ICONS - Team of superhero geeks - adventure ideas?

[Herobizkit]

Here's the short and skinny.

As an experiment, I asked my three players to create a new ICONS superhero, limited only by their imagination. The concept was to run three short solo campaigns to establish some backstory, then unite them for a common task (like the Avengers).

As it turns out, here's what they decided:

• enhanced human detective/robot hunter; powers include flight, lasers, detection suite; setting is 30's Russia, Bioshock style.
• trained human physicist/astrologist; powers all from gravity plus many skills; setting is modern Wales, train graveyard junker.
• trained human electrical engineer; powers include lightning, flight, ridiculous strength; setting is 25th century Gotham-esque.

My idea is to get them together via "Stargates". I may send an exploratory team to each of their respective worlds so they have some NPC's in common.

They all have a strong Science background - given that they had an unlimited palette to paint with, I'm shocked that they all came up with scientist types. I'm curious as to what kind of stuff I can have them do. I'm debating on making a Robotech-style alien invasion and having the three minds come up with some super-science to protect Earth... as well as search other worlds via Stargates for other advantages.

Ideas. I need them.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Don't use "Stargates", make them into "Sliders". Explain the time differential how you want- time passing at different rates in each dimension; its all the same time period, but scientific advancement occurred at different rates in each dimension; "Sliding" also jumps in time in addition to piecing new dimensions... LATER you could use Stargate type plots.

One of the later plotlines in that series was the Kromagg cross-dimensional invasion. Worked just like the Wraith or Replicator plotlines from Stargate or the aforementioned Robotech plot.

You might also mine Stephen King's The Mist for ideas. Also look at the Wildcards series.

 

[am181d]

I assume you mean astronomer and not astrologer?

I would recommend a time traveling goons invading each era to retrieve items (or power sources or people) to build a super-weapon. Since they all have a science theme, it should be easy enough to position them near important "gets". Even if the initial gates are closed, they can work in their different eras to reopen them based on the "latent signature" or whatnot. And, of course, if one or more of the initial missions are thwarted, then that means a second or third round could come through, providing more opportunities to pillage the time goons' equipment and make the jump to the temporal staging ground (in the 29th century or wherever).

If the Big Bad is a time traveler, and they defeat the Big Bad, then they potentially have an extra-temporal HQ and a time machine and maybe they're in a position to become a sort of "Time's Avengers"? Seems like the obvious way to go, once you let them start in three different eras.

 

[Kexizzoc]

You've got a good group to work with here. I like each of these worlds; alternate future, alternate past, and "ours", so there's plenty to see here if you do end up having them bounce across said Earths. Their mutual science backgrounds make it REALLY easy for them to be on the forefront of whatever craziness ties them together; I don't think uniting this group will be a challenge. Whatever they face should be a threat of a scientific nature, but honestly, I'd hold off and focus on the individual solo campaigns before you even decide that stuff. The first adventure shouldn't even concern any kind of multi-world plot; tune it to the individuals and their worlds, and later on they'll be that much more invested when their world is threatened. Plus, getting to know these characters will almost definitely leaving you with some great ideas about what kind of mega-threat they would have fun facing.

Regarding the robot hunter, I have to point you to Penny Arcade's mini-comic Automata "1920s crime fiction which unfolds in a time where 'machine intellect' has been outlawed" (can't post the link but it'll come up if you Google it). They have a few other storylines besides this one floating through their archives, if you can find them. I'd ask yourself the question, What do robots do in this world? And then pick a particular funny/cool/weird answer, and then have that character track down said robot, who is now trying to use its highly specialized skillset to elude capture in clever and interesting ways. Said robot could become a recurring character.

The other two are a bit tougher. I'm inclined to make the modern-day physicist the one who first "discovers" the alternate worlds, so maybe his adventures are leading up to this. I also want to know more about this 25th century Gotham, because that sounds interesting as all hell. Hope this helped a little bit, anyway.

 

[Herobizkit]

Don't use "Stargates", make them into "Sliders". Explain the time differential how you want- time passing at different rates in each dimension; its all the same time period, but scientific advancement occurred at different rates in each dimension; "Sliding" also jumps in time in addition to piecing new dimensions... LATER you could use Stargate type plots.

I'm familiar with the show. I'm trying to (presently) avoid time-travel and parallel dimensions; I find they can get entirely too convoluted much too quickly.

I suggested Stargates mostly because I prefer the idea of connecting worlds that happened to advance at different rates, but exist separately from each other. I haven't discounted using the Stargates as a later plot device (especially since there's a fourth 'arcane professor' player hiding in the wings), or the Robotech plot. Regards to the latter, I'm referring to the time when the world gets 80-90% destroyed due to several alien attacks and now "present" world is under threat of collapse.

I've also been watching a lot of (newer) Battlestar Galactica and finding lots to mine from there, specifically robots in the form of people and "a handful of survivors finding a viable world free of alien attack".

 

[Herobizkit]

Regarding the robot hunter, I have to point you to Penny Arcade's mini-comic Automata "1920s crime fiction which unfolds in a time where 'machine intellect' has been outlawed" (can't post the link but it'll come up if you Google it). They have a few other storylines besides this one floating through their archives, if you can find them. I'd ask yourself the question, What do robots do in this world? And then pick a particular funny/cool/weird answer, and then have that character track down said robot, who is now trying to use its highly specialized skillset to elude capture in clever and interesting ways. Said robot could become a recurring character.

Fantastic idea. I had already planned to use a "robot person" as a possible ally/enemy. And now that I've re-read you saying "robot hunter", I think it would be hilarious for the player if I added in some Mega Man-style shenanigans (he only recently played Mega Man 2 and 3 for the first time, and he made a Mega Man-like Warforged Artificer for one of our 4e games).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There are also the classic, "Magnus, Robot Fighter" comics.

 

[MichaelSomething]

You can do a Manhattan Project type thing where each hero makes/saves an important part to a Mcguffin and then assemble it in a dramatic fashion

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I suggested Stargates mostly because I prefer the idea of connecting worlds that happened to advance at different rates, but exist separately from each other.

I hear & respect that, but I must point out a common difference between a Stargate-style campaign and a Sliders-style one that may matter to you: with Sliders, it is easy to describe the portals as a scientific breakthrough at 2 if not all the tech levels or even the particular PC scientists. This means the campaign starts with PC action, and makes it easy to get the PCs on the same team, or to introduce new locations. The background to the campaign is no deeper than human history,

In contrast, in most Stargate-style games, the portals are physical objects that exist in each planet, which perforce requires ancient starfaring civilizations in some way. The campaign has a background that stretches back into deep time.

I realize that if you're considering a Robotech-style story arc, aliens are part of the plan. But you still might not want to deal with the mystery of who built the Stargates...and where are they?

 

[Herobizkit]

I found a commonality last night that I hadn't considered. Trains.

The 30's guy is going to be in an area with lots of underground subway tunnels.
The modern day guy is hiding from the government in a train graveyard.
The future guy could get around via monorail.

So, here's a concept - a quantum train that exists in multiple 'realities' at the same time (borrowing from Planescape).

In The Avengers, Agent Coulson is tasked with recruiting the various heroes, and that's the same kind of thing I hope to accomplish.

@Dannyalcatraz: Three science nerds get wind of an ancient alien-crafted portal that requires machines and electricity to function? They'll love it. Especially if they have to MAKE one.