So we're starting to get quite the cast together and while I know most of us have some arcs planned out. But I'm curious if looking at the cast you have anyone you're looking forward to either reading or interacting with.
Personally I'd love to play Deathstroke off of Superman or Captain America because I think the moral disparity between Slade and either of the boys in blue would lead to an interesting dynamic.
"If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet."- John F. Kennedy ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ A MARVEL AND DC COMICS ROLEPLAY ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
◼ G M (s):Master Bruce ♦ Lord Wraith ♦ ◼ G E N R E S:Superhero, Fandom ◼ T Y P E:Sandbox with linear and collaborative Arcs
I had a couple of questions about playing villains.
1) Can I assume villains should be treated as legacy characters? Example - If I was interested in playing as the Green Goblin I would have to converse if the Spider-Man player (Master Bruce) before typing up a CS?
2) Are there restrictions placed on villain PCs? Are certain villains off-limits (Thanos, Adam Warlock, Darkseid)? Can a player turn a villain into a hero? Can a player turn a hero into a villain?
1) In the above example the villain would be considered legacy. However I do believe if a villain is applied for before the hero character, the hero becomes the legacy.
2) Game/World altering events would definitely need GM collaboration, likewise probably not best to be wiping out whole cities. I think approaching a villain in terms of plotting is more or less the same as a hero just different goals and struggles.
As for the last two points, those are both an easy yes. I'm currently writing a Deathstroke before his descent into supervillainy. But if you just want to take a villain character and make then into a hero, I think the most recent treatment of Harley, Ivy or Caitlin Snow shows it can be done well.
Likewise going the other way, plenty of heroic characters have been done as villains.
@Lord Wraith, yeah I don't know what he's doing over there but I just keep hearing the most horrible bleating and then when I walk past in the morning I just see an eerie thousand mile stare in the local livestock's eyes...
Anyway, green eye-bleeding test for Hal Jordan is fine, right?
C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y
_________________________________________________________ Lieutenant Colonel Slade Joseph Wilson _________________________________________________________ Caucasian | A.R.G.U.S. Spec-Ops | Team 7 _________________________________________________________ Classified | Classified | United States of America
M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ AL-SADR, HASSAN: Formerly a military dictator that ruled over Qurac under the alias of Sulieman. Al-Sadr was overthrown by General Marlo in 2009, ending his reign and bringing about the start of democracy in Qurac.
A.R.G.U.S.: The Advanced Research Group United Support, A.R.G.U.S. is the governing body that overseas Team 7 and its operations.
BEATRIZ, ZAZZALA: Queen Zazzala Beatriz II is the reigning monarch of Bialya with suspected ties to the group known only as H.I.V.E.
BIALYA: Bialya is a country located in the Middle East, with the nation of Saudi Arabia lining its eastern and southern borders. To the west is the Gulf nation of Quarc. To the North, sits Iraq and Kuwait. It is a monarchy ruled by the Queen of Bialya.
CRAWFORD, EVELYN: Codenamed Starling, Evelyn is a master marksman and member of Team 7.
DANIELS, ANGELICA: A former on and off again flame of Slade's and member of Team 7. Angelica is an expert in melee combat.
DEFARGE, NATHANIEL: The second husband to Paris Wilson, Nathaniel was an abusive alcoholic with a gambling addiction. Falling into a life of crime to pay his debt, Nathaniel soon accumulated more debt from one botched job after enough, soon having a price on his head from nearly every mob boss along the Eastern coast. In desperation, Nathaniel eventually tried to sell both Wade and Slade before attempting to use his wife as leverage in order to settle his debts.
DEFARGE, PARIS neé WOLFMAN: Formerly Paris Wilson, the late mother of both Slade and Wade, died from a terminal illness around the time that Slade turned sixteen. A kind woman, Paris had a string of bad luck that ended up pairing her with her high school ex-boyfriend in the wake of her divorce from Charles. A miserable man, their relationship would end after Paris discovered Nathaniel sold their son, Wade, to settle his ever-growing debts and intended to do the same to her. He would have succeeded if not for the intervention of her illness taking what little life she had left.
DEFARGE, WADE: Slade's half brother, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Previously had a relationship with Adeline Kane. Wade's own father, Nathaniel, was the first husband to Slade's mother, Paris. When Nathaniel found himself drowning in debt to the wrong people, he managed to sell Wade to the right people.
FAIRCHILD, ALEX: A former member of a previous iteration of Team 7, Alex has a strained relationship with A.R.G.U.S. but due to his abilities is kept under a close watch. He acts in a consulting role due to his expertise in metahumans and other superhumans.
FAIRCHILD, CAITLIN: The daughter of Alex Fairchild, Caitlin is the youngest member of Team 7. Possessing abilities that grant her superhuman strength and durability, she's by far one of the toughest members of the Team.
ISHERWOOD, DAVID AKA IKON: Former mercenary and black-market weapons specialist, Dr. David Isherwood, now works alongside Team 7 using his own Gravity Sheath to fight on a near superhuman level.
H.I.V.E.: A mysterious organization that is proving to be a growing thorn in A.R.G.U.S.'s side. Team 7 has been tasked with intervening in H.I.V.E.'s operations and shutting them down where possible.
KANE-WILSON, ADELINE [49]: Team 7's commanding officer and Slade's ex-wife with whom he holds a strained relationship. Mother to Grant and Joseph.
LANCE, KURT: A metahuman with the ability to amplify the abilities of others.
MARLO, HURRAMBI: President Marlo is the second elected president of Qurac and its current official.
MIRAKURU: The name given to the Super Soldier Serum derivative that was injected into Slade. Allegedly destroyed following the experiment's perceived 'failure'.
PEABODY, ALEXANDER: The estranged son of Wintergreen. Alex supplies weapons and gear for Team 7.
QURAC: Situated along the Persian Gulf, the nation of Qurac runs along the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula from Oman and the Rub' al Khali on the south, Bialya and Saudi Arabia on the west, and Iraq and Kuwait to the north. The Qurac borders with Bialya are a persistent source of conflict. The country is considered to be an outlaw nation by most countries in the United Nations due to its strong anti-U.S. policy. However, in recent years, the country has progressed towards a most western attitude, starting with its adoption of democracy in 2009.
ROSCOE: Retired K-9 Unit that served alongside Slade overseas. Has a particular fondness for Rose.
TEAM 7: Team 7 or Task Force 7 is the seventh iteration of an A.R.G.U.S. International Operations' military spec-ops unit. A special intervention and response team dedicated to metahuman and superhuman incidents, the team is handpicked for their missions and includes among its ranks the asset known as Slade Wilson.
► Amanda Waller - Director of A.R.G.U.S. ► Adeline Kane - Team 7's Commanding Officer ► Alex Peabody - Weapon Supplier ► Alex Fairchild - Metahuman Consultant
► Slade Wilson - Master Combatant ► William Wintergreen - Strategist Specialist ► Evelyn Crawford - Marksman ► Angelica Daniels - Melee Specialist ► David Isherwood - Metahuman ► Caitlin Fairchild - Metahuman ► Kurt Lance - Metahuman
WALLER, AMANDA: Nothing happens at A.R.G.U.S. without Amanda 'The Wall' Waller knowing about it.
WINTERGREEN, WILLIAM RANDOLPH: Slade's closest and longest friend. The Alfred to his Batman so to speak.
WILSON, CHARLES HENRY: Charles Wilson is Slade's biological father. A career-driven man, his son and wife never ranked high in his priorities which resulted in a distant relationship between both. This only seemed to further increase when Paris began to show signs of the illness that eventually took her life. Their divorce was short, uncontested and happened when Slade was far too young to reconcile the events. A senior agent in the CIA, Charles is well aware of his son's career.
WILSON, GRANT [21]: Slade's eldest son. Currently enrolled in the U.S. Military seeking to follow after his father but unaware of his father's missions with Team 7 or A.R.G.U.S.
WILSON, JOSEPH 'JOEY' [17]: Slade's youngest son and middle child. Joseph is a budding metahuman, displaying signs of abilities that with training could make him an asset in the right hands.
WILSON, SLADE [46]:
WILSON-WORTH, ROSE [14]: Slade's illegitimate daughter and youngest.
WORTH, LILLIAN 'SWEET-LILI': A courtesan from Cambodia and its self-proclaimed 'Queenpin', Slade and Lillian engaged in a tryst which lead to the conception and subsequent birth of Rose Wilson. T I M E L I N E ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ | 1973 - Adeline is born | 1976 - Slade is born | 1980 - Charles and Paris divorce | 1982 - Paris marries Nathaniel DeFarge | 1992 - Nathaniel sells Wade and attempts the same 1992 to Paris who passes away from illness 1992 - Slade enlists in the army | 1995 - Slade and Wintergreen meet | 1999 - Slade and Adeline marry | 2001 - Grant is born | 2003 - Slade achieves the rank of Lt. Col. 2005 - Joseph is born | 2005 - Slade is injected with Mirakuru 2005 - Slade is put in an induced coma | 2006 - Slade is recruited to A.R.G.U.S. | 2007 - Slade's first A.R.G.U.S. mission takes 2007 - him to Cambodia | 2008 - Rose is born | 2013 - Slade and Adeline divorce | 2022 - Team 7 is sent to Bialya to search for 2022 - leads about H.I.V.E. | -
P O S T C A T A L O G ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Issue #01: A H.I.V.E. Mind #1.01 - What's the Buzz? #1.02 - That Stings A Little #1.03 - A Sticky Situation #1.04 - Beaten Black and Yellow #1.05 - Eye of the Swarm ◼ Issue #02: Honey-Despot #2.01 - TBD ◼ Issue #03: Queen Takes Pawn #3.01 - TBD ◼ Issue #04: Buzzkill #4.01 - TBD ◼ Issue #05: Burn the Nest #5.01 - TBD -
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T
A career soldier, Slade Wilson forged an identity for himself at the age of sixteen and left behind his alcoholic step-father and idiot half-brother to join the U.S. Army. Find success in everything thrown at him, Slade rose through the ranks quickly and gathered the attention of the right people. Slade was asked to volunteer for a secret experiment. Signing up under the false pretense that the experiment would make him immune to the effects of the enemy's truth serum. It was only later that Slade discovered the operation was instead seeking not only to replicate, but also improve upon the Super Soldier Serum as performed by Dr. Abraham Erskine during the Second World War.
As superhumans have become more and more common, the world is finding itself in a superhuman arms race. In an effort to tip that race in the favour of the United States of America, Slade Wilson, the perfect soldier, volunteered for a cutting-edge, experimental procedure that would genetically engineer him to surpass all human limits.
The experiment was not without side effects though and Slade's body reacted violently to the procedure. Ultimately it left him in a coma for several months leading to the experiment being deemed a failure. However, upon waking up, Slade discovered the procedure had in fact worked. His strength, speed, senses, stamina, intellect and reflexes were enhanced beyond that of any ordinary man, putting him on far more even footing with the superhumans emerging across the globe.
Perhaps calling this sheet 'Deathstroke' is a bit misleading, we're not there yet. This is a slightly younger Slade Wilson than we're used to seeing. He's not yet the master assassin or jaded mercenary of the comics. In a world filled with reactive heroes that only appear once the city is already under siege, Slade Wilson works with A.R.G.U.S. as a leading member of a special operations unit known only as Team 7. In an effort to get the jump on superhumans abusing their abilities, this covert spec-ops team seeks to eliminate threats before they happen.
This is the story of what happens when you give that kind of power not to a good man, but to a good soldier.
C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L ( S ) C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L ( S )
I think Slade Wilson has the potential to be written as a both tragic and compelling figure. Too often the comics either use him as another hammy villain or worse, write him double dipped in angst and wrapped in edge. I see Slade as being almost a foil between Captain America and Batman, there are a lot of similarities to both in his origin and his family dynamics. But where Batman ultimately unites allies, Slade tends to drive them away and where Cap stands tall in the face of adversity, Deathstroke sells his skills to the highest bidder. I want to write the story of how someone who starts off as this ideal soldier becomes the supervillain capable of going toe to toe with the Justice League. To that end, I've placed Slade on Team 7, an A.R.G.U.S special operations team dedicated to hunting down and stopping superhuman threats before they happen. I've put the pieces in place so that Slade will ultimately specialize in taking down superhumans. All that's left is to write how he gets to the point where not only does he sell his skills, but actively enjoys being the villain.
I S S U E # 0 1
A H.I.V.E. MIND
Team 7 is dispatched to the Middle Eastern nation of Qurac in order to infiltrate Bialya. Hostilities are at an all-time high between the two nations, with their cold war bordering on open warfare. A.R.G.U.S. believes that H.I.V.E. has infiltrated the Bialyian Monarchy and is pulling the strings from within, biding their time before releasing a superhuman weapon against Qurac. The clock is ticking, is the team up to the task?
Characters Involved: Team 7 Desired # of Players: N/A
I S S U E # 0 2
HONEY-DESPOT
Caught in the clutches of the Queen Beatriz of Bialya, the Team must find a way to prevent a war between Qurac and Bialya while uncovering the truth about Beatriz' connections to H.I.V.E.
Characters Involved: TBD Desired # of Players: N/A
I S S U E # 0 3
QUEEN TAKES PAWN
Characters Involved: Rose Wilson Desired # of Players: N/A
I S S U E # 0 4
BUZZKILL
Characters Involved: TBD Desired # of Players: N/A
I S S U E # 0 5
BURN THE NEST
Characters Involved: TBD Desired # of Players: N/A
No Character Sheet prepared but I am curious about RPing as a bad guy. Specifically something involving the likes of the Weapon program. It came up awhile ago in that 1968 RP and it's been stuck in my head for a bit.
How would that work? You mentioned playing as a villain as a possibility but I'd like to pick your brain about that a bit.
Again not a GM, but playing as a villain is basically the same as writing as a hero in these sorts of games. You basically are responsible for pushing your own stories forward and driving it but you also have the opportunity to play off a hero character. That just requires communication and coordination.
"So..." The silence was broken by the youngest member of Team 7. Not a word had been spoken amongst them since the team had entered the Quraci port city of Al-Doha.
"...This is Qurac..." Caitlin's voice trailed off as her eyes darted back and forth across the open back of the truck. Looking beyond her teammates, she scanned the poverty-stricken streets on either side of what felt to be an ancient vehicle. Her attempt at an ice breaker had been barely audible over the engine that seemingly must have been operating since the military coup had initially taken power in the wake of the Second World War.
"Streets look almost empty without the enforcers I remember seeing on every corner." The response came from the opposite side of the truck bed.
"I definitely don't miss the sight of their AK-47s" Turning to the source of the voice, Caitlin realized it had been none other than Wintergreen who had added his own thoughts over the din of the engine. The neatly trimmed mustache that decorated his face emphasized his grin as a shared groan came from some of the other members of the team.
"Got another history lesson for us, gramps?" Eveyln dryly retorted from her seat in the back of the truck. She, and the team, full well knew that Wintergreen was about to launch into another one of his service stories. Though Evelyn would never admit it, the marksman often enjoyed Wintergreen's various stories and info dumps. It did, however, get exhausting hearing a story every time A.R.G.U.S. deployed the team. The Brit had seemingly been everywhere.
"Up until thirteen years ago, Qurac was ruled by a military dictatorship that had taken control after the British lost power over the country amidst the end of the Second World War." Wintergreen lectured, his smile growing wider with each word. "But in 20-"
"In 2009, the people revolted and overthrew their former dictator leading to the first democratically elected government in Qurac history." Interrupted the voice of Dr. Isherman. While Evelyn and Caitlin may not have heard all of Wintergreen's history lessons before, Ish had and he was more than certain that the silent man sitting across from him had not only heard every story but even served alongside Wintergreen through many of them, including this one.
Turning his attention away from the conversation, the man in question, Lieutenant Colonel Slade Wilson, looked at the woman sitting beside him. Angelica seemed oblivious to the conversation whilst sharpening one of the long blades she kept sheathed on her back. Despite her seemingly absent mind, Slade knew better than to assume she wasn't aware of her surroundings. Instead, he knew Angelica was more than likely entering a meditative state to better prepare herself for the mission ahead. Next to Wintergreen, there was no one else on the team that Slade would rather have watching his back.
"Having a President hasn't magically fixed anything," The voice came from beside Caitlin, catching Slade's attention. Turning his head, Slade listened as Kurt continued to speak.
"Quraci society is still heavily segregated between those who have and those who have-not. You can see a lot of influence from the caste system in its society and nearly seventy years under a dictatorship sure as hell didn't help anything."
"Especially not with Bialya." Slade added, bringing the conversation back to the reason why there were over seven thousand miles from home.
The relationship between Qurac and Bialya had been tense since the fall of the Ottoman Empire but things seem to take a particular turn after the Second World War when Sulieman's regime put Qurac under its dictatorship. The Bialyian Monarchy in particular had always desired the land which made up the neighbouring nation. As a coastal nation, Qurac had more influence over trade and imports than the Kingdom of Bialya desired. The two nations had remained locked in a cold war for over seventy years, though recent reports indicated that Bialya might be making the moves to ensure the two nations entered open warfare.
That's where they came in.
The seventh iteration of A.R.G.U.S.' International Operations Intervention and Response Spec-Ops Unit, or simply; Team 7. Reporting directly to Amanda Waller herself, Team 7 was overseen by Field Director Adeline Kane-Wilson. While taking orders from his ex-wife was hardly the dream job that Slade had in mind, it beat sitting behind a desk. The experiment that gave him his abilities also effectively ruined his career with the U.S. Military. Thankfully, Waller recognized their mistake and A.R.G.U.S. gained a new asset.
"I'm not complaining that we're here," Caitlin piped up again, "I just don't understand why send in a covert team when Iron Man could do a fly-by and quell the conflict?"
"Because," A smirk crossed Slade's face as the woman beside him broke her silence, "We get things done."
Angelica's words almost seemed to cut through the air, highlighting the tension between the team. It didn't help particularly when her words were followed by Slade nodding his agreement. While most of the world knew the names of the 'Avengers' or the 'Justice League', Team 7 was on a need-to-know basis. They didn't stand around to take photo-ops of getting kittens out of trees or do interviews with the local news. Unlike the 'superheroes' that people worshipped, Team 7 took care of problems before they happened.
There was no knowledge of their operations because as far as the world was concerned, they didn't exist.
"Simply put, the problems we deal with," Slade started, adding his own thoughts onto Angelica's, "Don't escape through a revolving door every month. When A.R.G.U.S. calls us, it's not to 'avenge' a problem." Holstering the pistol he was cleaning, Slade began to stand as the vehicle came to stop.
"It's to terminate it."
Slinging his bags over his shoulder, Slade exited the vehicle, quickly flanked by Angelica and Wintergreen. The rest of the team followed suit, with Caitlin being the last to exit the truck. The girl thanked their driver, her naivety never failing to surprise Slade. It was a good thing Fairchild was able to catch a tank round like it was a baseball, Slade wasn't sure she'd stay alive otherwise.
Due to the rising tensions with Bialya, the truck had only been able to take Team 7 so far. The border was still a few miles due west of their current position.
"It'd be best to wait until dark," Slade stated, "Rest here, check your gear. You know the drill."
"You realize they make double the rounds at night right?" Ish responded, "Even with the cover of darkness, that doesn't give us a whole lot of opportunity to get through."
"Wintergreen?" Motioning with his head for the other man to speak, Slade directed the team's attention towards their British comrade. Leaning back against the idle truck, Wintergreen chomped down on a fresh cigar. In one fluid movement, he cut the end and lit it, taking a few quick drags before exhaling a ring of smoke towards the team.
Reluctantly retired roleplayer.
Except when I'm not.
Why are you here when you should be writing posts?
You can edit a bad draft, but you cannot edit a blank page.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Reluctantly retired roleplayer. <br><br>Except when I'm not.<br><br>Why are you here when you should be writing posts?<br><br>You can edit a bad draft, but you cannot edit a blank page.</div>
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