Need conflicts for the 15-minute demo

[TonyLB]

I'm revamping the 15-minute demonstration in time for GenCon.  Lots of the changes are little craft-pieces that make it easier to transport and deploy:  for instance, swapping debt tokens out for a card that has a diagram of splitting the dice, and says "Spend this card on a side to replace one die with two dice, as follows," and like that.

But, at the same time, I have to recognize that the current demo could be better in its fundamentals than it is right now.  Major Victory and Iron Brain are pure gold, so they're not going anywhere.  The concept of a female villain to deflate MV's very male ramblings ... keen.  But Shinobi isn't that villain, etc.

So here are the new characters:

• Major Victory:  "Because America stands for justice, and justice will always lead ... to Victory!"
• Iron Brain:  "A suave and debonair villain who had one too many brushes with 'Nobody could have survived that!'  Now as a brain in a weapon-laden cybernetic jar he's out to prove that he's just as tough, just as smart, just as sexy as he ever was."
• Desperately in need of a cool name:  "This mistress of magnetism is through living her life for others.  Since her know-nothing husband left her for a younger woman, her days of hiding behind a facade of normalcy are so over.  Now she's got a new partner and a new goal:  money and power!"
• Quantum Lass:  "Torn apart by her parents messy divorce, and possessing the unbounded power of the Quantum Field itself, this young heroine has joined on as Major Victory's side-kick, but it's proving to be ... a bit different than she expected."

And for each of them I need three really good conflicts.  The player's first choice in the demo will be which of these three conflicts gets dumped onto the table, so I want them to really sing.  There are a few classics that aren't going anywhere:

• Humiliate Major Victory (Desperately in need of a cool name)
• Convert a villain to the cause of righteousness (Major Victory)
• Prove that Justice will always lead ... to Victory (Major Victory)
• Brutally murder an innocent bystander (Iron Brain)

Other than that, I am wide open.  I know that this group of folks have got to have some ideas for how to tweak these characters, and how to establish conflicts between them.  Should Major Victory be a former love interest of "Desperately in need of a cool name"?  Or a former partner?  Or both?  Do the villains need more reason to pursue villainy?  The heroes more built-in reason to pursue heroics?

[Hans]

Off the top of my head, no guarantee as to originality, cleverness, or coolness:

[li]Desperately in need of a cool name:  "This mistress of magnetism is through living her life for others.  Since her know-nothing husband left her for a younger woman, her days of hiding behind a facade of normalcy are so over.  Now she's got a new partner and a new goal:  money and power!"[/li]

* Magneta
* The Attractor
* Magnetic (better Ms. Magnetic)
* Aura
* Attraction
* Dynamo (or Ms. Dynamo)
* Monopole (or Ms. Monopole)

• Humiliate Major Victory (Desperately in need of a cool name)

* Crush Major Victory's ego
* Prove Major Victory wrong to have left her (if MV was her love interest) or could be * Make MV regret leaving her

Other ideas:

Goal: Make Iron Brain regret his loss of humanity (Quantum Lass?)
Goal: Prove to MV you are competent (Quantum Lass)
Goal: Show MV Quantum Lass is incompetent (Desparately..)
Goal: Achieve some crime (Iron Brain) - It seems like this should be in there somewhere, but what the crime is I have no idea

[Eric Sedlacek]

[li]Desperately in need of a cool name:  "This mistress of magnetism is through living her life for others.  Since her know-nothing husband left her for a younger woman, her days of hiding behind a facade of normalcy are so over.  Now she's got a new partner and a new goal:  money and power!"[/li]

All that comes to mind is Madam Tesla.

[TonyLB]

All that comes to mind is Madam Tesla.

Oooh.  It's got the sexy "Madam" moniker and the mad-science "Tesla" connection.  Unless I see something better, we have a winner!

[Threlicus]

One thing you may want to try to get in the conflicts is at least a few conflicts amongst the characters on the same 'side', just to show how you can have both kinds of conflicts running around, sometimes in the same scene. No concrete suggestions right now though.

[drnuncheon]

[li]Desperately in need of a cool name:  "This mistress of magnetism is through living her life for others.  Since her know-nothing husband left her for a younger woman, her days of hiding behind a facade of normalcy are so over.  Now she's got a new partner and a new goal:  money and power!"[/li]

Gauss, or if you're feeling all Legion of Super Hero-y, Gauss Girl.

[li]Quantum Lass:  "Torn apart by her parents messy divorce, and possessing the unbounded power of the Quantum Field itself, this young heroine has joined on as Major Victory's side-kick, but it's proving to be ... a bit different than she expected."[/li][/list]

So you need some kind of conflict centered around discovering/revealing that DiNoaCN is her mother, right?

What's the setup of the demo? Iron Brain and DiNoaCN have teamed up to rob someplace, while MV and QL intervene?  DiNoaCN strikes me as the kind to not be particularly attached to her partner, so taking a hint from Steve Miller:

GOAL: O-oh, take the money and run! (DiNoaCN)

I can see that one getting into a 3+ way battle for narration rules as the Brain won't want her getting away either.

J

[TonyLB]

So you need some kind of conflict centered around discovering/revealing that DiNoaCN is her mother, right?

Or, perhaps, already knowing it but revelling (story-wise) in that dysfunction somehow, yeah.  Maybe a goal for Madam Tesla:  "Convince Quantum Lass to help the villains escape."

I totally agree on the in-group conflicts.  Maybe MV's third goal should be "Teach Quantum Lass how to act like a proper sidekick."

[Andrew Cooper]

The only thing I can think of for a name is Lady Electron and isn't not as cool as Madam Tesla...   Of course if you are going for funny, she could be Ohm-wrecker.  Heh.

Conflicts...

Goal: Major Victory admits defeat.  (Played by anyone really)
Goal: Madam Tesla falls in love.  (I know who I'd have her fall in love with.)
Event:  Iron Brain gets a human body.
Goal: Lady Tesla cries.
Goal: Quantum Lass impresses Major Victory. (The preventative power of this one is really cool.)
Goal: Major Victory saves an innocent.  (Another good one to show off preventative goals.)

I'm sure I'll think of more later.

[TonyLB]

Goal: Quantum Lass impresses Major Victory. (The preventative power of this one is really cool.)

I'm torn between that one and "Major Victory needs Quantum Lass's help," again for the preventative value.

[Tuxboy]

Desperately in need of a cool name:  "This mistress of magnetism is through living her life for others.  Since her know-nothing husband left her for a younger woman, her days of hiding behind a facade of normalcy are so over.  Now she's got a new partner and a new goal:  money and power!"

Hmmmm...Gravitas?

Has the whole gravity/magnetism vibe plus the word its self conveys a sense of substance and depth of personality.

[Vaxalon]

Side note:

"Madam" Tesla means something TOTALLY different to me than "Madame" Tesla.

The runs a VERY unusual business in the personal services industry.  The second is a respectable lady who just happens to throw lightning bolts around.

[Andrew Cooper]

Side note:

"Madam" Tesla means something TOTALLY different to me than "Madame" Tesla.

The runs a VERY unusual business in the personal services industry.  The second is a respectable lady who just happens to throw lightning bolts around.

Tony,

You should totally go with the first.  Madam Tesla....  Her costume is black leather, high heels and a whip which crackles lightning.

[TonyLB]

Y'know, I think I'm just going to go with "Tesla," and watch with captivated interest how different players choose to envision the undefined portions of the character.

I am totally sure that some people will go whip-cracking super-dominatrix.  I'm also pretty sure that some of them are going to go pissed-off Susie Home-maker.  I suspect the latter ones are going to do the most appalling things.

[Eric Sedlacek]

Y'know, I think I'm just going to go with "Tesla," and watch with captivated interest how different players choose to envision the undefined portions of the character.

With that plan, I'd be tempted to spell it "Tessla" and make her real first name Teresa...or is that too much of a groaner?

[TonyLB]

Names are hard. :-(