a rather garish invasion by rock trolls). Back in the US, he shuttles between Massachusetts and New York City -'tamping down' dangerous magical sites like Arkham or Miskatonic with rune stones while in MA, and keeping a townhouse full of artifacts (Like a stone he found near Agamotaway, MA) in the City. Alloy: John Henry "Rhodey" Rhodes, military veteran and former pilot for S.T.A.R.K. Labs, whose life was saved by a flying superhero. Inspired by this, he wears his steel and iron, man-shaped war machine into battle. (The hammer may indicate he was saved by Thor, though accounts differ.)

If you're looking for something more like a C-SWAT team, there's some nice examples in the comics: -Marvel's "Code Blue" team (a backup feature in Thor for a while, they were simply a NYC SWAT team that took on supers. One memorable bit- Wrecker was hurling stuff off the edge of a brick building. One of the Code Blue guys takes aim, and Wrecker taunts him that hitting him would have no effect. The SWAT cop replies he's not aiming at him, and shoots the ledge out from under him. The fall does the job, knocking Wrecker out. -Stormwatch: Team Achilles. Consisting entirely of normals and the occasional LPM, this is a much more hardcore version of an "anti-super SWAT team". Recently, they were able to severely embarass The Authority, a team that would cost X100 more pts to build in Champions terms. This may be just the ticket, since (like earlier Stormwatch incarnations) they work for the UN.

The trick is to think in-genre without leaving gaps in reasoning large enough to drive a truck through. In the case of your "see 'em, bash 'em" heroes, it might be a nice time to lead them on the proverbial "merry chase": the villain somehow hacks into local TV stations, "Interrupting this Broadcast" to taunt the heroes. (Important: NOT just waltzing in and taking over the studios, at least at first. Instead, s/he takes over the signal from a remote location, possibly a mobile one). The heroes have no immediate target, only either a deadline ("Defuse my bombs, or Campaign City's in troooubllle!"), or a cryptic riddle. In the meantime, the villain uses the distraction for a heist, or something. This is assuming that the villain's that straightforward. What kind of villain are we talking, here? Joker's easily on a par with Hannibal Lecter or the Se7en guy, in terms of genius and psychosis. Riddler, above all, wants people to admit and acknowledge that he's smarter than they are- it's just that the stakes get high. I suppose that almost all Bat-villains are so wrapped up in their own goals and motivations that it's rare for one to take the fight directly to the Bat (ie, Riddler's the first I know of to try to see what's going on over at Wayne Manor). If your villain is even slightly more focused, your PCs could be in for a world of hurt.

This brings up something: Good places for super-battles in the Hub. Here's a few of my favorites: -Copley Square area: The Pru, the Hancock Tower, Boston Public Library, the Christian Science "HQ" (w/ that big reflecting pool), etc -The Charles: Okay, it ties in with my handle on these boards, but it's the only place in the world that you could say "You did 23 smoots worth of knockback" and have it make some sense... -South Station. This would probably be an old-fashioned Superman-style throwdown. Lots of room inside the terminal, trains outside, subway tunnels underneath, etc. -City Hall Plaza: If any place was a "take the fight there to avoid hitting anything valuable" spot, it's that concrete monstrosity. Aside from a few steps, there's a big area of nothing but pavement. It's handily close to much more-loved real estate, too. Others: The Common, Symphony Hall, Harvard Square, Fenway Park, The Fleet Center, inside the Big Dig itself, on the double-decks of Storrow Dr., etc.

Remember- Avengers get plagued by relatively "normal" opposition, too: Iron Man had Obadiah Stane and Justin Hammer dogging his steps, Cap has Red Skull, Loki's pretty weak by Thor's standards, etc. Yet all of them cause loads of trouble. From what you've said, you have a robot brick, a speedster, and a super pugilist. What to do with them largely depends on your villain's MO. The thing about Bat-villains is that they didn't just put on costumes and start gunning for Batman. They initiate plots, sometimes plots so complex that it takes even Bats a while to so much as FIND them. They're plotters, not brawlers (That's what made Bane, Killer Croc, etc "new"- they just went to it). For example, have the speedster have to be all over the place to prevent a catastrophe. This leaves the villain free to bring the scheme home.

Hah! "But, officer! I didn't pay any points for them!" "Tell it to the judge, kid!" (New meaning to "rules lawyering"...)

Hi, Mastermind. Looks like your campaign's off to a good start. Smackdown? "Boston 3:16 says I just kicked ya ass wicked hahd!" -While Boston's TV News programs are pretty staid compared to, say, Miami's, you could get some mileage out of their quirks. (A favorite: Channel 4 once did a story about a lack of things for teenagers to do. The caption under one of the interviewed kids read "[Name], Bored Teen". Like it's his title or job!) Loads to work with there- I love when a player has a PC w/lots of hooks. Just the PI and Chinatown things could keep a few sessions going by themselves. (Try SJ Rozan's mystery "A Bitter Feast" for more) Hell, have him skunked out of a job by Spenser, if you're feeling mischievious! Oh, and just for trivia's sake: AFAIK, MA's not wolf-country. Foxes and coyotes, though. Any of the above, of course, would raise attention in Boston. (I had a Bear Guy in my Boston team. Same deal.) Does he have an HQ, like Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum? & I always thought of the 'old' DEMON as being big in NE. Good'n. -Remember the Martial-arts Weapons Laws when the team & the authorities butt heads. (Eventually they will, natch- it's inevitable, like the scene in the cop movies where the chief demands the badge back. It needn't be permanent, or anything...) Glad your group's doing well. By all means, let's keep this going!

Brick: Just wondering how it's going- are you playing in the setting yet, or are you still tinkering with it?

My last campaign, we divvied up the leader role- one was the "Chairman" (non-combat leader, who called the shots in an overall sense), and a "Captain" (who everyone looks to once the dice starts a-fallin'). Not to get too fancy, but we were going to try 'buddy teams'. (ie, 'partners' you look for once combat starts, like a little fireteam).

Yep. "Salem Village" is now Danvers. In an (unused) session for my Boston Champions campaign, a young Classic Elements mage (about 16) fled the earthquake at Port Royal, Jamaica (thinking he caused it), and settled with the only family he had, in Salem. [This is a twist on Aramis Merrow from Southern Knights, who was so cool I pretty much HAD to use him.] Fleeing into the woods after an accusation, he prayed with all his might to be as far away from the Trials as possible. He didn't move an inch in space, but hundreds of years in time. The PCs get involved when a driver in Danvers hits a kid kneeling in the middle of the street in an odd historical outfit. When he comes to in the hospital, he "Winds" the staff out of the room, and "Earths" the room shut (sealing the door-hole). Wackiness ensues. Another supers-related thing related to Salem: the Witch Trials led to the formal principle of the inadmissability of "Spectral Evidence". That is, evidence given by spirits, second sight, um, Telepathy, etc. is not admissable as evidence in a court of law... Hope some of that is useful?

Not so much a full-blown power, but maybe a wrinkle on what you've got: A werebear-type in a campaign I once ran had a "smart" shapechange. It changed him into the right kind of bear for wherever he was. If he was in the Arctic, a polar bear. In warmer climes, a Golden or Grizzly. In Asia, a Panda. That sort of thing. He steadfastly refused to go to Australia. For a "Bear god" type? Hm. I don't know much about shamanic religions, but it might be a good start to wonder what they would havewanted from it. To borrow hunting prowess? To have bears leave them alone? That should lead to some ideas as to what the amulet does.

Highly recommend taking a look at In Nomine . The game weaves together lots of kinds of angelic lore into a modern setting, and also has some neat concepts you could use: Words, for example- basically, what the angel is the Angel of (Mercy, Justice, Comfort For the Grieving, etc) The "other side" has them, too (Wrath, Gluttony, Taking Credit for Other People's Work, etc). Before sending you to City of Angels, I'd wholeheartedly recommend the German movies that it 'came from'- Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire and So Far Away, So Close!. The angels in them have a really wonderful sort of telepathy. (They are subtitled, though, I should say.) Neil Gaiman's done some nice stuff about "The Silver City", too- his short story "Murder Mysteries" is about the first murder- before Humans, before even the Earth. The two, taken together, are pretty clear influences on DC's character "Zauriel". Interestingly, he couldn't truly be killed unless his name was erased from The Book. Oh, and I just read a book suggesting that Kevin Smith's, um, bouncy and unorthodox take on theology in Dogma came from looking at it like a fanboy- he dives into concepts like Plenary Indulgence with the same glee as he would, say, the continuity of the Crisis on Infinite Earths or the fate of contractors on the second Death Star. The tricky thing about an angelic character is that you can 'fit' almost anything onto the idea- Angels, as instruments of divine will, would be given (or 'lent') enough oomph to Get The Job Done, no matter what the assignment. The idea of an angel, say, losing, is a bit unusual. The IN game resolves this, a bit, with the concept of The Symphony- a metaphor for the Plan, as it were. "Celestials" in that game don't just come in, with city-levelling power, because it would disrupt things to an unacceptable degree. (The Other Side doesn't, because it'd attract unwanted attention.) Your character could maybe be on Earth on assignment (protect this, prevent that, ensure the other thing). Probably not an Archangel (overkill for anything not actually ending the universe), but perhaps from the lower echelons. From there, who knows? Aloof and judging; protective and subtle; curious and almost jealous of Humans; bold but basically following orders, all have precedent in one place or another... How's it going so far? Character coming along OK? PS: Maybe angels can't 'sin' per se, because the concept of Sin is intended to determine where Humans go in the afterlife? (As an Angel can't 'die', it can't really have an afterlife as such)

Glad to help, Brick. I'm always happy to help a fellow gamer, and I love my state, even when I'm complaining about it. (I'm sure others feel the same about where they live, too...) -You might want to check out the Lonely Planet travel series. Their section called "Dangers and Annoyances" is always an education. -Organized Crime: It's amazing what a moment on Google'll get you... http://www.bostonmafia.com/ http://www.ci.boston.ma.us/police/ore.asp http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/massachusetts.html Boston's had 'organized crime' back to pirate days. (Seriously- Cotton Mather used to go on about it). Moonshiners and bootleggers made a fortune in prohibition, and the trend kept on to the present. There may well be Jamaican gangs in Boston, but I've never heard of them. I have heard of Asian gangs targeting families in their own community for home invasion. In the 70s and 80s, there was an arson wave that was pinned on men scheming to drive rents up, even. I don't want to make it seem as if Boston's like a war zone or anything., It's actually pretty safe, as cities go. (BTW, Boston has a branch of the Guardian Angels- they're cool to toss in.) Architecture: The only place I saw full-on gargoyles in Boston was in a specialty store on Newbury Street. (Still: http://www.stonecarver.com/gargoyles/backbay.html ). But, you know, I never saw any superheroes either. Go for broke. Mystic Threats: Well, if you listen to Lovecraft, Arkham and Miskatonic are both a short drive away. Also, between all the museums, institutes, colleges and universities, there oughta be someone Tampering In Something Man Was Not Meant to Know about every fifteen minutes. This is even leaving Salem alone. A quick perusal of Boston's timeline and geography will give you more funky ideas than you can use: (Two examples: 1) An old estate called "World's End". 2) Some say Boston's sinking, ever so slowly.) Oh, here's a link to a nonfiction study of New England's vampire folklore: http://www.foodforthedead.com/ If it helps you any, I have a book on fraternal orders and 'secret' societies around someplace. IIRC, the Boston-based ones were pretty colorful (eg, one had, as a 'centerpiece', a cube of stone taken from a ruin in Mexico City.) I'd be glad to quote the good bits... Mob Rule: If it were me, I'd use the Russian Vory or a particularly ambitious Triad. As one of the links above'll tell you, the Colombians are more or less here. Besides, it seems kind of...tropical. Kind of Miami Vice. Remember, the Winter Hill Mob and what Mafiosi are left will be equally pissed. Here's a few more things to "Bostonize": -The New York Thing: Boston, traditionally, has a rivalry with New York. (Take the Yankees-Sox thing.) In my last Champions campaign, the impetus for a local team was, in part, that a NYC team trashed Faneuil Hall, then made fairly backhanded non-apologies. New Yorkers, in turn, seem pretty ambivalent about the 'rivalry', which somehow makes it all the worse. Alternately, (and more-seriously), if supervillains were 'tolerated' before 2001 in NYC, they'd surely be driven out of town soon after. Where to go? New England. The heroes could be dealing with a supervillain 'migration'. -Weapons Laws: Guns are restricted- with recreational weapons (hunting/target shooting) in one category, guns with clips of 10+ in another, automatic weapons only allowed for collectors, and concealed weapons permits being extra. Most martial arts weapons (shurikens, katana, nunchaku, etc) are illegal. Seeker would be miserable. Mind you, actual criminals don't seem to mind the law. -Society: Take a quick read about 'High' society in Boston. I could easily see the Waynes fitting in there. (Actually, Gotham templates on Boston nicely- I could see Tommy Monaghan in Southie easily, for example.) -Neighborhoods: Ethnic neighborhoods are still very strong here. (Chinatown, Southie, etc). -Don't forget MIT. A better place for a Mad Science Club to form, I couldn't wish you. Check out: http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/ and imagine what they could do with Supers level tech... -Music: When I was younger, I was absolutely obsessed with keeping track of 'local music'. If you'd like, I can throw together a "soundtrack" list of appropriate songs & musicians. (Just to throw your players off a bit, one of my friend's friends is in a Kurt Weill-inspired punk cabaret band: http://www.dresdendolls.com/ - Freak 'em out. ) Now, in return: Why not Berlin? You've got Lola from Lola Rennt (Sonic EB, time manipulation, +" running), the angels from Wim Wenders' films... Hope ya campaign's wicked pissah, Smoot

I went to college in Boston, live a short drive away, and have run two different kinds of campaign there. Glad to pitch in. Boston Area street-gangs: http://www.state.ma.us/doc/GANG/othgang.htm (In recent years, a notorious gang called themselves the X-Men. Play with expectations!) If you can get a hold of the book "Black Mass", you'll get a good grip on what kinds of organized crime Boston has. MA does not have the death penalty, and as I recall, NH's is seldom-used. (Definitely not on Texas-level.) General weirdness: http://www.boston-online.com/bizarro.html Can't beat that molasses flood! I once had a low-powered NPC run afoul of a metahuman wrinkle on the state's "Samaritan Law". (Basically, if you can help, you HAVE to. The superhuman problem? This basically forces anyone with any superhuman ability into superheroing. Her take: "It's like saying, 'You have hands, go be a cop'!") Anything else? There's a lot to recommend a Boston campaign. What sort of campaign were you thinking of?