Need a plot suggestion - evil campaign - Gramercy Island

[dpenwood]

I will be running a 2-3 month Heroes Unlimited campaign at a game store beginning next month. I'm really looking forward to it! (Players in the Boston/Cambridge area- get in touch if you want details!)

Anyways, rather than doing the typical "you're a good guy, now go save the day" scenario, I've decided that the players will be the villains in this campaign. It will begin with them breaking out of Gramercy Island (great source book, btw) then wreaking havoc one way or another in neighboring Century Station.

Okay it sounds fine (right?) but it could quickly spin out of control. I was thinking a good way to avoid that is that the players will be members of an evil league of some sort; there's a leadership chain that they report to. This way they are kept in line and can't just do "whatever they want". Not without consequences anyway.

In the meantime, after their escape, they'll be pursued by S.C.R.E.T. or something like that. I'm still working out the details.

My question to you folks... have any of you ever run an "evil" Heroes Unlimited campaign? Do you have any thoughts or suggestions? Or warnings?

Thanks!

[Senator Cybus]

Do you have any thoughts or suggestions? Or warnings?

Random adventure idea...

The players start by breaking out of Gramercy Island, so why not have the evil league hire them to break back in...

The Hook: A member of the league (a low-level boss) screwed up during a big heist and got himself captured; your players have the most up-to-date knowledge of the super-jail and have the best shot of getting him out (really play up this angle and flatter the players' egos - have a big boss type with a bad-ass reputation tell the players that only they have the "unique skills" and "smarts" to pull this off, and suggest that some good work here will result in the league keeping S.C.R.E.T. off their backs).
The boss tells them that this job is vitally important, because the league "never leaves a man behind" (suggesting both that the league values loyalty and that the players will have someone looking out for them if they join up).

The Line: The players probably do have the best shot of getting their fellow villain out of Gramercy Island; of course, they've beefed-up security a little since they were last there...

You can add in all sorts of complications here - maybe the guy they've come to free has made a few enemies in the jail, who take advantage of a break-in to settle old scores and your guys have to defend him both from the wardens and his fellow super-villains (possibly making enemies of their own for later on). Maybe the robot security guards have just been fitted with super-invention devices (personal force fields, drugged darts that Negate Super Abilities on contact, the power to Mimic attackers). Maybe a shape-shifting villain takes on the form of the league member during the confusion, and insists he's the real guy - do your players take both villains or can they work out who's the real deal?

The Sinker: The players eventually get their guy back to the league headquarters. The big boss thanks them for their excellent work and then, as they watch, shoots the guy they just rescued in the head, killing him instantly (more impressive if he uses an innate power rather than a weapon).

"Like I said," drawls the big boss, "We never leave a man behind. But we don't tolerate failure, either."

The message? You're playing in the big leagues now, kids...


Random advice - let the players start off with some respect from their villainous peers (they served time in 'The Gram' - that means they're real villains. Better yet, they busted out!).

Maybe when you run their escape, have a distinctive guard cause them particular trouble - and then make that guy universally despised amongst every villain who ever did time there - "What, you broke ol' Murphy's legs on the way out? Ha! Shame you didn't kill the ****!"

The players are a bit less likely (hopefully) to start randomly killing their peers if these guys look up to them. Or, if these NPCs are useful - do your players have a hardware guy? Or a mage? A really good fence? Let the league members have skills the players don't, reinforcing that co-operation has it's rewards. Also, just try and make the other league members likeable, at least for the most part - just because you're a super-villain, doesn't automatically mean that you have to be rude or humourless, or that you don't want friends.

Maybe even consider letting the players take over the neighbourhood that shot-in-the-head guy used to run; if they start off with a regular income that they have to manage, they might not go kill-crazy to get some quick cash.

For future adventures, maybe have the players paid to steal a rare item that they themselves can't use - a magical amulet if they don't have a mage, plans for a fusion reactor if they don't have a hardware guy, etc. Probably best not to have them steal, say, a crate full of death rays - this will inevitably lead to the players going John Woo on the city's collective ass, leaping about while dual-weilding hand-held WMDs.

Also - turf war. There's more than one super-gang in the city. Defend your territory (against guys who fight just as dirty as you) or lose it all!

There's a mole in the organisation! Top secret information has been passed to the cops! A shape-shifting hero has infiltrated the ranks...

[dpenwood]

Do you have any thoughts or suggestions? Or warnings?

Random adventure idea...

The players start by breaking out of Gramercy Island, so why not have the evil league hire them to break back in...

The Hook: A member of the league (a low-level boss) screwed up during a big heist and got himself captured; your players have the most up-to-date knowledge of the super-jail and have the best shot of getting him out (really play up this angle and flatter the players' egos - have a big boss type with a bad-ass reputation tell the players that only they have the "unique skills" and "smarts" to pull this off, and suggest that some good work here will result in the league keeping S.C.R.E.T. off their backs).
The boss tells them that this job is vitally important, because the league "never leaves a man behind" (suggesting both that the league values loyalty and that the players will have someone looking out for them if they join up).

The Line: The players probably do have the best shot of getting their fellow villain out of Gramercy Island; of course, they've beefed-up security a little since they were last there...

You can add in all sorts of complications here - maybe the guy they've come to free has made a few enemies in the jail, who take advantage of a break-in to settle old scores and your guys have to defend him both from the wardens and his fellow super-villains (possibly making enemies of their own for later on). Maybe the robot security guards have just been fitted with super-invention devices (personal force fields, drugged darts that Negate Super Abilities on contact, the power to Mimic attackers). Maybe a shape-shifting villain takes on the form of the league member during the confusion, and insists he's the real guy - do your players take both villains or can they work out who's the real deal?

The Sinker: The players eventually get their guy back to the league headquarters. The big boss thanks them for their excellent work and then, as they watch, shoots the guy they just rescued in the head, killing him instantly (more impressive if he uses an innate power rather than a weapon).

"Like I said," drawls the big boss, "We never leave a man behind. But we don't tolerate failure, either."

The message? You're playing in the big leagues now, kids...


Random advice - let the players start off with some respect from their villainous peers (they served time in 'The Gram' - that means they're real villains. Better yet, they busted out!).

Maybe when you run their escape, have a distinctive guard cause them particular trouble - and then make that guy universally despised amongst every villain who ever did time there - "What, you broke ol' Murphy's legs on the way out? Ha! Shame you didn't kill the ****!"

The players are a bit less likely (hopefully) to start randomly killing their peers if these guys look up to them. Or, if these NPCs are useful - do your players have a hardware guy? Or a mage? A really good fence? Let the league members have skills the players don't, reinforcing that co-operation has it's rewards. Also, just try and make the other league members likeable, at least for the most part - just because you're a super-villain, doesn't automatically mean that you have to be rude or humourless, or that you don't want friends.

Maybe even consider letting the players take over the neighbourhood that shot-in-the-head guy used to run; if they start off with a regular income that they have to manage, they might not go kill-crazy to get some quick cash.

For future adventures, maybe have the players paid to steal a rare item that they themselves can't use - a magical amulet if they don't have a mage, plans for a fusion reactor if they don't have a hardware guy, etc. Probably best not to have them steal, say, a crate full of death rays - this will inevitably lead to the players going John Woo on the city's collective ass, leaping about while dual-weilding hand-held WMDs.

Also - turf war. There's more than one super-gang in the city. Defend your territory (against guys who fight just as dirty as you) or lose it all!

There's a mole in the organisation! Top secret information has been passed to the cops! A shape-shifting hero has infiltrated the ranks...

First off, thank you for taking the time to provide a lengthy and thought-out idea in response to my post.

I really like your idea, especially the twist where the villain they rescue gets assassinated by the boss. That's fantastic! Well, not "fantastic", but you know what I mean.

Due to the nature of this campaign, the characters will be pre-gens, so I'll have some control over what they'll be playing, which brings me to one of your points: about the players being useful. One challenge I want to present to the players is finding clever ways to use their powers. I don't want to give them the traditional super strength, lightning bolts, flying, etc.... On the other hand, I don't want to give them corny/humorous powers either. I want to find something "in between"... something that on the surface may not seem useful, but could actually be very very dangerous.

Again, I really appreciate the feed back you provided, and I think I'm actually going to use your idea, or a variant of it, to start out the campaign. I'll let you know how it goes!

[Senator Cybus]

First off, thank you for taking the time to provide a lengthy and thought-out idea in response to my post.

Happy to help.

I really like your idea, especially the twist where the villain they rescue gets assassinated by the boss. That's fantastic! Well, not "fantastic", but you know what I mean.

Well, it's villain fantastic, yeah?

Due to the nature of this campaign, the characters will be pre-gens, so I'll have some control over what they'll be playing, which brings me to one of your points: about the players being useful. One challenge I want to present to the players is finding clever ways to use their powers. I don't want to give them the traditional super strength, lightning bolts, flying, etc.... On the other hand, I don't want to give them corny/humorous powers either. I want to find something "in between"... something that on the surface may not seem useful, but could actually be very very dangerous.

Hmm...Illusions, Transferal/Possession, there's lots of good stuff. For a ton more powers than even the books provide, I present The Black Vault Wiki - the collected home-brewed powers from members of this board. They're usually posted to the New Powers thread stickied at the top of this forum first, so any glaring mistakes/unclear rules issues/power balance problems get weeded out.

Again, I really appreciate the feed back you provided, and I think I'm actually going to use your idea, or a variant of it, to start out the campaign. I'll let you know how it goes!

Cool. One good thing that I forgot to mention is that this plot saves you some research time; you get to re-use a pre-made setting that you've already played through once and still have the plans for. Not that I'm a lazy G.M. or anything...

[Shawn Merrow]

Have you decided why the players are in prison? A reason could be they wanted to do something big but needed resources to fund it. In the process of getting the funding (robbing a bank, ransom, etc.) they got caught. They are now out and there is still the matter of that big plan to pull off.

Big plans
1. Research lab will have some very high tech weapons ready for testing in two months. One of the players knows a person with the security codes but he wants a lot of money for them.
2. One of the richest men in the world will be moving into a penthouse in his brand new building in a month as part of the grand opening. He could be ransomed for billions. There is the problem of high tech security and a few powered bodyguards.
3. Word is that S.C.R.E.T. has a database with the personal info of all the cities heroes on it. The location is a closely guarded secret.
4. A scientist has promised a drug that will make the players much stronger but lab equipment and supplies are not free. Also might want to pick up some test subjects to make sure its safe.


This way your not just setting a bunch of villains loose on the city to create random havoc but giving them a goal to archive.

[Traska]

You have to remember that villains, even in a chain of command, are always looking to better themselves and pull bigger jobs and eventually usurp power from those above them. And they will do whatever they think they need to do in order to accomplish that.

This part is not *always* true. Some villains are content to be attack dogs for people with plans that work and therefore keep them out of prison. It's possible for a villain to be smart enough to know they're *not* smart enough to run the show.

[G]

Level 1 players wouldn't be breaking out of Gramercy Island. No one is supposed to be able to break out of it.

Why not start with them being unknowns (level 1) and when they get caught (possibly) using their powers (or perhaps their powers were not seen) they are sent to a regular police station and break out from there...which would be MUCH easier. Once you are in prison, even a regular one, the chance of escape decreases exponentially. They could also be broken out after they were caught by the police on the way to the police station...by the criminal organization.

If they are evil, I may need to keep them scared of their superiors.
-RP scary superiors with better powers, minions, who are not afraid to poison/maim/kill the PCs friends/family, etc.. Perhaps they will blackmail a PC. Another might need access to something the evil gang has, perhaps they are performing a service in order to get one of the tech items or have a criminal hackers/corrupt cops remove their police record, perhaps they needed access to spies, mages, psychics...etc. Often evil supers need a good reason to be working for the organization.

You might want to use a pre-made gang, such as the JP gang etc. Where the bosses have powers like invulnerability & super strength. That way you have their strengths and goals...etc.

Consider starting the game before they are caught by the police, with them being given a second string mission for the gang (a public distraction etc) and getting caught. That makes them look bad to the gang..which is RP fun.

[Traska]

Level 1 players wouldn't be breaking out of Gramercy Island. No one is supposed to be able to break out of it.

Why not start with them being unknowns (level 1) and when they get caught (possibly) using their powers (or perhaps their powers were not seen) they are sent to a regular police station and break out from there...which would be MUCH easier. Once you are in prison, even a regular one, the chance of escape decreases exponentially. They could also be broken out after they were caught by the police on the way to the police station...by the criminal organization.

If they are evil, I may need to keep them scared of their superiors.
-RP scary superiors with better powers, minions, who are not afraid to poison/maim/kill the PCs friends/family, etc.. Perhaps they will blackmail a PC. Another might need access to something the evil gang has, perhaps they are performing a service in order to get one of the tech items or have a criminal hackers/corrupt cops remove their police record, perhaps they needed access to spies, mages, psychics...etc. Often evil supers need a good reason to be working for the organization.

You might want to use a pre-made gang, such as the JP gang etc. Where the bosses have powers like invulnerability & super strength. That way you have their strengths and goals...etc.

Consider starting the game before they are caught by the police, with them being given a second string mission for the gang (a public distraction etc) and getting caught. That makes them look bad to the gang..which is RP fun.

How about level 1s which... for whatever reason... have a powerful benefactor. Someone who sees what they have and thinks they'd make a fine crew. Maybe he's crazy and thinks that he's from a future where these particular low level thugs are the world's greatest villains. Maybe he IS from an alternate future where that happens. Whatever the case, these individuals are brought together to do what this archvillain wants, because although he's more powerful than them, he wants to mold them into something greater.

[G]

I don't like the idea of anyone escaping from Gramercy..ever...at all. Especially for evil players, they have to know that if they end up in Gramercy thats it, its game over.

Anyone can justify anything. As a GM, you control the whole world and everyone's reactions in it.
So instead of needing to justify anything you do as a GM, simply ask yourself - is this what I want in my game world? Does it give it the feel I want?

Now in a game of villians unlimited, the theme is not going to be heroic. It might work better with horror in it. Expect the PCs & NPCs to be poisoning, blackmailing, assaulting, murdering, and committing every crime you can think of. There will be corrupt cops, rival criminal organizations, heroes to deal with...etc. Its actually best to face the group off against the cities heroes early to open yourself up more plots in the future. Such as oh, team up with the heroes to prevent alien invasion...go to the heroes for help...etc.

I suggest a good read through of Villians Unlimited for the GM before starting a game like this. Quickly looking at it myself I think about a background where even if they succeeded a hero or group of heroes could be responsible for the death of a villians family and many others. Alone he stands no chance of killing them all...so he gathers together a band.

[Traska]

I don't like the idea of anyone escaping from Gramercy..ever...at all. Especially for evil players, they have to know that if they end up in Gramercy thats it, its game over.

I detest the idea that anything is 100% foolproof, 100% absolute. Flip a coin enough times, it'll land on edge.

[Senator Cybus]

I don't like the idea of anyone escaping from Gramercy..ever...at all. Especially for evil players, they have to know that if they end up in Gramercy thats it, its game over.

I detest the idea that anything is 100% foolproof, 100% absolute. Flip a coin enough times, it'll land on edge.

While I don't detest it, I would point out that 'absolutes' in super hero comic books typically only exist so that they can be disproven or defeated.

Captain America's shield has been broken, as has Wonder woman's 'indestructible' lassoo. The most famous 'invulnerable' hero in comics was beaten to death by Doomsday. The biggest, toughest and most seemingly invincible bad-asses in their respective universes get beat down by the new big bad-ass, etc.

In the same way that a secret is only useful in a soap opera if it is eventually revealed, an inescapable prison in a super-hero story is only useful if someone eventually escapes.

"No one goes into the haunted cave and lives!" Well, the heroes do, because, you know, they're the heroes. Or villains, in this case.

However, for the sake of verisimilitude, why not say that in this game Gramercy Island has only just opened; it's a brand-new, prototype super-jail and there's still a few bugs in the system, that can be exploited by a smart group with the right powers.

[Traska]

I don't like the idea of anyone escaping from Gramercy..ever...at all. Especially for evil players, they have to know that if they end up in Gramercy thats it, its game over.

I detest the idea that anything is 100% foolproof, 100% absolute. Flip a coin enough times, it'll land on edge.

While I don't detest it, I would point out that 'absolutes' in super hero comic books typically only exist so that they can be disproven or defeated.

Captain America's shield has been broken, as has Wonder woman's 'indestructible' lassoo. The most famous 'invulnerable' hero in comics was beaten to death by Doomsday. The biggest, toughest and most seemingly invincible bad-asses in their respective universes get beat down by the new big bad-ass, etc.

In the same way that a secret is only useful in a soap opera if it is eventually revealed, an inescapable prison in a super-hero story is only useful if someone eventually escapes.

That was more or less my point. The idea that "no one can ever escape, ever, it's as simple as that" annoys me. Heck, recently Wolverine had his bones bent. His skeleton is the gold standard for unbreakable in the Marvel universe, even moreso than Cap's shield. Nothing is foolproof, especially in comics.

[dpenwood]

Wow... lots of great feedback on my original post! I really appreciate this, guys.

I'm not opposed to the idea of them breaking out of Gramercy Island. Why is the book there if it's not to be broken out of? But the point is taken. One idea I had was that they would have help from the outside- perhaps one of the PCs in fact.

And I do have the Villains Unlimited book and am reading through it. There's a lot to get through... Is there a part you recommend above the other parts?

Now the idea that they're placed into Gramercy mid-campaign is an interesting concept as well. I should point out one detail that I neglected to mention early-on, however. This campaign has a limited run-time of 2 months, perhaps three, playing weekly. So I'm not sure I'll have time for it or not... Hmm..

Also, I do not plan to start the PCs at level 1. I'm thinking 3-5ish...

Again, thank you all for this great discussion. It's been very helpful so far!

[KillWatch]

Replying to original post:
Don't reign them in. Yes have consequences but not forced ones. If there is no evidence then no one knows it was them. Its a game that is only going to last a few months, let them go for it. Throw in some moral dilemmas, who are they willing to cheat betray kill to stay free? fellow escapees? Family? Children? See how bad they can get. Spend a game or two in Gramercy. Remind them why they want to get out and stay out. Watch the HBO series Oz for ideas. Let them kill cops who are caught by surprise. Let the get the drop on the FBI. Let them do what they want to do. If they lay low they might be able to get out of the city and start their new lives,... maybe. The more crap they do the heavier the hands that come down to smash them; cops>fbi>interpol>SLJ

Figure out what they are in for, what kind of crimes? What HAVE they done and what are they capable of doing? The more crap they get into the more stuff they destroy the better the chance they make enemies of other criminals for ruining jobs, negotiations, or just treading on their turf and making them look bad. Let the crap hit the fan. If they destroy the city, let them. Its not like its a 10 year campaign or your own tenderly designed city. Its century. The place is rotten from the inside out. Let them run wild. Know that there are cameras and if they leave other evidence make notes but don't railroad them into getting caught just because they killed NPC X or robbed Place Y. Find out what their plan is; to get out and raise hell, to get revenge on the ones who put them there? were they framed? Yes they can be innocent AND evil. Do they need to take out another villain before they do something to their family? Do they just want to move onto Mexico and settle down? Do they want to take back their old position at the top of their cartel?
So
Don't Railroad
Let them run as wild as they want.
Why were they there in the first place?
what do they want to do now that they are out?
Who or what was behind them getting out?

[Mediapig71]

The Justice League: Doom movie is a good example of villains working together, for a more powerful overlord, because they realize his plan is so diabolical and far reaching that if they don't do what he says, when the dust settles, they will be on the losing side... which in this case most likely means dead.