Capes tactics - Ubering characters

[Sydney Freedberg]

All Capes characters are mechanically equal, right? One ability at 5 [yes, you could have three 4s instead, but that's Unwise], some leeway about distributing Debt, and that's it, except for spending Inspirations and Story Tokens.

But there are ways and ways to supercharge your superhero (or villain). Some techniques I've seen in play or heard about  follow.  It's worth nothing that most of these (excepting #5) revolve around using Story Tokens to introduce subsidiary characters of one kind or another, which at 1 Story Token = 1 character = 1 action every single turn is the most efficient use of Story Tokens -- but often spending that one Story Token for just one measley additional action out of the normal turn order at the critical time is the most effective use.

I'm eager for everyone's ideas and comments.


1. Minions!
The classic. Introduce a bunch of sidekicks / minions, ideally with Debt (Undifferentiated  is fine).
Requirements: Minimal. Story Tokens and a few minutes with the Click & Locks
Advantages:
+ lots of abilities to play with that don't cost your primary character Debt
+ lots of Debt to throw into conflicts
+ disposable characters to soak up Debt if you lose
Disadvantages:
- no additional reactions (remember, one reaction per turn per player, not per character!)
- likelihood that in a later scene someone will play one of the minion characters you introduced and discarded, then have them turn all that Debt against their master
- loss of focus as you try to keep track of lots of different personalities (this is actually the big one)

2. Artifacts
Create a character that's not a person, but a powerful artifact with a will (and usually Debt) of its own -- e.g. Sauron's Ring of Power, Elric's sword Stormbringer, even a fiery nimbus of power
Requirements: Moderate, since you have to custom-design the artifact character, at least until someone publishes some artifact click-and-locks. Plus, duh, Story Tokens.
Advantages:
mostly as above, and
+ easier to keep narrative focus since the Artifact doesn't have much of a  personality to roleplay
Disadvantages:
mostly as above, and
- sometimes trickier to narrate for than actual people, because they don't usually do things without a wielder

3. Form of...
Introduce a "character" that represents a different aspect of the character you're enhancing. For example, the base character is a were-wolf (or were-dragon....), so when s/he transforms, the beast-form is introduced as a separate character with its own abilities -- and even its own Debt, if you can narratively justify that being in this separate form justifies a whole new set of anxieties and drives on top of the character's normal ones (not that hard, really).
Advantages:
mostly as above, and
+ narrative focus is really easy to maintain, since the second "character" is still the same person
Disadvantages:
mostly as above, and
- narrating some of your base character's abilities might be tricky, especially if they involve opposable thumbs ("Okay, rolling off 'Power Grip,' Omega-Man grabs Evilor in his steely hands and... oh... wait... he's a slime mold now...")
- when someone else introduces the were-form character and plays it against you, it'll really, really hurt

4. Intangibles
Introduce a situation character that represents your base character's situational advantages, like "Ambush!" or "My tactical genius"
Advantages:
+ extra Abilities that cost no debt
+ possibly a Free Event/Goal
+ easy to keep narrative focus, since it's not a person at all
Disadvantages:
- no extra Debt to stake, so you can easily get outbid on prime conflicts

5. Preventive Goals
Tony used these to terrifying effect in a recent game: "Goal: Target my character with any kind of attack" to prevent anyone hurting him, "Goal: Slow my character's progress towards his goal" to prevent anyone stopping him," and "Goal: Predict my character's behavior" to render it nigh-impossible to narrate use of a time-traveller's foreknowledge against him. You could also use these offensively, e.g. "Goal: Cease writhing in agony at the piercing whine of The Amazing Shrill" or "Goal: Avoid any blow"
Advantages:
+ zero preparation required
+ absolute barriers to certain things happening unless other players to invest actions, and probably Debt, to roll up, claim, and resolve them
Disadvantages:
- unlike a character, these can't change course once set down on the table, and clever opponents may figure a way around them
- primarily affect narration rather than mechanics (though they can make it very difficult to narrate use of certain abilities)

[TonyLB]

Cool!  These are good solid strategies.

I don't know if "Disadvantages" really conveys the way I think about the things that can go wrong (for the characters) but very right (for the players.  It's less sort of "disadvantages" than "opportunities for misery".  Misery is fun.

For instance, if you worry that a master with minions would be so powerful that nothing interesting would ever happen, check out:  [Capes] Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal

[Stickman]

Wow, great ideas!

For different "Forms.." I'm having trouble seeing how Crimson Death and his 'Vampire Dragon Form' can be in play at once. I've seen a really nice setup with a spotlight characters 'addiction to power' defined as an addition character and work as an exemplar, but that's an internal schism rather than a whole new physical character. If a second character was already designed though, it might be interesting for other players to introduce 'Event: The Crimson Death Transforms".

1.A Leader Emerges
After the story includes a group or horde, create a new character to represent an individual of that group. Eg after a horde of demons tear up Central Park, the heroes confront them. During the fracas one of the demons takes charge as Fleshrender the Dark and starts whuppin on the good guys.

Advantages:
+ Click and Locks are already done, but can be customised
+ Allows for neat situations where one of the bad guys turns to the heros side or vice versa
+ If the 'one off' has powers, then you get extra debt space
Disadvatages
- As above under minions, loss of focus and no extra reactions

Some extra click and locks would be very useful, especially for things that are a little further afield from the ones in the core book.

[Sydney Freedberg]

Some extra click and locks would be very useful, especially for things that are a little further afield from the ones in the core book.

Oh, there's so much room for more click-and-locks. Maybe Tony could create a "sticky" thread just for submissions?

[TonyLB]

For different "Forms.." I'm having trouble seeing how Crimson Death and his 'Vampire Dragon Form' can be in play at once. I've seen a really nice setup with a spotlight characters 'addiction to power' defined as an addition character and work as an exemplar, but that's an internal schism rather than a whole new physical character. If a second character was already designed though, it might be interesting for other players to introduce 'Event: The Crimson Death Transforms".

Wow... sorry I let this go this long.  I meant to respond to it much earlier.

Anyway, I see absolutely no problem with playing both characters, even though only one physical form is present.  Because having a character "in a scene" does not say anything about who is physically present.  Characters are bundles of traits.  Those traits can effect the world in any way, whatsoever.  Physical proximity has nothing to do with it.

For instance, we played a scene where Eric and Sydney's characters were the only ones physically present.  My character, Zak, was imprisoned in some fortress somewhere.  Nonetheless, I played him as a character in the scene with Eric and Sydney.  They were chatting about "Should we take the risk to rescue him", and like that... and I was tossing in my traits like "Kind" and "Trusting", and the narration was simply "You remember how much he trusted you, how he accepted your orders to go on this mission knowing that he could count on you."

So say both Crimson Death and his Vampire Dragon Form are in the same scene.  Forget, for a second, who is actually physically present.  Take a look at the traits:  Say CD has "Fearfully restrained" and the VDF has "Bloodthirsty rage."  Uh... yowza, right?  Do you roll both of those on the same side of a conflict?  How about one as a reaction to another?

"He bares his teeth in bloodthirsty rage... damn, that's a bad roll, reacting... but then just as suddenly he clamps it all down, fearfully restrained.  'Give me the stone,' he says through gritted teeth, his eyes hard and cold like diamonds."

And, again... is he physically Crimson Death or a Vampire Dragon?  Don't know.  For that instance it doesn't really matter.  And yes, there are situations in which it would get wonky ("How can I use his Grappling Gun if he's a dragon... but how can I use his fire-breath if he's not?"), but you've always got the last ditch option of saying "I just can't figure out any sensible way to narrate that ability... so I won't use it."