Last week I was invited by Walt Robillard (or Hazard Studio) to play in a game of Supers! The Comic Book RPG for the BAMF Podcast. Joined by Mike Lafferty and Ade Smith, we were part of the Battle Action Meta Force (or BAMF for short).
My character, Fortune, was a Probability Manipulating agent that used batons and acrobatics to battle the bad guy. You can see his stats for Supers! below, or check out the blog to download the episode and the other characters as well.
This was my first time playing Supers! and I'm positive it won't be my last. The game was just part of a successful Kickstarter and is a blast to play. If you like your superhero games fast and fun, then it's definitely the game for you!
First, let me apologize for not getting this blogged on Sunday, as my original intention was to get some fun Tribute Universe stuff out to my readers this weekend. That said, I'm glad I waited till comic book day, as I'd like to talk about Mutants, or, as we call them in the TU, Gene-Actives. I have an on-again/off-again love affair with Marvel's X-Men. I started seriously collecting the title somewhere around Uncanny X-Men #165 and dug into back issue bins to grab any previous issues that I didn't have. And, while I dumped my collecting back around when the first movie hit (a move I'm still kicking myself for), I got back into them around the House of M miniseries and have been getting issues here and there.
That said, it shouldn't come to any surprise that I wanted to establish my own take on the next evolution of mankind, but I also didn't want a carbon copy of what had come before. Thus came the concept of Gene-Actives, which are mainly influenced by the X-Men flavored Mutants, as well as Wild Cards and the legacy characters found in DC Comics' Infinity, Inc.
In the Tribute Universe, gene-actives are separated into three categories:
• Gene-Positives (or Gen+): Like most of the superheroes in comics, Gen+ individuals look basically like humans with powers. There's little difference between humans with powers and a Gen+ character.
• Gene-Negatives (or Gen-): Unlike the others, Gen- characters stand out in a crowd. This could be due to a physical mutation that's very apparent or an aura about them that draws attention. Being Gen- doesn't mean the character is ugly or deformed in some way, in fact there are some that are quite attractive or share traits with trusted mythological beings. The term "Gen-" infers that the character stands out a bit more and can cause more of a reaction if noticed.
• Gene-Zeroes (or Gen0): Different from their cousins, a Gen0 is someone with relatively minor powers, with some bordering on useless. That guy who can heat bread as his main power? Probably a Gen0. The woman that can track by cologne? Gen0. The kid who can burrow two feet into the ground in seconds without a tool? Yup, Gen0.
In game terms, all Gene-Actives have the following template:
Gene-Active [8 points]
STA +1
Advantages: Diehard
Powers: Enhanced Recovery: Regeneration 5 • 5 points
Complication: Prejudice (Gen-Active): Gene-Actives can be found using equipment that zeroes in on their unique genetic signature. Much like fingerprints, every gene-active has their own signature and some can be traced along their lineage.
Gen- characters have a more severe version of the Prejudice Complication, as they have to take great means as to not be noticed (especially when someone is hunting them). However, in the TU proper, gene-actives are starting to get more rights every day thanks to the Gene Equality Act that was passed in 2010. Before the act was passed, these characters were considered second-class citizens by most and were often subject to extreme prejudice in the media. Hector Helix, a Gen+ activist, started changing that in the late '90s when he founded the original Helix Foundation, a non-profit organization that took in gene-actives and gave them a safe house from the world. Existing to this day, the Helix Foundation has helped law makers create a safe environment for human and gene-active alilke. Because of these laws, it's become mandatory that superhero groups looking to get government funding must have a gene-active member in their roster. If a group applies and doesn't have one, they may contact the Helix Foundation for a list of suggested members in their area.
Gene-Active, Helix Foundation and all other information on the Tribute Universe setting (including the name Tribute Universe) is deemed product identity and is © DT Butchino, 2013. Mutants & Masterminds, Third Edition is © Green Ronin Publishing.
This week, I grabbed Five Ghost #6, Infinity #5, Avengers #22, Nightwing Annual #1 (New52) and X-Men: Battle of the Atom #2. It's partially due to X-Men: BotA #2 that I posted info on Gene-Actives today, as the comic has been a fun ride for me. I enjoyed the ending and I'm really looking forward seeing where they go with it.
For those that follow me on Facebook, you've heard this before but I'm saying it yet again: read Five Ghosts! Great comic with lots of pulp action and weird mysticism. If you're not reading it, you're missing out.
Nightwing has always been a favorite character of mine and, while his status in the current DCU is a bit shaky, I kind of enjoyed the Annual. It wasn't the greatest story I'd read, but it was a fun read.
I haven't had a chance to read Infinity or Avengers at this time, but I'll include my thoughts sometime this weekend.
Acts
of Villainy: Solo #46 is LIVE! Once a hero who was met with fatal
brutality, the creature known as Bloodletter is barely an echo of the
man he once was. Raised from the dead and corrupted by dark magic, he
now stalks the living world looking for souls to feed on. Bloodletter,
available today for only 99¢ and only in Acts of Villainy: Solo #46! The
last Halloween villain for 2013! Grab your copy today!
This week we also picked a winner of our Take Me To The Tribute Universe Contest! Congratulations to Robert Rittenhouse, who was placed within the Tribute Universe in AoV: Mastermind #4 as a high ranking member of The Pentacle of Shadows! Robert wrote in on our Google+ page with the following entry:
"I really enjoy the variety of characters that AoV has had to offer.
Everything from a team to make players cry (Magnum and Mustang I'm
looking at you!) to ones who hearken back to times where we had the
pants scared off of us (Harvester on that one).
I would like to
give a critique though. So far we have only seen one fire or heat using
villain (Tectonic). I figured doing a small series of them during the
summer would have been a nice counterpoint to the cold series you did in
December, especially since fire powers seem to get represented the same
way every time (normally Human Torch style).
I also would like
to ask if we'll be seeing any dedicated magic users popping up anytime
soon. Only Catseye, Bathory, Slapstick, and possible the Converter
(sorta) could be said to really use any magic, and of those only
Slapstick and Bathory could be said to have a focus on magic (Converter
is accidental and Catseye seems to have it more as a sideline than a
focus).
I do apologize if I sound like I'm whining but magic has
always been my favorite part of any RPG I've played. I would really like
to see some more, especially with Halloween popping up soon. A mage or
alchemist could be freaking creepy as hell (maybe with homegrown minions
that look like the things from Gremlins or something)."
Thanks to everyone who entered. We hope Robert enjoys his copy of Hellfire (as well as the magically themed AoVs that have been coming out all month) and his place within the Tribute Universe. Keep an eye out in 2014, as we'll be offering another chance to be a character in an Act of Villainy (or maybe an Act of Heroism).
The newest Acts of Villainy: Mastermind is
LIVE! Half-demon and totally evil, Hellfire reigns over her own
dimension and has her sights on Earth! With the power of her namesake at
the tip of her fingers, she's raising an army to conquer the world and take down any heroes in her way! Hellfire, available today only $1.99 and only in Acts of Villainy: Mastermind #4! Grab your copy today!
Every Wednesday, we'll try to respond to fan questions and post them here. If you have a question, please leave a comment here on the blog or e-mail us at our e-mail address.
This week's comment comes from Jae Campbell. Jae asks:
"Sounds like a fun event with enough hooks to run again - will your
Christmas special be a continuation or a stand alone (possibly with the
Kampus)? Does show the fun you can have by mixing genres and using low
level characters so it becomes more about role playing rather than 'roll
playing'."
Hey Jae!
It was indeed a fun time. Our Holiday special is a stand alone, single night event that takes place in the modern day Tribute Universe. Events are always an open invitation to anyone in the area and often attract current and past players. If someone has an established hero, they're allowed to choose which one they'd like to play, with anyone else having to make one before the event. The year we have a few alumni coming to play and I'm hoping that we'll get a few more. The only downside is that we have limited space (since the games are set up in our living room) and can only allow 10 players at this time.
I definitely agree on "role vs. roll" and mixing genres. With the events that I do, I try and have a mixed bag of heroes as much as possible. This is to emulate what you see in comics, as you rarely see heroes of the same level interacting in such stories as Crisis on Infinite Earths, Secret Wars, or even AvX. Expect a full report after the event is over. Thanks for the comment, Jae.
Welcome to It Came From the Sketchpad! The official blog of Sketchpad Studio and DT "Sketchpad" Butchino. Twice a week I'll be posting about Sketchpad Studio projects, comic books and gaming, with occasional guest posts and possibly an interview here and there. Have questions you'd like to ask? Give us a shout at sketchpad.studio@gmail.com and we'll try to answer them in a post.
I've spoken in the Acts of Villainy issues on how much I like event comics. Last year, I ran a one-shot game that allowed my gaming group to gather a random group of their heroes together to stop an invading menace that was prophecized by the Mayan calender. We had a blast, so I wanted to do that again, only with a Halloween game. Thus, Seasons of Blood was born. The game was announced to friends in August, with sign up leading up until October 12th, with Mutants & Masterminds, Third Edition being chosen as the system. The game was set in the Tribute Universe during the year 1977 and ten pre-generated characters were available for up to seven players.
Last night we played the game and had the following players, all of whom are regular members of my bi-weekly gaming group, The Midnight Legion:
• Glenn, who played Jon Hollow, a former detective that continued his career after his death.
• Sara, who played Rose Cobb, a former agent that's gained a werewolf-like curse.
• Charity, who played a crystal mage named Maureen "Moonglow" Davis.
• Ana, who played the uncontrolled telekinetic named Alvin Keller.
• Talya, who played nature psychic Sylvia Simmons.
• Seth, who played Malcolm Wolfe, a hunter not unlike a pair of famous brothers seen on TV.
Each character was PL 5, with some having powers and the Ritual advantage being used in full swing.
The game started with the team being called in to investigate a gruesome killing of a consulate member, Gene Oberman. With each character working for W.A.R.D. (see W.A.R.D.), they discovered that he was an avid art collector and one of his pieces, a mask, was stolen. They also discovered The Yellow Sign etched near where he was killed. Malcolm took the bait and mentioned Hastur's name three times, which summoned a rat-thing that served as the eyes for an unseen master.
Meanwhile, another killing occurred, this time of a stage producer named Sam Thompson. While there wasn't a body, there was enough evidence of foul play and the heroes investigated further. Looking in his office, they discovered a list of people, each linked to a rock opera called The Emperor in Amber. Looking into the members, they found each of them either dead or in a state of insanity, with two members encountering a shadowy, winged creature during their inspection. While it managed to get away, they managed to find the name of Evan Cassilda, a local Pentacle Club owner and secretly a member of The Pentacle of Shadows (see The Pentacle of Shadows). Bringing him in for questioning, he managed to walk free with little evidence pointing to him.
However, that didn't stop the heroes. With most of the group waiting outside, Rose and Maureen went in undercover and found the club about to perform the Emperor in Amber on their stage. Gathering the others, Maureen rebuked Cassilda, who had been part of the performance as The King in Yellow. Attacked by the same shadowy beings that were seen earlier, the group rallied and managed to defeat one, while Jon jumped on stage and removed the stolen mask (itself an artifact of Hastur), canceling the spell and causing the gate for the true King in Yellow to fail. Using what waning influence he had left, the monstrous deity pulled whoever he could into the portal with him, with both Jon and Maureen escaping, the latter with the help of Alvin.
As the game came to close, Malcolm discovered that the rat-thing had been trailing him the whole time, though what its master's agenda was may have to wait for a later time.
Overall, we all seemed to have fun. The rules from the Supernatural Handbook worked well for what I'd worked up and would be happy to use them again. Our next major event is another holiday-themed one that's coming up in December. Expect another game report shortly after.
That wraps up the first post, folks. I'll be posting again probably mid-week, so if you have any questions or comments, please drop me a line or comment on this post. Thanks for reading and I'll post soon!
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