Sidereal Knight
First Post
19) Mutants & Masterminds is your friend! (was that an echo?)
20) Don't be afriad to be over the top.
20) Don't be afriad to be over the top.
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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Tips on running a superhero campaign
- Thread starter Herobizkit
- Start date
Herobizkit
Adventurer
I think what I may do is use the beer n' pretzels Marvel Super Heroes system that's been defunct for around two decades. I remember this system from aeons back when I was but a whelp to RPGs and, while our GM sucked, we still managed to have lots of fun.
The campaign is going to be a SOLO hero game, hence the hero's predisposition to being a one man army of sorts. He's being carried over/converted from my d20 "super fantasy" campaign and into the modern world. I'm really not interested in using a d20 supplement, as I've found that they're too "tactical" and less free-form. Even the rules-lite True20 just doesn't cut it for me as much as I thought it would... but I digress...
Generating a few villains "just for fun" might be a good idea, as I'll be able to introduce them if I need them and there's really not much work to them.
I'll also have to develop the home city a little more.
The campaign is going to be a SOLO hero game, hence the hero's predisposition to being a one man army of sorts. He's being carried over/converted from my d20 "super fantasy" campaign and into the modern world. I'm really not interested in using a d20 supplement, as I've found that they're too "tactical" and less free-form. Even the rules-lite True20 just doesn't cut it for me as much as I thought it would... but I digress...
Generating a few villains "just for fun" might be a good idea, as I'll be able to introduce them if I need them and there's really not much work to them.
I'll also have to develop the home city a little more.
C3i
In modern-day & Superhero campaigns, especially, always stop to consider C3I - Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence. This is important to any super, and especially teams.
Now with your ONE Superhero, Command, Control, and Communications are relatively simple, as he doesn't need to command or control anyone, but once Intelligence gets added into the mix, Communications become important. The PC is going to need information, and probably isn't going to have the skill(s) to suss it out, on his own. Hence, he needs to have access to someone else who can explain the evidence to him. Blade had the black doctor girl at the hospital, in the first movie, and Whistler, in all three.
Contacts will be important to the PC. Folks who can answer questions for him. He will also need to be able to contact them. This could be as simple as cell phones, or tougher "social contacts", where he has to go chase down Wesley in a bar/corp, whatever.
Transportation can also be important. Can the PC Fly? Run at Superspeed? Does he have a car? If it's wrecked, can he afford a new one? What are his finances? Does he have to scrounge for cab fare, or steal a bus?
(Hey, don't laugh! I once knew of a Superhero team where the Telepath almost burned herself out, trying to keep the party in communication, and when the team ran out to stop their enemy, only to realize that they didn't have the mobility to reach their goal, and stood around arguing about what to do, until one of the less socially-conscious team members drove up in a stolen bus!)
One way to resolve ALL of this, easily, is the "Angel/Iron Man" solution (both Warren Worthington III & Tony Stark were rich), or the "We're from the Government... We're here to Help!" motif. In eaither case, C3I is all nicely taken care of, and backup is a radio message away. The Hero needs help, he calls for it, and someone responds ASAP. Hero Teams aren't usually so lucky!
Another point to consider is, how does the law see the PC? As an accepted part of the establishment? As a vigillante? As shady? As a criminal? Superman fits in the first group, as does Batman. The Punisher is more often than not in group IV. Where does your PC fit in? Joss Whedon's Angel probably fit in as Group I, because he ran a "Security Agency"/Paranormal Investigations Agency. Other than that, group II or III, at best.
In any case, work out with the players the PC's "schtick". What tech do they use, and which are part of their "schtick"? Angel used a lot of gear, but carried pretty much nothing. Ichiban the Chinese Sorcerer will use magic, but generally disdain firearms & explosives, the sleazoid alien's web guns, Pyro's Flamer, etc. Superman always destroyed or turned in the bad guys' high-tech gizmos. Fury, the Martial Artist, isn't really going to want to lug around Joey Balboa's machinegun... although The Punisher might! So determine the PC's schtick, ahead of time.
Play to their Strengths; Play Off their Weaknesses: If the PC has superstrength, let them toss the bad guy's mooks around, dangle them off bridges by one foot, wrap them up in steel girders, etc. If they have superspeed, let them run around town and beat the NPCs to wherever they need to be. Let them enjoy it! Let them deck Doctor Doom through the walls, ceilings, and floors! Doom can take it! Let them enjoy the power!
Doom is no dummy, however. He will keep a running file on the PCs, too, and isn't above bribing contacts, threatening whomever, or having mooks infiltrate whatever organization(s) sponsor(s) the PC. Any weaknesses he discovers will be used to their fullest by the Smart Villians to overcome them.
Villians Never Kill Captured Superheroes: No, James Bond never gets shot in the head. He always gets put into an ingenious death-trap, from which he always manages to find a way to escape, AND pick up a chick! Batman & Supes rarely get the chicks, but never seem to get killed, either. Devise a few ingenious death-traps for the Smart Villians, and some less-clever ones for the dumber ones and mooks. Sooner or later, the PC will mess up, and you'll need one!
The Cavalry/Deus Ex Machina: Sooner or later, the PCs get beat. TPKs are extremely rare, in comics. How will you handle it when the PC fails? There are several good ways...
1) The Villians Were Stopped by a Miracle! The martians were winning, until they caught cold, and died! Deus Ex Machina! Shew! Good thing that the Vampires attacked just DAYS before the Garlic-Blooming Festival! That was a close one! (Not very satisfying, but if it's only a reprieve, the adventure continues when the blooms die!)
2) The Cavalry! If WonderBoy works for F.O.R.C.E. (The Federal Organization for the Registration & Certification of Exotics), then F.O.R.C.E. can show up, with garlic-gas-sprayers and shotguns loaded with silver buckshot and/or toothpick flechettes, and drive back the Vamps, at least long enough to save WonderBoy's Underoos!
3) The Sacrifice of the Lessers! "Radman and Hobbit saved you... may they rest in peace! I hope they don't come back as Vampires! C'mon, WonderBoy, time's a'wastin'!"
4) Suspect Circumstances: Similar to "Miracle", but less so... The weakened floor collapsed, dropping the hero/villian down, out of range. Just as the Vampires surrounded WonderBoy, the sun came up! Just as Doktor Doom was about to press the Doomsday Button, the entire city was blacked out! As Chemex moved in to stomp Nine-Lives' head in, the electrical wiring exposed by the rents in the wall gave off a shower of sparks, which sent the chemical horror into uncontrollable spasms, allowing the hero to crawl away! (Not exactly miraculous, by certainly extraordinary!)
Have a Little Mystery! Plenty of room for that, in your scenario! Some false leads don't hurt, especially if the Smart Villian is supplying them!![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
Always Involve the SuperHero's Secret Identity: SpiderMan I without Peter Parker just isn't much of a tale. While Superman can do almost anything, Clark Kent has far fewer options! Angel didn't so much have a Secret Identity, but Angelus did! Don't just bedevil the Superhero, but his alter-ego, as well! Hostile Corporate takeovers, tax audits, getting fired and looking for work, Aunt May/Mary Jane getting kidnapped/bitten...
In modern-day & Superhero campaigns, especially, always stop to consider C3I - Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence. This is important to any super, and especially teams.
Now with your ONE Superhero, Command, Control, and Communications are relatively simple, as he doesn't need to command or control anyone, but once Intelligence gets added into the mix, Communications become important. The PC is going to need information, and probably isn't going to have the skill(s) to suss it out, on his own. Hence, he needs to have access to someone else who can explain the evidence to him. Blade had the black doctor girl at the hospital, in the first movie, and Whistler, in all three.
Contacts will be important to the PC. Folks who can answer questions for him. He will also need to be able to contact them. This could be as simple as cell phones, or tougher "social contacts", where he has to go chase down Wesley in a bar/corp, whatever.
Transportation can also be important. Can the PC Fly? Run at Superspeed? Does he have a car? If it's wrecked, can he afford a new one? What are his finances? Does he have to scrounge for cab fare, or steal a bus?
(Hey, don't laugh! I once knew of a Superhero team where the Telepath almost burned herself out, trying to keep the party in communication, and when the team ran out to stop their enemy, only to realize that they didn't have the mobility to reach their goal, and stood around arguing about what to do, until one of the less socially-conscious team members drove up in a stolen bus!)
One way to resolve ALL of this, easily, is the "Angel/Iron Man" solution (both Warren Worthington III & Tony Stark were rich), or the "We're from the Government... We're here to Help!" motif. In eaither case, C3I is all nicely taken care of, and backup is a radio message away. The Hero needs help, he calls for it, and someone responds ASAP. Hero Teams aren't usually so lucky!
Another point to consider is, how does the law see the PC? As an accepted part of the establishment? As a vigillante? As shady? As a criminal? Superman fits in the first group, as does Batman. The Punisher is more often than not in group IV. Where does your PC fit in? Joss Whedon's Angel probably fit in as Group I, because he ran a "Security Agency"/Paranormal Investigations Agency. Other than that, group II or III, at best.
In any case, work out with the players the PC's "schtick". What tech do they use, and which are part of their "schtick"? Angel used a lot of gear, but carried pretty much nothing. Ichiban the Chinese Sorcerer will use magic, but generally disdain firearms & explosives, the sleazoid alien's web guns, Pyro's Flamer, etc. Superman always destroyed or turned in the bad guys' high-tech gizmos. Fury, the Martial Artist, isn't really going to want to lug around Joey Balboa's machinegun... although The Punisher might! So determine the PC's schtick, ahead of time.
Play to their Strengths; Play Off their Weaknesses: If the PC has superstrength, let them toss the bad guy's mooks around, dangle them off bridges by one foot, wrap them up in steel girders, etc. If they have superspeed, let them run around town and beat the NPCs to wherever they need to be. Let them enjoy it! Let them deck Doctor Doom through the walls, ceilings, and floors! Doom can take it! Let them enjoy the power!
Doom is no dummy, however. He will keep a running file on the PCs, too, and isn't above bribing contacts, threatening whomever, or having mooks infiltrate whatever organization(s) sponsor(s) the PC. Any weaknesses he discovers will be used to their fullest by the Smart Villians to overcome them.
Villians Never Kill Captured Superheroes: No, James Bond never gets shot in the head. He always gets put into an ingenious death-trap, from which he always manages to find a way to escape, AND pick up a chick! Batman & Supes rarely get the chicks, but never seem to get killed, either. Devise a few ingenious death-traps for the Smart Villians, and some less-clever ones for the dumber ones and mooks. Sooner or later, the PC will mess up, and you'll need one!
The Cavalry/Deus Ex Machina: Sooner or later, the PCs get beat. TPKs are extremely rare, in comics. How will you handle it when the PC fails? There are several good ways...
1) The Villians Were Stopped by a Miracle! The martians were winning, until they caught cold, and died! Deus Ex Machina! Shew! Good thing that the Vampires attacked just DAYS before the Garlic-Blooming Festival! That was a close one! (Not very satisfying, but if it's only a reprieve, the adventure continues when the blooms die!)
2) The Cavalry! If WonderBoy works for F.O.R.C.E. (The Federal Organization for the Registration & Certification of Exotics), then F.O.R.C.E. can show up, with garlic-gas-sprayers and shotguns loaded with silver buckshot and/or toothpick flechettes, and drive back the Vamps, at least long enough to save WonderBoy's Underoos!
3) The Sacrifice of the Lessers! "Radman and Hobbit saved you... may they rest in peace! I hope they don't come back as Vampires! C'mon, WonderBoy, time's a'wastin'!"
4) Suspect Circumstances: Similar to "Miracle", but less so... The weakened floor collapsed, dropping the hero/villian down, out of range. Just as the Vampires surrounded WonderBoy, the sun came up! Just as Doktor Doom was about to press the Doomsday Button, the entire city was blacked out! As Chemex moved in to stomp Nine-Lives' head in, the electrical wiring exposed by the rents in the wall gave off a shower of sparks, which sent the chemical horror into uncontrollable spasms, allowing the hero to crawl away! (Not exactly miraculous, by certainly extraordinary!)
Have a Little Mystery! Plenty of room for that, in your scenario! Some false leads don't hurt, especially if the Smart Villian is supplying them!
Always Involve the SuperHero's Secret Identity: SpiderMan I without Peter Parker just isn't much of a tale. While Superman can do almost anything, Clark Kent has far fewer options! Angel didn't so much have a Secret Identity, but Angelus did! Don't just bedevil the Superhero, but his alter-ego, as well! Hostile Corporate takeovers, tax audits, getting fired and looking for work, Aunt May/Mary Jane getting kidnapped/bitten...
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Old (SuperWorld) War Stories:
I played in, and ran, some SuperWorld Campaigns, back before 3e... My PC never really had a name, and wasn't so much a "Superhero", as a guy in an armored suit trying to be a regular one... I tried very hard to make my PC able to stand against anything in the game, and did a pretty good job of making him immune. After a while, the GM started to complain that he was "too powerful", because none of the "Stop'em" techniques worked (like Knock-out gas being stopped by his gas mask, damage being stopped by his suit, etc.) We soon found out how wrong he was, however.
Outside the super-suit, my PC was pretty average. He had one level of superspeed, and one of Martial Arts, a lot of skills, and a forcefield that did nothing but prevent ability drain. The suit let him survive a direct hit from napalm, impaling fire from a 50mm Autocannon, or walk across a heavy-duty, industrial electrical line, without damage. I calculated the chances of his surviving a fall off the Empire State Building, once, and they were better than even. He also was able to survive underwater, in outer space, was immune to gas, acid, radiation, etc. He didn't do too much damage, though, and had normal Human strength (and was thus the weakest PC in the party)!
So in one episode, we trace the baddie to his lair, and charge in. His super-goons oppose us. Some mooks manning a 50mm Autocannon open up on him. The suit absorbs all the damage, BUT... this game has a knock-back rule! Every time my PC runs up X feet, he gets hammered by the 50-cal, and knocked back X+10 feet! The more-super supers fly in, and smash the cannon.
The Mighty Mauler (big, dumb, and strong - kinda like the Hulk) pries up a large chunk of the pavement, and throws it at my PC (the write-up said he hated Martial Artists, and concentrated on them, so my one rank got me in trouble). The chunk hit me, but the suit blocked all the damage. The problem was, with no super-strength, my PC was trapped under it, because he couldn't lift it, and it was too heavy to squirm free!
Fortunately, he had one rank of Burrow, which required power (most of his super abilities didn't). So he tunnelled down, under the chunk of confining pavement, dug over a ways, and then tunnelled up... By the time he made it to the surface, the fight was over! A lot of use he was, in that fight!
In other episodes, his inability to fly left him out of the combat, unless some enemy came close enough to snare. Without a bow, or some other gimmick, he wasn't able to effect them... and guns weren't really part of his schtick.
So, tough, survivable, stealthy, perceptive, but weak, low damage, and often ineffective. I used a little Gizmo power to give him gliding ability to keep him from being totally ineffective against fliers, later on...
===
In the campaign I ran, I had a super-villian team, lead by "Agent Orange", who had stolen the identity of a disabled Viet Nam vet (who the PCs later traced to the hospital where he was confined). He was a techno-leader sort, mutated by exposure to... Ah! You guessed!
He and his band were operating out of a secret base in a NY City junkyard, and knocking over military bases, Star Labs, etc., for high-tech gear.
His cronies included Orion, a teleporting alien swordsman, Vizier, a flying, future-seeing magician, Wolfman (whose schtick I think you can guess), and a Bionic Babe with interchangable weapons and bionic limbs (whose hand was independently operable, and crawled around on its own, like a spider).
I began the campaign with the PCs not knowing each other, sitting at home, watching the news. I gave a bunch of news stories, including stuff from the Mid-East, reports of UFOs and Aliens, a robbery of a military base, etc. Unknown to the PCs, all of these except the Mid-East were being woven into the campaign!
One PC, from Arizona, was following up on the Aliens, and got to fight a couple of insectoid "Sleazoids", stolen right outta the X-men. The others mostly chose to investigate the stolen choppers, and thus met up with Agent Orange & Co. A couple went after the UFO, eventually meeting the PC who had killed the Aliens, and had their weapons. Both groups met up at Star Labs (where the weapons could be analyzed) just as Agent Orange attacked to gain Star's high-tech firepower!
Battle ensued, and all the bad guys got away. The heroes all joined together, and went after Agent Orange & Co., eventually tracing him to the hospital and finding the vet whose identity he was using. Since he was obviously not Agebt Orange, much confusion ensued. Eventually they found his shipload of military gear, guarded by the Mercenary Super, Blackflash. More carnage ensued. The ship survived.
I don't recall the campaign going much farther, but some banter during the fight did lead to Bionic Babe (whatever her name was) switching sides. She wasn't really a "Bad Guy", she just wanted to smash the group that had "Bionicized" her, and killed her Dad. Agent Orange's plans had run along with her own, and she'd needed a place to hide from F.I.R.E. (The Free Investigatory Research Enterprise, who had no problem forcing a Dad to bionicize his kid, and then kill him, just to see what would happen... What happened was that they developed a suped up, Bio-Babe with BA, who spent all her free time tracking down their bases & scientists, and smashing them into itty-bitty, teeny-weeny little pieces!).
The PCs had taken over Agent Orange's Junkyard chopper-base early on, and the new team was being sued by the City of NY for "Creating a Public Nuisance" after AO had shot the place up. They fixed that, after teaming up. Bio-Babe's hand had scouted the place out. If the game had continued, I had planned to send a Mystique-style shapeshifter, capable of imitating the PCs down to the DNA, in to infiltrate the base, and learn what (s)he could... and one of the PCs (like Wolverine) had enough Super-Scent to detect him/her!
I played in, and ran, some SuperWorld Campaigns, back before 3e... My PC never really had a name, and wasn't so much a "Superhero", as a guy in an armored suit trying to be a regular one... I tried very hard to make my PC able to stand against anything in the game, and did a pretty good job of making him immune. After a while, the GM started to complain that he was "too powerful", because none of the "Stop'em" techniques worked (like Knock-out gas being stopped by his gas mask, damage being stopped by his suit, etc.) We soon found out how wrong he was, however.
Outside the super-suit, my PC was pretty average. He had one level of superspeed, and one of Martial Arts, a lot of skills, and a forcefield that did nothing but prevent ability drain. The suit let him survive a direct hit from napalm, impaling fire from a 50mm Autocannon, or walk across a heavy-duty, industrial electrical line, without damage. I calculated the chances of his surviving a fall off the Empire State Building, once, and they were better than even. He also was able to survive underwater, in outer space, was immune to gas, acid, radiation, etc. He didn't do too much damage, though, and had normal Human strength (and was thus the weakest PC in the party)!
So in one episode, we trace the baddie to his lair, and charge in. His super-goons oppose us. Some mooks manning a 50mm Autocannon open up on him. The suit absorbs all the damage, BUT... this game has a knock-back rule! Every time my PC runs up X feet, he gets hammered by the 50-cal, and knocked back X+10 feet! The more-super supers fly in, and smash the cannon.
The Mighty Mauler (big, dumb, and strong - kinda like the Hulk) pries up a large chunk of the pavement, and throws it at my PC (the write-up said he hated Martial Artists, and concentrated on them, so my one rank got me in trouble). The chunk hit me, but the suit blocked all the damage. The problem was, with no super-strength, my PC was trapped under it, because he couldn't lift it, and it was too heavy to squirm free!
Fortunately, he had one rank of Burrow, which required power (most of his super abilities didn't). So he tunnelled down, under the chunk of confining pavement, dug over a ways, and then tunnelled up... By the time he made it to the surface, the fight was over! A lot of use he was, in that fight!
In other episodes, his inability to fly left him out of the combat, unless some enemy came close enough to snare. Without a bow, or some other gimmick, he wasn't able to effect them... and guns weren't really part of his schtick.
So, tough, survivable, stealthy, perceptive, but weak, low damage, and often ineffective. I used a little Gizmo power to give him gliding ability to keep him from being totally ineffective against fliers, later on...
===
In the campaign I ran, I had a super-villian team, lead by "Agent Orange", who had stolen the identity of a disabled Viet Nam vet (who the PCs later traced to the hospital where he was confined). He was a techno-leader sort, mutated by exposure to... Ah! You guessed!
He and his band were operating out of a secret base in a NY City junkyard, and knocking over military bases, Star Labs, etc., for high-tech gear.
His cronies included Orion, a teleporting alien swordsman, Vizier, a flying, future-seeing magician, Wolfman (whose schtick I think you can guess), and a Bionic Babe with interchangable weapons and bionic limbs (whose hand was independently operable, and crawled around on its own, like a spider).
I began the campaign with the PCs not knowing each other, sitting at home, watching the news. I gave a bunch of news stories, including stuff from the Mid-East, reports of UFOs and Aliens, a robbery of a military base, etc. Unknown to the PCs, all of these except the Mid-East were being woven into the campaign!
One PC, from Arizona, was following up on the Aliens, and got to fight a couple of insectoid "Sleazoids", stolen right outta the X-men. The others mostly chose to investigate the stolen choppers, and thus met up with Agent Orange & Co. A couple went after the UFO, eventually meeting the PC who had killed the Aliens, and had their weapons. Both groups met up at Star Labs (where the weapons could be analyzed) just as Agent Orange attacked to gain Star's high-tech firepower!
Battle ensued, and all the bad guys got away. The heroes all joined together, and went after Agent Orange & Co., eventually tracing him to the hospital and finding the vet whose identity he was using. Since he was obviously not Agebt Orange, much confusion ensued. Eventually they found his shipload of military gear, guarded by the Mercenary Super, Blackflash. More carnage ensued. The ship survived.
I don't recall the campaign going much farther, but some banter during the fight did lead to Bionic Babe (whatever her name was) switching sides. She wasn't really a "Bad Guy", she just wanted to smash the group that had "Bionicized" her, and killed her Dad. Agent Orange's plans had run along with her own, and she'd needed a place to hide from F.I.R.E. (The Free Investigatory Research Enterprise, who had no problem forcing a Dad to bionicize his kid, and then kill him, just to see what would happen... What happened was that they developed a suped up, Bio-Babe with BA, who spent all her free time tracking down their bases & scientists, and smashing them into itty-bitty, teeny-weeny little pieces!).
The PCs had taken over Agent Orange's Junkyard chopper-base early on, and the new team was being sued by the City of NY for "Creating a Public Nuisance" after AO had shot the place up. They fixed that, after teaming up. Bio-Babe's hand had scouted the place out. If the game had continued, I had planned to send a Mystique-style shapeshifter, capable of imitating the PCs down to the DNA, in to infiltrate the base, and learn what (s)he could... and one of the PCs (like Wolverine) had enough Super-Scent to detect him/her!
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Herobizkit said:
Well, Supes is pretty Invulnerible, but I hasten to point out that his Invulnerability didn't work against Magic!
For anti-vampy goodness, you might look here: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=82232Concepts? How about "Save Humanity!" Also, investigate the source of this Hero's powers. Tie the opponents into this. Is he magical? Then Morgana LeFey and her toadies is a good opponent. Is he a Vamp, himself? Then steal an opponent from Anne Rice or Dracula. Merlin and some Knights of Camelot could show up, or Blade, and any of them could be friend or foe, depending upon the hero. The Black Knight from the comics fits in well, here, too!
Themes? "Vampires suck!" They keep killing Humans, and making more vamps, even though any fool can see that the food supply will eventually run out! That's crazy! Are Vamps crazy? What caused all this? Did Vamps always exist, or did something cause this plague (like a mutated bat virus excaping some lab)? Can the infected be saved, or does the hero hafta off them all?
"Where do you want to go, today?" The plague could be ancient vampires taking over at last, some corp releasing a bug (by accident or on purpose), magical or high-tech, even an alien invasion, in disguise. Which elements do you want to focus upon?
Biggest things I can think of are:
1) Are the authorities your friends, or your foes?
2) Are the normals aware of superheroes, and if so, are they treated like they are in the DC universe (most are treated as actual heroes) or the Marvel universe (where most are treated as just as bad as the bad guys the beat up?)
1) Are the authorities your friends, or your foes?
2) Are the normals aware of superheroes, and if so, are they treated like they are in the DC universe (most are treated as actual heroes) or the Marvel universe (where most are treated as just as bad as the bad guys the beat up?)
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