Boston Supers Game Thread

[ThaDium]

I’ve been running and playing in roleplaying games since 1996; mostly D&D and mostly as the story-teller/GM. I ran the same homebrewed game world for about a decade, in the form of three separate games. The most recent of which ended when I took a hiatus in November of last year due to the impending birth of my twin sons who showed up this past January.

Last Sunday, the hiatus ended. For the foreseeable future, I will be running a GURPS superhero game based in modern day Boston. This is a considerable divergence from the D&D games I’ve spent most of my time running- new system, new genre, new setting. Due to the twins, my job as a teacher and a very engaging karate hobby, I’ll also be limited by time. We’ll only be running once a month, as opposed to the roughly weekly sessions I’m used to. It’s a challenge I’m pretty jazzed about.

Before the game started, I found myself facing a few questions that needed answering:

In Terms of Running the Game:
How would I establish the world of the game so it felt compelling and real and carried the vibe of the superhero genre?
How would I address the limited time issue?
What options are presented to me in a modern game based in the real world that I didn’t have in my medieval fantasy based D&D games?


In Terms of Story:
How did the superheroes come about?
How is the world changed due to the presence of superheroes?
What does society think of the superheroes?
What will the government’s view of superheroes be?
How will I make use of Boston as the setting?
What themes do I want to address?


I’ll address them briefly now, and discuss them in more depth in later posts.

How would I establish the world of the game so it felt compelling and real and carried the vibe of the superhero genre?

I decided the best way to do this was to create an imaginary comic publisher, Excelsior Comics, and develop a publishing list for my players to read. I leaned heavily on Marvel and DC for both inspiration and archetypes. Being able to say “Nightwind is this world’s Batman with a twist and Lady Quiver is sort of a female Green Arrow/Daredevil hybrid gave me the shorthand I need to make populating the game with background heroes much easier. I will address this “publishing list” in a later post in this thread.



How would I address the limited time issue?

The time issue is two fold. Firstly, games will be less frequent, once a month as opposed to 2-4 times a month. Secondly, they will be a little longer, 5-6 hours as opposed to 3-4. In response to the first, I realized I had to figure out a way to get my story information out in a faster, easier to remember manner. In response to the second, I realized I had to change my pacing. I would have to approach the game with new eyes.

The first choice I made in order to facilitate the story-telling on a limited time budget was to begin the story in the middle with the players having a considerable back story as a team. Setting up a solid backstory has given me elements to play with before the game even starts. As a result, I could hit the ground running with minimal in-game info dumping. Following with the Excelsior Comics theme mentioned above, I wrote out a three year comic series for the team, complete with annuals and first appearances in other books. Like the “publishing list,” I will address this “comic series” in a later post.

Another choice I made was to use technology to help tell my story. This has streamlined my story-telling considerably and given me tools to help my players remember the events from month to month more easily.

What options are presented to me in a modern game based in the real world that I didn’t have in my medieval fantasy based D&D games?

The most obvious option I have been presented with in running a modern game is the ability to use modern technology to tell my story. As I mentioned above, it has helped me address the time issue as well. I am incredibly proud of the ways I have planned to apply this to the game, and look forward to fully addressing what I’ve done later.

So, that leaves the story questions, each of which will also get its own post in this thread.

How did the superheroes come about?

I decided to go with the classic: WWII. Generally speaking, the arms race started in WWII wasn’t just nuclear, it was also biological. The development of supersoldiers led wizards and witches to step out of the shadows and display their talents for the world, observing correctly that if the modern world could handle super-strong, super-fast humans, they could likely also handle a bit of magic. The acceptance of the amazing that this lead to also allowed research into psychic powers to be far more productive in the game world than in ours.

How is the world changed due to the presence of superheroes?

I admit it, I’m not a big fan of massive world changing what ifs. As a result, I intend to keep the world pretty much the same. Super-powered people exist, but it hasn’t caused any massive changes... Yet.

What does society think of the superheroes?

Just what you’d expect. Some people love them, some hate them. I’m going to play with the idea of superheroes being worshipped and have some cults form around them, but I’ve also got a group called Humanity First that exists to rid the world of superbeings. It’s a mixed bag.

What will the government’s view of superheroes be?

Conflicted. They’re responsible for the super-powers that have come about in the game world, so they don’t feel right rounding up those who have them. At the same time, super battles wreak havoc with infrastructure and endanger the populace. What to do, what to do?

(As a side note, my solution to the collateral damage is another fun little element of the world that I’ll share now. Wizarding Guilds exist for the sole purpose of repairing damaged buildings. They come in, hop on their flying carpets and float up the buildings repairing any damage that may have been done. Most major cities have a contract with alteast one guild, and Boston is no different, much to the annoyance of the local labor unions. But that’s another tale altogether.)

How will I make use of Boston as the setting?

Boston has a rich history and fun geography that I fully intend to play with. As an example, the team’s origin involves them battling “The Menace of the Molasses Monster.” Seems the Big Dig woke up the spirits of those who died during The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 and they attacked the city as a burning hot mass of vengeance seeking molasses.

What themes do I want to address?

Power, for one. What defines power, and does it really come down to who can beat up who? Freedom for another. How can I not when it’s based in Boston? Possibly the role of government.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now. Let me know what you think, and if you’re interested in hearing more.

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by ThaDium

How would I establish the world of the game so it felt compelling and real and carried the vibe of the superhero genre?

I decided the best way to do this was to create an imaginary comic publisher, Excelsior Comics, and develop a publishing list for my players to read. I leaned heavily on Marvel and DC for both inspiration and archetypes. Being able to say “Nightwind is this world’s Batman with a twist and Lady Quiver is sort of a female Green Arrow/Daredevil hybrid gave me the shorthand I need to make populating the game with background heroes much easier. I will address this “publishing list” in a later post in this thread.

The first choice I made in order to facilitate the story-telling on a limited time budget was to begin the story in the middle with the players having a considerable back story as a team. Setting up a solid backstory has given me elements to play with before the game even starts. As a result, I could hit the ground running with minimal in-game info dumping. Following with the Excelsior Comics theme mentioned above, I wrote out a three year comic series for the team, complete with annuals and first appearances in other books. Like the “publishing list,” I will address this “comic series” in a later post.

This sounds like you would already need to know who the members of the team were going to be... did you pregenerate characters for your players, or get them to build them or at least present basic character concepts for you to incorporate into the three year series?

Originally Posted by ThaDium

So, that leaves the story questions, each of which will also get its own post in this thread.

How did the superheroes come about?

I decided to go with the classic: WWII. Generally speaking, the arms race started in WWII wasn’t just nuclear, it was also biological. The development of supersoldiers led wizards and witches to step out of the shadows and display their talents for the world, observing correctly that if the modern world could handle super-strong, super-fast humans, they could likely also handle a bit of magic. The acceptance of the amazing that this lead to also allowed research into psychic powers to be far more productive in the game world than in ours.

Interesting approach. Sounds like you have at minimum Biological/Super, Magical, and probably Psionic sources available for powers. All kinds of questions here... what would have led WWII-era scientists to believe that superhuman powers were even physiologically possible? Were there possibly some earlier natural (or perhaps supernatural) examples for them to be inspired by? Do the witches and wizards use spell magic from GURPS Magic, some variation from Thaumatology, or just abilities and powers with the Magical source modifier? If there are magic-users, are there magical creatures in existence as well? Is magic something anyone can learn, or only for those with a special genetic (or otherwise endowed) gift?

Originally Posted by ThaDium

How is the world changed due to the presence of superheroes?

I admit it, I’m not a big fan of massive world changing what ifs. As a result, I intend to keep the world pretty much the same. Super-powered people exist, but it hasn’t caused any massive changes... Yet.

What does society think of the superheroes?

Just what you’d expect. Some people love them, some hate them. I’m going to play with the idea of superheroes being worshipped and have some cults form around them, but I’ve also got a group called Humanity First that exists to rid the world of superbeings. It’s a mixed bag.

What will the government’s view of superheroes be?

Conflicted. They’re responsible for the super-powers that have come about in the game world, so they don’t feel right rounding up those who have them. At the same time, super battles wreak havoc with infrastructure and endanger the populace. What to do, what to do?

A lack of massive changes suggests a lack of world changers such as massively powerful supers that can beat whole armies, unstoppable assassins, and hyperintelligent inventors whose superscience gadgets can be mass-produced or replicated. Wondering what power level we're looking at here, both for the PCs and their archenemies, and for the world in general. The reference to infrastructure damage suggests that level is not too low.

As for the government's attitude, I guess that would largely depend on exactly how the possession of superpowers has spread beyond those specifically gifted with them by a government program. For those who actually start out as supersoldiers or superagents, there might be some discussion as to whether they actually have to ever let them retire. If some of the supers get their abilities from black market, bootleg, or reverse-engineered treatments, the government might very well want to police that in a rather draconian manner, similar to a combination of steroids, PCP, and firearms. On the other hand, if the powers turned out to be heritable, I can see where they'd have a harder time arguing that they had any claim on the original supersoldiers' offspring. Or maybe I'm missing another option, like the powers are actually contagious.

And all of that only goes for physical superhumans - totally different considerations might apply to magic-users and psychics, especially if their capabilities include mind reading and mind control; at the very least, the government would want to make sure they had plenty of both on their payroll, if only to counter any attempts to assassinate the President or destabilize the stock market.

Originally Posted by ThaDium

(As a side note, my solution to the collateral damage is another fun little element of the world that I’ll share now. Wizarding Guilds exist for the sole purpose of repairing damaged buildings. They come in, hop on their flying carpets and float up the buildings repairing any damage that may have been done. Most major cities have a contract with alteast one guild, and Boston is no different, much to the annoyance of the local labor unions. But that’s another tale altogether.)

This suggests both a fair degree of social acceptance of wizards, and a fairly high power level (floating and repairing whole buildings - including skyscrapers?) for some wizards, or at least some circles of wizards.

Do wizards have access to healing spells? That would be in even higher demand than construction and reconstruction...

Originally Posted by ThaDium

How will I make use of Boston as the setting?

Boston has a rich history and fun geography that I fully intend to play with. As an example, the team’s origin involves them battling “The Menace of the Molasses Monster.” Seems the Big Dig woke up the spirits of those who died during The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 and they attacked the city as a burning hot mass of vengeance seeking molasses.

Good stuff. Wonder if the Big Dig also disturbed the ghouls underneath the subways...

Originally Posted by ThaDium

What themes do I want to address?

Power, for one. What defines power, and does it really come down to who can beat up who? Freedom for another. How can I not when it’s based in Boston? Possibly the role of government.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now. Let me know what you think, and if you’re interested in hearing more.

Definitely all interesting stuff. I'd like to hear more, especially GURPS crunch about stuff like power levels, sources for abilities, mana levels, types of magic, Patrons and Enemies that might be available, whether unofficial crimefighters can get Legal Enforcement Powers, stuff like that.

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by ThaDium

I’ve been running and playing in roleplaying games since 1996; mostly D&D and mostly as the story-teller/GM. I ran the same homebrewed game world for about a decade, in the form of three separate games. The most recent of which ended when I took a hiatus in November of last year due to the impending birth of my twin sons who showed up this past January.

Last Sunday, the hiatus ended. For the foreseeable future, I will be running a GURPS superhero game based in modern day Boston. This is a considerable divergence from the D&D games I’ve spent most of my time running- new system, new genre, new setting. Due to the twins, my job as a teacher and a very engaging karate hobby, I’ll also be limited by time. We’ll only be running once a month, as opposed to the roughly weekly sessions I’m used to. It’s a challenge I’m pretty jazzed about.

Before the game started, I found myself facing a few questions that needed answering:

In Terms of Running the Game:
How would I establish the world of the game so it felt compelling and real and carried the vibe of the superhero genre?
How would I address the limited time issue?
What options are presented to me in a modern game based in the real world that I didn’t have in my medieval fantasy based D&D games?


In Terms of Story:
How did the superheroes come about?
How is the world changed due to the presence of superheroes?
What does society think of the superheroes?
What will the government’s view of superheroes be?
How will I make use of Boston as the setting?
What themes do I want to address?


I’ll address them briefly now, and discuss them in more depth in later posts.

How would I establish the world of the game so it felt compelling and real and carried the vibe of the superhero genre?

I decided the best way to do this was to create an imaginary comic publisher, Excelsior Comics, and develop a publishing list for my players to read. I leaned heavily on Marvel and DC for both inspiration and archetypes. Being able to say “Nightwind is this world’s Batman with a twist and Lady Quiver is sort of a female Green Arrow/Daredevil hybrid gave me the shorthand I need to make populating the game with background heroes much easier. I will address this “publishing list” in a later post in this thread.



How would I address the limited time issue?

The time issue is two fold. Firstly, games will be less frequent, once a month as opposed to 2-4 times a month. Secondly, they will be a little longer, 5-6 hours as opposed to 3-4. In response to the first, I realized I had to figure out a way to get my story information out in a faster, easier to remember manner. In response to the second, I realized I had to change my pacing. I would have to approach the game with new eyes.

The first choice I made in order to facilitate the story-telling on a limited time budget was to begin the story in the middle with the players having a considerable back story as a team. Setting up a solid backstory has given me elements to play with before the game even starts. As a result, I could hit the ground running with minimal in-game info dumping. Following with the Excelsior Comics theme mentioned above, I wrote out a three year comic series for the team, complete with annuals and first appearances in other books. Like the “publishing list,” I will address this “comic series” in a later post.

Another choice I made was to use technology to help tell my story. This has streamlined my story-telling considerably and given me tools to help my players remember the events from month to month more easily.

What options are presented to me in a modern game based in the real world that I didn’t have in my medieval fantasy based D&D games?

The most obvious option I have been presented with in running a modern game is the ability to use modern technology to tell my story. As I mentioned above, it has helped me address the time issue as well. I am incredibly proud of the ways I have planned to apply this to the game, and look forward to fully addressing what I’ve done later.

So, that leaves the story questions, each of which will also get its own post in this thread.

How did the superheroes come about?

I decided to go with the classic: WWII. Generally speaking, the arms race started in WWII wasn’t just nuclear, it was also biological. The development of supersoldiers led wizards and witches to step out of the shadows and display their talents for the world, observing correctly that if the modern world could handle super-strong, super-fast humans, they could likely also handle a bit of magic. The acceptance of the amazing that this lead to also allowed research into psychic powers to be far more productive in the game world than in ours.

How is the world changed due to the presence of superheroes?

I admit it, I’m not a big fan of massive world changing what ifs. As a result, I intend to keep the world pretty much the same. Super-powered people exist, but it hasn’t caused any massive changes... Yet.

What does society think of the superheroes?

Just what you’d expect. Some people love them, some hate them. I’m going to play with the idea of superheroes being worshipped and have some cults form around them, but I’ve also got a group called Humanity First that exists to rid the world of superbeings. It’s a mixed bag.

What will the government’s view of superheroes be?

Conflicted. They’re responsible for the super-powers that have come about in the game world, so they don’t feel right rounding up those who have them. At the same time, super battles wreak havoc with infrastructure and endanger the populace. What to do, what to do?

(As a side note, my solution to the collateral damage is another fun little element of the world that I’ll share now. Wizarding Guilds exist for the sole purpose of repairing damaged buildings. They come in, hop on their flying carpets and float up the buildings repairing any damage that may have been done. Most major cities have a contract with alteast one guild, and Boston is no different, much to the annoyance of the local labor unions. But that’s another tale altogether.)

How will I make use of Boston as the setting?

Boston has a rich history and fun geography that I fully intend to play with. As an example, the team’s origin involves them battling “The Menace of the Molasses Monster.” Seems the Big Dig woke up the spirits of those who died during The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 and they attacked the city as a burning hot mass of vengeance seeking molasses.

What themes do I want to address?

Power, for one. What defines power, and does it really come down to who can beat up who? Freedom for another. How can I not when it’s based in Boston? Possibly the role of government.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now. Let me know what you think, and if you’re interested in hearing more.

New to the genre and I assume your players are too. I'd set a damage and defense cap to ensure no one is either indestructible or unstopable. Specifically DR bypassing Cosmic attacks are restricted to major NPCs. That option is NOT available for Penetrating Strike either, if you permit Imbuments in your game.

Alsof ro a first foray into the genre, keep it well below end of the universe plotlines. If saving the universe week after week gets boring, where do you go from there? Saving the Multiverse? Think how badly things went for Wesley Crusher after they had him save the Enterprise D.

[ThaDium]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. Let me start with the GURPS Crunchy bits: 375 point characters, 100 points in negs. I told my PCs to think New Warriors street level heroes for their PCs and did have them make their characters or at least give me vague ideas well ahead of time.

I've got a teleporter who can climb walls like spider-man. He's a boxer and has a cool gun. He's called Spider Another is a Superman type who gets his powers from an Aztec Sun God. He's called Skyfire. (I'll go into the religion questions that opens up later.) The third is a blob-like shape shifter with high science skills named Dr. Amoeba. Finally, I've got a reformed villain called Rampart. He used to be able to kill with a touch by rapidly aging his victims and draining their life vampire style. The the team reversed his polarity, so now he can heal with a touch and is trying to walk on the side of angels.

I left pretty much all of the basic power sources open, but the PCs had to explain why. Spider is a super with some tech gadgets. Skyfire has divine powers. Dr. Amoeba is an alien with some tech gadgets and Rampart is a super, but I'm probably going to make him change it to psionic.

Power level of the world overall, is pretty high, somewhere between Marvel and DC level. The idea is that it started low during WWII, as people started figuring out how to develop super humans. (They got the idea, like we all did, from Superman.) In the past 10-15 years or so, that power level has begun to explode. That's why there's limited changes to the course of history. That, and it just doesn't thrill me to rewrite history just so I can run a game. (I know I'm committing a GURPS sin when I say that, but there it is.)

I think I answered at least some of vitruvian's stated and unstated thoughts there.

As for the government's attitude, I guess that would largely depend on exactly how the possession of superpowers has spread beyond those specifically gifted with them by a government program. For those who actually start out as supersoldiers or superagents, there might be some discussion as to whether they actually have to ever let them retire. If some of the supers get their abilities from black market, bootleg, or reverse-engineered treatments, the government might very well want to police that in a rather draconian manner, similar to a combination of steroids, PCP, and firearms. On the other hand, if the powers turned out to be heritable, I can see where they'd have a harder time arguing that they had any claim on the original supersoldiers' offspring. Or maybe I'm missing another option, like the powers are actually contagious.

I'm actually intentionally have the government play a bit of a hands off role. That way I leave myself open to run a a Civil War style plot if I choose to later on. It'll likely start with the deputizing of the various superteams on a local level and grow from there. The government has ways counter super activity, of course, they just haven't committed to legalizing or criminalizing them yet.

The idea being that the low level super soldiers of WWII came back as heroes and the government didn't feel it would be politically smart to lock them in bondage. As some began committing crimes, others thwarted them and the state was pleased that they could police themselves. Eventually Carter started to try to deal with them, but the Reagan was elected and that all changed. I'm really looking at it as a metaphor for free market capitalism vs. government control.

On a side note, yes, the powers have proven to be hereditary, which creates whole new problems for the government.

Well, I hope this helps a bit. I'll add more stuff later.

New to the genre and I assume your players are too. I'd set a damage and defense cap to ensure no one is either indestructible or unstopable. Specifically DR bypassing Cosmic attacks are restricted to major NPCs. That option is NOT available for Penetrating Strike either, if you permit Imbuments in your game.

Alsof ro a first foray into the genre, keep it well below end of the universe plotlines. If saving the universe week after week gets boring, where do you go from there? Saving the Multiverse? Think how badly things went for Wesley Crusher after they had him save the Enterprise D.

I should also say that although I'm new to running a supers game, I'm not new to the Superhero genre. I've been reading comics for over twenty years. In college, I minored in comics, interned at a comic publishing company and ran a conference on graphic novels. I know the genre as well anyone.

As to the world ending stuff, I'm not planning on going there anytime soon. Once they've saved the world, it' hard to raise the stakes on the PCs. We may build towards it, but I'm starting at street level, as I mentioned earlier.

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by ThaDium

Thanks for your thoughts guys. Let me start with the GURPS Crunchy bits: 375 point characters, 100 points in negs. I told my PCs to think New Warriors street level heroes for their PCs and did have them make their characters or at least give me vague ideas well ahead of time.

I've got a teleporter who can climb walls like spider-man. He's a boxer and has a cool gun. He's called Spider Another is a Superman type who gets his powers from an Aztec Sun God. He's called Skyfire. (I'll go into the religion questions that opens up later.) The third is a blob-like shape shifter with high science skills named Dr. Amoeba. Finally, I've got a reformed villain called Rampart. He used to be able to kill with a touch by rapidly aging his victims and draining their life vampire style. The the team reversed his polarity, so now he can heal with a touch and is trying to walk on the side of angels.

I left pretty much all of the basic power sources open, but the PCs had to explain why. Spider is a super with some tech gadgets. Skyfire has divine powers. Dr. Amoeba is an alien with some tech gadgets and Rampart is a super, but I'm probably going to make him change it to psionic.

On a side note, yes, the powers have proven to be hereditary, which creates whole new problems for the government.
.

Real curious about some of the specifics of the characters, if you feel free to share them. Highest dice in an attack (either IA or ST-based)? Highest level of DR or Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction)? Best Move? Is this team meant to handle street-level threats mainly, or somewhat higher-end villains?

For Skyfire in particular, I'd be interested in how you managed a 'Superman type' on less than 500 points total budget. If he went for Super-Effort ST at the lowest cost-effective level, that's +10/+100 for 400 pts, -10% for Divine, for 360 out of 475 points. You might be able to fit in some DR, Flight at a reasonable speed, and maybe a small Burning Attack in on the remaining points, but at the cost of having practically no raised Attributes or skills to speak of. Maybe you (or the player) went for a lower ST level bought more normally to save cost on that aspect, but to me that makes the concept distinctly less Superman-like.

As for the powers being hereditary - that makes sense, otherwise the government would control the supply of new supers (at least those that arent' magic, psychic, or alien instead), wouldn't they? Or are there black market enhancement drugs or treatments available as well?

[tbrock1031]

One thing to consider: If you don't want the Federal government trying to "regulate" superheroes - see the disastrous Civil War storyline over in Marvel for an example - but want some sort of accountability, you might try having the states with the largest population centers (New York, New Jersey, Mass, Illinois, California, etc) requiring that active costumed crimefighters and adventurers obtain a "superhuman private investigator" license to legally operate in that state. This should be more of a business license than anything else.

I've used the state-issued "superhero licenses" to good effect in a superhero game recently, and the fact that the states were the ones requiring them than the Feds went over nicely with one of the more politically-conscious players I had.

[Witchking]

So the Game's Setting is Boston...

...How are the Sox doing in your Universe?

[ThaDium]

Originally posted by tbrock1031
One thing to consider: If you don't want the Federal government trying to "regulate" superheroes - see the disastrous Civil War storyline over in Marvel for an example - but want some sort of accountability, you might try having the states with the largest population centers (New York, New Jersey, Mass, Illinois, California, etc) requiring that active costumed crimefighters and adventurers obtain a "superhuman private investigator" license to legally operate in that state. This should be more of a business license than anything else.

This is an awesome idea, tbrock1031! I'll be stealing it. Thanks.

Connected to that, one of the things I've done and plan to continue, is writing up a quick one page "newspaper." I find I can fit one big article, two short ones and a couple pictures if I format the page correctly. (All of the articles can continued on page X to give the illusion of more newspaper, but I get the main points out on the part that's actually there.) I think an article about California passing a bill requiring the license would make for an awesome moment for the players. How would they feel about/repond to that threat looming in the background. Thanks again.

I'll write more about the newspaper articles later on, I have to go make dinner.

Originally posted by Witchking
So the Game's Setting is Boston...
...How are the Sox doing in your Universe?

Same as they are in real life. So... eh. :(

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by ThaDium

I'll write more about the newspaper articles later on, I have to go make dinner.


Same as they are in real life. So... eh. :(

Hmm still remember the first Champions Game I was ever in. Large Brawl at Quincy Market...Enemy Brick punched a NPC Hero...last I saw he went flying over the North Market building heading vaguely towards Cambridge!!

That was 22 years ago and I have not seen that hero since....

[ThaDium]

On Technology

I thought I'd go into how I'm using technology in the game, since I can't provide specific character info until all of my players get me their character sheets. (Two of them will be giving them to me next game, which isn't for another three weeks.)

The newspapers I mentioned earlier are one way I'm using technology to tell the story of my game. My Mac had templates for newsletters, so I've been using them as one page mock newspapers. The first game I handed out a newspaper and, since we ran on a Sunday, a one page mock Sunday Magazine insert. Both had the same basic set up: an article to cement it in the real world, an article to cement it in my fictitious world*, and an article to further plot.

*Actually, the Sunday insert had an ad for a costume shop catering to super heroes instead of an article to cement it in the fictitious world, but you get the point.

Another way that I've taken technology into the game is cell phones. Two of my players have iPhones, and they all have cell phones. This allowed me to pull a pretty neat trick on them in the first game and I will continue to take advantage of them as time goes on.

The team has an NPC member named Techie. She's a 21 year old girl whose consciousness has been downloaded into the computer system at the team's base. During the first game, once they were heading out to thwart a bank robbery, I excused myself to "go to the bathroom." While gone from the room, I sent them all a text message from Techie giving them info about the robbery that was taking place. Even when I was away, the game continued. My players were pretty jazzed about it.

Later on, she sent another message. This time about the villains they were fighting. But it came during combat, forcing a player to skip use his turn to check the message rather than fight the bad guy, then communicate it to the team. I'll be doing that again. I think it's a neat way to interrupt combat and potentially give the bad guys an unexpected advantage for one round.

Another cell phone trick I'll be using is letting the PCs with iPhones go to the game's wiki to look up info on local villains while in the field. (PArt of the still in progress wiki is sectioned off for in game use.) I'll also be expecting them use the iPhones to look up a very informative website during our October Game.

Originally posted by Witchking
Hmm still remember the first Champions Game I was ever in. Large Brawl at Quincy Market...Enemy Brick punched a NPC Hero...last I saw he went flying over the North Market building heading vaguely towards Cambridge!!

This quote actually leads me into my last use of technology rather well. I want my player to be able to picture the setting, as wall GMs do. Well, I've been using Google Earth to do just that. Not only can I give them satellite views of the bank being robbed, but I can often get them right down to street level so they can see the doors and windows of the bank. I can even play with the other elements of the photos, like the giant squid battle at the Boston Aquarium during the second half of the first game. The boat anchored nearby were in the game too, and the squid they PCs into them and wrecked them.

Thanks for reading guys, and for all the ideas you've shared so far. I'm a teacher, and school's starting, so I may be a bit slow to post, but I'll get back here as often as I can.