Deadly Foes of Champions

So far, I've talked a lot on this blog about comic books and roleplaying games.  It only makes sense that eventually I would broach the subject of comic book roleplaying games.

For decades my superhero game of choice was Champions.  Not because of its simple, easy-to-master rules, and only partly because if was the only superhero RPG on the market. Instead, my love affair with Champs stemmed from a true love of the characters and creations that appeared across multiple editions of the game.

While I would likely never sit down again at a table with the Hero RPG rules, it's the Champions Universe I'd draw from for villains and supporting characters. Some standards, such as Viper, Grond and Dr. Destroyer, go without saying, but there are other characters I'm even more exited about including in a supers campaign.

The Top 10 Champions Character Who Will Definitely Be in Any Superhero RPG I Run

1.  Foxbat
Hopefully my Top 10 won't all be this predictable, but I'd be playing you false if I didn't kick off this list with Foxbat.  With an origin story consisting of "what's that symbol on his chest?"  " I dunno, a fox...bat...thing?", ol' FB has gone on to become a mainstay of many editions of the Champions U.  The original Deadpool, Foxbat was a wise-cracking action hero who would alternate from hero to villain depending on his mood and goals.

Must-Have Adventure: 'Foxbat Unhinged.'  Although not actually written this way, the adventure content of this book can allow for the PC heroes' participation in Foxbat's origin as they insert themselves into a love triangle involving Frederick "Foxbat" Fosgood. As the PCs try to save the future by uniting two reluctant lovers, Fosgood decides the only way to win the girl for himself is to out-hero the heroes. Or out-villain the heroes.  Whatever.

2.  Minos Taurus
The standout character in the standout publication 'Zodiac Conspiracy', Minos was the actual fabled minotaur of the Greek legend of Theseus and the Labyrinth.  In the Champs U, though, he (barely) survived the encounter and the damaged-yet immortal man-bull passed through the years until the modern day where he now appears as a heavily prostheticized cyborg minotaur.  A character that cool can work on his own even without the rest of the Zodiac team.  The presence of his mystical advisor and fellow mythical being Drynnan the Satyr can be assumed, and set the ground for the future Zodiac.

Must-Have Adventure: 'Zodiac Conspiracy.'  There are a few plots in here which mark the unique style and personality of this criminal organization, but just as valuable is the way it can be used to slowly grow the group.  Imagine if, after a few encounters with Minos, they find many of their adversaries (such as the Rainbow Archer or the super-powered hippie former coma patient, What's-his-Name), being unexpectedly rescued from the heroes (or jail) until the players piece together what they have in common and finally face the fully-assembled Zodiac.  

3.  PSI
I'll be honest, it took a while for PSI to grow on me. When they were first introduced, they were basically an evil X-Men-style group, complete with skin-tight costumes and unique, individual powers that didn't quite live up to the premise of capturing psionic kids and turning them to your will.

Since then, though, the group has evolved into a group of backstabbing connivers which made for some unique adventures and developments. When PSI was introduced in New Millennium (and provided the picture I used here), I realized the some inner-party politics and policy of kidnapping and brainwashing could be applied to the upright-looking businessmen they were re-imagined as. I don't even mind so much the idea of people trained with unique, psychic powers as it creates an agency very unique from Viper or Raven where you have pyro agents and telekinetic agents all working around a cadre of more powerful, costumed psionic individuals.

Must Have Adventure: One of the events of the long-running PSI timeline is the overthrow of group founder Sebastian Poe by his more evil proteges. The now-jailed Poe is a great source of information to the PC heroes concerning his former organization, such as how their more legitimate front is being used to identify and kidnap kids with great psychic potential.

4.  Ankylosaur

Ankylosaur is the best thug villain any superhero RPG has to offer. With a distinct appearance and very memorable powerset (a variety of attacks based mostly in his tail), Anky will definitely leave an impression on the PC heroes beyond fond memories of how quickly they beat him each time. On paper, he's part of the villain group "The Conquerors," but since the rest of that gang's pretty forgettable, Ankylosaur gets to branch out into a solo career. Well, "solo" in the sense that he's usually acting as hired muscle for somebody. 

Must Have Adventure: Anky's origin story, where he swaps some mailing labels during an UNTIL raid and accidentally gets the armor suit mailed to him, would make a memorable game session, I think. It'd almost be a subplot where an embarrassed UNTIL asks for help tracking down a shipment that went missing during the raid the PC heroes helped foil. Not until they knock on his apartment door do they realize what was in that crate when it comes smashing through the door at them.

5.  DEMON

Although they made every effort to bland-erize DEMON by making them just an occult evil group, their original presentation as a combination occult/high tech group was far (far) more engaging than anything that came later.  From their origins as a group bilking old ladies of their retirement money with minor magics, they've grown into an international terror organization that rivals Viper (and isn't a straight rip-off of Hydra or Cobra either).  They're really the only group that heroes can face off against and be threatened simultaneously by demon hounds and mecha battlesuits.  They're like the evil agency equivalent of Dr. Doom.

Must Have Adventure:  The original Primus vs. DEMON adventure book included an object called the Earth Crown of Krim.  Since then, a small number of other crowns of Krim (Iron, etc.) have made canonical appearances, hinting at a larger epic just waiting in the wings. There's even a chance this could tie into a player hero's origin.

6.  C.L.O.W.N.
The Chaotic Legion of Whacky Non-conformers is a great idea that basically went too far in order to fill a book.  At its base, it's a small group of cartoonish troublemakers whose hijinks are all about practical jokes and embarrassment rather than just power or money.  That makes them unique to play in both capers and combat.  Where the group got a little unwieldy, though, is a bunch of characters in the group that don't exactly fit the theme (like the ventriloquist-themed April Foolmaker or the dancing Toe Tapper). They're mostly good characters who I can see using individually, just not as an agent of CLOWN.  The original crew of Merry Andrew, Popgun and Slapstick all have a place here, and I can see a lot of fun with additional characters like Tag.

Must Have Adventure: The best part of the CLOWN organization book is the timeline it lays out for the group. Not only does it lay out some great examples of pranks they can play (like the "cut here" line they painted across Florida (and the ensuing alien attack to claim it)), but it shows the evolution of the team from its earliest days with Viper and then going solo. All elements to be incorporated into an ongoing campaign to show the evolution of the team. Later versions of the team updated the timeline with comical entries about what they were doing during a number of official Champions events which must be used as well.

7. Dr. Quall 

I don't know if I could successfully pull off running a straight-up Golden Age supers campaign, but by God, the Golden Age of Champions is solely responsible for making me want to.  On the one hand, I feel kind of dirty for treating WWII as a joke, but MAN does it capture the light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek feel I'd want in any campaign set in that era.  I honestly could've picked any villain from this book: Origami Girl, Secondhand  Rose, The Doberman... but as head of the Nazi super-science research wing, Dr. Quall (and his lead henchman, Shocktrooper) is symbolic of any campaign or series of  time-travel adventures I'd want to set there.

Must Have Adventure:  Golden Age of Champions has an entire timeline of the War and some great adventures tied into it.  My current conceit is that I'd have my players visit WWII as a time travel adventure, and the adventure 'Menace Out of Time' from 'Champions Presents" includes a nice visit to WWII.  In fact, that adventure introduces a Nazi villain named Baron Skull who is so easily swapped out for Shocktrooper that I wonder if it wasn't done on purpose. If this visit tempts my hypothetical players into wanting to create Golden Age characters, so much the better.

8.  Black Paladin

Black Paladin is an ancient foe, both in terms of in-game history (dating back to King Arthur) and publishing history (first appearing in Enemies II back in 1982).  While an evil black knight smashing things with a mystic mace is a villain worth having, the story he brings with him make him a must have. Romance, failure, penance...all great story elements which will elevate him above just a basic thug and make his plots very memorable to the players. New Millennium takes his story even further, describing a sad and betrayed old man desperate to regain the power of the Black Paladin at any cost. 

Must Have Adventure:  Hero Games already published a definitive Black Paladin adventure in the form of 'Shades of Black,' a multi-part adventure where Sir Guiles attempts to resurrect his witch lover. What I'd  really like to see, though, is what was only hinted at in New Millennium, and have the PC heroes try to track down the Black Paladin only to find that his host body has been abandoned and they have to uncover his NEW host, a technological genius who has added advanced weaponry to BP's magical arsenal.

9.  Matthew Armbruster

Normals Unbound is one of the greatest books released for Champions as it introduced a number of supporting characters with a number of game-enriching subplots. Matthew Armbruster was introduced there as a rich industrialist/thrill-seeker who is set up as a potential sponsor for a hero team. He's retroactively attributed with a few Champions Universe elements such as the Stronghold prison and the creation of Mechanon, AND he's interwoven into enough other Normals Unbound characters/subplots that including him automatically includes his wife, Congresswoman Shannon Armbruster, the anti-superhero Senator Relm, and young computer genius Danny Elfberger (and his self-made artificial intelligence). He's got stories for days.

Must Have Adventure: I mentioned the star-crossed lovers adventure from Foxbat Unhinged, right? I should mention my intent was to have the PCs be called on to bring together Shanna and Matthew, so not only does that adventure give us the origin of Foxbat, but also introduces the PCs to TWO supporting cast members. But since that adventure's already been claimed by Foxbat above, I'll briefly mention a plan to have Armbruster gift the PC heroes with a robot servant, Mechano. Concerns that future iterations of Mechano-A thru -M might become corrupted through invasive software are your own paranoid musings. Mechano-N will be just fine.

10.  Richfield Frank

Another slow-build character like Minos Taurus. Frank was introduced in New Millennium and came with a storyarc that would play very well to some unsuspecting heroes during a long campaign. He begins as a scientific advisor to the SHIELD-like organization UNTIL. The heroes would probably interact with him a bit as he studied the villains they captured and developed ways to incarcerate super-powered villains. This just sets up the betrayal when he jumps ship and takes everything he knows to Viper to help make superpowered thugs for them. And if the campaign is still running past THAT, there's another betrayal in the wings for when he steals from Viper to establish his own band of superpowered thieves and cutthroats.

Must Have Adventure: I pretty much just spelled out his entire arc, but if I had to pick just one must-have, it'd be the adventure where the heroes have to rescue the high-level UNTIL scientist from Viper, only to learn that he went with them willingly just before they get trounced by all the villains they had thought were incarcerated but were instead waiting for his signal all Shadowrun-style.