Zenith Universe Update!

Hey all, sorry I haven't posted in a while, but work has been ramping up on the Zenith Universe and related product.  Without further ado, here is what happening in the Zenith Universe.

First off Zenith Comics Presents: The Role-Playing Game has been pushed to the back burner for now.  The reason for this is two fold, one Jim Stoner (my game design partner and stat-block wizard extraordinaire) and I want to make sure this game is as good as it can be, so we are taking the design slow and play-testing thoroughly (stay tuned for the beta-playtest announcement to get your chance to be part of it) before we consider letting this game escape... er... I mean release.

Secondly Anthony Green (the outstanding Zenith Comics line-artist) and I have been keeping up with our meetings and the decision has been made by both of us to keep expanding the Zenith Universe through roster books and now setting books as well!  So as Zenith Comics Presents: Public Enemies Volume 1 nears release (we are in layouts as we speak and then we launch!) we have mapped out the future of the Zenith Comics line.

For the roster books we have;

Zenith Comics Presents: Public Enemies Volume 2 - Probe, Glamazon and Dr.Power are just some of the names you will encounter in this volume of fully developed original villains.

Zenith Comics Presents: Dastardly Duos & Terrible Trios - What do a speedster, stretcher, three military mecha, two Irish terrorists and three astronauts have in common?  They are the villains you will find in this roster book from Zenith Comics.

Zenith Comics Presents: Public Enemies Volume 3 - Icefire, Psiren and Galatea stand deviously along side 7 other villains in next volume of the Zenith Comics villain roster series.

Zenith Comics Presents: Mayhem Inc./Ravage V - Two teams of five villains each that work together like well oiled machines, with which to challenge your heroes or teach them some humility through defeat.

Zenith Comics Presents: Public Enemies Volume 4 - Black Swan, Gargantuan and Sir Blood lead the pack for 10 more vile super villains from the Zenith Universe.

Zenith Comics Presents: Mercenaries & Masterminds - This book covers two concepts, those who want to rule the world and those who they hire to help with the task.  Only in the early stages of this one, but it is looking pretty sweet so far.

While they will release in no particular order, the next one up I can tell you is Dastardly Duos & Terrible Trios and the art samples are already coming in!

"But wait..." you say, "How can I play in a Zenith Universe campaign with only roster books at my disposal?"  Good question and Zenith Comics has you covered!  Introducing the Zenith Comics Presents setting line of supplements;

Zenith Comics Presents: A.S.G.A.R.D. - The American Specialized Government Action Response Department are responsible for providing the firepower and resources when it becomes time to take down terrorists organizations or rampaging super villains (or heroes).  From their hidden base called Valhalla, Viking power troopers, backed by Valkyrie medics take the field and keep the peace.

Zenith Comics Presents: The Citadel - The number one threat to world-peace this organization, lead by the tyrannical Lord Sovereign, has vowed to rule the world!  Using paramilitary shock troops and super powered agents, they are challenged by A.S.G.A.R.D. at every turn as well as heroes of all stripe.

Zenith Comics Presents: Capitol City - This is where it all happens, the premiere super city of the Zenith Universe.  From the Titan Observatory on Citadel Hill to the back alleys of Boxtown, welcome to a fully realized city and surrounding environ that is ready to have your heroes take to the streets.  This setting has been developed through actual play and expansion for the past 20 years.  Now I have taken all that information and begun editing and expanding to turn it into an exciting place for your heroes to call home.

Zenith Comics Presents: The Golden Age - Those who know me know that it is no secret I love the "All-Star Squadron", "the Invaders" and "Pre-Crisis Earth 2".  There is something about that time that just sings to me and in this setting book I will explore the Golden Age of the Zenith Universe.  Meet the heroes that started it all and the villains that they built their reputations on.

And once all those settings are in your hands, there is a special project I am really excited about;

Zenith Comics Presents: The Ultimus Invasion - Along the lines of the adventure path concept meets the 12 issues crossover event in comics, The Ultimus Invasion is a 12 part adventure story that can be played as a solid pre-made campaign set in the Zenith Universe that will be for all the marbles.  Your heroes will make the journey from nobodies to being the world's only hope as they travel to the four corners of the Zenith Universe and fight alongside its legends against the greatest threat they have ever known, the return of Ultimus!

As always these products will be stated out for use with BASH UE, ICONS, V&V2.1 and M&M3e.

Cheers!

The characters and concepts presented are the intellectual property of Zenith Comics

John's Notes - The Sentinels - Session 10

Session Notes - Sentinels Session 10 (rectified issue numbering) - BASH - June 5, 2010

Robin - 0G
Renzo - Kenji/Gal
Pat - Doc Tesla
Mike - Max Plastic
Anthony - Monolith
John - Bronco

So the team has blacked out the city, draining power for a prototype MRI.

Bronco strolls into the HQ just in time to see the lights go out.

Garrison and Bronco catch up to the team in the darkened hanger looking at a screen.

There is certainly another floor.

The shut the machine off, which brings the lights back.

The team openly discusses Eve. Kenji leaves to call his father for advice.

He actually leaves the room to discuss things with Eve.

0G and Monolith discuss recent events. Monolith revisits the Starbird origin story - including how she saw 0G get his powers.

Kenji returns. The consensus is to punch through the floor. It takes no effort to pop the elevator's false bottom.

Kenji sends Gal in. HE then reroutes video for the rest of the team to watch. A quick glimpse of Eve pops on the screen before vanishing.

Gal can't pry the door so Bronco tries. He gets it open, then klaxons sound and Max retreats his hands before the hatch snaps shut and Bronco gets gassed. He tries to punch his way out, fails, and succumbs to the gas.

Doc Tesla teleports blindly in to the elevator shaft, then succumbs to the gas, too.

Gal steps in, whips out the sword and carves a hole in the hatch. Max takes in the gas, and Eve reverses the vents. This creates a vacuum momentarily. 0G's training kicks in and he offers a suggestion which helps everyone who's not unconscious. The smoke clears and the elevator shaft is devoid of Bronco and Tesla. 0G pops the big inside door with ease. It's a big shiny tech room.

Kenji hears and understands the Japanese voice issuing warnings on the other side of the door. And then the robots attack.

Gal flattens 5 with his rocket fist. Gal hears the warning voice getting ready to up the ante.

Now it's 8 robots in an octagonal room versus the heroes. Doc Tesla and Bronco are in glass tubes in the middle of the room.

A fray breaks out. Max and Gal go for four, Monolith and 0G go for the other four.

The fray abruptly stops at a big deactivation. The robots stop. The big screen pops to life and Jume, Kenji's dad's major domo is on the screen. He berates Kenji for the interruption, then deactivates Galvanos. He releases Bronco and Doc Tesla, then reveals the origin of Kenji Kobayashi.

Mom, Dad, and little Kenji were in an accident. A bad one. The last occupied tube in the room is occupied by a little Japanese boy. And Kenji that we know is a robot. And he doesn't know anything about any of this. He asks us, in a totally non-threatening slightly guilt-trippily, to keep quiet about the bot thing. We agree. He leaves the screen, and the new big door back out of the room opens.

Kenji's on his way down in a wheelchair. We conspire to keep this from the little robot under the guise of 'important personal effects' of his father's. Doc Tesla wants to study the gear. 0G really really doesn't want any studying at all. Gal is picked up and the heroes leave the room.

Van Jove starts talking in 0G's head. Tesla is confused by 0G's non-sequitor responses. Van Jove links 0G's mind to Tesla's. He points out Tesla's pseudo-insane split-personality. They leave his mind. 0G wrecks the hallway on the way out. Tesla points out he can teleport. The grumpiness continues. Van Jove keeps baiting and talking over 0G as Nicolai is talking over Doc Tesla. Doc Tesla teleports out in frustration.

The doorbell rings. Bronco goes to answer. Monolith and Max Plastic meanwhile are trying to explain to Kenji why he shouldn't go push the big shiny red button in the basement.

It's Garth at the door. He wants to talk to the team. Bronco shuts the door in his face and heads to find 0G. Lady A comes in moments later. She calls the team to a meeting. She's pissed at us, again. This time about the power blackout. Maybe EAGLE will be chill if we share our new MRI with them.

Garth is brought in. He has an offer. He wants the team. Again. 0G tells him to go away. Tesla wants him to keep talking. Garth leaves. Eve is next on the discussion agenda. Kenji admits he didn't create Eve, he got her from Garth. On that note the meeting is called and the heroes head off to ponder recent events. Monolith and Tesla keep talking. Lady A comes back in to send them to bed. Tesla points out that he didn't appreciate getting a talking to...

0G sleeps. Dreams. He's on the shuttle again. And Van Jove is his copilot. The have a chat. He says Guardsman's not dead. He warns of a storm coming. Van Jove refers to the mysterious They that are running things. Now they're in Berlin and Lady A's getting killed. Then Dallas. Lady A seems to die a lot. She's a clone. So is Guardsman. Now there's a German boy who's only a mind. They are using him. Van Jove is mounting a resistance. 0G is to be the lynch pin. He's the runner up, though, he wanted Gravity originally. Oops, time to wake up. A couple more cryptic warnings and he's gone. 0G wakes up, barely holding on to the revelatory dream.

0G gets up and heads to the machine shop to seek out Tesla. He wants to go back to the room. He convinces 0G and they go and disturb Jume again. His mood is no better than last time. They chat. Jume encourages them to not trifle any further with the room. At all. Anymore. The agree and leave.

(I didn't keep good track of who 0G spoke to about dropping the leadership of the team, or when. So we'll just skip to breakfast).

At breakfast Lady A announces the change in leadership of the Sentinels. Lady A also mentions a shitstorm is coming.

As if on cue, a helicopter is coming in. It's another guy in a suit summoning us all to DC, again. He leaves. 0G does his sliding trick and boom, we're in DC. We go to visit the President himself. Introductions are made, lip service is paid, and incidentally, Ronnie knows Kenji's dad. He has an offer for us. More of an imposition than an offer. He's going to nationalize the team. Though a partnership with Garth. He leaves to let us think about a creative way to say yes.

Van Jove warns 0G. Then an explosion rips through the White House. It's Lord Sovereign in the remains of the Oval office. Fight or run? We fight. Tesla sends Kenji back to the base to get Gal. Garrison's gearing up, too, in his old costume. The fray begins in DC.

Lord S shrugs off most damage. It goes back and forth... just kidding, we don't do shit against him. Lady A grabs a bazooka. Lord S sees it coming and reverses it. Bronco gets in the way and takes the hit for Lady A. He seems to be dead, but gets back up never surrenderedly and wallops Lord S astoundingly, cracking his helmet; revealing his the Guardsman. Oh shit. Gal and Garrison enter the fray. Guardsman bails, Garrison follows. Van Jove wants 0G to talk to the people and take control. He resists and breaks the connection with Van Jove. He follows Guardsman. Monolith orders Gal and Tesla to catch us with 0G. A streak takes Garrison down. Gal peels off to help him.

Tesla catches up and zaps Guardsman. 0G uses the distraction to slide himself and Guardsman into space, where he hits Guardsman with the Moon. 0G catches up to the Moon and goes to see the crater. Guardsman dead. Dead dead. Then 0G's mind kind of snaps. Then he realizes he's screwed. The radiation seeps through his shield and he dies on the Moon next to Guardsman.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Gal is pursuing the Garrison hit. He's in the Caribbean on a small island. It's Uberman whaling on Garrison. Gal comes in hot. He pulls the sword and whales right back on Uberman. He cleaves the Nazi hard, killing him with one shot.

So back at the White House, the president is dead and EAGLE is debriefing us.

The issue ends with a shot of the Moon, and the dead bodies of 0G and Guardsman in his Lord S outfit.

--END OF ISSUE--

System Mania!

So as those of you who have been following this blog know I plan to release villain roster books for BASH Ultimate Edition, ICONS and Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Edition.

I had hoped to do Villains & Vigilantes, Champions and a couple of others, but in the end they either never got back to my request, or I didn't like their licensing deals.

But...

You also know that I plan to post up Zenith Universe heroes for free on the website, so there need be no licensing issues as I believe it falls under the provisions of "fair use".  Please correct me if I am wrong on this one.

So what systems would you like to see heroes statted up in?  The above three are a given, plus V&V and Champions.  I was also thinking 4C and SAGA as well.

Any others?

Cheers!

John's Notes - The Sentinels - Session 9

With John absent from the session, Renzo steps in as the special guest writer :)

=-=-=-=-=-=

Session Notes for the 22nd 0f May 2010

Players:

Mike: Max Plastic

Anthony: Monolith

Pat: Dr. Tesla

Robin: Zero G

Renzo: Galvanos?/Kenji

John: Bronco(in absentia)

At the mansion, Monolith wakes startled from a bad dream involving this alleged 3rd subbasement.

Monolith decides it's time to get some answers, so of course he goes straight to 13 year old Kenji.

Monolith asks Kenji about Eve, they get into a frank conversation about Kenji's new AI, as frank as possible considering Kenji is keeping some truth's about Eve to himself(Sterling's little creation who conveniently is duping Stirling himself).

As Monolith and Kenji stroll through the base debating Eve, they happen upon the Lab where Dr. Tesla is having a spirited debate with Tesla himself(another wacko joins the team) a conversation about the 3rd subbasement ensues and how we can take a look without having to tear things apart, Dr. Tesla insists we can make an MRI 10 years before it's time, things don't work out perfectly Dr. T kicks them out. We'll get back to T&T a little later.

Meanwhile outside drunk superman (forgot his name) is BBQing what he lovingly refers to as bourbon squirls. (old family recipe)when Zero G and Max happen upon him and luckily there is enough squirl to be had by all.

Lady A shows up, she asks for help transporting SKULLSMASHER to Belle Isle, Zero G kindly offers his assistance, she explains the whole team will be needed for this of course.

Back at science central Kenji introduces Monolith to Eve they hit it off(Monolith seems concerned).There conversation is interrupted by a call from Doc Titan explaining that whatever it is  that we are doing is causing severe electrical interference with the city and he'll be coming to the mansion within minutes. A few minutes later he shows up, Monolith meets him outside and explains, Doc Titan loves the MRI idea (nerds assemble) Doc and Kenji go Downstairs.

Monolith ever vigilant in his role as second in command debriefs Zero G about Eve and the 2 Tesla's, Zero G seems to be quite relaxed about it all, almost distant. Zero G tells Monolith about this evenings SKULLSMASHER mission and Monolith leaves to join the brain trust downstairs.

Success!!!! thanks to Kenji's apparent genius and everyone else's help of course the MRI is completed in record time. Doc Titan is impressed by Kenji's genius and somewhat perplexed. Which leads to Monolith feeling the need to voice his concerns about Eve to yet someone else and a conversation ensues with Doc Titan.

Time for our meeting with Eagle to help transport SKULLSMASHER, we meet LadyA on the outskirts of the city.

An energy pulse from space shatters the containment unit with SKULLSMAHER in it.

Most of the team gets hit by debris except Gal and Zero G. Dr. T, Max and Monolith go flying off the bridge Zero G stops them from hitting the water.

Before SKULLSMASHER can do anything Dr. T fires off a powerful blast as he realizes SKULLSMASHER is immune to electrical attacks and he laughs it off.

Gal comes in for a double rocket-fist fly-by to no avail.

While SKULLSMASHER is busy laughing at us, LadyA comes in with a masterful pounding giving Monolith an opening to step on SKULLSMASHER, he takes it like a man.

Meanwhile ZeroG goes out to help EAGLE agents in need.

Monolith goes to step on SKULLSMASHER again when he let's loose with an energy blast and gives Monolith a toasty foot shot. SKULLSMASHER now seems annoyed (oh shit!)

Max comes in with a tube toss with the debris from SS's containment tube, ZeroG adds weight to the attack intensifying the hit and they take SS out. Yay! Oops we were wrong...

SS chucks a truck at ZeroG, Gal interposes and goes flying into the river.

Dr. T decides to track were the signal came from and tracks it back to a satellite in space.

Monolith keeps chucking stuff at SS, SS goes from being annoyed to being mad. Thanks Monolith.

Gal decides we haven't pissed SS off enough so he pulls out his energy sword and takes out part of the bridge, surrounding cars and trucks but has no effect on SS. When will this end?

Dr. T'S electrical attacks having no effect he decides to charge into him instead(mad man) IT WORKS!!  SS is out. The resulting impact collapses the bridge Max heroically strings himself up acting as the girders for the bridge, ZeroG realizes this and lightens the load for Max, SS is already backup by this point.

Monolith and SS go at it mano-mano/ Monolith is out, his poor nuts.

ZeroG and Gal go at SS together, SS throws Monolith at them. WTF!!!

Gal moves out of the way, ZeroG gets hit giving Gal a clear shot at SS who is under the water and can't be seen, Gal fires blind and hits. Everyone else is up and ready to fight, we need to take SS DOWN NOW!!!!!

Max creates a vortex under the water clearing a path for the rest of us to see SS. Why does SS have a smile on his face?

ZeroG weakens SS in hopes of wrapping this up, SS has other plans and ground pounds the river bed causing a tsunami to emanate from him out (there are millions of people in Capitol City).

Gal closes the distance and super seizure eyes SS, ZeroG with a wave of his arms stops the tsunami and collapses it back onto SS and takes him out. Yay!!!

The side of Belle Isle opens up and there is the brightest flash of light, a super from the golden age called Atomicles is standing there waiting for Dr.T to teleport SS to Belle Isle. The doors close.

ZeroG goes up to LEO following Dr.T's find as he gets close to the satellite he sees a black rook on the side of the satellite just before it blows up.

The next morning back at the mansion Major King comes to visit. He is going to debrief us on classified information about an organization called the Citadel.

We find out about a man named Lord Sovereign and the Citadel’s agenda to change the world order, also there apparent association with the Metal Militia. We are asked to forget about Atomicles.

Major King leaves w decide it s time to test our MRI, low and behold Monolith is not insane. There is what seems to be a 3rd subbasement...........

The End

John's Notes - The Sentinels - Session 8

Session Notes: Sentinels (BASH) - Session 8 - May 8/10

Anthony - Monolith
Mike - Max Plastic
Robin - 0G
Renzo - Kenji/Gal
Pat - Doc Tesla
John - Bronco

The trial of the century begins. A special tribunal lead by the Supreme Court Chief Justice has been called by the President. Very tight lid on the case. 0G has been having issues getting a lawyer to defend someone on trial for high treason and attempted assassination of the President. Then a lawyer arrives at his digs in the Belle Isle isolation block. His name is Jack Kane, and he feels everyone is entitled to a defense. But he thinks 0G's case sucks. He suggests 0G pleads guilty and throws himself on the mercy of the court. 0G concurs and asks to see Monolith before the trial. Really? The convicted criminal on the team? OK.

Monolith arrives to have the probably no-so-private conversation. 0G's not optimistic, but doesn't mention his intention to plead guilty.

Meanwhile the government wants Gal's hardware and recordings from the event in DC. Kenji and Eve discuss. They create a mock hard drive to fool the Man. Kenji hands over the fake.

The trial begins. 0G pleads guilty. Lady A calls Monolith to inform him. Monolith freaks. Kenji suggests we take Garth Stirling up on his offer of a lawyer. A team meeting is called. Still no Angel. Lady A strolls in and announces she's been fired. A group called Strikeforce USA has been assigned presidential detail, superseding the Secret Service.

Garrison suggests we go bust him out. Kenji objects. Just in time to help out Tori calls a press conference to quit up and join up with Garth. Very nice of her. Then Stirling himself hacks his way through Kenji's firewall and interrupts our meeting. He offers help and security information about 0G's impending transfer to Strikeforce USA's secret location. Lady A points out this is a loophole and we should break him out now.  Monolith wants to go. Kenji's down with whatever Lady A suggests we do. Max still thinks UFO is the key to this mess and exonerating 0G, negating the whole break-him-out-of-jail thing.

So Max and Bronco are going to stay behind while Kenji breaks into NATO's satellites, the rest are headed to Belle Isle.

Meanwhile, in 0G's cell... The guard bringing dinner zones out and Van Jove cones to have another chat with 0G. He berates him for pleading guilty and reminds him of his (Van Jove) intention to kill The Angel in a really painful way before he hunkers down to help 0G escape but walking him out the front door, using the guard as a cover. 0G disables the nullifiers, puts them on and they head off.

Just as they're ready to head out, in comes Strikeforce USA from one direction, and the Blue Jay from the other. 0G wrecks the landing pad, preventing either side from having access. Strikeforce USA members come in flying and a fray breaks out. Some flying spangler zaps 0G with an energy bolt. Some bug guy named Rushmore enters the fray as well, and Monolith joins in on the fun. Strikeforce USA kicks much ass, aided by the impression that they're in the right. It's Americana, Rushmore and American Eagle. They fly their shuttle at ours. Both crash into each other. The shuttle on shuttle action breaks both vehicles entirely. Steel Patriot escapes their shuttle and Lady A escapes ours as they crash. 3rd shuttle destroyed by the Sentinels in as many issues.

0G tries to tell Lady A about Van Jove. Nothing comes out.

Steel Patriot strafes the area. The fray continues, makes the news. Kenji spots the story and informs Bronco and Max before going back to his hacking.

Monolith and Lady A finally triumph with 0G's help as, meanwhile, Kenji has successfully broken into NATO.

He tracks the irregular radiation to Arizona. He radios the team. 0G drags the lot to the HQ, with Steel Patriot in pursuit. Garrison comes out to meet the Strikeforcer and annihilates the Patriot's armour.

Kenji grabs up his portable unit and mentions Eve out loud in front of Bronco.

They plan to head to Arizona. 0G rather surprisingly gravity shifts the entire team to Arizona.

So Doc Tesla... Out in the desert, stealing stuff from airplane graveyards. And conducting experiments. He spots a big spike on his meters. He suits up and heads out to see the Sentinels appear in his backyard electrical field spot. 0G puts up a shield and Lady A makes nice with the strangely dressed desert man. Fields and shields are shut down and a full conversation begins. Spikes are identified as coming from around that Native Reservation over there. Bronco gets tired of waiting for more than five seconds and takes off. Lady A, Max and 0G follow, Little Dove in the lead flying. She catches up, but veers to the res to check on people who are reportedly sick. The team catches up further upriver, just as the Earth itself is trying to attack Bronco.  They enter the fray and radio Monolith about this new development. Doc Tesla offers to get Monolith there. Then teleports him, bringing on a 'What the Hell...?!' from Monolith upon arrival.

Bronco breaks free as Gal's coming in hot. His Geiger counter's going crazy. Plants are attacking, too. 0G tries to fight the plants, finds the roots go deep, and deduces the villains must be underground. Bronco, hearing mentioned they might be underground, solves the questioning by groundpounding the shit out of the local terrain. He causes a full-scale cave in.

0G catches Bronco before he falls in with the avalanche of landscape. Max, spotting an opportunity, Flattens the newly revealed Flora in one shot. Monolith stomps Obelisk. Doc Tesla kazarks Uranium. Hard.

Uranium declares his newly found desire to kill Doc Tesla. For that declaration, he earns another kazark. Just as hard. Third time's the charm when backed up by Galvanos jumping in with his giant sword to fell Uranium with a massive hit. 0G locks them all in a forcefield and detente is reached. EAGLE is called.

The lot of us head back to DC. As we land 0G hears Van Jove say in his (0G's) head that we owe him. Once we touch down UFO spontaneously and gregariously confesses their crimes.

Being now all squared with the law, we head back to HQ, with Doc Tesla in tow. Garrison's bar-b-qing when we get back. Introductions are made all around. And he's drunk.

After dinner 0G hears, then astrally sees Van Jove. Walter reminds him that real threats are coming, and he should start getting really ready...

-END OF SESSION-

Zenith Comics to be Super Powered by M&M!

With this announcement by Green Ronin yesterday I have decided to hold off on making the Zenith Comics Presents line available for Mutants & Masterminds until 3rd Edition is out.

The reason has a lot to do with the fact that they will be ending the Superlink program for sure, but also because I like the attitude they are taking towards this entire 3rd edition business.

Green Ronin has always been a classy company from day one that understands the community of hobby publishers very well.

I will be looking forward to producing material for use with their flagship system, as well as for my primary choice BASH!

As a side note, don't forget that I plan to also make the material available for ICONS from Adamant Entertainment.  So that means if you are into Supers roleplaying, Zenith Comics will have you covered!

Still not word on Villains & Vigilantes support though as I have had no luck in contacting them. :(

For those who were wondering about Hero/Champions versions of Zenith Comics, at this time I have to say no solely due to their licensing deal.  It just doesn't sit right with me.

Cheers and stay tuned for more previews of the art from "Zenith Comics Presents: Public Enemies Volume 1" this week.  Brought to you in living colour no less!

Zenith Comics Presents: Public Enemies Vol. 1 - Update 2

So I just got back from a meeting with Anthony, we are really close this time. 9 out of 10 characters are finalized and going to inks+colours soon and the 10th character is being worked out as well. His look is almost perfect!

We also discussed the cover and the layout a bit as well. It's gonna be very very cool.

Instead of sharing more sketches I thought I would give you a preview of the characters that will be in Volume 1 of Public Enemies and then the names of the coming volumes as well.

Zenith Comics Presents: Public Enemies - Volume 1

Adonis – The Roman God of Beauty, he comes to Earth to either challenge those men he feels are contenders for his beauty or to woo the hearts of women he finds attractive. His attention is like that of a puppy, he moves on quickly with no concern for the damage he causes as he goes.

Nightviper – She used to Nightsparrow, the side-kick of Nightraven. That was then. Now having turned on her mentor, she uses her training as an assassin for hire. She is a martial-artist who uses batons with spiked ends and has no problems killing heroes for money.

Black Shroud – Consumed by the darkness that inhabits his soul, this gothic lad can control shadows, project darkness and even teleport through the inky blackness of his soul. He is an unhappy young man, prone to fits of anger.

Colt – Everything is bigger in Texas... and faster! Colt is a wild-west themed speedster who uses twin Colt .45s to rob banks, armoured cars and even do stick-ups at ATMs. His true super power seems to be his ability to keep his 10 gallon hat on at high speeds.

Damselfly – She shrinks. She blasts. She has bug wings. She's seven different kinds of crazy! Damselfly is the kind of villain no hero wants to face. She is hard to hit, does decent damage and has no logical behaviour patterns.

Energion – Once a scientist studying the stars accidentally captured a being of pure cosmic energy who just happened to be flying by the Earth. That being fused with the scientist and now together they are Energion, and Energion is not happy.

The Green Gargoyle – A gargoyle given life by a stray bolt of mystic energy in a fight between Doctor Diablo and Lord Necron, the Green Gargoyle is a solitary but powerful creature. Normally he protects a building, but through spells more than one evil wizard has bent him to his will.

Jackie Frost – What happens when a ski-bunny-party-girl dies in an avalanche and is reborn with the power of ice and snow? The party gets hotter! Um... er... colder? No that's not it... um... Yeah like awesome ice powers!

Skullsmasher – Powered by antimatter energy and a bad attitude, this energy wielding brick is the very definition of the irresistible force. He is huge, powerful and likes to rob banks, jewelry stores, whatever.... and he L-O-V-E, loves to battle punk heroes who think they are tough!

Wolfen – Cursed with the power of the Beast Lords, the man known as Wolfen has given into his new animal nature and uses it for personal gain and to hunt heroes with Beast Lord powers. Like the werewolves of old though, 3 days of the Full Moon every month he goes into a murderous blood frenzy!

So there you have the roster for the first volume of Public Enemies! I am willing to bet that at least one or two of those villains sounds like someone you would want to use in your campaigns. Of course I subject my players to all of them. ;)

Also, moving forward, we have planned out what we intend to do as follow-up books, and though plans change, this is what it looks like for the most part after Public Enemies Volume 1;

• Zenith Comics Presents! Public Enemies Vol 2 - Another 10 unique villains for use in your campaign. Featuring the winner of the Earth Alpha: Who Is This Guy? contest: The Bug!

• Zenith Comics Presents! Dastardly Duos & Terrible Trios! - Two duos and two trios that are themed villains who work together.

• Zenith Comics Presents! The Citadel - A secret society that has plans to over through America. This one will have their soldiers, their super agents and their mysterious leader, Lord Sovereign!

• Zenith Comics Presents! Mayhem Inc/Ravage V - Two teams of five villains each that are the stuff of legends... or nightmares for heroic teams. These two teams are made to test your heroes to the limits!

• Zenith Comics Presents! Master Minds & Mercenaries - 3 would be world conquerors and the types of villains they hire to carry out their agendas. This one will make an excellent Iron Age roster book, though it will be usable with Bronze Age or Modern Age campaigns.

• Zenith Comics Presents! Public Enemies Volume 3 - And if the previous volumes weren't enough, we return to where it all started with another 10 villains to challenge your heroes with and make them earn their capes!

So there you have it. These are the plans for Earth Alpha moving through 2010 and into 2011. The supplements will first be released for BASH! Ultimate Edition, but will be followed by versions for Mutants & Masterminds (via Superlink) and ICONS (the new games by Steve Kenson).

So cheers and I hope at least something in there caught you eye. ;)

Most Wanted? Public Enemies? Other?

So work began today in earnest on the Zenith Comics Present: X villain roster books I will be producing as for sale PDFs (BASH, Mutants & Masterminds and later ICONS versions to be released).

The only stumbling point for me is... do I call it Most Wanted (used originally for some V&V roster books) or maybe Public Enemies (no idea if that has been used) but the actual whole title would be "Zenith Comics Presents: Most Wanted" or "Zenith Comics Presents: Public Enemies".

Which do you prefer? Or do you have another idea?

Mighty Super Heroes Are Go!

Hey there,

So I am getting back on the horse. I want to take this moment to thank everyone once again for their kind support and their warm humanity with my recent batch of troubled times. It was very very appreciated.

Now as to what is this "Might Super Heroes" thing all about?

As you may notice to the right hand under the "What I am playing" section there is a mock-cover for the not really real Mighty Super Heroes RPG. What happend to BASH! UE? What's going on? Has the world gone crazy?

Well a note about BASH! UE. I still think it is a tremendous game and the first ever power builder I actually enjoyed. I will continue to move forward with my plans to publish roster books for it (and M&M and ICONS, but not HERO since they want a cut of sales for the privilege and the pie will already be super small after the online distributors take their slice) but I won't be running it at my table. Nothing against the game, I just can't fight my Marvel Super Heroes RPG roots. They go over 20 years deep and I just don't feel comfortable running my style of game in another system.

That said MSH (get it?) has a lot of problems, or old mentalities. So one of the things I am doing is updating the FASERIP engine to be more modern. This actually has a lot to do with other super hero games.

For example I am adding the "Callings" from the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game (SAGA), the "Mental Malfunction" of BASH!, the "Wound Track" from Mutants & Masterminds and other things, some even my ideas too!

Not sure if you guys want to see this here yourselves, but I may post about it and will certainly put up characters with the stats from it.

I will not publish it ever. I might make up a pdf of it but only as a free download and never for cash. Might Super Heroes isn't about that, it is merely about the game I have loved for 20+ years getting a bit of a pimping.

Face front true believers, this is gonna be fun!

*The art used for the cover was taken from the internet and is used without permission. No offense intended.

New BASH! Forums

Hey all, just a quick note to tell you all about a new set of BASH! forums that are now online.

Stop on by, sign up and have fun!

To Public Domain or Not to Public Domain.

In my preparation for this campaign, I have managed to score permission to publish roster books or heros and villains using the BASH! system (I also intend to make versions for Superlink M&M and possibly 4C). This has allowed me the freedom to pour over the volumes of old campaign documents I have collected this past 25 years, as well as scour the internet (what did I do without it for all those years?) for inspirations as well.

Imagine my surprise to find this;

Public Domain Superheroes!

Yes a public domain heroes (and villains) wiki.

This site is fantastic and it focuses on the concept of heroes & villains who have not had their original copyrights renewed and as such have lapsed into the public domain.

Many are surprising, such as the original Blue Beetle (no not the Charlton one that DC now owns) as well as interesting characters like the original Wonder Man (and Wonder Boy) and such luminaries as Captain Atom (again a very specific early version).

For those who have read Project Superpowers or Terra Obscura, you have seen how these characters can be used, updated and even modernized a wee bit.

The tricky part is the trademark stuff. You have to be careful not to seem like you are trying to confuse people into thinking yours is the same one being published by DC or Marvel or whomever. That said, it seems to me that despite the fact that a lot of the modern copyright laws were modified to protect Mickey Mouse, the end result is not that DC or Marvel would think I am trying to pass off my Blue Beetle as their Blue Beetle, but instead that they simply have large law firms and I don't.

Still with some cleverness it can be done. For example on the original Blue Beetle;

"After his father was killed by a gangster's bullet, young Dan Garret joined the New York Police Department, but he soon tired of the slow pace and red tape of police work. He donned a blue three-piece suit and a white mask and established a costumed identity, fighting crime as the Blue Beetle. He had no powers, but he used a gun and a wrist-mounted mini-radio to get an edge on the criminals he was fighting. His calling card was a small beetle-shaped marker that he left in conspicuous places to alert criminals to his presence, using their fear of his crime-fighting reputation as a weapon against them."

See the a comic page here!

Now to me that is a much more interesting Blue Beetle than yet another spandex clown with super powers. I like the Dick Tracy aspects of this guy. Your mileage may vary, of course.

So I continue to ponder this topic and see where it takes me, but I must say that I am intrigued. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the matter.

Zenith Comics Universe: The Ages

The Ages

Introduction

The purpose of this document is to provide a very quick overview of the period of super-humanity in the 20th century. This time is divided into 3 “ages” based on the classical Greek Ages of mythology. While those ages in legend refer to better times, we make no claims that the previous ages of heroes were better or worse than the next, it is used simply as a handy way of measuring the distinct times.

The Golden Age

The Golden Age started in 1928 when the Masked Avenger first made headlines in his one man war on organized crime. He may have been the first, but he was far from the last. His actions seemed to herald a tide of mystery-men and women who would first spread across America and then the world.

Colorful circus strongman and wrestler costumes were the order of the day and most wore masks to hide their identities and to avoid prosecution by some over zealous District Attorneys on charges of vigilantism. In time though the Police and most cities came to accept the costumed crusaders in their midst and even work with them.

The first costumed criminal was also the first super-powered being of the Golden Age and also the leader of the first super-team, though it was a villain group called the Super Gang. The Black Eagle had tremendous large black wings and carried a raygun that could melt steel. He would clash with almost every hero of the time, but his primary enemy was Golden Gloves, a non-powered mystery man who used boxing to thwart crime.

When Hitler unveiled the first Nazi super in 1938 the world held its collective breath. Die Ubermann changed the face of international politics and as he would prove in North Africa, modern warfare. The mad dash to match the super human arms race started by the Germans would lead to many a great hero and some truly tragic accidents.

By the time America joined the war in 1941, there were dozens of heroes on all sides, villains to match and the catch term for the day went from “Mystery Man” to “Super Hero”. For reasons never revealed, after one brief excursion into German controlled territory, the most powerful super heroes were sent to protect their home lands, leaving essentially the non-powered mystery men and women to man the Allied strike force, the Victory Squad. At home the remaining heroes were unified under the flag of the United Sentinels of America by order of President Roosevelt.

By the end of the war, though many supers had died on all sides, a significantly large number survived and returned to their prewar crime-fighting activities. While some were able to make the transition to civilian crime-fighting again and some were not, the American government wasn't either. When the United Sentinels of America refused to deploy to the Korean theatre, some within the government soon where asking “Why masks?” and “Could the Scarlet Streak really be a Red?” When the orders came down they were direct and simple, unmask and sign loyalty statements or be considered vigilantes and be hunted. Scores of super heroes vanished over night, refusing to unmask for the safety of their loved ones. Some fought on, but when Dr. Dynamite was shot to death by Police in a botched arrest attempt in 1952, the Golden Age came to an end.

The Silver Age

There is some debate as to when exactly the Silver Age began, but for most the starting point is 1958 when the flying luxury liner SS Titan was saved from crashing by Captain Comet and his Rocket Rangers. Their daring rescue of the first and only flying liner got world wide coverage and rekindled the heroic ideals of Americans.

The Silver Age was also about something else that may have always been present, but really came into its own, the notion of space. Science and space played such a large part of this time that some think it should be renamed the Space Age. Certainly the Golden Age saw plenty of space and science related heroes and villains, but this age was swamped with them.

Not long after Captain Comet's appearance, like the Masked Avenger before him, a new wave of heroes and villains began. Space men, super spies and the ever present mystics, made up the lion's share of these men and women. Hope for tomorrow and a brighter future drove these colorful costumed folk on and the public was happy to have them, but then the 60's came and the world began to change again.

When JFK was killed, Lady America was reported as having been assigned to guard the Vice-President that day. When she later questioned why she had those orders, stories say LBJ gave her a dressing down in the Oval Office. She was later deployed to Vietnam, seemingly as a punishment.

The Vietnam war and the Civil Rights movement were not to be spared the touch of the super hero or even the super villain, but in the end these events were their own and certainly not overly affected by the actions of the costumed set.

As the 70s came in things began to change, the heroes were growing darker and more ruthless. Soon many were openly carrying guns and other lethal weapons. There was a shift coming but first a shorter age would have to be passed through. The Silver Age slid into the Bronze Age in 1975 with the arrest of Captain Thunderbird for the murder of two Chicago mobsters.

The Bronze Age

The world had changed, the OPEC Crisis, the Watergate Scandal and rampant inflation was changing America and slowly it was changing her heroes as well. More and more stories were surfacing about heroes being more aggressive, not accepting surrender of criminals without a “finishing blow” and even killing their enemies.

For 10 years the media ignored this and slowly the public began to become suspicious of the heroes and their behaviors. The premiere hero group of the day, the Guardians did their best to uphold more noble ideals, but theirs was a battle to be lost. The self indulgence of the 70s and the greed of the 80s were just not instep with upright, moralistic, old school thinking.

The Bronze Age can therefore been seen as one last gasp of a previous generation to hold onto something that was a bit nobler than their times, but the times were calling for a new type of hero.

In 1979 Dr. Walter Van Jove, the foremost expert on superhumans in the world wrote a book entitled “The Shape of Things to Come: The Super Future”. In it he predicted an explosion in the population of superhumans globally within the coming decade as well as major leaps forward in technology, pioneered by what he termed “Super Geniuses” whose only powers would be to invent, improve or develop new technologies.

In late 1983 something happened that shook the world. The Guardians were attacked in their base by a team of anti-democratic and despotic themed villains called the Axis of Evil, lead by none other than die Ubermann. They destroyed the satellite base of the heroes and when all was said and done the leader of the Guardians, considered to be the World’s greatest hero, Guardsman was dead.

On a cold January 3rd 1984, Guardsman was put to rest at the Heroes Hill cemetery in Capitol City. The crowds lined the streets as his funeral procession went by, thousands deep. The funeral itself attended by heroes from all corners of the world, 3 former Presidents and the current one as well. It was televised globally to millions of viewers and it sent a powerfully dark message to all. The world they had known was forever changed.

Afterword

Some say that the death of Guardsman marks the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of an inevitable Iron Age. Still others say that it is just the midway point and the Bronze Age may yet not be over. Whether or not this is the case, many wonder if Dr. Van Jove’s promised wave of supers and technological advances will come to be or is simply a pipe dream.

According to EAGLE files there are over 500 known superheroes and villains globally and an estimated 200 more who have powers but do not “suit up” to coin a phrase. There has also been an increase in the number of governments that are employing superhumans in their militaries and other agencies. Some have speculated that this many superhumans will either lead to a new dominant form of humanity or a culling of the herd in some sort of crisis.

While the future remains unclear, for now superhumans are here to stay, for good or bad.

Gyro, Gyro, Gyro!

With those words the hero Spartacus summed up how he felt about Vixen's constant deferral to the hero who was also her lover at the time. Out of game it gave all of us a great laugh and later proved to me how a properly used GMPC can enhance a game, so long as you allow them not to be a Mary Sue and are willing to kill them once in a while.

I don't see GMPCs as a bad thing, though I have read enough horror stories to see how they can go bad. While this is an article for another time, I just wanted to say that if used as a falvouring/seasoning a GMPC can add to a game. If used as a starring role or constantly saving the heroes butts and telling them what to do, then it is a bad thing.

Like too much salt.

I have reposted the "My Thoughts" part of the original posting at the end of this one, but enough about that though.

So here he is, my first hero I ever created back in V&V in 1985 and one of the most iconic characters of the Zenith Universe;



GYRO Richard Wilkerson
35pts (Stats 16/Powers 21/Weakness -2)

Stats

Brawn: 2 Agility: 4 Mind: 2

Weakness
Damaging Weakness: Sonics

Skills
Athletics: Aerobatics
Pilot: Tricks/Evasion/Control
Investigation: Gut

Powers
• Boost: Mind 2 (For Energy Blast)
• Energy Blast: Special Attack 5 [Enhancement: Variable]
- Standard Blast: Mid Range, +1 Hit, +2 Dm
- Short Blast: Close Range +1 Hit +3 Dm
- Long Blast: Long Range, +1 Hit, +1 Dm
- Wide Angle: Close Range, Small Burst, +3 Dm
- Dodge This: +5 Hit
- Haymaker: +5 Dm
- Spin-Blast: Medium Burst, +3 Dm
• Flight 5 [Enhancements: Space]
• Immunity 4 [Suffocation, Vacuum, Temperatures, Radiation]/ Personal Force Field: Armour 3 [Enhancement: Linked]
• Super Speed 5 [Limitations: Only In Flight/Only Movement]

Advantages
Appeal

Disadvantages
Social Stigma: Mocked

Mental Malfunction
To prove himself

Background
Richard Wilkerson was born the son of Nathanial Wilkerson III, owner and head of Avitech, a large military contractor to the US. Raised around aviation it was only natural that Richard would become a pilot. Flying for the USAF, Richard was on a routine mission chasing a stray MiG back across the Bering Strait when something he could never have imagined happened.

A UFO came onto the radar and bathed both Richard’s F-15 Eagle and the Russian’s MiG in a strange golden glow. According to Air Force documents and statements, both jets dropped off radar over the Bering Strait. 2nd Lieutenant Richard Wilkerson was first listed as MIA and then 48 hours later as KIA.

Six months later, a fishing boat off the coast got the surprise of their lifetimes when they pulled a blonde, alive man in with their nets. His Air Force Dog Tags still on, they radioed to shore and were met there by a military detachment.

It is unknown what happened in the debriefing, but this much is know. Wilkerson was discharged after an Air Force Lawyer named Karen Winston brought his story to the media. The Air Force discharged her as well. Wilkerson moved in with her in Seattle for a time, where he began complaining of migraines. Then one night he began glowing with a tremendous golden energy and flew out of their penthouse, not stopping until he reached Japan.

Over a short period of time he came to learn that somehow he had developed tremendous powers. He went to his father immediately, explaining the situation. His father promised to help, but instead called the USAF and offered to hand over his son to them. EAGLE intercepted that call and stepped in.

Richard was given the choice of joining up with EAGLE or returning to the Air Force. He chose EAGLE and very soon found himself with a costume, a code name and a position on Team Justice. Now called Gyro he was suddenly a member of the premiere American super-hero team. To say he fit in would be a lie.

It didn’t take long for Gyro to get kicked out of Team Justice for undisclosed reasons, though rumours say it involved the villainess Trixie of Ravage V. EAGLE then convinced Guardsman to make him a member of the Guardians, which turned out to be the best thing for Gyro.

He respected Guardsman and looked to him as the father he wished he had. He learned to control his powers and his hot headedness under Guardsman’s careful tutelage and watchful eye. Eventually though this too would end for Gyro.

With the details having made all the gossip rags at the time, we will just sum it up by saying his romantic dalliance with Guardsman’s girlfriend at the time Sparrow Hawk, lead to both Gyro and her being removed from the Guardians. In a morbid turn of fortune, this occurred one week before the team was devastated by the Axis of Evil and Guardsman was killed.

Now without a team and cut loose by EAGLE, Gyro has taken up residence in New York City and hopes to prove that there is a hero inside him, the hero that Guardsman told him he could be. If only he could make everyone else see that.

Pictured
Current Cosutme as of 1984 (top right) and original costume (left)

My Thoughts
Gyro was my first character I ever made. I made him in V&V and man did he get into trouble. My buddy Graeme was running the campaign and Gyro was actually a member of Team Justice. Then they captured Trixie from Ravage V and she worked her feminine wiles on poor old Richard and sure as shit he let her go. He was promptly kicked off the team.

When I started the Guardians campaign back in '89, I had Gyro with the rest of the PCs trying out for an open slot on Team Justice. Yup, he was such a thick head that he was determined to get back on the team. Needless to say he didn't make it but he did band with the PCs to stop a fight between King and Mega-Man (no relation), two other tryout rejects.

When they announced to the media that they were forming a superhero team, the first question asked was "Gyro! Gyro! Sally Such-in-such for the Blather Press Daily. Will you be kicked off this team too?" I recall having Gyro lose his temper and declare the press conference was over.

The funny thing was, the players really liked Gyro and decided to make him the team leader. Nowin those days no one in our group knew the term GMPC and certainly I didn't favour Gyro. So much so that years later one of the original players confessed to me that he knew it was a serious night when I had Gyro get killed flying a nuclear bomb into orbit as the first act of the session.

That's right. I killed my pet NPC two sessions into the campaign.

Something most folks won't understand, especially those who have been on the bad end of a GMPC experience, is that I treat my NPCs far worse than my PCs. I beat them, kill them, rape them, torture them, humiliate them, etc... all so that the players understand how the world works. Then I can do it to them without worry of them thinking I am picking on them.

Some players get it, some don't. Those who get it though have been coming to my table on and off for 25 years. So I must be doing something right.

Will Gyro be in the new game? Hell yes. This is the 25th Anniversary game! You bet your ass my first ever superhero will be in it, without a doubt!

Team Justice: Magnet!

This is intended to be a series of posts wherein I will post up members of various superteams, good and bad, with their stats as well as a brief history.

First up;


In 1978, when the Guardians became an officially UN Sanctioned superteam, the American government recruited Dr. Walter Van Jove, the world preeminent expert on superhumans, to help them develop a new American team. At first their idea was to recreate the patriotic Victory Squad from WW2 and even recruit the still active Lady America to lead it. Van Jove advised not to, stating that with it only being two years since the Bicentennial, a flag draped team of heroes would seem like a gimmick. Instead he proposed assembling a team of the best candidates from a secret government operation called "The Program" and elsewhere, so long as they weren't already known to the public. They agreed and Van Jove hand picked the original members of Team Justice (he did not alas have any control over the naming of the team and or the candidates from the Program).

The team was based out of a public headquarters in abandoned embassy of the former nation of Vaslavia (Liberated from Nazi control by the Soviets at the end of WW2). Conveniently their base of operations would be nicknamed "The Embassy" by the media. The Embassy was a combination of state-of-the-art and classic elegance. Keeping much of the original look of the Vaslavian embassy, it had a rather extensive subterranean complex added to it for special activities, housing of superpowered threats, storing of the team shuttle, etc... all built under the watchful eye of the Army Corps of Engineers.

With a home base and a name, all that was needed were members. The first, hand picked by Dr. Van Jove, was;



MAGNET
Dr. Martin Fowler
(Stats 14pts + Powers 26pts = 40pts)

Stats
Brawn: 1 Agility: 2 Mind: 4

Weakness
None

Skills
Computers: Programming
Drive: Control
Pilot: Control
Science: Physics +1AM
Technology: Repair

Powers
Animation 4 [Limit: Metal objects only]
Deflect 3 [Limit: Only vs. Metal/Energy based attacks]
Flight 3
Force Field 5 [Limit: Only affects metal/energy based attacks]
Magnetic Blast: Special Attack 5 [Enhancement: Variable]
Magnetic Mastery 4
Telekinesis 5 [Limit: Only affects metal]

Advantages
Versatile

Disadvantages
Rogue’s Gallery

Mental Malfunction
Control, Must Be In Control

Background
Magnet, really known as Dr. Martin Fowler, was American's leading expert on magnetism and stellar energy collection. Not a product of the Program, he gained his powers when his attempts to capture part of the Van Allen Belt for study using a long range Stellar Energy Converter went wrong and the resultant explosion bathed him in the strange energy. With the power to control magnetic fields, he was recruited by Van Jove from the government facility he was recovering at.

Made the leader of the team, his personality is best described as no-nonsense and straightforward. In fact his reliance on logic has been exposed as an Achilles Heel by some of his enemies, finding him predictable. That said though, his massive amount of power balances that out, even playing to his favour.

He was rumoured to be romantically linked to his teammate Gravity and then after that Telepath, though no proof of these affairs has surfaced.

Pictured: Original costume (top) and recent 1984 costume (left)

Guardsman BASH!

GUARDSMAN
Nathan Prince
36pts (Stats 20pts/Powers 20pts/Weakness -4)

Stats

Brawn: 4
Agility: 4
Mind: 2

Weakness
Devastating Weakness: Argonite (Negating/x3 Damage) (-4pts)

Skills
Acrobatics: Throwing/Running/Climbing/Jumping
Military: Command/Tactics

Powers
Ability Boost: Brawn (Uppercut Punch!) 3
Armour 3
Attack Weak Point
Eye Beams: Special Attack: 5 (2 Range/+3DM)
Fleet of Foot
Flight 5
Martial Arts: Tough Style

Advantages
Leadership
Never Surrender
Security Clearance

Disadvantages
Arch-Enemy
Public ID
Rogue’s Gallery

Mental Malfunction
Square jawed hero.

Background
Guardsman started out as a hero in the Golden Age. A bit late to the show, he only appeared on the scene in 1944, but his arrival was a giant impact on the day.

He claimed to have been given his powers from a magical helmet he had found, but more than once he had the helmet knocked off his head and never seemed to depower.

Never a member of the wartime super teams, he did work with plenty of them throughout the Golden Age and seemed to attract the attention of German super die Übermensch in a big way. The two had epic battles, the last being over Berlin as the Allies closed in.

Returning home he agreed to President Truman's request that he form up a national team for the protection of America. He called that team the Golden Guardsmen, after himself of course.

According to all other heroes who knew him, the one thing greater than his power was his ego. Still his impressive nature and awesome powers served him well and he became the gold standard for superheroes for the next three decades.

In 1983, while still leading the Golden Guardsmen, Guardsman was killed in battle by die Übermensch and his team of anti-American villains, the Axis of Evil. It was a tremendous loss for a nation and the world.

His funeral was broadcast around the world and was attended by many leaders of the free world and a who's who of the heroes of the world. Even Soviet hero Red Guard issued a statement praising the heroics of Guardsman, and of course condemning his capitalist politics.

To say the world is lost without their premiere hero is an understatement. The Golden Guardsmen, all lost save one in the attack, are no more and Team Justice does what it can to hold the line, but Guardsman's absence has left a large void to fill.

Gyro - BASH!

GYRO
Richard Wilkerson
36pts (Stats 16/Powers 22/Weakness -2)

Stats

Brawn: 2
Agility: 4
Mind: 2

Weakness
Damaging Weakness: Sonics

Skills
Athletics: Aerobatics
Pilot: Tricks/Evasion/Control
Investigation: Gut

Powers
• Boost: Mind 2 (For Energy Blast) 2pts
• Energy Blast: Special Attack 5 [Enhancement: Variable] 6pts
- Standard Blast: Mid Range, +1 Hit, +2 Dm
- Short Blast: Close Range +1 Hit +3 Dm
- Long Blast: Long Range, +1 Hit, +1 Dm
- Wide Angle: Close Range, Small Burst, +3 Dm
- Dodge This: +5 Hit
- Haymaker: +5 Dm
- Spin-Blast: Medium Burst, +3 Dm
• Flight 5 [Enhancements: Space] 4pts
• Immunity 4 [Suffocation, Vacuum, Temperatures, Radiation]/ Personal Force Field: Armour 3 [Enhancement: Linked] 6pts
• Super Speed 5 [Limitations: Flying Movement only] 4pts

Advantages
Appeal

Disadvantages
Social Stigma: Mocked

Mental Malfunction
To prove himself

Background
Richard Wilkerson was born the son of Nathanial Wilkerson III, owner and head of Avitech, a large military contractor to the US. Raised around aviation it was only natural that Richard would become a pilot. Flying for the USAF, Richard was on a routine mission chasing a stray MiG back across the Bering Strait when something he could never have imagined happened.

A UFO came onto the radar and bathed both Richard?s F-15 Eagle and the Russian?s MiG in a strange golden glow. According to Air Force documents and statements, both jets dropped off radar over the Bering Strait. 2nd Lieutenant Richard Wilkerson was first listed as MIA and then 48 hours later as KIA.

Six months later, a crab boat off the coast got the surprise of their lifetimes when they pulled a blonde, alive man in with their nets. His Air Force Dog Tags still on, they radioed to shore and were met there by a military detachment
It is unknown what happened in the debriefing, but this much is know. Wilkerson was discharged after an Air Force Lawyer named Karen Winston brought the his story to the media. The Air Force discharged her as well. Wilkerson moved in with her in Seattle for a time, where he began complaining of migraines. Then one night he began glowing with a tremendous golden energy and flew out of their penthouse, not stopping until he reached Japan.

Over a short period of time he came to learn that somehow he had developed tremendous powers. He went to his father immediately, explaining the situation. His father promised to help, but instead called the USAF and offered to hand over his son to them. EAGLE intercepted that call and stepped in.

Richard was given the choice of joining up with EAGLE or returning to the Air Force. He chose EAGLE and very soon found himself with a costume, a code name and a position on Team Justice. Now called Gyro he was suddenly a member of the premiere American super-hero team. To say he fit in would be a lie.

It didn?t take long for Gyro to get kicked out of Team Justice for undisclosed reasons, though rumours say it involved the villainess Trixie of Ravage V. EAGLE then convinced Guardsman to make him a member of the Golden Guardsmen, which turned out to be the best thing for Gyro.

He respected Guardsman and looked to him as the father he wished he had. He learned to control his powers and his hot headedness under Guardsman?s careful tutelage and watchful eye. Eventually though this too would end for Gyro.

With the details having made all the gossip rags at the time, we will just sum it up by saying his romantic dalliance with Guardsman?s girlfriend at the time Sparrow Hawk, lead to both Gyro and her being removed from the Golden Guardsmen. In a morbid turn of fortune, this occurred one week before the team was devastated by the Axis of Evil and Guardsman was killed.

Now without a team and cut loose by EAGLE, Gyro has taken up residence in New York City and hopes to prove that there is a hero inside him, the hero that Guardsman told him he could be. If only he could make everyone else see that.

My Thoughts
Gyro was my first character I ever made. I made him in V&V and man did he get into trouble. My buddy Gramme was running the campaign and Gyro was actually a member of Team Justice. Then they captured Trixie from Ravage V and she worked her feminine wiles on poor old Richard and sure as shit he let her go. He was promptly kicked off the team.

When I started the Guardians campaign back in '89, I had Gyro with the rest of the PCs trying out for an open slot on Team Justice. Yup, he was such a thick head that he was determined to get back on the team. Needless to say he didn't make it but he did band with the PCs to stop a fight between King and Mega-Man (no relation), two other tryout rejects.

When they announced to the media that they were forming a superhero team, the first question asked was "Gyro! Gyro! Sally Suchinsuch for the Blather Press Daily. Will you be kicked off this team too?". I recall having Gyro lose his temper and decalre the press conference was over.

The funny thing was, the players really liked Gyro and decided to make him the team leader. Nowin those days no one in our group knew the term GMPC and certainly I didn't favour Gyro. So much so that years later one of the original players confessed to me that he knew it was a serious night when I had Gyro get killed flying a nuclear bomb into orbit as the first act of the session.

That's right. I killed my pet NPC two sessions into the campaign.

Something most folks won't understand, especially those who have been on the bad end of a GMPC expirence, is that I treat my NPCs far worse than my PCs. I beat them, kill them, rape them, torture them, humilate them, etc... all so that the players understand how the world works. Then I can do it to them without worry of them thinking I am picking on them.

Some players get it, some don't. Those who get it though have been coming to my table on and off for 25 years. So I must be doing something right.

Will Gyro be in the new game? Hell yes. This is the 25th Anniversary game! You bet your ass my first ever superhero will be in it, without a doubt!

Lady America - BASH!

Here is Lady America written up in BASH Ultimate Edition for the new Ultimate Guardians campaign.

Note that due to players being able to read this blog, I have had to leave a couple of things blank. These are things to be discovered through play.

Also I have included a Timm done of her in her City of Heroes costume. While not perfectly how I see her, it is a good look.

With out further ado;

Lady America
Amanda Reese
Power Level: 35pts

Stats (16)

B: 2
A: 4
M: 2

HP: 3/_
XP: _

Powers (16)

Attack Weak Point
Disarm Expert
Fleet of Foot
Keen Senses
Martial Arts 3
Mind Spikes 5
Swift Strike

Skills - Physical
Athletics – Acrobatics
Drive – Steering
Pilot – Control;
Stealth – Evading Security

Skills – Mental
Military – Command
Security - Surveillance

Advantages
Leadership
Never Surrender
Quick Thinking
Security Clearance

Disadvantages
Duty*
Nightmares**
Rogue’s Gallery
Secret

Mental Malfunction
Super Patriot

*Duty - New Disadvantage; You work for or are beholden to some group or organization that can call upon you to perform tasks or such, thereby interfering with your life and your heroing.

**Nightmares - New Disadvantage; You suffer from nightly nightmares due to something in your past, outside forces, premonitions (work it out with your Narrator). As such each morning you must make a difficulty 20 Mind check or suffer 1d6 Setbacks for that day.

Zenith Comics Presents: Ultimate Guardians

Well the die is cast and I am underway working on my Ultimate Guardians campaign. There has been a lot of enjoyment in my mind of working out various things and such.

The question of system is still up for debate (my declaration of BASH as a winner earlier may have been a bit premature) and it seems the old FASERIPer is in the running, but maybe as 4C. I will know as soon as I start to write stats down.

I have also teamed up with my buddy Longbow from the Super Buddies forums and he has started doing some art for me in the Bruce Timm style from the DCAU.

The first piece up is my old favourite, Lady America;

This is an old costume of hers and not her final look for sure, but it was nice to see her come to life in the first costume I ever designed for her!

While she isn't a Guardian at the start of the campaign, she will be an ally of them team.

The characters (no art yet) are as follows;

Galvanos - A Japanese Robot in the Shogun Warrior style controlled by a handicapped Japanese youth.

Max Plastic - A smart mouthed former-crook-turned-hero who can stretch and shape himself into almost anything.

Kestrel - An angry young mutant with the looks of an angel. His temper is legendary.

Traxx - A speedster who embraces all the traditional stereotypes about speedsters.

Zero-G - An ex astronaut turned superhero with power over gravity itself. A southern gentleman.

Arrow - A soldier/archery expert with hand-to-hand skills to match. He is secretive about his past.

Cascade - A mutant aquatic woman form Australia who studies marine biology and is at best a relunctant hero.

Now the game will be set in Capitol City, which I am going to do an big overhaul of. I am going to make it sort of a Chicago of the East, more on that later.

The big trick to the game is this. All the characters are from the older campaigns I have run, but this time it won't be the player who made them playing it. For example, Galvanos' player won't be playing Galvanos, etc... Really shaking it up.

More as it develops

How To Do Random Charcters In BASH?

So I sat down to make a character in V&V and after 20 minutes of rolling dice and figuring things out I had a 5'10, 100lb, 17 strength, fashion model (performing art), lawyer (legal background), French Woman who was 17. Her powers were a mess, Stretching Device, Transmutation Device, Bionics, a Pet, Heightened Charisma (B), a magical mind control item and the pisonic/magic power of weakness detection. Oh and her weakness was Physical Handicap.

Now part of that was my own fault for randomizing the tables she got to roll on, sure, but also it was just very hard for me to put that all together. Yes I get to drop one power (bye bye stretching) but even then I had a mess of a character.

Now I could have selected the tables I wanted her powers on but that defeats the purpose of the whole random thing.

Maybe there should be an archetype table? Roll on that... okay now you can only roll on this table for powers, or these 2. I dunno.

I am going to see if I can figure out how to add random character creation to BASH. :)

Hold The Presses!

I've always wanted to shout that at the top of my lungs.

I just did... in an empty house... highly overrated... moving on.

"Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear."

That quote from Empire Records has always been one of my favorites as it is pretty much spot on for how my creativity works on a fairly regular basis.

Well inspiration has struck once again and I now know what my new superhero campaign will be!

The problem is that I have done every kinda of campaign you can imagine, from Golden Age to actually playing in the late Silver/early Bronze Ages.

I have done Marvel campaigns, DC campaigns and fusion Marvel/DC/Whatever campaigns.

But none of it... not one moment of it has ever compared to the original Guardians campaign from back in 89 - 91. That campaign was magical and so fresh. It started with V&V and ended with MSH. It was the original line up to!

Doc - The mad scientist with the cybernetic arm, that he himself chopped off his perfectly good arm to add. What a dude! He had force fields, which would eventually be the end of him. He was a strange character played by a guy who wasn't into supers, but made the most of it.

Galvanos - The walking-talking Japanese Robo-Samurai. He was originally in the model of Goldorak but once the player saw the Ingram from Patlabor his look changed and never went back. For my money I prefer the original, though the player still doesn't.

The Osprey - The first character that this player ever played with me and frankly one of his best. A strange birdpowered man who was the comic relief of the team, in the vien of the Blue Beetle/Booster Gold hillarity of the JLI.

Cyberknight - A techno swordsman who was played by a friend who soon went off to the armed forces, but he played long enough to cut the power cables on Frostbite's icepack and set off one of the most oft repeated moments in any campagin thereafter.

Then there were two NPCs, Gyro and Cascade.

Gyro was my character in my buddy's V&V campaign in High School and I brought him into this game, warts and all. In modern vernacular he would be called a GMPC, but let me tell you when I killed him in the 3rd session, everyplayer confessed that's when they knew it was for real.

Cascade was from some GURPS Supers supplement, Super Scum I think, and was essentially an aquatic heroine. Truely the only thing that made her stand out as a character was her gentle nature and Australian accent.

That campaign world, Earth Alpha (which grew out of the aformentioned friend's V&V campaign which I inherited) would go on for 3 years and have some truely memorable moments. Characters would die, new ones take their place, other reborn... it was heady stuff for us in our late teens/early twenties.

And I have spent every campaign since then trying to recapture it.

Trying and failing of course. The only campaign that ever came even close was the PONY (Protectors of New York) campaign that last an unfortunate 4 or 5 sessions before I paniced and tanked it. Long story.

So if I look at the original Guardians campaign, what made it work? Well for sure part of it was the age and the times. The late 80's were an interesting time to be alive. For sure. But I suspect it was more than that.

Certainly the random character creation of V&V made a big difference as it forced the players to have to be creative when they made their characters. There were no "concepts" to be worked on, instead they took what was given, and formed a ccharacter out of that and then asked to reroll or change what they needed to as their character idea formed. That was an important part of old school campaigns and something that has been lost for the most part in modern rpging.

The other thing that contributed to it being an amazing game was that it was the first. The first long term campagin I ran. The first time I was the GM. The first time I was in control and not sharing a universe with another GM or just being a player.

So where does that bring me to today?

I can never, ever have that back. Those days are gone and I accept that. It is a hard pill to swallow but I will nonetheless.

But that doesn't mean I can't try something that is a little bit old, a little bit new and a little bit crazy.

The first rule will of course be the need for random characters. No matter what. That spark of creativity is what really pushed the original campaign and allowed for the players to help create the feeling of the team as a group and not in individual vaccums, with little or no contact with each other.

Second, it isn't the Silver/Bronze Age anymore. Hell it isn't even the Iron Age anymore. We have moved beyond once again where the Modern Age is falling in onitself and the next age is looming, but no one knows what that will be.

I think Marvel came damn close though.

The Ultimate Universe was a breath of fresh air, it had the costumes and the wow factor of the Modern Age but the grittiness of the Bronze/Iron Ages and right up to the end of the Ultimates series 2 it was perfect.

So there it is.

The Ultimate Guardians.

What does that mean? It means my old universe through the Ultimate lens.

The Golden Age came and went, there was no Silver Age.

This leads me to believe that BASH does not do what I need it to do.

I need that randomness and that anything-can-happen factor.

As it stands right now, Villains & Vigilantes does address that. I may just have to reconsider.

Arrrggghhhh! Damn my creative brain!