Selpharia
2011-12-23, 01:41 AM
My group usually plays a mix of 3.5 D&D and Pathfinder, but we decided to try something new and run a campaign of 3e Mutants and Masterminds, set at PL 10. I'm GMing, and since I usually try to run epic, convoluted and somewhat serious campaigns, I went for something a little more light-hearted, namely Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego)
As with anything like this, we have a heaping helping of self-awareness (ACME decided to try using superheroes when middle school children just weren't cutting it)
We've removed the edutainment restriction so the henchmen and minions of VILE can use lethal firearms, though they are, by and large, as comically inept as their show counterparts.
Rockapella appear as Captains of Exposition, or with any relevant clues our intrepid gumshoes might need. Greg Lee hasn't appeated yet since we've only had one session, which was more of a test to see how everyone liked the system and get a feel for how it plays. Since I haven't heard of anyone running anything similar, I thought I'd put up a little campaign journal to record the progress of our superb superheroic super-sleuths. In addition, I'd like to ask for help from anyone who is a) familiar with M&M about builds, powers, and rulings b) familiar with the source material on favorite villains, capers, and powers c) familiar with geography for good targets and clues d) good with puns for additional ideas.
So far I definitely plan to use Carmine, RoboCrook, Medeva, Sir Vile, and of course, Carmen Sandiego
So since all these people (who read this far) want to know: "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?", let's meet the three superpowered gumshoes who might find her.
Note: Exact builds are likely laughably unoptimized, and may come later.
First: He controls electricity, has four arms, is blue, and from another planet: Gary, (actual name unpronounceable but worth a lot in scrabble) based on the Energy Controller Archetype
Second: He uses mind control, force fields and magic rays and has epic magical senses, but is primarily a dealer in magic and spells, in blessings and curses and ever-filled purses, prophecies, witches, and knells: John Wellington Wells; proprietor of the magic shop and #70 Simmery Axe, based on the Mystic Archetype
Third: He's shrouded in mystery, save for a love of knives and shady mannerisms that suggest a possibly criminal past: The Nameless Warrior, out to show these magicians and aliens just how far pure grit can go. He’s based on the Weapon Master archetype
Prologue: Opportunity Knox.
Our heroes accept their first mission from ACME Detective Agency, that ultra-competent branch of Interpol tasked with tracking down that nefarious ne’er do well, Carmen Sandiego. ACME decided to try something new this time and actually collected intelligence on where Carmen and her VILE henchmen are planning to strike next. Undercover agent Scott reports that the VILE’s new recruit Patty Larceny was planning to knock over Fort Knox. Mr. J. W. Wells at this point wondered why ACME needed superheroes like themselves if all they are facing is gold thieves. Thankfully, his teammates of a less Victorian mindset reminded him that stealing mere gold isn’t how Carmen operates; her target is the whole of Fort Knox.
Later, at the Hall of Justice Fort Knox, our heroes prove their bravery by gloriously striding onto the scene and immediately mustering their mettle to….hide 500 feet away and use Mr. Wells’s magical senses to scope out the situation. They find, unfortunately, that the guards have an absurdly predictable search pattern that could easily be exploited by unscrupulous underworld-dwelling purloiners pining for a plethora of precious metals. As the three gumshoes consulted on what to do next, their arguments were cut short by the arrival via teleport of a squadron of VILE thugs and robots, who quickly overrun the comically vulnerable fort.
Vowing to derail this dastardly deed, our heroes sprang into action, but too late, as Fort Knox began to rise, propelled by a massive rocket-powered platform beneath. Fortunately for our heroes, they were speedy enough to make it to the platform just before it was out of range. Gary, with his inhuman dexterity, leapt onto the platform and aided his nameless comrade in making the formidable leap. Mr. Wells simply smiled serenely and activates his mystic flight. Just as they congratulate themselves, however, a new threat appeared; VILE had hijacked the defense turrets around Fort Knox to attack the three gumshoes. With some adroit magic and supreme knife work, however, the turrets’ wiring was quickly destroyed, taking them offline.
Gary then proceeded to the door of the fort and attempted to use his alien technological skills to bypass its security systems, but to no avail. Forced to resort to more blunt methods, the three blasted open the doors to the fort, only to find a squadron of VILE thugs awaiting them. Gary had some difficulty with his powers, (we forgot the routine attack checks vs. minions rule, and he missed often as a result) but once again, his mysterious comrade made up for his lack of appellation with a steady stream of sharp annihilation while John W. W. tried unsuccessfully to dominate some of the thugs.
When a second wave of toughs arrived, the doughty Nameless Warrior was finally overcome by sheer numbers of small grazes and a lucky pistol shot, but was saved in the nick of time by healing from his magician comrade. As his ally fell, Mr. Wells saw a wallet that the Nameless Warrior carried on his person disappear, and deduced that the miscreant mall-rat Patty Larceny was about and invisible.
The sorcerer’s deduction was a moment too late though, as Patty let fly her signature technique, the Loose Change Cluster Flashbang, blinding and deafening our heroes in an extremely lucky shot. Fortunately, the three gumshoes gritted their teeth and weathered the ensuing hail of gunfire from Patty and her goons long enough to throw off the effects of her cowardly trick. When their eyes finally cleared, they found that Patty, overconfident and wisdom-impaired, had lost her invisibility in her eagerness to attack. Gary and Nameless quickly dispatched Patty’s remaining minions while Mr. Wells attempted to subdue Patty, but had little success.
Patty was cornered and outnumbered, but the dastardly ditz was not done yet. She still had one last card to play, her two VILE test robots given to her by the malicious Dr. Mel Function. The robots’ lasers bored into the heroes, but they responded with tremendous lightning and a miraculous knife shot that left the mechanical monstrosities nothing but two smoldering piles of slag.
Once again, Patty tried her signature trick, but found her opponent less vulnerable the second time. Seeing the tide of battle turning, Patty tried to flee, but was hindered by J.W.W.'s magical might, then found herself face-to-fist with one of Gary’s fearsome electro-punches, and nearly fainted from the impact. She managed to escape with her super-leaping abilities, but our heroes were victorious. Allowing the tech-savvy Gary to pilot Dr. Function’s rocket platform, they landed safely with in the Scottish countryside.(It was a fast-moving platform)
As the trio celebrated their victory and briefly considered looting the spoils before they remembered their better natures, they saw a small speck on the horizon, a bright red helicopter. It approached until they could almost make out the face of the crimson-clad passenger, and fired a single trident at the ground near their feet.
Examining the weapon, the heroes faced one of Carmen Sandiego’s most formidable powers. Her superhuman subterfuge cloaked the place where the trident originated, save as a strange geography riddle. Thankfully, our heroes had intellect to match their strength and deduced correctly that it had come from Greece. They contacted the ACME home office as they set about planning their next move….
Prologue End
Comments? Suggestions for future villains and adventures? Scathing criticism? All are tremendously appreciated. See you next crime.
As with anything like this, we have a heaping helping of self-awareness (ACME decided to try using superheroes when middle school children just weren't cutting it)
We've removed the edutainment restriction so the henchmen and minions of VILE can use lethal firearms, though they are, by and large, as comically inept as their show counterparts.
Rockapella appear as Captains of Exposition, or with any relevant clues our intrepid gumshoes might need. Greg Lee hasn't appeated yet since we've only had one session, which was more of a test to see how everyone liked the system and get a feel for how it plays. Since I haven't heard of anyone running anything similar, I thought I'd put up a little campaign journal to record the progress of our superb superheroic super-sleuths. In addition, I'd like to ask for help from anyone who is a) familiar with M&M about builds, powers, and rulings b) familiar with the source material on favorite villains, capers, and powers c) familiar with geography for good targets and clues d) good with puns for additional ideas.
So far I definitely plan to use Carmine, RoboCrook, Medeva, Sir Vile, and of course, Carmen Sandiego
So since all these people (who read this far) want to know: "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?", let's meet the three superpowered gumshoes who might find her.
Note: Exact builds are likely laughably unoptimized, and may come later.
First: He controls electricity, has four arms, is blue, and from another planet: Gary, (actual name unpronounceable but worth a lot in scrabble) based on the Energy Controller Archetype
Second: He uses mind control, force fields and magic rays and has epic magical senses, but is primarily a dealer in magic and spells, in blessings and curses and ever-filled purses, prophecies, witches, and knells: John Wellington Wells; proprietor of the magic shop and #70 Simmery Axe, based on the Mystic Archetype
Third: He's shrouded in mystery, save for a love of knives and shady mannerisms that suggest a possibly criminal past: The Nameless Warrior, out to show these magicians and aliens just how far pure grit can go. He’s based on the Weapon Master archetype
Prologue: Opportunity Knox.
Our heroes accept their first mission from ACME Detective Agency, that ultra-competent branch of Interpol tasked with tracking down that nefarious ne’er do well, Carmen Sandiego. ACME decided to try something new this time and actually collected intelligence on where Carmen and her VILE henchmen are planning to strike next. Undercover agent Scott reports that the VILE’s new recruit Patty Larceny was planning to knock over Fort Knox. Mr. J. W. Wells at this point wondered why ACME needed superheroes like themselves if all they are facing is gold thieves. Thankfully, his teammates of a less Victorian mindset reminded him that stealing mere gold isn’t how Carmen operates; her target is the whole of Fort Knox.
Later, at the Hall of Justice Fort Knox, our heroes prove their bravery by gloriously striding onto the scene and immediately mustering their mettle to….hide 500 feet away and use Mr. Wells’s magical senses to scope out the situation. They find, unfortunately, that the guards have an absurdly predictable search pattern that could easily be exploited by unscrupulous underworld-dwelling purloiners pining for a plethora of precious metals. As the three gumshoes consulted on what to do next, their arguments were cut short by the arrival via teleport of a squadron of VILE thugs and robots, who quickly overrun the comically vulnerable fort.
Vowing to derail this dastardly deed, our heroes sprang into action, but too late, as Fort Knox began to rise, propelled by a massive rocket-powered platform beneath. Fortunately for our heroes, they were speedy enough to make it to the platform just before it was out of range. Gary, with his inhuman dexterity, leapt onto the platform and aided his nameless comrade in making the formidable leap. Mr. Wells simply smiled serenely and activates his mystic flight. Just as they congratulate themselves, however, a new threat appeared; VILE had hijacked the defense turrets around Fort Knox to attack the three gumshoes. With some adroit magic and supreme knife work, however, the turrets’ wiring was quickly destroyed, taking them offline.
Gary then proceeded to the door of the fort and attempted to use his alien technological skills to bypass its security systems, but to no avail. Forced to resort to more blunt methods, the three blasted open the doors to the fort, only to find a squadron of VILE thugs awaiting them. Gary had some difficulty with his powers, (we forgot the routine attack checks vs. minions rule, and he missed often as a result) but once again, his mysterious comrade made up for his lack of appellation with a steady stream of sharp annihilation while John W. W. tried unsuccessfully to dominate some of the thugs.
When a second wave of toughs arrived, the doughty Nameless Warrior was finally overcome by sheer numbers of small grazes and a lucky pistol shot, but was saved in the nick of time by healing from his magician comrade. As his ally fell, Mr. Wells saw a wallet that the Nameless Warrior carried on his person disappear, and deduced that the miscreant mall-rat Patty Larceny was about and invisible.
The sorcerer’s deduction was a moment too late though, as Patty let fly her signature technique, the Loose Change Cluster Flashbang, blinding and deafening our heroes in an extremely lucky shot. Fortunately, the three gumshoes gritted their teeth and weathered the ensuing hail of gunfire from Patty and her goons long enough to throw off the effects of her cowardly trick. When their eyes finally cleared, they found that Patty, overconfident and wisdom-impaired, had lost her invisibility in her eagerness to attack. Gary and Nameless quickly dispatched Patty’s remaining minions while Mr. Wells attempted to subdue Patty, but had little success.
Patty was cornered and outnumbered, but the dastardly ditz was not done yet. She still had one last card to play, her two VILE test robots given to her by the malicious Dr. Mel Function. The robots’ lasers bored into the heroes, but they responded with tremendous lightning and a miraculous knife shot that left the mechanical monstrosities nothing but two smoldering piles of slag.
Once again, Patty tried her signature trick, but found her opponent less vulnerable the second time. Seeing the tide of battle turning, Patty tried to flee, but was hindered by J.W.W.'s magical might, then found herself face-to-fist with one of Gary’s fearsome electro-punches, and nearly fainted from the impact. She managed to escape with her super-leaping abilities, but our heroes were victorious. Allowing the tech-savvy Gary to pilot Dr. Function’s rocket platform, they landed safely with in the Scottish countryside.(It was a fast-moving platform)
As the trio celebrated their victory and briefly considered looting the spoils before they remembered their better natures, they saw a small speck on the horizon, a bright red helicopter. It approached until they could almost make out the face of the crimson-clad passenger, and fired a single trident at the ground near their feet.
Examining the weapon, the heroes faced one of Carmen Sandiego’s most formidable powers. Her superhuman subterfuge cloaked the place where the trident originated, save as a strange geography riddle. Thankfully, our heroes had intellect to match their strength and deduced correctly that it had come from Greece. They contacted the ACME home office as they set about planning their next move….
Prologue End
Comments? Suggestions for future villains and adventures? Scathing criticism? All are tremendously appreciated. See you next crime.