Ashley Williams, Human Marine

by PK Posted on March 20, 2012

Today I continue my series of characters from the Mass Effect universe converted over to my Marvel Heroic RPG hack. If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check that out for some context. I started the character series yesterday with Kaiden Alenko, a human biotic and lieutenant in the Alliance military. Today I round out the human element of Shepard’s squad from the first game with Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams.

The Williams family has a long history of military service. Ashley’s father was an enlisted serviceman. His frequent deployments led his four daughters to grow close to one another and have a strong family ties. After high school, Ashley followed in her father’s footsteps and distinguished herself during training. Her instructors took note of her for her tenacity and strength of character. Despite here exemplary leadership and skills she, like her father, was passed over for promotion because of a family stigma: her grandfather, General Williams, was the first human officer to surrender to alien forces during the First Contact War. This has stunted the military advancement of his descendants.

Gunnery Sergeant Williams was stationed on Eden Prime when the geth, led by Saren Arterius, attacked the colony for the recently uncovered Prothean beacon. Ashley was the only member of her squad left alive after the initial assault. She managed to come across Shepard’s squad shortly after they lost Corporal Richard Jenkins to a geth drone attack. Williams’ combat expertise helped Shepard and Alenko complete their mission, despite the fact that Shepard was exposed to the beacon, which subsequently exploded, because of Ashley. She was assigned to the Normandy under Shepard’s command immediately following the mission on Eden Prime. Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Game Design, Mass Effect, Role Playing | 3 Comments

Kaiden Alenko, Alliance Commando

by PK Posted on March 19, 2012

This is the first in a series converting characters from the first Mass Effect game to be used in the hack of the Marvel Heroic RPG for the Mass Effect setting.

When you first start the game, Shepard is sent on a mission to the planet Eden Prime in response to a Reaper attack. Kaiden Alenko is the first permanent companion to join Shepard on his quest to save the galaxy. His history is pretty rough. As one of the first human biotics, he spent his childhood at a training station called Jump Zero. The training methods were brutal, if effective. Kaiden’s first taste of violence was an accident during training in which he lost control of his biotic powers and killed a turian instructor. The turian instructor was bullying one of the other students, a girl Kaiden was involved with romantically. Jump Zero was shut down in the resulting political firestorm. Alenko enlisted with the Alliance Marines when he came of age and rose to the rank of lieutenant prior to the mission on Eden Prime.

In combat, Alenko uses a combination of biotics and technological weapons in addition to his firearms. He has an L2 biotic implant, which is very powerful but causes migraines as a side effect. Kaiden’s established biotic talents include barrier, lift, and throw. His most notable tech power is overload, though he is fully capable of hacking and bypassing electronic security systems. Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Game Design, Mass Effect, Role Playing | 4 Comments

Mass Effect hack for MHR

by PK Posted on March 18, 2012

Heroes are uniquely positioned to stand between civilization as we know it an the evil forces that threaten its existence. They are powerful, persuasive, and possess skills normal folk can only dream of. The stories of these heroes are full of action and adventure, romance and betrayal, tragedy and ultimate victory.

Sounds a lot like comics, doesn’t it? Also sounds a lot like Mass Effect’s Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy. The two stories have much in common. Like many fans, I bought Mass Effect 3 when it came out and I beat it. My review in short: it’s the best of the series but when you get to the point when to make a final charge against a Reaper on earth, just quit the game and write your own ending. You’ll be happier for it.

So, in time honored RPG tradition, here’s my short and dirty hack of Marvel Heroic RPG for the Mass Effect setting.

Continue reading →

Posted in Game Design, Mass Effect, Role Playing | 8 Comments

Batman, a Marvel Heroic RPG Character

by PK Posted on March 14, 2012

Please forgive me as I commit one of the prime heresies: I’m using a Marvel system to make a DC superhero. My favorite DC superhero: Batman.

Batman has been one of my favorite heroes since I was a little kid. Tim Burton’s Batman came out when I was 5 and I loved it as a kid. The animated series that followed remains one of my favorite shows of all time. That said, I’m not an expert. I don’t read the comics and I’m not that familiar with the intricacies of the lore. I guess you could say that I’m a fan of the idea of Batman.

I wanted to hit a few iconic pieces of the character. He’s an incredibly skilled individual with mastery over numerous fields of study. Beyond even that, he has trained himself to the near-superhuman levels of agility and awareness. The utility belt is a ubiquitous piece of superhero gear because of Batman. To reflect these things, I first gave Batman a fair number of specialties. He is world-class skilled at a lot of things. I think the list below is pretty indicative of that. Next I made a power set with agility and senses to reflect his near superhuman abilities; this also allowed me to make some cool, evocative SFX for him. Lastly, I made a second power set out of the utility belt. It has the grapple gun specifically and the batarang was added to make sure he had an obvious attack power.

I took my first really big liberty with the system and created a new power trait: Gadget Mastery. Even then it’s a pretty basic change. Batman’s utility belt is the stuff of legend. It always has the right gadget (Shark Repellant Bat-Spray, anyone?) and it’s use is incredibly varied. I didn’t want to tie the player down with specifics but instead to encourage interesting play at the table. So I took a look at the Sorcery Mastery power trait from the book and renamed it Gadget Mastery. It does most of the same things, just with technology rather than mystical forces. I also added the Custom Loadout SFX to encourage the player to use the power in creative ways and/or narrate a wide variety of gadgets.

Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Marvel Heroic RPG, Role Playing | 8 Comments

Marvel Heroic RPG

by PK Posted on March 10, 2012

As you’ve no doubt surmised from the preceding few posts, I picked up the new Marvel Heroic RPG by Margaret Weis Productions. It’s the latest in a line of licensed products by MWP and continues the trend of ever more polished and snappy products. I’ve spent a lot of time reading the new Marvel game and the short version is this: Marvel Heroic RPG does an excellent job of emulating the stories told in Marvel superhero comics with a light but flexible system that encourages player creativity and high-energy, narrative descriptions.

If you want the long version, keep reading. Continue reading →

Posted in Game Design, Marvel Heroic RPG, Reviews, Role Playing | 3 Comments

Creative Process: Making Derby

by PK Posted on March 2, 2012

I read Marvel comics from time to time as a kid but most of my exposure to the universe came from the slew of cartoons they had in the 90s. When I was in college I read the Ultimates universe for a few years and followed Spider-Man, X-Men, Ultimates, Fantastic Four, and the random tie-in events. So that’s where I come from when it comes to superheroes.

When I was reading the Marvel Heroic RPG, all of those memories came flooding back to me. I started thinking about how I could come up with my own heroes and about what could make for cool, interesting powers and characters. The idea of a superpowered person encased in an indestructible ball of energy running into things at superspeed came to mind pretty quickly. This gave me a basic idea for the character. Over the past few years I’ve met a few women involved with roller derby. When one of them came to mind, it just clicked that my hero should be called Derby or Derby Girl.

Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Marvel Heroic RPG, Role Playing | 2 Comments

New York’s Newest Hero

by PK Posted on February 29, 2012

Here’s a character for the Marvel Heroic RPG that I built from scratch. I’m loving the idea.

Melanie Hernandez is a remarkably gifted and successful student from New York City. She attended Stuyvesant High School and won a full-ride scholarship to Empire State University where she earned concurrent bachelor’s degrees in biomedical engineering, physics and electrical engineering. After undergrad, she applied to the cutting edge biotech research graduate program at ESU. Melanie also finally moved out of her family’s home in the Bronx and is staying in Manhattan near the university. Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Marvel Heroic RPG, Role Playing | 9 Comments

Thor, a Marvel Heroic RPG Character

by PK Posted on February 26, 2012

I’m a fan of Marvel comics. Have been since I was a kid. When Thor came out last year, I went opening weekend and loved it. Great flick. When Margaret Weis Productions released the Marvel Heroic RPG last week, I nabbed the PDF on day one. Well, I’m watching Thor today and reading the RPG so I decided to stat out one of my favorite Marvel heroes.

Thor

Affiliation: Solo d10, Buddy d6, Team d8

Distinctions: God of Thunder, Protector of the Realms, Loki’s Half-Brother

Power Set: MJOLNIR
Weapon d10, Subsonic Flight d8, Electric Blast d8, Weather Mastery d10
SFX: Area Attack. Target multiple enemies. Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die for each additional target.
SFX: Unleashed. Step up or double any MJOLNIR power for one action. If the action fails, add a die to doom pool equal to the normal rating of your power die.
Limit: Gear. Shut down MJOLNIR and gain 1 PP. Take an action vs. the Doom Pool to recover MJOLNIR.
Limit: If He Be Worthy. Earn 1 PP and shutdown MJOLNIR when taking emotional stress caused by arrogance or selfishness. Activate an opportunity during a transition scene to recover MJOLNIR.

Power Set: WARRIOR OF ASGARD
Superhuman Durability d10, Godlike Stamina d12, Godlike Strength d12
SFX: Second Wind. Before you make an action including a WARRIOR OF ASGARD power, you may move your physical stress die to the doom pool and step up the Warrior of Asgard power by +1 for this action.
SFX: Invulnerable. Spend 1 PP to ignore physical stress unless caused by magic attacks.
Limit: Exhausted. Shutdown any WARRIOR OF ASGARD power and gain 1 PP. Recover power by activating an opportunity or during a Transition Scene.

Specialties: Combat Master d10, Cosmic Expert d8

Milestone: Banished
1 xp The first time you protect an innocent in a scene.
3 xp When you find a non-violent solution to a conflict.
10 xp When you recover MJOLNIR with a noble, selfless act.

Posted in Characters, Marvel Heroic RPG, Role Playing | 2 Comments

Game Ideas

by PK Posted on December 1, 2011

I spent the better part of a week sitting on a snow covered hillside staring into the forest recently. It gave me time to think. A lot of time to think. While I was pondering and ruminating, I came up with a couple of ideas for small RPGs.

The first is a game about professional wrestling. The idea is that the surface appearance of pro wrestling (the drama, the rivalries, the cheating, backstabbing, Jerry Springer sideshow) is very much real. Players create young, idealistic wrestlers chasing after glory. They’ll train, get into matches, form and lose relationships,  appeal to the crowd, and generally try to stay good people in the middle of an insane, dirty politics disaster of an organization. Can they stand the test of time with their character intact or will they fall from grace as they chase after the belt? I don’t even like pro wrestling and I think this would be a ton of fun to play.

The second game is an MMA game. This would be more of a fight simulator with a title track. I don’t quite know how it would work yet but I want the resolution mechanic to be based on Rock-Paper-Scissors when simulating the fights. This game would have to take injuries pretty seriously, having significant injuries negatively impact the character for a number of fights. That could seriously hamper a chance at the title. The idea here is that the drama comes from the investment in the training and the effort one puts into the fight.

Lastly, I thought some more about a game idea that’s been knocking around my noggin for a while. It’s a superhero role playing game where the first game session is character creation and follows the origin story of your hero. It more follows the idea of superheroes as the protagonists of morality plays than the Wham! Pow! action hero sort of thing. One of the character stats will be the ideal that the hero personifies. The game will seek to challenge the character on that particular axis.

Certainly plenty to keep me busy. Who knows? Maybe I’ll finish one of these!

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D&D 4E Ki Power Source

by PK Posted on November 3, 2011

Old news, I know. WotC had planned to do a ki power source but then scrapped it a few years ago because they thought it would come off as racist. I disagree with their decision and humbly submit that a ki power source should exist. I’m going to do a few articles on this. This one will be an overview of what I think the ki power source should be and list the classes and roles I’d like to see in the game.

What is ki?

Ki is a very different power source from anything else in D&D. It comes from Eastern cultures in the real world rather than the traditional Western-inspired tropes in D&D. Ki (also spelled qi or chi) is a form of life essence that exists in everyone (says the white boy from northern Wisconsin; this is all my relatively uninformed and culturally biased perspective). Legendary masters of the martial arts are able to channel and direct their ki to accomplish great and powerful things. Watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to get an idea of what I mean by great and powerful things. The practice of reiki is focused on the manipulation of ki, both in oneself and in others. Continue reading →

Posted in Game Design, Role Playing | 2 Comments