Villain Mission Force Followup

Following on the great success and fun I enjoyed running Giant Sized Villain Mission Force #1 last weekend, I have been re-working my charts and setup and thinking about running more regular games of VMF with my normal RPG group. Once we finish up the Shadowrun campaign (roughly two sessions remain) I plan to launch into semi-regular installments, time permitting.

In the meantime I have plenty of Heroclix to re-base and touch up.  Here's my latest handiwork: Bullseye!

Bullseye might be one of the best-sculpted Heroclix I've ever seen. He certainly required little to no paint work once he was re-based.

In between 15mm stuff, I'll feature more articles on y work and progress with VMF.  If folks are interested in my revised background and character generation charts, I can share those as well.  They can be adapted to any rules, but I will add another plug for BASH, my favorite set of superhero RPG rules.

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

Giant-Sized Villain Mission Force #1

What do you get when you take The Trapster, Scorpion, and Boomerang, and send them on a mission to recover hidden Kree technology at Roswell, NM?  Why, Giant-Sized Villain Mission Force #1, of course!

Last night I was asked on very short notice to run an episode of VMF for Rico, Jeff, and Patrick (a very nice fellow from the company behind Mage Wars), so I busted out my BASH rules and threw something together.  And it worked!  We all had a blast!

The actual issue did not include Stilt-Man, but I could resist showing him!

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

VMF: A Secret Invader?

One of the core premises of my Villain Mission Force RPG using BASH is the idea that the player characters have a secret benefactor who bank-roles the VMF and instructs the Vanisher who to make membership offers to.

The PCs don't ever see this person--it's like Charlie's Angels in that way. So if it's like Charlie's Angels, wouldn't I need a Bosley character? A majordomo of sorts. I settled on a Skrull. Why? Not sure, just thought it would be a fun juxtaposition of images.

I did not want to use the name "Bosley"--too obvious. So I settled on Rothby. A little ostentatious, a trifle exotic. Maybe kind of cool. With concept and name in mind, I set about converting a Heroclix model into an appropriate Rothby.

I started with the Aaron Stack (Machine Man) 'Clix figure. This really is a dynamite figure for conversions.

Here it is:



I sawed off the head and hands, and replaced them. The head came from an older 'Clix Skrull trooper figure. The hands came from a Star Wars Weequay Thug figure.

Then I re-painted him. Here he is:







I like this conversion so much I want to play him in somebody else's game!

Anyway, in issue #1 when the players first met him, they asked Rothby where he came from. I think someone said, "Are you really a Skrull?" He replied, "Yes, the Facilitator rescued me from an ignominious fate in some cow pasture."

So yeah, had to stick that little Marvel Universe history nugget in there.

Hopefully I'll have time to do at least one RoboFire post this weekend. We shall see. I have some Merc painting that needs doing, and a few other family related activities, but a late night or two may bear some fruit!

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

Marvel Villain Mission Force #1

Last night I ran the first issue of my BASH Villain Mission Force RPG. The player characters were recruited by the mysterious Facilitator to rescue a very special individual from Arcade's Murder World.

Set in 1985, Kim Jong-il had not yet come to power in the North Korea, but he was already a villainous sort by this point, so a group of North Korean expatriates and others pooled their resources to have him kidnapped and slain in Arcade's Murder World! So I needed a Kim Jon-il figure in 28mm, but where do you get that?

I had a spare Murch Pulp Figures Chinese gangster in my bits bin, so added some hair and sunglasses, and I had a decent facsimile of the future "dear leader."

Here he is!









In the end he was successfully rescued, and the VMF enjoyed a riotous victory on their inaugural mission. The team consisted of The Owl, Scorpion, Mr. Hyde, Ghost, and Hydro-Man, who was brimming with fun facts about water!

Rolling on the tables I'd made turned out to be a blast as well. I plan to run another session in a few weeks.

In the meantime, I'll show off more figures as I get them done. Here's the Scorpion:





Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

VMF: More Models

I got three more models done for the VMF game. Two player character models and one NPC.

Whirlwind will make an excellent VMF member, I just need to stat him up and work him into the chart.





His super-speed spinning and whirling blades will make him formidable at 25 pts.

Ghost is already on the table and statted up. Here he is:





His suit allows him to either turn invisible or intangible, but not both at the same time!

Now for an NPC, Arclight, a big, tough mutant suitable for crunching some VMF heads!





She actually points out pretty well at 25 pts., so she could be included as a PC, but I think I will leave her as an NPC for now.

Here are all three of the new characters side by side:



Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

VMF: Hydro-Man and the Tables

I did a quick and easy re-paint on Hydro-Man the other night. He needed very little as I loved his translucent blue plastic body and appendages. As you can see here, I just re-did his flesh, hair, and shirt.









Now, onto the tables I am using for the first issue of my BASH Villain Mission Force game featuring bad Marvel villains in the starring role.

Villain Mission Force (VMF)
The year is 1985--the Bronze Age of the Marvel Universe, and the world needs villains to complete sometimes unsavory missions.

The Villain Pool
Players choose (or roll randomly) the villain they want to play from the table below.

Roll 2D6:

2 = Anaconda
3 = Blizzard
4 = Boomerang
5 = Constrictor
6 = The Ghost
7 = Harpoon
8 = Hydro-Man
9 = Mr. Hyde
10 = The Scorpion
11 = Vertigo
12 = Wild Child

Incarceration Tables
Once a player selects his villain from the available pool, he or she should roll on the following tables to determine what the character’s most recent misdeeds were that ended in them being incarcerated. Players may also choose from the tables, but the GM should point out that choosing isn’t very fun!

Crime (roll 2D6)

2 = Assault (roll again on the Victim table below)
3 - 4 = Racketeering
5 - 6 = Kidnapping (roll again on the Victim table below)
7 - 9 = Bank Job
10 - 11 Grand Theft Auto
12 = Attempted Murder (roll again on the Victim table below)

Victim Table (roll 2D6)

2 - 3 = Rich Heiress
4 - 5 = The Mayor
6 - 7 = Famous Actor
8 - 9 = Famous Scientist
10 - 11 = Famous Religious Figure
12 = Subduing Hero’s Family Member/Significant Other



Subduing Hero or Team

2 = Speedball
3 = Daredevil
4 = Captain America
5 = Spider-Woman
6 = Iron Man
7 = Hulk
8 = Spider-Man
9 = The Defenders
10 = The X-Men
11 = The Fantastic Four
12 = The Avengers

Place of Apprehension

2 = The Sewers
3 = Main Street
4 = The Suburbs
5 = Rooftop of a Skyscraper
6 = The Docks
7 = The Wilderness
8 = Underground Lair
9 = Naval Base
10 = Mountain Stronghold
11 = Space Station
12 = Blue Area of the Moon

Accomplice

2 = White Rabbit
3 = The Mandrill
4 = Purple Man
5 = Circus of Crime
6 = Nitro
7 = Klaw
8 = Kraven
9 = MODOK
10 = Super-Skrull
11 = Baron Zemo
12 = Dr. Doom (roll again on the Doc Doom Accomplice Table)

If you happen to roll yourself, roll 2D6 again:

Result
2 - 11 = Roll again until you get an accomplice other than yourself!
12 = You were working with a clone of yourself!

Doc Doom Accomplice Table
Result
2 - 11 = It was just a Doombot! The real Dr. Doom would never work with you!
12 = It was Doc Doom! Gain +1 Hero Point to begin the session!

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

VMF: The Ladies

Did up two female characters as possible VMF (Villain Mission Force) members: Anaconda and Vertigo.









Ever since I first picked up Marvel Two-in-One #64, I've loved Anaconda! A super-strong, female ex-steel worker from Pittsburgh? What's not to love?

Next post I'll share my re-paint of Hydro-Man, and a few of the cool charts I'll be using to get players into the game.

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

VMF: Hawkeye?

Hawkeye has long been one of my favorite Avengers, but throughout his long career as a professional adventurer, he's had several stints as a villain. Or at least a "perceived" villain. Heck, he began his career as an Iron Man foe during an era where a loser like the Melter (man, I have to recruit him for the VMF too!) could actually threaten 'ole Shellhead.

Anyway, Hawkeye will work as either a VMF member, or a foe. One of the ideas I'd like to try out with this role-play concept is to have all of the figures and their BASH character sheets out, along with RPG cards or notes giving players clues as to what the characters' core motivations are. So a character like Hawkeye might have something like "Hero on the run" or "Rogue Avenger"--he'd still make an ideal leader for a VMF strike team.

As to the Heroclix figure itself, well, this is an old one that I never had much regard for. When I'd seen it in the past, it was always so caked with paint that I thought there was no saving it. The other day I found a really clean version and snatched him up. Once I cleaned off his mold lines and hit him with some Dull Cote, he took paint quite well!









And here's a shot of him with Wild Child and Wolfsbane:



Next up, a couple of more ladies will join the VMF!

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

VMF: Harpoon

I've always liked the Marauder named Harpoon. He possesses the power to energize his harpoons and throw them at foes, or use them in melee. He was responsible for much mayhem against the Morlocks during the Mutant Massacre storyline.

Anyway, he's got a great Clix figure, and I was quite happy with my re-paint on him.














Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

VMF Foe: Sabertooth

Whether you like Sabertooth or not, he's kind of grown into the roles of big-time bad-guy/anti-hero in the Marvel Universe. He might be too big to us as a member of the Villain Mission Force, but he would be a great foe!

I did simple re-paint on one of the earlier versions of Sabertooth, and this one features one of his 1990's costumes.



Here he is with his erstwhile partner, Constrictor:



And here he is in battle with an overmatched Wofsbane (another recent re-paint):



Thanks for visiting, and Happy New Year!

--Scott

VMF Member: Wild Child

Continuing with my Villain Mission Force theme, last night I re-painted Omega Flight member Wild Child. This guy's limited power set (regeneration, heightened agility and senses) makes him an ideal second (or even third) tier villain. Ever since his first appearance in Alpha Flight number 1 I've loved this character, and so using him in a game would be awesome!

I am very happy with how the paint job turned out!









And here's a shot of him going against Mr. Hyde (good luck with that, Wild Child):



Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

Marvel Villain Mission Force

I love DC Comics' Suicide Squad; I've been a fan since its second incarnation began in the late 1980's. I once ran a Silver Age Sentinels campaign that mimicked the Squad's setup: a group of super-villains get recruited by the government to go on dangerous missions in exchange for the commutation of their sentences. Many of them did not live long enough to enjoy freedom. Some liked the missions so much they stayed on.

Anyway, I thought it might be cool to run a Marvel version of this. I know they're sort of doing this now with Thunderbolts, but at this point I have little use for the Bendis-verse and its overwhelming post-modern cynicism. I'd rather set the adventures back in the late 1970's - 1980's when my own comic fandom was at its zenith. What rules should I use? Well, I think BASH UE will work just fine for this. Author Chris Rutkowsky strikes just the right tone with his rules. They possess plenty of depth while still allowing for easy character generation, and they're miniature friendly.

So the premise will be Villain Mission Force, where a cadre of lesser villains is recruited by a shadowy benefactor to go on missions to take out generally bad people, or destroy high-value targets. So the team might be sent to take out a fellow super-villain, a sadistic dictator, or something else entirely. I'll borrow from the old Serpent Society concept and have the VMF use the Vanisher to grab a villain from prison if he or she agrees to the offer of mission service for freedom.

I also envision the game itself as episodic in nature, a series of loosely connected one-shots where players might not always play the same villain from session to session (but they could if they wanted to). In this way, the VMF uses differing line-ups to confuse anyone who might want to trace them back to their source.

My goal would be to get a bunch of Heroclix figures and re-paint them to use for the game, thus providing my players with a pool of villains to pick from. Each villain would get a BASH character sheet that would include some shirt pocket notes on how he ought to be role-played, and the players can take it from there.

To start myself off I delved into my smallish collection of Heroclix and re-painted two of my favorites: Constrictor and Mr. Hyde.

Here they are:













Mr. Hyde touches the upper edge of what I might consider "lesser" super-villains. He's pretty strong by super standards (lift/press 50 tons according to the OHOTMU), but he's never been terribly successful or dangerous. The closest he's come to being major is almost nuking NYC (you should track this story down in the immortal TPB Captain America: War And Remembrance) and participating in the gang-up beating of a drunken Hercules. I think he passes the eye test for this. Constrictor is exactly what I am looking for. Gimmick costume, looks cool, checkered, almost anti-hero past. Just as an example of a villain who I consider too powerful or major for this VMF, I would say Blastaar. Another obvious one would be Kang.

The other issue is the figure. The character must have an at least passable 'Clix figure for him. It's weird, I think many of the older sets are better than the current ones, on the whole. The new machine sculpting creates strange scale issues and some unfortunate minis. That's not to say that there are not some great new 'Clix coming out, but I just find the scale and quality to be very uneven now.

Anyway, if you have some suggestions for the VMF, fire away! Remember, the 'Clix has to be salvageable for inclusion in the project. Figures I already have on my painting table for re-working are:

• Boomerang
• Wild Child
• Owl
• Trapster
• Sabertooth

Stiltman (need to get the figure!) is another one who comes to mind that fits perfectly. Let me know some other names!

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott