heroes and villains



Credits



Written by Joseph Fowler. Art by Sebastian Hannigan.



This playset could not have been completed without the suggestions and assistance of “Matt” Dean, “Thad” Frogley, “Seb” Hannigan and “Pete” Lester. Also a huge thanks to everyone who play-tested for the invaluable feedback.



Get this playset in other formats at fiasco.jifish.co.uk



Boilerplate



This playset is an accessory for the Fiasco role-playing game by Bully Pulpit Games.



Fiasco is copyright 2009 by Jason Morningstar. All rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. See also the Fiasco Playset License.



For more information about Fiasco or to download other playsets and materials, visit www.bullypulpitgames.com.



How did you play this playset?



I'd be interested to hear. Please send feedback to fiasco@jifish.co.uk or tweet me @JiFish.

The Score



Playset location



Capital City is different things to different people. Some would say it's a decaying film noir nightmare, and others would say it's a bright and colourful comic book metropolis.

One thing they can all agree on: it is inhabited by masked men and women styling themselves as heroes. They protect the city, but with heroes comes a special sort of criminal. Not just any villain – a super-villain.

Who will triumph? What will be lost?

Find out in the next thrilling issue of... Heroes and Villains!



Movie Night



Mystery Men, Kick-Ass, The Avengers, Watchmen. Just about anything based on a comic book.



Important!

special rules and tips for this playset


superpowers and charge dice



This is an optional, but strongly recommended, rule. It adds defining super-powers to game. Read this section carefully.

During the set up, add one extra “charge” dice to the central pile for each player in the game. (e.g. four charge dice in a four player game.) These dice are only used during game setup and are removed before the first act. (Don't forget to remove them!) Otherwise, they are used in the same as any other dice in the central pile.

Superpowers are defined in the same way as relationships, needs, objects and locations. (Refer to the superpowers table.) A superpower is attached to the character that possess that power.

You may spend charge dice in any table and you may spend normal black and white dice in the superpowers table. But you must at minimum spend dice equal to the number of players in the superpower table.

Characters can have any number of superpowers or even none at all! A faithful butler can be just as important to the story as anyone else.



Hero Or villain?



Everyone should broadly fall in to the category of a “hero” or a “villain”. There is no set system for this, it should organically arise from a character's relationships and needs. Of course, there's nothing saying your allegiances can't change...

Normally, there will be both heroes and villains on the table. This means the characters are very likely to come to blows. Remember it's not about who wins and loses. Outcomes of fights should flow naturally from the story.

It's possible that all characters will wind up being heroes. In this case you have two options: Declare one of the heroes has “gone bad” and become a villain. (Perhaps randomly.) Otherwise, come up with a good NPC to act as protagonist to your tale and take turns playing them.

Heroic aftermath



Often the lighter nature of a superhero story requires a more optimistic outcome for you characters. To this end, a Heroic Aftermath is included in this playset.

Heroes should roll from this new aftermath table, but villains should stick to the default table. It's tough being the bad guy!






Relationships



1 super friends



1 Long time crime fighting duo

2 Both part of the same super-group

3 Hero out of retirement and his replacement

4 Friendly Rivals

5 Mentor and Student

6 Super family members



2 heroes and villains



1 You are destined to face each other

2 Working together, but you don't have to like it

3 “We are mirror images, you and I.”

4 Arch-Rivals

5 “You were my friend and you betrayed me!”

6 Long time villain and greenhorn hero



3 incredible



1 Serial numbers #462 and #463

2 Mysteriously and mystically linked

3 Clones

4 “We come from a planet far away...”

5 Symbiont and host

6 Great-great-great-great-grandparent and child



4 Romantic



1 Married, with secret other lives

2 Oblivious hero and adoring fan

3 Does she love me, or the mask?

4 Super-Power couple

5 Bromance

6 Loves me, hates the job



5 down to earth



1 Co-workers at The News Chronicle

2 Howdy Neighbour!

3 Often meet at the local café

4 Master and faithful companion

5 Best friends

6 Blood Relatives



6 coincidental



1 Visiting hero and city's protector

2 Just met, but instantly friends

3 City official and masked vigilante

4 You were both in the lab the day of the accident

5 Childhood friends that haven't seen each other in years

6 Celebrity and adoring fan





... in Capital City

Needs




1 to save



1 … The World

2 … Yourself

3 … The Girl

4 … Face

5 … The City from a madman

6 … The Hostages



2 to destroy



1 … The whole damn world

2 … The Evidence

3 … Even though you don't want to

4 … Anything that gets in your way

5 … The City, unless ₡100,000,000 is deposited in your account

6 … The people really running things



3 to get revenge



1 … On the person that killed your friend

2 … On all who said you were mad

3 … Without compromising your principles

4 … On the one who made you

5 … On the city that rejected you

6 … On those who betrayed you



4 to stay hidden



1 … Thanks to your secret identity

2 … While the process completes

3 … In the shadows

4 … From the angry mob

5 … Until the world needs you again

6 … From those who covert your abilities



5 to show the world



1 … Your TRUE POWER!

2 … That you've turned over a new leaf

3 … That you aren't so useless after all

4 … The Truth, if they can accept it

5 … You mean them no harm

6 … What you already know: You're the greatest



6 to choose



1 … Between a normal life and something else

2 … A side in the oncoming war

3 … Who to save and who to leave behind

4 … Between the light and the dark

5 … A new identity

6 … Who to trust





... in Capital City

Locations



1 In the city



1 A seedy inner city street

2 Wormwood Island, maximum security prison

3 A small residential area

4 Central Airport, a hub

5 The banking district

6 Capital City Police Dept.



2 landmarks



1 Champion Tower, the tallest in the city

2 Liberty Square

3 Headquarters of The News Chronicle

4 The city's famous Statue of Justice

5 The Mayor's manor

6 CCFS – Capital City Film Studios



3 in outer space



1 On the moon

2 A space-station in low-earth orbit

3 Another Planet, 50,000 light-years away

4 A doomed world

5 Aboard a spaceship

6 JGX-132, an outlaw colony





4 alternate reality



1 In the G-Zone

2 A possible future

3 In a world ruled by...

4 The Astral Plane

5 Cyberspace

6 Earth-B

5 around the world



1 A central African war-zone

2 The centres of culture in Europe

3 The mountains of Asia

4 Good ol' heartland USA

5 An unexplored region of Antarctica

6 The bush of Australia



6 abandoned



1 … Warehouses

2 … Amusement Park

3 … Insane Asylum

4 … Library

5 … Laboratory

6 … Office block









... in Capital City

Objects



1 vigilante attire



1 A mask

2 A torn cape

3 Underpants... on the outside

4 A Tuxedo

5 Battle Armour

6 Tights



2 ordinary



1 The book “A visitor's guide to Capital City”

2 A pair of glasses

3 The evidence

4 ₡3.50 in loose change

5 Yesterday’s Newspaper

6 A signed photograph



3 dangerous



1 Plutonium-235

2 Photos of The Mayor in a compromising situation

3 Somebody's “kryptonite”

4 A highly unstable explosive device

5 Tomorrow's Newspaper

6 A top-level keycard to a secret facility



4 weapons



1 A bow with trick arrows

2 A multi-function gun

3 A “laser sword”

4 A throwing weapon that returns on command

5 EMP-Pulse Rifle

6 A 1,000 year old katana



5 transportation



1 The X-Mobile

2 The X-Plane

3 The X-Submarine

4 The X-Hovercraft

5 The X-Tank

6 The X-Cycle



6 valuables



1 ₡10,000,000 in unmarked bills

2 The world's largest emerald

3 The original constitution of Capital City

4 5 tonnes of liquid gold

5 Adventure Comics, Issue #1

6 The key to the city





... in Capital City

superpowers



1 magic



1 Ice Manipulation

2 The ability to curse and hex enemies

3 Fire Cantrips

4 Teleportation

5 Healing

6 Illusions



2 animal ability



1 Dexterity of the chimp

2 Speed of a Cheetah

3 Poison of a Cobra

4 Strength of a Grizzly Bear

5 Size of an Elephant

6 Call a specific type of animal to assist you



3 genetic mutation



1 Psychic Powers

2 Thick scaly skin

3 Body Weaponry

4 Control the electro-magnetic spectrum

5 Injury Regeneration

6 Can become insubstantial



4 mundane



1 The best spy gadgets money can buy

2 Pro-wrestling skills, you've held multiple world titles

3 Kung-Fu training from the leading masters

4 Guns. Lots of guns.

5 Top military honours in all fields

6 A utility belt, with just the right item when you need it



5 super



1 … Strength

2 … Flight

3 … Speed

4 … Intelligence

5 … Invulnerability

6 All of the above. You are totally OP.



6 inconvenient



1 Turn in to any inanimate object at will

2 Time-travel, but no control over the destination

3 Everything you touch turns in to...

4 You're already dead. At least you can't die again... right?

5 You are 1” tall

6 Invisible, and can't switch it off





... in Capital City

heroic aftermath: Black high



Zero: The worst thing in the multi-verse. You aren't dead, but only because you weren't allowed to die. You have sold the better part of yourself, and wound up beaten, battered and humiliated for your trouble. Worst of all, nobody cares.



Black One: Painful. There will be pain. A lot of it and for a long, long time. If it doesn't kill you, you'll just wind up wishing it did.



Black Two: Bad, real bad. This adventure will stay with you for a long time and not in a good way. You probably have bits missing, if not from your body then from your soul. And for no good reason, since you completely failed in your task.



Black Three: Humiliating. If you didn't know what inadequacy and ignominy were before, you sure as heck do now. You'll get to know them well because they will follow you wherever you go from now on.



Black 4-5: Frustrating. You were a gnat's wing away from success. But it might as well be a chasm. You lost. Deal with it.



Black 6-7: Just barely enough. You saved the day and the world loves you for it. If only they understood the enormous cost. Is this really a victory?



Black 8-9: Not too bad. You did it! What's more your reputation and body are intact for the most part. Sure things could have gone better, but they also could have gone much worse. You'll take this as a win.



Black 10-12: Success! The world is safe once again! Until next time... a heroes work is never complete.



Black 12+: Amazing! Not only were you successful, you were so successful that people will be talking about it for the next 50 years. Maybe you'll even get your own spin-off.

heroic aftermath: white high



Zero: The worst thing in the multi-verse. You aren't dead, but only because you weren't allowed to die. You have sold the better part of yourself, and wound up beaten, battered and humiliated for your trouble. Worst of all, nobody cares.



White One: Upsetting. You are very likely dead. At the very least, you'll have to give up on your ambitions and dreams. Let's hope none of your fans are kids, because they will be devastated.



White Two: Super bad. Not only did you fail, it's utterly your own fault. You'll be able to dwell on that as your smashed and broken body slowly heals.



White Three: Embarrassing. You'll be forced to face the fact that you clearly weren't cut out for this. You're a failure and everybody knows it, especially you.



White 4-5: Disheartening. You were defeated, but likely though no fault of your own. Lesson learnt. Next time you work alone.



White 6-7: Passable. You saved the world, but didn't get the girl. Or maybe you got the girl, but didn't save the world. Either way, you know you'll have to do better next time.



White 8-9: Pretty good. You were successful, for the most part. Of course, you couldn't solve everything. You'll have time think about that while they are throwing you a ticker-tape parade.



White 10-12: Triumph! You achieved your goal with style and grace. No matter what the future holds, nobody will be able to take that away from you.



White 12+: Super-amazing and awesome. You not only aced your objective, but for an encore you fixed up some other people's problems. Because you are just that damn good.

Issue #1 :terror at the airport

Insta setup

Relationships in Capital City



For three players...

For four players, add...

For five players, add...

Needs in Capital City



For three players...

For four or five players, add...

Locations in Capital City



For three or four players...

For five players, add...

Objects in Capital City



For any number of players...

superpowers in Capital City



For three players...

For four players, add...

For five players, add...

heroes and villains of Capital City



For three players...

For four players...

For five players...

Don't forget!



Heroes should roll their aftermath on the Heroic Aftermath Table.