Once again, tons of views have resulted in no comments. It's pretty amazing. Someone on another blog will talk about standardizing the damage of weapons in D&D (everything does 6! It's brilliant! From a dirk to a thirty ton boulder - 6!), AGAIN I might add, and get thirty comments on his genius while I can't get a, "Neat idea, man" or "I like Mutants & Masterminds too". Sigh. Whatever. It's not so much that I want or expect recognition (my page views do that if that was my concern) but moreover, I really wanted this blog to be a place for an exchange of ideas for those of us who don't think D&D is the end-all-be-all of gaming experience. Unfortunately, I get the impression it is for the vast majority, which sometimes bums me out a bit. Oh well. Onward and upward. Or up, up and away-ward!
So why did last Saturday's Freedom City game work where the previous two failed?
Good question and one I have several theories about. Come, peruse my rambling thoughts won't you?
For My Part
There were several key differences in my running of this game as compared to the others but they mostly boil down to knowing my players, knowing my world and having fun with it.
Without Corey in the mix I was left with four pretty serious comic book fans. This meant that my experiences as a comic book fan and the ideas that reading comics for over 30 years would naturally inspire (for me that is) would be understood and appreciated by my group. A homage here, an Easter Egg there, all thrown in to a story that both played on and played against expected cliches, was far more likely, if not guaranteed, to put a smile on everyone's face and get them into the swing of things.
I also knew my world much more accurately this time. Now my first attempt was in my Champions setting, a world first created and developed by my friend William. I do know that world very well, especially the changes I made to it to adapt it to my own campaign style and the players I have. The problem was that the Champions world is a bit too specific in atmosphere and unless I convey it properly, it's hard to get a brand new hero to just pop in out of no where.
The second world was not only too high concept but I never got a chance to fully flesh out said concept. As a result, I don't think everyone really got it and who could blame them.
With Freedom City and it's universe I not only have a well thought out setting that really evokes the kind of comic books I want to focus on but it's also a setting I have run before. It's loose enough to through in my own stuff and, SUPER BONUS!, the Players are not familiar with it so I can alter some of the details of it's 'canon' and no one notices or cares. It is also a setting with a fantastic map and that is always fun.
Lastly, I didn't push to make it awesomely epic right from the start. Rather, as I do tend to like the epic opener approach, I tried only to make it fun. It would likely get epic on its own once the PCs got the hang of the setting, the NPCs and their characters' personalities and powers.
For Their Part
That is, "How did the Players contribute to a better session".
For one thing, they made great characters. They're a pretty diverse group and they are also somewhat traditional comic book heroes at first glance. You've got the Superman/Paragon/Flying Powerhouse guy, the Armor/Techie/Space guy, the Martial Arts Master guy and a Mutant Power/Mimic gal who serves as the wild card.
Each comes with a nice twist in bother powers and perspective:
Our Superman is a city dwelling, blue collar, regular joe. He has a Psychic/Sonic power that causes enemies and allies to hear music the can demoralize or heal respectively.
Our Iron Man from Space is the least experienced and honestly has no idea what he's doing. He not only became a hero by accident but the super suit has no instructions.
Our Martial Arts Master was trained under special conditions by an alien. He is our Asian Mysticism character AND our Cosmic character all in one.
Our wild card is a female character with really unsual powers. Looking at the specifics of the PC, the closest pre-existing characters she resembles are Nemesis Kid, one time enemy of the Legion of Superheroes and Shane Gooseman from Galaxy Rangers. She's got great pathos, wondering if she is really cut out to be a hero.
Although created separately with no real knowledge of each others' ideas, these characters fit together. You can see them being on the same team. Furthermore, their backgrounds overlap somewhat, making it fairly easy to come up with an opponent or plot that will grab them all.
Anthem has an enemy in SHADOW, a Hydra or Cobra like group that deals in sorcery as well as science and tech. Onyx Dragon has an enemy in the cult, Way of the Void. The Way employs shadow soceror types, giving me a perfect excuse to team them up with SHADOW. Onyx Dragon knows about aliens and StarKnight protects our sector of space from alien invasion. Aliens or alien tech could be responsible for the 'flash' that gave Ad Hoc her powers.
Lastly but most assuredly, the guys really came to game last Saturday. Much less horsing around, fewer random nerdy side tangents and a real desire to make this particular game successful could be felt at the table that day.
Can't wait for the next issue to drop...
AD
Barking Alien
Showing posts with label Freedom City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freedom City. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Freedom City Free For All!
The third time is definitely the charm heroes and heroines.
This past Saturday, four players and myself rocked the costumed and cowled capital of the world, Freedom City (my slightly alternate take on it actually), and broke the curse of weak sessions that had been plaguing us of late.
We partook in a 7 1/2 hour session that saw the four PC's, billed as new recruits to the world's greatest super team, The Freedom League, team up with senior members and The Atom Family (Power Pack by way of being the children of the Fantastic Four) in order to take down The Meta-Grue (essentially the Super Skrull) and uncover a secret lab belonging to SHADOW (your not-so-basic basic clandestine terrorist organization bent on world domination).
Whew!
I opened with the local morning talk show, "A.M. Freedom", being interrupted by popular Channel 3 Action News reporter, Amy Feng, with a fast breaking story of the Meta-Grue's sudden and inexplicable rampage in the Greenbank section of the city, a dreary, rundown area dominated by the train yards (and the remains of an older series of tunnels no longer in use). Just before leaving their headquarters for the scene, one of the NPCs, a well known member of the Freedom League who is himself a Grue shapeshifter (though he rebelled and became good) begins freaking out and attacking the PCs. Two members try to subdue him with the help of another Freedom Leaguer NPC while the other two PCs go help the Atom Family who are already in Greenbank getting their butts kicked.
Soon, all the PCs meet up at the battle scene, eager to find out why the Grue (good and bad alike) are, like, totally wigging. After cleverly defeating the Meta-Grue, who had definitely gone feral/crazy, the PCs investigated the 'abandoned' train tunnels to see if there was something in there he was after or that was causing he and his fellow alien such distress.
Eventually, the team uncovered a secret SHADOW lab attempting to unlock the secrets of this weird Jack Kirby-esque device (described as a sphere with tubes and handles. It sorta looks like a lantern. No, not like a lantern. OK, more like a camera. No, not like a camera...er...). The PCs, with some NPC help, defeat and capture the SHADOW agents and retrieve the object. In the process, the group discovers that SHADOW (arch enemy of one of the PCs) is in cahoots with mystic, martial arts cult called The Way of the Void (arch enemy of one of the other PCs).
Unfortunately, an android agent of SHADOW (a SHADOW Puppet ;-) escaped with some key data on the device they were studying. Next issue, they track him/it down...
***
Our Heroes!
Ad Hoc Played By Conrad
Attractive, African American business woman and financial genius. Total Type A personality, go getter. Being a superhero doesn't really fit into her life plan but after being exposed to a mysterious flash of light in the night sky and seeing others like her (the 'Flashfolk') using their powers for both good and evil, she felt ashamed that she initially hid her powers and did nothing. Now, she is at odds with herself over whether she is really meant to be a superhero.
Ad Hoc's body adapts to any hazardous outside stimuli in a most extreme way. In a radiation field she will turn to lead, in a lightning storm she may become rubber, etc. She can generate 'Countermeasure Blasts' such as jets of water to put out fire surrounding her or shards of metal to pierce armored attackers.
***
Anthem Played by the oft mentioned Dave
Formerly a 98 lbs weakling and science nerd of the Steve Erkle variety, Anthem invented a forumla to enhance his physical attributes that worked waaay too well. He wanted to be a handsome jock but gained super powers as well and now uses them to make a difference for the innocent, weak and downtrodden.
Best thought of as a blue collar superman, Anthem is garbed in a patriotic costume and is definitely the moral center of the group, though not above grabbing a beer after a super battle or hitting on his team mates or attractive reporters.
Anthem takes the classic superman power set, Flight, Invulnerability, Super Strength, etc. and adds a Psychic/Sound based aura the can demoralized his enemies and heal or 'amp up' his allies. He can also focus the sound into a sonic blast attack.
***
Onyx Dragon Played By Marcus
A homeless orphan abandoned on Earth was 'abducted' by an alien monk and given the choice, "Stay on Earth as you were or become my student and tour the wonders of the universe." Three guesses which he chose. The alien turned out to be the master of a technique that could tap the Force-like 'Cosmic Chi'. He trained his student in the philosophy of the 'Cosmic Chi' as well as teaching him the martial arts style of dozens upon dozens of alien species. Eventually, the master revealed one of his former students had twisted the philosophy to create 'The Way of The Void'. Not long after The Void Master attacked and killed the master but not before he had returned his newest student, orphan turned alien martial arts expert, Onyx Dragon, to Earth.
Now, The Void Master and The Way of The Void cult search for Onyx Dragon as they plan to take over the galaxy by achieving the ultimate level of cosmic awareness. Unless of course, Onyx Dragon and his 'Cosmic Chi' get defeat them or do it first.
Onyx Dragon is a martial arts master with nerve cluster pinches and crazy Wushu fighting styles that even work against bizarre extraterrestrials ("Of course I stunned him. An Altairian's blood flow is centered in it's right hip."). He can also focus the 'Cosmic Chi' to perform superhuman feats like 'Hulk leaps' and blocking/parrying energy swords.
***
StarKnight Plus Played By Ray
The newest recruit to be inducted into the Green Lantern Corps like organization known as The StarKnights, this young man came by the honor in a somewhat embarrasing fashion. A prototype for a new, more advanced StarKnight Armor was en route to one of the greatest members of their order when the starship carrying it was destroyed by enemy forces. The commander of the ship, who was also the mission leader, dumped the nanotech armor's primary data core so that if the suit survived the starship's destruction and the enemy got a hold of it, they wouldn't know how it worked.
The remains of the vessel crash on Earth, where a young man finds the containment crystal that houses the nanotech armor and is suddenly encased in the StarKnight Plus protective garb. Oh course, he doesn't know how it operates. Cross Green Lantern, Iron Man and the Greatest American Hero and you get the idea behind StarKnight Plus.
Ray's StarKnight is protected by Armor, can fly, shoot solar energy blasts and possesses Super Strength and Endurance. He can also rapidly destabilize the molecules of metal objects and reorganize them into other shapes so as to supply him with additional weapons, defenses, create a cage or restraints to hold a villain, etc.
Hoody Hoo! More to come...
AD
Barking Alien
This past Saturday, four players and myself rocked the costumed and cowled capital of the world, Freedom City (my slightly alternate take on it actually), and broke the curse of weak sessions that had been plaguing us of late.
We partook in a 7 1/2 hour session that saw the four PC's, billed as new recruits to the world's greatest super team, The Freedom League, team up with senior members and The Atom Family (Power Pack by way of being the children of the Fantastic Four) in order to take down The Meta-Grue (essentially the Super Skrull) and uncover a secret lab belonging to SHADOW (your not-so-basic basic clandestine terrorist organization bent on world domination).
Whew!
I opened with the local morning talk show, "A.M. Freedom", being interrupted by popular Channel 3 Action News reporter, Amy Feng, with a fast breaking story of the Meta-Grue's sudden and inexplicable rampage in the Greenbank section of the city, a dreary, rundown area dominated by the train yards (and the remains of an older series of tunnels no longer in use). Just before leaving their headquarters for the scene, one of the NPCs, a well known member of the Freedom League who is himself a Grue shapeshifter (though he rebelled and became good) begins freaking out and attacking the PCs. Two members try to subdue him with the help of another Freedom Leaguer NPC while the other two PCs go help the Atom Family who are already in Greenbank getting their butts kicked.
Soon, all the PCs meet up at the battle scene, eager to find out why the Grue (good and bad alike) are, like, totally wigging. After cleverly defeating the Meta-Grue, who had definitely gone feral/crazy, the PCs investigated the 'abandoned' train tunnels to see if there was something in there he was after or that was causing he and his fellow alien such distress.
Eventually, the team uncovered a secret SHADOW lab attempting to unlock the secrets of this weird Jack Kirby-esque device (described as a sphere with tubes and handles. It sorta looks like a lantern. No, not like a lantern. OK, more like a camera. No, not like a camera...er...). The PCs, with some NPC help, defeat and capture the SHADOW agents and retrieve the object. In the process, the group discovers that SHADOW (arch enemy of one of the PCs) is in cahoots with mystic, martial arts cult called The Way of the Void (arch enemy of one of the other PCs).
Unfortunately, an android agent of SHADOW (a SHADOW Puppet ;-) escaped with some key data on the device they were studying. Next issue, they track him/it down...
***
Our Heroes!
Ad Hoc Played By Conrad
Attractive, African American business woman and financial genius. Total Type A personality, go getter. Being a superhero doesn't really fit into her life plan but after being exposed to a mysterious flash of light in the night sky and seeing others like her (the 'Flashfolk') using their powers for both good and evil, she felt ashamed that she initially hid her powers and did nothing. Now, she is at odds with herself over whether she is really meant to be a superhero.
Ad Hoc's body adapts to any hazardous outside stimuli in a most extreme way. In a radiation field she will turn to lead, in a lightning storm she may become rubber, etc. She can generate 'Countermeasure Blasts' such as jets of water to put out fire surrounding her or shards of metal to pierce armored attackers.
***
Anthem Played by the oft mentioned Dave
Formerly a 98 lbs weakling and science nerd of the Steve Erkle variety, Anthem invented a forumla to enhance his physical attributes that worked waaay too well. He wanted to be a handsome jock but gained super powers as well and now uses them to make a difference for the innocent, weak and downtrodden.
Best thought of as a blue collar superman, Anthem is garbed in a patriotic costume and is definitely the moral center of the group, though not above grabbing a beer after a super battle or hitting on his team mates or attractive reporters.
Anthem takes the classic superman power set, Flight, Invulnerability, Super Strength, etc. and adds a Psychic/Sound based aura the can demoralized his enemies and heal or 'amp up' his allies. He can also focus the sound into a sonic blast attack.
***
Onyx Dragon Played By Marcus
A homeless orphan abandoned on Earth was 'abducted' by an alien monk and given the choice, "Stay on Earth as you were or become my student and tour the wonders of the universe." Three guesses which he chose. The alien turned out to be the master of a technique that could tap the Force-like 'Cosmic Chi'. He trained his student in the philosophy of the 'Cosmic Chi' as well as teaching him the martial arts style of dozens upon dozens of alien species. Eventually, the master revealed one of his former students had twisted the philosophy to create 'The Way of The Void'. Not long after The Void Master attacked and killed the master but not before he had returned his newest student, orphan turned alien martial arts expert, Onyx Dragon, to Earth.
Now, The Void Master and The Way of The Void cult search for Onyx Dragon as they plan to take over the galaxy by achieving the ultimate level of cosmic awareness. Unless of course, Onyx Dragon and his 'Cosmic Chi' get defeat them or do it first.
Onyx Dragon is a martial arts master with nerve cluster pinches and crazy Wushu fighting styles that even work against bizarre extraterrestrials ("Of course I stunned him. An Altairian's blood flow is centered in it's right hip."). He can also focus the 'Cosmic Chi' to perform superhuman feats like 'Hulk leaps' and blocking/parrying energy swords.
***
StarKnight Plus Played By Ray
The newest recruit to be inducted into the Green Lantern Corps like organization known as The StarKnights, this young man came by the honor in a somewhat embarrasing fashion. A prototype for a new, more advanced StarKnight Armor was en route to one of the greatest members of their order when the starship carrying it was destroyed by enemy forces. The commander of the ship, who was also the mission leader, dumped the nanotech armor's primary data core so that if the suit survived the starship's destruction and the enemy got a hold of it, they wouldn't know how it worked.
The remains of the vessel crash on Earth, where a young man finds the containment crystal that houses the nanotech armor and is suddenly encased in the StarKnight Plus protective garb. Oh course, he doesn't know how it operates. Cross Green Lantern, Iron Man and the Greatest American Hero and you get the idea behind StarKnight Plus.
Ray's StarKnight is protected by Armor, can fly, shoot solar energy blasts and possesses Super Strength and Endurance. He can also rapidly destabilize the molecules of metal objects and reorganize them into other shapes so as to supply him with additional weapons, defenses, create a cage or restraints to hold a villain, etc.
Hoody Hoo! More to come...
AD
Barking Alien
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Responding To The Trouble Alert
Two consecutive bad game sessions have set a pattern in motion that can not be allowed to continue!
Most assuredly it can not be allowed when we're talking Superheroes. I love Supers, Supers games and I am putting my colorful, buccaneer boot clad foot down. I'm taking this band to a new city...Freedom City!
I have stated the paradox that is my love of certain IP settings and my general dislike for pre-made game settings many times before but there are exceptions to every rule and one of them is Freedom City.
I've used this 'house setting' of Mutants & Masterminds before in both it's 1st and 2nd Edition incarnations and I find it really fun.
More then just an amalgam of DC and Marvel with the file numbers scraped off (though in some ways it is that), Freedom City has exactly what I am looking for in a Superhero game that I want to be different from my Champions game. This world is more 4-Color, more brightly lit and harkens back to the Silver Age of Comics without feeling dated. Ya'know, like DC could have done with the New 52 instead of what they did.
My ever astute pal Dave, who is one of the four players in the game, made some observations on what I have done for successful games that I didn't do in my last two attempts.
1) I usually give players more info prior to starting the campaign or right at the beginning that tells them the state of things so far. This gets them in the mind set of what's going on. The last two times I kind of rushed the 'opening scene', since I felt we were more pressed for time and were going to have shorter sessions then usual (which was true). I need to slow down a bit and take the time to immerse the players.
2) At the same time, Dave suggests I do go with one of my 'En Media Res' openings, as he feels those are my best and most exciting types game starts as a GM. I agree. At least I like to think that my beginning an adventure half way into a fight and/or story is one of my signature 'moves' and something that keeps my games different from many others'. PCs do not usually meet in a bar or at the Superhero Team Headquarters, though they do sometimes. I would much rather the PCs hit the ground running and punch up the excitement level by saying, "You're not about to face danger, you are in danger. NOW!"
I am really hoping this next one sticks 'cause, quite honestly, it's my last alternate Supers attempt for a while. I have my Champions game and it seems that it is waaay better to create a side Superhero game then try to shoehorn the new guys into Champions. So, should I be unable to make the stars align this Saturday, I think it's about time I ran Traveller again (just in time for Mass Effect 3!).
Wish us luck,
AD
Barking Alien
Most assuredly it can not be allowed when we're talking Superheroes. I love Supers, Supers games and I am putting my colorful, buccaneer boot clad foot down. I'm taking this band to a new city...Freedom City!
I have stated the paradox that is my love of certain IP settings and my general dislike for pre-made game settings many times before but there are exceptions to every rule and one of them is Freedom City.
I've used this 'house setting' of Mutants & Masterminds before in both it's 1st and 2nd Edition incarnations and I find it really fun.
More then just an amalgam of DC and Marvel with the file numbers scraped off (though in some ways it is that), Freedom City has exactly what I am looking for in a Superhero game that I want to be different from my Champions game. This world is more 4-Color, more brightly lit and harkens back to the Silver Age of Comics without feeling dated. Ya'know, like DC could have done with the New 52 instead of what they did.
My ever astute pal Dave, who is one of the four players in the game, made some observations on what I have done for successful games that I didn't do in my last two attempts.
1) I usually give players more info prior to starting the campaign or right at the beginning that tells them the state of things so far. This gets them in the mind set of what's going on. The last two times I kind of rushed the 'opening scene', since I felt we were more pressed for time and were going to have shorter sessions then usual (which was true). I need to slow down a bit and take the time to immerse the players.
2) At the same time, Dave suggests I do go with one of my 'En Media Res' openings, as he feels those are my best and most exciting types game starts as a GM. I agree. At least I like to think that my beginning an adventure half way into a fight and/or story is one of my signature 'moves' and something that keeps my games different from many others'. PCs do not usually meet in a bar or at the Superhero Team Headquarters, though they do sometimes. I would much rather the PCs hit the ground running and punch up the excitement level by saying, "You're not about to face danger, you are in danger. NOW!"
I am really hoping this next one sticks 'cause, quite honestly, it's my last alternate Supers attempt for a while. I have my Champions game and it seems that it is waaay better to create a side Superhero game then try to shoehorn the new guys into Champions. So, should I be unable to make the stars align this Saturday, I think it's about time I ran Traveller again (just in time for Mass Effect 3!).
Wish us luck,
AD
Barking Alien
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