Trying out the demo to Comic Book Universe

[SirFozzie]

I must be absolutely crazy.

Well, I am absolutely crazy, but that's a whole different story.

But who would look at a public beta demo for a text-based sim about superheroes... well.. me. It helps that the game is made by Adam Ryland and Grey Dog Software. Ryland is the creator of the Total Extreme Wrestling series and World of Mixed Martial Arts, both of which are really good text-sims. But superheroes? I know Grey Dog software did a couple superhero games in the past, but... still.

Plus the game is still in public beta trial. It's limited to six "Issues", but I'm going in anyway. Games in the trial are fully playable in the full game, so if I like it and there is interest, maybe I'll buy the full game and continue past the six issues (issues are storylines/events, like comic books that it pulls from)

We'll be playing as a variety of heroes including (the things in quotes are the game's splash description):

Captain Awesome, "the most powerful mortal who has ever lived"
Mr Infinity
Danielle Rune. "the mistress of the mystic"
"England's Greatest Protector" Captain Albion
"The first family of comics" The Wonderfuls.

facing villains like:
"The Master of Minds" Demento
"The Devious King of the Goblins" Haemogoblin
"The mutant supremacist" Prince Amass
"The deevastingly powerful" Kilowatt
"Power-Hungry sociopath" Cape Killer

And the game states that we will progressing through new storylines, including

"Faction Wars"
"The Dark British Empire" (I'm sure there's some folks who just instantly quipped "Wait, there's an EVIL british empire? What a concept")
"The Greek Gods"
"The Terminus Sage"

Note: I am going into this game COMPLETELY blind because.. well, I'm crazy. I mentioned that right? I don't know what we'll be seeing, and I'm pretty sure that six issues is not enough for us to complete any huge storylines, but let's find out.

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Many settings. Many Many settings. I do like that they have the comic book history that deaths are never permanent (for those grim and grittty types, you can change deaths being permanent on a scale of Never, Rarely, Sometimes and Always).. and the game has a table for what it generates your characters to face.

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

The home screen, featuring recaps of previous issues (once I get there), and the balance of power, featuring Justice and Injustice. It sounds like that heroes thwarting villains or villains completing schemes witll move that meter.

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Here's a list of the people in the game. I have to admit that some are very corny.. although I do like "Brutish Petroleum". The highlighted character is the Agents of EGO. (Ego, per the description, is the "Entropic Grand Order", "Scentific-Fundamentalist group whose central credo is that Entropy is the most powerful force in the Universe, then the closest you can get to the Divine is to spread Chaos". Sounds very HYDRA or AIM like. Especially AIM, "as they grew rapidly from a fringe movement to a vast criminal network that spans the globe, they are infamous for hiring themselves - and their advanced weaponry - out to other criminals in order to advance their own cause by creating disorder.

And before you think it's just super powered folks, it has other people in the comic book universe to use as people in its stories.. minor characters like "Alexander Hartley", who is one of the richest men in America, after inventing "SafePay", the secure online payment system that is used throught the western world"

They have similiar screens for places in the universe, groups (including the TMNT-hopmage "Ape Crusaders", genetically experimented-on monkeys that escaped from captivity and now do good, despite their local paper trying to paint them as menaces. They're all named after various classical music composers (Wagner, Vivaldi, Veri, and Strauss.. with colored headbands to tell them apart), and artifacts.

[SirFozzie]

1st run:THis turned into a test run because of a Crash, but I'm going to leave it in, just because it explains the system well


So we roll for our first part of the Trade Paperback, and it comes up 6 - a Minor Villanous Scheme. What does that mean? Let's FIND OUT!



Ok, so we get details in that this is going to be that a villain "Valhella" is involved in some type of shenanigans. We have to figure out his mystical mystery in order to figure out where he is based.

It features three heroes, the game has chosen Delphi, Master Phoenix and Pathway, and we could change that if we wanted to, but again, completely blind playthrough. I have NO idea who'd be good facing Valhella.

Let's do a quick bio on each of our heroes, from the game provided description:

Our heroes:


PATHWAY: Patti Palmer is a young Boom Town High student (and classmate of Jennifer Joyce, although she's unaware that her BFF is secretly Miss Atomic) who recently discovered that she is the latest in a long line of witches in the Palmer family. Her latent magical abilities allow her to do many things, but she is most notable for being able to open mystical portals at will, a power that has led her to taking on the super heroic codename of "Pathway"

The four stats at play in this one (because a Mystical encounter) are Mystical Attack/Defense (11/17) and Outsmart Attack/Defense (10/18). Her powers are: Charms and Spells (which you can choose up to 2 allies and increase their mystical defense by 2 until next hero turn), and Witchcraft (Outsmart attack that allows you to reduce target's mystical defense by 2 until next turn)

DELPHI: A mystic with a deep knowledge of the arcane arts, Delphi traded her eyesight to see into the future. As is the tradition with these sort of bargains, there was a catch - wWhat she got was the ability to see every possible future across the entire multiverse, an overwhelming sensation that has left her quite deranged and unpredictable

Stats:

(Stats are Attack/Defend) Mystical: 11/17, Outsmart 12/18
Powers: Arcane Knowledge (Outsmart to reduce attack of up to 3 targets by 1), Gift of Prophecy (takes an action, gives an ally an extra re-roll

and finally,

MASTER PHOENIX: One of the elder statesmen of the heroic community, Master Phoenix is a relatively powerful telepath whose wealth of experience at fighting evil means that he is often consulted as a mentor-type figure by younger crimefighters. Originally, he lived in Centenanry City, and was a staunch ally of The Wonderfuls, but nowadays he has moved out to Boom Town

Stats: Mystical 11/17, Outsmart 11/18
Powers: Psychic Interference: Choose a character on the other side, and reduce any one of their puzzle skills by 1 until side's next turn.

It gives details on the encounter: Namely, that it's a "Magical Mystery" encounter. It's limited to five rounds, and ends when the heroic side either solve the puzzle or are stumped. If the time limit is reached, the winner will be decided by which ending was closer to being achieved. And finally, if the heroic side fail to win the encounter, the villanous side will get a boost to their defense score in the next stage.

We roll to see who goes first, and it comes up 9, the villanous side goes first (it's slightly tilted to villains going first, as 2-6 heroes go first, 7-12 villains)

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

So, the game has Valhella selecting and using a power "Arcane Knowledge", where it's an Outsmart Attack against the hero Pathway, where if it succeeds, it reduces the target's mystical attack by 1 until the next turn. Just like others, it's based on a 2d6 roll, where you take the attackers Outsmart score (in this case), and add the dice roll, and compare it to the defender's score.

Valhella has an attacking score of 10, and the dice roll is a 5, versus Pathway's defense score of 18 so it looks like this is going to fail, except he uses a re-roll. He has no more left at this level. He rolls better, an 8, but that means that he ties 18-18, and ties apparently go to the defender.

He then attempts Deception against each of the heroes. He manages to succeed against Delphi and Pathway, (knocking the heroes back 1 on the progress scale, -10=Stumped, 10=Solved). The progress means we're at -2, this was the villan's POWER PLAY, so the failure has no effect. Now it's the heroes turn...

We'll start with Delphi: She has a variety of options to benefit. Standard Solution is a safer play (+1 to the goal on success, 0 movement on failure this turn during the power play), or we could take a risk (+2/-1), do a leap of faith (+3/-1, but only useable once an encounter), Get a Lead (a setup action), or follow a lead (get a random bonus from our investigation).

We play it safe and roll standard solution (Attack 11+10 (2d6)=21,versus Valhella's mystical defense of 17, success! We move the progress meter back to -1

Master Phoenix uses his Psychic Interference Power (which you can apparently do once per turn) to lower Valhella's Mystical attack puzzle skill by one until the heroes act again. He then rolls standard solution, 11+(2d6=8) 19, against 17.. Success! We've stopped the villain's progress for the round, back to neutral 0

Pathway tries her witchcraft power to reduce Valhella's abilities more, but fials. However, she then uses her Charms and Spellcraft power (+2 to mystical defense for up to two targets, succeeds on 4+) to boost the defense of Phoenix and Delphi by 2. She then tries a standard solution to get progress on the Heroes side, and Succeeds (11+8 vs 17). So, we have a Success Rating of +1 after round 1.

Powers can apparently be used each turn, but require a roll on 1d6 to activate properly.

So at the end of round 1, the progress meter is SOLVED +1


Villain Turn 2:

(more in brief)

VILLAINS
Valhella - Arcane Knowledge on Pathway - SUCCESS! (10+2d6 (9)=19 vs 18. Lowers mystical attack by 1
Valhella - Standard Deception on Pathway - SUCCESS! (10+2d6 (11)=21 vs 17. Progress moves to 0

Villain turn over

The good news is this is a pretty basic encounter. Valhella only gets his power actions and one "action".. this turn he could only attempt a deception against one person, while last time, he got to go against all three (and succeeded on 2), so we can quickly move this towards solving if we wanted (3 chances)


Hero Turn 2:

Delphi: Arcane Knowledge on Valhella - SUCCESS 12+7=19 vs 16 - Reduces Valhella's Mystical Attack by 1 until heroes next turn
Delphi: Standard Solution - SUCCESS 11+9=20 vs 17: Progress moves to +1
Master Phoenix: Psychic Interference Power - FAIL (4+, rolled a 1)
Master Phoenix: Standard Solution - SUCCESS! (11+7=18 vs 17): Progress Moves to +2
Pathway: Charms and Spellcraft (Boost Delphi/Master Phoenx)- FAIL (4+ needed, rolled a 2)
Pathway: Witchcraft (Target Valhella) - FAIL (10+5=15 vs 16)

And here, we had a type mismatch program crash. Not a huge problem, this is a public beta after all.

So far, I've learned a few things. You don't apparently have to take all your characters actions in a row, which is good because it allows tactical actions (I should have used Pathway's Witchcraft first because that targets defense until the BEGINNING of my next turn, so if I want to have maximum effect, it should be before any others try to do anything versus that defense stat.

[SirFozzie]

Images are not showing up (using Imgur, going to switch them to URLs so you can click if you want)

[SirFozzie]

2nd Attempt:

Ok, this time the roll for the issue content is 11: A General Villanous Scheme

Vampire Bat appears to be up to something, but you're prevented from going after him as he seems to have recruited Serena to stall you. You must solve her mystical mystery before you can continue

This takes place in Blackwood in Ravenholme, sounds like a Gotham City/spooky-ish place

The game generated a team of Delphi, Dupin, and Verti-Ghost. Only characters who are eligible for the location are choose able. We've already met Delphi, but let's copy over their bio and let's meet the other two heroes in this encounter:


DUPIN: Detective Danny Dupin is notably, one of the very few honest cops in Ravenholme. He's also one of the best, as comfortable as using his deductive reasoning and eye for detail to solve complex crimes as he is going toe-to-toe with villanous scum in fist and gun fights. Originally a complete scpetic, he has seen so much weird stuff in Ravenholme involving black magic and dark rites that he has ended up becoming very knowledgeable about such matters and often gets called in when mysterious, inexplicable events have baffled his colleagues... This has also led him to facing off against his nemesis, The Alchemist, many times. Utterly determined to help clean up his streets of his home city. Dupin has also forged many strong alliances with the various heroes (and anti-heroes) who help battle the tide of evil

Stats: Mystical (11/18), Outsmart (12/20)

Powers: Ace Detective (Uses action, Outsmarting Attack, reduces target wits defense by 2 till next turn, uses action), Dark Magic Research (Outsmart, reduce target mystical defense by 2, uses action), Draw a Charmed Symbol (Increase mystical defense by 1, Power, Requires 5+ to Activate), Street Smarts (Outsmart Attack, deactivates one of target's powers until next turn, takes action)

Rating: 4 Stars

Foz note: Sounds like a Commissioner Gordon meets Hellboy type. His render is complete noir/detective, complete with cigarette dangling from his lips)

VERTI-GHOST: One of the more obscure heroes in the Grey Dog Comics universe, the Verti-Ghost is the spirit of the murdered wizard George Glossop, tethered to the physical world by a need to be avenged. Despite being unable to physically touch anything, he remains a useful ally because of his knowledge of magic and his ability to get into places his more corporeal chums cannot.

Stats: Mystical: 12/18, Outsmart 11/18

Powers: Gets Into Places Other Cannot (Outsmart, disable one target power until next turn), Magical Knowledge (Outsmart, reduce target's mystical defense by 2 until next turn, takes action

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Foz Note: Well, he sounds very much like a one trick pony, but that's ok, we're not dealing with one of the prime movers of the universe here, probably someone who had a series a very very long time ago, now only shows up as a limited supporting role in others comics.

DELPHI: A mystic with a deep knowledge of the arcane arts, Delphi traded her eyesight to see into the future. As is the tradition with these sort of bargains, there was a catch - wWhat she got was the ability to see every possible future across the entire multiverse, an overwhelming sensation that has left her quite deranged and unpredictable

Stats:

(Stats are Attack/Defend) Mystical: 11/17, Outsmart 12/18
Powers: Arcane Knowledge (Outsmart to reduce attack of up to 3 targets by 1), Gift of Prophecy (takes an action, gives an ally an extra re-roll

Rating: 4 Stars

Same rules (5 rounds, ends when stumped -10 or solved +10, time limit means which ever side ahead wins):

Oh I almost forgot, let's meet our "Villain"

SERENA: A Character who has been around in one form or another for many decades in Grey Dog Comics, Serena is a mysterious woman who seems to have the ability to see into the future. Originally known simply as The Fortune Teller, then Tarot, she adopted the name of Serena in the 90's and has used that ever since. Neither a hero nor a villain, she pops up in comics every now and then to offer cryptic warnings and ambiguous predictions that usually seem to point to one thing but end up meaning something totally different. If you were being unkind, you could say that she's a plot device masquerading as a character

Stats: Mystical 11/18, Outsmart 12/18
Powers: Ambiguous Prediction (Outsmarting, reduces target's mystical attack by 2 till next turn, Free Action), Cryptic Messages: (Outsmarting, Targets 3, reduces target(s) mystical defense by 1 until next villain turn)

Rating: 3 Stars

Foz Note: Sounds like I would absolutely HATE this character if I followed the comics. Nothing more than a red herring and conspiracy theory magnet, whose whole gimmick is to inspire the readers to make a guess (likely wrong) about what the hell she's warning about

So it sounds like Vampire-Bat has done.. something, and Serena is attempting to.. educate our heroes about the threat, except since she's a mystical asshole, it comes out in vague hints and prophecies, while our heroes are desperately resisting the urge to throttle Serena, going "SPEAK PLAINLY!!!!!", and tease out hints to what the Vampire-Bot is doing..

[SirFozzie]

Turn 1:

Heroes win the initiative:

Armed with the knowledge from the last attempt, I know now to use powers that reduce the target's defense BEFORE I do any attempts to solve the situation.


[b]Heroes!

Delphi attempts Arcane Knowledge (Power) against Serena - FAILS (12+2d6 (3))=15 vs 18
Verti-Ghost attempts Magical Knowledge (Power, Action) against Serena - FAILS (11+2d6 (7)=18 vs 18
Dupin attempts Draw a Charmed Symbol (Power, 5+ needed) SUCCESS! (5), Mystical Defense +1 until next turn
Dupin attempts Standard Solution (Progress) SUCCESS (11+2d6 (10)=21 vs 18: (PROGRESS +1)
Delphi attempts Standard Solution (Progress) FAILS (11+2d6 (5)=16 vs 18)

Villains

Serena attempts Ambiguous Prediction on Verti-Ghost - SUCCESS! (12+2d6 (10)=22 vs 18 (Verti-Ghost -2 Mystical Attack until Villain next turn)
Serena attempts Standard Deception on Delphi - FAILS (11+2d6(5)=16 vs 17
Serena attempts Standard Deception on Verti-Ghost - FAILS (11+2d6(5)=16 vs 18

Turn 2 - Note: After turn 1, Standard Solutions no longer have free failure, a failure moves it -1 towards stumped)

Heroes

Delphi - Arcane Knowledge on Serena FAILS (12+6=18) vs 18
Delphi - Standard Solution SUCCESS (11+8=19) vs 18 (Progress +1, total +2)
Dupin attempts Draw a Charmed Symbol (Power, 5+ needed) FAILS (3)
Dupin - Standard Solution SUCCESS (11+10=21) vs 18 (Progress +1, total +3)
Verti-Ghost - Get a Lead (2+) SUCCESS (2)

Foz Notes: None of Verti-Ghost's Powers seem super useful here (he would need an 8+ to succeed on Outsmarting, and it would take up his action for the turn, so attempted to Get a Lead to look at the system, and the types of bonuses it provides. We're already at +3, so I felt semi-comfortable in attempting to Get a Lead (which needs a 2+ rather then do a Solution which would need a 9)

Villain

Serena - Ambiguous Prediction on Verti-Ghost - SUCCESS (12+9=21 vs 18), VG -2 Mystical Attack Again
Serena - Cunning Plan vs all three (11+5=16 vs 17, FAILS vs Delphi) , (11+7=18 vs 18, FAILS vs Dupin), (11+5=16 vs 18 FAILS vs Verti-Ghost)

Foz Notes: This is a HORRIBLE turn for Serena's attempts to confuse our team: the Problem with Cunning Plan is that EACH failure moves the Progress meter 1 towards solved, so we went from +3 to +6 in one fell swoop!!

Turn 3:

Heroes
Delphi - Arcane Knowledge on Serena - SUCCESS! (12+10=22 vs 18), Serena -1 Mystical Attack
Delphi - Standard Solution - SUCCESS! (11+10=21 vs 18) Progress +1 (+7)
Verti-Ghost - Follow a Lead - SUCCESS (2+ needed, 3 rolled), Progress +1 (+8)
Dupin- Leap of Faith (4+ to activate, FAIL (rolled 1)

Villain

Serena - Ambiguous Prediction on Verti-Ghost, SUCCESS (12+10=22) vs 18, VG takes ANOTHER -2 Mystical Attack Penalty (he's been constantly under it for three straight turns. Apparently Serena has it in for VG, talking about his tether, etcetera)
Serena - Desperation Ploy against Delphi (4+ to Activate) FAIL (rolled 3)

Foz Notes: I was tempted to try a risky solution to end this early, but decided that the risks were too much (-1 to attack, Success +2, Failure -2). Leap of Faith is two fold, with a 4+ needed to activate, and then +3/-1 on success or failure), as it turns out, I didn't even get to roll. Get/Follow a Lead seems like the safe maneuver.. it's 2+ to get and then 2+ follow a lead, but it's +1 over two turns. Serena tried a Desperation Ploy as the heroes are just about to win the encounter, but the dice just weren't with her. Leap of Faith (and I believe Desperation Ploy) can only be used once per puzzle per character

Turn 4

Heroes
Delphi - Arcane Knowledge on Serena - SUCCESS! (12+8=20 vs 18), Serena -1 Mystical Attack until next turn
Delphi - Leap of Faith on Serena (4+ to activate, FAIL, rolled 1)
Dupin - Standard Solution - SUCCESSS (11+10=21 vs 18), Progress +1 (+9)
Dupin - Charmed Symbol - SUCCESS (5+, rolled 6) (+1 mystical defense)
Verti-Ghost - Get a Lead - SUCESS (2+ needed, rolled 3) (1 lead)

Villain
Serena - Ambiguous Prediction on Verti-Ghost, SUCCESS (12+10=22) vs 18 (yes, VG loses -2 Mystical Attack until Serena's next turn)
Serena - Cunning Plan on Delphi - CRITICAL FAIL (Backfire!) (roll of 2), loses all actions for rest of the turn, +3 Progress, (+2 normally for failed cunning plan, +1 for backfire), Current +12

Foz Notes: Oof. Don't know if the AI targeted VG as the weakest character and that's why all the Ambiguous Predictions targeted him, or what, but she really had it in for him. On the other side, Serena must have taken her 'Speak coherently" pills, as the backfire just ended it for the Heroes

Status: +12 Solved!

Delphi Gets 6 Hero Points (Now 6)
Dupin Gets 6 Hero Points (Now 25)
Verti-Ghost Gets 6 Hero Points (Now 6)


Victory Bonus: The Heroes will go first next stage



Results:

"The Vampire-Bat is doing.. something, Serena. If you know anything about this, you need to tell us. Innocents could be hurt!" Verti-Ghost attempted to convince Serena to spill the details.

"The black baron takes his place on the field. If you don't spring the white knight, death will follow in his wake...." Serena muttered, eyes aglow with mystical energy

Delphi grimaced as she tried to focus the threads of her predictive energy to make sense of the prediction that Serena had made. She shook her head as the prospective threads slipped from her hands. She turned her blindfolded gaze on Detective Dupin, whose fingers were idly drawing small mystical symbols in the air. Dupin grimaced, and then asked "The white knight?" Would that be an artifact?

Serena turned her glowing eyes on the Verti-Ghost: "Ask your tethered friend. But be forewarned, the tether that keeps him in this world can easily become a puppeter's string.

Dupin thought this over, and then turned and started to walk away. "Thanks, Ser, you've been.. uncommonly helpful"

Delphi called out to him "Wait, she hasn't told us anything..

Dupin grinned, and lit his cigarette, watching as Delphi's nose crinkled as the smell of the smoke reached her nostrils.

"She's told us what we need to know. Anything else would be gobbledygook. What we need to do next is...

[SirFozzie]

Let's take a look at some of the forces available to us in the next scenario:
Game posted:

Skirmish in Blackwood (Part 2): You've discovered a powerpplay on the underworld in Blackwood. However, before you have a chance to tackle his threat, first you must engage in a skirmish with a small crew he's assembled

Combat Clash, Teams may field up to 3 characters, total of 18 stars, no more than 6 stars per character. Maximum 3 rounds, Combat ends when one side is completely knocked out, or time limit (side that does most damage wins)

Victory Bonus: Winning Side gets to spend an extra five stars in Stage 3.

The heroes (and others) available to the forces of good (Part 1 of 3)

We will have 18 stars amongst three folks on the side of good. Since we can't have anyone more than six stars, that means we can fill it out to the max, but those of lesser stars have to bring something to the table to make it worthwhile, since the game judged them not full capable)

Originally Posted by Game

Aikio - 6 Stars 4 Levels of Health, (7 Points of damage)

Not a lot is known about the masked martial artist Aikio, other than that he is a Kung Fu master who seems to spend most of his time wandering the globe looking to test his skills in hand to hand combat against the best opponents he can find. As it's the challenge he is interested in, devoid of any moral or spiritual context, he's as likely to turn up fighting for the forces of good, as he is to be temporarily aligning himself with a villain:

Stats: (all Attack/Defense)

Re-Rolls: 5
Melee 12/19
Range 10/17
Mental 8/18
Outsmart 11/18

(Foz Note: Imagine Ryu as a super-whatever. Nothing but the fight. His abilities are what you'd think, a bunch of Kung Fu related that allows him to avoid attacks on a 5+, impossible to ambush, and a couple of attacks. A strong candidate with lots of health.. but his description makes me wonder if we use him and upgrade him, if he would show up on the other side )

Cain the Shorn: (4.5 Stars, 3 levels of health, 5 Damage)

An intergalactic warrior of great renown, Cain the Everlasting traveled from planet to planet in cosntant search of adventure always fighting on the side of liberty and justice, never happier than when he got to face down some ridiculously huge beast that was threatening the locals. Although a fine fighter in his own right, it was his enchanted warhammer, Trollsbane that imbued him with incredible strength and allowed him to reach legendary new heights. Unfortunately, a trip to Earth proved costly, as in the act of helping to defeat Ragnarock, he lost Trollsbane. Trapped on the planet and now known as Cain the Shorn, he wants nothing more than to regain his mythical weapon and return to his status as one of the universe's premier forces for good.

Stats:
Re-Rolls 0
Melee 10/17
Range 10/17
Mental 7/16
Outsmart 10/16

Foz note: Thor/Hercules type sounds like, a lot less powerful without his hammer. He feels like a tank type, as his 2 of his listed powers are reduce damage types (a Passive that reduces Physical Damage by 1, a 2nd that can passively dodge an attack that would have hit him on a 5+, and a melee attack that does three damage. Not sure he's the best choice, because well, he's not great at anything except soaking damage). Plus he has no re-rolls. So, what you see is what you get. Wonder if there's a powered-up version later if you recover his warhammer...

City Sweeper (4.5 Stars, 3 levels of health, 5 Damage)

Major Scott Valor was kicked out of the army for beating up a notorious bully senior officer), has returned to his home city of Ravenholme only to find it completely overrun by crime. Incensed by what was being done to his city, he promptly took the codename City Sweeper and set about cleaning streets of the "scum" who were making the lives of the residents unbearable. A highly-trained elite soldier with laser like focus, he's a dangerous person to have gunning for you.

Stats:
Re-Rolls 3
Melee 11/18
Range 11/17
Mental 7/16
Outsmart 10/17

Foz Note: Yup, we got our GI Joe/Punisher Expy. His pwoers are basically guns and army training related. Not sure he's the best fit, but if we wanted big guns, he's an option. Not a great option, if you ask me, but that just might be my Punisher-disliking coming to the fore.

Crimson Saint (6 Stars, 4 levels of health, 7 Damage)

Sean Scarlet, the youngest son of the famous Ravenholme Scarlet dynasty, had led a charmed life, his family's wealth and influence opening doors for him that allowed him to travel the world, learn from the best tutors, and live a life of luxury. All that changes when he discovered that his eldest brother Steven was actually the demon-worshipping villain known as Sulphur. With a new found purpose and resolve, Sean used his resources to become the Crimson Saint, avenger of the downtrodden, seeking not only to stop Sulphur's evil schemes but to ultimately balance out his brother's darkness by doing an equal, if not greater amount of good.

Stats:
Re-Rolls 3
Melee 11/17
Range 11/17
Mental 6/17
Outsmart 11/18

Foz Notes: Um, Batman meets Hawkeye? He gets the batman stuff from his life of luxury and training,plus has a power that can deactivate one enemy's power until next turn. Body armor, Marksmanship training, martial arts, Parkour, twin handguns.. probably the first comic character most kids will come up with. A definite option..

Cyco (4 Stars, 4 levels of health, 4 Damage)

Billed as "The Man from the Future Without a Past", Cyco is a technologically-enhanced human from the future who was sent back in time to... well... no one knows, because the time-travel process somehow corrupted the cybernetic Part of his brain and erased his memory. Going only by his moral compass, he now fights crime while he continues to search for a way to find his purpose and/or return home. Cyco is noted for his distinctive one-eyed helmet that allows him to fire a concentrated burst of concussive sonic energy.

Stats:
Re-Rolls 1
Melee 10/16
Ranged 12/16
Mental 5/20
Outsmart 10/16

Foz Notes: Ok, I think this is Cyclops and Cable's backstory and power mashed together. He's good at ranged, and his Widespread Concussive blast can be a game changer (not only targets all enemies who aren't behind cover or in the air, but opponents who get hit are automatically stunned). However, with only four health and defenses of 16, he's a glass cannon. My vote is pass, but who knows.

[SirFozzie]

Our heroes (Part 2 of 3)

Dark Justice (4 stars, 3 Levels of health, 5 Damage)

Lauren Wong was an American paratrooper who saw a lot of action, particularly in the Middle East, and who was eventually discharged after suffering from severe post traumatic stress disorder. Unstable but still wanting to serve a hiugher purpose, she returned to her home of Ravenholme and became Dark Justice, an urban vigilante who quickly became a feared figure of terror for the criminal underworld. Extremely violent and predictable, unfortunately her PTSD can also lead her down some dark paths, and even amongst the handful of heroes who count her as an ally, there is wariness about what she might do on a "bad day"

Stats:
Re-Rolls 1
Melee 11/17
Range 11/17
Mental 8/14
Outsmart 9/15

Foz Note: Ravenholme appears to be our "Iron Age" city, because this is the THIRD hero that uses guns and second Punisher Expy. To be honest, I don't want to use her, because while a tried and true comic trope, someone suffering from PTSD, loading up with guns and shooting "the enemy" is not quite heroic to me. Especially because one of her powers (a once per issue ranged attack) is a mini-Improvised Explosive Device. But then again, I'm of a different age, maybe. Between personal distaste, low mental and outsmart defenses, and only three levels of health, this is a pass unless I hear elsewise.

Dawn of the Dead 5 Stars, 3 Levels of Health, 3 Damage

Several centuries ago, a powerful sorceror sought to save his dying wife by transferring her soul into a facsimile cloth doll, the result was "Dawn of the Dead", whio is effectively immortal but trapped in a shell that prevents her from feeling anything. In the years since her transformation, she shas extensively studied the mystic arts in an attempt to find a way of becoming "real" again. She has so far been unsuccessful, but as a result has become something of an expert on the subject. Unfortunately, the passing years and the stress of the situation have resulted in her becoming more and more withdrawn from humanity and increasingly erratic. It's often not clear whether she's fighting for good, evil, or just for her own ends.

Stats:
Re-Rolls 2
Melee 6/17
Range 6/17
Mental 6/18
Outsmart 12/20

Foz Notes: Her powers are very much related to her doll status, she ignores most damages (reduces physical damage, ignores poison and electricity,etcetera. But in a combat she's um.. not that useful (6's for her attacks other than Outsmart). She's a strike from the shadows type, and that sounds like a complete non-useful type for this battle.

Delphi (4 Stars, 3 Levels of Health, 5 Damage)

A mystic with a deep knowledge of the arcane arts, Delphi traded her eyesight to see into the future. As is the tradition with these sort of bargains, there was a catch - wWhat she got was the ability to see every possible future across the entire multiverse, an overwhelming sensation that has left her quite deranged and unpredictable

Stats:
Re-Rolls 0
Melee 6/16
Range 11/16
Mental 6/25
Outsmart 12/18

Foz notes: We talked about her twice before, but she now has a couple of combat related things, including a confusion spell that can do 1 mystical damage to everyone not behind cover or in the air, and if it hits, automatically outsmarts and stuns an opponent. She also has the ability to avoid being targeted for a range attack (3+ on 1d6). More of a ranged support hero, and I have a feeling this one will be down and dirty.

Dupin (4 Stars, 3 Levels of Health, 4 Damage)

Detective Danny Dupin is notably, one of the very few honest cops in Ravenholme. He's also one of the best, as comfortable as using his deductive reasoning and eye for detail to solve complex crimes as he is going toe-to-toe with villanous scum in fist and gun fights. Originally a complete scpetic, he has seen so much weird stuff in Ravenholme involving black magic and dark rites that he has ended up becoming very knowledgeable about such matters and often gets called in when mysterious, inexplicable events have baffled his colleagues... This has also led him to facing off against his nemesis, The Alchemist, many times. Utterly determined to help clean up his streets of his home city. Dupin has also forged many strong alliances with the various heroes (and anti-heroes) who help battle the tide of evil

Stats:
Re-Rolls 3
Melee 9/15
Range 10/16
Mental 7/15
Outsmart 12/20

Foz Notes: He did a lot of work in the last scenario for us. But, let's put it this way. Would you want Commissioner Gordon taking on major level bad guys in combat? Unless I hear otherwise, this is a definite pass.

Midnight Fox (4 stars, 3 Levels of Health, 5 Damage)

Ravenholme High student Cassie Croker was on her way home from a party one night when she was attacked by three thugs. She came to no harm, however, as the Combat Wombat swung into action and gave the hoodlums a VERY painful lesson in ethics. Inspired to help others in the same way, Cassie spent some time learning martial arts and eventually became the plucky teen hero known as Midnight Fox. A frequent sidekick to Combat Wombat, Fox is an able combatant but it is her exceptional computer science skills that often come in handy - her ability to hack into devices to learn valuable intel or to disrupt the villain's systems have saved the entire city on several occasions

Stats:
Re-Rolls 2

Melee 10/18
Range 10/18
Mental 6/18
Outsmart 12/18

Foz Notes: Um.. the Combat Wombat? (shakes head ruefully). Anyway. I really like the character, and she does have some good options, but the text says it for me, she's been a sidekick (and her mentor is not available in this scenario). Side Note: She actually has an ability when teamed up with Combat Wombat to damage four targets at one go. It's called the Wombat and Fox Henchmen Takedown in game, which I consider a missed opportunity. It should have been called the Wombo Combo. (or the Combo Wombo, since it's Combat Wombat)

Part 3 will have our heavy hitters (including the three six star folks that the game gives us a default team)

[SirFozzie]

Part 3 (otherwise known as "Foz's fingers really could use a break")

Rachael Noir 4.5 Stars, 3 Levels Health, 5 Damage

Originally one of the (Very) few honest Ravenholme police officers, Rachel Noir's world was torn apart when the assassin Vicki Hate killed her journalist brother after an investigation he was running into Narco's criminal empire had gotten a little too close for the crime boss's comfort. Infuriated by the Ravenholme Police Department's refusal to investigate the murder properly (she correctly deduced it was due to Narco having some dirt on the chief of police), Noir quit the force and became a vigilante, obsesses with settling the score with Hate and then finishing her brother's work by bringing down Narco.

Stats:
Rerolls 2
Melee 10/17
Range 11/17
Mental 6/16
Outsmart 11/18

Foz Notes: If this was taking part in Chinatown isntead of Blackwood, in Ravenholme, I might be willing to slip her into the team, despite being only 4.5 stars (she has an ability that boosts her stats in Chinatown...) something about her backstory is more palatable then say Dark Justice. Considering those we're facing though, this may not be the time nor the place for Rachel

Risktaker (4 Stars, 3 Levels of Health, 5 Damage)

An investigative journalist with the Ravenhole Chronicle, Greg Gamble specialized in crime reporting and was instrumental in dragging the illegal enterprises of men like Narco, Yin-Yang, and Lisping Lou Ferrari into the lgiht, which naturally, put a huge target on his back, as the various crime lords saw their operations disrupted and compromised. Effectively forced to quit his job and go on the run, Gamble reasoned that the only way he'd ever be safe is if he helped to put all the crime bosses behind bars and put an end to their criminal enterpires. After undergoing extensive training with City Sweeper, he donned a mask and became the hero known as Risktaker

Stats:
Re-Rolls 3
Melee 11/17
Range 10/17
Mental 6/16
Outsmart 12/18

Foz Notes: I actually am considering him. Not likely, but he's at least in the conversation. He is a very decent "Light heavyweight" superhero.. he has taser gauntlets and technological gadgets (including batman style minibombs). Plus he's an underdog type. However, this may be a heavyweight fight he doesn't have the muscle for. We'll see.

The Flashing Blade (5 Stars, 3 levels of Health, 6 damage)

When Michael Perez started digging iinto his family history, he found he was the descendent of a long line of swashbuckling freedomg fighters, the most famous of whom was known as the Flashing Blade, a hero who stood up to corruption and abuse of power in 16th century Spain. Inspired, he took his ancient ancestor's sobriquet and now travels the world fighting evil and protecting the innocent. Over the course of his adventures, he has come into possession of the Perez family sword, a blade that is said to be enchanted so that it can cut through any substance on the planet. Blade is noted for his ongoing rivalry with his nemesis and fellow swordsman, Masked Cavalier.

Stats
Re-Rolls 2
Melee 11/18
Ranged 9/16
Mental 8/15
Outsmart 11/18

Foz Notes: Can you say Zorro? I knew you could (try to catch the amount of references there!). In fact one of his powers is entitled "World's Greatest Swordsman". Again, does he bring something to the table that our default three doesn't? I'll leave that to the judgement of others.

Darvin the Monster Hunter (6 stars, 3 Levels of Health, 5 Damage)

Darvin, usually referred to more fully as Darvin the Monster Hunter (the name of his short-lived solo series, is part-human and part-vampire, posessing the soul of the former, and the physical abilities of the latter. However, his human half means that he does not have to endure the typical blood lust of a vampire, or other such traditional weaknesses of vampires (he can move around freely in daylight, for example). According to his origin story, he's been traveling the glove for a couple centuries, tracking down and killing supernatural monsters in order to protect humanity.

Stats:
Re-Rolls None
Melee 12/17
Range 12/17
Mental 9/18
Outsmart 11/18

Foz Notes: And spot the Blade Expy. His stats look good if middling, so why is he rated at six stars? Because his "Starting Powers/Abilities/Traits" window has 12 lines in it (which was the reason I said "No, I'm not going to copy and paste everyone's combat abilities). He's got an option that increases the attackers actions increased by 1 (if he's on the team), and got all the abilities that you'd expect from a Blade expy, including energy drain, durability etcetera. With facing Vampire-Bat's minions, he's in the default team for a reason. and that reason is bringing the pain to supernatural enemies.

Deathwatch Beetle (6 stars, 4 levels of health, 7 Damage)

It was pretty early in life that Brian "Buster" Tell discovered that he had a nearly superhuman ability to withstand punishment, something that came in extremely handy given his scrappy nature and the fact that he grew up on the mean streets on Ravenholme. He would eventually put his talent to good use, becoming a world class Mixed Martial Arts competitor and a nearly unbeatable bar room brawler. After seeing Ravenholme descend into even more chaos and criminality then usual, he donned the mask of the Deathwath Beetle and using the wealth he had amassed from MMA to fund his campaign, became a vigilante and dedicated himself to standing up for the good citizens of the city.

Stats:
Re-Rolls 2
Melee 12/18
Ranged 10/18
Mental 8/17
Outsmart 10/17

Foz Notes: I'm tempted to see if Brian Tell appears in Adam Ryland's World of Mixed Martial Arts game. But I think he's a Luke Cage expy, and is very tanky, between stats and abilities, including "Can take a beating" (reduces all damage except Psychic/Mystical by 1 on a 3+, a free use (3+) power that increases an ally's melee defense by 1, a 5+ dodge vs Melee, a heal (5+, 1 point, and a melee attack that does three points of damage and automatically stuns an opponent if he hits. In a combat heavy scenario, I want him on my team. I can see why the game put him in default.

Kid Canada (5.5 Stars, 3 Levels of Health, 6 Damage)

Kid Canada (Rob Joslin) is one of the Great White North's premier Superheroes even though he is just a teenager. A metahuman who gained his powers after accidentally ingesting an alien parasite that now lives in his lower colon, he is freakishly strong, incredibly durable, and also has the abilty to fly. KC travels the world promoting positive relations with Canada by doing heroic deeds, saving folks, and generally being an all-round good egg.

Stats: 2 ReRolls
Melee 11/18
Range 10/17
Mental 6/18
Outsmart 10/17

Foz Notes: Thanks for telling me that the parasite lives in his LOWER COLON, game. (Ew). Flying tank, even can assist his teammates if he's taken out of action, as he has a 5+ ability that increases all allies defense values by 1 if he's knocked out. Other than that, Flight, Enhanced Healing and Durability, and Super Strength Punches. Yup. Again, I see why he's in the team.

[SirFozzie]

The enemies:

Hisshi - A legendary international Assassin, known as the Inevitable Death due to her clinical efficiency. A master of the katana, she is known to American law for her long-standing alliance with the crime lord Yin-Yang, having carried out multiple killing on his orders. More ambitious than most hired killers, Hisshi has formed her own 'clan' and is slowly but surely gaining power in various cities around the world. Her cousin, who she frequently butts heads with, is fellow assassin Kuro


Crippling Fear- A highly dangerous mercenary who is known for his trademark mask, skill with guns, and complete and utter ruthlessness. Considered an elite amongst the roster of international assassins, only the very top crime bosses can generally afford to hire him. Over the years, he has become best known as a nemesis of Combat Wombat, although he often makes cameo appearances elsewhere to face off against other major heroes.


Scuttlebutt - A human-spider hybrid who was created by a rogue geneticist. After the scientists' untimely death, Scuttlebutt escaped into the world. His arachnid gives him immense strength, while his human side means that he's capable of reasoning and emotional control. He's known for his skill at high-end theft (particularly of art), but his strong combat abilities mean that he can also be effectively be deployed as a bruiser or enforcer when he's working for other villains.

So, a top assassin who's forming her own clan of ninja, a Deadshot expy who takes on this universe's equivalence of Batman, and Man-Spider. Yikes. That's three six star villains right there, 18 total stars. So, who faces them?

That's what folks elsewhere are voting on (personally I hope they keep the default team. I'm going to need all the beef I can bring to deal with those three).

But if you have any questions or whatever, glad to answer them

[SirFozzie]

Ok, we'll go with Aikio replacing Kid Canada

Ok, a quick explanation of Combat and positioning

Each location that we fight in has variables on whether flight if allowed, ranged combat allowed, if folks can hide in the shadows, if there's a Sniper's Nest location, etcetera. Ranged folks will want to use those positions, while our melee folks will want to fight in close quarters. Folks can position themselves once per turn, and to target someone who's not in a melee-able position requires you to "close the distance" on them, which is a d6 roll to move the opponents status to "Out in the Open" (and usually once done so, melee folks will try to take him down before he can move away.) Folks who can get a bonus on this roll are important, because if you fail that roll, you've just wasted that action (and a lot of times, you only get a certain amount of combat actions, and in general folks only have one combat action a turn).

We're fighting in Blackwood:

One of the poorest neighborhoods in Ravenholme, Blackwood is infested with criminals. As the old joke goes, the best thing you'll see in Blackwood is the sign telling you're you're leaving it

Just to give an idea of how combat is tactical, let's look at the pertinent stats heading into the heroes turn 1 (each also has custom descriptors based on their health level, but that's just flavor, for example, Aikio's Full Health descriptor is "Zen-Like", but I don't think that has any in-game effects):

Heroes:
Aikio 7 Health, In The Open
Darvin the Monster Hunter 5, Shadows
Deathwatch Beetle 7, In the Open

vs

Crippling Fear 6 Health, Shadows
Hisshi 6 Health, Run and Cover
Scuttlebutt 6 Health, Shadows

And again, this is more of a skirmish (there are scenarios that only end when one side is defeated, unless there's a whiff-fest where no one can damage each other for 6 turns in a row). It's only 3 turns, and there are two victory conditions: KO the other team entirely, or on the three turn time limit's expiration, whichever team did more damage.

[SirFozzie]

(for those of us who would just play to see what happens or don't want to deal with the tactical side, there is a button to let the AI do all your remaining moves for you)

Here's a list of the locations in fight:

In the Open: Default Status, No bonuses or penalties

Taken Cover (-2 to Melee/Ranged Attack, +2 to Melee/Ranged Defense) - Hit in melee moves you to "In the open"

In the Air (Good news: +1 to Ranged Defense, and opponents who are not in a similar status, you get +2 to your Melee Defense, and they get -1 to their defense. However, if you take a hit while in the Air, you take an extra damage from your exposed position (and get moved to In The Open if it was Melee or Ranged)

In the Shadows (-1 to Attacks, +1 to Defense), Melee Hit will move you to in the open

Run and Cover (-1 to Attacks, +2 to Ranged Defense), any Ranged, Melee or Mental Attack will put you In the Open

Aggressive Approach (+2 to Melee Attack, -1 to Ranged Attack and Melee Defense, and -2 to Ranged Defense)

At Range (+2 Range Attack, +1 to Range Defense, and you cannot make melee attacks) The good news is however, that someone will have to close the distance to you to attack (so if they target you and fail, they just wasted their whole action)

In Ranged Cover (+1 to Range Attack, +2 to Range Defense), just like At Range target wise

In the Sniper's Nest (+2 to Ranged Attack and Defense, -1 to Melee Defense, can't make melee attacks). This is the controlling position, and has a lot of benefits (including a hard Close the Distance roll), but comes with some possible heavy baggage. Since you're focusing on the fight and not on your surroundings, if someone does close the distance on you and hits you with a melee attack, you are now In the Open, and also take TWO extra damage. Painful as heck)

(For brevity, I will explain what a power/action is the first time it happens, only, and I may change the format in future battles, but this is to explain the tactical deepness of the game)



Round 1:

NON-Combat

Aikio: Find your Weakness (Outsmart Attack, Lowers one target's melee defense by 1 if successful) vs Hisshi- SUCCESS! 11+2d6(10)=21 vs 20 SUCCESS!


Aikio: Adopt Cat Stance (5+ Free Power, +1 OWN Range Defense if Successful) - UNSUCCESSFUL (Roll 2)

Deathwatch Beetle: Inspiring Teammate (3+ Power, +1 TEAMMATE Melee Defense) - SUCCESS! (Roll 4) : Darvin the Monster Hunter +1 Melee Defense

COMBAT ACTION 1

Aikio has a choice of two attacks (Normally, I won't go into huge detail on why I did it, but again, just to explain):

Precision Strike: Attacks 1 opponent, Melee, if hits, does 3 damage (base), and Stuns
Whirlwind of Strikes: Attacks up to Three, does 2 damage base

In this case, Aikio chooses to Precision Strike Hisshi for a couple reasons: One, is that Aikio used "Find Their Weakness" to lower their defense by 1, so with a Melee Attack of 12, they'd only need a 6+ to hit Kisshi (Melee Defense of 17). Stuns are pretty important, because they limit what an opponent can do on their turn. More importantly, since I have the first turn, I would like to possibly take one villain out of the fight as quickly as possible. Since they collectively have a lot of ranged attacks,, I don't want to give them a chance to get out to positions that not only would give them bonuses to hit me, but also I would have to chase them down to hit them with our melee based team.

So Here we go

Aikio: Precision Strike (vs Hisshi) 12 +2d6 (5)=17 (Vs 17), Unsuccessful!

COMBAT ACTION 2

Darvin: Powerful Strikes (vs Hisshi) (Melee, 3 Damage if hit) Total Roll: (20 vs 17) = SUCCESS!

Hisshi has a defensive power called "Defensive Footwork" that allows her a 5+ save vs damage: Roll: 6 SUCCESS, Attack Dodged!

COMBAT ACTION 3

Deathwatch Beetle uses Ground and Pound (vs Hisshi) (Melee, 3 Damage if hit, Stuns) (21 vs 17)= SUCCESS!

Hisshi Defensive Footwork (Roll 3) UNSUCCESSFUL!

Hisshi stunned, takes 3 Points of Physical Damage (3 Left)

[quote]In-game text quips generated by the game:

Deathwatch Beetle: Here's something I learned from my day job! (reminder: He's a MMA fighter "IRL")

Kisshi: You have my respect (for hitting her). Now you must die

MOVEMENT:

Aikio Takes Cover
Deathwatch Beetle: Takes Cover

Villains Turn 1:

Hisshi uses the power "The Hisshi Clan". This is a utility power that is used for those folks who have their own backup support, like say a mad assassin who's starting their own clan of assassins. It's a free power, a 5+ roll, which if successful, brings a "Drone" character (A Ninja) to fight on their side, which can help with a numbers game. They're called Drones because if the boss is taken out, the Drones are instantly defeated as well)

Roll: 5 (SUCCESS) - One of her Ninjas (3 health) has come on to the battlefield


Scuttlebutt uses "Patient Predator" on Deathwatch Beetle (Free Power: Outsmart Attack, if successful, move someone out IN THE OPEN) 4+ Activation, ROLL: 2 (Fails)



Crippling Fear: Elite Mercenary (Outsmart, Lower One opponent's stat),

Darvin uses "On the Hunt" ability (A 5+ Reaction Power to being targeted by the Ability, cancelling the attempt) , Roll: 3 (FAILS!)

Crippling fear rolls 2d6: 12 PERFECT HIT: Darvin has Ranged Defense -1 until the villan's next turn)

Combat Action 1:

Scuttlebutt uses Toxic Webbing attack (1 ranged damage vs 3 targets) on all three heroes

Darvin On The Hunt (Dodge) (Roll: 6) SUCCESS

Scuttlebutt gets one attack roll and it applies to the two remaining targets (Deathwatch Beetle and Aikio)

Attack 12 + 2d6 roll 4=16 (vs 19 Aikio, vs 20 Deathwatch Beetle): MISSES ALL!

Deathwatch Beetle quip: "Will you hurry it up already, Whatcha trying to do, BORE me into unconsciousness?"

Combat Action 2:
Crippling Fear uses Advanced Tech Blaster (Ranged Energy 3 damage to 1 target) on Deathwatch Beetle: FAILS (11+(6)=17 (vs 18)

Combat Action 3:
Hisshi uses Katana Slice on Deathwatch Beetle (Melee 2 Attack): Fails (10 current rating+6=16 vs 20

As you can see, there's a whiff factor involved to a bit, but when they DO take a hit, they can take up to HALF their damage from a big strike

So, we've finished with Round 1:


Current Status

Aikio 7 Health (Cover)
Darven 5 Health (Shadows)
Deathwatch Beetle 5 Health (Cover)

vs

Creeping Fear 6 Health (Shadows)
Hisshi 3 (max 6) Health (In the Open)
Hisshi's Nina 3 Health (Shadows
Scuttlebutt 6 Health (Ranged Cover)

We've done 3 damage to their 0, and we're 1/3d the way through the fight. One very important thing to note is that while they did get an attack, Hisshi was unable to attempt a change in position because of the stunning. Something to keep in mind!

[SirFozzie]

Round 2:

(Going to try a more compact readout, you probably don't want to see all the guts of the system(all the dice rolls etcetera) all the time. We're here for comic book action, not Super Excel! But do let me know if you prefer a verbose, strategy built output or more of a brief summary).

Underlined lines indicate In-Game Positioning, Italics=Non-Attack Action, and Combat Actions will be in Bold, and just for the record, I'm letting the AI run this turn for me, so I can see how it positions folks, schedules actions, etcetera)

Originally Posted by Hero Turn Log

Aikio "Into the Open"

Deathwatch Beetle "Aggressive Approach",

Deathwatch Beetle Inspiring Teammate on Darven (+Melee Defense)

Aikio: Find your Weakness (Hisshi) HIT (20v18), -1 Melee Defense


Deathwatch Beetle GROUND AND POUND (Hisshi) HIT (22v17), Dodge FAILED: Hisshi takes 3 damage, and is KNOCKED OUT (see Note 1 and Note 2)

Deathwatch Beetle (Quip to defeated Hisshi) : "Stick around, I've got some "I got my ass kicked by the Deathwatch Beetle" T-shirts in the BeetleMobile, you can have one"

Deathwatch Beetle earns 12 Hero Points, now at 57! (See Note 3


Darvin POWERFUL STRIKES (Crippling Fear), NO ACTION! (Crippling Fear used: Nighter Stalker (5+ to avoid being targeted)

Aikio WHIRLWIND OF STRIKES (Scuttlebutt/Crippling Fear): Close Distance on Scuttlebutt (4+), SUCCESSS (moves Scuttlebutt Into the Open), Crippling Fear tries to Avoid target (FAILS), HITS Scuttlebutt, Misses Crippling Fear (18 vs 17/18), Scuttlebutt Dodges (5+)=NO DAMAGE : Note 4

Villain Turn

Scuttlebutt RANGED COVER

Scuttlebutt PATIENT PREDATOR (Darvin), FAILED ACTIVATION

Crippling Fear ELITE MERCENARY (Darvin), NO ACTIVATION, Darvin used ON THE HUNT (5+ to avoid being the target of an ability/attack)


Scuttlebutt TOXIC WEBBING (Beetle/Aikio/Darvin): Darvin failed TargetDodge, hits Aikio and Beetle, misses Darvin , Aikio Fails to dodge (5+), Beetle Fails to Soak (5+ , takes 1 damage each STUN, Beetle has power that lowers damage by 1, takes no damage, Aikio 6 Health Remaining))


Crippling Fear ENERGY GRENADE (3 Shockwave Damage, Ranged, auto targets all enemies not behind cover or in the Air, and enemies cannot use abilites to dodge being targeted, Stuns), Misses EVERYONE 11 + (4)=15 vs (17/17/16), USES REROLL! (11+(7)= HITS ALL!!!! (18 vs 17/17/16), Beetle uses a soak power to take 1 less damage and has a passive that also lowers damage by 1)

Aikio takes 3 Damage (3 Remaining), Darvin Takes 3 Damage (2 Remaining), Beetle Takes 1 damage (6 Remaining)

And now we see the power of re-rolls, and what high powered ranged characters can do to you. If Crippling Fear hadn't re-rolled that, we would have been up in damage entering the final round 6 to 1. Instead, the villain side is now leading 8 to 6 in the tiebreaker And with all my folks stunned I won't be able to position folks for the big hit on the final turn). It's a "Once per issue" power for Crippling Fear, but sometimes, once is enough.


Note 1: As the controller: (Hisshi) was defeated, her Drone (Ninja) is also removed from the combat. A two for one special!

Note 2: As she has been taken out of the combat, we need to roll 2d6 to determine Hisshi's post battle fate, which can be anything from fleeing the battlefield unharmed to "injuries", meaning that we won't see them for a number of issues/missions as they recover, to being jailed (Pretty much out of the game unless a special mission is rolled for a jailbreak), or even "Death" (which in game, like the comics can be permanent or not depending on how grim-gritty the universe is). The 2D6 Roll is 8 which on her table is: Medium Injury (will need "Several" issues to recover)

Note 3: Hero Points can be used in missions for temporary stat bonuses that you grant to yourself or teammates, or add re-rolls to a teammate

Note 4: Aikio had 5 re-rolls, so I could have rolled again (you can re-roll any roll just once though). I decided not to, because I needed to better an average result to hit them both (7+ vs Scuttle, 8+ vs Crippling Fear), I took the average result and decided to accept the glass half full: Of course, Scuttlebutt made the glass all empty by dodging, but what can you do.


Round 2 Completion:

Aikio 3 Health Left (In The Open)
Darvin 2 Health Left (Shadows)
Beetle 6 Health Left (Aggressive)

vs

Crippling Fear 6 Health (Shadows)
Scuttlebutt 6 Health (Ranged Cover)

Tiebreaker Villans Lead 8/6

[SirFozzie]

Round 3: It's Smoke Em If you Got em time, the final turn, and by the way, Em means the two remaining bad guys please. Smoke em!

We're not able to change our positioning due to the stun, so what we have is what we're going to have It means we can't target Scuttlebutt in Ranged Cover. May the dice be with us.


Hero Turn Log:

Beetle: INSPIRING TEAMMATE (Darvin), SUCCESS! (+1 Melee D)

Beetle: WILL TO SURVIVE (5+ Free Power, Heal 1 if successfull) FAILS

Beetle: MMA Strikes (2 Physical Damage) on Crippling Fear, No Activation! Crippling Fear hit ANOTHER 5+ to avoid being targeted roll.

Darvin: Hard Strikes (Crippling Fear), No Activation! Crippling Fear rolls 6 and fails to be targeted AGAIN!!!!

Aikio: Martial Arts Strikes.. you know what? I'm not going to even. Crippling Fear rolled a 5+ three straight times to avoid being targeted. RNGesus, why hath thou forsaken me?

I'm so disgusted I barely have the urge to finish typing this

Villain Turn Log:

Scuttlebutt plinks us for 1 damage, and then Crippling Fear uses his blaster to take out Aikio and Darvin (2 damage each). Aikio receives (7): A medium injury, Darvin Receives (6): Medium Injury

Villains win 14-6


Post-Mission Status

Heroes

Aikio- TAKEN OUT (MEDIUM INJURY)
Darvin the Monster Hunter - TAKEN OUT (MEDIUM INJURY)
Deathwatch Beetle (Up)

Villains
Hisshi- Taken Out (MEDIUM INJURY)
Crippling Fear (Up)
Scuttlebutt (Up)

[SirFozzie]

Encounter Recap: Written by me

Let's Play Comics: Issue 1 , Part 2 (Title: Ravenholme Rampage!)

"No! Don't let her get away!" yelled the Deathwatch Beetle, as he pointed at the fallen form of Hisshi, whose fellow ninjas were attempting to carry her away from the battlefield. "We need to..."

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, as a well placed concussive energy grenade by Crippling Fear sent all three heroes flying. Beetle's superhuman durability allowed him to absorb the worst of it, but Aikio and Darvin were completely unsteady and only got to their feet momentarily, trying to find Crippling Fear before a couple well placed shots sent them back down, stunned, hurt, but thankfully not dead.

Crippling Fear's raspy voice came out in a chuckle aimed at the Beetle. "Too bad. I was looking to play more, but unfortunately, I can't stay and kill you and those meddling fools, I have work to do, and while I'd kill YOU for free, Beetle, I'm getting paid a LOT of money for what I'm going to do.. Kill you later..."

Crippling Fear and the silent Scuttlebutt disappeared into the darkness, with the Beetle already calling for superhuman paramedics then hurrying to stop Vampire Bat and his minions from taking over a large swath of Ravenholme's crime syndaicates

In the Next Issue: Things look bad for our heroes.. can they save the day?

Post Mortem:

Screw Crippling Fear. He did 13 of the villains 14 damage, 7 with one attack. That and that BS 5+ "Nope, you can't target me!" ability. But that's one of the problems of going in completely blind. I should have targetted him instead of Hisshi, but I feared Hisshi's free "Create a Ninja" power. And truth be told, having advanced to see the next part of the mission, that would be a lot more powerful in a long fight. In the end though, the dice (and the fact that the stun happened and meant that all the attacks had to funnel to Crippling Fear, and the dice did the rest. Again, that's what we get for going in completely blind.

[SirFozzie]

Issue 1: Encounter 3: Big Fight Scene

We've caught up with the Vampire-Bat and his minions, including a gloating Crippling Fear. It's time to put an end to his scheme once and for all!


Rules:

25 Turn Battle, or until one side is Knocked Out. Probably at least 3x the expected duration but hey, we've seen what dice can do

Up to 5 characters, 30 Stars total, max of 6 stars per (Villains get +5 Stars for winning the last encounter, but they can't use them, so we get a small break, but being down two six star characters already from the last encounter means we'll at least be at a small underdog in estimated power level:

No new people available, so here's our available roster:

Cain the Shorn
City Sweeper
Crimson Saint
Cyco
Dark Justice
Dawn of the Dead
Deathwatch Beetle
Delphi
Dupin
Kid Canada
Midnight Fox
Rachel Noir
Risktaker
The Flashing Blade


The default team (27 Stars): Crimson Saint, Deathwatch Beetle, Kid Canada, the Flashing Blade, Rachel Noir


The enemy team (30 Stars)

Vampire-Bat: The cursed offspring of a vampire and a demoness, Vampire-Bat has all the physical advantages associated with his vampiric heritage but with the added advantage of a huge pair of wings that allow him to fly. Cunning, cruel and methodical over time he has created a cult around himself (The Red Sect) which not only provides him willing victims to feed upon, but has also led to him gaining controll over followers who he has trained into a small but dangerous army.

Quick Note: Eek. He has a Create Ninja ability, takes extra heat damage, can hypnotize folks, and gets a bonus to attacking humans (because they're his snack).

Ghoul: A semi-Vampiric creatures who has been stalking the pages of Grey Dog Comics since the 50's, although his depiction has changed radically over the years, from a vampire to a more complex, almost Lovecraftian creation. Like a vampire he has physical abilities way above a regular human and some degree of mystic powers. He does not have any of the traditional weaknesses of vampires, and does not necessarily need to feed off people to survive.

Quick Note: Another Vampire type, with a variety of attacks, including psychic

Talos: Named after the Greek Myth, Talos is a mutant who has the ability to grow to giant proportions and gain a hard bronze like coating that makes him incredibly durable and hard-hitting, albeit with the drawback of becoming ponderously slow and hard to hit. Debuting in Grey Dog Comics in the late 90's the character has bounced around between being an out and out villain, a sympathetic hero, or a mysterious wildcard who can't be trusted by anyone, but has yet to develop into more than a two-dimentional cypher.

Quick Note: Supertank (any non-Psychic/non-Mystical damage gets reduced by TWO atumatically, plus a 4+ power to soak a THIRD damage). Thanks. I hate him in a battle where you have to knock him out (on the upside, he does have only 4 health levels, but getting AT them is going to be nearly impossible.

Scuttlebutt: See last encoutner

Crippling Fear: See Last Encounter. Is a massive jerkface.

So, how do we counter this? I don't know to be honest.

Talos can soak a ton of damage, to the point that we may be FORCED to bring Dawn of the Dead along (she has a ranged Mystical Bolt attack, which Talos can't use his big soak on)

But let's take a look at our heroes, and their suitability against this Murderer's Row. (literally!)


The game added notes to show if they're a Primary Attacker, or Secondary Attacker, or a support character


Cain The Shorn: I don't think he's a good option. He does physical damage which is soaked by Talos

City Sweeper: Not quite heroic, but I think we may want to consider him. He has a once-per issue grenade which does Heat Damage (which Vampire-Bat is vulnerable to), and can be our ranged support, also soaks 1 point of physical damage

Crimson Saint: Runs into the anti-Talos issue, but has good ranged attacks. We may want him to take down Crippling and friends without having to chase him down

Cyco: Not sure.. that widespread concussive blast (2 damage to all not in air/cover, +stun) looks useful to keep certain folks in the open (looking at you Crippling)

Dark Justice: Has that mini-IED heat damage, and a duo attack with City Sweeper

Dawn of the Dead: Support, I'm wondering if we bring her along to target Talos. Can heal other supernatural folks.. But if we're depending on her for anything but that stuff, we've already lost.

Deathwatch Beetle: Did most of our damage last time, but we saw his downside. On the upside, he's probably itching for revenge..

Delphi: I'm SERIOUSLY considering her. She has a mystical attack against all not in cover/in the air that does 1 damage and stuns if it hits. But with five health, if the villains win initiative, can they take her out?

Dupin: No. He's a support and social guy. He'd be target practice for Crippling Fear

Kid Canada: We need at least one tank, and probably two. He can fly, and that'll help chase some folks out of hiding.

Midnight Fox: Has an ability that can lower someone's ranged attack by 2, so that is a useful non-combat action

Rachel Noir: Looking at the amount of soak on the other team, not sure she's fit for this fight.

Risktaker: Another glass cannon, but he's an option because he has several group-attacks +Stun he can use once per issue

The Flashing Blade: Yeah, I want to take him along, because that World's Greatest Swordsman ability does 2 physical, but does a MINIMUM of 2 damage (so Talos's soak wouldn't help him)



So, that's our options. We can take 5 characters:

This is my suggested team:

Deathwatch Beetle
Kid Canada
Risktaker/Dark Justice
The Flashing Blade
City Sweeper

[SirFozzie]

While we wait for more votes elsehwere (if any), let's look at the abilities of our suggested team and the bad guys.

Part 1: Beetle, Kid Canada, Risktaker

Just the terminology I'm using:

Attack (Damage Type) (Damage)/ (# of Targets), so an Attack that does three Energy damage to All not in cover or in Air would be entitled: "Attack: Energy/3/ALL"
Soak: Reduces Damage: (Soak: Success Needed/Damage Reduction Amount/Type (so a 3+ ability that reduces damage by 1 against all Non-Psychic/Non-Mental damage would read: "SOAK: 3+/1/All Non-Psychic or Mental"
Dodge: Rolled post attack roll, if successful, person takes no damage from attack) (so an ability that allows a 5+ roll to dodge a Physical attack would read "DODGE: 5+/Physical"
NoTarget: When the person is nominated for the target, a successful activation will remove that person from being Targeted (if they were the only target, that means the Attack never fires): So, a 5+ Ability to dodge melee/ranged attacks would be "NOTARGET 5+ (Melee/Ranged)"
Enhance (Stat): Action provides a bonus to a stat,
Move

Deathwatch Beetle (Health: 1/2/2/2=7 Health)

Passive Abilities
CAN TAKE A BEATING (SOAK 3+/1/All Non-Physical or Mystical)
INCREDIBLE TOUGHNESS: SOAK Auto 1/All Non-Physical or Mystical
RAVENHOLME STREET SMARTS (Dodge 5+ vs Outsmarting Attacks)
WORLD CLASS MMA FIGHTER (DODGE 5+/Physical)

Non-Combat Action Abilities:
INSPIRING TEAMMATE: (3+/ Melee Defense +1)
MAKING A FINAL STAND (Move: BLAZE OF GLORY POSITION)
WILL TO SURVIVE (Heal 5+/1)


COMBAT ACTION
GROUND AND POUND (Only available at Full Health): Melee Attack: Physical/3/1
MMA STRIKES Melee Attack: Physical/2/1 (available at all Health Levels)





Kid Canada (2/2/2, 6 Health Total)

Passive Abilities:

BEACON OF GOODNESS (SPECIAL) (When knocked out, 5+ roll to give all teammates +1 All defenses until end of battle)
FLIGHT (Can use In the Air, auto create distance auto close on Sniper's Nest)
METAHUMAN DURABILITY: Soak 1(non Psychic/Mystical, Auto succeed)
PARASITIC PROTECTION: SOAK 5+/1 (Non Psychic/Mystical)- Cannot be used at lowest Health Level)

Non-Combat
ENHANCED HEALING (HEAL 1, uses Combat Action, Once/issue)

Combat Abilities
SUPER STRENGTH PUNCHES (used only at Top Health Level) Melee Attack 3/1
SUPER STRENGTH PUNCH (Used at 2nd and third Health Level) Melee Attack 2/1




Risktaker (2/2/1, 5 Health)

Passive
MOVE FAST AND BREAK STUFF: Special: No Penalty to attack from Cover, +2 to close distance with opponent, Automatically create distance
PARKOUR SKILLS (Dodge Melee/Ranged 5+, unable to be used at third health level)
REINFORCED LIGHTWEIGHT ARMOR (SOAK 1 PHYSICAL)

Non-Combat
TRAINED BY CITY SWEEPER: (Outsmarting Attack, reduce ANY combat skill by 2, 1 target), Not available at lowest health level

Combat
MARTIAL ARTS STRIKE (Physical Attack/2/1 Target)
MARTIAL ARTS STRIKES (Physical Attack 1/2 Targets)
TASER GAUNTLETS (Ranged Attack/2 Energy/1 Target, + STUN, Once per issue)
RISK BOMB (Ranged Attack/1 Heat/ALL, +STUN, Once per Issue)
RISK FREEZE BOMB (Ranged Attack/1 Cold/ALL, +STUN, Once per Issue)
RISK GAS BOMB Ranged Attack/2 Toxic/ALL +STUN, Minimum Damage 1, Once per Issue)
RISK SONIC BOMB: Ranged Attack/2 Sonic/ALL, +STUN, Minimum Damage 1, Once per Issue)


Risktaker is probably going to go ahead of Dark Justice, just all those lovely stun abilities would be really nice to do. But nothing's set in stone, and again, if the opponents get initiative, I can see them focusing on Risky from the start.

After thinking about it, I now know what to compare Risktaker to: Early Batman, before he teamed up with all and sundry. He has a variety of abilities that can lock down/take down enemies. His two problems are his low health and the fact he has no real support abilities

Next Post: Breakdowns for Dark Justice, The Flashing Blade City Sweeper

[SirFozzie]

Dark Justice (2/2/1=5 Health)

Passive
BODY ARMOR (3+ SOAK 1, Non Psychic/Mystical)
CLEANING UP RAVENHOLME (5+, Raise self Defense stats by 1, Only in Ravenholme)
MYSTERIOUS AVENGER (5+ NoTarget Melee/Range/OutSmarting)


Non-Combat
N/A

Combat
VICIOUS ASSAULT (Only Available at HL 1 and 2) Melee Attack 2/1 Target
ASSAULT (only Available at HL 3) Melee Attack 1/Physical/1 Target
ENERGY BLASTER: Ranged Attack 2/Energy/1 Target
MINI IED: Ranged Attack 2 (+ STUN)/Heat/ALL
TWIN GUNS: Ranged Attack 1/Physical/Two Targets
WALL OF BULLETS: Ranged Attack 3/Physical/3 Targets, 1x per Issue, Duo attack with City Sweeper)

The Flashing Blade (2/2/2=6 Health)


Passive
WORLD'S GREATEST SWORDSMEN (Only at Health Level 1) Dodge 3+ vs Melee
INCREDIBLE REACTIONS (Only at Health Level 2): Dodge 4+ vs Melee
SWIFT DEFENSE (Only at Health Level 3) (Dodge 5+ vs Melee)
QUICK FEET (Dodge 5+ vs Ranged)



Non-Combat
EXPERT COMBATANT (Health Levels 1 and 2): Outsmarting Attack, deactivate one of target's powers until next turn)
FEINTS AND TRICKS (5+ Debuff, -1 Melee Defense until next turn)

Combat
ENCHANTED SWORD SLICE: Melee Attack 2/Physical/1 Target, Minimum Damage:2)

City Sweeper (1/2/2=5 Health)

Passive
ARMY-TRAINED SNIPER: (at Health Level 1) (Ranged Attack Targets do not receive bonus from battlefield Positioning)
CAMOUFLAGE: 5+ NoTarget vs Ranged
COMBAT VETERAN (HL 1 and 2): Team gets 2 extra combat actions per turn (still limited to 1 per person, useful in the early stages of combat)
INSPIRING GRIT: When knocked out, gives all allies +1 Defenses until end of encounter
MARINE TOUGH: Soak 1 vs Physical

Non-Combat
FIELD MEDICAL KIT (Heal 2) 1x Issue, uses Combat Action

Combat
BACK TO BACK BLAZING GUNS: Ranged Attack 3/Physical/4 Targets, 1x per issue, Duo Attack with Dark Justice
GRENADE! Rangeed Attack 2 (+STUN)/Heat/ALL, 1x per issue
HANDGUN SHOT: Ranged Attack 2/Physical/1
HUNTER'S KNIFE: Melee Attack 1/Physical/1
OLD SCHOOL BEATDOWN: Melee Attack 2/Physical/1
RAPID FIRE SHOTS (Health Level 1/2): Ranged Attack 1/Physical/4 Targets, 3x per issue
RIFLE SHOT (Health Level 1): Ranged Attack 3/Physical/1 Target, 6x per issue
SNIPER RIFLE SHOT (Health Level 1): Ranged Attack 3/Physical/1 Target, Minimum Damage 2

And since it was recommended in a post on the CBU Forums, I'm going to do Delphi's stats so you can see what she can do, if you want to bring her in:

Delphi: 1/2/2=5 Health

Passive:
SAW THE ATTACK COMING: 3+ NoTarget vs Ranged

Non-Combat Action
GIFT OF PROPHECY (Health Level 1 Only): Give one reroll to target (Uses Combat Action)
CLOUDED PROPHECY (Health Level 2 Only): 3+ Give one reroll to target (Uses Combat Action)
CONFUSING PROPHECY (Health Leavel 3 Only): 4+ Give One reroll to target (Uses Combat Action)


Combat Action:
POWERFUL CONFUSION SPELL (Health Level 1): Ranged Attack 1 (+STUN/OUTSMART)/Mystical/ALL
CONFUSION SPELL (Health Level 2/3): Ranged Attack 1 (+STUN/Mystical/All)

[SirFozzie]

(since this thread acts as kinda my thoughts on the game as well as playing it, this is what I said in their suggestions thread)

As an adjunct to 4 different screens for attacks, can we have one screen with all the rolls instead of one screen per roll?



Currently:



X Has chosen Y for Punch In the Face

Y Attempts to Use "Oh No you don't"

X Rolls to attack Y

Y Attempts to Dodge

(notification of stun)

Y Attempts to use Soak Powers

Y takes (Number damage)



That's seven keystrokes/screens (and with dice rolls it's almost double that). Can we simplify that to one screen after an attack has been launched?



After "Punch In the Face is Selected, a text screen that reads:



"(Hero) attempted PUNCH IN THE FACE on (Villain)! Villain Attempted to use "Oh no you don't", (Roll:4, Failed Activation), Total: 20 (11 Melee Attack + 2d6 (9), (20 vs 17, HIT!"

Villain Tried to use "Dodge Ability", Roll: 4, Failed Activation).

(stun notification text)

Y attempted to use (soak power name), 5, success!

Y took 2 Physical Damage (3, -1 for using "Soak Power Name"). Y has 4 health remaining



By putting it all one screen, you're making it so much easier to read and flows through combat easier.

Adam's reply:

Originally Posted by Adam Ryland, Game's creator

No, that's not viable because the sequence of powers isn't fixed (there could be a defensive power that only triggers on a certain dice roll and only if the previous step succeeded for example) and you need any potential re-roll opportunities to be broken up by circumstance. Having things done step by step is necessary by virtue of how the game works.

My reply:

Too bad. The amount of clicking required is a negative point, but as you state, it's necessary for the game to function.


edit: Maybe a compromise would be to output that log or something like that to a screen that shows at the end of the turn.


I noticed when typing up all this for the dynasty, it's a LOT of typing. It's part of the nature of the game, but I felt like saying "If you think this is mind-numbing, you should try not only doing all this, but TYPING this up for you to read" (and that's one of the key sellers for your games, the dynasties ability)