Diversions, in versions.

[featherynscale]

I'm working on something to do as a little diversion beginning Januaryish, and I'm looking for some input on the process. You see, I've got a vast and mostly unwarranted affection for Palladium's Heroes Unlimited game. Recently (okay, at DragonCon), I acquired a well-loved (i.e. battered and annotated) rulebook for same. And I'm thinking, let's do some hero gaming.

Here's my plan: Because I lack the ability to add anything really time-intensive to my schedule, and I know this is an issue for practically everyone else I know as well, I'd like to put together a monthly/bi-monthly 'pickup' game of Heroes. Players can bring their own characters, or use one from a stable of characters I'm building. Each session will be roughly equal to one comic book's worth of story, though stories will arc from session to session.

Players will be encouraged to 'own' at least three characters each -- at least one hero, at least one villain, and if you like, one 'plot device' (i.e. the plucky journalist who is a love interest for a hero or villain, the aged relative who is all a hero or villain has left in the world, a henchman of some sort, etc.). From among those characters (and any claimed from the character pool), I'll draw a few at random to feature in each session. Some days, you're the hero. Some days, you're the villain, and so on. Some sessions may require pre-game briefing for the heroes or the villains, but in the actual session, heroes and villains will generally play against each other, with mere mortals caught in the middle.

Because each session should be more-or-less self-contained, players can drift in and out as they like -- if someone doesn't show up for a session, his character is simply not featured in this issue.

I'm thinking of tweaking the game rules a bit, since Palladium is really weak on the 'leveling-up' concept. Probably the way it will work is that players won't get experience points at all, but can add to skills or combat numbers according to what skills they actually use successfully, and will earn money either by pulling of schemes or by being rewarded for their heroics. I'll add in some other ways to advance in various areas as well, but the way the game is set up by default for advancement is sort of crap. I'll also be adding in the ability to build headquarters, which I think is a wildly funny concept.

The tone of the game is pretty tongue-in-cheek. I'm thinking of something with a near-future feel, with some weirdnesses in the setting to account for all of the different possible hero types the system allows for (which include aliens, robots, mutants, magic users, superspies, and so on). If this sounds like fun to anybody local, drop me a comment and I'll add you to my contact list for when the games start. Also, I'm currently working on building my setting, so if you have thoughts about what sorts of things would be in the ideal genre-bending comic book city, feel free to drop those here too.

Also, I thought I had a superhero icon, but I don't! V is the best I can do, and he's a Discworld joke. If I'm going to run this thing, I'm going to need a new icon.

EDIT: Possibly In:
triadruid, agrnmn, kittenpants, 8elements, capriciouslass

Comments

[celticwhistlin.livejournal.com]

I have really been wanting to game something other than DnD (which I stopped playing many moons ago as I seem to go through phases of not wanting/wanting to play.

I am *totally* in even though I have never played Heros or in a Palladium system. Is it d20 based?

I think cerrunos has played this before. I don't know if he is interested or not.

I like the idea of once a month and the shifting for who's available and so forth.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

It's a little more complicated than the new D&D system... you've pretty much got a percentile system for skills checks kludged on to a d20 system for combat. It's not too hard to learn, though, and I'm more of a 'work it out through roleplay' DM anyway.

[celticwhistlin.livejournal.com]

Sounds interesting. I've played and DM'ed under AD&D 2nd Ed as well as 3 and 3.5. As long as the rules are consistant, I don't usually care if it's in a book or not. :-)

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

Sounds like fun. Please add me to the list. I probably won't be available for gaming until after the new year anyway.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

V is a Discworld joke? Eh?

Also, who are your superheroes? I mean, besides Hunter S.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

This particular V is a Discworld joke, yes. The text in the icon is the negotiated battle cry of the revolutionaries in er.... Night Watch, possibly? The one where Vimes goes back in time and is his own Sargeant.

Also, I'm not sure. Are you asking which superheroes I prefer, or which I would choose to represent me, or some third question?

Yes.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Any of the above would help me find your icon. :)

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Let's see then:

Promethea, of course. Pretty much any of them except Anna and Marjorie.

Gambit, perhaps, although I don't spend as much time playing cards as I used to, so maybe not as relevant anymore.

I am also open to suggestions. Perhaps there will be a new post.

I was suprised...

[niveus-tigris.livejournal.com]

...at how few answered my inquiry about heroes.

Dark Tiger~

Re: I was suprised...

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten about that post...it took me weeks just to get around to posting about the movie I watched last month...

Re: I was suprised...

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

You had an inquiry about heroes? Must have been one of those things I was going to file away to think about and respond to later. That game never works. *sigh*

Re: I was suprised...

[niveus-tigris.livejournal.com]

It was this post: http://niveus-tigris.livejournal.com/34259.html

He's in!

[celticwhistlin.livejournal.com]

I just talked with cerrunos and he is totally in. Hero's U was the first RPG he ever played. He likes the idea of a monthly/bi-monthly thing too.

This is going to be so cool. ;-)

[duane-kc.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. This would be something worth driving in to KC for. (And I'll bet orcjohn would also be interested...) Mind one more player who's almost a complete unknown to you?

P. S. for capriciouslass: I promise to keep the bad puns under control.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Bad puns may be an asset in this system, actually.

Also, I am not averse to playing with somebody I don't know, provided that they bathe. (And that's not really about the not knowing thing, either. I require all my players to maintain a minimum standard of hygiene.)

[duane-kc.livejournal.com]

Yay! (And just as an additional incentive, I also have a copy of Palladium's Ninjas and Superspies to throw into the mix...)

[right hand in the air] I solemnly swear to maintain standards of hygene that will keep me from being thrown out by the smart, sexy GM...

Damn the miles!!!

[wildnsquirrelly.livejournal.com]

I wanna play TOOO!!! I never really found anything wrong with the xp tables of H.U., but then I think I might have played more than you did. I still have my copy of the rule book. You *might* even take a peek at Villains Unlimited, too. It's got more powers and cool stuff on building 'Secret Bases' and schtuff, too. All in all I found it to be pretty nifty and worth checking out.

Re: Damn the miles!!!

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

The thing that is wrong with the advancement system is that 1) it's different for every class and hard to keep track of, and 2) it doesn't effect the primary 'tools' of each class -- your superpowers never get any more super, but you do get better at computer programming, you know? I mean, it does also increase your attacks per round, but that's about the only relevant thing it changes.

If I come up on a copy of VU, I will certainly pick it up. I had to manifest the appearance of my HU book in a pile of antiquated rulebooks in a dusty box in the D*Con dealer's room. :)

[zylch.livejournal.com]

You might make sure crafti hears about this. I think she'd be interested.