Friday, May 25, 2012

Mightiest Issue 2

First, let me critique myself by saying I didn't feel like I was on my game as a GM, monday night.

Part of it is a continued ambivalence at the Marvel Heroic Role Playing Game's system.  I'm well past interest in "narrativist" games in my RPG development.  Probably about 7 years past it.  In my opinion, having rules to help a GM frame, develop, and end scenes is admirable (and a good idea in what could be someone's first RPG), but I don't need rules for that.  In fact, those types of rules, are what I find distasteful in most "indie" RPGs.

The problem too, is that Marvel and Margaret Weiss Productions are fumbling the ball on promoting this project, remember when we used to ads for RPGs in comics?  Why Marvel haven't you dedicated ad space to promote this game, as part of the license?

But as soon as I called for Wolverine to roll an action, and we had to go through the "laundry list" of traits, the wind completely left my sails, so to speak.

•  Wolverine is the only one who witnessed Captains America's switch with the Red Skull by the Enchantress and Executioner.  Wolvie tried to assault the Skull, but his acrobatic skills won out and Amora enchanted Logan into leaving them.  The trio then made their escape.

•  While trying assess the full scope of Hydra's assault, Nick Fury let them know that a Red Hulk was destroying downtown St. Louis.  The Beast brought JARVIS back online and then led the Thing and Colossus to confront this Hulk.  On the way, he contacted General "Thunderbolt" Ross about Hulkbuster equipment and was given permission by Tony Stark to use an experimental Iron Man suit close by.
He dropped Colossus and Thing into the fray and set off for the suit.  Colossus and Thing kept this Hulk busy, and noticed the madder he got, the hotter he got.  The Beast made it back with the suit and it appeared their team had him on the ropes.  However, a surprise feint on the Red Hulk's part, caused them to ram into each other.  The Red Hulk exploded in blinding heatwave and left them lying in the wreckage.

•  Meanwhile, Loki, went on his own to divine the whereabouts of Amora.  He located them at a mansion in Long Island and teleported there.  He knocked on the door and was surprised that the man servant who greeted him, blocked an attempt at mind control.  Loki was then seated in the drawing room and shared small talk with the Enchantress, while Skourge pointedly ignored him reading the Weekly World News.  Loki, used his magic to split his psyche and invisibly proceeded upstairs, where he sensed the Tessaract.  He discovered the Red Skull in bed, gazing into the cube's depths.  Acting with surprise, he blasted the Skull outside, through the wall and escaped with his prize.

•  Wolverine proceeded to the Triskelion, where the Strucker twins were being held, to help defend against any attack by Baron Strucker to liberate them.  Loki teleported there and Logan commented on smelling Amora, the Skull, and Skourge "on him".  Loki blew it off and Wolvie gave him his privacy.  Howerver, Maria Hill wanted more answers and led away for a debriefing.  She was frustrated that he couldn't provide an address for the mansion.  While this was going on, Iron Man arrived from China and almost simultaneously, the base was attacked by Baron Strucker.  The Baron, in the his new android body, dropped an unconscious Thor on them and they were shocked his Mjonir was missing.
Stark was able to shut down Strucker's fire powers and Logan got in a grisly hit on the Baron.  However, Strucker scoffed at them and decided to "go nova".

•  As the St. Louis team arrived at the Triskelion, they were shocked to see the facility had been leveled.  Iron Man's armor was frozen and shut down; Wolverine was dazedly moving about, his skin rapidly returning to his body;  Loki was shocked that he had protected Agent Hill from the blast with his cloak and she had found the Tessaract; Dr. Henry Pym, who had escaped from Strucker's Android body, had found shelter under Thor.  Both were battered and the God of Thunder was still unconsious. All 3 Struckers were gone and first responders were en route.

•  The Avengers were surrounded by dead and dying S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives.  Nick Fury was 2 minutes out.

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