Heroes Unlimited: Golden Age

[gaby]

Well I say all the Tech based powers.

[Al Blotto]

A recent news article about a copy of Action Comics #1 selling at auction got me to thinking about setting a HU campaign in 1938 (the year Action Comics #1 hit the stands).

Has anyone ever done this? What were your experiences if you did? Any powers that wouldn't fit?

Since I'm thinking of taking the campaign in to WWII, does anyone have any experience with taking a HU campaign into war?

I didn't take part in this game but there was a very successful HU2 game on Explorersunlimited.com set in WWII. As far as powers that wouldn't fit? I think most everything could fit. I think things might not be able to be understood as well and might not have as wide reaching applications, but the powers themselves could still be there. Tech-based powers could just take on a less modern look and maybe be toned down. Techno-Form could turn you into a Jeep and your humanoid form could have a B&W TV for a head. Plenty of ways to make it work out.

[gaby]

The villains of your WW2,s Heroes,will not only be the Axis but the Mob.

[wolfsgrin]

Reading all star squadron stuff really helps with power levels, imo. Keep things simple and if you want higher power levels, let the players grow into it. I wouldn't start off when more than 2 to maybe 3 minors or 1 major and maybe a minor to go with it. Tech should be clunky with lots extra hoses, wires, housings, etc.... the non powered classes are perfect for this setting. I personally love this setting but have never really got a full campaign out of one. Mostly due to lack of players and long break from gaming. I may have to go at it again with my new group.
As far as the bomb, let the normals have thier toys and see what kind of reaction the supes have as the watch the horrific scene of two cities being wiped out. Not only did this put china and russia in check as the watched it happen, but the supes would also know that normal humans arent without resources to protect thier own intrests.

[RockJock]

WW2, or interwar games are great fun. The tech angle works well because you can use "super tech" straight out of the pages of a 1960s-1990s catalog. Take modern body armor, high capacity handguns, anti-material rifles, night vision as well as an iPhones and drop them into 1930s Europe. You get a huge amount of background info without having to reinvent the wheel. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen can give a good view of that as well.

[glitterboy2098]

rifter #5 had an article on HU through the ages. it provided suggestions about adapting the HU rules to the various eras of "comicbooks", from the Pulps of the 20's, to the golden and silver ages, and into the modern and "future" ages. basically it ties each time period in history to the comic book styles of the times.

it doesn't talk about the impact of hero's on history itself, but it's a good place to start in adapting a game.

[gaby]

this is in the 40s so do not fear about using villains you plan crimes around Themes or Obsessions.

I think the Golden Age,s villains need to match with the Right Heroes.

Dc comics have a villain call Ragdoll,he was a Tripie joinied Contortionist turn Thief ,vs the golden age Flash he was very weak,I think he would been a better Opponent for a Not-powered hero.

Maybe it will be better to show examples of the H.U,s Power Catagories in the golden age and what villains would be a good match.

What do you think?

[RockJock]

Gaby, through out a HU class, with powers if possible and we can work out a Golden Age villain or two to throw at them.

[gaby]

Super Soldier

With the Super soldier abilities

Physical transformation

mind and body are more attuned

attempted to increase physical agility and dexterity

Minor power:healing factor

[RockJock]

The first thing that comes to mind is a Mystic Study, or Psychic. Your Super Soldier is a good rough and tumble character, but how well will he do against Carpet of Adhesion, or Bio-Manipulation? These work well in picking on the Soldier's weaknesses.

For a more physical rival many classes would work. A pair of PT characters could still double team the Soldier.

Another option is something like Iron Lotus from Century Station. A Mega Ancient Master is hard to beat.

How is that for a start?

[Ice Dragon]

I tried to give the Super categories to the different countries (research, development, etc.)

Super soldiers would be used by the USA and Germany.

Magic users: GB and Germany (more the dark side and the occult, remember that soem formations were esp fond of the occult and names like operation Werwolf - ok in reality it was guerilla warfare and small commando units,...).

Ancient Masters: Imperial Japan and China

Psi: Russia and the USA

Hardware: USA and Germany (rember the Me-262 and V-series weapons)

Mutants/Aliens: USA and GB

Physical Training: Imperial Japan and Germany

[Ice Dragon]

ice dragon nice match, for a mega villian you could use chiang six for china or japan as secret villian controlling the emporor.
you could start a young genius claude pedrovski aka the fabricator who works for the russians and literally brings mother country into the 20 century.
use britiania fron centruy station for britian.
say a physical savate master who runs a french foreign legion like group.
spain could have mysterious like ancient conquistadurs. who are fighting the axis.
italy could have demi gods named after the true gods, these were lotsa fun in campaign i ran besides chiang six they were the tuffest group.
and for america tech form the old ww2 mustangs planes an old radio
that allows sonic generation with old phantom program. imagine hearing
"BANG, BOOM" at 160 decibals or american jitter bug at maximum volume. or a brunete little girl in cute sun dress with awe and divine arua. and say a teenage boy with criminal intuition and a very large 10 foot german shepard that talks and has superhuman speed and strength.
just my two cents.

Thx

[gaby]

the Majorty of Super-powered characters will be Minor heroes,villains.

Having 5 or 6 minors will be rare.

ther will be no Major powers.

[RockJock]

I would let majors, but I might limit it to things like Animal Abilities which are on the lower end of the major scale. I would have no problem with say Immortality, but it might be the only power.

[RockJock]

Look at the FF for other companions. Wade Wingfoot, Alicia Masters and such.

[gaby]

Not all Villains need to tie into the Axis,I think it,s good for heroes to face the villains,s wokring for Crime gangs or Secret Socities from,time to time.

I would like to see examples of golden age Heroes and Villains people come up with.

[Rallan]

Reading all star squadron stuff really helps with power levels, imo. Keep things simple and if you want higher power levels, let the players grow into it. I wouldn't start off when more than 2 to maybe 3 minors or 1 major and maybe a minor to go with it. Tech should be clunky with lots extra hoses, wires, housings, etc.... the non powered classes are perfect for this setting. I personally love this setting but have never really got a full campaign out of one. Mostly due to lack of players and long break from gaming. I may have to go at it again with my new group.
As far as the bomb, let the normals have thier toys and see what kind of reaction the supes have as the watch the horrific scene of two cities being wiped out. Not only did this put china and russia in check as the watched it happen, but the supes would also know that normal humans arent without resources to protect thier own intrests.

Actually, big powers were one of the hallmarks of the "golden age" of comics. One of the golden age's defining features was the rise of caped crusaders with inhumanly awesome powers like Superman, Captain America, Captain Marvel (both versions) and so on.

The other big thing about the golden age (and one that nobody seems to have mentioned yet) is that this was a time when comics were still able to push the boundaries. Batman packed a gun, villains ended up dead as often as they ended up in jail, and being a bank security guard was as likely to get you shot as held hostage. War, horror, and true crime comics graphically portrayed all sorts of brutality and carnage, quite often with amoral protagonists who were portrayed as heroes purely because their motive was revenge or indignation rather than greed, and who generally inflicted the sort of gruesome fates on the antagonists that you'd expect from an oldschool Grimm fairy tale. And fairly large comic empires like EC Comics were built on gore, shock, and (hidden amongst it all) radical social commentary. Hell, the end of the Golden Age of Comics is largely defined by the moral backlash which forced comics to rigidly self-censor.

[PapaMambo]

I think one of the greatest soucres of inspiration besides Supes and Batman for me anyways would be something like the Watchmen.. If you haven't read the comic - do so. The movie wasn't half-bad either.

In watching the Watchmen, just look - there was only one TRULY super powered character in the book/movie - Doctor Manhattan.

The other characters are pretty much all Special Training - Comedian (Special Operative/Hunter/Weapons Expert), Silk Spectre (purely Physical Training), Rorschach (Physical Training although Rorschah could be a super-sleuth), or Hardware / Super Sleuth (Night Owl), and lastly Ozymandius could be Hardware Analytical or Natural Genius from PU2

All of the characters worked well together, and moved across the timelines from Golden - Silver - Bronze Age. Each character aged, and all of them retired from their derring do ways..

Another source to look at might even be the Hellboy series.. It starts during WWII, and progresses to modern age, but there is plenty of supernatural demon stuff there, not to mention mutants etc.. Seems like the perfect fit if you blended either of these 2 worlds together with your own.


Personally, I like some of the ideas from Watchmen best - Supers (at the time of WWI and WWII) were extremely rare. With the advent of the bomb, this would change though as mutants and experimentation would become much more prevalent between cold war enemies.

[gaby]

I see the following Power Categories as pre - War2:Experiments,Hardwares,Mystic Study,Enchanted odject,Enchanted weapon,Mystically bestowed,Physical training,Psionics,the 4 Special trainings.

Post-War2:Alien,Bionics,Mega-hero,Robotics,Mutants.

I do not known what Power Categories from Power Unlimited2,will be O.k for World war2.

[Mercdog]

Not all Villains need to tie into the Axis,I think it,s good for heroes to face the villains,s wokring for Crime gangs or Secret Socities from,time to time.

This could create some interesting situations as well. One example is found in the Rocketeer film. Once the mob boss finds out exactly where the main villain's loyalties lie, he switches sides because "I may be a crook, but I'm 100% American."

[gaby]

A good Villains needs to challenge the hero and mache with the right hero.
Fights where it is Guaranteed the the heroes win at the end is boring.

some of my games end with a Pyrrhic victory,where the heroes save a the majorty of people but thers always a price.

[Severus Snape]

People have asked in this thread what power categories should be allowed, and which ones should not, for a campaign set in/around WWII. I think that all of the power categories should be allowed. And here's the list as to why:

Aliens: It is commonly believed that aliens are not only here on Earth now, but have been for some time. Heck, a LOT of people believe that the pyramids, stonehenge, and a great portion of the mayan civilization were helped along by an alien race. So who is to say that aliens weren't around during WWII?

Bionics: Tricky, but doable. Bionics is simply the addition of mechanical devices to a human being to either enhance or replace natural abilities. The technology back then may have been rudimentary compared to what is in the HU books, but that didn't stop Germany from experimenting. Nor would it stop someone with enough money and motivation from having themselves...altered.

Empowered: Simple enough. Someone gets their power from an inner strength. This is a no-brainer.

Eugenics: Again, this one is tricky. Genetic engineering wasn't really a strong point for anyone back then, but it didn't stop Germany from experimenting (see a pattern here?). Nor would it stop someone with the right amount of money from seeking out a doctor willing to try.

Experiment: Anybody can be experimented on. Where do you think Super Soldiers originally came from? Experiments that either went really right or really wrong.

Gestalt: If you were mother nature, and for the second time in a few decades some silly species who called your body home decided to wage another war against each other, tearing pieces of you apart and dropping bombs and killing parts of you, wouldn't you fight back? Cuz that's what a gestalt would do. Mother nature is sick of the crap, and she's not gonna take it anymore.

Hardware: Really easy. Especially the Weapons Expert and Analytical Genius. Old West gunfighters are technically weapons experts, and guys who reverse-engineer alien technology are geniuses. You just have to be careful with the level of technology and what a character can or cannot do, and you'll be fine.

Imbued: Simply put, an experiment in small doses. Chemistry is a great thing, and even a basic student could accidentally come across some forumla that makes them more than they appear to be.

Immortal: Vampires and dragons exist in legends throughout America, Europe, and Asia. Gods have been worshipped for FOREVER. Demons and the occult are a specialty of the germans.

Magic: Again, the occult is a specialty of the Germans. And a hobby of many people here in the US. All it takes is for someone to get their hands on a book on witchcraft, and they think they can cast spells.

Mutant: So, when, exactly, did the human genome start dividing itself into 2 separately defined species (homo sapiens and homo superior)? According to Marvel comics, Magneto was in a jewish interrment camp, held by the Nazis, when his abilities manifested themselves. So why not others?

Natural Genius: Oppenheimer is considered to be one of the world's greatest geniuses that has ever lived. He is the father of the atomic bomb, and it was used twice.

Physical Training: A lot of the early comic book heroes are physical training by nature. No super powers; just raw physical talent that has been honed for vigilantismhelping out.

Psionics: Nobody knows when psionics came about. When did the first person ever use their mind to make something happen or make something move? The world may never know.

Robotics: This is the same as bionics and hardware. You just have to be careful with the technology. Hydraulics may not be perfected, and there may be large amounts of wires sticking out. Heck, the AI may even be alien in nature (or reverse-engineered from alien technology). But played right, robots could be fun.

Special Training: Super Sleuth, Stage Magician, etc. All of these "minor" heroes are no-brainers and should be allowed.

Super Invention: See robotics or bionics.

Super Soldier: This is the premise of Germany performing experiments. Germany was trying to create a breed of super soldiers, designed solely for taking over the world. And our favorite shield-throwing red/white/blue comic hero is also one.

Symbiotic: You'd probably have to base the symbiote on an alien intelligence, but this is definitely do-able.

Weapons Training: See hardware (weapons expert).

As far as powers that shouldn't be allowed, I can't think of any. All of the technology-based powers can be modified/toned down to work and/or function like the technology of the era. We aren't talking about going back to the middle ages or ancient Rome - we're talking about a period in history less than 100 years ago. Yes, the technology is basic back then. But there is still technology, and the powers should be allowed.

[gaby]

I got a idea why not give Example charaters of each Power category

Talent P.I
Real name:Max Talent
occuption:private eye
Pc:special training:super-sleuth

[Severus Snape]

Ok, now this thread will need to be locked as you have gone into conversion territory...

[gaby]

NO,No,No Conversion!

Make original characters that are example of the Power cateories in the Golden age.

[gaby]

Any ideas for the Names of Allies and Axis,s super-teams?

[gaby]

Heroes:Victory League

Non-Axis villains:Crime society

Come-up with Heroes and villains team names for the Golden age.

[Blackbunny2]

though it had been mentioned before, but according to marvel mutants should be fine. their first mutant was a megahero and he was pharao. En sabah nuhr - apocalypse.

[Snowtiger]

Hmm... I just rewatched X-Men Origins: Wolverine the other night and despite some bad bits in the end it offered an interesting insight to mutant characters with Healing Factor. The movie starts with an interesting montage of the two main characters James Howlett(aka Logan, aka Wolverine) and Victor Creed(aka Sabertooth) fighting together in most wars the Americans took part in, starting with the Independence War, going through WWI, WWII, Korea(possibly), and Vietnam.

The way this is portrayed offers an interesting speculation about the origins of mutant characters with HF and how far back they could possibly go with their personal history, considering benefits of not aging as fast as mundane people due to their Healing Factor. Granted, the HU version of Healing Factor is decidedly less powerful than the one portrayed in the movie(Logan and Victor seem pretty much unkillable in the movie, and able to regenerate any wounds and injuries within a few seconds, only gunshot wounds to the head seem to take more than that to heal). In a way, the HF in the movie seems more like the power Divine Healing from PU1, sans the sharing abilites(I'm not sure on limb regen, although Logan's claws seem to have grown back after Victor smashes them after the bar fight scene, so it's possible), because it not only grants them healing abilities, but also enhanced longevity.

Anyhow the point is, a mutant with human looks and some form of HF could easily have been born a hundred or so years before golden age and still enlist in the great wars, and nobody would be the wiser of his true age. Nobody would be likely to believe him if he starts recounting his war stories from the independence war, because he looks too young to have taken part in the war.

[PapaMambo]

Hmm... I just rewatched X-Men Origins: Wolverine the other night and despite some bad bits in the end it offered an interesting insight to mutant characters with Healing Factor. The movie starts with an interesting montage of the two main characters James Howlett(aka Logan, aka Wolverine) and Victor Creed(aka Sabertooth) fighting together in most wars the Americans took part in, starting with the Independence War, going through WWI, WWII, Korea(possibly), and Vietnam.

The way this is portrayed offers an interesting speculation about the origins of mutant characters with HF and how far back they could possibly go with their personal history, considering benefits of not aging as fast as mundane people due to their Healing Factor. Granted, the HU version of Healing Factor is decidedly less powerful than the one portrayed in the movie(Logan and Victor seem pretty much unkillable in the movie, and able to regenerate any wounds and injuries within a few seconds, only gunshot wounds to the head seem to take more than that to heal). In a way, the HF in the movie seems more like the power Divine Healing from PU1, sans the sharing abilites(I'm not sure on limb regen, although Logan's claws seem to have grown back after Victor smashes them after the bar fight scene, so it's possible), because it not only grants them healing abilities, but also enhanced longevity.

Anyhow the point is, a mutant with human looks and some form of HF could easily have been born a hundred or so years before golden age and still enlist in the great wars, and nobody would be the wiser of his true age. Nobody would be likely to believe him if he starts recounting his war stories from the independence war, because he looks too young to have taken part in the war.

One of the more interesting moments in the movie is actually when Logan is admiring the motorcycle in the barn and mentions to the farmer that he had one just like it - one of the first to roll off the line. The farmer looks him up and down and says "I doubt that son..." Classic..

Yeah, there are all sorts of ways to include mutants with longevity into a campaign that spans generations. In the case noted above, Logan and Victor definitely aren't the only two long lived mutants in the Marvel Universe. Even looking at the DC universe, we see that Supes has been around for a very long time (thousands of years old by the time he arrives on Earth, only to resume natural aging - albeit at a much slower rate than most).. Martian Manhunter is old as well, and though his and Supes cases are not a matter of mutant genetics, it's an interesting case to make for heroes through the ages..