Re: [HOE] Running the perfect HoE Campaign

["Nick Zachariasen" <zacharin@pluto.dsu.edu>]

>      And you got it right on Supes, it's not his powers that put the
> Super in his name it's his heart. Superman like Arcane Backgrounds have
some
> major powers, they could easily use them for their own advantage and take
> over. But no, they turn away from that they take the harder route. They
want to
> use their gifts to everyone's advantage. This doesn't make them any less
> heroic than their normal hero counterparts. In fact in some cases like The
> heretical Doomsayers it places them in more danger, by becomeing hunted,
and being
> a prime target of fear an hatred from the mutant-hateing norms out in the
> wasted west.

Oh, I don't say that Superman isn't heroic- he definitely is simply by
virtue of the fact that he uses his powers for good rather than evil and
regularly, even if much of the time only nominally, puts his ass on the line
in doing so.  However, I just happen to consider Batman to be more of a hero
(notice I'm separating being heroic and being a hero- they're both heroic)
simply because he has less to work with than Superman does and manages to
make it do a lot for him.  A good example of heroes who are like Doomsayers
in the respect mentioned above are the X-Men.  They fight for a world that
hates them simply because of what they are (and in fact they really do
parallel the Doomies a lot simply because of the whole mutant evolution
thing).  They fight for the peaceful coexistence of mutants and norms.  They
were originally created as an allegory for the racial strife of the 1960s,
and that definitely extends to coexistence of any kind.  They desire peace,
and would much rather not fight, but they know they have to.  That's kind of
the same as Dr. King, though he never literally fought- then again, he also
wasn't a person in a comic book, but rather someone who really existed and
knew the dangers he faced, eventually falling to them.  That willingness to
face the danger that is so much greater than himself is why MLK was such a
hero.

Now imagine him with Meat Puppet or mind control powers.  Would he have
really been such a hero then?  Yes, he could have fought much more
effectively, but the odds wouldn't have been stacked quite so much against
him.  Granted, he persevered through his martyrdom, but he persevered
nonetheless.  I'm not saying arcanes can't be heroic- one can be the most
heroic S.O.B. out there- but I just don't think he'll ever be as much a hero
(again, notice the subtle difference) as a norm who faces the dangers of the
wastes without the raw power the arcanes have.  Yeah, Doomies are hated by a
lot of people, but they can Purify some irradiated food, and that can go a
long way toward gaining trust quickly.  Junkers can buuld useful things.
Sykers even have some powers that can help others.  Templars are recognized
as someone who can help a settlement, but they have to put up with the image
they've gained of heartless bastards.  Toxic Shamans can purify food and
water like a Doomie, and they can remove mutations, to boot!  A norm often
has to work long and hard at that trust when he doesn't have it.

Nick Zachariasen
Editor Emeritus
Trojan Times