UNCONFIRMED Xbone keeps draconian DRM for digital games. Disrupts private tournament.

Original Article on Cinemablend

So apparently, when Microjerks backtracked on their always on, then once per day, must connect to internet DRM they forgot to mention (or I didn't see mentioned) that it would still apply to digital (and perhaps other) titles.

Texts From Superheroes

Publishers learn that letting people play an unfishined version of a crappy game for free cuts sales figures. No one is surprised. News at 11.

So I came across two articles today (the OXM one was embedded in the Gamespot one) talking about why the Xbone and PS4 don't have many demos. Part of the reason is that if you give someone a watered-down or unfished version of a watered-down never to be finished crappy game, OF COURSE people aren't going to want to buy your game.  /rant


Also, once I do eventually delve into the pit of hell that this gen of consoles is shaping up to be, I hope the small and indie developers continue to provide trials like XBLA. Because (wait for it) when you do actually create a fun and decent game, charge people a reasonable price for it (even if it later turns out to be unreasonable) and let them test it out? Cha-ching! Sales city!   //rant


Gamespot article OXM article

Texts From Superheroes

House Rule: Drawbacks as Complications

Drawbacks are things that make your hero more vulnerable. They are kryptonite, losing your iron pants, being exposed to (or denied) sunlight, turning into a big purple jerk whenever someone stiffs you on a tip, etc. In M&M 2e, they provide you with bonus power points based on how severe they are.

DPA Watchfiles: Pyra Banks

CLASSIFIED
Code Name: Pyra Banks
Real Name: Natasha Reynolds

Pyra Banks 4-26-08

Operational Status: Retired
DOB: August 7, 1953
Country of Origin: United States
Ethnic Background: Latin American
Meta Classification: Metahuman of unknown origin
Threat Level: Delta 7
Occupation: President and CEO of PB$$ LLC as well as several subsidiaries, Model (retired), Vigilante (retired)
Known Aliases: Flaming Fightress, P. Banks, Tasha Reynolds, Tasha Banks
Known Familial Bonds: Omar and Marisol Reynolds (parents - deceased), Adrienne Reynolds (sister - MBD), Reena Reynolds (niece - guardian)
Known Associates: World. B. Free, Dirty Ice, Dead to Rights (deceased), Duke of Dark (deceased)
Known Abilities: Chemically induced pyrotechnics, acrobatics, trained in several forms of advanced hand-to-hand combat training, most notably White Crane Kung Fu, knowledge of chemistry
Known Weaknesses:
Holdings: Primary Shareholder of PB$$ LLC. Approx. Net Worth 82 million USD
Criminal Record: CLEAR
Last Known Whereabouts: Big City, USA, Has housing in New York, Los Angeles, Brazill, Monaco, Tibet and Japan

This has nothing to do with iHero

And yet, it must be shared.

Facebook Page Added

Just created a Facebook page for those who prefer that as a means to gain news.


https://www.facebook.com/omnianverse

M&M: 2nd ED vs 3rd

The iHero campaign is running Mutants and Masterminds 2nd Edition. A while ago I decided to run this over 3rd for a few reasons.

Arcadian Post-Journal is Live

The Arcadian-Post Journal is now live. This is the in game news blog that will post IC news headlines and stories about events that happen in the campaign. Will you make headlines and be adored by the public? Or will you be made a pariah for all your misdeeds?

(The answer is 2)

First post is here: Blam!
Main page: The Arcadian Post-Journal

A challenger approaches!

Something strange is going down on the interwebs......

@iheroluminary

Big City is full of weirdos, this guy's no different. He does, however, seem to have his finger on the pulse of the underworld.

iHero Story Info

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time, my head has been causing all sorts of issues. For those who don't know, I suffered what appeared to be a minor concussion back in May. However, I still randomly suffer from the symptoms pretty heavily at times.


iHero was original planned to be a game where the players role-played themselves (part of the reason for the name). That campaign has been shelved for now (and will be titled the Persona Project if we ever get to it). Long and the short, this is a campaign I've been working on on and off for some time. I really want to have it fleshed out but in the intrest of time, if you'll bare with me, we can take a more malleable approach, meaning some details about the game world may and will change. /ramble

Nazi Super Science

So, I came across the new Wolfenstein trailer purely by accident, and one thing that occured to me, is that Nazis have some serious science when depicted in media. I mean they develop giant robot war tanks, unlock the secrets of lycanthropy, covort with demons and aliens, and sometimes even use the spear of destiny.

The Badass Normal

What do Batman, Nightwing, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Punisher, Night Thrasher, and Brock Samson all have in common? No fricken super powers.

So, what does it take to be a non-powered hero?

Man of Steel = Awesome, All-Star Superman = Sucks

So I saw Man of Steel opening night, and I loved it. I haven't enjoyed a superman film since Superman II (ok, I'll admit it, when I was a kid I thought the one with Sun Guy Nail Clone was ok). I, reluctantly, also enjoyed the cartoons of the late 90's. But in general I've never been a fan of DC (contrary to Batman being the greatest superhero of all time), and especially not of Superman.

This is likely due to the fact of; how often he is depicted as a red-caped Jesus, how he's never had a decent game, ever (name one, I dare you), and how every movie since Superman II has been complete totalsuck. I mean there was even a time when Nicholas Cage was to play Superman!

M&M2e Action Cards

These were created by a fan over at the Atomic Think Tank. They are printable cards that list all (or most) of the actions in the game. Some plucky young player should print up a copy or two of these on card stock so we can be all cool and official.

There are also condition cards for statusi, and blank ones for filling in your own.

Action Cards
Condition Cards
Blank Action Cards

Theme and Niche

Here is where we start to really get to define our character. In the iHero campaign, I've imposed a "niche" rule where all player characters must have a mostly unique theme and fit into a unique niche. This is to promote variety and dynamics amongst the heroes. It is, however, not to say that different characters cannot have similar powers.

That being said, once a niche is established, another hero won't fit into that until the original is killed or retired. This will disallow Supergirls, Guy Gardners and 50 mutant telepaths. At least as playable characters. The idea is to give each character a unique place in the story.

Where to Start

If you are unfamiliar with the Mutants and Masterminds rules, Green Ronin (the developer) has released the first chapter of the rule book for free. This both basic rules, character creation, and a set of archetypes.

After becoming familiar with the basics, the next step to come up with a character concept. For the scope of the iHero campaign, practically any hero you can imagine is possible. So, the question is, how do we scale it down?

You can of course simply pick a favorite superhero and play a facsimile of them. You could also find a power and build your character around that. Failing any other sort of inspiration, you can read through the various archetypes provided in the M&M source books and customize the character to fit your idea. Iron Age, Instant Super Heroes, Book of Magic, and to a lesser extent Mecha and Manga, Golden Age and Silver Age are all loaded with information and archetypes.

Finally, if you do decide to create a character based off an existing super hero, please check with me as I may have analogues to many heroes and hero organizations within the iHero gameworld.


Additional Resources

Chapter 1: http://grfiles.game-host.org/2e_files/MM2eCh1.pdf
Errata: http://grfiles.game-host.org/2e_files/MM2e-errata.pdf
           http://grfiles.game-host.org/2e_files/MM2e-errata3P.pdf
FAQ: http://grfiles.game-host.org/2e_files/MM2eFAQ.pdf

iHero background information.

The iHero campaign will be set in present day. The rule set will be Mutants and Masterminds 2nd edition.

Power Level: 10 (150 pp) Standard heroes. Standard Power Level restrictions apply unless otherwise stated. Players are required to establish a niche for their character. This means all player characters will be relatively unique, there won't be 3 "fire-controllers" or 6 "hulks". This doesn't mean that powers must be unique, just theme and niche.

Comic Era: Modern Age with Iron Age leanings. Use of super-powers have lasting and "realistic" effects, but within the confines of comic physics. Humans are not crushed when caught from a falling building by Duperman, but Flameo needs to be careful where he throws fireballs. (Those names are free to use btw)

Real world issues exist and may not always take a backseat. Villains and criminals are just as likely to strap a victim to a buzzsaw machine as well as torture and kill (or worse) a loved one. Corruption winds its tendrils through all aspects of life.

Setting: Modern Day Emerging Heroes. There is a history of a few costumed crusaders, but far as anyone knows, superheroes and superpowers are new to this setting. In fact, the majority of powers were caused by a planet-wide meteor event called Second Impact.

Scale: Local, takes place in Big City, USA. A fictional metropolis, and a city under siege. A rising crime rate, plummeting property values, and corrupt politicians belies a city with a rich cultural history. Big City is home to one of the finest universities and two of the largest and most profitable technology firms in the country (in large part due to lopsided tax policies).

Tone: Grey scale - The lines may be blurred between good and evil, but this will mostly be left up to players. Will they toe the line of the righteous or succumb to the techniques of the villains they hope to thwart?

It begins

The purpose of this blog will be a collection of information on the various games that I master. It is designed as a place for players to come to locate both game pertinent and background/color information. All the characters, names and places containted within are copyright of their respective holders or are the intellectual property of Ian Foster.