The Code

[Uncle Dark]

Epoch,

Angel is way cool. Lovely, lovely.

Everyone else:

So what about setting ideas?  Sure, it's "real" world in (name your favorite city), but what about the changes made by/allowing for the heroes?

Hero Zero, for instance.  Is there one?

Did the setting have a "golden age" crew of popular masks?  A "silver age" in the 1960's?

What about a Watchmenesque setting where there's a "Dr. Manhattan" type?  Are all the other masks imitating him/her?

Lon

[sdemory]

    Working off of the core game conceit, I don't know that we can have a golden age of heroism or anything like that. People aren't working off of the tradition of superheroism as much as they're using the superheroic myth to work for them. The implication is that this is something new...
   However, the system lends itself to a world of heroism. If I had a dedicated young Socialist adventurer in the 1930s whose objective was "Eliminate fascism (10)," he could kick stormtrooper ass without much problem by spending Motivation. So... there'd have to be someone floating around before modern day. They may just have not worn masks or publicized themselves. Something that could definitely be put to good use.
  I don't know that having one actual powered person in the Dr. Manhattan vein is needed, although it creates a nice True Man/Brat Pack dynamic. As an inspiration to motivated people, it would make more sense for Hero Zero to be some normal person who died with his mask on, rather than someone who can change the universe with a snap of the fingers. I'm just not sure if having a True Man takes the game a direction it needs to go. Low-level power, on the other hand, fits right in.

[sdemory]

Code Name: Brigadier
Secret Identity: Alex Randall
Appearance:  Alex is a young man in his mid-20s, with sandy blond hair. As The Brigadier, he wears a black, hooded sweatshirt, combat boots, black fatigue pants and a black facemask. He wears red gloves, and a red fist is stenciled on the back of his shirt.
Objective: Support direct action in an effort to overthrow all government; strike back against those who take advantage of the people (
Motivation: Alex has an unshakeable conviction that the people of the world are ready for true anarchy. As a survivor of recent uprisings, he's also aghast at what he has termed the excesses of police... he's very focused on protecting front-line nonviolent protesters from violence, as he respects their convictions if not their tactics. (4)
Profession: Activist/campaign worker. Alex knows how to organize, how to publicize and how to keep a protest moving. He's also well-versed in direct action tactics and sabotage.
Advantage: Well-prepared. As an organizer, Alex knows what is needed for most situations, and tends to carry extras of everything from breathing masks to first-aid kits. He also knows how to deploy protesters for maximum effect, and he's able to change tactics as a protest continues.
Weakness: Alex had his leg broken during a crowd stampede, and he still walks with a limp.
Modus Operandi (MO): Immediately before a major action, The Brigadier sends a mass communique to pre-selected media outlets explaining his motive and giving evidence of wrongdoing. News outlets have learned to scramble when they receive his e-mail.
Exposure:  6 (MO, Appearance, Objective, Motivation, Advantage, Code Name)
Popularity: 3- The Brigadier has met violence with violence several times, and has been linked to various acts of property destruction. He's not secretive at all, however, and has made his presence known through interviews and community outreach sessions

[I decided to whip someone up who's not an active, definite villain but who heroes might be forced to go toe-to-toe with. He's a force for chaos and disorder, but he means well.]


[ This Message was edited by: sdemory on 2001-08-07 17:09 ]

[sdemory]

    A thought on superpowers...
   As the game currently stands, one is not required to connect advantages and disadvantages. Would it make sense to anyone else to rule that a superpower must be directly connected to a major disadvantage?
   Using "Unbreakable" as the model, David Dunn had the Unbreakable advantage, making him superhumanly strong and tough. He also had the ability to sense wrongdoing. One could connect the disadvantages "Vunerable to water" and "Emotionally overwhelmed" to those two advantages, if one wished to stretch, or just link them both to "Vunerable to water," since it's a bit more intense than "nearsighted" or "afraid of violence."
   I think the game could benefit from superpower, but I don't know that they should outweigh the normal mask. I'd like to see actual, according-to-Hoyle superpowers look like forces of nature, while what players and most NPCs would use, at most, would eliminate one part of the standard hero's kit (weapon, armor, transport). Any thoughts?

[Jared A. Sorensen]

Actually, if I were going to insert superpowers, they'd become Super Advantages and would automatically beat everything below it on the Ability Sequence:

Character has a Super Advantage and both a relevant Profession and Advantage.
Character has a Super Advantage and a relevant Advantage
Character has a Super Advantage
Character has a relevant Profession and a relevant Advantage.
Character has a relevant Profession
Character has a relevant Advantage
Character has no relevant Profession and no relevant Advantage
Character has a Weakness

Super characters might need a Super Weakness, where the weakness makes them two steps lower on the Ability Sequence.

But really, all this is kinda counter to what the Code is all about. If I wanted to play super-powered characters, I'd use Marvel or Panels.

[Uncle Dark]

But really, all this is kinda counter to what the Code is all about. If I wanted to play super-powered characters, I'd use Marvel or Panels.

And therein lies my conundrum.  I had a couple of ideas for a powers plug-in I was going to run by you, but when I thought about how to write it up, I realized that it would be 1/5 rules and 4/5 philosophising about what powers mean and whether or not to include them in a Code game (with short examples from different kinds of games I could imagine).

I don't know whether or not it's worth it at that point.

Lon

P.S. David Dunn wasn't "super-vulnerable" to water, he just had no special defense against drowning.  It wouldn't get written up as a weakness at all, although his hydrophobia might.

[sdemory]

    Thinking about the power thing, I'd tend to agree that they do change the focus of the game in ways I don't know if I can necessarily back.
   The closest I may actually come with powers is the blatant statement to my players that, conceptually, we've been playing very close to my Champions standard. Hence, if people wanted to shoot fire out of their faces (or wherever) and still address issues of public awareness and the role of the hero, we could shift gears.
   Thank you, Mr. Sorenson, for giving me a vehicle with which to pimp Champions to my non-superhero gaming party. Excellent...

[Uncle Dark]

Hurm...

One of the things that not having powers does for the Code is direct focus back onto motivation and interaction with the human level of the environment.  Putting powers in would distract from that, it would add a layer of alienation between the PCs and the rest of the society.  Powers would make the question of "why are you risking your neck to go play dress up on the street" less important, as the characters would be less likely to actually be risking their necks.

Given all that, is there a way to include powers in the Code in a way that doesn't detract from the premise?  I think maybe there is.

The key is limiting the scope and range of powers.  If an individual with powers is really no better off than a well trained, well equipped normal, then the powers become just another advantage (and not a super-advantage), with relatively narrow application.   Frex, "invulnerabiltiy" that isn't really more protective than riot gear (just less bulky), or "energy blasts" that are really no more effective than a 9mm pistol (but can't be taken away, and so on.

The PCs are still on a par with normals at this point.  But the players who want thier characters to have "powers" get theri fun, too.

Just a thought.

Lon

[Epoch]

Uncle Dark,

If you were going to go with powers, I'd actually make them less powerful than advantages.

Got an "energy burst"?  It's no more powerful than a 9mm pistol, has a range of 25 feet, and can be used once per day.

But, dammit, you're a guy who can kill someone without using a tool and without touching them.  Think about how effin' scary that is, once you divest yourself of all the usual RPG baggage about how "Magic Missile" is a first level spell or how nobody even remembers Superman's heat vision.  Besides, nobody but you necessarily knows your limitations.

[Uncle Dark]

Epoch,

I wouldn't want to nail powers down to specific ranges or uses per day.  First, nothing else in Code is limited that way.  Why should powers be so limited?

Second, my own feel is that comic book writers don't worry about how many feet of webbing Spidey can shoot before his spinners run dry, why should players and GMs?

One of the virtues of Code is that it is simple.  The simplicity of its character generation rules helps enforce the premise.  I feel that putting such specific limitations on powers would lead to something too Champions-like.

This is also why I like the fact that flaws are not required to be attatched to other aspects of the character.  I don't want another game where characer generation becomes an accounting of merits and flaws, or whatever.

Lon

[sdemory]

I've made a couple of actively shallow, self-serving "heroes." Here's one:

Code Name: The Crimson Blade
Secret Identity: Doug Washington
Appearance: Doug Washington is a wiry black man with a goatee and close-cropped hair. As The Crimson Blade, he wears a red kerchief/mask covering his eyes and nose, a blousy black shirt, red and black striped pantaloons and black boots. He carries a sharpened epee, a main gauche and a .
Objective: Protect the innocent, defend those in need. (7)
Motivation: Doug works off of three motivations. In part, he feels a desire to help people and do good deeds. He also enjoys the thrill of swashbuckling and the opportunity to use skills he never thought would be useful after college. After a few rescues he also found that, as a dark and romantic figure, he could get a fair amount of Crimson Blade play, and has been taking full advantage of that of late. In practice, this means he'll help people in general, but he's more likely to flashily spring to the aid of an attractive woman. (3)
Profession: Accountant
Advantage: Combat proficiency. Doug was poised to be an Olympic-level fencer before he left the hobby behind (he considered it frivolous.) He's gotten back up to speed, and he's loosened his form sufficiently to be able to take on large numbers of people with flair.
Weakness: Nearsighted. Doug wears glasses most of the time, and contact lenses in his Crimson Blade persona.
Modus Operandi (MO): The Crimson Blade is known for non-lethal incapacitation. He'll disarm foes, cut buttons to make pants fall down, wrap people up in awnings and the like. He patrols the city's entertainment district, frequenting areas around nightclubs.
Exposure: 5 (Code name, appearance, objective, advantage, MO)
Popularity: 7  (The Crimson Blade's very friendly but not terribly well-known outside of his "patrol area.")

[Epoch]

Uncle Dark,

Well, nothing else in the Code is limited like that, but nothing else would be.  It doesn't make a lot of sense if you can use your profession only X numbers of times a day.

As to it not fitting in with comic-book conventions, you're right, it doesn't, but the Code isn't very comic-book conventional regardless.

I think that you may have gotten a bit too caught up in the particular limitation of the power being useable once per day.  My point was, even a very limited super power is incredible if nobody else is wandering around being Superman or Doc Manhatten.

[sdemory]

Second self-serving heel hero:

Code Name: The Protector
Secret Identity: Joe Jorgensen
Appearance: Joe's built like a running back, which he was. He's a white male in his early 30s with bleached-blond hair. His "supersuit" is a red, white and blue leather jacket, blue pants and sneakers, a white shirt (with light bulletproof vest) and a domino mask. His costume and name were a scheme concocted by his agent, who dropped Joe before he put it to use.
Objective: Fight crime, make the papers. (
Motivation: Three words: Fat. Endorsement. Dollars. (4)
Profession: Arena football washout, professional athlete. Joe's been trying to get some quick fame for a while. He's currently working as a bouncer.
Advantage: Athletic prowess. The Protector's a well-tuned athletic machine, able to punch, kick and run with the best of them. He's expanded his training regimen to include martial arts and acrobatics.
Weakness: Low self-control. Joe's prone to 'roid rage, he binges often and can't say no to much at all.
Modus Operandi (MO): Cocky, low-thought "crimebusting" He's not much of a detective, but he has muscled a few informants into giving him tips on upcoming crime, which he's bashed through in a very high-profile manner
Exposure: 6 (Code name, appearance, objective, profession, advantage)
Popularity: 7- The Protector's a very public hero, willing to sign autographs and make sure his mask is in the public eye. He's a little too cocky to be "friendly," though

[sdemory]

    Here's my Hero Zero. Don't know if anyone else wants to use him, but he's there.
   Has anyone run the game yet? Any success stories? Words of warning? I'm looking at running a session this evening, and could use a tip or two.

Hero Zero: The Silent Knight
   Lieutenant Randy Moore, City Police Department, became a costumed crimefighter because he gave the wrong woman his key.
   After a long night at work, Randy came home hoping to have a nice Christmas Eve in with a woman he'd met a few weeks before, who'd been staying over off and on. She was fun and they both worked nights, so he gave her his key without giving it much thought. In Randy's mind, this was the sort of trusting gesture that could blossom into bigger and better things.
   In retrospect, this wasn't the most well-realized idea, but Randy was known for going off half-cocked in personal matters.
   Randy came home to find his house ransacked, his television gone and two empty crack vials in his bathroom. He knew his ex couldn't have gone terribly far, so he went to a nearby tenement he was relatively sure was being used as a drug market, geared up to conceal his identity and went to get his TV back.    
   Randy made a rooftop entry and began to search the building. He followed his training, noting rooms that had children or families in them and avoiding what few patrols were active.  He'd made it through four floors before he smelled smoke and, after finding four blocked fire escapes, he knew what he had to do.
   Much of the rest of the evening is public record. People reported a black-clad figure banging on their doors in the middle of the night, shuttling them to the roof and sliding them on a zip-line to a nearby rooftop before returning for more people. A group of children said the man asked them to sing Christmas carols while they waited on the roof for the Fire Department to put out the flames, joining them for a few bars of "Silent Night, Holy Night," before returning to work. By the end of the evening, the "Silent Knight" saved more than 20 people from injury or death, returning to the building over and over as the flames climbed higher.  News crews captured footage of the Knight depositing the last victim, a young woman, on the roof before returning for one last search. He never came out of the building, and was never seen again.
   A few days later, the owner of the building turned himself in, badly beaten, at a City patrol station. He confessed to setting the fire as part of an insurance scam, but would not tell the police why he confessed.
   In theory, Randy's retired The Silent Knight. In practice, he may be driven to suit up again... he's got a problem with organized vigilantism, though, and doesn't like to think of himself as being actively outside the law.

Code Name: "The Silent Knight"
Secret Identity: Lt. Randall Moore
Appearance: Randall Moore is a black male in his early 30s with short hair and a goatee. He's in very good shape as part of his profession. As "The Silent Knight," he wears SWAT gear with no insignia and a black balaclava mask. He carries rapelling gear flash grenades and his pistol... which he remembered, halfway through his first mission, was registered and would link back to him. Oops.
Objective: Get back his TV and scare the hell out of the thief (4)/Help those in need (
Motivation: Initially, Randy was pissed off. He slept with the wrong woman and came back to find his television missing. As a short-fuse type of guy, he decided to kick down a door and get his TV back. (2) This changed after his first exploit, and he got much more humanitarian in focus.
Randy's got a very overdeveloped sense of fairness, and hates to see people shafted because they can't get a break. He considers poor-on-poor crime and exploitation by uncaring slumlords as two prime examples of that sort of activity.(4)
Profession: Police officer- Special Response Team member
Advantage: Well-trained. Randy's got the tools and the talent to go in dangerous environments and achieve his objective with minimal loss of life. He's relatively cool under combat-related pressure, although he's not that good with real-world stress.
Weakness: Impulsive. Randy tended to go with his gut... at times, that was a bad thing ("I'm going to suit up and get my TV back from the crack house my whore of an ex-girlfriend took it to."), and at times it was not ("Kids! Fire! Save kids from fire!")
Modus Operandi (MO): The Silent Knight was a particularly focused vigilante. He staked out his site, making sure that no noncombatants would be in jeopardy, and went to work. He also guaranteed that he'd have a decent escape route in place, just in case.
Exposure: 2 (Code name, appearance)
Popularity: 5 (friendly but secretive)