Silver Age Guidelines/Rules for Characters

[xiaolung]

I confess that I am a newbie at M&M, but not a newbie regarding RPG’s or comics in general. My main comic reading days are far behind me (70’s and early 80’s) and my favorites were all Marvel – Spidey and the X-Men with a smattering of other titles (Iron Man, Warlock, FF, Dr. Strange were the most prominent). I didn’t start paying attention to Batman until the movies.

So, here I am, also a newbie at this awesome game called M&M (but slowly getting better), and I have players chomping at the bit to do it (even though only two of five of us even read comics as a kid – the rest only know the more recent movies). My problem is I have at least one player who, without some guidance, will come up with ideas which do not take the subject matter seriously (One idea that has come up already is “Nano-man” – who’s power is to subjugate others by throwing vials of specially designed nanites at his enemies – I know this is possible, but it sounds more plausible in Mystery Men than anything else). And while I do not abhor humour in gaming, I don’t want the campaign to turn into a parody of comics.

They have agreed to a lighter background “Modern” campaign done up in Glorious Silver Age colour with some more modern sensibilities but with none of that pesky paranoia or ultra-violence you see in some of the darker titles to get in the way. They are heroes, they know they are heroes and people around them act like they are heroes (unless of course, they begin to do “unheroic” things in public). I also want to run a more “Marvel” style series. I know little of DC beyond Batman but Marvel’s style just clicked with me.

My question is, I want to give them a list of guidelines, tropes or DO’s and DON’T’s for a campaign of this type. What kind of hero they should create – what they should expect and what is expected of them? For instance, I can see one of my players deciding that once he has found out that the criminal mastermind is a corporate head (for example), that it would be great to start a media smear campaign (even though no one in the group is a reporter). Would that be reasonable to do in a Silver Age campaign? Is there a list of “rules” I can look at or that people have come up with that I can give to my players?

What guidelines would you give to newbie comic players?

Any help would be appreciated.

[King Snarf]

There's no rules yet, that I know of, though the Silver Age sourcebook might be out sometime within the year.

As for guidelines, here are my suggestions.

1) Power stunts- If a player is going to power stunt, you should only allow it if he or she can give an in-character monologue explaining how they're doing it in pseudo-scientific terms, as that was something of a staple of the Silver Age, especially DC under Julie Schwartz.

2) Speeches. Encourage players to make long-winded speeches, whether it be about some moral lesson, simple exposition, or a bit of Spidey-esque pathos.

[Foreshadow]

Heros do not use lethal force, and absolutely no killing. Accidently death might occur, and if any lethal force is used its a dramatic affair in the comic and integral to the story.

Villains may talk about lethality but truly most (if all but a few) have motivations that involve at most 'beating' the hero but not laying them out in a coffin. Putting that hero in death trap is by far the goal if you capture him. Though, Occasionally smack talk does occur and more street-level thug type villains or mob bosses will talk about 'rubbing the hero out' but again that is a less powerful or non-powered but skilled person and we normally are talking about heros like Daredevil, Batman, etc. which are clearly street level. I know you guys like to pup up Batman but he is a rich gadgeteer vs organized crime and 'insane' villains like the Joker, Riddler, etc. all clearly and mostly 'non-super powered' though some might be altered humans like the Joker. Later you see villains like Clayface with an actual superpower but notice he isn't the most clever villain, imagine the joker with his power, yes that might be scary.

If the hero is super-powered, like Spider-Man or the FF, then you get more super-powered foes. Yet, if you look at superman's foes like Luthor that isn't always the case. The goal then is not killing but instead of defeat. Defeating the plan of the villain which may or may not involve defeating the villain directly. Defeating the hero means putting him in a clear possition of defeat like a death trap.

[King Snarf]

Also, don't be afraid of ridiculous stories. Stories such as "Centurion's Girlfriend gains superpowers. Again." are totally in keeping with the Silver Age.

[Sidious]

also rule of thumb..

When a hero is involved in a relationship something bad will happen to the SO if they are told about the alter ego. Conversely if the SO knows about the heroic id they will end the relationship due to stressing over it.

Again... No killing. Heroes DON'T kill.

The world may hate and fear them but they still do the right thing.

Alien invasions happen regularly, are always repulsed and only tend to tie up traffic for the day.

Every scientific genius has a giant robot set to be unleashed at a moments notice.

[Doug McCrae]

It's hard to come up with a list of Dos and Don'ts. Apart from No Killing.

Tell them to make up PCs who resemble the classic Silver Age characters - the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, The Avengers (though not the Hulk), SA Superman, SA Flash, SA Green Lantern, the JLA, the Legion of Super-Heroes. The DC heroes might be a slighty better model, as DC Silver Age is happier than Marvel Silver Age. The heroes are more altruistic and non-monstrous. Avoid Bronze and Iron Age character types such as Wolverine, Ghost Rider, the Punisher, the 70s X-Men or the Authority.

The Silver Age was optimistic about the future. The Legion of Super-Heroes showed a world of progress, not like the dark futures of the 70s onwards, those of Deathlok and Days Of Future Past. SA heroes were big on exploration, travelling to the stars and other exotic places. By the Iron Age, we'd become more insular. Space was a horrible, alien place, the source of monsters such as HR Giger aliens and Predators. Use science rather than magic as the power source for heroes and villains. In the SA the universe was a place we could ultimately understand and control.

Other features of the actual Silver Age were the Red Menace (the modern equivalent would be Islamic fundamentalist terrorism) and the concept of alienation exemplified by Marvel heroes such as the Thing. I'd advise avoiding those if you want a happy SA.

Avoid real world terrors such as Al-Qaida and environmental catastrophe. Put the PCs up against giant monsters, dinosaur attacks, gimmicky supervillains like the Flash's rogues gallery, HYDRA-type hordes of nazis and the like. Fantasy stuff. Have the PCs travel to Sub-Terrania, Atlantis, a parallel Earth where everyone is a gorilla and into space to battle the shapechanging Skrulls. Have them travel into a black hole to retrieve the only weapon in the universe that can harm Galactus. And so forth.

As to the question of whether a PC should be doing a smear campaign against a corporate criminal mastermind. Well bad guys who require that sort of approach aren't Silver Age. Lex Luthor only became a businessman in the 80s. Likewise the Kingpin, though he first appeared in the SA, is also really an 80s bad guy, revived by Frank Miller. In fact Kingpin is almost the quintessential Iron Age baddie. Let the PCs do stuff like that if they really want to, it's not totally outlawed like killing is, but don't spend a lot of time of it. Use your GM powers to move on to the flying saucer and giant robot attacks.

[Paragon]

As to the question of whether a PC should be doing a smear campaign against a corporate criminal mastermind. Well bad guys who require that sort of approach aren't Silver Age. Lex Luthor only became a businessman in the 80s. Likewise the Kingpin, though he first appeared in the SA, is also really an 80s bad guy, revived by Frank Miller. In fact Kingpin is almost the quintessential Iron Age baddie. Let the PCs do stuff like that if they really want to, it's not totally outlawed like killing is, but don't spend a lot of time of it. Use your GM powers to move on to the flying saucer and giant robot attacks.

In the Silver Age period, the Kingpin was really a mob boss with a businessman cover; the latter was there to make it hard to easily take him down, but it otherwise wasn't really the point.

[xiaolung]

As to the question of whether a PC should be doing a smear campaign against a corporate criminal mastermind. Well bad guys who require that sort of approach aren't Silver Age. Lex Luthor only became a businessman in the 80s. Likewise the Kingpin, though he first appeared in the SA, is also really an 80s bad guy, revived by Frank Miller. In fact Kingpin is almost the quintessential Iron Age baddie. Let the PCs do stuff like that if they really want to, it's not totally outlawed like killing is, but don't spend a lot of time of it. Use your GM powers to move on to the flying saucer and giant robot attacks.

In the Silver Age period, the Kingpin was really a mob boss with a businessman cover; the latter was there to make it hard to easily take him down, but it otherwise wasn't really the point.

Actually, the point of the question was whether it would be appropriate for a PC to do a smear campaign. One of my players WILL come up with that idea instead of doing something "heroic" like hitting the villain head on. That is why I am asking for a list of DO's and DON'T's - so I can tell PC's what to expect and hopefully they will embrace this style. They mostly do not know the comics from any age, so I am soliciting guidelines. Anyone else.

As for everyone else who has put in suggestions - Thanks. They are great. Keep them coming.

Oh, I know it has been suggested to eschew real-world villains, but I wanted to use Somali Pirates in one scenario - Somali SUPER Pirates, that is - ones who unbeknownst to them, steal the Big Bad's stuff - and then the Big Bad "requests" the PC's go on a Pirate Hunt.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Tell them to make a hero who will both make them laugh and they can respect.

[King Snarf]

Another Silver Age trope? Celebrity Guest stars! Many real-life celebrities popped into comics in the day, sometimes for just a friendly hello, other times having the adventure revolve around them. Heck, Jerry Lewis had his own ongoing DC comic where he teamed up with Superman and Batman & Robin!

[xiaolung]

Another Silver Age trope? Celebrity Guest stars! Many real-life celebrities popped into comics in the day, sometimes for just a friendly hello, other times having the adventure revolve around them. Heck, Jerry Lewis had his own ongoing DC comic where he teamed up with Superman and Batman & Robin!

I'm trying to imagine Paris Hilton teaming up with Wolverine to rescue her chihuahua back from the clutches of Lady Deathstrike ...

[King Snarf]

YES!!! That's awesome. Of course, the chihuahua gets mutated somehow, then they have to fight it and then change it back!

[catsi563]

all the above are excellent ideas and Ia pplaude them.

for me check out the JLU cartoons, Superman TAS, and Batman TAS. the entire Timmverse is an exellent example of a silver age style with some modern components.

[King Snarf]

Also http://www.superdickery.com has a ton of Silver Age covers and panels. If that doesn't get your brain going, nothing will.

[xiaolung]

YES!!! That's awesome. Of course, the chihuahua gets mutated somehow, then they have to fight it and then change it back!

Can you imagine calling that giant, mutated, drooling chihuahua with laser beams coming from its eyes...tinkerbell?

Oh, the horror...