CONTINUED DELAYS

 

Apologies for yet another Friday with no post. Statting up characters tends to tak a lot of time and things are just getting away from me me on that front. I am working on some characters from my gaming past, so stay tuned and they will come out.

Just blame it on Spider Man. 

YOU THINK YOUR ORIGIN IS WEIRD - THE CASE OF THE ORIGINAL SPIDER WOMAN

The other day I was rewaching an episode of MerryMarvelite, a YouTube Marvel comics lore channel. This particular episode was on the very strange and convoluted backstory of Jessica Drew, the original Spider Woman and it hit me. A perfect example of why players shouldn't shy away from those randomly generated, seemingingly nonsensical combinations of powers and backgrounds.

Rather than go in depth with a rehash of her background, I have posted the inspiring video above but leave it be said that Spider Woman's origin is a convoluted mess of magic, super science, brainwashing, time travel (via hybernation), and retconned recollections. But there is much that can be taken away from this. Her nanny was a cow woman (and then she wasn't, but she was..) for Stan's sake!

Too often we get caught up in tightly crafted origins and backstories and power sets that manifest in clean, logical ways, but this is, for the most part, a very modern comic books convention. For many years, origins weren't always a given and might often be thrown in as an afterthought and through various bits and pieces as the character progressed. A character might go through a dizen or more issues before we even glimpse their true origins. Often the the layers of weirdness were brought about through various layers of different creators' writing and influence, each trying to put their own mark on the character or attempting to fill in perceived holes or "fix" things.

The characters we create can simulate the sort of long-form, winding, twisting road by just accepting the rolls we roll and finding ways to make them work. I talked abou this in my previous post but I feel that Spider Woman is a great example of this and so worth repeating the point for. It's perfectly fine to have a tight background and origin for your character but there is nothing wrong, and in fact a lot of fun to be hand, in embracing the weird and rolling with it. Generations of comic books will certainly back this play.

WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS? - INTERPRETTING ODD CHARACTER CREATION ROLLS

The Ultimate Powers book, while providing an amazing array of powers and abilities is also famous for creating some really weird combinations. 

The Classic Marvel Super Heroes RPG utilized a random character generation system as its core method of creating characters.  While random character generation is a time-honored and popular method of generating characters in TTRPGs that, it can lead to some bizarre characters. In this article, I hope to provide some hints and tips for making the most of wild random results. 

While other methods of character generation were proposed, such as modelling and and the point build system in Polyhedron Magazine, issue #72, random generation was the primary method and one that was most often used, in my experience. There is something enjoyable about discovering who and what your character is through a series of random rolls. Sometimes these are completely random with little or no choices to be made along the way and sometimes they are more guided, with each roll leading to another. MSHRPG's method is very much the latter, with each roll determining a chart or column that you will roll on for the next part of your character. 

Early versions of this method found in the original boxed set and then the Player's Book of the advanced set, kept these options pretty tightly confined, but as the game grew and supplements such as the Ultimate Powers book were released, the random options, while still guided through charts and tables, became much more sprawling, complex and often convoluted. This made for a seemingly endless number of combinations and options but the results could often be very strange and hard to reconcile, especially for newer players. Usually, the powers and origins generated are perfectly fine and can be meshed together with little problem, however it was quite possible to end up rolling something wild like a plant/robot or a character with fish communication and fire powers. It is these strange cases which I seek to address.

1. Substitution

One of the easiest ways to handle the rolling of seeming incongruous powers is a simple method of substitution. To do this, allow a player to exchange a power for two ranks in other powers. Additionally, I have found it simple enough for the player to decide which of powers they wish to keep and simply substitute unwanted powers for either a new roll or choosing a power more appropriate to the theme set. This gives the player a chance to hone their powers. You can even allow a player to sacrifice ranks to gain new powers, should they feel the need to expand their initial powers beyond what they rolled. This should be done at an exchange of two power ranks from one or two powers to gain another power. A GM should be careful of abuses using these exchanges. It is advisable to allow no more than one or two new powers using this exchange method.

To further reinforce responsible power and rank exchanges, a GM can reward a player for maintaining a tight theme to their powers, giving them a +1 Column Shift bonus to powers that fit a particular, narrow theme. It is important, when doing this, that the theme be well defined up-front, so as to make sure the player isn’t trying to scam the system. GMs should work with players to firmly establish the theme while also being willing to listen to creative interpretations of powers (see #2 below). 

Doctor Doom classically combined hi-tech and science with magic.

2. Interpretation

The more complicated way to do this is also the more interesting way. Instead of changing out oddball powers, a creative GM and player can choose, instead, to spend some time getting creative with how to interpret powers to bring them into a usable consistency. This may require some mental gymnastics but comics have proven that no combination of powers is truly impossible. Mixing magic and science are well-established in comics, often in some interesting combinations. In addition to powers, sometimes origins can seem a bit disjointed with players having to reconcile how they might be a mutant robot or an alien deity, etc. 

In these cases I find it is best for a GM to really listen to the creative vibes that the player brings to the discussion, keeping an open mind and listening from a position of wanting to make it work. Marvel comics has given us alien mutants whose mutation is the ability to feel compassion or a mutant character whose powers allow him to speak with and channel the dead. Classic characters, such as Scarlet Witch, blended magic and mutant abilities and we have seen magical robots like the Asgardian Destroyer or alien, psychic, cyborgs like ROM and the Space Knights. Anything can be done if you simply apply some creativity. Now, I realize that not everyone is as well-versed in comics tropes and lore and so that may not be such an easy undertaking, so allow me to give you some tips on how you might accomplish this. 

Magick was a character that combined mutant, sorcerous, and demonic powers all into one

One great method for making these disjointed powers work together is to recontextualize them. Consider changing their nature or the exact effect and how that produces the final power. Control powers can always be reframed based on the type of energy they are using. In addition the source of the manipulation can change to accommodate the theme of the character. A classic version of this is the force field or elemental control powers. Force fields can be expressed in any number of ways. While one character might generate an energy field of force from a technological device, another might simply generate telekinetic force with the power of their mind, while at the same time another, insect themed character, might create a wall of insects that provides some defense in a similar manner. Elemental control characters might use technology, a magic item or the power of their mind e.g. pyrokinesis. 

It is important to understand that all of these methods can crossover without any real need for explanation. If your character roles computer communication or machine speaking and you rolled a mystical origin, just have the abilities work by reading the electronic code as if it were a language to be translated, energy to be manipulated like any other, or even the spirits of the machine being contacted. Even some of the more esoteric powers can be linked together through theming. Imagine you roll a bunch of incest-themed powers but then time control. You might be tempted to drop the time control ability but, maybe it’s just a matter of researching which insects have a mythical or folkloric connection to time. Chances are most insect abilities will work together regardless of the insect type and now you have a very unique character.

The same applies to combining backgrounds and origins where a magical cyborg can make perfect sense when we consider the various Asgardian mechanical constructs of the techno-magic of the Dire Wraiths, Doctor Doom, or Apocalypse. Just remember, one of Marvel’s most famous characters is an undersea hero who can fly (Namor) and there is a super acrobat who is the byproduct of demonic possession (Puck). You just need to be willing to bend with the rolls and sometimes squint until you see the hidden picture in the mess.   

OFF THE BEATEN PATH - BREAKING FROM YOUR CAMPAIGN'S NORM

Modern comics have created a perception of intense planning and forethought with their interconnected crossovers and prescriptive metaplots. This, however, is not, nor has it ever been the way for the majority of comic book history. Even heavily themed, more focused books, like X-Men, have had their disconnected, seemingly random encounters. Comics often had to insert filler stories between major events, to keep books going or while they were trying to find their legs. This was, of course a purely business-based decision as many comics literally struggled to stay in print, often getting cancelled and restarted before they finally found their voice. 

As gamemasters, this gives us a lot of wiggle room with what you can plot for your campaigns. As mentioned in previous posts, seeming;y random things often happen in any given title but this randomness can be controlled and planned for and not quite as odd and slapstick as some of the previous examples. Where that post was written to give permission to have simple, dumb fun happen in your games, here I am talking about being more intentional with side quests outside the normal theme of your game. 

Taking your players outside of their usual themed plots and stories is a great way to allow them a break from their usual. In addition, such adventures often introduce the characters to new obstacles and situations that put their powers to the test and provide opportunities for them to expand upon those powers. As a GM, these side adventures will let you expand you storytelling and character design. Spider-Man may spend most of his time duking it out with a constant run of quirky villains but he occasionally gets chucked into another dimension, to another planet or finds himself tangling with enemies outside his usual rogue's gallery.

Side adventures are great ways to introduce new elements for your story as well. While they don't need to carry over beyond the initial adventure, they can certain provide a lasting element to your campaign. Just as the X-Men discovered a supply of Vibranium in the Savage Land, along with introducing heroes like Ka-Zar or villain such as Sauron, a side quest into a new space provides seeds and questions to later exploit in your games. The Ihumans and their expansive story were introduced through an encounter with the Fantastic Four. In these cases, the comic book universe and the setting of the particular titles were broadened beyond their normal focus, making for a more interesting story and ultimately providing elements that could be called upon later just asv GMs can in their games. 

As a GM, it is important to consider what you hope to accomplish with these side adventures. Consider tying them into your players desires - things they may have mentioned in passing along the way or even specifically asked for. If you have a player who is hoping to expand their powerrs in a new direction, perhaps consider how one of these side adventures might help with that? You may have an upcoming eneemy planned for your players that might present them with a challenge that they normally have no means to deal with and a side adventure to a new place or with a new character could allow them that means, if tey are crafty enough to make the connection. Side adventures are also great ways to foreshadow upcoming events in your campaign. A seemingly random encounter with an alien species could just be the tip of the iceberg of a massive event in your universe. 

Whatever you do with side adventures, make sure that, while they seem outside the norm for your heroes, they still do something to enrich the game and story of those heroes. Too many totally random "What The..?!" moments will leave your players feeling there isn't any sort of direction to the game and while this may be okay for more casual campaigns or with certain kinds of characters, mostp layers are going want a little more meaning in their campaigns. 

STUFF HAPPENS - RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

Comics are full of deep plots, interweaving plots, metaplots and ongoing stories but there are also a massive number of seemingly random, short-term, or even one-off encounters that occur in nearly every title. While this tends to be the province of solo heroes like Spider Man or the Incredible Hulk, just about every hero and team of heroes has had encounters with enemies outside their usual cast of characters. 

To a great degree, these sorts of randomly encountered characters serve to allow comics creators to experiment with new ideas play around, and have fun. They are often less defined, sometimes less well thought out and sometimes very silly. Quite often these character are introduced with the intention of having them become recurring characters should they prove popular enough but in many cases, they come, go and are never heard of again, that is until another creator decides they want a crack at the character.

This is one of the greatest benefits of these characters for GMs. GMs are notoriously creative, constantly coming up wth new NPCs and characters. With many games it can be tricky to find a believable, useful place for all this creativity but superheroes games have it written int othe very fabric of the genre. Leaning into this will only serve to make your games feel more like the comics they are based on. If you have an idea, jot it down, scribble together some quick stats and file it away in you folder of random encounters to use when you and/or your players need a break. That woodchuck-themed villain may only show up for one ill-fated fight with your players' heroes but he will be remembered. 

Random encounters need not stay random though. As I have pointed out in several previous posts, these characters are right for creating questions, rectonning, seeeding. A seemingly random hero may develop over time, returning as a lost relative, an alternate self, connected to a character's origins. Random encounters can spin off into new player characters even much in the same way that Peter Parker's styslistc costume change in Secret Wars became the pehenomenon that is Venom and then all the symbiote maness that came out of that. the key is that they never have to though, allowing  GM to create and use them freely. 

PRODUCTION DELAYS

 

Apologies for there being no From The Folder Friday this week. I got behind on posts and wasn't able to have it ready for today. Will get it posted next Friday. 

ALIEN SPECIES - ANOTHER CLASSIC RECURRING ENEMY

 

Last time, I wrote about recurring enemies and how they are a great way to world-build and allow yourself, as a GM, some easy filler or convenient opponents to slip into your campaign, from time to time. This time, I'd look to look at another sort of recurring enemy that is also not a named team or villain - alien species. 

Whether it is the Skrulls, Kree, or Badoon, comic book universes are filled with nearly endless examples of alien empires, all with their own agendas, special powers, equipment and often even named characters. Many of these alien empire are framed as distant, warring factions who occasionally appear on Earth to cause trouble while others are shown to have machinations on Earth itself or, even better for the GM and your players, the PC heroes. they can come, go, stay or disappear as your cmpaign needs as well, only as present a you want them to be but often able to appear out of nowhere, despite seemingly gone.

When choosing which alien species to use, spend a little time considering what it is that you want them to do. Larger alien empires will have greater resources to bring to the fight, sometimes even having their own sperpowered operatives, like the Super Skrull or Captain Mar-Vell. While any race can be sneaky or warlike, different species are goign to play into this better than others. The Skrulls ae definitely a better fit for a secret invasion than say the Kree or Brood, even though any of them have shown an ability to hide among humans. 

One of the nice things about using alien species in your games is that they afford your the same scaleability as organizations, even more so in many cases. Additionally, their alien nature and often unimaginable technolgy can allow them to come and go freely and appear from nowhere, much like ninjas or secret organizatons can. When doing any of these, you needn't worry too much about the specifics of how they are doing what they are doing as comic book aliens are often given great leeway when it comes to the exact nature of their abilities and technologies, often coming up with previously unrevealed weapons and even powers as their presence progresses in the stories. 

Alien species, much like organizations are not confined to the role of enemy either. You can have them be as monolithis or complex as you like. Comic books are full of turncoats, traitors, subversives and subfactions among alien species and their empires. These anomalies add depth to the recurring aliens, allowing the players' characters to make friends and allies even while fighting the majority of the alien menace. the exact motivations and reasons for these anmalous characters can be as simple as differing opinions, politics, or even a person agenda that goes against the overall motivations of the species such as love, revenge, honor, or any other personal expression of emotion or intelligence. 

One last consideration with using aliens is that the universe is massive and comic book aliens often travel not just between planetary systems or even within the same galaxy but often from entire other galaxies or dimensions. Because of this, you can invent new alien as freely as you like without ever feeling like you have explain their existence. Even if they are from an area of "known space" such as the Shi-ar empire, you can explain them with just a few waves of your world-building wand. An alien may be from the farthest reaches of space or just around the cosmic bend and just simply never discovered or even kept hidden from detection. They might have simply blipped into existence or awakened after eons of slumber, or slipped into this universe through the fabric of time and space.

Aliens provide a rich tapestry of options for a GM to come up with endless encounters fo their players. They will provide characterful opponents that the players can love, hate, or love to hate. They can even provide the spark for new characters to be played by your players. The next character at your table may be a rogue member of a species or an advanced scout sent to prepare the world for a coming threat. 

What are some of your favorite comic book aliens?

How have you used aliens in your games?

Have you ever had any players make character from alien species you have brought into your games?