FROM THE FOLDER FRIDAY - COLD FRONT

 

Cold Front was a team that I made in the 90s as can be seen by the lovely 90's style random geometric shapes on Ice Age's costume. This was done, I believe, at  time where I was really playing with drawing whole teams at once, often with a strong theme. The theme here, of course, is "cold".

This team was never fully developed at the time I drew it as was often the case. I would draw random characters and save them for later, writing them up when I planned to use them or when I had an idea for how exactly I wanted their powers to work. What I will do here is attempt to present stats for them, based on my memory of how I envisioned them. These will be short form presentations so as to not explode the length of this blog post too much.

WINDCHILL 
Anya Bremitz, mystic altered human

F        GD (10)
A        Ex (20)

S        TY (6)

E        RM (30)

R        EX (20)

I          EX (20)

P        IN (40)

Health: 66

Karma: 80

Resources: EX (20)

Popularity: -20

Known Powers: 

Wind Generation/Control: Windchill has the ability to generate winds of up to Incredible (40) rank force. She can manipulate these air currents to move objects, push, lift and even mannipulate more rudimentry devices and mechanicsm such as levers or buttons. 

Flight: Using her generated winds, Windchill can lift and propel herself at Remarkable (30) speed. She can do this while using her wind powers for other effects. 

Shield: By focusing her winds into vortexes of cohessive air, she can create shields of air that provide Excellent (20) protection over an area up to 2 areas. 

Temperature Control: The air around Windchill is constantly cooled to Excellent (20) intensity cold. 

Cold Immunity: Windchill has Incredible (40) immunity to cold and cold-based attacks.

Talents: Martial Arts A & B, Occult, Pilot, Computers

Contacts: Numerous occult dealers the world wide as well as several occult circles. 

Background:

Anya Bremitz is an American born heiress and occultist with a lust for power and prestige. Using gathered mystical and occult knowledge she managed to attain cold and wind-based powers which allowed her to further her endeavors to amass the the required magic and resources to bring about the coming of an ancient ice demon. She used her knowledge to free and bind the prehistoric winter spirit now known as Ice Age to her service.

KILLCICLE

Gregor Petrovski, altered human

F    RM (30)

A    EX (20)

S    EX (20)

E    RM (30)

R    GD (10)

I     EX (20)

P    IN (40)

Health: 100

Karma: 70

Resources: RM (30)

Popularity: -40

Known Powers:

Adamantium Spear: Killcicle's primary weapon is his "Killcicle", a long, pointed staff made of pure Adamantium. The weapon is made of Unearthly (100) material strength material and inflicts. While the weapon only inflicts Excellent (20) damage, it ignores any sort of armor of Unearthly (100) or less. 

Admantium Pauldron: Worn on his left shoulder, Killcicle has a detachable pauldron made of Adamantium. He has trained himself to use this as a shield to great effect, often resorting to impressive acrobatics to do so. the pauldron is of Unearthly (100) material strength and can be used when blocking. It can also be detached quickly and used as a thrown weapon, inflicting Good (10) blunt damage. 

Insulated Bodysuit: Icicle wears an insulated bodysuit that gives him Remarkable protection from heat, cold, radiation, electricity, fire, and corrosives. It also provides a filter of Excellent qualitty against airborn toxins. 

Talents: Martial Arts A, B, C, D & E, Edged, Blunt and Thrown Weapons, Security, Pilot, Drive, Computers

Contacts: KGB, Black Widow, Darkstar

Background:

Gregor Petrovski, former KGB assassin, no operates as an independent killer for hire, spy, and operator. He has engaged in esspionage for governments, corporations and organizations across the world but now focuses most of his time on providing the security and skill for Cold Front. He has clashed with the likes of Black Widow, Omega Red, Wolverine, The Winter Soldier as well as the Soviet Supersoldiers

ICE AGE

Real name unknown, demon

F    IN (40)

A    EX (20)

S    MN (75)

E    AM (50)

R    GD (10)

I     RM (30)

P    IN (40)

Health: 185

Karma: 80

Resources: RM (30)

Popularity: -45

Known Powers: 

Body Armor: Ice Age's demonic body gives him Monstrous (75) protection from physical and energy damage. 

Immunities: Ice Age's demonic form Has Class 1000 resistence to cold, poison, disease, and radiation.

Ice Breath: From his mouth, he can disgorge a deluge of Amazing (50) intensity cold and ice that blow with Monstrous (75) intensity force and inflict Incredible (40) damage. Those hit by the flurry must also make Remarkable (20) intensity resistence check or be temporarily blinded. 

Weaknesses:  

Talents: Martials Arts L, N, Q, and R. Occult. 

Contacts: The demons of the Cold Realm.

Background:

The ancient demonic spirit, now known as Ice Age, hails from a Hell dimensions known as the Cold Realm, a place of endless, hungry, devouring cold and misery. He was trapped in stone ages ago in the steppes of what is modern Kazakhstan but freed and bound to service by Windchill. While he serves her obediently, he does not do so loyaly and is disdainful of being beholden to a mortal and only following her direction due to his bond and their shared goals of bringing the Cold Realm's lord to Earth.

Thermal

Dr. Poul Nakisos, altered human

F    PR (4)
A    RM (30

S    SH-0 (0)

E    UN (100)

R    RM (30)

I     RM (30)

P    IN (40)

Health: 134

Karma: 100

Resources: RM (30)

Popularity: 0

Known Powers: 

Energy Body: Due to his body having been transformed to pure cold energy, Thermal is unharmed by physical attacks (slugfest, blunt) and energy attacks, as they lack physical substance. He remains susceptible to magical, psionic, and plasma-based attacks. He can be trapped in special storage batteries.

Flight: As living energy, Thermal does not need to walk or even touch a surface to move. As long as there is an atmopshere, he may flight at Remarkable (30) speed. 

Heat Vampirism/Regeneration: Thermal must feed off the ambient heat of living creatures to sustain himself. He drains life away at Good (10) rate each turn her is in contact with a living creature. The Health he drains from them restores his own lost health. 

Phasing: His energy body has a limited ability to phase through solid objects. As thicker, more sturdy material often provide more insulation from temperature, he can only phase through materials of Excellent (20) Material Strength or less. 

Weaknesses: 

Vacuum Vulnerability: Thermal's living cold body requires an atmosphere to maintain cohesion. If he is subject to a vacuum, he will take Good (10) each turn until he either dissipates/dies or is freed. It is unknown if dissipation is a permanent death for Thermal or not. 

Talents: Cryonics, Bio-Physics, Energy and Particle Physics, Genetics, Immunology, Physiology, Radiology.

Contacts: Dr. Henry Pym, Reed Richards, Stark Industries

Background: 

Formerly and independantly contracted scientist working for Stark Industries, developing new cooling systems he secretly dabbled in strange sciences around cryonics with a goal of improving the human condition through the application of cold. Funding his personal projects was done by siphoning funds from his grants and endowments as well as the theft of key piecs of technologies from his employer.

His research went pourly and he realized too late that he had exposed himself to a degenerating sort of cryonic energy that was sapping the life from his cells and killing him. While he attempted to reverse the effects, his criminal actions had left him hesitant to reach out for aid and he eventually perished. What should have been death, however, was nerely the shedding of his physical form, leaving only living cryonic energy behind.

He was forced to live a live as a predator, feeding his need for thermal energy by preying on the homeless, unwanted, and forgotten. Often his victims appeared to perish from exposure and so these murders went unnoticed. He was later encountered by Killcicle while he was on a mission where the two clashed as heat vampire attempted to feed off the assassin. While they initially fought, Killcicle recognized the potential in the desperate being and recruited him to Windchill's team where his immaterial form has served them well.

TEAM BACKGROUND: 

Cold Front is a force of killers and criminals recruited by Windchill for the purposes of furthering her own lust for power and riches. It is Windchill who discovered and freed Ice Age from his mystical prison and who hired Killcicle as long-term muscle and expertise. Later, Thermal was discovered, having become hopeless and feral, feeding on vagrants to sustain himself. 

Most of the team's activities focus on thefts of artifacts and treasures that can further Windchill's mad pursuit to bathe the world in eternal Winter, making way for the coming of an ancient demon lord from a Hell dimension known as the Cold Realm. 

The team is based out of Windchill's Rhode Island estate where she maintains several civilian vehicles for use by the team or her agents. She also owns a private jet which se keeps hangared at a nearby airport. She has a small network of agents, paid for information, muscle, and other support roles. Each team member has their own room in the mansion, though Ice Age and Thermal have more utilitarian spaces in the sub-levels. 

FROM THE FOLDER FRIDAY - A NEW UNCOMING FEATURE

 

As I have previously mentioned, I have played superhero TTRPGs a lot. Most of that time was in the past, when I had more time and more regular available players interested in such. Most of that time was split between the Marvel Superheroes RPG by TSR and Champions. I dabbled in DC Heroes, Heroes Unlimited, Guardians and Icons. I even homebrewed a very basic system with a friend back in the early 80's, before Iknew about any of these games and had only seen Villains & Vigilantes. I haven't played much in recent years but my love of the genre and these games remains.

Most of my current interest lies mostly with the classic Marvel Superheroes RPG from TSR. The continued fan works for this game are outstanding and I cannot rave enough about the hard work being put in by fans of the comics and that game system. The Unofficial Canon Project is a massive storehouse of modern materials for this classic game. When I have ideas for superhero TTRPGs, I generally default to this game system for stats as I can practically build in it by memory after so many years binging this. Which brings me to the new feature.

Pictured above is a stack of folders which contains tons of art and character write-ups from my glory days of the MSHRPG. While this is certainly not everything I ever created - much of that was lost through various moves and the happenstance of bachelor life - they constitute a massive collection of useable material. The art in them ranges from some of my oldest, crudest work, to later works where i had gained skill and confidence though none of it is anywhere near commercial grade. In fact, much of it reflects how I learned to draw comics characters as back in the day , tracing body forms and outlines and applying our own customes and detail work over them was how we learned the basics. 

Starting tomorrow (Friday), my goal will be to dive into these folders, scan the images, warts and all, with minimal editing (I have not the skills or tech) and post them here each Friday. I hope to present each with game stats, some background information and commentary on my thoughts (as I can recall them) from when I made them. 

I hope you will enjoy seeing my work and that it might inspire you to tinker with your own. 

-Eli

MEGA TEAMS - THE SECRET TO FLEXIBLE GAMES

Tired of not being able to play when players don't show up? Worried that your campaign won't progress because of so much missed time? Do you have a player who's character dies all the time or who is fickle and never wants to play the same character? 

No problem, play a mega team! 

Mega teams are those teams that seem to have an endless membership. Justice League, Legion of Superheroes, Avengers, Defenders, or even The Green Lantern Corps. These teams usually have extensive memberships made up of an ever-changing, ever-growing roster of primary members, secondary and even back-up members. New members come, go and are and are not available as other missions take up their time or their own private lives keep them out of action. 

These sorts of teams allow for a nearly infinite flexibility in both individual adventures as well as campaign progression. They ccomplish this in a number of ways but it all comes down to allowing play to continue no matter who shows up. Three of the most common and useful to gamers are as follows - 

1) Guest Appearances

These are sessions where character who were not originally involved in the main campaign appear in one or more sessions. This can be done for a number of rreasons such as a new player joining the game or an occasional player being available on a given night. They are also useful for when a regular player has a character taken out of action. The popular Marvel Team-Up series is a great example of this but guest appearances are very common even in the main continuity of comics. 

2) Crossovers

Similar to guest appearances, crossovers have a bit more intent to them. These are best used when a GM know he's not going to have all of one or more of his regular players available for the game for a period of time allowing him to plan a crossover event that includes the characters that will be available. 

3) Spin-Offs

These games are most often played with completely new characters and are best used as palate-clensers, fill-in games, or ways to accomodate an influx of new players. Spin-offs can include characters from the main campaign but should not do so unless they take place at some other point in continuity or those characters are not involved in the main game anymore. They are also a good place to reintroduce returning regular players who may have been left behind by the main campaign. Good examples of this are Justice League International, The New Mutants, or West Coast Avengers. 

The main benefit to keeping campaigns going and enriching the overall campaign experience is that the game and thus the players' comic book universe is perpetually growing as each adventure and character comes with its own NPCs, settings, plots and world-building that grows the whole and creates feedback loop. It is also important to not get overly wound up on ironclad continuities. Comic book continuity has always been a bit loose at times using flawed logic, handwavium and retconning to explain things.

Can you think of any more benefits of mega teams?

Do you enjoy playing in mega teams?

SOLO HEROES - THE THING SUPERHERO RPGS DO BETTER

 

I have talked a lot about superhero teams and how they facilitate TTRPGs but there is one place that these games do better and easier than most other TTRPGs is solo games. 

When it comes to solo play (one player & one GM), superhero games shine. Superhero characters are generally quite powerful and capable on their own and do not suffer from systems requiring sinergy between a number of characters to function in play. This is further surpported by a vast collection fo inspirational materials showcasing countless heroes operating primarily on their own. Solo characters are also great for GMs as they often face a revolving door of enemies they face one-on-one, allowing creative GMs to constantly cycle through ideas and inspirations. Such characters can easily adapt to small groups of villains or even mobs of henchmen without needing much adjustment or forethought. 

Logistically speaking, these sorts of characters are great for players who may be isolated by real world availability, unable to coordinate with other players. A willing GM can run a solo character on the side and when the gaming stars align, set up a team-up for that solo hero to set out with - the regular group - or even other solo heroes. 

So, if you have a single player you can still run a very satisfying and meaningful campaign in a superhero RPG.

What sorts of experiences have you had running solo hero campaigns?

MORE ON THEMED TEAMS

 

I thought it would be fun to talk, some more, about theme teams.

A themed team can come in many forms. Whether is is a common origin, style, or focus the one thing they all have in common is that every member fits the theme in some way. Themes can be tight, like the Metal Men pictured along with this post, or loose like the X-Men who all adhere to the theme of "mutants" but are all over the place within that theme. Tight themes are, in my opnion, trickier to work with but ultimately mor satisfying from an artistic point of view but a looser theme can allow for much greater freedom for players to create their characters. 

Some themes are more stylistic, like the Serpent Society, which is a loosely themed team that relies far more on aesthetics and naming conventions than anything more concrete for its theme. The Green Lantern Corps is an incredibly tight themed team where all the members share pretty much the same power set with what variation there is based on their experience and whatever species-specific traits they might have. Power Pack has the theme of "kids" and, on the surface, that is it. But Power Pack also has a common theme in terms of the origins of their powers. There are some teams, like the Avengers, that have a theme that is so loose as to not really be a theme at all. "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" is about the only real theme they have and that tagline seems relatively meaningless given the wide disparity it power level between the team's members. 

In my experience it is better to start with a tight theme and then loosen it as needed. If your theme is "mutants" but one player really has his heart set on playing an Iron Man type character then maybe work with him and let his mutant ability be something like hyper-intelligence, mechanical aptitude, or even some sort machine speech which allows him to make the suit and other cool stuff like the team's transport, training room, etc..Similarly, if the players were making villain characters who were members of the Serpent Society and a character wanted to make an Iron Man type character, you just need to make sure whatever battlesuit they make for themself adhered to the theme of "snakes". Just remember, tight or loose, the important thing is that every player makes their character fit the theme. 

When conceptualizing your character it is up to you, as a player, to make your character fit the theme. While this may seem chalenging at times, it is ultimately your responsibility, in an agreed-upon theme to make your character fit. 

A handy trick is to look at other themed characters and try to imagine them as something other than the themed character they are. When you realize that that spider-themed, web-slingers, could just as easily have been made as a battlesuit or commando with a handy bag of tricks rather than radioactive spider powers, this reverse engineering of theme can help you to realize that theme is really not all that tricky. 

So, next time you sit down to run or play a superheroes game, consider giving the team a theme. It can be challenging, creatively rewarding and in the end just plain fun.

THEMED TEAMS

When it comes to superhero teams, themed teams are a fun and quick way to establish a sense of place and character for the PCs in your game. It can be argued that almost all superhero teams are themed but for the purposes of this discussion we will be talking about teams that are perhaps a bit more specific in their theme. Yes, "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" might be considered the theme of the Avengers but as themes go this is very general and casts a very broad net when it comes to a sense of person and place in the universe. 

Whether you are talking about classics such as the X-Men or Fantastic Four or cult classics such as ROM and the Space Knights of Galador, or even new favorites like the Spiderverse, establishing a theme up front will provide your players with a shared connection between their characters while not necessarily limiting their character creation options. The theme of "mutant" or "cosmic energy derived powers" certainly hasn't limited the diversity of powers and in some cases we have seen crossover characters such as Cipher, Magik, Mr Fantastic, and Wolverine who combine their mutant abilities with other power sources such as technology and magic. 

A stronger theme can also be very fun and provide a sort of limited palette for creating characters. Great examples of this are concepts such as ROM and the Space Knights, The Spiderverse, or, in the realm of villains, the Serpent Society. In each of these cases there is a stronger sense of theme that extends beyond a simple shared origin. Each character is now a variation on a very identifiable theme and from this come myriad iterations on that theme. Finding new ways to come up with special powers for a Space Knight that distinguishes them from the other knights or a fun way to interpret the Spider-Man concept can be incredibly fun and worthwhile. 

So, next time you are starting a superhero game, consider picking a strong theme and running with it.

POSTING SCHEDULE

Howdy folks,

I seem to have forgotten to make any sort of attempt to let you all know just how frequently I'll be posting to the blog. So, let me remedy that.

The plan is to do two posts a week - one on Monday and one on Wednesday. Possts will hit the blog at 6AM CST. 

I have decided on this schedule as it seems like it best fits the schedule of most gamers, especially GMs for whom a lot of my material will be aimed at. Weekends are often game days and so releasing my posts at the top and middle of the week gives interested parties something to look forward to going into the week and something to read to get them through to games on the weekends. Those GMs and players who want to make use of the material I post here will have the week, in their down time, to think it over and perhaps apply it to their next weekends games. In my experience, weekdays are for prepping. 

So, there you have it. I hope to be able to keep up this schedule and have already set up many many weeks of posts to get started.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments. Also, if thee is anything you would like to see me write about, by all means suggest it in the comments. I'll see what I can do.

-Eli

WHY SUPERHERO RPGS ARE SOME OF THE BEST RPGS YOU CAN PLAY

When it comes to TTRPGs there is always that moment when you sort of hit that invisible wall where you feel you are either out of material or maybe you are just tired of playing the game you are playing. This is perfectly natural and is generally a biproduct of simple creative burnout or feeling the constraints of the genre into which your game is placed. Superhero games really don't suffer this and offer an incredibly free environment in which to play and here are some reasons why?

1) Easy Transition Between Characters

One of the biggest things to haunt players of TTRPGs is character burnout. We have all been there with that character that seemed like a great idea or was fun to begin with but is wearing thin. Comic books traditionally involve easy ins and out for characters without ever needing much in the way of plot or explanation. Between guest appearances, random team-ups, reserve team members, the seemingly flimsy barriers between realities, cosmic realms, and much much more, there are so many reasons a struggling player could swap out a character or take a break and divert to a different character for a bit.

2) Guilt-free Character Death 

One of the staples of comic book stories is that nobody really ever dies. Death and dying are handled pretty fast and loose and while character may be presumed dead or even dead for a while, they eventually come back in some fashion. Even if the original character dies, their costume and mantle is often picked up by another and the hero persona continues even though it might be a new person under the mask. Long dead heroes can be returned through all manner of means from mystical reanimation, fake or false deaths (in any number of forms). A hero may not have died but been kidnapped and brainwashed by a victorious villain, only to be rehabilitated by his former teammates or some well-meaning bystander.

3) Good Fun

Comic books, even at their darkest and grimmest (with a few exceptions) are still just great fun. There isn't much that doesn't feel right in a comic. Any character, any backstory, any event just feels right. Seldom is something objectively unfun in a comic book setting. The most mundane activities can easily be turned into amazing fun and adventure in the context of superheroes. A day at work, a trip to the mall, or a vacation can quickly turn into another action-packed issue.

4) Flexible Pacing

The wide variety of comic book stories spans such a huge array of topics and styles of storytelling. This is true not just across different titles but within the same title. We frequently see the same characters in action-filled romps and going through emotional and heavy stories and everything in between. For a tabletop game, this means being able to tell so many different stories with the same characters.

5) A Weird and Wild Universe

Superhero universes are generally huge, filled with all manner of exotic people and places. From fictional cities and countries to alien peoples and into god and cosmic entities a comic book universe is a vast, unending playground. Not only can you choose to start in any one of these amazing places, but you can freely transition from one to another without sacrificing the integrity of your characters and stories. The X-Men may have started in a posh mansion in New York but they have travelled the cosmos and visited lost worlds, travelled through time and dimensions. Characters from all over the multiverse can come together, interact, and even form up into the same teams. The Avengers have gods and aliens among them. The Justice League has several aliens as well as earthborn interstellar police officers.

6) Playing With, Outside, or Against the Conventions

A lovely part of comic books and superheroes is that they are so widely known and have such established tropes that they provide easily accessible frameworks upon which to tell stories. Whether you adhere to the traditions of comic book stories, work outside of them or blatantly work against them your players are certain to get it and enjoy the met knowledge of what you are doing. Because comic books are traditionally told from a very omniscient point of view, it is easier for players to be comfortable with metaknowledge and playing off of it.

7) No Pretense of Balance

Because the characters in comic books are traditionally depicted as have a very mixed bag of power sets and power levels operating alongside one another TTRPGs based around the genre do not suffer so much from the expectation that characters will or should be balanced nor is there an expectation that their enemies will be matched to them. This makes it quite easy for players to be happy with their characters regardless of their power level and for GMs to create stories that involve enemies with highly variable power levels. Part and parcel with this is the concept of teamwork and the struggle to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Characters with wide-ranging power levels have an opportunity to find new ways that their individual powers can be used together and weaker characters are encourages and often rewarded for finding unique solutions to defeating enemies well outside their power level. Let's not forget that Spider-Man has defeated Juggernaut despite having no powers that can match the unstoppable mutant.

I hope that I have demonstrated to you why I think that superhero TTRPGs may be the ultimate in TTRPG fun and freedom, perfect for one-shorts, short campaigns, or an ongoing campaign in an ever-changing cast of characters and stories.

WELCOME TO BULLPEN

 

Welcome to my new blog!

In the old days of comics, the various companies often maintained an open work area where pencilers, inkers, colorists, letterers, writers and editors would all work together, sharing ideas, collaborating and working the magic that created the comic books we grew up with, know and love. These spaces were often referred to as the "bullpen" and probably most famously the Marvel Bullpen.

This blog will be my attempt to capture the spirit if those old bullpens and put my various thoughts and ideas for superhero TTPG gaming in one dedicated place. While the vast majority of the content here will be directed at the system I play most - the classic Marvel Supheroes RPG from TSR, the game that inspired the name of the blog - a good amount of the posts will take the form of general advise, commentary and the examination of the tropes of the genre and how players and GMs can use them to better their superhero RPGs.

Folders full of decades of characters from the 80s and 90s

 As time goes by, I may start to share characters and art from my past playing this game. Many of the illustrations are dated and show just how long ago i started playing this but I feel the character stats, concepts and designs are all still worth sharing. I hav made, A LOT of characters back in the day and could likely continue to play Marvel Superheroes without ever having to make another.

If you have followed my original blog, I See Lead People, some of the early posts here may seem familiar to you as  will be porting them over to this dedicated blog. 

I hope you will enjoy the content here, follow the blog and comment freely as I love to discuss the hobby. I may not be the most knowledgible or well-read comics fan but I do love superhero comics and the games we play about them. 

-Eli