Ugly Ghost Squad #1 recap
Feb. 14th, 2016 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jkcarrierI just started running a new superhero RPG campaign, using the old Villains & Vigilantes system. One of the players requested I email out a recap of what happened each week, and I thought I would archive the info here as well, both for the players' reference and for anyone else who might be curious.
(Way too much detail about our first session under the cut)
Ugly Ghost Squad #1
"The Pit of the Viper"
Played 2/13/2016
Roll Call:
Black Panther
Captain America
Hulk
Martian Manhunter
Thanatos
Enemies Fought:
The Teen Titans (Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, Robin, Starfire)
The Crushers (F.I.S.T., Hornet, Mercury Mercenary, Shocker, Shrew, Stormlord)
Hydra (Viper, Silver Samurai, Dreadnought, various goons)
Other NPCs:
Ruby Ryder
The crew of a Ryder Industries cargo jet
Kidnapped scientists (Al Harper, Dr. Mishkin, Georgia Sivana)
Adventure Modules Used:
Marvel Super Heroes "Pit of the Viper" by Kim Eastland
Villains & Vigilantes "Crisis at Crusader Citadel" by Jack Herman and Jeff Dee
Villains & Vigilantes "Diamante's" by Dave Woodrum and Stacy Smith
Synopsis:
Novice superheroes from various parts of the country received a mysterious invitation to a "Heroes Appreciation Banquet" in Jump City, California. However, when they arrived at the appointed time, they found the restaurant completely deserted.
Before they could investigate further, the heroes were confronted by the young heroes called the Teen Titans (Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, Robin, and Starfire). Robin stated they had received an anonymous tip that supervillains were going to rob the restaurant, and ordered his teammates to attack. But the Titans were no match for these new heroes, and the teens went down in defeat.
Their victory was greeted by applause from billionaire businesswoman Ruby Ryder. It was she who had invited the new heroes to the "banquet", though she pleaded ignorance about the "anonymous tip" that brought the Teen Titans to the scene, claiming it must have been one of her business rivals, like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark, trying to make her look bad.
The real reason for the invitation was because Ryder needed someone to retrieve certain cargo that was lost when a Ryder Industries plane went down over the Rocky Mountains. She offered to donate $50,000 to each hero's favorite charity if they could recover the goods. One item in particular, an orange container about the size of a large suitcase, was especially valuable and getting it back was top priority. The heroes agreed and were taken by helicopter to the plane's last known coordiantes.
The downed jet plane was easy to spot, as it was surrounded by a group of supervillains, using their various powers to dismantle and destroy the wreckage. They were all members of the notorious crime cartel, The Crushers (Hornet, Shocker, and Shrew), and they wasted no time in attacking the arriving heroes. When lightning began raining down from the sky, they realized that a fourth member, the weather-controlling Stormlord, was hovering invisibly nearby. Eventually, the Crushers were defeated.
The plane's crew were still alive, and told the heroes that there had been another villain, a tall man in armor, who had taken the all-important orange crate and teleported away. A search of the unconscious Crushers revealed an electronic key-card for a store called "Kruezotter's Fine Furs", located in Manhattan. Ruby Ryder provided one of her private jets to transport them to New York.
When the heroes arrived, the fur store was empty, save for a single elderly homeless woman sitting in back. This turned out to be a disguised guard, who triggered an alarm, and then fled via a hidden elevator. The heroes followed him down to a vast underground facility. Strangely, the alarm that had gone off upstairs was not sounding down there, and the security cameras that were placed throughout the complex seemed to be non-functional as well.
The base was headquarters for a large cell of Hydra agents, and the heroes fought their way through the green-clad hordes of enemy spies. Along the way, they rescued three kidnapped scientists who had been forced to work on weapons for Hydra: Dr. Al Harper (who was the one who had secretly sabotaged the security systems), teen prodigy Georgia Sivana (who helped the heroes breach the force field protecting the heart of the base in exchange for her freedom), and Dr. Mishkin (who had been successfully brainwashed during his captivity, and nearly set off the nuclear bomb he'd helped build for Hydra). They also put down two more members of the Crushers: The armored F.I.S.T., and the speedster Mercury Mercenary, although the exact nature of the Hydra-Crushers alliance remained unclear.
At last, the heroes had made enough of a commotion that the base's leaders came out to confront them: Viper, the Silver Samurai, and a robotic Dreadnought. It was a hard-fought battle, but the heroes emerged triumphant, and Hydra's schemes (whatever they were) were foiled. They retrieved the orange case and returned it to Ruby Ryder.
Ryder was suitably impressed, and made the group an offer: Since they were obviously a highly effective group, she would provide them with a base of operations and equipment so they could form a superhero team. They would be free to pursue whatever crimefighting agenda they wished, as long as they also agreed to do occasional jobs for Ryder. The heroes agreed and, in light of their similarity in powers, as well as their rather "unconventional" appearance, gave themselves the tongue-in-cheek name "The Ugly Ghost Squad".
Memorable Quotes:
"That's some old school Kirby shit, there." - Captain America, on seeing the Dreadnought.
"Why does this remind me of that scene in 'The Godfather'? 'One day, I will call upon you for a favor...'" - Thanatos, on hearing Ruby Ryder's proposal.
Sources and References:
The Crushers: The featured bad guys in "Crisis at Crusader Citadel", the introductory module that was included in the original Villains & Vigilantes box set. All our previous V&V campaigns have started with a run through that module. I didn't want to go through the exact same adventure again, but I thought I should at least include a few of the characters as a nod to tradition.
Hydra: I'm assuming most of you are at least vaguely familiar with this evil spy organization, thanks to the Captain America movies and the Agents of SHIELD tv show. Viper and Silver Samurai were seen (sort of) in the most recent Wolverine movie. The Dreadnought is still waiting to hear from his agent.
http://marvel.com/universe/Hydra
http://marvel.com/universe/Viper_%28Madame_Hydra%29
http://marvel.com/universe/Silver_Samurai
http://marvel.com/universe/Dreadnought
Teen Titans: Again, probably familiar to you via their various cartoon shows (plus everyone knows Robin, right?). I always found them kind of annoying, which is why I threw them in as sacrificial lambs for your first battle. ;)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Titans_%28TV_series%29
Ruby Ryder: This one's pretty obscure. She was a recurring character in the "Brave and Bold" comics of the 1970s, a wealthy tycoon who was Bruce Wayne's biggest business rival. I always liked her, mainly because artists Nick Cardy and Jim Aparo drew her so sexy. :D
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Ruby_Ryder_%28Earth-One%29
Al Harper: Scientist who appeared in a classic "Silver Surfer" comic, where he sacrificed his life to save the Earth. Obviously, that story didn't happen in this universe (yet!). The game was winding down by the time you ran into him, so I kind of glossed over the fact that Al was the one who sabotaged the alarms and cameras so you guys didn't get dogpiled the moment you walked in the door. Thanks, Al!
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Al_B._Harper_%28Earth-616%29
Georgia Sivana: The teenaged daughter of Dr. Sivana, arch-enemy of Captain Marvel/Shazam. She's pretty rotten herself, but in this case Hydra was forcing her to work for them against her will.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Georgia_Sivana
Dr. Mishkin: Super-duper obscure. A minor character from an old Spider-Man/X-Men team-up, he was a Russian scientist who was an expert on radiation and mutation.
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Marvel_Team-Up_Annual_Vol_1_1
(Way too much detail about our first session under the cut)
Ugly Ghost Squad #1
"The Pit of the Viper"
Played 2/13/2016
Roll Call:
Black Panther
Captain America
Hulk
Martian Manhunter
Thanatos
Enemies Fought:
The Teen Titans (Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, Robin, Starfire)
The Crushers (F.I.S.T., Hornet, Mercury Mercenary, Shocker, Shrew, Stormlord)
Hydra (Viper, Silver Samurai, Dreadnought, various goons)
Other NPCs:
Ruby Ryder
The crew of a Ryder Industries cargo jet
Kidnapped scientists (Al Harper, Dr. Mishkin, Georgia Sivana)
Adventure Modules Used:
Marvel Super Heroes "Pit of the Viper" by Kim Eastland
Villains & Vigilantes "Crisis at Crusader Citadel" by Jack Herman and Jeff Dee
Villains & Vigilantes "Diamante's" by Dave Woodrum and Stacy Smith
Synopsis:
Novice superheroes from various parts of the country received a mysterious invitation to a "Heroes Appreciation Banquet" in Jump City, California. However, when they arrived at the appointed time, they found the restaurant completely deserted.
Before they could investigate further, the heroes were confronted by the young heroes called the Teen Titans (Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, Robin, and Starfire). Robin stated they had received an anonymous tip that supervillains were going to rob the restaurant, and ordered his teammates to attack. But the Titans were no match for these new heroes, and the teens went down in defeat.
Their victory was greeted by applause from billionaire businesswoman Ruby Ryder. It was she who had invited the new heroes to the "banquet", though she pleaded ignorance about the "anonymous tip" that brought the Teen Titans to the scene, claiming it must have been one of her business rivals, like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark, trying to make her look bad.
The real reason for the invitation was because Ryder needed someone to retrieve certain cargo that was lost when a Ryder Industries plane went down over the Rocky Mountains. She offered to donate $50,000 to each hero's favorite charity if they could recover the goods. One item in particular, an orange container about the size of a large suitcase, was especially valuable and getting it back was top priority. The heroes agreed and were taken by helicopter to the plane's last known coordiantes.
The downed jet plane was easy to spot, as it was surrounded by a group of supervillains, using their various powers to dismantle and destroy the wreckage. They were all members of the notorious crime cartel, The Crushers (Hornet, Shocker, and Shrew), and they wasted no time in attacking the arriving heroes. When lightning began raining down from the sky, they realized that a fourth member, the weather-controlling Stormlord, was hovering invisibly nearby. Eventually, the Crushers were defeated.
The plane's crew were still alive, and told the heroes that there had been another villain, a tall man in armor, who had taken the all-important orange crate and teleported away. A search of the unconscious Crushers revealed an electronic key-card for a store called "Kruezotter's Fine Furs", located in Manhattan. Ruby Ryder provided one of her private jets to transport them to New York.
When the heroes arrived, the fur store was empty, save for a single elderly homeless woman sitting in back. This turned out to be a disguised guard, who triggered an alarm, and then fled via a hidden elevator. The heroes followed him down to a vast underground facility. Strangely, the alarm that had gone off upstairs was not sounding down there, and the security cameras that were placed throughout the complex seemed to be non-functional as well.
The base was headquarters for a large cell of Hydra agents, and the heroes fought their way through the green-clad hordes of enemy spies. Along the way, they rescued three kidnapped scientists who had been forced to work on weapons for Hydra: Dr. Al Harper (who was the one who had secretly sabotaged the security systems), teen prodigy Georgia Sivana (who helped the heroes breach the force field protecting the heart of the base in exchange for her freedom), and Dr. Mishkin (who had been successfully brainwashed during his captivity, and nearly set off the nuclear bomb he'd helped build for Hydra). They also put down two more members of the Crushers: The armored F.I.S.T., and the speedster Mercury Mercenary, although the exact nature of the Hydra-Crushers alliance remained unclear.
At last, the heroes had made enough of a commotion that the base's leaders came out to confront them: Viper, the Silver Samurai, and a robotic Dreadnought. It was a hard-fought battle, but the heroes emerged triumphant, and Hydra's schemes (whatever they were) were foiled. They retrieved the orange case and returned it to Ruby Ryder.
Ryder was suitably impressed, and made the group an offer: Since they were obviously a highly effective group, she would provide them with a base of operations and equipment so they could form a superhero team. They would be free to pursue whatever crimefighting agenda they wished, as long as they also agreed to do occasional jobs for Ryder. The heroes agreed and, in light of their similarity in powers, as well as their rather "unconventional" appearance, gave themselves the tongue-in-cheek name "The Ugly Ghost Squad".
Memorable Quotes:
"That's some old school Kirby shit, there." - Captain America, on seeing the Dreadnought.
"Why does this remind me of that scene in 'The Godfather'? 'One day, I will call upon you for a favor...'" - Thanatos, on hearing Ruby Ryder's proposal.
Sources and References:
The Crushers: The featured bad guys in "Crisis at Crusader Citadel", the introductory module that was included in the original Villains & Vigilantes box set. All our previous V&V campaigns have started with a run through that module. I didn't want to go through the exact same adventure again, but I thought I should at least include a few of the characters as a nod to tradition.
Hydra: I'm assuming most of you are at least vaguely familiar with this evil spy organization, thanks to the Captain America movies and the Agents of SHIELD tv show. Viper and Silver Samurai were seen (sort of) in the most recent Wolverine movie. The Dreadnought is still waiting to hear from his agent.
http://marvel.com/universe/Hydra
http://marvel.com/universe/Viper_%28Madame_Hydra%29
http://marvel.com/universe/Silver_Samurai
http://marvel.com/universe/Dreadnought
Teen Titans: Again, probably familiar to you via their various cartoon shows (plus everyone knows Robin, right?). I always found them kind of annoying, which is why I threw them in as sacrificial lambs for your first battle. ;)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Titans_%28TV_series%29
Ruby Ryder: This one's pretty obscure. She was a recurring character in the "Brave and Bold" comics of the 1970s, a wealthy tycoon who was Bruce Wayne's biggest business rival. I always liked her, mainly because artists Nick Cardy and Jim Aparo drew her so sexy. :D
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Ruby_Ryder_%28Earth-One%29
Al Harper: Scientist who appeared in a classic "Silver Surfer" comic, where he sacrificed his life to save the Earth. Obviously, that story didn't happen in this universe (yet!). The game was winding down by the time you ran into him, so I kind of glossed over the fact that Al was the one who sabotaged the alarms and cameras so you guys didn't get dogpiled the moment you walked in the door. Thanks, Al!
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Al_B._Harper_%28Earth-616%29
Georgia Sivana: The teenaged daughter of Dr. Sivana, arch-enemy of Captain Marvel/Shazam. She's pretty rotten herself, but in this case Hydra was forcing her to work for them against her will.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Georgia_Sivana
Dr. Mishkin: Super-duper obscure. A minor character from an old Spider-Man/X-Men team-up, he was a Russian scientist who was an expert on radiation and mutation.
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Marvel_Team-Up_Annual_Vol_1_1
