It sometimes annoying how my mind works, jumping from one thing to another like a frog who mistook hotplates for lilypads. I just need to get through all the tangled weeds that are my game ideas to find that one perfect rose growning in the middle. Nice analogies huh? What can I say, I'm a romantic.
Right now I have three main Supers games in mind.
#1) Alternate Earth DC Adventures
This is the one I mentioned recently that focuses on the aftermath of the crazy stories and piece meal continuity of DC as National Publications. I have some really good characters and ideas but I'm having a little difficulty with the over all theme. That is, how do I get across the twist of this world so that the PC's feel it in the nature and atmosphere of the game. Not sure yet. Still a work in progress.
A Redesign of DC's second Airwave.
I created him in case I get to actually play DC Adventures instead of just GM it.
#2) Champions - Solo Campaign / Road to Redemption
A buddy of mine has been bugging me to run Champions for him for the longest time. Unfortunately, as much as I love that game, I don't have the time or patience to run a full campaign for such a crunchy system. Unless...there was only one player.
To that end I figured out a way to run a one on one game with just him as the player and me as GM. I plan on doing it 'The Brave and The Bold' style (comic book more than cartoon). Each 'issue' his character Redeemer will meet up with a different superhero and learn a bit about the campaign universe through them as they team up to stop whatever crime is going on. I'm pretty excited to try this out.
A drawing of my favorite Champions PC, StarGuard,
who I played back in high school, and again later on.
I based the illustration on a pic of Marvel's Gladiator,
who StarGuard was similar to in many ways.
#3) Gods in Long Underwear II
Maybe. I'm thinking about running Supers for my Jersey crew instead of Post Apocalypse. I know, I know. But it might be awesome. Or I might be setting myself up for heartache. Well, nothing ventured nothing gained. I just have to figure it out. If I were to run my original FIENDish idea I think it would work, or a universe based on a more Golden Age feel but straight up Supers may not be their thing. Or it might. This is a tough one.
A lot to think about and a lot to discuss.
AD
Barking Alien
Cool, looking forward to hearing more. I love your illustrations! Great work. Your getting me amped to play and illustrate a supers game. Back in junior high school I had two Trapper Keepers suffed full of FASERIP characters I'd created. I pretty much ripped off the Justice League, Justice Society, and All Star Squadron (man, I LOVED to Golden age heroes back in the day) but it sure was fun.
ReplyDeleteI'll never out do my friend Will's Champions game. GOOD GAWD MAN!
ReplyDeleteHe started in when 1st edition Champion came out and end it around 15 year go (mmaybe more maybe less). It was unbelievable. It cover the Silver Age of his universe up until the time period of the late nineties (where his campaign took on a vertigo like feel).
I can't even do it justice here. I would need a month of posts to begin to tell you how cool it was.
Let's put it this way...I love to GM and hate to play and I would jump at the chance to run my old PC again if Will was available to play.
*Sigh*
Sadly, he lives in Las Vegas now and I've in New York. The memories of that campaign help feul my passion for supers gaming to this day and always will.
"Currently"?! ;)
ReplyDeleteI like the alternate DC idea, mainly because I don't know anything about it other than what you have posted, but I see the problem with the players. It's hard to do a riff or a tribute to something that the players have no awareness of. With something like Star Wars everyone knows the baseline so it's easy to tweak. Heck D&D is a enough of a common denominator that variations are easily grasped most of the time. Working in the "rooms off of the main hall" with Supers though is tricky.
ReplyDeleteAs an alternative for you NJ crew I like the Fiendish concept but the question remains "would they get it?" Awesome if they do, painful if they don't.
It's tough, because for me at least a supers game takes more prep than a typical fantasy or sci-fi game because there isn't as much material out there ready to use other than maybe character write-ups, so if it doesn't go over well it's a lot of effort for not much return.
All that said if the GM has the fire for it it usually won't suck. I'd say write up a page of notes on things you would do with each one and then see which one makes the ideas flow - that's your answer.
@RavenFeast - As I said...Currently Again, lol.
ReplyDelete@Blacksteel - "It's tough, because for me at least a supers game takes more prep than a typical fantasy or sci-fi game because there isn't as much material out there ready to use other than maybe character write-ups, so if it doesn't go over well it's a lot of effort for not much return."
I completely agree with this but its also one of the reasons I love it so much when it does work. I love that I get to build a fantastic universe in the 'the real world' exactky the way I like it.
A bit early, good friend and gaming genius Erin Palette came up with a concept that has my mind working overtime. Its awesome.
Supers for the New Jersey group...here we come!
Wait. What happened to Not-D&D?
ReplyDeleteHelp! I'm on an idea roller coaster and I can't get off!
ReplyDeleteInspiration is a merciless mistress.
ReplyDeleteI have my nice clean "3 games only" plan all laid out and in the past week I've been playing with Hexmapper for some big-scale maps for D&D, listening to Star Wars podcasts, looking at old Hero material for ideas, and getting sucked into a Savage Worlds rules debate. Now I'm thinking about stitching together my own not-so-retro retro-clone.
The first step may be recognizing that you have a problem but that's not helping me just a ton right now.
Snow days haven't been helping either - lots more time than usual to think on this stuff with the weather here this week.