Some of the time, the shared comic book story being told by the players and the Narrator will flow smoothly, with no disagreements or conflicts. However, conflicts do arise during play that will determine the course the story will take. What is a superhero without conflicts and complications to test his heroic mettle? Other times, the players and the Narrator will diverge on exactly what direction they want the story to take. Finally, if the game is even slightly like a real comic book, the players themselves will have arguments about the capabilities of their favorite heroes like real comic book fans- Who is stronger? Who would win in a fight? Could a given hero really do that with his powers?
The way to resolve any conflicts that arise are by using Story Points (SP). Most conflicts are resolved using a simple bidding system, which has three steps: open the bid, increase the stakes, and relent. The player wishing to initiate a significant change in the story starts opening a bid, measured in Story Points. Those who oppose the change (including the Narrator, of courses) may opt to raise the bid or relent. The player who wins the bid must pay the winning bid in Story Points, and the story progresses as the winner desires.
The key, however, is to do this in a dramatically interesting way by incorporating brief narrations in each bid. Your narration should make it clear what your intent is with each action. What is the ultimate purpose? What is it you really want to do? If your description of your character's actions does not convey this information, consider stating plainly what it is you are trying to do. Doing so makes it easier for those bidding against you to respond in the most appropriate way.
When narrating your bid, keep in mind that you are in complete control over what your character does, but not the consequences of those actions. Thus, you may describe your superhero shooting his flame blast at a supervillain, but the result of being hit (if at all) lies with the person portraying the villain. If you want immediate results at critical moments, the best thing to do is open a bid at a high number (say, about one third your total SP). Thus, if you wanted to take out the supervillain right away because he is threatening innocent people, don't open a bid at a mere 6 SP if your SP total is 35. Here is a good example of how bidding works:
NO
Player 1: I knock out the villain. I bid 12 points.YES
Narrator: Crackling with energy, DoomMaster lifts a car over his head and throws it at you! 8 points.And so on...
Sometimes, two or more heroes are working together to control the outcome of a particular conflict, and when this happens, they may combine bids. In this instance, each individual bid becomes a cumulative bid for all cooperative parties involved. While the cumulative bid may result in victory, the players pay for the result separately. Consider the following example as a continuation from the previous one.
Player 2 (as Paragon): I run over to Redforce, pry him fee of DoomMaster's grip, then give him my best Sunday Punch. "Your villainy is powerless against the Forces of Justice!!" 5 points to add to his 17. That makes 22 points.Now that it has been established that Player 1 and Player 2 have won the bid, they must pay the Story Points. In this case, Player 1 (Redforce) contributed 20 SP to the bid, and Player 2 (Paragon) contributed 5. Therefore, Player 1 deducts 20 from his Story Point total while Player 2 subtracts 5 (this amount will probably be different for Player 1; see Bidding and Specialties).
Of course, there are cases when it seems that everyone is working against one another, each party vying for a chance to expand on the comic book's collective story. While it seems more complicated due to how many people are working at cross purposes, bidding works exactly as it does when there are only two opposing bids. Each player bids individually and narrates what each bid represents according to the guidelines above. This continues until all but one player relents. However, it is important that some kind of order is established before the game shifts from cooperative story telling to bid war akin to buying and selling stocks on Wall Street. The easiest way to do it would be to start with the player initiating a bid and go clockwise. Consider the following scenario.
NARRATOR: You are sitting around your headquarters when the TroubleAlert goes off. It's the mayor- seems that DeathCards are robbing a bank downtown. Not two seconds after that report, the National Weather Service issues an alert that a freak hurricane is heading straight for the coast.Some additional ways to use SP to help reflect the comic-book genre are given in the xxx section.
Whether it is the players or the Narrator that initiate a conflict really depends on the direction the story is taking. Most of the time, the Narrator will present conflicts, and the players will react to them. Most of the time, the Narrator will open the bidding. However, sometimes the players will initiate conflicts from their own actions or ideas. The Narrator can let the players open the bid sometimes if they are being proactive. Be careful not to lose too much control over the direction of the story, however.
Specialties play an important part in bids when particular events involve them. It is easier for a hero to influence the course of a comic book story that resonates with his Theme, or to triumph in conflicts that test his Gestalt. When this happens, you may add the rating of the appropriate Specialty to a bid you make. The value you get when you do so determines the minimum of any opposing bids. If you win the bid, you only have to pay SP in excess of your Specialty rating. However, if you win the bid, you always spend at least 1 SP. For instance, say that a hero with the Gestalt of Strength rated at 10 wanted to wrestle a supervillain to the ground to subdue him. The hero can open the bid at 11 SP (one Story Point + Strength Specialty at 10 = 11), which means the minimum opposing bid must be 12. If the hero won the contest with a bid of 15 SP, he only has to pay 5 SP (15 SP and subtract Strength rating of 10). If the supervillain decides to surrender instead of resisting the hero, he still has to pay 1 SP.
The Narrator always has the final word in determining whether or not a given Specialty applies to a given task or conflict.
Your Specialties do not count toward any Story Points you contribute to another player's; you have to pay the whole amount you contributed. Therefore, it is important to determine which player is the 'main' one for this (usually the one who opened the bidding), because that player is the only one who gets to subtract his Specialty rating from the final SP he spent. Of course, the narrator can feel free to break this rule if the contributing player gave more SP than his Specialty.
Side note: You do not always have to use the maximum rating of a Specialty to start a bid associated with it; you could bid under the Specialty rating if you so desire. This is a great tactic for heroes (and villains) who are more powerful than they (or their players) would care to admit.
When you run out of Story Points, you no longer have any control over what happens to your hero. At this point, his fate is completely in the hands of the Narrator (or the comic editor, as it were).
Sometimes, bidding is not the best way to affect your superhero's impact on the comic book. This would be any changes that you want to (or need to) make to your character, the story, or the setting. However, if your superhero (or you) is being actively opposed in such an attempt, the process reverts to bidding as usual. It is up to the Narrator to determine whether or not Specialties apply to spending SP like this (it is most often a Writer or Artist Bullpen Specialty that would be used, unless the change particularly fits a superhero's Theme). The guidelines for spending Story Points without bidding are as follows:
| Story Points Spent | Magnitude of effect |
|---|---|
| 5 | Cosmetic |
| 15 | Minor or subtle |
| 25 | Significant or noticeable |
| 35 | Major or drastic |
| 50 | Extraordinary |
If a player spends SP in this way, and another player (or the Narrator) disagrees with the changes he is proposing, then the SP spent becomes the starting bid and the regular process for resolving conflicts should be used. Other players can also contribute to the total cost if the Narrator approves.
Some additional ways to spend SP without bidding to help reflect the comic-book genre are discussed in the Spending Story Points sections (especially the Changes to the Hero section) of Building a Comic Book. The most important thing to remember is this: If a superhero is trying to do something where 1) he is not actively being opposed; 2) it is something within his usual capabilities; and 3) it is NOT something that has a significant impact on the story, then NO SP should have to be spent.
Heroes usually regain their full amount of SP at the end of each issue. The Narrator can adjust this if needed, but once per issue is good general rule. The Narrator SP Pool refreshes at the same time the players' do- back up to the total of all their SPs.
The Narrator can reward players with extra Story Points from time to time. These SP are simply added to the total number that are replenished. If the Narrator approves, up to 1/2 can be allocated among existing Specialties or new Gimmicks. If multiple Specialties are allowed, then they all can be allocated among existing ones or go toward purchasing new Specialties. Superheroes don't just change over time, they can grow as well. There are many cases where superheroes in the comics have gotten more powerful over time, or even developed an entirely new set of powers (Gestalt). Their Personalities and Motivations can change as well (Theme). If the Narrator wishes, this can also be reflected by making new entries under the Powers or Skills Aspects cost SP (in other words, the new entries would count toward the total SPs allocated to Specialties / Gimmicks). This cost would be lowered if you are using the Power Stunts rule.
Here is a guideline towards rewarding bonus SP / replenishing SP (if the Narrator does not wish all of it to replenish at once). The exact amount varies, but should usually not be more than 3 or 4 SP at the end of each issue.
As mentioned previously, Fanboy Support is the belief of comic book fans and True Believers everywhere. Fanboy Support will go up and down over the course of a hero or villain's career. The Narrator will add to or subtract from hero Fanboy Support based on the hero's actions and behavior. Fanboy Support will also fade over time if things aren't 'shaken up a bit' (at least a few minor permanent changes).
Fanboy Support can also be spent to get some extra Story Points, at the rate of 1 point of Fanboy Support for 4 SP (the hero is trading in his standing with the readers to have more influence on the story; the readers don't like the favoritism- think of Comic Book World as a team comic book). These SP are ONLY to replenish spent SP during a game; they have no effect on the total replenished and cannot be spent on Specialties or Gimmicks.
If Fanboy Support ever reaches zero, the hero or villain is no longer inspiring awe and wonder (or love-to-hate sentiments) among the comic readers. He is written out of the pages of Comic Book World and fades into obscurity. The following table can help the Narrator determine when to add or take away Fanboy Support.
| Item | Fanboy Support Loss / Gain |
|---|---|
| Every certain number of adventures with no changes to hero (say, 3) | -1 |
| Hero follows his Motivation / Personality | +1 |
| Hero does something extraordinary (a heroic self-sacrifice, a clever solution to a problem, anything the readers will love) | +1 |
| Hero does not use Theme or Gestalt | -1 |
| Hero acts against his Motivation / Personality or ignores it | -1 |
| Hero performs a villainous, selfish, or unheroic act | -1 |
| Exchanging for Story Points | -1 / 4 SP |
SPs can also be converted to Fanboy Support, at the rate of +1 Fanboy Support per 4 SP spent. SPs converted to Fanboy Support are PERMANENTLY lost (they do not recover when SP is replenished). Think of it as sacrificing some of the hero's time in the spotlight or the writer deferring some of his control as a concession to the fans and what they want.
The Narrator should keep track of villain Fanboy Support in a general sense, adjusting it as necessary. The Narrator should not reward his own creations with extra Fanboy Support for things he does in the game with them. If the players are growing tired of a second-string villain, then the Narrator should just assume his Fanboy Support has dropped to zero and write him out of the comic.
[Main] [World] [Creating a Hero] [Playing the Game] [Building a Comic]