Bwahaha Villain's arena play

[Storm Shadow]

Hi! I'm GMing a futurist campaign where the "villain of the month" is a 60's crazy robot called "Computron" (my players almost killed me when they heared the name ).

 

This old school villain can't get away from classics like teleporting all the heroes to the Villain's Arena, where they'll be forced to play a deadly soccer play (yes, deadly soccer, the humillation won't stop for the players ).

 

I will display a grid on the table where will be drawn a soccer field.

 

Rules:

- Superpowers will be disalowed

- The best of three will be the winner of the game

- If the players wins the kidnapped girl will be free

- If I win everybody will die, as you suspected

 

Facts:

- The villain team will cheat all the time, of course

- If the players wins, Computron will refuse to free the girl

 

 

Now, I have some questions, specially to the GMs ...

 

1) Will a three-goal game be to short? should I make a five-goal game? How long do you think it should last?

 

2) How often the villain team should cheat?

 

3) How do you think I should push the players to play the game and take away the idea to rescue the girl by the force?

 

4) One player is an armored guy like Iron Man. How could I disallow his powers?

 

Thanks in advance

[Cygnia]

Re: Bwahaha Villain's arena play

 

The question, how do you expect the players to win/play? And, besides just being a villain, what does your Bad Guy get out of keeping the girl anyways? If you're saying that the Bad Guy won't give up the girl even if they heroes win the game, then really, why take away the option of just going after him by force?

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Bwahaha Villain's arena play

 

Facts:

- The villain team will cheat all the time, of course

- If the players wins, Computron will refuse to free the girl

(snip)

Now, I have some questions, specially to the GMs ...

(snip)

3) How do you think I should push the players to play the game and take away the idea to rescue the girl by the force?

You shouldn't, IMO. As a player, I would loathe this scenario if I was forced to play by the rules of a game that only one side held to, when winning the game would gain me nothing anyway. It seems to me like you're setting up your players for a humiliating no-win scenario. No thanks.

 

Instead, once it becomes clear that the villain team is cheating, and especially once the heroes have good reason to believe that Computron won't honor the outcome anyway, the heroes should be allowed to shift their focus away from playing the game "by the rules," and toward rescuing the hostage safely.

[Storm Shadow]

Re: Bwahaha Villain's arena play

 

Well it's my poor knowledge of english

 

When I mean the humillation thing I really mean to make the things hard and not like "the girl is in the other door, take her and go home". The "humillations" are shown in a comedy way. I think the correct word is "Bizarre". When the scenario is futurist and x-men like, it appears a total "off-focus" villain. I like this dual scene.

 

I agree with you Derek, I shouldn't push the players to anywhere, I have to think a secondary plot but in honour to the "effort" of the idea-setting I should prepare a 60% of probabilities to play in the arena.

 

I have to learn a lot of GMing yet (and english too )

 

 

the heroes should be allowed to shift their focus away from playing the game "by the rules' date='" and toward rescuing the hostage safely.[/quote']

 

You're right. BTW, Computron (in his 4-color stupidity) creates a sportish way to save the day to the players. The villain won't like the idea of loosing a game, as a childminded he is.

 

I think I'm following the manual of the villain step by step: stupid, childish, nonsense, he want's it all and with worldwide objetives.

[mattingly]

Re: Bwahaha Villain's arena play

 

4) One player is an armored guy like Iron Man. How could I disallow his powers?

In my campaign, the PCs had to get past a bodyguard at a door, without using their powers. Our own powered armor guy was given a set of "pajamas" that looked like his armor, so he could keep his secret identity safe during his attempt.

[Balabanto]

Re: Bwahaha Villain's arena play

 

Hack the armor. He's computron. Just flick the off switch.

[Trebuchet]

Re: Bwahaha Villain's arena play

 

Hack the armor. He's computron. Just flick the off switch.

That's how I'd do it. It's just the price Focus Man pays for having all his powers in a tin suit. If you're really nice, you can let the Armor still provide him with some protection. If you're not as nice, you can double END and halve REC for being in a stifling hot suit without ventilation.

[Storm Shadow]

Re: Bwahaha Villain's arena play

 

That's how I'd do it. It's just the price Focus Man pays for having all his powers in a tin suit. If you're really nice' date=' you can let the Armor still provide him with some protection. If you're not as nice, you can double END and halve REC for being in a stifling hot suit without ventilation. [/quote']

 

 

 

Niiiiice! Thank you!

[Boll Weevil]

Re: Bwahaha Villain's arena play

 

That's how I'd do it. It's just the price Focus Man pays for having all his powers in a tin suit. If you're really nice' date=' you can let the Armor still provide him with some protection. If you're not as nice, you can double END and halve REC for being in a stifling hot suit without ventilation. [/quote']I have often wondered with large, cumbersome suits like Ankylosaur and Armadillo what happens when the lights go out. A significant power loss transforms the uber suit into a 800 pound metal prison when the motility servos are gone. Bummer.

[Clonus]

Re: Bwahaha Villain's arena play

 

The only reason for the players to go along with that nonsense at all is if they can think of some way of turning the tables that will take some time to pull off. Hacking the armour offers a possibility in that direction. Does the power armor character have the computer chops to take advantage of Computron being in communication with his gear?

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

Re: Bwahaha Villain's arena play

 

I mostly agree with the 'no sense in playing' line. I agree that the villain's team should cheat as often as they can get away with it, but unless you want Computron to be a one-shot villain instead of a recurring 'oh, crap, not HIM again!!' Arcade sort, you'll have him play relatively by the rules -- 'fine, the girl's right there, go away' -- or else the girl will be in an obvious death trap that they can beat if they use their heads and work together after the 'opposite team' shuts down at the end of the game.

 

Do this:

 

• The other team are robots that are programmed to cheat -- they won't use their hands except as legal, but they'll foul the players as often as they can.
  
• The referees are ALSO robots, programmed to referee fairly, but with a bias towards the other robots. (Speciesism?)
  
• The DNPC is in a clear ball with a few holes in the bottom and top, on a mechanism that's lowering her into a pit full of acid, lava, or whatever -- poisonous snakes or something.
  
• There's a time limit, and a score requirement: the players have to get 5 goals before their opponent, AND do it within whatever -- 5 minutes, who cares. If the robots get 5 goals first, the girl drops in. If the 5 minutes are up first, the girl drops in. If the PLAYERS get 5 goals first, then the girl does NOT drop in -- but the mechanism continues to lower her towards the 5 minute goal. (Uh-oh!!)
  
• At the end of 5 minutes, ALL the robots on the field (players & referees) automatically shut down.
  
• The other team's robots are programmed to argue vehemently in defense of their goals, in attempts to waste time. After all, the ball can't be in play during an argument, right?
  

 

The pit is on the side of the field, the chain/rope and ball is above it, the 'surface' is well below field level. The ball drops when it reaches, say, 2 hexes above the field. There ARE, however, heavy steel benches on the other side of the field that, used intelligently, may cover up the pit, deflect a falling ball, or whatever.

 

As for the Power Armor Man, leave him in his armor, but dampen any boosts it gives to him, excluding the PD/ED armor itself. System shutdown. He can move, but it's hot, sweaty, etc. Sux 2 B Him.