When last we met our dastardly villains, we were discussing their penchant for not killing heroes outright but rather sticking them in inescapable deathtraps that the heroes would then escape from before valiantly defeating the bad guys. The most important question about deathtraps is: Why?! Why put them in a trap that they are sure to escape from instead of just doing the smart thing and finishing them off right then and there?
Well, there are a few reasons. First, the villain may be grandiose enough that he truly thinks that the deathtrap will suffice to end the hero, and he wants to revel in his own genius. Of course, that one never works out well for the villain. Second, he might want to get a better idea of just what the hero is actually capable of; if he can't get out of the trap, so much the better. But if he does...the villain might have learned something about the hero's capabilities and weaknesses. Third, hostages are a tried and true villain tradition, too. Use the captured hero as bait to get more of them. Sidekicks are, of course, the ultimate hostage bait. Hi, Robin.
There's another reason that villains might not want to just execute the heroes; it tends to irritate the other heroes around, and having several teams of heroes looking to take you out because you killed one of their own is a good way to get yourself way in over your head. Sure, you can take down one mid-level hero, but when the Avenging Crusaders get wind of it, they'll be after you in full force.
Villains tend to be solo operators, not doing well in groups. Most solo villains should be a little bit tougher than normal, since they've got to be able to stand up to multiple heroes at once. Unless you're running a solo game, of course, with one hero taking on the underworld by himself. In that case, don't overpower the villains. Think of Spider-Man's rogues' gallery, or even Batman's. The villains are tough enough to challenge the hero, but not usually too much for him to handle alone (or with a sidekick).
Of course, some villains do run in packs. Maybe it's because they share an origin, or they're tired of getting beaten up by the hero and decide to work together to take him down. The first group tends to stay together longer than the second group, especially when egos get involved. But a well-coordinated supervillain team can be an absolute nightmare for a group of heroes. They compensate for each other's weaknesses, coordinate their attacks, and can form bonds as tight as hero groups under the right circumstances. Groups like this can be a great part of a campaign if done right.
So, that covers the villain stuff. Next up we have everyone else, the common, non-powered people that populate the game. In some cases, there will be just one or two of these people; for the longest time, the only civilians in Batman's life were Alfred and Commissioner Gordon. Superman had Lois Lane and George Taylor at first (Perry White's predecessor as editor of the paper); Jimmy Olsen came along later.
On the other hand, Spider-Man has almost as many civilians in his life as villains. Aunt May, Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy, Flash Thompson, J. Jonah Jameson, Robbie Robertson, Liz Allan...the list is lengthy, to say the least. But Spider-Man is usually a solo act, so having a strong supporting cast helps flesh out his stories. In a Champions game, DNPCs and (sometimes) Hunteds will be the source of these supporting characters. These people can be reporters, police officers, younger siblings, elderly relatives, or whatever comes to mind. They are invaluable to a Champions game because they will give the setting a more grounded feel. Not everyone is a super; ordinary people are important, too.
Finally, a game shouldn't be static. The world exists outside of the PCs, and the game should reflect that. Things happen that don't involve the PCs but still make the news; let them know about these things. They can provide hints for future adventures, or just background noise to make the world feel more alive. Either way, it's a good practice to have.
Alright, that appears to cover the rules of the game, but we still have more to go in the book and on this page. And what do we have her? The Origins of Champions! That's right, George MacDonald is going to tell us how this game got started. Turns out it got started because he was bored in class. I can relate to that, but unfortunately I didn't design an award-winning RPG when I was in college. Too bad for me.
Anyway, George fleshed out the basics of combat and characteristics, but developing the point system took time and a second person, Wayne Shaw. His system inspired George, although the system we saw in the previous 48 pages isn't much like Wayne's work at all. Still, Wayne gets a shout-out for his efforts, which is nice. It took a couple of years of development and playtesting for the game to finally see print. Several people get mentioned as being important in the game's development, including Ray Grier, Glenn Thain, and Tom Tumey among others.
There's a partial paragraph remaining on this page, but I'm going to save it for the next page since it's tied to what's on page 49, and it isn't a full page anyway. So, that's it for this one. We're nearly through to the end, which is exciting. Stick with it, folks; it'll be worth it.
