StarGuard: Short-Term Goals for an Icons Campaign

By | Published October 31, 2011

StarGuard, my group’s Icons campaign is not intended to go for a long time and I want to squeeze every last drop of fun out of it. So like a sucker, I’ve cooked up a convoluted plot that I’m hoping keeps the world of StarGuard spinning.

As you may have read, I have a group of freaky outsider-ish supers who fight crime as part of a failing reality show. It seems like a good set-up for a short game. After a year of Runequest II, I thought playing something lighter and whackier would be a good palate cleanser for the group before we jump into something else that may run for a while. As such, if I want any kind of larger structure, I figure I have to launch them into it and see where it goes.

I should also say that the RQII campaign I ran was a big old sandbox game with the players largely driving the plot (mostly by forcing NPCs to react to their craziness) and I’m not sure if that is going to work as well with Icons.

So where do I want this Icons game to go? Somewhere near Watchmen as rewritten by Peter Milligan, Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick.

The Premise

Let’s face it, the world is a mess: The economy is in ruins, the government seems hopelessly enthralled by corrupt corporations and the very institutions that should protect the average citizen seem destined to repress them. If you want to make a real hash of it, I figure just add super-heroes.

The ‘A’ plot moving in the background of the campaign is driven by Professor Fantastic, patriarch of the Fantastic Family of adventurers and now the CEO of FantastInc. Enterprises. Being the smartest man on the planet, and a bit of an ass, Prof. Fantastic sees that the world is screwed and wants to do something about it. And it needs to be something slightly more indirect than attempting to conquer the world like his nemesis Doctor Dystopia.

“The Worse the Better”- Nikolay Chernyshesky

Prof. Fantastic wants to rule the world, or at least America, but he plans to wait until the population is ready to ask him to take control. So, using his vast fortune and a host of cut-outs and dummy corporations, Prof. Fantastic has contributed vast sums to politicians who will keep pushing the developed world to the brink of collapse while also investing in corrupt corporations and encourages them to behave unethically.

In a similar vein, he has also encouraged the growth of the police state in the US while doing his best to encourage other arms of his empire to expose corruption and incompetence wherever they find it.

The net result is a record lack of faith in public institutions and no clear vision on how to fix them. That leaves just one other symbol of hope that Prof. Fantastic needs to be sullied before he can confidently sell the world his vision of the future: Super-Heroes.

And that’s where StarGuard comes in. StarGuard is part of Prof. Fantastic’s plan to make heroes look as bad, corrupt and inept as the rest of the institutions he’s targeted. With one-hand, he practically gives the show away for free (and covers massive legal fees while doing so). With the other, he secretly backs those who want to sue the team and helps spread leaks and unflattering footage.

In time, he’s sure that an incident will occur that escalates the situation to the point that heroes are viewed as, at best individuals who need to be strictly controlled or, at worst, a threat to public order. Frankly, as a GM I have no doubt that my players will provide such an incident. It is at this point that he plans to come in with his scientifically constructed ‘New Way’ and save the world from itself, while simultaneously becoming its master.

What the PCs can do

Since this game is intended to be a fairly short one (I’m envisioning it dying sometime in January or February) I can’t be subtle about this. I am peppering my players with clues and hooks that will lead them into learning about the plot. From there, they can decide to expose it, join it or rub up against it in some other, crazy way.

On the other hand, my players may entirely ignore this hook and go in another way. Which is fine, but I will make sure that Prof. Fantastic’s machinations are moving in the background the whole time. Knowing my players, they actually may be cool with being part of a mastermind’s plan of global conquest.

 

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Mutants, Marvels and My Players

By | Published October 28, 2011

Lets face it, Players and the Characters they love drive nearly every game out there. As a GM, I have found that having players playing characters they find fun, compelling or just neat to mess with is a vital element to my campaigns. My group’s current Icons game is certainly no exception to this rule.

Now part of the reason our Runequest II game came to an end was that the group was undergoing some change and strain. Earlier this year, one player abruptly dropped out after a series of life-changes and another found it increasingly difficult to attend due to the stresses of work, school and more work.

This shrunk my pool of five players to a core of three players, one of whom was expecting a baby in October. Given that it seems inevitable that, from time to time, players are going to be sick, unable to make it or need to drop out, I decided to go back to the well and bring in some new blood. I asked three relative strangers and now have three new players.

Overall, they definitely fall into the ‘Freaks and Greeks’ school of super-hero teams. They are a band of freakish outsiders like some incarnations of the Defenders or the Doom Patrol. And given what I’m hoping to pull off, this should work beautifully.

Golden Hammer

(Played by E. a long-time member of the group)

Created during the collapse of the Soviet Union, Golden Hammer was intended to be a cyborg soldier for communism. However, Doctor Yivgenny Vassali instead used the turbulent times to bribe his way into control of the product and became the Golden Hammer. Using his abilities he quickly became an important oligarch. His cyborg parts are all gold plated and he often uses his powers to ‘bling them up.’

Qualities Challenges Powers
Obsolete Super-Weapon Internal Nuclear Reactor Invulnerability 6
Tacky Luxurious Tastes Can’t Say No Alteration Ray 3
Pimped out Battlesuit Loves Luxury Transmutation 5
Ex-USSR Super-weapon

Chronos

(Played by J. a friend of E’s who has been with us for over a year now)

Was an elderly scientist at CERN when something went horribly right. After the accident he discovered he had the body of a man in his twenties again, as well as control over time and radiation. Unfortunately, he is also mildly radioactive and is constantly killing plants and other living things that linger too close to him. Chronos is usually accompanied by chronal duplicates pulled from other time streams.

Qualities Challenges Powers
Old Man in a Young Body Radioactive Elemental Control: Radiation w/ Attack, Create, Defence 3
Possibly Immortal Multiple Personalities Time Control w/ Freeze and Duplicate 8

Ga-In/Jessica

(Played by K. I met her at a Con and she is new to the group and to gaming)

Ga-In is an alien parasite on an exploratory mission for its people, Jessica is a girl so sweet that she could be deranged. Together they are a titanic telekinetic threat. Prior to coming together with Jessica, Ga-In inhabited a number of hosts, most dying within a week. It also fought StarGuard and several other super teams. Since finding Jessica, it has ‘reformed’ or so the world seems to think.

Qualities Challenges Powers
Strong Willed Conflicting Personalities Telekinesis w/ attack 7
Jessica is extremely nice Normal human without Ga-In
Loves being a good host Ga-In needs a Host
Jessica loves everything Ga-In burns through others
Ga-In is silent or angry Ga-In is Killing Jessica, whether it wants to or not
Ga-In is Genderless

Cruthu aka Frances Steinberg

(Played by V. she is a long-time member of the group)

Constructed from a number of dead bodies by the fey, Cruthu was constructed to be a cosmic-powered weapon for a war that never happened. Stored in the faire borderlands for centuries, Cruthu is somewhat…eccentric. Despite her monstrous appearance, she  ability to shape reality itself by wielding the power cosmic.

Qualities Challenges Powers
Created by Man, Chosen by Spirits Crippling Social Anxiety Wizardry (effective 7) Mental Blast, Animation, Chameleon
Weapon without a War Heinz 57
Paranoid

Brainzor aka Mental Mind aka Telemeh aka …

(Played by C. I met him at the same Con as K.)

Brainzor is an Alien Space God’s Mutant Love Child. Part human, part oddity, his main abilities include control over insects, mild telepathy and the possession of others. His compound eyes, obsession with sugar water and unfamiliarity with human society contribute to his being an outsider.

Qualities Challenges Powers
Advanced Mind Indecisive Identity Mental Possession 7
Not From Around Here Not From Around Here Mental Control- Insects 7
Mutant Alien Space God Love Child Compound Eyes Mental Telepathy 3
Migraines Telekinesis 5
A Sucker for Sugar Water

Rhea

(Played by A. a friend of V’s who is new to the group)

An avatar of the titan of Greek myth, Rhea is a lawyer by day and hitter of things in the face by night. Super-strong, incredibly deadly and with an inhumanly keen sense of hearing, Rhea is an unearthly force made flesh.

Qualities Challenges Powers
Contact: Police Chief Impulsive Super Hearing 5
Unstoppable Force Not from around here Regeneration 5
Stubborn Scandalous Secrets
Fame and Fortune
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Muerte Las Vegas! A Vampire: the Masquerade Campaign

By | Published October 27, 2011

Its inevitable.

The only thing better than my current game is the next the game. Usually, I feel a bit guilty eyeing the next game while my current game is just getting its swing, but this time its different. StarGuard, my group’s Icons campaign, was always intended to be a brief stop over until the next big game.

A rebound campaign, if you will.

So, what am I planning after StarGuard? The answer is ‘Muerte Las Vegas!’ a Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition campaign set in 60s Vegas.

Mobsters, Casinos, Hustlers and Howard Hughes. I’m hoping for a ‘James Ellroy meets Casino by Night’ kind of feel, hopefully with a bit of a Pendragon mixed in as each adventure should be considered ‘the adventure’ for a whole year. The goal is to chart the rise, decline and rebirth of Las Vegas from the 60s through the 80s with the PCs at the center of it all.

But we shall see.

One element of my Runequest campaign that I would like to push is my pilfered port of the brilliant Smallville relationship map/character creation mechanic.

At this point, I’m thinking of something like the process below to balance group city creation while meaningfully reflecting the points players have spent on Backgrounds like Allies, Mentors, Contacts, Domain, etc.

To start, and unlike how I ran it for Runequest, I will likely throw up a few NPCs and Places (collectively ‘Non-Player Objects’ or NPOs) that I want to have in the Campaign.  This will likely include the Prince of the City, two rival power brokers and the Shangri-La Hotel.

Once this is on the paper, the rest of the process will go like this:

Turn 1

1)      Each PC contributes One of the following:

a.       A Circle containing a group of people(can be used as minions, herd, connections)

b.      A Square containing a Person of Influence (can be used as an Ally/Mentor/Prominent Connection)

c.       A Triangle containing a Setting (Haven/Resource/Appropriate) Square

2)      Each Player must then draw a line between one of the NPOs and their PC, loosely noting their relationship

3)      Each Player must then connect any two NPOs to each other, loosely noting their relationship to each other

4)      Players can then ‘spend’ one of their previously selected Background Points (or points if appropriate) to link transform an NPO that has been connected to their NPC into a Contact, Herd, Ally, Mentor, Domain or even Resource owned possession

Turn 2

1)      Each Player creates a new NPO

2)      Each Player then draws a connection between an NPO and a PC controlled by another Player, loosely noting their relationship (the recipient of this connection can object)

3)      Each Player then has the option to spend a Background Point  to make an NPO a Contact, Herd, Ally, Mentor, Domain or Resource

Turn 3

1)      Each Player creates a new NPO

2)      Each Player must then connect any two NPOs to each other, loosely noting their relationship to each other

3)      Each Player must then draw a line between one of the NPOs and their PC, loosely noting their relationship

4)      Each Player then has the option to spend a Background Point  to make an NPO a Contact, Herd, Ally, Mentor, Domain or Resource

Turn 4

1)      Each Player must connect any two NPOs to each other, loosely noting their relationship to each other

2)      Draw a connection between an NPO and any  PC

3)      Each Player then has the option to spend a Background Point  to make an NPO a Contact, Herd, Ally, Mentor, Domain or Resource

Turn 5

(Continued until all Contact, Herd, Ally, Mentor, and Domain dots have been accounted for)

1)      Players with remaining Background Points may draw a new NPO and connect them to their character

2)      Other Players must then draw a connection between either: any two NPOs or an NPO and any PC besides their PC or, if the NPO was created this turn, the PC belonging to the Player who created it

3)      Each Player then has the option to spend a Background Point  to make an NPO a Contact, Herd, Ally, Mentor, Domain or Resource

Hopefully, this will allow the Players to create an unholy mess of intrigue and connections that will form the meat of a rocking campaign.

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$tarGuard Season 7: An Icons Campaign

By | Published October 26, 2011

Saving the World from Villainy, Injustice and Cancellation

As I said last time, Runequest has gone the way of all games and my group has started up a new Icons Campaign. The premise is that the PCs are ‘heroes’ who star in a reality TV show that covers their exploits. I’m really hoping to get a Venture Brothers meets Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes vibe going. I also had to recruit some new players, so I put together this pitch:

“StarGuard is the West Coast’s number two super-team and a reality show on its last legs. The team’s (questionably) heroic acts are usually caught on camera, but so are their private lives. Originally a novel way to make heroism pay, StarGuard has degenerated into a sordid circus populated by clueless washouts, bitter has-beens and well-intentioned never-weres. StarGuard’s battles with addiction, scandal and the occasional super-villain have been provided seasons of T.V. and inspired numerous spin offs (‘Just Love,’ ‘Real Housewives of Protector Mansion,’ ‘Super Apprentice,’ and ‘Super Celebrity Apprentice’). Unfortunately, the public just doesn’t care anymore.

The player characters will be members of StarGuard’s latest incarnation as they face their gravest threat: cancellation. Without a ratings bump, you will lose your pay check, your beachfront villa and what little fame (or notoriety) you have left. Clearly, this calls for some serious super-heroics.

Using Icons we will generate a motley crew of well-intentioned (or not) super-heroes. Influences on my end will include the Venture Brothers, No Heroics, X-Statix and the thousands of comics and cartoons I’ve consumed. Check this and this out for an idea of what I’m talking about.”

So that was my big pitch and it seems to have done the trick. Next time: The Players and the PCs.

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Gone and Cut Off

By | Published October 24, 2011

Howdy to my spambot friends.

Ok, fourth time is the charm. I have dusted off this old blog and will try to post again.

A lot has happened since I stopped posting. My child is now a toddler, my group has had some turnover and I’ve now stopped playing the game that I was kinda, sorta, writing about in April.

More challengingly, my new place of employment blocks any website that mentions the word ‘games’ anywhere, including my own blog. This has made getting into the swing of things a challenge and, frankly, it makes getting news about the gaming world far harder. I mean, I think I am a pretty good employee, but don’t we all like to distract ourselves a bit when things get slow?

The Mongoose Runequest II game ended in a bang. There were living gods roaming the lands, hordes of cannibalistic barbarians, shady dealings with Moorcockian Elves and a lot of extremely violent deaths. Even by RPG standards.

That said, I thought it was a blast and I was sorry to see it end a bit abruptly. Unfortunately, we just hit one of those moments when scheduling changes and group turnover made it logical to kill a campaign, bring in some new blood, and try again. And this was after I failed miserably at bringing in some new blood.

B. was introduced into the group by one of the current players. Unfortunately, it was like dropping someone into the last third of a six hour film. Slightly bewildered by the Byzantine plots and probably put off by the agressiveness of some of the players regarding the best course of action, B. just sort of disappeared. I can’t say I blame him.

Its been a while since I’ve felt that I really failed a player as a GM, but this is one of those times. I should have been smart and let the campaign wind down before introducing new players. Frankly, I think I forgot how much detail had been created for our setting and how many twisting webs of NPCs had been generated through play. I took my experience of the game for granted and, consequently didn’t think about how tough it would be for an outsider.

Lesson learned, I hope.

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