"The Code" is the name of a project I may be starting. Nothing fancy, and it'll be free (because it's way un-commerical).

The gist of the game is that you are a superhero, but one without superpowers. It's the normal, real world and real life...you've just decided to do something about the bad parts. So, be it a vigilante, an activist or just a weirdo in a cape who helps people out, you're out there.

("The Code," btw, is the set of rules and personal ethics we live by)

Inspirado comes from Flyboy Action Figure Comes with Gasmask, Unbreakable, The Caveman's Valentine and the Burke novels by Andrew Vachss.

On 2001-07-27 15:01, Jared A. Sorensen wrote:
The gist of the game is that you are a superhero, but one parts. So, be it a vigilante, an activist or just a weirdo in a cape who helps people out, you're out there.

This concept begs a number of questions- not "What are you thinking, Sorenson?" questions, but pre-campaign preparation questions. First one is this:
Do you see people taking up the mantle of the supervillain as well as that of the superhero? Not players, necessarily, but NPC supercriminals. I've always thought Warren Ellis did a great service to understanding comic book motivations when he quit calling them "supervillains" in Stormwatch and started calling them terrorists. That's within the realm of day-to-day understanding, and it makes them sinister rather than melodramatic. Blah blah blah.
Anyway, villains- yes or no?

My (unsolicited) call is that villains are crucial in superhero material. They cannot be stupid or pathetic in a way that outstrips their danger - pathos, yes; pathetic, no.

To illustrate - I like The Watchmen and suffered the agonies of the damned in the mid-late 80s as it trickled in issue by issue. But! A great deal of its thesis relies on arbitrarily removing the importance and role of the villains. And when they're gone, the heroes become simps, freaks, and bullies.

I have no horrible objection to the idea, and it served Moore's story purpose - but I also suggest that Moore did not successfully deconstruct "the superhero" with that story. He invalidated it by removing the meaningful villain as a fact of life. (Imagine The Watchmen if Ozymandias' intelligent and effective villainy were the norm, for instance.)

So Jared, I suggest that you pay some strict attention to this issue and really decide what makes a villain.

In my old Champions game, I stated outright that there were no more than maybe two or three dozen superheroes world-wide, and several hundred EFFECTIVE villains - meaning they were successfully carrying out their plans and activities, and getting away with it. I was aiming at the mid-60s Marvel model, at least in terms of this special issue, and I liked the result immensely.

Best,
Ron

There aren't going to be supervillains, aside from (potentially) other superheroes who are at odds with the PCs (ie: gun-toting fanatics, etc.). Superheroes in this game don't necessarily "fight crime" -- they just try and deal with the world and make it better. If that means busting perps, then that's how they choose to handle it.

Of course, someone could adopt the role of the supervillain and hold up banks while wearing a cape, gloves and boots...but their decision to do so is also a choice. This is not a "you're a superhero with powers, what do you do with them" idea (ala Spiderman or Unbreakable), it's "you've decided to adopt the myth of the superhero in order to do whatever it is you feel you have to do.

Does that make sense?

- J

In terms of the PCs, you're making great sense, but I believe the villain issue applies more to NPCs.

Basically: are there people who are using their abilities to manipulate, defraud, beat up, or otherwise injure other people? To the extent of violating the social contract in ways which very few of us would sympathize with. If so, are these people generally acknowledged and recognized as such by the general public?

I really don't care whether they wear costumes or not. I'm curious whether, if I'm to play a PC in this game, society at large knows about a bunch of people who DO have funky abilities and DO commit such acts.

Say such villains exist and society knows it. From there, we have to consider a 60s Fantastic Four situation, in which most people are pretty happy that the heroes are around because the Mole Man might dig up Manhattan again; or by contrast an 80s X-Men situation, in which most people identify any super-powered person with the sociopaths. Either one STARTS with the villains, as a social and obvious phenomenon.

If they don't exist, then we move into a sphere of superhero comics that don't interest me very much. Which is no big deal in terms of you wanting to do the game, but it does count as the kind of response/reaction you asked for in your initial post.

Best,
Ron

Ron--

I think - and correct me if I'm wrong here, Jared - that The Code will have no funky powers of any sort. No superheroes, no supervillains - only PC's that have decided to live by the code of the myth of the superhero, and fight crime/hunger/the evil of the world with that code.

That said, "supervillains" as such could exist - just because the Unabomber didn't have powers didn't mean he wasn't a modern supervillain: a nearly uncatchable, untraceable man with a seemingly mad agenda who delivered bombs. That's your supervillain for The Code, at least as I understand it.

I see - but it doesn't alter my point. If these villains are invalidated in any way, or if the hero's role is mainly to interfere in whatever law-enforcement is going on, then their heroism is likewise invalidated.

Yes, Batman doesn't have super-powers, nor does the Joker - but the latter is out there, and the world knows it.

Without Batman's acceptance by the law-enforcement powers (Jim Gordon), and without the presence of the Joker et al. out there, then Batman is a friggin' loon and no hero at all.

Best,
Ron

Speaking for Mr. Sorenson (as, of course, I have every right to), I don't know that he's looking to redefine or deconstruct the superheroic genre as much as he's trying to examine the superheroic myth's impact on society. I could be speaking entirely out my ass on that, but I hope that's what his intent is.
(Now switching from my role as Jared's unchosen Paul of Tarsus or something)
However, I think a prime part of that examination has to acknowledge the fact that, every now and then, someone will want to be the Big Bad. The few gaming and comic cons I've been to have always had more people dressing up as the bad guys than as the good guys, and the vibe seems depressingly common among gamers that bad's somehow cool, impressive or otherwise significant due to the power of transgression.
One of the most touching moments in a movie of late (at least in my eyes) was the Elijah/David standoff in "Unbreakable." The fulfillment we could hear in Elijah's voice as his world finally began making sense was just gut-wrenching. I could see the same reasoning pop up in some "supervillains" in THE CODE, in reverse... hearing about "superheroes" inspires one to seek heights of "villainy" in order to be part of something bigger than one's self. Exploring that aspect of things is equally interesting to me, and it's something I expect I'll throw in, even if it isn't CODE canon.
Funny thing is, I don't see players necessarily facing off against the Big Bad all that often. In comics, the superheroes go against the supervillains because no one else can or will. In the really real world, we've got a number of law enforcement officials who won't be concerned because the perp they're going after is wearing a leotard. Dr. Destruction will get a bullet in the head if he's holding a group of school children hostage where an HRT sniper can get a good shot, and all the posturing in the world won't change that.
Raising good questions and thinking points, Mr. Sorenson. I could definitely use that game now.

Without Batman's acceptance by the law-enforcement powers (Jim Gordon), and without the presence of the Joker et al. out there, then Batman is a friggin' loon and no hero at all.

I think that's what I'm trying to get across. To kind of rip on superhero RPGs (which are for the most part, about superpowers and an ineffable sense of right and wrong) rather than the comics themselves (ala Brat Pack, Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns).

The nature of a Hero or a Villain depends on what they choose to do. Not their abilities, not their motivations, not their status in life.

In Unbreakable, I think David and Elijah have the same motivation: find their place. But both have very different methods, and these methods define their roles.

Well, I'm unemployed right now so let's see what I can come up with in this next six-eight hours, eh?

Speaking for Mr. Sorenson...I don't know that he's looking to redefine or deconstruct the superheroic genre as much as he's trying to examine the superheroic myth's impact on society.

This is more or less correct, with the added twist of a knife beneath the ribs of superhero RPGs. If you haven't done so already, check out Clinton's wonderful beginnings to his PANELS game (in the Forge user-submitted library). It's brilliant...paging Mr. Busiek...hello? Licensing? :smile:

- J

It's done! Check out http://www.memento-mori.com/main/code.html for details...

- Jared, who dreamt the system. Seriously.

_________________
jared a. sorensen / http://www.memento-mori.com
indie game design from beyond the grave

[ This Message was edited by: Jared A. Sorensen on 2001-07-31 08:35 ]

Any man that quotes Front Line is a hero to me!

Dav

Two questions, stemming from vast lack of sleep:
1) Any possibility of background/example stuff popping up soon? The background story is, often, my favorite part of any game. Wasn't sure if an overarching logic was present as to why people were superheroing.
2) How does one get those initial points? I think I missed something in the character creation process.

At first blush, I dig it... don't know whether I'll use aspects of it in a powered game or I'll do it on its own, but it's got some oomph.

Jared,

It seems like there's a chunk missing from Code. Nowhere does it explain where the character gets the dice s/he bids, or how any of this is related to Motivation, or what that strange little advantage chart is for.

Otherwise, it's great. I already have a character concept...

Lon

Jared,

It seems like there's a chunk missing from Code. Nowhere does it explain where the character gets the dice s/he bids, or how any of this is related to Motivation, or what that strange little advantage chart is for.

Otherwise, it's great. I already have a character concept...

Lon

As I look over this, I'm reminded of the Watchmen backstory. The game has potential for a very "Behind the Mask" feel to it, which appeals greatly. Two more questions:
1) Does one use the same system for everyone? If so, this implies that normal people are literally just masks without... well, masks. I'd sort of like the implication that extreme personality gives a certain advantage.
2) Any thoughts to additional fleshing out?

I've got too many character concepts for my own good, now... damn your black heart, Jared Sorenson!

Sean

Everyone uses the same system.

Normal folks don't have a motivation to be a superhero, so they have no motivation score.

It's better explained in the updated version. Go check it out!

And dammit, post those (super)heroes!

- J




[ This Message was edited by: Jared A. Sorensen on 2001-07-31 22:01 ]

Update makes all clear... very nice.
It also opens up the supervillain logic, I'm afraid. If someone's got the motivation "Cause havoc," "Show The Brute up" or "Bomb technomongers," something of that nature, they're more than just a perp. Very cool.

It also opens up the supervillain logic, I'm afraid.

As designed, my friend. Most people you go up against aren't going to have Motivation to spend to knock you down.

But another superhero? And if their motivation is to accomplish goals opposed to your own...?

Yup.

And for the record, this game would probably benefit from the inclusion of superpowers. But I figure if the reader is that interested in The Code + Superpowers, they can handle it whatever way makes sense to them.

- J

I'd just assumed that superpowers could be done in "the Code" as advantages! lol

Btw, a couple of questions concerning Objectives and Motivations:
1) It seems to me that a number of factors could be involved in why the hero decided to become one. The way you've set it up, can a character choose to have multiple Objectives? (ie. Fight crime and protect the innocent - then what happens when the two are happening simultaneously in seperate locations? Makes for interesting character angst...)

2) What happens when the implied also comes into play? Using your example, what happens if his own daughter is kidnapped again? Would this give a bonus, or is that up to the GM and Player to reason out?

Just a few questions I had. I had a few more, but it's rather late and I can't think of them right now...

Daniel

Thanks, Jared. The update clears up a lot.

Still a couple of questions, though. A low-reated Objective means the character earns fewer Reward Points at the end of a scenario. This means it would take longer to build up the 25 points needed to "buy off" a minor community problem. But since a low rating for the character's Objective (if I read it right) means that the targeted problem is easy to deal with, shouldn't it be easier to solve the problem?

Also, are Reward Points required for solving problems? Wouldn't the character's continued action-in-play do it? That is, if a standared vigilante character spends months of play cleaning up the neighborhood, but doesn't spend the points, isn't he being less effective (for no noticable reason) than
an identical character who does spend the points

And, because you asked for it...

"Leather Man"
Randy Wilson, personal fitness trainer

Randy looks like he's in his late 20s (actually, he's 34), of medium height, well built with high muscle definition. He has blonde hair (from a bottle, he's actually a brunette) and hazel eyes. When he goes out "on patrol," he wears a studded leather harness, jackboots, PVC shorts, studded gloves, and a leather hood.

Randy wants to fight gay-bashing in the city's queer ghetto (Objective: 5)

While he occasionally makes high-minded speeches, he's really in it for the adrenaline rush (Motivation: 2)

Randy makes his money by helping people slim down or bulk up. His personal routine includes some martial arts workouts, but he's really only into it for its aerobic exercise value (Profession: Personal Trainer).

Randy is a masochist. Pain doesn't faze him. In fact, he gets off on it.

Due to abuse of steroids and diet drugs in his early 20s, Randy has a small speed habit. This can affect his judgment, especially if he's in need of a fix.

Leather Man tends to tie assailants he subdues to whatever's handy (lamp posts, street signs, whatever) with black gaffer's tape, and leave them there until morning with their pants around their ankles.

Randy has only been doing the Leather Man thing for a year or so, but he works in a small community and makes no secret of his accomplishments (Exposure: 4).

Leather Man has a reputation as a poor solution to a bad problem (Popularity: 3)

Lon

[ This Message was edited by: Uncle Dark on 2001-08-01 04:46 ]

Leather Man has a reputation as a poor solution to a bad problem (Popularity: 3)

Hahahahahahahahahahahah! He's awesome!

Paul

A random thought had while waiting for a call:
We really can't call this the normal, really real world. In the really real world, very few people have the urge to dress in costumes and fight injustice. Those who do are invariably put in institutions or shot. The world THE CODE creates is one where, for some reason, a small number of people have decided to garb up and do battle with injustice. So... I'd think there's got to be a catalyst, a Hero Zero if you will, who inspired other people to risk incarceration, life, limb and embarrassment to fight the good fight in costume. Basically, I'm wondering if anyone else sees the need for a Hooded Justice for the rest of the Minutemen to emulate.
I could be wrong, of course, but it seems reasonable that a single person would come up and act on this idea (costumed injustice-fighting) independently. It doesn't make sense for a group of people in various parts of the country/world to simultaneously decide "Garbing up? Exceptional!"
So... anyone have any ideas for a Hero Zero?

Two heroes and a villain... can't post many more villains, because my players read this board. The background's lightish.

Code Name: The Warden
Secret Identity: Tony Wills
Appearance: Tony is a well-built black man in his late 20s with short hair and a few prison tattoos. As The Warden, he wears a crude iron mask/helmet, heavy reinforced gloves, steel-toed boots and a tattered grey overcoat covering a prison “bulletproof vest” (a utility vest with phone books duct taped to vital areas of the body.) He carries an old, handheld police scanner, a baseball bat (reinforced with steel rods) and a length of heavy chain.
Objective: Fight street crime in the projects (6)
Motivation: Tony went to jail for five years for a gang-related assault. He turned himself around, but saw many of his former friends growing more manipulative and destructive to the community, and blamed them for the current state of the neighborhood.(3)
Profession: Building superintendent (he knows all number of handyman tricks, ranging from picking locks to jury-rigging and metalwork to getting toilets to work. He’s also got a good grasp of building security and basic street ettiquette.)
Advantage: The Warden is overwhelmingly brutal in combat, often demoralizing foes sufficiently to make them slip up or run away.
Weakness: Poverty. Tony Wills lives in the projects, and can’t afford much. His rent is covered by work, but he lives very much paycheck by paycheck.
Modus Operandi (MO): Lockdown- The Warden spraypaints warnings that he’s performing a lockdown in a certain area before performing intensive patrols. Anyone he catches doing anything suspicious during lockdown gets locked down.
Exposure: 3 (MO, Appearance, Advantage)
Popularity: The Warden’s more feared than loved in his neighborhood, after a few very rough lockdowns 3 (violent)

Code Name: Damsel
Secret Identity: Angela Li
Appearance: Angela’s a small Chinese-American woman, with short hair and a determined glare. As Damsel, she wears SCA-type plate-and-chainmail armor with a half-helm and carries a smallsword and a quarterstaff.
Objective: Protect women from victimization (8)
Motivation: Angela’s rapidly-waning sense of idealism was bolstered after she fought off a client’s boyfriend with nothing more than a few self-defense tricks and a handy coffee-pot. She threw herself into a dedicated training regimen, invested in some armor and hit the streets.
Profession: Women’s shelter employee
Advantage: Dedicated. Damsel doesn’t back down, ever. She’s gotten cut a few times, shot at twice and has not been deterred when a woman was in danger.
Weakness: Overconfident. Damsel plays to the camera... she knows she needs to be a symbol so she’s flashy when she can be, and can underestimate herself
Modus Operandi (MO): Damsel always gives her opponent a chance to give up before and during the fight. She never strikes first.
Exposure: 4 (Appearance, code name, objective, advantage)
Popularity: Damsel’s been relatively public, standing guard at “Take Back The Night” events and facing off against abortion protesters. She’s kept her nose clean, although she’s had to beat on a few miscreants, and is molding her image very carefully. 5


Code Name: The Answer
Secret Identity: Garrett Hodges
Appearance: Hodges is a lanky man in his mid-30s with short, greying hair. As The Answer, he wears a full-face mask that looks like newsprint, a white suit and a black shirt and gloves.
Objective: Rule the underworld through information (8)
Motivation: After driving two small-scale criminals to prison or suicide through well-placed information leaks, Garrett decided he could use his intellect for exceptional personal gain. (4)
Profession: Supervillain (Information gathering, plotting, seeking out thugs)
Advantage: Calculating. The Answer’s got a mind like a steel trap, and he is prone to stunning intuitive leaps at the drop of a hat.
Weakness: Fear of violence. When it comes to a throw-down, The Answer’s answer is invariably “escape.”
Modus Operandi (MO): The Answer works through videotape, showing his mark a copy of the information he has and the person he’ll give the information to before presenting his terms... “The Answer is $100,000 to keep that girl’s name out of the paper, Mr. Mayor.” He’s branched out, planning heists for pay and coordinating them with his activities to bring his marks down.
Exposure: 3 (MO, appearance, code name)
Popularity: A fair amount of murder and mayhem has been committed at the order of The Answer, and he’s known to have a fair amount of blood on his distant hands. 1 (Secretive, violent)

About Hero Zero:

I don't know that who Hero Zero is, or what s/he does is important. What is important it that s/he is a media sensation. Hero Zero would require a lot of press, and a lot of good press, to inspire others to follow in his or her footsteps.

There is already a great historical precedent for vigilantism in America. The twist in the Code is the costumes. Why become a one-man neighborhood watch is not the question. Why you wear your underwear on the outside of your longjohns while you do it is.

So there has to be lots of press, to spread the idea so that it's not just a fad in a small area of one city. The press should be good so that people will want to emulate Hero Zero. After all, people would much rather identify with a headline like "MASKED HERO SAVES LITTLE GIRL" than one like "MASKED FREAK ASSAULTS ALLEGED KIDNAPPER."

Lon

I tend to agree, re: media splash for Hero Zero. Who s/he is isn't really as important as how s/he is, which is what we see in Hooded Justice in Watchmen. What he did was pretty insignificant- the first recorded incident was him jumnping a mugger or two, I believe. How he did it and, to a degree, how he was Hooded Justice was what drew the rest into the fold.

Sean

First PC character has been sent to me... bow before El Jefe!

Javier Ruiz, aka "El Jefe"

Javier is a 23 year-old former gang banger, out on parole, who lives in the barrio. He is fairly well-built, has short hair and 2 tattoos - a Nazca Monkey on one shoulderblade and a fist with "Raza" on the knuckles on his right shoulder. This tattoo is a constant reminder of his gang days.
As El Jefe, he dresses like a gang banger's shadow: black baggy pants, black long sleeved shirt, black tennies and a black stocking cap over a black luchadore's mask.

As a former gang member, Javier fell into selling drugs and perpetrating violence. He was sent to prison at age 16-17 on manslaughter charges stemming from shooting back at a rival gang in a drive-by. At age 18, he stopped getting angry and started getting smart. He earned his GED and holds dual degrees in business and social work, both obtained in prison. Now as El Jefe, and in his day job, he is trying to make life better in the barrio for kids and decent people. His objective is to stop gang-related street crime and drug dealing, and someday to get those who are supplying the drugs to the gangs. (Objective 6)

Javier's motivation is one of repentance and altruism, seeing the kids who are growing up in the neighborhood either fearful or in awe of the gangs. (Motivation 3)

Javier is working at a local community center helping kids and doing some fund raising. Use of both his degrees. He lives at home with his mother, sister and 2 brothers - all younger. He plays with the kids, talks to them about their problems and talks about his former life.

Javier's advantage is his former thug life, his contacts on the streets and the kids who come to the center. He can find out pretty easily what is going down and plan for it.

Javiers weakness is that he is a parolee. He needs to keep a low profile and not attract much attention in case the police would get on his case. He also has a soft spot for the kids he deals with every day.

El Jefe's MO is once he beats down a thug and leaves him unconscious, he trusse them up and calls the police on the thug's cell phone. When the police show up, all the perp's gang gear is in a neat little pile by the door.

Not much is known about El Jefe, and Javier would like to keep it that way. The police just know that someone is out there taking down gang bangers and the thugs can't even give a good ID. (Exposure 1)

El Jefe's popularity with the neighborhood and kids would be great, if Javier could let them know what's going on. At this moment, he is little more than an urban legend. (Popularity 3)

1) It seems to me that a number of factors could be involved in why the hero decided to become one. The way you've set it up, can a character choose to have multiple Objectives? (ie. Fight crime and protect the innocent - then what happens when the two are happening simultaneously in seperate locations? Makes for interesting character angst...)

2) What happens when the implied also comes into play? Using your example, what happens if his own daughter is kidnapped again? Would this give a bonus, or is that up to the GM and Player to reason out?

Still a couple of questions, though. A low-reated Objective means the character earns fewer Reward Points at the end of a scenario. This means it would take longer to build up the 25 points needed to "buy off" a minor community problem. But since a low rating for the character's Objective (if I read it right) means that the targeted problem is easy to deal with, shouldn't it be easier to solve the problem?

Also, are Reward Points required for solving problems? Wouldn't the character's continued action-in-play do it? That is, if a standared vigilante character spends months of play cleaning up the neighborhood, but doesn't spend the points, isn't he being less effective (for no noticable reason) than an identical character who does spend the points

Another character:

"Angel," aka Robert Anthony

Robert Anthony is a very smart kid, very confused about himself. He's got some pretty serious identity and sexuality issues, and they're crippling to his self-confidence. Unwilling to deal with his real life, he's created an alter ego, the smooth, confident, and rather female "Angel," who foils high-profile crime and is loved by all.

Robert is largely a remote investigator. He looks for some kind of serious, big crime, and then he checks for everything he can on it from newspaper archives, online stuff, phone conversations, etc. He'll go out in his Robert persona to do physical investigation (he thinks of himself almost as an agent of Angel, not Angel herself). In his remote Angel persona, he's contacted pretty much everyone who seems smart at his college, and can usually convince them to help him in areas that he's not personally capable of, like hacking or forensic work or whatnot. He's very good at putting all that together into a coherent whole.

After assembling enough material, Angel spreads the word far and wide as to who the culprit for the crime is. Her M.O. is to send very comprehensive "evidence packages" to the police and the media, but she also is more than willing to talk (by phone or any other remote service) extensively with anyone who has questions about her investigation.

Code name: Angel

Secret identity: Yup

Appearance: Robert is a 19 year old male. He's got serious acne and a weak chin. He looks perpetually rather frightened. Angel is never seen. However, Robert has a high quality voice-changer-thing, and he as Angel talks on the telephone a fair amount. Angel sounds smooth, confident, and sexy.

Objective: Angel's objective is to become publically well-loved by solving high-profile crimes. Robert is very dedicated -- indeed, rather obsessed -- to this goal (8).

Motivation: Robert is trying to escape his own life by crafting an alter-ego that's everything he wishes he was (4).

Profession: Robert goes to college, studying chemistry, part time and works at a Dairy Queen.

Advantage: Robert is extraordinarily attentive to tiny detail.

Weakness: Robert is physically a pushover, and has no confidence in his Robert persona. He can't even ask his manager for a raise or call out an answer in class, much less stand up to a criminal face-to-face. This weakness is not a problem when he's on the phone as Angel, or otherwise hiding his identity. Robert does legwork for himself, of course, but he tends to take a fly-on-the-wall approach.

Modus Operandi: Angel creates packages of evidence linking a perp to a crime, in exhaustive detail, and then sends the evidence to the police and every reporter in town in unmarked packages.

Exposure: Angel aggressively reveals her presence, her code-name, her MO, her objective (the "solving high-profile crime" part, at least), and her Advantage. Her voice is well-known to all, as she gave permission for a radio guy to play it at one point. Her Exposure is 6.

Popularity: Angel is non-violent and media-friendly, insofar as her non-existant status allows her. Her popularity is 7.

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

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.

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 (8)
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 ]

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?

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.

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.

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...

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

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.

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

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.”)

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.

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. (8)
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

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 (8)
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)