Recruiting for a Golden Age Bash! Game

[Harrigan]

So, as threatened elsewhere, to really dive in and learn the ropes on Bash!, I've decided to run a short / small play-by-post Bash! game. After humming and hawing on a couple of ideas, I think I'd like to take a stab at running a Golden Age game set during WWII. My preference would be for the home front (America or I suppose one of the Allies), but if the whole group would rather see action in, say, Europe, then I suspect I could accommodate.

I've got a fair bit of experience at running these sorts of games and am looking, first and foremost, for people who both solid character concepts and sound writing skills. I like my games to read well, like a story, and I'm not a fan of color-coding dialog and the like. Proper punctuation, spelling, grammar, etc., are the order of the day. Not to be a * about it, but after years and years of running these games I know what my pet peeves are.

I'll probably admit 3-5 PCs, and it will not be first-come / first-serve. Ideally, pitch your character ideas before building them all the way out in Bash!; once we all settle together on a good team dynamic that'll help us with the builds & backgrounds -- I always like there to be some level of connectivity between at least some of the characters. Helps fight that "none of you know one another but now you're being asked to risk your lives together" thing that can plague virtually all RPGs.

In terms of tone, I'm going for a four-color but slightly gritty, "re-imagined" feel, a la the D.C. Golden Age series of a decade or more ago by James Robinson. Brubaker's Cap stuff would also be a good model. That is, these are heroic times and evil is evil -- but there will be death and tragedy. It's war, after all, and it won't be all grins and giggles. That said, I don't want any wanton killers on the team or concepts that just don't fit the mold. But we'll get to all that. There will be * and super-science and occult foes and ancient artifacts and all sorts of campy goodness -- it just won't always be quite as wholesome as mom's apple pie in terms of resolution and outcome.

So, sorry for being long-winded. I think BASHMAN said recruiting here was fine, so for those interested, step right up.

[Saker]

As I mentioned earlier, I'm interested, especially because you included quite a bit of what you want and don't want.

A couple of questions to stir my creative juices:

1. How divergent is your world and reality? Meaning, is this the first public hero team?

2. When are you starting the game? Meaning, are you recruiting before Pearl Harbor? Or reacting to it?

3. What power-level are you targeting, so we have some idea to scope character concepts? Do you want super-soldiers, demi-gods, or somewhere in-between?

4. Have you looked at the Vigilant Universe that BASHMAN produced with five teams from WWII and one adventure? They're very good and can show you examples of answers to some of these questions.

cheers
Saker

[BASHMAN]

Just a clarification: I didn't produce the Vigilant Universe. That was Vigilance Press. All I had to do with it, was work as a freelancer making the product compatible with BASH! rules.

But I do agree that the Vigilance Press setting is pretty cool. I especially liked throwing the Eugenics Brigade at my team at the end of my last campaign (they traveled back in time to WWII).

Next I will post a proposed character idea:

[BASHMAN]

Here is "The Unknown Soldier" The Spirit of Liberty!



Note: He is short 1 Advantage that I need to add.

[urbwar]

I'd be interested, as I love Golden Age games. I have no experience playing playing online at all, so I'd need some tips.

As for character concepts: I have a whole team of them! I created a bunch; their character sheets are posted in my super builds thread. I would think though that if I can get in on this, that I'd want to either play American Ape or Sky Marshal. AA I feel has an interesting background, and Sky Marshal has a rocket ship, so the team would have automatic transportation!

Of course, if you think a different character would work, I could try one of those.

[Saker]

@urbwar

I love your characters, so I could play test one of them for you.

cheers

[urbwar]

To save some time, here's American Ape, Sky Marshal, and his ship, The Wyatt Earp:

[urbwar]

@urbwar

I love your characters, so I could play test one of them for you.

cheers

Saker,

If you want to play one of them, please do! It's always satisfying knowing someone likes them enough to play them once in awhile

[BeardedDork]

I have an idea for a detective style character (something like the Golden Age Sandman). He was an intelligence officer as a young man in the first World War who ended up getting wounded and discharged shortly before the war's end, then put his skills to use a private investigator at home.

Now too old and injured to serve overseas he does what he can at home.

[kevperrine]

Hey I'd love to get in if I could...
I came up with this idea, and started a photoshop make-up image of the idea.

The core *super* idea is a giant hero, with some fun stuff. Not sure on full layout of powers - but I'm digging on the baseball theme.
All-American style - I'll be changing the pic more and more as I develop, probably add a domino mask and more "American" and Army GI motifs.

BIG LEAGUE
the Bronx Behemoth

aka. Colossus of Clout, High Hitter, Wheelhouse, Big Baller, High Pockets, The Big Deal, Puddin' (...'cause his pitches make hitters look like pudding)

Hugh Heartly (April 8, 1915) was an American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1935 to 1939. He was born in Hitchville, Kentucky.
Heartly began his career in 1934 with the Chicago Cubs before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in the middle of the 1935 season. Both a hard thrower and liver pitcher as well as a sturdy hitter, he was selected to the All-Star team in 1937. Following the season, he was traded again, this time to the New York Yankees – where he enjoyed his most successful season and a half in 1937-38 when he went 27-4 pitching, and tying teammate Willie Wyatt for the league lead in hits and finishing seventh in the MVP voting.
After the 1937 season, Heartly joined the United States Army. Initially assigned to the military police, he soon received training as a rifleman and saw combat overseas. In late 1938, Heartly and the remanents of his squad were shipwrecked in the Philippines following a devastating blow to the Destroyer they were returning on; when they found their way onto an unknown island, they learned that an experiment projected by Japan had befallen the troop. This experiment befell the squad and to this day no one on the side of the Allies know what happened that day – only that the soon-to-be-trained as a new Ameircan hero walked out of the Pacific at Per Harbor, Hawaii. Nonetheless, he stayed, was debriefed and trained with his newfound abilities at the Hawaii base, until early 1939, at which point he finally returned to the United States.

Let me know what you think
-kev-

[urbwar]

Just on the basis of the size comparison to American Ape, I think you should be in the game! That's like the opposite of a normal person sized next to King Kong!

[Heroglyph]

I am definitely interested! I'll come up with some concepts this weekend.

[Harrigan]

Good stuff so far. Let me address this before we get any further and I take the time tonight to look in detail at some of the pitches...

1. How divergent is your world and reality? Meaning, is this the first public hero team?

I haven't decided for sure, but I'm pretty sure I'll be setting this in my usual campaign settings, which has gone by the name "Paragons" for the last few years. Find the timeline here:

http://dangermutt.net/paragons/timeline.html

The WWII part of the timeline is actually pretty weak, now that I look at it, but read on into the 50s to see some "fallout" from the experiments going on during that time.

Bottom line: not the first super-team, though close. Most of those that have come before are more in the Mystery Men mold, so less powerful, more street-focused, etc. In general, I'm shooting for Captain America vs. the *, not Superman vs. the *.

I could also be swayed. If someone has some cool idea for an incident that would tie all your powers together, etc., I'll listen.

2. When are you starting the game? Meaning, are you recruiting before Pearl Harbor? Or reacting to it?

Am currently thinking 1943.

3. What power-level are you targeting, so we have some idea to scope character concepts? Do you want super-soldiers, demi-gods, or somewhere in-between?

Super-soldiers, street-level supers and low to mid-level super-humans. Nothing crazy. You won't be fighting ten * Captain Marvel look-alikes. Regular (if highly trained) * kommandos could be a threat to various members of the team. Those who are bullet-proof won't mind, but I like the idea of some amount of danger even from the rank and file soldats.

4. Have you looked at the Vigilant Universe that BASHMAN produced with five teams from WWII and one adventure? They're very good and can show you examples of answers to some of these questions.

I do indeed have a couple of those PDFs. Haven't looked at them yet, but will as part of my process. Don't expect to see the characters from them; I pretty much always "roll my own" when it comes to that sort of thing. No shortage of ideas. (But I will totally mine the supplements for inspiration...)

More later.

[Heroglyph]

Here's a quick concept:

LADY PARAMOUNT

Sara Oklahombi: is the daughter of a Choctaw father and French mother. Her parents met during WWI while her father was serving in France as a code talker. After the war they were married and moved back to America.

Prior to the war, Sara's mother had been a championship archer, but afterwords could no longer compete due to the slight nerve damage she'd received from a bomb explosion. However, she was able to pass on her expertise to Sara, who became just as good, if not better than her mother ever had been. To round things off, her father taught her a few hand to hand tricks, he's picked up in the war in case someone got fresh with her.

When America entered WWII, Sara wanted to do her part as she was very proud of her father's service and had been raised a patriot. She tried to obtain a code talker position as her father held during the first war, but (due to her sex) was relegated to training others how to speak Choctaw and French, and wasn't allowed into the field.

Frustrated by her predicament, she decided to go to the archery range to blow off some steam. While leaving the range, she witnessed a carload of thugs being chased by a police car. As the car advanced toward her she took aim and let fly. With expert precision she pierced all four tires with arrows, instantly deflating them and allowing the police to apprehend the criminals. She later found out that the thugs had just robbed a bank.

Elated by the experience, she decided to emulate the actions of the costumed mystery men she had read about in the papers...costumed men and women, protecting the home front from saboteurs, criminals and fifth columnists. If she couldn't be a hero in the field, then she could be one at home. She designed a costume and dubbed herself Lady Paramount

(Note: I don't really know how she would obtain any trick arrows, or even if I'd want her to use any. Maybe a swing arrow, and some blunt ones. But nothing corny like handcuff arrows, or boxing glove arrows. )

[Heroglyph]

and another one..

SGT. SAHARA

Sgt. Sam Harris was an OSS Agent sent to Egypt to disrupt a * expedition tasked with finding ancient Egyptian artifacts of power.

He found one of the objects before the * did...a shining gold medallion called the Amulet of Osiris. However, the * were hot on his trail and a firefight ensued within the pyramid causing a structural collapse. Harris was buried alive beneath tons of rubble and sand...or so he thought.

Weeks later a humanoid form emerged from the wreckage. It's body made of the desert sands and the Amulet of Osiris worn around it's neck. Harris was alive, but changed. The magic of the amulet had somehow allowed him to transfer his consciousness into the sands that trapped his buried body. With practice he learned to control his new form, allowing him to retain a human appearance and shift his body into various shapes and weaponry.

When he reported back to headquarters and gave his report, it was decided his new powers would be put to best use as a super agent to battle like powered * agents. He was given the code name of Sgt. Sahara.

(basically powers like Marvel's Sandman, though not as powerful as shown at end of Spider Man 3 movie. Or like Clayface in DC. Able to shift appearance, and form, as well as body weapons)