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Post by Adminenkainen on Feb 23, 2019 6:05:47 GMT
It's great that we have two concurrent campaigns going here. In 4-6 months...there might be another?
I've been thinking lots about wanting to try an online campaign again, and how to do it right this time. I've already posted some things about it in other places. I'll repost them here.
Some thoughts I've had on how to run an online campaign better. 1. Keep momentum by requiring a daily post, with a minimum of one sentence. 2. Keep time moving forward by not slowing down to run combats. It's a superhero game, so I'll be willing to assume the good guys win. One turn must cover a minimum of 30 minutes of game time (the minimum sentence can be "my hero sleeps for the next 30 minutes"). 3. Give players agency. On the players turn, you can write up to one full page moving the plot in any direction you want it to go. You don't need to give me intentions and wait to see how they're resolved. 4. Because of 2 and 3, the campaign would be largely rules-lite. 5. The campaign would be largely solo play. Nothing stalls a campaign faster than waiting for everyone to be able to make it to the same session. We would still try for a weekly chat-based group session, but if it doesn't happen, we'll still be moving individual stories forward daily. 6. Whatever you get done in one month of real time is that month's story. We will not keep track of what day you are on in the month to make it easier for heroes to team up. At the end of the month, your story gets edited together into an "issue" to share publicly. It is up to the player if the issue will feature personal information about the hero or if that will be excised out. There needs to be some benefit for players who do the editing for me.
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Post by Adminenkainen on Feb 23, 2019 20:01:54 GMT
I am considering running an online campaign that would start sometime after June...but can't decide which of these should be the basis for it. Thoughts? 1941: small town “justice society” (levels 1-3 heroes, each hero has his own town, all within 30 miles of each other; would prefer mostly original heroes) 1943: small city “justice society” (level 2-5 heroes, each hero has his own city, all within 60 miles of each other; would prefer 25% to be established comic book heroes) 1945: New official Midwest Justice Society branch (levels 3-7 heroes, all working in or around a city like Omaha, Minneapolis, or St. Louis, 120-mile radius play area; would prefer 50% to be established comic book heroes) 1950: Justice Society of America, after a big membership shake-up (levels 4-10 heroes, all working in New York City, 240 mile radius play area, including Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, and Philadelphia; would prefer all established comic book heroes, would prefer 50% to be past or present members of JSA) 1956: Blackhawk/Challengers of the Unknown/World’s Finest-style adventures (levels 1-11 heroes, centered in NYC, but in a 480-mile radius play area, including all of New England and the Virginias, would prefer 50% to be established comic book heroes) 1963: Silver Age Marvel, about to form the first Avengers team (levels 1-6 heroes, all in NYC, would prefer 50% to be established comic book heroes and 25% to be actual Marvel heroes from 1963) 1967: Silver Age Marvel Avengers/Fantastic Four/X-Men mash-up (levels 3-7 heroes, mostly in NYC but with adventures spanning the western U.S., would prefer all to be established comic book heroes and 50% to be actual Marvel heroes from 1967) 1971: Bronze Age Marvel Avengers/Fantastic Four mash-up (levels 4-8 heroes, centered in NYC but with adventures spanning around the U.S., all established Marvel heroes)
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Post by Adminenkainen on Feb 24, 2019 15:50:45 GMT
Some thoughts on two finalists for next online campaigns:
I was immediately dissatisfied with a post I just made about two online campaign ideas, largely because they had too much in common. Best to summarize the similarities first.
Both campaigns will follow this model:
Role-playing > daily life emulation > team activities > problem solving > combat
Proactive play will be required. Downtime play is important and maintaining relationships with supporting casts will be crucial. Meta-gaming will be okay and using player knowledge of the comic books will be encouraged.
Now, the differences:
1950 JSA Campaign These are the waning days of the golden age, one year before the JSA was canceled. Some of the old roster of the Justice Society of America is interested in dropping out and putting some fresh blood on the team. You are part of the new team. Your teammates are legends…but, as you discover, they are people too. Many of them are thinking of retiring and settling down (all characters are about 6 years older). Will your next missions be their swansongs, or revitalize the team?
Supervillains are pretty much a thing of the past by 1950; many menaces will be groups (aliens, time travelers, etc.) who cannot just be locked up in jail, but will have to be negotiated with instead of or after fighting them. Plot hooks will be provided keyed to specific heroes, with some campaign-wide events set to happen at certain times, but players will move the plot.
1963 Avengers Campaign This campaign imagines, what if a different group of heroes is destined to become the Avengers? It will start six months earlier, in a New York City where most of the heroes only have 1-2 years of experience. What role will this new Avengers have? How will they relate to the Fantastic Four? The X-Men? How will history turn out differently this time?
Plot hooks will be provided, but many characters are going to be set to be encountered at specific times and places in more of a “sandbox” setting to explore. You can run into your favorite classic heroes and villains if you know the stories and well enough to be (for example) out on patrol at the right time. Supervillains will become more and more commonplace as the campaign progresses. The other superheroes may or may not show up to stop them, determined by random die roll, so it will be best to make sure you’re on hand to help stop as many of them as possible!
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Post by Adminenkainen on Mar 6, 2019 16:53:48 GMT
Some Heroes in 1950:
Atom. Fighter 7/Superhero 6. Al Pratt gained super strength just a few years ago and has gone from being a tenacious pugilist to a real powerhouse. How has that affected his life goals?
Black Canary. Mysteryman 7. Her story is one of redemption. But what do you do with your life after you've redeemed yourself?
Dr. Fate. Magic-User 5/Superhero 6. Years ago he was a mystical being centuries old, and one of the most powerful wizards on Earth. Now he has renounced all that to live as Kent Nelson, moderately powerful superhero. But which is the real Dr. Fate?
Hawkman. Fighter 5/Explorer 8. Carter Hall made a vow to his love of many lifetimes to give up adventure when they married. She is part of his life of adventure now as Hawkgirl -- is there still a need to get married?
Batman. Mysteryman 7/Fighter 11. He has become internationally famous as a crimefighter, an almost universally popular figure. When will he have done enough that the war on crime will be over?
Dr. Mid-Nite. Mysteryman 8. Will the will-they-won't-they relationship with his nurse, Myra Mason, ever move forward?
Flash. Superhero 10. The first superhero to marry has been a wedded man for six months. But are things moving too fast for the fastest man alive?
Green Lantern. Magic-User 11. While Dr. Fate and the Spectre have been diminishing in power, Alan has grown in mastery of his magic lantern. But his relationship with Harlequin went nowhere...will he die a lonely man with his dog, or will this new relationship with Alyx Florin go somewhere?
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Post by Adminenkainen on Mar 28, 2019 23:37:43 GMT
The campaign that was decided on:
It is comic book canon that the JSA disappeared for a year of time during the story in All-Star Comics #52. The published story would have you believe that the Justice Society of America were asleep for a whole year...but what if this hid an amazing secret? That the greatest heroes of the golden age of comics were instead transported to the magical world of the Great Kingdom for the duration of that year...?
This campaign will be an amalgam of freeform and Hideouts & Hoodlums rules, though the setting will be largely informed by Original Dungeons & Dragons.
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Post by order99 on Mar 29, 2019 4:11:07 GMT
The campaign that was decided on: It is comic book canon that the JSA disappeared for a year of time during the story in All-Star Comics #52. The published story would have you believe that the Justice Society of America were asleep for a whole year...but what if this hid an amazing secret? That the greatest heroes of the golden age of comics were instead transported to the magical world of the Great Kingdom for the duration of that year...? This campaign will be an amalgam of freeform and Hideouts & Hoodlums rules, though the setting will be largely informed by Original Dungeons & Dragons.
So the game based on 'What if the 1st RPG was based on the Golden Age of Comics' meets 'The Original RPG Itself'? Now that's getting nice and Meta-recursive!
Also, I can't wait to see H&H Magic-User vs D&D Magic-User, Cleric vs Superhero and Thief vs Mysteryman, etc :
Kuxaxes the Enchanter-No Seriously Thorn, all the spells are coming from that Ring on her finger-I think we've got a possibly malevolent Artifact possessing that half-dressed young woman. Perhaps our Cleric might try to break the poor girl's Curse?
The Astounding Miss Taken-I'm not kidding Louis, he just invites all that raw magic into his own brain! I...I feel like he's going to sneeze and i'll be dodging shrapnel! How can anyone do that and still be sane?
Harlick the Bishop-it's truly no use, the lesser Undead flee but the Vampire resists my compulsions! And with my Spells gone we are well and truly doomed!
The Objectivist-yeah, i'm utterly exhausted too-let's just run! (wrecks Dungeon Wall)
Harlick-I, you, HOW... Great Ojectvisk, I must know MORE of this great Power you serve!
The Objectivist-If you're going to keep mangling my name, just call me OJ-also, Ayn Rand taught me to never serve Power, but to become Power...here, borrow my copy of The Fountainhead and we'll talk in the morning-
Harlick-AHHH the Vampire stands before us!!!!
The Objectivist- (Wrecks Vampire)
The Objectivist-Wow....That Was A Thing That Happened I Guess...must have tapped some Future Potential right there...
Harlick-Speak...speak more of this Prophet Rand, OJ...
Vezzic the Silent- (climbs castle wall bare-handed and coshes Guard #1, vanishes into the darkness seconds before Guard #2 arrives)
The Killer Joke- Wow, this kid is one scary dude, it's like those crazy Ninja Movies come to life! I wonder how he got so good?
(pole-vaults next to Guard #2 and taps him on the shoulder)
Heeeey, Fuzzy! How does a Zombie smell without a nose? Terrible! Wakka Wakka! (hits the Punchline and Guard #2 slumps to the ground)
Vezzic the Silent-he-he cooks like a Chef, tracks prey like a woodsman, moved the Duke to tears with a...a Limerick, and now he leaps atop castle walls with a STICK??!!? Who were his Teachers and how much Gold must I give them? I WILL GIVE THEM ALL OF THE GOLD!!!!
Chana the Warrior-(moves like the Storm with his Specialty Weapon-the Kopesh-and three Ghouls fall to his blade)
Steve the Marine-(wishing he also had a awesome Khopesh, settles for a fist-sized rock to toss, an antique chair to smash and finally a roll of quarters-three more Ghouls bite the dust)
Chana-You...took CHAIR as a Proficiency?!?!? And ROCK?
Steve-I don't know about this 'proficiency' stuff, but , y'know, some times a guy just needs to grab what he can find, right? Oh Hey, here's a walking stick and an old fishing net! Soooooo...that awesome sword and chainmail combo...anywhere I could pick up a set 'round this place?
Can't wait to hear what happens!
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Post by Adminenkainen on Mar 29, 2019 17:31:50 GMT
>So the game based on 'What if the 1st RPG was based on the Golden Age of Comics' meets 'The Original RPG Itself'? Now that's getting nice and Meta-recursive!< My thoughts exactly. > The Objectivist-If you're going to keep mangling my name, just call me OJ-also, Ayn Rand taught me to never serve Power, but to become Power...here, borrow my copy of The Fountainhead and we'll talk in the morning- Harlick-AHHH the Vampire stands before us!!!! < I thought the joke there was that Ayn Rand was going to show up, and she was the vampire...
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Post by order99 on Mar 29, 2019 22:42:22 GMT
I thought the joke there was that Ayn Rand was going to show up, and she was the vampire... That...would have been perfect.
Another missed opportunity...
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Post by Cranston Cranston on Jun 12, 2019 6:29:25 GMT
More please, you guys! Also: is this campaign happening?
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Post by Adminenkainen on Jun 13, 2019 1:16:36 GMT
The JSA in the World of the Great Kingdom campaign starts on Facebook in four days.
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Post by order99 on Jun 16, 2019 1:31:38 GMT
STRIKES UP THE MARCHING BAND!!!!! (It's so lonely without my old gaming group, need my fix)
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Post by Adminenkainen on Aug 23, 2019 14:06:41 GMT
Well...that didn't last too long.
For the first time in a long time, there may be no current H&H campaign running anywhere after this Saturday. I hope there will be another one someday.
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Post by order99 on Aug 28, 2019 2:13:56 GMT
Ah well...more time for the Mobster Manual I guess...
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Post by Adminenkainen on Jan 22, 2021 6:09:09 GMT
Ah...I was so sad when that campaign fell apart so quickly. I had really big hopes for it.
I'm thinking, if I start running something new, I won't worry about perfect emulation again. The comic book versions would be based on the game's heroes, but wouldn't get everything right, leaving us/me free to make different versions true only to the H&H rules.
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Post by Adminenkainen on Jan 23, 2021 17:27:02 GMT
More new campaign thoughts:
Takes place in the DC Comics universe, with heroes culled from the titles cover dated March 1940. The assembled team would predate the Justice Society of America -- but the catch is, none of the cover heroes (or most prominently displayed cover hero if more than one) are eligible.
If it's just me playing, my picks would be: From Adventure Comics: Zatara. From Adventure Comics: Sandman. From All-American Comics: Doris West (supporting cast-U.S. spy from Red, White, and Blue). From Detective Comics: Bart Regan. From Flash Comics: Hawkman. From More Fun Comics: Sandy Kean.
Sticking more to H&H rules than the comics, Zatara is actually a stage magician with very little true magic. Sandman is a mysteryman, but either not a billionaire, or most of his wealth is tied up and untouchable to him (undecided there), and he is still working on inventing his gas gun. Hawkman is a fighter and his wings (at least initially) are only ornamental. Sandy Kean is a straight fighter. Bart and Doris will either be fighters...or I might finally playtest the spy class. It would be the first superhero-less H&H campaign.
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