Villainy Amok

[Crothian]

VILLAINY MOST FOUL!

Among the thousands of adventures Champions GMs run, a few favorite types — classics from the worlds of comic books and the movies — stand out. They get run in nearly every campaign, and sometimes multiple times within a single campaign. But if you don't watch out, these beloved classics can become stale and routine.

Enter Villainy Amok! This book looks at several of the most exciting "classic" types of scenarios and provides suggestions, options, and resources for using them in your campaign. That way you can keep them fresh and exciting even after repeated use.

Your heroes won't know what hit them when they encouter these fiendish schemes:

—the bank robbery, everyone's favorite beginner and fill-in adventure

—the "prelude to alien invasion" attack

—the wonder drug that gives ordinary people superhuman powers... but with horrific side effects

—the burning building, filled with threats and opportunities for heroic action

—the scientific experiment gone awry or perverted for evil ends

—"Honey, I Shrunk The Superheroes," in which the heroes must shrink down to microscopic size to enter someone's body, or some other unusual location, to save a life or resolve a problem

—"My Big Fat Caped Wedding," in which two superheroes try to get married and many problems (ranging from the humorous to the deadly) ensue

Last but not least, Villainy Amok has The Plot Gallery, an enormous collection of plot seeds and adventure suggestions organized by theme. So let the adventure begin! Let the villains run amok and test the powers, skill, and bravery of the heroes at every turn!

Uses characters from Champions Universe and Conquerors, Killers, And Crooks.

Stock #: DOJHERO216
ISBN: 1-58366-042-9
160-pg Trade Paperback, Perfect Bound
Retail: $26.99
Author: Scott Bennie
Artists: Various

 

[Sketchpad]

Villainy Amok
A Review by DT Butchino

First off, this isn’t a d20 book. Rather, Villainy Amok is a plot book for Champions/The Hero System and published by Hero Games. Written by RPG veteran Scott Bennie, Villainy Amok collects some of the common plots that occur with the comic book genre and maps them out for the GM to use in their campaign. Of all the Hero System books I’ve reviewed, I encourage anyone that runs superhero games to pick this up. Not only are some classic ideas plotted out, but each one contains variations on the theme, stats for an assortment of items that may be broken and also offer an insert in almost every chapter discussing ten unusual suggestions for that particular topic.
In the first chapter, the scenario of a bank robbery is explored. Within the chapter, there is discussion on the general concept of a bank robbery, as well as a map, some variations on the theme, NPCs and a “Random Bank Robbery Generator”.
In chapter two, the classic alien invasion plot is detailed. Included with the “Random Alien Probe Attack Generator”, there are also a small horde of useful NPCs and creatures, an map detailing the crash site in a sample surrounding area and variations of the concepts of alien scouts and invasions.
Chapter three also follows the same formulas, but concentrates the effects of “super-drugs” that grant others superhuman powers. Additionally, there are several packages available for the effects of various drugs, ranging from animal abilities to granting someone psionics, and a map of a typical drug lab/warehouse.
Another classic scenario is explored in chapter four is the concept of a raging fire. Not only are there the methods used in the other chapters, but, in addition, there are expanded fire rules, packages for firefighters and fire fighting equipment.
In the fifth chapter, the idea surrounding mad scientists are detailed. Offering much of the style of information as its preceding chapters, there are also packages for the mad scientist and a map of his laboratory. This had to be one of my favorite chapters, as the packages and information included are both interesting and very useful for those wacky villains that you see in the comics.
Chapter six poses the question of “what if the heroes are shrunken?” Included within this chapter are expanded shrinking rules, as well as builds for both a shrinking ray and a power allowing someone to enter a subatomic universe (Micronauts anyone?). Again, I found this one interesting and very well done (so well done that it was used almost immediately in my own campaign).
Like many special issues of comics, chapter seven explores the plot of a superhero wedding. With a nice map of wedding chapel, this chapter details variations on the plot and offers a “Random Wedding Scenario Generator” much like many of the other chapters. This chapter is a fun read and really harkens back to such events as Sue and Reed Richards wedding with ideas on what kind of gifts a heroic couple may want and who might show up to the ceremony.
In addition to the stereotypical comic plots, the eighth chapter goes into various plot threads a GM could easily bring into their campaign. Covering everything from hunteds to dependent NPCs, this chapter has some great mini threads that could easily be adapted into any game. Furthermore, Villainy Amok also has two older Champions characters (who, incidentally, appeared in Mr. Bennie’s Villainy Unbound) retooled for 5th edition Hero: The Engineer and Invictus, both of which are fully statted out and illustrated.
Overall, the book is great read and offers a lot for the GM to use. As is typical with all Hero Games’ books, included with the book is a thorough index and table of contents, allowing for quick research when needed. The design of the book is also very uniform with the Hero line, as well as the black and white art within. Add to this a nice color cover by Brett Barkley and there’s a complete package that any superhero GM should have. To be honest, with a bit of work, this book could easily be adapted to any genre, especially modern, pulp or Victorian campaigns.