More fantasy options

My last discussion on tabletop gaming focused on many of the D&D campaigns I've been fiddling around with over the years.

It wasn't entirely exhaustive, though, as there are still a few fantasy-themed campaigns I didn't go into there from some of the more popular D&D knock-offs.

I might have hinted at it before, but I suspect I'm pretty terrible at writing adventures from scratch. Although like any reasonable DM, I'm pretty able to adapt to the actions of my players, the actual foundations, maths, and design of an entertaining adventure are beyond what I trust myself to do. When it comes to gaming, I really rely on pre-published adventures, and the volume of those adventures is what can sell me on or off a game system.

Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG
The library of published adventures is probably the only reason I still entertain the idea of playing DCCRPG. As much as I appreciate its gonzo tone and declaration that randomness is key, it doesn't appear to hold up to any kind of long term campaign options. The built-in degrading of spellcasters, fer instance, or the way it caps out at 10th level just gives the feel that it's intended to be enjoyed in brief spurts without much investment.  There are some 3rd party efforts to create a cohesive gaming world, but I haven't seen much from that end yet, and a DCCRPG campaign doesn't go much farther than stringing together the growing number of really bizarre adventures.

And by bizarre I mean f-ing awesome.  No other publisher consistently provides such out there, up to 11, heavy metal, gonzo fantasy adventures. I've loved every one I've read and would run a DCCRPG campaign specifically to enjoy those moments when the players are faced with yet another thing that should not be. 

This is a level 1 adventure for DCC

Perhaps the best use of these modules is to convert them to a system with more gaming longevity built into it...

Adventurer Conqueror King System

The exact opposite side of the coin, ACKS provides a lot of well thought out and well integrated rules to take campaigns in many different directions, from wilderness exploration to dungeon delving to clashes of armies to kingdom building or even trade empires. It's built off the old Basic D&D rules, so it already starts with a heap of built in love from me, and expands those rules brilliantly in almost every way.

If there's a downside (and there is), it's that it provides a lot of play options but very few specific adventures for module-craving DMs like me.  Aside from the recently-released Dwimmermount, there aren't any modules published for these rules, leaving me to search abroad to fill that niche. To this end, I've been digging through all my old TSR Gazetteers of the Known World for truly brilliant campaign settings, with my personal favorite still being the Principalities of Glantri.

Ruled by a council of wizard princes, the lands of Glantri have been pretty much neglected outside of the areas surrounding each prince's tower.  It's a ripe location for adventure, and the political squablings of the nobility sets up some fine diplomacy when the PCs start trying to set up their own lands. It comes complete with a barbarian horde across the border, and is built right on top of an ancient artifact from a more technological civilization. I can't think of any place better to start dropping in those gonzo adventures I mentioned from DCCRPG.

While my previous post on gaming outline campaigns I would play in different editions, ACKS is intended for a more sandbox approach, and that's a trait I look forward to fulfilling. I don't have a lot of experience with sandboxing, but I think ACKS, Glantri, and adventures like Dwimmermount and DCCRPG mods will give me all the tools I need to manage one. Sure hope I get a chance to try it some day.

Warhammer FRPG
Every so often, I get the urge to play in a gritty fantasy campaign, where a single sword blow can spell the end of the bravest knight, and monsters like chimeras and hydras are meant to be feared, not hunted. In those dark moments, I look to Warhammer.

While the 2nd edition is held to be a cleaner version of the game, my first love is for the 1st edition which somehow managed to still find the fun in their crapsack world. Characters had some say in their character, but were as likely to start off as a rat catcher as they were a wizard's apprentice. From such zero-to-hero basics was this game founded. (There's also a 3rd edition, but it looks like it fell very far from the tree and never felt like dropping the insane amount of cash it costs to even try it.)

No attempt at a WHFRPG campaign would even be attempted in my house, though, unless it were the epic Enemy Within campaign. From humble beginnings as wannabe-adventurers, the PCs soon find themselves travelling across the length of the Reikland, encountering things that were probably best left alone, and possibly never really understanding everything that was going on around them. Unlike most campaigns I'm talking about here, I have some play experience with Enemy Within, and can vouch for its awesomeness.

Pathfinder RPG

Last I heard, the single most popular RPG in America (thanks to WotC shutting down a bit in preparation of the release of 5th edition, I suspect), Pathfinder is one of those games which I continue to follow more out of appreciation for the publishers than for the game itself. Even as their 3rd Edition spinoff rules have grown into an unwieldy, rules-bloated juggernaut, the Paizo crew remains some of the most engaging and professional customer service beasts in the industry.

Pathfinder is one of those systems, like DCC, which benefits from a huge library of published adventures, both stand-alone and "adventure path" campaigns, as well as being based on a rules system I'm very familiar with. Can't say I'm a super fan of their default campaign setting, but looked at in narrow view I appreciate a lot of their smaller locations. 

Varisia, fer instance, was the first region presented for their campaign world, even as they were still publishing material for 3.5e, and it's done nothing but grow since then. In fact, it has the advantage of hosting enough adventure paths for multiple campaigns as well as enough material to sandbox there in between. But if I had to pick just one campaign (which I won't) I'd start with their first outing, the Rise of the Runelords. What I won't be doing, though, is finishing that AP, because as much as I really enjoy the first two volumes, it quickly peters off beyond that.

You know what doesn't peter off? The group's second AP, Curse of the Crimson Throne based just up the coast from where Runelords starts. It'd be super-easy to start off with the awesome early adventures of Runelords and then transition over to pick up the back 2/3rds of Crimson Throne. I call it "Rise of the Crimson Throne."

There's even a handy subplot tie-in between the two paths that make a very timely and convenient crossing over point. Add in some of the extra materials since added to the Varisia setting and it'll be a very rich story.


Now if only there was something to be done about the unwieldy bulk of Pathfinder rules...

Well done, Paizo.  The Pathfinder Beginner Box is a brilliant boiling down of the PFRPG rules to its basic core. From there, it's an easy matter to add in those more advanced elements missing from the Beginner Box (like attacks of opportunity or halflings) from the main rules on a case-by-case basis.




While this doesn't exhaust all the fantasy rpg options out there (I'll give honorable mention to Beyond the Wall for it's beautiful character creation aspect), this is the cap on the systems I'm interested in running as a campaign.

Task Force X

Suicide Squad

I tossed a coin between the titles "Suicide Squad" and "Secret Six", as I really respect both titles' history of showcasing the personalities and lives of some of the DCU's villains.

In the end, I decided on this title due to its opportunities for a more rotating cast as well as fond memories of Ostrander's work in the 80s and 90s.

The premise can be assumed: Amanda Waller heads up a group of expendable villains on black ops missions, foreign and domestic, nobody is expected to survive. While giving some villains a showcase outside of getting beaten up by heroes, I'd also like to see a return of some of the political commentary that Ostrander did so well.  While there's not much of a Cold War anymore, there are new national headlines such as international terrorism as well as a very divided domestic political body that could stand some focus.

The membership of the Suicide Squad is fairly stable, but it would keep an eye on other comic titles to see if any of those comics feature the arrest of a character Waller would be interested in using for her team.  To kick off, though, I've picked some villains I recall being active around the time of Final Crisis/Blackest Night which would obviously lend their skills and abilities to a covert mission team. I don't want anything too superpowered, though, as that could diminish the feel of a government agent team.

As My52 Suicide Squad starts up, here's who's on the field:

Amanda Waller

Not an operative, but someone who needs to be mentioned first as the no-nonsense head of the Task Force.  She's already been shown to be willing to put Batman in his place, and she's just the person this team needs to call the shots. You'll be happy to know that Waller is still the shorter, fatter block of a woman she's always been, rather than the leggy supermodel version who appeared in the New 52.

Deadshot
He's probably long-since earned his pardon, but he loves being on the team so much he stays on as the team's field leader. The appeal of having an expert shot on a black ops team should be obvious.

Plastique

Another former-member of the team, Plastique was recently highlighted in the opening pages of the new Justice League of America series (at the time of My52).  She'd been teamed with the Electrocutioner in a duo called the Bomb Squad, which is so "clever" I very nearly included him in my Squad as well. Plastique has had years of experience as a "suicide bomber," and her use to the team is obvious.





Dwarfstar
Coming off his high-profile murder of the third Atom, Ryan Choi, Dwarfstar is an absolute sociopath murderer with the powers of the Atom.  His infiltration skills are apparent, and his willingness to end any life once inside makes him a valuable tool.  If anything, Waller might have to work hard to ensure he only kills the target and keeps ancillary casualties to a minimum.

Firefly

A perpetual henchman, Firefly follows orders probably better than anyone on the team. He might get a little too ambitious in his arsonist leanings, but burning things his why he's on the team.  Since I'm pretty sure Plastique can't fly (or at least fly well), Firefly also provides aerial support to the team.




Tattooed Man
I first encountered TM during Final Crisis and sort of dig the thug-theme they've remade him into.  I get the impression Tattooed Man could have been a hero if things had gone differently for him, and I see him as the guy most looking for a chance at redemption, even if he doesn't know it. Power-wise, his tats provide a wide-variety of abilities which make him one of the more adaptable members of the Squad, and it's likely he'll be the one to pull the team out of a jam when things go south.

Cyborgirl

Black ops are becoming increasingly dependent on technology and information, and Cyborgirl covers both bases perfectly.  Her ability to hack a network or provide hi-tech surveillance are just as valuable as her ability to lift a truck or blast an enemy with sonic bursts.

Of course they're still based out of Belle Reve prison, so nothing's changed there.  The only hiccup in the works, and obvious nod to my equal appreciation for Secret Six, is the as yet unidentified new Mockingbird secretly in contact with the Squad members from within the group and apparently trying to undermine Waller's control. Could this be a factor of the divided politics in America I mentioned earlier?  Who can say?

It may be the easy way, but it's not the cowboy way

The Rangers

I don't know why it took me so long to get to this crew.  The Rangers have long been my go-to team for Marvel fan-fiction (even more than the Avengers).  There's a special charm to a team which combines superhero action with the do-good spirit of American westerns.  

With the Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Men all basing out of New York, the American west is open game to villainy, and the Rangers are ready to step in to fill that gap. The 50 State Initiative would have us believe that this group could be limited to Texas, but their membership ranges through Arizona, Oklahoma, Nevada and New Mexico.  With my MMM disbanding of the Initiative, the Rangers are now free to range (ha!) all across the Southwest.

The lineup hasn't changed at all from their first appearance, consisting of:

Texas Twister
I hate this picture of him, but it's what I got.  It makes him look a little doofy, when in fact he's a former SHIELD super-agent and more than capable of leading this team.  True there's a measurable bit of showmanship spawning from his rodeo days (something he still pursues in his off time), but he takes his heroing responsibilities very seriously and has no trouble balancing the two traits.

Shooting Star

Longtime companion of Texas Twister, Star's sharpshooting skills, combined with her specially-rigged pistols are an invaluable asset in both his rodeo act and his super heroics. Her ability with the trick-shot comes in handy when shooting guns out of thugs hands (or fuses off of sticks of dynamite, or mind control chips off of victims spins, or...you get the idea), but her specially-designed revolvers are also capable of shooting stun bullets when she just needs to take a man down. On the team, she provides the loyal opposition to Twister's leadership, supporting him 100%, but in the most argumentative way possible. Seriously, they argue like an old married couple.







Phantom Rider
When evil arises, the spirit of Lincoln Slade merges with his descendant Hamilton to become the ghostly law enforcer, Phantom Rider.  I suspect Hamilton will need to learn some tricks to summoning him when evil is NOT present, though, or he's going to be absent during any scene that doesn't involve a villain, and that's pretty limiting.  As the Rider, he can best be described as ominous and single minded, but Hamilton is swaying him to be more of a team player than the loner he used to be.  As an archaeologist, Hamilton's contributions outside the mask shouldn't be downplayed, as I suspect the Rangers will be facing many challenges native to the Southwest and Hamilton's knowledge in that area is often the key to victory. 

Red Wolf

Having returned to his construction job by day, Red Wolf continues to serve as Ranger when called upon.  A peerless combatant, Wolf is also an unmatched tracker and hunter, valuable skills when their opponents can be spread anywhere across the Southwest.  Another not favorite picture here, though, as later appearances have geared him up too much in the stereotypical Indian war dress.  I much preferred his more streamlined initial dress and will scale him back to just the coup stick and tomahawk.  He should probably get another wolf companion too.  I miss Lobo.









Firebird
As a social worker in her day job, Firebird is a guiding force behind getting the team to provide more to the peoples of the Southwest than just catching bank robbers. From making appearances at children's hospitals to simply cleaning up after their battles, she's probably why the Rangers are as popular as they are. I also like the idea of a positive portrayal of a Christian character in the comics. There aren't enough of those, I think.











I'm a bit torn on location for the team to meet up.  I can't decide what's the most Western. My first thought is to have the team encounter a ghost town with a secret underpinning of technology (I'm thinking an early encounter with the villain Arcade) that they could commandeer. At the same time, the widespread nature of its membership says that a Wild, Wild West-style steam train HQ would be more practical.

Maybe I'll do both... 

Think Globally, Act Locally

The Global Guardians

So far all modern day My52 titles are based in the United States (which makes sense given the US-centric audience of DC Comics), but I do want to expand the world a little bit and take a look at heroic happening outside of Uncle Sam's territory.  This worked really well for me as a concept during the original Justice League Europe/International run of the early 90s (where the stories were better in many ways than the ones printed in the papa comic, Justice League America).  

Unlike DC's New52 line-up, though, I don't want to dilute the name "Justice League" by adding a number of spin-off titles.  Heck, I didn't even use the title Justice SOCIETY for my JSA pitch.  Fortunately, there's another international superhero agency with a long history in the DCU.

For a number of decades, the Global Guardians operated under the premise that each nation would provide a single superhero to represent them in this world-wide peacekeeping organization.  More than a few were showcases for the trend of foreign superheroes being based on cultural stereotypes, but the majority were original creations who rarely went on to bigger things than being mind-controlled opponents for the above-mentioned JLE.

I honestly can't tell you what the "current" status of the GG is (although I believe they made a sort of appearance in early post-Infinite Crisis Green Lantern comics), but following the Final Crisis and Blackest Night, The Guardians reform with a slightly more limited scope. Despite the grand name, these Global Guardians are super-functionaries of the European Union and are chartered to defend Europe.  They still field one member per country, but only European members are invited.

Alpha Centurion

Probably the most obscure member of the team, Alpha Centurian was a supporting character to Superman back in the 90s, but Lord knows what's happened to him since.  Ol' AC was a centurion from Ancient Rome chosen to journey with an alien visitor to the stars, only to return 2000 years later.  Basing himself in Metropolis upon his return, it's no stretch of the imagination to see him return to Rome and ultimately become Italy's representative to the Global Guardians.

Ice Maiden

Although killed in action during her tenure with the Justice League, Tora Olafsdotter was since clumsily resurrected in Birds of Prey.  Still, can't complain 'cause I love the character and look forward to having her back i the Global Guardians. Politically-aware readers might notice that her home nation of Norway isn't actually a member of the European Union, but that's a pretty soft barrier.

Jack O'Lantern
There's been a lot of people in this costume, but it's still such an iconic look in my mind that he MUST be present regardless of who's in the hood.  The most recent barer of the lantern was an Irish freedom fighter, but I can easily see the government stepping in to separate him from that power and granting it to someone more acceptable to their public image.  It'll be interesting to see how a legacy character develops when he's living in the shadow of all the other people who have died while carrying this seemingly cursed power.

 Crimson Fox

Crimson Fox wasn't on my go-to list for members of the Global Guardians, not the least reason because she's dead (twice!).  Initially a shared identity between two identical sisters, both were killed off over time.  However, I've since grown to appreciate the character's contrast between clawed vixen and cultured businesswoman and can imagine hundreds of ways for her to contribute to the team.  Putting a new woman behind the mask could be as easy as someone wanting to step forward with France's most successful heroine (a member of the Justice League no less) when it came time to represent for the Guardians.









Godiva
I'm a sucker for heroes with seemingly limited powers who still know how to throw down (::cough:: Ant-Man ::cough::) and Godiva's prehensile hair certainly makes that list.  One one level, it's hair.  On the other hand, though, she's like a hot blonde Dr. Octopus, only not limited to just four extra limbs.  And while I'm not normally a fan of cultural stereotypes, I'd totally write Godiva with an exaggerated "stiff upper lip" where nothing phases her.  Contrast a stoic, British can-do attitude with the seemingly lame power of "hair manipulation" and I think we've got a winning character here.

Olympian

Unfortunately he's been depicted as something of a goof in recent outings, but I see Olympian as the heir to some of the greatest heroes of Earth's mythic past and should be shown as such.  The golden fleece he wears was the goal of the Jason and the Argonauts (including Hercules)!  I don't know who's under the horns (although I guess I should figure that out), but he has to be a hero himself.  And the strength and invulnerability the fleece brings him must combine to make him one of the greatest champions of the Mediterranean. 

Jolt
Who?
Jolt was one of the forgettable characters for the short-lived Blasters series following the Invasion mini-.  Originally a Spanish fashion model, she gained the power to create a repellent forcefield around her body due to experimentation by the alien Dominators.  Like with Godiva, I appreciate the limited scope of her powers and look forward to seeing how many different ways they can be applied to crimebusting.  In addition to representing Spain in the GG, she also handily fills the spot of vain thrill-seeker that every team needs. Clearly she's only on the team as a way to promote herself.

Wingman

The Global Guardians grew out of old Batmen of All Nations stories, and I'd be remiss not to include one of those characters in this team.  Of the lot, it was Sweden's Wingman which caught my eye, but imagine my surprise when I learned the character had turned evil in recent Grant Morrison-penned Batman stories.  However, I have just now decided that this Wingman once operated with a Robin-like youthful sidekick named Redbird, and that character, now grown, has decided to reclaim and redeem the name of Wingman.  As you can see from the picture, I've opted for something along the lines of his original, more colorful costume rather than the darker image he'd taken in his later days.  Powerwise, his cape/wings allow him to fly, while his combat training makes him almost the equal of Batman himself.  He's a bit like this universe's Falcon.


The Global Guardians have long been based out of a building called The Dome in Paris, and I see no reason to change that.

I haven't decided if eventually the GG will try to branch out of Europe and attempt to fulfill the nature of their name.  The presence of a representative from Norway shows they're willing to look outside the official EU member nations, and I see them soon attempting to sway a Russian hero into joining, perhaps one of the super-speed characters of Red Trinity...

Irredeemable Tales

G.I. Ant-Man

By rights I shouldn't have liked it, but Eric O'Grady, the Irredeemable Ant-Man, really won me over.  Despite a long-standing fanaticism for Hank Pym's Ant-Man, I do have a special place in my heart for craven, deceitful anti-heroes going back to George MacDonald Fraser's 'Flashman' books.

I was honestly disappointed to learn that O'Grady was killed off in the comics and replaced with the previously-dead Scott Lang, but since that all happens *after* my Secret Invasion kick off point, I don't have to allow it and can continue with O'Grady filling the diminutive title role.

Plus I really like the buggy-ness of his costume.

During his time with the Initiative, some genius writer coined the name "G.I. Ant-Man" and gave O'Grady the ability to grow as well as to shrink.  No way I can let that name die, so I've taken his SHIELD training into consideration and make him a government agent.  For the most part it's his training and shrinking abilities which make him such an asset, but every so often he needs to enbiggen and lay some stomp onto things.

Just like Flashman, Ant-Man's status as a top government agent gives him an undeserved reputation of heroism, but just like Fraser's character, his successes only come in spite of his cowardice and general cad-like behavior.  It'll be awesome.  In theory, O'Grady *should* have a secret identity as a top government agent, but I don't see him as the type to be able to keep a secret from a pretty face, so expect him to be dropping some very obvious hints to his occupation with the young ladies living in his apartment complex.