Champions (role-playing game)
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| Champions | |
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| Designer | Steve Peterson, George MacDonald, Bruce Harlick, Ray Greer |
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| Publisher | Hero Games |
| Publication date | 2002 (5th edition) |
| Genre(s) | Superhero fiction |
| System | Hero System |
Champions is a role-playing game originally by George MacDonald, Steve Peterson, Bruce Harlick, and Ray Greer, published by Hero Games, designed to simulate and function in a four-color superhero comic book world.
A more recent edition of the game, using the Fifth Edition of the Hero System as revised by Steve Long, was written by Aaron Allston.
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[edit] Description
Champions, first published in 1981[1], is one of the first examples of a role-playing game in which character generation was based on a point-buy system instead of random dice rolls. A player decides what kind of character to play, and designs the character using a set number of "character points", often abbreviated as "CP." The limited number of character points generally defines how powerful the character will be. Points can be used in many ways: to increase personal characteristics, such as strength or intelligence; to buy special skills, such as martial arts or computer programming; or to build superpowers, such as supersonic flight or telepathy.
Players are required not only to design a hero's powers, but also the hero's skills, disadvantages, and other traits. Thus, Champions characters are built with friends, enemies, and weaknesses, along with powers and abilities with varying scales of character point value for each. This design approach intends to make all the facets of Champions characters balanced in relation to each other regardless of the specific abilities and character features. Players are motivated by rewards of character points which are then used to increase the power of their heroes.
[edit] The system
Players can design custom superpowers using the Champions rules system. Rather than offering a menu of specific powers, Champions powers are defined by their effects. (An energy blast is the same power regardless of whether it represents a laser beam, ice powers, or mystical spells.) The Champions rulebook includes rules governing many different types of generic powers which can then be modified to fit the players idea.
This allows players to simulate situations found in superhero stories. Like most comic book heroes, characters and villains are frequently knocked out of the fight but seldom killed. There are special rules for throwing heavy objects like aircraft carriers.
Champions, at the time, was unusual for only using six-sided dice.[citation needed] Most roleplaying games of the period used polyhedral dice.
[edit] History and other genres
The Champions system was adapted to a fantasy genre under the title Fantasy Hero (the first playtest edition of Fantasy Hero appeared before Champions was published), with similar advantages and disadvantages to the original Champions game. More recently (in 1984), Champions was incorporated into a generic role-playing game system called the Hero System. Champions now exists as a genre sourcebook for the Hero System. Books for other genres have also appeared over the years, including Star Hero, Dark Champions, Pulp Hero, and Ninja Hero.
[edit] Character archetypes and designs
While Champions does not use "character classes" as some RPGs do, it does define common superhero archetypes as found in comic books, based on how they use their powers in combat. As listed in the Champions genre book, they are:
- the Brick - slower hand-to-hand fighter who relies more on raw strength and tougher defenses (Incredible Hulk)
- the Energy Projector - primary combat ability is a ranged attack, which, despite the name, is not necessarily energy-based (Green Arrow, Cyclops)
- the Gadgeteer - abilities based on technological devices (Brainiac 5)
- the Martial Artist (or martist for short) - lightly-armored hand-to-hand combatant who fights with skill, quickness, and agility (Daredevil)
- the Mentalist - abilities target the mind, not the physical foe (Professor X)
- the Metamorph - abilities involving changes in shape and/or size (Morph)
- the Mystic - trained in the use of magic, or with abilities or items with magical properties (Doctor Fate)
- the Patriot - an embodiment of his or her nation (Captain America)
- the Powered Armor - a variant of a Gadgeteer, who uses an "all-in-one" gadget worn as armor (Iron Man)
- the Speedster - with abilities based around movement (Flash)
- the Weaponmaster - with expertise at using a particular type of weapon (Green Arrow)
It is possible for a character to fall into multiple categories, such as Superman (brick/energy projector/speedster), Batman (martial artist/gadgeteer), or Spider-Man (brick/martial artist/speedster/gadgeteer). It is also common for characters not to fall into any easily defined category -- these categories are simply to provide easy definition and really have no impact on normative game play and do not imply stricture nor benefit within the rules.
- See also: Superhero#Types of superheroes
[edit] The Champions Team
The Champions superhero team is presented as an example of how to build a well-balanced team in terms of game mechanics. The members as presented in the Champions genre book are:
- Defender - an inventor wearing powered armor
- Ironclad - a superstrong and supertough alien
- Nighthawk - a grim inventor/martial artist
- Sapphire - a flying energy projector
- Witchcraft - a sorceress
[edit] Hero Comics
Starting in June 1986, a comic mini-series was published by Eclipse Comics based on characters from the first Champions campaign. After the initial mini-series a regular series was published by Hero Comics (later Hero Graphics, later still Heroic Publishing). Like the Villains and Vigilantes comic mini-series, the early issues printed character sheets which allowed readers to incorporate characters used in the comic books in their own Champions campaigns. Heroic Publishing still prints comics about some of the characters in 2007, although they have long since parted ways with the makers of the game. At one point the comic featured a multi-issue crossover with the Southern Knights.
[edit] MMORPG
A massively multiplayer online roleplaying game based on the license was announced by Cryptic Studios, who had developed the popular City of Heroes and the cancelled Marvel Universe Online.[2] The game is due to be released in 2009.[3] The game is to take place in the established Champions universe and feature classic Champions heroes and villains as NPCs.[4]
[edit] Awards
The Champions product line has won awards for the following adventure books:
- Silver Medal 2005 ENnies: Best Adventure for Villainy Amok[5]
- Gold Medal 2004 ENnies: Best Non-D20 Adventure for Champions Battlegrounds[6]
- Silver Medal 2004 ENnies: Best Non-D20 Adventure for Shades of Black[6]
- Inducted into the Origins Awards Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame (1999)[7]
[edit] References
- ^ About Champions. Hero Games. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
- ^ Tor Thorsen (2008-02-13). Cryptic bringing Champions Online to PCs, consoles. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2008-02-15.
- ^ Kestrel (2008-02-20). Official press release. Cryptic Studios. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
- ^ Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 59
- ^ The Ennies: Annual Gen Con EN World RPG Awards (2005).
- ^ a b The Ennies: Annual Gen Con EN World RPG Awards (2004).
- ^ Origins Award Winners (1999). Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
[edit] External links
- Hero Games Official site
- About Champions (Hero Games official site)
- Gamespot interview on cancelled Champions PC game
- Champions Online official site
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