Chat about the game...

Well for the moment I think what ever we decide we want the power level to come down. Personally I've loved playing in the 40s and the 00's and the 20's with Jade Hood and Stone Fist.

Personally I'd prefer to see either the continued adventures of Frostbite trying to find the other Vanguard in the 00's perhaps working with Lionheart. I'm not sure if I am keen on the future dystopia view. We had a bit of that when we saw the Nazi's take over before we went back in time.

As I say I've also quiet enjoyed this period when we've been lower powered - especially my time in the States that was fun. The thing with the Dark Power has always been a question of, Not will we use it, but when will we use it!

Anyway the other thing is that I don't want to personally cause you more work Paul. Ultimately I think you get a say in what kind of a campaign are you offering? What would you like to see played out. Clearly a 50's thing either in Britain or the States would require more work from you.

Dave does make a valid point, that Putty/Anyman has no valid point of entry in what was our time line, the P'utinarians never, as far as we know were part of our time line, so that might be a tricky part to handle in what was Vanguard continuity.

Sj

We don't have many players (well, three of you who are regular posters) so there is absolutely nothing at all stopping us from running games in several time periods. Players can opt in, or opt out as they see fit and each game would have a separate board, so you'd have 'The Silver Age', The 'Modern Age' and possibly 'The Future' for Lionhearts adventures, if he ever went back there. We've kind of established that time travel is a mess and going back or forward in time might mean things are somewhat different from history as we know it, and crossover events are always possible.

I'll admit I know very little about the 1950s, save that the Americans and Russians were involved in a 'cold war' and dragged most of the world into it on one side or another. Such an era might involve low key/no costume supers and a superhuman 'arms race' between the two sides. I know a little about Joseph McCarthy and the anti-communist sentiment he fuelled up to around 1954, with neighbours wondering if the person down the street who kept to themselves and didn't bother anyone was secretly a 'red' or some such. I can imagine that's as dark a time as any for a masked superhero - you want to protect your identity and your loved ones, but surely, wearing a mask means you could be anyone under there. Heck, you could be working for the commies, and so on.

Modern era - Dave E is right. Frostbite, Stormwarden and the Vanguard of that era had *just about* gained the trust of Adjutant, the premier superhuman of the British people, and as such had pretty much gained acceptance by the British Press and Public, if not quite the government. The official line is that anyone not working for the government is an outlaw and treated as such. The Vanguard had proven time and again that they were working for the greater good, then the world turned upside down with the Nazis taking over. What will the modern era be like with time changed as it is? A world war II that lasted 'just' 1 1/2 years and introduced the notions of Aliens, High Technology, Undead, Superhumans and a radical shift in world power to whomever had the greatest number of superhumans working for them - currently the British in late 1941. OR it could be a return to the timeline almost exactly as it was left (I'd have to dig out the last pre World War Vanguard post to jog my memory) and back to the era of the superhuman outlaw.

Future era - where cities are great vast series of domes, sheltering the populace from nuclear winter and the horrors of a blasted wasteland. A cross between Judge Dredd, Logans Run, Star Trek, Equilibrium and Mad Max, where the PSI Corps are the ultimate law, judge, jury and executioner. Except paradise isn't bright, shiny and clean. It's built on lies, murder, corruption and the lust for power, and only the PCs know (or care) about it. Your either along with it, turning a blind eye, or you're an enemy of the state, and likely they will come for you in the dead of night, forcing you to make the decision - go for mind cleansing and reprogramming, or fight, and try to bring the whole mess crashing down in the name of justice and freedom.

Just a few thoughts. As mentioned, players can run a character in one or more games if we split into three eras, all separate from the other.

And no cosmic adventures.

OF course, if my plan works to save the world, everyone goes back to their own proper Earth and Time so we would pretty much be starting from scratch for heroes since our current heroes come from different places and time.

DavidMcMahon wrote:If we manage to survive this adventure, you mentioned going back to more normal lower level stuff without the Dark Powers. Were you thinking of setting us back into modern day or thinking of another decade or time period?

I'd be open to this, but I still feel that my characters plot lines that got left dangling need to be sorted. So for me going back would be about sorting out Frostbite in the present era, however Frostbite 2 is American and sort of debuted as another kind of hero, and as such he could easily fit into such a period, but running two Frostbites in two different time periods, confusing much.

But I'm open to discussing it.

Sj

If we manage to survive this adventure, you mentioned going back to more normal lower level stuff without the Dark Powers. Were you thinking of setting us back into modern day or thinking of another decade or time period?

If a different time period, how about the early/mid 1950s? The Atomic Age, the short age between the end of the Golden Age of Comics and the beginning of the Silver Age. The age of the Red Menace. UFOs - but usually it was only a scouting force and if it could be defeated, there would be no invasion. The Race to Space. Atomic Power was the answer to all our energy needs. Korean War. Basically 1950 to 1956 [When the Silver Age Flash/Barry Allen appeared in October]

Some of the Heroes of the 1950s [Mostly American] from various sources:

Character / Team Year Debuted Creator/s First Appearance
Captain Comet 1951 (June) John Broome, Carmine Infantino Strange Adventures #9
Phantom Stranger 1952 (August–September) John Broome, Carmine Infantino, Sy Barry Phantom Stranger #1
Marvelman (later Miracleman) 1954 (February 3) Mick Anglo Marvelman #25
Martian Manhunter 1955 (November) Joseph Samachson, Joe Certa Detective Comics #225
Flash (Barry Allen) 1956 (October) Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino Showcase #4
Challengers of the Unknown 1957 (February) Jack Kirby Showcase #6
Legion of Super-Heroes 1958 (April) Mort Weisinger, Otto Binder Adventure Comics #247
Adam Strange 1958 (November–December) Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky Adventure Comics #247
Lady Blackhawk 1959 (February) Jack Schiff and Dick Dillin Blackhawks #133
Supergirl 1959 (May) Otto Binder, Al Plastino Superman #123
The Fly (Archie Comics) 1959 (June) Joe Simon, Jack Kirby The Double Life of Private Strong #1
The Shield
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) 1959 (October) Julius Schwartz, John Broome, Gil Kane Showcase #22
Captain Flash and Ricky
Strong Man
Fighting American and Speedboy
This revival began with Young Men #24 (Dec. 1953) which had new stories from Captain America, The Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. Stan Lee, being the continuity nut that he is, used the stories in Young Men #24 - "Back from the Dead" (in which Captain America & Bucky are resurected), "The Return of the Human Torch", and "The Sub-Mariner Returns" to explain why the trio of heroes had returned. Although this revival barely lasted a year (except for the Sub-Mariner title, which lasted until #42, Oct. 1955), some have pointed to this as the real beginning of the Silver-Age.
Marvel Boy
Phantom Lady (4 issues, 1954–1955) — originally published by Quality Comics, Fox Features Syndicate, and Star Publications; Ajax imprint
Samson (3 issues, 1955) — originally published by Fox Features Syndicate; Ajax imprint
Wonder Boy (2 issues, 1955) — originally published by Quality Comics; Ajax imprint
The Avenger
At the beginning, Charlton's main characters were Yellowjacket, not to be confused with the later Marvel character, and Diana the Huntress. In the mid-1950s, Charlton briefly published a Blue Beetle title with new and reprinted stories, and in 1956, several short-lived titles written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, such as Mr. Muscles and Nature Boy (the latter with artist Mastroserio), and the Joe Gill-created Zaza the Mystic.
Captain 3-D
The Black Cobra
The Flame


You know for a time period where publishers were dropping comics and parent groups forcing comics codes into existence, still amazes me how many attempts at superheroes still went on during this time period.

Different countries, different rules I guess. Mail pretty much is delivered from 9 Am to about 4 PM around here, once a day. My mail usually comes between noon and two. Can tell its a new mailman or woman if it shows up earlier than that.

Pretty much everyone uses a small mailtruck. They may either drive up to your mailbox and reach across to put it in or park in a neighborhood where the mailboxes are not on the road and deliver door to door. Or like my aparmtent, deliver to to large mail centers where the boxes to each apartment it at.

Now in the OOOOOLLLLDDDDDD days, mail was delivered twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Hence the murder mystery novel/movie The Postman Rings Twice.

Some areas are no longer getting Saturday delivery, only M-F.

Admin wrote:+1 to all you say Dave E, guess it's a US thing to expect it later in the morning. When I was a postie (only for about 6-8 months something like that) it was start at 5 and be home by 10. These days I'm amazed if the post gets here before 10.30, so it's all changed. I guess the post people are full time rather than part time as I was.

Gets you fit though, cycling with 25+ kgs over the front wheel of a bike, in driving rain, uphill...

At one point I drove my car to a location, had my weight lifting belt on and took the bag on my shoulder up one side and down again to the car, then did the other side and back up again. I took the belt to give my lower back support, but the bag got lighter as you went on. Long time since I was a postie, I did it for about 2 years.

Sj

+1 to all you say Dave E, guess it's a US thing to expect it later in the morning. When I was a postie (only for about 6-8 months something like that) it was start at 5 and be home by 10. These days I'm amazed if the post gets here before 10.30, so it's all changed. I guess the post people are full time rather than part time as I was.

Gets you fit though, cycling with 25+ kgs over the front wheel of a bike, in driving rain, uphill...

DavidMcMahon wrote:People would get suspicious if their mail actually showed up bright and early every morning! Though everyone sees an abandoned postal vehicle and assumes that the postmail is somewhere down the street delivering mail. So he could actually get away with getting away from his job and just sort of running through the remainder of it faster when he gets back. Or deliver twice as much mail the next day.

Actually I used to be a postman, and I can tell you if mail turned up early people would be delighted. Especially when they are waiting for something. The tricky part would be when you've got to get people to sign for things. You're right about the mail van and people assuming you're about. I used to cycle to my round have prearranged points I'd leave my bike and then do small sections, before moving on. It was a very time efficient way of doing the mail, which meant you got back quicker before the second round. In England we used to have two rounds/deliveries a day. Now they delay this, so that more post can be sorted and the most possible post go out in just one round. Postmen get out later as a result and often take more mail but only go out once, at least in the uk.

Sj

People would get suspicious if their mail actually showed up bright and early every morning! Though everyone sees an abandoned postal vehicle and assumes that the postmail is somewhere down the street delivering mail. So he could actually get away with getting away from his job and just sort of running through the remainder of it faster when he gets back. Or deliver twice as much mail the next day.

POstman? Done at super speed then patrol the neighbourhood with an empty mail bag ready to pounce on evil doers - or rescue cats from trees...

What implausible excuse do you cook up for your sudden absence to go investigate?'

Victor, who started to play the Mummy and then dropped because he got too busy, has finally started his publishing company. I've finally gotten serious about writing a book or two for it. One fantasy book and one sci-fi book, which is actually a superhero anthology.

It's a world where powers have existed for thousands of years so the rules are a bit different. But still, a lot of heroes have learned to keep secret IDs if they want a normal life when not fighting crime. So what kind of real life jobs can my heroes have that actually gives them time to sneak away from work for an hour or two, fighting powered criminals? For my flagship hero, Maestro, I've decided he is a writer. And to put a funny twist on it, he is a romance writer but he is a classic geek with no girlfriend yet somehow writes romance novels that women love.

How many other jobs are out there that you can do where you can disappear for a time, if you are not rich? Newspaper reporter. District manager of some compnay where you have to travel to the various stores or shops of your business, like fast food restaurants. Cab Driver, if you only work for yourself, because if you worked for someone else you would always have to be checking in with the dispatcher. A painter/sculptor. Not much else. Now if you had a co-worker or secretary who was in on your secret, then they could cover for you and that opens up a few more jobs you could actually do.

One of my other heroes, Somebody, is going to be a street person living at the various homeless shelters.

Other heroes because of their jobs would only be able to fight crime during certain hours of the day or the night. A lot of golden age heroes operated that way, usually fighting crime at night after getting home from work.

ITs kind of interesting to try to figure out how you could fight crime and hold down a job too. What other jobs could one do?

As mentioned in the main thread, this will be the last adventure involving the Dark Power, whatever happens (no guarantee the Vanguard will win, but the game will go on...) I also yearn for the simple days of 'you hear an alarm at the bank, but are in the middle of a meeting! What implausible excuse do you cook up for your sudden absence to go investigate?'

Ok, maybe not that exactly, but more conventional supers. The Shadow Demons may be a villain that pops up from time to time but the events of ShadowLand will change the Darkening Shadows campaign completely, forever.

The Lore Knights game I'd planned to end (on a cliffhanger no less!) with the current issue, but will be just be for a brief time for a catch up on the rules I have written. I have a number of mechanics I want to put into play, but nothing so drastic as new rules, just tweaks to the ones you know. Then it'll be new pulpy adventures with the dawn of the superheroic age and the worlds first 'official' superhero team. That will also be a chance for Ross to jump in, and anyone else if they fancy joining in. The games will run in separate universes, unconnected with the other.

Okay, I threw a monkey wrench into everyone's plans, I know. Been thinking about it all day while driving around to see a client. The plan to run around and do lots of things was basically setting us up to the old "Divide and Conquer" routine. I want to avoid that. I want us to stick together or totally fragment and not ever come back together again until the Devourer is done for or we've lost the universe - which is very likely to happen. So I would much prefer to stick together.

I have another brilliant plan that I am going to carry out as Anyman, alone, if I have to. Which will probably result in the end of Anyman, unless someone comes up with a plan that we can do together that's better than my shoot the dice and hope for the best.


And to be honest, I'm getting sick of the Dark Powers and the cosmic level of our adventures. It was fun for a good long while but now it is just a burden. I really want to go down to super-street/national level adventures and powers; and avoid world-wide and cosmic level adventures and powers. I am having a lot more fun with our pulp try-out adventure for that very reason. I want to have powers I choose and not have to call up powers I didn't choose for my character concept in order to function in the world.

My original brilliant plan was to do the Eternals thing - a comic by Jack Kirby that Marvel put out in the 70s or 80s. They were able to fuse together to become the Overmind! The Overmind was a giant floating brain that had immense mental powers and thinking abilities. Figured to have the Vanguards merge into such a thing, use our combined powers and ego to find the Devourer's weakness and Impossible Events to take him out and fix as many problems as possible and restart with world ala Crisis of Infinite Earths - without any Dark Powers around.

Now I find out that they are us already merged!!!

Probably will still have to do a version of that. We have to block all access to the Dark Powers in our universe, just like you threw them out of England, maybe all the universes combined.

We've never had an imax here, and from what I can tell of it all it seems is a bigger screen and a slightly sharper picture. Since the whole movie wasn't shot in imax, I imagine the bits that weren't tended to be jarring. But having to pay for what you experienced, must have been galling. As you say, just as well you saw it as I think also, its best seen.

Just got back from seeing the film on Imax. What a terrible experience and waste of time. I'd go so far as to say Imax brings nothing to the experience. Seating is hyper critical, there was no reserved seating (so it was almost a mad dash scramble) and we ended up in the front row. So, a disaster. I'm glad I saw it the other day, just feel sorry for my mate. Also have a sore neck, and the brats in the row behind were testing my patience with the kicking of the chair back, constantly, as well as whispering and sweet rustling all the way through.

I may try Imax again, but not at Bradford. It was like going back in time 30 years to cramped seats, horrible viewing angles and sitting miles away from each other because there were gaps in seating and people refused to sit closer together without causing a scene. Stuff that. Multiplex all the way for me, and I'd not bat an eyelid if the Imax cinema at Bradford closed down.

Just got back from DKR little while ago and I loved it, I mean loved it. I've not seen ASM, but I found Avengers to be a great film, this was the end of a fantastic trilogy and it had so many twists and turns. I came out wanting both to rewatch the first movie and watch this all over again. My only disappointment is how clear Bane's voice is in some places, whilst difficult to get at what he is saying in others.

That said it was a for me a minor niggle in and brilliant movie. So different, great music, visuals, stories and stunts. Loved it.

Sj

As a superhero movie? It's not a great superhero film. Sure, there's a guy in a tank and a cape, and some of the familiar people you see are there, but it's (foremost) an action/adventure flick about a guy using a costume and persona to bring people to justice. In the comics, Batman is also Bruce Wayne, some of the time, if you get my meaning. Bruce Wayne is something he does when he has to, and even then he's probably itching for someone to break out of Gotham. When you make a film, you pay someone 10-20 million dollars to stand in front of a camera, which is why masks usually come off more than you'd like or expect, if a comic book fan.

So if you take it on its own merits, and enjoy what is put in front of you rather than wish it were this or that... I liked it. 8/10. I like Die Hard style action movies though, and this falls neatly into that slot.

Avengers was a better superhero film, no doubt. As was Spiderman, X men, and all the other silly costume cgi effects stuff. I enjoyed this as much as Avengers, and easily better than Amazing Spiderman which I saw recently. That was a 'meh' inducing 5/10, not good, not bad just... ok. CGI in it has moved on from the Raimi days which is a plus.

The Batman films give out messages, give a reflection of society to some degree and have at least a tenuous grip on reality with technology that *might* be viable in a year or 10. Superhero films are pure fantasy, and enjoyable for it, but different to the Nolan Bat films. I like different, so it's all good for me. Die hard fans of Batman (pun not intended, but it came out anyway) might not like the Nolan films, but for the rest of us, I'd say just enjoy them, and don't worry about what Batman should have in his utility belt. Shark Repellent Bat spray or whatever.

I haven't seen it yet. Maybe later this week or next week. So tell me. I ranked the Avengers better than Spiderman. Where does this Batman film fall with those two?

Well you guys have changed the way I thought this would all go - and when the devourer shows up (this week I should think) things will change again...

Been to see the Dark Knight Rises tonight, really enjoyed it but tinged with deep sadness for what happened in Denver. Updates tomorrow (up early with youngest son... )

Some good and valid points here Dave, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Sj

You know, the more powerful we get and the more powerful the foes we fight, the more we are forced to make decisions for the Earth without regard to any nations' sovereignty because those beings/star nations have the power to destroy the Earth in a very short time [see Death Star in Star Wars]. Something I don't like but see as needed. Hence Anyman about to destroy an entire Star Nation because they won't leave us alone.

No way he can go up to Churchill and explain the situation and ask for directions. For one thing, it would take too long. For another, Churchill hasn't dealt with these folks and might try to talk passed the talking point and Earth can be destroyed because of it. Which sort of forces us into the roles of gods or at least the Dictators of Earth, both roles I do not want to do but see us moving more and more towards that.

I'm really thinking we will have to move off Earth and base on the Moon or Elsewhere to avoid national sovereignty issues when it comes to such powerful beings. We would have a two-step set up. The most powerful beings with the Dark Powers, live on the Moon, making it a sovereign nation. Step two, the "minor" powered heroes remaining on Earth and battling for Truth, Justice and Their Own Nation's Way - meaning folks like the Lore Knights and the German Heroes.

Of course this is all speculation as to the future because when the Devourer shows up multiple universes will die in a Crisis of Multiple Earths as we battle him with all our Dark Powers combined!!!

And then, a new Earth with new weaker heroes will appear, unless we lose.

Just a quick note - aside from Frostbites horrible cursed rolls, Anyman has had things the roughest so far, but its a mark of the character (and you running him) that he's keeping it together. This latest disaster might haunt him in a way that the other disaster never did, but its the lesser of two evils - kill the Nazis by their million to save millions of innocent people and end the war. If the Nazis were able to follow their plan through, many more would die.

It's a tricky one though - were it my character I'd consider your option of destroying the Star Guards home system as well. Out of sight, out of mind... BUT... you might trigger an interstellar conflict that has the universe at each others throats!

Bear in mind that the Dark power (and to a lesser extent the Lunarium) is the carrot that draws the Devourer. Up till now its seen a series of carrots dangled from the shop window of Earth. Now it will see the golden glowing carrot with a dozen neon signs pointing at it and that it covets that power over all other things!

We're near to the final chapter of World War II.

The war is over - but the most important battle is yet to be fought, and it will make the stakes of World War II seem insignificant!

Poor Putty/Anyman. Goes beserk at the worst times. Twice now. And he is dying of radiation poisoning lest we forget; it's only the Dark Powers that keep him from dying. He has to use the Dark Powers to heal himself, risking going beserk each time he does that, or he has to go climb into the medical tubes on the V-Ships to recover from his damage but still dying from the radiation. If he had been one of the heroes to lose his Dark Powers, he probably would have died then and there.

He is probably the greatest hard luck hero in the game. Or that I've ever played.

Peter Parker thinks he has it rough, trying to make his rent and wondering if Aunt May is going to have a heart attack. Bah! He doesn't know Hard Luck!

So by now, you've probably seen my two choices I am looking to go to. We will find out soon from our GM if either one is viable and what happens if of them does work. So, what would you have done in my place? Just curious.